#warden-commander duncan

[veshialles]

just finished reading The Calling, and like.. DUNCAN KNEW RIGHT? LIKE SURELY HE KNEW FULLY WHAT HE WAS DOING WHEN HE RECRUITED ALISTAIR YEAH? He travelled with Maric and Fiona into the Deep Roads, he held that baby in his arms, and was present for the discussion about what Fiona wished for her child. SO LIKE HE KNEW, RIGHT????

[roguerambles]

Also, you know who else we should have been able to hit on? Warden-Commander Duncan, that’s who.

I mean, I know you CAN as a Human Noble, but don’t tell me there weren’t other opportunities for the other Origins. Both my Elf and Human Mages would have climbed Duncan like a tree.

At the very least there could have been some opportunity to flirt at Ostagar, if only to see Alistair’s “ew stop hitting on my sort of dad” reaction.

[catebees]

*spawns in your askbox again* Have you ever drawn Duncan before?

If I could I'd draw Duncan until the end of time

[therookandthecrow]

My Warden Surana looks as cunty in the DD2 character-creator as headcanon him to supposed to look in Origins. Just to think, he is an Orlesian born blood mage who managed to snake his way into becoming the chancellor of Ferelden through a series of Machiavellian maneuvers after making Alistair Theirin's life a veritable hell during the duration of the Fifth Blight, and made it even worse by marrying him off to Loghain Mac Tir's daughter, Anora and then got into a relationship with said Loghain Mac Tir himself.

[numbaoneflaya]

Dad coded Thurwen. Sitting quietly in Ferelden during the blight reading medieval newspaper. 'what a country' she mutters to herself quietly. 'im not watching this' she says, cross armed standing in the back of a street performance audience. 'im just passing through- im not watching it.' proceeds to get annoyed if you try and talk to her during despite 'not watching it'. If there were medieval cellphones shed be standing behind you while you're on the couch very obviously reading over your shoulder but denies it vehemently. Do NOT fucking try and change the temperature of Warden Keep at any time. ""What, do you have stock in the kindling industry??"' Yelling for you from 11 rooms away but wont reply when you yell back, so you have to walk all the way to her just so she can ask you some shit like where you left the mustard.

"can we go to the Brothel after training??" "Sure we can." "REALLY??" "Yeah, but we wont."

[new-austin]

Duncan really says I will drag you to ostagar kicking and screaming if I have to and Natan takes that as a challenge.

[heniareth]

Oh, Grey Warden: Chapter 5

The Wilds

They entered what Duncan called the Korcari Wilds, which was the wider area in which Ostagar lay, barely an hour into their march. And a march it was; Duncan was harrying them along at a pace that had Astala slump down on her blanket as soon as they set up camp and only get up for cooking and dinner under grave protests. Their march lasted for two days. On their second day of travel, they started to see pools of murky water; nothing like the stream that had run through the Brecilian Forest, and probably pretty warm and full of nasty things. The air was heavy and humid. Only the salt and the wind were missing for Astala to feel like she was right back in summertime Denerim.

The taint had started to leave visible marks on Ilanlas. The bite mark had kinda sorta healed, but also blackened further. Dark veins were now faintly visible under his skin. He sometimes stumbled but kept on holding his head high. Other times Astala caught him muttering to himself in elven, then pressing on with renewed strength. Other than that, he spoke less and less. The only consolation here was that the fever was apparently gone. Her own temperature hadn’t risen yet, and she was extremely grateful for that. Even so, she could feel something building up inside of her; something lay heavy on her chest and shoulders, made her stomach grumble—and not in the hungry way—and kept her eyes open until they burned at night.

How much of all of this was the Blight eating away at her and how much was the fact that she was terrified of it? Either way, it was making her lose her mind. The fact that there was no telling made everything worse. She took her medicine, which had started to taste good, collected Andraste’s Grace where she could find it, tried to identify elfroot, which apparently was a common plant in these parts and had medicinal properties. And still, in the back of her mind, there was that little voice that had nothing to do with the whispers and that was expecting her to drop dead with every step. Or wake up one day to find her skin blistered and her sanity gone.

In the afternoon of their second day of travel, Duncan ripped her out of these and other happy thoughts.

“There,” he said, pointing ahead. “We have reached Ostagar.”

Ilanlas, who’d been doing little but trotting along for the better part of the afternoon, lifted his head.

They’d made it.

We’ve made it to Ostagar right in time for Christmas! I would’ve loved to do something more Christmas-themed, but alas, here’s where we are in the story right now XD XD XD Middle of summer in the most humid place in Ferelden ever. Maybe next year. That said, I wish you all a very happy few days! If you celebrate, Christmas or otherwise, or don’t celebrate, I wish you all the joy and good food these next few days can hold and then some. Take good care of yourselves!

[breninarthur]

Hi aster! I admit I know almost nothing about My Hero Academia but I feel legally obligated to ask about "All I Want - cringe is dead but is it tho" 😅 also for Dragon Age: "Dots and Blanks"

okay aahhh All I Want is a second-person POV Reader fic 😅 My Hero Academia got me back into fandom in general during lockdown, and when I opened up AO3 for the first time in years, I stumbled across a Reader fic, and read... SO much.

I say cringe is dead but is it though because idc about people thinking fanfiction is cringey or silly, I know it isn't... But it's hard to shake that perception of Reader fic 😅 Most people in fandom even think they're awful, and I contemplated changing it to an OC fic at one point to avoid potential embarrassment.

But I decided fuck it, it's not that deep, who cares. I haven't updated it in a couple of years now, but I definitely don't feel as though I've abandoned it.

I had the idea to write a kind of songfic where I put my music on shuffle and write each chapter based on a song! It was intended to be snapshots of a relationship, but it ended up having much more of a plot.

It definitely needs a rewrite, but 🤷 I still like it.

Dots and Blanks is about Jory and Daveth if they survived their Joinings! When I started writing The Red Admiral, the first part of my Nobody Dies* AU, I realised how many knock on effects one person not dying has. So I thought it would be fun to name each fic after either a butterfly (a flap of a butterfly's wings), or dominoes (domino effect). Dots and Blanks are the dominoes!

I started writing it just as their Joining, but I'm not really liking it so far – it's just the exact scene I've written already for when darkness comes, it feels like, but... more boring because they don't die 😂 So I might pick a different point. Maybe the Tower of Ishal or something.

Here's a teensy excerpt. More here :)

"Is he okay?" she asked, frantic as she looked between Duncan and Alistair. She felt a rush of anger when Duncan ignored her. Alistair quickly glanced her way before refocusing on Daveth. Kallian wasn't sure if that was worse.

As her panic grew, Daveth straightened up suddenly, bolt upright. His mouth was gaping. His eyes were fully white.

"From this moment forth," Duncan began, in an even, measured tone. "Daveth Surname, you are a Grey Warden."

The new Warden collapsed to the floor.

[hustlemeanokay]

New Dragon Age heart acrylic keychains :D - there are more, these are just a few.

[thedreadfulwolf]

Codex Entry: The Grey Queen

amazing art by @artist-rat

As the youngest child of the Teryn and Teryna of Highever, Elthea Cousland had an upbringing befitting any child of noble stature. While her tutors were impressed with her quick wit and grasp of diplomacy, the Hero of Fereldan also excelled with the sword and shield. Although the Teryna didn't want her daughter learning such things, the girl begged and pleaded with her older brother to teach her what he'd learnt in his lessons, and was insistent enough that the Teryn relented and allowed her to be tutored alongside Ser Gilmore. The two became quick friends and close confidants, a friendship that carried on into adulthood.

In 9:30 Dragon, Arl Rendorn Howe's men attacked Castle Cousland while the troops were marching to Ostagar with her older brother. With the rest of her family murdered, Elthea promised her father she'd flee with Warden Commander Duncan and ensure the Cousland name lived on. However, her new place of belonging was short lived, as the Grey Wardens and King Cailan were betrayed at Ostagar and all but wiped out.

In her efforts to gather allies to fight back the Blight, Elthea was known for her persuasiveness and compassion when dealing with others, always willing to give in return for their assistance despite the treaties compelling them to help anyway.

Despite her misgivings, Thea agreed to Morrigan's ritual in order to protect Fereldan's king if she and Riordan were to fall before reaching the Archdemon.

After the coronation of her beloved, Elthea's worries about their future were finally put to rest as King Alistair proposed, and they were wed six months later. Though there were some murmurings about two grey wardens on the throne of Fereldan, no one could deny how in love the couple appeared to be. They ruled together with fairness and thought for the people of their country until Queen Elthea disappeared in the night, leaving her husband to rule alone. Rumors amongst the palace servants say that wherever she is, the Queen still writes to her beloved frequently, and he is the only one who knows of her whereabouts and what took her away from the palace to begin with.

[snuffysbox]

Some thoughts on Dragon Age Veilguard and Rook.

I'm currently only halfway through Act 2, so no endgame spoilers, but I have thoughts about the game that I doubt will change with the ending.

It should have been the Inquisitor's continued story.

Straight up.

I don't hate Rook, far from it, I think they're charming most of the time and the VAs do a good job with the acting, but Rook is just a Guy ™️

They're literally just a person who has no special qualifications for leading the Veilguard, aside from being Varric's partner. All of your companions are far more qualified experts in their field who easily outshine Rook in their chosen faction. Rook is just their manager, making sure they all have what they need in order to save the world. They're the Commander Shepard to their crew, if you're generous. But Rook doesn't hold the rank of commander, they're just a mildly controversial figure within their faction. Yes, Solas is in their head, but he's not particularly helpful most of the time (likely because his role was diminished after the pivot from Dreadwolf to Veilguard).

Like, I like a regular dude being thrust into a story as much as the next guy, but when the motivation is just 'Rook wants to save the world because they live in the world and it would kinda suck if it was blighted by the gods', I feel like that's not quite enough. Yes, you get some more direct stakes if you play as an elf, but that's one choice of four potential races, so I don't think that counts.

The Warden was also just a Guy™️before Duncan recruited them, but they were one of the only few wardens left. Hawke was just a Guy™️but their story was much more personal, and what was at stake was moreso Hawke's family and friends. The Inquisitor was just a Guy™️but their ability to close rifts gave them a unique role within their organization.

None of the other protagonists were replaceable (within their story circumstances). I feel like Rook is kinda replaceable. If they got knocked out for a week and couldn't lead the team, any of the other companions (especially Harding or Davrin) could easily take over.

Imo, it would make a lot more sense if Varric and the Inquisitor had been the ones to track down Solas. It would make a lot more sense for Solas to be stuck inside the head of the Inquisitor. It would make more sense for them to be leading a new, smaller team after the dissolution of the Inquisition (or even if not disbanded, they could have left Cullen or Cassandra in charge).

I know Veilguard went through production hell. I know they had to pivot away from live service multiplayer. I know it's insane they even made a final, polished single player game after such a pivot. I know they were probably expected to make something to please the masses or risk studio closure.

I just think it's such a shame that what we got has so little in common with earlier titles, especially lore-wise. Rook is not a terrible protagonist. But the Inqisitor would honestly have been a superior choice, in my mind. Same new companions, same setting, same antagonists.

I'm sure a version of that exists out there somewhere, as an early concept. I'm just sad we didn't get to see it.

[notebooks-and-laptops]

Why The Veilguard Handles Grey Wardens Better than Dragon Age Inquisition: The horrors of the Blight, the Calling and the Cauldron

Grey wardens are by far my favourite part of Dragon Age Lore. On the surface; knights in shining armor who protect the world against an unstoppable nightmare. Underneath; a messed up and dubious order who recruit from the criminals of Thedas and who are doomed to die the moment they sign on with the Wardens.

And while I have a problem with a lot of the factions in DAtV, I think the Grey Wardens are handled excellently, because they're far less sanatised than their counterparts.

Grey wardens are a dodgy organisation filled with dodgy people who the people of Thedas have to tolerate because they are the only people who can protect it from an unwise unstoppable evil force. We're shown this as early as the first act in DAO where Duncan casually stabs a man because he doesn't want to die via the joining. To save the world they make unthinkable decisions and then because those decisions are so unthinkable, they keep all those decisions secret. You, as the Warden in DAO, can do some truly horrific things in the name of stopping the blight.

And Dragon age the Veilguard gets this so right. Davrin is a hero, a monster hunter who wants to do right. And yet he is confronted with the horror of the grey wardens time and time again in his personal quests. He is made to see how the order hides even from its own members the horrific things they do in order to create an illusion that the sacred oath is valient and worth upholding.

The Cauldron was by far one of my favourite parts of DAtV. The fact that all the griffin bones are just unceremoniously thrown in there with absolutely no regard for the sacrifice; the fact that the griffins of old went crazy after they were blighted on purpose to oppose the blight...its horrific and horrible and maybe it was the only way to save the world but surely there was another way?

Similarly, we reach the end of Davrins quest and the blighted Wessinhaupt...this isn't some horrible devious plan, Issya has been driven mad by what she was ordered to do to the griffins, and she can't stand it. She's blighted by the blood in her veins, just like she blighted her griffins. And the idea that some who fall pray to the calling end up there in this fact Wessinhaupt, their minds so twisted that they can't tell whats real anymore...it's so messed up I love it.

And yet we still have good grey warden characters just like we always have! Antone and Evka were my favourite side characters in any faction in this game. Do I wish the Grey Warden Commander had a little more nuance to him? Yes. But that's literally the only thing I have a big issue with. It's so interesting as well that with Antone and Evka in charge they start to allow people to take the joining without signing up. We know some who have joined before no longer associate with the order (Anders) but this is on a whole new level. It makes sense that they'd make that decision, but the implications about what characters who don't know what to do if they start hearing the calling...its delicious.

But I promised you some juicy DAI vs DAtV on this one, so let me explain. I think DAI's grey warden lore is interesting, but the fact that they're just mindless puppets of an evil Tevinter magister takes the bite out of it. I long for a game where the Grey Wardens are working with Corphyesus of their own violition because it highlights how fucked up they can get. And there's president for it both in The Decent in Da2 AND you as a protagonist might have made that decision to support the archetech in DAI.

In DAtV the wardens aren't morally dubious because they're working with Elganan or being mind controlled or tricked. The wardens are morally dubious because that's what they've always been. They're also heros because that's what they've always been. It's such a wonderful faction and I think they've done incredibly well with it.

In DAI all wardens are hearing the calling but we never really feel the horror of that properly, perhaps because we don't see wardens going down into the deep roads or perhaps because we don't have a (real) warden companion. In DAtV because we go into the deep roads and see these messed up wardens who have been on their calling, it's made more apparent just how terrifying the calling is, how individuals lose their minds and become more and more ghoul like if they don't die first.

And on top of that the Aesthetics! I love the blight boils coming back from DAO, I always found them so creepy and really giving you the full idea that the land is blighted as well as the people, so no crops can grow.

I really loved this part of the game and I'm glad we got it!

[sapphim]

Ok I have returned with more, actually. Here's what we know about the Ferelden Grey Wardens from Duncan's and Alistair's time, before the Blight:

Warden-Commander Polara

Duncan became Ferelden's Commander of the Grey in 9:10 Dragon [see note], assuming the mantle from Commander Polara, under whom he had served since the order's restoration in Ferelden. Polara, who hailed from Antiva, had built an amiable relationship with King Cailan. She overcame many of the objections of Teyrn Loghain, who had argued strenuously against the order returning—after all, the Wardens had attempted to overthrow the Ferelden throne centuries before. When Polara disappeared—perhaps recalled to Weisshaupt, although none in Ferelden saw her leave, nor have seen her since—Duncan bequeathed to her son a silverite axe of great value. Duncan said he had wielded it and a twin in younger days, back when he had been a far different man. He'd named the axe "Fiona" after a Warden who inspired him, and suggested that the son ought to take similar inspiration from his mother. It's unknown what became of Polara's son, other than that he fled Ferelden during the same Blight in which Duncan perished. —DA2 Codex Entry: Item: Fiona

note: The events of The Calling took place ca. 9:10 Dragon [That timeline has been riddled with errors but per WoTv2 p.81 "...when the Grey Wardens first returned to Ferelden in 9:10 Dragon... King Maric joined a much younger Duncan and his fellow Wardens in a mission to the Deep Roads."]. The 9:10 date given for Duncan to assume command of the Wardens is certainly in error, as at that point in time he was a babey Warden who'd been recruited about six months prior [per The Calling].

Warden-Constable Reyor

The following is an excerpt from a letter [...] written by a Warden-Constable Reyor two months after Alistair's recruitment: "I know you said it was unnecessary, but as I investigate all new recruits I looked into this Alistair lad... and it's rather odd. There was an old groundskeeper who knew him and seemed quite fond; she reminisced about the night Alistair was first brought to Redcliffe Castle. She mentioned a young man of Rivaini descent bringing the boy, and intrigued, I gave her your description. She didn't know if that original young man was you, but she said she'd seen you come to the castle often through the years, asking after Alistair's progress and watching him. I have to ask: Is that true? Is there something about the lad the Wardens should know?" And the response from Warden-Commander Duncan: "Alistair is the son of an old friend. As my travels indeed bring me to Redcliffe from time to time, I have looked in on him. I believe he is a worthy addition to our ranks. There is nothing more you or the Wardens need to know." —World of Thedas vol. 2, p. 80

Richu & Tamarel

Duncan stood silently at the gates of the village. To his right crouched Tamarel with her bow. He had recruited the young elf for her sharp eye; she had justified his confidence through methodical, deadly hunting [see note]. To Duncan’s left waited Richu, as experienced a Warden as Duncan himself, thick arms crossed and waiting. In war, victory Duncan recalled the start of the Grey Wardens’ motto, the part he held closest to his heart. War never offered any choice but to win; in the battles the Wardens fought, losing meant the destruction of everything they knew and loved. Any sacrifice, if it meant victory. Triumph, no matter the price. The three were nearing Redcliffe when they felt the tugging at their souls, the sensation familiar to any Warden that warned of twisted foes approaching. It is a blessing and a curse, thought Duncan, to sense the darkness in time to fight it, but also to know that a piece of that darkness will always be with us. In peace, vigilance It was centuries now since the end of the Fourth Blight, and the world had moving on. Some said the darkspawn no longer existed, or thought that occasional darkspawn raids in remote lands proved them now no more than a nuisance. But although the battles were hidden from human eyes, the dwarves still clashed with the darkspawn in the Deep Roads. Ignorance would not make the threat disappear. Here, in this remote village in southern Ferelden, the darkspawn had risen in such numbers that the people had been completely overwhelmed. Duncan shook his head, nodded once, and a several darkspawn near the center of the village fell to Warden arrows. Duncan and Richu charged, steel glinting in the moonlight, to engage the creatures in close combat. There were more than a score remaining to confront the three Wardens, but Duncan reckoned the odds fair. Blades slashed through dark flesh, and Tamarel cautiously pressed forward into the village, loosing arrows upon any darkspawn that thought to flee. The Grey Wardens cut the darkspawn down to the last. Covered in dark ichor and his own red blood, Duncan surveyed the combination of partially eaten human corpses and newly dead darkspawn. A few, maybe three or four, villagers stirred, staring out at the scene with lasting horror. “We were too late,” Tamarel said. She was right; Duncan knew in his heart that the survivors had already been tainted. Those who avoided a quick, excruciating death would be driven mad, turned into diseased and rabid killers. He cursed and spit and wiped his sword clean. He stepped forward. The villagers looked on him with mounting terror, their eyes growing wide as they turned black. They turned and fled. Tamarel’s arrows slammed into the villagers’ spines as they ran. They died because they must, died to prevent the spread of the same taint that gave the Grey Wardens their connection to their enemy. That same evil that would eat away at the three Wardens until one day each would decide it was time to descend into the Deep Roads for one final walk into the shadows, to end their lives with purpose rather than wasting away from sickness. In death, sacrifice The final line of the Wardens’ motto is doubtless the most crucial. Every life must have meaning; every death must have purpose. Waving his hand, Duncan called the others to him and they began the bitter task of burning the village to ashes. Nothing was to be left. —Bioware Wiki: Duncan

note: We know that Tamarel was no longer present at the time that Alistair was recruited [six months prior to the events of Dragon Age: Origins, per his dialogue] as he states [see below] that there were no women in the Ferelden Wardens during his time, and the only elf was a man named Tarimel................ wait oh my god he transitioned good for him

Gregor (Grigor?) & Kherek & Tarimel

Warden: What was it like to be a Grey Warden, with all the others? Alistair: I didn’t know them for very long, but I guess it was longer than you. You never met them all, did you? Alistair: They were quite a group. Actually, they felt like an extended family, since we were all cut off from our former lives. Alistair: We also laughed more than you’d think. There was this one time… well, you probably don’t want to hear stories about men you didn’t know. Warden: Weren’t there any women? Alistair: Not as Grey Wardens, not while I was there. I saw pictures of some who had been, and they all seemed to be able warriors. One was even a templar. Warden: Were there any elves amongst them? Alistair: Just one, a man named Tarimel. He kept to himself, mostly. I got the impression that his life before the Grey Wardens was… unpleasant. Warden: Were there any dwarves amongst them? Alistair: There was one when I first joined, a dwarf named Kherek. He was one of the elders and he… left for Orzammar before the reports of the Blight began. Alistair: It’s too bad, really. Kherek said that he never wanted to go back. He wanted to die fighting darkspawn on the surface. Alistair: There was one Grey Warden who came all the way from the Anderfels. What was his name? Gregor? Grigor? He was a burly man with the biggest, fuzziest beard you’ve ever seen. Alistair: And the man could drink. He drank all the time but never got drunk. Finally we all made a pool to see just how many pints it would take to put him under the table. Warden: Sounds like you had a lot of fun. Alistair: Sometimes. We were kin, of a sort. All of us had gone through the Joining, so we knew… anyhow, it doesn’t have to be deadly serious all the time. Warden: I bet I could have out-drank him. Alistair: Oh, I honestly doubt it. You might have tried, but this fellow had a supernatural constitution, I swear. Alistair: Anyhow, we never did find out. He said he’d drink a pint for every half-pint that the rest of us drank. He was still going by the time the rest of us were passed out. Alistair: I’m told that Duncan walked in later on and saw us all passed out from one end of the hall to the other, and Gregor still drinking. Duncan laughed until he nearly… until… —Dragon Age: Origins

Rondall

[...] it appeared Alistair did well among the Grey Wardens. He flourished in a way he never had in the Chantry, quickly growing attached to his fellow Wardens and they to him. One can see this in a letter he wrote to Arl Eamon but never sent: "I didn't think I belonged anywhere, Uncle. You said I should try my best, and I really did when I was in the chantry. Well, that's a lie, I suppose. I wanted to try. It was hard to want that, however, when everyone's always scowling at you.[...] "But the Wardens are different. Everyone who comes here... they didn't belong anywhere, either, and then they found this cause. They found each other. They don't know anything about me, where I come from, and they don't care. Duncan said I was worthy, and that's all that mattered. I thought the man must have been insane to pick me out, me of all people, but now... Now I don't know. They say I'm learning fast. I beat Rondall in a spar the other day, beat him honestly, and... I think I might be good at being a Warden. They think so, too." —World of Thedas vol. 2, p. 81

[casino-lights]

King Alistair vs Warden Alistair discourse always seems to resurface, like all of the other character-centric discourse, with each resurgence of the dragon age fandom. fandom veterans are probably tired of this by now, but since a lot of new people are playing origins and the old arguments about players making Bad Choices in this rpg are getting rehashed, here's my two cents on this topic in particular. 

I was watching my girlfriend play through some of the early levels in origins when I suddenly had a lot of thoughts about Alistair and she encouraged me to share them. throughout his introduction and his subsequent role in Ostagar and the Wilds, we see Alistair being quick-witted and snappy with his humor, but also very focused and dutiful. we see him being (mostly) respectful and polite, but also fairly confident and surprisingly authoritative considering his behavior later in the game. Alistair is comfortable here in Ostagar, and he's comfortable as a Warden not only under Duncan's command, but also over these new recruits. he doesn't shy away from his role as a mentor, the one who's supposed to show everyone the ropes and keep them on task and on schedule. he kindly yet firmly puts Jory back on track when he stumbles, he takes charge when he finds out the Tower of Ishal has been overrun, and he displays thorough knowledge of both the plan and the original expectations of what would be found in the tower. he's also knowledgeable about Blights and some Warden history, and he takes it upon himself to inform Duncan of Morrigan and Flemeth instead of just letting the player talk like he does later on.

speaking of that scene, Duncan is a bit firm but not angry or mean when he says he tells Alistair not to focus on the fact that Morrigan and Flemeth are likely apostates. he tells Alistair in no uncertain terms that this is not his concern and he needs to return his attention to the task at hand. this is not dissimilar from the way the player can later tell Alistair that people are taking advantage of him and he needs to make sure he's standing up for himself, but I'll get into this more a bit later.

what I'm trying to get at is that when we meet Alistair, he's a little closer to his hardened self than to the chronically unserious and incompetent manchild that Morrigan, DA2 and Inquisition, and some parts of this fandom treat him as. post-Ostagar, even Alistair himself seems to see himself as some class clown who can't do anything right, and characters like Wynne enable this by treating him like an ACTUAL child. while Alistair is almost certainly young, he has already proven shortly after meeting him that he's not even remotely stupid and he can obviously take care of himself. Duncan refers to the player, Jory, and Daveth as Alistair's "charges," showing that Duncan clearly trusts Alistair with a lot of responsibility and the safety and guidance of three strangers. he is far from stupid, he's far from childish, and he's obviously a layered character.

this has been said countless times before but a big problem in every fandom is the slow reduction of characters to one or two notable traits, and Alistair is no exception. I have a theory as to why. we know Duncan's death affected him deeply, but I don't think that alone explains his sudden switch from respecting the player while continuing to guide them and share responsibility as the senior Warden to almost blindly letting them lead him around and acting like if he led for five minutes they'd all die horrible deaths because he's just that incompetent. I think that during the time the player was unconscious in Flemeth's house, Alistair experienced an offscreen breakdown where he retreated behind desperate attempts at humor and making himself seem dumber and sillier to appear less competent in the hopes that someone else would be in charge so he didn't have to. if you think back to what age he was when he last experienced such a sudden, tumultuous, confusing loss of stability, routine, community, and a father figure - Eamon sending him to the Chantry as a child - you might even consider this to be a form of partial age regression. when we see him outside Flemeth's hut, he pleads with the player to not abandon him because he doesn't know what they should do or where they should go. he hasn't had this lack of direction ever since he was sent to the Chantry because after that, they dictated his life until Duncan recruited him and then the Wardens dictated his life. he's terrified and tired and grieving, and he begs us to make the decisions and help him figure out what to do. 

Morrigan gives him some shit for being quiet and sad, and he snaps at her, but otherwise we don't see a lot of that confidence and willingness to stand up for himself after this. I don't often play a character who is openly mean to any of their companions, so I don't really take any of the more dismissive dialogue options toward Alistair, but he's obviously hiding behind his humor and trying to make himself seem insignificant. in one line he even jokes that he'd hide behind his shield instead of his humor but the player would see him behind it. I think he really does just wish he could hide and grieve on his own and wait for someone else to give him a purpose again, and I think that if we actually saw the process of this breakdown from his more comfortable, confident, capable self into the Alistair we get post-Ostagar and pre-Goldanna, fewer people might be coddling Alistair and enabling this unhealthy coping mechanism. I wish the dialogue options to harden him were a bit kinder, but as we saw, Duncan was willing to tell it to Alistair straight up, and maybe that's the directness he needed from the player too. maybe Alistair needed to be told in no uncertain terms, by someone he respects and trusts, that most people he interacts with have some kind of ulterior motive and he needs to be more aware of this and stand up for himself and his beliefs. once he understands this, we can see him shift from reluctantly taking on the role of king because you and Eamon think it would be best to taking on the role of king because he understands it would be best.

bioware basically canonized this firmer, more responsible version of Alistair in their comics and even during some parts of Inquisition. we know King Alistair is their canon, but even though he shows some uncertainty about his ability to be King, we don't see any unwillingness. yet bioware also made the unfathomable decision to simultaneously show Alistair being a confident, capable king and then immediately fuck that growth up by having him look like a bumbling idiot who still doodles on royal documents at the fair age of thirty-something and still doesn't know how dictating a letter works after ten years of ruling Ferelden. they somehow invalidated both of his paths in origins at the same time, and perhaps most frustratingly, they just won't let go of the "swooping is bad" style of writing for him. let him grow. let him be as competent and brave and determined as he is in your comics. his progress has been so inconsistent it's painful.

if it wasn't already obvious, I think the best path for Alistair as a character is to harden him and make him king. he just doesn't get to prove himself as a Warden as much as he does when he's king. he's mostly alone, he doesn't seem to have a great rapport with other Wardens outside of his renown as one of the heroes of the Blight, and he just acts tangibly sadder. this could be because of the fake Calling, sure, but if he was still joking around with us during an actual Blight, I don't see why this event would have him this drained of personality and life, especially because he knows that this is not the real Calling. his line when he's left in the Fade - "tell Morrigan... tell her I just stood there looking foolish" - is another testament to the fact that he has not grown at all from his self-deprecating humor and he still hasn't come to see himself as capable and worthy of respect. we don't get to see enough of him as king, but from what little we get he seems to be wielding his power and authority well, and he's an incredibly well-respected and well-loved king. especially with Anora or a Cousland queen at his side, he's brave, commanding, and - just like he was back in Ostagar - he seems COMFORTABLE. he knows what he's doing, he sees his worth and accepts it, and he's more than willing to be firm and tell Fiona in no uncertain terms that Ferelden will not tolerate the events in Redcliffe. he's taking command and he's leading and protecting his charges, even though they're a lot more than just three Warden recruits this time. 

on a personal note, as someone who has dealt with mental health challenges, tough love from someone I respect and trust actually really helped me and I wouldn't be where I am without the occasional "you need to snap out of it." I'm not saying it's best for all scenarios, but I have experienced this firsthand. Alistair hiding from his responsibilities because they're overwhelming and he's terrified does resonate with me, but so does him actually healing a bit more and becoming more confident when someone shows him that they know he's better than this and he just needs to act like it. 

lastly, I think it's important to clarify that I don't believe anyone is playing any rpg the Wrong Way, regardless of what bioware made canon in their comics and other external media. I also think it's stupid to try and say ANY choice or route is inherently right or wrong, and every player is entitled to their opinion and preference. choices made in role playing games are usually done for the sake of playing a role, immersing oneself, and/or exploring the game's full library of content. as I said, I personally find hardened King Alistair with Queen Cousland to be the most satisfying version of his character arc, but I don't mean any of this to shame anyone if they choose or believe otherwise. no hate is intended, so don't purposefully misunderstand or misinterpret my words. no offense is intended if you just prefer one of Alistair's storylines or character arcs over the other. full offense is intended if you're the kind of person who bullies, shades, or otherwise belittles people who don't agree with your super special headcanons because you need to be the most correct player in the fandom.

thanks to everyone who isn't one of those people for reading all this <3

[vhenad4hl]

CODEX ENTRY: THE HERO OF FERELDEN - DINAYA TABRIS

The Hero of Ferelden grew up in Denerim's impoverished elven alienage. A bitter clash with a Denerim noble during her wedding resulted in her facing arrest by the city guards. The Grey Warden Commander Duncan recruited Dinaya, saving her from a certain death sentence.

Rumors sprouted of her having entered into a romantic relationship with a former Chantry sister and Orlesian bard during the Fifth Blight, though these rumors remain unconfirmed.

After defeating the Archdemon and ending the Fifth Blight, Dinaya took up the mantle of Warden - Commander of Ferelden. She began the task of rebuilding the order in Ferelden until her disappearance several years later.

Inquisition agents later uncovered that she had left to travel west in search for a cure to the Calling.

art by @sinizade

[ Alethea ]

[harrycollins]

When Arl Rendon Howe's forces attacked Castle Cousland and murdered most of the Cousland family, the Hero of Ferelden escaped to safety with Warden-Commander Duncan, who then recruited him into the Order.