#That basically said along the lines of

[frostybearpaws]

In the planning process a Bulder’s Gate 3 Ascended Astarion x Karlach post-save Karlach ending fic, I’ve broken this thing down into several parts and so far we have gotten to part 4, I think there might be five and I can already see there is a long, long road ahead

#astarion #karlach #astarion ancunin #karlach cliffgate #karlach x astarion #astarion x karlach #astarlach #hellspawn #fireblood #starlach #bloodengine #how many names does one ship need lol? #ascended astarion #theres this running joke that people say that after Astarion ascends he becomes stupid because of how cruel he acts towards people #I saw an interesting take the other day that kind of kick started this fic #That basically said along the lines of #After he ascends he is under the impression that he can no longer be hurt #suddenly he went from being little more than a maggot to standing at the top of the world #That could corrupt anyone #And #and and and #the moment he is faced with the reality that he still CAN be hurt he flips his shit #I want to explore that #I think that ascended Astarion is still able to love he’s a jerk but that’s to be expected #he goes from an asshole to an asshole with a heart to an asshole with way too much power #He needs to be knocked down a peg though that I can agree with #buldars gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 astarion #bg3 karlach

[bookshelfdreams]

do it. gimme the Izzy straight-coded meta 👀

I feel like I need to preface this by saying that Actually, Izzy Is Straightcoded would be the inflammatory clickbait title I'd give this if it were written to draw traffic & ad revenue to my shitty website. So don't take that term too seriously.

There has been a lot of ink spilled about Izzy thinking he's in a story where one can only be subtextually queer. Some even by yours truly, but the more I think about it, the less sense it makes. What would be the purpose of queercoding Izzy?

In general, villains* aren't queercoded to show that men being attracted to other men is bad. It's often the outcome; but it's not why the trope exists. It exists because cishet people tend to be (and are encouraged to be) profoundly uncomfortable with gender nonconformity, and so, making a character gnc becomes a quick and easy way to make him appear twisted and untrustworthy. If he** can't even obey the fundamental rules of his own gender (rules that are inherent and unchangeable!) what other rules does he disobey?

Or: If a man is insufficiently masculine, he can't be trusted to have morals. The villain isn't gnc because that's an evil trait to have; rather, the gender nonconformity is a symptom of his evilness. Being evil is what enables him to embrace his feminine side, and embracing his feminine side is what others him and marks him as a villain.

This only really works when he's contrasted with a hero (or heroine) who is Doing Gender Correctly. The villain is foul to highlight how good the hero is. The Hero will be honest and straightforward, brave, physically powerful; the Queercoded Villain treacherous, cowardly, and physically weak. The hero is a Proper Man, a Good Person. The villain an Improper Man, and therefore, a Bad Person.

Of course ofmd fundamentally rejects this. The shorthand wouldn't work, because ofmd simply doesn't think effeminacy is creepy. It's uninterested in moralizing self-expression; it just lets people be how they are. There's a wide range of expressions of masculinity on this show, and none of it is inherently bad. People are allowed to be hypermasculine, flamboyant, and anything inbetween, can express their gender in whatever manner they want, and it's all fine - as long as they are authentic about it. Be however you are, but be yourself, and this is what Izzy fails at. The repression marks him as a villain. The strict adherence to what he thinks a Real Man Pirate ought to be like. He's very preoccupied with enforcing a traditional (and toxic) masculinity on himself and others. It's no coincidence the characters he antagonizes the most - Stede and Lucius - are also the most effeminate ones. And I know, I know anglophones have a much more casual relationship to twat and cunt, those don't nearly feel as uncomfortable for y'all as they do for me, so I don't want to assign too much significance here, but he is the only character who constantly uses this kind of language, and also the one who uses the most gender&sexuality based slurs (as far as I remember).

All of this while being clearly, obviously queer himself! I do not feel like I need to explain this; his flustered reaction when Lucius asks him if he's ever been sketched speaks for itself. The fact that he meets Stede and immediately slices his shirt off of him, speaks for itself. And so on.

Izzy isn't straightcoded in the sense that the story wants us to believe he's exclusively attracted to women. Much like a queercoded villain doesn't need to be shown to be attracted to men (and can even be shown to be attracted exclusively to women!) to still be queercoded. He's straightcoded in the sense that he's a stand-in for restrictive and toxic gender roles that society enforces on people. He buys into the idea that there's a way of Doing Gender Wrong, and this is presented as a tragic character flaw. Something he has to overcome to be able to do the thing that actually marks a hero in this show: express himself authentically.

Part of why I found his death so moving is because it enables him to set right the toxicity he spread. His rehabilitation arc was about himself; about finally allowing himself to be, accepting love, accepting community. His death was about taking responsibility. About fully recognizing the hurt he caused. Looking death in the face enables him to finally abandon the last shreds of that toxicity, to apologize and be granted forgiveness. In the end, he was not beyond saving, and the harm he has done will be healed.

*Izzy is introduced as an antagonist to both Stede and the central romance of this romcom. I'm not gonna debate this; if you disagree, fine, but you clearly have such a fundamentally wrong different view of the show that it's pointless for us to try and convince each other.

**of course Queercoded Female Villains exist s well, but they are a whole different can of worms and less relevant to this discussion

#okay now that i typed this all out i realize that i just basically keep writing the same izzy post over and over sorry for that #but i spent too long on it not to post it #i do not remember who said it but i saw a post a few days ago along the lines of #izzys death reads like the fantasy of a repentant abusive parent #and i think theres truth to that #may also read like the fantasy of the kid of an abused parent #finally the person who hurt you is able to apologize and you can part on good terms #but also wont have to deal w the fallout #i write as my grandmother who doesnt speak to us is probably dying idk #anyway! #i hope this is somewhat interesting #our flag means death #ofmd s2 spoilers #izzy hands #thoughts #anonymaus #message

[local-maenad]

Replaying Hades and completely forgot just how dramatic Thanatos is omg dude chill

#hades #hades game #thanatos #basically said something along the lines of #‘you should be happy I almost cost my job helping you’ #than… my guy #you are the god of death… I don’t think Hades can fire you even if he wanted to xbnxnx

[pietroleopoldo]

We should have made Zerocalcare famous with Tear along the dotted line I wanted people to riot to his new show saying that Netflix made him become woke or something

#i remember reading like a comment about tear along the dotted line that basically said that because of a couple of jokes but. #you know. I wanted to see it on a larger scale. It would have been so funny #personal #this world can't tear me down #strappare lungo i bordi #questo mondo non mi renderà cattivo

[bragganhyl]

ngl these "which eoran god is/isn't problematic" polls make me wanna rant about Magran but I don't have the braincells rn

edit: i did end up ranting in the tags whoopsie lmao

#hablaty #I love magran as a character and as an... imperfect to say the least goddess #but I will also blow a gasket if my fire godlike watcher won't ever get the option to drive a sword through her heart #bc holy shit do i also hate her #she too is a ''god of staying in your lane'' really she only ever steps in to intervene if some god or another starts shit #thing is tho: her followers aren't like her #a lot of folks of the violent murder hobo variety is drawn to her bc god of fire and war and whatnot #but if you read the codex entries on her she doesn't actually urge people to start wars #the doctrines are actually more along the lines of ''don't start shit take no shit'' or idk #don't go out of your way to start a conflict for no reason but be always ready for war basically #she pushes people to embrace their power and strive for bettering themselves through struggle #problem is that bc like i said she ghosts her followers a lot of her followers will just take these doctrines to justify their atrocities #she doesn't want eothasians gone bc she doesn't care enough about them to want that #she doesn't want animancers gone bc she supports animancy #but she won't stop her followers bc she doesn't interfere with kith unless she has to protect them from the other gods #but also on the flip side if she does step in she will stop at nothing to win #even if that means building god killing weapons and then having her priests off themselves deploying it #even if that means wiping out her own fire giant children in a volcanic eruption (whomst you can save btw pls save the rathunn they're nice #and even if that means eating the souls of her godlike children who #magran is incredible cruel and also very cool and I have very complex feelings on her and just aaaa

[bigbrainbiology]

Ok but that old fanfic trope where person gets isekai-ed into a manhwa, but instead they're a kid vers. of the main chara and they've read it all and know how the Cha Siyeon version of the story ends and wants to change the story but they get the chance to do it from earlier in the plot that we as readers haven't properly seen but only theorised - *gasps for breath*

<3

Kinda based of this image ->

#fanart #death is the only ending for a villainess #villains are destined to die #penelope eckhart #digital art #my art #wip #basically what I said above #going for the vibes of all them old self-insert (kinda) time-travel fix-it fanfics that used to be all over ff.net #you don't really see them on ao3 haha #but yeah I cant write stuff but I'd deffo LOVE to read something along the lines of someone gets isekai-ed into penny but as a kid #someone that's not OG penny or Cha Siyeon #Like if someone with no trauma has suddenly ended up in the place of 2 v traumatised ppl? #and how that could change the plot - maybe they'd see the Eckhart's abuse for what it really was and wouldn't stand for it #and also during a time where we only have the bare minimum info of Penny's childhood? makes me wonder how stuff would be dealt with #especially bc at the time Reynold and Derrick were also kinda kids/teens

[lesbiancarat]

oh cheol and hao talked about cbv3 on live... they said the company is aware of the negative feedback lol

#they also said something along the lines of #the members gave their opinions of what they/carats wanted but the company had their own considerations #which says to me hybe basically didnt let them have any input lol #but thats my interpretation based on the snippets of translations ive seen so take w a grain of salt #its seemed like they were trying to be concilliatory about the whole thing but theres not much postives to be said #the only positive thing i saw them say was thay v3 was lighter #i hope this sends a message to hybe that carats are not easy consumers #melia.txt

[enok1]

Being in that weird middleground of homeschooled and unschooled is very... Strange..!

#Like. I DID go to school! Until I was 9! And then I didn't anymore. #I don't know math but I am literate. Science eludes me and I don't understand basic functions. But I. Am literate! #Going back to learn things as an adult is so frustrating and embarrassing because these topics are only every framed for children #Understandably! I don't have a problem with that itself. However it makes it more obvious how far behind you are on everything #And it's exhausting. The progress is slow. I can't spend a school day's worth of time studying because I have responsibilities. #My mother made it clear that it is my job alone to learn these things. When my brother expressed his rage over it she said the same to him. #'If you're so upset by it why haven't you learned it yourself?' Something along those lines. It hurts a lot #Where do you start. I have over 10 years to catch up on. I know he was confused and overwhelmed as well. #Whether or not it is our responsibility to learn now.. It doesn't change that she should have taught us then. #But I can't talk about it. Or I will get yelled at or guilt tripped... 🙏

[vorakh]

my toxic trait is that i misremember things and assume it's lore. for example at some point i remember reading in a dialogue that kim's parents took the nationalists (monarchists?) position during the turn of century revolution. i even constructed a reason as to what led them to take that specific position. i just realised it's entirely possible i hallucinated this detail.

#kinda confused by the many writing about kim's parents being communards because i am genuinely sure he said the opposite in game #like ah they don't know the lore #genuinely i even assumed they became nationalist/monarchist to prove they were truly loyal to the suzerainty #to stand out as little as possible from a political point of view #which by the way doesn't mean they were actively supporting the monarchy #(basically kim didn't do anything his parents didn't already do before him but he doesn't know) #what am i even saying #anyway i will now look into the fayde don't know where to start from tho #disco elysium #add: i thought there was something along the line they were executed by communards but that's not the case #wow

[doedipus]

One of the people on the language forum complimented my writing ability

#after the chat thing ended she messaged to ask what i thought of it #and I basically tries to convey what I'd said here #e.g. listening was less awful than expected but I got tripped up in a few places and had a hard time not having a dictionary/weblio on hand #and she said something along the lines of #if you're able to write like that then I'm sure with some practice your conversational ability will improve quickly #so that was very encouraging

[fruitsyrups]

if i wore a bib I wouldn't get food on it but it would be drenched in water. i am always spilling water on myself. i go to drink and then i spill water on my collar and its fine. this is just what life is like.

#I'm really good at spilling water on myself it's my secret talent. do you think i can monetize this #haha. bedtime... go to bed right now i don't care where you are or what time it is (just kidding) #can i tell u a secret... i am also probably not going go to bed yet #wow. staying up late and telling secrets. #this is like a sleepover except i'm the only person there. you might also be there (reading the tags) but i don't know #and also if you are here we're in different places. different countries? quite possibly different hemispheres. #i hope we're in different houses at least... please don't be in my house I don't think i would like that #I think we have mice/rats in our roof (heard some scampering) but i guess it could also be you... the person reading this... #if that is you you sound really small by the way. if i were to guess... i would say that you're about the size of a rat or perhaps a mouse #so it's like a sleepover but without the sleeping or the over. so basically just 2+ people who have nothing to do with eachother #that's so fun we should do this more often 😊 i don't know what 'this' is im just saying things #wait hey wait a minute i should clarify that i don't actually spill water on myself ALL the time only SOME OF THE TIME!!!! #classic hyperbole (chortles heartily) (sorry) (i'm not sure why I said that) #so ummm if your mental image of me happens to have changed to anything along the lines of a sopping wet chicken. change it back pleas

[druidgroves]

ok i spent entirely too long on this so i present to you under the cut:

georgia companion swap dialogue

Georgia: Hey, Codsworth, while I’m out, could you water my plants for me? Thanks, hun. Codsworth: Of course, ma’am. Our geraniums were once the envy of Sanctuary Hills, you know.

Codsworth: I’ll be sure to point sir/mum in the direction of any interesting books while we’re away, Miss Georgia. Georgia: Aw, thanks, honey. See you later, Codsworth.

---

Georgia:  Aw, c’mon, Dogmeat, that’s not fair. Put those puppy-dog eyes away! Dogmeat: (Sad whimper)

Dogmeat: (Bark) Georgia: [Cutesy voice] Bye-bye, little baby boy. [Regular] We’ll play fetch when you get back, alright?

---

Georgia: Stay here and hold down the fort for me, will ya? Wouldn’t trust anyone else. Preston: I could say the same of you. You have fun out there.

Preston: Anything interesting to report since we last talked? Georgia: [Excitedly] Oh my goodness, Preston, you would not believe--

---

Georgia: If I see anything story-worthy out there, you’ll be the first person I tell. Piper: Oh, Georgia, you know just what I like to hear. My eyes and ears in the Commonwealth.

Piper: Hey, Specs, my treat at Power Noodles for that last piece you helped me with. It got looots of people talking. Georgia: Ooh, lookin’ forward to it, Piper.

---

Georgia: Sorry to take your spot, Mr. Valentine. Hopefully I’ll be just as effective in your place. Nick: With that attitude, you’re already halfway there. Take care.

Nick: Guess it’s my turn to take a spin. We can finish our talk another time, Missus Tate. Georgia: I’ll make sure to mark it on my calendar.

---

Georgia: Hey, Shades. Don’t wait up, yeah? Deacon: See you later, Teach. Go have some fun for me.

Deacon: Huh, if it isn’t Blast From the Past Two: Electric Boogaloo. Georgia: I’ll just pretend like I know what that means, Deacon.

---

Georgia: Looks like it’s my turn for a loop around the Commonwealth. Talk to you later, Hotshot. MacCready: Try not to get hurt out there, alright? See you later.

MacCready: Hey, Georgia, got any extra credit I can do for you? Georgia: Well, now that you mention it...[Laughs]

---

Georgia: Hey, Hancock, if there are any books you want me to keep an eye out for while I’m gone, you just let me know. Hancock: Hm...Surprise me, won’t ya?

Hancock: Hm...you seem like a Mentats girlie. Favorite flavor? Georgia: [Nervous laugh] Oh, you must be mistaken, I don’t really do chems.[Pause] ...Orange.

---

Georgia: Sorry, Danse, looks like a more delicate touch is needed right now. Danse: Hopefully you'll be up to the task, civilian.

Danse: You keep staring. Is there something you need? Georgia: ...It’s nothin’, you just remind me of someone. Stay safe, Danse.

---

Georgia: Huh, wow, are you sure you want to take me over the strongest woman in the Commonwealth? Cait: Aw, you’re flatterin’ me, sweetness.

Cait: I doubt there’s much you could teach me that experience hasn’t already. Georgia: I dunno, Cait, there’s somethin’ to be said about sittin’ down with a good book.

---

Georgia: Finally wanna travel without people chasin’ you around with pitchforks and torches, huh? Strong: Strong fast. Strong chase back.

Strong: This squishy human weak. Make good food for Strong’s brothers. Georgia: Oh, that’s not threatenin’, no, not at all...

---

Georgia: Oh, bye, Curie! Guess we can finish catchin’ up later. Curie: Au revior, Mademoiselle Georgia. I look forward to our future conversations.

Curie: Mademoiselle Georgia, please do be careful, I think I may have spotted a few large insects on our way in. Georgia: Oh dear. Thanks for the heads up, Curie.

---

Georgia: Hi, X6. Bye, X6. X6-88: From her, that was quite the efficient greeting.

X6-88: Remember you’re traveling with the future of the Institute. Do not let personal feelings get in the way of that. Georgia: If that ain’t ominous...will do, X6.

#rae.txt #ch: georgia tate #OK SOME COMMENTARY LMAO: #piper's nickname for her in companion au would be specs instead of blue bc i feel like they have the same vibe lol #the second set of georgia & mac lines is inspired by his flirt lines with cait n piper lmaoo i thought they were funny #the second set between georgia n danse is a ref to how he kinda resembles her (still dead) ex-husband oops #and also in the past i said that georgia n cait wouldn't get along which is mostly true but. georgia has EYES. #the first of x6's is basically him saying she never shuts the fuck up lmfao #also i did not include the dlc companions bc. im neutral towards them & also have not played the dlcs in Forever

[yes-i-exist-shutup]

Studying everyone who’s fandom takes I don’t personally don’t agree with (no hate) under a microscope. What prompted you to think this I must know

#me when ppl ship two characters that have said like 2 lines to each other and wouldn’t get along #or just characters that have sibling-like relationships like huh #Percico fans I must study you #me when percico fans basically

[titansarmy]

and if i say canon adjacent, ivy inspired jasonxnico fic. i can’t stop you putting roots in my dreamland.

#I WISH TO KNOW THE FATAL FLAW THAT MAKES LONG TO BE MAGINIFICENTLY CURSED is SOOOOO jason coded tbh #anyways. look away if you're immediately put away by the infidelity trope bc i will brush over it #i'm thinking. jason is dead and nico one day just NEEDS to talk/see jason for whatever reason #and he goes to the underworld looking for him and he finds him #and he doesn't propose taking him out because jason wouldn't want that #but they talk #and then nico leaves and then he comes back and then it becomes like a thing #and they start getting closer and closer and the line between the living and the dead is already so blurred for nico but now with jason in #the mix they're basically invisible #and jason is also in a position where he's like?? nico is NOT spending his days with the LIVING because of ME! but then he doesn't want him #to go. eternally sscrficial jason grace letting himself be selfish for once but being in constant struggle because of this #and nico is also like. i want him back i can take him back but i won't do that i respects choices. #and anyways along all of this they're slowly falling in love/realising there was something there that went unaddressed #and there's this lingering sadness surrounding it because if they had just had time maybe maybe MAYBE they would have realised #OHHH its angsty #and i said it borders the infidelity trope because will is just there. 🕴 #and technically nico is happy with will. he's ok. but he can't stop jason putting roots in his dreamland. #and because if i would write this (i won't) i would make jasonico as maybe at least crossing into emotional affair territory :) #idk what the conclusion would be? who you think is more insane? would jason accept going back or would nico need to force himself to let go? #bc by not doing so he's also keeping jason from rebirth and/or moving on. which not fair either. #tbh i think the main arc should be jason wanting to live. HE goes to hades to APPEAL for his release. nico is just the support. also a bit #of nepotism i guess take hades' son to appeal to hades :) #THERE'S SO MANY TYPOS HERE OMFG and nothing makes sense #let me get my thoughts straight and i'll type it nicely jesus fucking christ

[russellius]

I feel like people underestimate George’s season so much. I don’t see much appreciation for the megadrive he did in Austria with the car he had bc of that first lap clash, and that is truly not fair. He always seems to try his best and never give up even when he (partially…) fucks up and yet, all I see is people downplay his results or ignore them entirely and only highlight his mistakes. Why? He has so much potential ffs, why can’t anyone see that?

yeah it's a shame that austria flew under the radar so much (and i still think that the penalty he got there was complete bullshit lol but anyway), it was one of the best drives of his season for sure

but i think plenty of people can see george's potential! yeah this year was a massive roller coaster in every possible sense of the word lol (and yes you're always gonna get the trolls, and some of the twitter toxicity etc) but usually he's still considered to be at least the 4th best driver on the grid. and i think most people are aware that he's only going to improve. this was his first year at a top team, which for the first time in years was underperforming (relative to their previous success) AND he's going up against lewis, which is a tough and complicated gig on and off track, for many reasons. and i think he handled the situation as good as he could this year, and people who have a clue about the sport and aren't just spewing unnecessary hate have no problem acknowledging this + his talent, work ethic, potential etc

what i'm incredibly happy about is that he got the win in brazil, because especially after the singapore/suzuka/austin weekends he really needed it + just like the first pole, he finally got it "out of the way". and it's just a great thing that he could go into the winter break like this

#im super excited to see him race next year #if the car will be better (which... it surely will be..... right......??) #i think we are in for a treat with him #i think shov and james have both said that he feels the most comfortable when he is leading #or something along those lines #basically that when he is in the lead. he feels at home #and we saw that in sakhir already too #so yeah. really really looking forward to the gr domination is what im saying #:-) #answered

[earlyspringtranscendence]

Smth that I always come back to in the pee Nureyev experience is like. My view on Peter and Mags relationship and how I disagree with like 99% of the fanon interpretation of it (and also perhaps the canon starting in S4) (and so will ignore it henceforth) like Mag is . Nice. He's nice. I fucking know he lied to peets ok but he also like killed Mag so it evens out but it's heart wrenching to hear the audio when they're duping that New Kinshasa woman and they laugh so raucously (AND FREELY!!!! WHEN HAVE U EVER HEARD PEE SO FREE...) and well it's like. They love eachother . Kinda all I even have to say about that. I refuse to believe that Mag was a bad parent beyond the usual bad parenting of someone who isn't by any means ready or even nec willing to be a parent beforehand, but like anything that extends beyond that is so depressing to me... There's strength in numbers, even on Brahma, and pee used to have that with Mag. and anyway you cant take that away from me im putting my fingers in my ears and yelling if u try to reason w me GOODNIGHT & GOODBYE

#penumb #i desperately am in the minority here i completely understand that this is a controversial opinion #and i even understand why to a certain extent its just. that i dont fink its right ... #anyway i basically said all this last time i was talking abt penumb already i still have the screenshot that i put on my insta stories #but it remains so important to me... in one of the brahma alts juno says smth along the lines of #'mag was one of the bad ones because he was one you might start to like' #and that was so real. because you cant live without liking people. not even juno steel can do that #so why and how would 16 yr old pete ransom know how to do that... #and its not even about being able to its about wanting to too. loneliness is exhausting #being persecuted by an evil govmt 24/7 is exhausting #why cant we allow pee to have this one nice thing in his previous life #<- basically what it boils down to its the same reason i ignore the way juno treats mick in the show #like imo it goes too far into genuine scolding and almost dislike and i dont think thats fair #like mick holds a position of great value in juno's life so (AGAIN!) why cant we allow them both to have that #(obv that latter opinion is widely accepted as being the correct opinion but yk)