Forum:Growing on me

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I have to say, despite my initial scepticism, that Dragon Age: Redemption is really starting to grow on me. At first I was really unconvinced and hated the idea. But I decided to stick with it and I actually found myself enjoying the little web series and I was actually starting to look forward to the next installment. I'm still kinda put-off by Tallis' mary sueness and the dialogue at times can be quite bad and, being the sad little nerd that I am, I get a bit miffed when they get the lore wrong... BUT, all in all, it's growing on me. Anyone else who didn't like the series at first had a change of heart like myself? And in general what are people making of it. I was quite shocked to find Adam Rayner starring in it... he's actally a series actor and rather good.

Anyone else notice a possible hint at the upcoming Dragon Age anime featured in the latest episode. That reaver woman mentions fighting with Cassandra, and from what we've seen we can assume that dragons are definately featured in the anime and the whole reaver-drinking-dragon's-blood thing. I'm probably just taking shots in the dark here but given how Bioware also did some work on Redemption it wouldn't surprise me if they put that in there.

(DDragonfly1990 (talk) 13:28, November 4, 2011 (UTC))

It's the opposite with me. I actually enjoyed the first three episodes. Sure, they were prettty bad, but still I could forgive them the little changes like Saarebas without the leash, aweful Qunari nails and bearded elves. But what pissed me off in episode four was precisely the conversation about Cassandra. Isn't it like a great secret that the Divine has her own private army, i.e. Seekers and only few know of its existence? Yet, Cairn and Nyree and Tallis seem to know that she is both a templar, a Seeker and on top of that, they know that she is the leader of the Seekers. Should they really know it in that detail? Don't think so.

But speaking of things I dislike, what's up with a Qunari elf entering a Dalish camp and acting bossy? Dalish hate them city elves as much as next human. Doesn't make sense that the young elf listened to her before killing Cairn. Then, she steals money from the clan and when confronted, she fricken makes it Josmael's fault.

And aren't the dragons pretty much extinct? But Nyree is from Nevarra so she HAD TO be a dragon hunter. Even though the dragons are very rare.

Plus there is Josmael's girlfriend. An Asian elf. That's just fantastic. Henio0 (talk) 14:02, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

Hmm granted there are few little things that are annoying. The dalish thing definately annoyed me, given how hostile the Dalish are to outsiders it was rather stupid that the Dalish hunter listened to Tallis. As for the Asian elf, it's probably just due to a lack of actors, Nyree herself says she is from Neverra but according to lore only the Rivani are dark-skinned. Again, given how it's just a webseries they wouldn't exactly have a massive number of actors to choose from.

As for the Seekers... I can't recall if they're supposed to be secret or not. I know Leliana acts as an agent of the Divine but I don't think she was affiliated with the Seekers then, not until the very end of the second game I think. Also seems like the events of the anime are going to be pretty big so perhaps people may know of her. I think Cairn would probably know about the Seekers; and Tallis seems to know everything. Again chances are that Bioware just threw that in there last minute, could be that Cassandra was never going to be mentioned in Day's original script or whatever. Unless I'm mistaken wasn't it supposed to take place in Ferelden originally?

(DDragonfly1990 (talk) 14:27, November 4, 2011 (UTC))

If the Seekers were supposed to be this great secret, would Cassandra have introduced herself to Varric with, "I am Cassandra Pentaghast, Seeker of the Chantry"? Gruedragon (talk) 14:40, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

Yes, because after the events of DA2, the Seekers become the official power of the Divine and they serve the role of present time templars. Henio0 (talk) 17:28, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

I hate Tallis. That the Qunari have elven assassins is a brilliantly horrifying prospect, don’t get me wrong. But she is to sassy-flirting what Anders is to monologues. (Cloying and irritating.) There are elements of Redemption that I like (the phylactery as a “magic” compass, working in a Reaver companion by making her a gold-hungry mercenary, Cairn in general), but the lore errors, horrid dialogue, and protagonist’s complete lack of redeeming qualities/forgivable flaws are too much for me to be okay with.

That said, I will continue to look forward to it every week. Because it’s Dragon Age. I can’t not. HELO (talk) 14:31, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

I'm in the same situation as you... If they made an EA sports game with dragon age characters, and you MUST play as Tallis, I would buy it and play it because it says dragon age on the cover. Doesnt mean i would enjoy that game however, nor would I ever forgive Bioware. The webseries is just like that really, but so far I like the non-tallis characters that dont contradict the lore I know to my heart, so it can be forgiven. For now... Crimpycracker (talk) 14:42, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

Okay, the idea of an impending "MLB 9:31 Dragon" game made me giggle. And I needed a good giggle. +10. HELO (talk) 15:32, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

(To the above three posters) Please don't encourage BioWare. I want DAIII to be better than DAII. --Isolationistmagi (talk) 20:34, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

I've been watching more for curiousity's sake than anything. Does anyone else think Tallis is a bit moody? I mean one second she seems like a decent person and then the next she's a total bitch. I'm confused. Anyways, I like Cairn and Nyree, but otherwise the series falls flat and I can't help but breath a heavy sigh every time they screw up the lore, or fail at English in dialogue.GoldenNightKnight (talk) 15:07, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

I didn't think it could get any worse after the first three episodes, that's all I can say about #4.174.45.9.40 (talk) 16:33, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

The other way round. I started watching for the lulz, since it seemed so incredibly stupid, until came the beginning of episode 3 and that "you can start healing any time now" moment, which made me gape for a moment before I turned it off and decided never to watch again. I can't recall developing such a hatred, and disgust, for _any_ character before except Howe, and if I ever get the chance to dispose of Tallis like I did of him, I will. - And no, I'm not going to watch or buy something just because it is labelled "DA". There are enough good quality pieces of fanfic around to last for a lifetime, so I can afford to be picky. --Ygrain (talk) 16:50, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

I've hated the Mary Sueness of Tallis, but I liked the Qunari "Seeker" concept that was being shown to us thru her. While I still dig that concept, I'm off that specific character. Tallis throwing that knife into the First was the draw for me to. What a total bitch thing to do. I hate that character now. It's not like this was an Isbela moment where Hawke might want to negotiate and Isabela throws her knife into an enemy instead. That's understandable. This was a character offering assistance and she decided kill him for it... and that is what she decided, it's only fortunate for the elf that he could heal that wound. I hate that. Zambingo (talk) 18:09, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

Re: "according to lore only the Rivani are dark-skinned"

The lore is dumb sometimes. This would be one of those times. My Amell Warden looks a lot like Taye Diggs, I did this because Taye Diggs is essentially Lando, he's a smooth cat who always plays smooth cats in his roles and that was my intention on that playthru... also at the time the Amell Warden was the only human without an origin, eg no family member appearances to conflict with my desired look. I also made a very tanned, but Spock inspired Dalish Warden. As an example, almost like Spock and Isabela had a baby in appearance. So yeah... the lore in this instance is teh dumbz. Thedas is a fictional place not Earth, it does not need to be constrained to geographical origins and separations for those of different melanin pigments. If someone wants a Jackie Chan inspired elf, awesome! If someone wants a Brad Pitt inspired Chasind, fantastic! If someone wants Billy Dee Williams to be Hawke, awww yeah! It works every time. <sips on his Colt 45>. Zambingo (talk) 18:09, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

THANK YOU THIS IS AWESOME. Fritzywiggins (talk) 20:52, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

I also don't think that dark skin equals Rivain. What if a couple from Rivain left their homecountry because they're not fans of the Qun? They live in Tevinter and have a child. The child is dark skinned, but it doesn't make him or her a Rivain (is that how a citizen of it is called?). Maybe originally the black people came from Rivain and were exclusive to the area, but I don't think it is the case now. Henio0 (talk) 19:08, November 4, 2011 (UTC)

Did no one else notice when they said Templars took the Dalish keeper? and they just let them? My warden couldnt get close to the camp before the dalish hunters were on him, how did they allow templars to simply come and TAKE their keeper?! I was also fairly certain sten mentions women cant be fighters in the Qunari... yet they have an elf assassin? And lastly, since when did phylacteries weaken mages? it was only supposed to be used to hunt them. ~Ferris

“I even wrote a script before the contract was done, and I was like, ‘Here, this is what I want to do, please let me do it.’ ” - Felicia Day

When you write a script, in a single afternoon, bad stuff happens. And, no, that's not necessarily a reference to George Lucas committing attempted rape my childhood; those records are still sealed. Futonrevoltion (talk) 04:04, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

So this is where all that marysueness comes from. "It really shows that Day’s a fan of the Dragon Age games, and that she understands its universe." Yeah. I guess we ought to start saying "Word of Day" any time we see anything defying the lore. [1] --Ygrain (talk) 06:27, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

I find it odd that Forbes is still the only source I've seen that comes even close to acknowledging that there's "an undisclosed amount" of money changing hands or that it wasn't actually Day's idea to do this. Futonrevoltion (talk) 06:49, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, that part about Bioware contacting Day and not the other way round did pique my interest, as well. - On the other hand,Redemption is supposed to take place in Ferelden? I was under the impression that it was Kirkwall. Therefore, I'm not sure to what extent the info in this article can be taken as reliable. --Ygrain (talk) 08:26, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

“It’s like being naked on film; you want to preserve that for eternity. That’s my version of naked. Like, ‘You have biceps.’”

That's a pretty nitpicky thing to throw out an entire Forbes magazine article on, especially since there are no maps or cohesive in-story lore or color-strictly-within-the-lines adherence to game lore. It interests me more that other journalists haven't thought to ask or report on that. Official blogs for The Guild freely talk about their corporate sponsorships and contract history, but, on Redemption, it's very, very, very vague. Granted, most of the time that webisode producers talk about finances, it's pretty hilarious [2].

“I used a lot of subtle videogame tropes in the piece,” she says, “because I wanted Dragon Age fans to know that I didn’t just take this and ignore what they love about the game. In fact I researched so much that the creators of the game were like, ‘Oh, we hadn’t thought of that’ and ‘You know this more than people that work here.’ I’m not being arrogant about it, but you can’t take a videogame world and try to just whitewash it so that everybody will love it. The point of a videogame world is that you spend 40 hours in it, so people who love that world know it better than they’ll ever know a movie. To betray basic facts about a videogame is to betray its fan base even more than a redoing of a movie or a TV show.” [3] Futonrevoltion (talk) 19:17, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

- I should have included a smiley :-)

- Anyway, I'm not really sure what to make out of this. Alright, so we probably have a confirmation that the impulse came from Bioware, but what should I think about that part with Day being more knowledgeable than the devs? True or not, neither possibility is particularly flattering for at least one of the parties. --Ygrain (talk) 19:59, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

Uh, let me get some things straight with you people. The thing where she threw the dagger at Josmael was totally badass. Of what use would he be if he couldn't heal; ever thought about that, hmm? See, Tallis is a Qunari. That's her character, just recall how Sten acted. Yes, there are some major lore-related errors, some being the phylactery weakening the mage, the Templars taking the keeper (the Templars do NOT go after the Dalish since it's a different kind of magic and only few possess it, at least I've been told. The serious could seriously use some graphic enhancement too, the blood and the magic stuff was kind of lame. All this put together, they could have done WAY BETTER, but I do enjoy the series and can't wait for the next episode. Janthebob (talk) 19:50, November 5, 2011 (UTC+1)

If you mean badass as a combination of BAD and ASSinine, then I agree - causing someone a chest wound to make him prove he can heal when a slash on the arm would have the same effect is totally bad, and doing this to a potential travelling companion on whose willingness to heal your own life may depend, is asinine.--Ygrain (talk) 19:59, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

I'm with Ygrain on this. Also, templars do occasionally pursue the Dalish, but rarely are lucky enough to just stumble across a clan. I suppose their elusiveness makes apostates and Circle escapees the priority. As for the series, the main thing that irritated me is the lore inconsistencies (which I won't list). I also think the acting could be a little better, and while I appreciate the limited resources that a project like this has available, some aspects are almost cringeworthy (Cairn's cardboard armour for one). I can't help thinking that if Bioware were fully committed to this, they should have directly overseen it as a CGI series similar to Warden's Fall. I'm also a little clueless about this somewhat fatuous obsession with Felicia Day, and am a bit miffed she had this amount of control over canon material. King Cousland | Talk   21:50, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

This is what I mean (kudos Ygraine btw for a rather witty comeback to the badass comment ;) ). The fact that Day has been given quite a lot of control over canon material still annoys me. I think one (or several) of the devs must have some sort of infatuation with her. Everywhere you look for the promotional material of both Redemption and MotA her name is everywhere with multiple exclamation marks following, like it's supposed to be the only selling point. I saw a little interview regarding MotA once which featured Day and she seems incredibly proud, almost to the point of being arrogant, regarding her "contributions" to the the series. An her comments about how shes knows the lore... that made me laugh. There are so many errors regarding the in-game lore of that series. Granted I did state that the series was growing on me, and it is, but there are so many things that bug me about. The mary sueness of Tallis for example, I think we've all finally been introduced to the Wesley Crusher of Dragon Age. The best thing about the series, by far, would be Cairn. Despite his horrible cardboard armour, his character is the only believable one out of them all and the actor portraying him is really the only decent one among them. (DDragonfly1990 (talk) 12:37, November 6, 2011 (UTC))

Oh, thanks, but that's totally what I am here for - delivering unpleasant truths and witty multiliners ;-) --Ygrain (talk) 18:02, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

The elf could have easily proven his healing ability by taking care of that wound above Cairn's eye, right? Nah, let's chuck a dagger at his chest instead! Good thing she didn't miss by a couple of inches, pierce his heart, killing him instantly... What would her reaction have been, then? "Whoops! Guess I'm as good a knife-thrower as he is a healer. Oh well, let's get going, shall we?" If she was a real bad ass, she would have cut herself and then made him heal her. The knife to the chest was for shock value, alone. Stupid, Hollywood move. LVTDUDE (talk) 19:04, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

Agreed. Personally, I think Tallis is a bit of a sociopath and a narcissist to boot. Who thought adding her character was a good idea anyway? --Isolationistmagi (talk) 19:32, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

Apparently we, the fans, thought it would be a good idea for Tallis to be added to the series... whooda thunk? :P (DDragonfly1990 (talk) 20:22, November 6, 2011 (UTC))

I wonder why bioware thought that we thought adding someone like that was a good idea? Corporate omniscience I suppose. Hmph. --Isolationistmagi (talk) 20:26, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

No one woulda thunkit, because it's not true. BioWare approached Felicia Day to make Redemption, she wrote a script by the end of the day, and then Mark of the Assassin was created as a mutual tie-in. What exactly did "we, the fans" have to do with it, besides buy the DLC? Futonrevoltion (talk) 22:36, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

I think D was being sarcastic. --Isolationistmagi (talk) 22:41, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

Meh I will watch the series just for some good old entertainment, and appreciate a bouncing nice looking redheaded young lady and the Reaver is kinda cool too--Ian.krohn (talk) 22:52, November 5, 2011 (UTC)

Re: "the Templars walked in and took the Keeper"

This greatly annoyed me as well. As far as DAO, Awakening and DA2 showed Templars make no effort to mess with the Dalish way of life. It's as if being Dalish, in the clan and being the Keeper is an exemption. At no time in any of the three games do Templars make a move on a Dalish Keeper, at no time in any of the games is it even hinted that the Templars would make a move on a Dalish Keeper. Zambingo (talk) 16:43, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

In Wynne's personal quest it is displayed that if her elf apprentice, escaping from the Circle, had made it to the Dalish that he would be safe. Zambingo (talk) 16:43, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

Why would he be safe, we all wonder? Supposition: 1) The clan can move without leaving much of a trace to their new location. 2) Even if found the Dalish warriors and Keeper would wipe the floor with anything but an army of Templars. 3) It'd be a political shit storm and an act of war against the Dalish clans. Zambingo (talk) 16:43, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

In Awakening while Templars actively hunt Anders not one instance is shown with any Templar interest in Velanna... a Dalish first and mage. Zambingo (talk) 16:43, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

In DA2 Anders is again being hunted (rather poorly if you think about it) and Merrill is left alone. Oh sure there are some rumblings that the Templars may look for her, but it is IN CONTEXT of the Kirkwall Circle being fucking crazy. And on top of that... they never do confront her and she lives in a public location. Zambingo (talk) 16:43, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

In DA2 Feynriel can be sent to the Dalish. The Templars are hunting him. The Templars are concerned about him. However this hunt IN CONTEXT is because he is a completely untrained mage on the verge of becoming a demon due to his extra ordinary heightened magical ability. BUT EVEN WITH THAT SAID! It just takes two sentences said by Hawke to convince the Templars to leave him alone. And these are Templars from Kirkwall's fucking crazy Circle too, but all it takes is two sentences to convince them to leave him alone. Zambingo (talk) 16:43, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

In DA2 while the Templars did have interest in Feynriel, they showed ZERO interest in the clan's Keeper. And as I reminded us all, the Templars were perfectly happy to leave Feynriel with the Keeper after just two sentences. On top of that the Keeper freely comes down from Sundermount and walks thru Kirkwall, creates a breach into the Fade and not one hint of Templar interest is shown. Zambingo (talk) 16:44, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

So in closing: Templars don't want to mess with the Dalish, Templars look for ways to avoid the Dalish. Even aggressive Templars from a crazy Circle stick to this thought process. The Circle just does not mess with the Dalish. In fact I saw a painted motto on the back of one of the Dalish wagons which read: Don't Fuck With The Dalish. Zambingo (talk) 16:43, November 6, 2011 (UTC)

Well said Zambingo!! I'm rather happy someone else was as outraged as i was to hear that sentence uttered... "where is your keeper?" "The Templars took her" I actually yelled at my screen "NO!" Minor missteps with lore and such I can see.. even when there's issues with timing or pacing, some things get over looked and i can give slack for that much.. but Templars taking a Dalish keeper is a huge mistake imo. Warden Mage: Ferris (talk)

I thought the keeper was the fully bearded male elf being tortured by the templars and then killed by the sarebas? The facial hair thing seemed more off the wall than him being taken by the templars in the first place, I'm sure if they had the chance they would arrest a dalish keeper the thing is to do that they would likely have to get through the rest of the clan all of whom seemed to be still alive. On the matter of the dalish as mentioned already the idea of a "city elf" mingling naturally along the dalish who is not to mention a proud outspoken member of an even more oppressive religion than the chantry just screams ignorance of the lore even more than either of these other issues.174.45.9.40 (talk) 03:12, November 7, 2011 (UTC)

I doubt she walked up declaring her loyalty for the Qun, and we know the Dalish are very happy to take in flat ears. (175.39.35.137 (talk) 04:14, November 7, 2011 (UTC))

Very happy? Like almost shooting someone thinking they were a bandit? Flat out calling an approaching party as "not my kind"..?174.45.9.40 (talk) 05:09, November 7, 2011 (UTC)