#yoshi12370

[commanderpigg]

Happy birthday to my dear friend, @yoshi12370 !

I drew his Orc OC, Arzar as a present! What a great design 😄

#funny story I posted this on tw*tter but made a massive anatomy error and deleted it in embarrassment #lesson learned … never post anything at night and also make an anatomy checklist #thank u Yoshi for being a good sport about this lol #and hope u had a wonderful bday #orc #OC #my art #yoshi12370

[volskayadottxt]

On Baptiste and Mauga

Author's Note: This post contains usages of the word q*eer. Red underlining of the text is my own emphasis. Big thanks to @yoshi12370 for archiving Important Maustiste Tweets. He is the official king of the ship.

---

Introduction

Overwatch 2's inaugural season is halfway over. With Mauga being frontrunner for December's highly anticipated new tank, I thought it might be fun to reread and reexamine their short story What You Left Behind (WYLB) given the game's new voicework.

WYLB was originally published in 2019; the only short story Alyssa Wong penned during their time at Blizzard (they now write Star Wars comics for Marvel). It was highly praised by fandom, namely for the depth it added to Baptiste and its compelling introduction to Mauga (who was back then assumed to be the next hero).

There was another reason, however: the story encouraged the reader to interpret Baptiste and Mauga as ex-lovers, an intentional creative decision from Wong (who is both bisexual and nonbinary). This made Mauga incredibly popular amongst the queer side of the fandom.

In this post, I try to explain the nature of Baptiste and Mauga's relationship (and why it can be so easily interpreted as romantic). I hope you enjoy reading! Perhaps this can spark a conversation about the dynamic these two men share, which I personally adore.

The Text Itself

Thematically, WYLB is the story of a lover scorned (Mauga). When Baptiste decided to leave Talon, he broke Mauga's heart. His former partner never forgave him for this, and (in WYLB) is trying to bring him "home."

The Caribbean Coalition, despite letting Baptiste hone his skills as a combat medic, did not give him economic stability. This is explored in his backstory video. Immediately after joining (as shown in one of WYLB's many flashbacks), Baptiste and Mauga are drawn to one another. They form an immediate connection. Baptiste is attracted to Mauga's charisma, while Mauga believes Baptiste understands him in a way others (presumably) don't.

This immediately sets Baptiste apart from other Talon recruits for Mauga. We're told his personality is electrifying and naturally pulls people towards him. But Mauga could've chosen anyone, and he chose Baptiste, because Mauga believed Baptiste understood him. And this faith is well-placed. Baptiste, as far as we are aware, is the only person able to talk Mauga down when enraged. Clearly, there is a level of emotional intimacy between these men that does not extend to other Talon members.

What's more? This understanding, the ability to parse each other's emotions, extends both ways. Their final mission together (before Baptiste turned traitor) was to Monti Cristi. Prior to landing, we're told explicitly of Baptiste's doubts. He no longer trusts Talon as an organization. But Mauga realizes what Baptiste is thinking without the medic saying a word and that something is very, very wrong. He tries to reassure Baptiste:

And in combat, they energize one another. Mauga is the kind of man who enjoys the thrill of any fight, but the rush he gets fighting alongside Baptiste is different, special. The feeling is mutual for Baptiste, although he's hesitant to admit it:

Caring for Mauga (and their team) gave Baptiste purpose after he left the Caribbean Coalition. Of course, the irony being that searching for such a purpose after defecting from Talon lead him to Overwatch. And most importantly, Mauga wears his heart on his sleeve: he outright states he missed Baptiste, missed their connection.

And I believe this was written intentionally. Mauga simply did not see other members of Talon in the way he does Baptiste. He doesn't speak nearly as highly of Nguyen, despite the two of them working together efficiently throughout the story. Moreover, he admits he didn't even like their old captain. It is important to note Baptiste killed most of their old squad. Mauga doesn't care about revenge or retribution, all he seems is to want Baptiste back.

Thus, I think the text is clear about their relationship: for a time, Baptiste and Mauga completed one another (romantically and professionally). They demonstrate a degree of emotional intimacy not shared their by their old squad (and one we haven't seen on Baptiste's end yet with the New Blood crew). These are two men who were once completely attuned to the other's feelings on and off the battlefield. Any breakup, then, would undoubtedly be messy.

Of course, one could argue that they are simply good friends. Intimacy (emotional or otherwise) isn't always limited to romantic relationships. I don't agree with this interpretation simply because of Wong's old tweets, but it's also worthwhile to interrogate the text. How does WYLB imply they were lovers? I think there are two important points to consider:

The framing of female characters in the story

The patented Gay Yearning from Mauga

Mondesir and Sombra

Roseline Mondesir is Baptiste's childhood friend. They grew up in the same orphanage together, and their childhood dream was to jointly open a clinic. Although Roseline jokes about Baptiste being subjected to a patient's flirting and complements his muscles, there's no romantic tension between them. Their interactions are a combination of professional and platonic.

Similarly, Sombra's appearance in the story contains no romantic undertones. She calls him "mijo," which is a (usually) familial (sometimes platonic) term of endearment. Baptiste is indeed attracted to women (he's heavily bisexual or pansexual coded) but there was no attempt by the narrative to create plausible deniability by suggesting Baptiste has feelings for one of these characters. The emotional crux of the story is the messy emotions these men share after their breakup.

Also, Mauga Really, Really Likes Baptiste

An easy detail to miss in WYLB is that the mission to bring Baptiste back was Mauga's idea. Prior, Talon only wanted to kill him (and sent members of their old squad to do so). Mauga, though, is determined to bring Baptiste back alive, an irregularity for Talon defectors.

And what's more, he outright admits that Baptiste's betrayal hurt him. He slathers in a layer of humor, however (something he regularly does), likely to distract from the emotional vulnerability the statement opens him up to.

Mauga asking Baptiste is he was out "breaking hearts" feels intentional, too. We know Baptiste is a bit of a flirt. But coming from Mauga, this feels less like a descriptor of Bisexual Disaster Baptiste (as we see in-game via interactions), and more of a subtle admission that Baptiste broke Mauga's heart, too.

This heartbreak isn't just something alluded to, either. We're lucky enough to get a flashback of Baptiste escaping Monti Cristi. Before letting him leave, Mauga lays his feelings about Baptiste bare:

Mauga thinks Baptiste is special, different from other Talon mercs. And for a very brief moment, we get that emotional vulnerability once more. Mauga sees Baptiste as a normal part of his existence. He seems to think Baptiste will one day come to his senses, believing there's no way the medic would leave him forever. Of course, this turns out to be wrong. And Mauga deals with the heartbreak.

I don't think Mauga ever forgot or forgave Baptiste. In the final confrontation between the two men at the end of WYLB, Mauga remarks:

He's not letting Baptiste go, and I think the "edge" in his voice described here is his excitement. Not just for combat, but for the chance to make things right. Baptiste will come back to Talon. They'll be partners again. It'll be just like the good ol' days. Mauga is tired of waiting for Baptiste to return to him of his own volition. He'll force Baptiste to come home, and then he'll understand, surely.

Does Still Baptiste Care About Mauga?

The last big question I want to explore is whether the feelings are mutual. Even if Mauga and Baptiste were romantically involved prior to Baptiste's defection, it's not impossible that perhaps Baptiste just doesn't feel the same for Mauga anymore. While I can't say with certainty that Baptiste currently has romantic feelings towards Mauga, he certainly cares for him. This is evident in the story, briefly:

Baptiste knows Mauga is dangerous. Baptiste knows Mauga will try to capture him again, if given the chance. And yet, Baptiste hopes Mauga is still alive after their battle. That's pretty damning evidence that Baptiste still cares.

There's also this little interaction from OW1 that (as far as I know) didn't make the transition to OW2. Regardless, it's still revealing:

You can listen to a recording here.

I find Baptiste's question telling. He doesn't ask what Mauga's plans are, or where he is, or how to avoid him. He asks how he is, demonstrating a concern for Mauga's wellbeing (perhaps against his better judgement). And Sombra seems somewhat sympathetic to the situation (as a good friend would).

So maybe they're queer, what now?

Tomorrow we find out whether Hero 36 is Mauga. This would be, in my opinion, an "easy" W for Team 4. There's no lack of criticism for how queer heroes have been handled since launch. Adding Mauga to the roster and confirming he and Baptiste were romantically involved (or shared feelings for one another) would add a queer storyline the game's queer fandom would adore.

I do understand that it's not actually "easy." Developers in the games industry often have to fight company executives (and management and legal teams) to get q*eer characters greenlit at all. It took Riot Games' management nearly a decade to relent and allow its workers to confirm Twisted Fate and Graves were former lovers, and Baptiste and Mauga could be going through the same process.

However, I want to have hope. Unlike other ships, Baptiste and Mauga already have the groundwork for a former romantic relationship laid. They don't need a reconciliation (Reaper76) or to physically to meet one another (Yeehan). There's already a lot of deep, messy emotions between the two of them and they're tied to one another's stories. All that's left is a confirmation.

Thanks for reading!

#overwatch #mauga #baptiste #mautiste #maugtiste #This is the first fandom essay I've done in like 4 years #Kinda scared to tag it #laurencedottxt

[fandomsandfeminism]

Have you caught up with Aggretsuko? I recently rewatched your video about it after watching s3 and I wanted to know your thoughts about it

D: I have not! There’s just been so much media out there, and right now I’m in the middle of watching ALL of Sailor Moon (I just got into season 5! Home stretch) and doing a Star Trek DS9 rewatch with my husband. 

Aggretsuko is on my list though.  

#yoshi12370

[syrupmancer]

I want to be hugged (and stabbed) by Russell

russ would only ever stab someone for a joke, but luckily he’s a hugger by nature

#russbones #asks #yoshi12370

[windynebula]

yoshi12370 replied to your post: Ghetsis gross Piers stinky

you don’t like Piers?

Not anymore, no. When I played the game I was like "he's cool", but when I interacted with the fandom more, I started seeing Piers fans demonise Rose to almost cartoonish and infuriating extents and act like Piers is a perfect angel who never did anything wrong. There's been SO MUCH talk about Rose being a bastard who refuses to help Spikemuth even if Rose HAD offered to move Spikemuth's gym to a powerspot so the pokemon can dynamax but it was PIERS who turned that down. And for what? Because he just doesn't want to dynamax? Okay edgelord. Like the whole ordeal comes across like that comic of the guy riding a bike and putting a stick in the wheel. "Fucking Rose why doesn't he help Spikemuth." "Here, let's move Spikemuth's gym so you can dynamax and draw more people to watch your matches!" "Absolutely the fuck not. Fuck off and die." "..." "Fucking Rose why doesn't he help Spikemuth."

#yoshi12370 #windy the saltlord #character hate #the dril tweet about the candles also comes to mind

[dazzledfirestar]

yoshi12370 replied to your post: I’m seeing all this “Remember the 2012 MCU fandom?...

“2012 MCU fandom was so grea-” haha nope it was terrible back then and it’s terrible now. Most of my nostalgia for 2012 Marvel fandom is majorly comic related and EMH.

Yup. It was a sesspool of every kind of horrible. Was there some cute stuff that climbed out of the muck? Sure. But not enough to actually cover up the bullshit. 

EMH was gold though.

#yoshi12370

[sazandorable]

yoshi12370

  pls help, what to draw

Frog Legged Venusaur

WHEN WILL YOU LET ME LIVE, YOSH

#yoshi12370

[fuckyeahtorbhardt]

Brigitte has an interaction with Bastion and apparently Torb built him new armor after adopting him!

I just went to find it and holy moly it’s really cute! The Bastion comic is one of my favorite ones so I’m really happy that Bastion is still hanging out with the family. Torbjörn can’t help adopting children and omnics.

#yoshi12370 #answered asks #Torbjörn #Bastion #brigitte #not torbhardt #Me Talking

[quarterdollar]

i still think about how PSMD's twist ending got me fucked up

they took our expectations and shattered them for maximum sadness

#replies #pmd #yoshi12370

[volskayadottxt]

"genesis" miniseries spec/hopes

i think this is gonna be auroras origin story (first ep her birth, second exploration of herself + omnic crisis; third her sacrifice). and im hoping it does two things:

demonstrate that aurora had her own autonomy in her choices and that she was as fallible as any human (ideally id like her to be a bit of a girlfailure but i think its unlikely)

show the crisis didnt end just bc of baby ows intervention but bc auroras sacrifice caused the awakening, and now free of anubis' control (and sentient) omnics decided war is bad actually

imo aurora needs to be explained to the casual viewer who doesnt engage with the wider lore, shes too important as a catalyst for post-crisis events not to be. but i also want her to get some real character development because right now (in game and in transmedia) shes regarded by others as either a weird invention (sojourns novel) or as a deity (stone by stone, rama and echos interactions). just humanize her a bit. i think theres some lovely melancholy in the idea that who she was has been lost to time (liaos dead, after all) and that all anyone else has are little bits of knowledge open to interpretation.

other interesting bits from the trailer:

>narrators voice is likely gabrielle adawe (i dont know the va)

>young girl playing teaparty could be sojourns niece bonnie and her omnic babysitter, julietta (thanks @yoshi12370)

>zenyatta mightve been a combat model due to the eye shape of his faceplate (see @wooongwooong on Twitter)

>mina liao cant design omnics for shit (i say this as lovingly as i can)

>aurora might be voiced by laura bailey

#overwatch #ow speculation

[sage-nebula]

yoshi12370 replied to your post: Also, now that I think about it, while “we need...

So far it seems like the Elves were right and humans are shit. I know it’s told that it’s a mutual thing but so far we’re only seeing the human side of the atrocities and it’s not painting a good picture of them. I hope we see the other side of the picture with Xadia but I’m kinda cautious about it

Well, it was wrong for dragons and elves to banish all humans from Xadia the way they did one thousand years ago. We know that many innocent humans died during the migration, to the point where Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond have said that the flashback image we see in the opening in season one was supposed to invoke the Trail of Tears. It’s also possible, given the translation of the Danish text about Aaravos in season two, that humans felt that elves looked down on them and regarded them as inferior since they couldn’t use magic (I imagine it being kind of like how Lujanne was a bit patronizing to Callum earlier in the season; she wasn’t malicious, but was a bit dismissive of his desire to learn magic). If that’s true, then that does mean that there was some building resentment.

However. 

To use an old cliché, “two wrongs don’t make a right.” As Callum says in season one, enacting vengeance just perpetuates a vicious, bloody cycle. Even if elves looked down on humans for not being able to use magic, that does not justify humans slaughtering magical beings to use in dark magic. It doesn’t justify the mass poaching, or the potential murders. Nor is there any justification for humans continuing to try to cross the border into Xadia now (excepting Callum trying to return Azymondias to his mother, of course). That even happened one thousand years ago. Five human kingdoms have risen and prospered during that time. Humans don’t need to use magic to live and most of them get along just fine without it. Those who try to cross the border now are doing so to poach (ahem, Viren), and that’s not okay or acceptable. Yes, Thunder was responsible for Sarai’s death, but Thunder was guarding the border to protect his people from being poached for dark magic. This is not a bad thing. It makes Thunder a good king and protector of his people. (And mind you, Thunder probably would have liked to not have to spend every single goddamn day guarding that border. If humans would stop trying to trespass in Xadia for the express purpose of poaching magical creatures for dark magic, this wouldn’t be an issue.)

So while I do think we have grey morality in this show, and while I agree with Harrow that there have been wrongs on both sides, I also do think more people need to open their eyes and accept that humanity has committed an awful lot of wrongs, too. “Who started it” is a moot point when both sides commit atrocities, and when one side keeps perpetuating said atrocities. (Because sure, Harrow and Viren killed Thunder because Thunder killed Sarai, but Thunder killed Sarai because the humans crossed the border to kill the magma golem.) There is no excuse for dark magic. None. There especially isn’t now that we know that humans could learn primal magic, if they take the time and effort to understand the arcanum. No amount of “but elves / dragons did [x]” justifies it, and I think the show has done plenty to make that clear.

#yoshi12370 #the dragon prince #the dragon prince spoilers #tdp spoilers #tdp2 spoilers #tdp meta #both sides have done wrong but i do think the Xadians are more sympathetic at this point in time #it was still wrong of them to do what they did with the banishment #given the innocents who died #but that doesn't justify all the nonsense the humans did afterward #Sarai's death was tragic but I can't blame Thunder for wanting to protect his people #from others who were explicitly there to kill them

[blackwatchbastard]

What are your thoughts on r76 single dads aus?

I’m more down for the ‘adoptive dads au’ style of things but I love ‘Gabe raises his dorky cowboy son’ so that’s some good shit.

#yoshi12370 #fly speaks

[syrupmancer]

Yellow is my face whenever you do art and Red

You guys are killin me w the red n yellows 😭😭❤️ lets get it comrades

#asks #yoshi12370

[windynebula]

yoshi12370 replied to your post: Oh, I inherited my loud sneezes from mum.

Loud Sneeze Club! same hat

Same hat!

#yoshi12370

[musashi]

Not to be 15 minutes late with Starbucks but the very idea of James who loves grass types having issues with Oddish, a pokemon that was own by his abuser, is so very interesting and now can't stop thinking about how he'd overcome it

this is a key theme in mine & @walpurgisyiff‘s multi-chapter fanfiction! 

it’s a rocket redemption fic where the TRio end up backtracking in an attempt to right their wrongs and find a place they truly belong, apart from team rocket. over the course of the journey, they end up adopting an egg that just happens to hatch into an oddish at a very inopportune time, when james is literally in the middle of a dissociative episode over his home life.

the oddish sees him first and imprints on him, and the rest of the story features heavily james coming to grips with his demons and learning to love this tiny thing who just adores him even though he has ptsd relating to the line. logically, he knows that you can’t classify an entire species of pokemon as bad and dangerous, but obviously trauma doesn’t care, so it’s something he makes a conscious effort to fight back against.

i actually have a headcanon that this fear extended to all grass types, once upon a time. note that victreebel is the only pokemon james caught naturally, like with a battle and pokeball. in aforementioned fanfiction, it’s implied he made a personal choice to confront his fears and raise more grass types than anything else. and it helped that grass types really seem to love him, too!

but yeah, this is a huge deal in denounce the evils, if you ever feel like reading it. if not that’s okay too! but i basically feel ya, i was so obsessed with this idea that i just HAD to write it.

#yoshi12370 #wendy answers

[dazzledfirestar]

Imagine Nick holding 2 cats: Now you've disappointed all 3 of us

OMFG YES!

Phil is properly disappointed with himself at that moment. I don’t know what he did but... he knows it’s wrong. LOL

#yoshi12370