To add to the rest of the list:
-Gale is surprisingly self aware for the most part on the stereotypes of wizard ambition causing their own ruin. He actively tried to tamp it down by looking for some small, but useful bit of the Weave to restore to Mystra. Sure it didn't go like he had hoped, but he was at least thinking about the impact of his actions and doing it in service of his goddess rather than personal power (at least until Act 3).
-Halsin isn't the slender, distant, spiritual, chaste stereotype of an elf. He's big, he's brawny, hairy and sexual without losing any of the kindness and serious devotion to his personal goals.
-Lae'zel is more academic than she's given credit for and more considerate than people would expect. She's harsh in her words, but her actions repeatedly show a patience and willingness to cooperate that we wouldn't expect from a race that has a reputation for stab first, question the corpse later.
-Minthara loathes Lolth, but doesn't worship Vhaeraun. She's a Paladin, a class that isn't something you hear of in Drow cities and she doesn't hate surface races the way Lolth Sworn Drow are expected to.
I love how Larian decided most of the companions in Baldur's Gate 3 will defy the stereotypes of their class and/or race.
● Shadowheart is a cleric, but not your typical peace, light, and love cleric. She worships the Goddess of Darkness, and is not looking to treat every stranger with kindess.
● Wyll is a Warlock, who are typically manipulative, deceptive and very edgy. Yet, he is the nicest man you will ever meet, helps everyone in need, and will begin to walk the thinnest line between his morals and doing his patron's bidding.
● Astarion, while he certainly does harbor typical rogue traits (stealing and sneaky) and vampire traits (haughty and bloodthirsty), he throws out enough quips, roasts, flirts, and one liners that could put every bard in a 100 mile radius to shame, and with a body count to supercede them. Even if most of it is an act, it's even more bard-like that he puts a performance on.
● Karlach is the big buff tiefling barbarian. She could have been 100% rage and stupidity, but decided to be 50% wholesomeness and love, and possibly the most caring companion on your journey.
And then there's Gale and Lae'zel...We love them for being the most stereotypical wizard and githyanki that ever did <3
*Pinches nose*
PSA Announcement: Solomancing Halsin does not make him monogamous. It's not a fan's responsibility to go sleep with others to make sure gatekeeping poly fans are reassured he's still poly. There is no minimum quota of people a fan has to sleep with for someone to still be poly. I'm sorry I don't find others attractive enough to put them above Halsin, but it's my playthrough, not the ones who are complaining. I don't owe the polyamorous group validation ON MY OWN PRIVATE PLAYTHROUGH through denial of my own preferences. What I like does not change that Halsin is still polyamorous.
On that note too, Shadowheart and Astarion are also poly despite some fans' insistence that they're monogamous victims being preyed upon by Halsin.
If you have never said this to anyone, carry on, this message is not directed at you.
*Waits for the torches and pitchforks*
collection of useful things tumblr has taught me:
even if you can't fall asleep, laying down with your eyes closed will still rest your body
you don't have to brush your teeth standing up
you don't have to do any chore standing up, from dishes to showering
you don't have to shower with the lights on
if you can't brush your teeth, flossing and a tongue scraper gets rid of plaque and bad breath
if you can't do that, mouthwash kills a lot of bacteria
eating "unhealthy" food is better than eating no food
you can make the same meal everyday for however long you still want it
some pills come in syrups or chewables if you can't swallow them
kids nutritional shakes can be a quick way to get fuel if you can't eat/don't have time
if walking hurts/exhausts you on a regular basis, canes and rollers are for you, no matter how young you are
we have free will—if doing something "out of the ordinary" makes life easier for you, do it
Rejection Sensitivity
Neurodiverse Journeys
Thinking about Halsin coping with the stress of the city through sex with Tav, trying to soothe his ravaged nerves by burying his nose into their neck until their scent drives out the unwelcome reminders of death in the streets, of unwashed bodies and pollution toxins in the air. Thinking about him seeking comfort in their warmth, of wanting them clasped around his arousal until he and they are mindlessly driving each through another orgasm, his hands splintering and cracking the edges of the wooden table holding Tav's weight because nothing of this artificial world can withstand his strength. How the patches of greenery and trees make his longing worse because it reminds him of the world he wants to share with Tav, to hold them close so they can hear the birdsong that's not here in this crowded hell and feel the moonlight he would have summoned to bathe them both in at night. Halsin holding Tav a bit more tightly, a bit longer than they usually would have, deciding that one more dive, one more taste of his dazed lover's body will give him the peace he needs to endure another day until their mission is done. And all the while, Tav is unaware of the comfort he's taking into their presence, seeing them as an unspoken dream he has no right to ask for, his selfish need for them manifesting as desperate passion each night.
Look, can we please, NOT hate on Maximus to ship Ghoulcy? I like Ghoulcy, but I also like Max.
Got tired of the fandom shipping wars and the frequent harassment from some of the fans who hated Ghoulcy.
I don't need to hate on a character to like a ship. I don't want the ghoulcy fandom to be like the haters.
the "each bg3 character is a subversion of their usual class traits except halsin" is one of my favorite discussions but i think halsin is also a subversion he is just harder to pick out
when he kills he feels it is out of necessity and doesnt regret it even though life is lost vs. traditional druid who feels All Life is Sacred
part of druid group and was selected as the leader but is actually too much of a free soul and doesnt actually want to stay there vs. the reclusive druid who must be convinced to trek the world
halsin being a notorious bedbreaking harlot vs. the sexless-druid who is detached from intercourse/interpersonal sexual relationships
built like he got 10 meals a day vs. the tight-bodied lithe druid
I love his character, I feel like he is a druid who worships nature by experiencing it to the fullest. Which is why he doesnt take issue with things like sex and killing. It also contextualizes why he was chosen as the leader of the druid camp but wasnt happy in the position. Halsin doesnt want to be an overseer of nature, he wants to be a participant who walks and grows and fucks as much as he can
Don't know how many times it's already been covered, but I had been recently listening to Minsc talk about himself and I had realized something that makes me unable to ever laugh or be mean to him (not that I ever was inclined to in the first place).
Minsc wasn't born a himbo. He's brain damaged.
His mention about how he used to be a serious berserker, absorbed in the "gazing of his navel" before he met Boo and having his head split open was the start of when he was able to understand that hamster is heartwarming and all, but maybe it's having witnessed over a decade of my mother struggle with concussions and the headaches, the deafening tinnitus, and the memory issues that came from the injury that makes me feel horror. Minsc has even admitted that the headache was the price of justice not always being gentle.
Maybe I'm reading too much into this. He's clearly happy and has friends and Boo to look out for him, but he always brings up reminders of old neuropsychology case studies I've listened to about people like Phineas Gage who was a railroad worker who was using a tamping rod until the gunpowder punched the tamping rod through his frontal lobe and changed his personality from a quiet, serious, reliable worker to an impulsive one that frequently got into fights.
The upside at least in BG3 is that Minsc doesn't seem to be still suffering headaches and since he seems happy with his lot in life and he's functional enough with Boo, there's not much else to do about it nor do I think Minsc would ever want pity for where he is in life.
Just a bit of fridge logic I hope is just overthinking.
I love Liara to death but sometimes it does frustrate me how hard the games push you towards her. I'm not romancing Liara. I didn't romance her in ME1. Why does my Shepard have to have so much weird romantic tension with her when they're just friends?
With characters like Garrus and Tali you can see how Shepard has a brilliant friendship with them even if they are not romanced. But with Liara, Ashley and Kaiden it just feels like the games are forcing you to interact with them romantically. Which is sad, because it diminishes their characters as friends and squad mates as well as just romance options.