I started another playthrough

[slutbunwalla]

I feel like this is going to sound weird.
Look, I like Alistair. I do. I'm fascinated by him. But my elf is still just edgy around human men. She's actually hitting it off with Leiliana (after she schooled her a bit on her privilege and elf racism) and that feels right for her

Comments

[itches]

'except I forgot about the dumb robes they have to wear'

So put your mage in armour?

[slutbunwalla]

I can? Oh I guess I can. I thought the robes had special mage powers, though....

[itches]

Some do, but you can work around that. Light armour has a small strength requirement, but there is a speciality (Arcane Warrior) that lets you use your Magic stat in place Strength to wear armour. It's an interesting build.

[madzilla]

I didn't gel with my first Shepard or Warden or Hawke. Thinking about it, it was the second tries for all three that I ended up getting fiercely attached to. For Shepard, I think I tried to create a Captain Janeway -esque character (my other Space Heroine), but there was something about her look and personality that I just wasn't feeling, and I didn't get very far with her. She was reborn as Laura a year or so later and that's when I fell, hard.

I started a mage in DAO but didn't get that far with her either - re-started the game as a human rogue and was so much more engaged. Created my own Hawke and liked her enough, but when I did another playthrough with the (gorgeous) default Hawke I just adored her, and she's now 'my' Hawke. So yeah, I think sometimes the first time around isn't always the best, and some characters in all 3 games I've abandoned entirely because I just wasn't enjoying 'being' them for whatever reason

[_citanul]

Created my own Hawke and liked her enough, but when I did another playthrough with the (gorgeous) default Hawke I just adored her, and she's now 'my' Hawke.

SAME! To the point now, that when I do create my own Hawkes, I can never engage enough to carry them past the first Act. Their faces just feel completely wrong.

[slutbunwalla]

My first Shepard is my real Shep, but it was also my first RPG in general so maybe that's why she means so much to me as well.

So wait DA2 has voice actors for the main character? Dammit. I'm interested. There go another 100 hours or so....

[_citanul]

So wait DA2 has voice actors for the main character?

Yup! For DA2, BioWare really tried to make the game feel more like Mass Effect. Fully-voiced protagonist, dialogue wheels, more fluid combat, re-organized talent trees, etc.

It really is quite different from DA:O.

[_citanul]

I did Human Mage first, but never really felt connected to her. I chose Human Rogue next and absolutely clicked with the character. I have other playthroughs with other origins, but Fem!Cousland Rogue is definitely my canon playthrough.

With ME, my first Shepard is my canon. I don't know how much of that is due to the fact that I ported her through 3 games... (and was given the opportunity for NG+)

But I know that if I could have taken my Cousland through 3 games, she would have hands down become my favourite rpg character ever. But alas, it was not meant to be... :/

[slutbunwalla]

I've had to look up Cousland and NG+
But now I gotcha.

Maybe I just haven't found the right combo. Or maybe I'm trying to capture that feeling that I got with Shepard and that's just not going to happen again. And that's ok. Like, I need to be ok with that. It's like when you read a great book or hear a great album and you keep looking for that experience from that person but that was that.

I am enjoying myself way more than before, in either character, just to let you know. For a while there, with any game actually , sleeping more or getting up to play was kind of a toss up. Or just watching TV or something less involved was just easier. But now I'm into it again. Yay for me, boo for all the other actual IRL activities I should be doing.

[_citanul]

I've had to look up Cousland and NG+

Ooops, sorry! Around the fandom, people tend to refer to their DA:O characters by their last name, because it instantly implies what origin you've chosen, rather than just saying Warden.

Cousland (H. Noble)
Amell (H. Mage)
Surana (Elven Mage)
Tabris (City Elf)
Mahariel (Dalish)
Brosca (D. Commoner)
Aeducan (D. Noble)

It's a lot easier in DA2 - everyone is either Female Hawke or Male Hawke.

Or just watching TV or something less involved was just easier.

I know what you mean. For the last month or so, I've had almost zero interest in playing any video games whatsoever. It comes and goes in phases for me.

[slutbunwalla]

Glad I'm not the only one with the whole phases thing. As an addiction, it's not following the normal pattern!

[tov01]

I did several restarts the first time I played Mass Effect and Dragon Age:Origins, so I know the feeling. The first time just never feels right.

[slutbunwalla]

My first ME playthrough ended up being my main Shep. (Although she changed pretty dramatically through the ports.)
Although I didn't know how those things worked at that point and like went aaaaaaaaallll the way back to Feros or somesuch and then finally learned that you can replay the same character but this time already leveled or whatever. I hate when I sound like such a n00b.

The Mage I created kind of looks like her little sister, sorta, Softer, more wide eyed and naive looking... I would nitpick and say their noses are not really similar, their jawlines are different, but it's not an exact art... especially when it's 2 am and you're drunk and determined to start a new story! And not looking at reference pics.

BUT, I am still really enjoying Aurelia! I think it's the romantic stuff that's throwing me off. She doesn't feel very romantic. In general. I am happy with her, though she doesn't feel like "me". Whatever that means.