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| Vivian | |
|---|---|
| Paper Mario character | |
Vivian, as she appears in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. | |
| First appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door |
Vivian (Japanese: ビビアン, Hepburn: Bibian) is a fictional character appearing in the 2004 role-playing video gamePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. She initially serves as an enemy to the player characterMario, later joining the player's party after he helps her. In the original Japanese release and in European translations, she is a transgender woman, while the script in English releases was altered to portray her as a cisgender woman. Vivian has been called one of the best LGBTQ characters in video games, and the way the Japanese version of the game depicts her and her gender identity has received some criticism.
Concept and creation[edit]
Vivian is a purple, ghost-like person with pink hair, white gloves, and a pink-and-white striped hat with the ability to hide herself in shadows and can manipulate flames. Her two older sisters, Beldam and Marilyn, wear blue and yellow hats respectively and vary in size.[1][2][3] Vivian is a transgender woman, and is mocked by Beldam, who misgenders her and calls her a cross-dresser.[1][2]
When Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was localized to English and German, Vivian's status as a trans woman was changed to that of a cisgender woman, and the transphobia from her sister was changed to insults about her appearance.[1] In non-English/German localizations of the game, Vivian is still transgender.[4] The Italian version, in particular, emphasizes her status as a trans woman by having Vivian express pride in having transitioned;[4] she pushes back against her sister's bullying by saying 'I'm proud to have turned into a woman!'[5]
Appearances[edit]
Vivian first appeared in the 2004 role-playing video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.[1] In the story of the game, she initially works as a member of the Shadow Sirens, which includes her two sisters Beldam and Marilyn, working against Mario and his allies. She assists Mario when he helps her find a missing object, unaware of his actual identity. When she discovers who he is, Vivian is initially reluctant to help him further, but decides to join him due to the abuse she suffered from Beldam and the kindness Mario showed her. By the end of the story, Beldam vows to treat her better.[6]
She appears in a cameo role in the sequel, Super Paper Mario, both as a collectible card and as a plush doll owned by a character. She also appears as a collectible in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[7]
Reception[edit]
Vivian has received mostly positive reception since her appearance in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, becoming a popular character.[8]Nintendojo writer Mel Turnquist included Vivian's decision to stay by Mario's side as one of their most inspiring moments in video games due in part to also being a younger sibling herself.[3]Liberty Voice called Vivian's defection from her sisters to Mario's side relatable to children.[9]Inverse included Vivian in a series where they discuss potential Super Smash Bros. inclusions, expressing hope that she is included instead of a more traditional choice like Paper Mario.[10]
She has received particular attention for her status as a transgender character. IGN included Vivian in their list of favorite LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and others) characters. They praised Vivian for not being defined by her status as a trans person, though expressed disappointment in the change from trans woman to cis woman in the English releases due to Vivian being one of few quality trans characters in video games.[4]Drag queen Daphne J. Sumtimez listed Vivian as one of her idols.[11] In their essay on transgender characters, authors Emil Christenson and Danielle Unéus discuss Vivian and how her femininity is designed. They mention Vivian's bent wrists and frequent smiling as feminine qualities that she typically displays. They also bring up the pink color of her hat, noting that the contrast between her sisters may be intentional to heighten her femininity. They acknowledge the transphobia Vivian receives, but comment that it is depicted negatively due to her sisters being villains.[12] Author Nicholas Taylor includes her in a section on transgender characters in the book Queerness in Play, discussing how Vivian's role in the narrative can help players understand their experiences with gender, identity, and expression.[13]
Some critics were displeased with how Vivian's gender was presented in the Japanese version, however. VG247 felt that Vivian's gender identity was expressed in a transphobic fashion.[14] Writer Laura Kate Dale was critical of dialogue in the game that stated she was at one time male, feeling it suggested she was not truly female.[15] In their breakdown of LGBTQ+ representation in video games, writers Quincy Nolan and Ian Laih-Nolan included Vivian, similarly criticizing the language used in the Japanese version to describe her but noting that it does not take away from her 'gender-bending presence.'[16] Vivian has been compared to fellow trans Nintendo character Birdo, who is similarly misgendered in some games and had her trans identity removed in English localizations.[15][1][2]
References[edit]
Paper Mario Thousands Of Doors
- ^ abcdeBaird, Scott (May 3, 2017). '15 Classic Nintendo Games That Had To Censored'. Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ abcShaw, Adrienne (September 11, 2015). 'Vivian in Paper Mario'. LGBTQ Video Game Archive. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ abTurnquist, Mel (August 17, 2012). 'Top Ten: Inspiring Moments'. Nintendojo. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ abcMoser, Cassidee; Torres, Armando; Yehl, Joshua; King, Jackie; Sapp, Eric; Ryan, Jon; Sanchez, Miranda; Borba, John; Graber, Brendan; Marks, Jon; Sherman, Nick; Schwartz, Terri (June 27, 2018). 'Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Characters In Games'. IGN. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^Di Marco, Francesca (November 2007). 'Cultural Localization: Orientation and Disorientation in Japanese Video Games'(PDF). Revista Tradumàtica. ISSN1578-7559. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- ^Intelligent Systems (October 11, 2004). Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Nintendo GameCube). Nintendo. Scene: Epilogue.
Goombella: 'Oh, and Beldam also promised me she would never be mean to Vivian again. Yup, I think the three sirens are going to live pretty peacefully from now on...'
- ^'Super Smash Bros. Brawl Sticker List'. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^Phillips, Tom (July 17, 2020). 'Paper Mario developer discusses why you don't see original characters like Vivian anymore'. Eurogamer. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^Jutte, Garrett (May 28, 2014). '6 Reasons Kids Should Play Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'. Liberty Voice. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^Kleinman, Jake (August 30, 2018). 'Roster Dreams: Vivian Brings 'Paper Mario' to the 'Smash Bros.' Universe'. Inverse. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^Smeyne, Rebecca (July 30, 2013). 'Papermag's New Favorite Drag Queens Hit the Beach in a Super Swimsuit Extravaganza'. Paper. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^Christenson, Emil; Unéus, Danielle (September 2017). 'Transgender in Games: A Comparative Study of Transgender Characters in Games'(PDF). Uppsala University. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 25, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- ^Taylor, Nicholas (2018). Queerness in Play - Palgrave Games in Context. Springer. pp. 41, 45. ISBN978-3319905426.
- ^Hart, Aimee (February 12, 2019). 'Why LGBT video game databases matter'. VG247. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ abDale, Laura Kate (April 7, 2013). 'Let's Talk About Birdo'. The Average Gamer. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^Nolan, Quincy; Laih-Nolan, Ian (May 4, 2018). 'Press A to Gay'. The OutCrowd Magazine. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.