#mass effect holiday harbinger

[foxprints]

Hello @mishikaiya! I'm your gifter for this year's @masseffectholidaycheer event! I've never drawn Kasumi before but she's so much fun! I hope you like her! 💛

[silversiphon]

Happy Holiday Harbinger @milkywayes! I was your appointed gifter for @holidayharbinger, and fell in love with your femShep: the way you articulated her importance to you as a character (and the 'what becomes of a weapon after the war is done' trope!!) was so impactful.

I hope you enjoy this rendition of your girl!

[masseffectholidaycheer]

**ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL OF THIS GIFT EXCHANGE*

GREETINGS, VERMIN. THE HOLIDAY HARVEST SEASON IS UPON US ONCE MORE.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY before filling out the survey.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Surveys will be collected until December 06, 2024.

Match emails will be sent out by December 10, 2024.

Gifts may be given between January 15, 2025 and January 31, 2025.

Anyone making/sending a physical gift must provide proof of postage by January 15, 2025.

*Postal services are often somewhat hampered by distance, weather, strikes, etc. If you’re receiving a physical gift, it may be delayed.

But worry not—everyone gets a gift. Minion Keeper is VERY good at this job! They have a sacred spreadsheet, which they keep in the tiny sacred backpack. (Nothing gets past the sacred spreadsheet. Not even Shepard.)

Read the rules. We’ve made some changes/clarifications this year.

FILL OUT THE SURVEY! (Enjoy Holiday Harbinger’s sense of humor. Truly, the gift that keeps on giving.)

**Follow @masseffectholidaycheer for the duration of the exchange. This is where we communicate. It’s also where you can enjoy all the gifts people make.**

Spread the news! The more the merrier! Otherwise, Holiday Harbinger will never collect enough organic paste to make a Tumblr Reaper.

Join in the fun before the Harvest takes you all.

If you have questions you’d like answered, please send Holiday Harbinger an email at holidayharbinger@gmail.com.

JANUARY JUBILATION CANNOT BE STOPPED

[ad-astra13]

Eeeeeeeeee!!!! My gift arrived from @pushingsian for the @masseffectholidaycheer exchange!!

Thank you so much, the potholders are so lovely and I loooooove some good British chocolate!!🥰

[lilmissnatcat24]

OH MY GOODNESS

Can we all scream about the amazing January Jubilation gift I received from the AMAZING @fourthage ?!?!?! Along with a fantastic pin (that I am putting on my work lanyard immediately so all can clock me as a mass effect fan), they bound two of my fics for me!!!! This is such an amazing present!!!! It's so cool to have a physical copy of something I wrote, they're going on my bookshelf immediately! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for such a thoughtful gift!!!!!!!!

@masseffectholidaycheer

PS: I was a HUGE scholastic book fair girlie!!!! I always got the new copies of the Series of Unfortunate Events books with a new set of erasers for my pencils.

[toxicherryshock]

"she hasn't figured out yet that the commander is cheating"

[image description: miranda, thane, tali, joker, and charley shepard site around a table apparently playing cards, though only charley and miranda are actually holding any cards. miranda is turned away from the table, looked stressed and staring down at her cards. charley, however, looks very smug, because she's holding five aces. joker, who sits to her right, leans over towards tali, who sits to his right, and thane, who sits to talis right at the head of the table. he is saying something with a smile. tali giggles with her hand to her face and thane intertwines his hands and stares across the table at charley smiling serenely.]

this is my Holiday Harbinger gift exchange piece for @commander-krios 's shepard charley! hope you like it!

[queen-scribbles]

Life, Persisting

@masseffectholidaycheer gift for @natalyelle! All of your Shepards and Ryders sound wonderful from reading your blog, but I was particularly enchanted by Katerina and her love of plants, so I hope you enjoy! ---

Katerina dreamed of filling a house with plants.

She dreamed of having a house; of defeating the Reapers, of retiring and buying a little place where no one could find her unless she wanted them to. And then filling it with plants.

Ferns and cacti and flowers and herbs and succulents and anything else that would fit in the space. A rainbow of colors and leaves and life, persisting.

But for now she satisfied herself with filling her cabin on the rebuilt Normandy. It wasn't nearly as much space, which meant being judicious with purchases and creative in her use of space. There were niches in the wall, the shelves by her bathroom, a low lip around the perimeter of the ceiling. She didn't really need such a big desk; she would only use half of it at most.

The succulents went there. A simple block shelf pushed back to make two tiers for them. A planter with violets next to them, delicate purple heads bobbing near her workspace, perfuming the air.

Hanging baskets with ivy went near the fish tank, spreading toward her armor storage. The trailing tendrils laced along the fish tank, but the few fish she could keep up with didn't seem to mind.

----

Orchids were the last thing you'd expect to find on the Omega markets, but find them she did. The wizened batarian shopkeeper seemed surprised that was all she wanted, and definitely charged too much. But still the orchids came back with her, going under a small lamp in one of the niches near her bed. In the midst of all the fear, and chaos, and death, she had made herself an oasis. A place to be reminded of life, even as she fought to undermine a race determined to destroy it.

She saw her friends, here and gone, in the leaves and blooms that filled her private space. Ashley in the Christmas cactus; prickly, beautiful, resilient. The purple of the orchids brought Tali to mind, delicate but stubborn and resourceful. Kaidan was the ivy; unassuming and content in the background but still woven into her life. Garrus was the succulents; tough, not asking much, adapting to new surroundings. Miranda was a zinnia; self-sufficient and solitary, opening when she felt like it and not before. She saw herself in the Russian sage that filled the middle display shelf; hardy, plain, persisting.

She wasn't sure if it was the mint or the magnolias that finally prompted Miranda to say something. You could smell the latter on the elevator, no matter the level, but the former had such an aggressively invasive reputation.

"Shepard, our operating budget is meant to be for gear," Miranda pointed out, tone skirting the edges of exasperation. "Necessities. Not sun lamps."

"Don't forget the plant food, the wire for hanging baskets, and the new shears after I commandeered Adams' good ones," Katerina drawled. "For me they are a necessity. I need some green, some life, something to tend that doesn't have galactic consequences attached. This ship is too... austere otherwise. Call it fortifying my mental health if the Illusive Man asks."

Miranda pressed her lips together. "He hasn't so far. Whatever our costs he's willing to pay. I would understand a plant or two, but Shepard..." she gestured around the room, "...you've turned your cabin into a bloody greenhouse."

"Thank you, that was the goal," Katerina said. She snapped off a dead zinnia blossom so the others would grow healthy. "Caring for them is how I relax. Don't you want me in the best frame of mind possible, considering what we're doing?"

Miranda huffed but but didn't bring it up again, so Katerina hoped that meant she understood.

When she next got back from the Citadel, drained but relieved they'd been able to stop Kolyat, there were three new manuals on indoor plant care downloaded to her desk terminal.

Noticed a few looked a tad peaked. Maybe something in here will help.

She wanted to be annoyed at the insinuation, but skimmed the manuals first. One actually had a few tips she hadn't known, so she had to acknowledge Miranda knew what she was doing. The zinnia and orchid in question recovered in just a few days.

Miranda just shrugged when Katerina extended thanks. "You were right; we need you focused and in top form. If that's the way you do it, well, it's easier to accommodate than other habits." A faint smile. "And I suppose they're easier to keep alive than fish."

They never spoke of it again, but any time Katerina dropped a hint or slipped something plant-related in a requisition, it was filled, and quickly.

---

Even being careful with space and resources, there were some things she couldn't say no to, like the terrarium of brilliantly colored mushrooms from Sur'kesh, found at a semi-hidden rare flora shop on Ilium.

"Really, Shepard? Fungus?" Garrus ribbed, leaning against the wall to wait for her to finish the delivery datawork. "Thought plants were your thing."

"It's close enough," Katerina said defensively, "besides, they're pretty." She cast a final look at the pink-red-orange gradient mushroom colony. "And I imagine they'll be lower maintenance than some of my other plants."

"I am glad you have something to help you relax," Thane chipped in, his first contribution to conversation since they disembarked the Normandy. "It's important to do so, especially when facing stakes as high as we are. You should embrace the things that bring you joy. Remind you of life."

Katerina bit back a smile as they resumed course for their objective. "Thank you. That's why I like them. The reminder."

It was good to have, given the number of warzones and hollow colonies and seedy, gang-run alleys they had to crawl through, both to collect the necessary people for this mission and take care of their outstanding issues. Weeds and small blooms pushing through the debris on Korlus. The abundant flora on Aeia. Life in the face--and wake--of horror. Even the carefully manicured planter boxes on the Citadel or Ilium were a form of persistence. The vibrant mushrooms a reminder of life from and following death.

And so she filled her cabin with it, saw her friends and crew in the reminder, and used it to push her forward, to help her persist.

After all, she still needed that house filled with plants.

[findingblissinignorance]

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Hello @lady-halibuts-chambers! I am your Holiday Harbinger for @masseffectholidaycheer! I wanted to try to write something kind of sweet and fluffy for Grace Ryder and Vetra. I hope you enjoy it!

On Ao3

Rating: G

“Vetra? Are you here?” Grace Ryder looked around the empty cargo bay of the Tempest. They were between missions right now, taking a well earned break before flying out again, and it was strange seeing it this way. Empty. Quiet. Cold. It was hard to believe this was the same ship that had been their first home here in Andromeda. It was still her home, technically. Even after everything with Meridian, she still hadn’t settled in a place in Andromeda that she could call her own. She was still learning to breathe again, learning to let herself be more than just Pathfinder Ryder. 

 “Helloooo?” She called out again to no immediate response. Maybe she had misunderstood the message. Drack did seem a little - and by little, she meant entirely - uninterested in being the messenger. He had been grumbling something about his retirement and being too old for this. This, of course, was a sentiment that never stopped him from fighting and was always just an excuse to get him out of doing things that he didn’t want to do. Either way, perhaps he had given her the wrong time by mistake. 

“Ryder!” Vetra Nyx’s voice drifted down from the floor above. “Hold on, I’ll be right there.” A moment later, the ship’s power cut on, light and noise bringing the Tempest closer to her usual self. As the ship grumbled back to life, the turian woman the voice belonged to finally appeared, looking over the railing down at her. “Hey there, Grace.” Just the simple greeting was enough to make Ryder’s heart flutter in her chest. 

It was a simple, unintentional, reminder that maybe to most people she was Pathfinder Ryder, but to Vetra, her love, she didn’t have to be anything other than Grace.

“Hi, Vetra.” Grace was already pressing up on her toes as Vetra descended the ladder, eager to give her girlfriend a kiss. When Vetra reached her, she happily obliged and held Grace close to prolong the kiss. When Grace finally pulled away, she rocked back onto her heels to smile up at the other woman, taking a moment to appreciate her. Vetra was in her casual clothes with a bag slung over her shoulder and, in Ryder’s opinion, looking as beautiful as ever. “How are you?”

“I’m good! Very good. Great, actually.” There was a nervous energy about Vetra that instantly piqued Ryder’s curiosity. She raised an eyebrow, but didn’t prod just yet. Instead, she let Vetra link their fingers together and start leading the way.

“For a second there, I thought maybe I was getting stood up.” Grace gave her hand a squeeze. 

“Please, you know I would never do that." Vetra returned the squeeze, her mandibles twitching in amusement. “It’s just… I was finishing something up.” She was leading Grace towards the front of the ship and while Grace was searching for any clues that might tell her why Vetra was acting so strangely, there was nothing that immediately betrayed the cause. The bag would probably be her best bet, but Vetra had a tight hold on it. A direct approach would have to do.

“Are you alright? You seem a little… anxious.” 

“No, I’m fine!”  Grace’s disbelief at the obvious lie must have been clear because Vetra immediately began to backtrack. “Well, okay yes, I guess. Technically, I am a little anxious. I have a surprise for you and I want you to like it. That’s all.”

“What? Vetra!” Grace stopped her with a light tug on her arm. “You’ve already done so much for me!”

“And you’ve done so much for me.” Vetra’s let go of her hand to caress Grace’s face gently. “Grace, you almost never do anything for yourself and I like to do things for you. Let me spoil my girlfriend, okay? You deserve it.”

“Well, in that case, I guess I can allow it. Mostly because it means spending more time with you.” Grace laughed softly, tilting her head to lean into Vetra’s touch.

“Good. I’m glad you like spending time with me. I like spending time with you too.” There was a low grumble behind her words and not for the first time, Grace found herself a little weak at the knees. Vetra leaned down for one more kiss before resuming their walk. “Besides, I would really hate it if I had to force you to accept my gifts.” 

“I’ll let you keep doing things for me, as long as you don't cook steak again. Honestly, I don’t think anyone deserves that.” Grace fought back a smirk as she looked up at Vetra. “You didn't cook a steak again, right?” 

“No, definitely not.” Vetra laughed and Grace couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit relieved. “I have learned my lesson on attempting human food, don’t worry.” They didn’t have too much further to walk as Vetra stopped them outside of the Pathfinder’s quarters. “Okay, I want you to close your eyes.”

“See, now I don’t know if I believe you about the steak. This is exactly what happened when you tried to cook me dinner. I’m getting flashbacks.” Grace teased and Vetra’s head tilted back in exasperation. 

“It’s not that bad! I promise!” There was a pause. “Well, I hope not at least. Now, close your eyes. Please.” Ryder did as she was asked. She heard the doors open and Vetra carefully led her into the room. “I know we left the Milky Way and we’ve talked about how Andromeda is our home now, buuuuut I think sometimes it is good to remember where we came from.” 

“Vetra…” Vetra shushed her as she positioned her somewhere in the room. 

“Okay, open your eyes.” 

The first thing Grace noticed was the lights. Hanging from the ceiling, from the walls, from nearly every surface, were lights of what felt like a thousand different colors. It was both the most garish and most beautiful thing Ryder had ever seen. 

Looking past the lights, Ryder was able to see all of the other decorations. There were ribbons tied into messy bows, the fabric clearly scavenged from whatever could be found. There were photos printed out and dangling from the ceiling. She could see photos of her and Vetra, of Scott, of the entirety of the Tempest crew. Her family. On the bed there were two sweaters, one in her size and one that looked like it could fit Vetra. The knitting was messy and clearly not the work of an expert, but there was a valid attempt at making a snowflake in the pattern on each of them. Lastly, by the window there was a tree that was alien to her, but was covered in more lights and bows and baubles. 

“Surprise, it’s Christmas!” Vetra watched Grace as she took in the room. The glow of the lights against her skin and the shine in her eyes alone made all of the work worth it for Vetra. “From my research, this is an old Earth or human tradition. There was a lot of information in the archives about it and most of it made no sense, so I kind of just skimmed through it all. I really liked all of the pictures though. I did my best to recreate it with what was available.” She watched as Ryder reached over to lightly touch the tree. “Careful!” Grace stopped short. “I was careful not to touch it while decorating. I don’t know a lot about that species, it’s native to Andromeda. I tried to get the right kind of tree needed for Christmas, but they only have seeds in storage and they need time to grow.”

“I think SAM would let us know if it was dangerous in some way...”

“It is just a tree.” SAM’s voice filled the room. 

“There you have it.” Grace had focused more on geology in her studies, rather than biology, but scientific curiosity had no bounds. She touched one of the leaves, the texture rough like sandpaper and the color seemed to shift at the touch. She examined the tree closer, but was soon snapped back to the present by Vetra’s voice.

“So, what do you think?” Vetra asked and Grace looked around the room again. 

“This is… it’s really gorgeous, but you know I've never been to Earth, right? That and my family didn't really… I don’t know. We didn’t celebrate Christmas.” Grace tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “We didn’t exactly have a lot of traditions if I’m honest.”

“Shit. I knew this was a terrible idea.” Vetra groaned as she sat on the bed. “I really need to stop surprising you. It never works out how I hope it will.” 

“Hey, no. Vetra.” Grace quickly kneeled in front of her. “I love it. Really. The decorations are gorgeous and the photos? It’s such a sweet touch. It’s amazing, you did a great job.” She took Vetra’s hands in hers and pressed a soft kiss against her knuckles. “Anyway, we can make it our own tradition. Keep the things we like, toss the things we don’t. A new holiday for a new home.”

“Can we keep the lights though?”

“Absolutely we can keep the lights, I love the lights.” Grace chuckled. “Thank you for this, really.”

“It’s just a small thing, I called in a few favors, that's all.”

“I believe we once said, 'it’s the small things that keep us going'.” Grace reached over to grab one of the sweaters as she went to sit on the bed as well. “Besides. I really want to see you wearing this. Who made this?”

“One of the captives Sid helped save is apparently an amateur knitter. In exchange for getting them access to yarn, they made these.” Vetra helped Grace put hers on before getting assistance with her own. Looking down she grumbled softly aside. “They weren’t kidding when they said amateur.” 

“It looks great.” Grace laughed happily and Vetra leaned in to nuzzle her lightly.

“So you’re happy then? I did okay?” There was that soft rumble again. Grace closed her eyes content in that moment of closeness. 

“You did more than okay, I promise.” She pulled away so she could look at Vetra for the next part. “I love it and I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Vetra sat back a little more. “There is a second part.” She grabbed the bag from where she had placed it next to her and pulled out a poorly wrapped box. “I know that there are presents involved with this whole Christmas thing, so I got you something.” 

“The point is to exchange gifts. I’ll have to get you something in return, you know.” Still, Grace smiled as she pulled the box toward her. She carefully unwrapped the paper and set it aside before looking in the box. Resting inside was a datapad. She read a few sentences before looking up. “Vetra… What is this?”

“It’s our home. Well… a promise for our home. I worked with Tann and Addison to make sure we would have a permit to get a plot of land anywhere we wanted, within reason of course. I didn’t choose anywhere yet because I didn’t want to make the decision without you.” Grace could see Vetra’s nerves clearly now as she wrung her hands together. This had been the part she was most worried about, as though Grace would ever dream of saying no to moving in with the woman she loved. “I thought, your duties as a Pathfinder are getting easier and that maybe… well, maybe it would be nice for us to be able to have a home to go to.” 

“Oh, Vetra.” Grace pressed her forehead against Vetra’s. It took her a moment to get a hold of the emotions threatening to overtake her. Grace Ryder, the one who always knew how to mask her emotions, was all of a sudden unable to. “There’s nothing I want more.” There was a small break in her voice that made her laugh. “I can’t wait to start a new home with you.”

Grace Ryder hadn’t joined the Initiative with any expectations of home or love; honestly she had no expectations for a life of her own. She had joined out of duty to her father, out of a need to make him happy. Coming to Andromeda had led to loss and trauma and struggle, but it also led to so much more. Grace had been able to find this home, to find Vetra and to be able to make new traditions with the one she loved… it was a gift, one that she would cherish for a long time. 

[crocophant]

Highlights on the Normandy

Shepard has bright green hair (most of the time). A collection of vignettes about touching up her hair while on the Normandy.

Found on ao3 here

For @sassybitchcici for Mass Effect Holiday Cheer!

I took inspiration from your pinterest with brilliantly colored hair on your Shep and then this happened!

Hope you enjoy it, thanks for participating in @masseffectholidaycheer

[painterofhorizons]

Merry Soon To Be Reaping! I have some Holiday Harbinger questions for you. First, do you have any objections to leather or leather-craft items? Second, what are your favorite quotes from the games? Third, what is your (or Reda's) favorite color? Thanks!

Merry Soon To Be Reaping to you, too, dear nonny!

Thank you for your ask. 😊 How exciting!

(let's use The Gif in the hope that it'll make it easier for you to find my answer)

So I don't have tools to do leather crafting myself, but I do have some nice leather items indeed. I used to be quite into middle ages and medieval markets in my late teens and 20s (ren fairs depending on where you are, in Germany medieval markets are more common than Renaissance themed fairs) and have some kinds of small leather items from that time, like a small pouch and a few bracelets, and I have a leather cover notebook somewhere. Used to work in a store that sold Finnish products and the owner handcrafted covers for knifes (he also carved the knife handles and was a really cool dude). So I do appreciate leather made things. (the same way I do eat meat, trying to be mindful about consumption and especially on animal care and handling)

(I hope that was what your question aimed for, but if I didn't answer it to your needs please feel free to ask more/again!)

Favorite colors: mine are dusky pink and yellow. If you would ask Reda in person she wouldn't necessarily have a favorite color, but from the brain behind the character perspective I would say she finds a deep comfort in, like, neon colors in a dark night, so like a deep dark blue with neons.

Favorite quotes: 🙈🙈🙈 I really want to give you a deep, meaningful answer here - but I fear I can't really do that. That's the same way I can't name you any song titles or such, I'm so bad in remembering that kind of things. One quote that always gets me though with Reda Shepard is the very early ME1 "I'm a marine, not some tourist on vacation." towards Nihlus. It is on point with Reda's, let's say, "sense of humor"/no-bullshit-attitude.

Also anything Anderson says to/about Shepard will get me emotional.

I do remember I once had a screenshot printed out years ago and put on my desk that was a quote from a scene in 3 and quite motivational. 🤔 I did post a picture of my desk here years ago and remember someone commented on the quote, so I might be able to find it. I will comment here if I'm able to find it.

Edit: I did find the picture of my desk I was thinking of but I did not have the screenshot on it I was thinking of. 😅 Let me check if I posted a screenshot here at some point. 🤔

Edit edit: I found the ten year old screenshot I vaguely remembered. XD 💪 is this one:

Kick their asses is quite motivational isn't it? 😂

I'm sorry I'm not able to shoot you a couple of fancy quotes here other than the not a tourist one.

[masseffectholidaycheer]

Almighty Harbinger, will there be a reaping this year?

The paltry human flesh sack behind the majesty that is Holiday Harbinger has recently fallen face-first back into full-blown Mass Effect obsession, so signs appear favorable. A signal should reach the minions on the Citadel very soon.

Provided, of course, there’s enough interest!

[silversiphon]

Aaaaa! Look at them! My heart is so full and soft and aaa!!! Thank you so much!

happy january jubilation, courtesy of @masseffectholidaycheer!!! i got to draw @silversiphon's lovely kai shepard sharing a drink with garrus 🥂i hope you enjoy!

[masweird]

Hi, super late here, nice to meet you!

A lovely pennant (gotta hang this somewhere when we redo to the office!) and pencil case (which now that I'm using more pens again will get some good use!) from the awesome @sassybitchcici

Again so sorry for the massive delay (by like a month ...), and thank you for these awesome pieces!!!

[andersonsbiceps]

Happy Holiday Harbinger @captainderyn!

For your gift, I saw the post you linked here about Garrus keeping a photo of your Shep between ME1 and ME2, and the story touched me, so I decided to bring it to life a bit. I've created a tiny mod that will place that picture (by commander-sarahs-art) on Garrus' desk in his base on Omega during his recruitment mission.

The link to that mod is here. To install, download the file and place in C:\Program Files\EA Games\Mass Effect Legendary Edition\Game\ME2\BioGame\CookedPCConsole ... or wherever your Mass Effect Legendary Edition is installed. Please message me if you have any problems with this, I'm happy to help!

[findingblissinignorance]

AHH!! Thank you so much!!! Look at my kids :') They're so cute and I love them so much <3 I love it!

that rarest of occasions, a coffee break during the reaper war...

@findingblissinignorance happy january jubilation to you and ardelia shepard :) i really enjoyed reading about her journey! i found it very poignant that she and kaidan both end up going grey in me3. <3

bonus sketch under the cut

[cassiefisherdrake]

I got my @masseffectholidaycheer gift from @bardofheartdive — thank you SO much for such a thoughtful gift! I just moved into my first ever apartment so desperately needed kitchenware, which she supplied in the form of these LOVELY handmade potholders. :’)

Thank you also for the copy of the Last Unicorn! It’s so sweet to include a book so precious to you, I’m gonna give it a read as soon as I can. Happy January Jubilation!

💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛