#aboutfenris

Awww that' would be so cool! it's a lovely idea! I'd love to see it!

But.

This wound has been out there for many many years, and I feel that now it starts festering again, and since I have taken it upon myself to preserve our history, I feel that it would be simply wrong to remain silent when I have something to say.

So, you probably know I make fenhawke renders in XPS using models extracted from da2.

My Fenris model uses these textures

But I must point out that I had to manually edit them to look like this, because the original game textures look like this:

(I believe they do, because the dude who shared the models only did the extracting, and is not known for editing textures)

Want to know why I did what I did?

Because I spent much much MUCH more time looking at fanart of Fenris, than playing the actual game, and at some point it started feeling wrong to me to have him so pale. My vision of him was influenced by the fandom.

That doesn't change the fact that THAT's how he looks in the game.

Can you see where I'm going with this?

Come and tell me that it's impossible to take him for a generic white dude.

Racism is bad, duh

Whitewashing dark skinned characters is bad, DUH

Many of you may have gotten immersed in the wide world of modding (I can't do it, all known mods change too much about Fenris for my liking, and I need him to have his iconic features), but

can we please stop pretending that Fenris in the original game was obviously depicted as dark skinned?

Because that's some stupid bullshit that has caused and still causes a great number of people, mostly artists (often casual fans), a great deal of distress, and outright promotes bullying hiding it behind an image - illusion - of social justice.

Yeah, in 2014 we got Dorian and Krem and some others in DAI, finally seeing what people of Tevinter look like.

But guess what? In 2012 we had no idea, and could only guess. Back then we actually had discussions about this, offering opinions and not being afraid to talk? In 2012 we did not really know how to portray Fenris, and artists made their own choices.

In da2 the only tevinters we encountered were

For the best, probably, because had they been depicted as dark skinned, that would have likely become a case of some very unfortunate implications. Looks pretty hopeless to me, either way.

ETA: and of course I forgot Fenris's SISTER

I'm not saying that racism is not an issue in this fandom. It is, obviously, like anywhere else.

But can you imagine a person who played DA2 (exclusively, without getting into DAO or DAI or trying to explore the fandom and looking at more fanart), taking a liking to Fenris and deciding to make fanart of him and sharing it with the fandom, and then having angry anons come to their ask box accusing them of racism? For depicting Fenris in the only way that is known to them?

Think about it for a minute.

I've witnessed a number of such happenings over my time here, and I've been around since 2012.

If you take the time to look at our old fanart, you'll find various depictions of Fenris. Some darker, some lighter, but back then NOTHING could be considered wrong, because we had too little to go on.

It would have been funny had it not been so bloody SAD to see older pictures circulating the net and read comments filled with rage and hurt over whitewashing brown characters.

I get it, you want to fight for justice, but THIS is not JUSTICE.

That right there is some act 3 Meredith level of lunacy seeing blood magic everywhere and condemning innocent mages.

Before you decide to go harass an artist who made a picture that does not match your vision, take a few minutes to think about how justified it would be. Weigh your options and at least choose your words carefully.

I shudder to think how many potential fans had been put off and turned away from this fandom, left wondering wth is wrong with us.

---

ETA: concerning lighting

https://www.tumblr.com/fuckyeahmhawkefenris/772588487945879552

The post that first brought our attention to it got flagged during the Great Purge of 2018, and is thus no longer findable.

First, I really love that fic and I'm grateful you unearthed it bc I have lost my old browser bookmarks for DA fics in a horrible accident of misclicking a delete button while transferring them to another folder!!! Imagine my pain.

In general grateful for such a well-curated library of fh content on Tumblr. Thank you!

Second, it all got me thinking about how Fenris' canon arc lacks all this flashy resolution and dramatic magister tricks, but it still works well. Because it's more about overcoming psychological consequences of a traumatic experience. Maybe Danarius isn't actually THAT powerful and Fenris can absolutely take him out even one on one, but to access that strength he needs FRIENDS to back him up, so he doesn't succumb to doubt and fear, that are covered by veneer of anger so thin it shatters immediately if his trust in Hawke is betrayed. It is just so 🤌🤌🤌taste for me for personal reasons. I love his character arc a normal amount.

I actually prefer "you have friends" dialogue option over the romance one, because it is just such a good transition from his past lying in ruins (Varania either dead or rejected, Danarius dead - because lets be real, Fenris' feelings about him were pretty complicated, and his death is also a kind of loss) and then he turns around and he got Hawke and Isabela and Varric and Sebastian and and and. He's more than just his trauma 🥹🥹🥹🤧🤧🤧🤧

Thank you very much! <333

(so sorry for your loss of data! I've always had this deeply ingrained fear of loosing my stuff from the internet, so I'm kind of a freak about preserving it)

Yes, yes, YES, I agree very much!

Oh, I would love to be able to pick the "You have friends" option myself, but I just... can't? I'd had high hopes for it, but in the end it just doesn't cut it for me? In fact, it breaks my heart when Fenris bitterly remarks "Yeah, a mage as my only friend..." WHY. It didn't have to be worded like that! And then, depending on which companions you have in your party it can get even sadder...

Ugh. I figured that Hawke doesn't take it upon himself to speak for anyone but himself (that's a pretty huge thing about his personality), but tbh it's all about Fen's animations. It's just insanely good. How his face lights up through unshed tears, how gently he touches Hawke's face...

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for friendship and comraderie. It's one of the most fundamental, essential parts of my very being... but in this particular case I'm a lost cause ><

Does Fenris have a glow in the dark/glowing penis in your opinion?

Aww, thanks for your interest!

Personally, no, I never believed that.

I don't think it would have been wise to encumber your living weapon/ultimate tank that you expect to be invincible with such a vulnerability. I mean, that part is super sensitive from the start, and if we accept the idea that the markings cause Fenris pain constantly... That's just depressing and nothing sexy would ever come of it (for me at least. Chronic pain is definitely not something I'd want to include in my fantasies).

Thank you for such a thoughtful and well worded response!

(I'm so sorry I can't respond in kind!)

I am totally not qualified to explain anything, really. I only know that lighting can make a huge difference, that at least I can base on my own experience with making pictures.

I have zero knowledge about how they manage lighting in the game, but from my experiences with XPS, the effect can be drastic.

ugh, sorry, I'm not in the right mood to improvise and experiment...

Also, Fenris wasn't supposed to have the three dots tattooed on his forehead, that was only my addition, based on that markings concept art

https://www.tumblr.com/fuckyeahmhawkefenris/772588487945879552

To be honest, when I dug out the original model's (the one I based my version on) files I was surprised, as I too can't remember Fenris ever looking this pale, which is why I specifically mentioned that I believe these are the original textures, and that's because I trust the guy who shared those models. He simply extracted what was there.

It's totally up to you what kind of fanart you reblog, your reasons are your own. Me, I tend to pay more attention to the overall feel of a piece, and I won't deny that it's my top priority. Some of my choices could be seen as problematic, I guess.

Anyway, I just wanted to remind everyone how this holy war began in the first place, and maybe push them to take a fresh look at it and hopefully ease the tension, if even a little.

ETA

lighting can affect character perception for sure, but it doesn't seem to affect anyone else much? Compare: Varric, Anders, Aveline, Isabela,Sebastian, Carver.

Also