22176 réponses à ce sujet

[happy_daiz]

Starting up a qunari playthrough.  
 
I liked my Cadash/Dorian playthrough, with my dwarf guy growing a foot tall, shoving his face into Dorian's, and then shrinking back to normal size during the kissing scene. lol
 
To anyone who has romanced Dorian with a qunari:  Who does the growing/shrinking?   I assume Adaar will shrink by at least half a foot during the romance scenes.

Nah, he stays tall. It's my first Dorian romance, so I haven't seen the growing or shrinking business, but my qunari definitely towers over him. Dorian's poor neck. And back.

The thing I noticed is my Adaar's head being chopped off in most cutscenes. And his chin clipping through his pajama collar. Le sigh.

[nightscrawl]

Hah, ask and ye shall receive. Thanks for the droopy 'stache fanart!

 

Ahhh the withdrawels!! I haven't been able to play much this week and going through Dorian withdrawels. Thanks for the pics, they help!  
Happy Friday to everyone!

 
I highly recommend going through Danaduchy's Dorian Pavus tag on tumblr. It will cure what ails you. 

 

If you haven't yet, I'd search Inquisitor/Dorian on AO3 and sort by kudos, there are a few decent reads there, though mostly still in progress. I haven't found anything mind-blowing yet, but I'm picky, and the premise being what it is, it's easy for me to just not feel someone's personal Inquisitor. Opinions may vary.

I've just taken to writing my own fanfic for my personal enjoyment. Reading other Inquisitors is quite odd. That said, I don't have the same feeling when reading Cullen fics, but I suppose I'm less attached to the Cullen romance and his girlfriend than I am to the Dorian romance and his boyfriend.
 
 

Wait wait wait.. why would one EVER wait to get a piece of that hot hipster stache by making him pursue you?  Even before I knew of his orientation I was in love with the facial hair.  Once I rolled a male to romance him I was aggressive in winning his affection!  I might be a hipster.  I'm not, but I'm apparently a hipster in my facial hair preferences?

It's taken me a while to figure out exactly how my Inquisitor feels about Dorian, their relationship, and its progression. It's about roleplay really. My Inquisitor was already (romantically) interested in Dorian before Last Resort, and because of the flirting wasn't too surprised to discover his preference during the meeting with Halward. However, Dorian is, first and foremost, his friend, and he doesn't really consider anything other than providing emotional support in that moment. If I could give him a hug I would, but that's not an option (or rather, I imagine awkwardly ask if I could give him a hug: "Why?" "Because you need one.") The emotional rawness of the issue is what makes my Inquisitor cautious, so he waits for a clear sign from Dorian that his interest is reciprocated beyond mere fun flirting.
 
Aside from that, I do enjoy the spontaneity and banter of the second path, and it actually seems to be more character appropriate for Dorian. He's very cavalier about it all until you get to the post-sex conversation, then everything changes.

[Sabreenei]

Both paths seem character appropriate to me, since Dorian responds flirtatiously to the initiated kiss with the "playing with fire" line. I really love how they wrote him.

 

For my RP, before we had the mission w/Dorian's father, my quizzie had already gotten that flirting banter with Dorian, when he basically tells the IQ he finds him attractive, and you can respond in kind. (You're rather strapping; I could say the same of you). So in my game, I'd imagined they'd been flirting like this and coming oh so very close to doing something about it before the mission, which brings it all to a head.

 

I kinda like surprising Dorian by being the first to act. It doesn't feel like taking advantage of the situation to me. More like after all the flirting it's almost reassuring him that not only does the scene with his father not change my IQ's feelings, it makes him take the chance and show it. Plus, Dorian gets my IQ back by being the first to initiate in the bedroom. And I wouldn't change that for anything. That prowling walk he does when he comes in....

 

What I like about the first kiss (for my RP this game), is that it seemed more mutual, with both of them kissing rather than the IQ being kissed. I like how Dorian steps forward and puts his hand on the inquisitor's shoulder. I imagine once Dorian sees him leaning in, he responds in kind. For the second kiss, I would need a different RP'd character, that I could imagine would be so mesmerized or stunned by the kiss that he couldn't move his arms, and then kicks himself afterward for freezing up.

 

Both paths are really equally as good, just depends on how your RP is going. 

[nightscrawl]

Since we were talking about fanfic earlier, if any of you are writing any Tevinter-based works and were looking to come up with some Roman-inspired names, I recently ran across this site. Livia, the name of Dorian's intended, is listed under the female names. At one point I had used IMDb to look up character names in biblical epics, but there is little variety to be had among those, especially when many of them are about the same thing (i.e. Jesus) and the same characters are present in all of them. Most only list a solo first name, sometimes a single family name, and rarely with both, as in Quintus Arrius from Ben-Hur.

 

The wikipedia page for Roman Naming Conventions, while extremely informative and interesting, doesn't have a huge list of examples if you want to pick something and go. The link I posted is part of the site for a 'Legion' of Roman historical reenactors who provided the information as a resource for their members to come up with a suitable Roman name for the reenactment.

[RoraM]

I just like taking pictures of Dorian all over Southern Thedas.

 

[Dr. Doctor]

Since we were talking about fanfic earlier, if any of you are writing any Tevinter-based works and were looking to come up with some Roman-inspired names, I recently ran across this site. Livia, the name of Dorian's intended, is listed under the female names. At one point I had used IMDb to look up character names in biblical epics, but there is little variety to be had among those, especially when many of them are about the same thing (i.e. Jesus) and the same characters are present in all of them. Most only list a solo first name, sometimes a single family name, and rarely with both, as in Quintus Arrius from Ben-Hur.

The wikipedia page for Roman Naming Conventions, while extremely informative and interesting, doesn't have a huge list of examples if you want to pick something and go. The link I posted is part of the site for a 'Legion' of Roman historical reenactors who provided the information as a resource for their members to come up with a suitable Roman name for the reenactment.

We have Livia and Livius Erimond, perhaps it was a popular baby name that year?

[Nymeria Stark]

Since we were talking about fanfic earlier, if any of you are writing any Tevinter-based works and were looking to come up with some Roman-inspired names, I recently ran across this site. Livia, the name of Dorian's intended, is listed under the female names. At one point I had used IMDb to look up character names in biblical epics, but there is little variety to be had among those, especially when many of them are about the same thing (i.e. Jesus) and the same characters are present in all of them. Most only list a solo first name, sometimes a single family name, and rarely with both, as in Quintus Arrius from Ben-Hur.

 

The wikipedia page for Roman Naming Conventions, while extremely informative and interesting, doesn't have a huge list of examples if you want to pick something and go. The link I posted is part of the site for a 'Legion' of Roman historical reenactors who provided the information as a resource for their members to come up with a suitable Roman name for the reenactment.

 

Thanks for that. I'm writing a fanfic that takes place in the past, a few years before Inquisition, and it's about an elf that is forced into slavery in Tevinter (but luckily for him, he will meet Dorian). So i will need some names for the Tevinter mages and magisters.

[nightscrawl]

So to prevent myself from tearing my hair out at other threads, here is a topic. This relates back to the relationship between Dorian and Halward and the dialog in the tavern.

 

Here is video at the correct time.

 

D: Uh-oh. Nobody's here. This doesn't bode well.
H: Dorian.
D: Father. So the whole story about the "family retainer" was just... what? A smoke screen?
H: Then you were told. I apologize for the deception, Inquisitor. I never intended for you to be involved.
D: Of course not. Magister Pavus couldn't come to Skyhold and be seen with the dread Inquisitor. What would people think? What is "this" exactly, Father? Ambush? Kidnapping? Warm family reunion?
H: (Sighs.) This is how it has always been.

 

I've never quite understood Halward's last remark there. From other comments made by Dorian is seems like they had a close(er) relationship before this whole mess. Dorian admired him, wanted to make him proud, believed what he taught him, and so forth. But Halward's remark makes it seem like it was more of a 'rebellious teenager vs straight-laced father' type of relationship. Dorian doesn't respond to this remark as the next line is an input by your Inquisitor.

 

I suppose that this could just reflect the different view that each man has of the other and their relationship, past and present. I was curious as to how you all saw it and whether this was something that jumped out at you at all.

 

The character descriptions from the game files that Danaduchy posted say that "he doesn’t understand why his son and heir would willingly cast aside everything he considers important to pursue 'idle pleasures'." I can understand that for the current issue, but not when Halward says that "this is how it has always been."

[Hazegurl]

I forgot about that line "This is how it has always been."

 

Either the writing is inconsistent or perhaps our timeline of their relationship is off? Like perhaps the "waiting in the stands..." banter with Cole is when Dorian is much younger. While all the "black sheep" banter/mentions reflects the teenage to adult Dorian. Or perhaps despite how well they got along Dorian has always called his father out about how he places so much importance on his self image?

[Caddius]

Since we were talking about fanfic earlier, if any of you are writing any Tevinter-based works and were looking to come up with some Roman-inspired names, I recently ran across this site. Livia, the name of Dorian's intended, is listed under the female names. At one point I had used IMDb to look up character names in biblical epics, but there is little variety to be had among those, especially when many of them are about the same thing (i.e. Jesus) and the same characters are present in all of them. Most only list a solo first name, sometimes a single family name, and rarely with both, as in Quintus Arrius from Ben-Hur.

 

The wikipedia page for Roman Naming Conventions, while extremely informative and interesting, doesn't have a huge list of examples if you want to pick something and go. The link I posted is part of the site for a 'Legion' of Roman historical reenactors who provided the information as a resource for their members to come up with a suitable Roman name for the reenactment.

Romans were infamously, hilariously 'creative' with naming things.

The famous Gaius Julius Caesar had a daughter, Julia. His own father was Gaius Julius Caesar. And that man's father was also Gaius Julius Caesar.

The famous Caesar had aunts, both named Julia. 

They created Mafia esque nicknames whenever a branch of a gens did something noteworthy enough. In this case, Caesar likely meant 'hairy', for a particularly hirsute Julia. Though again, the famous Caesar went prematurely bald. 

This led to generations of Roman patricians going by the same names, looking relatively similar, and doing similar jobs and having similar reputations. Historians have had to exercise their horrifically underutilized skill of coming up with good nicknames. 

Tevinter seems to have more originality with their names, but still with that juicy Latin influence on the sounds of the names themselves. 

The talk of genealogy, slaves being able to rise up through the ranks, (but oh so very rarely) and the workings of the Magisterium itself all remind me of Rome. The geo-political situation is classic Byzantium.

[(Disgusted noise.)]

I assumed the "this is how it has always been" was referring to Dorian working himself into a fit without letting anyone else get a word in edgewise. It seems to be a habit of his. I mean, he did just ask his father seven questions almost in a row without giving him time to respond.

[KellinC]

So to prevent myself from tearing my hair out at other threads, here is a topic. This relates back to the relationship between Dorian and Halward and the dialog in the tavern.

 

Here is video at the correct time.

 

 

I've never quite understood Halward's last remark there. From other comments made by Dorian is seems like they had a close(er) relationship before this whole mess. Dorian admired him, wanted to make him proud, believed what he taught him, and so forth. But Halward's remark makes it seem like it was more of a 'rebellious teenager vs straight-laced father' type of relationship. Dorian doesn't respond to this remark as the next line is an input by your Inquisitor.

 

I suppose that this could just reflect the different view that each man has of the other and their relationship, past and present. I was curious as to how you all saw it and whether this was something that jumped out at you at all.

 

The character descriptions from the game files that Danaduchy posted say that "he doesn’t understand why his son and heir would willingly cast aside everything he considers important to pursue 'idle pleasures'." I can understand that for the current issue, but not when Halward says that "this is how it has always been."

 

Never struck me as odd because in the context of the letter, the whole situation and the conversation my ear interprets it as meaning that Dorian has always been intractable and combative since their major falling out.  That every attempt to reconcile, Dorian's reaction is how it's always been.  By the tone of the letter he's rejected and evaded his parents, leading them to this one final effort where they go so far as to try and subvert him into a meeting.  If only to corner him long enough to make him listen.  As the letter says, if it fails then they will accept their son is lost for good.

My read is that Halward sees the impending failure and is asking, without asking, for the Inquisitor intervene.  Which is precisely why the next moment is the Inquisitor's turn to speak for good or for bad.  That's why that line never bothered me.

 

[Marlena_8]

It is hard to make out what that line means.  i do get the sense though, from the depth of hurt in Dorian's eyes and voice and mannerisms as he confronts his father that despite what he says about his family, he does care for his father very much.  And that's why the betrayal by his father hurt him so much. 

 

And though wrong as hell, his father believed he was acting in Dorian's best interest.  He didn't want his son to be treated like a pariah and thought this blood magic ritual would ease his rebellious mind.  He clearly doesn't understand what the meaning of Dorian's preference is; to him, he cannot fathom it being more than mere dalliances that arise from pure physical need.  They certainly shouldn't threaten Dorian's potential in Tevinter.  I think Dorian's instant shoutiness maybe is what Halward is referring to, as Disgusted Noise suggests?  I see Dorian feeling he has to shout to be heard because his parents aren't hearing him when he tries to tell them, this isn't just a phase - this is how he wants to live his life.

[Dr. Doctor]

I forgot about that line "This is how it has always been."
 
Either the writing is inconsistent or perhaps our timeline of their relationship is off? Like perhaps the "waiting in the stands..." banter with Cole is when Dorian is much younger. While all the "black sheep" banter/mentions reflects the teenage to adult Dorian. Or perhaps despite how well they got along Dorian has always called his father out about how he places so much importance on his self image?

I look at it this way:

-Minrathous is pretty far away from House Pavus' holdings in Qarnus. Given that Halward has a seat in the Magisterium he probably wasn't there that much when Dorian was growing up.

-Dorian came into his magic and was at the Circle of Vyrantium for a while (the "Watching from the stands..." banter could refer to his Harrowing).

-Dorian figured out who he is (and from some of his banter had his heart broken on a number of occasions) and avoided the whole betrothal issue by using his work with Alexius as an excuse.

-Lady Alexius is killed en route to Hossburg, causing a rift between master and apprentice. Dorian returns home to Qarnus.

-The whole betrothal thing comes up again and Dorian, thinking that being their son is enough, comes out. Word of God says that Halward doesn't have a problem with It but he takes it as Dorian wanting to go out and carouse rather than accepting his responsibilities as heir.

It seems like Halward didn't have any idea that Dorian put so much effort into trying to get his approval. Its pretty clear from his letter that he had no idea about Alexius, the Venatori, or Dorian's mission to redeem his homeland. Halward's under the impression that his son ran off and joined what could be taken as a cult just to spite him. It isn't until the two men actually talk to each other that they find out that they're not all that different.

[nightscrawl]

After I posed the question here I asked my mother about it, since you know, she is the parent of a grown child. I've gotten her to watch the Dorian scenes previously so she knew what I was talking about. She suggested that Halward was referring to Dorian's hard-headedness and refusal to listen, and that it doesn't necessarily negate their previous closeness for Halward to say that.
 
So basically...

I assumed the "this is how it has always been" was referring to Dorian working himself into a fit without letting anyone else get a word in edgewise. It seems to be a habit of his. I mean, he did just ask his father seven questions almost in a row without giving him time to respond.

This all makes perfect sense to me! I just never looked at it from that angle before.

 

Thanks for the responses.

 

 

[edit]

I simultaneously adore and am annoyed by this aspect of Dorian's personality. On the one hand it adds to his relatability and that is one reason I like him as a character. On the other hand he is only hurting himself with this, and it's further compounded by his lack of communication about certain things. BUT, you can see his growth with this as the relationship progresses, which is another great thing to see.

[Fredward]

His whole stand-back-as-I-work-myself-into-a-righteous-rant thing is why I brave the chilly air of Dorian Disaproves in that conversation with his father (by telling him that it's nice he got that of his chest but what about his dad?), my Quisie has been telling him for a while that he should at least go and listen but nope. Dorian's got his thang on. I think that might actually be one of the few times I've lost approval with him.

 

Mind you it doesn't impact how I feel about him much, other than appreciating (once again) Bioware's ability to make characters that have actual flaws. I have a tendency to fly off the handle when pushed a bit too far myself but that doesn't mean I don't recognize when it would be better to shut up a sec and listen instead of picking up the assumptions and sprinting to the goal posts that may or may not actually be there.

[nightscrawl]

Heh in the tavern dialog when you get the first chance to speak I usually pick the angry response because I am actually pissed that Halward tried to use deception to get Dorian there, which turned out to be an even bigger lie since the whole "retainer" thing was just a "smokescreen" as Dorian called it. I mean, I (the player) know why he did it, but my Inquisitor is pissed and indignant on Dorian's behalf. BUT, I do always encourage Dorian to "not leave it like this," because I really feel that it's best for him.

_____

 

This is a bit OT (well fan ficcy relevant I suppose) and a bit of a rant... But I get really irritated with this whole aspect of society regarding men and emotions. Of course men have emotions and cry and all that, but the stoic, taciturn man is such an ingrained thing that I have to keep reminding myself as I write that it's OK to have men shown with such strong emotions. I mean, seriously, I read this over and think "Is this too much? Am I writing it this way because I'm a woman?" and then I think that that is actually a disservice to men to think that way.

 

I'm not talking about Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein levels of emotional train wreck, but actual contemporary male authors who put plenty of emotions into their guys, even ones who are like Special Forces types of dudes.

 

So, I guess FU macho society. >.<

 

 

Sorry for the rant.

[Caddius]

Heh in the tavern dialog when you get the first chance to speak I usually pick the angry response because I am actually pissed that Halward tried to use deception to get Dorian there, which turned out to be an even bigger lie since the whole "retainer" thing was just a "smokescreen" as Dorian called it. I mean, I (the player) know why he did it, but my Inquisitor is pissed and indignant on Dorian's behalf. BUT, I do always encourage Dorian to "not leave it like this," because I really feel that it's best for him.

_____

 

This is a bit OT (well fan ficcy relevant I suppose) and a bit of a rant... But I get really irritated with this whole aspect of society regarding men and emotions. Of course men have emotions and cry and all that, but the stoic, taciturn man is such an ingrained thing that I have to keep reminding myself as I write that it's OK to have men shown with such strong emotions. I mean, seriously, I read this over and think "Is this too much? Am I writing it this way because I'm a woman?" and then I think that that is actually a disservice to men to think that way.

 

I'm not talking about Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein levels of emotional train wreck, but actual contemporary male authors who put plenty of emotions into their guys, even ones who are like Special Forces types of dudes.

 

So, I guess FU macho society. >.<

 

 

Sorry for the rant.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and Lord of the Rings have men crying and expressing all kinds of powerful emotion. Is anyone going to dare say that Iroh and Aragorn aren't the mightiest of men? And that those aren't two great stories?

Stories where some men don't show emotion and are stoic badasses are fine, if they show them to be striving toward that ideal. Not as if all men come with a switch at the back of our necks between Lewd Humor, Ultra-Violence, Football and/or Sex, and that's it. Ugh. If you pry us open, do we not have dozens of switches? 

I can confirm that, in my case at least, the male stereotypes are irritating as hell.  I'll shed a single manly tear at Sif's boss fight in Dark Souls if I want to, dammit. (Actually I sob hysterically and throw the controller away and throw my computer against the wall, because I'm reserved like that.  )

[happy_daiz]

Nah, he stays tall. It's my first Dorian romance, so I haven't seen the growing or shrinking business, but my qunari definitely towers over him. Dorian's poor neck. And back.
The thing I noticed is my Adaar's head being chopped off in most cutscenes. And his chin clipping through his pajama collar. Le sigh.

@sandalisthemaker - I...need to retract this. I watched the cutscene again, and yes, Dorian is taller than my Adaar for part of it. /facepalm

This has made me notice the other times it happens, too. Sometimes, a cutscene will start, and his head is too high on the screen, and it will flicker for a moment, then it will be focused correctly. I wonder if their "fix" that enabled them to add qunari as a playable race was missed in a few places?

Gah, I'm sorry I wasn't more observant.

[Hothouse Orchid]

I'm a bit late with my answer, but I also took the "This is how it has always been"-response as a remark on Dorian's tendency to get snappy when he's upset. As this side of him seems to come from his mother, I can only imagine the colorful "argumentation" going on in the house of Pavus. Poor Halward... 

 

Anyway, have some art! (and sorry if any of these have been posted before)

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

http://stonelions.tumblr.com/

 

Spoiler

 

 

http://endrae.tumblr.com/

 

Spoiler

 

http://kingsdarga.tumblr.com/

 

Spoiler

 

http://pandahart.tumblr.com/

 

Spoiler

 

http://captaincrapster.tumblr.com/

[Marlena_8]

In writing, I have to pull myself back from making my guys weep too much lol.  So it's something I've tamed over the years.  I guess I like showing vulnerability in my characters, but I also don't want them to seem too over the top or out of character.   I guess I get swept away by emotional scenes.

[TheRatPack55]

Lol, so a while ago people were seeing Dorian lookalikes in models and pop-stars, but I just managed to notice a resemblance in my great-grandfather... 

 

Spoiler

 

He'd just need some eyeliner and pomade and he'd make a great cosplayer... 

[KellinC]

In writing, I have to pull myself back from making my guys weep too much lol.  So it's something I've tamed over the years.  I guess I like showing vulnerability in my characters, but I also don't want them to seem too over the top or out of character.   I guess I get swept away by emotional scenes.

 

For you writers out there.  For the history, sincerity, humor and the handlebar mustaches  http://www.artofmanl...r-a-man-to-cry/

Yes, it is difficult to be a man and let off a good, soul clearing bout of tears..  There are rules.  The stakes are the loss of your dignity if you don't choose wisely when and what and how.  To see the look of disgust in women's eyes or your friends is a very real fear.  So most of us hold it in, go find a private refuge where we feel safe and then we let fly like the best Greek tragedy.

That said, in writing, some of the best scenes I've seen are those where vulnerability is displayed in other ways.  Where the tension is built up and not dealt with at that time.  Like Dorian's ongoing pain that he keeps tucked away.  It doesn't result in tears but it carries us along in those rare moments when it gets close to the surface.  Or when Cole says that one thing and you hear the waver in Dorian's voice as he begs Cole to leave off right now before he loses all composure.  It's these sometimes moments that are compelling.  It's a hard balance to find.

[TaHol]

Have some Dorian-goodness!

 

 

 

(I love this romance so much...I'm the biggest fan of my own video lol)

[Nymeria Stark]

Heh in the tavern dialog when you get the first chance to speak I usually pick the angry response because I am actually pissed that Halward tried to use deception to get Dorian there, which turned out to be an even bigger lie since the whole "retainer" thing was just a "smokescreen" as Dorian called it. I mean, I (the player) know why he did it, but my Inquisitor is pissed and indignant on Dorian's behalf. BUT, I do always encourage Dorian to "not leave it like this," because I really feel that it's best for him.

_____

 

This is a bit OT (well fan ficcy relevant I suppose) and a bit of a rant... But I get really irritated with this whole aspect of society regarding men and emotions. Of course men have emotions and cry and all that, but the stoic, taciturn man is such an ingrained thing that I have to keep reminding myself as I write that it's OK to have men shown with such strong emotions. I mean, seriously, I read this over and think "Is this too much? Am I writing it this way because I'm a woman?" and then I think that that is actually a disservice to men to think that way.

 

I'm not talking about Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein levels of emotional train wreck, but actual contemporary male authors who put plenty of emotions into their guys, even ones who are like Special Forces types of dudes.

 

So, I guess FU macho society. >.<

 

 

Sorry for the rant.

 

Oh, I hate those stereotypes too, I think the emotionless male character is kind of boring.  Fortunately, I know several shows and movies where male characters also show emotions and weep, and I don't think that makes them "less manly" or something like that, it simply makes them more human and I always feel closer to characters that express their emotions when needed. So if there are emotive moments, I don't see any problem with having my male protagonist shed tears.

 

That's also another reason I love Dorian, he express so many emotions with his face and eyes (also with his voice): happiness, sadness, anger, worry... you can even see the love in his eyes when he kisses the inquisitor. They really did a great job with his facial expressions, it makes him more human, and when he is sad he makes me want to hug him.