i saw a drawing of this meme on my dash and had an epiphany.

(Bask in the awesomeness of this.)

Oh

My

some people were complaining the original of this was too easy; so here’s a hard version for nerds and people who are good at wordsearches

all words are up and down, no diagonals, some backwards

It’s exactly the same situation for Solas as it was for the Inquisitor when they time-traveled into the horrible future where Corypheus ruled. The Inquisitor had few qualms about sacrificing people in that future because it “didn’t really matter or exist” - the only thing that mattered was going back to the past to prevent that horrible future from occurring.

The Dalish derided and hated? The city elves in alienages? This is Solas’ Bad End Future. Solas does not consider the world around him to be truly real or right. He doesn’t understand the Dalish, and can hardly recognize them or City Elves as elves. He does not want to understand or even think about modern elves because it’s Solas’ fault that they were killed, that they were enslaved, that they have to live the terrible lives they do. He spends as much time in the Fade as possible because of escapism, frankly. Because some of his oldest friends still live there, and because he can still walk lost Arlathan’s streets in his dreams… he wants to be in the past again, where he didn’t fuck everything up. 

He’s very much a lost, isolated character looking for guidance, a true hermit of the tarot. Every conversation he has with the other companions is him desperately sound-boarding off them, “What should I do? What would you do? What can I do?“ His conversations with Varric about the Man On The Island haunt me, especially. (“How can you be happy, surrendering? Knowing it will all end with you? How can you not fight?”)

So yeah, he is a bitter sleepwalker trying not to invest in anything around him… because of self-preservation. Because if he invests emotionally in it, it will make everything harder. If he was truly an asshole, and if people truly didn’t matter to him, this wouldn’t be a problem for him. 

The touching part about Lavellan is not that he treats her better than other people, because he doesn’t. It’s that his feelings for her force him to confront the future that he made, and see it as real. (“You’re real, and it means everyone could be real. It changes everything, but it can’t.”) This future is real, and it’s something he made, and its reality matters deeply.

It’s the story of a god who is estranged from his people (literally, statues of Fen'Harel are not allowed inside Dalish camps) and his relationship with Lavellan helps him reconcile the reality of the world and decide what to do about it. It’s a sleeping god finally answering the call of the Dalish, who never expected to be answered. It’s a mortal convincing a god that his people still need protecting.

Inq: What made you start studying the Fade? Solas: I grew up in a village to the north. There was little to interest a young man, especially one gifted with magic. But as I slept, spirits of the Fade showed me glimpses of wonders I had never imagined. I treasured my dreams. Being awake, out of the Fade, became troublesome. Inq: Did spirits try to tempt you?  Solas: No more than a brightly colored fruit is deliberately tempting you to eat it. I learned how to defend myself from more aggressive spirits and how to interact safely with the rest. I learned how to control my dreams with full consciousness. There was so much I wanted to explore. Inq: I gather you didn’t spend your entire life dreaming. Solas: No, eventually I was unable to find new areas in the Fade. Inq: Why? Solas: Two reasons. First, the Fade reflects the world around it. Unless I traveled, I would never find anything new. Second, the Fade reflects and is limited by our imaginations. To find interesting areas, one must be interesting. Inq: Is this why you joined the Inquisition? Solas: I joined the Inquisition because we were all in terrible danger. If our enemies destroyed the world, I would have nowhere to lay my head while dreaming of the Fade. Inq: Ah. Solas: Inquisitor… That is why I joined, not why I stayed. Inq: I wish you luck. Solas: Thank you. In truth, I have enjoyed experiencing more of life to find more of the Fade. Inq: How so? Solas: You train to flick a dagger or an arrow to its target. The grace with which you move is a pleasing side benefit. You have chosen a path whose steps you do not dislike because it leads to a destination you enjoy. As have I. Inq: So you’re suggesting I’m graceful? Solas: No, I am declaring it. It was not a subject for debate. Inq: Hmm.

Trespasser DLC: Goals

Wrap up the Inquisitor’s story  - Conclusively tie off this protagonist Set up future of the franchise - Eluvians, Qunari, Ancient Elves Emotionally engage players - Give the feels

This presentation is currently underway at GDC.

Really?

Hi. My name is Natalie. Here’s my first official contribution to Solavellan hell because I’ve fallen and I can’t get up:

The Lost Elf theme [listen here] is a melody that directly summarizes the relationship between Solas and Lavellan in Trespasser. It starts with a paced piano that runs like the ticking of a clock, a reminder that time is running out. The strings gradually increase. Solas is represented by the cello and Lavellan by the violin. (Throughout the entire song, they’re having a desperate back-and-forth conversation that can be heard both in the forefront and background of the melody–if you listen with headphones it’s even more noticeable). The violin enters at 0:16 with a pleading accompaniment to how quickly their time is ticking; i.e. the piano. It’s the first real addition of emotion to the song. The first “chorus” at 0:36 features the dramatic cries of the cello–of Solas–telling his story. In the background you can hear the faint violin trailing above it all like Lavellan’s voice of reason.

When the chorus fades, we fall back to the piano. Tick tock.

The second wave of music, announced almost by a war drum at 1:22, features deep, haunting bass and cello, likely reflecting Solas’s plans and his determination to see them through. Lavellan’s reply clashes with this tune in an almost eerie mash of strings, reaching it’s height at 1:46 in raw emotion that swells and dips…

Only to fall back to the ticking clock at 2:09.

Violin solo. A gentle sound, beautiful and miserable and pleading. Lavellan’s urging is answered by the climax of the song at 2:37. Strong, harrowing strings accompany Solas and the Inquisitor in a final conversation (can you hear the instruments talking?) that is eventually swallowed by the heartbroken melody when the chorus hits its peak at 3:00. Now they are both singing along. The sadness has engulfed both parties and there is no conversation anymore, no rebuttal, only gut-wrenching music as they are forced apart by goal and duty. And after the climax fades, again comes the ticking of the clock at 3:25, along with a weepy cello and violin accompaniment that ends the song with a final tear as Solas leaves through the eluvian.