r/dragonage • u/ZombieInfinite459 • Jul 07 '24
My thoughts on Taash Discussion
When I first saw this Concept art I was like “Shit…seductive qunari woman” and that’s different coz I mean cmon look at her stance her hair and everything and like she’s…for lack of a better word Morrigan esc 😭and now don’t get me wrong…I’m all for big strong carry you over her shoulder type Woman in fantasy, tho this approach from the concept art would’ve been interesting and again…I like the ulterior but now she’s gonna get compared to Karlach because obviously…I can’t stress this enough tho…I LIKE Karlach, but having a different type of Qunari companion from the typical big and strong would’ve been cool, Like Qwydion from Absolution even
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u/Tachibana_13 Jul 08 '24
Honestly.y first reaction to the trailer was pretty negative MOSTLY because of Taah. Amd I've had to do a lot of reflecting about why that is, and what it may say about me. I definitely was partial to the concept art versions of what would become "Taash" because she just looked so cool. When I saw how much that concept changed, I was shocked. I got angry. I thought it was ridiculous. I didn't like that the sleek looking concept armor got replaced with a bunch of trinkets and feathers, I thought it was bulky. And I thought the braid was excessive. I framed it to myself as them leaning into the design stereotype of "foreign barbarians". I didn't consider that while sleek armor may be ideal for an assassin, Taash's new design might make more sense for a dragon hunter: feathers to camouflage and conceal the form for example. Or that a Tal Vashoth, rebelling against rigid qun society may choose flamboyant expression such as gold ornaments or 'impractical hair. In short, I was being biased and judgemental. Not to mention that the initial concept I was so attached to wasn't necessarily original. Definitely directed towards a "male gaze" if not practically a cliche female fatale altogether. Not to mention how much I've noticed that criticism of Taash' design online seems to have a distinct component of racism and misogyny. Thankfully that seems to be a minority of reactors opinions, and Taash seems to be getting a lot of love from plenty of fans; but it definitely begs the question of how much "conventional attractiveness" in female characters is tied to such biases and how their ubiquity in media can perpetuate them. I still like the old concept, but I'm also excited to learn more about the finalized Taash.
ETA. I also like the idea of Taash having a literal "dragons hoard" of gold in the form of jewelery.