9962 réponses à ce sujet

[hot_heart]

Fatiguesdualism wrote...
I'm kind of toying with the idea of a competent Brooks (ala after her reveal) or a FShep character (prefer similar faces/different roles - also if people go in expecting Brooks to be a traitor maybe it's easier to try and blind side them)

Based solely on Kahoku's fate, my guess would have been a real Maya Brooks whose identity was later stolen after Cerberus 'disappeared' her .

[Fatiguesdualism]

I like obvious suspects, sometimes they let the real culprits pass by unnoticed! 

Alternatively that's a good explanation, hope you don't mind if I add it to my notes! 

[hot_heart]

Fatiguesdualism wrote...
Alternatively that's a good explanation, hope you don't mind if I add it to my notes! 

Of course I don't mind. Note away!

[hot_heart]

Fatiguesdualism wrote...
Thanks hot_heart , should have said Anderson is in his flat talking with Udina over the comm.  Udina having just told Anderson about Shep's? (bit ambiguous) upheld Spectre status but is flat out telling him the Council won't interfere with the Alliance placing a new skipper on the Normandy.  Even Udina thinks Shep should be CO but Arcturus thinks otherwise, so that's it topic closed.

Oh, forgot to mention this yesterday.

Alternatively, include some line about Udina's political mind having learned how to detect when someone's voice didn't match their tone/suggested a degree of reticence, etc. and how Anderson was alerting that same sense? Allows your dialogue to stay subtle and make Udina's assessment more apparently plausible?

[Seracen]

Ninja Edited...
 

I was trying to find some specific fics by you fine people, and a few minutes of cntrl-f along the thread cleared up my question.

Suffice it to say, several of you have influenced me.  I thank everyone in this thread for always providing kind and inspirational discussions.

Specifically, I have passed another milestone in the story of my current fic, so I can now safely add more of your amazing works to my "safe list" of stories I can read...YAY!!!

***********

This leads me to a QOTD:  How many of you self-censor yourself from reading stories to prevent you subconsciously cribbing off someone else's notes?

I know a lot of us avoid it due to time constraints, etc.  I, on the other hand, have this nasty habit of filing away various bits of data into my brain's filing cabinet.

Then I'll use bits of something I saw/read and forget where it's from.  I don't know how often my betas call me out on stuff like that...

My only saving grace is that so much of fiction is indeed derivative, that the art comes from providing your own spin/twist/subversion.

Modifié par Seracen, 04 mai 2013 - 06:11 .

[hot_heart]

Seracen wrote...

Specifically, I have passed another milestone in the story of my current fic, so I can now safely add more of your amazing works to my "safe list" of stories I can read...YAY!!!

Yay!

Seracen wrote...
This leads me to a QOTD:  How many of you self-censor yourself from reading stories to prevent you subconsciously cribbing off someone else's notes?

All the time, yes. Subconsciously, I think I'm like a magpie but with expressions or bits of text, so I worry that the inspiration I get from nowhere is actually remembered stuff.

I remember one person recommending a bit of their fic after I favourited a picture on DA, but I got so far and saw some stuff that overlapped with what I was yet to write, noticing some really nice bits of language, so decided to stop right there.

[hot_heart]

OK, so here comes the part where I probably put more thought than necessary into a Blasto vid that Miranda and Oriana are going to watch. Obviously I won't be relaying the plot of the whole thing, but I need bits to allude to at certain points FOR STORY PURPOSES MAYBE.

I'm thinking of translating a plot from another action film (which will simplify things a lot) but there are so many about and many more that I haven't seen. First stop will be the James Bond series (probably the Roger Moore ones)...

Any suggestions or ideas are welcome! Mass Effect-themed plays on existing titles, scenarios, etc.

For now, I must work on other elements of the chapter.

[Progman Omega]

hot_heart wrote...

OK, so here comes the part where I probably put more thought than necessary into a Blasto vid that Miranda and Oriana are going to watch. Obviously I won't be relaying the plot of the whole thing, but I need bits to allude to at certain points FOR STORY PURPOSES MAYBE.

I'm thinking of translating a plot from another action film (which will simplify things a lot) but there are so many about and many more that I haven't seen. First stop will be the James Bond series (probably the Roger Moore ones)...

Any suggestions or ideas are welcome! Mass Effect-themed plays on existing titles, scenarios, etc.

For now, I must work on other elements of the chapter.

Blaso is an 80s action movie.  More specifically, it's a terrible 80s action movie, which makes this so much more fun. My suggestion? Can never go wrong with Die Hard.  

"BLASTO XI: REAP WITH A VENGEACE".  Reapers come back from the dead to settle an old score with Blasto, but other, sexier ghosts from his past might just be the real monsters of this story.

Blasto stops the Reapers again while contending with an Asari Harem with abandonment issues?  Take it if it works for ya!

[Seracen]

hot_heart wrote...

OK, so here comes the part where I probably put more thought than necessary into a Blasto vid that Miranda and Oriana are going to watch. Obviously I won't be relaying the plot of the whole thing, but I need bits to allude to at certain points FOR STORY PURPOSES MAYBE.

I'm thinking of translating a plot from another action film (which will simplify things a lot) but there are so many about and many more that I haven't seen. First stop will be the James Bond series (probably the Roger Moore ones)...

Any suggestions or ideas are welcome! Mass Effect-themed plays on existing titles, scenarios, etc.

For now, I must work on other elements of the chapter.

Agreed with the above post as well.  Blasto is all about cheesy 80's action.

From ME3, we know if "evolves" into a buddy cop story.

So as a precursor, I'd use any number of cheesy one-liners and such from the pre-Expendables cast.  Here, I'll provide a sampling...

Cobra (Stallone): "you're a disease pall, and I'm the cure"

I Come in Peace (Lundgren): "You leave in pieces..."

Commando (Arnold): "remember when I said I'd kill you last?  I LIED!!!"

Then there's always "Big Trouble in Little China," and the ever present "all out of chewing gum" phrase.

It's all about the setups for the one-liners, IMO.  The ME3 blasto was all about Lethal Weapon and Die Hard.

EDIT: OOH!  Just remembered: "there's no kill...like OVERKILL!!!" 

Honestly, it's just a reason to ****** off the hero, whereupon the story devolves into little more than providing cannon fodder for fight scenes and one liners.

Modifié par Seracen, 04 mai 2013 - 03:20 .

[hot_heart]

Ooh, Big Trouble In Little China's a good'un though I'm not sure how I'd make any of that work. Definitely need to use some of those one-liners though.

Might have a look at Hard Boiled..

[ftkerns]

Just now saw this and had to jump in for a moment (replies to other stuff coming ASAP). 

hot_heart wrote...
OK, so here comes the part where I probably put more thought than necessary into a Blasto vid that Miranda and Oriana are going to watch. Obviously I won't be relaying the plot of the whole thing, but I need bits to allude to at certain points FOR STORY PURPOSES MAYBE.
I'm thinking of translating a plot from another action film (which will simplify things a lot) but there are so many about and many more that I haven't seen. First stop will be the James Bond series (probably the Roger Moore ones)...
Any suggestions or ideas are welcome! Mass Effect-themed plays on existing titles, scenarios, etc.
For now, I must work on other elements of the chapter.

One movie that popped into my head immediately was Split Second. Trailer here, for anyone who hasn't seen it: 

He has seen the future. Now he has to kill it. He'll need bigger guns.

Early 90s instead of 80s, but it's close enough. Absolutely badass movie, and one of the last 80s-style action flicks. Plus, Rutger Hauer.  So many awesome lines....

"You'd be paranoid too, if you had a dip**** like this following you!"

"We've gotta get bigger guns!"

*punch* "Don't ask me why I did that!"

"The only thing we know for sure is that he's not a vegetarian."

"I wouldn't say this thing thinks it's Satan. I'd say it is Satan."
"Well, Satan is in deep ****!"

Ah, they don't make movies like that anymore. 

Anyway, the plot could be something like...a new type of horrific Reaperized creature--or maybe a Cerberus experiment that escaped the lab--is discovered. Maybe even in London (complete with a minor character saying, "I was born there," every time he appears ). Blasto is stuck with a new partner and has to hunt down this monster before it claims another victim (which, of course, they fail to arrive on the scene in time to stop, multiple times before the final confrontation). Blasto can't stand his new, strictly by-the-book partner at first, but gradually warms up to him...while at the same time, the partner grows more unhinged just like Blasto, and at one point searches through an armory, picking up increasingly bigger guns and muttering things like, "No, too ****ing small," and, "We need big guns, very very big ****ing guns." And the guy in charge of the armory saying, "Blasto, what the hell have you done to him?" 

I think the whole movie is on YouTube, for anyone who wants to check it out.

Anyway, I just had to toss that out here. 

Modifié par ftkerns, 04 mai 2013 - 04:13 .

[hot_heart]

Hehe, I like that trailer. Some more good material there.

[Seracen]

ftkerns wrote...

Just now saw this and had to jump in for a moment (replies to other stuff coming ASAP). 

One movie that popped into my head immediately was Split Second. Trailer here, for anyone who hasn't seen it: 

He has seen the future. Now he has to kill it. He'll need bigger guns.

Early 90s instead of 80s, but it's close enough. Absolutely badass movie, and one of the last 80s-style action flicks. Plus, Rutger Hauer.  So many awesome lines....

I consider myself a connosieur of cheesy 80's and 90's action flicks...how in the heck did I miss this gem?!

It's funny too, b/c it sounds just like the Lundgren flick I referenced earlier.

EDIT: just finished watching it...ah man, I miss movies like those...

Modifié par Seracen, 05 mai 2013 - 11:22 .

[Khelish]

If you guys can't concentrate on writing, how do you keep focused?

Whenever I go to write my next chapter, I get distracted, like this...

[hot_heart]

Khelish wrote...

If you guys can't concentrate on writing, how do you keep focused?

Whenever I go to write my next chapter, I get distracted, like this...

SQUIRREL!

Honestly, I find it hard most of the time. Usually, it can be because I only really get to interact with friends online and that can be sporadic across an evening, meaning lots of small distractions. Also this.

I've never found an actual solution. Sometimes, I just force myself to start writing and gradually I'll find myself getting into it. It's just making that first step. Other times, I read some of the lovely reviews I've received from readers and other cool peeps here, and that provides the motivation.

[hot_heart]

Question: what do you think happened to (whatever was left of) Henry Lawson's estate after his death? Obviously, Miranda's out of the will...

I don't know if there would be any legal entitlement to it from Oriana, but my best guess would be that the Alliance would seize whatever they could get their hands on. I'm not sure I'd ever actually reference it, but I like to get things sorted in my head while I'm throwing around ideas.

Modifié par hot_heart, 05 mai 2013 - 08:48 .

[Seracen]

Khelish wrote...

If you guys can't concentrate on writing, how do you keep focused?

Whenever I go to write my next chapter, I get distracted, like this...  

Me...focused?  BWAHAHAHA!!!  Seriously, I just let the magic happen as it comes.  If I can average a chapter a day, I'm happy.  Sometimes that means doing nothing all week and letting 5 chapters come to me over the weekend, and that's fine too.

My best solution, however, to ensure a steady writing flow is twofold, and this works for me (may not for others).

1) write out a skeleton: Often when I am in a rut, it's b/c I can't figure out the plot flow or motivation for something.  I make sure to write a timeline of events, and what they lead to, before I write the story now.  If I am stuck, I create a mini skeleton for the particular story arc that is slowing me down.

2) act it out in my head: This is effectively identical to daydreaming; but it helps me to actually act out the actions in my mind, sometimes with music or props.  Honestly, if voice technology could properly capture my voice without horrid typos, I wouldn't nead to write; I'd just act out the scenes and talk into the mic all day.  It's during these moments where the story really just flows for me.

hot_heart wrote...

Question: what do you think happened to (whatever was left of) Henry Lawson's estate after his death? Obviously, Miranda's out of the will...

I don't know if there would be any legal entitlement to it from Oriana, but my best guess would be that the Alliance would seize whatever they could get their hands on. I'm not sure I'd ever actually reference it, but I like to get things sorted in my head while I'm throwing around ideas.

I see 2 possibilities:

1) Neither Miranda nor Oriana care, as they've made their own way.  Thus, it's either divided between the investors, or the Alliance confiscates all assets.

2) Miri and Ori don't trust anyone else getting that info, so they hack the records so that they are in the ledger for the estate as recipients in the will.  It woudn't be hard to pull the "long lost heir" routine with any creditors looking to get rich off the estate, as the genetic imprint would be neir identical to their father.

EDIT (3rd Possibility): Lawson honestly thought he would be able to "win" Orianna back and brainwash her, therefore had her as recipient to continue the legacy.  After all, he's egomaniacal, and it wouldn't cross his mind that he would fail, that his legacy wouldn't continue.

Modifié par Seracen, 05 mai 2013 - 09:31 .

[hot_heart]

Thanks, Seracen!

As it stands, I have Oriana wanting to aid the war effort by assisting in looking after refugees (with a mind to moving into colony development once the war is over). There was the possibility of her having inherited the fortune, which she intends to devote entirely to that end, but I wasn't sure how feasible it was, so decided to play it safe. It wasn't so much about either of them wanting to pursue the money and assets as it was the implications of it.

That's a really good point about the genetic imprint angle. I wouldn't see Miranda caring so much about getting her hands on the inheritance as to be that proactive, so it would come down to whether Oriana has some entitlement and whether the Alliance would be able to interfere.

I had actually considered your third possibility, but figured Henry had been too busy with other things (or suitably dissuaded by Oriana's attitude) that he never made any alterations.

EDIT: I've just realised that I said I would never do another extended piece of unplanned action, and yet here I am...doing it in service of a Blasto film.

Modifié par hot_heart, 05 mai 2013 - 09:53 .

[Seracen]

hot_heart wrote...

...
EDIT: I've just realised that I said I would never do another extended piece of unplanned action, and yet here I am...doing it in service of a Blasto film.

This one commends your worthwhile efforts!

[survivor_686]

So...am back on track with the Atonment fic. Anyone have any suggestions for the name of a Squad Automatic Weapon that would be plausibly used by the Systems Alliance?

I was gonna use the Revenant or Typhoon, but I'd like to think there is considerable more diversity in firearms in the ME universe.

Help would be appreciated.

[Khelish]

Thanks for the tips guys.

---

Hmm, I can't really say what would happen with Henry's estate. I would guess the Alliance would not care what was in a madman's will, so I think Miranda and Oriana would get it.

Modifié par Khelish, 06 mai 2013 - 08:17 .

[Seracen]

survivor_686 wrote...

So...am back on track with the Atonment fic. Anyone have any suggestions for the name of a Squad Automatic Weapon that would be plausibly used by the Systems Alliance?

I was gonna use the Revenant or Typhoon, but I'd like to think there is considerable more diversity in firearms in the ME universe.

Help would be appreciated.

True, but the Alliance would likely homogenize the weapons issued to the field.  This makes issueing and sharing of clips easier, for example, unless thermal clips conform to one size.

Even still, they might have only a select few choices, like one, for each weapon type.  It might therefore fall to the individual if they wanted to customize their own kit.

There are two examples of this being done in ME3 (self sponsored customization of gear):

1) the armor given to the salarian in front of the club by his human friend

2) the weapon used by one soldier who accidentally shoots her/his foot off (note on Normandy during Citadel DLC)

For an Alliance Marine, I think the standard loadouts are...

AR: Avenger (tho many are SUPPOSED to have upgraded to the N7 Valkyrie)
Pistol: Phalanx (tho many eventually upgrade at personal cost to the Carnifex)
Sniper: Mantis

Dunno the others.  As for canon, I think Elkoss and Devlon have the military contracts, so their weapons would be used.  Having said that, there are plenty of inconsistencies with who uses what, due to DLC, etc.  The weapon codex is a cornucopia of information concerning likes and dislikes within the militaries of ME.

What this boils down to is that you can use whatever you want.  In all honestly, I call attention to it a couple of times in the beginning of my story, for effect, then leave it alone afterwards.

The only time I continue to refer to the weapons, as such, is during party banter, whenever someone has a grenade launcher, or, mostly, whenever someone's using an anti-material rifle (since those things are beasts).

Modifié par Seracen, 07 mai 2013 - 12:06 .

[Ignis Mors]

Khelish wrote...

If you guys can't concentrate on writing, how do you keep focused?

Whenever I go to write my next chapter, I get distracted, like this...

That movie was awesome.

[Seracen]

Well, I managed to draft nearly four chapters today, so I'll call that a win! 

Also, I got a call from my beta.  Curse my mind, I'm already formulating another story after this one!  On the bright side, this will be a co-authorship.  As long as I can set proper deadlines, it should go easier.

Only one problem, the premise of the story.  Actually, I could use opinions, if anyone is willing.


I'm basically looking for a way to resurrect Thane without completely breaking the lore.  I am loathe to employ a 2nd Lazarus Project, as that cheapens the drama of looming death, and ruins the tension.

So far, the only thing I can come up with is alt realities colliding.  For instance, one world where Femshep chooses Destroy, another reality where BroShep chooses Control.


The worlds collide, bringing over a few select people from BroShep's world: himself, Ashley, and a healthy Thane.  Now I have a whole conceit as to how I'll get THAT mess to work.

So far, I am pegging the baddies as a cabal of asari (who want the Shadow Broker's powers), ex-Cerberus (led by Maya Brooks), and a lone Leviathan (as the rest have retreated to darkspace).

Also, they have a vested interested into brainwashing BroShep and Co, to finally kill FemShep and Co.

Honestly, while I can make it work, the whole thing is getting convoluted.  I generally hate alt realities colliding. The only reason this happened was b/c of the Catalyst exploding the mass relays (I don't like reality hopping too often, makes things easy and unwieldy at the same time).


So my question is: what purpose would such a cabal have for doing any of this, and what are some alternatives I could do?

1) primary point is to bring back Thane.

2) secondary (negotiable) point is to have a FShep/MShep meeting, but unlike the clone situation.  I'm fine with the old comicbook "we fight first then become allies" mindset.

3) motivation for the baddies to do ANYTHING in a post Reaper War society.


The real problem is all my current ideas are being taken up in my current fic, and I don't want to just do a simple copy-paste. On the bright side, my current fic is coming along swimmingly!  Maybe after it's written, I can properly plot out another storyline.

That's a lot of plotline to parse however, and I understand if nobody's particularly keen on taking up the request.  I just figured I'd soundboard off of anyone that was willing.

Modifié par Seracen, 07 mai 2013 - 08:11 .

[Progman Omega]

Now, I'm a fan of BroShep and FemShep meeting in two scenarios:
1.) It's a one-off joke, ala "Shaun of the Dead" where they run into each other at a crossroads moment, talk about the weather and go about their days
2.) Cerberus dun-goofed and made a clone of the opposite sex, with the only difference being a single chromosome (ala Lutece twins)

OR, 3rd bonus option: FemShep and BroShep meet at the Catalyst. Everything already gives physics the middle finger up there, so why not smash together realities?

All of this reality smashing bits just to bring Thane back from the dead is...not my cup of tea. I'd prefer if he was just a ghost that watched over his son from time to time. He's dead. He died a hero. He was going to die anyway. Give the man some peace!