I appreciate Square Enix supporting LGBT rights in FFXIV.

[Alaray]

for the love of god please stop trying to push for two underaged girls to be gay, do you have nothing better to do than force your headcanon shipping onto others and using every possibly excuse why it's not "obvious"?! SE has no problems with straight up gay characters and yet there is not a single indication that ryne and gaia are in love, a relationship or anything of the sort, it's f*cking creepy.

Being gay/lesbian doesn't really have anything to do with your age.

The giant rainbow rock amidst them fighting to be together through an entire story arc is, still, pretty on the head about it. Can't really get more direct than that, without them just straight up saying it. Kinda rings of the weird, roundabout things people would say to imply Pelagos wasn't a trans character in WoW, despite the fact the character pretty much outright said as much.

And I figured most of the "we don't like the gays in our games" people preferred implication over direct statement.

[Juzjuzz]

Being gay/lesbian doesn't really have anything to do with your age.

The giant rainbow rock amidst them fighting to be together through an entire story arc is, still, pretty on the head about it. Can't really get more direct than that, without them just straight up saying it. Kinda rings of the weird, roundabout things people would say to imply Pelagos wasn't a trans character in WoW, despite the fact the character pretty much outright said as much.

And I figured most of the "we don't like the gays in our games" people preferred implication over direct statement.

Yeah you are right straight ppl would react differently. The rainbow rock changes everything, it can't just be a rainbow rock.
The straight alternate ending : https://imgflip.com/i/5cgqy0
Seems legit xD

[Nethereal]

Yeah you are right straight ppl would react differently. The rainbow rock changes everything, it can't just be a rainbow rock.
The straight alternate ending : https://imgflip.com/i/5cgqy0
Seems legit xD

Imagine ignoring the entire storyline being about keeping your friends and family safe all while protecting your current identity/self from the past you, a different you while your old lover who you don't even remember is mind controlling you into destroying everything you currently hold dear.

Nah they just wanna flick each other's beans. Stuff is gold.

[Steinar]

Imagine ignoring the entire storyline being about keeping your friends and family safe all while protecting your current identity/self from the past you, a different you while your old lover who you don't even remember is mind controlling you into destroying everything you currently hold dear.

Nah they just wanna flick each other's beans. Stuff is gold.

Yup. These folks don't care about the story, and they don't even consider a beautiful friendship, they just want to check a box. Gotta love the twatter generation.

[Rinhi]

Being gay/lesbian doesn't really have anything to do with your age.

it does when people are desperately trying to ship and headcanon them into being in a relationship

The giant rainbow rock amidst them fighting to be together through an entire story arc is, still, pretty on the head about it. Can't really get more direct than that, without them just straight up saying it.

see

Imagine ignoring the entire storyline being about keeping your friends and family safe all while protecting your current identity/self from the past you, a different you while your old lover who you don't even remember is mind controlling you into destroying everything you currently hold dear.

Nah they just wanna flick each other's beans. Stuff is gold.

also,

And I figured most of the "we don't like the gays in our games" people preferred implication over direct statement.

what's up with your camp always trying to imply that people who don't want checkbox representation or don't see two damn teens being friends as being a couple as being anti-gay, anti-lgbt and anti-whatever? I'm gay, do I have internalised homophobia now? do you have any other argument aside from headcanon and shipping?

[Shiro--Tsubasa]

what's up with your camp always trying to imply that people who don't want checkbox representation or don't see two damn teens being friends as being a couple as being anti-gay, anti-lgbt and anti-whatever? I'm gay, do I have internalised homophobia now? do you have any other argument aside from headcanon and shipping?

it probably has to do with most of the arguments being the exact same dribble that anti-gay, anti-lgbt people say to deny the idea that characters can by gay.
"Why can't they just be friends? why can't two girls just be friends anymore?" when there are tons of characters who are "just friends" and nowhere near represented the same way within the same media.
just one example
Also the argument that somehow because they are young teens they can't possibly be gay when it makes perfect sense that they could considering that is when most people awaken to their sexuality. The equivalizing of sexuality to only be about having sex which isn't the case at all. Nobody is seriously saying they should screw, just that there is romantic tension. romance =/= sex although sex can be the result of romance.

There is also a blatant disregard for character-coding which has been a thing in literature for centuries to represent different groups even outside of things like sexual orientation. (see character-coding literature analysis) Somehow though when it comes to two characters that could be gay people ignore this simple tried and true concept that has existed since before even Shakespeare.

I'm against this checkbox culture that has spouted from twitter, this isn't a case of just checking a box. (being against check box culture has unfortunately been another thing constantly used by anti-lgbt people in order to invalidate lgbt couples in media. Check box culture sucks as it results mostly in tokenism. Ryne and Gaia aren't tokens, they are two characters that grew together)

[NatePride]

The giant rainbow rock amidst them fighting to be together through an entire story arc is, still, pretty on the head about it. Can't really get more direct than that, without them just straight up saying it. .

it is a rock representing the colours of the 6 main elements.

[SeverianLyonesse]

Correct me if i’m wrong but the scene they mirrored was the ending scene of ff8 correct? Where squall was wondering around etc? At that point Squall already knew he loved Rinoa. He knew that by the time he went to rescue her from the sorceress memorial. In fact the first time he really accepts his feelings is after she’s been in the coma and he literally takes her body and carries her by himself. That’s when he realizes and accepts his love for her. Because we even have a scene after that where he admits he’d do anything for her should she turn evil etc etc.I really think people read far too much into this storyline in terms of the relationship and i say this as a gay person. I remember when two girls could hang out and go have sleepovers or go shopping together or paint each other’s nails without being labeled as “omg they must totally be in love.” The way i see it, they’re simply two good friends due to their similar circumstances and events they went through.

I think there's more nuance to it than that. Squall is very stoic and mostly duty-motivated. For most of the game, he (outwardly) doesn't seem very reciprocating of Rinoa's interest; he just passively accepts her approaches. Even when he carries her and afterward, and pledges loyalty to protect her, that seems to be mostly or at least equally duty-driven. And that makes sense that he would rationalize his feelings as responsibility for others. While I think it is up to interpretation as to precisely when Squall realizes he has feelings for Rinoa, I think the ending makes the strongest case for his epiphany given that I believe it is the first time we really see evidence of walls being broken down. I personally think this may have been what the writers were going for with Squall's general personal/relationship arc and resolution. But it's not the clearest so I don't think either of our interpretations are totally invalid.

I actually think the parallel with Gaia is even stronger in that respect. Ryne is throwing herself at Gaia in the same nonserious way Rinoa did to Squall. Gaia is rebuffing and preoccupied with greater things just like Squall did. Neither couple really realizes they have a thing for each other for most of the story. It's only at the climax of their arc that the Squall/Gaia half realizes they have romantic feelings.

it is a rock representing the colours of the 6 main elements.

There is no reason why it can't be both.

And again, I am frankly stunned at how dense some people are on these forums. The crystal is pretty much the punctuation point at the end of a romantically-coded scene between two same-gendered people. It's like no one has ever heard of writing so deft as to weave several different stories/themes/symbols together in a way that conveys entirely new ideas. The juxtaposition is literally hitting you in the head with a hammer. I'm pretty sure they could have both hopped on a unicorn down a yellow brick road and people would still be asserting no homo.