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Anders and Justice leading the mage rebellion is my fav headcanon okay
also yes I'm back in the damn fandom and I have freetime so get ready for fanart spam
What reason would they have to put a mage in these dungeons?
They already kill you if you don’t make it through your Harrowing.
They make you Tranquil if you refuse to go through your Harrowing.
They have Templars to smite and silence mages if they think about raising a hand against them.
Scared, new mages would benefit immediately by being placed with the apprentices or at least an Enchanter to assure them that they are going to be fine. That they are in a new home with people just like them.
Why haven’t these cells been cleared and made into storage? Or additional classrooms or dormitories?
Because honestly, ‘Mages aren’t people, like you and me.’
How many mages were sent here for looking at a Templar the wrong way?
How many mages were sent here for a spell that got out of hand?
How many mages were sent here for kissing another mage?
How many mages were sent here for escape attempts?
How many mages were sent here for simply talking about freedom?
How many new, young mages died in these cells?
If the Circle was truly the place it is meant to be, why does a Circle need dungeons?
Cole, the originial mage not the spirit who became rouge Cole, died in a dungeon. They put him there and forgot him. Like, there is not need for the circles to have dungeons.
Asunder also shows us that at least on the White Spire the first place new mages are taken to is the dungeon. They are put in a cell and left there for as long as the templars feel like, I Cole’s case permanently.
I’m a bit late to the party, but happy Dragon Age Day everyone!!
Thank you so much to BioWare for commissioning me and giving me the opportunity to paint Anders for this amazing collab!! ❤️❤️❤️ If you haven’t seen the full tapestry, you should absolutely check it out on BioWare’s twitter or ig! It’s filled with so many incredible artists 🥺🤲
One thing I've noticed while in the Dragon Age fandom is the prevalent interpretation of the Anders romance as a tragedy, or a romance that's inherently tragic. Anders acts behind Hawke's back, destroys the Kirkwall Chantry no matter what choices the player makes, the player sees this as a huge betrayal, and — despite having romanced Anders, and/or being mage-sympathetic — they decide to execute or banish Anders as punishment for his 'crime'. Tears are shed; it's all dramatic and tragic and angsty.
While I sometimes appreciate tragedies, I would like to posit a different perspective: The romance with Anders is a story of hope; a story of standing up to insurmountable odds and overcoming them. The romance with Anders can be approached as one with a happier ending, where Hawke and Anders are the heroes.
Before I elaborate, a disclaimer: These are my own opinions. I understand some players prefer the Andersmance as a tragic romance, and to each player their own. I am not here to dictate the choices you should make in-game or how you approach your playthroughs, merely to present a different perspective to one I've seen very often.
Also, this post is critical of the rivalmance with Anders — more on that later.
The Andersmance as a narrative of hope relies on two perspectives:
Firstly, the Chantry is an authoritarian institution who are the antagonistic force that the heroes need to oppose and take down. There is plenty of meta that explores and supports this.
Secondly, Anders is a heroic character:
He is a healer who set up a clinic providing free healthcare for the marginalized and downtrodden people of Kirkwall who otherwise have gone overlooked by their own Chantry.
He let a Spirit of Justice into his body, simply to help Justice continue to exist in the physical world when he would have otherwise disappeared into the Fade.
He regularly risks his safety and security by helping mages escape abuse in the Gallows and have a chance at freedom via the Mage Underground.
These are all acts of someone who is kind and compassionate, and, yes, heroic.
He is not a villain who needs to be stopped. He is the hero of the story who needs help and support as he challenges systematic oppression. He's Katniss Everdeen standing up to the Capitol; he's Luke Skywalker opposing the Galactic Empire.
Hawke is that supportive pillar, that safe harbor, that source of unconditional love for Anders in his times of struggle. "The one bright light in Kirkwall" who stands by Anders' side as they face insurmountable odds together.
In World States where Leliana becomes Divine Victoria, this means Hawke and Anders' struggles were not in vain. Through their actions, they sparked a series of events that culminated in the abolition of the Circles.
Anders' prophetic speech about how, "Ten years, a hundred years from now, someone like me will love someone like you, and there will be no Templars to tear them apart" carries so much more weight, because loving Hawke gave him hope for a better future that Anders actually gets to witness in his lifetime.
Do you know how powerful such a love story is?
Their love literally changed the world for the better.
They loved each other, that love gave them courage, and now future generations of mages are free to find a love as strong and precious as the one Hawke and Anders share.
Of course, the condition of this is that Hawke loves and supports Anders wholeheartedly, meaning that this obviously takes the Friendship route for the romance. The rivalmance where Hawke downplays Anders' struggles, breaks Anders' spirit, undermines Anders' confidence, and tries to convince Anders that his cause is needless has no part in this narrative of hope; in fact, I would go so far to say that Hawke is the villain in that version of the story.
Personally, stories of hope have always strongly resonated with me. I gravitate towards stories where our protagonists are presented with challenging obstacles (whether they be internal, external, or both), and things may seem bleak at first, but they bravely carry on, and by the end of the story the characters have made themselves better people, and/or made the world a better place.
Anders and Hawke had many chances to turn away and ignore the plight of mages and just get their own happy ending, but they didn't — they carried on, because they were the heroes, and they knew all mages deserved to be free as they were.
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