But look at the way he talk to Bull. He doesn't sugar coat the truth when he tells it.
True. Maybe he matches their personalities 'cause he has way more tact around other people. He probably thinks Bull can handle it. I know I do that with some friends. Like if I know a friend can handle me being more blunt, I'll be more blunt and with others who need more sugarcoating, I'll sugarcoat. Maybe it's something like that 
Pillars of Eternity is another game I really should be getting... (But alas, I'm not sure if it would run on my 32-bit laptop). I was a bit sad when I heard that there was not going to be any romances but then again, a game doesn't necessarily need romances to be good. (Though I have been spoiled by Bioware romances so I still wish PoE had them. xD)
My sister just recently ended PoE and she kept wishing that she could romance Eder. ^__^;
POE is fantastic, although I'm a bit overwhelmed by the amount of choice. I think I've spent most of my time in the CC.
(I finally decided on a nature godlike elven artist druid wolf spiritshifter. I'm basically a female Solas and I love it).
POE is fantastic, although I'm a bit overwhelmed by the amount of choice. I think I've spent most of my time in the CC.
(I finally decided on a nature godlike elven artist druid wolf spiritshifter. I'm basically a female Solas and I love it).
Wow! That's a mouthful. xD
Hmm, I'm thinking of going as a wood elf for PoE if ever I get the game (because I tend to play wood elves or wood elf-type races when given the chance). Maybe I'll try using one of the mage classes since I've never had an elf mage PC before. (I'm not kidding. I did a rundown of all my elven PCs from different games and they are either rogues, warriors, rogue-mage hybrid, or warrior-mage hybrid. Never a pure mage. xD)
same omg. I was like "WHAT?! I thought you cared about people, boyfrand!?" 'cause I felt like that was so out of character. Yeah, he favors telling the truth but he also keeps the truth from people when necessary.
It's not so much he wants to be cruel, but he's really not into lying to spare anybody's feelings either.
As Cassandra says, Solas never lets manners get in the way of him making his point.
I've heard rumors in the Twitter thread and the like about Bioware hinting that the next DLC will involve the Deep Roads? Which I'm all for.
A very good question raised by people reacting to the World of Thedas stuff.
How do the other continents have dwarves? Since when are dwarves sailors? Do the Deep Roads go that far, or was Primeval Dwarf society similar to Arlathan in that it colonized 'the bits out west'? Why are the dwarf captains 'worshipped'? Are they collecting lyrium for the surviving Titans who fled across the sea, and the great cataclysm is either the Titans starving or resorting to red lyrium in desperation?
I can't decide if the Deep Roads go underneath the oceans or not. It seems that way, considering they connect from Valammar to the Primordial Thaig. But then Riordan says that one of the last Archdemons is under the waking sea, and therefore safe from darkspawn for the time being. Then again, I'm not sure I trust any info a warden gives.
If they do go under the oceans, it could be that there are no routes know by Orzammar dwarves. Kal Sharok dwarves have some kind of tunneling capability, considering they can craft a tunnel just for inquisition soldiers in the wartable mission.
Thoughts?
Wow! That's a mouthful. xD
Hmm, I'm thinking of going as a wood elf for PoE if ever I get the game (because I tend to play wood elves or wood elf-type races when given the chance). Maybe I'll try using one of the mage classes since I've never had an elf mage PC before. (I'm not kidding. I did a rundown of all my elven PCs from different games and they are either rogues, warriors, rogue-mage hybrid, or warrior-mage hybrid. Never a pure mage. xD)
I'm a godlike but with an elven body type. So I get to combine playing an interesting race with my love of playing elves.
I can't decide if the Deep Roads go underneath the oceans or not. It seems that way, considering they connect from Valammar to the Primordial Thaig. But then Riordan says that one of the last Archdemons is under the waking sea, and therefore safe from darkspawn for the time being. Then again, I'm not sure I trust any info a warden gives.
If they do go under the oceans, it could be that there are no routes know by Orzammar dwarves. Kal Sharok dwarves have some kind of tunneling capability, considering they can craft a tunnel just for inquisition soldiers in the wartable mission.
Thoughts?
It seems perfectly plausible to me that the Deep Roads would extend under the oceans and seas; with dwarven ingenuity I'm sure that it would have been no trouble for them to expand every which way, recognizing how deep they can and should dig. Besides, the fact that so many thaigs are abandoned and/or completely lost means that no one knows for sure just how far and wide the Deep Roads extend and if Kal Sharok can do what it does that easily, imagine what ancient dwarves could do in comparison.
Still catching up, but meanwhile, here's a little series of Horrible Haiku™ I wrote about our beloved Fen'Harel's day to day life, with accompanying .gifs and notations, because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Fen'Harel brushesafter every meal withoutfailure. He is dull.SpoilerSeriously. It doesn't matter if he only snacked on a ****** apple, he'll make you wait.Fen'Harel dancesinside the elevatorwhen he is alone.SpoilerAnd he thinks he's pretty good. He is mistaken.Fen'Harel onlysings while showering when hewashes his package.SpoilerHe finds it rather... invigorating.Fen'Harel cropped hisears to make himself look morefearsome (though it failed).SpoilerCome on, Solas. Cut the mysterious act, you lame-o.(I love him I love him I love him I love him)
Buttercream glistens
"I will resist temptation"
Solas tells himself.
Pft yeah right, buddy.
It's not so much he wants to be cruel, but he's really not into lying to spare anybody's feelings either.
As Cassandra says, Solas never lets manners get in the way of him making his point.
The "teens are stupid" option felt unnecessarily insulting. I think I may have chosen the blood magic thing. I don't really remember.
The "teens are stupid" option felt unnecessarily insulting. I think I may have chosen the blood magic thing. I don't really remember.
I'm pretty sure Solas only approves if you tell her about the blood magic. Because that's the truth. The kid was trying to bind a demon to get enough power to enter a shrine. He did it to prove his worth to the Keeper and become First.
The "teens are stupid" option felt unnecessarily insulting. I think I may have chosen the blood magic thing. I don't really remember.
Haha. That's the option I always use. It looks bad on the wheel but you don't actually say something all that bad, it's something to the effect of "Young people do foolish things sometimes". At least it doesn't make the Dalish mad, and most of your party doesn't disapprove of that option either.
Haha. That's the option I always use. It looks bad on the wheel but you don't actually say something all that bad, it's something to the effect of "Young people do foolish things sometimes". At least it doesn't make the Dalish mad, and most of your party doesn't disapprove of that option either.
That sounds a bit better than "Your brother is dead. He was stupid". 
The DA2 cast in general get fandom hate for being their crazy selves. Which I think is a shame, because the polarizing nature of the characters is what I love about them.
The worst characters aren't the ones that inspire hate. The worst characters are the ones that get a "meh" in response. Characters that inspire extremes of emotion are IMO the most interesting ones, and it's perfectly possible to hate a character, and still appreciate their power as a character. Casavir from NWN2, for instance, though that's an Obsidian game. F***ing hate that guy. Still think he's a great character.
I agree completely. I may talk about how much I don't l like Anders a lot (probably too much. If I ever cross a line let me know) but I also talk about him a lot. And I'm happy to debate with Anders' fans about why I don't like him. It's the complete opposite of how I feel about, say, Zevran (nothing against Zevran. I just find him dull. I don't mind having him in my party, but I also don't really mind when I roll a character who would kill him rather than question him).
I'm pretty sure Solas only approves if you tell her about the blood magic. Because that's the truth. The kid was trying to bind a demon to get enough power to enter a shrine. He did it to prove his worth to the Keeper and become First.
This Dalish demon thingy makes me wonder recently. In the end, we also use this mark on our hand (which nobody but Solas knows anything about, and he claims to hardly understand it) willingly to further our goals. Just like that and with hardly a doubt. But using a demon is deemed the most evil of evils. Just the basic idea of this are quite the double standards.
This Dalish demon thingy makes me wonder recently. In the end, we also use this mark on our hand (which nobody but Solas knows anything about, and he claims to hardly understand it) willingly to further our goals. Just like that and with hardly a doubt. But using a demon is deemed the most evil of evils. Just the basic idea of this are quite the double standards.
He could be disapproving because Inky seems to condone summoning a spirit/demon and binding it.
And he does disapprove of Inky using their position as the Herald to amass power.
It's a bit weird, because Solas approves if you tell Connor that what happened in Redcliffe wasn't his fault, it's sort of the same thing.I'm pretty sure Solas only approves if you tell her about the blood magic. Because that's the truth. The kid was trying to bind a demon to get enough power to enter a shrine. He did it to prove his worth to the Keeper and become First.
It's a bit weird, because Solas approves if you tell Connor that what happened in Redcliffe wasn't his fault, it's sort of the same thing.
Yeah, but that kid did his blood magic deliberately and apparently with full cognizance of what he was doing. Connor was a scared child who definitely didn't know what was going on apart from the fact that his father was deathly ill.
He could be disapproving because Inky seems to condone summoning a spirit/demon and binding it.
And he does disapprove of Inky using their position as the Herald to amass power.
I do see why Solas disapproves, but I didn't actually mean that. I meant the act itself. Throughout DA we are forced to do morally ambiguous stuff. Hardly ever do we question anything. But blood magic, while some characters defend it, is the big bad evil after all.
Solas himself does not reject blood magic (just not use it himself). And I can't yet wrap my head around it. Isn't blood magic always related to messing with demons? From what I understood we must make a deal with a demon to become a blood mage in the first place. However, throughout DAI, Solas reacts rather poorly to any dealings with demons.
I'd have liked to have Solas around in DA2 in the Deep Roads. How would he have reacted when meeting the stone demon? There was no binding, no slavery, nothing of that sort. Only a demon who asked to be spared and leave you alone in return. In character, I even assume Solas might have disapproved of refusing the deal?
It's a bit weird, because Solas approves if you tell Connor that what happened in Redcliffe wasn't his fault, it's sort of the same thing.
Not only sort of, I would say.
Yeah, but that kid did his blood magic deliberately and apparently with full cognizance of what he was doing. Connor was a scared child who definitely didn't know what was going on apart from the fact that his father was deathly ill.
Connor did it deliberately too. And not being recognized as what is expected of you (and the Dalish do expect a lot from their kids) can have the same impact on the mind as fear for somebody else. There is this strong notion of honor and pride and earning your position in a clan. It was an act of desperation, in both cases.
*snip*
Connor did it deliberately too. And not being recognized as what is expected of you (and the Dalish do expect a lot from their kids) can have the same impact on the mind as fear for somebody else. There is this strong notion of honor and pride and earning your position in a clan. It was an act of desperation, in both cases.
Well, I think there still is an argument for this being different. It is a different sort of pressure for one, though I agree there must have been pressure present for this kid to earn his place in the clan, yet reading the note you find on his body suggests to me more ambition than anxiety to me. He yearned for recognition, but that's just not on the same level as being terrified that a parent is going to die on you. Plus the way Connor was being tutored in secret suggests to me that he barely had enough of a grasp of the fact that what he was doing could have catastrophic results. Anyway, is there a point where Connor is confirmed to have done it deliberately, other than the demon's word? But even if that were so, I would think that one of the Dalish would have at least a little more basic education about the dangers of such things, considering that they have very different views on magic. I merely think that the intent behind such an act surely matters greatly, which is why I think Solas approves of your sympathy for Connor (who really was a child at the time) and disapproves of your nonchalance towards this guy, who was older and should have known better. Foolish teenager indeed.
He yearned for recognition, but that's just not on the same level as being terrified that a parent is going to die on you. Plus the way Connor was being tutored in secret suggests to me that he barely had enough of a grasp of the fact that what he was doing could have catastrophic results. Anyway, is there a point where Connor is confirmed to have done it deliberately, other than the demon's word? But even if that were so, I would think that one of the Dalish would have at least a little more basic education about the dangers of such things, considering that they have very different views on magic. I merely think that the intent behind such an act surely matters greatly, which is why I think Solas approves of your sympathy for Connor (who really was a child at the time) and disapproves of your nonchalance towards this guy, who was older and should have known better. Foolish teenager indeed.
About Conner, one could argue both ways. Either the way you did or "Conner was taught in secrecy, so he knew that this was a really dangerous and forbidden thing". Even a child understands that if you must hide something, it is considered bad by the outside.
Regarding the pressure I disagree. People are different and for some, feeling like an outcast or not living up to somebody's expectations (especially if you adore that somebody) is just as bad as a parent dying.
And for a kid to be especially ambitious, usually it was raised in that fashion. Keep telling a boy he shouldn't cry and be strong and he will struggle with this for the rest of his life. Keep telling a girl she must be quiet and submissive and she might never be able to stand up for her rights.
Also, it's easy to disregard something as obviously wrong/stupid/foolish when looking at it from the outside. Smoking, drugs, alcohol, too much unhealthy food, no sports, not enough sleep; so many wrong/stupid/foolish things we all do despite knowing better. Seeing how we can't even be "clever" in such tiny issues I find it hard to judge things I can't even imagine. If I were Dalish, raised with this expectation that I must become a strong hunter one day (can't even get the girl you want without presenting your prey), living with this fear of being enslaved by the oppressive majority, and always hearing how everything my people ever had was lost.... I dunno. Maybe I would also want to get this relic so badly that I'd do something wrong/stupid/foolish. I just don't know.
I think both deserve understanding. Not the kid failed, but his clan for not teaching him better. And I guess that's why Solas approves of you being harsh. It's not to much about the boy, but showing the clan very clearly what happened, so they take better care next time.
What we need is a scene where Dorian and Lavellan cuddle up in her chambers with wine and chick flicks.
About Conner, one could argue both ways. Either the way you did or "Conner was taught in secrecy, so he knew that this was a really dangerous and forbidden thing". Even a child understands that if you must hide something, it is considered bad by the outside.
Regarding the pressure I disagree. People are different and for some, feeling like an outcast or not living up to somebody's expectations (especially if you adore that somebody) is just as bad as a parent dying.
And for a kid to be especially ambitious, usually it was raised in that fashion. Keep telling a boy he shouldn't cry and be strong and he will struggle with this for the rest of his life. Keep telling a girl she must be quiet and submissive and she might never be able to stand up for her rights.
Also, it's easy to disregard something as obviously wrong/stupid/foolish when looking at it from the outside. Smoking, drugs, alcohol, too much unhealthy food, no sports, not enough sleep; so many wrong/stupid/foolish things we all do despite knowing better. Seeing how we can't even be "clever" in such tiny issues I find it hard to judge things I can't even imagine. If I were Dalish, raised with this expectation that I must become a strong hunter one day (can't even get the girl you want if without presenting your prey), living with this fear of being enslaved by the oppressive majority, and always hearing how everything my people ever had was lost.... I dunno. Maybe I would also want to get this relic so badly that I'd do something wrong/stupid/foolish. I just don't know.
I think both deserve understanding. Not the kid failed, but his clan for not teaching him better. And I guess that's why Solas approves of you being harsh. It's not to much about the boy, but showing the clan very clearly what happened, so they take better care next time.
I agree that there is something to be said for being harsh with the clan for not teaching him better and I would say that Solas' approval most likely stems in this in truth.
As for disregarding things, I've been on the receiving end of that sort of dismissive callousness about my problems for a very great portion of my life and I know all too well that different pressures do not diminish the suffering they might cause. I did not mean to imply that they can even be equated in terms of relevance nor that we can fully understand the situation just looking at the surface of it; however, I did not base my opinion on the source of his pressure in and of itself really, rather on the tone of what he left behind. He didn't sound desperate, he did not approach his self-imposed task with humility or as an attempt to reach out, he sounded like he wants to just be better than anyone else because he can. That to me says that he was reckless and yes, deserving of pity and sympathy, yet we were speaking of how these two cases compare, not about the value of the elements of each of them.
Perhaps the clan could have done better to notice his feelings and to instruct him, but he also might have just as easily been on a teenage ego trip for all we know; the reason why Connor is easier to sympathize with is because his plight was an obvious tragedy from the start where it's difficult to blame a child trying to save his father. Plus, it helps that Connor is pretty much fallen in on himself from the guilt of what he wrought - he has humility enough to realize that he is neither above reproach nor is he exempt from the responsibility of what he had done, regardless of his intentions when he did it. When pitting that against the single letter we find on this poor boy, we don't get much except that for some reason he thought this was a good idea - and we know that his sister at least tried to reach out to him by the way she spoke of him.
Again, I am in no way trying to diminish what happened to the boy, but that does not change the fact that what it looks like is a perfectly preventable tragedy that someone should have been able to see coming and stop in its tracks simply because it seems like something that one could easily have remedied with the right kind of attention given to him. Of course, the world doesn't work that way and we do not know of any mitigating factors apart from a vague idea of what he was up to and why. So, we can only judge this situation based on such meager information and when weighing these two cases, I still would say that the intent matters; it's not a question of the validity of a particular kind of anguish, but the actions you choose to make in reaction to that anguish. Even were you to save the world by stepping over a line here and there, that doesn't change the fact that you can and must pay the price for it, so ultimately it comes down to the question of whether or not it was worth it. Besides which, one can be perfectly foolish without that diminishing the need to show compassion for someone and to try and help them, these things shouldn't be mutually exclusive.
When I played that scene, I believe Solas approved of calling the teenager stupid? I tried finding it on wiki but I think the wiki is wrong. Anywho: The young man was affronted for being passed over, so it was his pride that was his downfall. Solas often refers to himself as a hot blooded youth who thought he knew everything, and he made terrible mistakes too. I like to think that is why he approves -- it resonates with him.
That's a very good point.
Creators, is there a single LI in this game who isn't filled with self loathing?
When I played that scene, I believe Solas approved of calling the teenager stupid? I tried finding it on wiki but I think the wiki is wrong. Anywho: The young man was affronted for being passed over, so it was his pride that was his downfall. Solas often refers to himself as a hot blooded youth who thought he knew everything, and he made terrible mistakes too. I like to think that is why he approves -- it resonates with him.
This would explain my impression from the letter, yes. More pride than anguish.
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