Teasing among friends involves friends knowing when to stop. The subject does not make Solas comfortable, and yet Rainier keeps pressing him for an answer. That is not teasing, that is bullying. That's another reason I don't like that banter. It doesn't match the feeling the other banters give regarding their relationship.
But, when you joke around with friends personal lines tend to cross without one or the other party thinking about said personal lines. It is how the recovery after the line has been crossed that says if it is bullying or teasing. The tone in which Blackwall says "Now who's twelve" makes it clear that he was joking. The work are said with a laugh, but the tone is soft. If this was meant to being seen as bullying the tone of those words would have been more harsh.
jellobell, AtreiyaN7, Estelindis et 1 autre aiment ceci
Yeah, Solas is I think...not so much uncomfortable by it, but you know, a bit thrown by it because he gets all poetic and pretentious about it and BW and Sera are dragging it down to their level, but he's clearly not bothered by it in a "oh god guys please no you're making me feel weird" way, just like frustration that he gives into..which is the heart of teasing really.
And Ryzaki, you're a horrible enabler so I'm definitely not going to tell you how I think IB and Sera would take it upon themselves to teach Sex Ed and Cassandra would burst in all horrified, but then she'd see a diagram and go "wait, you can do what??!" and then sit down next to a very confused Cole. Oh whoops I did.
jellobell, AtreiyaN7, Ryzaki et 5 autres aiment ceci
Yeah, Solas is I think...not so much uncomfortable by it, but you know, a bit thrown by it because he gets all poetic and pretentious about it and BW and Sera are dragging it down to their level, but he's clearly not bothered by it in a "oh god guys please no you're making me feel weird" way, just like frustration that he gives into..which is the heart of teasing really.
And Ryzaki, you're a horrible enabler so I'm definitely not going to tell you how I think IB and Sera would take it upon themselves to teach Sex Ed and Cassandra would burst in all horrified, but then she'd see a diagram and go "wait, you can do what??!" and then sit down next to a very confused Cole. Oh whoops I did.
Yeah the only time you usually see the bolded is with Cole. I love Cole but he makes trips so awkward. (god I wish there was a interactive banter between Cole and Quizzy with him asking about their regrets. The RP potential in that would've been delicious. Alas).
I do love to enable Oh god I just heard that in Cass voice too. It's beautiful!
But, when you joke around with friends personal lines tend to cross without one or the other party thinking about said personal lines. It is how the recovery after the line has been crossed that says if it is bullying or teasing. The tone in which Blackwall says "Now who's twelve" makes it clear that he was joking. The work are said with a laugh, but the tone is soft. If this was meant to being seen as bullying the tone of those words would have been more harsh.
I think teasing amongst friends is essentially purposefully crossing boundaries, because doing so in a way that is lighthearted and affectionate makes those lines more comfortable to cross, and those things easier to own. Like most teasing essentially boils down to "you're silly and I like you." So BW's teasing of Solas is really a sign of their growing closeness, and Solas sort of resigning and giving in is too..it fits in well IMO. I mean, if Solas was really uncomfortable, he would say something harsh and condescending, because that's what he does: clams up and then preaches down to people. So him saying "Ass" is the exact opposite. He's comfortable with it, even though he's frustrated, because he both recognizes why it's funny (he's fussy about the fade) and that it's coming with affection.
Like what you're saying here is true, and I think Blackwall and Dorian are a good example...Dorian teases Blackwall, hits a nerve, and later apologizes when he realizes what it did. I mean they aren't friends then, but those kinds of things happen with friends. But with this convo. I didn't read it as a misunderstanding or invasion that needed a recovery.
Yeah, I've got friends who can be decidedly inappropriate, but they know that even though I might type "PERV!" in all caps when chatting in Steam, I'm not actuallybothered by anything that they joke about or link (even when a certain friend teased me about wanting a threesome with Joseph Joestar AND Jotaro Joestar...and to understand who they are, you have to be familiar with Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, but I digress).
This is Fen'Harel we're talking about? I doubt he'd be intimidated by a couple of filthy commoners making crude enquiries about sex. I see a bit of projection here that doesn't actually exist with these characters.
Eh, I'm pretty sure if Blackwall and Sera were traipsing around after Solas screaming DO YOU DO IT IN THE FADE WHEN YOU REALLY NEED TO GET LAID CAN THE DEMONS SEE YOU RUTT DO YOU PUT THINGS IN YOUR BUTT eventually he'd snap on them...but....who...wouldn't*...what they do, however, is pretty benign and playful.
*(i wouldn't omg i wish my friends did that but I am super immature)
jellobell, KealaFerret, mordy_was_here et 3 autres aiment ceci
Personally, I find that Blackwall's banter with Solas about Sera's question actually humanizes Solas. It shows that Solas is not always off in the Fade with his head in the clouds - he can be kind of a regular guy like everyone else and react in exasperation - even behaving just a like a twelve-year-old himself, vis-a-vis his calling Blackwall an ass toward the end of that conversation.
Well-said. That banter is one of my favourites for that exact reason. It's Solas allowing himself to be teased, which doesn't happen very often. The guy usually tries so hard to maintain his dignity. It's nice to see him let down his walls a bit.
As for it being bullying, I don't see that at all. Solas isn't the type to allow himself to be pushed around. When he wants a subject dropped, he says it. And if it isn't dropped, then he just disengages, or comes back with a biting response.
I've been rolling with Solas, Blackwall, and Sera as the semi-regular party this run, and I find Solas and Blackwall's relationship very endearing (and rather hilarious when they're both tiptoeing around their secret identities at the same time). It's odd how well they get along, but Blackwall obviously has a great deal of respect for Solas, and Solas for him. The tongue-lashing Solas gave him after Revelations was depressing. I'd really grown to like their friendship. But then that apology just melted my heart.
AtreiyaN7, Kaidan Fan, GreenClover et 3 autres aiment ceci
Blackwall, Solas, and Sera is a hilarious team. Blackwall is like the team Bro, everybody's BFF, but Sera and Solas are like LALALALA LETS IGNORE HOW MUCH WE HAVE IN COMMON AND BE BRATTY/PATRONIZING TO EACHOTHER LALALALAL
Well-said. That banter is one of my favourites for that exact reason. It's Solas allowing himself to be teased, which doesn't happen very often. The guy usually tries so hard to maintain his dignity. It's nice to see him let down his walls a bit.
As for it being bullying, I don't see that at all. Solas isn't the type to allow himself to be pushed around. When he wants a subject dropped, he says it. And if it isn't dropped, then he just disengages, or comes back with a biting response.
I've been rolling with Solas, Blackwall, and Sera as the semi-regular party this run, and I find Solas and Blackwall's relationship very endearing (and rather hilarious when they're both tiptoeing around their secret identities at the same time). It's odd how well they get along, but Blackwall obviously has a great deal of respect for Solas, and Solas for him. The tongue-lashing Solas gave him after Revelations was depressing. I'd really grown to like their friendship. But then that apology just melted my heart.
Exactly - totally agree with you. And yes, I found the nature of the Solas-Blackwall relationship even more amusing/endearing after the jaw-dropping revelations about Solas. I do recall one banter involving Blackwall and Solas where Blackwall says something about Solas having seen war just like him, even though he didn't seem to carry himself like a soldier. They have that kind of experience in common, despite Solas seeming like an egghead scientist kind of guy to everyone. I imagine that Solas has seen war on an entirely different level, though - all because of, you know, his past.
Josie and Leliana are the gossipy ones - they know everything
Viv is the unattainable gorgeous cheerleader
Varric is the smart mouth
Blackwall is the dude pretending to be a younger student from another school
Sera is the crude fun one.
Would you believe that someone's already parodied this?
Blackwall, Solas, and Sera is a hilarious team. Blackwall is like the team Bro, everybody's BFF, but Sera and Solas are like LALALALA LETS IGNORE HOW MUCH WE HAVE IN COMMON AND BE BRATTY/PATRONIZING TO EACHOTHER LALALALAL
They're pretty great. Solas and Sera sometimes make me want to knock their heads together and put them in different corners until they can learn to play nice. But I think they form an odd sort of mutual respect by the end. And some of their banters had me laughing so hard.
Solas: Sera, if you eschew all things elven, why not use a crossbow? They require less training.
Sera: Ugh, too winchy.
Solas: Ah, yes. Winchiness. A point I had not considered.
For the longest time, I thought Solas just didn't understand Sera at all, and that they were always just talking past each other. Then I saw this posted somewhere:
(Solas talking to a human Inquisitor with high approval about Sera)
Spoiler
That and the red jenny series of banters, where at the end he tells her she's fine the way she is, makes me think that he understands Sera better than I thought he did. Which is rather sweet. I really do like their relationship.
Exactly - totally agree with you. And yes, I found the nature of the Solas-Blackwall relationship even more amusing/endearing after the jaw-dropping revelations about Solas. I do recall one banter involving Blackwall and Solas where Blackwall says something about Solas having seen war just like him, even though he didn't seem to carry himself like a soldier. They have that kind of experience in common, despite Solas seeming like an egghead scientist kind of guy to everyone. I imagine that Solas has seen war on an entirely different level, though - all because of, you know, his past.
They talk about that a lot. About being a person who fights, and how fighting for such a long time can change a person. And how one needs to strike a balance between passion and perspective when it comes to combat. They really do have a lot in common. They're both old warriors who have experienced their share of conflict and hold a lot of guilt for past actions. I think that's why Solas is so angry with Blackwall after Revelations. He specifically says that he thought Blackwall was like him. For Solas, a lonely, ancient being who has been on his own for a very very long time, having someone he could relate to probably meant a great deal to him. He's also likely projecting a lot, given that his own secret is at least as serious as Blackwall's. So yeah, understanding who they both are, and both what they're saying as well as what they aren't saying, adds a lot to their interactions. It's all very fascinating from a character perspective.
AtreiyaN7, Bugsie, Kaidan Fan et 5 autres aiment ceci
@jello: lol@that video (EDIT: and yes, good point - I think Solas was a bit...disappointed/shocked when he found out specifically because he believed they were so alike in some ways).
Yeah it was hilarious because after the end, you know Solas was going HOW DARE YOU ACTUALLY BE A LYING MONSTER...like...me...wait, uh nvm. We cool bro. Things just got a little 2 real and ruined my dream of being a good person through lies and self righteousness but I'm gonna go back to sleep now, where's my cuddle egg.
jellobell, Miss Greyjoy, AtreiyaN7 et 2 autres aiment ceci
Just came to the conclusion that the primary reason I keep forgetting to collect plants from my garden is because I usually end up racing off to the barn to have my Quizzy kiss Blackwall first - and then I end up hopelessly distracted by it. New plan: GET THE DAMNED PLANTS FIRST!!!!
Imagine you're also going there to pick flowers and make a flower crown for Blackwall and he's like "Maker, woman, how will anyone take me seriously after you're done with me?" but it puts it on and you can tell he's secretly slightly pleased even though he removes it at the first chance he gets, because the next time you see him he's trying to make another one (poorly) and then curses that you see him doing it, because he feels terrible that the war nug ate it and YOU made it for him, stupid nug, and he didn't want you to think he'd throw it away so he was trying to replace it.
so you have to go back to the garden and get him more flowers and this repeats over and over. That war nug is a menace.
AtreiyaN7, Bugsie, Kaidan Fan et 1 autre aiment ceci
Imagine you're also going there to pick flowers and make a flower crown for Blackwall and he's like "Maker, woman, how will anyone take me seriously after you're done with me?" but it puts it on and you can tell he's secretly slightly pleased even though he removes it at the first chance he gets, because the next time you see him he's trying to make another one (poorly) and then curses that you see him doing it, because he feels terrible that the war nug ate it and YOU made it for him, stupid nug, and he didn't want you to think he'd throw it away so he was trying to replace it.
so you have to go back to the garden and get him more flowers and this repeats over and over. That war nug is a menace.
I just wanted to say hi, I’ve read through a lot of thread and love it. It is so fun to swoon with other fans, this is my first time getting involved though I loved DA:O. I’m kind of repeating some of your points but I wrote this out before I caught up!
I actually was planning to romance Cullen before playing but fell for Blackwall. I really enjoyed the redemptive story and his passion (and angst) really pulled me in. I’m happily married and glad to leave the emotional roller coaster drama to my fictional life J. However I do love the idea that once all that crazy drama has settled things will be steady and lovely between the Inquisitor and Blackwall. He will never leave her again, swoon.
I’m not sure if the following is a spoiler but just in case…
Spoiler
What I did miss for the romance was a cutscene after the judgment… discussing the judgement and calling him Blackwall as a title? I didn’t like that aspect, I wish I could call him Thom. I get that this is probably a game limitation here.
Anyway, I don’t get the hate on Blackwall, especially given other companions (current and past!) and even the way some people play their characters. He is overall a good person and has punished himself very effectively – if you rewatch some scenes he is constantly bringing up this issue. I think more people will forgive him the second time around (if they pay attention!). Yeah he slept with the Inquisitor before telling her the truth – but the player can decide whether that is a dealbreaker for them. For me given his pushback and constant repentance it was not a dealbreaker as long as he continued to atone. It is actually realistic from my experience – people often don’t make great decisions in the heat of the moment and he wanted to be with her but the act of being with her pushed him over the edge, he left for a good reason not just because he was like, oops! I’ve done the other option as well which works for people who have issues with it, but it lacks the steamy kisses (boo!).
I think him leaving her naked in the barn was pretty ridiculous, there is no way he would do that not to mention they are up in the mountains, you can hear the wind half the time. They would freeze, I actually always wonder how they don’t freeze in their regular clothes. Poor design judgment in my opinion.
And I totally think Leliana knew the whole time but kept him around to use the treaties – she is very practical. It also helps that he is the best tank in the game!
Miss Greyjoy, AtreiyaN7, Catwall et 8 autres aiment ceci
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I do love to enable 
Oh god I just heard that in Cass voice too. It's beautiful!
