#but while I think Varric doesn't get all of his reasoning

[lillotte17]

I don't want to jump on someone else's post and Start Something, but like...

Varric and Harding explaining that Solas wants to bring back the world he knew is NOT wrong? It might be simplifying things a lot, but it's still accurate.

The conversation that Solas has with Dorian about Tevinter "destroying" Arlathan is not comparable. It's a different conversation completely. That's about ARLATHAN. That's about the elvhen EMPIRE. Their empire was not the world, even if it was the greatest power in it at the time. He's telling Dorian not to romanticize the Empire, because it was flawed and corrupted and built on the backs of slaves, and if Dorian wants to do right by the people that he thinks his own people destroyed, then he should start by freeing all of their slaves and becoming better than the elvhen empire ever managed to. Of course, Solas has a smaller sense of loss when it comes to talking about the downfall of the empire, he was actively fighting against it!

He's not sorry the empire ended. He's not sorry the evanuris got pulled down and sealed away. Those were his goals the whole time!

The WORLD is a different matter entirely. He DOES miss the world before the Veil. The loss of magic. The trapped and tortured spirits. The aging and enslavement of the elves. The confinement and abuse of mages. (I'm not sure how the Veil ties in with everything that happened to the dwarves and the qunari, but I'm sure it effected them, too)

I agree that a lot of people misinterpret Solas' motivations because he said he wants to "bring back the world of the elves," but that phrasing is SO important. It's the WORLD not the EMPIRE. And that's what Varric said as well- that Solas wants his WORLD back. Which is true! It's easy to conflate one with the other, I agree, but I think Varric deserves a bit more credit. And so does Solas.

[felassan]

What's all this about Solas speaking in iambic pentameter? English isn't my first language so I never noticed anything odd about the way he talks, but your blog is the first time I've seen it mentioned by anyone

hello! ◕‿◕ Solas sometimes speaks in a specific pattern or rhythm. It sometimes gets described as or compared by people to iambic pentameter. (which is a type of rhythm common in traditional English poetry. Shakespeare used it in his sonnets and plays.) Though, I'm not sure that it's actually literally that or always that. The main point is that at those times, he's speaking particularly poetically, with a specific poetic rhythm in his speech. (Like where the stress on syllables is and the 'beats' in his speech.) Occasionally, the Inquisitor's dialogue line[s] in response to him are the same.

When Trick Weekes wrote Solas in DA:I, they wrote some of his key scenes to KD Lang's cover of the song Hallelujah on a loop. They talked about some of their process and the reasons for the use of this technique in terms of Solas' characterization in this DA:I-era blog post:

Trick Weekes: "When Solas talks about things that he saw in the Fade, things that speak to a distant past, I needed him to sound ever so slightly otherworldly and wistful – someone remembering a dream with a sense of both sadness and inevitability. If you follow [that link] and look at some of Solas’s lines, you may notice a familiar rhythm come out. It would have been forcing it to give lines the same rhyme scheme, but giving the words the meter captured some of that wistfulness and made Solas sound ever so slightly otherworldly. (In the rare cases the player got into the same rhythm, there was always an approval bump from Solas. For that brief period, it was like the player was thinking like he did.) I used this a few times over the game, and I love what it did to his voice. Also, Cori (who edited Solas) is exceedingly kind for putting up with my request that changes to those lines keep this surreptitious rhythm."

[source]

An example of when it happens in DA:I is:

"I've journeyed deep into the Fade // in ancient ruins and battlefields // to see the dreams of lost civilizations. I've watched as hosts of spirits clash // to reenact the bloody past // in ancient wars both famous and forgotten. Every great war // has its heroes. // I'm just curious // what kind you'll be."

Compare this with the song's lyrics:

"I heard there was a secret chord // That David played, and it pleased the Lord // You don't really care for music, do ya? Well it goes like this: The fourth, the fifth // The minor fall, the major lift // The baffled king composing Hallelujah Hallelujah // Hallelujah // Hallelujah // Hallelujah"

An example from Trespasser is:

"I lay in dark and dreaming sleep [I heard there was a secret chord] while countless wars and ages passed [That David played, and it pleased the Lord] I woke still weak a year before I joined you. [You don't really care for music, do ya?]" etc.

Recent mentions of this are:

Q. Will Solas still occasionally or dramatically speak in iambic pentameter? A. “Massive kudos to Patrick, who always writes Solas so well. Again, Solas is a returning character. It’s the same Solas you know and love (or hate depending on who you are). The same writer. So I think the answer is yeah, it’s Solas.” – John Epler

[source: BioWare dev Discord Q&A on June 14th]

User: "you really went off with solas. but the iambic pentameter makes writing fanfic dialogue for him so treacherous..." Trick Weekes: "It doesn't always have to be in the cadence! Just when he's deeply feeling The Old Days! He's written in standard prose 99% of the time!"

[source]

I think he does it a bit in the gameplay reveal video [Veil ripping scene with Varric] too. hope this helps :>

[msg refs this post]

[For the developer Q&A from June 14th on Discord: Notes are here, re-watch link is here]

[ellana-lavellan-official]

Why so much Solavellan hate?

Whether I was blissfully ignorant or simply lucky before, but I never have seen so much negativity towards people, who romanced Solas in all eleven years of being a part of the fandom as I did in the last weeks.

"Solas doesn't care about her", "It's been 10 years, they moved on", "You are not default Inquisitor, stop asking for much", "Stop asking for solavellan content in DATV", "This story was never about Lavellan, Solas woudn't spare her", "Stop being delusional - Lavellan isn't special, his friendship ark has the same impact".

First of all, why the fuck do you care? It's a single player game. Everyone has the canon they create. My choices does not impact yours in any way.

Secondly, who are you to tell me what my character is feeling? What can and can't I hope for?

Thirdly, it's you who are delulu, if friendship and love is the same thing in life. While friendship with Solas still impact his view on modern people, Inquisitor isn't the one solely responsible for it. To get "You showed me that I was wrong" line in Trespasser, you have to have 1 approval from Solas. Again, one. His banter with companions (Cassandra, Varric, Dorial, Iron Bull, Blackwall, even Sera) - all of it shows how gradually he opens up. He is ready to challenge his views. He does change them. In Teviwnter nights or comics taking place after Trespasser, Solas doesn't want to hurt people. He tries to minimize the risk. He talks with Varric ffs in DAV prologue. All of it exists even if Inquisitor and Solas hated each other. So no, neither Inquisitor, nor romanced Lavellan is the reason why Solas decided not to be cruel. It's in his nature.

The romance is not about "loving her convinced him not to kill modern people". It's about respect, patience, kindness and being gentle with each other. It's about understanding and accepting that trust is hard for Solas. It's about understanding and accepting that Solas has to hurt Lavellan by leaving her to spare further, much bigger pain of realizing men she is with is a persona. It's about forgiveness and love persevering. It's not about his plans for the veil/evanuris/spirits etc. It's about Solas and Lavellan as two people who fell in love.

Solavellan as a group kept this fandom alive during years of silence. It has gathered numerous fantastic, beautiful and talented people who made art, researched lore, shared fanfics. Why does it bother you when someone finds something to enjoy and isn't hiding it?

ffs

those haters didn't even listed to Solas and Lavellan banters, and they think of themselves as judges of truth, smh

[privatebooth]

Previously

Hawke considers his options. He needs to be careful about using attack spells lest it makes Fenris wake up, and he needs to keep him here to talk.

Carefully he takes out the fear demon burning it down (without Fenris noticing, as he is immersed in his vision). Then he uses a frost spell on the nightmarish image of himself and makes it shatter.

Fenris turns in his direction. Hawke approaches him cautiously and tries to smile. Fenris stares and Hawke notes that he doesn't look good - haggard, slow, eyes dim and apathetic and almost devoid of color. He wonders if this is the projection of how Fenris currently feels about himself, or does he really look like that in real life now. Has he been able to get any night's rest with dreams like this? Has he been eating at all? He must have been drinking, too... Hawke really hopes that Fenris will be able to hear and understand him. He takes it slow and doesn't say anything for a while, letting Fenris take a good look at him, searching his face.

(I honestly tried to tweak his textures to make him actually look "not good", but it proved to be useless. He's simply too beautiful, no matter what D:)

"Not giving me much credit, are you? I thought you knew me better than that!" Hawke makes an attempt at a pout. Fenris peers into his face.

Hawke doesn't know how much time has passed - his own time here fighting demons felt like an eternity. Fenris must have been tormented by his demons for quite a while, so Hawke doesn't expect him to be quick about his reactions. He decides it best to not do or say anything for now, just give Fenris time. There are no demons in sight, and no reason to rush things, so they spend a few moments simply looking at each other. In the meantime Hawke is trying to come up with just what to say, but when he finally meets Fenris's gaze his mind only screams It's me, it's really me, please see me, hear me.

Finally Fenris asks what's going on, and even his voice sounds wrong. Hawke asks if Fenris will hear him out. Fenris wonders sceptically if there's anything left to be said. Hawke heaves a deep sigh and groans that It's going to take a while. He takes a seat on the ground and suggests that Fenris do the same. No, really, it's going to be a long talk, you should sit down.

Fenris eyes him suspiciously but complies. They sit opposite of each other and keep staring.

Awkward silence ensues. Hawke hopes that if it drags on long enough with nothing happening for longer than expected and Fenris starting to get bored, he may be more susceptible to the new information. After all, demons aren't exactly subtle with their temptations, they usually get straight to the point!

When it feels like the time is right he starts talking.

We have a problem.

You don't say.

You're dreaming, and this is a very bad dream. There are demons out to get you, and you already let them in.

I did not! Fenris gives him an offended glare and frowns. Hawke is happy to see a genuine emotion on Fenris's previously blank face and it makes him smile. Fenris is watching him intently, as if trying to see through his deception.

I am here.

Fenris finds it surprising. He talks about Varric's letter which said that... (His face turns blank again as he recalls the exact phrasing). Before it arrived he'd been trying to reassure himself that Hawke's dream goodbye was a result of his own deep seated fears and anxiety.

Hawke winces imagining just what soul crushing words his writer friend used to notify Fenris of Hawke's apparent death. The dwarf was dangerously good with words, so it must have messed Fenris up pretty badly. Hawke also recalls that his own "last words" to him were frighteningly genuine (he believed it himself then!). He shifts uncomfortably.

Varric had a lot on his plate at the time. He had no way to know what happened later.

Hawke doesn't think it wise to share all the truth with Fenris, especially about the spirit he encountered. Nevertheless he needs to give him something to go on. He struggles to continue their conversation.

I appreciate knowing that you'd put me out of my misery should I go off the deep end, wouldn't have it any other way (if it ever comes to that)! But It's early yet. I'm still kicking!

Hawke is searching Fenris's face, and braces himself when he says

I may have rushed with conclusions last time we spoke. My goodbye to you was premature. I mean, I'm still trapped here, but it's not as permanent as I had thought. I'm working on a plan to get out!

Fenris's look is so intense, Hawke is ready to believe that he got through to him.

Look, I know you're worried about me, but right now you are the one who's in danger.

Hawke has a request. He asks Fenris to find a jar of very specific herbs at a specified location at his workplace back home. (After they left Kirkwall and settled down in a quiet remote place Hawke took to advanced herbalism. It became his hobby to experiment with effects of the herbs. He really wanted to do something that would help people). The jar is labeled "for extremely bad times". Fenris should brew a pinch of those herbs in a cup of hot water, let it draw for at least an hour, and drink it before going to bed every night. For Fenris this will block out all dreams - preventing demons from entering them. He will be completely out, not seeing any dreams whatsoever (I haven't yet thought of how Hawke would use it for himself or other mages). Also he really should refrain from imbibing any alcohol, lest it messes up the effect of the herbs. And it's just not very good for your health

He pauses, and holding Fenris' gaze pointedly states

I'm not giving up. I'll find my way back to you, but promise me you'll take care of yourself. I need you to be there.

With a timid smile he adds

It looks like you're the one who's going to have to save me!

Hawke presents to him the basic outline of the plan which involves finding a weak spot in the Veil, Carver coming to hold Fenris's hand, and Fenris pulling Hawke out. They will need to coordinate their movements, but for now Fenris needs to regain his strength.

Fenris lets it sink in. He is afraid to believe. He'd already sort of accepted that Hawke wouldn't come back, and now this? But this request is so simple. Something he can actually try and see.

He points out that without being able to dream he won't be able to see Hawke either, to which Hawke replies that it won't be necessary. He still needs to find a way to reach Carver, and if it works out he'll send a message through him.

Fenris asks if Hawke is a Dreamer now, and Hawke chuckles and says that apparently in his current state he can mentally connect to those he loves most.

Fenris ponders.

Finally he looks up at Hawke, and when he speaks his voice sounds stronger:

If you don't come back I don't know what I'll do with you.

Hawke is overjoyed because Fenris finally sounds like himself again.

He can't resist the urge to move closer to Fenris and touch his face.

If I do come back you can do with me whatever you want.

Fenris seems to relax a little.

Hawke notices a faint glow in the far end of the dream space and sees Hope tentatively poke Its head into the "room". Their eyes meet, It smiles brightly and waves at him excitedly.

(It's very happy about being able to come in!)

Next

[spawnofbhaal]

Some speculation re: Solas and his role in the story, based on what we know from that article:

I think he somehow becomes trapped either in the Fade prison where the Evanuris previously were (which would be very bad since it's full of Blight) or in the new one where he planned to move them (which hopefully isn't Blighted, but . . .)

So unfortunately I don't think he will be visually in the Lighthouse while we are using it. I think the Lighthouse is definitely in the Crossroads, not the Fade. I'd love to be wrong about him not being there in person, but IMO they are keeping Solas off the board for the beginning of the game (because he is too powerful to be a player while Rook gets established). I think he will be an advisor of sorts and will help guide Rook from the Fade.

However, I don't think he is going to be sitting idle. There are multiple elven tales where Fen'Harel escapes a trap, either by "chewing off his own tail" or by pitting his enemies against each other. IMO this stuff is foreshadowing that he will indeed escape at some point, but at a cost (giving up some of his power? becoming Blighted? We still don't know if the knife he was using in the ritual is the lyrium idol or if that's something still to come).

I also don't think Solas is going to be perfectly aligned with Rook. At the start of the game they have to work together, but Solas' goals remain and he doesn't have any reason to particularly like Rook (yet). Solas spent a year with the Inquisition, even potentially befriending the Inquisitor or falling deeply in love, and still left to pursue his goal and has spent the last 10 years doing so. While I think Rook's relationship with him will be important like the Inquisitor's is, I don't think Rook is going to change his mind by themselves just because they can (maybe) speak telepathically. There is going to have to be more to it, and I think the Inquisitor's relationship with Solas will play into how open Solas is to Rook's influence.

(Also to really speculate I've seen Solas fans who playtested the first part of the game express anxiety about redemption, which signals to me that he does something naughty at some point instead of being a stable ally, lol. Hopefully it isn't killing Varric, but IMO it's more likely he tries to sacrifice Rook like a chess piece at some point. I'm 100% a Solas redemption truther, but I don't think it will be simple or easy like he's suddenly just toothless).

So, while I think the Evanuris will be the main villains to defeat, I also think Solas will dance between ally and antagonist throughout much of the game. He is a trickster/anti-hero/anti-villain character, after all. The mid-game is always a great point in terms of story beats for the protagonist to have a major setback (like Haven to an extent, Spellhold in BG2, Act 3 in Rogue Trader, etc.) so I look forward to seeing what happens then and how the story pivots.

[lasandra]

Super Massive End Game Veilguard Spoilers Under the Cut!

Seriously. If you haven't finished playing Veilguard, DO. NOT. READ. So I finished DA:tV and I have been really trying to sort out my thoughts... And well...

Sdlkajshdfklajhsdfklajhsdflkjahsdklfjhaskldfjhaskldfhj I CAN'T!!! My dudes I am SO conflicted!!! Solas is the only character I have ever come across that I both love to pieces and want the best for him but I also want to beat him until he is a puddle of bruised yolk and cracked shells. This dude KILLED VARRIC FOR REALSIES! I am not okay with that. My Hawke's GOING to hunt him down when she finds out. If the Tevinter Magisters can get into the Black City then dammit so can she. And when she does, I am not sure even Lavellan can save him. Amelia (My Hawke) has lost so many of her friends/family/loved ones she can't handle this anymore. He also killed God's gift to elves Felassan. It's been over a decade since I read The Masked Empire but I don't remember there being a great reason other than him being upset that Felassan failed. Dude has GOT to stop killing his friends lol. Especially the hot ones. Like. Come on. As if that wasn't enough, he manipulated Rook. I love my first Rook (Carwyn de Riva) so much that I am STRUGGLING to play another playthrough with any of the other Rooks I had planned. To see that he manipulated her with blood magic... Stopped her from being able to mourn Varric with the others properly.... AND tricked her into that prison??? He didn't think she'd be able to get out. Luckily she had plot armor because if she hadn't gotten out I would find a way into Thedas to rip him apart myself. *Aggressive breathing noises* I feel very normal about this, obviously. Seriously though, guys, I came THIIIIIIIS close to tricking him with the fake dagger even knowing that Lanaya (my Lavellan) wouldn't have gotten her happy ending. JUST so I could see the LOOK on his face when he realized ROOK outplayed him at his own game! At the SAME time however... The idea of sending him into the Black City alone... hurts me lol! I don't want him to suffer. Dude has suffered a lot and honestly, I'm not entirely sure his being a friend-murdering ass is *entirely his fault... The longer I sit with everything, the more certain I am that Solas didn't really have a choice. Seems very much like he was sort of bound to the will of Mythal. Maybe I've missed something, I'm not as lore-savvy as I once was. But in the end when Mythal tells Solas that she releases him from her service and only THEN (NOT when Lavellan BEGS him to stop) is he willing to do the right thing? I don't know. It just reminded me SO much of his personal quest in Inquisition where his Wisdom Spirit friend had been bound and twisted against its purpose. If it works anything like what we saw in Inquisition with whoever drank from the Well of Sorrows, who's to say when something was him vs the will of Mythal? It could be a bit of a stretch but, there's certainly room for that interpretation, I think. And if that's the case, then he doesn't deserve the hell that awaits him. It's also the only interpretation I can really accept Lanaya still wanting to be with him. Varric was her friend too. While forgiveness is something I give freely, I cannot imagine reconciling with a man who did what Solas did without him having been essentially forced into doing it. *Sighs deeply* I saw the different versions of his endgame images... Shit man. The only way this man gets a happy ending is with Lavellan. Dude looks so miserable and gloomy in all the other endings. Moire (Trevelyan) was Solas' friend. She wouldn't want to send him off to be alone in such a terrible place. That would seriously eat at her. (Rook wouldn't care. Her give a damn was busted after he betrayed her for the twenty-billionth time.) It can never be anything but a complete and utter rollercoaster with this man! I do think that the ending I got with him was as good as it possibly could have been though, given everything. Sorry for this really poorly written rant. I needed to get this out of my system and it's almost 3am lol.

[longer-than-i-should-admit]

(Mildly spoilery ramble about Solavellan and that damned lyre in [one of] Solas' hideout[s] below the cut.)

I am an inconsolable mess thinking about this sad old bastard knowing how to play that thing. For someone several millennia old it only makes sense he might have picked it up at some point a time or two. It's then only a logical extension of supposition to conclude that he might be able to sing, as well, as eloquent and measured with his words and cadence as he is. (Yes this is a Hallelujah post bc the brainrot's real.)

Imagine Rook freeing Solas from the Fade prison in preparation for all the stuff going on. He's weak and tired from the experience and needs to recoup a bit—not bedrest, but Rook hounds him to relax around the Lighthouse for a while and take it easy.

Lavellan's back, advising Rook or helping Varric or w/e. She's doing her best to give him space. It's awkward and it's tense and they barely even exchange words when they do happen to cross paths. (Did this place feel so small before? Rook wonders.)

Solas is obviously going stir crazy. He's read all the books in the library numerous times before. He cannot cast very much if he's to conserve his mana for whatever threats they face. He's decidedly a little burnt out on exploring the Fade, just for a while. He starts micro managing the crew, pedantic and critical at his worst due to boredom, stress, and worry all at once. They plead Rook to distract him, take him out to town somewhere to shop or some shit, anything.

So Rook brings him the lyre from his hideout in Minrathous. It's dusty by then and horribly out of tune, but no one dared to touch it. Rook isn't even sure that the Dread Wolf has any musical capabilities, wonders if this was part of one of his many ruses (never trust the humble guises of Fen'Harel, they think), but it's something to keep his hands busy, his mind occupied, and his mouth shut for a time.

Solas looks displeased, unimpressed. Put upon by Rook's unspoken meaning to keep himself busy and occupied and out of their way. He's unused to relying on others to carry the weight of such a task, but he acknowledges by now that the Veilguard knows what they're doing and does it well. Better than he could manage by himself.

So it works, for a while. They don't see him out and about. He recluses himself into his rooms and only emerges when he's hungry or someone comes to ask him for help—which does visibly improve his mood. Oftentimes he has pigments staining his hands and plaster smudged unconsciously across the glass-sharp arches of his cheeks, too. The furrow between his brows aren't so deep now that he's had some time to decompress, even if it was unwilling at first.

It doesn't last forever. Something happens. Rook defers to Lavellan. Solas overhears and protests. He doesn't want her involved, and Rook knows keenly by now that it's only in vain effort to keep her away from the immediate danger that the Evanuris pose. It's among the first times they've actually had an extended conversation and it's to argue. Varric told Rook that was normal for them—debating was one of their favorite pastimes, once upon a time, though for different reasons. Lavellan would provoke Solas into ranting to ruffle his feathers and to hear his passion. Solas would cave because he knew that even if she did not end up agreeing with his viewpoint on things, she would still hear him out and give him credit where it was due. A balance of the difference between knowledge and wisdom, a scale of moderation between righteous indignation and the humility of admitting the limitation of one's perspective and experience.

It's rife with undertones, however. Pointed remarks that Rook doesn't readily understand but can intuit easily enough. Rook didn't have to know that they were in a complicated (romantic?) situation to tell that there was much tension, history, and uncertainty in the undercurrents of their bickering. Rook steps in before it gets too vicious, watching with trepidation as the battle of wits and logic gave way to old hurts and unhealed wounds of emotions too strong to ignore during as dire times as these.

They part and put the length of the Lighthouse's grounds between them to clear the air. Rook sighs and wonders how in the Void they would be able to stop the end of the world if two lovers could not smooth things over long enough to cooperate.

That night, at supper, Solas emerges with a brumous cloud brewing over his shoulders (not literally, but just about; Rook can feel the charge of his mana as acutely as the tumult of his thoughts in the back of their mind) and takes a set next to the hearth, lyre in hand. Lavellan stiffens from her seat at the end of the table, watching him with wary and skeptical eyes. Solas' fingers thrum over the strings lightly, filling the abruptly silent room with a rasp of harmony...

And he began to sing.

Rook doesn't recognize the song at first, but within the first couple of lines they watch Lavellan's eyes mist over. Soon enough, the meaning becomes clear: it's the tale of the Inquisitor—and thus her connection to Solas, the most he's ever revealed to any of the Veilguard intentionally or indirectly both. But Rook can tell that it means more to the Inquisitor than anyone else. His voice is plaintive and sincere, reverent like he uttered a benediction. Rook sees for the first time the strength that lay between them, the intimacy, the unique relationship only two unwilling religious visionaries could share.

Despite the tears glittering along her lashlines, Lavellan offers Solas a watery smile once he finishes and clears her throat before asking him if he remembered the shanty Maryden used to play in the Herald's Rest. Which one? Solas asks, looking an odd mixture of embarrassed and relieved at once with his ears flushed bright pink. Any of them, Lavellan supplies. I never knew you played. You never asked, Solas says, then amends with a gentler tone, but I never offered, either.

Things get better after that. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that the two finally found some common ground upon which to make amends.

They learned that Lavellan could sing, too.

Their harmonies echoed through the arcane-saturated stones of the Lighthouse on some occasions after that, filling the empty rooms with steady rhythm, but not always in melody. The same cadence that guided Solas' ode to his once unwitting Herald seeped into their every shared conversation, be it about the Fade or anything else.

Rook found that it became one of their favorite songs—a missing piece they never noticed before. That Solas eventually thanked them for it was an added side benefit.

[galadrieljones]

In regards to Varric's flagged death

- he's getting up there in years. He's reaching toward the wise old mentor trope, and those don't usually survive

- it would be a pretty emotional opening and an immediate reason to be angry with Solas/Rook - especially new players

- his writer was let go from bioware

- Varric has always been willing to let others take the spotlight, but this time, he put himself in the most dangerous position possible to try to talk Solas down while Rook ran the slidelines.

And then there's this:

https://www.tumblr.com/corseque/753195522694774784/im-sorry-if-other-people-saw-this-already-but-i?source=share

Hmm, yes. I saw that post, and I reblogged. Just playing friendly Devil's Advocate here. I think most of this is interpretive. Killing off a "wise old mentor" takes a while longer. Varric hasn't really been a wise old mentor. I don't recall that really as his role at all in Inquisition. He's terribly reluctant, in fact, to be there. Plus, he's what, like fifty? Maybe I'm old, but that is not that old lol. And even if he is a "wise old mentor," wise old mentors, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Hershel Greene from The Walking Dead, typically die as self-sacrifices after having completed their narrative purpose in a truly meaningful way. That is not what's going on here with Varric. If he's just getting stabbed by Solas, then like, that's not meaningful at all.

Also, the writers really don't need a reason to rally us against Solas. If a player is so new that they don't know Solas, then they don't know Varric either, so killing him off would be largely meaningless to them and instead would just alienate older, more loyal players. Killing Varric in the first scene would feel very "The Last of Us 2" in that it would seem to serve no real purpose other than to create moral hardship for the player, in a way that has no connection to their choices. That's not really Bioware's style.

The writers have also expressed a lot of sympathy toward Solas. Why would they have Solas stab Varric?? Even if Solas was so far gone, he's just killing everyone left and right (the trailer doesn't communicate this at all, btw), why would Solas stab anyone with a knife? Solas can kill people with his eyeball lasers. We've seen it.

I suppose that if Varric dies, and it's an accident, then that is different; however, this would, I feel, betray his character in a way that would greatly disappoint me and many others. His writer being laid off is also not really a reason to assume they'd kill the character she wrote, too. If anything, I would think they'd try to preserve his integrity, unless we think they're just sadists, and if we do, why are we playing their games?? Maybe it's wishful thinking, and possibly it is, but killing a beloved OG like Varric on day one, with the player having zero choice in the matter, just to piss people off and also because Varric is getting a little "old" is illogical. It would, I think, betray their tendencies up until now. If it happens, it's probably a bad choice. Just my two cents, of course!

[butterflydm]

Story missions and lore updates in DAV...

I think that the Dragon Age series might have my favorite lore that I've ever run across in a video game. It has so much depth and the history of it is just so palpable playing the games. From the very beginning, using the codex system as a way to give information that was very much biased in-game, never free-floating knowledge but always knowledge that was tied down to specific people in the specific cultures that they were writing in.

Even before we started getting some of the big historical revelations in this game, I've been blown away by getting to visit all these places that we've only gotten to hear about or meet the occasional companion from in the previous games. Actually seeing Treviso! Touring Minrathous! Spending time in Nevarra! And each of the environments feels so rich and like so much time and thought was spent on fleshing it out.

I've played some big side quests involving Mythal and Solas, and pushed forward with the next story mission, so there's some big-ish lore spoilers below.

We've gotten so much information that has exploded basically everyone's religion, but none of it actually contradicts the previous lore, because all of that was in-world beliefs that were written down by people in the game world. I love it!

The Tevinter Old Gods were really the dragons that the Evanuris had bound to themselves, and were able to whisper to the ancient Tevinter magisters because Solas didn't understand the nature of the bond between the dragons and their masters. So the Evanuris... were making an escape attempt. There were seven Tevinter magisters who breached the Golden City in an attempt to obey their old gods. The reason that the dragons told them to go there was because they were hoping it would free the Evanuris. But it failed. They released the Blight instead.

Theory: Andraste connected to a Spirit of Faith, and that's where she got all her ideas that she then went running with, and which eventually became the Chant of the Light that we have in the present day. Probably already been speculated before, I wouldn't be surprised! We know that spirits can give people these kinds of big revolutionary ideas (see: Anders).

It's really spirits all the way down, like turtles, it feels like. Spirits are so integral to everything. Spirits and the Titans (I might want to do my second Rook as a dwarf, because that would be a very different and interesting perspective than my elf Rook has, I think. Solas harmed the dwarven people in a very direct and clear way).

It sounds like humans also already existed. But then spirits used lyrium to forge bodies of their own, becoming the ancient elves, who then became truly mortal over the course of living in the world.

Also! Oh! Learning that Solas was originally a spirit really does give even more poignancy to his and Varric's disagreement over Cole, and whether Cole should become more 'human' or remain as a spirit. Solas regrets his choice. He doesn't want Cole to also regret it.

I did a quest for Harding and we learned that dwarves are essentially small pieces of the Titans -- what has survived of them. So when they say that they came from the Stone... they really did. It was neat. We went to a Kal-Sharok outpost and talked to Shaper Valta (who is now a very big statue). As soon as Harding mentioned Kal-Sharok, I was hoping it would mean Valta.

I did the next big quest and everyone is shook. Especially Darvin and Lucanis -- Lucanis feels like he failed and Darvin is feeling a bit of a loss of purpose, since he killed an Archdemon and didn't die.

Both Varric and Solas continue to be good advisors, I think -- Varric is good as a team adviser (morale and such) while Solas is a better war adviser. But I think both are useful for Rook. I really do love how their dynamic was brought forward and continued from DAI.

Next, we're trying to strengthen people's resolve and get our alliances strengthened as well. Kinda giving me a ME2 vibe with regards to that and I wonder if the endgame of this game will have a 'Suicide Mission' type of component, where different characters' survival depends on if you helped them keep their focus and how strong your alliance is with their faction.

Lucanis is making Rook work hard for that romance! One single flirt with Taash and Rook was being asked if they wanted sex! But I've flirted with Lucanis at basically every turn, and we have still not kissed. I feel like that "Let me in!" at the gates meme, lol. We might have to finish his personal quest before we can move forward with the romance.

I finished up the Solas side-quest and have learned the extent of his history and his regrets. Getting that nice long conversation with Morrigan was great, and I loved seeing all the memories. Solas did a lot of things that he now regrets, and yet he keeps trying over and over. His pride can't let him stop, I think, no matter how many mistakes he makes.

I talked with Mythal (the spirit-side) and was able to talk her into handing over her essence (I did restart the conversation once when I fucked it up; I admit that! But I really feel like my elven Rook should be able to convince her. It also sounds like having the essence might end up affecting how the endgame goes, and I want to see it, lol).

Next time around, I plan to tackle Lucanis's personal quest, and then move forward with Neve's story quest.

[queenaeducan]

as i mentioned i beat the murals last night and i have so many thoughts. many i think may take a while to sift through and get to where i want them but. for now.

solas wanted to KILL the mages in his personal quest. the circumstances are not the same (he did agree, however reluctantly, where they did not ask), but the result- a spirit of wisdom turned to violent pride- are the same. how much does solas let himself feel about the regrets in the murals? how much has he let himself process? does his anger in this quest reflect the anger he feels towards mythal?

it also does a lot to contextualise his feelings re: cole's personal quest. i've said before that when you put cole's pq in the context of what happened to wisdom (and others before it), solas's behaviour makes sense. but like. idk, i know ppl will fault solas for anything but being against this considering what happened to him it makes perfect sense he's opposed to the idea (especially when varric is going off of nothing but his gut and his own preconceived ideas of what a person ought to be).

what does the game want us to believe about mythal?

- the one we see in the murals is the one who put into motion many of the problems we see in the world today, even if solas is complicit/outright guilty of carrying them out for her.

- the fragment we meet in morrigan is "older and wiser" but still gives kind of uh. unsatisfactory answers to my elf rook about why she didn't help (oh she did, just here and there. i wish my rook could have been angrier about that. my rook, who frees slaves, and has seen solas free slaves, meanwhile flemythal... helped end a couple blights? thanks, but. that's not specifically an elf problem). she calls you her children in a way i felt kind of patronising. which makes sense, but it's a very. undesired benevolence, i suppose. but i felt like the game wanted us to think this mythal was Good(tm) and that i'd want to keep her around despite having little reason to want to root for her at that point. she also doesn't mention spirits and their part in all this at all, just physical elves.

- the mythal we meet at the secret area morrigan opens is just. an evanuris. thoroughly. this is the mythal that decided the best option to a conflict between elgar'nan and falon'din was to let two other elves die for it. if you tell her you don't need gods she calls you a child and fights you. you can get her on her side by being honest and saying you think she was wrong, which is nice i guess.

- i guess i'm saying we don't get a super satisfactory answer on why she was a charismatic and better than the rest. we see she had vallaslin even in ancient times (felassan) but no mention of that comes up anywhere. so i guess it's up to me to decide why solas is so easily and constantly persuaded to give up his very nature to do what he did.

ultimately i thought the relationship, despite not having a lot of ground for why it became so deep in the first place, was very interesting and problematic (positive). it parallels so nicely with briala and celene, and contrasts well with solas and the herald (or if you're me, solas and the thora cadash AND solas and ian). i don't know how much of the former comparison is on purpose as far as datv is concerned, but i do think it makes everything more compelling so i am running with it.

another criticism is that the rebels were just dropped in favour of the gods. disappointing! especially since the game makes a point of recommitting the future of the elves to solas's motivation in the convo with morrigan. like only 3 of the statues had memories? i wish that there had been an alternate set of murals for each, or something. the memories we have paint solas in mixed lights (sacrificing spirits, killing an agent) but most of the codices we receive have him in a positive to neutral light. i wish the game were more interested in exploring his dynamic with felassan, who calls him "old friend," and other rebels. it would have better served the "mirror" they're trying to make rook into to show solas building connections with rebels as you are with your team. show him loving the people he got killed, the same way i think you will be able to get your companions killed (if the pre-game comparisons to me2's suicide mission are any comparison).

anyway. i'm not even done with the first quest of act 2 god help me.

[tethrarisms]

DAV spoilers

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Nothing against all the following characters but as a Varric fan since DA2, it feels like a punch in the stomach when you learn that his sacrifice meant absolutely nothing. Solas wouldn't stop tearing the Veil apart if not for Mythal. And if you bring your Avellan Inquisitor, it's only a plus. I'm not saying they didn't deserve a happy ending, I think Solas had an incredible redemption and it fits him to spend his eternity with his partner in the Veil.

But Varric spent a whole decade feeling responsible for Solas and did what the Inquisitor couldn't due to DAI's consequences. Harding doesn't say a word when he's gone for "plot purposes". She only addresses his death when she's bashing Solas in the final fight. Which sucks. The "villain" got his happy ending while Rook lost his mentor and one of the their friends (which I still think will be solved in a DLC but that's for another time).

Varric's death serves no purpose for the narrative whatsoever. It doesn't push Rook towards improvement because, first of all, Rook wouldn't have to go through a sudden grief if Solas didn't use blood magic to alter their mind. Rook would have forgiven themselves for Bellara/Neve and Davrin/Harding in the Veil just fine. Rook didn't know about Varric, it was a result of literal gaslight, not a personal journey like the usual protagonists go through all over media.

Oh, and what about leadership? Dude, Varric says a single statement of encouragement and that's it. Talk about underdeveloped dialogue.

Lastly, Solas doesn't even address it when he's about to complete the ritual. Varric meant nothing to Solas, and that was kinda up to interpretation in Inquisition, but not in Veilguard. Because Solas doesn't even flinch and it's not brought to the table at all.

If anything, Varric deserved more than just a Lion King cloud. It's kinda insulting, honestly. The potential Veilguard has a game is huge but it feels rushed and underdeveloped in so many points.

No shame to writers, BioWare sucks for what they did and fuck capitalism. But this decision was disappointing for how much Varric not only carried this franchise for years and was one of the main points to promote the game. It felt disrespectful even how they gave the players some hope that he would be fine.

I hate it. I really do, and that's the main reason it gets so hard for me to replay Veilguard. It's low when the narrative lies to the player (this is far from a prestigious media like, idk, Fight Club and The Sixth Sense. It makes sense for the plot. That's not the case for Veilguard).

Anyway, good for people who are able to enjoy a second experience. I'm trying but I'm still stuck at the ritual scene cause I know things will change forever :')

[siribear]

her party is still just as chatty on the way back to base camp from the shrine of dumat. varric, dorian, and bull keep themselves entertained well enough without her input.

which works just fine for her - she's sore down to her bones. it wasn't enough that she was singled out and carried deeper into the red templar encampment via a charging templar brute. no - she absent-mindedly rubs at her neck - carol smited her and would have drowned her if not for her mark.

she could have saved herself with blood magic. but it's already the reason why she's lost the trust of most of her companions. the ones with her are all she has left of those who trust her.

even cullen, paces ahead of her, has barely spoken to her even while going after samson. but she deserves it. she lied to him.

annwn.

a chill runs down her spine.

'did you need something?' she asks, turning in her saddle to face varric.

he looks away from laughing at a joke. 'didn't say anything, cousin.' and neither did the others. she doubts cullen said anything. he doesn't address her as anything less than inquisitor, now.

just the wind, then? or she's hallucinating. but she could have sworn -

help me.

this time, a child's voice, low and scared.

again, it seems no one noticed.

the same shiver washes over her as they pass by a large, empty mansion. the first time they came through it gave her an uneasy feeling, but she wasn't hearing voices then.

without a word, she directs her horse toward the mansion. the air beyond the gates hold a chill despite the bright sun shining overhead. the yard is lush and green - but overgrown.

her horse whickers and throws its head up when she tries to urge it closer.

'another home no doubt abandoned during the civil war,' dorian says, pulling up beside her. 'someone ought to tell them they can come back. this place looks awful.'

near the rim of a distant fountain, a skeleton lays collapsed in the overgrown grass.

'i don't think it was the war that emptied this place, dorian.'

'what are you doing?' he asks as she dismounts. 'shouldn't we get that rune back to skyhold?'

'well, yes, but - ' she chews her bottom lip. 'there's something here. and it's the inquisition's job to bring stability to the area, right? so - '

'alright, alright. let me get the others, though.'

she hadn't even noticed she was already halfway through the front door.

and when it shuts on the five of them, it's with an echoing finality before all the light goes out.

-

'boss, i think the door just locked.'

from the shadows, cullen appears with a torch, and she only jumps slightly (she swears) when he asks for her to light it.

the iron bull tugs at the door. pushes. rams his shoulder into it. but the solid wood doesn't give. through the glow of cullen's torch light (what she can see now is just a borrowed sconce), they can see that all the curtains were drawn the moment they entered.

'why did we come here again?' the sound of varric drawing bianca echoes through the main hall.

all eyes turn to her. 'i thought i heard - i don't know. someone calling out for help?' and her name. very clearly her name.

a door creaks open at the end of the hall. light spills through the doorway, only partially illuminating their path.

'that's not creepy at all,' bull grouses. dorian murmurs a soft, 'i'll watch out for you.'

amell leads the way. inside the chateau is worse than outside. they step across broken glass and toppled furniture. scattered parchment whispers at their ankles. amell doesn't hear any more voices besides her companions.

'at the risk of sounding like solas,' dorian begins, 'the veil here is incredibly thin.'

he isn't wrong. it's gossamer thin, like walking through endless cobwebs. somehow it makes walking through a lit hallway unnerving in a way that has nothing to do with the fact that they watched each sconce flare to life just before they reached it.

as they step through the door at the other end of the hall, the next room looks nothing like the rest of the mansion. it's warm and lit, but small, and doesn't match what they saw outside. to their left, a hearth is blazing. the shadow of the stairs beyond it angles upward to the loft, so dark they can't see past. when amell turns to look behind her, the door is gone.

'hey, wait a minute. this place looks familiar,' varric says. 'it looks like - '

'annwn, what is the meaning of this?'

a woman, dressed in noble finery of a make she doesn't recognize and her blonde hair done up in a tight bun, points sharply at the burning hearth.

'mamae?' she whispers to herself, and then the woman stomps her way.

the sting of the slap makes her eyes water. amell touches her fingers to her cheek, and when she looks back to the woman, she's at least two feet taller.

'do not call me that word. i am your mother. now tell me why the fireplace is lit.'

'i-i was cold!' she stutters, her voice high and childlike. 'i was cold. we - ' there is an elven man standing in the shadows, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there. the one who referred to lady amell as her mamae. ' - we couldn't find your matches. so - look!' little amell holds a mote of conjured flame suspended between her hands, then claps it away. 'i can do it myself!'

her mother grabs her by the wrist and squeezes hard. she feels the bones start to give. 'come with me. now, annwn.'

tears pour freely and her mother glares, unmoving. 'i'm sorry! i'm sorry, i won't do it again. please, mother - '

'come. you're going with the templars. bad enough that my sister ran away with one, but now my only child...'

she digs her heels into the carpet and tries her best to pull back. 'no, no, please, mother. i'm sorry! i don't want to go, please, please, i'll be good, please - '

something - someone - pulls her back before she can be dragged through the door. into inky blackness and a cluster of glowing eyes that wait. varric slams the door shut.

'inquisitor.' cullen holds her by her shoulders. 'you aren't going anywhere. was that...?'

the tears carried over from the illusion of the memory, and fresh ones join the tracks already there. 'the moment i was sent off to the circle. i was eight.'

-

she composes herself away from the others. what's going on? why would the fade show her that memory, out of all of them? later, after she rejoins her party, no longer visibly shaken, she learns.

as they're lead through the mansion, papers fly up to greet them, caught on sourceless gusts of wind. a note from a father, who locked up his child who began to show an affinity for magic. more worried about his family name than his daughter's well being. a note from the girl, so lonely and all she wanted to do was leave her room and make friends. and then one found her.

scraps from foolish books: ways to ensure your child isn't born a mage. amell briefly wonders if her mother had tried any of them.

led up to the final room upstairs, past a large, hanging sculpture of a dragon that bull moons over, amell hesitates at the door. she knows - they all know - what they'll find on the other side. a demon possessed child. connor all over again.

she pushes through.

in the middle of the large room, surrounded by a ring of toys, sits a little girl, perhaps a few years older than amell was when she was taken, in a floral day dress and wild brown hair. she sits up when she sees them and drops her dolls to the floor. 'hello! are you new friends?'

amell shares a look with the others before stepping forward. 'actually, we're looking for a way out. can you help us? what's your name?'

the - girl? - frowns. 'my name is nanette. my other friend told me you were here to be friends with me, though. there's no one else here to play with.'

amell kneels before the girl, who blinks up at her innocently. 'nanette, do you know what's happening? do you know... what your friend is?'

nanette hangs her head. 'i think everyone's gone. but i still have my friend.'

'how long have you known your friend?'

'um. a few months?' the girl tilts her head to the side and nods as if listening to someone whispering in her ear. 'yes, a few months.'

behind her, bull grumbles. 'okay. i'm going to talk to my companions here for a moment.' when she makes to stand, nanette reaches out to grab her hand.

'you can't leave me though. i've been so lonely.' the girl yawns. 'no one else has been... here... '

amell cuts off the spell and catches the girl before she can collapse to the ground. the air is silent.

'is she okay?' asks cullen, of the possessed child.

'sleeping. but with the demon so close, i'm not sure how long it'll hold.'

dorian strokes his chin. 'months like this? i'd be surprised if it wasn't just the demon toying with us. there's no girl there at all.'

'so, what, we just make the demon come out and kill it? then we can go home?' varric hopes aloud.

'doesn't feel right.' bull sniffs. 'killing a kid.'

'i agree,' says, surprisingly, cullen.

'what do you think, boss?'

she led them here. it's her decision to make. kill a child - if it is one - to free them. or - 'arl eamon's kid was possessed in redcliffe during the blight. some time between... between when i left for ostagar and when we arrived after the battle. less than a month, but... connor was still in there.'

she looks to nanette, slumbering softly, little hands opening and closing like a kitten kneading the air. 'there's a... very small chance she could be, as well.'

it would make killing her harder, though necessary.

'what do we need to do then?' cullen steps forward. 'how did you save connor?'

she blinks, drops her hand away from the dagger at her belt. 'more mages than we have here. no offense, dorian.' he shrugs. 'if you remember, we took a handful from the tower when we left.'

'so, what, we - we murder nanette to free ourselves?'

'i - ' i kill her, amell thinks. i brought us here. it's my fault. she exhales heavily. 'there is one other option.'

jowan taught me how to perform the ritual. i can do it without - without the mages or the extra lyrium. but it would require me to use blood magic.'

and a sacrifice, but she could probably make do without...

'i would need everyone's help, though.'

'our blood, you mean.'

she looks cullen straight in the eye when she says, 'it's that or i sacrifice myself so dorian can exorcise the demon in the fade.'

'could you not... open a rift? draw the demon out that way and slay it?'

amell shakes her head. 'not without killing nanette. or risking more demons pouring through in the interim.'

varric steps forward, one hand tugging up his sleeve. 'what's a little blood between friends, right? come on, let's save this kid.'

-

'i'm sorry,' amell whispers. blood beads and spills from the shallow cut on cullen's arm. he holds out his arm like the rest of them and lets the blood drip to the floor.

amell stands between cullen and varric, completing the circle, and slices deep into her palm. cullen shouts in alarm, but she raises her bloody hand to silence him. her blood spills and travels through the grooves in the wooden floor to meet the others. when it all connects, power erupts beneath her.

last time she did this, she was the one being sent into the fade. to be the caster and the one to go under - it's taking more out of her already than she imagined.

the girl stirs in the center of the spell, but when she rises its with jerky and inhuman movements. her eyes glow the sickly green of the fade.

'come on,' she taunts. 'it isn't the girl you need anymore. that's why you called out to me, isn't it? why you showed me that memory?'

'what are you doing?' cullen hisses.

'drawing it out,' she explains through gritted teeth. 'it has to let her go before i can - '

a dark chuckle. sweat beads on her temple. she feels the first tremor in her arm.

'she isn't strong enough, and you know it! you want more power.' there's an echo she can hear to her own voice. more demons than the one she wants closing in. she's drawn too much attention to herself. the mark flares, and the voices subside. 'nanette can't do that, now can she?'

nanette's body falls to the ground hard, but the glowing eyes stay in the center of the circle. if she squints, she can see the outline of the demon beginning to take shape.

it's enough.

amell closes her fist, and at the last drop of blood to hit the floor, the world goes white.

-

amell once again finds nanette playing with her dolls, though the room is only half formed in the fade.

'oh! my friend said he wanted to see you. come on, this way.'

she follows behind as broken rocks and landscape coalesce into the halls of chateau d'onterre. a roar rumbles in the distance.

when nanette finally sees the true form of her friend - a tall, spindly limbed terror demon - she shouts and makes to hide.

amell turns quickly and takes the girl by the shoulders. 'nanette, you have to wake up. wake up from this. my friends will be there to help you, okay? but you have to go now.'

thankfully, the girl nods and leaves, running back from where they came until she quite literally disappears. awake. amell sighs with relief.

'we all know who you are, now, mage,' says the demon with no mouth. 'we've seen you.'

'good for you.' her staff appears in her hand. 'i'm not here to listen to you, though.'

impossibly black eyes narrow. 'you offered yourself. you and your terror. you fear all of your friends will leave you. that you'll die alone.'

'you don't know me at all.'

with barely a thought, her staff is wreathed in lightning, and, at another, arcing across the distance between them. the demon might have held onto nanette for as long as it did, but with the girl's abilities barely honed the demon's powers have stagnated, and it shows.

in what feels like only a moment, amell has the demon trapped in a cage of lightning. it shrieks every time it throws itself against the walls, but they hold steadfast. she brings her hands together. the demon's flesh sizzles and pops as the lightning closes in. it ends with a crack of thunder that echoes across the limitless fade, and then the demon is nothing but ash.

amell allows herself a weary sigh. she's more exhausted than she thought she'd be. when she turns to follow nanette back across the veil, she stumbles.

in front of her is that avatar of fear, hundreds of eyes trained on her. it opens its maw, lined with an infinite number of teeth.

i know your fear.

amell screams.

-

she comes to, with that scream tearing out of her throat and something holding her, stopping her from retreating. she beats her fists against it and tries to push away.

'it's me. it's me!' says cullen, and then she realizes it's his arms around her. her back propped up against his knee, she's laid across his lap. she lowers her fists. her right, with the deep gash still bleeding, stings when she opens her hand. 'it's safe. the demon is gone.'

'nanette?'

'safe. the others brought her to a different room... just in case.'

she closes her eyes and sighs. 'good idea.' she opens them again, and cullen is looking down at her, worried. 'is everyone else okay? are you?'

'yes.' he tries to help her to her feet, but her limbs feel leaden. he lowers her to sit next to him. 'your hand...'

'right.' she raises the other over it, but before she can cast the spell to heal it, cullen pulls it over to him. he rests it on his knee as he twists to dig something out of his pack. 'what are you doing?'

he turns back with bandages, a poultice, and his canteen in hand. 'you're drained. and while the demon is gone, i don't think it safe to prod at the veil still.'

she watches him curiously as he gently splays her fingers. he wets the end of the bandage with his canteen and sets to cleaning her palm. she winces when he brushes too close to the wound.

'i'm sorry,' he murmurs, and the next brush is so soft she barely feels it.

when her hand is clean, he applies the poultice with that same gentleness. her fingers twitch every time he runs his own across her palm. next, he wraps the bandage around her hand, one thumb holding it in place at her wrist. when he's done tying off the excess bandage, the tingling in her hand has nothing to do with the numbing properties of the poultice.

she doesn't know when she rested her head on his shoulder, but even when he's finished he doesn't push her away.

'thank you.' she doesn't know where they are now - if she should call him cullen or commander, so she leaves it off.

'were you serious about sacrificing yourself?'

she lifts her head and looks at him then. 'i - ' her gaze drops to her hand, the one with the anchor embedded in her palm. a contrast to her self-inflicted wound on the other. 'mostly.' after witnessing the future in redcliffe, she knows she's more useful alive if only for the anchor. 'the other option was to sacrifice someone else, and i wouldn't do that.'

cullen hums in thought. 'can you stand?'

'yes, i think so.' she stands without his help, only to end up reaching out for him to steady herself. 'i'm fine, i'm fine. just - sitting for too long.'

before they can reach the door, varric opens it and waltzes through. 'ah, good to see you're okay, cousin. when dorian said you were taking too long we were starting to get worried.'

'it took a little bit longer to recover than i anticipated.' out of the corner of her eye, she sees cullen shift and duck his head. she can almost feel him blushing. 'is everyone - ?'

'ready to get the hell out of this creepy mansion? yes. i can't believe i'm actually excited to get back out into the humidity of the emerald graves.' he groans.

varric takes over in helping her across the balcony of the second floor and down the stairs. by the time they reach the main entrance she can walk by herself, at least.

with nanette on his shoulders, iron bull opens the door with ease and leads them back out into the light.

as she stands in the sunlight and promises herself she isn't seeing eyes in the eaves of sundappled trees, cullen brings her her horse. though they still aren't talking, he rides next to her. occasionally she catches him checking on her.

which is fine. because if she closes her eyes for a second too long, the avatar of fear stares back.

[thekingofwinterblog]

Varric Tethras - The Proud Dwarf

So it's not a big secret that the best companion Bioware ever created was Varric Tethras, the lovable rogue, crossbowman, author and handsome Viscount of Kirkwall.

There are ao many reasons to love Varric, but one I don't see much discussed, is the subtle, and contradictory relationship Varric has with his own race, the Dwarves of Thedas.

Varric makes it a point of always putting his seeming disdain for his own people out in the open, always making it clear how much he dislikes the traditional Dwarven culture, wqy of life and so on.

He describes Orzammar, one of the great wonders of the world as cramp tunnels filled with shit and body odor, he never fails to mention how much he hates the deep roads, and he often mocks dwarven pride at any opportunity with his usual wit and charm.

On the surface, Varric might seem like he has a lot in common with Sera and her racist views on all elvhen kind, but that really, really is not the case.

Because under that exterior of seeming disdain, is a man who both understands Dwarven Culture in all it's flaws, but also loves it and hates it in equal measures.

Varric has always made it clear how much he loved the Hanged man, and essentially made his room there his office, his real home away from the uber dwarfish merchant guild.

And do you know what he fills it with?

The dwarfiest architecture you can imagine. Varric has a dwarf table, a noble dwarf chair, dwarven artwork on the wall, and even a dwarven stone bed.

All expensive and traditional stuff which he would have had to had personally paid for to transport into this room out of his own pocket.

Varric for all his harsh words on the Dwarven people, WANTS to live in a home that looks utterly Dwarven.

The most obvious moment that puts Varric's love for his dwaf ancestry on full display is of course the act 2 quest from da2, where he and an insane(temporary lucid) Bartrand has a heart to heart where both puts their real feelings on the tragedy of their situation on display.

Varric chastises Bartrand for in his madness having thrown away every bit of his dwarven nobility and honor on a stupid trinket, and Bartrand ends up begging his brother not to let house Tethras fall with him, in this display of utter madness and dishonor.

The entire thing is a deeply tragic display where the two brothers show that deapite all their differences, they really did love each other deeply, as well as the fact they had a shared love of their ancestry as Orzammar Nobility.

Of course Varric almost never comes out and says it nearly this clearly anywhere else, as showcased in another side quest where you give him back the Tethras family signet ring that Bartrand had to pawn to finance the expedition.

He doesn't come out and say it, instead focusing on the bad aspects of Orzammar in this quest, but unless hawke is rivaling him when he gives him the quest, varric has a huge approval boost in response to getting his family ring back, showing the thing really did mean a lot to him, despite his disparaging it and Orzammar in said quest.

Later, in Inquisition, Varric never misses a chance to badmouth Orzammar and tradition, but he reacts with incredible sadness at the prospect of Orzammar one day possibly falling.

When Solas asks him about Dwarven literature, and whether there is a lot of Dwarven tricksters, varric gives a smartass remark summing it up as Dwarves tend to write how they want the world to be, while humans write how they think the world is, eith the latter being clearly superior.

It's a good scene, but it has a deeper meaning that ties into Varric's deeper views on Dwarven culture.

Varric knows how Dwarves write, because he has read Dwarven liturature, and understands it completely as both a dwarf, a reader, and a writer, and how it in turn differs from human literature.

For all his grumbling on dwarves in Orzammar being obsessed with their ancestors, he himself is the exact same way as shown in legacy when you find the original Tethras and gives him to the stone, able to shortly remember every bit of his own family lore on the spot and being moved to tears by the tragedy of it all.

Varric defends both surface dwarves and Orzammar dwarves against Solas accusation that they have given up against the darkspawn threat, though in his usual way, he makes it out like surface dwarves are clearly superior.

Varric genuinely loves and cares about so much of Dwarven culture and history, and he understands it deeply.

Which in turn also is the reason he genuinely hates so much about it.

Like all of the DA2 companions, Varric has something he is deeply, deeply obsessed with, something that drives him as a person, and motivates his actions through the entire story. The difference between him and everyone else, is that this obsession never reached a conclusion, because Varric doesn't get to actually face it, and confront it.

That obsession is, of course, the Dwarven Merchant Guild.

Varric HATES the Dwarven Merchant guild, and though he uses his regular humor to portray it, in this case it's actually the opposite of the way he will always be critical of the Dwarven people. Because Varric hates the guild far, far more than he ever pretends to hate Orzammar.

Varric always talks of how shitty the guild is, how it embodies the absolute worst parts of dwarven culture, and essentially how it ruined Bartrand from ever being able to function as anything other than a cutthroat businessman. He time, and time, and time again, refuses to interact with the guild, breaks the law hard to not have to participate, and all in all cold shoulders them and their cutthroat culture completely.

There is a very important, significant moment in act 3, that is incredibly easy to miss, but completely recontextualizes varric's entire motivation for wanting the deep roads expedition.

Varric talks about the real reason why Bartrand wanted to go through with the expedition, of how it represented the one chance he had to get AWAY from the guild forever, just by being rich enough he no longer had to deal with them anymore.

Varric portrays it as Bartrand's big wish and motivation, hut it's incredibly obvious if one pays attention that this was a wish the two brothers actually shared, a mutual desire in the world. Which in turn is one of the reasons why Varric is so incredibly angry at his brother when he goes off the deep end due to the idol and betrays them.

Him and Bartrand got into this venture to finally, once and for all get out of having to deal with the worst parts of surface Dwarf society, and here his brother seemingly willingly turned his back on all of that, showing the only thing he ever cared about was pure greed.

In other words, everything both he and Bartrand hated about the Merchant Guild.

Varric hates the Caste system. He hates the division between surface and "regular" dwarves, and he thinks Orzammar's nobility has a collective stick up it's ass. And yet despite all of that, he loves the Dwarves. He loves the idea of nobility and the ideals it is supposed to represent, he loves Dwarven architecture, their grand ability to make shit, and the incredible grit and romanticism about the Dwarves long, unending struggle against the darkspawn.

The only part of Dwarven society Varric has no love for, is the Merchant Guild. It is Orzammar's nobility without anything resembling virtues, nobles who lost their caste, and yet still enforces a brutal hierarchy of blood, and cares for no ideals, no honor, no cause, except for the clink of money.

Varric is such a deep character, and I really wish that in the future, we get to see this aspect of him fleshed out even more.

[azems-familiar]

my thoughts on veilguard

putting this all below a cut; it will contain SPOILERS for all of veilguard, including the ending.

alright, i'll start with the good parts.

i did actually enjoy playing the game - while the mechanics are very different from previous dragon age games, i found it still had enough tactics in it to be interesting, and the varying difficulty levels helped a lot for me; i'm actually planning to try it on a slightly higher difficulty the next playthrough i do. i quite liked the exploration and felt that they'd successfully improved on the failed open worlds from Inquisition, and the puzzles all over were a lot of fun to decode. the art style itself is absolutely beautiful; i was skeptical of it in the trailers, but found myself enjoying it once i actually got into the game itself. the soundtrack is gorgeous (though i do think it lacks a bit when compared to inquisition's), and i overall had fun.

i do love all the companions, and as someone who really enjoyed me2's loyalty system seeing a similar style brought in here was quite fun for me. i also felt they did a good job trimming down extraneous side quests while still keeping the game feeling like it had plenty of content; i didn't fully 100% it my first run but i got through almost everything.i imagine if i'd gone for the full 100% my playthrough would've ran around 100 hours rather than the 95 i clocked (though that includes some character creator time, so isn't fully accurate. maybe 90?).

there were several very good moments - i enjoyed the conversations between Rook and Solas; overall i really loved most of Solas's content in the game. i felt the Varric bait-and-switch reveal was actually really well done. i played a trans nonbinary Rook and really adored the trans dialogue peppered throughout and how that interacted with the romances and with Taash's arc. the game also keeps track of how you interact with characters and has that influence the choices you get in the future, or the choices they make, which was very neat.

but overall...it really just feels like they dropped the ball.

this doesn't feel like a dragon age game. it's entirely absent the complex politics and intrigue that i'd expect from one - we are told many things that are there for plot reasons and given no deeper justification, such as the Antaam and Venatori not only willingly working together, but willingly working together for the elven gods. it's expected to be believable that the Dalish uniformly have accepted this version of their history that only the Inquisitor and her inner circle knew, besides Fen'harel's agents, ten years ago? speaking of Fen'harel, where are his agents, his network, his people?

(speaking of the Dalish, why are they all Veil Jumpers now. we see zero traditional clan structure onscreen and i'm kinda upset about it as someone who has played as a Dalish elf wherever possible in every game.)

the game has incredibly weird pacing; it uses Varric's screens to describe things that haven't happened and the characters don't know about, and i think they meant to have that build tension, but instead imo it just deflates it; there's no natural wondering what consequences things might have because everything is spelled out long before we get there. at the same time, things that should have been quests to discover are spoken of in "varricspace". this does get better later in the game, but it still feels...very weird. i think the worst part of it is at the beginning - you stop Solas's ritual, the gods escape, you have one conversation with Solas, everyone basically uniformly agrees the gods have escaped, and away you go. D'Meta's Crossing is treated like a "find out who your actual enemy is" part but...doesn't really end up actually feeling like that because of the weird exposition.

their decision to only carry over 3 choices but still reference past events left a lot of open-ended, vague moments - like Harding's conversation about the Inquisition, where she could only give surface details about a few people and said nothing about the Inquisitor at all, or Dorian and Maevaris talking about how Fereldan's succession was decided by a duel at one point but not saying anything else about it. or the fact that Hawke never comes up, despite one of their potential romances being right here, and Varric hanging around...whether that was Actual Varric or not lol.

i found a lot of plot holes - it was pretty clear they wanted to do specific things with the Blight, so there was just a lot of Wardens going "well we don't know what's happening it's changing all the rules" and massively fucking with that lore, which, okay whatever. i wasn't very happy with the fact that we destroyed Weisshaupt, but at least trying to destroy the Grey Wardens is kinda a dragon age special. the other Evanuris are basically treated as though they no longer exist, even though Solas trapped all of them in the Fade...? this was a big ol plot hole for the ending imo.

most people have said all the other things i could say about the writing, so instead i'll address the thing that bothered me the absolute most: the ending.

first - gratuitous character death that has almost no impact on the game or the characters? well i played mass effect, so whatever, i'm used to that. nah, i want to talk about Solas, and how the ending is awful for him, even the "good" one.

even if you ignore the plot hole about how there should still be several other Evanuris out there to maintain the Veil, pushing Solas to tie himself to the Veil and spend the rest of his immortal life protecting it as "atonement" is a super shitty ending. atonement for what? for actions that happened thousands of years ago, that he has lived with awful regret for since, that he was pushed into by Mythal? the game does a wonderful job of showing how manipulative and insidious their relationship was - i'd go so far as to call it abusive, though not in a way some people would recognize, emotionally rather than physically - only to then never touch on that or let the characters properly react to it. in fact, with the Titans, Solas is the one saying he knows this is a bad idea and will have consequences, and he's told to do it anyway - and yet Harding gets furious at him, then later laments that she should be ANGRIER at him for it.

Solas was used by Mythal time and again, very clearly felt as though he couldn't refuse her until the very end, often spoke out against her decisions, and most importantly was only one of the people responsible for the war with the Titans, and yet is made to bear all of the blame. Frankly I'm also upset by how the game railroads you into being angry at him for Varric's death and treating it as some horrible thing - Varric fucking tried to steal Solas's ritual knife, while unarmed, i don't know what he expected. and Varric's death alone is not a crime worth forcing Solas to spend his ENTIRE IMMORTAL LIFE "atoning" for. neither is his desire to tear down the Veil, which he never actually succeeded at doing.

a true, healthy and happy ending would have been Solas getting to pass off the mantle of his people's protector and whatnot, maybe to an elven Rook, and getting to go off and live an actual life, as he says he wanted to in a particular codex entry:

while i'm glad that Lavellan gets to go with him, it just felt like such an...almost punitive-punishment style ending. the evil villain has to go atone for his crimes all his life but because there's a good man who wanted to do good things (AND DID DO A WHOLE LOT OF GOOD LET'S NOT FORGET) under there he gets to have his lover with him for it. like. what are we punishing him for, lying to Rook??

idk, man. it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.

[dareactions]

Would you write some headcanons for Dorian’s lover having his entire body being covered in giant, deep scars? Like they’re the badass of thedas, and everyone always reacts to immense disgust to seeing them because of the scars, and often ‘knows’ they aren’t worthy of Dorian, and also is in constant pain because, giant ass scars?

Sorry if this isn’t very clear I ramble more than like, specify lmao, message me if you need it cleared up yeah?

Going to put the warnings here of: Body dysmorphia, self-destructive thoughts, and mild sexual undertones.

Sometimes you just need to worship your lover a bit. No gender-identifying body parts mentioned, just the scars! he/him pronouns used for this, though I might've slipped w a they here and there lmao.

Dorian glances at the Inquisitor's face with a mild frown, he is covering it with his arm and the words that just left his mouth makes him want to cry a bit. ''Amatus, what in the world are you on about?'' He feels his heart break into a million pieces as the man he loves refuses to look at him. Now, Dorian was aware of the pain. It was hard to miss really, with the frowns and deep ragged breaths. Potions, balms and long baths were practically a part of daily life. Dorian had absolutely no issues with letting his hands carefully go over the scarred skin, it's just another piece of the man he loves in the end. But he hadn't been quite aware of how deeply upset the Inquisitor had felt about it in the end.

''First of all, get that word out of your head. Worthy, I'm not a sword in a stone here.'' Dorian huffs, sitting next to him on the bed. ''Second of all, Amatus, while you may not find joy in your body- I do.'' He wasn't ever quite good at this, riddled with his own anxieties and insecurities. He'd been there too, thinking about if he was deserving of love and affection- if maybe he was better off not receiving either. ''Your scars, they're part of you. Do I wish you could live a life free of the pain they bring you? Absolutely, but not because they're an issue aesthetically, love.'' He remembers the first time he saw them, during feverish kisses and the panicked Inquisitor scrambling to blow out the candles. He hadn't really understood it, but he had accepted it.

''You've been through a lot, we both have. There's not a person in this group whose body is not ridden with scars that tell stories, and yours tell of survival no matter their origin. I love your body, scars and all. They are also proof of a reason why I love you, your heroic and stupidly compassionate heart.'' Dorian gently takes his hand, kissing it gently and feeling the rough sensation of some travelling scar tissue in a thin line against his lips. ''I'm sorry people have looked at you with scorn, I can't change that it has happened- but know they're wrong.''

''Scars doesn't change your worth, or beauty, absolutely none of that. You don't have to be worthy of me. I love you, you love me. That is all there is to it and all there has to be to it. And I know that this won't stop the pesky voice in your head, but we're going to work against that voice together.'' He carefully watches the Inquisitor, his eyes refusing to meet his own. Dorian wishes he really could whisk all the pain away, he truly does. Instead he glances towards the bathroom, the edge of the large bathtub visible from here.

''Let me tell you one thing though. When I see your body? I am in awe. To me, it's still the most amazing thing I've seen, I think the fact that I've made enough lustful comments to fill one of Varric's horrid novels is proof of that. To me you're as handsome as any statue or hero of tales, and I'll gladly tell you in deep detail whenever you need me. Even when you don't.'' He gently tugs at his hands, standing up was always a bit of a fifty-fifty. Sometimes the Inquisitor's face would knit up in pain at the act and other times it'd be fine. ''Come on. Let's take a bath, and I'll gladly show you exactly how much I love that body of yours. I'll even write you a bloody sonnet if you need me to, I'll sing and everything.'' ''Dorian, you are not singing about how hot you find me.'' ''Oh, I absolutely will, you'll go deaf from it but it'll be very romantic. I'll have candles and flowers, the whole thing.''

The Inquisitor's laugh things out and Dorian calls it a victory. Self-love isn't something that is born in a day, he knows this. But with time it can find its place in their lives, he knows it can.

[tiredassmage]

17, 28 and 39 from fifty (more) rook questions?

Tysm!!! I'll use a cut for these since they're from the more spoilery-edition!

[50 (more) questions for rook (spoilers!)]

17. Any companions they don't get along with? How does Rook navigate this?

While they still work efficiently together and Tyr's not the type to turn his back on any of his team without a damned good reason, I think he and Emmrich simply... have such differing views on much of necromancy, and different associations with magic, that they... coexist, but Tyr's understanding of the Nevarran customs Emmrich finds commonplace are something Tyr simply has to respectfully agree to disagree with. Arguably, magic in general is something he has a tepid grasp and relationship with altogether, having grown up in a military family in Tevinter with no magical talents to speak of himself or in his immediate family, and with the nuisance and threat of the Venatori always lurking in the shadows, to boot. It's not his area of expertise and never will be, so he generally tries to keep his nose out of it... as well as he can, at least.

So there's a lot he doesn't quite... get about their resident necromancer, but Emmrich's passion for his work is clear and that is something Tyr carries some amount of respect for, even if he's... not quite certain of his feelings about the work itself, lol. And that's how he tries to approach the professor; Tyr's honest that he doesn't understand a lot of it, sometimes to Emmrich's disappointment, perhaps, but he'll let the man speak on his own views and sometimes he still learns a little something. For Tyr, being dishonest or brushing over the oddity of it all to him would be a disrespect when Emmrich does ask for his thoughts, and that kind of thing doesn't build good trust in a team that's supposed to be able to count on one another in such impossible odds.

28. What does Rook think of Dorian?

Somewhat amusingly given his relationship with Emmrich, I guess, is Tyr doesn't know the glass-canon necromancer Dorian was for my Inquisitor, lol! What he does know, however, is Dorian Pavus speaks his mind, and very little's going to change that unless Pavus wishes it so. And, especially as a fellow Shadow Dragon, that kind of trait is worth its weight in gold. Not all Magisters want better change for Tevinter, nor do all or even many of that number agree what "better" should be defined as, and while Tyr won't claim to place his entire faith in the systems of authority, neither would Dorian. And at the end of the day, the Shadows are deeply important to Tyr, so any true friend of the Shadows may well be a friend to him - certainly at least a respected ally.

39. What's it been like, living in the Lighthouse?

In a word? Odd. Certainly more so in the beginning, and also... rather lonely at first, too. The emptiness of the place when it was just Harding, Neve, Varric, he thought and himself I think only added to how disorienting it all was - how large the scales of conflict were, what had really happened... I'm not sure he paused to think too long on it - thinking too far on how they were essentially living in the Fade is such... It's a lot to wrap his head around, and there's already plenty else to try and do that with, too.

It's one of the pieces of Solas's motivations I'm not sure he puzzled together, despite how important understanding that was because I think it was too much for him to think on. But it doesn't really start to feel like their own until the team is actually complete. Once the whole team is there and everyone starts to settle in, it... starts to feel more alive in a way he does understand - a way that's far more like the steady noise of life that steadily flows through Minrathous. And the Lighthouse reacts and changes with them - which would probably be equally as odd if it wasn't so reassuring. The more lived in the place feels, the more at ease Tyr is around it. It's... probably never a place he'd truly like feeling quiet. Quiet in the Lighthouse is a sound given to the unpredictability of it all, to the impossibility of the task before them.

I'm quite fond of the idea of the decoration styles being present to some in-game extent as much as simply a game option, so it truly is more reassuring for Tyr once the green flickers of Veilfire are a bit more reminiscent of the red glow of Tevinter lights.

Minrathous may be a busted city, corrupt and petty, and Tevinter's bloody history little to be proud of, true... but it was always home. And it's just... more grounding that the place looks more like the team's, with their own clutter and lives reflected around its halls, than an empty temple to a past that's led them to the greatest fight of their lives.

It becomes familiar, as all things may with time, but it definitely wouldn't be the home it does manage to become without the influence of his team and their support. I don't think he likes to spend much time in his room alone - reminds him too much of Solas in his head, even once he has a few more personal touches in the room to sort of offset that. Though, perhaps ironically, I think he does prefer the music room. Its perhaps the one nice thing Solas left behind that Tyr makes use of - he was always fond of playing piano, a skill picked up in his youth, and his preferred spot to be alone with his thoughts, if he must. Its better with the music to keep him company - and perhaps the odd wisp or two that tails him from time to time from Neve's study.