Who did you pick? And why?

My first time around was Anders, my second was Isabela, and my last was Merrill. The Merrill one felt kinda creepy seeing as how Hawke is almost 40 and Merrill still looks like a teenager. But for my head canon it's Isabela.

Isabela has great chemistry with snarky Hawke and is relevant to the main plot, but I resent her different treatment of the two genders. And I generally prefer women, so I didn't really want to choose Anders/Fenris either.

Merrill was what was left, though I'm not implying she is a bad option.

Having played through the game many times by now, my preferred romance option is Isabella nowadays. I like how it starts casual and can get so much deeper.

I did the Anders romance a few times (I just love the voice actor, plus Anders looks like a young Charles Dance, that got me hooked at first), always as a friendmance. I watched the rivalmance and didn't like it. Friendmance is ok. Anders is probably one of the most complicated companions in DA and I think, the romance does the character mostly justice (no pun intended ... well ... maybe a bit). I still would like in Anders storyline, that they'd not be that obvious, what he is gathering in act 3, because it was too obvious. Plus, we should be able to give him a new kitten, because let's face it, every story needs a kitten

Fenris was another romance, I did often, after ignoring him for the first playthroughs, because of his cliched anime look and his general moodiness. Then I decided to take him with me a bit more and I came to like the character (still doesn't like his look a lot though)and so I tried the romance - with a mage of all things. It was very sweet. But still,sometimes the brooding is too much.

I never tried Merrill, because she looks like a child and I really don't like that character much (apart from the voice actress, Eve Myles, she is great).

Sebastian doesn't exist in my games anymore. I played his storyline a few times, but I really can't stand the character, so obviously, I haven't even thinking of trying out the romance. He wouldn't fit with my Hawkes anyway, they don't care for religion much and are mostly annoyed by his preaching.

I'd say, Isabella is my canon romance. I just like the character and I have a soft spot for snarky rogues in DA games (although in DAI it is more the snarky warrior aka Iron Bull, but Sera is great with my dwarves).

Yeah, I think Anders works better in the friendship path. I did sent him away one time after his quest in teh second act, but that Hawke still had a high approval with him. And awww for the kitty

Awwwww

Also DEAR MAKER THREE YEARS AGO

Female mage, and I romanced Fenris. And I have, to this day, only finished two playthroughs of Dragon Age II that I wasn't the same female mage (Moira Hawke) who romanced Fenris. I played an archer who romanced Fenris and I played a mage who romanced Anders.

I initially chose Merrill to pair with Hawke, and it was always on the Rivalry path. Not strictly Rivalry, but the kind of friendship that was flipped when he refused to give Merrill the elven relic. Hawke was supportive of mages and their freedom, proud of his father, and protective of his sister. But he was against the use of blood magic, and prolonged interactions with spirits. Hawke was curt in his early interactions with Merrill, and he begrudgingly escorted her to Kirkwall to keep a wary eye on her. However, after the loss of his sister to the Grey Wardens, and his continued interactions over the years, Hawke felt drawn to Merrill's passion and overlooked kindness. He never tears Merrill down, but he tries to keep her from going too far, to keep her focus from becoming an unhealthy obsession. Hawke failed Bethany, but he doesn't want to fail Merrill too.

Over time, I grew fond of the interaction between two very direct and aggressive companions, and added Fenris to my Hawke's romanctic arc. After a night of explosive passion at the Hawke Estate, the relationship with Fenris implodes (going so far as to have a duel to the death in the final act), and Hawke gravitates to the other elf he developed strong feelings for (though not romanctic in the beginning).

Hehe, I like your style.

I always get a little bit of a shock when Cassandra suddenly proposes that she was going to make Hawke the Inquisitor. I really like her in DAI, but sometimes she has these DA2-Cas moments where you're left totally reeling by how her mind must work. "Bitch, I traveled through time to prevent a catastrophic future from coming to pass to prove myself, and you were going to give Hawke the keys to the kingdom just because Varric told you he was a cool guy?!"

She'd be a pretty perfect partner for both my current Hawke and my projected Inquisitor, but sadly I'll be banking pretty hard on making her Divine and it doesn't feel like it's in her character to settle down when the world needs her, which it always will. And that'll pave the way for my Trevelyan to claim his beautiful Antivan Disney princess instead. My current Hawke is also the first one who might actually survive the events of Inquisition. I usually happily sacrifice him/her to preserve Loghain... but Stroud? Eeeh.

Hmm, I hadn't considered that. I only made Carver a Warden this time around because I knew I'd be dealing with Stroud in Inquisition and didn't want it to come out of nowhere. Maybe you're right. It would be a pretty fitting death for someone who lived his entire life atoning for his magic, dying to preserve the border between Thedas and the Fade.

And Stroud does have that magnificent mustache... it'd be a real shame to leave that behind with the Nightmare demon...

Why would a mage spend his entire life atoning his magic? This self-hatred's mere thought is terrible. And oh yes, the death "pretty fitting" such person. Ugh.