Non-binary in Thedas 2
Chatting with my friend Jam on Mastodon, I was reminded recently that Taash is not the only non-binary character in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I’ve written some thoughts about their story in my previous post on this theme. There are (at least) two others that I know of – the soft-spoken and kind Grey Warden healer Flynn, and Rayan Ivenci, Governor of Treviso.
I want to write a bit about Ivenci because I think they’re an interesting example of good non-binary representation, where unlike Taash’s coming-out story for instance, their gender is not a plot point – and where, again unlike Taash, they’re a deeply unlikeable person.
Spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard below.
When we first meet Ivenci, they are arguing with Teia and Viago about the activities of the Antivan Crows in the city of Treviso. It actually took me a while to realise that Teia and Viago were using “they” when speaking to the player character about Ivenci. It was subtle and natural, which honestly is how it should be – just using people’s correct pronouns without any hesitation or fuss.
Ivenci seems to be a typical career politician, who denounces the fact that an unelected vigilante group of bird-cosplaying assassins basically run their city (kinda fair enough, really) but later is revealed to be a traitor, working with the invading Antaam to gain power over Treviso for themself.
They are an easy character to hate, especially if you’re playing as an Antivan Crow character yourself, as I tend to do. And you know what? I love that.
I love it because the reasons they’re a villain have absolutely nothing to do with their gender. They’re not a particularly “queer-coded” villain, there’s no suggestion that their identity is a factor in the choices they make, or how the Crows respond to them. And I adore the fact that the gang of killers makes sure to get people’s pronouns right – if the Crows can do it, there’s no excuse for anyone else.
One thing I also find refreshing with Ivenci is that they present in a very masculine way. They have a bald head and a beard, and speak in a lower register. They don’t wear makeup or dress in a queer-coded way, in fact they’re a lot less flamboyant than the Crows! In the “real world” we see a lot of stereotyping of non-binary people as being somehow “women lite” – the right-wing caricature of a feminine teenager with blue hair and pronouns, for instance. So, seeing a character who is older, and who most people would gender as male at first glance being non-binary and using they/them pronouns is actually pretty revolutionary, as it helps break the link in people’s minds between gender identity (who you are) and gender expression (how you present yourself).
I adore Taash and how their story handles gender; their journey from those first awkward feelings of discomfort with being seen as a woman to embracing their identity as non-binary, coming out to their mother, and finding ways to reconcile their two-culture identity as well is beautiful and, I think, very sensitively told.
But Ivenci is a great example of the normality of non-binary identities in Thedas, it’s never commented on, they’re never misgendered, it’s just another part of who they are – and who they are is a manipulative snake of a politician who craves power. And that’s OK, not all trans and non-binary characters have to be presented as heroes, that’s the point: we’re just people and some people are just kinda assholes, y’know?