#iron bull critical

[dragonageconfessions]

CONFESSION:

I know it won't happen but I would love it if Krem was a returning companion in Dragon Age Dreadwolf.  They could easily have Krem mention that Bull was killed and the Chargers disbanded.  Krem mentions he needs a purpose as well having some unfinished business in Tevinter.  And he can be romanced. Krem deserves his chance to shine as a companion.

[chaifootsteps]

Regarding your ask about ships you hate, you mentioned Iron Bull/Dorian. Been a while since I've played DA:I so I don't remember much from it. Was there anything objectionable about the ship or is it more something that just wasn't your cup of tea?

Iron Bull/Dorian, like Stolitz, is one of those ships that will sucker you in with the fandom's interpretation of it. Iron Bull's actually pretty awful to Dorian, sexually harassing him at every turn and finally sleeping with him while Dorian, an alcoholic, is implied to be drunk. Even after they get together, Dorian never, ever seems happy about it and pleads with Bull not to bring up their sex life in public, which Bull ignores. Bull will sneer at the idea of love ("Love is all starlight and gentle blushes. Passion leaves your fingers sore from clawing the sheets," but if you know anything about Dorian, you know that he's heartbreakingly ravenous for a loving relationship based on more than just sex.

Unrelated to anything, Bull's also super transphobic but that's another topic for another time.

Most of the fandom justifications for this are pretty awful. A common one is that Dorian is closeted or just prejudiced against Qunari, but if Dorian's dating the Inquisitor -- even a Qunari Inquisitor -- his behavior is night and day. He's happy, other characters commenting on how much he's been smiling, and yes, joking openly about his sex life.

The fandom makes Bull out to be this respectful, careful Dom, but he picks your safeword for you and will continue to make passes at Dorian even if Dorian's dating the Inquisitor. Another big one that always gets missed (people don't usually pick it on the dialogue tree) is that if your Inquisitor romances Bull and asks if they can take a turn on top sometimes, he'll mock them and then refuse, not because it's not his thing, but because "this is what you need."

[mw567152]

i still hate Iron Bull

[simpforsolas]

So I've seen a some discussion of people both criticizing and defending the DATV companions for being nice to each other. And I think the arguments from both sides are being a little bit misconstrued, which is honestly understandable. I think that often when something bothers us in fiction, it's hard to put into words exactly what it is. So as we try our best to express ourselves, it may not end up getting to the point of what the issue actually is (this is also why it can be tough for writers to properly address criticism - the readers providing the criticism might not be accurately diagnosing the root of the problem, so their attempts to fix it are shallow and don't actually address the issue).

Now I obviously don't speak for everyone, but I do think that a good amount of the people saying they want the DATV crew to be meaner don't actually mean they literally just want people to be rude and insulting each other for no reason. I think it boils down to three things that the new crew was missing:

Inability to really feel how the companion's backstories form their unique worldview

Lack of conflict between companions

Limited relationship dynamics between Rook and the companions

Inability to feel how companion's backstories form their worldview

In previous Dragon Age games, the characters frequently discussed and argued topics of philosophy, faith, politics, and beliefs. They came from all different backgrounds. You had Morrigan, a hedge mage raised to believe in self-preservation, teaming up with an Andrastian circle mage and former templar. Their beliefs and worldviews are, at their core, at odds with each other. The game doesn't necessarily try to make you believe one way or another, it simply drops you into the world and allows you to interact with these character, see their interactions with each other, and draw your own conclusions. In Dragon Age Inquistion, you have Cole, a spirit of compassion, teaming up with Vivienne, who believes the circle teachings that spirits are demons and want to possess people, and Sera, who represents the perspective of the common people that are afraid of all things magical or fade-related. You have Solas, a staunch individualist who believes in freedom for all, Cassandra, a faithful Andrastian who follows her own inner compass even when at odds with the institution of the Chantry, and Iron Bull, a Ben-Hassrath agent who believes in the Qun not because he's a philosopher and has decided that's what works best, but because that's how he was raised and so far, the Qun has worked for him. So in previous Dragon Age titles, you have people whose worldviews and beliefs are fundamentally at odds with each other, and whose actions and dialogues are a direct result of those beliefs. Veilguard really downplayed the importance of religion in Thedas, which isn't necessarily a problem in and of itself. In DA2, the only companion with strong religious beliefs is Sebastian. However, you had Anders who believed strongly in mage liberation, Fenris, who believed strongly in the dangers of magic, and Isabela, whose lack of belief and lack of respect for religion/beliefs led to one of the game's biggest conflicts. Discussion of religion and philosophy was always a huge part of the Dragon Age games, so when they almost entirely removed that element and didn't replace it with other types of belief that could lead to meaningful differences of opinion, we were just left with nothing of substance to really talk about. This isn't saying that the companions don't have things they believe in, but it's just not the same as characters from previous games. In general, their backgrounds don't form a unique worldview that results in differences of opinions and interesting conflict. Which brings my to my next point:

Lack of conflict between companions

There's a huge spectrum between "everyone is friends and always gets along" and "everyone hates each other and is happy when their ally is sold into slavery." In fact, fans often get really into fictional relationships that have quite a bit of conflict. Speaking for myself, I love relationships where two people may fight or disagree, but they truly care for one another and would willingly put themselves in harm's way to protect one another. So I think when a lot of people say the companions get along too well, they don't necessarily mean that they want them to all hate each other (maybe some do). They mean that they just want there to be interesting interpersonal conflicts. (I personally would love for a companion pair to argue a lot, but when it comes down to it, they actually really care about each other) Why do we want this? Well first, conflict just makes things more interesting. But I think that it also ties into point 1. In this game, the companions simply don't seem passionate enough about what they believe to argue for it, or, if they are, there's not anyone who challenges their beliefs and forces them to defend their position. I would say that Emmrich is very passionate about his love for spirits and necromancy, two things which are seen as weird and dangerous by most people in Thedas. However, there's almost no chance for him to passionately argue for his worldview because no one challenges it. There is that one scene with Taash finding his passion for working with the dead creepy, but as soon as the issue comes up, it's resolved. Compare that to Solas, where a big part of his characterization is love for spirits and frustration with fear and ignorance leading people to discriminate against what they don't understand. Having to face opposition to his beliefs, both in the world and within the inquisitor's inner circle (and sometimes the inquisitor themself), gives the writers the opportunities to emphasize core parts of his characterization.

On a final note for this section, it's just more interesting when different pairs of companions have unique relationships with each other. Solas and Cole's wholesome, mostly conflict-free friendship is made sweeter because you can compare it to Solas and Sera's relationship. It makes the relationships more meaningful when you can contrast it to how those same people click or don't click with other companions.

Limited relationship dynamics with Rook

The final issue I want to talk about is how all this ties into Rook. In previous games, you could learn a lot about a character's beliefs by seeing what they approved and didn't approve of. Anders approves of supporting mages, Fenris doesn't. Leliana approves of compassion for strangers, Morrigan doesn't because why should she help people who can't help themselves, and also it's a waste of time. Cole greatly approves of helping people, Solas slightly approves of you asking questions, Cassandra approves of expressing belief in the Maker, and so forth and so on. Then depending on the choices you make, your approval actually makes a difference in how these companions view you as their leader. But in Veilguard... well either the companions don't have strong feelings about things, or Rook isn't allowed to make decisions that oppose the beliefs they do have. Because of this, there's basically no conflict between Rook and the team. From my understanding, worst relationship you can get with the team is "distant boss whose employees don't invite them to their work parties," but that's not the same as Cassandra hating you so much she gets drunk or getting specific rival scenes like in DA2 where companions react entirely differently because Hawke consistently acted in opposition to their beliefs.

Final thoughts

So when people criticize the companions not getting along, I think it's less to do with the fact that people want them to hate each other, and more to do with the fact that we want companions who have a strong worldview shaped by their backstory, and for that worldview being challenged to lead to interesting conflict. Whether that challenge comes from other companions, the world, or Rook themself, I don't care - I just want interesting and meaningful conflict that is arises because the companions are strong characters who believe in something.

[mythalism]

at all times i am thinking about how this is the core of not only his character but (was, up until recently) the core of dragon age's storytelling

[enigmalea]

Having some Iron Bull feels at 1 am and like...

Blackwall doesn't encourage Bull to see going Tal-Vashoth as a new open door; Cassandra doesn't sympathize with Bull losing his place; Dorian and Bull don't talk about losing the only place you know because you don't fit; Cole doesn't ease Bull's pain by telling him his Tama is glad he got away; and Solas does not tell the Iron Bull that Tal Vashoth are not necessarily mindless by pointing out an Adaar Inquisitor is not mindless; he does not spend days (weeks?) playing chess with Bull to prove to him he was not losing his mind; Bull's friends did not spend all that time and care to show him that being Tal-Vashoth did not mean being a monster...

... only for Bioware to make the entire Antaam, mindless, evil, power hungry Tal-Vashoth.

Depending on how Taash's personal quest goes, the Lords might get some new recruits from the reasonable Antaam members, but this feels so hollow when they've been portrayed so horribly the entire game.

Like... I just have such a hard time imagining a large portion of the Antaam going Tal-Vashoth to begin with, and even if they did, I can't imagine that there wouldn't be some that would have defected from whatever "warlord" they were following relatively quickly. I wish we could have seen it.

Somewhere, in Southern Thedas, the Iron Bull is losing his shit about the Antaam... and Krem is desperately holding him back so he doesn't travel north to try to handle it.

[abyssal-ilk]

getting all of the banter dialogue for dorian and bull so they can be a couple in dai is so... ugh. there is some genuinely wonderful stuff to explore in their dynamic, with iron bull abandoning the qun and dorian leaving tevinter and what it means to have done that and finding themselves as people, but. christ. the fetishization and oversexualization of the qunari in da is fucking hair tearingly painful, and it is at its most obvious with iron bull and dorian. really hoping that something changes for the taash romance, but i am,, kind of doubtful.

[corpocyborg]

so like... the Qun being reveled to be pro-trans in DAI makes zero sense... considering both sten & the arishok are shown to believe strongly in gender roles... and that sten even goes as far as to say that a person can never be anything other than what they're born and that a fisherman who tries to become a merchant will never be a real merchant and will only ever be a fisherman pretending to be a merchant... like... ?????

I mean i get wanting iron bull to be pro-trans himself but wouldn't it make way more sense for that to be something he actually dislikes about the Qun... and then it would actually create tension in his storyline between his own viewpoints & agency and the messages he's learned from the qun and partially actually believes and has partially been forced to believe through literal indoctrination and abuse... and therefore whether he becomes tal-vashoth or not could actually be something that matters instead of just a meaningless pseudo-choice...

[itsabouttimex2]

Monkie Kid Villain Fates

A more in-depth look (especially for Macaque) down below!

(I know I’ve been posting a lot of content that’s outside my usual, and I hope no one minds too much! I’m cleansing my palate to prep for Season Five, which I am very excited to write for. ((Especially for Li Jing and Nuwa!!!)) So here’s a slew of my thoughts on the villains, and which one is my least favorite!)

(Spoilers: his name is written in purple above.)

Disclaimer 1: I am not counting instances of “throwing your lot in with the heroes when the world is at stake” as redeeming moments. If you only do something because it personally benefits you at the moment, it’s not exactly selfless.

Disclaimer 2: Redemption means three things-

1. The character acknowledges their wrongdoings.

2. The character works to become a better person.

3. The character makes amends/reparations for the harm they’ve done, without the threat of death hanging overhead. Good must be done of one’s own will and volition.

Disclaimer 3: A character not being redeemed doesn’t make them a bad character. In fact, some characters work better without redemption. (Like the Lady Bone Demon.) I just wanted to make a villain tier list and talk on some of the people it contained.

Red Son: Decently humanizing interactions with Mei, but ultimately uncaring of all the damage and harm that he’s caused, especially in regards to potential deaths during his attacks on the city. Unfortunately, the first example of “pretty much unrepentant but universally-forgiven”. (Fix: Have him interact with people harmed by his villainy, and resolve to help them- even if only by repairing their destroyed vehicles. Something small enough to be reasonably in line with his pride and arrogance, but enough to show that he’s become a better person.)

——————

Macaque: The worst villain here. Utterly unrepentant and shameless, outwardly cruel and violent… but still got a “you’re not a bad guy” speech before actually showing that he wasn’t a bad guy. Despite being able to skip fights with his shadow portals, he intentionally stuck around to raze the Dragon Palace of the East Sea to the ground. (AO GUANG AND HIS PEOPLE’S STATUS ARE STILL UNKNOWN) This still hasn’t been addressed in canon, not even by Mei, who was related to those who lived there. Instead, she has a team-up with him, never addressing the still unknown fate of her uncle. Never apologizes, never makes amends, never tries to repair the damage he’s done… but allowed to stick around all the same. Where characters like Azure or LBD do what they do because they truly believe in their causes, Macaque is just having fun hurting people. Again, given his ability to shadow-portal, he doesn’t even have the “I’m trying to save my own life” excuse. He could’ve just skipped the torment and violence, but explicitly chose not to, and is always happy to inflict harm- even bragging about what he did to the Dragon Palace.

Also, I don’t give a single shit that Peng “bullied” him. It doesn’t make Macaque more sympathetic, it makes him less. He knows what it’s like to be insulted and berated for your nature, then (unhesitatingly and gleefully) does the same to MK, who may well be a child?

Yeah, no. Then, his “awesome” team-up with Mei only serves to rip agency and nuance from her character, turning this caring and energetic warrior into an amnesiac that doesn’t care about her family for the sake of “Boo-hoo, Peng hit me once to protect someone they care about!” So, Mei holds grudges, right? That would make her a more interesting character! But no! No, no, no! That’s just for Peng! Her grudge isn’t against the man who essentially attempted genocide on her people and razed an ancestral palace full of innocent people to the ground, no!

OF COURSE NOT, SILLY!!

Because then Macaque’s actions would have something called “consequences”, and the writers just won’t allow it! Because he’s just a murderous, violent, manipulative, cruel, spiteful, villain! How dare we expect any actual comeuppance for his crimes? No, we can’t have that!

Oh, and how does he help MK in the fourth season? How about he outright tells (great storytelling, btw) MK about how delusional Azure Lion is- a character with which he has no tie with beyond a tenuous past oath and no actual interactions. This moment could have easily been given to, you know, Wukong! Or Yellowtusk, if they were going the full redemption arc route for him, but no!

We have to pretend that Macaque’s input on a character he has no interactions with is important! Oh, and they let him play mentor to MK, who he has: manipulated, betrayed, violently assaulted, stole the powers of, berated, and attempted to kill.

Does MK care about any of this?

OF COURSE NOT!

But MK is absolutely furious and heartbroken at Azure for doing maybe half of those things, and with an honestly noble reason to boot.

Ugh.

I think it’s only made worse by the fact that people get so mad when there’s any criticism of Macaque “redemption arc”. Throwing actual fits and constantly arguing when someone dares to say “everyone allowing Macaque (and many other villains) to get away with the worst of his actions and not holding him accountable for being a genuinely dangerous, unrepentant and violent criminal is bad and makes the “heroic” characters around him look worse.”

And you can’t use the “well, he didn’t get a redemption arc!” The writers didn’t try to redeem him!” defense.

Because, yes. Yes they did.

We are supposed to think this guy is better now. The series wants you to think of him as redeemed.

MK leaves him handmade food and a drawing. His “you’re not a bad guy” speech is supposed to be taken as truth. Wukong is making amends with him (sharing smiles and offering food) and no one has any personal problems on the guy sticking around (which makes them all seem blander, given that at least one of his victims should be upset), which is portrayed in a positive light.

This is portrayed as good.

THE WRITERS CONSIDER MACAQUE AS DESERVING AND WORTHY OF THIS. THEY THINK HE HAS EARNED IT.

So yes- he is supposed to be “redeemed”.

But he isn’t. He really, really, isn’t.

(Fix: God, where do we start? Some remorse? An apology? Have every character not forgive him immediately? Have Mei not forget about the razing of an ancestral palace? Have Pigsy threaten to kill him if he tries to hurt MK again? Have Tang refuse to interact with him? Anything would have been nice.)

——————

Jin and Yin: No redemption arc at all. Essentially forgotten about by the show. They show up with the Scorpion Queen, but don’t have a satisfying send-off. It’s just a little funny scene. (Potential fix: more interactions with them as stagehands, working for the community. Why make them neutral only to shift immediately back to evil? It could’ve been nice to see them integrate into society instead of being turned evil again and written out of the story with little fanfare.)

——————

Demon Bull King: Same as Red Son, but without the humanizing interactions with a heroic character. Bonus points for putting his life in danger to save Wukong and MK, despite gaining nothing for doing so. Unfortunately, aside from that, another “pretty much unrepentant but universally-forgiven” character. (Potential fix: Would’ve been nice to have more positive interactions between him and Wukong. Maybe talk about how hard it is to open up and be soft when they dedicated so much of their lives to being strong? Chat about his struggles adjusting to the modern era? Have him show clear remorse for mistreating his extremely loyal son?)

——————

Princess Iron Fan: Not much to say. Same as her husband, same solution. Really wish she had gotten some more screen time outside of her family. (Fix: Maybe flesh out her bond with Jin and Yin? I know it was supposed to be a funny “noodle incident”, but learning about their past could’ve been nice- maybe we could’ve gotten a scene of her with little Red Son to humanize her a bit?)

——————

As it says on the tin. I’ll do this all in one quick chunk.

Nothing much to say here- but it would’ve been nice to have one of the spiders survive and redeem themselves, especially since that it was teased for Huntsman.

I wish Goliath (not even his real name btw) hadn’t been such a nothing character. Like, we really don’t learn a single thing about him.

I pity the Ink Curse. Created to be a tool of torture, never allowed to love or be loved. Poor thing.

——————

Mayor: One of Season Four’s biggest flaws is that it could really feel disconnected from the previous three, which all felt very tightly interwoven. Example one: Mei “no longer *wielding* the Samadhi Fire”, when it had previously been established that she fused with it. Example two: The mayor’s fate is never addressed, despite being such a prominent enemy. (Fix: Just… tell us what happened to him. Is he in jail? Did he escape justice? Did someone just… murder him? I don’t care if “it’s being saved for Season Five”. It’s weird to just forget about someone so dangerous in universe.)

——————

Kui Mulang: Presumably either dead or returned to the Celestial Realm for punishment. Unlikely that we’ll receive further information on him.

——————

Peng: Probable that we’ll receive an update on their status in Season Five. Very interesting character with a few humanizing moments (being close to Yellowtusk and Azure, being upset when Monkey King was trapped in the scroll) that keep them from being irredeemable. Actually a better person than Macaque, given that they never remorselessly razed a palace of innocent people to the ground. Or tried to murder an innocent kid who wasn’t involved with their fight at all. Or held a young lady’s life hostage and threatened to murder her. But they’re sort of mean, so I guess people consider them irredeemable? Super weird.

Like, Peng is an asshole, sure. They clearly aren’t in this fight out of the goodness of their heart. But the awful way they get treated in the fandom is insane, especially with the babying treatment that other villainous characters (like Macaque, the Mayor, and Red Son) get.

——————

Azure Lion: Macaque, but better written! Letting MK be angry at a person who: manipulated, lied to, and betrayed him? Not having his misdeeds be forgotten and glossed over? People actually being upset at what he’s done further than a few minutes after he’s done it? Incredible character! This is what I’ve wanted from Monkie Kid for so long! Ultimately, Azure accepts his failures and sacrifices himself- a punishment for hurting innocent people and wreaking havoc? A villain acknowledging their misdeeds and making up for them? God, I love Azure so much!

Probably my favorite character!

——————

Yellowtusk: I love this grandpa so much, for mostly the same reasons as Azure. His crimes aren’t immediately forgotten! Everyone doesn’t immediately forgive him! And he has to head back to the Celestial Realm for actual consequences?! Damn, this is what I’ve wanted from LMK villains for so long! Real redemption arcs, my beloved.

Also, this proves that the writers do know that people who commit crimes should be held accountable and punished for it? Can you give some of that to the others, please?

——————

Scorpion Queen: Another character I don’t have much to say about. She acknowledges her mistakes, ceases her villainy, and seems to have made genuine friends in Jin and Yin. Given the very little harm she caused, redemption was never going to be outside of her reach- but I’m happy for her anyhow.

——————

Finishing Points

1: I do not “hate” any of these characters. Though I definitely dislike how some are written, each one is lovable and enjoyable in their own way. I enjoy writing for all of them, and will continue to do so. I just wanted to take a break from fanfiction and talk about my perspective on some villains.

2: What do I mean by “punishment”?

Essentially, a consequence delivered to the character on account of their villainy. Someone tripping and eating dirt isn’t a “punishment”, unless they’re being shoved down by an old victim. Losing a fight isn’t “punishment”, it’s a matter of self-defense. Additionally, the punishment has to be actively performed as a consequence of misdoings- tripping and breaking an arm after doing evil things isn’t a punishment, but having a victim of the villain actively choose to break their arm is.

3: This is not an attack on you or your “fave”. This is not me saying that the show is bad. This is not me saying that I could do better. This is not me saying that you shouldn’t like these characters. This is not me trying to change your mind. This is not me saying you should feel the way I do. These are just my personal thoughts on the villains listed, and some of the “flaws” that I personally have with their portrayals and depictions.

[agirlking]

The lack of Cole...

[dragonageconfessions]

CONFESSION:

Had Bull looked more like the Qunari we encounter in the Mark of Assassin, I would have romanced him.  DA2's Qunari were attractive. Bull not so much. Yes I am that shallow.

[phantazesthai]

Thoughts on aqun-athlok in the context of DA Veilguard...

The qunari are incredibly fascinating, but they are so shoddily written across the DA games, which is a shame since there's so much potential there. Out of all the cultures of Thedas, the Qun is the most disparate in terms of tone and normativity. We get tantalising tid bits in each game, particularly from the Iron Bull, that humanises the Qunari, but veilguard obscures a lot of that world-building work by making the choice to position the Antaam as one of the default Baddies. The fact that the Qunari are the least "human" in appearance of the DA races makes this choice all the more disappointing.

And unfortunately, although I love Taash's character, their storyline didn't do much to make the Qunari more relatable, since the primary point of conflict is how foreign the Qun feels to them, and their struggle to reconcile this within themself. How the aqun-athlok term is utilised in their story feels especially half-baked because of this.

While the multicultural conflicts of being the child of immigrants will always be an important topic to highlight and explore in media (something reflected fairly well in Taash's relationship with their mother), I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that the Qun was once again made into something players were implicitly discouraged from relating to, as though it's not a way of life past DA games have established is the norm for an entire nation of people in Thedas.

This may be why so many DA fans still remember Sten so fondly, because he was written to be our introduction to the Qunari: a fish out of water, unashamedly himself, cultural norms and all. Your warden had to empathise with his different cultural view-point in order to understand him. Befriending Sten was a cross-cultural exchange in true fantasy world fashion.

Taash's struggle with their identity is where this dissonance of relatability really chafed for me. It's established that the Qun doesn't have a term for a person who feels they are neither a woman nor a man (aqun-athlok is very binary), so Taash naturally feels drawn to the non-binary identifier they come across in Tevinter because it fits them so well, which is absolutely fair in their case. But I couldn't help wondering about Qunari who live under the Qun and feel the same way Taash does about their identity, who also don't relate to aqun-athlok as a descriptor? Do they just try to ignore the awful discomfort of being misgendered constantly by their assigned role? Do they rebel and become Tal-Vashoth? Do they disassociate themselves from the gender they've been assigned, because it's tied to their role under the Qun and not to who they are internally? Who knows, Taash never asks and Shathaan never elaborates!

And while aqun-athlok is the Qunlat term Bull and Shathaan reach for to understand Krem and Taash, it doesn't apply to either character well, as it's incredibly black and white. Krem would still be a man even if he wasn't a warrior, and Taash doesn't hold a Qun-defined role that their identity is in contrast to. Aqun-athlok, according to Bull and Sten, refers to a person whose gender, man or woman, is in conflict with the gender tied to their role under the Qun: thus "living" as another gender. Taash is a warrior, but certainly not one Shathaan is accustomed to, or surely she would have assumed Taash was a "man" as soon as they took on that role when they joined the Lords of Fortune. This reasoning is what helps Bull accept Krem, after all: Krem's a warrior, so Krem's a man, easy! Except, every other warrior outside of the Qun he comes across, who is a woman, are a little weird but fine with him? Cultural differences, right? Hm. The aqun-athlok term falls apart pretty quickly if you think too deeply about it (or have read a bit of intersectional feminist theory about gender identity and societal conditioning, oops, turns out it's all interconnected and nebulous!)

What makes gender under the Qun all the more confusing is the lack of information we're given about how gender is expressed in daily life under the Qun. Aside from gendered traits and behaviours (care-taking is feminine thus Tamassrans are women, for example), it's never suggested (from what I can recall) that Qunari women must wear dresses. Dresses are stereotypically feminine for the rest of Thedas' cultures, however Qunari fashion rarely includes billowy clothing like dresses if in-game Qunari armour and concept art is anything to go by, but it's apparently something Shathaan wants Taash to wear, because she perceives Taash as a woman and dresses are womanly. The Qun gendering behaviours and personality traits is one thing, but clothing? A little odd for a cultural belief-system that is a triple threat (a philosophy, faith and political system) built on extreme pragmatism!

Taash embracing their non-binary identity is a wonderful character arc; sure, it's a bit on the nose, but so was Dorian's entire personal quest where your inquisitor discovers Dorian's family is ashamed of him because he "prefers the company of men," which also felt a bit ham-fisted back in 2014. Frankly, the presence of LGBTQ identities in big AAA games like this is always great, even if it lacks subtlety: in these cases, the writing is juggling a lot of goals, one of which is trying to reach players who are in dire need of expanding their horizons (i.e bigots), which may result in players who are already in the know finding characters like Taash a little lacklustre - but ultimately, I can forgive the well-meaning simplicity in the name of increasing representation.

So, Taash's identity is a great aspect of their character, but what I would have loved to see in their story was expanded lore for the Qun, so we could fully appreciate the implications of their identity as someone between two cultures (don't get me started on how strange it was that the game insisted on having Taash prioritize one over the other, with one clearly being the more "freeing" choice than the other, that's another rant for another day). Shathaan should have been the vehicle for this, and they did attempt to use her for this purpose, but we don't get more out of her than the already established aqun-athlok term.

The thing is, the Qun isn't perfect, it's strict, hierarchical and obsessed with categorization, it sounds oppressive to any outsider looking in. And yet, as Bull points out in DAI, its people are ordinary: a baker in Par Vollen's day is the same as any other baker's day elsewhere in Thedas. In a real world context, throughout history and across cultures, even without having all the words to describe ourselves, we've always been here. There are real world cultures in which being LGBTQIA can be a uniquely oppressive experience, but for those who belong to these cultures, their gender or sexual identities are as much a part of who they are as their cultural identity is, even if these elements may clash - it all exists together.

It would have been something special to have a Qunari character echo this real world complexity of loving their culture even if other members of said culture don't fully accept them, and in so doing, humanise the Qunari by deepening the lore of the Qun, is all I'm saying.

[childofthestone]

its not a lie to say that veilguard takes the themes from every previous dragon age game and absolutely butchers them to pieces i dont think

[soloragoldsun]

Just gotta stop in and talk about The Iron Bull for a sec. Again.

This time, I’d like to focus on how his whole storyline is basically that of someone either being freed from or doubling down on a cult-like religion. Because that’s what the Qun is. Anything that puts certain people on leashes and has “re-educators” that are meant to “fix” people who start thinking differently is a freaking cult!

Bull is shown to be on the fence when it comes to a lot of things. While he insists on being true Qunari and a follower of the Qun, he also shows discomfort when the Qunari offers the alliance with the Inquisition. He flat out says that he’s grown used to them being “over there.” He even acknowledges that the Qun isn’t the right way for everyone.

If you let the Chargers die, he says that the Qun demanded the sacrifice, but you can see cracks in his armor and how much he hates making that decision both during the battle and after Gatt and the Inquisitor secure the alliance at Skyhold. As a result, he doubles down on his devotion to the Qun. The Iron Bull becomes just a role he plays. He becomes Hissrad. How else can he deal with the guilt of leading the people who had become his family to their deaths? He has to believe that it was necessary, and to do that, he has to believe in the Qun unquestioningly.

If Cole is in the party during his betrayal in Trespasser, he comments on how Bull didn’t feel anything when he betrays the party. I’d bet anything that between the end of Inquisition and the beginning of Trespasser, he submitted willingly to the re-educators, masking his emotions and eliminating what was left of The Iron Bull.

On the other hand, if you order the retreat, he doesn’t hesitate to blow that horn. He smiles when he sees his men are safe. When you correct Gatt and say that his name is Iron Bull and not Hissrad, Bull approves. If you say that there’s still something to do to salvage the alliance, he disapproves. Once he’s Tal-Vashoth, he commits almost immediately and acts as if a weight has been lifted.

He smiles while sparring with Krem. He tells you that, whatever he regrets, he’s where he wants to be. Most of his inner conflict comes with the realization that much of what he believed was wrong, that being Tal-Vashoth doesn’t make one a monster. So, what does that make him, someone who has killed many Tal-Vashoth over the years?

No matter what playthrough I do, I will always save the Chargers, both because I love them, and because it’s the best thing for The Iron Bull. One choice allows him to move forward and become his own person. The other forces him to regress into what he once was as a way to avoid his guilt.

[lofi-fairy-tails]

Jumbo

“You’ve got some big ears on you, girl.”

Sera jumped away from the door, only to see Varric leaning against the wall, his whale-sized arms crossed on his chest.

“Like the ‘jumbos’ Bull mentioned. You know, huge, grey-skinned animals with ears the size of blankets? Or so he describes them.”

“Not your business, ain’t it?” Sera cries out and quickly slams her hand on her mouth to keep it quiet.

Varric seems unfazed. “Who are you spying on anyway?”

Her loud giggle fills the hallway. “Inky and Solas are at it again. ‘Elven mating rituals.’ Or so Bull calls them.”

[sundogsandrainbows]

#elves were enslaved then #elves are ACTIVELY enslaved now #idc if it's “in character” for Bellara to express these worries#it's fucked up to characterize the primary mouthpiece for the Dalish perspective in this game like that in the first place

Still not over this. Insane thing to have a character from a race that's faced oppression, slavery, & colonization say "Maybe people shouldn't trust us"