(Hated Trope) "Kind" slave owners

[u/KusanagiGundam]

Speaking as an American who has studied the civil war all throughout my school years, this trope infuriates me to no end. There is no such thing as a kind slave master because slavery itself is cruel and inhumane. PEOPLE ARE NOT PROPERTY!

Naofumi (Shield Hero): Prime example of this trope. He enslaves multiple (underage) girls and an whole village and the fans still say he's a hero.

Rudeus (Jobless Reincarnation): As if being a pedo wasn't bad enough he had to buy a slave in season 2. Worse is that people still defend his actions.

Song of The South (Disney): Possibly the OG example of this trope. And the reason why Disney will never release it again.

[u/Slagathor91]

Dragon Age actually handles this very well. You meet a character (Dorian Pavus) from a country in that world which has legal slavery. If you question him on it in the game, he will tell you that his family gives them a better life than most, better than poverty, and that while he doesn't love slavery, he and his family are not really part of the problem. For an otherwise very relatable and cool character, this opinion sticks out. And other companions in the game will give him flack about it. In response, he does occasionally show the cracks forming in his attitude about it. During the epilogue DLC, he makes it clear that his opinions are starting to shift. And in the sequel, when you meet him again, he has done a complete 180. He owns up to his mistake. Admits to being foolish and naive. And is now working as a politician himself to try and make change happen directly.

[u/HateFilledWalnut → u/Slagathor91]

I fuckin love Dorian. I always made sure to have him and The Iron Bull in my party so they'd end up together.

[u/Hope_Is_Punk_Rock → u/HateFilledWalnut]

Dorian: We have a Ben-Hassrath with us? A spy. An actual Qunari spy. That doesn't strike anyone as a bad thing?

Iron Bull: Says the Vint. When we're fighting Vints.

Dorian: That's... not a terrible point. Okay.

[u/WhiskeyHotdog_2 → u/HateFilledWalnut]

That games writing was so good. I always see a lot of dislike for it but honestly it was my first foray into that series and holds a warm place in my heart.

[u/boomkin-burger → u/WhiskeyHotdog_2]

The storytelling was (mostly) really good. Especially all of the companion stories. The god awful combat gameplay is why I never picked it back up after beating it. I will fully admit though that I’m a Dragon Age: Origins purist.

[u/saintash → u/Slagathor91]

As some who played the other games 1st it was incredibly jarring to have a character that was milk warm on slavery, when in the last two games you had a slave adjacent character and an ex slave.

Very slaves are bad. In the other 2.

In the 1st game. The elf assassin is mentioned being bought, then raised by assassins, and so miserable he was trying to get himself killed when you meet him. And if you bring him on a specific side quest you will see him being tortured a bit by the assassin guild he's a part of. And by joining you hes on the run for the rest of his life.

The other is an elf who is no doubt a running away slave. through the course of the game you learn he was from a slave family who volunteered to have a horrible magic thing done to him in exchange for his family's freedom. It cost him knowledge of them and leaves him physically scared with magic tattoos that are painful.

His whole story was he was a bodyguard slave owner who had to wacth slave owners kill slaves for blood party tricks. And just couldn't take it anymore.

He finds his sister, who trying to caught and bring him back into slavery, so she can move up in the world. And if your relationship level are bad enough with the character. He just gives up running and goes back with the slave owner and has his memories taken away again.

[u/saintash → u/[deleted]]

I might have missed that dialogue, as i only played thre game right when it came out and apparently was effected by PC missing dialogue bug where I got like 1/3rd of party banter. And I didn't enjoy the game enough to go back an replay when it was fixed.

Its been like a decade so I can't super remember everything. I felt but Dorian was by far the character I was very excited for and by far the most dispointmented by.

It was weird that they made his story about rejecting by his family for being gay in a world where being gay has never been an issue before. It's especially jarring, he only took up a real stance against blood magic,when he was effected.

Look, I'm not a monster. I understand that ea was trying to do something that would connect to more of their lgbtq+ fan base.

But it was absolutely jarring enough, for me to go this wasn't an organic idea, this felt like a mandate.

[u/saintash → u/[deleted]]

You can't use that excuse, In the same game where One of your companions is the mistress to a powerful man And is happily the side peace. Any Real homosexual nobles would marry bang out heirs and have a lover on the side.

And I understand what they were trying to do they just think they did a bad job.

Like slightl change the story slightly and it could have been fantastic, have Dorian just be against slavery from the beginning and being a vocal anti blood magic and how they as a society stagnant and isolated and if the near blight taught them anything we need to unite and give up this horrible magic.

Have his dad try to use blood magic to change, several things about dorain, his aniti blood magic policy. His plan when he inherites his family wealth to bankrupt them by freeing slaves, His charm, and finally his sexuality.

You still make a large deal of the father trying to change Dorian's sexuality. Have it be something like."That was it the was the last thing that was me father. And you tried to erase that too."

It still puts the focus on being gay that people could relate to while also, not redefining the established 'no-one cares who you are sleeping with narrative' of the established world.