The Old Guard (Ye Olde Cullen Thread v4.0 + gen discussion)

I agree with like every single thing you said here, though as much tension as I sense between Cas and Varric, I don't think they'd make a good couple - they would fight constantly and end up miserable. He's too prone to poking sensitive spots and she's very defensive/emotional underneath her shell.

But yeah, I don't much care for him in Inquisition. I would have preferred a different returning companion or a new one entirely. I know the red lyrium was unfinished business for him, but overall he felt way less connected to the story than everyone else.

Thank-you for the notification r2smuse, I know I wasn`t on the other board long and I appreciate that you would send me an invite to this thread.

omg yes... I'm specifically going to make Cole a spirit this time and not JUST because I'm salty about David Gaider once basically saying anyone who wanted to romance Cole was a sick pedo bastard

Cole didn't come out nearly as childish as I was expecting from Gaider's comments re:romance. I think I was expecting like a 15 -16 yr old but in game he seemed legal age to me. Think they aged him up on purpose? I honestly don't recall how old he was supposed to be in the book.

And agree, Maryden felt weird.

These smilies are just making my day! Hahaha!

Yeah, I thought Cole in Asunder was quite young, but I'm not sure it ever specifically says.

Maryden was an odd choice to me, too. This is sorta off the wall, but human!Cole and Dagna actually could've been interesting. They both have a weird childlike wonder about the world and I could totally see Dagna getting super invested in trying to understand Cole on his level without judging him. I guess those are more or less the same reasons she ends up with Sera, haha.

I believe in Asunder Cole was described as being in his later teens or early 20s. Rhys wasn't sure. A lot of people point to the scene where Cole sees Evangeline undress in her room and it doesn't appear to turn him on in any way. I always found that a bizarre attempt at proof that he was not mentally an adult. Let me explain something that probably seems weird to some: if I were in a room and watching an attractive man undress it wouldn't really excite anything in me. Sorry, that's just how I'm wired. And unbeknownst to me, I was seeing Cole in this same light, and so when people talked about how he wasn't behaving SEXUALLY like an adult it just confused and irritated me. At the time I said "Maybe he's gay," which apparently NO ONE even considered. But he also could be asexual, demisexual, or ... I mean, he's a friggin spirit. "Sexuality" may not even mean what it does to us.

I thought Cole was very innocent, but also very sweet and in need of hugs and support, so that's why I wanted to romance him. Not for... pervy reasons.





I heard an interesting banter between Solas and Cole yesterday while adventuring in the Hinterlands. Solas asked Cole if he was interested in women and Cole's answer was, "No." spoken in a very matter of fact tone.  So, I do not think Cole has the same human urges we would expect in a young man.  I get the impression that if Cole stays a spirit he has no inclination.  However, if he is human the relationship with Maryden seems to imply a physical element.

This is actually an "all characters" thread! So feel free to talk about all of them!

Yeah I've heard that banter, too! Although I don't like the pairing with Maryden, I'm okay with him trying out a physical relationship. If you take an asexual person, for example, some are willing to engage in physical intimacy for the benefit of their partner. 

And I also just enjoy concepts of species/people/creatures who are radically different from us in ways we struggle to understand, like the asari not having a concept of gender, or here Cole not fully comprehending sexuality. 

EDIT: I'm sooo sorry I have no idea why it erased your comment!

 At the time I said "Maybe he's gay," which apparently NO ONE even considered. But he also could be asexual, demisexual, or ... I mean, he's a friggin spirit. "Sexuality" may not even mean what it does to us.