Oh, yeah, I level and armour/weapon up everyone regardless of whether I'm using them or not.
I'll admit the only reason I have both Velanna and Anders in my Awakening party is because I ship Velanna/Nathaniel. So much.
And, like you, I romanced Anders in my first DA2 playthrough and never quite recovered. Although weirdly I don't take his betrayal as personally as I did when I romanced Solas and he dumped me and left me. The Egg is dead to me now.
Dorian and Bull's romance gives me life though. I actually prefer them together than I do the two games I played where I romanced them.
Re: party groups
I'll admit the only reason I have both Velanna and Anders in my Awakening party is because I ship Velanna/Nathaniel. So much.
And, like you, I romanced Anders in my first DA2 playthrough and never quite recovered. Although weirdly I don't take his betrayal as personally as I did when I romanced Solas and he dumped me and left me. The Egg is dead to me now.
Dorian and Bull's romance gives me life though. I actually prefer them together than I do the two games I played where I romanced them.