I'm planning on writing a story to try and explore gender and identity in a fictional context. Basically this is a world where at birst you are given a stone based on your sex at birth (green for girls, red for boys) as you grow up, the stone attempts to form a telepathic connection with you that you either accept or reject (there is no choice about whether it's accepted or rejected) depending on the person. However most people are unaware that some people to not get a connection and as the connection allows access to StoneInfo (their version of the internet) they can't talk to people with similar experiences or get the info they need. The story is about a group of hackers who manage to copy the 'stone technology' to allow everyone to have a connection. Do you have any thoughts on this?
It's good... I would not rely too much on technology but make it people simply learn how to overcome difficulties... like there being a few first, the all... (*hug*)
I read this earlier today and was about to reply but couldn't since, reasons... Read it again and still think the same. Basically, too much stuff is happening, the reader won't know what to focus on. What is the central idea of the story? The stones... the actual network they create, the hackers?
It sounds really interesting. I think it would be even more interesting if you focused a lot on the stones and the relationship they have with their people. You should try adding thought-provoking aspects that most people wouldn't think of. I'd definitely read it!
Inside the stones is wiring that helps with the connection between the person the stone and the StoneInfo. Basically the protaganist meets a bunch of people who have noticed that some people don't get a connection and they try to alter the coding in the stone. Yeah that's going to be the focus. A plot is only there for the characters to develop.
Beware of "magitech" concepts unless you are really confident about them. I tried to make a world where both fundamentally understood science and arcane powers both existed, but it was just an incomprehensible mess that made no sense. How has your world's culture grown up around these identity stones? Is it known where they come from and how they work? Are they revered as sacred or simply seen as a phenomenon of nature to be applied at will? Or both-- maybe a disagreement between the two groups is the foundation of your conflict. And most importantly, how the rocks are tied to gender identity like you plan for. That will be the meat of your story. I'm curious to hear more. As someone too frequently bogged down in semi-plausible science fiction realities, a little bit of magic is always cool.