Arcann romance appreciation thread! Haters keep out please!❤

Probably a reddit title which you could look up. I remember that dimly.

Although, I may have spend the past few years shipping on twitter that Erik Dellums knew all about it and I might have said something about not wasting the sexual tension in KOTFE to Charles Boyd. No regrets though.

And yes, Arcann was never meant to be LI. I was prepared for it not to ever happen but its fun to ship. Honestly, I'm not a fan of fanservice romance myself and I'm glad that most of Arcann's arc happen in main story rather than subplot. I mean, its good that Bioware listen (and likely lurked here) and noticed that a lot of us do want more. But it take time, we are patient lot.

Arcann might not have been meant to be a LI right from the start of kotfe but as I said - I watched the stream but I have to look for it because right now I don't know which one it was - they obviously thought about it before we even knew Arcann would be a companion.

They do plan some time ahead - they had to think about how Arcann would look under the mask hence the remark regarding "kissable lips" - they thought about how bad his injuries are and if he would still be attractive to people. They would probably not done it however if people hadn't shown interest in him being a LI. But even his writer was very interested in having him as LI - it was surely not her decision - something like that has to be approved by Charles and other higher people because it takes resources and therefore money, but it was surely discussed before.

So I wouldn't say he was never meant to be a LI - sometime during production they discussed and thought about him being a potential LI. Doesn't mean they really planned to do it in any case.

I think it depends on the initial reception of his character. Sacrifice trailer is still the most popular trailer that even general Star Wars fans sometimes knew about it. But I don't think they're ever serious about Arcann being romanceable but KOTET reception certainly help with their decision. That said, any existing content in SWTOR usually in development six months prior to its release. 5.9's Arcann romance should developed long after KOTET was done.... (also, yes Bioware, we're happy but please we do want more)

After ruminating on this, I'm still glad that they never put Arcann in the "Bioware Love Interest" template from the start. I don't want his entire characterization in KOTFE and KOTET to be altered just so he 'fit' to be romanced by everyone. That would be so boring.

Btw, Arcann isn't solely written by Sam, its still a collaboration by a lot of writers including Hall Hood. Arcann is still mainly written to be an antagonist for KOTFE.

Ah thank you, I only knew about Sam but I don't really know which other writers (except Charles) have been writing kotfe/kotet and if they are still around (Sam isn't but do we know about the others?).

I think Charles said in a stream they are normally even 1 year ahead of released content. But maybe that changed during time.

Anyway, I don't think he was planned to be a LI from the start - he is clearly the antagonist. I just wanted to say that based on Charles comment in the stream (and I think it was during kotet) and comments from Sam it sounds to me that they had at least thought about that sometime before and not just got the idea when people reacted positively on Arcann becoming a companion.

Even outside of any romance, it would have been nice to have some more about his way to redeem. Or his thoughts on the subject as most of the things are learnt through dialogues.

Yes yes yes, he is an interesting character for those who do not look at him only as a plain simple villain (this description would be closer to Valky).

But I still think that they did a good job on the romance cutscene because it integrates many elements about him, the way he is evolving and what he thinks of the others (or the PC at least).

From the reports Lana gave about him on Tython, Dantooine and Nar Shadda gaining loyal supporters, I do think Arcann gain a lot of popularity and influence regardless. Anyone with an ounce of force sensitivity would notice the visible change from his dark galactic conqueror self. He might face a lot of abuses or attempts on his life even on Odessen but he's probably handling it on his own with no problem.

Knowing my Wrath... she probably send him on a lot of physical work with the common folks. Reconstructing the base after Vaylin's attack, expansion plans, walls, dams, settlements... higher chance for sweaty shirtless Arcann... and more nighttime 'redemption' activities.

Such a kinky girl Just be careful, too much physical work might compromise long ever-hungry nights.

He's a demigod. Besides, poor performances is grounds for punishments.

Sexy kind. Of course.

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/GregB...e_in_games.php

Samantha Wallschlaeger (Guild Wars 2, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Star Wars: The Old Republic)

I grew up on older Japanese visual novels, which used romance solely as a form of fantasy fulfillment for the player. Audiences expected each romance arc to follow an existing trope, and the games of that era were happy to oblige. And there’s nothing particularly wrong with that, but it frustrated the hell out of me, because it was fantasy fulfillment at the expense of character development. A romance should reveal character depth, not hinder it. So when I began writing romances for games, I made a conscious decision to approach the process differently.

An NPC-player romance arc is always going to be a form of escapism, but I don’t think it has to give players absolutely everything they want. It’s important for me to follow a character’s truth, and really dig into the unique way he or she feels and expresses love. When I wrote Avela Kjar’s romance for Mass Effect: Andromeda, I knew that despite being kind and expressive, she would never allow herself to fully fall for anyone. And I stuck to that, even though it would mean letting the player down in the end. And that’s just it—it’s okay to break the player’s heart a little, if it makes for a better character experience. Injecting that kind of nuance into a relationship makes it feel more real, and lets the player become more immersed in the experience.

That’s not to say I don’t use tropes when I write romances. I think they’re an excellent starting point—people like them for a reason, after all (enemies-to-lovers is my particular weakness). And in order to provide a new spin on classic tropes, you need to be a practiced study. I make a point to grill my friends and colleagues on why they enjoy particular kinds of romance arcs, and what they’d like to see done differently.

Even if a certain kind of romance isn’t my personal preference, it’s important for me to understand why it’s appealing to other people. It’s my job to provide every type of player with the experience they’ve come to love—injected with a little freshness to surprise and delight them, of course. Because being committed to realism in game romance also means being committed to inclusivity, and celebrating the myriad types of relationships that exist.

Isn't Arcann related but do you think Senya might go with us to Nathema?