🖋️ Behind the Page: Why Qat Uses Ae/Aem/Aer

Every character tells you who they are eventually—you just have to listen. In 2017, when I first “met” Qat, the protagonist of Catching Qat, ae was a bit of a mystery. One moment, Qat presented as female; the next, male. When I finally asked for clarity, Qat just smiled. It was clear then: Qat was gender-fluid.

The “Aha!” Moment

Initially, I wrote the story using they/them pronouns. However, when I switched the POV to Qrodin (a third-person perspective), I ran into a major clarity issue. In scenes where Qat was with a group, I couldn’t tell if “they” referred to Qat specifically or the entire party.

I needed a solution that respected Qat’s identity while keeping the prose sharp. That’s when I researched neo-pronouns.

The Inspiration: A Voyage to Arcturus

My research led me to David Lindsay’s 1920 novel, A Voyage to Arcturus. Lindsay coined the pronouns ae and aer for the Tormance species—humanoids formed of air with ambiguous sexuality.

It felt perfect. To make it even more intuitive for my readers, I followed a simple linguistic logic: drop the “th” from they/them/their.

Subject	Object	Possessive
They	Them	Their
Ae	Aem	Aer

Building the Karatolii Culture

The pronouns weren’t just a grammatical choice; they became a cornerstone of the Karatolii culture. I was inspired by a BBC2 documentary on 5-alpha-reductase deficiency (5aRD), a real-world genetic condition where all individuals appear female at birth, but males develop male anatomy during puberty.

I wondered: What if an entire culture was built on this trait?

• Family Structure: Traditional binary roles (Mother/Father) wouldn’t fit.
• Linguistic Evolution: Gendered pronouns wouldn’t be the default.
• Lineage: Mating with the extinct, cat-like Nonyx gave the Karatolii their distinct features—like tails, and Qat and Qrodin’s striking eyes.

A Universal Language

In the world of Catching Qat, ae/aer/aem isn’t just for the Karatolii. It has become the global standard for gender-fluid individuals, single-gendered species, or any time a person’s gender is unknown. It’s a way of life—an accepted practice that brings clarity to both the language and the soul.

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How this looks in the book:

Qrodin follows aem across the clearing and the road. The elder climbs the steps of a magila, one of the shop carriages. Ae waves Qrodin to follow aem inside. Dozens of floating balls dimly light the interior. With a flick of aer hand, the balls get brighter.

I Wasn’t Alone: A Growing Movement

What’s truly incredible is that after I chose these for Qat, I realized I wasn’t the only one. Since 2017, the use of ae/aem/aer has blossomed.

Today, you can find countless TikToks, YouTube shorts, and blogs from individuals who have adopted these exact pronouns for their personal use. It turns out that many people found the same “drop the th” logic just as natural as I did. Seeing real people embrace these pronouns validated my choice—it wasn’t just “sci-fi grammar”; it was a living, breathing part of modern identity.

Does your favorite fictional world have unique linguistics or pronouns? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Until tomorrow… or tomorrow!

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Just a reminder, Catching Qat will be free on January 16 & 17 on Amazon. I’ll be transitioning off of Kindle Unlimited to go wide on other e-reading platforms, including Google Play Books, Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble Nook, so this is your last chance to read for free! If you’re not a fan of free books, you can pre-order your ebook by clicking the button below.

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