Arquen wrote...
Here is where I go against the grain again. I don't find Zevran and Fenris very comparable. I really don't.
*debatesnip for the sake of readability*
I just find it irksome that people create this enigma around Zevran like "he got over it.. so what's your problem, Fenris? Crack a joke, smile, be less broody..." As if it was so easy.
When you're conditioned to feel that emotional attachment is wrong to the point that, when you start falling in love with someone, you're so terrified of it that you're willing to watch them be executed in front of your eyes, laugh in their face and
spit on their corpse...there's something very wrong there. And this is comparable to Fenris' Fog Warrior situation: Zevran could have gone against his training, had the opportunity to, but was too afraid to take the step and show mercy, because it would have equated to weakness. Heck, he is only able to fully realise his feelings for the Warden once the Crows which are chasing him are killed. Once he's free of immediate pursuit. Same as Fenris is only able to deal with his feelings for Hawke once both Hadriana and Danarius are dead.
All Zevran had was a relatively happy childhood (he was sold to the Crows at 7). He underwent physical torture as part of the recruitment process and psychological conditioning. Beyond that, the Crow cellmasters were just that: masters. If he didn't complete an assignment, his life was in danger, and he couldn't leave the guild. They're still trying to kill him for that in DA2,
seven years later. He was expendable and made to understand it. It may not be AS bad as slavery (he wasn't made to prop up furniture or serve food to guests, and he has a better grasp of the notion of free will), but I can't say it's not comparable.
One big difference is that Zevran actually remembers some happiness in his childhood, whereas Fenris doesn't, so the former does have some notion of human kindness prior to his servitude, while the latter doesn't. I agree that this is more traumatic, as is the lyrium-tattoo ritual. There's no enigma. It's not easy to get over. Is Fenris' situation worse? Yes. Is it incomparably worse? I don't think so. I'm simply saying that Zevran is a positive example in a similar context, and that he has a different way of dealing with his problems because he has a different personality. Fenris can't just crack a joke and smile, or make lemonade on command, and I'm not suggesting he should. They're different people in similar circumstances: of course their ways of dealing with their crates of lemons will be different.
As for the first flirt -- it really isn't making light of his slavery or situation at all. It is a simple statement that is in no way offensively phrased. Saying someone is handsome does not automatically mean "you sexy beast, rawr..." it is just a compliment. A light compliment at that, and it takes him off guard, but doesn't offend him. Also, he brings up the lyrium markings when you first meet him in the alienage. He immediately comes off as the kind of guy who isn't terribly offended talking about slavery or his markings. Saying, "I imagine I must appear strange to you." If Hawke were to say something like "Well, I could think of so many other uses for that skin of yours.." it would be significantly more inappropriate, but to just say "a waste of a perfectly handsome elf" is just a statement. Fenris is a perfectly handsome elf, and your acknowledging him as 1.) an elf (not a slave, not a strange enigma or weird warrior thing) and 2.) handsome (something he probably never thought about in his life.) It is quite a compliment. Especially since he is talking about how his master doesn't want him at all, only his skin.
Except how often do you go telling a complete stranger that they're handsome unless you're intending to flirt with them? I can understand complimenting a friend or an acquaintance on their appearance, but for those first flirts, Hawke and Fenris have literally just met. And while he does say that his markings must appear strange, he has also just crushed someone's heart for calling him a slave. I wouldn't be so very ready to associate that topic with flirtation right off the bat.
I am also a person who doesn't sugar coat or bother walking on eggshells around people. Fenris appreciates this, and you can tell that by the first time you meet him. He doesn't take the "do I get paid" or the "we do this all the time" statements as well as he takes the honest "you set me up!" and the "We got to kill slavers.. no biggie" statements. I just knew from right off that he wasn't exactly the kind of person who got offended. After all...he isn't offended if you yell at him for setting you up. He apologizes for the deception. Hence I never saw anything particularly offensive or awkward in his flirts because they aren't overly flirty at all, nor are they over the top. Most of the time they are simple, honest statements or light teasing.
To be honest though, you are justified in yelling at him for setting you up. There's nothing to get offended at. But still, I wouldn't trust myself to know his tells and his triggers or just how far I can go without offending him from one conversation after seeing him kill a guy (and a bunch of others, judging by the state of that bleeding guard). Of course, the more you talk to him, the more you realise that he's not easily offended, but I'd rather be certain of that before I go making those comments. Maybe I'm just overly cautious, but I fully believe in "better safe than sorry". Or "better safe than dead", as the situation would have it.
Modifié par Nilfalasiel, 23 octobre 2011 - 10:40 .
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