Did anyone else think that Varric was out of character? Spoilers!

Yes, this is accurate to how they both feel.

To expand, I think one aspect that is important (especially because it comes up frequently), is that Varric doesn't acknowledge the spirit side of Cole while making his human argument, just as Solas doesn't acknowledge the human side while championing for the spirit.

Varric's argument that "Cole chose to be this way" isn't really exactly accurate. Compassion was unable to fulfill his purpose when he saw Cole's suffering, so basically took a step closer to being a demon, by perverting the nature of his self. A lot of Asunder basically deals with the fact he's almost a demon. This isn't exactly a choice on Compassion's part. He didn't think to himself "I cannot help this way, so I will journey into the real world to do so". He became Cole because he was unable to deal with his inability to help. Spirits being unable to understand the nature of the our world, the realness of it, is one of the main reasons they become demons.

But Varric doesn't really acknowledge this. Yes, a human would be making a choice to emulate Cole and it's a choice to be in the real world, but Compassion wasn't human. He was a spirit acting on his purpose.

Yet, where Compassion ends up is the real world, as Cole, as a unique creature who seems mostly happy with his situation, so long as he can help. But for Solas, he's decided it's better for things to be as they were, without trying to see through if there's any merit on the other side. The way things were is what Solas knows, and since he's comfortable with it, and he knows Compassion would be, that's that. Nevermind that it will toss away everything new and unique and special about Cole. These things are wrong to Solas.

Just as Cole probably represents an ability to move on from the past for Varric, Compassion represents an ability to heal a shattered future for Solas.

/r/dragonage Thread Parent