#and -ngl- i bet the kind of person Astarion specifically is would hate it

[invinciblerodent]

There is something that makes me vaguely uncomfortable about reading characters who are obviously way too... emotionally competent, shall we say, in fic.

Like I can't exactly phrase it in another way, but lately I've been seeing it more often: conversations that are supposed to be between a pair of lovers, but are written in such a tone where it sounds less like they're two people who are sharing a significant or intimate moment of emotional connection, and more like one character is... giving the other therapy.

I know this is vague, and fantasizing about genuinely just helping a character you like is beyond fine, there's nothing wrong with that, but... no matter how well-written something is, there's just a certain tone some people seem prone to hitting, where it just feels like their character is not emotionally present, not really, when someone they supposedly care for is falling apart.

That therapy-speak, outside of actual therapy, it sounds detached. Cynical, or even slightly condescending. Removed from the moment. And especially in a fantasy setting (where it's easy to fall into anachronisms already), it can really easily start to feel like one character is talking the other through a potential turning point in what's supposed to be their relationship, the way a crisis negotiator might talk someone off a ledge.

It... makes me feel weird. And I too feel then immediately disconnected from the character doing it.