#writing this made me want to write a fic where Shayla is....alone and very sad..... and then Dog is there...

[kirkwallgremlin]

@gayvhenan putting this in a new post because it started getting long!

Frankie and Shayla very much don’t get on, and while they end up civil and with a lot of respect for each other, I don’t think they’ll ever be friends. That’s part of the reason Frankie ends up warden commander while Shayla takes off for Antiva and then who knows where with Zev 🥰

Frankie

Views leaving Orzammar as a positive opportunity

Idolises Duncan

Can’t wait to be a grey warden and a hero

Adores Alistair and likes him almost as soon as she meets him

Is passionate about helping the Wardens and stopping the Blight

Shayla

Views leaving her family and alienage as literally her only option despite not wanting to

Despises Duncan for not doing more to help and forcing her into this situation

Doesn’t want to be a grey warden, at all, and would definitely have fled prior to the Joining if given enough time and space to think and act

Hates Alistair bc he represents everything that’s hurt her (male, human, noble, warden), plus Duncan went and died on her so Alistair ends up the target for her frustration at Duncan too

Couldn’t care less about the wardens, she just wants to be safe and with her family but feels she has no choice but to help

Shayla thinks Frankie and Alistair are both naive and idealistic and doesn’t understand their devotion to the Wardens. She’s also dealing with some very fresh trauma (bc y’know Tabris origin) when arriving at Ostagar, which makes her very snappy and withdrawn and not the best at interacting with people, and then she gets the trauma of Ostagar on top of that so she’s not exactly in the best position to be particularly diplomatic. And while Frankie and Alistair have each other for comfort, Shayla is kinda dealing with everything alone because she’s put her walls up so much and refuses to let anyone in which pushes her and Frankie even further apart. Plus, her feelings towards Alistair mean she’s more than happy to join Morrigan with being mean to him sometimes which puts Frankie off side too.