65 réponses à ce sujet

[Teddie Sage]

First of all, forgive me if I make a lot of errors in this text as English isn't my first language and there are some terms that might sound problematic to the readers. Time to start this thread...

So far, I think we had Zevran, Dorian, Sten with darker skin tones plus Vivienne who's literally our first companion based on an African-European skin pigmentation. As we explore the new lands in the next games, I hope we'll see more variation so it will give me a reason to actually role play a character with darker skin pigmentations. So far, I had no reason to role play a dark skinned dwarf or a dark skinned elf, but when I saw all the colors possible for qunaris, elves and dwarves from the character creation tools, it made me wonder where do they all come from. The majority of Thedas' continent from what we've seen in the games are caucasians. I even wonder if we'll get to see more Asian-looking characters.

Why am I asking this? For lore reasons, obviously, and also because it's always fun to see people identify with NPCs and companions. BioWare is well known to be progressive after all.

[DarkAmaranth1966]

We have different skin tones and races as companions. Dwarf, Elf, Qunari are not humans. That's Varric, Iron Bull, Sera. Doian is tan, Vivienne is black. Cassandra is medium, Sera is pale, Cullen Ruddy. What more do you want?

[Teddie Sage]

We have different skin tones and races as companions. Dwarf, Elf, Qunari are not humans. That's Varric, Iron Bull, Sera. Doian is tan, Vivienne is black. Cassandra is medium, Sera is pale, Cullen Ruddy. What more do you want?

More, but on dwarves and elves. I want to see more of those characters and learn about their background, I want a bigger world with more variations. There are plenty of fantasy stories where you see different variations of their races such as light elves, dark elves, high elves, etc. They each have different skin colors and cultures on their own. Since Zevran looks like he has a darker pigmentation, I was wondering if we'll ever see a black elf NPC or companion. The whole purpose of doing this is to give more reasons to players to play a dwarf or an elf with darker skin, gives them an idea where their ancestors, grand-parents, extended families lived in Thedas.

[Teddie Sage]

Heck, I even wonder if there's a country in Thedas where there are Asians-type of characters since we're allowed to have Asian-Hawkes in the second game. There's so many questions burning the tip of my tongue so I'm asking them. I figure characters inspired by Asians live somewhere in the North, away from Qunaris because Tevinter gives me some Indian vibes.

[Andraste_Reborn]

Isabela exists.

[Catilina]

More, but on dwarves and elves. I want to see more of those characters and learn about their background, I want a bigger world with more variations. There are plenty of fantasy stories where you see different variations of their races such as light elves, dark elves, high elves, etc. They each have different skin colors and cultures on their own. Since Zevran looks like he has a darker pigmentation, I was wondering if we'll ever see a black elf NPC or companion. The whole purpose of doing this is to give more reasons to players to play a dwarf or an elf with darker skin, gives them an idea where their ancestors, grand-parents, extended families lived in Thedas.

Fenris has darker pigmentation than Zevran.

[nightscrawl]

They actually did a pretty decent job in DAI with having the various background NPCs have varying skin tones. That does go with mostly humans, I agree, but it's not like Bioware isn't making an effort.

 

 

More, but on dwarves and elves. I want to see more of those characters and learn about their background, I want a bigger world with more variations. There are plenty of fantasy stories where you see different variations of their races such as light elves, dark elves, high elves, etc. They each have different skin colors and cultures on their own. Since Zevran looks like he has a darker pigmentation, I was wondering if we'll ever see a black elf NPC or companion. The whole purpose of doing this is to give more reasons to players to play a dwarf or an elf with darker skin, gives them an idea where their ancestors, grand-parents, extended families lived in Thedas.

 

Thedas is not one of those fantasy lands. There are no drow or dark iron dwarves with those types being featured as offshoots or separate clans, there are just elves and dwarves (and humans and qunari). Any skin color variation would be the same as it is for humans, for the sake of variety. That's not to say it shouldn't be done, because we have darker complected elves, but it wouldn't necessarily be addressed. Skin color isn't generally made an issue of in the DA games. In fact, one single banter involving Vivienne is the ONLY time in the entire series I can recall where that difference is mentioned.

[Teddie Sage]

Isabela exists.

I requested dwarves and elves.

 

 

They actually did a pretty decent job in DAI with having the various background NPCs have varying skin tones. That does go with mostly humans, I agree, but it's not like Bioware isn't making an effort.

On that, I agree. Which is why I made the request for more elves and dwarves NPCs of different skin tones.

[Auztin]

I hate requests like this.I hate this so called representation crap.I want Bioware to make characters they deem worthy of their storyline not a character to fill a quota or for representations sake.If they make a character fitting your representation quota then be happy.If they don't then get over it.

[Teddie Sage]

I hate requests like this.I hate this so called representation crap.I want Bioware to make characters they deem worthy of their storyline not a character to fill a quota or for representations sake.If they make a character fitting your representation quota then be happy.If they don't then get over it.

Nobody forces you to read those requests, nobody forces you to come on these boards, nobody forces you to be antisocial and encourage bigotry. Making a stand for something you believe in is always better than never doing anything.

[Catilina]

I hate requests like this.I hate this so called representation crap.I want Bioware to make characters they deem worthy of their storyline not a character to fill a quota or for representations sake.If they make a character fitting your representation quota then be happy.If they don't then get over it.

However, you can always request, and you can receive what you want or not.

[Teddie Sage]

Fenris has darker pigmentation than Zevran.

Which makes me wonder, where does Fenris and his family come from again? Tevinter?

*checks the wiki* Eeyup, Tevinter. I figure there's more sun in that area.

[Catilina]

Which makes me wonder, where does Fenris and his family come from again? Tevinter or Seheron?

If I remember correctly, he said Seheron, but he did not really remember his past...

[Gileadan]

They could just extend the treatment they gave to the Inquisition soldiers to every NPC: randomized skin and hair colors.

 

Boom! Instant diversity for minimum effort.

[nightscrawl]

Which makes me wonder, where does Fenris and his family come from again? Tevinter?

*checks the wiki* Eeyup, Tevinter. I figure there's more sun in that area.

If I remember correctly, he said Seheron, but he did not really remember his past...

 
Fenris believes he's from Seheron, but isn't certain. In the DA2 scene where he mentions it, he says, "So I'm told," so that's not definite.
 
Regarding Tevinter and its clime... western Tevinter is more European, while eastern Tevinter is more Middle East or Southeast Asian. The part of Thedas that we're familiar with is in the southern hemisphere, so the farther north ones goes, the warmer it is. This is why many of the Tevinters that we see -- Alexius and son Felix, Erimond, Calpernia -- are all light, while others like Dorian and father Halward, Servis, and Fenris are all dark.

 

Of course... Varania's skin tone is not consistent with her brother's... one could just chalk that up to makeup, or not, since she also has red hair. It seems that Bioware devs just had her look in the way they liked best visually without giving much consideration to the fact that she's Fenris's sister. That happens with siblings sometimes, but it's not visually pleasant to be told (in fiction) that two people are siblings and have them not look alike.

[vbibbi]

I hate requests like this.I hate this so called representation crap.I want Bioware to make characters they deem worthy of their storyline not a character to fill a quota or for representations sake.If they make a character fitting your representation quota then be happy.If they don't then get over it.

 

This sounds like you think any variation in skin tone needs justification? Why would having someone of a darker skin tone be a quota, since a dark skinned elf is not analogous to a RL person from Africa or African descent. Why do people use the argument "I don't care about race/sexuality/gender as long as Bioware tells a good story" when they then say "so there shouldn't be variety for the sake of variety." It's like they think telling a good story means there's a default "correct" race/sexuality/gender and anything different needs to be justified or is shoving an agenda down our throats.

[Lezio]

I do wonder if in Origins and DA2 they meant to have different skin colors for NPCs but couldn't. It did feel kind of strange having so many dark-skinned people coming out of nowhere in Inquisition. I mean, i think i read somewhere that the only people, in lore, who are are supposed to have dark skin are the Rivainis? Or did they simply mean they are tanned?

 

The qunari have a similiar issue, i think, but about the hair. Since DA2 literally every qunari had white hair (and i think in the comics too) while in Trespasser the viddasala has red-hair (which kind of goes against Bull's "you have read-heads" comment now that i think about it )

[Andraste_Reborn]

I requested dwarves and elves.

 

I just get irritated when people talk about POC in the Dragon Age series and ignore Isabela. Vivienne is fabulous, but she's not the first black companion in the series - that's Izzy. I agree that it would be nice to see a wider variety of skin tones among the elf and dwarf NPCs.

[Ghost Gal]

In real life, most people with darker skin pigments tend to be descended from people who lived closer to the equator for centuries. (Notice I said "tend to," not "always.") That's why, say, people from Africa have darker skin colors than Europeans, South East Asians tend to have darker skin from North East Asians, South and Central Americans have darker skin colors than, say, Inuits, etc.

 

In Thedas, the equator is north instead of south. Most places so far have been in Southern Thedas, the England and France equivalent countries; so it makes sense that most characters are lighter skinned. Next game, however, we're going to Tevinter, which is based on the Byzantine Empire, which wrapped around the Mediterranean. We've also seen that a decent amount of Tevinters (seem to) have darker skin colors as a result of living closer to Thedas' equator.

 

In other words: next game we're going to a place closer to the equator where people seem to be darker than sourdough Ferelden or Orlais, also close to Antiva (which gave us Zevran and Josephine) and Seheron (the setting's equivalent to North Africa), so we should most certainly see more NPCs of color.

[Auztin]

This sounds like you think any variation in skin tone needs justification? Why would having someone of a darker skin tone be a quota, since a dark skinned elf is not analogous to a RL person from Africa or African descent. Why do people use the argument "I don't care about race/sexuality/gender as long as Bioware tells a good story" when they then say "so there shouldn't be variety for the sake of variety." It's like they think telling a good story means there's a default "correct" race/sexuality/gender and anything different needs to be justified or is shoving an agenda down our throats.

No.You misuderstood my point.If they add a black dwarf or asian-like elf character so be it but don't do it to fill a quota.That is degrading.Look at Isaella or Vivienne or any other POC character.Do they fit in as the character they are supposed to be based on their personality?Yes.Wouldn't it feel out of place to have 1 of main characters in a movie like "Boyz in the Hood" be white or black character as a white supremacist.When you come up with a character,you use skin color,eye color,& overall look to compliment their personality & make them unique & likeable/hated.What if say Dorian was straight or Iron Bull homosexual or Sera made with a darker skin tone or Vivienne with a very light tone.Would they be less unique characters?Probably.

[Asdrubael Vect]

ok, let be honest, especially with biology

 

dark skinned elves and especially dwarfs are not make any sense and ridiculous in DA universe

 

tanned is not a dark skin

 

Qunari-Kossith is the only non-human race who can, and actually have a lot of dark skinned ones os it is make sense for them

[Catilina]

No.You misuderstood my point.If they add a black dwarf or asian-like elf character so be it but don't do it to fill a quota.That is degrading.Look at Isaella or Vivienne or any other POC character.Do they fit in as the character they are supposed to be based on their personality?Yes.Wouldn't it feel out of place to have 1 of main characters in a movie like "Boyz in the Hood" be white or black character as a white supremacist.When you come up with a character,you use skin color,eye color,& overall look to compliment their personality & make them unique & likeable/hated.What if say Dorian was straight or Iron Bull homosexual or Sera made with a darker skin tone or Vivienne with a very light tone.Would they be less unique characters?Probably.

Sera and Vivienne would annoy me with other skin tone than annoy me with they original skin tone.  But there were no less original characters.

Dorian's backstory is built into his sexual orientation, so he probably would have been different as straight.

Iron Bull as gay is wouldn't able to romance for female characters, but I do not think that would not be as interesting.

 

(On Fenris' dark skin tone, however, looks better the white lyrium mark ... but this is only design problem.)

[Asdrubael Vect]

and yeah DA does not have any explanation about darkskinned humans existence in Thedas what is not make sense if we consider that all humans who arrived from north was from a single source and not have much differences, as only later they spreads in Thedas lands, so there should be only a darkskinned ones or light skinned ones, if they did have a differences they should mix and their differences would gone long time ago

 

it is not understandable how those could still exist after thousands of years where the whole human race is connected with each others and have Tevinter as elven ancestors

 

Rivain people as tanned are understandable(as in Antiva and Tevinter, Anderfells desert) but as a dark skinned they are not really

 

And i am not even talk about "Ferelden" Barris which family was a ferelden nobility for CENTURIES, and this is raise a huge question about how Barris is a darkskinned one noble where there is almost none darkskinned nobllty, and this is kinda impossible to find and marry only darkskinned ones nobles from rivain for centuries

 

i am not touch Denet and Mother Giselle but when Vivienne have explanation whose are not have as especially Barris

 

yeah it is like characters with those facial look is added just for "fill a quota" thing

[Andraste_Reborn]

and yeah DA does not have any explanation about darkskinned humans existence in Thedas what is not make sense if we consider that all humans who arrived from north was from a single source and not have much differences

 

We don't know that for sure. The human history we now have might be about as accurate as the elven history we thought we had before Inquisition. There could have been different waves of migration into Thedas at different times. In fact, we know that there were at least two - the reason the people of Rivain have a darker skin tone than those around them is that their ancestors emigrated south from an island chain past the Donarks.

 

And i am not even talk about "Ferelden" Barris which family was a ferelden nobility for CENTURIES, and this is raise a huge question about how Barris is a darkskinned one noble where there is almost none darkskinned nobllty, and this is kinda impossible to find and marry only darkskinned ones nobles from rivain for centuries

 

We have no idea how many of his ancestors were Rivani or when they married into the Barris family. It's possible that he has a pale Ferelden father and a Rivani mother.

[slimgrin]

I hope everyone is lily white in the sequel.