if we’re asking for your faves... shitty ex templar edition: cullen or alistair? B)
Okay so first of all
I do not consider Cullen an ex-templar. I consider him to be a steaming hot pile of garbage who only “left” the Order under extenuating circumstances to join another military arm of the Chantry that was working towards resolving the Mage-Templar war and we all know which side he favors in that resolution.
TRASH BAG
That said. Some sort of switch went off in my head a while back and I decided that I like him ONLY as a bag of trash. Motivated entirely by the fact that I am delighted at the idea of a Cullen who obsessed over an Amell and took that obsession and projected it onto Hawke.
The one who attends an Amell’s Harrowing and chats them up afterwards like it’s NBD he was willing to murder them. Excuse me, “do his duty.” The one who begs you to also murder mages rather than save them in the Broken Circle. The one who went through the exact same trauma mages are subjected to and instead of saying, “Huh, Harrowings are bad, actually.” doubled down on “Mages are bad, actually.” The one with the epilogue slides in Origins who really does go nuts and murder a few mages before being sent to a Chantry for therapy that clearly didn’t take because he straight up does not believe mages are people in Dragon Age 2.
That guy is a fun dude. I love the darkfic potential for that guy and I wholly intend to go nuts with it so I am so sorry if that is not your cup of tea because it is certainly mine. 👀 👀 👀
Cullen “I’ve changed with absolutely no narrative to support said change while spouting the exact same beliefs I have throughout the past two games only watered down a little” Inquisition Rutherford is not a fun dude and I don’t know him.
Alistair is okay I guess.
My feelings for him are so back and forth over the years. Initially I thought he was delightful comedic relief. Then I thought he was annoying (Think: ”That sounds like a bunch of whining.”) Now I just think he is a literal child (He’s 20 in DAO??? He is a child. Save him.) with severe PTSD who just lost his father-figure and needs to take a ten year nap and follow it up with ten more years of therapy because he did not deserve that.
That said, I am honestly okay with whatever happens to him. I really appreciate that of all the companions, he has the most variance in his future. A drunk, a Warden, a King, dead. I have one canon playthrough where he’s King and another where I execute him, though I think he’d be happiest just staying a Warden. But you know me, no nice things allowed.
