9962 réponses à ce sujet

[fluffywalrus]

Do what you feel works best. I'm no stranger of ignoring new canon/lore entries because I either think they're stupid or they contradict my written material. Does that make my work AU? I would argue not necessarily, because I feel there's always room for flexibility with canon. Ultimately, you're not writing a living work, like an encyclopedia. You're writing a story, and you choose what to include or not. If you like that thing with Wrex, Fist and the SB, include it. If you like what you've got, keep that. or mix them both, if you feel it's best.

The second you chain yourself to the canon material at all costs, you end up dooming yourself to stress over potential new lore releases contradicting your published chapters, or overriding what outlines you plan. Fanfiction is fanfiction for a reason...we're not writers for the games, we write stories for the ME lovers out there who want more, and 'more' does not necessarily equate to whatever extra stuff Bioware pushes out.

Give yourself a break, will you?

Modifié par fluffywalrus, 01 décembre 2013 - 10:06 .

[AustereLemur799]

fluffywalrus wrote...

Do what you feel works best. I'm no stranger of ignoring new canon/lore entries because I either think they're stupid or they contradict my written material. Does that make my work AU? I would argue not necessarily, because I feel there's always room for flexibility with canon. Ultimately, you're not writing a living work, like an encyclopedia. You're writing a story, and you choose what to include or not. If you like that thing with Wrex, Fist and the SB, include it. If you like what you've got, keep that. or mix them both, if you feel it's best.

The second you chain yourself to the canon material at all costs, you end up dooming yourself to stress over potential new lore releases contradicting your published chapters, or overriding what outlines you plan. Fanfiction is fanfiction for a reason...we're not writers for the games, we write stories for the ME lovers out there who want more, and 'more' does not necessarily equate to whatever extra stuff Bioware pushes out.

Give yourself a break, will you?

Thanks! I appreciate your advice!

The problem is that I shot myself in the foot by saying that I intended to stick to canon as much as possible (I know it's a horrible idea - Monday morning quarterback is a wonderful thing, as my grandfather says!). Well I learned the hard way that 'no plan survives contact with the enemy'.

Too true. I also can't ever give myself a break. I need a firm kick up the backside, if anything - I definitely don't deserve any slack!

I've been hanging back for so long. I have a number of options. I can pack it in altogether, or I can take advantage of Hack Walters (sorry, Mac ). I was a fan of Drew Karpyshyn, but not his writing. The guy had great story ideas, but he wasn't the best novelist - and there's no shame in that at all! He was the life and soul of ME; just look what happened when he was taken out of the equation.

Heck, I don't know if I'm up to this. The long and short is probably not. But is it best to sit back with a box of popcorn? I don't know; perhaps it's better to go out all guns-blazing if that is indeed my path?

[hot_heart]

YurigirlzCrush wrote...

thanks for the input peeps! *grins* I guess i'll just go with what I originally intended, and maybe include an author's note at the end of the prologue to assure readers that it won't be a retelling of the game.

I forgot to say that this sounds the best way to go.

When telling a story, I think it's important to remember why that story began. It may sound like common sense, but it's worth keeping in mind. In scripts, it's generally referred to as the 'inciting incident', and it's what pushes characters into action/alters the dynamic. Pretty much every story will have this, though not necessarily in the very first chapter/scene (films are supposed to inside the first ten minutes).

It can be something obvious like 'Walter White is diagnosed with cancer' or 'Nemo goes missing' or it can be something that kicks off a chain of events for multiple characters (D'Angelo Barksdale is acquitted of murder during the first episode of The Wire). Whatever it is, it is established early on and directly relates to the characters. There will always be history but that can seep through as it goes, or you can make use of flashbacks. Breaking Bad has a lot of important history, but it uses both of those techniques very well rather than begin things back during the 'Gray Matter' days that inform the character.

AustereLemur799 wrote...
Heck, I don't know if I'm up to this. The long and short is probably not. But is it best to sit back with a box of popcorn? I don't know; perhaps it's better to go out all guns-blazing if that is indeed my path?

We've gone over this before, but I'll say it again: don't fret it. You're clearly a talented writer, but nobody's perfect. Having doubts is natural, and no one - and I mean no one - gets it right the first time.

It'd be more concerning if you didn't have any worries, but you can't let them tie you up in knots. Your writing doesn't get carved in stone, it can be reworked. Writing is rewriting. And if it's fanfiction then it's perfect grounds for experimenting and testing yourself, seeing as you're not beholden to anyone or worrying about a paycheck.

My advice would be to write for yourself, try and enjoy it more. I don't think quitting will do you any good because you have the talent and you'd only regret wasting it.

Modifié par hot_heart, 02 décembre 2013 - 07:43 .

[fluffywalrus]

hot_heart wrote...

YurigirlzCrush wrote...

thanks for the input peeps! *grins* I guess i'll just go with what I originally intended, and maybe include an author's note at the end of the prologue to assure readers that it won't be a retelling of the game.

I forgot to say that this sounds the best way to go.

When telling a story, I think it's important to remember why that story began. It may sound like common sense, but it's worth keeping in mind. In scripts, it's generally referred to as the 'inciting incident', and it's what pushes characters into action/alters the dynamic. Pretty much every story will

It can be something obvious like 'Walter White is diagnosed with cancer' or 'Nemo goes missing' or it can be something that kicks off a chain of events for multiple characters (D'Angelo Barksdale is acquitted of murder during the first episode of The Wire). Whatever it is, it is established early on and directly relates to the characters. There will always be history but that can seep through as it goes, or you can make use of flashbacks. Breaking Bad has a lot of important history, but it uses both of those techniques very well rather than begin things back during the 'Gray Matter' days that inform the character.

AustereLemur799 wrote...
Heck, I don't know if I'm up to this. The long and short is probably not. But is it best to sit back with a box of popcorn? I don't know; perhaps it's better to go out all guns-blazing if that is indeed my path?

We've gone over this before, but I'll say it again: don't fret it. You're clearly a talented writer, but nobody's perfect. Having doubts is natural, and no one - and I mean no one - gets it right the first time.

It'd be more concerning if you didn't have any worries, but you can't let them tie you up in knots. Your writing doesn't get carved in stone, it can be reworked. Writing is rewriting. And if it's fanfiction then it's perfect grounds for experimenting and testing yourself, seeing as you're not beholden to anyone or worrying about a paycheck.

My advice would be to write for yourself, try and enjoy it more. I don't think quitting will do you any good because you have the talent and you'd only regret wasting it.

I'm not going to add much, because I think you're absolutely right on both accounts. And I also want to give you a vrtual high five for using a The Wire example, because that show is exceptional.

[BronzTrooper]

Fatiguesdualism wrote...
More seriously...
Mass Effect: Clash of Galaxies
Mass Effect: A Second Chance

I like these two.  The thing is... they don't feel like they completely fit with my fanfic.  They do fit somewhat, but it doesn't feel like they fit.  Don't know why...

As to the story itself... here's a summary:

Basically, Shepard (April Shepard, Adept, Paragon, romanced Garrus) has just started to sprint towards the beam with Garrus and Vega when a wall of light shows up in the distance, approaching at increasing speed (I really didn't want to do the StarBrat scene so I decided to skip it all together).  That wall of light transports Shepard, her squad, every soldier and ship in the galactic fleet minus the Crucible, and the Reapers to Kavan in the Star Wars universe (basically a planet that has old ruins that's in the Hapes system).  The Reapers retreat because one: there is no point to staying to defend against the galactic fleet since the Citadel and the Citadel Beam are both on Earth still.  And two: because they have no idea where they are and they need to investigate.  The Queen Mother of Hapes (who is human for those who don't know) asks Admiral Niathal (a Mon Calimarri like Admiral Ackbar ret.) to investigate Kavan because they registered it as an anomaly.  Niathal goes with her fleet to investigate and finds the galactic fleet in a defensive formation and sending shuttles to retrieve the soldiers who are on the ground.  She tries to hail them but, due to the vast technological differences between the fleets, she is utterly unable to connect.  Jaina Solo, the daughter and only surviving child of Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo (I am not making these characters up.  The books were set 40 years after Return of the Jedi so a lot has happened), is on Niathal's ship and offers to investigate Kavan's surface.  She has to do it visually because, since everyone in the galactic fleet and Hammer isn't from the Star Wars galaxy, let alone universe, Jaina can't sense them through the force (Read Star Wars: Dark Tide I, which is set only 20 years after Return of the Jedi.  Spoiler Alert!!  Read backwards if you want to know: seid eiwehC).  Eventually Jaina sees Shepard and her squad scouting the surface.

That's what I got so far.

[hot_heart]

fluffywalrus wrote...
I'm not going to add much, because I think you're absolutely right on both accounts. And I also want to give you a vrtual high five for using a The Wire example, because that show is exceptional.

Thanks!

But more importantly...YES! *high-five*

[BronzTrooper]

I think I've figured out a title. Mass Effect: Alliance of Galaxies. Thanks for the help guys!

[MrStoob]

Works well on a few levels. Grats.

[hot_heart]

Turns out that writing a massive chapter full of action is almost as tricky as writing an interesting conversation involving Jacob...

[MrStoob]

Hehe, I hate writing 'action'. Give me sappy fluff any day of the week.

Poor Jacob.

[Ignis Mors]

hot_heart wrote...

Turns out that writing a massive chapter full of action is almost as tricky as writing an interesting conversation involving Jacob...

Really? I personally think that you just have to put him into a situation which enables an interesting conversation. Instead of one about his favorite kinds of oatmeal, for example. 

[Seracen]

Ignis Mors wrote...

hot_heart wrote...

Turns out that writing a massive chapter full of action is almost as tricky as writing an interesting conversation involving Jacob...

Really? I personally think that you just have to put him into a situation which enables an interesting conversation. Instead of one about his favorite kinds of oatmeal, for example. 

Imagine how I felt when I had to write an action scene WITH Jacob in it!

I must like to torture myself, as wrote a scene with Jacob and Vega doing an incursion op. Those two are my most hated characters.  Only thing that got me through the scene was...I dunno...

I actually think I pictured the scene with other characters, and then just subbed those two jackasses in, lol!

The most amusing thing to me is that, depending on in game choices, Jacob is the nicest terrible human being I've seen in fiction.  My vitriol for him stems from my boredom concerning him, I suppose.

Which doesn't explain my similar vitriol for the Virmire Survivor, but I digress...

Good luck on that action chapter!

Also, my trick to tasty oatmeal...

Nuke it with cinammon, honey, and milk.  Also, I like the flavored kinds, preferably maple or fruit.

[hot_heart]

Actually I'm writing a conversation with Jacob. It's not so much that it's uninteresting, it's just tricky finding his 'voice'. I mean, he's not a bad guy, but there's nothing too remarkable about him and I don't think his ME3 characterisation was that consistent ("Can you feel it?").

[Ignis Mors]

hot_heart wrote...

Actually I'm writing a conversation with Jacob. It's not so much that it's uninteresting, it's just tricky finding his 'voice'. I mean, he's not a bad guy, but there's nothing too remarkable about him and I don't think his ME3 characterisation was that consistent ("Can you feel it?").

Yeah. I think that they completely messed up his character in ME3. In two, I found him to not be all that extraordinary, unlike everyone else on the team.

[MrStoob]

My views on Jacob:

In ME2, Jacob was always just a good man doing the right thing in bad circumstances and would have stayed Alliance if he thought they'd make the difference. I never got the impression he was truly 'Cerberus', other than being convinced that they are the only ones doing something proactive about the abductions, and he wanted to do something about it (for no apparent reason given other than being human but clearly not a total xenophobe). So nothing earth shaking or whatever, his only skeleton in the closet (his Dad), he basically just had to say was basically, "Not really sure how I feel about that.". As he was pretty much 'just some bloke', events of ME3 weren't particularly surprising, nor that interesting really (unless possibly LI).

Modifié par MrStoob, 05 décembre 2013 - 12:33 .

[Efvie]

Jacob’s wonderful! You can either leave him kind of an ordinary guy stuck in extraordinary circumstances, or let his character develop into something extraordinary himself. Insta-OC, if you want it.

[YurigirlzCrush]

*waves* do any of you ever wake up and just have this crazy urge to write? this is my second morning in a row where I woke up early and just had an uncontrollable urge to write. not that I'm complaining. I'm having fun writing.

but now that I'm taking a break for breakfast, I have questions!

for those of you who prefer to read romance or fluff, what is it that draws you to those stories? is it watching a friendship build to a relationship? (or just reading about the simple joys of the characters, if you read non-romance fluff)? or is there something specific you look for? basically, do you enjoy reading inane conversation with characters getting to know one another? *smiles* I'd like to know because as a fan of slice-of-life anime and stories, I enjoy that sort of thing, but I find myself wondering if I'm in the minority.

and... second question. and please, no judgments for this one... *blushes*

if the males of a race can't grow beards (this is mentioned by elves in dragon age a few times... that elves can't grow beards) would it stand to reason that they don't grow other kinds of body hair also? please, no judgments! i'm not asking for pervy reasons! I just had a weird scene pop into my head for my story and when I thought about it, I was puzzled as to whether elven girls need to shave their legs or not... *ponders*

[MrStoob]

Women mostly don't grow beards, yet...  I suppose the question could be, why don't some races grow hair in places other species do?  Take from that what you will.  :happy:


On reading fluff.  I enjoy an interesting take on a relationship, be it romantic or otherwise, though usually it's a pairing I already like, such as femShep/Liara, Ash/Liara, Aethyta/Benezia, or whomever (though that's probably a complete list hehe).  Really though for me, there has to be some humour, lightness and humility in there too, or it's all a bit too dry/cold.

Modifié par MrStoob, 05 décembre 2013 - 01:17 .

[Seracen]

YurigirlzCrush wrote...

*waves* do any of you ever wake up and just have this crazy urge to write? this is my second morning in a row where I woke up early and just had an uncontrollable urge to write. not that I'm complaining. I'm having fun writing.

but now that I'm taking a break for breakfast, I have questions!

for those of you who prefer to read romance or fluff, what is it that draws you to those stories? is it watching a friendship build to a relationship? (or just reading about the simple joys of the characters, if you read non-romance fluff)? or is there something specific you look for? basically, do you enjoy reading inane conversation with characters getting to know one another? *smiles* I'd like to know because as a fan of slice-of-life anime and stories, I enjoy that sort of thing, but I find myself wondering if I'm in the minority.

and... second question. and please, no judgments for this one... *blushes*

if the males of a race can't grow beards (this is mentioned by elves in dragon age a few times... that elves can't grow beards) would it stand to reason that they don't grow other kinds of body hair also? please, no judgments! i'm not asking for pervy reasons! I just had a weird scene pop into my head for my story and when I thought about it, I was puzzled as to whether elven girls need to shave their legs or not... *ponders*

I'm not the biggest fan of slce-of-life, as I tend to prefer over-arching storylines.  As for romances, I enjoy having them integrated into ANY story, if done well.  It gives a more intimate and relatable facet to an otherwise fantastic tale that one couldn't necessarily relate to.

As for the romances themselves, there are a few approaches I like.  I, of course, like to see the small (and difficult to write for some) scenes that build the foundations.  I like to see the friendship develop into a romance.

Unfortunately, this is often scuttled by stories where: 1) the characters never actually resolve these emotions (most anime), or 2) resolving that plotline deflates the chemistry and dynamic of the characters (most American TV shows).

Oddly enough, this is a dynamic that is generally portrayed better in novels, as they can set up the relationship, then move on to my 2nd favorite aspect of romantic development...

I LOVE seeing the characters settle into the romance...those small tidbits, where they share a moment, line, or joke.  It's an intimate view into how they live together.  The saccharine involved in such a dynamic makes be truly happy, especially when it's the stabilizing factor in an otherwise trying time.

[Seracen]

Continuing my rant from the previous reply...

Let's take ME2:

The reason that the Jack romance is my favorite is because of the build up of that relationship. I actually dislike the instant sex route, should one choose to take it (even had the scene been explicit, there would have been no emotional payoff). The emotions she feels during the course of that final scene before the Collector Base is actually poignant.

A close second, for me, is the romance for Tali. Much of this, however, comes off the dynamic from ME1 and her loyalty mission. It is the only other romance scene that manages to avoid camp (well, Garrus' also, but they didn't do enough with it).

I liked Tali's romance so much, in fact, that I took advantage of the game hacking tool to allow my Femshep to romance her.

Conversely, Jacob and Miranda come across as overly campy, almost porn-ish. Thane's romance was done well, although I took it as melodramatic. Also, my Femshep only has eyes for Liara or Tali (if hacking); whereas my Maleshep generally romances Jack (having dropped Ash after her mistrust of him).

I think the Garrus/Tali romances come across as truly dynamic, because the small bits of work done in ME2 allow us to view all the friendship and development in ME1 in a new light. The same can't be said of all the potential romances.  The "new additions" from ME3 are almost laughable, by comparison.

As for the others, Liara is damn near canonical. Thane and Jack get a pass due to the dramatic nature of their lives, and how the romance affects them. I didn't become a Miranda-believer until ME3 (although I DO like that romance, in light of her role in ME3).

I lost all sympathy for Jacob and the Virmire Survivors, who each betrayed Shepard in one form or another, and never really got a proper come-uppance.

TL;DR: it all comes down to how the story is told, and how the romance unfolds within that story.  I generally don't need the romance to be the central plot, or consummation potentially ruins the story dynamic (depending on the writer). Allowing it to be a secondary plot opens it up to develop naurally, both before and after the initial resolution.

Modifié par Seracen, 05 décembre 2013 - 06:21 .

[MrStoob]

In my fic, I had Liara/Shep as romantically involved very early on in Liara's appearance, but it was a bit more awkward and new for both of them so they didn't really do anything physical until Ilos (in keeping with the 'lore').  This gave great opp for setting up the dynamic of their relationship, and ample room for fluff and silliness.  Then after Shep's 'death' and Liara's dark turn to the world of information, their relationship becomes somewhat strained, as there's no fun without jeopardy. 


Oh, and Seracen, you might like that during the Jacob/Archer mission, due to it being Cerberus, Ash was being mouthy about them all having blood on their hands, so I gave my Shep the opportunity to call her properly on all her accusations and distrust, with Liara getting dragged into it over her involvement with SB/Cerberus.  It felt like that was never really resolved in-game, despite the coup.  I suppose though (back on relationships, romantic and otherwise), if I hadn't set them up as such good friends, then such scenes wouldn't really work as well.

Modifié par MrStoob, 06 décembre 2013 - 01:07 .

[YurigirlzCrush]

MrStoob wrote...

Women mostly don't grow beards, yet...  I suppose the question could be, why don't some races grow hair in places other species do?  Take from that what you will.  :happy:

I never said anything about women growing beards, you. *pokes him in the forehead*

my question, simplified, was... if male elves don't grow beards... would female elves need to shave their legs? *still pondering that one*

[MrStoob]

YurigirlzCrush wrote...

MrStoob wrote...

Women mostly don't grow beards, yet...  I suppose the question could be, why don't some races grow hair in places other species do?  Take from that what you will.  :happy:

I never said anything about women growing beards, you. *pokes him in the forehead*

my question, simplified, was... if male elves don't grow beards... would female elves need to shave their legs? *still pondering that one*

lol, I thought my comparison was sound.  Women have hair on their heads, but don't particularly grow facial hair, yet they have hair on their legs, armpits, etc.  So the male elves have hair on their heads, don't particularly grow facial hair, so... your call.  Basically, is there a biological/environmental reason, either way?

Modifié par MrStoob, 08 décembre 2013 - 11:52 .

[hot_heart]

I guess it depends how technical you want to get with it.

Since that sort of hair growth in humans is triggered by adulthood (and believed to be a way of signalling sexual maturity), it depends on whether you think that's relevant to elves. Personally, I'd go with non-hairy legs.

I'm steering clear of hypothesising about other parts...

[Fatiguesdualism]

YurigirlzCrush wrote...

MrStoob wrote...

Women mostly don't grow beards, yet...  I suppose the question could be, why don't some races grow hair in places other species do?  Take from that what you will.  :happy:

I never said anything about women growing beards, you. *pokes him in the forehead*

my question, simplified, was... if male elves don't grow beards... would female elves need to shave their legs? *still pondering that one*

If male elves don't grow beards then...whose disposable razors would female elves nab to shave their legs?  



More seriously...I would suppose the answer depends on Author's reasoning: i.e. Elvish skin is different from human -with fewer (or none) hair follicles- or differences in blood chemistry (elvish equivalent to testosterone/oestrogen has different effects) or (and admittedly this one probably doesn't apply to DA) elves are faeries/creatures of magic that didn't evolve from apes (allegedly. Other theories do exist so please don't throw religious texts at me!) and only look the way they do via glamour.  Like I say Author's reasoning.

As for why I read fluff?  Well sometimes it's nice to take a break somewhere pleasant - after spending time thinking about things like "What would happen if the Reapers just 'nuked' Thessia?  How bad would Liara's injuries be after an explosion?  How can I kill James Vega?  Do elven women shave their legs? "  reading something 'fluffy' is (for me) pretty much required!

@Gamer072196  Nice title and good luck with your story!