Hello!
I hope I'm not being invasive by posting this ask.
My names is Zade and I run a blog dedicated to Baldur's Gate 3.
Both the game and its fandom have a huge racism issue.
About the game: There is only one black core companion in the game, Wyll, whose story ties directly to the events of the game. He is a textbook prince charming. He also is the companion with the least amount of content and a lot of it is bugged. The writers even publicly mock him and dismiss the issues he faces in-game (he is subdued by a devil that is white-coded). Fans have been sending reports to the developpers for months and are consistently ignored in favour of fans of the more popular (white) companions/NPCs.
A new patch was released a few days ago where Wyll was once again sidelined. This led to a lot of outrage and some responses to that outrage tap directly into the fandom's antiblackness.
About the fandom: Since the game was released, gamers have repeatedly dismissed Wyll as being boring and go to great lenght to justify why they don't interact with him. They purposefully ignore the fact that the character was rewritten late in production in-part because people who played the beta version of the game couldn't handle him having flaws and depth. As of today, he is the least represented in fanarts and posts concerning him will generally receive less engagement than those featuring his white counterparts.
It's no mystery that a lot of Wyll's fans are POC. Those same fans are consistently called aggressive and hostile by the white fandom when they demand that all main companions are treated with the same amount of care. They refuse to see the racism the only black companion faces both inside and outside the game. Our reactions and demands are described as disproportionate and entitled.
I thought this ongoing issue could be of interest to you.
Bonus: A petition is going around to tackle his lack of content and care by the developpers here.
hey thanks for messaging us!!! this ask is not a bother at all :D this is what we're here for. Sadly I know more about bg3 because of the fandom antiblackness against Wyll than anything positive at this point. (I found this article which was similar to an ask one of our blogs got I'm so sorry I can't seem to find it https://www.themarysue.com/baldurs-gate-3-is-the-latest-target-of-racist-dog-whistle-mods/)
Thanks for this summary, blog promotion, and fandom racism breakdown I looked through the first page and it looks great so far!!!
Followers please go give Zade a follow on the blog @absansombre and check out the petition!
mod ali
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Be Mine?
Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x Male Reader
Word Count: 1,450 DNI non mlm/nblm
Summary: You exchange gifts with the man you admire, and find out your feelings aren't one-sided after all
Valentineâs Day: a holiday originating from...who knows where, turned marketing ploy, advertising love everywhere from markets to corner stores as soon as Christmas stock comes off the shelves. The âtrueâ origin is difficult to pinpoint, with a variety of accounts: a Roman fertility festival sanitized due to being âun-Christian,â or the Catholic Church celebrating the martyrdom of St. Valentine, presumably the bishop Saint Valentine of Terni, Italy, beheaded by Emperor Claudius II in 3rd century Rome on the day now considered Valentineâs Day.
Regardless of which version is to be believed, the fact of the matter is that, in some shape or form, the holiday centered around love has been celebrated by many for hundreds of years, which has led you here, now, hunched over a stove, giving your all in attempting to make homemade chocolate truffles.
Luckily enough, this year you have the day âoff,â or as off as you could be while remaining on base. You have a feeling it has to do with Laswellâs desire to spend the day with her wife, though youâre not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
As with previous years, you had no intention of celebrating per se, but when free time presents itself, why not take advantage of it?
Itâs an experience, to say the least, but one you find yourself enjoying with Kyle by your side, cheering you on and eager to taste-test however many batches you find within you to make. Through trial and errorâlots of errorâyou eventually churn out a final product far more worthy than merely being deemed âedible."
Itâs downright sinful how you and Kyle moan into taking the first bite of what would be your last attempt.
âThese are bloody fantasticââ Kyle pauses to take another bite, humming in delight at the sweet exterior and gooey ganache in the center. âMhm, I could kiss you right now.â
You finish chewing the piece of chocolate that resides in your mouth, appeasing your tastebuds as it practically melts on your tongue.
âI think Iâd like that.â
He lets out a low laugh, slightly covering his mouth to diminish the sound youâve come to adore and find comfort in.
âYou cheeky fuckââ
Unbeknownst to you and him, it was then that Captain Price chose to enter the kitchen with the purpose of refueling on caffeine, not to walk into your little love fest.
Price grunts, signaling his arrival and effectively pulling your and Kyleâs attention off of each other.
âAlright, thatâs enough oâ that. I donât get paid nearly enough for allâŠthat.â He gestures wildly with an open palm to both of you.
You scoot even closer to Kyle, hooking him into a side hug and squishing the sides of your faces together until youâre cheek-to-cheek with him.
âAww, donât act like you donât love us, Cap. We know youâre just sad Nikolai couldnât make it in time to celebrate with you,â you tease, insinuating something a bit naughty.
The captain rolls his eyes, moving to refill his coffee mugâthe one you had gotten custom-made for him on the anniversary of the formation of Task Force 141âa simple black, sleek mug that reads #1 Captain on each side, with his initials engraved in the very bottom. (If he happened to âget something in his eyeâ and tear up upon receiving the gift, you and the rest of the team fail to mention it around him.)
He mumbles something about âstupid muppetsâ into his mug as he takes a sip of the extremely hot, borderline scorching coffee.
In turn, you separate from Kyleâs side to offer Price his own truffle that youâve set on a napkin.
âHappy Valentineâs Day, Capân.â
He sighs, taking the peace offering.
âStay outta trouble.â
You and Kyle salute the man as he exits the room.
âYes, sir!â
With the two of you alone again, Kyle turns to you, pointing at the remaining truffles.
âSo, who are these for?â
A sly grin stretches across your lips as you dutifully place the small treats into a square tin box where you've lined the inside with parchment paper. Once you seal the container with its lid, you hand it to him.
âYou.â
He bears disbelief and astonishment across his handsome features.
âWhatâwhy didnât you tell me?!â
This time, itâs you who laughs at his response.
âWell, who better to be my taste tester than the person Iâm giving them to?â
He pops the lid off, eyeing each truffle with a hungry look. âCanât argue with that.â
Soon after, you join Kyle in returning to his room. Along the way, he wonders aloud if today will finally be the big day when Soap or Ghost confess their feelings to one another.
âMm, I dunno. If I had to guess, Iâd bet on Ghost confessing first. I meanâcan you imagine going up to him to confess your feelings to? I think Iâd shit myself,â you say.
Kyle snorts. âNah, Soapâs not a coward like you. Heâs got balls.â
âOh?â You quirk your eyebrow at him. âYou think about his balls often orââ
He playfully shoves you away as your laughter echoes down the hall.
Now in Kyleâs room, you flop back against the firm mattress of his bed, lightly bouncing as you fold your arms behind your head to stare up at the ceiling. He situates himself next to you, propping pillows against the wall to cushion his back as he maintains a seated position.
âSo,â you begin, looking up at him, âyou got a Valentine this time?â
He shakes his head. âNope, but I got my eye on someone.â
This garners your attention. You and Kyle are fairly close, and this is the first time heâs spoken of having interest in someone.
âReally? Let me guess, itâs Alex, isnât it?â You try not to sound so bitter as the words leave your lips.
He snaps his head to meet your accusatory gaze, gawking at you. âWhat?! Why would you think that?â
You purse your lips, drawing your eyes back to the cracked ceiling. âI donât know, maybe itâs the fact that you always talk about him or to him, pleading that he comes back.â
He continues to stare at you, dumbfounded, before a shit-eating grin appears on his face.
âMate, are you jealous?â
âOf Alex?â You scoff. âPlease, Iâd rather be here keepinâ you company, so youâre not droning in my ear about staying on base with you.â
Kyle hums, sounding unconvinced. âIf youâre sure.â
âI am,â you respond quickly, perhaps a bit too defensively, and shut your eyes.
Silence passes through the room momentarily until Kyle speaks up.
âDo you still want your Valentineâs gift?â
You dart forward, instantly agreeing and sit up at the edge of the bed.
He rifles through his bedside table before pulling out a small, wooden box held together by a pink ribbon tied at the top.
You ever so carefully undo the bow, with Kyle watching on expectantly, and open the box to reveal the cherry-flavored, heart-shaped lollipops commonly found amongst other Valentineâs gifts and treats in store aisles.
âI-I know itâs not much, but thereâs something else in there,â he stammers.
You unwrap one of the lollipops, plopping it into your mouth as you take the rest out to find the surprise: a pale blue candy heart with red lettering reading BE MINE. Slowly craning your head, you ask Kyle if heâs serious. Too flustered to look at you, he nods adamantly.
You replace your lollipop with the heart, hoping it was an adequate answer.
Kyle gulps. âYouâŠâ
âCan I kiss you?â
Your heart soars, beating irregularly in your chest at the chance to do what you had only dreamed of for so long now.
His lips twitch, itching to join them with yours, but instead he moves away, searching through his bedside time once more to pull out another candy heart, stating KISS ME.
You cup your hand with his, the tiny heart pressing against both your and his palms as you bring your lips together into a breath-taking kiss. Despite your lips tangled into an innocent enough kiss, you can still taste the hint of chocolate on his plush lips.
If you had known this is what it felt like to kiss Kyle, you wouldâve done this much sooner.
After cherishing the outward affection for as long as either of you could, you detach your lips from him, utterly breathless.
 âYouâre so corny,â you tell him, the adoring smile never leaving your face for a second.
He squeezes your hand, and you're reminded of the heart cradled by you and him.
âYou love it.â
That you do.
Masterlist
a/n: felt silly and wanted to try something new by having actual images, instead of the usual gif at the beginning. not sure if i like it or not but lmk what u think or if u prefer it like that. also thank u to history.com for all the information i pulled from on the origins on Valentineâs Day
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