History HoYay / BioWare

** Sure, there's the canonical stuff (if you wish to pursue it) between female Shepard and Liara (which may or may not count depending on your views on how this trope interacts with [[OneGenderRace the monogender Asari]]), but subtext-wise there's male Shepard/Kaidan. There are some lines to support it as well ("When it's just you and me, Alenko, consider it off the record..."), especially if you choose [[spoiler:to save Kaidan over Ashley]].

** Sure, there's the canonical stuff (if you wish to pursue it) between female Shepard and Liara, but subtext-wise there's male Shepard/Kaidan. There are some lines to support it as well ("When it's just you and me, Alenko, consider it off the record..."), especially if you choose [[spoiler:to save Kaidan over Ashley]].

* Dorian and Cullen a couple times in of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' and the dialogue from Dorian has inspired many headcanons and even more fanfictions. Canonically, Dorian is attracted to Cullen.

** Discussed when you speak with [[CrazyIsCool Mordin]] [[MadScientist Solus]] constantly in ''Mass Effect 2'' and if you're not romancing anyone. While a largely {{asexual}} individual, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq0cOBKaCxg Mordin remarks]] that if he ever wanted to ''try'' a human, he would try Shepard. And yes, he says this to Shepard no matter the gender.

** Discussed when you speak with [[CrazyAwesome Mordin]] [[MadScientist Solus]] constantly in ''Mass Effect 2'' and if you're not romancing anyone. While a largely {{asexual}} individual, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq0cOBKaCxg Mordin remarks]] that if he ever wanted to ''try'' a human, he would try Shepard. And yes, he says this to Shepard no matter the gender.

* There's a hidden scene where (if your main character is light-sided and female) the formerly evil Jedi Juhani professes that she has feelings for you. Stanley Woo (Juhani's writer) explicitly stated that he intended Juhani to be not only gay, but the {{Gay Option}}. Lucasarts was not happy, leading to him dialing it down, but [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar sneaking it in, anyway]].

Creator/BioWare has acquired a certain degree of fame (or infamy) in the video game industry for their LGBTFanbase, GayOption romance sidequests, and BiTheWay party members / {{NPC}}s/ {{PlayerCharacter}}s, as well as their spirited defense of all of the above. So if you see HoYay in a [=BioWare=] game, chances are it wasn't accidental.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAge'':

* An optional romance sidequest can be accessed on Makeb with either Dr. Avesta (Republic) or a minor Sith Lord (Imperial). The dialogue and romance option are fully playable, regardless of the player character's gender.

* In the first game, [[TheLancer Alistair]] is pretty good for this if you're playing a male. Taking a certain aggressive dialogue option results in him saying (most likely sarcastically, but still) that you're cute when you're angry. He doesn't say this if you're a female PC. If you romance [[BlackMagicianGirl Morrigan]], whom Alistair hates, they get into an argument where Morrigan teases him about being jealous, referring to you as Alistair's "favorite Grey Warden" and adding "Perhaps he'll [the Warden] pay more attention to you if you ask nicely." The best part? When she says this, he ''blushes''! He also has a dialogue with Wynne where he insists that Morrigan's bad for the Warden, getting annoyed when Wynne is more open-minded because he's "trying to rant".
** Oghren will hit on the Warden sometimes, even if they're male. But then again, he's drunk when he does so. He also has some banter with Zevran and Nathaniel where he's MistakenForGay by them.

-->'''Leliana''': Maybe we could get you in a nice dress one day. Silk. No, maybe velvet. Velvet is heavier, better to guard against the cold in Ferelden. Dark red velvet, yes. With gold embroidery. It should be cut low in the front of course, we don't want to hide your features.
-->'''Morrigan''': Stop looking at my breasts like that. 'Tis most disturbing!
-->'''Leliana''': You don't think so? And if it's cut low in the front we must put your hair up to show off that lovely neck.
* [[EveryoneIsBi All love interests]] (except Sebastian) are bi in Dragon Age II, but it doesn't necessarily stop with them. Aveline, post MatchmakerQuest, can ask Hawke if there might have been something between them regardless of gender.
--> '''Varric''': If you have something to say, just spit it out.
--> '''Anders''': Are you sure you want to encourage me? I might be about to confess my undying love.
--> '''Varric''': (unfazed) I get that a lot. So what's on your mind?

--> '''Isabela''': Look out for her, will you? Make sure she doesn't hurt herself. Oh, and if you do anything nasty to her, I'll cut off your balls. (male Hawke)

--> '''Bethany''': So you've... been with women. In bed?
--> '''Isabela''': I know. Shocking, isn't it? You see, sweetness, men are only good for one thing. Women are good for six.
--> '''Bethany''': Six? Which six?
--> '''Hawke''': Isabela!
--> '''Isabela''': (laughs)
* While it wasn't until ''Mass Effect 3'' that the first careful steps were made to have a gay man appearing and actually spelling it out, the side quest with the Viscount's son in ''Dragon Age 2'' seems to be set up in a way that you can see a very strong gay subtext if you want to, but it could also be completely nonexistent if that's your interpretation. However, the son repeatedly runs away with his muscular and exotic friend, and the two of them hide out in the wilderness alone rather than staying with the other Qunari in the region. This casts, at least, some doubt on his claim that he wants to learn about Qunari culture and that his father's people should try to find ways to peacefully coexist with them. [[spoiler:He also takes it as a personal loss when the Qunari is killed and not as a setback to his diplomatic efforts]]. If it had been the Viscount's daughter, there wouldn't have been any doubt what's really going on. This was eventually confirmed by WordOfGay.
** Predated by [[PitbullDatesPuppy Herren]] and [[UltimateBlacksmith Wade]] from ''Origins'' and ''Awakening'', where the subtext was much more overt, though not explicitly stated in the game. After much speculation, this was also confirmed by WordOfGay.

* In ''Franchise/StarWars: VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', there's a hidden scene which can be watched (if your main character is a light-side female) in which the formerly evil female Jedi you rescued from herself professes that she has feelings for you. ''Series/XPlay'' did an absolutely hilarious send up of this, which featured [[SentimentalMusicCue the appropriate music playing dramatically]] while she makes her confession.
** Not surprised. Stanley Woo (Juhani's writer) explicitly stated that he intended Juhani to be not only gay, but the {{Gay Option}}. Lucasarts was not happy, leading to him dialing it down, but [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar sneaking it in, anyway]].
** Let's not forget about perpetually grumpy Jedi Belaya, who can be seen power walking around the main plaza inside the Jedi enclave. She seems to have more than a friendly relationship with Juhani, and if you [[spoiler:kill off Juhani in the grove, she goes {{Psycho Lesbian}} on you, says some very texty things, and the next time you see her, she's joined the Sith Academy on Korriban and is out for your blood. But surely that can be attributed to wanting revenge for a platonic friend, right?]]
** Play female and talk to Juhani about Quatra in the grove. She will remark, "In my own way, I truly loved her." It could be "merely" read as the whole Master/Padawan dynamic (the only love a Jedi is really allowed to have), but Courtnay Taylor was apparently handed the memo about Juhani being gay. Knowing that this line is skipped over if the protagonist isn't female makes it read as a [[TrialBalloonQuestion Trial Balloon Statement]].

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'': Sure, there's the canonical stuff (if you wish to pursue it) between female Shepard and Liara, but subtext-wise there's male Shepard/Kaidan. There are some lines to support it as well ("When it's just you and me, Alenko, consider it off the record..."), especially if you choose [[spoiler:to save Kaidan over Ashley]].

** Even if [=FemShep=] didn't romance Liara in the first game, some dialogue options in the sequel's Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC wouldn't feel out of place if they did, especially if you choose the paragon options.[[note]]''Especially'' if you play Renegade, but use [[MoralityChain Paragon options when talking to Liara]][[/note]] For a few examples, there's a few hugs, Shepard covering Liara with their body, a few "I'll miss you's" and Shephard can ask Liara to come with her several times. When Liara actually agrees to visit the Normandy, she meets Shep in her quaters, they chat a little and after she leaves, Shephard is sitting on her bed clearly saddened by her absence.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' also features ''massive'' amounts of LesYay between female Shepard and Tali [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQgL2McyKWc after earning Tali's loyalty]] - Tali confesses that the most intimate thing a quarian can do is link their environments, their most important gesture of trust and acceptance. She hasn't trusted anyone enough for that, though, except... well, no quarians. Shepard can either teasingly ask if she's blushing and get first a flustered reaction, then an exaggeratedly petulant response, or Shepard can say she feels the same way but Tali doesn't have to prove anything. In that case, Tali says, "Nevertheless, I'd be honored to link suits with you, Shepard. You know, if you were a quarian and we weren't already on a suicide mission." Either way, she ends the conversation with a flustered excuse.
** It's clearer once you've played through as a male and gotten to that point, and she tells male Shepard that the tradition also signifies a willingness for... ''intimacy'', then says it's [[NotWhatItLooksLike not always like that]].
** Further evidence is found in ''The Lair of the Shadow Broker'' DLC: after getting access to Shadow Broker's secret files, Tali's folder will reveal that she's been repeatedly activating and turning off her suit's "neural stimulators", and gathering information about human mating practices, after you complete her loyalty mission - completely regardless of Shepard's gender!

** Another salarian [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Dossier:_The_Assassin#Email sends you an email]] about Thane which is... well.
--> Seeing him changed my life, woke up something in me I don't fully understand yet. I don't know what I'm going to do, but [[WeAreAsMayflies salarian lives]] are too short to waste as custodians, especially when there's so much else out there. I'm going to find something that lets me capture what I saw in him, that beauty, that aesthetic perfection.
--> I'm also going to buy some nice clothes.
--> So if you could tell him that... or just whatever parts of that you think appropriate... I'd appreciate it.
** Mind you, that e-mail was a ShoutOut to a particular fan on the old [=BioWare=] official forums, who was well-known there for ''her'' love for Thane before the game was even out (and the e-mail is in reference to her particular style of posting). But, as most of the salarians seen in-game are male, technically it still counts as ho yay.

** Kaidan has only two scenes with Shepard in ''2'', yet he somehow manages to pack even more subtext than they did in the first game.
*** In the intro, if Ashley was [[spoiler:sacrificed on Virmire and Liara was not romanced]], Kaidan is placed in the love interest role even if Shepard is male. He is desperate to not leave Shepard behind, and only does so after Shepard pulls rank despite making it very clear that doing so tore him apart inside.
*** On Horizon, Kaidan makes it clear that Shepard's death was deeply traumatic, and when it [[LockedOutOfTheLoop appeared]] that Shepard had faked his death so he could join [[EvilInc Cerberus]], Kaidan took it as a very personal betrayal. The moment he said that losing Shepard was like losing a limb was the moment when fans started to seriously wonder if it could actually happen in the next game.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' makes Kaidan an official romance for male Shepards. The fans saw so much HoYay between them that they campaigned in the Bioware forums to make it happen, and Bioware went AscendedFanon and created the option. This does not apply to female Shepards and Ashley, since there wasn't such a demand for them.
** Lieutenant Steven Cortez, the Kodiak pilot and the other GayOption, seems to have a bit of a flirtatious relationship with the new recruit James Vega, who is stationed on the floor as him. When you talk to either one of them, often times they will call out to the other during dialogue, often teasing each other somewhat flirtatiously.

---> '''Cortez:''' I share that duty with our illustrious Mr. Vega. (yelling to him across the room) Though I believe the only weapon he cares to maintain is himself!
---> '''Vega:''' (doing pull-ups) You know you like the show, Esteban!
*** Since James knows that Steve is gay, based on his above comment, it seems like he deliberately does his workouts in the shuttle bay [[EatingTheEyeCandy just to give Steve something nice to look at]].
*** Also in the last mission, if [[spoiler:Cortez dies because you didn't complete the friendship/romance path]], then James ends up completely flipping out.
---> [[spoiler: (Cortez's ship crashes and explodes)]] '''James:''' You're gonna pay for that you [[PrecisionFStrike fuckers!]] [[DeathWail RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!]] Come on! COME ON!

** During the party after the main events of the "Citadel" DLC, Miranda and Jack (who have been at each other's throats since ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'') find themselves seated across each other at the bar, trading insults (and occasional grudging compliments). Assuming Shepard romanced neither of them, he/she can actually call them out on this BelligerentSexualTension and suggest they just make up and make out. Both of them seem confused by, though not immediately opposed, to the idea. Jack will, if you took the time to talk with her in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', also mention that she'd been in relationships that included women before (though only when there was also a man as well).
** Garrus/Male Shepard has some fairly strong hints as well. This [[LampshadeHanging gem]] during the Citadel hangout says it all:
--> '''Garrus:''' You're not going to propose marriage now, are you?
*** Notably, at this point in the dialogue, Garrus ''does'' propose marriage to a female Shepard: "Are you ready to be a one-turian woman?" Something to think about.

** The Shadow of Revan expansion includes an SIS agent ([[TokenEvilTeammate Tharon Shan]]) and a Sith Lord ([[AntiVillain Lana Beniko]]) as romantic options available for anyone regardless of gender or faction. The romance arcs can continue into ''Knights of the Fallen Empire / Knights of the Eternal Throne''

** [[LesYay Leliana and Morrigan]] have a banter where Leliana compliments Morrigan's looks and offers to find her a dress that emphasizes her bust and neck.

* ''Videogame/MassEffectAndromeda'' also puts a good amount of ho yay w
** During one interaction between Liam and Jaal on the tempest, which is infamously known as the "shirtless diplomacy" scene, both of them are talking to each other about their armor. However the ho yay between them comes in with the manner in which they are "dressed" in this situation and by dressed that means Liam was not wearing a shirt and Jaal was completely naked. When asked about why they were in this kind of attire, Liam claims that he and Jaal are just "swapping armor" and then goes on to call Jaal a "weaseling adhi" in an way that is similar of how a wife would tease her husband.

*** In the intro, if Ashley was [[spoiler:sacrificed on Virmire and Liara was not romanced]], Kaidan is placed in the love interest role even if Shepard is male. He is desperate to not leave Shepard behin, and only does so after Shepard pulls rank despite making it very clear that doing so tore him apart inside.