89415 réponses à ce sujet

[R2s Muse]

Agree, brush, none of them are universally bad or good, which I think is an ambiguity for which the writers have striven but have not always succeeded. Bringing us back full circle to the fact that it would be nice to see more of the internal workings of the non-mage factions, not just the templars but the Chantry as well. How do these various groups attempt to use the benign nature of the Chant for their own worldly purposes?

EDIT: Eek, page 475! Gotta finish my fic!! 

For fun, here's another fun Cullen photomanip from rhulaurious on tumblr. It's just a speedo, so hopefully not really NSFW.

Modifié par R2s Muse, 31 août 2012 - 01:12 .

[brushyourteeth]

berelinde wrote...

The idea of forcing suspected mages to prove that they have no magical abilities is chilling. How do you prove the non-existance of a voluntary ability? Torture? Thedas is in for a rough time, it seems.

Under normal circumstances, I could see it definitely coming to that. But in Thedas, I think they'll have pretty straightforward ways to determine if someone has magic or not - the doors to the rooms where the Circles house their phylacteries won't open unless touched by both a mage and a templar, for instance. And possibly making a phylactery for a normal person wouldn't glow with magic the way it does for a mage, etc.

Of course that totally does not mean that the sadistic or the uneducated wouldn't take themselves out a-mage-huntin' and torture people either just for kicks or out of ignorance. If that happened I'd imagine peddlers on every street trying to sell cheap baubles that will prove you aren't a mage or magically ward the mages/templars away when you wore it.

[brushyourteeth]

R2s Muse wrote...

For fun, here's another fun Cullen photomanip from rhulaurious on tumblr. It's just a speedo, so hopefully not really NSFW.

Is this an advertisement for pool toys? Because it definitely took me a few minutes to even notice he was holding one. 

[R2s Muse]

brushyourteeth wrote...

berelinde wrote...

The idea of forcing suspected mages to prove that they have no magical abilities is chilling. How do you prove the non-existance of a voluntary ability? Torture? Thedas is in for a rough time, it seems.

Under normal circumstances, I could see it definitely coming to that. But in Thedas, I think they'll have pretty straightforward ways to determine if someone has magic or not - the doors to the rooms where the Circles house their phylacteries won't open unless touched by both a mage and a templar, for instance. And possibly making a phylactery for a normal person wouldn't glow with magic the way it does for a mage, etc.

Of course that totally does not mean that the sadistic or the uneducated wouldn't take themselves out a-mage-huntin' and torture people either just for kicks or out of ignorance. If that happened I'd imagine peddlers on every street trying to sell cheap baubles that will prove you aren't a mage or magically ward the mages/templars away when you wore it.

You know I have another headcanon (OK, well, I'll admit it's a scene in a new story) where during war, they don't feel that have the time or luxury to definitively prove someone's a mage anymore. They're often faced with uncertainty out in the field, so have to make command decisions. Who knows. Plausible, I think.

I LOVE love love the idea of magic-detecting baubles and superstitions popping up all over the markets, though... in fact... may I perhaps borrow that idea??  

Modifié par R2s Muse, 31 août 2012 - 01:35 .

[R2s Muse]

brushyourteeth wrote...

R2s Muse wrote...

For fun, here's another fun Cullen photomanip from rhulaurious on tumblr. It's just a speedo, so hopefully not really NSFW.

Is this an advertisement for pool toys? Because it definitely took me a few minutes to even notice he was holding one.  [smilie]http://social.bioware.com/images/forum/emoticons/wink.png[/smilie]

*grumble* formatting*grumble*

LOL No kidding. Did I really say, "just a speedo"?? 

Modifié par R2s Muse, 31 août 2012 - 01:34 .

[brushyourteeth]

R2s Muse wrote...

brushyourteeth wrote...

berelinde wrote...

The idea of forcing suspected mages to prove that they have no magical abilities is chilling. How do you prove the non-existance of a voluntary ability? Torture? Thedas is in for a rough time, it seems.

Under normal circumstances, I could see it definitely coming to that. But in Thedas, I think they'll have pretty straightforward ways to determine if someone has magic or not - the doors to the rooms where the Circles house their phylacteries won't open unless touched by both a mage and a templar, for instance. And possibly making a phylactery for a normal person wouldn't glow with magic the way it does for a mage, etc.

Of course that totally does not mean that the sadistic or the uneducated wouldn't take themselves out a-mage-huntin' and torture people either just for kicks or out of ignorance. If that happened I'd imagine peddlers on every street trying to sell cheap baubles that will prove you aren't a mage or magically ward the mages/templars away when you wore it.

You know I have another headcanon (OK, well, I'll admit it's a scene in a new story) where during war, they don't feel that have the time or luxury to definitively prove someone's a mage anymore. They're often faced with uncertainty out in the field, so have to make command decisions. Who knows. Plausible, I think.

I LOVE love love the idea of magic-detecting baubles and superstitions popping up all over the markets, though... in fact... may I perhaps borrow that idea??  

Go for it! Perfect "profession" for someone skeezy like Samson, I'd say.

And I can see you being completely right about the above - though of course from a purely gaming standpoint I have to think "pssst. Templar Joe! Pick up the one carrying a staff and wearing mostly cloth!" 

... I mean, to a certain extent it shouldn't be rocket surgery, right? We all had that moment as mage Hawke where Cullen was like "Thanks for your assistance! You can never be too vigilant with these mages!" herp derp.

[R2s Muse]

LOL I know. In gameplay!Thedas, the robes and staves are a little hard to miss! Plus, of course, the rockets red blare and bombs bursting in air of the, um, daily? magical battles that break out in the streets are also a bit of a give away. LOL

In real!Thedas, I have to imagine it's harder to tell. Esp with superstitious townsfolk who could easily pin magehood on a rival by pure peer pressure.

edit: Oh, and thanks! yeah, I could see someone like Samson being a charlatan cure hawker.

"Get your magebane here! Magebane here! Never get waylaid by a mage again. 100% guaranteed to neutralize their power if they walk within 10 feet!"

Modifié par R2s Muse, 31 août 2012 - 01:45 .

[brushyourteeth]

Yeah, real-life Thedas is a whole different story, and probably makes for much richer writing material.

Which, by the way, I totally want to read when you're done!

And also, by the way, you're officially allowed to use or openly mock any/all of my ideas for forever since you're the creator of my beloved fur stole banners!

[R2s Muse]

Hee hee, thanks, and you're welcome! The make me smile every time I see them in their stinking animal carcassy glory.

Ah, my little page 500 story is really coming along. Ahem... is it hot in here?? Tee hee hee. 

Modifié par R2s Muse, 31 août 2012 - 02:08 .

[Dwarva]

Wow there's a serious lack of Dragon Age baked goods on Google...

I feel the need to remedy that...

I'll probably write a fic too. You lot aren't judging me right?

[R2s Muse]

Heck no... fic and bake goods all around!! W00t!

[Dwarva]

Yep. Definitely thinking a Cullen/Carver fic is in order...

[VampOrchid]

No judgement here!

[berelinde]

brushyourteeth wrote...

berelinde wrote...

The idea of forcing suspected mages to prove that they have no magical abilities is chilling. How do you prove the non-existance of a voluntary ability? Torture? Thedas is in for a rough time, it seems.

Under normal circumstances, I could see it definitely coming to that. But in Thedas, I think they'll have pretty straightforward ways to determine if someone has magic or not - the doors to the rooms where the Circles house their phylacteries won't open unless touched by both a mage and a templar, for instance. And possibly making a phylactery for a normal person wouldn't glow with magic the way it does for a mage, etc.

Of course that totally does not mean that the sadistic or the uneducated wouldn't take themselves out a-mage-huntin' and torture people either just for kicks or out of ignorance. If that happened I'd imagine peddlers on every street trying to sell cheap baubles that will prove you aren't a mage or magically ward the mages/templars away when you wore it.

You can't actually use the doors to the phylactery chamber as a test for magic. They need to "feel the touch of mana". Your mage can touch the door all day and she'll get nothing out of it but splinters. She needs to actually cast a spell for the door to open.

That's probably why the templars don't come for children until their talents have manifested (usually in some alarming or tragic way). If testing were as easy as a touch-test or a blood test, they could just check children from magic-prone families early and save the potential trauma of finding out the hard way.

Anyway, on a completely different subject, I introduced my twin sister to DA2 earlier this week. She has literally never played a computer game in her life, so I thought that starting her out on 2 would be easier than starting her out on DA:O. It was painful at first. I've been playing computer games since Baldur's Gate, so I'm familiar with that whole point-and-click thing, but it's all very, very new to her. During the tutorial at the beginning, I had to walk her through it step by step. ("No, sis, right click to select a target. Your other right." etc.) Anyway, after about two hours, we were finally at the ogre fight. 

Me: "OK, the first thing he's going to do is charge. If he hits you, it's going to hurt."
Sis: "So, what do I do?"
Me: "Kite. Don't be standing in his line of charge."
Sis: "How do I get out of the way?"
Me: "Right click somewhere else. Your other right."
Sis: "Now what?"
Me: "Unpause the game."
(Ogre charges, misses her, hits Bethany and one-shots the one with the heal spell.)
Sis: "What now?"
Me: "That will add a bit of challenge. I don't usually run rogues, but I'd try a backstab."
(She literally two-shots the ogre. My jaw hits the desk. It leaves a dent.)

That was on Monday. Last night, I came home from work and checked in to see if she had played any more since Monday. She told me that she was fighting some rock-skeleton thing. I was flabbergasted. I have never burned through Act 1 that fast ever. I asked her if she did all of the quests. She said that she had, but that she missed recruiting Isabela. Since she was only level 11, I figured that that wasn't the only quest she missed, but there was no point in bringing it up. She has the strategy guide in front of her. If she skipped quests, it was her choice. Anyway, she did manage to kill the rock wraith... after I told her to duck behind the pillars to avoid the red light... and I watched the part where Bethany gets taken to the Circle.

Me: "So, what do you think of Cullen? He's the templar who's taking Bethany away. You've met him before."
Sis: "Yeah, he's a total deck."
Me (dies laughing) "You wouldn't believe the fanclub he has on the forums."
Sis: "They need help."
Me: (resurrects and dies again)  "So, who do you like?"
Sis: "Bethany, Varric, and Aveline."
Me: "You like Bethany? Don't you find her a little dull?"
Sis: "She doesn't give me grief."
Me: "I guess there's that. What do you think of Merrill?"
Sis: "She needs a cheeseburger."
Me: "Elves are like that. Doesn't she remind you of <a friend of ours>?"
Sis: "Yeah, now that you mention it. I like Anders, too, but I ticked him off pretty good before."
Me: "That isn't hard to do. He's pretty touchy about mages."
Sis: "Yeah, I think it was that whole demon inside thing."
Me: "Well, you're right in the middle of the friendship/rivalry slider, so no romance for you with him."
Sis: "That's OK."
Me: "How about Fenris? He's romanceable, too."
Sis: "Can't stand him. Besides, my guy is male."
Me: "Doesn't matter."
Sis: "Uh... no. Just no." (she's kinda conservative)
Me: "There's always Merrill. Too bad you missed Isabela. Her romance is a hoot."
Sis: "Aren't blood mages supposed to be evil?"
Me: "Aren't rogues supposed to be untrustworthy theives?" (she's playing the most lawful rogue *ever*)
Sis: "Ah. Well, we'll see. I think I did some chick at the brothel."
Me: "You don't know?"
Sis: "All I heard was a zipper."
Me: "That isn't exactly a romance. Well, there's always next game."

Anyway, I'm glad she's enjoying the game. It is funny about her thoughts on Cullen. I wonder if you have to meet him in DA:O to like him.

[R2s Muse]

LOL Berelinde. "She needs a cheeseburger."

Wait til she sees Cullen stand up for her against Meredith! Maybe that will be different. She hasn't met evolved!Cullen yet, just the one who chucked her sister in jail and said she can't be treated like other people. :shrug: For me, all it took was DA2... I didn't actually like him in DA:O when I first played. (*ducks*tomatoes*)

[LolaLei]

It's definitely easy to write him off as a bit of a jerk at first in DA2. Firstly he doesn't look enough like his DA:O counterpart to be recognised by people who didn't do the Mage origin/wasn't particularly interested in the minor NPC's so it's easy to forget his torture in DA:O. And secondly if you've not played DA:O before then he just comes across as a Mage hater because new players don't know his history; And the rest of us was expecting him to be an arse because of his DA:O prologues.
It's only later in the game that you realise there's a lot more to him than initially meets the eye. I was surprised at how he developed/matured throughout the game. But that's what's so great about the character, there's so much more to him than what we've seen. I just hope DA3 gives us the opportunity to get to know him intimately within a companion/LI role.

[R2s Muse]

OH man... DONE! Bring on Page 500!! woo hooo!! I decided to flesh out in advance the first kiss from a new story and... I'm a little pleased with how it turned out. Hopefully you'll all agree.

Of course... it probably won't compare to Staarbux's cullen/carver fic... LMAO But, I'm lookin' forward to that, too. LOL

:happydance:

150x136http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l520/eventually1/Snoopy-Happy-Dance.jpg[/IMG]

Modifié par R2s Muse, 31 août 2012 - 04:17 .

[Crimson Moon]

I have a feeling that we would be trolled by Bioware, and Cullen would be a companion-only and can't be wooed. It would be such a tease to be able to see but not to touch. lol

Modifié par Crimson Moon, 31 août 2012 - 04:20 .

[LolaLei]

Lol James is awesome! Such a meathead.

It wouldn't surprise me if they made Cullen unromanceable just to troll us, Bioware can be a harsh Mistress. But I'd like to think that if my theory about Cullen's possible writer/editor is correct, then the way the editor was squeeing over the script suggests that he's romancable (if he is indeed a companion. It's all just speculation on my part, nothing gospel.)

Modifié par LolaLei, 31 août 2012 - 04:39 .

[LolaLei]

Interest tweet from Ben Gelinas:

"Crazy thing I'm making at work right now has me busting my ass harder than any news story ever did. But it's looking so good I don't care."

----------

In response to comment: "Can't wait for news about DA3 i hope you will have some soon."

[R2s Muse]

Who's Ben Gelinas?

[brushyourteeth]

berelinde wrote...

You can't actually use the doors to the phylactery chamber as a test for magic. They need to "feel the touch of mana". Your mage can touch the door all day and she'll get nothing out of it but splinters. She needs to actually cast a spell for the door to open.

That's probably why the templars don't come for children until their talents have manifested (usually in some alarming or tragic way). If testing were as easy as a touch-test or a blood test, they could just check children from magic-prone families early and save the potential trauma of finding out the hard way.

Well of course I never intended to say that they'd lug the phylactery doors everywhere or that there'd be a simple, portable test - just that if the Templars did take people and lock them up, they may well have devised a better method than torturing them to find out if they're mages. Even if (and sadly, I can see some sickos doing this) they lure a demon to the prison and watch what it does to see which people are mages and which are mundanes.

But even the original Inquisition didn't hunt mages, really - just blood mages and abominations. The rogue Templars may not even bother trying to round up random people and check them for magehood, though that probably wouldn't stop a few village mobs with torches and pitchforks.

Your sister sounds hilarious, BTW! I went through that process with teaching my dad how to play Skyrim. He's pretty good now, but it's still impossible to convince him that picking up every last tankard and wooden spoon isn't going to eventually make him a mightier dragonborn. 

[R2s Muse]

brushyourteeth wrote...

But even the original Inquisition didn't hunt mages, really - just blood mages and abominations. The rogue Templars may not even bother trying to round up random people and check them for magehood, though that probably wouldn't stop a few village mobs with torches and pitchforks.

But also heretics and cultists, which is in some sense worse because it seems it was not just about magic but more about who they deemed to be a threat -- arguably an even less clear cut measure for who to hunt than magic use.