The Character Romance thread (Official)

You have the right to feel raped, subjectively. But objectively, it's still no rape scene. Shepard wasn't raped by Javik.

Yours wasn't, and I'm glad.

It's just something for Bioware to be aware of in the future, of how these scenes can make people feel. Just because my Shepard might not feel that way, doesn't make it that easy for me, the player, to just shake it off. I am so glad I heard about it before I did that sort of party, you know? I would have had to turn off the game for awhile, I think. Reload if I could. Make a new character if I couldn't.

[CLEARS THROAT] Anyway!

I know what you mean, but again: Shepard was always more predefined than ...let's say..the warden. It's not about "my" or "your" Shepard...it's about what Bioware intended him to be. Shepard was predefined in that certain scene and I already said many times, that it was a bad decision. But there are many games where your character is predefined and where you're forced into sex..you can't always call this "rape". You may have the impression because we had some freedom of character creation in Mass Effect, but Shepard is still predefined in some areas. He was never intended to be a blank state like the inquisitor or the warden. It really wasn't a rape scene...neither with your nor with mine Shepard. And again: I don't say it was a good decision...but Shepard wasn't intended to be an asexual by Bioware (just as he wasn't intendend to be possibly gay untill ME3). You can play as one of course, but that's only in your head, because there were some dialogues in Mass Effect that gave a hint that Shepard is a sexual being. I don't say you can't be disappointed subjectively...but it's still no rape.

Well said! But not everyone will understand that, so I think we will just let it be at this.

Agreed. While in poor taste, I wouldn't go so far as to call it 'rape' either. I definitely interpreted it as the two just drinking waayy too much and it happens. Again, poor taste on Bioware's part? Absolutely. At the very least they should have had some dialogue before that where you flirt with him or something at the party to trigger it. As it is, it's another case where they decided Shepard's characterization, rather than allowing the player to. And where it's a matter of sex, that's a huge no no I hope they never repeat.

What I would call rape though is the Vega scene. Fortunately you can opt out of that one, but the entire thing is super creepy. He outright turns you down, he's clearly uncomfortable and conflicted about the idea, and you just keep asking him if he's drunk enough yet until he agrees. What if the genders were reversed? What the hell were you thinking, writers!?

Dunno...They sound as if we'll get dozens of love interests this time. I'm still sceptical, but it could happen if they don't exaggerate.

They're likely just exaggerating the amount to tease fans. I can see there being 8-10 actual romances, maybe. But I can't see there being much more than that. 

That sounds like a good ammount, because DAI had 8 romances in it. The way they're hyping all this banging, though, makes me think it coukd be as high as 15.

By 8-10 romances, are you talking just the 'main' romances or also counting the 'light' ones and flings? 

Yeah I'm counting light ones and flings. They could also have one-night-stands that never come up again, which I probably wouldn't include but maybe the devs would? I mean, for example, Diana Allers had practically just 1-2 romance scenes and could be interpreted as a one-night-stand, but she's counted as a romance option. 

In an ideal world Diana Allers would only count as trash, but unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world. : ( (sry, but I really think she's the most needless character ever).

you find her (with picture) in the who's who section. According to what's written there she's responsible for Nexus Colonial Affairs. We don't really know anything about her, though. Bioware hide their characters pretty well this time.