#i have no idea what name to give kaidan's dad

[lavampira]

some self-indulgent malena/kaidan thinky thoughts in the post-destroy ending 🙈

okay as a preface. I’ve never been the ‘and they had kids and lived happily ever after’ person with any sort of canon. BUT I thought too hard about a shepard-alenko kid in the future once things have settled. something rattling around malena’s head since the convo with anderson before he died beside her. something she never really thought to want for herself, doesn’t even know if she’d be good at it, but she knows without a doubt that kaidan would be (and damn if the idea doesn’t nearly KO her heart), and her parents were both actively alliance and raised her without issue, and they actually have all the time in the world to do what they want now that they didn’t think they’d even get, so you know, why the fuck not. what’s left for her now that she’s survived? it’s this - rebuilding their lives and adding to their kickass little family.

also: girl dad kaidan. “hey, there’s my girls” with a lopsided grin every single time he sees both of them.

mal not wanting to name her after any of the lost, no matter how much they’re loved and missed, too harsh to put on her baby girl’s head. but maybe luna. it works as a name on its own, but also maybe a little after the moon, its steadiness in its place in the universe with each rise of the tides and a guardian of earth in its way. and maybe a little bit in thought to that first meeting with EDI and how far organics and synthetics had come together by the end of the war, in spite of her anti-ghoulish tributes stance, and how that’s a legacy she could give.

[funkypoacher]

Today Was Wednesday?

sharing a WIP, tagging some people. Post ‘em if you got ‘em!

@fandomn00blr @ofgoodmen @iawv @juniper-tree @serial-chillr @damejudyhench @the-laridian @captastra @jumpship90 @seraphym100 @noire-pandora and @ljandersen. if anyone wants to be added to this list, say ‘add me’ in the comments. or pm me.

From the Illusion of my Being Self-Conscious, or Even Conscious, chapter 6.

”So. This was my Skadi 560 Skater.” Shepard leaned the omni-tool’s screen towards him as he sat at her right. The pic came from the catalogue, but was no less impressive for it. Beyond the price tag and simpering guarantees, the snowmobile’s track was deep, angry, and evidently starved to tear up the powder. “I ordered it while waiting for word on my trial date. My accounts weren’t frozen yet, and I figured why not spend it?” Sitting back, Shepard gave the image another fond look. “Went with a civilian company, though I didn’t kit it out like I could have. Figured I didn’t need the seat warmers.”

”That is art, Shepard,” Kaidan gushed. His reaching over, and tapping the screen to enlarge the image, had Shepard leaning in again. “225-K an hour? Like being shot out of a gun.”

The mental imagery, and the man’s mess of admiration, made Shepard smirk. ”I never had the pleasure, unfortunately. We ever get back to the Van… I mean, it should be waiting for me, Reapers and riots permitting.”

“I had a Bonhomme sitting at my parent’s place waiting for parts,” Kaidan mentioned, finally allowing her to take her arm away. His own crossed his chest, then propped him comfortably on the mess table beneath. With one brow skewed, he added, “it probably needs a bit more than that, now,” in a raspy, far-away thought, before adding, “hell, it’d take a miracle to still be in one piece.”

Although suggestions of his parents’ place dispensed with a very tangible, mental image of Ling and Phil Alenko, Shepard avoided the ifs, whens, and have-you-heards. Kaidan would have given her the straightest of updates, but she didn’t want to burn him out—not after what had happened within the last two hours, nor with the hundreds of looming messages from the press regarding said “situation”. The Normandy’s commander and XO were trying to take a brisk breather before fresh hell flamed amidst the general pandaemonium, so Shep’s trap snapped shut vis-a-vis his folks.

It might’ve been more, though, she mused—more than avoidance bred from sympathy. She didn’t want to have to look sorry, and she knew it. Rannoch had been a shit sitch. The Geth VI nearly tossed her off a cliff; Admiral Raan barely saved her. And then there was That Thing she’d have to deal with soon. Shepard was tired—she knew if pressed to express physical concern over Major Alenko’s parents, she might cry over all of it, which was not exactly the ambiance they were striving for in the mess-hall. So Shepard didn’t frown. She didn’t even flinch.

Kaidan looked her in the eye. If there was blame in his words, it came from the reality of her actions. “I get that you had the credits, Commander. But why spend it on a toy? Back in the day, I remember you putting a lot into war bonds. Did the Alliance burn you so bad? To make you stop?”

Shepard half choked, half laughed. “I—hm. Sometimes you’re too sharp for my own good, Major.” Smiling, she shook her head. “It wasn’t that, actually. It was… Things change.”

Shoulders slouching, the woman similarly slouched through her memories. Her time with Cerberus had been oily alleyways, weird battlefields, and filled with strangers. In a word, it had been exhilarating (though, to bust out the thesaurus, it’d been terrible, heart-breaking, and sad). “I mean, you are right, I know it’s surprising,” Shepard continued. “There’s no better job for an adrenaline junkie than the military, but for me it was a means to an end. It was all about the career; the glorious retirement, the uniform candy, all that. With Cerberus… The time-table was different, you know? We were working towards one, specific goal, which wasn’t really expected to have any follow-up, so I wasn’t planning my next professional step. I wasn’t devoting all of myself to the Alliance’s agenda. It was me—my own thing. I had to get it done, and be thorough about prep, but I had time for me, and I had time for my crew.” Having been looking off as she monologued like a solipsistic actor explaining their ‘process’, Shepard realized she felt confident enough to look Alenko right in the face as she spoke of her Cerberus stint. “I found out I liked the wet work as much as planning strategy, or ordering troupes from behind the lines. I liked it, it wasn’t just part of the job. From there, it became enjoying target practice. It was really getting into the terrain vehicles, because we didn’t have a Cortez. And when I was in lock-down, it just seemed like something I really wanted to try. Although it’s for snow, and that’s not something we saw a lot of in Winnipeg, but it seemed really fun.”

“Fun?” Kaidan repeated the word as though ensuring they were talking about the same thing. Shaking his head, smiling, the humour sloughed off, leaving a steeling of his gaze. Sitting back, he read her expression. “You really didn’t expect to come back from the Collector base?”

“You know how it is,” Shepard replied, shrugging. “Expectations waste time.”

[tealenko]

You know I can never get enough of Mass Effect what other fan fics do you have planned?

Oh... You don't know what you just did lol Let me grab my Mass Effect headcanon notebook ehehehe

I'll start from the beginning

Mio Shepard

Earthborn / Sole survivor / Infiltrator / Paragon

Blonde, green eyes, fair skin with freckles, taller than the average, hardly ever wears makeup

Used to dye her hair until she joined the Alliance, where she shaved it and let it grow blonde for the first time since she was a child (she looks a lot like her father and she doesn't feel worthy of neither the last name nor the resemblance until she joins the Alliance)

Parents: James and Hannah Shepard

Scars: Right leg and left shoulder (Akuze) A few in the stomach (gang days) upper lip and right eyebrow (during N7 training / Alliance missions before ME1)

Tattoos: left leg, on the calf (gang days tattoo) -> [In hell & heaven, In darkness & light, Our blood remains the same: RED], right arm (before ME1)-> [N7 symbol], right leg, on the calf (after ME3) -> [Alliance symbol, the 3 stars are replaced by the letters 'A' 'V' 'W' and on top of it there's another 3 'M' 'T' 'L' ](Anderson, Vancouver and Williams -> Inside the Alliance) (Mordin, Thane and Legion -> Outside the Alliance). Left forearm (inside) -> [Accepting another's path blinds you to alternatives] (During ME3, same time Vega is getting his N7 one)

Trinkets: his dad ring (wore it in a necklace until she joined the Alliance, then she put it with her tags) bracelet (from childhood friend - lost after ME1) ring from Kyle (gang lider), engagement and wedding ring (after ME3).

Nicknames

Angel (7-13 yo)

Lucy / Fall (13 - 17 yo) -> from fallen angel / lucifer (gang name)

Dee / Detroit (18 - Akuze / 23 yo)

Shepard / Shep (24 - ...)

Fun fact: She's only ever called Mio by 2 persons (her dad and Kaidan)

Meaningful relationships

Her dad

Thea, childhood friend

Kyle, in charge of the Tenth Street Reds

Shawn Smith aka Vancouver -> best friend from Alliance training to Akuze

David Anderson -> practically convinced her to join the Alliance (I wrote this when I was 14th lol, I know it's too cheesy but I kinda love it so it's staying)

Kaidan Alenko (... I mean... you had to see that one coming lol)

Garrus Vakarian (Best friend in ME1)

Thane Krios (Only reason my Shep didn't kill herself in ME2... but I'd like to also give a special mention to Legion and Mordin)

James Vega / Joker -> party buds

Victoria Alenko (Kaidan's mum) -> she ends up becoming like a second first mother to her

Aries Alenko (daughter, named after Thane -> Aries in Greek is pronunced Krios // My Shep missed her friend and Kaidan liked constellation names, so he came up with the idea for the name and she loved it)

Her story (I'll try to make it as short as I can lol)

Born in Detroit (Michigan / USA)

Her mother leaves when she's a baby (she doesn't remember her), she never hears from her in her entire life

Her dad raises her until she's 7yo, he dies in a car crash

Spends a few weeks in an orphanage until she decides to leave (being there was definetely worse than being on her own)

Does whatever she needs to survive for a while (stealing things for minor gangs mostly)

Meets Thea when she's 10 yo, she and her sister try to help her, she gets off the streets and lives with them for 2-3 years

Thea is killed because of Mio's old life, so she goes in a hunting spree and kills all the culprits (you can see why she gets along with Thane later on lol), first time killing someone at 14 yo

Almost dies doing it, is saved by Kyle (lider of the Reds in the area), he offers her a job.

He teaches her to fight, handle a gun, etc... With time she becames her right hand man (he falls a little for her, theyvboth know, but they don't say anything because for her he's just a friend)

He dies trying to protect her and so that she can abandon that life (gives her his "gang boss ring" right before it) 17 yo

Spends a year in between poorly paid jobs.

Saves a random person one day, Anderson sees it (that's how they met) and convinces her to apply for the Alliance

Meets Shawn first day of training -> He's so nervous that when she asks his name he anwers "Vancouver" thinking she asked about where is he from, he's about to freak out when he realises his mistake, but she laughs and answers "Detroit" and that's how the nicknames are born lol (everyone calls them that in the Alliance) They became best friends. (18 - 23yo)

Here it would go my Shep's relationship with my Ryder (but I'm going to save that for a future post)

Akuze happens, Shawn dies in her arms (aw my heart)

ME1 happens.

ME2 happens.

ME3 happens (Insert here my "Somebody that I Used to know" fic)

Insert here my "Don’t Leave me Behind" fic

Let's talk about shenko now

Finds him atractive when they met, but she doesn't give it a second though for a while

Starts to get interested in knowing more about him because he's from Vancouver (aw my heart)

Finds really amusing the fact that he blushes when she flirts with him, so she starts to do it in a regular basis

Falls into her own trap little by little and without even noticing

She starts to realise all she's exited about in between missions is going to talk to Kaidan

She's never had a feeling like this for anyone in her life, so at the beginning is quite overwhelming (sex, lots... a meaningful romantic relationship, never -> up until that moment she thinks she'd never find out what is like to have one)

Eventually she can't deny her feelings anymore, so she goes for it

Madly in love with Kaidan by the ending of ME1

He's the first thing she asks about to EVERYONE at the beginning of ME2

Stays pretty mad with Anderson for a while for not telling her nothing about him and not telling him she's alive

She has a bit of a drinking problem after Horizon (not directly because of Kaidan, as I explained before she understands how he feels... but because of the stress of the mission, thinking he would probably be death or worst, and feeling now even more alone than before) -> here's when Thane is key for her mental state (should've been Garrus, but I guess he was dealing with his own stuff in ME2 lol)

I always say that, in another timeline, where she hadn't meet Kaidan and Thane wasn't still mourning the death of her wife, is quite probable they would have fallen for each other... but giving the circumstances they meet, they end up having a lovely relationship based on friendship and a little bit of platonic love.

She writes a letter for Kaidan the night before the end of ME2, to be send by EDI in case she doesn't make it back. (She'll read part of it in her wedding votes T-T awww my heart)

For ME3 stuff, well, check my fics XD

The both left active service after ME3, but stay in the Alliance and also specters of the council. They focus more on reconstruction, stablishing relationships, etc. and they do it in both Alliance and Council space.

You better bet that Hacket is promoting her after the war btw... basically the Alliance creates the title "Commander Admiral" just for her lol -> also cheesy, but I still don't care

Almost everyone is surprised to see they keep the relationship after the war (thinking Kaidan is a "safe port in a storm" kind of relationship to Shepard... but oh my, how wrong they are)

Last time I wrote their wedding, they get married at the Normandy lol -> the wedding scene changes a lot with time, that's why I haven't writen it yet... The thing I know for sure is that Hackett is oficiating it, Garrus is her best men, Joker is Kaidan's, and that Wrex takes her to the altar (and she cries very hard when he offers after finding out it's a human tradition -> Wrex is the only "father like" figure left in her life... poor thing)

Mantains her last name but adds his to the mix: Mio Shepard Alenko

It takes her years to be pregnant, in fact (because of all the times she's been rebuilt) they kinda think and have accepted that she would never be, so it takes them by surprise.

Has a few complications because of her implants when she gives birth to Aries

Aries is just like her, fair skin and blonde wavy hair, but she has Kaidan's eyes

And I guess they live happily ever after (with a little bit of post traumatic stress here and there), The End

[ljandersen]

for the fanfic asks: 1, 4 with the title "lemon juice", 6, 7, and 12!

Oooh! Thank you for the ask! These questions are so much fun. This is from the Fanfic Writers Ask Game.

1. has a comment someone left on a fic of yours ever made you laugh out loud?

No, but I've been highly amused! I actually don't laugh out loud that much. My sister's the same way. A friend will watch a comedy with us, and at the end, be like, "You guys didn't like that?" We'll both cock our heads and be like, "What? We thought it was the most hilarious thing ever." "You didn't laugh."  I don’t know why. 

4. what would this fic be about, based on the title? (asker provides fake fic title) (x)

I had to take someone to pick up their car getting repaired, so I had a chance to think about "Lemon Juice," my fShenko one-shot that will never be. Imagine: Mass Effect 1, pre-relationship.  

Lemon Juice

Adams says the SR-1's engine is sounding funny. They need to head back to Earth to have it in inspected. Since that's where the Normandy takes off for the shake down cruise, I'm envisioning that's where it was built. Since it's a prototype warship, it needs special handling. It will take a few days to investigate and fix.

Kaidan is excited. It aligns with his birthday. He hasn't been home for his birthday in years. It's the middle of summer in Vancouver. Perfect weather. He can go to the beach. His mom is making him a lemon meringue pie, his favorite. His dad keeps messaging him how eager he is to see Kaidan.

But then the SR-1 breaks down before it reaches Earth. They have to swing into the nearest Alliance outpost. It's this icy volcanic world with lightening and constant sleet. The engineers are going to have to come from Earth to this little dumpy outpost to fix the engine here. 

Shepard knows how excitedly Kaidan was looking forward to stopping on Earth. Ash and the other crew mates notice him looking a bit droopy. They ask if he’s okay, of course, and he says he's fine. It's no big deal.

So Shepard drags him out for a drink, despite his protests. He wants to help with the engineer repairs. "No, no. It's your birthday. I buy every officer a beer on his birthday."

Instead of swerving into the seedy little outpost bar, Shepard pulls him into the mako. After a ride, where he fears his tombstone will have one date with two different years, they arrive at the edge of a lava field.

Surprise! Tali, Garrus, Wrex, Ash, Joker, Chackwas, and a bunch of other crew are there. They have parkas on. Garrus set up a lightening rod a safe distance away. The sleet is coming down, soft like snow, no real bother. The area is lit up by the lava field.

It's no sunny Vancouver beach. They're not Alenko's, but they’re a second family. Just as Shepard said, they have drinks. Shepard gives him a beer and squeezes a lemon into it. She can't cook him a lemon meringue pie for more reasons than just not having the ingredients. That's the best she can do.

Kaidan gets to talk with his parents later that night on comm.  They’re disappointed but happy to hear about his time with the crew.  They say how aglow he looks talking about Shepard and the party.  It must have been a good time.

He goes to bed that night, and he's sure it's the best birthday's he's ever had. When life gives you a lemon, there's always lemonade.

Tada! "Lemon Juice." There you are!

6. what is your favourite sense to incorporate in your writing and why?

Smell. Sight, hearing, and touch are too common. Taste is trickier and can feel like a stretch. Smell is a great extra detail to add grounding.

7. what is you favourite sentence/paragraph? read it to us! (asker can choose what fic) (x)

I wouldn't say this is my favorite. I don't really pride myself on my prose to feel particularly proud of anything on the sentence level. I did write this paragraph recently into a posted chapter of "Sideways," and I felt like it chaptered Kadian's mom in a concise way I liked.

Ella was in the picture, Kaidan’s mom. Laugh lines and tight hugs. She smelled like green apples, folded their laundry when they weren’t looking, and gave out the secret family recipe like campaign flyers. She remembered every important date. Once, she showed up unexpectedly at their house. Kaidan was away on assignment, but she seemed to already know that. She insisted on cooking dinner. She gave Shepard side-hugs, chatted merrily, and stayed the night. It was only later Shepard realized the date. Mindoir. She was the only person, outside Kaidan and Avyn, who always told Shepard she loved her.

12. what headcanon will you keep implementing in your fics, even if canon ends up contradicting it?

I have a lot of headcanon around biotics that isn't canon. Maybe it even contradicts canon, but it works for my storytelling. Namely, I wanted to limit biotics (every superpower needs a limit for storytelling). I came up with biotic fatigue.  They can stretch themselves too far.  There are signs it’s becoming too much.  I think those are all important when you have a character with super powers and want action to have real stakes and tension.

I also headcanon being able to combine biotics for certain skills, like barriers.  I like the idea personal compatibility influences inherent biotic compatibility. In "Sideways" I've come up with several new biotic powers that definitely aren't canon. 

I'd say all in all, I've made my own version of biotics in a lot of ways.  It’s what lets me explore character relationships and keep high stakes in storytelling.

Thank you for the ask!!!

[nothisis-ridiculous]

Take Me Home Now: Chapter Four

Chapter Four: But You See, it's Not Me

Set after the events of ME3.

A rewrite. Ao3.

FemShepxKaidan

"Get down! Get down! Get down!" Jane screamed as she charged across the field.

The blast rippled through the air, a torrent of flame following imperceptibly behind it, and with that sudden friction came the force of the explosion. Rubble, stones, dust, and ash flung across the square seconds after the detonation. Terse silence, then relief.

"Recruit!" the Lieutenant called, emerging from behind the barrier, "holy hell, Recruit?"

He scanned the intersection, frowning as the haze of ash obscured his vision. But it wasn't long before coughing guided him forward to his curled-up Recruit. One now covered in ash and with a few extra gashes but seemingly no worse for the wear. Those bright blue eyes looking more out of place against the black and grey backdrop of soot and crimson.

"I think we played that one a little close," he wavered on the humorous tone. Fighting their own wasn't comfortable for most soldiers, even if they had made it abundantly clear they were the enemy.

Jane grinned up at him, "I usually am not the charge setter. I just like the boom."

Fair enough. Perhaps he should have never questioned her mettle, the woman chomped on the bit to destroy this outpost the second she saw the gem-like logo tagged on the side of the building. Roy knew she had killed other humans since the Reapers were defeated, but seeing her ease at doing so in person was another matter. Most of his men, and himself, balked at the idea after weeks of working together against the Reaper threat. Now it was over -it felt sacrilegious to kill another member of his race... it was the first time he had killed another man. But here Jane was, taking it in stride, almost seeming to take it with gayety he couldn't fathom.

"That must be the human with the quad," for a hulking creature, the Krogan leader could be quite mellow at times, for what was expected out of him.

Strangely enough, Jane didn't share that same sentiment. She cowed in her own way, backing from the open hand that Wrex offered to her. Wrex instead lifted her by the arm, pulling the female in for closer inspection. The red eyes roved over her face and features, looking for something that he ultimately decided was not there. The Krogan set her down with a gentle jostle.

"Heh, I must still have my charm."

His recruit fought a wistful smile.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The cold night air prickled her skin, raising the fine hairs across her forearm. Her gaze followed it down and to the ground in the space between her crossed legs. It felt less immense looking at this space rather than up at the terrible presence that loomed over her—waiting to devour her.

"How does it feel to be invisible?" the mechanical voice now a caress gently easing into her thoughts, "those you called friends can't recognize you anymore."

She wasn't invisible, just tired. Scared. Lonely. Lost. Everything the Commander didn't feel.

"What is the legendary Commander without biotics? Fodder."

Each attempt she had made had wound up in her losing time. Each subsequent try meant more time and a migraine that intensified. If the migraine ever truly left the lingering stage, but it was something she knew better than to complain about. Nobody needed a reason to worry about her or find another reason to treat her like an outsider. That she couldn't complain about, she hadn't tried hard to be friendly. Instead preferring to remain on the periphery.

"Or is the legend of Shepard over? The husk that you are can't compare."

Or was it easier to relax? To let the burden fade from her shoulders? The crushing weight of everyone's hopes had been too much. Sleepless nights, nightmares, and anxiety permeated every aspect of the Commander's life. Questioning if she had done enough for the war effort, the sewage of her worries toxifying each moment of peace. Guilt over her time in Cereberus still proving to be a hurdle in any reconciliation of her being a basically good person.

It was a little easier being Jane. Not much was expected of her.

"Or are you the vessel of her guilt? The long-overdue penance for her crimes."

Most saw Shepard as the hero. But only because they didn't see the evils she had caused. Colonies. Planets. Friends. Synthetics. Her unit on Akuze. All gone because of her choices. Nobody had time during the war to examine the consequences of her actions. Would they not see them if Shepard simply died on the Citadel? The blame left to some figure that had at least the good sense to atone by dying for the galaxy?

It didn't make her choices better.

But it was less blame to assign to her.

"Whatever you are now isn't worthy of being deemed 'Savior.' You rejected your friend because you feared the face he would see, the nothing you are now."

"I see we're revisiting Harold," the warm voice a sudden break from the cold metallic," I don't understand it, this thing gives me the heebie-jeebies."

Roy's hand on her shoulder a strange grounding back into reality, back into the frigid night air. Her head turned to glance at him, as usual, he softly smiled, amber eyes viewing her with a hint of concern. A familiarity that thawed some of her walls.

"It's also freezing out here, but leave it up to you to be sitting out here. Alone," the chuckle arriving before his teasing, "brooding."

Jane huffed.

Roy's finger stroked the underside of her newest scar that ran along her chin; it was a curious thing with a slight glow, "you need to get this thing checked."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Finally, some respect."

"Don't let it fool you."

The LT sighed heavily in return, turning his head to the Reaper with a reflexive frown," Now, tell the Recruit to stay put for a moment."

Jane hadn't intended to move, but welcomed the checkered blanket that was placed tenderly around her shoulders all the same. Roy placed himself facing her, blocking out the view of the Old Machine. A green bottle finding its way into her hands.

"I can't take this."

"You're not taking it. You're helping me drink beer," he returned smoothly. Extending out his own drink in a toast.

"Well, what do you suggest?" her favorite person murmured. His eyes darting over her lips, but they only ever rested on her eyes. Inviting; her call to calm.

"I can't think of anything better than this moment right now," Mary lost her fight to keep his gaze, her cheeks dusting in red. The possibility of this vulnerable moment turning reared in her head.

"Shepard," Kaidan purred against her lips, pulling her form flush into him, "Shepard."

He didn't move to push the feathery kisses into serious territory, instead enjoying the closeness the two of them rarely got to enjoy. This openness was the prime offering, the exposed throat to be protected. Even rewarded in a way Mary wouldn't see as patronizing.

"Kaidan," Mary muttered, his name dropping as her vocal cords seized.

Kaidan would wait as many beats as she needed.

"This feels almost normal."

His rumbling laugh came fluidly, "what do I need to do to make this normal, normal? Besides ridding the universe of the Reapers, and singlehandedly wiping out Cerebrus."

The Commander considered it for a long moment, "you know that really uncomfortable position where I lay on your arm? I think that would feel more normal."

"Alright, Shepard," Kaidan returned with a grin, scooching both of them awkwardly until he laid on his side and Mary's head rested on his forearm, "anything else?"

The woman grinned bashfully, "no."

"Because you forgot the crappy vid, but it doesn't matter; we wouldn't have watched it anyway," his finger traced across the ridge of her nose.

"Why? Would we too busy, getting busy?"

He laughed again, "maybe. But you don't like to be still that long. You know, you'd have to learn to sit down and watch a vid with me one day."

"If you could refrain from making comments the entire time," Mary retorted smugly.

"Heh." There was a hesitation.

"If you've got something to say to me, Alenko."

His finger gently drew lines between the paths of her freckles, formulating the right words and deciding on a path between his hopes, "sounds like you are planning on keeping me around."

"I-," the sole thing keeping her head from turning away was the hand that cupped her cheek, "I'd like to learn to be normal with you. To have a regular life... with you. Christmases, birthdays... fucking Easter."

Kaidan knew he grinned like an idiot, his cheeks hurting from the width of his smile.

"Hey, kid, you look a little lost there," Roy called, snapping his fingers.

"Oh," she put the bottle to her lips, the somewhat warm liquid coating her mouth, "sorry."

He shrugged nonchalantly, taking his own generous sip. Overlooking the woman curiously.

"LT, I appreciate this, but," Jane struggled with the words, with the absolute coldness she was displaying, "why are you doing this?"

"It's Christmas," Roy stated simply.

So it was, "I'm sure you have better company. Even others that had invited-"

"I did, but don't make this isn't all about you," Roy had his own troubles. Most of them the people that clamored for his attention. Jane wasn't like that, he found her near hostility refreshing. A good break from the worries of being a caretaker for everyone in the building before him. Jane didn't ask for anything. "I am still not convinced I was the one most suitable to speak with that Krogan, Wrex. You seemed to get on with them."

"You got it done."

"We had an unlikely connection, and he's a reasonable person."

Jane shook her head, twisting and opening up her palms in a dismissive motion. Apparently, that was that and a done deal. Returning them to silence.

"I am curious, how does one know so much about aliens, guns, and farming?" He pressed after a moment. The finding of her knowledge of crops was the most surprising thing to learn about her to date. Not that she had deemed to share this openly; instead, he caught it by chance as the Salarian and the Recruit brainstormed the best irrigation and propagation methods with their limited supplies.

Jane's cheeks flushed, even in the dim light, "ahh, I had mentioned my parents were colonists, just not that they were farmers. I'm not an expert or anything. Being a teenager when they died, I had little real interest in it."

"And the aliens?" He wisely pushed away from the subject, already seeing the hints of her recoil. The bobbing of her throat becoming a recognizable tic.

"My postings saw me in diplomatic positions. I spent a considerable amount of time on the Citadel and visited most of the homeworlds of the major council species," Jane glanced to her right, a soft smile spreading on her face.

All considered this was a fucked time to be smiling. Upon further consideration, visiting wasn't the proper term either, she had been there to try and break a siege or to deal with some Reaper-related threat. The smile arose because of the memories of her crewmates, former and well... they were all former now.

"How did you end up so lucky?"

"Some hard work, but mostly luck," her expression darkened before returning to a neutral state.

He had so many more questions. But she had her reasons for not divulging further, for reasons nefarious or more likely classified, Jane kept mum. Pushing her further could only end in retreat.

"Any other fun talents you want to tell me about?"

"Nothing that entertaining," Jane chuckled, "though I'd like to know how you managed to stash beer."

Roy returned the chuckle with a wink, "my secret, Recruit."

"Fine," she smirked, "but what about you? I know you served, but what did you do before this?"

"I own an orchard. I used to be more involved with it. But as men my age do, we like to retire to a quiet life."

"So much for that," Jane murmured, earning another toast with the LT, "any family?"

"Yeah, an old lady, somewhere back home," Roy grew wistful, "I have a kid, too. Somewhere."

Jane knew that tone, the somberness a feeling she was only too familiar with. Much as he never asked about her troubles, she returned the favor. Most had lost something, if not everything in this short but brutal war.

The man picked himself up as he finished his beer, stashing both bottles into a pile of rubble to retrieve later.

"You should come back inside for dinner, word and smell is that someone made actual bread. Rolls."

Roy offered out his hand.

[lyrishadow]

Stay

Prompt 1: “I need you.” Fandom: Mass Effect Andromeda Title: Stay Pairing: Scott Ryder/Kaidan Alenko Rating: T Warnings/Tags: none

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34202500

"Kaidan?" The voice next to him seemed kind of hazy but a voice he liked. "Damit, you are not going to die on me. Alenko!" Kaidan tried to open his eyes.

"Settle down Scott, don't scare my patient please." As Kaidan tried to figure himself out he came to recognize the doctor was not doctor Chakwas. He half-opened his eyes and blinked them closed again against the light.

"SAM, I need an update on Kaidan's implant please."

"Yes, Dr T'perro."

"C'mon Kaidan, it's damn heroic that you saved me, but … I need you." Scott leaned closer to him not seeing the half-open brown eyes through his tear-filled blue ones.

"You don't know how I am in love with you if you don't come back... if I lose you too, I don't know what to do."

"Scott?" Dr. T'perro sounded a little kinder "you need to go take care of Pathfinder business, I promise you, I will take care of Kaidan."

"Oh, God... the conference call, I'm on it." Scott touched his hand to Kaidan’s forehead before turning and striding quickly from the room.

Half an hour later Kaidan woke fully in a quiet med bay. Had he just imagined Scott being there?

"Ah you are awake," the doctor ran her scanner looking for problems "how is your head?"

"I think I'm, OK?" Kaidan sat up slowly.

"SAM?"

"I am able to check to make sure Kaidan does not have a concussion, I suggest rest, however."

"Where is Scott?" Damn it did that sound desperate?

"Please rest." The doctor said quietly. Kaidan frowned.

"Why where is he?"

"He's fixing one of Liam's messes." Doctor T'perro replied, her tone speaking to exactly what she thought of that particular mess.

"Is he ok?"

"You are the one who took the full brunt of the Adhi charging." She shook her head "if I had hair, it would all be grey."

"Oh, I just meant…." Kaida got his feet on the floor, reassuringly without being dizzy.

"The Pathfinder has been messaging me every ten minutes since he left." Doctor T'perro suddenly looked at Kaidan "Am I missing something?"

"Um." Kaidan felt his face turn red as he tried to hastily think of another topic. "I… your trying to make me squirm aren't you?"

"Yes, I took matchmaking 101: lock the dumb idiots in a room and make them talk. You two might want to consider that as some advice, before someone else yells it at you."

Kaidan laughed then sighed. "Well. You aren't entirely wrong."

"Feeling the dumb idiot bruises are we?" the doctor had scanned him again.

"Somewhat." Kaidan tried to stand, taking things very slowly. " There is an age difference, and I doubt anyone is going to think kindly of him for dating me.."

"Kaidan, you know what he lost. I don't think age plays any role in whether you love him or not."

"Yeah." Scott had lost his dad, his partner, and nearly lost his sister. All within a week of landing here. Kaidan had seen the sniper use his training to mask how he felt, and just force himself to carry on. When Kaidan had first seen Scott, battered and bruised from death, and the falls on Habitat 7, he had felt pity for how lost the man looked. Now he just admired him. A lot.

"Oh. Um. I'm going to go find someplace to rest." Kaidan slipped out of the med bay and sighed "SAM can you let me into the Pathfinders cabin please?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Ah, not really, I just want to talk to Scott." SAM unlocked the door and Kaidan restlessly paced until he had to rest.

When Scott finally walked in, Kaidan watched as he walked over to where the bed was, his mind clearly on the mission he had just finished.

"Woah." Scott gasped, turning to see him, not exactly expecting him to be resting on his bed.

"Um. Hi, there " Kaidan lifted his hand in a wave "Sorry for the surprise."

"I.. Um, it's OK. Really, my room is quieter than everywhere else."

"It wasn't just that, I wanted to see you when you got back." This was going well, Kaidan groaned to himself, resisting the urge to bury his head in his hands.

"You had some business to talk over?" Scott asked carefully.

"I Um no�� uh… I’m not good at…” Kaidan shook his head helplessly, not even six hundred years had improved his ability to flirt with people.

“Well, maybe we should just talk?” Scott said quietly. He sat on the opposite end of the bed, facing Kaidan.

“Yeah. That.” Kaidan sighed “Look if you think I am too old…or if it isn't right ... I..”

“Too old?” Scott looked at his hands with a sudden interest “For?”

“Um.” Kaidan slowly stood - still not trusting his head entirely - and walked around to where Scott was trying to avoid eye contact. “Scott?”

“Kaidan. I don’t know if you heard me before.” Scott stared at his hands.

Kaidan sat down on the bed right in front of him.

“Scott?” He said again, catching hold of his hands. “Stop thinking the worst.”

“You are just going to tell me I’m young and stupid, and can’t possibly know that…”

“Scott.” Kaidan sighed.

"Kaidan, I'm not a kid, I'm not dumb, I might be a bad choice for Pathfinder, who knows why Dad picked me, I might be a lousy brother but…"

"Scott…." Kaidan almost groaned his name, it was killing him to not just pull the remarkable, stubborn, crazy, idiot into his arms "I'm not trying to say that."

"You're not?" Scott finally looked up stunned, "then….what are you saying?"

"First, promise me to actually listen." Kaidan replied, with a shake of his head.

Scott nodded, leaning forward to listen.

"Scott, I like you, I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you. "

"You. Me?"

"Yes." Finally Kaidan could see that Scott understood. Though he hadn't spoken in a moment, which was a concern.

"SAM?" Scott said finally, "Can you please lock the door and give us privacy?"

"Of course Pathfinder, please use the code we agreed on."

"Thanks SAM."

"Scott, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think, for the first time since I arrived in Andromeda I might have an inkling of what I hoped to find. Instead of what I've lost." Scott touched Kaidan's hand gently "it makes me hope."

"Good." Kaidan grinned "I think I'm not going to hold back, all the Reds and stuff the Alliance had - they don't mean much for the Initiative."

"Kaidan?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Best offer I have heard for a week." Kaidan replied as he turned toward Scott.

The first kiss started a little awkward, as they found each other, but took it's time, giving enough promise and hope for things to come.

"Mm. Need to practice that. " Scott said as they rested foreheads together, stupid grins on their faces.

"We can just tell everyone right?" Kaidan asked, to which Scott nodded.

"Boyfriend." Scott murmured trying the title "would you move in here, I Um would rather have you closer."

"I'd rather be closer but isn't the first date too soon?"

"Is this where I point out we have slept in the same room, and bed since Hab 7? You saved me, you have no idea."

Kaidan kissed Scott gently and sighed. "I do, I remember how low you were. How much I wished I could just hold you…."

"You were awesome, I think I fell in love with you pretty quickly." Scott confessed " I'm glad you are here. With everything going on, please stay."

[aricazorel]

12 from the fluffy prompts for f!shenko please!

Thank you so much for the ask!

“This reminded me of you.” from this list

Rebecca Shepard x Kaidan Alenko; ME3, Citadel DLC; 1548 words

Spending the first few days of mandatory shore leave chasing your own clone and recovering your stolen ship was not how Rebecca Shepard had envisioned the time off. She hadn’t expected Anderson to give her his apartment either, but she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead she decided to spend the time as ordered: off duty while she caught up with friends, took it easy, and spent quality time with Kaidan. Granted her shore leaves had always been hit or miss on whether other people enjoyed them with her but Kaidan was different. She knew him. Really knew him and thought she might be able to find things they both enjoyed doing.

That’s why she stopped into a random store in one of the lower wards market districts. It screamed Kaidan Alenko. The ward itself was home to a mixture of races and was a prime area for tourists to frequent. And that was what she was at the moment. Not the Commander, not the Savior of the Citadel, not the galaxy’s beacon of hope against the impossible. Just a tourist looking for a gift for her nerdy boyfriend and did that shop fit the bill. Thankful she actually listened to his random facts at all hours of the day and night, she was sure to find something he liked.

The whole concept of the store was based on interesting and unique things from Earth’s past. As one of the newer species on the galactic scene, humanity was still a curiosity to some. The oddities of Earth’s pop culture from past centuries permeated the shelves, racks, and display spaces in the specialty shop.

Shepard roamed the aisles looking for a specific pop culture icon from the late 20th-early 21st centuries. Surely they had something related to his nerdy obsession. After all he had been through and all he did for her, he deserved something familiar, something comforting, something distinctly Kaidan.

Finally at the very back of the store, she found it. All sorts of items: tee shirts, hats, figures, plushies, OSDs with movies and TV series, models, and much more. But one thing in particular caught her attention. A box containing what looked to be a collection of several items. Ones she knew Kaidan would love.

Her target acquired, the Commander- turned- tourist quickly paid for it and made her way back to the apartment. If she were lucky, Kaidan would still be out with Cortez, Vega, and Joker at the arcade. She could wrap it and surprise him.

Hopefully…

~~~~~

“Hey, Becca! I’m back,” Kaidan’s voice called from the living room.

“I’m in here,” she shouted from the bar area. The large box sat on the coffee table in front of her as The Battlespace played on the large vid screen but muted.

The Major rounded the wall partition as he commented, “Joker still wants to have that party. Tried all evening to get Steve, Vega, and me to convince you to agree to it.”

“I told him I’d think about it,” Rebecca groaned from the couch.

“Yeah, well you know Joker. He gets an idea and won’t let go until he gets his way,” Alenko replied as he came to stand by the couch, the artificial fire crackling behind him.

“Yeah. I know but all I want to do right now is spend time with you,” she said tossing her red hair over her shoulder. “Alone.”

“I’m all yours tonight, Becca,” he assured her as his whiskey-colored eyes flickered to the coffee table. “I promise.”

Shepard grinned. “Something catch your eye, Major?”

“You always have my eye, Shep,” he said with a lop-sided grin.

“You’ve gotten better with your flirting,” she noted as he approached the table.

“Who said I was flirting? I thought I was simply stating a fact,” Alenko commented, winking at her.

“Kaidan,” the Commander murmured as she felt herself blush lightly.

“It’s true,” the L2 biotic said as he pointed to the box. “But what it that?”

“It’s a box.”

“Becca.”

“It’s a wrapped box.”

“Shepard.”

“It’s a wrapped box with something allegedly inside it.”

“Rebecca Jane Shepard!”

The Commander laughed as she held up her hands as if in surrender. “Okay! Okay! No reason to sound like my dad.”

Kaidan made a face. “Don’t ever say that again. That’s just…weird.”

Rebecca laughed again as she motioned towards the box. “It’s for you.”

“Me?” the Major asked in surprise. “From who?”

She frowned as she replied indignantly, “Me, Alenko. Unless you have other women gifting you things behind my back.”

“Hell, no,” the second human Specter exclaimed as he reached for the box.

“No guys either?” she teased as he sat down on the couch beside her.

With the box in his lap, he gave her an incredulous look. “Sweetheart, while I do like both men and women, I only love you.”

Shepard was left speechless by his honesty as he quickly kissed her cheek. He gave her a grin and began to unwrap the box. Her once emotionally reserved Lt. was not so any longer, and it suited him. It suited him very well.

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“You always say that, and you know I’m gonna do it anyway.”

“Yeah, well I still think you don’t have to…”

The Commander grinned as he went silent. His fingers traced over the edges of the box as his eyes flickered from one image to another on the side facing him. She leaned forward to look at him better. His expression was one of surprise and something she couldn’t place.

“I found it at an Earth novelty shop in one of the wards,” she said softly.

Kaidan nodded as she continued to look over the box.

“This,” Rebecca said motioning to the focus of his attention, “reminded me of you.”

“I had some like these when I was a kid,” Kaidan murmured as he opened the box. “My mom found them somewhere. Used to put them together to distract me from my biotics when I got frustrated with them.”

Shepard smiled as he pulled out several smaller boxes, each of a different model kit. She watched as his smile widened as he told her the name of each ship the model was supposed to build. A look of fondness for a childhood memory on his handsome features the entire time.

“This one’s an X-wing—Red 5. Luke’s ship…This is the Millennium Falcon—a YT-1300…Ummm, this is a TIE Fighter and a…TIE Advanced—Vader’s I think…A Star Destroyer—Venator class used during the Clone Wars and a…Oh wow! It’s the Ebon Hawk!”

Shepard recognized all the ships except the last one from binge watching the Star Wars movies and series with him in the hospital. “Come again?”

He turned to her excitedly. “It’s the ship from a couple of Star Wars video games. I had an emulator for them growing up. I might still have it…”

“So it’s a good thing?”

He nodded with a broad grin. “It was a fun couple of games. I can show them to you some time but…”

“But what?”

“Well, my mom used to say the pilot of the ship sounded a little like me,” he said rubbing the back of his neck, clearly a little embarrassed. “It might be weird.”

She looked at him thoughtfully. “Maybe it’s just one more thing that can remind me of you. You are weird in a special kind of way.”

Kaidan gazed at her happily. “This mean a lot to me, Becca. Just like you do. Thank you.”

“I’m glad,” she said looping an arm though his.

He went back to inspecting the model kits as she laid her head against his shoulder.

“You know,” she began, “when you get those put together I think there might be enough room to display them in the case in the loft.”

He turned to her. “You’d put my model kits from Star Wars with your models of real ships?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Umm, because they’re not—”

“Not what, Kaidan?” she asked. “They are important to you and you are important to me.”

He looked at her with cynically. “While that does sound sweet and sincere, is that really the only reason?”

“Well, of course it is,” she replied. Shepard paused and winced. “Welllll, that and I think most of them look badass…except for the TIE. It looks like a messed-up eyeball.”

Alenko laughed. “Oddly enough that was a nickname the Rebels and New Republic pilots gave them. The TIE/LN starfighter and the TIE/D Defender specifically. I—”

“Alright, my handsome nerd, I get you are excited and I’m glad you like them, but I thought we were spending the night together. Alone. Do I need to be jealous of the model kits?”

“No, Becca. I’m all yours,” he said setting them aside as he leaned over. Kissing her, he suggested, “We could watch the movies though.”

“Hmmmm,” she said. “We could as long as it isn’t too distracting.”

“If you want my full attention all you ever have to do it ask.”

“I know. And I love you. You and all of your nerdiness too.”

“Oh good. I was worried…”

“Kaidan.”

“I love you too.”

She smiled. Rebecca would always love him. Everything about him. Everything.  

[crqstalite]

Please tell me you intend to write a fic featuring Maggie one day. I love her and I've only seen one head canon 🥺

Heck, maybe! She's growing on me a bit 😂 (Wonder if she and Lily's daughter would be friends?)

To be honest, she hasn't told me much about herself just yet. She's a finnicky character compared to Esme. Plus I've never been good at writing kids. [ A) They terrify me, and B) I work off how I was as a kid. I was a certified Weird Kid. And sheltered. You see where the problem lies. ] They're tiny squishy beans that I certainly could not figure out. Hasn't stopped me from writing for fun though.

Toss me a prompt though. I'll see what I can do with it ;)

- Full name is Margaret Davina Alenko. She was named after both David and her maternal great^2 grandmother. Goes by Maggie, or Mags by her parents. - Clumsy kid, very resilient though. Feel like she was a sports kid, or at least played around a lot with Urdnot Mordin. Tumbled a lot. - Current birthday is somewhere around December of 2191. - Younger than Esme by a whole five-ish years. - Takes after her mom mostly, look's like her dad in the face though. Lighter brown eyes, darker skin, thinking around 4A-3C textured hair. - (Have happily headcanoned Kaidan learned to braid her hair and he's the only one she sits long enough for) - Is very good with puppy eyes on said dad. - If I had to describe her biotic aura, it's chaotic. Not quite as much as Koda's post-Mars, but she's a bit of a unknown variable a lot of the time. - Is absolutely a biotic, probably doesn't use them much once she gets over the childhood phase of "oooo shiny". She knows enough of the basics to protect herself, but not much else. Probably actually is a medic once she's of age to enlist in the Alliance. - Probably a lot smarter than she ever gives away. Maybe not booksmart, but girlie absolutely knows what she's doing. She watches, learns, then does. Occasionally for less benevolent tasks. Her mother's doing, probably. - In that same vein, tends to be very in tune with changes in personality or actions. However, it does take a little for her to get her ideas and thoughts in order. - Absolutely loves her uncle, even if he's never been entirely sure what he's doing. She thinks he's the fun uncle, he's just happy he hasn't dropped her yet. Pulls on his hair a lot though. Thinks his freckles are stars (similarly, about Citlali as well) - Loves to laugh! Loves to make other people laugh! - Lives in the black and blue sweatshirt for a couple of years until she outgrows it. Surprisingly, shorter kiddo. (5'9" compared to 5'11" and 6'0" respectively)

[curechocolattymilk]

Y’know when i started this mini family chart i was thinking it’d be done by 8 or 9pm…it’s 11:30 as I’m typing this OOF

But uuuh just a quick little thing of Jeer-Tei’s family tree! Excluding his biological parents/siblings bcus it’s late & I’m sure y’all can tell when i started rushing/getting sloppy.

Left to Right, Top to Bottom! (Pink lines w/ rings mean married, blue lines are children/offspring, dashed blue lines means adopted)

Sulnne F’asun - Knight/soldier of the Hammerfell military & a loving wife ‘n mother. Has a great relationship w her spouse & kids. (still in the works)

Casim F’asun - Blacksmith, very much the big softy dad type with a contagious laugh. He often worries about his kids & tends to write to them the most.

Tamit Gravin - Teacher/Scholar in Cyrodiil & eldest of her siblings by a few years. She moved to the province with her spouse who I have yet to name/create lol. Her classes focus on astronomy & navigation!

Azahael - Knight of Hammerfell’s military, specifically in their navy! Jeer-Tei’s “twin” brother (the argonian hatched a few hours after Azahael was born) & the sibling they are closest too! Had a bit of a tense moment when word reached the fam that Tei had joined the Legion during Skyrim’s civil war, buut discussion between the two & updates on Skyrim events gave Az a better understanding for it. (Both are in agreement/are for Skyrim’s independence, but also don’t think Ulfric is best to lead it. Granted they have their differences on how it should be handled though; Az thinks Tei should have took Ulfric’s place by force & pushed out both the Legion & Thalmor, whereas Tei, as much as he despises the idea of sticking with the Legion though living at the assembly in Windhelm for a short time was a pushing factor towards it to be honest, wants to use his titles/birthright/overall growing political influence w them to pull strings in favor of getting the Empire to rebel. They can have dragons come to his aid at will, shouldn’t be too hard right?)

Jahtaal / Jeer-Tei - That one He/They y’all been hearing about. The name Jeer-Tei Perdes is actually the name of a soldier Sulnne fought alongside during the Great War, she decided to give it to the hatchling her family adopted as a way to honor the late Argonian (you can use either name for Tei, if you know em both. They could care less lol). But in Skyrim you probably know them as: Legate Perdes, The Harbinger, Listener, Guild Master, Dovahkiin/Dragonborn, the champion of Hircine. Or perhaps as the Slayer of Alduin, Ulfric Stormcloak, & Harkon? The tamer of Miraak? Local bastard? Tired Argonian Who Wants To Just Spend Time With His Husbands & Kids But Has To Do All These Political Meetings/Parties In Cyrodiil & Has An Expedition to Atmora They Were Begged To Join? All in all Tei has big things planned, fate will see if they are successful.

Kaidan & Rumarin - Y’all know them, I don’t need to ramble lol

Chases-Starlight - Eldest daughter of Tei, Kaidan, & Rumarin. She’s very big on learning & wants to be a scholar in the future. She’s just stuck on whether it’d be for astronomy or studying Dwemer ruins like Uncle Flavius is doing!

Ram-Ku - Second eldest of the trio, & Tei’s prodigy for the Dark Brotherhood! He initially met his future parent at Dawnstar in hopes Tei would train him to be an assassin, in which Tei said “uh…I can adopt you instead & we’ll see what happens.” I’m actually debating doing a bit of divergence from game events & making Ram-Ku the actual Listener, with Tei pretending to take up the position until Ram-Ku is older aaah.

Mei - Baby of the four, youngest twin by a few minutes. Mei, alongside her twin brother Otero, are a bit of a curiosity in Skyrim, & really to anyone who knows about them; after all there’s not much known/recorded of Argonian-Mer/Argonian-Man offspring. Being born under the sign of The Apprentice (the month Sun’s Height), Mei had a decently sized magicka reservoir, but even then it didn’t help much in regards to her body handling it; she has a lot of magic in that tiny body of hers (it’s joked that whatever magic potential that Rumarin didn’t get went straight to her), so any bursts/overuses would make her quite ill/fatigued. But hey it gets better as she ages/she works on her control at the College of Winterhold.

Otero - Also the baby of the four, but slightly older than Mei by a few minutes. ‘Tero seems grumpy since birth but he’s actually quite the opposite, he’s just not as social as his siblings, preferring the company of the family pets/livestock. Like Mei, he has a decent magicka reservoir, but has no interest of studying/practicing magic; unfortunately the weakness to magicka hits him extra hard. As he gets older, Otero is more interested in just chilling & being a hunter/werewolf (did he mention being a werewolf? He got it from Jeer-Tei & decided to keep the ‘gift’) rather than being part of something big, too much pressure, especially when you consider his parents/lineage.

[theoriginalladya]

Can we know more about Rhys?? Unless it’s spoilers, of course. But I’m so curious about how he went from BAaTT where he is now. What were things like between him and Kaidan then? Have they had ANY communication between leaving BAaTT and the events of their story? Where did Rhys get his first cowboy hat??? Does he have a closet full of them or is he a one-at-a-time kind of guy?

Darlin’, you just MADE MY DAY!!!!!!!  Thank you for these fabulous questions!!!  If my answers generate anymore, please feel free to ask!  (under cut because it got looooooooooong!)

Okay!

Rhys is a variant of the Spacer and Earthborn backgrounds.  For the first six years or so of his life, he was out in space with his parents.  (he is two years older than the standard game Shepard, too - born 2152)  When he was about six (I may need to do my math again, but I think that’s the age), his dad is killed in the First Contact War.  Mom (Hannah) sends him back to Earth to live with Dad’s parents (Evelyn and Callum Shepard) on their ranch in Wyoming.  From then until he goes to BAaT, he lives in Wyoming.  

When he is a small child, during his Wyoming years, as grandpa Callum is teaching him how to work a ranch, Rhys finds a dinosaur bone on their land and he is struck by ‘dinosaur fever.’  (No, seriously, this is a THING that happens to kids, I swear!!!  Trust me, I AM AN EXPERT ON THIS...  and maybe still sick with it myself! ;) )  He reads anything he can find about them, knows all the different types, etc.  (you may have seen that in his first writing prompt I posted here - at BAaT, all the kids know about it! lol)  So, yeah, dinosaurs ON THE FREAKING BRAIN!  He wanted to grow up to be a paleontologist, but things ... change.

I won’t get too much into how his biotics manifest or how he gets to BAaT (that’s spoilers and will be the beginning of his story), but suffice to say, he takes a LOT of his dinosaur ebooks with him on his omnitool.  Plus music.  And movies.  Cause, what else are they gonna do???  He gains a nickname that may or may not come out in his stories (depending if I can express it well enough in writing) as “King of Karaoke”.***  When he’s younger, it bugs him, but later on he doesn’t care! lol  

Now, I know people interpret BAaT differently, but here’s my basic idea - the group of kids are broken down into smaller ‘pods’ if you will - of 4-5 people who are then expected to do their studies and work together in the biotics classes.  He, Kaidan, Rahna and one other NPC are in a pod together, so they become good friends, and for the most part get along very well.  Both he and Kaidan agree to watch out for Rahna (like Kaidan explains in game), and that actually helps them bond.  Quoting movies becomes a ‘thing’ between them, occasionally lyrics.  

Not going to say anything more specifically about events at BAaT for now (because story and still figuring it out).   HOWEVER, when he and Kaidan do separate on the way back to Earth (not sure exactly how this plays out yet), they do so with the agreement to ‘stay in touch.’  And then ... nothing.  Rhys heads back to Wyoming - finishes high school (essentially online) and keeps working at his grandparents’ ranch because of how things play out that lead to him going to BAaT, and eventually starts college online as well.  (He starts as sort of a general studies focus but specializes later on.)

TWO YEARS AFTER BAaT, he comes in from a day out on the ranch to discover a guest waiting with his grandmother.  Kaidan shows up, out of the blue.  (there will be stories for this time, too)  He spends some time on the ranch with Rhys, they get to talking, rekindle their friendship.  He spends some time there (again, not going to spend too much time on this, because spoilers) but suffice to say, things are better between them when Kaidan leaves an unspecified amount of time later (because I haven’t given any actual thought as to how long he stays! lol).  

They sort of stay in touch, but life happens and each go their own ways and eventually lose track of one another (again).  Kaidan ends up in the Alliance.  Shepard ends up in graduate school studying, of all things, protheans.  Mostly because his ‘dinosaur brain’ switches over to the prothean thing after he reads something about the prothean archives on Mars in graduate school.  From that moment on, he’s hooked.  He runs into similar situations that Liara describes (about experience, or lack thereof) and it frustrates him because he wants to get out there and keep learning.  His area of prothean studies is different from Liara’s - he’s more into the language and communications.  That’s why he’s on Eden Prime when the geth/Saren show up.

Now, about the cowboy hats ...  He gets his first one from Grandpa Callum when he arrives at the ranch at age six, and they’ve been a part of his life ever since.  His hat is as comfortable and familiar to him as a pair of sweat pants or a favorite shirt, etc.  He technically has one when he goes to BAaT, but they don’t let him take it and instead give him a the uniform that all the students end up wearing.  News Flash:  he hates uniforms.  Just saying.  If it isn’t jeans, boots and a cowboy hat, he has no use for it.  Once he starts going out to dig sites, the boots, jeans and hat become his ... well, trademark, I guess?  He gains a bit of a ‘reputation’, if you will, for dressing like that.  He figures, if it means people ‘recognize’ him, all the better.  One way or another, he gets his name out there.  

As far as frequency of hats goes (I’m STILL GIGGLING at this question!), since he doesn’t really have a ‘home,’ per se, he is a one hat kind of guy.  His grandparents’ ranch is his home base, so most of his stuff is there, and he may have a couple of older hats kept for emergency purposes, but as for his normal, everyday wear?  He likes his hats like he likes his partners in life:  one at a time, well known, long-term.  

NOTE:  He really hates the geth, by the way.  That was a really good hat they shot off his head on Eden Prime ...  Just sayin’.

***There is a bit of an inside joke to this nickname, too.  Rhys’ face claim is Taron Egerton who performed the song “I’m Still Standing” (one of Rhys’ theme songs) in the movie Sing.  :D

[regalpotato]

WIP folder meme

Tagged by @mnemosyne-musing - you don’t know what you have unleashed

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

I’m not doing all my WIPs coz that would take up 10 pages of tumblr, but here are ones I might maybe (probably won’t) actually do one day.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla:

Valhalla fic (Randvi/f!Eivor)

post-wincester  (Randvi/f!Eivor)

Buck Rogers:

untitled

Doctor Who (2005):

dw fic idea (12/River)

library fix it (12/River)

doctor who AU (11/River)

i loved you even before i knew your name (11/River)

justice department library fix it (11/River)

my feelings are too loud for words (and too shy for the world) (13/River)

take her away fic (13/River)

we give life to the ghosts which haunt us (13/River)

Doctor Who (Classic/Extended Universe):

eight x river (8/River)

5 times ian x barabara (Ian/Barbara)

home isn’t a place (it’s where your heart resides) (Ian/Barbara)

i don’t know where my road is going (but i know that i walk better when i hold your hand) (Ian/Barbara)

stuck together (Ian/Barbara)

marry me (Ian/Barbara)

our destiny is in the stars (Ian/Barbara)

body swap? (Liv/Helen + Eight)

shower rewrite? (Liv/Helen)

Liv meets Helen’s dad (Liv/Helen)

liv/helen soulmate au? (Liv/Helen)

Dragon Age Inquisition:

the smallest thing (Cassandra/Varric - minor f!Hawke/Fenris)

soulmate au (Cassandra/Varric)

things you said when you were crying (Cassandra/Varric)

Galavant:

amnesia fic (Madalena/Gareth)

masquerade (Madalena/Gareth)

soul marks - tourney (Madalena/Gareth)

Leverage:

leverage fic (Sophie/Nate)

Mass Effect:

mass effect fix it (f!Shep/Kaidan)

here be dragons (f!Ryder/Cora + m!Ryder/Peebee)

rose garden (f!Ryder/Cora)

Eris (f!Ryder/Cora)

biotics training (f!Ryder/Cora)

MCU:

wandavision ficlet (Wanda/Vision)

Singin in the Rain:

cosmo has never thought about what he wants from life (Don/Kathy/Cosmo)

gay (Don/Cosmo)

the exact moment cosmo realises he’s in love with his best friend (Don/Kathy/Cosmo)

untitled (Don/Kathy/Cosmo)

Spooks:

hands (Ruth/Harry)

it’s been a long road (Ruth/Harry)

and the truth will set you free (Ruth/Harry)

Tagging @rahleeyah @carolinedhavernas @mygalfriday​ and literally anyone else who wants to do this. Just say I tagged you :)

[youeggbastard]

Can I get any/all of the General and Love questions for anyone you want 🥺🥺

Yes 🥺 Sorry for the long post

Original Format here for anyone that want’s to use it 

Ellie and Kaidan

Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

There wasn’t really one person who took the first step for them, it was more like. It was kind of a group effort, they were both in love with each other, they both knew it but they both knew that they weren’t exactly in the best position to have anything, so there was just a lot of longing stares and unsaid things between them for the longest time. So by the time they actually took the next step so to speak it kind of felt like they have already been with each other. If that makes sense.

Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

I mean, do you count clearing out caves of bandits or hunting dragons as first dates? Because I do and I consider the first time Ellie took Kai dragon hunting their first date. So there was a lot of cursing, a bit of fire, and all other fun things. 

What was their first kiss like?

It was very sweet at first, I mentioned before that there was just a lot of unrequited feelings and yearning between them, so when they finally kissed it was like the dam broke free.

Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

Kai was Ellie’s first love and relationship, she’s had sex before and all that good stuff, but he was first person she ever fell in love with, and I guess I would say Ellie was Kai’s first good relationship that was actually built on love. 

What’s their height difference? Age difference?

I have no idea the actual height of Kaidan, but I’m assuming it’s in the 6 foot range, and since Ellie is only five foot there’s at least a foot of height difference between the two. As for age, I think someone claimed Kai is around 25 so there’s probably only a couple months to a year age difference between them.

What’s their relationship with each other’s families?

They’re both orphans, so they are each others family 🥺

Who takes the lead in social situations?

Both of them are pretty reclusive but I would say probably Ellie, she’s more approachable and a better people person at least.

Who gets jealous easier?

Ellieeeee, her jealousy is a weird kind of jealousy, it’s not that she doesn’t trust Kai. But she’s always struggled with self confidence issues and her self worth so it’s kind of hard to see someone flirting with Kai and not at least have that sliver of doubt or that moment of: he might be happier with that person because they aren’t a doom driver dragonborn werewolf combo. She’d never say any of this though.

Love

Who said “I love you” first?

It was kind of an unsaid thing between each other for the longest time, but I guess if we’re going on technical it was Kai.

What are their primary love languages?

Gift Giving and Acts of Service. Ellie gives him books with little notes she writes in them as well as cool rock she finds. Kaidan always makes sure she has food in her knapsack, her water pouch is full, etc etc.

How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

PDA is probably pretty rare between them it’s mostly all about the eye contact, but when they’re alone cuddling is an absolute must.

What are their favorite things to do together?

Adventuring, they have a home but I lowkey think the both of them are happiest when they’re wandering about Skyrim and further, sleeping under the stars, and getting up to all sorts of trouble. 

Who’s better at comforting the other?

Kaidan, hands down. Ellie with all her sweetness is horrible at comforting other people, she just kind of stands there awkwardly, occasionally she’ll just try to feed you sweets? Luckily Kai knows that when she does that she’s trying her best.

Who’s more protective? 

Funny enough, it’s actually Ellie, I think it’s mostly because of her beast blood and the wolf like tendency to protect your pack. She’s not possessive she’s just a bit on the protective side, but she’s like that with all of her friends. 

Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

Physical, but only when they’re alone. Luckily the two of them are secure enough  in their relationship that they don’t have to constantly be touching or reciting poetry to one another to show that they love each other. They both already know. 

What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

Am I using this a chance to show my Spotify playlist I made for them? Yesssss But i would say the best song with be “Would That I” By Hozier

What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

We all know Kai’s wide variety of nicknames he has for the ldb, Ellie will usually stick to calling him by name or My Love if she’s feeling really special.

Kaidan & Jen 

I Hope you don’t mind but I wanted to answer these additional ones for these guys too 🥺

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

How did they first meet?

(To the tune of Sk8er Boi) He a cultist, she was a vigilant can I make it anymore obvious? 

What was their first impression of each other?

They tried to kill each other, and almost succeeded  ❤

Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

Nope, for obvious reasons.

Who felt romantic feelings first?

Romantic feelings don’t come until way, way down the line and then I think they both ended developing feelings around the same time, you know after they learn to trust each other and actually become friends. But it’s Kai who acknowledged his feelings first. 

Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

Oh yeeahhh, by the time they develop feelings it’s less about the fact they once tried to kill each other and more of their own personal issues. Kai thinks Jen couldn’t love him because of their past and is scared of what admitting that would do to their friendship they have now. Jen has essentially had her love used against her every time so when she falls in love with someone she just assumes she’s going to get hurt. Very badly.  

If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

They would probably laugh in your face and then develop feelings later and be like “wait, shit no.”

GENERAL

Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

Depends how you look at it, Kai was the first to confess his feelings and Jen didn’t take it well, it took her getting over herself for them to actually acknowledge their feelings and make something out of it. But it was Jen to first initiate they sleep together. 

Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

I’m going to count Kai taking her to Shadowgreen Cavern as a first date, it was very sweet at first until Kai told her that he loved her.

What was their first kiss like?

There was a lot of unresolved tension, and unsaid feelings so it was a pretty passionate kiss. Both of them knowing that it was a lot more than just a kiss but both too scared to acknowledge that or what it would mean. 

Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

I was about to say they were the first relationship where they haven't tried to kill each other, but even that’s not true. So Probably the first healthy relationship they have, if you ignore their rocky start, as well as first husband/wife. 

What’s their height difference? Age difference? 

Jen is around 5′7, so Kai has a good couple inches on her. They’re the same age with Jen probably being a few months older. 

What’s their relationship with each other’s families?

Kai’s family is dead as we know, and Jen’s dad tried to sacrifice her so if I do end up bringing him back for conflict reasons, I can’t imagine the relationship would be very good. 

Who takes the lead in social situations?

Normally Jen.

Who gets jealous easier?

Kaidan, Jen usually just finds the people that flirt with Kai funny and will sometimes join in just to get him flustered. 

LOVE

Who said “I love you” first?

Kaidan, like I said Jen doesn’t take it well. 

What are their primary love languages?

Primarily Acts of Service for both of them, Jen’s language of love is mostly gently mothering people until they get annoyed. 

How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

Pretty Often actually, Jen is a very physical person, sometimes she just needs a reminder that she’s alive and that the other is alive so touching reminds her of that. It was a bit of a culture shock for Kai who, at least I think, is extremely touch starved. 

What are their favorite things to do together?

Both of them are content doing their own thing but in the same vicinity. Jen gardening while Kai reads in the garden, that sort of thing. 

Who’s better at comforting the other?

They are both good at comforting, though Kai maybe just a bit more because Jen can be a bit much. 

Who’s more protective?

Kaidan, he wishes he didn’t have to be but honestly it’s Jen fault for Never wearing armor and always charging into battle without thinking.

Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

Like I said, Jen is a very physical person, but she always goes out of her way to remind Kai that she loves him after learning he probably hasn’t heard those three words that often in his life. I think Kai relies more on being physical with his affection, than verbal, I imagine he feels like his words won’t do how much he loves her justice. 

What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

Time for me to shamelessly put ANOTHER playlist I made for this specific couple But I’ve been wibing with the song “War Of Hearts” by Ruelle being their anthem or “Hate Me” by Eurielle 

What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

The thought of Jen calling anyone “My darling” or “My dear” get’s me feeling things. 

[professorspork]

today in the Reaper War, SUDDENLY EVERYONE’S COMING TO THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE MY QUARTERS AND WANTS TO BANG? you’d think that no one on this ship knows that i HAVE a girlfriend! DOES MY PARAGON-ASS SHEP REALLY SEEM LIKE THE CHEATING TYPE?

anyway. I have major hearteyes for Traynor as you all know but my goodness what an unfortunate seduction attempt. dear Mass Effect: you do not render flowing water effects NEARLY well enough for a shower scene to be properly titillating, even if you could write the dialogue for it, which you cannot. I left that well enough alone because I’m her superior officer and also TAKEN, but my god the idea that I’d turn down Traynor, then call Traynor as yeoman and be like “thx send up Allers” and then screw ALLERS is bonkers. WHO IN THIS UNIVERSE WOULD PASS UP TRAYNOR FOR ALLERS? NO ONE. NO ONE WOULD. so. it was quite a relief to talk to James just about N7 stuff, though frankly I wouldn’t mind it if he hit on my more because he is very big in his size smedium t-shirts and I like it when he calls me Lola. but I know I’m not free of this torment. Kaidan made EYES at me when I was just ASKING ABOUT HIS DEAD CANADIAN DAD so like. the seduction attempts are sure to continue, I’m sure.

(it was sad to see Garrus hanging out by the memorial wall, and to see Thane and Mordin up there. but also: who made that shit alphabetical by first name?? I bet Liara’s eye twitches every time she has to pass by)

the high of having Tali back and knowing she’s an Admiral now is somewhat mitigated by the extreme low of THE QUARIANS STARTED A WAR WITH THE GETH when i SPECIFICALLY ASKED THEM NOT TO. that Tali and Legion tried to stay pen pals at the start did fill my toasterfucker heart with joy, though. the fact that I managed to get the genophage cured and the turians and krogan allied with each other gives me hope that I can turn this around. and also inviting Tali up to my quarters and asking if she’s okay just for her to break down and say “no, I’m not” was just... BABY GIIIIRL. 

gearing up to help Aria take back Omega as a way to pace myself next, mostly because I want to send as many Fuck Yous to terrorist daddy as possible. 

PS - i literally laughed aloud when Anderson was like “obviously the Reapers are scary but watch out for Kai Leng, he’s no joke.” like. ah yes. we’re at war with machines of unprecedented power and literal godlike influence who want to blend us into soup and then use our pulp to make more god machines, but hey. look out for this ONE GUY who’s got a knife. he jumps around a lot. I know Thane was able to beat him up while literally at death’s door but seriously. watch out for him. he’s sneaky. like. WHAT.

[maxrev]

Snapchat Shenanigans

For Virmire Week @spectrekaidanalenko​

Shepard and Kaidan overhear a convo between Ash and her youngest sister, Sarah. Shepard can't help but be curious and wants to know more. Kaidan is just the innocent bystander who gets roped into a challenge. 

Ashley grinned at the screen as she talked to her youngest sister, Sarah. A pang of loneliness and longing hit her so strongly, it nearly brought tears to her eyes. She missed her mom and her sisters so damn much. Maybe after they caught Saren, the Normandy crew would get some leave and she could visit. Having had a big hand in helping raise her sisters after her dad died, she sometimes felt more like a mom to them rather than an older sister.

A call home after the fustercluck on Eden Prime was exactly what she'd needed to ground her to reality once again. Just for a few moments of normalcy and to chase away the pain of losing her entire squad. And the guilt. It wouldn’t last long and she knew it but damned if she wouldn’t ride the high for as long as she could, though. Sarah was the last one on to vid chat because they all knew they’d never get a chance to talk to Ashley otherwise.

Brought out of her reverie by the fond thought, she tuned into Sarah's conversation again. “How come you never send us Snapchats anymore? Are you too serious now, soldier girl?”

“Sarah...” Ashley sighed in annoyance. She tried to remember what it was like to be so young; she failed. “I just don’t have time for it anymore, okay? When I actually get a few minutes somewhere, I’ll play around with the app and send you something.”

Her little sister grinned wickedly, "I'll just bug you until you do!" Ashley groaned and Sarah added, "I want several. There are so many cool filters on it now! I’ll send you my favorites.”

Ashley couldn't keep from laughing, “Okay, okay, fine.”

Being silly had gotten them through the endless moves from colony to colony, the heartbreak and frustration of making and losing friends and beginning all over again, with their dad's deployments over the years. Sometimes, their mom had used Snapchat with them, first to bring some laughter into her daughter's lives and then as they began to leave the house, as a way to stay connected and have fun. It had become routine and those silly photos always showed up when Ash needed them most. Maybe Sarah needed them, too.

Thinking on the past, Ash didn’t realize Sarah was asking her something, a sly and calculating smile on her fresh, young face. oh no, this couldn't be good.

“Sooooo...you said you were serving on the Normandy with Commander Shepard, right?" At Ash's nod, she rushed on, words tumbling from her lips, "We all saw him on the news. He’s hot, Ash!"

"Shhhh!!! Sarah, stop!"

It was like she hadn't heard, “Do you get to talk to him a lot? Go on missions together and study strategies...side by side?” With every ounce of dramatics in her teenage voice, it echoed loudly from the vid. "Do you like him?” Before Ashely could even sputter a reply, Sarah added breathlessly, “Oh! And what about Major Alenko? We saw him too! I think you should go for one of them. They’re so...dreamy!” She gave a girlish sigh.

Despite being alone in her corner of the bay, Ashley felt her cheeks pinken and warm at Sarah’s assessment. A furtive glance to the left and behind her showed neither Wrex nor Garrus paying her any attention. She wasn’t entirely immune to either man's 'hot factor', as Sarah dubbed it, but it wasn't a path she wanted to head down.

“Sarah, you know damn well there’s no fraternization. They’re both my superiors and I wouldn’t do anything to mar dad’s memory or make the Williams name look worse. Dad fought for every posting, remember?”

The look of excitement ebbed from Sarah’s face and Ashley fought the pain of not being able to give her little sister a hug. Maybe she’d been too harsh but...Sarah wasn’t a child anymore. Bringing her omni-tool up, she tapped a few buttons and an image of her with a silly, squashed face came on the screen.

She sent it to Sarah. “Message incoming.”

A beep sounded over the airwaves and Sarah glanced down at her own omni tool. She grinned and laughed, looking up at Ashley with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Happy now?"

"Yes! Thank you. I'm going to show it to all my friends at school...oh, and mom and Abby and Lynn, too."

Wonderful. Just the kind of thing the world needed to see about the Normandy crew right now. "Sarah, I don't think it's a good idea to be showing anyone outside the family."

Sarah wasn't listening, typing fast and furious on her omni-tool.

"Show who what?"

Caught unawares, Ashley jumped and squeaked simultaneously. When she turned to see who it was, she wished the floor would open up and shoot her into space. Right now would be perfect, too.

Ashley saluted smartly. "Uh…nothing, sir. Just having a chat with my sister."

Sarah's awed voice floated towards them, "Commander Shepard…"

He grinned and waved at the screen, "One and the same. Who am I having the pleasure of speaking with?"

Ashley stared at him. He was engaged in a conversation with her sister. Oh no, this could not go well at all. For any of them. Sarah would talk his ear off first while also embarrassing Ashley, without even trying.

"You okay, Ash?"

She squeaked again. Good grief, she sounded like a damn mouse...hadn't seen the LT either. Double shit. She was a goner for sure. Might as well go pack her rucksack and be ready to disembark at the next stop.

"Just fine, LT. Didn't mean to take up so much time on my vid call. Sarah can...go on a bit." She'd completely forgotten he and Shepard were doing duty station inspections.

He chuckled, crossing his arms and relaxing with a tilt of his head at the screen. "So I see."

Ashley turned and heard Shepard ask, "Snapchat? What is it? Don't think I'm familiar with it and I have a lot of apps on my omni-tool."

Oh hell freaking no. This wasn't happening to her. Several thoughts ran through her head, vying for attention: Sarah could not show him Snapchat, couldn’t tell him he was hot, couldn’t ask him if he liked her sister and...wait, Shepard had apps on his 'tool? As the thoughts tumbled over and over, she realized something else…

Kaidan had snorted with amusement when Shepard mentioned he had lots of apps. Turning to look at him, she wondered just how well he knew their CO. Something else occurred to her. She gazed at Shepard in a new light. He was just as ordinary as the rest of them on this ship. Easy to forget when he seemed larger than life.

Loud enough to speak over her sister’s gushing voice, Ash said, “We really need to go, Sarah. We have inspections and we’ve taken up enough of Commander Shepard’s time.”

“Oh...yeah, sorry.” She looked crestfallen.

“We have?” Shepard turned those clear blue eyes on Ashley, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Wait...he was enjoying this? What about the inspections? Protocol? Or her soon to be embarrassment. Hadn’t happened yet but it was inevitable.

“Uh, well…” She wasn’t sure how to proceed.

Shepard turned back to Sarah, “So tell me how this Snapchat works.” He played with his omni-tool. “Okay, it’s downloaded, now what do I do?”

Sarah launched into an explanation of what the app was, what it did, the different filters and how to take a picture. Shepard alternated looking at her face on the screen and his omni-tool, confusion written on his face.

“Hang on.” Typing on her own ‘tool, a ping soon came from Shepard’s. “Just to get an idea of what you’ll be doing.”

Standing next to Kaidan, Ash felt paralyzed, hoping Sarah hadn’t sent him something ridiculous...or incriminating. Glancing at her CO, she was surprised to see his shoulders shaking. Oh no. Her eyes connected with Sarah’s in the vid, laughter in their depths. She had a sudden sneaking suspicion.

“Hey, LT, come take a look at this will you? I don’t think the message came through correctly.” He was clearly struggling to speak.

Kaidan stepped up next to him, looking at the ‘tool. He smiled wide, giving Ash a side-eyed glance. Shit. She was going to jail for killing her little sister. All the sacrifices she’d made in the name of her career, only to be taken out by a teenager.

The LT called her over. “Ash, can you come here? I think we need another opinion.”

Dreading every step she made closer to the two of them, she approached warily. Shepard thrust his ‘tool closer so she could see what they were looking at. It was the photo she’d just sent Sarah right before they’d walked up. In the snap, she had a squashed face and bowl type haircut.

Yep, going to be taken in for murder. Looking up at the screen, she saw Sarah looking back at her, childish glee in her eyes, a smile playing about her lips. All the annoyance drained out of her. How could she be mad at her baby sister? Turning thoughtful, she had an idea. There was another way to play this.

She smiled. Crossing her arms and leaning back on one leg, she gazed at Shepard and said, a challenge in her tone, “Yep, that’s me, playing with Snapchat. Bet you can’t do any better than that.”

Hearing Kaidan choke on a laugh, she knew she was on to something. Shepard stood up straight the look on his face enough for her to know he was going to take the challenge.

He affirmed her assessment, “You’re on.”

The next thing Ashley knew, all three of them were in a Snapchat war. From behind them, she could hear Sarah struggling to suck in air between wheezing. When she could speak, it was to egg them on. Before long, all of them were giggling like idiots, tears rolling down their faces, doubled over in laughter. They couldn’t continue, unable to even hold their ‘tools up to take photos anymore.

When they could finally breathe, they looked up. The looks on Garrus' and Wrex's faces had them falling into fits of laughter all over again. One by one, they slid to the floor, piling against each other in a tangle of limbs, trying desperately to come back to some sense of normal.

Sarah’s voice ghosted over their heads, “Hey! Where’d you all go? Are you still there?”

Shepard spoke up, “Still here Sarah. We just...needed a break.”

Ashley stood up, smiling fondly at her little sis, still wiping tears from her eyes. “Time to go, sis. I’ve got work to do. Enough play time.”

A pout formed on her lips, “But...I want to see the snaps. I was so excited.”

Feeling the LT and her CO stand up behind her, Ashley started to say something but Shepard beat her to it. “We’ll look through them and see which ones actually turned out. I think all of us were having trouble between the laughter. Okay, Sarah?”

If her face lit up anymore, Ashley figured she could light the colony. “Yeah, that’d be great!” Then she smiled shyly, “I could...uh...send you all some of mine, if you want.”

“That would be really great, Sarah,” smiled Kaidan over Ash’s shoulder. “We better let you go now. Thanks for the fun.”

She nodded and cut the feed. This call was going to cost Ash big, she knew it. She just wasn’t sure how much, beyond the credits she'd have to pay for going over her time limit.

Turning, she regarded the two men with a suddenly serious face. “I can’t thank you both enough for making my little sister’s day. I just want you to know, I didn’t plan this and I’m sorry things got out of hand.”

Their smiles died quickly, replaced by confusion. They looked at each other, then back at her. “Ashley, we enjoyed this as much as you. We all need to let loose and laugh. Don’t worry about the length of the call and you certainly aren’t in trouble. In fact,” Shepard added, “next time you plan on calling Sarah, let me know. I always need new apps.”

Relief surged through her and she let out a deep sigh. “Yes, sir. I’ll do so. Just remember, she really loves to talk. And loves her apps. You might get more than you bargained for.”

Kaidan groaned, shaking his head. “Which means I’ll be busy fixing his omni-tool and cleaning it up as per usual.”

Feeling more like she fit in than ever, Ashley grinned. He probably would be. She’d seen first hand their CO wasn’t very tech savvy. The one area she’s seen him fall short in.

“Well, we’d better get back to it. Keep up the good work here. Your station is clean, organized and the weapons are working better than ever.” Shepard clapped her on the shoulder and he and Kaidan turned to leave. How he even noticed with all that transpired, Ashley didn't know.

“Aye, aye, Skipper,” she called after them.

His lips twitched with humor at the nickname. Ash knew she was going to enjoy this posting after all.

[pigeontheoneandonly]

Crossroads

December 2185

Ryder’s late, so she’s into her second beer by the time he arrives and takes the seat across from her.  “You’re a hard woman to find, Shepard.”

She takes him in.  His voice matches the comm transmission, near as she can tell. Somehow older than she expected, with a face like leather and a swept mane of gray hair.  “It’s Nathaly.  And you should’ve been here an hour ago.”  

He raises his eyebrows.  “I don’t have to call you Lila?”

“Lila was the name of my imaginary sister when I was about, oh, eight years old.  Give or take.” She sits back with a sigh.  “Which of my parents spilled?”

“Your mother wouldn’t take my call.  My reputation precedes me.”

She watches him, then fumbles in her pocket and lights a cigarette.  “I have to say, Ryder, I wondered if the N7 commendation was as bullshit as the rest of you, but you did manage to track me down, all the way out here.  So maybe not.”

He chuckles.  “Alec, I insist.  And I didn’t come here with bullshit.”

They’re interrupted as the lone server comes to take his order— coffee, black.  She requests a third beer, not remotely caring what he thinks of her drinking, and takes another drag.  Ryder wanted this meeting.  He’s going to have to figure out how to ask what he came to ask.  She’s not inclined to make it easy.

Ryder clears his throat, and glances around the empty bar.  “This place is off the beaten path and then some.”

“It’s Christmas.  I didn’t have many options.”  It’s a dive and she knows it, though with a good view of the harbor.  This planet’s such a backwater everyone can afford good real estate.  “I’d think even a disgraced officer would have better places to be than the ass end of the Terminus.”

“My wife was Jewish.  Possession’s nine tenths of the law, so my kids are, too.” He takes in her expression and coughs. “A bad joke.”

Shepard makes a noise somewhere between satisfaction and contempt.  “I could’ve guessed you wouldn’t win dad of the year.”

“We all have our regrets.”  Ryder eyes her.  “You have kids?”

“No.”  Shortly. Shorter, maybe, than is expected.

“Married?”

“Almost, a few times.”  Her mouth quirking, because it’s sad and true.  “Truth?  I had a ten-minute call with my ex-boyfriend this afternoon, and a fifth of good scotch waiting at home, and those’ll be the highlights of my Christmas.”

“Then forgive me if you can’t understand, but sometimes, doing the right thing for your family means you miss out on everything else.”  

“And that right thing is this Andromeda Initiative.” She drains the last of beer two, and hopes the waitress hurries up.  She honestly couldn’t be more bored.  There’s too many disasters here at home for her to be concerned with new ones a galaxy away.

“My children are going into stasis in two days, Nathaly.  I’m supposed to be there with them.  I need to know that this is the right decision.  I need to know if what you’ve said about the reapers is true.”

She tenders him an exasperated look and glances off, smoke curling up beside her head.  “If there’s one thing I’ve learned since ‘83, it’s that there’s no proving anything to someone who doesn’t want to listen.  And no point in wasting my breath.”

Ryder grows a shade less patient.  “In my day, N7s didn’t run off to backwater colonies to hide from their problems.”

“In your day, all you needed to get an N7 commendation was avoid pissing yourself if a turian winked your way.”  Shepard snorts, and takes another drag, taps off the ash on the edge of the table.  They’re outside and the wind will blow it away.  “I needed to clear my head.  Get just five minutes without someone asking me to do something.”

“Before the real war comes?”

She regards him a long moment.  “So you’re already convinced.  Why do you need me?”

“I had to look you in the eye.”  A pause.  “And I wanted to tell you about the Initiative.  More than I could say over an open comm line.”

Part of her wants to get up and leave.  After Cerberus, hell, after the spectre program, Shepard was done with people trying to sell her on anything.  But she’s always been cursed with an inquisitive nature. One that had to light the fuse just to see how big the boom could get.  “I don’t know which of us is crazier.  Me for thinking we can win against something like the reapers, or you for thinking people can survive two million light years of dark space.”

“Me neither.”  The coffee arrives, and her beer.  He takes a careful sip, and grimaces.  “You sure can pick them.”

Her mouth turns up at the corner. “I don’t come here for the coffee.”

“It’s the last place in the galaxy that will let you smoke at the table,” he guesses, not completely missing the mark.

“Batarians love their cigarettes.  It’s more common out here than you’d think.”  Shepard sits back.  “We’re still not at the part where you ask me what you want to know.”

And she’s right, she knows she is, when he looks at her, long and hard and slightly stricken.  His uncertainty naked as it’s never been before anyone else.  “How do we know this is only a Milky Way problem?”

The answer’s just as blunt.  “We don’t.”

“How do we know they won’t follow us there?”

This time, it takes longer to respond.  “Reapers aren’t alive.  They’re a virus.  They attach to any spacefaring organic civilization they sniff out.  If they sniff you out?”  

She shrugs.  His mouth tightens.  He takes a sip of the awful coffee, and looks out over the harbor.

“But there’s this.”  Shepard takes another sip of beer.  Wipes her mouth.  “They’re at the end of a cycle, completely depleted of resources.  They don’t plan on human time scales.  And I bet they don’t move as fast as your Initiative ships. They’ll want to stock up, so there’s a couple hundred years of harvest after we’re defeated, if we’re defeated. Let’s call it three centuries even. That’s a hell of a head start, knowing what you know.  We didn’t get that here.”

“We’re leaving QECs in secure locations.  So we’ll know what happens.”

“That’s a bad idea,” she says.  Flatly.

He winces, as if in private agreement.  But he changes the subject.  “There’s another reason I’m here.”

She raises her eyebrows.  Suspicious already, but allowing Ryder the courtesy of measuring his own rope.  He continues, “There’s a good argument that your war isn’t something anyone can win.  Not with only a few squandered years of preparation.  We could use you on the other side.  A chance to do it right, with people who will listen.”

Shepard snorts, and drains half the beer in one pull. “People who listen.  Sure.”

“I mean it.”

“I’m sure you do.”  Her eyes cut to him.  Angry for the first time since he sat down.  “I’m not running out on this galaxy.  It’s mine to protect. That’s what being a spectre is, and an N7 marine, too.”

“I am protecting this galaxy.”  Ryder folds his hands on the dirty table, matching her word for leaden word.  “I’m making sure enough of it survives to carry on.  It’s not going to be easy.”

She looks away, a muscle twitching in her jaw. Because it does sound nice. Giving up on a problem she hasn’t been able to solve in nearly four damn years, that cost her life and a hell of a lot more beyond that.  Move on to something fresh.  Clean. Fixable.

If she thought for a second Kaidan might go, she’d actually consider it.

But he won’t, and she knows she’ll taste regret five minutes after the Initiative thaws her out.  So she looks back at Alec Ryder evenly.  “We’ve both made our choices.  I’ve thought for awhile I was meant to die here, doing this.  If anything’s big enough to become fate, it’s the reapers.”

“Or the Initiative.”  Accepting fully the implication.  “I didn’t expect to convince you.”

Her eyebrows rise.  “Then what?”

“I had hoped I could persuade you to leave this little paradise—” sarcasm dripping off each syllable— “For just long enough to take a little tour.  Maybe help me set up a few things.”

The cigarette had burned out.  She grinds it into the deck.  “Set up a few things.”

“You know.”  Ryder sits forward.  “Make preparations.”

[bioticbacon]

prompt: you can save the world

fShenko drabble, with spoilers for the extended cut dlc for mass effect 3.

this is entirely @capriswritingnartshenanigans fault

- - -

She was unsure what hour it was when the first cries reached her ears and pulled her from a light sleep, but by the darkness beyond the window, Catriona guessed the wee hours. Momentary, tired confusion shattered as she moved to gather the squawking infant in her arms from his side car, writhing against the soft blankets that had swaddled him so snugly.

“Hush now, my darling, you don’t need to cry.”

The baby’s wailing fell silent as he began to nurse with practiced ease, a fat hand curling against her skin as he calmed, and even in tiredness, Catriona took the chance to marvel at him, to admire him as she always did; the sweet, milky scent of newborn, the dark ebony hair, long sweeping lashes and neat ears that she now knew so well.

But then, she seemed to have known it all even before his arrival. Even before the newly restored EDI had given a run down of her scan findings, her thumb tracing the image of the tiny being who’s heartbeat filled the room; made in love and representing such enormous hope and reward.

Strong cardiac activity, a healthy foetus growing well. XY chromosomes. A significant number of biological markers identical to one Major K. Alenko. 4.2 inches long, 90 grams in weight. Approximately 15 weeks and 1 day.

The skyline of city lights laid beyond the glass before her in the still of night; what was the point of a penthouse apartment if you didn’t have a large enough window to admire the view, Kaidan had joked as they had built their home. Vancouver was rebuilding quickly, the skies already full of shuttle traffic and an endless buzz of activity. It was comforting, the reminder of life outside of her nest slowly regaining traction after the horror it had met. Not that she could claim to have engaged in it recently - her time had been otherwise rather occupied.

Now four days old, and he was still just the baby. She would insist it was a difficult last name that held up their choice, much to her husband’s disgruntled pout. The months of pregnancy had seemed to last forever, endless time to decide but now, the clock ticked; his grandmother was travelling that morning to meet him, he would need to be registered with the city and damned if she was sent another message asking for a name to put upon his gift. Even Kaidan had gently chivvied her into putting some serious thought towards a decision.

Her Kaidan. Patient, unfailing, gentle Kaidan who had held her hand so often and not once uttered a word of complaint, even as she had cursed him to hell and back with each contraction of her labour. Quiet, protective, loving Kaidan who had whispered affirmations in answer to her every anxious thought, who had made vows to love her eternally so easily as the cool metal of her wedding ring had met her finger, who had wept so fiercely as she had handed the baby to him for the first time. He snored gently into the pillow beside her, head turned from her, and in the light from the window, she could make out the same neat ears and soft, dark hair she had been admiring on her son. Their son.

The baby in question had quietly finished nursing, contented by a full belly and his mother’s arms, and endless dark brown eyes met hers in a gaze that seemed to still time. She had always been told infants were born with blue eyes, but here he was, with the same deep brown eyes that had first won her heart so many years before. In the haze of memory from labour she could see him lifted onto her chest, seconds new and with the sweetest of cries, and his eyes had found hers instantly, her very soul snapping into life with sudden realisation that she had no idea she had been missing. Oh. There you are. How could I ever not have known you?

The babe blinked, before his tiny features screwed into a yawn and as she adjusted her nightgown, Catriona brought him to her to kiss, thumbing the downy skin of his cheeks. The responsibility still overwhelmed her. Hell, give her an invasion of ancient sentient machines any day, but this was on an entirely different level. A gun, she could handle with every inch of familiarity and confidence. But a baby? A baby was something different entirely. Something fragile, something delicate. Life, in its simplest form. She was far more used to death, and the destruction and pain of it, of the grief of loss.

Her heart hurt when she wandered into the memories of that loss, of those that would miss this, that would be unable to share their elated joy. In all of it, one figure stood out, a gaping hole in her world and a pain that never seemed to settle. She could see him at the edge of her mind’s eye, could still hear his confident belief in her at every turn, the gentle smile that said ‘you can do this’. Their final conversation pulled itself often to the front of her thoughts more recently, and in every quiet moment of doubt, there he was. Oh how she wished he was still there to be the voice of sanity she had relied upon so often.

What about you? Ever think about settling down?

Yeah… I like the sound of that. Not sure I’d be much good at it though.

Sure you would.

I’m a soldier, Anderson, like you. Not really fit for doing anything else.

Movement next to her broke her spell, and as strong arms found her waist, Catriona realised she was crying, hot tears tracking down her cheeks. She leant her back into the muscle and warmth of her now awake husband, his face burying into the crook of her neck and his gruff, sleep filled voice reverberated against her skin, laced with concern.

“What’s the matter, love?”

He could read her so easily; had she been crying enough to waken him? Catriona wiped quickly at the dampness on her cheeks with her free hand, clearing her throat as best she could. “I was just… thinking about his name. Or lack of it, I guess.”

The tension in his shoulders seemed to drop with her admission as a tender hand reached down to trace the baby’s features. “We’ll find something, don’t worry. Boy can’t live without a name forever.”

“No, I…I think I know what it should be.”

“Oh.” Kaidan’s face lifted, his hand tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear, before resting his chin on her shoulder. “Well, hit me.”

Catriona drew a breath, steadying herself, before glancing to him. “James for the middle… for your dad, like we discussed.”

His reply with a gentle chuckle, warmth in his eyes. “You’ll make my mother cry with that one.”

They felt silent again, Kaidan’s waiting gaze upon her once more, but Catriona found she couldn’t say it, couldn’t bring herself to give it voice. That meant he was really gone; meant finality. Her mouth was like cotton, thick and heavy, barely able to force the name from her lips and as she finally whispered it, her voice cracked. 

I don’t know Shepard. I think you’d make a great mother.

“David. I want to call him David.”

She felt the breath in him hitch instantly, the meaning of her suggestion sweeping over him first as a grimace of pain, before his brows knitted together in silent, sad contemplation and she turned enough to look at him almost desperately, eyes filling and throat catching once more. “He was like a father to me, I guess… he cared… for me, for you… he believed… he would’ve been so proud… he would’ve loved…” She could speak no more, composure shattering and descended quickly into heaving sobs, fat tears slipping down her cheeks as she clutched the babe to her. He would have loved to have been here to see this, to be a part of this.

Kaidan turned her in his arms so easily and she wept against him, face pressed against the tickle of chest hair as a hand traced circles on her back. Heaving sobs left her, chest burning with each breath - how it hurt, raw grief she thought had lost it’s sting. Her husband was silent other than soft murmurs of comfort for what seemed to be forever, and when he finally spoke the tremble in his own voice was answer enough.

“Yeah, that’s…that’s a good choice...” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, the baby settled in her arms. “David James Alenko. Now there’s a name.”

I’m proud of you. You did good, child. You did good.