#(and I was like............. this just won't do I'm sorry Kaidan ;_;)

[rawliverandcigarettes]

Reading about a cool post about romancing a more diverse set of aliens in the next Mass Effect (yes please), I'm realizing I'd really want more focus on different ways to get close to NPCs that don't necesserily involve smooches or sex scenes. I know that would explode the budget, but... I don't know, I see room for a relationship system that does not 100% rely on the "is romanced" boolean, where cutscenes/missions activate or do not activate depending on the specifics of the relationship you're developing with a given character (with a tag system for example).

That way, there is a conversation where you pour your heart out with a given character that is available whether or not you romance them, but that you *could* miss out on if you decide to romance them but put the focus on the more competitive aspect of your relationship instead of the vulnerability. A sort of web of possible situations that would tailor more closely to who you are as a PC and how you want to engage with the world without betraying the NPC.

That would imply uhhhh budget, and a very strong relationship design system (let me design it bioware wait actually don't I could not handle working on mass effect emotionally I think). But. Would be cool, and would allow me to RP aroace characters without feeling completely alone and adrift in the uncaring void of space. :3

[welovetesvkaidan]

OPINIONS ON KAIDAN EE/IF???

My honest reaction:

in all seriousness, if you wanna hear me yap about it, more under the cut

warning like, genuinely a ginormous yap, like a HUMUNGOUS, sleep-deprived yap,,, im cursed to be obsessed with skyrim + modded followers instead of touching grass

I think a lot of this is probably gonna be the same thing other people have said, so im sorry

if you feel i'm gonna be bringing up redundant points and get mad at me😓dont read

I haven't experienced and thus won't talk about the versions of EE and IF that are now separate mods from each other. I don't know anything about that.

if they're better now yayyy but this is about pre-separation

I should preface this with the fact that I've played through Skyrim 3 times with different stages of Kaidan EE/IF:

The initial Dawnguard + fixes/miscs mod

Kaidan EE/IF versions before extensive faction/NPC dialogue for Kaidan

EE/IF w/ NPC Dialogue (AKA Fratpack)

I was also part of the two different discords that were purged and created during these intervals. i don't even know if there is a discord currently?

anyway, that is to say that I have experienced the mod and it's behind-the-scenes progress, extensively so I have a pretty good idea of what I liked and didn't like

That being said, I will introduce probably my biggest problems with it: Tonal whiplash

Okay, well the most common complaint is ofc that a lot of the writing is out of character - and I agree. But it's not just ooc on paper, it's his voice too. I swear, it is very jarring hearing hushed, mild og Kaidan 2 voicelines, and then being deafened by EE Kaidan SCREAMING in my ear ALL.THE.TIME. (like... why are you yelling at me rn jeez)

Seriously. I'm not sure why they didn't just re-record everything from the original mod instead of adding more and more contradicting lines on top of the originals. It definitely could have been a standalone mod, and sometimes it almost feels like it is - because he is just so different.

My most infamous moment in my last playthrough with him happened after we defeated the dragon at Kynesgrove. His og Kaidan 2 dialogue played first, in it he shows interest and is cordial about Delphine ("I wouldn't mind prodding her mind" or whatver dialogue), THEN immediately after his Kaidan EE/IF dialogue will play, in which he walks up to Delphine and STARTS YELLING AT HER AND INSULTING HER - like they argue for quite a bit wtf. And it's like, listen, I have my thoughts about Delphine, but whether or not it was okay to yell at her isn't the problem. It would be fine - IF he hadn't just calmly told me he thought she was okay.

It is sooo confusing how he contradicts himself :(

I mean, yeah, fragments of who he is are still there, I can tell it's Kaidan, but he's warped to fit a different character. Like a con-artist Kaidan.

Anyway, besides the contradictions, it also feels out of character because of his established backstory.

Let's go over it: He's an orphan, lost his only connection to his family(his guardian) to drugs, fell into substances himself, joined a violent cult, had to escape said cult, came clean from his addictions, has been traveling Tamriel bounty-hunting, got brutally attacked by the Thalmor, rescued by mere chance. Do you honestly mean to tell me this man would be yelling, pissing, drinking, lewding, and joking his ass off?? After all that???? NO - or maybe not these levels of extreme. (maybe some other dude might, but Kaidan's characterization insists he is a brooding, keeps-to-himself man, even though he never acts like it anymore)

That man should be tired, and he did feel like he was tired in the original. He was more brooding then than he is now, usually silent, but could still have an edge of comedy/wittiness, he was smart, he had been through a lot!

In that regard, EE/IF Kaidan felt like... we are experiencing Kaidan 10 years in the past - like a Kaidan in his early 20s when he was still a drunkard low-key terrible person. He is just so energetic, always yapping - GOD he talks a lot now. ugh but most of the time it wasn't about anything, it was either inside-jokes, meta jokes, and only occasionally did we get things that added to the experience.

For example, I think most of us who have played Kaidan 2 remember at least one specific line he has said while exploring. What comes to mind for me is either "Can you smell the magicka in the air too? Smells like a rainless thunderstorm." or "Watch for the mammoth with the carvings on their tusks, that's how the giants mark their herd." Alright, both pretty nice small talk for characterization (he IS smart) and worldbuilding.

Tbh i can't really remember any iconic lines from the additions of EE/IF Kaidan... the only two lines that stood out for me were: the "elevenses" line from the clip above (started bumping into him every time he was about to say this so he would stfu... total tonal dissonance), and one he said while I looted Lucky Lorenz ("poor sod wasn't as lucky as his namesake would have you believe!") kai HOW do you know this man, and his nickname, who told you that??? (idc about it that much but its like the only other added line i remember)

I thought that maybe his ooc-iness might have been caused due to the collaborative approach of the mod, I think the mod authors created their own perfect Kaidan - and that's good for them! It takes a shit ton of work (Ik cuz i was there!!) But I think the original essence was lost with each addition. It might have been lack of direction for the voice acting too, a lot of the lines might have hit better if they weren't borderline screamed.

Okay, at some point while playing I got so tired of his constant himbo chit-chatter that I tried tuning him out and bringing other npcs from vanilla skyrim as followers. Problem: even without kaidan on your party, everything starts being about kaidan. Because the extension made it so that Kaidan either has history with/character interactions and development with different NPCs from the base game.

The main poor sods that traveled with me:

Erik the Slayer: Apparently was Kaidan's childhood friend, got inspired by Kaidan to become an adventurer. Least egregious in my opinion, they say sweet things to each other. I swear, Kaidan yells more at me than he ever did at Erik.

The Companions: dumb, dumber, and dumbest basically.. This part of EE/IF was also known as "The Fratpack" and y e a h they pretty much had Vilkas, Kaidan, and Farkas acting like immature frat boys all the time. Just,, absulutely taking away all the maturity out of these GROWN ASS MEN. im sorry, i guess i dont get the appeal. I liked it when they didn't behave like teens (Aela im so sorry, you deserved better than being part of this)

Lydia: All she does is simp for him, ALL.THE.TIME. You think she's about to have a meaningful thing to say? nope, she's checking out Kaidan's ass. Think she'll have a deep convo with another npc about one another? nope! she wants them to tell her all about Kaidan. Both the Companions and Erik will either talk down to her or have to deal with her thirst for Kaidan. i had to start leaving her home.

They also suffered from the same tonal whiplash as Kaidan, unfortunately

additionally, the mod added an "early flirt switch" - you could basically toggle Kaidan to start showing romantic affection for the Dragonborn before the amulet of mara., the interactions were good on paper, but everytime he stammered and stumbled over his words it was written in such an unnatural way... pls people don't talk like fanfics lol !!!

I did like that he gave me flowers, my inventory got full of them - but then he noticed how many flowers I had in my inventory and judged me for "picking everything i see" ugh dude you gave them to me, but also even if you hadnt... mind your business lol

Another addition was a feature that basically made it so NPCs could potentially throw flirtatious comments at Kaidan and the Dragonborn (Bishop flashbacks😨)

You can't do anything to defend Kaidan from those comments, but he WILL take it upon himself to defend your honor infront of any men, women, jarls, or criminals that even so much as find you attractive (THIS INCLUDES FARKAS AND VILKAS BTW :( ) by being rude, forthcoming, AND violent. so yea, you can guess the target audience

speaking of which, he definitely comes on too strong on you once you start the romance, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I specifically picked the "go slow" option for the romance, and the next day or two it was him constantly complaining about having to go slow under his breath, how he wanted to do anything but slow rn... and like just, wow. :/ yikeees lmao

Maybe this is the result of "i can fix him" romance ideals? im sorry but I liked him when he was down to earth

Bonus? He comes with a campsite now, which has to be magic because its ginormous and he somehow lugs it around despite it also coming with a whole ass furnace (fine fine i'll hold my disbelief)

anyway I do like it, its basically a player house you can take anywhere (so long as kai is with you ig) also you can have a cat in there

I like that there is an MCM, I like that the MCM lets you get through the quest stages in case you get stuck

I like that he can guide you places, usually he gets stuck in a tree or rock but its the thought that counts

I think if the mod had continued in the vein as its original iteration when it was just audio/bug fixes and included these qol features it would have been better than it is now.

But it seems maybe i'm just not the target audience, and as a young woman I'm really confused as who the target audience is 😓

okay im srry rant over

if anyone else wants me to yap about other kaidan skyrim things also ask or join in cuz i like yapping about skyrim and kaidan to people!!!

[queen-scribbles]

I saw the post about the big Bioware sale and figured you're a good person to ask since I've seen you posting about Mass Effect/Dragon Age a lot. The games look fun, and I'm a sucker for complex stories with customizable protagonists, but I am a complete weenie about the more, uh, mature stuff when it comes to romance and the 'M' rating keeps scaring me off.

Like I'm over 18 and I'm fine with the violence/drinking/most of the swearing listed with the M rating, but I just get deeply uncomfortable with the other stuff. I'm just weird like that, I guess.

Is it really a lot? Or is there like a skip option, or some kinda setting that'll just have it be a fade-to-black sitch like SWTOR? I won't be too disappointed if there isn't, I kind of expect that really, but I figured it was worth an ask while the sale is on/to keep in mind for the next sale.

I have major social anxiety and am kinda embarrassed about all this, so sorry about the anon-asking. :P

No, no, you're fine, I understand completely. (I can take or leave a lot of the sexier stuff myself) Now I will try to remember romance scenes bc I haven't played some of these games in 4-5 years, and some of the romances I haven't gotten to yet. 😅 (if you don't mind spoilers you can always look up the romance on yt to check for yourself if it goes past your preferences. but if you do wanna avoid spoilers I will do my best) P much all the romances there's only even potentially anything that might be a problem in the Culmination Scene.

(If I got anything wrong anyone please feel free to correct me)

I know in ME1 the romance scene(with Kaidan for f!Shep, Ashley for m!Shep, Liara for either) there's sideview but shadowed nudity for f!Shep/Ashely/Liara(with Arm Strategically Placed to block boobs so all you really see is a little bit of butt) and Kaidan/mShep is shirtless.

ME2.... I think there's 0 nudity and ftb for Garrus, Thane, Tali, and Jack(ftb on tenderness, comes back in to fully-clothed snuggles in bed), Jacob's shirtless, and Miranda you half-unzip her catsuit uniform so you can see her bra. Oh, and there's a mini-romance-y thing with Kelly and she wears something really skimpy if you do that.

ME3... I need to caveat I've only actually gotten through ME3 with my Kaidanmancers + the Jackmancer, but I watched p much all the others on yt to hurt myself. Also it's been a while. I don't thiiiiink there's any full nudity, when it gets to the big sex scene toward the end, the furthest it goes is cuddling/foreplay with underwear still on, then cuts to waking up still just in underwear, and not all the romances get that. Some of them, ah. end prematurely for different reasons, or the romance isn't an actual companion in this game, so there's less content(Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, Liara, and Tali get the most, since they join the team + have been established longer). There are new m/m and f/f exclusive option in ME3, but it's been long enough I don't rememberrrrrr if there's anything risque for them. I don't think so.

Andromeda I've only done Liam's romance and I don't think there was much in there(you can get him to stop wearing a shirt on the ship about halfway through and there's a makeout session on the couch that ftb). I think Cora's and Jaal's involve male and female shirtlessness, but I'm straight up blanking for the rest of them.

FOR DRAGON AGE

In Origins, the "big scene" for the romances does involve "sexy" movements, but the characters still have on underwear, so no nudity, and tbh with game engine/graphics advances that have been made a lot of people find those scenes cringey/silly more than sexy now. I think you can skip those, maybe, but if you can't there's dialogue after so you can just look away til you hear your chosen sweetie start talking and the conversation takes place fully clothed.

DA2 they did ftb for the four vanilla game romances. Love interest shows up, there's cutscene kissing fully clothed, ftb, wake up in underwear at worst. (Sebastian MY BELOVED is romanceable with a f!Hawke, but since he's a) chaste and b) a DLC companion, there's absolutely no sex scenes with him, you can get chaste married on his friend path and he'll talk about the two of you getting married to reclaim his homeland on his rival path).

DAI is... simultaneously best and worst in this regard lol Josephine and Solas there's nothing. Sera and Cassandra you see boobs and enough leg to hint at full nudity without actually showing it(Sera's might get a little more explicit, it's been longer for her so I don't 100% remember). Dorian's has... full rear nudity, but I think that's it. Blackwall's I don't remember, Cullen and Iron Bull both have scenes where you can tell they're naked, but the Inquisitor or an object is strategically in the way of the naughty bits.

OH AND not romance related, but possibly an issue, there are demons in the DRagon Age canon known as Desire Demons, who look like practically naked purple ladies(they have, like, an even skimpier version of the SWtOR Slave Girl outfit and are fond of caressing themselves seductively). They aren't in DAI, but do show up in the first two games for a few quests.

[quicksilverdrabbles]

Kaidan: *holding a Dragon's Tongue flower, walking down the hall of Skyfall Estate towards Morana's room* Hm.. I hope she likes it-

Taliesin: Kaidan?

Kaidan: *looks up, seeing Taliesin already standing at Morana's door* Oh gods, what are you doing here? Need her for something?

Taliesin: Something like that. And what exactly are you here for?

Kaidan: Er.. *hides the flower behind his back, looking down and seeing a box in Taliesin's hands* ... Wait, what's that?

Taliesin: *raises an eyebrow* I don't have to disclose that information to you.

Kaidan: I'll tell if you do.

Taliesin: ... Fine. Seeing as how we have been unable to find a suitable replacement for her mask, I figured Morana would like a headpiece to make her feel more confident about showing her face in public. *opens the lid, revealing a gold and ruby circlet* I happened to find it in a chest she missed during our most recent delve into a dungeon, and it just so happened to be enchanted with Alchemy benefits. I think the gold would be rather nice with her hair color, don't you?

Kaidan: *stares at the circlet in shock* I- Yeah..

Taliesin: And? Now it's your turn.

Kaidan: Er.. *trying to think of a suitable lie* W-Well, I, er- noticed she was running out of potion ingredients, and she mentioned wanting to make a potion with Dragon's Tongue. So...

Taliesin: *staring at the little flower* So you only brought her one?

Kaidan: There was only one that I found.

Taliesin: I think you're lying. And after I was so honest to you, tsk tsk.

Kaidan: Aye? And what exactly are you hoping to accomplish by giving her that? You of all people don't give gifts for free.

Taliesin: Hmph. I think you know the answer to that well enough. You and I are no different in that prospect.

Kaidan: ... I won't back down from this. Not from her.

Taliesin: Oh good. I was afraid Morana only ever had pathetic milk-drinkers chasing after her. *chuckles* Worry not, I have no intentions of playing dirty this time. I would hate to force her into a relationship where the feeling may not be mutual.

Kaidan: I feel the same way.

Morana: *opens the door to her room, leaning heavily on her cane in pain* ...? W-What are you guys..

Taliesin: Oh dear. Bad pains today, raven? *sets the box on a table and moves so she's leaning against him* Why did you get out of bed?

Morana: W-Was.. gonna go.. see Yaksha..

Kaidan: Hey now, your voice sounds more hoarse than usual. Don't go hurting yourself, we'll go get Yaksha for you.

Taliesin: I'll go. Kaidan, help her back into bed.

Kaidan: Aye. *lets Morana lean against him so Taliesin can leave, picking her up once he's gone and carrying her to bed* We've really got to come up with a way for you to let us know when you're in too much pain to get up. This can't be very pleasant for you.

Morana: *blushes, turning to hide her face* I'm fine.

Kaidan: Ha. Obviously not, starlight. Do you need one of your potions?

Morana: No, it's not illness today. Just.. chronic pains. Most days it's bearable, but sometimes... it isn't.

Kaidan: But it always hurts you like this?

Morana: ... Yes.

Kaidan: .. I wish there was something I could do to ease the pain. Aside from leaving Yaksha to bring you medicine.

Morana: It only helps a little bit anyways. *leans into Kaidan gently* ... The warmth helps.

Kaidan: Hm? *looks down at Morana resting her head on his shoulder* Being warm helps?

Morana: A little bit. It was always cold in the lab. The aches never really went away.

Kaidan: Could be you're naturally always cold.

Morana: *sighs, fiddling with a loose string on her sleeve* That too.

Kaidan: ... I'm sorry. *sets her down in bed, wrapping her in a furry blanket* Sit tight, I'll get the fireplace going.

Morana: Mm. *leans back against her pillows, eyes drooping a bit. Her exhaustion is evident, but the pain and the cold keep her from falling asleep*

Kaidan: *throws some logs in the fireplace* Did you manage to get any sleep last night?

Morana: Mm-mm.

Kaidan: I'll let the others know we're not leaving tomorrow. You need some time to rest.

Morana: ...

Kaidan: *glances back at her, noticing her scarred eye squinting more than her uninjured one* ... Can you not see very well out of that eye?

Morana: *shakes her head, brushing her fingers along the burn scars on the side of her face* It never healed properly. I considered getting rid of it, but then I'd be completely blind on my right side.

Kaidan: Hm.. Wonder if the Restoration mage at the College could help with that. Or any healer.

Morana: ... Did we all die and go to Oblivion?

Kaidan: Eh?? What do you mean?

Morana: *snickers, wincing at a sharp pain in her chest* Normally you would never seek the help of magic.

Kaidan: Aye, well.. your wellbeing is a different story.

Morana: I've thought about going to see that face sculptor in the Ragged Flagon. If only to fix my eye.

Kaidan: Not your scars?

Morana: ... It's weird imagining my face without the scars. *looks up at Kaidan, a worried frown on her face* Do you think I should ask her to fix my scars?

Kaidan: Absolutely not. Er- well if you ever decide you want to then I'd support you, but- Uh.. *twirls the Dragon's Tongue flower behind his back nervously* I never want you to think that I want you to change how you look. I've said it before. No matter your scars.. you've always been beautiful to me.

Morana: *brings the blanket up to cover the lower half of her face, ears turning dark red* You always say stuff like that..

Kaidan: *smiles, setting fire to the kindling he added and standing up to let it burn* Yeah, and I always mean it. *pulls the flower out from behind his back, walking towards Morana and tucking it behind her ear* You.. are very precious to me. Every time you say that there's nothing anyone can do to ease the pain you feel.. it only makes me want to try that much harder to heal you.

Morana: *frowns, shaking her head*

Kaidan: You would do the same for us, wouldn't you?

Morana: ...

Kaidan: If it was me? Or Taliesin or Inigo or any of us.

Morana: ... I wouldn't stop until I found a potion to heal you.

Kaidan: Exactly. You would do the same for us, so let us find your potion. Or your spell, or whatever it takes for you to be free.

Morana: *stares up at Kaidan worriedly, considering* ... Kaidan-

Kaidan: Hm?

Morana: I- You really shouldn't- I'm not going to-

Taliesin: *knocking on the door* Morana? Kaidan? I've brought some medicine from Yaksha. He's a bit tied up in an... archery incident between Inigo and Gore at the moment, so he'll be in later to check on you, raven.

Morana: ...

Kaidan: Archery incident? What the hell happened?

Taliesin: Gore challenged Inigo to shoot an apple off of his head. They've both been drinking, he missed and shot his shoulder.

Morana: ?!

Taliesin: He's fine, don't worry. Here. *hands Morana a cup of tea* Yaksha mixed the medicine in with the tea. Should taste just like chamomile.

Morana: *takes the cup with a smile, humming at Taliesin thankfully*

Taliesin: You're welcome... *notices the flower in her hair* Ah, so you gave it to her.

Kaidan: Ah, buzz off.

Taliesin: Hm. Well, I suppose my gift can wait until tomorrow. You'll never feel better if you don't get any sleep.

Morana: *finishes her tea, her expression becoming sad*

Kaidan: You alright, starlight? Does it still hurt?

Taliesin: The medicine won't take affect for a while.

Morana: *looks away, flustered, signing with trembling hands* Can you guys stay with me? I haven't been able to sleep alone lately..

Taliesin and Kaidan: *looks at each other in surprise*

Taliesin: ... I'm not opposed.

Kaidan: ... *sighs, leaning back on Morana's bed* If it'll make you comfortable, starlight.

Morana: Thank you.. *sets her cup on the nightstand and adjusts more comfortably in bed, unwrapping herself from the blanket to toss it over Kaidan*

Kaidan: Ah, you don't have to worry about me. I'm warm with the fire.

Morana: ... *shifts under the blanket so she's cuddled against him, her face burning red* T-That's not why I did it..

Kaidan: *cheeks turning pink, turns so he's more comfortable* ...

Taliesin: Er- Are you quite sure you want me to be there too, raven?

Morana: *looks over her shoulder at Taliesin with pleading eyes*

Taliesin: ... Oh fine. *takes off his boots and gloves, leaving them near the nightstand. He clambers into bed behind her, leaving a respectable amount of room, but still close* Better?

Morana: *hums happily* Much better.

Taliesin: Good. Now to go sleep, dear. And if you feel the need to get up for anything, let us know so we can help you, alright?

Morana: *snuggles deeper into her blanket, nudging it over Taliesin* Mhm.

Kaidan: ... *sighs, running a hand through her short white hair gently* Could get used to this.

Taliesin: Agreed.

Kaidan: *watches as they both begin to fall asleep, a frown forming on his face* But what were you about to tell me..

[ask-the-ddlcxpjsk-gang]

Welcome!

Welcome to our wonderful masterpiece of a club! Be honored that your upperclassmen had the time to spare to make such an arrangement for you to join on this fine day!

oh boy... Tsukasa, leave them alone... sorry about that... it's nice to have you here, i'm Kusanagi Nene.

HWEH!?!? NEW MEMBER?? hi there! I'm Ootori Emu! Emu means smile~! We'll make sure this is a WONDERHOY club for you!! ⭐

Kamishiro Rui, president of the theater club, it's a pleasure to meet you~ Ah- did Tsukasa already explain what we do in the club?

Sadly, we only write scripts for plays in this club, as this school doesn't have access to a stage, but we still hope you have a good time here. our goal is to ensure the happiness of all who read our works~

and of course... me! TENMA TSUKASA!! WORLDA FUTURE STAR!! TENMA MEANING-

they already know who you are, don't even bother.

Stuff to know under

OOC:

Welcome to my DDLC X PJSK AU!!

Here's just some stuff you should know:

I have not played DDLC, but watched a playthroughs and other stuff surrounding DDLC, please don't come for me if some lore here is different than the game-

there won't always be drawings, but I will try to make drawings sometimes, it'll mostly be writing though

this will work different from the game... cus... this is tumblr-

there will be much less emphasis on the dating sim part of DDLC, and it'll be more like having friendships with them instead of dating

Trigger warnings for possible things in the future: Suicide, glitches, swearing (this'll be updated as time goes on)

Updates may be VERY inconsistent

This is my first time doing something like this, it is probably very likely I will fuck something up

If you'd like to speak to me, refer to me as basil <3 (anyone else use their names)

You will be clumped together as "one person" with the name Kaidan when wxs talks to you

with that said, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show <3

Main account: @boiledbasil

[alexanderdragonborn]

#

Remi: My partner in crime just said they don't love me anymore!

Ldb: I didn't say that! I said you weren't allowed the name my Dwemer Spider because you have Scrap!

Remi: It's the same thing!

Ldb: 🤦‍♂️

#

Lucien: Truth or Dare?

Ldb: Truth!

Lucien: How many hours did you sleep?

Ldb:......Dare

Lucien: GO TO SLEEP!

Ldb: I don't like this game!

#

Ldb: Lucifer I got you something!!!!

Lucifer: Aww thank you!

Ldb: Bake Potatoes!!!

Lucifer: Oh...uhhh....thank you but you do know I prefer raw potatoes right?

Ldb: But it's potatoes!

Lucifer: It needs to be raw.

Ldb: So, Do I take it back? *reaches for potatoes*

Lucifer: *smacks hand* No! Don't touch my potatoes!

Ldb: Sorry!

#

Xelzaz: Guys? Where's Ldb? And Nebarra?

Kaidan: They left an hour ago.

Xelzaz: By themselves?! You're not supposed to leave them unsupervised!

Marcurio: Khash is with them? I'm sure they can't cause that much trouble.

Xelzaz: Yes, they can, and that's even worse! *packs bag* I'm off to find them.

#

Kaidan: You know, for someone who's short, you certainly have an attitude. You are under 5 ft. I can just put you on top of a bookshelf and won't let you come down until you decide to be nice!

Ldb:*slowly walks towards him* Do it. I dare you!

Kaidan:...I sense I made a mistake.

#

Khash: Your hair is really pretty! Can I braid it sometimes?

Ldb: I don't know. My hair is pretty short. You sure you'll be able to work with it?

Khash: Yup!

Ldb: Okay. Sure. Next break though.

Khash: Yes!

Khash: ...Can you buy me a drink?

Ldb: As long as you don't steal my coffee again.

Khash: No promises.

Ldb:*sighs* Okay, I'll think about it.

Khash: Yes!

[kagedbird]

TESSDE AU (+ Lucia :]) (Lucia part 11)

Lucia: *peeking past the door after Kaidan said it was okay for her to go in, covered in tears, seeing her mother laying in bed looking a lot better but incredibly exhausted* M-mama...?

Allora: *cracks open her eyes, smiling tiredly, waving her over* I'm here baby... c'mere...

Lucia: *dashing inside and clambering on the bed, carefully reaching out to hold her hand* A-are you okay?

Allora: *sighs, tugging Lucia close despite the tenderness lingering in her skin, just happy she wasn't hurt* I'll be okay bug... you all right?

Lucia: *sniffles, nodding and clinging close to her* M-mhm... I was... really scared... what was that? What happened? I-Inigo-papa sa-said... you have dragons inside you? A-and they hurt you?

Allora: *kisses her forehead softly, shushing her a little as she stroked Lucia's arms soothingly* That's right. He doesn't mean to, but for dragons, he's really young. He was put to sleep not long after his creation, and we think Alduin hurt him in some way to make him so angry all the time. He makes me create fire when I get upset. Normally the other two are able to catch it in time and give me scales to keep me safe, but everything was just building up and up... they weren't able to.

Lucia: *sniffles, clutching Allora's nightgown and thinking quietly to herself* ... ... A-are... are they nice...?

Allora: *chuckles* Yes, bug. Sometimes we have arguments, and we don't always agree, but that's life. They love me, and I love them.

Lucia: Like papas?

Allora: *grimaces with a laugh* Ah, not quite baby. They're more like your Great Uncle Bren. Family. Brothers, even.

Lucia: I have more uncles??

Allora: *laughs, snuggling Lucia close* You absolutely do, sweetheart. *kisses her head softly*

Lucia: *smiles, sighing in relief that her mother was okay* I love you mama...

Allora: I love you too, honey. I'm sorry for scaring you. I really didn't think that would happen so suddenly.

Lucia: It's okay. But...

Allora: Hm?

Lucia: *frowns, looking away* Tali-papa and Kai-papa were really upset... and yelled at Lucien-papa... Tali-papa said we were leaving, with or without Lucien-papa. I don't want to leave without him!

Allora: *surprised, but not, nodding sadly* I know, bug. I don't either. I don't know if your fathers will really listen to me if I say we can stay, and I don't really know if I want to... things have been really hard. *tucks Lucia's hair behind her ear*

Lucia: What's been hard?

Allora: *hums, sighing* Well, at first Lucien-papa never told grandpa and grandma about us. He forgot to mention us, you know? That's kinda hurtful.

Lucia: But he didn't forget on purpose...

Allora: It's a little hard to just forget a child you take care of, bug.

Lucia: ...

Allora: *sighs* And then there was... our conversation about me not being able to have babies. That was also really upsetting.

Lucia: Mhm...

Allora: Lucien and I had to talk about some adult stuff regarding how we felt about each other, and how his actions made me feel. That's never easy.

Lucia: But you made up!

Allora: *smiles and nods* We did. It could have gone very differently though; very badly. We were both really scared it would.

Lucia: Are you scared you can't make up with grandma and grandpa?

Allora: *huffs* I would be if I was in the wrong at all. They've been the ones breaching my boundaries though. If they don't respect that and stop, then absolutely not. Their feelings are not my job to maintain. It's their job, if they really want to keep me and you.

Lucia: But... Lucien-papa...

Allora: He's in a pretty tight spot. I won't lie. I know it isn't easy for him to be in this situation, and I do feel bad for it. But I can't let that dictate my safety- your safety. If this keeps happening with really stressful situations, I'll keep exploding with fire. Neither of us want that, right?

Lucia: No!

Allora: *squeezes Lucia's hands softly* Right. So we have to be very careful about what we choose to do. Kaidan and Taliesin want nothing more than to keep us safe. So if they deem this place unfit for us, I don't know if I can convince them otherwise. And right now, I don't want to.

Lucia: *slowly nods* ...Okay. I understand.

Allora: *smiles softly* I'm grateful, bug. You're such a good girl. I'm so glad you came into my life.

Lucia: *carefully wraps her arms around Allora's neck and snuggles close, sighing* I'm really happy too, mama...

[gammaraydeath]

tagged by @milkywayes!! <333

welllll i pretty much always bring garrus with me everywhere so i won't count him for these. wrex!

kasumi and miranda are probably tied here... kasumi's a bit of a glass cannon but her stealth strike is awesome

i only played thru me3 once so no fave... i just went with liara for most missions to balance the squad but i'll be changing it up more for my second playthrough

widow!! i use it to near exclusivity

black widow also exclusively - i always prefer playing sniper in shooters ^^

i've only played infiltrator!! i'm sooo attached to ro rn but maybe in the future i'll come back and make a new shepard and try a different class out

this is harddd... idk if i have a favorite honestly! i do definitely have a least favorite and it's any of the super mountainous ones in me1 that you have to drive around on

oof ilos probably... i wish i could go back and play through that for the first time again for the vigil cutscene

ummmm archangel sorry but i am predictable

gonna waive this one bc i have to play it again to decide!

i'll give you one guess

femshep jack or miranda :(

mako!!!!! duh

personallyyy i don't see the appeal in kaidan i'm sorry :(

i actually like ashley a lot! i feel kind of opposite to most people with the virmire survivor lol

haven't played multiplayer :(

ditto

sr-2 it feels more alive

destroy... sorry my synthetic friends i love u soo much but it's the only choice that makes sense to me

on my first playthrough i was straight paragon but now that i'm going for round two and feel a little more adventurous (and have ro's personality more nailed down) it's more like paragon in 1 and then a renegade creep in 2... my idea is to have it be 50/50 (or close to it) in 3

UMMMM idon't know who to tag i don't really know anybody else on here... 😔 if u wanna do it though then i tag you!! @ me i wanna read other people's !! :)

[octerminal]

Normandy crew reactions to Tali's suicide in ME3 if Shepard sided with the geth. Adams, James, Steve, and Samantha have nothing to say.

The "P" and "R" in Joker's picture stand for "paragon" and "renegade." They are the two responses Shepard can have depending on what dialogue option you picked. The "*" is because Shepard will only say they tried to save Tali if they take the paragon interrupt in her death scene.

Transcript below.

ASHLEY

ASHLEY: Can't believe Tali's gone. I know you did what you thought you had to do, but... I don't -- ASHLEY: Tali was like a little sister, you know? I... I think I need some time. I'll be fine. SHEPARD: Of course. ASHLEY: Just keep the geth away from me, all right?

GARRUS

GARRUS: I know you had your reasons for choosing the geth, Shepard, and I'll respect them. GARRUS: But Tali's choice... that'll be harder to get over. GARRUS: She was a good friend. I never did see her face, but I always imagined there was... What do humans call it? An angel behind that mask. GARRUS: And now I hope she's resting with them. GARRUS: Sorry. Maybe later. Still thinking about Tali.

JOKER

JOKER: I had to turn off the radio. Every channel was distress calls... and then static. EDI: Jeff, if you need to express your anger regarding the situation at me, I will understand. JOKER: No, damn it! I just... Why the hell did they keep shooting? All they had to do was stop. SHEPARD (PARAGON): The quarians' whole society was based on the geth being the enemy. I doubt they could see any other way. SHEPARD (RENEGADE): The quarians have been unreliable from the start. JOKER: Even Tali? SHEPARD: I tried to save her. JOKER: Yeah... I'm sorry. That was... yeah. SHEPARD: I wish it had come down differently, but the geth deserved a chance.

KAIDAN

KAIDAN: Tragic about the quarians. I always admired their resilience. KAIDAN: And I'm sorry about Tali. KAIDAN: She was one of a kind. SHEPARD: She was. KAIDAN: I'll miss her. KAIDAN: Will never forgive the geth for Ash... and now Tali.

LIARA

LIARA: An entire race, gone. I still can't believe it. GLYPH: I could order salvage teams to recover information from the crashed quarian ships, Dr. T'Soni. LIARA: No, not now. Let them rest. Let Tali rest. LIARA: I am so sorry about Tali, Shepard.

CHAKWAS, ENGINEERS, AND JAVIK

DR. CHAKWAS: Such a tragedy, what happened to the quarians... and to Tali. DR. CHAKWAS: Will you be okay? SHEPARD: I'll have to be. Not much of a choice.

ENGINEER DONNELLY: We heard about Tali and her people. ENGINEER DANIELS: We're so sorry, Commander. Won't be the same down here without her.

JAVIK: Do not mourn the "Tali" quarian. Mourn the fact she died and the machines still live. That is the tragedy.

[flame2ashes]

thank you for replying to my question! i do remember always install mods before textures but i thought you meant dont make your own texture mod on a game that has texture mods already, my apologies! i didnt have a specific clothing mod in mind but i was curious if it worked, and i couldn't find one i liked anyway 😅 and yes! i was only gonna use it for a personal playthrough and get some screenshots that'll collect dust in my harddrive 😂

As long as the body and head meshes fit, just head mesh swapping is fine. The best results will always be mesh swapping between genders and species because they all use the same/similar armatures. Also you'll have to make sure that the skintone on the body matches the new head if the outfit shows skin (which you can do by either editing the texture to match the skintone, or adjusting the values in the materials)

But yeah to answer the question straight-on, it is possible to mesh swap female Shepard into a female romance option, and the same between two male characters. As I said before, as long as you have the assets you need, you're good to go :)

Now if you're doing the vice-versa of swapping a female character into Shepard's position so you can play as them, you can use this to help with that. tbh it's easier that way because you only need to edit, like, two files LMAO

You could try mesh swap between two different species, the results just won't be as good as swapping between two of the same (here's an example where I mesh swapped Kaidan into Garrus' position)

Full mesh swapping will always involve multiple files. Here's my file list for John's mod, for example, which involves Kaidan's files:

The first two are from post-Mars and when you get to the Citadel. There are also his romance scene files, his formal outfit for the Citadel DLC gala mission, his casual outfit on the Normandy, and his various armour options (plus the Explore versions). The file labeled BioNPC is from the LE3 Community Patch Framework, since I use that mod in my game. As a result, I can use the Community Patch and my mod on top of it (which is great, because I love the Community Patch)

tbh once you get one file to work, editing the rest of the files will be easier/faster because you already got the process down. I recommend you start out with one of the files before editing the rest so that you know it'll work. It'll be tedious, but it's worth it :)

Also, to make restoring your game easier without having to re-download the game every time, you can make a vanilla backup of your games so that the Mod Manager can just restore to vanilla with your backup and you don't have to re-download the game every time. You can also put your desired mods into a batch install so that you don't have to manually apply the mods every time. (Of course if your game is already modded and you haven't made a vanilla backup you will have to do a full uninstall and re-install, to which I say....I'm sorry 😭)

Anyway hopefully this helps! My recommendation is to read tutorials and try things out yourself, joining the ME modding Discord for extra help and resources, and just straight-up experiment. One day you too can turn ME3 into your personal content and serotonin machine and do shit like this:

[rurpleplayssims]

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Kaidan asked as they settled into the tent for the evening.

"We continue onto Riverwood" she said. "But we're hiking up to the Greybeards first. They'll be wanting the horn, won't they?"

"I suppose they won't be impressed if we got the courier git to trek up there instead?" Kaidan joked.

Minerva snorted with amusement "Sorry Kai, we have to go. I get the impression that it's...a trial of sorts for me and they want to congratulate me on it, or not."

Kaidan grinned at her "Ah well, it was worth a try."

"After we head back to Riverwood, we'll meet up with Delphine and see what hairbrained plan she has."

Kaidan frowned "She mentioned the Thalmor Embassy..."

Minerva sighed heavily "I have a bad feeling that I'm going to have to sneak in there."

"Wait what?!" he yelped, looking outraged at the mere suggestion that she was considering the ludicrous idea. "No ye bloody not, not without me anyway!"

"They'd recognise you!" Minerva said calmly. She stepped closer to him "I don't want them to have a chance to recognise you either."

Her words softened his force but heighted his fear. "Minerva, please don't."

Unconsciously, she stepped closer and took his hand in hers. He almost jumped but didn't push her away. In fact, he relished the feeling of it being just the two of them. Soon they'd have a whole gaggle of followers, and he wouldn't get much chance to speak to her when it was the two of them like this.

“I know you’re worried about me on my own” she said gently, running her fingers over his knuckles, unaware of the mini crisis he was having in his head over the action. “But I’ll need to fight certain battles on my own.”

“I can’t protect you if I’m not there!” he protested, eyes meeting hers and she saw the intense emotion brewing there. She didn’t look away “I know but if I’m going to kill Alduin, then you might not be able to travel with me to do it.”

His eyes were full of pain and she didn’t like it “She might not seriously consider the idea” she said, only half believing her words.

“She bloody did, I saw the look on her face. I swear I’ve met someone so bloody paranoid as her…” Kaidan muttered. He saw her frown “What?”

She hesitated “Well…I’m not sure if my place to say…”

“What do you mean?”

She bit her lip before looking apologetically at him “Well, the way she was always looking over her shoulder and all…I thought her actions and the way she spoke would remind you of how Brynjar was when you were little.”

He blinked, realising that she was right.

“I don’t mean to cause offence” she said hastily, squeezing his hand again. “But…that’s what came to mind. I could well be wrong.”

He nodded slowly. “I suppose it does sound similar.”

“I didn’t offend you…did I?” she asked warily.

She still hadn’t let go of his hand and he didn’t mind in the slightest. “No, no, you didn’t upset me” he said with a grin. “Don’t worry lass.”

[husband-steve-cortez]

And I think eventually. During the Citadel dlc he invites her over to the apartment.

"Look, Liara. It all worked out in the end, and thanks to you, we might actually win this thing. I guess I... I'm finally tired of being mad at you."

(He'll choke on saying "I forgive you", because I think really he still doesn't sometimes, it still feels like such an unforgivable betrayal when he thinks about it, but he misses Liara and wants to let it go.)

And Liara might say something like, "So the ends justify the means? You've never really believed in that."

Because despite how much of a tough guy Ezra is, he's not really a renegade in the ways that matter to me, he's fairly paragon and upstanding and like... yeah, he actually thinks integrity and how a thing goes down matters, to borrow Kaidan's phrasing. Not that Ezra won't ever make a choice he's not proud of; he's no saint.

But I like that Liara knows this of Ezra and...never really seeks forgiveness from him; partly because, in truth, she isn't sorry. She knew what she was doing and did it anyway; apologizing too much would only further disrespect Ezra. And thus, she doesn't really feel like she deserves his forgiveness; and she was willing to accept that, when she handed Ezra over to Cerberus.

And anyway Ezra will just kind of shrug and say, "I miss you more than I'm pissed at you. That's enough, isn't it? Especially if this ends up being the end."

[ihatetheinternetandeveryoneonit]

Skyrim Shortfic: PUA Hits on Autistic Mage, You Won't Believe What Happens Next

CW: mention of underage drinking, intense incel-tier misogyny, near-non-existent proofreading

At this point in the story since I'm not at all chronological: Enid (Breton, 30, non-db) is trying to patch things up with her estranged son, Rufus. She's less of a bitch in general than she used to be, though she still can't "people." The gang is intrusively trying to rehabilitate her still, except for Kaidan who still thinks she hates him specifically for some reason. She's still in complete denial of her crush on him. Cary is part of the team but is not in Riverwood as Delphine does not take kindly to Thalmor--reformed or not.

========================================

"So, you're not someone who likes to lip-wrestle, got i--!" Another fellow leaned against the Sleeping Giant Inn, and like the men just before him, as well as most people, animals, and stones on the road, he went unheeded by Enid. She opened the door and it swung right against his head. For once, the team found her lack of spacial awareness gratifying rather than aggravating. Lucien, Inigo, and especially Rufus and Sofia chuckled at the man's expense as they all stepped inside. Even Kaidan wore a smirk he couldn't quite swallow.

Enid took no time making her beeline to the peace and quiet of the empty bar. "Any whiskey today?"

"Still none." Delphine sighed. "You're the only one who asks."

"Ale, t'en." Enid returned the sigh. "Stout and dry as you got."

Delphine nodded and ducked into the cellar.

"Excuse me," the man from outside slid onto the stool beside Enid. "You got a problem?"

"And a half-pint of larger for the boy." She called after Delphine.

"Excuse. Me." He poked her shoulder none-too-gently.

Enid's head snapped up at him.

"Oh hey, princess." He scoffed. "Nice to be graced with your attention."

"…What?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

He smirked. "Or maybe you're not used to men noticing you."

Enid blinked. "Sorry, do I know you?"

"You might, if you give me a chance."

"A chance?" she asked flatly.

"Not a smile, not a friendly hello. You just strut around like royalty. Well sorry to disappoint, ladyship, but I expect better."

Enid pursed her lips. "You're free to go."

"I don't think I will." He leaned an elbow against the bar as Delphine emerged with the beer. "Put it on my tab, sweetheart. And a mead for me too."

"Sure thing, babygirl." Delphine responded dryly. Enid snorted.

"No, t'at's fine, Delphine." She said, pulling out her purse and counting ten septims. "I'm no princess, I don't take tribute from the peasants!"

"Good girl." Delphine collected the coin and retreated back to her work.

"Do you usually mock men who are trying to do you a favor?"

Enid took a long sip.

"I could be the man of your dreams, you don't know."

Enid choked.

"You really want to die alone?" He frowned.

"Hmm, t'at actually sounds--wait, is t'at a threat?"

"No!" he gasped. "Just--let's start over. Hi, I'm Bishop." He held out his hand.

"Goodbye, Bishop." Enid turned back to her drink.

"Listen--!" Bishop grabbed Enid's arm. She jumped, spilling her drink, wide eyes staring incredulously at him.

"You think you're better than everyone, huh?" He tightened his grip. "Let me tell you that attitude is going to get you in trouble one day!"

With the sound of heavy footfalls, Kaidan cast his shadow over the bar.

"I think it's time for you to go."

"I'm sure the lady can speak for herself," Bishop drawled, not even owing him a glance.

"She already did." said Kaidan. "Perhaps I can help you listen."

"Kaidan…!" Enid went pink, wiggling her arm free of Bishop's grip.

"You're wanting to step outside, then?" Bishop stood and looked up at Kaidan. "Not all of us are savages up here…"

"At least 'savages' know how to treat people." Kaidan snarled. "It's always 'civilized' men who think they won't get their skulls split open for acting vile."

"Is that so?" Bishop scoffed, stepping back. "Splitting skulls is polite to you?"

Kaidan scowled down at him in silence.

Bishop smirked. "You think this posturing'll open her legs for you?"

"Hey!" Rufus poked his head from behind Kaidan's monolithic frame. "That's my mom, asswipe!"

Through the humiliation, Enid felt her heart burst at her son's sudden sort-of gallantry.

Bishop wrinkled his nose at Rufus and glanced up at Kaidan. "You know what? She's all yours. I'm not interested in used-up wenches."

Kaidan's hand flew to his hilt. The others by the fire jumped from their seats.

"FUS!!!" Rufus's high voice rattled the beams. Kaidan stumbled backward and Enid's stool rammed against the bar.

Bishop, meanwhile, was in the rafters, along with half the menu.

Delphine rushed out of the cellar with the lager in hand, mouth agape at the wine staining the wall. Kaidan placed a hand on Rufus's heaving shoulders.

Delphine glared daggers at Enid, who sighed.

"Put it on my tab. Sorry."

[ludicrouslydonewithart]

Cold Ramblings [1/2]

Morgan struggled to breathe, the cold air stinging her skin and cutting at her throat.

Her vision was shaky and almost blurry as she looked around, she could barely make out the corpses scattered around her.

Had she won? Was it over now? Where was everyone?

Morgan stumbled forward, an intense pain shooting up her spine as she almost fell to her knees.

Her eyes slowly trailed down.

Her face fell when she saw the handle of a sword sticking out of her stomach.

Morgan stumbled over her words. "I don't... I don't remember being stabbed... how'd that happen?"

---

Morgan leaned against a tree, barely holding onto consciousness as her vision faded in and out.

Maybe she shouldn't have pulled the sword out. It was so uncomfortable though... besides it wasn't like she'd survive anyway.

She saw a large figure walking toward her. She had to squint to make out who it was.

Kaidan? He was alright? That was good news. A smile crawled onto her face. At Least he was fine.

"Morgan!?" She saw Kaidan drop his sword and run in her direction.

Kaidan fell to his knees next to her.

He pulled her arm off of her stomach to get a better look at her wound.

Morgan couldn't help but shake her head and laugh. "You were right y'know... 'bout the armor... I should have worn something more..."

Kaidan looked like he was about to cry, he was all shaky and stuff... or was that just her? She couldn't tell.

"Hey... don't cry. You were right... that's a good thing..." Morgan smiled sadly.

"Shut up! You idiot! We need to get you to a healer! Quick!" Kaidan picked Morgan up roughly before heading in the direction of the nearest town.

"Don't bother. I doubt you'll make it it there in time before-" Morgan started.

"I don't care! I have to try! It's not that far!" Kaidan interrupted, speeding up.

Morgan stared up at Kaidan regretfully. "I'm really bad at this whole last words thing aren't I?"

"Doesn't matter! Because you're not dying today! Not if I have anything to do about it." Kaidan insisted.

She wondered if it was for her benefit or his… did it even matter?

Morgan leaned against Kaidan... his armor... It was cold. She didn't know what she expected.

Gods everything was cold. She supposed that it didn't matter if she was dying.

"I wonder what my sister's are doing right now? Haven't seen them in years..." Morgan rambled.

"You can send them a letter when we get you to town..." Kaidan comforted as best he could.

Everything was silent except for Kaidan's heavy breathing and the clanking of his armor.

It was too quiet.

"Hey... Kaidan?"

"Yes Morgan?"

"I'm sorry..."

"What for?"

"Your sword... we left it behind..." Morgan trailed off.

"Don't apologize for that, it doesn't matter right now-" Kaidan insisted.

"But it does- it's your sword!" Morgan argued before breaking into a coughing fit, causing Kaidan to stop.

"Hey! Are you okay!?" Kaidan exclaimed, gripping her close and pulling her in. It kind of hurt, but Morgan didn't want to mention it.

"No... but you probably already knew that..." Morgan rasped before laughing quietly.

Morgan didn't notice it, but she had blood going down her chin and all over her hands.

Kaidan stared at her with worry before continuing his journey, his eyes moving back and forth between the path ahead of him and Morgan's pathetic little form.

"Kaidan?"

"Yes?"

"You know this won't work-"

"It will."

Morgan's face filled with an emotion she didn't fully understand. "Yeah... of course... I must not be thinking straight... probably the blood loss..."

Kaidan was silent.

Neither of them dared to speak for a time.

"I think now would be a good time to tell you I put you in my will." Morgan broke the silence.

"GODS DAMMIT MORGAN! Stop talking like you're dying! It's not happening! Not if I have anything to do with it." Kaidan's voice trembled.

Morgan laughed.

"Is it wrong that what you said... just now made me really happy..."

"Doesn't matter if it is." Kaidan answered.

"Most people just leave me to die... even my own mother... and here you are... trying to save me... even if it doesn't work... I'm glad...y'know?"

Kaidan didn't respond, just looking away and clenching his jaw in a poor attempt to hide his emotions.

"It's probably just the life debt, right?"

Morgan didn't give Kaidan a chance to answer.

"If it is... don't tell me... I don't want to know... I'd rather die believing such a pretty lie..." Morgan trailed off.

"I'm probably pretty talkative for a dead woman... It's pretty selfish right?" Morgan's voice trembled.

"Doesn't bother me much..." Kaidan swallowed.

...

"If I live... your life debt is filled, right? That means you can leave and go off on your own..." Morgan chuckled wryly.

Morgan stared up at Kaidan as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"You have... really... pretty eyes..." Morgan trailed off as everything went black...

[quicksilverdrabbles]

Inside Dead Man's Drink (Gaia ver.)

Kaidan: What's up? You look distracted.

Gaia: There has been a man staring at me for approximately seven minutes now.

Kaidan: You keep track of that?

Gaia: Not consciously. I am going to go and see what he wants.

Kaidan: Wait, I'm not too sure that's- *watches as Gaia stands up and walks away* ... Ah, well. Hopefully she won't-

Gaia: Greeting Protocol Initiated. Hello. I am a Dwemer Gynoid of Artificial Intelligence, model A. However, you may call me Gaia, if you so wish.

Kaidan: Well shit.

Gaia: I noticed you staring at me for quite some time, and was wondering if there was anything you required of me.

Lucien: O-Oh! Hello, there! My name is- er.. Wait, did you say Dwemer Gynoid???

Gaia: That is correct.

Lucien: But you look just like a normal- normal mer? What- what race are you, exactly? If you don't mind me asking of course.

Gaia: My body is modeled after that of a Snow Elf.

Kaidan: *watching people turn and stare at Gaia in confusion* Aha.. uh, Gaia?

Lucien: Modeled?? So you really are a Dwemer automaton?! You don't look anything like the bronze machines!

Gaia: My skinplates are different from metal ones in order to imitate a more friendly disposition. However, I can assure you I am very much a machine. *steam valves hiss from her shoulders and collarbone, and the visible skin around her joints separates and rises, showing a mass of wires and metal and moving cogs underneath* Does this presentation satisfy you?

Kaidan: Gaia-

Lucien: What?! How- When- Why did you-

Gaia: Your heartrate has risen substantially. Do you require medical aid?

Lucien: *holding a hand to his forehead* Oh no, it's just- The amount of questions I have! I-It's almost overwhelming! How were you created? What powers you? How did the Dwemer come up with such an advanced machine? How does your intelligence work? How did you survive from the first era until now? Why are you wandering about Skyrim now instead of staying in the Dwarven ruin you were born in? Why a Snow Elf??

Gaia: System Processing. *her eyes flash yellow and white*

Lucien: Ah! Oh dear, what's happening? I'm sorry if I said anything insensitive!

Gaia: Answers Generated. I was created with much more care than my automaton brethren, with many more advanced features such as elven-like features rather than robotic ones, and a sense of taste, touch, smell, and enhanced sight and built-in Detect Life enchantments. I am powered by two primary sources, a unique dwarven dynamo core, and a black soul gem. It took the Dwemer at least 200 years to finalize my design, create the parts necessary, and begin their work of my creation. My intelligence works in much higher capacity compared to a regular person. I am capable of creating simulations of scenarios to finalize the best outside, retrieve information on the world around us, as well as much more that would be better explained in a more detailed presentation. Up until twelve days ago, my body was in stasis, and preserved until my awakening, the reason for which I am still unsure. It is, however, how I managed to travel from the first era to the fourth. With no masters to give me explicit instructions, I saw no need to stay in Blackreach, and wandered the paths of Skyrim until I came across Kaidan being held captive by Thalmor. My directive now is to protect him as he does me. And finally, I do not know the reason for my masters choosing to model me after a Snow Elf. I can only assume they wanted me to blend in with their Falmer slaves.

Lucien: Well nevertheless you are absolutely fascinating! *watches as her skinplates lock back into place, the steam valves retreating back into her body and disappearing* ... I wonder if you might let me-

Gaia: Request Denied.

Lucien: Ah, understandable... Still, what an amazing experience! The Dwemer truly were a fascinating people, to be able to create such an advanced machine that looks and sounds like a real person! The possibilities of what could be done if they had made more like you!

Kaidan: Oi. I'm not too fond of people treating my companion like she's just a machine. She went against one of her 'protocols', whatever the hell that means, to save me. She's not just a mass of metal for people like you to poke and prod at to find out what makes her tick.

Gaia: I take no offense, Kaidan. You don't have to defend me.

Kaidan: Maybe you don't take offense, but I sure as hell do-

Lucien: Oh- Oh yes, you're right. I do deeply apologize, Gaia, it's just- the Dwemer really were amazing. Masters of machines and craftsmanship, a whole culture lost to the ages! Probably the most tragic loss this world has ever seen!

Gaia: ...

Lucien: Um- Is something wrong?

Gaia: ... I apologize, but I find your analysis to be inaccurate. The Dwemer, as fascinating of a race as they may have been to the typical outsider, were nothing more than dictators who lied and stole and cheated their way to everything they owned. They had their expertise with machines, and that was their own, but they were a tyrannical people that enslaved and tortured and hurt an entire race of elves, and would have done the same to every other race in Tamriel had they but the time to do so before they were sent to the Void. That was the most likely outcome.

Kaidan: Gaia?

Gaia: *her irises slowly fade from white to red* An average scholar of the fourth era may mourn the loss of the Dwemer race, but anyone from the first era would argue different. The Deep Elves were an overly arrogant race of elves, so lost in their own hubris that they would even attempt to create a God from the same metal that created me. They were masters of stonework and engineering and architecture, this is true. But the loss of a race of artisans is a worthy price to pay, if only so that a race of world-ending tyrants would be lost from this world in the process.

Lucien: ...

Kaidan: ...

Gaia: *lifts a hand to cover her mouth, eyes fading to white and widening, almost in shock*

Kaidan: Are you.. okay?

Gaia: ... I do not know why I said that. I apologize. I am.. I am not meant to speak ill of my masters in such a way. I'll surely be punished.

Kaidan: There's no one here to punish you, Gaia. We won't blame you for speakin' your mind.

Gaia: I wasn't supposed to speak my mind. I'm not supposed to say anything out of protocol, I don't know why I did that.

Kaidan: Hey, easy now. It's alright. Don't think about it too hard if it's gonna fry your brain, alright? We can try to figure it out later.

Gaia: ... Request Granted. ... I'm sorry.

Kaidan: Don't be. Just rest for now. That looked like it took a lot out of you.

[tiny-banana-time]

Another prompt if you like! How’s about "You know I love a challenge." From the teasing dialogue list, for JayKay. Sounds like something Jay would say haha

MLS I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. But I'm also not sorry. It's been a fucking week, man. Anyway! Got something for you :)

We're on Mars, and Jay is showing off a new trick, because this is indeed something he would say.

"Not even you. There's no way."

The words had barely passed his lips before Kaidan regretted them. Of all the arguments he could have made, all the alternatives he could have suggested, he tells Shepard something's not possible?

Maybe Jay's not as bull-headed as he used to be, and he'll take Kaidan's statement into consideration instead of-

Ah. Nope.

He's calculating something, brown eyes trailing between their position on the ground and the Cerberus agent tucked up on the ledge in front of them. There's two more agents on their level, easy enough to take out, but the guy up top has the vantage point.

Jay's head stalls on its pivot, and his mouth takes up the movement instead. One corner raises into a smirk, and despite all the minute differences between Shepard's face and the one he was used to, that smirk and the wild look in his eyes is exactly the same as Kaidan remembers. If he still knows Shepard even a fraction of how he once did, that look can't mean anything good.

"Kaidan, take the guy on the left. James, the one on the right. I've got our ledge dweller handled. On my signal."

Kaidan readies his pistol and throws up his barrier. "Shepard-" he starts to ask, but it's cut off.

"Ready?"

It's not so much a question as it is an order before Jay's corona flares around him, massive and unruly like Kaidan's never seen it, the edges flickering on contact with Kaidan's own. Where it swirls and intermingles, flows around Kaidan and becomes a part of him once again, is just as calm and seamless as years ago. But that mingling is a stark contrast to the raw power flung out from Jay in every other direction.

Another question.

"Now!"

Before Kaidan can argue, before he can even open his mouth to ask him what the fuck he's doing, Shepard is off. Not barreling headfirst towards the enemy in his usual sense, no, but fucking bolting towards the agent above? One second he's right next to Kaidan and manipulating his mass, and the next he's three meters up and six meters away with a shotgun to the poor bastard's head.

"Hijo de puta-"

Kaidan wants to voice his agreement, but their two friends on the ground ahead have noticed the biotic cannonball firing a round into their squad mate's face.

He raises the mass of both enemies' legs and gets a clean shot on his target. James finishes off his own and swaps for a fresh thermal clip, looking over to Kaidan after.

"He always this loco?"

Kaidan watches Jay lower his own mass and drop back down to their level, his stride tense as he moves towards the bodies ahead. How does Kaidan even answer that now, after all this time? The Jay he knew was stubborn and self-sacrificing, but this is…

"He better not be."

They'll have time to properly talk about whatever the fuck that little stunt was later. Where and how he learned it, and why. He does another scan of their surroundings before jogging up next to Shepard. Details can wait, but before they continue their advance on the facility, Kaidan needs the basics.

"Shepard, what the hell was that?" He tries to keep his tone neutral, his volume low, but Kaidan knows there's a hint of venom in the way the question rolls off his tongue.

The glance that's returned over Shepard's shoulder cuts in an unfamiliar way: something wounded and cautious slipping through before he returns to careful stoicism. Jay throws on a quick smirk but won't meet Kaidan's eye.

"You know I love a challenge."

He moves to object, hand settling on Jay's lower arm, when he's cut off.

"Later, Kaidan," he whispers. It's a request, not an order, but Kaidan takes it nonetheless.

"Yeah, okay. Later."