What do you guys feel about ROs of questionable alignment between good and evil? I’m not talking about a character with flaws but is ultimately a good person, but a character that is almost unquestionably ‘bad’, albeit with a few redeeming qualities. For example, in the Heroes Rise trilogy you have the option of romancing Prodigal, who without a doubt has harmed innocent people and feels little remorse over it (although she does get a redemption arc of sorts in Herofall). Does it feel ‘wrong’ to you, or are you willing to ignore their faults in order to see through to their true self? What about a character who never receives a redemption arc like Prodigal, who simply remains evil throughout the course of the narrative?
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Would be quite a nice thing for all the RPG evil players, I think they would like that very much
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note: PG didn’t get a redemption arc. She got declared redeemed as some wanted her as RO and as she’s beneficial to the MC.
A redemption arc should include the character in question 1. Acknowledging they did wrong, and 2. Work on doing better.
A better example might be Firebrand and Bloodmist from Hero Unmasked, at least there are glimpses of them at least cutting back a little.
Or the Hedonist from CCH. While we have yet (somehow, depending on the outcome of cch2 you got) to see him openly acknowledging what he did ans how bloody wrong it was, we at least got him trying to make amends already.
What I’m trying to say is: if a character gets declared an RO by (not even) popular demand, they (thus the author) ought to do the work.
This also means acknowledging when a character is not fit as RO
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It all depends on how the writer writes them. Evil characters with a charasmatic personality are very likable, just look at Loki for example.
I honestly would love a romance between the mc and a villan mostly for all of that sweet sweet angst.
It would be even better if the MC never knew that the villian was infact a villain until they found out from a confrontation with the heroes.
Having to realize that the person you loved wasnt who you thought they were or that there was a whole different side to them is interesting to explore.
It not only gives mc but also the player mixed feelings.
Also a villain being overprotective of their oblivious and sweet MC are just so good.
As long as the villian isnt as of a terrible jerk to the mc as they are to everyone else inpublic id bee down.
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God I miss this. All the ROs nowadays are paladins of justice or stoic characters that pretend not to care, but actually do. Or thieves that care and want to help the lower class.
I remember playing Baldurs Gate 2 and all the ROs had different alignments and personalities. My favorite being Viconia who was not a good person, you could help change her, but she only turned towards the neutral scale and was still inherently a bad person because of the way she was raised and treated by others as a drow and it wasn’t something you could completely change.
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I’m happy to romance an ‘evil’ character, provided their overall personality is attractive/interesting enough, and they don’t need any sort of redemption arc - I’ll just make an equally evil MC, and they can be partners in crime.
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In my WIP one RO is the primary antagonist and another is a literal demon. I find it extremely satisfying to write ROs like that, mixing genuine emotion with deception and leaving the player wondering how much of each column they’re getting.
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I totally agree…as long as they are charismatic and sexy I am down to romance them. Loki is a good example…Negan from Walking Dead had a pretty huge fan base (and nearly more fanfic than Daryl from what I’ve seen) well before his redemption arc started. ROs can be sexy evil assholes fo sho. 
DOOOOO EEEEEEEET!!! 
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I think writing evil ROs definitely has merit. Blihja is the main antagonist of The Enchanter’s Misery, while simultaneously being one of the most popular characters and ROs.
It’s an interesting dynamic where she’s manipulative, possessive, and downright abusive, but she also will ocassionally be genuinely nice to the MC, want to have fun with them, and even protect or help them in certain circumstances. As the story goes on, this tug of war battle intensifies until things finally come to a head.
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I personally prefer to romance the characters that fall in grey area rather than goody two shoes. There are so many layers to those characters; however I’m also not keen on romancing an evil character who is evil just because. There has to be some depth to those characters that make me think ‘yes they are bad but god they are so intriguing,’ that I can’t help but proceed with the romance path.
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Hmmm… I am 100% down for an angsty, star- crossed romance with my character’s enemy. Even someone who is a little bit bad, but an actual evil character… I’m not sure.
When I hear the word evil I think of violent crimes driven by hate or greed. I think of… honestly I think of awful things I don’t want to type out.
I’m not saying my romantic options have to be all good, or even mostly good, but I don’t think I’d really like to romance a character that did things to make me think of them as evil.
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Yeah, that definitely makes sense. I would never date an evil person and I pity those who get wrapped up in relationships with evil people. But in fiction, at least, it’s intriguing to write and read about.
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Sure, and there is this trope.
Anyway, like you and others already said it is a potentially interesting concept to explore.
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Caraway, the most popular RO in Tin Star, can be this kind of character. Just make your MC the same way and Romance her.
Quite easy to make Jess and other Lost Heir ROs turn out like this too. I did it on some Evil playthroughs. It can be interesting to do Evil Romance.
EXACTLY. I have never been about the “bad boys” in real life, buuuuut these stories are a break from real life, yes? Yeah, I usually play as myself…maybe being an actor helps me be like “oooh lets explore THAT part of myself in this story…!” But yeah I always do. In a well written story, I basically explore every romance I can while I squeeze every last bit of joy from it, to completion. Repeatedly. ;p I think evil ROs are a go, there has to be more (proud) freaks like me out there. And its not like you HAVE to romance them if you dont want to…
Ps. IT also depends on the story/characters. WALKING DEAD: I have always been a Daryl Dixon gal…until Negan (soooo charming and charismatic)…if i had to choose a night with one…Negan all the freaking waaaay. But if we are talking GoT : don’t get me started on Jamie Lannister. A pretty face and an even prettier hero arc doesn’t forgive his shitty shittiness. TYRION CAN HAVE ME ANY DAMNED DAY.
I am talking too much…bye
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When is a character evil? Only when he turns against the MC? Is someone redeemed or a better person just because they help and like the MC? Hm I think an evil person can easily be a evil person and a loyal friend and RO. A real bad person(not a sociopath) does have friends, family and people they love.
Take kingpin from the spiderman animation film with the multidimension spidermans. He is the villian, very clearly so, but he does this special evil deed, because he wants his wife and his son back, who he lost, after they realized that he was evil and got caught in an accident, while leaving him.
So I would like an evil person, who is not a sociopath. Someone who treats his friends and family ok, but is evil and not redeemed. So not the blackest black, but someone with a different moral view.
Evil or not evil is much based on what people think.
Another example is Autolycus from the Hercules movie with the Rock, first he left his friends for the gold, but at the end he comes back, does that make him less evil? Maybe, but it is not clear if he comes back because he realized it was the right thing to do, or just because his friends stayed and he likes them. I think it was only because of his friends, does it make him less evil? not in my opinion, would I date a char like him in a CoG? definetly^^
So it depends on the shade of black or dark grey the char is in.
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Yeah… having your romance options mainly or only be paragons of virtue & morality gets old very quickly. I would truly appreciate some RO’s that are honestly morally grey. With an emphasis of not being redeemed or interest in doing so for the sake of the MC.
I don’t think a character should be considered evil simply because they dislike the MC(I’m not saying you’re saying that). I think they should be considered evil if they do evil things or actively seek/try to destroy or oppose the “heroes”
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Not really interested. When characters can be readily labeled as either “good” or “evil” overall, I lose interest in them. If the treatment is a little more nuanced… I might be interested.
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I’m surprised no one’s mentioned Jun/Junko from Samurai of Hyuga yet. They’ve done awful things to two different main characters (one of them being an RO), their actions have become crueler and crueler as time passes, and yet they’re a very popular RO (I really like them myself). It helps that the MC is canonically in love with them, at least on Book 2.
I’d reckon their portrayal is a great example of an RO who is not, as you put it, an inherent good person, but still a very interesting character with a great dynamic with the MC.
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What does this even mean though? Not fit by what standard? Whose standards? Like it’s still fiction, not real life, so I don’t see a problem with having bad people as romantic options. Personally, I like reading all sorts of romances, including problematic ones. The reading experience, y’know?
I agree, this is probably my favorite kind of RO to read about. I like pairing up my lawful good OC with these types because the dynamic is interesting and has the potential for tragedy. I would never want myself or any living, breathing person to be in a relationship with a bad person, but reading it as entertainment or an exploration of these kinds of relationships has all sorts of merit.
you beat me to it! Jun/ko is the best example I can think of in a popular hosted game. There’s like barely a hint of there ever being any sort of redemption for them (like, seriously, I don’t even believe it will happen), but two of the characters I play that game with are stuck in love with them and it makes for a great read.
All in all, I think I like diversity of romantic options above all else. If everyone’s good all the time, it’s not only boring it doesn’t reflect how humanity actually works. Way more interesting to have good people, bad people, and all those in between to flirt with.
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