lafaiette

[lafaiette]

Chris Sanders’s character design and storyboard art for Beauty and the Beast (1991)

[lafaiette]

@emmg I have something a bit sad for you 🫠

“You’re pitiful,” the statue continued, his voice filled with more anger and contempt. “I should have never followed you. I should have seen you for what you really were and left you to rot! You…”

“I’m sorry for your death, lethallin,” Scarlet interrupted it, raising her voice a little to drown out the regret’s grating one. “And Solas is sorry, too.”

“Being sorry won’t absolve him.”

“What is he supposed to do, then? Do you want him to wallow in misery and sorrow for all eternity? Would that be a fitting punishment?”

She glared at the statue, at what it represented. It was a trap, perfectly conceived by the regret prison, Solas’ magicks turning the Fade into the most efficient of weapons.

“Or would you perhaps want to see him dead by his own hand, killing himself to pay for everything?”

“That’s the easy way out,” the statue spat, glaring at her in return. Unlike Varric’s, Felassan’s regret had no problems addressing her directly. It spoke to her, reacted to her, almost as if she were Solas, or as if she shared his same faults and crimes.

Was the prison changing tactics to make things even harder for Solas? Was that even possible? She would need to ask him later.

Give my yalls WIPs

@heylittleriotact @adinfernumadinfinitum @jainydoe @lafaiette @thessaralka

Also literally everyone else and pls tag me, I’m in a rut and need inspiration lmfao

[lafaiette]

With a gesture, the whole world changed.

[lafaiette]

I’m kinda tired of the fanon interpretation of lavellan with no family or friends or meaning outside their LI so if you have a lavellan who still has a family and friends and hobbies please take this as a opportunity to talk about them in the tags of this post <3

[lafaiette]

Reading the answers from the AMA and I'm like

[lafaiette]

Friendly reminder that:

Qunari are empowering Saarebas with lyrium so that they can become stronger, open temporary Rifts, slow time down, and use mysterious spells, all through unknown means.

Tevinter is terribly weakened, corrupted, and will not last in the war against the Qunari.

Fen’Harel, now incredibly powerful, is planning to eliminate the corrupted parts of the Qun (good thing), but also to tear down the Veil (not that good, depending on the consequences). He will probably help the Tevinter slaves in rebelling against their masters too.

Titans are awakening. They are enormous beings living deep underground, whose blood has been consumed for millennia by mages and Templars alike, shaping the world as it is today. They also seem able to influence events above ground and they are very angry with the world or at least with the elves. They will probably re-establish their contact/link with the dwarves.

Something is happening in Weisshaupt, the Wardens have gone silent, and a new Blight is most likely coming.

The Evanuris are still locked away, but it’s obvious they will get free soon. They are a bunch of homicidal assholes who will not think twice about conquering Thedas again. They might be also tainted by the Blight, if the theories “Evanuris locked away with the Blight in the Black City” are true.

If Kieran was born, Flemeth/Mythal took the Old God’s soul from him, planning to do something with it. We still don’t know what it is, but it’s unlikely she will stay “dead”. She still has to have her revenge, her “reckoning which will shake the very heavens”.

Either Morrigan or the Inquisitor drank from the Well of Sorrows and the consequences of that act are still unclear, but whatever they are, they are going to suck or at least be mildly disturbing.

Mysterious Dalish elves live in the Tirashan. They are violent, cruel, and worship the Forgotten Ones.

Strange people from the Volca Sea are returning after a long absence, claiming a terrible calamity struck their lands.

We still don’t know what lies beyond the Amaranthine Ocean, but whatever it is, it makes people go insane and suicidal.

Basically Thedas right now:

[lafaiette]

2016 means one year closer to DA4

[lafaiette]

Ive seen this one twitter post that ME:A Javik's waterfall romance scene was meant to be Solavellan romance scene ;A;

We know from Weekes (I can't find their post anymore because it was originally on Twitter) that they had planned a Solavellan sex scene - Solas and Lavellan would make love, then she would wake up and see him trying to sneak away, too riddled with guilt and Duty™ to allow himself to stay with her.

They had to cut it, though, because it was too similar to Blackwall's romance scene (and Weekes couldn't believe Solas, the Dread Wolf, the Trickster God, would be worse than Blackwall at sneaking away 😂)

I'm not sure whether Weekes or others confirmed Jaal's sex scene is indeed what remains of that cut Solavellan cutscene (I think that rumor started as speculation from the fans), but it would make sense, especially if it was supposed to take place near a large body of water like Rhodes showed here. There was a pond in the glade in Crestwood, but it was pretty shallow iirc, so they probably had already changed their minds by the time they decided to set Solas' romance scene in that place.

[lafaiette]

Vir shiral malasa, bellanaris.

[lafaiette]

Matt Rhodes' depiction of the "Crestwood scene" ⬆️

Even though it's included in his Trespasser works, I believe it's supposed to depict the Crestwood romance scene - you can see Solas' hand near Lavellan's face, and the filename is "tattoogrove".

... That, or they played with the idea of Solas bringing Lavellan back to Crestwood during the events of Trespasser.

Rhodes also made this ⬆️

The filename says "comewithme" - Solas asking Lavellan to join him, instead of refusing her help.

I'm sure it's a choice all we solasmancers would have chosen, had we been given the opportunity (how many of us picked the "I agree with your goals/Let me help you, Solas" option at the speed of light?), but I'm also really glad he always refused to let her join him - it makes much more sense for his character and their love. He loves her too much to let her become a monster 😭

[lafaiette]

So, the localization file of Veilguard was found thanks to datamining, and it contains Some Stuff about Solas, Solavellan, and some cut ending stuff.

No idea if these lines were cut because of budget/resource reasons, if they are old scraps left of Joplin or if the writers simply changed their minds. Please keep in mind they are in jumbled order/there are different responses, probably due to different choices and the dialogue wheel.

Under the cut because of spoilers.

Solas and Fen'Harel

"I must hold back the blight! My wolf will distract Elgar'nan while you take the dragon!" "Did I see that right? The Dread Wolf is a separate spirit from Solas?" "Nice. Why does he get to be part wolf?" "Yeah. Seems like Fen'Harel is a merging of the two."

It seems like Solas and his wolf self are two separate spirits - perhaps similar to Falon'Din and Dirthamen, who are confirmed to be the same spirit who split into two different aspects.

Final dialogue with Solas (Solavellan edition)

"The blight is its prison. The world is safe." "Until the Veil collapses, and demons kill thousands of people." "If there were another way…" "There [i]is[/i]. Let the Veil stay in place." "The elven people must be restored. They do not deserve what was done to them." "Neither did the Titans." "Neither did Mythal. Either time." "Those are my mistakes. Only I can correct them." "I'm here to help you." "You think you have to do this alone. But you don't." "Every time, it has come down to my choices." "Are you a god?" "I am the furthest thing from it." "Then stop acting like one. Let someone else help you." "Do the right thing." "You want to be a hero? Then save the world. Right now." "The restoration of the world as it was meant to be…" "That's not saving the world, that's saving your pride." "Is that why you think I am doing this?" "I think you're doing this because you think that you have to. But you don't." "You have to forgive yourself." "You know how I got out of the Prison of Regrets? I let it go." "Varric's death was never truly your fault." "And you didn't cause every problem. You tried to fix them." "And every time I failed." "The world's still here. You got some of it right." "I cannot. To stop now would dishonor those I've wronged to come this far." "Even if those you wronged asked you to stop?" "Vhenan. And… Morrigan?" "One appellation among the many I wear, Dread Wolf." "I have been advisor to Orlais, Witch of the Wilds, daughter of Flemeth… and once, long ago, an old friend." "Mythal…" "You never would have left the Fade and taken on that humble form had I not been the one who first convinced you." "The things that I have done…" "Are not for you alone to bear, my friend. The many wrongs we did, we did together." "It is not too late to stop this. Banal nadas. Ar lath ma, vhenan." "My life force now sustains the Veil. With every breath I take, I will protect the innocent from my past failures. " "The Titans' dreams are mad from their imprisonment. I cannot kill the blight, but I can help to soothe its anger." "What I've done, I will atone for." ""But you do not have to go alone." "Thanks to you, I can see the way."

Rook and Solas' final confrontation if Rook tries to convince him to stop was apparently supposed to be much longer, with Solas mentioning the elven people and the Titans, Varric's death, and Rook acknowledging he always did try to save the world.

It seems there was also one more line Solas would say to Lavellan after her "But you do not have to go alone." -> "Thanks to you, I can see the way."

The Inquisitor's happily ever after

"So you have to stop Solas, but not in a way that prevents him from stopping the blight." "Let Solas put the blight into its nice new prison, then we'll put him in there with it." "So with Solas and the elven gods out of the picture, where does that leave us?" "Nothing. He didn't deserve his little happily ever after." "If there's anyone who can reason with the blight, it's him." "The Inquisitor believed in him. [i]She [/i]deserved her happily ever after, even if that's helping Solas fix his mistakes." "And so the Dread Wolf shall spend eternity in the knowledge that he stood at the precipice of disaster and was saved by a mortal's wisdom." "Then why maneuver matters so as to deliver it to him?" "Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain were villains trying to conquer and blight the world." "Solas did terrible things, but he was trying to help. I can understand that." "He was wrong, not evil." "She waited many years for him. You are kind indeed to ensure those years were not in vain." "I am surprised less that he would seize upon such a chance for redemption, and more that you would offer it. " "The Inquisitor earned it." "He's working off his debt. After all, I don't think there's anyone else alive with the power and perspective to try to heal the blight." "Few would react with such compassion to the Dread Wolf's trickery. What merits him a fate fairer than Elgar'nan or Ghilan'nain?" "True. Even had I Mythal's full power, she and I often struggled to mend feelings we might have broken." "'Twould not be the first time he accomplished something Mythal herself thought impossible." "And so the Dread Wolf is stopped by, of all things, love." "Surprised?" "He's fixing his mess."

Lines for the different ways Rook can handle Solas' fate. Rook and Morrigan discuss Lavellan and Solas' chance at happiness, with Rook deciding to help them reunite despite Solas' trickery; Rook deciding to lock Solas away with the Blight; probably a line referencing a friend Inquisitor or Rook themselves ("Solas saved by a mortal's wisdom") and one referencing Lavellan ("Solas saved by love").

Epilogue

"It may mean nothing. Or everything. What matters is that the Solas is content, and we need no longer fear him tearing down the Veil." "So, Rook, what's the plan?" "[i](Sighs)[/i] Damn it." "Thank you." "Then it sounds like you have work to do. I'll leave you to it." "Good luck, Rook. Enjoy the adventures to come. " "I'm sorry, vhenan. If there had been another way..." "And now he'll spend who knows how long trying to heal the blight? What does that even mean?" "I can think of few things he'd have hated more." "He made a cage with bars made out of his worst weaknesses. He's not getting out on his own." "And we're certain there's no way for him to escape?" "Trapped forever in a prison with the blight." "Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain are also both dead. 'Tis no great loss there, the blighted fools." "So, Rook: How does it feel to have saved the world?" "Honestly, I have no idea." "Don't be so shy with your feelings, Morrigan." "We were all young once, were we not? 'Tis from such humble seeds that great things are grown." "Tell that to Mythal." "When the next aspiring deity lays claim to our world, you are the woman who shall remind them that even gods can die." "You are really bad at inspiring speeches." "Despite these rough edges, you forged a team that saved all of Thedas. Precious few can claim that." "I notice you left out one elven god—the only one still here in any capacity." "When the next aspiring deity lays claim to our world, you are the one who shall remind them that even gods can die." "You're leaving me to handle this?" "Were Mythal younger, she might have wished to rule again. Were I younger, I might have agreed with her." "Hey, the world is still here and isn't blighted or covered with demons. I think we did okay." "Says the woman carrying the god who made most of the mess I had to clean up." "And prepare yourself for whatever storm next clouds our skies." "I did save the world." "Who else? Make no mistake, you could do with a finer touch in matters of politics. " "You're not very good at this." "Even with Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain dead, the Venatori remain a threat, as do the Antaam and darkspawn. "

It seems there was supposed to be an additional scene after the ending, with Rook and Morrigan discussing the future. The dialogue would change depending on Solas' fate/Rook's choice about him.

That "Solas is content, and we need no longer fear him tearing down the Veil." probably refers to the ending with Lavellan, while it's not clear if that "I'm sorry, vhenan. If there had been another way..." is supposed to be there (maybe Solas apologizing again for bringing her to what he believes will be a terrible place?) or if it's referring to another scene.

The lines about him being stuck in a prison made out of his worst weaknesses, being unable to get out on his own, and spending a very long time trying to heal the Blight, something he hates, all sound like lines that would fit his bad endings.

One last mission

"Rook gives the team their seventh pep talk after the Finale." "We're sticking together. The gods might be dead, but there's more to do in this world." "We'll find Harding or Davrin. Somehow." "The eighth pep comes after nearly all content has been completed." "Weird shit is going on. What are the clues we have? The Executor, the Devouring Storm - what does it mean?" "We don't actually know. But it sounds bad. So we need each other more than ever." "On return to Rivain Island, defeat the Executor and collect the Memento for Davrin/Harding"

There is a cut scene + mission with Rook talking to their team after the ending and going to Rivain for one last mission. It's pretty much confirmed the cutscene was supposed to take place in the Lighthouse, there are old files and flags for it. If you pay attention after the ending sequence, you will see your Rook appear in the Lighthouse for a millisecond, the only trace left of that scene.

[lafaiette]

You made a post saying that you're embarrassed about ppl reading your old fics, but I have a fond memories for those old solavellan and spideypool fics. It may be old but it brings warmth to my heart, thank you for writing them and keeping them up, I'll continue to revisit them frequently!

AAAAAAH ANON THIS IS SO NICE AND SWEET, THANK YOU

[lafaiette]

Well, this is Inquisitor Lavellan. The woman who led us all.

[lafaiette]

People liking and commenting my super old DA fics from 2015-2017, I'm both happy and embarrassed

[lafaiette]

Calling it now:

If there's ever any future installments of Dragon Age there will be no mention of the differentiation between the Dalish or City Elves.

Like in DATV they will simply all be 'elves' and the vallaslin will be reduced to 'cool looking tattoo's that some veil jumpers have' - no mention of the elven pantheon either, because why bother! They're all dead now!

They're all dead and responsible for every lore plot point in Thedas, and there's nothing of mystery or substance left in the world now.

No mention of the culture in the alienage, of the vhenadahl tree, of the horrific racism and systematic abuse the elves have been through...now its just elves. With the way the Veil Jumpers have been set up, and the fact that the elven gods were the enemy in DATV, I find it extremely unlikely that the Dalish will even exist as a group either. Why would they? Their Gods returned and blighted the world - not that the fact is even truly discussed in the game. Elves are just elves, and the notable elves are Veil Jumpers.

Maybe you'll walk in a city, pick up a codex, and get a copy and pasted explanation of history from a DAO codex - a reminder of what we used to have and what BioWare absolutely demolished in their attempt to build a new IP on the bones of Dragon Age. The absolute whiplash in writing, story, and character between DAI and DATV is staggering. How on earth could the studio that made such a gorgeous, rich world of lore surrounding the elves in one game end up utterly bastardizing and reducing it to nothing?

How can you look at a place like the Temple of Mythal and go from those gorgeous golden murals and emerald tiled roofs that reached to the heavens to a place like the Lighthouse? From the Emerald Graves to the ruins of Arlathan - devoid of halls that reach to the heavens and golden murals replaced with stained glass? The entirety of the Trespasser DLC had more character and reverence for what the elven empire once was, and DATV feels as though it's approaching it with the perspective of 'generic elven bullshit with triangles everywhere'. All that unique architecture has been obliterated by adding in World of Warcraft focus crystals and automatons.

How can you go from the atmospheric/environmental storytelling of the Lost Temple of Dirthamen to Solas just blurting everything out? No weight, no double truths or hidden meanings - just blurting it out, getting it said and done with no gravitas? That was Solas' entire thing! People have made threads literally dissecting what Solas says and does not say - now he spits lore out as though it were common, everyday knowledge.

How can anyone justify the sudden emergence of magical automatons everywhere in old elven ruins? As if Dragon Age didn't have a host of enemies/creatures available to use in their stead - or the ability to create something unique to the forest of Arlathan. What happened to the spirit guardians? What happened to the lingering echoes of the elves slaughtered by humans in wars ages past like in DAO? Magic was their very existence - spells taking years or centuries to cast, weaving in and about each other - and you're telling me the ancient elves spent their time creating magical transformers?! It feels/looks so utterly seperate from everything we know of the elves from Dragon Age.

Or look at the Crossroads - listen to how Morrigan speaks of it - the reverence for the past, the misty atmosphere, and the heaviness of this pocket of the world that carries the fading memories of a world and people that no longer exists...now it's reduced to a hub world! People are just popping in and out of it at will!

In Trespasser, the few eluvians that we were available to travel to led to the most lonely, desolate spots of Thedas, which ensured their survival over the past millennia. The mirror in the Deep Roads, the mirror in the ancient stronghold in Ferelden...now they're everywhere!The 'few surviving' eluvians are in every major settlement of Thedas and all are in operating order! More than that, everyone who sees an eluvian knows what it is - this ancient marvel of a world long gone has lost all worth and is reduced to a 'world building' justification for fast travel.

Poor Merrill, slaving for a near decade to try and restore a small sliver of her history, only to have all gravitas and wonder of her discovery utterly made void. All that accomplishment wasted, especially when Bellara can wave her magic omni-tool and fix an eluvian in a matter of hours.

If you took every specific Dragon Age terminology out of the Veilguard and replaced it with generic fantasy bullshit you would never be able to tell the difference. The world of DATV is so divorced from its predecessors its astounding.

[lafaiette]

The "funny" thing is that Solas could leave the prison and live a normal life - the only thing keeping the Veil up is his lifeforce. He's probably locking himself in there to "seek atonement", as he says, because he feels he must punish himself. We see this with Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain, who can perfectly live in the waking world, be mortal (Ghilan'nain is mortal for a time after the death of her Archdemon), and the Veil still stays up. The Veil will fall down only with Solas' death... and Bioware made sure not to include any ending where Solas can die, because him being tied to the Veil is the only thing keeping the world "in balance".

I think they never gave us the choice to let the Veil fall because they want to keep all doors open for any future installments still set in Thedas. Should we ever get DA5, I'm 99% sure it'll be set in the continent across the sea where the Executors are, the game is filled with details hinting at this; but leaving the Veil up, with just the Blight ravaging the world as old players know it, is the perfect way to reboot everything without fundamentally changing the foundations of the series, so that they can keep referencing Ferelden, Orlais, and the Free Marches without bothering with players' choices.

I sitll think the veil should get torn down but thats a canon I will keep in my own head haha.

SAME, if they wanted to do a reboot, that would have been the best way to do it 😂 With the Veil still in place, spirits and demons, Titans and mages will keep suffering.

But, now that I think about it, the Veil being up was also what allowed current Thedas - and all the characters we love - to exist... Maybe finding a different way to ease everyone's pain would be better than let it all crash down. It would have been fun to see such a solution offered in Veilguard, but I think you know my opinion about this game by now lol!

[lafaiette]

I sitll think the veil should get torn down but thats a canon I will keep in my own head haha.

SAME, if they wanted to do a reboot, that would have been the best way to do it 😂 With the Veil still in place, spirits and demons, Titans and mages will keep suffering.

But, now that I think about it, the Veil being up was also what allowed current Thedas - and all the characters we love - to exist... Maybe finding a different way to ease everyone's pain would be better than let it all crash down. It would have been fun to see such a solution offered in Veilguard, but I think you know my opinion about this game by now lol!