basbaker wrote...
I don't see any reason to take it to PMs. I'm not at all offended by your viewpoint. I can see both sides of the issue, and I don't have strong enough feelings either way to get upset about it. I'm merely pointing out a different way of looking at things. I started this thread over a month ago because, while I see the flaws in Sebastian's character and understand the strong feelings a lot of people have on the very touchy subject of religion, I love the way he's written, the way he's acted, and the way he isn't quite as cut-and-dried as people might think at a glance.
As with every companion that the Dragon Age team throws our way, there are layers complete with black, white and shades of gray. But people tend to dismiss Sebastian's shades of gray. His character gets lost in the shuffle of whether or not religion is wrong or right. People are free to love or hate Sebastian for anything from the color of his eyes to the way he says the word bunny. I just like to hear why. I like to hear what people think of one of my favorite characters in this game, even if he's one of their least favorite.
To me, your opinion is just as valid as that of anyone else who takes the time to really think it through and understand why they feel the way they feel. I'm glad you posted.
Very well, then. I just know that for all that I stand by my post, even in discussions where it's somewhat relevant to the topic, it has the potential to trigger a vicious flamewar. I'd prefer to avoid that, but I find that certain things can just cause major upset no matter how delicately or diplomatically phrased. Heh.
Now, as to Sebastian...as far as his realization as a character, it must be said, I think, that I quite like him on that level. Quite a few of the characters of DA2 match up perfectly with people I've actually known, and that's the mark of damn good writing. Any time a character is real enough I can recognize them amongst my personal collection of friends and acquaintances, it's a job well done. But that's a different matter from whether or not Sebastian is the sort of personality I would associate with IRL. I simply would not. In fact I can point to several people in my social group who fit the bill. People I have no choice but to be in contact with because of our mutual acquaintances, but whom I keep at arms' length because their moral outlook is so opposed to my own.
I do feel it's worthwhile to point out that shades of grey don't have to have any bearing on a character's likeability. All well-written characters, characters that are fully human, are shades of grey, because that's the nature of humanity. It's why I scoff at people who think that characters only make sense if they never, ever contradict themselves, because real human beings contradict their own personalities and belief systems all the time. Sebastian isn't evil. He's not even a bad guy. He's got a degree of somewhat respectable traits. But for some of us, there are certain qualities that just can't be overlooked. Aside from my feelings of damaging religious beliefs, the scene that makes me dislike Sebastian the most is where he demands that Hawke execute Anders. I have no doubt that this was done more for the game mechanics than to reflect on Sebastian's character, but it's inescapable if one wants to immerse themselves in the story: if Sebastian had any real integrity, was truly focused on justice for Elthina, then he wouldn't just throw a temper tantrum if Hawke refuses. He'd damn well execute Anders himself, even if he had to cut through Hawke to do so. Or else he'd be prepared to risk being killed by Hawke in order to do so. He certainly would not, moments after pointing out the moral wrongness of slaughtering the Circle for Anders' crime, throw up his hands and go "Fine, if you want kill him I'll go home and get my army and wipe Kirkwall off the map!" Frankly, I find it patently ridiculous that the game makes Sebastian so hot for Anders' death as justice for Elthina, but he doesn't even make an attempt to kill Anders himself. The only way to provide a lore-based explanation for that is for his staunch beliefs to be not so heartfelt after all. Fortunately, since Sebastian is already painted as extremely capricious, it isn't so far fetched to view him that way.
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