138883 réponses à ce sujet

[MelissaGT]

That is...well, gross, lol. I have no idea what that would be like, we don't have skunks in New Zealand. Can you give me specifics on the taste? 

 

Believe me, you're lucky to have never experienced the flavor or "eau de skunk." It's like this rancid, wet, sweet funk that just permeates everything. It makes your eyes water and you can taste it. One time my dog got sprayed right near my car, and my car (having cloth seats back then) absorbed the smell. So any time I would get in my car, I would reek of skunk. It would be absorbed by my clothes! It took about four bottles of febreeze and like three solid days of airing out before the stench was gone. 

[kalasaurus]

I'm a screenshot spammer.  I took a massive amount of screenshots with Solas, and now I am doing the same with Cullen!

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I noticed the same thing...but with mages. I think the mage/templar thing has been done to death...I demand more fanfic with rogue or warrior IQ!  

 

Though I will admit, I have two mages (one being an elf) that romanced Cullen! I think everybody will try the elf and/or mage thing on at least once!

 

Heh, guilty party here.  I made a human former-Circle mage specifically to try the Cullen romance, with a worldstate that has a female Amell Warden.  This is my first time trying his romance so I just... went for it XD

[Tishina]

I'll be straightforward, since this is so puzzling to me: Why so many elves wish to date Cullen?   

 

I must've read around 4 fanfics by now where the Inquisitor is always an elven woman who falls in love with the Commander.

 

Why this elf/Cullen equation? What is this thing? Is there an exotic element in this union that I'm missing?

Some dominant/submissive subtle thing going on between Quizzie and Cullen? Like the Quizzie being all misunderstood by everyone around her, like a teenager, perhaps, and then finding comfort in the arms of the Commander? Is that is? 

 

Why so few Human Inquisitors pining for our Commander? I just assume humans would relate better to one another.

 

(Except maybe elven mages; those live within human society since childhood, but you guys get my drift.)

Umm, why not, if you're going on personality rather than appearance? Should female elves be limited to Solas and Sera, qunari to Iron Bull, and dwarves I guess would just be up a creek? Honestly, I don't even think it's nearly as common as human-Cullen romances; from the screenshots in this thread, I wasn't sure anyone was romancing Cullen with an elf at all for a while. Why shouldn't people want to play both the race they like best and still want the best LI for themselves? Why would this imply some sort of submissive/dominant relationship, especially since Cullen is incredibly respectful of Dalish inquisitors, is used to thinking of them as equals to humans from the circles, and a Dalish is not going to think of herself as inferior in some way? Myself, yes, I'll be romancing him with an elf, possibly a rogue. Why? Because I don't play fantasy RPGs to play a human, there are too many other games for that, and since your background is pretty irrelevant, I may never play a human in DAI at all. If I'd had the choice, I'd romance him with a dwarf warrior, I think it would have been a blast.

[Tishina]

I noticed the same thing...but with mages. I think the mage/templar thing has been done to death...I demand more fanfic with rogue or warrior IQ! 

 

Though I will admit, I have two mages (one being an elf) that romanced Cullen! I think everybody will try the elf and/or mage thing on at least once!

Even if it's a friendship story, my fanfic is a Lavel!rogue with Cullen. But it's hard to resist doing the mage story at least once for the extra bits of conversation, I think.

[Monica21]

I love that look the IQ gives him in the fourth screenshot. I always say, "And let the awkward flirting begin."

[TheLastArchivist]

If I could romance Cullen I'd do so with an elf.

 

To me the romance between a former templar and a Dalish hunter is the best... two warriors but from very different backgrounds. Different religions, different cultures. Yet somehow love blossoms. Yes I'm a romantic 

Ah. So it's a relation between equals, in your case.   Both the Commander and the brave, Dalish hunter have a lot in common. They understand where the other is coming from and can complement each other nicely. It's only a matter of time until they realise it and fall in love. 

 

 

But in a couple of fanfics, I've noticed that's not what happens. I may be reading it wrong, but the elf is always kinda fragile, purposefully naive, needing some sort of protection - in a psychological way - or misunderstood, even though she's already in her 30s (I guess).

Idk, this reminds me a lot of angsty teenager stuff. Me against the world, I have special powers, nobody is like me so no one understands me, I am the Chosen One, that sort of self-centered thing.

Sometimes, this is accompanied by the whole damsel-in-distress leitmotif as well.

And I'm just not sure the Commander is the kind of guy who would be, well, comfortable in this kind of unilateral romance, you know? 

 

The man is already in his 30s. He's seen his fair share of horror, had many responsibilities and has had many disappointments. By now, he differs young people from adults. I guess it's a bit strange whenever I read a story where there's this bubbly, needy - sometimes even clingy -, happy-go-along or angsty elf interacting with a guy in his 30s and he manages to keep a straight face or not lose his temper at what he would consider typical childish behaviour, like any man would normally do.

 

Idk, I'm just voicing my opinion here. None of what I say matters. My intention is not to change anything, just express something that quite frankly puzzles me. For me, people must write what they want to write. It's just odd to see so many people portraying the Quizzie as such a young person, especially because a teenager sees a 30 year old man in a very different fashion than a 30 year old woman. The things a woman in her 30s seek in a man are entirely different than what a teenager does. To a teenager, an older guy is a trophy. But to a woman, it's a companion, a friend and lover. Those are two very distinct views. But like I said, it's just my opinion. 

[Jean]

Oh... I romanced him with a human (because I am dull) mage because DA is the only game series where I enjoy playing as a spellcaster over everything else. 

 

Was also partly out of curiosity, I did want to know what he'd say for character reasons. If I ever romance him with a mage again, I don't think I'll ever pick any of the extra mage options. In fact, I feel bringing up the mage/(ex)templar dynamic is completely unnecessary. 

 

Different strokes for different folks I guess /shrugs.

[Tishina]

Ah. So it's a relation between equals, in your case.   Both the Commander and the brave, Dalish hunter have a lot in common. They understand where the other is coming from and can complement each other nicely. It's only a matter of time until they realise it and fall in love. 

 

 

But in a couple of fanfics, I've noticed that's not what happens. I may be reading it wrong, but the elf is always kinda fragile, purposefully naive, needing some sort of protection - in a psychological way - or misunderstood, even though she's already in her 30s (I guess).

Idk, this reminds me a lot of angsty teenager stuff. Me against the world, I have special powers, nobody is like me so no one understands me, I am the Chosen One, that sort of self-centered thing.

Sometimes, this is accompanied by the whole damsel-in-distress leitmotif as well.

And I'm just not sure the Commander is the kind of guy who would be, well, comfortable in this kind of unilateral romance, you know? 

 

The man is already in his 30s. He's seen his fair share of horror, had many responsibilities and has had many disappointments. By now, he differs young people from adults. I guess it's a bit strange whenever I read a story where there's this bubbly, needy - sometimes even clingy -, happy-go-along or angsty elf interacting with a guy in his 30s and he manages to keep a straight face or not lose his temper at what he would consider typical childish behaviour, like any man would normally do.

 

Idk, I'm just voicing my opinion here. None of what I say matters. My intention is not to change anything, just express something that quite frankly puzzles me. For me, people must write what they want to write. It's just odd to see so many people portraying the Quizzie as such a young person, especially because a teenager sees a 30 year old man in a very different fashion than a 30 year old woman. The things a woman in her 30s seek in a man are entirely different than what a teenager does. To a teenager, an older guy is a trophy. But to a woman, it's a companion, a friend and lover. Those are two very distinct views. But like I said, it's just my opinion. 

That's a very different thing to make age/dependency the main factor from race, and something I've seen in a lot of human-Cullen fanfic as well, honestly. That's just the writers. Myself, I think he's going to be better off with someone closer to his age or mature enough to be a real partner (my first Cullen romance will be about five years older than him, in fact), but that's my preference. I usually skip the fanfics with silly, immature, or clingy romances whoever they're romancing, but again, that's preference.

[Monica21]

There's a lot of stuff I don't read because I don't like it. Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey come to mind, for instance. Just not my thing. But, it's a lot of people's thing and I wouldn't change that.

 

The only Cullen fic I've read was set after DAO and had a human mage Warden, but it was really well written, so I kept reading it. There's just as much bad fanfic out there for Cullen and human female as there is for Cullen and [insert whatever here]. If the writing doesn't appeal to you, then there's no reason to read it, but there's also nothing preventing someone from creating their character with Cullen. There's quite a bit of his character left wide open for people to insert whatever it they want to see in him, and I think that means the writers did a great job with him. They've given him an outline, but there's enough for someone else to fill in with what they prefer in a romance partner.

[MelissaGT]

*snip*

 

Although I do agree with you (being a woman in my 30's as well)...I don't have any issues if that's how people want to write their stuff. I'm not a writer (I'm an artsy photographer  ), but I can imagine that people tell their story from a perspective they know. So maybe a lot has to do with the age of the writer? I know there's quite a few folks that are younger and play the game, so maybe their IQ's are young as well?

 

However, I will admit that I just skip a fic that has a "chicky" IQ...and there are a lot out there. 

[CuriousArtemis]

People write young naive inquisitors because that is the story they want to tell. You don't have to understand it or even like it. But I think we all would prefer that folks not come here and question why others play the game (or write about it) the way they do

 

I have no interest in romancing Cullen with a female, but you don't see me questioning every other Cullenite here and giving them the third degree. I would gain nothing from that other than upset people, and rightfully so. I fully respect people's right to romance Cullen however they want, and honestly, so long as fellow Cullenites are happy, I'm happy

[kalasaurus]

Oh... I romanced him with a human (because I am dull) mage because DA is the only game series where I enjoy playing as a spellcaster over everything else. 

 

Was also partly out of curiosity, I did want to know what he'd say for character reasons. If I ever romance him with a mage again, I don't think I'll ever pick any of the extra mage options. In fact, I feel bringing up the mage/(ex)templar dynamic is completely unnecessary. 

 

Different strokes for different folks I guess /shrugs.

 

You're right, but I'll likely still feel compelled to pick the extra mage options on my first try of the Cullen romance.  I'm curious too, and with her being a former Circle mage she might wonder.  Do the options feel like she's putting him on the spot, though?  She doesn't have anything against templars (in fact, I'm roleplaying her as a pro-Circle mage).  I liked how when Cullen commented on how he was surprised that Vivienne didn't dislike him on principle, and my Inquisitor could say that she didn't dislike him on principle, either.

[MelissaGT]

You're right, but I'll likely still feel compelled to pick the extra mage options on my first try of the Cullen romance.  I'm curious too, and with her being a former Circle mage she might wonder.  Do the options feel like she's putting him on the spot, though?  She doesn't have anything against templars (in fact, I'm roleplaying her as a pro-Circle mage).  I liked how when Cullen commented on how he was surprised that Vivienne didn't dislike him on principle, and my Inquisitor could say that she didn't dislike him on principle, either.

 

Honestly, I think I got more out of the extra dialog you get as a warrior (re templar spec) than as a mage. 

[Jean]

The Inquisitor has been stated to be any age over 20 and under 40, so... There's a lot of leeway right there for writers to play with.

 

I've also met some immature as **** 30/40 somethings and incredibly mature teens/20 somethings. 

[kalasaurus]

Honestly, I think I got more out of the extra dialog you get as a warrior (re templar spec) than as a mage. 

 

That's good to know.  I haven't played a warrior yet.

[MelissaGT]

That's good to know.  I haven't played a warrior yet.

 

The convo changes depending on if the romance has started, so I would just wait to have it til after the kissy scene!

 

I enjoy my mage playthrough, but there's just something about the warrior IQ that I really like. They seem to have such a great dynamic as a couple. I've done a sword n' board champion, and just recently started a 2h warrior goddess that will likely go reaver. I haven't brought myself to actually take the templar spec, but I have heard others say that he will have comments about it. I'm toying with the idea of another warrior PT in the future where she becomes a templar and they make a pact to "get off the sauce" together after all is said and done. In my champion PT, they discussed the possibility and they decided together that champion was the better idea. She didn't want to have to expose him to being with someone on lyrium. 

[Potato Cat]

Hey, quick lore question, but spoilery if you haven't done the quest in the Arbor Wilds so... spoiler tag time!

Spoiler

Was it Andruil who was the goddess of sacrifice? Because if so, after completing the Eluvia astrarium, I'm starting to believe the Old Gods = Creators sans Mythal theory, and Razikale is Andruil.

[Boomshakalakalakaboom]

People write young naive inquisitors because that is the story they want to tell. You don't have to understand it or even like it. But I think we all would prefer that folks not come here and question why others play the game (or write about it) the way they do

 

I have no interest in romancing Cullen with a female, but you don't see me questioning every other Cullenite here and giving them the third degree. I would gain nothing from that other than upset people, and rightfully so. I fully respect people's right to romance Cullen however they want, and honestly, so long as fellow Cullenites are happy, I'm happy

 

Come here, Arty, and give me a hug! *hugs* Well said, my dear. 

[Jean]

People write young naive inquisitors because that is the story they want to tell. You don't have to understand it or even like it. But I think we all would prefer that folks not come here and question why others play the game (or write about it) the way they do

 

I have no interest in romancing Cullen with a female, but you don't see me questioning every other Cullenite here and giving them the third degree. I would gain nothing from that other than upset people, and rightfully so. I fully respect people's right to romance Cullen however they want, and honestly, so long as fellow Cullenites are happy, I'm happy

Seeing a story with an Inquisitor, who, frankly, should be the last person to ever be leading an institute as such is something I'm really interested in seeing done.

 

I mean, the Inq could have easily been anyone. Now I'm going to be sitting here imagining the amazing disaster that would be. 

[CuriousArtemis]

I mean, the Inq could have easily been anyone. Now I'm going to be sitting here imagining the amazing disaster that would be. 

 

At some point I still want to play my "friendly sociopath" mage, Kael Lavellan Pragmatic atheist, hungry for knowledge, delighted at being given power, devoid of racial prejudices, just enjoying life and exulting in his love of fireballing quote-unquote bad people   He almost seems unromanceable, so I'd consider playing him now (or even romancing Cass), but I really wanna wait for some cosmetic mods to come out (especially hair), plus it'd be awesome if we could eventually tweak the stats so I can focus more on story than grinding.

[zestalyn]

snippy snip

I totally see where you're coming from. I'm not too hot about the Cullen fics that involve an Inquisitor that is particularly naive, and innocent. Unless the fic is focused on her emotional growth and maturity, it does feel slightly inappropriate, especially if it's a mage where there is sort of a power play dynamic in motion. Given Cullen's history and opinion about the Templar Order, it doesn't sit right with me. 

 

However, I have less opinion about age differences. Like someone else said, there can be immature, childish 30 year olds, and extremely insightful, mature 20 something year olds. In my opinion, sometimes the age difference works out based on gender and age differences in emotional maturity.

 

I personally believe, depending on the individual of course, that emotional maturity is relevant when research suggests that female brains 'mature faster' than those of males. My fellow 20 something year-old girlfriends and I are always complaining how it is sometimes easier to intimately engage older men, where dealing with men our age can sometimes be absolutely impossible when it comes to matters beyond themselves and their gross man-child ways of leisure       /endrant.

 

Of course, like I said earlier, it easily goes vice versa regarding immature older adults, and vastly more mature young adults. In this case, it just depends on how the writer writes their young Inquisitor, and of course, 30+ year old Cullen. 

[MelissaGT]

*snip*

 

dealing with men our age can sometimes be absolutely impossible when it comes to matters beyond themselves and their gross man-child ways of leisure       /endrant.

 

*snip*

 

I'm in my 30's...do they ever grow out of "gross man-child ways of leisure???" 

[CuriousArtemis]

Aww, come on, blanket statements are never fun for anyone ^^ I know plenty of mature and intelligent guys.

[MelissaGT]

Aww, come on, blanket statements are never fun for anyone ^^ I know plenty of mature and intelligent guys.

 

Sorry, it was a joke. 

[Sephirona]

I personally really liked the specialized mage dialogue options because it looked like my Quizzy just wanted to make sure Cullen was comfortable and because she wanted to understand more about him. Cullen's also very gentle and waits for you to consent before advancing the romance in a similar way. It seemed natural for them to be able to speak openly about who they are and where they're coming from, and I liked exploring how two people came together from vastly different backgrounds and discovered they both share the same goals and dreams. Mages are people with hearts, after all. CullenxMage is definitely one of the most popular pairings but it's my personal preferred world state and I don't feel guilty for enjoying it as much as I do or that I'm jumping on any preconceived notion of a bandwagon.

 

As for the age gap debate - I think it would be nice to not judge people coming to the Dragon Age series at different points in their lives. Whether you're still a teen, in your twenties, the same age as Cullen or older shouldn't matter. In the real world it would perhaps be harder to imagine a happy, bubbly young teen being able to navigate through the world of Thedas as Inquisitor with the proper social poise and gravitas required of the position, but matters in Thedas occur on a larger-than-life scale every day. Harry Potter saved the world and he was a teen, as were his friends, after all. If a young player can imagine themselves saving Thedas while staying true to themselves in their personal world because that makes them happy, then I'm happy for them. I'm in my early twenties, and while I can't claim to be the most mature of people all the time even now I remember loving the escapes from reality I enjoyed as a teen and I wouldn't want to discredit any younger person's enjoyment of the same thing at this point in their lives.

 

Cole isn't completely emotionally mature either, but he's helping you save the world nonetheless and he has friends like Varric to guide him. And that's why your Inquisitor has advisors to guide her if needed. You can be serious about work but still maintain a playful attitude in your personal life anyways. Right, Commander Lake-Calenhad-is-shaped-like-a-bunny?