16177 réponses à ce sujet

[Rundy Bundles]

I hate to admit it, but on my playthrough where I am a male romancing Dorian, I've completely opted to not recruit Blackwall.
I'm fine with Blackwall's character for the most part, but the only gifts I want to see on Josie's desk are mine.

I justify it in my head because I headcanon my Inquisitors as siblings. So it's like Kost is saying, "No, that's my sister's girlfriend."

(I feel so bad about it too because I'm acting ridiculous. It's like Liara all over again where I got really prickly whenever Feron was around.)

You're not the only one. In my female human playthrough, with who I plan to romance Cullen...I had moments of contemplation whether or not to recruit Blackwall. And yeah, I do feel bad, if even petty for doing so. I'm not ten hours in yet, thinking of a re-roll as (another) male!Trevelyan...with Josie as an LI. Because I totally make the most diverse choices, and never make the same one each playthrough


I need to get out more.

[dixophilia]

You're not the only one. I romanced Josephine as the same female Adaar mage three times already. No shame. I thoroughly enjoy it each time.

[Korva]

Thanks for the replies. I want to like that balcony scene, in fact initially I did, because I always rail against 1) the lack of interest/concern/support from the NPCs towards the protagonist in Bioware games (instead of it all being a one-way street in the other direction), and 2) the lack of platonic friendship moments. So seeing this was really touching and right up my alley ... at first. Then I thought wait, this feels really out of character. Josephine's middle name is "Proper Protocol and Manners", and when I thought about it I just couldn't imagine her getting so touchy-feely, especially in public.

 

Then I learned that this is essentially a romance scene stand-in and got quite bitter about it -- it felt like it wasn't about friendly support at all, but about the game telling me "Why the hell aren't you lip-locked with someone yet, loser? Here's your consolation prize. Better go for it, it's your last chance." Cynical, yes, but given the how romance is usually everything and friendship is often disparaged as "just friends" or "the friendzone", the cynicism doesn't come out of the blue.

 

Basically, I'd like to see I get can a little less jaded about it by asking people who know Josephine better if this scene can make sense as actual friendly support, despite my impression that the behavior is out of character for her.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like Josie -- she's not a favourite, but she's solidly and safely in the camp of "characters I respect and appreciate". One reason for that is that she's one of the few characters who ever express the briefest and tiniest bit of interest in or concern for the protagonist -- she's the one whom you can talk to a bit about your background in Haven, and in Skyhold she asks if the mark is painful. I felt that was genuine, not just because the protagonist is her colleague/boss and she has to get along with her, but because she's a good person at heart, someone who would care. Her friendship with Leliana is a rare case of a strong and purely positive bond between two female characters, and beyond that, I'm just damn grateful that she handles all the political song-and-dance and the annoying nobles with such aplomb.

 

But she is all about the proper manners, and this is a public and hugely important occasion, so her "paste new dialogue over the romance-scene animations" moment just doesn't work for me -- there's nothing before or after that scene that strikes me as supporting a relationship that is close/"intimate"/relaxed enough for her to ignore protocol and touch the Inquisitor like that. I could see it with Dorian and possibly Cassandra, but essentially nobody else.

 

Maybe it's due to the fact that touch is hard to animate/pose so it's essentially non-existent outside of romance scenes. When it does happen and it's not hostile (Cassandra grabbing our shackled hand in the very beginning/Corypheus hoisting us up by the same hand during In Your Heart Shall Burn) I'm just shocked on principle of not being used to seeing it at all.

 

Long post, a bit rambly, but I hope it makes some sense.

[In Exile]

Oh! But that conversation with Yvette is one of my favorite things about the whole mission. Honestly, I wish we got to see more of her or other members of Josie's family.

I never tried waiting that long to romance Josephine, but it's definitely something to consider. I like the idea of it though; solidifying the friendship before anything else.

As it stands, I only have two Inquisitors, but I played through as the same female Qunari who romanced Josie three times because I loved it so much. My other Inquisitor is head over heels for Dorian and hasn't even gotten to Adamant yet.

The romance specific dialogue with Yvette is just so brief though. I think waiting for the dance before starting the romance fixes what might otherwise be a bit of a pacing issue. The Inqy and Josie are on good terms before the Ball. The Inqy has a huge decision to make, stakes are high, Josie comes over to comfort you, and you have this sweet dance. Then follow the romance plot. I dunno I think it works.

[In Exile]

Thanks for the replies. I want to like that balcony scene, in fact initially I did, because I always rail against 1) the lack of interest/concern/support from the NPCs towards the protagonist in Bioware games (instead of it all being a one-way street in the other direction), and 2) the lack of platonic friendship moments. So seeing this was really touching and right up my alley ... at first. Then I thought wait, this feels really out of character. Josephine's middle name is "Proper Protocol and Manners", and when I thought about it I just couldn't imagine her getting so touchy-feely, especially in public.

Then I learned that this is essentially a romance scene stand-in and got quite bitter about it -- it felt like it wasn't about friendly support at all, but about the game telling me "Why the hell aren't you lip-locked with someone yet, loser? Here's your consolation prize. Better go for it, it's your last chance." Cynical, yes, but given the how romance is usually everything and friendship is often disparaged as "just friends" or "the friendzone", the cynicism doesn't come out of the blue.

Basically, I'd like to see I get can a little less jaded about it by asking people who know Josephine better if this scene can make sense as actual friendly support, despite my impression that the behavior is out of character for her.

Don't get me wrong, I like Josie -- she's not a favourite, but she's solidly and safely in the camp of "characters I respect and appreciate". One reason for that is that she's one of the few characters who ever express the briefest and tiniest bit of interest in or concern for the protagonist -- she's the one whom you can talk to a bit about your background in Haven, and in Skyhold she asks if the mark is painful. I felt that was genuine, not just because the protagonist is her colleague/boss and she has to get along with her, but because she's a good person at heart, someone who would care. Her friendship with Leliana is a rare case of a strong and purely positive bond between two female characters, and beyond that, I'm just damn grateful that she handles all the political song-and-dance and the annoying nobles with such aplomb.

But she is all about the proper manners, and this is a public and hugely important occasion, so her "paste new dialogue over the romance-scene animations" moment just doesn't work for me -- there's nothing before or after that scene that strikes me as supporting a relationship that is close/"intimate"/relaxed enough for her to ignore protocol and touch the Inquisitor like that. I could see it with Dorian and possibly Cassandra, but essentially nobody else.

Maybe it's due to the fact that touch is hard to animate/pose so it's essentially non-existent outside of romance scenes. When it does happen and it's not hostile (Cassandra grabbing our shackled hand in the very beginning/Corypheus hoisting us up by the same hand during In Your Heart Shall Burn) I'm just shocked on principle of not being used to seeing it at all.

Long post, a bit rambly, but I hope it makes some sense.

Friendly concern often looks like romantic interest. There are lots of IRL issues that come up exactly because of this sort of situation. To me, the scene can be the same even if the motivation is different. Josie can care for the Inquisitor's wellbeing while just being a friend, and the difference between that and a romantic partner showing concern is IMO quite minor.

[Qunquistador]

I hate to admit it, but on my playthrough where I am a male romancing Dorian, I've completely opted to not recruit Blackwall.

I'm fine with Blackwall's character for the most part, but the only gifts I want to see on Josie's desk are mine.

I haven't worked up the will to do a 2nd PT, as I'm waiting for patches/DLC/the ability to reroll the same quiz in a different class, but I'm 99% sure I'm going to romance Josephine everytime, creature of habit that I am. I think the only reason I'd play a different quiz is to romance Dorian (I'm trying to get over myself and play a heterosexual BW character, but I'm not there yet   ).

 

I don't mind the idea of an unromanced Josephine marrying Otranto. He seems like a dude who'd make her happy...in a shallow rich guy with no real substance or brains sort of way   . I don't even care if she flirts with Cullen & Harding, or takes special interest in Iron Bull's, err, endowment. But, for whatever reason, I don't like the idea of Drywall sniffing around her. It's probably the killing of children, stealing someone's identity, and compromising the Inquisition's integrity stuff.

 

I would recruit him and banish him from Orlais and Ferelden with the Grey Wardens, if I didn't think this would happen....

 

Stroud: "Alright, Grey Wardens, everyone on the ship of no return. If we don't get dashed upon the rocks in a storm, hijacked by pirates, or blown to smithereens by a Qunari dreadnought, we'll reach Weisshaupt in a fortnight. There, we shall do Grey Warden stuff...things."

 

 

Fraudwall: "Ahem, I think I, err, better relieve the little wall before I go. Those far off bushes will suit. I'll, uh, just be a moment..."

 

[drummerchick]

Re Korva:  I can totally see where you're coming from, and why Josie's hand-on-shoulder moment might feel out of place.  I think there are a few scenes and bits of dialogue along the way that can steer impressions of Josie differently. 

I often pick humorous responses, and Josie has a tendency to play along. So to me, it feels like she's not strictly business all the time. During the Skyhold balcony scene where Josie vents to the Inquisitor, she definitely drops protocol for a while, but remembers herself and gets a bit flustered (both with and without taking flirt option). And even though it happens after the ball scene, the Wicked Grace game is where she really lets her hair down (metaphorically of course; fingers crossed for Josie hair mod).

So only speaking for myself, I don't see the ball scene as out of character for Josie, but that's entirely due to how I develop the friendship along the way.

[Korva]

Friendly concern often looks like romantic interest. There are lots of IRL issues that come up exactly because of this sort of situation. To me, the scene can be the same even if the motivation is different. Josie can care for the Inquisitor's wellbeing while just being a friend, and the difference between that and a romantic partner showing concern is IMO quite minor.

 

Sure. But again: it doesn't make sense to me because I the other interactions I had with her never supported the notion of a friendship that was close and relaxed enough for her to act like that. And that is sad, because I'm just damn starved for actual, mutually supportive platonic bonds between my character and her companions/advisors, the sort that do exist between the NPCs themselves. Josephine's undeniable skill with people make her a good candidate for a supportive friend, while her own workaholic/perfectionist tendencies make her deserve a friend (aside from Leliana) whom she can unload on once in a while, too. I mean, the woman is my diplomatic mastermind, which is just as tough a battle as the ones fought with sword and shield, and she manages her family affairs long-distance on top of all that. She must be absolutely rotating! Even if Varric implies she enjoys running around in a panic, that sort of workload is bound to take its toll.

 

Re Korva:  I can totally see where you're coming from, and why Josie's hand-on-shoulder moment might feel out of place.  I think there are a few scenes and bits of dialogue along the way that can steer impressions of Josie differently. 

[...]

 

So only speaking for myself, I don't see the ball scene as out of character for Josie, but that's entirely due to how I develop the friendship along the way.

 

That's a point. Based on her formal manners, I mostly stuck to friendly-but-serious replies since I didn't want to "bother" her with attempts at humor if that isn't her thing. This sort of alternate viewpoint is what I was looking for, thanks.

[dixophilia]

The romance specific dialogue with Yvette is just so brief though. I think waiting for the dance before starting the romance fixes what might otherwise be a bit of a pacing issue. The Inqy and Josie are on good terms before the Ball. The Inqy has a huge decision to make, stakes are high, Josie comes over to comfort you, and you have this sweet dance. Then follow the romance plot. I dunno I think it works.

No, I definitely agree. The pacing in Josephine's romance can be very, very quick if you don't restraint yourself, which I am personally terrible at. Waiting to initiate the romance until the end of the ball seems like a perfectly reasonable way of making the pacing of their relationship more realistic.

 

Thanks for the replies. I want to like that balcony scene, in fact initially I did, because I always rail against 1) the lack of interest/concern/support from the NPCs towards the protagonist in Bioware games (instead of it all being a one-way street in the other direction), and 2) the lack of platonic friendship moments. So seeing this was really touching and right up my alley ... at first. Then I thought wait, this feels really out of character. Josephine's middle name is "Proper Protocol and Manners", and when I thought about it I just couldn't imagine her getting so touchy-feely, especially in public.

 

Then I learned that this is essentially a romance scene stand-in and got quite bitter about it -- it felt like it wasn't about friendly support at all, but about the game telling me "Why the hell aren't you lip-locked with someone yet, loser? Here's your consolation prize. Better go for it, it's your last chance." Cynical, yes, but given the how romance is usually everything and friendship is often disparaged as "just friends" or "the friendzone", the cynicism doesn't come out of the blue.

 

Basically, I'd like to see I get can a little less jaded about it by asking people who know Josephine better if this scene can make sense as actual friendly support, despite my impression that the behavior is out of character for her.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like Josie -- she's not a favourite, but she's solidly and safely in the camp of "characters I respect and appreciate". One reason for that is that she's one of the few characters who ever express the briefest and tiniest bit of interest in or concern for the protagonist -- she's the one whom you can talk to a bit about your background in Haven, and in Skyhold she asks if the mark is painful. I felt that was genuine, not just because the protagonist is her colleague/boss and she has to get along with her, but because she's a good person at heart, someone who would care. Her friendship with Leliana is a rare case of a strong and purely positive bond between two female characters, and beyond that, I'm just damn grateful that she handles all the political song-and-dance and the annoying nobles with such aplomb.

 

But she is all about the proper manners, and this is a public and hugely important occasion, so her "paste new dialogue over the romance-scene animations" moment just doesn't work for me -- there's nothing before or after that scene that strikes me as supporting a relationship that is close/"intimate"/relaxed enough for her to ignore protocol and touch the Inquisitor like that. I could see it with Dorian and possibly Cassandra, but essentially nobody else.

 

Maybe it's due to the fact that touch is hard to animate/pose so it's essentially non-existent outside of romance scenes. When it does happen and it's not hostile (Cassandra grabbing our shackled hand in the very beginning/Corypheus hoisting us up by the same hand during In Your Heart Shall Burn) I'm just shocked on principle of not being used to seeing it at all.

 

Long post, a bit rambly, but I hope it makes some sense.

I think it definitely depends on how you play, because it'll dictate the pacing of your experience and the kind of relationships you have. My main Inquisitor was kind, but she joked plenty too, and Josephine receives those mannerisms well. If you don't joke with her, you might have a relationship with her that feels more reserved and official. And that impacts your story. But I'll argue that she's not always formal, though I think she strives to be. When you first receive Skyhold, Josie yells in excitement with everyone else--something none of the other advisors or Cassandra do. At the wartable, she can suddenly start humming to herself. If anything, I think these things are minor examples of her comfort level around the Inquisitor and other members of the Inquisition. Then there's the whole Wicked Grace moment (which I got well before Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts) where she laughs, encourages the Inquisitor to retell a scandalous story, and strips Cullen bare of his belongings. Little things where you're shown that though she may have been educated in Orlais, she grew up Antivan and with a big family.

 

Now, I don't know how your game paced, but for me, Josephine's personal quest was unlocked rather quickly after arriving to Skyhold. When she discusses her family situation with the Inquisitor (though it is out of necessity) she exhibits an extreme amount of trust. According to Josephine, hardly anyone outside of the family knows about their financial standing. But she comes to you for help and explains more than she probably even has to.

 

Then we take this to the Winter Palace. At this point, they've known each other for a few months. If she hugged you, I would think it a little strange (when not in a romance), but I think her hand at the Inquisitor's back is appropriate and meant to be reassuring. Furthermore, the balcony (?) was represented as a more private area of the ball. There's three places like this, were you can openly talk to Gaspard, Celene or Briala without worrying about court approval when discussing incriminating information. So, though the overall setting is social and public, I think the balcony area was intentionally codified as being a private escape.

 

But your dilemma is rooted in, I think, one of BioWare's weaknesses. They're storytelling is great. They write believable characters. I love scenes where these characters are shown to have a life outside of the PC, much like Dorian/Leliana playing a game of chess with Cullen or Merrill and Isabela playing cards in DA2. BioWare is good at showing the friendships between our friends and inner circle and they're good with romance scenes for the most part between the PC and the LI of choice. But where they lack is in emphasizing the friendships between PC and other characters. I think that's why people like the Wicked Grace scene so much. It's also why I loved that I could play pranks with Sera or sit on the roof with her whenever I wanted. I think we need more moments like that with the major characters. Lovely dovey bits are fun, but it's the moments of genuine friendship between characters that really stick out.

 

(Hopefully that makes sense because I don't organize my thoughts well.)

[thats1evildude]

Back off, Blackwall.

*romances Josephine*

Oh, where's there a convenient ogre when you need one?

[NaclynE]

My comment is more for the main topic being 

  "The Official Josephine Montilyet aka 'Scribbles' Thread - The Disney Princess of Dragon Age!"

 

She does look like a disney character. She can be like Jasmine's sister. All that would be needed then is a disneyish song like about Val Rioux, the game, her life in Antiva or her love for the inquisitor or something. X-D

 

"I want to go to Val Rioyouooooooooooooox" *epic happy background music starts playing while Josephine stands on a balcony* *fireworks emit*.

[Korva]

But I'll argue that she's not always formal, though I think she strives to be. When you first receive Skyhold, Josie yells in excitement with everyone else--something none of the other advisors or Cassandra do.

 

Ha, that made me laugh, especially her own "Oops!" reaction immediately afterwards. Cullen looked quite surprised, too. Gotta admire how Cassandra and the advisors set that scene up for maximum crowd impact, by the way. It wouldn't surprise me if Josie had a big hand in planning that.

 

Good points, all in all. She does find moments to let her guard down a bit and enjoy herself.

 

Now, I don't know how your game paced, but for me, Josephine's personal quest was unlocked rather quickly after arriving to Skyhold. When she discusses her family situation with the Inquisitor (though it is out of necessity) she exhibits an extreme amount of trust. According to Josephine, hardly anyone outside of the family knows about their financial standing. But she comes to you for help and explains more than she probably even has to.

 

I did that quest very early too, but it didn't do anything for me, so I admittedly didn't spend any time thinking about its implications. It was a fire-and-forget mission, basically, though I did do it her way out of respect for her instead of letting Leliana sort it out.

 

So, though the overall setting is social and public, I think the balcony area was intentionally codified as being a private escape.

 

Possibly, but a quiet conversation with one of the big movers and shakers isn't the same as real privacy. I just felt as if nowhere was really "safe" during that ball, since it's just such a high-stakes situation on such hostile territory, and the Inquisitor is someone who'd always have prying eyes on her ... especially after shaking things up so much.

 

But your dilemma is rooted in, I think, one of BioWare's weaknesses. [...] But where they lack is in emphasizing the friendships between PC and other characters.

 

Exactly. I probably wouldn't feel so baffled and taken aback by Josie's balcony-appearance if concern and support from NPCs towards the protagonist, especially if backed by platonic physical gestures of any kind, wasn't about as rare as a lottery win during a solar eclipse. As it is, it really felt as if the game was trying to force-feed me a "romance" despite me not giving a toss about that sort of thing, because almost as a rule the only time NPCs notice and especially touch the protagonist is when they want sex. Otherwise you're invisible except when they need an unpaid therapist/errand-runner. Oops, there's my cynicism again. Bioware really need to sort this out. It's a huge problem that just keeps getting more and more glaring as their writing improves in other areas, especially with the varied and beautiful banters and friendships between the companions.

 

... I suppose I should just let the balcony scene stand for itself as an example of how it should be, then? And find fault where it really belongs, meaning with the fact that it sadly is pretty much the only example instead of just one moment among many in which NPCs return some of the support and concern we keep giving them.

[BabyPuncher]

Exactly. I probably wouldn't feel so baffled and taken aback by Josie's balcony-appearance if concern and support from NPCs towards the protagonist, especially if backed by platonic physical gestures of any kind, wasn't about as rare as a lottery win during a solar eclipse. As it is, it really felt as if the game was trying to force-feed me a "romance" despite me not giving a toss about that sort of thing, because almost as a rule the only time NPCs notice and especially touch the protagonist is when they want sex. Otherwise you're invisible except when they need an unpaid therapist/errand-runner. Oops, there's my cynicism again. Bioware really need to sort this out. It's a huge problem that just keeps getting more and more glaring as their writing improves in other areas, especially with the varied and beautiful banters and friendships between the companions.

 

... I suppose I should just let the balcony scene stand for itself as an example of how it should be, then? And find fault where it really belongs, meaning with the fact that it sadly is pretty much the only example instead of just one moment among many in which NPCs return some of the support and concern we keep giving them.

 

'Writing improving in other areas'....yeah...no comment

 

Look, what you're talking about is just not going to work very well at all. It's a drawback of having a character the player is largely allowed to define emotionally. The developers can't invest the kind of attention necessary to make a meaningful conflict and resolution concerning a problem the player might decide to express.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

I hate to admit it, but on my playthrough where I am a male romancing Dorian, I've completely opted to not recruit Blackwall.

I'm fine with Blackwall's character for the most part, but the only gifts I want to see on Josie's desk are mine.

 

I justify it in my head because I headcanon my Inquisitors as siblings. So it's like Kost is saying, "No, that's my sister's girlfriend."

 

(I feel so bad about it too because I'm acting ridiculous. It's like Liara all over again where I got really prickly whenever Feron was around.)

Don't feel bad. Rainier doesn't deserve any sympathy after what he has done. 

[BabyPuncher]

I hate to admit it, but on my playthrough where I am a male romancing Dorian, I've completely opted to not recruit Blackwall.

I'm fine with Blackwall's character for the most part, but the only gifts I want to see on Josie's desk are mine.

 

I justify it in my head because I headcanon my Inquisitors as siblings. So it's like Kost is saying, "No, that's my sister's girlfriend."

 

(I feel so bad about it too because I'm acting ridiculous. It's like Liara all over again where I got really prickly whenever Feron was around.)

 

You're right. That is pretty ridiculous.
 

[dixophilia]

You're not the only one. In my female human playthrough, with who I plan to romance Cullen...I had moments of contemplation whether or not to recruit Blackwall. And yeah, I do feel bad, if even petty for doing so.

Don't feel bad. Rainier doesn't deserve any sympathy after what he has done. 

Haha, I feel like the two of you are encouraging my "bad behavior."

 

My comment is more for the main topic being 

  "The Official Josephine Montilyet aka 'Scribbles' Thread - The Disney Princess of Dragon Age!"

 

She does look like a disney character. She can be like Jasmine's sister. All that would be needed then is a disneyish song like about Val Rioux, the game, her life in Antiva or her love for the inquisitor or something. X-D

 

"I want to go to Val Rioyouooooooooooooox" *epic happy background music starts playing while Josephine stands on a balcony* *fireworks emit*.

Now you have me imagining a young Josephine singing "Little Town"/"Belle" from Sleeping Beauty.

Thank you for that.

 

(Bonus points for Otranto singing Gaston's part. "She's the one--the lucky girl I'm going to marry." "But she's--" "The most beautiful girl in town." I'm not at all saying he's as bad as Gaston, but it's still a hilarious thought. And if my Inquisitor was young and singing a Disney song, it's probably be 'One Jump Ahead' from Aladdin.)

Exactly. I probably wouldn't feel so baffled and taken aback by Josie's balcony-appearance if concern and support from NPCs towards the protagonist, especially if backed by platonic physical gestures of any kind, wasn't about as rare as a lottery win during a solar eclipse. As it is, it really felt as if the game was trying to force-feed me a "romance" despite me not giving a toss about that sort of thing, because almost as a rule the only time NPCs notice and especially touch the protagonist is when they want sex. Otherwise you're invisible except when they need an unpaid therapist/errand-runner. Oops, there's my cynicism again. Bioware really need to sort this out. It's a huge problem that just keeps getting more and more glaring as their writing improves in other areas, especially with the varied and beautiful banters and friendships between the companions.

 

... I suppose I should just let the balcony scene stand for itself as an example of how it should be, then? And find fault where it really belongs, meaning with the fact that it sadly is pretty much the only example instead of just one moment among many in which NPCs return some of the support and concern we keep giving them.

Don't get me wrong. I understand that all the variables when creating and considering the PC makes it more difficult in regard to balancing out frienships, rivalries and romances. I do. And I can't possibly imagine the amount of coding that goes into it all. I only play games, after all; I don't make them. And I do appreciate that they are trying to better show friendships between the PC and their companions. But I think, current capabilities as they are limits most of these interactions to simple lines in dialogue. (Like Josephine and Varric inquiring as to how the Inquisitor is feeling.)

 

NPCs are consistent, their characters are predetermined and that greatly allows for the writing around their relationships to out pace the friendships between PC and NPC. I mean, we, as the character, have all the freedom in the world to play an incredibly inconsistent character if we decide to take that route. And BioWare does recognize that their player base is big on choice. And the more freedom they try to give the player, the harder various interactions are.

 

But I will say that platonic scenes are some of my favorite. I loved seeing Josie gossip with the Inquisitor, sitting on the roof with Sera and discussing Inquisition cookies, and playing Wicked Grace with the crew. These were the more memorable moments for me, because times like those really emphasized that our companions were more than just followers or people who needed you to help fix their lives. They were your friends.

[Korva]

'Writing improving in other areas'....yeah...no comment

 

A snarky throwaway is a comment, albeit not a constructive one. And while Inquisition is far from perfect, it has a lot of good moments, especially among the NPCs.

 

Look, what you're talking about is just not going to work very well at all. It's a drawback of having a character the player is largely allowed to define emotionally. The developers can't invest the kind of attention necessary to make a meaningful conflict and resolution concerning a problem the player might decide to express.

 

You keep talking about "conflict", which I never mentioned at all. I'm talking about a little support, concern and curiosity. Obviously it can't be the same as companion/companion talks. Talking about, say, family is pretty much out of the question with four different backgrounds and variations in all of them. But scenes relating to main plot events would work very well, even if they remain relatively short.

 

At any rate, the devs already "waste" a lot of resources on all sorts of things that the player might or might not do or see. Sidequests that we can skip. Characters that we can decide to not recruit. Crafting that we don't have to bother with. Whole areas that we don't need to visit if we can't be arsed. Slight diversions in the plot, like the mage/templar alliance or who gets to rule Orlais, which by definition are mutually exclusive. And maybe the worst "offender": the ever-so-popular romances, which are wholly optional, also mutually exclusive, and gated away behind race and gender. If they can find the resources for all that, why not for a little more flesh on the bones of the protagonist, and a little reciprocation from the NPCs for all the one-way suppport we give them? After all, it's the protagonist that makes the game a game ... if we just wanted to watch NPCs interact, we could read a book or watch a movie.

 

*shrug* Back on topic to Josephine, though. I got some good input here to help me rethink my annoyance with the balcony scene, so thanks again for that, folks.

[Cribbian]

I love this little shoulderbump Josie does

[Hanako Ikezawa]

I love this little shoulderbump Josie does

Does the shoulder bump always happen? I don't recall seeing it. 

[BabyPuncher]

A snarky throwaway is a comment, albeit not a constructive one. And while Inquisition is far from perfect, it has a lot of good moments, especially among the NPCs.

 

Mmm. A lot of sweet moments, perhaps. But how many times did any of the characters face any serious, personal difficulty? How many moments were any of them they legitimately terrified, weak, or desperate? How many moments did any of the characters express courage, skill, determination, or integrity? Not very many.

 

You keep talking about "conflict", which I never mentioned at all. I'm talking about a little support, concern and curiosity. Obviously it can't be the same as companion/companion talks. Talking about, say, family is pretty much out of the question with four different backgrounds and variations in all of them. But scenes relating to main plot events would work very well, even if they remain relatively short.

 

Conflict is the whole reason behind doing any of this. The fact that you didn't mention it is precisely the problem.

 

Why does BioWare even tell stories about characters struggling against huge threats to the world? Why do stories have villains at all? Why don't they just make games where we go have picnics and talk to our friends about how much we all like each other for 40 hours?

 

When characters struggle, when they have difficulties, it's not just an excuse for someone else to come along and pat them on the back and tell them everything will be okay. The entire point is so narratives can say something meaningful about those difficulties. So they can reveal some truth about them. Some resolution.

 

Having a significant amount of conclusive conversation focused on 'support' and 'concern' for the protagonist takes what could otherwise be an interesting, powerful, meaningful theme and reduces it to coddling. It turns a difficulty into a joke. What's the point of even having a struggle if it's resolved in such a meaningless fashion? There is none.

 

If the protagonist is afraid, or tired, or conflicted, characters can talk about it. But just having a companion say "Everything will be okay" should never solve or even really address the problem. The protagonist should still basically be in the same difficult position afterwards. Which means whatever support and concern companions give must, ultimately, be more or less meaningless from a narrative standpoint.

[Cribbian]

Does the shoulder bump always happen? I don't recall seeing it. 

 

I don't know. I have always had a romance locked in at that time.

[Qunquistador]

Does the shoulder bump always happen? I don't recall seeing it. 

 

I love this little shoulderbump Josie does

I have this clip saved, it's so cute. It's funny how different it looks with a human, though, Adaar barely budges 

 

Does the shoulder bump always happen? I don't recall seeing it. 

 

This showing up may have something to do with the response you choose. It's a comforting gesture, so if you say, "I'm completely fine", she won't nudge you even if your romance is locked in. My response was "it's been a long night" because I was actually exhausted after staying up all night trying to do a perfect run of WH. Josephine then reassures quiz that the struggle was worth it.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

I have this clip saved, it's so cute. It's funny how different it looks with a human, though, Adaar barely budges 

 

 

This showing up may have something to do with the response you choose. It's a comforting gesture, so if you say, "I'm completely fine", she won't nudge you even if your romance is locked in. My response was "it's been a long night" because I was actually exhausted after staying up all night trying to do a perfect run of WH. Josephine then reassures quiz that the struggle was worth it.

Thanks for letting me know.

[Giggles_Manically]

Checking out from an old video, Adaar does not really budge that much at all.

 

I still find it amusing how good of a dancer the Inquisitor is especially as a Qunari.

I personally RP that Josephine taught my Qunari and he told no one just to watch them go: 

 

One can imagine Gaspard, Celene, or Briala seeing that.

Briala: The Inquisitor...is dancing really well actually....

Celene: Now I have seen everything...

Gaspard: Now I need another drink....

[Hanako Ikezawa]

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