153434 réponses à ce sujet

[AryBoBary]

Is it totally ridiculous to think that Fen'Harel could be the Maker? Like, he was elevated by the humans b/c his intervention helped speed the fall of Arlathan, allowing humans (Tevinter) to gain prominence.  He tried to undo that mistake by aiding Andraste in her takedown of Tevinter...but that backfired too.  Also, in one of his dialogues w/ Cassandra, she says, "You believe in the Maker?"  And Solas replies, "I'm always open to new ideas."  That's not the same way he talks about the elven gods at all.   

 

I like the theory, I do!  But Cole makes a comment about the Maker "being far away".  I wonder how that would fit into this. 

[RedMagister]

Yep, Solas really isn't the type of character archetype that usually gets made into a LI. I think he has that appeal of a character that wasn't originally conceived as a romance interest, kind of like Garrus (even though they are totally different).

 

I was planning on rolling a mage right before release, but really wasn't planning on another mage/mage romance, so thought I'd end up romancing Cullen or Blackwall. Nope. That very first scene where he grabs her hand to close the rift, and then Varric is all "Well Bianca's excited..." yeah, it's like even Varric knew it was all over by that point.

 

I wonder why people are more interested in some characters over others in the first place. The moment Patrick described Solas as average, introverted, and highly intelligent, I developed a strong first impression and thought i'd love him immediately, but that didn't happen. Appreciating his character has been a slow development, but i am enjoying it, since this means i am still interested in the character Patrick wrote and actually more invested in the lore than before. Him openly explaining the care he put into writing Solas encourages me to look into the content more than i have done. I am pleased that they added the romance and If i were the writer i wouldn't want any less, especially if it meant making things 'sadder', which also means, making for a much more meaningful story.

 

Concerning Levallan, I personally don't see why she would be someone Solas would ever like, or one any of the characters would care for, and that made interpreting him during the first play through difficult. The game's characters say she is great and important, but I don't see it. I didn't really care for her, and this was the case until Solas left. Having her heart wounded actually solidified the character i wanted to play.

 

I can see that writing characters you care for is not simple. Which makes me want to ask, how did you all see the relationship between the Levallan and Solas? and what about Levallan herself, as her own character?

 

I like the overarching plot, but the inquisitor falls short as a meaningful character to me. 

[Mims]

 "You believe in the Maker?"  And Solas replies, "I'm always open to new ideas."  That's not the same way he talks about the elven gods at all.   

 

WHAT IF GOD WAS ONE OF US.

 

I think this less implies that Solas is the Maker, and more that even Solas has no idea where he comes from or what his purpose is in the grand scheme of things. He's been worshipped as a god, but ultimately, he's just as lost and in the dark as anyone. Gods, spirits, demons and mortals don't know what it was that sparked them into being. 

[BlueElf2]

I'm actually really glad that Patrick Weekes confirmed just how deeply Solas felt for the inquisitor as I know there were some people who were convinced he was just playing her the whole time (not in this thread, but I saw it a few times on Reddit and Tumblr); it's nice to feel vindicated. LOL. I'm iffy on how I feel about the whole writing his romance to be more sad. I'm not really surprised, and they definitely accomplished their goals since I know I sunk into a funk over the romance ending in the game that I still trip back into from time to time. I love Solas' romance, even with the heartache, but I just hope Bioware provides some way for him to have a happy or at least not extremely depressing outcome to his romance later on.

Also, on a kind of funny note, I've been playing through the Cullen romance to have some warm fuzzies and a happy ending before I go do another Solas playthrough, so I was visiting the Cullen thread to be away from some of the Solas worry for a while. The Cullen thread was talking about Solas, too. LOL. There is apparently no escape from Solas for me. LOL. I am really enjoying the cuteness of Cullen's romance so far, though. He's adorkable.

Finally, what's the CAH stuff I keep seeing? Is this going to be a regular thing? Because if it is, I need to learn how to play so that I can get in on it, too.

[dragondreamer]

I'm not sure what to think about the Fen'Harel = The Maker.  My gut reaction is "nope", but the stories sound really similar.  My general feeling is that some of Fen'Harel's actions may have been attributed to the Maker, but if there's an actual Maker, it isn't Fen'Harel.  I guess, I dunno.

[Sashimi_taco]

Heartbreak is given to women more because we're strong enough to handle it.

Its the end of the world when my husband has a sniffle, god forbid I ever break his heart.

I never would, of course. Lol.

 

Lol my boyfriend is so dramatic when he is sick. 

[electricfish]

Is it totally ridiculous to think that Fen'Harel could be the Maker? Like, he was elevated by the humans b/c his intervention helped speed the fall of Arlathan, allowing humans (Tevinter) to gain prominence.  He tried to undo that mistake by aiding Andraste in her takedown of Tevinter...but that backfired too.  So he was like, "Eff this, I'm going to bed" (turned away from the world).  In one of his dialogues w/ Cassandra, she says, "You believe in the Maker?"  And Solas replies, "I'm always open to new ideas."  That's not the same way he talks about the elven gods at all.   

 

WHAT IF GOD WAS ONE OF US.

 

That hypothesis has been brought up before. The general consensus is: because it would make the current story/romance less special. If Solas/Fen'Harel was already doing it in the Fade with Andraste, then the Inquisitor can't really compare to the woman who is part of the cornerstone of human religion, who conquered south Thedas with her army, who gave humans a new way to live and view the world.

It would demean the Lavellan romance because you could never compete against (essentially) divinity. 

[Sashimi_taco]

Is it totally ridiculous to think that Fen'Harel could be the Maker? Like, he was elevated by the humans b/c his intervention helped speed the fall of Arlathan, allowing humans (Tevinter) to gain prominence.  He tried to undo that mistake by aiding Andraste in her takedown of Tevinter...but that backfired too.  So he was like, "Eff this, I'm going to bed" (turned away from the world).  In one of his dialogues w/ Cassandra, she says, "You believe in the Maker?"  And Solas replies, "I'm always open to new ideas."  That's not the same way he talks about the elven gods at all.   

 

WHAT IF GOD WAS ONE OF US.

 

sadly the devs said they would never reveal who the maker is. I love the idea of it and it makes sense to me. But we'll never find out.

[k_drake]

I like the theory, I do!  But Cole makes a comment about the Maker "being far away".  I wonder how that would fit into this. 

Yeah...beats me...unless he doesn't recognize Solas in his diminished form, and most of his godly essence has dissipated. Or something.  It also intrigues me that Cole refers to people repeatedly as not being "real," and Solas says that Seeker (magic-negating) abilities declare the world "real," as if the physical world is the construct, and not the Fade.

[Liec]

I think it's more likely that humans attributed the vanishment of the Old Gods to their Maker, when it was actually Fen'Harel who was responsible (probably, we don't really have the full picture yet.)

Or maybe the Maker or Mythal's betrayer sealed the Elves, but Fen'Harel and Mythal managed to escape and are trying to free their People :/

[Moirnelithe]

That hypothesis has been brought up before. The general consensus is: because it would make the current story/romance less special. If Solas/Fen'Harel was already doing it in the Fade with Andraste, then the Inquisitor can't really compare to the woman who is part of the cornerstone of human religion, who conquered south Thedas with her army, who gave humans a new way to live and view the world.

It would demean the Lavellan romance because you could never compete against (essentially) divinity. 

And Solas is race gated, Andraste is human, she'd need a nexus mod....

[Sah291]

Well, as far as game dialogue goes, friendmance Anders gets Hawke pretty deep in the vigilante/obsessive way of thinking. I didn't completely finish an Anders playthrough, but one thing I noticed is that while Hawke can start out kind of reasonable, the dialogue becomes a bit more...obsessive.

 

 

To be fair, you don't have to run away with him in support of his terrorism.  You can disapprove of Anders' actions and still run away with him.  It's what I did, and I did it because even though my Hawke deeply disagreed with what he had done, she still was pro-mage and she still loved Anders.  She told Anders she'd love him no matter what he did, and she meant it.  In truth, I think it's possible to still love someone who does something horrible, even at the same time you hate them for doing it.  But my character isn't me--I probably would have found it in myself to kill him for what he did.

 

And that's great, because, you know, choices!  Except you didn't have any means to convince him not to do what he did, and, while that's for Story Reasons, it's still beyond lame that that was the case, in a game that is supposed to be about choice.

 

Well, I don't want to get too far off topic discussing Anders, but I just meant that if you chose to complete the romance and stay with him (whether your Hawke approved or not), other people's negative reactions to him in DAI shouldn't have been surprising or unexpected. Anders outright tells Hawke they will be hated, and they are. That's part of the price you're accepting.

 

As far as not being able to stop his actions... unfortunately for Anders the writers already planned to have Thedas break out into a war, so someone had to do it, because the PC might not have chosen to. I think in the past, they just wouldn't make such a character romanceable. But getting the chance to romance a villian or anti-villian can be interesting too in a way. I think if you really dig into many historical figures that are worshiped as heroes, you will find dark or questionable things they did. Likewise, a lot of historical figures who have been branded monsters or enemies of the state are not necessarily evil. History is messy and complex. I think we're likely to see some of these same themes with Solas' character too given his potential anti-hero/anti-villian status.

[KyndredRaven]

The only way to get a happy ending with Alistair is to either:

 

• Make him a Warden, resulting in his potential death in DAI
• Make him King, and be his mistress, because one happened to make the "wrong" decision way back during the CC, without having any idea that it would affect the romance
• Make him King, and rule with him as F!Cousland if one happened to make the "right" decision was back during the CC, without having any idea that it would affect the romance
• Those two decisions are only available if you happened to make the "right" decision during his personal quest, without having any idea that it would affect the romance
• No matter what, you must force him to sleep with and father a child with someone that he objectively does not like
• If you don't, he sacrifices himself for you and you get no say unless you leave him home - even if you made him king and he broke up with you

 

I felt really blindsided by the whole thing, since it was a fairytale romance up until that point. Granted, I was also a teenager and probably wouldn't have reacted as strongly today but such as it was...

 

I see what you're saying now. To be honest, I didn't really think about these things as negative. The only part of this I had an issue with was that I couldn't marry him as an elf ;; but that makes sense lore-wise. Of course we didn't know it would affect the romance, but if we did somehow magically know, wouldn't that make playing through more than once boring and useless?

[electricfish]

Yeah...beats me...unless he doesn't recognize Solas in his diminished form, and most of his godly essence has dissipated. Or something.  It also intrigues me that Cole refers to people repeatedly as not being "real," and Solas says that Seeker (magic-negating) abilities declare the world "real," as if the physical world is the construct, and not the Fade.

 

He also mentions that Templars taking lyrium reach for some "other thing" that's older, which pushes magic from their bodies. Taking lyrium makes their body feel more "complete," but they still reach for whatever this "other thing" is.

What would that be, if not magic? What is older than magic?

[Ajna]

Ack, what a time to run out of likes.

 

God, I know that feel. So much. It's a wonderful thing to be so invested in a story, and for that story to speak to you in such a visceral, personal way. But at the same time...it hurts. Because some of the things it touches on are still very sensitive and raw and painful. Maybe that's why I have such a need for Solas to be okay. Because I recognize at least part of what he's going through in a very intimate way; the loneliness, the desire to connect, but the heartbreaking inability to do so. This is what it must feel like to be Cole. 

 

And, depending on where they go from here of course, I just can't be grumpy at Patrick Weekes for choosing to make him a romance. Even if it was only to fully show the tragedy of Solas's character. Because it was all so personal that it allowed me to connect with the character on a level that I never had in a Dragon Age game before. From the fact that he's a nerdy, introverted magical Historian, to his speech being matched to the rhythm of Hallelujah (a song that's very significant to me), I've rarely felt this connected to a fictional character. Of course, that can be a good or bad thing, depending on how all of this turns out. Usually, I try not to get too invested in characters, because at the end of the day they don't belong to me. I can't really control what their writers do with them. I think the nature of Bioware games blurs the lines a bit, which makes it even more difficult to realize this sometimes. I can recognize this intellectually, but emotionally, all I know is that if the only way to progress in some future Dragon Age game is to kill Solas myself then that is going to mess me up. And not in a good way.

 

Your post also reminded me of something that I've wanted to bring up for a while. I love the way Lavellan acts during the romance (or, well, at least the way that I RPed her). Shyly confident, loving, and always reaching out to him. The "take all the time you need" option after the first kiss was wonderful. And the way she steps in after Solas has to help his spirit friend die, and says "I heard what she said, and she's right". Just the way AWR voiced that line broke my heart in the best possible way; compassionate and worried and understanding. I can really see how he fell so in love with her. But she's also a person, a person who loves him just as much as he loves her. And who is confused and upset and possibly self-recriminating after that final romance scene. The Inquisitor just felt so much more real to me after that. 

 

All of this ^.  It's deeply personal to me too, which is why I got so invested. I didn't intend to.. but as it turns out, as I played through the game and got to know Solas, I came to the realisation that I already knew him.  And that's why I'm so deeply invested and that's why it hurts as much as it does.

[_Lucinia]

I wonder why people are more interested in some characters over others in the first place. The moment Patrick described Solas as average, introverted, and highly intelligent, I developed a strong first impression and thought i'd love him immediately, but that didn't happen. Appreciating his character has been a slow development, but i am enjoying it, since this means i am still interested in the character Patrick wrote and actually more invested in the lore than before. Him openly explaining the care he put into writing Solas encourages me to look into the content more than i have done. I am pleased that they added the romance and If i were the writer i wouldn't want any less, especially if it meant making things 'sadder', which also means, making for a much more meaningful story.

 

Concerning Levallan, I personally don't see why she would be someone Solas would ever like, or one any of the characters would care for, and that made interpreting him during the first play through difficult. The game's characters say she is great and important, but I don't see it. I didn't really care for her, and this was the case until Solas left. Having her heart wounded actually solidified the character i wanted to play.

 

I can see that writing characters you care for is not simple. Which makes me want to ask, how did you all see the relationship between the Levallan and Solas? and what about Levallan herself, as her own character?

 

I like the overarching plot, but the inquisitor falls short as a meaningful character to me. 

Some times the most important difference is the voice actor.  I know there are vastly differing opinions.  But Alix's performance is what made me love Lavellan so much.  

 

For example (yes I know we're all tired of the ME comparisons, sorry) FemShep vs M!Shep; same dialogue, both actors do a fine job (sorry I don't see Mark Meer as wooden, he's not as passionate as Jennifer Hale, he's just a more subdued take on the character.  Don't hate me! ) But FemShep IS real shep for me.  I know part of that is because as a woman I am going to identify and bond with a protagonist of my gender much stronger than I will the opposite.  But the acting makes the difference for the character, and my attachment to them.  

DA2.  I love both of the actors for Hawke.  I think both do an amazing job.  Jo Wyatt's Sarcastic Hawke though, yeah she's my favorite.  Again being a woman the female protagonist wins, but it was much closer in this game for me.

I'm having a harder time feeling the same level of attachment to my Qunari.  Sumalee's American voice is fine.  It's a different game completely for me not hearing Alix's voice.  I think her delivery on emotional dialogue is perfect.  Despite being Canadian I seem to be drawn to the British voices for some reason.  If I hadn't used Alix's voice option for my first playthrough I am sure my opinion on how I see the Inquisitor would be quite different.

To keep this more on topic;  I played Lavellan as very curious, kind, and playful.  I can see how Solas would be a sucker for that.  He values intelligence and questions.  I mean you get approval hits just for asking him questions.  

[Tielis]

Fans:  "Damnit Anders!  How could you do that to us, BioWare!  *cry*"

 

BioWare:  *gives Solas*  "Here ya go!  Enjoy!"

 

Really?  Sorry, I'm still just sitting here boggling.  It's almost as bad as

 

Fans:  "Ugh we hate the same two dungeons can we have less reused assets plz?!"

 

BioWare:  *gives a bunch of huge areas that have nothing to do with the storyline*  "Here ya go!  Enjoy!"

 

I just... can't...

[Roxy]

I hear you

 

 

I picked DAI to cheer me up with some really sad RL **** (my son is very ill) and ... god damn it Bioware you did it to me again. hould have known better than to romance a mage.

 

Still on team optimism, if only because I want to believe Bioware would not do Anders, Thane and Solas all on a row to it's fans.. Could they ?

GOD Bless your son I hope he get's better. 

 

EDIT: Ah I see I'm at the top soooo Solas pic, a screenshot I took a week ago.

Spoiler

 

[Jaderail]

I wonder why people are more interested in some characters over others in the first place. The moment Patrick described Solas as average, introverted, and highly intelligent, I developed a strong first impression and thought i'd love him immediately, but that didn't happen. Appreciating his character has been a slow development, but i am enjoying it, since this means i am still interested in the character Patrick wrote and actually more invested in the lore than before. Him openly explaining the care he put into writing Solas encourages me to look into the content more than i have done. I am pleased that they added the romance and If i were the writer i wouldn't want any less, especially if it meant making things 'sadder', which also means, making for a much more meaningful story.

 

Concerning Levallan, I personally don't see why she would be someone Solas would ever like, or one any of the characters would care for, and that made interpreting him during the first play through difficult. The game's characters say she is great and important, but I don't see it. I didn't really care for her, and this was the case until Solas left. Having her heart wounded actually solidified the character i wanted to play.

 

I can see that writing characters you care for is not simple. Which makes me want to ask, how did you all see the relationship between the Levallan and Solas? and what about Levallan herself, as her own character?

 

I like the overarching plot, but the inquisitor falls short as a meaningful character to me. 

I think what Solas loves about her is that she is willing to sacrifice a lot to restore things to the way they were - he even says this later on. It mirrors what he is doing. The balcony scene is when he says that she impresses him because there is wisdom and subtlety to her actions. She helps without ever really expressing that she will, she realizes there's a problem and she works to rectify it. If she fixes it, then all good. If she can't fix it, it's not any worse because it's not like she's promising anything. 

 

Though I will say, I feel there is a lack of any truly personal attachment for the inquisitor to the losses suffered in the story (except if you screw up at the war table and your clan dies - but it's almost like it didn't even happen since nobody says *anything* about it) as opposed to Origins where we can see our character evolving from their past. In all honesty, I felt we got far more character development from our companions. I realize we are supposed to shape our own characters, but I feel there wasn't enough of a chance for us to really progress the arc of our own characters. If Inquisition was just the first installment of several with the inquisitor then I shall eat my foot. 

[vierrae]

Fans:  "Damnit Anders!  How could you do that to us, BioWare!  *cry*"

 

BioWare:  *gives Solas*  "Here ya go!  Enjoy!"

 

Really?  Sorry, I'm still just sitting here boggling.  It's almost as bad as

 

Fans:  "Ugh we hate the same two dungeons can we have less reused assets plz?!"

 

BioWare:  *gives a bunch of huge areas that have nothing to do with the storyline*  "Here ya go!  Enjoy!"

 

I just... can't...

Inquisitor: Fixing Blondie's mess during DAI. Probably will be fixing Solas' mess muring DLC. Or DA4. Just for us all to enjoy.

[Sashimi_taco]

Little off-topic, just had this glorious banter between Solas and Sera (video link not of my playthrough, but you have to hear it to enjoy it fully.)

 

 

I am now imagining young drunk Solas at a God party getting weird. 

 

"HAHA HEY GUYS! GUUUYYYSSS!! I'M PEEING MAGIC! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

 

Dirthamen giving him a high five while June is just like "omg men". 

 

Then all the other gods are like "Shutup June".

[Uirebhiril]

The moment Patrick described Solas as average, introverted, and highly intelligent, I developed a strong first impression and thought i'd love him immediately, but that didn't happen. Appreciating his character has been a slow development, but i am enjoying it, since this means i am still interested in the character Patrick wrote and actually more invested in the lore than before. Him openly explaining the care he put into writing Solas encourages me to look into the content more than i have done. I am pleased that they added the romance and If i were the writer i wouldn't want any less, especially if it meant making things 'sadder', which also means, making for a much more meaningful story.

 

And it is this that makes me most annoyed with a large number of game romances ending in "tragedy" situations. If that is how it ends with Solas, it would fit. It would be heartbreaking and painful and perfect, because it added so much more to the story and to a character for which we could easily understand That Is How It Had To Be. It's going to feel slightly cheap if he goes out with a bang, as it were, because we've dealt with that so many times in the past with our love interests. Which if anything, gives me hope that we can have at least some sort of positive resolution if not a sugary happy ending.

 

I will say that I do feel much more invested in Solas and his happiness than I do for my own character, but that is an indication of just how well Solas was written and how complex his story is and potentially will be. Also the reason I like him so much, even and especially outside of the romance. It's just we get to feel that so much more when he is in love with the Inquisitor. I hope they do good by him, whatever the outcome is.

[Dyanna]

The only way to get a happy ending with Alistair is to either:

 

• [...]
• No matter what, you must force him to sleep with and father a child with someone that he objectively does not like

I felt really blindsided by the whole thing, since it was a fairytale romance up until that point. Granted, I was also a teenager and probably wouldn't have reacted as strongly today but such as it was...

 

In my canon playthrough, I avoided that by making him marry Anora (he is infertile, she possibly is as well, they really don't need to do anything but rule together), then recruiting Loghain and making Loghain sacrifice himself. And in Awakening he did greet my HoF as his lover, so that worked. It did however require careful planning and could not really have worked out in my first playthrough. Still, knowing there was a way to get some kind of happy ending (even if it requires optimism and headcanon) made it work out for me.

 

Solas, OTOH, brought me back to extensive headcanoning and fanfiction for the first time in many years. Also, this is the first BioWare game that I actually play at the release date, and I did consciously do it to see/take part in all the speculations etc. before everything is revealed in DLCs or the next game, but it also means having to live with not actually knowing what's going on and what future content we'll get, and that's tough. (Still absolutely convinced Solas will be central to a DLC, and they should handle the romance there. Otherwise it locking in when he breaks up would just not make sense at all.)

 

I do agree with those saying that the original romances, without the addition of Solas ond Cullen, would have been lacking. I guess I can see where they were going - Bull is pretty fun and light-hearted, and Blackwall is supposed to be the more serious and tragic romance, and I guess if you really feel the need for a sweet romance you can go for Josie (Leliana scared me off her though  ). But personally, while I can handle the tragic of the Solas romance (and it's keeping me a lot more involved than any of the others), Blackwall really wouldn't have been my cup of tea. Cullen was just the right amount of funny and sweet, and I really liked the romance with my human mage, but Solas really outclasses it in terms of longtime-involvement for me.

[electricfish]

Fans:  "Damnit Anders!  How could you do that to us, BioWare!  *cry*"

 

BioWare:  *gives Solas*  "Here ya go!  Enjoy!"

 

Really?  Sorry, I'm still just sitting here boggling.  It's almost as bad as

 

Fans:  "Ugh we hate the same two dungeons can we have less reused assets plz?!"

 

BioWare:  *gives a bunch of huge areas that have nothing to do with the storyline*  "Here ya go!  Enjoy!"

 

I just... can't...

 

 

I'm actually ok with the huge maps and everything. A couple like Hinterlands and Hissing Wastes are GIANT and sometimes a pain to run around in, but ultimately I like the feel of actually being able to explore areas without being too railroaded like the previous games. Instead of picking a location on the map and going to a dungeon, you actually get to have a sense of what Ferelden and Orlais are like as countries. It's staggering how different the ruins, landscape, and clutter are different for each of the very different cultures that live there.

It gives me a better sense of immersion if I can see the land that the Inquisition is fighting for. There are lots of stories and snippets of lore that were introduced in the previous two games, but you can't actually run around the Frostbacks and SEE the cliffs and peaks that make them worth writing about. You just get to go up a little path to the gates of Orzammar. 

 

DAO felt pretty big since there were lots of side areas and places to go, but the areas themselves were pretty small maps made for specific purposes. DA2 felt even smaller since all you had were lots of reused areas and only 2 major places to go (Kirkwall and Sundermount). DAI has lots of areas to explore, and they are all unique. They all have a different feel. They all can tie in to the Inquisition developing a presence as the Inquisitor builds their power to try and find ways to hold against Coryphetus, and restore order that the past year or two ultimately shredded via war.

[Tielis]

I am now imagining young drunk Solas at a God party getting weird. 

 

"HAHA HEY GUYS! GUUUYYYSSS!! I'M PEEING MAGIC! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

 

Dirthamen giving him a high five while June is just like "omg men". 

 

Then all the other gods are like "Shutup June".

 

FYI June is male, but otherwise I highly approve.