Cole (Dragon Age)

Cole is a character in the Dragon Age franchise. He was first introduced in a story in the novel Dragon Age: Asunder and later appeared as a recruitable companion character in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
== Canon==
In Dragon Age: Asunder, Cole is a young mage who was arrested by Templars after killing his abusive father, and was taken to The Spire, where he was tortured before being forgotten and starving to death in a remote cell. The spirit of compassion the mage had befriended assumed his personality, memories, and appearance, becoming corporeal in the process. This spirit had the unique ability to sense the pain of mortals and to make himself unseen. He became the mysterious "Ghost of the Spire," killing mages and spreading terror through the Spire. To him, these killings were not murders, but acts of mercy intended to spare mages the torments of the Circle. He eventually stopped and left the Spire.
In Dragon Age: Inquisition, Cole can be recruited to join the Inquisition, professing a desire to help people even it means killing. He is unfamiliar with the workings of the mortal world due to his origins as a Fade spirit. Varric, Solas, and the Inquisitor become his mentors. Varric encourages him to connect more with his humanity, while Solas guides him to embrace his spirit side. Cole's decision can be determined by the player.
== Fannish Perspectives ==
===Shipping & Asexuality===
Due to his naive nature, some fans view Cole as child-like or even "child-coded," and thus find shipping him with other characters to be problematic or tantamount to child abuse."What's the general opinion on Cole in regards to the relationship between him and the Inquisitor? [Slight spoilers]" post on r/dragonage on RedditMeta by dragonageconfessions Others fans see Cole as too alien to be interested in romantic/sexual relationships or headcanon him as asexual. It is possible for Cole to end up in a relationship with female NPC Maryden Halewell in the Trespasser DLC if he embraces his humanity in Inquisition."Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser DLC - Cole and his girlfriend" on YouTube
In a 2021 academic paper, Melissa Shani Brown and Nichola Lucy Partridge presented an asexual reading of Cole, finding that DA:I's writing others and infantilizes him in its equation of sexual desire with humanity:Melissa Shani Brown & Nichola Lucy Partridge, "'Strangely Like a Person': Cole and the Queering of Asexuality in Dragon Age: Inquisition", Sexuality & Culture, Volume 25, Issue 3, June 2021
Brown and Partridge held that Cole's story arc reinforces not only compulsory sexuality but heteronormativity by positioning a het relationship as an exclusive outcome of the human path:
Lead BioWare writer David Gaider argued in a 2015 Tumblr post that explorations of asexuality in future Dragon Age games would require "in-game discussion" that he felt would be difficult in the series' "quasi-medieval setting":Reblog from The DGaider Tumblr Archives (2015)
===Neurodivergent Interpretations===
Patrick Weekes stated in a 2016 interview with BioFan that they drew on elements of autism spectrum disorder when writing Cole in Dragon Age: Inquisition. However, when directly asked whether Cole might be considered autistic on Twitter in 2014, Weekes replied that they saw likening an otherworldly spirit to an autistic person as "insulting to neuroatypical folks."Tweet by @patrickweekes
Some autistic fans have nonetheless embraced the interpretation of Cole as autistic or having autistic traits, particularly as an accurate, relatable reflection of sensory overload and emotional hypersensitivity in an autistic adult.
In light of these interpretations, some see the shipping controversy, specifically the interpretation of Cole as a child or child-like entity, as perpetuating ableist stereotypes.
==Fanworks==
===Fanart===
*DAI - Decorative Heroes - Cole by aimo
*- Cole - by Anathematixs
*Cole by BellaDiablosita
*I Was Never Here by coupleofkooks
*DAI: Cole by Cynvii
*Compassion by cypii
*Dragon Age Inquisition Cole by dreNerd
*Smells like Teen Spirit by endrae
*Weight your sins by endrae
*Cole by Ennamor
*Ghost of the Spire by Eristhe
*DAI: Cole by InfernalGuard
*Cole by Joel-Lee
*Cole Tarot Card by kataraqui
*Cole by KimikoYukichan
*Human or Spirit by KimikoYukichan
*Cole by likatnnes
*Cole by Linnpuzzle
*Cole by LynxSphinx
*that strange boy by Marllowe
*Cole by Mezamero
*The Page of Swords by Mezamero
*Cole by OkiDice
*Cole by Phyreflye
*The lost boy by relssaH
*Cole by sagasketchbook
*Compassion by silent-fixer
*They Will Not Take Me by sketchtastrophe
*Cole by Skizoh
*Cole by spectre-draws
*Cole by Withoutafuss
*Cole2 by Withoutafuss
*Cole by Yunipar
===Cosplay===
*Dragon Age Inquisition - Cole cosplay by AkayrahProject
*The Forgotten Boy by Ennamor
*Dragon Age - Cole Cosplay by Galactic-Reptile
*Mikan no Yuki fest - Cole by J-Melmoth
*Cole 2 by Kasye
*Dragon Age - The Ghost of the White Spire by love-squad
*Cole cosplay by Nebulaluben
*Cole - Emprise du lion I by Neqquu
*Cole - Emprise du lion II by Neqquu
*Warm - Cole cosplay by Neqquu
*Dragon Age - Cole's Approach by twinfools
*Dragon Age - Cole n' Berries by twinfools
==Art Gallery==
File:Cole by Delomia.png|Cole by Delomia
File:The forgotten boy by Ephdrawz.jpg|The forgotten boy by Ephdrawz
File:Cole Chibi by Eve F.jpg|Chibi art of Cole by Eve F.
File:Cole by Erika H..png|Cole by Erika H.
File:Cole by Liedeke.jpg|Cole by Liedeke
File:Cole with flowers on his head by Liedeke.jpg|Cole wearing a flower crown by Liedeke.
File:Spirit by Liedeke.jpg|Spirit by Liedeke
File:Cole by Ben Masi.jpg|Art by Ben Masi
File:Cole - The Spirit by trisketched.jpg|Cole - The Spirit by trisketched
File:Cole by veroniikus.jpg|Cole by veroniikus
==Resources== 
*Cole tag on Tumblr
*Cole (Dragon Age) at Archive of Our Own
*Cole at FanFiction.net
*Cole on the Dragon Age Wiki
== References ==
Category: Dragon Age Characters