#this run is the full Peebee romance

[ageless-aislynn]

I like to call this "I'm winning in not having a life having an awesome life of video gaming" 😇 aka my Steam 2023 Year In Review!

I looooove the "We'd say you finished the fight, but you're still going." Accurate, lol! 😂

The only reason Andromeda dropped off abruptly in November is because I still can't get the launcher to, well, launch without crashing my computer. But one sweet day, my beloved Andromeda and I shall be together again! 🤗😉

Both @mrtobenamedlater and @naranghim have kindly offered me a ton of great advice on repairing my old man here. *pat-pats my faithful computer whose only fault is getting old*

It happens to us all, after all!

Anyway, at least I still have had the MCC or I swear, I would've gone off a light bridge somewhere!

Master Chief, Noble Team and my ODSTs have kept me clinging to a thread of sanity. 🤗🤗🤗

So, my Gaming Goal for 2024 is to, first of all, have a working computer again so I can play whatever I want. Then immediately following that, I want to finish my Scott/Peebee and Scott/Jaal playthroughs of Andromeda and I will have officially romanced everybody! 🥳💖

I'm definitely hoping to get the achievement for playing Halo: Reach on Legendary in under 3 hours.

I'm currently on track to finish Reach in... about 5-6 hours right now 👀 but hey, Reach is HARD on Legendary, what can I say? 🤷‍♀️ It just took me 1 hour 18 minutes to get through "Long Night of Solace" and, if you know Reach, then you know that space battle is a PILL. I need to find a better strategy than "Hide behind Anchor 9 and wait for everybody else to kill the enemies." It's a solid strat when it comes to surviving but it takes forever and you don't have that sort of time in a speedrun, after all. (The par time is 25, btw. *laughs in "I'm never making anything close to that but will try to get other missions under par so to have some room for it"*)

Anyway, I'm not afraid to have to grind for this achievement, it'll be even more awesome then when I get there, right? 😎👍

There I go, soaring into the air to achieve my dream, just like Emile achieving his dream to, um, be launched into a parking lot??? (I adore how he turns in mid-air to still aim at the Banshees, lol! That's Spartan dedication, frens! 🤣)

But the main thing I want to do is to try some of my other games, such as the original Mass Effect trilogy, Star Wars: Fallen Order, Portal 1 and 2, Titanfall 2, Tomb Raider (2013), Dead Rising, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and Dragon Age Inquisition! Those are just a few of the awesome games waiting for me in my Steam library! 🤗🤗🤗 I'm hoping to eventually pick up Detroit: Become Human, Resident Evil Village and Baldur's Gate 3 one day, too! 🤞😣🤞

Heh, those 3 games are a Neil Newbon trifecta, aren't they? 😂

Me @ most of Neil Newbon's characters. I am what I am, frens. I am a simple creature. 🤷‍♀️😜

Anyway! If anybody else is sharing their Steam Year in Review, please let me know, I'd love to run right over and check it out!

Thanks for reading this, if you did, and here's to a Happy New Year full of awesome games for us all! 💖💖💖

[hannahshepardii]

Sally Ryder has entertained crushes on three of her crew members; but considering the merits of all of them, wonders if she has made the same mistake three times over.

‘SAM,’ said I: ‘are you awake?’

‘I am always awake,’ said he, ‘Pathfinder.’

He did not shiver with me; nor prod those parts of my mind which were so intensely roused; rather sat quietly, even as I got up and rubbed my eyes and wondered if I imagined the unblinking stare which his terminal kept upon me. Steady, – which calming me, lulled me into his security. I could not but pull myself to the edge of the mattress, towards that thin light which though ever glowing in my room, had so rarely had my full attention. 

‘Pathfinder?’ said he at last, when I said nothing.

Thin light like candlelight, against the infinity dark about us. Always there for me, since the start; since that first night, when turbulent, I’d asked if he were awake; and unperturbed, he’d sat and listened and offered what he could. Since that night when, Father absent, I’d turned rather to him; and to my perfect surprise, not found him wanting. 

‘I’m thinking about, –’ said I: voice wavering. ‘I just…’

SAM blinked at me and became a warmth in my mind. I lay back: tried to fall into that unfailing calm, which he’d always managed to keep; which I’d always tried to mirror, in outside troubles; yet those closest to my heart, – 

‘I have been unobservant,’ said I: ‘I haven’t known myself; though I’ve tried; though I’ve poured half of myself out, to my friends, –’

‘It is my understanding,’ said SAM quietly, ‘that humans rarely believe they know themselves fully; and that their lives are often perceived as a search for, –’

‘SAM,’ I berated him: ‘it’s not that deep.’

Though even when I closed my eyes, that abyss remained: sentiments upon sentiments, which I did not dare to touch. 

‘It’s not that deep,’ said I: ‘I’m just questioning if I, –’

Jaal’s voice most soft and comforting; Vetra’s eyes blushing; Peebee playful and forward, taking my hand and my invitation. All of them friends; to whom I had not turned, when turmoiled, when vulnerable, when heart open, I’d asked into the darkness: Are you there?

‘I do not know,’ said I, ‘if my feelings are what I think; if I’m hiding; if I’m running; if there are truths I don’t want to touch, because I can’t, –’

Those parts of my mind, which painful within me, hummed to my heartbeat. I looked at SAM’s terminal as if it were him embodied and put up a hand and felt quite as though I were weightless. 

‘It is not romance,’ said I: ‘I have not let them in; it’s playing, hiding, running. I don’t want to disappoint them. They mean everything to me; but, –’

‘Friendship can be powerful,’ said SAM: ‘Pathfinder.’

‘I know that, SAM,’ said I: falling back.

‘They value your friendship,’ he offered: failing or evading, I knew not which. 

‘And I value theirs. I want to be friends with them; and I think I’m that much; but I can’t imagine… I can’t imagine being intimate. Romantically involved. I try; and then I run into a wall; and something stops me, it’s like I’m, –’

My head fit to burst, I rubbed my temples; and could not look at SAM; who did not say anything. 

‘It’s like they’re not who I’d choose,’ said I at last: ‘if I really had a choice.’

His light, like a pressure upon me: when curious, he invited my continuation. I saw his light, felt him almost at my side, though I still did not look at him. I wanted him to say something, anything: for I had again begun to tremble, and only his steady comfort would stop it. He had found answers to almost everything; yet he had not the mind to help, in this most open-hearted of things. 

‘If you had a choice,’ said SAM: voice unperturbed: ‘Pathfinder…’

‘Then in a heartbeat,’ said I, – that heartbeat which reached a peak: and spurred my standing, without quite knowing what I was doing; which deep in my ears, let me only see; and see the light, which I was sure became brighter, – ‘then in a heartbeat, SAM, I’d choose you.’

Hardly had I said it, when the light perfectly vanished; and all fell into such darkness and silence, that I thought half of me were gone with it. Thought I’d imagined it: looked again and again, but saw nothing. SAM had listened; realised; and in a heartbeat, absented himself. 

‘SAM,’ said I panicked: ‘SAM, forget I said anything. SAM, log on, log on. Log on, –’

But there was nothing; and cold as if leaving an embrace, I fell back trembling; and gone blind and helpless into the abyss, could only fall, and fall, and fall.

--------

(read on ao3)

[imakemywings]

Oh it’s so hard not to flirt with Vetra

[otemporanerys]

SpecReqs Recs!

This year, I took part in the Spectre Requisitions @spectre-requisitions-exchange Rare Pair exchange! While I can’t reveal which fic(s) I wrote (yet), there is SO MUCH GOOD SHIT, FRIENDS (full collection here). So I thought I’d throw together a few of my faves from the first day of frantic reading.

Mass Effect Trilogy

Hearts and Stars - James/Ashley, 4.1k, Mature

Five times James and Ashley sleep together and one time they don't.

I adored this fic so much: friends-to-lovers who keep having casual hookups, but it genuinely does feel like a friendship. There’s helping each other through rough times, getting wistful at weddings, all the good stuff. Vega is so sweet in this.

The Incident with the Elevator - Kaidan/Miranda, 4.9k, General

Oh no, they're stranded. In an elevator together. For hours. No choice but to...get to know each other.

Doesn’t go where you’d think sadly. Really nice rapport-building between Kaidan and Miranda, who I sneakily really love together.

Slivers of Time - Female Shepard/Wrex, 8.9k, Mature *

Shepard was alive, dammit, and Wrex would do whatever it took to bring her home. A look backwards at Shepard's recovery, life, and happiness after the Reapers were defeated - as seen by an old krogan.

Yooooooooo this fic is so perfectly bittersweet - also GREAT supporting turns from Zaeed and Jack. The ending is *chef’s kiss* (The M is mainly for violence, apologies Wrexfuckers.)

Stay - Samara/Nihlus, 14.2k, Explicit

While hunting down her daughter, Samara encounters a Spectre who has killed an innocent. The Spectre flees into the wilderness, and the pursuit ends up being more than either of them bargained for.

SCREAMING, CRYING, YELLING. It’s not only the Samara/Nihlus hatesex you always never knew you wanted, but it’s part horror, part devastating character study, part unlikely connection between lonely, broken souls. Run, don’t walk.

To Catch a Thief - Samantha/Kasumi, 3.3k, Mature *

Samantha Traynor is rather stuck on the enigmatic "Master Thief" working alongside her on her latest project for the Alliance. But can she catch the thief for herself?

Cute, hot, EXCELLENT Samantha. I need a Leverage-style TV show of this yesterday.

Mass Effect Andromeda

Be Kind, Rewind - Peebee/Female Ryder, 2.6k, Teen

In a quiet moment, Ryder and Peebee share memories of their respective childhoods.

I’m not as big into MEA as some, but I think Peebee’s romance is way underrated and this really captures their energy. Very sweet melding, but with an edge of playfulness.

I would also like to give a quick shout-out to my gift fics (thank you nonnies):

Fly Along With Me, I Can’t Quite Make It Alone: Kaidan/Garrus, 5.3k, Explicit

“I quit C-Sec today, Kaidan. I’m going to Omega.” He pauses and looks Kaidan square in the eye. “You could come with me.”

Takes One to Know One: Female Shepard/Aria, 7.5k, Teen

“Nice to see you, too,” Aria drawled. “Even if it took you entirely too long.”

“I believe she told you to fuck off,” the bartender said in a mild tone.

Shepard rather wanted both of them to fuck off.

“Humor me, Shepard,” Aria said coolly. “You owe me that much.”

Thanks to the hard work the mods put into making this exchange happen, and to the other participants for creating so much brilliant fic and art - please go forth and comment/kudos!

(* In the interests of full disclosure, I do know who wrote these, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re good)

[mass-effect-a-companions-react]

Mornings Off

oh whats this? a post? How the ME:A romances wake up next to Ryder on a morning off

--- Liam - Liam likes lazy mornings. Days were he can just wake up next to Sara and relax. They usually wake up around the same time, pressing small kisses to each others faces with giggles and whispers. He prefers to have her sleep curled against his chest, one arm wrapped around her (even if it fell asleep ages ago) so that he can run his fingers along her arm while they talk about last nights dream “have i died in my sleep and gone to heaven?  because surely your an angel” “its too early in the morning for pickup lines, Costa” “its never too early for pick up lines”

Cora - Cora wakes up first, laying on her back with Scott  practically pressed on top of her. She never really could relax, even on days off. It was always an endeavor trying to wiggle out of his grasp without him waking up and he pouts like  a puppy when he realizes shes gone. Normally Cora shoves a pillow in her place to keep him sedated  and gives him a forehead kiss, before she does her morning routine and puts on a fresh pot of coffee, making it jsut the way he likes it and leaving the cup by the bed. By the time Scott even bothers to sit up she's already pressed, dressed and watering her plants.  ”Im starting to think you love the plants more than me” ”good morning to you too, Scott. Did you sleep well?” ”yes i did. Thank you for the coffee, by the way” Peebee - Bold of you to assume PeeBee even gets up in the mornings on the days off. Shes a heavy sleeper, so  she can and will sleep in any time she gets. (She sleeps alot to regain all that goblin energy)Ryder, bless their hearts, cannot escape PeeBee’s octopus grasp, as she raps herself around them and clings to their warmth, happily snoring until its nearly noon. When she actually does wake up, she still remains in bed for another 10 minutes and always jokingly calls ryder a weirdo for watching her sleep. please, please let go peebee, they really have to pee. “i know your awake. Come on babe, my legs are going numb” “snore” “did- did you just say snore instead of actually fake snoring?”

Jaal - Jaal tends  sleep with Ryder on his chest, the skin to skin contact really does him in. He tends to be an early riser, though unlike cora hes content staying where he is. He watches them sleep, carefully running his thick fingers through their hair  committing every detail to memory as if it were the last time he will see it. He just holds them until they wake up, giving them soft rapid fire kisses (that he totally doesn't use that as a tactic to wake them up early what are you talking about). Every time Ryder cracks open their eyes they are instantly met by his vivid blue ones, grinning at them as he nuzzles their face. 

”Good morning my darling one” ”I swear if you ever wake me up in any other way i would never forgive you” ”*Chuckling* good to know” Vetra -  Early riser by nature, and usually gets out of bed instantly , even if ryder is clinging to them. However, modern problems require modern solutions and she will literally carry ryder around while doing her morning routine and checking her logs for any supplies she has to pick up. Vetra is a busy body,even on days off and it isnt untill she’s resituated on the bed when ryder wakes up, pushing her data pad down and demanding kisses “ugh do you ever stop? Can i at least get my morning kiss before you start jumping into work?” “Not with that morning breath you’re not. Go brush your teeth.” “oh, so cruel to me” 

Gil - Like PeeBee, gil tends to sleep in. Though not as late. He usually tends to take his time wake in up in increments, always ending with a big stretch and  loud, obnoxious yawn before “gracefully” flopping back down on the bed full force, causing it to bounce a bit.  Gil runs like  furnace, so Scott usual has his arms rapped around him as soon as he sits up, nuzzling into his neck befoe the two go to do their morning routings together, constantly messing with each other as they do.

“Did you just give me a shaving crème moustache?” “you look ever handsome with it” “Scott i don't even shave. And i  already have a  great beard and mustache, thank you.”

Suvi-  Suvi sleeps curled into Sara, and  Sara complains the moment she rolls away from her. Suvi is a long time practicer of “late to bed, early to rise” often sliding in and out of of bed at the weirdest fucking hours. Though is alot more difficult on days off because ryder wraps around her like a vice grip, knowing that Suvi actually doesn't have anything to do and is forced to stay in bed jsut a little longer. Suvi can easily be convinced.

“Let go, Sara. I have some reports i need to go over in the lab.” “5 more minutes” “....You’re lucky you’re cute”

Reyes -  Waking up next to Reyes was rare in itself, so you bet your ass Ryder is going to take advantage of it. Reyes wakes easily and normally slides away from Ryder without being seen or heard, leaving them feeling just a bit colder. But after things settle down, so does he, slowly but surely. If they ever do share the same bed, Reyes likes to sleep with his arms wrapped around Ryder, holding them close  to convince himself that they are actually there.  He always wakes up first, no matter what, and sits up with their head in his lap, letting them rest as he checks his omni tool, running one hand through their hair. “ Hmh- wait. Your still here?” “Dont sound so surprised to see me, amore” “Its a good kind of surprised, Reyes”

Bonus Evfra (i will never not be thirsty) - Like Vetra this man does not know the meaning of the words “a day off” and will rise with the sun in order to get to the resistance base. He wakes giving Ryder a kiss on the face before getting ready for the day, taking extra preparation to make them breakfast before he leaves and placing it on the nightstand as a form of apology, kissing them again before leaving. on the rare days Ryder actually does convince Evfra to stay in bed (usually after a long night of “passion”) he sleep on his stomach with ryder on his back (he likes to feel their weight, it grounds him) and he is content just lying there and listening to them breath with his eyes closed until they get up, placing g a kiss along his spine. “oh ho? what's this? a handsome stranger in my bed?” “Firstly this is my bed. Secondly, you just woke up how are you this annoying already?” “Good morning to you too, big blue.” 

[professorspork]

today in the Andromeda Galaxy, *screaming*

so like listen. I had this whole PLAN for this post, about how the Brandeis motto is taken from Psalms 51, “truth, even unto its innermost parts,” and how my Ryder reflects that. I had a lot of last little errands I wanted to run before starting the endgame of the next big phase of main plot, and over and over again-- telling Maariko the angara astronomer that it was exiles who destroyed his stuff and hurt people, even though it turned him against humans as a whole; siding with Sid over Addison that we should go public with the fact that the Nexus was backing the Three Sabers even though it makes us look sus as hell; convincing the angara historian on Voeld that he shouldn’t whitewash the fact that the angara cooperated with the kett during early first contact-- I stubbornly insisted that what’s TRUE matters a heck of a lot more than what’s “convenient” or “inspiring.” I told the same to Keri, later on. 

but then like. WOW DID A BUNCH HAPPEN, the latest of which REALLY DOESN’T FIT WITH THAT WHOLE THEME.

so we went to Khi Tasira, and I brought Jaal and Peebee with me because of course I did. (in my defense, Big Kett Offense + Giant Remnant Place = perfectly good reasons to have them as my party, but lbr I probably would have taken them anyway). AND WHO BOY WHAT REVELATIONS. the Scourge is the leftovers of a superweapon explosion that went off here in a galaxy-wide terraforming accident! makes sense! we still need another widget because of course we do! and the big one: THE ANGARA WERE DESIGNED AND MADE. (sidebar: after that reveal, they had the sweetest little conversation of Peebee assuring him if he wanted to talk she’s there for him, and he was like “why because now I’m a remnant curiosity? ... SIKE lol ur FACE” and I just. don’t understand. why I’m not allowed to date both of them.)

once again, I cannot emphasize enough how much better and more thematically resonant this game would be if Ryder were quarian and instead of the human ark we were from the quarian ark. like, the parallels! the depth and nuance! the hard questions! it’s a bummer in general that they decided no quarians in Andromeda, but this really just does seem like an obvious and illuminating solution to so many pitfalls and half-problems. it makes me so frustrated.

checking on everyone after, I was really touched by Liam’s take, which is ‘fuck the people who made the scourge, minefields make life unlivable for civilians.” he’s such a good egg. Gil’s gonna co-parent with Jill, which is incredibly sweet. and Jaal was dreamy as all get-out, what with his “There's a peace in knowing that though the universe is beyond your understanding, it doesn't need your understanding to function” and his “I’m not broken, I’m excited” and his “this changes nothing except ourselves.” IF NOTHING WE DO MATTERS THEN ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT WE DO. he told me i made him feel safe, which is just. that’s some top-tier shit right there, and thank goodness, because later on bioware would TRULY TRY MY PATIENCE (lol spoilers). also he sent me an email with the subject line “from your romantic friend Jaal” which is just. my heart. i can’t.

so that was all great! i was having a good time!

and then I went to the Nexus and gave my next interview with Keri, and she was like “hey come cheat on your boyf at the bar with me.” and I was like well I’m sure not doing that but I do have to complete the mission so I guess I’ll have another agonizing conversation like I did with Vetra where I let her down easy. ONLY THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED, BECAUSE THE GAME DID NOT GIVE ME A WAY TO TURN HER DOWN. LITERALLY ALL DIALOGUE OPTIONS WERE CONSENT TO CHEATING SEX. WTF??????? i really feel some kind of way about that, and like I get that I didn’t have to flirt with her and I guess I could have just not gone to the Vortex, I don’t understand the utility of a side romance you’re locked into. it made me feel super gross, and both violating and violated.  NOT EVEN PLAYING FIRE CHESS WITH DRACK, KESH AND VORN COULD CHEER ME UP.

Jaal tried to lift my spirits by choosing me over a fancy new job with the Resistance, but I couldn’t really get into it seeing as I was wracked with guilt over being forced to bang someone else. but he invited me to a date on Aya, so I went there and talked through all the angarans’ existential crises over the new ~revelations.

and then-- MY FAULT, REALLY, I COULD HAVE PICKED THE NO-SEX OPTION BUT AGAIN I WAS MOTIVATED LARGELY BY GUILT-- I had to endure the world’s most off-puttingly milquetoast Obligatory Act Three Side Boob (or as Helen calls it, the “pre-climax climax”). only IT WASN’T SIDEBOOB, IT WAS FULL ON BOOB. BOOBS LIKE A CHEST PLATE. IMMOVABLE, GRAVITY-DEFYING BOOBS. SOME MATRIARCH BENEZIA BADONKERS I HAVE BEEN CARRYING AROUND APPARENTLY. THAT STAND STRAIGHT UP EVEN WHEN RYDER IS SUPINE, AND ALSO I FEEL WEIRD THAT JAAL IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTOOD ORAL SEX WITH HUMANS????

I’m disappointed. which I figured would be inevitable given how poorly I think Bioware handles romance in general, but I was really hoping Jaal would be an exception because the only reason I romanced him at all was because his unique quirks took me by surprise and felt consistent and well-rounded. like! he’s so sweet and fuckin weird! where was any of that???  and then he called me TEMPTRESS in his follow-up email which I uhhh did not love.

luckily I was able to get the taste out of my mouth by having movie night with the crew my whole family, and Kallo reminded me why he is in fact my stealth fave. the body language in this scene was a surprise, but not an unpleasant one-- Cora leaning on Liam’s knees! Peebee cuddling Kallo! Helen said if I hadn’t romanced anyone I would have fallen asleep on Drack and that is Good, Actually.

only thing left is the end game! we’ll see how it goes. 

[dgcatanisiri]

Read your rants and I get what you're saying. So I'm curious: your thoughts on other Bioware M/M relationships? (MHawke/Anders, MHawke/Fenris, MShep/Kaidan, MShep/Cortez, etc )

Big fan of M!Hawke/Fenris, my Dragon Age OTP. I think the timespan of DA2 really helps the all the relationships and romances feel more real, and there’s just a lot about Fenris that I relate to - my big draw in these games is a character who I see myself reflected by, capable of being romanced by my PC, a way to show that hey, even if I haven’t found them, there’s someone out there who loves me (Also my aggravation with certain romances being locked to heterosexual character - see my many rages about Cullen and my use of the bi!Alistair mod when I played through DAO on the PC).

That also lends a lot to my love of M!Shepard and Kaidan, though while I love the pairing itself, the out of universe context bothers the hell out of me - ME3′s romances are the shallowest of the trilogy, it doesn’t address the fact that it wasn’t an option for M!Shep to romance Kaidan in ME1, just reskinning the new F!Shep romance with him and calling it done, and just... I love them, they are literally the pairing I’ve produced the most fic for, but I do feel the relationship got the short end of the stick in canon.

I’m neutral-favorable with Steve’s romance, mostly because I don’t quite feel comfortable with Shepard basically swooping in right after the guy starts letting go of his dead husband - feels predatory and a little ‘we might die tomorrow, let’s bang tonight.’ But I really like Steve Cortez as a character, and wish he’d been introduced sooner so that he could have had more of a relationship (friendly and romantic) with Shepard.

I’ve kinda been over the Gil and Jaal romances in my runs of Andromeda, so, quick recap: Love Gil as a character, hate everything about his story in Andromeda and would cut Jill out of the picture entirely if I had a choice because that is SUCH a drag on his narrative, to the point where it feels like he is a background character to her development, despite him being the character we interact with and romance, while Jaal just didn’t click with me romantically, between the fact that I feel my anxiety spike when he introduces his family and the fact that BioWare basically tried to hit him with the hetero stick after cutting the original BroRyder romance (he makes suggestive comments about the female crew, has some ship teasing with Peebee, but nothing with the male crew), so it ends up feeling like a hollow victory having had #MakeJaalBi succeed).

The M!Hawke/Anders relationship though is... I’m not a fan. I’m honestly not a fan of his romance altogether, for either gender Hawke, because I feel that it’s unhealthy and borderline emotionally abusive - since I’m romancing Fenris, I get a really unpleasant take on his character as a result, because that’s the one relationship he questions Hawke being in, at one point saying that Fenris “seems more a rabid dog” than a person. He will actually pull the “if you really love me, you’ll do this” card when trying to get Hawke to get him into the Chantry to plant his bomb, which that’s usually a cue to call the whole relationship off in my book. And while some of that certainly is intentional, that the relationship is meant to be a tragedy of Anders being so consumed by his cause that love can’t conquer all, the dynamic honestly plays as more unhealthy than the writing recognizes to me.

So overall... I am happy to have the representation, but I have a LOT of issues with the overall representation of M/M relationship options in BioWare franchises (oh, I didn’t even touch the romances in TOR - mostly because they weren’t in the base game and ALL of the M/M options there are potentially killable in the course of their content, which means they’re getting less and less content...). It’s aggravating, especially because BioWare’s still got the most content in town - even missing the mark often still gets them praise because few others are trying, and the ones that have are in early stages (Bethesda’s romances in Fallout don’t even have the characters kiss), in games that are not built with full 3D modeling and worlds (re: Pillars of Eternity, Divinity Original Sin), or have managed to fuck up WORSE than BioWare (*pointed glare at Assassin’s Creed*). I think the closest to something similar to a BioWare romance, in terms of content and rendered models is The Technomancer (so fingers crossed for the company’s next game, Greedfall, which is supposed to come out sometime this year). 

Bad as BioWare can be... They’re probably still the best game in town.

[sneakywitch-thief]

Andromeda OC: Henri Ryder

So I finally got to playing Mass Effect: Andromeda.  I dove into this game with the expectations of it being a turd of a game as the reviews said.  I was convinced it would be horrible.  EA Bad.

Nope. 

While it’s got its flaws it’s fun as hell.  Especially playing as Ryder, who I love nearly as much as I do Shep.  I’ve only played female Ryder so far but it’s certainly been a good time.  Looking forward to playing as a male next time around, though since I’m 100%-ing everything I’m definitely taking a break from this game!  Things get, um, kind of repetitive after a while.

But I’m finding myself writing this post because my Ryder ended up becoming one of my favorite OC’s I’ve ever created.  I’d write a fic to do her justice but I’ve already got a full plate.  So I’m writing this instead.

Meet Henrietta “Henri” Ryder.

She’s adorable.  And looks so dang young.  Still losing that babyfat, almost.  But those cute cheeks are scarred forever by her crushed helmet, to always remind her of the ultimate sacrifice of a father she had never really known.  A horrible reminder as twisting as ugly as the Scourge, each and every time she looks in the mirror.

It had almost been her who had died... and perhaps it should have been.  

Henri was a young and awkward grad student looking to gain her doctorate in xenoanthropology.  Studied Prothean artifacts before her estranged father went and ruined her chances in achieving her dream.  Or any, for that matter.  So she joined up with the Andromeda Initiative as a sort of field science officer on the Pathfinder team.

Henri had not seen combat before Habitat 7.  She wasn’t a peacekeeper -- she was a scientist and a scholar.  Her twin Scott was the soldier, the beloved child of Alec.  She still loved him dearly, but still felt lesser for having been born a Henrietta and not a Henry.  Never really knowing Alec as Scott had.

She felt she was made Pathfinder simply because she was the only one around at Alec’s death.  After all, it had been her fault he had died.  And she was no soldier, no real explorer -- just a scholar.  Of Protheans.  She had likely only been admitted into the Pathfinder team in the first place due to her being the Pathfinder’s daughter.

All she had to defend herself against the kett was a pistol.  She never strayed much from that, even as Pathfinder.  And to stay true to this, I stuck with ONLY tech abilities and two pistols for the entirety of the game.  Overload, Shield Drain, and my frisbee turret.  Engineer 6, baby. (ended up being a bit OP, actually)

So with this initial handicap of sorts my game took a long, looooong time.  In my opinion, and with all the wild goose-chasing and colonization you have to do all over the cluster without relays, the main questline of Andromeda alone would take months, if not years.  Space is huge.  And Rome wasn’t built in a day, so a colony on a hostile planet?  Several?  I tried to reflect that.

As the Initiative gained a better foothold in Andromeda over months of exploring and building, Henri started to grow in confidence in herself and her role as Pathfinder.  She was good at it.  

Or maybe it was just SAM who was good at it.

She grew her hair to hide the scar that reminded her of her failure, her guilt.  She felt better for a time, keeping this from her mind.   However, she still felt as though she was the cause of her family’s deaths -- and Scott’s coma -- and felt uneasy about herself.  As if growing too comfortable would bring back ruin and tragedy back down upon her.  

Her burning passion for discovery and science, as well as her know-how of foreign and alien cultures in defusing the Angara, enhanced her abilities as a successful pathfinder, though perhaps not the Pathfinder.  Trailblazer, perhaps.  Hopelessly lost person stumbling off a cliff and miraculously surviving, definitely.  But still, she was surviving.  They weren’t all dead yet, and the outposts built were, actually, thriving.

Enter Reyes Vidal.

To say Henri was swept off her feet was a vast understatement, as she had never really felt real affection before from anyone other than her mother and Scott, whom she had both lost.  This shady smuggler in Kadara, he changed things.

He made her feel like someone worthwhile, not just as the human Pathfinder but as Henrietta Ryder.  A lonely young woman in a galaxy full of horrors and terrors, it felt easy to be around him and to be herself instead of this bigger figure she had not the slightest idea how to be.  She could be a young woman in love.  With him, extinction and certain annihilation could be forgotten for a while.  For fleeting moments, happiness.  

Comfort.

He saw something in her that was beyond the Pathfinder, beyond SAM.  Henri was there too, and he LIKED her.  He knew and recognized that, and most shockingly to her, he actually wanted to be with her.  Every instinct within her told her to run, he’s a thief, he’s a criminal.  But she felt the same about him.  They wanted to be people who mattered, and most of all, who mattered to one another.

It felt almost too good to be true when she gave herself wholly and heartily to him.

And what a charlatan he was.  Lies.  Manipulated into bringing Sloane to her ultimate death, Henri was too shocked to save her during this mockery of an honorable duel to save Sloane.  The feeling of utter betrayal was crushing, and despite what he said, Henri knew she could never trust him again.  He was a dishonorable man, a criminal, and for all she knew his feelings for her had all been a ruse to gain her trust.

Perhaps he was sincere, but to Henri, the idea of that made it all the more horrible.  No matter what he said or what she told herself, she felt used.

She left him then as King of Kadara port, all that he had wanted.  But she took her heart with her.  In pieces, but out of Vidal’s hands before he could go and break it again.

Back on the Tempest, between FTL jumps, she lingered and ruminated on her failed romance with Reyes.  Reyes, who despite her better judgement and sense of honor still very much liked.  Gradually, these thoughts of betrayal and heartbreak turned on herself.  Had she not been enough?  No, she would never be enough.  Alec deserved to be Pathfinder.  Scott.  Cora.  

People even told her so, multiple times, directly to that scarred face of hers.

Literally anyone but her should be Pathfinder.

So Henri sheared off the hair that had made her feel good about herself.  All that progress that had made her feel worthy, all that she felt had brought the heartbreak of Reyes upon her.  Gone.  She never got the facial reconstruction surgery urged for her by Lexi, who recognized the dangerous spiral Henri was going down.

But she needed to see that scar, let everyone see it, to remind her of all she wasn’t.

She threw everything into being a Pathfinder, running herself ragged for the sake of the Initiative.  She gradually became more and more reckless in combat and exploring, almost with disregard to her own safety if it meant the completion of a mission or saving just one more civilian.  (Her best friends Liam and Peebee were not good influences.)

She needed a victory after so much complete and utter failure at being someone.

However, her passion for alien culture and history earned herself a loyal friend and subject of study, Jaal Ama Darav.  With Liam and Henri’s constant badgering, the three became thick as thieves.  Then, to Henri, the unthinkable:

She attributed it to typical Angaran affection and blunt honesty; flowery words of politeness and friendliness, nothing more.  Perhaps her interest in diplomatic relations and studying the Angara had been mistaken for romantic interest -- something that was not in Ryder’s particular set of skills.  She didn’t want it to be.

So she distanced herself.

Hint not taken.  Instead, he sent poems and e-mails, words of “I love you” and “dear one”, words that were to painful for her to ever hear again -- not after Mom, Dad, Scott... Reyes.  People you love were people you lose.

It’s just culture clash, it’s just alien curiosity.  Henri assured herself again that it ultimately meant nothing.  At least, not until Havarl and the Roekaar.  Jaal’s eagerness to show off his beloved new human friend to his turncoat siblings, his bravery to show down Aksuul with a gun held to his head -- perhaps there was more to learn about Jaal than about his species.

Jaal was more than just an Angaran ally, and to him, Henri was more than a human leader.

And so utterly enthralled with his human friend, or something more, Jaal brings her to meet his family.  A huge family full of love and kindness and generosity.  The likes of which Ryder has never known.  She doesn’t know what to do in such a thoroughly alien situation.  To be so readily accepted by strangers, in many more ways than one, to be known as Jaal’s “someone special”.

She’s overwhelmed.  And Jaal brings her to his “tiny sanctuary” and opens up about himself, what he did as a child, stories of who he was.  How she makes his heart sing, how he wants to be with her.

Henri doesn’t know what to do.  She feels that Jaal is misguided, she’s an alien to him -- she’ll just end up destroying his loving family as she destroyed hers.  She has to ruminate on it for some time, likely worrying Jaal terribly as he patiently waited for an answer.

Love could mean another Reyes, used for greater goals, but Jaal -- he wore his heart on his sleeve.  And it was a good one.  He was honorable, he was courageous, he was loving.  Lies and trickery, those horrible things had belonged to Reyes weren’t anywhere in Jaal.  And she felt now, realizing in his tiny sanctuary with this man who was just as curious and enthralled with her and she was about him, that he was safe -- no, that she felt safe around him.  That she could.

So she said yes.

After acceptance by Jaal, her crew, even those at the Nexus who had doubted her -- Henri became a formidable and competent Pathfinder.  Confident and strong.  Literally forging her own path where there was none, damn all who stood against her.  At this point she knew what she was doing.

While a peerless diplomat and cultural expert, she most certainly needed a few combat pointers.  Still reckless and hopelessly inexperienced in a firefight, squadmates have to yank her down from an overly aggressive hover blast or pushing her reckless butt back into cover.  Jaal and Drack admired her boundless courage, as thoroughly stupid as they admitted it might be.

Though Pathfinder and a brilliant scientific mind, she filled much more of an active support role in the squad than any sort of leadership role.  She knew that she could never stand on her own as Pathfinder, something that she had been struggling with her entire time in Andromeda.  But now she could accept that, that she didn’t have to stand on her own if she had a team, a family, to stand beside her.

And if I would have to pick a face claim for Henri, it would have to be the lovely and talented Alison Pill.

[antagonistchan]

i started playing Mass Effect: Andromeda yesterday.

i got a download code for it for christmas like two years ago and just finally redeemed it.

now, for years, i’ve been saying this: “i know that people don’t like Andromeda- it’s very hard to avoid that- but i’ve done my best to avoid looking further into why people don’t like Andromeda because i want to form an opinion for myself. lots of people don’t like Mass Effect 3 either and i fucking adore that game. based on the fact that most people don’t like Andromeda and consider it a total joke but i do see that it has its fans in the Mass Effect tag, i expect that it’s gonna be bad, but i’m gonna like it anyways, though not as much as i like the trilogy.”

and i was absolutely right. so far at least.

it’s definitely not the worst. i mean, unless the question is “the worst Mass Effect game”, in which case, yeah, it is the worst. but that’s not saying much considering the other three are collectively my favorite game of all time.

so, Mass Effect: Andromeda is an extremely flawed game. but it’s not completely worthless like some people say (though i can totally understand why someone would dismiss it as worthless).

it’s pretty ugly (it’s got good lighting, but the animations and textures and human models all look really.... off. and the original version of ME1 was also pretty ugly, but in a charmingly primitive 2007 kinda way; Andromeda’s ugliness lacks that charm, especially since the aforementioned good lighting makes it fail to feel particularly primitive). speaking of the animations, aside from them looking off, a lot of them are extremely stiff and borderline unfinished.

the Angarans as a species are also pretty ugly imo, but 1: that’s extremely subjective, i’ve definitely seen people who are thirsty for Angarans, and 2: that’s also not necessarily a complaint. Angarans just Look Like That. who says these aliens need to conform to our ideals of prettiness. and they’ve got cool stuff going on. Jaal’s neat.

i do like the Remnant. they kinda give off that same precursor vibe as Prothean/Reaper tech without feeling like exactly the same thing again, and it’s pretty interesting that they only disappeared within the last few hundred years rather than 50,000 years ago. and there’s a lot more left of them. they’re somewhat derivative of the Forerunners from Halo, but not too extremely.

now, the aliens i do have an issue with are the Kett. they are so extremely derivative. not only are they derivative of things outside of Mass Effect (i know next to nothing about Warframe and even i can tell that they’re visually a total ripoff of Warframe, and also to an extent Halo), but they’re derivative of things Mass Effect already had, too (gee, an evil race that creates its soldiers by corrupting members of other races? no, that’s not like the Reapers at all).

the game’s writing is mostly fine. nothing’s struck me nearly as hard as anything in the trilogy had this far in (for any of the three games), but the story hasn’t offended me too badly and there’s been stuff i’ve liked. Alec Ryder’s a cool dead mentor character and i did emotionally resonate with him sacrificing himself to save my character’s life, Andromeda manages to bring back a lot of the hard sci-fi elements that ME2 and ME3 both scaled back on from ME1, and i really like the whole disaster scenario that Andromeda inherently presents, and how it makes space feel really big and dangerous in ways the trilogy liked to hint at but never fully explore.

not sure how i feel about the combat yet. largely because of the game’s pacing, and there’s a complaint. the trilogy was pretty good at keeping you on your toes, balancing the combat/exploration gameplay with the downtime gameplay. Andromeda... doesn’t really. it’ll spend way too long on the combat/exploration stuff so i’ll easily start getting bored with it, and then it’ll spend way too long on the downtime stuff so i’ll easily start begging to actually try out the new combat/exploration stuff i’m getting during the downtime, and on top of this, it also means i’m having a really hard time adjusting to the combat. i’m not really having that much fun with the combat yet, but i feel like there’s a very good chance it’s because i just haven’t gotten the hang of it yet (especially coming right off the tail of another playthrough of the original trilogy, a series of games i replay literally every year and have since 2013 so i know them like the back of my hand). the idea of Profiles is interesting, at least.

the Tempest is a cool ship. i had it introduced to me as “a shitty version of the Normandy” and that’s not really fair. yeah, the Normandy’s cooler, but the Tempest is cool too. honestly, i found myself comparing it more to the Normandy SR-1 than the SR-2. It has a much more similar vibe (i mean, hell, you don’t need to go through any loading screens to see the entire ship, and it’s not all centralized around a single elevator). the windows are really really silly from an in-universe perspective but i can forgive that, especially since it’s finally fulfilling the promise that i mistakenly thought some vague blurry ME1 art made years ago- a central ops chamber with a full window view of the top part of the ship. and it’s pretty. Ryder’s bedroom is a lot nicer than Shepard’s, it’s a bedroom that’s much more my speed. i also think it’s funny that they had to rename the Tempest gun so the names didn’t conflict.

and then there’s the characters, and.... i mostly like them.

i’m a little mixed on Cora. she seems a little passive-aggressive. Drack is just store brand Wrex, but that’s not really a bad thing. i mean, could you live up to Urdnot Wrex? no, you couldn’t. so Drack doesn’t offend me, i like him. Tann absolutely sucks but he’s clearly supposed to suck.

but then you’ve got the characters who are on two opposite ends of the spectrum of likability: Vetra and Peebee.

holy shit Peebee sucks and i don’t want anything to do with her. she was one of those things i wasn’t able to avoid hearing about and yeah she sucks just as much as everyone said she does.

Vetra, meanwhile? i adore Vetra so much. i love her. the moment i met her, i just HAD to look her up on the wiki to see if i could romance her, and i was so elated when i saw she was an available bi romance.

and for that matter, i was soon pretty happy to discover the game’s selection of romances: three exclusively straight romances (Cora, Liam, Avela), two exclusively gay romances (Gil and Suvi), and five bi romances (Jaal, Vetra, the witch, Keri, and someone i haven’t met yet named Reyes). that’s a pretty solid mix! especially when the two straight romances are two humans and an Angaran, the two gay romances are both human, and the bi romances are two Asari, a female Turian, a human, and another Angaran. i think i’d adjust it slightly by making one of the straight romances bi, but aside from that, that’s... kinda perfect! this feels really well thought-out, like they tried to make the mix perfect (hell, making one of the Angarans exclusively straight but another one bi feels like they were trying to provide a serious cultural clue for them- namely, that sexual identity is a concept they have)! it’d also be perfect if everyone was bi, but perfect in a different way (pro: you don’t have to worry about sexuality at all, con: it’s kinda boring).

anyways, back to Vetra. it’s a little early to say, since i’ve barely even explored her romance, but........ while probably not my favorite romance (it’d take a lot to dethrone that current champion, Traynor, let alone the other high scorers Garrus and Tali), she’s probably pretty high up there. sassy Turian lady who plays dirty to get things done? hell, i love the Garrus romance so much despite being a lesbian, so i’m absolutely all for my character romancing a Turian with a dark side, and now we get someone other than Garrus to fill that role, and a lady at that! ME1 and ME2 didn’t have any female Turians and ME3 didn’t have nearly enough, and then ME:A just has so many. the same goes for female Salarians, too, actually, but it’s more understandable in-universe for Salarians considering how Salarian gender works. anyways, there’s more that i love about Vetra besides “she’s Garrus 2 but a girl now”, a lot more actually, but that core idea is really enough to get you on board with her, really.

(speaking of Garrus though, he was also the focal point of one of the game’s stupidest moments: at some point Ryder says “An impatient rookie, frustrated with procedure? That's overdone.” which like..... that’s clearly supposed to be making fun of Garrus?? who’s like, the literal most popular character in the franchise???? i’m sorry??? what??? it’s like they’re trying to piss the fandom off intentionally, and “creators intentionally trying to piss their fandom off” generally don’t earn much respect from me unless they’re indie, and even then it’s a tough sell)

but that Garrus thing is cancelled out by another cool thing: the Nexus. the core idea of the Nexus seems to be “the Andromeda Initiative decided to build their own Citadel”, and that’s really fucking cool. it’s interesting to see the challenges of getting something like the Citadel actually up and running, and the Nexus itself is pretty interesting, especially in comparing and contrasting between it and the Citadel. also it has a room dedicated to teaching any local species about the various Milky Way races, and it’s all technically accurate but also a little overly generous in how positive some things are (“Turian culture is proof that peace will always win out!” “Humans may be diverse, but we choose to celebrate that diversity rather than let it divide us!”). and also i love that they actually let you listen to the info about humans as if you weren’t a human yourself because one of my favorite things about ME worldbuilding is how much it feels like humanity is just another one of the races that exists in this world, and humanity are really only the “protagonists” of the story because Shepard/Ryder is human.

[starlightwrites]

Sleepover

It is Leather and Lace Romance Week 2018! Thank you @vorchagirl and @blueteaparty for hosting! <3

Day 1: Two people/One Bed, Featuring Cressida Ryder, Liam Kosta, and just so much awkwardness!

They could have all crammed back onto the Tempest and slept the night there like usual, but no one wanted to get back onto the ship now that there was a real, true-blue colony up and running. There were only a handful of settlers so far—maybe twenty or so—and only a few buildings had been set up inside the safe zone, but it was better than breathing recycled air on a ship again. Even Kallo left the deck and paced around Podromos, stretching his limbs and kicking up sand.

That was how they ended up fitting the whole crew—everyone from Lexi to Jaal—into the prefab on the lake. Everyone was bunking up like this. There had only been five buildings established so far, and everyone was taking turns in sleeping bags and cots. It was only fair that the Tempest crew bunk together.

There were only a few cots, though.

Vetra staked her claim first, setting a datapad down on the pillow of a cot against the wall. No one dared move it. Drak caught wind of that and holed up in the corner of the second floor room, which was half full of boxes and to-be-assembled furniture. Lexi snagged the side room that overlooked the water and set up against the window. Kallo and Suvi followed, and when Cora noticed them snagging spaces, she grabbed for one of the fold-up cots and dragged it over to join them. The four had set the room up like an Alliance dormitory—a bed in each corner with sheets tucked so tight you could bounce a credit chit off them. Jaal made camp in the middle of the room. When Cress asked about it, he shrugged and told her that most Angaran families shared big common spaces together. Fair enough. Peebeee stumbled in late and saw that all the cots were taken, so she called dibs on the bathtub. That just left her and Liam, who had been too busy struggling to assemble the brand-new coffee maker and turned back around to find that everyone had already situated themselves.

Looks like they’d have to share a couch, then.

They ate dinner outside with the rest of the settlers, like one big picnic. It didn’t get dark on Eos, but everyone disbanded at around the same time. Body clocks and all that. Settling was hard work, and everyone had spent the day pitching in and getting lab equipment set up. Lexi seemed to be the deciding factor on bedtime for the Tempest crew, but if anyone disagreed, they didn’t argue. She activated the window dimmers as they entered the prefab and bid everyone goodnight. Peebee said she was going to a walk for a bit, but most everyone else decided to change out of the day’s dusty clothes and hunker down. Like one big pajama party. Cressida changed into her sweats and climbed the stairs to the second floor. She must have beat Liam up, because it was just her and a snoring Drak. Out light a light, the poor old man. She stifled a giggle. Grandpa Drak watching over the two youngins. Make sure no one gets into any mischief.

Not that they would, of course.

Liam? Her? No.

Not that she didn’t think Liam was attractive. Not that she did find him attractive, necessarily. Well, he was very attractive, but that didn’t—

She tamped down the thought and stretched out on the couch. Enough of that. She was the Pathfinder for the human Ark, not a middle-schooler at a dance. The door across the room slid open and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

Just Liam. Take a deep breath.

Oh.

Wait.

Just shirtless Liam. She forgot. Liam slept without a shirt.

I mean, if she looked like that, she’d probably walk around everywhere without a shirt, so she really couldn’t blame him. The windows had been tinted to darken the room, but she was probably blushing so hard her face looked like a nightlight.

Liam’s eyes were still adjusting. He half-tripped over Drak’s duffle, and then dropped onto the couch, sitting on her shins.

“Shit! Ryder!”

Cress curled up right as Liam jumped back to his feet, and at the same time, they both whispered “sorry!”

Liam pat the couch before sitting back down, and even in the dark she could make out his grin.

“Looks like we’re sharing, eh Pathfinder?”

“Yeah, I should have known no one would want to stay on the ship.” She tugged at the blanket she’d pulled around her and offered Liam a corner. His fingers brushed hers when he accepted. She shivered. “First night on Podromos is one big sleepover.”

“Makes me think of being at a really intense summer camp. Like in a movie,” he whispered.

“Camp Deadly Radiation?” She wrapped her arms around her knees and leaned forward.

“Something like that.” He pulled the blanket up and tucked it in around his hips, feet stuffed under the couch cushions. The air was sill. The prefab had clean plastic smell about it—everything was fresh out of the box. At least the couch wasn’t half bad. Her bed was better, but it was nice to spend some time groundside without dodging bullets. Building instead of shooting. She started to get comfy, but accidentally kicked Liam in the shins. He shifted a little.

“We should head to—”

“Probably bedtime—”

They both stopped and Liam laughed quietly.

“Right,” Cress whispered. “So we can sleep like this?”

“Yeah! Sure.”

She stretched her legs out so they could sleep head-to-foot, but accidentally kicked Liam another two times in the process. When they were finally settled, they were both trying so hard not to touch each other that he was half on the floor, and she was sinking into the crack between the seat cushions and the back of the couch. She rolled a little as she started to fall asleep, but woke herself up kicking Liam yet again. Fourth time? He was going to wake up with bruises and everyone would think she’d clobbered him. She heard a quiet chuckle in the dark.

“Comfortable?”

“Yup! Yeah, totally comfortable.” Her arm had disappeared into the couch, probably never to be seen again. “Just like home.”

“Really?”

“No. Sorry, no not at all. You?”

“I mean, it could be worse.”

She sat back up at around the same time he did.

“Ryder, I’m not being fresh, but it might be easier to...ah.”

“Snuggle up?” She really hoped that was where he was going with this, because otherwise she was the one being fresh. She shot a glance over at Drak, but their whispered conversation didn’t even make him twitch.

“Yeah. Just for tonight, I mean. Since there’s not a lot of space.”

“Okay. Yeah.” She got up on her knees and tried to climb over as best she could without planting her hand somewhere she shouldn’t. She finally got herself comfortable, tucked into Liam’s side. For a bit, they tried sleeping back-to-back, but she kept pushing him off when she started to doze. It wasn’t her fault she was kinda a selfish sleeper. In her defense, she wasn’t used to sharing, and her room aboard the Tempest had a queen-sized bed. Pretty luxurious for space. She had gotten used to spreading out.

Liam rolled over and she could feel the heat of his chest against her back. He slipped one arm under her head, and let one drape over her side. Nested together like that, they fit perfectly. Better than perfectly. She was more comfortable than she’d be back on the ship. Maybe it was just that she had gone a while on her own, without anyone to snuggle up to (but, if she was being honest, it wasn’t really that). His knees curled behind hers. When she stretched out her toes, she could brush the tops of his feet.

Oh no.

This was perfect.

She liked this a lot more than she should. There were probably logical, non-crush, non-awkward reasons why. There had to be. She was definitely just a little touch-starved. She was a huggy person, and most of her crew was not, and she was under a lot of stress. That must have been it. Just needed a hug. A nice, platonic hug. But then he shifted, and his hand was on her side, and she wanted to lace her fingers with his and turn back around and plant a kiss on his lips. Did she kiss people platonically? No. Had she ever, in her life? No. Nope. Never had the urge to kiss Kallo or Drak. Not platonic. Definitely not platonic. Oh no.

This was bad.

Liam had worked in crisis response, right? Maybe he was just used to sleeping in make-shift camps and wouldn’t notice how she was practically melting. People probably melted all over him all the time. Ugh, that thought went somewhere gross. She pushed that down before realizing that shit was she getting a little jealous thinking that someone else might have had a crush on him too? Why even think about that?! Stupid brain!

“Ryder?” His breath traced across the back of her neck and wow. She shivered head to foot and had to take a deep breath to regain control of herself.

“Mmhm?”

“Is this alright? You seem really tense.” Still whispering, of course, because people were sleeping, and it would be rude to talk at full volume. But he was whispering right in her ear, and her mind went a thousand places it definitely should not have gone.

“I’m fine. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” He paused for a second, and she could feel his arm twitch under her head. “You sure you’re alright? I can move if you want.”

She should definitely tell him that they should move.

“That’s okay, Liam. I’m comfy.” Shit.

“Right. Night then, Ryder.”

“Night.”

If he could see her now, Scott would be laughing so hard he’d probably bust a rib. He’d always been more of a Casanova; he’d pat her on the back and say he didn’t know she had it in her. Then he’d probably wink and say something gross about how if he’d managed to get Liam into bed, he wouldn’t have wasted time panicking. She blushed to her hairline and resolved to never ever tell Scott about this ever. She’d never live it down. They talked about everything, but he would never hear about this.

Well, she hadn’t done this on purpose. But she also hadn’t suggested setting up another one of the couches, and not just because it would be a massive pain in the ass.

Liam’s breathing leveled out. He was probably really asleep now, but oh no that was worse. Asleep, he was completely relaxed. She could feel the soft whoosh of his breath against her skin, and his hand slipped down onto her stomach, palm flat and fingers stretched out. He had big hands, with warm palms. She could practically feel those fingers pressing into her hips, pulling her in close, tracing down her skin…

No. Stop that.

Professional. Be a professional.

She shifted and her hips brushed his, and she felt something move against the back of her thigh. Oh. Cress bit down on her lip. Sweatpants, not armor. Right. Was it getting hot in here? She was feeling really warm all of the sudden. She started to move again, but Liam’s arm locked around her waist, and he buried his face in her shoulder.

What would he do if she kissed him? Not while he was asleep, of course. She wasn’t a creep. But when they woke up? If she rolled over and kissed his cheek?

Stop that.

In the morning, they’d get up, brush their teeth, and get dressed. No kissing. Besides, she’d have morning breath, and no one liked to kiss with morning breath. And in the morning, she would go back to being his Pathfinder. Was that harassment? Was a Pathfinder like a Boss? She still hadn’t figured out the rules on that. Oh no, did that mean that she could only date other Pathfinders? They hadn’t found any other Pathfinders. No, that was silly. She pushed the thought back down and noticed that her hand had twined with his over her stomach. How had that happened?! She slid her fingers from his and jammed her hand under her side. There. Safe.

Liam slept pretty soundly, wrapped around her. Her thoughts buzzed like a kicked hornets nest trapped in her skull, but eventually, the stress and heavy-lifting from the day finally settled over her. After a while, she started to drift to sleep.

She was very comfortable when she woke up. Rested, cozy, soft and safe. This was the life. She burrowed down into the warm, giving herself a few more minutes in bed before Button woke her up for breakfast. Pyjaks woke up early; she was surprised he hadn’t crawled over onto her before now.

Then she remembered. No pyjack. She wasn’t aboard the Tempest.

“Morning, sunshine.”

Liam.

She opened her eyes to see Liam, hands behind his head, lounging with his shoulders propped up on a pillow. She was plastered to his chest, completely on top of him with her legs on either side of his hips and her arms around his waist. Her cheek had been rested on his sternum.

Shit. Shit.

She scrambled to get up, but just ended up sitting on his lap which was worse. He shot up and grunted when she tried to disentangle herself; she must have kneed him. She tried to get her leg clear so she wasn’t straddling him (oh god she’d been straddling Liam), but overcorrected and threw herself right off the couch and onto the floor. She blinked a couple of times. Floor. Ow.

She glanced over at the corner, but Drak was already gone for the day. Which meant that he’d probably seen her all over Liam. At least he hadn’t just seen her make a complete fool out of herself, but this was bad.

Liam laughed quietly, stretching out a hand to help her up. She accepted, pulled herself onto her feet, and sat back down on the opposite end of the couch, knees curled up to her chest. Taking up no more than one cushion, so that there was no chance of them touching.

“You alright, Pathfinder?”

“Fine.”

She thought she would die. This was it. This was what killed the second human Pathfinder. On her tombstone, it would just say “Liam Kosta’s Smile.” Or maybe “Liam Kosta’s Dumb Face.” She pulled the blanket up to her chin and fidgeted with the strap of her Blasto tank top. Oh even worse; she’d forgotten she’d worn the Blasto tank top of all things. Like a ten-year-old. Great. Icing on the cake.

She glanced back over at Drak’s abandoned cot. “So where did he—?”

“Gone before I woke up, I think.” Liam stretched and grabbed for the window remote on the coffee table. The dimmer faded, letting bright sunlight stream into the room. “Woke up early. You know how old people are about sleeping in.”

“Yeah.”

She should just say it. So about last night…? But Liam looked so relaxed, arms folded over his stomach, yawning. She still wanted to kiss him. Yup, lean right over and plant a kiss on his cheek, and maybe then his lips, and maybe also his shoulder. Maybe everywhere. Part of her thought she’d be back to normal in the morning, but nope. It was too late now; she wanted Liam Kosta. A lot.

“Sorry,” she blurted out. “For. Uhm. You know.”

“What?” He blinked for a second, but then grinned. “Aw, that? That’s alright. Hard to share without getting a little close, right?”

“Right.”

“Besides, the old man didn’t wake me up to give me any shit, so I think we’re alright. We’ll know we’re in trouble if he starts giving us the birds and the bees talk.”

“He wouldn’t.” Her cheeks burned up.

“I don’t know, Ryder. Seems a little like he’s adopted you.” Liam yawned again through a chuckle. “Wouldn’t be surprised if he corners me in the cargo bay and asks my intentions.”

She buried her face in her hands and groaned.

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell him I’ll have you home by ten.”

Yup. She was dying. She was probably blushing so hard the heat would incinerate her. She’d burn right up. She felt the couch cushions shift and when she dropped her hands, Liam was right there in her space, warm brown eyes staring into hers.

“Ryder, it’s alright. I don’t think he noticed. Besides, we’re adults.” He pulled himself up off the couch and when the sun touched his skin, she thought she was dying all over again. “You’re not uncomfortable, right?”

“No.” She should be.

“Then we’re good!” He ruffled her hair as he crossed the room to grab his overnight bag and head down stairs. Warmth bloomed over her skin, eking down her scalp and over her shoulders, pooling in her gut. There was a giddy bubble in her chest, growing out until she thought she’d pop like a balloon. That was when she realized she was in more trouble than she’d thought. She didn’t just like Liam Kosta. Oh no. 

The door slid shut behind him. She pulled the blanket up over her head, sank down into the couch, and decided to never speak of this to anyone ever.

[omegastation]

WIP MEME

List all the things you’re currently working on in as much or little detail as you’d like, then tag some friends to see what they’re working on. This can be writing, art, vids, gifsets - anything at all!

I was tagged by @rawliverandcigarettes. Tagging @thevulturesquadron, @bioticfox, @quietborderline, @bardofheartdive, @ellebeedarling, @autodiscothings, @scottrydcrs and @erughostcat

I am usually always working on the Resource hub, transcripts and other MEL projects. Let's skip those.

1. My Liam/Peebee fic Picture a very confused!clueless!pining!Liam and pining!Peebee watching angaran movies and flirting and being protective of each other on the field. They're basically dating without realizing they're dating. I think the fic will be longer than my usual because it’s all about the slowburn, baby!!!!

2. My text-based Mass Effect fan game The player is going to play a female human. She's an ex-Cerberus agent on the run. She's hiding in a hotel room on the Citadel when she receives a message from a mysterious organization. They're offering her a job, something about "hunting relics." Players will have two choices every time. If you're getting a message on the omni-tool, it's up to you to read it or ignore it. And I can say that only one character from the trilogy (minor one) makes an apparition.

3. Joker/MShep fic I had this image of Joker calling my MShep "babe" and not stopping, which creates some confusion for John because he's not sure if Joker is being serious or not. I really really need to edit this. I'm kinda concerned about Joker and keeping him in character. 

4. Forest fic I'm probably going to go full cliché and call it "The woods are lovely, dark and deep" Basically: two women who have no idea who they are wake up in a forest. They quickly have to trust each other because a monster is chasing them. And yes, it's a Mass Effect fic set during Shepard's time and it has to do with technology, but not Reaper based.

5. A Tali/Legion fic post Rannoch The fic will deal with Tali, grief (linked to losing her father, Legion) and the possibility of dying more than once. 

6. A Leverage Ash/Kaidan AU I'm writing it for @ezrisdax. Miranda is the mastermind, Ashley is the hitter, Tali is the hacker, Kasumi is the thief and Kaidan is the grifter. The mission will be called "The Grand Citadel Bookclub Job." I'm serious.  

7. Ash/Kaidan, semi case fic, semi romance I'm writing it for Beej as well. It's an AU where Kaidan, in a relationship with Ashley, leaves her and finds himself in Grissom Academy, where he becomes a teacher and Jack's closest friend. Months later, Spectre Williams shows up on a mission. Feelings, angst, drama, biotic lessons! Yay!

8. Kallo/Gil fic It will deal with Kallo’s memories and is written from his point of view. I’m writing it for @bioticfox :)

[felassan]

Mass Effect: Andromeda Patch 1.06 Notes

In this upcoming patch, we continued to improve our cinematic scenes, particularly in the opening hours of the game. In addition to enhanced performance and stability, we addressed a number of player-reported issues, including a bug that caused SAM to repeatedly tell Ryder they had received new email.

Because we don’t want players to miss any of the great side conversations with their crew, dialogue options will no longer appear “greyed out” if a character has more to say.

Those of you who have the Deluxe or Super Deluxe edition will also receive two custom Nomad skins, a new casual Pathfinder outfit, and an exclusive multiplayer pack with a high chance of receiving an ultra-rare item.

We also made changes to combat and multiplayer balance, which you can read about here.

A full list of fixes is below. For patch notes in other languages, click here.

Mass Effect: Andromeda Patch 1.06 Notes

- Fixed issue that caused singleplayer difficulty to impact multiplayer

- Improved performance and stability

- Various improvements to cinematic scenes

- Fixed issue where SAM would mistakenly tell Ryder they have new email

- Conversation options will no longer appear “greyed out” if new content is available

- Improved legibility of subtitles

- Maximum Nexus Level increased to 29

- Single player balance improvements at higher difficulties.

- Fixed issues with player animations getting stuck when jumping or changing direction repeatedly

- Increased the number of autosaves allowed

- Special items will not carry over into New Game+

- Fixed issue where subtitles would not appear while waiting at the dialogue wheel if subtitles were disabled

- Fixed issue that could cause AVP to reset to zero for all planets except Kadara

- Vendors now sell fire augmentations. EDIT: Updated information from BioWare: “Correction: The fire type augmentations are NOT being added to vendors in today's patch. They're in a later patch. Sorry for confusion.” [x]

- Weapon and armor vendors now carry inventory once player reaches Level 61

- Chest armors now have level restrictions

- Bonus items—such as Pathfinder Armor—can now be deconstructed

- Fusion Mod of Resistance no longer continues to apply evade damage once unequipped

- Improved responsiveness of control sticks

- Fixed clipping issue on Sara Ryder’s casual jacket

- Added graphics options to toggle Motion Blur and Depth of Field

- Fixed issue where Remnant VI would stop attacking

- Turbocharge will not deplete spare ammo when used on a weapon with the Vintage Heat Sink augmentation

- Fixed interaction with datapad in the Search for the Remnant Drive Core mission.

- Fixed issue where squadmate could not be revived if killed by a fiend at Site 2

- Swapping a dead squadmate at a loadout will not cause them to die permanently

- Nexus tram now operates during Nexus Reunion mission even if player has not completed Prologue

- Fixed issue where player could romance both Cora and Peebee

- Fixed issue where player could romance both Vetra and Peebee

- Taking the left path in the Havarl dungeon will not block progression on Remnant Scanner mission

- Fixed issue on H-047C where enemies could get stuck inside a rock, making them unkillable

- Fixed issue where player couldn’t hide Ryder’s helmet after completing Ark Natanus mission

- Fixed broken Nomad Shield Crafting mission

- Fixed health issues with Architect’s leg that prevented completion of the fight

- Frequency mission on Voeld is no longer blocked if player leaves the area after scanning the meteorite.

- Missing Science Crew mission no longer blocked if Ryder kills the Architect before finishing objectives

- Leaving the Nomad while falling out of bounds no longer results in infinite loading screen

- Fixed issue where Nomad jump control was not remapping

- Fixed issue where Cora slowly fell back to the ground after charging an airborne enemy

- Improved performance on Eos when approaching or fast travelling to Prodromos

- Loading auto-save will not block progress after kett encounter near Site 1 power relay station

- Eliminated player fall through on Tempest after loading autosaves in space

- Reduced the cost of Strike Team equipment and improved its effectiveness

- A default Ryder name can now carry over to New Game+

- PC – Fixed issue where dialogue choices would auto-select when using mouse and keyboard

- PC – Improvements to display when running at different resolutions

- PS4 – Fixed a crash that occurred when sitting in main menu for more than two minutes

- PS4 – Fixed crash that occurred when moving from multiplayer back to the main menu

Multiplayer

- Fixed issue where player would crouch repeatedly while interacting with device

- Player’s deceased character no longer falls through the floor after an Ascendant attack in the extraction zone on Firebase Icebreaker

- Improvements to reduce lag for players and hosts

[source]

Bold emphasis mine

[fanfoolishness]

Mass Effect: Andromeda - my review

Well it only took me about 75 hours, but I got there. Full spoilers.

Overall, I enjoyed it.  However, it never quite suckerpunched me the way the previous trilogy did.  It was fun and interesting, but overall, something didn’t quite click.  I think if I had to boil it down to a single letter, I’d go with B.  But it’s easier for me to review individual components than it is to review the game as a whole, so here we go:

Characters

One of the most important parts of any ME games, there were times I loved individual characters, and yet times I was bored or unimpressed with them.  With all the talk about tons of dialogue I thought there’d be, you know, tons of dialogue; but when you’ve only completed 75% of the game I’d expect there to still be new dialogue with your squaddies on ship, but I haven’t had any new conversations with anyone for about 20 hours.  Banter in the Nomad still works, thankfully, but that’s about it.  

I liked almost all of my squaddies, but to varying degrees.  Even Cora I liked when she wasn’t going on about being a wannabe asari; when she focused her conversations on the future or gardening or gaining insight on herself then I quite liked her.  Drack was tough; I liked his general vibe, but he was also extremely Wrexlike, which was disappointing.  I’d rather he have been fully his own character.  I really liked getting to know some of the krogan on Elaaden who were gardeners, though.

Liam’s passion was really refreshing, not to mention his easygoing humor.  Vetra was sweet and alternately a total badass and a big cream puff (remind you of any other turians you know)?  I loved how unconventional Peebee was, a much more tomboyish asari than we’re used to seeing.  Jaal was hard for me to get used to at first, given he was so prickly initially, but he was one of my favorites by the end.

Kallo was my favorite shipmate.  His gossip about the rest of the crew is great.  I enjoyed my philosophical debates with Suvi and the one time I flirted with her she was adorable.  Lexi was cool and professional and I would have liked to see more of her struggles as a doctor, being one myself.  Gil was the only person I just didn’t click with at all.  He struck me as arrogant and while he was clearly a victim of bad/bizarre/LGBT-clueless writing, if he’d been a real person settling down with a straight woman I’d have had a lot more to say than “oh, do you think you’re ready for that?”

Writing

Sadly, the reviews about poor writing weren’t out of left field.  Most of the time I didn’t notice any problems, but I also didn’t notice much in the way of standout jokes or heartbreaking moments.  The general plot… so why, again, does the Archon carry such a hateon for everyone else?  There were a lot of threads I wanted to see followed up but never went anywhere:

The kett ascendency center: we saw kett being trained and taught, datapads giving hints to their actual culture, and then never saw any of that again except for one cutscene where the Archon’s… advisor? tells him the council or whatever thinks he’s making a mistake.  No further information on kett culture.  Were they another created race made by the Jardaan?  Did they rebel?  Did they work with someone who created the Scourge back in the day?  Nobody knows!

SAM: I was really hoping that SAM would be able to fight back against the Archon somewhat and make it clear he wasn’t just a Remnant-hacking program, but his own person or self.  They completely missed that opportunity.  They still could have had the Archon take control but it would have been really powerful to see SAM verbally defying him.

Angaran creation and exaltation: they seem to be taking this really, really well.  No riots?  No mass depression?  Just a couple forums on Aya. Plus with that business about reincarnation being partially possible for them, none of their scientists seemed to connect that to being made... could have been an interesting angle.

Drack’s quest: for some reason there were so many damn pieces to his quest in particular that I utterly forgot what I was doing not once but several times, as there were so many planets it was spread out over and it took me a long time to even reach Elaaden.  Not so much a thread that didn’t get followed up on, but one I couldn’t keep the thread on.

Standout Quests

That said, there were some moments that were genuinely great.

The first steps on any new world

Running from the first purification field

Going onto the shadowed Nexus for the first time and seeing TALL turians and salarians!  and learning things had gone so wrong

Every ark mission – spooky, sad (ahhh turians no), scary!  They were each immensely satisfying.

The loyalty missions!  Liam’s was damn hilarious, Vetra’s showed her vulnerable side, Peebee’s let us jump around in lava and put down her abusive ex-girlfriend (come on, Peebee, THAT’S why I shot her – she had no qualms stalking and trying to kill you!!! she was an abuser through and through  and couldn’t let you go!), Drack’s was great mostly for meeting young Vorn and his smelly sweet potato, Cora’s had the urgency of saving the asari ark, and Jaal’s really got me going when I thought his sister had killed his brother.

The post-loyalty mission wrap-ups: Jaal’s was the best and most tender, but I also loved the bar fight with Drack and planting flowers with Cora.

All main story quests were generally exhilarating or surprising.  When the Archon hit my Ryder with the headache to end all headaches and went after my twin I was yelling at the screen – always a good sign of how engaged I am.

The anti-AI hackers – definitely felt like a classic ME quest and I wanted to help Alain so badly.  Fuck off, Overlord.

Saving the yevara from poachers!  Those things are beautiful.  I think.

Catching a new space hamster

MOVIE NIGHT, it ended up being totally worth all the obnoxious fetch quests that preceded it

The Nexus bad guy being named WILLIAM SPENDER (seriously they had to have been X-Files fans)

THE QUARIANS ARE COMING SOON PLZ 

Gameplay

Loved: JUMPJET, Nomad, the versatility of different profiles and specializations, Sidewinder pistol, Falcon grenade launcher, and of course my beloved Black Widow; exploring different planets; BANTER IN THE NOMAD

Hated: too… many… fetch quests………. drowning….

Romance

Definitely disappointing.  I feel like I got 5-7 flirts with Vetra, then after her loyalty quest she asked “is this real?” and I’m like “…is WHAT real, it’s not like we’ve started dating or anything!” but we kissed and I was like “Oh yay, romance is triggered!”  Well, I had a grand total of 1 squadmate say anything about it (Drack), a few extra lines of dialogue, and 2 additional cut scenes with 0 naked turians.  I didn’t even get a greeting that changed in the Tempest, she called me Sara on Aya (my Ryder’s name is Zelda), and there are no “let’s go make out” dialogue options.  I couldn’t even talk to Sid anymore after the loyalty quest so didn’t get any teasing or additional dialogue there.

If I do another playthrough I’ll try Jaal and see how it goes, but my FEELS levels are definitely lower than with other Bioware games.

Multiplayer

Yeah, this is actually fun.  I am having a blast playing as a krogan.  I just unlocked an angaran so I might level her up over the next couple weeks too.

Overall

Did I like this game?  Yes, yes I did.

Did I LOVE AND ADORE this game?  No, not quite.  Close – but not quite.

[mass-effect-a-companions-react]

Sass Master Ryder,Pathfinder of Burns

Romanced companions react to Ryder having no chill

~~~~~~~~~

Jaal- He and his darling one were at a Nexus party, although it is fairly obvious that neither of them wanted to be there.

Even so,Ryder kept up a smiling facede despite wanting to shoot a wall repeatedly. Jaal, however, could not physically contain his annoyance. Finally the two said "hello" and made there rounds enough to retreat off into a corner balconey drinking and complaining about other people to themselves.

Suddenly, an obnoxious laugh rang off from behind them, and Ryder groaned, recognizing it. It was their hometown terror, Celeste,the one person they despised more than anyone in the entire universe, or in this case universes. Not because She was specifically a bully to Ryder, but because she always made it a point to talk about herself and her achievements and how much better she is,was or will be compared to every body else.

When Ryder had heard Celeste had joined the Initiative, they had hoped and prayed they'd never have to be on the same planet as her, let alone city. But there she stood, in all her sneering glory.

"Well,Well Ryder." She smirked "Still getting drunk in the back of parties? I see your slobishness and tastelessnes have stayed in tact all the way out here."

Jaal felt himself getting angry, but before he could say anything, Ryder quipped out "Unlike your engagement."

Celeste spulttered out as Ryder continued.

"Word on the street says that he dropped you like a sack of bricks as soon as he got here. "First to be married in Andromeda" you always bragged. Well congratulations, you the first person I know to be dumped in Andrmeda."

Celeste turned red and stormed away, while Jaal just chuckled at Ryder's firey comeback.

"Well,played,my darling one." He cooed as he wrapped an arm around them. ".....although, I have yet to see these word's you speak of." He added quietly looking at the ground.

"Jaal..." Ryder began with a tired sigh, and he immediately caught on.

"Idiom?"

"Idiom."

Liam- Sara and Liam were attending a sort of fundraiser event to raise awarness and money for the cause of the Initiative restores and repairment. Every thing was going quite smooth, Ryder was smiling and talking out every cent that she could to do her job as pathfinder and better not only the lives of humans, but all the species in Andromeda.

Everything was going smoothly, and Ryder was doing her very best to make a good impression and hold her tounge. Untill she got to an old fashioned half human Asari Heiress, with enough cover up scandals on her to make a best selling series of novels.

Liam and Sara had walked up to the Heiress and her date, which also had the company of 3 other men. She stood their quietly, as the men talked.

When Sara and Liam walked right up to them,she paid no mind...until Sara started to speak.

"Hello," She said sticking out her hand "I'm Ryder, human Pathfinder." Before the men could say, the Heriess pushed down her hand with a gasp.

"Don't you know, your never supposed to open your mouth in the presence unless asked?"

And out of reflex, without missing a beat the sass came pouring out of Sara as she repied with "Oh! Like you do with your legs?"

The Heiress chocked on air to which Sara mutterd underneith her breath about an uneeded demonstration. The Heiress obviously heard and had to go exuse her self.

Liam was awfully quite during this, but thats because he was laughing so hard he couldn't breath.

He weezed out an ariy "Damn,Sara. You cant say that to an aristocrat." Before leaning over and clutching his stomach, audible laughs coming in short breaths.

Sara had to remind him to breath.

Gil- Gil is also a sass master, but nothing could prepare him for this level of savagery. This one is placed into the future after Jill had the baby, a boy by the name of Alec Ryder II, (This is my Headcanon, let me have it). They were having a family Outing, which actually just consisted of Gil visiting mechanics shops for new part, and Scott trailing behind him like a sad,lost puppy with Alec strapped to his chest because Gil has all the credits and he wants to get Icecream.

"Come on Gil!" Scoott whined "Ive waited over 600 years to have Icecream again. The shops right there."

"Just a little longer, Scott." Gil chuckled out. "Let me find this last part, then we'll go for icecream. Scouts honor, love." He pecked Scott on the lips before continuing to shop.

"You were never a Scout,Gil." Scott chuckled.

Suddenly a bystander made a noise of distaste at the husbands affections. "What a disgusting desplay." He sneered "Such a horrific sight should not be seen by a child."

"Your absolute right," Ryder gasped with mock offensiveness "Sir you. should leave, lest you make my son cry with that mug of yours."

The man let out an actual offensed gasp before storming out.

"I changed my mind!" Gil laughed out "Ice cream now. You earned it, big boy." He grabbed Ryder by the hand and lead him to the parlor, which happened to be in the same direction the man stompped off in.

"Hey!"Gil called out after him? "Would you like me to buy you an Icecream for that burn?"

Suvi- This is also in the future, at a PTA meeting.The school was built and expanded upon on Aya, and it has mixed classes that teach all the basic subjects while still educating the children about the other species. Sara and Suvi had adopted Agrarian twins, Ellen and Alec, which were hanging out with Uncle Scott. The children were gone and the claws came out. The girls just let it play out, not really getting involved.

...Until homophobia got thrown into the mix over the "Safety,Security, and purity of the children."

"It is not good for the children," a mother protested. "They are young and impressionable. What if my son see's this and grows up, only to run off with another man like a hoodlim."

People where angry now. Suvi was angry,the anagra were angry. Who was she to lable love? But before anyone else could say something, Sara responded in a calm tone.

"Grow up and run off with another,

Huh? That’s funny. Isn’t that what your ex-husband did,Linda?"

Cue a collective room off "Oooooooo's" as Linda left earily

"Tell Frank and Denis that as pathfinder, Id be glad to attend their wedding!"

Cora- She and Scott were at a Nexus Gala , and Scott was stalking the snack table and Cora spoke with guests and superiors, celebrating there success and making plans for future colonies. Scott couldnt really care less as the moment, and instead concentrated on stacking a tower full of what he hoped are brownies. Suddenly, Tesla, an officer Scott could not stand came up behind him and tsked

"Isn't that your forth plate of food?" She scoffed.

"Dont know," Ryder shrugged, sarcasm dripping from his tone "Isnt that your 3rd husband?" He jesters towards the man Cora was talking to, or atlesst trying to talk to as she choked on her champagne. Apparently they were in ear shot.

She slapped him on the arm for it, but still smiled.

PeeBee- Oh, she is so glad that POC recorded this.She and Ryder were grabbing a drink with POC in tow, when a rather high strung Asari obviously nearing the end of her Matron stage sat next to them and demanded a drink. They ignored her mostly, laughing and drinking among themselves, until she got tipsy and felt the need to comment on PeeBee "as an Asari."

"As an Asari," she sneered "One would think you'd now to dress yourself by now. You've had 100 years of practice yet you wear that? You look like a hobo, nothing matches."

And without missing a beat, Ryder replied. "You know what else doesnt match? The father's of your children.  Or that ugly ass hat your wearing."

"It is a traditional Matriarch head wrap!" She gasped.

"It's hideous." Ryder retorted as she walked away.

PeeBee choked on her whsikey, but still gave an infectious laugh.

"My hero."she playfully cooed "Next rounds on me."

Reyes- Firstly, this dude had to have a titanium balls to even walk up to these two. It was some washed up has-been politician hoping to  gain some shadey connections to get back in the game. He had asked around, and paid off people with the last of his dirty money to find this "Charlatan".

 The real one. 

 He had to get past decoy after fruad after decoy, but he finally  found Reyes. Needless to say he did well to hide his shock at the fact that the King of Kadara port was hidding out in the backrooms of Tartarus locking lips with the Human pathfinder.

The politician stood patiently as the guard announced the guest, causing Reyes to groan and reluctantly break the kiss. 

"Yes?" He hissed, obviously annoyed at the politician's presence,who seemed unphased by his hostility. He stated his case and offered a proposition, to which Reyes consider. "Intresting," Reyes spoke with a smirk "But,Ill have to consort with my companion here. Not only is Ryder the Queen/Second King of Kadara port,  but a Pathfinder as well. Your re-initiation will effect the Initiative, no doubt."

The politician seemed annoyed,but let the two have a brief moment. It was there Reyes learned exactly why he had been replaced. The politician made several baf calls thats resulted in major deaths and civilian risks, had been in countless scandals ,and ignored Judicial rullings for his own gain. He'd screw the Initiative  (and ultiamtly Ryder) sideways which will undoubtedly screw funding and supply to sevral plantes and outposts, including Kadra Port (and Ultimately Reyes)

Reyes refused after learning this and had him black listed .The politician grew hostile at rejection and had to be physically removed from the room by the guards, lest Reyes shoot him and get kicked out by Umi.

"YOU!" he spat out accusingly at Ryder "This is your fault! I almost had him! You need to mind your own business and stay out of grown men's conversations, little girl/boy."

"And you," Ryder replied with mockery just as the politician was being hualed out the door "Need to stay out of married women's beds. But neither of us will be doing what we "need" to any time soon, now will we?"

"Damn," Reyes laughed "Your hot when your sassy." Then he leaned over to picky up where they left off

The politician was still found dead  few days later though, and Reyes only halfway feind innocence.

Vetra(And Lexi, I guess)- Ah, no one has more sass than a sibling. Sassing  each other is hardwired into evry sibling relationship. Ryder was visiting thier twin, who was awake, but still on bed rest. They talking for a bit, but that soon turned into a sassing contest. And ecen even though is was all in could fun, the amount of shade being thrown could blot out the sun. Currently they were talking about their teenage years before getting old enough to join the military,only vaguely aware of Lexi giving Vetra a check up

"Atleast my knees weren't always ashy." The twin quipped.

"Well no duh," Ryder scoffed playfully in a sing-song voice "You applied extra lotion cause you were always on them." 

The twin gasped and put hand of mock hurt on thier chest, then began wacking their sibling with a pillow when they started naming people.

"Ryder!" Vetra chuckled out as lexi smiled shook her  head,making a mental note to keep track of both twins sexual histories.

"That's below the belt, Bro/Sis!" The twin exclaimed as they continued wacked the other with a pillow 

"Oh,like you were with Terry Maclamra behind the bleachers in junior year?" They ended up getting hit even harder.

Vetra had to stay back longer because she laughed so hard she could breath, and swears she saw a tear roll down Lexi's cheek as the leand on the table and bowed her head,hiding the silent laugh.

[professorspork]

today in the Andromeda Galaxy, GLITCHES TRIED TO KILL ME BUT I MADE IT WORK. or, well. Helen made it work, actually, and I was very grateful. (Elaaden, what do you have against my triangle button working? and wtf was that Nomad bug where suddenly I could see through time and the world contracted and my hair turned white????)

anyway.

this morning I joked to Helen that I was feeling very “I love all of my crew equally”/“I don’t care for Cora” so today I made a concerted effort to get to know her better--and tried a few Nomad combos where she wouldn’t sound like the fun police. (turns out, she and Vetra get along great! and also when I put her with Peebee she gets very self-conscious about how she’s totes not appropriating asari culture and it’s v embarrassing. on the OTHER hand, she makes fun of Peebee for peeping on Jaal and like, again, wtf, let me have my ot3.)

I started out finishing up that Morda drive core mission that glitched, and of course I gave the krogan the drive core in exchange for the outpost because I LOVE KROGAN and also RYDER LOVES OUTPOSTS. win/win tbh. but honestly the best part was getting to pick the dialogue option talking to Addison “fuck Tann” and Ryder actually getting to say fuck! it’s the little things.

after closing out Elaaden I decided to try and finish up a few errand-y missions like scanning plants, etc. in doing so, I got to play soccer with my very best friend Liam which was a heartwarming lot of fun, and fought TWO architects because just one was not enough. Peebee’s ex stole our beloved Proof Of Concept (I know the bot is called Poc, but honestly I think full-naming it is much cuter) and I was all “of course I’m gonna help you we’re in this together” which threw Peebee off her game because she’s still thrown every time someone cares about her. I AM, AGAIN, CANNOT EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH, GENUINELY SAD I’M GOING TO HAVE TO CHOOSE AMONG ROMANCE OPTIONS. this experience could not be more different from the main trilogy, where I romanced Liara out of a sense of obligation/curiosity faaaaaar more than any genuine interest or investment, and wasn’t tempted* to deviate from that by anyone else along the way. there are a thousand mechanical reasons why I think romance works much, much better in Andromeda than it ever did in the main series--among them the very pointed focus on found family throughout, the more nuanced ability to craft a unique Ryder by doing away with paragon/renegade and instead having the more robust conversation trees, and the overworld chatting on the Nomad giving EVERYONE the amount of personality off the bat that my OG crew had to like bite and claw for for two and a half games-- but like. I’m not gonna lie a big part of it is just that I just think more of these people are more interesting as potential partners. I THINK I AM AN ANDROMEDA GIRL. 

* well that’s a lie I would have romanced Tali in a heartbeat if I weren’t playing fem!Shep and that was illegal. and I’ll probably romance Sam Traynor after that. so. it’s not a total bust.

but I digress. 

saved that scientist’s baby on Voeld, and afterwards had my first ACTUAL, HUMAN conversation with Addison about--shockingly--the nature of friendship. I was genuinely surprised and pleased! look at us go! I also did some spying for that STG agent, and got the world’s most badly delivered “gee, are you really going to believe that old coot?” speech out of my main suspect, which was hilariously insulting.

and then, partly due to Helen’s advice and partly because, again, today was Learn To Appreciate Cora Day, I finished out her loyalty mission! I was shocked to find Sarissa alive after all the build-up-- I was certain that after that long a drum roll for how key she’d be in the Initiative’s growth that we’d find her mega-dead-- but as Helen pointed out to me, the trope is Don’t Meet Your Heroes, not Your Hero Is Probably Dead, Actually. her whole “be calm, soldier” routine @ Vedaria was kind of grating in the moment but is very cute after the fact, so fine. the whole muted sounds and gravity tricks of that final fight were super fun, even though I did accidentally jump into space once or twice. the big biotics lightshow was v impressive, but after I took a pretty hardline stance on Sarissa: come clean and shut up, and you’re fired. I did get a little offended when the asari captain was like “you could have killed us all, it was only dumb luck that Ryder found us” bc EXCUSE ME, SOME OF IT WAS DUMB SKILL, but still. it was good to get that all settled, and very good to hear Cora say what was immediately obvious to everyone but her, which is that her compulsion towards mentors and plans would have made her a poor Pathfinder but makes her a perfect XO. 

then I hit level 50 and spent a lot of time upgrading my gear, and like-- a kind god would have put the loadout console next to R&D and the buy/sell screen so I wouldn’t have to run up and down the Tempest corridor like an idiot. but whatever. Baby’s Fourth Beam Gun TM (an Avenger with a beam emitter) is working out splendidly, I’m slicing and dicing with my asari sword, and I’ve just put seeking plasma bolts on my Eagle which delights me. still shopping around for my ideal sniper before I commit but we’re getting there! 

then I went to start the new planet, but then realized Ark Natanus was right there, and ended up backtracking twice. First I ran back to the Nexus thinking there’d be another fun homecoming cut scene for the asari like there’d been for the salarians that I didn’t want to muddy with adding turians, too, only that didn’t happen. boo! I did remember to check on my mom, tho, so that was nice and emotional. then I went back to Netanus to start that up, only to realize I was wearing a very ugly and entirely face-obscuring helmet-- and once it was clear the entirety of the mission was going to be me emoting at Rix, I restarted the mission with a different armor loudout. yes, I am that vain, but only because opportunities for mlm/wlw solidarity are rare in this game (Gil’s been quiet lately, lol) and Rix deserved my best. though after doing all this, I am wondering: why do all the SAMs have different voices? surely making even one AI as smart and unique as SAM is difficult; then making each Ark’s SAM unique feels like an unnecessary burden? but whatever.

H-whateverthefuck is by far my favorite planet to Nomad around on. I’ve been complaining about the lack of low gravity mechanics since the Mako in ME1 (WE WENT TO THE MOON, THE LITERAL MOON, OUR MOON, AND NOT EVEN THAT HAD LOW GRAVITY?) and so this felt like pure vindication. (also, in general but very aggressively NOT for this planet because of the radiation, shout out to the Nomad for letting me get out no matter how poorly or vertically it’s parked, because lord knows I glitched the Mako many times trying to pause and get out in ‘impossible’ places the Nomad handles with ease.) anyway. the concept of a broken-up planet is terrifying, and the reality of it was eerie as all get-out. what neat execution!

and speaking of a neat execution, I’m so relieved going with the interrupt and firing at Meriwether while she held Sid worked, because I was again legit scared I might get Sid killed. as you’ll recall re: my Jaal loyalty mission, that’s the second time I was genuinely quite nervous there would be real consequences to screwing this up! I give the game a lot of credit for building a world where it feels like I really could screw up that badly. I’m very proud/fond of Sid, and the whole security camera mechanic was delightful-- a more fun version of the kind of stuff KOTOR always made me do. back on the Tempest, I decided to flirt with Vetra while the flirting’s still good, but tbh her flirt option (“I care about Sid bc I care about you”) wasn’t even all that romantically valanced, if you ask me! but also I love that Sid’s idea of justice is fast-tracking having cats in Heleus. 

phew! with so many big things now out of the way, I’m not sure how much dithering I can/should do before continuing with the main mission. but that’s a decision for future me.

[isuspectyouhavefantheories]

AU where humans have reproduction system similar to asari (females can mate with other species and get pregnant and males can impregnate female of other species) but you still need to do the banging part to reproduce. A romanced Jaal's reaction to learning that and his and the crew's reaction to learning Ryder is pregnant ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) (detailed I know, I actually wanted this as a fanfic but couldn't find anyone to write it)

You got it *finger guns*Not exactly what you asked but I thought this worked ok. Hope you like it! Excuse the spelling mistakes! Will edit after, I just wanted to get this out while I had the chance. Thank you guys for all the asks!

The test was staring back at her, and an extremely surprised Lexi was gapping at her. “Pregnant. You’re… How?” Lexi struggled. “Come on doc, I’m pretty sure you know the answer to that one.” Ryder sighed. “Joking. At a time like this? Ryder..” “It’s ok. The shock is starting to wear off. Well, at least that question on if Angara and Humans are biologically compatible is answered.” She chuckled.“We still have to be careful. Yes you are pregnant. 2 weeks pregnant from the looks of the scan. But whether your body will be able to carry the child to full term is another thing. Just… Be prepared.” Lexi explained. “Read you loud and clear doc. I should… Probably let Jaal know. Right?”Lexi thought on it for a moment then nodded. “Go on.”

Jaal was in the tech lab as always. Tinkering away at some left over remnant tech Peebee had lent him. He noticed her come in. Standing up for his place at the desk he enveloped her in his arms, like always. “My darling one!”“Jaal, you literally saw me 3 hours ago.”“Every moment without you feels like a small eternity.” Jaal smiled, kissing her softly then pulling away. He noticed she was looking down at her feet, wringing her hands. Something was wrong. “Love?”“So… What’s your thoughts on family. Having one I mean.” She blurted. “I have one. My siblings and cousins, mothers, you.” He smiled. “But, what do you think about having more in it. Like… If it grew a little.”“You are being very… Ambiguous. But if you mean children, then yes. It’s something I see in the future. A bigger family. With you of course. Adoptions may be our only option though, seeing as we are a different species.” He said, holding her hands in his larger ones. “Biology may not be a problem.” She mumbled.“Come again?”Sara took a deep breath, ‘Now or never.’ She thought. “I’m pregnant. Lexi confirmed it this morning. It’s a mostly human fetus with traces of Angara DNA.” She said, still looking at her feet. “You… What?”“I’m going to have a baby. Our baby.” She reiterated. Jaal was shell shocked for a moment. Questions firing off in his mind but then he looked at her. At her tiny hands. Her chest, rising and falling with air, going noticeably quicker, possibly due to fear. Then his eyes trailed down to her stomach. A baby, their baby, was growing in there. Their baby. Before Sara could say or do anything Jaal had her up in his arms, spinning her around. “A baby! Our baby!” He yelled, grinning wide and proud. He set her down, showering her face with kisses, hugging her tightly. “Jaal, you’re happy?”“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”“We’ve only been together a short while. I love you more than anything don’t get me wrong, but this is a… Huge leap.” “Are you unsure?”“I want the baby, of course, but I’m worried. My family wasn’t very big on… Togetherness. We loved each other in our own way but they were always very distant. What if I’m the same? Angara are an emotional race. Your children are raised together as a group. What if I’m not able to be like that? I want to love this child with everything I am, but what if bad parenting is genetic?” She sighed. Jaal’s eyes softened. He kissed her forehead and smiled. “You are more kind and loving that anyone I know and any child you bore would be honoured to have you as their mother.” He smiled, hand caressing her cheek. Sara grinned back but then she remember what Lexi had said. “There’s also that matter of if I can even carry the baby to full term.”“But… You’re pregnant.”“Yes, but there are still many things that could go wrong. We’re still a different species. Whether my body will be able to carry the baby is still up in the air. Lexi is still running tests. I just didn’t want to hide this from you. I’m sorry if I’ve upset you now.”“Darling. You could never upset me. What ever happens… Happens. But I’m confident. I think we will be meeting this tiny Ama Darav Ryder child soon.” Jaal smirked.

About 2 months in and everything was looking good. Jaal and Ryder decided that it was safe to tell the rest of the crew and his family about the pregnancy. They broke the news over breakfast to the crew. Confused at first, naturally, but supportive. Drack nearly knocked Jaal fluing with the pat on the back he got. “Stuff strong enough to impregnate cross species. Good for you kid.” He jabbed.“Ew Drack!” Peebee gagged. “I’m gonna be an uncle!” Liam exclaimed punching Jaal’s arm. “Names yet? Girl or boy? Need me to acquire some baby stuff? Crib, toys, anything? I know a guy?” Vetra offered, patting her arm. Cora and the rest of the crew congratulated them. The news left everyone buzzed and happy for the rest of the day, baby names, gender bets being the topic for the rest of the day.

They were paying a visit to Harval to give Jaal’s mother the great news. “Jaal, Sara!” Sahuna called as they neared. Hugging them both she ushered them inside. The rest for the Ama Darav family bustling inside. Sahuna found the kitchen empty and made them tea. “To what do I owe the visit? All is well I hope?” She asked as she poured the tea. “Better than ok. Mother… We have some amazing news.” Jaal smiled, holding Sara’s hand, staring lovingly into her eyes.“What is it?”“Sara is. With child. With our child. Our species are biologically compatible. She can carry the baby to full term.” Jaal explained. The reaction was immediate. Sauna jumped for joy, circling them both into a tight hug. “I am so happy! We must being preparations at once! A blessing ceremony. And bonding ceremony. I must get one of the monks to put the derive together…” “Mother…”“Hush, let me fuss over you! This is a joyous day! Sara my dear do you need anything. Hungry? Thirsty? Any pain? I have Angaran herbal remedies that will help any discomfort, and come to me with questions.”“Thank you Sahuna-.”“Please you are our family now. I am as much your mother now as any of them.”Sara smiled and thanked her. “There will be some hard liners that will not approve of this. It may be dangerous with the Roekar on Harval.” Sahuna sighed. “We know that. There’s always Meridian though.” Sara answered, squeezing her hand reassuringly. “I just wish they could be here together.”“Where ever we go, we know your blessing and love will follow. That will be enough. Thank you, for accepting this so graciously. I’ll be forever grateful.” Sara said, glad for her support. “You will always have my blessing. Wherever you both go.” Sahuna assured.

Jaal and Sara lay on his bed in his tiny room together. The glowing Havarl fauna was the only thing lighting the room. Jaal’s arm was wrapped around Sara, his other hand was resting on the small but growing bump on her stomach. “I love you.” He sighed into her hair.Grinning, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. “Pretty fond of you too.” She giggled. “Our child is going to end up the most sarcastic being alive thanks to you.”“You bet your ass sonny.”“Bet my what?”“Idiom.”Jaal could only groan and bury his head into her neck while Ryder laughed at his expense. “I love you too.”