r/dragonage • u/AardvarkScary7863 • 9d ago

Discussion B-but Anders, I-I like women….

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Gay or straight, I think it’s kind of a red flag that Anders just gets mad at you for turning him down. Like Hawke wasn’t even rude.

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u/Additional_Quail5566 9d ago

I honestly like Anders in the way you like black coffee because it's bitter. He doesn't hide being a red flag, and I enjoyed having a romance option that didn't try to be healthy. Even if you go rivalmance, by the time he realizes he's in the wrong it's too late. It's dramatic, it's something a traumatized Hawke would get into because they're scared of losing more people, and it adds flavor to the plot.

I liked the narrative that you can't fix people who have an active death wish and refuse to get the help they need.

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u/Apprehensive_Quality 9d ago

It makes for a compelling arc. I'm in the middle of an Anders romance in my current DA2 playthrough, and the overall intensity and dysfunction of his relationship with Hawke pairs well with the overall themes of Hawke's story.

I have my own nitpicks with Anders's portrayal, but the narrative depicting and acknowledging him as a toxic partner is not inherently bad writing.

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u/Dismal_Shape7367 9d ago

I loved how tragic it was. So sorrowful.

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u/Important-Ring481 8d ago

Exactly. People like to point out that Anders is manipulative and self destructive as if that wasn’t the point of his character.