125 réponses à ce sujet

[Noelemahc]

Bump for great justice. Added spiffy pickchurs to the "Fourth Ending" lead-in.
Have been stuck without Internet access for almost a week, so had to occupy myself somehow.

Am considering moving the entire thread (or, rather, recreating it from scratch) in the Fan Creations forum, with pickchurs for everything (i.e. actual "Paragon Interrupt" and 'Renegade Interrupt" icons, portraits of LIs to ease the searching for necessary moments, placing everything on a one-segment-one-post basis so I can easily hyperlink between them for ease of reading. While I'm pondering that, I'm almost done with Little Wing (awesomest Indian name ever, Y/N?), will post her in a few hours of work doesn't consume my soul till then. Peace out.

[Noelemahc]

Thane expanded, Joker re-worded, nifty little icons for Para and Rene interrupts and level checks added. I know they look silly with the dithering transparency, I'll re-do them as soon as my ISP decided to get its head out of its eema and fix my at-home connection. Posting this stuff from work ain't comfy in the slightest.

[daveyeisley]

Very nicely done. Thanks for the "rampant AI" reference. Was not Durandal a badarse?

[Noelemahc]

Was not Durandal a badarse?

"All over the ship, dancing through the wreckage
of the Pfhor computer core,
DURANDAL WAS LAUGHING"

While he was not the first insane AI that I've been exposed to in a videogame, (SHODAN holds that particular honor, so she gets more references), he is most certainly the most awesome one, yeah =)

Update section:
Updated Para/Rene icons and interrupts with better, non-dithered, smoothly aliased icons.

I've also decided to dump my old ISP because fixing a simple ADSL uplink error (one they've fixed several times before in under an hour) should not take a frelling week. New ISP promised to get me online today, so I'll be able to post from home again, where I've already finished Liara and made basic write-ups for Samara and Shiala. Triple Asari Combo, yo.

Modifié par Noelemahc, 14 mai 2012 - 08:01 .

[Noelemahc]

LI resolution post hit its size limit. I think it's time to do that new thread plan I was talking about earlier. But before that...

>>>>>>> LIARA <<<<<<<<

...everyone looks a little smug as they watch Liara step into the center of the holoprojector's visual range.

IF ME1 IMPORT AND/OR LISTENED TO LIARA TALKING TO AETHYTA TO THE END
Shepard: "Hello, Little Wing."

IF NEITHER, BUT :
Shepard: "Ah, my favorite Doctor!" (Sorry kids, Sonic Screwdriver sold separately)

IF NOT EVEN THAT, BUT A INSTEAD:
Shepard: "Hello, Shadow Broker."

CONVERGENCE:
Liara: "Shepard! You don't have to call me that!" (if called her Little Wing, looks flustered in addition to the surprise at the name Shep used)

"But what if I want to?" Shepard replies with a smug grin. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, Shepard," Liara replies, trying vaguely to gesture at the others to shoo off so she can talk in peace and privacy. From Shepard's vantage point her holo appears to be swatting invisible flies.

Camera switch, Vega gets the hint, drags the VS off after him, everyone else finally catches on and scatters, although in later views of the planet we can see that Traynor (if FemShep), Kaidan (for any Shep), Ashley (if DudeShep) and Vega peeking from behind bushes. Liara visibly relaxes, turning to Shepard.

"There, all better. How are you doing?" she says with concern in her voice.

<Ye olde arrowe tyme effeckt springeth up, as PARAGON and RENEGADE INTERRUP options appear>


"Considering I apparently fell out of an exploding space station in high Earth orbit, pretty well," Shepard replies, rubbing his/her forehead. "Lots of cracked and broken bones, but most of them mended while I was out, so no problems to speak of." {Somewhat silly cartoon reinterpretation of the ME2 intro goes here}


"Oh, pretty good, you know, sitting in a five-star resort with round-the-clock room service, going to an all-night rave later today, wishing you were here..." {Quick shots a-la some criminal movie, of holophotos being tossed onto a table showing Shep with asari strippers on either arm, nursing a drink and having a laugh in a pool}
Shepard trails off, laughs. "I'm pretty much chained to a hospital bed, actually, but I am wishing you were here." {same poses in pictures, but Shepard is glum and in a hospital environment, the strippers turning to nurses taking pictures of him/her out cold for souvenirs}

EITHER WAY:
"Good... that's... good to hear," Liara replies, somewhat absent-mindedly.

"So, how goes the Shadow Broker Business after the collapse of the relay network?" Shepard asks in a joking tone.

"Business is booming, actually," Liara replies with a smile, "The Shadow Broker - the old one, that is - had quite a few comm buoys located in out-of-the-way locations to avoid detection by competitors such as myself." {snapshot of Liara at her workstation - some of the monitors gone, others smashed, but a few in working condition}

"...which now works to your advantage as the Reapers only destroyed buoys they found on the main throughfares and near relays?" {Reapers destroying comm buoys, other comm buoys looking sneakily at them from behind asteroids}

"Exactly. Between that for near-system communication and several of the QEC communication channels to main agencies as connections between the surviving buoy chains, I've got most of the network operational again."

"Main agencies?"

"Agency hubs, with overseers like Barla Von commanding teams of agents. Of these, Omega has fallen to Cerberus and the Citadel is destroyed, but Illium, Palaven and Noveria remain where they always were. I have to conserve the Normandy's energy reserves, but I have managed to coordinate my surviving agents into aiding with the relief efforts wherever possible." She gestures widely as she speaks, and {uses her omnitool to demonstrate images of Barla and other voluses talking to members of various races, the latter then carrying crates and aiding wounded}.

"Good thinking. Don't they question such orders? I mean, how does this fit with the Grand Scheme of Shadow Broker's Shadow Dealings?"

"They're in this line of work specifically because they don't ask questions, Shepard. Cui prodest for them always has only one reply."

"Shadow Broker," they both say simultaneously. Shepard laughs, Liara adds "Exactly."

"So, I take it you haven't had the time to work on your book, then?"

IF JAVIK RECRUITED
"Actually, I have. Javik has been of great help..."
IF JAVIK USED MEMORY SHARD
"...although morose, he has shared many interesting revelations about the Prothean way of life, their culture, their history."

IF JAVIK DIDN'T USE MEMORY SHARD
"...although his knowledge is limited, he has revealed the location of few Prothean colonies that were never on any charts we've discovered, so they were never researched."

IF JAVIK NOT RECRUITED
"Not really, no. All the new Prothean data that was unearthed for the Crucible project I've lost to a hard drive failure during the crash, so I'm stuck without research material."

CONVERGENCE FOR ALL: "Perhaps when we get out of here, I'll--" she trails off, sniffs sadly.

"Heeey. Chin up," Shepard says in a cheering-up tone, "As soon as I'm out of this stupid hospital, I'm going to find a way to get to you, to get you off that planet. That's a promise."

Liara looks up with hope in her eyes, and we see tears in them. "I never doubted you, Shepard."

"Hey, I've been promised blue babies by a certain somebody, and I'm not letting her off the hook that easily," Shepard replies with a wry smile.

"Shepard... about that..."
<once more, PARAGON and RENEGADE INTERRUP options appear>

"...yes? You haven't changed your mind, have you?"

"N-no. It's just... er..."

"Don't worry, everything's going to be okay. I promise."


"...yes? You're not going to tell me the mind-meld we did in London got you--"

"NO!" Liara snaps, causing the long-aforementioned eavesdroppers to nearly topple over. "I mean, no, it's nothing like that."

"Not that I would have had a problem with that. Just... what's wrong then?"

CONVERGENCE:
"It's just that you seem a little hell-bent on making babies. I'm worried."

"Nah, it's a natural human reaction. Survival through a tough situation kicks in the need to propagate my genes, which in turn ups the sex drive... and parental instincts." (beat) "I never even knew I had parental instincts."

"Shepard, don't worry. I think you'll make a wonderful father."

IF BRO-SHEP: "Thanks. I'm grateful for the vote of confidence."

IF FEM-SHEP: "And that's something I never expected to hear, honestly. Thanks for the vote of confidence."
EXTRA LINE IF SPACER SHEP: "And I have NO idea how I'm going to explain this to my mother." Liara grins at this phrase, but says nothing.


IF MET AETHYTA, RECONCILED LIARA WITH HER
"Think your father would look kindly on getting grandchildren from a human?"

"You're still alive, aren't you?" Liara asks with a laugh.

"Yeah, she seems to be taking that half-Krogan heritage very seriously, doesn't she?"

Liara laughs again.


IF MET AETHYTA, DIDN'T RECONCILE LIARA WITH HER
"Think your father would look kindly on getting grandchildren from a human?"

"Perhaps. I don't really know, Shepard. And I'm not sure I want to find out."

"Sooner or later you'll have to talk to her. It's not like you have a large family to throw about, you know? Have to keep what you have."

Liara nods, but says nothing.

IF BY SOME BIZARRE STROKE OF LUCK YOU FAILED TO MEET AETHYTA IN ME3 AND/OR VIEW THE LOTSB VIDEO OF HER
"Think your mother would've looked kindly on getting grandchildren from a human?"

"No, I think the idea of having them in the first place would've satisfied her to no end--"
She pauses, as if being struck with a sudden realization.

CONVERGENCE:
Liara: (suddenly serious) "Wait, grandchildren? Plural?"

: Shepard (defensively) "Relax, it's just a figure of speech. Although yes, for humans, the recommended number is three."

: Shepard (brusquely): "Well, I was thinking about three..."

EITHER WAY:
EXTRA LINE IF FEMSHEP: (almost as an aside) "Of course, I was expecting I'd be the one giving birth to them..."

"Shepard, three is a very scary number!" (yes, Farscape fans, I hear you, no, we're not bringing Claudia Black into this scene)

The door bell rings.

"Dammit. Liara, I'm going to have to call you back later - I think the doctor's here to take a look at me."

(more relaxed) "Alright. Try to be nice to the doctor, you might be let out sooner!"

: "I'm always nice to the doctors, you of all people should know that!" (grin)

: "Only if it's a nice doctor, but I'll do my best."

EITHER WAY: "Now hold that thought! And remember -- I love you, Liara T'Soni!"
"I love you too, Commander," Liara replies with a joking salute as Shepard powers down the holoprojector and thumbs a button to open the door.

<Wink wink, nudge nudge, the SHARED FINAL CONCLUSION is just a click away!>

Modifié par Noelemahc, 15 mai 2012 - 05:01 .

[azerSheppard]

lmao, the game is so bad that fanficcers are going nutz on it! haha

[Noelemahc]

azerSheppard wrote...

lmao, the game is so bad that fanficcers are going nutz on it! haha

You've only just noticed? =)

[Mycrus Ironfist]

standing effin ovation!!

thread is too long, probably just read halfway but i like what i have seen so far...

these are the endings that would have prompted me to do (yet another) playthrough of 1 & 2...

[a.m.p]

Incoming nitpicks:
1) the medical complications and maiden asari pregnancies don't seem like a topic to discuss in depth right there, with one stranded on an unknown planet and the other having barely regained consciousness. maybe make it a bit simpler?

2) comm buoys. I'm pretty sure normal comms relied on the relays, so with the relays gone, remaining comm buoys would be of use only for in-cluster communication. is that what's implied?

3) the optional Latin fluff. While implying how ancient Earth languages are tottaly influenced by ancient advanced civilizations is always fun, I'm not sure it's appropriate in the ME timeline. It's unlikely any linguistic infuence the protheans might have on late mid-paleolithic humans would really be preserved over all those thousands of years, so I'd drop it. It doesn't really add anything to the scene and causes unnecessary head-scratching.

Other than that, as usually - spot on.
And that "three is a very scary number" statement is a very true observation. And please don't tell me from where exactly in Farscape it's coming from. I'm watching it.

Modifié par a.m.p, 15 mai 2012 - 04:23 .

[JBPBRC]

TL;DR, but going off your dialogue wheel images, no Investigate options?

[Noelemahc]

In other news, it's Shiala or Samara next, whoever I finish first, as I'm writing them concurrently. Fanservice ftw.

But I will try to arrange the new thread first. And for that... moar pikchurs!

TL;DR, but going off your dialogue wheel images, no Investigate options?

Nope. My initial point was that nothing significant is changed in the existing material, therefore Shepard is bleeding profusely and the amount of dialogue I wrote for him is already stretching the limits of what a severely concussed open-wound bleeding person can THINK, let alone say out loud while carrying a dead comrade out of a space station about to explode.

In other words, sorry, no Investigate options.

1) the medical complications and maiden asari pregnancies don't seem like a topic to discuss in depth right there, with one stranded on an unknown planet and the other having barely regained consciousness. maybe make it a bit simpler?

Yeah, I was broken up about that >_< There's a reason this took so long, I kept rewriting it, because the "asari teen pregnancy" plotline refuses to leave my brain (as I'm one of those weirdoes that thinks Liara impregnates herself with Shepard's child during that mindmeld regardless of whether they're in a relationship). I think I need my brain looked at. Again.

The version I had on my hands this morning was more depressing, with Shepard spiraling into a train of thought about how she won't ever see her daughters even graduate from the maiden stage, let alone have their own children, but I deemed it too depressing and you got this instead.

EDIT: Replaced with innocent chitchat of much lesser length.

2) comm buoys. I'm pretty sure normal comms relied on the relays, so with the relays gone, remaining comm buoys would be of use only for in-cluster communication. is that what's implied?

Yeah, that the web is torn, but there are strands still reaching interstellar distances and some of them stil have patches of webwork attached. Was it too vague? =(

EDIT: Re-worded for clarity. I hope.

the optional Latin fluff. While implying how ancient Earth languages are tottaly influenced by ancient advanced civilizations is always fun, I'm not sure it's appropriate in the ME timeline.

Crap, my implication failed. The only connection I implied was that the asari language is mangled Prothean (just as modern Romanian is mangled Latin), and that the Cipher lets Shepard understand it, although rendering it different from English. Large can of worms to open considering we were never explained how translators work in the MEverse, I know.

It all stemmed from a vile need to use the Latin phrase, then to handwave why Liara speaks Latin, because she never came into much contact with human culture (as Shepard, outside of discussing poetry with Ashley, never even shows he has more than a high-school education at best). Would it be better if I just used it and then left the reader to try and guess that maybe she picked it up from someone she worked with on Mars?

EDIT: Removed, oh well.

And that "three is a very scary number" statement is a very true observation. And please don't tell me from where exactly in Farscape it's coming from. I'm watching it.

Alright, enjoy =) I hope you like it =)

Modifié par Noelemahc, 15 mai 2012 - 05:04 .

[a.m.p]

Noelemahc wrote...
Yeah, I was broken up about that >_< There's a reason this took
so long, I kept rewriting it, because the "asari teen pregnancy"
plotline refuses to leave my brain (as I'm one of those weirdoes that
thinks Liara impregnates herself with Shepard's child during that
mindmeld regardless of whether they're in a relationship). I think I
need my brain looked at. Again.

EDIT: Replaced with innocent chitchat of much lesser length.

That's better. Simple is good. People can invent any implications they like themselves, as you yourself demonstrate.

Yeah, that the web is torn, but there are strands still reaching
interstellar distances and some of them stil have patches of webwork
attached. Was it too vague? =(
EDIT: Re-worded for clarity. I hope.

Awesome. I actually just wanted to clear it up for myself, but that way is better.
I think I'm getting too meticulous with all that debating.

Crap, my implication failed. The only connection I implied was that the
asari language is mangled Prothean (just as modern Romanian is mangled
Latin), and that the Cipher lets Shepard understand it, although
rendering it different from English. Large can of worms to open
considering we were never explained how translators work in the MEverse,
I know.

It all stemmed from a vile need to use the Latin phrase,
then to handwave why Liara speaks Latin, because she never came into
much contact with human culture (as Shepard, outside of discussing
poetry with Ashley, never even shows he has more than a high-school
education at best). Would it be better if I just used it and then left
the reader to try and guess that maybe she picked it up from someone she
worked with on Mars?

EDIT: Removed, oh well.

Ah, that's what it was. See, playing around with the translator and how it works would be great in the game itself, introducing this stuff in the epilogue is somewhat distracting.

Alright, enjoy =) I hope you like it =)

Oh, I do. Crichton is adorable.

Modifié par a.m.p, 15 mai 2012 - 05:20 .

[Noelemahc]

Oh, I do. Crichton is adorable.

He is also infinitely quotable... but I promised not to spoil =)
Also he's not that bad-looking, either =)

See, playing around with the translator and how it works would be great in the game itself, introducing this stuff in the epilogue is somewhat distracting.

Alas, that is something that should've been done in the first game, although I will keep that thought in mind for my plans for the "Fixing the beginning" project.

I think I'm getting too meticulous with all that debating.

No you're not, you pointed at exactly the spots that I had doubts about. Thanks, by the way. Another demonstration of why peer review has to happen in order to prevent stupid writing =)

I also realized after your earlier remark about giving Joker some privacy for the Tiptree conversation, why it didn't bother anyone (myself included) that Tali and Shepard share their romantic thoughts out loud to an audience.
He has the social graces of a krogan regardless of how you RP him, and she grew up in a community where you're used to living your entire life in a crowd - the few years she spent on the Normandy probably haven't hammered that out of her. Besides, Shepard doesn't even see the crew members that surround Tali, and she's in "OMG, Shepurrrd" mode =)

Holy crap, now I've got headcanon for my own headcanon. I definitely need that brainscan.

[a.m.p]

Noelemahc wrote...


I also realized after your earlier remark about giving Joker some privacy for the Tiptree conversation, why it didn't bother anyone (myself included) that Tali and Shepard share their romantic thoughts out loud to an audience.
He has the social graces of a krogan regardless of how you RP him, and she grew up in a community where you're used to living your entire life in a crowd - the few years she spent on the Normandy probably haven't hammered that out of her. Besides, Shepard doesn't even see the crew members that surround Tali, and she's in "OMG, Shepurrrd" mode =)

Holy crap, now I've got headcanon for my own headcanon. I definitely need that brainscan.

That... is a good point. Also, discussing the gruesome death of someone's little sister begs for a bit more privacy than general "I love you - no I love you" stuff.
And I personally try my best for my Shepard to not have the social graces of a krogan, hard as it sometimes is. Silly me.

Also, when playing different Shepards, do you drag the available LIs to that conversation about Shepard being brain-dead on Cronos station? I'm really curious how they react but I can't find them all on youtube.

[Noelemahc]

Yeah, I do. So far only two Sheps got that far, but...

Liara says that Shepard should've mentioned this earlier - she knew it was the real Shepard from the moment she first touched her again on Mars, which sounds like sappy romantic stuff until you remember she's from a sorta-kinda telepathic race.
"I knew it was really you the first time I touched you again." - from the TLK file.

Tali gushes about how Shepard cannot be anything but himself, and that he's all hers. In fact, she's obscenely possessive of him in quite a few scenes (particularly if you brought whoever you had a love triangle with to the geth dreadnaught... or listened to the extra bit of her drunken rant that you get if you romanced her).
"You are real. Real... and mine." - same.

Also we could maybe move this conversation to PMs so as not to clutter an already confusing thread? XD

Modifié par Noelemahc, 15 mai 2012 - 06:09 .

[someguy1231]

Personally, I think you put far too much emphasis on LIs. I would've limited the "resolution" solely to the one-liner by Shepard to the Catalyst. Players who choose not to romance anyone shouldn't get shafted so much in the endings. Besides, many have dismissed people upset about ME3's ending by claiming they just want a sappy fanfic-style "happily ever after with my space waifu" ending, and you're just playing into their hands.

[Noelemahc]

As I wrote a few pages ago, it's iterative. The barebones plan was to cut everything off after Hackett's speech, which is ultimately necessary to show that the galaxy WILL be rebuilt, and excise Stargazer altogether, because it's a crappy idea that was poorly implemented.

While I can accept that BioWare may not have yet made up their minds about where they want to take the setting next, if at all (as there's been too much conflicting evidence about whether they genuinely want to), one thing is clear: they certainly didn't understand that you do not end the final part of a trilogy on a crudely cut-off cliffhanger. Every squaddie has a plot thread or fifteen left hanging that could've (some might say, should've) been resolved long before London and nobody would've complained. That and the fact that the existing ending doesn't feel like anything other than resounding defeat (which it genuinely is in case of Control and Synthesis).

The LI stuff is just for fun and games and hypotheses. And there will be a separate bit for those who chose to not romance anyone (which I still propose should be the proper way to word it), I just haven't gotten to it yet. And this is still all for the Red ending, though at my current pace I might not even finish the Blue one before the EC is released.

And sorry, but rebuilding after a galaxy-spanning race-eradicating war should be anything but deathly depressing. There's a reason the Baby Boom happened, in case you forgot. People always seek out to erase the worst memories of war and get the world back where it should be after major crises. The only people having to re-examine how horrible everything was at that point are the courts of law dealing with war crimes, the historians and the psychologists, and guess what? Shepard, being none of those things, after all is said and done, deserves some good stuff to happen to her. Outside of some pity sex (or desperate sex, in the case of Tali, Traynor and Kaidan), the only good thing that Shepard ever gets is not having to pay for drinks in ME3. That's about it.

Modifié par Noelemahc, 16 mai 2012 - 05:29 .

[CamlTowPetttingZoo]

Haven't read all of it yet but I have enjoyed it so far.

[Reign Tsumiraki]

Bump for great justice.

This would make the ending actually good.

It would imply that the Reapers are not infallible. It would say that they make mistakes, and that their point of view is not the best one, and their solution is not the best one. 

[Orumon]

Bump once more.

SWORDS FOR EVERYONE!!!

[alec1898]

omikron199 wrote...

Text wall. Most won't read

Read it all :3

[Orumon]

This lies forgotten. REVIVE!

[KeraWildmane]

Bioware should hire you as lead writer, Noelemahc.

[Lendorien]

It's sad that fans can come up with better endings than bioware. This sort of thing would have made the endings epic and extremely memorable.

[The Night Mammoth]

"And I'm tired of your disingenuous assertions."

Best. Line. Ever. That fits so wonderfully words cannot describe.

This is being stolen for my own headcanon. I care not for your permission, it's too good.