#Traynor and Liara

[janewayintersection]

is this anything

[phantoms-hall]

[lilmissnatcat24]

for no other reason than i worked at an ice cream shop for eight years, here's what ice cream the mass effect characters would eat

shepard: neapolitan, strawberry for their paragon side, chocolate for their renegade, vanilla to balance

garrus: moose tracks, but will pick it apart just for the peanut butter cups and give shepard the leftovers

tali: literally any booze flavored ice cream

liara: mint chocolate chip because she secretly kind've fucks with the taste of toothpaste but will never admit it out loud

kaidan: butter pecan. it's not everyone's favorite, but it's his, and he's totally cool with it

ashley: whatever the 2183 equivalent to the tonight dough. cookie dough chunks, brownie chunks, butterscotch, chocolate chips, malt chunks, everything

wrex: this man is old as balls!!!!!! rum raisin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

joker: lemon sherbet. you cannot tell me that man is not lactose intolerant

miranda: cherries garcia, little bit sweet, little bit tart

jack: the most sickening sweet shit you can think of. cotton candy with marshmallow superman with a side of sugar

jacob: some sort of dark chocolate peanut butter ice cream that sounds good in theory but in reality you can only take like 3 bites of before you get a tummy ache

zaeed: banana splits that he likes to mash together with a spoon and eat like some deconstructed milkshake

kasumi: the weird avant gard shit you see in hipster vegan shops, like some bacon sweet potato rosebud ice cream

mordin: coffee ice cream, because he likes the taste of coffee but if he were to actually drink it he would spontaneously combust

grunt: those froyo shops that were everywhere in 2014 where you could make a bowl with like 5% froyo and 95% other toppings and it cost 14 dollars

thane: doesn't like ice cream because it reminds him of how he abandoned his child and how his wife is dead and he could never go back to the life he left behind, the life of stability, because his body is engineered for a deadly purpose and he can never atone for his sins rocky road

samara: this woman is old as balls!!!!!!!!!!!!! pistachio!!!!!!!!!!!

legion: tried vanilla ice cream. too sticky, got stuck in his wiring.

james: one of those brownie sundaes that weighs approximately 5 pounds and is majority whipped cream

steve: chocolate chip. classy, just like him ;)

traynor: something smooth and rich and velvety and inexplicably sexy, like raspberry chocolate chunk

edi: takes the idea of ice cream a little too literally and just has a bowl of heavy cream with ice cubes. is confused why everyone is disgusted.

javik: ice cream is for primitives (peaches and cream)

[unabashedllamamusic]

Yk what's fucking great about Mass Effect? In my two playthroughs so far (both femshep, one with a Traynor romance and one with a Liara romance), Shepard wants a normal family life. With Liara, it's lots of "little blue" kids, and with Traynor it's a house, white picket fence, two kids, and a dog. I feel like 99% of the time when a badass female lead wants children it takes away from their badassery or their independence, it's a way to tie them down and make them seem more domestic. Somehow (I credit Jennifer Hale's incredible voice acting), instead it feels more like Shepard wants to be normal. She spends three games getting thrown into insane situations that she didn't ask for, losing friends, literally dying, having an entire galactic war on her shoulders, going into a mission expecting to die TWICE, and all that on top of whatever trauma her background leaves her with. Bonus points if you do colonist + sole survivor, because that woman must be so far beyond PTSD. But even after all the shit she's gone through, at the end of the trilogy she can say with absolute certainty that she wants to experience a normal life- something she's never gotten before, no matter your background. The best part is she doesn't mention retiring, there's no reason she can't keep her rank and have kids at the same time, she was raised by active-duty officers in one background so it's definitely a possibility. This isn't the "female lead wins by giving up her powers and becoming a mother" trope, it's proof that she's still a normal human despite everything. That's also why I prefer Traynor's romance to Liara, Shepard opens up to her more and seems more human. The mix of flirtyness and honest vulnerability is incredibly normal, through all the galaxy's insanity.

In general, Shepard's trauma is often mentioned in passing but never really shown. No matter the background or choices you make, they've been through hell to begin with and go through it a dozen more times throughout the trilogy. Everyone around them is like "oh wow that must've been tough" but Shepard usually just brushes it off, or gives a line or two about how much they miss whoever it was that died. She definitely had a lot more nightmares than the game let on.

I've walked through a destroyed city once, and it's haunted me daily for five years. I can't imagine being in multiple cities, on multiple worlds, as they're being destroyed, and knowing stopping it is your job, not to mention losing a shit ton of friends + family, your unit, or just the occasional comrade (background depending)

[inuhodo]

Happy N7 Day!! I'm really happy that I was able to finish this piece in time. Dan and Jack on a lovely sushi date, ft. several of my friends' Shepards on dates of their own! I hope that aquarium holds up...

[swimmingtrunks]

Are Shepard’s friends finally giving her a taste of her own medicine, or are they actually all a little face blind when it comes to different species? IDK! Mostly I made this because Traynor looks just enough like my shep in ME3 that it throws me off sometimes.

Bioware, I beg of you, whatever you end up doing for the next Mass Effect game, STOP USING CHARACTER CREATOR ASSETS TO MAKE GAY ROMANCEABLE CREWMATES.

Cut up comic for easier tumblr reading (hopefully) below the cut!

[harbinger-archives]

Normandy SR-2 Crew

"But I found my family. I found the right thing to do. I found the way home."

Seeing the conclusion has me in tears. The Mass Effect Trilogy is something different and will have a special place in my heart that awakened my childhood love for sci-fi exploration.

[hum-tittle]

Happy N7 day! Here is something I've been working on 😬

So in mass Effect we know ✨adult films✨ exist and that Shepard is famous enough to have a VI made of them, meaning that there’s probably ✨ Shepard impersonators ✨

With that this is how I think the crew would find out. (Preface in ME3 if you romance Garrus, Joker sent him vids to help him woo Shepard)

[bikorarey]

If I was writing for Mass Effect I would have more of the LI's get together if they weren't with Shepard. Kasumi and Jacob would've 100% happened instead of that mess with Brynn. I could definitely see Kaidan getting the favor of the Shadowbroker if you know what I mean.

In a stunner Garrus would absolutely have a thing for Ashley considering how Turian culture is and Ashley as a career Military woman? Issa wrap. Tali start of Jealous of and then be really into Miranda, and Jack would absolutely start to turn 'nice' to avoid Samara's bad side if you catch my drift.

EDI 100% calls Traynor's bluff and Kelly would take a special interest in Thane (who lives btw)

[thefloatingstone]

My power was out and I was bored and I considered doing this in drawing form but I didn't want to die so here's a low effort post of all the canon gays instead. happy pride.

[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!!

[assmeffect]

Mass Effect Women driving HCs

men here

Liara: we know she's a backseat driver, is very careful when she does drive. has surprising road rage, gets frustrated when people arent as good of a driver as she is.

Ashley: aggressive driver, serves through traffic like crazy. not afraid to lay on the horn when she's frustrated. is the type to get loaded into street races.

Miranda: a very good driver, took driving lessons and low key shames people who haven't. militant about passengers wearing their seatbelts. Will text or phone call while driving though.

Tali: I don't think the flotilla ships are big enough to have anything more than a rudimentary public tram. she doesn't have a license and has no desire to drive.

Samara: a surprisingly agressive driver, serves around other cars but at least she uses her turn signal. Will not accept criticism about her driving.

Jack: never got a license but drives anyways. do not let her drive it will not end well. Would rather start a car chase than pull over for police. has a "how's my driving" sticker with Shepard's phone number

Traynor: i honestly think she has too much anxiety to drive. but also hates letting Shepard drive, she's scared for her little gay life.

Kelly: one of the best drivers here, ignores her omni tool, uses turn signals, generally does everything right. very talkative while she drives, but will get distracted and forget to turn where she's supposed to.

EDI: EDI was programmed to pilot the Normandy, not drive a car. so I don't think she'd be a good driver. uses ship terms to refer to parts of the car.

Vetra: another very good driver besides the fact that she doesnt use her seatbelt. absolutely does not let Sid get away with not wearing hers though.

Suvi: regularly rear ends other drivers because she's distracted. probably best if Ryder does most of the driving because Suvi isn't a huge fan.

Peebee: blasts music with the windows closed, you can feel your whole body vibrate woth the bass. likes to street race and would probably get into drag racing as a result. has truck nuts on her car ironically.

Cora: second best driver, like Gil she's very careful about following the rules of the road. thinks anyone whos honking is honking at her. I can see her being kind of a car buff, and being interested in customizing her car.

[madamedramatics]

We all have our favorite love interests but can you name a Mass Effect character that you will never see as romance material no matter how much the fandom tries to sell it to you?

I'll go first.

Don't shoot me but...Definitely Wrex. That's big bro to me. Love him to to bits though❤️

[imakemywings]

Mass Effect Femslash Recs

Happy February 4th! For Femslash February, a nice collection of femslash fanfic recs! Asteriks by personal favs (★‿★)

* after the flood, all the colors came out by madamebadger - f!Shepard/Tali - Tali has nursed a crush on Shepard for years, but there was never any indication--any at all--that anything could come of it. And she has plenty on her plate with the rebuilding of Rannoch. But the truth is that the heart is not so easy to quiet. Especially when Shepard comes back to visit.

Almost Like Being in Love by Urdnot_wrekt - f!Shepard/Liara - As with any new relationship, Shepard and Liara can't seem to keep their hands to themselves.

Between Us by @anneapocalypse - f!Shepard/Tali - While the war rages all around them, what was between Tali and Shepard remains.

* building mountains in your memory by @chocochipbiscuit - f!Shepard/Liara - Liara spends two years mourning Shepard's death before Cerberus brings her back.

Cardamom and Cloves by wolframbeta - f!Shepard/Liara - Liara takes the night off from her duties as an information broker on Illium to share a meal and quiet conversation. It doesn't go according to plan.

Expiation by supernovasooth - Jack/Miranda - Miranda tries to apologize in her own way.

Faithfully Faithless by Settiai - Ashley/Liara - War and faith didn't exactly go hand-in-hand

For the Living by DrJekyl - f!Shepard/Samara - Samara's relationship with death has always been complex; her relationship with life and love even more so.

Grasping at Straws by Settiai - f!Shepard/Ashley - Ashley kept getting the feeling that she was missing something.

The Great Cabin Conspiracy of '73 by DrJekyl - Aethyta/Benezia - Two matriarchs somehow get stuck in a chilly cabin with no security escort and no extranet access.

Kiss and Get It Over With by ziskandra - Jack/Miranda - Faced with the end of the universe, old differences are set aside.

Motion by SomethingProfound - f!Shepard/Traynor - Sam Traynor's life would be a lot easier if Marines could keep their shirts on. Or: a new friendship aboard the Normandy between the ship's comms specialist and her Executive Officer blooms into something else as the war rages.

nights, by the light of whatever would burn by madamebadger - f!Shepard/Tali/Garrus - In every life, you have to make trade-offs. Shepard has always been at peace with what she's given up to be who and what she is, mostly because she's focused her attention on everything but her own personal life. Even her dearest friends know that she will always, to some degree, hold them at arm's length. But the war has a way of burning everyone down to their most essential selves, and in the end even Shepard can't help seeing, finally, what she wants, what she needs--and what she may have lost.

Purple Shadows by Settiai -Ashley/Liara - Ashley hadn't even considered that the Shadow Broker would be the best person to help clear her name. She'd reacted on pure instinct. It probably said more than she'd like it to say, that her first thought when in trouble was that she needed to find Liara.

* Rakhana by DrJekyl - Aethyta/Benezia - The revelation that the hanar are conspiring to uplift a newly discovered species, the drell, sends shockwaves through the galaxy and right into the T’Soni household.

A Recommendation by YourLocalPriestess - f!Shepard/Ashley - Ashley and Shepard haven't spoken more than a few words to each other since Ilos, and more importantly, since their kiss beforehand. But it had been over a week, and a recommendation leaves Ash with room to doubt what they have.

* Silent days, violent shades by acrosspontneuf - f!Shepard/Aria - ‘There’s profit in survival,’ Aria says, later, an offer masked as a parting shot as Shepard starts to walk away. They both know that Shepard can’t run, but Shepard allows herself the illusion for another stolen moment. The thought of disappearing is tempting - she could discover other galaxies, let this one save itself for once. She could live without being so intrinsically aware of how close she is to the end of it all.

something more comfortable by xenosaurus - f!Shepard/Tali - The first thing Tali does after Rannoch is move all of her things into Shepard’s quarters.

* Stolen Goods by DrJekyl - Aethyta/Benezia/Shiala - Benezia returns home early from a work trip and finds that Aethyta and Liara are up to minor mischief, with Shiala as their willing accomplice.

An Unexpected Pleasure by BlackJackKent - f!Shepard/Traynor - Shore leave is a time for cutting loose from the day-to-day protocols of military life, and after a few drinks at Purgatory, Sam Traynor finds the courage and motivation to try flirting again with Commander Shepard. She's fairly sure Shepard is interested in women too, and her intuition doesn't lie -- the only trouble is Shepard hasn't quite realized it herself yet.

Worth It by Pigeon_theoneandonly - f!Shepard/Traynor - In the midst of the reaper war, Shepard finds a pocket of normalcy for Sam.