#rip solas

[britcision]

Anyway. This is why I finally put up the Heralds masterpost.

Because this whole idea was conceived and written at various 3ams, and it shows

Cole is just a sweet and creepy little man who likes to share his hobbies with his friends. Hobbies like watching you sleep

**

Sleepers

The first time, Lavellan was already standing over Solas’ sleeping form when Cole wandered into the elf’s bedroom.

Cole wasn’t specifically looking for either elf (although he’d been expecting to find Solas in one form or another), but it didn’t deter him. Not much did, even a direct instruction.

Lluciano glanced over at him for a moment, an acknowledgment that still sat warm and happy in Cole’s chest like sunlight. Then the elf’s bright green eyes returned to Solas’ sleeping form.

Solas liked sleeping. It let him wander into the Fade, travel secret roads and find old mysteries. Cole had always wondered if there was any way to see that in the body left behind.

Moving up beside Lavellan, the two regarded the sleeping elf together.

Maybe that was what Lluciano was doing here too. Lluciano didn’t like Solas as much as Cole did, but for once Cole almost understood that.

Solas didn’t like elves. Didn’t like the Dalish, who clutched at traditions he thought were all wrong, and didn’t like the city elves who’d become too close to human. And he wasn’t shy about showing it.

Solas did like Lluciano though; Luci challenged him, made him think about why he’d given up on all the Dalish. And Lluciano liked the spirits, which was pretty much Solas’ favourite thing about any person.

They’d gotten on much better once Solas stopped trying to speak down to him, but Lluciano hadn’t forgotten. And while he hadn’t been angry, or overly offended, or started a fight over it, there was something in him that was always cold to Solas.

That remembered having to prove against resistance that he was his own person, and should be treated like one.

Cole wondered what that would feel like too. Being so sure in your personhood, being able to put your foot down and demand to be treated in the way you wanted.

Of course, Lluciano wasn’t much good at the latter part yet either, but being around Cadash was a learning experience for both of them. Corin Cadash could put their foot down hard enough to shake Skyhold.

Cole had wandered the bedrooms plenty of times before. He didn’t sleep, and when that was what everyone else was doing, he didn’t have much else to occupy him.

He’d drift around, find the places where people were still up, some of them hot and wanting, others shaking and scared. Some reading, little snatches of stolen time by candle light.

Some just sleeping, lying there completely unaware of anything else in the world. Even less aware of his presence than everyone else, although sometimes they would react to him.

Some peoples’ faces would twitch if he watched them. Some people turned away. Buried themselves in covers, like even if he could hide from their waking selves, he couldn’t sneak past that little sleeping part.

That was interesting too, and Cole very much liked to watch the sleeping part. To see what disturbed them, wonder if it was himself or only their own dreams.

He could hear dreams, sometimes. Mostly the bad ones, the ones that came with shaking, shivering, screaming sounds strangled to silence.

Not Solas’ though. And Cole wasn’t sure if that was because Solas dreamed his way into the Fade, or just the sheer volume of the other hurts Solas always carried inside.

Solas was sleeping deeply tonight. Some nights, his face would twitch too, even in his Fade walking. Some nights he’d almost respond to Cole’s presence.

Cole knew he was much harder to notice than anyone else, than any of the real people who were flesh and not spirits pretending.

Harder than anyone except Lluciano Lavellan. Because the Fade magic in his hand and the sickness in his head had gotten all tangled together, and sometimes even Cole couldn’t see Lluciano.

Sometimes Lluciano didn’t even know he’d disappeared. He would just be invisible, or teleported away by the sudden spasms of a seizure.

So it made sense, really, that Solas hadn’t noticed him. Cole certainly hadn’t, and he didn’t know how long Lavellan had been there before he’d arrived. They could have almost been walking together.

Cole didn’t ask. That wasn’t nice; talking where other people were trying to sleep. He’d been told off for that a lot, now that he was travelling with other people.

He didn’t need to sleep, and could quite happily sit up for most of the night talking to Solas, Lavellan, Cadash, or Varric. Even the Iron Bull talked to him on watches, which was nice even if he was scared.

It made the scared smaller, and Cole was happy with that.

Until someone else would yell at them from the tents and tell them to shut up.

It wasn’t nice to talk when other people were sleeping, or to make noise, so Lavellan and Cole stood in comfortable, companionable silence side by side, both watching Solas sleep.

Neither of them wanted to disturb him. Solas probably needed to sleep more; that seemed inevitable. Most of Skyhold spent a lot of time complaining that they hadn’t slept enough, or longing for their beds.

You might think they would therefore appreciate having Cole’s presence there to watch them sleep, and ward away any loud noises or talking that would disturb them. Most of them didn’t though, so usually Cole made sure they couldn’t notice him.

Tonight, Lavellan was fully visible though, standing at Solas’ bedside as real as could be, so Cole copied him. Lavellan might not have known he was visible, but he usually wanted to be except in battle.

If he’d wanted to be unseen, Cole seeing him would have told him he’d failed. He’d had time to be less seen and hide, and he hadn’t.

So that meant it was probably okay. Solas didn’t like Cole to hide himself anyway; not from him. Solas always said that Cole was a good and gentle spirit, and anything he offered Solas would be grateful for.

It wasn’t what Cole knew was true about himself, but Solas was very sure, and it was nice to believe. Solas would notice if he were becoming a monster, although a deep down part of Cole knew that Solas would never stop Cole from hurting anyone else.

Solas didn’t think other people were worth as much as spirits. Cole couldn’t argue with him; Solas just wouldn’t listen, so there was no point.

Lavellan would. And if he wouldn’t kill Cole himself, he could get Cadash, and Cadash would kill anyone and anything they needed to. Especially if it would hurt Lavellan.

Cole didn’t know if he would hurt Lluciano, but he wasn’t going to assume he wouldn’t. He didn’t know how he’d think if he became a monster again.

But Cadash would stop him, even if they did call him self destructive and dramatic every time he asked, so it was alright. Nothing in the world could hurt Lluciano if Corin was around.

They had a very big shield with a special spring loaded part to make it even bigger just to be sure.

Lluciano wasn’t hurting tonight either. He did sometimes, when his body woke up without him in it and wandered the keep. Cole tried to follow him when that happened, just like when the seizures left him empty.

Tonight though, he was definitely all inside his body. Cole could feel the gentle hum beside him, knew his thoughts were buzzing around, but none of it was hurting.

Cole being there too was helping, which was nice. Just his presence being able to help without talking, or doing anything, or even touching was still a little new.

People knowing him, knowing he was there, and liking that he was there was warm too, soft and sweet like honey left in the sun. Not just the presence of another, the presence of Cole.

He was valued.

Lluciano wanted to touch Solas’ face.

The thought slipped in so softly, so gently that Cole might almost have mistaken it for one of his own, because… well, he did sometimes.

People didn’t like being touched when they were awake, not most of the time. And Cole always wanted to make people comfortable, so he listened solemnly to Josephine’s lectures and always let people touch him first, or tell him how they liked touching.

They didn’t mind when they were asleep though, and all the little skin hungers could be soothed so long as he was gentle enough not to wake them.

Faces especially fascinated Cole. They held onto expressions they weren’t making anymore, all the different lines and wrinkles from smiles and frowns.

He liked to trace them with his fingers, all the marks of past joys and sorrows. To feel them while they were flat and empty. And sometimes to feel the frowns deepen under his touch, lines becoming ridges.

People didn’t like him touching their faces most of all while they were awake, but most of them also needed the closeness of contact. They didn’t touch each other enough either, so touching them while they were asleep worked out best for everyone.

That way they could have the touch and feel better, and not be upset with him.

It was nice to know Lluciano felt the urge to touch too. He glanced over at Cole from the corner of his eye, and that small happy thing in Cole’s chest grew brighter as he realised.

Lavellan knew that Cole knew what he wanted to do. Talking without words, sharing just the feeling and knowing that Cole understood.

If only Cole could send a feeling back. To let Lavellan feel the way he felt, and know that Cole knew about the touching feeling too.

Solas definitely needed to be touched more.

It wasn’t the biggest ache that lingered, hungered under his skin, but it was worse than almost anyone else Cole had ever met.

He didn’t let himself touch anyone, and didn’t let them touch him either if he could help it. He didn’t want to get attached. Cole could understand that; when you got attached to people and they left, that hurt was the worst of all.

There was nothing that could fix it, or help. Just time to make the ache less.

But bodies had needs whether their owners liked them or not, and skin hungered to be touched no matter how much you wanted it not to.

He usually wound up touching Solas when he watched him sleep. Traced the long points of his ears. The harsh lines of his face.

The smooth, shiny skin on top of his head. Like the shell of a boiled egg, Sera said, but Cole had touched lots of eggs and they weren’t as soft. As smooth and with the same gentle give of flesh.

Solas liked Lavellan. He probably would like for Lluciano to touch his face, while he was asleep. Then he wouldn’t have to ask while he was awake.

He would have liked for Adaar to touch his face a lot more, and with her own face, but she wasn’t here. She couldn’t see well enough to watch people in the dark. Solas would have to ask her.

Lluciano was here now though.

Looking back at Lavellan for a moment, Cole did his best to convey his thoughts in his own face.

It didn’t have a lot of lines yet, because he hadn’t been living in it for very long. Varric told him his face was sad, all on its own, and Cole wasn’t quite sure what to do about it.

Lluciano looked at him, then back down at Solas. Back to Cole.

He really wanted to touch Solas’ face.

Cole tried a nod. Because yes, that was for agreeing. Lluciano should touch Solas’ face.

Lluciano grinned, teeth bright and white in the dark, and Cole felt himself smiling back. That was still strange too, the urge to smile when one of the heralds smiled at him.

When Varric smiled at him. Smiles were what happened when the warmth in his chest came up into his face, when he was happy and people were happy with him.

Lluciano was very happy with him, and with him being here. He nodded back, looked down at Cole’s hands.

Oh.

They could touch Solas’ face together. That would probably be even better than them touching his face separately, although they might get in each others’ way.

But then they could be touching each other too, and Cole could show Lavellan the way he liked to stroke along all the lines and wrinkles, and Lavellan would like it too.

Cole knew he would. Lluciano always liked learning about how people worked. And he liked faces, especially pretty ones like Dorian’s and Cullen’s.

They would have to get closer. Kneel down beside the bed together. Very close, shoulder to shoulder, or chest to chest, air warmed between them and sharing the sleeping time.

It was nice, not being alone.

**

A sudden, unshakeable feeling of wrongness snapped Solas abruptly from a deep sleep. Eyes jerking open, it took a moment for them to refocus on the real world, instead of the paths he’d been walking.

He was in his room, at the base of tower. Tucked away from his study. Dark, only the light from a brazier in the hall flickering.

He’d closed the door when he came to bed.

Someone had opened it.

Someone was still there.

Eyes darting about the room, Solas was about to sigh in resignation when he realised that there were two shadowy figures standing over his bed, not just the one.

Eyes narrowing, he pushed himself up on one shoulder and frowned up at the pair. Cole’s long, lanky limbs, as expected. And…

Lavellan.

Lluciano Lavellan was standing with Cole, both of them watching him sleep.

Because of course they were. Why wouldn’t that be another thing for the two of them to bond over. They already liked sneaking around.

Letting out the sigh, suddenly with infinitely more weight and feeling infinitely more tired, Solas flopped back onto his bed, eyes resolutely closed.

“This is not going to be my problem,” he declared firmly, and even his senses, strained in the dark and otherwise silent room at the base of the tower, barely picked up the sounds of the two moving away.

He would have asked Josephine about a lock for his door, if he didn’t already know Lavellan enjoyed lock picking.

Maybe a bucket trap instead.

“The bucket will only fall if I want it to. I don’t want it to disturb you.”

Solas’ eyes snapped open again at Cole’s simple, slightly confused sentence, and Lluciano’s cackling laughter.

He lay in the dark for a long time, but he didn’t sleep again that night.

**

You know it’s a good fic when someone has to keep putting it down because they’re laughing to hard to read it… or maybe that’s the 3am talking, right @ekwolfwood?

I warned you I would be insufferable about Cole

Behold! The master post!

[stephschoices]

If your lavellan kisses solas in the fade but decides to not pursue a romance in the next scene, do you think solas still thinks about that, bc I do 🫠

[miyku]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard | ▶ dev. Bioware

[literallybyronic]

me and the Girlies (gn) about to make some objectively fucking terrible decisions in DATV:

[lillotte17]

I have been in the solavellan fandom for...A While. (do not count the years, i beg) and everyone has their tropes and themes re: wolves/halla and hunter/prey and the New Herald being worshiped/the Old God nearly forgotten, and tbh I like bits and pieces of all of them, but like...

For me, the most compelling story is that Lavellan is just Some Guy (gn).

They meet Solas and accept that he is like them. He's an elf. One of The People. You are like me. I am like you. We are The Same People. And because of that, I will protect you with whatever power the humans around us have given me, because I know this is not the safest place for either of us.

And it just fucking... gets him, right? Because that's his whole deal. The world is broken because the people aren't People. He's not like them. They're not like him.

I just love the idea that this impossibly old, incredibly powerful sort-of-god, trips into a hole and nearly throws his entire game away because a regular person (albeit one who was thrust into extraordinary circumstances) decided to be kind. Offered him protection and friendship. Asked him to tell them stories. Grieved with him when he lost one of his oldest friends.

He could not deny that they were a person, because they treated him like a person.

I love how ordinary that is. How simple. How devastating.

'You're real, and it means everyone could be real. It changes everything, but it can't.'

[ayamikasai]

Part 1 of 2 of Solas in DA Tarot Style for @enterthedreams fic 'God Touched'! ✨

Part 2

It's been a while since I read a fanfic that actually makes me feel invested in the OCs character growth <3 Please consider giving it a read!

❤️Discord (junyami) for commissions!

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❤️Timelapses!

[gallusneve]

DREADWOLF

[lelianasbong]

i DO think it's going to be funny to watch the dragon age fandom explode when people finally get their hands on veilguard. and realize all of the companions have Opinions

[willeminaaa]

Beware the forms of Fen'Harel

[vigilskeep]

okay yeah. as the statues are falling, varric is still just a couple of the steps away from solas, who is still carrying the knife throughout

while rook is then shown visibly on the opposite side of the ritual site as this is happening, thrown back even further by solas protecting himself and varric from the falling statue

we cut immediately from that to rook being directly below solas on the steps, looking up. there’s absolutely been a time jump just for rook to get here. solas is looking down with a remorseful expression. he’s clearly no longer holding the knife. varric is nowhere to be seen

and there’s something or someone collapsed on the ground at the bottom of the steps, which wasn’t there before, with something glowing stuck in it

in summary it’s so over

[corseque]

can't believe after 10 years we still don't know any concrete details about Solas. Who the hell is he anyway lmao

[yuko27]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Are you waiting for it too, folks? I almost lost hope. To be honest, I've got mixed feelings since I watched the official gameplay. It's quite different from what I expected. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hope the fourth part will keep some of the vibes from the previous three parts.

BTW, why is it The Veilguard instead of Dreadwolf as it was initially announced?

Welp, I'm not gonna judge in advance but wait for the release.

[evermorelore]

✧.* 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖? ✧.*

[soulhem]

@baggygirl_ on ig

[sky--phantom]

Trespasser! 🫡

btw, pls don't hold the hair clipping against me 😅 this is her hairstyle, and I liked the outfit too much to change it because of the neck.

Also, warning, I ended up rambling at the end 😅

Lavellan when she spots Solas and the Viddasala

I don't know why but this one just seems so funny to me out of context 😂 like, "honey, you know that thing you told me not to do?"

Solas as Lavellan talks about how she discovered he's the Dread Wolf. I don't know how to describe this expression, sad, fond, proud? I think there would be a "Solas approves" here tho 🥲

"What is the old Dalish curse? “May the Dread Wolf take you”?"

"And so he did" (this is the other line that kills me)

They closed their eyes and lowered their heads at the same second during the "I would not have you see what I become". These two angsty mfs

(Though judging by how Solas' bags in DAV + that bit told in the GI article, she wasn’t exactly wrong to say "I cannot bear to think of you alone")

The Anchor flares up

"Solas, var lath vir suledin"

"I wish it could, vhenan."

the kiss 😢

It kills me how he brushes her hair back, and then holds her face. He also holds her hand with his other one.

They both just look so fking wrecked during this kiss.

And then he leaves 😞

now to wait for their next meeting in DAV 🥲

I still can't believe that, besides his visits to her dreams (which I think is probably a whole other post), this is the last time they meet. Pretty sure DAV is 8 years after this.

This was devastating. Both of them are wrecked, this is not what they want, but it's the path Solas has chosen to walk through. It hurts because falling in love with Lavellan is probably one of the few times in a while that Solas has done something just for himself, not for the cause, not for the people, but Solas

("The blame is mine, not yours. It was irresponsible and selfish of me") ("Because I made a selfish mistake. Because you deserve better"),

and he has to break it off. No matter how Lavellan and the other members of the Inquisition have helped him see people as, you know, people, this is a mission he has set for himself, something he believes he has to do, his duty.

(Also, I forgot to mention it during the Crestwood post, but it hurts when he stops saying vhenan and changes to Inquisitor)

So, Solas drags his feet, walking slowly, but still walks away from Lavellan and towards the eluvian. He walks away from the person who fell in love with him when he was just Solas, and walks towards the path where he is Fen'Harel, the god of rebellion who has tried to help his people, even if it doesn't turn out well.

He leaves behind a Lavellan whose heart is breaking for the 3rd time because of the same man, who has to deal with what happens with the Inquisition (mine disbanded with the angry option), and the loss of an arm. Also, you know, dealing with the fact that he is an elven god and wants to destroy the veil.

So, yeah...

Sorry that this got a bit very rambly 😅 I just finished the game a little over 2 weeks ago, and there are a lot of thoughts running around my head.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with Solas in DAV, and how the Inquisitor will be integrated into the game as well. (side note, I'm so curious about that, bc they haven't even mentioned if the Inky CC will have the same options as Rook) (I just want to know if there are prosthetics and if they can have body tattoos)

These are more general, just thought they were pretty

[queenaeducan]

(Link to tweet)

I'm so excited... :')