Beta Colony

[jbluphin]

In my all-time favorite series (The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold), the protagonist’s mother hails from one of the first two colonized planets - Beta Colony - which is known as pretty much the most scientifically advanced (as well as sexually liberal) planet in the Nexus.

While there is a lot of world-building facts I could tell you about Beta Colony (these books are FULL of world-building), one of the interesting cultural norms of the planet is that everyone wears earrings to denote their … let’s call it relationship status … and that wearing a set of earrings that does NOT accurately relate your status is a bit of a taboo. Upon reaching a certain age, EVERYONE starts wearing these to show that you are now a consenting adult. And the twists and turns and types of earrings allow you to be incredibly specific - whether you are in a monogamous relationship, an open one, or are completely single; whether you are interested in dating and to what extent; the gender(s) you are interested in, if any; what type of relationship you might be looking for (casual, serious, non-sexual, whatever). Everything is displayed on your ear, so that there is no guesswork about what people are interested in, and they will back off if you aren’t.

I could go on about Beta Colony for a while longer, but I think that this, in particular, is a really nifty idea. Wouldn’t that be just lovely?