I think a common misunderstanding towards Solavellans (or Solas enjoyers in general) is that they like this purified fanon version of him as this poor innocent guy who did the things he did by accident and shouldn’t be held responsible for any of it.
No. His appeal lies in him as a metaphor for all the ways you can be broken and bent and twisted that your reality becomes as twisted as you. The line between love and manipulation, and how faint it can become under the right circumstances. How easy it can be for a victim to turn into a perpetrator. The themes of duty and regret, social identity and the nuances of perspective when it comes to morality. Discussion of how much intentions and external influence actually matter when it comes to one’s actions. And, my personal favorite, the question of how far can you go and still remain redeemable.
Most Solas enjoyers I have seen and interacted with like him because of this, not in spite of it. There are plenty of very hot less morally confusing characters to love in this series, all with their own lovable traits. And sure, some people might try to water down his character, but that’s a minority in my experience.
DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION EXTRACTS - SOLAS HEAD TURNAROUND
the 'vallaslin are sacred to all elves ✋️😔 not just the Dalish' tattoo dialogue is so weird but if I write an essay explaining why I fear I'll combust and die
Warning: Some dav criticism ahead
Why is Tevinter so shallow? It isn't just about the lack of slavery (that, whatever else it is, however it was handled before, has been a pillar of Tevinter identity and inevitably leaves a hole in the narrative by being pratically missing). Why does the magisterium, the caste system, the Antaam invasion outside of Minrathous and the Black Divine play no role at all in its storyline?
Why the atrocities of the Crows (buying children, for example?) never come up during their faction quests?
Why do we hear nothing about the political side of the mortalitasi, how they control Nevarra from the shadows?
Why do we never even hear about Kont-aar even though we are in Rivain? Why there is no counterpoint to the (metaphorically, by qunari standards, mindless and souless) Antaam? Why is the qun completely missing from the game and the qunari reduced to cannon fodder the player has to cut down?
Why are the questions about magic that permeate every previous game absent here, especially when veilguard being set in the north could have given us such a unique viewpoint?
And, more importantly:
Why am I supposed to believe that no dalish elves would worship the gods they have already been worshipping their whole lives? That they wouldn't follow out of naivety, out of misplaced hope for a better future, out of fear, seeking to placate them?
Why am I supposed to believe that the gods would not even try to seek the dalish, when we are told by the previous games about the dalish hunters of legend, about how they are a mighty force to be reckoned with when united? Why do they only show up at the Blood of Arlathan quest, to play damsel in distress?
Why am I supposed to believe that no elves from the alienages would want to join the gods, because of every reason mentioned above, or out of spite or disdain for an uncaring world?
And yes, I know everyone learned the gods were evil off-screen. Why was it off-screen?
Also, where are the agents of Fen'Harel? Where are the people that vanished by the end of Trespasser?
Obviously, you can't expand on all of this in a single game, but why is all of it absent?
Why is bioware so afraid to engage with the world they created?
in case you want confirmation on whether Solas starts sobbing after Lavellan says “There is no fate but the love we share” 🥹
im so glad this post came back around because ive been thinking of these tweets from trick from at least pre-2021 and how disappointing it is that the veil doesn’t come down in the game but wasn’t able to find them and wow
like holy shit. so what happened between THIS and the veilguard ending that shipped?????
“The failure was mine. I should pay the price…”
I'm so normal about them
Ar lath ma, vhenan 🐺
Something something archdemon blood smeared across our lips like lipstick stains idk
Solas and Layla Lavellan
Them🖤🖤🖤