god, I'm so, so tired of seeing the biphobia regarding the bg3 companions.
No, Karlach isn't "actually a lesbian". No, Astarion isn't "actually gay". they are all bi/pan. canonically. just because Karlach is a big muscle woman and Astarion is a flamboyant twinkish man doesn't mean that either of them are any less bisexual.
when you say shit like "Astarion is romanceable for both genders but I think he actually is gay!" thats just one of the most basic biphobic stereotypes reheated. since time immemorial bi men who are not stereotypically masculine have been accused of being gay, actually.
erasing these characters' bisexuality because it doesn't fit your stereotypical idea of what a "real" bi person is like is just plain old biphobia and I'm getting tired of repeatedly seeing companion headcanons rewriting their sexuality to better fit into shitty stereotypes.
Notes and thoughts on my Araj Oblodra tag dive. This one is long.
Everyone loves an evil woman (unless she's mean, and a woman).
Oh boy! I started Araj because I'm too busy lately to keep tackling Orin or any of the DA tags, so I thought I'd bang out some ~100-tag characters. With only 122 English language works, Araj has a pretty small tag that manages to be an unsurprising but illuminating facet of the BG3 fandom experience.
Like I said on the infographic, 85% of works tagging Araj also tag Astarion; going further with that, in over half (59%) of works tagging Araj Oblodra, she is only in the story to act antagonististically towards Astarion. The criteria for this was: Araj seeking Astarion's blood in an impolite/creepy/pushy way, hurting people close to Astarion, or treating him in any kind of rude, demeaning, or abusive manner; and she has no separate interactions or plot points.
This number jumps to 71% when mistags are removed.
Over a third of her works total specifically follow her exact canonical in-game role.
I divided her tag presence into 5 roles because of this: Main, Side, Minor, Mistag, and Canon Antagonist. In Canon Antag works, whether she appears for a single scene or an entire fic, Araj does not deviate from canon. She says her game lines verbatim, and if/when Tav attacks her later, she does not have any further unique dialogue or actions except for like, dying on the ground. If she deviates from canon in any way, this shifts her role into main, side, or minor. (Here is a deeper explanation of how I sort roles.)
Of all the fics tagging Araj, an alarming amount go on to have her screamed at and assaulted. She's choked, stabbed, sliced, beheaded, dismembered, grabbed by the collar and spat at, called a bitch in all caps. I get it, kind of -- it's fun to imagine how you or your Tav would confront a bully, and Araj is distinctly a bully. But it's a little jarring when we consider how few other characters receive this treatment.
Lady Esther, for comparison, is a nearly identical character: a selfish merchant who profiles and belittles a companion while making a dehumanizing request. There are four works total tagging Esther on AO3. One of these involves her crimes against Lae'zel. (so for Lae'zel, that's 1 anti-merchant fic per ~6k works)
Lann Tarv, the bugbear merchant found in Moonrise Towers, is also similar: offering a material deal in exchange for triggering a companion's past traumas. There are two fics tagging Lann Tarv on AO3; one of these is about him and Karlach. (so for Karlach, that's 1 per ~8k works)
For Astarion, who is tagged in 21,817 English language works, there's 1 anti-Araj fic per ~300 works -- over twenty times the rate of those mentioned above.
So what makes Araj so different? Why do Astarion fans care so deeply about her?
This is rhetorical. We know why Araj receives this kind of hate and backlash while others go ignored or enjoyed. She's not a woman hurting other women like Esther, Viconia, or Orin do; and she's not an abusive man, like Cazador, Raphael, Gortash, Ketheric, Lann Tarv. Instead she's committed the cardinal sin of being a woman who is mean to a hot white guy, so she deserves to be called a bitch and kicked until she spits up blood and dies -- or at the least, used as a mean little stage-prop for someone else's growth. No further character exploration needed.
I'm not arguing that Araj Oblodra is this misunderstood character who deserves only love and cinnamon buns. I'm also not saying we need to coddle her because she's ~just a girl~ or something. She's a self-serving merchant who dehumanizes and triggers Astarion, and isn't apologetic about it. She'll give you a potion to make you explosive. She's got some sketchy experiments going on.
But she's also like...not that worse than a lot of other characters in the game. She's not even really worse than Astarion himself, who is also nasty to a lot of people (he's funny, but he's an asshole); also iffy about consent (just bites you in the night); is not apologetic about chunks of his past (the Gur, their kids); and is equally self-serving at times (wanting to ascend despite the blood toll).
I'm not saying Astarion is some awful, irredeemable character, either. Both he and Araj are complex characters operating within their own unique set of morals, seeking personal power to right past wrongs and traumas.
Together they paint a good picture of the problems in the BG3 fandom, and really, fandom as a whole. The martyrdom of a hot white blorbo guy; the demonization of a woman; the often-female OC swooping in to uphold this status quo; the relative fixation on the whole melodramatic scenario.
I'm sure some people will disagree. Before you do, stop!
Do not tell me about how your Tav is super deep and well-written and so it's actually really feminist of her to kill Araj for her vampire lover. Awesome for you. Take that energy and write something about Lady Esther, and then we'll talk.
The rest of Araj's stats were pretty predictable. She leans hard towards Explicit and Mature ratings, which isn't surprising. I like the ones where she and Minthara interact, always fun to see drow from different Houses working together (or against each other!). I also like the idea of Araj x Aurelia, the tiefling vampire spawn.
You tell 'em! Also, people seem to forget Araj is Drow raised in the Underdark where societies are built on the backs of slaves, so it makes sense for her to assume that a vampire spawn is following you around because he's your captured slave. Vampire spawn have the barest amounts of free will (like most corporeal undead), so he must be your pet or thrall or captive. Fun fact: she's not tadpoled. She doesn't know the full extent of how the Absolute could have rewired Astarion's mind and given him back his autonomy.
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A total amount of US$35,000 has been allocated to cover expenses associated with obtaining permits to leave Gaza, as well as transit fees at Rafah, on the Egypt-Gaza border.
This amount is divided into US$5,000 - US$7,000 per person, including my mother, my brother, his wife, and his daughters, Mahmood and Zahyam. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a huge difference in the safety of my family. The funds raised will be used transparently and efficiently to ensure every dollar is spent on ensuring their safety. My family and I are so grateful for your support, and I am so grateful for any help you may be able to provide during this difficult time.
Help support Janeursular Mumali by donating or sharing with your friends.
Please share this campaign with your friends, family and colleagues so that we can reach our goal and provide safety for my family Please accept my sincere thanks for your kindness and support, as well as your willingness to stand with us in solidarity, as together we can make a difference and help my family find safety and security.
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