"I Always Have Time For You, My Dear" (Vivienne Discussion)

I'm surprised there's no Vivienne thread yet! What blasphemy is this? 

Here's a thread to discuss the character of Vivienne, whether you love or hate her feel free to post.

Personally, she is my favourite character in all the Bioware games I've played and there are a number of reasons for this.

The first reason is her pro-circle stance as a mage. We haven't had a companion who gives a logical and rational argument for supporting the Circle system before (well we had Wynne, I suppose but she was a lot more passive (I haven't read Asunder so I don't know how Wynne was portrayed there but in DAO she was pro-circle but wasn't as opinionated as Vivienne in this regard)).

I would disagree with anyone who says that Vivienne wants to keep the mages subdued in Circle 'prisons'. Vivienne acknowledges that there are abuses of power with the current system but it is better to fix the current system rather than create new problems with a new system. Vivienne is also a character that supports both mages and Templars and see the worth of both sides (which is rare for a companion). I don't think Vivienne is totally against mage freedom but it should be a gradual change rather than instantaneous. 

Spoiler for the end of Inquisition:

I've also read that some people in the past, think she was just handed her privileged position on a plate (or even slept her way to the top ). Some people don't like her personality and that's fine as everyone has their own preferences but I don't believe that Vivienne was handed power on a plate because she would need to play The Game extra hard just through being an outsider (non-orlesian). She is ambitious but this can be viewed as a positive because it shows she works hard and is motivated to achieve her goals.

However, there were times when I thought her character could have been better utilised such as having a larger role in the Winter Palace quest.

Anyway no-one should be shocked about Vivienne's opinions because she tells you her Circle stance from the outset. I like the fact that she is resolute in her beliefs and is not influenced by the inquisitor/anyone else.
Vivienne can come across as self-serving and arrogant and this is due to the Orlesian culture. She needs to keep up appearances in order to not look weak and maintain her reputation. However, her true inner feelings are sometimes shown and it shows a softer side. For example, Vivienne is the only companion to ask the inquisitor how they were feeling after Adamant and the Well. She also gives approval if you save the people at Haven so she does show concern about other's feelings. Vivienne could have easily sat back in the palace but decided to join the inquisitor to be proactive and fight for what she believes in.

Furthermore, mages wouldn't be locked away in the Circle. Vivienne says that permission from the First Enchanter is needed to leave the Circle. I don't know how often this permission was granted but the important fact is that such a permission exists. Therefore, Vivienne isn't a hypocrite because she's taking advantage of existing rules.

The most convincing argument against Vivienne would be disliking her due to her personality or she is too conservative in her reforms (although this is still speculation as the reforms weren't given in detail). 

I usually ally with the Templars so my views are based on this. I think I've rambled too much about this  

Anyway... the second reason for loving Vivienne so much is Indira Varma's voice.

Third Reason is she's a fashionable companion.

Reason 4... Spa day.

We probably won't see Vivienne again but I'm hopeful of some passing comments about her in any future instalments.

Feel free to post in this thread to praise Vivienne or to call her a bitch, I don't mind