#heroicsaga

How does A.nders view magic?

A.nders views magic as something inherently good, with it's uses and applications depending more on the person who is in control of it than the magic itself. After Justice and the situation in Kirkwall, it becomes especially important for him to believe this as it ends up as one of the foundations for his argument for the mages' liberation from the circles. At it's core magic is a tool and a catalyst for it's users, and he would likely attempt to compare it to something akin to a warrior using an axe or a rouge using a bow but to a much larger extreme. It could be argued that neither object is inherently dangerous and has uses beyond hurting people, and that magic is similar. Though, learning to control one's magic is a task that's much more difficult to master. Thus, as a Libertarian ( and later a Resolutionist ), A.nders does in fact believe that the Circle, if fully separated from the Chantry and it's Templars, is the best place for a mage to learn in that regard.

He's also of the belief that unfortunately mages do need to prove themselves to non-mages, preferably through acts of kind, beneficial magic. In setting up Dark Town's clinic he's taking his own measures to prove that magic by itself isn't something to fear to all those that he helps through it. He himself has no qualms doing this, and canon dialog implies that he has attempted to tell the other mages of the Kirkwall Underground the same thing, to little effect as so many ' free ' mages in the city end up turning to blood magic. I think he's more open to being required to educate people in this way because A.nders himself likely grew up highly indoctrinated in the beliefs of the Andrastian Chantry, even after arriving at Kinlock Hold. Because of this he's heavily aware of how non-mages see people like him and has had first hand experience with the notion of ' even if a mage says that they mean no harm, it doesn't mean anything if they can't prove it ', ' a mage at any point could turn into an abomination and enthrall a whole village ', and so on.

Is it something he delights in learning or feels burdened with?

Through the course of time A.nders has felt both extremes, I think. Again, he grew up in what was likely an extremely devout household and because of his magic's late manifestation more than likely had absorbed a far share of anti-mage rhetoric through the Chantry services, the people of the village, and that of his own father. There's dialog in Awakening where he states that despite once being devout as a child he still ended up a mage, something that's seen as the Maker's curse for that of your parents sins ( and apparently permanently that of your own ) in the Andrastian chantry. So for a time, especially early into his time within the Tower A.nders likely viewed his magic as thus, which is much more heavy of a burden to shoulder. As for the opposite extreme: going off further canon, in Awakening A.nders comes equipped with a pendant that is exclusive to him called the Fox's Pendant. It's description is as follows: ' After A.nders first escaped from the Circle Tower, he saved the life of Bann Ferrenly. This enchanted amulet was a reward for A.nders's service and friendship. ' So, do the writers mean A.nders' first escape attempt, when he was barely twelve and a half years old, or is it referring to what he did immediately after his most recent escape? Because I make the rules in this house, I'm gonna be that person and say it was in fact during baby's first escape. And it was likely when A.nders discovered a talent for creation magic that is apparently considered very rare in that of the Circle ( which likely prompted attention once he was finally led back to the Circle in chains after you know, being a good little boy and saving a Bann's life ). So, it isn't until his first escape attempt that he discovers that his own magic can be used for good, that he's capable of helping people more so than hurting them. Which probably delighted him to an extent. Because that was the issue, at it's core: When you grow up being taught that something is only capable of doing one thing, you tend to believe that it's true until you're exposed to an event that challenges your beliefs. After that, I think he more or less began excelling in certain lesson types while still falling short in others. He enjoyed learning in between his escapes, once out of what one could probably call the beginner classes ( as a late manifesting mage-apprentice he was probably doing lessons with children the age of which young A.nders would likely call ' actual babies ', lbr ). Even then, I don't think that he really had a love of learning until he was older and closer to the time of his Harrowing. I DO want to say that Karl was a very good influence on him and A.nders 100% wanted to impress him because I think that the concept is cute as fuck. So, there's one school of magic that he ended up being especially skilled at and likely delighted in improving his skill set in ( creation ) ones that he was generally above average at and likely enjoyed learning / practicing ( primal, spirit ) and one he found difficulty with ( entropy, which incidentally is the polar opposite of creation ). Beyond that, supplemental lessons, like general arcane arts, herbalism, and potion making, are other things he likely enjoyed. Then, there's the specialization. I think it would be a lie to say that A.nders didn't delight in following that path, despite how inherently difficult it was to even achieve and how much danger it apparently placed upon his shoulders. After all, Spirit Healers are rare, and despite all the good they're capable of, are also considered the most dangerous of Circle mages by Templars due to their close proximity with the fade, it's spirits, and the demons that will try to trick one into believing they too are nothing but a spirit. 

How does he go about learning something new?

BOOKS. In the tower especially, the library was a wealth of knowledge about any subject that likely struck his fancy ( beyond the books that the chantry banned mages from accessing, of course ).

SELF EXPERIMENTATION. How do you learn to do things that no book goes into detail about? You acquire a few vials of lyrium and figure that shit out yourself ( And if you're still in the Circle, you get to do it while a few Templars stand in the background looking real nervous with their hands on their pommels. ) ASKING SOMEONE WHO KNOWS MORE THAN YOU. As a spirit healer, A.nders was probably at one point one of W.ynne's apprentices ( because, you know, I make the rules ). And even if he wasn't, W.ynne would have likely been another wealth of advice regarding the practice of spirit healing. Like, yeah, sure: A.nders probably disliked her as much as any other Libertarian who's tired of hearing that Chantry control is what's best for them, and he disliked her insistence that if he's a good boy he'll one day be afforded the freedom to leave the tower without a templar escort. But there's no denying that W.ynne was a talented mage, and grew into a dedicated instructor after a certain point.  

Those are probably the main three ways he learns things? Though really only two are applicable outside of the Circle unless there's some really cool people in the Mage Underground that we never find out about.

Is he a quick study?