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[Aviena]

Nooooooooooooo I missed page 1500.   Oh well. Here is my slightly late contribution!

 

Runelaid Regret

Spoiler

Ma sa’lath,

 

I do not imagine you will ever know the contents of this message. Perhaps one day you will grow curious as to why my lamps were always lit by Veilfire, and perhaps that curiosity will lead you to these runes. Whether you can read them will be another matter entirely. Your education has been sorely lacking, vhenan, but you are clever. Perhaps you will decipher them in time.

 

Still, I cannot pretend that I pen these words for you. This message could go undiscovered until the stones of Tarasyl'an Te'las have turned to dust, but their purpose will have been fulfilled. A wise woman once told me that regret held close can poison one’s soul. I write with this in mind. Let these runes take my regret, and hold it until time has worn them both to nothing.

 

The time of my departure has not yet arrived, but I miss you already. You cannot know how profoundly you have affected me, emma lath. Before I met you, all the joys of this world seemed but a pitiful lament; Elvhenan’s requiem. Now, every breath of wind carries with it the hint of your perfume and the faint sound of your laughter. The birds sing to me of your beauty, and the streams whisper words of comfort. Ar lath ma, vhenan. You have changed me, and I love you for it.

 

But my duty is one that will outlast eternity, and I cannot put it aside. My own happiness is but a flicker in a streambed. Though seeing you in pain tears pieces from my soul, I cannot remain. I know a great deal of pain, ma sa’lath, and it all heals with time.

 

I am not one for prayers, but I pray that time may grant me your forgiveness, as well.

 

Dareth shiral. 

 

And my cheesy rewritten lyrics!!

Spoiler

I’ve seen things beyond the wildest dreams

Of dalish elves or historians

But it seems there are still things that can surprise me.

I tried to warn you things could not

End happily, but neither of

Us could admit that fate trumps ecstasy.

 

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

 

Lethallan, I wanted you

To know my heart was never false.

But my fate is one that must be left unspoken,

But please believe my parting words.

Our love is real, and it was always was

But there are things that must be left to dreaming.

 

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

 

I’ve hurt before, as have we all.

I’ve had shallow wounds, and deeper ones

But I never thought I’d hurt quite like you made me.

I’ll get over you, I always do

No matter what you put me through

And knowing you has changed me for the better.

 

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

 

I have my duty, and my pain

And I’m sure that I can love again

But I’ll always bear the marks of your rejection.

I’ll try to lead my People on

In the legacy of Elvhenan

But I wish that you could be here while I do so

 

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

[Piffle]

There are a few moments when Sera doesn't mind Cole, and that's when they're around Blackwall. Lavellan and Solas are both very grateful towards him for keeping Sera and Cole occupied from time to time so they can exist in peace. They'd both been rather attached to Lavellan lately for some unfathomable reason. Solas suggested that perhaps Blackwall could make a rocking griffin large enough for kids the size of Sera and Cole to playy on. If he did that, Lavellan pointed out, he'd have to make two.

 

Uncle Blackwall, everyone. 

 

Vivienne, self-styled mentor to Lavellan, never gets along with Cole, Sera, and Solas and criticizes them constantly. The madame looks down on Solas and disdains his unbecoming influence on the two misfit children.

 

Lavellan has tea with Vivienne, scheduled as often as duty and etiquette requires it of her to placate the woman, but she makes sure they stick to topics of fashion and home decor.

 

Rich snobby Aunt Vivienne...

[Solassan]

Damn I missed the party, ah well, happy page 1504!

Anways thanks for being the awesomest bunch of people on the internet. It's nice knowing I can fangirl without fear of hate and prejudice.

You all deserve internet cookies and hugs.

[InkQuest]

*Jumps in from the shadows* Is there room for one more in the blanket fort?

 

I've been lurking for quite some time, like seriously never-posted-once-just-reading lurking. Now that I'm finally free from exams for the year I feel like just indulging in my obsession perfectly reasonable enthusiasm!

 

<snip>

 

Of course! There is always room in the blanket fort for another poor, Solas-loving soul. Welcome, get settled in, and enjoy the art, fics and theories.

[Aviena]

Your Quizzies are beautiful and... Well... I tried guys OTL

 

If you're still drawing Quizzies...I humbly and desperately offer mine. 

 

Spoiler

[Tigrae]

I wonder, has anyone written a fic where Solas comforts Lavellan after her tribe gets destroyed?

 

I did... but there's not much comfort because it's post-breakup: http://solas-you-ner...-broken-hearted

[madrar]

So I just realized that Andruil's Abyss armor that made her go insane sounded an awfully lot like someone else's armor, in DA:I. Samson's red lyrium armor. Could Corypheus have somehow known about Andruil's armor, learned about it somewhere, and reproduced it? Would he have already known about red lyrium?

And here's the catch, too... if that's so, then we already know red lyrium is blighted lyrium. So it means that whatever the Abyss is, it is also likely the source of red lyrium and the Blight.

Solas having apparently spent some quality time with Andruil (whether he wanted or not), probably has a lot more knowledge of the Blight than he shared. And I think he should have shared that knowledge, because it is probably the most important knowledge anyone in Thedas could have.

This isn't getting nearly enough attention in the Black City thread- time to set the Wolf Pack lose on these theory scraps. @w@

Unfortunately, I'm painfully far away from my game with no way to access key dialogue. Does anyone have the text for Solas' blood magic vs. blight magic discussion? I could swear I remember a conversation about various sources of magic: blood, rift, blight, etc where he pointedly marked blight as an "unnatural" source.

If the writers are as careful about word choice as I think they are, this would be a key distinction. He's not suggesting its use is immoral, not "wrong" in terms of a simple value judgement, as the Chantry depicts blood magic. Unnatural. Poisoned. There's an obvious connection there to the damage it does to the body and spirit of those who use it, but I think we're intended to read a bit deeper than that. "Unnatural" carries the distinct suggestion that existence of blight and its use as a source of power violate the fundamental laws of the world and of magic as he perceives them.

A related claim was that Solas refrains from using blood magic himself because (-paraphrasing here, because my memory is terrible-) doing so would have some kind of stunting effect on his ability to manipulate the fade. I can't remember this conversation path at all, if it does in fact exist. It might be a meta game loophole to explain why the player has access to an ancient elf god but not blood magic as a specialization, but given the obvious physicality of blood vs fade as a source, there might be more there. Can anyone fill in that blank?

....and happy 1500, you crazy people. ^w^ I can't contribute much more than a song until I get back, but this Solasfest is awesome.

[Cosmia]

 

My vote is always for NSFW 

 

So the gentle!Solas smut fic I promised is 1) a little late for 1500 and 2) a little rough around the edges.  But better late than never, right?

 

Uthenara

Ahh I love it!! You did a great job! 

[Brass_Buckles]

Kind of sorry to dredge this back up, but I really wish people wouldn't attack the writers about whether characters are straight/bi/gay.

 

I already suspected Solas was originally planned to be bi, because as I mentioned many pages ago, I had some NPC banter post-vallaslin removal that referred to my lady Lavellan as a man.  I knew that male-specific dialogue referring to her would not have existed unless it had been intentionally recorded as such.  So basically the news that such dialogue exists within the game files is entirely unsurprising to me.

 

However, plans change, and sometimes stories also change; we also know that resources were limited.  It's one of the reasons I have suspicions there may be an OGB-type option regarding Solas in the future within a DLC, but even if there isn't... Well, Solas content is sorely lacking compared to others', especially Cullen's.  So in Solas's case, at least, it's clear to me that resources just weren't there--maybe they even thought he wasn't going to go over well with fans, so they didn't want to pour too much into him?

 

I wish both of them had been bisexual; that would have given more options for everyone.  But I also wish that people would accept that people are as they are.  I don't expect people to justify not being straight--they prefer what they prefer, no matter anyone else's opinion on the matter.  As Gaider asked, why does being straight need justification?  Somehow, for some reason, the devs decided that Cullen and Solas should be straight.  It makes perfect sense for Cullen, who never showed interest in men in DA:O, to be straight--though people's attraction can be far more complicated than just that; perhaps he simply wasn't attracted to the male Warden, but finds other men appealing.  And for Solas... well, without knowing anything about his history, who can say?

 

I suppose if people remain unhappy, the modding community will eventually do something about it.  I personally wouldn't use mods to change a character's sexuality, but for some people that may be what they feel they need to do to move forward.

 

The bad thing about this is that I know there is a complaint within the gay/lesbian/bisexual community that they always seem to get promiscuous LIs.  While we don't know for sure that Solas isn't promiscuous, we do know that Cullen isn't.  But apparently Dorian is, and Iron Bull definitely is... and I agree, this is not fair to them.  Not every member of the LGBT community wants to sleep around with everyone they can.  Cullen or Solas being available to gay/bisexual men could have alleviated some of this concern.

 

Anyway.  Sorry for dredging back up a sore topic.  That's the last I will say about it, unless of course it comes up again.

[Renmiri1]

 

Sollavellan fanart composition sketch based on an art nouveau Lover tarot card version.

 

 

Hmm… I’m not sure whether I should make this NSFW or SFW. Thoughts, Sollasmancers?  

 

both 

[dangereusegirl]

This isn't getting nearly enough attention in the Black City thread- time to set the Wolf Pack lose on these theory scraps. @w@

Unfortunately, I'm painfully far away from my game with no way to access key dialogue. Does anyone have the text for Solas' blood magic vs. blight magic discussion? I could swear I remember a conversation about various sources of magic: blood, rift, blight, etc where he pointedly marked blight as an "unnatural" source.

If the writers are as careful about word choice as I think they are, this would be a key distinction. He's not suggesting its use is immoral, not "wrong" in terms of a simple value judgement, as the Chantry depicts blood magic. Unnatural. Poisoned. There's an obvious correlation there to the damage it does to the body and spirit of those who use it, but I think we're intended to read a bit deeper than that. "Unnatural" carries the distinct suggestion that existence of blight and its use as a source of power violate the fundamental laws of the world and of magic as he perceives them.

A related claim was that Solas refrains from using blood magic himself because (-paraphrasing here, because my memory is terrible-) doing so would have some kind of stunting effect on his ability to manipulate the fade. I can't remember this conversation path at all, if it does in fact exist. It might be a meta game loophole to explain why the player has access to an ancient elf god, but not blood magic as a specialization, but given the obvious physicality of blood vs fade, there might be more there. Can anyone fill in that blank?

 

I think with Solas's talk about blood magic, he neither supported it nor condemned it. It is simply a tool; the intent of the individual using it is what makes its use bad or not. Which goes with what we've seen. Merrill was a blood mage, but she never used it to the extent that many mages in Tevinter use it. But the Chantry tends to take anything related to Tevinter and condemn it. And I imagine most people don't like being controlled against their will or have themselves slaughtered to fuel a spell. 

 

I think you're correct with why Solas says he doesn't practice it. However, as to why we don't have Blood Mage as a specialization could easily be explained by the fact that the Inquisition is seen as an extension of the Chantry. It wouldn't be very good to have the leader of a branch of the Chantry slicing themselves in order to fuel a spell. The Necromancy specialization is apparently meant to give us a loophole in which to use many of the Blood Magic talents without actually invoking blood magic. 

[Maera Imrov]

Happy 1500

 

pls no T_T

 

You know, I really think that's why I'm so pessimistic... because of Persona 3. Now there was a game that delivered not only an emotional gutpunch, but an emotional kick in the ribs and an emotional jumping up and down on you with spiked shoes.

 

P3 ruined me. I knew it was coming, and it still ruined me. I didn't play the game until a sibling kept saying I'd enjoy it, but he had already spilled the entire plot by then. (I didn't mind, spoilers don't phase me in the least.) So I went into it all knowing Minako would die, and yet I was still teary eyed at that ending. I've had one too many story/game/television related gut punches of late, I am hoping Solas' arc doesn't just end in some horrible fashion. I don't necessarily think death is in the cards yet, but that doesn't mean my emotions won't be curb stomped by the writers in some fashion. I now just play the waiting game. My boyfriend seems to be crawling through the game, and all I want to do is toss theorycraft at him, because that's always been a thing we do. It is, in point of fact, how we met and got together. Vidyahs game theorycraft. XD

 

Happy belated 1500! That annoying thing called sleep caused me to miss it.

[BubbleDncr]

I wish both of them had been bisexual; that would have given more options for everyone.  But I also wish that people would accept that people are as they are.  I don't expect people to justify not being straight--they prefer what they prefer, no matter anyone else's opinion on the matter.  As Gaider asked, why does being straight need justification?  Somehow, for some reason, the devs decided that Cullen and Solas should be straight.  It makes perfect sense for Cullen, who never showed interest in men in DA:O, to be straight--though people's attraction can be far more complicated than just that; perhaps he simply wasn't attracted to the male Warden, but finds other men appealing.  And for Solas... well, without knowing anything about his history, who can say?

 

This bit it confusing to me. It seems like on one hand you're saying you're fine with not needing to justify why Solas is straight, but then immediately asking for justification on why he's straight?

 

I like set sexualities for my companions. It affected the relationships I formed with my companions, only in positive ways. 

[BubbleDncr]

I think with Solas's talk about blood magic, he neither supported it nor condemned it. It is simply a tool; the intent of the individual using it is what makes its use bad or not. Which goes with what we've seen. Merrill was a blood mage, but she never used it to the extent that many mages in Tevinter use it. But the Chantry tends to take anything related to Tevinter and condemn it. And I imagine most people don't like being controlled against their will or have themselves slaughtered to fuel a spell. 

 

I think you're correct with why Solas says he doesn't practice it. However, as to why we don't have Blood Mage as a specialization could easily be explained by the fact that the Inquisition is seen as an extension of the Chantry. It wouldn't be very good to have the leader of a branch of the Chantry slicing themselves in order to fuel a spell. The Necromancy specialization is apparently meant to give us a loophole in which to use many of the Blood Magic talents without actually invoking blood magic. 

 

I do remember Solas telling my mage Lavellan that if he knew blood magic, he would teach it to me. It stuck out in my head as a "huh, interesting" moment. 

[NeverlandHunter]

Wooh! Over 1500 hundred pages!
Unfortunately I can't draw worth a nug, but I do so enjoy admiring other people's works!

[Renmiri1]

This baldie looks familiar (This one of the paintings on the wiwkia for the life of ANDRASTE

[Brass_Buckles]

This bit it confusing to me. It seems like on one hand you're saying you're fine with not needing to justify why Solas is straight, but then immediately asking for justification on why he's straight?

 

I like set sexualities for my companions. It affected the relationships I formed with my companions, only in positive ways. 

 

No, I don't need justification.  I say it would have been nice for them to be bisexual, but they aren't.  I say that we don't actually know Solas's backstory so there's no reason to think that whatever the devs chose is "wrong," and while they COULD have made Cullen bisexual with the caveat that he just wasn't into the Male Warden, they didn't.  So while I wish they could have been bisexual for everyone to enjoy, they aren't, and I accept that.  Though I suppose I am concerned about my acceptance because am I accepting it because that's how they are supposed to be, or does it make it easier for me to accept because I'm a straight woman?

 

Uncertain if that clarifies anything for you.

[Sister Squish]

This isn't getting nearly enough attention in the Black City thread- time to set the Wolf Pack lose on these theory scraps. @w@

Unfortunately, I'm painfully far away from my game with no way to access key dialogue. Does anyone have the text for Solas' blood magic vs. blight magic discussion? I could swear I remember a conversation about various sources of magic: blood, rift, blight, etc where he pointedly marked blight as an "unnatural" source.

If the writers are as careful about word choice as I think they are, this would be a key distinction. He's not suggesting its use is immoral, not "wrong" in terms of a simple value judgement, as the Chantry depicts blood magic. Unnatural. Poisoned. There's an obvious connection there to the damage it does to the body and spirit of those who use it, but I think we're intended to read a bit deeper than that. "Unnatural" carries the distinct suggestion that existence of blight and its use as a source of power violate the fundamental laws of the world and of magic as he perceives them.

A related claim was that Solas refrains from using blood magic himself because (-paraphrasing here, because my memory is terrible-) doing so would have some kind of stunting effect on his ability to manipulate the fade. I can't remember this conversation path at all, if it does in fact exist. It might be a meta game loophole to explain why the player has access to an ancient elf god but not blood magic as a specialization, but given the obvious physicality of blood vs fade as a source, there might be more there. Can anyone fill in that blank?

....and happy 1500, you crazy people. ^w^ I can't contribute much more than a song until I get back, but this Solasfest is awesome.

 

(Is it this conversation at Haven? https://www.youtube....v1OD21Yjo#t=187 (He begins answering questions about magic at 3:00) 

(I cannot remember if this conversation is specific to the Dalish Quiz!)

 

 

 

Q: "Is the magic they teach at the circle different from the magic I learned with my people?"

 

Solas: "No, and yes. Magic is magic. Just as water is water, But it can be used in different ways. Dalish magic is more practical, not needing chantry approval. Although they still frown on blood magic. Superstition. Much of it is more subtle. A legacy from when elves were immortal." 

 

Q: "The legends of elven immortality.... Did they use magic to increase their lifespan?"

 

Solas: "No. It was simply part of being elven. The subtle beauty of their magic was the effect, not the cause of their nature. Some spells took years to cast. Echoes would linger for centuries, harmonising with new magic in an unending symphony. It must have been beautiful."

 

Q: "You said that the censure against blood magic was a superstition?"

 

Solas: "I did. It is fortunate that Cassandra is not within earshot. Most modern cultures forbid blood magic. Publicly, even Tevinter disapproves of it. But as I said, magic is magic. It matters only in how it is used." 

 

Q: "I would be interested in learning more about blood magic." 

 

Solas: "I would teach you if I knew any. Unfortunately using blood magic seems to make it more difficult to enter the fade. You understand why I never bothered to learn it. A shame, as it is extremely powerful... provided it remains a tool, not a crutch, nor a passion."

 

No mention of blight magic however. 

[Renmiri1]

I miss sharing my LI with my gay friends. There so many passionate Andermancers that romanced him with MHawke.  To me the more the merrier, we get more dlc and better fan art

[Maera Imrov]

My only take on that entire datamine dialogue topic is this:

 

We know that recording lines is relatively cheap once you already have the VAs in, and they often do all kinds of things to cover bases just in case. It indicates nothing. If even I, doodling around on my own original stuff and fanfiction, can get five chapters into a story and completely redo the timeline, the climax, cut and rethink entire characters, then I'm pretty sure that happens even more so in a work the size of DA:I. Cut content is not canon. It was a concept that for whatever reason did not pan out. Canon is what the actual work ended up as, and any 'Word of God' tier comments. Not cut content, datamined scenes.

 

People going all rabid at Gaider et al over things that have been cut out, claiming it is now canon, and making disingenious assertions about the reasons behind it being axed just makes them look bad.

[Hedinve]

The point made about bisexual characters and promiscuity seems to be a valid one and maybe something Bioware should consider.

 

Edit; BS removal

[SamanthaJ]

I don't want to bring up bad feelings, but I almost hope the Solas romance scene with male romance lines was like the ME lines where they recorded all the voices and such. There is no doubt that Cullen was originally intended to be bi based on the sound clips, and at GaymerX they did say there was a character that didn't work out as an option for both genders, who I hope is Cullen. It would just be too...what's the word? It'd be uncomfortable if two intended to be bi characters were made monosexual, both in favor of heterosexuals.

[kalasaurus]

Ug, I love this song so much and its melody gives me feels for a Solas video, but the lyrics are pretty inappropriate for his romance 

 

[Gervaise]

When I was questioning about Solas' romance restriction a few pages back I wasn't criticising the fact that he was straight so much as the fact that certain dialogue, such as the revelation about Vallaslin, only seem to be available if you are in a romance with him.    Now I love the Vallaslin scene and think it is a very tender touching moment the way it is done as part of the romance but why is there not a non romance dialogue for a male Lavellan?    It seems poor male Lavellan gets the short straw in everything.   Not only is it impossible for him to have a culturally appropriate elf romance but he is kept in ignorance about something that could have just as much significance for him.    Also Solas tells female Lavellan what a wonderful person she is but a male Lavellan gets no indication that Solas approves of them (apart from the screen flags that the character is not party to).

 

I think the vallaslin information is a big deal.   The Dalish believe that when they remember enough of their old culture, their gods may return to them (despite the fact that they also believe they have been locked away - I never quite understood how they don't see that contradiction).   Anyway, the proud boast "we are the last of the elvhenan and we shall never submit" is backed up by their insistence that true elves wear vallaslin.   I think it would be an act of friendship to tell a male Lavellan of the mistake and give him the same offer to remove them, just in a more practical sort of way.

 

It is interesting to note that you are able to flirt with everyone as a male character, even those who are not of the right sexual orientation, except for Solas.   Which would suggest they had to deliberately remove the heart icon in his case.   

[kalasaurus]

It is interesting to note that you are able to flirt with everyone as a male character, even those who are not of the right sexual orientation, except for Solas.   Which would suggest they had to deliberately remove the heart icon in his case.   

 

Humans, dwarves and Qunari don't have the heart icon/flirts with Solas either, even females.  IIRC male characters can't flirt with Blackwall, either.  I could be wrong, since I've only played as elven females, but that is what I read elsewhere.