You know, I feel we've become a new kind of media-illiterate, media-parrots if you will. There's so much perceived intertextuality, so many tropes, that it's all there is. Instead of engaging with the text first, it becomes spot the trope or spot the social hot-topic - no matter how relevant it is in the context of the piece of media you are currently observing.
That's where the whole "Gale was groomed" thing comes from, or Astarion as a Dark Romance. Do I see where those theories come from? Sure. Are they in the text itself? Hells, no, not with some twisting, squinting and giving it a side-eye in favour of your favourite fancy. Vampirism isn't about sexual assault here - because sex is about sex here, and about bonding - it's about power. During bite-night Astarion proves himself to be free from Cazador's compulsion while still giving in to his master's philosophy of power and domination.
The whole queerness rep is also a bit difficult because it's not even a topic in this Faerűn we play in. You don't get discriminated because of whom you love or because you don't adhere to some gender stereotype. It's simply all fine and absolutely normal. The real wish-fulfilment-fantasy really.
I don't think BG3 is an overly sexual game either. The marketing is sexy and kinky, yes. Some stuff that goes down in Act 3 quenches the blue bird's thirst. But the rest treats relationships and sex more as forms of connection. Astarion and Gale are very direct about it, Astarion talks about his issues and Gale tells you that for him it's a way to better understand yourself as well as the other person. I don't know about the other companions.
What gets to me and bugs me, is the hostility in the discourse. I've nice discussions here, even - or especially - when disagreeing with someone. They have been interesting and fun.
But then there is the hate and the whatever it is that incentivises someone to c&p the same long-ass quote of their own text into every bloody thread vaguely related to the subject mater. The Karlach thread is at this point a "We hate Gale" thread because they are jelly of his bad (!) God ending and see him becoming a professor as a sign of status and not as what it is framed as in the game, a position to help people. I assume, if there'd be an option to get Karlach's heart fixed in exchange for her soul, they'd happily jump on it. (Says something, if a thread about a character does absolutely not discuss the character at all.) There is the whole Smooch-discussion which has sprouted insane conspiracy theories (3D sadistic porn animator - really? ) and an absolutely wild spiral of outrage and ever repeating arguments of self affirmation and victimhood. The Halsin-brothel thread is nice for the most part but attracts the occasional dude who feels emasculated because his pixel-wife does not respect him enough and needs an outlet that compensates a shotgun.
Really, we need more pets to pet, inside the game and in the wild. Pamper all those 7K spawn - they deserve nice things and happiness - and try to talk with every squirrel and every strange ox.
Last edited by Anska; 25/02/24 12:27 PM. Reason: threat and thread are too similar
