Vhenan

Been trapped in Solavellan hell since 2015 Icon image is not mine and is from @nerdierholler

[nerdierholler]

Well if Matt Rhodes is going to give us the goods…

Have a bunch of Solas heads (plus three that I posted previously just to have them all in one post). Not tons of variations possible with this art but I gave it a shot.

More concept art icons 1, 2, 3, and 4

[strawberry-halla]

yeah alright chat let’s buckle down and psychoanalyze the veilguard ‘atonement’ ending theme!

for those who wish to listen along, the lovely amazing ghil dirthalen was able to capture the music (bioware for the love of god PLEASE release this track i will sell my soul for it) on her youtube channel, here!

i am not a music professional! these are things i picked up on listening to the theme by itself and watching the ending. i try my best to identify instruments so i will make errors in correctly identifying them. please educate me if you know more than me! i don't want to discredit anything used here!

alright let’s get into it!

0:00 - 0:47

plays right after defeating elgar’nan, this is the dread wolf theme as solas is staggering down the steps monologuing to rook about how his plan to tear down the veil must go on.

rook intercepts the lyrium dagger and here is where they make the choice to either trick, fight, or redeem solas.

0:48 - 1:18

the music is tense, but the dread wolf theme slows and starts to morph into something else.

rook turns to solas, saying how they do not wish to fight him and are given another dialogue choice after choosing the ‘redeem’ option.

1:19 - 1:30

the music sort of dins out here to just the cello/violin(?).

rook is telling solas that his plan to bring down the veil is not what he needs to do nor is it in HIS best interest. i think the music fades out here because the three dialogue options you're given are very powerful in their wording and needed to be amplified.

1:31 - 1:57

the violin/cello(?) starts off and you can hear some notes resembling the inquisition theme. this is solidified by the harp joining in and then you hear notes of someone singing like the well of sorrows theme from inquisition. i like to think this is solas fighting with himself thinking of his time during inquisition (and with lavellan) and the well of sorrows theme is both playing as solas's unyielding devotion to mythal.

solas is given the lyrium dagger to make his choice. he looks down at it, and for a brief moment you can see him tapping the blade with his finger. he's pondering this plan. he looks up at rook briefly before looking back down at the dagger again. solas looks like he's going to say something, but turns away from rook and starts to walk up the steps.

1:58 - 2:05

the harp plays the inquisition motif, or at least a very short brief version of it. you can hear the singing still as lavellan steps into the doorway and looks up at solas.

2:06 - 2:23

the violin plays as solas finally reaches the top of the stairs. it almost sounds like it's pulling? it changes notes almost as if it's changing direction. solas fighting with the idea of tearing down the veil or binding himself to it.

finally he says he can't bind himself. that 'to stop those would dishonor those i wronged to come this far.' i don't know what instrument it is, i think it's a woodwind instrument and a rainstick? plays as solas says he can't bind himself to the veil. he chooses to persist in his plan despite being given a way out.

2:24 - 2:28

GOD THIS PART. the choir builds as the inquisitor's voice cuts solas off. this same string of notes sung is often used in inquisition when the inquisitor comes on screen in the past.

no other instrument is played here. it is just the voices of the choir.

'vhenan...'

2:29 - 2:37

one note of the piano drops as soon as solas turns his head from lavellan in shame. this was exactly what he feared, letting her see him like this. the inquisitor starts trying to reason with solas: 'you think you've gone too far to come back, but you're wrong.'

2:38 - 2:53

alright SO this part is EXTREMELY important and also INCREDIBLY hard to pinpoint but if you go back and listen to inquisition's 'thedas love theme' you CAN hear parts of it interwoven in this section. the cello is so overwhelming because the inquisitor is pulling solas away from his plan again.

he's wanting to listen but he's fighting so hard because he doesn't think he deserves this. even after lavellan says she forgives him! solas doesn't think he's worthy of her.

2:54 - 3:20

the cello is pulling faster to add tension to this part because once again solas rejects even the love of his life's plea! you become hopeless thinking that their love never mattered even against the fate of the world. solas says he cannot because he feels like he NEEDS to avenge mythal by bringing down the veil. he's bound by duty and pride, there is no wisdom here.

3:21 - 3:55

ALRIGHTY FOLKS THIS PART HERE OHHHH MY GOD. so the cello swells again because solas is about to tear down the veil it seems for good, because if not even his vhenan can convince him, who can?

morrigan shows up, and as soon as she stands before solas you get slammed with all three games' themes at once! first you hear origins and then 2, and then finally inquisition all interwoven together. this part is SO insane to me. holy shit!!!!!!!

i just want to say even though we are talking about the music, you will see that morrigan, rook, and lavellan are lined up from left to right. past, present, and future. i am so fucking feral over that. they did that on purpose i don't care what anyone says. anyways! back to the music.

3:56 - 4:20

the choir again! holy fuck! you can hear da2 and a little bit of origins? at least i think it's that. this is played as rook hands morrigan mythal's essence and she channels it for mythal to appear before solas. literal chills babes!

4:21 - 4:55

DO YOU GUYS FUCKING HEAR TRESPASSER? BECAUSE I SURE FUCKING DO. HOLY SHIT. I CANNOT EVEN DESCRIBE TO YOU WHAT THIS MEANS. lost elf. solas is lost. he's lost EVERYTHING up until this moment. his family, his friends, his soulmate, EVERYTHING. he's like a sad, lost, child in this moment.

anyways! lost elf starts off really quiet and slow and deep as mythal lays out her wrongs in front of solas, showing him that he alone was not the pariah of this story. mythal reminds him that she also committed the same wrongs as he did, it's not solas's alone to regret. she was there too. if not for her, solas would not have done what he did.

4:56 - 5:22

lost elf is still playing very quietly in the background! as soon as mythal appears the cello is more carefree, flowing, free! solas is free now! lavellan KNEELS before him as solas breaks down, an immense weight falling off him as he's finally free to be who he chooses. no longer bound by pride and regret.

solas stands up and realizes that what he wants is to atone. to fix his mistakes the right way, not the way mythal would have wanted or his pride would want. his wisdom sees that if he uses what he knows, he can at least start to mend the past wrongs.

5:23 - 6:02

ugh i don't know who let hans zimmer absolutely fucking COOK here but the cello starts to move faster in a more hopeful, determined state as solas binds himself to the veil and promises to soothe the titan's dreams, help find a cure for the blight, and atone for all his mistakes. it really fills you with a sense of relief and pride for him! like yeah babe you do that! proud of you!!!

6:03 - 7:14

ok so i actually have been crying the entire time lol! i literally cannot stop. so this part! so many big feelings. lavellan steps up to solas, telling him that he won't make this journey alone. the main chorus of lost elf starts to play and i cannot tell you when you hear the cello and the fucking violin start playing TOGETHER because solas and lavellan are finally TOGETHER after being literally put through the fucking wringer for 10 fucking years.

and the SYMBOLS CRASHING TOGETHER WHEN THEY KISS IS JUST HOW I FEEL ALL THE TIME ABOUT THEM. lost elf is THEIR theme. this is not just solas's theme anymore this is solas AND lavellan's theme. they made it their theme. this is about them now, your honor!

alright so that's how i feel about all of that because this theme literally has rocked me to my core. the entire sequence is insane. the past motifs of the past games being used destroys me. and then lost elf comes in and just smacks the nail in the fucking coffin.

thank you bioware for absolutely destroying me 10 times over with this theme. and thanks to all the people who actually read my insane ramblings! i will never shut up about this sequence for the rest of my life.

[primopinku]

direct follow up from this post.

I like to think of Alistair visiting the Hero of Fereldon pretty often even as a king. The tomb is said to be pretty grand in Weisshaupt Fortress. Always bringing her a bouquet of roses in hand and he talks to her about his life without her and his troubles. Counting the days before he's called into the deep roads. In hopes of joining her finally in the fade.

[vir-suledin]

Ok this hurts

[unwelcome-tagalong]

okay here’s another thing re: Solas NOT fucking killing the ppl he cares about—

i know not everybody’s read the comics but if you haven’t, you need to know he ACTIVELY saves Varric’s life in The Missing even though Varric is hot on his trail post-Trespasser and on his way with Harding to stop his plans like!!! Varric is LITERALLY getting in his way and he not only doesn’t kill him, he SAVES him like!!

god that poll should not be bothering me this much but it is lol free my boy!!! he’d do a lot of bad shit but he wouldn’t do that lmao

[skaterboisims]

I want dao to be remastered so bad I wanna see Zevran full HD yassified but at the same time I remember what they did to Alistair

[vir-suledin]

Wait, did you not play dragon age 2? Because he’s in that game too.

[vir-suledin]

I have this headcannon that the veil weakened the elves significantly that’s also the reason why half elven children don’t look like their elven side. The veil has caused the elves to loose vital “nutrient” for them to grow well. That’s the reason why ancient elves are so much taller in comparison to modern elves.

[felassan]

[vir-suledin]

SHE HAS RETURNED!!

[acinonyxian]

imo the reason dragon age 2 goes so hard is because it's like... not afraid of the sociopolitical conflicts in thedas and it puts you right up in the middle of them. you just. you can't ignore how FUCKED thedas is when you're playing da2. it's not just that you're told "oh yeah some people are part of violently oppressed minority groups", your party members are deeply and personally affected by being part of those groups!

contrast that with dai where like... solas and sera are TOTALLY disconnected and disdainful when it comes to elves, and solas, while a mage advocate, sorta, doesn't have a personal stake in it! vivienne (just saying now i am not a fan of vivienne hate she is a complex and interesting character who deserves respect) has carved out a situation where she can have power WITHIN the system that violently oppresses her and wants to protect that! dorian comes from a country where mages are a protected and privileged class! none of them provide any incentive to closely examine or strongly oppose the established institutions of thedas, except, perhaps, tevinter, which we're supposed to write off as evil anyway!

da2 incentivizes you to believe that the decisions you make matter, on a deep level, to the people that you love. they are in real danger from the templars! threats against the alienage or the inquest of tevinter or the qunari are genuinely destabilizing on a life-or-death level. meanwhile like... idk you can let the chargers die and that sucks or you can personally make blackwall's life bad for his admittedly pretty shitty crimes, but the urgency is missing, the intensity of loving people who are in a mundane sort of danger. you can close the breach, but what the fuck can you do about the chantry? but da2's the only game you really get that in. dao asks you to make some hard decisions, but the force you're fighting against is an outside evil. the breach, the archdemon, the blight, corypheus. okay that thing is bad and i should definitely get rid of it. in da2 sure there's the qunari and meredith or whatever but imo the primary conflict is with the atrocities the society you live in is built on and that goes FUCKING HARD.

[vir-suledin]

To be fair, depending on your choices Solas does change his opinion(kinda) but he’s a fricking idiot. That’s also the reason why I didn’t like Sera, as a character, she felt so incomplete in regards to character development like she never grows as a person. The worst part was is that she had/has much potential to do so but nothing happened.

Honestly I would kill for a remastered Dragon age origins. (Which is honestly my favorite DA game but I digress) mainly because of how much you can interact with your companions.

[zevoz]

"Ara Sal'shiral" by Zevoz

Moonlit dreams

[artist-rat]

late night thoughts

[cccrystalclear]

This meme reminded me of Varric

[quibbs]

been spending time with some old friends :’)

[pickled0ctopus]

past

[high-dragon-bait]

Sorry for being a nuisance 🥰 I know you're probably getting waaaay to much of these (but you're doing such an awesome job with them 😍) and may be tired of fake banter...

but fake banter for Fenris and the Iron Bull, please? 🙏

And/Or

more banter for Fenris and Dorian, please, please, please? 🥺🥺🥺

Hello! I picked Bull and Fenris for this. It's pretty goofy since my last banter was so heavy. Also it requires a disclaimer:

Look. Sometimes. These don't go in the direction I expect. I lose control and have no choice but to write down whatever it is the blorbos want to say. I'm absolving myself of any and all responsibility here. Enjoy

____

Fenris: Is there something you want, Qunari?

Iron Bull: You've got a reputation with the Vints. The things they say about the Blue Wraith... it's good to meet you.

(Third Party Member Dependant)

Dorian: Wait... Bull, are you a fan?

Blackwall: I think the man's in love!

Cole: He likes watching the blood drip to the grass. He feels warm when it matches the beat.

Solas: Tread carefully Iron Bull, our guest’s abilities can be unpredictable.

Cassandra: You are aware this is a friend of the Champion, yes?

Sera: Uh-oh. Watch out glowy-man!

Vivienne: Oh dear, I do believe the Wraith has added another heart to his collection.

Varric: Hate to tell you Tiny, but you've got loads of competition for that one.

Iron Bull: What? Not every day you meet a guy who can rip the beating heart out of a man’s chest with his bare hands. Getting to see it up close is nice.

Fenris: That's... a unique response.

____

Iron Bull: Hey, Fenris?

Fenris: Yes, Qunari?

Iron Bull: Ben-Hassrath. Get it right.

Fenris: No.

Iron Bull: Uh- okay- You looking for work after this gig? Chargers could use a guy like you.

Fenris: You’d like me to join your mercenaries?

Iron Bull: We’d give you steady work. Good coin. Good drinks. The chance to stick your hands wherever you want.

Fenris: Tempting. I’m afraid I have my own uses for my talents.

Iron Bull: Oh yeah, I bet.

Fenris: What?

Iron Bull: What?

____

Iron Bull: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever ripped out of a guy?

Fenris: What answer are you expecting?

Iron Bull: A second heart? Some crazy blood crystal? Oh! A man eats his twin in the womb, never knows it, and then the last thing he sees is you rip it out of him!

Fenris: I once grabbed a man’s stomach by mistake. It was unpleasant.

Iron Bull: You're not as fun as I thought you’d be.

Fenris: I weep to hear it.

____

Iron Bull: You stand taller every time we pass someone who looks noble.

Fenris: Are you about to accuse me of reflexive respect shown to those in power?

Iron Bull: Oh, I think it's reflexive. I don't think it's respect.

Fenris: What is it then?

Iron Bull: Respect would be standing so they feel important, careful you don't stare too long at the face. You look straight at them. Move your shoulders in a way that makes you look big. You let them know one step too close, and they won't get to make a step back.

Fenris: I see. Teth a, Qunari.

Iron Bull: That's all I do, Wraith.

____

Iron Bull: Hate to say it boss, but all these demons might make you the worst contract we've ever had.

Fenris: I once faced a demon of pure magic and stone, lost in the pits of a forgotten dwarven thaig.

Iron Bull: Wait… really?

Fenris: We had been in the Deep Roads for a week. After being deliberately trapped and left to rot.

Iron Bull: I can’t tell if you’re joking.

Fenris: By the man who hired us.

Iron Bull: Ah, now I believe you. Shitty clients? Nothing’s impossible. 

____

Iron Bull: (Groans)

Fenris: Sore?

Iron Bull: Anyone ever tell you you're heavier than you look?

Fenris: Yes. Stronger too.

Iron Bull: That part's not a problem

Inquisitor: Everything alright, Bull?

Iron Bull: Fine boss. We were just blowing off a little steam. Doing some sparring.

Inquisitor: What kind of sparring put you in this condition?

Iron Bull: My kind.

Fenris: Am I still less fun than you thought?

Iron Bull: Can't tell by just one session, Wraith.

Fenris: Then I'll have to see you tonight, Qunari.

Inquisitor: I... Please don't break anything.

Iron Bull: No promises, boss.

[roguelioness]

10 days and 20+ hours of painting and I'm calling this done. My first ever canvas painting and my first ever DA fan art (that isn't writing lol). I think it turned out quite nice considering I had no idea what I was doing :)

Progress pics beneath the cut

I made the initial pencil sketch over a year ago and put off the painting because I was scared I'd screw up. I'm so glad I decided to give it a try! This is a 16x20 canvas, and I used acrylic paint.

[ceo-of-sloppy-women]

[redreart]

Fenris from Dragon Age 2

About me | Commissions info | Oil Paintings for sale | Redbubble