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Welcome to my dealy chat: Was Feanor a bad guy or was he always extremely sleep deprived having seven kids to care for and a full-time job?

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one of solas’s main themes now being “i never wanted a body” is so uniquely devesting in a spiritual way but also a gender way

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i understand why we stayed with rook inside the regret prison and left the rest of the veilguard teams actions and reactions ambiguous, but i personally wouldve loved to have witnessed the aftermath as the team rallies around rooks possible death and the definite deaths of either davrin or harding, as well as the missing neve or bellara. additionally having romance specific scenes with your person mourning rooks death, taash mourning harding, etc wouldve been heartbreaking but also immersive.

there isnt enough shown care from the veilguard to rook in my opinion, making each dynamic seem very one sided even though it obviously isnt. being able to see the way rook holds them together as a leader and what they become in their absence wouldve been rewarding, seeing all that work and effort towards building this team and helping them understand eachother pay off wouldve alleviated that. even a flashback scene during emmrichs brief explanation after the rescue wouldve sufficed honestly, because the 'we made a dagger' conversation wouldve been much better as part of a cinematic recap, as to me it kinda came out of nowhere. also how did they help get us out of the prison? or did they explain i dont remember sjdjsj

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that's not what "rearrange his guts" means jayce

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Nerdanel’s first project after each of her sons were born was a statue of them. Carved from a stone Feanor helped to craft, the stone would grow as they did, and as they changed and grew, so did the statues. All on their own.

Even as her sons wandered to the edges of Aman, the statues would still change as they did. They cut their hair - a chunk of statue falls to the ground, the lines shift, to reflect it.

When Celegorm got his tattoos as one of Orome’s hunt, they too appeared on the statue, as though the color of the stone changed to match from some natural process.

The day of the darkening, and those immediately after, nothing seems to change. But their eyes do. They take on a strange look, one Nerdanel does not recognize.

Then they follow their father. They leave. Nerdanel is left with just these statues of them, wondering if they will continue to change as they do. If she will still be able to see her sons.

To her relief, they did. But far too quickly her relief turned to horror. As she saw the stone of Amrod’s statue melt on the surface and glow, leaving terrible burns. The statue remained standing.

As she saw lines and cracks begin to cover Maedhros, water turned red from iron in the stone pouring out of these cracks, and though she would scrub and brush them, the stain would not leave the cracks. So many times, she wished to destroy it. All of them. But she couldn’t. They were her only tie to her sons. She watched as the joyous look on Maglor’s face turns to one of severity and sorrow, as the scars on Maedhros multiply. Celegorm and Curufin become more harsh, Caranthir more closed off. Amrod recovers some, he and Amrod too become more harsh and wild.

Until one day. When the right hand of Maedhros’s statue snaps off. She clutches it, holds it as she once did. She sobs. She does not return to see the statues for many years.

Until she does. She cannot bear the uncertainty. They all still stand. The lines covering Maedhros have faded. The expressions of the others less harsh. She hopes.

For a long time, little change comes, and she hopes. The occasional scratch or crack comes, but so few, so infrequent. She hopes. Until one day, new cracks, wounds, appear on them all. But they all still stand.

She watches as Celegorm and Curufin’s faces turn dark. Until one day. When three gain great wounds, then… the statues fall. Nerdanel does too.

Long she is there, amongst the ruined statues. Until one comes, picks her off the ground and embraces her, takes her away, and has the statues covered.

None go in that courtyard after, the rubble of the statues remain on the ground.

One day, a servant peers out into the courtyard. Two more statues have fallen. Word is sent, and she returns.

She does not cry, no tear is in her eye. She already cried them all when the first three fell. She stands amongst the rubble, in dry eyed shock. Her youngests were gone now too.

She uncovers the two remaining. Traces the new scars with her fingers, brushes their cheeks where paths from tears have been carved. But their expressions too stand empty, and no tear falls.

Not long after, a ship arrives. Tells of what happened.

Nerdanel cleans up the rubble of the fallen statues. Carefully tucks it away into chests, set deep in the keep in a room where none go. She stands before the two that remain. She screams. She begs. Why. There is more anger, more outrage, then there is sadness. More confusion too. How could her sweet boys do this?

The war begins to close, or so they hear. She checks on the statues again, for the first time since cleaning up the fallen.

She is there as Maedhros’s statue, in a brief, brilliant moment, glows brighter than the silmarils. Then it crumbles into glowing hot rubble. She sobs. Turns desperately to Maglor, and sees a burn appear on his hand. She knows, it was a silmaril.

She stares, but the statue does not fall. Days, she barely left. Until the hosts return, and tell of his fate. Free. But lost. Never to return. She never goes back to the courtyard again.

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yeah alright chat let’s buckle down and psychoanalyze the veilguard ‘atonement’ ending theme!

for those who wish to listen along, the lovely amazing ghil dirthalen was able to capture the music (bioware for the love of god PLEASE release this track i will sell my soul for it) on her youtube channel, here!

i am not a music professional! these are things i picked up on listening to the theme by itself and watching the ending. i try my best to identify instruments so i will make errors in correctly identifying them. please educate me if you know more than me! i don't want to discredit anything used here!

alright let’s get into it!

0:00 - 0:47

plays right after defeating elgar’nan, this is the dread wolf theme as solas is staggering down the steps monologuing to rook about how his plan to tear down the veil must go on.

rook intercepts the lyrium dagger and here is where they make the choice to either trick, fight, or redeem solas.

0:48 - 1:18

the music is tense, but the dread wolf theme slows and starts to morph into something else.

rook turns to solas, saying how they do not wish to fight him and are given another dialogue choice after choosing the ‘redeem’ option.

1:19 - 1:30

the music sort of dins out here to just the cello/violin(?).

rook is telling solas that his plan to bring down the veil is not what he needs to do nor is it in HIS best interest. i think the music fades out here because the three dialogue options you're given are very powerful in their wording and needed to be amplified.

1:31 - 1:57

the violin/cello(?) starts off and you can hear some notes resembling the inquisition theme. this is solidified by the harp joining in and then you hear notes of someone singing like the well of sorrows theme from inquisition. i like to think this is solas fighting with himself thinking of his time during inquisition (and with lavellan) and the well of sorrows theme is both playing as solas's unyielding devotion to mythal.

solas is given the lyrium dagger to make his choice. he looks down at it, and for a brief moment you can see him tapping the blade with his finger. he's pondering this plan. he looks up at rook briefly before looking back down at the dagger again. solas looks like he's going to say something, but turns away from rook and starts to walk up the steps.

1:58 - 2:05

the harp plays the inquisition motif, or at least a very short brief version of it. you can hear the singing still as lavellan steps into the doorway and looks up at solas.

2:06 - 2:23

the violin plays as solas finally reaches the top of the stairs. it almost sounds like it's pulling? it changes notes almost as if it's changing direction. solas fighting with the idea of tearing down the veil or binding himself to it.

finally he says he can't bind himself. that 'to stop those would dishonor those i wronged to come this far.' i don't know what instrument it is, i think it's a woodwind instrument and a rainstick? plays as solas says he can't bind himself to the veil. he chooses to persist in his plan despite being given a way out.

2:24 - 2:28

GOD THIS PART. the choir builds as the inquisitor's voice cuts solas off. this same string of notes sung is often used in inquisition when the inquisitor comes on screen in the past.

no other instrument is played here. it is just the voices of the choir.

'vhenan...'

2:29 - 2:37

one note of the piano drops as soon as solas turns his head from lavellan in shame. this was exactly what he feared, letting her see him like this. the inquisitor starts trying to reason with solas: 'you think you've gone too far to come back, but you're wrong.'

2:38 - 2:53

alright SO this part is EXTREMELY important and also INCREDIBLY hard to pinpoint but if you go back and listen to inquisition's 'thedas love theme' you CAN hear parts of it interwoven in this section. the cello is so overwhelming because the inquisitor is pulling solas away from his plan again.

he's wanting to listen but he's fighting so hard because he doesn't think he deserves this. even after lavellan says she forgives him! solas doesn't think he's worthy of her.

2:54 - 3:20

the cello is pulling faster to add tension to this part because once again solas rejects even the love of his life's plea! you become hopeless thinking that their love never mattered even against the fate of the world. solas says he cannot because he feels like he NEEDS to avenge mythal by bringing down the veil. he's bound by duty and pride, there is no wisdom here.

3:21 - 3:55

ALRIGHTY FOLKS THIS PART HERE OHHHH MY GOD. so the cello swells again because solas is about to tear down the veil it seems for good, because if not even his vhenan can convince him, who can?

morrigan shows up, and as soon as she stands before solas you get slammed with all three games' themes at once! first you hear origins and then 2, and then finally inquisition all interwoven together. this part is SO insane to me. holy shit!!!!!!!

i just want to say even though we are talking about the music, you will see that morrigan, rook, and lavellan are lined up from left to right. past, present, and future. i am so fucking feral over that. they did that on purpose i don't care what anyone says. anyways! back to the music.

3:56 - 4:20

the choir again! holy fuck! you can hear da2 and a little bit of origins? at least i think it's that. this is played as rook hands morrigan mythal's essence and she channels it for mythal to appear before solas. literal chills babes!

4:21 - 4:55

DO YOU GUYS FUCKING HEAR TRESPASSER? BECAUSE I SURE FUCKING DO. HOLY SHIT. I CANNOT EVEN DESCRIBE TO YOU WHAT THIS MEANS. lost elf. solas is lost. he's lost EVERYTHING up until this moment. his family, his friends, his soulmate, EVERYTHING. he's like a sad, lost, child in this moment.

anyways! lost elf starts off really quiet and slow and deep as mythal lays out her wrongs in front of solas, showing him that he alone was not the pariah of this story. mythal reminds him that she also committed the same wrongs as he did, it's not solas's alone to regret. she was there too. if not for her, solas would not have done what he did.

4:56 - 5:22

lost elf is still playing very quietly in the background! as soon as mythal appears the cello is more carefree, flowing, free! solas is free now! lavellan KNEELS before him as solas breaks down, an immense weight falling off him as he's finally free to be who he chooses. no longer bound by pride and regret.

solas stands up and realizes that what he wants is to atone. to fix his mistakes the right way, not the way mythal would have wanted or his pride would want. his wisdom sees that if he uses what he knows, he can at least start to mend the past wrongs.

5:23 - 6:02

ugh i don't know who let hans zimmer absolutely fucking COOK here but the cello starts to move faster in a more hopeful, determined state as solas binds himself to the veil and promises to soothe the titan's dreams, help find a cure for the blight, and atone for all his mistakes. it really fills you with a sense of relief and pride for him! like yeah babe you do that! proud of you!!!

6:03 - 7:14

ok so i actually have been crying the entire time lol! i literally cannot stop. so this part! so many big feelings. lavellan steps up to solas, telling him that he won't make this journey alone. the main chorus of lost elf starts to play and i cannot tell you when you hear the cello and the fucking violin start playing TOGETHER because solas and lavellan are finally TOGETHER after being literally put through the fucking wringer for 10 fucking years.

and the SYMBOLS CRASHING TOGETHER WHEN THEY KISS IS JUST HOW I FEEL ALL THE TIME ABOUT THEM. lost elf is THEIR theme. this is not just solas's theme anymore this is solas AND lavellan's theme. they made it their theme. this is about them now, your honor!

alright so that's how i feel about all of that because this theme literally has rocked me to my core. the entire sequence is insane. the past motifs of the past games being used destroys me. and then lost elf comes in and just smacks the nail in the fucking coffin.

thank you bioware for absolutely destroying me 10 times over with this theme. and thanks to all the people who actually read my insane ramblings! i will never shut up about this sequence for the rest of my life.

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( arcane s2 part 2 spoilers )

jace better have the most exquisite breakdown ever after what he did, because you want me to believe he just did that with no words no tears no nothin???

we also better get the most exquisite explanation ever after what he did like hello??!?!?!?

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I've seen it said that Rook is a better romance option for Solas because unlike Lavellan, they know who he is from the get go. So let me make something clear:

Rook does not know Solas better than Lavellan does. They know his history, his crimes, even his regrets, but what he shows when they talk to him is very much a mask.

Fen'harel is not who Solas is. As dishonest as he was about his past during his time with the Inquisition, he also came the closest to being himself ever since he took a body.

In sappy terms, he hid his deeds and plans from Lavellan, but not his heart. With Rook, it's the opposite.

Who we see in Veilguard is not some kind of "Solas unmasked", it's Solas who has returned to wearing the mask he was allowed to shed for a little while and hide the fact he'd ever worn it.

The raggedy apostate who plays mental chess with Bull, trolls Sera, beats Blackwall at diamondback, who nerds out about magic with Dorian and approves of helping every single hinterlands peasant you encounter, that's the real Solas. Keeping his past a secret is what allowed him to stop being what his service to Mythal and his people made him into, even if for just a little while.

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when you make enemies with one of the two unofficially assigned chefs in the groups

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"i wouldnt mind you sticking around either"

and your telling me theyre not canon??

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( veilguard spoilers )

its been over a week and im still in shambles over datv, i can still hear taash screaming tama ringing in my ears whenever i have a moment of peace.

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i'm gonna need whoever wrote,

"you've felt the power of that mind. his love could burn against me like a bonfire. he seemed so kind, and wise, and sad, and looked at me as if i somehow mattered more than anything around us."

to CHILLLLLL jesus fucking christ brother

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ok ok listen. mythal and solas's fucked up relationship puts everything about solavellan into context. how hyper-aware he was of the unequal power dynamic in their relationship, his guilt over his own desire for her and how he pulls away every time, the overwhelming feeling of falling in love with a god(dess), he tells mythal "i would follow you anywhere" and if lavellan begs him in trespasser to let her follow he refuses her. "i would not have you see what i become" and "there is only death on this journey". he will not drag her into his mess the way mythal dragged him into hers. he will not pollute her from her purpose the way mythal polluted him. he will not allow her the guilt and blood on her hands because he was her. he has been in her exact position, yearning for a god's affections and willing to follow them anywhere. and he loves her too much to treat her the way he was treated. of course he cannot be with her. of course he has to leave her. and he can only allow her to join him when he is freed of his burden and his path changes to one of atonement. of course she can join him in his atonement, even if it is ugly. because it will not sully her hands with blood. he can only accept her love and support when he knows it will not come at the cost of her morality and the good person she is. everything he does to her, even the betrayal, is to avoid subjecting her to the exact same thing mythal subjected him to.

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i can't believe the deepest lore for why viago doesn't seem to like lucanis in tevinter nights is..... lucanis horrifically botched hitting on him. bro assumed he was being threatened and has been skittish ever since 😭 lucanis i am so sorry you had a crush on the most paranoid man in thedas and he just didn't understand!!

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DATV has barely been out a week and people are already arguing over if it's better/worse than BG3 but I'm just out here saying 'yay two cakes' because now I have TWO graveyard dates to go on, TWO gentleman professors of magic to romance, TWO elven hunks who love animals to tenderly gaze into the eyes of. I can pet the owlbear cub AND I can pet Assan. I'm sandwiched between Taash and Karlach's abs as I speak.

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( minor veilguard spoilers )

seeing many people complaining about the soundtrack, i get disliking it for being different, but saying its boring or bad??? have you not experienced the menu theme? taash's fighting dragons/antaam theme? arlathan battle theme? the theme that plays at the end of bellaras story? ghilan'nains theme? dread wolf theme? elgar'nans? varrics? the prison music? even just the way you keep hearing different themes again throughout the game in different contexts, but especially in general the battle music was very immersive.

this game made me feel every emotion it wanted me to feel, and thats down to many things, the incredible voice acting, the beautiful animation, the soulful writing, but also very much the soundtrack.