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redlyriumidol · 2 days ago

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so apart from ENTROPY which (as I've said before) is the true villain of da2, I think another central theme of DA2 is spelt out for us by Fenris:

What do you do when you stop running?

Obviously, the game begins with a very literal escape, an "Exodus," as was the original title. But even before that, the Hawke family is defined as having been on the run their entire lives. But you can also see this theme play out in most of the characters of da2, all of whom-- in some way or another-- are refugees and/or exiles. Note that none of the main cast apart from Varric were born in Kirkwall, and that sense of uprootedness, loss of family, of impermanence, is what binds them together. (and I think these things also apply to Varric, as I'll discuss.) So here are my thoughts on how this theme applies to the cast of da2.

This will get long sorry, cw minor discussion of suicide:

Isabela:

Isabela is probably one of the most obvious examples. She has a deep-rooted tendency to cut and run at the slightest sign of trouble-- this is especially clear in the romance arc, as Isabela fears intimacy. Of course this is exemplified when she flees at the end of act 2, but Isabela (usually lol) makes the choice to return. Isabela's arc is about making the choice to stay, to commit to something bigger than herself and-- particularly in the romance-- to allow herself to be vulnerable. Act 3 finds Isabela struggling with what it means to have made that choice. (This is why personally I prefer her to kill Castillon, as to me taking the ship feels like 'running' and killing him feels like a neater end to her arc. without an end there can be no peace, after all. but i'll get to that.)

Isabela choosing to stay and fight alongside Hawke is a huge turning point for her-- as Hawke points out, the old Isabela would have been long gone by that point. Isabela responds that this is Hawke's 'bad influence,' but it's really indicative of her character development. Isabela was sold into marriage by her mother, uprooted in the worst sense, but didn't flee until she was freed by Zevran. From that experience, she learns it's always better to run before things get bad-- and her da2 arc is about unlearning this.

Fenris:

Fenris, as I mentioned, spells this out for us quite neatly. I really like this particular dialogue with him and how it ties into Hawke's arc. We meet Fenris when, for the first time in his life, he's made the choice to stay rather than run. "There comes a time when you must stop running, and face the wolves." Fenris is the personification of uprootedness, as he has no memory of who he was before Danarius. He wants to find his sister and a sense of permanence, of family, but this does not turn out as hoped.

I find it very fitting that Fenris's birth name is Leto-- in Greek myth, Leto was a lover of Zeus pursued relentlessly by a jealous Hera, who cursed her never to live on solid ground. Leto takes refuge on a floating island-- which in Fenris's case is probably Seheron, but could also be understood as Kirkwall maybe. Like I said I find the dialogue about running with Fenris very interesting and very relevant to Hawke's arc, as Hawke and Fenris are in similar places-- on the run their entire lives, now having made the choice to put roots down somewhere and to fight for the right to exist.

Aveline:

During 'The Long Road,' Hawke tells Aveline that she's 'not the hiding type.' And this is true for the most part, but we see during this quest that Aveline, normally so fearless, is very afraid of getting close to Donnic. She says it herself: 'it's just fear' and I think this is an interesting parallel with Isabela, who is also afraid of letting someone in. Isabela and Aveline are set up as opposites in many ways, Isabela the chaos to Aveline's order, but Aveline's greatest fear is losing the people she cares about-- including Isabela. Aveline mentions that, while she knows rationally that killing Wesley was the right choice, her heart doesn't let her forget that she was the one to pull the trigger. I think Wesley's death, and what Aveline sees as her failure to protect him, informs her drive to impose order on chaos, to keep the people she loves safe at all costs. Hawke tells a romanced Isabela that she's not afraid of being hurt, she's afraid of hurting someone else, of letting them down-- which I think is true for Aveline as well.

We can also see Aveline's internal conflict very clearly during her Fade betrayal (possibly my favourite one) and I want to bring up a very very minor line, in Olivia's letter to Thrask: "I hope one day you make peace between what you have been taught and what you have seen." This is Aveline's struggle too. Who she was as the wife of a templar is no longer who she is when Hawke is her sole family. Aveline may not run from danger, but I think she avoids making a choice between her understanding of the world, versus her love for Hawke. That is, until the end of the game. While Aveline can side against Hawke, this outcome is fairly unlikely. (for some reason it's partly dependent on Hawke's relationship with Fenris, idk why that is lol.)

Merrill:

Merrill is an exile from her clan-- as Marethari says, she has 'chosen a new path' which takes her away from her life and her family. For me Merrill's arc is largely about detachment from reality, escapism from real life-- this is my interpretation perhaps, but I see it as a consequence of grief and guilt over Tamlen and Mahariel. Her single-minded focus on restoring the Eluvian and saving the legacy of the Dalish means she ignores all else, even basic needs: "If you don't get some sunshine, you'll wilt." It's what drives a wedge between Merrill and her clan and causes them to reject and fear her. After the resolution of her act 3 quest, Hawke can suggest that Merrill turn her efforts to aiding the alienage elves (which according to Varric she does regardless of Hawke's suggestion,) thereby reconnecting with real life and the people around her. In other words, staying, putting down roots.

Personally I think it's incredibly important to Merril's arc that she chooses to break the eluvian, and that she decides to stay in Kirkwall to help the real, living elves around her rather than chasing a remnant of the past.

Anders:

Anders is so much the quintessential fugitive that he's infamous for it in Ferelden-- but now we also find him also on the run from the Grey Wardens. While Anders has certainly chosen to stay and fight, one line of his that always makes me very sad is "he's no longer my friend Justice." Not only is Anders losing his friend, and losing Karl, he's also losing himself. Within the Justders amalgam, but also in a less literal sense losing himself in his cause, similarly to Merrill. While I personally think all of this could have been handled a bit more neatly in terms of writing, it's undeniable that the Anders we meet at the start of Awakening and the Anders who quietly awaits Hawke's verdict after having blown up the chantry are so different that they're essentially separate characters.

This Anders, having done what he needs to, does not flee-- although accepting death can also be a way of fleeing from the consequences of his actions. And I don't want to fully get into the themes of suicide around Anders, but this is definitely also relevant and I will touch on this when I talk about another character below.

Sebastian:

Sebastian, the 'Exiled Prince,' has two slightly different ways his arc can play out depending on whether you take the friendship or rivalry path. Apart from having literally been forced to flee by assassins, Sebastian can be seen as running in two ways: either running from his duty to his family/kingdom by taking refuge in the chantry, or, conversely, running from his duty to the chantry by seeking to reclaim his throne. Hawke can push him in either direction. Personally I absolutely love the rivalry path (not least because the dialogue with Elthina is very entertaining) because it sets up two opposing figures in Sebastian's life: Elthina, the angel on his right shoulder, Hawke, the devil on his left. Lol. Chaos vs Order. Anyway, regardless of friendship or rivalry, if Anders is allowed to live Sebastian leaves Kirkwall swearing revenge for Elthina-- despite the fact that him marching on Kirkwall with an army is clearly not the holy lifestyle choice Elthina would have wanted him to make.

Sebastian is an interesting character to me in terms of how his poorly-disguised ambition echoes Hawke's rise to power. The desire demon in his act 2 quest points this out, and this is a facet of his character that I loooove. Sebastian talks about his old self as if he has fully escaped from it, and says something along the lines of "when I wanted to rule, I would have been terrible at it, but now that I'd actually be good at it I'm not sure it's right." (paraphrased lol) I always read this as him trying to convince himself somewhat that he would be a good ruler. While Sebastian has certainly changed and he turns the demon down, the fact that the demon even sensed that desire reveals it still lurks within him, and Sebastian himself questions this at the end of his act 2 quest.

Varric:

Varric is the character I maybe struggle most to connect to this in an obvious way-- maybe because he's the only character who was born in Kirkwall, despite his family being exiled from Orzammar. One thing that does occur to me is that Bartrand does run, and another (though this isn't revealed to us until the next game) is Bianca. Still, I think Varric as a character in general is defined by evasiveness, he's the 'liar' that Florence + the Machine is not calling him. As the unreliable narrator he takes liberties, hides truths about himself in fiction. And I suppose he's almost certainly dodging taxes lol.

I think it's worth noting that Varric, as a second-generation immigrant from an exiled family, feels a deep disconnect to any sort of dwarven heritage, though he's still marked by it. Such as when he can't be with the woman he loves because of dwarven tradition, and also the rift between Varric and his brother. I suppose it can be said that Varric hides from reality through storytelling. Since Varric is the one who frames the story for us, I think it makes sense for his arc to be set up slightly differently. And I think we see some resolution in DAI, when Hawke comments that they've never seen Varric dedicate himself to a cause in this way before.

Bethany/Carver:

I think Bethany exemplifies this theme more clearly than Carver, which makes sense as she's a mage. If Bethany joins the Circle, she accepts imprisonment. A lot of Bethany's dialogue hints towards the fact that eternally being on the run is horrifically exhausting for her, so much so that she wonders whether it wouldn't be a relief to join the Circle-- and for her, it is. If Bethany joins the wardens she suffers, as her life now involves just as much pain and fear and running as it always has, if not more.

Carver, for his part, takes to the Wardens immediately, because it finally allows him the sense of purpose that he craves. While Carver has also been on the run his whole life because of his family, he believes that this is the reason why he's never been able to find a sense of purpose. In truth, Carver is more likely held back by his self-doubt than by his family-- he flees from taking responsibility for his own choices. In the wardens, removed from questions of mages and templars (and therefore his own insecurities about the matter) he can become the person he wants to be, and his relationship with Hawke heals considerably. If he joins the templars he'll side with Hawke against them, but is still noticeably plagued with doubt, and resentment towards his sibling.

Others:

First, the Arishok, Saarebaas, and the Qunari. Throughout the series, the Qunari represent the (attempted) imposition of order on the chaos that is Thedas. Hawke questions at one point why the Arishok doesn't just leave Kirkwall, to which he angrily responds that "there is no rescue from duty to the Qun." The Arishok and his men are also refugees in Kirkwall, but they're bound there by their duty to the Qun. The conversation with Saarebaas in act 1 is imo one of the best in the game, and when Hawke tells him that 'existing is not a choice,' Saarebaas responds: "It is the only choice. Asit tal-eb. It is to be." Under the Qun, fleeing is not an option. The choice is between existence under the Qun, or death-- hence why the Qunari view Tal-Vashoth, escapees, as monsters. Saarebaas, having been forcibly freed, chooses death rather than becoming Tal-Vashoth. During the act 2 finale, the Arishok sets up a similar choice: either he fulfills his duty, or he dies.

This choice echoes the corner Hawke and their companions are eventually backed into at the game's resolution: either fight for what they believe in, or die. At this point, running is no longer possible. While there's a whole other thing with Templars vs Mages and Order vs Chaos, I think either path inherently contains this element. A choice needs to be made, and neutrality is not an option.

The final character I want to touch on is Feynriel, which I mentioned in Anders's section. During the final conversation with Feynriel in the Fade, Feynriel begs Hawke to kill him. When Hawke responds that this will make him Tranquil, Feynriel says: "I was afraid of that for so long. I don't even know why." At this point Feynriel is so broken down and scared and exhausted that he believes Tranquility, an escape from his pain, is preferable. This is very much a suicidal mentality. I think this echoes Anders's arc later on and the Karl-Anders conversation in act 1, and also what I said about Bethany above.

Hawke can convince Feynriel that it's worth fighting, and he learns to control his abilities. I mostly mention Feynriel because, while I like this scene, I think it was something of a missed opportunity. Personally I would have gone much harder with this dialogue in terms of connecting it to the overall theme of escaping, and also (if he's present) with Anders's arc.

THE END:

Without an end, there can be no peace, as we're told at the beginning of the game. And as Anders restates for us at the finale. There comes a point when running-- either literally, as the Hawkes have always done, or figuratively, as Elthina does when she refuses to take action-- no longer works. Running is temporary; if your very existence is threatened, and existing is not a choice-- then Saarebaas is right in a way. Existing is the only meaningful choice you can make.

If you made it through all that, thanks for reading !

#dragon age meta #isabela #fenris #anders #hawke #sebastian vael #varric tethras #merrill #bethany hawke #carver hawke #aveline vallen #god so many characters lol #the arishok #feynriel #dragon age 2 #dragon age #ANYWAY...... my thoughts about da2 are endless and long winded as always #i think a lot about uprootedness as a concept as ive been both a second gen and first gen immigrant (in diff countries lol)#'the island of missing trees' by elif shafak is a novel that deals with this beautifully #this is just sthg that has occurred to me while writing this au. for instance i did take the chance to beef up the feynriel scene #also not to make everything in my life about buffy the vampire slayer but: 'strong is fighting. it's hard and it's every day'#and also: 'if nothing we do matters all that matters is what we do'#dragon age talks

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