Midnight tea, hope you're feeling much better!
I've never been good at keeping up with character threads (they seem to go so fast), but I'm a Solasmancer who finally played Trespasser last Thursday and I really need a blanket fort lol.
Welcome, Nimlowyn! I went through everything you describe just a 2-3 weeks ago (I'm pretty new here myself). But this is a wonderful place, and everyone's very supportive. It's kittens and baby goats and pillows everywhere!
Yes... in the battle with Corypheus, my Lavellan did actually say "I don't BELIEVE in gods!" All thanks to Solas. A 'god' is relative, really, isn't it? It's just someone you perceive as having more power than you / power over you. In certain situations, anyone can be a god. That was her philosophy by the end of the main game, anyway. And now Solas, who abhors gods, is planning to exercise godlike powers over her world. She's conflicted to say the least. 
My Lavellan was very much the same way. Always a skeptic, never ever embraced the idea of being the 'real' Herald, and very matter-of-fact even after the visit to the Fade. But I definitely think "Trespasser" threw her for a loop. I mean, Solas's powers at that point are pretty daunting.
Further, ladyiolanthe, I agree with you on both aspects to Solas -- on what he pretty clearly appears to be willing to do, and that he also may be seeking alternatives (although he's not exactly optimistic in that final talk with her). However, I don't think his words necessarily imply that his actions will lead directly to Lavellan's death. Even when he says "I will never forget you," it can be argued that he is simply saying a concrete farewell to someone he cannot allow himself to be close to again.
If a romanced Inquisitor chooses the "I agree with your goal" dialogue option, this is what follows:
Lavellan: "Let me help you, Solas."
Solas: "I cannot do that to you, Vhenan."
Lavellan: "But you would do it to yourself? I cannot bear to think of you alone."
Solas: "I walk the din'anshiral. There is only death on this journey. I would not have you see what I become. It is my fight. You should be more concerned about the Inquisition... (etc.)"
I'm not sure if he means death for himself or death for others.
As always with Solas for me, though, what he says there can be taken so many ways. At this point, as the reawakened Solas/Fen'Harel, it could be argued that he hasn't done anything irredeemable yet (the orb is pretty bad, but that's a whole other thing). So what he could also be saying is, "I am willing to take this path all the way to the end (and go as villainous as I need to be) and I wouldn't want you to witness that." I do think he absolutely expects to die either way -- which is exactly why I hope he won't. Because I actually think that would be more surprising.
I mean, it always kills me that he thanks her when she says, "I never thought of you as someone who could do something like that." Gah.
Other things I have been wondering about is whether it's actually the Enavuris that started the Blight, and that is somehow tied in to Mythal's murder and the great betrayal... But that's just a feeling I have; I don't have any lore-based evidence to back it up, other than the similarities between the Evanuris and the Tevinter magisters of Chantry legend.
I'm kind of hoping the Evanuris did NOT start the Blight. I wouldn't mind if they were connected to it in some way, but I would like the story to remain more of a tapestry than a rope.
While the entire codex is of note, I do want to point out what the Inquisitor says when s/he reads it: "The runes say the Evanuris fought the Titans. They mined their bodies for lyrium and...something else. It's not clear." It seems like the Evanuris did unleash the Blight (perhaps a defense mechanism issued by the Titans?), perhaps it was even under the leadership of Mythal and Fen'Harel.
(snip)
"Little dwarves, never yours to reach the sun...Mythal, what did you do here?"
Great post, with some really interesting ideas to think about! I love that you caught those little references in the DR.
First is from a banter between Solas and Iron Bull. Solas asked Iron Bull if he had kill many Tal Vashoth. Then Solas says this:
"No man can kill so many people without breaking inside. To survive, those you fight must become Monsters. The mind does marvelous things to protect itself."
I definitely think Solas is talking about himself there. ("We all have a face we want to show, and a face we we do not.")
But so many of Solas's comments are fascinating -- beyond the sly wolf references:
Solas (to Blackwall): We have both seen terrible things. We have watched death and destruction render that which we love unrecognizable. It is calming to see something familiar in another.
Solas: My people had a saying long ago - "The healer has the bloodiest hands." You cannot treat a wound without knowing how deep it goes. You cannot heal pain by hiding it. You must accept. Accept the blood to make things better. You have taken the first step. That is the hardest part.
Solas (to Cassandra): I believe the elven gods existed, as did the old gods of Tevinter. But I do not think any of them were gods, unless you expand the definition of the word to the point of absurdity. I appreciate the idea of your Maker, a god that does not need to prove his power. I wish more such gods felt the same.
Cole: You didn't do it to be right. You did it to save them.
Inquisitor: Solas, what is Cole talking about?
Solas: A mistake. One of many made by a much younger elf who was certain he knew everything.
Cole: You weren't wrong, though.
Solas: Thank you, Cole.
Does anyone have some fic recs? Nearly all the ones I'm following have either finished or haven't updated recently. Other than preferring a mature-ish Lavellan and a more or less equal relationship between them I'm not fussy about the type of fic.
<sheepishly raises hand> I have a fairly new series up that's about a Lavellan navigating her feelings for both Solas and (unexpectedly) Bull, at archiveofourown.org/works/5439371. No pressure!
I never wrote any of it, but I did this with ME3 too. I didn't have the issues with the endings that others did, but I still went into a period of extensive headcanon that all stayed in my head, mostly.
I love all of ME, and even love ME3 despite several issues I have with it logistically. But I definitely did the same thing. (But then I always do -- it's what's so fun about gaming for me, that interactivity, how much we can imbue into our characters and their mindsets. Even when my character is just running around fighting things, I'm imagining what her squadmates are thinking, their emotions, etc.)
I am aware that BDSM exists I just never actually met anyone who was into it truly. I have read about it, but to place that much trust into someone. How would one know if the other person can be really trusted.
I haven't read 50 shades, I was thinking about doing that only because I want to know what the criticism is about. Couldn't really get myself to do it knowing how wrong it portrays something I actually might find intriguing.
Okay... way too much info about me to people I don't know. I'll stop writing now.
NymphGlamour, if it helps, my first Inquisitor character romanced Iron Bull the first playthrough, and while I was at first a bit startled by its edginess (it's a romance with clear BDSM elements), I also thought it was funny, hot, and responsibly written. But there was a lot of discussion of Bull's romance online (it was fairly controversial), and one of the best and most interesting essays I read on it was by this blogger, who talks about it as a lifestyle choice. Just in case it helps -- it's topically NSFW but it's smart and well-written.
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