My Pixilated Boyfriend

I think it comes as no surprise that I love video games.   It is a deep, and multi facited love.  Personally I prefer the epic quests to the first person shooters (bad Halo constant-regen-with-my-back-turned-to-my-husbands-character-and-he shoots-me-in-the-head experience.   Seriously,  it happened like 8 times in a row.  What the hell?) Video games help me to relax from a stressful day,  help me to still my brain when I'm working on a problem, and allow me to have a little 'quiet time' when there is nothing else that needs to be accomplished. Ive talked before about my 'I think im really a dwarf in the inside' mentality.  There's just something very zen about swinging a couple of axes florentine and decapitating bad guys.  Le sigh.

Then, of course,  there is Alistair.

Oh Alistair.   Your bumbling shyness, your commitment to fight the good fight, and your voice, oh dear sweet baby Thor, your voice.  Ive loved Steve Valentine's voice since Judging Amy (the only thing I really liked about the show).  Theres something almost magical about the tone and cadence.   His voice is masculine and lyrical,  flirting with high british while never fully committed.  While I think Mr. Valentine is himself a fine looking man, there is just... something.... about him as Alistair.   Its like everything in the universe just came together and formed the perfect gift.  Hubby calls him my pixilated boyfriend.  He's on my 'list of acceptable cheats'.  While hubbys list is brimmimg with actresses, mine is filled almost entirely with fictional persons, Alistair being at the top.

so.. yeah, Alistair is nice.

Alistir is the main companion character in DragonAge Origins, and it is my favorite game.  Ive played each origin story multiple times.   Im currently re playing the Dwarf Commoner Warrior (my favorite) for the umpteenth time.  The next DragonAge comes out soonish, and I want to set up the world exactly the way I want it.  After the first game, Origins, you have the option to import your world from one game to the next, causing the decisions you make in Origins can have an effect on the play in Awakenings, which influences DA2, which in turn (I hope) will influence DA3.  So I want the world to be EXACTLY what I want.  And I have a confession.

I have never finished a game where Alistar has lived.

Oh I've finished the game at least 20 times.  Each time I just cant bring myself to let Morrigan have her way, and each damn time Alistar has to go all gentlemanly and sacrifices himself.   Thats just how sweet and wonderful Alistar is.  Dammit.   But this time will be different.  I will make the tough choice, I'll be the one to die.  Its not like I'll be out anything,  you cant (sadly) import your actual character into the next game, just the choices you made.  I may die, but Alistair will live on. 

Alistair will live on.