Fanfiction I Read in 2020Â
I didnât realize how long this post was going to be until I was about halfway through. And it still is not even close to exhaustive.Â
Soo, while 2020 has been such a tumultuous year one great thing about this time in my life is that Iâve had more time than ever to read. I am always so blown away by how much talent there is in fanfiction, so big, big thank you to all the writers that share their work and for whisking me away from real life into something far more pleasurable. It definitely makes my whole day when a fic I love has been updated, and I enjoy catching glimpses of rough drafts and the writing process via tumblr (Iâm still trying to understand how their galaxy brains even work lolol).Â
Itâs long, but I am not putting it under a cut! Theyâre too good!
Long Fics (>= 50k words)
Roses From Where Thorns Grow by @bdaficâ [incomplete]- I started this a while ago, must have lost track of it, and then found it again this summer. Feels weird to type because this is not really me irl lol but accidental pregnancy fics are one of my favorites kinds of fics. Papa Solas is amazing. Somewhere, I once tagged something with âsolas dad best dadâ and I think that probably sums up my feelings on the matter. The last chapter I read has left me anxious for more, so Iâm eagerly awaiting what will likely be the first chapter posted in 2021.Â
Ruins by @luzial [incomplete] - A real story of a couple who broke up, fought each other for twenty years, got sent back in time, and are now trying to make things work again ;) Lavellan here is older and wiser in all the ways that matter, and Solas is... well Solas in many ways is everything we wish he would (and could) be now. Had the most wonderful realization that I somehow missed the last chapter that apparently came out on my birthday, so I know what Iâll be doing later.
FenâHarelâs Teeth by @5lazarusâ [incomplete] - the conversations in this fic are one of my favorite parts. Theyâre in character, but theyâre also just interesting to read. The words just fly across the page -- itâs smooth, seamless, pithy. I love politics and I love a main character who has her wits about her -- both are in this fic. Also features fatherly!Solas, which I just adore.
By the Still Waters by [orphan account]. This is older, but I knew it was popular so I gave it a shot and... yes, I understand now. I loved reading something from Fenrisâ perspective. I loved how heâs a foil for Solas. I love seeing Lavellan as this near mythical person because we see everything through Fenrisâ eyes. I love Hawke and Fenris together. Merrill also featured more heavily than I anticipated and she had some of the best lines Iâve ever read.
Pressure Point by 17734 [incomplete] - this fic leaves me constantly unsettled (in the best, most addictive, under-your-skin kind of way). Iâve read the first 18 or so chapters twice, and itâs one of those stories thatâs slightly different the second time you read it. I really like the authorâs take on immortal beings, some of it is very reminiscent of some of the Greek mythology I read in school - characters are at turns both magnificent and terrifying. The language is also very beautiful, and Iâm a sucker for anything close to prosaic.Â
Out of Time by destinies - so, I donât know how I found this beyond just âTwitter.â This isnât Dragon Age related -- itâs from The Greisha Trilogy, which I had never heard of before -- something just told me I would really like this story. Forced/political marriagesâ, memory loss, enemies to lovers, the dichotomy between light and dark embodied by a single couple... yes, thank you. I had to kind of piece the world together as I read, which was admittedly a lot of fun, and um... wow, I really loved this! Another one of my âbinged in a single nightâ fics. Â
Message Sent by @aicosu [incomplete]- this is coincidentally how I got my former partner into Dragon Age lol. I had originally read it the first time as it was coming out. The second time I read it aloud to them over the course of a few days, feeling very much like Cassandra trying to do certain characterâs voices. It reminded me of how much I loved it, and so I feel like it deserves a mention here. Definitely an unorthodox but memorable way of cursing someone with being emotionally invested in the Solavellan romanceÂ
Short Fics (< 50k words)
nothing on my tongue by @ellstersmash - the chapters here are short, and I loved seeing the fic updated put of order. This was my first time experiencing that, and I loved guessing where we were in the in-game timeline, and also, as more chapters were posted, which chapter numbers were still missing and therefore what the missing chapters might be about. I associate this fic with feeling kind of melancholy a lot. I think the word constraints really lent itself well to the Solavallen romance -- beautiful and poignant, but always leaving me wanting more.
In and Out of Time Again by @luzial - hoo boy did I have a fun time reading this one. I actually rarely go for AUâs this âAUâ, but I trusted this author, and it paid off. In fact, I think I subconsciously had more doubts than I thought because what started a curious perusal ended in one of those âup until 3 am readingâ kind of nights. It was such a fast-paced, interesting read, I couldnât wait to see what happened next. Ink is one of my favorite Lavellans; sheâs just too cool.
The Fourth Day by sass_bot (@knightava) [incomplete] - this was just such a perfect example of how to build tension and dread for the reader, that I still think about it frequently. Also, who wouldnât love a Skyhold murder mystery?
Beyond the Veil by Pyreite [incomplete] - A 200 years post-Veil fic. Abelas is in it, which is how I knew it was gonna be good hehe. I really like the world-building, and I like explorations of the romance with a more hardened Lavellan.Â
I Come to You With Nothing by CommonEvilMasterMind. Iâll preface this by writing that this made me cry with a mixture of sorrow and happiness. The premise is an undercover mission in an alienage which involves Solas and Ellana masquerading as a married couple. Itâs beautifully written, and just honestly kind of bittersweet. The writing is itself very touching but I also think itâs almost difficult to read because the Solavellan romance has an arc that looks like itâs just exponentially deviating from anything remotely happy lololÂ
That Girl Is Like A Sunburn by @yourstrulycommandershepard - I just discovered this personâs writing this year and Iâm kind of obsessed? I went on a whole binge this past summer and *fans self*. I picked this one for my list because I havenât read that many Solas/Trevelyan fics, and hers are by far some of my favorites. I also love that the titles of some of her fics are Taylor Swift lyrics. I get Solavellan vibes from so many of Taylorâs songs - glad itâs not just me!
Aravel by @playwithdinos - More Papa Solas. I canât say anything more than it hit me right in the vhenan.Â
Wake Up by queenofkadara (@pikapeppa) - One of those fics I thought about for days afterward. The characterization was incredible, and it hurt me to read about Varric brining up Lavellan and seeing Solasâ reaction, and it hurt even more to be left wanting for more, just like Solas.Â
