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Varric Tethras: Chest Hair & Dwarven Goodness 3.0 "Say Hello To Bianca!"

Erstellt von namedforthemoon , Feb 15 2011 08:44

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#1
namedforthemoon

Geschrieben 15 Februar 2011 - 08:44

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WELCOME TO THE NEW VARRIC THREAD!

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Update: Yes, Varric is not an LI, along with Aveline. That being said, it doesn't mean we can't flirt with either of them, unless a dev tells us otherwise... And then there's the interest of bringing Varric back for DA3. Now let's look forward to that and keep on campaigning, people.

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Do you want Varric as an LI in DA3? Show your support for Varricmance with one of these signature banners:

By KawaiiKatie
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UPDATE: Pre-release Unedited Demo Footage with Varric. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Aimo's Latest Varric Artwork!

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Bearbeitet von namedforthemoon, 23 März 2011 - 09:53 .

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#2
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 16 März 2011 - 08:27

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722 Beiträge

aimo_ahmed wrote...

This song pretty much sums up my unrequited feelings for Varric ;A;

That is, quite possibly, the best song in all of history.

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#3
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 16 März 2011 - 09:02

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722 Beiträge

MasterSamson88 wrote...

Oh my god.

So I take it this will get passed around the office, Mary?

I turned up my speakers and played it for the Writers' Pit.

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#4
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 16 März 2011 - 09:27

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722 Beiträge

Dave of Canada wrote...

He'll totally be a LI in every game from now one. DA3, ME3, TOR, Sonic Chronicles 2, Shattered Steel 2.

It'll be glorious.

Why confine his awesomeness to Bioware games? Varric can be a love interest in Plants vs. Zombies, Tetris, Robot Unicorn Attack, and Angry Birds! He can be a LI in games made in the past! How about Go? Or Scrabble? You're limiting him too much, Dave of Canada.

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#5
Sheryl Chee

Geschrieben 18 März 2011 - 04:12

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246 Beiträge

Herr Uhl wrote...

Pseudocognition wrote...

[If Varric is Team Mom, is Aveline Team Disapproving Dad? *ponders*

And Isabela is the weird uncle.

I totally approve of this concept.

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#6
Sheryl Chee

Geschrieben 18 März 2011 - 04:29

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246 Beiträge

Anarya wrote...

Isabela is a secret Varric thread poster, I'm sure of it.

She also secretly writes fanfic.

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#7
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 24 März 2011 - 07:17

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sweetie wrote...

How many Varric friend points do you lose if you refuse to give him the idol shard?

None. You always talk sense into him if you don't give him the shard.

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#8
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 31 März 2011 - 05:33

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Here, since I think it's not getting posted anywhere else, is the short story I wrote for Varric ages ago.

Bluffing

The Hanged Man: Loud, stinks of spilled ale, burned meat, and at any hour of the day is full of honest people doing desperate, crazy, or embarrassing things they won't remember in the morning.

My favorite place in the world.

Gallard rubs his ear and glares at me over his cards. “Well, are you in, or not?” Poor elf's lost four sovereigns so far, and the night's not looking up for him. He shifts in his chair.

“I'm in.” I toss another silver onto the pile. “Ser Thrask?” The templar is staring at his hand as if Blessed Andraste might be appearing to him. She could be, for all I know. He's had three pints, and he's swaying slightly.

At the sound of his name, Thrask looks up from his cards and squints at me. “You're bluffing. You can't fool me, dwarf.”

“The last three hands beg to differ,” Gallard mutters, still rubbing his ear. He's got a notch taken out of it -- got off lucky in a Darktown knife fight a few years back, and he can't keep his hands off the scar when he's nervous. “If you're calling, call. Don't just make eyes at him.”

“Well, can you blame him? I am awfully pretty.” I brush some imaginary dust from my coat. Gallard struggles not to laugh and succeeds when the tavern door opens.

“Varric Tethras? Has anybody seen Varric Tethras?” The messenger is in Merchant Guild livery. It's not so much a specific uniform as a visible aura of self-importance. He doesn't come more than two steps inside, possibly for fear of being attacked or, more likely, because he doesn't want to get any Lowtown on his clothes.

“Never heard of him.” Comes the chorus from around the room. The messenger stands by the doorway for another heartbeat, squinting into the dark tavern, then turns on his heel and leaves.

“Well, ser knight?” I break out my most charming smile for Thrask, who responds by downing the remaining ale in his tankard.

The templar nods. “I'll see that silver, and raise you another.”

“I'm out.” Gallard sighs. “And you, ser, are crazier than a bag of wolverines.”

“I'm in.” I smile again and gesture for the waitress.

“So now I've lost four and a half sovereigns to you, Varric, I want to know: What's this story about your brother going into the Deep Roads?” Gallard leans forward, and his eyes catch the light like a cat's.

“It's not much of a tale yet. I'll have to wait and tell it to you after we get back.” The waitress brings me a glass of wine, which I make a great show of sniffing. The Hanged Man's wine cellar is terrible. I don't actually drink anything here. I order wine because it makes people in taverns nervous if you spend all night talking to them and you never have a glass in your hand.

“No one comes back from the Deep Roads.” Thrask mutters. He actually does drink here. If I had his job, I'd probably drink more, too.
“Four-fingered Eddie is giving this expedition of Bartrand's fifteen-to-one odds against, Varric.” Gallard shakes his head. Trust the Coterie to run the numbers on my life expectancy. I just smile and shake my head.

The tavern door slams open and another messenger appears. “Varric Tethras? I need to find Varric Tethras. It's an urgent matter of business.”

“Never heard of him.”

The second messenger disappears.

The templar scowls. “You're going to get killed down there. I've heard the Fereldan refugees talking. Twisted monsters that live in the dark.”

The elf nods, rubbing his notched ear. “Honestly, Varric. Let Bartrand go by himself.”

I shake my head again. “Thrask, are you in?”

“I call.” Thrask lays his cards on the table and sits back, waiting.

“Four knights.” I smile, gathering up my winnings. “I wouldn't take that bet, Gallard. I'm not always bluffing, you know.”

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#9
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 05 April 2011 - 08:07

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ishmaeltheforsaken wrote...

Guise. I have news. Terrible, terrible, awful news.

DO NOT CLICK THE LINK IF YOU ARE NURSING, PREGNANT, OR MAY BECOME PREGNANT.

You made me cry, ishmaeltheforsaken. I hope you're proud of yourself.

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#10
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 06 April 2011 - 08:36

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Shepard Lives wrote...

I looked at that picture and I have to say that after the initial shock and horror I'm starting to find it hilarious. Not even such abject defilement can taint the awesome that is Varric. He just throws it right back at you with a smirk.

If he had been in DAO I bet this would have been his Fade nightmare.

In Varric's Fade nightmare, not only would he be dressed conservatively and have a proper dwarven beard, he would be unironically discussing the good old days in Orzammar, and how sad it is that it seems like change is forcing its way into the Assembly. And then he'd attend a meeting and do some paperwork.

Bearbeitet von Mary Kirby, 06 April 2011 - 08:36 .

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#11
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 08 April 2011 - 07:29

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Maria Caliban wrote...

Do you think you could convince Luke to post the Aveline one?

I mentioned it to him, and I think he currently has top men working on it.

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#12
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 08 April 2011 - 07:53

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Giggles_Manically wrote...

Mary Kirby wrote...

I mentioned it to him, and I think he currently has top men working on it.

Oh really? Which men?

Top men.

He says this a lot.

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#13
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 31 Mai 2011 - 04:53

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Man, that contest is going to be close. The Commander's got more surface area, but Varric's got density...

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#14
David Gaider

Geschrieben 29 Juli 2011 - 05:11

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Melissa Russell wrote...
Yes'm. Never figured out how to get my screen name to show up on the BSN boards. LOL

Was great to meet you. Almost didn't recognize you on Sunday.

Bearbeitet von David Gaider, 29 Juli 2011 - 05:12 .

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#15
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 24 August 2011 - 12:35

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722 Beiträge

CulturalGeekGirl wrote...

Every time Bioware writes a "cool best friend" character, everyone seems to want them as an LI. So here's my idea... next game, assign someone to write a cool best friend non LI character... wait for them to finish, and then say "Ok, changing what you've already written as little as possible, make him an LI."

What could possibly go wrong?

Okay, since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you.

(For reference, here. This is worth a read if you have time.

A healthy relationship with a person in the real world has high points and low points, but for the most part, it looks like a straight line. (links to images aren't working, so, meh.)

That's your relationship with Varric. It was constructed this way because he is the game's narrator, and therefore can't be someone you can infuriate to the point that he will leave you, and is hopefully not so infuriating that YOU want to leave HIM. He is a drama-free support character in the story.

This is fine for a relationship. Not for a love story.

Our romances are not real relationships. People sometimes ask why we do not have "normal" romances and dating. It's because those relationships go in a straight line. A love story looks like the graph of Cinderella.

There is drama. Huge, spikey ups and downs. Have you seen Sleepless in Seattle? There is a scene when Meg Ryan is writing to Tom Hanks, and Rosie O'Donnell tells her that her problem is that she doesn't want to be in love, she wants to be in love in a movie. A love story does not work like a real romance, except in rare cases. Most of us do not look for the qualities in a real romantic partner that we look for in a fictional romance. A fictional romance requires conflict.

The extremely tired, but still classic, form is: Boy(or whatever) meets Girl(or whatever), Boy and Girl fall in love, Boy loses Girl, Boy overcomes challenges to be reunited with Girl. This is the Cinderella story. Cinderella's life sucks, she goes to the ball, meets the Prince, it is awesome. Then midnight arrives, she runs away. Her life sucks again. Prince's life also sucks now. Prince has to look at a million smelly feet in order to be reunited with his love. They live happily ever after.

If the story went: Cinderella goes to the ball. Meets Prince. They fall in love. They get married. The story loses... well, any character development for the Prince because he has not faced down all those corns and calluses. Most of the character development for Cinderella because she has not openly defied her stepmother by insisting on trying that shoe on. And all of its tension. It needs that tension in order to be a story. There is a challenge that is overcome. Cinderella's life gets changed. Facing down the obstacle that stands in the way of True Love and overcoming it (or failing to) is what makes the story arc. We, as players, root for the characters to succeed. The drama is what we like in a love story. It is usually not what we like in a relationship.

You can't have that arc without conflict. Something has to stand in the way of love -- emotional scars, or fears of society's reprisals, or a character's own insecurities. Varric would have to have something that made him not immediately get together with Hawke. Which he does not have now, because he was written to be drama-free and supportive. And giving him that drama would make him not the character you know and love. He would be someone else.

Bearbeitet von Mary Kirby, 24 August 2011 - 12:41 .

Giggles_Manically gefällt das

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#16
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 24 August 2011 - 01:47

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hoorayforicecream wrote...

I'm curious as to why there couldn't be more drama injected into Varric's story, though. I totally agree that there has to be drama for a love story. What I don't get is why the drama has to come from the relationship between Varric and the player. Couldn't it easily be Varric and Hawke taking on external factors together? Or are you saying that adding this drama would make it impossible for him to not be infuriating or infuriated? That doesn't seem quite right to me.

No. The drama has to be why they can't be together. That's the crux of a love story, and where the tension comes from. Cinderella can't be with the prince because of social station, and because he does not know her identity. Darcy can't be with Elizabeth because of social station and because she thinks he is the biggest jerk in the universe. Romeo can't be with Juliette because their families don't approve. Buttercup can't be with Westley because he is murdered by pirates. In just about every 80s movie ever, the girl and boy can't be together because one of them is uselessly pursuing someone else who is totally wrong for them.

So there needs to be an impediment standing between Hawke and Varric. Overcoming the external factors together is what makes your party your party and your friends your friends. In a romance, there has to be an actual conflict to overcome that keeps them from a) recognizing their feelings for one another or

acting on their feelings or c) all of the above for romantic tension to exist in the story.

Because of the nature of follower characters, the drama can't come from, actually being separated like Westley and Buttercup or Cinderella and Charming Boy. They are your followers, they are available for slaying whatever whenever you need them. The drama has to be closer to Darcy and Elizabeth, or 80s movie, where the obstacle to be overcome is personal -- prejudice, insecurity, habit, fears of social disapproval. A romance has to be able to function around and within the rest of regular game play.

Varric, as written, does not care in the slightest about the approval of dwarven society, and is largely lacking in prejudice, so what's keeping him and Hawke apart? This is where he would need to have some major revision to his character. He would need an insecurity or a conflict with Hawke that would keep them from being together.

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#17
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 24 August 2011 - 02:16

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ishmaeltheforsaken wrote...

Bianca would be jealous?

Granted we as players and fans don't know her significance, but you do (I'm sure).

Not that I'm fighting for a Varric romance XD Just interested in the discussion

Well, that is where it gets tricky, yeah.

Is he pining for a past love? (Maker, do you really want to go that route again?) Is he trying to fulfil his family obligations and marry a proper Merchant Guild lady like he's supposed to? Is he insecure about being a dwarf in a relationship with a human? I can definitely come up with a conflict that would work.

The point is that none of that is there now. It would have to be added, and it would have to be added in such a way that it adds considerable tension and complication to the dynamic he has with Hawke. It would be an entirely different relationship -- not the one you have now, plus a kissing scene.

Would you still love him, if he were pining for a past girlfriend? Or so tangled up in the politics of surface dwarf society that they really mattered to him? Or super conscious about race or social class? Or deeply insecure about being a dwarf?

Maybe you would. Maybe you wouldn't. He might still be a loveable character, but he would be a different one than the easy-going, slightly mother-hen-ish, politically neutral rogue you know now.

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#18
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 24 August 2011 - 02:53

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hoorayforicecream wrote...

What you say makes sense, but I'm reminded of other stories where the goal isn't about the *getting* together part, but the *staying* together part. For example, look at Spider-Man and Mary Jane (prior to the magical marriage annulment). For the better part of a decade (or longer? the actual length of time escapes me), Spider-Man and Mary Jane were married and more or less devoted to each other. Sure, sometimes she'd get kidnapped by the Green Goblin, or she'd have issues with his being Spider-man, or there would be something else - they'd get thrown into a portal and go back in time and have to survive dinosaurs or something. But the drama didn't necessarily come from being unsure if they'd get together, it was from the external factors because they *were* together. There are similar stories about Lois Lane and Superman. Is there a reason why such stories wouldn't work within the context of Dragon Age?

Edit: I realize this would change Varric's dynamic... which I guess was what you were saying at the beginning. He'd be different than he is now. But I still don't see why, in such a situation, he could not remain a politically neutral, slightly mother hen-ish dwarven rogue. He'd still be (mostly) the same lovable scoundrel. And I'm talking from a purely hypothetical perspective; I know all about development scheduling and requirements. This is a thought experiment.

The conflic in those cases is not external. The conflict is the threat that their relationship won't last. Because MJ is tired of spending her nights worrying about Peter getting killed by crazed supervillains. Or because he is so busy with web-slinging that she feels abandoned and neglected. (and sometimes they actually separate and get back together.) I can't make that be a conflict with Varric because he can't leave the party. It's also pretty challenging to draft that in a Bioware game because all the threat of the relationship failing falls on the NPC. I can't force Hawke to feel that it is best if they break up. I can make that a choice, but I can't force you to take it, so it really can't be a source of drama and tension. I don't get to decide how Hawke feels. At best, this could be the Alistair-post-Landsmeet drama of being dumped due to the demands of some external plot related thing.

And remember that with Spidey and MJ, or Lois and Clark, there was an initial conflict of "I like someone else/I don't realize that it is you I love" that stood in the way of the couple getting together in the first place. (And Spidey has a dead girlfriend in the equation, too.) This is the dynamic of putting drama and tension into an already established romance story. We, as the audience, already know what the drama was that kept them apart before, and that they overcame it, and now, in order for the love story to continue to be a story, they need new challenges to overcome. You haven't had that with Varric.

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#19
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 24 August 2011 - 04:05

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hoorayforicecream wrote...

Then make the character a captive audience. A lot of adventure love stories start by two people who can't stand each other thrown together, but are forced to stay together for survival, and ultimately come to an understanding and even love. As long as the first part isn't quite so harsh, and the 'forced to be together and survive' comes in around the midpoint at earliest, it isn't so bad, is it?

For a Bioware game, "two people who can't stand each other" doesn't work. Because we don't control whether or not Hawke/Shepard/Warden/etc. can't stand an NPC. How the player feels is never up to the writer or the story. We can only choose how the NPC feels. So this becomes, "NPC hates the player, but for some reason has to put up with them, and eventually comes to an understanding." Since it is one-sided, it loses a lot of its appeal. Especially because we have to start out making a romanceable NPC as unlikeable as possible, which... yeah, frequently doesn't make anyone ever want to romance them.

it can work and draw upon all those rich possibilities of the sexual tension-laced conversations and romantic bickering. Given that this sort of thing doesn't seem far-fetched at all within the context of Thedas, couldn't this still satisfy all of the requirements?

The sexual tension comes, again, from wanting to be together, but not being together. Why is this the case? What is stopping them from being together? Without that, there is no sexual tension, and it's just bickering. That's less romantic and just... confrontational.

Those sorts of romances work beautifully. In games that we don't make. You can have this sort of love story in Uncharted, because how Nathan Drake feels is never a factor that is within player control. This gives Uncharted a lot more options in how to craft his relationships. Their writers can make him fall in love, be wrong about someone, feel jealous, feel betrayed -- we can't do that to Hawke. We can try. But how Hawke feels is ultimately up to you and that makes crafting a love story significantly more challenging.

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#20
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 12 Oktober 2011 - 06:37

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sweetie wrote...

Awww... "Chuckles" is so darn sweet. Do the grouchy and saintly Hawkes get different nicknames from Varric based on their demeanor? Curious if anyone knows after playing MotA.

Yes, as a matter of fact, there are different nicknames for Hawke based on personality...

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#21
Mary Kirby

Geschrieben 24 August 2012 - 05:21

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Cerah wrote...

Varric was apparently intended to be a love interest but they ended up scrapping it after it got voted off to spend time on other things, apparently.
....Which makes be unbelievably disappointed.

Right off the bat, Varric was the only one I wanted to straight-up romance. XD

?

Where did you get that idea?

No, he wasn't. He was never a romance.

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Zurück zu Story, Campaign & Characters

Varric Tethras: Chest Hair & Dwarven Goodness 3.0 "Say Hello To Bianca!"

#1 namedforthemoon Geschrieben 15 Februar 2011 - 08:44

#2 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 16 März 2011 - 08:27

#3 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 16 März 2011 - 09:02

#4 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 16 März 2011 - 09:27

#5 Sheryl Chee Geschrieben 18 März 2011 - 04:12

#6 Sheryl Chee Geschrieben 18 März 2011 - 04:29

#7 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 24 März 2011 - 07:17

#8 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 31 März 2011 - 05:33

#9 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 05 April 2011 - 08:07

#10 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 06 April 2011 - 08:36

#11 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 08 April 2011 - 07:29

#12 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 08 April 2011 - 07:53

#13 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 31 Mai 2011 - 04:53

#14 David Gaider Geschrieben 29 Juli 2011 - 05:11

#15 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 24 August 2011 - 12:35

#16 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 24 August 2011 - 01:47

#17 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 24 August 2011 - 02:16

#18 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 24 August 2011 - 02:53

#19 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 24 August 2011 - 04:05

#20 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 12 Oktober 2011 - 06:37

#21 Mary Kirby Geschrieben 24 August 2012 - 05:21

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