kcwriter-blog

[kcwriter-blog]

raise your hand if you thought solas was “silly bald pajama elf” when they first showed him to us but now you can’t stop thinking about the cute points of his ears and his kind eyes and his full soft lips and his smooth voice and that little scar just above his eyebrow

#solas #dragon age #solas romance #dragon age inquisition #inquisition spoilers #solavellan #dai #solasmance #fen'harel #solas dragon age

[kcwriter-blog]

An Argument in Favor of Solas as the Family Dog

It’s been posited, sometimes facetiously, that Solas was the “family dog” in his younger days. It’s a theory I have been kicking around for a while. If I’m right (and I’m probably not) Solas as the equivalent to the family dog makes a lot of sense – especially when it comes to what he has done in the past and what he plans to do in the future.

My theory is based on the number and positioning of the many Fen’Harel statues found throughout Thedas and in some of the places our Inquisitor travels to in Trespasser. There’s also the odd role wolves seem to play in Elven cuture. Finally, there is Solas’ personality. More under the cut.

We see statues of wolves all over the place but generally they are found in front of ancient Elvhen sites. There are statues at the Temple of Mythal, the Temple of Dirthamon and the grove in Crestwood. I also recently found one near Ghilan’nain’s grove. We see a lot of wolf statues in the Dales (we will get to the Emerald Knight companion thing, presently). Given that Fen’Harel was a rebel in ancient times and the equivalent of the Dalish devil in current day Thedas, what gives? Why all the statues? At the very least they should have been destroyed when he rebelled. It doesn’t make sense.

Let’s look at the positioning of the statues. Invariably we see a reclining wolf placed outside what we’ll call the inner sanctuary. That is, they are always at the front before you go into the place you would pray or make your offerings. It’s not a stretch to believe these statues are guarding the temples. We also see wolf statues placed all over the Vir Dirthara. That’s an even weirder place to see them because Solas implies that he isn’t called Fen’Harel until after his rebellion – so why a statue and why one in a guardian position? We do see howling wolves sometimes. They are mostly seen decorating eluvians. Again, they seem to be guarding or protecting something.

Moving along, we learn about the wolf companions the Emerald Knights have. This is also odd. Why wolves? Fen’Harel is theoretically a Trickster God and responsible for locking up the other gods. Usually, when a culture equates a god with negative attributes, people are wary around the animal representing it. Not in this case. These are guardian wolves and there are statues of them all over the Dales. I don’t think all the statues are of wolf companions. Many of the wolf statues are carved into mountainsides and they are gigantic. It would take a long time to create those without magic. And let’s not forget the statues we see underneath waterfalls in Watcher’s Reach and the Exalted Plains. They should be worn away by the water but aren’t. Watcher’s Reach is an old Elven ruin. Magic presumably keeps them from being worn down. Why? Because Fen’Harel is guarding the Dales.

Fen’Harel as guardian can also be seen in Dalish practice. A statue of Fen’Harel is always placed outside the camp to guard against demons. Given that he is thought of as practically a demon himself, this is again, weird behavior.

The stories we hear about him in Masked Empire are also interesting, particularly the Slow Arrow. In it, a village is beset by a monster. The other gods refuse to help so they turn to Fen’Harel. He answers their prayers by showing up. He realizes he can’t defeat the monster. He is then presented with a hard choice. He can attempt to kill it, even though he knows he will probably die and if that happens so will everyone in the village, or he can do something clever and save some of them. So, he launches the slow arrow. The monster comes, kills the adults but dies before it can kill the children. This is in keeping with Solas’ fairly pragmatic personality. It also, illustrates that Fen’Harel, out of all the gods, even Mythal is always willing to come to the aid of the People.

So, what can we make of this? I believe Fen’Harel was and still is tasked with protecting the People. In a sense he fulfills the position of an Aavar hold beast. How did this happen? I’m not sure. Mythal could have called him out of the Fade with the purpose of protecting the People during the war with the Titans. His spirit could have been bound to a giant wolf. In the Deep Roads there is a codex that indicates depictions of Mythal were found alongside those of Fen’Harel. We know spirits can be reborn. If the giant wolf fell in battle, it might have been reborn and placed in an Elvhen body. Was it a body of it’s own or did it share a body in a similar fashion to Anders and Justice?

Solas as guardian of the People fits in other ways. If he wasn’t one of the Evanuris, he would have been part of the inner circle. He has some very nice castles and talks about missing court intrigue. He had status. If he wasn’t one of the Evanuris, serving as their gurad dog would give him that status

Also, in the library, the spirits replay the final days of the elves when the Veil goes up. They are shocked that Fen’Harel would do something like this. Why? He’s been rebelling for a while so why the surprise? Maybe because he’s supposed to protect The People, not hurt them.

What could have happened? As the Evanuris became more corrupt they began hurting the People. They enslaved them, used them for experiments, hunted them and sacrificed them. If your purpose is to protect the People, what do you as a spirit do?

We see how Cole is diverted from his purpose as a spirit of Compassion into a spirit who performs mercy killings. He’s not the exact opposite of Compassion but he isn’t fulfilling his purpose either. A spirit with a body seems to be more complex. It’s not so binary. If Solas was a bound spirit, the only way to protect his charges might be to do what he did.

Fast-forward to the present day. He wakes up, sees how his people are treated and feels duty-bound to do what he can to save them. In this case by tearing down the Veil. It could be seen as a compulsion.

I’ve probably missed a ton of other evidence but in my opinion, all signs point to Solas at one time being the Protector of the People whose purpose was then twisted. I’d be interested in knowing what other people think. 

#solas #dragon age inquisition #dragon age #solavellan #dai #solasmance #fen'harel #solas dragon age #solas dread wolf #dai solas #solas meta #dragon age meta

[kcwriter-blog]

Just a little angsty Solavellan fluff where Varric attempts to help Theneras move on.

#solas #dragon age inquisition #dragon age #solavellan #dai #solasmance #fen'harel #solas dragon age #solas dread wolf #dai solas #varric and lavellan #varric tethras #dai varric #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #solavellan fanfic

[kcwriter-blog]

Is Solas a Villain?

Spoilers for Dragon Age Inquisition and Trespasser DLC. Maybe DAO and DA2 too.

So is he a villain?

Nope!

That's not me being a Solas apologist.

That's me being a pedantic AF writer/editor/word and literary nerd.

Solas, no matter how players feel about him, is an anti-hero.

Firstly, what is an anti-hero?

1. A character who is a hero to some, a villain to others.

Solas was a hero to the ancient enslaved elves, even if he did end up basically destroying the world. If he does what I suspect, he'll also end up a hero to the current generation of enslaved elves, too. He's mentioned he has spies, many, indicating that many people, even good people, serve him. Because they think of him as a hero.

2. A character whose existence offers a critique of social morals and reality.

Can you think of any other character in DA:I who calls attention to the problems of the status quo more than Solas? I mean, truly pointing out the uncomfortable truth?

This convo w/Dorian sort of illustrates that point.

Dorian: Solas, for what it's worth, I'm sorry.

Dorian: The elven city of Arlathan sounds like a magical place, and for my ancestors to have destroyed it...

Solas: Dorian... hush.

Solas: Empires rise and fall. Arlathan was no more "innocent" than your own Tevinter in its time.

Solas: Your nostalgia for the ancient elves, however romanticized, is pointless.

Solas: If you wish to make amends for past transgressions, free the slaves of all races who live in Tevinter today.

Dorian: I... don't know that I can do that.

Solas: Then how sorry are you?

3. A character who is the focal point of conflict in a story.

Rather a no-brainer on this one. I truly think the actual villain/s of DA:D won't end up being Solas. I think, as he was in DA:I, he's a massive distraction. A misdirection of attention.

4. A character who is particularly engaged in the conflict, typically on their own will, rather than for a specific call for the greater good. As such, the anti-hero focuses on their objective first, and everything else is secondary.

Solas, if Romanced, gives up his heart's desire, the Inquisitor, the only person that has ever drawn his attention from the fade, for his goal, even though you can see how much it destroys him to do it.

His heart, hers, his friends... NOTHING can get in the way of the goal. And it's a goal he's taken on of his own will. He's taking the responsibility of fixing his fuck up because he fucked it up. (He's foolish because if he'd just stop and think for a second, he'd realize he's really bad at fixing things.)

5. An Anti-hero is still operating for what they think is the greater good. Solas truly believes that fixing what he broke is for the greater good of Thedas. Not just his own people, (that's an enjoyable side benefit XD) but Thedas itself. Because it was never meant to have the veil in the first place. (We'll just brush that whole evil self-absorbed mage-gods being set free at the same time under the carpet? Because he has "plans". Solas, Solas, just stop and think for a minute!)

6. They tend to be flawed heroes in the sense that they do wrong things/screw up/cause harm.

Welp. That's pretty much a dictionary definition of Solas, isn't it?

So how is that actually different from a villain?

A villain is a malicious, often cruelly malicious character, who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime or hurting others for their own sake. One who contributes evil agency (motivation) to the plot.

The literary purpose of a villain is to stand opposite the hero to help the plot move forward.

In contrast with the hero (which is defined by ingenuity, bravery, pursuit of justice and the greater good), a villain is most often defined by their acts of selfishness, evilness, arrogance, and or cruelty. They are often cunning and display unilaterally agreed upon immorality that can pervert or oppose justice.

In short, an anti-hero is a character who does too much good to be truly bad, and too much bad to truly be considered good.

Solas, as a character, gives unflinchingly of himself to the Inquisition. He gave them his home, if you believe Skyhold is actually his.

He gives of his blood and flesh in battles.

He gives his knowledge.

If Romanced, he gives his heart to a mortal inquisitor.

And he's willing to give whatever is left of his heart, his soul, and very possibly his life to fix what he broke.

Sorry, Solas haters, he's just not the villain you want him to be.

And that's what makes him so bloody fascinating!

Humanity loves our anti-heroes.

Did you know the term anti-hero was used as early as 1714, but that the character archetype has been used by Homer (Theristes), in Ancient Greek drama (Medea), in Roman mythology (Hercules), and in a lot of Renaissance literature (Don Quixote)?

At some point, the existence of an anti-hero character eventually became an established form of social criticism. Which Solas is very good at.

Other examples of anti-heroes most folks will likely recognize

Wade Wilson/Deadpool

Huckleberry Finn

Lou Bloom/Nightcrawler

Bruce Wayne/Batman

Mad Max

Captain Jack Sparrow

Lisbeth Salander (Girl w/dragon tattoo)

Han Solo

Pinnochio

James Bond

Lestat de Lioncourt (Interview w/a Vampire)

Geralt of Rivia (Witcher)

Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones)

Dexter Morgan (Dexter)

Indiana Jones

John Rambo

T-800 (The Terminator)

John McClane (Die Hard)

The Beast (Beauty & the Beast)

Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

Magneto (X-Men)

Logan/Wolverine (X-Men)

Riddick

Shrek

Stitch (Lilo & Stitch)

Harley Quinn

Hellboy

John Constantine

Frank Castle (The Punisher)

V (V for Vendetta)

Tony Stark/Iron Man

Sherlock Holmes

Judge Dredd

John Wick

Maleficent

Venom

Angel & Spike (Buffy)

Dean & Sam Winchester (Supernatural)

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow

The Mandalorian/Din Djarin

Wednesday Addams

I'll stop there, because the list could probably go on for a looong time (as if it hasn't already? 😅)

My work of words is my only income. Please consider a tip or becoming a patron. :)

#dragon age series #solas #solavellan #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #inquisitor lavellan #solavellan hell #solas dai #dai #fen’harel #da4 solas

[kcwriter-blog]

It definitely has to do with the balcony conversations but Solas doesn’t say anything Bull hasn’t said himself. Also your Inquisitor is Vashoth so presumably doesn’t believe in the Qun or precepts of the political system. Those conversations are also taken out of context. Solas is grappling with the idea that these are real people not shadows. I also believe that Solas doesn’t see people the way we do. He looks at their spirit/soul whatever and judges accordingly. Should he be so judgemental? I don’t know. Most of us are in real life, why should he be different. People also think Solas believes Elvhen are superior to everyone but he obviously doesn’t. He was a rebel and tells Dorian that the Elvhen Empire was no better than Tevinter. His motivation is not racism, bigotry or some sense of superiority. It’s guilt, grief and the knowledge that the Veil is an artificial construct that shouldn’t be there. He’s also only guessing at what will happen when the Veil comes down. My guess is he’s looking at the worst case scenario because in the past he looked at the best case and was proven wrong each time. The man is trying to learn from his mistake.

I think it’s weird that people try and point the finger at Solas for being racist and bigoted when I don’t think I could name a single character in DAI who isn’t?

Except maybe Cole and he’s the exception as he’s a spirit who’s newly crossed over and therefore can’t possibly have been shaped by the world’s prejudice.

But as for the rest, has no one listened to their dialogue? Even at their most well meaning, each character has had their actions and world view shaped by a certain form of prejudice. Casual racism is kind of everywhere in Dragon Age.

Just look at Dorian. He says some genuinely racist things to Solas over the course of their banter. And remember that Dorian is an incredibly privileged man who was born to and benefited from the culture that built itself on the ashes of another civilization and enslaved/abused/dismantled the personhood of the survivors for generations. Tevinter is actively a slave state, and at no point does Dorian really give the impression that he’s all too bothered by it. He outright denies the personhood of Spirits, an assessment we definitively know to be not just inaccurate but deeply immoral.

Then there’s Bull. His banter with Solas reveals so much about them both. In particular, it reveals that Bull looks down on pretty every other culture. He holds up the Qun, an ultra authoritarian nightmare state, as the pinnacle of civil order and admits that he thinks the world would be better if they simply conquered and subjugated everyone.

Even Cassandra, Blackwall, and Varric, as much as I love them all and consider them genuinely good people, have their prejudices.

As for Solas, I’m honestly not sure you can call him a racist? It’s just a gross misreading and oversimplification of his character. People point to his plans for the Veil as being genocidal. But they aren’t. Solas hasn’t set out to wipe all Non-Elves from the face of Thedas. He’s not trying to purge the world of all other races. He’s trying to fix a mistake that he made long ago, one which has left the world in a state he can only perceive as nightmarish and doomed.

I feel like people forget that Solas was only back in the world for about a year prior to Inquisition, and in that year he likely experienced nothing but violence and cruelty. The few redeeming things the world had left before he put up the Veil are all but gone. His people have been scattered, subjugated, and enslaved. They’ve had everything taken from them by this new world he helped create, and that clearly horrifies him.

Solas is absolutely misguided, and he’s absolutely stubborn. But racist? I don’t really think you can call him any more prejudiced than the rest of the characters, except in his case we’re talking about someone who is quite literally from another world. He is as alien to the world and its people as they are to him. And still he shows care and respect to others, despite how awful they’ve been to him.

He respects Cassandra and comes to enjoy her company despite how hostile she was towards him at first. He genuinely befriends Varric, reads his books, jokes with him. He never attempts to fight with Sera, despite her being an outright bully towards him. He shows compassion for Blackwall. He even comes to show respect for Bull and Dorian, despite their various ideological differences.

So, bigoted? No I wouldn’t say he is. Bigoted implies that Solas is incapable of tolerating a worldview outside his own, which is demonstrably not the case. Solas can and does accept the arguments and opinions of others. More than once he concedes to Varric. If you’ve played a Dalish Inquisitior who either befriends or romanced him, he changes his opinion about the Dalish, too.

The only subjects he won’t budge on are the ones that a person really shouldn’t?? He sure won’t entertain the idea of slavery being anything but a horrible atrocity, and that’s a bad thing? He’s a hardliner when it comes to Spirits being recognized as people, because they are and it’s the morally correct stance to have. Again, why is that a bad thing?

What is it with people taking characters who have been made victims by either society or circumstance and are vehemently anti-slavery and trying to cast them as monsters who go too far? I keep seeing it in different franchises cough gameofthrones and it’s starting to make me genuinely uncomfortable.

#solas dragon age #solas dread wolf #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age dreadwolf #solasmance #dai #solavellan #solas #meta #dragon age meta

[kcwriter-blog]

Duality

This was a fever dream piece I did way too late at night in under two hours somehow, and it’s one of my favorite pieces in a while.

#solavellan #solas dragon age #solas #dragon age inquisition #dragon age #dai #solasmance #fen'harel

[kcwriter-blog]

I agree whole heartedly about Merril. Fenris is a different story depending on if your are his friend, rival or lover. If romanced : If you left Hawk in the Fade, he might just be angry enough to kill Inky. At the least he will be trying to find a way in. If dropping the Veil means getting Hawk back he would be all for joining Solas. If Hawk isn’t left in the Fade that would be something different. He might do what the Inky wants out of gratitude. He is absolutely against slavery but he has conflicting feelings about mages - especially if Hawk is a mage. Solas has no real issues with blood magic used appropriately. Fenris hates blood magic period. If Solas can remove his markings? He might join for that. I’m sure Solas knows exactly what they are. All in all Fenris is a complicated guy but he would tear the world apart for Hawk.

Tell us about an opinion of yours that you've wanted to rant about but have never had the chance to (here's the mic 🎤)

Merrill would join Solas and so would Fenris.

Fight me.

*drops mic*

#dragon age dreadwolf #solas #dragon age inquisition #dragon age #solavellan #dai #solasmance #fen'harel #solas dragon age #solas dread wolf #da fenris #fenris #da2 merrill #Merrill #da meta

[kcwriter-blog]

Always finding something new in DAI. I never noticed that when you do the Riverside Garrison quest in the Exalted Plains, the hole that has the rift in it also has one of those metal trees you see in Trespasser. Given that and what’s in the pit beneath that giant hand, I’m thinking the Plains once belonged to Andruil or Ghili’nain.

#solas #dragon age inquisition #dragon age #solavellan #dai #solasmance #fen'harel #solas dragon age #dai solas #andruil #dai exalted plains

[kcwriter-blog]

“…Instead of just seeing a pair of pointed ears.”

#solas #solavellan #dragon age #solas romance #da solas #solas dai #solas x lavellan #dragon age solas #solas fan art #solasmance

[kcwriter-blog]

“Your abilities declare the world real. Who, if not the Maker of this world, could grant such a gift?”

#dragon age #solas #cassandra pentaghast #solas dai #dai solas #fen’harel #solas romance #da solas #dragon age solas #solasmance

[kcwriter-blog]

Egg manifest

#he’s so sad and beautiful #solas #dragon age #solas dragon age #dragon age inquisition #solavellan #dai #solasmance #wailing willow art

[kcwriter-blog]

I made a mod that unlocks one of Solas’ hidden dialogue trees so it can be seen in-game. It was apparently supposed to be a little quest for if you sided with the templars. This is probably the first time anyone’s experienced it in their actual game. :3

#dragon age #solas #dai mods #inquisition spelunking

[kcwriter-blog]

going through some of morrigan's conversations where she talks about flemythal, and I'm reminded that morrigan and solas have a very weird relationship through her. do they both see her as a mother? would that make them the weirdest siblings in dragon age? does she see her as a mother and solas sees her as a friend? what do I do with my suspicion that at one point solas was written as mythal's lover? would that make him spiritually morrigan's stepdad? or was he the family dog? Is Flemythal the abomination similar enough to Mythal to draw these relationship lines? I know they argue with each other in mythal's temple, but it's so funny because it's almost like they're both arguing in her house about like which one of them knows her the best. And morrigan doesn't even know she's talking about her own mother. What Pride Has Wrought remains the quest with the strangest and strongest undercurrents

#dragon age #solas #dragon age inquisition #solavellan #dai #da morrigan #morrigan #pretty sure he was the family dog 😂

[kcwriter-blog]

It's only skin warming skin

#so soft and beautiful #i love them so much #perfect #solavellan #solas #lavellan #solas x lavellan #solas x inquisitor #wailing willow art #dragon age inquisition

[kcwriter-blog]

15 Lines of Dialogue

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

Thank you, @broodwolf221 and @kierarhawke for tagging me in this. 🥰

This isn't going to be easy. I just started writing fan fiction and most of it is Solas stream of consciousness stuff in which my OC doesn't speak. So much of this is coming from my WIPs. Given that, here's an introduction to Theneras (Her name means Dreams in Elvhen).

“Was it prepared here? Because I am not eating anything that came out of that kitchen. I’m positive I saw a rat getting drunk on the bar. He had his own little tankard and everything.”

“No? I’m their bloody Herald of Andraste and they still butchered them. Regardless, I made a mistake and they paid for it.”

"“That was my choice to make, not yours!"

“How was I supposed to know? It’s not like he was wearing a sign that said, ‘Elvhen god planning to destroy the world. Under no circumstances fall in love with him.’"

“Ir abelas, vhenan, if I could add your grief to my own, I would."

“When I wake up, they will still be gone. I will still be the last of my clan. I will still be alone. Dreams offer cold comfort."

“I can’t talk about this. I can't even think about it right now. Why not just say no one trusts me and be done with it. Maybe that’s why I never leave home."

"There are always choices, Solas. You may not like them but they are there."

“I don’t know if I am safe, but I assume I’m not dead – yet. I have you to thank for that, I take it?”

“I don’t understand you, Solas. Do you want to succeed in your endeavor or fail, because I can’t tell.”

“What experience? If I want to fuck a carpet, there’s a perfectly good rug in my sitting room.”

"I don’t want to wake up alone. Do you?”

“And you thought a wolf was the appropriate response to a Crow assassin?”

“I never like your answers anymore.”

“That you still love me? No. That I still love you? Yes. I just don’t want to.”

Tagging, but with no pressure to accept (if you've already been tagged, my apologies. 😊): @arlathvhenan @an-established-butt-dent

#solas #dragon age inquisition #solavellan #tag games #current wips #wip #dai solas #solasmance

[kcwriter-blog]

Corseque for the win again!

People really hate when I say that what the Inquisitor did at Redcliffe is exactly the same thematically and morally as what Solas is doing, so I’m just repeating it here because it’s the truth.

People literally just want to ignore that they already personally threw out an entire future THAT EXISTED in order to restore the world to it’s “rightful” state (without horrific magical enslavement and abominations and death), and it’s so fucking funny they don’t think it has any relevance to the story. It doesn’t count when THEY do it because they’re the PLAYER. It doesn’t count when THEY do it because THEIR Inquisitor can say they REGRETTED it (as if Solas isn’t saying the exact same fucking thing every time you talk to him.) “it’s different because it’s time travel, not x y or z”—do you think the WAY you decide a reality arbitrarily “isn’t real” matters?? Solas made all those same kinds of “well, it doesn’t count because it wasn’t really real...” to himself too. “it’s different because they all agreed with me”—did you ask literally everyone in Thedas what they thought about it before you threw that version of reality in the garbage? Did you ask every spirit? Do you know how RILED Solas is to save Redcliffe if you bring him? He sounds just like you, suddenly, and you sound just like him in Trespasser. you’re all hypocrites lol. why the fuck else do you think that mission was in that game? For fun? Learn about how writing works, look up what a thematic parallel is, I’m deeply begging you

The next person who obviously hasn’t listened to all of Solas’ dialogue nor romances him and still finds the gumption to say to me “you, Solas stan, don’t understand Solas—he’s just evil and he won’t listen, he’s too prideful” owes me $40. If you write me an essay on this post too you’re blocked, I’m beyond annoyed.

#dragon age #inquisition spoilers #trespasser dlc #solas #dragon age inquisition #solavellan #dai #solasmance #in hushed whispers #it’s called empathy

[kcwriter-blog]

one of those things that's really striking and interesting to me is how often it's simply not addressed when discussing low approval Solas + inquisitor that Solas is, in many ways, acting out his role as the fantasy trickster god. he comes to you in a very humble format; an apostate mage elf, which in the social dynamic puts him veeeeery low on the podium. one of the first things he does in his first conversation is address the fact that HOPEFULLY, the Inquisition will remember who helped, and who did not -- because it is a very real possibility, again, in the context of the social dynamic, for him to be fucked over supremely by the inquisition -- to put him back into a circle, etc. once it's over. of course, Solas knows, and we the player know, that this will never happen, because he's Fen'Harel and such and such. but when interacting with him IN GAME? that social dynamic is vital to understanding why Solas acts the way he does around you. it's fairly easy to rack up approval--simply make the effort to consider a perspective other than your own, a perspective from someone who society has deemed very low (elven mage). slam him down and be belligerent? it only confirms that the leadership here is rooted once again in power hungry individuals who will step on the lowest classes for their own gain.

it's quite literally... fantasy trickster god testing the hero to see if they will treat the humblest person with kindness, or need to learn the error of their arrogance. solas APPROVES almost entirely of things that promote elven and mage freedom, helping the needy, freeing those who need freeing, not playing into being an arrogant leader. when you punch him, in the social dynamic, you are exerted an abuse of power and authority that now goes beyond the verbal, into the physical. could HE, if he were a simple elven mage, defend himself? no. because an elven mage hitting the leader of a holy army back could have him be put to the death. none of this excuses Solas' own flaws, his faulty reasons for his actions, etc. but like, taking into consideration the actual social structure of the game and what kind of power dynamics are going on here, it's necessary to UNDERSTAND the character and what kind of choice you make here, and how it all informs Solas' idea that either 1. he's wrong, this world has things worth saving, but he cannot diverge from his course, even if he on some level wants to be stopped, or 2. this world is just as terrible as the one he left behind, and it needs to be undone.

#spectacular take #never thought of it from a fairytale perspective but op is right #solas #da meta #dragon age inquisition #dragon age