Category Archives: Lesbian

Queer Game Narrative in Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator

Image Credit: https://www.polygon.com/2017/7/17/15973206/dream-daddy-simulator-release-date-pc

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator is a game that allows the player to customize their own dad character (with trans binder options) and date seven other dads. Because of the game’s premise, many queer relationships are featured in addition to specifically queer characters outside of the dateable dads. The game makes the player select their deceased spouse’s gender, allowing players to customize the sexuality of their player character. The game has multiple endings reliant on completing three dates successfully with a dateable dad of the player’s choice.

A list of characters and their implied or explicit sexualities and gender identities are as follows:

Brian: The player is never informed on if Brian was previously married or who Daisy’s second biological parent is. We also see no canon queer content for Brian outside of interactions with the player character.

Craig: He is formally married to Ashley but outside of interactions with the player, there is no canon queer content for Craig.

Dadsona: The player character specifically receives the option to use a binder, letting the player play as a trans man if they wish. The game also gives the option of choosing the player character’s deceased spouse’s gender, allowing for expression of a gay or bisexual identity.

Damien: The player is never informed on if Damien was previously married or who Lucien’s second biological parent is. Outside of player interactions, there is no canon queer (in regards to sexuality) content for Damien, but during the first date with Damien (found here at around 9:00), Damien mentions having binders in his closet. In a tweet from one of the co-creators, Leighton Gray, Damien is also confirmed to be trans.

Hugo: In Hugo’s DadBook profile, he says that he is turned on by muscles and we also find out that he has an ex-partner who he refers to as “the cool weekend dad” when talking about his son, Earnest and his past. This suggests that he is at least explicitly gay, possibly implicitly bisexual depending on his past before his most recent ex-partner.

Joseph: Through playing the story, we find out that Joseph has cheated on Mary before with Robert. We’re also shown that Joseph’s relationship is on the rocks and many have speculated whether Joseph is gay, bi, or queer in some way, such as in this reddit thread.

Mat: The player is informed that Mat was formerly married to a woman named Rosa before she died, but other than from player interactions, there’s no canon queer content for Mat.

Pablo: This character shows up multiple times as you’re dating Mat and seems to go by he/him pronouns but dresses in a gender non-conforming way.

Robert: We are told that he was formerly married to a woman named Marilyn but that she is deceased. In the game he offers to hook up with the player character before the character is able to date anyone and he is also known to have hooked up with Joseph. This suggests that he is explicitly bisexual.

Val: Through Robert’s story, you can meet Val, his estranged daughter, who mentions her girlfriend while talking to Amanda (found here at around 1:00:57), suggesting that she is explicitly lesbian.

A big controversy that relates to the difficulty in labeling these characters’ sexualities is that the game never explicitly uses labels or terminology. In an interview by Mic with both of the game’s co-creators, these things were said:

“The driving force of writing this game was that we didn’t want any of the paths to explicitly be about the dads’ sexualities.”

“A lot of people have said that this game fails to engage with queer culture in a meaningful way, and I absolutely understand that criticism,” Gray said over the phone. “But also, we didn’t want any of the [character arcs] to explicitly be about the dads’ sexualities. I think we already have a lot of media that spends a lot of time talking about those kinds of feelings and navigating coming out and grappling with your sexuality. I think those narratives are important, for sure, but I just want to fast-forward to the part where we can have stories about queer characters that are not explicitly about them being queer.”

This leaves many of the characters’ sexualities up for speculation, but for the purposes of the Archive, they are categorized on here as described in the list above.

LGBTQ References in this game:

Queer Game Narrative in Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator

Citations:

  1. Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Daddy:_A_Dad_Dating_Simulator
  2. Frank, A. (2017, July 17). Dream Daddy Simulator’s last-minute delay causes a stir. Retrieved from https://www.polygon.com/2017/7/17/15973206/dream-daddy-simulator-release-date-pc
  3. Graylish. (2017, July 21). yes! [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/graylish/status/888316619168006144
  4. Ladypocky. (2017, July 29). R/DreamDaddy – “Joseph will always stay Married to Mary.” Joseph’s romance path is apparently a moral lesson? Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/DreamDaddy/comments/6q916a/joseph_will_always_stay_married_to_mary_josephs/
  5. Mulkerin, T. (2017, July 28). ‘Dream Daddy,’ the gayest game of the year, never uses the word “gay.” Let’s talk about that. Retrieved from https://mic.com/articles/182198/dream-daddy-the-gayest-game-of-the-year-never-uses-the-word-gay-lets-talk-about-that#.wsvXRXvYQ
  6. Wolftooth. (2017, July 22). Dream Daddy A Dad Dating Simulator All Robert Small dates rank S & Good Ending. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awUVKEgeA1I
  7. Wolftooth. (2017, July 23). Dream Daddy A Dad Dating Simulator All Damien Bloodmarch dates rank S & Good Ending. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeI5tKfZ2A0

Queer Game Narrative in The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories

Screen Capture taken from the game

In The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories, a story about two college students in a budding queer romance is told, focusing on one of the two characters and her trans storyline. The game’s story takes place inside of a dream (players find this out at the end of the game) had by the protagonist, Jamie Jackson Macfield, an amab trans woman who goes by J.J. for short. J.J. is dreaming after a suicide attempt that is set in motion after her mother finds women’s clothing in her closet at home and takes her to a counseling session to “fix” her.

Image credit: https://kotaku.com/the-missing-gets-queer-love-stories-right-1829784922

The dream had by J.J. slowly reveals this story to the player in the form of texts with various characters and phone calls with the Emily, J.J.’s best friend and lover, inside J.J.’s dream. Through the texts, the player also talks to characters such as a nonconformist musician named Abby who talks about high school bullies calling her friend, Sherrie, a lesbian. It isn’t until the very end of the game however that we see J.J. wake up from her dream in the school, being attended to by paramedics. We see in this scene that J.J. is amab and that she has “found what she was looking for”.

Image credit: https://kotaku.com/the-missing-gets-queer-love-stories-right-1829784922

An article by Julie Muncy from The Verge says this about the game and its queer narrative:

In reality, The Missing is a stunning queer narrative about the brutality of trying to become who you are, and an argument for why painful, violent stories about queer existence matter. I expected an off-beat romp; I found a broken mirror, instead.

Also, in an interview by Rely on Horror with SWERY, the following exchange occurred about SWERY’s comments on who the game is specifically for:

Rely on Horror: On your Twitter you mentioned that The MISSING is a story for everyone yet the narrative of THE MISSING explores queer and transgender identities as the core experience of the story.

SWERY: The MISSING is J.J.’s personal story, but at the same time, I wanted this game to be something that everyone could relate to on their own. This title is not aimed *at* any specific group of people–it is *for* everyone. I believe that all people are in some ways a minority, and at the same time, in other ways, a majority.

This is because perspectives and positions vary from person to person, and everyone has something they are dealing with.

As previously mentioned, “this game was made with the belief that nobody is wrong for what they are.” This game is rooted in this central message.

LGBTQ References in this game:

Queer Game Narrative in The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories

Citations:

  1. Alexandra, H. (2018, October 16). The Missing Gets Queer Love Stories Right. Retrieved from https://kotaku.com/the-missing-gets-queer-love-stories-right-1829784922
  2. Hashimoto, K. (2018, November 05). Interview: SWERY on The MISSING of J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories. Retrieved from https://www.relyonhorror.com/in-depth/interviews/interview-swery-on-the-missing-of-j-j-macfield-and-the-island-of-memories/
  3. Muncy, J. (2018, November 08). This queer horror game forces you to literally tear yourself apart. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/8/18073332/swery-the-missing-jj-island-memories-queer-horror-game
  4. Swery65. (2018, October 16). Thank you for understanding The MISSING deeply. This is why I made This game. However, I didn’t make “The MISSING” for ONLY certain people. This story is kind of journey for everyone. Even for me. Everyone is majority, also Everyone is minority. We can accept for ourselves. [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/Swery65/status/1052375485739458560
  5. The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories. (2019, March 13). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Missing:_J.J._Macfield_and_the_Island_of_Memories
  6. White Owls Inc. (2018). The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories [Video Game]. Japan: Arc System Works.

Noelle in Deltarune

Image source: https://deltarune.fandom.com/wiki/Noelle

Noelle Holiday is an NPC character and one of Kris’ classmates and neighbors in Deltarune. Multiple times throughout the game, Noelle will mention another character, Susie, who fans have speculated she has a crush on (all times Noelle talks about Susie found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJB7MHAKZx4).

LGBTQ References in this game series:

Undertale (2015): Alphys and Undyne; Frisk; Mettaton; Napstablook; Royal Guard

Deltarune (2018): Alphys’ Computer; Bloxer; Kris; Noelle

Citations:

  1. Noelle. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://deltarune.fandom.com/wiki/Noelle
  2. OooooooOOOO. (2018, November 17). Everytime Noelle mentions Susie [DELTARUNE SPOILERS]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJB7MHAKZx4

Soleil in Fire Emblem Fates

Image credit: https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Soleil?file=Soleil_portrait.png

Soleil is one of the 2nd-generation child units the player can recruit to their army once her father, Laslow, has an S-rank with another female unit in your army.

Soleil’s character development and support conversations in the game have evoked much controversy, such as her support conversations in the original Japanese text of the game with Male Kamui/Corrin (the protagonist). A transcript of the original text is linked here. In it, Soleil, who is known for having crushes on girls, asks the protagonist for help focusing on her work as a mercenary. The protagonist over the course of their relationship slips a magic powder into her drink, causing her to see people as the opposite gender they are, and in their final support conversation, proposes to her. She accepts and says that she loved seeing the protagonist as a girl but she has begun to love him as a boy as well.

Many have taken this to be a problematic portrayal of date-rape and gay conversion therapy, causing the localization team to actually change the in-game support conversations between Soleil and the male protagonist. In the English localization, the male protagonist instead helps Soleil practice not getting as excited around girls by consensually blindfolding her. The transcript of the English localization text can be found here.

This change in text of the situation with Soleil was met with praise as fans appreciated the localization team’s effort with ensuring that this was a consensual process for Soleil. However, it also seems that various parts of her support conversations were altered with other possible male romance options. In all of Soleil’s Japanese S-Rank Support Conversations (generally support conversations that end in romance or marriage of some sort), she ends up becoming lovers with the male characters or marrying them. In the English localization, she only falls in love with Forrest (another 2nd-generation child unit, known to often dress in women’s clothing) and the male protagonist, Kamui/Corrin. She also tends to flirt/hit on other 2nd-generation female child units in her same-sex support conversations (with the exception of her in-game conversations with Nina, as they both fantacize about same-sex romance). In a few of the Japanese translations, she seems a bit more aggressive and suggestive in her pursuit of her fellow 2nd-generation female child units than in the English translations. Here is an example from a support conversation with Sophie where they negotiate the outcomes of a deal:

Japanese Version

  • Sophie: Guh. You really hit where it hurts don’t you…by the way what happens when I win?
  • Soleil: How about I’ll do anything you ask me to?
  • Sophie: That sounds good. What if I lose?
  • Soleil: The same, you do whatever I tell you to do.
  • Sophie……….I have a bad feeling about this.
  • Soleil: I won’t do anything weird to a good friend of mine. Or could it be that you’re scared?

English Version

  • Sophie: Uh, th-that won’t be necessary. Fine, just you then. What happens if I win?
  • Soleil: I will never call you a flower again.
  • Sophie: Sounds good. And if I lose?
  • Soleil: Then you’ll change your name to Flower.
  • Sophie: No way, Soleil.
  • Soleil: Oh, all right. You have to emblazon a tiny flower on your armor.

Outside of support conversations, the character is described as “The Girl Lover” in 4koma’s official artwork of the game (pictured below) and also described with the text, “though she is a girl herself, she is fond of other cute girls, and unabashedly flirts with them”. The game also gives each unit in your army a Personal Skill, and Soleil’s is called Sisterhood (English version)/Girl Lover (Japanese version), a skill that says “If Soleil is the lead unit in an Attack Stance or Guard Stance with a female as her supporting unit, she will deal 2 additional damage and receive 2 less damage.” (found here)

Image credit: https://kantopia.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/fe-fates-4koma-comic-character-guidebook-page-138-139-translation-soleil/

During the Paralogue she is recruited in, in-game text from her father talking with a comrade of his suggests that she is bisexual.

  • Silas: Hmm, Laslow, did your daughter just ask that girl out to gaze at the stars?
  • Laslow: Why, yes! She’s got good taste. In women as well as men—got a problem with that?

It is unclear what Soleil’s exact sexuality is as Japanese text more strongly supports her being bisexual, while both the Japanese and English text support her having a preference towards women. Some fans have argued that she is not bisexual or a lesbian because she is unable to marry/romance any female units in the game, however, all of the in-game text supports otherwise.

LGBTQ references in this game series:

Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken (2003):  Florina and Lyndis; Lucius and Raven

Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones (2004): Joshua and Gerik

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (2005): Ike and Soren; Jill and Mist

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (2007): Heather; Jill and Mist; Kyza; Ranulf

Fire Emblem Awakening (2012): Same-Sex Relationship Hack

Fire Emblem Fates (2015): Forrest; Nina; Romance options; Soleil

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (2017): Leon

Citations:

  1. Ashcraft, B. (2015, July 08). Why Some People Are Calling Fire Emblem Fates ‘Homophobic’. Retrieved from https://kotaku.com/why-some-people-are-calling-fire-emblem-fates-homophobi-1715602826
  2. Bonds, C. (2016, January 20). Fire Emblem: Fates Changes Controversial Support Conversation in Western Regions – News. Retrieved from http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/41814/fire-emblem-fates-changes-controversial-support-conversation-in-western-regions
  3. Bright Smile. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Bright_Smile
  4. Leoppi. (n.d.). Sophie Soleil C-A Support. Retrieved March 8, 2019, from https://pastebin.com/Q60pSnTs
  5. Sisterhood. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Sisterhood
  6. Soleil. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Soleil
  7. Soleil/Mamui Supports. (2015, June 30). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from https://pastebin.com/bgQC0yEa
  8. Soleil/Supports. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Soleil/Supports
  9. Whitaker, J. (2015, July 02). Consent and gay conversion issues in Fire Emblem Fates. Retrieved from https://www.destructoid.com/consent-and-gay-conversion-issues-in-fire-emblem-fates-295164.phtml
  10. Xkan. (2015, December 26). FE Fates: 4Koma Comic & Character Guidebook (Page 138-139) Translation – Soleil. Retrieved from https://kantopia.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/fe-fates-4koma-comic-character-guidebook-page-138-139-translation-soleil/
  11. Xkan. (2016, February 17). Fire Emblem Fates: Soleil’s Localized Support Conversation (FULL). Retrieved from https://kantopia.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/fire-emblem-fates-soleils-localized-support-conversation-full/

Tracer/Lena Oxton

tracer.png

Tracer concept. From “Media – Overwatch,” https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/media/tracer-concept. Copyright (2019) by Blizzard Entertainment. Reused under Blizzard’s online content policy.

Lena Oxton, or Tracer, is one of Overwatch’s playable characters. She is often considered the face of the game, and is notable for her apparent peppiness and commitment to doing good. She was an Overwatch recruit at the time of its disbanding. Her abilities involve time manipulation and dual pistols. In the Overwatch comic Reflections (2016), Tracer kisses a girl, Emily, who she lives with. Michael Chu, Overwatch’s lead writer, later confirmed she is a lesbian.

LGBTQ references in this game:

Tracer/Lena Oxton

Soldier: 76/Jack Morrison

Moira O’Deorain

Citations:

  1. Chu, Michael & Montilló, Miki. (2016). Reflections. Retrieved from http://comic.playoverwatch.com/en-us/tracer-reflections.
  2. Frank, Allegra. (2016). Overwatch’s new comic confirms game’s first queer character (update). Polygon. Retrieved from https://www.polygon.com/2016/12/20/14028604/overwatch-gay-tracer.
  3. Media – Overwatch. (2019). Retrieved from https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/media/tracer-concept.
  4. Serrao, Nivea. (2016). Overwatch comic confirms popular character is a lesbian. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved from https://ew.com/gaming/2016/12/21/overwatch-tracer-confirmed-lesbian/.
  5. Tracer (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2019 from the Overwatch Gamepedia:https://overwatch.gamepedia.com/Tracer.
  6. westofhouse. (2016, December 22.) For those who have asked specifically, Tracer identifies as a lesbian. [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/westofhouse/status/812110259737137152.

Velvet Crowe in Tales of Berseria

Velvet Crowe is the first woman to solo carry protagonist duties in Bandai Namco’s Tales Series. Unlike previous entries in the series, the protagonist does not receive a romantic narrative. Through in-game events and skits, Velvet shows little to no interest in sex or romance with her only significant relationships being with her childhood friend Niko and enemy-turned-ally Eleanor. With the absence of a reciprocal heterosexual relationship fans speculate this absence as a sign of queerness, an implicit encoding of an asexual, lesbian, or bisexual identity.

LGBTQ references in this game series:

Tales of Symphonia: Zelos and Lloyd

Tales of Zestiria: Sorey and Mikleo

Tales of Berseria: Velvet Crowe

Citations:

  1. Various. (2017, April 6). [Berseria][Discussion][Spoiler] Could Velvet be bisexual? Reddit. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/63qprb/berseriadiscussionspoiler_could_velvet_be_bisexual/
  2. Various. (n.d.). Velvet Crowe (character page). Aselia, the Tales Wiki. Retrieved from https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/aselia/images/e/e1/Velvet_Artwork.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170226095330
  3. Yuru Media. (2018, August 8). Tumblr. Retrieved from https://yurimedia.tumblr.com/post/176775912190/i-finished-tales-of-berseria-a-while-ago-and-i?is_related_post=1

City of Ydor

Image credit: https://twitter..com/Jed05/status/1059152596064030720

Image credit: Submitted by Creator

The second great human country, Ydor, is the kingdom of art. Much more open minded than its neighbor Sarona, you can see openly gay couples, statues of naked men, and drag queens.

There is a steam achievement when playing this game called, “This is my hair, I don’t wear wigs,” that you can unlock if you speak to the drag queen wearing the wig hat, which is a reference to an Alaska Thunderfuck song.

LGBTQ references in this game:

City of Ydor

Evan

Mermaid

Citations:

  1. Jed05. (2018, November 18). Not only is Mr. Tako hella cute, but also has drag queens and married lesbians. <3 #SaveMeMrTako #NintendoSwitch [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/Jed05/status/1059152596064030720
  2. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://alaskathunderfuck.com/
  3. Submitted by Creator.