#vakarians vanguard

[shadey-rper]

Here's the names of all my Mass Effect OCs so far:

Kazumi Shepherd - Human, main Shep, Vanguard, Thane or Garrus (depends on how I feel that playthrough)

Millie Shepherd - Human, Kazumi's little sister (by a year), Adept, Javik (Shhhh- I'm weird-)

Visia Sanrian - Turian, just a silly I made today, Soldier, she'd be open for ships

[memaidraws]

keep me company while I work on some art? Here are some OCs to start off!

⚔ Baldur's Gate 3:

Nils - Warlock, Half-Elf, romances Astarion

Viveka (The Dark Urge) - Rogue, Human, Has the Hots for Gort

Raenaron - Wizard, High Elf, romances Gale

🌌 Mass Effect:

Liyah Shepard - Vanguard, Renegon, romances Jacob Taylor

Reina Sakurai - Infiltrator, Paragon, romances Garrus Vakarian

🐲 Dragon Age:

Valyssa Lavellan - Mage, Dalish Elf, romances Solas

Verlen Lavellan - Warrior, Dalish Elf, romances The Iron Bull

Rasha Hawke - Rogue, Purple, romances Anders

Tristan Locke - Mage, Purple - Blue, romances Fenris

Quinna Amell - Mage, Commander of the Grey, romances Leliana

Mahariel - Rogue, The Last of the Dalish, romances Zevran

details about ocs!

send an emoji/description of emoji to learn more about a writer's oc! many of these are taken from my munday asks meme, because i thought it would be fun to make a version for characters too! the prompts are categorized by emoji type and given descriptions in case anyone can't see the symbols. can be used for roleplayers and any general writers alike! for roleplayers, these can also be used for your interpretations of canon characters if you so desire as well!

𝐎𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒. 💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — what is your oc's MBTI, enneagram, and/or other personality aspects (if known/interested in)? 🚗 CAR — does your oc have a driver's license? can they drive/operate any automobiles/machinery besides cars? ✈️ AIRPLANE — does your oc like traveling, or do they consider themselves a more homey person? 🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies? 💍 RING — does your oc have any piercings? do they want any (more) piercings? 🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos? 📚 BOOKS — what level of education has your oc most recently completed/is currently in (GED, undergraduate, grad school, phd, etc)? 🎻 VIOLIN — does your oc play any instruments? what is their skill level (beginner/intermediate/advanced/virtuoso/etc)? 🩹 ADHESIVE BANDAGE — does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities? 🩸 DROP OF BLOOD — what is your oc's blood type?

𝐒𝐘𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐒. 🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often? 💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know. 💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits? 🔱 TRIDENT EMBLEM — can your oc swim? do they enjoy swimming? 🔺 RED TRIANGLE POINTED UP — does your oc know how to use any weapons? 🔶 LARGE ORANGE DIAMOND — does your oc know cpr? do they have any other medical expertise? 🚫 PROHIBITED — does your oc drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄. 🌈 RAINBOW — what is your oc's sexual orientation/gender identity? what pronouns do they use? 🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your oc's favorite holiday? 🐶 DOG FACE — does your oc have any pets? 🐈 CAT — does your oc prefer a wide circle of friends or a few close friends? 🐷 PIG FACE — what is your oc's favorite animal? 🐉 DRAGON — what is your oc's favorite mythical creature? 🍃 LEAVES FLUTTERING IN WIND — what is/was your oc's favorite subject in school? 🌴 PALM TREE — does your oc have a green thumb? do they enjoy gardening? 🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒. ❤️ RED HEART — what are three of your oc's positive traits? 🤍 WHITE HEART — what are three of your oc's neutral/questionable traits? 💔 BROKEN HEART — what are three of your oc's negative traits? 💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them? 🧡 ORANGE HEART — does your oc tend to prioritize family or friends? 💛 YELLOW HEART — how many languages does your oc speak? what language(s) are they learning, if any? 💚 GREEN HEART — does your oc prefer being inside or outside? 💙 BLUE HEART — does your oc have any cool/special powers and/or abilities? how are they with magic, if it exists in their world? 💜 PURPLE HEART — what is your oc's ancestry/genetic background? 🖤 BLACK HEART — has your oc killed or seriously wounded anyone before? have they broken someone's heart and/or broken someone's trust?

𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒. 🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE — when is your oc's birthday? how old are they? what are their sun, moon, & rising signs (if known)? what about their tarot card, ruling planet, & ruling number (if known)? do they fit the typical traits of these sun, moon, & rising signs? 🍝 SPAGHETTI — what is/are your oc's favorite food(s)? 🍰 SHORTCAKE — what is/are your oc's favorite sweet(s)/dessert(s)? 🍦 SOFT ICE CREAM — what is/are your oc's favorite ice cream flavor(s)? 🍔 HAMBURGER — is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer? 🥯 BAGEL — what does your oc's typical breakfast look like? do they usually eat breakfast? 🥪 SANDWICH — what does your oc's typical lunch look like? do they usually eat lunch? 🍛 CURRY AND RICE — what does your oc's typical dinner look like? do they usually eat dinner? 🍸 COCKTAIL GLASS — what is your oc's favorite alcoholic drink, if they can drink? ☕️ HOT BEVERAGE — does your oc prefer coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, water, or some other drink? how do they like to take this drink (ex. coffee with milk, hot chocolate with whipped cream, a specific kind of tea, etc)?

𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄. 😊 SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES — what are your oc's career/general life desires? what do they want to get the most out of life? 😖 CONFOUNDED FACE — is your oc an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert? do they let people in easily, or are they more reserved? 🤔 THINKING FACE — what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms? 🧐 FACE WITH MONOCLE — is your oc more logical or emotional? 🤓 SMILING FACE WITH GLASSES — is your oc chatty or quiet? are they at ease in social situations, or are they more shy? 🤩 FACE WITH STARRY EYES — is your oc a planner, or are they more spontaneous in their actions? 😥 SAD BUT RELIEVED FACE — is your oc prone to getting stressed out, or is it easy for them to keep their cool? 😓 DOWNCAST FACE WITH SWEAT — is your oc open-minded or stubborn? are they inquisitive or do they prefer to keep to their bubble of knowledge? 😞 DISAPPOINTED FACE — does your oc attract others, or do they tend to be left alone? 🤒 FACE WITH THERMOMETER — does your oc get sick easily? 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 FAMILY WITH MOTHER, FATHER, SON AND DAUGHTER — how many people are in your oc's immediate family? how many people are in your oc's extended family? do they have aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc? who in their family are they closest with? are they close with their birth family, or do they have a found family?

[drunk-quarian]

vakarian’s vanguard - firsts: dinner date

uhhhhhhh i wrote my first fic ever

welcome to domestic reflective shakarian 

it’s a little rambly but if u like it let me know, or don’t, whatever 

here’s a snippet

Ariadne Shepard could face down any obstacle in her way.

She'd grown up a dirty Earth orphan, her strength forged and sharpened by the unforgiving, crime riddled streets and dark alleys of the enormous metropolis she called her hometown.

She was an Alliance war hero and fought off countless batarian pirates on Elysium, blasting them down with biotics when she all but ran out of heat sinks - even as the strain of back to back dark energy attacks threatened to pull her very atoms apart.

She was the Savior of the Citadel, Hero of the Galaxy, the reason billions of people even HAD a galaxy left.

Ariadne Shepard could face down any obstacle in her way... except making dinner, apparently.

The only thing that made her feel even slightly better was that her tall turian partner across the marble kitchen counter was also struggling with the same task. And he was just as impressive: he'd helped her save the galaxy, after all. (She'd argue that she wouldn't have been able to do it without him, and he'd half flare his mandibles only to say, "True. But I don't have a pretty face like yours for press tours. And if everyone's busy staring at you, at least I'll look normal doing it.")

Garrus Vakarian was a genius tactician and unparalleled sharpshooter, with the not-so-secret alter ego as the Archangel of Omega. He'd taken down a rogue Spectre and destroyed a Collector ship and fought back against the Reapers and —

And what in the Spirits was "turmeric"?

He could feel his shoulders start to slump, but he dared not betray any doubt. He was gonna make this dinner and it was going to be delicious... even if he couldn't taste it himself.

[baejax-the-great]

Garrus cleared his throat. "Shepard, when you do that little charge thing--"

"Little?" she cut in over the comm line. "You mean when I biotically warp my own mass to turn myself into a human missile and slam into my opponent with nearly unlimited force in a technique that no other human has mastered?"

"Right, when you do your little charge thing, is the screaming optional? Or is that part of the mnemonic?"

There was a brief silence over the line.

"I scream?"

"Some could call it grunting," Garrus offered charitably.

Tali chimed in. "I think it is more like yelling. Or a war cry."

More uncharacteristic silence from Shepard. Garrus dropped a phantom moving in on her position. "Do I do it every time?"

"Every time," he confirmed just as Tali said, "Yes."

She popped her heat sink, and Garrus watched-- and heard--her slam into a group of Cerberus soldiers. He picked off the few that tried to get up again after the impact.

Shepard slipped back into cover. "Yeah, I'm going to call it a necessary part of the biotics then."

"Roger that."

[oneterribletruth]

smartass

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ read it on ao3

Shepard ducked into cover as a grenade exploded in front of her. Her ears rang, but she didn’t waste a minute as she stood and fired off three rounds into a Cerberus soldier’s head.

She was up and moving before his body hit the ground, searching for the next enemy.

“Garrus, where the fuck are you?”

“Where the grunts won’t shoot me.” His tone was completely calm through the comlink, a juxtaposition to Shepard’s heavily beating heart. She was so out of shape.

“They’re shooting at me.”

“You’re the one that decided to charge in there.”

“Not helping Garrus.”

A shot blasted past her shoulder and into a centurion that had rounded the corner.

“That helping, Shepard?”

Smartass.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[frostbite-711]

The Jailbreak squad ❤️💜💙

[wholelottatiffy]

[clericofshadows]

check out that beautiful normal mapped carbon fiber <3 these textures are setup for ME import so fingers crossed they look good in engine.

regis ain't a vanguard but I love this anim lol

also I've sculpted the shadow broker warlock set and the vakarian set:

and both of those sets will likely get red and black versions as options along with their vanilla colors. eventually I'll do the fem body sets, but hey, the textures are the same between meshes, so that's less work for me! and the first femshep release I've done in a long while (but does my samara armor really count lmao)

ya girl has got some WORK to do. top is baked diff, bottom is d2 player gear shader which isn't something I'll be able to mimic in ME perfectly. but I'll get close hopefully.

a few things: this is going to be ambitious as fuck, so I gotta actually open SP or PS to emulate that carbon fiber effect. so fun. rigging doesn't seem too bad, but we'll see. also fingers crossed that I'll be able to use the Omniblade mat on the mark and gauntlet.

[token-evil-teammate]

The funniest thing in ME3 is them making me "let" Garrus win that snipe-off on the Citadel. As if my Shepard wasn't a fucking Vanguard, who runs tits first into the waiting arms of a Banshee with nothing but my short-range shotgun and a prayer

My Shepard didn't "let" Garrus win shit. Truth is my girl had no aim, her tactic was

1.) Throw a biotic explosion

2.) Launch directly into enemy's face

3.) Falcon punch

4.) Spray and pray the rest

5.) Profit?

[haven-in-her]

there´s no shepard without vakarian.

vanguard with an assault rifle go brrr

[cousinslavellan-archive]

The Other Shepard Pt2

Omega looms ahead, the true beginning of their battle. It’s time to recruit and build a team, to fight back.

A familiar face appears, a memory surfaces, and the Collector threat becomes all the more real.

Heeeeeey have another chapter! Longer one to, woo! This runs all the way to Horizon because... I’m trying to keep this fic from being a monster, so I’m picking parts to focus on haha. Part 1 is here!

Big thanks to @lynngo-art for the idea for the cafe scene, and to @ariannadi and @kittenkakt for playing beta for me ♥ Enjoy, guys!

Omega looms ahead of them, and Willow can already feel her skin crawling.

She’s heard rumors of the place - everyone has - and while she hadn’t been able to check out the rumors for herself, before, now they’ll be going in with a squad.

There’s no way she’s letting Arisa go without her. Not after everything that’s happened.

 The time it takes to travel between the Cerberus station and Omega - not as much as either cousin would like, but it’ll do for now - is spent catching up, exploring the ship, designating certain roles.

She’s met Miranda and Jacob, and she doesn’t trust them - they have some proving to do before she’ll trust any Cerberus agents.

Arisa had also surprised her by making her her Second.

“Miranda, you’re XO, and I understand the need. But Willow is officially Second Squad Leader. She’s a capable fighter, and I’ve seen her lead squads safely through missions dozens of times; my decision is final.”

“Of course, Commander.” is all Miranda says, gaze cold and searching as she leaves.

“You sure about this, ‘Risa?” Willow crosses her arms, leaning back against the meeting table in a near perfect mirror image of the Commander, “I’m up to it, obviously, but won’t it cause issues with your employers?”

“My employers can kiss my ass and suck it up, if they want me to do my job right.” Arisa smirks, shrugs, “I’m not to worried about it. As long as she has control over the ship and crew, Miranda’ll be fine. Jacob won’t care. And anyone else we recruit will be told from day one that you’re my Second, as far as missions go.”

Willow straightens up at that, smothering the emotions by settling into military rest - a habit she thinks she’ll never be rid of - and giving Arisa a firm nod, “I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t. And I’ll feel better having someone I can trust leading the second squad when I’m busy.” Arisa motions to the door, and together they walk through the armory, heading for the elevator, “So, now that’s settled… where did you plan on bunking down? Miranda’s claimed the only private room on the Crew deck, and I don’t know if you’d be comfortable in the bunks…”

“Any chance I can just crash on your couch for now?” Willow grins at the surprised look that earns, shrugging, “Doesn’t bother me - and any nights I can’t Mask properly, I’ll likely just sleep in the MedBay, anyways.”

Arisa is silent for a moment, and Willow stares at the floor, knowing what she’s thinking. It’s been two years for her, but only moments for Arisa - she’s still processing the short time remaining.

“If that’s what you want.” she finally says, slowly, reaching for Willows hand and squeezing, “Let me know if you need anything, alright?”

“I will.” Willow promises, and then they’re at the captain’s cabin, and she finds herself staring at the empty fish tanks, thinking, “So… Omega, huh?”

“Yeah. We technically have three dossiers there; Mordin Solus, Zaeed Massani, and Archangel.” Arisa sits on the edge of her bed, blowing out a breath, “Miranda wants to go after Mordin first.”

“We should get Archangel.”

The Commander pauses, lifting her brows, and Willow only hesitates a moment.

“You remember how I said Garrus disappeared, a couple months after you…? Well, a while after that, Liara passed on a rumor about Archangel. He’d just shown up out of nowhere, a vigilante making life miserable for the local gangs… and he’s a turian. It just sounds to much like him to be a coincidence.”

That makes Arisa perk, just the tiniest bit, and Willow bites back a grin. “Okay, we’re going after him first, then. Should be at Omega in a few hours. Better get some rest.”

 So Willow stares at the Station until Arisa pages her over the intercom, patting Joker on the shoulder and heading for the armory.

The N7 armor still feels slightly strange, though it’s better then when she’d donned it on the Citadel, and having Arisa nearby in her own set - not the originals, of course, but a new set, to shiny, lacking all the scars from her old battles - relaxes her further.

She pops on her Sentry visor, and grins when Arisa reaches for the Archon set, happy to see she’s retained her hatred for full helmets.

Unless that’s a result of being space in one…

Willow quickly tells that train of thought to piss off and finishes suiting up, grabbing an SMG, pistol and assault rifle from the stash and shrugging at Arisa’s laugh.

“Least I don’t have a shotgun?” she jokes, earning an eyeroll and amused huff.

They head onto the station with Miranda and Jacob in tow, and are almost immediately accosted - Aria T’Loak, resident ruler of Omega, wants to see Shepard.

“On our way,” Arisa responds simply, ever the diplomat, and then they find their first recruit - Zaeed, a mercenary with a permanent scowl and a temper to match.

“I assume Cerberus told you about our deal?”

“Can’t say that they did.”

“Well, damn good thing I brought it up, then.”

Arisa agrees to help, Zaeed leaves to tie up a couple of loose ends, and they’re on their way to Afterlife.

Omega is definitely as seedy as the rumors say, but the club itself is well maintained, and it’s clear that Aria keeps a tight grip, presiding over the activities from a high balcony.

Going by the asari’s words, Archangel is definitely the dossier they need to do first; she has a bad feeling that if they wait, the mercs will have gotten to him already.

They meet the recruiters and head out - Willow stopping and breaking a kids gun on the way because how old are you? No way, get your money back. You’ll thank me later - and then taking the specified shuttle to Archangels hideout.

From there, they sabotage the mercs as much as they can; messing with the mechs, swiping medical supplies and information - including one very interesting datapad that Aria will definitely want to see - and ensuring the gunship won’t be at 100% by jamming a taser into the mechanics back.

Willow lifts a brow, and Arisa shrugs “Do you want a fully functional gunship chasing us down? No thanks.”

Picking off the freelancers and few mercs on the bridge is childsplay, but Willow jumps when two precise pops sound as she and Arisa’s shields go down, just briefly.

Archangel has already ducked back down behind the balcony wall, but there’s a look on Arisa’s face that Willow can read all too well, and it’s a wonder Miranda and Jacob can keep up, honestly, because both cousins are immediately running.

Arisa clears the second floor first, Willow walking backwards the final few steps with her gun drawn, ready should any mercs try to sneak up behind them.

“Archangel?” she hears Arisa ask, turning as their squad mates catch up, just in time to see the turian leave his sniping post and pull off his helmet.

“Garrus!” Arisa’s tone is ecstatic, arms flung wide in greeting, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Shepard. I thought you were dead.” there’s that wavering tone to his voice he’d always had when talking about Arisa, eyes darting briefly to her with a tired nod, “Willow, good to see you.”

Willow wants to hug him. Or possibly punch him. Maybe both.

Going by Arisa’s body language and tone, she’s more about the hugging.

“You okay?”

“Things’ve been rough. Spirits, it’s good to see you girls. I thought I…” Garrus cuts off, mandibles wavering, turning his gaze away, “Anyways, with you all here, maybe we can get off this damn rock. Give me a hand?”

“Like you need to ask.”

Willow takes a step back, lets the two interact, lets them just be for a minute while they talk strategy, observing. And she can still see it, clear as day, despite the two years; the way they move and gesture around each other, the little facial cues, the hints in their voices.

Funny how you can read affection so easily between other people, but not in your own relationships. She muses briefly, snapping back to attention when Arisa addresses them.

“It’s time to finish this.”

Eclipse comes first across the bridge, and with five of them attacking, they go down easily.

Then an alarm goes off - the basements been breached - and Arisa orders Miranda and Jacob to get downstairs and close the shutters, leaving she and Willow to help keep Garrus in one piece.

“Just like old times, eh Shepard?” Willow hears him crack at one point, earning a smirk and a laugh from the redhead.

Garm comes charging into the complex below them, but the combination of a skilled sniper and two powerful biotics keeps him from getting anywhere near the stairs before he’s downed, and some of Garrus’ old spark seems to return.

Until Tarak shows up in that damn gunship, and Garrus falls in a spray of blue blood that has them all shouting.

Willow’s not sure she’s ever seen Arisa rage before, nor does she hope to ever see it again; the gunship spirals away in a ball of grenade flame, the woman baring her teeth and looking ready to kill.

Then her attention is immediately on Garrus, yelling into the comm for evac, now! and then trying to slow the blood flow, pressing desperately over the wound, Miranda and Jacob eyeing the perimeter while Willow looks on, feeling helpless.

Gods don’t you dare let him die, not after everything Arisa’s already been through.

 They get to the Normandy, Garrus is rushed to the MedBay, and Arisa refuses to leave the Mess. Chakwas had forced her out of Medical - I need space to work, Commander, you can’t do anything for him. Be patient. - so she sat at the table, cup of coffee forgotten before her, eyes glued to the MedBay doors - an almost vicious glare that makes any nearby crew members scurry away.

Miranda mumbles about needing to get the salarian doctor, but already knows better than to say anything while Arisa’s in such a state.

So Willow takes a breath and pats her cousin on the shoulder, saying “I’m taking Jacob and Zaeed to get Mordin.”

Arisa only nods, and that’s enough - Willow’s paging both men as she heads for the armory, and they meet her there.

Jacob - as Arisa predicted - doesn’t mind her being in charge, and she’d been introduced to Zaeed as Second Squad Leader, so neither does he.

They suit up, grab their guns, and go.

The path to Mordin is about as rough as Willow had expected, plus the added concern of the plague. Thank God we’re all human, means I don’t have to worry about that as much.

She quickly loses count of how many vorcha they kill, rescuing one set of frightened refugees and scaring off a pair of looters. Eventually, they make it to Mordin himself - and Willow is immediately impressed by his inability to stop talking.

They’re done, she thinks… before the power suddenly goes off. And if she spends a moment cursing her head off, no one mentions it.

Willow takes a stupid amount of pleasure in mowing down the rest of the vorcha lurking in the Environmental Controls, only breathing a sigh of relief and relaxing once both fans are back on and Mordin’s sent them the all clear.

He agrees to join then, leaving his assistant Daniel in charge of the clinic - but hesitates just before they leave, sweeping a scan over her before she can stop him.

Mordin blinks then - a slow blink of understanding, perhaps a smidge of surprise - and makes a hmm noise.

Willow narrows her eyes in a glare, and the salarian gives an almost imperceptible nod, going off on a tangent about needing to get to work on the Collector problem - allowing her to relax.

Good. He won’t say anything. The last thing she needs is a nosey salarian spilling her secrets.

They make it back to the Normandy and Willow’s Omni is immediately blinking at her; a message from Arisa saying Come to MedBay ASAP.

Willow drops her guns and runs, not caring that she’s still in full armour, nearly punching the button for the Crew Deck once she’s in the elevator. Because that message could be read as good or bad, and she fears the worst.

She takes off the moment the doors open, ignoring the headache pounding behind her eyes as she lets the Mask slip in her panic, diving through the MedBay doors… and nearly collapsing in relief.

Arisa chuckles softly, and Garrus rubs the back of his head, uninjured mandible flaring in his own version of a grin.

“When we found you, I was ready to punch you,” Willow says, flashing a slightly hysterical grin, “The rocket beat me to it.”

There’s a moment of stunned silence, and Arisa looks like she’s angry-

Then a soft laugh comes from Garrus, followed by a louder one and then “Ow, Willow, don’t make me laugh, my face is barely holding together as it is.”

That makes them all laugh, comfortable and safe, carefree in the familiarity of each other.

Only later does Willow realize they’d been holding hands.

 Their next stop is the Citadel - they have another squadmate to pick up, and Anderson had wanted to see Arisa.

“It’ll be good to see him.” Arisa says, though there’s a tone of bitterness to her words, “And I know the Council wants to make sure it’s me. Hopefully, they’ll uphold my Spectre status.”

The bitterness is directed at the Council, Willow knows, and she sets a hand on Arisa’s shoulder and grips gently. “Let’s go.”

They meet with Kasumi first - a master thief who uses a nearby advertisement pole to talk to them - and once she’s been instructed to meet back at the Normandy, they head into Zakera Ward proper.

Willow almost has to laugh when the alarm goes off and the poor C-Sec officer stares at his console in confusion, “Sorry about that ma’am, your profile is coming up as… er. Deceased.”

“Technically, I was,” Arisa drawls, and Willow only shrugs when the turian gives her a pleading look.

“Just, uh, talk to Captain Bailey. He’ll get it sorted out.”

Willow leads the way in, managing to get out introductions before her old boss notices Garrus hanging back and lifts his brows.

“Vakarian, that you? Hell, we all thought you were dead.��

Arisa looks away, and Garrus coughs awkwardly, “Ah, yeah, sorry about that, Bailey. Had some… personal stuff to take care of. All done, now.”

“Well, good, and going by the fact that you’ve apparently come back from the dead, Commander, gonna say you need all the help you can get.” Bailey types something on his console, then nods, “There, all fixed. You’ve got more important things to do then piles of paperwork. And look after Garrus and Willow for me, Shepard. They were two of my best officers.”

Garrus coughs again, Willow looks away, and Arisa smirks. “You bet I will.”

Willow manages to say goodbye to Bailey before hesitating as they leave C-Sec, biting her lip. “Hey, Arisa, I’ll catch up with you guys after, okay?”

“Everything okay?”

“Just hankering for a good cup of coffee,” she says, shrugging, “Plus, I doubt the Council wants more people than necessary in the meeting. I’ll hang out at the cafe for a while.”

“Well, if you’re sure…”

Arisa looks so concerned that Willow laughs, managing a grin, “‘Risa, I lived on this station alone for two years. I can handle myself.”

That seems to settle her, and the redhead nods to Garrus and Miranda, leading them off to find transport.

Willow turns and heads for Zakera Cafe, sighing happily when the smell of coffee hits her the moment she steps inside the space.

She orders her drink - large coffee with 2 sugar, 2 milk - and looks for a seat once it’s ready, an easy task on what seems to be a fairly dead night.

Her gaze lands on the window seats and her mind drifts back to a night when it had been busy, just after Garrus’ disappearance on a night when she needed company, badly.

“You look as though you have lost yourself.”

Willow can remember his voice clear as day, and she heads for that same window seat, slipping onto the chair and resting the coffee on the bar, closing her eyes with a sigh.

It had been a long day, she remembers...

 Arisa had been gone for three months, Garrus had disappeared almost a week ago, and Willow felt near ready to collapse.

Work only helped so much - and on days like today, it only made the loneliness worse.

Zakera Cafe was packed - a new transport must have just arrived, because it was never this busy this time of night - and Willow cradled her coffee to her chest once it was done, turning to scour the room for a spare seat.

She was moving the moment she spotted one - one of the bar-style window seats, second from the right - approaching the man next to it with an air of caution and politely inquiring “Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

The man - a drell, surprisingly, not a species often seen on the Citadel - chuckled quietly, gesturing with his hand, “Please, have a seat. The Cafe is busy, tonight.”

“It is. Thank you.” Willow slipped into the seat, rested her elbows on the bar, and flipped open the lid on her coffee.

Then she stared at it, hands wrapped around it but not moving, lost momentarily in thoughts of Arisa, of Garrus, of everything.

“You look as though you have lost yourself.”

The words - spoken quietly, but with the tiniest hint of concern laced in the dual-toned voice - had snapped her from her thoughts, jerking up and flushing at having been caught.

“I…” she’d paused, managed to take a sip of her coffee, then tilted her head towards him, unsure.

“Your soul is in turmoil.” he said, and she remembered that drell were highly spiritual, wondered how much he could read by looking at her, “Some find that talking helps.”

It’s an offer to listen, she’d realised. An offer to just let her talk. And somehow it doesn’t matter that he’s a complete stranger, because he’s not asking for details, really, and she needs to just… vent.

“I lost my cousin.” Willow had paused, swallowed another mouthful of coffee, continued, “Three months ago. And then a good friend disappeared, recently. And it hurts. I couldn’t help. Couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t do anything.”

She doesn’t mention the breakdowns, the days after they’d gotten the news… the nights she’d shouted at the ceiling, at whatever Gods might be listening. ‘Why would you take her?! It should have been me! Arisa had her whole life ahead of her! You should have taken me!’

The drell was silent for a moment, leaving her to wallow in the pain, sipping at her coffee.

Then, as if he’d read her mind, “You think it would have been better, had you died instead. Your Soul is angry, because you find it unfair that your cousin died. You wish you could take their place.”

He’d paused, chuckling quietly at her startled face, “I know that pain. I too have lost a loved one and wondered why I was not taken instead. It seems unfair, that you should be left living, while they are gone.”

The drell had gone quiet, as though lost in his own world, and Willow had silently sipped her coffee, remembering something she’d read about the species having perfect memories - wondering if he was reliving some precious moment from years before.

“I cannot promise the pain will ever truly go away,” he’d said suddenly, turned just enough to give her a small, honest grin, “But it will, I think, become more bearable for you. Do not lose yourself to the grief.”

She’d been startled by how comforting the words were, allowing a small smile of her own, “I won’t.”

 The beeping of her omnitool draws Willow back to the present, firing off a quick response to Arisa’s We’re ready, meet back at the Normandy before slipping from the seat and heading out, coffee in hand.

She’d spent several hours in the cafe that night, speaking of little things with the drell; nothing else personal, just simple, mundane topics, things to keep her mind occupied.

They hadn’t exchanged names, and she’d never seen him again, though she’d kept an eye out. Funny how such a small, simple conversation with a stranger had kept her going, back then.

A very interesting, good looking stranger. Ah well.

Now here she was; both Arisa and Garrus returned, alive and (mostly) well, and she hoped that wherever the drell was, he was doing alright.

I’ll have to thank him, if I ever see him again. Not that that’s likely to happen.

 The Prison Ship Purgatory is a mess, and by the time they corner Jack and convince her to come with them, Willow’s about ready to climb the walls.

Or at least jump into a really, really hot shower; her skin still feels like it’s crawling hours after they’ve left.

Jack is a wild card and a loose cannon - but she doesn’t seem to care who’s leading missions as long as it isn’t Miranda, content to hang out in her hidey-hole on the lower decks.

Arisa and Willow both make efforts to connect, and both have differing outcomes.

Arisa probably comes off as a bit to ‘parental’ for Jack’s liking, at least at first, and the elder Shepard often looks frustrated after their talks.

Willow brings her black coffee in the morning and tells her to fuck off when she starts throwing insults, and Jack laughs and calms down, more at ease with the casual talk.

Arisa helps Zaeed track down an old enemy while Willow goes with Kasumi to a fancy party - one that requires a little black dress that she’s not surprised sent her cousin running.

“No wonder you chose Zaeed’s mission,” Willow grumps at her later, when they’ve both returned from the respective tasks and are chilling in the captain’s cabin, beers in hand.

Arisa only shrugs, hiding a smirk behind her beer.

They go after Doctor Okeer and end up returning with a perfect krogan in a tank, and Willow can’t believe she’s agreeing with Miranda that it might be better to leave the krogan asleep.

Arisa disappears for a while after that, and then shows up to dinner with the krogan following close behind her, smirking in that typical I did it my way suck it expression Arisa has as she heads for the fridge.

“This is Grunt,” the Commander introduces, being sure to tug Willow over before she can run away, “Grunt, this is Willow. She’s my Second. If I’m busy, and she takes you on a mission, you listen to her. Understood?”

Grunt steps in far closer than Willow would like, peers at her for a moment, then gives a ‘heh’ and nods, “Two Shepards, huh? Good to know. Better be strong.”

Willow only nods and bares her teeth right back, earning a howl of laughter from the krogan that apparently signifies acceptance.

Arisa receives a call from the Illusive Man immediately after dinner, and then they have a new destination; the colony on Horizon, where the Collectors are apparently headed next.

It’s Arisa and Garrus, she and Miranda, and Mordin assures them the augmentations to their armor should work, that it should negate the effects of the stinger swarms.

And Horizon… Horizon is a disaster. They’re too late.

They plow through the Collectors still slinking about - dodging and rolling when something called Harbinger makes its appearance - and Willow officially hates husks.

She discovers quickly that they’re weak in the legs, so she aims there when she charges, diving quickly out of range the moment they’re downed, letting the others handle the long range enemies.

They fight and they fight and they fight, and they still aren’t able to rescue the colonists from the ship before it takes off.

And to add insult to injury, Kaiden appears, and tears Arisa down, accusing her of betrayal, lying, treason, almost.

And Willow’s not sure whether it’s her fists clenched and glowing or Garrus’ angry growl that makes the other man tense, but Arisa turns a moment later and they’re leaving, getting the hell off of the now deserted colony.

Arisa disappears for a while once they’re back on the Normandy, and Willow takes a nap in the MedBay, letting Dr. Chakwas run several scans and tests while she sleeps.

When she wakes, the Doctor offers her a small smile, confirming what she’d already known: her illness is stagnant, not progressing or regressing, still there, still slowly killing her, but no faster than it had been before.

Willow just shrugs, nodding towards the Main Battery, “Has Arisa…?”

“She left the battery about ten minutes ago. She’s probably in her cabin, now.”

“Alright. Thanks, Doc.”

As the Doctor had thought, Arisa is in her cabin, laying on her bed with her arm over her eyes, frowning.

Willow just heads down the steps and plops down on the edge, hugging her cousin when she sits up. “You okay?”

“No.” Arisa sighs, returning the grip, “But I will be. Thanks.”

She pulls away and ruffles Willows hair after a few moments, making the younger laugh and swat at her hands.

“We’ve got more dossiers, more people to recruit. You up for it?”

“Always am.”

[ginbiscuit]

Same - vanguard!Shep, but loves a nice assault rifle. Can't shoot a sniper rifle for shit (and doesn't have the patience to try).

And let me tell you, all that sneaking and ducking and hiding during the Citadel DLC (right after crashing through the fish tank) was a trial on her patience. And mine.

“if you don’t let garrus win the shooting contest you’re a monster” if garrus wants to win the shooting contest his little turian ass can do two things and that’ 1) Git and 2) Gud

[erinprimette]

Shakarian Lyrical Nanoha AU Co-Writer Needed

The premise of this RP/Co-Writer request is Commander Shepard, whom I’m going to name Irene, who is not only the first human Spectre and the Commander of the Systems Alliance, but she also wields the Raising Heart and transforms into a magical girl. Come along as she solves the mystery of the ancient Devices and fights the Reapers.

I’m looking for a co-writer and I want to do so in the form of RP.

I hope to turn this prompt into a fanfic, and I’ll be happy to share credit.

Requirements: - Paragraph RP with at least a couple sentences at a minimum in third POV. - I prefer to RP in DMs be it Tumblr, Twitter, DeviantArt or Discord. - I always share canon characters in RP - You must have some talent in writing action scenes and romance scenes. - You must be mature enough to handle mature content and some dark content. - I’m going to take plenty of diversions from the Mass Effect canon. While I have some in mind, you’re welcome to think of some diversions you think are worth adding. - I’m not that familiar with both the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha or the Mass Effect universes, so researching about the lore is allowed and encouraged, that way some elements of Lyrical Nanoha can blend in with the Mass Effect universe naturally. - I have a list of Intelligent Devices from Lyrical Nanoha which I assigned to some Mass Effect characters. Let me know if you’re interested in more details.

Timezone: EST (Eastern Time Zone) Grammar: 1 - 10 (1 - Not caring, 10 - grammar Nazi) At least a 7 Times online to RP: It usually depends, so I’ll respond at any chance I get Strong language: I’m ok with strong language as long as you don’t overdo it

Irene Shepard would have the default appearance of female Shepard despite having a unique name. Likewise, her older brother, Ian Shepard, would also have his default appearance.

Name: Irene Shepard Gender: female Preferred Pronouns: She/Her Pre-Service: Colonist Psych Profile: War Hero and Sole Survivor Class: Vanguard Paragon or Renegade: Paragon

Here are the pairings for the crossover I thought of so far:

Irene Shepard/Garrus Vakarian Liara T'Soni/Jack Saren Arterius/Miranda Lawson Kaidan Alenko/Ashley Williams Ian Shepard/Urdnot Wrex Nihlus Kryik/Kelly Chambers Kasumi Goto/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

But most importantly, if you show interest, please verify your age in a private message first.

[ao3feed-mshenko]

Somewhere within the Inbetweens

by Salvarione

There is a thin line that we share between our world, and the next. An alternate reality. Some actions and choices have been altered slightly, or there will be content entirely made up but still centred around Kaiden and Male Shepard. WARNING: There is major spoilers please finish all three games to continue.

Words: 455, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Mass Effect Trilogy

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: M/M

Characters: John Shepard, Kaiden Alenko, Ashley Williams, Liara T'Soni, Wrex Urdnot - Character, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Garrus Vakarian, Jeff "Joker" Moreau, Saren Arterius, Nihlus Kryik, Captain Anderson, Karin Chakwas, More Characters to Come - Character, Reaper(s) (Mass Effect), Husk(s) (Mass Effect)

Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Male Shepard, Saren Arterius/Nihlus Kryik, Garrus Vakarian/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Javik/Liara T'Soni, David Anderson/Karin Chakwas, EDI/Jeff "Joker" Moreau, Urdnot Bakara | Eve/Urdnot Wrex, More pairings to come

Additional Tags: Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect Trilogy - Freeform, Drama, Angst and Drama, Psychological Drama, Slow Romance, Angst and Romance, Action/Adventure, LGBTQ Themes, LGBTQ Character, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Vanguard (Mass Effect), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Canon-Typical Violence, Slow Burn, Pre-Canon, Swearing, Paragon Shepard (Mass Effect), more tags to come, Spoilers

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/39661341

[angelwingsl3]

Mass Effect Challenge

Tagged by: @blueboxness

Tagging: @cristaldephoenix, @white-aster @kuraiummei @mordinette

I am a fan since: 2010

Favourite game of the series? ME2, the game that got me started

Mshep or Fshep? Generally FShep, but I’ve done a MShep playthrough too.

Earthborn, Colonist, or Spacer? Spacer, I like the Hannah option

Biotics or Tech? Biotics, obviously. 

Paragon or Renegade? Paragade. I’m nice to my crewmates and my Shep tends to be bitter with the rest of the world. 

Favourite Class? Vanguard

Favourite Companion? Garrus Vakarian.

Least Favourite Companion? Kaidan, I didn’t find his story compelling or his powers useful for my playstyle.

My Squad Selection:

ME1 - I mixed around a lot in ME1, Liara/Garrus was a fav

ME2 - Garrus and Miranda for the ultimate overload

ME3 - Back to basics with Liara/Garrus

Favourite in-game Romance: Garrus Vakarian. 

Favourite NPC: Wrex in ME2, I loved how happy he is to see Shep alive

Favourite Antagonist: TIM I love to hate you.

Favourite Mission: Dossier: Archangel 

Favourite Loyalty Mission: Tali’s in ME2, yelling at the quarians was too fun.

Favourite DLC: The Citadel DLC, this should have been in game from the start

Control, Synthesis or Destroy: Destroy. Always. 

Favourite Weapon: Omniblade

Favourite Place: The Citadel, it’s too gorgeous

Favourite Quote: “I hear Garrus has been calibrating more than the Normandy’s weapon system” - Liara.

[blueboxness]

Mass Effect Challenge

I was tagged by @shretl and @crackinglamb! Thanks you guys. 🥰

I’ll tag @angelwingsl3 @a-cosmic-elf @fasterpuddytat @dispatchwithlove @fogsblue @ballofbitter and anyone else who would like to play! No pressure. :3

I am a fan since: 2011

Favourite game of the series? ME3, without a doubt. Say what you will about the ending (and yes I will die on the happily ever after train thank you) this is the game that felt like family.

Mshep or Fshep? FemShep, always.

Earthborn, Colonist, or Spacer? Earthborn (I blame @shretl for this)

Biotics or Tech? Biotics, baby!

Paragon or Renegade? Paragon. I love some of the renegade interrupts in two because the writing is just so damn hilarious but my blood is blue.

Favourite Class? Vanguard (3), Infiltrator (2), Engineer (1) 😬

Favourite Companion? Garrus Vakarian.

Least Favourite Companion? There actually isn’t a companion that I dislike, but I am guilty of sticking with the same squad over and over (as you’ll see below.). I’d say Jacob and Ashley get the least use from me, but that’s just due to play style as well as my unabashed love of snarky characters.)

My Squad Selection: 

ME1 - Garrus and usually Wrex, Kaiden, or Tali

ME2 - Garrus and Thane

ME3 - Garrus and James, Kaiden, Liara

Favourite in-game Romance: Garrus Vakarian. I can hear your shocked gasps from all the way over here.

Favourite NPC: David “Daderson” Edward Anderson

Favourite Antagonist: TIM I love to hate you.

Favourite Mission: The Collector base. Can’t believe I forgot this. Ugh, Blue fail.

Favourite Loyalty Mission: Thane or Kasumi’s.

Favourite DLC: The Citadel DLC. I don’t care if it’s fanservice it makes my heart pitter-patter and I get all choked up at the end. 😭

Control, Synthesis or Destroy: Destroy.

Favourite Weapon: Wraith + Paladin (ME3), Black widow (ME2)

Favourite Place: The Normandy/ citadel or Virmire.

Favourite Quote: Oh gosh. So, so many. But I can narrow it down to two:

“Stand amongst the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer.” -Javik

“After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began.” -Tali