loredrinker

[loredrinker]

Five Sentence (Wednesday) Saturday - Any Day?

Here's a snippet from a piece I've been working on for awhile - my theorycrafting that Veilguard is the chess match between the Inquisitor and Solas and why Rook is needed as the protagonist.

While Veilguard never states it outright, concept art from the official art book makes it clear that Rook was originally conceived as an agent of the Inquisition. That thread still lingers in the game, even if the relationship has been rewritten to feel more loose. I argue this isn’t a retcon, but a strategic repositioning of the narrative and why Rook must be the protagonist. After Trespasser, the Inquisitor steps back into the shadows - vanishing from sight, but beginning to move the pieces. Let Solas believe their wings are clipped; the illusion of Rook’s independence protects the Inquisitor from having their hand in the chess match revealed.

I'm doing this theory crafting as it will feed my broader fic and this is the process which helps me build the stories.

And honestly, it was this image with a shadowed Inquisitor and Josie that got my brain moving and looking at VG and all the external media since Trespasser - all the pieces are there. And if you follow the chess match between Solas and Iron Bull (one which the Inquisitor was listening in on) you see these moves play out.

Tagging who I've seen recently pop up on my dash @elf-trash @miraabellee @faded-mage @emerysarchive @sh00kspeared @hawkesflight @kcwriter-blog @zombiefishgirl @ephemeralinstance

Thank you @crimsonphantasmagoria for the tag.

[loredrinker]

Something for my mental wellbeing

[loredrinker]

Another @heyitscuteway beauty.

.₊⟡ Lana Lavellan ⟡₊. commission for @sugacakes ━━━ ⊹ ˖ ᴄᴏᴍᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ɪɴꜰᴏ ˖⊹

[loredrinker]

Some fun, lighthearted stuff from a recent DA panel interview (video below). Gareth David-Lloyd is always so delightful.

Gareth David-Lloyd Highlights

Fave VG ending – “My favourite is redeem. I’m going into the next game knowing everything possible, so I played Inquisition three times… and every single time, I was always friends with myself (Solas) or romanced. Last time I played it, I romanced Solas… so redeem Solas. Despite all his flaws and trickery, there’s a righteous, good soul in there somewhere, I think.”

His fave line – “I lay in dark and dreaming sleep…”

Inquisition got him back into gaming – it's his favourite DA game.

Upset he didn’t get to do mocap for VG. He went into the recording studio and had to watch a video of someone else doing Solas’ mocap and lines. They wanted him to do the lines in exactly the same way. For GDL, that wasn’t acting to him. Eventually they called him back in to record some lines the way he wanted – which meant they ended up having to redo the mocap to match his interpretation.

Fave character - Solas – “complex and such an asshole… is an anti-hero, anti-villain… so much fun playing those complex roles.”

Really enjoyed that a lot of Solas’ lines were written in verse.

Joseph Capp Highlights

This VG panel was the first time GDL and JC ever met.

Had a full bio sheet to learn about Elgar’nan.

Hasn’t played VG yet.

Fave line: “All the world will soon share the peace and comfort of my reign.”

This was Joseph’s first fan event.

Fave character is Lucanis, based on cutscenes (since he hasn’t played it).

Elven language – they gave him free rein on how to pronounce the elven words.

Binged on gaming – played Origins and Inquisition simultaneously. Also binged a few community content creators’ podcasts and videos.

A lot of Elgar’nan’s material were rewritten close to release, and he had to go back in to re-record lines.

[loredrinker]

Oh this guts me

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Beautiful Solavellan art

The Kiss Ⅰ

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Don't forget to add First-Thaw to the many names the Inquisitor has.

[loredrinker]

Ah the Inquisitor. Amongst the many feats they have accomplished, add getting people laid to the list.

[loredrinker]

Replaying Jaws of Hakkon and rediscovering the revealing dialogue with the Auger, that the Inquisitor burns bright in the Fade and that spirits are very aware of the Inquisitor.

Augur: The gods of the hold clamored to see you. I obeyed, for I am their voice and their augur. And if I didn't show you off, they'd hound me for months.

Clamored to see - don't tell me spirits are fans of the Inquisitor? Instead of fanfic they're building fan-memories in the Fade.

Inquisitor: Are you saying every spirit in the Fade knows where I am? OR Inquistior: All this time I've been a beacon to spirits? No matter where I go? Augur: Only those nearby, but thoughts spread quickly among the gods.

The Inquisitor is radiating so much presence in the Fade that nearby spirits sense them. The Inquisitor is known - and word of their existence travels among spirits quickly. (Is the Augur saying spirits like to gossip? So imagine what they might be saying about a romanced Lavellan and the Dread Wolf?)

(If the Inquisitor completed In Hushed Whispers)

Auger: They tell me strange things. That you muddied time's waters where the cliffs are red, and returned again…

(If the Inquisitor completed Champions of the Just)

Auger: I see you've already killed one. A thing of envy, that grasped for your crown...

(If the Inquisitor drank from the Well of Sorrows.)

Augur: What are these whispers clinging to you? Less and more than spirits. They sing old hurts... Inquisitor: You can hear the Well of Sorrows? Augur: An echo's echo. I've seen the last whispers of aged elf-song in the Fade. What you carry is... older.

Really loved all this dialogue. Especially the Well of Sorrows (RIP Well of Sorrows, you should have been carried over to VG - I'll never forgive BW for that). The Inquisitor is carrying something incredibly old and painful after drinking from the Well of Sorrows. It’s older than even the oldest memories in the Fade, and the spirits can feel it around them.

This just supports my theory even more that the Inquisitor is forever linked to the Fade/Veil.

[loredrinker]

[No the dynamics aren't identical but there's something to be said about both men's reactions to meeting people who once held so much power over them]

[loredrinker]

OP you are so right, the friendship with the Inquisitor is just as important and just as good!

I'll never forget that the game is saying the Inquisitor and Mythal are of equal importance to Solas.

There is no changing Solas' mind without both of them there. And what you point out, the sequence in the Atonement ending of the Inquisitor speaking before and after Mythal is highly symbolic.

It’s the Inquisitor who offers something in the present and future, an emotional connection that still exists. Solas listens to the Inquisitor's words - and then makes his choice. By placing their voice as the final one Solas hears before looking back at the rift and then cutting his hand, it's the narrative whispering that the Inquisitor's friendship and care after all these years moves him.

Thank you for sharing this. The friendship between Solas and the Inquisitor is so lovely. 💗

While yes I believe Solavellan is very emotional and nice romance I can't help but feel sad for my Inquisitor and Solas for their FRIENDSHIP.

Like Inquisitor gained Solas' trust and respect (tbh) quite early with just doing the right thing. Inquisitor didn't treat Solas as an Inquisition agent but as a friend and I think after everything that Solas has went through it must've been quite a shock to feel genuine feeling of friendship.

And even in the end you can see that Solas is extremely sad and hurt that after all those years of loneliness he has gained a friend or even a brother only to lose them because he has a higher mission now.

And my Inky is mad. For fucks sake Elatha is so mad. He is so mad for couple of years at least. He has lost the Inquisition, his arm and might even feel responsible for everything Solas is doing (plus his man is leaving and not planning to take Elatha with him ffs Dorian your timing sucks sometimes).

But while Inquisitor is mad you can see that years have washed that anger away and now there's only sadness left. I know some people complained that Inquisitor didn't seem angry enough or that they should've gotten the opportunity to punch Solas or something (I see you Solavellan fans I understand you) but at the same time I don't see at least my Inquisitor doing that (tho it should've been an option but this post is mostly about my Inky so it's a discussion for another day). Elatha is not coming to the final battle because he wants to kill Solas. He comes there because he wants to redo this conversation and this time manage to turn Solas' head because there is no other option left. It's either turn his head or die.

And believe me, when Inquisitor walked to Solas I felt so ajkghadgag. Years worth of pain, anger and sadness only for it to resonate to this moment - this important moment where neither of them can fail their mission.

And I think Solas' reaction after this is just PURE GOLD.

He lowers his head not in sadness but in shame. He feels ashamed that Elatha - of all people - needs to be there to see him destroying countless of lives. Even though Mythal is there to eventually turn his head I don't think he would've stopped if it was only her. He NEEDED to see and meet Inquisitor again after 8 years. He needed proof that this world had something - someone - worth saving and perhaps there were more people like Elatha that didn't shut their eyes on injustice.

In Solavellan romance this is self-evident; Solas needed to see his lover and Mythal to stop. But I refuse to believe that friend!Inky didn't have an affect on him. I've seen some takes that "Inquisitor is useless in DATV if you're not romancing Solas" and I just can't agree with that. Solas needed a reminder from the past - especially since he most likely has spent the last 8 years all alone and now he sees that one man that offered him friendship is back and doing it again - showing compassion.

This is why it's the Inquisitor who walks to Solas after speaking Mythal to comfort him and assuring he can find a better path. Not Mythal. Not Rook (who he has shared his thoughts for the entire game and could concider a friend). Not Morrigan. But the Inquisitor.

It's not that he doesn't trust Rook or Morrigan. He gives the dagger to Rook because in some way he has gained a respect for her too. But his relationship with Inquisitor goes far deeper because it has so many wounds from years ago and they're finally starting to heal.

AND SOLAS EVEN CONFIRMS THIS HIMSELF. Even though Mythal is needed to be there to turn his head he even thanks Inquisitor to showing him the right way. And he is not thanking him for this particular moment only. He is thanking him for all the years in Inquisition and how in there Elatha showed that there was so much worth in this world to be saved.

(and before we ask how do we know he is talking to Inquisitor afgdag he is looking at him lol. And the trespasser theme in the back? It's obvious)

What I'm saying here is that if you're ever in a Dragon Age; Inquisition - Dragon Age; the Veilguard massive playthrough and think about romancing someone else than Solas I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. Not that Solavellan romance isn't good but I assure you, you're missing a beautiful friendship between the Inquisitor and Solas and I can say the ending scene hit me hard and I was crying because I had carried that friendship from DAI to this game. It was just as emotional as it was for Solavellan shippers.

...though I still believe we needed more Inquisitor in this game and more knowledge about his and Solas' friendship but alas... you know

[loredrinker]

The Vocal Masks of Solas

What I like about episode One of Vows and Vengeance - Once a Thief is that it reveals something deliciously fun (wicked?) about Solas: his voice as a weapon. How he speaks to Nadia and Elios is consistent with how he speaks to Rook. It's the Dread Wolf Voice™ - designed to disarm and draw others in.

You can hear him crafting the illusion of connection and trust with Elios and Nadia, line by line:

Elios: So, it's connected to the Fade. Solas: Do you feel a connection to the Fade, Magister? Elios: You know who I am? Solas: Among other things. I know you well. Nadia: What is this? What game are you playing? Solas: I do not play games. But if you seek answers, then come. (Seriously, his voice during this exchange is something else - and the wording is so similar to what he says to Rook. It’s classic Solas.)

It’s like textbook psychological warfare - Solas’ weapon of choice. His voice becomes an extension of that strategy. He acts and speaks in such a way to influence (I gave no orders) and the effect is mesmerizing.

I wonder, how the Dread Wolf Voice™ evolved during times with the Evanuris, the rebellion?

The Trickster Wolf Codex. A pantomime theater mask of Fen'Harel. His narrative role changes with the curse of perspective. He has as many faces as names. His arrival is as much profanity as prayer.

A pantomime is exaggerated performance. The codex hints at Fen’Harel as being a role Solas performs and that it's all about perception. His identity shifts depending on who’s watching and who’s telling the story. And of course it would apply to his voice! Solas adapts how he speaks based on his audience, his voice performing the mask just as much as his actions do.

We hear different voices of Solas in his interactions with Rook in Fade Prison. The Dread Wolf Voice™ and Fen'Harel Voice™ (we first hear Fen'Harel Voice™ in Trespasser - I think of it as the War General, the Leader). And considering most of their interaction is in the dreaming Fade, it makes sense - the Dread Wolf is a master of the realm and in his hands, the Fade becomes the stage. But where Dread Wolf Voice™ really emerges? When the Dread Wolf swaps himself with Rook out of the actual Fade prison - oh that speech is so good and sinister.

There’s a more permanent shift to the Fen’Harel Voice™ when Fen'Harel is with the Veil Guard in Minrathous. Like in Trespasser, it’s authoritative and commanding, the voice of someone who knows perception has shifted again. With the companions, his tone stays formal, fitting for a rebellion leader back on the battlefield.

Another voice? The Humble Apostate Voice™ from DAI - clearest at the beginning of the game. It’s awkward, overly polite, cautious, confident yet trying to be self-effacing (keyword trying). He’s pretending to fit in, all while observing and analyzing everything. I would love to see the scene where Humble Apostate Solas first approached Cassandra and Leliana after the Conclave explosion. (Not me laughing over the image of Solas practicing that voice to himself.)

But then... there’s just Solas’ voice. No ™ attached, because this is the voice that slips out when he forgets to perform.

You usually hear it slip through when he’s caught off guard, overwhelmed by emotion, or just present in the moment. It starts to surface in DAI companion banter, what begins as guarded or adversarial softens over time, reflecting the relationship. With Cole, it’s almost parental or sibling-like. Sera, meanwhile, is one of the best companions for revealing the range in Solas’ voice - shifting from mischief to irritation to unexpected empathy. With the Inquisitor, it varies - warm and friendly eventually, or sharp with disdain. With a romanced Lavellan in private, it’s soft and intimate.

In the Atonement ending all performance is gone from Solas. The most stripped Solas voice examples of all are when he says Mythal's name, the highly emotional "the things that I have done", the heartbreaking "Vhenan" or the quiet pained voice when speaking to a Lavellan willing to leave with him.

What always gives me a little smile is how, even when he’s using his Fen’Harel Voice™ in Trespasser, it breaks in moments with a romanced Lavellan - his stoicism falters and Solas slips through.

Whether this is intentional or not across the two games and this episode, the shifts in his voice are fascinating to consider and are just another fun layer to analyze when it comes to Solas.

I’ve commented to others that I’m surprised I don’t see any ships with him and Elios/Nadia, given the vocal chemistry alone - but I think that just highlights how charismatic Solas is as a character, and how incredibly well Gareth David-Lloyd delivers. It’s the delicious allure of a trickster antagonist. Most Trickster gods are portrayed as magnetic, and honestly, any good antagonist should be highly charismatic. I've said it in a post long ago, Solas could talk to a chair and have chemistry with it.

Seriously - take a listen if you haven’t (video below starts where Solas enters). GDL just feeds us so well.

[loredrinker]

I have a soft spot for Davrin, and every now and then when I see art of him, especially art like this that not only captures who he is and his connection to animals and the land, but also somehow still thematically connected to him being a Grey Warden, I just am reminded how he kind of snuck into my heart.

Beautiful, haunting and touching art.

i should have prepared more for davrin week but here's a very rough take on a combo of day 1 and 2 @datvcompanionweeks

[loredrinker]

I suddenly need to know who The Engineer is.

Matt Rhodes: "More exploration from 2016. In this version, the sub would have been the experimental secret project of an eccentric wizard." [source] "Dumat - Dragon cutaway" [source]

Art by Matt Rhodes.

ArtStation file names and captions: image 1 - Dumat dragon interior image 2 - Dumat dragon exterior image 3 - Dumat night (caption: "I liked the idea of it appearing like a legendary sea monster wherever it went.") image 4 - Dumat engine room (caption: "Engine room")

[source]

[loredrinker]

"And it seemed to men that Sauron was great, though they feared the light of his eyes." 

Complementary color study with this dreadful amazing model. Mood: Fallen angel going for a walk in Númenor.

[loredrinker]

WIP WEDNESDAY

Wow! I can actually participate in a WIP Wednesday!Thank you @faded-mage @miraabellee. These little nudges are great.

Tagging: @topaz-carbuncle @vir-athim @cussundria-nerd-kneal @isohart888 @kcwriter-blog @sh00kspeared @baphometsss and whoever loves writing or making art!

A portion of a larger fic. Let me just say, I find writing spirits super hard and I lost count how many times I've rewritten how they speak over the last few weeks. But I'm satisfied with this section at least (so far).

“You have already requested much from us, Dread Wolf,” says Endurance, its voice low and steady. “The spirits have agreed to protect the physical world as best we can. What more do you ask?”

Solas clasps his hands behind his back, holding his posture higher. “I have called you five spirits in particular for a greater purpose.”

The spirits remain silent, waiting for him to continue.

“There is one mortal I would see protected from the worst of the ritual's effects,” he says, quiet but firm. “She is… important to me. I ask that you shield her from the perils to come.”

“Ah, yes - ” murmurs Cunning, fond like. “The Dread Wolf’s heart.”

His pulse quickens, this is not the moment for memory to come unbidden to his mind nor the time to humour a spirit's whim. “I will direct you on how to find her.”

But Cunning’s shape flickers with amusement. “We know this one.”

Solas’ brow creases. “How?”

“We know her name,” Cunning whispers.

Solas keeps his expression neutral, though he feels a familiar tug of irritation at his mind. Spirits of Cunning were always challenging to speak with - every word placed like a trap to see where one's mind might be caught. Even on good days, speaking with them was exhausting. Now, with his thoughts distracted and anxious, it borders on intolerable.

“You claim to know her,” Solas says with a controlled voice. “Then say her name.”

A pause filled with Cunning's laughter like sounds. Then Resolve's firm and crisp voice fills the space. “Her name cannot be spoken.”

Solas’ eyes sharpens. “Why?”

“She offered it to the din’anshiral.”

The ground beneath Solas shifts slightly, as if recoiling from what’s been said. The Fade around them grows dim and bright again; shapes of buildings, of memory try and form, but dissolve just as quickly. Colours bleed across the air in violent swirls, the sky above them churning with blues and yellows, greens and purples. Amidst his sudden fear, he thinks, almost absurdly - oh. the colour of bruising - and laughs to himself, bitter. Solas' mind wants to retreat further inward, racing behind his still exterior, but he forces his focus back to the immediate need. When did she do this? How had she discovered the rite?

A flicker of appreciation breaks through his momentary confusion - of course she had. Clever, relentless woman. Not only had she become a proficient dreamer, but she always had a mind that could never let go of a thread once snagged. I walk the din’anshiral. He remembers the words spilling from his lips as he drank her face in that last moment together. Trust her to seize upon those words and pursue the knowledge behind it.

His eyes dart back to the spirits. Convincing them to go against a vow spoken in the Fade will not be easy - evoking the din’anshiral is binding, and spirits forbidden to interfere - but not impossible. He only needs to realign their purpose. A quick stab of guilt follows that thought. One or two of these spirits might not survive what he’s asking, but he pushes the guilt aside. It is necessary. He cannot be thinking of Saethre now. Not at this stage. Having the spirits protect her is the only way to move forward with a clear mind.

But now that he knows what Saethre has done - what she’s chosen - he realizes it won’t be enough. She’ll need more help. Not just spirits embodying strength or protection, but those who can help her endure the psychological assault she is sure to face in the coming days, once the ritual starts. Someone who will help shield her heart from the despair that poisons those who falter along the din’anshiral. And she cannot falter, not now. She cannot become like him.

She needs Compassion.

He needs Cole.

[loredrinker]

Thinking about the Inquisitor in the war room, listening in silence as the others strategize about how to bind Solas to the Veil. Unlike anyone else present, the Inquisitor is the one who truly understands what that means. 

No matter the Inquisitor - regardless of approval level, or history - they always advocate for another way in that war room. That moment is hard-coded into the narrative and after reflecting, I think we can relate it to being about the lived experience the Inquisitor has with the Anchor.

They uniquely know what it feels like to be affected by the Veil.

Spirit of Justinia (Here Lies the Abyss): “It is the needle that passes through the Veil, as little else can. You are the thread. And it is the key that locks or unlocks a door to the Fade… It is part of you now, and cannot be removed without your death.”

That spirit named the truth the Inquisitor carried for years. The Anchor stitched them into the Veil and shaped them in a way no one else in that war room can fully comprehend. They know what it feels like to be entangled with the Fade and the Veil, to be consumed by something so powerful and to lose agency because of it.

In Solas' binding he releases a sharp cry of pain. The Veil chains him by the wrists, the ankles, the neck - pulling him. The Inquisitor, with their own sharp cries of pain and torment can intuit the physical and metaphysical cost the parasitical effects of the Veil will have on Solas, because they have felt it themselves.

So if players mock the Inquisitor for suggesting Solas can be reasoned with - calling it weak, out of character, or “not my Inquisitor” - what may be overlooked is that this moment is grounded in lived experience. The Inquisitor has earned the right to speak, because of their direct contact with the Veil, the Fade, and the pain that came with it - and by the fact that, in the end, it was Solas who saved their life.

That survival creates a strange kind of intimacy between them. Solas doesn’t kill the Inquisitor, even knowing they could become his greatest threat (which goes against his usual pattern). Instead, he tells them the truth, making them a witness to his burden and his plans. What he later calls his “moment of weakness” (The Dread Wolf Take You) draws the Inquisitor into the heart of it all.

So even the most betrayed Inquisitor might understand on some level, based on their own experience, that Solas has weaknesses - and that he once chose to save their life. Perhaps that’s why, in that war room, they always speak up - at least once.

The endings do a good job of reflecting the different Inquisitors. For those who carry the pain and anger of the Anchor, the loss of their arm, and the loss of agency, forcibly binding Solas can feel like justice. Having him chained, crying out in pain, becomes a mirror of what they once endured.

But for the Inquisitor who believes he can still be saved - who chooses compassion over retribution - the ending shifts. They are there at the end, reaching out. And when Solas does see reason and chooses to bind himself, there are no Veil chains, no cries or struggle. The Veil only waits for him to step forward.

But there is one more ending worth looking through - where we see Inquisitor Lavellan make a different kind of decision.

It’s the choice of someone who carries an additional experience no one else in the room can claim: the experience of Solas through love.

Combine that love with the fact that she survived a fate not unlike the one they now intend to force onto him and we can see what may have influenced her decision. She knows what it means to be forcibly bound to something that nearly destroyed her.

For this Lavellan, she won’t let him face it alone. She’ll help carry the burden with him, as best she can.

Thanks to Cage for the Inquisitor screenshots! Solas ones are mine.