No
Samson is dead in my Lavellan's game (I had Calpernia), and my Adaar is too vengeful to try and save Samson. He's getting packed off to Kirkwall post haste.
You could have Dagna turn him into a live scientific study. Gets you corrupting runes, gets Sera happy about science and learning for a change and Samson's horrifying screams adds to the easy-going atmosphere of Skyhold.
Win, Win, Win.
Oh wow am I angry about elves and mages tonight.
I'm going to go get some ice cream and a cup of tea to calm down.
You could have Dagna turn him into a live scientific study. Gets you corrupting runes, gets Sera happy about science and learning for a change and Samson's horrifying screams adds to the easy-going atmosphere of Skyhold.
Win, Win, Win.
LOL. No, Samson's fate is one where what I'd like to do and what my quizzy would realistically do are in direct conflict. I'd like to rehab Samson. But my Adaar would like nothing better than to throw him to the wolves, so that's what happens 
LOL. No, Samson's fate is one where what I'd like to do and what my quizzy would realistically do are in direct conflict. I'd like to rehab Samson. But my Adaar would like nothing better than to throw him to the wolves, so that's what happens
Wolves you say...
Cullen: The General of the Red Templars! Defeated at last! Rejoice and throw tomatoes at his mutilated corpse.
Damn, I'm seriously going dark with all these punishments. 
Cullen: The General of the Red Templars! Defeated at last! Rejoice and throw tomatoes at his mutilated corpse.
Damn, I'm seriously going dark with all these punishments.
I also may have laughed at the Red Wedding 
Not that particular scene. It was horrifying, and I felt awful for Arya. But omg the fandom reaction to the Wedding was priceless 
Heh. 'Oh Lavellan, I love you so, but you didn't collect all 378 shards from the hinterlands, including that one at the top of the rock you aren't tall enough to climb, so our love can never be! Goodbye forever Vhenan!'
That was pretty much my thinking. 
My Lavellan is a slave to love. You can imagine my reaction when I discovered there were more for those darn things in JoH.
That was pretty much my thinking.
Hey, at least there weren't any more in Descent, am I right? 
Hey, at least there weren't any more in Descent, am I right?
I didn't buy the Descent, so that's a relief. If there were more I might be compelled to purchase it. 
Anything for love! LOL
I also may have laughed at the Red Wedding
Not that particular scene. It was horrifying, and I felt awful for Arya. But omg the fandom reaction to the Wedding was priceless
As a book reader it was pretty fun to watch. It was it like hearing a thousand GoT fans scream out in horror all at once. Plus, you got to respect Walder Frey for his sheer amount of sarcastic douchebaggery.
Wonder if I get to do that to Solas in DA4? Dread Wolf! Dread Wolf... 
As a book reader it was pretty fun to watch. It was it like hearing a thousand GoT fans scream out in horror all at once. Plus, you got to respect Walder Frey for his sheer amount of sarcastic douchebaggery.
Wonder if I get to do that to Solas in DA4? Dread Wolf! Dread Wolf...
Walder Frey resides in a special category all his own. He's a disgusting, despicable, petty old man with zero redeeming qualities, and just thinking about him makes me want to throw up a little. But he commits to that role with such sincere, childish glee (as does his actor) that I can't help but like him somehow 
Don't think they'll let us put Solas's head on a pike. But maybe his Dread Wolf form (the black one with glowing eyes) will be a boss fight?
I didn't buy the Descent, so that's a relief. If there were more I might be compelled to purchase it.
There was a touch of sarcasm in my post actually. There were no shards ... but there were gears. So, yeah.
Walder Frey resides in a special category all his own. He's a disgusting, despicable, petty old man with zero redeeming qualities, and just thinking about him makes me want to throw up a little. But he commits to that role with such sincere, childish glee (as does his actor) that I can't help but like him somehow
Yeah even as a child he was wholly unlikeable... You get to meet him in one of the Dunk and Egg stories...
Yeah even as a child he was wholly unlikeable... You get to meet him in one of the Dunk and Egg stories...
Walder Frey is the Rendon Howe of the A Song of Ice and Fire series.
Or is Rendon Howe the Walder Frey of the Dragon Age series?
Walder Frey is the Rendon Howe of the A Song of Ice and Fire series.
Or is Rendon Howe the Walder Frey of the Dragon Age series?
I think what's important is that they're both dicks.
I think what's important is that they're both dicks.
I did still feel bad for Nate when he turned up at Vigil's Keep, though.
Nate: My name is Nathaniel Howe. You killed my father. Prepare to die!
Amell: Who?
Nate:
Amell: I kill a lot of people. What did your dad look like?
Ten minutes later...
Amell: Oh, that noble dick. I like you better than him already.
Nate: ...this is not going the way I'd planned.
Amell: Welcome to my life. Wanna be a Warden?
Well, you can't forget that they've actually showed her in Val Royeaux, willingly offering Inquisition help with the mages before Alexius hopped through time to change events.
And considering that Venatori likely stoop to blood magic AND may as well got help from Nightmare demon to play on Fiona's fears and...I'm not really that surprised that she caved in. Desperate people do desperate things. In Inquisition/DA that's basically a theme.
It was strange how little Lavellan responded to insults against her elfiness. I wanted to play a super abrasive, team Elgar'nan, screw all you shems, type Lavellan. Instead I was forced to be respectful of everybody's religions while they laughed at mine. Sure, the Dalish beliefs are wrong, but so are the Chantry beliefs. I didn't even get the chance to laugh in their faces because the blight predates the magisters, why am I being forced into playing as a nice guy??
What gives Bioware? Where's my racist renegade Lavellan?
Speaking of Samson - he's another character that got screwed over by the writing. Cullen gets a redemption plot (despite not actually feeling much guilt over what he was complicit in during DA2) and Samson is treated as an irredeemable monster (personally, I think the plot would've worked better if Cullen was the leader of the Red Templars and Samson was the Commander of the Inquisitions forces).
Agreed 100%
I think it would also make more sense for Cullen to be vulnerable to red lyrium addiction given that he was Meredith's second for many years. Samson was no more an addict than every other Templar, really. I also think it'd have been awesome if Samson would have had an off-screen redemption arc - which becomes clear in his dialogue - where after Kirkwall was torn apart, Samson decides to protect Maddox & others when no others didn't, which leads him into helping & protecting others who are left behind by the rebellion - tranquil, young or non-combat mages, defecting templars, etc. It'd give him a motivation to be close to the conclave - and thus gets involved immediately when sh*t hits the fan because helping out when he's needed is what he's been doing for months, and besides, he doesn't trust Cassandra for a second, he's keeping an eye on what the Seeker is doing (and he rapidly comes to respect her motives and her resolve). They would be so antagonistic at the beginning, but I reckon they'd get on really well by the end; it would have been lovely to see.
It would have been interesting to see the Inquisition as an amalgamation of forces, like several groups from different factions coming together for a truce in order to deal with the breach/rift situation. Not a chantry-led endeavour, but they are the strongest faction. It'd possibly be a multi-race effort, explaining more readily why a non-human Inquisitor would make sense/be involved.
Samson would make an excellent balancing force in general. You'd have a pro-mage templar who is very critical of the chantry - and perhaps ensures that the Inquisition isn't an exercise entirely carried out by them. Also, his dry sense of humour would have made a wonderful counterpart to the boundless optimism the Inquisition represents. I love characters like that (he reminded me a lot of Loghain - limited screen-time, but made a great impression on me for however many moments he wasn't villain-ing). Plus, with Samson, you'd get to see his interaction with Maddox (!). Despite the fact that this game followed on from the events of Asunder so strongly, there was a lack of discussion of tranquillity - except in Cassandra's personal quest. If that wasn't enough of a motivation, we'd get more of Gideon Emery's voice acting, which is always a YES.
I think Cullen would also make a very interesting villain to be honest - for one, he's golden boy, he's representative of the perfect templar - dedicated, faithful, serious, willing to do what it takes - and yet he gets pushed and pushed into this route. I wish the Red Templars had more to them to 'addicted/crazy people and/or crystal monsters', and I think having Cullen at the helm could have the potential to do that. I would have loved to see Corypheus manage to manipulate this group of hardline, Meredith-esque Templars with a determined Cullen at the helm, disguising his own magic (somehow?) and using them as tools which he'd dispose of once he'd cleared out the opposition by denying them their lyrium - teaching Cullen the hard way that Templars are just tools which are to be disposed, by the chantry or otherwise. I would hope his personal quest would touch on his PTSD as well - Cullen, despite having stood watch to some awful abuses as Meredith's second, still has gone through an awful ordeal and that needs to be represented. I think that would have made a much more compelling storyline whilst retaining much more balance.
... dammit, I really want this now.
You read my mind SW. This is exactly what I was thinking. Samson helping out with rebuilding Kirkwall, helping mages return to their familes, making sure the Tranquil are taken care of (and also treating them like people when he gets them to help out with organising stuff), making sure that Templars who are going through withdrawl don't fall through the cracks.
And then Cullen - who has fallen so far since he was an idealistic and fairly naive young man in the Mage origin - ends up as Corypheus second in command. And the game treats his status as a manipulated addict with far more seriousness and tact that it did for Samson.
But BW were never going to go there.
Excuse me, I think I have an AU to write.
(I will credit you SW, but I also had all this in mind. It's actually quite freaky how we both had the exact same thoughts on Cullen/Samson roleswitch)
I think it would also make more sense for Cullen to be vulnerable to red lyrium addiction given that he was Meredith's second for many years. Samson was no more an addict than every other Templar, really.
Thing is, Corypheus chose Samson not because of vulnerability to Lyrium/Red Lyrium, but because of RESISTANCE to it. This is exactly why he managed to withstand the corrupting influence of it for so long (even if it'd eventually claim his life anyway) which has eventually landed him a position of leader of Templars under Cory.
I don't think it would work with Cullen, given that he was never so deep into Lyrium that he found out that he developed resistance to it. He'd probably end up as a really large Behemoth or something.
Sorry, gonna hijack this to get in my rant for the day:
WTF is up with that questioner? Being feelsy, or sensitive, or upset, or in ANY way emotional about Solas's breakup does not make Lavellan weak. It does not make her players weak. That kind of wording stems from this utterly asinine idea that we've been spoonfed from childhood: you have to always be happy. And if you're sad, you can't show it. You have to hide it behind a facade of manliness if you're gendered male, or cheeriness if you're gendered female.
This attitude of sadness = weakness is absolute horses***. And more than that, it's self-destructive horses***.
Pixar figured it out. We need the full spectrum of emotional experience to be functional people, and painting pain (physical or emotional) as weakness doesn't do anybody any favors.
This! Just because a Lavellan might be role played as depressed about the Solas situation doesn't make her weak. People too often also forget it takes a strong woman to not give up on a self-destructive loved one, to not just move on and try to forget the pain.
Yes, Sable, that questioner is a bit of a hallahole.
Edit: Top! Have some eggs without hats.
Yes, Sable, that questioner is a bit of a hallahole.
*snerk* And now I'm laughing; I've never heard that one before. Thank you, falon 
And to be entirely fair to the questioner, now that I've gotten the rant out of my system, they could just be ignorantly buying into the whole "you must be happy" thing. Lots of people do without question, and sometimes they need therapy later to help them come to grips with the very idea of being sad or bereaved. An ounce of prevention and all that
*snerk* And now I'm laughing; I've never heard that one before. Thank you, falon
And to be entirely fair to the questioner, now that I've gotten the rant out of my system, they could just be ignorantly buying into the whole "you must be happy" thing. Lots of people do without question, and sometimes they need therapy later to help them come to grips with the very idea of being sad or bereaved. An ounce of prevention and all that
Really? I thought we were all down with the egg thread euphemisms: hallahole, jackhalla, mother halla...
This! People too often forget it takes a strong woman to not give up on a self-destructive loved one, to not just move on and try to forget the pain. Yes, Sable, that questioner is a bit of a hallahole.
I think the author said it best:
Lavellan is not weak if she is upset/sad/unable to deal with Solas leaving her. She is a damn majestic goddess and she’s going to pick up and keep going, no matter how many times she stumbles.
Related:
Overly Attatched Lavellan:
Retour en haut
