75 réponses à ce sujet

[Big Blue Car]

See, without being rude that sounds like bad fan fiction to me. It doesn't add to the ME world, it's rewriting it. We don't really need your pet theory about the Protheans, and we certainly don't need cloned soldiers forming magic links between species. ME is relatively lo-tech sci fi and it's good that way.



What's far more interesting to me is the Shepard you are describing, actually thinking about his motivations and reasoning shows that you are making an actual character.



Why not write that character as an ancillary person in the ME universe? Another N7 operative inspired by Shepard, part of a special forces mission fighting Geth out in the traverse? Or the leader of a merc group trying to make an honest living only taking decent jobs, making enemies and friends along the way?

[ZABL2010]

For:Kazzar

I believe that imagination contributes by the music. If you find an adequate theme music, then come and association. They can be written.

For example, to describe the exploits of a soldier can approach music Two Steps from Hell.

I'm certainly not a writer. Closer to me the selection of images to the music of the chosen topic. But surely you can write the association too.

(I apologize - English, only the second language for me. There may be errors in text.)

[Sorrel]

I'm writing some, too.

For the love of all that is biotic, KEEP CHARACTERS IN CHARACTER. I cannot describe to you how frothingly nerd-ragey I get when characters do and say things not in the scope of their personality, especially when it comes to romances. I've found myself reading a lot of ME fanfics lately, and there are some weird Out of Character Character Tropes that I've been coming across.



It is not in Kaidan's character to be possessive and demanding. Joker is neither super-friendly nor flat-out insulting, Jacob doesn't talk freely about himself, Miranda isn't easy to get and isn't jealous of all women, Tali isn't forward about things, Garrus doesn't think himself a hero. Of course, the skill of a good writer is creating a situation in which these characters will occasionally choose to do things against their nature, but for the most part, pay close attention not to put too much of yourself in the characters. They are their own people.



Remember that, and the ME characters are all 'built' to interact, get along, and conflict, too.It is a great bunch of characters!

[ZABL2010]

For: Sorrel : You wrote:

“It is not in Kaidan's character to be possessive and demanding. Joker is neither super-friendly nor flat-out insulting, Jacob doesn't talk freely about himself, Miranda isn't easy to get and isn't jealous of all women, Tali isn't forward about things, Garrus doesn't think himself a hero. Of course, the skill of a good writer is creating a situation in which these characters will occasionally choose to do things against their nature, but for the most part, pay close attention not to put too much of yourself in the characters. They are their own people.”

Interesting picture you showed. This is a topic for a good novel. Here only one melody to stimulate of associations will not sufficient. It rather requires a good classical music. By the way, we often forget that the classic music "creates" interesting associations. Including fantasy stories. I'm not a writer. But some classical pieces firmly associated with the most fantastic scenes. As an example I can give one my "experiment". True, not a literary example. Fantasy-action-story " was born" from one of classical musical theme. I sent it to several friends. But if you're interested - take a look:

http://www.dailymoti...sky-s-mus_music

[pacer90]

Ieldra2 wrote...

pacer90 wrote...
Hmmm... I'm worried that my new original character may end up as a Mary Sue. (No strong flaws) but I don't want to give the cheesy "drug addict" "sad backstory that leaves them emotionally weak for everyone to help them" or anything like that.

Anyone have tips on that?

The term is too badly defined to give a set of rules to avoid it. But have a look at this list of common Mary Sue traits. Don't follow that list slavishly, there may be traits well justified by the character concept. Also, don't heap flaws on your character just because you desperately want to avoid this. There are no fixed rules - just think about it.

Thanks for the list, I think I'm in the clear then. And Vanguard! Great explanation too hahaha... very thorough! I'm just kinda tired of the same backstories about damaged Shepards and stuff, I'm trying to set myself apart a little bit.

[pacer90]

The Naked Pen wrote...

On a note other than characterisation, it's usually good to make sure you're writing something consistent with the universe. I tend to use the Mass Effect wiki quite a lot to reference various things as well as to get a general sense of the way the galaxy works, and you might also consider looking back through the archives of Cerberus Daily News if you don't follow it already. It's a massive, organic and incredibly rich universe, and the more you can capture that sense the better. After all, if you don't really feel that it's rooted in the Mass Effect universe then it's not really Mass Effect fanfiction. Read up on technology if you're going to have a scene in which it's prominently featured, try to create locations coherent with ones we've seen before if you're setting it on an established planet, etc. You might even consider reading the novels, which are great for filling in little backstory details if you care about that sort of thing.

Great point. Since I started abusing the Mass Effect Wiki/Daily News/Novels my story feels a lot better, much more rooted.

[XX55XX]

I used to write fan fiction, but I haven't written any in months. Partially, this is because school is eating into my free time, so I haven't had the time to write like I used to. But, I've noticed that a few problems with my fanfics:

1. The characterization is poor.
2. I can't tell a good story for crap.

But, it is true: the more you write, the better you become, even if the improvements are miniscule with each step. When I wrote the first few chapters of my story, it was the first I had written anything that was over two thousand words long.

[pacer90]

XX55XX wrote...

I used to write fan fiction, but I haven't written any in months. Partially, this is because school is eating into my free time, so I haven't had the time to write like I used to. But, I've noticed that a few problems with my fanfics:

1. The characterization is poor.
2. I can't tell a good story for crap.

But, it is true: the more you write, the better you become, even if the improvements are miniscule with each step. When I wrote the first few chapters of my story, it was the first I had written anything that was over two thousand words long.

For #1 I reccomend you try building a character from a base of what they WANT rather than what they ARE. It's a different approach if you really think about it. Saren was a compelling enemy when you realize that he WANTED to save the galaxy, but got completely f'ed up trying to do it.

For #2 are you having trouble TELLING your good story? Or is it that you can't come up with a good story in the beginning? 

Because even though it sounds conseated, I have a very good storyline outlined for my fanfic. However, due to my lack of experience I'm having trouble conveying it like it is in my head. Basically I'm writing it down as many times as it takes to get right. So keep up what you're doing with writing as much as you can, we're all experiencing it.

Like I said before all good writing is re writing.

[XX55XX]

Thank you for the points, Pacer. My primary problem is that I can't seemingly come up a decent plotline that doesn't sound cliched or tired. I know, my imagination is lacking. So, as a result, I make up the story as I go, which has its own set of drawbacks.

[pacer90]

XX55XX wrote...

Thank you for the points, Pacer. My primary problem is that I can't seemingly come up a decent plotline that doesn't sound cliched or tired. I know, my imagination is lacking. So, as a result, I make up the story as I go, which has its own set of drawbacks.

Hmmm I recommend looking around in the Mass Effect wiki for things about the universe. My story started from the small quote about Turians and their war philosophy.

And it all came from that, all relationships, plot twists etc. Try looking around in a race you'd like to explore, I recommend the batarians or salarians they're highly unexploited unless you wanna make the batarians terrorists using an asteroid. Or look around the companies, inhabited worlds etc. Doesn't have to be a galaxy spanning issue either... (unless you're involving Shepard )

Gianna Parasini gets into trouble? Have to go save her from something? Research who she worked for on Noveria, possible enemies she could have had.



Edit: And like someone said before make sure you have an ending SET before you go too far with ideas or writing. You'll never finish it otherwise, and your story won't have direction.

I have no idea if any of this will work for you, but it did for me. My story started off with cloning, Batarians... a 20th century human cryo frozen and brought into the ME world! All of that is gone but I've had a blast re writing all of it.

Modifié par pacer90, 08 novembre 2010 - 12:04 .

[Skyline_Stanza]

Hey, for those of you that write fics about Shepard or involving him/her and the squad. When it comes to describing abilities or powers, how do you express them?



For example: Shep's a vanguard. Do you just express that Shep's just got Pull/Shockwave/Charge/Cryo and Inferno Ammo or do you give him/her all of the biotic and combat powers?



I guess what I'm wondering is do you restrict your character's abilites based on the powers they have in game?

[Blze001]

Sorrel wrote...

I'm writing some, too.
For the love of all that is biotic, KEEP CHARACTERS IN CHARACTER. I cannot describe to you how frothingly nerd-ragey I get when characters do and say things not in the scope of their personality, especially when it comes to romances. I've found myself reading a lot of ME fanfics lately, and there are some weird Out of Character Character Tropes that I've been coming across.

It is not in Kaidan's character to be possessive and demanding. Joker is neither super-friendly nor flat-out insulting, Jacob doesn't talk freely about himself, Miranda isn't easy to get and isn't jealous of all women, Tali isn't forward about things, Garrus doesn't think himself a hero. Of course, the skill of a good writer is creating a situation in which these characters will occasionally choose to do things against their nature, but for the most part, pay close attention not to put too much of yourself in the characters. They are their own people.

Remember that, and the ME characters are all 'built' to interact, get along, and conflict, too.It is a great bunch of characters!

I agree up to a point. If you just jump into a story and have the character be different, that's annoying as hell. If you have a well laid out progression from what they are in the game into something different, I can dig that.

Bioware even did that with Liara. She went from the naive, easily trusting little girl into an experienced, wairy woman. The key was that they had the progression be believeable (Choosing between the SB and Cerberus with Shepard's body, her friend getting captured) and also kept her... well... Liara in spirit.

[GIJacob88]

I started to write one a few months ago. About a Turian Spectre canidate, who didn't make it. He believes that Shepard took his place. When he got the proof on Saren. It was mostly going to be about him slowly moving on with his life. After he joined a small mercenary group.

[pacer90]

Blze001 wrote...

Sorrel wrote...

I'm writing some, too.
For the love of all that is biotic, KEEP CHARACTERS IN CHARACTER. I cannot describe to you how frothingly nerd-ragey I get when characters do and say things not in the scope of their personality, especially when it comes to romances. I've found myself reading a lot of ME fanfics lately, and there are some weird Out of Character Character Tropes that I've been coming across.

It is not in Kaidan's character to be possessive and demanding. Joker is neither super-friendly nor flat-out insulting, Jacob doesn't talk freely about himself, Miranda isn't easy to get and isn't jealous of all women, Tali isn't forward about things, Garrus doesn't think himself a hero. Of course, the skill of a good writer is creating a situation in which these characters will occasionally choose to do things against their nature, but for the most part, pay close attention not to put too much of yourself in the characters. They are their own people.

Remember that, and the ME characters are all 'built' to interact, get along, and conflict, too.It is a great bunch of characters!

I agree up to a point. If you just jump into a story and have the character be different, that's annoying as hell. If you have a well laid out progression from what they are in the game into something different, I can dig that.

Bioware even did that with Liara. She went from the naive, easily trusting little girl into an experienced, wairy woman. The key was that they had the progression be believeable (Choosing between the SB and Cerberus with Shepard's body, her friend getting captured) and also kept her... well... Liara in spirit.

I'm having no trouble in keeping the actions of the characters similar, it's the bloody speech patterns. When you write a lot of dialogue it's easy for them to all start sounding the same. Mordin is easy to keep separate but Liara and Garrus are much more subtle.

I find using fancy or technical words for Liara helps, and Garrus using sarcastic or exasperated comments.


Edit: Jacob that actually sounds really cool. And to the guy asking about technical names for abilities I'd keep it fairly standard. Mention that they have inferno ammo ONCE if you HAVE to. But put more detail into the actual impact of an incendiary round than the fact that they put it in.

Biotics can be explained a bit, like you should talk about what a singularity is doing, don't just say "****es started swirlin"

Modifié par pacer90, 08 novembre 2010 - 11:42 .

[Aurora313]

How's this for the basic main characters?

A N7 rookie inflitrator, fresh graduate (Private or something along those lines) sent into the traverse serving on a new frigate - The SSV Marathon - with a cocky, arrogant attitude and naive view of right and wrong.

A veretan N7 Vanguard (Staff Commander or a captain serving under a Major) serving as XO on the same vessel with a stoic, calm persona and some 20 years of experience under his belt.



These too cliched or would those be acceptable?

[Severyx]

Aurora313 wrote...

How's this for the basic main characters?
A N7 rookie inflitrator, fresh graduate (Private or something along those lines) sent into the traverse serving on a new frigate - The SSV Marathon - with a cocky, arrogant attitude and naive view of right and wrong.
A veretan N7 Vanguard (Staff Commander or a captain serving under a Major) serving as XO on the same vessel with a stoic, calm persona and some 20 years of experience under his belt.

These too cliched or would those be acceptable?

This is a perfect intro to my advice. While I'm still quite new to writing fan fiction, it's because I'm elitist. Beware. ;D

My advice (to the OP) is this: Lore. Know it, love it and use it. I can't count how many times I've given up on fan fictions because they ignore or go against the lore set about for whatever setting they are borrowing. Not to pick on you (Aurora313) or anything, but I'll use your post as an example. I've bolded the issues I will be talking about.

N7 rookie infiltrator: The N7 designation denotes a special forces military vocation with the highest proficiency. A rookie ranked 7 is not likely to happen. Ashley Williams was a non-combat officer and she was only rank two in her  vocation (During ME1). I'm not saying this is impossible (Perhaps by rookie you mean just finished N7 training?), just unlikely.

SSV Marathon: According to the codex, military frigates were named after great battles on earth. Unless Marathon is a battle I'm forgetting, this does not adhere to the setting.

Again, I don't mean to shoot you down, Aurora313 but you DID feed me your basics!

Important Note: This DOES NOT mean you shouldn't do anything new. By all means, expand upon the set lore within reason. It'll make things that much more interesting from a reader's standpoint. New planets? Sure. Factions not seen in the existing ME universe as told by Bioware? Why not? It's a big galaxy, and there's so much usable space that it gives me goosebumps. Take advantage of it!

[Aurora313]

Yes - I'm sorry, I should have been a little more specific. Vagueness in detail is an issue with me. I apologise. I generally use the term 'rookie' to apply to anyone fresh out of training, school or is new at a sport/activity/place. That's what I meant in regards to the Inflitrator. She's fresh out of N7 training and is eager for some action.



And yes, I am aware that frigates are named for battles. The battle in fact that I was referencing is the Battle of Marathon during the reign of the Greek empire, the very same battle that the long-distance journey 'marathon' earn it's name. I specifically checked the lore of the ship names and searched through history's great battles for a name.



You didn't shoot me down, It's just my own fault for not being specific in my descriptions.

[pacer90]

Severyx wrote...

Aurora313 wrote...

How's this for the basic main characters?
A N7 rookie inflitrator, fresh graduate (Private or something along those lines) sent into the traverse serving on a new frigate - The SSV Marathon - with a cocky, arrogant attitude and naive view of right and wrong.
A veretan N7 Vanguard (Staff Commander or a captain serving under a Major) serving as XO on the same vessel with a stoic, calm persona and some 20 years of experience under his belt.

These too cliched or would those be acceptable?

This is a perfect intro to my advice. While I'm still quite new to writing fan fiction, it's because I'm elitist. Beware. ;D

My advice (to the OP) is this: Lore. Know it, love it and use it. I can't count how many times I've given up on fan fictions because they ignore or go against the lore set about for whatever setting they are borrowing. Not to pick on you (Aurora313) or anything, but I'll use your post as an example. I've bolded the issues I will be talking about.

N7 rookie infiltrator: The N7 designation denotes a special forces military vocation with the highest proficiency. A rookie ranked 7 is not likely to happen. Ashley Williams was a non-combat officer and she was only rank two in her  vocation (During ME1). I'm not saying this is impossible (Perhaps by rookie you mean just finished N7 training?), just unlikely.

SSV Marathon: According to the codex, military frigates were named after great battles on earth. Unless Marathon is a battle I'm forgetting, this does not adhere to the setting.

Again, I don't mean to shoot you down, Aurora313 but you DID feed me your basics!

Important Note: This DOES NOT mean you shouldn't do anything new. By all means, expand upon the set lore within reason. It'll make things that much more interesting from a reader's standpoint. New planets? Sure. Factions not seen in the existing ME universe as told by Bioware? Why not? It's a big galaxy, and there's so much usable space that it gives me goosebumps. Take advantage of it!

Marathon is arguably the greatest battle in Ancient Greek history. Athens fought off an early invasion by the Persians (without the aid of Sparta, which was seen as undoable in those times. The Spartans ran the **** in the Aegean so for Athens to fight off the Persians without them was unreal.)

20 000 - 100 000 Persians defeated by 9000 - 10 000 Athenians.

It was the pre-war before the massive invasion that the movie 300 was set in. Sorry I'm a bit of a Greek history buff! As to the rest of the post, I agree. There is a reason the few N7's we know about are guys like Anderson and Shepard. They're the equivalents of the STG and asari commandos.

That's not to say you can't shoot the new-er N7 angle, or the totally fresh green rookie angle. Why not a guy who just joined the alliance for the educational benefits? He gets posted on some backwater colony like Eden Prime, not hoping to see any combat but just there to get his 3 years done. Near the end his unit is wrecked during a raid, gets posted in a much more combat active unit. Falls in love with it and by the end he's N7 ready.

[Dean_the_Young]

Meh, it's one of those things I know I'll never get around to writing, but I've always had an interest in fics/drabbles that reflect AU 'what ifs'.



What if, for example, first contact had been with the Quarians flying around the edges of the galaxy and not a war against the Turians?



What if the Quarians and Geth never went to war, but the Council expelled them for their unrepentant AI development?



What if the first contact war was still going on, and Sovereign and the Geth made contact with the hard-pressed Alliance as mysterious benefactors against the Turians and the Council?



What if Jenkins didn't die, but instead threw Shepard out of the way and was the one to receive the Prothean beacon?



What if, having never lost his brother in first contact war, Saren approved Anderson as the first human spectre, and then Shepard was the later Spectre who found Sovereign and took Saren's place and vice versa?



What if Morinth, fleeing her mother and escaping into the galactic frontier, came across Earth in the late 1700's and installed herself as goddess-empress over humanity?



What if all the service-history Shepards existed in one continuity, and encountered each other?







Short pieces, you understand. Nothing too extensive, though some would have more than others.

[Skyline_Stanza]

Dean_the_Young wrote...


What if Jenkins didn't die, but instead threw Shepard out of the way and was the one to receive the Prothean beacon?

What if, having never lost his brother in first contact war, Saren approved Anderson as the first human spectre, and then Shepard was the later Spectre who found Sovereign and took Saren's place and vice versa?

What if all the service-history Shepards existed in one continuity, and encountered each other?

All those are very interesting Dean! I think that the service-history Shep idea has been explored a bit, either in an RP sense or I think there was one or two fics about such an idea.

Jenkins reciving the vision would be something I'd LOVE to see.

To those commenting on my quesiton about powers and abilities and their role in ME2: Thanks for the feedback. York's idea on the level of power in biotics is good, as is Pacer's on ammos and biotics, as well as his comment 'b!tches were swirlin.' Sounds like something Jack would say.  

[Vanguard1219]

pacer90 wrote...

Thanks for the list, I think I'm in the clear then. And Vanguard! Great explanation too hahaha... very thorough! I'm just kinda tired of the same backstories about damaged Shepards and stuff, I'm trying to set myself apart a little bit.

Heh, you're welcome. Glad I could help.

I'm also going to quickly comment on the thing you said about "damaged Shepards" and such. There is a very big difference between someone writing Shepard as a sort of broken bird and actually writing them to come across as a real person. At this point most of my favorite fics (out of the ones I've read) are ones that focus on members of the squad during "downtime" because, more often than not, most writers just don't "get it". No offense is intended to any of them, as they always do great work, but Shepard is always the deadpan snarker or ruthless soldier or, at the very worst, just an intentionally blank slate so you can transpose your own Shepard over it.

A lot happened to Shepard in both ME1 and ME2. Hell, a lot happened long before that, too. There are countless nuances to Shep's personality that can be explored. Feelings, viewpoints, memories, behaviors, and so on that can even fill in holes that the games missed or rectify reactions that just don't make sense. This ties back into the "characterization and layers" thing from before, so you kind of get the point. There's a lot there to work with, and whether or not a writer does tends to vary.

I'm actually going to take that comment as encouragement, believe it or not. I'm already gearing up to writing Shepard-centric fic with my "canon" Shepard as a loose guide with the intention of making her come across not as an unstoppable badass, but as a real person. A person with feelings, with doubts, with drive. Fragile like the rest of us, but still as determined in spite of it. Only time will tell if I can pull it off

~V

[Skyline_Stanza]

Vanguard1219 wrote...

Heh, you're welcome. Glad I could help.

 There is a very big difference between someone writing Shepard as a sort of broken bird and actually writing them to come across as a real person. At this point most of my favorite fics (out of the ones I've read) are ones that focus on members of the squad during "downtime" because, more often than not, most writers just don't "get it". No offense is intended to any of them, as they always do great work, but Shepard is always the deadpan snarker or ruthless soldier or, at the very worst, just an intentionally blank slate so you can transpose your own Shepard over it.

A lot happened to Shepard in both ME1 and ME2. Hell, a lot happened long before that, too. There are countless nuances to Shep's personality that can be explored. Feelings, viewpoints, memories, behaviors, and so on that can even fill in holes that the games missed or rectify reactions that just don't make sense. This ties back into the "characterization and layers" thing from before, so you kind of get the point. There's a lot there to work with, and whether or not a writer does tends to vary.

I'm actually going to take that comment as encouragement, believe it or not. I'm already gearing up to writing Shepard-centric fic with my "canon" Shepard as a loose guide with the intention of making her come across not as an unstoppable badass, but as a real person. A person with feelings, with doubts, with drive. Fragile like the rest of us, but still as determined in spite of it. Only time will tell if I can pull it off

~V

This. Just...this. I'm trying to do the same thing, Vanguard. Granted, I'm splitting "screen time" and character development along three paths (my FemShep Cameron, Miranda and Garrus), but I'm trying to nail down specific memories, wants, fears, desires etc for Cam before I really start digging into the meat of the story.

I just want her to come off as talented, but also as a human, with flaws and mistakes. Her POV is going to be her thoughts on her ressurection and her upgrades as she goes through ME2, but I DON'T want her to come off as 'angsty.' Far from it, in fact. While I'd like some reflection on Shepard's part, I don't want her to go overboard with it. Make sense?

[pacer90]

Vanguard1219 wrote...

pacer90 wrote...

Thanks for the list, I think I'm in the clear then. And Vanguard! Great explanation too hahaha... very thorough! I'm just kinda tired of the same backstories about damaged Shepards and stuff, I'm trying to set myself apart a little bit.

Heh, you're welcome. Glad I could help.

I'm also going to quickly comment on the thing you said about "damaged Shepards" and such. There is a very big difference between someone writing Shepard as a sort of broken bird and actually writing them to come across as a real person. At this point most of my favorite fics (out of the ones I've read) are ones that focus on members of the squad during "downtime" because, more often than not, most writers just don't "get it". No offense is intended to any of them, as they always do great work, but Shepard is always the deadpan snarker or ruthless soldier or, at the very worst, just an intentionally blank slate so you can transpose your own Shepard over it.

A lot happened to Shepard in both ME1 and ME2. Hell, a lot happened long before that, too. There are countless nuances to Shep's personality that can be explored. Feelings, viewpoints, memories, behaviors, and so on that can even fill in holes that the games missed or rectify reactions that just don't make sense. This ties back into the "characterization and layers" thing from before, so you kind of get the point. There's a lot there to work with, and whether or not a writer does tends to vary.

I'm actually going to take that comment as encouragement, believe it or not. I'm already gearing up to writing Shepard-centric fic with my "canon" Shepard as a loose guide with the intention of making her come across not as an unstoppable badass, but as a real person. A person with feelings, with doubts, with drive. Fragile like the rest of us, but still as determined in spite of it. Only time will tell if I can pull it off

~V

You should take it an encouragement! The best stories I've read are people who can take the universe backstories and elaborate them with a believable story. One of an earthborn shepard I read who wasn't a willing part of the gang, but rather a victim of one. I won't get into details but it was completely heart wrenching, over the top dark but it fit.

I hope you can do it, and please link when you are done.

[Cra5y Pineapple]

I'd say keep it banterful. Sure, even serious works need comedy banter.