liminally-challenged

[liminally-challenged]

I have absolutely no artistic ability but here's a little photo-dump of my Shepard, Grace! I didn't use any mods on her, so I was a bit limited in my ability to create her, but I think she turned out really well.

Right to left, top to bottom:

-What I envision an ID photo or headshot would look like.

-Talking to/Looking at someone taller than her (Turians, Krogans, Hackett, and humans taller than 5'6 ish)

-Looking at someone she really cares about (Anderson, her Squad). The way her eyes look in that shot reminds me of that type of sentiment.

-Calculating odds, the look she gets when she's stuck in her thoughts about her past or potential future (I describe it a few times in my fics as flashbacks)

-Looking at someone she doesn't like very much (Jacob, Udina, etc...)

[liminally-challenged]

The Geth and the Gunnery Chief (9)

Read more here: Master Post Additionally: Thank you to @lesbianatlarge, @lukedanger, and @camalyng for assisting me with research for all Ashley Williams-related interactions, plotlines, and characterization.

They moved through Eden Prime without resistance, constantly sweeping for more drones. Strangely, though, there was no sign a battle had gone on at all. There weren't any bodies, no corpses littered across the ground. It wasn't anything like Akuze, where you couldn't step without feeling fingers or ribs under your boots. She heard later that the pilot had been in therapy for months after he picked her up, and Anderson had threatened to send her back to therapy when she'd laughed.

"No need, man. I'm fixed."

"Don't call me 'man', Shepard."

"What should I call you then? You aren't my Commander or my Captain, Anderson is too stuffy, David is too informal...I could always go with Dad for all the fussing you do-"

"Shepard."

"Anderson."

"Shepard!" That was a different voice.

She snapped out of the flashback, immediately looking down her rifle scope. "Company?"

"Gunshots coming this way, ma'am," Kaidan said, his eyes fixed squarely on hers. "You okay?"

"It's nothing you don't already know, Lieutenant."

His mouth opened, his brows knitting.

"Leave it," She said, shouldering her rifle and moving positions. "We'll talk later if you want. Something's coming."

She heard boots thudding on the ground over the ridge, and she brought her sniper rifle back up. "Holy shit."

"What is it?"

She turned to look at him, eyes wild. He was going to think she was insane. "It's the geth."

"The geth? They haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly 200 years."

"Wait...there's a soldier down there. Move."

It was a woman, firing on drones from her back. She hit both of them dead-on, but it wasn't going to be enough. There were geth troopers stomping towards her, raising their guns. Grace saw the bodies now, impaled on spikes around the site. What purpose could that serve? The geth are AI; no amount of sadism seemed possible.

They dispatched the geth fairly easily, shredding the metal and leaving them twisted and broken, lights flickering and dying.

"Thanks for the help, Commander," The woman said, taking Shepard's outstretched hand. "Ashley Williams, Gunnery Chief for the 212."

"You wounded, Williams?"

"Some minor scrapes and bruises, a few burns, nothing serious. The rest of my team wasn't so lucky."

"Where are they?"

"We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit...they killed our communications and we couldn't get a distress signal off. We tried to double back to the beacon but walked straight into an ambush. I...I think I'm the only one left."

"The geth?"

Williams nodded, then pointed over the horizon. "The dig site is that way. The beacon could still be there."

"Might as well check it out," Kaidan agreed, nodding. "Commander?"

"Move out. Williams, welcome to the team."

[liminally-challenged]

Little Update

I am going to write the next installment in my ME series but I'm currently doing research because it's been like 2 and a half games since I even thought about Ashley Williams and tbh I'm scared I'm going to mess up her character. So stay tuned! But not too tuned! However tuned you feel is appropriate is fine!

[liminally-challenged]

“whos dat gurl?” “OH SHIT ITS SHEPARD!!”

[liminally-challenged]

Tomb Raider is ACTUALLY about family, I think. 10/10 game

Tomb Raider is really just falling and climbing huh.

[liminally-challenged]

The untapped potential of an earthborn Shepard who didn't attend school, can only do the basics (reading, writing, basic math, simple understanding of concepts taught in more advanced science and history classes, bolstered with life experience)...but their critical thinking skills are off the charts. Their people skills are even better. Shepard never took driver's ed (evidenced by the MAKO) but Shepard could talk you into giving them your car. Shepard doesn't know algebra 1 but watch them blow up a head from an incredible distance away using trigonometry they taught themself with a bb gun, a flight of stairs, and some empty cans. Shepard couldn't pass a chemistry test, but they can blow things up no problem, just hand them those colorful bottles and a lighter. Something here is fuel for sure.

[liminally-challenged]

We don't talk enough about Jack Barlowe. He's not just a mean-spirited guy who serves as a plot device for Violet to overcome or an early antagonist. By all rights, the people that end up/were closest to Violet are the antagonists of early-book Fourth Wing (Xaden is actively resisting killing her and only really stops when his life hangs in the balance, although we find out later that was more for show and Dain is trying to keep her safe at the cost of her agency). But Jack Barlowe is so cruel and sadistic that even his choice of powers reflects this. He causes pain simply by touching people and uses it in sparring because he can. He's an honest to God madman and conniving traitor, and he's capable of turning his back on his own dragon in the pursuit of more power. I feel like not enough people feel near the level of alarm that I felt when he was revealed to be venin, especially after knowing Nolon was ordered to heal him. This implies that venin are in the higher reaches of authority at Basgiath, and that they wanted Jack for some reason. Beyond that, we know that a group of Venin attempted to break him out of the cell, for reasons still unknown to us. We don't know his signet, or if he still has one, but we know he's important to the venin and we know he's a sycophant.

I think we need to be talking more about Jack Barlowe.

[liminally-challenged]

Shakedown (8)

Read more here: Master Post

There was an art to getting your fellow soldiers killed, and Shepard felt like fucking Michaelangelo. She'd been the one to wave Jenkins forward, and she'd been the one to send him straight to his death. Guilt unfurled through her chest, constricting her breathing and narrowing her vision as they fired on the drones.

"I've never seen drones like that," Kaidan said in the silence as they hurried over to the body of their comrade. He knelt over the body, closing his eyes gently. "Shepard?"

"What?" She snapped, then immediately caught herself. "What?"

Jenkins looked slightly better with his eyes closed; she no longer felt his gaze on her. The air was thick with death and burning earth. The smoke stung her eyes. Was it the smoke?

"He never had a chance. That could've been me, or you. It was in his nature to charge ahead...into the frying pan and into the fire, y'know? All I'm saying is...don't blame yourself too much."

A slow nod. Twice.

"We'll make sure he gets a proper burial once we're done here. For now, we move on. Since it's just the two of us, we'll have to flank any enemy groups. Use your biotics to set up a front and I'll slide in behind them. We can't afford to get pinned without support. Understood?"

"Loud and clear, ma'am. Let's do this."

She nodded once more, for good measure. "Let's do this."

[liminally-challenged]

Tomb raider is actually just babysitting a bunch of people older than you while they complain at you WHILE you're falling and climbing

Tomb Raider is really just falling and climbing huh.

[liminally-challenged]

Put Sawyer and Garrick in a room and what you get is the world's first gun

[liminally-challenged]

Tomb Raider is really just falling and climbing huh.

[liminally-challenged]

The Crew (7)

Read more here: Master Post

The airlock doors whooshed open and she stepped out behind Anderson, trying very hard to conceal her excitement. The ship was laid out much the same as any other frigate, Anderson had explained, with the cockpit at the front and the subsequent living areas and utility rooms towards the back on various levels.

"Head on up to the cockpit, Commander. I believe Nihlus wants a word, and Joker should be up there as well."

"Joker?"

"The pilot I was telling you about."

She nodded, making her way to stand beside the turian. She hadn't stood next to many of them, and was always a bit put off by how tall they were.

"You must be Nihlus."

"Commander Shepard, I presume?"

A three-fingered hand extended, and she took it easily, shaking it firmly. "You presume correctly. It's a pleasure to have you on board."

"You speak like a politician. Tell me, Shepard, do you run your ship like a politician?"

"I run my ship how I see fit. If that seems like politics to you, then so be it."

His mouth curved. "I see."

"Thrusters, check. Navigation, check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift…just under 1500 K." The man in the pilot's seat had been talking the whole time.

"1500 is good. Anderson will be pleased." Nihlus said, turning on a heel and leaving.

Joker looked over at his companion, another man, who merely looked back. "I hate that guy."

"Nihlus gave you a compliment." The other man said, a bemused expression on his face. His dark eyes crinkled a bit at the edges. "So you hate him?"

She was busy trying to place him, and didn't hear the rest of the conversation.

"-an idiot believes the official story," Joker said, turning around in his chair. "Oh. Hey, Commander. Shepard, right?"

"Right."

"Me and Kaidan here were just having a friendly disagreement. What do you think?"

Kaidan...Allen? Allers? Alenko. That was it.

"What's a Lieutenant doing up here?" She asked casually. It was a power move, more than anything. Kaidan seemed surprised.

"I sit up here to help with maintenance and calculations, ma'am. Have we met?"

"Not until now, Anderson told me about both of you." She smiled. "And just 'Shepard' is fine."

"What'd he say?" Joker asked, scratching his beard.

"That you were a smartass and that he wanted me to keep you off of Nihlus. He told me Alenko's a biotic, and not much else."

Kaidan's brow furrowed, then smoothed out within the second. She got the sense he wasn't happy being boxed in as a biotic and not much else.

"To answer your question, though, I do think it's odd. Why put a Spectre on a shakedown? Even if it is a turian-human effort, why wouldn't you just stick some random marines on here to make sure the mission was being upheld? Maybe a co-pilot or a supervisor."

"Exactly," Joker said. "See, Kaidan? The Normandy's acting overlord deems me-"

"Anderson wants to see you." Kaidan interrupted.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," She cut in, grabbing the back of his chair and flipping him back around. "Drive the ship."

She turned to follow Nihlus, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Lieutenant smile.

[liminally-challenged]

Every time Anderson goes "Shepard." to get her attention as she's either spiralling into saying things faster than her brain or being intentionally flippant to avoid a question an angel gets its wings.

[liminally-challenged]

Because who knows what else they could've done? Miranda mentions wanting to put a control chip in you and she was narrowly denied.

HIGHLY recommend having a Shepard with a face scar in ME1 because it disappears in ME2 with the whole Lazarus thing and that comes with an extra layer of subtle horror. You’ve been dead for two years. Cerberus took possession of your body, resurrected you, and implanted you with metal enhancements, and on top of it all you’re now missing a major facial feature. A part of who you were. Makes me want to eat rocks

[liminally-challenged]

Commander (6)

Read more here: Master Post

"Anderson? What're you doing here?"

Shepard looked better than when he'd seen her last, although she always seemed to. The scar tissue had faded a bit more, and her hands didn't shake as much without adrenaline and focus to keep them steady. Her eyes seemed brighter. She looked down the shooting range, sighting the targets in the barrel of her rifle.

"Hey, Shepard. Aren't you on shore leave?"

"Supposed to be. How've you been?"

"Fine, fine. Life on the Tokyo has ended, I'm afraid."

She shot once, twice, three times in quick succession. The targets swayed through their pattern, and she shot each of them in the head.

"They've transferred you? Why?"

"I've been given permission to put my own team together. We're heading out on a shakedown run of the newest frigate in the fleet. I could use a soldier like you."

"To do what?"

"Shepard."

She looked up, setting the rifle down. It clattered on the bench, forgotten.

"To do what, Anderson?" Her brows furrowed as she leaned back on the wall. "I need to know what I'm getting into."

"Nothing you haven't been in before...well, maybe one thing."

"Which is?"

"Shepard, I want to promote you to my XO. You'll be the Commander officially. You'll work through Hackett and coordinate your soldiers as you see fit."

A smile broke her face, and she pulled him into a hug. "Anderson! I knew you'd been holding out on me all these years. I'd be honored."

"Good. I wouldn't consider anyone else."

He held the door for her as they walked out into the courtyard. The sunlight streamed onto the Citadel, and she looked at him incredulously.

"The ship is here?"

"The Normandy was a group effort with the turians. It docks here." He explained as they walked. "They have a spectre on board, one of theirs. His name is Nihlus. Please, keep our pilot off his ass. He's the best the Academy has, so we'll have to forgive his...eccentricities."

She laughed. "Okay, so we have a pilot with a motormouth...who else?"

"Dr. Karin Chakwas and Navigator Charles Pressley. I managed to steal them from the Tokyo. Beyond that, we have Corporal Richard L. Jenkins and Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. They'll be joining you on Eden Prime."

"Who are they?"

"Jenkins is an extremely enthusiastic young soldier from Eden Prime. One gets the sense he wants to prove himself to anyone and everyone. Kid's got heart, though. Keep an eye on him and you'll both be fine. He might remind you of someone."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't know what you mean."

"Alenko is a biotic originally from Earth. The rest, he can tell you. All I'll mention is that he's excellent in a scrape and loyal to a fault. He just might balance you out, Shepard."

"I doubt it, sir."

The sun caught him across the eyes, and she gasped quietly. "That's my ship?"

"My ship, Shepard. You're just helping to run it."

She was already in the airlock, clearly fighting to keep her face neutral. There was no indication that she'd even heard him. He smiled affectionately, sending the request to board.

"Hey, Anderson?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

[liminally-challenged]

Request Guidelines (Mass Effect Series)

Examples of requests I'll most likely accept:

Canon side missions

Any asks about headcanons/scenarios are fine. I'd love to expand on how Shep dances or how she sleeps.

Specific character interactions that are not central to the plot

Anything related to the Citadel DLC that isn't the main plot (any of the companion meet-ups fall into this category)

Basic non-canon storylines (for instance, if Wrex and Cortez and Javik ended up taking Joker to target practice)

Anything that takes place between two events I've already done, or anything from a different POV.

If you aren't sure, please ask! I don't bite!

Examples of requests I won't accept:

Any romance prompts besides Kaidan (this is Grace's story, and I have a specific vision for it. No hate to the other romance options, just not here.)

No Smut

Major missions, including character loyalty missions from ME2 (any other character-related missions are fine, such as Garrus hunting down Dr. Heart in ME1 or that little Kasumi mission in ME3 with the Salarian Spectre)

Anything I have already planned to write further down the line...again, if you don't know, ask! But please don't ask for "the Virmire mission" or "Shepard Cures the Genophage." I'll get to it, I promise. If you're worried I'll miss something, feel free to ask if I have it planned. It may get added to the queue.

As before, if you aren't sure, please ask. :)

[liminally-challenged]

The Interview pt. 2 (5)

Read more here: Master Post

The room had been slowly getting smaller as she detailed the attack, fighting to keep her voice steady. If her voice was steady, she was steady. If she was steady, she was fine. If she was fine, she wasn't too damaged.

"Shepard?" Anderson hadn't seemed to age much in the years since she first saw him, and she wondered now if she might finally look the age she pretended to be. It astounded her how much difference people seemed to attach to two years.

"Hmm?"

"What happened then? The Thresher Maws attacked at dusk. How did you survive?"

"Just...lucky. There's not much you can do in the way of skill when a creature like that is after you. Varren are a test of skill. Turians, other humans, hell, even the krogans...they present a challenge of skill. A Thresher Maw is a test of how much the universe is willing to give you."

"So there was no strategy to it? No finesse? Just a good old-fashioned flip of the coin?"

She couldn't help but snort, and he frowned.

"All due respect, sir, but it was more like drawing the Ace of Spades out of a 52-card deck."

"Shepard, are you okay? You've passed a psych examination, but-"

"Anderson, whatever I'm facing up here can't be as bad as what I'm going to face on Earth. I'm fine. I'm a soldier."

"You're 25 years old."

"23," She said. "I'm a little younger than advertised."

His mouth pressed into a hard line, but he was quiet.

"I thought we were going to get eaten, by the way. Your pilot wouldn't get a move on. I almost had to tell him twice."

"I think you're an exceptional young woman, Shepard, but you've been through a lot. I want you to take a bit, recollect, and return to duty when you're ready."

"I mean, seriously, the pilot had a death wish-"

"Grace."

She looked up.

"Take some time. That's an order."

"You aren't my superior officer." She said, twisting her dog tags around so tight they almost choked her. He reached across the table to stop her.

"If it's up to me, I will be. I could use some luck on my team."