10369 réponses à ce sujet

[SurelyForth]

Cosmicinator wrote...

Dragon Age Fan-Fiction doesn't have to be solely about the Warden, or their companions; there's a whole continent that can be used, with hundreds of thousands of possibilities for some damn good work. There are so many possibilities, and we're just ignoring them!

In my eyes, it's like digging for coal when there's gold right next to you.

I just alluded to this, but there's more that we don't know about other places than we do. And, with DA2 coming out, we're going to be learning more about these other places. Then there's the fact that world building is hard work- world building with the knowledge that whatever you create is going to become undone by canon within a few months could make it feel like an exercise in futility. 

Beyond that, most readers want to read fanfic about familiar characters, not a cast full of strangers. 

Modifié par SurelyForth, 11 septembre 2010 - 08:32 .

[jackkel dragon]

Re-writing another story in a different way can be good writing practice. Some people write things to enhance the original story. I have an idea or two in the wings for original DA characters, but those are in waiting. Established characters are easier for me to write, for the moment. I'll probably change my tune when I get to Zevran and Loghain though...

I think I know what you mean, though. I once wrote a ME FanFic about completely original characters. That didn't turn out so well... which is why I need practice.

Which reminds me of something I should go do...

[Cosmicinator]

LupusYondergirl wrote...
I mean, I could set a story in Rivain.

This creeped me the hell out, because I'm in the process of writing a story based off of a Rivainian... Bah, I'd best not say more.

But I could just as easily write something that's word for word identical, changing only the place names, and claim it as an original property. You're asking why we don't write stories divorced from everything established in the game universe. The use of the established game universe is what makes it fanfic. Otherwise it's just, well, fic.

I don't see what your trying to say here; It doesn't involve characters from the Dragon Age games, so it's not Dragon Age? You could easily intertwine stories outside of Ferelden with the story of Thedas as a whole. The universe is a brilliant bedrock for so many stories- Darkspawn, the Crows, the Chantry, Magic, etc. 

There are so many concepts and stories in the background of the Dragon Age universe that can be utilized to make some really good content.

[LupusYondergirl]

The darkspawn and Grey Wardens are, at this point, the ONLY major defining characteristic of the universe we know so far. Shoot, the darkspawn aren't far off from Tolken, it's the Wardens themselves that make the Dragon Age setting unique. The crows? Generic order of assassins. Magic is a fantasy standard. The Chantry is just your typical medieval Catholic church analogue.

So yes, you could write about a crow going to assassinate someone in the Anderfels Circle of Magi. Or you could change the names alone and have your own generic fantasy world story since none of those things are really unusual or special in terms of fantasy tropes.

[FutileSine]

@ Cosmicinator That sounds interesting. When do you think you'll be able to start posting it?

Edit:  Just to add a random observance of mine - it feels like I just started writing 15 minutes ago, but its been over an hour!  Anybody else have time fly by when writing?  Its ridiculous!!  

Modifié par FutileSine, 11 septembre 2010 - 09:11 .

[Sialater]

Cosmicinator wrote...

LupusYondergirl wrote...
Um, a lot of us do?
There's tons of post-game stories, AU stories, etc.
Shoot, my postgame story is at like 350K words and has dozens of original characters.

I was being far more fundamentalist in my definition, let me clarify; I meant a story that is based on original content- one that does not  centre around any character, event (And to a lesser extent) location depicted in Dragon Age. A few original characters and locations thrown on top of a story based around things that appeared in the Dragon Age games doesn't really make it Original content; more like a story based around X with some Original Content thrown in.

Lynch me if I'm wrong, but nothing I've seen thus far seems to depart far from people or places the Warden met or travelled to in Dragon Age.

Then, you've never read my story, The Rescue or Shadow of Light Dragon's The Hunt, have you?  Until you read them, don't start stuff.  While we have in-game characters, we've added our own characters and most definitely have added new places. 

I have plenty of my own intellectual property stories going that have nothing to do with Dragon Age.  You're just never going to see them unless I manage to sell them.

[Miri1984]

Cosmicinator wrote...

LupusYondergirl wrote...
I mean, I could set a story in Rivain.

This creeped me the hell out, because I'm in the process of writing a story based off of a Rivainian... Bah, I'd best not say more.

But I could just as easily write something that's word for word identical, changing only the place names, and claim it as an original property. You're asking why we don't write stories divorced from everything established in the game universe. The use of the established game universe is what makes it fanfic. Otherwise it's just, well, fic.

I don't see what your trying to say here; It doesn't involve characters from the Dragon Age games, so it's not Dragon Age? You could easily intertwine stories outside of Ferelden with the story of Thedas as a whole. The universe is a brilliant bedrock for so many stories- Darkspawn, the Crows, the Chantry, Magic, etc. 

There are so many concepts and stories in the background of the Dragon Age universe that can be utilized to make some really good content.

I'm with Lupus here. I write non-fanfic as well as fanfic, and THAT's where I flesh out my non-Dragon Age characters and worlds. I write fanfiction for the fun of exploring characters that I love. So it would kind of defeat the purpose for me to write only about OCs in a part of Thedas that has nothing to do with them. I'll leave the original creations in that regard to David Gaider and the other DA2 writers. I'm sure they'll do a fantastic job and when they've finished I might take my Lady Hawke off to have further adventures in my fiction.

[SurelyForth]

FutileSine wrote...

Edit:  Just to add a random observance of mine - it feels like I just started writing 15 minutes ago, but its been over an hour!  Anybody else have time fly by when writing?  Its ridiculous!!  

I spend the bulk of my Saturdays in a writing fugue. I swear it was 11:30 twenty minutes ago, but now it's 5:30 and I have no idea what I've done besides eke out 1500 words that I may very well ditch before the night is done. 

I discovered when I started writing fanfic that, outside of a House or a Mythbusters marathon, this was the most energy efficient way to waste a day. 

[Sialater]

Re: Zevran's voice...

I have to say, he was difficult at first.  I had to do a ton of research to get him right.  And since I've now converted a lot of girls over to liking our favorite assassin, I'd say I was successful.  I hung out on the Zevran character thread a lot before it went a little crazy, absorbing everyone's interpretation of his character in order to get his voice right. 

I learned him well enough that he's invaded one of my own intellectual property characters that was originally intended to be a throw away and is now ridiculously awesome.   He's as loud now, as my loudest fic character Meghan Shepard and is the driving force behind The Rescue.  I honestly think that story won't end until he's worked out his issues.  But then, I've come to realize rescue has more than one meaning in my fic.

[Cosmicinator]

FutileSine wrote...

@ Cosmicinator That sounds interesting. When do you think you'll be able to start posting it?

I'm drafting the Prologue and the First chapter as we speak.

I'm very thorough with my editing and proofreading, and I make hundreds of adjustments before I am okay with it, so when I'm willing to release it may be from a couple of days 'till a week, to maybe even a month, or maybe I'll scrap the entire idea by then.

It's ambitious, and risky; I'm trying to inject some intelligent and (Dare I say it?) philosophical characteristics and concepts into it, along with trying to flesh out a believable and interesting anti-hero and a credible backstory; along with actually making a believable rendition of Rivain itself (Although it's going to be an international thing).

I have my work cut out, but I thrive in challenge.

Stay tuned anyway.

Modifié par Cosmicinator, 11 septembre 2010 - 10:18 .

[FutileSine]

SurelyForth wrote...

I discovered when I started writing fanfic that, outside of a House or a Mythbusters marathon, this was the most energy efficient way to waste a day. 

This gave me many lolz.  True indeed!!

[KSuri]

I feel bad bastardizing Zevran, I really do, but I need him to serve a certain purpose in my fic and I figure that he might have changed slightly in ten years and with the added responsibilities of being Master of the Crows. What is starting to distract me is how he starting to sound an awful lot like

my spouse. lol

[TanithAeyrs]

Cosmicinator wrote...

FutileSine wrote...

@ Cosmicinator That sounds interesting. When do you think you'll be able to start posting it?

I'm drafting the Prologue and the First chapter as we speak.

I'm very thorough with my editing and proofreading, and I make hundreds of adjustments before I am okay with it, so when I'm willing to release it may be from a couple of days 'till a week, to maybe even a month, or maybe I'll scrap the entire idea by then.

It's ambitious, and risky; I'm trying to inject some intelligent and (Dare I say it?) philosophical characteristics and concepts into it, along with trying to flesh out a believable and interesting anti-hero and a credible backstory; along with actually making a believable rendition of Rivain itself (Although it's going to be an international thing).

I have my work cut out, but I thrive in challenge.

Stay tuned anyway.

Will watch for you to post.  Sounds fun.  As far as writing fanfic with established characters - I just had more of my Warden's story to tell - its an AU post Awakening fic and the sequel will only have cameos of the original characters.  I have also been working on my own IP fantasy series on and off for over 20 years.  Am using fanfic to polish my writing skills.

There have been some fun fanfics that haven't used the warden or any of the companions Westex's "Alienage Blues" comes to mind and Vilnii has a nice start with "Estates Horume."

Sialater, Shadow, Erynnar and many others have very original takes on their post-blight fics.

[jackkel dragon]

I've been working on my own setting for a few years, to no avail besides an unhealthy connection to certain names.  I'm using FanFic to better my writing for when I get back to that. Or so I tell myself. I also just like writing ME and DA stuff...

In other news, anyone who reads my stuff on FF.net has a new Mass Effect story (that I wrote months ago) to read that doesn't suck. I literally just finished revising a certain scene I didn't like in the original BSN version. This story has no characters from the game trilogy, although some are referenced.

Back to the Dragon Age theme of this topic: ....I started fleshing out my DA module? Um, that's not fanfic...
I'll probably have another chapter for Tayte in about a week. I write erratically.

[jackkel dragon]

Um... I just realized that you could reply to reviews on FF.net. How do you read replies that you recieve, other than through e-mail? Just wondering....

[SurelyForth]

jackkel dragon wrote...

Um... I just realized that you could reply to reviews on FF.net. How do you read replies that you recieve, other than through e-mail? Just wondering....

If you reply to a review and they reply to your reply, it will come through your ff.net account. So if you're logged in it will show you how many messages you have in your inbox.

[jackkel dragon]

Yeah, I was a bit worried it might be like that... the thing is, my inbox is empty... glitch?

[SurelyForth]

jackkel dragon wrote...

Yeah, I was a bit worried it might be like that... the thing is, my inbox is empty... glitch?

Sounds like it.  When did you get the message? ff.net is prone to wackiness like that (and losing updates/reviews for days at a time).  

[Shadow of Light Dragon]

If they replied to your reply and it's not in your inbox...could be a glitch, yes. :/

[jackkel dragon]

I got the e-mails for a few replies, but nothing in the inbox yet. I hope it's just a delay...

[Shadow of Light Dragon]

Cosmicinator wrote...

 I've been cycling through the forum for a while now, and something sprung to my mind; Why don't you guys use your own Intellectual Properties?

I'm not saying that you should ditch the Dragon Age universe, but it would be interesting to see you guys create your own characters, places, events and such, within the Dragon Age world. I'm just saying, the constant stuff on
established characters and places really leaves little variation between individual stories (in my eyes, anyway).

Well, my (first) main fic has the Warden and Zevran leave Ferelden after the archdemon is slain. They go to the Free Marches, visiting locations that exist on the Thedas map but were never seen in DAO, visiting places that don't even have a *mark* on the map. They encounter characters who were never in DAO, some with small parts, some who become party members, they get entangled in situations that weren't in the game. With the exception of a few established characters, nods to past events during the Blight and using Zevran's personal storyline/romance, I consider it all pretty original and I definitely grew attached to the new characters I created personally, and even some of the locations.

But where established characters are concerned, you have to remember that many people read and write fanfiction because they LOVE those characters. There is nothing wrong with this. Fanfiction is for fun, and those who create it have every right to concentrate on the places/people that interest them.

As has been said, though, there are fanfics out there that go beyond where is visited in the game, and create new characters who are interesting enough that some readers go so far as to say "I want to read more about this character!"

Sialater wrote...

Re: Zevran's voice...

I have to say, he was difficult at first.  I had to do a ton of research to get him right.  And since I've now converted a lot of girls over to liking our favorite assassin, I'd say I was successful.

Woo! Highfive! Nice work

KSuri wrote...

I feel bad bastardizing Zevran, I really do, but I need him to serve a certain purpose in my fic and I figure that he might have changed slightly in ten years and with the added responsibilities of being Master of the Crows. What is starting to distract me is how he starting to sound an awful lot like my spouse. lol

I think it's perfectly logical for someone to have changed after ten years being in charge of the Crows. :/ I'd feel bad too, though.

Modifié par Shadow of Light Dragon, 12 septembre 2010 - 02:27 .

[Dean_the_Young]

On the subject of using your 'own' intellectual property, ie OC's, I avoid it for two main reasons.



The first is that a pure OC adventure tends to have little context and familiarity, which is largely the point of fanfiction as opposed to an original work. If you go outside of Ferelden or known areas, you're pretty much forced into creating all the major areas and interpretations yourself with no other guidance but the name, which is the same as creating a new world yourself. And if you stay within familiar areas, you're bound to make 'cameos' that restrict your room to maneuver. Passable, but annoying to me.



On the other hand, if you make an OC and attach him/her to familiar cast, it looks too much like a self-insert, and the OC tends to dominate certain areas like a Sue. I have musings, for example, of a mercenary crossbow sergeant sent from the Free Marches to help the Warden: his approval is more dependent on those Big Choices than anything else, and by the end his attitude can range from unbreakable loyal supporter (if you make all good choices) to actually turning on you at the last choice (to stop you from dooming the future).



But while I might muse, I would never inject him post-action into Origins, because it strikes me as trying to usurp everthing else.

[LupusYondergirl]

Dean_the_Young wrote...
On the other hand, if you make an OC and attach him/her to familiar cast, it looks too much like a self-insert, and the OC tends to dominate certain areas like a Sue. I have musings, for example, of a mercenary crossbow sergeant sent from the Free Marches to help the Warden: his approval is more dependent on those Big Choices than anything else, and by the end his attitude can range from unbreakable loyal supporter (if you make all good choices) to actually turning on you at the last choice (to stop you from dooming the future).

But while I might muse, I would never inject him post-action into Origins, because it strikes me as trying to usurp everthing else.

OCs can be tricky, and to some extent I agree with that.  Although, really, ALL Warden characters are, if you think about it, OCs. 
A lot of postgame stories have bunches of OCs that work.  I'd like to think mine don't come across as self-inserts since there's dozens of them, the only ones who get any degree of major story time all have pretty distinct backgrounds, personalities, and qirks, and I don't (to my knowledge) have multiple personality disorder.   More than a few readers have commented liking them, or actually have favorites among the OCs, so I guess I was successful to at least some degree.

I had OCs in my blight story as well, but I tweaked the beginning by including more time in the tower, (so I created other mages and apprentices my Warden was friends with, since, you know, seeing them all slaughtered when Uldred goes mad will be a nice character-building/brain breaking experience for her) and making the trip to Ostagar and the length of stay there longer (so there was a realistic timeframe for Jowan to get caught and do his thing in Redcliffe), so I made other Wardens (well, names and personalities for the three other wardens shown with Duncan in the dwarven noble origin), an Ash Warrior she hooked up with in a tavern on the road there, and so on. 

But creating a brand new party member from thin air?  I wouldn't do that.  The closest I'd do would be an AU story combining origins or recruiting someone who already existed with at least a somewhat defined character.  Having Daveth survive, recruiting Jowan, etc.  I'm sure someone could do it successfully, and probably has, but I think putting someone completely new into established situiations like that would be dancing a bit too close to the Sue line for my own comfort.

[FutileSine]

Regarding the use of OCs....anyone else read "A Midwinter's thaw"? I admit I stopped reading about 10 or so chapters in as I prefer action and plot more than "romantic relationship re-building", or whatever, but those two writers had some *brilliant* OCs! Molly and Ser Perrin...and what, Marcham or something like that? And a whole slew of other characters that really took a place in the reader's heart because they were just so well written.



Its postblight, so I guess its just an example of what you stated Lupus- PB stories makes it easier to introduce new characters than actual Blight stories....

[nos_astra]

Yes well, they managed to let them fade to insignificance.The lack of action basically rendered them useless.

Dark Ritual has fantastic original characters. Lawler is my favourite, the recent developement, hell yeah!

Modifié par klarabella, 12 septembre 2010 - 06:37 .