#solas thoughts

[citrusai]

mythal this lavellan that.. the true question. did felassan and solas explore each others bodies?

[danniruthvan]

"I have drafted a proposal...."

Do you think it was nice for a time for Solas to act the part of a highly skilled employee of a large organization? Did he like having a boss and coworkers?

It's probably really tiring to be a lone rebel mage whose decisions have impacted (and will impact) the fate of the whole world. Sometimes it's nice for someone else to be in charge for a while.

[liaragaming]

I still hold with my original theory that the Dread Wolf is a demon/spirit of Pride that Solas befriended but did not bind himself to. The two have a close connection to where Solas can call on the demon for assistance, thus allowing for the Dread Wolf transformation. But the spirit can, if it choose, not answer the call.

This is kinda supported by the Veilguard artbook that has concept art for a mission with Rook and crew out in the Crossroads to "free the Dread Wolf spirit" and frustratingly no additional context.

BUT, but, but....

I REALLY like the idea that the Dread Wolf is actually Solas's current spirit form. Like, the tendrilly spirit of wisdom we see in the lighthouse murals isn't what his spirit form looks like anymore. The changes he's gone through as a person has shifted his spirit as well.

[ferniliciousness]

Solas and his dynamic with Sera is actually hilarious since shes basically the only other elf if your inquisitor isnt one. Imagine thinking youre a bad ass god and collection of history and your only place to share that is with the lesbian shitposter who thinks youre cringe, and not even for godly propaganda reasons

I don't really think Solas saw himself as badass but I def think he saw himself as better then, humans/other races/city elves. Which is also why I think he initially has issues with Dalish inkys and why he's so set on bothering Sera lmao.

But also, if you think about it, these two have a lot to learn from each other. Sera is acting rather similarly to many people who grow up to be somewhat I guess, ashamed of their heritage/race etc. She wants to be nothing like "other elves" and wants to act as human as possible because to her there is no difference... When yes, there is a difference. A difference Solas tries to show her. She doesn't have to be Dalish to be proud of being an elf or to be comfortable with who she is. And she shouldn't have to feel like she has to push down a very essential part of who she is, because elves bad.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, Solas needs the opposite. Being an immortal elf who remembers what it was like 1k+ years ago, doesn't make him "special". It doesn't make anyone else's life less valuable. Elves aren't better then anyone else, Dalish aren't wrong for having changing traditions, and the world isn't broken for the veil being up.

[fiadhaisteach]

102h, 47m, 52s later, plus additional Rook playtime, Halais Aldwir has guarded the veil successfully.

I'm still confused as to whether the "gods" were imprisoned in the Black City if Solas was then trapped in the same prison, because I saw no evidence of the blight there, but perhaps it was sequestered elsewhere? Or blocked off from his portion? *shrugs*

I *do* think Solas, despite the fact that "he burned her off his face," was under some kind of geas of Mythal, until/unless you use her fragment to dissuade him. I did a couple different endings, just to see, but this:

Tell me that this is not a geas release, considering how much everything prior (if you weren't an ass inquisitor) pointed to him wanting to be stopped, but being unable to stop himself. Plus the Crestwood scene for a romanced Lavellan.

Anyhoo... that's my two cents.

The writing could have used some improvement, but I couldn't have done better. The gameplay is hella fun & I'm gonna go play another rook until bed time.

[drakonovisny]

"these trees would most likely outlive us all"

so he wasn't planning to live for much longer even at that point huh...

[liaragaming]

I do think it's interesting that the companions of DAI have misconceptions as to why Solas is doing this. We, as fans, have been talking about and analyzing his conversations for years. But memory is failable. And think his friends are more likely to remember his waxing on about Fade memories than that time he told Dorian his thoughts on ancient elvenan were romanticized and pointless.

And it's not their fault, really, because Solas refuses to explain what he's doing to anyone. Inky got the most of it in Trespasser, and even that was just bits and pieces.

For all our theorizing, I'm not sure the fandom completely understands - though we can certainly make educated guesses that get close.

I guess my point is, it's just sad? Solas' friends don't get it because Solas himself didn't trust anyone - even the woman loved - to open himself up fully and tell them what's going through his head.

when I got to this part, in my head, I wrote this big long thing about how Varric and Lace Harding have a too-simplistic version of Solas' motivations in their heads, but since Solas himself got to defend himself I'll just leave this video here where I contrast what they remember about him with what he said himself. He is not destroying the world to make it the same as it was because he misses it, lol

[mooreaux]

Love Undying

[treviso-nights]

forget elgar'nan and ghilan'nain. forget the blight. forget elven gods. when THE cassandra allegra portia calogera filomena pentaghast finds out that solas killed varric first instead of her, what happened at adamant will seem like child's play. veilguard, a fever dream. that yappy lil dwarf may have been the absolute bane of her existence but he was HER bane. god rest his soul

[citrusai]

i think it's crazy some people jumped to the romantic conclusion of the love between mythal & solas when it seems the devotion was different than that where the evanuris called him a "dog" in a derogatory sense understanding that she used his loyalty as a shield for herself and didn't waste time to cast aside his doubts & fears about the evanuris to cement herself as a god.

i also think it's crazy to not acknowledge the parallel that the loyalty he feels for lavellan is born out of love and understanding and not duty, it is born out of choice. he does not owe her or the inquisition anything. he just met these damn people. and regardless of how his friendship / companionship with mythal started, by the time the evanuris rose it was deteriorating and she cared not for his opinions past her own blind ambition. i think there's a parallel that mythal also could not see solas for who he was, which was not a weapon for her to wield, but a person who was deeply caring and empathetic to his people. whereas lavellan saw him as an equal, and as a friend she could lean on. hence him saying lavellan saw more than most when talking about his character & beliefs.

which also by the end i think is why mythal gave the last of her power to him for atone for her own mistakes in not heeding his warnings, a final olive branch to an old friend. that and she knows her next body is ab to send his ex gf on his ass so she gets a laugh in the end either way.

[celestefox13]

.... Anyone else flashback to the banters between Solas and Bull in Inquisition where they played a mental chess game and Solas won because of a play with a pawn? And how he slowly inched that pawn across the board during those banters? (Like he positions Rook and helps slowly "inch" them across the "board" to checkmate the Gods?)

Or about the banters between Solas and Sera about the Friends of Red Jenny, and how he couldn't really wrap his mind around the group's entire goal just being help in small ways without any significant goal truly in mind? (Like how he couldn't wrap his mind around facing, accepting, and processing regrets the way Rook does to escape the Fade prison because he's always thinking too big picture and grand purposes)

Or, perhaps one of the most interesting, the banters between Solas and Varric about Orzammar and how it is in the current time of the games? (And how all the questions Solas asks echoes or points to both what happened to the Elvhen empire and what he intends to do to try to fix his mistake?)

Or the banter where Viv asks if Solas enjoys seeing himself as the villain? And their banters discussing the Circle, and Viv's political prowess, and how "in another age" she "would've ruled an empire?"

Or banters with Dorian about spirits and magic, and how they are used in Tevinter? And on slavery in general? (And how those conversations are a very big part of Dorian actually thinking about the slaves in Tevinter in a meaningful way)

Or with Cassandra about the burdens of leadership and how Cass stepped aside from leading/making decisions for the Inquisition as a whole cause she recognized/felt she wasn't the one to wield such power? Or the one where Cass wonders if the Archdemons are "pets" to beings who no longer exist?

Anyone else thinking about the banters that weren't with Cole about spirits and how to "ground" one's self in the real world, or with Blackwall about being men that have seen war and done cruel things and have had to live a lie until caught in the lie? But were more about the nuances of lives lived and currently being lived; and the status quo and how it was vs how it is vs how it maybe should be; and the very core of his being and true beliefs and how he could find some kind of echo of each with the members of the Inquisition, reflecting and foiling in turn?

Just me? Cool, cool, cool

[liaragaming]

Solas' "Oh, for - really?" dialogue when Blackwall asks if he's ever had sexual relations with spirits in the Fade.

Like, here's this ancient stoic being. And Solas could have kept up the facade and answered coolly with "Nothing about the Fade or spirits is simple, especially not that" and left it there. (And he gets there, but it's more like a recovery.)

But no. His mind just breaks. Like, why are you asking me this? How can you be asking me this? Are you twelve?

And that's such a humanizing moment. This ancient elven god of betrayal is like, I can't even right now.

And I want a moment like that with Rook so badly. Like, the two of them are arguing over Solas' plan to destroy the world and stuff "beyond your comprehension." And then Rook says something that completely catches Solas him off guard - and all that godhood and ancient stoicism just dies.

Like, "Omg. What? Are we seriously having this conversation right now? What is wrong with you?"

Solas plays a hard act, but he's a person underneath. And when that relatablity with Modern Thedas shines through, it's beautiful.

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

Ranking the Veilguard companions Hookup Potential based on the kind of bed situation they have going on in the Lighthouse

(im in early act 2 so have no idea what further romance scenes are actually like, this is just jokin time without any romance spoilers. just pics of how their respective rooms in the lighthouse look and some basic characterization we know about them)

Taash: 8/10

In another game or the real world I would only rate this a 5 because they have no pillows or addition blankets. however they do have a real bedframe AND it's big enough for 2 which means the they are doing better than 90% of the rest of the Veilguard so this score gets boosted. And while there's not many blankets, there are plenty of braziers around the room to keep you warm, and Taash is probably their own miniature furnace to cuddle up to. Crucially, they also have a whole wheel of cheese next to the bed, which means you don't even have to leave the covers to get a snack after.

Lucanis: 1/10

Oh no. I'm not even going to comment on the pantry angle because everyone else asks him about that to begin with, so this is just about the bed. Unfortunately the bed is a cot made of uneven wooden planks with some blankets on top of it, and is only wide enough for 1. This is because Lucanis hates sleeping and doesn't want to do it, so the less tempting his bed is, the better for him. Unfortunately this means sleepover potential is dreadful and you will have to find alternate solutions. He does at least have another blanket to go over him and one that's presumably being used as a pillow, so, he gets a 1 instead of a 0, but I am still planning on gifting him coupons for a back massage for Satinalia.

Bellara: 4/10

This setup is perfectly fine for sleeping. It's the lighthouse standard little bed couch thing, has a mattress/cushion, is elevated off the floor, has a pillow, and she's got her blankets folded below. Perfectly serviceable for getting a good night's rest which we know Bellara is not because she forgot to sleep again. However, it's very much a one person sized setup. You might be able to cuddle for a while but if one of you unconsciously tries to roll over you are going right to the floor. Ouch.

Lace Harding: 5/10

You might be wondring "why is sleeping on the floor rated higher than bellara's" and the answer is because this means you are not rolling off the bed onto the floor. it's not going to be comfy but we are not ranking comfort here we're ranking sleepover potential. Harding has managed to make this space look homey and the canopy gives the illusion of being in a tent or canopy bed to help with that illusion. There are rugs down on the floor plus the blankets and pillows--we know Harding is used to sleeping on the ground due to her career as a scout, and I'm sure she can scrounge up more blankets to make the cushioning big enough for the both of you. Your back WILL hurt in the morning but you'll get to have a fun night first.

Neve: 3/10

Girl I know you can do better than this. Which means you're not trying to on purpose, so, live your life I guess. I will say this cot IS bounds nicer than Lucanis's--you can see its a stretched canvas or hide on a frame rather than wooden planks, so it will have a little more give. However they are not THAT much comfier which I know having slept on this modern equivalent many times. Neve also apparently has 0 pillows or blankets so you're out of luck there, as well as the problem of it only being wide enough for 1 again. This woman has too many other things going on to think about romance so your Rook is going to be the one improvising on that matter I think.

Davrin: 10/10

Now here is a man who has his life together. Double or queen size mattress, rustic bed frame he probably lovingly carved and assembled himself by hand, and not only are there sheets AND blankets AND pillows, they are are full on matching set and this knight in shining armor dutifully makes the bed every morning. There's also enough pillows for two! While the remains of a giant corpse is hanging above you all night, the spacing of the ribs still gives you lots of room above to manouver, so just don't worry about that. As a bonus you'll probably even have a baby griffon come to cuddle in the night which is such a cute thought we're going to ignore how much worse getting stepped on by a griffon foot would be than even the biggest fattest housecat trying to stand on your stomach at 4:30am. My one criticism of the setup here is that due to the bed's positioning if the person on the inside needs to get up in the night they'll have to awkwardly crawl over the person on the outside, however everyone else's bed situation is so dismal I'm not even going to subtract a point for that. Great work Davrin.

Emmrich: ???/10

Where... does this man sleep. Peepaw I KNOW you can't be sitting in that armchair all night you need your beauty rest!!! There are 0 beds or cots or floor blankets in this man's room. HOW am I supposed to break his pelvis if he has nowhere for us to lie down??? We can't risk that old man's spine on the cobblestone.

Wait... unless. No, surly not. I mean--jk. Unless...? 😳😳😳

is daddy necromancer gonna fuck me on the sacrifice slab... 😳😳😳🥵🥵🥵

Bonus:

Solas 11/10

does not matter where he actually slept bc once my inquisitor Gets Him again they WILL be fucking on top of the piano in front of the mural in his Yearning Room

[liaragaming]

Seriously! My FAVORITE thing is people who have never romanced Solas decide to romance him and seeing those "OMG, I get it now!!!" posts.

I am absolutely feral thinking about all the new posts were going to get from people who are going to see him from a new perspective without having to romance him at all.

Bring me those, "The Solasmancers were right!" posts! I am ready!

*Humbly waiting for the time when all those who were unfamiliar\ neutral\ negative\ indifferent\ towards Solas will then be running around with him, listening his stories, kissing and dancing on the balcony, and experience a scorching desire from sex without touches😭*

[kemalamalam]

I HAVE FIGURED IT OUT

[elvhenguard]

Rook impressions before meeting Solas: Powerful and stubborn god who will stop at nothing to complete his goals

After meeting Solas: A sad loser man who misses his wife