[crystal-bytes]

GIFTOBER 2023

DAY THIRTY-ONE: FREE CHOICE

A timeline of DONALD GLOVER and MILES MORAELS

Spider-Man 3 (2007) / The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) / Donald Glover: Weirdo (2012) / Community 2x01 "Anthropology 101" (2010) / Ultimate Fallout #4 (2011) / "Not Going Back" Live Performance (2011) / Ultimate Spider-Man 3x11 "The Spider-Verse: Part Three" (2015) / Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) / Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) / Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

[texasbama]

#REAL

[bluerose5]

An Essay on Antiblack Racism in Fandom Spaces

Part 2 of (Who Knows?): The "Boring Black Man" Phenomenon

[Part 1] [Part 3] [Part 4]

While there is much, much more that can be said in regards to how fans treat Vivienne de Fer, she is but one example of a black character who often gets treated differently compared to their white counterparts. Bringing up Cullen Rutherford leads me into my next point when it comes to fandom racism. Let's call this one the "boring black man" phenomenon —a pattern that is seen when morally good black characters, black men in particular, are removed from common stereotypes of them being overly aggressive, hypersexualized, and/or criminals to fill the role of the "prince charming" and/or heroic types that have a record of being popular for the fandoms that they're in, yet they still don't manage to garner the same amount of attention (or affection) as those counterparts who are not black. The Dragon Age fandom in particular has a history of elevating characters such as Cullen Rutherford and Alistair Theirin to positions of popularity, especially in terms of romance and fanworks, yet not the same can be said for the latest addition to the roster, Davrin from Dragon Age: The Veilguard. And given the overlap in fans from both games, similar could be said of Wyll Ravengard from Baldur's Gate 3, too.

Now, this isn't to say that all of these men are exactly the same, and should therefore elicit the exact same response out of people. They all have their own story. They have their own set of strengths and weaknesses, backgrounds and struggles unique to them. They are their own characters, but they all function as a certain type of character that fandom usually respects, if not openly admires, especially in terms of romance. That holds true for Alistair and Cullen, but there are patterns of thought that emerge in fans when this role is filled by a black man, as we see with Wyll and Davrin.

So, let's start with the major critique about these two characters. The idea that they are "boring." Wyll, specifically, gets this a lot from the BG3 fandom, and it is often contributed to a lack of content when people are asked why they feel this way, which I would argue is not accurate at all if one utilized what content he does have to its full extent. Because that's the thing, they may be crumbs, but the crumbs are still there. Additionally, I would implore fans to realize why, if you feel Wyll is boring due to lack of content, he is that way. Fandoms have this tendency to respond to black characters in ways that are not proportional to the crimes being committed, for lack of better terms. From my understanding, a great deal of Wyll's lack of content can be contributed to his early access characterization when he was perceived as being "too mean" by the fans, which resulted in a complete overhaul of the character, his story, and even his voice acting, if I remember correctly. Fans didn't like him when he was mean, and they don't like him now when he's the good guy out of the bunch. Unfortunately, it's a double-edged sword. Damned if you do. Damned if you don't.

On that same note, reducing Wyll down to just another boring, goody two shoes is not only inaccurate, but an injustice to his character as it is. As an aside, he's not even lawful good like I've seen some try to claim, but that could be a whole post on its own. The fact of the matter is that while fans will write essays about Cullen's and Astarion's trauma and how it shaped them as people, they don't extend characters like Wyll that same amount of engagement and leniency. They want to complain that he is boring, but as soon as he shows even an ounce of bite or sass to match someone like Astarion, then he's villainized for it. Of course I am referring to the infamous "rat diet" comment. I can't tell you how many times this banter has been used against his fans because Astarion got snippy for all of five seconds in response before forgetting about it. The fans hold more of a grudge over it than the character in game does. The amount of vitriol that the fandom holds towards him for one remark against the white male character, who largely operates on the ideal that heinous acts of wrongdoing are fine so long as he's the one doing them, is extremely telling. These fans don't want complex, good black characters because 9 times out of 10 they're going to be "too boring" for them, but they also don't want them to step outside of the mold of being a more palatable black character by directly challenging the white faves in the fandom either. There is almost no chance of winning in such a situation for black characters, and it does not help black fans to address these issues at large when the developers are echoing and enabling these sentiments as well, as if black characters are not equally as deserving of one's time and investment as the white characters because of how fans treat them.

If, for some reason, one still isn't swayed by these points —if one still holds their ground that it's not racism and more so a matter of content that makes Wyll boring— then let's turn our attention to the man who does have the content to back him up. Davrin, like Wyll, has fallen victim to the "boring black man" phenomenon. Is there valid criticism to be had about how much of his content actually focuses on him? Sure, but make no mistake, the content is there, and we're not talking crumbs this time. Even on a platonic route, I would dare say that both Davrin and Neve have the most content in terms of unique scenes and outings out of everyone, not even including their banters and idle conversations in the Lighthouse. He's arguably one of the most plot relevant, if not the most plot relevant, companion of Veilguard, especially with him being a Warden in the middle of a Blight. Yet in spite of him getting your player character high on mushrooms while telling you to touch grass and having some of the silliest moments with his rivalry-turned-bromance Lucanis, all while maintaining the complexities of being both a Warden and a good father bodyguard, it still isn't enough for some people. You see the same complaints, different character, even though this character's white counterparts from previous games were highly praised (and romanced) for some of these same or similar features. One of their undeniable differences setting them apart this time being their skin color. And while I'm trying not to constantly circle back around to romance, since that does not determine one's value even from a narrative perspective, it is noteworthy enough to mention that Davrin was one of the least romanced companions upon Veilguard's release, which beckons the question why does this specific type of character gains more traction in fandom spaces when they're not black.

All of this to say, in the same spirit as my previous post about Vivienne, my point in this essay isn't to ask fans to like these characters. My point isn't to ask fans to romance them, but at least hear out other fans —black fans specifically— when they address these discrepancies in how one group is being treated compared to the black characters. When characters like Cullen and Alistair are being respected on their worst days but Wyll and Davrin are being called boring on their best days in fandom, then there is a problem, and fandom spaces won't ever progress towards making black people feel welcome until the effort is made to make their characters feel welcome. And that starts with acknowledging the issues at hand.

[sparklebog]

Didn't realize they made emergency thermal blankets for babies

[sparklebog]

It's scary to think about babies in an emergency but I guess it's a crazy world out there

Emergency baby

[fuckblast]

[Francisco de Goya]

[detectiveneve]

not gonna say it. but he popped into your head didn’t he

[whosname]

[id. A twitter post by @/Bennieeexyz Jury duty letter came addressed to my cat. Not a mistake. "Felix Martinez" - that's his full name according to his vet records. My last name. His first name. Somehow he's a registered voter now. Called the county clerk. Me: My cat got summoned for jury duty. Clerk: Is the name correct on the summons? Me: Yes, but he's a cat. Clerk: Is Felix Martinez a legal resident of this county? Me: He's a legal cat. Clerk: Sir, if the name matches our records, he needs to appear or file an exemption. Me: He can't file anything. He has paws. Clerk: You can file on his behalf. Me: Under what exemption? There's no box for "is a cat." Clerk: (pause) Check "unable to serve due to medical reasons." Me: What's the medical reason? Clerk: He's a cat. Me: That's not a medical condition. Clerk: It is if it prevents him from serving. Sent in the form. Got rejected two weeks later. "Insufficient documentation. Please provide medical professional's statement." Took the letter to my vet. Me: I need you to write that my cat can't do jury duty. Vet: Why is your cat summoned for jury duty? Me: Excellent question. No good answer. Vet: This is the weirdest request I've gotten. Me: Can you just write that he's medically unfit to serve? Vet: On what grounds? Me: He's a cat. Vet: (started typing) "Patient is unable to serve due to species-related limitations including inability to speak, read, or comprehend legal proceedings." Me: Perfect. Sent it in. Got another rejection. "Summons is mandatory. Failure to appear will result in contempt of court." My roommate thought this was hilarious. Roommate: Felix is going to jail. Me: This is serious. Roommate: Bring him to court. See what happens. Decided that was actually the only option left. Day of jury duty, put Felix in his carrier. Brought the entire paper trail of rejection letters. Checked in at the courthouse. Clerk: Name? Me: Felix Martinez. Clerk: (looked at the cat carrier) Is that Felix? Me: Yes. Clerk: (long stare) He's a cat. Me: I've been saying that for six weeks. Clerk: Why didn't you file an exemption? Me: I filed three. All rejected. Showed her the letters. She read through them, expression shifting from confusion to disbelief. Clerk: Someone rejected the veterinary documentation? Me: Twice. Clerk: (called her supervisor over) You need to see this. Supervisor read everything. Looked at Felix. Looked at me. Supervisor: How did a cat get registered to vote? Me: You tell me. Supervisor: This is a data error. Me: Took you six weeks to figure that out. They dismissed Felix immediately. Apologized for the inconvenience. Supervisor: We'll remove him from the voter registry. Me: Appreciate it. Supervisor: (pause) Out of curiosity, how would he have voted? Me: Probably whatever party supports universal treats. Got a formal apology letter a week later and a voter registration card. For me this time. Apparently I wasn't registered, but my cat was. Roommate: Felix committed voter fraud. Me: Felix committed nothing. He's innocent. Roommate: That's what they all say. Felix is sleeping on the jury summons now. Fitting end to his legal career. end id]

[moghedien]

it is so funny when you realize that by drow standards, especially drow noble house and ESPECIALLY Baenre standards, Minthara is the woke liberal

She is willing to work with men in leadership positions even post-mind control and she will actually compliment and admire their tyrannical prowess

She will argue that the refugees in Baldur’s Gate should be enslaved because it’s practical and better for them that way, not because they’re weak lesser races that deserve to be subjugated

Like she probably gets called a libtard at Spider Thanksgiving every year while all her relatives are trying to poison each other

[pop-six-squish]

So I finished my first run of Baldur's Gate 3...

[anaraso]

just finished hades and megaera... oh....

[depsidase]

[do-not-u-dare]

Stole this from somewhere but i think it’s appropriate

[jomeimei421]

No can make you hold hands and skip….heh…unless…. ❤️

[52stations]

i've got the kind of eyebags that make people in movies say 'you look like hell, detective. go home.'

[demiboydemon]

[wemightbothberobots]

You can't tell me they wouldn't

[audible-smiles]

the worst part of summer is that people get sooo comfortable expressing their disgust at having to see other people’s bodies. they’re always complaining about wrinkly old men at the nude hot springs or fat women in bikinis at the beach. I hate that shit. if you’re not capable of being normal about bodies you personally don’t find attractive, just turn your head to look at something else! and if you’re not smart enough to do that, then at least do the rest of us the courtesy of suffering in silence, because we don’t wanna hear your weird comments. thanks.

[theslowesthnery]

🥹🥹🥹

[neenarchive]

they're hiring me at the extra virgin olive oil factory as the oathsworn knight who protects the chastity of the olives

[neenarchive]

many dishonourable knaves in the notes of this post