I wouldn't mind Space Wade and Space Herren.
They were funny but, um, I'm not a fan of camp gay characters. But that was always more Dragon Age's (cough, Mr. Gaider, cough) thing than Mass Effect's.
Yeah we've had side f/f couples, but not major characters. I would be okay with two female squadmates being in a long term relationship, and I'd be okay with one being an asari. An asari who isn't available as a romance? Sure!
Fun fact:
In ME2, Oriana was originally supposed to be Miranda's daughter that she had given up for adoption when she was a teenager. Hence the 18 year age difference between Miranda and her "sister," and why Miranda was so concerned with protecting her.
Casey forced the writers to change it to sister because he thought Miranda having a child would make her look like "damaged goods" and the players wouldn't want to sexualize her.
So yes, perceptions of romancability absolutely affect character development. Though it's not always the writers who determine these things.
(And before you ask, the source was one of the writers, but it's long since been erased from the forum it was on).
I agree with whoever said this would have made her more compelling and made the protectiveness make sense. Also there's the fact that Oriana looks nothing like Miranda despite having the same DNA. (I mean, what's a "genetic twin" if you don't at least look identical?)
Anyway, I don't think guys care about that. And as a woman who just played a male Shepard who romanced Miranda, I wouldn't have had a problem with it.
I'm also not comfortable with the term "damaged goods" but I don't know if Casey actually said that.
edited for more thoughts: I don't mind mind flawed characters, in fact I think most of us love them. That said, "flawed" in this case wouldn't be the physical act of having sex at 17 and then the unintended consequence being the birth of a child at 18 and giving her up for adoption. It's the emotional toll behind all of that. It would have given her character added depth beyond the Cerberus cheerleader who apologized for being genetically too perfect. I think it would have had actually made her more human. I mean, Miranda's one of my favorite characters, but after awhile I was just like, seriously, you're the only person who cares about this. And frankly, if all of this meant that Niket would have been the father, that would be even better. I have no idea if that was the original plan but in my mind her backstory is already ten times better that way.
Modifié par Monica21, 31 août 2015 - 04:26 .
They were funny but, um, I'm not a fan of camp gay characters. But that was always more Dragon Age's (cough, Mr. Gaider, cough) thing than Mass Effect's.
Yeah we've had side f/f couples, but not major characters. I would be okay with two female squadmates being in a long term relationship, and I'd be okay with one being an asari. An asari who isn't available as a romance? Sure!
An asari that isn't a romance option? What next, a krogan that doesn't love shotguns? Surely this Andromeda is actually a gateway into a mad upside down universe.
I wouldn't mind Space Wade and Space Herren.
Someone brilliant and artistically obsessive on standby to make my character customizable armor? Yes.
I'd call it lonely desperation rather than being human.
Yeah, cause speculating what kind of specializations Varric will have for 6 months straight qualifies as "human". That' just being a huge nerd (or lonely and desperate)
Yeah, cause speculating what kind of specializations Varric will have for 6 months straight qualifies as "human". That' just being a huge nerd (or lonely and desperate)
It would be a more interesting discussion to follow than debating what the sweat of a fictional character tastes like....
It would be a more interesting discussion to follow than debating what the sweat of a fictional character tastes like....
That never gets less weird.
It would be a more interesting discussion to follow than debating what the sweat of a fictional character tastes like....
Damn. I'm sorry you put yourself through reading that sort of thing, but my point is you don't need a PhD in sociology to understand why fans would go nuts over romance. Sex/romance sells. It appeals to people's baser interests, same reason why some people would be more eager to gossip than talk about world events. People who can't over this simple, no matter how 'soul-crushing', fact and complain about romance in Bioware are crying a river to an open ocean that nobody cares about.
Say a happily married couple, a grotesque, a celibate monk, or a eunuch? The character idea gets shredded?
I'll imaging they do what they've done previously; work with the idea and write the character.
I'm not quite sure why this question is posed since there has been and still is plenty of characters in the previous and current games that were and are not romancable.
This is an odd question to ask, OP. We've seen it done in Bioware games several times before. Mission, Zaalbar, Jolee, Wrex, Joker, Wynne, Oghren, Shale, Sten, Mordin, Samara, Varric, Carver, Bethany, Aveline, James, Javik, Kasumi, EDI, and Zaeed are all characters that you can't romance and still have them be interesting characters. Now were none of these characters satisfying to you, or did you simply ignore them?
OP quoted only small part of article on Escapist. The full context implies, "Do quotas on socially just romance options (f/m, f/f, m/m and m/m... so nobody feels ignored) limits writer's character design?"
OP quoted only small part of article on Escapist. The full context implies, "Do quotas on socially just romance options (f/m, f/f, m/m and m/m... so nobody feels ignored) limits writer's character design?"
Well, then yes.
Wha...? I'm not even going to address your need to mention that you're totally not a homophobe or anything hey guys I've had gay friends before! but why did you hate not being able to romance Dorian if you're a straight male and "don't do gay not even in games"? Am I completely misunderstanding you?
The reason others dislike what you call "player-sexual" characters is because they feel forced and unbelievable. Characters should be written as people, that is to say individuals with unique backstories, personalities and sexual orientations that are not influenced by whether or not someone might want to romance them. To make them all bi, or whatever you want to call it, is just bad writing.
I mean, I'd love to romance Cassandra (as a female), and I'm kind of bitter I can't, but I'm not upset at Bioware for making her straight. She's straight. That's a part of who she is as a character, just like Solas only being into elves or Cullen not being attracted to quanari or dwarves. I'd 100% prefer believable, well-written, distinctive characters than being able to bonk whoever I wanted.
And because it needs to be said, a bisexual person isn't not bisexual simply because they haven't had sex or been in a relationship with both men and women, similar to how a straight person isn't not straight if they haven't had sex or been in relationship with the opposite gender yet.
What have you been smoking? - Why is it homophobe (as a straight person) not to want to engage in homosexuality, even in games? (IMHO that's just normal - I mean I am not prosecuting gays or something and I am for gay-marriage (well, not really, but that's because I am against straight-marriage, too...but as long as straight people are able to get married I think gays should be able to as well!)...haven't you read my posting? - I've had gay friends in the past (!) and I respected them just like any other human being (after setting boundries, as one of them did like me "that way" and I couldn't reciprocate and didn't want to lead him on)...sure being unable to romance Dorian is logical (from a writing POV), but (call me strange or childish or whatever) I just don't like being restricted this way (I feel a little like a child who can't get his favourite toy -.- as bad as that sounds, but IMHO he's one of the few interesting characters in DA:I (not that I don't like the others, but damned his background story makes him very very interesting to me...that only men can have a go it him isn't cool IMHO (no, I don't have Bioware for that, I just don't like it!))
Of course they aren't - really - bisexual if they couldn't imagine going after any other person of the same sex sexually who is not the player (there's characters like say Iron Bull and Isabela who are totally bisexual, but other's aren't, so I think player-sexual is a good description (unless you got a better one?)), they are straight but willing to make an exception for the player who impressed them! Maybe that's lazy writing but at least it's fun for the player 
and in games I prefer fun to "believable writing" (that term is almost as bad as "artistic vision" (Mass Effect 3, enough said) - that we puny mortals are supposedly too stupid to grasp anyway -.-), as long as it's not totally bonkers!)
Now, I think I get it (took me long enough...damned, in my defense: I just got up and haven't had coffee yet!): Why I am stating not to be a homophobe (more or less)? - Because I don't want to be called that (political-damned-correctness -.- I hate it but it seems to be the norm today...If it were only me, then political correctness could go bugger itself (pardon the expression but I hate political correctness!))
Well, I'll stop here - hope you read on, not only the first paragraph, as I was not really fully awake while writing that -.-
greets LAX
What have you been smoking? - Why is it homophobe (as a straight person) not to want to engage in homosexuality, even in games? (IMHO that's just normal - I mean I am not prosecuting gays or something and I am for gay-marriage (well, not really, but that's because I am against straight-marriage, too...but as long as straight people are able to get married I think gays should be able to as well!)...haven't you read my posting? - I've had gay friends in the past (!) and I respected them just like any other human being (after setting boundries, as one of them did like me "that way" and I couldn't reciprocate and didn't want to lead him on)
..sure being unable to romance Dorian is logical (from a writing POV), but (call me strange or childish or whatever) I just don't like being restricted this way (I feel a little like a child who can't get his favourite toy -.- as bad as that sounds, but IMHO he's one of the few interesting characters in DA:I (not that I don't like the others, but damned his background story makes him very very interesting to me...that only men can have a go it him isn't cool IMHO (no, I don't have Bioware for that, I just don't like it!))
I wouldn't even classify her as quasi-romanceable. She just grabs you, gives you a reward kiss, and then there's an awkward silence. It's even pretty clear she doesn't enjoy it if you're a MaleShep(incidentally this is one of the few indications that asari aren't all omnisexual and can have gender preferences).
I'd rank Samara as quasi-romanceable, but Aria doesn't even qualify as that.
Well Javik is in daveliam's list and Shepard doesn't look happy afterwards.. If he is in the list then Aria should be as well.
Javik and Vega are not "romanceable" unless you consider having a one night stand, after which one person wakes up full of regret, romance. Neither is Morinth, but in that case Shepard doesn't even get to wake up to experience the regret....
Javik and Vega are not "romanceable" unless you consider having a one night stand, after which one person wakes up full of regret, romance. Neither is Morinth, but in that case Shepard doesn't even get to wake up to experience the regret....
You can have a one-night stand with Vega? How?
You can have a one-night stand with Vega? How?
By getting him very, very drunk during the Citadel DLC party, and ignoring his obvious discomfort while pressuring him to sleep with you all night.
I'm unsure whether the pace of the party (quiet vs energetic) matters.
By getting him very, very drunk during the Citadel DLC party, and ignoring his obvious discomfort while pressuring him to sleep with you all night.
I'm unsure whether the pace of the party (quiet vs energetic) mattered.
Since that sounds a bit rapey, I'll avoid it.
Since that sounds a bit rapey, I'll avoid it.
Since that sounds a bit rapey, I'll avoid it.
Yeah, I didn't sleep with him myself, but watching how it's done made me uncomfortable. Then again, I'm a person who completely adores Samara but won't pursue her at all in ME2. Ignoring her saying "No, please don't do this" over and over again makes me feel like a huge creep despite it not really going anywhere.
Yeah, I didn't sleep with him myself, but watching how it's done made me uncomfortable. Then again, I'm a person who completely adores Samara but won't pursue her at all in ME2. Ignoring her saying "No, please don't do this" over and over again makes me feel like a huge creep despite it not really going anywhere.
Dear Bioware,
Please don't make my character rapey.
Thanks,
Monica
Dear Bioware,
Please don't make my character rapey.
Thanks,
Monica
I'm so confused. Why is someone who claims to be a straight male so sad about not being able to romance Dorian?
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