What did you do today in DA? [Spoilers]

Ah Kirkwall, people there have strange hobbies.

A Chantry sister sent me to my death just to piss off the Qunari. I was sturdier than she expected I think. To bad I couldn't punch her in the face.
A investigated a murder, or kidnapping, well something...all I found was a severed hand with a ring on it and no culprit.
A investigated a kidnapping of a Templar recruit, looks like blood mages were having some fun there.
A made a deal with a Carta dwarf for money for the expedition...even if I didn't need it.

Now I'm in the deep road and I want to leave Bertrand out there. He's not the most joyous company. How did Varric endured him all these years?

Also, pissed Cassandra is best Cassandra.

You can always left him to die in the Deep Roads. No mods needed, and makes the poor Hawke's drama all the more tragic.

Plot-wise, there is no way Hawke can know her brother will get infected with the Taint while traveling the Deep Roads.

"I'll wager it was those deep mushrooms we found"—Varric

If you not have Anders on your team, Hawke also have no way to know that Stroud and his Warden team is nearby, and can allow Carver to take the Joining and, despite the fatality rates of the Joining, survive (and according to Varric, they learned about it many months after they returned to Kirkwall).

So, while you as a player can control his destiny (left him in Kirkwall to make him a Templar; leave Anders in Kirkwall and Carver to the Deep Roads to kill him; or both to the Roads to make him a Grey Warden), Hawke, the character, have no control of fate. Because of that Carver/Bethany death in Deep Roads in so tragic. Is something Hawke could not expect neither control.

SO, I'm a bit confused about the differences between a College of Enchanters vs the old Circles.

Other than the lack of constant Templar vigilance upon their persons... What changed?

They get to visit their families?
Free pass to travel away from the Circle anytime they feel like a vacation?
Actually properly prepared for their Harrowing?
Mage children aren't strung up on sight?

Include, maybe, more freedoms on what they want to study. I can see them studying all kinds of magic schools and that, not only the ones sanctioned by the Chantry (and there are more forbidden magic stuffs that only Blood Magic; like the Avvar and Chasind practices).

And also, maybe the mages of noble lineage not losing their rights (and this would make the College popular with the nobility).

I guess, the College will be more akin the Imperial Circle than to the Chantry Circle.

Oh, I upgraded my answer already, sorry.
So: this is just a council, with delegated members. The mages live in the Circles, or at home (Leliana). Under Leliana I think, the College organize the education etc.

The apostasy under Cassandra and Vivienne in principle illegal. But none of them was capable of forcing every mage in the Circle.

Haven't done that and a couple of other things yet either. Like telling that one girl to join the Wardens so I can see her be the sacrifice. Letting the villagers die in haven. Letting the Chargers die. Letting Loghain live.

If you don't do Jose's quest, I imagine she isn't killed, but is there an epi slide reference I wonder?

Spending a lot of time at the Black Emporium trying to design a prettier Asian female Hawke. Having moderate success with the help of mods (and with the detriment of them), but I just can't get that distinct Asian eye color right because of a lack of black eye color. All I get are brown or almond colors.

I did send the girl to the wardens on my first playthrough. I was a bit naive and thought, that joining the wardens is a good idea despite their problems. I thought, the girl seems a sane down to earth person who might change something. I was truely shocked, when that scene came and I basically got an 'I told you so' from Solas. I never let her join the wardens again, although I feel sorry for the old warden, who gets sacrificed instead of her too. But at least, he volunteered.

I didn't let the villagers, the Chargers or Hawke die so far - and probably will never do those. Some things aren't worth doing for story purpose, killing off people, I like, is among them. I felt a bit sorry for Stroud, when I left him in the fade - he is one of those minor characters, that did grow on me. Loghain changed so much, that I felt bad either (I really like him in DAI, so I will probably let him live more often from now on in DAO), Alistair is normally king with Anora in my world stats (that's just my favorite - he is too dumb to rule, she can use a bit more empathy through Ali, so they are perfect for each other), so I don't know, how I would feel to kill him off. I didn't like Ali that much in DAO, but maybe he is more likeable for me as a GW - I should try that at least in one playthrough. Loghain redeemed himself in my eyes, maybe Ali can too.
What I neverever would do is killing my Hawkes - I love them all. Plus: what would Fenris, Isabella or Anders say. Especially Anders would probably start blowing things up in frustration again ... or maybe Justice would demand a trip to the Fade to punish Nightmare ... that could make for an interesting story ...

With Riya, I used the option to steal the killing contract via Leliana. I have to do Trespasser yet with that character, so I don't know about Josies slider at the end, but I'm curious.

ok, now I'm even more curious

I now plan using blood magic with my Hawke... poor Anders, I imagine how would hate this.
I already have blood mage Hawke(s), in Inquisition, this can cause some disappointing, but you can explain somehow...
1. Hawke's a conceited Blood Mage, a Blood Mage may be prone to consider him/herself as a capable person, and the others as a weak, potential threat...
2. Hawke plays the idiot hypocrite's role, that s/he hates blood magic...

My lovely hypocrite...

If you're playing on PC, I recommend you to use that mod that allows to skip most of that annoying quest.