#halward

I wonder if the message was sent in response to the latest fic Gaider wrote. And if so, I wonder if they felt that it was “unrealistic” that Dorian still wants closure with his father.

The relationship and feelings for Halward is what makes Dorian... Dorian. His father was the only person Dorian keeps talking about, and even at the end, Halward’s opinions about his success matters so much. (“Wait till my father hears. He’d shit his small pants!)

I personally do not see him as a stereotype and certainly Dorian is not written for “straight people”. Dorian is Dorian.

About Dorian failing as a gay character - I think Dorian has more to him than just being a representative of the community.

For instance, Halward and Dorian's relationship seems to go way back, and I'm not sure his sexuality is the only thing Halward had issues with. Dorian was expelled for duelling with and hurting his schoolmate (who is also from a prominent family). Then when he engaged very expensive tutors, Dorian just messed around and kept disappearing off to the brothels, then mooching off his relatives, and then turning up in another prominent lord's home sleeping with his son.

If anything, that aspect of Dorian's history seem to have been glossed over in favour of "Halward hates that Dorian is gay", which is not really the case. Even Dorian understood that what he did was something not to be proud of.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is I appreciate Dorian as a character, and him being gay is an aspect of him and not all there is about him.

Like Patrick said - it was a story that needed to be told and I’m glad we were given the privilege of meeting this sassy yet sensitive mage.

CHIMEHOUR COVER REVEAL!

Done lovingly by the amazing Bored Barista (also responsible for the SaTG cover), she and I will be teaming up for the release of Chimehour in October 2018!! She's been hard at work with this and all sorts of other goodies! She's done a great job capturing the energy of the novel, which I will have much more news on this week!

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Summary: "On May Day of 1901, Dublin falls. Dublin dies in the wake of a disease, dragging its victims back from the grave, mindless and very hungry. The people of Ireland flee in fear of plague, but Stanley knows better, and this is no plague; this is a curse.

Stanley Brigham only wants peace. Born a Chime Child, his second sight connecting him to England’s magical and supernatural, and long giving him grief as a secret world he shares with seldom few. The introverted British youth has only come to Ireland to introduce himself to his newly betrothed fiancée, but an outbreak of death and decay ruins the social call, unleashing a massacre on Dublin. Only Stanley hears the undead voices calling from the other side, and suspects something more magical is afoot.

Soooo.

Alexius and Halward's weakness are their sons.

Alexius joins a murderous cult with aspirations to take over the world. Halward wants to mind-wipe his son to preserve family honour.

Friggin' Vints. This is why the Qunaris are winning. >:(

Y'all motherfuckers need the Qun.

Well, he did leave Dorian as his Heir which he didn’t have to. His seat in the Magisterium didn’t HAVE to go to Dorian, so clearly at least in the end didn’t care what Dorian’s preferences were, that part he seems to at least to have accepted. Whether or not he actually understood how he’d gone too far or actually mistreated Dorian it doesn’t explain but he does deal with the whole thing. I mean ya know cuz he was a bigot and had to even had to deal with it.

Unlike if he loved him as he was from the beginning.

Yes, but if he didn’t leave it to Dorian, there would be no one of House Pavus on the Magisterium. The House would disappear and lose influence, and we know Halward really cared for it--enough to try magical conversion therapy on his own son. So leaving Dorian in power might have been an act of preservation of his line for a little while longer. It isn’t like Dorian had siblings to carry the line anyway. 

More than that, for all that Dorian is a pariah in Tevinter, he has strong connections in the South, and he’s talented. And, considering Trespasser, we know that Dorian fared rather well in Tevinter by himself. That’s something that could’ve been easily predicted by Halward, or enough of a probably gamble for him to leave Dorian’s name on the will. .

tbh he always struck me as sincere but like........ not GRASPING the enormity of what he'd done, just sincerely wanting his son back without realizing just what a horrific thing he'd done

Yeah, same. When I played, he seemed like he genuinely wanted Dorian back, but he wasn’t really sorry for what he did--maybe sorry it went wrong, or that he went that far, to begin with. But not sorry about the intention behind it? It still felt a little like Halward felt like Dorian wasn’t entitled to run away or to cut him off.  Like he didn’t grasp the enormity of the betrayal he acted upon Dorian.