So on the topic of voice actors, a slight diversion, what if there was a live action dragon age movie, how's this for casting Morrigan: Antje Traue, the actress that played Faora in Man of Steel. I'm rewatching that movie, and can't help but think she'd be a perfect visual match at least if she had longer hair. Anyone have any other preferences?
With all that armor and such she reminds me of Cassandra.
Yeah, if she had longer hair she'd be pretty good.So on the topic of voice actors, a slight diversion, what if there was a live action dragon age movie, how's this for casting Morrigan: Antje Traue, the actress that played Faora in Man of Steel. I'm rewatching that movie, and can't help but think she'd be a perfect visual match at least if she had longer hair. Anyone have any other preferences?
Yeah, that would be the main problem if they were just trying to retell Origins- you'd have to canonize some aspect of the story and so far through all their cross media things like the books or comics, they've almost completely avoided setting anything in stone with any of the protagonists of the games. Which past a certain point comes across as really strange from an in game universe POV but I don't know how you get around that without pissing off some set of fans if they did canonize one Warden, Hawke or Inquisitor.Also, if they did make a movie, do you think there'd be any way for them to get around the "But that's not my Warden! Why didn't you chose the romance I wanted?" Perhaps having a cast of all the origins involved?
Morrigan with a french accent? I'd think she'd be more Leliana, provided she changed her hair color.David Gaider once posted about that on his tumblr. His choice for Morrigan was Marion Cotillard iirc
Yeah, that and the short hair would make her very much like Cassandra.With all that armor and such she reminds me of Cassandra.
With all that armor and such she reminds me of Cassandra.
Hmm, yeah, I could see that. And she's German, so her accent would somewhat match up with Cassandra's. A little. Whatever Cassandra's accent is meant to be.
Yeah, if she had longer hair she'd be pretty good.
Then again, I don't know that it would be that hard to get some actress to resemble Morrigan visually. For any live action movie, I think you'd need somebody that could get the voice and the attitude right more than anything. And that's why it would be so strange to have a live action DA movie or show- the voices of characters like Morrigan or Alistair and their respective voice actors are so iconic and central to how I identify those characters that having anyone other than Claudia Black or Steve Valentine do their voices would be really strange.
So I'd probably prefer they did like a CG movie or something so as to keep the voice actors. Not that they'd do a movie anyway...well, I guess they did that one CG anime with Cassandra. So yeah, maybe its for the best they don't do another movie since that one was not too good.
If I had to choose I'd probably go with Eva Green or Emily Blunt.
Yeah, that would be the main problem if they were just trying to retell Origins- you'd have to canonize some aspect of the story and so far through all their cross media things like the books or comics, they've almost completely avoided setting anything in stone with any of the protagonists of the games. Which past a certain point comes across as really strange from an in game universe POV but I don't know how you get around that without pissing off some set of fans if they did canonize one Warden, Hawke or Inquisitor.
Morrigan with a french accent? I'd think she'd be more Leliana, provided she changed her hair color.
Yeah, that and the short hair would make her very much like Cassandra.
Yeah, ultimately Dragon Age Origins is one that I do not want a movie of, even if it would be kinda neat to see it get the Warcraft treatment. Unless of course they chose my favorite Origin for the Warden and chose my favorite romance for the focus of the plot.
As far as that goes, I think if they did do it, and were forced to pick a romance it would really only be a choice between Morrigan and Alistair. Leliana and Zevran have good romance arcs, but Morrigan and Alistair's romance arcs have a stronger tie to the story, with Alistair being the potential heir to the throne, and Morrigan's character development being tied to her romance and then the DR. Personally I'd place Morrigan's romance higher, not just because it's my favorite, but because her character development is tied to it (granted her character development is also tied to a friendship storyline, but the romance one seems to have a greater impact on her in the end), while Alistair's character development, like Leliana's, is tied to a specific event. Zevran's character development is tied more to his romance/friendship arc, but he doesn't have something like the DR to tie him to the plot as much. The question of whether the movie would have a male or female protagonist, I dunno, I'd say they'd make it easy on themselves and just use the Warden they had in the Sacred Ashes trailer.
The smart money, though, would be ignoring all the origins from the games, and instead have one of the cut origins be the protagonist for the movie, such as either the human commoner or the Chasind. That way they could ignore any romance arcs and not have viewers get pissed that it was ignored (as much) because the protagonist is a completely new character and nobody has built the attachment to that character like they have for their own Cousland or Amell or Mahariel, etc.
David Gaider once posted about that on his tumblr. His choice for Morrigan was Marion Cotillard iirc
I see now...
Catching up with some posts.
Since I like to imagine that over time the connection between the Warden and Morrigan grows stronger I'd say it's almost certain that he felt what was happening, but didn't necessarily know what. Morrigan's distress must have been some of the strongest/intense emotions she's felt in a long time, so he'd definitely know something was up. Might even cut his quest short and hurry back since no way you could stay focused after something like that. I like to imagine a scene where he's trying to find some way to get to them, maybe having a mage companion push him into the fade in his sleep so he can reach them, or something. Even if that doesn't work, I could see him desperately trying to figure out SOME way to get to them even suggesting things he knows aren't possible.
That would have been a pretty interesting and novel way to include something like that actually. Certainly wouldn't have seen it coming. Probably would have had some kind of accident from all the fanboy glee said development would have brought about, but it'd be worth it.
Yeah, I would say Witcher 3 is one of the best games I have played in recent years (along with Bayonetta 2). I haven't seen side quests done this well since Majora's Mask. They kind of take on their own life and personality, and I think that's really neat. The combat can be challenging and entertaining. Ciri is awesome. Solid 10/10 from me. Not even close to finishing the game... I finally decided that I would choose Yen over Triss, after a disgustingly long period of time debating with myself.
There are indeed some great fan translations out there for the volumes that haven't had an official English release yet. I read a fan translation of "Sword of Destiny" (seeing as it won't be out in North America until December... ugh). I think I'm on the last fifty pages of "Time of Contempt", and I have "Baptism of Fire" sitting on my nightstand, ready to be read next. I absolutely agree with you on this, if you read the books you get more out of Wild Hunt.
Then you have Dragon Age's "it's a small world" syndrome and the haphazard connections. Don't get me wrong, I love Dragon Age and it's always good to see your favourite characters pop up... but again... I think they should either start doing direct sequels or just have a blank slate.
Of course, I think we're too far down the rabbit hole to get a blank slate. Realistically, all I care about is Flemeth's saga. We finally got some answers in DAI, but I just have more questions now because of them. A blank slate would be a big "up yours" to the players.
Well, you're a Morrigan fan so I can say with confidence that you're making the right choice going with Yen. The game does favour Yen so you get a lot more out of it in terms of romance and the bond with Ciri by picking her, and as you're reading the books it's a given really that a game which focuses on Ciri would have more to offer on Yen's side.
Having absolutely loved the original Bayonetta's gameplay way back (really just took DMC's to the next level for me), I do want to play the sequel some day. But I barely touch consoles anymore, and with Bayo2 being an exclusive I'll likely wait till the Wii U hits the absolute end of its life cycle to pick one up and play the small number of games I missed out on.
Baptism of Fire is one of my favourites, Regis is in that one and he's a pretty unique character. And I think it's nice to see them again when they behave consistently, sure, but sadly their reappearances are rarely problem free.
I haven't written fanfic in years. When I was in high school, I casually did to help sharpen my writing for school (and I think it helped). But when I wrote fics, I used to just write what I wanted to write and I wrote for the pairings that I liked and knew I could actually write well. If people read it, great... if not, whatever. To me it was just a writing exercise. So sure, I could write Warden/Leliana or Warden/Alistair fics (or whatever is most popular these days), but I wouldn't enjoy it as much as doing Warden/Morrigan, and I think there'd be a drop in quality because of that. Writing fics should be fun, and if you're not having fun, you won't want to do it. That's why "selling out" isn't always the best option.
Tossing around the idea of doing a sort of episodic series of one-shots about Morrigan and the Warden's time together post-WH which would lead up into Morrigan weaseling her way into the Orlesian court.
You should definitely do it. I decided to wind mine back even further, my original notion was of two shorts - one immediately post WH and another post-fade scene between Morrigan and Leliana. Then the one shots naturally coalesced into the framework of a larger, continuous piece starting with the DR and ending (or rather pausing) shortly after DAI. So don't be surprised if something similar happens to you. Mine will doubtless remain in a semi-complete state for a good while as I procrastinate about it though.
Wonder what is the symbolism here? The two fountains of blood are clearly directed towards Kieran and Flemeth.
Is that meant to be Urthemiel slain?
Probably has something to do with Gaider's remarks on how Dragon's blood is the blood of the world or something imo (mixed in with Flemeth's betrayal jabber), what with the blood flowing to two separate OG entities. Maybe suggests some link between the different gods or I dunno, maybe they used to be one being or something, which might play into the whole thing they have with multiple souls being gathered in one body. Who knows.
I know I've been remiss in my Morrigan ramblings of late but guys, guess what? The Witcher is a pretty amazing game. Just did the Last Wish quest today... I think in my own headcanon of the Warden/Morrigan, I'm just going to imagine my Warden turned into Geralt, Morrigan turned into Yen and Kieran turned into Ciri. Even though I've spent about 90 hours in TW3 so far, I feel like I'm no where close to the end, so maybe it all ends terribly, but the Yennefer/Geralt dynamic kind of taps into what the Warden had with Morrigan. Just Yen's condescending attitude that's sort of masking her real feelings for Geralt or their banter back and forth (loved the one moment with their wolf puns). And it makes me wish we'd get to experience first hand a Morrigan/Warden reunion but that's wishing some impossible wish right there.
Aw man, that feeling's only gonna intensify as you get nearer to the end. I think, especially coming off of DAI, W3 having those three central characters map quite smoothly onto their DA "equivalents" hints at what could have been an even more emotive scene or series of scenes if BioWare had not skirted the issue, gave HoF a voice and showcased that relationship on a small scale. And having that kind of thing as an optional element, unfolded across multiple games would have been phenomenal.
I would agree with this... its been a while, but I believe the Romanced Warden who retains Morrigan's ring gets Morrigan stating something to the effect of... 'I sensed your approach... you kept the Ring.'
Whatever contrived plot devicies that were used to satisfy non-romanced characters notwithstanding, WH was clearly designed with the Romanced-Warden-Performed-The-DR crowd in mind... everything else is just, okay, you didn't do it this way... so.... here you go... anyhow... you can still purchase this... if you hate Lady M you can stab her!
I seem to recall DG ponificating in his defense of WH, saying how all other romanced options were essentially settled at the end of DAO (one way or another), except for the Warden-Morrigan romance. WH begins and ends with the Romanced Warden/Performed DR... everything else is just... observing other choices... aka... you should still buy this.
You're right, Morrigan explicitly states she waited if romanced and you have the ring, yes. I can still recall the feels. As for Gaider's remarks on the matter, I remember, it boiled down to him stating that all the romances got something by the end of Origins, except Morrigan's whose fans got nothing. Which summed up the situation rather aptly and that realisation was probably impressed upon him more than any other with the knowledge of the cuts and our endless griping about the issue.
There was the usual rattling of sabres with various other fandoms convinced that their choice was the least conclusive, though both back then and now it's demonstrable that Morrigan's cuts had the biggest effect and regardless of the reasoning behind it, it was not a great way to end the game. Then that was followed up the whole warden's story is over, Morrigan's isn't business further inflaming tensions (and this was all pre-WH as I recall), so it wasn't a particular great time to be a Morrigan fan. There wasn't exactly a neon sign over Morrigan stating "unresolved plot ahead, turn back now" from the get go.
Regards motivations, the typical argumentation against any given DLC or expansion really just stems off the "my warden wouldn't..." mentality as a starting point and we can all play that game - my warden wouldn't be off messing around with golems in Amgarrak, my warden quit being a warden after Origins and so on. And so extended to WH, it was very easy for particular subsets of the audience to deem HoF's story done and desire Morrigan to be an unresolved element or to be dealt with in a lacklustre manner because they already got their ending. Yet, fast forward to DAI, when the shoe is on the other foot and another character stands to have the same done to them it wasn't long before the rallying cries went out. And having been on the wrong side of that before, they have my support. Having zero closure and a closing scene that is inconsistent with events leading up to it is not a fun way to end.
Man, imagine if we never got WH. That would have been the worst.
I read a fanfic that was kinda fun, it followed Ariane and Finn being interrogated about the whereabout of a HoF that followed Morrigan.
Though, if you stay behind Morrigan tells you Ariane's book is there with the thing she left for the Warden. So I assume that the version that has the HoF following her has an epilogue with Ariane looking around and finding her book.
It's not like you can really blame Morrigan for forgetting to mention the book in the version where the love of her life has just come back into her life. Sure she protests but I think we can all imagine what the inside of her head was like at that moment. It'd basically be mostly freaking out and a small part of her thinking, "Wait, aren't I forgetting something?"
Now I'm imagining an Inside Out/Morrigan crossover fanart. Where Joy is a shriveled little thing and the power is held by Disgust and her second in command Anger. All while Sadness and Fear are the secret masterminds controlling it all.
Well we had the Morrigan support group aka this thread back then, so pre-WH we had to content ourselves with that meagre solace.
I kinda liked that the Warden completely forgets about those two and just jumps through a portal with Morrigan, leaving them to just blink twice and think "what the heck just happened there." I think it captures the powerful emotion of the moment nicely and you can infer that Morrigan shares whatever it is she's discovered on the other side of the portal and Ariane gets the book back, its purpose served.
I actually have an idea that is floating around where Morri and Cousland could meet when younger. It mostly involves Cousland having a younger sibling, probably a sister, who is a mage, but the Couslands pull an Arlessa Isolde and hire an apostate to teach their daughter so they can keep her from the circle. Of course the apostate would be Morrigan, who ran away from Flemeth somehow. The one problem with it keeping me from writing it at the moment is that it would involve the Couslands acting fairly out of character to defy the chantry in that way. Then again, I do think that they're the kind to put family first so it may not be entirely out of character.
I could see her and Fergus bonding or at least having something to talk about in regards to the Chasind.
"You know I heard rumors about you and your mother with the Chasind."
"I'm sure you did."
"Something about dancing in the moonlight or some such?"
"...I have no idea what you are talking about."
As far as not pulling a Morrigan, I see Fergus laughing it off rather than being offended.
There's some interesting possibilities there and I'd be interested to see where that would go in the short term, assuming it wouldn't be a far-reaching piece. My take is a little different, not so direct, but you can wait and see.
As for Fergus, definitely, but it is worth exploring from the perspective of Morrigan's mindset in that it'd be a first for her and one of the rare occasions where she might consider her behaviour more carefully beforehand.
So many times I want to scream at the other characters, specifically Alistair and Leliana, "Will you just stop and think for a moment? Can you honestly tell me that her behavior isn't entirely because of how she was raised?" At least in Inquisition Leliana briefly touches on the possibility of Morrigan's personality changing based on prolonged exposure to good people, ie/ Kieran. I feel that Origins needed some kind of scene where the companions all got to see a scene or something from each others' past that helps explain how they turned out. Maybe then they'd be more sympathetic towards each other.
As much as I enjoy Lovey Dovey stuff, I do agree that something along the lines of comfortable banter, the kind that would make outsiders wonder if they two actually get along, would be the best kind of relationship. Save the mushy stuff for alone time.
Or you could just have the warden surreptitiously hand her the Alistair voodoo doll whenever he steps out of line.
Morri's face lights up, a pin already in her hand.
"Go on, you've earned it."
A moment later, Alistair's lay amidst the dirt, contorting in agony with everyone gathered around him wondering what the heck is happening.
This is also one of the reasons why I was disappointed there was no Lel/Morri scene after the Fade incident. Since she's the only one present who knows the before and after of Morrigan's character, and that has its mirror opposite in Lel herself, who backslides. Opportunity wasted there, would have worked beautifully with the more subdued interaction between the two in DAI. Leliana is also an interesting variable in this setup and this is a big reason she works so much better as a friend to the warden, in that provided the warden isn't chasing them both, the tensions between Morrigan and Leliana mostly seem to come from Morrigan (in Origins), which ultimately makes some of the potential payoff you get in DAI more meaningful, because Leliana's perceived Morrigan in a particular light and held that belief over the years and seems surprised by the turnabout. Added to this, I also get the impression that Lel might look out for Morri and Kieran to some degree, due to her friendship with the warden, which opens up intriguing scenarios. There's just a lot more potential there in terms of both realising there's more to the other party than they originally thought.
It's also noteworthy that it's Leliana taking the snipes in DAI, whereas Morri seems to have cooled her jets and largely moved past it, except when her motivations are being questioned directly. What it lacked imo, was a post-fade denouement of the relationship between the two and arguably, the Fade scene might have worked better with Leliana (a relevant character to Morrigan's past) being the observer, to actually show her that change in character first hand in a powerful moment, Leliana has the knowledge of what HoF did for Morrigan back in Origins, coloured by Morrigan's apparent scheming at the time. But we've long argued for BioWare to use brief POV shifts and the like for this type of thing, that such cross-game outcomes are wasted on a PC with little involvement is saddening.
Yeah, which is basically what I meant in the previous paragraphs. Sometimes the author does something and we as readers/players don't feel that it's satisfying. Maybe it was the author's intent from the beginning, and maybe it didn't come across throughout the work that was where it was going. Sure it's the author's prerogative to write it however they want, but sometimes endings just don't sit right because they weren't built up properly. ie/ Characters hooking up at the end despite their interaction in the story being absolutely minimal and there being perfectly valid other characters that don't hook up but should have because they had great chemistry in the story.
I think the main problem with a Mass Effect style ending is that it's hardly the place for authors to get all edgy and clever. Because let's face it. If it's a book, or a movie, or a tv show, nothing wrong with that kind of ending. But when you're writing a game you're enlisting the help of the player in writing the story. Sure the writer is the one to actually write the story, but rather than writing a complete narrative they are writing all possibilities and then giving all those choices and then telling the player to arrange them in a satisfying manner. Ultimately it's not the writer themselves making the decision on the final plot, it's the player. So video game stories like this are a collaborative effort between writer and player. Mass Effect 3's style ending basically takes that partnership between writer and player and has the writer essentially take their ball home. Suddenly the autonomy of the player is no longer valued by removing their ability to chose the outcomes. It would have worked, were it not for the fact that the death of Sheppard was inevitable in every option.
Take Dragon Age Origins as a counter example. The Warden can die at the end. However, the game gives the player actual options. Do the DR or don't do the DR? Let Alistair or Loghain take the final blow or take the final blow yourself? Massively different outcomes that the player isn't forced into. If the player wants a tragic sacrifice for an ending, they can chose that. If the player wants an overly happy ending where everyone lives and they run off into the sunset with the LI of their choice, they more or less get to chose that.
At least that's my opinion on the matter of writer vs player in regards to Mass Effect 3. I think a lot of the pro-original ending folks weren't thinking about the whole thing in terms of how the story actually unfolds. If it's a book, and people complain about the ending, tough, it's the writer's decision. But in this kind of case the writers do not actually craft the final story. They create all the pieces and then give them to the player for final assembly. So any writing decision that takes away from the player's choices will sit wrong with some people.
It's like the guy who creates the pieces of Ikea furniture claiming to be some kind of master carpenter. "Uh, no, they're very well designed pieces, but I the consumer am the one that put together the final product. The fact that it hasn't collapsed is partially on me. Just like how if it does collapse the fault lies possibly with both of us, not with just one of us. Unless you deliberately sabotaged the product, which is seeming like more of an option since it's now collapsed in a pile and I know I followed the instructions!"
Or perhaps like the person that puts together your papa murphy's pizza claiming all the credit when you come home and cook it perfectly.
And all this is why the rumors of "Inquisitor gonna die! So we can have a new protagonist" annoy me. If you want that much control over your bloody story then go write a book.
I mostly agree with all of this, not much to add as I think you nailed it, except perhaps to underline that I don't think Origins nor any other game should be viewed in isolation with regards to choice impacting recurring characters (it's a tall order, true, but the payoff if done well is immense), ie: regardless of a PC change, if HoF is with Morri and she has an important choice, that should factor into her decision making in terms of cross-game content. So even if Origins on its own is super-respectful of the choices, if you're going to dragging old characters into new conflicts, any relevant states should matter not just in the fluff scenes, but in the large plot moments too and I don't think I've seen enough evidence of that when it matters to assuage my concerns about old faces reappearing again. And just like with ME3's ending, a future shortcoming can essentially retroactively sink the ship.
And the rest.
...I have thought of writing a "What If?" of exactly that scenario. The thought of Kieran meeting his father for the first time at the end of Inquisition is definitely intriguing, but would never ever ever be my canon, because I like the "followed her through the eluvian" far too much. So once again, the hivemind is real.
Ha, I hesitated when I thought on making those first keystrokes. "Do I really want to go down this road?" But I just said screw it, let's see where this goes. The whole thing flowed pretty nicely in one writing session (the nice ones where everything just flows) and it now sits awaiting further tweaks (which I can't be bothered with right now, but no doubt the urge will strike at some point). I think it was just one of those impulses that needed an immediate outlet and it sure as heck wouldn't fit the main piece I'm working on, but on its own it worked. And made me a bit sad. I wouldn't make too many more edits/additions to it, lest it become overwrought and lose the raw impact of the scene but those lines where she's expressing regret over it if they are not together are what originally inspired the effort. I'd have loved to see the dialogue notes for Morrigan and if the series hadn't taken the unfortunate console-centric turn it has, that might have been possible, but I bet there's some good backing notes on her thoughts and feelings on the whole thing.
Yeah, I know there are some that would like to see more focus on Cassandra in the story, but that's not what the point is. I'll probably have a separate story that focuses on that storyline sometime.
I enjoyed writing the letter chapter. After seeing Morrigan brag about it in game I knew that thing had to make its way around the fortress. Also, I had a good line? That's news to me. XD
And yes. The Morri Hive Mind is very, very real.
I hope what you're writing gets posted somewhere. I really want to read it now. There's not nearly enough Morrigan fics out there, despite what the naysayers may complain about.
And no, we won't stop looking into your head. Where do you think I get my best ideas?
Yep, I noticed that in some of your reviews, it misses the point of their inclusion in the story but also highlights my previous points on hooking a bunch of different audiences all wanting different things. There was indeed one particular line I loved, I'll probably re-read and try and locate it.
The end of the letter was feels intensive, I recall that much.
My larger work progresses sporadically, depending on if the mood takes me or not, I am quite sure you'd enjoy it, even in its draft state. Start and end are outlined sufficiently, loads of the middle section too. The mid to late sections really requires me to do a cheat-assisted replay of DAI as the characters just don't stick in my mind like DA:O's do. Perhaps when I finish and polish the first few chapters sufficiently I might drip feed it out. It starts with a detailed Dark Ritual and spans through till the end of DAI if that whets your appetite, though it's rapidly become longer than I anticipated and the lengthier it gets, the longer it ultimately takes to corral into a cohesive whole.
But now you've intrigued me - who are the naysayers you speak of and what exactly are they saying nay to?
Ha. Great to hear from you. Haven't seen you post in a while, so I kind of lost track of this thread. Just happened to stop by your page.
ME3 was not so traumatic as it was...well...confusing...perhaps "unfitting" (?) to the overall story arc. Bottom line for me is that it wasn't even worth a replay.
Origins, even with a fully romanced Morrigan, by comparison, was wholly satisfying. Probably never thought you'd hear that from me, huh?
I'm mostly on NeoGAF these days, Brock lured me back in with his gateway drugs but I haven't been around here for a good while.
Hah, that is surprising, given your head to heads with Gaider back in the day. But yeah, WH provided the needed corrective element and for the most part DAI did a decent enough job with the best Morrigan state.
My thoughts mirror your own with regards ME, can't say I really feel much desire to replay the series at all knowing how it ends. It's almost like if you're a company that's praised for writing interesting characters you should maybe think about playing up to that when crafting your endings rather than misbegotten attempts to be clever.
What no Inns? Though it would make me laugh if Fergus then sent out a decree along the lines of "Don't let my brother rent a room in your inn!"
Back to the tent, like old times!
I recall one of the very, very early videos of Origins where I'm pretty sure they did not have Claudia Black doing Morrigan's VO in the intro scene ( the "Well, well what have we here" line) and they had a totally different face model for Morrigan as well. Here is the video, albeit in pretty crappy quality, with Morrigan right at the very end.
The whole voice acting thing is something that's come to my mind playing a bit of Pillars of Eternity lately. Like, I think strong voice acting can go a long ways towards really injecting life into a character and I've wondered if you had a game like BG2 or PoE where you only have limited voice acting for the NPCs, if a character like Morrigan would have been quite as memorable, since the voice acting is so strong by Claudia Black and so many of her lines are so memorable in part because they were voiced.
In some scenario like PoE or BG2 style voice acting you maybe wouldn't get as much of Claudia Black's dulcet tones soothing your ears, but you'd probably get more dialogue and more story bits since they'd be cheaper to create. Trade offs, I guess.
Oh and I highly recommend replaying Origins in 1440P on a Gsync monitor. Its so smooth!
You're assuming Morrigan didn't leave a trail of furious innkeepers in her wake while travelling to Highever and to be fair, it wasn't entirely her fault. While they were away, Alistair had shared some handy tips on how to get along with Morrigan with Fergus, with a suggested conversational icebreaker centering on how much she looks like her mother, which he had assured the older Cousland would be taken as a great compliment.
And hearing that other voice come out of Morrigan just doesn't sound right. I think the body language and facial animation add a lot too, when they're done right. The prose that PoE brings back is quite good but I'd argue Shadowrun:Dragonfall strikes a better balance by comparison, setting the scene and describing the nuanced details of a course of action, PoE took it to excess in some respects. And don't forget that the BG2 type approach did afford the opportunity for things like Ascension to slot in and improve the ending post-release. There's benefits and drawbacks to both, though.
Yeah, ultimately Dragon Age Origins is one that I do not want a movie of, even if it would be kinda neat to see it get the Warcraft treatment. Unless of course they chose my favorite Origin for the Warden and chose my favorite romance for the focus of the plot.
As far as that goes, I think if they did do it, and were forced to pick a romance it would really only be a choice between Morrigan and Alistair. Leliana and Zevran have good romance arcs, but Morrigan and Alistair's romance arcs have a stronger tie to the story, with Alistair being the potential heir to the throne, and Morrigan's character development being tied to her romance and then the DR. Personally I'd place Morrigan's romance higher, not just because it's my favorite, but because her character development is tied to it (granted her character development is also tied to a friendship storyline, but the romance one seems to have a greater impact on her in the end), while Alistair's character development, like Leliana's, is tied to a specific event. Zevran's character development is tied more to his romance/friendship arc, but he doesn't have something like the DR to tie him to the plot as much. The question of whether the movie would have a male or female protagonist, I dunno, I'd say they'd make it easy on themselves and just use the Warden they had in the Sacred Ashes trailer.
The smart money, though, would be ignoring all the origins from the games, and instead have one of the cut origins be the protagonist for the movie, such as either the human commoner or the Chasind. That way they could ignore any romance arcs and not have viewers get pissed that it was ignored (as much) because the protagonist is a completely new character and nobody has built the attachment to that character like they have for their own Cousland or Amell or Mahariel, etc.
The likelihood of the bolded happening... doesn't bear thinking about. But going beyond movies, that's pretty much my rationale for preferring Morrigan's over any other because ideally you want it tied into the story so they play off each other and as you say, you have the layers of growth/development compounding on top of each other and it that really drives the desire to see both on screen, not the kissy face aspect but to actually see rather than just hear the results of your handiwork, that's gratifying.
As for a movie with Morrigan, I've never really thought about it, she wouldn't really be Morrigan without the voice and any such enterprise would no doubt be laden with disappointment as I highly doubt the Morri fandom would come out on top. I can't imagine it not ending badly whatever path was chosen.
Is there a consensus regarding Morrigan's parentage?
Unless Yavana is a lot older than she seems; which is not impossible; there doesn't really seem to be a time period in which Flemeth gives birth to her and then to Morrigan, half a continent away (or raise Yavana, as a matter of fact but it's possible she was abandoned sooner than Morri). Never mind the fact Flemeth is a centuries old elven god/abomination whose fertility is very much under question.
Therefore, Morrigan being a Avvar baby Flemeth stole and raised seems the most likely option.
I say Avvar and not chasind because, judging by character models, Chasind are non-White.A
I believe Morrigan is Flemeth's daughter with a chasind man
Morrigan has Flemeth's eyes and I don't think it's a coincidence
And she has raven hair which seems to be a chasind trait
Is there a consensus regarding Morrigan's parentage?
Unless Yavana is a lot older than she seems; which is not impossible; there doesn't really seem to be a time period in which Flemeth gives birth to her and then to Morrigan, half a continent away (or raise Yavana, as a matter of fact but it's possible she was abandoned sooner than Morri). Never mind the fact Flemeth is a centuries old elven god/abomination whose fertility is very much under question.
Therefore, Morrigan being a Avvar baby Flemeth stole and raised seems the most likely option.
I say Avvar and not chasind because, judging by character models, Chasind are non-White.A
Some interesting posts that I hope to reply to in the future (damn W3)... but with respect to this... sadly... and creepily, think back to The Stolen Throne when, at the height of the Orleasian occupation, Maric and Flemeth retire to her hut, with M basically owing her a favor. Add to that the fact that Ali, Maric's bastard apparently has Dragon Blood and that supposedly means something big... its kind of creepy to think of Lady M and Ali as distant sibs, considering they can also have a child together (not unheard of in a mideval setting).... of course, not in my playthroughs.... but still.... to quote Ali.... Creepy. Though its possible, if not probable that Maric might be Yavanan's father.
You should definitely do it. I decided to wind mine back even further, my original notion was of two shorts - one immediately post WH and another post-fade scene between Morrigan and Leliana. Then the one shots naturally coalesced into the framework of a larger, continuous piece starting with the DR and ending (or rather pausing) shortly after DAI. So don't be surprised if something similar happens to you. Mine will doubtless remain in a semi-complete state for a good while as I procrastinate about it though.
I concur. Everyone that has fic ideas should write them. And yeah, these kinds of things have a way of getting out of hand. I started with ideas for just a few chapters, and then suddenly it became a massive 25 plus chapter ordeal. At least I hope it doesn't go much beyond 25 chapters, I dunno how much I've got left in me.
Well we had the Morrigan support group aka this thread back then, so pre-WH we had to content ourselves with that meagre solace.
I kinda liked that the Warden completely forgets about those two and just jumps through a portal with Morrigan, leaving them to just blink twice and think "what the heck just happened there." I think it captures the powerful emotion of the moment nicely and you can infer that Morrigan shares whatever it is she's discovered on the other side of the portal and Ariane gets the book back, its purpose served.
There's some interesting possibilities there and I'd be interested to see where that would go in the short term, assuming it wouldn't be a far-reaching piece. My take is a little different, not so direct, but you can wait and see.
As for Fergus, definitely, but it is worth exploring from the perspective of Morrigan's mindset in that it'd be a first for her and one of the rare occasions where she might consider her behaviour more carefully beforehand.
Yeah, the Warden only just met them, so when given the choice between two random people he just met and Morrigan, I think it's clear what would happen for a Morrimancer. Of course he'd immediately realize he forgot about them once on the other side of the portal.
It'd definitely be a shorter piece. I haven't implemented this yet, but I think for the many, many 'what if?' style stories that basically rehash the first game I'll just have scenes that show what would be different and arrange them throughout the plot of the game without retelling the game itself. And I'll be waiting. I need all the more Morrigan fanfics I can find. I've started reading fics that don't involve my favorite origin, so I'm getting desperate over here.
Yeah, it'd be interesting for her to be interacting with someone that if they say something she doesn't like she has to consider not going with her gut reaction, otherwise she'll hurt her Warden in the process. It would be a very stressful situation for her. I imagine Fergus would find her regular attitude amusing, but you could bolster the awkward for Morrigan if there were a bunch of other guests there and she had to be polite because insulting them would be insulting their host, etc. Though Inquisition Morrigan would probably have an easier time of it, having survived the Orlesian Court.
Or you could just have the warden surreptitiously hand her the Alistair voodoo doll whenever he steps out of line.
Morri's face lights up, a pin already in her hand.
"Go on, you've earned it."
A moment later, Alistair's lay amidst the dirt, contorting in agony with everyone gathered around him wondering what the heck is happening.
This is also one of the reasons why I was disappointed there was no Lel/Morri scene after the Fade incident. Since she's the only one present who knows the before and after of Morrigan's character, and that has its mirror opposite in Lel herself, who backslides. Opportunity wasted there, would have worked beautifully with the more subdued interaction between the two in DAI. Leliana is also an interesting variable in this setup and this is a big reason she works so much better as a friend to the warden, in that provided the warden isn't chasing them both, the tensions between Morrigan and Leliana mostly seem to come from Morrigan (in Origins), which ultimately makes some of the potential payoff you get in DAI more meaningful, because Leliana's perceived Morrigan in a particular light and held that belief over the years and seems surprised by the turnabout. Added to this, I also get the impression that Lel might look out for Morri and Kieran to some degree, due to her friendship with the warden, which opens up intriguing scenarios. There's just a lot more potential there in terms of both realising there's more to the other party than they originally thought.
It's also noteworthy that it's Leliana taking the snipes in DAI, whereas Morri seems to have cooled her jets and largely moved past it, except when her motivations are being questioned directly. What it lacked imo, was a post-fade denouement of the relationship between the two and arguably, the Fade scene might have worked better with Leliana (a relevant character to Morrigan's past) being the observer, to actually show her that change in character first hand in a powerful moment, Leliana has the knowledge of what HoF did for Morrigan back in Origins, coloured by Morrigan's apparent scheming at the time. But we've long argued for BioWare to use brief POV shifts and the like for this type of thing, that such cross-game outcomes are wasted on a PC with little involvement is saddening.
The voodoo doll is seriously underutilized in fanfiction. I do like the idea of the Warden being against it being used only to change his mind once Alistair becomes more obnoxious.
One thought that occurs to me, it would be interesting in a multi-Warden fanfic to have the banter scene post Alistair and a female warden have broken up and Morrigan taunts him about it, and his reaction is basically to threaten to kill her (which is why Morristair as a ship never makes sense to me, but that's neither here nor there). Then again, I imagine most Morrimancer wardens hearing that would basically throw down then and there.
I concur, in general there needed to be more Morrigan and Leliana interaction, but immediately after that it was needed more than ever. Especially in the case where Leliana and the Warden were very close friends. I mean, you'd think she'd say something if her best friend's son was almost kidnapped. Never mind that the she and the kid's mother didn't get along previously. I mean we do get snippets here and there, of Leliana worrying about Morrigan after drinking from the well. But you'd think we could have gotten at least one conversation between her and Morrigan about the Warden? We get it with Alistair and Morrigan if he's a Warden still.
Or maybe Leliana mentioning a previous banter, where she mentions that she's a fan of Morrigan and the Warden being in love. And Morrigan goes on an anti-love tirade. Leliana isn't even going to try and rub it in her face that Morrigan was wrong about love? I would have loved to have seen something like that.
And not having her there to witness Flemeth and Morrigan's confrontation (how'd getting help go for you there Leliana?) would have added that needed investment. Sure keep the Inquisitor there, but I needed some Leliana there, since she has a much stronger connection to the HoF than the Inquisitor does. Or, at least let us mention the HoF in dialogue at some point during that scene. That seems somewhat relevant to the situation. Maybe something like, "Do you really think the HoF will let you just take his child and disappear? He'll hunt you down. You know he will."
I mostly agree with all of this, not much to add as I think you nailed it, except perhaps to underline that I don't think Origins nor any other game should be viewed in isolation with regards to choice impacting recurring characters (it's a tall order, true, but the payoff if done well is immense), ie: regardless of a PC change, if HoF is with Morri and she has an important choice, that should factor into her decision making in terms of cross-game content. So even if Origins on its own is super-respectful of the choices, if you're going to dragging old characters into new conflicts, any relevant states should matter not just in the fluff scenes, but in the large plot moments too and I don't think I've seen enough evidence of that when it matters to assuage my concerns about old faces reappearing again. And just like with ME3's ending, a future shortcoming can essentially retroactively sink the ship.
Ugh. Don't remind me of the possibility of ship sinking. I dunno, I just hope they realize that romance characters are not as flexible to their writing wants as other characters are. Even more so the players take possession of the romanceable characters so if you want to do something "Clever" you're going to run into a pretty big problem there. I'm holding out hope that one day we'll get a series where romance decisions actually affect the characters between games.
Ha, I hesitated when I thought on making those first keystrokes. "Do I really want to go down this road?" But I just said screw it, let's see where this goes. The whole thing flowed pretty nicely in one writing session (the nice ones where everything just flows) and it now sits awaiting further tweaks (which I can't be bothered with right now, but no doubt the urge will strike at some point). I think it was just one of those impulses that needed an immediate outlet and it sure as heck wouldn't fit the main piece I'm working on, but on its own it worked. And made me a bit sad. I wouldn't make too many more edits/additions to it, lest it become overwrought and lose the raw impact of the scene but those lines where she's expressing regret over it if they are not together are what originally inspired the effort. I'd have loved to see the dialogue notes for Morrigan and if the series hadn't taken the unfortunate console-centric turn it has, that might have been possible, but I bet there's some good backing notes on her thoughts and feelings on the whole thing.
Sometimes you just gotta go down the pain road. I'll eventually write out a short piece involving that scenario. But happier ideas take priority. Gotta love those kinds of writing sessions. My current one pretty much kicked my butt, so I'm going to have to revise it extensively. I can imagine what her thoughts and feelings were, but I would have liked to see the direction notes for that bit of dialogue. It's possibly one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the game. Except of course for the Ultimate Sacrifice Warden. "I could have had them both." Gets me every time.
Yep, I noticed that in some of your reviews, it misses the point of their inclusion in the story but also highlights my previous points on hooking a bunch of different audiences all wanting different things. There was indeed one particular line I loved, I'll probably re-read and try and locate it.
The end of the letter was feels intensive, I recall that much.
My larger work progresses sporadically, depending on if the mood takes me or not, I am quite sure you'd enjoy it, even in its draft state. Start and end are outlined sufficiently, loads of the middle section too. The mid to late sections really requires me to do a cheat-assisted replay of DAI as the characters just don't stick in my mind like DA:O's do. Perhaps when I finish and polish the first few chapters sufficiently I might drip feed it out. It starts with a detailed Dark Ritual and spans through till the end of DAI if that whets your appetite, though it's rapidly become longer than I anticipated and the lengthier it gets, the longer it ultimately takes to corral into a cohesive whole.
But now you've intrigued me - who are the naysayers you speak of and what exactly are they saying nay to?
I imagine there's a way to hit a balance, but that's not what I'm doing. There's plenty of stuff for Inquisitors and their LIs and not enough for Warden and Morrigan during the Inquisition timeline. So there's no way the focus of my piece is changing. But, if there's enough demand I may do something different later. Well, if you find the line I'd love to be reminded which one it is. I'm curious now.
Yes, feels decided to take over once comedy had his fill.
Now I'm curious about what your fic is. I like the timeline you're setting up, since that's prime "What the heck happened here?" real estate. And you're being smarter about it, actually finishing it before posting it. I tried that, I was like three chapters ahead and then got behind and now I work week to week. Oh well, most of my stuff doesn't have an overarching plot anyway.
It's mostly just the ones that want different fics. No one in particular, just the general "does not like Morrigan" or does not care as much, populace that have their own fanfic preferences.
You're assuming Morrigan didn't leave a trail of furious innkeepers in her wake while travelling to Highever and to be fair, it wasn't entirely her fault. While they were away, Alistair had shared some handy tips on how to get along with Morrigan with Fergus, with a suggested conversational icebreaker centering on how much she looks like her mother, which he had assured the older Cousland would be taken as a great compliment.
Yes, that is exactly how it would happen.
The likelihood of the bolded happening... doesn't bear thinking about. But going beyond movies, that's pretty much my rationale for preferring Morrigan's over any other because ideally you want it tied into the story so they play off each other and as you say, you have the layers of growth/development compounding on top of each other and it that really drives the desire to see both on screen, not the kissy face aspect but to actually see rather than just hear the results of your handiwork, that's gratifying.
As for a movie with Morrigan, I've never really thought about it, she wouldn't really be Morrigan without the voice and any such enterprise would no doubt be laden with disappointment as I highly doubt the Morri fandom would come out on top. I can't imagine it not ending badly whatever path was chosen.
Yeah, an actual movie involving a HoF is impossible. And I wouldn't really want to see a movie that involves a non-romanced Morrigan. And everyone has so many conflicting opinions on this that Bioware knows they aren't insane enough to make this happen.
What I think would be nice to have though, is movie quality animation shorts that redo the romance scenes. It could probably be done in such a way that the Warden is left ambiguous, though if they wanted to be extra ambitious they could make a different version for each different origin. Which of course is beyond wishful thinking, so the ambiguous Warden would probably be best.
Is there a consensus regarding Morrigan's parentage?
Unless Yavana is a lot older than she seems; which is not impossible; there doesn't really seem to be a time period in which Flemeth gives birth to her and then to Morrigan, half a continent away (or raise Yavana, as a matter of fact but it's possible she was abandoned sooner than Morri). Never mind the fact Flemeth is a centuries old elven god/abomination whose fertility is very much under question.
Therefore, Morrigan being a Avvar baby Flemeth stole and raised seems the most likely option.
I say Avvar and not chasind because, judging by character models, Chasind are non-White.A
My favorite head canon is that Morrigan was kidnapped from the Hawkes. Which is completely unsupported by everything in the games, so not to be taken seriously, but a fun thought to play around with. The actual most likely option is that she just kidnapped Morrigan from elsewhere. But having Morrigan actually be Flemeth's biological daughter just makes the whole story the most messed up it could possibly be.
Some interesting posts that I hope to reply to in the future (damn W3)... but with respect to this... sadly... and creepily, think back to The Stolen Throne when, at the height of the Orleasian occupation, Maric and Flemeth retire to her hut, with M basically owing her a favor. Add to that the fact that Ali, Maric's bastard apparently has Dragon Blood and that supposedly means something big... its kind of creepy to think of Lady M and Ali as distant sibs, considering they can also have a child together (not unheard of in a mideval setting).... of course, not in my playthroughs.... but still.... to quote Ali.... Creepy. Though its possible, if not probable that Maric might be Yavanan's father.
Yeah, for the accidental incest I don't think I can go for the Maric is Morrigan's father route. Also, I've mastered the art of denial to the point where I just imagine that in every play through ever played where Alistair or Loghain are chose to do the ritual, right after the camera goes dark a portal opens and my Warden/any Morrigan romanced male warden steps through to take their place in the DR. Probably would go something like this:
Warden: I have come to perform the Dark Ritual.
Alistair/Loghain: Uh...who are you?
Warden: It does not matter. In my world we were in love.
Morrigan: And I thought Alistair was the epitome of stupidity.
Warden: Look, do either of you actually want to have sex with each other?
Alistair/Loghain/Morrigan: No.
Warden: Okay, so let's get this over with so we don't traumatize a bunch of players.
For the record. That was another attempt at a joke. Not to be taken seriously.
Some interesting posts that I hope to reply to in the future (damn W3)... but with respect to this... sadly... and creepily, think back to The Stolen Throne when, at the height of the Orleasian occupation, Maric and Flemeth retire to her hut, with M basically owing her a favor. Add to that the fact that Ali, Maric's bastard apparently has Dragon Blood and that supposedly means something big... its kind of creepy to think of Lady M and Ali as distant sibs, considering they can also have a child together (not unheard of in a mideval setting).... of course, not in my playthroughs.... but still.... to quote Ali.... Creepy. Though its possible, if not probable that Maric might be Yavanan's father.
Well, you're a Morrigan fan so I can say with confidence that you're making the right choice going with Yen. The game does favour Yen so you get a lot more out of it in terms of romance and the bond with Ciri by picking her, and as you're reading the books it's a given really that a game which focuses on Ciri would have more to offer on Yen's side.
Having absolutely loved the original Bayonetta's gameplay way back (really just took DMC's to the next level for me), I do want to play the sequel some day. But I barely touch consoles anymore, and with Bayo2 being an exclusive I'll likely wait till the Wii U hits the absolute end of its life cycle to pick one up and play the small number of games I missed out on.
Baptism of Fire is one of my favourites, Regis is in that one and he's a pretty unique character. And I think it's nice to see them again when they behave consistently, sure, but sadly their reappearances are rarely problem free.
You should definitely do it. I decided to wind mine back even further, my original notion was of two shorts - one immediately post WH and another post-fade scene between Morrigan and Leliana. Then the one shots naturally coalesced into the framework of a larger, continuous piece starting with the DR and ending (or rather pausing) shortly after DAI. So don't be surprised if something similar happens to you. Mine will doubtless remain in a semi-complete state for a good while as I procrastinate about it though.
I also feel like after reading the books, Yen is the only true choice. I mean, the player may like Triss more, but Geralt's character would always pick Yen. You're not playing as yourself or as a projection of yourself, you're playing as a character.
But I agree with everyone who has said Yen and Morrigan are similar. After spending time with her in Skellige and doing "The Last Wish" quest, it's crazy to see how much alike they actually are. Very similar outlooks and values. Stealing that mask and using it while you're talking to the druid and then her actions at Freya's Garden almost exactly mirror something Morrigan would do.
I'm trying so hard to finish Witcher 3, but I just can't. I swore I was going to attack my backlog this summer too.... it's not happening. I'm close to the end of the main story (I'm on "Ugly Baby" or whatever), but I keep doing Witcher Contracts and fist fights and secondary quests. Haven't touched gwent, because I know I'll get addicted and I don't need to be any more addicted than I already am. I think I'm going to have to play a 2D platformer after this and go into RPG detox.
I can honestly say if you can get your hands on a Wii U, Bayonetta 2 is fantastic. In my opinion, it should have been GOTY 2014. So well made. It makes the first game look and feel like a beta. It's one of the few titles that made me say "Whoa...". I really hope they make another one.
Starting Baptism of Fire very soon (I have so many half finished books sitting around, I kind of want to get through them first before starting another one).
The ideas I have scratched down for fics just look like something that could snowball very easily. I think the good thing about doing something that's a little more episodic is that you don't have to feel like you're leaving everyone hanging if you don't update for a long time (which is probably what I would do since I tend to fall in and out of love with writing all the time thanks to a busy schedule and lack of inspiration).
All I know is that I want a chapter about baking bread and painting sheds.
LOL I need an RPG detox asap
My time is on TW3, TW2, DAO (which is on hold because of a Morrimance bug that's annoying the hell out of me) and I plan a DAI playthrough
I wonder what are Kieran's religious views.
He can speak to Urthemiel and seems aware of Flemeth's true indentity so, gods are not something he is unfamiliar with. On the other hand, their divinity is questionable since his father can actually kill them both.
Of course, Morrigan doesn't believe and his father can either be an atheist, an Andrastian or follow the elven gods or even the Stone.
But, according to Chantry lore, the Old Gods were the first living beings the Maker created and were imprisioned by Him so, who knows if Urthemiel hasn't actually confirmed that story.
Damn it, I want to ask him so many questions! Why only one conversation?
Son...talk to me...please. Are you in the rebellious stage already?
You know what would have been cute/cool? The Warden can ask Morrigan about their future and she jokes about kids and her baking bread and asking if that's what the Warden wants. It would have been neat if you're a Cousland Warden and say something like "When I stop the Blight and bring Howe to justice I intend to rebuild my home Highever as Teyrn... and with you as Teyrna."
You know what would have been cute/cool? The Warden can ask Morrigan about their future and she jokes about kids and her baking bread and asking if that's what the Warden wants. It would have been neat if you're a Cousland Warden and say something like "When I stop the Blight and bring Howe to justice I intend to rebuild my home Highever as Teyrn... and with you as Teyrna."
You know what would have been cute/cool? The Warden can ask Morrigan about their future and she jokes about kids and her baking bread and asking if that's what the Warden wants. It would have been neat if you're a Cousland Warden and say something like "When I stop the Blight and bring Howe to justice I intend to rebuild my home Highever as Teyrn... and with you as Teyrna."
You know what would have been cute/cool? The Warden can ask Morrigan about their future and she jokes about kids and her baking bread and asking if that's what the Warden wants. It would have been neat if you're a Cousland Warden and say something like "When I stop the Blight and bring Howe to justice I intend to rebuild my home Highever as Teyrn... and with you as Teyrna."
Fanfiction idea:
Morrigan, Cousland and Kieran are in the Telari swamps for draconic reasons.
Morrigan dislikes and disbelieves her sister or is she?
Yavana constantly tries to seduce Cousland. He knows better.
Main selling point: contrast Yavana's treatment of her dragon and her eggs (negative) with Morrigan's feelings towards Kieran (positive).
Yay or nay?
I wonder what are Kieran's religious views.
He can speak to Urthemiel and seems aware of Flemeth's true indentity so, gods are not something he is unfamiliar with. On the other hand, their divinity is questionable since his father can actually kill them both.
Of course, Morrigan doesn't believe and his father can either be an atheist, an Andrastian or follow the elven gods or even the Stone.
But, according to Chantry lore, the Old Gods were the first living beings the Maker created and were imprisioned by Him so, who knows if Urthemiel hasn't actually confirmed that story.
Damn it, I want to ask him so many questions! Why only one conversation?
Son...talk to me...please. Are you in the rebellious stage already?
I'd say it's been proven that his father can't in fact kill Flemeth since she's still there even after I "killed" her. Killing the vessel isn't killing the god.
I'd say it's been proven that his father can't in fact kill Flemeth since she's still there even after I "killed" her. Killing the vessel isn't killing the god.
Eh... this is right out of the 'Let's Pretend Hawke Mattered' handbook.
If DA Dofas Numero Uno... aka Timmy Hawke never delivers the amulet... Flemeth is DOA but only to a point... even Morrigan states in DAO that you won't be really killing her... which is good.
I always liked Flemeth... in DAO, she did nothing but help the Hof, 1st by protecting the teaties, 2nd by saving Hof and Alistair at the tower, 3rd by assigning the hottest Witch of the Wilds to accompany you, and 4th conceiving the Dark Rtual.
I always liked Flemeth, and on any number of occasions, let her go... sadly the DAI focus on exploration rather than story kind of makes this mute.
Just a note to the Devs, any DLC that allows me to evicereate Solas, not just his personal being but the totality of his worthless soul in the most hiddeous way possible would be on my Must-Buy list.
I don't know, it's most likely something along those lines, Avvar makes the most sense I suppose. I think the implications are possibly a little worse if she isn't her biological daughter, from the perspective of Morrigan might have just had some normal life somewhere and Flemeth's shenanigans are foisted upon her. But on the other hand, taking into account Flemeth's schemes and instilling her own beliefs and goals into her daughters, if she is her biological daughter that's equally as bad I guess. Morrigan does say Flemeth looked younger at some point in the past (which maybe lent credence to her possessing the bodies of her daughters) which is why I sort of question who is actually Flemeth (especially when she refers to herself in 3rd person) and posited that maybe the daughters just adopt the moniker and legend. Otherwise, isn't Flemeth's soul somewhat superfluous, the daughter is already trained in magic and has an identical worldview and ideology for all intents and purposes (thus satisfying the willing criteria). But that's tangential to your question, so I'll end there.Is there a consensus regarding Morrigan's parentage?
Unless Yavana is a lot older than she seems; which is not impossible; there doesn't really seem to be a time period in which Flemeth gives birth to her and then to Morrigan, half a continent away (or raise Yavana, as a matter of fact but it's possible she was abandoned sooner than Morri). Never mind the fact Flemeth is a centuries old elven god/abomination whose fertility is very much under question.
Therefore, Morrigan being a Avvar baby Flemeth stole and raised seems the most likely option.
I say Avvar and not chasind because, judging by character models, Chasind are non-White.A
Is that 25 for BM? I thought it was 20 before, have you conjured up 5 prospective new chapters?I concur. Everyone that has fic ideas should write them. And yeah, these kinds of things have a way of getting out of hand. I started with ideas for just a few chapters, and then suddenly it became a massive 25 plus chapter ordeal. At least I hope it doesn't go much beyond 25 chapters, I dunno how much I've got left in me.
Yeah, the Warden only just met them, so when given the choice between two random people he just met and Morrigan, I think it's clear what would happen for a Morrimancer. Of course he'd immediately realize he forgot about them once on the other side of the portal.
Yeah, it'd be interesting for her to be interacting with someone that if they say something she doesn't like she has to consider not going with her gut reaction, otherwise she'll hurt her Warden in the process. It would be a very stressful situation for her. I imagine Fergus would find her regular attitude amusing, but you could bolster the awkward for Morrigan if there were a bunch of other guests there and she had to be polite because insulting them would be insulting their host, etc. Though Inquisition Morrigan would probably have an easier time of it, having survived the Orlesian Court.
Well, I haven't so much as glanced at your multi-warden piece so I can't comment on that but I am curious how you structure it, so I might check it out. Nonetheless I can understand the desire to read others work. Like even if you were to personally write the best fic ever, as the author you get a different sense of satisfaction out of it than the reader, which is why it's nice when people take the time to drop a detailed review.It'd definitely be a shorter piece. I haven't implemented this yet, but I think for the many, many 'what if?' style stories that basically rehash the first game I'll just have scenes that show what would be different and arrange them throughout the plot of the game without retelling the game itself. And I'll be waiting. I need all the more Morrigan fanfics I can find. I've started reading fics that don't involve my favorite origin, so I'm getting desperate over here.
I can appreciate in terms of them interacting directly, it's tricky since the game doesn't account for the potential flirtation and animosity between the two over HoF. But given the history and the fact that Leliana might have been one of the party members who took Flemeth down, showing her Morri's choice in that moment and giving her the opportunity to support that afterwards would have worked better for me. It had the potential to be a jaw-dropping "I can't believe what Morrigan just said/did" type moment from Leliana's POV. It's just one of those things that has me scratching my head and saying "the pieces are there, why aren't you using them to best effect?"I concur, in general there needed to be more Morrigan and Leliana interaction, but immediately after that it was needed more than ever. Especially in the case where Leliana and the Warden were very close friends. I mean, you'd think she'd say something if her best friend's son was almost kidnapped. Never mind that the she and the kid's mother didn't get along previously. I mean we do get snippets here and there, of Leliana worrying about Morrigan after drinking from the well. But you'd think we could have gotten at least one conversation between her and Morrigan about the Warden? We get it with Alistair and Morrigan if he's a Warden still.
Or maybe Leliana mentioning a previous banter, where she mentions that she's a fan of Morrigan and the Warden being in love. And Morrigan goes on an anti-love tirade. Leliana isn't even going to try and rub it in her face that Morrigan was wrong about love? I would have loved to have seen something like that.
As I mentioned a few months back in my massive post, I think the Warden should be mentioned if romanced in that scene just because it's an opportunity for Morrigan to further assert her growth to her mother. I'm cognizant of the risk you can run if this is taken too far. ie: every scene having a token HoF reference from Morrigan, but both HoF and Kieran are pivitol in her change and thus relevant to that meeting, and it really should have come up from Flemeth imo, maybe a jab from Flemeth on sending HoF to kill her so she could play happy families or something.And not having her there to witness Flemeth and Morrigan's confrontation (how'd getting help go for you there Leliana?) would have added that needed investment. Sure keep the Inquisitor there, but I needed some Leliana there, since she has a much stronger connection to the HoF than the Inquisitor does. Or, at least let us mention the HoF in dialogue at some point during that scene. That seems somewhat relevant to the situation. Maybe something like, "Do you really think the HoF will let you just take his child and disappear? He'll hunt you down. You know he will."
I had to write it, but I'd never do it because Morrigan deserves the full gamut of development that is best realised when romanced+OGB Kieran. I was actually surprised by the lines where HoF lives, is romanced but doesn't go with her and she says that she looked for HoF post-WH and seemed hopeful they would be located at Adamant. Assuming her motives are to let him meet Kieran and maybe see if there's anything still there, that's a bit of a "told you so" moment for Morrigan. While I do hate the US with a passion, the implication that romanced Morri went on to have his regular child and realised what was important to her too late (just like in romanced + no eluvian ending), it's profound but I don't want to go down that road. I think Morri's had enough to deal with in her life without that too. Especially as they part on poor terms in that scenario and perhaps every time she looks at Kieran it'd take her back to that time when he turned her down. Nope, can't do it.Sometimes you just gotta go down the pain road. I'll eventually write out a short piece involving that scenario. But happier ideas take priority. Gotta love those kinds of writing sessions. My current one pretty much kicked my butt, so I'm going to have to revise it extensively. I can imagine what her thoughts and feelings were, but I would have liked to see the direction notes for that bit of dialogue. It's possibly one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the game. Except of course for the Ultimate Sacrifice Warden. "I could have had them both." Gets me every time.
Good to hear, we'll demand more Morri/Warden regardless so you shan't know rest Lizard. The idea of one piece leading into another with a different focus has worked for me before. I could see a scenario where what Cassandra learned in Morrigan's letter possibly leads into a little something something in a separate piece - "you want to try what!?" You then could later tie it back together with the original by way of Morri's explosive shenanigans in your latest chapter. A sort of concurrent pair is intriguing, but then Cassandra doesn't interest me as much as Morri (she had her moments but just not on Morri's level) and I think the romances have lost something with the dialogue wheel.I imagine there's a way to hit a balance, but that's not what I'm doing. There's plenty of stuff for Inquisitors and their LIs and not enough for Warden and Morrigan during the Inquisition timeline. So there's no way the focus of my piece is changing. But, if there's enough demand I may do something different later. Well, if you find the line I'd love to be reminded which one it is. I'm curious now.
To describe it briefly, it's essentially what were the two (later three) of them up to in that period. There are overarching themes and background plotlines relating to their goals in the time period. You'll also come to know why I've asked you guys some particular questions as to the plausibility of certain scenarios. But I'll very briefly outline a few of things I'm working on.Now I'm curious about what your fic is. I like the timeline you're setting up, since that's prime "What the heck happened here?" real estate. And you're being smarter about it, actually finishing it before posting it. I tried that, I was like three chapters ahead and then got behind and now I work week to week. Oh well, most of my stuff doesn't have an overarching plot anyway.
Indeed, some people don't get that with W3 and I saw a lot of "I don't like Yen so therefore Geralt doesn't" when the reality is anything but. I thought they really nailed her character in W3, like you say, she has her Morrigan-esque moments where she suddenly does something a bit questionable while Geralt's attention is elsewhere but at least with Yen I thought they were very consistent in terms of her driving impetus was centered around supporting Ciri so even when she pisses off the whole Skellige Isles with the Freya's Garden incident, it's easy to relate to and understand her actions because it's done for Ciri rather than a high-minded ideal.I also feel like after reading the books, Yen is the only true choice. I mean, the player may like Triss more, but Geralt's character would always pick Yen. You're not playing as yourself or as a projection of yourself, you're playing as a character.
But I agree with everyone who has said Yen and Morrigan are similar. After spending time with her in Skellige and doing "The Last Wish" quest, it's crazy to see how much alike they actually are. Very similar outlooks and values. Stealing that mask and using it while you're talking to the druid and then her actions at Freya's Garden almost exactly mirror something Morrigan would do.
I'm trying so hard to finish Witcher 3, but I just can't. I swore I was going to attack my backlog this summer too.... it's not happening. I'm close to the end of the main story (I'm on "Ugly Baby" or whatever), but I keep doing Witcher Contracts and fist fights and secondary quests. Haven't touched gwent, because I know I'll get addicted and I don't need to be any more addicted than I already am. I think I'm going to have to play a 2D platformer after this and go into RPG detox.
I can honestly say if you can get your hands on a Wii U, Bayonetta 2 is fantastic. In my opinion, it should have been GOTY 2014. So well made. It makes the first game look and feel like a beta. It's one of the few titles that made me say "Whoa...". I really hope they make another one.
Starting Baptism of Fire very soon (I have so many half finished books sitting around, I kind of want to get through them first before starting another one).
The ideas I have scratched down for fics just look like something that could snowball very easily. I think the good thing about doing something that's a little more episodic is that you don't have to feel like you're leaving everyone hanging if you don't update for a long time (which is probably what I would do since I tend to fall in and out of love with writing all the time thanks to a busy schedule and lack of inspiration).
All I know is that I want a chapter about baking bread and painting sheds.
As an aside, I'd wondered in the past, with all of Flemeth's daughters, had they all had some piece of extravagant jewellery or amulet with them, if they didn't "activate" and possess the daughter whenever Flemeth dies, ie: Flemeth had left a piece of her soul with each. I can't shake the thought that maybe that might have been the original idea behind scattering them to the winds.Eh... this is right out of the 'Let's Pretend Hawke Mattered' handbook.
If DA Dofas Numero Uno... aka Timmy Hawke never delivers the amulet... Flemeth is DOA but only to a point... even Morrigan states in DAO that you won't be really killing her... which is good.
Fanfiction idea:
Morrigan, Cousland and Kieran are in the Telari swamps for draconic reasons.
Morrigan dislikes and disbelieves her sister or is she?
Yavana constantly tries to seduce Cousland. He knows better.
Main selling point: contrast Yavana's treatment of her dragon and her eggs (negative) with Morrigan's feelings towards Kieran (positive).
Yay or nay?
I'd be down for sure to see Morrigan interacting with a sibling of hers.
Is that 25 for BM? I thought it was 20 before, have you conjured up 5 prospective new chapters?
Nah, he wouldn't remember that quickly, after he'd met his son and later got "reacquainted" with Morri, that's when he's like "I'm sure I'm forgetting something." Ariane was great though because you got to chance to expound and define on what the Warden's relationship is with Morrigan to another NPC and that bit with the ring was fricking awesome and came about in a really natural and organic fashion.
Yep, DAI Morri would certainly have an easier time of it, which is why I'm having her go through that between the two games. Sticking point at the moment is whether to go whole hog and have Fergus already remarried during their absence. I am thinking on taking it to the extent that maybe he has another kid now, but in terms of something that's easier to write, it would be easier for that to occur after Morri and co leave for pastures new. I already gave him quite a bit of screentime and exposition much earlier.
I tell a lie. Chapters have been split, and may be split in the future. I'm approaching 32 chapters for BM at the moment, and who knows if there will be more ideas added to the pot, since I basically told myself that if I think of an idea that happens earlier in the chronology of the story I can just write it anyway as long as people know it happens earlier. Not like I have an actual plot. I'm probably going to end up with a book size fic to rival the retelling fanfictions. And no plot.
Send help.
The bit with the ring was great, though I keep thinking, "So he wears the ring over his gauntlet? Or do elves now have x-ray vision?"
I'd be tempted to have Fergus remarried and have him have a kid by the time of your story, just because seeing Kieran interacting with a Cousin would be neat.
Well, I haven't so much as glanced at your multi-warden piece so I can't comment on that but I am curious how you structure it, so I might check it out. Nonetheless I can understand the desire to read others work. Like even if you were to personally write the best fic ever, as the author you get a different sense of satisfaction out of it than the reader, which is why it's nice when people take the time to drop a detailed review.
What I'd like it to do is work as a story that even someone that hasn't played the game can understand. So there will be a few scenes ripped directly from the game to start, to give everything its proper context. And yeah, writing is fun, but you rely on other's material to get inspiration/motivation to even write in the first place. I wonder what it'd be like to be the only fanfic writer in a fandom, everyone loves your stuff, but there's nothing for you to read yourself.
I can appreciate in terms of them interacting directly, it's tricky since the game doesn't account for the potential flirtation and animosity between the two over HoF. But given the history and the fact that Leliana might have been one of the party members who took Flemeth down, showing her Morri's choice in that moment and giving her the opportunity to support that afterwards would have worked better for me. It had the potential to be a jaw-dropping "I can't believe what Morrigan just said/did" type moment from Leliana's POV. It's just one of those things that has me scratching my head and saying "the pieces are there, why aren't you using them to best effect?"
Something should have been there because like when she meets Alistair, it's an opportunity to show which party has grown and reflect it back off each other. While Al has grown, he still opens with some joke about a demon child or some such and Morri bites her tongue on the whole "this fool again" thought that's likely running through her head and corrects him, it was good to see that with Morrigan coming out ahead maturity wise and they both get past that pretty easily to talk about HoF and Kieran, which was nice. But when Lel supposedly writes to HoF regularly, yet is still highly suspicious of Morri, witnessing that fade scene would go a long way to answering some of Morri's mysteries from her perspective, I'd think.
As for the banter, you'll like the Inquisition timeline interactions I've crafted between the two over this. Just saying. Perhaps that is something maybe best left to fan works but bumping into Morrigan bickering with Leliana over semantics regarding HoF and trying not to admit Leliana was right, that'd be great.
That would have been perfect! Since Leliana's opinion of Morrigan was so low (kind of unwarranted in my opinion, since I don't recall Morrigan being particularly nasty to her. She shot her down on fashion tips, her opinions on romance and the maker, but Morrigan wasn't really as nasty to her as she was to Alistair. If anything she revealed parts of her past that you'd think warrant some sympathy, such as when Morrigan tells Leliana about what Flemeth did to men), she would be perfect to reflect Morrigan's change by showing her own change in opinion about Morrigan. And it would have been great if we had of gotten more focus on the change in outlook between the two of them, with Leliana potentially becoming darker vs Morrigan potentially becoming lighter.
You'd think that in all the time writing each other HoF would have told Leliana about how happy he is with Morrigan and Kieran. And you'd think that would lead to Leliana reconsidering her opinions of Morrigan, especially if she hasn't seen her in around ten years and all she knows is the inevitably positive picture the HoF would paint for her. I like to imagine that the way the HoF wrote to the Inquisitor with a veiled threat/request to watch out for his family, he wouldn't send the same letter to Leliana thinking "Of course she'll watch out for them, she's one of my best friends". So I imagine he'd be a bit annoyed if he found out Leliana was acting suspicious of Morrigan.
Granted, we do get some side dialogue suggesting that Leliana is keeping an eye out for them, such as when she worries about Morrigan after the WoS, or in a bit of dialogue with a messenger finds out that it was Kieran who picked Morrigan's dress. There are hints of her more playful personality, and it would be nice to see more of that in positive interaction with Morrigan. Granted Morrigan then said "Stay away from Kieran, you're a bad influence!" But I chose to ignore that part.
As I mentioned a few months back in my massive post, I think the Warden should be mentioned if romanced in that scene just because it's an opportunity for Morrigan to further assert her growth to her mother. I'm cognizant of the risk you can run if this is taken too far. ie: every scene having a token HoF reference from Morrigan, but both HoF and Kieran are pivitol in her change and thus relevant to that meeting, and it really should have come up from Flemeth imo, maybe a jab from Flemeth on sending HoF to kill her so she could play happy families or something.
And if you subscribe to the Flemeth = Andraste type theories, bearing in mind the history of betrayal by men/husbands it seems rather a bizarre omission should they further that plotline for Morrigan's relationship not to come up, since he disproves what she's been taught and would not betray her. One would think that the "plan" with Morrigan was maybe to enact something similar, or produce a similar mindset, thinking back to how Morri describes how Flem would use men for sex and kill them and expected the same of her. So you think about that deliberately crafted personality she gets from her mother, add in the history of betrayals, then add in a purported possession plotline where Flemeth/Mythal can settle in easier if the host is a powerful mage and willing (if one has a personality crafted to hate the world as-is and the world despises you for it, why wouldn't you be willing?)
Yeah we wouldn't want it every single scene, but I'd trade one of the smaller mentions for him being mentioned when it really matters. Something along the lines of, Flemeth insulting the HoF in some way and Morrigan snapping at her for it. Or maybe:
"And I though he was dancing to your tune, when he came to kill me. Who would have thought that it was you dancing to his, to have you playing his little wife."
It's an interesting thought that Flemeth was trying to artificially create her outlook in Morrigan. Flemeth had every reason to be bitter, after her betrayal, and cynical towards men. I think she ultimately failed because while a young, impressionable Morrigan ate up what Flemeth told her, the lessons could not ever truly sink in because she herself had never had that experience. She's fortunate when a HoF romances her because it's the perfect setup for her to learn the lessons Flemeth tried to teach her, but then depending on one's choices the HoF turns out to be an actual good person, and good for Morrigan. So she starts to realize that her she has a friend/lover who actually cares about her, contrary to everything her mother taught her. Which is why it's so messed up if a HoF that romanced or befriended her stabs her, because it's basically proving to Morrigan that what Flemeth taught her was true.
I had to write it, but I'd never do it because Morrigan deserves the full gamut of development that is best realised when romanced+OGB Kieran. I was actually surprised by the lines where HoF lives, is romanced but doesn't go with her and she says that she looked for HoF post-WH and seemed hopeful they would be located at Adamant. Assuming her motives are to let him meet Kieran and maybe see if there's anything still there, that's a bit of a "told you so" moment for Morrigan. While I do hate the US with a passion, the implication that romanced Morri went on to have his regular child and realised what was important to her too late (just like in romanced + no eluvian ending), it's profound but I don't want to go down that road. I think Morri's had enough to deal with in her life without that too. Especially as they part on poor terms in that scenario and perhaps every time she looks at Kieran it'd take her back to that time when he turned her down. Nope, can't do it.
Overall, Morri's change of plans regarding OGB Kieran and the changes undergone if she's a mother at all brought some interesting ramifications in the above outlined scenarios, but then striking that human chord will always resonate more strongly with people than anything else.
Yeah, I'd never actually go that route for any of my canons. But it's fun to imagine the outcome of those scenarios, or to play around with what Morrigan would be feeling or thinking if her Warden performed the US. I read a fanfiction where an US warden comes back to life, and all the wardens that killed arch demons come back to life possessed by the arch demons. It wasn't a Morrimance warden, but the idea was really fascinating. You can take the heartbreak of a Morrigan who realized how much the HoF meant to her too late, had him die, and then gave birth to his child. Play around with the horror of realizing that the arch demon still lives and is parading around in a meat puppet of her love. And if you decide to go that route, end it with Urthemiel being removed and the HoF coming back to life. The idea would be that what everyone thought about souls was wrong, since we see that Kieran has two souls, so what if the soul of the arch demon doesn't destroy the warden but rather puts them into a stasis/coma, and both souls reside in the body but with the Arch demon being in control.
Good to hear, we'll demand more Morri/Warden regardless so you shan't know rest Lizard. The idea of one piece leading into another with a different focus has worked for me before. I could see a scenario where what Cassandra learned in Morrigan's letter possibly leads into a little something something in a separate piece - "you want to try what!?" You then could later tie it back together with the original by way of Morri's explosive shenanigans in your latest chapter. A sort of concurrent pair is intriguing, but then Cassandra doesn't interest me as much as Morri (she had her moments but just not on Morri's level) and I think the romances have lost something with the dialogue wheel.
Anyway, re-reading the chapters in question, there were actually quite a few bits that grabbed me, so drink in the majesty of my praise, I guess:But I think this was probably the one because a lot of different things came together immediately before and after it:
- -the veiled threat in HoFs letter, one of a number of things from this thread I've noticed found their way into your work.
- -"Coryfathingie", I don't know if that's your own pun or a play on something from the game, but it got me.
- -Mistaking the letter for Josephine's was amusing.
- -Morrigan starting out the chapter with an attempt to mend fences with Leliana and then after the letter goes missing she spends the rest of the chapter getting increasingly pissed off.
- -Varric trying to plagiarise the letter from memory to use in his own work. It's nice to tie in the various shenanigans with the characters in believable, yet humourous ways.
- -Cassandra's whole reaction to the letter, where it came from and HoF's implied prowess in field of smutty letter writing. It builds on what's in the game and escalates it so you REALLY want to know what's in the damn letter, but revealing it would spoil it, of course. Just flowed nicely starting the borderline slapstick nature of Sera's antics and dashing past in a cloud of dust. Then, as more people discover who the letter belongs to, it takes on a increasingly scary nature, so Varric getting concerned when it made its way back to him was a nice touch. Reminded me of one of those cartoon scenes with a ticking bomb that characters keep shoving into the other's hands, all the while you have Morri prowling around trying to find it. 'tis good, I think overall that chapter did a nice job (intentionally or not) of capturing the dual nature of Morrigan, but it's flipped around a bit, so she's like a bat out of hell trying to get this letter back, yet deadly afraid of anyone actually seeing it in case it exposes that other side to her to the world, such as that last page from the end which wasn't stolen.
- -Dorian's brief acquisition of the letter and subsequently absconding from the scene was good
- -Leliana wanting to know the contents was a nice sign off to that scene, I felt.
- -Lel omitting particular licentious details from her story with Kieran.
- -The baby throwing up on Vivienne was neat, that tickled me.
"She awoke to something prodding her back." A nice bit of appropriate Morri/Warden humour to break up the melancholy of the flashback and it flows nicely into her realisation of immediate danger and someone having got the jump on her, it melded vulnerability, a pleasant memory and ever-present danger together aptly. I thought you did a good job with that whole flashback as it happens plus the whole thing also got me thinking again on how quickly Morrigan would start re-examining her mother's doctrine and parenting style post-Origins. I thought it was good to see her thoughts on that post-DAO but pre-WH, struggling to do a good job but not having any experience. Morri rejoicing at Kieran finally stopping crying was great too, I think I mentally added an inward "**** yeah!" for her at that point.
Anyway, I've lavished enough praise on you for that, I will get to reviewing them all in time (plus I'm fully caught up now), at the very least it can serve as an extra motivator, feedback and reviews are one of the only indicators as to a general level of interest in something.
Yeah, Cassandra is definitely my favorite romance of the game (but then again, Josie...), but you just can't beat Morrigan. I am thinking I need more interaction between those two. But currently I haven't found any ideas that strike me hard enough to start a separate fic at the moment.
This thread is a good place to toss ideas around. I know that in game Sera says Corypheus' name in a weird way, but I don't know if how I did it is exactly that. I think I made my own version up. I did enjoy writing the letter chapter the most, since it got as many characters as possible involved. I've got an image of Batman running around with the letter, yelling, "Sometimes you just can't get rid of a bomb."
I figure that any stories Leliana remembers from the blight would very much feature Aedan and Morrigan's evening activities since the two apparently lacked consideration to the others trying to sleep. Though to be fair, they do stick to Morrigan's tent which isn't quite the same as using a tent right in the middle of camp. So naturally Leliana would have to censor it profusely.
And though I like Vivienne's character, as a Morrigan fan I can't help but knock her down a peg or two here and there.
Glad you liked the flashback, it was one of those moments that I hadn't really seen very often and decided needed to be out there somewhere, because there's no way someone so completely inexperienced with children would have an easy time of it, and she'd definitely need some help. Factoring in the fact that you feel her sadness and regret through the ring, she must have been at a really low point around the time Kieran was first born.
Though the regret part you feel through the ring could possibly also have been, "I regret not bringing him along so someone other than I can change these dirty diapers!"
Yeah, I used to not review much myself. But I've come to realize that it's really necessary, otherwise there's no motivation to keep going. Granted it takes proving consistency (something I've failed at this month), but I've seen tons of stories die because they don't get many reviews early on, or at all. I've seen it happen a few times within the past couple months in the Morri section alone.
To describe it briefly, it's essentially what were the two (later three) of them up to in that period. There are overarching themes and background plotlines relating to their goals in the time period. You'll also come to know why I've asked you guys some particular questions as to the plausibility of certain scenarios. But I'll very briefly outline a few of things I'm working on.
So early on, you have the DR, which is, well, darker, and posits what it might actually entail and gets into the heads of the characters at that point. Then you're looking at Morri disappearing off on her travels, the immediate inner thoughts on that from both sides, Aedan will get to bounce that off some of the DAO companions and his brother early on. Some GW business will be alluded to with Alistair.
A few more scenes between post DAO and WH, I'm planning on doing Morrigan's heist of the book from the dalish clan and her meeting with Ariane, wondering whether to have Kieran with her during that part or deposited somewhere else. Fast forwarding a bit, it will cover the Crossroads and "other" world scenarios (taking liberties here, but with an interesting twist). Showcase Morrigan's change(s) & relationship with Aedan & their child, this will eventually lead to Highever and then to Orlais, Morri will get herself set up, there will be a feels scene when it comes time for him to say goodbye.
After that, Aedan will have limited chapters pursuing his quest with some old friends (I don't intend to resolve it, so you won't see them together again, except maybe in flashbacks or if BioWare screws us over in the future). He'll get to relate some of his thoughts on things to said old pals. Morri's business in Orlais ramps up, going to try and tie it in with that Last Court game to a degree, since there is some interesting material there regarding Serault. Also bringing in a bit of referential stuff from WoT2, though I've only skimmed the pertinent bits.
Then you'll have some more stuff not disimmilar to your own work for M + K in the DAI timespan. Also will probably have some chapters regarding young Morri. The most recent addition are some origins camp scenes- some thoughts from Morri after she tries to break it off with HoF, really getting into how that eats away at her as they near the end of the journey. Some exchanged opinions from those who helped Aedan kill Flemeth on how things went down and M's influence on him. The voodoo doll may indeed come up. Essentially it'll weave the bits we got into a fuller tapestry of events, ideally without upsetting anything along the way. HoF is doing stuff, Morri is too, quite a bit actually. Characters like Vivienne will show up before getting to the Inquisition timeline obviously.
But I've said too much already, I'll keep some secrets at least. Currently outlined to the tune of 35k~ words with no one chapter fully complete to my satisfaction and many not even started. My one-shot sad piece flowed a lot easier as a singular work.
That sounds like it'll be a lot of fun. I don't think I've seen any fics covering the time periods you are suggesting, so I'm definitely down for seeing what you come up with for the crossroads. Just off the top of my head the thought that after Aedan leaves he doesn't come back into the story with Morrigan and Kieran does potentially pose a problem if people get invested in seeing them together, so not having them together through the rest of the story could be difficult, but we'll see how it goes.
Yeah, one shots are definitely easier, and since all my chapters are basically one shots in the same story for the sake of reader convenience (no need to follow or favorite new stories every single time) I haven't approached a fully plotted fic like that yet. But we'll see what happens.
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