#bi representation in video gaming

[aretheybisexual]

Do you know this (canon) bisexual character?

Propaganda:

(spoilers below)

I'm hesitant to say canon since it's persona, but it's pretty undeniable. Kanji has a whole crisis because he realizes he has feelings for another guy, and anyone who has played the game knows what his palace/whatever was like. He also has a quote like "maybe i'm the type who isn't interested in girls?".

I'm gonna spoil part of the game for this next part because it's difficult to explain without spoilers. (No spoilers for the ending or major plot twists etc.)

So! Turns out the guy he was attracted to was actually a girl, but his feelings remain. He keeps blushing and is clearly still attracted to them as both genders. So I definitely think he's bi.

[lavadorafangirl]

🏳️‍🌈 Day 19: Ellie & Dina (The Last of Us) 🖤

Can't believe we are almost on the day 20 DAFUQQQQ ajsksj ANYWAYS, hope you like it<3 also thanks for all the support in my latest post and welcome to all of my new followers 🥺 i wish i could kiss all of you

HAPPY PRIDE 🏳️‍🌈

Remember: i'm drawing a lgbt canon couple daily for pride month, follow me or check my profile to see the rest!🏳️‍🌈 Thanks for the support!

[potentialfirehazard]

we need more Bi representation

the good and the bad

so here’s some links to some really cool bi themed videos about fandom and media

and

and

all credit of CORSE goes to these amazing youtubers!

just wanted to shine some light on these really informative vids !!

🌈🌈🌈

[soft-jihyo]

personally really hate the "devs should just make all characters bi so nobody feels excluded" take.

[gayestcowboy]

can i be so honest? i don’t really understand why some people seem to hate it so much when romanceable video game characters are “playersexual”/always bi or pan/always attracted to the player character. like yeah of course gay/lesbian representation is really important, i don’t think i have to stress that point at all, but if games have romance options specifically, doesn’t it just make the most sense to have them be bi/pan? because everyone wins? it’s so refreshing to be able to romance any character regardless of your own in-game gender in games like bg3 after coming from games like fire emblem where you’re forced to be straight or have extremely limited gay options. and most obviously, bi/pan representation is also important. there isn’t a finite amount of space for queer representation in fiction, and i don’t see any harm in making specifically romanceable characters bisexual for the sake of inclusion/player satisfaction rather than having distinct individual sexualities. it’s not like all fictional characters should be forced to be bisexual. like is there something i’m missing or are people just weird about bisexuals

[autisticrosewilson]

It's been bugging me for a while that we have so many canonically queer characters now but none of them ever DO anything! It's like after they get two characters in a queer relationship they just never give them any conflict after. We didn't ask for more representation because we wanted that character to no longer have interesting stories outside of a queer identity we wanted you to stop queer baiting us.

I know that word gets tossed around a lot, but there is very strong evidence for TimKon, StephCass, and GhostBat where they practically confirm it but they never say anything explicitly. Supersons were literally shown to live together, co-parent Lizzie, and were explicitly paralleling other canon couples last week.

But it's too much for Kon AND Tim to be queer, so they gave Tim a civilian boyfriend that he never has any conflict with and all of the build up and tension that comes with trying to clone your dead teammate 99 times and being a hair away from making out for like 8 years.

Robin AND Super boy couldn't be canonically queer so they aged Jon up and then gave him a civilian boyfriend he never has any conflict with all while parading them around in elseworlds because they knew fans were upset about the lost potential.

Even Harley and Ivy fall victim to this in a different way. I love that they're canonically queer! I just wish that at least Ivy got to keep some of her villainy. I don't think they should have to compromise being menaces to society with being queer.

And it's related but I hesitate to call it queer baiting... what's going on with Dick Grayson. He gets confirmed bi in a non canon video game but he has more pride covers than Tim. Like you can't dangle an extremely queer coded character in front of us and then just never make it canon. And I'm tired of one off implications too. We deserve better representation than a one liner played off for a joke (Batstantine this is about you I fear) but they won't because they know full well they won't do a damn thing with him after.

You wanna know what we should be striving for? Midnighter and Apollo. Messy their whole run time, uncompromisingly interesting whether they're together or not, happily married with a daughter, and yet continued to be unerringly bad ass. John Constantine, with all of his shameless flirting and raunchiness. Grace Choi and Anissa Pierce. The pining, the break ups, the make ups. Obsessed with them.

Joey Wilson!!! You want someone whose already canonically queer who Dick has a lot of tension with? He's right there! The son of Dick's arch Nemesis. Both of their willingness to go over people's heads to protect them. Joey's ability to completely take someone's free will (and his deliberate and spiteful choice not to) vs. Dick's constant fight for independence (and his willing surrender to the pull of his family). Dick's unwillingness to communicate his feelings or experiences with literally anyone ever paired with Joey's uncanny ability to read him like a book. Are you joking. The mess, the tension, the INTRIGUE!!

This got away from me but I want my queer characters to be interesting again pretty please.

[riza-hawks-eye]

I'm just saying, the majority of video games still have an all Hetero cast. Canonical andexplicit Bi and Pan representation is still rare to find in media and outside of head canons.

So why is it that when we finally get a game with a cast of bi and pan adjacent characters suddenly all we hear is "playersexual this" and "playersexual that".

[lesbianralzarek]

boggles my mind how overused the term "playersexual" is. its useful for critiquing games where the devs had no interest in bi/pan representation, and refuse to work the characters attraction into it. "playersexuality" is the result of a writer's cowardice when faced with the task of incorporating any semblance of a queer experience into the actual game. it is NOT when a romanceable character is bi/pan for player convenience. of fucking course they are. theyre also willing to adventure with the player for your convenience. you can heal getting shot by going to bed for your convenience. welcome to video games. its also not when characters have preferences and talk more about one gender than another. thats actually, like, accurate to how most bi/pan people experience attraction. its fine. shut up.

ALL THAT BEING SAID, if you refer to any of the bg3 companions as being playersexual or "actually gay/a lesbian/straight" im killing you. no the fuck they arent. there is no run where wyll is straight and karlach is a lesbian. the player's gender is irrelevant. they are all bi/pan whether you like it or not. die about it.

[fanlore-wiki]

Meta Monday: The Gay Button: How Bisexuality Changed Video Games

For this Meta Monday, we are watching the video essay How Bisexuality Changed Video Games by Verity Ritchie and Ada Černoša. This hour-long video walks us through the history of bisexuality in video games, starting with the OG bi games–The Sims and Fable–that changed the landscape of game romance forever.

The video covers a long list of games that have bisexuality coded into them, but also explains how “The Gay Button” (a term created by trans game designer Anna Anthropy) allows homophobes to never even see the queer content. Ritchie discusses how this opt-in feature is used to widen the possible fan base of a game, by hiding the gay and giving heteronormativity the overlying screen time.

This 2021 video beautifully compiles academic research of queer representation in video games to explore the variety of ways that non-heteronormative relationships are coded. It’s so well done that James Somerton (infamous plagiarizing Youtube video essayist) plagiarized it! Piqued your interest? You can watch the video or head over to the Fanlore page to learn more!

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We value every contribution to our shared fandom history. If you’re new to editing Fanlore or wikis in general, visit our New Visitor Portal to get started or ask us questions here!

[ponett]

Recently I've been hyperfixating on Sun Wukong. Reading JttW, watching shows and movies. Looking at fanart of all kinds. And its made me wonder something, back when I was like 13 Sonic also made me question this, but as the only person I know that knowns more about furry stuff--does liking only one or 2 characters but not anything outside that count as me being a furry? How did you discover such for yourself? If that isnt too personal.

It's different for everyone. You can be a furry who's just really into one specific thing with anthro characters, or you could be into a million things with anthro characters and not self-identify as a furry. It's your call.

For me, I've always liked a lot of cartoons and video games and whatnot with anthro characters since I was little, and as I got older I discovered the furry community and the concept of "furry art" and I liked what I saw. It felt like a natural next step for me beyond Sonic OCs. It helped that the furry fandom is a predominantly queer community, and I was a closeted teenager still struggling to accept that I was bi. Even today, having that community is very important to me.

I also quickly found that I liked representing myself as a furry character, which is a key part of it. I like having a fursona. I like having that wish fulfillment character to project onto. I like drawing her in situations, and commissioning art of her, and seeing her next to my boyfriend's fursona, and people saying she's cute. I like using a fursona as my face on the internet. If a genie granted me three wishes, no strings attached, wish number one would be to turn into my fursona. She's a representation of something I feel about myself deep down in my heart. And, again, not every single person in the furry community has a fursona, and also you can just design yourself a fursona for fun without self-identifying as a furry. But for me, the level of attachment I have goes beyond "I just think they're neat."

[aretheybisexual]

Are they bi based on vibes?

Propaganda:

I think he's so deep into the closet that he can see Narnia.

[larry-is-my-anchor1]

I’m not sure if Eddie will realize his feelings for Buck, if any at all, or for any man. At least not this season.

Before Chris left(show wise it’s only three months) Eddie was dealing with Shannon’s return and then death. Then it’s the aftermath of all the feelings he was forced to deal with. And how they effected his son. Eddie doesn’t seem to trust himself to get into another relationship. I cannot see Buck and Eddie be just a fling. They are end game. So there may be another woman or even a man in Eddie’s story before he realizes he is in love with Buck. And visa versa.

Buck realized he is bi in season 7 and has been dealing with it. Eddie is still chipping at layers of childhood trauma. And I’m not sure yet if any chipping will make that discovery. At least not now.

Sure there is a lot of scenes with rainbows, glances, lollipop loving, and just such cherish, but there is no proof at all about Eddie. Right now there are just two men who love one another dearly. In love and too stupid to see definetly. But I hope there is as much tenderness given to the romantic aspect as there is their friendship. Because right now they’re killing me.

They’re going to have to do a lot more with Eddie and perhaps have Eddie having flashbacks about what he’s being truly denying himself, because of how he was raised. And why he took the phone anyway from Buck. How and why his relationship with Buck is the way it is. How he can trust Buck more than any other person.

I’ve been in fandoms before where characters had so much chemistry that fans wondered why show runners and writers didn’t want to even consider the idea of a same sex relationship. I was so surprised to have such representation and care for characters of 911. And even a bigger surprise when Buck came out. Eddie though they’re clearly doing things differently. But why?

Also the video of Ryan Guzman I posted about several posts ago he says a characters sexuality doesn’t have to change. Which concerns me.

So for now I’ll enjoy the show but look for fanfics to bring me joy. I know better to have hope and then heartbreak.

[cringelordofchaos]

Disability + Queer headcanons for some South Park characters i like

(warning: u might not agree w everything i have to say !!! :shocked emoji:)

(also sorry if im inconsistent w some characters pronouns ill probably refer to a character with their canon pronouns in the show and then when i remember trans hcs of said characterr suddenly ill refer to the w different pronouns)

Craig Tucker

- gay (no fucking shit sherlock)

- level 1 autistic, low empathy, difficulties communicating and understanding emotions, yada yada u get the gist

- some form of anxiety? idk probs not to a disordered amount but its there.

Kenny McCormick

- Chronic pain (everywhere)

- Epilepsy

- dude LITERALLY got a seizure from simply playing a video game (in thepokemon episode) this dudes physical health is so bad prolly cuz his constant deaths still leave an impact on him even after he gets revived?

- autism !? (idk im not 100% sure just yet)

- selectively mute

- probably some form of (complex?) PTSD from the constant traumatizing deaths he endures though again like im not sure

- but yyeah ok i just remembered thispost is about disability AND queer hcs so uhm kenny. I like the genderqueer hcs but he could also just be really gnc and i love that for him too. either way likes women a lot and i cant exactly imagine him liking a dude? like idk maybe but nah i dont see it

Tweek Tweak

- im sorry but i personally dont view him as having adhd cuz his parents tell others hes hyperactive bc of it but really its because they keep drugging the fucking eight year old so idk. like idk he could possibly have it but i cant decipher cuz we dont know what tweek would be like if he wasnt drugged and a coffee addict at such a young age. and causes of symptoms matter

- but yeah he def has GAD and panic disorder bc of the drugged coffee

- oh also gay

eric cartman

- NPD (i know hes a really stereotypical and harmful portrayal of it and there should be better representation of it but theres no way he doesnt have it im sorry)

- sexuality and gender are whatever benefits him at the moment

(ok but if ur actually wondering abt my hc hes probably gay)(in extreme denial obviously though)

Butters Stotch

- has some form of disorder related to trauma and if he doesnt hell get one when he grows up because like dudes been through SOME FUCKING SHIT. (and he canonically falls asleep to and wakes up to the sounds of his own screams so like. uhm)

- seems like hes straight? like could be bi though idk. he DID have a crush on princess kenny though? take it as you will lmao

- SHIT i forgot about marjorine. yeah just like w kenny either genderqueer or gnc, love both hcs

- may i suggest aroace butters though

- or no sexuality butters (he doesnt have a sexuality :broke heart:)(dont aks me how that works it jst does)

Stan Marsh

- Major depressive disorder

- literal alcoholic at age 10 thats bound to mess him up for life one way or another

- canonically diagnosed with asperger's syndrome but it was his obvious depression being misdiagnosed

- bi but like only gay for specific chars. but yeah confused abt sexuality

- gender questioning too and its pretty canon as shown in 'the cissy'. though then again stans really empathetic so u could say stans confused feelings of gender identity were just being influenced by cartman and wendy recently telling the school theyre trans. idk WHICH way stans trans though and neither do they

- emo

kyle broflovski

- im gonna hes say asexual cuz of human kite's character chart thingy and also bc why not

- have got zero clue as to what his sexuality is like. im a style shipper (big surprise ik) so u might think i think he likes dudes but idk. ive never seen anyone hc him as aroace before but i think it could fit him. he does seem like he could just be cishet too. or maybe bi? ive also seen gay hcs of him. idk man i think multiple fit depending on how u interpret his character?

-

Tolkien Black

- his roleplay character chart thingy said ther character was gender neutral so im going w that hc

- likes girls (canon as shown in cartman finds love)

Bradly/Bradley (the one from the conversion therapy episode)

- gay (SHOCKER)(BIGASS SURPRISE)(

Timmy

- canon wheelchair user (whats the term again i forgor) and also intellectually disabled (but also there was one point where it was revealed he was actually a genius i think?? so maybe hes not intellectually disabled but rather he lacks the capacity to express or communicate his inner world? idk)

- timmy

thas all i got for now im too lazy to continue but yeah pls dont kill me for these

EDIT 11/JUNE/2024: forgot to say this but also kenny has more physical disabilities than listed and also Cartman is dyslexic in my hc

[larena]

The thing about "playersexual" as a video game criticism buzzword isn't necessarily that it's completely useless at describing a real thing - if you want to discuss the bizarre way Skyrim romance works, or things like Leah in Stardew Valley having an ex that changes to match the player's gender, sure, "playersexual" might be a term that describes those things.

But it's just so utterly tainted by bad faith biphobic criticism of actual bi characters that it's impossible to trust it's ever not being used as a cudgel to eliminate bi representation that someone has arbitrarily decided doesn't count.

Like the thing that always gets proposed as the alternative to "playersexual" characters is characters with "set sexualities" - here almost always meaning monosexual characters. And there's nothing wrong with wanting more monosexual queer representation, but to claim that it's "more realistic" is just flat out biphobia plain and simple.

If people want playersexual taken off the shelf they've gotta stop acting like five bisexual people being in the same friend group is impossible.

[arizonaaaaaa]

GLEE LGBTQIA+ HEADCANONS- HAPPY PRIDE MONTH PART 1

1- Rachel Berry- Bisexual

-Had more chemistry with the women she sang than most men she dated

-Shes annoying and obnoxious but surprisingly cute while in relationships, notice how she’s only annoying and hates everyone when she’s single

-Faberry, Pezberry and Jonesberry 🔛🔝

2- Finn Hudson- Bisexual and Demisexual

-Def slept with Puck on the same bed as kids when they had sleepovers

-also slept together with Sam on the couch while playing video games, Kurt covered them with a comfy blanket

-idk his interactions with Kurt on 1x04 are just so cuteeeeeeeeeeeeee

-the demi part, just remember that when he had sex with Santana, it meant nothing to him because she wasn’t important to him

3- Kurt Hummel- Gay

-Canon

-really wanted to see more relationships with him, we only had Klaine, him and Adam and that’s it, the rest were all crushes, and kisses, and friendships that we pretended were real or sm

-nothing more to add

4- Mercedes Jones- Pansexual

-idk it’s just the vibes

-kind of like Shang from Mulan, falling for the person they are, not how they present themselves

-anyway she gives the best hugs ever and she loves having conversations and everyone loves her for that (as they should)

5- Tina Cohen-Chang- Bisexual and Non-Binary

-so you are a 2000s asian character with purple hair and a goth/puck style but your not bi? The blasphemy

-notice how the three highlights she wore on season 1 were purple, blue and pink

-I feel like she questioned her gender several times after she started dating Mike, when she came out he was so supportive😭

6- Artie Abrams- Bisexual

-say what you want but he totally admired Finn and Puck

-def wanted to date both Tina and Mike

-funny how any relationship with a man would be way better than any relationship he ever had💀

7- Quinn Fabray- Lesbian

-we already know girly is at least bi, you know, fucking with Santana twice

-didn’t have a single successful relationship with a guy, cheated on most of them

-girl just wanted to lesbian and no one got her😭

8- Santana Lopez- Lesbian

-canon

-same with Kurt, we deserved other relationships aside from Brittana and Danitana?

9- Brittany Pierce- Bisexual

-canon

-bad representation in my opinion but it’s not my place to talk

-deserved a coming out scene, Kurt had, Santana had one (but it was deleted) but she didn’t, feels like the writers saying that bisexuals don’t need to come out

10- Noah Puckerman- Pansexual

-took a long time to figure out his feelings

-he’s not romantic attracted by everyone like he is sexually, so it took longer to noticed he also likes guys

-prob had a awakening while watching porn or something

-tho him being canonically pansexual would be kind of weird like imagine him hitting on mr Schue or something

[northrnfool]

You know, toxic masculinity actually takes many different forms:

It can also be thinking that your own stories, the ones that focus on straight white males, are the ones that are underrepresented in media even though they are absolutely not. It’s the perpetuation of the illusion of marginalization.

It’s also patronizing fans (a lot of whom are women and LGBTQ+) who see very clear things in your story telling and treating those fans like they’re less intelligent than you because they are able to read the subtext that’s put onscreen. It reminds me of Dan and David with Game of Thrones and how they would make little post episode videos mansplaining each episode to us even though they were clearly the ones to didn’t have a grasp of the material they were working with.

It’s also not knowing when your opinion isn’t necessary. This show has already been criticized for doing the bare minimum to provide representation, for having Loki say he bi and acting like they did something revolutionary, and following it up with absolutely nothing. But then proceeding to put something onscreen that gave fans hope - like maybe they were actually going to show people in the LGBTQ+ community that their stories matter - only to follow it up with, “oh no, silly fans, it’s cute you think these two men are in love, but male friendships are more important”. Like, goddamn… as @wowwwmobius said, the cognitive dissonance is astonishing.

I’m just flabbergasted.