#valern tag

[onedismay]

Mass Effect Tag Game

Stole this thing from @messydiabolical. :)c Anyone is welcome to steal it from me as well!

-

I am a fan since: Forgot what year it was but I remember ME2 had already been out for a while before I bought ME1. But I caught up quickly and got to experience the release of the Arrival DLC in real time. :D

Favourite game of the series?: It's hard to pick between 1 and 2, but I'll say 2 because the concept of loyalty missions is MY JAM. Also ME2 is my favorite graphics-wise, it's got that high contrast I love so much. (hate the simplified skill trees though)

MShep or FShep?: Most of my Sheps are fSheps because the character creator for mSheps isn't versatile enough for me. :( Where's the long hair! Let me look impractical!

Earthborn, Colonist or Spacer?: I might slightly prefer Earthborn. I enjoy playing characters who've had a rough start in life and made some bad decisions, but grew up to become decent people anyway.

Biotics or Tech: Can't pick, I like variety!

Paragon or Renegade: peace for everybody in the galaxy :') But I reeeaally love the Renegade eyes so I do have some mean Sheps as well.

Favourite Class: I used to main the Infiltrator class but in my most recent run I really enjoyed the Adept. Hard to pick a favorite but I do know my favorite class is NOT the Sentinel, it always feels clunky to me somehow.

Favourite Companion: Tali or Javik. Kaidan and Thane are nearby too. Tali's character development feels very natural and wonderful to me on every playthrough and I always love to see it. Javik is a fave because he's haunted and completely alone and that combo always hooks me like, I MUST see to it that this sad man has at least one nice thing in his life.

Least favourite Companion: It's the writers' fault but Liara. It gets really old when the same companion treats you like her love interest in all 3 games no matter what. I haaaate forced hugs in roleplaying games, don't put me through that, it'll ruin the character for me.

My squad selection: In my most recent playthrough it was unsurprisingly Javik and Tali. But I also ran with Vega quite often in the early game and I kinda missed him in the end game, haha.

Favourite In-game romance: Kaidan, especially with mShep because I really enjoy a slow burn of several years. 🔥

Other pairings I like: I am motioning at my blog and presenting to you Tazzik and the Shadow Broker...... no i don't have anything else to offer at this time

Favourite NPC: I like all these shady-ass salarians like Anoleis and Jaroth and Maelon and Linron (yes) (no i'm not defending her, i just find mean characters interesting sometimes) and Chorban and probably others. Valern isn't all that shady but still a fave. Charn! And Balak, I always look forward to finding out how my Shepard reacts to him. Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib I always loved you and I knew you were the best admiral before ME3 ever happened

Favourite Antagonist: the Shadow Broker, I was so into the mystery in ME1 and man I was not disappointed when we got the reveal. I would have loved to learn more about his early life.

Favourite Mission: ME2's Suicide Mission because I lovvve how it's a culmination of all your previous actions. It felt really scary and chaotic on my first playthrough and like anything could happen. Now I know all the mechanics so nothing surprises me, but I still look forward to seeing every little detail play out.

Favourite Loyalty Mission: Tali. Also Mordin. And Samara, ugghhh I love Omega and I love playing bait uwu

Favourite DLC: Hmmm I love about half of LotSB very much but I might like Bring Down the Sky more as a whole? The mood is great, it's not super long, and nothing about it annoys me. :D I've only played the Leviathan DLC once so far so I'm not confident enough to call it a fave yet but I liked it a lot, too.

Control, Synthesis or Destroy: I just wanted an ending where we finally talk the Reapers down and they go "yeah u right actually, let's not fight anymore. :( handshake?". All this star child borderline magic stuff is kinda goofy to me. I've picked Destroy almost every time tho.

Favourite Weapon: Recently enjoyed the Blood Pack Executioner... Historically I've probably used the Widow the most. Also I LOVE the way the Revenant looks but I can't stand using it myself lmao. My hand hurts just thinking about it.

Favourite Place: nnnoooo there's so many good places. I adore the Shadow Broker's ship, first of all. Such a cool concept. Noveria for the snow and miserable people. Feels like home. I loved visiting the Migrant Fleet! But my absolute favorite place is probably Omega because it's so rough yet there's still a weird sense of community.

A quote I like: The first that came to mind is "I have a home." Idk, I don't really remember quotes unless they're repeated over and over and by that point I start hating them.

[sparatus]

ME Big Bang 2023

Words: 16,275 Chapters: 4/4 Rating: G Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy Characters: Sparatus (Mass Effect), Tevos (Mass Effect), Valern (Mass Effect), Quentius (Mass Effect), Esheel (Mass Effect), Irissa (Mass Effect), Saren Arterius, Original Mass Effect Character(s) Additional Tags: Politics, Alien Politics, Political Intrigue, Mass Effect Big Bang 2023, Background Relationships, Background Canon/OC Summary: Disagreement and debate is a normal, healthy part of the Council’s decision-making process. But when the red flags start flying around the question of a human Spectre, one councilor finds out you can only stack so many skeletons in the closet before the door won’t close.

>> READ ON AO3 &lt;<

it's been 85 years SURPRISE it's posting day so i can finally reveal what i was working on for the MEBB this year!! we're going back to my original bullshit, lads, way back before the kryterius and the desabrudas and the palavenian worldbuilding - that's right, it's time for some NoisyNoiverns Brand Political Machinations™️!!

"is this another vehicle for your propag-" shhhhshshsh just read it, have you no faith in me

i was partnered with the absolutely INCREDIBLE @onedismay as my artist for this, and i'm so so so thrilled about what she put together!! it was awesome getting to work with you on this, and i apologize in advance for how many times i'm about to rb your piece <3 everybody look at it, look look look [<- edited to add link to the full art piece!!!]

[outpost51]

Find The Word Tag

tagged over here by @writernopal (tysm!!!!!)

my words: falter, leap, faith, leaf, sky

tagging: @uraniumwriting, @sam-glade, @sparatus, @fenrir-kin, @comeoniwantacoolname

your words: pitch, aid, brother, relief, ceiling

falter

from Blinding Neon, Shades of Grey, Chapter 6: Catch

Bonnie’s grin does falter at that; his ears droop with a quiet whirr. “What made you look into your dad?”

leap

from Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Chapter 17: How to Mistakenly Assume You Have Everything Under Control

Yeah, not likely. I narrowly dodged an undulating blue wave that caught an unsuspecting vorcha in Stasis. “I’ll go home when I’m ready!” I shouted, rolling behind a trash bin Citrio Lifted like it was fucking nothing. I swung myself around the corner into the alley and quickly climbed up the closest building’s maintenance ladder. It had been a while since I hopped my way around rooftops, but after stumbling twice, I fell back into the rhythm: vault the artigrav generator, slide to the other end, grab the edge, hang down, kick off the wall, grab the next ladder, climb, vault over the edge, roll to the other side — step by step, leap by leap, I carefully calculated my jumps, dodging the flashes of blue cast up at me from the ground. I knew he wouldn’t follow me up there, former street kid or not. His talons were too nice. Torch probably would have followed me, though, and suddenly I was even more grateful she’d given up when she did.

faith

from Stellar Parallax, Chapter 5: A Matter of Pride

Valern and Tevos shared a look, then she spoke up. “If humans are to join with Council space, regardless of where we draw the border, their territory will be touching the Terminus, and the wholesale slaughter of a colony is… a rather slippery slope. What’s to stop them from escalating if we don’t show these attackers that the humans are under our protection? What faith would the volus, the elcor, and the hanar have in us then? We can spare an agent or two to help them in the wake of this tragedy.” She nodded to herself. “At the very least, the presence of Spectres will be a sufficient deterrent.”

leaf

from Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Chapter 19: This is Everything I Never Wanted

Pudge came thundering into the clearing with more gusto than I thought such a round beast was capable of — his claws gouged deep furrows in the soft earth beneath the leaf litter as he also realized he was going far too fast and tried to throw on the brakes. He, too, hit a tree trunk with a harsh crack, but shook it off just as quickly. Leaves were still raining down from the canopy as another creature emerged from the shadows. It was then I remembered there was a second shatha, as if one notorious killer in the household wasn’t enough. This one was far slinkier than Pudge, sleek and skinny and crawling low to the ground.

sky

from Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Chapter 20: Dissent/Descent

“Dumbass,” she chuffed and finally looked away, watching the clouds roll across the sky. “Snuck out of the barracks every night just in case you showed up.” “Why?” “Because I like you, dipshit, why else?”

[ao3feed-mshenko]

Keeping a Galaxy Right

by Normalguy

This is Part 2 of my story Putting a Galaxy Right Again. Six months have passed and with relays coming back online, Councilor Shepard and his intrepid crew must take stock of the galaxy.

Words: 1395, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of Putting a Galaxy Right Again

Fandoms: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect - All Media Types

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Kaidan Alenko, Kaidan Alenko's Mother, Male Shepard (Mass Effect), Shepard (Mass Effect), Jeff "Joker" Moreau, EDI (Mass Effect), Thane Krios, Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Steve Cortez, James Vega, Kolyat Krios, Armando-Owen Bailey, Kasumi Goto, Steven Hackett, Urdnot Wrex, Urdnot Bakara | Eve, Grunt (Mass Effect), Chloe Michel, Sparatus (Mass Effect), Tevos (Mass Effect), Valern (Mass Effect), Diana Allers, Samantha Traynor

Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Male Shepard, Thane Krios/Male Shepard, EDI/Jeff "Joker" Moreau, Garrus Vakarian/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Steve Cortez/James Vega, Jack | Subject Zero/Miranda Lawson

Additional Tags: Post-Canon Fix-It, Destroy Ending (Mass Effect), Fluff, Light Angst, Grief/Mourning, Domestic Fluff, Porn With Plot, Emotional Hurt/Comfort

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/43994865

[call-me-schmidt]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Mass Effect, Pacific Rim (2013) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Female Shepard (Mass Effect), Garrus Vakarian, Donnel Udina, Valern (Mass Effect), Liara T'Soni, Karin Chakwas, Miranda Lawson, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Mass Effect Ensemble Additional Tags: Giant Robots Summary:

It somehow missed the attention of the Galaxy that Humanity's giant fighting robots weren't a myth and that the Jaeger Program was, in fact, alive and well.

Featuring an obliviously awesome Humanity and everyone else asking, "What made you think that was a good idea?!"

[notsogreathornedowl]

me: i wanna play me1

val: doesn’t the prologue take like 2 hours to complete

val: also don’t you hate me1 because of kin reasons

val: and because of various other reasons related to your general impatience

me: are you trying to convince me not to play

val: no by all means go ahead i just want to make sure i know what i’ll be hearing complaints about for the next several hours

[autistic-council-spectre]

for @councilweek day one was salarians! so we have an Aesthetic board type thing ft our fav salarian councilor valern

as a side note it was hard to not put this pic

@thecouncilwasright

[acciokaidanalenko]

WIP Wednesday Whenever

I got tagged by a few people (@screwyouflightlieutenant @ficbrish @ljandersen) for WIP Wednesday & Whenever, and I'm just now getting around to it! So sorry, y'all 😬 I appreciate the tag though! So I dug through my WIPs and went with a soft little moment post-coup attempt, from the next chapter of my "Breakfast" fic.

“Hey, Kaidan. You okay?” Shepard asked, resisting the urge to reach out and grab his hand. After everything that had happened today she craved his calming touch. His eyes searched her face for a clue as to what Bailey had told her.

“Yeah, I’m good, Nat. Don’t worry about me. Something’s wrong with you though.” It wasn’t a question. She knew he had watched her during her short chat with Bailey. She was sure he had read her body language, as only he could. Her eyes burned and she looked away from him as her hand flew up to her face to wipe away the tears that began to fall.

“Uh, yeah. Thane’s in surgery. He protected Valern from that Cerberus assassin and got injured during the fight. I’m going to Huerta to check in on him and keep his son company. Not sure how long his surgery will be, but I don’t want Kolyat to be alone like that. I’ll let you know when he’s out and we can meet up? I know we need to talk after what just happened here, but it’s going to have to wait, Kaidan. I’m so sorry,” Shepard explained quickly, her chest tightening as she spoke.

Kaidan reached for her hand and squeezed it gently, his expression full of sympathy as his warm, golden-brown eyes scanned her face. Shepard could feel his biotics even through their gloves and the sensation helped calm her. The familiarity of him was a comfort. She felt the tightness in her chest loosen as she focused on the sensation of his hand gripping hers.

“Nat, I understand. Go to him. Do what you need to do. I’ll be waiting for you,” Kaidan said gently as he tugged against her hand, pulling her closer to him so their bodies were mere inches apart.

Kaidan’s other hand reached toward her face and cradled delicately against her cheek. She leaned into the gesture, pressing her hand against his and letting out a gentle hum. More tears brimmed in her eyes at his soft gestures. Shepard felt grateful that their relationship had gotten to where it had after everything they’d been through.

He wiped away an escaped tear and kissed her forehead before resting his own against it, looking into her blue eyes. He noticed they were a few shades darker than normal; a result of her inner turmoil. Shepard closed her eyes and breathed in his familiar scent, relishing his biotic aura as it mingled with hers. After a few moments she pulled away from him, a gentle smile on her lips.

“Thank you, Kaidan,” she whispered before she reached up to kiss him. It was soft and affectionate, full of tenderness.

[rosebud1773]

So it begins...

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, James Vega/Original Female Turian Character(s), Nihlus Kryik/Solana Vakarian, EDI & Jeff "Joker" Moreau, Kal'Reegar/Tali'Zorah vas Normandy Characters: Female Shepard (Mass Effect), Garrus Vakarian, Mordin Solus, Urdnot Wrex, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Steve Cortez, Steven Hackett, Space Hamster, Grunt (Mass Effect), Jack | Subject Zero, Male Shepard (Mass Effect), Zaeed Massani, Thane Krios, David Anderson (Mass Effect), Kahlee Sanders, Kaidan Alenko, Karin Chakwas, Castis Vakarian, Ashley Williams, Rachni Queen, Adrien Victus, Original Asari Character(s), Chellick (Mass Effect), Tevos (Mass Effect), Sparatus (Mass Effect), Valern (Mass Effect), Solana Vakarian, Garrus Vakarian's Mother, Urdnot Bakara | Eve, Shadow Broker, Original Krogan Character(s), Original Turian Character(s), Original Salarian Character(s), Kal'Reegar (Mass Effect) Additional Tags: Epic Friendship, Epic, Epic Love, Epic Battles, Romance, Love, Alien Sex, Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Alternate Universe, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, Shower Sex, Violence, Action/Adventure, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Fluff and Humor, Angst, Drama, Near Death Experiences, Near Death, Gunshot Wounds, Blood and Gore, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex Series: Part 6 of Welcome to the Snark Side: A Shakarian Trip Summary:

The war is over. Shepard saved us all. She beat the odds and sent the Reapers back to hell. It's time to rebuild. Rebuild our worlds, our galactic society... our lives. As the rest of the galaxy looks to the future with new hope, I'm wondering... are you out there somewhere? Did you somehow survive? It is... an awfully empty galaxy... without you.

- Garrus Vakarian

[sparatus]

AO3 Meme

tagged by @commander-krios, thank you!!

Rules: Give us the links to your wonderful words with the most hits, most kudos, most comments, most bookmarks, most words, and least words.

so, uh. we gotta do things a lil special cause i have one fic that ticks literally all but the last of those boxes:

Broken Mirror

Mass Effect no-Reapers AU, Matteo Shepard takes on a manhunt for a mysterious all-human team responsible for the slaughter of an archaeological dig team on Eden Prime. Hits: 7,173 Kudos: 119 Comments: 215 Bookmarks: 40 Words: 333,891

... so apparently if you haven't read BM yet, ig the stats say you really should, lol.

Most Hits: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Twilight spite fic. Bella goes to Hell and is judged for her crimes. Hits: 1,537

this is from 2013 and i was intentionally mimicking smeyer's writing style. don't read it. i can write so much better than that.

Most Kudos: Coffee & Cuddling

Mass Effect, FShiara. Exactly what it says on the tin. Kudos: 105

this was a gift piece for holiday harbinger back in 2016. i have no memory of writing it.

Most Comments: In the Land of Giants

Mass Effect no-Reapers AU, sequel to Broken Mirror. Shepard and Nihlus continue the hunt for Cerberus, leading them out into the Terminus systems. Comments: 39

gently grips your shirt collar and pulls you down uncomfortably close to my face. read my no-reapers au.

Most Bookmarks: To Catch a Rabbit

Mass Effect, Kryterius. Saren and Nihlus have to solve the murder of a primarch. Bookmarks: 16

read this one also. the mystery is a lot more intense than it sounds this is one of my favorite wips even if i keep meandering away

Most Words: Mercy

Mass Effect, OC-centric. Thie'Haasn rejoins the Migrant Fleet, Axilus in tow, and everything seems fine. It is not. Words: 136,380

have i mentioned recently we're rewriting this series. because we are. the series is from like 2014 we're better writers now. i missed axilus so much i am so sorry for how much additional trauma i'm about to give him

Least Words: A Special Kind of Dread

Mass Effect, Councilor Sparatus & Councilor Valern. Valern checks on Sparatus after dispatching Shepard to Menae. Words: 678

remember when all i posted was one-shots looking at the councilors and what they got up to off-camera. baby sparky. not quite ierian yet. still needed time in the character development oven

tagging @thetrashbagswasteland, @autistic-council-spectre, @threewhiskeylunch, @nightmarestudio606, @dandenbo, and anybody else who wants to idk who's all been tagged or done it already so if you have just ignore me lol

[councilweek]

Hey everyone, it’s about time for Council Week!

This is a week for spreading positivity about the Council -- that can mean edits, fanart, fanfiction, manips, gifs, renders, music, videos, or even just text posts sharing your headcanons or things you like about them! Please @ this blog in your posts, use the tag #councilappreciationweek in the first five tags, or send a link directly to this blog, and we’ll reblog or post it for everyone to see!

All eight possible councilors are allowed, as well as any ambassadors or other diplomats of any species from the games, novels, or comics. As a refresher, or if you don’t know them already:

The original councilors from ME1 are Tevos (asari), Valern (salarian), and Sparatus (turian).

The new councilors, if you didn’t save the Ascension in ME1, are Irissa (asari), Esheel (salarian), and Quentius (turian).

The two possible human councilors are Donnel Udina and David Anderson. Because this is Council Week, please keep discussion of Anderson specific to his time as a councilor!

Some known ambassadors and diplomats include: the turian ambassador Orinia (first name unknown, from the novels); the human ambassador Dominic Osoba; the volus ambassador Din Korlack; the elcor ambassador Calyn and diplomat Xeltan; and the hanar diplomats Bolohn, Oloon, and Zymandis (Zymandis is the indoctrinated hanar from Jondum Bau’s ME3 sidequest). It is also implied the unnamed turian woman from Garrus’s scene in the Citadel DLC is a diplomat of some sort.

Rules:

Play nice. We all know the Council isn't the most popular bunch in the games. This is meant to be a week of positivity, so keep negative thoughts to yourself, especially derisive comments or jokes on their role and/or actions in the game. Discussion of tragic events and death is allowed, but keep it respectful, and don’t devolve into an essay on why it’s for the best that they die or anything to that effect. Remember the old adage, "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Be mindful. Your opinions on the Council are not universal. Your least favorite might very well be someone else's absolute favorite, and some things that you enjoy may make others uncomfortable. Be kind to everyone involved, and tag your posts appropriately.

Keep it clean. NSFW is allowed, but it must be tagged as such, and preferably kept under a read more. Anything particularly explicit will not be reblogged.

Reblogs are not guaranteed. The host reserves the right to not post or reblog content that does not adhere to the rules.

Prompts:

*There is, of course, no pressure to follow these prompts if you don't want to. They're just meant to serve as inspiration, thus why many of them overlap in places.

Day 1, July 9: Salarians. What's it like for Valern as the councilor, being male when salarian politics are female-dominated? How does Esheel settle into her new position? How do they get along when both are alive?

Day 2, July 10: Life in the Embassies. What does their daily routine look like? How many meetings are there a week? How do the embassies and policies differ by species, and how do they all interact?

Day 3, July 11: Asari. How long has Tevos been councilor? What's Irissa's attitude towards Shepard? Did either of them know about the beacon on Thessia?

Day 4, July 12: Backgrounds. Did any of them have careers before politics, or have they been in it from the word go? What made them decide to go all the way to the galactic level? How did they get the position?

Day 5, July 13: Turians. Was Sparatus councilor during Shanxi, or did he get the job later? How does Quentius react to the Ascension tragedy? Are they friends, or rivals?

Day 6, July 14: Off-Duty. What do they like to do for fun? How do they relax? Do they hang out together outside of work, or do they avoid each other at all costs?

Day 7, July 15: Humans. How did Anderson get along with the other councilors? Why did Goyle retire, and why was Udina picked for the job? Impressions on their first days on the job?

That’s about it. Remember, keep Anderson content specific to his time as councilor, don’t be a jerk, and the tag is #councilappreciationweek. Have fun!

[proserpine-in-phases]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Tevos/Valern, Tevos & Valern Characters: Tevos (Mass Effect), Valern (Mass Effect) Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Family Member Death, it's a war kids!, I channeled a lot of my political anxiety into this I'm sorry Summary:

The reapers could never have invaded. The Council allied races could never have been torn apart by political strife. Palavan could never have fallen, the batarian hegemony could never have been destroyed, Earth could never have been occupied, Thessia--

Thessia--

Tevos faces the loss of Thessia.

hey I wrote a thing

[ao3feed-mshenko]

Putting a Galaxy Right Again

by Normalguy

Shepard survived and the Reapers are dead, so now what? Join Shepard and his friends as he embarks on the hardest fight he'll ever face, serving on the Council.

  This is my first ever fan fic, but the Idea has been bumping around for a long time and I've been inspired by all the great stories I've read on here. I've already got about 10 chapters done but I'll be releasing weekly. Please give me honest critical feedback (or tell me you love it).

thanks for reading.

Words: 1836, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect - All Media Types

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Male Shepard (Mass Effect), Kaidan Alenko, Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Liara T'Soni, Karin Chakwas, Miranda Lawson, James Vega, Kasumi Goto, Kolyat Krios, Urdnot Wrex, Steve Cortez, Valern (Mass Effect), tavos

Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Male Shepard, Garrus Vakarian/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

Additional Tags: Post-Canon Fix-It, Destroy Ending (Mass Effect), Fluff, Light Angst, Grief/Mourning, Domestic Fluff

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/40381797

[garrus-vakarus]

Chapters: 1/5 Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Nihlus Kryik/Female Shepard Characters: Female Shepard (Mass Effect), Nihlus Kryik, Sparatus (Mass Effect), Tevos (Mass Effect), Valern (Mass Effect), David Anderson, Donnel Udina, Saren Arterius Additional Tags: ex Saren/Nihlus, Nihlus Lives, AU, Partnership, Action/Adventure, Relationship(s), Fluff, Smut Series: Part 1 of Nihlus Lives Summary:

Part 1 of a Nihlus Lives AU

Shepard is granted Spectre Status three years after her bravery on Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz. She's assigned a mentor in veteran Spectre and shameless flirt, Nihlus Kryik, both as a means of guiding the first human Spectre to succeed in her tasks, and as a means of improving Turian-Human relations.

Five chapters exploring the development of their relationship from Spectre partners to lovers over four years, building up to Part 2 - an altered ME1 timeline

OOPS! I posted it! It may update slightly slower than my other fics but I was too excited to not post it :)

[excessiveturianflexing]

Chapters: 167/? Fandom: Mass Effect Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Saren Arterius/Nihlus Kryik, Saren Arterius/Nihlus Kryik/Garrus Vakarian, Saren Arterius/Garrus Vakarian, Nihlus Kryik/Garrus Vakarian Characters: Nihlus Kryik, Garrus Vakarian, Saren Arterius, Garrus Vakarian's Father, Garrus Vakarian's Mother, Solana Vakarian, Original Characters, Female Shepard (Mass Effect), Shepard (Mass Effect), Hannah Shepard, David Anderson, Tevos (Mass Effect), Sparatus (Mass Effect), Valern (Mass Effect), Jondum Bau, Tela Vasir, Thane Krios, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Kaidan Alenko, Rahna (Mass Effect), Vyrnnus (Mass Effect), Urdnot Wrex, Aleena (Mass Effect), Aria T'Loak, Liselle (Mass Effect), Ashley Williams, Sarah Williams (Mass Effect), Lynn Williams, Abby Williams, Mrs. and Mr. Willaims, Male Shepard (Mass Effect), Reapers (Mass Effect), Geth Character(s) Additional Tags: Casual Sex, badassery, Friendship, Slow Burn, Recreational Drug Use, Alcohol, Suicidal Thoughts, Very slightly AU, mostly canon compliant, Aged-Up Character(s), turian culture, Alien Culture, Slice of Life, Action/Adventure, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Nihlus Likes To Blow Things Up, Sociopathy, Pseudoscience, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Child Abuse, Familicide, Author is a super-geek who adds way too much nerdcraft between the gun fights and smut, Religious Fanaticism, Mercy Killing, Saren is a sucker for good architecture, Implied/Referenced Sexuality and Intercourse as a Weapon, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance, calibrations, Rough Sex, Tenth Street Reds, Awkward N7s, Knife/Blade Kink, Oral Fixation, Terrorism, Torture, Blackwatch, Arson, Nature, War, Gun nerding, Shepard Siblings, Stress Baking, Far too much math, Mental Instability, C-Sec, Detective Work Summary:

Garrus Vakarian in canon seemed personally enraged about Saren's actions on Eden Prime. A colony slaughtered. A Spectre dead. Geth, everywhere. He dropped everything to see justice done when the opportunity presented itself. That's not normal, not unless the losses and betrayals were personal. Maybe they were. Maybe... they were very personal.

Begins the tale of Mass Effect just a little early, starting in 2167. T-16 years until Eden Prime.

A story of talented people who aren't exactly whole inside, but find those missing pieces in the warm regard of unexpected friends. Misadventure. Mass murder. Boring Council meetings. The mental dissonance of living above the law. Caffeine addictions. Spectre missions. The people behind the legends. Bullets. Many, many bullets.

@spectre-of-steel

[acciokaidanalenko]

WIP Whenever ❤

Thanks so much to @halesshepardn7 @tealenko & @ficbrish for the tag!!

I've been kind of struggling with writing lately, but here's a bit of the next chapter of Breakfast I managed to get done a few days ago:

The door hissed shut once again, leaving only Kaidan and Shepard on the shuttle pad. Kaidan stood tall, but his expression was soft as her eyes fell on him. He hadn’t moved from the spot she’d left him in when Bailey had arrived. He had waited so patiently for her attention. She hated that she had to rush off, but she knew Thane couldn’t wait. Her feet shuffled against the ground as she slowly walked toward him, stopping an arm’s length away. “You okay?” she asked simply, resisting the urge to reach out and grab his hand. After everything that had happened today, she craved his calming touch. His warm eyes searched her face for a clue as to what Bailey had told her. “Yeah, I’m good, Nat. Don’t worry about me. Something’s wrong with you though.” It wasn’t a question. She knew he’d seen her reaction to what Bailey had said. She knew he’d be able to read her body language, as only he could. Her eyes burned as the worry for the other man she loved overwhelmed her. She turned her head away as her hand flew up to wipe away the tears as they began to fall. “Thane’s in surgery. He protected Valern from that Cerberus assassin and got injured during the fight. I’m going to Huerta to check in on him, and keep his son company. I’m not sure how long the surgery will be, but Kolyat shouldn’t have to be alone,” she explained, her voice wavering through the tears that kept falling down her cheeks. She jumped slightly as Kaidan’s hand landed softly against her face. He led her to meet his gaze. She let out a quiet sob as she saw his sympathetic expression. He brought his other hand up to rest on her other cheek, wiping away the tears. Shepard closed her eyes and focused on the sensation of his aura against her skin. The familiar tingling comforted her.