#brainrot so bad its escaping my google docs into my tumblr posts. HELPPPPP

[olberic]

HOWWWWW DID THEY MAKE ANDERS AND FENRIS SUCH PERFECT NARRATIVE FOILS AND NEVER FUCKING EXPLORE IT IN TEXT. IM SO FUCKING SERIOUS like

the classic foil “character arcs mirror each other in reverse” thing. anders starts (in awakening) as concerned only for freedom, ends up retreating into himself, and ends da2 full of rage and desire to strike back at the system that wronged him. fenris starting the game furious and scared and alone, slowly growing into a more open person as he takes down his pursuers, and ending the game in a much happier, safer space

both of them with identities built around what was done to them rather than their own, just for anders thats at the end of his story while fenris starts his whole known memory like it

anders’ close friendships dissolve as he loses trust in himself, fenris gains friends as he finds out who he is outside danarius

fenris’ glowy powers are from something done to him, anders’ glowy powers are from something he chose. both still given under life and death situations

anders having to kill the person he loved despite everything keeping them apart, fenris getting to kill the person who’d given him no choice in — yet still abused! — his given loyalty

even the fact that anders had slept with isabela before even awakening, while if left unromanced then fenris and isabela will get together

both of them are outspoken about fighting oppression in the ways they’ve experienced personally, and value freedom above all else (a trait they share with isabela, which is a nice touch)

previous failed escape attempts for both of them lead to punishments by their oppressors that completely changed who they are (fenris with being made to kill the fog warriors, anders with his year of solitary)

both engage in self-destructive habits when they feel powerless to stop the systemic problems (fenris drinking, anders working himself to the bone)

but anders always seeing suicide as a way out while fenris would never ever consider it

hell both of them can also be completely betrayed by a formerly ally hawke in act iii

and for all they argue, if they could be talked into sitting down and TALKING then theyd realize theyre on the same page, just blinded by their personal histories

im not even making any new points here yknow. and like yeah they share some traits with everyone else in the party (being in kirkwall through necessity, the idea of making personal choices over letting someone else dictate them, general frustration with how the system treats them, being discriminated against for being parts of minority groups, being bi and potentially down bad for hawke, etc) but theres just so many specific ones that are just for them. and ik i play the game from a “everythings filtered through varric filtered through cassandra’s perceptions” standpoint, but still for the absolute lack of effort to make anything of it its frustrating. theres no good doylist explanation of why it wasnt explored beyond “they hate each other bc mage controversy” and even pushing for the watsonian options of “varric never got into the topic” or “they never interacted outside hawke quests ever over 3 years” is fucking flimsy at best. this post doesnt have a concluding point