So... any Dragon Age Inquisition fics that aren't dogshit? Scratch that

Any Dragon Age fics that aren't dog shit?

 

The best Dragon Age fanfic I've read, and among my all time favourites, is still Victory at Ostagar.

It was written before Inquisition though, but it incorporates plot elements and characters from Dragon Age 1 and 2.

 

Yeah, read it. As well as some subpar fics like Flames of the Dragon Mage, Forbidden Magic, Moments in Time, as well as what is probably the fandom's opus, Blight Queller.

But man. I can't believe there aren't any great Inquisition fics out there.

 

I've read (or rather, tries to read) a lot of dragon age fics. I've scoured both AO3 and ffn, and haven't found any beyond the ones already mentioned that I was actually able to finish.

 

As the objective, unbiased arbiter of what counts as quality Dragon Age fanfiction, I definitely second Monkey Epoxy's recommendation of:

Else try Lamora's The Gravehand of Morrighan'nan. Only one chapter, but it's excellent, and strangely "complete" as it is - treat it was a one-shot, if you will.

Maybe this is slightly off-topic, but has anyone here considered starting a Dragon Age fanfic of your own? I would love to see another DA fic on DLP. My own motivation for writing Blight-Queller was actually partly from reading Name of the Wind, and partly from finding myself horribly disappointed by Victory at Ostagar, the supposed God of all Dragon Age fanfic.

If anyone is disappointed by the quality of DA fanfics currently, please seriously consider trying your hand at a story of your own. Really, the ideal story you seek, you'll never find - you have to write it yourself.

 

I've considered it, and made a few aborted attempts that have never seen the light of day, but I haven't been able to come up with a good plot. One-off scenarios are pretty easy, but I keep running into the issue of "now what?".

Probably the most interesting idea I had was a kind of oblique Skyrim crossover, where the Warden (probably using a bastardized human noble origin) was the cleansed and reincarnated soul of the last Archdemon and was able to intuitively understand the Darkspawn and exercise limited control over them, as well as have the occasional burst of overwhelming power in times of severe emotional trauma (see: DBZ Gohan). The initial thought was that he'd rather publicly demonstrate such an outburst at Ostagar when Duncan falls, and ends up nigh-single-handedly stalling the darkspawn advance.

I ran out of steam about there, because I couldn't come up with a good way to go from there that didn't lead to either being a rehash of canon or seem entirely too easy to deal with the Blight.

Any ideas in that regard would be welcome, if any occurs. I'd love to have a plan to write that.

 

(1) Maybe what I say here won't be that useful, but for myself I can't conceive of writing without a point. For example, you might be trying to explore the idea that that well-intentioned people can do some terrible things if they believe the wrong facts. Or perhaps you're interested trying to portray the horrible but also thrilling nature of war and violence. Or maybe you want to do a character study of some character X that you find compelling.

Once you have a clear idea of what you want to do for the story, then you can start thinking about the plot - about what kinds of scenes/developments/arcs are needed to bring out that idea that you're trying to develop, or the point you're trying to fulfill.

And in turn you can begin sketching out the kinds of characters you'll need, the motivations that define them, the backstories that will make them compelling, the way they speak that given them a real, living voice.

I'm sure there are other ways to write a story, but for me this is the only one I've ever employed.

(2) For the specifics of the story you've sketched, I'm not too sure, but here are some half-assed ideas.

(A) The trauma of the seeing his/her family slaughtered causes the Warden to reawaken its true memories as the archdemon-reborn - but it turns out that it's is only partially cleansed, and between that and the rage of the teenage cousland, the Dragon Reborn (heh) finds that he still wants to see the world burn - he decides to follow to follow Duncan, and to sabotage the war effort. At Ostagar though it turns out that sabotage wasn't quite needed - between Cailan's incompetence and the Darkspawn's superior numbers, Ferelden's forces are crushed. After this, with his personality still blurring between the immortal archdemon and the teenaged cousland, the DR still doesn't really know what he wants beyond having this hatred of a lot of things, and just follows Alistair about - maybe he'll just go around sabotaging things by killing Eamon/the Dwarven King, or maybe he'll end up helping. Who can tell? Not even the Dragon Reborn himself knows.

(B) Playing it straight - via coincidence (the Fade works in mysterious ways) or conspiracy (Flemeth trying to resurrect the Old Gods), Amell/Surana is born as the Dragon. But he/she doesn't know until the Harrowing, where demonic possession/Templar attempt at execution causes his/her memories to awaken. Maybe the Archdemon then decides to find out what has happened to the Tevinters, the race they the Old Gods favoured above all. This of course lends itself to moving away from the Blight, and travelling across other lands like the Free Marches/Antiva/Tevinter. And perhaps the story could eventually become a conquest/epic whereby the Dragon Reborn decides to restore the supremacy of magic, and the Tevinters, eager to return to the glory days where magic was might, eagerly follow. Cue a war with Orlais, just when the Blight is peaking etc.

Hope this has been useful!

 

I'm much the same way, which is primarily why I ended up getting stonewalled here. I couldn't come up with any good ideas for things to do with the concept, and that's the backbone of any plot to my mind, so it kinda puttered out there.

That said, thinking about this again some 5 years later, I think I'm starting to get the barebones of a couple ideas. I'll have to spend some more time thinking about it and see if I can make any time to write, but I think it'll be fun if I can. Thanks for the help.

 

Ah, Dragon Age.

Yeah, I loved Victory at Ostagar -- well, until the whole Orlais Arc -- but I hated some aspects of it like the main romance and some other things. The MacTirs definitely got away too well in the end. But it's very well written, nonetheless.

As for other DA stories...I pulled out my alerts list:

• I Am Not A Tragic Figure
By: Sarah1281
Aunn Aeducan, practical if sheltered exile, knows only two things for certain: if she returns to Orzammar she'll probably end up actually committing fratricide at some point and it's about time to show the world what a dwarven princess can really do...
Rated: Fiction T - English - Drama/Humor - Aeducan - Chapters: 34 - Words: 273,221 - Reviews: 261 - Favs: 137 - Follows: 60 - Updated: Nov 23, 2010 - Published: Apr 22, 2010 - Status: Complete - id: 5914357

Don't remember if it's good, honestly, but I must have read it. From a quick look, at least the writing is ok and the title makes it seem like the author has some sense of humor. So, who knows?

• 30 Dragon
By: mackillian
AU. Alistair isn't the only illegitimate son of King Maric. Where Eamon failed, the Couslands did not, and raised Maric's other son as their own.
Rated: Fiction T - English - Drama/Romance - [Morrigan, Cousland] [Alistair, Leliana] - Chapters: 48 - Words: 270,484 - Reviews: 311 - Favs: 325 - Follows: 127 - Updated: Nov 2, 2010 - Published: Sep 9, 2010 - Status: Complete - id: 6310981

This one was about Alistair and Male!Cousland being brothers. It was Ok, IIRC. I think the author also has written some sequels.

• The Lyrium War
By: Zute
The Chantry and the Grey Wardens of Ferelden have crossed paths and some templars have died. The Chantry wishes to reign in the Grey Wardens. Neria Surana and Anders fight for their independence. They become the Grey Warden Liberation Front of Ferelden.
Rated: Fiction M - English - Drama/Adventure - Surana, Anders - Chapters: 30 - Words: 86,713 - Reviews: 94 - Favs: 45 - Follows: 33 - Updated: Aug 22, 2010 - Published: Jun 12, 2010 - Status: Complete - id: 6044279

I remember this one being interesting too, though it's been a while since I've read it.

• The Telling Tale
By: Tsu Doh Nimh
Seeker Cassandra has finally tracked down the Warden, three years after her old recruit Anders started the Mage-Templar War. How does a Seeker convince a mage to side with the Chantry?
Rated: Fiction T - English - Adventure/Fantasy - Surana, Cassandra P. - Chapters: 33 - Words: 308,504 - Reviews: 626 - Favs: 606 - Follows: 616 - Updated: Dec 24, 2014 - Published: Dec 4, 2011 - id: 7607733

This one got pretty damn dark in some places, but the Warden was awesome and her interactions with Cassandra were very well written too. Unfortunately, it seems like it's dead. Still worth a read, though.

 

I've disliked pretty much every Dragon Age fic I've found, including some of the more highly recommended ones here.

I've considered doing a novelization, but of the things I want to write, it ranks fairly low. If I even had the motivation to write at all at least :|

 

I've attempted to write a few, but that's not really saying much since I've tried writing a lot of things. Most recent attempt was aborted at 8k words, so not very far :/ Naturally, it was an HP crossover, because I suck.

 

Suppose I'm chancing my arm with any solid/good Dorian fics hanging around the Archives?

 

A good Dorian fic would require him to be a good character -- so no, I don't think any exist.

God I hated Inquisition. They literally spent the time and effort on putting in a character whose only use was to start a gay rights bitchfest in a medieval fantasy game. Well, one of several, as galling as that is.

 

I second The Telling Tale. It is from the same author as Havoc of the Force which is how I found it. It is darker then Havoc but very well written, it does a great job bringing the DA world to life. It is my personal favorite DA fic.

 

I've went through the Dragon Age section of FFN a few times... here are the ones I ended up liking.

Gamer In Thedas
By: Lichrune
When I fell asleep last night I didn't expect to wake up in Ferelden. Only, that's exactly what happened. Now I'm on the Imperial Highway in 9:28 Dragon and I've been tasked by a mysterious letter to help The Warden through the Blight. Self-Insert.
Rated: Fiction T - English - Adventure/Fantasy - Alistair, Duncan - Chapters: 7 - Words: 30,466 - Reviews: 64 - Favs: 102 - Follows: 139 - Updated: Jun 15, 2015 - Published: Dec 16, 2012 - id: 8798536

A decent SI. Better than the summary, I think this one has real potential.

Heroes Never Die: Ronin Mahariel
By: S3eK
Heroes never die... they are reborn. Killed during his rescue of a woman, he's been thrown into a game he knows well. He keeps his memories as a human gamer and received new ones from the Dalish elf he's taken possession of. The only problem: his origin story is ten years early. Now he has ten years to prepare for the Blight.
Rated: Fiction M - English - Adventure - [Leliana, Mahariel] - Chapters: 8 - Words: 52,954 - Reviews: 40 - Favs: 149 - Follows: 199 - Updated: Jan 4, 2015 - Published: Jul 23, 2011 - id: 7207903

Another SI, taking over the body of the Dalish origin. This is one actually pretty cool. He keeps both sets of memories, so he fits the world better and has future knowledge to try to change stuff.

Beyond the Sylvan Paths
By: Eva Galana
Grey Wardens do what must be done to end a Blight. Not all heroes wear shining armor & there are varying shades of Grey. FMage/Mahariel, M/Tabris, M/Surana, Alistair, M/Cousland; Romance/drama/angst
Rated: Fiction M - English - Drama/Romance - Tabris, Mahariel - Chapters: 15 - Words: 67,420 - Reviews: 44 - Favs: 44 - Follows: 52 - Updated: May 17, 2014 - Published: Sep 18, 2010 - id: 6333342

This fic sounds terrible. Huh. I remember it being an all origin stories clusterfuck. It ended up my on favorites somehow. I probably added it long ago.

Galion the Grey
By: Rancho Relaxo
An Origin story for a Dalish Mage Warden. Galion is an apprentice alongside Merrill, who is recruited as a Warden. Updated January, 2012 with revisions to all chapters. No, I'm not dead!
Rated: Fiction M - English - Fantasy/Adventure - Mahariel, Morrigan - Chapters: 8 - Words: 36,059 - Reviews: 15 - Favs: 23 - Follows: 27 - Updated: Jan 16, 2012 - Published: Mar 9, 2010 - id: 5802946

This one I don't recall at all, either. But it was probably a decent OC, and a Dalish mage has a lot of potential.

Poison
By: Rago Dragovian
Duncan should never have conscripted him. He was a vile seed that was just waiting for the chance to grow and spread his spores of ruin upon all. Two-shot story.
Rated: Fiction M - English - Drama/Hurt/Comfort - Morrigan, Tabris, Shianni - Chapters: 2 - Words: 21,587 - Reviews: 4 - Favs: 15 - Follows: 3 - Updated: Jul 23, 2011 - Published: Dec 19, 2010 - Status: Complete - id: 6567372

I actually really like this one. About as far from your standard DA fic as it gets. The main character is decidedly evil. I've reread this twice.

Shades of Grey
By: Miri1984
Aedan Cousland orders Alistair executed and marries Anora in order to Rule Ferelden after the Blight. But plans go awry and sometimes you can't predict the outcomes of your own actions. Rated M for sex and Violence. Darker than most of my fics! Cover Art by Cave-Fatuam
Rated: Fiction M - English - Drama/Adventure - Alistair, Leliana - Chapters: 52 - Words: 93,705 - Reviews: 555 - Favs: 154 - Follows: 116 - Updated: Apr 4, 2011 - Published: Jul 9, 2010 - Status: Complete - id: 6123524

Post-canon, pretty long and completed for once. A dark an ambitious Cousland trying to rule Ferelden. Mixed stuff but it had some good times.

Tainted
By: John Chandos
What was supposed to be the happiest day of his life was immediately turned upside down by one noble. Bitter and conscripted into the Grey Wardens, Darrian Tabris finds himself placed on a path that will change both his life and and all of Ferelden.
Rated: Fiction T - English - Adventure/Romance - Cousland, Tabris - Chapters: 10 - Words: 43,633 - Reviews: 11 - Favs: 10 - Follows: 17 - Updated: Aug 22, 2010 - Published: Jul 30, 2010 - id: 6191281

Don't remember this one either, oldest DA fic on my list, but I might actually give it a reread right now.

 

This is an interesting story. Didn't think a story after VaO would keep my interest, but this did. Oddly, by being somewhat similar to it in some places and vastly different in others.

On one hand, it's fun, not counting its darker sections, it has a few of those where it can be somewhat...well, dark, but overall, it is a bit of a stomp fic.

Surana, the protagonist here, as the Warden, is pretty much a Heroic Spirit, a one woman army. Her behaviour is rather anachronistic, not that she's making pop culture references left and right or anything but that she very much doesn't feel like a by-product of her race, time and life experiences.

She's an elven mage. It's practically impossible to be more discriminated against in Thedas, that's as bad as it gets. And while I very much get the mage part of her personality, her elven heritage and race is practically glossed over, except for a remark here and there, and mentioning once that she can see better in the dark. She could have been a human mage and honestly, the story wouldn't have changed at all, really.

I guess, fair enough, because she was raised in the circle, which oddly enough, despite its horrific systematic abuse machinations had no energy left for racism but still. Kinda wish that had been explored a bit more.

Also, while her POV and voice is fun and entertaining, it's also a bit distant. We are always told what she feels but we don't really feel it when reading.

A lot of that is because, well, because I said earlier, she is stupidly powerful. She can ignore all the class restrictions, the racism, and whatnot. She can walk up to practically anyone and slap them, and then just deal with the consequences, because no one can field enough strength against her. Or at least relatively few. She can have her dog shit in the bed of someone powerful and they can't do anything. She can insult anyone to their face and, well, she gets away with it, for the moment. She makes enemies of those, true, but they would have been enemies nonetheless but truly, she gets away.

It's not bad, per se, as I said, the story is fun, her plans are fun and seeing her in action, her powerful abilities and entertaining strategies and schemes are all really fun and engaging, but it robs the story of tension.

So, she does feel like a fictional character a lot when a good character probably shouldn't. The reactions some others have to her actions, mainly her friends and allies, are more than a bit cheesy at times, as is her own smugness at her actions.

And still, I really enjoyed the story. I loved the interrogation/discussion format with Cassandra, when she told her story and then bantered with Cassandra about it.

So, yeah, it has its flaws, a bit cheesy here, a bit darker there, and I think it didn't have an update for over a year, but still worth reading. 4/5

Should go in the library, tbh.

 

I feel like the Sutherland Company arc in Inquisition could make for a nice fanfic.

A typical RPG group that starts with a warrior and recruits a mage, a rogue, and further groups as they get an assignment, complete it, and get further responsibilities from the Inquisition.

I doubt there's any fics about the group; it'd be tough to write, but I have to ask.

 

I second your doubts on their being any current fics about it, but it would definitely be an interesting take on a fic, following the adventures of a growing company of warriors. The possibilities of getting into crazy shit, kind of like the Chargers, are almost endless. Not to mention you could throw in your own personal Inquisitor from time to time to show who's boss, have a friendly drink, etc.

I feel a plot bunny (that may never grow) coming...

 

Yep. Even the War Table operations re. Sutherlands' company provide options. After the early start where Cullen shows faith, you can arm them as a group of light armored operatives, or heavy armored soldiers.

It's one of my favorite bits of Inquisition, tbh.

 

Honestly has anyone found a story featuring a male Inquisitor? Because as interesting as Lavellan is and all, I love my snarky and wise-cracking Trevelyan. Unfortunately AO3 is filled with anything but. I'm honestly considering starting that pseudo-novelization of Inquisition I started up a few months ago.