#like the lavellan is done up but not like this

[dippedinmelancholy]

This has been on my mind a lot, especially with edits of him in that specific quest line and as a person who comes from an abusive background I have thoughts.

Solas is so angry, infuriated and heartbroken and nearly enraged. His baseline response to self isolate with his own emotions triggers regardless of whether you let him kill the mages or not. He hates what he’s become, hates what he’s done, hates his failures because they seem endless. Hates what he has to do, because how can he leave the world like this? How can he leave the people he fought so hard to protect and free in this half life?

But his devotion to Mythal is endless. His love for her is endless, despite how she used him, how she broke him, how she abandoned him. He can’t be angry at her because for so long, she was the only good thing in his world. His oldest friend. His dearest companion. He killed for her, brutalized an entire species to win HER war. It has to be for something good, she HAS to be the epitome of all things good and righteous and pure in the world, because if she isn’t, everything she convinced him to do, everything he did to try and protect and prove himself to her, was all for something terrible that was never worth it.

He can’t hate her. He can’t be angry at her. He is too broken in his creation, in what she forged him into, to ever fight back in front of her. He cannot even stand up straight. He can’t look her in the eyes.

She broke him long before he broke the world.

Mythal is just as much a monster an any of the other first elves, the Evanuris who were never told no. She is far more prideful than Solas ever was, even as she corrupts him into pride.

Yes, Solas still bears part responsibility for what he did to the Titans to end a war that was killing endlessly on both sides. But he did it under HER order. He killed for HER. He BEGGED her to turn away from the Evanuris, to not project herself to godhood. She did not care.

Mythal used, broke, and tossed aside Solas. She is complex, yes, but to any Lavellan who loves Solas . . .she is the sole cause for all of his pain. He tried so hard to protect his people from the evil of tyranny, from HER, even when he couldn’t say it was her. And yet, he is remembered as the monster, and she the saintly mother.

Wisdom / Pride

In Inquisition Solas asks us to help his friend, a spirit of wisdom, that has been captured. When we arrive we find a demon of pride, corrupted because it was MADE to fight. Because fighting was so against it's nature that it was corrupted and TURNED into PRIDE.

Solas KILLS those mages if Lavellan doesn't stop him. Yet he remains so loyal to Mythal even when she did the same to him. Lavellan must hate her for it. I know I do.

[hustlemeanokay]

Solavellan vs Dread Rook? When did it become a competition? Ship all the ships, I say.

So as much as people like Solavellan (or whatever they call it) - I don't get why people don't like Solas x Rook. It's all there. It's perfect. The tension, the range, the enemies to lovers trope or hell, just the potential for so much writing to be involved. Like, okay... so okay... I go into my personal opinions about what makes each of their relationships different (just a few opinions not like power point presentation style or anything).

When I first played Inquisition, when it first came out, I naturally picked an elf and unknowingly romanced the bald dude. And Solas' romance is a good one. But it's only good because he leaves Lavellan. It's the first time that's happened to a player character in either DA or ME games. A legit breakup. With, at the time, no real reason! It wasn't until after the game, of course, that we were like "OMG!!!" But on the whole, there really wasn't a lot to their romance if you remember what actually happened in the game. But you have to ignore all the fan fiction and fan art that has been done in the decade since then. Just counting the game itself? Not a lot going on there. A couple of kisses, a couple of talks, and that's about it really.

And the whole time, he wasn't being who he really was. He was playing a part. He was Solas version soft-core, so to speak. Because while he may not have started calling himself the 'Dread Wolf', he very much is that person. Solas is prideful. He is a bit of an asshole. He is cold and calculating. The Solas we see in the memories in Veilguard was already turning into that person so the Solas that meets Lavellan is 100% already there. He uses her. The fact that he falls in love with her has very little to do with him using her, he can compartmentalize like that. As Cole says, it changes everything but it can't. But, point being, Lavellan never really got to know him. He always had a mask on. Was always so careful about what he said and how he said it as to not raise suspicion.

But with Rook? Oh, he's pissed. Gone is his careful way of speaking. Gone is his gentle tone and light smile. Rook gets Solas unfiltered. Solas without a mask. Solas the Dread-fucking-Wolf. There's still parts of him that are recognizable. But on the whole, he's more real. Because he's not worried about pretending to be something he's not. Rook knows what he is. Rook knows he's going to betray them, knows he's going to turn on them, is expecting it. (And Solas' manipulations are painfully transparent, with the exception of Varric). What he's worried about with Rook is keeping their blood-magic link in tact and molding them into someone the prison will accept (still not sure how that worked but w/e). But as far as when he talks to them? Sees them? Rook gets under his skin and he slips up and lets it show. He nearly misspeaks almost immediately and he does misspeak later. Rook does that to him. Because he's not keeping himself at arms length with them, he can't.

So the idea of Solas x Rook? Much more... real, as in 'keepin' it real', than Solavellan to me. Does that mean I have zero fics with Solas x Lavellan? Hell no. I have like at least half a dozen with different Lavellans x Solas. But! What it means is that the relationship between Rook and Solas is very intriguing and compelling and is definently fic-fuel. It means that I already have 2 separate fics WIP for them.

You don't have to stand on either side of this line, you can draw a big circle, stand inside of it and clutch both Solavellan and Dread Rook tightly to your chest with you. I'm not sure why there's this insistence that you have to pick one. You've never had to pick one. That's what having multiple OC's is all about. That's how that works.

[heckaroniandcheese]

I don't want to connect a post I just rbd to my da blog with a sassy comment but they yaassified solas.....

[fartholder]

personally i think the first thing that would happen after entering the Fade Prison is solas would have a panic attack

[amburuthings]

– You summoned that demon! Except it was a spirit of wisdom at the time. – You made it kill. You twisted it against its purpose.

[brekkie-e]

Listen, I get that a lot of people's dislike of white-haired Lavellan's comes from over exposure, which is valid and happens to the best of us. But most of the time, when I see posts about folks not liking them, the frustration centers around them being this unearthly ethereal white-haired barbie doll. And I'm sure that is also common.

But as someone who loves my dinky white haired Lavellan, and also feels like she's one of my most human characters, I want to ramble about all the ways she is not just a beautiful barbie doll power fantasy. Because my nerd is pretty. She IS. But she also has the puffiest under eyes you ever saw. Depending on the day, there may be dark circles. There isn't a cream on the market that can make this lady look properly rested. When you combine that with the near constant sunburn on her nose turning it red, she has the air of someone that is in a permanent state of allergy season.

Going from the top down, she also has a tooth gap. And while we are here, they are pretty darn crooked. Thedas doesn't have orthodontists. I wouldn't say she has horrible teeth. But she has perfectly human imperfect teeth that make for a memorable smile for all the wrong (right) reasons.

Her left ear is missing a big chunk out of it from being hit by an arrow. It gives her the same lightly ragged look of a stray cat.

She has moles. The one on her chin grows a long and shockingly white hair out of it. She pulls it out. If it's because she's insecure about it or because picking at it is a nervous tick, she doesn't even know at this point because she's done it for so many years.

The hair on her arms is very fine and white. It is also very, very fuzzy. The kind of peach fuzz that catches the light and makes itself known. It didn't bother her when she lived with her clan because she has a lot of siblings, and they all have it. But someone casually remarks on it during her time with the Inquisition, maybe in jest saying her arms look more like a dwarf's than an elf's. Suddenly, she wears sleeves a lot more often.

I am pretty attached to the bean pole frame Lavellan gets in Inquisition because it's hard to headcanon out for me when it's constantly there on screen. That being said, her legs have some hefty cellulite going on in the back of those thighs. Her flat little ass is dimpled. There are stretch marks on the insides of her thighs, and on her butt. She thinks that's unfair given her complete and utter lack of curves. Knees? Knobby. Her shins always have bruises on them from bumping into something or another.

Various other things I think about and am fond of for her. Her sword hand is calloused. It's often dry and cracked, with hang nails like a construction worker. She tries to take care of it, but how do you out self-care the kind of wear and tear constant travel and fighting does to a person.

Her eyebrows are so pale and thin that it doesn't even look like she has them half the time. Her scalp can get sunburns where her hair parts. She gets a pimple in the same spot like clockwork every time her period comes around. She has one toe that's just inexplicably uglier than the rest.

And she's still pretty. She's still little miss doomed by the narrative.

Secretly, I didn't really have a point to this post beyond wanting to talk about my character's endearing imperfections. But I'll try to wrap this up with something coherent. You can use the stereotypical "pretty" color palette and still create a deeply human character. You can also use a unique color palette and still end up with a design or attitude that gives off "this character's sweat smells like roses and peonys."

I'm not saying that white-haired Lavellan's don't come with the baggage of over-exposure or the weight of heavy handed white savior energy. I'm not saying they can't be done badly. I am just sad thinking there are other folks out there that see all the "stereotypical Lavellan" posts, and also feel a knee-jerk impulse to redesign a beloved oc to be more like-able. At the end of the day, oc's are for their creator. Nobody is going to like your oc more than you. So make one that speaks to you.

And hey. Maybe you are guilty of making your oc's perfect pretty Barbie dolls. Nothing wrong with a pretty lady (or man but that's not really the point of the post.) But speaking for myself, I fall a little in love with every oc someone gives a perfectly normal "defect" to. So next time you find yourself making a hot girl... mix it up a bit and consider giving her toe hair. You might be surprised by how much that detail sticks with you.

[impulsivelycontentious]

Back to The Cursed Ship (hello again, darlings)

I actually hate the way lavellan talks about solas in da:tv, but that's not the topic today. Today's topic is The Good Ending.

And is is a Good Ending for Lavellan. This is her fourth "god" that she's been on the hook to deal with. Four. In 11-12 years.

During which time she has been a political powerhouse and general fucking problem solver, on the hook near constantly.

She just got offered early retirement! In a place no-one can bother her next time there's an apocalypse!

Sure it's a prison designed to work on a person's regrets and there's Super Blight++ in there, but you know what isn't in there? Fucking Orleasen Politicians.

Also true love, whoch is delightful, and will definatly help with the whole regret prison thing.

But mostly, absolutely no-one js going to bother her next time the world is ending.

Never mind Super Blight++, it's also Super Retirement++

Peace out, try not to set the world on fire she will not be available to fix it next time.

Net win for Lavellan. Have fun with all the bullshit Rook it's your problem now.

[ghost-bard]

Im so bad at finishing games more than once but i need to finish my cadash playthrough of dai and remake my lavellan playthrough bc i dont remember almost any of my choices, all for the sake of veilguard

[snowberry-pie]

thinking about sifri’s vallaslin ceremony again……

[shivunin]

For the OC ship asks!💜

Their pet has caused destruction. Who puts the pet in jail? Who defends the pet? and

Who gives off "they said no pickles" energy?

Thank you for asking, Mer! 💗

Ooooh!

Puts pet in jail: Emma, Elowen, Zevran, Fenris

Defends pet: Arianwen, Maria, Cullen

Whose pet is this? I've never seen it before, but it doesn't seem like it's really bothering anybody. Anyways, let's get out of here and do something more fun :) : Salshira

They Said No Pickles energy:

Arianwen: Once a person is Hers, she would (abrasively, likely without much actual talking) defend them from any inconvenience, pickles included.

Emmaera: Emma is of the "you paid for a thing, there is no reason to accept a thing you didn't paid for. Politely tell them this isn't the right thing" camp. And since Cullen would absolutely insist on not inconveniencing someone else over something as silly as personal preference, she is perfectly happy to give that speech (politely!) to whoever accidentally put pickles on his sandwich.

Maria would swap sandwiches while Fenris was distracted (so he could have the one without pickles) and Salshira would gaslight someone into thinking she was the one who asked for no pickles (easy mistake to make! No pickles is almost exactly the same word as pickles c:) (she leaves the cashier thinking they are best friends and also gets free milkshakes).

[meowww-ffxiv]

Too easy to play the "everyone Maedwyn knew in Dalmasca is dead".

Plenty of people he knew were still alive. Many he taught survived and participated in the Resistance, though just as many died. Most remarkably, he used to recommend recruits to the Saraab, the covert royal guard, and their leaders often sent their trainees to Maedwyn so he could help them gain softer skills like diplomacy and...uh, some less savory stuff. Not that he knew they were Saraab agents in training, lol. He just thought this whole time he was training run-of-the-mill royal spies and informants.

Those who lived to join Lente's Tears, the resistance group led by Fran. They recognized Maedwyn, and though some had mixed feelings about him -- last they heard, he had been an indentured conscript, after all, and there were rumors that Maedwyn caused the death of Prince Rasler -- the rest were bloody glad he was alive. And he they.

One of them was just straight up like "Don't you want to die at home? You're getting on in years, and you went through a lot..."

Maedwyn: 💀💀💀 Sweetheart. I'm--

Maedwyn: *realizes he's on like, year 240+ out of a 300 lifespan and had indeed been tiring far quicker lately*

Maedwyn: --too angry to die. Lol.

Fran wouldn't break the whole news to Maedwyn about just how ass deep he was in Saraab operations because why would she. But he was. And it was usually his willingness to not dig deeper than he was allowed that made Maedwyn valuable to her.

Not just as an asset, though he treated himself as such and begrudged her nothing, but as an ally. Maedwyn always worried more about protecting the operatives rather than satisfying his own curiosity, for all that he said he was nosy. He met Fran only once during their long years serving the country, and had trusted her implicitly since.

That he was captured at all by Garleans even before the fall of Dalmasca was also partly her fault. She figured he was going to be fine, and left him to his own devices rather than sending anyone to protect him. And then she was wrong, and Maedwyn was sentenced to the conscript's fate, all the information he was privy to being used to hamper resistance efforts.

"You could have sent someone to kill me, you know," Maedwyn said. "It would have been a mercy."

"It would have," Fran agreed. And left it at that.

Maedwyn: [yikes.jpg]

[huldrabitch]

The only romance I haven't done is Solas (And Iron Bull) because I'm still mad about the first time he blind sided me with his betrayal years ago... Have I healed enough to do it? No. Does it anger me that it's a major romance and It could get me more lore? Yes. Very much so...

[vir-tanadahl]

I honestly did not mean to post two chapters of The Herald and the Wolf today....in my tiredness....I thought I forgot to post the chapter I was supposed to post today (that I did actually post). BUT OH WELL.

[galadrieljones]

It speaks volumes when Lavellan calls Solas a "terrible liar" in the Cobbled Swan. Rook is, of course, confused by this. "He's the god of lies," she says. But Lavellan clarifies, because that's not what she means. She means that he can't tell "lies of the heart." That is why he had to turn her away, because he actually could not deceive her.

Varric, very early in the game, also refers to Solas as "sentimental." He says to Rook, "He could burn the world down, and the thing that would make him cry is a single flower with blackened petals."

There's something very interesting about the elven god of lies and deceit, who unwillingly wears his heart on his sleeve, essentially creating a new version of the world in which all sources of raw, magical *emotion* that, according to him, used to imbue it with so much life and beauty have been compartmentalized from the more brutish, harsh aspects of the physical world. Because he, himself, has had to do this very thing to his own heart. He's "split." A very cool archetype. When he tells the Inquisitor to "harden her heart to a cutting edge" in Inquisition, he is projecting. Solas has built a "veil" within himself, to protect his more stern, militaristic identity as The Dread Wolf from the effusive, soft, and intelligent man that is Solas. It's the only way he can get anything done. Perhaps we should more aptly call him the god of stoicism and compartmentalization.

It's also interesting how well characters like Varric seem to know Solas, because it communicates that Solas did open up to the people of the Inquisition, during which time he "played the role" of quiet, unassuming Fade mage. Perhaps this wasn't a role at all, however, and perhaps this is why he is failing so spectacularly now. Who he really is is just this man who fell in love and made friends and found a home within a community where he did not have to cut off his emotions in order to lead. This was the "breach" in his plans, so to speak. It tore his world apart.

The whole story of Veilguard actually starts because Varric knows he can appeal to Solas's emotions and that this has a high chance of working to some degree. It's important to remember that while Varric didn't change Solas's mind at the ritual site, he was able to keep Solas talking long enough for Rook to sabotage his plans. Solas entertains Varric's pleas, because, sort of as Rook guesses with Lavellan at the Cobbled Swan, in some ways, Solas wants to be stopped. He wants someone to pull the reins on him because he is too prideful to stop himself.

Thinking back to Trespasser, I remember we all sort of knew this right away just in reading his body language. I remember someone making a whole post about it, and how he will not allow her to get too close to him. When she approaches, he takes a very measured step back. And later, as he takes the anchor, a task which requires him to take her hand, we see exactly why this is. He breaks down, calls her his "love," and kisses her. He is so stern and so measured and in "control," but then, all it takes is a single touch from the woman to whom he showed a glimpse of his true heart, his true self, to bring him to his knees.

The Veil as a narrative manifestation for how Solas tends to seal his own raw emotions away from others in order to function as the revolutionary general he had to be for centuries is a very beautiful construct to me.

[veilishvixen]

I’m replaying Inquisition and can’t stop cheesing at the way Solas "asks” Lavellan to dance at the Winter Palace. I remember a lot of people comparing the scene to Cullen’s and hating on how forceful Solas is with her, but I loved LOVE it.

This is a woman who spends everyday of her life enforcing commands and filling requisitions, she is mother to half of Thedas. There’s always someone buzzing in her ear with a question or a favor or another mess to clean up. No one dares call her by her first name or walk at ease around her. She may have achieved all her goals this night, but she knows her work will never truly be done.

Then out walks a tipsy Solas, decked head to toe in his inquisition garb, spirit still abuzz from a glittery night of ruffled feathers and courtly intrigue. He is having the time of his life, but is still seeking his vhenan out to see what she makes of it all.

No matter her response, his first reaction is to comfort…then to pull her into a dance when he hears the music about to start again.

Cullen’s “May I have this dance, my lady?” Is very sweet and so so gentle, but (in my opinion) it’s nothing compared to the way Solas practically shouts, “Come! Before the band stops playing. Dance with me!” He doesn’t ask, doesn’t wait, just straight up tells this woman to dance with him.

He is so eager and so much like a spirit here. He wants to dance and wants to do it with her. Now. Patience and polite masks be damned.

This is probably the first outright order Lavellan has received in a very long time and I can only imagine how welcome it is. Who other than Solas can see her for what she truly is? Not a holy prophet or a crusading demigod, but a woman…just a very unfortunate woman. His heart.

He’s so selfish with her sometimes and (sometimes) I LOVE it. Whisk me away, Dreadwolf. Take me anywhere far the fuck away from here.

[nerdierholler]

I used the first two screenshots I come across on my blog to try and recreate Enarin in Veilguard and went with that. I also knew I would never get him to look the same (learned that lesson with Hawke in DAI) so I didn't spend a ton of time tweaking in the CC. I went with close enough and here is what I came up with.

Messing around with DAI today and decided to try Enarin with some mods since I’d only started using mods when I originally made him. Turns out I can’t improve him. He’s perfect as is. Look at my wonderful sassy flirty child.