I like Joshua-- in no small measure because he's NOT emo-- but he's not a real favorite character. I have no desire to try to get into his head or under his skin.

Karel and Rutger have their reasons, BUT-- looky, the majority of characters in these games have a Twagic Past or Messed-Up Past. Most of 'em don't turn into brooding loners, emo types, or cold-blooded killers. In fact... the games themselves (that I've played) don't accept that as an excuse for bad behavior (uh.... Zephiel?), so fandom's rush to embrace that sort of attitude is perverse. A shitty and miserable backstory isn't a license to ill in canon-- just imagine the way the games would have gone if that were the case. @_@

But I'm haranguing the choir, here....