Divergent Paths is a Dragon Age Inquisition expanded retelling with a focus on the relationships Lavellan and Solas builds throughout the events of the games. The primarily featured relationship is between Solas and Lavellan, but there is a deep exploration of friendships, romantic attachments and rivalries among the companions as well as some original characters.
The work is structured into chapters and scenes within the chapters. The narration is in the style of "together with", alternating between Lavellan and Solas point of perspective. Usually one POV per chapter, sometimes, when the structure calls for it, alternating per scene.
It is a work in progress, but I do have a thought out and planned ending and a skeleton for the entire work. I will not abandon it, or give up on it.
There is no update schedule at the moment, I tend to update new chapters as soon as I am pleased with them.
As of late, I've been focusing on making illustrations for the chapters. Once I'm caught up, I plan to publish chapters with the according illustration, for the full effect.
My aim is to explore the in-between moments, the ones that happened off-screen mostly, while keeping the integrity of the story intact. There will be canon divergence in this story, first in small ways that allow for my Lavellan and Solas to react to situations in a way better fitting to their characters, in my opinion. Later in the story, there will be points of significant divergence that will affect everything. Overall, however, I am to keep as canon compliant as possible for the sake of the established characters, history and lore.
The scope of this work is rather ambitious, and it may take me a long time to finish publishing the story, but I can promise that I have an ending planned and I don’t intend to abandon it. So please, jump on board and enjoy the ride! I am delighted to have you here.
I welcome any questions about the work, my characters or headcanons!
🛠️What modern Thedas invention does your Solas begrudgingly admit is useful?
💘What is the most ordinary thing Lavellan does that absolutely wrecks Solas? What about the other way around?
👄Who talks more while travelling?
🍵What habit did they pick up from each other?
I will answer these from the perspective of the story as far as it is published. As of right now, Chapter 33: Unravelling.
🛠️What modern Thedas invention does your Solas begrudgingly admit is useful?
Ooooh, I think there are several contenders for this one!
🕰️Mechanical clocks and watches! I think in the age of Elvhenan there were time keeping pieces, but they all worked with magic. There were also sundials and hourglasses and other old-world ways of timekeeping as well as celestial observations. I think Solas would be fascinated.
“A machine that tracks time by counting its own failures. Ingenious! The mechanical clock works because every component is slightly imperfect. Friction slows it. The mainspring loses tension, gears wear down, gravity pulls, energy leaks away. The mechanism is constantly drifting towards disorder.”
I think he might be able to mask his… fascination by simply leaning into the science nerdiness of it around the right people. Otherwise, he would avoid speaking of it, lest he give away how novel this technology is to him.
💣Another contender is gunpowder – gaatlok. We know this was invented by the Qunari, so it definitely postdates Arlathan. Solas would simultaneously admire and despise it.
⛵Modern sailing technology would also fascinate him. Ocean-going navigation, sextants, naval warfare would be surprisingly novel for someone who comes from an age where they heavily relied on Eluvians.
💘What is the most ordinary thing Lavellan does that absolutely wrecks Solas? What about the other way around?
For Solas:
➿I think adjusting her hair casually, pinning back bigger strands that escaped her bun. He’s obsessed with the little curly whispies at her temples so any time active touching is introduced, he needs to make an effort to not stare and bite his lip.
✨Oh an Dia being so effortlessly capable with some magic and not giving it a thought.
🪄Dia gets weak knees every time Solas demonstrates something with his hands, especially if it includes handling her staff. He’s so gracious overall in his movements, his long-fingered gentle hands drive her a little bit insane. That and his plush lower lip. Add the two things together, like catching an errant drop of syrup with his lower lip from his thumb and she’s cooked.
👄Who talks more while travelling?
It’s actually hard to decide! Solas is prone to long periods of silence, but then he will talk at length on a topic that interests him or feels like his interlocutor rewards him with their full attention.
Dia is less likely to go on too long on a topic, she is constantly worried about being perceived as “too much”, but she is more likely to engage others in chat, ask them questions, getting them to talk. She always wants to learn about the people around her, both for strategiacal and personal reasons. If she cares for them, then it’s genuine curiosity and desire for intimacy through shared knowledge. If it’s an enemy, rival, or someone she does not respect, she still knows getting people talking is a good way to gain ammunition against them. Just in case.
So, I think overall it would seem Dia talks more, because she will prompt and ask and make leading statements. But overall word count would definitely be Solas. Especially as he is one of Dia’s favourite targets.
🍵What habit did they pick up from each other?
Solas from Dia:
🫐Watching for berry bushes on the road and picking handfuls without really stopping for snacking, hydration and cure for boredom.
🦶Wearing his footwraps Ilvaren-style (method I invented for my story, as described in the Dalish cultural codex annex in Chapter 28: Serpentstone). It is a more practical adaptation of how he already preferred to wear his. The adjustment to the Dalish style he found lasts longer without adjustments for longer treks on foot.
Dia from Solas:
So many! She unabashedly considers him a teacher when it comes to magic.
⚕️Holding and using her staff in the way he does, including hand placement and channelling.
🔮Casting spells she learned from him his way, by default.
📖Making notes while she reads, as she noticed Solas does. Especially after she received the annotated history books from him.
🔤Adjusted her pronunciation of Elvhen words to match his, as she accepts his authority on the matter – if he got it straight from memories of Arlathan in the Fade, it must be the right way, right?
Thank you so much for asking, @fadetouchedlurker this was fun!
I would love to hear answers to these same questions from other Solavellan writers/ shippers too! Tagging @transhades (a lovely author I just found!), @virshiral, @foxeareddevilish, @ashillayn, @vhen-harel, @elfyroot, @haezelnut. No pressure!
Do they have any small friendship rituals between them?
As my story is not fully written yet, this first question is a bit hard to answer. As I am writing Divergent Paths from alternative persepctives, I hope I am showing how both slowly, but surely fall utterly in love with each other. Who will realise it first? I am not quite sure yet.
Dia is more honest with herself and knows that there is no use in avoiding things sometimes, so it may be that she will have the holy shit moment first. I think there have already been moments of crystalisation, but not quite to the depth of recognising it is love. She can be avoidant with her emotions.
In parallel I think Solas knows, before he allows himself to admit it. He's going to dance around with it, convince himself it is filial affection and fondness, intertwined with physical attraction... But at the end what else is "love"?
Do they have any small friendship rituals between them?
As of where we are in the story now, I think the biggest one is how much both of them look forward to magic lessons / staff training. It's a perfectly acceptable excuse to spend time together.
Other than that, Dia is very much prone to expressing affection, care and friendship by performing care tasks, and preparing food. She loves feeding her people. Solas happily partakes.
On the other hand Solas has already noticed that care tasks are one of her "love languages", so he accepts more doting from her then he would normally allow. He does not like to be served, per se. But because it brings her joy and makes her feel normal, he happily eats the food she makes and takes the plates or drinks she offers.
At the same time, he tries to perform care tasks in turn, like offering to heal her, any time he gets the chance to, despite Dia herslef being a healer. Also there was that one time he laundered all her clothing and conditioned her footwraps when she was... indisposed for a while.
Finally, a sign of friendship and trust from Dia is allowing touch. The accidental brush of fingers without recoiling, accepting healing hands laid upon her, allowing for a gentle shoulder squeeze of reasurance. She has a complete touch aversion with anyone else except her most trusted people. Besides Solas, Varric is the only one she willingly touched so far, from among the companions. (Excluding healing, or like protectiong someone in combat.)
This is for my Solavellan Longfic Divergent Paths.
“Come in, come in! Have a seat, there’s chairs over there and refreshments! I do hope you will try my pumpkin bread, I am trying a new recipe, they should be moist, not dry like last time. We have red wine and mead, which would you like?”
The horsemaster’s wife was a friendly doting lady, ushering them in, smiling wide at everyone. The wooden house had a much different atmosphere with her presence and hospitality. Even Dia’s frown had disappeared for the moment.
Solas let himself be ushered to one of the chairs by the table and sat, resting his staff by the wall. The pumpkin bread on the table smelled sweet.
The house was crowded, and some were clearly sitting on borrowed chairs. Elaina insisted everyone sit and had drinks poured – Solas accepted a mug of mead. The platter of pumpkin bread got passed around and everyone had to take a slice before Elaina allowed her husband to speak and get to business.
As a strategy, it was a sound one. It was much harder to appear imposing while munching on what turned out to a be, a sugar-syrup drenched vaguely pumpkin adjacent bread, that was actually cake. Solas licked his thumb to catch the drop of syrup running down the length of it.
What exactly do you think is going on inside Dia's head in the pictured moment? What about Varric? The chapter is from Solas' POV, so you can go and find out his thoughts! 😇
Out of all of the companion introductions, my favorite has got to be Solas.
I mean, come on.
This rando bald elf grabs your hand and helps you close a rift, has the audacity to give you all the credit for something that was indirectly his fault and then he looks cute as fuck while essentially being a lying liar who lies.
“Am I needed for something?”
“No, kid. I just wanted to check on you.” Answered Varric. He fished in his pocket and found his pipe.
“I’m fine.” Said Dia, giving him a smile. It was true, oddly enough, given the events of the day.
“U-huh. Talk to me, kid.” Said Varric. He picked a spot on the ground at her left, facing the stream like she was, and sat.
“What would you like me to say?” She asked, continuing to work on the braid.
Varric stuffed his pipe, then lit it, taking a few popping puffs to get it going.
“I don’t want you to say anything. I just thought you might want to talk.”
Chapter 15: Religion
“I want to learn. I always wanted to learn. I don’t want to just savagely throw fire around, base and instinctual.” Dia felt defensive, she did not want Solas to see her as some magic barbarian, she knew he disliked the Dalish already.
“It was not an insult, Lethallan. Quite the opposite. Elves have magic in their blood. What is unnatural is the elves who posses no magical abilities.” Explained Solas in a very calm, lilting voice.
“Oh. That’s an uncommon take. Not even the Dalish believe that we should all have magic. I think… that notion would terrify most people.” Said Dia.
“Indeed.” Solas reached out to offer the staff back to Dia. She took it, placing her hand a little distance under his hand, careful not to touch. Even as she did, she wondered what it would have been like if their hands did accidentally touch.
These are illustrations I made for my Solavellan longfic Divergent Paths. It is a work in progress, but there are 33 published chapters available already and I have a plan and ending for the fic, I won't abandon it.
Lately I've been mostly preoccupied with making the illustrations for the chapters, but I very much intend to update soon! (Unfortunately time is finite and real life gets in the way...)
Thanks for the tag @vhen-harel! I've never done one of these, but it seems fun!
My Inquisitor's name is Dia'Adahl.
D - Dance With the Dragon by Dark Sarah, JP Lepaluotto
The lyrics don't fit perfectly, but the vibe is specatcularily Solavellan! At least the chorus, when Solas finally breaks?
"Take my all, I surrender, surrender
Look at me and the way I ask for
Forgiveness, kindness and help
Take my all, I surrender, surrender
You will die another day, another way"
I - I Am a Stone by Demon Hunter
"Though it's me to blame
There is no more shame in me, in me
I just feel the same
Immune to all you say, and the scars don't write a song for me at all
No, your tears won't line a path for me to crawl"
A - All the Things She Said cover by Madbones, original by t.A.T.u.
"I'm in serious shit, I feel totally lost
If I'm asking for help it's only because
Being with you has opened my eyes
Could I ever believe such a perfect surprise?
I keep asking myself, wondering how
I keep closing my eyes but I can't block you out
Wanna fly to a place where it's just you and me
Nobody else, so we can be free"
A - A Better Son/Daughter by Rilo Kiley
Honestly I could copy the entire lyrics here. It's so Dia. Her self-perception and self-talk. What she strives for. How she lived before with her clan, distupted by the Conclave. Harder, yes. But better? Hopefully.
"Your ship may be coming in
You're weak, but not giving in
To the cries and the wails of the valley below
And your ship may be coming in
You're weak, but not giving in
And you'll fight it, you'll go out fighting all of them"
D - Darksome by Beseech
This one is for loss, grief and survivour's guilt.
"So long dear friends, be prepared today
Life can be darksome, but shiny in so many ways
So long dear friends, take it as it comes
Life can be darksome, but shiny in so many ways"
A - Angels by Within Temptation
I feel like modern AU Dia would listen to this on repeat right after Crestwood. 😜
"This world may have failed you
It doesn't give the reason why
You could have chosen a different path in life
The smile when you tore me apart
You took my heart
Deceived me right from the start
You showed me dreams
I wished they'd turn into real
You broke a promise
And made me realise
It was all just a lie
Could have been forever
Now we have reached the end"
H - Higher by Edenbridge
Another one where the lyrics don't match perfectly, but it very much gives me the vibe of Inquisiton in full swing, when she's running around across the continent, closing rifts, recruting agents, putting out fires, dancing at balls and never having a moment of rest.
"Give a little try, give a little more try
Never fall in line for a fleeting moment
Be and end all, I am aiming high
Climb a little higher"
L - Luxtos by Eluveitie
Most of the lyrics for this song are in Gaulish, and it's not a perfect match anyway, but this one feels like it's so Dalish! This song represent the part of Dia that will forever remain Dalish, no matter how many titles are foisted onto her, no matter the great things she experinces in the great world.
"A kingly tribe sublime
Arose in its golden time
In a prosperous era
The age primordial reign"
Fulfilling this tag has been a lot more work than I imagined, so I'm leaving the tag open for everyone, except @fadetouchedlurker, cause they can take it! 😜(Joking, no preassure!)
Rules: color all that applies to your OC and their vibes! Whichever section you get the most in is your OC’s archetype, although you can also add in whichever section you get second in to create a subclass of sorts! (Ex: the heroic maiden, the sagely monster, the outcast hero, etc!) Feel free to name it as you see fit, discuss your results, and add some vibe inspiration if you’d like! ✨
Thanks for the tag @fadetouchedlurker!
I'm tagging gently @virshiral, @luzial, @tulipathy, @vhen-harel, @foxeareddevilish, @hallahart, @haezelnut, @thedaswolves, @theriothag.
I'm doing this for Dia'Adahl, First of Clan Lavellan, reluctant Herald, Solas' (secret) Heart. I'm also basing the choices on who she is right now, in the last chapter of my story. She is not the Inquistior yet.
The Hero – 6
Impulsive action, bravery in the face of fear, unwavering self-sacrifice, resilience, fighting for those who cannot, action before contemplation, revenge over absolution, my strength serves the virtuous, an oaken shield, the thrill of battle, glowing smile and freckled cheeks, glory and remembrance, arrogance, red blooded anger, a journey begins with one step, excitement over safety, rising after every fall, shooting from the hip, a knight in shining armor, a sapling which thrives despite the fierce wind, I will succeed or die trying.
The Juvelescent – 2
Blooming flowers, gentle sighs upon a lover’s chest, freshly gathered wildflowers, assumptions assumptions assumptions, twice bitten, bright eyes which so lovingly cut through you, isolation in a sea of admirers, long hair pulled back with a ribbon, soundless footsteps in the grass, naivety shifting towards corruption, my image is not my own and the distinction it lends is not mine either, the gold that stays, sneers and smiles, white cotton dresses in the rain, negations of culpability, a bird in a jeweled cage, a smile as a sword, flushed cheeks amid longing glances, a feast you must not partake in.
The Guardian – 2
Solid rock withstanding ocean waves, sentinel, a vibrant sun through rain clouds, protecting the threshold of glory, boastful smiles and gentle laughs, reluctantly passing the torch, leading through example, past splendor: never again felt but often remembered, the darkest memory is what could have been, the shine of glory never fades, goodness is worth protecting at any cost, sacrifice begets greatness, stories to legends to myth, delivering the final blow, practice makes perfect, the tallest and oldest tree in the forest.
The Creator – 10
Giving until threadbare, abundance and growth, I made the stars for you, gifts upon meeting, feasting but never satiated, an artist’s eyes lend tender brushstrokes, I will mold you how I see fit, freshly sprouted herbs, idealism and perfectionism, big bright smiles, making for the sake of making, self immolation, never forgive and never forget, a bountiful garden, birds which scatter seeds, these hands heal and hurt in equal measure, ask and you shall receive, necessity is the mother of invention.
The Monster – 10
You must not gaze upon me, bizarre and unexpected, hidden for your own good, driven on by an unstoppable force, rage and fear, earthquakes, carcass under the hot sun, the weathered oak withstands, overworked muscles, fierceness of spirit, the blight that poisons, my inhibitions died with my innocence, screaming into the wind, otherness, a fall from great heights, I don’t even understand myself, power reveals all, the void stared back, existence is a perverse experience, blood runs hot, primal and feral joy.
The Outcast – 4
Always running, life is a series of fleeting joys, I wouldn’t recognize myself, a rushing river obscured by mist, a whispered name, mercurial and capricious, your shadow your sole companion, last bloom of the season, individuality above acceptance, a pallid complexion, isolation and silence, wanting looks, one cannot be lost when they belong nowhere, here and there, hiding between shadows, nonconformity lends insight and perspective, my heart is mine alone, running against the wind, to be irreplaceable one must be different, a gaze which stirs indescribable feelings.
The Sage – 5
Tall green grass, parchment and ink, listen closely for I rarely repeat myself, freshly lit candles, an idol placed on a faraway shelf, knowledge is power, sparkling grey hair, owls, strength of spirit, to receive you must first give, a lonely mountain overlooking the valley, appraising glances, unnoticed subtlety, seldom found and often forgotten, aquiline noses, scrawled notes haphazardly stored away, knowing glances, piles upon piles of books, I am as profound as I am clever, curiosity killed the cat; satisfaction brought it back, furrowed brows.
Looks like Dia is a Monstrous Creator! Not exactly a surprise, but more intersting how many didn't fit! Especially from the Juvalescent and Outcast categories! I know this is very much like horoscopes of personality quizzes, so it's Barnum statements. Things vague enough that they could fit anyone. But it was a fun excercise!
The Monstrous Creator archetype fits, because she did pick June for her vallaslin and has great admiration for creafts and creative endevours. Her own craft, magic, is something she wants to learn to wield ever more skillfully. She does have some hands-on skills and talents too, but I'll leave those as a mystery for my readers to discover as the story unfolds.
All mages are monsters in Thedas. That wasn't hard to reach lol.
These are for my Solavellan fanfic, Divergent Paths.
Chapter 12: Crossroads
Chapter 13: Veilfire
Thank you for all the wonderful people who liked and reblogged the other illustrations! I see you! And I see your additional tags! You are wonderful and make me smile and giggle every time.
If you have any questions about the illustrations or the fanfic they belong to, I would be happy to answer or discuss. Thank you!
I couldn't decide wich scene was most important, so I made both for this chapter! 😁
Chapter 11: Practice
It's so fun to finally have some of the companions!
These are all scenes in Divergent Paths. If you like the illustrations, maybe you will enjoy the story!
Let me know what you think of my version of Varric and Cassandra. I know they don't look exactly the same, but I don't know how to translate their faces from 3d better.
And in case anyone is wondering, the variation in wardrobe is a concious choice. I don't want them to wear the same outfit in every scene. I will be playing dressup dolls with them. 😉
I don't want to go too, too deeply into it, but all day I've been thinking about how blatantly unfair and mean everyone is to Solas in Veilguard. (And we all know why, but I'll let that particular sleeping dog (mostly) lie, I guess.)
(I am increasingly bitter about all of this, and while I genuinely enjoyed Veilguard for what it was, and for the catharsis and closure of the Solavellan ending, on repeat playthroughs I am getting really frustrated by the illogical, unsympathetic, and outright cruel way Solas is treated by the narrative. You don't have to like or romance him to see that none of it lines up properly.)
Solas is not an idiot, he knows people are after him and people don't agree with him. But this particular bit is just mean. It feels like it's meant to read as an understanding nod towards the audience. Like a "Yeah we know you hate this guy, we do, too - everyone does."
Let's not talk about the fact that his plan was to actually stabilize the Veil by moving Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain to stronger prisons.
Let's not talk about the fact that Varric bulldozed his way into a magical ritual he didn't fucking understand to pretend he was saving the world (talk about a hero-complex) and distracting the person currently wielding the energy of 8-10 nuclear power plants.
Let's not talk about the fact that Rook and their reckless carelessness are the reason why the ritual failed and Solas threw himself (and the world!!) the only lifeline he could in that moment - a blood magic connection.
No. Let's instead be schoolyard-bully mean to a heavily traumatized man while refusing to hear anything he has to say.
Sure, Rook. You know better than the millennia-old, immortal being trying to sort out your mess.
I bet this line hurt Solas more than he admitted to even himself. Once again willfully misunderstood, misinterpreted, misconstrued, and bitterly reminded of a time when that was his life for centuries.
We continue with this:
Really? Really? Yeah he fucking burned the corrupted lab, Harding. There was and is no cure for the Blight. God-like powers or not ("Come on, be the god she needs." - wtf), he wasn't "too scared of the Blight to do anything" - there literally wasn't anything else he could have done.
This scene makes me so angry. I would pay good money to have access to information what the writers' room looked like on this.
But then again, the whole game is mostly just a complete character assassination of Solas in an effort to a) comfort one man's fragile ego (how ironic, the parallel with Elgar'nan), and b) make the story make sense somehow for people who disliked Solas in DAI.
Sure, let's call Solas a coward for not performing divine miracles on demand. Let's pretend it's willful cruelty or indifference and not a sheer and obvious lack of power.
How fucking cruel to accuse him like this, when this confrontation alone probably ripped his heart to shreds knowing he was responsible for all of it. But instead of empathetic understanding (Rook also caused a cataclysmic event without meaning to and is currently confronted with the consequences of their own actions!), all they do is sneer.
Once again, the game itself is only giving us half the story. On purpose. This "discussion" makes it seem like Solas only wanted to stop Elgar'nan (and only him) because he didn't want to see him in power.
But that's not it. Solas started rebelling and freeing slaves for ideological reasons, yes - but what really pushed him over the edge and towards the creation of the Veil was the Evanuris using the Blight. Something Solas knew would endanger every single living thing in entire world. Not a petty power squabble or a difference in politics - a necessity of raw survival.
The game tries to paint Solas and Elgar'nan as "two politicians", "just like Tevinter nobles", because recognizing that Solas did something necessary nobody else was able and/or willing to do, bloodying his hands and blackening his conscience, and losing his dearest friend and lover over it, would make him sympathetic.
And if there's one thing Solas isn't allowed to be in this game it's sympathetic. Because this is one man's quest for vengeance against a video game character that made him feel a negative emotion once.
(To be Fair And Balanced(tm), you can steer Rook in a sympathetic direction via dialogue - but the companions just always snap back into their default anti-Solas mindset.)
Oh fuck all the way off, Morrigan. Treacherous. Who conned the Warden/Alistair/Loghain into making an Old God Baby for your own ends? Who absconded without a word like a thief in the night, leaving the people you claimed were your only friends behind? Who snuck her way into the fucking Imperial Court of Orlais, only to weasel herself into the Inquisition in hopes of grabbing power and artifacts of a culture that isn't yours?
Oh, what's that? That was necessary? You were protecting yourself and your child?
Hmmmmmh!!!! It's almost as if sometimes, subterfuge is necessary!
I have nothing against Morrigan as a character. I love her. But the way she is wielded in Veilguard is terrible. She's just a vehicle through which the writers (we know who in particular) let the audience know that yes, everyone hates Solas, and the audience's hatred of him is Justified(tm).
Just like her snide little "Speaking from the heart, Inquisitor?" later at the final war council. God, I wanted to punch her. I bet a lot of people felt really vindicated by those lines and Morrigan's behavior, and I bet that was the plan.
(Sometimes I wonder how Trick really, in their heart of hearts, feels about all this. We'll never know, I don't feel I'm entitled to know, I would never ask - but I wonder.)
This whole scene is also terrible. Mostly because some people just don't have enough media literacy and sheer reading comprehension to understand that Solas is doing a bit here.
The game plays it off like he's "finally taking off the mask" - but that's not it. He's playing a character (look at those hands behind his back, he does that when he's insecure), he's performing the role of the villain that Rook needs to see to push them deeper into their own regret. They "lost to the villain and failed everyone". It doesn't work if Solas doesn't play the part. It doesn't work if it's a calm discussion.
Look at his fucking face:
That's not a sneering villain. That's sadness. That's pain. That's guilt. Funny how the character artists and mo-cap people knew exactly what they were doing, even as the narrative tries its damndest to work against them.
And the final nail in the coffin:
Yes, let's get this guy's former literal slave owner to talk him down. Let's act like even now, even millennia later, she is who gets to decide his fate.
Fucking look at this final, complete humiliation. In front of everyone - Rook, Morrigan, Lavellan/the Inquisitor, a bunch of other people - he is reliving all his trauma in real time and forced into submission. Because Mythal tells him to leave it.
As if to tell even an adoring Solavellan audience - who this ending was supposed to be for! - "Look how weak and pathetic your guy is, look how your love wasn't enough, watch us kick him in the ribs one last time!"
Don't get me wrong: I love the moments between Lavellan and Solas. I love his breathless little "Vhenan." I love their kiss. I love how she kneels down to him so their faces are level. I love that he's too afraid to take her hand as they walk through the rift. I love this ending.
I just hate that it all came with one last back-handed kick in the shin for Solas and for the Solavellan-minded player.
Okay. I'm done. I just had to word-vomit this somewhere, finally. I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad for enjoying Veilguard. I'm not saying people aren't allowed to enjoy Veilguard. I myself did enjoy Veilguard ffs. I played it twice, back to back, 160 hours. I have 4GB screenshots and a whole notebook with lore notes. My critique is coming from a place of genuine, deep love for the series as a whole and Solas specifically. So I hope people take it that way.
Thanks for the tag @fadetouchedlurker!
To answer your question, yes, I am working on more chapter illustrations as we speak. I will share some finished ones soon!
Here's a sneak peek at one of my current works. I tend to work on several at a time, sometimes getting caught up in the concept for the scene, other times wanting to do line work, or colouring. Though colouring is my favourite, I think! It's the most relaxing part.
That said, I'm running out od the good paper for alcohol markers and I bought some more marketed as specifically for the medium but the ink sits glossy on top, and it leaves pudle shapes as the alchohol evaporates. I want the nice matte look. Does anyone have any recomendations for paper I can buy online?
Thaaaaaaanks.
And thanks for the tag.
This is the last complete pragaraph I am happy with from Chapter 34 of Divergent Paths. I am still in the writing/ editing stage so it may change before publishing.
“Magical theory aside, we should press on. There’s no telling how many more Venatori are on their way. These ones sounded like they were looking for us!” Intervened Cassandra, curtailing whatever quip was blossoming in Dorian’s chest. He was just about to say something with an impish smile.
I'm curious what you are up to? @virshiral, @luzial, @tulipathy
it's crazy how, when replaying the DAO, DA2, and DAI, literally everything is suddenly about Solas to me. everything mirrors him in some way, everything is foreshadowing one way or another.
This shield from DAO is called the "Fade Wall" ffs!
The fucking "Andraste's Mabari" song Codex from DAI is about Solas and you can't change my mind!
Solas goes to sleep, almost killed by trying to avenge Mythal's murder, only to wake up centuries later to go on his Din'an'shiral to complete his work and go "lay on the pyre" (kill himself) in the ritual that will tear down the Veil. (Which was NOT the ritual at the start of Veilguard, but oh well.)
Solas and his role in the narrative are baked into the foundations of the whole franchise, no matter how much Veilguard may or may not have botched the landing narratively.
As it often happens, I got swept up in a new thing once again, and now I can't stop wanting to work on the illustrations for my Solavellan fic Divergent Paths!
Chapter 07: Boom - first illustration.
Chapter 07: Boom - second illustration.
This is my first dual Solas-Lavellan chapter and both moments are so important to me, I made an exception and made two illustrations for this chapter. The norm will continue to be one per chapter.
Chapter 08: Breach.
Chapter 06: Burn also has an illustration, but I've decided to not post that because it contains a major spoiler. So if you wan't to see it, you will have to read the story! 😉
I hope to see some of you give my fic a go! If you have, let me know somewhere in the comments! 💕
