#{ hobo!solas }

[janearts]

Dragon Age 4 but hobo Solas

I am so flattered you thought of my very crusty redesign for DA4. (I added some gnarly salad fingers because I received feedback that he was–somehow–still bangable.)

[Original Hobo!Solas post.]

[janearts]

If you'd been given the chance, how would YOU have designed Solas? What would each part of his design details mean/represent and why?

This is a great question!

The devs wanted a look for Solas that would “evoke a sense of ageless wisdom”, but if I were given a chance to have designed Solas, I would have been more partial to an appearance that was… less polished.

So I tried to redesign Solas in a way that:

Physically separates him from “modern-day” elves. I love love love short elves, so instead of making him taller or bulkier, I gave him an attribute that isn’t usually associated with elves in Thedas: facial hair.

Emphasises his wandering lifestyle. I love the characterisation of Solas as a hobo, so I wanted to push that aspect: patchwork clothing that doesn’t seem like it was really made for his body, long unkempt hair & beard, tattered gloves, etc.

Suggests there’s more to Solas than there appears. In keeping with the two previous points, I wanted physical suggestions that Solas had experienced more than he would openly admit. To that end, I gave him some facial scarring and wrinkles. 

Gives a nod to the Dalish understanding of Fen’Harel as a trickster. For me, that was giving him a toothy smile and a wry look. 

My apologies to any Solasmancers…

[fenharelenaste-blog]

@darkenedsmile | liked for a starter | accepting

A crooked smile briefly appeared on his face as the little woman reappeared in the rotunda. It smoothed again, as though it had not been there at all and in its place the only sign that he might possibly have missed the girl showed in the slight arch of interest that raised his brows.

"Welcome back, da’fen. I was wondering when you would return. Did anything exciting happen while you were way?”

The words trickled slowly from his lips like the drip of melting snow, cool and sweet in his own usual manner.

[fenharelenaste-blog]

Faded Ruin

@helpforwherethehurtis

Solas had returned to the stone towers of the ancient ruin, well preserved from the age when they had teemed with elves and spirits. It was testament to time, a grand feat, a thousand thousand slaves in the making. Now as he walked this among the stones it was eerily quiet. Few spirits still wandered into this part of the Fade.

He entered a grand hall with tattered drapes and tilted tables that spun in the air, and looked up thoughtfully as he passed through the familiar surroundings. Metal sconces lined the wall. Solas reached out and twisted his hand in a slight flourish to light one in veilfire. The rest followed after, lit in memorized sequence to reveal a hidden passage. 

Bookshelves lined the walls where they had not fallen over. Some pages scattered around the floor and a few danced about in the air. He approached the shelves and rummaged through the bindings. The ominous tome was unmarked, bound in pitch black leather and undisturbed by the passage of time. 

Solas sat at his desk and poured through the ancient tome. Its terrible incantations were written with the aid of elvhen magic and at his touch, the script glowed faintly. 

The magic was of a kind he never hoped to have needed, but now there were nothing left to him but bitter options, each one worse than the last. 

[fenharelenaste-blog]

Of Companions

@demon-of-empathy | liked for a starter | accepting

    The Inquisitor led their company along to the verdant landscape of the Emerald Graves. As they passed over streams and through dense thickets of growth, the companions were somber, speaking seldom and in a hushed tone that seemed to pay homage to the dead who granted the forest its namesake. 

    They came across a first of the wolven statues, and the party approached it with some looks of confusion. As he often did, Solas found himself volunteering some of his knowledge.

       ❝ They were guardians. ❞ he said.  ❝ When the elves returned here to establish their new homeland, the Emerald Knights protected it with these wolven companions at their side. ❞

[fenharelenaste-blog]

Buried Memories

@xeet-xitara | continued from here: [X]

For just a moment, Solas’ eyebrows furrowed and creased reflexively in pain. Though he revisited the past at times, such memories were filled with regret and loss. 

“No, I do not. I prefer to find new sources of knowledge which means finding memories that are not my own.” His eyebrows raised with curiosity. “You must lead an interesting life to attract such attention from spirits.”

[fenharelenaste-blog]

Dancing Practice

@aeluned

Solas sat back at his desk with the book of Orlesian theater in his hands. The pages made a slight sound as they turned. One of the crows returned to the rookery above with excited cawing that echoed faintly around the room. Besides himself and the birds, the place was emptied out. Skyhold was quiet as people finished their suppers and retired for the night.

Still he waited, prepared to stay up awhile longer for his friend to arrive for her dance lesson. Rather than his usual attire, he was dressed in dark blue silk formal wear. The strange Inquisition finery had been “gifted” for their trip to Halamshiral. It only seemed fitting to wear it and play the part as they danced. Maybe he really just hoped she would like it.

[fenharelenaste-blog]

"Hahren, which of the old ruins you have visited is your favorite?" ~Sahlin

“I have no favorite, da’len. Each one has a story to tell that is fascinating in its own way. Whether the ruins are decadent or humble, steeped in magic or in death, they have meaning. The lost histories give us a piece of what we were, and in so doing reveal to us something of our nature.”