robertthebard wrote...
Freckles04 wrote...
I haven't played the game yet where I choose Loghain, because I like Alistair too much. I'll do it at one point, if only to see the content I haven't seen yet. But from a player perspective, I'm on Alistair's side.
I think he's perfectly justified in his hissy fit. Here's why:
Here's a man who has never belonged anywhere. He's been unwanted his entire life, and he's known it. His father didn't want him, his brother didn't know about him, Arl Eamon had him live in the stables, Isolde outright hated him. He despised the Chantry and certainly didn't fit in there, but he had no choice in being there or his path on becoming a templar. When he was offered a chance to escape, of course he took it. In his position, who wouldn't? I think Alistair would have taken any chance given to him to get out of the Chantry. Being a Grey Warden, in his eyes, was just a benefit.
This presumes a lot, and contradicts things we learn from Alistair himself, and from securing Redcliffe and Redcliffe castle. For instance, if Arl Eamon didn't care, why is Alistair's mother's amulet in his desk drawer, repaired? Alistair tells us that he broke it in fit of rage about being sent to the Chantry. Yet here it is, repaired, in the study of someone that didn't care about him?
Actually, by the time Duncan recruited Alistair he was liking being a Templar. You don't have to take my word for it, you can chat Alistair up for the details, be sure to ask him about his Chantry robes. You know, the ones he keeps under his pillow even now.A lot of people have pointed out that being a Grey Warden means doing what is necessary, no matter the cost, and Alistair doesn't fit those requirements. That's absolutely correct. Alistair colours the role through his own idealism. Being who he is, he would filter out the necessary evil the Wardens do, and see only the good. He finally belongs somewhere, after a lifetime of not, so that must mean that the Grey Wardens are honourable and good, because that's what he is. Or how he views himself, anyway. Regardless, in his mind, he's found a home for himself. Think about that for a minute. His dream in the Fade is all about belonging, having a home, fitting in. Going to see Goldanna is all about the same. That's all he's ever wanted. And when he's finally found it, with the Wardens, it's ripped away from him in an instant.
Again, you are presuming a lot that is not in evidence, even from Alistair. At 10 he resented the Chantry, and being sent, by the time he was recruited he liked it fine. Again, this is information you can glean from Alistair himself. It doesn't require a lot of Codex reading, you can just chat with him about being a Templar. The fact that he implies being rescued by Duncan is, according to all the dialog, false. Is he glad to be a Warden? Surely, but he was happy being a templar, and getting the education. This comes directly from Alistair.So he starts building a new home with the PC and the rest of the party. He discovers a new place to belong, particularly if he's in a romance with the PC. And then you get to the Landsmeet, where the option to recruit Loghain comes up. Basically, if you agree to it, you're demolishing the place Alistair's created for himself. Again. A man can only be so strong and take so many hits before he breaks. And that's why he breaks here: he belonged with the Grey Wardens, yes, but his true place is with you, and when you betray his thoughts and feelings and beliefs that he's expressed throughout the game, he realizes that, once more, he belongs nowhere. That one goal is torn away from him once more, and he can't take it.
This is Alistair's own doing. He chose to romanticize the Wardens, and ignore the fact that, in my case, the person he's raised up on a pedestal to lead him around is a multitime murderer that was conscripted into the Wardens in order to dodge a death penalty or worse. The worst part of this is, this is the only time that the PC basically spits in his face, so the logical conclusion is that he's really fragile. He built this glass house to hide in, and the first rock broke it. He's responsible for his own feelings, I can't make him feel anything. Well, maybe not, however, his actions have left me with nothing but contempt for him. If I'd seen the option at the landsmeet in that game, he'd be dead. Dead or run off, he's serving the Grey Wardens exactly the same way. Not at all.If Alistair had shown up at the final battle, I'd have tried hard to find a way to kill him. He no longer has the right to wear the mantle of the Grey Wardens for his actions at the Landsmeet. His immaturity reduces the number of people able to actually stop the blight by one, all because he wants to be petty and selfish.Is it childish? Probably. Would it have been wonderful to see Alistair show up at the final battle in spite of his desertion? Absolutely. But he's not a superman. He's a man with deep, deep issues, not to mention a shattered and stomped-on heart, and I think that expecting him to shrug that all off is not something he's capable of.
Nothing against BioWare, they did a fine job putting this guy together. They must have, to get all these people that can take the same actions and play them out so many different ways.
What you said about him liking being a Templar is wrong. He openly says he hated being a Templar several times. He does say that he actually liked the training and discipline but he is quite clear that he hates everything else about it.
Modifié par AntiChri5, 18 décembre 2009 - 10:38 .
Retour en haut
