Frustrating relative lack of LGBT NPCs in this game

[Denji]

Notice how all of these are written in code? None of them come out to say it?

I don't think the Ryne and Gaia one could be any more blatant, especially with what Ryne says during the last fight.

[Adamantini]

The fact is, the game doesn't make anyone's sexuality clear, and there are a number of characters you can assume are LGBT+, from secondary characters like Jandelaine and Gaia to major characters like Aymeric, Ryne, and Graha.
But that's never enough, it seems that the importance of knowing the sexuality of character X and Y is greater than anything else. Like "wow, blizzard assumed that Soldier 76 is LGBT+"...ok, so what? Did anything change in the game? He keeps acting like he's just a war old man, as far as I've played, he never mentioned it in the game.
I'll leave my comment here, just to say that I warned: you will end up making the company create super stereotyped characters, who say every 5 minutes that they are LGBT+, and then you will complain that you are being disrespected.
And before you distort what I'm saying (because I know it's going to happen), I don't care if the character is LGBT or not. I care about the story, whether it's interesting or not. Because of that, I think a natural character is much better than super stereotypical characters.

[Alaray]

Notice how all of these are written in code? None of them come out to say it?

While I think this thread is pretty ancient in it's discussion, I do want to point out that coding characters is used as a narrative tool as blatantly saying something isn't always the most natural choice to go with in a story. Which, I think people don't tend to think about much when they do criticize narrative instances (and, at times, characters can be unintentionally coded -- like, as far as I know, Gwyndolin the Dark Sun from Dark Souls wasn't intended to resonate the way he did with a lot of trans people, but that character did as the character's story/motives/presentations are extremely relatable to a lot of trans folk, since Gwyndolin's overarching narrative is extremely trans even if people who can't relate, or don't relate, to those things won't notice it).

[forsakee]

I want SE to focus on gameplay and releasing content in a playable state not focusing on social justice points... most of the time those companies don't actually care about you. I don't understand the obsession with a video game character being gay I really DO NOT CARE. Rather them fix pvp, housing, glam, other races hairstyles, add more content in gold saucer, more raids etc..... just make them gay in your head problem solved.

[Raoabolic]

Many cis-straight people don't actually want to interact with a lgtbq storyline, even if they claim to be accepting.

And many lgtbq people refuse to interact with a "cis" straight storyline, even if they claim to be accepting. We can do this song and dance until the end of time but at the end of the day if it doesn't have anything to do with the story then who cares? Fanfiction exists, go wild. Now bury this thread.

[wereotter]

Notice how all of these are written in code? None of them come out to say it?

I don't think you need to have someone come out and say it in order for it to be true. I don't go around announcing to everyone I meet that I'm gay, and a realistic character in this game wouldn't do that either. There's any number of NPCs in this game that COULD be gay, but you're buying into the narrative that default is straight until told otherwise, when really you should never assume either way until you actually know.

And when you look at it from that angle, very few characters in this game have explicitly told us they're straight through us seeing their love interests (and even then they still could be bisexual)

We don't need to be explicitly told, it should just be shown when it becomes relevant for us to know.

[Ivtrix]

Holy necro Batman

[Denji]

I am non-binary, grey-ace and am engaged to a gay man.

While I would appreciate more lgbtqa2+ rep (and before anyone makes an alphabet joke, lgbtqa2+ has been use in my country - Canada - since 1993) I don't need a game to have a character that constantly reinforces the fact that they are neither cis and/or het by repeatedly stating their sexuality when their actions are what matters more. Most of the main characters don't even /have/ romantic partners in general and have never indicated an attraction to one or the other beyond thancred being incapable of keeping it in his pants during his younger days.

Also, do me a favour and look up Hauchefant's Japanese lines and their translations.

Additionally, most of the planet besides Old Shar which was only advanced thanks to Hydaelyn don't even have flushing toilets yet. Gridania is literally still struggling that racism is probably bad, Limsa is struggling with confronting its colonialism, Ul'dah is dealing with slavery and rampant capitalism while Ishgard has classism problems. All of the major powers have their own issues revolving around people's rights.

Also, the dragon in the most recent patch comes out as non-binary and even indicates the race as a whole basically is. Which was very, very nice to hear.

[KizuyaKatogami]

I don't think the Ryne and Gaia one could be any more blatant, especially with what Ryne says during the last fight.

There really is nothing pointing to them being any more than close friends, especially if you do savage and see that Gaia/Loghrif was in love with Mitron. Gaia and Ryne shared similar experiences and it brought them close as friends. The rainbow thing was specifically explained in the msq, matoya’s dungeon has rainbow lava is she gay now too? The logic just doesn’t make sense.

[Denji]

There really is nothing pointing to them being any more than close friends, especially if you do savage and see that Gaia/Loghrif was in love with Mitron. Gaia and Ryne shared similar experiences and it brought them close as friends. The rainbow thing was specifically explained in the msq, matoya’s dungeon has rainbow lava is she gay now too? The logic just doesn’t make sense.

During the cutscene before the fight you and Ryne are concerned she has no memories of all of them, but during the fight Ryne's only concerned about Gaia forgetting her and only her.

When Ryne becomes Shiva and is defeated, the first words out of Ryne's mouth is complimenting her on her looks.

Also, what your post implies is also bi-erasure. The LGBT community and forgetting that Bisexual and Pansexual people exist, name a more iconic duo.