#Kaidan alenko

[monowires]

i’m gonna say it. mshenko’s development over the third game is so beautifully bittersweet.

two men who know they could wake up the next day without the other by their side, still deciding to love each other like they had the rest of their lives. and in a way, they did.

shepard’s “someone to live for,” which is so telling if you look at it for a moment. a man who has died and been resurrected—a man who knows what it’s like to die—admitting, albeit subtly, that he didn’t have any real purpose. nothing that was more personal than trying to save the entire galaxy. but kaidan… kaidan gave him something concrete to fight for. something that made him think, “gods dammit, i want to live.” something that made him see a person when he looked in the mirror, and not just a weapon.

kaidan’s “you’re real enough for me,” which tells of the depth of his love. because here, kaidan is saying that it doesn’t matter if shepard is some fancy, elaborate cerberus clone. here, he’s saying that he has finally been able to put some of his doubts and worries to rest—perhaps not all of them, but enough, enough that most of the hurt and anger from his sudden reappearance has been quelled. it’s kaidan saying that he loves shepard; that he’s not overlooking his flaws, but rather that he loves shepard with such an intensity that he loves his flaws, too, because they are part of him. it’s kaidan, who has always had an iron grip over his emotions ever since baat, admitting that shepard has somehow made him feel something so intense and so important that he’s letting it grow of its own accord. that shepard somehow got past all of his self control in a way that was utterly terrifying—and in some ways, still is.

it’s two men who are both broken in their own ways finding it a little easier to hold themselves together when they have the other by their side. it’s something so, so beautiful finding a way to grow amidst a world of destruction and loss.

and gods dammit, i’m so normal about them.

[theduvetpirate]

I am prepared to be hated but I really think Garrus is a bit overrated?????? I went into this game being like damn Garrus is clearly the one to be with cos of how popular he is and don’t get me wrong I LOVE that turian so much he’s a bestie fr but I had actually 0 interest in romancing him at all???

Prepared for double the hate but yall overhate Kaidan as well lmao he does not deserve the hate he gets I love him !?? his romance for fem shep was completely fine and destroyed me at the end of 3 even with horizon (this is a whole separate thing but some of you willingly decide to not see he has some very valid points on horizon), and I love Thane too so I’m excited to see his romance now on my second play through but damn…

[housederiva]

Before you vote please keep in mind that a blorbo isn't necessarily your favorite romance option The two with the highest percentages move on to the next round!

-> Master Post

[average-mako-enjoyer]

So I've been thinking about this post from @monowires, and and it's a great post, but I want to talk about one aspect of the mshenko relationship that really gets me personally.

They can only come into this relationship as absolute equals. With fshenko (unless femshep stayed single or preferred Liara in ME1) there's always that awkward "remember when we fucked when you were my CO?" thing, but with mshenko there's no such baggage.

More importantly, Shepard never acted as a mentor figure to Kaidan and never fixed any of Kaidan's personal problems. They still affected each other deeply, but again, only as equals. And that is what makes their romance so bittersweet.

They both go into it knowing that it will end in tragedy. Maybe it won't happen today or tomorrow, but it will 100% end in their deaths.

They both have no expectation of surviving the war, so they don't call themselves boyfriends, they don't make empty promises about meeting the parents, having a kid, even having a home when it's over. They just live in the moment, as fleeting as it may be.

When Kaidan says, "We know the score. We know this is goodbye," he means it. And when he says, "Don't leave me behind," he means, "Don't die without me like you did before." He knows that Shepard is going to die on the Citadel. That the Crucible will kill him. He knows that for sure.

"Losing you was losing a limb," says the unromanced Kaidan in ME2. Now imagine having that limb reattached, imagine feeling whole again, and then to have it ripped off so mercilessly.

The thing is, for Shepard, the ultimate love is sacrificing his life for someone he loves, and for Kaidan, it's facing death with someone he loves by his side, and yet Shepard denies him that. He denies Kaidan the last, most important bit of equality in their relationship.

Like an asshole.

Stupid, heroic, tragic asshole. Kaidan must be so pissed.

[racc00nguy]

One of the many things that make Mshenko my favourite romance in the game is that they already have so many good moments before the romance even starts, so I made a compilation of said moments because I have a never ending mass effect brainrot :3

[chiefmysticmia]

if kaidan came out during ME1 it would’ve gone something like this

[strawberrykidneystone]

the difference 2 years can make

[guchaigue]

“Hey I’m an L2”

[lunargazing-png]

did it suddenly get warmer in here?

shoutout to all the shepards who have sick ass tattoos and scars all over them.

[hallabun]

[lelianaslefthand]

ive had a migraine all day and keep thinking about him

[spacevixen2024]

James watching Shepard and Kaidan on Mars like...

[blighted-elf]

Mass Effect Legendary Edition - Mass Effect 1 - 2024 Replay

[calnexin]

Commander Shepurrrrr

I got into mass effect recently and she’s all I think about. her and the Canadian one

[average-mako-enjoyer]

Kaidan Alenko has the most interesting story in the Mass Effect canon.

Exposed to Element Zero in utero.

Basically kidnapped from his home by a government agency when he was a teen.

Forcibly implanted with a piece of tech that literally makes people mentally ill and/or disabled but gives them godlike powers.

Survived that with pretty mild side effects (compared to others).

Survived a torture boot camp for kids.

Killed the authority figure who physically and emotionally abused him and other kids for over a year and was about to kill him.

Caused a diplomatic scandal.

Survived Red Sand addiction.

Still decided to return to military service.

Risen to the rank of Staff Lieutenant WITHOUT using his biotics on the living targets (no, seriously, he must be really good at shooting, hand-to-hand, and strategizing to become the head of the marine detail without using his main cheat code).

Trained a team of biotic superspies.

Literally a second human spectre.

Learned by HIMSELF the biotic skill that only Asari matriarchs can perform.

...

"Basic man", "generic noodle", are you fucking kidding??

[rim--blim]

good morning mshenko enjoyers