Well, seeing the hypocrisy of the small talk from Anders to Merrill during his mission in DA2, Merrill said an interesting phrase: "The demons don't choose what they are"
Could this be true?
I mean, the demons such as were seen in the whole saga are malignant, and represent negative emotions. But maybe they suffered trauma from bullying at the demon-school or something like that ...
there would be a possibility that a demon would become good?
As well as:
Sometimes. For example Solas tells us that many of the demons we fight at the Rifts were spirits that were driven insane from the trauma that the Breach and being pulled from the Fade to Thedas caused.
As for purifying a demon into a spirit, it seems possible. Cole can even be seen as an example of this. At one time Cole did things a demon would, even seeing himself as a demon after what he was was revealed, but through the kindness of Rhys he was purified and once again became a spirit of compassion. Even more so if he lets go of his negative feelings towards the man who resulted in the human Cole's death and his desire to be human.
Ahem Ishamel the "choice" spirit.
It's as much up to them as it is drawn from people.
A spirit might gravitate one way or another depending on what they want to do and represent, but the thoughts of a person will also have an effect on it. For example, the Spirit of Wisdom wanted to be peaceful and find knowledge to share with people, but the Mages pulled it through the Fade against its will and told it to use its knowledge for combat. Thus was its wisdom perverted into Pride.
of course I have some personal thoughts on these new bits of lore (to a degree they're more negative I think), but it's late now and meh, bed calls.
The Avvar also speak of how "gods" are reborn after being killed, and how they sometimes need to be killed to keep the world renewed... There's a codex about how a spirit turned demon after possesing a body and he was restored after being "killed"... Hakkon was a demonstration of how a spirit turns bad when he's told to do one thing like destroying, separating him from his original purpose that is glory in battle. I guess Hakkon is close to the spirit of Bravery we knew in Origins but was turned into a bad demon by those who bounded him to a dragon.
So we could come to the idea that demons can easily be twisted into wrong-doing but they can be good as they represent aspects of different parts of life, and dance between both sides, like Cole or Justice... So they can be good with enough willpower or some cold steel to chop them down.
Now, this apply to those spirits who where twisted like the Wisdom spirit turned Pride, I don't know if same can be said of a Demon who was born a demon if such things exist, like a Rage demon, we're told in Origins that they belong the lowest tier because of the simplicity in their emotion, so they may not necesarilly spawn from other but be born like that, I wonder if there's a way to mutate something like that if they exist.
"Good" and "bad" are subjective and I don't think Spirits and Demons care much about our perspective. Take Justice and Cole. Both of them have done horrible things we would label by our perspective as "bad" but they were both following their nature and virtues. With Demons, particularly less intelligent ones, you could count their actions as predation for necessary sustenance. Is a Demon killing or causing depression in order to feed any worse than an Elf killing a deer(R.I.P. Bambi's mom)? Lets talk about Envy. What if Envy had joined the Inquisition in an effort to replace the leader of the Red Templars or something, in affect helping the Inquisition and Thedas by striking against our enemies and forces that would see Thedas destroyed. Would that make Envy "good"? Or is he "bad" by default because he is a Demon?
Like Solas had said, a hunger demon represents a part of human survival. Hunger, the need for food and sustenance, satiation. It's not necessarily a bad thing, just another aspect of people. Demons tend to represent the uglier side of human (or, eh...Thedosian) nature, but it's pretty unavoidable. If the Fade reflects the world, then spirits and demons will continue to be created.
In the DA Universe, there are fade spirits. The bad ones are called demons, the good ones are just called spirits. If you're calling it a demon, that's because it's bad. If it wasn't bad, you wouldn't be calling it a demon, you'd just call it a helpful spirit. Obviously a fair number of the demons are named after the deadly sins, which makes it even clearer that they're bad, and why they're bad. Not all the spirits are bad, some are good, you wouldn't mistake the good ones for a demon (but you could mistake a demon for a helpful spirit, if they're trying to trick you like in the Mage Origin of DAO) . I don't know whether there are more good or bad spirits, but clearly there's plenty of both. Solas has a bit of a hard time telling the good from the bad, he tends to think of all of them as good, whether they're good or not, but of course, without giving any spoilers, I'll just say that he clearly has a hard time telling good from bad in more than just that one area of his life 
. So yes, bottom line, demons are bad, helpful spirits are good, and usually it's not all that hard to tell the difference, at least for most people .
One cannot really ascribe human morality to Spirits or categorise them into good or bad, only how dangerous they could potentially be. Even for the "mostly harmless" spirits, they can become dangerous depending on the idea they represent and their actions while pursuing it.
I mean, if a Spirit who had dedicated themselves to protecting the innocent or young children, saw either being harmed by someone and decided to take action to punish those responsible, can we really call it a demon for simply carrying it's purpose out in a less than benevolent manner?
Cole veered close to "demon" territory in Asunder, but even then, his reason for mercy killing the mages who desired death was born out of a misguided attempt to try to help and fulfill his purpose as a Spirit of Compassion... just carried out in manner that he shouldn't have done.
"Good" and "bad" are subjective and I don't think Spirits and Demons care much about our perspective. Take Justice and Cole. Both of them have done horrible things we would label by our perspective as "bad" but they were both following their nature and virtues. With Demons, particularly less intelligent ones, you could count their actions as predation for necessary sustenance. Is a Demon killing or causing depression in order to feed any worse than an Elf killing a deer(R.I.P. Bambi's mom)? Lets talk about Envy. What if Envy had joined the Inquisition in an effort to replace the leader of the Red Templars or something, in affect helping the Inquisition and Thedas by striking against our enemies and forces that would see Thedas destroyed. Would that make Envy "good"? Or is he "bad" by default because he is a Demon?
the demons are a corrupted form of spirits
the demons are a corrupted form of spirits
Not exactly , if spirits represent emotions , well "fear" for example is not corruption.
It's natural.
You'll always get spirits representing "good" thing faith, valor , etc...then "bad " hunger , fear , rage.
Unless you create an utopia/paradise for humans , "demons" are as natural as "spirits".
the demons are a corrupted form of spirits
or spirit are corrupted form of demons
or spirit are corrupted form of demons
Perspective is a big matter that DAI tries to start to more overtly teach us about.
Can demons be good? From a point of view, absolutely.
But what is most objectively true is that demons are most often highly immediately dangerous to mortals. This is not an absolute, but is you equate 'evil' to 'dangerous', then sure, he's super evil. But this isn't necessarily a wise way to look at things, and Dragon Age keeps showing us certain exceptions, where 'dangerous' can still be outright needed for a better future.
"Good" and "bad" are subjective and I don't think Spirits and Demons care much about our perspective.
^This.
Put yourself in the shoes of a spirit: someone kidnaps you, doses you with LSD, burns your skin with fire and acid, freezes you with ice, beats you until you are unrecognizable, shoots you up with PCP and steroids, then drops you into a busy outdoor mall during lunch rush.
Are you good or evil? Can you overcome everything you just suffered and help a family with kids find an empty table? More to the point, do the screaming people running away from you think you are good or evil, particularly after, you know, you killed a few of them in a psychotic rage?
To be sure, many spirits push through the Veil of their own volition. But all that means is that they weren't kidnapped. Everything else in the analogy above still applies.
Guest_Evie_*
What about Mouse? Was he really a Pride Demon helping you or a spirit aiding you and taking on the form of what you wanted to see?
What about Mouse? Was he really a Pride Demon helping you or a spirit aiding you and taking on the form of what you wanted to see?
That begs the larger question: in a Harrowing, why do we see demons at all? Since spirits are still in the Fade during a Harrowing, why would they ever take on a demon form, or any recognizable form for that matter?
I could buy that in entering the Fade, either in dream or in reality, we impose an appearance on spirits -- that's just the way our minds work. But then, how can Mouse look like Mouse (presumably someone we've never met) and the Divine look like the Divine?
That begs the larger question: in a Harrowing, why do we see demons at all? Since spirits are still in the Fade during a Harrowing, why would they ever take on a demon form, or any recognizable form for that matter?
I could buy that in entering the Fade, either in dream or in reality, we impose an appearance on spirits -- that's just the way our minds work. But then, how can Mouse look like Mouse (presumably someone we've never met) and the Divine look like the Divine?
because the Fade is an independent entity aside from just dreams, it doesn't draw wholly on the experiences of the person in it.
^This.
Put yourself in the shoes of a spirit: someone kidnaps you, doses you with LSD, burns your skin with fire and acid, freezes you with ice, beats you until you are unrecognizable, shoots you up with PCP and steroids, then drops you into a busy outdoor mall during lunch rush.
Are you good or evil? Can you overcome everything you just suffered and help a family with kids find an empty table? More to the point, do the screaming people running away from you think you are good or evil, particularly after, you know, you killed a few of them in a psychotic rage?
To be sure, many spirits push through the Veil of their own volition. But all that means is that they weren't kidnapped. Everything else in the analogy above still applies.
You're not talking about good and evil. You're talking about unfairness. It's a separate, but often related concept. Is it fair that a child was given an AK-47 and traumatized into wanting to kill everything he's told to kill? No. But the result is still evil incarnate, and must be taken out.
Guest_Evie_*
That begs the larger question: in a Harrowing, why do we see demons at all? Since spirits are still in the Fade during a Harrowing, why would they ever take on a demon form, or any recognizable form for that matter?
I could buy that in entering the Fade, either in dream or in reality, we impose an appearance on spirits -- that's just the way our minds work. But then, how can Mouse look like Mouse (presumably someone we've never met) and the Divine look like the Divine?
It's possible the Harrowing is filled only with spirits and if a Mage isn't pure enough, they can corrupt them into demons. What's strange about Mouse when we meet him is the robes he's wearing show a higher rank than an Apprentice, hinting he's lying from the start.
The Sloth demon we meet is also rather questionable. It just lays there asking riddles, while the Sloth demon in Broke Circle is vicious and attacks without warning. First time I played it, I actually thought it was the same Sloth demon I'd met in the Harrowing.
The Divine I wonder about too. Even Cole wasn't sure how to describe her. He states she wanted to help so she did, but he can't seem to explain her nature, and neither can Solas. Maybe Cole isn't the only spirit to form into a human. Maybe she's like him?
What about Mouse? Was he really a Pride Demon helping you or a spirit aiding you and taking on the form of what you wanted to see?
One of the few times Mouse loses his cool is when you insinuate he's slightly cowardly for hiding from things, and he shows a sense of vanity by wearing the robes of a First Enchanter despite pretending to be a failed apprentice, both which are signs of him having a sense of pride.
However, Mouse does act as a mentor throughout the Harrowing (however insidious) and his parting words, while possibly playing upon the Warden's pride for having figured out the real test, can also be seen as praising them for showing they have the wisdom not to accept things at face value.
Could Mouse be a Spirit of Wisdom that is taking on the form of a Pride Demon because that's what the Warden expected, was he a Pride Demon all along, or was he once a Spirit of Wisdom that was sadly corrupted because he was forced to take place in the Harrowing against his will?
Guest_Evie_*
One of the few times Mouse loses his cool is when you insinuate he's slightly cowardly for hiding from things, and he shows a sense of vanity by wearing the robes of a First Enchanter despite pretending to be a failed apprentice, both which are signs of him having a sense of pride.
However, Mouse does act as a mentor throughout the Harrowing (however insidious) and his parting words, while possibly playing upon the Warden's pride for having figured out the real test, can also be seen as praising them for showing they have the wisdom not to accept things at face value.
Could Mouse be a Spirit of Wisdom that is taking on the form of a Pride Demon because that's what the Warden expected, was he a Pride Demon all along, or was he once a Spirit of Wisdom that was sadly corrupted because he was forced to take place in the Harrowing against his will?
That's something to ponder as my Warden would say to Wynne. Apparently if you fail your Harrowing he will let it slide and let you go free without accepting your offer for him to leave with you, so I'm assuming he's a spirit that's maybe partly corrupted, or maybe demons aren't impossible to communicate with. We're told by both Solas and Cole that the demons falling from the rift attack because they are confused not evil.
When Solas says Wisdom and Purpose can become Pride and Desire, you point out that they are demon names and he says they were not demons to him. He didn't say they never turned, so I wonder if he communed with more than just spirits.
because the Fade is an independent entity aside from just dreams, it doesn't draw wholly on the experiences of the person in it.
Yes, that does seem to fit what we know better. Maybe weaker willed spirits don't have the ability, strength or interest in exerting an appearance of their own, so they get whatever the dreamer's mind inserts, but stronger willed spirits can exert their own appearance.
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