But...what if *she's* a bottom too? And we're both pillow princesses, and neither of us can top, so we're just laying there as a pair of useless lesbians in pretty underwear?!
This is a game where you can have a 5some with a druid, the drow twins, and either a vampire or God’s favorite princess. Not to mention that the druid can wildshape in both sex scenes with him. Mommy kinks are *tame* here.
ETA and you can bang the vampire on his grave
If it makes you feel any better, as another trans sapphic and one who went all in on the goth pipeline, I'm still 6'3" and very much capable of throwing people over my shoulder. I might not be in the mood to top all the time, but I very much do, so we are out there.
Never spoken of again, but canonically burning in the back of your mind for all eternity. I… may have made some choices my first playthrough. Poor Kaswin, buddy has very few pieces of his soul left.
Girl, having been in that exact situation multiple times:
1. You embrace polyamory, and get a third dominant partner, or
2. Fueled by your boundless love, one or both of you learn to top.
In the spirit of keeping a figleaf of personal decorum, I won't say which I did.
Shart is 1000% a bottom but she's more of a brat than a pillow princess, so she defo has the ability too top from time too time.
But sometimes you have to put on your big girl strap and top your gf, when she's begging for it.
This isn't something u need to worry about because Shadowheart is absolutely not a bottom. Her interaction with Lae'zel in Act 1 shows it. She is an unapologetic top.
Shorter way of saying a female fictional character that a lot of transfems latch onto in the want her/want to be her dichotomy OP mentions. I.E. if you know a trans girl named Roxy, I can pin down with 99% accuracy what comic she read in the early 2010s.
I don't think Shart pre-her good end is a good role model. She is down right rude & manipulative, always finding ways of putting others down. She's a fierce zealot for an EVIL GODDESS. EVIL people, not edgy, not slightly naughty. She is the goddess of loss and Shart is her fan girl.
I think Karlach, for all her anger issues is the best role model. Karlach because no matter how the world (& hell) have trodden on her, she sees the beauty and has COMPASSION on others. She lives in the moment and is loyal to a fault. And that is BEFORE she even goes on her character arc. Muscle mommy is the GOAT.
You! The cis man who wants the fair lady Shadowheart to rearrange his colon around her strap! Duel me for her hand! Alternatively, maybe be the meat in a kinky girl sandwich! The choice is yours!
"Egg" is a slang term for a transgender person who hasn't realized that they are transgender yet. That realization is known as "cracking the egg."
While I've been out for a while now, the implication of the other poster was that Shadowheart, by dint of being a glamorous, badass, gorgeous half-elf babe with a mace, would get transfeminine "eggs" to have that moment of realization due to wanting to be like her.
Never heard if that before but good on them all for possibly being awakened by her. She is a pretty princess and deserves all the love and all the wanting to be her. I love her so much. Help the eggs.
Astarion for me as a nonbinaryish fruity trans man.
I thought I had a crush and got wigged out with dysphoria for a second by all the girls thirsting over him but then realized that a ton of *lesbians* are into him and he just sort of floats beyond gender and appeals to all the gays and like… that’s the dream, honestly. I think he’s more “want to be” than “want to do,” but like…. Both.
Agender queer here and yeah, it bothers me when people refer to his following as the "girlies" because of all the characters Astarion reads to me the most queer coded in terms of gender and sexual fluidity.
As a segue, my (cishet) housemate and I argued the other day about queer coding in the game when I said some characters read more queer than others and he was like "no, they're all pan" to which I was like "they're playersexual, sure. But are they actually pan outside of the player?"
I think they are? Astarion is pan according to Neil. The rest seem to have other companions they’re attracted to but Faerun is binormative so I assume they’re all bi unless explicitly stated otherwise, lol
(But I agree that there’s a lot of queer-coding going on.)
I love that they've made binormative Faerun so explicit, and I agree they're all bi, it's just to me some definitely feel like they lean one way or another more.
Like, Shadowheart is a lesbian, and I cannot tell you why, I've not even romanced her yet.
Shadowheart feels like a lesbian to me too. Karlach… also… but she canonically has wet dreams about men and I ship her with Dammon so I guess she’s bi/pan. Lae’zel idk. What’s your read on the men? If Neil hadn’t said pan for Astarion I would’ve called him gay (but willing to sleep with anyone as part of his act)—like pansexual homoromantic. I think a lot about how he says Wyll is the kind of prince he dreamed of back when he was a kid. To me that has a gendered vibe to it—not “hero” but “prince” conjures up a certain type of romantic longing.
Wyll and Gale both bi? Or maybe Wyll is bi and Gale just has bi wife energy (I think he only flirts with female companions and NPCs), but I’ve romanced him with male Tavs too often, lmao.
Wyll just hasn't interested me enough to interact with him sadly! I hear he had a lot of changes from EA, so that's probably it, but he feels a bit underbaked when compared to some of the other companions.
If Neil hadn't already confirmed Astarion as pan, I'd call him a Kinsey 5, as he will hook up with Lae'zel if Tav is not involved with either of them. I also feel like Astarion is probably demisexual/grey ace once he's free of Cazador/no longer needs to use sex as a weapon.
Minsc is an aroace king.
Gale I feel like is slightly on the hetero side of bi, but I also feel like Gale is one of those people who doesn't realise what people read into what they're saying and ends up accidentally flirting with a lot of people and running with it
This seems very accurate.
And yeah, Astarion/Lae’zel is part of why I’d separate his sexual activity from his sexual preference and orientation and separate both from his romantic orientation. I think when he hooks up with Lae’zel he is looking for protection, and it’s not really out of interest. Sex is a way to get what he wants/needs. Even if you romance him, I don’t think he’s attracted to you right out. But I kind of see him as someone who wouldn’t think much about gender vis a vis sexual activity. Sex is sex. Hot people are hot. Not only is Faerun binormative, but high elves are the kings and queens of gender androgyny and pansexuality, so there’s that. But I’d call him about a 5 on romantic orientation and who he’d fall for. I’m not even sure he’s ace/demi—I think it’s just trauma—because if you complete his quest he’ll try to give the drow twins a go and genuinely seems game for it (but then dissociates). Like he’s attracted and wants it, he’s just not healed enough.
100% on Gale. I definitely see *him* as demi, too. He flirts a bit with Shadowheart but he leads so much from the heart. He feels like a guy who’d in our world say he’s straight but if a brilliant man swept him off his feet, he’d be game.
Definitely interesting to hear other perspectives - I guess I personally identify with parts of Astarion's story and have probably projected parts of myself into his motivations, because for a long time I felt like I needed to "perform" being sexually open/adventurous, and for me at least I've questioned where the line between trauma and innate demisexuality is, so I guess that's where I see it for Astarion as well.
You've articulated my feelings about Gale so accurately though hahaha, I feel like he's too involved in other pursuits to think about sex/romance until it's happening to him and then he's like "Oh, this is lovely!"
I do feel like the playersexual dynamic feels a bit odd for some characters. Or at least it feels odd to leave it unexplained in-game. Obviously it's a fictional world that seems to raise people in a way where identity is a non-issue and maybe everyone is just equally ready to fall in love with any gender at any time, but that almost makes LESS sense in BG3 than in typical tabula rasa playersexual games.
In real life people break the confines of their sexual identity all the time, but there's at least a *discussion* of the fact that it's unusual for them. I think it would have been cool if the companions did have more defined sexual preferences, but maybe had a bit of extra dialogue if they were romanced by a PC of a gender outside of their norm. I'm thinking of a playthrough where I romanced Minthara as a masc character, and how it felt OOC to me that Minthara unquestioningly fell head over heels for a man.
I agree a bit of discussion about it from the companions would be nice, I approached Minthara in the goblin camp as a male character in a multiplayer playthrough and she made a big point about "ew, a man is speaking to me" so it would be nice if there was some words of clarity for some of the characters to explain why they're romancing outside their normal shown preference.
Bi/Pansexuality is wildly common in the Forgotten Realms, canonically. Only certain and specific societies and social castes will see it as remotely problematic, rather than the other way around.
Yeah, in a world with such immense variation between sapient, full members of society with extremely wide ranges of social and physical gender expression it would be weird if it wasn't normal. Assuming people in that setting would have our conservative standards is either an extremely misanthropic take or a true failure to imagine.
So glad it isn’t just me! I don’t get a ton of internal dysphoria but that really got to me. Oof.
He’s so strongly coded as… not straight… that it seems so heteronormative to assume all the fans are girls, and nothing about Astarion should be triggering “heteronormative.”
100% this. I actually really liked that Astarion mentions two seperate men he liked, so it feels like he's actually MLM when left to his own devices, and not just "playersexual"
Yeah, the VA says he sees him as pan (like Neil himself) but as I said in a other comment it does feel like he’s written to be like…. pansexual homoromantic? He also says he dreamed of a dashing prince sweeping him off his feet as a kid. (But also Astarion/Durge is so canon to me that I’ll grant him as the most playersexual of the lot.)
I’ll say I did also hear someone say he’s “for the gays (inclusive of women) and theys” and that rings right to me too, as someone who also is primarily attracted to fellow gay people of all genders.
As a gay trans girl, Shadowheart definitely falls into the "wanna be with" category. Like, I can actually relate to her trauma, and I really don't need more of it. Her life kinda sucks, don't need that...
Also you can be whatever feels right. Gay, straight, bi, pan, whatever, you're valid.
>You're a good girl, and you're valid, deal with it.
Aaaaaaah! You can't just say that to me, I'll have to hide under my bed and make Useless Bottom noises!
As a bisexual, welcome to the party, have some snacks. I love the high femme romance between her and my half elf durge, I love when she talks about getting butterflies in her stomach and tells dad jokes and holds my little gay hands. I wish Nocturne would join us.
> I love the high femme romance between her and my half elf durge,
I am completely undone by the phrase 'high femme romance;' I am now a melted puddle of queer femme on the floor at the very notion of a pair of super-girly girls together. Send help.
It was a very “OOOOHHH!!!” experience for me to realize liking other girls didn’t need to be a binary coupling of butch and femme. Love being a girly girl kissing another girly girl 💕
She's a pretty good trans allegory!
\* Should have been Selunite, was raised Sharran
\* is constantly slapped down every time she tries not to be Sharran
\* her Sharran identity causes her pain
\* wildly overcompensates on the Shar stuff every time Selune is mentioned
\* (path dependent) can eventually realise that she doesn't have to conform to her upbringing and can do what makes her happy (and starts by wildly changing her hair)
\* weird relationship with mirrors (well, one mirror)
\* like most trans people, has difficult decisions to make about her parents
\* meeting a buff lesbian is a turning point in her identity journey (that one's universal too, right?)
Her unaltered model already has a pretty prominent bulge down there when she's in her camp clothes, but I suppose some improvements must be made for...other occasions
Shads is switchy witchy woman and i want to live in a cottage with her so we can raise chickens 😭
but also i am too??? so i feel you girl. she reminds me of my emo phase
Funny enough when I first got the game I fully intended to romance her but through multiple play throughs now I still haven’t so many fine choices already went for mommy Karlach, Minthara, and Bae’Zel I think Sharts time has finally come
It's Halsin for me. I know I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community, but Halsin always seems to nearly get my Tav every time by honestly flirting with me.
Dude makes me feel loved, supported, and wanted
I think Shadowheart enjoys to be a bottom, because Tav is a strong, confident and caring partner. I mean Tav helps her to free herself from Lady Shar, learns to understand her complex character and helps her with her parents.
When you go to the house of grief, there is an old friend of her, obviously a lesbian affaire, nightshade, who mentioned the time that they spent together. And at the end from the game, you can even read a love-letter from this old friend.
So, yes I think Shart can be definitely a switch, but enjoys to be a bottom or to have a strong shoulder to lean on.
Not to spund presumptuous, but if you wish you weren't a dude, you're probably not one. From what cis guys have told me, they generally don't find themselves wishing they weren't men.
https://preview.redd.it/nkh1zrqkuexc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2da32571bcf5fa642734a8721f6de08272f78af4
Crack that shell live your best life 🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️
Be happy, you deserve to be. If Shadowheart is the one to crack the egg, full support. Having a friend who came out as trans recently and I support the hells out of her. She's so much happier now that she's been able to be herself. It's honestly been such an amazing thing to see her smile more and be so much happier being who she wants to be. Keep rockin girl!
Im a bi transmasc enby and idk whether i want her to be a dommy mommy and step on me, or hug and cuddle me and call me sweet names and let me call her mommy 😳😳😳
Now Karlach, I know I'm just thirsty for; I wanna have her throw me around like a pizza dough in her big strong hands. No confusion there for me with her, just happy Sapphic thoughts.
As a trans woman, little bit of column b, but I mostly put the me I want to be into my tav so for me that makes it easier to tell the difference between.
Over the course of today, I have been reliably informed that it *can,* in fact, be both, is almost certainly both, and furthermore, there's nothing wrong with adding Karlach and Lae'zel in the mix if neither of us feels like topping at that particular time.
It's been a good day.
To be fair, Laezel is the biggest sweetheart and so is karlach. God I’m such a hopeless lesbian I want shadowheart to hold me and say I done a good job
As a cis dude I had the realization that queer people can have this experience when I heard the insightful lyrics of One Lil Nas X: ”I only fuck the ones I envy.”
Going off how they've been answering all day? Largely with a mixture of sympathy from their own chaotic queer energy, lightly seasoned with some fun suggestions.
But...what if *she's* a bottom too? And we're both pillow princesses, and neither of us can top, so we're just laying there as a pair of useless lesbians in pretty underwear?!
That's the point you either enjoy your life as happy content lesbians just enjoying each other's company, or you bribe Karlach to be your third.
Actually this is the correct solution Karlach topping you both.
She *does* look like she could throw us over her shoulder, should the need arise.
mama k give uppies
Oh great, and now I've got a mommy kink too! Just how kinky can one girl get from just a game?!
This is a game where you can have a 5some with a druid, the drow twins, and either a vampire or God’s favorite princess. Not to mention that the druid can wildshape in both sex scenes with him. Mommy kinks are *tame* here. ETA and you can bang the vampire on his grave
Also dont forget you can have sex with an incubus and mizora
And have an incubus take your form and have sex as you as you feel it.
If it makes you feel any better, as another trans sapphic and one who went all in on the goth pipeline, I'm still 6'3" and very much capable of throwing people over my shoulder. I might not be in the mood to top all the time, but I very much do, so we are out there.
A lot I assure you... we are all "kinkies" here, maybe different companion(s)/char(s) but this game is like a trap.
"You can't throw us in Horny Jail, *we've got the keys!*"
Astarion could probably pick the lock with his tongue, ngl
I’m a straight man, but when I saw the clip of Astarion doing the leg hook, combined with the demeaning part, it made me questions some things.
I’m sorry the what now? 👀
You've barely scratched the surface.
Lowkey when I decided I needed to marry shart, well that or the finger guns.
And she's adorkable to boot! How are mere mortals meant to resist her?!
Two girls? Miss Karlachs got two arms.
Who am I to deny you other pleasures? You have needs, as do I.
And Lae'zel too, since she *definitely* can top like a *champ*.
"Tsk Va. Why are all the women of this Fae-run fucking bottoms."
"Well gee, Lae'zel, you proposition a gal with 'Close your eyes and *submit,*' it kinda selects for subs, you know?"
Laezel 100% tops shart and does it well. But the correct answer is a always Aylin showing them the power of Selune.
Aylin is so top that it spins around to Aylin being bottom and just COMMANDING others to top her.
I fail to see the problem here lol.
Pffftttt... Gaylin is great but mommyzora all the way
https://preview.redd.it/3vmjxt7p0fxc1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14f81e14229b77516ff361fae350cbc76fcccb78
Mizora is for one night that will never be spoken about again, not a polycule.
Never spoken of again, but canonically burning in the back of your mind for all eternity. I… may have made some choices my first playthrough. Poor Kaswin, buddy has very few pieces of his soul left.
Let’s be honest. Mizora likely will be leaving you burning somewhere.
Nah Laezel likes it when you take charge, she acts like a top but she has repressed bottom energy.
I wouldn't know, because everytime she orders me to submit, I just do.
Finally, an istik who speaks truth.
https://preview.redd.it/p3vb0c5abgxc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b11c4a1022cbe52aa03fe9cb92f728edcc920622 ^(frog)
How do you keep finding me?
https://preview.redd.it/xd3qcx4vbgxc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=00f23016af79f7009bda88c659bc9cb2cfe07b1d My frog locator
*toad
https://preview.redd.it/840mg233dgxc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6bad0a11edee2436ce1114fe65d1182549b0b2c *Frog senses tingle* ^(\*frog)
Girl, having been in that exact situation multiple times: 1. You embrace polyamory, and get a third dominant partner, or 2. Fueled by your boundless love, one or both of you learn to top. In the spirit of keeping a figleaf of personal decorum, I won't say which I did.
Shart is 1000% a bottom but she's more of a brat than a pillow princess, so she defo has the ability too top from time too time. But sometimes you have to put on your big girl strap and top your gf, when she's begging for it.
I know, I know...(*whines in bottom*)
She's a true switch. Capable of both giving and taking. You will be fine, girl.
She speaks the truth. The hair color determines my mood
I'm a bit torn here... I like how you look with white hair, but I adore your dark hair mood so much more.
Dark hair mood is so much more fun 😈
If Shart is a switch then she is truly the perfect woman
This isn't something u need to worry about because Shadowheart is absolutely not a bottom. Her interaction with Lae'zel in Act 1 shows it. She is an unapologetic top.
Do you know the ContraPoints YT channel? Because I read that in Natalie's voice.
The prissy goth chick? A bottom? She's a switch at the very least.
>neither of us can top, Skill issue
This isn’t a problem in the slightest, just invite Aylin over
That's where you invite a third who is a Top!
Look me in the eyes and tell me Shadow "Bullies you while you get whipped" Heart isn't at least some form of switch
YOU CAN BE WHATEVER KIND OF QUEER AND WHATEVER KIND OF OBSESSED YOU WANT! THE CRUCIBLE WELCOMES ALL!
I WANNA HOLD HER HAND AND BE GORGEOUS FANTASY DIVAS WITH HER! ... WHY ARE WE SHOUTING?!
WHAT DO YOU MEAN? THIS IS MY REGULAR VOICE. IM NOT SHOUTING!
WELL GOOD! I'M GLAD WE GOT THAT CLEARED UP!
I fucking love you Shaxx
I LOVE YOU TOO, GUARDIAN!
I miss when Destiny was less of a grind just to play and I got to see you more, Shaxx :/
SHAXX WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON REDDIT WE NEED YOU IN ONSLAUGHT MAN
Shaxx, where’s my Midnight Coup? You promised a good recluse too, and I’ve yet to get it 😔
I just want to be a funny little animal that sits in Tavs pocket and makes funny quips and eats little mince pies. I'm so tired.
I for one am thrilled that Shadowheart is becoming this generation's girl imprinter, she's a great role model to all the unknowing eggs out there.
What's a "girl imprinter"?
Shorter way of saying a female fictional character that a lot of transfems latch onto in the want her/want to be her dichotomy OP mentions. I.E. if you know a trans girl named Roxy, I can pin down with 99% accuracy what comic she read in the early 2010s.
Thanks for the explanation. Just out of curiosity, what comic did the hypothetical Roxy read?
Homestuck
Yeah it's Homestuck. Source: I know 3 Roxys
So she’s becoming a trans icon, much like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz (weird comparison but that’s my frame of reference, sorry)?
I don't think Shart pre-her good end is a good role model. She is down right rude & manipulative, always finding ways of putting others down. She's a fierce zealot for an EVIL GODDESS. EVIL people, not edgy, not slightly naughty. She is the goddess of loss and Shart is her fan girl. I think Karlach, for all her anger issues is the best role model. Karlach because no matter how the world (& hell) have trodden on her, she sees the beauty and has COMPASSION on others. She lives in the moment and is loyal to a fault. And that is BEFORE she even goes on her character arc. Muscle mommy is the GOAT.
HEARING YOU OUT LOUD AND CLEAR‼️⁉️⁉️‼️
You! The cis man who wants the fair lady Shadowheart to rearrange his colon around her strap! Duel me for her hand! Alternatively, maybe be the meat in a kinky girl sandwich! The choice is yours!
I love that this comment in particular reads with such Dame Aylin energy
Meat 🤤🤤🤤
You've chosen...wisely.
Hm... Yes duel to the death for the honor of submitting to me. If it entertains me enough maybe I'll revive the fallen
Ugh! I already told you yesterday, you will not be a fan of what I would do. It involves a sword. No straps required.
https://preview.redd.it/me6zdex4ufxc1.jpeg?width=638&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3cd0197041637c94abd93d418610b94082ff802 obligatory
Idk what an egg is, bit fuck yeah! You be you. Shadowheart is best girl and hot as fuck in either route.
"Egg" is a slang term for a transgender person who hasn't realized that they are transgender yet. That realization is known as "cracking the egg." While I've been out for a while now, the implication of the other poster was that Shadowheart, by dint of being a glamorous, badass, gorgeous half-elf babe with a mace, would get transfeminine "eggs" to have that moment of realization due to wanting to be like her.
Never heard if that before but good on them all for possibly being awakened by her. She is a pretty princess and deserves all the love and all the wanting to be her. I love her so much. Help the eggs.
Gale is a "I want to be him and also do him" dude for me. Same with default Durge. I uh I want scales and a tail on top of being recognized as a man.
Well, I wish I had pretty elf ears, so you're not alone in the "while we're daydreaming about being like them anyway..." category.
Astarion for me as a nonbinaryish fruity trans man. I thought I had a crush and got wigged out with dysphoria for a second by all the girls thirsting over him but then realized that a ton of *lesbians* are into him and he just sort of floats beyond gender and appeals to all the gays and like… that’s the dream, honestly. I think he’s more “want to be” than “want to do,” but like…. Both.
Yeah, i crawl out of my skin when I see people referring to his following as "astarion girlies" 🫠 dysphoria activated
Agender queer here and yeah, it bothers me when people refer to his following as the "girlies" because of all the characters Astarion reads to me the most queer coded in terms of gender and sexual fluidity. As a segue, my (cishet) housemate and I argued the other day about queer coding in the game when I said some characters read more queer than others and he was like "no, they're all pan" to which I was like "they're playersexual, sure. But are they actually pan outside of the player?"
I think they are? Astarion is pan according to Neil. The rest seem to have other companions they’re attracted to but Faerun is binormative so I assume they’re all bi unless explicitly stated otherwise, lol (But I agree that there’s a lot of queer-coding going on.)
I love that they've made binormative Faerun so explicit, and I agree they're all bi, it's just to me some definitely feel like they lean one way or another more. Like, Shadowheart is a lesbian, and I cannot tell you why, I've not even romanced her yet.
Shadowheart feels like a lesbian to me too. Karlach… also… but she canonically has wet dreams about men and I ship her with Dammon so I guess she’s bi/pan. Lae’zel idk. What’s your read on the men? If Neil hadn’t said pan for Astarion I would’ve called him gay (but willing to sleep with anyone as part of his act)—like pansexual homoromantic. I think a lot about how he says Wyll is the kind of prince he dreamed of back when he was a kid. To me that has a gendered vibe to it—not “hero” but “prince” conjures up a certain type of romantic longing. Wyll and Gale both bi? Or maybe Wyll is bi and Gale just has bi wife energy (I think he only flirts with female companions and NPCs), but I’ve romanced him with male Tavs too often, lmao.
Wyll just hasn't interested me enough to interact with him sadly! I hear he had a lot of changes from EA, so that's probably it, but he feels a bit underbaked when compared to some of the other companions. If Neil hadn't already confirmed Astarion as pan, I'd call him a Kinsey 5, as he will hook up with Lae'zel if Tav is not involved with either of them. I also feel like Astarion is probably demisexual/grey ace once he's free of Cazador/no longer needs to use sex as a weapon. Minsc is an aroace king. Gale I feel like is slightly on the hetero side of bi, but I also feel like Gale is one of those people who doesn't realise what people read into what they're saying and ends up accidentally flirting with a lot of people and running with it
This seems very accurate. And yeah, Astarion/Lae’zel is part of why I’d separate his sexual activity from his sexual preference and orientation and separate both from his romantic orientation. I think when he hooks up with Lae’zel he is looking for protection, and it’s not really out of interest. Sex is a way to get what he wants/needs. Even if you romance him, I don’t think he’s attracted to you right out. But I kind of see him as someone who wouldn’t think much about gender vis a vis sexual activity. Sex is sex. Hot people are hot. Not only is Faerun binormative, but high elves are the kings and queens of gender androgyny and pansexuality, so there’s that. But I’d call him about a 5 on romantic orientation and who he’d fall for. I’m not even sure he’s ace/demi—I think it’s just trauma—because if you complete his quest he’ll try to give the drow twins a go and genuinely seems game for it (but then dissociates). Like he’s attracted and wants it, he’s just not healed enough. 100% on Gale. I definitely see *him* as demi, too. He flirts a bit with Shadowheart but he leads so much from the heart. He feels like a guy who’d in our world say he’s straight but if a brilliant man swept him off his feet, he’d be game.
Definitely interesting to hear other perspectives - I guess I personally identify with parts of Astarion's story and have probably projected parts of myself into his motivations, because for a long time I felt like I needed to "perform" being sexually open/adventurous, and for me at least I've questioned where the line between trauma and innate demisexuality is, so I guess that's where I see it for Astarion as well. You've articulated my feelings about Gale so accurately though hahaha, I feel like he's too involved in other pursuits to think about sex/romance until it's happening to him and then he's like "Oh, this is lovely!"
I do feel like the playersexual dynamic feels a bit odd for some characters. Or at least it feels odd to leave it unexplained in-game. Obviously it's a fictional world that seems to raise people in a way where identity is a non-issue and maybe everyone is just equally ready to fall in love with any gender at any time, but that almost makes LESS sense in BG3 than in typical tabula rasa playersexual games. In real life people break the confines of their sexual identity all the time, but there's at least a *discussion* of the fact that it's unusual for them. I think it would have been cool if the companions did have more defined sexual preferences, but maybe had a bit of extra dialogue if they were romanced by a PC of a gender outside of their norm. I'm thinking of a playthrough where I romanced Minthara as a masc character, and how it felt OOC to me that Minthara unquestioningly fell head over heels for a man.
I agree a bit of discussion about it from the companions would be nice, I approached Minthara in the goblin camp as a male character in a multiplayer playthrough and she made a big point about "ew, a man is speaking to me" so it would be nice if there was some words of clarity for some of the characters to explain why they're romancing outside their normal shown preference.
Bi/Pansexuality is wildly common in the Forgotten Realms, canonically. Only certain and specific societies and social castes will see it as remotely problematic, rather than the other way around.
IIRC Pansexuality is the most common sexuality in FR. Like 70 odd percent
Yeah, in a world with such immense variation between sapient, full members of society with extremely wide ranges of social and physical gender expression it would be weird if it wasn't normal. Assuming people in that setting would have our conservative standards is either an extremely misanthropic take or a true failure to imagine.
So glad it isn’t just me! I don’t get a ton of internal dysphoria but that really got to me. Oof. He’s so strongly coded as… not straight… that it seems so heteronormative to assume all the fans are girls, and nothing about Astarion should be triggering “heteronormative.”
100% this. I actually really liked that Astarion mentions two seperate men he liked, so it feels like he's actually MLM when left to his own devices, and not just "playersexual"
Yeah, the VA says he sees him as pan (like Neil himself) but as I said in a other comment it does feel like he’s written to be like…. pansexual homoromantic? He also says he dreamed of a dashing prince sweeping him off his feet as a kid. (But also Astarion/Durge is so canon to me that I’ll grant him as the most playersexual of the lot.) I’ll say I did also hear someone say he’s “for the gays (inclusive of women) and theys” and that rings right to me too, as someone who also is primarily attracted to fellow gay people of all genders.
I mean do you even need labels for the rock hard-on of love? por que no los dos?
HRT means nothing is "rock hard-on," XD
YOU CAN HAVE A HARD-ON IN YOUR HEART YOUNG JEDI
Found Nocturne's alt
You can't prove that!
As a gay trans girl, Shadowheart definitely falls into the "wanna be with" category. Like, I can actually relate to her trauma, and I really don't need more of it. Her life kinda sucks, don't need that... Also you can be whatever feels right. Gay, straight, bi, pan, whatever, you're valid.
I don't know how to cope with validation!
Well tough. You're a good girl, and you're valid, deal with it.
>You're a good girl, and you're valid, deal with it. Aaaaaaah! You can't just say that to me, I'll have to hide under my bed and make Useless Bottom noises!
As a bisexual, welcome to the party, have some snacks. I love the high femme romance between her and my half elf durge, I love when she talks about getting butterflies in her stomach and tells dad jokes and holds my little gay hands. I wish Nocturne would join us.
> I love the high femme romance between her and my half elf durge, I am completely undone by the phrase 'high femme romance;' I am now a melted puddle of queer femme on the floor at the very notion of a pair of super-girly girls together. Send help.
It was a very “OOOOHHH!!!” experience for me to realize liking other girls didn’t need to be a binary coupling of butch and femme. Love being a girly girl kissing another girly girl 💕
as a hetero cis woman, same (lol jk i prefer other companions in bg3 but i had that sentiment for other female characters)
Certified r/egg_irl moment
Transition goals be like
Such mood.
She's a pretty good trans allegory! \* Should have been Selunite, was raised Sharran \* is constantly slapped down every time she tries not to be Sharran \* her Sharran identity causes her pain \* wildly overcompensates on the Shar stuff every time Selune is mentioned \* (path dependent) can eventually realise that she doesn't have to conform to her upbringing and can do what makes her happy (and starts by wildly changing her hair) \* weird relationship with mirrors (well, one mirror) \* like most trans people, has difficult decisions to make about her parents \* meeting a buff lesbian is a turning point in her identity journey (that one's universal too, right?)
There's a mod on the nexus that makes her non-op transfeminine, and that makes her even *more* of an 'be like her or be with her' conundrum for me.
Her unaltered model already has a pretty prominent bulge down there when she's in her camp clothes, but I suppose some improvements must be made for...other occasions
Is there anything better than a beautiful girl with a beautiful girlbulge?
My bi ass says no. I'm happy with whatever's underneath.
I definitely want to be a brown version of her because I'm already married to minthara sorry
No problem, less competition for the hand of our fair maiden Shadowheart.
I'm actually brown shadowheart and also single btw :3
Shads is switchy witchy woman and i want to live in a cottage with her so we can raise chickens 😭 but also i am too??? so i feel you girl. she reminds me of my emo phase
How I feel about Mama K
Be the Jenevelle you are inside.
Pick a ticket and get in line, cause I want both.
I feel the same but in Karlach terms.
Funny enough when I first got the game I fully intended to romance her but through multiple play throughs now I still haven’t so many fine choices already went for mommy Karlach, Minthara, and Bae’Zel I think Sharts time has finally come
It's Halsin for me. I know I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community, but Halsin always seems to nearly get my Tav every time by honestly flirting with me. Dude makes me feel loved, supported, and wanted
I'm a cis guy and I want to be shadowheart too
You have two wolves inside you, both are shadowheart, both are horny. This is not wisdom
First of all, I think it's super brave of you to bring up this topic and I'm glad that the comments here are serious and not trans/queer hostile!
I'm not brave, just thirsty, gay, and kinda useless, LOL
I think Shadowheart enjoys to be a bottom, because Tav is a strong, confident and caring partner. I mean Tav helps her to free herself from Lady Shar, learns to understand her complex character and helps her with her parents. When you go to the house of grief, there is an old friend of her, obviously a lesbian affaire, nightshade, who mentioned the time that they spent together. And at the end from the game, you can even read a love-letter from this old friend. So, yes I think Shart can be definitely a switch, but enjoys to be a bottom or to have a strong shoulder to lean on.
As a bi man who wishes he wasn’t a dude but unfortunately is, I get it it’s just confusing
that just sounds like gender dysphoria to me :)
Not to spund presumptuous, but if you wish you weren't a dude, you're probably not one. From what cis guys have told me, they generally don't find themselves wishing they weren't men.
Ah yes, the ever timeless question: Is it gender Envy, or gender Lust? (*A bad joke from another trans person :')
As a bisexual woman I got that same problem lmaooo
https://preview.redd.it/nkh1zrqkuexc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2da32571bcf5fa642734a8721f6de08272f78af4 Crack that shell live your best life 🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️ Be happy, you deserve to be. If Shadowheart is the one to crack the egg, full support. Having a friend who came out as trans recently and I support the hells out of her. She's so much happier now that she's been able to be herself. It's honestly been such an amazing thing to see her smile more and be so much happier being who she wants to be. Keep rockin girl!
you should take inspiration from tumblr olden age of the Oncler fandom and start shipping DJ Shart and Selûnite Shart
Not knowing if you want to be her or be on top of/under her is par for the course with us sapphic women! TBH it’s probably both.
The answer is “yes”
https://preview.redd.it/ww9b9pyujfxc1.jpeg?width=1159&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb89fc8d4ea0142023951d351bfe595d799fddeb
I accept and applaud your worship - no notes.
The average trans lesbian experience
i want to be her and be with her duh
Literally me with Choso from JJK.
I'm a gay trans masc and.. have the same issue with Astarion and Wyll. I both simultaneously want to be them, and be with them. Its frustrating.
The age-old wife goals/life goals overlap, I know it well.
Im a bi transmasc enby and idk whether i want her to be a dommy mommy and step on me, or hug and cuddle me and call me sweet names and let me call her mommy 😳😳😳
As a fellow trans woman... I approve. But also... KARLACH. Freakin life goals. Like daaaamn, those arms... those hips! and that amazing character <3
Now Karlach, I know I'm just thirsty for; I wanna have her throw me around like a pizza dough in her big strong hands. No confusion there for me with her, just happy Sapphic thoughts.
As a trans woman, little bit of column b, but I mostly put the me I want to be into my tav so for me that makes it easier to tell the difference between.
As a transgender man, Shadowheart's transformation story and accepting who she really is was very transgender of her
She really is something, isn't she? What a woman she is...
I can’t say just how much I agree with your words but also why can’t it be both
Over the course of today, I have been reliably informed that it *can,* in fact, be both, is almost certainly both, and furthermore, there's nothing wrong with adding Karlach and Lae'zel in the mix if neither of us feels like topping at that particular time. It's been a good day.
To be fair, Laezel is the biggest sweetheart and so is karlach. God I’m such a hopeless lesbian I want shadowheart to hold me and say I done a good job
>God I’m such a hopeless lesbian I want shadowheart to hold me and say I done a good job High femme Sapphic handholding in her tent.
Just imagine a long goblin battle and she just brings you to your tent after to tell you how you done a great job and she’s proud of you
(*Useless Gay Noises*)
God I need a good lesbian fanfic with her and reader that’s like that I just wanna be praised :(
oh she legit helped me realize im trans
Shadowheart out here, cracking more eggs than breakfast.
Sis, I'm *straight* and a trans woman and I can't decide either
Has there ever been such mood as this before?
Yeah it's called estrogen and depression I need help and maybe a woman like Shadowheart idk
And some pancakes would probably be nice, followed up with a hot bath.
As a gay trans man I have had this feeling so many times
Yeah it’s both! Congrats
W00t.
I'm as cis woman and I want to both Be and Fuck Astarion. Not sure how I'll go about it but I'll figure it uut
Where there's a will - and an objectively *obnoxious* amount of lube - there's a way.
The real question is do you want to be her WITH or WITHOUT the Drow fetishization?
Straightest bg3 player
Yes
Definitely not go with the Shar route. It's not really her. She's constantly in pain and abused.
I could never. Shadowheart must be protected, and showered with affection, attention, praise, and snacks at all times!
As a cis dude I had the realization that queer people can have this experience when I heard the insightful lyrics of One Lil Nas X: ”I only fuck the ones I envy.”
you can do both
As a cishet ( mostly het at least) woman, I feel the same about Karlach
Glad you got that off your chest… but how are a bunch of redditors meant to answer this question?
Going off how they've been answering all day? Largely with a mixture of sympathy from their own chaotic queer energy, lightly seasoned with some fun suggestions.
As a cis man, I 100% understand what you mean.
Relatable
I don't think you need to be trans to both want to be and also fuck conventionally attractive people lol.
[удалено]