There was a discussion about Cullen at the ball yesterday. The thread has moved on by now, so maybe I shouldn't bring it up again but I'd like to add something. If this is inappropriate somehow, just ignore me.
I'm glad you brought it back up because I'm also just getting to last night's posts and had a comment as well.
Honestly...I always assumed the writers put this in as a shout out to us cullenites (in a funny way)! That is why I was so shocked to see Cole's line about it. It makes it all very dark (something I at first found funny). Then, when you think about the power nobles have, etc (as pointed out above), the whole scene now feels very different to me. And now I feel bad that Cullen has to go through it! 
To be blunt, doesn't the fact that they (the Orlesian 'Cullenites') take it so far when he is clearly uncomfortable sort of make us look like jerks, too? I get that groups of primarily women who like things ('fangirls') are always going to get dumped on but it feels a bit mean-spirited of a dig, under the circumstances. The 'inappropriate', sexual, whatever kinds of fantasies, art, displays, gushing, etc. that are done to a fictional character are really not comparable to actual non-consensual 'flirting' or harassment of a real person, so it's kind of an obnoxious way to translate Cullen fans into an in-character setting.
To be honest, though, a small but not negligible part of the stuff I've seen in Cullen fandom does make me pretty damned uncomfortable? It doesn't have to be a dig at the entire fandom, just the creepy component of the fandom.
For months before Inquisition came out and after Cullen was announced as an LI tumblr seemed like an endless parade of comics about Inquisitors or other party members touching Cullen's ass and making him uncomfortable. Which is literally what his worst admirers at the Palace were doing. I mean, yes, there is no real person here feeling harassed, but that doesn't make the act of harassing more pleasant to watch.
I agree. I am grateful that Cullen was included and that he was written very tastefully as a romance for us, but the reasons you stated here are also why I was a little uneasy about how they claim Cullen smells like Elderflowers. I mean, it's a hilarious joke insult in Monty Python ("Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"), but while the implication that Cullen is the delicious consumable bait and we, the women, are the rodents who can't help but be lured in is amusing, it also is a bit condescending. At least it's not very direct.
Huh... I thought the elderflowers and oakmoss nicely represented his the duality of stereotypically extremely masculine (big guy, wears armor, carries a sword, commands armies, terse and impatient) and softer qualities (gentle voice, shyness, curly hair, long eyelashes, looks good in a skirt) that makes him compelling (to me), but that's probably overinterpreting.
Wait... I thought the trick was to *not* travel anywhere directly from the War Table...? I never actually had the banter bug, but if it's starting now, can someone confirm...?
The supposed trick is to ONLY leave the War Table by fast traveling, but for me that actually
triggers the Drums Of Skyhold Everywhere All The Time bug and doesn't affect banter either way. The only thing that's affected my banter is marking quests/codex entries/inventory items read.
Retour en haut
!
.
).
