#and just the tone of their story together in sr2

[whoredmode]

tomorrow. — A Troy/Anteros Playlist

a short playlist made up of rock, indie, and folk music. something reminiscent of late summer nights beside a familiar face in an unfamiliar home.

It Might Be Time - Tame Impala

So tell me it's not over 'Cause I finally got something going, and suddenly All my friends are growing up, and moving on I must be missing something

Weather - Ginger Root

How can you tell me? I know this is hard Bringing you out but there barely is sparks Rolling around conversational thoughts Present or past, oh well, where do we start?

What Once Was - Her's

Baby, I've been there before I was at the point where all I really wanted was someone And now I'm still hanging on I was at the end of every tether waiting for what once was

Luces - Volumen Cero

Y me encuentras en un río Y tu llegaste por el destino A mi corazón Y me encuentras así

Knights - Minus the Bear

I owe you, don't I? A little light today but tomorrow, oh tomorrow I owe you, don't I?

John My Beloved - Sufjan Stevens

I am a man with a heart that offends With its lonely and greedy demands There's only a shadow of me; in a matter of speaking I'm dead

Just Beneath the Surface - Dawes

When you talk about me, do you stick to the memories? Or was I just another victim of the case? The one that went cold on you the way it was meant to do

Drilling - Minus the Bear

This old story When we're gone I feel I'll never miss anyone And you lay on the grass along the edge; you know that tomorrow comes like disease to us

[megafreeman]

Highlights from the Game Informer interview:

After Gat out of Hell, the team at Volition thought it’d be best to give series a fresh start, with a new tone somewhere between SR2 and SRTT

"Once you add everything and the kitchen sink to the game, it's difficult to then plan for future games after that because if you start with the climax, where do you go from there? A lot of fans have been wanting us to go back to... a more grounded game."

The idea behind making a game of the Saints' origin came from fans requests to see how the Saints were originally formed. "With this, it gave us the opportunity to do that origin story, but not doing something that was set in the '80s or something like that to try and tell the origin of the Third Street Saints [from the previous games]. Now we can tell the origin story of these Saints."

"We wanted to make really well-rounded character because if they're one-note, they're not going to stand the test of time. We looked at the past characters, and what aspects about them really made them stand out, and what roles they filled."

"At no point did we want to just make a cookie cutter of, 'We need a Johnny Gat character so let's just reskin him as somebody else.' We wanted all of these characters to be able to stand on their own."

As the story begins, you control a low-level member of a militaristic faction known as Marshall in Santo Ileso, a city inspired by American Southwest.

Life is hard, and rent is expensive, so you put aside your gangs' differences and decide to split an apartment with fellow grunts from your rival factions.

The rival roommates clash heads occasionally, but they quickly establish a house code where they have to leave their work lives at the door when they enter the apartment. Paying rent was worth more than anything else.

They need each other to survive; after all, low-level members don't pull in the big bucks. They start doing small crime together like robbing stores to make the ends meet. Their personalities complete each other.

The first mission, "Making Rent" follows the friend group as they rob a loan office called Payday. Eli sets the whole plan, with a planned karaoke night afterwards. They walk up to the single guard, who is on the phone, point a gun to his face and the Boss says him to "walk away before the phrase dead end job gets literal.”

The whole mission focuses on car combat as you evade the cops, and finally go to a meeting spot at a junkyard, which is unfortunately owned by Panteros Neenah works for, and ask for their cut. It all breaks into combat you gotta fight out of causing the karaoke night to get cancelled

They see how well they work together and decide to form their own criminal empire and have the riches they dreamed off. Eli suggests they need a proper office space, to which Neenah suggest an abandoned church in the Mercado district.

The church is in the sorry state, but improves as the story progresses. They notice the fleur-de-lis symbols representing Catholic saints, and the sign becomes the crew's logo, and they adopt the name "The Saints", as your character officially becomes "The Boss"

Church is customizable, and you unlock individual items to decorate it with as you complete objectives and side activities

Huge emphasis is put on car combat too, in the trailer they got healthbars above them, and you’ll be able to get on the roof of the cars and shoot at the enemies, as well as a “brand new drift mechanics”

2nd mission features Kevin getting kidnapped by Idols for crossing them, and has Boss rescue them after they wrongfully assume he hooked up with someone instead (they use gender neutral terms too, and boss thinks a random guy answering his phone is the hookup... bi icon...)

You go to a bar his phone pinged from just to check, and find out he was captured. You shake a guy down and he tells you they tied him up tot he City’s landmark and plan to blow it up as a message to everyone who crosses them.

You go there, disarm 4 bombs (journalist hints its because of your marshall training kicking in), and then use your wingsuit to fly to a mansion where there’s an ongoing Idols party, and kill them all for messing with your friends (sounds a lot like Party Time mission from SRTT)

There are also “side missions”, called “Side Hustles” which are half the mission the main story ones are and are similar to activities in previous game, but not exactly (one sounds like trafficking 2.0, other sounds like “race” from AOM)

True highlight are “Criminal Ventures”, which are businesses you can build around the city to serve as fronts for your illegal operations, all of the giving you new side missions and even upgrades. You can build a total of 15 businesses.

The demo journalist played only had a Bright Future scam, which is a nuclear waste plant Saints own and dumb nuclear chemicals for he private corporations that pay them to do it, and a taco business that serves as a drug smuggling front

The journalist picked the taco business, which had Neenah introduce her friend Chuy who knows the distribution business inside and out, and according to Neenah, makes a killer michelada. (seems like every business will have a person running the operation for you)

All ventures have several missions in a chain before you complete them, taco business one has you stealing other food trucks and bringing them back to be converted into your own business. Bright Future one had you go to remote locations and pick up trucks with nuclear waste you gotta deliver to your waste plant (but you gotta drive carefully, if you’re too reckless the containers will blow up, earning you less money)

100% each of them gives you a new wacky reward. There’s a military surplus which can unlock you new weapons, and even a hoverboard for completing all instances of it.

[jaggedwolf]

For the meme - please do the voyeurism fic?

Gladly! Ficlet is here.

Violet didn’t mean to lose track of the time. She’d curled up in the engine room with queue of research papers to go through, and suddenly it was hours later, her eyes burning from staring at a screen. Seemed her idea that no one was likely to disturb her in the hottest room on the ship had panned out.

Is anyone on this ship not a secret workaholic? I will say that now that I’m out of school, that is the one truly unrelatable thing about all of them. 

A thump echoed from outside the room.

Violet willed herself not to panic. All sorts of noises were perfectly normal to hear in the normal operation of a spaceship. She took a tentative step towards the door.

Remember that time I suggested the Rumor is to either Iris as the Millenium Falcon is to the Normandy SR2? I would like to propose another comparison noise-wise: NYC underground trains versus fancy modern trains in Singapore/Tokyo/etc. Bet that frankenship makes a lot of weird noises, and here Violet is definitely quoting something Sana told her.

Another thump, and then a gasp. Sana’s voice.

Wonder what was causing those thumps ;). I spent too long wondering whether a person could recognize someone from simply a gasp, and then gave up and decided Violet is such a detail-hoarder that this would be fine. 

Violet relaxed. Sana had probably tripped in the hallway. The Rumor’s floors were remarkably uneven in height - Violet had spent what felt like her first month here staring at the floor whenever she so much as left a room. One would think Sana, out of all them, would be least prone to clumsiness here, but given that Violet’s watch said it was way too weird a time for any of them to be up, Violet didn’t think she could begrudge her too much.

I miss the frankenship so much. That’s all. 

She walked up to the door, about to slide it open when Sana’s voice stopped her.

“Really? Only five more feet to my actual room,” Sana dryly remarked.

The idea of being caught making out in a public area of her own ship is Not Sana’s kink, thank you. Will be practical even as very distracting things are happening. 

Then another small gasp, and more noises and - oh. Those were definitely kissing noises and also moaning noises, the thin door between Violet and Sana filtering out almost no sound, except who the heck was Sana kissing.

What a good question, Violet, it’s not at all like a simple process of elimination would help you here. Sana’s back is definitely against the engine room door, by the way, so Violet is hearing...a lot. Months after writing this, I’m wondering why on earth I chose “heck”.

Violet was definitely on Sana’s side since she’d like to go to bed and they were right outside her only exit and also she could feel her face starting to flush red from the embarrassment of this entire situation.

You can take away my “Violet is an obvious blusher and she hates it” headcanon away from my dead hands. And yeah, the closest I could get Violet to this fic prompt was being trapped and forced to listen because 1. It’s funny 2. thirst is difficult to write well.

The noises stopped. 

“Technically, isn’t the entire ship kind of your room?” asked Arkady.

It is important to note that Arkady distracted Sana very thoroughly before delivering her snarky retort, which is a very good strategy. Also, I think the edge between Arkady’s paranoia and Arkady’s “well, what the fuck does it matter, take the risk” is a fun one to be on. (I hope it’s pretty clear this is not the first time these two have had this conversation, haha)

Huh. 

Violet’s first thought was that she doubted she’d ever get what an out-of-breath, thoroughly-kissed Arkady sounded like out of her mind, because wow. 

Violet lives as she was ready to die on the Iris, quietly horny. 

Her second thought was nothing more than stupid, unwarranted disappointment, a spiral her brain would’ve gladly jumped into if Sana and Arkady hadn’t decided to keep talking. Almost as if they were completely unaware Violet was hearing all of this.

“Sure, Kady,” Sana replied, the words so fond and soft that Violet felt a pang of guilt at hearing them.

Eavesdropping on emotional intimacy might be even more of a dagger to one’s heart than eavesdropping on physical intimacy, you know? I think, Violet correctly suspects that while Sana might easily say those two words in that exact same tone to Arkady in front of the rest of the crew, Arkady’s response is unlikely to fit that criteria. 

Violet backed away from the door as far as she could. No more audible noises or voices, now, though whether that meant they’d left or she was simply far enough away was unclear. It was fine. She’d stare at her research articles for another half hour and check if the coast was clear then.

So Violet makes sure she doesn’t hear it. 

Her eyes stared at the screen, processing nothing. God, of course, it made so much sense, the two of them together. Even more sense that they were hiding it - Arkady’s paranoia would make sure of that.

History and loyalty intertwined :D. Are they hiding it? Is it a defined relationship or is the physical stuff just another dimension to their relationship? I don’t know - I can easily see Arkady convinced that somehow, sleeping with Sana is very separate from her very intense “yeah dying in her place is the best thing I could do” feelings about her, and that Sana feels no great need for more clarity given the chaos of their lives. It’s working for them. And...

Violet shut down the continued feelings of disappointment. She’d thought that-that maybe her interest was reciprocated, that their dumb exchanges had meant something. Silly old Violet, always reading too much into things.

...it means I could keep this ficlet firmly in a world where all of Arkady and Violet’s interactions have exactly as they’ve been in canon. (Everyone else’s, too! Like. Do you think Sana wouldn’t tease Arkady about her obvious thing for Violet just bc she’s sleeping with Arkady? Nah, bro.)

I guess, personally, I don’t find romantic jealousy particularly interesting, especially the spiteful kind. More power to those who do but I find the sadness “Oh. What else would I have expected” much more appealing. Wallowing > lashing out/blaming other people. 

Somehow, she smiled. It was weirdly comforting to know that Arkady and Sana had found each in the chaos of their lives.

Violet tells Arkady that being on the Rumor is the safest she’s felt in a long while. From everything else she says, I have to assume it’s also the least lonely she’s felt in a long while. There was no chance of Violet being too morose about a crushed crush or being the fifth wheel - her life on this ship is already more than she ever thought she’d get. 

And hey, Violet can appreciate the nice story that established Arkady/Sana would make. 

Even if hearing them wasn’t the ideal way to find out.

Violet ignored the images her mind helpfully supplied at the thought, her cheeks still burning.

This is very much a pre-OT3 fic, because I’m a weenie who usually hates unrequited pining. Nope, none of that here, this definitely turns into being so on-purpose happy for your crush that you end up having a thing for their partner too. 

[kestrelsansjesses]

A Proposition/Free Fall 5

[Summary: Shepard finally works up the courage to talk to Garrus again, taking a leap she didn't expect, pushing their relationship a step forward. But will he reciprocate? Aka I rewrote the Shepard initially romances Garrus scene to better fit my Shep. Can be read as a standalone.

AO3]]

It was impossible to delay talking to Garrus any longer. He had been by her side as they baked in their armor, dodging deadly lances of sunlight to rescue and recruit Tali, but he had been relatively silent the whole time. Late one evening, Shrike Shepard caught Garrus and Tali speaking, voices low, and when Tali placed a hand on Garrus’ knee she didn’t like the spasm of jealousy that ran through herself. It was irrational, but it made it that much easier to avoid him.

Now she stood near the entrance to the main battery, stomach somewhere in the vicinity of her throat. “Got a minute, Garrus?” She knew damn well that he did, but the last real thing she had said to him was ‘I’m with you.’

He turned away from his work (calibrations, maybe) and looked her up and down before shrugging and saying, “Sure. I’ve been meaning to thank you anyway.” It wasn’t exactly the most ringing endorsement, and there was a tension in their friendship that there hadn’t been before, all resting on Sidonis, on how Shepard had stopped Garrus from taking that last shot.

“It wasn’t a big deal, Garrus. Not for an old friend.” She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling so utterly out of her element, longing to have a gun in her hand and an army of husks charging at her rather than this. Anything but this.

“Maybe not to you, Shepard.” Fair point. “But it means that whatever we face, I know you’ll get the job done.” For the first time in a few days, Garrus smiled at her, and Shepard forgot what she was saying entirely, train of thought trickling out her ears. Should she mention Sidonis again? Should she apologize for intervening? For all the things she had learned on the battlefield, how to handle her own crewmembers was not one of them. They’d just been handed to her, first on the original Normandy and now on the SR2, her own fragmented mind trying to remember everything they had been through together.

Into the silence, Garrus said, “You seem… stressed, Shepard. Anything I can do?” The offer was a tenuous reach towards what they once had.

With a sigh and a faint hint of a smile, Shepard perched on a nearby bulkhead, legs dangling, not quite tall enough to touch the floor. “What do turians do to let off stress?” Though she had intended her question to be completely innocent, Shepard’s tone came out saucier than she intended, falling back into their previous conversational rhythms, a hint of flirtation just below the surface. Roll with it, she told herself. He won’t notice anyway.

It was the right question to ask. Garrus rolled into his story with considerable enthusiasm, and Shepard could feel herself fully relaxing, shoulders rolling forward, elbow on her knee and chin on her fist, raising her eyebrows where appropriate and laughing at the conclusion of the story, a tale of lovers past that she was relieved to find left no jealousy whatsoever. Maybe she could be cured of… whatever this was. Her brain’s obsession. Some artifact, something that hadn’t knit together correctly when Cerberus woke her too soon. Maybe all it would take was some tension-relief of their own.

“We could test your reach… and my flexibility.” The words spilled from her mouth before Shepard had a chance to really consider, the grin that spread across her face crooked and slightly leering. What was she doing? Enjoying herself. Hoping to get rid of her complicated feelings towards Garrus, to bring things back to normal.

He was taken aback, staring at her with mandibles slightly open and Shepard found herself shrugging. It was strange how death made you re-prioritize everything, take risks you never would have before.

“Shepard, I’d break you!” he finally exclaimed, not looking her in the eye.

The laugh started somewhere low in her belly, building up in her chest and her throat until she couldn’t keep it in anymore, and though it hurt Shepard’s facial scars, she laughed until tears streamed out of her eyes, bent double and wheezing, only doubling Garrus’ concern until he went over by her side, patting her back hesitantly and looking utterly lost. “Garrus, you’re not going to break me,” she choked out, standing up until she could breathe properly again. “So, is that a no?” If it was… Well. Shepard wasn’t sure what she would do if it was a no.

Silence, and then Garrus gave a goofy grin. “Why the hell not?” The logistics of it were something they would both have to figure out; no one could deny that turian and human anatomy left something to be denied in the compatibility department, but he was willing to try if she was. There was no one Garrus respected more than her, or so he claimed, and while respect wasn’t attraction, wasn’t that four letter word Shepard wouldn’t even think about, it was a start.

Okay. She should leave instead of just lingering, wanting to kiss him, wondering if turian mouths would even handle it. It wasn’t like he had lips. Well, at least the research would be interesting. “I should go. I’ll talk to you later, Garrus?” It wasn’t intended to be a question, but the upward inflection in Shepard’s voice came out, unbidden.

“I’d like that.” He still looked slightly goofy, watching every step as she walked towards the door, making Shepard aware of her limp, of every scar that riddled her body. Half of her thought this was a terrible mistake; she was barely a woman at all, after what Cerberus had did to her, and she certainly wasn’t the same person Garrus had known before. But the other half of her had faint goosebumps, not unpleasant, at the thought, not sure what drew her to him but drawn nonetheless.

All she had proposed was a roll in the sheets, and Shepard was still half-convinced it would clear the confusion in her mind.

If that was the case, why did she want so much more?