doug houser is the main protagonist and playable character of dark deception, and a playable character in monsters & mortals. doug works with bierce inside the dark dimension, attempting to collect pieces of a powerful ring called the riddle of heaven, scattered across several nightmare realms. doug hopes that once bierce harnesses the power of the ring, he will be able to rectify his past mistakes. because of this doug meets powerful demon lord malak, the heir of the ring and enemy of bierce.
id love to write you up a giant analysis of dougs past, personality, and relationships. but sadly the game hasnt been finished yet and most of it would be spoilers to those who havent played whats come out so far. plus, my shrines tend to be more about how i feel towards the character rather than just descriptions of them. its about my love, you know?
back when i first got into dark deception, and like most people, i used to really hate doug. my hatred just kind of... grew over time. he occupied my mind more often, and thanks to the dynamics i gave him with other characters i did like at the time (ie, ethan winters), it sort of... just turned into liking him. i hated him so much it went all the way back.
nowadays i can explain my like for him better. he fits into certain characteristics and tropes i tend to like (bad husbands, businessmen, horror protags, all the likes) and i can actually analyze him better than back when. originally my hatred for him was due to knowing little about him other than bits and pieces the game had given me, which were of his most horrid actions. nowadays i have basically memorized his entire backstory and find his actions and personality significantly more interesting, as i can put myself in his shoes and understand why he did the things he did. i wont deny im a biased person, as im heavily attached to him due to the fact hes been such a huge and comforting presence in my life, and i happen to relate to his childhood and certain ways of thinking and acting.
this isnt to say im like him at all, i could never do the things he did as im not that kind of person, or that i excuse/defend any of his horrible actions. the bad things doug did were horrible, i acknowledge this and think critically of him, but hes my biggest coping mechanism. i understand my fanarts and fanfics can make him seem nicer than he truly is, and i hope everyone understands that this isnt to downplay or romanticize his story or actions in anyway, its simply for my own comfort. i am perfectly aware of the bad things hes done, trust me.
i dont quite remember when i started liking him, or even when i started hated him. however i dare to say its since monkey business first came out. i have a tendency to like horror game protagonists even before (if at all) anything about them is revealed. and i do remember very vividly seeing monkey business when it first came out. i also remember being very mad at certain twists that they would add to his character through what i believe is poor storytelling. (you cant just add a note saying he did something and then never make that meaningful to the story in anyway, people might as well ignore it if it contributes nothing to his character and even hinders the story.)
i know hes a pretty random character to be so obsessed over, but im a bit thankful for that. it means i dont have to see much content of him from other people often, which tends to upset me with other characters. plus, when i say im his #1 fan... well, there isnt really anyone to object to it, is there?
overall, doug is one of my biggest comforts and one of my all-time favorite characters. i love talking about him, drawing him, etc. i tried to make this shrine make the most sense possible but due know that if it was just for me itd be nonsensical screaming the whole way through. as i stated earlier i dont support any of his bad actions, i completely understand hes a complex but deeply flawed character and even a bad person.