App for Magic Drafted
PLAYER INFORMATION
NAME: Chi is fine :)
AGE: Twenty and two!
JOURNAL: queen_chihuahua
AIM/PLURK/EMAIL: PMing works best to get ahold of me-- you can either PM my journal or my character journal.
CURRENT CHARACTERS: None! Fresh meat, here :D
CHARACTER INFORMATION
SERIES: Dragon Age
NAME: "Anders" is the only name given for him in game, which is not even his real name. That is never revealed. I'd be happy to have his first name as Anders and create a last name for him as well, though.
RACE: Human, and a mage in his cannon!
AGE: It's never officially stated, but I would place him roughly at 30
CANON POINT: After the destruction of the Kirkwall Chantry
REFERENCES: here is the DA wiki page, and here is the page for Anders, specifically.
GENDER: Physically and mentally male. Anders is also sharing headspace with a spirit of the fade (the world where magic comes from in his cannon) who is also male.
APPEARANCE: Anders is lean, tall, and sharp featured. His eyes are a pale amber and his hair it dirty blond. He's got a constant five o'clock shadow going on. He's fairly handsome, but his eyes always seem a little haunted.
When Justice takes over, it's as if his whole being begins to crack. His skin and clothes all look as if something is bursting out from inside him, and in the spaces he's come apart, there is a burning white-blue light. This light also blocks out his eyes completely. Worth mentioning that this is a very rare happening.
PERSONALITY & HOUSE REQUESTS: I have to state right away that Anders is a very complicated character. It's hard to even know where to begin! I may end up describing a little history here, to give my description of his personality context.
When he was 12 he was taken away from his parents, and sent to The Circle, which is a sort of prison-meets-school for people born with magic. This gave him a deep sense of injustice about the way mages are treated in his society, because he never had a choice about going there or not. In Thedas, if you are born with magic you MUST go to The Circle (and are never allowed to leave).
Though Anders harbored the feeling that he was being unjustly kept, he was not outright vocal about it. In his youth he was playful, teasing, cheeky, and generally a warm person.
Anders spent his youth learning the art of magic from those mages trapped with him inside The Circle, however he never tried to stop escaping. This shows his strong determination and will, and also highlights that he is very willing to keep fighting for what he believes in, despite any obstacle. There would be punishments with each failed escape, but he kept trying none the less.
Anders is very willing to break the rules and risk the punishment if it's for something he believes in, like the freedom that he believes that he and other mages deserve.
Anders does come off as a joker and a bit lecherous (he teases quite a bit, with and without innuendo) but there is an unyielding stubbornness underneath. At this point in his life, Anders was capable of being more selfish; he would often drink, and fool around sexually with other mages of the circle, and otherwise do things in order to momentarily forget the injustice he and they faced when he could.
Something that changed Anders quite a bit was his fusion with Justice, a spirit from The Fade (which is the world all magic comes from in his verse).
The Fade is a world of dreams from which all magic runs in Anders’ cannon. It is a place populated with both spirits, and demons. Spirits are often benevolent and helpful, and take the form of things like Valor and Justice. Demons on the other hand take the forms of Sloth, Greed, and so on.
It is unknown how Justice became trapped outside The Fade, but when Anders found him, he was haunting the rotting corpse of a human in order to survive. Without a proper vessel, he would die. Anders was touched by the spirit's plight; Justice had seen the terrible way that mages were treated in Anders’ world. He wanted to work with Anders to bring justice to every child ripped away from his or her mother to be brought to The Circle.
Thus, Anders allowed the spirit into himself, which is considered a big taboo by mage’s standards. When they fused, both of them changed. Anders says that he thinks his own anger at The Templars (the "mage police", essentially) changed Justice, who he is now irreversibly fused with. When fused with Anders, Justice took in all of his anger and became fierce, frightening, and vicious, more fitting of the name Vengeance.
Anders lost his spirit friend and was instead sharing headspace with a cruel hard force of hatred towards those who had ever acted unjustly. Because of this, Anders lost a lot of his lightheartedness. After the fusion, Anders' harder and more serious side was brought to light. He still jokes and makes light, but he’s also quicker to stir the pot about issues that he believes are important. Whereas he used to be able to shy away from the bigger picture (relating to the plight of mages), he was now wholly concerned with it. He has no choice but to fight for the rights of mages everywhere whenever the opportunity arises, because it is what Justice (and thus, what he himself) demands.
Because of Justice, Anders loses a little of the things he used to enjoy; he feels guilty about getting drunk, and feels that he does not deserve love nor to be with another physically. He feels these thoughts as his own, even though he never would have thought them prior to Justice. Outwardly one might not be able to tell the difference between before-justice-anders and after-justice-anders, because the change was great but mostly under the surface.
Anders’ hatred for those who would oppress mages grew deeper and darker, fueled by Justice-turned-Vengeance to the point where he regards all Templars with utter disgust. It blinds him. His disgust is so great that it loosens his control on himself, allowing Justice to sometimes slip out and take control of him. This is a very rare happening, however, and only goes down under extreme circumstances (For example, when The Templars brain-washed his lover).
In everyday life, Justice is a more passive voice. For example, say Anders was drinking in a bar and he happened to spot some students bullying another. Pre-Justice, he may have favoured finishing his glass/ignoring the bullying all together, but post-justice he must abandon his own pleasures and jump to the victim’s aid, right away.
Some other traits that should be described to complete the picture of Anders’ personality are as follows: Anders is daring, with more regard for what he cares about than the rules. He will risk his own life, and the lives of others for "the greater good".
Anders is also cannonly pansexual. In game, he states he's always believed that you fall in love with a whole person, and not just a body.
When faced with an issue that he cannot solve despite all of his best efforts, Anders can also become a somber, pessimistic individual. He lacks the ability to cope in the ways he once did (drinking, sex, ect) and it grates on him, sometimes forcing him to take drastic measures to solve whatever issue that is troubling him. This is because Justice does not allow him to rest until he corrects whatever wrongs he perceives. Anders must always do the “right” thing, even if it is not the easy thing.
In terms of house, I think Anders is one hundred percent Gryffindor, for all the traits described above. I would really like him to be a professor, also.; Though, that being said, Anders does have a real humanitarian side, too. He does run a clinic in a town full of sick refugees, and he serves them all without charging a thing. He generally is friendly and likes to help people if he can (mages/magic folk especially) so for that reason, I can see him fitting into Hufflepuff. But yes. Gryffindor is my number one choice, which I would really like to see him in.
COMMUTER DETAILS: Uhm, N/A I think? I'd like to have Anders as a teacher, so I don't think his Commuter would be tapped.
POSITION: Professor! I would love love LOVE to have Anders teach.
In game, Anders can heal anything between minor bruises and cuts, to reviving an ally who had fallen unconscious. He's also been called upon to help a woman give birth. Lists of his skill are http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Spirit_Healer_%28Origins%29 and http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Vengeance
Because he's also gifted with Herbalism (explained below) he can also create a wide variety of healing potions, salves, elixers, and so on. After some discution with the mod, I've decided that "First Aid Magic", taught as an ellective, would be perfect for him. The class would instruct the students on both healing spells, and healing potions. (Not the exact spells listed above mind you-- they will fit better in the HP verse).
ABILITIES & POWERS: Above, I have provided the lists of Ander's main skill trees in DA1 and DA2. It is possible to unlock more skills though, and in a few cut-scenes he does throw some fireballs around. I think it's to be assumed that he knows a little of most magic, but his skill is with healing. He'd have to really try hard to learn other magical skills like levitation and transfiguration, and all that. He would be able to I think, it would just take a lot of effort on his part.
I do believe he would be more naturally inclined to combat spells though, because he is from a verse where he fights with his magic quite often. He knows a spell for knocking people off of thier feet (mind blast, a force-mage skill, featured on another skill tree) and he can send little bolts of magic out as an attack. Thus, I think DADA would be something he could do well.
You'll notice that one of the skill trees I provided lists only healing spells, while the other lists a few more offensive magic skills. Those offensive skills stem from Anders' possession by a spirit, known as Justice (or Vengance, in his darker moods). His fusion with the spirit grants him powers that he would not be able to teach, because the power stems from Justice himself. I think these powers would only come into play if for whatever reason he needed to defend himself/his students. And while they increase his power and strength, he still only know what he knows (for example, he knows a fire spell so his fire spell gets more powerful. It's not like he suddenly knows how to do all this magic he couldn't before).
Also, when he is drawing on Justice for power, he can't heal or be healed.
In short:
Healing magic
A knock back spell
a fire ball spell
occational powerup from a spirit (not exceeding what he already knows)
Knowldge of healing potions
capable of learning more at hogwarts
So, how will this translate into the HP verse? In game, Anders can use magic with or without a staff. I think that will translate into him knowing how to use a wand, but being able to do a small portion of wandless magic (healing). However, it will me much easier for him to use a wand. In his verse magic requires no incantations, so I think he will just somehow "know" the incantations required for the spells (listed above) that he already knows. If he wants to learn more, he'll have to do it like everyone else.
A skill that Anders has that would not translate into spells is Herbalism. Taken directly from the description on the wiki, Herbalism is a crafting skill; it allows a character to make a wide variety of potions, poultices, salves, balms, elixirs, and so forth, whenever raw ingredients and a recipe are at hand. I think this translates easily into Anders being good at potions, particularly of the healing kind.
WAND: For the wood, I think petrified oak is perfect. Oak is strong and links to healing, and petrified wood is often used for healing as well. This will work well for his healing skills. Inside however, I think there needs to be something fierce, just like Anders' inward passion about the oppression of the mages, and the freaking SPIRIT he has inside of him. For that, I think dragon heart string.
I think 13 inches long would be good; longer, because he used to carry a large staff, but not abnomally so. Because the wood it petrified, I think it would be low flexability. Petrified wood is light, so the wand would be, which nicely matches his outward light-heartedness. It's strengths would be healing, and defence against the dark arts.
MISC.:
WRITING SAMPLES
FIRST PERSON:
[By quill]
I feel like I shouldn't even be touching this... like any moment, a Templar is going to break down my door and accuse me of blood magic. There is more magic in this little device, in this room than I have seen in my entire life. The Circle mages would be shamed to see all the wonderful things that thier domestication has cost them.
I don't suppose I should go on writing that way, if this is something others will be able to read.
My name is Anders Dharmadeva-- please no one attempt to pronounce my last name, it will just give everyone a headache."Anders" is just fine.
At risk of sounding completely incapable of taking care of myself, it would be nice if someone would be willing to take some time to show me around. I promise to be an attentive and well behaved ward (and if you knew me, I'm sure you'd greatly appreciate it).
Oh, and if someone could just... pinch me, so I know that I'm not dreaming? Thanks.
THIRD PERSON:
Anders was certain that any minute now he was going to wake up. This place was far too wonderful to be real. After years of living with his magic like it was a curse, seeing a place like Hogwarts was beyond his wildest dreams.
Anders had thought to wait for a guide, but the temptation to explore was too much; his wanderings had taken him down many a hall, and the things he'd seen-- oh, the things he'd seen! The classes being taught, the students, the little elves scurrying about when no one else was else was looking. It made him want to laugh with glee.
It was mid-morning, so the teachers were teaching and the students were (mostly) learning, which left the dining hall empty save for a few small clusters of studying pupils. Anders fiddled with the idea of greeting them as a faculty member, when the gorgeous ceiling caught his attention. Entranced, Anders walked slowly towards the middle of the room with his eyes fixed upwards.
"Maker..." he gasped softly, marveling at the realness of the sky flowing across the ceiling. Did he look like a crazy person? Probably, but he was far too amazed to worry. The silver-grey clouds split and rain began to pour, and Anders flinched for a moment as if he was about to get a face full of rain. When no dampness assaulted him he peered back up to the enchanted ceiling, and reached upwards with curious fingers. He couldn’t feel even the faintest breath of moisture. A hearty laugh rumbled in his chest whilst a smile split his lips.
"Amazing," he said softly.