I just find it weird that people have chosen to attack one character above all others.
I'm not entirely sure if the bulk of it is because they genuinely dislike his character for story based reasons, or because they're just "sick of hearing about him", or because they're "sick of his fangirls going on about him". If it's the former, then that's fair enough. I mean, disliking a character due to their actions (or lack off) in-game, personality, and/or due to that characters story-arc, or faction they represent etc is fine, people like/dislike different things. If, however, it's the latter then you'd think they'd stop making hundreds of threads about it because all it's doing is more hype surrounding that character.
You'd think those who dislike Cullen so strongly that they don't want him in the game would avoid drawing more attention to him. After all, the devs/writers are more inclined to bring back/use controversial characters than ones that noone gives two sh!ts about either way.
I 'd say that this fuss is caused by the lack of new information regarding the game, and since Cullen is perhaps the only familiar character besides Varric and Cassandra, who might be a companion,it is more likely that they discuss him, rather than Vivienne for example,since we know very little about her. Why the attention he get's is negative however is mostly because he is a templar.The DA fandom hates templars truth being told, and one of them being so popular doesn't sit well with most of them...
Yeah, the Templar thing is definitely a cause, which is fine. I just thought that they'd rather continue to pick apart the last wave of information, rather than repeating themselves with the Cullen thing.
So, here's how far I got in mine. Again, I got caught up in what was actually 'factual.' I hadn't gotten as far as whether he knew about the rapes. I quit at the point I got annoyed, so it's not great or well edited. I think what it adds are links.
Who is Cullen? In DA:O, Cullen is the last surviving templar within the Tower during the Broken Circle quest. Just before confronting Uldred, you encounter him in a pink cage where he’s been tortured for weeks by blood mages and demons. If your Warden was the female human or elf mage, then you first met Cullen during your origin and might have learned he had a little crush on you.
Later your Hawke meets Cullen during Act 1 of DA2, where he is now the templar Knight-Captain of Kirkwall. Hawke helps him with several quests during the game and during the climax he defies his superior, Meredith, by standing up for Hawke and fights at his/her side in the final battle.
Why don’t I remember him? His part in DA:O was small, particularly if you weren’t a female mage, so he’s easy to overlook since he’s a minor character. If you played DA2, well, perhaps you just didn’t catch the name of the blond templar captain you worked with from time to time.
Why is he in Kirkwall? My epilogue said he became Knight-Commander of Kinloch Hold. Why is he in Kirkwall? My epilogue said he snapped, murdered some apprentices, and escaped into the countryside. As Lead Writer David Gaider is often quoted as saying, the epilogues are merely “hearsay and rumor” (http://social.biowar...83&lf=8#6063648) and, as such, may not have actually happened. This appears to be the case with Cullen’s epilogues, since DA2’s storyline is not consistent with him being a ravening madman nor Knight-Commander. Cullen’s DA2 codex(http://dragonage.wik...-Captain_Cullen) indicates that Greagoir sent him to Kirkwall to get him away from the mages who had been the source of his torment during Broken Circle. In the Witch Hunt DLC, which includes several references to the then-in-development DA2, two apprentices gossip about Cullen being sent to the chantry in Greenfell to “level out.” () Presumably Cullen’s epilogues were overridden with this new storyline which had him recovering and then reassigned to Kirkwall.
Was Cullen in a relationship with the female mage Warden? Much of this is up to the interpretation of the player, but Cullen’s dialogue (http://vieralynn.tum...en-has-with-the) with her during the mage origin story suggest that that may have been the first time they had spoken.
How old is Cullen? In the DA:O toolset, Cullen's CHR file puts his age at 24 in 9:30 Dragon, although these details were really intended as notes for the voice actors.
What’s Cullen’s lastname? We don’t know what it is, but David Gaider has suggestively hinted about his last name (http://r2smuse.tumbl...-first-name-and), suggesting at the very least that Cullen is his first name.
How can you like Cullen? He said mages aren't people. This is an often misquoted line of Cullen's. What he really says is, "Mages cannot be treated like people. They’re not like you and me. " Stepping back from how incendiary the Chantry/templar rhetoric can be, the fact is that mages are different. "They can set a city ablaze in a fit of pique," he points out, so in his view, they need to be treated differently. It should perhaps be noted that he says this in Act 1, which is only months after his ordeal in Ferelden. But, in any event, it also important to note that one need not agree with his view to be a fan.
How can you like Cullen? He's a fanatic. Players may choose to interpret him as a fanatic because of his commitment to the templar duty, a duty which some may view as requiring 'excessive zeal.' The interpretation from the writers is that he represents the moderate templar and in DA2’s ending, he is "the voice of sanity." As David Gaider once said (http://swooping-is-b...om/1286233.html), "I think Cullen is a good man who recognizes that there are dangerous in magic, dangers that have to be dealt with, but he doesn't lack for compassion and doesn't try to say, ‘Well, let's take the hard approach and kill everybody and let the Maker sort them out.’ At the end of DA2 he's the person who sort of tries to put on the brakes, the voice of sanity if you will.”
Why didn't Cullen do something sooner? This is a good question. The simple answer is that any earlier action is doomed to fail because Cullen is not the hero of the story. There are many indications that by Act 3 Cullen is having significant doubts about whether he should be following Meredith. Often overlooked is his first disobedience () when three mages surrender during the pro-templar ending. With encouragement from Hawke, Cullen can disagree with Meredith about the Annulment and can defy her orders to kill the mages. Then, of course, there is his final disobediance during the final battle. Is it too little too late? Perhaps, and that’s up to the player to decide.
I just find it weird that people have chosen to attack one character above all others.
I'm not entirely sure if the bulk of it is because they genuinely dislike his character for story based reasons, or because they're just "sick of hearing about him", or because they're "sick of his fangirls going on about him". If it's the former, then that's fair enough. I mean, disliking a character due to their actions (or lack off) in-game, personality, and/or due to that characters story-arc, or faction they represent etc is fine, people like/dislike different things. If, however, it's the latter then you'd think they'd stop making hundreds of threads about it because all it's doing is more hype surrounding that character.
You'd think those who dislike Cullen so strongly that they don't want him in the game would avoid drawing more attention to him. After all, the devs/writers are more inclined to bring back/use controversial characters than ones that noone gives two sh!ts about either way.
I 'd say that this fuss is caused by the lack of new information regarding the game, and since Cullen is perhaps the only familiar character besides Varric and Cassandra, who might be a companion,it is more likely that they discuss him, rather than Vivienne for example,since we know very little about her. Why the attention he get's is negative however is mostly because he is a templar.The DA fandom hates templars truth being told, and one of them being so popular doesn't sit well with most of them...
Yeah, I dunno. This is what I used to think... before they released the first three companions. But then nothing changed, and it could be argued that it's a bit worse now. Importantly, Cassandra is as much a templar as Cullen. I think it's a bit deeper, showing the darker side of the fandom. Cullen fans are too easy a target.
*So, he like, watches the Female Mage Warden sleep? Creepy. -Probably at some point. A templar’s job is to constantly watch the mages in the tower at all times; having stalker like tendencies is pretty much required to do their job.
I don't think I'd agree with this characterization of templars as stalkers. While I know that Sheryl Chee said that, she later recanted her characterization of Cullen as a stalker. I think it would be better to just say that watching is their job. That's not the same as stalking.
*So, he like, watches the Female Mage Warden sleep? Creepy. -Probably at some point. A templar’s job is to constantly watch the mages in the tower at all times; having stalker like tendencies is pretty much required to do their job.
I don't think I'd agree with this characterization of templars as stalkers. While I know that Sheryl Chee said that, she later recanted her characterization of Cullen as a stalker. I think it would be better to just say that watching is their job. That's not the same as stalking.
Yeah I also don't think it's a good idea to perpetuate the idea that he's a creepy stalker.
Why the attention he get's is negative however is mostly because he is a templar.The DA fandom hates templars truth being told, and one of them being so popular doesn't sit well with most of them...
Yeah, I dunno. This is what I used to think... before they released the first three companions. But then nothing changed, and it could be argued that it's a bit worse now. Importantly, Cassandra is as much a templar as Cullen. I think it's a bit deeper, showing the darker side of the fandom. Cullen fans are too easy a target.
I'll be the one pointing at the elephant in the room. I believe it, at large, comes down to misogyny. The typical Cullen fan is portrayed as a giggling woman, and one cannot have giggling women. See also reactions to litterature like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight where we see similar tendencies (I happen to dislike both of the latter, but it's for very different reasons than "lots of girls like a boy in this :crying:" - just putting that out there so I'm not called out on hypocrisy =)).
I'm not pointing at any single Cullen hater when saying this. Cause that's not fair nor do I believe this is the beef everybody have. But I highly, highly doubt he'd be this polarising for any other reason.
I'd be interested in seeing how people treat him after playing DAI. Especially if, hypothetically, he was a companion/LI or major npc that redeems himself.
For example, let's go to the absolute unlikely extreme here and pretend that we discover in-game that he's quit the Templars. He joins our Inquisitor and throughout the course of the game he gradually opens up and bit by bit explaining in great detail why he was hardlined for the majority of DA2, opening up about what kind of mental and emotional trauma he went through through in both DA:O and in DA2, what was going through his mind during the 7+ years in Kirkwall and why/what made him finally turn against Meredith and leave the templars. He also tells us that he bent the rules for Hawke as much as he could, that he either wasn't aware of the rape and torture going on in the Gallows, or that he'd actively put a stop to it/tried to.
Over time he realises that not all mages are walking time bombs blah blah blah, and towards the end finally manages to redeem himself by saving mages, or siding with mages, or sacrificing himself to help a bunch of mages escape something/whatever.
Now, obviously that's not going to happen. BUT, I'd be intrigued to see what the haters thought of him after all that.
Why the attention he get's is negative however is mostly because he is a templar.The DA fandom hates templars truth being told, and one of them being so popular doesn't sit well with most of them...
Yeah, I dunno. This is what I used to think... before they released the first three companions. But then nothing changed, and it could be argued that it's a bit worse now. Importantly, Cassandra is as much a templar as Cullen. I think it's a bit deeper, showing the darker side of the fandom. Cullen fans are too easy a target.
I'll be the one pointing at the elephant in the room. I believe it, at large, comes down to misogyny. The typical Cullen fan is portrayed as a giggling woman, and one cannot have giggling women. See also reactions to litterature like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight where we see similar tendencies (I happen to dislike both of the latter, but it's for very different reasons than "lots of girls like a boy in this :crying:" - just putting that out there so I'm not called out on hypocrisy =)).
I'm not pointing at any single Cullen hater when saying this. Cause that's not fair nor do I believe this is the beef everybody have. But I highly, highly doubt he'd be this polarising for any other reason.
Yeeah, I wasn't going to go there, but yes, this is the darker side I'm talking about. The anti-fangirl sentiment meets the anti-templar sentiment and goes boom.
Why the attention he get's is negative however is mostly because he is a templar.The DA fandom hates templars truth being told, and one of them being so popular doesn't sit well with most of them...
Yeah, I dunno. This is what I used to think... before they released the first three companions. But then nothing changed, and it could be argued that it's a bit worse now. Importantly, Cassandra is as much a templar as Cullen. I think it's a bit deeper, showing the darker side of the fandom. Cullen fans are too easy a target.
I'll be the one pointing at the elephant in the room. I believe it, at large, comes down to misogyny. The typical Cullen fan is portrayed as a giggling woman, and one cannot have giggling women. See also reactions to litterature like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight where we see similar tendencies (I happen to dislike both of the latter, but it's for very different reasons than "lots of girls like a boy in this :crying:" - just putting that out there so I'm not called out on hypocrisy =)).
I'm not pointing at any single Cullen hater when saying this. Cause that's not fair nor do I believe this is the beef everybody have. But I highly, highly doubt he'd be this polarising for any other reason.
That's true. Hell, people have been going on about/squeeing over Morrigan and Leliana for years and they don't have legions of people giving them hell. Is that because Morrigan and Leliana have a large male fanbase? Most likely.
And no, I'm not a feminist or a femi****. I see the attraction to them as much as the next person... I don't find Morrigan attractive though, but that's because she looks too much like me and that would be weird.
Yeeah, I wasn't going to go there, but yes, this is the darker side I'm talking about. The anti-fangirl sentiment meets the anti-templar sentiment and goes boom.
That's similar to what happens to threads that mention Anders. The second someone even hints at Anders in any way, the thread explodes with "OMG he's a freakin' terrorist" and "he's a hero to all mages" comments. <_<
Yeeah, I wasn't going to go there, but yes, this is the darker side I'm talking about. The anti-fangirl sentiment meets the anti-templar sentiment and goes boom.
That's similar to what happens to threads that mention Anders. The second someone even hints at Anders in any way, the thread explodes with "OMG he's a freakin' terrorist" and "he's a hero to all mages" comments. <_<
I think Alistair got quite a lot of hate back in the day, too.
Why the attention he get's is negative however is mostly because he is a templar.The DA fandom hates templars truth being told, and one of them being so popular doesn't sit well with most of them...
Yeah, I dunno. This is what I used to think... before they released the first three companions. But then nothing changed, and it could be argued that it's a bit worse now. Importantly, Cassandra is as much a templar as Cullen. I think it's a bit deeper, showing the darker side of the fandom. Cullen fans are too easy a target.
I'll be the one pointing at the elephant in the room. I believe it, at large, comes down to misogyny. The typical Cullen fan is portrayed as a giggling woman, and one cannot have giggling women. See also reactions to litterature like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight where we see similar tendencies (I happen to dislike both of the latter, but it's for very different reasons than "lots of girls like a boy in this :crying:" - just putting that out there so I'm not called out on hypocrisy =)).
I'm not pointing at any single Cullen hater when saying this. Cause that's not fair nor do I believe this is the beef everybody have. But I highly, highly doubt he'd be this polarising for any other reason.
That's true. Hell, people have been going on about/squeeing over Morrigan and Leliana for years and they don't have legions of people giving them hell. Is that because Morrigan and Leliana have a large male fanbase? Most likely.
And no, I'm not a feminist or a femi****. I see the attraction to them as much as the next person... I don't find Morrigan attractive though, but that's because she looks too much like me and that would be weird.
Why the attention he get's is negative however is mostly because he is a templar.The DA fandom hates templars truth being told, and one of them being so popular doesn't sit well with most of them...
Yeah, I dunno. This is what I used to think... before they released the first three companions. But then nothing changed, and it could be argued that it's a bit worse now. Importantly, Cassandra is as much a templar as Cullen. I think it's a bit deeper, showing the darker side of the fandom. Cullen fans are too easy a target.
I'll be the one pointing at the elephant in the room. I believe it, at large, comes down to misogyny. The typical Cullen fan is portrayed as a giggling woman, and one cannot have giggling women. See also reactions to litterature like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight where we see similar tendencies (I happen to dislike both of the latter, but it's for very different reasons than "lots of girls like a boy in this :crying:" - just putting that out there so I'm not called out on hypocrisy =)).
I'm not pointing at any single Cullen hater when saying this. Cause that's not fair nor do I believe this is the beef everybody have. But I highly, highly doubt he'd be this polarising for any other reason.
That's true. Hell, people have been going on about/squeeing over Morrigan and Leliana for years and they don't have legions of people giving them hell. Is that because Morrigan and Leliana have a large male fanbase? Most likely.
And no, I'm not a feminist or a femi****. I see the attraction to them as much as the next person... I don't find Morrigan attractive though, but that's because she looks too much like me and that would be weird.
Call me maybe?
So long as you don't give me any weird pet names! :lol:
Why the attention he get's is negative however is mostly because he is a templar.The DA fandom hates templars truth being told, and one of them being so popular doesn't sit well with most of them...
Yeah, I dunno. This is what I used to think... before they released the first three companions. But then nothing changed, and it could be argued that it's a bit worse now. Importantly, Cassandra is as much a templar as Cullen. I think it's a bit deeper, showing the darker side of the fandom. Cullen fans are too easy a target.
I'll be the one pointing at the elephant in the room. I believe it, at large, comes down to misogyny. The typical Cullen fan is portrayed as a giggling woman, and one cannot have giggling women. See also reactions to litterature like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight where we see similar tendencies (I happen to dislike both of the latter, but it's for very different reasons than "lots of girls like a boy in this :crying:" - just putting that out there so I'm not called out on hypocrisy =)).
I'm not pointing at any single Cullen hater when saying this. Cause that's not fair nor do I believe this is the beef everybody have. But I highly, highly doubt he'd be this polarising for any other reason.
That's true. Hell, people have been going on about/squeeing over Morrigan and Leliana for years and they don't have legions of people giving them hell. Is that because Morrigan and Leliana have a large male fanbase? Most likely.
And no, I'm not a feminist or a femi****. I see the attraction to them as much as the next person... I don't find Morrigan attractive though, but that's because she looks too much like me and that would be weird.
Call me maybe?
So long as you don't give me any weird pet names! :lol:
Ugh moderator logic, leave the troll threads open and lock the Cullen fan response thread for starting on the Cullen fans.
Ugh, I've reported it. The OP specifically calls on folks to comment on "Cullen and his fanbase." Seriously?
i'm sick and tired of all these "why is Cullen so popular, and what's wrong with his fans" threads that have been popping up lately. I've tried to ignore them, but it gets hard when those threads attract trolls to our safe haven.
Ugh moderator logic, leave the troll threads open and lock the Cullen fan response thread for starting on the Cullen fans.
Ugh, I've reported it. The OP specifically calls on folks to comment on "Cullen and his fanbase." Seriously?
i'm sick and tired of all these "why is Cullen so popular, and what's wrong with his fans" threads that have been popping up lately. I've tried to ignore them, but it gets hard when those threads attract trolls to our safe haven.
I've been considering just ditching the BSN, but then I'd lose touch with you guys and I need to be here to gather info for my Dragon Age videos. Keeps me ahead of the game, LOL!
@ Battries
The idea you have is really cool and hopefully it will work! Well it should for people who aren't just trolling lol! I only have one big thing and I want you to know I'm not trying to pick a fight or yelling or anything!
Ok so I know this is annoying because it's so politically correct but my only thing about it is I'm not sure loony is the right term to use when describing him and his situation because it's very pejorative. After all, loony is short for lunatic. A person wouldn't call Sandal retarded because it's offensive and not 100% accurate even if it seems like it is. Words like crazy, psycho, loony and nutcase are all used as derogatory terms for people suffering from mental illness or disabilities including but not limited too PTSD (which I'm almost certain the guy has.). When someone uses a term like these it really does increase the stigma around mental illness.
Now I can understand not saying that he has PTSD because he was obviously never diagnosed lol! That's just a theory we have so saying that he absolutely has it may be seen as bias. In regards to loony however, It would only take a word change and a couple of sentences being moved around like,
**
- Cullen in a Templar whom you first meet in Dragon Age: Origins. Remember that (agitated/distraught/troubled/overwrought ect) Templar you meet during the Circle of Magi main quest, screaming at you at to kill all the mages – even possibly the innocent? In the pink force field cage? Yeah that was him.
His aggression can be explained because during this time, Uldred and his blood mages revolted and took over the Circle of Magi. During this exchange, Cullen and several other Templars were captured and tortured for weeks, or possibly even months. He was the only one to survive
Although his role here is small even if you play as a mage yourself. It is certainly easy to forget in the scope of the entire game.
***
Obviously you can do it however you want and I know my words aren't as much fun but it's the principle dagnabbit! Lol anyway again I don't want to word police you and I really really don't want to offended you or anything but just a slight editing on that word would be so awesome!
: D
Ugh moderator logic, leave the troll threads open and lock the Cullen fan response thread for starting on the Cullen fans.
Ugh, I've reported it. The OP specifically calls on folks to comment on "Cullen and his fanbase." Seriously?
i'm sick and tired of all these "why is Cullen so popular, and what's wrong with his fans" threads that have been popping up lately. I've tried to ignore them, but it gets hard when those threads attract trolls to our safe haven.
I've been considering just ditching the BSN, but then I'd lose touch with you guys and I need to be here to gather info for my Dragon Age videos. Keeps me ahead of the game, LOL!
Yeah, LOL, I haven't completely given up on the BSN yet. Yet. This thread is still going strong, and I'm willing to stay here for the good company and for Cullen.
Why the attention he get's is negative however is mostly because he is a templar.The DA fandom hates templars truth being told, and one of them being so popular doesn't sit well with most of them...
Yeah, I dunno. This is what I used to think... before they released the first three companions. But then nothing changed, and it could be argued that it's a bit worse now. Importantly, Cassandra is as much a templar as Cullen. I think it's a bit deeper, showing the darker side of the fandom. Cullen fans are too easy a target.
I'll be the one pointing at the elephant in the room. I believe it, at large, comes down to misogyny. The typical Cullen fan is portrayed as a giggling woman, and one cannot have giggling women. See also reactions to litterature like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight where we see similar tendencies (I happen to dislike both of the latter, but it's for very different reasons than "lots of girls like a boy in this :crying:" - just putting that out there so I'm not called out on hypocrisy =)).
I'm not pointing at any single Cullen hater when saying this. Cause that's not fair nor do I believe this is the beef everybody have. But I highly, highly doubt he'd be this polarising for any other reason.
Yeeah, I wasn't going to go there, but yes, this is the darker side I'm talking about. The anti-fangirl sentiment meets the anti-templar sentiment and goes boom.
Pretty much this...A very unfair notion if you ask me, considering that the image of the rabid fangirl they have in mind when they hear about Cullen's fans is wrong in every aspect.
Retour en haut
Surana's second coming. This time, the elf will not let him run away.
