Taric's VU and his Sexuality

As some of you may have seen, IronStylus recently commented on the discussion of Taric's sexuality in correspondence with his eventual VU. While I responded in that thread, my comment will (I'm sure) quickly be overrun by other comments and it will be lost in the Great Sea of GD forever. So, in lieu of that I'll post my thoughts here as well. Don't worry,** they're quite lengthy** and I feel like they are deserving of their own thread in the CB. Additionally, I realize the topic of sexuality, especially in a gaming community, is a tender subject so I would kindly ask that if you wish to comment you do so maturely.

Now, I’m not going to argue that Taric should be gay because it makes the game more “politically correct” or any such similar reason (although I will be the first to advocate for improved diversity in games). No, I’m going to instead argue from a perspective of character and narrative, because that is literally all I’m good at doing. So, I’m going to open by saying watch this video about Sexual Diversity in Games by Extra Credits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUqivXMlpcQ

You don’t necessarily need to watch it, but doing so will give you insight into the direction I’m coming from. (Also if you like games and also like thinking you really should go watch Extra Credits. Seriously, those folks are amazing.)

Who is Taric? Is Taric an interesting character? How can Taric’s sexuality make him a more interesting character? My goal here is not simply to tack on that Taric is gay and pat ourselves on the back, calling it a day. While that certainly is a thing that you could do, it doesn’t flesh out Taric’s character at all. It doesn’t make him more interesting or nuanced.

Currently Taric is already neither of these things. His lore places him as a magical healer and defender, beloved by all, summoned to Runeterra in order to basically do the same things. He has a few “feminine” aspects to him, mostly in that he appreciates the beauty of the gems he uses. Taric comes off like just another buff dude with a soft side, which like the video suggests, are a dime-a-dozen. Would being gay make his character more interesting? Definitively yes. I’m going to propose a potential rewriting of Taric’s background which, while not changing any of the major details or his personality, gives him a vastly improved depth and makes him a more compelling character.

So, what stands out in Taric’s lore? What defines him as a character and has shaped who he is today?

Taric's father was a distinguished healer in their home city. Taric was always interested in his father's pursuits, even from a young age. Despite his burgeoning understanding of herbs, plants, and animal medicines, it was the power of gems that most fascinated the growing boy.

So, right off the bat, it is made abundantly clear how important Taric’s father is to him. And this makes sense. To many children their parents are revered, a sort of do-no-wrong type. But let’s go ahead and expand this a bit. Not only was his father a prominent healer, but a knight as well. A paladin, so to speak. Perhaps the leader of a paladin-like Order. This gives Taric a deeper sense of history, that he grew up as a part of this great legacy of heroic defenders and also explains why Taric would have such a deep passion for defending others.

However, Taric was always different. Whereas his father was stoic and brash, Taric couldn’t help but find beauty in life. He loved the smell of nature and the beauty he found in it, particularly in the earth’s precious gemstones. He used the gems to ornament and augment his own armor and weapon, focusing magical energy through them to provide powerful spells for his allies or brutal attacks against his enemies. This would have been the first issues he would have had with his father, as he would be “deviating from tradition”. It would have likely been around this time, his formative teenage years, when Taric would realize he preferred the touch of a man to that of a woman. Of course, this isn’t a big deal because being gay doesn’t matter where Taric is from (continuing the trend of most real world prejudice not being an issue in League of Legends).

Fast forward a few years and Taric is now an adult. While his father has never fully accepted the “rocks” he adorns himself with or how often he spends in nature instead of training with the order, he knows his son is a strong guardian and powerful healer of the Order. Taric still greatly looks up to his father, who has taught him everything he knows and believes in when it comes to the art of protecting those less powerful than oneself. Taric’s world changes, however, when his father informs him that he is to wed a powerful noble’s daughter, as is tradition for the next in line to lead the Order.

On one hand, Taric is overjoyed that his father has thought so highly of him as to make him the next leader of the Order. On the other hand, he knows that he would have to abandon his identity in doing so, both in adapting the demanding stature and position of a leader and in marrying a woman. Tormented by this internal struggle, he escapes to his place of thought in nature. It is here, after much thought on who he is and what kind of man he wants to be, he stumbles upon a large and brilliant gemstone. He is dazzled by it, and carefully removes it from its lodging in the rock. It is at this moment, with the gem that would eventually adorn his shield, that he knows he cannot change who he is, even for his father. This is the defining moment in Taric’s life.

When told he cannot accept the position, his father is outraged. He feels betrayed that his son would abandon the family legacy and what he feels he has been trying to instill in his son all this time. Ashamed that he had let down his father so thoroughly Taric left the order, vowing not to return until he could make his father proud, but by his own path.

Hopefully, you can see how this internal conflict, of societal/familial expectations vs Taric’s identity and perception of his self give him a massive amount of depth and complexity as opposed to “buff dude with a soft side”. Also, it is important to note, that while Taric’s sexuality is a part of his identity it is not the source of his conflict. Taric doesn’t face prejudice or ridicule because he is gay, but rather his sexuality is an extension of how he struggles with the expectations put on him. Taric is not defined by his attraction to men so much as it is an aspect of his character, one of many that he must come to terms with and accept.

In terms of Taric’s continued narrative this leaves a lot of room for his character to continue to develop, and how he might feel his duty to return and his identity are constantly at odds. He still believes he must find self worth through his father’s love and acceptance, and might go down some of the wrong paths to do so. Ultimately Taric’s is a story of self-discovery and self-acceptance which, no matter what walk of life you come from, is something everyone can struggle with.