reading some opinions on blackwall v cullen and the appeal of either and i think my conclusion is just: different strokes for different folks

blackwall: does wrong bc of lawful neutrality --> regret --> deceives to live a more moral life --> turns himself in for the crimes of his wards

cullen: does wrong bc of complicity + trauma --> regret --> cuts ties to live a more moral life --> commits to overcoming prejudice

it's hard to make a distinctive moral judgement because b̶i̶o̶w̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶s̶t̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶y̶s̶t̶e̶m̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶o̶p̶p̶r̶e̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ blackwall makes more external efforts to correct his wrongs, but also his wrongs are presented as tied to a single tragic event

cullen is an archetype- of how the a̶r̶m̶y̶ chantry uses valor + victimhood to create radicalized soldiers to enact violence. bioware asks "how do you repair systemic violence" and can't answer within a contained char arc so focuses on cullen's penance, ignoring his impact

anyways, my feelings are their appeal is more a matter of taste than anything. if you're into individual, contained redemption with committed personal payoff, blackwall is the obvious choice. and through thinking about this i think i appreciate him more than i did

cullen appeals to me bc i'm interested in how radicalization happens + a fluctuating arc over multiple games + visceral physical markers of your mistakes. i just wish bioware had the balls to make him confront a mage he harmed/work in reparations rather than just templar recovery