Fanfic / Stars Fade

Stars Fade is a Mass Effect 3 / Dragon Age II crossover fanfic by TotallyBursar.

In her final moments at the Crucible, Commander Shepard's defiance in the face of the Catalyst catapults her into another world; she awakens in Thedas... more specifically, in Kirkwall, not long after the events of the Deep Roads Expedition. As bad luck would have it, she arrives unconscious and badly wounded right in the middle of Darktown - and is very quickly robbed of her gear by the locals.

Fortunately, she's rescued by Hawke and taken to Anders for healing, leaving Shepard alive but completely adrift in an unknown world. Of course, what with Shepard being Shepard, it's not long before she starts getting involved with the problems across Kirkwall, falling in alongside Hawke and her friends in their many missions across the city - most prominently the growing diplomatic maelstrom with the Qunari...

Previously thought to be a Dead Fic, still being updated as of November 2022.

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This fanfiction provides examples of:

• Adaptational Nice Guy:
  • Anders' pro-mage zealotry is still present - but toned down so that it isn't the sole focus of his dialog and character; instead, he's encountered mainly in his capacity as a healer, making him a much nicer character overall, as well as one of Shepard's first friends. And when he finds that the High Cleric denied one of the most rabid anti-mage Chantry paladin's plans for a pogrom, he's visibly shocked, and begins drawing plans to contact and negotiate with the Cleric.
  • Though Fenris is still highly prejudiced against mages, he only launches into his infamous rants once the subject matter becomes relevant. At all other times, he limits himself to subtle jabs at Anders. Much like Anders himself, he's been made into a more varied character despite his traumas and obsessions, to the point that he even joins Hawke and Shepard at the Hanged Man for a game of cards instead of remaining alone in the abandoned mansion all the damn time.
• Ammunition Conservation: Though her sniper rifle is recovered alongside her, Shepard finds that she only has ten shots left and has to make them count. On the upside, thanks to a special battery upgrade, her omni-tool will never run out of power.
• Ancient Astronauts: Thedas was under observation by the Protheans in the distant past, with the focus of their study being the Elves and the Kossith - the latter they hoped to uplift and assimilate into the Prothean Empire; it's heavily implied that they had the time to make some Asari-style alterations to the Kossith, hence why the Qunari are so disciplined in the modern era.
• Annoying Patient: Both Anders and the Qunari Asa find Shepard an exhausting patient to deal with, especially given that she insists on pushing herself to the limit even when sick, badly-wounded, or virtually on death's door. It gets to the point where Anders has to magically knock her out just so she won't exacerbate her condition... only for Shepard to then be kidnapped by the Arishok and left in the care of Asa, who is even more exasperated, especially when Shepard begins practically machine-gunning him with sarcasm.
• And This Is for...: In the story's take on "Night Terrors," the Desire Demon haunting Feynriel tries to tempt Shepard into her service by showing her visions of Thane, then visions of Earth at peace (even though it should still be a war zone). Shepard retaliates by taking the demon to task for it with her dagger.
  [stabs the demon in the chest] That's for every soldier who fought and died on that killing ground. [twists the blade] And that's for trying to use Thane to get to me, you bitch.
• Berserk Button: Shepard does not like slavery, given her history with Batarian slavers. Not only is she immediately pissed off when Fenris (mistaking her for a mage) insinuates that she'd gladly enslave others if given the chance, but her discovery of the enslavement-in-all-but-name of Kirkwall's Circle of Magi sends her flying into a rage - to the point that Hawke has to drag her away from starting a fight with the Templars.
• Combat Pragmatist: In the grand style of the classic Renegade Interrupt, Shepard interrupts Ser Varnell's attempts to murder a hostage by one-shotting him with her sniper rifle before combat even begins. For good measure, she follows this up by remarking that he talked too much.
• Commonality Connection: Though Fenris and Shepard are initially on shaky terms due to a less-than-friendly expression of the former's views on mages, the two eventually bond over the traumas they have both endured and the fact that neither of them have been able to move on.
• Cosmic Plaything: After being rudely deposited in the middle of Kirkwill with no gear, no friends, and no hope, Shepard - not a religious person by nature - is briefly convinced that God personally dislikes her. She even speculates that God is actually a Batarian.
• Death Seeker: In keeping with her canon characterization, Shepard is deeply traumatized and nurturing a death wish following the traumas of the Reaper War, hence why she seems to be taking even bigger risks than usual during her time in Kirkwall. It gets so bad that even Fenris has to talk to her about it.
• Deliberate Values Dissonance:
  • Shepard is considered a bit weird by more orthodox Andrastans for believing in the right of mages to self-determination (the threat of demons doesn't change her perspective on the matter one bit).
  • The Qunari consider her even more bewildering when she reveals that biotics (the nearest equivalent to mages in Mass Effect) are not chained or collared as "saarebas" but treated as equals. Even the most reasonable of the Qunari representatives she encounters is openly flustered by the concept, claiming that it amounts to "endangering the whole by assuming that everyone is harmless."
• Double Entendre: After Shepard narrowly escapes a very tense confrontation with the Arishok, Hawke remarks that she's lucky that he didn't split her in half, not realizing that the Arishok is now actively lusting after Shepard, so the remark has a completely different subtext. Shepard is left trying very hard not to laugh, especially once Hawke drops a smartassed remark about her ability to charm the Qunari.
• Foil: Shepard is revealed to be a foil for Hawke, in that while both of them are player characters leading wildly diverse teams of misfits while frequently taking the time to deal with their companions' personal problems (and suffering boatloads of trauma along the way), the two differ strongly in their approach and success rate. Notably, Hawke operates from the position of leading a group of friends: she sincerely wants to be everyone's pal, doesn't try to moderate the behavior of her companions unless it's a life-or-death situation, and doesn't actually command anyone - only "persuade." By contrast, Shepard is a dedicated military officer and treats her companions as members of a squad: she will not tolerate bad behavior, will not value friendship over the safety of her squad, and expects her orders to be obeyed.
• Fish out of Water: Naturally, Shepard doesn't have the first idea of anything in Thedas, much less Kirkwall, to the point that a basic discussion with Anders concerning his methods of healing leaves her absolutely bamboozled. As such, she lets Hawke take the lead at first.
• Foreshadowing:
  • After Shepard passes out in the Qunari compound due to a sedative overdose and is briefly left bedridden in the Arishok's tent, Isabella playfully reinterprets the incident as Shepard "sleeping with the Arishok." Later, a frustrated Arishok forces a kiss on Shepard, making it clear that he is actually harboring sexual feelings for her.
  • Upon observing Shepard's many battle scars, a Qunari soldier dryly remarks than humans must mate violently. He's referring to the Kossith/Qunari practice of nuzzling during sex, which can leave scars; Shepard's battle scars are being regarded as another sign of her being a potential mate for the Arishok.
• Grail in the Garbage: A Prothean beacon is found gathering dust in the Black Emporium, believed by Xenon to be broken and useless.
• Hangover Sensitivity: After getting completely shitfaced, Shepard is given her second audience with the Arishok the following morning, forcing her to make her way down a long flight of stairs while grappling with the effects of a vicious hangover and mentally listing all the things she'd rather be doing.
• Heartbroken Badass: In a relationship with Thane, Shepard is still feeling the aftereffects of his death, to the point that she's even something of a Death Seeker in the introduction. Needless to say, losing him continues to haunt her for much of the story. That said, she's determined to carry on despite her misery, and in the same chapter as she muses on her despair, she reignites her spirit through sheer force of stubbornness and sets off to take on Kirkwall with her usual determination.
• Heh Heh, You Said "X":
  • Asa reveals that after three years trapped in Kirkwall, the stranded Qunari are left extremely frustrated without tamassrans to attend to their sexual needs, so many of the antaam have "taken matters into their own hands." It's not until Shepard starts laughing that Asa realizes what he accidentally implied and explains that he wasn't talking about masturbation, but Situational Sexuality.
  • Merrill leaves Hawke briefly flummoxed when she excitedly reveals that Sebastian showed her his rubbings. Merrill being Merrill, it takes her a while to explain that she's actually talking about the rubbings that Sebastian took from the walls in the ancient Elven ruins during Shepard's expedition.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: Shepard is decidedly bemused at having gone from commanding the last hopes of an entire galaxy from a state-of-the-art warship to living out of a shack in the slums of Kirkwall, and even more so when she discovers the toilet facilities.
• I Call It "Vera": Upon seeing Shepard being reunited with her sniper rifle, Anders snarkily asks if she's given it a boy's name. Shepard takes this as inspiration and names it "Garrus."
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Following the events of Fenris' mission on the Wounded Coast, a deeply shaken Hawke and Shepard retire to the Hanged Man for drinks. Already pretty miserable due to being stranded in another world, Shepard decides that the beer isn't going to cut it and upgrades to whiskey.
• The Lost Lenore: In this story, Shepard was in a relationship with Thane and left utterly heartbroken by his death at the hands of Kai Leng; as such, when the Crucible explodes in her face, she's hoping that she'll be reunited with Thane - and disappointed when she wakes up in Kirkwall. She often reflects on her time with Thane with longing, even finding herself awakening from nightmares while screaming his name. Plus, during the mission to save Feynriel from demonic possession, the Desire Demon tries to tempt Shepard with the promise of being reunited with Thane.
• Mundane Utility: When traversing the Dark Roads, Varric finds a bag containing several gemstones, most of which he dismisses due to cloudiness, imperfections or damage, but Shepard eagerly asks for those gems, intending to use the alumina to repair her armor. Later Hawke gives her a larger bag as thanks for her help.
• Non Sequitur, *Thud*: After getting completely hammered over the course of a drunken night out at the Hanged Man, Shepard begins ranting about the responsibilities of an N-7, concluding with a dramatic proclamation of "it means you hold... the... line!" before abruptly passing out.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Hawke and co find Shepard's drunken attempt to explain what N-7 means absolutely hilarious and spend several chapters that follow gleefully repeating the highlights, including "kicking ass and taking names" and "hold... the... line!" Shepard is suitably mortified by this last one.
• Refuge in Audacity: In an effort to find a way home, Shepard attempts to consult the Arishok, but is refused an audience. So, she opts to stealth her way into the Qunari compound until she's within reach of the man himself, then decloaks just so she can get his attention. Unsurprisingly, Hawke's friends assume she's even crazier than Hawke herself.
• Rhetorical Question Blunder: Following the events of "Dissent," Anders is left distraught after almost killing a young mage while under Justice's control, and Shepard tries to console him by pointing out that she's "much more of a monster" than him. Anders sarcastically asks how many innocent people she's killed, only for Shepard to matter-of-factly retort with "three hundred thousand" (referring to the events of Arrival).
• Robbing the Dead: Left badly wounded from her journey from the Crucible to Kirkwall, Shepard is believed dead by the gangs and stripped of all her intact gear except for her omni-tool and sniper rifle. Needless to say, Shepard does not take kindly to this, devoting considerable effort to tracking down the bits of stolen equipment and forcing the thieves to return it.
• Screw You, Elves!: Shepard frequently butts heads with the Qunari over their aggressively controlling behavior and their belief in the superiority of the Qun over any other system of government, finding it "annoyingly smug." Plus, unlike the rest of Kirkwall, she isn't afraid to openly challenge the Arishok's beliefs, much to his irritation. Unfortunately, this results in the Arishok gradually regarding Shepard as his equal - and therefore the subject of a Villainous Crush.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: As a result of the "Sole Survivor" background and her canonical experiences throughout all three games, Shepard is carrying around a boatload of traumas that begin to rear their ugly heads as her time in Kirkwall begins to prey on her mind.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: During the "Night Terrors" mission to rescue Feynriel from possession, the Desire Demon attempts to tempt Shepard to her side by assuming Thane's form, and when this doesn't work, by offering to return her home. Shepard is tempted but manages to soldier on by challenging the demon to show her the one thing she could believe in: Earth after the end of the war. The demon tries - but cannot capture the reality of what it would be like, allowing Shepard to coldly dismiss any further attempts at temptation.
• Shout-Out:
  • When taking on gangs with her omni-tool, Shepard refers to them as "primitive screwheads," a footnote mentioning that she's fond of 20th century vids.
  • Upon encountering one of the human converts to the Qun, Shepard quips "Aren't you a little short for a quanari?"
• Sticky Shoes: After finding that her boots were stolen by a local criminal by the name of Elsie, Shepard opts to get Elsie to abandon the boots of her own free will, namely activating the mag-boot function. After being drawn to virtually everything metallic in the area and accidentally starting a fight with her fellow gang members, Elsie furiously throws the boots away (plus the cuirass they were stuck to), allowing Shepard to reclaim another piece of her N-7 armor.
• Take That!: The narrative will occasionally pause to take potshots at some of the more unpopular elements of both game franchises. Among other things...
  • Shepard takes the Catalyst to task in the introduction, dismissing its claims and pointing out that it's utterly inferior to Legion in every way.
  • The story gets in a gentle jab at Ander's somewhat fanciful duds circa Dragon Age II by describing them as "the contents of a xenophilic salarian transvestite's refuse bin"... and a footnote clarifies this as "Elton John's wardrobe."
  • Shepard does not tolerate Fenris' constant grumbling about the evils of magic and mages for very long and - after having her Berserk Button hammered - makes it abundantly clear that he'll have to shut up about it if they're to be friends. Fenris reluctantly complies.
• A Tankard of Moose Urine: Shepard does not have a high opinion of the beers and spirits at the Hanged Man, the latter apparently tasting like it was "distilled in a krogan's ass." However, in keeping with Shepard's habit of imbibing anything the bartender can throw at her, the taste doesn't stop her from drinking the stuff.
• This Is My Boomstick: Once she gets her hands on her sniper rifle and omni-tool, Shepard is quick to use them to her advantage and impress the locals - even using one of her few precious shots to impress the Arishok in a test of marksmanship.
• Villainous Crush: It's revealed that the Arishok is carrying a torch for Shepard, being simultaneously sexually frustrated after three years away from home and convinced that she's the only Bas who can stand as his equal. This is universally regarded as a Very Bad Thing by both Shepard and his fellow Qunari, as it's causing the normally-disciplined Arishok lose control - to the point of ordering Shepard carried off to the Qunari compound to discuss matters and even forcing a kiss on her.
• Waking Up Elsewhere:
  • Shepard somehow goes from the Crucible (over Earth in the 22nd century), to the slums of Kirkwall (on Thedas). Much confusion ensues.
  • Happens again when Anders uses a sleep spell to prevent Shepard from worsening her illness with unnecessary foot travel - only for the Arishok to ambush them on way back to the Alienage, resulting in Shepard waking up in the Qunari compound.
• Worf Had the Flu: Later in the story, Shepard ends up getting captured by the Qunari; normally, she'd be able to fight her way out of the compound, but she's recovering from a potentially life-threatening case of dehydration. Also, she left her omni-tool with Anders for safekeeping. As such, she spends the next few chapters trapped in the compound while she recovers.