#Rezaren

[notebooks-and-laptops]

One thing I enjoyed about Dragon Age: Absolution is the way it shows how being brought up within a specific culture can passively affect your outlook without you assuming it will.

Our villain, Rezaren, believes that he sees Miriam and Neb as his siblings, despite very obviously seeing them as slaves. The pervasive culture he's been brought up in assumes ownership; and so he continuously views Miriam and Neb in that lens despite the fact that he thinks he's not (better posts than this one have been made talking about this but specifically such things as: does not believe they have the right to say 'no', believing he can do whatever he wants with Nebs body/soul without consequence, wanting to take Miriam back as a tool to fulfil his dream etc.)

But Hira, who was brought up in Tevinter, left due to the Venatori and joined the inquisition is ALSO deeply affected by the culture of Tevinter and how it views elves. Hira is willing to bargain the freedom of a woman she loves, and there's something about ownership there. We don't know much about Hiras family and whether they participated in slavery, but I would argue that Hira's ability to rationalize her actions stems directly from an unconscious bias about slavery and elves.

And I think that's really interesting. It takes a lot of time and energy to break our unconscious biases. Love isn't always enough, even if the people experiencing that love (platonic, romantic like Hira or familial like Rezaren) believe that it should be, or that they're not participating in these wider cultures.

I hope we get an arch for Hira where she realises this, and grows (although not necessarily for end game Hira/Miriam I think Hira has gone too far), or a Tevinter character in DA:A that is desperately trying to put in the work to change these biases and recognsie them as a sort of counterpoint/flipside. But in this show, I enjoyed that the two Tevinter characters, despite their supposed love for Miriam, couldn't break free of the unconscious biases and culture they were raised in.

[riikozor]

Had an urge to draw something quick after watching DA: Absolution (๑>ᴗ<๑)

[dylbydoodles]

Absolute power, corrupts absolutely.

[sugawara-kkoushi]

Thoughts about Rezaren’s characterization:

Spoilers beneath the cut.

I’ve seen some people lament the way his character seems to completely flip in episode 4, saying it feels unrealistic and reductive. But that scene was honestly my favorite in the whole series.

I’ve seen complaints like these with other villains before, in which they’re “cartoonishly evil, puppy-kicking villains” that suddenly feel one-dimensional because they’re going to such extremes and seem beyond reason. While that can be true for some villains, that’s not the case with Rezaren. 

What makes the mindscape scene between him and Miriam so good is how much it highlights his core perspective: That she belongs to him. Rezaren hasn’t changed at all - we’re just getting a stark, real picture of his true colors. His personality, motivations, everything - remain consistent from start to finish. 

His introduction scene tells us everything we need to know about his character: He’s charismatic, commanding, and self-serving. His love interest tries to stop him from summoning a spirit, but he disregards and manipulates her with hollow placations. Then he refuses to heed the summoned Memory Spirit’s warnings, only talking over it and trying to force it to do what he wants. Two times in one scene, he’s been told “No”, and two times, he disregards what others have to say. He will get what he wants, be it by manipulation or by force.

As the story unfolds, his love interest tries and fails multiple times to tell him “No” - “No, you shouldn’t go back to the vault”, “No, you can’t use blood magic”, “No, you have to stay in your quarters as is lockdown protocol”, “No, I’m in the middle of an interrogation” - and every single time he asserts his authority over her to get his way.

Then we get to the mindscape conversation between him and Miriam. He shows her memories of their past growing up together - visions where they’re happy and playing like siblings. But when she shows him her own perspective - one which shatters any idea that they were familial equals, he can’t accept it. Indeed, he completely dismisses it, saying that they were all suffering under his mother’s parenting, so they were the same.

But that’s not when he turns on her. 

It’s when she tells him simply, “No.” 

It’s when he “offers” her a chance to be his slave again, but treated “like a sister” as he rules the Chantry as the new Divine. A single refusal from her, and the vision in the mindscape literally starts to crumble and crack violently. It’s here that he rips into her - tearing her dignity down, telling her she’s less than a slave, that he offers her purpose and that she will only live because he wills it. 

This is what real life manipulative abusers do. They tear you apart, then offer you salvation - salvation that only comes by living the way they tell you to. And if you dare to refuse? They get violent. 

He is an Abuser - a Slaver. 

This is why I think his characterization was better than what people think. He didn’t “suddenly become evil” - he always was. This is what real abusers look like. To most, they seem pretty okay and generally get along with people. But that monstrous, narcissistic mindset lurking beneath the surface can come out very fast when challenged. 

[nukbody]

I cannot comprehend how strong of a grip this series has on me

[gamgamchew]

[koras-hunter]

[evilyunia]

After almost two weeks of absence i bring you a warm-up portrait of this particular questionable character

[eyeofthenewt1]

trying to figure how i wanna draw the DA:A show characters..

[pinkpinkboota]

😊👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[vezimira]

gonna put this on a shirt

[elvenforestwitch]

The Tevinter Templars are fucking insane. Dead elven slaves embedded in your walls in case of emergency necromancy? Fine. Summoning spirits to ask about ancient relics and then aggressively pestering them until they are corrupted into demons? Totally chill bro everyone makes mistakes. Skipping out on church? Rad. Blackmailing the elf you consider your sister? Okay. But you use bLOOD maGIC? Terrible. Horrible. The line has been fucking drawn. How dare you.

[solonelyyoon]

[yongsago]

[gamgamchew]

Inspired by a fic my friend wrote

[makesitprecious]

I love that they just... drew Matt Mercer without as strong a chin