476 réponses à ce sujet

[daveliam]

Also it's a pretty common factor in a lot of the lgbt circles I've been around that if a "bisexual" girl talks only about guys she's probably just a barsexual or fad girl. It's an unfortunate fact that around where I am it's a fad to call yourself bi because you kiss a girl when you're drunk to get attention from guys. 

 

Yeah, it's why I have a problem with the way that the bisexual males have been portrayed, in particular. 

 

Zevran smashes his female preference over your head if you are male PC.  Even in you are romancing him, he continues to flirt exclusively with females right in front of you.

Anders only talks about his sexuality with male PCs and is OTT with his interest in females (only) in DA: A.

Fenris makes no acknowledgement either way about his interests, but ends up with a lady if neither is romanced.

Iron Bull talks about gals alot (I've still never heard a single male flirt comment outside of calling Dorian 'pretty'), but at least he ends up with a guy if neither are romanced.

 

I really want to see a bisexual guy who shows a preference for men.  It's never been done in a Bioware game.  (Sky and Kaidan also preferred females)

 

When we're told that sexual orientations have been more defined in this game, and then Sera and Josephine have NOTHING to say about being in a same sex relationship, with their LI, I don't see that as not "wearing it on their sleeves"...I see it more like the writers didn't know how or weren't comfortable with actually writing about female same sex relationships.  Which begs the question, who are they writing them for, if not people who want to see themselves reflected in these characters?

 

It's a mixed bag.  Some people are thrilled to see that Sera is a lesbian without having to make regular comments about her sexuality.  I've never romanced her (only done gay guys so far), but I've known in both playthroughs that she's a lesbian.  She's not exactly quiet about her interest in qunari ladies.  (I guess I could read her as bisexual since she's also fixated on Dorian's 'staff', but definitely not straight).

 

I don't see how Bioware can ever 'win' in this respect.  There are people complaining that Dorian's quest is too OTT and PDA like.  There are people thrilled he's an openly gay man whose sexuality actually is relevant to his plotline.  There are people who are thrilled that Sera doesn't make a big deal about her sexuality.  There are people who see it as a cop out because her plot isn't lesbian specific.  I think they just need to keep mixing it up and, across the entire series, we'll all get what we want at some point.

[Namea]

Yeah, it's why I have a problem with the way that the bisexual males have been portrayed, in particular. 

 

Zevran smashes his female preference over your head if you are male PC.  Even in you are romancing him, he continues to flirt exclusively with females right in front of you.

Anders only talks about his sexuality with male PCs and is OTT with his interest in females (only) in DA: A.

Fenris makes no acknowledgement either way about his interests, but ends up with a lady if neither is romanced.

Iron Bull talks about gals alot (I've still never heard a single male flirt comment outside of calling Dorian 'pretty'), but at least he ends up with a guy if neither are romanced.

 

I really want to see a bisexual guy who shows a preference for men.  It's never been done in a Bioware game.  (Sky and Kaidan also preferred females)

 

 

It's a mixed bag.  Some people are thrilled to see that Sera is a lesbian without having to make regular comments about her sexuality.  I've never romanced her (only done gay guys so far), but I've known in both playthroughs that she's a lesbian.  She's not exactly quiet about her interest in qunari ladies.  (I guess I could read her as bisexual since she's also fixated on Dorian's 'staff', but definitely not straight).

 

I don't see how Bioware can ever 'win' in this respect.  There are people complaining that Dorian's quest is too OTT and PDA like.  There are people thrilled he's an openly gay man whose sexuality actually is relevant to his plotline.  There are people who are thrilled that Sera doesn't make a big deal about her sexuality.  There are people who see it as a cop out because her plot isn't lesbian specific.  I think they just need to keep mixing it up and, across the entire series, we'll all get what we want at some point.

 

I would love to see that kind of variation. There are bisexual guys who prefer dudes in real life so there should be some in games too. In Origins Leliana is very open about the fact that she had a relationship with Marjolaine and is bisexual whether or not you romance her. That's cool but we need to have a male character who makes it clear that he prefers other men but likes women as well. It's not impossible! 

 

Hell, I prefer women greatly but I still ended up married to a man. Life is funny like that, sometimes love comes out of nowhere and smacks you in the middle of your forehead!

[phantomrachie]

Ugh yes. Although at least Traynor talks about what she's looking for in a partner and makes it clear she's a lesbian. 

I get vaguely annoyed when a gay man is written by a woman or a lesbian is written by a man...it just doesn't end up feeling right. The gay man ends up being written like a yaoi fangirl's fettish fodder and the lesbian ends up being written either as a complete stereotype or a douchebag's porn fantasy. 

 

Apart from the shower scene, I really liked the Traynor romance because she talked about what she wanted in a partner and because it was fairly obvious that she was a lesbian.

 

Personally I'd like to see more LIs doing that, though I feel like it is a tough line to walk. On the one hand, I'm sure BioWare don't want to make a character were their sexuality is their only personality trait but on the other hand if they don't make some reference to a character's sexuality it can make it feel like they are only gay or bi tick a romance box.

 

I know BioWare can do it though, Traynor, Cortez and Dorian are all examples of characters who talk about their sexuality but who aren't defined by it. 

[syllogi]

Yeah, it's why I have a problem with the way that the bisexual males have been portrayed, in particular. 

 

Zevran smashes his female preference over your head if you are male PC.  Even in you are romancing him, he continues to flirt exclusively with females right in front of you.

Anders only talks about his sexuality with male PCs and is OTT with his interest in females (only) in DA: A.

Fenris makes no acknowledgement either way about his interests, but ends up with a lady if neither is romanced.

Iron Bull talks about gals alot (I've still never heard a single male flirt comment outside of calling Dorian 'pretty'), but at least he ends up with a guy if neither are romanced.

 

I really want to see a bisexual guy who shows a preference for men.  It's never been done in a Bioware game.  (Sky and Kaidan also preferred females)

 

 

It's a mixed bag.  Some people are thrilled to see that Sera is a lesbian without having to make regular comments about her sexuality.  I've never romanced her (only done gay guys so far), but I've known in both playthroughs that she's a lesbian.  She's not exactly quiet about her interest in qunari ladies.  (I guess I could read her as bisexual since she's also fixated on Dorian's 'staff', but definitely not straight).

 

I don't see how Bioware can ever 'win' in this respect.  There are people complaining that Dorian's quest is too OTT and PDA like.  There are people thrilled he's an openly gay man whose sexuality actually is relevant to his plotline.  There are people who are thrilled that Sera doesn't make a big deal about her sexuality.  There are people who see it as a cop out because her plot isn't lesbian specific.  I think they just need to keep mixing it up and, across the entire series, we'll all get what we want at some point.

 

I know what you're saying, but we get NO new information on homosexuality in Thedas from either Sera or Josephine's romance, and that sort of thing does not have to be a morality play.  I cannot imagine, in real life, never talking to a new female partner about how she feels about the fact that I'm bisexual, or whether she cares that I have a kid (or if she wants kids of her own, and how that would happen...), or whether she's out to her family.  Those are just personal examples, but there are SO many ways to show that they are acknowledging that a same sex romance isn't just a het romance with different pronouns.  It doesn't have to be over the top and dramatic, it just has to be somewhat realistic.  And not talking about that stuff at all with the person you're with, even when homosexuality is a bit more accepted in Thedas than in real life, isn't realistic.

 

I never even dreamed of getting actual same sex romances back when I was playing BG2 and hating on Anomen because that was my only choice as a female character, but if they're going to do things like claim that they're "not here for straighty" at GaymerX, I do think Bioware has to be open to critical feedback, especially on homosexual romances written by straight people.

[XxPrincess(x)ThreatxX]

Yeah, it's why I have a problem with the way that the bisexual males have been portrayed, in particular. 
 
Zevran smashes his female preference over your head if you are male PC.  Even in you are romancing him, he continues to flirt exclusively with females right in front of you.
Anders only talks about his sexuality with male PCs and is OTT with his interest in females (only) in DA: A.
Fenris makes no acknowledgement either way about his interests, but ends up with a lady if neither is romanced.
Iron Bull talks about gals alot (I've still never heard a single male flirt comment outside of calling Dorian 'pretty'), but at least he ends up with a guy if neither are romanced.

Is abit of a shame that apart from Leliana, (whose F/F relationship was pretty much ignored) all bisexual characters have very much preferred or got with the opposite sex to the point that they could be mistaken as straight in some instances

[daveliam]

I know what you're saying, but we get NO new information on homosexuality in Thedas from either Sera or Josephine's romance, and that sort of thing does not have to be a morality play.  I cannot imagine, in real life, never talking to a new female partner about how she feels about the fact that I'm bisexual, or whether she cares that I have a kid (or if she wants kids of her own, and how that would happen...), or whether she's out to her family.  Those are just personal examples, but there are SO many ways to show that they are acknowledging that a same sex romance isn't just a het romance with different pronouns.  It doesn't have to be over the top and dramatic, it just has to be somewhat realistic.  And not talking about that stuff at all with the person you're with, even when homosexuality is a bit more accepted in Thedas than in real life, isn't realistic.

 

I never even dreamed of getting actual same sex romances back when I was playing BG2 and hating on Anomen because that was my only choice as a female character, but if they're going to do things like claim that they're "not here for straighty" at GaymerX, I do think Bioware has to be open to critical feedback, especially on homosexual romances written by straight people.

 

Hopefully they take this feedback and include a female character whose non-hetero sexuality plays a role in her story in the next game.  It would be nice to see, for sure. 

 

Also, I agree about the BG2 thing.  I'm also an old-school Bioware fan.  Until the DA series came around in 2009, the only option that I had ever had was Sky, who was so hidden as an m/m romance that it was practically an easter egg.  Then, it wasn't until DA 2 came out in 2011 that I was able to finally get a choice in my romance option.  That was only three years ago.  And I've been playing RPGs since the mid 80's!  The fact that we can complain about the ways in which our multiple options are being presented is a sign of good things to come.  I would never had thought it would be the case even just 4 years ago. 

 

Is abit of a shame that apart from Leliana, (whose F/F relationship was pretty much ignored) all bisexual characters have very much preferred or got with the opposite sex to the point that they could be mistaken as straight in some instances

 

Yep.  If it weren't for the heart prompts, I suspect that a great many straight male players would think that Fenris is straight.  And, on the other end of the spectrum, look at the outrage from the fact that Anders hits on you.  Sure, some people are upset about the rivalry points or the tone of the rejection from Hawke, but some are just offended by the audacity of a male to hit on their male character.

 

I'm thrilled that Dorian and Bull end up in a relationship with each other.  And it's not just a fling either.  It's an ongoing relationship and Bull is smitten with him.  It's a nice touch and I wouldn't mind seeing more of that in the future (both genders).

[Efvie]

I know what you're saying, but we get NO new information on homosexuality in Thedas from either Sera or Josephine's romance, and that sort of thing does not have to be a morality play.  I cannot imagine, in real life, never talking to a new female partner about how she feels about the fact that I'm bisexual, or whether she cares that I have a kid (or if she wants kids of her own, and how that would happen...), or whether she's out to her family.  Those are just personal examples, but there are SO many ways to show that they are acknowledging that a same sex romance isn't just a het romance with different pronouns.  It doesn't have to be over the top and dramatic, it just has to be somewhat realistic.  And not talking about that stuff at all with the person you're with, even when homosexuality is a bit more accepted in Thedas than in real life, isn't realistic.

 

I don’t think any of the romances really go anywhere near that territory, do they? You’re asking for deeper romance storylines altogether—which I heartily support.

 

 

(But, like I said earlier, I don’t know if they can do it without significant cost unless they consolidate the romance options.)

[Namea]

I know what you're saying, but we get NO new information on homosexuality in Thedas from either Sera or Josephine's romance, and that sort of thing does not have to be a morality play.  I cannot imagine, in real life, never talking to a new female partner about how she feels about the fact that I'm bisexual, or whether she cares that I have a kid (or if she wants kids of her own, and how that would happen...), or whether she's out to her family.  Those are just personal examples, but there are SO many ways to show that they are acknowledging that a same sex romance isn't just a het romance with different pronouns.  It doesn't have to be over the top and dramatic, it just has to be somewhat realistic.  And not talking about that stuff at all with the person you're with, even when homosexuality is a bit more accepted in Thedas than in real life, isn't realistic.

 

I never even dreamed of getting actual same sex romances back when I was playing BG2 and hating on Anomen because that was my only choice as a female character, but if they're going to do things like claim that they're "not here for straighty" at GaymerX, I do think Bioware has to be open to critical feedback, especially on homosexual romances written by straight people.

 

There is actually an entire codex entry devoted to sexuality around thedas.

[jlb524]

I guess its not as bad as the ME series, "hot lesbian shower" scene anyone?

 

Haha, well...hard to top that (no, they shouldn't try).

 

I do like what they did with Sera and think it's definitely an improvement but there's always things that could be done better, ofc.  My favorite thing about Sera is that she shows interest in women outside of the PC romancing her (which they seem incapable of doing with their bisexual female romance options...)

 

While I'm not personally interested in a f/f Cassandra romance, I can see how her romance is better than Sera's considering more objective criteria.  Cassandra is very important to the game and to the series as a whole vs. Sera who can be dismissed so easily at anytime.  Cassandra seems to have more dialog in general, especially in HUB conversations, etc.

[taglag]

I see no reason for a gender restriction.

 

One of the most downloaded Mods for Kotor, Kotor2 Sith lords, Me1.Me2.Me3, DaO, were editer's or item mods that allowed you to court any of the companians in those games, and there are others games that this has been done for as well. The restriction does not seem to be wanted by most people, or at least does not seem to be greatly desired.

 

I mean to me as it is all digital, and superficial any way, I see no reason for it.

 

If not allowed we would see the other side complaining ( those that feel Persecuted for having same sex life styles ).

 

if allowed then complaint's from those who want only opposite gender to mate seems hollow, and very self centered, with little acceptance of alternate life style's.

 

I can see why Bioware in a wise choice allowed no block in DA2, and perhaps they should have continued that path in DAI.

 

But I don't really care either way.

 

I just see the most diplomatic path would be to have no block or restrictions of any kind, due to gender or race ( these are not real creature's here they are just digital fabrications.)

 

If no gender specific path has to be chosen, then in many ways it would give even more choice to your game, as well as careful planing so you don't wind up with some one you don't want to be with.. LOL

[MrSnoozer]

You know as sexist or w/e -ist as this sounds , sometimes gating helps towards character creation and stories. As much as i despise real life tropes being added into fantassy games , its hard to write the story of a gay character when he is in fact Bi and same with other characters with different sexual orrientations/genders.

[AEve1]

Is this a good place to say how gutted I was by Cassandra's rejection? I knew she wasn't available to femQuiz, but I couldn't help taking those lovely flirt options anyway. Figured they'd just disappear after a while and she'd go through life blithely unaware of my pining, much like Aveline. And yet she kept giving me approval for flirting, and we were friends, and then she actually confronted me about it and I almost died of humiliation and hurt when she was listing her reasons for rejection: "you are the Herald of Andraste, and my leader... and a woman." (Found a video of the scene here)

 

Just... ouch. I don't necessarily mind gating in theory, but that one seemed deliberately misleading and hurtful. If I hadn't explicitly known beforehand that she was straight, I would have really thought I had a shot up till that point. I know not everyone is especially up-front and obvious about their sexuality, but it's a game, and I don't see the purpose in waiting until that cutscene to inform the player about Cassandra's preferences. It really did feel like a sucker punch to women who thought, based on game feedback, that Cass might actually return their interest.

 

To bring this digression back on-topic:

 

I liked DA2's romances. None of them felt unreal to me. I liked DAI's romances. Representation is important, and the Iron Bull's and Dorian's sexualities, at least, were integral to their characterization. But I may or may not have sat staring at the wall after that rejection scene with Cass thinking about how much Cassandra loves Swords & Shields, and how the only character she ever mentions from the story is the female knight-captain, and how proud she is of a female inquisitor in particular, and how she reacts to flirtation from a female PC... and remembering all the times I told myself I was straight because I thought that was how I'd get the kind of fairytale romance I wanted... no, I don't think that being straight added anything to Cass's story. And to be honest, I'm not sure that the portrayal I saw was actually of a straight woman.

[DaemionMoadrin]

Is this a good place to say how gutted I was by Cassandra's rejection? I knew she wasn't available to femQuiz, but I couldn't help taking those lovely flirt options anyway. Figured they'd just disappear after a while and she'd go through life blithely unaware of my pining, much like Aveline. And yet she kept giving me approval for flirting, and we were friends, and then she actually confronted me about it and I almost died of humiliation and hurt when she was listing her reasons for rejection: "you are the Herald of Andraste, and my leader... and a woman." (Found a video of the scene here)

 

Just... ouch. I don't necessarily mind gating in theory, but that one seemed deliberately misleading and hurtful. If I hadn't explicitly known beforehand that she was straight, I would have really thought I had a shot up till that point. I know not everyone is especially up-front and obvious about their sexuality, but it's a game, and I don't see the purpose in waiting until that cutscene to inform the player about Cassandra's preferences. It really did feel like a sucker punch to women who thought, based on game feedback, that Cass might actually return their interest.

 

To bring this digression back on-topic:

 

I liked DA2's romances. None of them felt unreal to me. I liked DAI's romances. Representation is important, and the Iron Bull's and Dorian's sexualities, at least, were integral to their characterization. But I may or may not have sat staring at the wall after that rejection scene with Cass thinking about how much Cassandra loves Swords & Shields, and how the only character she ever mentions from the story is the female knight-captain, and how proud she is of a female inquisitor in particular, and how she reacts to flirtation from a female PC... and remembering all the times I told myself I was straight because I thought that was how I'd get the kind of fairytale romance I wanted... no, I don't think that being straight added anything to Cass's story. And to be honest, I'm not sure that the portrayal I saw was actually of a straight woman.

 

I'd offer a hug but as Sera told me "You've got a thing and that's not my thing." so I'll keep my distance.

 

I -always- took the flirt option with Aveline, just because I could. It's fun!

 

The rejection from Cassandra hurts, but isn't it somehow also a good thing if the game manages to make you care about a character so much? I feel that makes it more realistic.

[syllogi]

There is actually an entire codex entry devoted to sexuality around thedas.

 

That was a nice start, but we still don't know how city elves react when a young person decides to opt out of marrying, or if there are ever Dalish clans that are extremely opposed to same sex partners (or, conversely, clans that have no problem with it despite the general desire to strengthen the clan by having more children), or many other things about being in a same sex relationship in Thedas, beyond a codex entry.

 

Cullen gets to talk about romancing a mage (I think in more than one dialogue), but Josephine has nothing to say about being the head of her family, betrothed to a man, and in love with a woman.  IDK, there's something imbalanced about that to me.

[MrSnoozer]

Cassandra's love for the knight-captain is self reflection of herself. Her story is she has layers ^^ on the outside she is this strong independent woman who needs 'no man' so to speak because of her role , but secretly on the inside she wants to be swept off her feet. By a sentimental man who likes poetry.  You notice it first when she smiles for the first time. At first i found her smile creepy because i was used to the 'brick wall of don't f with me face' but you notice her beauty when she isn't doing that perma disgusted face

[Efvie]

I do like what they did with Sera and think it's definitely an improvement but there's always things that could be done better, ofc.  My favorite thing about Sera is that she shows interest in women outside of the PC romancing her (which they seem incapable of doing with their bisexual female romance options...)

 

Given the stereotypes of (us) bisexuals, I’m actually a little glad that it’s not too overt—although I suppose it’d be nice to see the other preference too. But overall, it would require a lot of downtime talk to create a character who can convincingly discuss attraction to both sexes without seeming like they sleep with every single person they come across. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that choice, but it’s not representative.)

[AEve1]

I'd offer a hug but as Sera told me "You've got a thing and that's not my thing." so I'll keep my distance.

 

I -always- took the flirt option with Aveline, just because I could. It's fun!

 

The rejection from Cassandra hurts, but isn't it somehow also a good thing if the game manages to make you care about a character so much? I feel that makes it more realistic.

Aww, thanks. I may have gotten a bit dramatic there.

 

There was definitely some amazing writing in that rejection! I just don't think the message I took away from it was necessarily the one it meant to convey. I feel like her sexuality is more ambiguous than, say, Dorian's, even though I know that ambiguity was not what the writer intended.

[d-boy15]

I though they make it very clear about romance option and each characters sexual interest even before the game come out...

If you flirt with cass and dorian but found out they not interest in you then I'm sure it's not a mislead. Both characters also make it clear in the game too.

The same applied to Sera, she reject male character attemp with clear respond.

Other romance restriction like Cullen and Solas actually have fair reasons too.

[CrimsonArgie]

I don't think that sexuality is a defining trait of a character, but I do think that's an important one, and just making everyone bi sexual "just in case" a player wants to romance them doesn't seem a good decision in my opinion. I love having choices regarding my own character, but at the same time I like to see NPCs having a defined personality that cannot be changed no matter what the player does. 

 

All NPCs have their own views on different subjects. Vivienne supports the circle no matter what you do, Sera dislikes "elfy" elfs, and Cassandra is an avid supporter of the Chantry. They will maintain their opinions throughout the entire game, and, if given the chance, will argue with the Inquisitor if he/she decides to do something that goes against their views. That should apply to sexuality and romances too IMO, with NPCs having an already defined sexuality that cannot be changed (although it would be interesting to see more fleshed-out conversations between the player and the NPCs regarding this themes)

 

Take Dorian for example. Having him as a bi sexual character would make his personal quest pointless (or at least, much less interesting), which would be a shame in my opinion since I think that it was a really nice quest. I expected it to be deeper, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, I thought it was a nice way of touching on a "sensitive" subject (since that kind of stuff happens in real life, albeit in a much more complicated way), and also exploring a bit of Dorian's past.

[Efrim]

That was a nice start, but we still don't know how city elves react when a young person decides to opt out of marrying, or if there are ever Dalish clans that are extremely opposed to same sex partners (or, conversely, clans that have no problem with it despite the general desire to strengthen the clan by having more children), or many other things about being in a same sex relationship in Thedas, beyond a codex entry.

 

Cullen gets to talk about romancing a mage (I think in more than one dialogue), but Josephine has nothing to say about being the head of her family, betrothed to a man, and in love with a woman.  IDK, there's something imbalanced about that to me.

I'll concede the point about Josephine right off the bat, but the codex does actually cover the other circumstances you mention.

It explicitly states that people see sexuality as apart from procreation. In the cases of Nobles , or people concerned with procreation such as Dalish clans; the consensus is that as long as people still procreate they can still follow their heart elsewhere outside the marriage without too much drama. It seems to indicate that mostly it is only ever really a scandal among the rich due to 'The Game' and their obsession with inherited titles. Also in Tevinter where they are trying to breed super mages I guess. I could be interpreting the codex wrong, someone correct me if I am.

[Weltall]

I'd offer a hug but as Sera told me "You've got a thing and that's not my thing." so I'll keep my distance.

 

I -always- took the flirt option with Aveline, just because I could. It's fun!

 

The rejection from Cassandra hurts, but isn't it somehow also a good thing if the game manages to make you care about a character so much? I feel that makes it more realistic.

What if there were NPCs in the story who would reject you because of your gender regardless of your gender. So if you're a man, they're into women. And if a woman, they're now attracted to men. Then we can ALL share in the pain of rejection.

[Owlbear]

Take Dorian for example. Having him as a bi sexual character would make his personal quest pointless (or at least, much less interesting), which would be a shame in my opinion since I think that it was a really nice quest. I expected it to be deeper, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, I thought it was a nice way of touching on a "sensitive" subject (since that kind of stuff happens in real life, albeit in a much more complicated way), and also exploring a bit of Dorian's past.

 

I was disappointed that my female human rogue didn’t become romantically involved with Dorian. She flirted and he flirted back, but in the end he revealed that she wasn’t quite what he was looking for. That Dorian had a personality and desires independent of the character choices I made and that he reacted based on who he was, not on what I as a player wanted him to be felt a lot more genuine than having a stable of NPCs where the one you're interested in will always like you back because you just happen to be everybody’s type. That seems more like an episode of the Bachelor.

 

At some point, I think I’ll have to break with tradition and create a male character in order to try the Dorian romance, especially since this character creator looks like it will actually allow me to create a male avatar that I can empathize with.

[DaemionMoadrin]

What I would really like to see is a more realistic romance. Or well, believeable in this case. For example, why do I have to do the first step all the time? Why do I have to gather gifts and seduce my lover? Why can't the strong female in the group walk up to me and say "You. Me. My room. Now." ... just with more romantic words I guess.

 

Why are we even limiting it to our companions (and a token female)? If this was truly an open world, then I could perhaps find someone among the hundreds of people in Skyhold. What about Fiona? Lysette? Perhaps the librarian? The lonely guard down in the dungeons who has to watch permanently empty cells because of a bug? There are also countless nobles visiting and I can go to Val Royeaux anytime I want.

 

Wouldn't it feel more real if you just aren't into your companions or they just liked you as a friend?

[Efvie]

I was disappointed that my female human rogue didn’t become romantically involved with Dorian. She flirted and he flirted back, but in the end he revealed that she wasn’t quite what he was looking for. That Dorian had a personality and desires independent of the character choices I made and that he reacted based on who he was, not on what I as a player wanted him to be felt a lot more genuine than having a stable of NPCs where the one you're interested in will always like you back because you just happen to be everybody’s type. That seems more like an episode of the Bachelor.

 

If this wasn’t a confined and restricted game world, I could take a rejection and go look elsewhere… but as it happens, it is a game.

 

But, really, I suppose it’s pointless to argue if your foundation is that characters cannot be adequately realized unless they have a defined, universal orientation.

[Grieving Natashina]

What I would really like to see is a more realistic romance. Or well, believeable in this case. For example, why do I have to do the first step all the time? Why do I have to gather gifts and seduce my lover? Why can't the strong female in the group walk up to me and say "You. Me. My room. Now." ... just with more romantic words I guess.

 

I don't argue, but this unfortunately ties back into the fallout regarding Anders.  If they opened back up the idea of companions hitting on the player first, they would probably do it with the gay male characters as well as the female characters.  Which I fully support.    After all, how would the characters know if you were straight or not?  Heck, I agree with you and so does David Gaider for that matter.  That was what was going through his mind when he wrote that Anders would hit on the player first.  He also thought it was a little silly to keep having the player make the first moves.

 

While there were folks that were really upset by the rivalry hit (meh,) and those that thought male Hawke came off sounding too much like a jerk (can't argue too much there,) there was sadlyenough protest against the idea of a male character ever hitting on the male PC that Gaider said at the GDC panel in 2013 that he isn't going to have the companion make the first move in the foreseeable future.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I can't see BioWare doing this again until maybe DA5.

 

As for your second ideas about the people of Skyhold, that would be a Word Budget killer.  The writers only have X amount of words that they can have for the entire story.  A small portion of that is dedicated to romances.  A lot of this comes down to how much needs to be animated and voiced and then tested.  This was the reasons Gaider as well as Patrick Weekes gave for not having a polyamorous relationship among characters.   They tried, but it exceeded the word budget and then some.

 

As to your third, I feel like I've gotten that one already, but YMMV.  Could you elaborate further?