#probably still gonna romance astarion though i'm gonna be real with myself

[suitetarts]

[aghostwithnoname]

Official Fuck Raphael/Hope Appreciation Post

Okay, so this is probably going to upset people but I don't care. I'm real sick of this "Raphael is so hot" BS. Like, firstly, that man is MID at best. Secondly, are we not gonna talk about the fact this man is a certified abuser in every sense of the word? Like, sure he's sweet-talking and clever (most abusers are imo). Newsflash: real monsters are rarely people you find unattractive!!!

What really grinds my gears is that you can stumble on Raphael making a deal with a literal child re: my sweet baby Mol and people are like, "but he's hot though". You can walk through his fucking house filled with all the poor bastards who never stood a chance making a deal with him, stuck forever being punished for their "sins", and people will be like, "Omg, my little cringe man" like??? (Holy god, that whole quest fucked so hard with my religious trauma.)

But if not the BIGGEST fucking red flag for this public adoration of Raphael is how he's treated Hope. It's like to them, she doesn't even exist!! Like, my girl has been stuck in that House of Horrors for gods know how long, still refusing to give into his charms and his sweetly worded promises of power (unlike Korilla, who gladly abuses her sister for Raphael). And Hope helps you because for once, she finally sees a way out. The personal notes kept by Raphael on Hope's torment that you can find throughout the house are difficult to read: he tried to break her in the most insidious of ways. He was physically, emotionally, and mentally abusive to her, purely for his pleasure. Purely for the reason that he finds it amusing that he can literally torment Hope in hell.

I get that we don't have to morally approve of every character we like! For comparison on liking "bad" characters, say what you want about Astarion -- He's not a great guy! He's done some pretty bad shit! BUT he was FORCED to do all of those things by Cazador. (Also, kindly fuck the Cazador apologists, seriously.) Astarion's jaded selfishness is not who he really is, which is slowly revealed when you show respect for his personal autonomy and literally the smallest amount of kindness, whether or not you romance him. Raphael, on the other hand, wants to hurt people because it feeds into his "Daddy Mephistopheles didn't give me enough attention" superiority complex -- and tbh, that's just fucking pathetic.

The REAL OG who you all should be praising is Hope.

She has been tormented for centuries. She has been victimized by her own flesh and blood for her abuser. She has been shattered and ground down into her smallest pieces until there's almost nothing left… and yet, she hopes. She hopes for freedom. She hopes that her sister will return to being the person she so fondly remembers from her childhood. She hopes she can trust you, in spite of everything she's been through. Not to mention, when you do free her, Hope is literally one of the most badass companions you can have to help you win that fight! (For all these reasons and more, she reminds me a bit of my other fav girl Karlach.)

The reason Raphael delights in torturing Hope is because hope is a dangerous thing to have when all seems lost -- and that's the entire fucking point. This scared shitless little man sought to bend Hope to his will because her persistence/resistance threatened him, and by the gods, she is my favorite NPC because of that.

As someone who has been abused, by other people, by insidious ideologies, I can never ever, ever side with someone who so clearly mimics the very things that tried to break me and kill what remained of my hope. I see myself in Hope. Her indecision, her fear, as she dares to believe freedom is a possibility. The way her dialogue is delivered (much kudos to her voice actor) directly mimics that same scared voice in my head that second guesses myself, that worries I am not enough, that my abusers were right, that I wasn't ever deserving of happiness or being alive -- and then that same scared voice cuts through it all and screams to survive out of spite, to live happily as the best form of revenge.

Again, I get that we don't have to morally approve of every character we like! I totally understand it -- but I also want you all to expend some critical thinking as to perhaps WHY so many people are fawning over a man who is so clearly is a thinly veiled piece of shit over a woman who dared to challenge him, suffered for it, and emerged victorious.

Hope is fucking amazing. She is a gods-damned survivor. She is fury and vengeance and sorrow and joy all at once. She stays in hell to help the other souls tormented and abused by Raphael. She asks that you visit her some time. She strives to create a home of out the house that was her prison… and truly, I hope every day to be more like her.

[lordbhreanna]

I need to YELL about this because I am feeling not just the BG3 brainrot, but the Tav/Dream Visitor brainrot happening.

Some Act 2 spoilers and stuff about the DV's real identity. And a lot of fangirling and nonsensical squealing.

Let me preface this by saying that I did get spoiled about the DV's identity. I know he's a mindflayer, and The Emperor at that. I don't know anything else about why he's inside the Astral Prism, what his title entails, or how he got the dirt of Vlaakith or anything about his role in the story with the Absolute cult and such.

And me being me, that makes me ship them *EVEN MORE*. Seriously, the dynamic between them speaks to me in a way I can't describe yet, I find it so fascinating and I can't put into words why yet. Maybe it's the "he's in your head and visits you in dreams, and seems to have chosen you in a way", the phenomenal performance, the small bits of intimacy. But IDK, there are just a lot of checked boxes.

Also Larian letting you choose his appearance??? Galactic brain move!!! Brilliant, geniuses!! It works perfectly because it allows for you, the player, be swayed more easily because your DV directly caters to you and what you may find attractive/trusting.

One thing I find very compelling about the relationship is that the shadow of doubt is ever present, but he truly comes off as an honest ally that is trying to help you. It's probably gonna be something along the lines of Solas Dragonage, in that he's keeping a big secret from you and "lying" but not overtly, and whatever he's planned it's NOT GOOD and it involves a certain deal of treachery, but it does seem that he... cares? Genuinely? AM I FOOLING MYSELF?

But seriously, when you meet him in the Astral Plane he sounds so sad believing you have accepted Vlaakith's orders and are going to kill him 😩

Is this the face of a oniric presence in your brain that it's just manipulating you? (This might come back to me in the ass later on). It broke me a little.

I am so looking forward to more interactions. I know they are fewer than actual companions, because I have seen some fans asking Larian for more, and even though I have still a long way to finish my first playthrough, I hope they listen!!

Seriously, there is so much untapped potential here!!!

I am loving every minute of the Astarion romance, and I love him as a character, and how everything is unfolding, and he checks a LOT of boxes on what I like in a romance story/character development - but... I think I'm gonna be partially a mindflayer girl by the end of this game because I won't be strong enough not to smooch the Emperor, tentacles and all, when the option shows up.

The fact that he's monster romance material sparkled with a lot of interesting dynamic is just too appealing and I am weak. We're not given this chance that often.

Like!! He get on his KNEES TO HAND YOU THE SWORD SO YOU CAN KILL HIM!!!

I am also expecting this to be a minor ship in the fandom, which... I'll be honest, may drive me more to do fanart/fic when I finish the game. I hope so, at least, because I need that hyperfixation kick to get more creative.