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bewitchingbloom · 3 days ago

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🍒 for dae 🥰

@fantastic-mr-corvid - thank both of you so much! I'll admit I'm a bit nervous, because I have quite a lot of Thoughts about Daeran, but I'm always a bit reluctant to express them because I don't want anyone to get mad at me 😅 But, well...there's no time like the present to let them out!

Character Questionnaire

off the top of your head: notes for characterization? what are the most essential traits of this character to you (personality traits, important connections/dynamics, voice)?

First and foremost, hedonistic selfishness. The degree of this will depend highly on where we are in the story and what sort of Knight-Commander Daeran is saddled with, but this should almost always be the main feature. Whether or not you think it's an act, this is Daeran's defining characteristic, and it's one he's purposefully cultivated. He wants to be seen as this.

His thirst for life. It doesn't matter who the KC is, Daeran makes it perfectly clear he intends to have a pretty good time, Crusade or no. He's always scheming about his latest exploits, even if they're constantly being shut down.

He might have contempt for other nobles, but make no mistake, Daeran likes being a noble himself. He is privileged, very aware of it, and likes it. He enjoys the perks his station affords him, and is willing to put up with the responsibilities that come with it to continue receiving those perks. I also think it's important to acknowledge that his contempt for other nobles doesn't actually make him an ally for the lower classes - he flat out says he looks down on everyone, regardless of their station, in a banter with Lann. He might not be a bigot but he is an asshole who does just ever so slightly suck.

When it comes to voice and dynamics, he should be at least mildly acerbic with most characters. There are a few he tones it down with - Ember, a romanced KC on the true love path - but for the most part Dae's always going to be at least slightly insulting.

Dynamics largely depend on what sort of KC he's ended up with. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Dae's at a crossroads when the game starts, and whether he'll end up slightly better or worse will depend on his relationship with the KC. Every KC I've seen has a unique relationship with Daeran, and I do think that extends to his relationship with most of the other companions as a result.

2. adjacently—do you think fandom does the above traits justice? why or why not?

It depends on where said fandom is. Most people I've seen here on Tumblr seem to understand him, but I have memories of being in the trenches on Reddit. Here's the thing - I romance Daeran as a Chaotic Good character, I personally think his Good + True Love ending is the best one for him, but at the same time, this man is not anything other than Neutral Evil. He has done wrong, and regardless of whether your KC approves or not, he is not magically Chaotic Neutral because he's not "as bad" as other evil characters (and I mean, I love Dae but he admits to some pretty messed up stuff, please lbr.)

3. throw this character at any other character of your choice to bounce off each other as outsider pov to each other— regardless of timeline or logistics (crossovers allowed if you're interesting about it). why this combination? what insights would they have on each other?

Who's deciding if the crossover's interesting? Because I am absolutely throwing him against another brainrot character in a similar situation, Maika Halfwolf from Monstress. They're both hosts for eldritch entities represented by tons of eyeballs. Both have decided the best way to preserve both themselves and other people is to be an abrasive asshole. Both arguably care about others more than they let on. However, whereas Daeran wants to live life to the fullest, Maika in early chapters of the story is passively suicidal. Daeran hates the Other, has nothing but contempt for it, but has also resigned himself to an early grave because he believes there's no helping him. Maika stubbornly sets out to find a way to get rid of Zinn, only to end up accepting him to an extent. As for insights…I'm not sure Daeran would have any. I'm not sure Maika would either - he'd probably say something to piss her off and she'd try to eat him lol But it really is fun to think about the two of them in context to one another, brainrot blorbos of my heart

4. how do you think you would react to this character in real life and vice versa? would you prefer be a million miles out of range, be amicable classmates, or fall desperately in love? (bonus: arrange a hypothetical date between yourself and this character. getting silly with it is encouraged (fakedate them! escape a dinner date through a bathroom window!))

I love him in fiction, but in real life I would not like Daeran. Barring a forced proximity situation, I would give him a wide berth and probably never get to know him and know what's going on beneath the surface. I'd have him blocked on all social media, I'd leave a room if he entered…yeah, I can't pretend otherwise, the guy IRL would be a walking red flag lol

5. ideal flavor of rotating for this character? crack them open and dissect them— do you want them tormented, pining, or being loved + comforted? do you have any specific scenarios you like to think about?

All of the above! Given his nature, I want to see him tormented and pining by pretending everything is All Right He's Fine He's Not in Love What a Silly Suggestion, but in the end I want to see him have a happy ending, especially with Ariadne and Woljif. I think of what post-game life is like for him often, but also really like thinking about my version of the canon scenes. I do also have a thing for killing Ariadne in front of him and having him revive her lol Actually, I like thinking about him using those oracle powers he hates so much often. And his curse…Powerless Prophecy is so juicy to think about!

6. weave a web of dynamics through the cast for this character: which dynamics are you most interested in? both canonically and through extrapolation/speculation— which dynamics are the richest to you, and why?

I'm not going to do this for every single companion and NPC, but some notable ones.

First and foremost, the Commander. His relationship with each Commander is unique, so I'll concentrate on Ariadne. Ariadne and Daeran have a connection right from the start. They initially have a few reservations with each other, but it quickly becomes apparent to both of them that their personalities are complementary. She loves fun and is generally an easy-going person to be around, making her vastly different than the Crusaders he's used to. She wields her power confidently, so much so that even he doesn't realize how much she hates it at first. And when he finds out how she truly feels about it, it becomes yet another similarity for them to bond over - two people who've had great power foisted upon them without consent. Two people who love live, want to live it to the fullest in the moment. Their morals might clash at times, but there's one thing Daeran becomes certain of with Ariadne - he's not alone. They're my bi4bi, freak matched, OTP of my heart and I love them dearly.

The next most pertinent relationship for him is Galfrey. He claims he hates her, he makes fun of the Crusaders and is incredibly critical of the Mendevian government. And yet he still defends her as a good queen and doesn't want her to die. They have a fraught relationship, but this guy does care about his cousin, no matter what he says.

Obviously I love his relationship with Woljif. Whether it be platonic or romantic/sexual, I think they have great chemistry. They play off each other so well, with Dae being sarcastically grounded to Woljif's scheming. The disparity in their backstories also contrasts their similarities, like their trust issues, beautifully. And them being an aasimar and a tiefling is the cherry on top.

Finally, I think it's only right I mention Ember. He treats her differently than almost everyone, and it's because he sees the unfair hand she's been dealt and I think it triggers a compassion response in him that he doesn't know what to do with. If you have him with you when you recruit her he actually knows exactly what she is and comments on the gods and other higher powers meddling in mortal lives, something we know from other banters that he hates. He tries to play off his softness around her as it being that she doesn't get riled up like others do, but I think the truth of it is he just can't bring himself to be cruel to her.

7. do you have particular niche takes on this character? defend those takes. (openly controversial takes are permitted, but also: hyper-specific headcanons which you believe in and no one else has considered enough to disagree with yet. pick a hill to die on.)

I'm not a big fan of the alignment system in general but Daeran is a textbook Neutral Evil character. He is selfish and petty, which is what Evil tends to mean in the D&D alignment system. He has a lust for life (Chaotic) but is also willing to trade off some minor freedoms so he can continue to live in the lap of luxury (Lawful), which balances him out to Neutral. It's only in a super-specific circumstance that he even shifts to Chaotic Evil. He is not, in any shape or form, Chaotic Neutral, and definitely not any flavor of good.

That said, I think his Good + True Love Ending is the best one. He can grow as a person, and I enjoy the story best when he does. He might never be a good person, but that doesn't mean he can't get ever so slightly better. He's more fun if he does. He's a great example of a fun evil-aligned character, from start to finish, and how those characters don't have to derail a good campaign if you don't want them to.

I don't think Daeran would ever go back to live at Heaven's Edge. It's the site of some of the worst moments of his life, and I don't think renovating it would somehow erase those memories for him. I don't think he'd destroy it or anything, but living there again? Nah, that place is haunting the landscape until one of his descendants decides to take up the mantle for themselves (for me personally, that would be his daughter lol)

I also can't get behind King Daeran. He has several banters where he expresses contempt and even outright disgust at the idea. Like I said above, his role as Count and emissary comes with the acceptable responsibilities for him. King would mean a significant reduction in free time for him. This is definitely one of his bad endings, for everyone, at the very least lol

#answers #ch: daeran arendae #all views are my own please don't come for me etc etc #but i am very firmly anti-woobification of evil characters #i love him but he did a lot wrong. not everything was the result of the other.#anyways thank you all for letting me yap about him #including my otp feelings i have so many of them but i feel like i aways woefully fall short when i try to put words to them

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