#jien garson

[theoriginalladya]

WIP Whenever

Went to Starbucks this morning to do some writing and Kaidan finally started to cooperate for my Rydenko stories! <3 Here is a snippet from this morning's writing adventure...

Setting: Milky Way Galaxy, 2185

~~~

There it was again, that hint of worry and apprehension from before.  Something else was going on here that Kaidan couldn’t quite pin down.  “From the sounds of it, things are just about ready to go?” “They are.  We are down to a matter of weeks before departure now.”  Turning towards him, she asked, “Tell me, Major Alenko –” Kaidan straightened and lifted a hand.  It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate it, but it felt so hypocritical to still call himself that.  “Please, it’s Kaidan.  I left my rank behind when I was discharged.” She remained silent, but her eyes seemed to survey him with new intensity.  “All right, Kaidan,” she agreed at length.  “So, tell me, why did you decide to join us at such a late date?  Alec said you were a damn good marine.  One of the best, as I recall.  Why leave the Alliance and join our number?” And there it was, the core of the matter.  “My reasons for joining are similar to those when I first joined the Alliance,” he began.  “I’ve always had an interest in exploration.  In traveling to distant places and meeting new people.”  It was true.  After his experience at BAaT, that was what had drawn him back to the Alliance long-term. Her lips pressed tightly together as she watched him.  “I know who you are, Kaidan,” she said quietly.  “Where you come from.  So does Alec.  We weren’t blind to the reports that came out a couple of years ago.” Ah. 

[nesonkin]

"I started reading mass effect andromeda nexus uprising and so far I have a sneaking suspicion that Sloane had feelings for Jien Garson" Please, go on...

LJDVSAJLJLDJLDAJLSG well........

All of these are from the Prologue, and it's enough to showcase just how fascinated Sloane was with Jien Garson. She was so many things to Sloane, it's actually cute to think that THE Sloane we know and love would have this much respect and admiration for one woman. Like, she genuinely believed in Garson and her Andromeda ambitions despite everything. Her death took a big toll on Sloane which I think was a big part of her arc in the book. Romantic feelings or not, Jien was VERY a very important person to Sloane.

Jien's wishes and ambitions, I think, is something that Sloane believes was ruined by the Nexus Leadership. I could try to go deeper into this if I was still in my mass effect mood but for now I just want to express how sad it is knowing that an Andromeda sequel is unlikely to happen. Because I would very much like to continue investigating Garson's murder mystery (and potentially being able to bring Sloane with you for it assuming she's not dead). To give her some sort of closure and build a bridge with the Outcasts. That would be neat I think.

They really gave me the most intriguing and engaging side quest of the entire game and then pulled a murder mystery equivalent of a cockblock. Grrrrrrr. Anyway. I hope this satisfies your question. Nexus Uprising gave me a lot to think about regarding Sloane, Garson and the Nexus Leadership. It's very cool.

[veshialles]

me after re-listening to the messages at Alec Ryder's personal console: omg do you guys think Liara could have been The Benefactor behind the Andromeda Initiative?

tumblr: could be, but doesn't that timeline leave a few plot holes?

me: yeah. kind of does hmm [remembers Geth tech was used by the initiative] WAIT DO YOU THINK THE BENEFACTOR WAS A COVER CREATED BY THE GETH?

tumblr: shit that'd be wild, could be true idk

bioware devs like 3 months later: anyway here's a scrambled audio clip of Liara communicating with some Geth about humans doing something completely unsanctioned by the Citadel Council

me: wow! what a great piece of new information! i'm being so normal about this teaser reveal! (<-lying)

[vorchagirl]

Saints and Liars - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Gonna Raise Hell

The second Benefactor Agent is finally revealed, and Cerys puts herself in a dangerous situation - forcing Harry and Reyes to put aside their differences to team up and get her back.

Art is by the wonderful @beemot and you can find a snippet behind the cut:

The sense of anxiety that plagued Cerys as she left the Nexus, followed her for the entire trip back to Meridian Port and only grew stronger when she received a message from Reyes via Amy that the attack on the Nexus was imminent. A million what ifs pounded through her head in time to her heartbeat. 

What if Tann had heard her? 

What if she had fucked things up for Reyes? 

What if Tann was going to come after her? 

What if? What if? What if?

At her behest, SAM attempted to make contact with Amy so she could warn Reyes to be on his guard in case the worst happened. He fired the message off on a highly encrypted tight band, but couldn't confirm it was received, nor did he receive a reply - which only increased her anxiety. Reyes could take care of himself, she knew that, but they didn’t know who was in league with Tann, and it was this other person that worried her.

Her team knew something was up, and when they reached Meridian all of them opted to stay on the Tempest in case an emergency arose that needed them - which Cerys appreciated. She had been as honest with them as she could about Tann’s threats to the team if she didn’t follow his orders to explore Meridian, and about Reyes investigating Tann. She hadn’t been quite so honest about who Reyes really was; that was his secret, and it wasn’t hers to tell.

“Cerys?” Vetra caught her on the docks, a troubled expression on her face. “I know you have strong feelings for Reyes, but are you certain that he’s correct and Tann is behind this? Because after what he did to you when he and his people stole the AI-”

“I’ve seen the evidence,” Cerys interrupted. “Tann is definitely behind this. I don’t know if he killed Jien Garson himself, but he was part of it.”

The turian drew in a slow breath. “Then he’s dangerous . Far more dangerous and clever than we thought. You need to be extra careful, especially if Reyes fails and Tann gets away. We know better than anyone how dangerous Remnant Technology can be; if it fell into the wrong hands-”

“I know.” Cerys appreciated Vetra’s concern. “Right now all we can do is hope that Reyes’ plan works.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53353261/chapters/141261925

[timptoe]

Finally started playing ME Andromeda, I’m about thirty hours in (so no spoilers!), and…it’s kind of lovely? I get the sense from the fanbase that it’s pretty hated but I’m kind of liking it. First impressions:

It’s very much like if Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Inquisition had an adorable baby. Is that why people don’t like it? Because it’s so much less hoo-rah military?

I also heard no one likes the Frostbite graphics but they don’t bother me? The asari are a little cutesy, but everything else is gorgeous.

I do miss Shepard and the crew, tbh. Love the Liara cameos. Will always want more of Kaidan and Joker and Tali and Vega and everyone.

Do like the new crew, especially their interactions with each other. Hardcore shipping Drack/Lexi. And the Drack-Vetra friendship is really sweet.

I just met Reyes and hooooooo boy. Scott’s been flirting with Gil but he’s suddenly falling hard for Reyes—sorry Gil, don’t hate me forever.

Also Gil just go kiss Kallo already, ugh.

Also also (because Reyes’ voice actor is also male Hawke’s voice actor) my new Dragon Age II headcanon is: after Hawke meets Zevran and does his quest, he will only speak to Isabela in Zevran’s accent for the next six months. She hates it but finds it weirdly sexy. (Much how I am reacting to Reyes’ voice.)

Jaal++

Did the Nexus really not carry a QEC to talk to the Citadel? They traveled to a different galaxy and didn’t think, hey, we have tech that’ll let us say “yo descendants we just woke up!”?

Exaltation is a sufficiently creepy plot point, right up there with indoctrination and Reaper liquidation.

I miss quarians.

I do not miss missions. The open world style is my jam, I love the viability/colonization aspect, love the way this game does side quests.

I find the concept of the exiles to be weird. You sign up for the Initiative, are deemed worthy of being sent ahead on the Nexus instead of an ark (so you’re presumably all in), and you flake out in less than a year because…it didn’t all go to plan? That part of the narrative’s kinda weak.

Though I just got the first part of the Jien Garson whodunit and I’m super invested already.

Really intrigued by the Remnant.

Andromeda does feel less high-stakes than the original trilogy, which is too bad. Sure you’re not dealing with galaxy-wide apocalypse, but survival in Heleus should feel a lot less Laura Ingalls Wilder and a lot more Oregon Trail.

Overall, I’m liking it. Less than halfway through so still plenty of time for it to go sour, but I’m intrigued.

[keepitmovinshawty]

Just finished my first playthrough of ME Andromeda…

I hate that Andromeda never got a sequel because the game is absolutely littered with loose ends and decisions that were clearly supposed to have an effect on the future and be resolved later.

If you picked Sloane over Reyes, what would happen later? She was clearly the greater evil and it would’ve only gotten worse. Plus the potential drama if you romanced Reyes…

The unresolved issues with the Roekaar and exiles.

The angara’s origins.

More info on the Scourge and its purpose.

Or if you take the offer with the Primus, what effects would that have?

Then the ending…

Also, just knowing that the Archon and his army are just one small bit of the kett’s empire and that he is going against his orders by being obsessed with the Remnant. They’ve done their “exaltation” to many civilizations.

And the biggest loose end: who is the benefactor and why was Jien Garson killed.

Just so many possibilities.

To me, the game’s performance issues were the worst thing about it. I just encountered a particularly hilarious one where I opened a door on the Archon’s ship, ran in without thinking, and the room just wasn’t there. I fell through the damn ship. The game acted like if you fall off a pillar in a vault and I just respawned. But the room never loaded in. I had to reload the save completely which sucked because you can’t manually save in priority missions (another dumb mechanic). So I had to redo an entire fight. There’s a few instances where the game breaks in a priority mission and I have to reload to fix it.

The game needed another year in the oven.

But other than that, the writing wasn’t bad and the combat was actually better than the original trilogy. I liked the new take with more exploration and I would’ve liked to see that expanded upon, especially with the looming threat of the kett. I think this game suffered both from the giddy condition in which it was released AND the reception the ending of the trilogy.

[n0va-ryder]

The Basics

GENERAL INFORMATION

Full Name: Nova Andromeda Ryder

Combat Profile: Adept

Weapons: X5 Ghost assault rifle, Talon pistol, Omni-Blade, Biotics

Armor: Pathfinder Scout Armor

Main Conversation Choices: Emotional & Casual

Morality/Alignment: …

Love Interests: Reyes Vidal & Liam Kosta (she breaks up with Reyes and ends up with Liam) (more info →)

APPEARANCE

Height: 5’4”

Body Type: muscular, lean, athletic

Eyes: hazel (brown & green)

Hair: brown, thick, usually kept in a ponytail

Tattoos: none

Piercings: none

Scars: …

Birthmarks/freckles: various, random beauty marks on her body

Typical makeup style: winged eyeliner

Typical clothing style: she usually just wears her Pathfinder sweatshirt or her standard Andromeda Initiative outfit around the Tempest.

BIOGRAPHY

Nova was born on the Citadel one minute before her twin brother Orion, on March 21, 2163. When she was 6, her biotics manifested, and she later received the L3 implant when she was 14. Ellen’s connections allowed her to receive the best implant and amp, allowing her to reach her full biotic potential. After receiving her implant, Nova trained at Grissom Academy until she was 18, when she joined the Alliance with Orion. After boot camp, Alec was dishonorably discharged from the Alliance, and the twins’ military careers were essentially over. Nova was assigned a peacekeeping role to defend colonists in the Attican traverse from raiders and pirates. A year later, she was able to join a Prothean research team, where she spent most of her days scouting possible dig sites, defending the researchers from raiders, and using her biotics to help dig up artifacts. Prothean artifacts were interesting at first, but Nova quickly grew bored of them and wanted more adventure in her life. When Alec contacted her and Orion about the Andromeda Initiative, she didn’t hesitate to join.

PERSONALITY

Nova is adventurous, and loves discovering new things. She is smart, but she can also be reckless at times, which doesn’t always go well for her. She’s generally easy to get along with, as she is casual and laid back, and she’s sarcastic and likes to joke around. She loves to spend time with her crew in between missions, and she’s loyal to each and every one of them. She can be obnoxious and impatient at times, but she’s got a good balance between her smarts, urge to explore, and recklessness that makes her good at being a Pathfinder.

MAJOR DECISIONS

Fully explored Habitat 7 (Planetside)

Scientific/research outpost established on Eos (A Better Beginning)

Protesters’ demands refused, situation defused and ended peacefully (Sleeping Dragons)

Saved angara from Exaltation facility, kett Cardinal killed (A Trail of Hope)

Refused Sloane Kelly’s deal about Vehn Terev (Hunting the Archon)

Murders in Kadara Port stopped (Murder in Kadara Port)

Oblivion formula returned to Dr. Ryota (Modern Medicine)

Reyes Vidal runs Kadara Port (High Noon)

Remnant drive core given to krogan, outpost established on Elaaden (Search for the Stolen Remnant Drive Core)

Secret water supply taken from Annea (Water Supply)

Sarissa remains pathfinder, her secret is kept (Cora Harper: At Duty’s Edge)

Avitus Rix convinced to become turian pathfinder (Turian Ark: Lost but Not Forgotten)

Pathfinder Raeka and other salarians saved (Hunting the Archon)

Rensus Nilken released from prison (First Murderer)

Angaran AI destroyed (Uncovering the Past)

Akksul lives (Jaal Ama Darav: Flesh and Blood)

Peebee saves Kalinda (Peebee: Mysterious Remnant Signal)

Primus’ deal refused (Dissension in the Ranks)

Captain Dunn lives (Meridian: The Way Home)

August Bradley chosen as ambassador (Epilogue)

All outposts established, all crew/loyalty missions completed, and all of Alec Ryder’s memories unlocked (Jien Garson’s death also investigated)

[husband-steve-cortez]

"What's their problem with you?"

"I'm not Jien Garson."

"Oh same hat."

[dangeroustimemachinehologram]

Review Mass Effect Andromeda: The devil is not so terrible as he is painted

 There are few games that present space exploration in an interesting way while offering an intriguing story and interesting characters. In 2003, Star Wars fans received Knights of the Old Republic from BioWare, which is fondly remembered to this day. When it turned out that this Canadian developer is working on a new game that will take us on a journey between the stars - it didn't take long to persuade me to play the first Mass Effect.

But the trilogy focusing on Commander Shepard and the Reapers came to an end in 2012, when we learned the story of the war with the machines threatening the Milky Way. The action of the latest installment of the series takes place hundreds of years after those events, so it is not their direct continuation - which gave the Canadians a free hand in creating the story. And while not everything in the game shines, such as character animations or the artificial intelligence of companions, Mass Effect: Andromeda has a few aces up its sleeve - and the intertwining intriguing plot threads are fortunately one of them.

The year is 2176. Jien Garson begins a project called the Andromeda Initiative, bringing together most species of the Milky Way capable of space travel. The goal is to travel to the Andromeda galaxy, more than 2 million light years away, to find a new home there. In 2185, four arks, each with 20,000 colonists, and a space station known as the Nexus set off into the unknown. The journey lasts exactly 634 years, and our adventure begins in 2819 in the Heleus Cluster, where seven "golden worlds" suitable for settlement are waiting for hopeful travelers. However, not everything goes according to plan. This is Andromeda's backstory. Each Ark carries representatives of one of the races that can boast of being represented on the Citadel Council - so we have humans, asari, turians and salarians here. What's more, all ships have their own Pathfinder, a specialist who will serve (along with the team) as the main scout and representative in the event of contact with an alien civilization. The pioneer of the human ark, named Hyperion, is Alec Ryder, a former soldier of the N7 special forces (which also included Shepard) and a member of the first human expedition through the mass relay in the Milky Way. His team includes, among others, two of his children - Sara and Scott.

It is one of the siblings that we play in the new Mass Effect. This is quite a neat solution that does not eliminate the other twin from the game but only moves him (or her) to the background. The biggest mistake the creators could have made would have been to give Sara or Scott a completely marginal role. However, this did not happen, because the protagonist's sister (in my case) is still an important character in the plot ... although I would not mind if this role was more significant.

Sara/Scott is not a seasoned and famous war hero, unlike Shepard. The role of the guide falls on his shoulders suddenly, in an atmosphere of great expectations and hopes, with a simultaneous lack of faith on the part of the command in Ryder Jr.'s abilities. For this very reason, I learned very quickly not to blindly trust any flattery - sometimes it was only the result of the political game being played on the Nexus. And as I got to know the stories unrelated to the main story line, I quickly discovered that the world of the new Mass Effect also has its own House of Cards ... Several different threads intertwine in the story presented in Andromeda. Starting with finding a new home for the colonists staying in cryostasis, through establishing an alliance with the angara race inhabiting the Heleus Cluster, ending with finding the remaining arks. In all this we also have the kett, i.e. the "main bad guys" with the Archon as their leader, and the above-mentioned political and criminal threads.

BioWare has focused on a multitude of stories, each of which is more or less engaging. I liked the part about exploring the unknown and following the clues leading to a significant intrigue, the details of which I won't mention - figuring it out on your own is really satisfying. In addition, all the time we learn the secrets of the Ryder family and the reasons for the involvement of Alec, the father of the twins, in the Initiative ... and these can surprise.

BioWare has focused on a multitude of stories, each of which is more or less engaging. I liked the part about exploring the unknown and following the clues leading to a significant intrigue, the details of which I won't mention - figuring it out on your own is really satisfying. In addition, all the time we learn the secrets of the Ryder family and the reasons for the involvement of Alec, the father of the twins, in the Initiative ... and these can surprise us.

In addition to the plot, which was the brightest point of the previous parts of Mass Effect for me, a very important and well-covered aspect is also the relationship with the crew of the Tempest ship, our means of space travel. The Companions may not be the most innovative team in the galaxy - the turian Vetra is a bit of a mix of Garrus and Tali, Cora is a military version of Miranda, and Drack is just a krogan. Against the background of this whole group, the angarian, i.e. Jaal, stands out the most - relations with him are full of humor based on getting to know each other and different customs. For the first time in the Mass Effect series, I also met a character who simply annoyed me, but maybe you will like Liam.

It must be admitted that the limitation of the team dealing with the ship was good for the game. There are a total of 11 people on board Tempest with the protagonist (including six companions), each of whom has their own tasks. Very often we come across members of our team in various parts of the ship, conversing with others or going about their own business.

There are many more possible interactions than in previous installments of the cycle, the terminal with messages returns, and the whole thing is complemented by an information board where the crew leaves messages - something like a simplified Reddit or discussion forum. Add to this a great undertaking, which is a film screening prepared for our merry company. I assure you that it will be one of those tasks whose finale is remembered for a long time.

However, there is a small spoonful of tar in all this - setting the action in another galaxy offered a lot of opportunities for new races, which unfortunately were not used. In Andromeda, we only get to know kett, angara and Remnant... remember how it was in the first Mass Effect? Asari, batarians, elcor, geth, hanar, krogan, quarians, salarians, turians, and volus all in one game that was faster than Andromeda.

The Andromeda Initiative is an endeavor that has brought many races of the Milky Way to work together. Its goal was to send scientists, explorers, and colonists on a journey to the Andromeda galaxy - with a one-way ticket. The main task was to establish a permanent presence in the new place and, if possible, to create an easier and more reliable route of travel between galaxies.

The first thing that catches your eye is the beautiful views. The planets explored by the crew of the Tempest spaceship are based on well-known patterns (desert, snow, or jungle), but this does not change the fact that they look really amazing visually. As for the soundtrack, it's nice to listen to, but in my opinion, it's not as catchy as the music from the original. The advantage of Mass Effect Andromeda is also the fact that the gameplay has been perfectly tailored to the theme of space exploration, thanks to which individual elements and mechanics do not seem forced in any way, as it happens in many modern games. While traversing successive planets, our hero establishes and protects new colonies, solves the problems of settlers, and collects resources.

Among the novelties in the mechanics of the game, the jetpack and the scanner deserve special attention. The first clearly increases the dynamics of the skirmishes, and the second helps in finding clues and gaining knowledge about the surrounding world. Although the scanner is clearly inspired by the Witcher Sense, calling it a copy would be far too simplistic. Kudos to the creators for the character development system. It is best described by the adjective "flexible", because it allows you to freely combine the special abilities of the soldier, biotic, and engineer. My hero was as proficient with a sniper rifle and an assault rifle as he was with biotic powers.

The biggest problem of Mass Effect Andromeda is the lack of originality, both in the sphere of model design and plot solutions. It is irritating to see that life in a galaxy far, far away is not much different in form from Earth, and so are the products of alien civilizations. This lack of imagination from poverty can be blamed on the accepted convention, but the disgust still remains. Critics also accuse Andromeda of having only two races added to the pantheon of aliens. At first glance, it does seem like a flaw, but not when there are different factions among both colonists and aliens who have their own motives. This solution seems to me much more interesting than three or four additional, but monolithic, and therefore simply boring races.

As for the plot and side plots, BioWare again served us a story from the series find "x" of something / someone and access the ending. I really don't understand the sudden indignation caused by the secondary character of the main plot. Guys, have you had any contact with other BioWare games at all? The Canadian studio hasn't created an original plot since at least Knights of the Old Republic. The exception is the second part of the Dragon Age series, which unfortunately fared poorly in other fields. Don't get me wrong, the story and side missions are well done, but without much flair. If BioWare has already copied some solutions from The Witcher, I don't understand why it chose the unfortunate scanner, and not invested in a designer/writer. Against the background of the rest, some additional tasks shine, especially those that are performed for individual crew members. Unfortunately, they also clearly show how the plot was botched.

The new Mass Effect also struggles with technical errors, such as mediocre facial animations, which will forever remain the object of malicious jokes, and at the same time Andromeda's showcase, occasional frame rates, or occasional texture loading. In terms of mechanics, I am annoyed primarily by the automatic crouching during combat, due to the fact that the hero likes to get up at the least opportune moment, as well as the lack of weapons in Nomad. The multiplayer mode, which is based on defeating waves of enemies together with other players and completing minor quests, is certainly a nice addition, but I see a few places where the extra funds would be much better used.

Giving Andromeda a final note is not easy. On the one hand, it's still good old Mass Effect. On the other hand, clichés, some technical errors, and not always the right solutions. The new Mass Effect is undoubtedly the product of a great craftsman, but unfortunately, it lacks a lot to be a work of art. If you need a benchmark, in my personal ranking Andromeda is above the third part of the series, but still below the second and first. Anyway, I encourage you to give the latest installment of the series a chance, because it is not as bad as some critics paint it, quite the opposite. Just don't expect fireworks like The Witcher.

[nightingaletrash]

I’m back on my Mass Effect bs and specifically my theory that the Benefactor of the Andromeda Initiative is a rogue AI.

Little to nothing is known about the Benefactor save for a few details:

They hide behind a shifting guise of multiple species and gender, while using a female voice

They were able to provide the Initiative with apparently unlimited resources to supplement Garson’s fortune

They knew the Reapers were coming which is their supposed motivation for funding the Initiative

Only a handful of individuals were aware of the Benefactor’s involvement; Jien Garson, Alec Ryder, and (presumably) the first six successors for the position of Initiative Director. All of whom are now dead. Alec was killed in the accident on Habitat 7, Garson was murdered to silence her, and the successors were reported as casualties of the Scourge. But considering Garson was also presumed a casualty of the Scourge, it’s much more likely that they were also murdered to ensure no one in Andromeda knew about the Benefactor’s existence, which left Tann (the eighth-in-line, and someone with no knowledge of the Benefactor) to take up the role of Director.

Now onto why I think the Benefactor is a Rogue AI.

In the novel Mass Effect: Andromeda - Initiation, a kernel of SAM’s AI data is stolen and Cora Harper is sent to retrieve it or see it destroyed before it has the chance to be disseminated throughout the Milky Way. In the end the data is destroyed, but it’s revealed that one of the thieves may have been able make a copy of the data which they could then sell regardless.

Towards the end of the novel, Jien Garson appears in hologram form to Cora Harper where she reveals that there are other groups that want to get their hands on the AI tech and have it be available in the Milky Way. AI is the core of the Andromeda Initiative after all. And Garson states that the one behind it all, the one pulling all the strings and manipulating events surrounding the Initiative, ‘wants it more than any of us, and is willing to do anything to see it come to life.’

Organic-AI integration first appeared in Mass Effect 2′s Project Overlord DLC, which also served as the driving motivation behind Katherine Nigh, or Knight, in the Firefighters sidequest. It’s also an overarching theme in Initiation, which multiple examples of Organic-AI integration ranging from beneficial (Cora and SAM-E) to horrifying (Medea and the Augments). So we can guess that universal acceptance of this integration is key to the Benefactor’s ultimate goal; fleeing the Reapers wouldn’t exactly be unique or interesting, and if all they wanted was to escape the Reapers, why try to leak SAM’s AI data in the Milky Way? Initiation takes place after the Battle of the Citadel and around the time that the Collectors were abducting colonies, so its not like that those events happened before the Benefactor’s ‘suspicions’ about the Reapers were confirmed. They knew the Reapers were coming, and still tried to leak SAM’s data.

As Garson said, the Benefactor is willing to do anything to ensure the dispersal of SAM’s technology and see it fully realised with no restrictions. And probably not for altruistic purposes. More likely the Benefactor has recognised that AI like the Geth would never be accepted by organics (whether this is true or not depends on Shepard’s choices in ME2 and ME3), and that AI needed to try a different tact to have any real and unrestrained presence in the galaxy. So they’re pushing for the Organic-AI integration seen in Andromeda, but they likely have more sinister designs than the co-existence we’ve seen so far between SAM and Ryder.

Their plans are probably more aligned with Medea’s actions, though not in the exact same way. While Medea wanted to kill the personnel of Quiet Eddy and altered lab-grown, cybernetically-enhanced humans into weapons to do so, the Benefactor is likely looking to use organics as physical hosts for AI, enabling them to interact with the world directly.

Additionally, a rogue AI could hack all number of accounts for funds and resources and sufficiently cover their tracks, which accounts for their ‘unlimited’ resources.

I really hope Bioware picks this storyline up again in the next Mass Effect game, as it’s supposed to be uniting both OT and Andromeda storylines, and gives us the chance to see how the Benefactor’s plans in the Milky Way have developed, as well as giving us insight into what their plans for Andromeda are.

[ziskandra]

Quarantine Reading List 

tagged by @anzellla​

if you want to do this, please feel free and tag me so i can read your fic! c: 

To all my writers friends, let’s share our AO3 works with our beloved fandoms in these times of despair. Bring some sunshine to this family!

My author page can be found here, but I wanted to bring some attention to my most recent story now that reveals have occurred. For @spectre-requisitions-exchange​ 2020 I’m glad to announce I finally wrote some Jien/Sloane. It’s more-or-less a bittersweet character study because you know that’s my default writing style! 

You can find it here: Fleeting

[elmha-art]

Jien Garson Interview 2184

From the Andromeda Initiative launch press tour. 

[nesonkin]

[doolallymagpie]

two years later i’m still convinced that jamie clayton voiced nakmor morda as well as jien garson

[vorchagirl]

Saints and Liars - chapter 8

Saints and Liars - chapter 8

While Harry works to keep Cerys alive while she's cut off from SAM, Reyes finally comes clean about who he is and what's going - and it becomes clear just how far he'll go to protect Cerys, and how much he truly loves her. (Art by Rawliverandcigerettes.) https://archiveofourown.org/works/53353261/chapters/138071512

Snippet beneath the cut:

Cerys screamed as the pain radiated through her head, burning as though red-hot needles were being shoved into her brain. The neural disruption was akin to a migraine, but worse, so much worse. Sharper. Crueller. Pain danced along every nerve in her body, stars burst in front of her eyes, and her pulse thundered in her ears as her heart pounded, desperately trying to keep her alive.

She could hear Reyes trying to talk to her as she gasped for breath, but it was like listening to someone speak while underwater. Distant. Unimportant. She clawed at her head, the pain overwhelming her ability to think or listen.

“Cerys!” Harry was beside her suddenly, though she heard him as though he were far away. He gave her a shot of something and it seemed to help, to push the pain of SAM’s absence to the side so that she could hear and think. 

Then Reyes was back, and he pulled her up and into his arms, his movements gentle but urgent. He took her hand and pushed something small and plastic into the palm of her hand, and his voice, when he spoke, was pitched for Cerys and Harry alone, so the others in the room couldn’t hear. “Can you hear me?”

Cerys nodded.

“I don’t have much time; SAM’s connection was being monitored and this was the only way I could talk to you without them knowing. I'm so sorry, Cerys. I know this hurts but there was no other way. I don’t know who they are exactly, but I know that whoever hacked SAM is probably one of the individuals that murdered Jien Garson. My people are installing a subprogram in SAM that should prevent them from listening in on you anymore. Just hang on for a while longer, mi amor .” 

Read the rest here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53353261/chapters/138071512

[brokenjardaantech]

the coward's king and queen (chapter 1)

summary:

Reyes never expected to go to Andromeda. Then again, he never saw himself falling in love with Sunny Ryder, never expected to stick around as Storm Ryder’s friend and business associate, never foresaw being so emotionally entangled in the twins’ matters that he feels responsible for them. With Sunny kidnapped across darkspace, it is up to Reyes to rescue him from the grasp of the human Pathfinder himself - and to prevent the unstoppable force that is known as Storm Ryder from unleashing her full powers on the Heleus Cluster and destroying everything in her path.

(Five times there is no one to pick Reyes up as he falls, and one time he does.)

author's notes:

written for october's prompt in the mass effect forever discord server: fall. as always, it got out of hand and became a damn novella. the work itself is already completed and i will release the next chapters after a few days.

mind the tags in the fic