I have been playing Dragon Age: Inquisition at last, savoring it slowly as a completionist and someone with limited time. While doing so, I've noted the new romances, flirtations, and other loving details. I was pleasantly surprised when I found a paper about sex while my Inquisitor was out exploring, but as it kept wending onward, I thought to myself - "Geez, this is long enough to be by Brother Genitivi."
Well, guess who wrote it (in the game's lore, anyway)? =P
The text seems long when you're scrolling and impatient to continue onward, but it's actually rather brief, covering only basic attitudes and some reactions to homosexuality. I don't feel like my efforts on this blog were wasted in trying to flesh out sexuality in Thedas (if you'll pardon the very bad pun); there is much more to consider in a game with more options than a computer currently allows. In a tabletop DA game, anyone might be romance-able, depending on circumstances. During a session, anything from kinks to sex work might take center stage, anywhere in the setting or the history.
Genitivi didn't even scratch the surface, but for everyone's edification, I've transcribed his overview below.
"What I find most interesting is that, despite the lack of open discussion on matters of human sexuality, there is commonality to be found on the subject in all Andrastian lands. Typically, one's sexual habits are considered natural and separate from matters of procreation, and only among the nobility, where procreation involves issues of inheritance and the union of powerful families, is it considered of vital importance. Yet, even there, a noble who has done their duty to the family might be allowed to pursue their own sexual interests without raising eyebrows.
Well, guess who wrote it (in the game's lore, anyway)? =P
The text seems long when you're scrolling and impatient to continue onward, but it's actually rather brief, covering only basic attitudes and some reactions to homosexuality. I don't feel like my efforts on this blog were wasted in trying to flesh out sexuality in Thedas (if you'll pardon the very bad pun); there is much more to consider in a game with more options than a computer currently allows. In a tabletop DA game, anyone might be romance-able, depending on circumstances. During a session, anything from kinks to sex work might take center stage, anywhere in the setting or the history.
Genitivi didn't even scratch the surface, but for everyone's edification, I've transcribed his overview below.
"What I find most interesting is that, despite the lack of open discussion on matters of human sexuality, there is commonality to be found on the subject in all Andrastian lands. Typically, one's sexual habits are considered natural and separate from matters of procreation, and only among the nobility, where procreation involves issues of inheritance and the union of powerful families, is it considered of vital importance. Yet, even there, a noble who has done their duty to the family might be allowed to pursue their own sexual interests without raising eyebrows.
The view on indulging lusts with a member of the same gender varies from land to land. In Orlais, it is considered a quirk of character and nothing more. In Ferelden, it is a matter of scandal if done indiscreetly but otherwise nothing noteworthy. In Tevinter, it is considered selfish and deviant behavior among nobles, but actively encouraged with favored slaves. Nowhere is it forbidden, and sex of any kind is only considered worthy of judgment when taken to awful excess or performed in the public eye.
-- From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar, by Brother Genitivi"
*Screencaptures from Dragon Age: Inquisition
How has sex shown up in your Dragon Age games?
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