Yowza. Spoilers abound.
So, I finally got up to Act 2 in my second playthrough.
I wound up taking Carver into the Deep Roads with me. And I didn't bring Anders. :( You know, for being a mage herself, my Hawke really doesn't care that much for him. I had initially thought to play her out as the apostate mage supporting those in the Circle, but she went and developed a life of her own (which I LOVE, BTW) and now she's still on the side of mages, but it's more of an every-mage-for-themselves sort of siding instead of Revolutionary Girl. She sympathizes with them, but once you've gone and done blood magic, you're just SOL, buddy. She has no patience/sympathy for you and doesn't hold back in showing it. She's more of the "Light people on fire if you want, but it's Game Over once you decide to make their eyeballs bleed" school of thought.
There are times that I think she talks out of both sides of her mouth though. She's an apostate, but she says that the Circle is there for a reason. I'm still mulling her character over in my head, but I think she's thinking that mages need to be trained, or else there would be tons of demons and abominations and the like wandering around Thedas, but that she herself doesn't need to be because her father was Circle-trained and taught her and Bethany everything that he knew. Carver thinks that his big sister is a dumbass for willingly going up to Templars to help them out too. I can't decide if she's being stupid or just ballsy for that.
Speaking of Carver, this playthrough they were going on almost complete rivalry, but then Hawke made some decisions that inadvertantly made Carver go "I'M CARVER HAWKE AND I APPROVE OF THIS MESSAGE" and it wound up that by the time they were in the Deep Roads, they had about a middle of the road, leaning heavily towards friendship thing going. I was all sadfaced when that happened, because I was initially going to have him go "Nahnah...I'm gonna be a Templar so I can SMITE YOUR ASS ALL THE WAY TO NEXT WEEK." and then he started acting like a little shit, so I went "to hell with this, you're heading with them on this expedition and we're leaving you down there." But then he got better and I was "Damnit Carver! Why you gotta be so loveable in your little snot way?!" What can I say? His character grew on me.
Let this be known that this will be the last time I leave either Hawke sibling down there to die. I didn't like it one bit. If I have Carver go with me next time, he's heading back to Ferelden to be a pain in Nate and Moira's asses Warden. The bunnies did like the angsty-ness, so there might be something percolatin' in the old brain to chip through this massive case of writer's block.
I feel really bad for Merrill in this go around. Hawke's standpoint on blood mages is so severe that the poor girl didn't really have much of a chance for ANY sort of friendship. It doesn't bode well for her, but it does swing the approval points in Fenris' favor.
And speaking of Fenris...um...I gotta say...
THE WALL. THE SLAMMING AGAINST THE WALL MAKEOUTS WAS AWESOME. AND THEN THE POST SEXYTIMES CONVERSATION! I WAS ALL WIBBLY AND "STAY! WE'LL WORK THIS OUT, HON!" AND THEN HE LEFT! HE LEFT! lashfasuodghalsd!!111one!
even if he did lose a bit of points by going "it was fine", he won them all back with the nice recovery comment afterwards.
I'm sorry Anders, but that complete scene just blew your lunging kiss in the clinic RIGHT OUT of the water. I still like you, BB, but ZOMG ♥ ♥ Fenris ♥ ♥ Am I wrong in noticing that after that scene, he starts wearing a red band around his wrist that looks suspiciously like a piece of Hawke's outfit she wears around the house? Buttons and laces in the way of makeouts? Rip them to shreds and wear them as a token later! *toecurl*
In fact, I think I'm going to reload my save and play that scene over, just to explore all the conversation tree choices. :D
And now I have a theory on why there's fade-to-black sex scenes. Varric's telling the story, and while he's all for the "unvarnished" edition, Cassandra pulled a Princess Bride and went "Wait. Is this a kissing story? Do we have to do the kissing part?" and Varric, while rolling his eyes, negotiated a compromise to keep the steamy bits in, but leave the really steamy bits up to everyone's imagination "Even though my version was a lot better....*grumble*"
Oh Varric! We loves you so much! *squishes*
I wound up taking Carver into the Deep Roads with me. And I didn't bring Anders. :( You know, for being a mage herself, my Hawke really doesn't care that much for him. I had initially thought to play her out as the apostate mage supporting those in the Circle, but she went and developed a life of her own (which I LOVE, BTW) and now she's still on the side of mages, but it's more of an every-mage-for-themselves sort of siding instead of Revolutionary Girl. She sympathizes with them, but once you've gone and done blood magic, you're just SOL, buddy. She has no patience/sympathy for you and doesn't hold back in showing it. She's more of the "Light people on fire if you want, but it's Game Over once you decide to make their eyeballs bleed" school of thought.
There are times that I think she talks out of both sides of her mouth though. She's an apostate, but she says that the Circle is there for a reason. I'm still mulling her character over in my head, but I think she's thinking that mages need to be trained, or else there would be tons of demons and abominations and the like wandering around Thedas, but that she herself doesn't need to be because her father was Circle-trained and taught her and Bethany everything that he knew. Carver thinks that his big sister is a dumbass for willingly going up to Templars to help them out too. I can't decide if she's being stupid or just ballsy for that.
Speaking of Carver, this playthrough they were going on almost complete rivalry, but then Hawke made some decisions that inadvertantly made Carver go "I'M CARVER HAWKE AND I APPROVE OF THIS MESSAGE" and it wound up that by the time they were in the Deep Roads, they had about a middle of the road, leaning heavily towards friendship thing going. I was all sadfaced when that happened, because I was initially going to have him go "Nahnah...I'm gonna be a Templar so I can SMITE YOUR ASS ALL THE WAY TO NEXT WEEK." and then he started acting like a little shit, so I went "to hell with this, you're heading with them on this expedition and we're leaving you down there." But then he got better and I was "Damnit Carver! Why you gotta be so loveable in your little snot way?!" What can I say? His character grew on me.
Let this be known that this will be the last time I leave either Hawke sibling down there to die. I didn't like it one bit. If I have Carver go with me next time, he's heading back to Ferelden to be a pain in Nate and Moira's asses Warden. The bunnies did like the angsty-ness, so there might be something percolatin' in the old brain to chip through this massive case of writer's block.
I feel really bad for Merrill in this go around. Hawke's standpoint on blood mages is so severe that the poor girl didn't really have much of a chance for ANY sort of friendship. It doesn't bode well for her, but it does swing the approval points in Fenris' favor.
And speaking of Fenris...um...I gotta say...
THE WALL. THE SLAMMING AGAINST THE WALL MAKEOUTS WAS AWESOME. AND THEN THE POST SEXYTIMES CONVERSATION! I WAS ALL WIBBLY AND "STAY! WE'LL WORK THIS OUT, HON!" AND THEN HE LEFT! HE LEFT! lashfasuodghalsd!!111one!
even if he did lose a bit of points by going "it was fine", he won them all back with the nice recovery comment afterwards.
I'm sorry Anders, but that complete scene just blew your lunging kiss in the clinic RIGHT OUT of the water. I still like you, BB, but ZOMG ♥ ♥ Fenris ♥ ♥ Am I wrong in noticing that after that scene, he starts wearing a red band around his wrist that looks suspiciously like a piece of Hawke's outfit she wears around the house? Buttons and laces in the way of makeouts? Rip them to shreds and wear them as a token later! *toecurl*
In fact, I think I'm going to reload my save and play that scene over, just to explore all the conversation tree choices. :D
And now I have a theory on why there's fade-to-black sex scenes. Varric's telling the story, and while he's all for the "unvarnished" edition, Cassandra pulled a Princess Bride and went "Wait. Is this a kissing story? Do we have to do the kissing part?" and Varric, while rolling his eyes, negotiated a compromise to keep the steamy bits in, but leave the really steamy bits up to everyone's imagination "Even though my version was a lot better....*grumble*"
Oh Varric! We loves you so much! *squishes*