So.... unpopular opinion coming up...
Does it bug anyone else this focus on "Oh, it's OK we hated Cullen, because he hated himself before DA:I"? I personally never hated him, because I understood where he was coming from. Now... I sorta feel like there's supposed to be something wrong with me liking him as a character before.
I mean, sure, I'm glad that we know more about his motivations. They're basically what we've been saying all these past few years. And, yes, I understand why he want to leave his templar life behind, as I told him in game. But by the same token... I also thought he'd cleave more strongly to some of the ideals of the Order, to which he'd dedicated the majority of his life. Or we'd see more remorse in him leaving it behind. (keeping in mind that I never got his nemesis quest... so maybe that's where all the angst and second thoughts were located).
... just me...?
I absolutely agree. While I disagreed with many of the things he said at the end of Origins and throughout DAII, to me it was always obvious that these were aspects of his character growth. This is a man still learning about the world as he goes. He used to think Templars were too hard on mages and he probably doubted some of Greagor's harsher decisions. After his torture, he likely felt that it was wrong of him to have doubted his superior at all. He had reason to fear mages at the end of Origins, and he probably was reluctant to doubt Meredith or go behind her back precisely because of what happened the last time he doubted people with more experience. He admits he could have done more in terms of investigating possible abuses of power committed by other people but he also says that Meredith kept a lot of decisions from him when she knew he might object.
I know he was strict and said terrible things, but I don't feel like he was absolutely without morals the way some people who hated him portrayed him to be. I had several people try to convince me that Cullen was aware of rapes going on at Kirkwall but did nothing about them. I actually had to re-examine the dialogue myself to realize that when Hawke asked Cullen about Alrik it had nothing to do with rape and he was specifically referring to the concept of Tranquility when he was speaking. Imo it's highly unlikely he knew rape was going on as well, and he confirms in DA3 that he should have looked into things more. He probably WOULD have done something if he knew.
And yeah, he wanted to kill all the mages in the Tower at the end of Broken Circle but even your party members point out that he's been tortured and deprived of food/water for a long time so isn't in his right mind. He was absolutely wrong, but I found it more pitiable than deserving of hate, really.
I feel like Cullen's hatred for himself is based on his harsh behavior towards mages and, most of all, his complacency during his stay at Kirkwall. But I don't think he did anything outright evil or immoral. He was just at a point in his life when he was still struggling with the idea of thinking for himself instead of following The Maker/The Chantry/his bosses ideas blindly. We see him make this decision to do what he himself thinks is right at the end of DAII. Inquisition sees him far more confident, commanding, and surefooted for this same reason. It was all a part of his character development, and I empathize with his struggles during the first two games all the same even if he said things I found objectionable. It's not as if he's a totally different person. He was a blank canvas in Origins, and we've watched the story of his life painted on over the years into the masterpiece he is today. It's a metaphor for how we all grow up, really.
Retour en haut
Nah, keep 'em. You earned them!
