Why is Jaal's romance so popular?1

Interesting. So far the only "Solas" comparison I saw on forums was about Reyes (though, in that case similarity even less striking if it exists at all).

One more thing about Jaal's romance - it makes sense story-wise. Like, you do can romance Zevran or Fenris, but Alitair and Anders are more plot relevant and their romances feel more "default".

There are strange people out there (me included) who at least ones like to follow ... how to call it... original idea? main plot line? the story developers meant to tell? Something, that feels "very right and intended". To continue analogy with DAO - the story was written for a Human Noble (with all family tragedy involved). It's not my favorite PT, it's not how I usually play the game, but no matter how great other origins are (and they ARE great) HN remains to be THE story and everything else - a very nice addition, written after the real one was finished.

The Solas compassion was before we knew who Jaal really was, and boy do I agree about Reyes though!

Summed it up perfectly! Cathleen said Jaal grows with the Pathfinder, so a romanced Jaal feels even more bonded to you, and you actually see them grow in their romantic relationship too. They go from shy and awkward teens in the first blush of love to a man and woman who want something deeper, and even how they act with each other matures when they commit.

It's really cute and up my alley. Too bad he isn't bi.

He basically hits the marks in what I'll want a romance to be. Guess I'm just not into bad boys or angsty romances.

That is the real reason.

I find Reyes false, whiny and a bit of a creep. I do like variety when it comes to LIs. I'd love a tussle with the Iron Bull. Rawr! And my god how I wish Jack had been available for femShep!

Akksul would have been a very interesting romance arc, and definitely something new. It's something I hope for future games, an antagonist that becomes a LI. Or even just a friend.

Dorian was a fun companion, but I didn't play as a malequisitor so I never romanced him. I enjoyed watching the romance on youtube though. I like how he tried to play it cool but was obviously more interested than he wanted to admit. He had a fantastic VA to pull that off. He was 2 parts tiger, one part kitten.

I thought from the pre-release info that I was going to hate Jaal and Peebee but I actually like them a lot. People were swooning over the pictures of Jaal and I thought he looked a bit silly tbh. But he was nothing like I expected him to be and his emotional honesty was refreshing in a video game. Still don't want to romance Peebee, but I like her.

As far as LI voices go, Thane will always me my favourite. Siha. Shiver me timbers. It's all in the delivery.

I would happily trade you Reyes for Jaal, because all of the things that turned you off of Jaal are things I'm starved for in gay romance options.

I'm still waiting for an option as sweet-natured as Jaal's. Hell, still waiting for a KISA, period.

Well, maybe that is why I gravitated to MM romances lately because they are by some reason tend to be written for adventure and uncertainty that I find tiltilating, rather than normalcy and domestic bliss that I have in spades in RL (I've been married for longer than a lot of folks playing those same games been alive). I do prefer to play a white knight throwing a protective cloak around the NPCs' shoulders myself, tbh, too, as it is so hard to get right from an NPC towards a PC. Have not seen a single male character after Bao Dur that I've adored that was attempted to be knightly. 

Oh, I stopped distinguishing LI for males or females a few years back, and just started making chars I like and romancing whatever romance appeals to me. Yep, I guess my definition of romance is more about being digitally in love with the character and experiencing that particular moment in a video game when you know that your protagonist is linked to this or that NPC and is in love, no matter what the game says. It sort of started at Bao Dur. Avellone (or whoever) managed to produce what to this day I consider the best love talk ever, and the only relationship that was phenomenally able to make a solid love story from the entire plot of the game. Anders comes extremely close, and, with some tinkering and putting a bit of a twist on the me3 plot, Thane.

Skavak's relationship I adored because it was one of a kind full on rivalry with a subtext of potential fatal attraction there, with an infinitely statisfing finale of both of them trying to carry on the game, and PC getting the upper hand. I just knew my PC was not immune to his charm, and him telling Riggs to go stand quietly in the corner and Rigggs obeying sealed poor Riggs' fate, despite it being a game's convention and rather OoC for Riggs.

Yes, I agree, Anomen deserves the credit for being an alpha for Alistair, but Alistair getting it right and losing all the unsavoury stuff makes Anomen feel even worse than he was in hindsight. Dorian was brilliant, and if I was not told he was Gaider's I would not have believed it. But my Dorian-craze is less romantic, more to his views and sentiments he expresses, so the romance is secondary in terms of adoring the char.

Ah, well, overall, Reyes it is for Andromeda, though I am peculiarly tempted to play a Liam's girl at some point. He is the character that really just gets better with every pt for me by whatever reason. While Jaal moves more and more to the back burner.

If you are into that sort of things. I felt really freaked out with the whole angara conversations about only 14 siblings and such, and when you get to Jaal's house, and it's like a huge communal hall, and everyone is looking at you and barely short of giving hoots or whatever while passing by in droves, then you sneak into his tiny room like you are 16 or something, and you just know the walls are too thin, and there is like twenty people listening in without even trying. And then his mother starts measuring you up for whatever number of offsprings she can tease out of non-angara ovaries. It's awful.

I completely forgot about this thread before it was brought back from the dead, lol. Thank you all for the answers and perspectives. Jaal's still not my thing, but I guess I can kinda see it now

One thing I still don't get, though: How would angaran x human reproduction work? I know that Mass Effect is not exactly one of the most scientifically accurate franchises, but still. Seems like a bit of a stretch.