Alistair is not an easy character to capture. He's ridiculed, mocked, cast aside, used, abused, sent on errands, given titles without authority... not to mention the fact that he was basically banned from the only home he knew by a jealous quasi-stepmother. In true storybook fashion, he's Ferelden's male Cinderella, really, and so he develops this shell of sarcasm and self-effacement thicker than any armor you can equip him with. What I love here is the way you've captured his personality as filtered through his insistence on self-mockery and joking, because that's what he does, and the endless internal monologue you just know he's got going 24x7. He puts up with so much shit from so many people, but he's a sweetheart underneath it all.
I love that you made the mabari a part of the story, and I love the annoyed reference to Morrigan (because honestly, right?) and the way the war (as he's so fond of saying canonically) has a way of bringing people together. I love the details: he's about to wake up to find darkspawn knocking at his tent and this gorgeous line made perfect by the last bit of it: To think that she was like that rose in Lothering, one shining beautiful thing in the midst of all the darkness that is their world, no, his world and I love that it's really focused just on the two of them, despite all the others that are around them all the time, and I really love that you used the "You're not an idiot, Alistair" dialog option. I could go on and on.
I'm thrilled you picked this prompt and I thank you so much for writing it for me!
no subject
Alistair is not an easy character to capture. He's ridiculed, mocked, cast aside, used, abused, sent on errands, given titles without authority... not to mention the fact that he was basically banned from the only home he knew by a jealous quasi-stepmother. In true storybook fashion, he's Ferelden's male Cinderella, really, and so he develops this shell of sarcasm and self-effacement thicker than any armor you can equip him with. What I love here is the way you've captured his personality as filtered through his insistence on self-mockery and joking, because that's what he does, and the endless internal monologue you just know he's got going 24x7. He puts up with so much shit from so many people, but he's a sweetheart underneath it all.
I love that you made the mabari a part of the story, and I love the annoyed reference to Morrigan (because honestly, right?) and the way the war (as he's so fond of saying canonically) has a way of bringing people together. I love the details: he's about to wake up to find darkspawn knocking at his tent and this gorgeous line made perfect by the last bit of it: To think that she was like that rose in Lothering, one shining beautiful thing in the midst of all the darkness that is their world, no, his world and I love that it's really focused just on the two of them, despite all the others that are around them all the time, and I really love that you used the "You're not an idiot, Alistair" dialog option. I could go on and on.
I'm thrilled you picked this prompt and I thank you so much for writing it for me!