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[Ariella]

Soooo, :deep breath: here it is.
 
Don't Stand So Close To Me
by R2sMuse
 

Description: Modern college AU where hot new assistant professor Cullen Rutherford's mentorship of rising star Solona Amell is complicated by his growing attraction to her and the resulting political fallout. (Yes, inspired by the song of the same name) 

So this is the first thing I find coming back...

Brain then proceeded to melt... and it was a fun brain melt. Makes me feel all inspired to get back to the keyboard. But after enjoying the brain melt some more.

[R2s Muse]

So this is the first thing I find coming back...

Brain then proceeded to melt... and it was a fun brain melt. Makes me feel all inspired to get back to the keyboard. But after enjoying the brain melt some more.

hee hee. Thanks.   And, wb!

[Ariella]

hee hee. Thanks.   And, wb!

My pleasure. Have to admit, I've been really curious about this since it came up. Much fun to see the final product.

On an unrelated but still Cullen note, if one were to write a Cullen/F!Hawke romance set during DAI, which path should it take in regards to mages or templars. I'm lean toward mages if only because of Samson angst and early Dorian envy.

Though having a demon try to break Hawke, and well... Ser Barris might make the templars a good fit.

[Vanalia]

Followed you, and going through your tumblr and devart pages now... wow, your art is fantastic! I love the style of your pens and colouring, and it's impressive how you draw animals and beasts so well.

 

(your dragon tutorial is really helpful too! my dragons look at best like derpy lizards )

Thank you! I barely have time to draw these days, but at least I could make a little chibi. I may have more complicated projects in mind for future paintings, but I don't know when I'll find time for that ^^' I'm glad you like my art

 

 

I have a question Cullen-related: is it a sound problem in my game, or does it happen to you too? when I do the regular kiss with Cullen, sometimes the sound of the kiss continues even after they stopped kissing. You know, Cullen is slowly leaving and the sounds continues a bit even after that 

And now the new thing, is that my advisors talk BEFORE I give their mission (like, "ok I already know you'll give me that mission AGAIN so I'm already on it" XD) before I push the button to assign the mission they already say "Inquisitor" or "Let's see what we have", etc.

[Ariella]

Thank you! I barely have time to draw these days, but at least I could make a little chibi. I may have more complicated projects in mind for future paintings, but I don't know when I'll find time for that ^^' I'm glad you like my art
 
 
I have a question Cullen-related: is it a sound problem in my game, or does it happen to you too? when I do the regular kiss with Cullen, sometimes the sound of the kiss continues even after they stopped kissing. You know, Cullen is slowly leaving and the sounds continues a bit even after that 
And now the new thing, is that my advisors talk BEFORE I give their mission (like, "ok I already know you'll give me that mission AGAIN so I'm already on it" XD) before I push the button to assign the mission they already say "Inquisitor" or "Let's see what we have", etc.

I get the out of synch sounds during the kiss, but not the advisor issue. I hadn't been sure if I were hearing things until you mentioned it.

[R2s Muse]

On an unrelated but still Cullen note, if one were to write a Cullen/F!Hawke romance set during DAI, which path should it take in regards to mages or templars. I'm lean toward mages if only because of Samson angst and early Dorian envy.

Though having a demon try to break Hawke, and well... Ser Barris might make the templars a good fit.

I'd say it depends on the story you want to tell, otherwise it's just personal preference. I'm still more of a fan of the Samson quest for Cullen, because it's actually a quest... about Cullen. :shrug: But there are advantages to the other way, too. 

 

 

I have a question Cullen-related: is it a sound problem in my game, or does it happen to you too? when I do the regular kiss with Cullen, sometimes the sound of the kiss continues even after they stopped kissing. You know, Cullen is slowly leaving and the sounds continues a bit even after that 

And now the new thing, is that my advisors talk BEFORE I give their mission (like, "ok I already know you'll give me that mission AGAIN so I'm already on it" XD) before I push the button to assign the mission they already say "Inquisitor" or "Let's see what we have", etc.

I'm afraid I've never had any sound sync issues! But I haven't played in a while, so who knows what the most recent patches have done. :/

[Vanalia]

The sync issue for the advisors is very recent, I guess it's because I've been assigning them the same ressources quests over and over and... I don't know, artificial intelligence, they got used to it now  they're already prepared for what I'm going to give them 

 

For the kiss it doesn't happen every time (not the first time, I'm sure of that) but sometimes it does... it's a bit disturbing, but well. I shouldn't ask for a kiss so often maybe 

[Tishina]

I have sound sync issues at some weird moments. For instance, in the desk scene, I can hear the bottle hit the ground and shatter before it falls, then I can hear the other stuff hit the ground before it's knocked off, lol...

[MelissaGT]

You guys want to hear some real weird sync issues, try the freeze button with the new Cinematic Tools. 

[riverbanks]

On an unrelated but still Cullen note, if one were to write a Cullen/F!Hawke romance set during DAI, which path should it take in regards to mages or templars. I'm lean toward mages if only because of Samson angst and early Dorian envy.

Though having a demon try to break Hawke, and well... Ser Barris might make the templars a good fit.

 

I'd put a small vote for the Templar path, if only because most Cullen fics follow the mage path timeline for the same Samson drama, and it's interesting to see the rare different take approaching other issues every now and then (like his relationship/dynamics with Barris). But I agree that it really depends on the story you wanna tell, and whatever works best for it. If you feel strongly that one way works better or is personally more interesting to you, go with that.

 

Alternatively, just do both. My personal canon, and the universe I write my own fics in, is that both the Samson and the Calpernia quests  happened regardless of my Inquisitor's path. I think they're both way too important events to the larger story of the world and I hate how such major events can simply not happen because of your faction choice. So, if you can't decide, you can always handwave the official canon too and go with both timelines at once.

 

I have a question Cullen-related: is it a sound problem in my game, or does it happen to you too? when I do the regular kiss with Cullen, sometimes the sound of the kiss continues even after they stopped kissing. You know, Cullen is slowly leaving and the sounds continues a bit even after that 

And now the new thing, is that my advisors talk BEFORE I give their mission (like, "ok I already know you'll give me that mission AGAIN so I'm already on it" XD) before I push the button to assign the mission they already say "Inquisitor" or "Let's see what we have", etc.

 

This is related to memory usage on you computer. The more memory you're using (that is, the more programs you have open, the longer the game has been running, the less disk space/ram memory you have), the more the game's scripts will lag. That causes things like the graphics not rendering completely at Skyhold, sound coming  out of synch with animations, etc. Before I moved my game to a faster drive, Cullen's kiss scene would always have the out-of-synch sound problem. It's just showing that your system is a little strained (because Inquisition demands a lot of resources), but your game is not bugged or anything.

 

Someone even joked here on the thread that it seemed like our Inquisitors were making smoochy noises at Cullen's bum as he walked away, and now I can't get that image out of my head every time I go for the kiss - he's walking away trying not to laugh, as the Inquisitor just leans on the railing making silly kissy-kissy noises at him.

[Vanalia]

I play on PS4, so it says a lot on the capacity of next-gen engines...   (and it's brand new to the memory disc is not full at all) but what is strange is that sometimes it does it and sometimes not...

 

Haha now I want to make a little comic with Cullen not sure if he heard well the Inquisitor doing kiss noises to his ass while he leaves    (and when he turns back to her, she looks linnocent, like "me? I did nothing!")

[Ariella]

I'd say it depends on the story you want to tell, otherwise it's just personal preference. I'm still more of a fan of the Samson quest for Cullen, because it's actually a quest... about Cullen. :shrug: But there are advantages to the other way, too.

I'd put a small vote for the Templar path, if only because most Cullen fics follow the mage path timeline for the same Samson drama, and it's interesting to see the rare different take approaching other issues every now and then (like his relationship/dynamics with Barris). But I agree that it really depends on the story you wanna tell, and whatever works best for it. If you feel strongly that one way works better or is personally more interesting to you, go with that.
 
Alternatively, just do both. My personal canon, and the universe I write my own fics in, is that both the Samson and the Calpernia quests  happened regardless of my Inquisitor's path. I think they're both way too important events to the larger story of the world and I hate how such major events can simply not happen because of your faction choice. So, if you can't decide, you can always handwave the official canon too and go with both timelines at once.

Thanks guys. For me, the problem is I know how both ways play out in general. This whole fic is there but for the cancellation of Exalted Marches with Hawke getting into trouble, as usual.

 

The Mages have Samson and the advantage of history with both Cullen and Hawke, plus the canon for this story had Hawke siding with the Templars at the Gallows, so it makes for drama there, and well, Cullen's general issues.

  

The Templars of course have the fact that Hawke left Kirkwall to find out about the red lyrium (and try and locate Meredith's sword, which disappeared afterward) plus other issues which forced her into hiding. And being able to write what Envy would do to Hawke makes for an interesting time.

 

This fic was originally going to be a Trevelyan Inquisitor but after reading a bunch of your stuff, R2, Hawke kept popping up going "Me! Me! Me!" And she just wouldn't shut up .

 

I may end up flipping a coin, though now I think about it, I like the idea of Hawke going after the Templars due to the fact some faction of the Order were hunting her (whistling), and because she wants to help Barris and all the other knights who feel caught between what the Lord Seeker says is their duty and what they feel is their duty.

 

I both love it and hate it when characters won't shut up. It's a lot of fun, but it also makes it hard as hell to sleep some nights.

 

Again, thanks, this has given me something to think about.

[Ariella]

I play on PS4, so it says a lot on the capacity of next-gen engines...   (and it's brand new to the memory disc is not full at all) but what is strange is that sometimes it does it and sometimes not...

 

Haha now I want to make a little comic with Cullen not sure if he heard well the Inquisitor doing kiss noises to his ass while he leaves    (and when he turns back to her, she looks linnocent, like "me? I did nothing!")

 

I'm playing on Xbox One, and it's a new system too. Of course the game's been having banter issues since launch. I wish they'd find that bug, having Dorian and Varric bet against me on a regular basis is demoralizing.

[DaiyoukaiGeisha]

I'd put a small vote for the Templar path, if only because most Cullen fics follow the mage path timeline for the same Samson drama, and it's interesting to see the rare different take approaching other issues every now and then (like his relationship/dynamics with Barris). But I agree that it really depends on the story you wanna tell, and whatever works best for it. If you feel strongly that one way works better or is personally more interesting to you, go with that.

 

*snipped (but I did read all of it!)*

 

Totally agreed. It's your story to tell. Don't worry about "what somebody else wants or has done". It's "yours" and you should write towards whatever resonates with you. Having said that, for myself, I prefer to Cullen/Female Hawke stories where it's pro-Templar (especially the ones where Hawke is a mage or pro-Mage, but ends up on the pro-Templar path). I've even read stories that took complete (or partial) canon divergences, one even had the pairing not siding with either side completely.

 

Honestly, I headcanon Cullen with Hawke way more than the Inquisitor. Mainly for that one scene in DA2 after Hawke returns from the deep roads and gets the Amell noble status back. It took me for a loop because he seemed so damn happy for you when you speak to him at the Gallows. From then on my Hawke character had a thing for him.    Which was quite the turn of events because in DAO I liked the mage origin the least. So, the whole Cullen & Mage infatuation didn't, and still doesn't, do anything for me at all (which doesn't seem to be a popular opinion ).

Modifié par DaiyoukaiGeisha, 23 juillet 2015 - 02:27 .

[DaiyoukaiGeisha]

For anybody interested in well executed canon divergence fics. I recommend this one:

 

The Rogue Templar by WendelinTheWriter - http://archiveofouro...g/works/3564938

 

I really hope this writer finishes the story (it's 21 chapters at the moment). I'm very picky about the fics I recommend/bookmark, but this one definitely gets top marks so far.

 

Spoiler

Basically, it's Cullen in the DAI time frame, explaining to Cassandra what really went down in DA2. In the story he is the one that was stirring up **** in Kirkwall. Playing double-agent between Meredith (Templars) and Anders (Mages). It's very well done so far. He even hooked up with Anders (pre-Hawke) at one point, which is why he gets brought into the Mage Underground's dealings.

[riverbanks]

And being able to write what Envy would do to Hawke makes for an interesting time.

 

This is a notion I find really interesting too, but I've never seen it explored on any AU where Hawke is the Inquisitor. Considering the mess that is all of Hawke and how easily and terribly Envy could twist her mind using her emotional triggers (Malcolm's secret, Leandra's fate, whatever happened to the twins, etc), putting her in Theirinfall, between Envy and Cole, is such an interesting concept.

 

Honestly, I headcanon Cullen with Hawke way more than the Inquisitor. Mainly for that one scene in DA2 after Hawke returns from the deep roads and gets the Amell noble status back. It took me for a loop because he seemed so damn happy for you when you speak to him at the Gallows. From then on my Hawke character had a thing for him.   

 

That is the scene that gets me about Cullen's involvement with Hawke in DA2, too, specially because with my canon being Circle Bethany, the last time Hawke and Cullen speak between Acts 1 and 2 is when Cullen takes Bethany away, right after Hawke's return from the Deep Roads. So they go through this long period of barely existing in each other's lives, but then one day Hawke comes back and he just sounds so glad for her, that she's doing well for herself and has managed to pull her family out of poverty, that she doesn't hold a personal grudge against him for Bethany, that they can still be familiar faces to each other... you can't help but think that he sounds a bit too glad, like he's kind of put thought into how Hawke might have been doing since the last time they met. That's the moment that made me think I might ship them too, even for a little while, even if only for Act 2. My Hawke might've gone for someone else in the long term, but I do like to headcanon that a little Thing developed between her and Cullen around that time, prompted exactly by this concern he suddenly shows for her a little (but not completely) out of the left field.

[Tishina]

Totally agreed. It's your story to tell. Don't worry about "what somebody else wants or has done". It's "yours" and you should write towards whatever resonates with you. Having said that, for myself, I prefer to Cullen/Female Hawke stories where it's pro-Templar (especially the ones where Hawke is a mage or pro-Mage, but ends up on the pro-Templar path). I've even read stories that took complete (or partial) canon divergences, one even had the pairing not siding with either side completely.

 

Honestly, I headcanon Cullen with Hawke way more than the Inquisitor. Mainly for that one scene in DA2 after Hawke returns from the deep roads and gets the Amell noble status back. It took me for a loop because he seemed so damn happy for you when you speak to him at the Gallows. From then on my Hawke character had a thing for him.    Which was quite the turn of events because in DAO I liked the mage origin the least. So, the whole Cullen & Mage infatuation didn't, and still doesn't, do anything for me at all (which doesn't seem to be a popular opinion ).

Never worry about what others think, if it doesn't do something for you, then it doesn't. I liked the mage origin, but while I always triggered that conversation with Cullen, my mages were never precisely infatuated with him (they were more on the level of "hmm, he's good looking, and always so nice, too bad we can't actually talk.") In all honesty, I was never sure I liked him as an NPC until DAI. I was fascinated by him and the development they gave him, but not really more than that. I wouldn't write a DAO-era Cullen romance, and I'm not a huge Hawke fan myself though I enjoy reading what others write. And while I had fun writing one Cullen-IQ story, I'm just not nearly as attached to my Dalish IQs as to my dwarves (or to my wardens.) But I'm having fun writing a post-Cory story between him and a Warden Surana, but it not only isn't based on them having a lingering obsession with each other, the Cullen I'm writing had long since realized he'd been infatuated with an idea, not a real person, and they've both changed a great deal on top of that.

[DaiyoukaiGeisha]

That is the scene that gets me about Cullen's involvement with Hawke in DA2, too, specially because with my canon being Circle Bethany, the last time Hawke and Cullen speak between Acts 1 and 2 is when Cullen takes Bethany away, right after Hawke's return from the Deep Roads. So they go through this long period of barely existing in each other's lives, but then one day Hawke comes back and he just sounds so glad for her, that she's doing well for herself and has managed to pull her family out of poverty, that she doesn't hold a personal grudge against him for Bethany, that they can still be familiar faces to each other... you can't help but think that he sounds a bit too glad, like he's kind of put thought into how Hawke might have been doing since the last time they met. That's the moment that made me think I might ship them too, even for a little while, even if only for Act 2. My Hawke might've gone for someone else in the long term, but I do like to headcanon that a little Thing developed between her and Cullen around that time, prompted exactly by this concern he suddenly shows for her a little (but not completely) out of the left field.

 

Exactly! In my "official headcanon" (heh, thank goodness for Dragon's Keep) I always make Bethany a Grey Warden. As I have a special place in my heart for the Wardens (so much so that I refused to give up my Warden gear in DAI for a long time even though I had better gear I could craft . She's a wannabe.) But in the playthrough I did where she went to the Circle I had the same feeling, no personal grudges. Not that everything is good just not complete hate and doom & gloom between them. It made for some interesting "what if?" scenarios. One fan fic I read had them hooking up in DA2 with Bethany going to the Circle as a catalyst that triggers the relationship (such as it is at that time). It is most definitely NOT a "safe for work" fic! But regardless of the naughty bits, it is very well done (and goes from DA2 with one shots going into DAI).

 

Never worry about what others think, if it doesn't do something for you, then it doesn't. I liked the mage origin, but while I always triggered that conversation with Cullen, my mages were never precisely infatuated with him (they were more on the level of "hmm, he's good looking, and always so nice, too bad we can't actually talk.") In all honesty, I was never sure I liked him as an NPC until DAI. I was fascinated by him and the development they gave him, but not really more than that. I wouldn't write a DAO-era Cullen romance, and I'm not a huge Hawke fan myself though I enjoy reading what others write. And while I had fun writing one Cullen-IQ story, I'm just not nearly as attached to my Dalish IQs as to my dwarves (or to my wardens.) But I'm having fun writing a post-Cory story between him and a Warden Surana, but it not only isn't based on them having a lingering obsession with each other, the Cullen I'm writing had long since realized he'd been infatuated with an idea, not a real person, and they've both changed a great deal on top of that.

 

Honestly, I'm not much of a Hawke fan myself and I think DA2 is the weakest game of the series. Sarcastic Hawke is the only one I can tolerate. It was all the fan fics that were created that made me like Hawke actually. It's also the fan fics that made me play the game more than once. Go figure! And hooray for fan fiction!

 

I gravitate towards warriors, and my DAO dual-wield warrior (BioWare you took this spec away and I still loathe you for it ) Warden is my "official headcanon". For me the Cousland storyline was the most interesting. Mainly because it goes from extreme tragedy (like the Dalish origin) to extreme tragedy.

 

Spoiler

Oh, your ENTIRE family was killed in a greedy power grab from a supposed long time family friend! Now you're a Grey Warden. YAY! Oh wait, your "new" family of Wardens has now been COMPLETELY decimated by a supposed ally! And you have a Blight to fix too. Good luck! I'm like, "Holy crap! Can my character catch a break!"

 

Meanwhile in the Mage origin (Circle), I didn't get that sense of "Holy hell, this character's life is messed!". It was more like "Why can't I just tell Jowan to get bent and refuse to help him?"

 

Oooo, I got "top".

 

 

Artist: tatsumu

DeviantArt direct link: http://tatsumu.devia...style-544186562

Modifié par DaiyoukaiGeisha, 23 juillet 2015 - 03:28 .

[Owlfruit Potion]

For me the Cousland storyline was the most interesting. Mainly because it goes from extreme tragedy (like the Dalish origin) to extreme tragedy.

 

Spoiler

Oh, your ENTIRE family was killed in a greedy power grab from a supposed long time family friend! Now you're a Grey Warden. YAY! Oh wait, your "new" family of Wardens has now been COMPLETELY decimated by a supposed ally! And you have a Blight to fix too. Good luck! I'm like, "Holy crap! Can my character catch a break!"

 

Meanwhile in the Mage origin (Circle), I didn't get that sense of "Holy hell, this character's life is messed!". It was more like "Why can't I just tell Jowan to get bent and refuse to help him?"

Only the first sentence of the spoiler'd text is unique to Cousland, though. To me, Cousland at least starts out with a fabulous castle, a loving family, and parents who care deeply for her and then has everything ruined by possibly the only unambiguous, moustache-twirling villain in the game. Amell / Surana 1. grew up in a prison; even if the player headcanons that she liked it there, she never had a choice about it; 2. starts the game with a guy who admires her and cares about her standing over her with a greatsword ready to run her through if she is unsuccessful in unarmed combat against a demon; 3. is shortly afterwards informed that her best friend is about to be magically lobotomized unless she risks her own life/career to break him out (or double-crosses him to avoid said personal risk); and then 4. is betrayed by said friend and possibly executed or sent to a terrible prison camp unless Duncan is there to recruit her.

 

I'd take "everything was great until the last minute and then everyone died" over all of that as it is, but then when the crit path at least gives Cousland a unique chance for revenge, the unique crit path element for Amell/Surana is that she gets to find aforementioned greatsword guy completely broken because he was tortured by demons wearing her face.

 

Add in the DA2 details about Amell and her siblings' magic being part of the reason for the downfall of her noble house, and the WOT2 details about why Jowan was doing blood magic, and it gets even worse. (Insert Wrath of Khan gif here but with SHERRRYYLLLLLLLLLLLL)

 

Still, I think both Dwarf origins might beat all the rest for me as far as tragedy (or at least Dwarf Commoner; Dwarf Noble is similar enough to Cousland but being framed / exiled + the Gorim thing + the inability to ascend the Fereldan throne give Aeducan the edge IMO. And I may be overcompensating for my mage Warden bias by saying Aeducan has it worse than Surana/Amell. I still haven't played Tabris so I don't know where it stands for me personally but I've heard it's pretty intense). All the Wardens have sad stories. To me Mahariel and Cousland have it easiest (and everything still sucks for them!), but everyone's got their own opinion.

 

EDIT: Blah, and I just realized that this post would be completely off-topic if the origin I was fan-tears-ing about wasn't the one with Cullen in it, so I guess I'll stop here.

ADDITIONAL EDIT: I hope this doesn't come off as dumping on Cousland, btw! I was just personally really moved on my first playthrough by the succesion of tragedies in the mage Warden's story (...and the Cullen part in particular) so I thought I'd elaborate on why.  It probably helps that I feel a lot of fates are worse than death, and both Tranquility and imprisonment for what I'd consider unjust reasons would be among them for me.

[DaiyoukaiGeisha]

Only the first sentence of the spoiler'd text is unique to Cousland, though. To me, Cousland at least starts out with a fabulous castle, a loving family, and parents who care deeply for her and then has everything ruined by possibly the only unambiguous, moustache-twirling villain in the game. Amell / Surana 1. grew up in a prison; even if the player headcanons that she liked it there, she never had a choice about it;

Agreed, until this point. Then we have to "agree to disagree"!
 

2. starts the game with a guy who admires her

This, to me, is "headcanon" not fact. We have no idea if the guy (*cough* Cullen *cough*) "admires" her at this point in time. All we know for fact is that he has a crush on her. Others have headcanon'ed/fan fic'ed that it's not admiration but lust that has fueled the crush, and that his assumptions about her are clouded/misguided (at the time) by his own prejudices.
 

and cares about her standing over her with a greatsword ready to run her through if she is unsuccessful in unarmed combat against a demon;

Unarmed? No, all mages are being trained up until their harrowing. I find it extremely hard to believe that they are being trained to fail by their mentors (although I suppose that could happen in a Circle). You're assuming actual combat? If you are talking about mental combat/willpower/ability to resist temptation, then I agree (but still believe their training in the Circle is to help mitigate this). If you are talking hand-to-hand combat, I don't agree. Again, this is headcanon on both ends. They have never said officially EXACTLY what happens to every Mage during their harrowing.
 

3. is shortly afterwards informed that her best friend is about to be magically lobotomized unless she risks her own life/career to break him out (or double-crosses him to avoid said personal risk); and then 4. is betrayed by said friend and possibly executed or sent to a terrible prison camp unless Duncan is there to recruit her.

You're a Circle mage that is essentially a wunderkind. Your life in the Circle, to me, was very similar to Wynne's. Yes, the Circles (outside of Tevinter) are glorified mage prisons, but there is nothing in the origin that speaks to you not thriving in that environment, unlike Jowan. (On a side note, I think Vivienne broke it down well in DAI about the Circles when you talked to her about them. Some were mage prisons, others like Montsimmard acted like mage finishing schools for nobles, while where were other Circles that were "Circles" in name only to placate the Chantry *I'm trying to find the codex entry that talks about that one, cuz it was REALLY interesting*) Now on to Jowan, to me (in the playthroughs), he was a ******-poor best friend. He reeked of insincerity from the start. To the point where I wondered why in the blazes I would EVER be friends with him. To me the story just didn't mesh no matter how I played the character. Your BEST friend is a blood mage, but you didn't know...hrmm, ok. Then the best friend asks you to risk all so he can run off with the girl of his dreams, then *boom* he busts out blood magic. It wasn't tragic to me, it was almost laughable.
 

I'd take "everything was great until the last minute and then everyone died" over all of that as it is, but then when the crit path at least gives Cousland a unique chance for revenge, the unique crit path element for Amell/Surana is that she gets to find aforementioned greatsword guy completely broken because he was tortured by demons wearing her face.

Everything was great? Not to me. Your brother and father are going to war. That's not a small thing. You are being tasked to hold it together while their gone. Again, not a small thing. The Circle (as they are designed outside of Tevinter at least) are prisons. But Cousland is in a different kind of prison, a gilded one. It's easy to say "well boohoo for the rich noble!", but it doesn't make it any less of a trapped situation (depending on how you play the character of course).

Also, the Mage storyline also gives a unique path of revenge. You get to confront Jowan AND you get to confront Uldred. You get two different paths for revenge. Uldred was as moustache-twirling as Howe to me. Seeing Jowan gives you a chance for revenge or mercy. You don't get that dual choice with Cousland. Howe gets killed regardless of what you might want.

 

Add in the DA2 details about Amell and her siblings' magic being part of the reason for the downfall of her noble house, and the WOT2 details about why Jowan was doing blood magic, and it gets even worse. (Insert Wrath of Khan gif here but with SHERRRYYLLLLLLLLLLLL)

The downfall of the Amell house in Kirkwall can be landed squarely on the shoulders of two people: Leandra and Gamlen. Leandra decided to run off with Malcolm (for good reasons, but she STILL ran off). Gamlen then proceeded to squander every single gold coin in her absense. It wasn't magic that destroyed their noble status (although mage blood did NOT help the matter), it was incompetence and the choices made by these two siblings.
 

Still, I think both Dwarf origins might beat all the rest for me as far as tragedy (or at least Dwarf Commoner; Dwarf Noble is similar enough to Cousland but being framed / exiled + the Gorim thing + the inability to ascend the Fereldan throne give Aeducan the edge IMO. And I may be overcompensating for my mage Warden bias by saying Aeducan has it worse than Surana/Amell. I still haven't played Tabris so I don't know where it stands for me personally but I've heard it's pretty intense). All the Wardens have sad stories. To me Mahariel and Cousland have it easiest (and everything still sucks for them!), but everyone's got their own opinion.

Totally agree! The dwarf story is bloody tragic (OMG). But yep, everybody has their own opinion. A testament to a well-made game/gaming franchise in my humble opinion.
 

EDIT: Blah, and I just realized that this post would be completely off-topic if the origin I was fan-tears-ing about wasn't the one with Cullen in it, so I guess I'll stop here.

I think it's totally on topic! Although I don't agree with folks, I do love hearing differences of opinion (respectfully given of course!). One of the many reasons why this is the only thread on BSN that I bother reading/posting to. So, thank you.

Modifié par DaiyoukaiGeisha, 23 juillet 2015 - 05:22 .

[Owlfruit Potion]

This, to me, is "headcanon" not fact. We have no idea if the guy (*cough* Cullen *cough*) "admires" her at this point in time. All we know for fact is that he has a crush on her. Others have headcanon'ed/fan fic'ed that it's not admiration but lust that has fueled the crush, and that his assumptions about her are clouded/misguided (at the time) but his own prejudices.

It is actually canon (i.e. mentioned in dialogue, both explicitly in DAO and implicitly in DA2/DAI) that he admires her confidence, magical talent, and bravery. No reason lust can't be there too, of course, but those are the things he mentions either to her or to other people in the tower.

 

Unarmed? No, all mages are being trained up until their harrowing. I find it extremely hard to believe that they are being trained to fail by their mentors (although I suppose that could happen in a Circle). You're assuming actual combat? If you are talking about mental combat/willpower/ability to resist temptation, then I agree (but still believe their training in the Circle is to help mitigate this). If you are talking hand-to-hand combat, I don't agree. Again, this is headcanon on both ends. They have never said officially EXACTLY what happens to every Mage during their harrowing.

Again, though, it's in the game; there's no headcanon to it. You play the Harrowing as part of the origin. And you're literally unarmed until you talk to the Spirit of Valor (or at least he calls you unarmed; I can't remember if you have a terrible staff or something, but I'm pretty sure you have nothing).
 

You're a Circle mage that is essentially a wunderkind. Your life in the Circle, to me, was very similar to Wynne's. Yes Circles (outside of Tevinter) are glorified mage prisons, but there is nothing in the origins that speaks to you not thriving that environment, unlike Jowan. Now on to Jowan, to me (in the playthroughs) he was a ******-poor best friend. In my playthroughs he reeked of insincerity from the start. To the point where I wondered why in the blazes I would EVER be friends with him. To me the story just didn't mesh. Your BEST friend is a blood mage, but you didn't know...hrmm, ok. Then the best friend asks you to risk all so he can run off with the girl of his dreams, then *boom* he busts out blood magic.
Also, the Mage storyline also gives a unique path of revenge. You get to confront Jowan AND you get to confront Uldred. You get two different paths for revenge. Uldred was as moustache-twirling as Howe to me. Seeing Jowan gives you a chance for revenge or mercy.

Hahaha, right after I hit post I was also like "dammit, there's another mustache-twirler and it's Uldred". To be fair he was already an abomination when we met him, but IIRC WoT2 doesn't make him much more sympathetic. And we're agreed about Jowan (although WoT2 has given me much more sympathy for him than I ever had before). EDIT: Re: "thriving in that environment", just because you're doing well and playing by the rules doesn't mean you can't hate every second -- e.g. Malcolm Hawke before escaping.

 

Everything was great? Not to me. Your brother and father are going to war. That's not a small thing. You are being tasked to hold it together while their gone. Again, not a small thing. The Circle (as they are designed outside of Tevinter at least) are prisons. But Cousland is in a different kind of prison, a gilded one. It's easy to say "well boohoo for the rich noble!", but it doesn't make it any less of a trapped situation (depending on how you play the character of course).

For me I guess this is where we agree to disagree. It's a dignity thing; even if Cousland were in the usual noble gilded cage (which I highly doubt she ever would have been given the way her dad treats her and the way her mom acts in-game / is described in WoT2), people in the school in her castle grow up learning how awesome and important her family is, whereas everyone in Thedas (outside Tevinter / the Dalish / the Avvar) grows up learning about how dangerous and sinful and untrustworthy mages are. (Same reason Mahariel doesn't strike me as that badly off--elves are discriminated against, but at least the Dalish are proud to be who they are. Thinking about this at least gives me one more thing to like about Vivienne, who managed to craft a similar dignity for herself, though I don't think it extends to all Circle mages as well as she'd like it to.) EDIT: Furthermore, I don't think it's fair to say they're equally trapped; were Cousland to attempt to escape the noble life, it wouldn't be a political crime and religious heresy to aid her.
 

The downfall of the Amell house in Kirkwall can be landed squarely on the shoulders of two people: Leandra and Gamlen. Leandra decided to run off with Malcolm (for good reasons, but she STILL ran off). Gamlen then proceeded to squander every single gold coin in her absense. It wasn't magic that destroyed their noble status (although mage blood did NOT help the matter), it was incompetence and the choices made by these two siblings.

There's a codex entry in DA2 that says the other nobles consider it to have started with Revka's children (i.e. Warden Amell and siblings); Leandra running off and Gamlen consequently squandering the fortune were just the final nails in the coffin.

[BioFan (Official)]

Hey y'all!

 

Thought you may appreciate this:

 

 

BioFan ‏@BioFanOfficial

enjoy your Cullen musings. 

 

Sarah H ‏@_SarahHayward

also,because credit where due and all, I didn't make Cullen's model, I just directed/animated his scenes 

 

BioFan ‏@BioFanOfficial

ohhhhh. Well. In that case, THANK YOU for that desk scene 

 

Sarah H ‏@_SarahHayward

Ya know, I honestly can't remember if the desk bit was my idea or @bbattye 's. Probably hers. She IS an evil genius...

 

Brianne Battye ‏@bbattye

We were both on the same wavelength for that scene. I'd say they were mind-merge ideas 

 

Sarah H ‏@_SarahHayward

We pretty much achieved full mind meld status on Cullen. I still smile fondly at the first kiss scene. So great!

 

BioFan ‏@BioFanOfficial

All of the scenes were good. I swooned SO HARD. I go back and rewatch the scenes now and then and swoon more! 

 

Sarah H ‏@_SarahHayward

Oh! Oh! I thought of a Cullen thing. In the prayer scene with him and you're romancing him. After the first choice-

 

Sarah H ‏@_SarahHayward

Hit play on "Red like roses part I" from the RWBY sound track. Makes the scene so sad/pretty. I may have listened on repeat

 

Brianne Battye ‏@bbattye

Oh - I remember you showing me that! 

 

Sarah H ‏@_SarahHayward

I mean the track we got in house for ship is great too, but the songs you play on repeat as you work stick with you

 

BioFan ‏@BioFanOfficial

OH I know exactly what you mean.I associate certian songs with DAI cuz I wrote video scripts while listening to them

 

Brianne Battye ‏@bbattye

Yep. I make soundtracks for things I work on.

 

Sarah H ‏@_SarahHayward

For me Cullen was a lot of sad, pretty songs. "Mirror Mirror" was another from the RWBY OST I listened to.

 

Sarah H ‏@_SarahHayward

*80's freeze frame high-five!*

 

Sarah H ‏@_SarahHayward

We pretty much achieved full mind meld status on Cullen. I still smile fondly at the first kiss scene. So great!

[DaiyoukaiGeisha]

(Ok, I admit I'm off-topic on the Cullen front. I'll shut up after this, but dammit this is a good discussion, lol!)
 

It is actually canon (i.e. mentioned in dialogue, both explicitly in DAO and implicitly in DA2/DAI) that he admires her confidence, magical talent, and bravery. No reason lust can't be there too, of course.

Can't count DA2/DAI dialogue IMHO that's "after the fact". Cullen has been through a lot more, his viewpoints have changed, his misconceptions altered. I'm referring only to what I experienced in DAO. The brief interaction with Cullen in DAO smacked of school boy crush. Admiration? Ok, maybe at a very basic level...still not 100% sold (at DAO time frame) that this is fact.
 

Again, though, it's in the game; there's no headcanon to it. You play the Harrowing as part of the origin. And you're literally unarmed until you talk to the Spirit of Valor (or at least he calls you unarmed; I can't remember if you have a terrible staff or something, but I'm pretty sure you have nothing).

Oh I remember this. Again, I don't agree mages are, by default, unarmed. Staves are used as a "focus". Mages can call magic without them (for example Minaeve, in DAI, calling fire to her hands to scare off predators when she was child). To me, even in the playthrough, it was willpower/determination getting me through not unarmed combat (although there IS combat, cuz...well...it's a video game). Codex on the Harrowing and this codex in particular is what I consider canon.
 

Hahaha, right after I hit post I was also like "dammit, there's another mustache-twirler and it's Uldred". To be fair he was already an abomination when we met him, but IIRC WoT2 doesn't make him much more sympathetic. And we're agreed about Jowan (although WoT2 has given me much more sympathy for him than I ever had before).

Ha! Yeah, there is always more I want to say after I hit post of course.
 

For me I guess this is where we agree to disagree. It's a dignity thing; even if Cousland were in the usual noble gilded cage (which I highly doubt she ever would have been given the way her dad treats her and the way her mom acts in-game / is described in WoT2), people in the school in her castle grow up learning how awesome and important her family is, whereas everyone in Thedas (outside Tevinter / the Dalish / the Avvar) grows up learning about how dangerous and sinful and untrustworthy mages are. (Same reason Mahariel doesn't strike me as that badly off--elves are discriminated against, but at least the Dalish are proud to be who they are. Thinking about this at least gives me one more thing to like about Vivienne, who managed to craft a similar dignity for herself, though I don't think it extends to all Circle mages as well as she'd like it to.) EDIT: Furthermore, I don't think it's fair to say they're equally trapped; were Cousland to attempt to escape the noble life, it wouldn't be a political crime and religious heresy to aid her.

Same level of "trapped"? No, I agree there. But trapped? Most definitely yes. Cousland's family loves her to bits, but there are dialogue choices you can make that show the friction there. It's not all sunshine and lavish balls.
 
[Edit: Dalish are a proud people, but depending on where they are wandering they do get hunted outright. Mahariel seemed the most well-off, which is why I found her story particularly tragic. However, after some thought during this thread the City Elf storyline is extremely tragic, worse than the Dalish. So I backtrack on that one. Cousland + Tabris Origins = Extreme Tragedy for me.  
 

There's a codex entry in DA2 that says the other nobles consider it to have started with Revka's children (i.e. Warden Amell and siblings); Leandra running off and Gamlen consequently squandering the fortune were just the final nails in the coffin.

Yep, I remember the codex. That codex is noble gossip/The Game at its most annoying...er, finest. Having mages in your bloodline doesn't improve your social status, however, being broke will definitely kill your noble standing. For example, Josephine has no mages in her immediate family but her family's lack of financial stability could very well kill her noble standing/house, and she's all too aware of that fact. To me, in Thedas as in real life, "money answereth all things". The nobles will gossip/frown on your "mage blood", but still attend your summer soiree if you're dripping in gold.

[EDIT: Found that dang entry about the Circle "in name only", it's in Rivain:

 

 

Though a Circle existed in Rivain, it was merely a means to appease the Chantry. The mages of the Circle were allowed to see their families and the women were specifically trained to be seers, a position in Rivaini society that is revered as a matter of tradition.

Modifié par DaiyoukaiGeisha, 23 juillet 2015 - 06:46 .

[Char]

Soooo, :deep breath: here it is. The modern AU Cullen story that hatched a bunch of pages back after Feylen created this beauty:
 

http://feylen.tumblr...t-me-on-patreon
 
Don't Stand So Close To Me
by R2sMuse
 

Description: Modern college AU where hot new assistant professor Cullen Rutherford's mentorship of rising star Solona Amell is complicated by his growing attraction to her and the resulting political fallout. (Yes, inspired by the song of the same name) 
 
A/N: Inspired by feylen's amazing modern Cullen fanart, the song "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (just so you know, beware!), and the awesome BSN Cullen thread. The story resulted from imagining seeing that dude in the picture every day at your (academic) workplace. This 'hot for teacher' idea took hold of me and wouldn't stop 'til I'd written it. Special thanks to Feylen for permission, and to meanieweenie and curiousartemis for reviewing it for me (but the blame is all mine!).
 
Tags: NSFW, cullen x f!amell, modern AU, college AU, angst, sexual tension, Cullen Rutherford, Solona Amell, Anders, student-teacher taboo, wet bus stop, she's waiting, this car is warm and dry, did I mention student-teacher taboo?

Great work, R2! You've got a lovely light touch with your writing, it's always a pleasure to read.

[Vanalia]

I'm playing on Xbox One, and it's a new system too. Of course the game's been having banter issues since launch. I wish they'd find that bug, having Dorian and Varric bet against me on a regular basis is demoralizing.

 

You mean your party banter is always the same over and over? Me, it's the messanger banter in Cullen's office which doesn't start. I could hear it once or twice and that's all. While I always have Joesephine's.

 

Never worry about what others think, if it doesn't do something for you, then it doesn't. I liked the mage origin, but while I always triggered that conversation with Cullen, my mages were never precisely infatuated with him (they were more on the level of "hmm, he's good looking, and always so nice, too bad we can't actually talk.") In all honesty, I was never sure I liked him as an NPC until DAI. I was fascinated by him and the development they gave him, but not really more than that. I wouldn't write a DAO-era Cullen romance, and I'm not a huge Hawke fan myself though I enjoy reading what others write. And while I had fun writing one Cullen-IQ story, I'm just not nearly as attached to my Dalish IQs as to my dwarves (or to my wardens.) But I'm having fun writing a post-Cory story between him and a Warden Surana, but it not only isn't based on them having a lingering obsession with each other, the Cullen I'm writing had long since realized he'd been infatuated with an idea, not a real person, and they've both changed a great deal on top of that.

 

I totally agree with that, I feel the same way. I think there's too much fuss about "Amell/Cullen", like if it was THE love of his life and the Inquisitor almost didn't count. To me it looked more like a kind of teenager crush (he was what, 18?) and she was young too, he barely met any women before, so... for me his real love is the Inquisitor, because at this time he is a lot more mature, have seen more of the world, and it looks really like a romance between a man and a woman, not two teenagers who have their first little crush.

I don't think Cullen is especially attracted by mages in particular...

In my Dragon age plays anyway Amell never existed, I always preferred Cousland ^^ like this Cullen never talks about Amell and that's more romantic this way.

 

It's really not pleasant to hear your love interest talk about someone else... even when you don't romance him. I see that if you don't romance Blackwall, he has a crush on Josephine for exemple. Sounds like "Inquisitor you're nothing special, if you didn't exist I would just find another one, let's say, that girl just next to you".