rumbles

(Dragon Age II by Charlotte Reber)

This is one of those cases where I must agree with Kristjanson, yeah.

The Shepherdess and the Wolf, excerpt of a fairy tale featuring Dhavihal Lavellan (she/her).

Text reads:

When the Shepherdess found the Wolf who had been hounding her herd, she was surprised to find him ensnared in a trap of his own making. In her Love, she attempted to free him. But when she tried to cut his ties, the Wolf struggled against her. In his Pride, he felt only the cold point of a blade at his back.

A kiss.

In other non-romanced Inquisitor endings, Solas grabs their hand and with his other hand, does a magical snap and boom, anchor gone - no magical glow to his eyes.

But with Lavellan - he doesn't hold the anchor hand, instead his eyes glow as he leans in for that kiss. His right hand is holding their right hand and his left hand is holding the side/back of their neck.

Like, can we just give it up for Lavellan here? Survived grabbing his orb and it's explosion, survived the power of the anchor running through their body for years, and now just kissing the Dread Wolf with more of his power surging through their body while he's in the process of magically extracting the anchor from their being through Fade tongue.

And Solas is just a freak. Oh, I'm a strange spirit being who's in love with a mortal and can't handle it and I shouldn't but I want to kiss her and so I'll just remove the anchor while I kiss her.

the 4,000 year time span between the veil and the masked empire during which felassan could only ever have spoken to solas in dreams when at all.

the years solas spent in the lighthouse with all those fucking notes from felassan around. "don't cause too much trouble before i get there."

the only time anyone says felassan's name out loud in the video games is when solas says it in an ancient arlathan memory

solas not painting felassan a mural in the lighthouse and only referring to him as "my agent," once, but still regretting what happened with him so much that it's one of the three big revenants powered by his regret, after the titans and mythal???? sir your repression

the ambiguity of "the betrayal of felassan" as the name of that revenant. whose betrayal of whom.

the heart of corruption/revenant dragon residing in the same place felassan used to go to get away from everything.

felassan calling it "our rebellion."

felassan being aware that he would die if he reported back to solas, seeing a plausible way he could run instead, and reporting back anyway.

the tone he takes during his death scene being so friendly and nonchalant, "what's the harm really" and "i suspect you'll hate this," like he's still trying to talk to solas like they are friends and equals even while he is aware solas is about to kill him.

felassan isn't even his real/original name and in one of his veilguard notes he refers to being felassan at all as being "solas's friend felassan" like that identity is inextricably tied to his friendship with solas, he cannot be felassan without also being solas's friend.

"and you are the slow arrow?" / "i hope so."

in conclusion,

The lesson was not about the futility and lack of use of shiny objects, the lesson was about control. It was about stripping Morrigan not only of possessions but of ways to identify herself. Because Morrigan wasn't being raised to be herself. She was being raised to act as a host, a body, a sack of meat, something that personhood could reside within, not a person with agency herself.

HOLD UP…she only technically initiates their first romantic scene together when she accidentally hijacks his dream and plants herself at the center of it.

Their second, third, and fourth are all TECHNICALLY initiated by Solas.

The balcony scene? Started by him when he stops us in our tracks to ask if we “have a moment.” Then HE proceeds to lead US to our OWN bedroom. Lavellan has to hold him back slightly from fleeing from the scene of his own making, but it’s still his scene.

The third is their dance at halamshiral where we will see Lavellan standing far from the crowd, trying to steal a quiet moment for herself before Solas comes skulking out looking for company. Talking about some “I’m not surprised to find you out here.” Shut up, like you ever lost track of her. Then he is the one to offer his hand and suggest that they dance.

The fourth and final we all know is crestwood. They’ll be talking about the well of sorrows, but then the topic will swiftly shift to where the future is taking them. I always choose the “I will have you at my side,” option but no matter which you choose, Solas (once again) will usher you into yet another secluded scene that you yourself can make no conscious decision to trigger. It’s all orchestrated by him.

He can also be the only one to ever say the words “I love you/Vhenan” throughout the entire main game if you choose. Lavellan may tell him she loves him while he’s breaking up with her, and she may call him Vhenan and tell him she “loved” him in Tresspasser, but choosing those specific dialogue options aren’t necessary to keep the romance alive. The only one that IS necessary is the promise she has to make him at the very end; “OUR love will endure.” This is always MY Lavellan’s first time telling Solas she loves him, even if it isn’t exactly direct.

Lavellan really only has to kiss him once in a dream, then treat him with grace and kindness afterward and Solas will eventually take up the lead if you leave it for him. Yes, he stumbles once on the balcony and she has to set him back on track again, but after that? It’s all up to him until the break up.

Afterward he will tell you your anger is justified and that he is furious with himself as well…because he knows; he played more into the relationship than perhaps even you did. He wanted your love more than his higher plans and it was selfish. Foolish because more than he loved you, he hated himself.

But apart from all of that, I think a lot of people forget that Lavellan is this man’s BOSS in inquisition and is well aware of her flirtations with him being inappropriate. She will immediately try to retreat after their first kiss, then again when Solas expresses disapproval/anxiety towards it when they wake the next morning. “If I’m pressuring you…” “If I misread you…I’m sorry.”

She was CONCERNED and more than willing to fumble her cracked mask of professionalism back into place if it meant putting his mind at ease.

Even the gossiping nobles outside will disapprove of the romance, saying they prefer a highborn scandal. A romance with Cullen would still be inappropriate, but a little less scandalous considering his high rank in society. Solas is nobody to the world…an apostate, a servant…and if he’s nobody to them, imagine what he looks like standing next to the Inquisitor. Lavellan is hyper aware of all of this and it makes more sense for her character to constantly be leaving the ball in his court rather than keeping it in her own.