#gotta say i like Garrus more than Liara | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

frecklef0x · 3 years

Text

Mass Effect 1: Playthrough Masterpost

At last, I have finished Mass Effect 1!

I have heard some mutuals say they wish they could play it again for the first time, and you kind of can--through me! I’ve been posting little “episodes” of live-tweet-stream-of-consciousness as I play, and now I’ve compiled them into one post to make my life easier.

Anyway, here’s the first one, the rest are under the cut. :)

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode one

My ass looks great in this uniform, first of all

Impaled robo zombies, yikes

Cheap shot, Saren, smh. How will I pass my spectre test now?!

Why does he have robot eyes? Is he like, Geth-Turian? Why? Is he a robo zombie also? Was it the beacon???

Cool beacon nightmares, I'm sure this is fine

This Kaiden guy has implants? ORTEGA?!??!?

"Call me princess again and you'll be picking your teeth up off the floor" lol obliterated

The citadel elevators are very realistic, five minutes of tense silence huh

Ya girl got a PROMOTION and a DOPE SQUAD time to catch a TRAITOR

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode two

First things first, gotta go find the blue scientist to join the gang

This galaxy is HUGE! How many of these places will I actually be able to go?!

Only two friends at a time????? D:

Ah, a distress signal, let's see wha--A DESERT CENTIPEDE NOPE ABORT ABORT

Robo aliens? In MY Theronian mining facility? Its more likely than you think

Running over dudes in my Mako is extremely satisfying tbh

*runs over geth troopers* *runs over geth armature* *runs over geth colossus* ... *backs over geth colossus*

Working elevators in the ancient ruins ✔

Oooooooh man hope this nerd is gay

Wrex, a friend of yours? Nope, not a friend, too murdery

"ShAaaAame about the ruins Shep, sOooOo much collatoral damage, SHEP" stfu Council, "ruthless" was in the resume when you promoted us, 10/10 would shoot lasers through archeological digs again

When Kaiden calls us "ma'am" I am, uh, into it

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode three

Time to talk to the gang! Gotta meet the fam proper

Oh dear seems we got a shmee of racism on board, compatriots

Wow Raina, good foot-in-mouth moment with Wrex there huh...sorry about the eventual extinction of your race, lost this round of Pain Olympics

OH SHIT OH SHIT BLUE HOTTIE BIGENDER? THIS IS NOT A DRILL???

“hi I’m Kaiden wanna hear about my last crush ;)” “hi I’m Liara wanna hear about Asari mating rituals? ;)))” damn we really slidin right into the DMs no chill

Garrus: fuck rules and red tape amiright Raina: oh u right ;)

Guess I’ll actually do a mission now LETS GO LESBIANS LETS GO

Honestly rolling out with Tali and Liara is a mood, squad goals

Raina @ every corporation on Noveria: I would sell you to satan for one(1) corn chip

This reactivation puzzle is some shit

I see some Mistakes were made

We already killing moms at this stage damn BioWare

FUCK FUCK BENEZIA KILLED ME AND I LOST A FUCKTON OF PLAYTIME

THERES LIKE NO AUTOSAVE IN THIS BITCH FUUUUUUUUU

fuck fuck fuck god damn it gotta shoot a bunch of deranged baby bug people again god DAMN IT

Okay we killed Liara’s mom in front of her hope that’s fine

And we let mama bug go free because after talking to Wrex, Raina’s like “this galaxy is a little trigger happy with the genocide, good luck out there bug mama ❤️ be cool please”

I have literally watched the scientist in the hot labs get killed three times now

So far the debreifs with the council have not gone very well

“You let bug mama go?! How many generations until they take over everything???” “My money’s on two :D Place your bets now assholes or stfu :DDD”

Asked Liara if she was okay and she seems pretty Cool With It

I hope to one day return to Noveria and Death Star it into oblivion

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode four

Talked with Tali and this situation with the Geth and the Quarians is giving me an existential crisis

You “inspect” my beautiful ship? You got somethin’ to say about my crew??? Talk shit get hit, bitch I will kill you

Yoooo my old earth gang, yeah what the hell, I’ll help ou—oh nope nvm he’s a xenophobe, you hang him and I’ll shoot his friend in the face, thx for your time

Went to the citadel to finish some assignments, left tasked with twice as many

“dOn’T cUt CoRneRs” fear not dear Kaiden, I have a permit: this piece of paper that says I do what I want

Still with the elevators, I really cannot with this

“You make it all sound so...dangerous...” ;) ;))))))

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode five

Headin’ to Virmire to rendezvous with the Salarian team

A cure for the genophase?!?!?! :D

Oh wait oh no are we for real gonna talk about destroying the cure like Wrex isn’t standing right here omg

SHIT GUYS NO NOT LIKE THIS WREX PLEASE

Phew for a conversation that basically started with guns drawn, it went pretty well... “What Saren has isn’t even a proper cure, he’s just fucking with the Krogans at this point. Are we gonna stand for that? Or are we gonna murder?” “Damn Shep, you right, we gon’ murder”

Okay Ashley, go join the aliens, try not to die

Shadow Team!🎵 tearing through the base 🎶 disabling all the defenses 🎵 (you gotta sing it to the tune of the Trogdor song)

We free the prisoners!!! :)

We shoot the prisoners??? :(

“Raina? How can you shoot them where they stand?” So it’s more merciful to let them explode? NAH FAM

This scientist is responsible for the mind control stuff? For Benezia? Fine I’ll let her go but I hope she explodes

We did not learn our lesson concerning beacons I see

Wait if even Saren is worried about his mind control ship does that mean there are larger forces involved here?

Oh. Oh fuck

Ugh Ashley I EXPLICITLY TOLD YOU NOT TO DIE

(so we really never found any info about that genophase cure huh? disappointing)

Oh Seren, you dumb dumb. You absolute fool. Clown man.

When Raina slings Kaiden over her shoulder to carry him to the ship—mmmmmmmmwoooow I am very bisexual

Bruh Raina takes every council call and she disconnects pissed off every time

WAIT I literally just hung up with the council, ASHLEY is DEAD, and Kaiden needs a DTR RIGHT NOW?!?!? Boy, NO, READ THE ROOM

This has been a stressful day

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode six

Shepard will avoid her feelings and go to Faros instead

Seeing Ashley’s figure greyed out and her locker inaccessible makes me sad

Wrex and Garrus, let’s go shoot some geth 💪

A mind controlling planet—of course!

Shep gets all her renegade points shooting capitalists

Saved, uh, about half the colonists

If I have one more bad acid trip I stg

Oh nope here’s another one

Shep needs a nap

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode seven

Ah, the council. Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal.

At least Liara is good at pep talks ;)

Joker, you cockblock

Haha DUDE we airborne, you THOUGHT

Now that I am exiled from the Citadel, guess I’ll run some galactic errands:

o Killed corporate scientists who though we would rescue them lol

o Destroyed a bunch of geth camps helping Tali on her pilgrimage

o Disabled a nuke and killed some pirates

o Shut down some evil Cerberus experiments

o And illegally traded information!

Okay time to get back on track

So we may or may not be flying to our doom

OH GOD LIARA LOVES ME!!! RAINA, YOU DISASTER, YOU DID IT AAAAAH ❤️❤️❤️

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode eight

You know what I love? Being murdered by geth armatures

All these Ilos ruins be looking the same

Security panel is only kinda helpful

Oh, luckily I know Prothean now!

“CANNOT BE STOPPED” wow very encouraging, thanks

After that super motivating message and disabling security, its time to go down, down to goblin town

Vigil? Oh word?

My girlfriend is GEEKING out

I knew something what wrong with that fucking Citadel

Vigil: information is power. Also Vigil: What does it matter why they do what they do? All that matters is you stop them

“non-essential” personnel die first, huh? GROSS, VIGIL (gotta be honest that hits different in 2020)

Garrus gets it, I knew we liked that guy

Okay, find conduit, save galaxy, break millennium-old genocide cyle, nbd

Ugh Mako you gotta do me dirty one last time I see, I hate this thing

THE CONDUIT STRAIGHT YEETED MAKO

The citadel robot says we’re doomed : )

This shootout is SO fun, seriously

Saren get it toGETHER

Renegade Raina can kill with a conversation apparently, well done then

Concentrate on the Sovereign—why am I gonna save a council that hates my guts, sorry, but I have a JOB to DO that you ACTIVELY HINDERED

Great, zombie husk Saren, just what I needed as I mull over the possible consequences of my galaxy-altering decision

GO JOKER GO

Humanity-only council seems…questionable. Raina didn’t love the council but this sits wrong. Couldn’t we just appoint a more diverse council, including a human?

Anderson seems like a good enough dude, so…we’ll see.

TIME FOR WAR BOYS, GODDAMN WHAT A GAME

62 notes · View notes

ezrisdax-archive · 3 years

Text

sweet

because @omegastation said “and now i crave a "friends & family find them so cute" fic” well here I am... (also here on ao3)

“Keelah, they’re doing it again.” Tali said from where she sat in the mess hall, her helmet resting in one hand and her elbow on the table.

In front of them in the kitchen Kaidan was slicing some kind of meat, Ashley at his side laughing about something.

“Are all humans this bad?” Garrus asked, glancing over at James for some kind of confirmation.

“Nah,” James said with a shrug, “But didn’t you say that those two have been circling each other since the original Normandy.”

It was mostly only because Garrus shifted his gaze but James saw him and Tali exchange a glance.

“I don’t know if they were worse then.” Tali mused, “They weren’t together yet and it was exhausting watching them find excuses why they couldn’t be.”

“Eventually Wrex got sick of it and told them they both needed to put out and shut up. He really had a way with words.” Garrus’ mandibles shifted in what James recognized as a Turian smile.

“I think he regretted that almost immediately.” Tali said with a snicker. “Because then he had to put up with them being in love for a month before he finally left the ship.”

James grunted his agreement at the sentiment but then leaned back in his chair to cross his arms. “Guess it’s nice though. That Canadian Bacon and Stanza got together.” He watched as Ash stole a sliced vegetable from the bowl in front of them and Kaidan chided her but still leaned in to kiss her. “Gotta take all the wins we can in this war, yeah?”

Tali and Garrus didn’t refute him.

“Speaking of wins, what’s the next betting pool on them, who proposes first?”

“It’s 50 credits to get in and you’ll have to see Joker.” Tali told him.

“Hey if uh those two get married we can say they’re that poetry thing that Stanza likes right? A couplet?”

He didn’t need to see under a Quarian’s mask to tell Tali’s unimpressed stare matched Garrus’.

In the kitchen Kaidan and Ash were still kissing. Wasting valuable cooking time, shame on them, James thought.

Shepard frowned as she watched Ashley go to comfort her sister; it was hard just standing there unable to really do anything concrete.

“Don’t worry, Shep, I’ve got her back.” Kaidan said from next to her but despite his steady tone Shepard the worry and concern coming from him was basically palpable.

Unbidden her lips quirked upwards, “Just her back?” Shepard couldn’t help but tease.

Kaidan’s eyes widened a little before he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, yeah, all the rest of her too.”

Shepard snickered and clapped him on his shoulder. “Nice to see you two haven’t changed.” She meant that genuinely. She hadn’t been surprised to see the both of them together on Horizon, it’d be nice her old teammates still had each other. Even nicer that now all three of them were back together again and kicking ass in the name of the Spectres. “Ever think you’ll get out of the newlywed phase?”

Kaidan reached up to pat her hand still on his shoulder, “Yeah yeah.” Kaidan grumbled but it was good naturedly.

In front of them Ashley was still hugging her sister and Kaidan shifted automatically when it looked like they were about to part.

Shepard glanced between them, shook her head, and smiled. “You’ve got this.” She said and patted his arm one last time before she left.

Sarah’s vision was a little blurry from the tears as she pulled out of her sister’s embrace. It was good of Ashley to come, it meant a lot that at least she could have one sibling there.

From the corner of her eye she caught someone walking their way and squinted a little. He looked familiar.

It clicked a second later and Sarah dabbed at her eyes to save face a little before Kaidan Alenko appeared before them.

“Hey,” He said softly, his gaze mostly on Ashley but also on her. “I didn’t want to interrupt but you good?” He winced. “What am I saying of course you’re not good, sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“Calm down, Kaidan.” Ashley elbowed him to stop his rambling. “We Williams women are built with sterner stuff.”

His eyes were warm along with the smile he gave Ashley and then he turned to her and cleared his throat. “Major Kaidan Alenko.” He offered her his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Next to him Ashley hid her face in her hand and Sarah for the first time that day let out a little laugh.

“Ash has mentioned you a few times.” Sarah said and shook his hand. “Nice to finally meet you.”

“Wish the circumstances were better. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Sarah tried to blink back the tears in her eyes but nodded her thanks anyway.

“Come on, kiddo,” Ashley said, reaching over to take her hand. “Let’s get something to eat.” She squeezed Sarah’s hand, the ever comforting presence of her older sister made Sarah breathe a little easier.

Kaidan hesitated where he stood and Ashley rolled her eyes. “You can come too, Kaidan, if you behave.”

“When have I not?” Kaidan asked ruefully. “Actually, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know what you’d say.”

Years ago Sarah remembered calling her sister when she was on the original Normandy, saying something about how Kaidan was cute and Ashley should go for it.

He must have really been something for her to ignore all fraternization issues.

She let go of her sisters hand to loop her arm through Kaidan’s. “You should definitely come and tell me all about what my sister’s been up to.”

“Oh no.” Ashley bemoaned from beside her and Kaidan shot her a smirk before turning his attention to Sarah.

“Do I have some stories for you.” Kaidan said and they started to walk.

It wasn’t easy, leaving the memorial behind, Sarah’s heart hurt regardless of the location she found but at least her sister was doing well.

She glanced over at Ashley who was smiling at the back of Kaidan’s head, interjecting every now and then as he told the story.

Love looked good on her sister.

She just hoped Ashley got a happier ending then she did.

“That’s another one for me, Spectre Williams you’re slowing down.” Kaidan yelled out as he tossed a reave at the Cerberus soldier.

“Just giving you time to get on my level, Spectre Alenko.” Ashley shot back and Liara could tell she was grinning under her helmet.

“And here I thought you liked me under you.” Kaidan said, at least right after he said it he looked a little embarrassed.

“Is now really the time?” Liara asked, she tried to keep her voice stern but the laughter spilled into it anyway.

“Disgusting.” Javik huffed from next to her.

“Oh hush.” Liara told him. “They’ve earned it.” She threw out a biotic shield around Ashley before some shots could reach her. “Not that I’m condoning this flirting on the battlefield.”

“Every one’s a critic.” Kaidan said with a sigh.

“They can critique us after we save all their asses.” Ashley said and took out another solider with her shooting.

It took another hour for the fighting to die down and Shepard to return with James and EDI.

Garrus crawled down from the perch he’d scrambled up to to take the sniper shots he needed. Tali collapsed next to Liara, her helmet lolling on Liara’s shoulder.

Across from them Ashley was pressing a cloth against a shot Kaidan had taken that had grazed his neck. Nothing serious thankfully but Liara could see she was worried.

Kaidan’s fingers brushed Ashley’s free hand as she lectured him about dodging.

Liara shook her head. “I suppose they’ll never stop.”

“Data collected from past events suggests it unlikely.” EDI said from beside her, making Liara jump. “Apologies, my stealth protocols are still engaged.”

Liara somehow doubt that was by accident.

“No, EDI, I’ve been friends with them for a while now. They’ll never stop.”

Not that they should have to, Liara thought, but a little less flirting in the middle of a battle would be nice.

Johnson couldn’t explain the huge relief it was to see his commanding officer again. Their squad had been broken up for a while now and while he’d seen a few others, Kaidan had been shipped back to Earth and then apparently swept up with Commander Shepard.

It was really by chance Johnson was on the Citadel at the same time he was.

All though he was clearly interrupting something judging by the hand of the woman Kaidan was holding at the table where he sat.

“Sir!” Johnson snapped a salute.

“Johnson!” Kaidan laughed and stood up to give him a hug. “Glad to see you’re okay. How’s everyone else doing?”

“Depends on the day.” Johnson answered truthfully, no use trying to lie during a war.

Kaidan frowned at that but nodded in understanding.

“You gonna do introductions, Kaidan?” The woman at the table asked, her mouth twitched in amusement.

“Ah, right. Johnson this is Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams, Ash this is Johnson. He was a part of the biotics squad I’d mentioned.”

Ashley stood up to offer her hand. “Nice to meet you, Johnson.”

“Likewise ma’am,” Johnson began and then paused, “Wait, you’re Ash?”

Kaidan froze.

Ashley’s smile grew wider. “Something familiar about my name?” She looked over at Kaidan. “Talking about me, Alenko?”

Kaidan crossed his arms and cleared his throat. “Maybe a few times.”

Johnson’s gaze bounced between the two.

“Was it a few times?” Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.

“More than a few ma’am.” Johnson said with a grin of his own now that he knew where this was going.

“Johnson…” Kaidan groaned, scrubbing at his face with his hand.

“He talked about how much he missed you.”

“That’s sweet, Kaidan.” Ashley said, her voice low in a tease.

“Can we talk about something else? Anything else?” Kaidan asked.

“No no, I think we should talk about this.” Ashley snickered.

“So what?” Kaidan threw back, “You didn’t miss me in those months we were separated.”

Her gaze softened. “I did.” Ashley said easily enough. “No one else is as nice a view.”

“Which view are you looking at?” Kaidan lowered his voice and Johnson squirmed a little.

It had been funny but hearing his old boss flirting was just bizarre.

He’d still have to tell the old squad about this though. They’d be dying to hear it.

“Please tell me they’re not always like this.” Miranda said, taking another sip of her glass.

“They are.” Garrus replied.

“And now you get to put up with it too.” Tali said cheerfully and Miranda couldn’t tell if it was the glee that they’d share in the suffering or the alcohol talking.

“Least someone’s getting some.” Jack commented from the bar where she was mixing yet another drink. She grinned widely. “Though I hear Jacob is too.”

“Leave me out of this.” Jacob called out from another room entirely, his hearing apparently impeccable.

“Young love is often loud.” Samara offered softly and when she had joined the conversation Miranda wasn’t certain.

Ashley knocked her head against Kaidan, whispering something to him that had him laughing from where he sat at the poker table. She pointed at one of his cards and he shook his head, leaning over to say something to her this time.

Cortez and James exchanged a glance.

Kasumi flashed briefly in front of them, “You guys are sweet but can you play already?”

“The Kasumi creature is right. I wish this to be over.” Javik said.

“This game or…?” Liara asked, her question open ended.

Javik merely stared at her.

Ashley wrapped her arms around Kaidan, her head resting on her shoulder and Miranda didn’t think it had be a comfortable position given that she was standing but Ashley didn’t seem to care.

Later that evening Miranda pretended not see the two of them stumble into on of the bedrooms, Kaidan pressing a fond kiss against Ashley’s head as they leaned against each other.

“Oh no.” Wrex crossed his arms and gave his best intimidating Krogan stare. “I’m not putting up with this again.”

Around them people buzzed, Earth’s rebellion hub a collection of activity.

“Not putting up with what again?” Kaidan asked but didn’t move his arm from Ashley’s waist.

“I told you two to get your act together years ago.” Wrex scoffed. “You humans don’t live long enough to be this stupid.”

“Wrex let them do it at their own pace.” Shepard said, coming up next to him.

“And see them dodge this for the next ten years? If I hadn’t said anything those two would still be pretending the other wasn’t interested.” Wrex held back another scoff but just barely.

“You are far too invested in our love life, Wrex.” Ashley said drily.

“I’m just the wisest thing here apparently.” Wrex shot back. “So quit acting like you two aren’t doing this forever and mate or whatever it is you humans do.”

“Does he mean mate like sleep together because I think we’re long past that.” Kaidan said, his voice equally as dry as Ashley’s.

Wrex rolled his eyes. “Shepard, translate.”

“Why do I-” Shepard sighed. “I’m guessing he means marriage. But they’ll get there when they get there Wrex.”

“Yeah we don’t want to mess up Joker’s betting pool.” Kaidan said, smirking at them.

“Despite that we already have.”

Shepard paused. “What does that mean.”

Kaidan and Ashley looked at each other and started to laugh.

“Oh?” Wrex’s booming laugh joined the fray, “Guess I was wrong. You two pulled your heads out of your quads after all.”

“Wait.” Shepard said. “You mean…”

“After Horizon.” Kaidan shrugged.

“Don’t worry Shepard, we both agreed we’d redo it with everyone around after we kicked the Reaper’s ass.” Ashley said.

“Also way to read our paperwork.” Kaidan said, his voice the picture of amusement.

“Who proposed.” Shepard demanded. At least she could still win a bet.

“Neither, we just…” Kaidan trailed off.

“Sort of agreed.” Ashley continued.

“No wonder you two are still newlyweds.” Shepard shook her head. “Joker’s not going to be happy to hear about this. I don’t think anyone won then.”

“We’re real broken up about that.” Kaidan said, deadpan.

“I’d say we won.” Ashley dropped her arm around Kaidan’s shoulder.

He tilted his head down to press his forehead against hers. “Yeah, I’d say we did.”

“This is all your fault.” Shepard accused Wrex without much heat.

Wrex sighed. “I miss when I wasn’t involved with any of you.”

“No you don’t.” Shepard, Ashley, and Kaidan all said at once.

“Humans.” Wrex grumbled and walked off.

“I’ll just leave you two to it. Just uh, maybe hold off on telling everyone until I can be there to see their reactions.” She turned to leave to give them some privacy but couldn’t help but glance back.

Kaidan and Ashley were once again too distracted by each other, laughing about some honeymoon joke.

Newlyweds, Shepard thought. At least she already had a wedding present, kicking the Reapers off Earth was bound to score her some points and make it the best one.

#trilogyappreciationweek #wilenko #ashley williams #kaidan alenko #omegastation #rannochs #wilenko fic #I'm actually pretty sure this doesn't make that much sense but I'm throwing it together anyway #beej writes

9 notes · View notes

swaps55 · 4 years

Note

A bet.

Kiss prompts

Joker starts it, of all people. In the middle of dinner in the Normandy’s mess, where everyone at the table can hear him. Garrus has a spoonful of hrraka – specially made by Greico just for him – halfway to his mouth.

“What do you think biotics are like in bed?”

Garrus nearly drops the spoon. Next to him, Tali tilts her head. Williams, who sits beside Joker on the other side of the table, stabs at a plate full of pasta.

“Fucking rad,” she says, in the tone of someone who might lack firsthand experience but has well-defined hopes.

“That’s what the romance vids suggest,” Tali concurs.

A thrum runs through Garrus’ subvocals. “What, uh, what makes you ask?”

Joker picks up one of his crutches and waggles it. “Sex without fear of crushing my pelvis sounds neat,” he replies.

This time Garrus had actually gotten the hrraka in his mouth, and almost has to spit it out. When he recovers, both Joker and Ashley’s attention is on something behind him by the elevator core. Both of their heads cant the same direction, both equally contemplative. Garrus turns in his seat, fully expecting to see Liara standing there.

Nope. Not Liara. It’s Alenko, chatting with Adams.

He hums in surprise.

“So…are you asking about biotics or asking about Alenko?” he asks, not sure he wants the answer.

“Biotics,” Joker says.

“Uh uh,” Ashley says. “He’s asking about Alenko.”

Joker shoots her a dirty look. She raises an eyebrow. The eyebrow proves stronger – no one’s beaten the Williams eyebrow move yet – and he slouches back in his chair with a sulk. “Whatever. Find me someone on this ship who hasn’t wondered.”

“Fair,” Tali says, twisting in her seat to look for herself.

Ok. Suddenly Garrus is seeing his crewmates in an entirely different light.

“Well, I haven’t,” Garrus says, though he supposes you could do worse than Alenko. With a closer look he’s forced to admit the lieutenant has a nice slope to his collar bone and his waist isn’t…oh for spirit’s sake.

The table gets disturbingly quiet. Good thing his bet with Williams only extends as far as Shepard. If it involved anyone at this table he’d be hosed.

He almost sighs in relief when the doors to Shepard’s quarters swish open and the commander wanders out to join them, face buried in a datapad. He sits down beside Joker, too oblivious to notice what they’re staring at, but not too oblivious to co-opt Joker’s coffee cup.

“Gross. Is there coffee in here or just sweetener?”

“Don’t steal it next time if you don’t like it,” Joker replies.

Over by the elevator, Alenko chuckles.

“Do you think he’s a good kisser?” Tali asks.

Garrus’ vocals thrum.

“What?” she says defensively. “I don’t get to kiss anyone. I’m allowed to wonder.”

“The quiet ones always are,” Williams affirms.

“Who does everyone want to kiss?” Shepard asks, finally looking up from his datapad.

“Alenko,” Joker replies.

Shepard’s expression doesn’t change, but his mouth twitches and he sets the datapad down. He’s paying attention now, just not to the people sitting at the table.

Hmm.

Over by the elevator, Adams hands over a datapad and claps Alenko on the shoulder before departing for engineering. Alenko nods his goodbye, half smile on his face, then focuses on the report he’s just been handed.

Garrus flicks a mandible. Williams catches his eye, a dastardly smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. He’s got a bad feeling in his stomach.

“You want to know so badly, go over there and kiss him,” she tells Joker, twirling more pasta on her fork.

“Uh.”

“Give you twenty credits.”

Joker scoffs. “Not saying I can’t be bought, but it’s gotta be more than twenty credits.”

No shit, Garrus thinks. Williams has deeper pockets than that. Their bet is up to two hundred.

“Fuck it,” Shepard says, and gets up from the table.

Uh oh.

Every single one of them stares after him, except Williams, who cackles.

“Hey, Shepard,” Alenko says, brightening as Shepard approaches. “Just got the info on that thermite coating we talk—”

Shepard hooks him around the neck midsentence and lays one on him that stuns the rest of them – even Williams – into silence, even though it shouldn’t. Shepard doesn’t exactly do things halfway.

Kaidan drops the datapad.

“Ashley,” Garrus starts, “it doesn’t count unless—”

Then starts kissing Shepard back.

Oh.

Damnit.

“Told you,” Ashley says, leaning back in her chair with a satisfied grin.

Well. That’s two hundred credits he’ll never see again.

#urrone #mshenko #kaidan alenko #mass effect #my fic #kiss prompts #mememe #meme replies #why is everything more fun when it's on the sr-1?

96 notes · View notes

that-wildwolf · 4 years

Text

Okay why is everyone suddenly now talking about Archangel's dossier information now???

I don't know why all of a sudden this became a topic for discussion but let me just weigh in. First of all, so many of us are already living in denial concerning the RGB ending, so if you decide to ignore that information or decide that it's not canon in your headcanon, that's okay. You don't have to explain yourself.

Second point of matter, this is just an easter egg, a little piece of worldbuilding the developers left for us to find. It definitely wasn't put there to label Archangel as a murderer. Remember that Garrus is Bioware's favourite (I'll add a source later, bc I read this in an article) so they probably wouldn't be demonizing him in the last installment of the game.

Three, you can't say for sure that any of those kills that were attributed to Archangel were even made by him. Like for example there was one quarian who died from a cough. I can't see how that would be easily traced to the source. I actually think a lot of those are attributed to Archangel because he was very notorious on Omega at the time and if any big-time criminal was killed, people logically assumed it was him.

Another thing is the people around him. Garrus is not any worse than the rest of the crew. Especially in ME2, the only more or less innocent person I can think of is Tali, and even she's killed before. Sure, some of Archangel's kills were fucked up, but you don't seriously expect me to believe that Jack, who absolutely enjoys literally ripping people apart or Thane who sees himself as only a tool for killing are better people. None of those characters are "good" in a black and white sense. That's what makes them believable.

I'm getting very into headcanon here now, but even in my fanfic when Garrus protested against Cassidy calling him a serial killer, her retort to that was this:

"We're all serial killers here."

And I know that's just fanfic, but I think it includes a very important part of the Mass Effect universe. Killing, and violence, are all a part of the narrative. This isn't Doctor Who where someone who had done as Garrus would have been demonized. Shepard isn't a pacifist. Mordin killed millions with his genophage. Liara is basically a Bond supervillain by ME2. This is just how that world is. And you can see that these characters are good, at least subjectively, or at least trying to be good people, despite their actions or beliefs. And that's all that matters???

I'm not defending Garrus here. I'm not defending Mordin. I'm not defending any of them. The things they do are wrong, but damn it, all of them (or almost all) believe that the end justifies the means and their motives are, at heart, good.

Now, that's gotta mean something, right?

#mass effect #garrus vakarian #mass effect meta #text #huh #long

21 notes · View notes

horsyunicorn · 3 years

Text

Mass Effect tag meme

From: @p-athfinder (very sneakily!)

Tagging: @zialinbanana @randomstuffsgalore @wildcardhoney @amandashepard @garrusvakarian2153 @elisesil3 @magewardensurana

I am a fan since: 2014. I started it during the end of year holidays and my uni friends were like “you HAVEN’T played mass effect?!?!” I had no idea of the controversy over its “adult content” or the extended ending. I played first as a soldier, then infiltrator and adept. I have started playthroughs as an engineer, vanguard and sentinel, still getting the hang of the last two classes.

Favourite game of the series: ME1 is pretty rad and very self-contained BUT ME3 has very good music and excellent development of characters BUT ME2 has that sense of freedom and exploration so uh.

Mshep or Fshep? femshep. she gives me emotions okay

Earthborn, Colonist, or Spacer? spacer. I love my mom admiral shepard

Biotics or Tech? biotics. tech is WACK. what does it do in ME1? idk. what are my options in ME2? all the sucky small firearms??? why are you making me use a drone all the time in ME3?!?!?

Paragon or Renegade? mostly paragon *hides omni-blade behind my back innocently*

Favourite class: I want to say infiltrator for the tactical cloak and sniping everything, but, I also had an amazing time as a full Adept where I could spoil Cerberus’s day with biotics alone, but, I also had a great time as a Soldier first time around, so, idk

Favourite companion: maybe Liara maybe Garrus maybe Ashley! I cannot decide

Least favourite companion: jacob I guess

My squad selection: ME1 Tali or Kaidan when I needed to decrypt things, ME2 Samara and Garrus because Garrus is an OG squadmate

Favourite in-game romance: Tali?? Garrus??!?! Idk

Favourite NPC: I think Shiala is pretty neat

Favourite Antagonist: oh gotta have some Saren.

Favourite loyalty mission: Legion - A House Divided.

Favourite mission: Virmire is pretty cool since I usually have explosive sniper rounds by that point. What do you mean “I was standing too close to that turret Shepard give me a HEADS UP the next time you shoot it with a miniature artillery shell” you’re my squadmates not my children go look after yourself

Favourite DLC: citadel. gotta be the citadel. turns out shepard is slightly more resilient than a fish tank. who knew. who’s having a bad day? well I am, now

Control, Synthesis or Destroy: destroy. I was happy with the ending but then again I’m poor critic and total sucker so uh, I guess I wish we had a post-game activity where you rebuild settlements armed with nothing but your omni-tool and your reputation?

Favourite weapon: Black Widow for putting rounds downrange, M7 Lancer for nostalgia and never having to worry about heat-sink ammunition (spirits I hate that!)

Favourite place: my cabin?!?!

Favourite Quote: Does this unit have a soul?

#if I tagged you no need to do this if you don't want to. I'm just thinking of you #if I haven't tagged you and you want to do this then please go right ahead!

3 notes · View notes

ljandersen · 4 years

Text

Romance

Pairing: FemShep/Kaidan Alenko, ME-3

Words count: 2000

Summary: Teased by the crew for being unromantic, Shepard whisks Kaidan off to the hot springs discovered on her last ground mission.

________________________________

Metal rattled around them as they entered the planet’s atmosphere. Kaidan’s armor scraped against the steel wall of the shuttle. Overhead, Shepard swayed on feet holding tight to the ceiling handle.

This wasn’t what he’d expected. When Shepard summoned him to the cargo bay, he had still been thinking about her suggestive comment from earlier. Something about proving she was romantic no matter what anyone said. When he saw her waiting for him by the shuttle, his heart had lifted. It was just them. Them and Cortez. Then he realized something else. She was in full armor.

“Get suited up, Alenko. Stop lollygagging.” She’d clapped her hands at him but with a wink.

That had confused him even more. He was confused now. He checked the heat clip on his Talon then reviewed the cryo weapon updates on his ‘Tool. They were all properly installed. He was ready. Ready for what, he had no idea. She hadn’t briefed him.

“Hey.” Shepard shook his shoulder. “Don’t worry. Wait to see where I’m taking you. It has a good view.”

“Good view?” Kaidan repeated and got to his feet. “This isn’t a ground mission, is it?”

“Not in the typical sense.” She bit her bottom lip and grinned.

Kaidan’s blood pressure spiked. This did have something to do with her earlier comment then.

“Why the armor then?”

“Better to be armed and ready just in case, right? Especially if your shuttle’s not at hand.”

Kaidan glanced at the back of Cortez’s head. “Hmm.”

He smiled so wide his cheeks hurt. It probably revealed more than he really wanted to show, but the self-satisfied gleam in Shepard’s eye made it worth his transparency.

“Coming up on the drop off point, Commander,” Cortez said.

The shuttle set down. Kaidan's insides buzzed with anticipation. It felt like Christmas morning when he was a kid. Shepard opened the door, and a blast of hot, humid air hit him in the face. The snow was melted around a clearing covered in fog. The mist was coming from the ground, from -- Kaidan’s heart stopped -- a hot spring.

“Your eyes are glowing without using biotics,” Shepard said.

She dragged him out of the shuttle by the hand. Once his knees unlocked and blood started again, he was quick to overtake her.

“Have fun.” Cortez strained to see them from the front seat. “Call me when you need me, Commander.”

The shuttle ruffled their hair as it lifted overhead, but Kaidan couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

Shepard played with the latch on his shoulder. "You can't go for a dip in all that armor, Major. You'll sink to the bottom."

“You’re sure that pool’s safe?” Kaidan nodded at the pool half concealed in mist. With the pine canopy crystalized in frost and pink from the sunset glistening in the placid water, it felt like being in a vid. Only better, because it was real and Shepard was part of it.

“Am I sure it’s safe?” Shepard echoed. "I was planning to push you in first. See how it goes.”

“Are we voting on this plan?”

“Nope.”

“Guess I'll just say ‘aye, aye’ then.” Kaidan unclipped his gauntlets.

Shepard made quick work tearing off her own metal plating. Left with only under armor, they tiptoed to the misty water. The hot spring covered more area than Shepard’s entire cabin, and Shepard's cabin was huge. The water's faint blue hue mixed with twilight looked like runoff from a water coloring.

“This is amazing,” Kaidan said.

Shepard squirmed out of her undersuit, one arm at a time, and swung it onto the rocks behind them. Kaidan gave her an admiring appraisal.

“You’re right. Can’t beat the view,” Kaidan said.

“After you.” Shepard waggled her eyebrows.

Kaidan pulled off his underarmor and tiptoed to the edge of the water. Shepard bunched in behind him. The pool looked deep but not enough that either of them couldn’t be standing.

Kaidan lowered his foot slowly toward the water. In the corner of his vision, Shepard raised onto the ball of feet to see. His toe dipped in. He screamed. Shepard slammed him sideways with a strangled cry. She clawed at him trying to see into his face. Their eyes met. She froze.

“Did you -- Ah! Kaidan!” She shoved him back a step.

“Sorry.” Kaidan laughed. “I didn’t actually expect that level of response.”

“You're lucky I didn’t send you spinning with my biotics. Dammit, Kaidan.” She wacked his arm with the back of her hand for good measure. “What kind of reaction were you expecting? I just boiled your foot off in a primordial alien hot spring?”

“Uh.” Kaidan scratched the back of his neck. “I didn’t really think it through. Maybe it’s the vapors.”

“This pool is perfectly safe.” Shepard reassured, seemingly including herself. She pulled him back to the pool. “Liara assured me it's safe.”

“Dr. T’Soni’s certified Hot Spring Seal of Safety? All in.” Kaidan took a wide step to the side and dropped into the pool.

“Wait!” Shepard drew a sharp breath.

The water stung his skin. It was almost painful, but only from the heat. It lapped at his shoulders. The splash left water beading his vision. He blinked it away as his body adjusted to the temperature.

“What’s the matter?” Kaidan brushed wet hair back from his face. “Still a part of you worried it wasn’t safe?”

“No, I just … You put doubt in my head. I wanted to get in first.”

“Gotta make up your mind quicker. Come on in.”

Shepard backed up with a grin and took a running leap. The splash nearly drowned him. Heat washed over him in a wave. He spit water out of his mouth and grubbed his eyes. When she came up, she gasped.

“Holy damn!” Her breathing was labored. “It’s so hot. My blood’s combusting.”

“Mixing two hot things can be explosive.”

Shepard pushed through the water to him. “Yes, let’s mix two hot things.”

Kaidan pulled her arms around his neck. Shepard touched their noses together and laughed.

“This more romantic than the apartment hot tub?”

“If I’m with you, the rest doesn’t matter. This is nice though.”

“You deserve it.” Shepard worked her hands into his soppy hair. “Liara and Garrus made me feel guilty for not sprinkling rose pedals and playing Beethoven in the background. Told them I lit a lemon candle in the cabin once in a while. Liara said it was a poor effort.”

“Why’re you even talking to them about it?”

“I was giving Garrus a hard time. Got the barrel swung around on me.” She gazed around them in the steam. “So, is this more romantic than a lemon candle?”

Kaidan laughed. “How can you hold a candle to this?”

“Clever.” Shepard chuckled and twisted his hair around in her fingers. “What do you think? I just tell Cortez to give our regards. We live in this hot spring forever."

"Forever? I think Liara oversold you on the healing power of this pool."

"You know exactly what I mean. We'll live here permanently like amoebas.”

"I wouldn't mind devolving into a pair of amoebas. It's beautiful here. I wish we had more moments like this. Us, alone, someplace calm and far away.”

Her arms tightened around his neck, and she rested her cheek against the side of his face. Warm breath tickled his ear prickling all the way to his toes.

“Know what I thought when I first saw you?” Shepard whispered.

“What's that guy's name again? Jenkins or something?”

“No. Believe me, I remembered your name. Staff Lieutenant Alenko.” She pulled back to look into his face. “The first time I saw you, I thought: This is the most gorgeous human being I’ve ever seen. Marines shouldn't look like that. The first time we talked, I'll admit, I was secretly hoping for a playboy vibe. You’d cut me off mid sentence to check your teeth and hair in a compact mirror. Or perhaps you’d have a macho marine attitude, the kind that would slap my butt if I was serving cocktails instead of the Alliance. Life would be so much easier if you were just a pretty face.”

“Forgot my compact mirror that day. To know, I was that close to not being a disappointment.”

“You were a big disappointment. Turned out, you were kind, humble, intelligent, surprisingly reflective. Now, you had commendations and Anderson had chosen you, so I knew you’d to be capable in the field. A part of me still held out for a lewd, quip under your breath when I made a decision you didn’t like. But you were all focus. Steely, unshakable competence. You were straightforward, but respectful, and not afraid to speak up. No stuttering or backwheeling when it turned out your opinion differed from mine. I liked you immediately. I thought, dammit, this is going to be the longest tour of my life. Why me?”

Kaidan's cheeks ached from smiling so wide. It was broad enough, it grew Shepard's smile. She pressed a sudden wet kiss to his mouth.

“Do you know what I thought when I first saw you?” he asked.

“Wow, she looks like a hard ass.”

“Well, that too, I guess. I thought you were beautiful, of course, but what struck me was your … presence, I guess, for a better word. You were so confident, not the power-instilled kind. You weren’t arrogant, just self-assured. It was like you knew you could out-maneuver any obstacle. You were tactical, quick on your feet, unstoppable. Even being a biotic, you didn’t act like it was anything to be judged by. And as a leader, you were encouraging, open to ideas, charismatic. You inspired and galvanized the whole team into one piece.”

“Ah.” Shepard pursed her lips. "So you were mesmerized by the great leader, Commander Shepard. The posters and vids did me justice?”

“It was more than that.” Kaidan smoothed a hand down the back of her head. “I mean, that was my first impression, but it only grew. All of that made you a good CO, but you were more. To me. My other COs talked to me, of course. They always wanted to know about the L2, gauge what I brought against the liability, I guess. We’d discuss staffing, missions, swap stories from past postings. Sometimes something surfacey, like hometowns, family members, that sort of thing. I never had anyone, especially a CO, ask anything deeper. Not without an agenda anyway.

“I knew about Mindoir, Akuze. The whole galaxy did. In a way, I felt guilty knowing so many personal things about you without you telling me. And when I thought of what you went through, losing your family at sixteen ...”

Shepard’s eyes had dulled. Kaidan felt a twinge of regret. Perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything about her family.

“Go on.” Shepard cleared her throat. “You can mention it. It’s fine. Facts. The whole galaxy knows, like you said.”

“Yeah, but …” He caressed her cheekbone with his thumb.

“Just go on. Unless that’s where you’re ending. You pitied me.”

“I didn’t pity you. At least, not in the negative way you frame it.”

She gave him a sharp frown. He continued before she could speak.

“Look. I knew a lot about you, and when you asked questions about me, my past didn’t seem so heavy. You cared and listened. Each bit more I gave, you made me feel better about. When I got to the heart of it, Rahana and how it left me, it was the first time I told it that way. It wasn’t just the facts. It was the truth of everything.”

Her eyes had softened. “I knew you were trusting me. I felt closer to you, understood better. You probably know, but I didn’t have a lot of deep friendships like that. You let yourself be honest and vulnerable with me. I cared for you already, but sharing that with me, I knew it was real.”

He pulled her tight to his chest and kissed her. Steam swirled in the air around them. It was indescribable feeling the satin of her skin while the twilight colors of an alien world gleamed in the water. This could be the moment he’d spend the rest of his life wishing he could relive.

“I love you,” he whispered against her ear. “No matter what happens, I’m grateful you’re in my life. The day I met you is the most important day of my life.”

Shepard was quiet for a long time. When she spoke her voice was soft. “Life has never felt right without you, even before I realized there was something missing.”

Kaidan pressed his lips to her temple. “See. You’re romantic.”

“Remember to tell Garrus.”

From “About Mars”: AO3 and FFN

#Mass Effect #Fanfiction #Shenko #femshep x kaidan #Kaidan Alenko #femshep #About Mars #fluff

48 notes · View notes

femshepping · 4 years

Text

mass effect canon love interests: isolating and being lazy together at home - sfw version

kaidan - it’s sweatpants and fluffy socks time, baby. he picks out the best movies to watch together and every morning he cooks up an amazing breakfast for you to eat together. you take naps together; he’s stress free and his migraines hardly make an appearance. you do chores together and joke the entire time. he’s happy, and you are too. you spend most nights on the back deck watching the sunset together, chatting about anything and everything. there’s always something new to learn about your favourite man.

garrus - garrus finds it a little harder to relax than kaidan might, but he does his best to chill tf out and not tinker with anything that is even remotely tinker-able. he makes a conscious effort to put down his data pad and spend quality time with you, and you really appreciate his effort. you notice that his hand is always reaching for yours or gently pressed against your lower back whenever he’s next to you. one morning, you wake to an intricately set up target practice set up in the yard of your home. you glance at each other and grin; the citadel bottles? forget about it. this is the real test, sunshine.

liara - liara is very concerned about the virus. you place a gentle hand over hers on her datapad - “it will be alright, liara,” you tell her. she smiles softly and nods. she knows, but she worries for everyone and she especially worries for you. you put on her favourite tv series and snuggle up to her on the sofa. she tilts her head to rest on top of yours, and you stay that way for hours. her hand squeezes yours and you smile. when you wake at midnight to the cool cyan glow of her datapad, you don’t interfere. you know liara needs to stay informed, and contribute in any way she can.

jack - there’s not enough fucking stuff to do, god damn it! it’s a daily struggle to help jack feel fulfilled. she can relax for an hour or so, but after that, it’s a lot of pacing and switching between activities. you’ve let her wax your eyebrows and customise some of your clothing and rearrange just about all of the furniture in the house, but you absolutely draw the line at any more amateur tattoos. the snack supply also depletes at an alarming rate. you’ve gotta get proactive about this. “hey jack,”you shout, and hope she hears from wherever she is in the house. “what?” she shouts back. there’s a loud crash and you cringe. “come here - you ever play doom?”

jacob - quarantine with jacob is a completely equal mix of laziness and fitness. you spend every morning in a routine - wake up, breakfast, shower, working in the home gym, cooling down with some yoga and cool down stretches, eating, showering, then turning into absolute slugs until dinner time. after dinner, you snuggle up in bed and he holds you until you fall into a relaxing slumber. you know that jacob is concerned about the situation outside, but he does his best to keep his head calm, and in turn, yours is too.

miranda - much like liara, miranda is concerned. she uses her professional reach to stay updated on the progress made to help fight the virus and passes that information on to you. it’s stressful, but comforting to know that this won’t last forever. you regularly take miranda food and drinks so she can stay healthy while she works at her terminal. you stand behind her and massage her shoulders, and she sighs as she melts under the soothing motion. you catch a glimpse of an impending bank transfer - three hundred thousand credits to the nearest public hospital. you are so proud of her - you know it’s probably not the first transfer, and it won’t be the last. “come hang out?” you ask. she smiles up at you and lets you lead her into the lounge room.

ashley - ashley is pretty chilled throughout everything. she realises it’s serious, but she knows you two are doing your part by staying home and not having contact with anyone in person. she talks to her family a lot, and she asks about yours daily. she’s on top of the toilet paper situation - you’ve got more rolls than cupboards which embarrasses you but it’s also a great comfort. you’ve already left more than a few rolls outside your front door for your neighbours in need. you take turns cooking for each other, and occasionally work out in the yard together to get some sunshine. she checks in with you often - “how are you feeling?” “are you doing ok?” “I love you.”

thane - this quarantine is so so so serious for him, and for you. with so little drell around to accurately gauge whether he is susceptible and if he could live through it, you don’t want to risk passing anything to him. you spend time draped across each other; reading books and sipping tea. you take regular breaks to chat about what you’re reading and anything else that comes to mind. these chats always end with you straddling him, giving him a sweet and gentle kiss, then flopping down to his side, where he holds you against him and you relax together in the peace, quiet, and safety of your home. he teaches you how to meditate, and when you’re practicing beside him you feel as light as a feather.

tali - netvids and chill. soooooo much netvids and chill. day drinking and movies that are so bad they’re good allllllll day. you’ve both been screened and cleared of the virus and are isolating for your own safety, so tali decides now is the time for her to begin removing her hood and helmet for longer periods of time. you’ve seen her before, of course, but her beauty never ceases to amaze you. you’ll never get sick of her sparkling eyes, and you especially love the way they look when she’s tipsy and laughing. you both go to sleep every night with pink cheeks and a smile on your face, and tali’s bedtime stories about rannoch give you beautiful, alien dreams.

steve - steve’s got a heart of gold, and he makes sure you’re always comfortable, never scared. when he thinks you’ve been watching too many news reports, he gently takes your hand and squeezes it in his own. “it’s good to be informed and prepared, but why don’t we watch something else?” he says softly with his soothing smile. you bicker jokingly about what to watch. you end up playing monopoly. once he gets out the beers, you know shit just got real.

sam - oh my god oh my god oh my god - there are not enough inhalers in the world for the stress induced asthma attack that looks like it’s about to take place once sam has seen the isolation restrictions turn into a full on lockdown. she’s come so far with her anxiety, but you know this situation is a struggle even for people who don’t have anxiety. you never laugh at her or make her feel judged. “how about I fill up the tub and get some snacks and drinks ready for us?” you suggest as you reach out and hold her hands in yours. she looks like she’s on the verge of tears, but she nods and smiles. “I’m gonna go set it up, alright? you yell if you need me,” you tell her. most of the time, sam just likes to know you’re there and be alone for a little bit. she dabs at her eyes with the back of her sleeve and nods again. you’re filling up the tub when you feel a small hand gently clasp your shoulder. when you look up, sam’s smiling her incandescent smile. “let’s get in”.

#mine #ensemble #text post #kaidan #garrus #liara #miranda #tali #steve #jack #jacob #ashley #thane

38 notes · View notes

incorrectly-quoted-queers · 4 years

Text

Drunk Punch Love: Chapter 8

Pairing: FemShep and Garrus Vakarian (Shakarian)

Rating: PG-13 (with some tossed F-bombs)

Summary: Their awkward, badass journey through saving the galaxy and accidentally falling in love

The emptier the ship got, the more apparent it was that the ones left were avoiding her.

Chapter 8: Bloody Workout Gear

Quite a few of the crew-members from the Saren mission were taking shore leave on the Citadel, while the Normandy was hopping around the galaxy, taking people home. Tali had gone back to the Flotilla, despite Anya insisting that she'd buy a few junk ships and be her new flotilla if she wanted. And they were currently on their way to drop Wrex off on Tuchanka. He decided, after all their time together, that maybe he should head back and try to bring some order to his people. After all, there was a war coming and Krogan enjoyed a good war.

But it was a little awkward when Kaidan and Liara were still on board and she sometimes went days without seeing them. Liara spent most of her time in her science office, analyzing any Prothean artifacts they had and preparing for her next research position, which they were taking her to after Wrex was gone. And Kaidan was always spending his time with Chakwas, Joker, or working with newer recruits. Basically anything away from Shepard.

Even Garrus seemed to be avoiding her. He kept on saying he was busy with some calibrations, always under the Mako, or working on their guns. She thought they were finally good, actually more than good, after Ashley's funeral. But maybe they weren't.

Anya knew that Kaidan had a very good reason to avoid her; she broke his heart into too many pieces that night before Ilos, and she understood that. And she knew Liara was really overwhelmed by suddenly being the foremost researcher on everyone's new favorite ancient species. She at least apologized for continually ditching Shepard at every turn.

Garrus really was the confusing part; she had no clue what she did.

The only person left talking to her was Wrex. She'd have Joker, but Kaidan was holding her favorite pilot hostage as his own personal buddy, so that wasn't an option. It was kinda pathetic that the only person who would talk to her was about to abandon ship in a day or two.

At least the guy loved taking breaks to do some target practice.

"Your aim is shit today, Shepard."

Anya grumbled, took another shot at the target. This time, she hit a half-inch off. "It's not bad."

Wrex laughed at her, laying his own gun on his shoulder. He pointed a very accusatory finger at the target and said, "Yeah, sure. You and the turian can spend hours here waiting for someone to miss, but missing it every time today isn't that bad."

"Fuck off, old man."

Even though she put her pistol in the holster and tried to walk away, Wrex followed her. All the way upstairs to the kitchen, even. "So what's eating you?"

Anya didn't really want to hear it. "Absolutely nothing."

"You say that like a Varren gnawing off their own leg."

Turning around, Anya punched his chest plate. She was pretty over all his prying. The only good part of hanging out with him was their very short conversations. When did it suddenly need to get all serious? "What is it with you and comparing me to Varren?"

"I dunno, you're kinda like one. Vicious and badass, but kinda cute when domesticated."

"It sounds like you're calling me a dog." Shepard took her blueberry juice out of the fridge and poured herself a glass. It was hard not to notice how empty the mess was; empty enough that their voices kind of echoed.

Wrex sat down on a stool across from her. Mental note that if she wants to be bitter and alone, to remove all seating from the kitchen. "No clue what that is, but sure." He gave a pointed look between Anya and the fridge. She groaned, but maybe it would shut him up. She poured him a glass of some very dense Krogan beverage (non alcoholic) and slid it to him. Unfortunately for her, that didn't stop him from talking. "Hope you're not getting feeble on me. I'm expecting you to take care of the galaxy while I take care of Tuchanka."

"I wouldn't dare." When Wrex started drinking, Anya's prayers seemed to be answered. He was glugging down the- beverage? It smelled nice, but looked like sludge. She didn't really know what to make of it. The silent company was nice, reminded her she had friends but didn't remind her that she was off her game because of the other fickle crewmates.

Well, it was good until a certain pilot walked up. "Ooh blue juice? Pass me some of that."

Anya glared at him while she got out the juice, poured another glass, and then handed it to him. She hoped her annoyance seethed into the drink. "Joker, what the hell are you doing here?"

"We're stopped above Tuchanka. We got here early. No one tell you over comms?"

Looking between Wrex and herself, Anya shook her head. "Um, no. That's your job."

"Right... Well, I've taken to not broadcasting my location all over the ship. Sure, I may be at the pilot's seat 10/10 times, but a certain angsty biotic doesn't need to know that."

Shepard peered at Joker and crossed her arms. "Is that why you've been pinging everyone whenever you're in weird places around the ship?"

"Convinced Tali to give me a device that lets me say I'm anywhere without having to be there."

"C'mon, Kaidan can't be that bad."

"He's not, unless he's in a bug funk mood about a certain Commander rejecting him. Oh wait, he is." After frowning at her and rolling his eyes, Joker then turned to Wrex and said, "We told the drop ship that you'd be ready in thirty minutes."

The tall Krogan downed the rest of his drink. "Good thing I haven't packed yet." He waved at them before heading downstairs. Presumably, to do that packing thing. That left Joker, Anya, and the blueberry juice.

After a sip from his glass, Joker said, "So, haven't seen any cranky turians in your room lately."

Anya was about ready to throw her drink at him. Glass first, hopefully. "You shouldn't be seeing anyone in my room, because you shouldn't ever be there in the first place."

"A guy's gotta protect his bones, okay?"

"We're both nearly 30, Joker, maybe stop getting so drunk you need your old academy roomie to babysit you."

Joker took another sip, which seemed to be a sure sign of him saying something annoying. "So you are really bothered about not hanging out with Garrus lately."

"I'm going to break your dick, I swear."

"At least aim for a more impressive threat, Shep. Because that's not a hard thing for anyone to do."

Grumbling, Anya didn't want to dance around whatever stupid point he was trying to make. "Okay, fine. What do you want to say about it?"

"You two just seemed cozy, hanging out on that couch."

"We have a weekly movie night, this isn't exactly wild news."

"I know. Even more suspicious."

Anya was pretty over it. Joker was having too much fun dancing around what he really wanted to say, and she'd rather he just spit it the fuck out. Especially since she knew he was enough of a Kaidan beacon to need anti-lieutenant protocols. She didn't really want to have to deal with that right now, either. "Get to the fucking point, Jeff."

"All I'm saying is that you don't get very cozy with people. Exhibit A is literally stalking me around this ship out of heartbreak. I just want to get a feel on what's happening here. Mama bear would be interested if you're getting close to someone. She was pretty pissed you didn't tell her about Rike back in the day."

"One, why are you discussing my sex life with my mother? And two, there's nothing for her or you to be pissed or prying about. So shove off it."

"You say that, but I have eyes."

"Not for long if you keep this up."

"Fine, fine. I'm just saying, why aren't you talking to him?"

"I-" Before she could say anything, Wrex came upstairs, dragging Vakarian in tow. Garrus looked a little shell-shocked and Anya couldn't help but stare. Wrex didn't even let the poor guy wipe the oil grease off his face.

Then very loudly, Wrex announced, "Now, you two are gonna escort me down to Tuchanka."

While she and Garrus were just swallowing down the awkwardness between them, Wrex was shouldering his pack. Joker said, "I wish I could pack that fast. Damn."

Leaving her blueberry juice, Anya tried to get a handle on the very quickly changing situation. "I'll just go grab my armor-"

"No need, I just wanna show off that the so called "savior of the Citadel" has my back. Good way to start showing dominance and fixing shit up, right?"

Anya didn't even know how to argue. "I guess, sure. The workout gear will do."

He threw an arm around her and Garrus and then dragged them to the stairs. "Time to show my planet I'm back."

They followed him to the docking port in relative silence. Their next few minutes were spent entering a drop ship and watching the burning planet all the way to the surface. No one spoke. Wrex had this purposeful energy to him, and she didn't know what to say out loud that they hadn't already said the past few days.

But Garrus, across from her? He seemed like he was itching with something. He kept on fidgeting with his armor and checking the clips on his sniper rifle. Even that night she was a drunken idiot, he could look at her the next day. Albeit after a lot of awkward talking, but now he seemed a world away. What made it worse was that she had no clue how to reach him.

When they landed, Wrex was happy to walk out into the Krogan hub, with the blistering sun hitting his face. but when he exited into the harsh brightness, Anya suck it up and opted for the least tactful approach. She grabbed Garrus' arm. "I don't know what I did, but whatever it was, I'm sorry."

"Shepard, I-"

His answer was interrupted by Wrex calling them over to a group of nearby Krogan. The entire ship port experience was Wrex just dragging her around, telling slightly exaggerated stories of how badass he was to prove a point. She understood that for a merc coming home, this was the equivalent of networking. But with the turian on his other side, she couldn't help but feel like she had some things to say that were getting overrun by Wrex's posturing.

That is, until she felt a bullet whiz past her ear. She turned her head around and saw a trio of Krogan running their way. With a quick order to take cover barked at her companions, Anya dove behind cover as quickly as she could. From the looks of their armor, they didn't seem to have any merc gang affiliations, so her only source of information was the krogan in cover next to her. "What the hell, Wrex?! You told me not to wear armor!"

He shrugged. "I figured someone might come after me. Chances were low, but it definitely proves a bigger point if we kick their ass in no armor."

"You're not wrong, but I hate you for it. You owe me new workout gear if this gets bloody."

"I can do that."

Lucky for her, Wrex brought along the two best shots on the team. And even better, the krogan attacking were mostly relying on shotguns. They just had to shoot 'em out before they got too close. She just had to hope their durability wasn't great.

Just as they downed the lead krogan, she noticed a shimmer on the other side of Garrus. Any infiltrator knew what that meant. "Vakarian! Tactical cloak to your left." Garrus reacted accordingly and they shot the stealthy one down, but it made her a little more wary of what they were up against. Looking towards her krogan friend, she yelled, "Shit, Wrex, they must really want you dead."

"Great, huh?"

"Not the word I'd use for it."

Anya was about to peek out from cover and take some shots at the final krogan, but Garrus beat her to the punch. "Shepard, look out!" He was rolling from his cover to hers and dragged her to where Wrex was hiding.

And right after they got behind the metal crates, the final krogan barrelled through the box she'd been hiding behind. Her eyes met Garrus' and she said, "Thanks." The second she spoke, though, he released her waist like it was a ticking grenade and instead stood up, shot the krogan in the eye, and he dropped dead.

Wrex stood up and smirked. "That's the best welcome home present I've ever gotten."

"Bud, we're gotta have a conversation about what you find endearing." Taking a deep breath, Anya glanced down at her shirt and noticed there was a few drops of blood on her. They seemed to be coming from a forehead scrape from when Garrus dragged her away from the danger box. "Shit. And you definitely owe me new clothes."

"Technically Garrus did that."

"Yeah, but you're the one who made me come without my gear."

"Fine, I'll send the credits. But it was worth it."

When her omni-tool pinged with the money, she let out a sigh. It also emptied out any annoyance for putting her life in danger, since everyone always did that to her all the time. Including herself. "Tell us if you got too many assassins to handle."

"I think I'll be set after that display of quads." Then, Wrex turned to her and Garrus and pulled them into a hug. "Until next time." And when he stepped back, he gave Anya a wink. "Vakarian. Shepard."

She rolled her eyes, but played along. "Wrex."

And then he picked up his bag and walked off.

Anya should definitely be less surprised that they just had the most krogan goodbye in existence. But for now, she'd settle for getting off the damn planet. She just jogged her ass back to the drop ship. While Shepard wasn't one for running away, she also wasn't about to encourage any other krogan to try to fight her, not like this. If she was lucky she could rub out the blood and have two pairs of good workout gear.

Garrus followed behind silently and, in a few short minutes, they were closed up in the drop ship, her wound was bandaged, and they were heading back to the Normandy.

But that was when the real battle started. Anya hated to admit it, but Joker was right. She couldn't stand not talking to Garrus, and it had to stop. "Garrus..."

"Shepard, I'm leaving."

The words hung between them like a dead man. Her fingers felt numb. After too long of him not looking at her, Anya asked, "What?"

"When we talked, I figured out I wanted to do more for the galaxy. Like you do. And the next day, I got an offer to join the Spectres training program. I said yes."

Everything felt so dry and cold, the air, her skin, the energy between them. Anya didn't really know how to process it. But she did know what she should say, what was honest and true. "You'd make a great Spectre, Garrus." Then, she tried to add it all together, and still ended up lost and confused. "But then why were you avoiding me?"

"Because I didn't know how to tell you I was leaving. Or maybe I just didn't want to tell you." Garrus sighed and sat down next to her. "I know this is what I want, but that doesn't mean I want to leave you. I didn't want you to feel like that's why I did it."

"Of course not. I get it." There were a lot of feelings running around her head, but in all honesty? Few of them had anything to do with him. She was proud of him and admired him. He wanted to be a hero. How could she blame any of her fantastic team for wanting to make a difference, even if it meant leaving her?

The only real things making her pause were her own, irrelevant feelings of attachment to him. And they were her problem, not his. So, like a good friend, Anya shut up the feelings and added, "When do you leave?"

"Two weeks. We'll drop off Liara, check out Alchera for the Council, and then when we stop back to the Citadel to report, I stay."

Anya crossed her arms and gave him the most deadpan, serious look she could. "Well, we got a lot of movies to watch before that, then."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You ever heard of James Bond?"

///

The thought of Garrus leaving literally cracks my heart so that’s fun.

I’m sick an burning my tongue with warm beverages like a proper knob, but posting this stuff and being my weird creative self with you folks help make it better <3

The true behind the screens drama is that I’m sick ALL THE TIME so sorry if that’s the narrative 50% of the time.

Anyway, thanks so much for reading, and double thanks to my lovely patrons:

Danyell Jones

Amy Connolly

If you'd like to support my writing and creations, please go check out my bio for more info :) (hint, I’m trying to buy a desktop to share more of my goon, fandom trash behavior with everyone. Any support is appreciated!)

#Shakarian #Drunk Punch love #femshep x garrus #Garrus Vakarian #Anya Shepard #Mass Effect fanfiction #bioware romances #Mass Effect #Wrex #Liara

5 notes · View notes

pigeontheoneandonly · 5 years

Text

The Phylactery

Part 2 of my Dragon Age / Mass Effect crossover. Part 1 here. (Part 3 here.)

Nathaly, Kaidan, and Garrus arrived in Crestwood only a half-day behind schedule. Kaidan barely slept those nights on the road, a death grip on the staff concealed beneath his cloak and convinced that the templars would arrive at any moment. Once they left the highway, that fear eased, if only slightly, replaced by howls in the night and the sparks of campfires in the wilds. The area surrounding Crestwood was formed of craggy hills, plenty of areas for bandits and worse to hide.

They gave them a wide berth where they could. Once, a group of four approached them, ill intentions obvious, but Nathaly put her hand to her sword and spoke quietly, words he couldn’t catch. They backed off. Then she took a step towards them, half-drawing her weapon, and they turned and ran. Garrus laughed and said something about her reputation preceding her. Kaidan didn’t know what to make of that, and wasn’t convinced he liked it.

Now he sat in the mouth of a cave, looking out over the stark and barren land as the sun fell below the mountains beyond. Drinking it up with his eyes and trying not to feel swallowed whole. For thirteen years, the curved walls of Kinloch Hold formed his horizon, close enough to touch, barring the occasional glance at the same tired views out the windows, or the even rarer trip beyond Lake Calenhad. The last of those more than three years ago, a trip to Highever to fix… something. Couldn’t remember what. Though far from the Circle’s favorite mage, his power and grasp of magic was undeniable, and they were happy to use him for heavy-lifting. It rankled, having his only utility in life dictated by the same people who took him from his family and his home.

But without them, he had no idea whatsoever of his purpose now. It wasn’t like he could use any of those skills anymore. Not without risking exposure. He worried, increasingly, about becoming a burden on the small group that now comprised his only friends.

Garrus had headed into town. Their other two friends, the ones supposed to retrieve his phylactery, were days late now, and he hoped to hear something. Maybe meet someone who’d seen them traveling. Kaidan wouldn’t know it, looking at Nathaly now, scrunched into a ball with her cloak as a pillow, fast asleep without a worry in the world. He tried to remember if she slept like that as a child. Their families were close; hers helped with the harvest at his parents’ orchard, his made themselves available for shearing season, and the kids got roped into customary tasks like watching the herds. They spent days and nights out in the meadows. She had a great big sheepdog she never liked much, but who loved Kaidan.

Even then, she never talked about growing up to be a shepherd. The oldest child of a not particularly large family, it was expected, but she wasn’t the type to care. She talked his ear off about all the places she wanted to visit, the life she wanted to lead, devouring every scrap of every story that ever crossed their tiny village square. And it seemed she found a way.

The sight of two figures picking their way up the hillside woke him from his musing. His heart clenched as he reached for a staff that wasn’t there, left deeper in the cave where it was less conspicuous. The smaller person walked shrouded head to toe in a cloak, but the other glinted with bright steel armor, a templar emblem proud upon the chest.

“Nathaly,” he hissed, afraid to raise his voice above a whisper. He scurried back into the cave and found his staff. Considered casting an illusion over the entrance, but decided it would draw too much attention, the sudden change in scenery. Instead, he shook her shoulder. “Wake up.”

She peered at him, groggy. “Whaisit.”

“There’s a templar. Coming up the hill.” Trying to project a calm he didn’t feel.

“Shit.” She found her longsword and stumbled towards daylight.

He came up behind her. She stood tall, shielding her eyes from the sun. Then she relaxed. “Hey!”

She waved. Kaidan’s stomach contracted in horror. He hauled at her arm. “What are you doing?”

“It’s ok. I know them.” Smiling even as she tried to reassure him.

“That’s a templar!”

“She’s not, actually. Well, not anymore. Long story.” Her smile widened. “If she likes you and you ask very nicely, she might even tell it.”

His trepidation didn’t ease as they approached the cave. Two women, the one under the cloak an elf. A Dalish elf, he noted with surprise, as she lowered her hood and revealed the tattoos tangling across her face, vivid on her dark skin. Her black hair was braided down her scalp in thick ridges, but her eyes were startling blue, wideset and huge in her face. She embraced Nathaly. “It’s good to see you. We were delayed at the tower.”

Nathaly drew back, all concern. “Delayed?”

“Don’t be so inscrutable, Liara,” said the ex-templar, who was already stripping off her armor, with just the barest trace of an Orlesian accent. “Ugh, I hate this stuff. Weighs a ton and bakes like an oven.”

Broad-shouldered and tan, she had long brown hair coiled in a knot, and brown eyes that sparkled with good humor despite her groaning. Nathaly gestured towards her. “Kaidan, this is Ash. Ash, Kaidan.”

She sized him up. “So this is him. He’s cuter than I imagined.”

Heat crept into his face. He glanced at Nathaly, who looked just as embarrassed. “Why do people keep talking like they know all about me?”

Ash burst out laughing. “Really? She never shuts her mouth about you. This mage kid from back home she swore on her grandmother’s grave to pry from the Chantry’s wicked grasp.”

His cheeks burned. Even Liara hid a chuckle. “I don’t know what to say.”

Ash folded her arms. “Thank you might be appropriate.”

He hadn’t processed enough of this to be grateful yet. Nathaly put a bite in her voice, tiring of the teasing. “Leave him alone. He’s had a rough week.”

Instead, he cleared his throat. “So, how did you…?”

“Oh, right.” Ash reached into a pouch and withdrew a small vial of magicked blood. His blood, to be precise. “You probably want this.”

He took it carefully. Not because he was afraid of dropping it— in fact, he intended to destroy it at the earliest opportunity— but because he couldn’t believe he was actually holding it in his hands. Liara read the shock on his face, and explained. “I began as an apprentice in the Circle at Dairsmuid. My clan’s Keeper died before she could pass on her knowledge, and the mages in Rivain have an excellent relationship with my people. For convenience, I split my education between my clan and the enchanters there.”

“Wait,” Kaidan said, completely lost. “They just… let you come and go as you pleased?”

She twisted her fingers together. “The Rivaini Circle appears unlike any other. I did not know this. Otherwise, things may have turned out differently.”

Ash took up the thread. “As a senior enchanter, the White Spire requested her consultation on a matter of magical theory. And she didn’t know enough to say no.”

“I immediately found myself in trouble, when I thought I might see the sites in Val Royeaux, and attempted to leave.” She shuddered. “The Templars seized me. Began to yell, and I barely spoke Orlesian then. I spent several days in the Spire dungeons. Then weeks, when I tried to sneak out a second time, to return home. Upon realizing my phylactery had been ‘lost’— we don’t use them in Rivain— they made another.”

Ash resumed loosening her templar armor. “Liara was forced to remain at the Spire for several years before she found an opportunity to escape.”

“I acted contrite. Obedient. Eventually, my earlier transgressions were forgotten, and I was given important responsibilities. Including access to the phylactery chamber.” And then she smiled, quietly, both self-satisfied and genuinely pleased. “Which is how I knew the procedures to liberate yours.”

Nathaly folded her arms. “They walked in and took it. Pretending to be a traveling templar and her mage charge, resting up a few days at Kinloch Hold. I take it that it seemed too suspicious to vanish after Kaidan and his phylactery walked out the door?”

“Exactly,” said Ash. “Instead, Liara helped them search the phylactery chamber, since she’s such an expert on them, and I sat in while the templars debated how to conduct a traditional search. I don’t think any of their strategies are likely to work. Then, after a suitable wait, regretfully we had to continue our journey. The phylactery was on my person the whole time.”

Kaidan wrapped his fist around the vial. Angry and thankful and sad, all at once. He could still feel the prick in the crook of his elbow, where they pierced his skin with a knife and trickled the blood into this glass tube, knew if looked he’d still see the small scar.

Liara touched his hand. Looked up at him, earnest. “I felt the same when I finally held mine, and the Spire had me far fewer years. Everything will be better now. You’ll see.”

Then she followed Ash back into the cave, in search of their provisions. He looked at Nathaly. “Why?”

She uncrossed her arms and shuffled away, busying herself with folding and retying her scarf, the long ends of it trailing down her back. Most of her hair had flown free as she slept. As far as he could tell, she mainly wore it to keep strands from falling in her eyes. “Why what?”

“Yes, you made a promise.” He bit his lip, turning the phylactery over in his palm. “We were just children.”

“I don’t see how that makes it any less important.”

“You risked yourself and your friends to free me.” He eyed her. “I am grateful. I think. But Nathaly, you gotta admit, that’s kind of a lot to put on somebody.”

She glanced away and let out a breath. Then looked back at him directly, backlit by the fading light. “You were my closest friend. I never met anyone in thirteen years I liked better. You meet someone like that, you hang on.”

He should set a boundary, after that sort of statement. Establish some kind of distance. Instead, he said, “I never forgot you, you know. I didn’t think you’d actually come. But it meant something that you wanted to.”

Her expression relaxed into relief. Not the emotion he expected to see— she’d been nervous about this reunion, too, and that hadn’t stopped her, either. She finished knotting the scarf. “I don’t have any expectations. You want to leave, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go and be on my way. I didn’t do this for me.” A brief pause. She licked her lips. “But… I am happy to see you. More than I can say.”

Early in his time at the Tower, he let himself daydream about what he’d do if he ever got out. Until it started to hurt too much. None of those fantasies involved hiding in a cave, but the last thing he wanted to do was leave. Having a true friend again felt… strange. But also good.

He hefted the phylactery, and raised his eyebrows. “I’m going to get rid of this. Want to watch?”

“Gladly.”

Kaidan grabbed his staff and headed out, into a small cove of pines standing tall near their makeshift quarters, nicely hidden from any watchful eyes. He set the phylactery on a small boulder. It rolled into a niche and settled, a glowing ruby in the last light of the sun. Brooding there.

He contemplated it for a long moment, this tiny object which had ruled his life since he was nine years old. Then without any preamble he raised his staff and crushed it with the end. Blood splashed over the rock, a morbid scarlet bloom running between the shards. Then he leveled the crystal at it, called out three words, and it erupted in white hot flames.

Nathaly watched in silence. When it lit up, she didn’t flinch, as he expected, but instead let out a small satisfied whoosh of breath. Like she, too, saw this as a great righting of the world.

They stood there side-by-side until the last of the fire faded, and all that was left of Kaidan’s leash was a scorch mark on stone. Even the glass had melted away. Then, deliberately, he turned his back on it. “Think your friends managed to put together some dinner?”

“Are all mages constantly thinking with their stomachs?” she asked, catching his change in tone.

“Maybe?” If nothing else, Kinloch Hold never lacked for food. For too many of his fellow apprentices, that was the first time in their lives they could expect three meals a day, as big a portion as they wanted.

“Well, it’s good we asked Garrus to lay in more supplies.” She jerked her head towards the cave. “Come on. Ash is a better cook than she’ll admit.”

#mass effect #dragon age #crossover #nathaly shepard #kaidan alenko #shenko #fanfiction #pigeon writes

18 notes · View notes

thebloodychampion · 5 years

Text

Music Random Character Themes

@capeshifters

Nedra Surana

“Remembering all the times you fought with me” (Linkin Park - In The End)

Narya Lavellan

“Will the current drag me down and carry me away” (Breaking Benjamin - Hopeless)

Litriel Lavellan

“Time to face my mistakes, they’re long gone. I’ve held on for too long.” (Jakalope - Last Song Tonight)

Merlyn Lavellan

“This time, don't need another perfect lie” (One Republic - Secrets)

Rufus Trevelyan

“But I know there's something more to us than our mistakes“ (Skillet - Believe)

Gigi Trevelyan

“ You gotta get your groove on, before you go get paid “ (Montell Jordan - This Is How We Do It)

Janus Lupus

“ So if I love you, a little more than I should “ (Bryan Adams - Please Forgive Me)

Alceon Lupus

“ I won't be held down by who I used to be “ (Evanescence - Weight Of The World)

Adrian Lupus

“ You have my heart, and we'll never be worlds apart “ (Rihanna - Umbrella)

Bella Lupus

“ The reason why the winds die “ (Enya - Pilgrim)

Marcus Lupus

“ And they cut right through, oh they cut right through “ (Bryan Adams - Somebody)

Luca Lupus

“ Oh, how far you are from home “ (Enya - May It Be)

Nellie Cousland

“ You can't feel anything that your heart don't want to feel “ (James Morrison - Broken Strings)

Milicent Cadash

“ There was nothing there at all “ (Simple Plan - Everytime)

Nova Lavellan

“ Watch the flames burn on and on the mountain side “ (Ed Sheeran - I See Fire)

Devon Trevelyan

“ I'm just myself like no one else, I've got to go my own way “ (Preluders - Everyday Girl)

Quiet

“ You could never see my life is “ (Soil - Understand Me)

Diana Prince // Diana Of Themyscira // Wonderwoman

“ I didn't come here to hurt you now “ (Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone)

Belle French

“ I don't want to be the one the battles always choose “ (Linkin Park - Breaking The Habit)

Selina Kyle // Catwoman

“ You're the one who saw me through through it all “ (Celine Dion - Because You Love Me)

Mei Ling Zhou

“ You've made my life completely miserable “ (Papa Roach - Done With You)

Anders

“ Even as time falls away, I live my days “ (Tarja Turunen - Die Alive)

Adam Hawke

“ The evil that men do lives on and on... “ (Powerwolf - The Evil That Men Do)

Hampus Luck

“ And if I could find a way, I would bring you back tonight “ (Starset - Let It Die)

Dorian Pavus

“ You don't always have to do everything right “ (Avril Lavigne - Freak Out)

Regina Le Bail

“ 'Cause you're the only one who's on my mind. “ (The Veronicas - Untouched)

Hay

“ And I stop believing that I could ever make things change “ (Pop Evil - Monster You Made Me)

Valerie An Zar O Bearhold

“ I wanted always to be there for you and close to you “ (Apocalyptica Feat. Lacey - Broken Pieces)

Alan Ar Zara O Bearhold

“ No matter how many lives I live, I will never regret “ (30 Seconds To Mars - Hurricane)

Sherborne “Guy” Le Guyadar

“ When all this time I've been so hollow inside “ (Evanescence - Haunted)

Ashalanna “Anna” Alerion

“ You don't know what its like to be like me “ (Simple Plan - Welcome To My Life)

Appius Trius

“ What did we do wrong, why did it die? “ (Robbie Wiliams - Let Love Be Your Energy)

Aila Sylnelis

“ I'll take the blame for the sake of being with you “ (Linkin Park - Pushing Me Away)

Kai Kresge

“ You want to make me believe that I'm crazy “ (Kaci Brown - Unbelievable)

Kaisa Kresge

“ Show me how it outta be through more than a stare “ (Soil - Need To Feel)

Lesi Aras

“ It just took some time for me to understand “ (Vertical Horizon - I’m Still Here)

RinRil “Rin” Seraya

“ The time has come to say fair's fair “ (Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning)

Armando Fiorenci

“ I watched as you began to metamorphosize (ah) “ (Disturbed - Who)

Francisca Fiorenci

“ Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes, now “ (Katy Perry - Waking Up In Vegas)

Nedra Shepard

“ Am I left to die but I can't give up on you “ (Skillet - Salvation)

Nigel Shepard

“ Something's just about to break “ (Breaking Benjamin - Diary Of Jane)

Salla Ryder

“ Wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn “ (Natalie Imbruglia - Torn)

Avitus Rix

“ But if I had you, that would be the only thing I'd ever need “ (Adam Lambert - If I Had You)

Garrus Vakarian

“ I think my thoughts when I don't even need to “ (Papa Roach - Getting Away With Murder)

Liara T’Soni

“ Yea the whispers all around say she has a reputation “ (Neffex - Rumors)

Nakmor Drack

“ I gotta stop pretending who we are “ (No Doubt - Don’t Speak)

Pelessaria B’Sayle // PB

“ And if he never kisses me, well that's alright “ (The Hazzards - Gay Boyfriend)

Camilea Octatus

“ You're playing games and now you're hittin' my heart “ (Ricky Martin - She Bangs)

Lisell Avequa

“ Seems to hide some secret inside “ (Within Temptation - Caged)

Han Xanis Vas Astra

“ They wanna break me and wash away my colors “ (Starset - My Demons)

Nyx Avequa

“ It's got so many people, but it's got no soul “ (Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street)

Jirida Avequa

“ It comes awake and I can't control it “ (Skillet - Monster)

Tasha Tissel

“ Cause I don't wanna hear those words tonight “ (Skillet - Say Goodbye)

Nolus Abgius

“ To show how much you mean “ (Ana Johnson - Coz I Can)

Tunar Abgius

“ We loved and died where roses grew “ (Xandria - Like A Rose On The Grave Of Love)

Vivia Bonisis

“ It has no name, there's one for every season “ (Sonata Arctica - Full Moon)

Tibesius Suldonis

“ You have been dying since the day you were born “ (Metallica - The Four Horsemen)

Lucius Suldonis

“ Cowards that hide behind their words! “ (Billy Talent - Covered In Cowardice)

Quitilia Suldonis

“ When everything feels wrong I feel right with You “ (Skillet - What I Believe)

Silia Salvilus

“ I see the signs but I can't quite make the words out “ (Thousand Goot Krutch - The Part That Hurts The Most)

Serlio Salvilus

“ A little of vision of the start and the end “ (Florence + The Machine - Breath Of Life)

Caius Salvilus

“ Still this silence gnaws upon your fingertips “ (The Cruxshadows - Deception)

Cosna Salvilus

“ This is how it feels, now I'm finally smiling on the inside “ (Natalie Imbruglia - Glorious)

Titus “Tavis” Faion

“ Now we're breaking down the enemy “ (All Good Things - For The Glory)

Maxius Kryik

“ So why don't you just move along? “ (Britney Spears - Do Something)

Luc Laxius

“ Its the one who won't be taking, who cannot seem to give “ (Bette Middler - The Rose)

Anaya Kiuk

“ The gate is open now, so we can start “ (Powerwolf - Power And Glory)

Sunip Molane

“ I always said that I would make mistakes “ (Bethany Joy Galotti - Halo)

Bono Baffabar

" I'll make it sweet on the lips as it can knock you out “ (Christina Aquilera - Keeps Getting Better)

Tokol

“ That I'm not the only person with these things in mind “ (Linkin Park - Somewhere I Belong)

#capeshifters #all muses #finally #xD

3 notes · View notes

pip-n-flinx · 5 years

Text

Little bit of Mass Effect Salt Incoming

So, one of my favorite twitch/youtube personalities recently released a video about his favorite series ever, mass effect! While I was initial thrilled (I didn’t even know he played ME tbh) I gotta say I’m a more than a bit salty about it. I still love him and and watch his stuff, clearly ain’t nobody perfect, but I want to get some things off my chest and most of the people I know who are into ME follow me here. SO here goes.

Here’s the thing, he absolutely hates one of my favorite characters from the franchise. He made jokes about leaving them to die, not regretting it, how horrible a character they are, and even references several moments in the first game as the source of his opinions. He goes into far less details from the 2nd and 3rd games in the franchise, but contends that they failed to change his mind.

Now, it will come as no surprise to some of you that he hates Ashley Williams.

For the sake of clarity, I’m going to get some stuff out of the way right here before explaining to you what he said and why I disagree:

- I have done multiple playthroughs of ME. One included the Ash Romance.

- Most of my playthroughs I romanced Liara.

- My opinions are not ‘ASH IS BEST GIRL CHANGE MY MIND’

- Before someone @’s me with some bullshit, I’d just like to observe I’ve heard a ton of Ash Hatred since I got into the fandom. I would be surprised if you were bringing something new to my attention when it comes to Ash. I’ve spent a great deal of my time playing this game and even more following other content creators of any medium I could find. Please Please Please PLEASE don’t waste your time regurgitating something you heard someone else say and I SWEAR BEFORE ALL THAT IS GOOD if I hear one more “She’s just a ____” comment I will end you no character in this series is “just” anything.

- THIS IS NOT KAIDEN ALENKO HATRED. I actually find the Virmire decision heart wrenching every time.

- Finally, before we move on, I’m not telling you how to play the goddamn game. I have enough trouble with Virmire, Horizon, and the Coup d’etat missions in my own playthrough, I have no intention of re-living the guilt and stress of it for someone else’s Shepard. I got enough emotional baggage from this game already thanks. MOVING ON “Ashley is a space racist.” ALRIGHT listen up kiddos. Her Grandfather, the one who started the Williams Curse? He did that by creating and signing off on Cerberus during the First Contact War. The pro-human splinter group founded during the first encounter and conflict with aliens that humanity experiences? That was her Grandfather’s Idea. And yes, she begins ME1 with some pretty racist commentary. “Can’t tell the aliens from the animals” is a reprehensible line. Now, I don’t think she says anything reprehensible when she talks to Shepard about not liking the aliens on the Normandy, but I can also agree that it comes from a place of fear and discomfort, and that definitely contributes to the argument that she’s a space racist. HOWEVER: what a lot of the Ash haters miss is a moment after Virmire on the Citadel, in the wards, when a isolationist xenophobic populist party known as the Terra Firma party approaches Shepard asking for their support in the next election. This comes after Ashley has had a chance to work with Wrex, Garrus, Tali, and Captain Kirrahe. She DRAGS the leader through the muck, stating that while she likes some of the parties platform the party is full of racists and the refusal by the Terra Firma leaders to denounce the racist comments and racists members of the party is enough to lose them her vote already. She gets so heated about Shepard has to command her to stand down. You don’t get to cherry pick her interactions from ME1 and ignore her character growth. She also falls right into her big sister roll with Tali almost immediately. She tells Tali that it took years to get women accepted in the military. When Tali responds that the Migrant Fleet doesn’t have the luxury of sexism, she replies “sounds great, but I don’t think I could get used to the uniform.” In ME2 she refuses Shepard’s offer, despite earlier referring to Shepard as “a god back from the dead.” Why does she refuse? Because Shepard is working with Cerberus, the organization her GRANDFATHER CREATED. She’s all for the Alliance, and the Alliance is either working with or directing the Citadel Council having earned an honored spot after the Geth attack 2 years before. She is committed to working with the government that is dealing with the other races and refuses to work for Cerberus even though you could argue its in her blood and definitely in her upbringing. Honestly, I can’t fathom why people bring up this scene when trashing Ash, this is a moral stand from a woman accused of being a racist and the flip flop here even from people in the fandom I respect is baffling to me. In ME3 there are a whole plethora of scenes you could pick from but I want to talk about her reuniting with Tali. She immediately tells Tali to drop rank with her, observing they’ve been through enough together that the rank isn’t important. This is especially poignant to me if Tali herself is exiled after the events of ME2.

“Ashley is just a soldier, she doesn’t have any personality beyond that.” BULLSHIT she doesn’t. She’s struggled to find her place in the military due to the family stigma around her grandfather, so she hangs a ton of her personal identity on her family. She’s a supportive older sister, an adoring daughter, at least passingly religious if only because “there are no atheists in a foxhole.” She calls her sisters regularly, tells stories about growing up with them, mourns her late father and reads a ton of poetry, demonstrating a more critical appraisal of literature than Shepard, Vega, Joker, or even Kaidan (”its about not giving up?” is that the best you’ve got Shep? thats pathetic.) Whats more, she doesn’t just read one poet, she picked up some poems from both her “sappy” dad and more pragmatic mom. She’s also a great window to military families in ME, which you can’t really say for Kaidan or 2 out of 3 Shepard backstories. I think in a story about a war to end all wars it would be a disservice to not write about all the widowed men, women, an aliens who are living not quite far enough from the war.

“Why can’t she just trust Shepard? Why does she have to refuse to help in ME2 and then be so standoffish in ME3?” Honestly? If my lover had been declared KIA and then magically came back working under cover for a shady organization with a history of criminal crimes like murder and torture I TOO would have trust issues. I feel like we often gloss over just how horrible an organization Cerberus really is. Even ignoring the “they rebuilt you” angle which gets EVEN CREEPIER in the first Mars mission in ME3 I can’t imagine immediately flip flopping between Cerberus are war criminals to my best friend presumed dead is working for them to its alright now totally nothing out of the ordinary that compromised my opinion of their judgement took place.

So I just can’t see the Ashley Williams hate. I can see leaving her behind (no I can’t, no one ever dies in this series, how dare you tell me anyone dies?) on Virmire. But I just can’t fathom the hatred.

With all that said Kaidan is not boring, Ash is more than a racist soldier, and I love all the characters in the ME trilogy. Thank you. Good Night.

#Mass Effect #Tier List #Personal Rant #Sir that is my emotional support character #but honestly every mass effect character is my emotional support

5 notes · View notes