9960 réponses à ce sujet

[Drussius]

I'm curious... And while I know the question that follows may seem off-topic for this thread, I will explain why it's not.

I assume that most writers who write fanfics for ME will use "their" Mass Effect universe as their baseline. If they chose option A instead of B, they will use the repercussions of "A" during their story. That being said...

How many people chose Renegade options during their playthroughs for very non-Renegade reasons? My first playthrough of each game, I played using my own instincts rather than going for a character. I chose what I thought I would do in the situation and let things play out as if Commander Shepard was me. So, come the end of ME 1, I sacrificed the council. I was bothered by the "Let the council die" phrasing of that option, but in my mind, given the power and danger Sovereign represented, I thought it would be safest to throw everything directly at Sovereign rather than risk lives and ships trying to save the council, since failure in that scenario would have meant the council died eventually anyway.

How many other Shepards out there did Renegade things for decidedly non-renegade reasons? Or if you prefer a different question, under what circumstances is a "Renegade decision" not out-of-character for a Paragon Shepard?

[noxiuniversitas1]

Drussius wrote...

How many other Shepards out there did Renegade things for decidedly non-renegade reasons? Or if you prefer a different question, under what circumstances is a "Renegade decision" not out-of-character for a Paragon Shepard?

I had one non-cannon Paragon Shep kill Mordin (and :'( when she had to kill Wrex, too!). Mainly because of the whole "get Salarian cooperation as well for the greater good" route. It was aaawwwwfffuuuulll. Never again!

[Drussius]

noxiuniversitas1 wrote...

Drussius wrote...

How many other Shepards out there did Renegade things for decidedly non-renegade reasons? Or if you prefer a different question, under what circumstances is a "Renegade decision" not out-of-character for a Paragon Shepard?

I had one non-cannon Paragon Shep kill Mordin (and :'( when she had to kill Wrex, too!). Mainly because of the whole "get Salarian cooperation as well for the greater good" route. It was aaawwwwfffuuuulll. Never again!

If you think THAT'S awful, Tali was dead at the end of my first playthrough of ME2 because I left her with the group to guard the door against collectors and took too many of the heavy hitters with me (or sent them to escort the crew back to the normandy) at the ending... I forgot about it entirely until the Quarian/Geth part of ME3... and had to watch as the Quarians were obliterated in the sky over Rannoch when I let Legion do his upload. With the Quarians being my favorite race, I was a very, very unhappy camper with my first ME3 playthrough at that point.

Edit: Obviously I would NOT be using that particular set of playthroughs as my basis for my fanfictions...

Modifié par Drussius, 13 juin 2012 - 06:39 .

[lillitheris]

On a lighter note, I linked to a chapter from “Unity” when someone asked how the Normandy scene from the ending could be fixed…well, there was a big uptick of people reading it, and one person left an actually very useful critical review concerning grammar and style of the chapter  — I think without reading any of the other chapters. Chapter 4 is a…special…one, so I break rules a bit, but I think he’s convinced that I just can’t write at all

Modifié par lillitheris, 13 juin 2012 - 07:01 .

[dpMeggers]

Drussius wrote...

I'm curious... And while I know the question that follows may seem off-topic for this thread, I will explain why it's not.

I assume that most writers who write fanfics for ME will use "their" Mass Effect universe as their baseline. If they chose option A instead of B, they will use the repercussions of "A" during their story. That being said...

How many people chose Renegade options during their playthroughs for very non-Renegade reasons? My first playthrough of each game, I played using my own instincts rather than going for a character. I chose what I thought I would do in the situation and let things play out as if Commander Shepard was me. So, come the end of ME 1, I sacrificed the council. I was bothered by the "Let the council die" phrasing of that option, but in my mind, given the power and danger Sovereign represented, I thought it would be safest to throw everything directly at Sovereign rather than risk lives and ships trying to save the council, since failure in that scenario would have meant the council died eventually anyway.

How many other Shepards out there did Renegade things for decidedly non-renegade reasons? Or if you prefer a different question, under what circumstances is a "Renegade decision" not out-of-character for a Paragon Shepard?

Well this is where the Paragon/Renegade dichotomy becomes problematic. A pragmatic-good-person Shepard might "Paragon" release the Rachni Queen, because more allies are good, save the colonists on Feros because plan a is knockout gas and plan b is shoot to kill, and treat all of their crew really really respectfully. But at the same time, pragmatic means you have to make the tough decisions, so "Renegade" go after Balak instead of letting him go, thus killing the hostages but capturing the terrorist, and tell the Alliance fleet to focus on Soverign because they don't want to waste reinforcements. Tada! A good person can make 'renegade; decisions, sacrifice a few to save a lot.

[Theodoro]

lillitheris wrote...

On a lighter note, I linked to a chapter from “Unity” when someone asked how the Normandy scene from the ending could be fixed…well, there was a huge uptick of people reading it, but one person left an actually very useful critical review — I think without reading any of the other chapters. Chapter 4 is a…special…one, so I break rules a bit, but I think he’s convinced that I just can’t write at all

Heh, that was such a weird chapter and it came as suddenly as ME3's ending! I loved how you described the absurdity of it all. Good thing we now know the Normandy's true fate in your story, even though I loved Chapter 4.

Modifié par Theodoro, 13 juin 2012 - 07:05 .

[fluffywalrus]

Drussius wrote...

Okay... First, let me ask in advance: Please don't let this turn into a "Bioware is lazy, that was a huge letdown" debate.

I am just wondering if my fellow writers here, having seen a supposed photo of Tali's face in the game, are using that image (at least roughly) as an idea of what Quarians look like under the mask, or if people are basically still imagining their own Quarian faces. I haven't actually seen the photo myself, as my playthrough with Tali as my LI in-game is next on my list, but I'm not there yet. But the ME wiki gave a bit of information about Quarian appearances that suggested they are very human-like, and I wondered if it came from one of the books or comics, or if it was based on the in-game pic.

Thoughts on Quarian appearance? And please, as little as possible given this subject on how Bioware handled it. I understand fully that many fans were somewhere on a scale from Disappointed to Outraged over this one...

I absolutely adore Tali, and Quarians in general, and I always figured they looked fairly human. Slightly more oblong skull, slightly longer neck...I personally imagine slits for ears with Quarians, because they don't have human-like ears at all. I see them with hair, but not a heck of a lot. There's not much room in those helmets.
I've waffled in past years about Quarian jaws/mouths. One part of me figures it's a slightly different looking one of human variety...another views it as a set of mandibles. Leaning towards human-esque though, because it's always been semi-difficult to imagine a mammalian human-like person with mandibles.

I definitely envision that quarians have those silvery eyes, and I've been leaning towards the notion, given how dark their masks are, that they could be nocturnal? Unsure though. 

I know some people have envisioned Quarians with purple skin, but I think that's just people associating skin colour to the colour of a quarian's suit. Truth be told, I kind of just like the appearance of their bodies to stay a mystery

I mean, I have ideas about what could work, or why they have certain features, but I don't like getting too specific.

[fluffywalrus]

Drussius wrote...

I'm curious... And while I know the question that follows may seem off-topic for this thread, I will explain why it's not.

I assume that most writers who write fanfics for ME will use "their" Mass Effect universe as their baseline. If they chose option A instead of B, they will use the repercussions of "A" during their story. That being said...

How many people chose Renegade options during their playthroughs for very non-Renegade reasons? My first playthrough of each game, I played using my own instincts rather than going for a character. I chose what I thought I would do in the situation and let things play out as if Commander Shepard was me. So, come the end of ME 1, I sacrificed the council. I was bothered by the "Let the council die" phrasing of that option, but in my mind, given the power and danger Sovereign represented, I thought it would be safest to throw everything directly at Sovereign rather than risk lives and ships trying to save the council, since failure in that scenario would have meant the council died eventually anyway.

How many other Shepards out there did Renegade things for decidedly non-renegade reasons? Or if you prefer a different question, under what circumstances is a "Renegade decision" not out-of-character for a Paragon Shepard?

My main shep is mostly paragon, but yeah, I'd choose the odd renegade option because I thought I had an idea of where it was going, or because something someone did or said infuriated my Shep.

My shep...didn't like Mordin in ME2 at all. She helped him out because he asked, and because she wanted to get a better idea of where he stood, but in the end still hated him. Saved the partial cure though. Wanted to send him up the vent in the suicide mission, but thought better of it. Let Mordin go in ME3 because a cure for the Krogan was more important than hassling Mordin. She just could not accept that the genophage was a good idea, and those renegade responses were her being, in her mind, a good reasonable person.

The save the counci;/Or Not decision is also one of those that are "renegade" but not always because of malicious reasons. Just want to keep as many people alive.

But mostly, my Shep chose neutral or paragon statements for the obvious reasons, and sometimes renegade for legitimately renegade reasons. Though in a fanfic, where I have control over what dialogue elicits what response, I'll shift my Shep slightly closer to Renegade in spots because there were times when I wanted my Shep to say something and the option wasn't there.

Modifié par fluffywalrus, 13 juin 2012 - 07:23 .

[Drussius]

fluffywalrus wrote...

Drussius wrote...

*snip*

*snip*

Though in a fanfic, where I have control over what dialogue elicits what response, I'll shift my Shep slightly closer to Renegade in spots because there were times when I wanted my Shep to say something and the option wasn't there.

Thank you for the entirety of your responses. And everyone else who responded too of course. But this is one downfall of video games and a subject I refuse to get into too extensively, because there have been spots in various Bioware games where the lack of an option was really infuriating.

I seem to remember another game, a certain religious figure set me up to be killed... I had her trapped in a house with just one bodyguard in a quiet corner of a city, and me with my whole group... She as much as admitted to trying to get me killed for her own reasons. There was no reason whatsoever that the religious personage in question shouldn't have ended up as a bloody smear across the floor. And walls. And ceiling. Except that the game didn't give the option to give her what she deserved...

Enough said, I guess. But I'll always be bitter on that one. Tip to Bioware from a former DM: If you need a villain to survive to the next encounter, provide enough goons and protective gear to keep the party at bay, and give them an escape route to use while the infuriated party cuts said goons to pieces! "You can't kill her because the plot needs her" is NOT a sufficient reason for the character to survive, darnit!

[Sialater]

lillitheris wrote...

PMC65 wrote...

Now for a question ... how would broken legs be mended in ME? Would there still be casts like today or a different type of bracing? Reason for question is that Joker has broken his leg and I've got him in the med bay. Bones normally take 6-8 weeks to heal but with his disease would it take longer?

It might take him less time, because they’re particularly thin? I dunno, I’ve got breaks mostly healing in <week with medi-gel and space magic, braces where necessary.

…

Re: quarians, it really is silly that supposedly nobody knows what they look alike despite A) the extranet, dead/injured quarians, and most importantly C) they’ve only worn masks 300 years after having a presence on the Citadel for ~1900 years before that.

Aethyta knows.  

[fluffywalrus]

Sialater wrote...

lillitheris wrote...

PMC65 wrote...

Now for a question ... how would broken legs be mended in ME? Would there still be casts like today or a different type of bracing? Reason for question is that Joker has broken his leg and I've got him in the med bay. Bones normally take 6-8 weeks to heal but with his disease would it take longer?

It might take him less time, because they’re particularly thin? I dunno, I’ve got breaks mostly healing in <week with medi-gel and space magic, braces where necessary.

…

Re: quarians, it really is silly that supposedly nobody knows what they look alike despite A) the extranet, dead/injured quarians, and most importantly C) they’ve only worn masks 300 years after having a presence on the Citadel for ~1900 years before that.

Aethyta knows.  

That's because Aethyta is the coolest Asari in the galaxy.

[lillitheris]

Thee is the best. Well, OK, Liara, Aria… Top 3 though?

…

Wanted to give special thanks to everyone over here for support and help…just got my 20th chapter out, and I’m past 65,000 words. Feeling quite proud of myself for my first effort and something that would have sounded completely outlandish even six months ago!

<3:happy:

[gearseffect]

I gotta disagree with ya all Samara is the best Asari out there. However I'm biased, my Shep is an extension of myself and him being smitten with Samara is a re**** of me being smitten with her.

Samara <3

In other words I'm on a roll with creativity so I have not been in here as much, and gots lots a Fanfic reading to do and reveiws to write, and PMs on Fanfic.net to read.

When the flow starts it's comsuming, another thing that's been feeding my flow is my fellow Samaritans, they're the best, and they know it. I'm not a very good solo pilot I always have someone that seems to knock things loose and flowing, it's odd how that works. Eh maybe it's just me but I find having some good friends, even if they are online firends makes the world a difference. 

Once I get a chance I plan on reading and reviewing many of your fanfics. I'm hooked on deadflags fic, Mel such a great character, what fate is to bafall the kid.

[noxiuniversitas1]

gearseffect wrote...

I'm hooked on deadflags fic, Mel such a great character, what fate is to bafall the kid.

Seconded and very highly recommended!

Modifié par noxiuniversitas1, 13 juin 2012 - 11:37 .

[fluffywalrus]

lillitheris wrote...

Thee is the best. Well, OK, Liara, Aria… Top 3 though?

I thik Aethyta would drink Aria under the table, at least. Maybe also beat her in a headbutt contest. I personally have it Liara>Aethyta>Aria=Samara for how much I like them, but I admit they're all incredibly awesome.

lillitheris wrote...
Wanted
to give special thanks to everyone over here for support and help…just
got my 20th chapter out, and I’m past 65,000 words. Feeling quite proud
of myself for my first effort and something that would have sounded
completely outlandish even six months ago!

[smilie]http://social.bioware.com/images/forum/emoticons/wizard.png[/smilie][smilie]http://social.bioware.com/images/forum/emoticons/love.png[/smilie][smilie]http://social.bioware.com/images/forum/emoticons/heart.png[/smilie][smilie]http://social.bioware.com/images/forum/emoticons/happy.png[/smilie][smilie]http://social.bioware.com/images/forum/emoticons/lol.png[/smilie][smilie]http://social.bioware.com/images/forum/emoticons/joyful.png[/smilie]

HURRAY! Another enjoyable chapter

---

gearseffect wrote...

When the flow starts it's consuming, another thing that's been feeding my flow is my fellow Samaritans, they're the best, and they know it. I'm not a very good solo pilot I always have someone that seems to knock things loose and flowing, it's odd how that works. Eh maybe it's just me but I find having some good friends, even if they are online firends makes the world a difference. 

Friends of any kind are a potent ally Chosen family, of sorts. Even if some are more like cousins than brothers/sisters.

Once I get a chance I plan on reading and reviewing many of your fanfics. I'm hooked on deadflags fic, Mel such a great character, what fate is to bafall the kid.

Haha, Mel's pretty fun to write. I'll have another chapter up tonight a few hours after I get off work. Just a bit of extra writing and cleanup to do with it. Glad you're enjoying it

[gearseffect]

@Fluffywalrus Your gonna have another chapter up tonight? Man I haven't even got a chance to read your last chapter, and I think I still need to do a review for chapter 3.

Yeah my friends are the best, they know it too. In all honesty I'm closer to most my friends then I am to my family, with the exception of my older brother, but he's currently tied up awaiting medboard from the Army. They are really dragging it along. Hell on average I talk with him once a week.
I talk with my friends at least everyday or every other day. But yeah they're the best even if most of them I know via the internet.

[Icyflare]

fluffywalrus wrote...

Once I get a chance I plan on reading and reviewing many of your fanfics. I'm hooked on deadflags fic, Mel such a great character, what fate is to bafall the kid.

Haha, Mel's pretty fun to write. I'll have another chapter up tonight a few hours after I get off work. Just a bit of extra writing and cleanup to do with it. Glad you're enjoying it

Now, I'm curious. I'll give Flotsam a look and review on my ff account. Been busy for a while because I just got a new job. The upside is that I have work while the downside is I have work ):

I'll send one either tonight or tomorrow. 

[Mr.BlazenGlazen]

I guess that's kind of a problem when some fanfic authors use their interpretation of the Mass Effect universe. It won't be the same as the readers, so they may think that the things that the author writers may not fit within their interpretation of the lore while the authors would think otherwise. But honestly, it's not really something you can avoid. It really is *your* interpretation of what happens in the Mass Effect universe *your* shepard is in. Everyone's sort of differs from each others in some way.

[fluffywalrus]

Mr.BlazenGlazen wrote...

I guess that's kind of a problem when some fanfic authors use their interpretation of the Mass Effect universe. It won't be the same as the readers, so they may think that the things that the author writers may not fit within their interpretation of the lore while the authors would think otherwise. But honestly, it's not really something you can avoid. It really is *your* interpretation of what happens in the Mass Effect universe *your* shepard is in. Everyone's sort of differs from each others in some way.

I think it can be a problem, but it's also a really beautiful one. Everyone sees the ME universe differently, everyone has a different headcanon, and it's wonderful to see each person expressing that in a way that can be shared with others.

I'll admit, normally I stay away from fan fiction, but after playing Mass Effect, it's kind of become an obsession of mine. So many ideas floating around, so many interpretations! Each story breathes life into the series, and makes me cherish mass effect more.

I mean, yeah, there will be a difference of opinion here and there, but it's creation, it's wonderful. It's why I generally avoid the fics where Shepard is one of those hollow characters with no personality, written in a way so that others can see their own Sheps there. That IMO goes against the point of fan fiction, putting your own spin on things and sharing it with others. It's why I love (and am writing) origin stories...learning about these characters that are so dear to other Mass Effect players...it's amazing!

Icyflare wrote...

Now, I'm curious. I'll give Flotsam a
look and review on my ff account. Been busy for a while because I just
got a new job. The upside is that I have work while the downside is I
have work ):

I'll send one either tonight or tomorrow. 

Hah, thanks for giving it a shot Take your time if you're busy(I know how hectic a new job can be sometimes). It's not going anywhere

Modifié par fluffywalrus, 14 juin 2012 - 06:50 .

[MrStoob]

RE: asari.

The voice acting for most asari characters is great. Ali Hillis (Liara) & Maggie Baird (Samara) give an almost ethereal quality to their voices and Claudia Black is always great. I really enjoy writing asari dialogue, they are generally quite eloquent and precise, rarely using inflections such as 'can't' or 'don't'. Aria is a special case though, as she's spent centuries around bad-asses, so she speaks more 'street'. Carrie-Ann Moss does a great job with her.

This is how I see 'em anyway.

[lillitheris]

^ I’ve a slightly different take, and it’s got something to do with apostrophes, too…

Ali & co. are great, but to be fair, the entire cast is very good. Except Meer.  *runs* :happy:

[Ursakar]

I have a question to all other writers, if someone is willing to offer an advice.

How do you people manage to write chapters that are only 5-6k words long and make those chapters, you know, complete. Because whenever I try I always end up having a chapter that is at least 10k words. And usually when I reach the 10k words I'm getting carried away and the chapter ends up being even longer (my current record is CH11 that is 19k words long). I can’t even finish the last chapter because it is already 11k word and I feel it will take at least 1k words to finish it.

Am I doing something wrong?

Modifié par Ursakar, 14 juin 2012 - 09:54 .

[lillitheris]

Ursakar wrote...

I have a question to all other writers, if someone is willing to offer an advice.

How do you people manage to write chapters that are only 5-6k words long
and make those chapters, you know, complete. Because whenever I try I always
end up having a chapter that is at least 10k words. And usually when I reach
the 10k words I'm getting carried away and the chapter ends up being even
longer (my current record is CH11 that is 19k words long). I can’t even finish
the last chapter because it is already 11k word and I feel it will take at
least 1k words to finish it.

Am I doing something wrong?

I think it’s more the definition of ‘chapter’ that’s in question. 10k+ isn’t overly long for a book chapter, but I think many of us use the serial publishing approach.

I’ve settled on writing around 3k ‘chapters’, by which I mean units that I feel are substantial enough in their own right to be published. My chapters aren’t complete arcs, missions, or anything like that, they just describe a small somewhat self-contained set of events in the longer arc(s). If I were to reconstruct my 20 ‘chapters’ into a book, I would probably end up closer to 10k per, so around 6 chapters — but I don’t wanna

@fainmaca also writes very long chapters, one per ‘mission’ or so, I think?

Is the chapter length a problem for you in some way? Would you prefer to publish more often? If not, just go with whatever feels right to you. The only issue is that short chapters are easier to consume. A long chapter takes a long time to read, which could possibly scare off prospective readers — most people, of course, just put the story down in the middle of a chapter if need be.

Edit: Er, and if it is a problem, we can probably try to come up with guidelines on where to split things.

Modifié par lillitheris, 14 juin 2012 - 10:04 .

[gearseffect]

@MrStoob and Re: Asari

Funny you bring up voice acting and Liara and Ali, Before ME3 came out I went back and replayed the hell out of both ME1 and ME2, and my god was Liara'a (not Ali) voice in ME1 the most dry odd, expressionless, and at times over dramatic nearly a William Shanter type way of saying things. Now that was all part of her character.

Liara changed with each game, and now I'm just gonna say it, to me those sudden character changes that go so far and erratic like hers did, really put me off to her character. Hell I'd forgotten why I'd even liked and grew to love Liara in ME1 so well.

Hell I remember back when Samara was first reviled I hated her, because her boobs looked fake and I wanted Liara back. Look how well that went as soon as I went to Illium Liara was all rage and I was like this isn't Liara, holy hell. Then Samara's intro and wham game over she had me smitten right then and there. And I only became more smitten with her as the game progressed.

Hell these weird erratic things with Liara are partly why I created the discontented plot line. But take my word I have more reasons and a grand plain with that plot line that I hope will just drop people leaving them floored.

However I'd also dreaded writing Liara after playing ME3, because well I'd been so revelted and pushed away by how BW kept forcing her my way, and I didn't want to write hating Liara, I wanted to write not knowing Liara anymore. Thankfully Midnightraith's first chapter is to her Fanfic has done a good job allowing me to rediscover Liara and why I'd loved her in ME1, By Midnight exploring her Shep's and Liara's ME1 relationship I've been able to rediscover what I'd loved about her.

Anyway now back to Asari, Um Maggie Baird as Samara's voice ahh Samara you have it, everything is going in your favor for you to have stolen my heart. Smitten with Samara, yep My Shep is because I am. She's one hell of a woman. Heh yeah screw you all, you can't tell me you all don't have video game crushes, or somesh!t like that.

I think Meer does a great job as my Shep's voice. I've always liked his voice work on Shep. It's always very great and well done.

However my favorite dude voice actor in ME is Aw hell how can it not be Keith David, the dudes so great, he's the life of parties he's never attended.

Yeah them Asari voice acters are really good, and Samara is the goddess, I tell her hold on to my heart to be true, hold on to my heart, aw no don't me go cause all that I am you hold in your hands.

Haha sorry had to indulge in some W.A.S.P. too.

Anyway ME is one of the greatest things I enjoy seeing everyone's own interpretation of their Sheps ME.

[fainmaca]

lillitheris wrote...

^ I’ve a slightly different take, and it’s got something to do with apostrophes, too…

Ali & co. are great, but to be fair, the entire cast is very good. Except Meer.  *runs* :happy:

*NYAAAGHHH! You no talk like that! You work for FemShep, talk bad about Meer! We kill you first!*
...
...
...
Sorry, not sure what came over me there. I may have been channelling some kind of space goblin.

On a more serious note, on the topic of different interpretations of the ME universe: have any of you guys had your readers putting their own spin on things? for example, I've had more than a couple of readers shipping an OC of mine (Delexia Tanis) with Garrus. It's completely unexpected for me, as I've envisioned the pair having a more brother-sister relationship than a romantic one, but the idea seems quite popular. Have you guys had anything like that, and do you think its a good idea to work on these new ideas (much like BW did when they paired Garrus and Tali together, or even when they put them back in the squad)?

One thing I'm wary of is that i don't want the Normandy to become the Love Boat (which it really felt like in ME3, mostly because there were less people and yet more pairings, exaggerating things), so I'm a little wary of pairing up characters willy-nilly. However, I do have a large cast to choose from, so maybe it won't be as noticeable for me (squad is 20 strong atm, and I have a couple more recruitments to go before its at full strength).