#or seeing these posts that come across as very antagonistic and demeaning'

[n0phalt]

seeing these over and over and over and repeating my mantra of peace and understanding interspersed with my mantra of 'twitters algorithm is trying to make me mad and is showing me takes that seem very antagonistic and personally targeted when in actuality this is a fair assessment of *some* peoples experience and the poster has not evaluated other reasons for the discordance and thus is not dispariging me'

[pkmnomegaverse]

In that disney movie AU you mentioned earlier, which disney couples would the kids' parents be?

Some of these got a bit AU in their portrayal of these couples, but I based it more on the situation I wanted to see them in. I also only did who I consider the “Main 6 Protagonists” (sorry Nate and Sun/Elio)

Flynn Rider/Eugene: GreenRapunzel: RedThis is mainly due to the fact Green would make an excellent Flynn.  Haughty rogue who’s full of himself and initially irritated at Red, but grows as a person as the two travel together. Red would have long crimson hair (which would turn his canon hair color once it is cut) and is actually “named” Red by the stand-in Gothel due to his hair color.  Thus, Red is the one not going by his birth name, even if it’s unintentional on his part. This also makes it less obvious to the people they meet along their journey that he’s the kidnapped prince.  

Aladdin: EthanJasmine: LanceShouldn’t this be reversed, you say, but hear me out. Lance is the next-in-line heir who often disguises himself and leaves the palace, wanting to see how his people truly live so that one day, he can be a just and effective ruler. Ethan is a street urchin he meets while exploring the city one day, and while Ethan is very much enamored at first sight by Lance, Lance mainly thinks he’s interesting to talk to (since he sees a side of the city Lance will never know).  Lance is subsequently pissed when he thinks Giovanni (stand-in for Jaffar) has Ethan executed despite his direct orders. Events play out similarly to the film (with Lyra as Genie/ultimate wingman) and Lyra is the one to suggest that Ethan wishes to be a prince (since once Ethan tells her his story of how he got there, she’s all “I’m gonna help you get your man!” and Ethan does want to see Lance again, so he goes along with it because why not). Lance is hella suspicious initially, since not only was he told Ethan was killed, but there’s no way the boy he met on the streets was secretly a prince.  He doesn’t throw him out though because he wants to figure out what’s going on. Events ensue, the two grow closer, and eventually they have to put a stop to Giovanni’s plot to take over the kingdom once he steals Lyra’s lamp (there might be a “generous offer” about letting them both be concubines in his harem, since clearly he’s a nice enough guy to let them be together in some capacity). They manage to outsmart Giovanni in the end and they both live happily ever after (with Lyra being set free with Ethan’s final wish, of course).

Huntsmen: BrendanSnow White: WallyYes, it’s a changed endgame couple, but let’s be real, Brendan would be way more involved then just kissing some comatose/dead boy he randomly comes across in the woods. Plus, I like the “Snow White and the Huntsman” movie, so I was taking cues from that film. Brendan is a bit more morally ambiguous in this, being hired by the Queen to dispose of Wally (she claims it’s for the good of the kingdom, him being a threat to stability. Plus, the reward she’s offering is nothing to scoff at). But after tracking down Wally, he can’t kill him because he can tell something is off about what he’s been told (plus his pure pureness is too overwhelming, he just can’t do it).  Brendan helps him the rest of the way through the woods and takes him to a group of dwarfs he sometimes trades with. Brendan returns to the Queen doing the whole “animal heart in a box” trick before returning to his woods. He continues to meet up with Wally, wanting to see how he’s adjusting and the two grow closer as they continue to meet (and do confess their feelings for each other before the Queen shows up to wreck shit).  Once the Queen finds out Wally is still alive, she vows to kill both of them and hatches a similar plot as in the Disney movie, planning to take out Wally first.  Brendan and the dwarfs all fight to protect Wally, but not before Wally foolishly takes a bite from the poisoned apple. They kill the Queen, but realizing they’re too late, mourn Wally’s passing and start setting up a funeral for him. Brendan gives Wally once last goodbye kiss, which wakes him from his presumed death (but was actually just a curse) and while everyone initially freaks out, they’re all overjoyed and live happily ever after.

Tarzan: BarryJane/actually-sorta-Clayton: LucasDoes anyone remember that early Pokemon episode where the dad accidentally drops his kid out of a plane, but instead of the kid dying on impact with the ground, he’s instead raised by Kangaskhan? Since the kid was a pretty obvious reference to Tarzan in that episode, I was thinking of something similar for this AU, so that Barry’s parents aren’t actually dead and there would be the possibility of meeting them again one day (good job dropping your son out of a plane though, Palmer). But instead of a group of Kangaskhan raising him, it would be a group of Infernapes.  Lucas isn’t truly Jane in this, Dawn being the one who’s a researcher on an expedition with Rowan, Lucas being her best friend and the survival expert in the group (so more a non evil version of Clayton).  The two tag team on trying to teach Barry how to speak and behave more “civilly” while Rowan’s in the background all like “this isn’t why we came here,” but does find Barry endearing. Since Lucas isn’t the antagonist in this, trouble comes in the form of a different group of poachers who are after the Infernapes Barry lives with. They manage to stop the poachers, but instead of Lucas remaining behind in the jungle with Barry, Barry leaves the jungle to return with Lucas to his homeland.

Esmeralda: HilbertQuasimodo: NAnother different endgame pairing, but I saw a post once that got me stuck on this idea. Ghetsis as Frollo also works really well, plus since I have bad tastes, I’ve always liked the idea of Ghetsis being creepily into Hilbert. For N, I see it less as him being physically deformed (although he likely walks oddly if we’re going with the idea he’d hunch his back like an animal), but more his issues stem from Ghetsis constantly demeaning him and making him feel inhuman, combined with no social skills. Hilbert would still be a Romani entertainer, but rather than a dancer, he’s more of a storyteller through performance, similar to Clopin in the original film. The events of the story would play out similarly to the film, but rather than falling in love with stand-in Phoebus (who’d be Cheren), Hilbert falls in love with N, ending the film by wanting to explore the world with him, showing him all the things he’s never been able to experience before.  

Hercules: TiernoMeg: CalemThis one is based more on my characterization of Calem being very fitting for Meg. Jaded, cynical, with a flirtatious edge, he thinks very little of Tierno on their first meeting.  It’s only through interacting more with him that he comes to see Tierno genuinely has a good and kind heart and comes to develop feelings for him in turn. Anyone who says Tierno can’t be Hercules can fight me, since not only does he have the heart for it, but it’d be quite easy to add some muscle to his build and you’d get a beefy fighter. Who has a rather dance-battler style of fighting. Featuring Serena as the sarcastic Philoctetes who’s the one to initially suggest the whole “dance battle” technique (as it inexplicably makes Tierno better at dodging attacks) and Lysandre as Hades (who has quite the history with Calem).

[gay-nidoking]

im curious why you dont like vega if you're ok with sharing

To be quite honest, it started as a bit of a personality thing, but then he just started to grate on me. His irreverence is charming for about two minutes, and then it just started to feel disrespectful. And I don't just mean from a military chain of command perspective (cause goodness know I romanced Kaidan lol), but just from, like...a personal perspective I guess??? Like ig it's not as big of a deal if you wanted to be buddy buddy with him, but I never did, so his constant laidback and critical commentary is kinda aggravating. I also am unfortunately one of those people who finds his "nickname" insulting and demeaning rather than endearing, or at the very least a sign that he doesn't respect you or see you as his superior.

I think they may have been going for him being a moral compass (I am specifically thinking of his part in the Leviathan DLC, since that's what me n hubby are playing through right now), but in the moment it just comes across as being immature and unwilling to put any kind of trust in, you know, your commanding officer who has way more experience and knowledge than you. Challenging an immoral or hasty order obv is important, but he sure does question you a lot

And as I acknowledged in the comments of my post, there are some comments he makes that are extremely uncomfortable. Again, I think it may be that Bioware was going for something with him, and missed the mark

I guess in summary his irreverence doesn't come across the way I'm assuming his writers intended it to. It's not so much charming as grating, because he comes across as antagonistic, and childishly rebellious when you do something he doesn't like.

[brynwrites]

Writing an immersive third person limited point of view.

What is third person? In third person pov the narrator refers to all character by third-person pronouns, such as he, she, or they. In contrast, first person pov uses the first person pronouns, I and me, for the narrator.

What is third person limited? Third person limited is the alternate to third person omniscient. In third person limited, you have one single pov character narrating the story at any given moment (though you can have as many of these limited pov characters as you want throughout the course of the story), whereas in third person omniscient, there is an omniscient (all knowing) narrator.

Why choose a limited third person pov? 

- The reader forms a stronger, more personal connection to your pov character(s). - You can easily build suspense because the reader never knows for certain what the non-pov characters are thinking, feeling, or planning. - You can more easily write an unreliable narrator because your narrator tells things only as they see them, and not as they truly are.

At the end of the day, there is nothing you can’t do with limited if you’re creative and willing to think outside the box. 

So you want to write a good limited third person pov then?

Keep in mind that most of these tips also translate to first person pov. In many ways, third person limited is very similar to first person, because you have a single narrator at any given time, and the reader is confined to that narrator’s interpretation of the world.

Here are some key things you need to remember while writing limited third person: 

Fore note: I want to make clear that though I give a lot of extra explanatory information, this isn’t meant to be demeaning in any way, but rather to make sure that writers at all stages are aware of why certain phrases are used in third person limited. I hold very strongly to the opinion that any time writing advice is given, it should be clear why the person giving the advice believes it’s worth while, so that others can decide for themselves if it’s something they want to apply to their own writing.

The pov character can only sense the things their own senses can pick up, in exactly the way their senses interpret them. 

Example: 

Boots sounded behind him. [He heard the approaching person, but can’t yet see them because he’s not looking in the direction.] Anne appeared at his side. [She didn’t materialize there, but it’s implied that by ‘appearing’ she appeared in his specific line of vision]. The stench of blood and sweat coming off her made his knees weak. She must have just returned from the dungeons. [As the author, I would know that’s where she’s been, but our pov character can’t know this for certain unless he asks Anne. For now, he just has to guess.] Her brows knit together, and when she looked at him, anger flashed across her face. [Notice that he’s only inferring she’s angry by the signs he’s picking up. Either he knows her well enough to know what she looks like when she’s angry, or her anger is being displayed in a very typical human way.] 

Note: You can (almost) always directly eliminate filter words like saw, watched, or heard. Some filter words like felt and smelled are harder to remove, but if you rewrite the sentence to get rid of them, it usually sounds nicer in the long run. 

The pov character only knows the things they have experienced or been told already. 

This includes obvious things, like the names of strangers. Some other examples of this are:

* The feelings of other characters (unless they’re clear shown through their actions, expressions, tone, etc. But even then, the character could just be a really good actor.) 

* Whether or not another character is telling the truth (the pov character can guess they’re lying, but won’t know for certain).

* Information about the ongoings of the world beyond the things they’ve seen for themselves or learned from secondary sources.

The pov character only refers to themselves and others in a way which would make sense to them. 

This is most relevant in a couple situations:

* The pov character doesn’t need to explain that they’re thinking, because the entire story is still essentially just an accumulation of their thoughts and perceptions. All first person thoughts should be italicized though.  

* The pov character shouldn’t refer to themselves as any epithets unless it’s a unique situation where the character is debating the validity of their own identity. They should also not refer to their own appearance unless prompted. 

* The pov character should only refer to others by the epithets they would normally use for that person, and should only note things about their appearance which make sense for them to note. 

(It’s okay for that last guideline can be broken sometimes in order to help the reader. An easy way to avoid breaking is to find really noticeable things the pov character has a reason to describe. Did the pov character’s best friend put their red hair up in a new way? Does their scarf really match their blue eyes today? Does that coat look massive on their lanky body? Does their short height make them look like the perfect leaning post after a long day at work? If you start with something like this, you can easily work in more description afterward because the pov character is already focused on their friend’s looks.)

Example: 

He shoved a hand through his hair, but the action only sullied his blonde locks further, rubbing the mud in between the strands. [He specifically thinks about his hair color because the mud is effecting it.] Gutter rat. Maybe he was meant only for the streets after all. [He indirectly uses an epithet for himself with the words ‘gutter rat’, but it’s been prompted by someone else shoving that part of identity in his face.]

He glared at the merchant as the man left. [He doesn’t know the merchant’s name, or maybe he does, but just doesn’t care, because he’s been mistreated by merchants who think he’s going to steal from them all his life, and has begun to label them all together in the same oppressive group.] 

“Again?” 

Swiveling around, he found Anne watching him from the side of the alley. [Anne is a low ranking soldier, but he only ever thinks of her as “Anne” because she’s his good friend, and not like most of the soldier’s he’s encountered.] Her dark hair had come loose from her bun, frizzing away from her face, and her button up shirt hung out on the sides, her overcoat missing entirely. [If this was Anne’s introduction, we now know that she has dark frizzy or perhaps curly hair, which she normally keeps in a bun, as well as a little about her uniform.]

She must have had a long day. [Notice that there’s no need to say “he thought” here. Also notice that since this isn’t specifically a first person thought, it doesn’t matter if it’s italicized. Italicizing it would draw more attention to it though, so if it’s something that will be a key point in the scene, italicizing might be better, whereas if it’s meant to be foreshadowing for the taxing undercover work Anne is doing for the rebellion, then it might be better not to draw attention to it.]

The words and phrases used to describe actions made by the pov character should take into consideration the way the pov character would interpret their own actions. 

Examples: 

“His eyes lifted to look at the stars” is always better written “He lifted his eyes to look at the stars” which is almost always better written “He looked at the stars” which is usually better written via some variation of “The stars shown down on him.” There are reasons why you might want to specify certain actions such as lifting eyes or looking at something, but it should not be used to show that the character is doing it, but rather to point out why the thing they’re doing this time (in this case, looking at the stars) is different from the other times that might have done so. 

“He looked at the stars” might be useful if he’s literally stargazing in that scene. “He lifted his eyes to look at the stars” gives a feeling of helplessness by slowing down the sentence and forcing the reader to specifically imagine the pov character’s eyes rising, which works nicely if the pov character is scared and confused and he’s looking at the stars in the hopes that maybe he’ll find an answer written there. 

Another thing to watch out for is including your pov character into a group’s action. If Anne and our pov character are running from the antagonist, it always should read some variant of “He ran beside her” and never “they ran.” (This is an exception to the similarities between third person limited and first person. In first person, you can say “we ran” without breaking the pov, but in third person “they ran” detached the reader from the pov character.) Find a better explanation here. 

You can have any variation of different kinds of point of view throughout your story, but you must be clear to the reader which point of view you’re trying to use at any given time.

If you’re switching between different points of view within your story, the reader should know within the first paragraph after the break, or better yet the first sentence, which pov you’re using, and for first and limited povs, who the pov character is. 

What does that mean for us? Try to avoid opening chapters like this:

Anne leaned against the balcony railing, the wind pulling at the stray stands of her hair. She tapped her nails against the wood in agitation, but the city folk traveling below seemed oblivious to her plight. Not a single one looked up.

He felt terrible for her. If only he could help in some way...

Here, we get a whole paragraph of Anne before the pov character is mentioned, a whole paragraph which could easily be from Anne’s perspective, or anyone else’s for that matter. (Note that the pov’s character’s name should be stated at the beginning of the chapter, instead of just their pronoun, but in our case, the pov character has no official name.) 

All pov confusion can be easily been avoided by some minor rearrangement, like so:

He felt terrible for Anne.

She leaned against the balcony railing, the wind pulling at the stray stands of her hair. She tapped her nails against the wood in agitation, but the city folk traveling below seemed oblivious to her plight. Not a single one looked up.

Closing thoughts;

Keep in mind that these guidelines are a take on modern third person limited point of view, which is generally much more immerse and therefore stricter then the third person pov seen in most classics. 

As always, “writing rules” are just guidelines and tools. As writers, we should always be open to breaking these guidelines if it fits with the story we want to be telling. The advice I give is what works for my own writing, and what seems to be the general audience’s consensus on what makes a limited third person pov more immersive, but is certainly not the only approach you can take.

More about breaking the rules here.

Ye ole copy-paste disclaimer to follow:

[This is my opinion. All opinions are subjective and were developed based on my own personal reading preferences and the reading preferences I see most commonly in my editors and beta readers. There are many aspects of this topic which I did not cover, and while I would be happy for you to add your own opinions to this post, please be respectful and understand that I did not exclude anything on purpose, in an attempt to mislead people, but rather to keep the post relatively short and tidy. In all matters of writing you should keep your own opinions and try many different styles and theories before settling on anything. As general rule of thumb, I believe that you should exclude nothing from your writing, but rather minimize the use of certain tools so that when you do use them, they have a bigger effect.]

[side-blog-on-ice]

(This isn’t limited to YOI but I feel like it’s relevant enough to post here.) 

Basically I’ve been wondering why some of the criticism of YOI has been bothering me so much while other pieces of criticism haven’t. Sometimes the points are remarkably similar but one is more palatable than the other. And I’ve partially figured out the difference.

Criticism which comes from the perspective of “I liked x thing and want to see it be even better” almost always comes across as better than criticism from the perspective of “I didn’t like x thing and here’s what’s wrong with it”. One has a generally positive tone of critical analysis and constructive criticism while the other can border on hostility towards x thing and the people who like it. 

I’m in no way saying that people shouldn’t criticise what they don’t like, they absolutely should, but preferably in a way which doesn’t demean the people who like x thing.

(I feel like I should mention that this perspective on criticism doesn’t apply to stuff which is legitimately and indisputably harmful / toxic.)

Back to YOI specifically. This post exists because I’ve been watching/reading criticisms of YOI and the tone of some of the stuff I’ve been seeing has been getting on my nerves a little. I’m not saying that people who didn’t like or were disappointing by YOI shouldn’t be criticising the show. Those posts often raise a lot of valid points. This is specifically about the posts which do it in an aggressive manner. Tip: the use of the phrase “dumb fujoshi” (and yes, that’s a quote) to describe the whole fan base is a pretty sure fire way of telling if the post is going to be antagonistic. (On a semi-unrelated note: from what I’ve been able to see most of the fan base are not “fujoshi” and it’s very annoying that that is the stereotypical image of the fan base.)

YOI has a whole bunch of problems it can be criticised for, I’ve criticised it myself, but one thing I try to keep in mind is that constructive criticism is always better than just criticism. Criticism without suggestions for improvement can border of complaining. Which, while it’s fine to just complain about stuff you don’t like, shouldn’t be dressed up and treated like evaluative criticism.  

tl;dr: Criticism is great, no matter whether you come from the perspective of liking something or disliking it, but please stop being so antagonistic.  

[gamerszone2019-blog]

The Best Couples in Video Games

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/the-best-couples-in-video-games/

The Best Couples in Video Games

A few years ago, we wrote about all of our absolute favorite couples in video games, but in a span of five years, a lot of things can change. So we’ve updated our list to include more of our favorite couples, from casual games to more serious RPGs, and to celebrate the growing representation of interractial and LGBTQ+ representation. Flip through our gallery below to check out all the couples we love, or keep scrolling to read.

Gaming’s Greatest Romances

Player’s romantic choice isn’t a new thing to RPGs, but it was for Assassin’s Creed, which up until Odyssey had consistently presented players with heteronormative protagonists (with the exception of Jacob Frye, who was revealed as bisexual in Syndicate’s DLC) and predetermined relationships. Like its Greecian roots, Odyssey celebrated the ability to love anyone no matter the main character’s assigned gender, letting players decide if they wanted their Kassandra or Alexios to be heteronormative, gay or bisexual/pansexual. It’s been done before in plenty of other games, but Odyssey’s special in that, well, it doesn’t hide its influences and allows players to get on with literally everyone. Random philosopher? A shipbuilder? Really important supporting lead? We ship it all. – Aiden Strawhun

Athena and Janey Springs – Borderlands: Pre-Sequel

If there’s anything Borderlands is not, it’s subtle. In Borderlands: The pre-sequel by Telltale, Janey literally introduces Athena as her girlfriend. One demeaning, poorly-timed and derogatory joke later, the two are schmoozing through the title and Tales from the Borderlands together. Borderlands has always been unapologetic and flamboyant, and its roster of characters have always matched those themes, but these two, in particular, fit the bill to a near-perfect degree. – Aiden Strawhun

Eddie and Ophelia – Brutal Legend

Sexy goth girl Ophelia is rock roadie Eddie Riggs’ fighting ally and love interest in Tim Schafer’s Brutal Legend. He meets her when they both wind up looking for the same giant axe, then Ophelia introduces Eddie to her gang and their romance blossoms. However, the path of true love never did run smooth, and it gets more than a little bumpy when Eddie is told that Ophelia is a traitor. Ophelia, heartbroken that Eddie doesn’t trust her and believing him to be the real traitor, decides to throw herself in the Sea of Black Tears. In the end, it turns out that there was an evil Ophelia — an imposter – who was doing all the bad things. If you return to the iron cross-shaped rock after you have beaten the game, you can see Ophelia again and have one last snogging session. – Emma Boyes

Isaac and Nicole – Dead Space 2

The year is 2508 and Isaac Clarke is one of a team of miners that boards the USG Ishimura after receiving a distress call from the vessel. It turns out no good turn goes unpunished, as the ship is teeming with the undead. That’s especially bad news, as Isaac’s girlfriend Nicole Brennan is one of the ship’s crew. However, sees her and she appears to be ok, although they don’t have any time to chat and catch up. Later in the game, she appears again to help him out by recalling the shuttle that government agent Kendra has commandeered after she tries to leave without him. Towards the end of the game, Isaac sees the original distress transmission, which shows that Nicole committed suicide by lethal injection before Isaac ever boarded the ship. The Nicole he saw was just a vision created by the Marker artefact to try and trick him into bringing it back to the planet Aegis VII. Love hurts. – Emma Boyes

You and All The Daddies – Dream Daddy

It’s becoming less rare to see queer couples of all sorts in video games, mainstream and independent, but it’s still somewhat of a rarity to see wholesome, meaningful representation of gay men in gaming. Dream Daddy goes a place many games have yet to go, and not only provides an incredible dating sim, but one that truly scratches an itch for the queer community while tackling themes of parenting and male-presenting body positivity simultaneously. Big daddies, little daddies, daddies of color–the player gets to choose whatever kind of daddy they want to pursue in this game, and do so in a way that is lighthearted but doesn’t make light of its material. For that, we have to make a spot for this game in our list of legendary loves in gaming because it does what so many other games haven’t dared to do just yet. – Aiden Strawhun

Cloud and Aerith – Final Fantasy VII

Sometimes video games genuinely shock you – and Aerith’s untimely death was one of those moments. The game seemed to be setting her up to be hero Cloud Strife’s main love interest, and then suddenly (before even the end of the first disc, for heaven’s sake) she’s dead, just like that. Aerith Gainsborough is a young flower seller who hires Cloud as her bodyguard in exchange for one date. When she ventures into the Forgotten City alone, the game’s antagonist, Sephiroth, kills her by impaling her through the torso with his sword while a helpless Cloud can do nothing but watch. The game goes on, but the loss stays with you, making you determined to get even with the evil Sephiroth on Cloud’s behalf. – Emma Boyes

Squall and Rinoa – Final Fantasy VIII

Squall Leonheart and Rinoa Heartily meet at his graduation ceremony when she pulls him on to the dance floor and they share a moment. Seems like romance should blossom there and then, but there’s a problem. Rinoa is dating Seifer, Squall’s arch-nemesis and all-round bad guy. Rinoa and Squall meet again on a mission – she hires him to help her liberate Timber as part of the resistance movement that she secretly heads. The two grow closer as the game goes on, ignoring minor problems like her turning into a sorceress and being imprisoned in a space station. At the beginning of the game, Squall is an unlikeable, self-centered teenager, but by the time the end credits roll, his relationship with Rinoa has turned him into a far better human being. – Emma Boyes

Tidus and Yuna – Final Fantasy X

Tidus is a professional blitzball (an aquatic sport kind of a cross between soccer and water polo) player from Zanarkand who somehow becomes transported to another world – Spira. With no idea of how to get back home, he joins up with a rag tag group of guardians who are accompanying the beautiful Yuna on a pilgrimage across the land. Yuna has chosen to become a summoner – if successful, she will defeat the destructive force called Sin that plagues her world. However, as she nears the end of her quest, it becomes clear that defeating Sin isn’t as simple as it seems, and doing so could mean her own death or that of Tidus, who may not even be real. One of the most heart-breaking endings ever seen in any media, whatever you think of Tidus and Yuna, you can’t fail to be moved at the way their story ends. – Emma Boyes

Serah and Snow – Final Fantasy XIII

Who doesn’t love a romance that spans numerous timelines? Seems to be a theme throughout the Fabula Nova Chrystalis saga. Serah is the younger sister of FFXIII heroine Lighting and fiance of hot-headed blonde bombshell Snow Villers. In the first game, she’s cursed with a task from the alien masters of the planet Pulse, the Fal’Cie, to bring her sister, fiance and a number of others to receive their own curse and become the pawns of the Fal’Cie, which are called l’cie, themselves. After completing the task, she then turns to crystal, setting off the journey her sister and Snow go on to save her from her eternal slumber. But of course, her tangled web of platonic and romantic love doesn’t end there. The tables turn in FF XIII-2 when Serah takes the leading role of her own journey to save both her sister and her fiance, of which are stuck in different timelines and states of godhood. Casual. So not only do these two lovebirds topple monster and deity alike for one another, but they also, quite literally, withstand the test of time for one another. Whoever said love is easy was very, very mistaken. – Aiden Strawhun

Luna and Noctis – Final Fantasy XV

Luna being completely out of Noctis’s league can’t be ignored, but these two betrothed rulers to-be really do have something special between them. Maybe for Luna it’s her dedication to her role in Noctis’s succession and to her people, but it’s easy to see Noctis’s feelings in his innocent, awkward and somewhat childish reactions when she’s brought into the conversation. But of course, no good romance in Final Fantasy can’t end in tragedy, or hop through a couple of different timelines, and while we don’t get to see much of these two lovebirds develop their relationship in-game, we do at least get to see them topple monsters, summon a god and reunite at the end of their long journeys. Supportive relationships are ones we like to see, and these two certainly fit that bill to a T. – Aiden Strawhun

Dom and Maria – Gears of War 2

Gear soldier Dominic Santiago lost both his children on Emergence Day, and after their deaths, his wife Maria sank into a deep depression. Nothing seemed to help her feel better, and one day she just goes out for a walk and never comes back. Dom is heartbroken, and can be seen in the game looking at the photo he keeps of the two of them in his wallet. When he’s not fighting the locust horde, he’s tirelessly trying to track her down. Tragically, when he does eventually find her, she’s been tortured so badly and partly lobotomised and in such a bad way that she doesn’t even recognise him. Deciding that the Maria that she used to be wouldn’t want to live like that, he tells her he loves her and then puts her out of her misery. – Emma Boyes

Sam and Lonnie – Gone Home

While we never explicitly see Sam and Lonnie in the flesh, Gone Home tells the story of a younger sister who’s run away from home to be with the young woman she’s fallen head over heels for. Gone Home is played from the perspective of Sam’s sister Katie, who’s come home from an extended time away. It’s an exploration game, where the story only really comes together at the end after all the little pieces Sam has left behind finally come together. Through letters and belongings and photos and strange codes, Sam quietly comes out to her sister in an unexpected, but not terribly uncommon way. The twist of the truth of Sam and Lonnie’s story is why we’ve got them here–it’s a queer love story that gets it right and has also had a left us with a very bittersweet, lasting memory about young love, acceptance and coming into one’s own. – Aiden Strawhun

Gordon and Alyx – Half-Life 2

After the Black Mesa Incident and the subsequent alien occupation of our planet, a suppression field was placed around the Earth, making humans infertile. The population grows old, but no children are being born to replace them as they die. This is the world where Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance live. Their relationship is never explicitly stated, but it’s insinuated on many occasions throughout the game and the sequels, particularly by Alyx’s father, Eli, who badgers the pair for grandchildren as soon as the suppression field has been taken down. Gordon is actually around 20 years older than Alyx, making him a dirty old man, but since he spent those two decades in stasis they’re technically the same age, so we’ll let him off. – Emma Boyes

Ico and Yorda – ICO

Ico is a young boy who has been considered an unlucky omen for his village – so the villagers cast him out and lock him inside a sarcophagus in a nearby castle. An earthquake frees him from his prison and he starts to explore. Along the way he meets a young girl called Yorda, and although they don’t speak the same language, the pair form a bond and journey through the castle’s many rooms, looking for a way out. They hold hands as they explore together, and Ico helps the less agile Yorda get around, clearing the way so she can follow him. The Queen of the castle, who also turns out to be Yorda’s mother, isn’t too happy about their trying to escape and turns Yorda to stone. Ico rescues his princess and they finally leave the castle, waking up on a nearby shore together, to presumably live happily ever after. – Emma Boyes

Sora and Kairi – Kingdom Hearts 3

The universe has been shipping Sora and Kairi since 2002. We don’t make the rules. But it wasn’t until its latest iteration, Kingdom Hearts 3, that we really got to see the depth of feelings the pair has for one another, before, of course, being separated once again. After time and time again of saving each other, and giving one another a purpose to keep moving forward in their incredibly deranged and twisted universe, we really just hope these kids are going to be ok. After all, having your heart stolen multiple times, and then returned, is no small feat, and while the intention may be to keep these two platonic, their innocent and child-like admiration of one another is one of the purest and sweetest romances we’ve seen in games in a good, long while. – Aiden Strawhun

Link and Zelda – Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Link and Zelda may not be a true item in this iteration of the Zelda series, but it’s difficult to not see Zelda’s literal heart eyes at Link in his memories. In this version, Link awakens 100 years after Ganon takes over Hyrule and he must save the kingdom once again by finding the modern-day descendants of Zelda’s once-legendary team and piecing together his own past as Zelda’s personal knight. Link’s a man of few words, but even though he can only grunt and yell, it’s enough to tell that he’s devoted to this princess. – Aiden Strawhun

Link and Zelda – Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The story of Link and Zelda is retold in every game with different characters in a different world. In every story Zelda is kidnapped, and Link sets off on an adventure to save her. In Skyward Sword, for the first time, Zelda’s not a princess, but the daughter of the local headmaster. Link is her childhood friend, and she’s not just sitting around helplessly waiting to be rescued, she has her own quests and important role in the story. The pair live on Skyloft, a village in the clouds and have never ventured to the world believed to be below them. When Zelda is swept away by demonic forces, Link follows her to the land below the clouds, solving puzzles, battling frightening monsters and tracking down items to find his favourite girl again. – Emma Boyes

Chloe and Rachel – Life is Strange

Rachel played more of a passive role in the first game, but in the prequel title, Before the Storm, we got to see Chloe and Rachel’s chaotic love develop. Chloe, a troubled, grieving teen, finds solace in the wild and carefree Rachel. She’s everything Chloe has never been and takes her on adventure after adventure–and gets her into a fair share of trouble. But their tumultuous relationship and friendship is the perfect example of everyone’s first love and the clumsy imperfection that comes along with it. And that inkling so many of us who’ve experienced trauma and grief seek in finding a way to run away and start anew. – Aiden Strawhun

Max and Mona – Max Payne 2

Max Payne and Mona Sax meet when she pours him a drink – a good start, but it turns out she’s laced it with a sedative and is a hitman for hire – and she seemed like such a nice girl. She’s presumed dead at the end of the first game, but it’s revealed in Max Payne 2 that reports of her death were greatly exaggerated. She reappears as a suspect in the murder of Senator Gate and, for reasons best known to himself, Max agrees to work with her. It turns out Mona’s working for Vladimir Lem and she’s ordered to kill Max. Since they’ve danced the two-backed beast, the femme fatale can’t do it and so Vladimir turns his gun on her and shoots her instead. Although, let’s be honest, even if it hadn’t come to that, it was just never going to work out. – Emma Boyes

Snake and Meryl – Metal Gear Solid

Solid Snake and Meryl Silverburgh’s romance follows a rocky road indeed in the first episode in the Metal Gear Solid series. The first time they meet, Meryl mistakes Solid Snake for his identical clone, the evil Liquid Snake, and then, after she realises her mistake, has her mind taken over by Psycho Mantis and tries to kill him. Luckily, Snake realises she’s not quite herself, and manages to knock her out rather than killing her. The two bond in a nuclear warhead storage building before she’s captured by Sniper Wolf. She’s then wired to a nuclear bomb. If any couple deserves a happy ending it’s these two, and if you play your cards right, in the end, they get it, driving off in a snowmobile together into the sunset. – Emma Boyes

Gregg and Angus – Night in the Woods

Gregg needs an Angus. They might be just anthropomorphic characters in a fictional world, but their laid-back story is one that hits closer to home than expected. Gregg and Angus have been close since high school, and are said to be the only gay couple in the entirety of Possum Springs (but they aren’t the only queer residents). And as is the dream for many small-towners, the pair is planning on skipping town once they’ve got enough money to leave. But what makes these two special isn’t that they’re part of a minority, but that their relationship carries an air of authenticity and vulnerability many games can’t quite get right. From their casual flirting, proclamations of love, occasional squabbles and gushy nicknames, their relationship feels real and tangible–not forced or faked. Yes, they love each other, but they’re also best friends, and the deep sense of trust the two have in one another permeates throughout the entire game. – Aiden Strawhun

The Prince and Farah – Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

The Prince of Persia and Princess Farah team up in Sands of Time to track down the magical Hourglass of Time. They find themselves trapped together in the catacombs, and with nothing much else to do, they fall in love and er, get to know each other a bit better. Farah tells the Prince of a secret word her mother told her – Kakolookiyam – which she should say if she was ever alone and afraid, as it would make a door appear. While the prince is sleeping, she then abandons him and sets off alone on the mission – believing she has a better chance of completing it solo — but is killed. The Prince arrives too late to save her, so in his grief, uses his powers to rewind time to prevent her from dying. However, as he changes history, the two are never trapped in the catacombs together and never fall in love, so when he tries to kiss her, she rejects him. Before he leaves, she asks him his name, and he replies ‘Kakolookiyam’ before vanishing into the night. – Emma Boyes

Guybrush and Elaine – Secret of Monkey Island

Possibly the silliest name in video games, Guybrush Threepwood has a big crush on the sexy island governor, Elaine Marley, although it’s quite clear to everyone except him that she’s out of his league. Elaine is constantly being kidnapped by undead pirate LeChuck, who fancies her too, and Guy takes it upon himself to always try to rescue her, even though she’s quite capable of doing that on her own. Somewhere along the line, Elaine actually falls for Guybrush, and the two are married at the end of The Curse of Monkey Island. We bet Guybrush still can’t believe his luck and pinches himself every time he wakes up next to her. – Emma Boyes

Yuri and Alice – Shadow Hearts

Shadow Hearts is a criminally underrated Japanese RPG series. One of the main characters, Alice Elliot, has the ability to hear the voices of the dead and uses her creepy talents to work as an exorcist. When her father is killed by the evil warlock Roger Bacon (seriously, what kind of name is that for an evil warlock?) she crosses paths with Yuri Hyuga, who has been hearing voices in his head telling him to find and rescue her. Meeting Alice changes Yuri – he goes from being a character called ‘the Rude Hero’ to caring about others and the fate of the world. When Alice dies at the end of the game to save his soul, he is heartbroken. In the sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, in his grief he attempts a ritual to bring her back from the dead, but is unsuccessful. At the end of the game, if you get the ‘good’ ending, Yuri dies and the voiceover says that now he and Alice will be together forever. – Emma Boyes

Mono and Wander – Shadow of the Colossus

The spiritual sequel to ICO, in Shadow of the Colossus, the game starts with a young man – Wander – carrying a young woman – Mono. Wordlessly, he places her dead body on an altar. She was killed as a sacrifice as she was believed to be cursed, although beyond that, nothing much is known. Wander journeys to the Forbidden Land to speak with an entity called Dormin, who has the power to bring the dead back to life. Dormin agrees to his request to resurrect Mono on one condition – he must find and kill sixteen huge, lumbering creatures called Colossi. Wander agrees, but alas, a happy ever after for the pair was never meant to be as, having completed his mission, he is killed before he can get back to Mono. However, Dormin keeps his word, and she is brought back to life, alone. – Emma Boyes

Casey and Beatrix – Slime Rancher

We never get to meet Casey in Slime Rancher physically, but rather, through a series of letters and notes scattered about the ranch for the Slime Wrangler herself, Beatrix, to discover. Their relationship is clear, but Casey’s gender identity isn’t so obvious unless you’re paying attention. Casey is an androgynous name, but, in some letters, is addressed with she/her pronouns, making her and Beatrix queer characters. We love Slime Rancher for its casual, goofy and generally wholesome atmosphere, but this sort of subtle characterization and storytelling is what we love the most about it, especially since Beatrix, a woman of color, is front and center. – Aiden Strawhun

Jackie and Jenny – The Darkness

Jackie Estacado and Jenny Romano are childhood sweethearts that grew up together in an orphanage. They’ve been dating for years, but Jenny has no idea what Jackie really does for a living. He’s never quite got up the courage to tell his sweet, law-abiding missus that he’s actually a contract killer for mafia don Uncle Paulie. At the beginning of the game, you hang out with Jenny at her place, chatting about the usual things couples chat about and then snuggling up to watch a movie together on the sofa. You can watch the whole movie, if you like. Inevitably, when Paulie and Jackie fall out, Jenny sadly ends up being collateral damage, something that haunts Jackie through the rest of the game and its sequel. – Emma Boyes

Ellie and Riley – The Last of Us: Left Behind

Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us won our hearts for a multitude of reasons–from great gameplay and design and fabulous characterization in the base game alone. It shines even more in the title’s DLC, The Last of Us: Left Behind, which is played from Ellie’s perspective as she tries to save Joel after a battle. She ends up running into an old friend named Riley, who is excited to see her and tell her about how she’s joined the Fireflies. It’s clear from the start that these girls have a deep bond, but their friendship goes even deeper than that when Ellie takes a moment to share a kiss with Riley. Ellie and Riley are young, and awkward, and dealing with situations that go far beyond themselves, but their kiss showed gaming that even in the worst of circumstances, intimacy and self-discovery can still exist. – Aiden Strawhun

Aya and Kyle – The Third Birthday

Aya Brea is an FBI agent and Kyle Madigan is a private investigator, and the pair meet in PlayStation 2 game Parasite Eve 2. By the time of The Third Birthday (effectively Parasite Eve 3), they’ve made plans to get married, but events overtake them and the wedding is never to be. It turns out that this game’s Aya is actually her sister Eve, who did a very un-sisterly thing and took over her body. When Aya finally gets a chance to return to her own bod she finds that Kyle is dead and, not wanting to live without him, asks Eve to kill her. Instead, Eve kills herself so that time can reset. At the end of the game, Kyle is shown leaving, saying he is going to search for ‘eternity’, to try and find his Aya again. We hope there’s a sequel and he does. – Emma Boyes

Zachary and Jonas – The Walking Dead: Michonne

Telltale’s always been one for player-guided narratives but has never shied away from putting queer characters front and center. In The Walking Dead: Michonne, Jonas and Zachary’s fate can go one of two ways, as goes for many of the characters in The Walking Dead universe. But if the two survive, their relationship is one that is similar to that of Riley and Ellie’s in The Last of Us–that these two gay men, despite being handed an awful set of cards in a terrible world, were able to find comfort and stability in one another. They’re hardly the first couple in this particular series, but they’re one of the most memorable, despite playing supporting roles, because they’re part of the world around them rather than being tokens as so many gay couples are typically treated within entertainment. – Aiden Strawhun

Johnny and River – To the Moon

Johnny is an elderly man near the end of his life in a future where doctors can grant you one last wish before you die. They do this by using a special machine to enter your memories and shuffle things around so that you get to live out the life you always wanted – in your head, at least – and die happy. Enter Dr. Eva Rosalene and Dr. Neil Watts, who was called by Johnny’s caretaker. Johnny’s last wish is to go to the moon, something he never got around to doing in real life. His wife, River died a few years before, and as we journey backwards through his memories we see their good times and bad times, culminating in the sweet moment when as kids, they meet for the first time. Their relationship feels utterly believable and real and their devotion to each other is touching to watch. To The Moon is essentially a love story, and since it’s a story first and a game second, we don’t really want to spoil it for you by saying any more. – Emma Boyes

Elena and Nathan – Uncharted

Elena Fisher is a TV journalist and Nathan Drake is a treasure hunter. At first Drake sees Elena solely as a meal ticket – he’s cons her into paying for an expedition to find and recover the coffin of Sir Francis Drake – knowing full well the coffin is empty. Then their boat blows up and sinks and once back on dry land, Nathan abandons her, believing she will jeopardize his real mission – to find El Dorado. However, you can’t get rid of Elena that easily and when some debt collectors come for Nate, they run into each other again. Several adventures later, after a game’s worth of sexual tension, they finally kiss. The game ends with Drake promising Elena he’ll finally make good on his promise to give her a good story for her show. – Emma Boyes

Geralt and Triss – The Witcher 3

Redheads are pretty hard to forget. Triss has had a prominent role throughout The Witcher series, playing a very big role in The Witcher 2, and an even larger one in The Witcher 3. Of course, she’s one of the many romanceable characters in The Witcher, but she and Geralt’s romance is one for the books. Aside from being a literal fireball, Triss has an air of generosity and care that her more mysterious, and equally alluring, counterpart Yennefer doesn’t always have. She’s stubborn and sharp as a whip, but kind and nurturing. She makes a good foil to Geralt’s cold and hard demeanor, and is one of those ladies who just brings out that inner softie in him. – Aiden Strawhun

Geralt and Yennefer – The Witcher 3

It only took several books and three video games for Geralt to find his legendary sorceress lover, but nevertheless, he finally found her in The Witcher 3. The Witcher 3 its self is too big of a monster to sum up easily, but these two are particularly memorable because of the bond they share–which was initially because of a djinn. A side mission forces that bond to be broken, and well, their feelings just don’t change. And if that isn’t the test of true love, especially when your love is quite the playboy, then we don’t really know what is. Like Triss, she brings out the good, softer qualities in Geralt, but unlike Triss, she challenges him and allows him autonomy Triss’s personality doesn’t seem capable of doing. – Aiden Strawhun

Did we get your favorite couple in here? Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments below.

Source : IGN