Guest_lady0635_*
My fanfic writing is very narrow in scope primarily consisting of smallish scenes between my Inquisitor and his LI (Dorian) -- and no, they don't all have sex in them. I don't really have an interest in writing anything else. But, I did write Cole on one occasion and it was sort of as you describe, but as just a lead in to something else, so I don't consider that I used him as a plot device since he wasn't really required for the scene, just furthering background exposition (something that I do a lot of in my fics).
With that in mind, I found trying to write him to be extremely difficult and I really struggled to get a pattern down for his 'reading' to make it sound somewhat authentic. I went through several iterations before I was finally satisfied. I wonder if this is what keeps many fans from writing him at all, regardless of whether or not they have a good idea or concept. Patrick Weekes did a marvelous job in writing him, but he is quite unique and I think that makes it intimidating.
My go-to device for bringing the game into a reader's mind is to throw in certain phrases that the character or other NPCs might actually use which generally add to the atmosphere of overall dialog in the game: "very well," "true enough," Dorian's "Fine, have it your way," and other such things. But with Cole, particularly if you are creating from scratch an emotional reading, trying to bring it all together to sound cryptic, while still being intelligible, and also having a certain flow and pattern that make it sound Cole-like is difficult. For me, at least.
As an aside, I was quite pleased to hear my Inquisitor actually say "hi" in one dialog to Sera, which gave me permission to use the word in writing. I try to not bring in any sort of idioms or colloquialisms unless I've actually heard/seen them in the game; the one exception I've made is "okay," which I can't recall actually seeing or hearing anywhere.
Try basing Cole's dialogue off his banter with your companions or talks at the Rest.
For example:
The Inquisitor climbed the second flight of stairs and as she reached the top, a familiar sight greeted her. Cole was standing in his usual corner, listening to the patrons, waiting and wondering what he could do to help if one of them needed something. He turned at the sound of footsteps approaching, arms crossed and his large hat nearly concealing his eyes from view.
The Inquisitor stood in front of him now. "Hello Cole, is everything alright?"
Cole turned to face her, he uncrossed his arms and titled his head in thought. "She can't sleep. The nightmare still haunts her."
The Inquisitor raised an eyebrow and looked over the railing. "Who?" She inquired.
Cole moved to the railing, his shoulder brushing hers as he past swiftly like a breeze. He pointed to a sullen looking blonde woman tucked into the corner of the bar, nursing a fifth drink. "Her."
"Do you want to help her, Cole?" The Inquisitor asked as she followed the direction of his finger and frowned at the troubled woman.
Cole slowly dropped his hand to his side. "Yes... but I can't."
"Why not?"
Lifting his head, his grey-blue eyes met her warm brown ones. "Everyone can see me now."
The Inquisitor chuckled. "Come on Cole, I can help."
Cole watched the Inquisitor head toward the stairs and slowly followed, his brows creased, curious to what she had in mind. As long as it made this girl feel better, he would do anything he could to help.
Eh... not my best but just an example of how I'd write him lol
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I know nothing about the series, but I wish James Norton a lot of success with it. The amazing way he brought a challenging character like Cole to life has to be a testament to his overall skills as an actor.
