Dorian Pavus Thread "He's More Handsome Than A Cockroach"

On a subsequent run with my Inquisitor who was actually in a relationship with Cassandra but flirted outrageously with Dorian(Dorian didn't seem to mind this), after Giselle, Dorian said that I might not be aware but there were certain stories circulating about us and I took the option of saying "I wonder who was responsible for starting the rumours" (Sort of pointed with a look in Dorian's direction) and he responds by saying "Don't look at me, if I'd started the rumours they'd be a lot more salacious" (or words to that effect), so it does seem as though the rumours were fairly tame and Giselle was using them as an excuse to get at Dorian, just as she used the parental concern to try and get rid of him. She tries to deflect the responsibility from herself because she wants to appear to be the good, concerned cleric rather than simply prejudiced against him. I prefer the blacksmith's honesty myself, particularly as he apologised to Dorian after we defeated Corypheus whereas apparently Giselle waited a good 2 years and it was only when he came back as Tevinter's official representative that she felt obliged to say sorry for her previous offence.

Ok, folks. I've got the ball up next. I did the no sex bedroom scene (no unicorn line - I got "bizarre creature" instead) then reloaded to before going upstairs. Will report back if I get the dance or not. I hope I do, because I really don't want to have to do that mission twice!  

If you record it, you can use VLC to go frame by frame and get a screenshot that way. I've done that with a few scenes where he has the perfect look, but it goes by too quickly to cap.

Nice to know about the dance scene! So just to clarify, you only have to have the romance semi-locked with the amulet quest for the dance?

An overall darker Dorian with mods Black Hair for Dorian and my own Dorian’s Darker Brows. I don’t know why I never tried the black hair mod before, but it looks great!

Just completed another astrarium and had a thought imagining Dorian telling all kinds of stories from Tevinter lore regarding the origins of each constellation. (And if I had Solas in the party also, he would no doubt pipe up about how all the Tevinter constellations were just one more thing stolen from the elves.... )

True enough...I'm just ragging on Solas because he annoys me, and I've barely even talked to him this game!

It's interesting actually, because even the topics to select are different, or at least paraphrased differently. I haven't used any but it was amusing to see. Other than the normal "investigate" options where you ask him about stuff, I had two options available. One was "You spend too much time in the Fade" and the other was something like "You've abandoned the elves." Now, my first thought was, how the heck would Marcus even know these things to comment on because he's spoken to Solas maybe once?

I got some approval from him for exposing Florianne so I don't know what the options might look like now.

Yes, I took that line and will also keep the Wardens around when I get to that part (was going to exile them for once, until I remembered Solas likes that option). I'm not sure why I keep not talking to Solas, whether I'm more afraid to get approval or disapproval.  

The reason I have the sex version as my canon is because I like that Dorian is willing to be vulnerable in the scene, which isn't something you get with the non-sex version. There really isn't any greater vulnerability than that; he's laid bare, physically and emotionally, and putting a great deal of trust in the Inquisitor. To me, the whole scene is more emotionally charged. While he doesn't come right out and explicitly state what he wants, it's very obvious from how it all plays out. Even when you come right out and directly ask him -- "Tell me what you want" -- he evades the question because he's that afraid of rejection.

This is why the response to keep it fun is so devastating to watch, even more so than ending the relationship completely. He gets pissed with the latter, but the former has him shut down emotionally; you can see it. His walls come up and he pretends like he doesn't care.

However, I will say that a lot of it is bound up with my headcanon for my Inquisitor and the relationship. It's not casual sex for my Inquisitor, but he doesn't even realize that Dorian has that insecurity until they have that conversation. He thinks he's been clear about what he wants (a relationship) and where this is going (for them to be together as a couple), so for Dorian to ask what he wants is unexpected and a surprise. The whole thing helps him to understand Dorian's thought process just a bit more.


I think each scene is great on its own merits, with neither being best. That's the nice thing about the Dorian romance: there are several ways to craft it to suit your headcanon, and no path is lesser.

I know, but the whole Trespasser content did not sound sincere to me, more like trying to stretch it out and mask the truth, as to not offend the players because Dorian is gay, and because we've lost one Mage already, so we do need at least two. For me the one moment I sort of had hope was when Dorian said "ask me again after we defeat Coripheus", and when he did leave after that, that was it. he has the cause he burns for, but he does not see his lover as someone that will engage in that cause with the same passion, reciprocating the commitment Pavus himself shown to the common cause against Coruipheus. Which is the only way the two could truly remain together. Trespasser puts them on the diverging course, with some residual cooling communication. They were soulmates for a time, but now he walks alone to fulfill his true ambitions and dreams, or fail at that. If the storyline of the next game will make our next protagonist his cohort, all nice and good. Any mention of continuing relationship with Inquisitor at that point, well, I just can't believe it. It does not sound emotionally feasible and is not really supported by examples of extraordinary lovers maintaining a passionate relationship if they are engaged in different causes. The anticipation is that it's a cool off or heartbreak. But, there are multiple examples of highly romanticized passionate affairs among the comrades at arms. That's what we had, and we did not get an end where we slipped into the idle happily ever after, or picked up the shared new battle in DA. Dorian went his own way, and firmly told the Inquisitor that he cannot follow. It's a protracted, polite but definitive disentanglment. It does not mean it's a bad romance, on the opposite, it's very good, it's just the Epilogue would have been stronger if it were honest, and I would have preferred a passionate grown-up farewell to this adolescent sugarcoating.