I see it as a formality, and a callback to what Bellara says about Ancient Elves expressing emotions differently. Basically, she's telling him something he already knows, but this is like...the scientific proof. Their personal method of communication.
Cole's line in Trespasser is "he burned her off his face", and there is obviously significant power in freeing yourself, but it makes sense that Solas (who cannot change, and has to believe that NOTHING can EVER change its nature in order for his worldview to stand up), doesn't shift until the only God who learned HOW to change gives him permission to.
At no point in the entire franchise does Solas let someone else make the call. He has to believe he's the only one who can. Mythal, but more importantly the part he murdered to steal power from, tells him it's time to give that up. And after fucking eons of being a dick about it, Solas decides to listen to her. That maybe compromise is okay. That maybe the world people built after he disappeared is worth something. That he's done. That he can leave her, and everyone else, and go back to observing, which was all he wanted in the first place.
It's not absolution. He's nowhere close to that yet. But it's permission to change his nature, and Solas has needed to learn how to do that since the beginning.
some sketch that randomly came to life while listening to a video about how booktokers read skipping descriptions and only checking the first and the last sentences on a page
i haven’t been feeling well lately; i have no energy for anything, however, in between things, i pass the time reading victor segalen’s essay on exoticism: an aesthetics of diversity. in it, he speaks of exoticism, defining it as the ability to perceive diversity, to comprehend that which is different from oneself. exoticism is the capacity to grasp the other. those who revel in this awareness and are capable of feeling exoticism are 'exots
i instantly thought that solas, with his immense curiosity, couldn't help but be one. after all, he is literally a spirit of wisdom; i feel like this is his very essence
yet, the creation of the veil left a severe imprint on his worldview. it seems to me that he is quite literally detached from reality, lost in regrets, anger, and the past - and it is killing him. within his mind, like an old film reel that has begun to decay, the exact same events keep replaying, and the exact same images surface and fade away
*by the way, this is in some sense an interesting metaphor for death and the end of a mythical era full of magic
*and speaking of which, the dropping of the veil—the veil over solas’s own eyes, rendering him unable to see the new world...
his attitude toward the dalish and the city elves is, in a way, unnatural. i think it hurts him too. knowledge is an eternal movement forward. in my ideal version of his character development, there would definitely be an arc where he truly gets to know them, their culture, their stories, etc
Ok so I have only played DAI and a little of Veilguard so I don't have the full context of his character development outside of reading Tumblr posts but I want to respond. With my context being: I am thinking of what we get in DAI.
I agree it would have been great to see him be challenged more in his view of the modern elves. To have had more interactions between them and time for him to soften. We get it a bit with the Solavellan romance, but it is mostly her who challenges him (not her people, or Sara and the city elves). It could have been a much, much harder choice to continue on with his duty if they had. He absolutely takes his hurt out on them once he discovers what happened to them. Glad they wrote him that way to be honest, it makes him believable. He's emotional. I love that.
Personally I would have loved to see more challenge to his views and more of his internal emotional conflict. And more time for curious Solas, geeking out about NEW things, not just things he already knows. Have him open up to the world more than he did, so it hurts MORE when he backslides.
I commissioned this piece from the unbelievably talented Hotwe, who is one of the most intelligent, thoughtful, deliberate artists I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I cannot express how grateful I am for the kindness shown towards my imaginary dolls at every step of this process. Thank you! <3
This is paired piece to this one, also by Hotwe, which I commissioned immediately after finishing Inquisition for the first time. Once I finished Veilguard and filled out how the story ends for these two, I knew I desperately wanted the other half of this diptych.
Close-ups and lengthy notes on the incorporated symbolism are below the cut.
Where the first piece was much more somber and determined, I really wanted this moment to feel triumphant (if not unreservedly happy). These are two people at the end of a long war with each other, and moving forward doesn't mean erasing the road before.
Some notes in no particular order:
Solas's hands are now open, releasing the hard and inflexible grip he had in the original piece
The constellation is Fervenial, the Oak, for its associated concept of Vir Tanadhal: "fly straight and don't waver, bend but never break, and the idea of balance. ...The imagery of the hunter (Adahla) metaphorically striking like a bolt on Solas' plans and forcing a reframing of the lightning/smite-y/fate concept of Fulmenos into a concept of balance and growth/organic/spring" - straight from the artist's massive brain
(I've written about why constellations & stars, especially Fulmenos, are important to them here)
Red embrium leaves for healing
Spring growth for seasonal change
Solas, being pushed forward by the strong wind behind him, is finally able to stop thanks to Adahla's pressure
Adahla's dress is inspired by this statue (San Joaquín, Santa Ana y la Virgen Niña by Juan Alonso Villabrille y Ron), but has been reworked with Dragon Age motifs and emblems
The gold vines are from my post-Veilguard fic for them, The Heart Where I Have Roots
I plan to do one more post with both of these pieces together as soon as I can; their journey's been messy to the max, but it honestly brings me so much joy to know they've landed somewhere like this, and I'm again so thankful to Hotwe for bringing that ended war to life.
Several weeks ago, I was recommended by @bitchesofostwick as someone who could possibly provide tips for writing an in-character Solas. I was and am still very flattered by this recommendation, even though I think there are plenty out there better than I to seek such tips from. However, I am in a meta kind of mood today (and I’m on semester break), so I thought I might sit down and type some of these out.
Note: I don’t claim to be any sort of authority on the matter at all. These are just a collection of thoughts I have when I write him in case anyone is struggling.
Whenever I go to write Solas, there are several qualities that I try to capture: intelligence, passion/excitability, perceptiveness/curiosity, emotionality, and confidence. Solas also has a particular way in which he uses words that is important to consider, and all of his different “attributes” can be influenced in their presentation by his relationship with the person to whom he is speaking.
I’m going to try to address each thing separately below:
Finishing Veilguard for the third time and I got very stuck in the sequence when Solas joins Rook in Minrathous. This still strikes me very emotionally.. every playthrough of Inquisition, after the first one, I'm very aware of the last time I can have Solas in my party and I kind of mark it wistfully. And to have him join the party again in Veilguard even briefly? My heart!
I paused a bunch and tried to get some good screenshots of him fighting. Sorry Rook, just don't die while I try to pause at the right moment..
I had a lot of fun with this! My Lavellan and my current interpretation of Solas (which is always evolving). Fitting chart as they both go through hell and are hell together. I am trying to organize my thoughts for fan fiction purposes, hur hur. Thank you @nights-at-crystarium for making and sharing your chart! Zoom in if anyone is interested in reading the notes.
the thing that bewilders me about a lot of fantasy readers is that they read about settings and plots featuring imperialism, war, and slavery and then call the inclusion of violence, abuse, and sexual exploitation "edgy" and "gratuitous" and it's like what did you think was happening. why were you under the impression that you were going to get a cozy story about fascism or something. far be it from me to criticize anyone for not wanting to read about torture in their spare time, and there are certainly cases where heavy subjects are poorly executed, but is it not equally insulting to sanitize them for a feel-good adventure.. like no one put a gun to your head and forced you to give your fantasy novel an enslaved protagonist. sometimes writing is supposed to make you feel bad
