10369 réponses à ce sujet

[mousestalker]

DreGregoire wrote...

How many pages back is the last naming conversation. I was going to just copy and paste my response but I got tired of looking for it. LOL. I like naming my characters with a name that means something. I have in the past been more fixated on it than I am now. I actually have pages and pages of names with meanings in my old writings. Now if I could just figure out how to open a file cabinet with a broken lock I would be happy.

Pry bar.

My father has always said that everything can be fixed with a big enough hammer, a pry bar or duct tape.

[Sarah1281]

Raonar wrote...

Sarah1281 wrote...

Raonar wrote...

mousestalker wrote...

Stupid OCD Author question: How important are names to y'all? Do you aim to have them sound right? Do you like them to have meaning? How hard do you chase that chimera?

Well, I only gave the DN protagonist and the HNF different names from the default ones. The HNF I changed because Elisa is just overused (She's called Gwenith).

Yep, that's exactly what happened.

Hey, I'll admit you did bring that fact to my immediate attention. There, truce?

Truce? I like your version of what happened better.

[LupusYondergirl]

mousestalker wrote...

Stupid OCD Author question: How important are names to y'all? Do you aim to have them sound right? Do you like them to have meaning? How hard do you chase that chimera?

I like behindthename.com as well.  Failing that, I also tend to go for names of actual historical and literary figures.  Nobility of the middle ages, characters from Chaucer and Mallory, etc.  I like names from Irish mythology, too... the Ulster saga, mostly.
FWIW, Maggie is named after Margaret of Anjou, who played a major part in sparking the War of the Roses. 

Maria13 wrote...

... and above all, no bonking maleficars...

Maggie disaproves -69

(and I have to say, I am BESIDE MYSELF with joy over the latest Anders news.)

Modifié par LupusYondergirl, 09 février 2011 - 12:16 .

[DreGregoire]

mousestalker wrote...

DreGregoire wrote...

How many pages back is the last naming conversation. I was going to just copy and paste my response but I got tired of looking for it. LOL. I like naming my characters with a name that means something. I have in the past been more fixated on it than I am now. I actually have pages and pages of names with meanings in my old writings. Now if I could just figure out how to open a file cabinet with a broken lock I would be happy.

Pry bar.

My father has always said that everything can be fixed with a big enough hammer, a pry bar or duct tape.

LOL yeah well if trying to fix it doesn't work... LOL.

[Corker]

mousestalker wrote...

Stupid OCD Author question: How important are names to y'all? Do you aim to have them sound right? Do you like them to have meaning? How hard do you chase that chimera?

Ha, my youngest just threatened to accidentally tear apart my ancient "Names, Names, Names!" book.  Got it in like 5th grade.  Don't know why I hang onto it when there's a billion baby names websites out there...

I like 'sounds right' and don't generally fuss with meaning.  There's some names that sound too modern to me that I'll automatically pass on; Elissa becomes Eliza in all my stuff featuring a generic f!Cousland, for instance. 

For my tabletop RPGs, when I've come up with some weird thing like Aztec jungle gnomes and all I know about the Aztec language are the names of a handful of gods, I'll break those words down into syllables and try random pairs or triads of them until I find something that doesn't sound gawd awful.  For quasi-European medieval fantasy, it's a lot easier.

[Glorfindel709]

A) "and above all, no bonking maleficars..."  He-ey, Maleficar need love too

I will flat out admit that my two canon Wardens (my mage and DN playthroughs respectively) had names blatantly stolen from Tolkien (Glorfindel for the Elven Mage of Badassery and Durin for the Dwarven Noble of Decapitations[really, I think that was the only kill move I got that didnt involve ogres or dragons]) That being said, I tend to try and think of names for the surrounding NPCs and such that fits into the time period I'm working in. If Im in the future toying with the idea of a highly organized but autocratic government that doesnt allow people to have individual identities in order to best foster a collective point of view, so they all have number letter designations that use the first letter and first four numbers of their filed citizen number. If I'm in quasi-European medieval fantasy, I'll be thinking of names from that period. All depends on the setting I'm working in

And about the Fire Rod... am I the only one disappointed that we never really had an use for it again? I mean having a flamethrower handy might be pretty damn useful, especially if you run out of magic and dont yet have the knowledge of using your life blood to fuel your magic.

Modifié par Glorfindel709, 09 février 2011 - 02:27 .

[maxernst]

Corker wrote...

mousestalker wrote...

Stupid OCD Author question: How important are names to y'all? Do you aim to have them sound right? Do you like them to have meaning? How hard do you chase that chimera?

Ha, my youngest just threatened to accidentally tear apart my ancient "Names, Names, Names!" book.  Got it in like 5th grade.  Don't know why I hang onto it when there's a billion baby names websites out there...

I like 'sounds right' and don't generally fuss with meaning.  There's some names that sound too modern to me that I'll automatically pass on; Elissa becomes Eliza in all my stuff featuring a generic f!Cousland, for instance. 

I don't worry about meaning but I do try to come up with names that as well as sounding good, seem appropriate to the culture (old French names for Orlais, Welsh/Scottish names for Ferelden, Castilian names for Rivain), and try to avoid names with strong biblical associations.  Actually, I shouldn''t say I never worry about meanings of names because for place names I invent I very often simply translate.  For example Collinerouge (red hill), Coteaux du Roche (rocky slope), Le Cheval Blanc tavern (The White Horse), La Dame Vernie (the Painted Lady) etc. are some of the locales I've mentioned in Orlais.

[Mahkara]

mousestalker wrote...

Stupid OCD Author question: How important are names to y'all? Do you aim to have them sound right? Do you like them to have meaning? How hard do you chase that chimera?

Names are *vital*.  I never use one without considering all sorts of factors including 1) how it sounds, 2) meaning, 3) historical presedent, 4) how a modern person is likely to interpret the name.

I use the preset names a lot. But generally in that I want to deliberately invoke the "generic" character (then usually twist it).  For OC characters (plus original fic characters), I go to a lot of effort to find just the right name.  Would I name a gorgeous, elegant, sophisticated lady "Bertie" or "Candy"?  Of course not!  Might I name her "Helena" or "Margaret"? Sure.  It's all about how the name is used.  To not consider how a name is considered seems really silly to me.   (And, of course, even in the scenarios above, I know that Helena = bright = Latinized Greek = the same name as Helen of Troy, etc.)

It really does seem like such an easy thing to reserach. So, really, why not?  At least if you're trying to write decent fic?  (Although I'll admit that I have a thing for the Latin names. Give me the Cornelias, Helenas, Julias, and Ophelias any day over the boring English names...)

[DreGregoire]

hehe I just started writing my Aonghas vs. Duncan chapter. It takes place on the way to ostagar. *giggles* I already wrote a scene in an earlier chapter of Aonghas vs. Duncan. So fun to make up some of my own stuff, instead of just following along with the story *sighs* Ah, Duncan. LOL

[Sialater]

How the hell do you tell ideas to just SIT DOWN and wait?



Ever since the last companion reveal, I've been thinking of some giant crisis that would need both The Warden and Hawke's abilities to fix. And since I (obviously) haven't played DA2 yet, I don't want to do this, but the ideas are in the back of my head... simmering.

[Raonar]

Sialater wrote...

How the hell do you tell ideas to just SIT DOWN and wait?

Ever since the last companion reveal, I've been thinking of some giant crisis that would need both The Warden and Hawke's abilities to fix. And since I (obviously) haven't played DA2 yet, I don't want to do this, but the ideas are in the back of my head... simmering.

Oh, I'm afraid I am in the same boat as you. I've actually been slipping in ideas for an epic-level sequel since many chapters back, one that involves the Fade, Flemeth and pretty much everything that will supposedly happen DA2 (I am led to understand the chantry is on the verge of collapse in DA2 and that the grey Wardens may fight the mage convening at the College of Cumberland). I even included cameos of Hawke and his twin brothers in two of the earlier chapters (they briefly met some of my wardens and fought together before the DA2 protagonists made their escape). I made Hawke a blood mage/fighter (Magic Knight, sort of) named Gabriel.

The only reason those ideas aren't eating at me is because what I am at now in the blight story is at least as epic (in my own view) as the mega scenario my mind is cooking up on its own.

So basically... I come up with ideas just as good (YMMV of course) that i can include in my current tale sooner, so the later ones don't bug me

[ZerbanDaGreat1]

Maker's breath!



"Urged by his friend Justice to fight the Circle of Magi more actively, Anders agreed to become Justice's human host… only to find that his anger at the Circle warped Justice into the demonic spirit of Vengeance. Now Anders must struggle mentally and physically to maintain his control over the demon within... at least long enough to see the Circle of Magi overturned forever."



That is almost exactly the setup for my OC Ven. Even the 'demon being a corrupted spirit' thing. I... I think I need to stop reading David Gaider's mind.

[nenosronhir]

Or you have an excellent grasp on how to twist game lore to your nefarious purposes? X3

Modifié par nenosronhir, 09 février 2011 - 08:16 .

[Glorfindel709]

Wait Zerban, where did you get that?! =o

[Raonar]

Heh, funny how that happens.

Okay, for no particular reason, I shall enter self-absorbed ranting mode.

/begin self-absorbed ranting mode-

My own protagonist has a collaborative relationship with the spirit of Honor, of all things, only Honor doesn't live inside him. Instead, the character harbors a literal breach in the Veil inside him, a tear that links to Honor's domain the the Fade (like Sloth had a realm in Broken Circle). In my story, Honor's a bit of a recluse. He isolated himself from all other denizens of the fade (he's one of the most powerful spirits there is, of the Zenith Hierarchy as I call it) because he just couldn't find dreamers that really were honorable.

He's not sure the main character is really honorable either, but he still helps him out because the latter helped him overcome a particularly horrid Pride Demon that had usurped his domain at one point (the DN is a Spirit Warrior with a few... problems.... like not being receptive to most healing spells because of the overflow of magic coming out of him constantly-it even screws up spellcasting if mages are in close proximity, Wild Magic for those that played Baldur'sGate 2 TOB).

/end self-absorbed ranting mode

Okay, now the question. What unique things did you people think up for your characters? I already know Zerban's Ven and his armored demonified arm.

Also, I am trying to find some sort of explanation for some talents/skills. For instance, the Champion's war cry can turn into a knockback attack, but I find it unrealistic that anyone can blow everything away just by being 'fearsome'. I was thinking something like a sudden imposition of one's will upon the magic pervading the air, like a total rejection of it, that causes said shockwave to burst out around them.

I also think I'll scrap the Shadow's decoy talent altogether. I get that Branka sort of used something of that kind, but you can't handwave it like a portable golem thing for everyone (and even that is stretching the suspension of disbelief).

Modifié par Raonar, 09 février 2011 - 08:18 .

[Raonar]

Glorfindel709 wrote...

Wait Zerban, where did you get that?! =o

http://dragonage.bio...racters/anders/

[ZerbanDaGreat1]

Now if Ven DOES go to Kirkwall after Witch Hunt he and Anders will have to form an abomination's club .



Hmmm, I've been trying to justify a few Warden skills too. Elisa is a Champion, but a bit Berserker too. Champion I get away with her just being that inspiring and Berserker because she has a hidden death wish. She's also a little bit templar, as most status-inducing spells don't work on her. Plus if anybody tries to read/control her mind they get booted out rather quickly.



... and now that I think about it she's basically Light-Side!Revan.

[jackkel dragon]

I feel so unoriginal in how I'm dealing with talents/abilities and giving Tayte unique skills. I hope to have her learn duelist abilities from Isabela before the latter leaves, and Zevran is going to teach her some assassin talents. Up in the air right now, mostly. Especially since I plan to make Zevran a recurring villain.

As for abilities right now, I have only used a few and don't call attention to them when I use them. Tayte used "Dirty Fighting" once by flinging a bag of coins at someone, and later by flinging mud. Alistair has a subtly referenced shield bash once or twice. Morrigan I just make up whatever I need, from magic lights to what might as well be force lightning.

Of course, this may all stem from me seeing many game talents in an exaggerated manner (just not as much as they will be soon in DA2.) Dirty Fighting is pretty straightforward, but many Awakening talents specifically are pushing the edge of believability in return for gameplay mechanics (too bad the enemies are too weak for it to matter.) For example, swinging your sword/axe isn't really going to send characters 30 feet away from you flying from a shockwave, it's not even a magic talent. I especially think the Guardian skills are exaggerated as I see it as flinging yourself in front of enemy attacks, but gameplay-wise you're still in the same spot as before the attack on the person 30 feet away.

I wonder if using more interesting interpretations of talents (however magic-based they'd all have to be) would help or hurt my story. If my story had a huge focus on character development and growth I'd be fine as is, but I'm not sure how deep the characters are in my story...

[Raonar]

I work based on intuition mostly, and I often get a sort of instinct that says "add this element here" and I do. Then, a few days later, I realize just what sort of plot point I can use it in.

For instance, I made my character a spirit warrior because i wanted something more epic than the game allows.... and then everything evolved into something bigger and now his status is central to the plot (The archdemon has a personal grudge against him because he told it to go screw himself once, when he was near death and had a meeting of the insane minds with Urthemiel, so to speak.

And it came back to bite him in the ass when the archdemon almost destroyed his mind. Sten had to pull a big damn heroes moment... in his MIND.... with the help of the elf mage... who got help form a spirit friend of his... yeah.

Thing is, the DN protagonist is not even the strongest character. The really powerful one is the elf mage, a blood mage that has a very BIG hatred towards demons and.... uses a wand when he doesn't feel like logging around a big pole. He actually used Expelliarmus in Orzammar, on that dwarf that was going to kill Harrowmont's guard. Can you believe it?

I've also been thinking about the guardian talents, because I want to give Alistair the specialization. I'll have it that he somehow evolves it form his Templar training.

As for spells, I have my mages be able to do pretty much anything, though I put in big drawbacks, even life-threatening ones, depending on how crazy they go.

Of course, since I focus on the action as much as i do on character development, I kind of had to give them skills to make them all interesting and useful (at least I hope I managed it). And I also gave them unique clothing (longcoats, special armors, cloaks, the HNF has a red velvet cape when she wears the Warden Commander Armor).

Okay, I'll stop here because I'm rambling and I'm this close to looking like I'm starved for attention

[jackkel dragon]

Raonar wrote...
Of course, since I focus on the action as much as i do on character development, I kind of had to give them skills to make them all interesting and useful (at least I hope I managed it). And I also gave them unique clothing (longcoats, special armors, cloaks, the HNF has a red velvet cape when she wears the Warden Commander Armor).

Well, if you focus on action it stands to reason you want it to be interesting. I am starting to wish I also had some sort of acknowledgement of unique outfits...

Raonar wrote...
Okay, I'll stop here because I'm rambling and I'm this close to looking like I'm starved for attention

I think I may know the feeling.  I suspect that FF.net only warns about chapter replacements/revisions to people who have alerts, but after spending two days on finishing the "Nightmare" chapter of my story I'm disappointed at the 5 views that day.

[Sarah1281]

I think I may know the feeling. I suspect that FF.net only warns about chapter replacements/revisions to people who have alerts, but after spending two days on finishing the "Nightmare" chapter of my story I'm disappointed at the 5 views that day.

So you replaced something ff.net called a chapter with something else? Alerts don't do that even if you had a 'Sorry I'm not updating' chapter replaced by a real one. If you want people to get alerts, you have to take the chapter down and then submit the substitute one instead of just replacing it.

Modifié par Sarah1281, 10 février 2011 - 04:52 .

[Raonar]

jackkel dragon wrote...

Well, if you focus on action it stands to reason you want it to be interesting. I am starting to wish I also had some sort of acknowledgement of unique outfits...
.

In mine, the DC became the Dark Wolf (the famous denerim burglar form the Crime Wave quests), so the DN decided he had to have a suitably badass garb. Cue black cloak (white on the other side, so he can change his appearance immediately), a black headband/mask (with eye holes), a black scarf meant to cover the rest of his face (and which floats magnificently behind him when he jumps form rooftop to rooftop). The DN also gave him wrist blades as a brithday present, so yeah...

Of course, it's a generally accepted fact in my story that the protagonist is a bit... eccentric... He actually designed the outfit for Alim as well (black leather jacket/pants/boots and a black suede longcoat).

Basically, i ripped off a lot of ideas that were used in various TV shows/films/anime and adapted them. And i have a weakness for longcoats. I know, I am predictable (an unoriginal) like that

Plus I think robes are just a huge sign saying 'mage here! shun me!" as is the staff on the back, so I figured a duster coat would be better for him (and a silver rod as a wand. good thing Witch hunt confirmed that wands exist in the DA universe) and would make it harder for people to assume he's a mage.

Of course, Morrigan was quick to ask him what sot of self-respecting mage uses a wand, so he said' he's not just any mage, but a wizard... and then he used chain lightning.

Good thing dragon age 2 has more badass outfits (and acrobatics!).

EDIT

What Sarah said.

EDIT 2

It's kind of sad that Archive of Our Own hasn't taken off yet. There are hardly any hits there

Modifié par Raonar, 09 février 2011 - 10:05 .

[Shadow of Light Dragon]

ZerbanDaGreat1 wrote...

That is almost exactly the setup for my OC Ven. Even the 'demon being a corrupted spirit' thing. I... I think I need to stop reading David Gaider's mind.

You and me both. I have an OC with lyrium brands whose backstory includes being enslaved by Tevinter magisters until he escaped. This was well before the first screenshots of Fenris appeared and his character outlined.

[Glorfindel709]

Well, DN story wise, extremely tactics minded (He has an argument with Loghain and Cailan about the strategy at Ostagar and gets expelled from the war council) and is a pessimist so he's constantly making back up plans and tries to always be prepared though fails often. Special abilities wise I didnt have any real plans because I couldnt think of anything >.> <.<



Dalish Magi - When he touched the Lyrium font during his Harrowing he accidentally knocked it over when he collapsed and ended up getting a large amount of lyrium covering his head. When he woke up, his senses of hearing and smell were overloaded and his eyesight had changed along with causing the problem of making his eyes glow green when he actively casts spells. I was also planning on having him "volunteer" to be used as a training dummy for the Templars under Greagoir inexchange for being given weapons training(Greagoir is convinced due to him wanting to protect and best prepare the templars under his command against rogue mages, though he orders initially that they teach him only the bare minimum.) this is also part of the DEM planning on his escape, trying to see if he can train himself to withstand or gain a small immunity to Holy Smites.



With the mage I wanted to enter the realm of the "good" spirits as well, but I didnt want to copy Raonar >.> <.< especially when my Mage starts customizing his robes because he hates the way they look and they impede his movement

[Corker]

Raonar wrote...

Okay, now the question. What unique things did you people think up for your characters?

Also, I am trying to find some sort of explanation for some talents/skills.

The most physically distinctive Warden I've got is probably the dragon-worshipping lyrium-smuggling Cousland, who I've recently decided has been getting tattoos to look more dragon-y.  Sort of "Cailan's Breastplate" but for her face.  She's also the only one I really want to bend rules for - she should really be Assassin/Reaver.

There's an unrecruited!Tabris I've got who had her ears cropped and lost an eye to Vaughan.  The other f!Cousland shaves her head, just because.  f!Mahariel has a nose to rival Kolgrim's.  f!Brosca shoots lasers out of her eyes to fry the stupid... no, just kidding.  She only wishes she had that.

My most magically over-the-top is my Red Jenny.  I decided that she was a resident of the Alienage orphanage, whose magic manifested the night of the purge as she was dying and guess what?  She meets another spirit of Vengeance, you guys!  And in my head, she has a pack of black mabari hounds with glowing eyes, who are all possessed by rage demons.  She's kind of working with the unrecruited!Tabris, because K has a serious revenge agenda going on.  Under Red Jenny's influence, she might just make all of Denerim burn.

---

There's a lot of talents and skills I just don't use in fiction, because they don't lend themselves to my writing.  I feel like poor Finn is somewhat gimped, because I just don't use most of his healing spells. 

I did try a workaround for a mabari's howl once - described it as sort of echoing and sourceless, the sound of a predator that just bypasses your thinking brain and goes straight to the part that's dedicated to keeping you alive. that's really close but you're not sure where, so the "flee" response doesn't know which way to bolt, so you just get stuck in place fora moment.