I appreciate Square Enix supporting LGBT rights in FFXIV.

[ApolloGenX]

Who caught me and Graha canoodling?

[Vav2021]

Never before have I seen people argue and insist so heatedly that two underaged teenage females are in a romantic relationship with one another on a game as intensely as this before. It's quite concerning.

[rachcouture]

Never before have I seen people argue and insist so heatedly that two underaged teenage females are in a romantic relationship with one another on a game as intensely as this before. It's quite concerning.

Conversely, never before have I seen so many straight people try so very hard to reinforce the Gals Being Pals™ trope because they can't handle the thought of a wholesome lesbian teenage romance in their MMO with a massive LGBT playerbase and numerous queer characters. Where have y'all been the past several years?

[ArkenaeuxBelmont]

Conversely, never before have I seen so many straight people try so very hard to reinforce the Gals Being Pals™ trope because they can't handle the thought of a wholesome lesbian teenage romance in their MMO with a massive LGBT playerbase and numerous queer characters. Where have y'all been the past several years?

The fact that both sides are obsessing over each angle is what's distressing.

It's a video game. Interpret their relationship however you want to for yourself, and who cares how someone else views it.

Straight, lesbian, why does it matter? It didn't matter in the context of the actual narrative of Eden. The point of obsessing over two underaged characters is honestly creepy.

[KizuyaKatogami]

Conversely, never before have I seen so many straight people try so very hard to reinforce the Gals Being Pals™ trope because they can't handle the thought of a wholesome lesbian teenage romance in their MMO with a massive LGBT playerbase and numerous queer characters. Where have y'all been the past several years?

Except most of the people who agree it’s a friendship and not a gay relationship are gay people lol. It’s not about not being able to handle it. It’s about people claiming something is canon when it isn’t. We have enough headcanon spouted about lore-wise, we don’t need anymore.

[LMMotoss]

I would like to remind just about everyone in this thread that the ignore command on the forum exists and you should probably use it when you encounter bigots. They will not be changing their mind so best to save your attention span, sanity, and happiness.

[Theodric]

I would like to remind just about everyone in this thread that the ignore command on the forum exists and you should probably use it when you encounter bigots. They will not be changing their mind so best to save your attention span, sanity, and happiness.

Bigotry? Most people are saying that it's fine to read into their relationship as being a thing, though since it isn't explicitly stated as being the case...I don't think anybody is obligated to believe as much as well.

At least some of the people not reading into Ryne and Gaia as being a couple are part of the LGBT community themselves, myself included.

Others simply find it a bit unsettling to see so much focus placed upon two fictional minors when there's established LGBT characters elsewhere in the game who not only openly flirt with characters of the same gender but are actual adults as well. Maybe it'd make for better optics if they were championed more openly.

[ArkenaeuxBelmont]

Bigotry? Most people are saying that it's fine to read into their relationship as being a thing, though since it isn't explicitly stated as being the case...I don't think anybody is obligated to believe as much as well.

At least some of the people not reading into Ryne and Gaia as being a couple are part of the LGBT community themselves, myself included.

Others simply find it a bit unsettling to see so much focus placed upon two fictional minors when there's established LGBT characters elsewhere in the game who not only openly flirt with characters of the same gender but are actual adults as well. Maybe it'd make for better optics if they were championed more openly.

Exactly this.

[Zanarkand-Ronso]

Conversely, never before have I seen so many straight people try so very hard to reinforce the Gals Being Pals™ trope because they can't handle the thought of a wholesome lesbian teenage romance in their MMO with a massive LGBT playerbase and numerous queer characters. Where have y'all been the past several years?

Im not straight, and I think simply.....its Gals Being Pals.
Not even as a trope, 2 people can be close friends and not be an item...or members of the LGBT.

I can stand the thought of a Fictional Same-Sex Couple in any game and setting and Medium.
But Im simply not seeing Ryne X Gaia here.

[LittleImp]

All I've gathered from this thread is that some people have a difficult time parsing embarrassingly heavy-handed subtext. They're even explicitly compared to Squall / Rinoa at one point lmao. Bizzare.