“He's literally been it all. Grey Warden, Medical Doctor, trained in one of the most taxing forms of magic taught in the Circles, abomination, activist, bitch, cannibal, mentally ill. Everything (and more!) Solas can do, Anders did FIRST. And second. First and second at the same time. That's how ultimate he is as a character, he bends the laws of time. Suggested listening to truly understand him is Bitch by Meredith Brooks. I'm only kind of kidding. Trust me.”

“you can read him as heroic, monstrous, tragic, manipulative, desperate, or all of the above, and that’s why he sticks. da2’s story doesn’t work without him, and he’s the kind of character you’ll argue about forever, which is basically the highest compliment in dragon age.”

“i love amell because the origin starts with tower politics and templar pressure and then suddenly you’re out in the real world like “oh cool, everyone hates mages AND i’m a national hero now.” also i’m sorry but the idea that the chantry snatched up like five amell siblings because the family kept producing mages is so darkly funny in a “wow thedas is awful” way.”

“warden amell is such a satisfying protagonist pick because the backstory is doing double duty: you’ve got the circle experience (restriction, surveillance, that constant low-grade dread) and you’ve also got this offscreen family history sitting in kirkwall like a landmine. so when da2 is happening in the background, it’s not just “another city”, it’s technically your extended family’s mess too. and i like that it’s not played as some grand chosen destiny thing - amell can be a talented mage, sure, but a lot of it is just circumstance and endurance: you survive the tower disaster, survive ostagar, and then keep surviving. vote amell for the mage origin angst, the hawke cousin connection, and the sheer audacity of a circle kid accidentally becoming one of the most important figures in ferelden.”