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[Grieving Natashina]

I was actually thinking Red because of her ties to the Friends of Red Jenny, not her outfit.

She might reject that.  As someone pointed it out earlier, I doubt she's going to be open about her FoRJ ties at first.

 

Unless Varric's a romance option I don't want that. I dunno why but I find it adorable when older or more experience characters refer to their younger comrades as "Kid" or worse "Kiddo". I'd have to jump him right then and there if he referred to Sera that way.

 

That said Kiddo does kinda suit the criteria I laid out, it's cute, but it also suggests a bit of spunkiness on her part.  

I've done a few dialogues with her and other companions (mainly just goofing around,) but Kiddo keeps coming to mind.  

 

Of course, I also picture Varric calling the-one-I-suspect-is-Cole "Kid," so that's why I thought of Sunflower. 

[Darth Krytie]

I get what you're saying, and part of that stems from my example being unclear.  I don't really care what people guess about someone else when walking down the street.  That really is irrelevant.  I care about what someone can KNOW, and there's a significant difference in what people can unmistakably know about someone else in a chance passing when discussing internal and external traits.  Unless you explicitly advertise it, no one is going to know your sexual preferences by passing you on the street.  Everyone will know Sera's an elf unless she takes direct action to hide it.  If Maria had said been arguing race vs species, I could have seen the point.

 

As to your point about authors however, I'm not seeing the reasoning of being so specific, unless your intent is to whine that your special snowflake can't be understood by someone who isn't just like you.  There are good authors and there are bad authors.  Breaking it down into 'You aren't a lesbian so I don't trust you to write lesbian women' is just looking for something to find fault with.  Either you trust the writing team to be up to the tasks they take on, or you don't, in which case you shouldn't trust ANY of the writing in the game.

 

Um. No. And even the writers at BioWare themselves will admit to being more sure about writing certain things over other things. Patrick Weekes wrote a blog entry about his initial failure writing Samantha. David Gaider has also commented that having women on the team helped uncover unintentionally squicky writing in regard to women. So, yes, I can have complete faith that the team can write a moving plot and gorgeous characters and angst enough to kill me and still be concerned about their portrayal of Sera's sexuality.

 

I never said "I don't trust them to write it," I said that the concern over how well it will be done is legitimate.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

Question for anyone and everyone, out of my own curiosity.

 

How meaningful do you think it is for someone to be gay in the DA universe?

 

Not in terms of you, the player of the real world, appreciating it. Rather, how it impacts the average life and social standing and pressures of development for someone growing up in Thedas.

I think the meaning depends on the culture.

 

To those who live in the human nations, none really whatsoever unless you are a noble in which case it is encouraged you still sleep with at least some of the opposite gender to produce offspring.

 

For the Dwarves and Dalish, a more strict version of the human noble thing since your race is on the verge of dying off, but as long as you provide heirs you can sleep with whoever.

 

The Qun followers are probably in the middle of that, since heterosexual relations are only for procreation anyway. In fact, they may approve homosexual relations since it eases stress while not having to worry about unplanned pregnancies.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

She might reject that.  As someone pointed it out earlier, I doubt she's going to be open about her FoRJ ties at first.

But I can see Varric doing it anyway, as a way to tease by having a nickname so common yet so close to her secret that it will drive Sera crazy. 

[cjones91]

 

 

 

 

I think she and Varric are gonna get along, I really wanna know what nickname he'll have for her. It's gotta be something cool, something that references either speed or her hotheadedness, but it's also gotta be a little bit adorable. I have a suspicion that Varric will develop the same sort of "big brother soft spot" for her as he did Merrill. 

 

Yeah I can see Varric giving Sera a nickname and then watching over her like did with Merril.But I have no idea what sort of nickname he'll use though.

[Allan Schumacher]

There are good authors and there are bad authors.  Breaking it down into 'You aren't a lesbian so I don't trust you to write lesbian women' is just looking for something to find fault with.  Either you trust the writing team to be up to the tasks they take on, or you don't, in which case you shouldn't trust ANY of the writing in the game.

 

Authors can have strengths and weaknesses.  I can trust George R. R. Martin to write a dark fantasy setting because he's done that.  While I may trust him to write a children's book better than mine because he's a better technical writer than me, based on my experience with his previous work I'm not sure if he'd be the best candidate for a book like that.

 

Patrick Weekes' first attempt at writing Samantha Traynor was not particularly flattering at all.  It came from good intentions, but read like an after school special.  Fortunately he had other people to collaborate with to point it out.  We consider it a good thing that we have as many women on our writing team as we do, because it helps by bringing in different perspectives and experiences which can challenge some things.  Like that story that came out some time ago where a writer wrote something, and upon review someone pointed out that it came across a lot differently, which the writer did not want to depict.  Once it was called out, no one could "unsee" that anymore, so the scene was altered.

 

So no, I don't agree that an author is either good or bad.  I feel they can have strengths and weaknesses in what they write about.

[fiveforchaos]

She might reject that.  As someone pointed it out earlier, I doubt she's going to be open about her FoRJ ties at first.

 

I've done a few dialogues with her and other companions (mainly just goofing around,) but Kiddo keeps coming to mind.  

 

Of course, I also picture Varric calling the-one-I-suspect-is-Cole "Kid," so that's why I thought of Sunflower. 

Sunflowers are cool and all, but I don't think Sera would appreciate being referred to as a flower. I was actually thinking some sort of bird, but I can't decide on which one. 

 

EDIT: Gah! Misquotes everywhere.

[Grieving Natashina]

Authors can have strengths and weaknesses.  I can trust George R. R. Martin to write a dark fantasy setting because he's done that.  While I may trust him to write a children's book better than mine because he's a better technical writer than me, based on my experience with his previous work I'm not sure if he'd be the best candidate for a book like that.

 

Patrick Weekes' first attempt at writing Samantha Traynor was not particularly flattering at all.  It came from good intentions, but read like an after school special.  Fortunately he had other people to collaborate with to point it out.  We consider it a good thing that we have as many women on our writing team as we do, because it helps by bringing in different perspectives and experiences which can challenge some things.  Like that story that came out some time ago where a writer wrote something, and upon review someone pointed out that it came across a lot more like rape, which the writer did not want to depict.  Once it was called out, no one could "unsee" that anymore, so the scene was altered.

 

So no, I don't agree that an author is either good or bad.  I feel they can have strengths and weaknesses in what they write about.

If I recall correctly, it wasn't a huge rewrite either.  They still wanted the creepy undertone, but it accidentally came off as "rape-y," which was not their intention.  I also remember him saying that he was thankful for the other women on the team, and that he went to them first for feedback.  He admitted that if he hadn't been had that moment pointed out to him, it very well would have ended up in the game untouched.  He got into it at the GDC panel in 2013.

 

It's a really good watch by the way, and it gets into BioWare's history with romances.  

 

http://www.gdcvault....96/Sex-in-Video

 

 

Sunflowers are cool and all, but I don't think Sera would appreciate being referred to as a flower. I was actually thinking some sort of bird, but I can't place which one. 

 

Now I'm thinking "Meadowlark" Meadowlarks are generally small, yellow in color and very active birds.  I call see Varric calling her "a lark" for short.  A lark also means "to joke or fool around."  That could work.

[cjones91]

Sunflowers are cool and all, but I don't think Sera would appreciate being referred to as a flower. I was actually thinking some sort of bird, but I can't place which one. 

 

EDIT: Gah! Misquotes everywhere.

How about Hummingbird?It's small and quick just like Sera.

[Alan Rickman]

After witnessing the scene from the concept art: "Fisty".

[fiveforchaos]

How about Hummingbird?It's small and quick just Sera.

You see that's what I was thinking. But does it roll off the tongue in normal conversation? I mean Aveline and Isabella both have a lot syllables, but Hummingbird's got a lot of m's in it, seems like it could be a bit of a mouthful. 

[Kimarous]

How about "Fletching" as her nickname? Might not roll off the tongue, but think about it. She's an archer, it's like a bird's feathers, it helps the arrow fly to its target, it sounds like "fetching" (either in the sense of "retrieving" - as like her rogue history - and "attractive")...

[Hanako Ikezawa]

I think if anyone has a bird nickname it will be Leliana. 

[Lukas Kristjanson]

Are you willing to agree that being a gay woman is meaningful? That it's something that matters and makes a difference?

That being an elf is important is fine. That being an elf is important while being gay is irreverent is not fine.

I don't think you and I are at cross-purposes. You took a number of leaps with my statement in order to make a point. A valid one that I do not dispute. But I didn't say that I didn't bother, that she's "just a person," that it isn't meaningful, a tiny trait, or irrelevant.

 

I said that I didn't intend to use her story to state "this is what a lesbian character is or isn't," explicitly that I would not presume to tell you what a lesbian is or isn't. I also said (through mentioning how I approached Aveline) that it is part of her, but not what solely defines her. That is not the same as "it doesn't matter." Rather, that it isn't the source of conflict in her story.

 

So yes, straight up, her nature as an elf will be mentioned more often, as that is the context of the culture in which she lives and by which she is primarily judged. But she is always who she is. Both will hopefully inform how you see her story. I don't know if it's the character you would have wanted, but I still hope you like her.

[Grieving Natashina]

How about Hummingbird?It's small and quick just Sera.

Varric, "How are you today, Magpie?"

 

Sera: "Did..you just call me a magpie?"

 

Varric "I like giving nicknames.  It makes the people I meet easier to remember.  Also, it never hurts to go by a code name.

 

Sera: "Code name?"

 

Varric: "Honestly, did you expect me to have this adventure and not write it down?  The names aren't just being changed for the sake for the innocent."

 

Sera: "Good point.  So, why a magpie?"

 

Varric: "Kiddo, you're lovely, firey, hard to catch and love shiny things.  I thought it fit."

 

Sera: <blushing> "Then I'll take it.  Can I call you "Big Brother?"

 

Varric: "I appreciate the thought, but I'd rather not.  That would get a little confusing to explain to strangers.  Not to mention making me aware of my age."

 

Sera: Bear Pelt, for that chest of yours?

 

Varric <laughing>: It is glorious, but no.

 

Sera: "What about 'Var-Var'?"

 

Varric: "Oh by the love of....Magpie, you don't get to pick the nicknames.  That's my thing."

 

 

 

Edit: Okay, that does work much better.

[fiveforchaos]

 

Now I'm thinking "Meadowlark" Meadowlarks are generally small, yellow in color and very active birds.  I call see Varric calling her "a lark" for short.  A lark also means "to joke or fool around."  That could work.

 

Hmm that's also a good one, but its kinda got the same problem as hummingbird, too much of a mouthful. "A lark" sounds a bit choppy and "Lark" doesn't sound right for a nickname for some reason. 

[fiveforchaos]

I think if anyone has a bird nickname it will be Leliana. 

Leliana's a whole nother can of worms! I mean I've been trying to think of song birds that would suit her, but they all have ridiculously long names too, except Robin, but that's kinda been done. It seems the only birds with convenient names are birds of prey.

[Grieving Natashina]

Leliana's a whole nother can of worms! I mean I've been trying to think of song birds that would suit her, but they all have ridiculously long names too, except Robin, but that's kinda been done. It seems the only birds with convenient names are birds of prey.

Why wouldn't they use the one she was given already?  She is "Sister Nightingale" after all, which is a type of songbird.

[Neon Rising Winter]

Leliana's a whole nother can of worms! I mean I've been trying to think of song birds that would suit her, but they all have ridiculously long names too, except Robin, but that's kinda been done. It seems the only birds with convenient names are birds of prey.

Now if she has thieving tendencies how about magpie. They're fiery little critters too, one of them spent 10 minutes trying to chase my cat out of the garden the other day. Definitely not a songbird however, it was making an awful racket.

[Grieving Natashina]

Now if she has thieving tendencies how about magpie. They're fiery little critters too, one of them spent 10 minutes trying to chase my cat out of the garden the other day. Definitely not a songbird however, it was making an awful racket.

Ooh!  Much much better.  Yep, I could see Varric calling Sera a "Magpie."  It rolls off the tongue pretty smoothly too.  

 

I'm editing my previous post to try that out.

[fiveforchaos]

Varric, "How are you today, Hummingbird?"

 

Sera: "Did..you just call me a hummingbird?"

 

Varric "I like giving nicknames.  It makes the people I meet easier to remember.  Also, it never hurts to go by a code name.

 

Sera: "Code name?"

 

Varric: "Honestly, did you expect me to have this adventure and not write it down?  The names aren't just being changed for the sake for the innocent."

 

Sera: "Good point.  So, why a hummingbird?"

 

Varric: Kiddo, you're lovely, fast and always on the move.

 

Sera: <blushing> "Then I'll take it.  Can I call you "Big Brother?"

 

Varric: "I appreciate the thought, but I'd rather not.  That would get a little confusing to explain to strangers.  Not to mention making me aware of my age."

 

Sera: Bear Pelt, for that chest of yours?

 

Varric <laughing>: It is glorious, but no.

 

Sera: "What about 'Var-Var'?"

 

Varric: "Oh by the love of....Hummingbird, you don't get to pick the nicknames.  That's my thing."

Suddenly Varric just became Nii-san in my head... This is adorable, probably completely out of character, but adorable.

[Kimarous]

How about something a little more "rogue-ish", like "Pockets" or "Fingers"?

[Grieving Natashina]

How about something a little more "rogue-ish", like "Pockets" or "Fingers"?

I thought a magpie worked well.  Those little jerks will steal the rings off  your fingers if they are so inclined.  Magpies are pretty thieving as a group of birds, and it seems to fit her.

 

Also, they can be pretty crazy too.  Every few years where I live, they go into a mating season overdrive.  I watched magpies start dive bombing cars and any other shiny object in sight, while fighting over mates.  Sometimes car windshields get broken too.

[fiveforchaos]

 

Why wouldn't they use the one she was given already?  She is "Sister Nightingale" after all, which is a type of songbird.

Well I had figured Varric wouldn't want to use someone else's nickname. But if he did it'd have to be the whole name, not just Nightingale, Sister Nightingale just sounds too cool to not use in full.

 

Now if she has thieving tendencies how about magpie. They're fiery little critters too, one of them spent 10 minutes trying to chase my cat out of the garden the other day. Definitely not a songbird however, it was making an awful racket.

Oh Magpie could work perfectly with Sera, sounds like she's gotten up to a little thievery in her time seeing as how she was part of the Red Jenny (didn't they want your Warden to steal something for them?) And she doesn't need to be a songbird, singing isn't her thing like it is for Leliana. That's, yeah, that's pretty good. It's kinda cute, it's kinda cool, and it suits her personality, I think we have a winner.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

 

 

Well I had figured Varric wouldn't want to use someone else's nickname. But if he did it'd have to be the whole name, not just Nightingale, Sister Nightingale just sounds too cool to not use in full.

 

Oh Magpie could work perfectly with Sera, sounds like she's gotten up to a little thievery in her time seeing as how she was part of the Red Jenny (didn't they want your Warden to steal something for them?) And she doesn't need to be a songbird, singing isn't her thing like it is for Leliana. That's, yeah, that's pretty good. It's kinda cute, it's kinda cool, and it suits her personality, I think we have a winner.

 

Same as I don't see him calling Cassandra anything but Seeker. 

 

In DAO, yes you stole something from Irving's office and delivered it to an unknown person in Denerim. 

In DA2, they paid you to eliminate gangs.