How *unappealing* do you predict straight male romance options will be in DA4?

"Demographic competition"?? This has nothing to do with demographics. This has to do with character and good storytelling. I'm talking specifically about Dorian now because of the previously stated realities of his character and backstory, and yes, because I'm invested in the character. You can't explain it in a way that will make people happy.

Jade Dreamer, I know you write. Yet you refuse to at least acknowledge that from a narrative perspective, making Dorian like girls too throws his entire story and character out the window. If he was equally into women, he could've married the damn girl in order to breed new, more powerful mages, kept a guy on the side and everyone would have been happy. No story, because he'd never have had a reason to leave Tevinter. All the rationalizing in the world can't change that.

You could play as a female with every other character in DAI and it wouldn't appreciably fuck up their character and story. Is it really so bloody important to you that even from a logical, writing standpoint you can't leave the one character alone that it does affect? And if you simply must, just do it and quit trying to "explain" to everyone else why they should agree with you, please, because some of us never will.

I want to say I'm surprised about the whitewashing/straightwashing mods but...no, no I'm really not.

It's actually more funny to me.  People actually took the time to do this.  Someone just get some black materia and cast meteor already.

For me the essence of Dorian’s character is in his rejection of that breeding program as a concept, the arranged marriage, the union of his mother and father that was entirely political. He has every reason to rage against his father’s iron assertion that he should be living for a legacy, not for happiness. His dialogue indicate that he considered a marriage possibility, and this scenario is entirely plausible even if the union is never consummated - nothing stops him from arranging a sham marriage and making a deal with a high born female in the society that prefers to keep a lover as well. they could have even been on friendly terms and had a cordial arrangement.

His outright rejection of the pretence and trying to escape such an obligation and the desire for open happiness has a universal appeal.

As someone who was facing an arranged marriage long ago, the fact that the gender setting is correct, does not make it more desirable. I ran away from it, despite it being with a male & me being a straight female.

Another thing that shakes Dorian is his father’s betrayal when he specifically turns to blood magic that he rejected the moment it became convenient. It is just as universal as Anders’ terrifying experience with Karl, and there is no way not to empathize with him, no matter what the blood magic is leveraged against.

His other very strong line is how deeply he feels about Tevinter, and that post-Imperium hangover, the way he looks into the hostile eyes of the Southerners, and I think that this is an experience he truly wanted and needed, to get abroad, to see what it’s like, to know the difference.

The same exact thing has happened in his relationship with Alexius. He escapes it to do what he considers right, and that to become an agent of the Inquisition. When his father tries to imply his actions to be dictated solely by his personal conflict he adamantly denies it - he did not come to the Inquisition because of private reasons or to flee, he did it because it was the right thing to do.

We also find out that before loving the Inquisitor Dorian has not actually loved anyone.

All and all, if Dorian can fall in love with a female as well as a male, neither robs him of the essence of his character, nor does it take away his reasons to leave Tevinter and come to the Inquisitor’s side for me.

I am not looking for a confrontation and drawing of the lines. I am more into peaceful acceptance of others.

Okay, obviously you're not going to change your mind, and I see above that juvenile pejoratives like "snowflake" and "SJW" are starting to fly (and I appreciate that you have not been using them ), but from David Gaider, the guy who wrote Dorian (and who, as I'm sure you know, is gay himself):

"I’m not sure I can discuss the process of writing Dorian’s personal quest, to be honest. It was difficult, and involved the exorcising of some personal demons, and that’s all I’ll say about it.

I knew when I wrote it that not everyone would appreciate it. Depending on one’s level of empathy or cynicism, they might roll their eyes or call it an After School Special…or, hey, maybe I’m over-stating it. Maybe they’ll just consider it badly written. Wouldn’t be the first time.

The thing is, I didn’t really care. I knew who I was writing that for. I knew who it would touch, and I believed it was something that needed to be said. Not every story involving a gay character needs to be about them being gay, but I think it’s a missed opportunity to declare that none of them should be…and, in this case, I felt it underlined parts of Dorian’s makeup which, up to that point, had been left to inference. Dorian’s life is one of rebellion, and while being gay in and of itself doesn’t dictate his personality, the conflict that arose from it is certainly a big part of it…and I think that kind of conflict is important when talking about the gay experience." Link

So, not angry, not espousing any particular agenda, but I do like good narrative and depth of character and think Dorian's storyline has both just the way it was written. Glad we could have a civil debate, and enjoy your game whatever you end up doing in it.

I like the writting for the character, as it hits very realistic and emotionally rich themes, and I like his personal quest. I also think that the appeal of the character is far more broad than Gaider states there, and that the personality that was created would have driven Dorian to flee if his father suggested using a convenient blood magic ritual to impregnate a surrogate slave if Dorian would only marry a specified male offspring of the acceptable lineage.

Or do you think Dorian would have nodded happily and said: Thanks, dad, you are the best! Just because it is a same-sex blood-magic enhanced breeding programme?

I think in my reality Dorian is gay. I have devoted well over 470,000 words to that premise in my ongoing series (on AO3 - link below /shameless self-promotion). David Gaider also says Dorian is gay, and he should know.

So, I'm sorry, believe what you will, but you and I shall never agree on that particular subject. Again, not angry, but he's gay.

Nope not going to happen. You know why? Because a bunch of overemotional dudes on Twitter and Youtube can't help but experience their insecurities whenever queer people do much as exist in their entertainment. This is what happens when your overly cantered to. You end up spoiled, easily triggered and suddenly amnesic about the fact that there are still thousands of video games out that can satisfy your power fantasy. 

Invalidation: “Invalidating someone else is not merely disagreeing with something that the other person said. It is a process in which individuals communicate to another that the opinions and emotions of the target are invalid, irrational, selfish, uncaring, stupid, most likely insane, and wrong, wrong, wrong. Invalidators let it be known directly or indirectly that their target’s views and feelings do not count for anything to anybody at any time or in any way." www.psychologytoday.com/blog/matter-personality/201309/invalidation-in-families-what-are-the-hidden-aspects

As can be plainly seen Jade Dreamer in no way invalidated Gaider's views, there's quite a bit of hyperbole going around this thread. 

I believe there is an option that allows to proceed with a platonic relationship at this point.

Instead iirc. On a male Inquisitor this obviously plays fine, the flirting vanilla female won’t see it at all, but I think there is a vanilla option that bypasses consummation but does not terminate the lovestory.. if it does not, well, that’s why it is a headcanon vs canon. The repeat kissing animations look fine, and quite appropriate because it looks like he kisses her on the forehead. I don’t like the sex scenes anyway, straight or gay, I just want a lovestory.