okay, lemme go on a tiny rant here that might piss some people off..
I’m a tad bit annoyed at the way pronouns for Tav are used in the BG3 fandom, because the more I look through BG3 related posts that mention Tav, it’s just like IMMEDIATELY assumed that Tav is female and therefore most of the time, Tav is referred to with she/her pronouns and it’s just like HUH??
you guys do realize, that men and nonbinary folks play this game, right? and that the concept of Tav IN ITSELF basically means “player insert of no specific gender that lets the player choose which pronouns and name are used for them”
and you just assume, that everyone has a female Tav?? What??
it’s just really frustrating to me, that we have this character in the fandom that is BY ALL MEANS entirely unspecified in basically ALL DETAILS apart from the fact that they go through the story of BG3, in however shape or form they may do that
maybe only I personally am pissed off by this, since I’m a person that only uses they/them and he/him pronouns and gets pretty strong dysphoria from imagining myself as female, but I’ve noticed that I’m not the only non female person that gets annoyed at this
sure, if the author of, for instance a fanfic, clarifies, that Tav is specifically female in the scenario that they wrote, then I (and everyone else that feels this way) don’t have any right to complain about that, it was specified
but very often, the she/her pronouns and all kinds of feminine features are just randomly thrown at the reader, without the gender of Tav ever being discussed before and that just frustrates me
I’m not saying that I have anything against people writing fanfic or scenarios with a female Tav in mind, but it would just be nice if they could clarify that in the description of it, before I go and read it only to be disappointed by the fact that they were writing about a female/afab Tav the entire time
yeah sorry this became really long, but it’s just something I’ve noticed recently and it’s been annoying me quite a bit, so here you go
again, I don’t mean any disrespect towards any writer, I just personally think that it would be way easier to either 1. just use they/them pronouns for Tav or 2. specify the gender of Tav in the description of the fanfic beforehand
Listen, I am all for Larian’s beautiful cutscenes and character moments —
— but why the fuck weren’t we allowed to comfort Astarion after he murders Cazador?
(Consider this a little fix-it fic for that specific moment in game.)
His cries were heartbreaking to hear.
They echoed throughout the dungeon, bouncing off the walls and reverberating in your ears, making your chest tighten further and further.
His body shakes as his cries die down, shifting back to rest on his knees as his eyes blankly stare down at Cazador's corpse. Stray tears drip down his cheeks and mix with the blood that coats his face, yet he makes no move to wipe any of it away.
Astarion's neck and body stand rigid as his ears begin to ring, drowning out the sounds of the confused spawn that surround him. Their voices sound muddled in his head, buzzed little whispers that he can't decipher.
He's dissociated completely, separated from reality in a way that makes your heart crack. His eyes were blank, devoid of that usual mischievous spark that never failed to make you smile. Now he was a hollowed out man, one troubled by a past that he had just ripped himself from -- by means of murder.
Slowly, you approach him, your hands planted firmly against your sides so that you would not be tempted to accidentally overwhelm him. Your eyes rake over the entirety of his figure -- his blank eyes, his devoid expression, his hunched body. You couldn't put into words the heartbreak you felt simply by gazing at him.
"Astarion."
His head just barely tilts in your direction, as if he hadn't heard you properly. Unlike the voices of the spawn that surround him, your voice sounds as clear as day to him. It pierces through the ringing that buzzes in his ears, reaching him with a softness that feels so foreign yet so familiar at the same time.
You kneel down beside him, glancing quickly at Cazador's corpse before your gaze flickers to glance at his profile.
Silently, you reach your arms out, wrapping them around Astarion's neck and lightly pulling him against your chest. He doesn't fight against your touch. Oddly enough, he finds himself leaning into it even though every atom of his body wants to fight and thrash against you.
"I'm here," you murmur to him, tightening your hold on him. "I'm right here with you."
Astarion's hands grip onto your arms that encircle him, his eyes falling shut as he soaks up the warmth of your embrace like a dried sponge.
And in your arms, his world goes quiet. But not in a way that scares him. No, this touch ... your touch ... it comforts him.
It reminds him that his actions were worth it in the end, for he was able to turn and find you still at his side.