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[flabbadence]

Random question. I'm plotting out a post-Trespasser... thing... and I'm just wondering what effect you guys think the loss of the anchor has on rift mages?

 

I mean, obviously Solas manages because he's Solas. And then there's 'I Am Your Trainer', but she doesn't seem that stable...

 

Surely there'd be a loss of power of some sort?

 

Somehow I don't think so?

 

The way I understand magic working in Thedas is, it's a matter of will. Staffs and gestures and glyphs are just a way of giving that will a specific direction, and you can still make use of all three without one hand after a few adjustments, though maybe things will be slower, and your willpower larger to compensate for the lack of gestures.

 

EDIT: OH NO WAIT I'M SORRY you were talking about the anchor missing, not the hand  . Sorry sorry. Yeah I guess so. Though if Lavellan still manages to connect with Solas in her dreams without the anchor, maybe not very much?

[Carmen_Willow]

Nailed it. I thought for a while about that and figured that one of the major appeals of that romance is that Solasmance definitely makes a girl feel special... Like, let's be honest here

 

I usually am a bit, um, wary of such romances, in interactive stories or no, because it's really easy to mess it up, and instead of seeing the merits of a character myself, I'm reading the story that is sometimes trying to forcefully tell me that the character is special (even if just for  different character) and I just don't frikking see it. The worst offenders of last years are, of course, "Twilight" and its fanfiction "50 Shades Of Gray", where the objects of interests (it's hard to call them characters, really) of main heroines seem to trip over themselves in declarations of how head-over-heals in love they are in our speshul little snowflakes.... *squiiiiiiiirms*

 

In DA I can accept that though, because aside from Solas being an actual character we do have to make an effort and earn both Solas friendship and his affection - hell, we may be "Heralds of Andraste" with a special power, but unless our character makes an effort, they don't automatically earn anyone's respect aside from amount that helps us finish the job all of Thedas expects our characters to finish anyway.

 

So there's that - the relationship feels special on both sides, because not only it was unexpected for Solas (he wasn't looking for it, hell he even actively avoided becoming close to the gremlins), but because Lavellan actually had to prove she has value of her own (though not just in Solas's eyes) as a leader and as a character, therefore an actual ancient near-god and notorious rebel, who created the Veil and banished immortal Mage-Kings and plans to destroy the world falling for her so hard that he almost gave up everything for her (and him changing his plans isn't yet off the table!) doesn't feel like your typical romance novel

i liked Solas because I liked his mind, I liked his intelligence and his philosophy. The fact that he's all for as much freedom as possible and opposed to slavery be it of the mind or of the body. I did not "fall in love" with him because of the Dread Wolf thing or any of that. As a fellow elf and mage, I felt kinship with him that deepened as I got to know him. He did not cross a line with me (as he later reiterated), despite what I hope was a strong temptation, and I respected that. Just as in Dragon Age II, I did not find Fenris particularly interesting until I realized how intelligent he was, I tend to like smart guys. (Or smart-a**es).

 

I certainly didn't see him as either Twilight's hero, or the controlling, let-me-take-over-your-life, character of 50 shades. Neither did I feel like the "Petra-Pan" character of Bella who never wanted to grow up, nor the stumbling, bumbling idiot virgin of 50 shades either.

[midnight tea]

Random question. I'm plotting out a post-Trespasser... thing... and I'm just wondering what effect you guys think the loss of the anchor has on rift mages?

 

I mean, obviously Solas manages because he's Solas. And then there's 'I Am Your Trainer', but she doesn't seem that stable...

 

Surely there'd be a loss of power of some sort?

 

It probably depends on a mage/character and how eager they were to explore the Fade and learn stuff and experiment. I mean... Solas himself may be an ancient elf and all, but he actually doesn't have the Mark to help him channel the power, so it's definitely doable.

[Cee]

Neither would I.  Some of the LIs mention physical traits they prefer; Sera's into qunari ladies, and Bull has a thing for redheads.  Solas doesn't.  It's probably the spirit that matters to him.

 

I think, as a player, that was also part of the draw for me. Not saying that preferences are bad or that I don't have them, but who someone is, their values, and beliefs, all of this adds up to the biggest factor to me. Things like physical attributes, gender, race, are all factors that don't matter as much, if at all, in the end, so there was a lot to like and appreciate in Solas.

 

In those innocent times.

 

 

[Catfishers]

EDIT: OH NO WAIT I'M SORRY you were talking about the anchor missing, not the hand  . Sorry sorry. Yeah I guess so. Though if Lavellan still manages to connect with Solas in her dreams without the anchor, maybe not very much?

 

I don't know if Lavellan is seeking Solas out so much as just... being stalked by him. Haha.

 

It probably depends on a mage/character and how eager they were to explore the Fade and learn stuff and experiment. I mean... Solas himself may be an ancient elf and all, but he actually doesn't have the Mark to help him channel the power, so it's definitely doable.

 

Good point. This is definitely something to consider.

[Cee]

That's an ME reference, isn't it? Yeah, I'm almost 100% sure that it's the spirit that matters to him. Though what in the spirit exacly - no idea. 

 

Yep, an ME reference, though Bakara is a wonderful character. Here's one of my screenshots.

[Jaison1986]

Well, rift mages might still exist even without the breach, or the anchor. The thing about rift mages is that they use fade magic in it's raw form. Other mages would channel it and convert magic to something else, like fire, ice or lightining. So, for them it's mostly just drawing the same magic from the fade that other mages do, but not converting it. Knight enchanters are similar, as they also channel raw magic frow the fade to power up their sword, or to merge with it to turn ethereal.

[drosophila]

Have all my likes   For a long time now I followed the philosophy that when it comes to creative works (well, everything really) the WHAT is not as important as HOW. What we are using when creating or doing something (genres, tropes, archetypes, etc) doesn't really matter as much as how they're implemented. Things we thought have been done by everyone and their dog can still be made interesting and original if done right, while I saw many (many, many, maaaaaany) people trip over themselves trying to do stuff that is - often very superficially - unique, or "original" in name only.

 

Really, if people know what they're doing and combine that with passion for both project and the craft, usually they make things good - oftentimes really good

 

Yes! Can't remember how many times I've repeated this whenever someone says this or that ending will be a trope or a cliche or whatever in that vein. In Weekes&Co's hands, it doesn't matter that much, because we know they can do it well. And you know, some story elements become common because when done well they work, much more so than something original that's just not as effective or doesn't make sense. 

 

I just laughed so hard.  

 

Also imagining what any lurkers might be thinking if they stumbled upon this.

 

Lurkers, don't be afraid of us! We might be Solas fans, but other than that we're pretty normal. Come and have some of our special cookies!

 

That's actually true. You know how some people make super ugly PC's just to make fun of how the LI's keep calling them handsome/beautiful? For some reason, when someone did that and made a Lavellan who romanced Solas, it wasn't funny at all. Solas's saying "You are so beautiful." still came out incredibly sincere. Like, he really isn't in love with Quizzy because of her appearance. It's because of the soul beneath.

 

*sigh* And I just made myself sad again 

 

I've never been fooled into someone saying, "Nothing but your soul matters to me." either IRL or in fiction. But with Solas, I really believe it to be true. 

[midnight tea]

i liked Solas because I liked his mind, I liked his intelligence and his philosophy. The fact that he's all for as much freedom as possible and opposed to slavery be it of the mind or of the body. I did not "fall in love" with him because of the Dread Wolf thing or any of that. As a fellow elf and mage, I felt kinship with him that deepened as I got to know him. He did not cross a line with me (as he later reiterated), despite what I hope was a strong temptation, and I respected that. Just as in Dragon Age II, I did not find Fenris particularly interesting until I realized how intelligent he was, I tend to like smart guys. (Or smart-a**es).

 

I certainly didn't see him as either Twilight's hero, or the controlling, let-me-take-over-your-life, character of 50 shades. Neither did I feel like the "Petra-Pan" character of Bella who never wanted to grow up, nor the stumbling, bumbling idiot virgin of 50 shades either.

 

I did mention that he's an actual character compared to those in books I've mentioned, hadn't I?

And I wasn't talking about us/our characters appreciating or falling in love in Solas/Drad Wolf, as much as I was talking about Solas himself falling in love in/caring for our characters and that it was actually pretty realistic (for a plot-critical character with history and motives Solas has) - it happened only after she actually proved to have qualities of a good leader as well as things he himself appreciates. We aren't told by the story that she's special for no reason, or appreciated by plot-critical character for hardly any reason whatsoever. That friendship and affection had to be earned on both sides.

[CapricornSun]

Tiny art break. *cough* 

 

Some DAI commissions of Solavellan, Dorian, and Trevelyan. (I do love the art style! )

Spoiler

Source: http://spacerocketbu...nks-so-much-for

 

 

A gorgeous portrait of Solas! 

Spoiler

Source: http://hadnd.tumblr....age-inquisition

 

 

Sketches of Solas doing yoga. Also starring Cole, Sera, and Dorian.

Spoiler

Source: http://harellanpaint...ounding-out-the

 

 

 

EDIT: Adding this.

 

Just Solas.

Spoiler

Source: http://mowendesigns....st/130143724446

 

[Cee]

The style of that first artist is adorable.

[jthibeault]

The other day, I was drawing a pride demon for... reasons... and I noticed something interesting about their hands.





And shhhhhhhhh I know the sentinels also have that glove plate thing, but I still love that little detail. There are other aspects of his costume that might be subtle nods. The loose, pelt-y torso gives him that same top-heavy triangular shape, and the tight leggings make his legs smaller by comparison. The claw toes on his shoes could also be a nod to pride demons, in addition to being a wolf reference.

PUPPY FEETS!!!!!

[NeverlandHunter]

 

'A hatred of gremlins has been passed down the Armstrong family for generations.'
 

I can't imagine Alex Armstrong killing anything as fluffy as a gremlin.

 

<snip>

 

 

Plenty of people lack a limb - whether they lost it in later life, or whether they were born without it - and go on to have very fulfilling, very satisfying lives where they accomplish their dreams and goals. A physical disability isn't necessarily a death sentence, it's not a signal that your life is going to be miserable, it simply means you struggle with some aspects of living more than able-bodied people, but part of that is because most of this world is designed with able-bodied people in mind. As with all things, people adapt. Disabled people are neither objects of pity nor inspiration - they are simply people.

 

Not that I was necessarily accusing you of thinking of such - just a couple of posts you've made already have indicated you seem to believe it's a real crying shame that the Inquisitor is disabled, so I thought I'd get on my soapbox just in case   . So, yeah, it's a massive change which takes a lot to get over and adapt to, particularly if you were able-bodied before, but I kind of want to make a point of saying that it's not necessarily all bad, people will adapt, things will get better with proper support.

 

I also want to reiterate the point that this is a fantasy series where people make magic crackle from their fingertips. I believe - with the proper resources and care, of course - that people could come up with good prosthetics or work-arounds in the Dragon Age universe.

 

I will add that I really like Frank's thoughts on how the left arm could be a really intriguing gameplay dynamic - you have a selection of different prosthetics which do a variety of things (swiss army arm anyone?) that can sometimes be broken, worn out, or rendered useless in particular fights. These could provide some really intriguing gameplay and I hope BioWare think on this more - a disabled protag could be great fun to play simply for the variety.
 

 

<snip>

I do think it's a shame that my Inquisitor lost her arm. I am aware that a loss of a limb is something people can over come, and people can live happy fulfilling lives regardless, I would never argue that. But it is still a loss. I role played so many hours into my Lavellan, that I took that loss kind of personally. She isn't going to let it keep her down forever, but it's going to be hard. She lost something important to her, and without it things that seemed simple, that she took for granted, are going to be a heck of a lot harder to do. Eventually things will get easier as time passes and makes the loss of her limb less fresh, but it doesn't mean she won't look back and regret the fact that she no longer has her other arm.

 

I'm not trying to antagonize you, but I'm not going to change my view on this either. You're obviously very passionate about this subject (I've seen other posts about it) and that's great. It is (I'm not trying to sound patronizing) and it's great that you're sticking up for people with these disabilities, but I was never trying to offend them and I'm sorry you took it that way.

[Sable Rhapsody]

Yes! Can't remember how many times I've repeated this whenever someone says this or that ending will be a trope or a cliche or whatever in that vein. In Weekes&Co's hands, it doesn't matter that much, because we know they can do it well. And you know, some story elements become common because when done well they work, much more so than something original that's just not as effective or doesn't make sense. 

 

I used to hate certain tropes; the "dead-ex-as-drama" comes to mind.  But I came to realize that it wasn't the trope itself that was the problem; I was just getting sick of seeing it in a bunch of BioWare's romances.  I was perfectly ok with the trope when it came up in ME3 because it'd been a while since I encountered it, and it was IMO written more thoughtfully than previous incarnations. 

 

I've never been fooled into someone saying, "Nothing but your soul matters to me." either IRL or in fiction. But with Solas, I really believe it to be true. 

 

The other romance where I really bought it was Garrus.  Humans aren't really his thing, but Shepard and her penchant for fantastic destruction?  Definitely

[flabbadence]

Um. I just finished editing the first section of the Solas-POV fic I'm working on. Would a few of you mind reading it and telling me if you think he's in character or not? I've been looking over it so much that I just don't know if I've gone overboard on the darkness or anxiety or callousness or whatever at this point.

 

https://docs.google....dit?usp=sharing

 

EDIT: I honestly don't mind if you guys just reply with NO WTF, THIS IS NOT THE SOLAS I KNOW or something like that  . I really want to try portraying him right, so even comments like that can be helpful.

[S.W.]

Neither would I.  Some of the LIs mention physical traits they prefer; Sera's into qunari ladies, and Bull has a thing for redheads.  Solas doesn't.  It's probably the spirit that matters to him.

 

So if appearance is no object...krogan ladies like scars, and Solas has a few.  Let's hook him up with Urdnot Bakara!  She can talk sense into him, or failing that, point a Claymore shotgun at him

 

AHAHAHAH I think my jaw dropped to the floor.

 

Bakara can definitely do better, though, I think, than some dorky fade elf

 

i liked Solas because I liked his mind, I liked his intelligence and his philosophy. The fact that he's all for as much freedom as possible and opposed to slavery be it of the mind or of the body. I did not "fall in love" with him because of the Dread Wolf thing or any of that. As a fellow elf and mage, I felt kinship with him that deepened as I got to know him. He did not cross a line with me (as he later reiterated), despite what I hope was a strong temptation, and I respected that. Just as in Dragon Age II, I did not find Fenris particularly interesting until I realized how intelligent he was, I tend to like smart guys. (Or smart-a**es).

 

I certainly didn't see him as either Twilight's hero, or the controlling, let-me-take-over-your-life, character of 50 shades. Neither did I feel like the "Petra-Pan" character of Bella who never wanted to grow up, nor the stumbling, bumbling idiot virgin of 50 shades either.

 

Yeah, I think some fans often tend to overstate the darkness of his character in the romance. I mean, Solas has a perfectly nasty side to him, but you only see it during low approval scenes where your Inquisitor is often being a jerk. High-approval inquisitors see little of that - I think that's partially deliberate. You're encouraging him to become better, to do better, appealing to his sense of compassion and his wisdom, when you're on a friendship/romance path.

 

Solas isn't a byronic hero. His darkness doesn't come into the romance, unlike those examples you mentioned (and that's the reason why I don't like them: it's a romanticisation of something unhealthy and gross). He doesn't romanticise the uncompromising, cold part of him that can justify destroying the world - he's perfectly aware of how cruel that is. What I like about the romance in Trespasser is how it doesn't apologise for the worst parts of him, and how love still persists, but it doesn't solve the irreconcilable differences of position between the two of you.

 

It's kind of why I don't like dark!Solas fics. Solas is an adorkable fade nerd who is a little bit reckless and accidentally falls passionately in love with you. There's none of his Fen'Harel persona there - Fen'Harel is the reason he breaks up with you, in fact, because he doesn't want you to clash with his plans and ambitions.

[Cee]

 .

 

It's kind of why I don't like dark!Solas fics. Solas is an adorkable fade nerd who is a little bit reckless and accidentally falls passionately in love with you. There's none of his Fen'Harel persona there - Fen'Harel is the reason he breaks up with you, in fact, because he doesn't want you to clash with his plans and ambitions.

 

And he doesn't want to drag you into ruin and spoil what is special and good about you, in his view.

[Sable Rhapsody]

I tried reading a Dark Solas fic and it was hard to take. He's NOT that kind of person. He's got a heart that's so damn big that he has to keep it in check or he'll lose control. What he did, all his poor choices were to help others, though he says what we found depicted him as better than he was. I know why. I understand. He helped those slaves but also used them to help in his rebellion. Same as with us. He used us to defeat Corypheus because he had no power, but he also did it so people wouldn't suffer.

 

I'm ok with it if it's pure, unadulterated smut.  Because then it's not really Solas to me; it's like someone playing Solas in a porno.  Badly

 

Dark fics mostly make me laugh; I remember reading a dark!Alistair one that was particularly lolworthy.  I kept picturing the dialogue in normal Alistair's voice, and watching him grow more and more horrified in my mind's eye 

[MayriyaNoori]

I'm ok with it if it's pure, unadulterated smut.  Because then it's not really Solas to me; it's like someone playing Solas in a porno.  Badly

 

Dark fics mostly make me laugh; I remember reading a dark!Alistair one that was particularly lolworthy.  I kept picturing the dialogue in normal Alistair's voice, and watching him grow more and more horrified in my mind's eye 

Poor Alistair.

 

That goofy almost Templar will always have a special place in my heart as first BW romance.*sigh*

 

And with my current playthrough of DA:O I'm getting to hear more of the Zevran/Alistair banter and it is hysterical.

 

You are....woo-less as it were?

[drosophila]

Hmm, with regards to Dark Solas - for me it depends what kind of darkness we're talking about. I don't mind him doing something really terrible, only to feel terrible about it afterwards. Things that would make no sense to me:

• Solas having some sort of angry outburst or losing it. Dude is SO stoic that, literally, the world must be ending.
• The polar opposite, him sounding completely dry or emotionless. 
• Solas being cruel or callous. 
• Solas being condescending towards Lavellan. This one is my biggest pet pieve, and it irks me a bit when he acts like he's superior in the relationship. Ironically, it's probably one of the more dangerous things for me when I write or headcanon their realtionship, since I like a rivalmance where I show them playing games with each other and getting snarky and competitive, but it has to come across that they respect each other as opponents and really, really enjoy the game. 

[flabbadence]

I'm ok with it if it's pure, unadulterated smut.  Because then it's not really Solas to me; it's like someone playing Solas in a porno.  Badly

 

Dark fics mostly make me laugh; I remember reading a dark!Alistair one that was particularly lolworthy.  I kept picturing the dialogue in normal Alistair's voice, and watching him grow more and more horrified in my mind's eye 

 

Same  . And sometimes I'll just try to rationalize it as someone in the team writing awful friend fiction. In DA2 it was Isabela, now it's either Varric or Cass flexing her writing muscles

[Cee]

 

Hmm, with regards to Dark Solas - for me it depends what kind of darkness we're talking about. I don't mind him doing something really terrible, only to feel terrible about it afterwards. Things that would make no sense to me:

• Solas having some sort of angry outburst or losing it. Dude is SO stoic that, literally, the world must be ending.
• The polar opposite, him sounding completely dry or emotionless. 
• Solas being cruel or callous. 
• Solas being condescending towards Lavellan. This one is my biggest pet pieve, and it irks me a bit when he acts like he's superior in the relationship. Ironically, it's probably one of the more dangerous things for me when I write or headcanon their realtionship, since I like a rivalmance where I show them playing games with each other and getting snarky and competitive, but it has to come across that they respect each other as opponents and really, really enjoy the game. 

 

 

 

One of my favorite things about how Solas is written is when his calm is broken by any sort of strong emotion.....he is more likely to use contractions. Slight stutter or pause sometimes as well. But he's full-on words in full most of the time unless he's feeling something deeply.