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[Wanderlust14]

Dorian, turning the self-insert characters of straight men gay since 2014.

 

http://kotaku.com/ho...r-is-1678673801

Nobody can resist him, he is just too charming and dashing. 

[CrazyRah]

Nobody can resist him, he is just too charming and dashing. 

 

It's that mustache. I just can't resist it

[Hazegurl]

Nice article. I also didn't expect to romance Dorian. I started out going after Cass but lost interest quickly. Then Joise, lost interest quickly.  Tried flirting with IB to see if I would click with him and lost interest as soon as I clicked the heart icon. 

 

Then came the Mage quest and Dorian saying:

 

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

 

 

Hook, line, and sinker. I was gotten.

[Des]

Nice article. I also didn't expect to romance Dorian. I started out going after Cass but lost interest quickly. Then Joise, lost interest quickly.  Tried flirting with IB to see if I would click with him and lost interest as soon as I clicked the heart icon. 

 

Then came the Mage quest and Dorian saying:

 

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

 

 

Hook, line, and sinker. I was gotten.

 

Every time he says that, I melt into a puddle of goo. With hearts for eyeballs.

 

Also I have a slightly different headcanon for how that plays out:

 

Dorain: I'll protect you! *sparkle*

 

Inquisitor: OK *leaps into Dorian's arms*

 

Dorian: Um this will make protecting you difficult

 

Inquisitor: No I'm pretty sure this is fine

[Dr. Doctor]

Dorian, turning the self-insert characters of straight men gay since 2014.
 
http://kotaku.com/ho...r-is-1678673801

Well, he is magical Tony Stark.

[nightscrawl]

Nice article. I also didn't expect to romance Dorian. I started out going after Cass but lost interest quickly. Then Joise, lost interest quickly.  Tried flirting with IB to see if I would click with him and lost interest as soon as I clicked the heart icon. 

 

Then came the Mage quest and Dorian saying:

 

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

 

 

Hook, line, and sinker. I was gotten.

 

I can't even remember when this line is, and I've done the mage mission twice. I'm currently in a lengthy templar play so the last time I played through the mage mission was probably a couple of weeks ago (or thereabouts.)

[Hazegurl]

@Night, It's spoken when you first go forward in time and he's trying to figure out what is happening. He'll then say "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

 

Which causes my Inquisitor to think:  "I'm gonna marry him."

[FrostDragon]

Nice article. I also didn't expect to romance Dorian. I started out going after Cass but lost interest quickly. Then Joise, lost interest quickly.  Tried flirting with IB to see if I would click with him and lost interest as soon as I clicked the heart icon. 

 

Then came the Mage quest and Dorian saying:

 

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

 

 

Hook, line, and sinker. I was gotten.

 

The thing that gets me most about this line is how flat out serious he sounds when he says it. He is about 1000% serious when he says it and that is so different from his usual witty and non-serious self that I nearly swoon every single time. Serious Dorian = 

[Hazegurl]

I know. I love how serious he is in that scene and quite honestly he had no reason to really care if the Quizzy would be safe because he was in trouble too. Also, he's the only companion who expresses a desire to protect my Quizzy without much to gain from it. They weren't in a relationship and the Quizzy could have just tossed him out when it was over. 

 

With Cass rebuffs, Josie's "cluelessness", and IB's meh.  Dorian saying he would protect him was just so noticeable and sweet, especially since I felt like I was surrounded by people who only cared  about my boy sealing the breach, being the spokesman for their God, or their stepping stone to siphoning what they wanted from his connection to the Inquisition.

[vincezev]

Does anyone know who drew this?

so wonderful.

[arlofthan]

I just started The Picture of Dorian Grey. I have to speedread, or else I hear Dorian Pavus' VA as my inner narrator...

[FrostDragon]

I just started The Picture of Dorian Grey. I have to speedread, or else I hear Dorian Pavus' VA as my inner narrator...

 

I'll warn you now, you're REALLY not gonna want that particular association taking root in your mind once you really get into that book. It's a good book, but having a mental association between Dorian Pavus and Dorian Grey is something you may regret.

[nightscrawl]

I'll warn you now, you're REALLY not gonna want that particular association taking root in your mind once you really get into that book. It's a good book, but having a mental association between Dorian Pavus and Dorian Grey is something you may regret.

 

Honestly, if arlofthan has any appreciation for Dorian Pavus's character at all -- which I'm sure is the case or they wouldn't be posting in this thread -- I doubt that will happen. The two men are so different as to make any relation between them practically non-existent. In fact, I think Dorian Gray is more Tevinter-like (or the Southerner's view of Tevinter) than Dorian Pavus... which is almost humorous.

 

Dorian Gray is an ass. Basil is nice though, you'll like him.

 

Also, FYI DG confirmed that Dorian Pavus was NOT named after, in association with, or as a reference to Dorian Gray [tumblr link]. It's actually more of an unfortunate coincidence, and is an association that I don't feel would be made if Oscar Wilde himself weren't homosexual or had not written a novel with those undertones.

 

 

To go off on a tangent regarding Tevinter names, I really like the pattern they've used. You can tell a Tevinter by their name, for the most part. For men: Alexius, Danarius, Caladrius, Livius, Cremisius (Krem); for women: Hadriana, Calpernia, Orana, Varania. They don't all fit into this mold of course: Dorian, Leto (Fenris's birth name), Felix, Eleni, and others.

[Fredward]

Nice article. I also didn't expect to romance Dorian. I started out going after Cass but lost interest quickly. Then Joise, lost interest quickly.  Tried flirting with IB to see if I would click with him and lost interest as soon as I clicked the heart icon. 

 

Then came the Mage quest and Dorian saying:

 

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

 

 

Hook, line, and sinker. I was gotten.

 

I was playing a huge ass Qunari mage when I heard this the first time and I was like 'O rly betch?' I like to think he just kinda stared at Dorian and blinked slowly. It's adorable when he says it to my elves or humans though.

[FrostDragon]

Honestly, if arlofthan has any appreciation for Dorian Pavus's character at all -- which I'm sure is the case or they wouldn't be posting in this thread -- I doubt that will happen. The two men are so different as to make any relation between them practically non-existent. In fact, I think Dorian Gray is more Tevinter-like (or the Southerner's view of Tevinter) than Dorian Pavus... which is almost humorous.

 

Dorian Gray is an ass. Basil is nice though, you'll like him.

 

Also, FYI DG confirmed that Dorian Pavus was NOT named after, in association with, or as a reference to Dorian Gray [tumblr link]. It's actually more of an unfortunate coincidence, and is an association that I don't feel would be made if Oscar Wilde himself weren't homosexual or had not written a novel with those undertones.

 

Hah, I do have to agree. Aside from blood magic, that book is pretty much a stereotypical portrayal of Tevinter by southerners.

 

I do in fact recall reading somewhere about one of the writers (Gaider I think) clarifying that Dorian was not named after Dorian Grey, but in fact named after the Prince Dorian of Caledon character from the old 60s cartoon "The Mighty Hercules." They weren't trying to make ties between character aspects there either though. They were simply discussing potential names and the show came up and they liked the name and it stuck.

[d4eaming]

When I first did the mage quest and got Dorian's "Don't worry, I'll protect you" I think it pretty much solidified my choice to romance him

 

I like how someone else pointed out he's the only character that makes any mention of helping/protecting you without some underlying catch. Everyone wants something from you. Dorian says he'll keep you safe (and for my rogue who knows jack all about magic, it was appreciated), and he offers his services for nothing in return. I even like how he says, basically, "just let me help for now and you can execute me later, okay?" He comes across as earnest and honest and doesn't feel like he's hiding anything. None of my Inquisitors trust Iron Bull (mage hasn't even met him yet), or Sera (but she hates elves so that puts them at odds anyway). Varrick is just creepy in his fawning, my boys hate being treated like some religious figure for a religion they don't even believe in. Cassandra and Leliana also do the creepy religious thing. Josie and Cullen at least act normal with them. They all get along well with Solas, but even without metagaming, he still comes across like he's hiding something.

Dorian just seems... normal, compared to the rest. Honest. Like he's not expecting to get something out of my boy from the moment they meet. It's also probably a lot to do with me, too, as a person, because I find him so much more relateable than the rest, so he's more likeable for me. That feeling bleeds into my characters.

 

He's just too adorable for his own good, and it's refreshing to have an NPC genuinely seem to care about the safety of the PC.

 

I feel like I should be able to put it into words better, but it's just not coming to me.

[tklivory]

When I first did the mage quest and got Dorian's "Don't worry, I'll protect you" I think it pretty much solidified my choice to romance him

 

I like how someone else pointed out he's the only character that makes any mention of helping/protecting you without some underlying catch. Everyone wants something from you. Dorian says he'll keep you safe (and for my rogue who knows jack all about magic, it was appreciated), and he offers his services for nothing in return. I even like how he says, basically, "just let me help for now and you can execute me later, okay?" He comes across as earnest and honest and doesn't feel like he's hiding anything. None of my Inquisitors trust Iron Bull (mage hasn't even met him yet), or Sera (but she hates elves so that puts them at odds anyway). Varrick is just creepy in his fawning, my boys hate being treated like some religious figure for a religion they don't even believe in. Cassandra and Leliana also do the creepy religious thing. Josie and Cullen at least act normal with them. They all get along well with Solas, but even without metagaming, he still comes across like he's hiding something.

Dorian just seems... normal, compared to the rest. Honest. Like he's not expecting to get something out of my boy from the moment they meet. It's also probably a lot to do with me, too, as a person, because I find him so much more relateable than the rest, so he's more likeable for me. That feeling bleeds into my characters.

 

He's just too adorable for his own good, and it's refreshing to have an NPC genuinely seem to care about the safety of the PC.

 

I feel like I should be able to put it into words better, but it's just not coming to me.

 

Related to this is also Dorian's extreme reluctance to use the Inquisition's power (and the Inquisitor's influence in particular) for his own ends. All the other companions pretty much just go to the Inquisitor and ask for his/her help for their personal problems quests, but you only find out about Dorian's personal quests from another person (Giselle & Leliana). I liked that contrast, and I think Dorian's constant awareness of his background and people's assumptions of what they expect him to be dovetail nicely into him being overly conscious of not taking advantage of either the Inquisitor or his relationship with him (as well as playing into the theme of his greatest fear being temptation. It must be tempting to ask your boyfriend to buy Antiva for you, even if the rugs are completely overrated).

 

And honestly, I really, really liked that. Yes, you still end up performing his quests and using said influence and/or resources. But it's not because he demanded it or expected it. His expectations are kept at a minimum because he doesn't want to demand too much, and also because he doesn't know that he can have expectations. It's sweet and poignant all at once.

 

It also highlights just how much expectations have been so problematic in his life, particularly when it came to his father. I imagine quite a few players can relate to that underlying theme of expectations that you can't or simply don't want to live up to. It makes him seem more approachable and personal, because you feel his struggle the same way you've felt your own struggles in the past.

 

Or at least, that's my take on it.

[d4eaming]

Related to this is also Dorian's extreme reluctance to use the Inquisition's power (and the Inquisitor's influence in particular) for his own ends. All the other companions pretty much just go to the Inquisitor and ask for his/her help for their personal problems quests, but you only find out about Dorian's personal quests from another person (Giselle & Leliana). I liked that contrast, and I think Dorian's constant awareness of his background and people's assumptions of what they expect him to be dovetail nicely into him being overly conscious of not taking advantage of either the Inquisitor or his relationship with him (as well as playing into the theme of his greatest fear being temptation. It must be tempting to ask your boyfriend to buy Antiva for you, even if the rugs are completely overrated).

 

And honestly, I really, really liked that. Yes, you still end up performing his quests and using said influence and/or resources. But it's not because he demanded it or expected it. His expectations are kept at a minimum because he doesn't want to demand too much, and also because he doesn't know that he can have expectations. It's sweet and poignant all at once.

 

It also highlights just how much expectations have been so problematic in his life, particularly when it came to his father. I imagine quite a few players can relate to that underlying theme of expectations that you can't or simply don't want to live up to. It makes him seem more approachable and personal, because you feel his struggle the same way you've felt your own struggles in the past.

 

Or at least, that's my take on it.

 

Very much this.

 

I like all three ways you can respond to him when he gets all fluffed up about you getting his amulet back. "Go on then, use me Dorian, or are you all talk?" is probably my favorite, but the rest are all good as well. My boys choose to be with him, they choose to use their power/influence to help not just a friend, but someone they've come to really care about. Like he says, his influence is cheap and easy to come by, and what does it hurt to use it to help him? Yeah, Dorian is afraid of people thinking he asked the Inq to do it, but it seems to be one of those insecurities he needs to learn to overcome. My Inq doesn't care what people think. He's a Dalish elf/Qunari Vashoth, he's already under scrutiny. Getting back an important family heirloom is nothing compared to the other issues people are going to have with him.

[FantiSci]

Also, FYI DG confirmed that Dorian Pavus was NOT named after, in association with, or as a reference to Dorian Gray [tumblr link]. It's actually more of an unfortunate coincidence, and is an association that I don't feel would be made if Oscar Wilde himself weren't homosexual or had not written a novel with those undertones.

 

I think they did have to give it a nod, though, since Dorian's dad is called Halward (okay, it's short one "L", but still), since they knew that everyone's mind would instantly jump to Dorian Gray.

 

...except from my manga-geek mind, apparently. It was only the second thing I thought of, since I automatically jumped to the flamboyant superthief protagonist in From Eroica With Love.

 

One thing I did wonder though: Dorian's would-be fiancee was a clever and viciously sarcastic woman called Livia, and Tevinter is modeled on ancient Rome. Livia was the clever and viciously sarcastic matriarch who got fed up with her useless husband(s) and murdered her way through three-quarters of the cast of I, Claudius. Was someone at Bioware playing literary reference bingo? Or was it just coincidence?

 

When I first did the mage quest and got Dorian's "Don't worry, I'll protect you" I think it pretty much solidified my choice to romance him

 

I like how someone else pointed out he's the only character that makes any mention of helping/protecting you without some underlying catch. Everyone wants something from you. Dorian says he'll keep you safe (and for my rogue who knows jack all about magic, it was appreciated), and he offers his services for nothing in return. I even like how he says, basically, "just let me help for now and you can execute me later, okay?" He comes across as earnest and honest and doesn't feel like he's hiding anything. None of my Inquisitors trust Iron Bull (mage hasn't even met him yet), or Sera (but she hates elves so that puts them at odds anyway). Varrick is just creepy in his fawning, my boys hate being treated like some religious figure for a religion they don't even believe in. Cassandra and Leliana also do the creepy religious thing. Josie and Cullen at least act normal with them. They all get along well with Solas, but even without metagaming, he still comes across like he's hiding something.

Dorian just seems... normal, compared to the rest. Honest. Like he's not expecting to get something out of my boy from the moment they meet. It's also probably a lot to do with me, too, as a person, because I find him so much more relateable than the rest, so he's more likeable for me. That feeling bleeds into my characters.

 

He's just too adorable for his own good, and it's refreshing to have an NPC genuinely seem to care about the safety of the PC.

 

I'm quite fond of most of the companions, but I have to agree. Dorian's the one you'd trust to drag your Inquisitor out of making a heroic sacrifice, greater good be damned - even if you weren't romancing him. Normally, I'd say Varric would fall into this category too, but he seems really...diminished, in Inquisition. I guess he's missing his friends. In their defence though, I don't see them being quite as tightly-knit a group as the Kirkwall crew, who knew each other for a decade, or the Origins group, who were together pretty much 24/7 for an entire year. Even the party banter suggests a lack of familiarity: Fenris and Anders hated each other, true, but they also knew each other really well. When the Inquisition companions are travelling together, you get the sense that they're still trying to suss each other out. They might just not feel that close to the Inquisitor, unless they're romanced. Dorian, however, takes an instant liking to them if the IHW route is chosen, and remains distinctly protective of them - perhaps because, by responding to his call for help, they've already proven themselves to him.

 

It seems likely that Dorian's making an active effort to be cheerful, which must be pretty exhausting. He's far from home, he's badly suited to roughing it, he's in a land where he's regarded with suspicion the instant they hear his accent, a number of party members are hostile towards him, and he knows for a fact that he's the subject of rumours and gossip. Hard to smile your way through that lot. Yet the only time any of those issues are brought up, it's as banter or the odd wistful comment (aside from the roughing it thing, where he complains relentlessly). His main angst is one you have to track down yourself, as he downplays it as being a rebellious son when he talk to him early on. As tklivory said, you have to walk into Dorian's personal problems of your own volition, since he makes an active attempt to keep them from you...with the exception of the Venatori quest, which is directly relevant to the Inquisition. Unfortunately, because of Dorian's cynical take on relationships, you (or, more accurately, the baggage that comes with you as the Inquisitor) are stuck becoming one of his personal problems. I really wish there was more your Quizzy could do to convince Dorian that you're in it for the long haul - although, given the final scene, perhaps he worked that out himself.

[Wanderlust14]

That was definitely one thing I loved about Dorian, he was one of the few people who really saw you as a person throughout the entire game and never forgot that fact. He felt like one of a few friends the Inquisitor really had, asking how you were doing, worrying about you, and protecting you. He is definitely one of the more protective companions we've had and I really like that fact about him (like that moment when you admit you like men too in front of his father and his father makes a comment and then Dorian stands between you and him and defends you, I love that moment) The others could become your friend and while they worried about you as a love interest, they never did as a friend and it seemed like a lot of them struggled between you the Inquisitor and you the person and were not always successful at remembering you the person. Even when Dorian says in the beginning, "I believe in you". It didn't feel like he was talking about the Herald or the Inquisition, but you as a person.  

[arlofthan]

I'll warn you now, you're REALLY not gonna want that particular association taking root in your mind once you really get into that book. It's a good book, but having a mental association between Dorian Pavus and Dorian Grey is something you may regret.

 

I think I can see where the plot is going. The death of innocence, the dangers of self-indulgence and succumbing to temptation, that sort of thing. Very Victorian. I was seeing more of Dorian in Basil anyway - his namesake seems like a douche from the start.

[Bob Walker]

To go off on a tangent regarding Tevinter names, I really like the pattern they've used. You can tell a Tevinter by their name, for the most part. For men: Alexius, Danarius, Caladrius, Livius, Cremisius (Krem); for women: Hadriana, Calpernia, Orana, Varania. They don't all fit into this mold of course: Dorian, Leto (Fenris's birth name), Felix, Eleni, and others.

 

If DA4 really takes place at Tevinter, I guess we'll hear a lot of Latin names.

[nightscrawl]

Dorian's the one you'd trust to drag your Inquisitor out of making a heroic sacrifice, greater good be damned - even if you weren't romancing him.

This goes along well with his post-Adamant romance dialog. He's pissed that you sent him on ahead and that for like two minutes -- or possibly more given that people agonize over the Hawke/Alistiar/Loghain/Stroud decision! -- he didn't know whether you were going to come back alive. I so love this scene.

I have this image in my head of extending the argument (and it becomes a big argument) to where my Inquisitor refers to being forced to leave Justinia behind (which Dorian would have seen in the fade) and saying that he wasn't going to do that again, especially not with Dorian. To which Dorian would say/yell that if he wanted to stay behind and die with the Inquisitor that was his own choice to make.

These damn games... I don't do this stupid head canon crap with anything else. But I always think of alternate ways for things to play out, or extend a scene, and so forth. I don't know what it is... the limited dialog options most likely. x_x

 

Normally, I'd say Varric would fall into this category too, but he seems really...diminished, in Inquisition. I guess he's missing his friends.

OH I'm not the only one who noticed! Yes, he does seem rather morose in some scenes. He seems to have a tremendous amount of guilt that is really never worked through. I feel very bad for Varric all throughout DAI.

 

It seems likely that Dorian's making an active effort to be cheerful, which must be pretty exhausting. He's far from home, he's badly suited to roughing it, he's in a land where he's regarded with suspicion the instant they hear his accent, a number of party members are hostile towards him, and he knows for a fact that he's the subject of rumours and gossip. Hard to smile your way through that lot. Yet the only time any of those issues are brought up, it's as banter or the odd wistful comment (aside from the roughing it thing, where he complains relentlessly). His main angst is one you have to track down yourself, as he downplays it as being a rebellious son when he talk to him early on. As tklivory said, you have to walk into Dorian's personal problems of your own volition, since he makes an active attempt to keep them from you...with the exception of the Venatori quest, which is directly relevant to the Inquisition. Unfortunately, because of Dorian's cynical take on relationships, you (or, more accurately, the baggage that comes with you as the Inquisitor) are stuck becoming one of his personal problems. I really wish there was more your Quizzy could do to convince Dorian that you're in it for the long haul - although, given the final scene, perhaps he worked that out himself.

Wonderful, I agree 100%.

[nightscrawl]

He is definitely one of the more protective companions we've had and I really like that fact about him (like that moment when you admit you like men too in front of his father and his father makes a comment and then Dorian stands between you and him and defends you, I love that moment)...

I just recently watched this option on YouTube. I've never picked this investigate option during my plays since it seems artificial to me to ask about Dorian preferring men since we've been flirting for a while. He's suddenly pissed at his father for a reason unrelated to himself.

 

[(Disgusted noise.)]

I definitely feel like Dorian's popularity is augmented by a lot of what's been said. He and Cassandra are the only companions it's possible for the Inquisitor to form a close friendship with without the player having to do a lot of headcanoning. The rest of them always tend to hold you at arms reach unless you're romancing them.