#to my one true love in me2 & 3

[miceenscene]

Ah shit here we go again

[commander-krios]

Kay's 2023 Fic Rec List

I haven't read as many fics as I wanted to this year and Baldur's Gate 3 hit me pretty late so majority of these are probably from the last few months. I have a bunch of my mutuals fics saved to read later so I'll get to them eventually. These are the standouts from this year that I've read.

The Portrait by @mightymizora

Lord Gortash requests a portrait of his paramour. The pay is good, the contract legitimate. It seems almost too good to be true... In pre-canon, a young artist takes a job from an upcoming player in Baldur's Gate society.

Sharp Teeth by @lemonsrosesandlavender

When you see Rolan again at the tiefling party, your mission to save the Realms becomes more about saving Rolan in particular. Even when he doesn't want you to.

Good Night for Company by @underdark-dreams

"Would you mind if I kissed you?" Sometimes you need to feel lonely before you notice the person sitting right beside you. Set during the party at the Grove.

crushed/breathless by cetacean

He tries, really tries, to shove all thoughts of Sundries– or, if he’s being honest with himself, Rolan– to the back of his head, which is proving itself to be really goddamn hard now that the man is master of Ramazith’s Tower.

Mezzo by @swaps55

Here in the light those eyes of his look real, staring Jacob down like a railgun locked on a target. Jacob’s never been much for religion or spent much time thinking about an afterlife. But being caught in the crosshairs of that cold, indifferent gaze sure raises the question about whether humans have a soul, and if they do, what happens to it when you die. And if you can ever get it back. The twists and turns of ME2, through the eyes of everyone but Commander Shepard.

Morning Stars by @eluvisen

The hope of the Republic and the doom of the Republic. When Bastila saves Darth Revan, she only hopes to uncover the secrets of the Sith war machine. But there is something more lurking between them, and she is torn between fear and hope for this woman she is to guide back to the light. This revenant she has set on the galaxy, for good or ill. (They both know something of pride, after all.)

Smuggler's Ruin by @starknstarwars

In part two of the Smuggler’s Run series, the heroic Sixth Line, comprised of two noble Jedi Masters, a Sith Lord with a conscience, and a Smuggler with a heart of gold, continue on their search to hunt for the Emperor’s Datacrons. Their quest leads them on a deadly race across the galaxy to stop nefarious Sith Lord, Darth Sheasea, from stealing the Datacrons to unlock the mysterious World Between Worlds, in her bid to usurp the immortal Emperor’s throne.

Phoenix by @mallaidhsomo

Shepard went down with his ship, only to wake two years later and find out the love of his life had gone down, too. Or so he thinks. ~ Like a knife he’d forgotten is there, Shepard’s heart clenches painfully. He swallows the lump in his throat. This is not the place to break down. “Don’t think you can’t talk about him around me,” Shepard says, which is the exact opposite of how he feels at the moment. “I wasn’t the only one he meant something to.” “I know,” Joker replies, shrugging. “But you two were like...” He waves a hand awkwardly to empathize his point. Practically married. Ashley had said.

Gods-Damned Hero by QueenRadish

Rolan could have traveled to the bowels of Neverwinter - he could have raced the lengths of Avernus, or burrowed into every crevice through the Underdark, and he would never find anyone who knew how to mind their gods-damned business. ---- Scenes and chapters of all the various times Rolan and Vell met on the journey to Baldur's Gate, detailing the exact amount of sanity lost each time he had to convince Faerun's nosiest hero to not get herself killed.

[sol-consort]

What's your favorite load out when it comes to weapons/companions? Who's on the permanent roster? I remember you're fond of snipers. This is for the og trilogy or Andromeda

Thank you for this, you're really kind.

Yes! I love snipers, sometimes more than a normal amount. Idk I just like the appeal of taking out a whole enemy with a clean crisp shot to the head. The recoil afterwards and the heavy sniper gunshot sound are so satisfying.

I prefer the ones with one bullet like the M-98 Widow (sorry Black Widow sniper rifle I'm loyal to the og goat) And all the dmg% increase attachment + dmg boost cloak bc yes

I'm confident in my aim but my reflexes are the problem, they have a delay, rhyme games help me account for the delay by finetuning when the clicks register but it's hard to implement in fps games. That's why I absolutely loved the time slowing effect of the cloaking mechanism in Mass Effect, even one second of leeway made a big difference for me in actually landing the shots.

Powerful glass canon is my go-to build in most games, I want to be deadly, but also, you gotta protect me >:^/ So I take big tanky companions or support ones to help me not die since I'll be doing the big pp dmg. I may or may not refer to them as my personal cheerleaders from time to time <3

The requirements to make it into the cheerleaders team are simple, you gotta at least have one (1) of the following or more:

Supportive Biotics (Optional)

Tanky build (Optional)

Good looks (Optional)

I need to have a crush on you (Mandatory dealbreaker)

So Kaidan was a stable, his biotics came into clutch a lot. So much so I actually missed them more than I missed him during the breakup in ME2, I wanted to march into court and demand a shared custody of his biotics because I need my batman utility yellow belt! How am I supposed to carry without my pocket biotics support, huh?

Everyone else's biotics were too offence centred :( No one was like him. I'll forever mourn my mercy main boytoy.

Wrex and Ashley also were golden choices for me meta wise, having a shotgun-weilding bulletsponge dive head first into the enemy lines and giving me space to snipe them from the safety of my cover was a wet dream come true. It's why I always loved taking Grunt with me in ME2.

But those were meta teams for hard fights, while my "fun" teams were the characters I had crushed on! Hooray. It's why Thane was allowed a spot in my personal cheerleaders line despite me parking Garrus in the Normandy for life since no two snipers can be on the same team without starting a biggest dick competition and he is a sore loser! I'm clearly better + my gun is longer and bigger.

Like buzz off man! Stop copying my flow. Snipers were MY thing before you came, and now you're here and your attachment scope isn't even that impressive.

Well that was ME trilogy, Andromeda playstyle is very different and comes with a lot of questionable decisions like who thought this was a good idea? I played a good portion of it vanilla before saying it fuck it, this is starting to feel like a chore and went and installed mods to buff weapons, increase mobility and make enemies actually interesting.

One thing I love about Andromeda enemies is that when you shoot them through a scope, they can duck out of the way of the bullet. Literally jumping to the side. Same thing if your shot was misaligned and slightly missed them. They dodge and go find a cover like a realistic soldier would when aware a sniper is after them.

It's annoying at times, but heyho. Silver lining and all.

The companions meta wise are trash in Andromeda. They are super weak, their abilities are useless, and I never depended on them ever to back me up in any fight. I go into it, knowing I'll start it alone and finish it alone. The most useful thing they've ever done is being a shield meat while I reload.

So I pick them like keychains, whichever suits my mood the best. Whose voice do I wanna hear screaming in the background on the battlefield?

Drack, the krogan, however, is actually half-decent on the battlefield. I guess it comes from virtue of being a krogan and all. A team with two krogans is literally the dream team. Their sheer usefulness on the battlefield paints you a better picture of why the genophage ordeal happened, because a single krogan is really worth an army. It's genuinely the best piece of environmental storytelling in ME.

There are a lot of new and unique snipers in Andromeda... but I didn't like any of them. Yes, listen, I know hating laser weapons and playing futuristic sci-fi games is an oxymoron, but I can't help it! lasers suck. Where is the pizzazz? Where is the recoil? The piercing sound of the bullet breaking the sound barrier? All I get is a "pssshhht" continuous sound akin to the ambient piss stream of a guy in a public restroom. I don't wanna grill chicken. I wanna go big pew.

[springagainafter]

dgcatanisiri replied to this post

Yeeeeeah, there's a reason that I was uncomfortable with the Shepard/Liara dynamic BEFORE my issues were exacerbated by way of the body recovery thing. Like... Liara just isn't given much exploration as a character (and, by extension, isn't given much to hang commonalities between them on) in ME1, and the dynamic SCREAMS that it's an adrenaline-fueled fling, not eternal love, but the writing tries SO. HARD. to convince us it's the latter...

Yeah, it is definitely not everyone's cup of tea! I similarly am not a fan of the dynamic of several of the other romances (and some of them I like seeing playing out with other people's Shepards but not mine XD).

The body recovery issue sure is a Thing and I feel like it works better in a romance and especially if Shepard's not a Spacer (because Hannah). I can absolutely see why people don't like it. I am glad there is at least the one option for Shepard to get mad about it (and take that and run with it in Merrick's case) and it would have been nice if there were more.

Part of the ME1 trouble is that she only gets fewer conversations than Ash or Kaidan do and so the flirting kicks in on conversation #1. The writing on her last conversation also is mostly about how great asari bonding is, which....sure is a choice.

It does improve in 2 and 3 (a lot!) and I adore the romance version of LotSB and I'm really into the sweeping trilogy-long romances. There are some interesting things going on with it that make it pretty different from Ash or Kaidan's romance (differing lifespans + Shepard being unable to throw a rock in ME2 without hitting a random asari coping with the lifespan difference between her current/deceased husband, Liara being a civilian + Shepard being career military) which are fun to play around with even if the writing doesn't explore them very much.

I'm certainly having fun with Liara's romance; part of my fun with the ME1 romance consists of a lot of poking at it to make my odd little version of it (true love!) work in my head.

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 1 replay, part one of Noveria:

-Am I imagining it, or is human diversity greater in Mass Effect 1 than in later games? I feel we encounter more humans from obviously different cultural backgrounds. I’ll have to keep an eye in later games to see if that’s true or not.

Bit ironic if it's true, considering the emphasis 2 and 3 place on human diversity.

-When greeting Matsuo, Alliance is the neutral option and spectre is paragon. The reasoning is obvious this time; spectres have the right to carry weapons but the Alliance does not.

-As others have pointed out; why is Matsuo the only one to use honorifics? Presumably others do as well if they're languages use them, but only Matsuo’s honorifics are displayed.

-When Liara goes on the offensive in cutscenes, she doesn’t draw a weapon. She prepares to use biotics. Nice touch

-Tali in the conversation with Matuso: Home is a state mind.

Home is quite a loaded concept for Quarians, isn’t it?

-Liara, outside by the Normandy: I do not like this place. Too many dark secrets.

Rather ironic, for one who will later become an information broker, than the Shadow Broker

-I did not realized that there’s a conversation with Liara at the security check on the Noveria. This is actually a very well done conversation. You even have the option to send her back to the Normandy, since you don’t trust her to stand with you when you confront her mother.

-Liara, quoting to an asari idom: Only a child never contradicts her mother

Like it, and it’s true. Defying your parents is part of becoming an adult.

-Tali, bottom floor of the port: My people have dealt with the corporations on Noveria in the past. They pay well and don’t ask any questions.

Not something I had considered before, but quite logical. And Noveria corporations research AI; the Quarians are experts at AI. Of course Noveria would value them.

-There’s an ERCS guard that wants a doughnut. I actually like this guy – for what’s essentially a cop, at least he’s not corrupt. Unlike the other guard you can speak to.

-Liara, bottom floor of the port: Do not be fooled by these civilized surroundings. This is a place of secrets and lies.

If the game had done something with this, Liara's transition to an information broker would have had a much greater impact.

Maybe use it to show how far she lost herself between ME1 and ME2 - Shepard could have brought up her behavior in Noveria versus her Illium, be worried that something must have gone very wrong.

And Liara come back with the obvious - Shepard died. (Even if the actual reason is losing Feron.)

Also would have been a nice opportunity to force Shepard to grapple with their death, instead of gloss over it as the game normally does.

-Lilihierax was obviously meant to have a larger role. Shame it didn’t make it in – I like him quite a lot too.

-Mallene Callis – She is hilariously blunt about using Shepard. Just jumps straight into what she wants Shepard to do, no intro.

This sidequest is quite interesting, because outside the codex it’s one of the few times you get insight into the kind of genetic modifications that can be performed.

Oddly enough, refusing the quest completely gets you more paragon points than warning Binary Helix about her.

She offers you a reward of 500 credits. Lady, I’m at max money.

-Rafael Vargas introduction – This is different! Paragon intro is Alliance, renegade is spectre. Is this because Shepard is behaving corruptly by helping Mallene spy on him?

-Lori Qui’in takes one look at you and goes “opportunity!”. He may be on the outs but he’s having quite a good time. Love this dude.

-Lorik mentions Benezia wore a pin striped suit, but all we ever see her in is that ridiculous black outfit. I bet she looks better in the suit.

-The power dynamic Lorik describes is interesting. Benezia is a matriarch – they’re supposed to be some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy.

But Benezia’s power on Noveria comes from Saren, because he’s a major investor in Binary Helix.

She also introduces herself as Saren’s assistant, which is probably not a typical position for any matriarch.

Did this not set off any red flags?

-Anoleis repeatedly refers to Saren as an Agent. Is the fact that his status was revoked not known?

I repeat: Shepard’s meetings with the Council were public!

-Lorik doesn’t want blood on the carpet of Synthetic Insights, but there isn’t any carpet. Bioware, c’mon.

That one ECRS Guard even says later Lorik complains about the blood on the carpet. Is carpet really that hard to model?

-Stirling calling us cop killers is absurd. Lady, if you’re taking money on the side for a job you’re a mercenary.

-Liara disproves of Shepard giving Lorik’s evidence to Anoleis. Honestly, it’s good to know that even she has limits when it comes to Shepard’s behavior.

-Liara does approve of helping Gianna remove Anoleis. No surprises there.

-Lorik offers me a 500 credit award too. Did Bioware not realize how easy it was to come by credits in the game?

-Gianna doesn’t normally like spectres… How many does she deal with?

She’s dealt with Saren, hasn’t she. That would do it.

[monowires]

huge text dump about my shepard inbound!

the thing i love most about my shepard is that he’s renegon (renegade enough that he has the fully progressed scars/eyes). but he isn’t evil. at all.

he hasn’t always been this way; his progression thru the trilogy is paragon->paragade->renegon. this is because of his trauma, and the fact that (most) people don’t believe him about the reapers. in my canon, his trauma response wasn’t to become a stronger or better person; his trauma turned him bitter, angry, and rightfully so. this is partially self indulgent because i don’t see enough of this kind of trauma representation in media…

he’s earthborn+sole survivor. so in his canon, he wasn’t ever an inherently good person. he grew up on the streets doing what he had to do to survive; he joined a gang, inevitably tried drugs, established a record of petty crimes—but once he was around 17 (and his biotic abilities began to manifest), he cleaned himself up and focused on bettering himself for joining the alliance ranks. once he was 18, he enlisted.

he underwent training for precise control over his biotics. he went through the n7 program. he survived akuze.

at the start of me1, he’s 5 years in the shadow of akuze. he has only just begun to truly feel free of that shadow. he has only just started to feel like himself again. he values honor, integrity, honesty, and often prioritizes civilian safety over the mission. he offers help to those in need and doesn’t often tolerate violence unless absolutely necessary. while his method of avoiding violence with the enemy often includes intimidating them, he is still considered paragon.

being ignored about the reapers — and the pursuit of saren — whittles away at his resolve. losing ashley takes a massive toll on him. but it isn’t until 2 years later that he begins to really change.

dying does things to a guy, but so does having no choice but to ally with the same people who caused the deaths of your ENTIRE unit on akuze. so does being effectively abandoned by the alliance — aka the people he’d spent the last 11 years with — and being barred from citadel space.

so does being cut off from his friends—and of course he doesn’t blame kaidan for his reaction, he’d actually be rather concerned if kaidan willingly trusted him while he worked for cerberus—but the pain still existed, because he was alone, regardless of how much he understood why.

so we have this man who’s spent the last decade in the military, this man whose whole unit perished on akuze, and now he’s barred from said military while also being forced to work for the organization behind the deaths of his unit. this, understandably, makes him tense. and it only worsens as the storyline progresses.

he isn’t given time to process the fact that he DIED. he is, as usual, expected to operate without qualm or question. it only makes sense that he’d become less tolerant, less open to helping people for no reason—he’s a bit meaner, more guarded, closed off. angry, driven only by his mission, spiraling and grasping for something familiar.

his scars worsen, but it doesn’t get to the point that his eyes glow. by the end of me2 his scars have mostly healed. this is because he’s remained true to himself despite the struggles and the trauma—he destroyed the collector base instead of trusting the illusive man, for example.

after the start of me3 things get worse. people once again expect him to solve their problems, only this time the problem is galactic survival. the same entities that have haunted his dreams for 3 years are invading the galaxy, and he’s supposed to pull everyone together to beat them?

that combined with kaidan’s (still understandable) distrust and the ever worsening traumatic experiences he’s exposed to hardens him. he’s no longer an optimist. he just doesn’t have that in him anymore. he does what it takes. values survival above all else. and he’s developed a taste for violence—not that he hadn’t had one before, but after spending so many years surrounded by nothing but violence, it’s become a sort of outlet. at this point he’s got the stage before the final renegade appearance, the one with the 3 red dots in his eyes.

the defeat at thessia is what really sends him over the edge though.

because goddamn CERBERUS is still fucking with him. and all those deaths on thessia? he sees those as his fault. as well as all the deaths throughout the galaxy afterwards. because thessia was supposed to be the key to the finish line. except it wasn’t.

he just… he crumbles internally a bit. blames himself, hates himself, pushes himself to do better, to be better, to be stronger.

he’s not a hopeful person anymore. he sees the odds for what they are. and he’s so painfully aware of all of the lives resting on his shoulders.

it isn’t surprising that that changes him.

[innepttia]

@spookyvalentine has this wonderful “50 questions about Shepard” list. They posted about it in our discord and the chat BLEW UP. So here we are with the most information ever about:

Maeve Shepard

TW: mentions of alcohol abuse

(Art by Twitter: Maitimo and tumblr: @point-maitimo )

1. Why did Shepard enlist? Any regrets?

OH YEAH - so many regrets. She enlisted because her parents were in the Alliance, but if she could have sat on a beach or in a remote cottage in the middle of a forest and listen to nature she would have been happier. But seeing as she has a spacer history, she’s not actually entirely sure how true that is. She’s never been to any of those places if it wasn’t for a mission.

2. How does your Shepard feel about having a yeoman assigned to them in 2? And in 3?

No thoughts. She accepts it, as she accepts the entirety of the crew she doesn’t get to pick.

3. What’s their relationship with Anderson?

I think everyone is going to hate me when I say this but… he’s just her coworker/boss. They’re a little friendlier than a regular colleague, but until he gives her his old apartment, she didn’t think they were good friends outside of work.

4. Is your Shepard any good at poker?

She’s not actually good at poker, but she is good at reading people, which makes up 90% of the game.

5. How well does Shepard know their crew? Not just the companions, but the folks making up the Normandy

She thinks she knows them well (I’m writing my Mass Effect Lower Decks (MELD) fic with Maeve as the Shepard). I mean she’s absolutely convinced she knows every single person, but at the beginning of ME2, hell no. At the end of ME2 (and at the end of my MELD fic), yes.

6. Initial reaction to EDI? Does it change?

Oh, she absolutely loves EDI. She’s engineer class, so AIs are quite a passion project for her, and now her ship has one? Fucking dope.

7. Does their love interest move into their quarters?

No, but he sure as fuck spends most of his time there.

8. What is their reaction to the Alchera mission? And after?

Before she goes down, she thinks it’s pandering. She thinks that the Alliance is trying to pacify her for something and she’s not entirely sure what, but she’s suspicious.

Afterwards, she’s a crying mess with a handful of dog tags and her old helmet and wants to be left alone in her cabin.

9. What type of fighter is your shepard? Do they fight with honor, or do they fight dirty

She will fight so dirty, like she will throw pocket sand in your face if she could.

10. Does Shepard keep any pets? The hamster, fish, something else?

No pets and if I could resist the hamster and fish in game, Shepard wouldn’t have any pets at all. She’s very aware she’s off to go fight in a suicide mission/war, so she doesn’t necessarily want to have more responsibility than she already has.

11. What order does Shepard pick up companions in me2?

Oh my god what a question lmao.

Zaeed and Kasumi (easiest ones), Garrus, Mordin, Jack, Grunt, Thane, Samara, Tali, Legion

12. Does Shepard have any nicknames? What do they think of em?

The aliens that can’t pronounce her name (excuse me, an a and an e RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER?!) call her M. She thinks it’s cool because of James Bond.

13. How does your Shep react to teasing/ribbing?

Teases them right back. She’s got a sharp tongue, but she knows when to stop so she doesn’t hurt anyones feelings.

14. Any good at flirting?

Middle ground on this one, I think. She’s good at picking people up at a bar, but once the flirting has to continue more than a couple minutes, she loses steam.

15. What colors does Shepard prefer for their armor?

The typical N7 colors: red, white and black.

After the war (and mentioned in my indoctrination fic), she changes her colors to match Thane 🥺: emerald and black.

16. Is Shepard a drinker? History of other substances? Do they struggle with sobriety

Oh boy. Yeah she’s a drinker. It was mostly social in ME1 and before, but after she died in the beginning of ME2, she hit the bottle hard. I have a little of Maeve written into my nameless Shepard in my Lungs fic, so if that tells you anything… She ends up swapping her drinking for a much more fun substance to abuse (drell venom).

Then she gets put in the brig for six months, is forced to sober up, and in the beginning of ME3 she’s clean. Haven’t quite decided what happens after that though.

17. How does Shepard react to attention? Do they enjoy it?

Maeve is used to it. She doesn't really think about it anymore.

18. Who’s the dream team? Which companions does Shepard fight best with and why?

I’m a fuckin simpleton and the dream team is Thane and Garrus. Maeve likes to be up close and personal so if she had a couple of long range snipers at her back… 🤌🏼

19. Are there any companions your Shepard just absolutely cannot vibe with or relate to

In ME2, she’s not a big fan of talking to Miranda and Jacob (whoops that’s mostly my fault because I am always so hype for ALL THE SQUAD) but she pretty much vibes with everyone. Get a couple drinks in her and it doesn't matter who she’s talking to.

20. Does Shepard enjoy looking for resources and upgrading gear, or do they see it as a chore?

She enjoys it! It’s the only thing in ME2 that makes her sleepy. 😂

21. Do you have any AUs for your shepard?

YAAAAHHHHHHHHH. Working on one now - an indoctrination fic. Although, is that really an AU? But I just got comfortable including her in my fics (usually used default Jane Shepard to be on the safe side) so hopefully more to come!

22. What’s the last thing Shepard ate before the final reaper showdown?

Holy shit I’ve never thought about this question. I saved this one for last and… honestly I think the last meal she ate would have been before killing Kai Leng, so it would be whatever is on the ship… probably some packet ramen? Just a quick wham bam meal. She was too focused on wrapping up her life at the end.

24. Who does Shepard turn to for advice? For comfort? Who do they like to gossip with

These are all different answers.

Advice: Samara (bruh she has a thousand years of morally grey choices to advise upon)

Comfort: Thane (he’s ALSO her best friend on top of being her LI)

Gossip: Kasumi (hands down the best choice)

25. How emotionally articulate is your Shepard? Do they emote well?

She’s funny, a lot of dry humor, but she’s emotionally constipated.

ME1, she was more liberal with her emotions, she smiled actual genuine smiles.

ME2, she’s more of a shark. Her smiles aren’t as real, mostly forced from a life that she previously knew. Maeve keeps her emotions real close to her chest.

ME3, uhhh honestly she’s just an entire mess. She’s sober for the first time in what feels like forever and it is actually not liberating for her. She’s constantly second guessing herself, she’s got the blood of millions on her hands, and she’s once more responsible for her crew’s safety on another suicide mission.

26. Does your Shepard have a romance? Who are they, and what drew Shep to them?

*shouts from the rooftops like Christian in Moulin Rouge* THANE! She falls hard for that little assassin dude. He glares at her during his recruitment mission and she’s like, oh my god am I in love?

He’s dark, mysterious, strangely polite, and also on the same course she seems to be. Both are barreling towards their deaths at an alarming speed.

27. Do they have any pet peeves?

Neither her nor I have put any thought to this. I can’t even think of any of my own pet peeves now that this question has been asked 😂

28. What about hyperfixations? What’s the topic that will get Shepard rolling no matter the person or place

Oh man, I feel like my Shepard is just so depressing…

Since ME2 she doesn’t have any hyperfixations. No time to enjoy anything but the people around her.

Prior to ME2, she used to be up on all the most recent video games. She would game online under the username “rogue_protocol” because her favorite book series is the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (lmao I’m dragging real life books into this now).

29. How active is Shepard? Are they hitting the gym, playing sports, or do they prefer quieter downtime?

She does go to the gym quite a bit, but she also prefers to read… uhh, when she’s not drinking, that is. 👀

30. What will always make them laugh?

EDI or Legion asking ridiculous questions about “why are organics like this”.

31. Who can always make them laugh?

Joker. There’s a lot of confusing feelings between them, oscillating at all times between wildly inappropriate and platonic. They’re kinda a mess, but neither of them have ever tried to sort out their feelings so in the long run, they’re besties.

32. What do they do when they have hit their limit angry, just incandescent with rage

It doesn’t happen much, or at all yet, but Maeve just goes feral. Verbal or physical, it doesn't matter. She loses it.

33. What skills do they have that are a surprise to the people around them?

Not sure if it’s a surprise she can do this, but more of a surprise that she does do this… she likes to tinker around and repair circuits and panels. She was building a new computer from scratch in ME2 whenever her thoughts got too loud and liquor didn’t quiet them, but it never got finished because, well, she got arrested. (Very Anakin-Skywalker-fixing-droids-esque.)

34. Got any tattoos?

I WISH! I wrote one fic with a Shep with tattoos and was constantly forgetting about them lol so it’s easier for my tiny brain if she doesn’t. And this is coming from a person with like… a lot of tattoos lmao

35. Which companions have they lost? How do they cope with it?

Maeve has only lost their companion on Virmire (don’t @ me, I still, to this day, can’t decide who officially lives) and Mordin and Thane in their forced death in ME3. She loses no one in ME2 (I can’t stomach losing anyone that I spent all game getting close to) but the people she does lose, it hits her hard. She does not cope well. Especially with Thane. The loss of Thane is what really triggers her in my Indoctrination AU fic.

36. Do they like to style their hair, wear makeup and jewelry? How do they feel about getting dressed up?

She would prefer to go natural with her hair, no makeup and no jewelry. UNLESS she’s dressing up, which she does enjoy doing. Her parents used to bring her to the Alliance military balls every year, so she’s pretty used to it.

But she would prefer to have her wavy hair down or clipped back out of her eyes. She never got quite comfortable wearing sweats around her crew until ME2. Then she said fuck it and wore whatever the fuck she wanted.

37. Got any bad habits?

No - lol actually probably but both her and I are biased towards her and think she’s perfect (if you don’t count the drinking, but honestly that’s a big one 😂)

38. Does Shepard do any activities with the companions and crew during downtime?

Maeve likes to enforce mandatory shore leave. She can be found either stuffing her face full of delicious food, trying to convince Thane to take his shirt off and sunbathe (if it’s a sunny planet) with her, or at a bar.

39. Do they keep around any sentimental items?

After ME2, no.

After the Citadel DLC, only a single artificial white flower in her cabin to remember Thane by.

40. Does your Shepard actually like to collect model ships? If not, what do they display?

Yes!! She loves it, but she’d just as easily not have them. They don’t mean much to her other than they’re fun to look at.

41. How is Shepard with a gun? What about hand to hand?

She prefers hand to hand combat. Maeve is fine with a gun, but prefers lighter guns so she has quicker access to her abilities. She likes to make things explode so if she can set it on fire and then overload it, it’ll no doubt make her laugh.

42. Favorite weapon?

Omni-blade. She loves that little sneaky shit. Oh, and her combat drone. It’s so cute and makes chirping noises and has a flamethrower.

43. Which version of the Normandy do they like best?

Normandy SR-2.

Hates the stupid window above her bed, but loves the freedom she had on this ship.

44. Do they like to rotate out companions for quests? Who do they bring the most?

No because her and I are dumb and fall into a habit of bringing only the sniper squad. In ME3, though, she’s a little more lax, a little more flippant, basically just says, “who wants to come” and the first two that say “me” are the ones she brings (mostly Garrus and Liara).

45. Do they approve of curing the genophage?

Yeah, bro, fuck that noise.

46. Does Shepard allow the rachni to live in me1?

Yes. It wouldn’t rest easy on her conscience if she killed the last living being of a species.

Both Maeve and I: *nervously looking at the Arrival DLC*

47. Does Shepard practice any kind of self-care?

Sometimes she puts moisturizer on her face… but she thinks, why’s self-care matter when you aren’t going to make it to 35 years old?

She’s a little pessimistic.

48. What abilities do they rely on the most in a fight?

Combat drone.

If she’s in battle and her drone is about to be destroyed, she’d rather save up her recharge to bring it back than use any other ability.

After that, it’s overload because there are 8000000 geth at all times.

49. What is Shepard’s happy ending? What’s the dream that keeps em going

Meeting Thane across the sea. I am not even kidding. This depressing shit is her happy ending. I have spent so long building up this story in my head that she didn’t want to be brought back, she didn’t want to be used in another war, she just wanted to be at peace. So, she’s going to do her damned job and save this ungrateful galaxy and hopefully be able to rest with Thane in whatever afterlife Kalahira has for them.

50. Is your Shepard indoctrinated

*HEAVY BREATHING*

(+1: what does Shepard smell like?)

Standard issued soap, grease from digging around in the ship’s engine room or AI core, and lavender because she uses lavender chapstick. Someone once told her that would help calm her thoughts and while it didn’t actually help, she keeps trying.

[nulfaga]

;________; god if you ever wanted to elaborate a bit on the timeline of salomé & miri’s relationship post-3….. would love to hear anytime <3 ;—;

thank you for asking they mean the world to me <333

i won't lie. i haven't really hashed it out blow by blow :') like my biggest and clearest vision is that they just settle down and have a family and nothing bad happens ever again lmao. i think in general things are very slow moving between them like um... ok

they were close almost from the start (obv miranda is kind of cold at first but salomé is an excellent judge of character and made the decision to just. not bite back. which kind of defused the tension and let them get to know each other on like a non-antagonistic footing)...miranda already had it kind of bad by the end of me2 but she's very good at shelving her feelings so.

around the end of me3 salo begins to wake up to like. how much she actually cares for miranda too but it's the absolute wrong time (salo herself is going to pieces literally and figuratively toward the end of the reaper war. she's grieving, stressed out beyond belief, crushed by guilt, etc etc. she convinces herself—it's not true, but she convinces herself—that she would have fallen in love with anyone who threw her a bone at this crisis point. her stance is very much like "if i'm ever sane again i'll reconsider it")

so after the end of the war salo is laid out in a hospital in london (maybe she had to be transferred since london is bombed-out, idk. it's not practical or probable but i always liked the idea that she was airlifted to paris, where she's from. bookends etc) and miranda's tracked her down and spends the better part of a year w/ salo in a private hospital ward while she recovers. waiting by your lover's bedside etc, never mind they're not actually involved yet. during this time they talk about their visions for the future. miranda hasn't had time to hatch many plans, she's just enjoying the fact that no one's trying to kill her for a change. salo on the other hand is pretty firm about remaining on earth, not so much out of personal responsibility/helping to rebuild but because like. christ. she's (more-or-less, temporally speaking) 31 now; she didn't leave the sol system until she was 22; she didn't properly speak to an alien until years after that (very little talking happened during the skyllian blitz, and the thresher maws on akuze were obv nonsapient); so her first steps into the greater galactic community, her first visit to the citadel, introduction to council politics, becoming a spectre, and the Fucking Reaper War all happened in the span of 5ish years (and 3 years in her experience, because she was out between 2183-85). this is all to say that very little of it all feels real to her after the fact; she feels the strong desire to remain on earth at least for the foreseeable future and recenter herself. miranda's a fan of the idea, and she hasn't personally been to earth in decades, so she'd like to reacquaint herself. so there's the agreement that they both want to stay put AND the tacit agreement that they'd like to stay together at least for a while.

so once salo is well enough to leave, they get a nice apartment in a small town somewhere (one largely left alone by the reapers); salo finishes her bachelor's degree remotely & under an assumed name. miranda helps coordinate restoration efforts in the nearby city. it's good work but unchallenging; she'd like to get back into a research lab at one point. this is all about 2188-89

the rest is pretty fuzzy NO IT DELETED THIS BULLET. short version: they get married around the end of the 2190s and have adopted 2 kids by 2200.

eventually miranda goes to work in a clinical research lab for an earth holding, everything aboveboard, etc, but finds it fatally boring. good riddance to cerberus but she misses the work environment where money is not a factor and red tape is nonexistent. that aside, salomé can be a homebody if she likes, but miranda wants any children of hers to see the galaxy. so they move (a little reluctantly on salo's part) somewhere closer to the action, one of the hub worlds like illium or elysium

that's as far as i've planned lmao. i will say, idk if i'm going to stick with this bc it is Quite corny, but i like the idea that one of the kids' middle names is bailey. (because it was on thane's baby name shortlist)

[that-wildwolf]

Mass Effect Trilogy tag game

Tagged by @whiskynorocks

I am a fan since… 2020. When the quarantine hit, I decided to finally play all the video games I’ve heard about but haven’t played before: Gears of War, Mass Effect, Fable, Borderlands... Okay, I didn’t get into all of them, but some were good.

Favorite game of the series: [CONTROVERSIAL] 3. When you take away the ending, it’s a solid game with a lot of cute and funny moments between the crew. There’s no more weird randos like in ME2, just a slightly modified crew of my best friends from 1. Everyone is friends and I finally have the romance I want.

MaleShep or FemShep? Femshep. My first playthrough was as M!Shep, but then I googled Garrus and the second I read about the romance I yeeted myself to replay everything as Femshep... Hadn’t expected to fall in love with her so much. Jennifer Hale really gave a 11/10 performance there.

Earthborn, Colonist or Spacer? Spacer.

Paragon or Renegade? Paragon

Biotics or Tech? Tech all the way!

Favorite class: Infiltrator. I always play as a sniper, in every game with class choices. (Why yes, I am an archer is Skyrim, how did you know?)

Favorite companion: Garrus, but that’s kind of obvious. I also have a strong love for Ashley, Tali, Legion, and Grunt. And Wrex. And Jack. Okay, I love everyone. All of them. Even the ones I love the least I still love.

Least favorite companion: Kaidan, because I literally not once had a playthrough where he survives. I have literally 0 emotional attachment to him. If I had to choose from characters I do know, I guess maybe Vega. You know, new guy.

My squad selection: Garrus+Ashley for ME1, Garrus+whoever’s loyalty mission it is for 2, Legion+Grunt for Collector Base, Garrus+Ashley for ME3 because bless ME3 for giving me back my OG dream team

Favorite in-game romance: Have you seen my blog?

Other pairings I like: Tali/Reegar, Liara/Javik, Nihlus/Saren. Yes I copied this from @whiskynorocks but they got it 100% right.

Favorite NPC: Lorik Qui’in, by a loooooong shot. Anderson, Nihlus, Victus.

Favorite antagonist: Saren! Fuck, I love Saren so much, he was genuinely one of the coolest villains ever

Favorite mission: Hey what the fuck, I don’t even remember which 

Favorite loyalty mission: Uhhhhh I have no clue, they’re all so good. Probably Tali’s, I get to play detective. Samara’s is also great. For the same reason.

Favorite DLC: Citadel, obviously. Garrus dragging Shepard to the danceflor by force is worth any price.

Control, Synthesis or Destroy? Lmao none, I pick Refuse every damn time. Breaks my heart, but then again so do all of those ridiculous choices and all of them are bad so in the end does it matter if we all know that the true ending was the Reapers all exploded and Shepard survived and the geth and the mass relays were not destroyed and everyone got married and retired and had a happy life right?????????

Favorite weapon: The Black Widow. Obviously.

Favorite place: I love the Citadel, especially in ME1. Like, that’s my home.

A quote I like: “I won’t let fear compromise who I am.” on par with “It's so easy to see the world in black and white. Gray? I don't know what to do with gray.”

I’m tagging: @evvi and @biasedsteam9 my beloved

[nighttimepixels]

TALK TO US ABOUT MASS EFFECT I HAVE BEEN AN INSANE MASS EFFECT/SHAKARIAN TRASH PERSON SINCE 20-FUCKING-11 AND LEMME TELL YOU THOSE FEELINGS HAVENOT TARNISHED A SINGLE FRACTION IN THOSE TEN YEARS OH MY GOOOOOOODDDSSSS!!!!!!!

I DEMAND A PLAY-BY-PLAY UP TO THE MINUTE OF YOUR REACTIONS TO EVERYTHING!!!!

you are so valid and I totally see why everyone I've ever mentioned it to loves the hell out of it

aksdjlsdfj I meannnn if you want to hear my rambling about it then hell yeah

Okay, gonna put this below the cut to save everyone else XD also- since I'm not leaving this Mass Effect obsession anytime soon, if you're not interested in seeing occasional posts about it, please feel free to block the tag "night plays ME"~

(mild spoilers ahead??)

((also for real I mean it when I say this is rambling as hell lol, apologies and no stress if absolute no one reads all this))

OKAY SO Mass Effect 1-

Stars help me, I was honestly hooked right from the start?? Like even in Legendary Edition (the combined trilogy just re-released in one "can play it on one system + minor improvements", for anyone who doesn't know) where it's smoothed out, of course it's obvious that ME1 is a decade old... but the foundation for these relationships are all there and gods I love them already.

Like - Kaiden right off the top is a delightful good fightin lad, what the hell. I've heard that he's viewed as 'bland' by a good portion of the fan community but I dunno, he's a delight and even more complex by the time 2 rolls around and you encounter him on Horizon, it was honestly Ashley I was way more meh about - mostly because before you can learn about her family history/etc, she comes off as hella xenophobic and I was immediately offended for my growing space family that she didn't like/trust all the aliens around, pfff.

(she gets redeemed a bit through further actions/evolving thoughts, but I thought in retrospect it was a bummer that they didn't flip the order there, give her a chance to be liked before the complicating factor of being so rude about aliens >:c that then she could grow from... ah well. Apparently she has a good arc but uh, let's just say I chose Kaiden at the "key junction" in the latter part of the game so I won't be seeing anymore of Ashley uh... anytime soon, haha.)

Garrus??? Is??????? The ABSOLUTE best???????????

I liked him from the start, I'm always a bit of a sucker for a rogue-detective "the system won't bring this bastard to justice, so I've got to" type and all their moral shadiness XD But he just gets better, honestly, and where I'm at in ME2 (right before the Reaper IFF mission, as of typing this, with everyone's loyalty!) I am only digging myself deeper into this hole-

-*wheezing* okay anyways -

Wrex is AMAZING I love fightin' middle-aged krogan bastard, gods. Liara is great too, I'm a sucker for a wlw relationship (playing fem!Shepard, so) - buuuut I'll admit she's a bit more one-note in ME1. Last week while I was still on ME1 I remember hearing (while trying to dodge spoilers) that her arc is really good, though. I think they leaned a little hard on the 'innocent but sexy' sterteotype on her (so despite the yikes aspect of a few of the things I've learned in ME2, lol, I actually really like the complexity that's been added to her character.)

Saved Liara first, so by the time I got to Noveria and had the standoff with Benezia there was the chance to have emotions over Liara having to face her TwT and of course, I made the questionable but quality decision to free Queen Rachni heheh. no ragrets

More than a blow-by-blow of my choices though I totally wanna take the chance to say that even in the mild jankiness of ME1 (goddammit, the Mako.... please..... please just go up this impossible cliff I just want to resource hunt-) the way that the lore, both obvious/key to main plot and the lesser/filler/background/world-building kinds... I just love it. It incorporates it well, you can go ham in the codex learning more, or just dive into the basics - it's clearly a complex galaxy (and they do an even better job in 2 of fleshing it out further), and it never really felt overwhelming. It was pretty natural figuring it all out-!

Plus the interesting implications of resource hunting amongst the sapient races, and the little side missions you better bet I did every one of- there's so much rich depth in the story if you do 'em!! (And that lead with that Keeper side mission...? Looking back, damn, clever foreshadowing-!!!)

And oh my gods, Ilios??? hell yeah. I loved that mission so much, especially having Garrus & Kaiden with me when talking to the hologram/computer, and more than anything, that last sprint in the Mako trying to get to the jump before it closed-???

yeet the boi-

Also mannn I love a good setpiece, and having to go up the side of the elevator, space-side?? such a cool setup!!

Plus it felt good having been Paragon enough (as simple as the good v bad vibe system is, I don't hate it, lol) to avoid one of the Saren fights, ngl. And the er, "second fight" with Sovereign-Saren.... hell yeah

... I'll admit I had to double check my choice re whether to save the Council. I did in the end, but I swear, sometimes the way they phrase things I'm like ".... okay but Garrus is right, defeating Sovereign is more important than these few leaders??????" woops. Listen, priorities, is all I'm saying..... (￣ヮ￣|||)ゞ

'Course later they emphasize (in ME2) that there were 10,000 people on that same ship and I was like well I wouldn't have second guessed if I'd known that, I mean c'mon-

Also I did indeed romance Liara in this one, so I got that scene ;Dc But,,,, I also knew by the end that I was totally gonna romance Garrus in 2 since he's an option then finally,,,,, lemme tell you the guilt as I waffled over whether to romance Liara bc of it. hahaha.

Aaaaand Mass Effect 2-

So I'm only up to right before the Reaper IFF Mission, so I don't know the ending, etc etc lol. That said, I've just finished every side mission I've found with the exception of the Shadowbroker Quest and the Arrival Quest (I've heard the latter basically leads into ME3, and the former is best either right before the Omega 4 jump or in postgame).

So from the start - fuck yeah fuck yeah what a high adrenaline start Shepard noooooo but also yes save Joker aH-

The motion comic too hot damn nice job

I loved this setup, seriously - especially forcing Shep into this situation, having to work with/for Cerberus, and the compelling reasoning given behind "why" they do what they do (I especially found it a good point that the Salarians have the Task Force, the Asaris the Commandos, the Turians the- etc... like, true, when you put it like that, having a similar group advancing human interests/solving human interstellar problems is pretty reasonable...). That said, I love too that it really isn't shied away from how Cerberus is nonetheless fucked up - or its at least done fucked up stuff.

Listen, I still think some messed up stuff is gonna be revealed in 2's endgame......... after that Horizon mission and the Collector's ship???? TIM I SEE YOU YOU SHADY MF-

aaanyways lol...

I'm so so glad on a gameplay level they nixed the Mako style exploration. A few Hammerhead missions are fine and a lot more focused than the slippery ass navigation in that glorified ATV, pfff. The probes are a neat way of getting after similar resources - and more importantly, having good levels and some good hubs (the Zakera Wards, Omega, Ilium, etc) is way way more fun than having a more 'sprawling' space that is.... a lot of empty nonsense, lol.

Then there's the fact that we get Joker right off the bat and you can interact with him so much - and him and EDI??? Get out gods I love them. Kasumi is so right when she says they sound like a bickering old married couple lol. I have a terrible feeling that some shit is gonna happen with EDI..... but I don't think she's evil as-is, at least.

Side-eying the hell out of those "access forbidden" parts of her that she doesn't even know.... and the fact that her AI core has a locked door access................... something's gonna happen gdi LEAVE OUR ADOPTED AI ALONE.

(Also Joker pls stop fracturing your thumb on the mute button)

Also please save me there are so many hot aliens in this game,,,,, the xeno/monsterfuckers really comin' through strong in the sequels............... doin' the lord's work........................................

In general, I love how many levels ME stepped up in two with complexity and interwoven narratives!! Like, to the point it'd be almost a drag to replay ME1, even though it was fun going through it (if occasionally a bit tedious with the cookie cutter rando planet science/mine facilities, lol). Like, just from how fun and interesting ME2 is, mostly! more of all the pre-introduced races, plus new ones, plus more filling in of intragalactic politics, and more interesting implications of all these space-faring races mixing....

Also gods WREX and his planet holy shit,,,,, fuckin' hell yeah my man get their shit together and also adopt Grunt yes good-

And Mordin??? My singing semi-evil scientist best friend forced to confront his choices more than he thought he ever would have???? With some of the best ongoing general report chatter of all the companions??

(when I tell you I choked on my coffee when I talked to him after confirming romance choice w/ Garrus and that 'pamphlet' and 'anaphalactic shot if ingesting-' kajsldkfjsldfjk)

Like, fuck, the fact that they actually dive into the mixed morality and horrors of the genophage, and you can confront Mordin on it, for good reason, yet he still stands his ground, until finally some bits of his loyalty mission seem to... affect him, and I'm guessing might set up things for 3 with him? Unsure, but either way, damn, the fact that they start to dig into it...

And Taliiiii my beloved forbidden alien wife TwT her loyalty mission was SO GOOD. I love how varied they all are?? Getting to defend her and discover what she'd unwittingly been a part of-!!

Zaeed is a bastard but tbh I love that he is and that he's unapologetic in him - and Kasumi omg, best thief. A heist?? Gods, yes- I love our couch lounge chats XD

Samara is..... illegally.......... she's an illegally powerful and beautiful and eloquent MILF...........................

(.... listen I'm sapphic as hell and I'm kicking my own ass for picking her up last aksjdlfksjdfl - but her loyalty mission, damn. And seeing how there's this interesting cultural subset, and the struggle with the Asari in that they unquestioningly accept/respect justicars, but also know that the impact outside their culture is a diplomacy nightmare waiting to happen-)

,.,,,,,T,,, Thane,,,,,

I am weak for morally implicated murder dads okay?? And that voice??? His mannerisms?????? How you first see him, and that prayer after assassinating her...???????? And his history/his people's history with the hanar, gods I love how messy it is, it feels so much more real!

Also Jack is a mess and I love her (and want to get her some therapy, omg), and her and Miranda nearly duking it out after you've done both their loyalty missions??? so good and makes a lot of sense-! Honestly I would love more interactions between teammates on the ship, but there's already so much the devs had to balance I can't blame 'em for minimizing, heh. But suffice to say I also love Miranda and Jacob, even if I'm softest for my alien crew XD Hell yeah Jacob, we'll get loud and spill drinks on the citadel indeed TwT

.... I could write a whole essay on how much I love Garrus oTL Perhaps because he and Tali are the throughlines from 1 on your 2 crew, I have some of the strongest feelings about them... but genuinely, he was one of my favorite companions in the first game, and how you find him as Archangel in two? Getting to help him fight his way out after he's gone nearly 48 hours straight fighting off three gangs alone, jfc. His vengeance quest and what can happen there.... That line? fuck me, that line -

It's so much easier to see the world in black and white. Grey? I don't know what to do with gray...

How DARE you come for my heart like this, devs holy shit

(also, some other choice faves so far from the series from him include We can disobey suicidal orders?? and This wasn't in my training manual... [in 1, if you have him with you @ th Thorian fight] and his whole.... pop the heat sink - in his romance ;Dc)

asdasdfksadjfkl like I said I can write an essay on him PFFF suffice to say I'm very looking forward to his romance scene and where things go in 3

But yeah gods I'm just gonna keep rambling if I'm not careful lol. Gods I don't even know what to talk about it's all so good and while I can understand people roasting the obviousness of Paragon V Renegade (v neutral) choices/alignments, I think they do a pretty damn good job in 2 of pushing it further - to the point that there were some times that I accidentally got renegade points and I wasn't that mad, haha. There's so much fun in the interactions that I just have a good time anyways~

I have so many thoughts about TIM (The Illusive Man) and Cerberus.... theories evolving galore............... and like, what the hell!! Omega 4 going to the center of the galaxy is such a cool twist, goddamn - though my heart still breaks at losing Kaiden (his line if you haven't romanced him?? about feeling like he lost a limb when he lost you??? holy shit.... but I also can't blame him for not trusting Cerberus to the point of it affecting his ability to trust Shepard... like fuck Shep go after himmmm) I'm really excited to see where that goes since he comes back in 3, and what the fuck happens with Cerberus bc while I love the fact that obviously there are a lot of people in it for the right reasons, doing good work, there are those that are doing the opposite, and I have a very bad feeling about where TIM will end up landing....

All that said though I need to do the Reaper IFF mission (where I'm lightly spoiled as to getting That Boy, but not how/what happens to make it so - just that it's apparently wise to have all your side missions done before getting him...) and the actual Omega 4 jump. So we'll see what happens and what I think about it from there heheh!

.... major kudos and genuine props if you made it here to the end, I am so sorry for not editing on condensing all this, and appreciate you so much ;w;

[tealenko]

What’s your least favorite part of ME1, 2 and 3?

Thanks for the ask... You are a ray of sunshine in the darkness of my workplace 🥰🥰🥰

ME1: Mmmmm...

ME2: The final boss (way too easy). A few years ago I would've said Horizon, but now I kinda like it... I think Kaidan (well and I guess Ash... I'll never know lol) is pretty badass for being true to his beliefs #sueMe (It could've been better written though)

ME3: The ending -> no explanation needed here

Let me try again with ME1

Mmmm...

No... It's kinda perfect...

Well I can complain about MELE ME1

They got rid of the sweaty shenko conversations (maybe I'm alone here but I loved that shit)

And I truly miss the old sniper system (ahhhhh... the good old times, where you had to be actually good with that shit to use it *chef's kiss*) -> and I know I may also be alone in this one...

Ah! Another thing... I can no longer be blonde in this version (is a weird ashy colour that seems kinda dirty), don't know what happened there.

Missing baby Kaidan too (they aged him up a lot in the new edition)

Idk how but this turned in a MELE roast all of a sudden, not my intention lol (I do like MELE, and I'm completely aware I have weird tastes and preferences... I know they can't suit everybody's expectations... wish they could've fix the fact that 90% of the galaxy is cross-eyed though... that would've been nice)

[slothssassin]

OC/Shepard as a companion

So ages ago the lovely @alyssalenko tagged me to do this, thank you, and sorry it took so super long! Originally this is a meme for your Shepard, but since I wanted to add a new OC to my Jules Shepard's story, I did it for her. Hope you don't mind!

Tagging @liaorban @starsandskies @playstationmademe and @galacticnug but no pressure of course, and feel free to do this for your Shep and not for an OC!

Picrew is here!

THE BASICS:

Full name: Tori Robin Royle

Class: Engineer

Pre-service history: Enlisted to basic Alliance training when she was 18 in 2175. After she had finished school, she traveled around for a while, performing at different places, planning to start her career as a singer. All in her family are active Alliance soldiers though so Tori felt the pressure to enlist as well.

Psychological profile: Unlike the rest of her family, Tori wasn’t meant to be a soldier. During her basic training, where she also met Commander Shepard and became their protegé, it became clear quickly that she wouldn’t be able to fight at the front line. The Alliance encourages her to improve her tech skills though, and with hard work (and help from Shepard) Tori becomes an Engineer. While she’s not a powerful fighter, Tori can quickly oversee the battlefield in combat and debuff enemies with her tech skills, actually becoming one of the most valued Engineers in her unit. Still, Tori never really felt at home in the military and didn’t stop dreaming of a career as a musician. While Shepard oversees other young soldiers as well, they developed a special connection with Tori, reassuring her to go her own way, even if that meant leaving the Alliance. To her own surprise, Tori gets assigned to a unit that hunts down batarian pirates in 2179. During an attack she gets heavily wounded though and loses her right arm. After she spent months on her recovery, she finally decides to leave the Alliance. Not much is known about her life after that - but she did become rather well known on the Citadel, finally working as the musician she always wanted to be. The Alliance loosely keeps track of her as she’s still in contact with Commander Shepard.

Rest is under the cut :)

MASS EFFECT 1:

When/how are they recruited: She won’t be recruited in ME1. She’s 26 at this time (2183), and left the Alliance in 2180 after she couldn’t get over her accident in 2179. Tori used to play the guitar in a band, but in 2182 she started her solo-career. She’s not really a celebrity but has made a name for herself as a singer, mostly performing at bars. Shepard can meet her at the Flux where she performs on Wednesday nights with her “Oldies” show - heavily influenced by 1950s Earth music.

Where are they on the Normandy: At the Citadel. She can be found at the Flux when she performs or at the Presidium

Are they romanceable: No

Personal quest: If Shepard visits her at the Flux they can talk about their common past. Tori will ask Shepard to check on her parents who she hasn’t heard from in a few months - which is not uncommon, as they aren’t close, but she started to worry. Shepard can then check the last known coordinates for the spaceship Tori’s parents worked on and find out that there was a major technical problem. The crew was trapped on the Carrier with no means to land and no way of contacting anyone. If Shepard does the mission and saves the ship, including Tori’s parents, it will contribute to Tori and her parents getting closer plus you get to see Tori perform. If Shepard doesn’t visit Tori or doesn’t do her quest, a Turian ship will save the Carrier and Shepard will hear about it in an elevator on the Citadel.

Who are their friends: Shepard is her friend, and she would get on especially well with Liara, Joker and Kaidan.

MASS EFFECT 2:

What does their dossier say: Tori Robin Royle, or Robin Royle aka RR when she performs, is a seemingly harmless, popular singer on the Citadel. But, behind the mask of a performer, she’s a retired but very capable Engineer. She has ties to Commander Shepard, could be easily influenced to help the mission, and, as a friend, might improve Shepard’s mood and thoughts about working with Cerberus, if she is recruited.

When/how are they recruited: She can be recruited in Act 2 after Shepard went to Horizon. If Shepard was in a romantic relationship with Ashley or Kaidan, Tori will send a message to Shepard, telling them she heard what happened and is there to talk whenever they want. The Illusive Man will encourage Shepard to visit Tori on the Citadel and ask her to join as she could be a valuable asset - hinting heavily that he has the means to end Tori’s career if Shepard doesn’t ask her.

Where are they on the Normandy: Either in the Mess Hall on Deck 3 or in the Starboard Observation.

Are they romanceable: No. If Shepard doesn’t romance Thane she’ll be in a relationship with him though.

How do they react to the PC returning: She will be incredibly surprised, but happy - after all, they had been friends and Tori had grieved for them. She’d be unsure about their connection to Cerberus though, and worried that Cerberus rebuilding them might have changed them. Tori would ask Shepard some personal questions, but would stop quickly as she’d feel like she’s invading their privacy. Only later on, on the Normandy, they would talk again about how Shepard feels about working with Cerberus, their cybernetics, and their personal history.

Personal quest: Tori approaches Shepard after she gets a call from her parents. If Shepard did Tori’s assignment in ME1, she will tell them that she got a bit closer with her parents, even though they don’t see each other often. If Shepard didn’t do her quest she’ll say that her parents wouldn’t contact her if it’s not important. Tori’s brother Andrew, a rather high-ranking Alliance officer, has gone missing and the Alliance wasn’t able to investigate or didn’t share any information. Shepard and Tori will meet with the Shadow Broker, aka Liara, to get information on Tori’s brother. They will discover that the Alliance did investigate but couldn’t find out what happened to Andrew either, and that his last coordinates are somewhere on a planet in the Horse Head Nebula. After following the coordinates and finding some clues they discover that Andrew had formed a small unit to hunt down a gang of Turian pirates. The pirates got the better of them though and Andrew and his unit died - their bodies can be found inside a factory, seemingly killed in action. Tori will be devastated, even though she wasn’t close with her brother. Shepard can assure her they will hunt down the pirates (which would lead to another side quest) and that they’ll do her best so the Alliance honours his death - this will cheer Tori up a little, but it’s not necessary to gain her loyalty.

Do they fight with any other companions: She has companions she’s not very close with due to them being rather different - like Miranda, Jack or Zaeed. However she rather keeps her distance than to engage in any fights.

What files does the Shadow Broker have on them: Her personal history, information on her family and video material of some of her performances. A list of songs she wants to cover, an extensive shopping list and the history of her watched videos. If Shepard hasn’t romanced Thane, then he and Tori get close - there will also be some files of songs she wrote for him (and changed frequently) and some emails they exchanged.

Can they die in the suicide mission, and how: She can die if she’s left behind as a defender as her combat skills aren’t the best.

MASS EFFECT 3:

When/how are they recruited: After the suicide mission she takes some time off. First, she visits her family and grieves for her brother. Then she goes back to the Citadel, planning to continue working as a singer. If she’s with Thane she spends less time performing and puts all her energy into helping him find a cure. She can then be convinced to come back to the Normandy after Thane dies (or for those like me who refuse to accept that Thane dies: They both come back after the Coup). If she’s not with Thane she will still join the Normandy Crew after the Coup.

Where are they on the Normandy: Mostly in the Starboard Observatory or the Mess Hall, just like in ME2.

Are they romanceable: No. If Shepard didn’t romance Thane she’s with him.

Citadel meetup (during the game, where do you meet them on the Citadel and what do you talk about): She can be found on the Silversun Strip, happy to get the chance to perform again. Other times she’s seen with the refugees, talking to them or playing the guitar for some children. If she’s with Thane, both can also be found at the Presidium. She and Shepard would talk about their past, how things have changed, and their hobbies. If she’s with Thane Shepard can also talk about his sickness (and recovery) and how they spend their time together.

How does the PC relax with them in the Citadel DLC (ie, buying gifts with EDI, watching the game with James and Vega, etc.): Tori would invite Shepard to watch one of her performances. She’d also suggest some firearms training as she feels like she needs it. Alternatively they would go to a bar or a restaurant to talk, or go shopping for supplies (and maybe more fish).

What do they say to the PC before the final battle: “I can’t believe this is it.. I’m scared Shepard, but I’ll do my best to assist you. And please, know that whatever happens - you’ve been a true friend to me, always helpful, always supporting. I’m thankful I met you all those years ago. Now let’s go. We’ll get out of this. We’ll see each other again, I know it.“

[ghostxofxartemis]

Writing-tag

I’ve been tagged by both @zet-sway and @rosenkow, thank you both dearly! Sorry it took so long to post this. 

Tagging: @illusivesoul, @nightmarestudio606, @staff-lieutenant-alenko, @lyrishadow, @bardofheartdive and whoever wants to partake, just tag me so I can see! No obligations! (sorry, this tag was going on like last week, I don’t know who got tagged and who didn’t).

--

How many works do you have on AO3?

So far 13 (technically more because there is one work that’s a multitude of one shots for John, which has 2 chapters so a that brings it to a true total of 15),

What’s your total AO3 word count?

42,174.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In Order: 

1. Midnight Rannoch, M!Shenko

2. Reignite, M!Shepley

3. A Night Out On The Town, ShepShep

4. Addendum: A Collection of Short Stories, M!Shepley (that’s the one-shots mentioned above.) 

5. A Night’s Gather, M!Shepley 

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! I take the time to read them, especially if they are heart warming comments, and it feels amazing to have my work validated, not going to lie since most of my stuff seems to be uninteresting to most it seems? And I absolutely love to reply back! 

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don’t have an angsty ending yet, but Reignite, is angsty throughout the whole thing because it takes place during ME2 and I hurt myself while writing it, and I’m quite proud of that.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Till Death Do Us Part.  It is as it sounds my M!Shepley get married post-war. 

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the strangest one you’ve written?

Nope.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

So far have had nothing but pleasant comments. Seems like people have sticked to “don’t like it, just move on” for now.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No doiiii. Of Course I do!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nah. 

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

My all time favorite is Shepley. Okay, hear me out before you all start ripping my head off. I started playing Mass Effect in 2007, yes fourteen years ago. There was only ME1 at the time, and if you were playing as BroShep you only had t he choice between Ashley and Liara, and If you were playing FemShep you had Kaidan and Liara (back didn’t I was not a fan of femshep, I seriously only started playing as femshep two or three years ago). I wasn’t a fan of Liara, I found her very pushy and obsessive; I liked Ash, she’s tough, funny, and altogether very similar to me in the tomboy-kind-of-way and so I stuck with her. M!Shenko was not a thing yet. ME2 came along three years later and I wasn’t really a fan of any of the other female crewmates, I chose Miranda but at the time I didn’t like her (She’s grown on me and now I like her).

 So Ended Up Loyal To Ashley. 

ME3 came along in 2012 and MShenko was now a thing. They became my next Ship, but only recently, and along side with playing as Leah, F!Shenko as well. So there you have it. That is why I am very attached to Shepley.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don’t plan on not finishing any so far? they just might take a while to be posted? If ever because adulting is hard and takes so much time.

What are your writing strengths?

I really don’t know to be honest. I’m still new to this and have a lot to learn/master, and with such little comments to go on from it’s hard to say if anyone is enjoying my stories other than my beta, haha. 

What are your writing weaknesses?

Combat! It’s hard to describe the movement, the layout, the actions themselves. But working on it. 

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I am bilingual, I can easily write French dialogue but choose not too,

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Never posted or shared, but I’m a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, and Xbox had a DND game (I’m talking original xbox here) and I really liked the game so I had written a fanfic mixing the two slightly. 

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Oof. I have to chose? I’ll pick two.

Reignite this all started with just a prompt too. 

Happy Birthday, Shepard. 

[shockdowndefiance]

1, 7 and 11 for Allison Shepard and her preferred love interest?

Answering from this post here. Not specified which sections so I'm going to do one question from the top 3.

This is for Allison Shepard and Kaidan Alenko

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

How did they first meet?

In a Systems Alliance base in Jacksonville, FL, where Kaidan and Joker were joking/veering on mocking who their new XO would be, when Kaidan notices a Staff Lieutenant* in fatigues and with a sea bag over her shoulder. He doesn't think much of it - this is an Alliance base (one of the busiest on Earth, up there with Vancouver, Shanghai etc.) and being his polite self he asks her if he can help her with anything.

Allison doesn't say anything for a moment, eyeing him up, then Joker, then the ship, then back to Kaidan. As soon as she starts to speak all the pieces fall into place and he instantly recognises her the moment she says "Staff Lieutenant Allison Shepard. I believe I'm your XO."

* Yeah I got fed up with the ranks as they are in game/canon, so I made my own system. Shepard is a Staff Lieutenant, Kaidan is a Lieutenant, Ashley is a Gunnery Sergeant as of ME1

GENERAL

7. Who takes the lead in social situations?

Allison. No question about it. It's not that she's necessarily the more forward or outgoing of the two, but being a War Hero (and before that, daughter of a First Contact War veteran) she's more than used to plastering on a smile, making casual small-talk, and lending an ear to someone for one task or another, but always making sure to never promise anything completely.

As of ME1 Allison's been in the limelight for near-on seven years, received invites to multiple high class events (and when a tour of hers accidentally or accidentally overlaps, oh I'm so sorry I would have loved to come but duty calls) and is basically the Alliance's biotic, N7, and later Spectre poster child.

Kaidan is definitely the more withdrawn of the two, though he opens up enough around close friends and maybe a little alcohol in the mix. When he and Allison are out about their relationship, I imagine that he is quite affectionate in parties, always wanting to be by her and touching in some way (hand on elbow, holding hands, knees touching).

LOVE

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

Hoo boy. I have a playlist of 88 songs, totaling almost 6hrs. This does cover the entirety of Allison Shepard's story up to (and a bit beyond the Reaper War) so not all of them are romantically linked. Of the ones that are, these are my favourite/tell the story in the best way:

Mass Effect 1:

Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Love - more for the melody and the title than the lyrics themselves. Allison is a Spacer, so there's a bit of romanticism around stars, the galaxy etc. around their relationship.

Sixx A.M. - Starts (Explicit Lyrics) - "Do you wanna go to heaven tonight...Do you wanna be my lover tonight...Do you want to see the stars before they fall". The romance scene between Shepard and Kaidan on the way to Ilos. Again a cosmic-linked song but the moment I heard this it became the Shenko song for me. Remember this one

Black Stone Cherry - Remember Me & Johnny Cash - Hurt - "Today was a hard day, I still can't believe that all of this is true...When I am gone, will you stay strong, don't cry, this is not a dream. When heaven calls, and stars they fall, believe, will you remember me?" & "What have I become, my sweetest friend? Everyone I know, goes away in the end"

AKA the ooof ow my heart songs. Needless to say this is after the destruction of the Normandy SR-1, both from Kaidan's viewpoint. The relationship between the two of them wasn't expressed, so while Allison's family can grieve and mourn in public, Kaidan cannot - and even to a point where he can't be that upset over his CO, can he?

Mass Effect 2:

Shinedown - If Only You Knew - "If you only knew, I'm hanging by a thread, the web I spin for you. If you only knew, I'd sacrifice my beating heart before I'd lose you." This is Allison post-Horizon, when things are heavy. She's pulled her head above water somewhat, but Horizon pulls her back down.

Shinedown - Through The Ghost - "Speak of the devil, look who just walked into the room, the guilted and faded notion of someone I once knew. All the perfect moments are gone, all the precious pieces are wrong." This was originally an ME3 song (Vancouver) but story-wise this now places at the end of ME2, when Allison is heading off to Aratoht. Hackett sends along Kaidan and this echoes her feelings when she sees him.

Mass Effect 3:

Sixx A.M. - Stars (Cinematic) - I told you to remember this one. In any official soundtrack this would be a reprise, the same song but in a more mournful way. Allison and Kaidan are now officially together, and while the spark of what was back on the ME1 is still there, the galaxy being at risk puts a damper on their ability to take time and enjoy being with each other.

Florence + The Machine - Bedroom Hymns - pure romance scenes song. Nothing else to add. Smutty lyrics.

Conchita Wurst - Heroes - "So let the walls come down and the colours light up the sky. We could be heroes, we could be heroes, tonight. Where the hearts break loose and love is like a battlecry, we could be heroes, we could be heroes, tonight".

This one takes a bit of explanation. On the approach to Earth for the final assault, in the small hours of the morning, a thought pops into Kaidan's head. He turns to Allison and simply says "Let's get married." Allison half-laughs but goes "Sure. When?" and 30mins later they're in the shuttle bay, wedding officiated by Joker.

This song (or at least the chorus) is what I imagine whenever I think of that scene. Allison and Kaidan do quick vows, exchange simple fabricated rings, and prepare for the assault. Their wedding day, not that they know it at the time, is also the day the Reaper War ends.

And Beyond...

Black Stone Cherry - Sometimes - "Couldn't we pretend that I'm fine, and this ain't my life. It's not the way it ends for me. Couldn't we pretend, you're not gone, you're still here, it's not true. It's not the way it ends for you.". I spent so long swapping this and Remember Me (in the ME1 section) around and I think I am happy with their placement.

The Reaper War is over. Casualties are many. Allison Shepard is in the hospital, in a medically induced coma, with multiple injuries. The Normandy and her human crew are reported as MIA with no one knowing their status.

This song is, in my mind, a duet sung between Allison and Kaidan, Allison on Earth and Kaidan who-knows-where in the galaxy. They both believe the other dead, and this is them both wishing that this is not the case, that maybe the other can find a way back to them.

In short, another ooof ow my heart song

Skylar Grey - I'm Coming Home Pt. II - I'm sure this is on a lot of people's lists. The Normandy systems are functioning, they're going to make it to Earth, and Kaidan finally gets in contact with the Alliance in London. He discusses what happens with the brass, and turns his head and hides a sigh when yet another higher up is introduced to him.

"Alenko. Good to see you again."

"Allison?!" His eyes snap back front and centre. She's alive, standing in front of him in the QEC. It's a hologram, but it's her. She's alive, on Earth. They made it. Both of them.

And the blood will dry Underneath my nails And the wind will rise up To fill my sails So you can down and you can hate But i know no matter what it takes I'm coming home, I'm coming home Tell the world that I'm coming home

❤️

[antagonistchan]

god damn

Mass Effect 2 has always been my least favorite of the trilogy

i still love it, but not as much as i love 1 or 3

and honestly

this is even more true in the Legendary Edition. the Legendary Edition widened that gap even further.

like, with each game, the Legendary Edition’s upgrades get more and more subtle. in ME1, they’re the most visible; in ME3, they’re the least. but that’s not the entire story.

the original ME1 had absolutely garbage graphics. that’s just the baggage almost every game from 2007 has, 2007 fucking sucked for game graphics. it could look good on occasion, but just from the sheer strength of having a good enough art style to make up for the garbage graphics. most of these occasions were when you were looking at something that was clearly supposed to wow you, like the view of the nebula surrounding the Citadel; otherwise, things tended to be fairly unimpressive. and it wasn’t just the graphics that were a problem. certain aspects of the gameplay were extremely clunky and awkward, and the UI was okay at the time but our understanding of good video game UIs progressed significantly over the course of the late 2000s.

in the Legendary Edition of ME1, this is no longer true. the entire game looks spectacular. ME1′s graphics have been fully updated to modern standards. i think the polycounts are still ultimately the same, but by the time ME1 came out we’d already basically gotten as far as we ever need to with polycounts. there are only so many polygons you actually need before increasing the polycount just becomes overkill. on top of that, the UI has been fully revamped to be more like ME2 and ME3′s UI, and the vast majority of the clunky gameplay issues have been resolved. the Mako in particular controls so much better. LE1 is the game ME1 was always meant to be, with all the junk wiped off. the junk had its charm, and i still absolutely intend to play the original on occasion, but overall, removing the junk made this amazing game shine even brighter.

the original ME3 was already a fucking spectacular game graphically. not only did it look amazing when it came out in 2012, but i honestly think it holds up today. it still looks very modern. and ME3 never had ME1′s problem of “junk obscuring the quality of the core game”- ME3′s flaws have always been more in the core game itself. i absolutely adore ME3, but i’ll admit, it’s an extremely flawed game and fixing those flaws wouldn’t be possible just with a remaster. so, when its flaws can’t be fixed with a remaster and its graphics still hold up amazingly well today.... i was extremely afraid that LE3 would be underwhelming.

thank god i was wrong. in the Legendary Edition of ME3, the game overall looks the same. again, the game already looks good by modern standards, why fix what ain’t broke? so they didn’t. but yet, while the game overall looks the same, it looks noticeably better, SOMEHOW. the longer i play LE3, the more and more subtle improvements i find myself picking up on. for instance, the way Husks and Cannibals get more and more visibly damaged as you hurt them (burning and emaciating when you set them on fire, chunks of flesh flying off as you shoot them, etc.). or Anderson’s clothes looking slightly more detailed. on the final Mars scene, Dr. Core seemed more visibly damaged. etc. and i’m sure there’s also a ton of stuff that i haven’t noticed yet, but has still contributed to this general feeling of “this looks better somehow”.

the graphical improvements of LE1 feel like making ME1′s garbage graphics finally good. meanwhile, the graphical improvements of LE3 feel like taking ME3′s already really good graphics and adding subtle and refined improvements that result in a game that looks the same but better, somehow. i really love these two improvements. too bad now we have to talk about LE2.

the original ME2 was an okay looking game. it was good by 2009 standards (and graphics from 2009 do not suffer the same curse as graphics from 2007; 2007 wasn’t a general sign of the era, it was just a particularly bad year because the industry was having trouble coping with the jump to HD), but it hasn’t aged nearly as gracefully as ME3′s graphics. but the graphics weren’t as garbage as ME1′s either. it was okay.

and the Legendary Edition of ME2 feels just about the same. the graphical improvements in LE2 are more drastic than they are in LE3, yet somehow they’re less noticeable. most of the time, it doesn’t really feel like i’m playing an improved version of ME2, it just feels like i’m playing ME2. LE3 and ME3 look almost fucking identical and yet LE3 still feels like a massive improvement somehow because the few changes they did make are so good; ME2 and LE2 have tons of extremely noticeable differences and yet it just feels........ the same. and actually, in some ways, LE2 is a little bit of a downgrade. for instance, the lighting on the Normandy. in ME1 and ME3, the Normandy was pretty darkly-lit; by contrast, the Normandy was brightly-lit in ME2. i prefer the dark lighting, but i always found it cool that ME2 did contrast the others in this way. and in LE2, the Normandy is still more brightly-lit than the other two games, but noticeably not as much. but that’s just one minor thing- the bigger and more consistent issue is that LE2 can feel really sloppy a lot of the time. there are so many assets that i can tell they haven’t changed. a few models that are egregiously low-poly (i said earlier that polycounts have mostly been solved since around ME1′s era, and yet...), a ton of video and picture files that clearly haven’t been updated (any video or picture of Anderson looks really weird, because in LE1 and LE2 Anderson uses the ME3 model, but in the original ME1 and ME2 he looked a bit different, and because all the pictures and videos are unaltered, any pictures or videos you see of Anderson.... look like the old Anderson), textures that are really low-res (especially weird because from what i understood the entire LE project started off as just a texture upscale?), a number of other things that i can think of but won’t list because this list is already so long....... LE2 just feels like a pretty sloppy improvement overall.

in the end, this isn’t that big a problem for me. the improvements to LE1 and LE3 are strong enough that i can put up with the comparative weakness of LE2. but it has widened the gap that already existed between ME2 and ME1/ME3 even further.

[hatboyproject]

Taking it Serious

This is what modding Mass Effect looks like, so far, spread across 2 of my 3 screens.

So before committing any changes to anything, I’m doing all external work first, so that in theory I can make all the changes in just a few sessions of work. So, I’ve created spreadsheets to track every entry node that has anything done to it, no matter how small, and tracks every detail. I have a spreadsheet that tracks the whereabouts of any audio lines I take from elsewhere to combine and remix, so that if the lines are sourced from ME3, I can easily find the relevant FaceFX to steal when I’m at the point of animation. (Way, way easier to clone some info and dump it on something else than to animate it blind.) First steps are just to get this one conversation functioning appropriately as it’s kind of the main one. The rest of it is altering ambient dialogues, a few removals, and a few truncations. I’m still not sure what I’m going to do in the event that a player has this mod installed and is playing as mShep - doing all this over again for mShep might not even be possible because not all of his romance dialogue is even the same, and I’m using FemShep’s lines to really do the heavy lifting with the romance, here. (As you can see in my proof-of-concept animatic.)  I might be forced to implement a Conditional 12 check at the root node of the conversation, so that none of this even happens if the player is male. (I think Joker would just fire ambients from his table.) This would help ease things over if someone’s got this installed and is playing an mShep toon for some reason. Anyway, my problem is that some lines and parts thereof are taken from ME2 and ME1, and to my knowledge phoneme (lip-sync) animation cannot be taken from those and imported into 3. So I’m going to have to jury-rig some kind of solution.  There are people out there who believe that there is a permutation of every single universe out there, in existence, somehow in some far-off and distant way. Like string theory, but about fiction, essentially. That the act of thinking about something makes it real somewhere. If that’s true, I hope this stupid dumb jerkoff knows how much I love him jfc