Re: The Dragon Age Thread

[ZerebusPrime]

Swoby..........this is where I accuse you of liking Twilight.

[Rifneno]

And I suspect I have just seen my least favorite character out of the group.

I could be wrong, of course.  There's still time.  I ended up liking pretty much every character in DA2.

I call bullshit.  Nobody likes Sebastian.  Nobody.

As for Cole, I welcome him with open arms.  He'll probably be a mainstay in my group too.  I'll constantly be badgering him (no pun intended) about what it was like to kill Lambert.  Did he beg?  What was it like watching the life drain out of his eyes?  Did you see that wonderful fear in them?  These are things I must know.  And visualize.

I've been reading up on some of the comics and stuff that DA has done recently.  So bad.  So very bad.  Oh, and how SJW has Gayder gone?



Meet Maevaris Tilani, Dragon's "first true transgender character!"





This effeminate twat is Aurelian Titus.  Like Tilani, he's a Tevinter magister.  Tilani was on the good side (of course!  SJW!), and Titus was the villain of the story.  And this honey badger would've defected to the "bad" side when Titus revealed his plans: he built a Crucible that'll be used as a mass indoctrination device.  It'll make everyone in Thedas completely abandon both the Chant of Light and the Qun and accept mages as the leaders of society.  I'm not too hot on the last part, but no Chantry or Qunari?!  Where do I sign up?!

His catalyst?  Oh, this is hilarious.  His catalyst was the "dead" king Maric.

Also, Sten is a reaver.  And he was a reaver in DAO, he just didn't use his powers because that'd be a spoiler and totally not because it's a retcon now.  Honest and stuff.



This is Dorian.  His intro text says "Tevinter good guy in Inquisition" but his moustache says "Yes, I will star in your interracial gay porn."

P.S. Leliana still sucks.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

[DRAGON AGE]: When we last spoke, we talked about the Iron Bull, but you're also the writer for Cole. What can you tell us about him?

[PATRICK WEEKES]: Imagine going through this world knowing that you're different, but not knowing how. Imagine trying to find out the truth about what you are—a mage? A demon?—and never being sure that you can trust the answer, or that your friends will still support you when the truth, whatever it is, comes out.



[DA]: The proverbial being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[PW]: Exactly. That was Cole's character arc in the wonderful Dragon Age: Asunder, by our lead writer, David Gaider… and now that character arc is done. In this game, we find out what happens next.

[DA]: So, you're taking over a character originally penned by David Gaider. No pressure, obviously.

[PW]: Indeed. Dave is great at creating sympathetic characters, and I loved Cole's arc in the novel. I was guessing at his true nature until the climax of the book. But I couldn't just tell that story again. The character has to grow, for one thing… and also, that arc was tied to Cole not knowing what he is. Once Seeker Lambert whips out the Litany of Adralla, that pretty much narrows Cole down to blood mage or demon, and since he wasn't using blood magic…

[DA]: So, Cole is definitely a demon?

[PW]: Welllllllll… he's definitely somewhere on the Demon-or-Spirit Spectrum of Fade Creatures (which I really hope exists somewhere). A lot of people will always see him as a demon. He would rather be a spirit. He's trying.

[DA]: It sounds like Cole suffers from a very complicated existence.

[PW]: Now that he has accepted his nature, he's less constrained by human limitations. He can sense people's pain, which is actually what he was doing back in Asunder without realizing it, when he found the mages who were terrified and desperate enough to be able to see him. He can find people who are hurting, people in need, and he can help them.

[DA]: Clearly, there is no foreseeable way that could go wrong.

[PW]: Cole remains a work in progress, yes. Anyone who allows him to join the Inquisition (and because there are people whose response to him in Asunder was, "Demon? LOL NOPE," allowing him to join is optional) is going to hear about some weird things happening, with no one quite sure who put all those turnips in the fireplace or why the battlements are covered with loaves of bread.

[DA]: You mentioned that the player can choose not to have Cole join the Inquisition. Are the other followers going to have an opinion?

[PW]: Oh, Maker, yes. Vivienne thinks Cole should be safely banished, and Sera refuses to talk to "it" entirely.

[DA]: As does the Iron Bull, presumably. You said during a previous interview that he had a thing about demons.

[PW]: See, Bull is funny. He does hate demons, but if you're on the team, you're on the team. In Bull's mind, Cole is a weird squirrelly kid who just needs a night of good drinks and bad women to get him sorted out.

[DA]: Well, since you wrote Cole, tell us why you think he would make a great follower.

[PW]: If you want someone who can move around the battlefield undetected, sinking daggers into enemies who never see him coming, Cole is your guy. He can still make people forget him, but he's no longer the scared young man who couldn't stand against Seeker Lambert in Asunder. He knows he's more than human, and he is absolutely deadly when faced with foes who want to hurt innocent people (which safely applies to most of the Inquisition's enemies).

[DA]: Useful!

[PW]: Beyond his skill in combat, though… Cole wants to help people who are hurting. He may not always get it right, but he never stops caring. He will walk into the most painful moment of someone's life and offer them comfort without hesitation or judgment. And then he will disappear from their mind and walk away, because it's not about getting thanked, or even remembered. It's about helping.

[DA]: That's very touching.

[PW]: That's how Cole has grown since the events of Asunder. That's where he's going now. I hope people like where it takes him.

[Fur28]

Is there anything from the comics that could appear in or affect DAI?

[Guest]

Swoby..........this is where I accuse you of liking Twilight.

I despise Twilight.

[ZerebusPrime]

Just checking.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

[Guest]

Dorian just began to annoy me with that line.

[RavenEyry]

Meanwhile, I say fabulous moustache man just got more fabulous.

[Eryri]

He looks like someone drew on his face with a magic marker while he was asleep. I guess Bioware have a limited budget for realistic moustache physics.

[Rifneno]

That mustache couldn't get any gayer if it was covered in semen.

[Eryri]

That mustache couldn't get any gayer if it was covered in semen.

How do you think he gets it to stay that pointy? Moustache wax doesn't grow on trees you know.

[Rifneno]

That mustache couldn't get any gayer if it was covered in semen.

How do you think he gets it to stay that pointy? Moustache wax doesn't grow on trees you know.

Still comes from wood though.

[Guest]

I really have this strong urge to shave a digital mustache :(. This has never happened before. It's bizarre. He'd be so good without it. Plz Bioware.

[ZerebusPrime]

.........so that's what happened to my 8th grade Spanish teacher. He got sucked into a videogame. The man kept a jar of Vaseline on his desk at all times for the purposes of styling his facial hair. I kid not.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

I really have this strong urge to shave a digital mustache :(. This has never happened before. It's bizarre. He'd be so good without it. Plz Bioware.

Somebody did it.

[Guest]

I love it!!! At least mostly.

*installs hypothetical mod*

[Eryri]

Agreed, that's much better. So distracting before. While they're at it, could they make Vivienne's face a bit less shiny? Apply some digital matt foundation / concealer, whatever it is? She looks like she's made out of plastic in the trailer.

[Guest]

"Being from a proud bloodline of the Tevinter Imperium has its advantages: Dorian was born with a flair for magic that made him the envy of his peers. He is charming and confident, his wit as sharp as any blade, and if some suggest his manner cocky, it could be attributed to being a powerful mage in a land where mages rule. Indeed, Dorian would be the pride of his family—if he didn't oppose everything his homeland has come to stand for. He wears the labels of "pariah" and "outcast" proudly, knowing that views of the Imperium are unlikely to change until and unless someone of his ability stands up to make a difference."


Oh my, so many elite in this Dragon Age (at least 3-4 party members).

[Hanako Ikezawa]

Oh my, so many elite in this Dragon Age (at least 3-4 party members).

Well, our Inquisitor is going to be a "leader of leaders", so makes sense all those involved are elites in something.

[Guest]

Oh my, so many elite in this Dragon Age (at least 3-4 party members).

Well, our Inquisitor is going to be a "leader of leaders", so makes sense all those involved are elites in something.

Elite outcasts forming a new elite group.

[RavenEyry]

Really most of the party members look odd at best. You can tell it's bioware's first time with the engine.

[Rifneno]

[Hanako Ikezawa]

[DRAGON AGE]: Let's start at the beginning. What can you tell us about Dorian?

[DAVID GAIDER]: Dorian is a mage from the Tevinter Imperium, and his experiences are radically different from those of mages elsewhere.



[DA]: How so?

[DG]: In Tevinter, mages form the ruling class. He comes from a wealthy and influential family, one of many that arrange marriages and raise their children to become perfect mages… yet Dorian has rejected that life. He's seen the corruption to which it leads, and he refuses to play along despite the fact it's made him something of a pariah.

[DA]: Can you expand on the "corruption" he's seen?

[DG]: Without spoiling the plot, I'll say that Dorian got wind of something that his fellow Tevinter mages were doing, and decided to intervene. As he sees it, someone from Tevinter needs to stand up and say, "We don't agree with what these people are doing. They don't represent all of us."

[DA]: Dorian has been described as sharp-tongued, with a knack for producing a great quip even in times of grave danger. How would you describe him?

[DG]: Dorian is smart—perhaps too smart for his own good, really. He was raised in a society where both intelligence and wit are prized, where advancing yourself socially means outmaneuvering your peers, and he does so quite well… or, at least, he would if he didn't see through it all. That's left him rather jaded and sarcastic, naturally.

[DA]: You're sure you didn't play some small part in cultivating that for him?

[DG]: I tend to start at "sarcastic" and work my way from there.

[DA]: Dorian is also a highly skilled mage. That sounds pretty useful on the battlefield.

[DG]: He enjoys using his magic and doesn't see any reason why he should be ashamed about it. So he unleashes his full power when it's needed… and he has plenty of power to unleash, seeing as he comes from a society where mages are trained to use it rather than hide it. This includes powerful elemental spells, as well as spells involving the control of spirit and the dead—things societies outside of Tevinter might turn up their noses at and claim "distasteful."

[DA]: Dorian seems to have a conflicted love-hate-love relationship with his homeland. Does he ever think about just leaving it all behind?

[DG]: He doesn't believe that the situation in Tevinter is beyond repair, despite how impossible it seems that he personally might be able to do anything about it. Dorian has a streak of idealism hidden beneath his sarcasm, which naturally can lead him to be all the more disappointed when the world does exactly what he suspects it's going to.

[DA]: How does Dorian compare to characters you've written in the past?

[DG]: Dorian is an outcast—by choice, but only insofar as he chose not to live according to the expectations of his society. There are a lot of aspects to that which I enjoyed exploring, and which I haven't had to chance to do with other characters.

[DA]: Anything in particular?

[DG]: Dorian is gay—he is, in fact, the first fully gay character I've had the opportunity to write. It added an interesting dimension to his back story, considering he comes from a place where "perfection" is the face that every mage puts on and anything that smacks of deviancy is shameful and meant to be hidden. Dorian's refusal to play along with that façade is seen as stubborn and pointless by his family, which has contributed to his status as a pariah.

[DA]: Are you happy with how his character turned out?

[DG]: I suppose this aspect of Dorian will make him controversial in some corners, but I was glad to include it. It made writing Dorian a very personal experience for me, and I'm hopeful that will make him seem like a fully realized character to fans in the end.

[DA]: Dorian's sarcasm must create some rather interesting banter with other members of the Inquisition. Any personal favorite combinations stand out for you?

[DG]: I think I enjoy his relationship with Vivienne the most. They're complete opposites and will tear into each other viciously—or, at least, that's what it looks like to outsiders.

[DA]: After listening to Mary Kirby talk about Vivienne's power, we're not so sure that's Dorian's wisest move.

[DG]: Really, they find it good fun, and they'll go from arguing to banding together in order to criticize someone else in a cold second—like the Statler and Waldorf of Thedas. I love that.

[DA]: Having a Qunari around has also got to yield some strange interactions.

[DG]: Dorian's relationship with the Iron Bull is interesting. The Qunari have been at war with the Tevinter Imperium for centuries, after all, and the fact that neither Dorian nor Iron Bull are typical of their people makes for an intriguing arc.

[Eryri]

Oh, so he's canonically gay, rather than just "protagosexual" like Anders? Good, that's quite refreshing, and more believable. I just hope that if you romance him you can persuade him to shave off that bloody moustache.

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