2 Antworten in diesem Thema

[loranna238]

At first, I was thinking more along the lines of evil/crazy, but at the close of this I figured she was just Narcassistic.

I am not disputing she is cute, or charming, or funny.

I'm not trying to crush anyone's absolute love for her. You can still love her, that's your choice.  But - in real life, that probably wouldn't work out, I mean, it didn't work out for the Keeper. The reason I ask the question is because of the following.

1) First, and foremost, Merrill is a blood mage. She chose this path, despite the discouragement of others. She may have chosen it out of love of her clan to start with, but to me the blood magic perverts you and if you look at it closely enough, and do whatever she wants even while she is weeping about the effects of it, people just...die. Which is of course what a blood mage would want.

2.) Any attempt to be an actual friend to Merrill in the game, and not simply tell her that it's ok, you didn't do anything wrong, meets with a rivalry increase. The first meeting I had with her in the alienage had me bewildered - my character told her what I would have told her, in a loving way, and then came away with a huge rivalry boost. When I chose the path that just screamed wrong, it had the opposite. I didn't actually play the romance, but this to me even seemed wrong if you were human, and leading her astray, the wrong way.

3.) Repeated examples of where what she has done is actually hurting her clan do not dissuade her from continuing with her plans, even though for instance when Pol runs from her she weeps about how he thought she was a monster and they all must do so. Instead, she decides to go see the demon, again.

4.) While her mother/keeper's body is not yet cold, if instead of telling her, "girl, you knew the risks!" you say that the mother was stupid...(for sacrificing herself to save Merrill, which, when I 'm starting to think it probably was rather stupid, but also probably was necessary for the tribe as well - even though that's not why she did it) instead of reacting that she made a mistake and that this was all her fault and she would make amends, she instead states that she should have believed in her (Merrill), which..is just wrong.

5.) Yes, you could argue that she was willing to accept the danger in herself, however, it just seems to me that actions speak louder than words, and this was never put to the test. During what happened later, everything she is saying is designed to keep her involved with the clan, rather than actually taking responsibility. If you, instead take responsibility Merrill does say she is sorry still does not say she was wrong. She instead still beats the dead horse of "I would have had it be me!"

Looking at this however, if the demon had taken possession of her she could have possibly killed Hawke and the others, and then rampaged through her tribe like a teenager at an all you can eat pizzaria. Not everyone has Hawke's skills, and from what Anders said before an abomination is a scarey thing, and by this time you've built Merrill into some kind of super mage. This is not good. At the very least it's irresponsible and foolhardy.

6.) If you keep going along Merrill's merry path, you end up killing the very tribe she was trying to save. As Merrill is a blood mage, this seems a bit suspicious to me.

7.) If you destroy evil texts in her presence, it meets with a rivalry increase.  However, this could be that she just wanted to be the savior of her tribe.

The whole thing withe Merril just seemed to be...wrong, from the very start. The only other character besides you, if you happen to choose to encourage pure rivalry with her, that seems to see this is Fenris. She just...felt wrong to me. I wanted to believe that she was good, her weeping was really effective, but really but to me if you pay attention to what she is actually doing it seems a lot like subterfuge or maybe she's narcissistic with an inferiority complex, which really...doesn't make any sense.

So is she crazy? Is she manipulative and just trying to get more bodies to pile up because she's a blood mage? Is she just insecure? If she's so insecure why does she keep rejecting how the other elves respond to what she is doing, and continuing on her path? Why does she, in mourning her keeper, say really that it was her fault because she didn't believe in Merrill? It makes no sense...none of it does. I wanted to from the moment I saw her, leave her be and not have her in my party or anything but continued with it because of the plotline, and the off chance she might be some kind of crazed genious. But the more things went on, the more evident that this was bad and wrong, the more she did not turn back from what she was doing, and the more the choices I made seemed to be wrong.

When I did a first playthrough, after one half-hearted attempt to kill the elves, the wrongness of this just got to me. I went back and had to choose the option where I'd keep her from using her blood magic to harm anyone, which is exactly what she said she had wanted when you entered the cave...but this resulted in a huge rivalry increase, even though the elves survived, which is what *I* wanted, and did not sacrifice them to Merrill the way the Keeper sacrificed herself for her with nothing in return, not even Merrill learning her lesson.

To me, if you chose this path and encouraged her this was very very wrong. How much of a sacrifice is too much? Would the player's character be asked to kill themselves for her if possible to protect her pride and ego? Interesting also how it was a pride demon that confronted her, and not a desire demon or any other kind.

I am now approaching the thought that she is crazy at this point. Since I couldn't go down the path where I massacred the elves she was swearing to protect, I actually watched an online video of someone that did. It was so hard to watch as Merrill is facing - of all things a clouded mirror which has no reflection so she cannot see herself (the mirror btw is the universal symbol of narcissm, as Narcissus in Greek mythology fell in love with his reflection in some kind of pool and drowned) - and instead of destroying the damned thing is convinced again how she was right and everyone else was wrong and that they all killed themselves rather than believe in her help; she turns to the player as he tells her again, that they were wrong, she was right, and says she loves him, when what to me is that she loves the fact that he is endulging her and providing her a supply.  If you had discouraged her, as a true friend would, then she would not be so warm and fuzzy.

So at this point I am going towards Narcissistic, and with the mirror it seems rather obvious..

In addition, she always wanted to be the one to "save" her clan, the hero, although they would have just welcomed her if she just was one of them and she decided instead to stand apart, to be their savior, and did horrible things to do so, and in the end when they were all dead, she was like it was their fault, and not her own.

Yes, definitely narcissitic, with people sacrificing for her and supplying her confidence and justification, her proof that she is right and never wrong.

I realize this is a game, but also I have to pause here for a moment and say that Bioware is genious.  This made me really think and care. I was appalled by Merrill. I know many people out there will hate me for that, but really - I was appalled. When I do my next play-through I will reject her completely, as I thought my character should have done in the first place, from the moment when she sat down and told Merrill what seemed like the wisest thing to tell her. Rejecting her of course will have its consequences, like everything in the game, but at least I would feel less dirty playing it if I do so.  I also realize that my character is not myself, but really this drew me in.  I applaud this, I truly do.

[Mary Kirby]

loranna238 wrote...

Thank you biowares for giving me this headache. lol

You're welcome! The debate going on in this thread makes me very happy, actually.

[Mary Kirby]

LadyJaneGrey wrote...

Everyone has to get their kicks somehow.  :innocent:

It's true. It's no fun writing a character that's open to multiple interpretations if nobody interprets her in multiple ways. I get my joy where I can.