The write-ups for Cole's memories will go in the comments below, with the name of the character receiving the memory in the header!**
Handy links here:
RenAkechiBlueAhsokaEspioLeoAerithTuring**note that in any memories from Asunder (the pre-game novel), Cole doesn't have his Signature Hat yet.
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Ren
Commentary: This is a montage of memories with Rhys spanning roughly a year since they first met, which mostly takes place in The Pit (the expanse of underground levels & dungeons beneath the White Spire which is a big ol' tower) though when Rhys first sees Cole, he's ventured up into the Spire proper. Cole doesn't like to go up there often, but sometimes he'll explore and just kinda lurk since no one can see him, which is what he was doing then. Cole didn't know Rhys could see him at that point ofc, so it's pretty startling when it turns out Rhys can actually see him?? He's spent so long living like a ghost that it's as amazing as it is terrifying, and having to actually talk about himself to someone after never having anyone to talk to at all is, unsurprisingly, difficult. Once he's sure Rhys won't turn him over to the templars or forget him like everyone else who gets a glimpse of him does, he starts to open up more, and Rhys becomes A Friend… well, his only friend. The only person to remind him he's real.
Like Rhys mentions, they spend most of their time playing card or board games and chatting, and Cole shows him some of the secrets of The Pit, which is so old and sprawling there's lots of forgotten passageways and rooms and stuff down there. Rhys himself is a mage who lives in the White Spire, and has the rare skill of being a spirit medium, which means he can sense and communicate with spirits and demons. He also used to research spirits. He doesn't sense anything to indicate Cole is a spirit and believes he's a mage with some unusual natural talents.
Rhys also tries to puzzle out Cole's strange abilities and how to help him undo them, without much success, in part because Cole is cagey about himself or being helped. When Rhys' visits grow more sparse he falls harder into depression, with no way to know when Rhys would visit next, if he ever would. Having a friend is great and all, except for when it reminds you of how incredibly alone you are when he's not around and could potentially forget you at any moment, which he often believes to be the case when Rhys is away. Despite that, he is genuinely happy to have Rhys' company when he's there. He's kind to him and wants to spend time with him. He doesn't try to hurt him and treats him like he's real, which he craves since it's not even clear if he's real or not, and that's terrifying. But Rhys can see him, so he must be real, right?
Cole is a bit childish despite his apparent age, and that's especially apparent in his last meeting with Rhys in this memory. He wants Rhys' friendship, but he pushes him away because he doesn't want the pain that comes with being left behind or forgotten by someone you care about. He wants to be seen and remembered, but he's afraid to give anyone else the chance to remember him because he doesn't want the Templars or anyone else to be able to hurt him. He wants to leave, but there's nowhere for him to go and as much as he wants to be seen, being seen is frightening too. He just wants to keep Rhys' friendship and not be afraid anymore, but unfortunately things aren't that simple.
Tl;dr Cole befriends Rhys, which is good, but he can only see Rhys once in a while and has to spend the rest of the time alone and invisible and forgotten, which is bad.
Akechi
- Stole ripe plums to leave on a windowsill, so they'd attract flies that will feed the spiders whose webs can be used for medicinal purposes (iirc he actually told the woman who mentions this about how the webs can be used, but she can't remember who told her since, lol)
- Stole a bunch of men's daggers and hid them in a barrel, because tensions were high and he was preventing them from badly hurting each other over any arguments
- Stole a wheel of cheese and crushed mint; the cheese to attract mice in the kitchens which attract the cats, which the mint then makes them "dance and play" which cheered up the head cook so she wouldn't take her bad mood out on her staff anymore
- Stole a bag of turnips and threw them into a fire so the smell would remind a dying man of his mother's turnip stew as he died
- Stole bread to toss on the battlements to draw birds, because a badly wounded soldier says he won't die until winter comes, and it's not winter until the birds leave
He no doubt does other things here and there (there's the implication he puts honey in Leliana's wine, he puts a wooden duck on Dorian's bed, Scout Harding said he had an armful of chickens once??? does Cole ever help without stealing something, We Just Don't Know), but despite the fact none of these people can see him or will remember him if they do (Dorian asking about the duck aside), he is genuinely happy to know that he's done something that helped people, even if it's in seemingly odd or trivial ways that some may not even interpret as helping. That's fine though, so long as he can sense that someone's happier or a pain of theirs has been eased, or he's prevented people from getting hurt or hurting others. He never needs or wants any acknowledgment or recognition for his actions.
Akechi can also get a feel for what Cole's "mind reading" & empathy is like through this, both in how it just naturally flows through him like any other bodily sense, and how he uses that to listen for what emotional hurts he can help with rather than judge people's thoughts and memories. Feel free to assume Akechi can glean other tidbits of information through what he hears from people's thoughts in the memories as well, e.g. what happened to Haven and general stuff about his world and the Inquisition.
Blue
Commentary: Rhys is pretty on point here; Cole knows what Rhys is going to ask him, yet he was waiting for him anyway. Rhys is his only friend, the only person who knows he even exists, who can see him and spends time with him- but Rhys' visits are sparse, and Cole struggles to hold onto himself, to stay real.
He knows what he's been doing is wrong, on some level- though the fact that it makes Rhys unhappy is what makes him feel the worst. He tries to explain but he doesn't know how to make him understand this deep terrifying darkness he feels like he's going to slip into if he doesn't do this, that it's more than just some metaphor for loneliness. That the importance they give him when he kills them, ending their suffering and fear, anchors him here. Even if Rhys has tried to help him, he doesn't know what's really wrong with him. How can he know that he won't really disappear if he doesn't do this to stay real?
Rhys has never tried to force him to do anything before, and it feels like a betrayal. He's his friend, he's not supposed to make him face the Templars, people who would hurt him. He knows he's messed everything up, and as much as he's terrified, he doesn't want to lose Rhys either. So he does what he usually does when he's too afraid to face his problems; he runs.
Except Rhys doesn't let him, this time.
The strike of magic doesn't hit him, but the explosion is jarring and the fact that Rhys attacked him is another betrayal, horrifying and awful. He doesn't want to hurt Rhys, but his fear of being hurt overrides that. He draws his dagger, prepared to defend himself. He really, really doesn't want to have to.
The idea that he would kill Rhys because he can see him too was a connection that didn't even occur to him, and the accusation cuts painfully deep. But it helps him realize, he can't win this- he doesn't want to. Rhys betrayed him, but he's betraying him too, pulling his blade on him like he might kill him, the way he killed those mages who wanted to die. He'd never do that to Rhys. He won't hurt Rhys. He won't.
But he can't go with him, either. The Templars terrify him. They'll hurt him, or kill him, or make him Tranquil.
So again, he runs, and Rhys continues to chase him.
Ahsoka
Commentary: They're deep down in The Pit, following tunnels that Cole knows leads to the sewers. He knows The Pit and all its winding passageways and secrets like the back of his hand, having lived down here like a ghost for so long. Right now, the only thing he cares about is Rhys. That wound in his stomach is bad, and he has to help him walk. He has to help him escape, and keep him safe. He won't let anyone hurt Rhys. Nothing else matters.
Templars are coming, but he knows what to do. He's figured out how to take more control over his invisibility, knows how to make it cover someone else too… in theory. He can sense Rhys beside him too in a way he didn't used to, can tell that despite his wound he's still alive, still holding on, for now. He doesn't question these new senses. Helping Rhys is all that matters. He reaches into the darkness inside him where he knows the power he needs is waiting, knowing that it could swallow him up. He used to be too afraid to look that deep inside himself, but that doesn't matter anymore. He'd do anything to help Rhys. It won't consume him. He won't let it.
It comes close though, filling him up with a sickly feeling like before, but he pushes it back down. He doesn't know how to answer Rhys and there's no time, so he just pushes on, helping Rhys along as best as he can. He has no ability or skills for healing, so all he can do is guide him and make sure he keeps moving.
Then he appears. Lord Seeker Lambert. Evangeline and the others were supposed to find and destroy Rhys' phylactery, but it looks like that didn't happen. Still, he keeps Rhys hidden… until he reads from that book and he's suddenly cut off from that power, like a door slamming shut in his face. He doesn't understand what happened, but Lambert can see them now, and he's drawing his sword. He wants to hurt Rhys.
Cole rages, his need to protect Rhys burning in his chest. He's no trained warrior but he's fast with strong reflexes, and he uses that to his advantage. But Lambert is big and strong and skilled, and it's not enough. The blade sinks into his shoulder and the agony burns away any and all reason, leaving only one thing. I won't let you hurt Rhys. I'll kill anyone who hurts Rhys!
Even as he takes too many blows and can barely stand, much less fight, he forces himself to get back up, both terror and wretched determination driving him on. Rhys is his only friend, he won't let anyone hurt him-
He doesn't understand what Lambert is saying, at first. Why would a chant to dispel demonic influence work on him?
But as Lambert holds him by the throat, he comes to a terrible understanding. Did you try so hard to pretend you were one of us, pretend you were real, that you forgot what you really were? Repressed, fragmented memories come rushing back, of a boy lying in a cold dungeon cell, alone, forgotten, starving to death. Despair washes over him. All this time, he was afraid that he wasn't real, that he really was just a ghost, abandoned by the Maker and doomed to be unseen and forgotten by everyone. But on some level he knew this wasn't right, that he wasn't right. He'd just been too afraid, of everything, to open his eyes to any of it.
But Lambert is right. He's not real. He's not even a ghost. He's a monster.
And in that moment when he locks eyes with Rhys, his only friend in the world, he knows that must be exactly what he sees, too.
Something inside him breaks. For the first time, Cole wants to disappear. And so he does, once again turning invisible, even from the sight of the one person who had always been able to see him.
Espio
Commentary: (Important note: The Inquisitor is talking to Cole in this memory, which is the malleable player customized character. I've left the Inquisitor in Cole's background vague in case anyone ever decides to app one. So while the Inquisitor in this video clip is a male Qunari, I'm currently leaving their race/gender/class vague. If it's unavoidable to talk about ICly though, I can make some Executive Decisions as necessary.)
You can tell through this memory that Cole can hear the minds and sense the emotions of others, the same way you can feel the breeze and hear the birds around you- it's a natural part of his senses. Right now he's focused on one woman in particular, the pain in her calling out to him. He senses the memory from her, both her thoughts around it and the memory itself, translating raw thought and emotion into spoken words.
He's glad that the Inquisitor is supportive of him helping her, though his first attempt is too direct, only confusing her. But it's okay, she'll forget him momentarily, and then he can try again. This time he finds better words, pushing through and lessening the pain. Then he makes her forget him. She doesn't remember he was there, but she feels better, less like it's her fault.
It's better that they forget him. He knows that what he is can scare people, and maybe it should. He doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore, though. But it's safer this way, to help and then disappear. No one has to be scared or hurt by his presence if they don't know he was ever there. So long as he knows he helped, he's happy.
Leo
Commentary: Honestly this memory is pretty thorough already since it's from Cole's POV. He's down in The Pit, working with a few others as part of a plan to break out the mages that have been detained here. Except Cole is only here to help Rhys. More people can see him now, and remember- but not for long. As soon as he's out of sight they gradually begin to forget him again. But Rhys could always see him, and remember him. Rhys was his only friend in this place, in this world, and the Templars don't frighten him the way they once did. Now that he's learned to take some control over his invisibility, to force people not to see him even when he's cutting their throat, it's a little intoxicating, knowing that they can't see him, they can't stop him. No one can, if he doesn't want them to. But he's not doing this for power, it's for Rhys. It's these people that are keeping Rhys trapped here, and if they killed him… fortunately they didn't, but in the memory Cole doesn't regret killing them at all.
Aerith
Commentary: This memory takes place out in the open near an abandoned hay barn where they've made camp, the fields around it full of purple flowers. Pharamond's all-or-nothing mood swings aren't unusual to Cole as he knows why he's like this, though that doesn't keep him from finding it difficult to be patient when he reacts so strongly every time he fails to remember Cole. Because everyone forgets him, even these people who can see him now start to lose hold of his memory the moment he's out of their sight, and it's painful to watch it happen. Rhys is the only one who has always been able to see and remember him.
But he can relate to Pharamond, he thinks. The elven mage used to be Tranquil, but after spending so long in that haze he can't control his emotions. He hurt people while trying to be real again, and now despite his fear he's going back to the Templars to face the consequences, whatever they might be. Cole is doing that too, for Rhys' sake.
But when he does, they might decide to make him Tranquil. And the way Pharamond describes it fills him with dread.
Turing
Commentary: (Important note: The Inquisitor is talking to Cole in this memory, which is the malleable player customized character. I've left the Inquisitor in Cole's background vague in case anyone ever decides to app one. So while the Inquisitor in this video clip is a male Qunari, I'm currently leaving their race/gender/class vague. If it's unavoidable to talk about ICly though, I can make some Executive Decisions as necessary.)
Cole is constantly in the background of this memory, invisible to everyone around him as he does whatever he feels like, basically. Grass and dirt can be interesting, okay. But he's listening in as well, not just to their conversations, but to all the thoughts and feelings flowing around him. You can tell through this memory that Cole can hear the minds and sense the emotions of others, the same way you can feel the breeze and hear the birds around you- it's a natural part of his senses. He takes no offense to Vivienne calling him a demon, as she isn't wrong, though Solas' explanations are interesting to listen to. While listening to all this is interesting, the pain emanating from the nearby makeshift infirmary calls out to him. People are hurting, and he wants to help.
It's too late for some of them; he can only let their thoughts and feelings flow through him as they breathe their last. While he's sad that there wasn't anything he could do for them, feeling and reciting their suffering doesn't hurt him- if anything it just makes him that much more determined to help, if he can. One of them is thirsty, and that he can help with, so he does.
But this one is in so much pain… and his body is failing. This isn't like those mages, back when he forgot what he was. He's going to die anyway. Ending it for him sooner would be a mercy.
But the Inquisitor doesn't want him to. Try… the soldier is trying to live, and he's trying to be better, to be someone who can help people. Maybe this Inquisition can help him do that. He will try.