#they're a potential dnd character for sometime in the future

[morrigan-sims]

The Fighter

she/they | human | early 30's | fighter

[bluerose5]

The Portrayal of "Bad Boys" as Good

Part 1: Zevran Arainai

Let me preface this by saying that I am not approaching this so much as to be critical of fandom spaces (okay, maybe a little /j) in regards to this. That's not my intent, but I want to approach these posts more in the sense that these are experiences and patterns that I have observed in various fandoms when it comes to what are popular romances (among fandom that is, not the overall gamer demographic). I would also like to mention that I am looking at male characters specifically because 1) this is a certain type of romanceable character I'm referencing and 2) I could get into how female characters with similar personalities and traits more often get villainized rather than romanticized but that would be a whole post on its own. Alright, let's get to it.

To start off, let me say that I'm going to simplify things a little by referencing DND's alignment system for this, since it fits well for RPGs and the characters therein. Specifically, I am looking at the good, neutral, and evil alignments. What I find interesting is that sometimes in fandom spaces, we have these characters who are kind of like the "bad boys", so to speak. Because let's be real for a second, Bioware and others have cracked the code on fandom. Outside of the Prince Charming types, if you give fandom that one hot, bisexual/pansexual, morally corrupt man —one with a tragic backstory and the potential to do good— then people are going to start foaming at the mouth over him. Guilty as charged! It is what it is.

However, there comes a pattern when these characters are sometimes developed and/or interpreted by parts of fandom to be good, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they are portrayed to have better intentions than what is realistic —for lack of better terms— for their characterization.

One such character is the man, the myth, the legend himself. When it comes to Zevran Arainai, our beloved former Crow, sometimes you'll encounter posts out in the wild that either turn their nose up at the thought of him doing bad things, or they're the other extreme where they flat out call him evil, both of which do his character a disservice. Overall, his alignment comes across as neutral with what we are presented in canon, which is why I am starting with him first.

First things first, Zevran is an elven man who enjoys killing, and he enjoys reaping the rewards of killing others. As much as people like to joke about certain characters being the "I can fix him" types, nothing the player character does changes this fact about him. Zevran tells the character that the assassin life is suitable for him. It's what he knows, what he is comfortable with, and that is what he wants to continue doing in the future with or without the Crows. He doesn't say, "Oh, I will only hunt bad guys." or "Oh, I will only hunt good guys." No, he says that he wants to continue in this profession where murder is the name of the game, and the only difference now is that he gets to do it this time on his own terms. He now has the luxury of denying contracts if he wants, and he gets to rake in all the profits to spend however he pleases, now that he is outside of the Crows' clutches.

While he is one who favors freedom and autonomy, his own especially, Zevran also favors practicality over emotional choices, even though he can be prone to the latter as well. One major example of this is how he encourages the return of the golems, which I personally don't see people mention as much compared to the moments when he encourages mercy. Of course, threatening to turn him into a golem changes his tune pretty fast, but he is not someone who is above utilizing unsavory means if it means getting the desired outcome.

On the other hand, we also see a more empathetic side to him in instances such as when he speaks out against the Circle's Annulment and when he sticks up for the Dalish in the Brecilian Forest. The latter of which, he has a vested interest in given his mother being Dalish, no matter how he tries to play the whole "I'm Antivan first and foremost" angle. These examples act as a good counter to those who claim he is outright evil; however, I would argue that they aren't enough to tilt him over to the "good" side of the mortality scale. I mean, let's face it. It's just basic decency to go "Hey, maybe we shouldn't kill this entire group of oppressed people with innocents among them because of the actions of one or a few." Not trying to downplay Zevran's responses, but come on, Bioware! Is the bar that low?

Now, in my opinion, if we had to pick one in-game set of approval and disapprovals that represents Zevran's morality the best, I would say look at his reaction to your handling of King Cailan's body in the Return to Ostagar quest. Zevran is the only one who approves of you leaving the body where it's at. Why? Because Cailan is dead. He died. There is no "honor" in that. His corpse is not anymore worthy of the time and effort of a funeral pyre than any of the other bodies that are going to be left there in the fields to rot, king or not. Again, there is that aversion to sentimentality, especially when applied to death. Likewise, he also disapproves if you choose to throw Cailan's body to the wolves. While he does not always go out of his way to do what others deem "right", he also does not go out of his way to commit acts of cruelty just for the sake of doing it. Not that he is above it. It's only that, if there is no purpose or logical reasoning behind doing so, then he does not approve of such actions.

At most, I would say Zevran is a "good-leaning" neutral character, and that's still being generous. At the end of the day, he's not completely good in terms of morality, and that's okay! This man was driven to the point of sending himself on a suicide mission because of the institution he grew up in and what he did in service to said institution. I think it's understandable that his first priority when it comes to approaching problems is to prioritize his wants and needs above others, even if he has these slightly hypocritical moments when he disapproves of the player for doing the same if there are emotional influences involved.

All of this to say that Zevran is a perfect example that, in order to preserve his characterization, it is important to realize that neutral and evil characters are capable of doing good things. Neutral and evil characters are capable of showing empathy and compassion and acting on it accordingly. Neutral and evil characters are capable of being counted among the heroes. However, that does not have to change who they are at the core of their character. Not to say that characters can't develop from one alignment to another. I'll get into that when I get to Astarion, but it can do a neutral or evil character an injustice to assume that, because they've had moments of growth and development throughout the journey, that it automatically turns them into these shining beacons of all things good afterwards. That they are suddenly the sweetest, most romantic men who scoff at the very idea that they could still associate with bad people or do bad things. Oh, no. Not them! Of course, if given the proper time and attention and context, I'm open to considering anything as potential to be "in character", but what I'm referring to is more when our resident bad boys are portrayed as good as soon as the curtain closes on canon.

Which will lead me to the next subject for the next part. Reyes Vidal.

[pinksdoodles1]

vega, my fertility goddess! sometimes when i'm designing a character, that little "graphic design is my passion 🐸" meme pops up in my head.

for vega, well. i made her for my homebrew dnd setting. the basic idea was something like "dark skin like clay (to show her connection to the earth), voluminous hair that's blond like sunshine (something something, because sun encourages plant growth), bunny ears (since they're fast breeders), curvy figure (to make her look more maternal), and ribbons (to represent connections/ties with other people, since she's a friendly goddess)" and before i knew it i accidentally had a thicc blond bunnygirl in my hands.

so, you know. sometimes those things just happen. we call those happy accidents. i was planning on mayyybe making her a bit chubbier and wider, but overall i'm happy with her design.

i had some ideas as to her story and origins - a potential one was that she came about after a big war, to encourage friendly relations between races and... more or less make people have more kids. boost that population after the war. the gods need you to FUCK.

another idea was that avatars of her tend to settle down in places where people have died by the thousands (where old wars or big disasters have taken place, basically), to use their bodies as nourishment for future crops.

there were also smaller ideas, mostly to make the world feel more lived-in. one was that couples who want kids will often have bunny-shaped clay figurines in their houses, for good luck. her followers are also pretty chill in general, real friendly community-oriented guys.

anyways, yeah. i should try drawing her again, i liked her.

[semageon]

in retrospect I should have realized that making a character who’s entire basis and motivation for existence and change was rooted in love would potentially end up finding themself being loved in return

[churning-the-sea-of-milk]

Alright, Hello again! 👋 I would like to know more about this OC of yours that you mentioned to me a few days ago... what's her name perchance & going from there with whatever you'd like to share... like her past & etc.??👀 And also the "How do do they realize they're in love?" question just because 😉

AJDJVKFJG OMG okay brace yourself 'cause this is gonna get wild.

The girl's name is Tanaven, or Tana for short. She is an elven equivalent of late twenties, which varies depending on the setting (started as a TES character, then I proceeded to drag her everywhere). Speaking DnD, she's a wood elf, a rogue and an archer. While her skill in using a bow, sneaking around, swiping everything that isn't nailed down and getting rid of unwanted people is unquestionable, her personality leaves much to be desired. Tana is very abrasive, cold and rude - a total jerkass through and through. The only thing she ever cared about is herself: her survival, her well-being, her future, damned be everyone else. This self-centered mindset is a direct result of her rather unfortunate fate as a child.

Ya see, her parents were merchants - caravaneers to be precise. They never really had a patch of land they could call home, so the caravan was their everything, and of course Tana travelled with them. One day they were attacked by bandits - classic story, right? Kill the parents, rob the wagons, take a scared child with you as a prisoner. So they did. Tana spent quite some time as the bandits' prisoner, and during that time she was essentially their slave. She was frequently abused in every sense, and her defiance didn't help. It all ended one night when the bandits raided some big shot and got shitfaced celebrating. Tana used this opportunity to steal a short sword and finish off as many of the sleeping drunks as she could before escapind their stronghold and running for the surrounding wilderness. After some time surviving the wilds, learning the art of providing for herself while you have no one to back you up and growing progressively more antisocial, Tana returned to civilization - a teen then. She joined the local gang of young criminals (by intimidating her way in) and uncovered her shady talents. As an adult, she lives off solo robberies, odd jobs, killer contracts, etc.

Tana is a lean and lanky woman with unhealthy pallor, quick, fidgety movements and a heavy gaze. She is not a team player - only having absolutely no other choice will force her to team up with someone. Even then, odds are that should the opportunity arise, she'll stab them in the back and run. Even when she tries to be nice, it comes off as extremelly insincere. All of this is because she is scared of people, most of all of them touching her. She asserts dominance to make sure no one will harm her. Even her weapon of choice, a longbow, reflects her mentality to not let anyone close.

That said, when forced to cooperate, she is very uncomfortable with that at first and tries to distance herself from her companions - to the point where she will literally sleep on a tree. Surprisingly, she's great with teamwork, having a sharp eye for strengths and weaknesses of both her enemies and allies, so she uses everything to win. That, and she is good, really good with that bow. She also has a large ego so complimenting her skills is a sure way to make her somewhat ease up. She is very quiet, preferring to observe and listen, and when she talks, it sounds like it's coming out of a crow: her voise is hoarse and low, not something you'd expect from a female elf.

That said, she does sometimes crave companionship, which is why she can make a pass on you in hopes for a tryst, no strings attached of course, do you wanna be strangled with them or something?? She's not a gentle lover and won't let you take charge. She loses herself in the moment, as if the other person isn't even there, and doesn't stay for long after the deed is done.

And that brings us to the question about love, and honestly, I'm not sure about the answer. While not incapable of affection, Tana pushes the feeling away with solid determination. And if she does find herself falling for someone, it'll happen in the moment of connection. A touch, an eye contact even, that she doesn't want to break. Or rather, that she doesn't break immediately, on reflex. And the realisation that she doesn't want to run from that person will scare her so much that she'll do just that. She'll run, she'll hide, she'll push them away, but at the same time she'll act as their guardian angel. She'll be torn between fear and attraction, desperation and yearning for safety at last. Because of that, she'll be even more jumpy and abrasive, but believe me when I say there will be a lot of sad puppy eyes staring at her beloved from a distance. Pining. Lots of pining.

Of course if her SO wants to snap her out of it, if her feelings are returned, then they'll have to provide rock solid proof that she's safe with them. Save her from a potentially fatal attack? Or embrace her and her faults in the moment of vulnerability? Who knows.

Anyway that's Tanaven for you.