#Kaidan x Shepard x Tali

[lunargazing-png]

sweet chocolate, messy marshmallow, supportive cracker

based off of this tumblr post

[sol-consort]

Early morning Cuddling

[Fluff, suggestive, shepards reader, nb!reader]

[Ashley, Kaidan, Joker, Garrus, Wrex, Tali, Liara]

Ashley

Safety is a feeling you'll never lack in her strong arms. Securing you close to her chest so you can feel the drum of her heartbeat, slowly picking up speed as she stirs awake from her slumber.

And she smiles at you, sleep in her eyes and all, the first thing she ever thinks to do is express her happiness at you being by her side.

Tightening her hold for a moment so she could give your forehead a tender kiss. She looks at you as if you were something fragile, as if it was her duty to protect you. No matter how strong you might be, at that moment, you have no doubt she'll take a bullet for you and more.

The two of you have to get up soon before Joker's announcement calls for your required presence. But Ashley can't help but linger on you, steal a few more moments of peacefulness before the blaring of shotguns is all that she may hear for the rest of her day.

Her hair is a mess, black strands sprawled on the pillow below her. Framing her face and giving her a more gentle look than her usual tight bun hairstyle does. Her upper body bare with her chest pressed against yours. She smells like that one soap she keeps stocked on the Normandy since she has joined your crew.

You feel lucky being one of the few able to see her in this intimate state.

☆

Kaidan

He has an alarm that he ignores, preferring to cling more into your body and bury his face against your neck and shoulder. Leaving the alarm annoying beeping.

With a sigh, you reach over and turn it off. Except it's one of those alarms that require you to solve a simple equation to turn off, simple by Alenko's standards. The same one cuddling into your body and refusing to let go from the warmth.

So the poor alarm ends up thrown across the room, or stuffed under the bed with a pillow to muffle its sound. You wonder why does he keep buying them when he keeps ignoring them.

Running your fingers through his hair gently, you pry him off of your neck in an attempt to get him to wake up. He's always groggy in the morning as he attempts to blink the tiredness away from his eyes.

A clear contrast to his usual disciplined self, freshly out of sleep, Kaidan is not someone you want to come across on the Normandy. The morning is around the time when he needs to take his required medication for L2 implants and migraines since he'll not be granted another opportunity of free time until the day is over.

Your presence during it has been helping him in more ways that he cares to admit, your warmth chasing away the stray nightmares that used to plague his mind each night.

☆

Joker

The two of make it work, with a lot of patience and being mindful of his osteogenesis.

While cuddling, he is the one on top to avoid any pressure on his bones. He's the one hugging into you with his head resting on your strong arms. He tries to lighten the mood whenever he notices how careful you're being, a part of him hates his hugs not being reciprocated but he understands why.

Still, this is vastly better than sleeping alone on his bed. Feeling you underneath him, listening to your calming heartbeat. It almost makes everything worth it, every sleepless night spent studying during the academy, every day spent alone, every empty bed.

He trusts you with himself, with his genuine vulnerability hidden under his witty jokes and sharp mind. He is aware of how much effort you're putting in. How you truly see him as a person and not a charity cases.

He's usually the one waking up first, pilot training and all. Quietly leaving the bed to not disturb you as he goes and checks to the helm to check on the ship's states. Him and Dr.Chakwas are the first early birds aboard the ship and they've grown into a comfortable routine of doing the opening shift as the rest of the crew stirs awake one by one.

By the time he's done, he makes sure to prepare a hot morning drink for you and take it back to your quarters. Sitting on the edge of the bed.

His smirking face behind the steam from the hot cup is the first sight you see in the morning. His voice telling you an awful pun that has you almost choking on your drink with a groan is the first thing you hear.

And you wouldn't have it any other way.

☆

Garrus

He's unsure of this arrangement at first, of if this is who you really want to cuddle up to.

Human skin is squishy, fragile and soft, unbelievably so when compared to Turians' hard plated shells. Humans are just bare with nothing to protect them whilst having fuller bodies than other aliens with soft skin. Yet somehow, Turians are supposed to believe these soft creatures are the apex of their own planet, evolving from predators with their forward facing eyes rather than prey.

Garrus has always wanted to feel a human up close, their soft fragile throats that any Turian could squeeze so easily in their large clawed hands. Break with their talons like an eggshell.

Yet this race was incredible resilient, quickly stealing the Turian's reputation of being the most hostile race in the galaxy, the humans and their temper and fight or flight adrenaline responses were quickly making a name for themselves.

That's why he almost can't believe it when he gets to hold you in bed. Allowing him to almost pin you down so easily, to wrap his large claws and long arms around you. Nuzzle your bare neck with his sharp mouth and enhale your scent.

Turians would battle for dominance amongst themselves, a play pretend sort of fight that comes from deep natural urges to top the other even in relationships. So from his view, you allowing him to hold you so close and sleep next your defenceless form is you surrendering to him.

Garrus has never been the aggressive type, even by Turian standards he was too nice at times. Yet something about you is digging at these buried ancient instincts of his, the low deep growls each morning when you try to pull away, the tighten of his sharp claws around you.

It comes so naturally that he does it unconsciously, not realising the growling sound is coming from the back of his throat in the morning until he clears his throat in embassment. Unaware of the soft squecks and caws he lets out each night when you scatch behind his neck and he melts into your touch before falling asleep.

☆

Wrex

He prefers short naps throughout the day so he may stay alert even through the night, it comes naturally for his species to be on their gaurd through most hours, that's what makes them such great fighers.

But you're a bad influence on him, coaxing him with you into this bundle of soft sheets and blankets that you humans call a bed. Making him lay on his back, a position so intimate for Krogans to be in, and cuddling to his side.

You're...warm. the skin and meat seperating your heart from his hand is so thin in comparison to his. Are humans not afraid? How could they have evolved to have their heart at such an exposed location for all to see and touch.

And to think you were supposed to be the predetor and him the prey, so why does he get this urge to protect you. To keep your bones intact and never allow any harm your way.

A wolf in sheep clothings, that's what humans are. He has to remind himself constantly not to get tricked by your seemingly harmless appearance. Tantalising lips or mesmerising eyes. That you're as dangerous as him if not more from what he has seen of you throughout the years. Terrifyingly cunningly at times and overrun by basic rage instincts at others, a volcano of emotions that's constantly erupting.

That's why laying next to you in the early morning is such a strain on his instincts. He can feel himself changing, his body relaxing around you and his mind resting for once. He can feel his gaurd lowering and he hates it, hates not being on his toes, not being on constant alert.

But you hug him so sweetly, cuddle his arm so tenderly and tell him to stay by your side. How could he refuse, is he even strong enough to refuse when your touches are the most intimate thing he has had during his whole life? When the feeling of a human sleeping next to him made him feel more safe than he ever did in the best of armours, and here he was supposed to be the one protecting you.

Wrex remains by your side until it's time to wake up, until it's time to start the routine he grew so familiar of.

☆

Tali

The hum of the engine used to be what lulled her to sleep, and with how eerily silent the Normandy gets around this time, it leaves her restless.

The early morning is her respite, when the chatter and clinking of soldiers outside getting ready for the day is audible through the walls. Tali finds herself drifting off to a comfortable sleep, reassured that she is safe and alive with the sound of life around her.

She becomes incredibly cuddly in the early morning, as much as her restrictive suit allows. It's not the same one as her shore one, yet it is still as effective in protecting her immune system.

She wants to feel your warmth, your soft human skin and run feel your hair. But both of you know it's not possible yet. So you settle for hugging her waist closer to you, running a hand down her covered back and hoping it will make her feel something.

That maybe, just maybe, a sliver of your warmth will slip through.

By the time she is dozing off to dreamland, it's your turn to walk out the door and face your responsibilities. Leave the wamrth of your bed and ready your team for another survey of a freezing cold planet in the vast empty space of the universe.

☆

Liara

Her fingers are soothing as they run over your body, encouraging your muscles to relax and your eyelids to flutter open. Her melodic voice humming in your mind.

She manages to wake you up as peacefully as she can, eyes wide and full of wonder as she is ready to greet a new day with all the discoveries it may bring.

You wonder where she gets all this energy from, and why isn't it infectious. She seems the most awake of everyone in the morning, and yet she stays by your side in bed until you get all the rest you need.

You never had to tell her to stay either, she did it by herself. Claiming it feels like the right thing to do, how doting she can be on her loved one at times.

Liara is always curious about any dreams you may have, admitting how sometimes they can be like a window into a person's inner psyche. How much she wants to understand you better, on a deeper level than anyone before her ever did.

As if she wants to merge her soul with yours, and maybe to her own kind that's what true love is like. To liara, the mornings you share together remain the highlight of her day until nightime when she gets to feel your embrace again, hear your voice and listen as you tell her about how your day went.

There's so much to admire about her curious nature, her genuine love for knowledge and exploration. The way she likes her coffee especially sweet and the way she hums each morning to stirr you awake.

[anka1794]

So I decided to replay my favorite mass effect because I really want that n7 elite trophy😎

So first game wasn’t as hard as I thought it’ll be. I chose engineer class because of AI hacking and yes that was useful as hell. I mostly took Garrus and Ashley, because of sniper rifles and Ashley can equip heavy armor.

I will continue in next posts😊

[totallynotasimp67]

Mass Effect Prompt

Featuring Garrus

I’ll start this by saying, I am not that far into ME3, I have completed the first 2 and I do plan on multiple play throughs. The character I have currently romanced is Garrus, so I’ll be using his name, however feel free use any character you see fit

So, we all know Shepherd has a nightmare about the child they couldn’t save, now the scenario is as follows,

It had been a long day, Shepherd/you were tired, the entire crew was tired but

Shep/you: “Their isn’t any rest for the wicked, Garrus”

Garrus: “all the more reason for you to sleep, we need you on your A game to fight the Reapers, now sleep, Shepherd”

Shep/you: “you drive a hard bargain Vakarian, fine”

Now Shepherd/you had been asleep for a bit, maybe an hour at most when the nightmare started, meanwhile Garrus could tell something just wasn’t right and goes to check on Shepherd/you, his hunch being confirmed seeing you squirming in bed, obviously having a very intense dream

Alternate Dialogue

If you decide to time it after the War against the Reapers

Shep/You: “There isn’t any rest for the wicked, Garrus, you and I know that better than anyone.”

Garrus: “True, but there isn’t any galaxy ending threat knocking at our door, now is there, and I don’t think you getting some sleep will magically make one appear”

Shep/You: “you drive a hard bargain Vakarian, but you’re right, I’ll try and get some sleep”

Now don’t forget to tag me if you use this prompt, thank you and have a good day

[ehnari]

Mass Effect 1 sketches with my new Shepard named Tatjana :) (Guess who I'm gonna romance ME2...)

[idaintykeith]

Community of Mass Effect, I invoke you to show you this video:

It's an amazing channel that produces Mass Effect ranking lists, it's 100% worth the watch. Hilarious and all, but this video makes me think about one thing:

What if the fanfic community used AI Voices for podfics?

What are your thoughts on this? Feel free to share your thoughts.

Source: @primeradiancy in YouTube

[imperial-topaz2003]

Mass Effect Questionnaire

I saw @littleneonlily do this, so I figured I'd give it a shot, too, while I still have Mass Effect on the brain. 1. Tie between Wrex and Liara

2. Mordin, Samara, Zaeed, and Tali

3. Liara and Tali again, Kaidan, and Javik

4. The M-76 Revenant. Who doesn't love a non-stop barrage of death?

5. Still like the Revenant, but if you want me to pick something else, I'll do the N7 Valkyrie

6. Soldier. Go ahead, call me bland, but I think it best fits both the gameplay and the story. Though I do also like the Vanguard and Sentinel classes.

7. Noveria in Mass Effect 1. I dunno why, but I just love the atmosphere this planet has, both setting and story wise.

8. Tying in with the above, the entirety of Noveria's arc, for the same reasons, with Bringing Down the Sky right behind it.

9. The Suicide Mission itself, which is my favorite level in all of gaming. Runner-ups would have to include Garrus's Recruitment, Tali and Grunt's Loyalty Missions, and the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC.

10. It's gonna be a tie between Priority Rannoch and Tuchanka. And the entirety of the Citadel DLC, too.

11. Depends. With Male Shepard, I like to pair him with Kaidan (shameless Mshenko fan here). With Female Shepard, I like to romance Liara. Tali's a big runner up

12. I kinda wish James Vega was a romance option, preferably Bi, because I love my himbos. Other than that, I'd love to see some bisexual romance options from currently romanceable companions, such as Garrus, Tali, Thane, and Miranda.

13. Mako. Both control like ass, but at least the Mako isn't made of wet tissue paper.

14. Oh boy, you guys are gonna hate me for this one, but to me...it's Garrus. Look, I don't hate him but HOLY SHIT, some of his fans are overzealous.

15. I dunno how the rest of the fandom sees them, but I do really like Samantha Traynor and Steve Cortez. For side characters, they're really well written, both character and romance wise.

16. Haven't played Multiplayer in ages.

17. Refer to above, though I do recall liking the Earth maps.

18. I'd say SR-2. If you wanna be more specific, I like the version of it in ME3.

19. Destroy all the way...and maybe control. I know, E.D.I. and the Geth won't survive, but it's not like folks are just gonna forget how to rebuild synthetics (unless you're a moron who gets everyone killed). Control is a decent runner up if you wanna spare the robots. Synthesis is bullshit space magic (seriously, what the fuck even happens in Synthesis?). And Refusal is just...dumb.

20. I tend to lean more towards Paragon. Granted, I do make some Renegade Choices here and there, either for the sake of pragmatism or sheer amusement, but generally, the Shepards I play will lean a bit more on the Paragon side.

Not tagging anyone this time, since IDK how many of my mutuals are Mass Effect Fans, but feel free to give it a shot.

[anim3-g33k25]

CAUSE & EFFECT MASTERLIST

I have wanted to make a Mass Effect story for the longest time! There will be some warnings such as, this is a reverse harem, there will be sex inside of the scenes and I will be adding warnings at the beginning.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

CHARACTERS

YOURSELF VOICING

Y/N ROSEBERRY

" I know nothing about military life

but I don't want anyone to go

through what I went through back

at my home world! Just please

protect me and keep me safe. "

CHAPTERS

Book One

Love interests of Mass Effect 1

Book Two

Chapter one

Not even in the works

Book Three

Not even in the works

I made these graphics! Do not try to steal them or I will report you!

[silver-turian95]

Mass Effect Series: Light Within Darkness Part 1

[tealenko]

Btw I haven't forget about all this (I simply don't have the time T-T). Maybe next year I'm able to finish them...

I can't believe I though this would take me a few days back when I started them lol

And yeah, here come the 100 tags once again...

Eternal WIP - Disney x Mass Effect cross-over

Sooo... yeah, seeing the little time that I have to be around here I know this one won't be finish anytime soon, so I decided to share everything I've done up to now.

Most of them need A LOT of work, so please be kind (I am a gentle soul 🥺)~

Beauty and the Beast - Garrus / The Princess and the Frog - Thane

The Little Mermaid - Tali / Tarzan - Ashley

Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Liara / Hercules - Miranda

Sleeping Beauty - Jack / Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Jacob

And last, but not least: Cinderella - Kaidan

Btw, just in case you were wondering, I'm saving both Frozen and Tangled for other fandoms... If you know me even a little, you know who will be chosen as Kristoff and Flynn 🙃

Get ready for the infinite hashtag list ehehehehehe

[strawberrykidneystone]

brief moments of intimacy with mass effect companions

the commander shepard showing affection to their lover <3

a/n: i kinda like this format bc i need more practice writing for the other companions besides garrus😭 some of these are set in ME2 and some are set in ME3 oopsies

gn!shepard x mass effect companions

ao3 version

garrus:

-during missions, shepard is always at the front and center of her companions, guiding them through even the worst circumstances

-however, the way back is a different story

-with the rest of the crew in front of them and walking back to the normandy, shepard hangs back and walks next to garrus, giving him a small nod

-he nodded back and flickered his mandible, looking straight forward as he felt their hand lace with his, giving him a reassuring squeeze as if to say “it’s okay, we’re both okay”

-garrus squeezed back and leaned down to their height, pressing his plate lips against their forehead very briefly as they finally arrived back at the ship they both called home

liara:

-she was holed up in her room, combing through all of the information they had on the protheans for the umpteenth time as if she would magically see something new

-unsurprisingly, she didn’t

-what did surprise her, however, was a pair of arms wrapping around her waist and a nose burying into her neck

-thankfully, she could recognize her lover's embrace anywhere

-by the goddess, she was so wrapped up in her research that she didn’t even hear the doors open

-and what better time to take a break than with her favorite person in the galaxy?

tali:

-she was busy tweaking the core reactor in the engineering room to run at full capacity

-apparently, more time had passed than she thought because the next thing she knew, there was a tap on her shoulder

-she looked over the shoulder that was tapped, but no one was there

-a tap came on her other shoulder so she looked, and the same thing

-she finally completely turned around and found a smiling shepard holding up a picnic basket

-tali apologized for losing track of time but they stopped her, taking her hand and leading her to the cat walk where the core shined above them

-shepard laid out a blanket, setting up tali’s sanitized food and their own human food

-they sat directly across front each other, each sacrificing a hand to hold the other as they ate their respective foods

-a picnic in the stars, at least a very warm one

kaidan:

-kaidan woke up to shepard’s side of the bed being barely warm anymore, they were always up before him

-he yawned and stretched his arms up, sitting up and tossing his legs over the side of the bed to get the day started

-the door suddenly opened and there was shepard with two steaming cups of hot coffee in their hands

-kaidan couldn’t help but smile, they even indulged his “ridiculous” moose head mug (he brought it from home)

-shepard yawned and walked over to him, gently handing him his cup before pecking his lips

-as they turned to walk away, kaidan caught their hand and pulled them down into a deeper kiss, tasting stale coffee on their lips from an earlier cup

-shepard withdrew with a smile and shook their head playfully, ruffling his already messy bedhead hair

-what a nice way to start the day

ashley:

-it had been a long day in the war room and ashley was more frustrated than ever, feeling helpless in this war

-shepard caught up with her walking back to the elevator and snaked their hand around her waist, pulling her closer to them

-she couldn’t help but smile, leaning into their touch and leaning her head on their shoulder

-she may not be able to do much in negotiations, but she knew humankind was in good hands with her fearless leader

jack:

-after narrowly saving grissom academy, the kids were set up in the common area as they waited for another shuttle

-jack was still heated from the entire situation and was currently ripping shepard a new one

-at the end of her spiel, she slapped them and pointed at their chest “that’s for cooperating with cerberus in the first place”

-then, she grabbed them by their collar and pulled them into a rough kiss, their teeth clacking at the first pull in

-jack pulled back for air and looked at shepard with a blush on her cheeks “and that’s for saving my kids… it might be nice to see you again too.”

-shepard chuckled and pulled her close by her waist, so close that their noses were almost touching, “it’s nice to see you too jack.”

miranda:

-meeting miranda on the citadel after hearing about her sister was hard, especially when miranda insisted she needed to do it alone

-but if anyone would understand wanting to do something by yourself, it was shepard

-so they did what they could, pulling her into a tight hug that she returned with full enthusiasm, their rib cages crushing against each other

-a small sob escaped miranda and shepard cupped the back of her head, turning their head to the side and kissed the top of her hair, shielding her from the world so she could compose herself

-miranda took a deep breath, taking in their familiar scent and calming down in their arms

-everything would be alright as long as she had shepard by her side

thane:

-he was sitting in his usual seat in the hospital at the citadel, he was here more than her liked

-a small coughing fit started and his chest heaved, a dizzy feeling going straight to his head

-suddenly, he felt grounded when he felt a familiar hand rubbing circles on his back

-he didn’t even have to turn to know who it was, shepard sat down next to him and he comfortably leaned into their embrace, resting his head on their shoulder

-this place wasn’t so lonely with them, he would embrace death once again knowing that they would join him across the sea

jacob:

-jacob was doing his daily crunches in the weapons room (unsurprisingly)

-shepard initially came in to switch out her shotgun for another she found on the field, but this was even better

-jacob acknowledged then with a small wave, staying committed to his usual workout routine

-that was fine, shepard smirked and walked over to him, kneeling down in front of his legs

-he was a little confused at first, but they had perfectly timed it to when he started his full-sit ups, kissing him every time he made it all the way up

-he did way more sets than he was expecting to that day and could barely move his torso the next day

-worth it though

a/n: if a request is made for more characters i would be happy to add them in!!

[idk6123]

Man Of The Past (Kaidan Alenko X Male Reader)

The mission didn’t need to become as drastic as it did. Shepard’s crew just needed to collect some equipment at a human colony. Out of nowhere, some rogue bandits ambushed them and thought they could defeat them. Luckily, Shepard and his allies saved the colony and all of its people. However, it isn’t only Shepard’s crew who saved them, as a third party helped them. The commander notices the biotic man and his abilities and decided to talk with him. Together with his crew, Kaidan and Garrus, they greet the stranger at the side of the town.

“Nice work out there. You live here?”

As the stranger turns around to greet the man, he notices the other man. Both of them locks eyes to each other, recognizing the other person instantly. “Long time not seen.”

“Not long enough.” Kaidan responds back with some snark.

Shepard raises an eyebrow towards his teammate. “You know him?”

“Sadly.” Kaidan says back with some snark.

“Don’t mind him. He’s still salty he lost to me so many times.”

“Do any of you mind giving us some context?” Garrus requests, done with their vagueness rather quick.

“He’s Y/N.” Kaidan introduces him. “We met at Brain Camp.”

“Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training. BAaT for short.” Y/N says with a smirky smile. “Though after that got shut down thanks to a certain someone.” He looks back at Kaidan, who frowns at him. “I studied with different Asari camps and now I’m known as just a humble merc. Whether it’s for protection, an extra hand or committing war crimes, I’m your guy.”

“Sounds like you got experience.” Shepard is intrigued by the mercenary.

“I wouldn’t get excited.” Kaidan stops his friend. “This is a guy who throws his morality away if he gets money… or just some fun.” He gives a cold gaze at him.

“You say that, but let the guy say his offer.” Y/N looks back at the commander. “I heard of you, ya know? I know your cause, and whatever alignment I have, humanities, as well everyone’s sake, can’t be allowed to cease to exist. And since you need every men, I doubt it can’t hurt to have an experienced biotic soldier join you on the field.”

Shepard thinks about it. Kaidan notices this but doesn’t raise his voice. If anything, how could he give an argument to decline Y/N’s slimy offer.

“Let’s discuss the price.”

-

And so, Shepard’s squad got filled with one more member. With another biotic on the team, their strength greatly increases. He manages to fit well with the team. He often chats with Garrus, EDI and Tali. Workout with Liara and James. And because of his powers, often got picked as a squad member by Shepard. The only person who doesn’t like him is Kaidan, who keeps his distance to him. Being observant as he is, Shepard notices this and decided to confront him about it.

“You alright?” They’re sitting at living area, where Kaidan is eating his lunch.

“Yes.”

“Sure doesn’t seem like it.” Shepard responds. “You’ve been quieter ever since Y/N joined.”

“Does it matter what I think? Whatever I feel towards him, he’s still a valuable ally and a strong squad member. I can’t demand to you he gets kicked out.”

“Kaidan, you know me. You’re free to talk to me.” Shepard assures.

The man sighs. “We’ve been both at Brain Camp. Conatix was quick to notices Y/N’s natural abilities, despite him joining later then me and many others. And so, he got treated favorable. With his quick learning, he manages to beat the rest of us. He was a quiet kid at first. Shy, modest, never having the guts to speak up. We were friends… at first. And then Vyrnnus came. He saw his talent quick to the point he offered some kind of high station where he works at.” He let out a sad chuckle. “I remember how happy he was. He was so proud of himself he managed to get recognition from his work.”

“You two sounded close.” Shepard comments. “How did it all fall apart?”

“My friend Rahna… once disobeyed an order from Vyrnnus. That’s when he tried to break her arm. Things escalate, and I lost control of my power… That’s when BAaT shut down, thanks to me. And so there goes Y/N chance for what he considered a better life. He blamed me for it, and like you can see, he still does.” Although still looking down at Kaidan, he wished things could’ve went different. “I have no regret protecting a friend, Shepard. And he doesn’t have any regrets of wanting to walk the path he wanted.”

Shepard hums. “Sounds like a rough past.”

“You could say that again.” Kaidan frowns, remembering the past all too well. “I won’t let my grudge take a hold on me. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I won’t.”

-

Seeing his new recruit working out at the hangar, Shepard decided to join him.

“Want a sparring partner?”

Y/N looks up from his sit-ups. “Sure.” He stands up. “Gotta earns some respect from the boss.”

And so, they face each other and spar with each other. While doing so, the commander hopes he can learn a thing or two about him.

“I talked to Kaidan.”

“Did you now? Did he talked about us?”

“Yes.” Shepard responds.

“Figured. Was only a matter of time.” Y/N sounds like he doesn’t care. “Anything else you wanted to know?”

“Not that I think of it.” They continue to talk as they share some punches. “I respect your decisions. I just want to know there won’t be any problem between you two.”

“Nothing unprofessional, no. Personal though, can’t promise. It’s not easy to see your ex.”

“Ex?” Shepard is surprised to hear that. He thought Kaidan was talking about an old friend, not a boyfriend.

“Yeah, ex.” Y/N says. “We two used to be a thing back at BAaT. …Until we didn’t.”

Shepard hums. “Do you miss him?”

“Nope.” Shepard thinks he can hear some doubt in his answer. “He thought I was being ridiculous. I thought he was an asshole from ruining my chances. I doubt we get together any chance soon.”

“If you say so…”

-

“I really think we should stay out of it.”

“Nonsense.” Tali says with a hiccup. “This could be the love story we needed.”

While having a little R&R at the apartment Shepard got, the entire team is relaxing around the place. While at the bar, Shepard is chatting with Tali, Garrus and Liara.

“We only will be involved with business we aren’t even a part of.” Garrus continues sharing his doubt. “Besides, we all enjoy when the two roast each other.”

“Do I?” Liara questions. “I don’t think they have to be a couple, but they can at least bury the hatchet.”

“With looove.” Tali sounds cheery. “We just have them realize their true feelings. Aah, I know! This is the time for a drinking game!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say no to that.” Although still doubting in Tali’s intention, Garrus is more than happy to watch some fools drinking their asses off. “You two in?”

“I think I pass.” Liara respectively declines.

That’s when Garrus looks at Shepard, who can’t help but smirk. “Let’s get those idiots get back together.”

“That’s the spirit!” Tali cheers.

-

“What are we? High schoolers?” James asked, as he and the others sit around the living room. In the middle, there is a bottle.

“I saw this in a human made movie a long time ago.” Tali explains. “Such strange customs… but it seems fun!”

“Who even thought spinning a bottle and kissing someone else is a good idea?” Garrus asks.

“Who thought spinning a bottle and barely having any girls is a good idea?” James notes, as he just sees Tali. “Let’s me get some.” He stands up and walks around.

While waiting, the group chat with each other. Tali, however, who sits next to Shepard, whispers his name. “Shepard… Shepard…”

“Yes?”

“I rigged the bottle.” She shows off her system that is on her arm. “I can make it stop. Don’t tell anyone.”

Shepard chuckles. “I won’t.”

Soon, James came back with EDI, Jack and Miranda.

“Seems familiar, cheerleader?” Jack taunts Miranda.

“This seems more something you’re up to.”

“Girls, girls, chill.” James assures. “Let’s leave the passion for the game.”

Jack frowns. “Can’t we make it to punch each other?”

And so, the crew sit around the living room. It takes some time to until it’s Kaidan’s turn. Meanwhile, the remaining group members spin the bottle, with the one landing on it taking a shot. Tali manages to land on Garrus, though they kiss barely, since the lack of lips and an helmet. Shepard manage to land on Miranda. Jack lands on James, who opted for a punch instead and takes the shot. Then it’s finally Kaidan’s turn, who spins the bottle. Tali, despite really drunk, manage to time it right and lands it on Y/N, who smirks.

“Looks like fate decided for us.”

“And a dreadful one that is.” Kaidan frowns. “Can’t I take the shot?”

“Nooo, you have to kiss him!” Tali pleads.

Kaidan raises an eyebrow. “And Jack didn’t?”

“She gets a pass.” Tali answers.

“Why does she-?”

“C’mon, kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Tali chants by herself, with the rest awkwardly looking at the scene. Kaidan merely frowns, not wanting to do it, causing Y/N to roll his eyes.

“You’re such a pussy.” Y/N stands up to walk towards his ex, causing him to look surprised.

“Wait, you’re seriously-?” That’s when he shuts up when he gets the other man’s lips on his.

“YAY!” Tali cheers. “I did it!”

After kissing, Y/N pulls back. Kaidan, however, looks back at the Quarian. “What did you do?”

“I put you back together.” Tali sounds proud of herself.

Garrus shushed her. “You aren’t supposed to say that.”

“Oh…” Tali then realizes she screwed up. “…Oops.”

“You set us up?” Y/N questions. He then looks at her equipment and then the bottle. “You screwed with the bottle, huh?”

“…Maybe.”

“You got to be kidding me…” Kaidan sighs. He then stands up and walks away.

Y/N, however, doesn’t look upset and merely sit down. Shepard though is the one who follows Kaidan. Once upstairs in the bathroom, the commander sees his friend putting some water on his face.

“You alright?”

“Try kissing your ex after being set up. Then you know the answer.” Kaidan says with some snark.

Shepard leans against the wall. “She had good intentions. We all thought it was good for you two to settle things.”

Kaidan looks back at him. “You knew about it?”

“Yes. Sorry.” Shepard says with honesty. “But we thought it was better you two figure things out, because right now, you aren’t. Despite what you two say to each other, I can tell there is something there. Something that tells me you two care for each other.”

Kaidan let out a sigh. “You think the same applies to Y/N?”

“Yes. He just shows it… more like an asshole.”

Kaidan chuckles. “He sure became one. And for whatever reason, I feel like he’s still the same guy.” He stays quiet for some seconds, thinking off what to do. “I talk to him.”

-

Eventually, Kaidan gets back downstairs. There, he sees Y/N talking with Garrus and Wrex. After requesting they can speak with just them two, and some teasing, they go upstairs and back in the large bedroom.

“So? Whaddaya want?”

“I think it’s time we talk things out.” Kaidan sits down on the side of the bed. “We both grow up and had plenty of time to think about it all.”

Y/N hums. He remains standing, standing against the wall. “What’s there to talk about? We’re both unhappy how things went.”

“Yes, but I’m also unhappy to lost someone I loved.” Kaidan says, with Y/N remaining quiet. “I can respect your decision for wanting to get a better life. You understand what I did and why, right?”

“…Yeah.” Y/N responds. “You wanted to protect a friend… even then at the time, you didn’t realized it was the end of my chances to become one of the upper biotic soldiers.”

“And yet, that chance didn’t end.” Kaidan points out. “Your with Shepard, the guy who will defeat the reapers. Our names will be set in stone as heroes for the rest of entirety.”

Y/N remains quiet. He walks over to Kaidan and sits down next to him. “I guess that makes things alright… It just seems stupid to think about, us breaking up after what happened.”

“You know what it’s even more stupid? Realizing what happened, but stubborn enough to not fix it.” Kaidan comments, with his voice sounding assuring. “But now, we have the chance to fix things.”

“You want us to be together again? After all what happened?”

“Yes.” Kaidan grabs Y/N’s hand. He gives his old lover a smile. “We worked so well years ago. And now we’re alright, we might as well catch up and be together.”

Y/N hums. “You’re such a weirdo.” He then smiles. “Fine then. Let’s be a couple. That way, you always have a boyfriend by your side who’s willing to beat anyone in the way.”

“I didn’t expect anything less.”

[sol-consort]

Joker x reader Shepard headcanons

[Fluff, ME1, nb!reader]

He has noticed how much you frequent the Normandy bridge despite not having any tasks there

As a commander, your position is in the cushy back with caption Anderson in the com room or in front of the holographic space map.

And yet here you are, standing next to his pilot chair and refusing to take Kaidan's seat next to him.

At first he did think he was in trouble, did the captain send you to spy on him perhaps?

But with time, he started warming up to you, getting less defensive about talking about his past.

You laugh at his jokes, even the awkward bad ones get at least a chuckle or a smile out of you. He wonders is he should go check with the medic on why his heart had been beating faster than normal these days.

Although he does thank the stars for the fact you keep standing behind his chair rather than next to him, with the way your armour hugs your body, he would've crashed the Normandy into a stray astroide or something by now.

It's...lovely, having a friend. He is used to short encounters with people, for them to laugh at his jokes then shake their head and walk away.

But you've stayed with him on the helm, stayed even when the jokes ran out and even when the ache of his legs started souring his mood.

He hates asking for help, hates people looking at him with pity.

But you didn't. You kept a casual air around you as you handed him the painkillers and started chatting about a random topic you wanted his opinions on.

Although, your presence has been getting the helm of the ship more visitors than usual. Ashley dropping by to hand you a cold drink, Kaidan coming around to check on the navigators, a duty he usually ignores.

Tali stopping by to speak her theories and ask Joker for his insight, Liara following along and having their ideas bounce off each other.

Wrex who silently stays by your side, polishing his shotgun and never saying another word. Yet sometimes Joker swears he can hear his deep chuckles at a stray pun he just said to you.

Garrus follows after Wrex with his inquires about your next mission, asking for permission to run inventory and check your weapons.

Joker has never had these many people coming by, even if it's for you, they still talk to him.

He has a friend group, something he never thought he'd have. They invite him for drinks and share the shore team inside jokes with him.

And it's all because of you being patient with him, because of the way you stayed by his side.

Your presence starts to warm his heart, he finds himself involuntarily smiling whenever he hears the sounds of your footsteps approaching him.

Not to mention, you let him gossip about Nihlus with you as much as he wants. Even when you end up reprimanding him for going off about your spectres mentor.

He likes the passing touches you give him, be it ruffling his hair fondly or a reassuring grip on his shoulder.

Your voice is soothing too, time flies by whenever he's listening to you talk as he steers the ship.

It was a gradual build up to the day he eventually made a half-joking remark about how you spend so much time with him, the two of you might as well start dating.

Masking his nervousness with humour as he kept his eyes focused ahead, wondering if the stretched seconds of silence are building up for a rejection he will have to face.

But instead, it's your reassuring grip again. Trailing up his neck from his shoulder and caressing his face.

"I'd really like that" you admit.

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 2 replay, the suicide mission:

-I haven’t romanced anyone in ME2, so instead I stared longingly at Kaidan’s photo.

I like to think Shepard wrote him an email that would autosend if she didn’t make it back, but alas that did not make it in.

-Heavy ammo is not required for the Occulus, and I wish Miranda would stop insisting it is. I’ve never used heavy ammo on it and I’m not about to start now.

-I know Jacob is heavily criticized for volunteering to unlock the doors, but it doesn’t bother me.

It feels more like he’s leading by example – he wants to project confidence so others feel confident as well.

(I was not expecting so much of this replay to be me being a Jacob apologist.)

-When selecting who will go through the shaft, Tali is the first option listed. It’s like the game is giving you a strong hint.

-But then when you get to picking the leader for the second fire time, the valid options are listed at the bottom. Garrus, Miranda, Jacob. You can’t make it through the mission by repeatedly clicking x.

-The send off speech comes off a bit odd if you got all the ship upgrades.

Shepard: We’ve lost good people.

No, we haven’t. And the reason we left ASAP was to avoid losing anyone.

-Opening the valves was absolute hell. ME2 Shepard can’t run, keeps getting stuck in cover, and got stuck in the floor(?) a few times so I couldn’t move at all.

-I know it’s sacrilege, but the Collector Base is not that interesting for me. It’s a rehash of the Collector ship except this time you’re choosing various specialists. I wish Bioware had done something to differentiate it more.

-How does Chackwas know what happened to the colonists taken by the Collectors?

I know they were conscious in the pods, but how well could they see what was going on around them?

Kudos to Chackwas I suppose for keeping that cool of a head on her while she waited to be melted.

-I rescued the entire crew, but there are not nearly enough crew members shown in shots where everyone is speaking.

-For the biotic specialist selection, Samara and Jack are on top.

-For the second diversion team, the valid leaders are on the bottom again.

-At the start of the long walk, there’s a random corpse on the ground.

Wasteful of the Collectors, considering they need millions more humans to finish the human reaper.

-The biotic field is awful for vanguards. Since I need to stay in the field I can’t charge from enemy to enemy like I normally do.

Thank goodness for assault rifle training.

-Is this mission always so buggy? Now I’ve lost the ability to target husks for charges.

-Aaand now that I’m on the moving platforms I can’t charge targets on platforms that have docked but are higher/lower.

This is getting ridiculous. I charged up/down repeatedly while closing the valves.

-And now Shepard can’t turn left/right??? What is going on?

-So it takes an absurd amount of species to create a single Reaper.

Are harvests ever prolonged so the species can continue procreating so there are enough of them to finish a Reaper?

At least that would explain why the Reapers don’t just throw asteroids into heavily populated planets to make the harvests easier. Can’t waste too many organics before the new Reaper has been created.

-Why does Edi assume that the Reapers turned the Protheans into Collectors because the Protheans could not be used to create a Reaper?

There’s no reason the Reapers couldn’t do both. First use the Protheans to create a new Reaper, then use the remaining surplus to create the Collectors.

-Somehow I missed both shots at the human Reaper with the Cain, so I’ll be doing this the hard way.

-Shepard to TIM: Some of them gave their lives for this mission.

No, they did not.

How hard would it have been for Bioware to tweak the script to account for no one dying?

-Shepard accuses TIM of wanting to grow their own Reaper next.

That would actually have been an interesting twist for ME3. TIM thinks he’s growing a Reaper that will serve him; that Reaper fully intends to join the rest.

You face him as the end game boss. If your reputation is high enough, you can talk him into suicide. If not, he willingly steps into a pod and melts into it. Then you have to face the full grown Reaper he grew. Somehow that leads to the endings.

It’d mirror the end of ME1.

(Look, TIM growing a Reaper is less absurd than TIM somehow managing to override the indoctrination of Reaper troops, okay?)

-I thought one companion always argues to keep the base and one to destroy it, but Kasumi never argued to keep the base. Maybe that’s because Miranda was telling TIM to fuck off?

-Why is it Joker that comes out to defend the ship?

I know that practically speaking it’s because Joker is the only Bioware can be certain will be alive and not with Shepard, but realistically he’s one of the worst choices. We still need him to get us out of here and he can’t do that with broken arms from recoil.

Would it have been that hard to model one of the others?

-And TIM’s real motivations come out. He wanted to use the base’s technology to establish human (Cerberus) dominance. Saving the colonists was just a nice bonus.

-Shepard specifically says that Harbringer is coming.

ME2 spends the entire game building a personal enmity between Shepard and Harbringer, so of course ME3 throws that out and does nothing with it. I’ve lost track of how many hooks ME2 provided that ME3 discarded.

-If you go paragon, you can tell Joker to lose TIM’s channel.

Is this supposed to be a callback to Shepard hanging up on the Council throughout ME1?

Normandy:

-Kelly tells me I have a new message, but I do not.

-Kelly is also deeply traumatized and in denial.

Kelly: Back to the old Kelly

Girl, you’re supposed to be a psychologist. You should know that’s not happening. Start researching PTSD coping mechanisms and schedule sessions with the crew.

-It’s rather amusing that Jacob notes that Cerberus is your enemy now while he’s still displaying the Cerberus logo on his armor.

Jacob, just take a sharpie and scribble it out. No need to throw away a perfectly good set of armor.

-The cargo bay has been miraculously repaired already.

-Everyone comments on the base’s destruction, except Jack who still has nothing to say to me.

Her turn around in ME3 is very impressive. I wonder how many players were turned off by her in ME2 and only started to like her then?

-Well, neither Zaed nor Kasumi comment either but that’s more to do with them being DLC characters and not following the same dialogue patterns as the others.

-Zaed is quite complimentary of Joker. He says he performed very well.

I assume this line is supposed to play after the crew is kidnapped.

-Miranda still sounds like she’s convincing herself that destroying the base was the right choice even though TIM wanted it intact.

I think she’s in shock from realizing the full implications of quitting Cerberus. She’s spent her entire life with them; now she can’t go back and will need to rebuild her life from scratch.

And she knows how dangerous Cerberus is. They’ll come after her.

So even though it was the right choice, it’s understandable she needs some time to process. She changed her entire life’s trajectory in a snap moment decision.

-Legion says that platforms normally host a max of 100 programs. He consists of over one thousand.

Why aren’t there more platforms like Legion?

He says that mobile platforms always operate in networks, but there’s no reason that network can’t be within one platform. He’s a network.

The geth must see the value in one platform being able to travel freely on its own and not losing intelligence if other platforms are destroyed. There are millions if not billions of geth; they’re not held back by numbers.

So why not more independent platforms?

I feel like there’s potentially more here about geth psychology. They’re reluctant to be alone, even in platforms. They don’t need multiple platforms. They want multiple platforms. Even if platforms aren’t really geth – geth are the programs inside them – they prefer being together to being alone.

-An individual geth is about a VI. It’s only when there are multiple programs that they form a gestalt intelligence.

-Edi says that Legion contacted a minds the size of a galactic arm.

I wish ME3 had done more with this. The potential intelligence of the geth on that scale is fascinating. It could have been a huge asset to the war effort – not as bodies on the field, but in directing the war effort or R&D.

So of course ME3 ignored it completely.

-Legion asks Edi how she manages being alone.

I think the geth fundamentally struggle with understanding organics as individuals the same way I struggle with understanding how numerous programs form a single intelligence. They understand the concept, but not how it actually works.

That’s probably one of their biggest hurdles in understanding organic behavior and motivations. They just don’t get what individuality.

-In the log Legion shares, the platform refers to itself as a unit. The quarian refers to it by number.

That’s a high level of depersonalization. Humans will quickly name anything they interact with regularly and begin anthropomorphizing it.

If humans interacted with geth, they’d give then a name ASAP and begin attributing personality traits to them – hell, that’s exactly what Shepard did!

(That should have been a clue. If the quarians had referred to platforms by name, Legion would have understood what Shepard was doing when he asked him for his name.)

Obviously quarians are another species, but they love machines. They include their ships in their names! So I think the unit being referred to as number was a deliberate effort by the quarian to not grow attached to the geth and not see them as more than things.

But why?

Legion says this was not the first time that a unit had asked a quarian if they had a soul, but the first time a quarian was afraid of the question. Were the quarians already starting to recognize that the geth were sapient and desperately in denial? Was there a push to treat the geth as mere machines in hopes that would prevent them from becoming more? They knew they were brushing the line of AI, even if they were careful to never intentionally cross it.

Also, in Legion’s loyalty mission he’s adamant against the geth being anthromorphized. I’m curious how this ties into the quarians refusing to treat the geth such. After all, the unit wanted to know if it had a soul like the quarians revered so highly – what is that, if not wanting the quarians to see the geth as like them?

(The geth don’t want Shepard to anthropomorphize them. They want the quarians to do so.)

Post Suicide Mission

And that is Mass Effect 2 done!

Except, not quite. I still have to do the Firewalker DLC to unlock the rest of Legion’s conversations, and then finish up with Arrival.

So while I really want to move on to ME3, there’s a bit more to go.

At least I have my Insanity II trophy. It was hard at the start, but got much easier as the game went along��� At least, when Charge worked. Here’s to hoping it’s more reliable in ME3.