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Thoughts and consequences of Qunari portrayal in Trespasser


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#1
HopeVessel

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I've been scouring the forums here and have been seeing some discussions about Iron Bull's betrayal, in my observations it seems like overall a lot of people are "positively" defending Bull, by that I mean using language such as, "the inquisitor deserved it," "the inquisitor should have seen it coming," "what do you expect, you killed the chargers, you killed the only people he loved," (make note of that "you"). And personally I don't really understand how such a betrayal can be defended in such a way, or really defended at all, particularly from a moral standpoint. So I just want to see whether I'm just crazy thinking that Bull overall is not a very good person, and whether you can even call him a person in the first place, I'll explain more of that later on (and yes you might be able to see my disdain for the Qun showing ;) ), in other words just my thoughts on the whole debacle. Also I want to examine how this all effects the perception of the Qun, to me, to the player, and to the world of Thedas.

 

1. So first, when I found out Bull would betray any character that didn't save the chargers, it certainly changed my entire view on him as a person. Now I only found out about it reading online, though I was currently doing a playthrough where I was romancing him and I let the chargers die, and the thought he was going to betray me was quite saddening. I also was reading a bit more and heard that if you romanced Bull and the chargers were dead, Bull wont have much to say to you at the winter palace, in other words no romance scenes, I don't know if this is true and I will soon find out when I get there, but this is the first problem I have with the whole Bull betrayal, particularly in regards to game design.

 

The problem is that it feels like that choice is just all around the "wrong" choice. By that I mean the player gets really nothing substantial in return for making it, at least comparatively to making the choice to save the chargers. Now we can all guess what effect it will have in the future games, but for now we can only work with what we got, and from the looks of it, it isn't much, also especially true if you romanced Bull as I mentioned above. Now I'm not saying all choices need to have positive effects, at least in regards to the in-game character, but they should have positive effects for the real human being playing the game. For example, sure choices can result in betrayals but that then should at least result in more dialogue/cutscenes/quests for the player, which the player wouldn't get if they didn't make that "bad" choice, but as mentioned, it seems if you romanced Bull and the chargers are dead you don't get any substantial unique scenes, which when looking at what you get when romancing other characters like Cullen or Sera, is very disappointing. Not only that but the scene when he betrays you, at least from what I gleam, doesn't amount to much dialogue or interaction with Bull, which I think is a problem because there isn't anything given to the player (in this case what is given is lacking greatly) that balances the bad thing that is happening to the in-game character they are playing as, which overall for me, makes that choice seem like a punishment for the player, i.e. a wrong choice.

 

2. Now what does Bull's betrayal say about Bull himself? Well, I think nothing good. Originally before trespasser Bull was one of my favorite characters, I enjoyed interactions with him and his lines of dialogue. But now every time he speaks its just dead whispers, it's all lies and deceit, and I find it hard to like such a person. For example, I was recently with him while adventuring in the dales, and I think he remarks being disgusted how the Freeman of the Dales are treating innocent people badly. And it's moments like that where I just can't take him seriously anymore, where he comes off as being a despicable person, considering he goes along with a plan to blow up major areas in Thedas with the "dragon's breath" where I'm sure tons of "innocent" people will die. Right Iron Bull, you care about the innocent Bas. Of course I say innocent because according to the Qun there are no innocent people, no? Except those who are part of the Qun? Point is, as a characteristic of a person, this seems quite terrible.

 

Now of course I'm talking about Qunari Bull, not Tal Vashoth Bull, but let's not forget they are actually the same person, Iron Bull chooses to either be a Qunari or Tal Vashoth of his own volition. In the end it's his choice, and he's responsible for them, not the inquisitor. Whether the chargers die or not, the choice to go along with a plan to kill thousands is his choice, likewise it is his choice if he chose to be "re-educated." If one moment of loss of life makes someone become genocidal, well I don't see how that person is good. And yes, the inquisitor didn't kill the chargers, the venatori did. Sure, the choice that led to the charges dying was made by the inquisitor(personally I didn't really like that whole scene and the choices available, every time I play it I want to ask Bull "What do you think? It's your men, what do you want to do? In other words, a choice to go along with whatever Bull wants to do, sure it shows him not wanting the chargers to die, but then he turns to you as if the choice is up to me. What are you looking at me for? What do you want to do, save them? not save them? Then there should be an option like "go along with Bull"), but in war, in a battle the person in charge is bound to have to make choices that lead to people dying. I don't see how that equates to them being the one who killed them, at least not in the manner for which such a statement is used to defend Iron Bull's betrayal.

 

Regardless, for the sake of argument, let's just say the inquisitor was guilty some how, sure I understand Iron Bull would be angry, and a betrayal might be justified, assuming for the sake of argument that what the inquisitor did would be equivalent to "betrayal." The problem is, is that a simple betrayal of the inquisitor may be justified, not going along with a plan to blow up major cities in Thedas and kill thousands, maybe even millions, which is what Iron Bull did. So I just want to note, that what Iron Bull does isn't just a simple betrayal of the Inquisitor, it's much worse.

 

So in the end, is the Inquisitor to blame? No, as I don't think it's the responsibility of the inquisitor, or anyone for that matter, to make sure other people are good, doesn't mean we don't help, but ultimately it's the individuals them selves who are responsible. And if Bull can't think for himself, that's on him, and frankly I don't find that a good character trait. Likewise as mentioned above, he turns to you, the inquisitor (in the scene where the chargers either live or die), I'm assuming to go along with whatever choice the inquisitor makes, so yes to then blame the inquisitor for their choice, when you turned to them to go along with their choice, just isn't right.

 

3. What does this all mean for the Qunari? Well, I kind of liked the concept of the Qunari, a group that follows a rigid code of conduct without question, though I would have liked it if the code was a little less, well, evil. It seems as if the code pretty much just says, everyone else must becomes us, or die. Just to give an example, it would have been interesting if a part of their code involved a certain concept of loyalty/honesty where they must be honest and loyal to whomever they swear it to, and this can of course change over time, and would probably mean things like spies or the ben hassrath couldn't exist, but the point is it would have been interesting if the belief system was structured in such a way that would have made it so Iron Bull wouldn't be allowed to betray the inquisitor, or that it would be morally wrong according to their belief structure to do so, but it still would have been morally right for the viddasala to try to kill the inquisitor (it's just that iron bull wouldn't be allowed to), if that makes sense. I just think it would make it less black and white and more interesting. Which brings me to what I want to discuss, and that is Tevinter vs Qunari. 

 

As the next game will most likely be in Tevinter, and will probably involve the battle between Tevinter and the Qunari, the player will probably also be able to side with one of them, or at least that might be what Bioware will try to do. It would be kind of similar to the whole mage vs templar conflict. The problem is I don't see it as very similar, before trespasser I honestly thought bioware did a fairly decent job of not making the Qunari appear as completely evil, but with trespasser, specifically with the whole Iron Bull thing, and how if he is still qunari he betrays you no matter what, regardless of romance or approval, and Cole also mentions in that scene that Iron Bull felt nothing, meaning it was as if he had no emotions or feelings at all, which as I mentioned in the very beginning, it brings up the question of the definition of a person (from Cole's statement it seems that not only did Iron Bull not have any emotions or feelings, it's as if he didn't even have a will of his own, meaning he was nothing more than a mindless drone of the Qun) I just don't see how it would make any sense to ever side with the Qunari. Of course this is me speaking as the player, an in game character I'm playing as may side with the Qunari still because they wouldn't have the same information as the player, but even so I would probably have a hard time ever playing as such a character. So to be clear, knowing what the player knows it would never make sense to side with the Qunari.

 

So why is that the case? Well from the looks of it, you can never truly be an ally of them, it seems there mission is always to assimilate you into a mindless drone, or kill you. So that kind of makes it impossible to ally with them, even if you wanted to or even thought you did ally with them, you actually never are. Likewise morally speaking, when comparing Tevinter to the Qunari, both are pretty bad but I do think the Qunari are worse. As bad as slavery is, and as bad as slavery seems to be in Tevinter (though from speaking to Dorian, not all slaves are actually being actively abused, as he said the slaves his family owned weren't), I think being a mindless drone is worse, i.e. whatever qamek does to you, is worse than just being a slave. As at least as a slave you still have your memories and a mind of your own. In other words, the qunari have slaves, they just wipe their memories and make them mindless by using the qamek. Likewise I would take a place that creates people like Dorian over people? ;) like Iron Bull. What's that saying? You will know them by their fruits, and the Qunari just seems to always create bad apples. I'd take some good apples over all bad apples any day.


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#2
Wulfram

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That Iron Bull should choose to remain loyal to his beliefs if the Chargers are sacrificed is predictable - if anything the surprise is that he abandons them otherwise - but its true that the moral responsibility for his actions remains his own.
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#3
vertigomez

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Bull's a complex person and a nuanced character. He's a lying Qunari spy and he's a man who took a flail to the face for a total stranger.

Some people can appreciate that, some people can't.
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#4
katerinafm

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Just going to point out that the 'no romance scenes' happen if you let the Chargers live as well. You only get an extra line during his normal Trespasser cutscene. Dorian and Bull get more romance content in Trespasser than Bull and romanced inquisitor. I'm really sad about that because he's my favorite romance and they just dropped the ball in the dlc with him when it comes to his romance.

#5
Poledo

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Being away from the Qun and having his merc band were changing the person he was. You help him make the tough choice - save his men and continue on his journey to being a thinking individual whose actions are not dictated by the Qun and who values friendship and his comrades. Or sacrifice his men for the sake of politics and military might, telling him it is the right thing to do and turning him back towards the Qun.


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#6
Kurogane335

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I think you make a mistake in assuming that the Qun is evil. Is isn't more than the Chantry which explicit goals is to convert the whole world just to force an entity which have done nothing to deserve praise to actually acknowledge its supposed creation. In that respect, the Qun and the Chantry are  alike, with the difference that the Qun actually care more for the "mediocre many" than the "brilliant few" as Solas put it. And I see nothing wrong because the Qun offers a place to everyone and even then, the "brilliant few" will find a way to ascend the hierarchy.

 

In a sense, I've always felt that Solas was the representation of people not understanding the Qun. In my eyes the Qun doesn't rob anyone of choices. Quite the contrary, it robs people of their ability to avoid the consequences of their choices. Just look at Sten. He murdered a whole family and then has chosen to go to the bitter end of this action. He had chosen to be captured. Once freed by the Warden, he doesn't flee or try to avoid his responsibility, ever. Despite being the last of his squad alive he had chosen to stay and complete his mission or die trying. All of this are choices. And despite all the possibilities he had to avoid the consequences of his choices, he never evade them. And that's the same thing with Hissrad. He feel no pain turning against the Inquisitor at least partially because it is a choice he made and if pain was to stay his hand, it would a way to evade his responsibility (and I think he has been so re-educated that he doesn't really feel anything for the Inquisitor).

 

Can we, as people not used to it, can really understand the toll that it must be to be able to make a choices with the knowledge that you simply can't evade the consequences of said choice ? How many time did we lied to her parents when were little after a mistake we made ? How many excuses do we do as adults when we see something which is abhorrent to us but in the end are doing nothing to oppose it, because it is not us who are directly concerned, or it is just too big, etc. ?

 

An that's why Iron Bull can says that he find the Freemen loathsome for what they are doing while being okay with Dragon's Breath. The latter as a goal, and the people who will die when it will put into motion are sacrifices for this goal. It is sad, but in the end, it is seen as a way to reduce the death and suffering of the South. The Freemen torture, rape and pillage because they can. They are no better than those Tal-Vashoth who let their inner rage consume them to be reduced to monsters. It may seems hypocritical from Bull to react this way but thing is, even the most monstrous persons aren't made of just one colour. Pol Pot ordered the methodical death of millions of his fellow citizens. And he is known for being extremely attached to his family, seen even as a good father by his child. It should tell something about how the true monsters are particularly atrocious to behold not because of the horros they do, but because of the knowledge that they could not conduct them, had they chosen to.


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#7
Ryzaki

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Bull's a complex person and a nuanced character. He's a lying Qunari spy and he's a man who took a flail to the face for a total stranger.

Some people can appreciate that, some people can't.

 

Yep.

 

 

Just going to point out that the 'no romance scenes' happen if you let the Chargers live as well. You only get an extra line during his normal Trespasser cutscene. Dorian and Bull get more romance content in Trespasser than Bull and romanced inquisitor. I'm really sad about that because he's my favorite romance and they just dropped the ball in the dlc with him when it comes to his romance.

 

Ugh don't remind me. I don't know why the devs put so much attention on the side ship and almost completely ignored him with the Inquisitor. >_<

 


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#8
Navasha

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I think a lot of the problem is that a lot of players don't quite yet grasp the concept of the collectivist mindset.   There are no individuals.  They are loyal only to 'society' and all individuals and individuality is expendable.    "For the greater good" is the rationalization they always use to justify whatever horrific and immoral actions they take against others.  

 

When you meet Bull, he exists on the razors edge of an internal dilemma.   Everything he was and was taught was to be a strong member of the Qun.   However, he has developed relationships for these non-qun which he surrounds himself with which is contradictory to everything he was brought up to believe.    This is why he can't decide the fate of the Chargers himself and asks you to do it.   Making this decision pushes him over the edge to one side or the other.   If you let the chargers die, then you reinforce everything the Qun taught him.   That lives and relationships of individuals do NOT matter.    He fully goes back to embracing the Qun and LYING to you to remain embedded with your organization.    If you save the charges, he sees the inquisitor 'sacrifice' what should be a stronger position with an ally in the Qun for the sake of those individuals lives.    He then falls the opposite way, realizing that things the Qun taught were wrong and that people do matter.  

 

Its a pretty simple scenario and I am very proud of Bioware for having the consequences of making that choice.  


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#9
Abyss108

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I'm still not sure how people class this as Bull betraying them.

 

You told him in his personal quest that the Qunari were more important than friends, and he listens and let's his friends die. And then he does exactly the same thing in Trespasser, when he chooses the Qunari over you. Which is exactly what you told him.

 

Apparently, people think duty is only more important than friendship, if the friendship isn't with your own character.


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#10
katerinafm

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Ugh don't remind me. I don't know why the devs put so much attention on the side ship and almost completely ignored him with the Inquisitor. >_<

 

 

Yep, I think I'm always going to be sad about that as I LOVE his romance in the base game. I mean, I think it's awesome that a ship like that is canon and Bull doesn't have a relationship with a woman but with a man instead if he is unromanced, but yeah, what's the deal with his romance almost looking forgotten with inq? And the frustrating thing is that most people won't even come across the Dorian and Bull romance lines in Trespasser, since their romance is pretty hard to trigger in the base game (especially with the banter bug most seem to be getting). Agh!



#11
Ryzaki

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Yep, I think I'm always going to be sad about that as I LOVE his romance in the base game. I mean, I think it's awesome that a ship like that is canon and Bull doesn't have a relationship with a woman but with a man instead if he is unromanced, but yeah, what's the deal with his romance almost looking forgotten with inq? And the frustrating thing is that most people won't even come across the Dorian and Bull romance lines in Trespasser, since their romance is pretty hard to trigger in the base game (especially with the banter bug most seem to be getting). Agh!

 

Yep that's pretty nonsense that it got more attention. :(  And yeah you're right about the banter bug. I just don't get it. Every single other romance got a special scene (well save Josie I think) but we don't even get that much. :(


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#12
Sah291

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I think the reason there's no "What do you think we should do Bull?" choice in regards to the Chargers, even though that seems obvious, is because the quest is not so much about the Chargers, but about chain of command and authority, and Bull's relationship with the Qun.

Bull should never have simply deferred the fate of the Chargers in the first place, and even if he thought the Inquisitor was making the wrong call, he should have at least stood up to him/her and said so. But he was never taught to think that way. He is very close to being able to make that decision on his own, whether to leave the Qun or not, but when the chips are down, when faced with another Qunari, he still needs that final push from someone in a position of authority to let him know "it's okay to say no". It's a lot like Fenris' story from DA2, when he tells Hawke about how he killed the fog warriors because his master showed up and told him to. As the IQ, you're supposed to figure out on your own that the Chargers are important to him and that he doesn't want to sacrifice them.

As for the Qunari becoming too one dimensional and evil? I kind of agree, I really could not find any redeeming qualities about them in DAI, but that was one thing I did like about Talis from MotA, since she did serve to bring some depth to the Qunari. I have a feeling though, since we are probably going to Tevinter, this could be set up to consider their side in the conflict, and give a reason to sympahatize with them...considering Tevinter has been the big bad evil empire for 3 games now.

#13
katerinafm

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Yep that's pretty nonsense that it got more attention. :(  And yeah you're right about the banter bug. I just don't get it. Every single other romance got a special scene (well save Josie I think) but we don't even get that much. :(

 

I'm almost tempted to ask Weekes about it, but I know I won't get an answer x_x.



#14
Ryzaki

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I'm almost tempted to ask Weekes about it, but I know I won't get an answer x_x.

 

I don't know if you're polite about it maybe?



#15
katerinafm

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I don't know if you're polite about it maybe?

 

I'm ignored 98% of the time, so I don't see the point. If someone else more used to talking with the devs decides to do it, then good.



#16
Dieb

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I think the disappointment stems from the fact that you assume it was betrayal at all.

 

My very personal interpretation is that his original intent (see Solas) was to undercut the Inquisition by hiding in plain sight; he only strays from this path when you save the Chargers.


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#17
Al Foley

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You know after just rewatching this scene I am actually kinda reminded by the whole Jon/ Ygritte paradigm over in GoT



#18
Ryzaki

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I'm ignored 98% of the time, so I don't see the point. If someone else more used to talking with the devs decides to do it, then good.

aww :(



#19
Wulfram

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Personally, I found the attempts to normalise the Qun rather annoying. I'm rather pleased that Bioware remember that hating and fearing the Qun isn't just prejudice.
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#20
Cyrus Amell

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It is quite simple really.

 

Remember Cerberus in Mass Effect 2? Back then they were a supposed ally that we were conflicted about working with but could ostensibly justify collaborating with if it helped the greater good of humanity. Fast forward to Mass Effect 3 and Cerberus is utterly evil and trying to kill you no matter that you may have given them everything they asked for in the second installment, seemingly trashing all of the moral equations about assisting them for the greater good and what not.

 

It is the same thing with the Qunari, to an extent, in having to choose between allying with them (for the greater good) or rejecting that alliance for the sake of your comrades. Then in Trespasser that little dilemma is thrown in your face like a wet towel used to dry the sweaty buttocks of a football jock. Turns out that, nope, you were wrong to agree with them or side with them. 

 

This kind of "Grey Choice/Dilemma" requires a balancing act that Bioware simply has no patience for, at least not in recent times. Make no mistake, the Qunari will be almost as bad as Cerberus was in Mass Effect 3 because Bioware just loves waves of cliched enemies. 


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#21
TobiTobsen

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I think the disappointment stems from the fact that you assume it was betrayal at all.

 

My very personal interpretation is that his original intent (see Solas) was to undercut the Inquisition by hiding in plain sight; he only strays from this path when you save the Chargers.

 

Yeah. Bull is walking up to you at the first meeting and tells you right to your face that he's a Ben-Hassrath agent who has come to this place to let redheads ride the Bull and to spy on you in the name of the Qun (not necessarily in that order).

 

That's the brilliance of his plan, imo. He outright tells you that he is a spy/agent. People immediately react with "Harhar, that fool. How can he spy on me when he just told me that he's a spy?!" and stop to see him as a serious threat.

 

All the while The Bull, or more likely Hissrad, plays everbody like a fiddle:

 

-Appealing to Viviennes desire to lead, when he treats her like a Tamassran.

-Making crude jokes with Sera.

-Playing imaginary chess with Solas (a game that he nearly wins. Against an elvhen "god". Dangerously intelligent Qunari right there!).

-Joking about spy stuff with Varric.

-Flirting with Dorian or the Inquisitor.

-Playing the drunken brawler

and so on and forth.

 

The guy is basically oxmen 007; his success shown in the number of people who go "WTF!" the second he turns out to be exactly what he told you he is and would be.

 

In the end he turns on the Quizzy the very moment it's demanded by the Qun and would've probably succeeded if we weren't the main character of the game. He probably even knows that he will fail, but does so anyway because he was told to.

 

Without the proper input from the Inquisitor the Iron Bull is actually a shining example of the fact how dangerous the Qun really is.


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#22
The Baconer

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Note how Iron Bull can explain to you the extent of Qunari re-education. Know that when you sacrifice the Chargers, you are sending him back for more sessions of that.

 

A society that reviles Blood Magic (for the loss of the self) above all magic, yet takes pride in the fact that you don't need Blood Magic to warp someone's mind. What does that tell you :>


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#23
Dieb

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Without the proper input from the Inquisitor the Iron Bull is actually a shining example of the fact how dangerous the Qun really is.

 

That's a good line.

 

I mean, I'm not even saying that he goes to sleep with a knife in his teeth every night at Skyhold, but every night still, he is aware that the day may come when he has to. Or never.

 

That's basically how sleeper cells are supposed to work, to throw a potentially dangerous term out there. They are conveniently placed assets, not necessarily just surpressed but live explosives.


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#24
Al Foley

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That's a good line.

 

I mean, I'm not even saying that he goes to sleep with a knife in his teeth every night at Skyhold, but every night still, he is aware that the day may come when he has to. Or never.

 

That's basically how sleeper cells are supposed to work, to throw a potentially dangerous term out there. They are conveniently placed assets, not necessary just surpressed but live explosives.

It is what it reminded me of.  Not that Bull was intentionally a Sleeper agent it just worked out that way because Vidisaala.  



#25
Cha0sEff3ct

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Just going to point out that the 'no romance scenes' happen if you let the Chargers live as well. You only get an extra line during his normal Trespasser cutscene. Dorian and Bull get more romance content in Trespasser than Bull and romanced inquisitor. I'm really sad about that because he's my favorite romance and they just dropped the ball in the dlc with him when it comes to his romance.

I know!!! While getting the dragon head into the bar is amusing there's no cute romance scenes. wth? Plus, they been together for 2 years. How does the Inquisitor not know when his Bday is? And all he f*ing gives me is Hey Kadan! Dorian even gets that extra bit about him moving to Tevinter and Iron Bull is drunk on the floor and not to tell him or something... I think I saw it in a video somewhere. 

 

Also, I think it would've been cooler if he didn't turn on you if romanced and sacrificed chargers. I'd like to see him really fight the Qun mentally in that moment and be like "gaaaah I can't! screw you Ma'am!!" Love conquers all.  :(  :(  :( lol


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