evoyvoy

Can someone let me know, without spoiling who and what happens, the number of paired endings between male characters (excluding Byleth) that can be interpreted as being romantic?

I think people are upset about the unequal numbers because there is no reason to make them unequal. Awakening had 0:0 Fates had 1:1 Regardless of the quality of the two options (this is debatable because Niles is popular enough to make it to Warriors), people see it as ‘fair’. Furthermore, the same sex relationships were not expected which is why people see Fates as an improvement (relative to past games). Three Houses is tricky because it is an improvement but the mlm option makes people suspect whether the increase of wlw options is genuine inclusion or pandering. The logic is that if they truly wanted to be inclusive, mlm options shouldn’t be shafted so badly. And if they were being inclusive, then they’re sending a pretty weird and slightly insulting message with how S ranks of mlm options are being presented. The line between pandering and representation is so blurred that it will be hard to draw a conclusion. Anyways, the quantity isn’t THE problem but it reflects on a potentially bigger issue. I think the whole thing is simultaneously an improvement but also not an improvement.

To add on to what the poster said. The fact that Linhardt’s support is the same regardless of Byleth’s gender shows that either IS or the localisation doesn’t really care about the mlm options. If they’re going to put in such minimal effort, there’s no reason to not include one or two more mlm options. All they had to do was change the pronouns. Someone let me know if I’m wrong, but I’m assuming the wlw options have different conversations depending on Byleth’s gender? I’ve also heard that issue extends beyond avatar and S support with how there are paired romantic endings between female characters while paired male endings are all through subtext that sometimes lean more heavily to close friendships. (Someone who read the supports can confirm this as I haven’t gone through with it). Gay characters and relationships have been represented through subtext since GBA games. The only explicitly gay character focused on unrequited love. Honestly, I’m tired of limiting gay relationships and the potential ones are mostly represented through subtext.

I mean...let’s be honest here. When people buy figmas or any realistic figures of these characters, they aren’t buying it primarily for their personalities. They buy it because the characters look good. Sometimes it can be because of the clothes/general aesthetics, sometimes it can be because of some more lewd aspects. Even Male figures can get sexualised. Characters from Free! is a good example. The worst is probably a certain Aoba figure which is manufactured by a company associated with goodsmile. Camilla is dressed as a nun compared to him.

Someone on reddit posted a pretty comprehensive list of ways to contact Nintendo, IS and influential publications to relay the issue to. The post got buried pretty quickly because of all the other new posts about the game and some people downvoting it as the topic is ‘done to death’. It wouldn’t hurt to try to contact Nintendo (because they clearly listen regarding the M!Byleth voice acting). Contacting various prominent gaming websites will also be beneficial too as it raises the issue outside of the FE bubble and will create more uproar. If you (and others reading this) search ‘Let’s bring some attention to’ in the fire emblem subreddit, the post should appear (the actual title is much longer).

I agree it's a step towards the right direction but when it feels like wlw made a giant step forward, I think many expected mlm to be similar...but in reality, it kinda just took a small step forward in comparison which feels like a slap to the face. In terms of female options catering to the straight male audience, I definitely know straight men in real life that have a weird and problematic fantasy of seeing lesbian relationships. When 3 of the most popular female students in the game are wlw options and someone that historically attracts a very controversial and specific demographic dominated by straight men is also an option, one can't help but feel the wlw options were chosen with straight men's preferences in mind. The fact that 3 wlw options are plot relevant while mlm gets a whopping 0 is also another disappointment to many. I hope you'll be right in that the supports will be high quality and can explain their sexuality (especially Gilbert and Alois) in a way that doesn't completely dominate their personality and dismiss their previous relationship as something casual. But seeing how they're willing to make Claude hardcore flirt with M!Byleth but keeping him straight made people a lot more pessimistic I think. I believe the person that leaked the same sex options have said that F!Byleth can S rank Claude.

I'm glad that at least someone is positive about the options but I have to disagree with what you said about 'pandering' and 'genuine diversity'. First, the game already went the pandering route with the wlw options as they satisfy both actual lesbians/bi girls and straight men (I'd argue especially straight men). The fact that they aren't willing to do the same for mlm options feels like a double standard. For diversity, it almost feels like IS is being too afraid to make a young, masculine character bi. Of the handful of bi/gay characters since Awakening, there is not a single character that can be considered as a young alpha male. I'd say Leon, Niles and Linhardt leans toward the slightly feminine side with how they look and the way they act. In TH, they included two more masculine options but the fact that both are older men and have pre-established families sends a very weird message. Even when they increased the amount of bi men, they still manage to avoid a very specific type of character that is the most popular among gay/bi men (and also straight women). Literally, any of Felix/Sylvain/Dimitri/Claude/Caspar/Raphael etc. can potentially fulfil that spot but nope, IS decides that gay men want a feminine looking student and two daddies with children.