Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
What is Bubbles' sexual orientation?
Dandi Andi:
--- Quote from: fayelovesbubbles on 22 May 2018, 16:09 ---Asking Bubbles that (if she is a lady) seems to me like asking the ocean if it’s the ocean.
Honestly, where are y'all getting this "Bubbles in nonbinary" and "not sure about Bubbles' gender" stuff??? Literally the first comic she appeared in was titled "HER name is Bubbles."
--- End quote ---
How did I miss that!? I referenced her bio page but somehow missed the title of the comic immediately before it. I even used the wiki to find that page and "Her name is Bubbles" is directly above the link I used. Her gender was confirmed literally before she appeared in the comic. (Granted, that's a very loose definition of "before". It's the top of the page and she appears in the middle of it. I still maintain my position, though)
But while I think the question about Bubbles specifically has a clear answer, I think the question is worth asking in a broader sense. Are we assuming too much if we make assumptions about other AI who don't have that kind of explicit introduction? Jeremy has a traditionally masculine name, but has he (she? Xi? Hu? They?) expressed a gender in any other way? What about Punchbot? Or Seven? They have gender neutral names. While non-diegetic pronoun use comes directly from Jeph and is probably a valid indicator of gender, what about diegetic pronouns? Should we assume that the main cast are sufficiently sensitive to these subjects that they have taken the time to make sure they have their pronouns right? Should we follow their lead?
Ultimately, I think following their lead is fine. In fact, I think it's probably for the best. Just as I don't think Jeph would misgender his characters, I also don't think he would normalize misgendering people by having his other characters do it. I remember Jeph saying something to the effect that he doesn't like writing asshole characters, so I think we can trust the main cast to be pretty much on point about gender identity.
fayelovesbubbles:
I am starting to feel a bit silly for having started this topic. I guess I had imagined the possibility of Bubbles saying "but I've never been attracted to a human, or a lady!" that paralleled Faye's experience in some way, but I realize now that it really isn't the case, Bubbles has no relationship experience as far as I can tell, and seems to be Faye-sexual. And yes, I will keep using that term because I think it's pretty spiffy.
Undrneath:
Whether or not the "answer" is obvious the discussion is never without merit.
SpanielBear:
Archive binge and I stumbled on this:
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1995
Under Gender, Momo identifies as "Artificial Intelligence, Female." Which is interesting, maybe? I'm not sure if she is qualifying her femininity ("I am an AI female, not a human female"), including it to avoid confusion, or even regards being AI as an equal gender signifier as being female.
At the very least, it's good to have an expresson of her inner reality.
OldGoat:
Bubbles has never expressly identified herself as female because she has no doubts about it and she unambiguously presents as female. Also, if GIs in the QC Universe are anything at all like they are in this one, she got plenty of affirmation from other gynephilic GIs. (May's commentary upon meeting Marigold in strip 2509 would not at all be atypical of the sort of banter you'd hear where junior enlisted personnel and alcohol mingle.)
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