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[JeffZero]

Testing something. Please standby. . . . 

 

Spoiler

Is this how it's done? Is this how you post spoilers? If so, here's a trial spoiler: ROME IS INVADED BY BARBARIAN TRIBES.

[TheLittleBird]

Testing something. Please standby. . . . 

 

Spoiler

Is this how it's done? Is this how you post spoilers? If so, here's a trial spoiler: ROME IS INVADED BY BARBARIAN TRIBES.

 I accidentally clicked on that tag -yes, it works! -.. oh my god... my whole life is ruined right now. Damn, I knew I've should have started reading that history book a little sooner than I did.

[JeffZero]

OK, it works! Good. I'm at a PC for a few moments so I thought now would be a good time to go over Asunder in a bit more detail, with proper formatting so as not to offend our road sign friend whose name escapes me but stands proudly over some very verdant plains.

 

ASUNDER SPOILERS

YOU MIGHT SAY, "SPOILERS ASUNDER"

BUT DON'T

BECAUSE THAT'S WEIRD AND MAKES NO SENSE

BUT YOU HAVE TO ADMIT IT FLOWS OFF THE TONGUE RATHER NICELY

 

Spoiler

Well, I suppose I've already done the whole this book is great routine, so I'll dive into a few specific things which popped out at me.

 

For one, Cole is terrific. I've seen a lot of collective sighing about him, like he's some sort of trite Gary Stu or a one-trick pony or something. The latter may be somewhat true, but I was hooked to his emotional journey the whole nine yards. Or maybe I'm mistaking grievances with the possibility of his being a companion (apropos to that age-old marketing leak) with genuine dissatisfaction with his character in the novel? I don't know. Either way, meh. I want him in my party for Inquisition. Wouldn't he make the most DLC character ever? Grammatical failure intentional. He really would. I mean think about it. Look at this and tell me it's not D1DLC territory, regardless of your opinions on D1DLC:

 

Preorder Dragon Age Inquisition today and get the GHOST OF THE SPIRE downloadable content pack for free! Hunted by a corrupt order, visible to none but a select few, Cole has come before the Inquisitor in a time of great peril. But does this mystery man harbor a deadly secret? Embark on three exclusive missions as you unlock the enigma behind this disappearing rogue. Includes a brand new companion, a set of quests in an all-new location and the Seeker's Blood, a bold new weapon!

 

It's so perfect because if you don't have the DLC you can just say you can't see him. Ha! I crack myself up sometimes... but really, I probably shouldn't. It's not that funny. But I laughed dammit.

 

Anyway, companion or not, visible in Inquisition at all or not, I like Cole.

 

I like everyone in this book, really. And while I'm the sort who rarely dislikes many characters (it takes very particular varieties, or an overall feeling of dissatisfaction with a character's purpose for existing, basically; everything else is flavor, regardless of my personal views) The Stolen Throne and The Calling definitely had more characters I didn't especially care about. Not so with Asunder. Even Adrian was captivating in a nagging "this chick reminds me of my ex, if my ex were given magical powers and ample political ambition" sort of way.

 

I also think David Gaider's romance writing became more and more up-my-alley as his books went on; although the subjects of the love square in The Stolen Throne were generally relatively fascinating, the passages about unrequited feelings were a definite bore to me more often than not, Katriel's true loyalties and how they factored in (and factored out... ohh) notwithstanding. The Calling's Maric-and-Fiona thing was only captivating insofar as Fiona couldn't stand Maric and was made to see he wasn't so bad, but the less-said Julian-and-Nicholas thing and the darkness of Maric and "Katriel" grabbed me. But then Rhys and Evangeline kind of grabbed me more than any of that, probably because of the templar-and-mage thing, but as well because I'm a sucker for conflicting-loyalties storylines like these. From a meta perspective (which I try to avoid when considering this sort of analysis, but alas) it probably helped that I didn't know right off the bat what would become of Rhys.

 

I guess as a disclaimer I should mention that romances have to be really good in books for me to ever cite them as a major element of my enjoyment; at least on-screen I can link to chemistry between actors sometimes, but novels lack that by their nature and I'm pretty picky about what sorts of romance genuinely hook me instead of just being another part of the whole. No doubt you can surmise I never read books which use romance as their main thrust and everything else exists perfunctory of it.

 

Moving back to the issue of the cast, so many terrific appearances here. Wynne. Fiona. Shale. Leliana. Oh, it's grand. Speaking of grand, Justinia V is a terrific new character. I hope she doesn't explode during that opening sequence we know about, what with the "you're at the epicenter" thing and all. Or if she does, well, damn, I'll at least have known how cool she was. Gaider really gave character intrigue his all with this one. And yet for all these encore appearances of previously-established characters it's all relevant and vital and none of it feels like a shoe-in cameo or makes Thedas feel smaller. Gaider hand-picked the right characters for the right roles, avoiding excess, hearkening back to the Good Writer's Guidebook in one of its most precious lessons: "characters ought exist to service the plot, be that their plot or the bigger picture. Characters which do neither ought exist to properly enforce the setting. If the setting is lessened for a character's conspicuous and unlikely appearance, the character ought be omitted."

 

OK, so that guidebook doesn't exist and I made up that phrasing, but I didn't make up the lesson. Y'all know what I mean, I assume. Don't shoehorn ridiculously unlikely appearances for fan cred; go with the recognizable names which have business in your story and leave it at that. Otherwise Thedas starts feeling like it may as well be the size of Lothering, or to borrow another video game franchise as an example, the Metal Gear universe.

 

Wynne's relationship with her son was really well done. As was her questioning of why she still remained and her ultimate end. I definitely teared up when she passed and I definitely teared up again during her wake. How long she would live after fulfilling her duty in thwarting the Blight was a thing I had wondered; it's a shame I didn't get the ambient dialogue between she and Alistair (it was Alistair, right?) which references her having a son somewhere, but it was so cool finding out about that in Asunder. Leliana singing her song was so beautiful, too, even if by then I was thinking long and hard about how perfect "I'm Not Calling You A Liar" is for nonexistent Asunder ending credits.

 

Seriously, who wants to act in my film presentation of this book? BRB, changing my major and purchasing camera equipment. Let's do this BSNers.

 

The last thing I want to address is Lord Seeker Lambert and his end (and bookend). Here was a great villain. Everything he does was logical, if intensely cold. Evangeline eventually discovered what had shaped him and Adrian was revealed to have framed Rhys, thus Lambert never even crossed that line into utter forgery to get his way. I don't know that he wouldn't have necessarily considered it, but it was an intriguing pseudo-redemption to learn that Rhys was right, that he hadn't lied, he'd been fooled. Lambert clung to his uber-reactionary ideals, never losing sight, never doubting them, and that drove him toward some despicable deeds, but they were all understandable within his pathos. He wasn't power-hungry so much as he was hungry for the power he "knew" he needed to accomplish what he believed was absolutely necessary. I like a good variety of antagonists and Dragon Age has done reasonably well thus far in offering me a smorgasbord. Lambert continues to fuel that legacy by providing someone who to me was essentially an even better Meredith. Also, I pictured him looking like this guy the entire time:

 

 

Just saying.

 

And that epilogue... man, that's how you end Asunder. Which is just as well because it's how David Gaider ended Asunder. I was kind of anticipating that Lambert might show up in Inquisition and I was looking forward to it, even, but no, screw that. Cole got you, baby. 

 

"I want you to look me in the eyes."

 

Fade to black.

 

"I'm Not Calling You A Liar" begins playing.

 

I insist.

[JeffZero]

 I accidentally clicked on that tag -yes, it works! -.. oh my god... my whole life is ruined right now. Damn, I knew I've should have started reading that history book a little sooner than I did.

 

Teehee~

[Kidd]

I just spent a few hours reading through this entire thread. Oh it was so worth it ^^ I second (third... twenty?) the notion that you really should chronicle your adventures in Inquisition like this as well, Jeff =) I was really enthralled! Reading about you wrestling with issues and generally taking notice of different things, sharing thoughts on what you saw and what you thought were around the corner - it all amounted to a very nice afternoon reading experience

 

The ending choice with Anders truly is polarising and that's why I love it so much. My first Hawke was a mage who romanced Anders, and seeing what he did shook my resolve amazingly. "Is this what it means to accept no compromise? Is this the kind of sacrifice we will have to accept? Was this truly what I signed up for? Did I ever understand what all those words uttered in longing rage truly meant?"

 

Nodding silently to myself I allowed Hawke to shield Anders from Sebastian's anger and decided that this was not the end. This was just the beginning. Starting today we are fugitives who fight for a better world. For Bethany's memory. For all the mages oppressed in our city and beyond. But perhaps most importantly; for us. That's when Anders said a line that ripped open the tear canals in my eyes so completely;

Spoiler

"Ten years, a hundred years from now. Someone like me will love someone like you. And there will be no templars to tear them apart."

 

Amusingly, a friend of mine recently finished his first playthrough of DA2 as well, also romancing Anders and supporting the mages. Turns out he felt a lot more betrayed than me though. He murder knife'd Anders and joined with Meredith at the end, explaining his actions with the words words "Anders was the best mages had to offer. If even he could not rise above such things, then nobody can. They are too dangerous to live."

 

Certainly a very emotional response and not one I shared, but I'll be damned if it doesn't show just how brilliantly written this game is when people can have such reactions!

 

Asunder spoiler

Spoiler

Please let Cole be huggable in Inquisition! I want to hug him so bad ;_; Poor little boy is like an oh-so-dear yet oh-so-lost puppy.

[JeffZero]

D'aww, thank you, Kidd! I'm definitely starting to seriously consider doing an Inquisition thread now. 

 

Beautiful interpretation of the Anders deal, and beautifully said by both your friend and yourself. I'm thinking of maybe romancing him next time I play through the game. That's a hell of a powerful climax to the relationship, for good or ill depending on who you ask. 

 

My goodness that line you put in spoilers is good.

[Lulupab]

D'aww, thank you, Kidd! I'm definitely starting to seriously consider doing an Inquisition thread now. 

 

Beautiful interpretation of the Anders deal, and beautifully said by both your friend and yourself. I'm thinking of maybe romancing him next time I play through the game. That's a hell of a powerful climax to the relationship, for good or ill depending on who you ask. 

 

My goodness that line you put in spoilers is good.

 

I actually cried too Jeff. I think kidd had M/M romance. Adners has another line that is special to lady Hawke!

[Blankeflos]

OMG, I was ready to hit Post to say I just read your whole experience with DAII in a single sitting when I saw Kidd just did the same! I think that says something about your decision on starting an Inquisition thread, uh? We could all share our opinions as we play, though I don't know how would we manage to stay spoiler-free.

 

My experience with DAII was similar to yours. I first played the ME trilogy and then decided to give a chance to DA. While I agree DA:O was waaay better than I expected (I have little to no interest in medieval fantasy stuff to be honest), my liking to it completely pales in comparison of my love for DAII. It’s been 2 years now that I finished my first DAII playthrough and it’s really refreshing to read an unbiased positive review on this game for a change. Seriously, I could bear hug you right now if you were in front of me! 

[Kidd]

Beautiful interpretation of the Anders deal, and beautifully said by both your friend and yourself. I'm thinking of maybe romancing him next time I play through the game. That's a hell of a powerful climax to the relationship, for good or ill depending on who you ask. 

 

My goodness that line you put in spoilers is good.

That's the power of Jennifer Brandes Hepler. Too bad the last we see of her writing will be Inquisition. But hey, at least we have one more game =)

 

I actually cried too Jeff. I think kidd had M/M romance. Adners has another line that is special to lady Hawke!

I played F/M actually, cause I'm one of those people who roll LadyHawkes almost every time to revel in how I'm playing a non-male protagonist. Nothing wrong with male protagonists, but I'm not exaggerating when I say I've played women in less than 10% of the titles I've been playing in my 24 year-long gaming career. But I totally run a few Garretts and a few BroSheps for M/M representation in my gaming as well~

 

That line is said if you romance Anders on the friend path and side with the mages during The Last Straw, regardless of gender. If you side differently or rivalmance him, I'm sure some lines are swapped out.

 

 

OMG, I was ready to hit Post to say I just read your whole experience with DAII in a single sitting when I saw Kidd just did the same! I think that says something about your decision on starting an Inquisition thread, uh? We could all share our opinions as we play, though I don't know how would we manage to stay spoiler-free.

I'm going offline 100% once Inquisition hits, I think. But I'd gladly read up on such a thread after I finish my first playthrough to see what's going on in other worlds where the Inquisitor is somebody else =)

[JeffZero]

You know, that's actually the one thing that's tempting me to only do a thread for my second run, which would, sadly, by its very nature kind of defeat a lot of the allure as I understand it. I want to go dark when Inquisition hits, but mostly because this place always becomes such a cesspool of negativity when a game launches and I don't really want to have to deal with that. I really love Mass Effect 3 and although I wasn't in the DA2 forum when it hit I still heard a lot of backlash against it which trickled down into the Mass Effect boards only to discover that it too is a great game. But I really kinda detest reading all those negative and angry comments while I'm trying to enjoy something. 

 

So I gotta weigh that and figure out what to do.

 

"Many decisions lie ahead. None of them easy." -Mass Effect launch trailer, 2007

[Blankeflos]

You know, that's actually the one thing that's tempting me to only do a thread for my second run, which would, sadly, by its very nature kind of defeat a lot of the allure as I understand it. I want to go dark when Inquisition hits, but mostly because this place always becomes such a cesspool of negativity when a game launches and I don't really want to have to deal with that. I really love Mass Effect 3 and although I wasn't in the DA2 forum when it hit I still heard a lot of backlash against it which trickled down into the Mass Effect boards only to discover that it too is a great game. But I really kinda detest reading all those negative and angry comments while I'm trying to enjoy something. 

 

So I gotta weigh that and figure out what to do.

 

"Many decisions lie ahead. None of them easy." -Mass Effect launch trailer, 2007

 

Yeah, I hate this negativity. I also love ME3 but I always felt BSN kind of damaged it for me with all the criticism. I'm not making the same mistake again, I'm definitely going offline until I finish my first DA:I playthrough. I'm sure I can only publicly admit my love for DAII without fearing I might have a brain tumor because I wasn't around when the game was released!   

[Kidd]

You know, that's actually the one thing that's tempting me to only do a thread for my second run, which would, sadly, by its very nature kind of defeat a lot of the allure as I understand it. I want to go dark when Inquisition hits, but mostly because this place always becomes such a cesspool of negativity when a game launches and I don't really want to have to deal with that. I really love Mass Effect 3 and although I wasn't in the DA2 forum when it hit I still heard a lot of backlash against it which trickled down into the Mass Effect boards only to discover that it too is a great game. But I really kinda detest reading all those negative and angry comments while I'm trying to enjoy something. 

 

So I gotta weigh that and figure out what to do.

 

"Many decisions lie ahead. None of them easy." -Mass Effect launch trailer, 2007

Yeah. Death threats to Mike Laidlaw were written out plainly on the boards for any one to see. What the heck? The ME3 yelling was more widespread and certainly more long-lived, but I really don't think I ever saw a single post about ME3 that was as full of bile and utter hate as what I saw after DA2's release. It was, simply put, utterly terrible and I hope as few devs as possible read a single word of it.

 

You could always type up what you think as you're playing, then post a giant essay as you finish. But I understand for many people in this thread, part of the allure was getting to read along with your playthrough and squirming in their seats. Not to mention it's a lot easier to stay motivated to actually write when one can write a long post, get feedback, then write another post the next day. Spewing out tons of text to release at once is much harder a job and not half as rewarding, I'd imagine.

[JeffZero]

Haha, yep. Exactly. At least I've got plenty of time to come up with a plan of action.

 

Death threats, huh? Wow. I'm so glad I avoided those. Ugh. Yeah, I mean, there were some pretty intense outbreaks of hostility toward Casey Hudson and Mac Walters following ME3's release, but I don't know that they ever went that far. Say what you will, but damn if it isn't incredible that people like Mike stay with BioWare after dealing with such horrible, horrible behavior.

[Lulupab]

That line is said if you romance Anders on the friend path and side with the mages during The Last Straw, regardless of gender. If you side differently or rivalmance him, I'm sure some lines are swapped out.

 

I'm going offline 100% once Inquisition hits, I think. But I'd gladly read up on such a thread after I finish my first playthrough to see what's going on in other worlds where the Inquisitor is somebody else =)

 

No I meant the part where he says Hawke and he can raise children with magic without Templars tearing them apart. He doesn't say that on M/M romance. I only rivaled Anders once and didn't like it. I always friend him since then.

 

Also I ALWAYS go 100% offline when a game hits. I've been doing that since I joined here because BSN RUINED ME2 for me. I went offline for DAO DA2 and ME3 and everything was perfect.

[Kidd]

Death threats, huh? Wow. I'm so glad I avoided those. Ugh. Yeah, I mean, there were some pretty intense outbreaks of hostility toward Casey Hudson and Mac Walters following ME3's release, but I don't know that they ever went that far. Say what you will, but damn if it isn't incredible that people like Mike stay with BioWare after dealing with such horrible, horrible behavior.

Must really love what they're doing. And perhaps the joy from meeting us normal, sensical, no, positive fans outweighs the bad parts. Obviously we're lucky they stay. I wonder how much of the bullying Hepler received a few months after DA2's release factored into her leaving. I wish nobody would say all these things...

 

It's one thing to say "I wasn't a fan of this plot" or "this gameplay design isn't to my tastes and I'd prefer it like this or that," but to say such things about content creators is just... it's depressing to even imagine.

 

No I meant the part where he says Hawke and he can raise children with magic without Templars tearing them apart. He doesn't say that on M/M romance. I only rivaled Anders once and didn't like it. I always friend him since then.

Oh right. The line I quoted is always said, what's different depending on gender is the line before that, indeed. Funny, I never thought he meant our children before now. But since the line is different if you play a male Hawke, he must be referring to his potential future children with Hawke.

 

Wow, Anders... if you wanted to get Hawke preggers, you could have just said so. She would have gladly worked on that with you. But of course, she'd need lots and lots of practice first!

 

*coughs and sobers up*

[JeffZero]

XD

[Blankeflos]

I forgot to mention earlier that I'm feeling super evil. I admit I enjoyed seeing you getting attached to Bethany, making plans to evolve her skills, caring for her... and then reading about your reaction when she died at the end of Act 1. Now I know how the writers feel. Sorry! 

[JeffZero]

That one hit me like a sack of potatoes, alright. But it was a bittersweet sack as opposed to an outright bitter one. It was pretty artfully done, the hitting. I felt bruised but not broken and the welt on my forehead matured into a newfound character arc.

 

Yep.

[Lulupab]

My inquisitor wants to cuddle with Fiona

 

Who is your favorite character from Asunder Jeff?

[JeffZero]

Hell, I want to cuddle with Fiona. 

 

Spoiler

That's a tough question. I'll go with process of elimination here... not Rhys, Wynne, Adrian or Shale. All good, but not as good, I think. It'd probably be either Evangeline, Cole or Lambert... those three really stood out to me as far as the main group is concerned. Justinia, Leliana, Fiona and Pharamond are all cool too but not in quite enough scenes for me to factor them in, I think. Lambert's very effective but Evangeline and Cole are even more so.

 

Toss-up between the two of them. I'll go with Evangeline because I think the moment she broke down and cried over seeing Cole's "past" in the Fade might have been my favorite.

[Lulupab]

Hell, I want to cuddle with Fiona. 

 

Spoiler

That's a tough question. I'll go with process of elimination here... not Rhys, Wynne, Adrian or Shale. All good, but not as good, I think. It'd probably be either Evangeline, Cole or Lambert... those three really stood out to me as far as the main group is concerned. Justinia, Leliana, Fiona and Pharamond are all cool too but not in quite enough scenes for me to factor them in, I think. Lambert's very effective but Evangeline and Cole are even more so.

 

Toss-up between the two of them. I'll go with Evangeline because I think the moment she broke down and cried over seeing Cole's "past" in the Fade might have been my favorite.

 

Spoiler

OMG that Evangeline moment! It was damn good writing.

 

Also this all we have of Fiona:

 

[JeffZero]

Where is that from?!

[Lulupab]

Where is that from?!

 

THIS LINK HAS SPOILERS!!!!!!

 

http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Fiona

[JeffZero]

Ahh, that Heroes thing. Thanks!

[Ozzy]

If you do decide to go ahead with an Inquisition playthrough thread, you could always host it within this subforum. I imagine it will be pretty safe from spoilers and vitriol. 

 

The Lobby could also work. Although, more trickles of info are to be expected there. Still, the bunch that frequent there are generally more chill.