Osiris/Saint-14 shippers, rejoice - Bungie has officially confirmed that the Destiny 2 characters are gay and in a romantic relationship, and they always have been. After years of speculation and debate amongst the Destiny community, a narrative designer at Bungie has confirmed that The Phoenix and The Pigeon are, in fact, building a beautiful nest together.
Speculation about Osiris and Saint-14's relationship has been ongoing since Destiny 2 launched in September 2017, with no comment from Bungie about whether or not the two were flocking together. The Titan and the Warlock enjoyed a close, ongoing partnership littered with moments of restrained tenderness that had fans wondering whether their relationship was brotherly or romantic. A question mark remained over their interactions, and the nature of their relationship was hotly debated on Bungie's Destiny 2 forums - until a tweet from the game's narrative designer settled the argument once and for all.
Robert Brookes, the Bungie narrative designer in question, revealed in a Twitter thread that Saint-14 and Osiris are, in fact gay and have always been written as gay, even before Brookes began work with Bungie. While he had always perceived the characters as gay before his employment, his speculation was confirmed as correct when he joined the Destiny 2 team. Brookes elaborated in his thread that he felt nuance was "lost in an age of queerbaiting," and that the relationship should not be a point of debate or speculation amongst the fanbase, but a declared fact. So he declared it:
This bit of lore will undoubtedly ruffle some feathers in the Destiny 2 community, but, more importantly, it'll be regarded as a milestone in the queer gaming community, where canonical LGBTQ+ representation is still sparse. And sure, Destiny has had same-sex relationships and queer characters before, but none quite so high-profile or impactful as Saint-14 and Osiris. Brooke's Twitter thread delves further into his experiences as a queer man and why he feels representation in a game as popular as Destiny 2 matters to him and the rest of the LGBTQ+ community, and it's worth reading and sharing.
The Bungie forums have already responded to the news in fervor, with some less tolerant gamers expressing their displeasure, which is hardly surprising considering the gaming community has historically been less than accepting. But another sign of the changing tides of queer representation is that those players are in the minority, whereas the remainder of the community expressed joy and happiness that love has won, a promising sign for LGTBQ+ representation and acceptance in the future. And with Destiny 2 coming to Game Pass, Osiris and Saint-14's relationship can be appreciated by an even wider audience.
Source: Robert Brookes