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[MrStoob]

That reminds me (not your little tableau ), the Thorian.  I thought there was so much potential missed with the Thorian/Rachni/Keepers stuff that BW had laid little morsels about with and I sometimes still ponder.

Are the Keepers repurposed Rachni with smiley little faces to make the other organics go 'd'awwww'?

Was the Thorian responsible for the initial 'mind tricks' that evolved in the rest of the races?

I suppose, if these were questions from reality, you just can't find out the true answers and can only speculate, like with all ancient 'archaeology'.

How did cooking food originate?  An accident from a forest fire or dropped meat into the camp fire? Probably something like that but no-one could really say, it's just fair speculation.  Anyhoo, went a bit tangential there...


Harbinger: *BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM* Ha! Look at the meat bags, they think they're going to hurt us with their massive gun.
Reaper: Noobs.  They never learn.
Harbinger: Oh no!  Look out!  They're aiming at us!
Reaper: Good one, Harbie.

*BANG!*

Harbinger: Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!

....aaaaaaaand so on.

[Ignis Mors]

Seracen wrote...

Ignis Mors wrote...

@Seracen. It's still a ways out, sadly. (Going to happen during my take on the reaper occupation of Tuchanka. Which is probably twenty or more chapters out. Wrex'll get the idea after another chat Shep has with Kalros.)
@Meredith. I haven't decided the price yet. I'm thinking something like the Mass Effect credits equivalent of beef wellington. AKA, really, really, really pricy.

*edit. You've got a better memory than, I then Seracen. I don't really remember that. Or, did I mention it when looking for help regarding the Kalros talking with Shep scene?

I remember that one as well!  It was two seperate conversations close together.  I think we were talking with Drussius and Stoob about something, which lead to strange ways of taking down the Reapers.

We were talking about the Rachni and other unlikely races that somehow managed to survive in space.  We established that the Maws were among them, considering how they show up on multiple planets.  One of us even suggested that they may have survived a few cycles, just like the Rachni.

One thing led to another, and eventually you said that Wrex would likely try to figure out how to turn Thresher Maws into projectiles in order to take down the Reapers.  We all went @_@ ... "THAT'S EPIC!!!"

Then, in a later conversation, I suggested hive mind telepathy was how "advanced" Maws might communicate, much like the Rachni queen or the Thorian (my exact example was Grave Mind from Halo).  It's still an interesting idea!

I may have to figure out a way to bring in the Thorian or Kalross in my next AU fic (it's still at the inception phase, and I am loathe to brainstorm on it while I am on break with the other story).


PS: Leviathan sushi should TOTALLY trip people out, similar to how pufferfish must be prepared (ie: it is poisonous if improperly cooked...but the toxins are trippy, so skilled chefs leave JUST a little bit in there, but not enough to kill you).

For that matter, I imagine that Kasumi would have some hilarious things to say about it!

-----------------------------------------
Kasumi:  Really Shep? <_<

Shep: What? 

Kasumi: Even your FOOD can kill you?  Don't you ever take a break?

Wrex: That's why Shepard is the greatest...

Shep: Why thanks Wrex, but I-

Wrex: Every moment is a struggle against death and danger...(s)he's braver/crazier than most Krogan...which is why I made him/her an honorary one...

Kasumi: [laughs] That remings me, how many breeding proposals have you recieved from the Krogan embassy?

Wrex/Shep: [groan] Don't remind me... 

Shep's love interest the whole time: ... 
------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry...I had a moment there...

I could see that happening. Unless the whole breeding proposals system is gotten rid of following the genophage being cured. 
Also, you are totally right. I am going to give it hallucinogenic effects now. 
Now, I've got an idea for how they make the whole thresher maw cannon, and I'm curious what you think. As I've already established in Meus Mundus, all the current species in it were 'seeded' on their original homeworlds from DNA stored in reapers made from their race. I was thinking that on Tuchanka, Wrex'd find an ancient krogan computer, and it'd have data on an experimental thresher maw cannon that was banned due to how ridiculous it was. Then, Wrex shows it to Shep, who talks about it with Kalros, and Kalros basically says, "That's an interesting idea. I will send a few of the younger maws to help the krogan with testing." Also, what do you think of a thresher maw embassy on the Citadel? 

* edit. Also, lol, Stoob. That should have been the ending of ME3. The Crucible was a giant thresher maw cannon. Excuse me, I'm going to go write that out. 

Modifié par Ignis Mors, 10 septembre 2013 - 08:41 .

[MrStoob]

Ignis Mors wrote...
That should have been the ending of ME3. The Crucible was a giant thresher maw cannon. Excuse me, I'm going to go write that out. 

LMFAO

[Ignis Mors]

MrStoob wrote...

Ignis Mors wrote...
That should have been the ending of ME3. The Crucible was a giant thresher maw cannon. Excuse me, I'm going to go write that out. 

LMFAO

It's being really fun to write. And, instead of being the stupid contrivance it was in the game, the Catalyst is the sarcastic targetting AI for the Crucible. 
But, I can't come up with a good title for it. I was thinking Thresher Effect, but that sucks. Do you guys have any ideas? 

[Rixatrix]

Ignis Mors wrote...

MrStoob wrote...

Ignis Mors wrote...
That should have been the ending of ME3. The Crucible was a giant thresher maw cannon. Excuse me, I'm going to go write that out. 

LMFAO

It's being really fun to write. And, instead of being the stupid contrivance it was in the game, the Catalyst is the sarcastic targetting AI for the Crucible. 
But, I can't come up with a good title for it. I was thinking Thresher Effect, but that sucks. Do you guys have any ideas? 

Maws' Effect

[Seracen]

MrStoob wrote...

That reminds me (not your little tableau ), the Thorian.  I thought there was so much potential missed with the Thorian/Rachni/Keepers stuff that BW had laid little morsels about with and I sometimes still ponder.

Are the Keepers repurposed Rachni with smiley little faces to make the other organics go 'd'awwww'?

Was the Thorian responsible for the initial 'mind tricks' that evolved in the rest of the races?

I suppose, if these were questions from reality, you just can't find out the true answers and can only speculate, like with all ancient 'archaeology'.

I agree, when I played ME1, I totally noticed the connection between the Thorian and Indoctrination in general.  It is interesting to note the codex in ME3, wherein the Feros colonists were able to reject Indoctrination as a result.

I like to think that these were all ideas that the Reapers co-opted over time.  After all, EDI mentioned in ME2 how organic life can create solutions that AI doesn't think of.

MrStoob wrote...

How did cooking food originate?  An accident from a forest fire or dropped meat into the camp fire? Probably something like that but no-one could really say, it's just fair speculation.  Anyhoo, went a bit tangential there...


Harbinger: *BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM* Ha! Look at the meat bags, they think they're going to hurt us with their massive gun.
Reaper: Noobs.  They never learn.
Harbinger: Oh no!  Look out!  They're aiming at us!
Reaper: Good one, Harbie.

*BANG!*

Harbinger: Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!

....aaaaaaaand so on.

BWAHAHA, good, I have caused others to fall into my same mode of thought...

Ignis Mors wrote...

I could see that happening. Unless the whole breeding proposals system is gotten rid of following the genophage being cured. 
Also, you are totally right. I am going to give it hallucinogenic effects now. 
Now, I've got an idea for how they make the whole thresher maw cannon, and I'm curious what you think. As I've already established in Meus Mundus, all the current species in it were 'seeded' on their original homeworlds from DNA stored in reapers made from their race. I was thinking that on Tuchanka, Wrex'd find an ancient krogan computer, and it'd have data on an experimental thresher maw cannon that was banned due to how ridiculous it was. Then, Wrex shows it to Shep, who talks about it with Kalros, and Kalros basically says, "That's an interesting idea. I will send a few of the younger maws to help the krogan with testing." Also, what do you think of a thresher maw embassy on the Citadel? 

* edit. Also, lol, Stoob. That should have been the ending of ME3. The Crucible was a giant thresher maw cannon. Excuse me, I'm going to go write that out. 

Good ideas all, I can certainly see that happening.  As for the embassy, I will tell you what I did with the Rachni.  I basically had that asari we meet in ME2 be the ambassador for that race.  This served to let the Rachni speak with those not of the collective.

I may suggest the same ideology for the Maws, specifically Kalross.  Furthermore, there may be a larger debate in the Council as to whether other Maws could even achieve the same amount of sentience (I beleive we said that Kalross had it b/c she was so old).

So having an Asari face speaking Kalross' words in that freaky voice would serve to shut up the naysayers, haha.

Furthermore, it'd be interesting to see a conversation between the Rachni's asari and the Maw's asari...hmm....

Also, I think the Citadel DLC showed that the breeding requests were still coming in, much to Wrex's chagrin (hence why he was groaning in my prior blurb as well), haha!

Modifié par Seracen, 10 septembre 2013 - 11:33 .

[Seracen]

Per the Maw Cannon, it'd be interesting to consider whether the Maws NEED air or other such things to survive.

I can certainly imagine they are hardy enough to survive vacuum, and I imagine a life lived underground means that they can either go without air, or an extremely long time.


As for the AI's name for this canon...

It's a krogan invention, so I imagine something like "Gnash" or "Chaos."  Alternately, it'd be hilarious if it were some genteel AI that went counter to obvious thought, BWAHAHA!!!

PS: Dunno about an actual maw on the Citadel, however.  Firstly, there's nowhere to burrow, so they wouldn't like it.  2nd, the other races would flip out, lol.  In my story, not many Rachni stay on the Citadel, as they find it too loud, but most ppl are still freaked out by them.  The correlation to the Keepers is an interesting idea though...

Modifié par Seracen, 11 septembre 2013 - 05:34 .

[MrStoob]

Seracen wrote...

Per the Maw Cannon, it'd be interesting to consider whether the Maws NEED air or other such things to survive.

I can certainly imagine they are hardy enough to survive vacuum, and I imagine a life lived underground means that they can either go without air, or an extremely long time.


As for the AI's name for this canon...

It's a krogan invention, so I imagine something like "Gnash" or "Chaos."  Alternately, it'd be hilarious if it were some genteel AI that went counter to obvious thought, BWAHAHA!!!

PS: Dunno about an actual maw on the Citadel, however.  Firstly, there's nowhere to burrow, so they wouldn't like it.  2nd, the other races would flip out, lol.  In my story, not many Rachni stay on the Citadel, as they find it too loud, but most ppl are still freaked out by them.  The correlation to the Keepers is an interesting idea though...

Aw, you just gave me a lovely little scene then.  Shep or someone finds some of the Rachni on the Citadel standing around a Keeper, who is just nodding and smiling at them with a knowing look, them chattering between themselves, an understanding coming between the Rachni and their genetically ancient sister/brother.  Something like that anyway.

Modifié par MrStoob, 11 septembre 2013 - 10:10 .

[Seracen]

MrStoob wrote...

Aw, you just gave me a lovely little scene then.  Shep or someone finds some of the Rachni on the Citadel standing around a Keeper, who is just nodding and smiling at them with a knowing look, them chattering between themselves, an understanding coming between the Rachni and their genetically ancient sister/brother.  Something like that anyway.

Sounds awesome!  I can totally see them as having had a common ancestor however many cycles ago.  Furthermore, even Adm. Hackett states how suited Rachni are to working on the Crucible, so their Keeper "cousins" fixing the Citadel is not a stretch.

[MrStoob]

Seracen wrote...

MrStoob wrote...

Aw, you just gave me a lovely little scene then.  Shep or someone finds some of the Rachni on the Citadel standing around a Keeper, who is just nodding and smiling at them with a knowing look, them chattering between themselves, an understanding coming between the Rachni and their genetically ancient sister/brother.  Something like that anyway.

Sounds awesome!  I can totally see them as having had a common ancestor however many cycles ago.  Furthermore, even Adm. Hackett states how suited Rachni are to working on the Crucible, so their Keeper "cousins" fixing the Citadel is not a stretch.

It was as much what the queen's avatar on Illium that got me going down that route, that she saw the rachni have incredible technical abilities when they repaired her craft, so who better to run the Citadel?

Was this not heavily implied in the game, or have I inferred/imagined it? lol

Modifié par MrStoob, 11 septembre 2013 - 07:27 .

[Seracen]

MrStoob wrote...

It was as much what the queen's avatar on Illium that got me going down that route, that she saw the rachni have incredible technical abilities when they repaired her craft, so who better to run the Citadel?

Was this not heavily implied in the game, or have I inferred/imagined it? lol

Again, it seems totally plausible.  In fact, I'll go so far as to say it was implicity suggested.

However, as with many such loose threads, many of these ideas were either discarded or repurposed in the final cut.

As such, I have no qualms about re-repurposing these bits for whatever ideas may interest us!


Other dangling story bits that have influenced intereting AU/Character Pieces:

Dark Energy on Haestrom

The Yagh - seriously, they serve little purpose in the story, other than "the Reapers are leaving them for next cycle"

The "Prothean" husks on Ilos - looked different from Javik, there was a reason for this apparently

Dark Energy Weapons - such as the canon that killed a Reaper (IFF mission from ME2)

Side Characters that are addressed in e-mails/Twitter/not at all: Gianna Parasini, Rana Thanoptis, Emily Wong, Corp. Toombs, Talitha, Zabaleta, Kal Reegar, Shiala


I think this is part of the reason why I am revisiting a few of those older planets in my "ME4" fic.  Not only does it add some nice symettry, but it also allows me to show what happened to some of the characters/plots that were left hanging since the first game.

As such, I reiterate that I find no fault in drawing your own parallels and co-opting storyline bits for your own work.

PS:  Geez, this is becoming the "Stoob and Seracen" show, lol!  

Modifié par Seracen, 11 septembre 2013 - 09:30 .

[Blad3Zer0]

I believe the statues on Ilos were of the Inusannon, the dominant species of the cycle prior to the Protheans. Javik mentioned something about them during the first conversation right after Eden Prime.

This may not have been originally intended during Mass Effect 1 and 2, but after seeing the Protheans in Mass Effect 3 I seriously doubt those statues on Ilos were Prothean.

[MrStoob]

Indeed, and it is odd then that they re-enforced the notion of the form of a Prothean in Kasumi's loyalty mission in Hoch's trophy room. Then again, it's commonplace to build images of your 'god' or mythical creatures/characters so no reason why they would be statues of Protheans.

Modifié par MrStoob, 11 septembre 2013 - 10:40 .

[Seracen]

I am pretty sure this was a retcon, though a valid one. I mean, I can understand why the characters would THINK the sculptures were of Protheans, even if they were of another species (thanks Blad3Zer0 !).

Pretty sure this was still something that was altered after the fact, not that I blame BW. Sure, there was an odd disconnect b/c certain things SHOULD have been planned out before we got to 3 (ie ANY of ME 2 mattering to the final plot, or what the endgame was).

I know how everyone thinks these things should be fully formed at inception, but it's amazing how much of my story evolves and changes as I write it. This is why I don't necessarily mind the tangents that the ME series has taken us on.

This is also why I haven't posted all of my ME4 fic yet, as I fully expect to have to rewrite portions of the beginning to fit everything that happens by the end.

[hot_heart]

Seracen wrote...
(ie ANY of ME 2 mattering to the final plot, or what the endgame was).

I thought it was pretty obvious that ME2 was setting the stage for a massive war, especially when you look at the geth, krogan and quarian stuff. I also figured there'd be some sort of Alliance/Cerberus dichotomy but never figured they'd become 'the Empire'. And you really couldn't jump from 1 to 3; a lot of ground was established in ME2.

That said, I wish ME2 had altered its focus slightly...and ME3 completely.

[MrStoob]

Question time, if I may, particularly for the ladies of our group for this one, regarding adolescence and 'maturing'.

To set the general scene, Ashley and her adopted asari daughter, Sha'li, are stuck on an Alliance frigate for reasons I shan't go into but they are under threat. While Ashley is meeting with Hackett, Sha'li has a visitor, one of the other officers' sons. He invites her to come hang out with the other service kids but she doesn't go because she knows Ash would worry (understatement). When Ash returns, Sha'li mentions that the boy came visiting and invited her out. Ashley's immediate response:

"You, me, shops, bra."

Then commenting that she'd meant to say something earlier, but looking at Sha'li sitting in her vest now, and with boys knocking, she thinks it's about time; you know what those dirty boys are like, eh? Sha'li protests that the asari don't even wear them as a matter of course, and Ash should have noticed this when she was with Liara. Ash just comments that some people are just a bit more 'free-spirited' but insists that Sha'li wear one. Sha'li is more bothered about the potential embarrassment her mother is going to cause her.

Whether or not asari have boobs per se aside (people differ on that) and my hand-wavy-ness over asari usage of said clothing item, I'm not a girl, so I've not had to go through this kind of 'humiliation'. Sha'li is on the cusp of maturity and Ash can be quite protective, but how this kind of thing is dealt with in reality, I don't wanna alienate swathes of readers for being blunt or crass or just plain dumb/wrong.

Thoughts appreciated, ta.

[MrStoob]

hot_heart wrote...

Seracen wrote...
(ie ANY of ME 2 mattering to the final plot, or what the endgame was).

I thought it was pretty obvious that ME2 was setting the stage for a massive war, especially when you look at the geth, krogan and quarian stuff. I also figured there'd be some sort of Alliance/Cerberus dichotomy but never figured they'd become 'the Empire'. And you really couldn't jump from 1 to 3; a lot of ground was established in ME2.

That said, I wish ME2 had altered its focus slightly...and ME3 completely.

In that regard, ME2 is a little frustrating.  In hindsight, it's a bit like BW decided, "We have no idea where we're going here, but here's some general hand-wavy things to think about in the meantime and we'll get back to you with something more solid for ME3."

As much as I enjoyed the game itself, the over-arching story? I'm with smudboy here: what was the point of ME2?

Modifié par MrStoob, 12 septembre 2013 - 02:48 .

[Seracen]

MrStoob wrote...

hot_heart wrote...

Seracen wrote...
(ie ANY of ME 2 mattering to the final plot, or what the endgame was).

I thought it was pretty obvious that ME2 was setting the stage for a massive war, especially when you look at the geth, krogan and quarian stuff. I also figured there'd be some sort of Alliance/Cerberus dichotomy but never figured they'd become 'the Empire'. And you really couldn't jump from 1 to 3; a lot of ground was established in ME2.

That said, I wish ME2 had altered its focus slightly...and ME3 completely.

In that regard, ME2 is a little frustrating.  In hindsight, it's a bit like BW decided, "We have no idea where we're going here, but here's some general hand-wavy things to think about in the meantime and we'll get back to you with something more solid for ME3."

As much as I enjoyed the game itself, the over-arching story? I'm with smudboy here: what was the point of ME2?

Let me state firstly that I LOVED ME2.  In fact, I'd go so far as to say it is my favorite of the trilogy.  Honestly, the most lasting and iconic parts of ME for me are:

- all the Citadel scenes of ME1
- most of ME2
- Rannoch and Tuchanka from ME3

I also agree that we CANNOT just jump into ME3 from ME1, as there's too much character development done in ME2.  I also agree that the focus of ME2 was a little jarring, in hindsight.

My main concern was that ME2 was just world building, which is fine, but not for a second act.  Not enough plot was developed pertaining to the ENDGAME.  Sad as I am to say it, Collectors harvesting humans to make ONE Reaper doesn't really matter when AN ARMY of them is on the horizon.

Oddly enough, I think these qualms would have been addressed if the Collector Base held plans for a Dark Energy Weapon called "The Crucible."  This could then tie into the weapon that killed the Reaper we got the IFF from, AND that the last time one was fired, Rannoch's sun freaked out.

So yeah, one change and two handwave explanations would debunk my criticism. Again, I loved the story, it just didn't conribute to the Crucible/Catalyst plot in any redeeming way.  On the other hand, it is proviing amazing fodder for my current work!

I'm actually happy it went this way, as I have been given some interesting little gems to work with as I hone my story...  Maybe I'll actually get off my hump and finish those two chapters this month...lol!

[hot_heart]

Seracen wrote...
Oddly enough, I think these qualms would have been addressed if the Collector Base held plans for a Dark Energy Weapon called "The Crucible."  This could then tie into the weapon that killed the Reaper we got the IFF from, AND that the last time one was fired, Rannoch's sun freaked out.

Ha, that was pretty close to what I was expecting as well!

Though, I did always think that the Prothean beacon had 'imprinted' something special upon Shepard and that would somehow require his/her sacrifice (or them going alone 'with no way back') as a means of stopping the Reapers. I was close in some respects...

I was fine with ME2's general direction because I love that sort of atmosphere and world-building, but if full-on war was always the plan with 3 then, yeah, more needed to be done.

Or, you know, scrap ME3.

[YurigirlzCrush]

wasn't the writer of the first two games fired/he quit before three? I saw something about a leaked summary of what was intended for ME3 about dark energy and the reapers where all those plots were tied together, but the writer was gone and the replacement had to craft the third game anew, or something like that. i'll see if I can track it down. *ponders* but basically, the thing I saw suggested that the subplots introduced in 2 were supposed to lead to more, but when a new writing team had to work on 3 they scrapped most of it and took a new direction.

as to your question about maturing for girls, Stoob, I don't think you have to worry about alienating people too much. *pats* it seems to be something every parent takes a different approach to. my mom had a talk with each of us way way wayway before we were old enough to need a bra about the birds and the bees and was always very open with us. for me, going shopping for my first bra with mom was a celebration day that included a dinner for just the two of us afterward, ice cream, a rented movie, and was awesome. but my BFF on the other hand, was mortified when the subject came up with her parents and felt humiliated by the whole thing (her mom openly talking about her chest in the store with the clerk and whatnot). her exact words to me when she told me about it at the time were "all I could think was omg, kill me."

so your Ashley's response will be what it is, and her daughter's response could vary too. it all depends on their personalities and how the whole thing goes down.

oh, and btw, was it ever mentioned that asari don't wear lingerie? or is that your thing? because I made a reference to asari lingerie in my story already. did I miss something?

[MrStoob]

That makes me feel better anyway, thanks Yuri. It's supposed to be a fairly light humorous scene so there will no doubt be 'bad reactions' for the lols.

I don't recall specifically there being anything said in ME about asari underwear. There's not a transient bit in the love scenes of Liara wearing underwear, in either of them, now I think about it. But one has to wonder then, how would they defy gravity so? Another miracle of Mass Effect fields?

Edit:
Now I have a stupid idea about asari consciously using biotics to create mass effect fields to use as a 'bra'.

"Is anyone looking, Liara?"
"No, you're alright, Aria."
*flop*
"Ugh, thank the Goddess for that, my biotics need a rest."

Modifié par MrStoob, 13 septembre 2013 - 10:47 .

[hot_heart]

YurigirlzCrush wrote...

wasn't the writer of the first two games fired/he quit before three? I saw something about a leaked summary of what was intended for ME3 about dark energy and the reapers where all those plots were tied together, but the writer was gone and the replacement had to craft the third game anew, or something like that. i'll see if I can track it down. *ponders* but basically, the thing I saw suggested that the subplots introduced in 2 were supposed to lead to more, but when a new writing team had to work on 3 they scrapped most of it and took a new direction.

As far as I'm aware, Drew Karpyshyn moved to work on the KOTOR MMO of his own volition. Also, he stated that the team had never actually finalised what the trilogy was about/how it was going to end, so they just planted 'seeds' everywhere (even though things appeared to be more developed in ME2).

Then they reaped what they had sown.

I can see how the Mass Effect series took inspiration from the new BSG series in all the wrong places.

[MrStoob]

I've still the last season of BSG to watch, big cliff hanger and all that. I've heard but tried to avoid spoilers about the ending of that but it's been enjoyable and riveting at times. Love the doctor/Caprica stuff.

[hot_heart]

I won't ruin it, but if you've enjoyed it so far then maybe you'll like it.

Personally, for every one thing the show did right, it did three things wrong. <_<

[MrStoob]

I've had my on/off sequel to my trilogy musings compared to BSG, lost civilizations wandering the galaxy, enemies from within and all that. Hardly massively new even when the original BSG did it. Quite biblical really, though I personally try and steer right clear of any religious metaphor in my writings. Just not my bag.