I seriously doubt I'll ever write this for real since I can't usually be motivated to write anything longer than a one-shot, but I am still thinking about a DATV fix-it fic regarding the continuation of Last Flight's plot. I've definitely posted about this before but I'll do it again!
now I don't think you should have to experience all the outside material to get the series' true experience (especially given I feel most of DA's outside material is pretty mid, lol), but I really really loved what Last Flight did with its characters. There were a few small things that contradicted established lore, but it was never anything so egregious that it affected my enjoyment (and frankly I can't even think of any examples right now). The two POV characters, Valya and Isseya, had really interesting roles, and unfortunately I really feel DATV kind of trampled on everything they did well. so let's think about what fixes could be made to both their roles in the game!
Starting with Isseya, since she definitely had the biggest role both in the book and in game. Her character arc ended with her basically sacrificing everything to try to save the griffons from what she did to them, clinging to life to search for a cure long after she should have gone on her Calling. The book ends with her trying to save one last clutch of eggs, and she goes on one last flight with her griffon without ever knowing if her efforts were successful. Until... DATV came along! It's just so completely unsatisfying to decide none of her bittersweet ending meant anything -- hey, actually she's still around, and she wants to put the griffons through a modified Joining again despite all the effort she went to to save even just a handful of them from the previous modified Joining. Maybe it makes sense that she's been corrupted by the taint, but I think it's very narratively unsatisfying. I think the best fix for this would be to just not have her in DATV at all -- she went on her Calling at the end of Last Flight and died, the end. Moving on to Valya!
I think Valya would make a much better sympathetic antagonist than Isseya. First of all, in canon, she got DEEP into the order's secrets, and somehow she was just able to leave? It's one thing if they showed that she somehow fled and was in hiding, but the game really didn't seem to say that. She just chose not to become a warden (and I guess she's just an apostate now? was that ever really discussed at all?). She knew so much about what they did during the Fourth Blight, what they did to the griffons, that I think there's no way she could just not join -- she should have been put through the Joining or died trying! It would be really interesting if she were especially disillusioned because she was forced through the Joining despite not wanting to join in the end. Then we can have Valya continue to be involved with the griffons' raising, continuing to see the flaws in the Grey Wardens, what they did to the griffons and to Isseya and to her... and given Isseya's clues literally meant that only she was worthy to find the griffons, why not decide only she is worthy to keep them?
After reading the entire firsthand account of everything that happened to them in the Fourth Blight, I don't think there's any world where she would want to put the griffons through another Joining like DATV-Isseya did. Maybe she just kidnaps the griffons? Maybe she tries to leave Thedas entirely (finally letting us see what else is out there, yay!)? Honestly I don't have a good idea for this, but do I think she would be a far more interesting antagonist than Isseya was, and it would make more sense for her character. Let Isseya rest in peace <3 and let Valya have a bigger role in canon!
Also Davrin, Evka, and Antoine definitely still have to be involved in this because I love them dearly :) and Davrin would actually get more development beyond just being a griffon dad. Also maybe follow-up on Antoine maybe possibly being a werewolf? peut-être? (but that doesn't really fit with the rest of this so peut-être pas lol)