72 réponses à ce sujet

[Lightpanda]

Note:  This post is by Lightpanda's wife.  We share an account.  Comments/insults go to me (LPW), not my husband. 

-

My Hawkes have had straight romances with all the companions, except Anders (next playthrough) and....Isabela.  I just can't bring myself to do it with her, straight or otherwise.  Not even a fling. She's fun but I just...can't.

So here's my question:  what does your Hawke(s) see in her?  All orientations please respond.   

Isabela seems like she'd always be the dominant one (whereas Merrill seems like she's submissive no matter what, cutesy/adorably awkward as a friend and pleasing/begrudgingly compliant as a rival).

Full disclosure:  this is market research for a fanfic.  And, if they release the toolset upgrade, I'm considering making cutscences.  (Although, honestly, I'd rather give my ideas to someone who knows what they are doing.  Message me [LPW] if that's you. )

Thanks!
LPW

Update (04/27/11): Here's what I came up with. M!/Isabela, rated M.

Modifié par Lightpanda, 27 avril 2011 - 07:32 .

[DoNotIngest]

I think all Hawke sees in Isabela is what she wants him to see.

[Asdara]

I don't think I would touch Isabella even with someone else's tool after seeing her walk out of Anders sewer clinic and joking about sexual diseases. /shudder

[Siduri]

I did a femslash Isabela romance. Her story is kinda shallow compared to the other LIs. My Hawke was intrigued by her offer of "girly fun," and then saw through her pretty quickly when she was all "let's not bring feelings into this." Isabela for all her braggadocio doesn't like herself much, deep down, and doesn't think she's worthy of love. My LadyHawke thought this was sad and kind of made Isabela her project. So, I guess I was about "reforming" the bad girl? I did seem to help instill a stronger sense of morality into Isabela, and with it an acceptance that she *does* deserve to be loved. That was it really. It's not a very deep or passionate romance, or at least it didn't affect me very deeply.

As a player, I mostly like Isabela for her humor. She has the greatest battle cry of any of the companions. "If we kill them, we get their stuff!" She delivers that line with such happy enthusiasm, it's pretty hilarious. Also I love her banter with Fenris, and with Carver. She's very good at tweaking the broody guys.

[hoorayforicecream]

This is why my Hawke fell for Isabela (friendship).

Isabela's an adult. She's not clingy. She's not fixated. She's had some emotional trauma in the past so she keeps everyone emotionally at arm's length, but she doesn't let it continue to dominate her life. She doesn't continue to dwell on it. She just wants to have fun and be free, and her love for sailing the world is representative of that. She's essentially a complete, functional person. She likes sex, but she's totally confident in who she is and refuses to be shamed for it. She doesn't let other peoples' attitudes bother her, because (in her own words) "They don't know me. I know me." She knows what she wants, and goes after it.

Her romance with Hawke stems from her realizing that Hawke is someone who she can genuinely be with and enjoy, without having to worry so much about being hurt or hurting. Even more than that, her confession of love is tentative... she's not sure about it, and she's even scared of it a little. Those rare flashes of vulnerability combined with her ultraconfident normal demeanor are what do it for me.

You don't really get a full picture of Isabela from just her scenes with Hawke. The other aspects of Isabela really come through during her banters with Aveline and Merrill.

[MG800]

DoNotIngest wrote...

I think all Hawke sees in Isabela is what she wants him to see.

The same can be said about Varric.
But about Isabela: what's attractive in her: she don't play games, beat around the bush, she's fun to be around, she's independent, strong, dangerous and she usually gets what she wants. 

Modifié par MG800, 29 mars 2011 - 08:09 .

[Blansten]

Have romanced Isabela as both female and male Hawke.

Isabela is funny, strong, confident, non judgemental and on many occasions proves to have the cliched heart of gold. She is probably one of my favorite game characters and is always in my crew. The promiscuity doesn't bother me (I think she plays it up for effect and reactions). Her interactions with the other team members are great (even Aveline likes her by act 3).

The fact that she struggles with commitment is something I relate too ( took me a LONG time to finally settle down). It's also very touching when she does let her guard down. I also see it as a fairly evenly matched pair with either gender, I don't see her as dominant at all. I get she is not everyone's ideal but I think she is a lot of fun.

Modifié par Blansten, 26 avril 2011 - 03:29 .

[Gamer Ftw]

She's not afraid to be herself.
If  she wants sex she has it if she wants money she takes it she lives life to it's fullest.
And If we kill them we get their stuff is an inspiring battle cry.

Modifié par Gamer Ftw, 29 mars 2011 - 08:02 .

[hoorayforicecream]

Blansten wrote...

Have romanced Isabela as both female and male Hawke. I am a married straight female and more than likely older than the forum average.

Isabela is funny, strong, confident, non judgemental and on many occasions proves to have the cliched heart of gold. She is probably one of my favorite game characters and is always in my crew. The promiscuity doesn't bother me (I think she plays it up for effect and reactions). Her interactions with the other team members are great (even Aveline likes her by act 3).

The fact that she struggles with commitment is something I relate too ( took me a LONG time to finally settle down). It's also very touching when she does let her guard down. I also see it as a fairly evenly matched pair with either gender, I don't see her as dominant at all. I get she is not everyone's ideal but I think she is a lot of fun.

I never saw it as her being dominant, but more like a relationship of equals. That's not something I could see with any of the other three love interests. Hawke essentially has to play therapist for each of them, and that forms a more unbalanced, dependent relationship. Isabela isn't emotionally dependent on Hawke, and that was a hugely welcome change.

[Lightpanda]

THANK YOU for the perspectives. Please keep them coming.

LPW

[Maria Caliban]

Lightpanda wrote...

So here's my question:  what does your Hawke(s) see in her?  All orientations please respond.

Not me, but my Hawke?

The Hawke I romanced Isabela with was a pious, disciplined, mama's-girl who devoted herself to others. I'd say she was simultaneously put off and attracted to Isabela's lust for life, vulgarity, and spontaneity. The way I see things playing out is that Isabela took the initiative out of curiosity or whim, they tumbled into bed, and Lady Hawke decided that the 'right thing' would be to pursue a serious relationship.

When Isabela returned with the Tome of Kuslan, it felt as though Hawke were the damsel in distress and Isabela was the knight in shining armor. Attraction and a sense of duty transformed into love.

I suppose in my Hawke's mind, Isabela is so many of the things she could never let herself be while simultaneously reinforcing her ideas about the goodness of people. It also helps that like Varric, Isabela is one of the more easy-going and balanced individuals.

And she's funny. And isn't a compulsive worrier. And is unfairly good in bed.

Isabella seems like she'd always be the dominant one…

"I don't like being led around. Unless it involves a leash. And this doesn't." – isabela

That said, the idea that relationships need to break down into dominant/submissive doesn't sit well with me.

Modifié par Maria Caliban, 29 mars 2011 - 09:03 .

[mesmerizedish]

Maria Caliban wrote...

unfairly good in bed.

I laughed.

Lightpanda wrote...

So here's my question:  what does your Hawke(s) see in her?  All orientations please respond.

She sees awesome. Their relationship was never romantic. It was sort of a benefits, and then friends with benefits, and then just friends.

I think what attracted my character to her was her... certainty in herself. My character was someone who lived for other people. She relied on things beyond herself to achieve self-satisfaction and  validation. What she saw in Isabela was someone who didn't need any bull****. This was a strong, sure woman who knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who she was. That was very attractive to Julia.

She and Isabela helped each other, I think. The real point of crystallization for them was when Isabela returned with the Tome of Koslun. Julia didn't need that to happen. Isabela taught her that other people should have no bearing on how she feels about herself. The betrayal hurt, sure, but she moved past it. At the same time, Isabela had learned that, actually, sometimes it's a good thing to live for another. No man is an island, I guess.

[Ace Attorney]

I think my current Hawke, a Mage, may not fall in love with her (he has an eye for a a fellow mage of the Bloody arts) but will consider her a good friend, if not among the best. Her free spirit and "down with oppression" mentality resonates with him as an apostate. Since she has a big sister relationship with Merrill, their friendship is actually a good thing. He wouldn't want to upset either of them.

[Sjofn]

Her relationship with Hawke feels more more like a match of equals than the others, and that's the most appealing part of it to me. The Hawke I'm hooking her up with, he doesn't mind being Mister Protector Man, solvin' all the Issues, but being with her is a refreshing break from that. She's a partner. He's also sort of uptight, but she helps him relax. It's extremely difficult not to pick the funny dialogues with her. 

She has issues, but they're ... normal issues a normal person would have. Having a normal person in Hawke's life can only be good for him or her.

Modifié par Sjofn, 29 mars 2011 - 09:08 .

[Lightpanda]

Maria Caliban wrote...

Lightpanda wrote...

So here's my question:  what does your Hawke(s) see in her?  All orientations please respond.

Not me, but my Hawke?

*shrug* No offense intended or implied.  Using myself as an example, I tend to play draft up (Wardens, Hawkes, etc.) characters before I play.  Complete with a matrix and everything.    That way I respond in character and can whip through playthroughs.  (Surely I'm not the only one........)

I played DAO as "myself" and it took   F O R E V E R   (largely because we didn't have the nice/silly/evil options.  I pissed off Zevran all the time without intending to!  *hits F9*)

Isabella seems like she'd always be the dominant one…

"I don't like being led around. Unless it involves a leash. And this doesn't." – isabela

That said, the idea that relationships need to break down into dominant/submissive doesn't sit well with me.

I'm going to message you in a second for clarification.

[Dr. Doctor]

Rivalry to me seems to be Hawke proving to Isabela that she's more than just a pirate and a theif. She's got a good heart in there somewhere and Hawke is going to prove it. Hawke will stand by Isabela whether she wants him/her to or not. Such a Hawke would hand the tome over to Isabela under the assumption that she'll figure out the right thing to do.

Of course after that whole incident with the Qunari Hawke will of course remind her that he was right, much to Izzy's annoyance. No matter how hard Isabela tries to pass off what thet have as a fling Hawke won't budge, and thats why they end up sticking together.

The quote that makes this romance to me is "I know you have a heart of gold in there somewhere. We just have to dig it out."

[Torax]

I do have to say, compared DAO and Both Mass Effect games dragon age 2 probably has the most in depth relationships. At least from a detail standpoint. The other games it was more about just doing the one single right response. Like crisis point jumps to get there. Mass Effect was extremely basic. It was almost just more like picking one character to talk to longer than others.

With Dragon Age Origins it was to a point the characters you talked to longer but at least they had a bit to say. After all the companions had to do all the talking for us. Dragon Age 2 had more than one type of relationship for the 4 main achievement relationships and if you include Sebastian it's a 6th. With the Male and Female Hawke that makes a total of 10 different relationship variations. Not even including how your character will act completely different as will your companion based on your attitude for Hawke.

The only limiting if any that there are 3 guys and 2 girls. Taking your pick out of that or just ignore even bothering with a significant other if you wish. Saving yourself for Varric.

[Maria Caliban]

Lightpanda wrote...

Maria Caliban wrote...

Lightpanda wrote...

So here's my question:  what does your Hawke(s) see in her?  All orientations please respond.

Not me, but my Hawke?

*shrug* No offense intended or implied.

I'm not sure where you got offense out of that. I was clarifying that you wanted to know why my Hawke found Isabela interesting, not why I did.

[berelinde]

IRL, I'm a straight female, but I've run both male and female PCs.

My first PC, an independent female mage, was quite fond of Isabela, but their relationship was never sexual. Alina Hawke enjoyed her lack of inhibition and lust for life, but Alina was pro-revolution. She fell in love with Anders.

My current PC, Aidan, is a sober, serious templar, and completely dedicated to protecting his sister Bethany. He sympathizes greatly with Thrask. All Aidan sees in Isabela is a trip to Anders' clinic if he goes anywhere near her. Her lack of ability to take anything seriously is reflected in her rivalry score, which is quite high. He is attracted to Anders' sensitivity, but he is head over heels for Fenris. Given his desire for commitment, however, he's in for a letdown.

[Torax]

Isabela does take things very seriously. She is just like Varric, they are rogues and are used to putting up a front. Just like Zev, Leliana, Sigrun and to a point Nathaniel before them. If you expect to ever have a rogue to become serious in front of you then you better be threatening their life, their money or their drinks. That or asking them to kill someone else to take their money and drinks.

[jmbrosendo]

The main atraction point was She did not revere Hawke, or brought her own emotional baggage along into the relationship. She takes from the relation what She wants and as long as it's fun for both all the merrier, if it is not, then alright.

[Deified Data]

hoorayforicecream wrote...

This is why my Hawke fell for Isabela (friendship).

Isabela's an adult. She's not clingy. She's not fixated. She's had some emotional trauma in the past so she keeps everyone emotionally at arm's length, but she doesn't let it continue to dominate her life. She doesn't continue to dwell on it. She just wants to have fun and be free, and her love for sailing the world is representative of that. She's essentially a complete, functional person. She likes sex, but she's totally confident in who she is and refuses to be shamed for it. She doesn't let other peoples' attitudes bother her, because (in her own words) "They don't know me. I know me." She knows what she wants, and goes after it.

Her romance with Hawke stems from her realizing that Hawke is someone who she can genuinely be with and enjoy, without having to worry so much about being hurt or hurting. Even more than that, her confession of love is tentative... she's not sure about it, and she's even scared of it a little. Those rare flashes of vulnerability combined with her ultraconfident normal demeanor are what do it for me.

You don't really get a full picture of Isabela from just her scenes with Hawke. The other aspects of Isabela really come through during her banters with Aveline and Merrill.

This. I couldn't have said it better, myself, even if I tried. Isabela is "real", with all that entails. She was the only love interest, male or female, who refused to be a slave to some sort of social agenda or obligation. She was free, and that's what keeps my Hawke around.

[Ace Attorney]

T3hAnubis wrote...

I think my current Hawke, a Mage, may not fall in love with her (he has an eye for a a fellow mage of the Bloody arts) but will consider her a good friend, if not among the best. Her free spirit and "down with oppression" mentality resonates with him as an apostate. Since she has a big sister relationship with Merrill, their friendship is actually a good thing. He wouldn't want to upset either of them.

Now that I think about it, he may fall for her (yes, he not her). It all depends on how the relationship of Merrill and Isabela will develop.

[Sylriel]

Thanks to everyone who have contributed their inputs on this thread. I confess I saw nothing in Isabella originally. But have always been curious about her. I think I am going to give it another chance.