1123 réponses à ce sujet

[CrazyRah]

Oh Sera,Sera,Sera.... Such a strange character that is like nothing we've encountered in Dragon Age before. There are parts of her that really needed more development and time such as her past. They don't make her easy to sympathise with at all her basic justification to do what she does is because she was lied to by her foster Mother because said person wanted to make her happy. She has very black and white views and can not be reasoned with. On the other hand she's basically exactly as you'd expect a commoner to act. She comes across as a person with no education and no understanding of the world around her which is why she's scared of magic and demons. She's religious without understanding much about what the Chantry is saying she dislikes the Templars and politics but that she believes in the chantry. She has petty hatred of the rich and the Dalish just because and brushes off reasoning because it involves things she does not understand. When i look at similar characters in books they react in the same ways. Sonea from the Black Magician Trilogy starts off very similar but does develop after her situation changes and this is the main issue i can see with Sera. 

She should have had room to develop after joining the Inquisition and having those experiences.

 

Can very much second this. It's Sera alright! 

[Basement Cat]

Oh Sera,Sera,Sera.... Such a strange character that is like nothing we've encountered in Dragon Age before. There are parts of her that really needed more development and time such as her past. They don't make her easy to sympathise with at all her basic justification to do what she does is because she was lied to by her foster Mother because said person wanted to make her happy. She has very black and white views and can not be reasoned with. On the other hand she's basically exactly as you'd expect a commoner to act. She comes across as a person with no education and no understanding of the world around her which is why she's scared of magic and demons. She's religious without understanding much about what the Chantry is saying she dislikes the Templars and politics but that she believes in the chantry. She has petty hatred of the rich and the Dalish just because and brushes off reasoning because it involves things she does not understand. When i look at similar characters in books they react in the same ways. Sonea from the Black Magician Trilogy starts off very similar but does develop after her situation changes and this is the main issue i can see with Sera. 

She should have had room to develop after joining the Inquisition and having those experiences.

Exactly. That's the thing that bothers me the most about her. She learns nothing over the course of the story because she doesn't want to learn, not because she doesn't have the opportunity.

[Opag Zirsk]

I can't help but think there's going to be a sizable expansion. The lack of closure on several things just strikes me as strange.

 

 

At least I really hope there will be.

[Ennai and 54 others]

Solas doesn't much like the Dalish either,but he understands them and maybe even feels sorry for them,they are elves trying their best to preserve their identity,It is a hopeless battle and they have been getting more and more desperate,like a snarling animal that refuses to be captured(not wise but commendable).

 

They are like children in need of guidance,it is their will to preserve their culture that must be respected,not necessarily their misguided attempts at doing so.His dislike comes from his intelligence and experience.You can even learn from him as a sort of mentor,not to mention he is actually one of their gods.

 

 

Sera is just a loud obnoxious racist fugly hypocritical foolish bigot.She doesn't even possess the cunning or rapier wit that is characteristic of rogues (like isabela,varric and zevran).I can only laugh at her for her foolishness,but not for long.

 

Morrigan would probably hate her for good reason.Sera is an example of what Morrigan is truly struggling against,people whose only answer to the mystical and magical is "arrows".ugh

[Rifneno]

I quite like Sera. She reminds me of the main character of a book series that I read as a kid. Endearingly silly and immature.
 
As for her reaction to the dalish markings thing... not gonna like, I was amused by the whole situation myself. These things that the dalish mark themselves with that, in a way, give them a sense of superiority over the city elves because the elves in the city know nothing of their supposed ~culture~... are actually slave markings. Like congratulations, you royally buggered up your history lessons somewhere along the line and now you wear slave markings mistakenly for ~elven pride~. Where's your sense of smug superiority now bungholes.
 
Admittedly, I hate the dalish myself so...

I hate the Dalish too. I got fed up with their crap after DA2. I tried to understand and be tolerant with them, but they're just a bunch of bigoted roving brigands. That's it. The Dalish deserve every shred of persecution they get, and much more.

But this scene isn't about the Dalish. It's about a character having their heart broken and a so-called friend mocking them instead of comforting them. Sera is trash. It's a shame she doesn't have the Vallaslin too. It would fit her. If all elves were like her, I could understand why the Imperium kept them as slaves. She's really not good for anything other than serving her betters (which is pretty much everyone).

[Heimdall]

They don't make her easy to sympathise with at all her basic justification to do what she does is because she was lied to by her foster Mother because said person wanted to make her happy.

I feel a need to clarify this, because that is not what happened and not what Sera is angry about.

She isn't angry that her foster mother lied about the cookies, she's angry that Lady Emmald covered up that lie by telling more lies so that Sera would hate someone who didn't deserve it. All to cover up her embarrassment at not knowing how to bake cookies. Because that's why Lady Emmald did it (I agree with her assessment of Lady Emmald's motivations, teaching her to hate someone isn't the action of someone just trying to make Sera happy).

[Moondoggie]

I feel a need to clarify this, because that is not what happened and not what Sera is angry about.

She isn't angry that her foster mother lied about the cookies, she's angry that Lady Emmald covered up that lie by telling more lies so that Sera would hate someone who didn't deserve it. All to cover up her embarrassment at not knowing how to bake cookies. Because that's why Lady Emmald did it (I agree with her assessment of Lady Emmald's motivations, teaching her to hate someone isn't the action of someone just trying to make Sera happy).

I suppose it depends how you want to look at it. Even the best intentions can lead to bad things and perhaps she didn't handle things in the best way she should have. Sera explains that this Lady Emmald couldn't have children of her own so somehow Sera comes along and she wants to be a good Mother and make her adopted Daughter happy and all Sera wants is cookies baked by her Mother and not wanting to let her down she tells a little white lie because she thinks it will make Sera happy which then turns into a bigger lie to cover her ass. Of course Sera eventually finds out and hates her for it she made a mistake and Sera having a very black and white world view sees only herself as wronged and somewhat the Baker who she gave hell because she thought he hated Elves.

But for this to lead to her justifying taking revenge on all Nobles is very narcissistic. I kind of wonder how she would have turned out if Lady Emmald came clean and said she doesn't know how to make cookies. I'm guessing hate Lady Emmald anyway and run away from home because in her narcissistic mind a real Mother would make cookies XD. In the end Lady Emmald chose the more damaging path because she was probably afraid of doing anything to upset Sera and lose the only child she had but it led to what she didn't want for her anyway.

[aphelion4]

I both like Sera and dislike her. She ended up being one my elf's best friends, despite all of their disagreements. Unlike with Morrigan tho, you have the option to tell Sera off, which I liked. (after the Solasmance/remove the vallaslin markings tho I think a SLAP HER option would have been better). So, despite all of her ignorance and stupidity, Sera at least knows she's ignorant and stupid and owned up to it...sort of. Still, she is a riot. I like to think she's...lovably inappropriate.

 

I can see why a lot of people hate her however.

[Heimdall]

I suppose it depends how you want to look at it. Even the best intentions can lead to bad things and perhaps she didn't handle things in the best way she should have. Sera explains that this Lady Emmald couldn't have children of her own so somehow Sera comes along and she wants to be a good Mother and make her adopted Daughter happy and all Sera wants is cookies baked by her Mother and not wanting to let her down she tells a little white lie because she thinks it will make Sera happy which then turns into a bigger lie to cover her ass. Of course Sera eventually finds out and hates her for it she made a mistake and Sera having a very black and white world view sees only herself as wronged and somewhat the Baker who she gave hell because she thought he hated Elves.

Wanting to be a mother and wanting the best for a child are two separate desires that needn't coexist. The way Sera tells the story, Lady Emmald cared more about fulfilling some ideal of motherhood than she actually cared about Sera herself. Telling a little girl that the baker is a racist bigot so she'll hate him only to cover your own deception and preserve your false image of ideal of motherhood isn't what I would call a white lie.

But for this to lead to her justifying taking revenge on all Nobles is very narcissistic. I kind of wonder how she would have turned out if Lady Emmald came clean and said she doesn't know how to make cookies. I'm guessing hate Lady Emmald anyway and run away from home because in her narcissistic mind a real Mother would make cookies XD. In the end Lady Emmald chose the more damaging path because she was probably afraid of doing anything to upset Sera and lose the only child she had but it led to what she didn't want for her anyway.

Sera doesn't use it to justify that, she just uses it to justify her dislike of cookies. For us, however, it gives insight into what must have been a formative moment in way of thinking. Don't mistake it as the foundation of her feelings toward the nobility, I didn't get the sense that it could be traced to a single event, just one thing that affected her world view and her feelings toward people that put things like pride first. Nobles do it more than most and the Dałish mindset has more in common with human nobles than they would ever admit. I wouldn't say I approve of her way of thinking, but I understand it.

[robertthebard]

I suppose it depends how you want to look at it. Even the best intentions can lead to bad things and perhaps she didn't handle things in the best way she should have. Sera explains that this Lady Emmald couldn't have children of her own so somehow Sera comes along and she wants to be a good Mother and make her adopted Daughter happy and all Sera wants is cookies baked by her Mother and not wanting to let her down she tells a little white lie because she thinks it will make Sera happy which then turns into a bigger lie to cover her ass. Of course Sera eventually finds out and hates her for it she made a mistake and Sera having a very black and white world view sees only herself as wronged and somewhat the Baker who she gave hell because she thought he hated Elves.

But for this to lead to her justifying taking revenge on all Nobles is very narcissistic. I kind of wonder how she would have turned out if Lady Emmald came clean and said she doesn't know how to make cookies. I'm guessing hate Lady Emmald anyway and run away from home because in her narcissistic mind a real Mother would make cookies XD. In the end Lady Emmald chose the more damaging path because she was probably afraid of doing anything to upset Sera and lose the only child she had but it led to what she didn't want for her anyway.

Wow, that's a pretty large misconception about that story arc you've got going on there. It's also a pretty messed up idea of "how you look at it". "How I look at it" is that she taught Sera to hate the baker because she didn't want to be caught in a lie. There is no justification for teaching your children to hate. There is no rationalization that makes it ok to do that. Just how are you looking at it to come to this conclusion? Is it because it's ok to hate people that are different from you, or, as in the example here, that are maybe more honest? What do we know about the baker, other than Sera was taught to hate him to cover up the lie?

[Spirited Treasure]

Sera is not a nice person, and has a huge nasty chip on her shoulder.

[Vit246]

Aren't people downplaying the thousand years of Elven suffering and overblowing the Dalish sense of superiority over city elves a little bit too much? I mean, isn't it such a  tragedy that the Dalish have lost so much of their history that they couldn't even remember that their facial tattoos used to be slave markings in ancient times? And what about the parts where Dalish clans are prepared to accept City Elves as new Dalish converts and provide support and culture. And just as many Dalish might see the City Elves as inferior brethren to be pitied, many city elves might see the Dalish as primitive barbarians who prey off the weak and refuse to modernize into the glory of Alienages?

[Drasanil]

I feel a need to clarify this, because that is not what happened and not what Sera is angry about.

She isn't angry that her foster mother lied about the cookies, she's angry that Lady Emmald covered up that lie by telling more lies so that Sera would hate someone who didn't deserve it. All to cover up her embarrassment at not knowing how to bake cookies. Because that's why Lady Emmald did it (I agree with her assessment of Lady Emmald's motivations, teaching her to hate someone isn't the action of someone just trying to make Sera happy).

 

I get the impression the hate for her foster mother is more misdirected hate for herself. From the description it sounds more like Sera was told a white lie, and she then [going on her personality] completely overreacted to thing and went out of her way to make the baker miserable. After all if she was some noblewoman's pet surrogate child, she wouldn't have much cause to ever see bakers, or coopers, or tanners etc unless she went out of her way to do so. 

 

--- --- ---

 

Any ways, the way I see it much of what motivated Velena in DAA is what motivated Sera in DAI. They're both fundamentally very insecure people, just her reaction to the temple of Mythal and finding out the elven gods are real [or at least more real in any appreciable sense than the Maker] shows that. The big differences comes down to how that manifests, Velena is extremely pro-elven where as Sera is a full blown Uncle Tom who even actually disapproves of helping Orlais' city elves. [The most downtrodden of the downtrodden, whom she supposedly champions.] Well that and Velena can actually undergo character development, where as Sera is completely incapable of it. 

[Melca36]

I'm not going to lie, but after I experience Sera at first hand and seeing how she's like which I cannot stand her obnoxious behavior, her intolerant attitude. I rather have Harding replace Sera.

 

Agree 100% Harding is cute, badass, and nice.   That one early quest for Sera where she does the countdown when you are talking to that noble and she repeatedly stabs him over and over was a HUGE turn off for me.

[Smerdy]

I didn't even get to the point that I could be motivated to find out what her opinions were on anything. 

 

She is ridiculously juvenile, unfunny, annoying, and I had no interest in ever speaking with her.  I may try to do some of her quests just to see what I can see (although after reading this it doesn't sound like I've missed out on much), but in subsequent playthroughs she will not be invited to join the Inquisition. 

[Veloric Wu]

Well personally I do like how 21st-Century-ish her way of thinking is. Suits her City Elf background.

But sometimes....it's just too much. She does not stop at living like a human. She hates everything related to elvish, even the slightest ones. And the game does not really explain WHY in a comprehensible manner. 

To the degree of me wondering why she hasn't poisoned herself wishing she could be reborn as a qunari or dwarf

 

._.

[Smerdy]

 

Basically, if she was really, genuinely, unlikable, by everyone, this thread probably wouldn't exist. If she's just such an obviously horrible, ego-tistical, ew type of character, why are you even here? Wouldn't you want to get away from Sera and as much Sera material as quickly as possible? Why ruminate on hatred of all things?

 

Because people enjoy feeling vindicated in their hatred. Why do you think the Klan gets together? Neo-Nazi's... why do you think people watch MSNBC or Fox News? Why do people break down into their 'identities' and talk about 'we like this' or 'we like that'. Humans are tribal, this has been the norm throughout human history... it does not mean that the character is well written. I think she is well writtten, but I think it's in context of great background lore. I'm unsure how great her writing is from intention... Basically she represents an ignorant peasant pretty well, but how often do we see this characters brought to the forefront? Was she brought to the forefront intentionally to represent the ignorant masses of fuedal peasantry? Possibly.

[Kimarous]

Well personally I do like how 21st-Century-ish her way of thinking is. Suits her City Elf background.

But sometimes....it's just too much. She does not stop at living like a human. She hates everything related to elvish, even the slightest ones. And the game does not really explain WHY in a comprehensible manner. 

To the degree of me wondering why she hasn't poisoned herself wishing she could be reborn as a qunari or dwarf

 

._.

 

Spoiler

Given that her romance reveals that she was raised by a noblewoman who told her to hate an innocent baker to cover up how she couldn't cook, I think part of her mentality is that she's not REALLY one of the common folk, as she thinks they are, but someone raised in a noble household who operates on what she THINKS common folk are. This also explains her major disconnect with anything related to elves.

[FinalGirl]

I'll raise my hand as a Sera fan even if I found her infuriating at times...and I say that as someone who romanced her and found it one of BW's best romances. The post-Mythal conversation in particular was frustrating because she wouldn't consider any other viewpoints no matter what (and no matter how her facial expression indicated that she might).

I hope she's developed further in DLC and she gets to grow, as I think she would being a "hero" after Coryphipoo is pulverized. She's consumed by an inferiority complex and it colors every interaction she has. I'd imagine growing up mostly in the Denerim alienage during the Blight would do that to a person (I recall it being pretty terrible in DA:O). She doesn't feel that the shape of one's ears has much to do with what kind of person you are, so she hates being treated a certain way for it or being expected to act a certain way because of it, whether it's coming from humans or the Dalish or whomever. In field banter, I've heard her say to at least two party members, "You're not better than me, you know"- she assumes everyone is undeservedly looking down on her until they prove otherwise. She hates the misplaced pride of people who luck into a better station as an accident of birthright and then mistreat everyone below them. If she had a motto, it'd likely be "get over yourself."

Add that to her lack of education and impatience, and it's not surprising that she's not the most nuanced character during conversation. Not saying that doesn't make her a pain in the ass to deal with at times, but I cut her a lot of slack. I don't think she quite realizes the effect she has on people when she shoots her mouth off- I can't speak to the Solas-romanced Inquisitor, but she was calling my Inquisitor (Tevelyan, her L.I.) an idiot and all sorts of names, then immediately did a 180 and suggested we get food. 

She's far from perfect and I'm not going to change anyone's mind I'm sure, but I love her and her complexity and had to defend a bit! 

[Drasanil]

Spoiler

Given that her romance reveals that she was raised by a noblewoman who told her to hate an innocent baker to cover up how she couldn't cook,

 

No. And clearly you weren't paying attention if you think Lady Emmald told Sera to hate on the baker. Sera said herself Emmald told her the baker didn't like elves so Sera would stay away and never think to go there. Sera then took it upon herself to hate on him and make it him miserable.

 

The entire conversation just shows how royally pathetic Sera is. Yes what Emmald did was not nice. But, she's not the one who sent Sera on the warpath, despite the fact Sera acts like it is all Emmald's fault. The whole thing just shows you how incredibly juvenile Sera still is, even after all those years she still acts like it was entirely Emmald's doing with out ever acknowledging that she herself was in part responsible for her actions. 

 

PS: You don't need to romance her to find out about all this. I got the whole cookies conversation with out romancing her.

[FinalGirl]

But, she's not the one who sent Sera on the warpath, despite the fact Sera acts like it is all Emmald's fault. The whole thing just shows you how incredibly juvenile Sera still is, even after all those years she still acts like it was entirely Emmald's doing with out ever acknowledging that she herself was in part responsible for her actions. 

Well, she was a child when all of that went on, and it's not terribly surprising she lashed out at the man who she thought hated her simply because of what she was. This sets her on the "people are people" path. Then she spent a long time hating the woman who lied and set up the baker, which sets her on the "pride for pride's sake is stupid" path. But isn't the whole point of making new cookies to let go of all that anger? She says as much. She even says it's not about "cookies" per se, and that there's a lesson learned in there. I thought it ended up being the most she tried to deal with her issues in the game, especially for a non-romanced Sera.

[Nathair Nimheil]

clearly you weren't paying attention if you think Lady Emmald told Sera to hate on the baker. Sera said herself Emmald told her the baker didn't like elves so Sera would stay away and never think to go there. Sera then took it upon herself to hate on him and make it him miserable.

Oh please. So she told an elven child "See that guy over there? Well, he's a racist bigot and he hates elves like you!" but since she never actually said the words "You should hate him" it's not her fault?

There are not enough palms and faces to respond to that logical stretch.

[Drasanil]

Well, she was a child when all of that went on, and it's not terribly surprising she lashed out at the man who she thought hated her simply because of what she was. This sets her on the "people are people" path. Then she spent a long time hating the woman who lied and set up the baker, which sets her on the "pride for pride's sake is stupid" path. But isn't the whole point of making new cookies to let go of all that anger? She says as much. She even says it's not about "cookies" per se, and that there's a lesson learned in there. I thought it ended up being the most she tried to deal with her issues in the game, especially for a non-romanced Sera.

 

Well you know, except for the fact she didn't learn a damned thing. She still hates Emmald, despite the fact the woman took her in and gave her a better life than she could have ever had in alienage. [Still angry.] She treats elves terribly, like the baker she hated on supposedly did. [Still doesn't really acknowledge elves as people, despite the fact she knows what it felt like. So people aren't people.] And for all that she is still refuses to acknowledge anyone else might ever have a point. [The epitome of pride for pride's sake.]   

 

There is absolutely no character growth. In fact, I would say her arc involves character regression given the more you know about her the worse she actually comes off. 

 

 

Oh please. So she told an elven child "See that guy over there? Well, he's a racist bigot and he hates elves like you!" but since she never actually said the words "You should hate him" it's not her fault?

There are not enough palms and faces to respond to that logical stretch.

 

Normally when you tell a child someone or something is mean or doesn't like them its so the child avoids them and you also generally don't phrase it like you did. Its pretty obvious Sera went out of her way to make him miserable and read way more into it than Lady Emmald ever intended.  

 

Also, way to cherry pick.

[Bigdoser]

I have to agree with Drasanil at first I was really interested in Sera but then the more I found out about her she just made me scratch my head and then finally that dialogue with the dalish inquisitor was the final draw. 

[FinalGirl]

There is absolutely no character growth. In fact, I would say her arc involves character regression given the more you know about her the worse she actually comes off. 

She's severely flawed, no doubt, and she has a lot of room for growth. The writers definitely could have given her more, but I think there are several instances where she shows growth or at least questions her beliefs/prejudices. But I think we're going to have to just agree to disagree. At least you're not stuck with her in your party.