you didn't see that ? I saw that fade tongue kiss as the quintessential, "i shouldn't it isn't fair to her but I can't help it Lavellan is ma waifu" and his repeated attempts to stop as his conscience nagging him and his heart telling him to get with Lavellan.
He even says "It's kinder in the long run but losing you.." which I think it means exactly that: It is kinder to you if I resist my attraction to you Lavellan but if you die and we never shared a kiss I'll never forgive myself.
There definitely is an impulsive quality to his first and second kiss. A little selfish, yes, but I can't really blame the guy. He's so lonely, and here's this beautiful, curious, wonderful woman who reaches out to him despite his self-imposed isolation and is interested in him for who he is.
As for the potential power imbalance in the relationship, IMO it really depends on how you choose to play and headcanon Lavellan. For my Lavellan, it was definitely problematic--she's pretty young, and Solas is her first love. And initially, she defers to him a lot. But if you choose to play Lavellan different, I think she and Solas have pretty equal clout in the relationship. It's just not as obvious.
still looks awfully out of character for Solas to not help with the first Blight.He jumps in to help Cassandra immediately, why wouldn't he help if his orb caused the first blight ? And would Solas accept being 1,000 years apart from his orb ? why ? and if he had it for those 1,000 years why on earth he would give it to Cory AGAIN ? Makes zero sense.
Nope, your theory has a big gaping hole. The Solas we know would never let things stay if he was to blame for the first blight. And would never do the same idiotic thing, give Cory the orb, TWICE.
I'm confused by what you mean by Solas "accepting" being apart from his orb. Whether it was sealed away with Corypheus when he was bound or stashed before his imprisonment, I'm not sure Solas had any idea where it was or any means to retrieve it. Without the orb, his power on this side of the veil is somewhat limited.
Also, his hypothetical reaction to the Blight is pretty much what he tells you he'd have done with regard to the rift if your last-ditch effort had been unable to affect it: run away to give himself time to analyze how to stop it before it reached his hiding spot. Given the limits of his power, I don't think it's a stretch to assume he did the same during the Blights.
lol, I'm doing the Crestwood "drain the lake" section, and there's that couple in the dam. I just got like three different approvals from Solas for talking to them and teasing them about their choice of romantic hideaway. That was unexpected.
Also Cole's just a walking spoiler "The mayor's shame! It had this shape!" DAI is heavy on the foreshadowing.
I try to switch up my party as much as possible, but I just love taking Cole everywhere with me. The things he says adds so much to the experience.
Next time I'm going to not have such high approval with Solas before making fun of the trysting couple. I also didn't get the approval for the Fen'Harel statue. I had no idea you can max approval so fast just by asking a few lousy questions.
Honestly, I was completely against Solas as a romance route when the game started, but I really fell for his character canon -- so much so, he inevitably became the only choice for my elf....
...until I saw Abelas, haha. SERIOUSLY. I'd be ecstatic if Abelas becomes a romance route, ever.
The idea of my elf running away to restore what's been lost with an ancient elf, is just mesmerizing. That's what I was hoping for with Solas; also why I figured he would only accept another elf as a romance, to build a new clan -- unifying old with ancient. Obviously, he was a bit more than just... ancient, but I remain hopeful. I'm so glad this forum exists; lots of wonderful conversations going on here with enticing speculation.
Also, since we're discussing Solavellan playlists -- I kept hearing Mazzy Star, as an afterthought during the emotional bits.
True, but at the time, he knows that they're dreaming- Lavellan doesn't. Even aside from the identity thing, the inferred imbalance of power still rubs me the wrong way a bit. Lavellan intiates, yes, but then the gentlemanly thing do do - if you happen to be an ancient elf-ruler-god in this circumstance - would be to reassure the other party that the attraction was mutual but slow things way the heck down.
His sudden RAWR FADE TONGUE seems a bit... selfishly opportunistic, I guess. And again- his attraction isn't based on an appreciation of Lavellan as an equal yet. I can't describe it any better than that. Just doesn't sit quite right with the rest of his character for me.
I do think you're right about that - for me, though, that was one of the things that made the romance storyline so interesting.
Usually when a character says "This won't work, I'm no good for you" it's a trope signal that really means "I have some kind of silly emotional hangup that you can totally help me get over and then we'll be happy together". But here the big twist is when you realize that it actually does mean "This won't work, I'm no good for you", because, well, he kind of did screw everything up.
Tielis, madrar, CapricornSun et 3 autres aiment ceci
Man I kind of hate how much of my time this thread takes but I hate missing things It's too fun. Anyway, catching up again.
I'll just put this back here.
Yeah after watching the video again there's no way I believe Flemeth took over Solas, it was definitely him absorbing her. His "I should be the one to pay the price, but the People need me" is the clincher -- he's saying because of his mistakes, Flemeth is now the one who has to pay the price, by giving up the souls. I think Flemeth says sorry only in the sense that "sorry our plans didn't pan out", probably because something she was doing didn't help either.
And just the way Flemeth turns to stone really makes me think he ate her.
From tumblr:
solas: vhenan i want to show you what you mean to me
lavellan: okay cool
solas: the dalish are really dumb and your tattoos are slave brands
Lol, I get the joke, but honestly I think his "gift" of the truth is exactly the kind of thing I would love. If I had tattoos on me that once were slave brands, I'd want them gone. And some people pointed out the reason they kept them is because they see it as, well the meaning has changed and it really is now to honor the gods, but I still think they represent a lie, because the Dalish teach that lie. If the Keeper's go around saying "Oh yes these markings are tradition because ages ago when our gods walked among us we wore these in their honor" then yes, it's a freaking lie get that crap off my face
Now, I don't actually know if that's how it's taught, but that's my headcanon.
You guys ever wonder if the writers have a betting pool going on when and if the forums guesses something correctly with their theories?
Oh I am sure they do. What I wonder is how often someone wins.
True, but at the time, he knows that they're dreaming- Lavellan doesn't. Even aside from the identity thing, the inferred imbalance of power still rubs me the wrong way a bit. Lavellan intiates, yes, but then the gentlemanly thing do do - if you happen to be an ancient elf-ruler-god in this circumstance - would be to reassure the other party that the attraction was mutual but slow things way the heck down.
His sudden RAWR FADE TONGUE seems a bit... selfishly opportunistic, I guess. And again- his attraction isn't based on an appreciation of Lavellan as an equal yet. I can't describe it any better than that. Just doesn't sit quite right with the rest of his character for me.
I get where you're coming from about "she doesn't know it's the Fade" but trying to think from Solas's perspective, I think he feels so natural in the Fade the thought never even occurs to him. If you go by the "That is the subject of some debate" line, combined with the hilarious banter with Blackwall about whether Solas has ever been friendly with spirits, then I think you can see that Solas has a much different view about dreaming vs waking.
That doesn't really make it less weird from your perspective but I just mean, I don't think his intentions were shady at all.
Also I disagree about the attraction part--I think his attraction at that point is very much real and based on her personality. Assuming you're doing all the dialogs and RP bits, he's had plenty of time to get a feel for her personality and the basics of her world view, and he likes it. It also helps that she's apparently powerful enough to control the mark and all that, which he really respects. So I think, once you make the first move and kiss him, he's probably like *light bulb* and realizes that, wow ok this could be real. So he let's his passion run away with him.
Sable Rhapsody, madrar, CapricornSun et 5 autres aiment ceci
lol, I'm doing the Crestwood "drain the lake" section, and there's that couple in the dam. I just got like three different approvals from Solas for talking to them and teasing them about their choice of romantic hideaway. That was unexpected.
Solas just continues to surprise me.
I think the most unexpected thing for me was his sense of humour. I mean, pre-release all we really heard about him was that he was mad about the Fade and that he thought that morality was more complicated than good and evil. We heard all about Bull's humour and Sera's and Dorian's. Someone even asked PW on twitter whether Solas was sarcastic like Dorian was, to which he replied that he wasn't as overt about it, but he'd say something that you'd realize was an insult maybe half an hour later. So after that I was expecting him to be all polite all the time. I was not in a million years expecting him to be as snarky as he is. I think Solas gets some of the best zingers in the game, really. Especially when talking to Viv.
Also, after hearing people worrying about sales numbers, posts like this make me incredibly hopeful for post-game DLC:
Hi guys - obviously it's a drag not to see DAI on that top 10 list for November. I can't really give any figures of course...However, from what I know about the sales numbers (a) DAI is doing great and well ahead of it's predecessors, and a significant percentage of sales of DAI are digital and not tracked by NPD. If anything, I'm more worried about the weird signals this chart sends to the market about DAI, as opposed to the reality of our unit sales
And in response to a question about an expansion that specifically deals with the epilogue:
I am not at liberty to say
*crosses fingers*
It's both sad and hilarious to me how invested I am in there being some sort of continuation of this. That ending was basically engineered to make me want to find out what's next. I mean, the character that I got the most attached to during the story first breaks up with me, then leaves. And just as I'm reeling from that, they drop that post-credits bomb on me and give my Inquisitor no way of finding out what I have just learned. Bioware whyyyyyyyy.
Prince of Keys, scintilla, chibielf et 6 autres aiment ceci
Nice art, but am I the only one who really doesn't like dreads? Aside from aesthetically I think they look terrible, but then knowing what they really are (essentially hair so dirty it starts to clump together) I just... ew. No.
Looking for a little help. Fics, tumblr, and wiki are being kind of confusing... It wouldn't be the first time the wiki/tumblr/etc. are wrong, but anyway, here's my question:
What does "vhenan" mean? Is it JUST heart? Or can it mean "my heart" without adding the "ma" before "vhenan"?
Solas tells Lavellan "Ar lath ma, Vhenan." With ar being I, lath being love, and ma being you; adding a "heart" without "my" just loses something for me. It would make more sense if it meant "I love you, my heart," especially because after he tells you this, he calls you "vhenan," instead of "my friend" or whatever other things he calls the Inquisitor, whenever you talk to him.
Looking for a little help. Fics, tumblr, and wiki are being kind of confusing... It wouldn't be the first time the wiki/tumblr/etc. are wrong, but anyway, here's my question:
What does "vhenan" mean? Is it JUST heart? Or can it mean "my heart" without adding the "ma" before "vhenan"?
Solas tells Lavellan "Ar lath ma, Vhenan." With ar being I, lath being love, and ma being you; adding a "heart" without "my" just loses something for me. It would make more sense if it meant "I love you, my heart," especially because after he tells you this, he calls you "vhenan," instead of "my friend" or whatever other things he calls the Inquisitor, whenever you talk to him.
I believe literally yes it only means heart, but colloquially it is short hand for "my heart". Kind of the way people can say "Love" without "My love", etc.
Nice art, but am I the only one who really doesn't like dreads? Aside from aesthetically I think they look terrible, but then knowing what they really are (essentially hair so dirty it starts to clump together) I just... ew. No.
That's a stereotype/misconception, actually. Dreads are essentially hair that's not brushed out and allowed/encouraged to tangle. The only people I've met with dreads that were dirty were people who didn't actually know what they were doing.
drake2511, Sherbet Lemon et randomcheeses aiment ceci
It's both sad and hilarious to me how invested I am in there being some sort of continuation of this. That ending was basically engineered to make me want to find out what's next. I mean, the character that I got the most attached to during the story first breaks up with me, then leaves. And just as I'm reeling from that, they drop that post-credits bomb on me and give my Inquisitor no way of finding out what I have just learned. Bioware whyyyyyyyy.
*excited squeal*
I don't want to get too excited.... but that smiley at the end... I hope they're just dragging us along so that we feel the pain longer, just to give us a nice little surprise with an expansion/DLC. I'd fork over my wallet without a second thought if it meant having a happy ending for Solas/Lavellan. They have both been through so much. x.x I've never wanted a happy ending as much as I want one for them.
As for the potential power imbalance in the relationship, IMO it really depends on how you choose to play and headcanon Lavellan. For my Lavellan, it was definitely problematic--she's pretty young, and Solas is her first love. And initially, she defers to him a lot. But if you choose to play Lavellan different, I think she and Solas have pretty equal clout in the relationship. It's just not as obvious.
In a world of powerful mages and fantastical creatures, "power imbalance" is going to have a whole 'nother meaning. If he really is a god then that's going to be a consideration, but didn't he say that the gods were such in name only if you took the meaning to absurd lengths? By the time you're leading the inquisition from Skyhold you're on your way to amassing considerable power yourself. You have the ability to open and close portals to the Fade, never mind having physically walked in there. You aren't a powerless nobody, even if you want to play a shy newcomer to the world of love. His being a god or having ancient abilities doesn't seem particularly relevant to the kisses and romance. It's more like a lonely man having someone see him as a person and not a projection of their beliefs. Maybe it was quick and impulsive, but I don't think it was out of place or character. I suppose it can come across that way with the pacing of the game itself, but that's a game thing anyway.
In my second playthrough I am doing a Solas romance run and I am pretty excited. I think it's more interesting now that I know the big spoilers.
Here is my Lavellan:
She's very interested in the fade and also very pro-Dalish. She's already had a bit of a clash with him about the latter (which I love.) It's really interesting, actually. As soon as she met him she was drawn to him and his fade knowledge. I'm really enjoying this playthrough.
Also, spoiler Solas pic:
Spoiler
EVIL SOLAS!!!!
He looks fantastic as a Dark Side... sorry, as a Red Lyrium imbibed prisoner.
slmisfit, TheComfyCat, Sherbet Lemon et 5 autres aiment ceci
I try to switch up my party as much as possible, but I just love taking Cole everywhere with me. The things he says adds so much to the experience.
Next time I'm going to not have such high approval with Solas before making fun of the trysting couple. I also didn't get the approval for the Fen'Harel statue. I had no idea you can max approval so fast just by asking a few lousy questions.
Cole has the most ambient dialogue, I think, which is one of the reasons I keep him around.
I know that I haven't exhausted Solas' dialogue options this time. I haven't asked him for stories about the fade or much about Cory, and I'm also still pretty early in the game. I'm currently grinding levels to fight a dragon because I need dat Iron Bull approval. It just means I get to walk around hearing Solas banter with Bull and Cole
Solas just continues to surprise me.
I think the most unexpected thing for me was his sense of humour. I mean, pre-release all we really heard about him was that he was mad about the Fade and that he thought that morality was more complicated than good and evil. We heard all about Bull's humour and Sera's and Dorian's. Someone even asked PW on twitter whether Solas was sarcastic like Dorian was, to which he replied that he wasn't as overt about it, but he'd say something that you'd realize was an insult maybe half an hour later. So after that I was expecting him to be all polite all the time. I was not in a million years expecting him to be as snarky as he is. I think Solas gets some of the best zingers in the game, really. Especially when talking to Viv.
His snark is subtle a lot of the time, and it's wonderful. I dislike Viv, so I never bring her, but *sigh* I suppose I should at some point. Just for more Solas dialogue. I need more of that snark! I believe at one point he tells Dorian he can't hear him over his clothes, lol.
In a world of powerful mages and fantastical creatures, "power imbalance" is going to have a whole 'nother meaning. If he really is a god then that's going to be a consideration, but didn't he say that the gods were such in name only if you took the meaning to absurd lengths? By the time you're leading the inquisition from Skyhold you're on your way to amassing considerable power yourself. You have the ability to open and close portals to the Fade, never mind having physically walked in there. You aren't a powerless nobody, even if you want to play a shy newcomer to the world of love. His being a god or having ancient abilities doesn't seem particularly relevant to the kisses and romance. It's more like a lonely man having someone see him as a person and not a projection of their beliefs. Maybe it was quick and impulsive, but I don't think it was out of place or character. I suppose it can come across that way with the pacing of the game itself, but that's a game thing anyway.
Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I meant power imbalance in terms of their relationship, not in terms of magic or ability to kick ass or anything. The Inquisitor is IMO the most powerful of our DA protagonists. And I think even with Solas being a god (whatever that may mean), even a non-mage quizzy could give him a run for his money with all the resources s/he can bring to bear.
In terms of their relationship dynamics, like whether they slept together or not, I think the devs did a good job of leaving that relatively open-ended. It can be problematic for some Lavellans, and fine for others. IMO it hinges less on him being a god (though I agree that it's a consideration), and more on how Lavellan is played.
I've had this notion kicking around my head, but I keep forgetting to share with you lovely people. Flemythal specifically states that one cannot force a soul upon another and if she was talking about forcing her very complicated Mythal spirit into a "normal" person. I assume this references the fact that every possession, demons into people (abominations) or spirits into people (Wynne and Anders), has always been a "deal" or a "bargain". That's why people get so scared about talking with any creature from the Fade, because what if you agree to let them take your body. So, Mythal works on the same level as spirits then. She is not some almighty god-force that can move in wherever she wants.
Now enter Fen'harel. There is no way she could have forced herself upon another. Especially since Fen'harel is powerful in his own right and clearly cautious about possession.
However, no one has ever said that a body could not steal a spirit. In fact, Fen'harel's power, ie the orb and mark, seem to be tied to breaking the bonds of the Veil and thus forcibly pulling spirits away from the Fade. Perhaps he was simply using a form of that power and "absorbed" Mythal. Now this seems as ****** dangerous as corrupting his old friend Wisdom into Pride from his quest. Because if he was forcing her and Flemythal did seem shocked, then wouldn't he be risking a corrupted version of Mythal to reside within him. I suppose he would be in control of his body, but that seems like he would running against a clock.
Or, and here's a crack theory.
The smoke was eerily similar to Cole's "forget". Could it be possible that Fen'harel absorbed Mythal and then forced the spirit to forget herself, thus keeping her free of corruption? Now that would truly be tragic. It would be the truest form of death and I can't imagine Solas doing that, but perhaps if he truly felt trapped and desperate.
Honestly, I cannot come up with a decent theory that does not make Solas look really f-ing shady in that cutscene. I don't think Solas is gone and I don't think he is possessed by Mythal, in the general sense.
*excited squeal*
I don't want to get too excited.... but that smiley at the end... I hope they're just dragging us along so that we feel the pain longer, just to give us a nice little surprise with an expansion/DLC. I'd fork over my wallet without a second thought if it meant having a happy ending for Solas/Lavellan. They have both been through so much. x.x I've never wanted a happy ending as much as I want one for them.
I knoooow! God, I hope I'm not overanalyzing anything. This feels like back when the romance options weren't announced yet and I was combing through interviews and stuff for any clues. I mean, I know their plans are probably up in the air right now (they deserve a break), so I'm not quite sure why I'm doing this to myself.
I knoooow! God, I hope I'm not overanalyzing anything. This feels like back when the romance options weren't announced yet and I was combing through interviews and stuff for any clues. I mean, I know their plans are probably up in the air right now (they deserve a break), so I'm not quite sure why I'm doing this to myself.
Didn't we all agree on this? We're here, digging through lore, through interviews, fanfics, fanart, because we're sadomasochists, and they have created a truly wonderful character with so much depth that we can't let him go. I cannot even think of another character that comes close to being like that. I love Garrus, Alistair, Cullen, Liara, and (the list goes on)... But Solas is on a different realm.
Sable Rhapsody, Eivuwan, Birdy et 1 autre aiment ceci
Sorry, I wasn't very clear. I meant power imbalance in terms of their relationship, not in terms of magic or ability to kick ass or anything. The Inquisitor is IMO the most powerful of our DA protagonists. And I think even with Solas being a god (whatever that may mean), even a non-mage quizzy could give him a run for his money with all the resources s/he can bring to bear.
In terms of their relationship dynamics, like whether they slept together or not, I think the devs did a good job of leaving that relatively open-ended. It can be problematic for some Lavellans, and fine for others. IMO it hinges less on him being a god (though I agree that it's a consideration), and more on how Lavellan is played.
Fair points. I do like that it was left up to the player to decide. I never felt that my character was unequal in the relationship with Solas, but then I played her as being older and experienced just the same with relationships. I'd have a problem with doing a shy and awe-struck character fawning at Solas's heels though, because it's hard to imagine that would have truly attracted him in the same way as a confident individual who (mostly) knows what she is about as a person.
Considering how I felt learning about Blackwall and his romance, I fully get that it could be problematic for some, and in the end I am glad it was open to our personal interpretations about what we find comfortable for our characters.
Sable Rhapsody, SleepyBird, Eivuwan et 1 autre aiment ceci
I've been working more on my fanfic, but since there's still no Solas... Just a possible story of what becomes of my Inquisitor, Uth'shiral, after Solas leaves her, the Inquisition members disband, and her clan is killed. (Seriously... ouch.) I intend to add in Solas sooner or later, but I expect I won't be able to capture the rhythm of his voice (alas). Abelas is also likely to show up.
I really ought to find a place to post it. There's a fan fiction section of the Fan Creation board here, right? Maybe there?
Know what I like about Solas's first kiss? How much his expressions change. He looks very playful when he pulls her back in for seconds, but when they pull apart he looks so serious. I wonder if he realized it's starting to get deep or something. And he's shaking his head like he knows it's a bad idea, but he decides to have dessert anyway.
Know what I like about Solas's first kiss? How much his expressions change. He looks very playful when he pulls her back in for seconds, but when they pull apart he looks so serious. I wonder if he realized it's starting to get deep or something. And he's shaking his head like he knows it's a bad idea, but he decides to have dessert anyway.
The cinematics in DA:I are just breathtaking. Much improved from Alistair and the Warden awkwardly clipping noses against each other
nightwolf667, CapricornSun, Eivuwan et 2 autres aiment ceci
Know what I like about Solas's first kiss? How much his expressions change. He looks very playful when he pulls her back in for seconds, but when they pull apart he looks so serious. I wonder if he realized it's starting to get deep or something. And he's shaking his head like he knows it's a bad idea, but he decides to have dessert anyway.
Lmao! I reckon he just couldn't believe what was happening.
Retour en haut
It's too fun. Anyway, catching up again.
I mean, I know their plans are probably up in the air right now (they deserve a break), so I'm not quite sure why I'm doing this to myself.
