i also just gotta say... we've talked a lot about the state of the plaza right now but as a (newbie) (low-level) competitive player and a nonbinary lesbian i love that the comp scene is basically just as casually lgbtq-friendly as the wider splatoon fanbase
like, on the big well-known TO side of things, we've got this tweet from LUTI:
and the opening of IPL's "next up june 2024" video:
and yeah it's jokes and not some deep heartfelt thinkpiece about how much our queer players mean to the community, but it's the kinds of jokes you make if you
do cherish our presence. these are "wow i feel seen" jokes.
and on the player side of things, i see more FA & team recruitment posts that specify that teams/new members must be lgbtq-friendly than not ('not' as in just posts that don't mention it,
not that i'm seeing posts specifically seeking out homophobes LOL). it's something competitive splatoon players generally care about
idk it just makes me happy
i'm feeling real down about my
gameplay these days but i never have to question that i as a person am welcome here. yknow?