#in defense of anders dragon age

[justcallmecappy]

One of the criticisms I've seen DA players have in response to Anders' actions at the Kirkwall Chantry is some degree of, 'his actions forced innocent mages into a war they had no choice whether or not they wanted to be involved in'.

What a lot of these players seem to miss is this: The mages were already involved. They have been involved since childhood, when their magic manifested.

If you are born a mage in Southern Thedas, you are marked. The Templars will find you, or your neighbors who were conditioned by the Chantry to fear magic will turn you in, and you are brought to the Circle where you are at risk of Tranquility, or Annulment, and subjected to a Harrowing. Your children born to you in the Circle will be taken from you to be raised in a Chantry orphanage (like Wynne's child was). You are not allowed to get married, or start a family, or own land. You are not allowed to leave your Circle ever, unless conscripted to fight in the army (like in the Fifth Blight) or fulfilling some whim or need of those in power (like Malcolm Hawke being made to entertain nobles at a party). You might be thrown into the dungeon and left to starve to death, like the mage child Cole (and other mage apprentices of the White Spire) did. You are at risk of physical and sexual abuse, like the mages of the Gallows were.

Innocent mages were already involved. They were already being killed, they were already fighting for their lives for centuries since the inception of Circles, long before Anders' actions.

Also, in the case of the Gallows specifically, Knight-Commander Meredith had already called for the Annulment as early as the beginning/mid of Act 3. The mages' lives were already in danger, even before the Chantry was destroyed.

Anders tried for six years to make people listen and show how magic is not meant to be feared and can be used for good -- by publishing a manifesto, by providing free magical healthcare in Darktown -- to bring people's attention to the plight of mages and change things for the better. It took the imminent threat of his people being slaughtered wholesale for him to resort to what is aptly titled 'The Last Straw'.

If players want to blame anyone for subjecting mages to a conflict they did not want, look no further than the Chantry and their system of exploitation and oppression over the mages. Put blame on the Chantry for forcing mages into lives they did not choose, and asserting methods of culling and control over them, simply for how they were born. It was the Chantry that gave them no choice whether or not they had a say in staying alive or dying.

And if DA players would still say that the mages could have tried for a more "peaceful route" to alleviate their circumstances (despite seeing how Anders' manifesto, his Darktown clinic, and years of trying to negotiate with Elthina failed and Meredith was calling for Annulment anyway): very rarely do the oppressed win change by pandering to the morals of their oppressors.

Innocent mages were already suffering and being murdered in droves, for centuries. Innocent mages were already involved in this struggle, whether they wanted to be or not. And Anders' actions at the Chantry was like a rallying cry: If we're going to die anyway, then I'd rather die trying to take them down than giving them what they want.

(Also, I have not yet gone into detail on what actually started the mage-templar war, which was the Seekers hiding the cure for Tranquility, and Lord Seeker Lambert's decision to dissolve the Nevarran accord and take the Templars hunting for the free mages across the countryside because he decided dead mages were better than free mages -- because that's a whole separate post.)

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

Man i always forget just how much Liam's entire way of thinking and making decisions is centered around Bethany in Act 1

[the-cryptographer]

was talking about how the amount of explosive material needed for the chantry boom, even /after/ that material been refined from the raw ingredients, is probably a lot more than anders and company could gather from a single trip to the sewers/mines without even bringing a cart. (which is cooroborated by the concept art of anders's bomb setup, although I don't think that picture makes much logistic sense either). all of which makes me wonder if the quest we get in canon was more like a scouting mission for anders to see where he could get the materials or arrange the bomb setup rather than the actual dirty work.

"why did he bothering inviting hawke et al then, if he wasn't even using them for the bulk of the actual labour?"

well, that's the thing. I'm wondering how much hawke et al's involvment in helping anders gather bomb materials is entirely symbolic.

other parts of the same quest are definitely symbolic. asking hawke to distract elthina with questions about mages as he goes about his business in the chantry is symbolic. he knows elthina isn't going to budge at that point. he just needs to build up a situation where she was given this last chance to save herself from what he's about to do, so that he can justify what in his own mind feels unjustifiable (though I do not see it that way, and I don't think merrill or isabela do either for that matter)

and given anders manages to set up the bombs just fine even if you turn down the quest…

how much is hawke et al going to find drakestone and sela petrae symbolic? how much is it making them complicit in the bombing simply for the sake of it? how much is this putting hawke et al in a position where their actions mean 'you're either with me or against me (and nothing imbetween)'?

like he really wants someone on his side so badly. so much so, he's willing to interpret lukewarm statements from hawke about not hurting mages as a radical statement of support. willing to interpret what was probably a lukewarm statement from donnic about disliking meredith as a reason donnic is more meaningfully on his side than aveline's. it's not hard for me to imagine anders spinning hawke et all bumbling around as he gathers samples of shit and sulphur and charcoal into a whole emotional experience of support and solidarity.

"so you're saying this was all a manipulative attempt by anders to gain support - support he didn't even really need - under false pretences?"

yes...? but also... no?

i feel like the thing canon doesn't really quite capture, and the thing i don't want to belittle, is how real and visceral and human these needs are? like, yes, maybe anders doesn't /need/ someone there to help him scout bomb ingredient locations to get the bomb built anyhow but-

to want companionship and personal recognition and support and someone to hold your hand through an emotionally difficult task? those are certainly things that pretty much everyone needs to be happy, even if they can persist and survive without. and anders has been denied these things at a lot of avenues of his life, has been taught he cannot ask for these things plainly and expect to get them. so I think it's entirely understandable that he resorts to manipulative, underhanded, and aggressive methods to get those needs met in lieu of even knowing how to pursue them genuinely anymore.

like- fenris crossed several continents to get to a place and a people for whom his experience of slavery hadn't been entirely culturally normalised. where he wasn't constantly being gaslit about how, actually, what he went through was excusable.

whereas anders is really living in the middle of cultural apologism for the circle as an institution. and where the person he seems to consider his closest friend can't accept and respond to anders trying to give away his mother's pillow as the desperate cry for attention and validation and help that it is.

idk, it's difficult bc- I will definitely make fun of anders's dysfunctional methodology for trying to get the attention and help and support that he needs. because he really does behave in ways that are cruel and aggressive and manipulative and stupidly misaimed and wildly alienating, and turn away people who are actually sympathetic to chase after hawke and varric being their least genuine.

but I never want to make fun of anders actually needing attention and help and support. like, yeah, we all do. all the moreso when we're standing up against tyrants and abusive prison camp wardens.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

Me, when Sebastian joins my party for the first time: Okay, this time I'm not going to forget about you, Sebastian. I'm going to make an effort to use you a lot this playthrough so I can better understand you.

Also me, immediately forgetting about Sebastian while finishing Act 2 and making it halfway through Act 3 before I finally notice his Faith quest: ......................Oh. Right. My bad.

[crows-of-buckets]

Redesigning Aviae because her old design (that I made literally two months ago) is no longer calling to me...

I wanted to add themes reminiscent of Morrigan with the like. Fur/feather on the shoulders, the black sleeve. I also wanted to make her fit more akin to the canon grey warden mage armor because it's so cool to me. Anyways I'll probably draw this digitally sometime soon but!!! Yayyy

[sneakyneighboururchin]

Everytime someone calls Anders blowing up the Chantry an act of terrorism I lose a year off my life. Please learn what words mean, I BEG of you.

[nebulousmistress]

A Master's Work

The Defenders

Chapter 9 of 10

I had originally meant for this story to be 9 chapters long. But halfway through this chapter I realized I needed to split it, that Vigil's Keep needed detailing. The Architect's Deal will be the next and last chapter. Justice is Not Pleased with that upcoming arrangement.

Soon, precious, soon the retelling of Dragon Age Awakening will be over. I expect a few side stories but this is the main one.

Also yes I see no reason why Vigil's Keep needs to fall just because Amell isn't there. Vigil's Keep has the three Wardens whom Amell doesn't take with him. Also Wade and Herren and the entire Silver Order. Both Amaranthine and Vigil's Keep will suffer but both will be saved.

[darlingdesiredelicious]

((I could be remembering this so wrong since I played the game like 12 years ago but

I just imagine dragon age au sebastian as that guy in dragon age origins whose whole life was fucked up because a desire demon tricked him into believing she was his wife or w/e

Bonus points if the desire demon stole astarions identity perhaps))

[veiljumped]

i like how every time i start a new game in da2 i go in with the intention of romancing someone different and then fenris shoves a hand thru a guard and starts talking and i immediately fall in love

[spainkitty]

The Fiona is Secretly Alistair's Mother Scenes Part 1

Lanil's Pieces Masterlist

I knew his father a... long time ago. I would just like to know if... if he's happy. For his father's sake.

"King Alistair..." Lavellan began slowly, not quite sure where her thought was going.

Cullen looked up from the board, but she turned the next words over in her head carefully instead of continuing. She frowned, then moved her castle. Cullen smirked at her, eyebrow rising, and she scowled at him. She moved the castle back and tried the knight. Cullen nodded in approval.

"So the king, he's... you said once, he's not like other royals? Or nobles? I can't... remember." She huffed and leaned back in her chair. "I know Cailin was the previous king, I know he died in Ostagar, but I can't remember Maric having two sons."

"Officially he didn't," Cullen told her.

He surveyed the board and moved a pawn. Lavellan scowled. Minute little plays like that were fucking annoying. She couldn't figure out what he was going to do next with a play like that. She braced her elbows on her knees and glared, ignoring his chuckle.

"King Alistair's birth was a very closely guarded secret. No one knew for most of his life, not until the Landsmeet where the Warden declared him king, and her his future Queen."

"Well, that's one way to take over the world. Good for her." She raised her fist in the air.

"It was Ferelden, not all of Thedas," he said, laughing. "I met them both, briefly." She glanced up at the strange shift in tone. He was looking over the garden, but it was obvious he wasn't seeing it. "They came to the Circle to conscript the mages against the Blight, and they... saved us. What was left of us." His voice lowered and he passed a hand over his eyes. "They saw me at my worst, but her. Cousland, at the time. I'll never forget her. It was like waking out of a dream, out of a nightmare. The others, they tried to get through. Leliana was there, Wynne, a healer and enchanter I'd known for more than a year, too, but her. The Warden. She got through. I believed in her, and I was furious that she wouldn't listen. She was the only one who could... who could do what I asked." He sighed, shoulders falling. "I'm so glad she was... so much wiser, stronger, so much kinder than anyone I'd ever met. If she loves a man like our King, he must be a good man. I have to remind myself of that sometimes whenever I meet him."

Lavellan huffed in amusement. "It sounds like you had a little crush."

"No." She drew up short at how vehement that was. Cullen's look was intense, earnest, and completely genuine. "She is my Queen, and a hero. She saved my life, and then she saved my soul."

Lavellan blinked. "Oh."

"I'm sorry. This was--"

He started to get to his feet, looking too pale and shaken. Lavellan reached without thinking, wrapped her hand around his wrist, and smiled as gently as she could. As if she was trying to soothe her high-strung Ferelden Forder. He stilled immediately, eyes on her hand, and then slowly up to her face.

"I'm about to kick your ass for real this time. You can't go yet."

He slipped back into his chair, smiling weakly. "I told you, I didn't let you win last time."

"And I told you, you're a shit liar."

The answering laugh was deep, unabashed, and her heart lightened to hear it. She'd done something right, and Cullen was smiling.

"But, um, Alistair. If it was a secret, it can't be now, obviously. So who's his mother? Where did he grow up?" she asked, getting back on the original topic. She moved a cleric recklessly.

Cullen frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know details. I wasn't in the headspace to notice much at the time. What I've picked up since is that he was raised in Redcliffe until he was sent to the Chantry to be a Templar, younger than I was when I went, actually. I don't know exactly when or why the Wardens conscripted him, but it wasn't long before Ostagar."

"You were... thirteen, right?" Lavellan asked.

"I was." He glanced up, surprised. "You remembered?"

"I don't talk just to hear myself," Lavellan retorted with an eye roll. "And it's easy to remember what you tell me. Maybe because you're easy to talk to. Or maybe I just like hearing you talk."

Flirting with Cullen, even as innocently and obviously as she did, was always worth it. Just to see how easily and quickly he turned red. She smirked as it crept up to his ears He cleared his throat and moved a piece on the board. Her reckless cleric was gone and he was two moves from a check.

"Fenedhis!" she cursed.

He laughed, leaning back in his chair and shoulders shaking. "So. The story goes his mother was a serving woman, and she died giving birth to him. King Maric sent him away in secret to his brother-in-law and closest advisor. Other than... well."

"Loghain, Hero of River Dane."

"Yes."

Lavellan scowled darkly, leg hopping in place, and finally moved a different castle. This time, Cullen didn't protest, both eyebrows rising in surprise.

Ha.

"You... sounded unsure," Lavellan said, interrupting Cullen's focus after a long minute. It looked as though he dragged himself back to the garden, staring at her a little too long, before the words sunk in.

"Did I? I suppose I am."

"Why? Surely kings and nobles taking advantage of pretty serving maids is a tale as old as time," Lavellan said, mouth curled in disgust. "Though, perhaps it was a love story."

"Either could be true, but King Maric... He wasn't that kind of king, or man," Cullen said, his expression mirroring hers. He saw her incredulous eyebrow and he quickly raised a hand. "I'm not saying that as a Ferelden boy who grew up on stories of our heroic King Maric, who kicked the Orlesians out and freed us all. No matter what, if a king, um," he broke off, ears red again, "tends to... take advantage of pretty serving maids," Lavellan couldn't help but laugh at his uncomfortable expression, "people find out. They may whisper about it, or joke about it, or shake their heads about it, but people know. But until King Alistair took the throne, the only thing people ever talked about was how much King Maric loved his late Queen. No other woman managed to get his attention for years afterwards."

"So if he did tip a maid a few times and got himself a bastard son,"

"Inquisitor!"

"it was probably a love thing. It would only make sense, it being such a secret." Other than her wide smirk, she completely ignored his outburst.

"It's your move, Inquisitor." Cullen sighed, then sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking so very tired.

She wanted to poke a little more. See what it would take to tip him over the edge. What would it look like, if he was already so flustered? She looked down at the board and blinked.

"Oh shit. I didn't see what you did."

"I'm not helping this time. You deserve this."

She burst into laughter.

To Part II

[chanafehs]

isabela's veilguard outfit is literally insane like a bikini that's it??? what world are we living in that her design from da2, a game that came out 12 years ago, is somehow less racist and misogynistic than her 2024 design??????

Am I surprised by this design choice? No. Am I disappointed? Absolutely.

If I’m not mistaken, Isabela is the first woman of color we have as a companion - specifically the first Black woman as a companion - and she is arguably the most sexualized character within the entire series. Like even going back and playing da2 it feels like everyone makes a comment about her sex life or literally slut shames her (Aveline and Anders I’m looking right at you) - even one of the voice actors called her a whore on Twitter. They don’t even seem committed to having her be Black either instead just racially ambiguous which sucks.

(I want to make it clear I am speaking as a non Black person but if any Black Dragon Age fans would like to add their own thoughts to this post please do so!)

I really want to know the thought process the devs had about this design behind the scenes because throughout all the jokes about bikini armor and making the armor “practical”, we still got this?? How????

The only argument I can see taken place in defense of this is having some kind of under water themed mission (in her concept art for dav she’s underwater with some of our companions) but if that were the case: why is she wearing gold armor. It makes no sense. She would sink right to the bottom and don’t give me some excuse about using magic. Also, you don’t need a bikini to swim underwater.

I’m upset also because the creators keep trying to say that games can’t exist without some politics and having more options to be inclusive to marginalized identities is paramount (these are both good things) but they consistently fall short when it comes to Orientalism, Racism, and Anti-Blackness. It only sends the message that these games are geared for white audiences, not us. It’s 2024 how have we not retired the bellydancer adjacent armors.

[possessedopossum]

Antivan crows treatment [obviously spoilers]

I do NOT agree with the popular sentiment that the crows got sanitized in this game. I DO have questions about crow related writing choices but this is not the choice I have problems with.

Showing one concept, event, place or a person from multiple perspectives is one of the core features of dragon age series. We always had different and sometimes contradicting views on the same thing. For example, the Circle as Vivienne sees it and the Circle as Anders sees it are two very different Circles. It's not bad writing, it's how biases, personal experiences and opinions work. I would like to remind you that Solas says about spirits' perspectives on Ostagar – no matter how different the visions are, they are both real.

Zevran and Lucanis are different as night and day. Obviously a whore's son (no offense) and first talon's grandchild would have different experiences. So would crow Rook, who gets special princess treatment from Viago, also a talon. So would Viago, who is the antivan king's bastard. So would Teia, who considers the crows her family, since she never had one to begin with. They all either joined the crows willingly or were born into it. They weren't sold to the crows by brothel madam like Zevran was.

And at the end of the day, the crows are still assassins. Even being first talon's favorite grandchild won't save you from abuse and literal torture. You are still supposed to undergo the harsh training that will leave you without food and water for days and Maker knows what else. You still work with people who strive for power and would do anything to obtain it. House Arannai changed 6 talons throughout 20 years. Half of the talons were murdered in tevinter nights by the traitor who sold them out to qunari. Dellamorte family almost got wiped out. Some npc casually says Viago would be very sad if he had to kill crow Rook but that he would still do it anyway if necessary. The crows literally made Jacobus, a literal child, full fledged assassin in front of our eyes. What other proof of crows being shitty people need? A quest line where we personally torture children? Do you really want this to be so on the nose?

Yes, the crows are treated like the good guys by the narrative and there are pretty good reasons for that. 1) We can play as a crow and it SHOULD give us, the player, a bias 2) There are more important tasks at hand. We are fighting gods. We aren't fighting for the wellbeing of Antiva, we are fighting for the wellbeing of reality itself. With such high stakes crows shittyness is absolutely irrelevant 3) The crows are Antiva's one and only defense. No matter how shitty they are, without them, it will be worse 4) Glorification of organized crime is a thing that happens in real life and I thought we liked our games somewhat realistic.

I can go as far as sharing some personal info on the last part. I like the crows very much because I grew up in the area so riddled with crime an average person from rich white neighborhood would lose their mind. The best governor our fucked up city ever had was the local gangster. Crime was family business to him and that's why he cared for the city more than other governors – his children would have to live here after he dies. The dude killed people for money but the city was finally clean and pretty and much safer than it used to be. I don't have a problem with antivan crows being batman-ized because I've seen so happen irl. Is it sad that sometimes only mafia can keep a city from falling apart? Yes. But it is real and that's why it is beautiful. Veilguard feels very realistic to me and I don't get the bad writing claims. I guess our governor wasn't realistic enough, I'll tell him if I meet his ghost.

The problem I have with the crows is how the Ivenci/Butcher plot was handled. It felt like it was rushed and added at the last moment. I'm not against Ivenci as a villain, I am simply mourning the lost potential. The plot could have been much better if Rook started to suspect something is wrong on their own. Extra scenes with Butcher to flesh out the character more would have benefited the quest line. I'm glad that Veilguard added some positive qunari rep with Taash and Shathann but there could have been more. Bioware could have told us WHY the Butcher decided to desert. He seems to have more respect for qunari philosophy than other antaam leaders. Why couldn't he stay with his Arishok, then? There is a huge difference between bad writing and the lack of writing. Ivenci and Butcher aren't badly written, they simply lack screen time.

My overall opinion of the game is very positive. Yeah, it could have been better. But it also could have been much worse. There could always been more time to plan, more tools to use, more choices to explore. But things never work out the way you want them to. I think given the circumstances and EA's desire to make live service games, bioware gave us their best shot. Regret is nothing but pride, vanity and a waste of time. The game itself says so. And I would rather enjoy the game as it is than waste my time thinking what it could have been.

[swordbisexual]

The rule Anders will most cherish breaking.

Excerpt:

“Vissenta,” he says, and that is the word that does it, the most powerful thing he could utter in order to bring down the last stand of her defenses. Vissenta, not Hawke, not the name that’s become so synonymous with her - their - exploits these last three years. Hawke is the name he says in frustration, whether she’s picking another bar fight or goading him to come with her to Hightown, the name he says with strained affection whenever he patches up another of her wounds or reluctantly accepts another rune or blade for his staff. Vissenta doesn’t exist, shouldn’t exist, is as much a terrible secret as Justice, and yet here he summons her up. Maker, he must know the terrible price they’ll both pay for it. When Vissenta leans up on her toes to kiss him, she closes her eyes to the sound of her name melting into a desperate, hungry moan. He’d moaned like this when he kissed her in the clinic, and she’d been too shocked that he actually rose to take her bait - don’t hold back, she said, like she’s said for three years to his stubborn resistance - to truly appreciate how ravenous such sounds could make her in turn. He weaves his fingers through her hair and tightens them into a fist as she licks up into his mouth, and the sting in her scalp mingles with the taste of him in a full bouquet of desperation that leaves her feeling nearly drunk. Hawke and Vissenta and Justice and Anders, all bitter and salty and sweet that should be discordant and instead suffuses her tongue and lips and skin with buzzing, heady warmth.

[tahopo]

'poc are defenders of the status quo until you open their eyes' is so bad in dragon age. reminds me of how vivienne, a black woman in defense of the circles and overarchingly presented as a villainous character with 'dark intentions' (her personal quest, blackwall comments on her being a snake, basically everything about vivienne's writing from the surface level) is absolutely despised by everyone for existing with her formed ideas about the world and yet every white man (CULLEN.) with those same/similar ideas is treated as a kicked puppy or somehow justified in those opinions in some white-man way that vivienne is not. basically if u can't change a poc ('open their eyes') they're the devil and it's so bad! in and out of fandom spaces

yeah it’s particularly glaring in da2 and inquisition, in part because of the more decisive diversity. which im glad for. <-i have to preface with that because people love to seek out any whiff of ingratitude in discussions like this.

but you cannot tell me it hasn’t been really fucking weird and in poor taste watching aveline shame isabela’s body and her autonomy, anders upbraid fenris given his entire story, sebastian getting painted as a violent zealot out to get everyone for no reason (all while people will praise leliana’s character— how many acts of violence has Miss Maker-whispers-to-me lefthand of the divine done in the name of her andrastianism?) And he, Dorian, Josephine and Vivienne are all written into the elite of society while Anders, Sera, Solas etc are all sticking up for the ‘little people’, are the underdogs, are the revolutionists. call me crazy, call me insane. but really what I feel is just………. Awkward. So awkward.

[crows-of-buckets]

For some reason whenever I brainstorm for my eventual solasmance Lavellan I always imagine her leaving on bad terms with him and swearing to stop him no matter what it takes. However. Just had the idea of Lavellan solas and Varric being in a weird love triangle. during inquisiton only Solas and Lavellan would happen, then They break up and Lavellan is with Varric within a year. Queen of moving on or whatever. Cole gets dropped right in the middle of whatever the fuck they've got going on. Rest of the inquisiton is immensely intrigued by them

[gimjarack]

I was thinking back on all the companion characters across the Dragon Age series, and besides that one Dalish mage lady from Awakening whose name I can't remember, there's only ONE companion that I legitimately hate...

Vivienne from Dragon Age Inquisition.

I cannot stand her, both in terms of story and gameplay.

Gameplay is self explanatory: when you unlock all the companion characters unique skill trees halfway through, Vivienne has absolutely GARBAGE abilities. I get why "melee mage" might be interesting in concept, but it was executed so poorly. A mana sword spell, a worse version of fade step, and time bubble spell that doesn't even work on larger enemies (compared to Sera's flask of Lightning that can Za Warudo a fucking dragon, it's an absolute joke). It's whole "noble militant" history thing (via the trainers dialogue for this subclass as a mage inquisitor) feels unbearably snooty after the past two games delved into how oppressed the mages are. And Vivienne, as a character, to have this subclass is even more ammunition to my hatred. Her experience with being a mage was nothing but privilege and luxury, so learning that fighting style of "dangerous elegance that inspires your allies" makes me wanna barf then introduce her to Fenris and Anders to give the boys something to agree on: Vivienne is as privileged as the Tevinter Magisters and cares nothing for the abuse and oppression the Circle Towers have always contained. Let's see how her little glowy sword does against the two of them...

As a character in the Narrative, she is introduced around the same time as Sera, and at first most players (including myself!) felt repulsed by Sera and charmed by Vivienne. As the game progresses, you come to see them in opposite lights:

Sera is, above all else, a protector of the common people. She, and the rest of the Friends of Red Jenny, undermine the nobility who abuse their power over others, just by gaining the trust and help of the servants those Noblemen believe are beneath them. Through all that brash demeanor and colorful swearing, she keeps the Inquisitor humble, reminds them that their title and authority will get in the way of saving the world if they forget that they and all who serve the Inquisition are people.

Vivienne, on the other hand, is an entitled brat who never lived in a Circle Tower long enough to see the truth of what they are: Prisons. She got to learn magic from the comfort of Orlais, and played politics as she danced the waltz before snacking gingerly on some shrimp or whatever. She was never beaten bloody by a Templar who was just looking for an excuse to "punish" a mage, or gone through The Harrowing with the terror of knowing failure means execution by the Templars, or Maker forbid being thrown into a damp cell and forgotten about by the Templars who put her there until starvation claimed her life; Cole can attest to that last one if Vivienne dares to deny that level of cruelty being possible from the "protectors" of the mages.

In "Here Lies The Abyss", there is a graveyard in the Nightmare's domain; a graveyard where the tombstones read out the darkest terrors of all the companions. I'm still fascinated and confused by what Sera's fear of "The Nothing" means, and would love some explanations in the reblogs! But Vivienne's fear is... Irrelevance! 😂 Yeah Vivienne, it must be scary to be forgotten about huh? To lose your popularity, your attention, your "friends" among the nobility? Josephine could do it to you, it'd take her a week at most and I'd be more than happy to order her to destroy your precious reputation...

Vivienne joined the Inquisition because Morrigan stole her spot as Empress Celene's "occult advisor", and she wanted to feel and be important again. But I am happy to leave her to her own devices in Skyhold, letting her wallow in her insignificance.

If anyone has a higher opinion of Vivienne, reblog with your defense of her. Maybe there's something I missed somehow, I'd love a debate on this!