55378 réponses à ce sujet

[Lucy Glitter]

^ Great series of reactions there LOL.



We already knew that about the elves, though.



The shoes? I don't think we should take it too seriously ;P

[CrookedAsylum]

Lucy_Glitter wrote...

^ Great series of reactions there LOL.

We already knew that about the elves, though.

The shoes? I don't think we should take it too seriously ;P

I have a thing against drawing shoes in general. Probably because I'm actually good at drawing feet and like showing that off like the ponce I am.

Or maybe I'm hoping that my marvelous feet-rendering skills will distract the viewer from the fact that I loath hands. Who knows.

On topic, this reminds me of what a hypothetical something with Fenris may be like.

Edit: OH MY GOD, I LINKED CORRECTLY.

Modifié par CrookedAsylum, 20 janvier 2011 - 01:45 .

[buggirl]

David Gaider wrote...

Dr. Doctor wrote...
The one question that I have for Dave, is how do you go about creating a character like Fenris? Is the major plot of the story hammered out before characters are introduced, or are general character profiles introduced before moving along with the story?

There are two things that need to exist when creating a companion:

1) A place in the story.

2) A hook.

#1 doesn't always happen if #2 is really strong, so sometimes we forget... and then we regret it later on. A place in the story means that there is something going on in the plot (or one of the plots) that is very central to what that character is about. They care about it, so you do too. Plots can be abstract things, especially when they relate to a world you have only a vicarious stake in, so followers serve to personify those conflicts.

But #2 is enough. There has to be a hook-- for me, not the player. Something that I want to say with a character, either a moment I know I want them to have, a twist on a romantic archetype, a thing that they have which makes me excited to write them. If there isn't a hook, no matter what we do the character will be boring. That can happen, too, in which case you have to create a hook. For yourself. Nobody else needs to care about it.

For Morrigan, the hook was the Dark Ritual. I knew that moment would exist almost before the rest of the game did. Alistair didn't start off having a hook, and I realized it after I began writing him. He was a distrustful, surly sort and I hated it. So... what to do? I wanted to make his dialogue fun, the sort of person who guys wouldn't hate because he was a buddy. Since I was watching BtVS at the time, it came to me when I was (predictably) analyzing Joss Whedon's method of delivering dialogue. Anachronistic, sure, but could it be done in fantasy...? I wanted to try.

There was a hook for Fenris, but I can't tell you what it is yet. It's a spoiler. The tattoos came later (and, amusingly, before I even saw Jack), but there was an element to Fenris that made me want to write him. His #1 is also significant, which is important as I mandated that every DA2 character would need a #1. It's a more personal story, after all, without a "YOU MUST SAVE THE WORLD NO YOU MUST" thing going on-- and thus the ciphers are that much more important.

Everything else after that fact is just mechanics and plot documents. And finding the voice. That's separate and not always easy, and sometimes doesn't come until you hit the Moment-- which could happen right away or halfway through writing the character.

Thank you for the insight Mr. Gaider, I always enjoy a peek in the writer's process.  

Worth repeating: March cannot come soon enough. DA2 and Spring...

[Irkalla]

Yeeeeees taller elves, I'm overjoyed! That had been the thing that most irked me about the elves in dao, especially Zevran. Elves are not meant to be midgets, dwarfs are.

[CrookedAsylum]

Irkalla wrote...

Yeeeeees taller elves, I'm overjoyed! That had been the thing that most irked me about the elves in dao, especially Zevran. Elves are not meant to be midgets, dwarfs are.

Says who? Elves can be dictated in any direction by the artist or writer who utilizes them. In Tolkien-land, sure, elves were tall and bow-wielding, dwarfs were short and axe-handling, but it isn't the be-all, end-all.

That being said, I can't decide if I'm disappointed or happy about the elves being taller now.

[lnicol1900]

This is my prompt story for this week, using the prompt "scars". I'm kind of impressed that it's under 1'000 words... just.

It took a few moments for Fenris to realise that all the bandits were dead. He turned around, looking for their enemies, and only saw the alley scattered with corpses and his companions putting away their weapons. And, after checking the area one final time, he followed suit.

“Well... that was fun,” Hawke commented dryly. “Could have gone worse, I suppose.”

Fenris smirked at the woman’s words. Her way of diffusing tension with humour had taken some getting used to, but now he found himself grateful for her remarks after a battle. Listening to her just seemed to help his mind calm, better even than the comments he would mutter to himself as he fought.

“Now what?” he posed, turning to face the rogue who was slowly walking up to him.

“Well, their base is somewhere in Kirkwall. We need to find it and... politely ask the rest to leave,” she explained.

He resisted the urge to shake his head. Hawke’s version of ‘politely asking’ differed somewhat from the general norm. Or... perhaps it wasn’t any different, the people she spoke to just needed forceful reasoning.

As Varric and Bethany, Hawke’s apostate sister, joined them, the little group set off down the narrow back alleys. Varric and Bethany walked at the back, while Hawke walked behind him.

It had been disconcerting to him when she’d first asked him to lead, especially since, at the time, he was unfamiliar with Kirkwall and its many streets, back alleys and passageways. When he had protested, she only smiled and told him that she’d give him directions.  Another action, despite being so small, that he was grateful for.

As they passed a junction, Fenris heard the tinkle of an empty glass bottle getting knocked. Turning his head to the right, he found himself staring at another bandit aiming a crossbow at him. A second later, the crossbow resounded with the twang of a bolt being released.

Pain erupted across his back as he was violently shoved forward, and he staggered to keep his balance. Outrage at the contact flared in the back of his mind, and he found the impulse to whip around and strike whoever had touched him was a difficult one to ignore.

He heard the answering call of a bolt from Varric’s Bianca, and he spun round in time to see the bandit collapse, a bolt embedded within his throat.

“Ow...” Hawke whimpered quietly behind him.

Dread washed over him like ice-cold water, banishing any and all anger at being touched so roughly, and he slowly turned to face the woman.

She was slumped against the wall, trembling as she refused to let shock and pain overrun her. She shakily lifted her right hand to her left shoulder and the bolt that was protruding from it. If her face was anything to go by, the pain was immeasurable.

Fenris just stood there, rooted in shock and horror at the injury that was meant to belong to him, which she had pushed him away from. He didn’t offer any assistance when Bethany and Varric tended to the wound, pushing the bolt further through her shoulder so that the head could be removed easily and clipped from the shaft. But, all the time that he was staring at Hawke in shock, she was staring back at him with an impressively stoic expression, occasionally wincing in pain.

He only became involved when they agreed that Hawke had to get proper care, rather than back alley work. He hooked her right arm across his shoulders and he held her waist to support her, while Bethany continued to tend to her left shoulder. Varric went on ahead of them, checking that nothing was going to show up and cause any more grievances.

Once Bethany and Hawke were safely home, Fenris had gone back to his small apartment. All he could think of was the fact that she had pushed him out of the way and taken the bolt for him. As a rogue, she used two daggers to fight, and she had injured one of her shoulders for him. She had compromised herself to protect him.

A knock at his door brought him out of his brooding, and he frowned. There were only two people who knew where he lived: Hawke and the landlord. The man who rented him the rooms never came to speak to him, and Hawke was probably bedridden.

He cautiously opened the door and was shocked to see Hawke smiling at him. He opened the door wider to get a proper look at her, and instantly noticed the sling holding her left arm. After following his gaze, she shrugged her right shoulder.

“Beth says it’ll take a few days to completely heal,” she explained nonchalantly. “May I come in?”

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” he asked as he stepped aside to let her enter.

“I should be,” she agreed, turning to face him. “But, I wanted to check up on you.”

“Me?” he frowned confusedly. “Why?”

“Well, I did push you pretty hard,” she noted shamefully. “I just wanted to apologise if I hurt you, and know that you were alright.”

Even though she hadn’t said anything humorous, Fenris had to chuckle. Her concern for others, even if she didn’t know them, had been one of the first qualities that he had seen from her. It was endearing.

“I’m fine,” he assured her. “Though... I could have taken that bolt. I’ve suffered worse, after all.”

“Fenris,” she called quietly. “That’s why I pushed out the way.”

“What?” he asked incredulously, not understanding her logic.

“You have enough scars,” she stated.

To emphasise her point, she raised her right hand and gently laid it on his bicep. She splayed her hand in a practised movement so that her fingers rested around his lyrium brands, sometimes only just avoiding them. His skin tingled at the sensation.

“And besides”, she added, a wry smile on her lips. “Scars from protecting people are good scars.”

Ummm.... yeah, that's it.

[Ryzaki]

CrookedAsylum wrote...

Irkalla wrote...

Yeeeeees taller elves, I'm overjoyed! That had been the thing that most irked me about the elves in dao, especially Zevran. Elves are not meant to be midgets, dwarfs are.

Says who? Elves can be dictated in any direction by the artist or writer who utilizes them. In Tolkien-land, sure, elves were tall and bow-wielding, dwarfs were short and axe-handling, but it isn't the be-all, end-all.

That being said, I can't decide if I'm disappointed or happy about the elves being taller now.

I'm dissappointed I was looking forward to Fenris' and FemHawke's kisses. Now...bleh.

[pink_alora]

Wow great job Inicol just loved the last sentence...

[Cutlasskiwi]

-walks into thread and read what she missed during sleep.- Interesting. Thanks David for giving us a insight to character creation. That's something that always fascinates me.

As for elves (maybe) being taller than human females. -shrugs- I don't really care either way. I'm guessing that's part of their plan on making elves look more different. So I guess I approve. In DAO they really just looked like humans with slightly pointy ears.


@lnicol1900: Aww, that was adorable! Lovely work honey, I expect more prompts from you in the future. I'm also amazed at how fast you people have gotten new prompts out. You're like some sort of super-people.

Modifié par Yellow Words, 20 janvier 2011 - 02:54 .

[MiralukaDesk]

I'm actually happy to hear that he might be taller than Fem!Hawke...I don't know why but it just doesn't look (aesthetically speaking) right when the girl is taller than the boy (not to mention that is harder to draw)...



Still. It's up to each person I think, I don't mind, really. Zevran was always shorter than my human PCs and that never stopped me from invinting him to my tent~

[Madame Rose Crimsynn]

*Wakes up and yawns*



Good-morning folks!



*Sees I misses dev*



Bah! It worked-- and I missed the dev!



But shiny elf tall as/taller then Fem!Hawke? HOORAY!

[Drz]

thanks alot for the delicious lore and other answers David!

[PoisonTheCity]

Eh, I'm indifferent to the height thing. I liked the fact that elves were shorter in DAO, though I may be biased because my first serious relationship was with a guy shorter than me. But them being taller isn't a deal-breaker to me. I think it's got to do with the fact that the prominent characteristics of elves in DAO were mainly their height and ears, and now that they've added a few more distinct physical traits, they don't need the height difference anymore. Fen being greater than, lesser than or equal to my FemHawke's height won't faze me.

Also, I heard the title "The Big Poobah" used on TV today, and giggled madly. SO FITTING.

Modifié par PoisonTheCity, 20 janvier 2011 - 03:46 .

[lnicol1900]

I apologise for being off topic, but why do so many people call David Gaider 'Poobah'? It sounds like there's a story behind the name, and I'm curious.

[PoisonTheCity]

lnicol1900 wrote...

I apologise for being off topic, but why do so many people call David Gaider 'Poobah'? It sounds like there's a story behind the name, and I'm curious.

"Poobah" basically means 'the big boss', or something along those lines.

Edit - and I don't think there's any particular story to it. Someone just called him that one day and it stuck with some people.

Edit 2 - it seems Fen is only a little taller than FemHawke, and 'a tad shorter than Male Hawke'.

Modifié par PoisonTheCity, 20 janvier 2011 - 04:01 .

[littlenikki]

Tamyn wrote...

Preview snippet of unfinished piece.

Wow, this is really divine Tamyn  It captures his personality (what little we actually know about it that is) perfectly.

As for the height news, I am one of those people that are pretty happy that he will be as tall/taller than LadyHawke, but then again if he were shorter that would certainly not be a deal breaker for me. To criticise those who are upset about it seems pretty unfair, tbh  I'm sure if it was revealed that elves were still going to be shorter than humans, a lot of you would be equally upset and stating your displeasure in posts and halarious gifs... I highly doubt Gaider takes anything posted here on the forums as an insult to his ideas or opinions, so I think we all just need to relax and stop criticising each other

[Minxie]

ankuu wrote...

Hell! I almost fell over when I've read Ser Gaider's posts.

Fenris possibly taller than FemHawke?
All those snippets he gave us from the game development process?
=
AWESOME!

Agreed, very awesome! I love that all the companions have important roles to serve in the story.
And
I am very pleased that elves are taller now. I've never liked that
they've been made short in so many fantasy settings and this is a
welcome change.

Everyone who's displeased with this revelation, why y'all gotta be like:

I kid, I kid... [smilie]../../../images/forum/emoticons/tongue.png[/smilie]

p.s. Tamyn, beautiful art, as always!

[PoisonTheCity]

GUYS. I come bearing Aimo art. Wallpaper versions included.

aimo_ahmed wrote...

Ok, posting results of the FenRic
livestream. I tweaked one minor thing after I got the tablet, but
other-wise it is 99% mouse-coloured.

The image itself:


And here are the wallpapers:

1440 x 900
1920 x 1080

Please use them responsibly!

Such chestliness!

[littlenikki]

Mmm...I saw that on the Varric thread and was wondering how long it'd take to get over here

I hate feet soo much...but I cannot deny I have the strongest urge to tickle Fenris's cute little feet in that pic

Modifié par littlenikki, 20 janvier 2011 - 04:45 .

[Saberchic]

@Poison

Thanks for posting that! Aimo's just too awesome! I love it!!!

[ankuu]

PoisonTheCity wrote...

GUYS. I come bearing Aimo art. Wallpaper versions included.

aimo_ahmed wrote...

Ok, posting results of the FenRic
livestream. I tweaked one minor thing after I got the tablet, but
other-wise it is 99% mouse-coloured.

The image itself:


And here are the wallpapers:

1440 x 900
1920 x 1080

Please use them responsibly!

Such chestliness!

OMG i was waiting for this! <3

Angry people over-the-new-art-direction bad karma is not going to take you anywhere :PMaybe you'll like the changes more than you can think atm. They had reasons to change the height, one being animation as DG stated. Lots of things that were "set into stone" changed from DA:O to DA2: Varric doesn't have a beard (zomg dwarves usually had that!), Varric is an archer (omg dwarves are not archers!), elves had shoes.

So the height difference is not the only thing we were used to that changed.

[Addai]

Tamyn wrote...

Preview snippet of unfinished piece.

This is beautiful.  You're very talented.

[solstickan]

So, having lurked around for forever doing nothing to bring anything to the conversation I decided to contribute with a prompt. Well, it's not really a prompt, since I didn't stick to any of the themes... But I hope you enjoy it anyway. I'm sorry it's so long, but I'm not too good with keeping short stories short...

----

Sundermount
They were traveling back home through the
mountains north of Kirkwall, the empty fields which hid unearthly
terrors in its shrouds of mist. Their camp had been set near the base
of Sundermount, a majestic mountain which had taken them days to
navigate around.

Fenris was sitting around a dying fire,
drenched by the moist air. His tired eyes were searching the vast
wilderness for anything out of place, anything not yet dead. A cold wind
ruffled his hair and sent shivers down his spine.

Suddenly, he heard a crack. He jumped, turned
around, but saw nothing; the darkness beyond the dimly lit camp was
impenetrable.

From nowhere came hands, seizing his shoulders
in a firm grip, pulling him to the ground. He began to cry out, to
alert the others, but a spell had been cast on him which made him unable to move at all. The spell was unnecessary, however, for the
eyes that met him quelled him immediately.

“So we meet again”, said the magister,
smirking complacently. “How unfortunate that it must be like this.”
He let him go and waved forward his two cronies, giant brutes with no
free will of their own. They bound him roughly by the feet and hands,
sending sharp pains through his body every time they got too close to
his scars.

Panic surged through him as he realized he was
trapped, unable to move or scream for help. A faint thought of lady
Hawke wanted him to fight his way out of this bodily cage, but it was
not enough, and soon memories of old drowned all other thought. Once
again, his reality was pain and fear and heavy shackles.

He was thrown hard onto a carriage, hitting his
head and getting his vision blurred.

Somewhere in the distant a lightning bolt lit
up the sky. A roar split the air.

The lady screamed, her tired voice cracked,
“You are never taking him again!” All turned orange as the
magister's cronies were engulfed by Hawke's flames. “And you don't
mess with me!” The anger in her voice was transformed into a dark
swarm eating at the magister. But before the insects of magic so much
as touched his flesh he repelled them. They vanished into thin air
before they could return to Hawke.

Fenris felt himself being able to move again.
Gathering all his strength he jumped to his feet, grabbing a sword in
the wagon in the motion, and charged at the magister, who was now in
the middle of conjuring a powerful spell to finish off the now
unconscious Hawke. His heart lurched as he saw her lifeless body on
the ground, but the worry was soon turned into mad fury directed at
his enslaver.

In one sweep the magister's right arm was chopped off, and
with a strike with the pummel he was forced to the ground. Fenris
stepped into his vision, eyes dark as never before. The man started
to say something, but Fenris stepped on his face, crunching the nose
beneath his bare feet, before he could inhale another breath.

“You say nothing to me. Your leash on me has been cut, master”, spat Fenris poisonously.

Spluttering frantically to get the blood away from his airways the man saw his
end. Fenris severed his head with a single, forceful blow to the
throat.

For a split second Fenris could do nothing but stare at the dead man's empty
eyes, feeling as emotionless inside.

“Fenris”, said Hawke from behind, her voice soft. She did not lay a comforting
hand on his shoulder, for she had learnt that he did not appreciate
the touch. Fenris tore his gaze from his former master and let it
turn to Hawke's dark amber eyes. She looked to be unscathed, though
her eyes were heavy from sleep deprivation.

“It is done”, said he simply. It was odd, to feel like he was: at peace,
yet not satisfied. Somehow it was as if a part of him had been slain
with the magister. He could not bring himself to smile.

“It was so close. I don't know what I-” She lowered her eyes. “I could not
have bared it”, whispered she then, looking straight into his eyes.

“Are you injured?”

“No, I was merely... No. And you?”

“No.” Silence filled the air, the kind which no words need to fill.
Finally, Hawke let a sad smile creep upon her lips and she gently
placed her hand on his cheek. A hot vibration spread through his body
at the touch.

“I care for you, Fenris.” And then she leaned in and kissed him. And he let her.

Modifié par solstickan, 20 janvier 2011 - 05:09 .

[lnicol1900]

@ solstickan: Very nice. It also makes sense, too. If someone is a part of your life, whether for good or bad, you get used to them being there. And then there's an emptiness when they're gone. It sounds believable that Fenris would feel strange if the magister died.

[solstickan]

lnicol1900 wrote...

@ solstickan: Very nice. It also makes sense, too. If someone is a part of your life, whether for good or bad, you get used to them being there. And then there's an emptiness when they're gone. It sounds believable that Fenris would feel strange if the magister died.

Thank you. I'm glad someone liked it.