Intentionally.
(Try to keep up.)
not talking about Sera, I get that she has issues with power and whatnot,
talking about
"To be fair, I stumbled over his pronunciation a few times"
"It is a mouthful of a name, ive mispronounced it like Sera too"
not everything I do is meant to slander the perfection that is the toddler in an elf's body
I am seeing a lot of hate for her, which is weird. Most I've seen think of her as " A spoiled brat."
What?
If anything, Sera is the ANTI-Spoiled brat!
I think it was one of the writers, or maybe it was the person who wrote her, that described her as a brat, but I certainly not spoiled. That wouldn't really be a fitting description at all.
how do you mispronounce Corypheus, he says it like twelve seconds after you meet him
Isn't the Inquisitor alone when you first meet him?
how do you mispronounce Corypheus, he says it like twelve seconds after you meet him
She does this on purpose. She tells you so. For her own amusement and because she hates him. To make him smaller and less scary, I imagine. Sera doesn't like scary things. (Not that anyone does, but she's clearly not comfortable with her own fear or feelings. Since I saw what things were like for little city elves playing with painted boxes in the Denerim alienage 10 years ago pretty up-close, I don't necessarily blame her.)
Edit: Never mind, saw your post about "Not about Sera." Disregard.
To defend those who found the name difficult, I suppose, as a person, if you read his name before you heard it (somewhere about lore, etc), you might trip over it. If I've been mispronouncing something in my head, it's hard to pronounce it right even if I've heard the correction. But maybe that's just me.
Jesus people I wasn't talking about Sera, I get she mispronounces it because "sticking it to the man: and whatever
In regards to Sera's mocking of Corypheus's name...
There's also something historically and mythically powerful about names and how we use them. Names define us. Names give and take away power through definition and redefining under new light. Names and the refusal to use names can represent fear or lack of fear, respect or lack of respect, and to use a name or not use a name out of defiance is a symbolic important gesture towards combating it.
If you read the Harry Potter books, this is illustrated in the several stages of fear and intimidation from The Dark Lord, He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, aka Lord Voldemort, aka Tom Riddle. The general populace that fears him, won't even utter his name out of terror. The resistance that defies him does not fear to name him, first as Voldemort, then as the truth of his origins come to light, as Tom Riddle.
Ancient human history amongst aboriginal tribes, islander tribes, American Indians, and many more ancient cultures have also recognized the power of names, and the power of giving a new name to the object of terror or fear. In human societies across Europe to Asia, clowns and fools have practiced this since antiquity. To name something is to have power over it, to give it a new name that takes away the fear and majesty something previously had, is to replace those emotions and impressions with laughter and bravery. This is what Sera practices, even if she's not entirely conscious of it, she plays the part of the jester, the clown, the fool, and both names and then renames the Foe because it takes away the fear and reduces them in the eyes of all to something that can be fought, something that can be defied, and something that can be beaten and laughed at.
The problem with this idea is that Sera's not overtly sexual in any way throughout the game. The only time her sexuality really comes to light is if a female Inquisitor coaxes her into doing so. Beyond that, much of her behavior and her various hangups are an entirely separate issue. She's defined much more by her issues on class and privilege, fear of the unknown as well as magic. As for other character
flawstraits, such as her pranks and childish humor, these things just don't seem typical of what a straight man thinks about when thinking of a lesbian character, let alone what a lesbian should be.
I must admit I hadn't even guessed at her sexuality until it was explicitly mentioned. Can't say there was any stereotyping going on at all, at least not that I noticed. Then again, I'm neither straight nor a guy. :shrug: etc.
Ancient human history amongst aboriginal tribes, islander tribes, American Indians, and many more ancient cultures have also recognized the power of names, and the power of giving a new name to the object of terror or fear. In human societies across Europe to Asia, clowns and fools have practiced this since antiquity. To name something is to have power over it, to give it a new name that takes away the fear and majesty something previously had, is to replace those emotions and impressions with laughter and bravery. This is what Sera practices, even if she's not entirely conscious of it, she plays the part of the jester, the clown, the fool, and both names and then renames the Foe because it takes away the fear and reduces them in the eyes of all to something that can be fought, something that can be defied, and something that can be beaten and laughed at.
Kinda fitting then that the final battle with Corypheus ended up feeling like 4 guys beating on some clown who talked too much sh**.
"Dumaaat! Y u no love me!"
Bloody Mary... Bloody Mary... Bloody Mary!Names and the refusal to use names can represent fear or lack of fear, respect or lack of respect, and to use a name or not use a name out of defiance is a symbolic important gesture towards combating it.
Sera is simply a selfish dimwit that refuses to hear any view but her own, simple one. She cares nothing for anyone but herself and people that live like her. She won't consider that anyone who has anything but the simplest perspective and, hates all noble might be okay - to her you have power, you are a jerk PERIOD, she judges too fast and won't change so yeah, total closed minded idiot. I recruited her twice to see if differnt answers would change her. Nope, so now I just skip her.
Bloody Mary... Bloody Mary... Bloody Mary!
Eh, I find her more open minded than Morrigan. At least Sera is a part of a group and has some support for others. Morrigan broadly dismisses everyone who she does not personally know and respect (which is very few people... like maybe 5 people), and she dismisses all faiths and cultures except as possible sources of old knowledge and power for herself.
I still like Morrigan, but I would guess that Sera would be more popular if she was more of an intellectual instead of having a lower intelligence.
I really think a lot of the dislike for Sera comes from how she articulates her ideas more than anything else from the comments that I've seen so far in this thread.
How do you figure? So because someone in the Chantry in Kirkwall saw Justice, should they change their religious beliefs? We have absolutely 0 proof that Mythal is anything more than Justice. Can she exist outside the Fade w/out possessing someone? We have been presented with nothing that should be Faith shattering for anyone that really has Faith in their religion, except, of course, for about 90% of everything the Dalish believe makes them superior to other elves. I bet that's going to be a fun story to bring back to the clan, eh? That's really the only belief structure in the whole game that's going to be hit. Seeing a bunch of magic at work? Sorry, were there no mages before we went to the Temple of Mythal? There were, there were 3 in our group, or could be. The Inquisitor has a mark on his/her hand that can close Fade rifts, and the Breach. Does this qualify them for godhood? Cory seems to think so, and while the Andrastians fall short of godhood, they have elevated them to Prophet status.
As an aside, did your Human Inquisitor denounce the Maker after the Temple, assuming they followed the Maker at all? If you did follow the Maker, and didn't denounce Him, why are you expecting Sera to claim her religion's wrong and believe that there are other Gods? Especially considering the above, you know, where we don't even know if they're really gods, and not actual demons/spirits? I know my Human didn't see enough to make her believe that they were actual Gods. She did raise an eyebrow at the whole thing, but not enough to shatter her faith, since she was a devout Andrastian. This, even after the closing credits, and I'm still not convinced they aren't more like Justice, or Cole, than Divine.
My inquisitor was an Indifferent to Gods dwarf, but no, she didn't denounce the Maker. She wasn't really hip to him in the first place. She just thinks all this "gods" nonsense is nonsense on all ends, but at least now she's seen proof that at least Mythal is something, which is more than she's seen from the Maker. Doesn't mean she doesn't think the Maker exists (she doesn't KNOW if he exists, and frankly she doesn't really even care if he does or not), just means she thinks utterly dismissing the elf gods when there's more "proof" of them existing in any capacity at all than the religion Sera is clinging to instead is kinda weird. And again, I see absolutely no reason why they can't BOTH exist, so Sera's panicking that if one exists the other absolutely can't is silly.
That's all. It's not "OBVIOUSLY the elf gods are REALLY REAL and the ONLY GODS EVAR" or anything like that. Just "huh, guess Mythal was actually a thing. Which is more than I can say for this Maker cat." If you're agnostic about gods (which my dwarf certainly was), it seems pretty much a no-brainer. If you've got faith in one, and are really invested in keeping that faith, I'm pretty sure nothing is going to change minds. That's cool. That's faith. But it also makes it really obnoxious to be called "stupid" for disagreeing.
Sera is deeply, deeply invested in the Maker being real. Sera really hates changing her mind on stuff. So her views and such make sense, and are consistent with her character. These do not make her less annoying for calling my agnostic dwarf "stupid" because my dwarf isn't freaking blind.
I take her everywhere, save for when I need to do Varric's quests and the like. After hearing a lot of the banter, she comes across as much less closed-minded as people might think. If you're raised in a prejudiced environment, you will be prejudiced. It may create a violent response when that is challenged, at first. But it is something that can be overcome.
Also I missed her "I LOVE that" Scene the first time around, which is just.....beautiful. I found the sex scene disappointing because it was incredibly silly, so her actually admitting to that stuff is.......perspective changing. I can see why people hate her. She's difficult, ignoble, backwards (compared to the rest of our crew who tend to be like "Meh. Too busy saving the world."), very strange when it comes to thought patterns (but, as I've said, she even confuses herself at times), violent, and all such other issues. I like motivations. I like odd motivations. I like Sera.
And sometimes I hate that I like her. True story.
My inquisitor was an Indifferent to Gods dwarf, but no, she didn't denounce the Maker. She wasn't really hip to him in the first place. She just thinks all this "gods" nonsense is nonsense on all ends, but at least now she's seen proof that at least Mythal is something, which is more than she's seen from the Maker. Doesn't mean she doesn't think the Maker exists (she doesn't KNOW if he exists, and frankly she doesn't really even care if he does or not), just means she thinks utterly dismissing the elf gods when there's more "proof" of them existing in any capacity at all than the religion Sera is clinging to instead is kinda weird. And again, I see absolutely no reason why they can't BOTH exist, so Sera's panicking that if one exists the other absolutely can't is silly.
That's all. It's not "OBVIOUSLY the elf gods are REALLY REAL and the ONLY GODS EVAR" or anything like that. Just "huh, guess Mythal was actually a thing. Which is more than I can say for this Maker cat." If you're agnostic about gods (which my dwarf certainly was), it seems pretty much a no-brainer. If you've got faith in one, and are really invested in keeping that faith, I'm pretty sure nothing is going to change minds. That's cool. That's faith. But it also makes it really obnoxious to be called "stupid" for disagreeing.
Sera is deeply, deeply invested in the Maker being real. Sera really hates changing her mind on stuff. So her views and such make sense, and are consistent with her character. These do not make her less annoying for calling my agnostic dwarf "stupid" because my dwarf isn't freaking blind.
Eh, I find her more open minded than Morrigan. At least Sera is a part of a group and has some support for others. Morrigan broadly dismisses everyone who she does not personally know and respect (which is very few people... like maybe 5 people), and she dismisses all faiths and cultures except as possible sources of old knowledge and power for herself.
I still like Morrigan, but I would guess that Sera would be more popular if she was more of an intellectual instead of having a lower intelligence.
I really think a lot of the dislike for Sera comes from how she articulates her ideas more than anything else from the comments that I've seen so far in this thread.
But Morrigan is hardly intelectual, she is pretty naive and foolish all the time, and has changed absolutely nothing about those flaws in DAI, she just become motherly...
Except that, as a devout Andrastian, we have the Chant that says that there is only one God.
Only one worth worshipping, anyway. The Old Gods are still acknowledged as a thing (even called gods!). But people worshiping them made the Maker all crabby and he ditched. OK, fine. Still room for the elven gods to exist and be a thing, if not necessarily gods. Again, I am not talking "woo hoo, elf gods are TOTALLY GODS." The view my character expressed was, "Well, they were something that existed." Because my dwarf is not invested in believing any particular thing like Sera is. But this was not good enough for Sera (who I'm not sure I'd exactly call devout, but that's neither here nor there).
My character did not say, "Well, I totally think the elf gods are real gods now." She didn't even disagree with Sera's point of view, exactly (even though I do). She kinda shrugged and went, "Hell, I dunno." And Sera got all cranky because she wants/needs my dwarf to reinforce her world view, which my dwarf was not interested in doing (for ANYone) and got called stupid because Sera's faith is way too shaky to stand on its own. Essentially, I got called stupid because she is the one trying to avoid any introspection whatever.
That is fine from a character-writing standpoint. It is also fine, from a in-character and personal standpoint to think, "Man, you are being SUPER IMMATURE about this, and that is obnoxious." I like Sera. I'm not expecting her (or anyone else) to toss away her faith over the temple stuff. I'm not even expecting her to act maturely or extend my current Inquisitor, a Dalish elf, the same courtesy (although it sure would be nice). I'm just saying that it is completely understandable how she acts, especially in this particular situation, can really, really grate on people.
Eh, I find her more open minded than Morrigan. At least Sera is a part of a group and has some support for others. Morrigan broadly dismisses everyone who she does not personally know and respect (which is very few people... like maybe 5 people), and she dismisses all faiths and cultures except as possible sources of old knowledge and power for herself.
I still like Morrigan, but I would guess that Sera would be more popular if she was more of an intellectual instead of having a lower intelligence.
I really think a lot of the dislike for Sera comes from how she articulates her ideas more than anything else from the comments that I've seen so far in this thread.
I think it's the articulation part that's key. Morrigan expresses herself in a manner that more people would likely enjoy, even though she's far crueler than Sera could ever be. I can't really think of another reason. It's amusing to be a total jerk throughout the game and see how much Morrigan approves of things. One of the funniest moments for me is when I knife the merchant in Lothering, and when Leliana and Alistair expresses their disapproval, Morrigan will remark on their objection to what he was doing, as if murdering him would be a suitable solution XD
Eh, Sera walks on the line between amusing and annoying. She can be obnoxious at some parts, but also has her moments. Her introduction at the Winter Palace made me chuckle hard.
I didn't like her at first, but using her in this playthrough and she has grown on me.. same with Cole
Only one worth worshipping, anyway. The Old Gods are still acknowledged as a thing (even called gods!). But people worshiping them made the Maker all crabby and he ditched. OK, fine. Still room for the elven gods to exist and be a thing, if not necessarily gods. Again, I am not talking "woo hoo, elf gods are TOTALLY GODS." The view my character expressed was, "Well, they were something that existed." Because my dwarf is not invested in believing any particular thing like Sera is. But this was not good enough for Sera (who I'm not sure I'd exactly call devout, but that's neither here nor there).
My character did not say, "Well, I totally think the elf gods are real gods now." She didn't even disagree with Sera's point of view, exactly (even though I do). She kinda shrugged and went, "Hell, I dunno." And Sera got all cranky because she wants/needs my dwarf to reinforce her world view, which my dwarf was not interested in doing (for ANYone) and got called stupid because Sera's faith is way too shaky to stand on its own. Essentially, I got called stupid because she is the one trying to avoid any introspection whatever.
That is fine from a character-writing standpoint. It is also fine, from a in-character and personal standpoint to think, "Man, you are being SUPER IMMATURE about this, and that is obnoxious." I like Sera. I'm not expecting her (or anyone else) to toss away her faith over the temple stuff. I'm not even expecting her to act maturely or extend my current Inquisitor, a Dalish elf, the same courtesy (although it sure would be nice). I'm just saying that it is completely understandable how she acts, especially in this particular situation, can really, really grate on people.
First meeting: She shoots a random guy, who happens to be conspiring against me. Ok. I ask her how she knew. From friends. How do you know they are telling the truth? I don't know. I don't care.
That "I don't care" does NOT fit with the Inquisition I build. We are a beacon of hope. Order in the Chaos. She's Chaotic Neutral. She doesn't even care who she kills, she just follows the messages of some small people from her class and believes them. If a slaver had left her messages in incognito, she would've killed anti-slavery nobles. They're nobles, who cares?
That thinking is terrible. Even if the Inquisition uses fear as its weapon and is symbol of power, that doesn't go. We need to make sure we're not killing random people. She just says "ah, they were probably evil anyway".
So yeah. I can put up with her style of speaking, her terrible humour, her prejudice. But I still won't accept a rogue element who doesn't give a damn about thinking their actions through.
This playthrough I'm recruiting her for the achievement. I might change my mind about her and at least I can keep her shooting the right people.
Sera:Sera is deeply, deeply invested in the Maker being real.
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