case: (Default)
Case ([personal profile] case) wrote in [community profile] fandomsecrets2011-06-02 07:52 pm

[ SECRET POST #1612 ]

⌈ Secret Post #1612 ⌋


Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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TRIGGER WARNING FOR RAPE

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 31 secrets from Secret Submission Post #230.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 2 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 2 - too big ], [ 0 - hit/ship/spiration ], [ 0 - omgiknowthem ], [ 0 - take it to comments ], [ 0 - repeats ]
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments and concerns should go here.

[identity profile] shukivengeance.livejournal.com 2011-06-03 08:09 am (UTC)(link)
That's probably why then. Naivety is easier to forgive than Anders' more intentional actions. I do agree with you though and find both of them equally condemnable personally.

[identity profile] dgcatanisiri.livejournal.com 2011-06-03 10:18 am (UTC)(link)
I flip flop on Anders, depending on the lens that I'm viewing him in - is he a victim of a power he can't control or is he willingly causing the problems that he creates? Depending on which view I have, I either forgive him or condemn him. Merrill, though, I see as having flawed methods to an understandable goal. I tend to agree with her stance of even the dangerous things should be remembered some fashion, beyond 'this should be left in the past.' In fact, in her story, I put more blame on the Keeper. Merrill took steps to attempt to lessen the dangers of her plans, while the Keeper endangered all those in her charge to bring one member back into the fold.

[identity profile] shukivengeance.livejournal.com 2011-06-03 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Now that you mention it I thought the Keeper's actions were a bit out of character. It goes against everything she said before to do something dangerous like let herself go get possessed.

SPOILER WARNING

[identity profile] dgcatanisiri.livejournal.com 2011-06-03 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Since there are people above debating whether or not to buy the game, thought I'd put in a spoiler warning, just in case.

I saw it as the Keeper doing exactly what she had been doing for some time now - protecting Merrill at the cost of all others. Merrill is essentially her child, and she became blind to anything but getting Merrill back. I know that gossip will spread, but she told the clan of Merrill's blood magic. That instantly marred her forever for them. And then there's Pol, who ran from Merrill because of the background he had as a City Elf with the Chantry, who openly condemn magic in all forms, especially blood magic. Because the Keeper did nothing to quash the rumors and then told Merrill that 'he died because of her blood magic...' Yeah that was the moment I lost all respect for her. At that point, the fact that she attempted to abuse a loophole to not fulfill her end of the bargain was icing.

Long story short (too late), I didn't see it as out of character, I saw it fitting into the game's theme of how a single issue can dominate a person's life and how they deal with it once they realize it.

(Anonymous) 2011-06-03 10:37 am (UTC)(link)
There's also the fact that with Merrill, only one innocent person absolutely has to die - and she chooses to trade her life for Merrill. You can avoid the deaths of all the others.

With Anders, a whole bunch of innocent people who did not agree to this in any way, shape or form, die - and Hawke can't do a thing about it. LOLNOPETOOBAD, everyone dies the end, Anders has ~outsmarted you~ through... unavoidable game mechanics.

[identity profile] shukivengeance.livejournal.com 2011-06-03 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah absolutely, Anders' intent is definitely what makes the difference in how I view the two but in his case it's also arguable how much of it he's responsible for and how much is Justice forcing him.

(Anonymous) 2011-06-04 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
That's a valid point, but I kind of feel the opposite - even if you keep the elves from attacking Merrill, you always end up covering for her (unless you simply skip the quest, which I'm not sure can really count as showing disapproval). You can't kick her out of the party, and you can't turn her over to the elves who are howling for blood (or if you can, I missed it). It's like the game expects you to take Merrill's side, and that the elf community is being OMG SO MEEN AND UNFAIR just because she, woops, released a powerful demon and killed their leader. It's not like she could have known, having only been told to quit it nonstop for seven years.

With Anders, almost the opposite is true: everyone, including Orsino, views what he's done as a horrible atrocity, which it is, but nearly everyone (except Merrill, shocker) expects him to be executed. You can simply kick him out of the party or forgive him entirely if you want, but that's treated as an unusual response.

tl;dr, The fact that the player HAS to forgive Merrill makes me feel like she gets off easier than she deserves compared to Anders.