Fanfic writer with a passion for exploring romantic relationships // Fandoms: Horizon Zero Dawn, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age // Fandom: Dragon Age, Horizon Zero Dawn, Mass Effect
I spend a hell of a lot more time writing than reading, but I finally sat down to read a bunch of stuff this week, and I thought I would finally make a fic rec post. I’m sharing recs for Horizon Zero Dawn, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect; most will be NSFW. Please see below the cut if you’re interested!
Horizon: Zero Dawn
– Between Armor and Skin by @jadefyre . This is a wonderful 3-part Aloy/Nil PWP that I had the pleasure of watching the lovely jadefyre actually write (the magic of Google Docs!!! LOL!). I highly recommend this gem.
– Time Out by @silencenorth . Also a great piece of Aloy/Nil smut, set under a waterfall. And you guys know how I feel about Aloy and Nil and waterfalls.
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– The Moth by @sacrificethemtothesquid . Now this one is an Aloy/Erend fic, and ya’ll know this is not my ship, but this fic is so well-written and heart-wrenchingly beautiful that I devoured it like dinner when I first came upon it. I’m admittedly like 10 chapters behind at this point, but I look forward to catching up REAL soon.
– Coffins and Carnations by @problematic-cinnamon-roll. Back to Aloy/Nil again, and this time an ADORABLE flower shop AU that had me giggling like a schoolgirl on the subway. Another one I need to catch up on soon!
Dragon Age
– Anachronism by Maleficar on AO3. A time-travel Solas/Fen’Harel/Lavellan fic that is INSANELY HOT but also with a perfect pinch of feels and some awesome/intriguing young!Solas headcanons. This is one of my favourite pieces of fanfic and of smut that I’ve ever read.
– The Benefits of Banging Some Bricks by Maleficar on AO3. The premise here is that Skyhold – yes, the castle of Skyhold – seduces the Inquisitor. It sounds like crack but it’s fucking magic, people. LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY.
– Pas de Deux by Maleficar on AO3. Okay, fine, I just really love this particular writer, but this here is a piece of Solas/Trevelyan smut that is just… so insanely hot. Hot, and beautifully written, and well-tailored to the fact that the Inquisitor involved is a human and not an elf, and such a gorgeous dark!Solas characterization, I just… please, read it. You won’t regret it. *sploosh*
– Message Sent by Aicosu on AO3.Modern AU Solas/Lavellan where their relationship develops entirely via text and eventually phone. It’s… how can I explain this: @hellarcanine and I spent this whole day reading and screaming about this fic from opposite sides of the earth. It’s funny, adorable, heartwarming and heartwrenching, and ends on a horrible cliffhanger because it’s unfinished. You’ve been warned.
– Sovereignty by gamerfic on AO3. Solas/Abelas/Lavellan threesome fic that actually has a very interesting plot, interesting feels, and really fucking hot smut, with an extremely intriguing twist ending that I would honestly love to see a follow-up for.
– Midsummer Dream by @dismalzelenka. Cute and funny Blackwall/Lavellan smutty oneshot with Lavellan being cheeky and Blackwall falling into her charms despite himself – my favourite kind of Blackwall catnip. Super enjoyable!
– Like a Lonely Lover’s Charm by acertainheight on AO3. Beautiful, torrid, vicious smutty femHawke/Isabella oneshot where Isabella has to save femHawke from a desire demon. It’s… god, it’s something else. The first and best piece of f/f smut I ever read.
Mass Effect
– Popping the Heat Sink by @makocartwheels. Honestly, guys, everything Mako writes is fucking gold, but I’m just going to talk about this set of smutty Shakarian oneshots. It’s Shepard and Garrus learning the secrets and pleasures of interspecies sex. It’s hot and touching and beautifully written, and honestly, it’s my favourite little series of Shakarian fic of all time.
– Rust by @orangeflavoryawp . A short, beautiful and heartbreaking Shepard/Mordin piece that had me bawling. Have your tissues ready if you brave this one.
– All Things Worth Keeping by @ahealthylionisanonillion. Super rarepair of Kolyat/female OC who is not Shepard. Honestly, this fic – I don’t even remember how I got here, but it’s SO interesting from a non-Shepard POV, and well-written with fascinating world-building and humour that is clever as fuck. It’s a WIP, and the writer is meticulous about editing and trying to improve it (although it’s PERFECT AS IS IMO), but honestly it’s so worth reading.
– In the Yellow Time of Pollen by @thunderheadfred. Sara Ryder/Kallo Jath fic that honestly makes my chest hurt when I read it. It’s so fucking beautifully written, and the smut is both gorgeous and so, so strange – salarian sex like whaaat?? But seriously, this is a fantastic piece of fic and headcanon and writing, and I get giddy every time it updates.
Hopefully some of you guys will find something new to read among these gems!
Low-Approval Solas: “You Have Abandoned the Elves”
Lavellan: Ma banal las halamshir var vhen. (“You do nothing to further our people” or “Your empty ambition abandons our people”)
Solas: I have done no such thing. I simply see no way to help the elves, oppressed as they are now.
Lavellan: Ma halani! Lasa ghilan! (“You could help us! You could guide us!”)
Solas: How many Dalish would listen? Most care little about improving their lives. They already consider themselves perfect, the sole keepers of elven lore. I might reach a few, at most.
Solas: But… You are right. That is more than I reach doing nothing. I suppose I am just tired of fighting.
Lavellan: What do you mean, you’re tired of fighting? Fighting what?
Solas: Did you think I honed my magical skills to impress spirits? I have joined my share of causes. But when I offered lessons learned in the Fade, I was derided by my enemies – and sometimes my allies. Liar. Fool. Madman. There are endless ways to say someone isn’t worth listening to. Over time, it grinds away at you.
Lavellan: If you stop fighting, they win.
Solas: You do not win a war by fighting to the death in every battle. Pick the fights you can win, remember your goals, and do nothing that does not further them.
(This is not intended to be a Solas-critical post. This is just to show a side of him that many ride or die Solas fans won’t see in their playthroughs.)
I actually really enjoy the fact that low-approval Solas ends up inadvertently – or perhaps passive aggressively – telling you way more of the truth than high approval Solas does.
Inquisitor: Are you ever concerned that you’ve turned your back on your people? Solas: I have done no such thing. I simply see no way to help the elves, oppressed as they are now. Inquisitor: The man who has lived half his life in the Fade has no ideas? Solas: Not unless we collapse the Veil and bring the Fade here so I can casually reshape reality, no.
My personal explanation for why Solas reveals more if you go through the low-approval route is because you’ve given him absolutely no reason to question himself. The low-approval Inquisitor has done nothing but reinforce the perspective he had upon waking – the same perspective that justifies what he’s planning to do. He is so confident that his path is inevitable that it almost doesn’t matter what he says to you. What does he stand to lose? It’s not as if you’ll manage to suss out his meaning and somehow learn of his true intentions. And what if you did? Would you, a mortal who he doesn’t even really recognize as something real and fully formed, stop him? How, precisely? Because so far, you have not impressed him. You have only shown yourself to be exactly what he expected of you – and those expectations were pretty damn low.
It’s one of the reasons I really love comparing low-approval and high-approval Solas. I feel like his high-approval arc (especially when romanced) focuses his growth on his willingness to broaden his perspective and admit that he was wrong about a number of his preconceived notions. And he does, on multiple occasions, admit fault in his previously held views. He feels he cannot allow it to change what must be done, but he fully understands what the true cost of his actions will be. Low-approval Solas has a startling lack of personal growth. The war against Corypheus is a regrettable setback. He does have some level of respect, perhaps even empathy, for the people and their willingness to band together and fight back against the tide of destruction that threatens them, but his level of emotional connection is significantly lacking in this scenario.
The amount of positive influence the Inquisitor can have over the course ofone year on a being who has lived for thousands of years and is considered a god is really mind-boggling to consider.
The Sharper Edge of Love: Romance, Sex, and Fanfic 