Wayor

Wayor is a term used in speculative discourse and worldbuilding to denote a framework for navigating branching choices or paths. The name blends way and or, signaling the core idea of selecting among alternative routes. There is no single, universally adopted definition; meanings vary by context, and the term is often used descriptively to indicate a method rather than a concrete object.

In technical or philosophical discussions, wayor may refer to a conceptual model in which each potential course of action is represented as a way and a selection operator akin to logical or is applied to combine evaluation criteria. A decision policy assigns weights to factors such as risk, cost, benefit, and ethics, and the system identifies preferred paths accordingly. The notion is commonly used as a metaphor for decision support, scenario planning, or narrative branching in interactive media.

In fiction and worldbuilding, wayor is frequently depicted as an instrument or discipline that helps characters forecast futures and choose among them. Depictions range from algorithmic planners that compute optimal life-paths to schools that argue for particular life-choices based on values. The concept is often explored to interrogate autonomy, responsibility, and uncertainty.

Reception is mixed: some writers use wayor to illuminate decision processes and narrative structure, while others view it as vague. As a term, wayor remains informal and context-dependent rather than codified in any standard discipline.