#Solas Character Study

[wine-stained-diaries]

Solas is not a fully formed person.

When I think of him I can only imagine these shattered pieces of glass, a mere glimpse into what he could have been like if he ever fully formed. But Solas was never awarded the time to flourish, to develop into something that could fully be regarded as him

The nature of a spirit is narrow all things considered, someone should have thought of the consequence of taking on flesh, to become a person. Yet lyrium is spilled, spirit and flesh combined... whatever could go wrong? Let us play at being Gods.

It all falls apart.

Now, the world needed a vengeful and rebellious God, that's what he became. Mythal wanted her companion, he bowed his head to what he considered a friend, but was she truly? His people needed vengeance, so he took up a mantle no one asked him to―to right a wrong few in the world even know about. His regrets demanded blood, so he killed and lied and ensnared...

Regret is a powerful motivator, enough to let it consume whatever you could have been, returning to safe waters better than facing the unknown.

I do believe Solas knows who he wants to be. The person he masqueraded as while directing the Inquisition much like a well versed maestro, is the idealised version of him. The Solas he wishes he could be above all else. But the truth of the matter, is that you cannot pick and choose what pieces of yourself you wish to uplift, and which to strangle. As a spirit he could have been Wisdom, pure in form and without callouses and scars―he no longer has that choice.

For at the end of the day it is these 'choices', either of his own make or influenced by others that has made him what he is. Flesh forces change, and to someone born into the world with one trait elevated above all else... is it truly so strange he pushes against it

The Dread Wolf represents change, yet the man who bears the moniker hates it above all else. Yearning for something simple in a world he broke all on his own. It is torture in itself.

And if the world had shattered, made anew as he had wished it―what would be left of old Fen'Harel? Would he be able to rearrange those fragmented pieces of glass, a picture made up of blood stained shards that once upon a time reflected what he had been? Flesh forces change. What stares back at him is someone he barely recognises, a victim, a villain, a God, a friend, a lover, a man.

No matter how he twists and turns this mirror, the reflection changes―and Solas hates that.

He has killed, loved, laughed, denied, hated, sacrificed, learned,―

The old world is dead.

Now the current world's blood stains his dagger, dying on the behalf of a memory that is hazy at best now. No matter, he can try again when the time is right, the pride in him whispers he will do it correctly this time.

The wisdom in him begs for it all to stop.

A cycle starts anew.

Solas does not know who he truly is, nor does he want to embrace the fact time has changed him regardless of his own wishes. Let it all become regrets and thrown in the Fade. He continues to reflect only what others may want him to be in an endless spiral he will never truly escape from―he has tricked himself in the end.

It is tragic, and horrifying at the same time.

[sky--phantom]

Solas' feelings for Lavellan

The "Solas is thousands of years old, and even if he lived thousands of years more, he'd still love Lavellan, always, and it's never going to change" just gets to me

[contessaxchaos]

I want sad pathetic Solas and The Lost Elf drowning me in sadness

BUT

I also like Solas in unfamiliar situations like the Inqusition giving him his first EVER wages and him going “hmm…” because he doesnt know what to spend it on because if he needs something he has agents who can get him things but also he’s disguised as a poor apostate who probably spends all his money on basic necessities but he doesnt wanna spend it that way because the Inquisition is already giving him free board and lodging.

[an-established-butt-dent]

The Dread Wolf - Fen'Harel.

He who hunts alone.

[bishicat]

haven't drawn this man's dumb little face in five years

[xxcherrydevilxx]

Required Dance

Pairing & Fandom - Female Lavellan x Solas from Dragon age Word count - 4306

warning - N/A, just fluff really

Summary

Lumine Lavellan is not someone cut out for charming the nobles, thats not what she signed up for. She didn't sign up for any of this but- she certainly did not want to go to some Winter Palace event with some Duke she would have to tolerate. Can't she just... stay home? leave this to the responsible ones? no? and she has to go to lessons leading up to the event? Maker's breath... At least she has her friends and Solas to help her come to terms with this.

Author Notes - Really just wanted to do a bit of character study and fool around with my Inky, somewhat happy with how this came out though theres areas I would have liked to done better. I picture the Fade Kiss scene happening after she goes to sleep, might write that if I want to but who knows! for anyone reading enjoy <3 Banner used below is by CafeKitsune!

“Can’t you do it for me, Josie, I’m busy that day,” Lumine drawled, slumped over the war table as Cullen and Leliana exchanged looks. 

“I have not told you the day the Winter Ball will take place, Inquisitor,” Josephine replied. The slightest hint of exasperation in her tone, which Lumine was unaware of as she continued to fiddle with the letter opener beside a discarded envelope. 

“I’m busy whatever day it is- go in my absence, you are better with nobility than me anyways…” Lumine continued, spinning the small blade between her fingers. The letter that needed the small knife was laid in the middle of the table, and it was the offender of today’s meeting. It held the crest from Gaspard, an invitation to Empress Celene’s ball. Josephine had expressed with much care both the importance and political moves at play with such an invitation. 

“Inquisitor you are required to be there, this event calls for your attention and is of utmost importance,” Josephine argued back, pushing the letter in front of Lumine as she did so. 

“I'm an elf, Josephine. Please do not tell me that key detail is lost on you,” Lumine grumbled, as Cullen coughed beside her before interjecting. 

“And a mage. A mage elf. Going to the Winter Palace.” Lumine nodded vigorously to Cullen’s point, returning the letter to the middle of the table. 

“Exactly! Two things nobles hate! I am saved to go about my business and you can take the fancy invitation and work your advisor magic,” 

Lumine made to stand, finally resting the blade across the letter as she threw the commander a small smile. She was stopped, however, when her eyes drifted to Josephine, the twitch of her brow and the small frown lines forming around her mouth made her, begrudgingly, sit back down. 

“Inquisitor Lavellan, you cannot shirk this duty off to me. As much as I enjoy being the strength in areas like this, I can’t. You must be there.” Josephine stated, her voice clear with clarity that allowed for no argument. 

That did not mean Lumine would go along without pouting. 

“But- I need my advisor's guidance, how am I supposed to be there alone? I’d get myself killed, or worse, ruin our reputation,” She whined insistently, standing up again with her hands splayed across the table for dramatic effect. Josephine dutifully scribbled something down with her ink and pen before clearing her throat. 

“That is why all of your advisors will be going with you, I will also need to train you in matters of court etiquette… and certainly get a tailor for the event…” As she trailed off she made more hurried notes with her quill as Lumine balked at the prospect of lessons and a seamstress. 

“Josie please-” she was cut off with the stern glare given by Leliana as she tapped her finger against the war table just once; a warning and a threat all in one. 

“I will send a schedule to your quarters once they are worked out. Thank you for agreeing to this, Inquisitor,” Josephine said. Josephine made for the door, Leliana holding it open for her as they went. Cullen shot her a sad look before patting her back and trailing off after them. As Lumine let her head hit the table in defeat, she could hear the Commander’s voice faintly through the door, asking if he really had to go to the Winter Palace as well. 

____________________________

She had found herself in the tavern that night, drinking her woes into several cups of liquor. Her usual drinking buddies Bull, and the Chargers, found her recent reason for misery delightful. 

“Yeah, you’re fucked boss, sorry to say,” Bull laughed clinking his tankard against Lumine’s as she pulled it away with a scowl. She looked down into her mug, the alcohol almost gone for the fifth time that night, 

“Shut up, will you? She's going to put me in a dress, how am I even supposed to know how to talk to nobles who hate me for even being there… Maker, what if they think I'm one of the servants,” Lumine groaned into her empty drink, raising the cup into the air to signal a much-needed refill. 

“I don’t know, maybe a fancy outfit will keep that assumption at bay,” Krem, the kind second hand to Bull added. Lumine shot him a small smile as a bar maiden appeared to fill her cup before walking behind Bull, one of her hands trailing his broad shoulders. Bull tracked the maiden with his eyes as she made her rounds to other rowdy tables. 

“It’s not fair… you get to stay here and flirt and drink and I’m forced to intermingle with people who want my head on a pike,” Lumine grumbled as she watched the flirtatious display with a frown. She gulped down a good mouthful of liquor before her addled mind came up with a brilliant idea. 

If this event was of “utmost” importance, and she was allowed to bring her advisors…

“You know what, Bull? I quite like the idea of you coming with me to the Winter Palace. I will need a bodyguard…” She snickered as she watched Bull choke on his drink. Krem let out a loud laugh before raising his glass, and the rest of the Chargers shouted their agreement. 

“Wonderful idea Inquisitor Lavellan, I wholeheartedly approve,” Krem said, his voice loud enough to hear over the excited Chargers. Bull pushed his shoulder hard into Krem, making Krem spill his drink in his lap. 

“Hell no, boss you need me here to keep these brats in line,” Bull shot back, which only made her smile turn up into a cat-like grin. If she was forced to sift through the nobles then she was going to be bringing people who would keep her entertained. 

“I think I should let Josie know you will also be needing a tailor to come by,” Lumine added, another roar of laughter followed from the chargers as Bull’s eyes narrowed at her. She gave another delighted giggle, folding her hands underneath her chin as she watched him try to find a way out of this. She had to sweeten the deal somehow, she was nice when it mattered. She held up one finger in front of him, cutting him off before she could say anything and also stilling the jabs from his crew.

“If, and only if you do this for me I will let you and the Chargers pick whichever dragon you want to hunt and I will personally help you slay it,” she said, pressing her finger against his lip before pulling it away with another smirk. She could tell it worked, he looked to Krem who shrugged his shoulders, then to the rest of the Chargers. He sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead before replying. 

“It better be one big fucking dragon,” cheers erupted around him with beer sloshing out of raised cups. Lavellan raised hers too in celebration, a smile untampered with the duty of being the Inquisitor gracing her face.

____________________________

“Lumine you’re fucking hammered,” Someone had said into her ear, she cocked her head before leaning against the person. 

“Nah, just lightly… Smashed,” Lumine teased, looking up to find Krem staring down at her with a tired, yet amused expression. She gave him one of her charming smiles, which he brushed off with ease as he helped hoist her to her feet.

“Chief told me to get you back to your room before you drink yourself into a stupor,” He continued, his hands lingering in front of Lumine as she swayed from left to right. She let out a little laugh at Krem’s comment and began to move. She thought she had the hang of it, really, but somehow she got twisted up on her own feet and was mere seconds away from crashing to the wood floors before Krem grabbed her arm to help steady her. She felt weak in his arms as he put another hand around her middle to help her walk.

“Yeah, hammered, let's get you to bed before Josephine bans you from the tavern,” Lumine was dully aware of him leading her out into the biting cold of Skyhold and up the steps to the main hall. She saw him pass by the rotunda and immediately slurred out a command to turn around. She had not forgotten the kindness shown to her last time when something similar occurred from the wise apostate, and she wanted to see if it would hold true a second time.

“Take me to Solas,” she mumbled, gesturing with her head to the door. Krem gave her a strange look before heaving a sigh and turning them around. Lumine let out an elated sound in the back of her throat, earning a laugh from Krem.

“So Chief wasn’t making up your crush then, I take it?” Krem teased, opening the door to the rotunda with the toe of his boot. Lumine shushed him loudly, pressing a hand over his mouth and dipping back in mock offense at the claim. She almost fully fell out of his grasp before he tightened his hold on her waist. 

“Inquisitor,” A voice echoed across to them, making Lumine snap her head to his usual haunt. The desk, however, was empty and made her face twist into a frown. She scanned the rest of the room, increasingly getting more agitated with each pass that did not show Solas. She let out a huff, and Krem used his other hand to angle her chin upwards to where he sat on scaffolding. His eyes held a quiet disdain for the both of them, as he nodded to Krem.

“One of Bulls men, yes? Why have you brought the Inquisitor here instead of her chambers,” Solas questioned, his eyes trained on the hand wrapped around Lumine’s waist as Krem led them both more inside the rotunda. As he did, Lumine let out a happy hum to fully be in the space, the frescos comforting and the veilfire lulling her into peace.

“She- she asked to come here instead, I can take her-” Krem began before Solas stopped him. He angled his head towards the small loveseat before speaking.

“Leave her then, I have handled her like this before. It could be the reason she has sought me out,” As he spoke Krem did as he was told. Leading her to the couch before helping her sit. She gave his hand that was pulling away a friendly pat, trying to put together words as thanks which only came out as a hum of approval. Krem let out a soft laugh before retreating several paces away. Solas watched him as he left, his eyes never leaving the man until he heard the click of the door. 

“Solas!” She beamed, staring up at him from where he was perched. When he was assured of Krem’s departure, he finally turned his head to look down at her from across the room. His eyes held a hint of curiosity as he made to climb down the scaffolding, whatever task he was doing pushed aside in favor of her.

“Inquisitor Lavellan, might I ask why you seek me out when you are drunk?” he said once his feet were on solid ground. Moving quietly across the space before stopping at his desk, his hand braced on the edge as if to will himself to stop there. She watched this with a hint of sadness, her hopes of him lulling her to sleep dashed in an instant.

She was quite tired of this song and dance of  “Will they or won’t they?” that Solas had kept up despite their discussion before. She was still vaguely aware of the conversation, but she remembered with clarity the feeling of his lips brushing against the back of her hand. She wanted him to do it again, or better yet to kiss her fully on the lips. She wanted to stand and walk to him with such confidence it might make him hold his breath. To take his hand that was gripped so tightly against his desk and thread it through her short white hair. Instead, she just said with the saddest expression on her face. 

“I need to go to the Winter Palace” her voice wavered as she did, sniffling a bit as she pulled up her legs to hold them against her chest. She didn't know why she suddenly felt so sad, perhaps it was because her hopes of romance were foolish, or that she had to do silly lessons and have someone take her measurement, or maybe-

“Lethallan, why are you crying?” Solas spoke softly. She had not noticed him move to be beside her, his hand hovering over her back as she wiped at her eyes. When had she started crying? Maker, she must truly be wasted.

“I don’t… Sorry, I don’t know, I think it's the liquor and the frustration from today,” the words bubbled out of her before she could stop them. Somehow, and gods she wished to know why, she always seemed to talk easier with Solas at her side. It befuddled her on their first meeting, the way they slid into harmony as the world was crashing down around them. At first, she believed it to just be because they were both of The People, yet as time continued she noted how she would seek his counsel more and more. Maybe that's why she had truly come here, to seek guidance when dealing with humans and The Game. 

“A letter came, an invitation to the Winter Palace to attend a ball, Solas I have no clue how to conduct myself around such bloodthirsty people,” her voice was soft, her eyes trained on the cobbled stone floor, she hated admitting that she was more or less afraid. She was the Inquisitor, the Herald of Andraste, and she was afraid of humans? If these were humans on the battlefield or in a tavern she knew she could cut them down with either her magic or sharp insults. She couldn’t do that this time, she couldn’t wave her staff and kill any annoying men who ogled her, nor could she call any women who sneered at her “shemlen dogs.” 

A hand came to her back to rub soothing circles into her skin, and she startled at the touch. She had expected him, truthfully, to stay at arm's length due to whatever irrational fear he had of her. She hadn’t expected him to come near her when a few tears slipped down her face or expected a hand on her back when she finally tumbled through her complicated thoughts from this morning's meeting. His relaxing touch made the rest of the words she had trapped inside her rush out with each breath.

“Hahren I have never danced a waltz, I have never worn an Orlesian dress, I have never studied the ways of court or walked in those stilted shoes the women wear. I am not someone who can play politics, but I know they will all try and mold me into that image! I cannot handle another reflection that is not my own,” Lumine hadn’t meant to call Solas Hahren, it had rushed out of her like everything else. The silent comfort Solas was giving had just made the coil Lumine had stuffed deep down unravel and it reminded her so much of the elders in clan Lavellan. Despite her hangups about the keeper and her role in their clan, she still found comfort in their company when it mattered. She missed the feeling of community it gave her when she was alone under the stars with her clan. In the Inquisition she had no one to break down to like this, instead, she put on a mask at the war table and drank her worries under the table in the tavern with people she tentatively calls friends. Yet she still couldn’t open up to them about her deep worries, she wanted to enjoy their company without dragging them down into her deprecation. Maker, how did she play another version of herself even in her brief respite? 

A finger crooked itself under her chin to pull her gaze up and away from the floor. The tears still threatened to spill out of frustration and fear, but she had calmed herself enough not to seem like a mess in front of the one person she wanted to impress. 

“I have never seen you give up in the face of adversity, you are more clever and intelligent than you give yourself credit for, Lumine.” Solas began, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he continued. “Use those strengths to your advantage in ways that will allow you to position yourself above the nobles who sneer at you. You already have something at your disposal” He finished, pulling his hand away tentatively as his eyes bore into hers. She sucked in a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, her voice a whisper that fanned across his skin.

“And what, pray tell, is that Solas?” His hand drifted over the pointed tips of her ears, and she realized what he had meant. 

“It is an opportunity, to use your tricks, wisdom, and companions for gain. Bringing along such people would be wise, you have an established comradery with many of your… friends in Skyhold. If speaking with the nobles frightens you, then keep to the shadows. If they see you as something weak, prove them wrong–and if you have the opportunity to see them weak, you strike.” his voice coated her skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake as she shivered against the barely-there touch of his fingers. They sat there for a long while, staring at one another with respectable distance, though Lumine wished he would break his composure and hold her close. Could she really ask for that, though? He was already helping her so much as it was. Was she getting greedy with his care?

“You are so kind,” she spoke aloud. Her thoughts carried out of her as she watched him stand. He stiffened at her voice, his head turning slightly to acknowledge her comment before taking several steps away from his desk.

“I am not as kind as you think I am,” Solas replied. His voice sounded more distant than it had since Lumine had entered his space. She opened her mouth to issue a retort, but he cut her off. 

“I will go get Varric to help you to your chambers, along with a cup of water,” He said. His voice was curt as he rushed out of the room. Maker, what did I say wrong? Lumine groaned, letting her head fall back onto the couch. Every time she thought she was getting somewhere it felt like Solas would pull the rug out from under her. She could choose any other person in Skyhold, it would be much easier than this–save her much heartache too. Yet, even as the idea flitted across her mind, she felt her heart constrict… Damn it.  

____________________________

Varric was not pleased to open the door in the middle of the night to see Solas standing there with a particularly pained expression on his face. Varric furrowed his brows before running a hand over his face to wipe off some of the sleep still trapped behind his eyes.

“Chuckles, always a pleasure. Though I would like you to find me during normal hours,” Varric grumbled. 

“It's the Inquisitor,” Solas said. His hands folded behind his back as usual, and Varric stood up straighter at the mention of the other elf. 

“Shit–she okay?” Varric asked. He hurried to grab his shoes, slipping them on as he hobbled out the door. Knowing Lumine’s track record, Varric could only imagine what trouble she had gotten into. 

“She's drunk. In the rotunda.”  

“Shit, that it? Chuckles she’s always drunk,”  Varric turned to go back to bed, a yawn escaping as he went to close the door as he went. 

“I need you to get her to her room,” Varric groaned and turned back around. 

“Andraste's tits Solas, can’t you? Or get someone still awake?” Even when the words left his mouth Varric knew the answer would be no. He could see it written all over his face as Varric brushed past him. 

“She has to make an appearance at the Winter Palace in a few months,” Solas said as he followed behind. Varric laughed. He could picture it now: her either charming the entire court or attacking them all—probably the latter. 

____________________________

Maybe she should try being more into his interests? The whole… Fade and… History… thing. Try reading those boring books he always carried around with him or asked for. 

They aren’t always boring. He lends her some when he thinks it's a topic she would be interested in. He's usually right about her being more into them than some of the others. Maybe she's not intelligent enough. Does he like intelligent girls? 

Lumine stood on wobbly legs and attempted to go over to his desk. She stumbled and practically fell into the chair he usually sat at when she would come to find him. The chair was… comfortable, and old. She should get him a new chair, maybe she could steal one from the Winter Palace. How does one go about stealing a chair anyhow? Bull could probably help. Besides the worn chair, his desk was a cluttered mess of papers, books, maps and- 

A small piece of paper, tucked between several pages of an especially large book. She would have missed it if she were looking for anything other than a distraction

She glanced at the door and listened for footsteps before pulling the book in front of her and sliding the paper out of its hiding place. Lumine unfolded it. The writing was crisp and hurried—and more notably, not by Solas. Interesting. Who could be sending him missives? She thought he was a wandering apostate. 

A noise outside of the rotunda startled and almost made her lose the paper in the process. She hastily refolded the letter and placed it back between pages of the book before pushing it away from her. She debated whether to try to make her way back over to the couch when Varric and Solas both walked in on her standing and almost tipped over in her haste. 

“Woah there Charmer,” Varric said, reaching out an arm to stop her from falling. She laughed, using his arm and the desk to steady herself. She leveled a gaze at Solas, who was looking at the desk instead of her. 

“I wanted to do some light reading before bed,” She joked, yet his eyes still didn’t meet hers. Shit, was he pissed? Did he know? Should she apologize? 

“I heard about you being forced to go to the Winter Palace in a few months. You need a dashing rouge dwarf to accompany you?” Varric said, pulling Lumine out of her thoughts. He was patting her back and still helping steady her. Right, could she bring along Varric too? And if she could bring Varric and Bull, does that mean she could bring along Solas? 

“Perfect idea Varric, while we’re at it let's bring Solas along too.” Lumine laughed, leaning on Varric as she threw Solas a look, finally, he stared back. “I think making most of my companions non-human would do wonders for my reputation with the nobles,” Varric gave a hearty laugh at her idea while Solas scrunched up his brows. 

“Inquisitor Lavellan I don’t think-” Solas began before being cut off. 

“Ah ah ah~ you just said to use my strengths. Those strengths are the lovely friends I’ve made along the way,” Lumine said, wagging a finger in his face. She could see the argument building behind his eyes, but she could tell he held his tongue. 

“Of course, Inquisitor Lavellan, it is your decision,” Solas said, his voice unusually cold. He stepped out of Varric’s and Lumine’s way as Varric led her by the arm to the door. He rambled as he went, but Lumine was too focused on angling her head to keep one eye on Solas whose fingers ghosted across the tops of various books stacked on his desk. As Lumine was pulled through the door she made sure to call over her shoulder.

“Sleep well, my dear apostate,” his response to her kindness was silence. 

Later in the night as Lumine huddled into her too-big bed to have another sleepless night she heard the softest knock on her door. She opened it, surprised to find a note next to a glass of water at her doorstep. Lumine let out the softest of laughs as she kneeled to pick up the apology gift. She had almost forgotten Solas had said he was going to get her water, he must have snuck up the stairs to leave the drink before departing. How sweet.

She sat the water down on her bedside table as her eyes scanned the small note he left. 

I am sorry. I had forgotten our prior agreement. Please rest easy.

Curt, to the point. The letters swirled and arched in such beautiful handwriting as Lumine traced each one. She could tell though, as she had slipped and stolen every piece of paper he had ever jotted down on, that the last line was added slower than the first. Lumine grinned; sap, fool, so many names she felt for herself as she slid the paper onto her nightstand for safekeeping. As she laid down, attempting to “rest easy” her mind flittered back to the note she had snuck a glance at. 

She was right, it was not his handwriting. 

[royalich]

With so much love and affection to harding I love her character but if u were going to give a familliar dwarf some magic....why...why would u not let it be dagna

[veilstr1der]

fool — hero — villain , a rook & solas webweaving .

portrait of the illness as nightmare by leila chatti , coney island by swift , half light by frank bidart, anti-savior complex complex , the death of vivek oji by akwaeke emezi , the burning by venetta octavia , wikipedia , the ultimate betrayal by lily chatterjee , seventeen going under by sam fender , an oresteia by anne carson, unknown .

[buffybummerz]

Beginning of a Spirit Solas character study. Literally three paragraphs in but I’m having the time of my life!

[sky--phantom]

Solas and selfishness

[contessaxchaos]

...but then her eyes steeled over, helping hands closing into fists.

Feel the angst in full: "A Revered Mother"

[liaragaming]

Please, get carried away.

it was initially a study, but I got carried away

[elf-trash]

Solavellan Recommended Reading

I made a post like this for SilverV a million years ago and wanted to make one for Solavellan as well!

A few of these fics overlap with the ones I have linked in my current pinned post, but there are soooo many fantastic Solavellan fics out there that I decided to make a longer rec post so I could include more of them!!!

Without further ado, here are some of my favorites, in no particular order. Some of them are one-shots or shorter multi chapter fics, and some of them are massive long fics and everything in between. Some of them are new and still in progress, some of them are completed, and a handful of them are older fics. All of them are absolutely worth your time!

walk you to the shore - Scaryanne A beautifully written post-Veilguard one-shot about Solas and Lavellan having it all out in the Fade. Highly recommend!

the sun to burn - Pip (Moirail) An Inquisition re-write that goes off canon and does a phenomenal job at exploring a ton of aspects of the lore and story. Features fantastic character writing and takes really thought-provoking directions with the lore!

love is not a victory march - Brunchatthebookstore A Veilguard retelling where Lavellan is present at the ritual at the beginning that goes off book from there. It's beautifully, heartbreakingly written and off to a REALLY strong start with some truly devastating moments, so this one is absolutely one to watch.

miles below the surface of the dawn - gostak This fic is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read, period. On its face it's just 6 chapters of "there was only one bed" Inquisition-era Solavellan smut, but I stg the writer was channeling the spirit of Solas Dragon Age himself because it is the most perfect Solavellan smut I can imagine. Read this one, just trust me.

Martyr - existential_naptime If you like Solavellan angst, this one delivers in spades!!! It's set during Veilguard and explores what would happen if the Evanuris kidnapped the Inquisitor (and more specifically, how Solas would react). It is DELICIOUS and also extremely painful but well worth it!

Requited - cursedhag A beautifully written, pitch perfect Inquisition rewrite that fully checks all the boxes! Features a lot of excellent Solas POV that incorporates all the new lore reveals we learned in Veilguard. Do yourself a favor and read this!!!!

rook wins in the end - wiltedartist A great exploration of Rook's relationship with Solas in Veilguard. Solavellan, but focuses on the one-sided unrequited feelings that Rook develops for Solas. Really interesting angle that I haven't seen done better.

And Yet - say_lene Beautiful Inquisition-era Solavellan one-shot. All of this writer's fics are so beautiful and well-written, so I kind of picked this one randomly but ALL of their Dragon Age fics are worth reading. We stan a good smut character study!!!!!

In the Colours of Your Regrets - scribeofmorpheus Another excellent smut character study! Solas sadly jorkin' it in the Lighthouse to his own sad murals of his wife. 11/10 no notes.

Roses Where Thorns Grow - Bdafic This one explores what would have happened if, after Crestwood, Lavellan learned the truth about Solas and they rekindled their relationship. It's a beautiful story that stays true to character and explores some of their messier and more complicated relationship dynamics.

Servitude - niceasspavus Another really, really solid Inquisition rewrite that explores Solas and Lavellan's romance. Well-written with excellent details and characterization. Highly recommend all of this writer's other fics, as well.

These Hands, If Not Gods - Gefionne An AU where a pre-Inquisition Lavellan accidentally discovers an eluvian that lets Arlathan-era Solas time travel to her. Beautifully written smut and character development. AUs aren't often my thing, but this one is absolutely worth your time.

Looking Glass - Feynite This one is theee classic Solavellan fic and probably needs no introduction. It's a time travel Arlathan AU, and it still holds up even after all these years, even unfinished. If you haven't read this one yet, stop whatever you're doing right now and fix that.

Wildest Dreams - elf_trash Finally, this one is mine!!! It's a retelling of Veilguard with Lavellan as the protagonist (aka Lavellan IS Rook) that focuses on her complicated relationship with Solas. Starts near the end of Inquisition and will continue through Veilguard and slightly beyond. I plan on reincorporating a lot of scrapped ideas from Joplin.

This list is in no way comprehensive, as a) there are sooo many good ones and b) I haven't read everything (yet lolol), so please feel free to reblog this and add your favorites!!!

But in the meantime, do yourself a favor and check out all of these fics! Top tier stuff all around.

[sha-brytols]

and the thing is i've said so many wildly conflicting things about how flawed solas' character portrayal was in veilguard but like. i unironically do believe they're All True and like i think i can kind of(?) articulate why

like solas in veilguard to me was a pretty perfect example on how clear it is that dragon age has suddenly and drastically regressed from being an exploration into moral ambiguity and that fine smudged line between "hero" and "villain" to a sudden inexplicable refusal to allow any sort of grey area in character motivations in favor of forcing them into a binary box like its a dnd alignment. and i think this specifically because there is literally No Way to write solas in a morally uncomplicated manner while still maintaining anything that makes him an interesting character.

people who hate solas hate veilguard because it removed literally any nuance to his character and repeatedly paints him as a poor mistreated victim whose only crime is that he was Forced to do things He Didnt Want to by a significantly underwritten and highly anticipated female character, and his regrets are all varying degrees of "it's my fault because i was right and they didn't listen to me :(" and no actual agency in his own decision making. his romance with a lavellan is literally front and center in the game and the only one that even gets more than a passing letter or (in dorian's case) like. two full lines of dialogue. the narrative does everything to silently paint him as the misunderstood tragic hero that no one truly appreciates and even rewrites the inquisitor so they always want to redeem him regardless of their previous disposition

people who love solas hate veilguard because it somehow managed to simultaneously do the same thing in reverse. solas has no genuine regrets or sense of guilt or actual reflection about his past behavior in the entire game. he kills his best friend and the game makes sure to zoom in on his face as varric is falling down just so you can see the sneer of contempt. the war table finebros react segments where its literally just the writers unapologetically utilizing the companions as mouthpieces for their personal opinions makes sure to tell the player that solas is unforgivable and a hypocrite and a coward for his actions. they even like. rewrote an entire part of his character specifically to remove that layer of complexity and dumb it down to the Lying Liar Who Lies. where the narrative silently wants you to sympathize with him, the characters LOUDLY want you to condemn him. your most sympathetic dialogue choices are lukewarm "well... i GUESS i understand why..." delivered in a consistent tone of disapproving resignment.

people who are neutral to solas? you're not ALLOWED to be. here you go. Dragon Age: Solas. everything is about solas. you have to make all your choices based around solas. we've written an entire game to revolve around solas. we rewrote like 4 characters to make sure that you are forced into one of the two extremes.

and it's all because you have a game that physically cannot help itself but to make you make the Good Decision and so they can't decide which decision is good and which is bad so they wrote two completely conflicting stories about him at the same time. he is the best boy. he is the worst. it genuinely feels like the writing team was actively wrestling with each other behind the scenes over whether or not solas is a Bad Guy and thus their only means of compromise was writing him as though he was dr jekyll and mr hyde without any transition or consistency. he is a villain. he is a hero. you are a bad person for not seeing his point of view. you are a good person for peacefully redeeming him. and i know there's people who think this is some sort of ingenius character study but none of this is intentional. he isn't like loghain who commits bad acts in service to a greater good. he's the prideful god who lied to the inquisitor about wanting to free the elves and instead his goal has been about his own personal ego all along. he isn't like flemeth, who does good by people and manipulates the story in your favor all for the sake of her own mysterious ends. he isn't even like the architect who lies and murders and manipulates the warden all in the service of his own deluded vision. he's the guy who wants to destroy the world because his abusive ex is forcing him to. but also he's the guy who wants to destroy the world because he thinks mortal life is insignificant and he should be in control because hes The Best.

all complexity of what was previously a deeply nuanced character has been removed, and it's because he used to be so complex that it's so disjointed and bad because they refuse to actually commit to any one direction because in that case they'd might as well make another character. but they can't. they have to make it solas. because solas is their cash cow and their baby.

they want to make a perfect solavellan happy ending because they want to please the people who love their baby but they're so fundamentally divorced from what their audience wants for solas that they ended up writing a caricaturized ai-generated romance novel for teenagers.

they want to make a cathartic fight scene where you beat the bad man because they want to please the people that hate their villain but they have such blatant contempt for criticism of their precious little baby that they make sure to infantilize and misrepresent his flaws as much as they can so he can be the sad little elf boy that you need to hug.

and despite all of this they ALSO wanted so desperately to avoid making you sympathize too much with the antagonist they were building up to that they had to make sure he acted in the most unforgivably evil ways that they could think of just so players knew this is the Bad Guy and you're the Good Guy and don't you forget it.

it's just constant self contradictory writing. it is so blatant that it's genuinely hard for me to even see veilguard's solas as being the same character. i find myself nodding my head in agreement to his most ardent haters because yeah you're right. they did spend an insane amount of time forcing you to see just how innocent and well-intentioned and pure this egotistical mass-murderer was. and i also find myself nodding in agreement with his biggest fans because yeah. you're right. they did randomly turn this character into a moustache-twirling villain who does everything short of tying rook to railroad tracks and cackling as he runs away to tear down the veil. and all this because they couldn't stand to not have him be in the game in the biggest and most impactful way. they literally could not have a story without solas.

[ephemeralinstance]

Why is Rook so uncurious?

I've seen people complain that Veilguard changes Solas' motivations. And that's sort of true, but really it doesn't so much change them as just try really hard not to look at them. All of the things we were shown in previous games about the ongoing and serious harm done by the Veil still remain completely true, it's just that Rook is never allowed to ask or think about any of this stuff. Which is frustrating because it significantly weakens Rook's character: they end up coming off as determinedly ignorant and uncurious.

Take the information we're given about why taking down the Veil is bad - which seems entirely limited to Varric's claim that it would 'drown the world in demons.' Rook is constantly parroting this line, treating Varric as the ultimate authority on the matter. But this claim makes very little sense, because it surely cannot be the case that Solas wants to create a world filled with nothing but demons. From Inquisition we know he's greatly distressed every time a spirit becomes a demon, so that can't possibly be the outcome that he's expecting.

Of course, Solas could be wrong; he's certainly been wrong about many things before and he's not thinking very clearly. But even so, why on earth would we take Varric's word over Solas' here? Solas is an ancient and knowledgeable mage, the only person around who lived before the Veil, and he literally made the Veil. Whereas Varric is not a mage, has never studied magic or spirits, and is canonically frightened of the Fade and spirits: in the Lighthouse he mentions several times that he finds this 'Fade shit' weird. How could he possibly be in a position to know better than Solas about what would happen if the Veil came down?

Maybe I as a player can just accept that because Varric is The Narrator he must be right about all this. But Rook doesn't know that Varric is The Narrator. So it just feels like Rook is either incredibly ignorant or so devoted to Varric that their ability to think for themself has completely shut down. It's such an odd, anti-intellectual, anti-expert framing: don't do research or talk to anyone who has knowledge on the matter, just accept unquestioningly what your friend says.

Equally frustrating is the absence of any critical thinking about Solas' reasons for doing what he's doing. The only thing Varric and Harding tell Rook about this is that Solas is doing it because the ancient world was beautiful, but what does that mean? And is it really plausible that Solas is doing all this just because of aesthetics?

Rook hears Solas say 'The Veil is a wound on the world,' and never once thinks to ask - what did he mean by that? A wound is something that causes harm, that causes pain. What is the Veil harming? What pain is it responsible for? (From previous games we know the answer, of course. It's harming spirits, mages, and perhaps elves. But Rook never bothers to ask Solas, or to ask anyone else, or even to try to think about for themself about it.).

There's a moment right at the very end, where Solas is finally permitted to mention that he's doing this partly for the spirits. But in a perfect encapsulation of their whole dynamic, Rook immediately interrupts him. Doesn't even let him finish his sentence. Rook is so completely confident that they know best for the spirits and that this person who literally was once a spirit couldn't possibly have any insight into the matter.

At the beginning of the game Varric comments that he chose the name 'Rook' because Rook tends to think in straight lines. Which struck me as odd at the time, because 'thinks in straight lines' sounds like Varric is saying Rook isn't very smart. I thought I must have misinterpreted it, because why on earth would you choose to impose as a requirement on all players that their pc must lack critical thinking? But looking back I can see that's kinda exactly what they did, which - maybe they thought it would be more relatable? Still, if you're going to impose a fixed personality on the main character of a game, it's baffling to me that you would pick 'absence of critical thinking' as one of their main features.

[cussundria-nerd-kneal]

It's not wood, but I do believe it's leather.

But seriously, this question of "What is this and how does he take it off?" Has plaughed me for nigh ten years. What IS that garment he's wearing under the cotton sweater? Is it long sleeved? Does it only over his neck and chest? How far down does it go?

I ave many qustions, and will never get answers.

ok, incredibly important lore question:

what... is that. is it woolen? is it leather? how does he ever take it off when the neck is so close fitting?