That’s because BioWare games have characters.
Skyrim has people-shaped models with names.
I blame Isabela.
I find I blame her for a lot of things, from crude sketches to naughty thoughts. But truly, this is her doing.
I figure this - if there is anyone in Thedas who would give strength to the feminine voice, it would be the beloved Rivaini rogue. She is ever ready to stand back to back, side by side, with her fellow women, even if they are sticks in the mud. She is ready to defend the freedoms and rights that women should be due – be they denizens of the city slums or those who stand amidst the salt spray of the ocean.
So I imagine she would be a suffragette, and someone who would petition for equality, as well as the due right to decide all matters of her body, mind and spirit.
And I imagine that, with such matters, Aveline would put down her infamous sign. At least until the cheating at cards starts up again.
So if the issue in Kirkwall had been women’s rights instead of mage’s rights, Isabela would go from the apathetic party member to the champion of the cause? Hmmm. /imagine…
- Isabela: Anders, you never talk about the plight of women.
- Anders: What’s there to say?
- Isabela: There’s plenty to say.
- Anders: And you say enough for the lot of us, don’t you think?
- Isabela: So you’re telling me you have no opinion on the matter?
- Anders: None whatsoever!
- Isabela: That can’t be true.
- Anders: No, I’m afraid I’m really this shallow.
I always feel odd reblogging something of mine.
But you make an interesting point, though I don’t know how apathetic Isabela truly is. Look at the slaves she freed from Castillon, or her reaction to Ghyslain’s story about Ninette - she cares, she has principles, but it’s really a matter of priorities. First and foremost, she’s going to look out for her well-being. That’s her survivalist nature. When things get personal (like with Merrill or Aveline, though she might be loathe to openly admit affection for the latter), when the matters she feels most strongly about are at stake, then she’ll take a stand.
It’s not until act 3 that we get to see her in a manner that shows she isn’t pure selfishness. There’s hints of it in banter and in her backstory, but she clothes herself in a certain bit of emotional armor. She’s not going to tip her hand or risk herself unless she feels there is due cause (and a chance of success, I would think - she’d weigh the odds carefully).
I don’t remember when that banter with Anders takes place, but I wonder if, after romancing a mage!Hawke, Isabela’s view might be different, if ever so slightly. Probably again, she wouldn’t outwardly speak about it, but she might be more conscious of how mages are being treated, more personally invested (though arguably, mage!Hawke is not subject to persecution for her mage-ness).
All in all, I think it’s a matter of priorities. Mages vs. templars? Well, that’s a large fight between people who can’t even have civil discourse. Someone telling her where she can go, what she can do, and who with? That’s personal - that’s an attack. Dictating a subservient station for women? That too is an attack, because it hits upon an aspect of who she is.
Something I felt with a lot of the characters in DA2 was that they each had their own set of “pet issues” and generally showed disinterest or annoyance when it came to other issues. At what point though is someone selfish or selfless? What may be an important issue to person A, may be petty and pointless to person B. Similarly, what’s right and just to one person can appear villainous and reprehensible to another.
I blame Isabela.
I find I blame her for a lot of things, from crude sketches to naughty thoughts. But truly, this is her doing.
I figure this - if there is anyone in Thedas who would give strength to the feminine voice, it would be the beloved Rivaini rogue. She is ever ready to stand back to back, side by side, with her fellow women, even if they are sticks in the mud. She is ready to defend the freedoms and rights that women should be due – be they denizens of the city slums or those who stand amidst the salt spray of the ocean.
So I imagine she would be a suffragette, and someone who would petition for equality, as well as the due right to decide all matters of her body, mind and spirit.
And I imagine that, with such matters, Aveline would put down her infamous sign. At least until the cheating at cards starts up again.
So if the issue in Kirkwall had been women’s rights instead of mage’s rights, Isabela would go from the apathetic party member to the champion of the cause? Hmmm. /imagine…
- Isabela: Anders, you never talk about the plight of women.
- Anders: What’s there to say?
- Isabela: There’s plenty to say.
- Anders: And you say enough for the lot of us, don’t you think?
- Isabela: So you’re telling me you have no opinion on the matter?
- Anders: None whatsoever!
- Isabela: That can’t be true.
- Anders: No, I’m afraid I’m really this shallow.
The elf’s delight isn’t in the prospect of running a delicate brush along chiseled abs. No…this man is an artist. An artist! Taking (fiendish) pride in his craft.
Something like that.
It looks like the elf’s excited to paint somewhere south of the abs.
I’m tired of cliche that because someone throws fireballs, they have to be frail and wear a robe. It bothers me that magic apparently prevents someone from working out and wearing pants. “Oh? I was born with the gift of magic? I better not ever learn to use a sword and definitely never lift more than 5 pounds!”
“In a new Star Wars game, the biggest threat to the empire may be homosexual activists! Hello, I’m Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. In a galaxy not so far far away, Star Wars gamers have already gone to the dark side. The new video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, has added a special feature: gay relationships. Bioware, the company that developed the game, said it’s launching a same-sex romance component to satisfy some complaints.
“That surprised a lot of gamers, since Bioware had made it clear in 2009 that ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ don’t exist in the Star Wars universe. Since the announcement, homosexuals have been celebrating the news, but parents sure aren’t. On the game’s website, there are more than 300 pages of comments—a lot of them expressing anger that their kids will be exposed to this Star Warped way of thinking. You can join them by logging on and speaking up. It’s time to show companies who the Force is really with!” - Tony Perkins, speaking on his national radio show. (Via - Right Wing Watch)
What I find strange is how taking slaves, torturing innocents, Sith religious teachings, casual pre-marital sex with strangers of the opposite gender, general chat, and mass murder are all possible and even encouraged in TOR… and the only thing this guy is worried about kids being exposed to is the option to flirt with an NPC of the same gender as their character?
The Unromanceable Vallen (a brief musing)
Almost always, whenever the topic of DA2’s romances comes up, someone somewhere will lament, albeit briefly, that Aveline was not, but should have been, an available love interest. She is described as “normal” or “stable” and of course, she is all…
I like that she’s not romanceable, because I don’t think everybody should be romanceable. What I thought was PERFECTLY handled was the fact you could roleplay Hawke as someone who did want Aveline, but couldn’t have her. Just because someone desires, or even pursues, another person romantically, does not mean they’ll be successful.I had often tired of the trend in games with romance options that anyone desirable who wasn’t into the main character must be some kind of ascetic who never has sex.
Even though she wasn’t a romance option though, you could still express interest, and that’s something I think should be expanded on more in Bioware games. Take the debates on bi romances for example. Now, a lot of people are against bi romances just because they don’t like homosexuality and use the excuse that “Well, not everyone is gay!” as if “Not Gay” is a part of well… any character.
Would Alistair have been any less “Alistair” if he was gay? In-fact, I think his romance is even better when editing the game so his dialog is with another male. Even though the lines are the same, it puts a completely different spin on everything, and puts things in a different (and IMO more interesting) context. He doesn’t need to be written with a lisp, or have “gayness” (the perception of what gay people are and should be portrayed as) added into his personality.
What am I getting at? Well, other than a tangent, if Bioware is going to have any “straight only” characters in future games, I think there should still be the option to flirt with them, and even persist after rejection.
Some may ask “What’s the point? If they can’t be gay romanced, why bother at all?” but I think it would add greatly to roleplay. The reason people want bi romances, for example, is because just because a female character is gay doesn’t mean they’re only attracted to someone like Leliana. It’s a matter of options.
And frankly, it not only adds an extra layer of realism, in being able to flirt with someone even if you can’t have them, but also leads to what’s IMO more interesting story possibilities. I know some people like to play through “perfectly”, in that they have a story where everything goes the protagonist’s way, everyone adores them, they never make a mistake, etc.
I think there’s something compelling about a hero, maybe even a hero who’s saving the world, who loves someone who just doesn’t have the same feelings in return, no matter how much the hero may truly love them or wish otherwise.
I agree, except I don’t think any romance should be limited because of gender ever. I think Aveline is great and sets a good precedent, but I would have been upset if males could romance her. If she really was “the one” for my character, I’d have felt like I were playing the “wrong” gender. And honestly, that’s an incredibly ugly feeling in real life, one that’s distinct from a simple “damn she’s straight,” so I really don’t want to see it in a game.
Rejection and heartache are great themes to play with, but they should be because of plot and drama, not the player character’s gender.
I have a feeling we won’t be seeing any gender-specific romances in the next Dragon Age though, so I’m not overly concerned about that.
But by all means, definitely expand on the unavailable flirt options. I would love to be able to roleplay my infatuation with Velanna or Nathaniel.
I don’t think a game should avoid heartbreak as if there’s some kind of taboo against it being portrayed in a game. People feel similarly about character death, and have been VERY vocal about not wanting characters they care about to ever die. They want to be able to save everyone, always. From a story standpoint though, I don’t see why these being videogames somehow means the stories shouldn’t have potential to explore themes and trudge up feelings that any other story would. If anything, because of the interactive medium of games, I think there’s more opportunity.
One of the things I liked about DA2 was though you had choices, you could decide how YOU wanted to be, that didn’t necessarily translate into success in asserting your will onto the world. You could WANT to stop something, or you could not, and either way it happens anyway, instead of something happening or not because of the player exerting their God-Choice power. Should these things be overused? Of course not, but I don’t like the idea of banning options to writers, especially because what bans may serve you today may work against you tomorrow.
The Unromanceable Vallen (a brief musing)
Almost always, whenever the topic of DA2’s romances comes up, someone somewhere will lament, albeit briefly, that Aveline was not, but should have been, an available love interest. She is described as “normal” or “stable” and of course, she is all…
I like that she’s not romanceable, because I don’t think everybody should be romanceable. What I thought was PERFECTLY handled was the fact you could roleplay Hawke as someone who did want Aveline, but couldn’t have her. Just because someone desires, or even pursues, another person romantically, does not mean they’ll be successful.I had often tired of the trend in games with romance options that anyone desirable who wasn’t into the main character must be some kind of ascetic who never has sex.
Even though she wasn’t a romance option though, you could still express interest, and that’s something I think should be expanded on more in Bioware games. Take the debates on bi romances for example. Now, a lot of people are against bi romances just because they don’t like homosexuality and use the excuse that “Well, not everyone is gay!” as if “Not Gay” is a part of well… any character.
Would Alistair have been any less “Alistair” if he was gay? In-fact, I think his romance is even better when editing the game so his dialog is with another male. Even though the lines are the same, it puts a completely different spin on everything, and puts things in a different (and IMO more interesting) context. He doesn’t need to be written with a lisp, or have “gayness” (the perception of what gay people are and should be portrayed as) added into his personality.
What am I getting at? Well, other than a tangent, if Bioware is going to have any “straight only” characters in future games, I think there should still be the option to flirt with them, and even persist after rejection.
Some may ask “What’s the point? If they can’t be gay romanced, why bother at all?” but I think it would add greatly to roleplay. The reason people want bi romances, for example, is because just because a female character is gay doesn’t mean they’re only attracted to someone like Leliana. It’s a matter of options.
And frankly, it not only adds an extra layer of realism, in being able to flirt with someone even if you can’t have them, but also leads to what’s IMO more interesting story possibilities. I know some people like to play through “perfectly”, in that they have a story where everything goes the protagonist’s way, everyone adores them, they never make a mistake, etc.
I think there’s something compelling about a hero, maybe even a hero who’s saving the world, who loves someone who just doesn’t have the same feelings in return, no matter how much the hero may truly love them or wish otherwise.
