#Quick Look: Mass Effect: Andromeda

[dragonageruinedmylife]

The phenomenon of how the dragon age fandom (and to some extent, Bioware fandom as a whole) views its content is honestly one of the most interesting things I've seen in fandom spaces.

I was introduced to dragon age in 2011-2012, Played Origins and then II, enjoyed them both enough that when I learned about Inquisition, I got really excited. The consensus back then, by most people I talked to fandom wise seemed to be: Origins is great, II is good but struggles because of its short development. When Inquisition came out, the reception seemed to be super positive. It won GOTY after all!

Cut to now. In the last few years as things led up to Veilguard, it seemed that there were these little camps of fandom that had cropped up. Groups like "Origins is the best and everything has been trash since" or the shift that seems to have taken over where II is looked back on as a favorite for a lot of people. As well as pop-ups about people saying they didn't enjoy Inquisition that much for whatever reason, but don't think its a bad game.

Veilguard has been out for less than a month, and while I do think it's fine and healthy to critique the media we enjoy and consume, it feels like people are quick to try and compare it to the previous games and make it fall short. And the irony of that is, that nearly any critique I see about Veilguard could be applied to its predecessors.

While I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with this cycle, people are going to enjoy or not enjoy what they will, I hope that Veilguard does not suffer Mass Effect: Andromeda's fate. Where any critique about it drowns out what was good (and there were great things in Andromeda) to the point that it ruins the chance for another dive back into that world.

[tigereyes45]

20 questions with a Fanfic Author

I got tagged by 3 separate people on 3 different days. XD Thank you for the tags @illegalpaladin , @ncc1701ohno , & @kcscribbler ! 1.How many works on Ao3?

As of right now I have 420 fics posted on Ao3. There will be about 80 if I ever get around to moving the rest of my fics over from ff.net (but I've been saying that I'll do that for years. XD )

Fun fact the last fic I posted was on March 12th, so a day before I got tagged the first time.

2. Total AO3 Word Count?

1,150,568

Wow, I find it hard to believe that I've written that much since first joining in 2015.

3. Top 5 fics by Kudos

Meeting the Team - 426 Kudos - Star Wars

Plo Koon takes a youngling Ahsoka to meet the Wolfpack before they become the squad known by their fierce fighting techniques and unshakable leader. Back when they were first being organized into a lethal force for the Republic.

2. Greed or Fear - 348 kudos - Ducktales (2017)

Donald and Scrooge have a conversation about Louie's own fascination with money.

3. Leaving - 329 kudos - Klaus

Instead of Klaus walking off on his own, Jesper was there to see it. He wasn't about to passively let his best friend disappear, but what could he do anyways.

4. The Calm Before the Storm - 315 kudos - Merlin BBC

Morgana has taken over Camelot with the help of her sister and their undead army. Arthur, Merlin, and the others take shelter within an abandoned castle. There they lick their wounds, and make plans for the fight. Merlin decides now is the best time to reveal a hidden truth.

5. Escaping Death Yet Again - 269 kudos - Mass Effect Original Triology

Wrex was quick to search and recover Shepard. Now he works to keep her survival a secret as his people looked for the Normandy. There's just a few problems with that.

1. The alliance wants her and Hackett suspects she's alive. 2. The mass relays and most of the technology-based around them are no longer functioning. 3. Keeping her alive. Where's Vakarian when he needs him?

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Ao3 has 82 different fandoms listed on my written for list. If I'm not counting the catch all fandom titles (such as Star Trek, or Dragon Age - all media types) then I've written for 73 fandoms. Though I could have messed my numbers out somewhere along the way.

Right now I'm writing a lot for Star Trek (big surprise), Transformers (I adore Ratchet), and Dragon Age (Varric, oh my heart).

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! For the most part. Sometimes on a multi-chap fic I'll try to wait until I have the next chapter out before responding (kind of serves as a notification method when people aren't bookmarking the story).

6. Angstiest Ending?

Man this is so hard to answer. I write a lot of angst. A lot of character death, and unaddressed feelings. Well dear readers, which fic of mine do you think has the angstiest ending? (I have a feeling it'd be one of the star trek fics. Maybe not but it's a feeling.)

7. Fic with the happiest ending?

Happy ending, what's that? Haha, probably From A Distance's ending. It's a Mass Effect Andromeda (Sara) Ryder/Tiran Kandros fic about the two getting together, and guess what? They actually do! XD No sudden deaths, or unspoken confessions or anything. The two save the day, end up together, and are sappy enough that it truly comes across how the whole pathfinder team is family.

8. Do you get hate?

Yeah. Not as much nowadays but back when I wrote Game of Thrones and Star Wars often, I got a lot. Usually people criticizing me for not editing more, or for posting about a specific ship here and there.

9. Do you write smut?

Once again this timing is funny to me because I only began writing smut a year ago (and only for Star Trek). I actually posted my first smut fic on March 20th, 2024. It was a TOS Mckirk fic that was an AU about if Kirk and co ended up stuck on the Return of the Archons planet. You can read it here:

As Archons

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yes! Not often but I do.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Uhhhh, hmm. Not as far as I'm aware. One time I found one of my fics posted on a russian website. They had translated and reposted it but with a link to my original fic, so it didn't bother me. I don't think my stuff has ever been outright stolen.

I prefer if people ask first, of course, but so long as my work is linked and credited I don't really mind if people translate it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Actually yes! Multiple times! There was the one fic that was translated into Russian, and another when it was translated into Chinese. The russian fic was one of my Game of Thrones fics (if I'm remembering correctly), and the Chinese fic was the first Optiratch transformers fics I ever posted.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic?

Yes. Though I don't think either of them has ever been published.

14. All time favorite ship?

How could you ask me this? Don't you know this is the hardest question to answer?

Mcspirk, and Varric x Hawke, and Optiratch, and Janeway x Tuvok x T'pel, and Mariner x T'Lyn, and Cassandra x Jenkins, and so many many more. I have a different all time favorite ship for every different series, movie, and book I interact with.

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have hope that I'll eventually finish all my WIPs.

16. Writing strengths?

Oh I don't know. I like to think that I'm good at invoking emotions within my fics. At the very least I hope I am.

17. Writing Weaknesses?

I am so bad at switching tenses out of nowhere. I think in all tense forms all the time in my head (and it makes sense to me) so I don't even notice when I do it in fics.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

I think when it's done consistently in a way readers can pick up on, then it's great characterization! I don't mind using a translator to know what's being said. However I'll never complain if the author wants to include what the word or dialogue is in the notes.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oban Star Racers. I wrote 3 fics for this series on ff.net before writing a tmnt 2012 fic.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

A Scarcity of Comfort is by all measurements my favorite fic that I've ever written. I am still so proud of this fic to this day.

I wrote it after watching Star Trek V - The Final Frontier because I was so upset that it was Sybok who hugged McCoy after the scene about his father. It should have been Jim & Spock.

It's not my most viewed fic, and no where close to being my most commented on, or bookmarked fic, it doesn't even have as many kudos as some of my other star trek fics, but I am so damn proud of it. Probably the best thing I've ever written.

----

I'll tag @nalascat , @fernisworm , @greeneyedwildthing , @yellowmagicalgirl , @jenksel , and @aerialworms in case any of yal wanna do it. :)

[sol-consort]

I started playing dragon age inquisition (let me know if you want to see a pic of my character because I think she's a cutie) because I started me3 but then I realized that when I finish that one there's no more mass effect (I know there's Andromeda but it's not the same) so I'm trying to long-ify (is that a word?) the process my starting dragon age. Have you played it? If so, who do you think I should romance because I have absolutely no idea who to pick (I'm playing as an elf female).

I related to that feeling a lot, I just reached the near end of Andromeda (finished reforming the last planet) and I closed them game and took a break to play other ones because I don't want it to end just yet :(

I do that a lot in gaming, hell in books, too. Because once it's over, it's really over, and I don't want that to happen yet. It's like saving the last layer of a cake + the strawberry in the fridge to snack on later. It also could be because I rarely, if never, replay games? I remember them too well to be able to enjoy a replay, even when it's been years. When I boot them up again, it's never the same or close to the wonder of the first playthrough because I have all the memories and knowledge. It's like I literally played it yesterday. The only exception is when my savefile corrupts (bc of mods), and I have to restart.

I have the dragon age series, got recommended it a lot during my bg3 blog days, got it on sale, and never opened it...yet. Mass Effect sucked me in before I could explore more DnD themed games. Then, pathologic ran through me like a bullet train, and if I open it now, I'll get sucked into DnD again and forget all about the silly aliens. I have the attention span of a hummingbird, soulcrushingly intense but quickly fleeting.

I have a whole elf human kink series there if you want, with original or vague characters rather than ones from bg3.

but yes, please do show me your character! I love looking at pretty characters.

As for who to romance, I heard there is a bald elf/half elf guy? Avoid him like the plague. The tiktoks I saw haven't painted him in the nicest picture.

I did a quick google search and these three are hot ngl

also THERE HE IS! I found the fucker, it's this guy right here

Don't let his mewing face fool you, he is a radioactive toxic wasteland, or so I heard? Idk people seemed really angry with him in the comment section of his own thirst traps which should say something.

Maybe you can fix him? Maybe he will make you worse? Who knows. For me, I will go with whoever has the biggest hog to cronk, like how our caveman ancestors decided their mate, the way god intended <3

*straps included.

[silurisanguine]

OC Questions tag game - (lisa-and-shadow question answers)

I was tagged by @lisa-and-shadow in the oc questions tag game and I'm going to answer the three given me as all 4 of my ocs!- Seren Jones, Aeryn Ryder, Zofie Orel and Kiara Black This was great to really delve into their personalities as i wrote these, i hope that comes across! Since this is going to be a long post, answers behind a cut! And I'll tag @vorchagirl @despicablediet and @bearlytolerant @staticpallour @fangbangerghoul @a-cosmic-elf @atonalginger @eridanidreams @toxiclizardwrites @therealgchu @aro-pancake with these three questions to answer, no pressure though! What is your favourite place to visit? Do you have a signature style or look? What was your favourite toy as a child?

First up Seren Jones (My Starfield, Coemancer Starborn OC)

What was your first kiss like? "Oh...fumbled, messy and embarrassing!...but kinda nice too. I was fourteen and so innocent in that regard. It was with a girl I'll call Katie, a fellow expat I'd met and grown fond of in the Akilan secondary school I ended up in after my parents and I had moved back there. I'd known from the moment i started thinkin about other kids in that way that I liked both boys and girls and finding a girl that seemed to like me too, well I jumped at it...guess my curious explorer streak came out early! It was such a classic trope, kissing her behind the school sheds during break. She basically dared me and I'd never kissed anyone, so I just sort of smushed my lips against hers as she opened her mouth and yeah...messy. Then a teacher came round the corner and discovered us and although they weren't angry I was so embarrassed. Katie I think more so as she kinda avoided me after that." Do you have a signature style of dress/favorite outfit? "Now? I guess my starborn suit. It feels like it's part of me... I dunno. When I'm reborn in a new universe, I'm already wearing it, like it's born with me. But style? I tend to go practical, what will fit under it, so sportswear or jumpsuits, anything fitted or light. As for what I like, I guess I used to enjoy wearing fitted suits and formwear in dark colours, like blues, blacks and greys, sombre tones rather than bright colors. That I leave to my hair! Think my favourite item of clothing though...was my wedding dress. That was this cream and deep dark navy blue sleeveless gown I'd found in a shop in New Homestead, but I think that had a lot to do with the way Sam looked at me when he saw me in it." Are you quick tempered? Or even-keeled? "I'd like to say even keeled most of the time, even when I'm seething inside I play it cool usually. Why I survived that gauntlet going undercover with the Crimson Fleet for Sysdef. I used my anger to play the role and I think when I do show anger it's the cold kind. I don't tend to scream or shout, unless it's the Hunter provoking me, then...well I tend to react." Next Aeryn Ryder ( My Mass Effect Andromeda pathfinder)

What was your first kiss like? "Oh god let me think...Okay, you know, I don't actually remember exactly as those days have become a blur. I can tell you though the first kiss I do remember, the one that set the bar for all future kisses. That was with Kesala when I was eighteen, a research assistant on a prothean dig I was peacekeeping. She was this petite lavender skinned asari that just made everything so interesting. She had such enthusiasm for her work that it was infectious and she brought that to the evening I spent with her at the bar. She was what...112, young for an asari but I could tell she was experienced if you know what I mean. The kiss itself was tender, slow and made my legs weak...and that's all I'm saying on the matter." Do you have a signature style of dress/favorite outfit? "My black leather jacket, I love that thing so much. I usually pair it with a simple top, and fitted pants and my go to sneakers, usually in purple shades. I like comfy and casual. Not that I don't like dressing up, I love dressing up, but I never get chance now! I'm either in armor or wanting to wear something comfy afterwards. I did get to see these gorgeous fabrics back on Aya that Jaal told me were used to make gowns for ceremonies and important parties. Maybe one day I'll get something made for myself, when we can finally celebrate." Are you quick tempered? Or even-keeled? "Feisty, that's what my brother Tristan says I'm like. I've had to temper it as Pathfinder with all the important people I deal with and SAM thank god really helps there, calming me down from doing or saying something I might regret. But there are times they know to just let me loose and let it out my system!"

Next Zofie Orel (My Deus Ex / Assassin's Creed OC)

What was your first kiss like? "Hmm. Jason, a fellow Assassin acolyte in the Coterie. We shared a birthday so we shared a kiss too after both of us getting a little drunk at our eighteenth party...He died in the Incident protecting civilians. He was a gentle soul really, I don't really think suited to the life, but he was a damn good scout and very good kisser." Do you have a signature style of dress/favorite outfit? "I only wear red, black and white clothes as it makes it easier to mix and match when travelling and I rather like the symbolism. I suppose I have different signature outfits depending on who I am at the time. As Sofia, I wear sleek, expensive clothing, usually a fitted suit. As myself when on a job I wear my custom made tac vest and armoured combat trousers and when I'm off the job, it's what ever is clean but I tend to go for more high end clothing, just in case I need to put on the Sofia persona." Are you quick tempered? Or even-keeled? "I would be lying if I said I didn't have a temper, but I've been trained to control it, hone it into a weapon. Some may call me cold for it, but I feel things strongly, I just hide it well, lest my emotions be seen as a weakness by the enemy." Lastly Kiara Black (My Thief/Dishonored OC)

What was your first kiss like? "That's a bit personal, why do you want to know?" *a few minutes pass* "Fine, you're not going to let this go are you? It was a streetgang kid when i lived in Dunwall, nothing special." Do you have a signature style of dress/favorite outfit? "Anything dark and fitted so I'm not noticed. I tend to swap between my gear - this leather and twill get up I'm wearing now and something loose after to let my skin breath." Are you quick tempered? Or even-keeled? "I...try not to be. But some people make me angry with their bigotry and arrogance. I can't do much about it though, so there is no point in getting angry, it's better to get even."

[thedinanshiral]

After the reveal

Cinematic trailer and gameplay reveal already out of the way, now we wait. What's a few months after ten long, painful years? Sure, i can wait some more, and now i'll do it more gladly than ever.

There's not much i could add to what everyone is talking about, so this will be a post of personal impressions.

Cinematic trailer: while i admit i was not liking it much at first, and yes i did compare it to Fortnite, i immediately went to watch DAI's cinematic trailer because i remembered it looked kinda funny too. And then i remembered DAO's awful, truly awful trailers and i felt my worries washed away by the waves of "It'll be ok" Beach. Cinematic trailers should be taken as what they are, a basic look into the game, not its final version -unless it's stated as such in the trailer itself-. I saw people not liking the characters' presentation cards but i think they were ok, as we have new factions and all. That's all it was, a quick look at new companions and locations. But as always some people went rabid over it like an undertaker eager to put six-feet worth of dirt on your face. As they've been doing for the past decade and even before that, for which i have a Zero Tolerance Policy. As for the music, while i do like Bowie i'm not a fan of that version of Heroes, and in my heart nothing beats DAI's Into the darkness as a trailer song but after the dust settled that's really my only real complaint.

Gameplay reveal: I'm glad it put most people at ease. I'm sad Varric couldn't succeed in convincing his old friend and that in the moment Solas decided destroying Bianca was the way to make him stop trying for good, that he was cruel intentionally to that end. I'm not sure how combat will feel like but i'll get used to it. I'm certainly not a fan of having to pause every two frames and i did enjoy combat in Mass Effect Andromeda so having only two companions tag along isn't exactly a new thing either. I'm a bit confused about the commands wheel screen, and how it works exactly. Location and ambience-wise i loved it all, i know they had to cut it short for the video but i hope we get a bit more freedom to explore the area. It's one thing to cut the scale down from The Hinterlands but i'd hate it for these new locales to feel like a shoebox. I'm curious to see if the tone indicators in the dialogue wheel will be like in DAI or more like in DA2, and i hope it's the latter because i need a Purple protagonist in my life again.

I rather wait until we know more, ideally until i get to play it myself, before i start weaving words about what was peaking through the rip in the Veil, about the ritual and all that sweet, sweet lore intoxication i'm gonna be getting.

What's coming: BW were kind enough to give us a bit of a schedule

Now armed with past experiences and my intuition, i'd like to explore possibilities. I've always thought the release date should be in November. It marks the 10th anniversary of Dragon Age Inquisition, and the 15th annoversary of Dragon Age Origins. On top of that, it's the year of the Dragon, and November is close enough to the holidays to bank on that as well. So i'm considering the possibility that after June 18th they give us a some days to process everything so far, and there's also the character creator reveal as well. And then by July i think they could start showing us a bit more with character trailers. With seven companions plus Rook i'd say one trailer per week is enough to make it to mid September. I Imagine a basic presentation of Rook in some of their variants, to reintroduce those origins people missed so much, the new factions, etc, could take over July and then the companions over August and September. Maybe we could get more official art or short stories sprinkled here and there too. After that i'd say a pre-order and release date would be great, giving everyone a month or so to get ready for a glorious November release right on time for my birthday.

Anyway that's all in my head, for now we have nothing beyond June 18th. I'm mostly waiting for a pre-order, of course a release date, and whether or not there'll be a Collector's edition or anythin like it so i can work my magic to get one.

[nellasbookplanet]

Okay enough talk about critrole let's talk about games!!

I'm not really A Gamer (played some horse pc games as a kid, mass effect in my late teens, then nothing for like 10 years before picking up portal and suddenly I was Hooked) but I wanna talk about what I've played over the last couple of years! Because I'm me and I love a good list, let’s rank them (under readmore bc this got long):

1. Portal (1 & 2 plus various mods): enjoyed the first but didn't see why it was considered Extremely Good, went absolutely unhinged about the second, I love it so very much, excellent balance of gameplay, story and character, also thank god there are scifi games with little to no combat. 10/10

2. Prey: finished this one just the other day and immediately started a second playthrough. Had a bit of a rough start for me and I nearly dropped it due to being super confused, but once I got past the first hour or so I was fully hooked. FANTASTIC story and worldbuilding, so much detail, good balance of player choice without losing focus of the core story. I have some minor criticisms but overall I adored it. 9/10

3. Control: picked up this one bc of this video on haunted houses in games. The lore and setting is absolutely wild and SO creative, the characters are fun, and though I found it too combat focused I still enjoyed the mechanics once i got used to them. I did however feel it would've been helped by being more tightly written and less open world; all those unimportant fetch quests and randomly spawned enemies showing up every time I entered a room sometimes made it feel like the main plot got a bit lost. 7.5/10.

4. Mass Effect Andromeda: nowhere near as good as the original trilogy, but also nowhere near as bad as general opinion makes it look. Frankly, the first of the trilogy was also pretty weak compared to 2 & 3, and if Andromeda had been allowed its sequels it may very well have risen to the same status. Cool story, fun characters, way too many fetch quests. 7/10.

5. Lightmatter: this one was fun, but there wasn't super much to it. Reminded me of the first portal game in that it has a pretty straightforward puzzle-focused plot with cool designs but pretty minimal character or worldbuilding work. Good for a quick playthrough but doesn't hold much re-playability (I recommend it if you yearn for mad science, spooky abandoned facilities and portal vibes though). 7/10.

6. Half-Life (1 & 2 plus episode 1 & 2): these should probably be ranked higher based on sheer quality, but my very subjective opinion is that they are very combat focused and I don’t care for combat. 2 especially felt like it was interludes of story meant only to point you to your next fight. Will probably never replay them. The overall plot and characters are really cool though (Alyx my beloved), and I hope to see the series reach a conclusion some day (would also work really well as a movie or show I think). The fact that it got me invested despite being a shooter (and the very dated visuals of the first) speaks for the fact that it is probably a lot better than I give it credit for. 6.5/10.

7. Alan Wake and Alan Wake's American Nightmare: gonna be real with you, I didn't enjoy these. Clichéd and unlikable main character, repetitive gameplay, clunky combat, and it has no idea how to write interesting women (American Nightmare especially, yikes (cool villain though)). There are however interesting story aspects, and since it’s tied to the universe of Control and the internet seems pretty agreed that the sequel is Much Better, I may still finish the series at some point. 4/10.

Honorary mentions (games I played only bits and pieces of with a friend)

Halo: didn't like. Stop making me play as Big Muscle Man who Shoots Stuff. I'm sure there’s interesting lore but not enough to make me even slightly tempted to play more of it. 1/10.

Dead Space: really liked this one but also I'm a baby and it scared me lmao. I've got it on my wishlist so I can eventually buy it and finish playing because I'm Invested. 7/10 (likely to change once I've finished playing)

Alien Isolation: it was okay I guess? I feel like I can't give a fair judgment of it without playing the whole thing, but also it didn't hook me enough that I want to buy it and play more. 5/10.

Scorn: absolutely horrific but also really cool. Needed more story to work for me personally but also story clearly wasn't the point of the game. Will never forget it, will also never touch it again. ???/10.

[vorchagirl]

1-5 for the fanfic asks

Thank you for the ask - this was fun! 😁

1. Favourite fic i wrote this year:

Probably Saints and Liars. I think it's got one of my favourite versions of Reyes Vidal that I've ever written, and I enjoyed teasing out the OT3 aspect of Reyes, Cerys & Harry's relationship.

2. Least favourite fic i wrote this year:

I liked everything I wrote this year but my least favourite is probably The Naughty List. It's a fShenko Christmas smut fic and it's cute and sexy.

3. Favourite line/scene I wrote this year:

Probably when Reyes and Cerys are reunited in Saints and Liars. This particular exchange warms my heart:

Cerys wasn’t entirely surprised when the soldier removed his helmet and she was faced with a sweaty, dishevelled looking Reyes.

He grinned at her and set the helmet down on the empty seat beside him. “Did you miss me, Querida? ”

Cerys laughed in relief and nodded, a burst of warmth spreading through her to see Reyes alive and well. “Yeah, I missed you.” She tossed the bullet she was still clutching in her hand at him and grinned. “You’re such an asshole for doing that.”

“And you catch on quick.” He caught the bullet with reflexes that made Cerys blink in surprise. “But it’s very good to see you too.”

4. Total number of words i write this year:

This is a conservative estimate since I've written a lot which isn't published yet.

186k published

70k unpublished

256k total words

5. Most popular fic this year:

Untouchable for sure. It's my most recent fic and my first foray into the Dragon Age fandom, and is already my most subscribed to fic of all time and among my top kudos for its size. It's Lucanis x Rook x Spite 🥰

I really love this story, so I'm pretty excited to write more!

[ageless-aislynn]

Last line tag game

Tagged by @thephaeronsforge aka @sarnakhwritesthings Thanks so much! ❤

Kai smiled.

"Recreation" chapter 3, allllmost done but not quite there. 🤞😣🤞

Since that was so small, literally almost not able to even be much smaller, lol, I thought I'd turn to its sibling fic "15 Minutes" chapter 7 also in progress and

"There's no such thing," you muttered.

Yep, also pretty short sooooo how do you feel about the opening to the original fic that's also part of my Camp NaNo? Yeah, hardly a last line, I know, but well... It's never going to see the light of day in any form so I thought it would be fun to share it here. 👀🤷‍♀️

It began as an idle idea for a very AU Mass Effect: Andromeda reader fic that I knew I'd never actually write and post because it was simply pulling waaaaay too far away from the source, dumping all of the lore and such, so what was the point? Then I realized, hey, that's means it's FREE REAL ESTATE for making it my own thing, right? 😛

However, for this purpose, I put the ME:A names, references, etc. back in and made it a reader fic again. It also seems to read kinda like a Halo hybrid because that's what ya girl's been writing over in Fanficville so...? 🤷‍♀️😉

Under a read more because of the length. I'll also mention here so it's not necessary to click through that I'm tagging anybody who'd like to do this. *boops your nose politely* 😉 Definitely let me know if you do, though, 'cause I'd love to read it! 🤗

The first thing you noticed was Alec Ryder standing ramrod-stiff at attention, awaiting your arrival as if you were a five-star general and he was a cadet worried he hadn't shined his boots properly enough. "Ma'am," he said, his tone stern but polite. He offered his arm as if he really didn't want to. Interesting. Had you read his file wrong? He'd been out here alone far longer than he should've been allowed to be. The prospect of bare fingertips brushing the back of his hand should've had him quivering in anticipation. You'd heard of others having to actually stun-stop their Pathfinders at their initial meeting. It had never happened to you but… It was part of your training to know it could. But clearly not here, not today. You'd worn your gloves, just in case. You stepped out of the shuttle with your lone rucksack in one hand and put the other on the sleeve of his forearm, letting him assist you down as if you were royalty. Your dead implant flared in the back of your brain despite the double barrier of fabric between you. He was shielding hard but this was what you did, what you were, and wisps of emotions were leaking through. He was… anxious. "Welcome to Heleus," he said, adding your title and last name. You thought about correcting him with your first name but sensed he preferred the formality so merely said, "Thank you." He broke contact as soon as politeness allowed, folding his hands behind his back. "I'm afraid I can't give you a tour right now, I have duties to attend to. But Sam can guide you to your room, give you the lay of the land. Most of the station is still in shutdown but he'll turn the lights on for you if you'd like to look around." "Ah, all right then," you said but you were saying it to the crisp, neatly-pressed back of his black and red uniform as he gave a quick nod and strode away. You were supposed to be ready for anything but you decided to allow yourself a short but heartfelt thought of What in the actual hell? Then you tucked it away and went looking for Sam. Maybe he would be glad to see you? It would be nice if someone was.

Alec Ryder for visual reference. 😎 Andromeda has a LOT of character types that I love but this particular idea felt like it paired SO nicely with Mr. Emotionally Repressed Pathfinder Sr. so I, um, yoinked him out of canon and, you know, repurposed him. As one does. 😐😂

[hazelestelle]

getting acquainted

For @klayr-de-gall 's Pride Kisses Prompts Day 4 "against a wall".

Fandom: Mass Effect Andromeda Pairing: Akksul/Scott Rating: T Words: 1,518

Summary: Sara could have happily lived without seeing her brother make out with Akksul, thank you very much.

Read on AO3

Scott Ryder wasn’t too proud to admit that he’d never had much interest in humans. Aliens, however, were a different story.

So yes, he had experimented. Or tried to, since there were enough aliens who found humans just as boring as he did. But he had gotten good at knowing where to look.

And now, he was in a whole new galaxy, with a whole new species.

Granted, he had been in a coma for most of his time here, and then ended up kidnapped and almost killed, and then in recovery, but now he was finally ready for some exploration.

His sister, always the golden child, and now The Pathfinder – he could hardly even think that without rolling his eyes, had of course saved the day, stepping into their father’s role effortlessly.

Scott wasn’t surprised that she had some kind of assignment for him now that he was felling better.

He was prepared to argue, but when he heard what it was, he had to do his best not to grin excitedly instead.

He was being sent to Aya. Apparently, there was some kind of cultural exchange initiative, and as a xenobiologist – a profession very much chosen out of personal interest, Scott was deemed perfect for the role. Several humans, as well as some turians, salarians and asari, formed the team and each of them had an assigned angaran partner.

Sara explained that Scott, as a specialist, had gotten one of the harder cases. Akksul had been the leader of the Roekaar and hated all aliens, but had once been a brilliant student of the Remnant, so Sara and Evfra, the Resistance leader, were hoping he could be “reformed”.

Scott thought it all sounded pretty juvenile, but he certainly wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to get up close and personal with an Angara, so he accepted the assignment without questions.

“Really? No argument?” Sara narrowed her eyes at him, immediately suspicious.

Scott just shrugged, trying his hardest not to grin. “Maybe I’m just grateful you saved my life, so I’m trying to turn over a new leaf?”

He knew it was a long shot, but Sara had always had a habit of accepting things that suited her easily.

She sighed, then nodded. “Fine. Just don’t do anything stupid. You’re to report weekly, don’t forget that.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Scott waved her concerns away. If it went as he hoped it would, there were things he certainly didn’t plan on reporting.

When they made it to Aya, Scott thought he might die from the anticipation.

Their group was supposed to freshen up and have a meal together, before meeting their “project partners”.

Of course, Sara and Evfra were there too, giving some speech about unity and understanding and whatnot, that Scott really couldn't be arsed to listen to.

After what seemed like hours, they were finally lead to the rooms where the Angara were waiting.

Everyone had been assigned a private room for the first meeting, to get acquainted without the pressure of a group setting.

Scott thought that one-on-one meetings actually sounded like more pressure, but since he planned to get very well acquainted, the privacy suited him just fine.

The door opened, and Scott did a quick scan of the room. It was small, with two cosy looking chairs next to a little table and not much else.

Akksul wasn’t sitting down though, he was standing as far from the door as possible, his arms crossed and looking very much like he didn’t want to be there.

Scott let his eyes sweep over him slowly, and his heart skipped a beat. He could hardly stop himself from licking his lips, because yeah. Akksul looked like he had stepped out of his wildest dreams.

He was tall – Scott wasn’t sure he would even come up to his shoulders – with broad shoulders and a small waist, and amazing interesting legs, the coils – or folds, Scott wasn’t sure – on his head looked perfect to grab, and Scott hoped that would be okay, and his skin looked like the midnight sky.

And his eyes, oh his eyes. They were like stars, blazing brightly and drawing him in. Of course, for now, that was unfiltered disdain making them shine like that, but Scott was sure he would change that.

“Well, hello”, he greeted cheerfully. “Are all Angara this attractive or am I just lucky?”

“What?” Akksul looked startled, and Scott grinned.

“I mean, wow. You’re really hot”, he tacked on, and Akksul frowned.

“Are all humans this… forward?”, he asked gruffly, like it pained him to say, and Scott laughed.

“God, no. But we’re supposed to get acquainted, right?”

Akksul’s frown got even more impressive, which for reason’s he didn’t want to examine too closely, made heat curl in Scott’s stomach.

“And your idea is to proposition me?”

Scott shrugged. “I know what I like.”

“Hm.” Akksul considered him for a moment, and Scott saw interest spark in his eyes, making his stomach swoop pleasantly.

Then Akksul strode over to him, his steps long and graceful, a predator’s gait if Scott had ever seen one, but instead of feeling afraid, he just felt excited.

Akksul crowded him against a wall, almost but not quite touching, the air between them feeling charged with electricity, and he had to crane his neck to look at Akksul’s face, at the fire blazing in his eyes.

“Think you can handle me, little human?”

And oh, that really shouldn't be as much of a turn on as it was.

Scott grinned up at him. “Try me.”

That did it, and Akksul roughly grabbed his hips, pulling him up on his tiptoes and crashing their lips together.

Scott immediately opened up to him, giving as good as he got, and trying to press even closer, which wasn’t easy with how tall Akksul was.

After a moment, Akksul seemed to get it, and he easily lifted Scott up and pressed him more firmly against the wall without breaking the kiss.

Wrapping his legs around Akksul’s waist, Scott couldn’t help but moan at the show of strength, spending one foggy thought on how this was even better than all his fantasies combined.

In the process, Scott had thrown his head back, and Akksul took the opportunity to latch onto his neck, biting and sucking and kissing, and Scott was thrilled that he would be carrying marks, reminders that his dreams really had come true.

His hands wandered over the folds at the back of Akksul’s head, the skin smooth and warm, and Akksul growled low in his throat, a sound that shot straight to Scott’s dick.

He was just about to suggest maybe getting out of their clothes, when the door opened and someone asked “So how is it going… oh my god!”

“Ugh.” Scott sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and leaning his head against the wall.

Of course his sister would get in the way of fulfilling his dreams.

He noticed with delight that Akksul hadn’t set him down or tried to move away, instead his face was still buried in Scott’s neck, and Scott had definitely heard a low sound of protest at the interruption.

He wrapped his arms around Akksul’s shoulders to show him that they were very much on the same page, then he smiled at his sister, the fakest smile he could muster.

“Sara! To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“What are you doing?” She was staring at him in horror, and Scott almost had to laugh.

“What? You said that we should get acquainted.”

Akksul snorted, a puff of air against Scott’s neck, and Scott couldn’t help but squirm a little, which Akksul seemed to take as an incentive, because he lightly bit him, then licked over the spot to soothe it, and Scott had to grit his teeth not to moan.

Not just the action, but the knowledge that Akksul was just as into this as he was, that Sara standing there did nothing to dissuade him, was an incredible turn on.

Sara seemed speechless, and as funny as Scott found that, he’d much rather she left.

“So, did you want to watch or…?”

He starred at her pointedly, and Akksul chose that moment to squeeze his butt, and this time, Scott really couldn’t suppress a moan.

Sara’s eyes widened in horror or maybe disgust – Scott didn’t really care to analyse it, and she turned around sharply and left the room without another word.

Scott chuckled. “Shouldn’t she be happy her “programme” is such a success?”

Akksul finally lifted his head to look at him. “You’re a menace.”

Scott grinned proudly. “You like it.”

Akksul’s eyes narrowed, but the stars in them still burned brightly. “I do not like aliens.”

Scott’s stomach dropped a little, but then Akksul leaned in to kiss him, a lot softer than before.

“But you can try to persuade me to make an exception”, he whispered against his lips, and Scott’s heart skipped a beat.

“Challenge accepted”, he whispered back, before kissing Akksul again, thinking of all the things they could get up to together.

[zydratevialsblog]

General Summary

Alright. It's going to take me some time to really dig through some of my greatest hits. There's one post about getting drunk for the first time that Tumblr just kept spitting errors at me for so I gave up on trying. So to expedite this just a little bit I'm gonna give some highlights.

For some quick context and it's something I will continue to do here, but "CA" means Current Activities, where I just blog about... Well, my current activities. Sometimes games are open enough to get their own series but I generally had a "Current Activities in Gaming" that exceeded like 200 posts throughout the years. January/Februrary 2014: Guild Wars 2 era. There was some good stuff in there. My Norn is one of the hottest characters I've ever made in gaming.

All of my various "Current Activities" were pretty much just GW2.

March 2014: Some more GW2 but there's some Starcraft and posts about my time in employment and certain pet peeves I was developing.

April 2014: My first ESO and Warframe posts emerge, two games I'm still active in to this day. May 2014: Some posts on SWTOR emerge. June 2014: My general Currency Activities in Gaming is already numbered into the 60's at this point. Some scattered Ubisoft mentions, some Mass Effect gifs. July 2014: Saints Row 4 era. Getting into Rooster Teeth things. Minor LoL rumblings as I see a picture of ye olde pre-Arcane Jinx. August-September 2014: Seeing a few WoW posts, some first impressions and reviews. Octuber-November 2014: Various WoW rumblings. Played those LOTR Mordor games enough to give them their own CA series, only a few posts though. Some Minecraft posts, me CA-Gaming posts are in the 90's now. December 2014: Almost entirely Legend of Korra posts. Look at this.

There were several more with a scroll. My inner NB had a real thirst, lol. (I don't think I was 'out' yet around this time?) Anyway, full LoK obsession month. January 2015: My Korrasami obsession continues, but my gaming interests seem a bit more varied. CA series is up into the 100's. Mentions of Dragon Age Inquisition, Assassin's Creed. February-March-April-May 2015: Some scattered Korrasami art and gifts. Some Borderlands and ESO leveling posts. June 2015: Gaming interests expand a bit. First CA in Mass Effect post happens. Tales from the Borderlands comes out. July 2015: Almost entirely comprised of Korrasami gifs and art. The thirst was real. A couple CA posts. August-September-October 2015: General basic gaming. I start a GTAV series for some reason. That didn't last long. Several Oblivion posts. My CA series for Skyrim is up to 80 posts. I didn't mention it but that's kinda what my blog comprised mostly of in 2013.

November-December 2015: Some scattered Harley/Ivy posts, not as many as Korrasami though. Some Fallout 4 posts which I believe gets its own CA series later.

January-February-March 2016: Mostly Skyrim and Fallout stuff, I see several "retail problems" type posts as well. Only had a few posts in March. I see a reblog of an article: "Apply to Immigrate to Canada". Gee. Wonder what happened this year. April-May-June 2016: I discover Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch. Still seeing WoW posts. Haven't quite quit it yet. July-August-September-October 2016: Only a handful of posts for some reason. Just some general continuations of Warcraft, Fallout 4, and other general gaming. November-December 2016: I see an election map. Hah. Several Skyrim posts including some character spotlights. January-Februrary-March 2017: I see a post about being a "fledgling youtuber" so this is probably about when I started. April 2017: ME: Andromeda is released so I have a few posts about that. My posts slow down for a bit, probably because of youtube. May-June-July 2017: Scattered gaming. CA series is approaching 200. More posts about working in retail. My computer dies in July. Ordered a new motherboard.

August-September-October-November-December 2017: Posts pick back up a little bit. I made a CA masterpost for some reason. I did this thing where I basically made notations about what the post involves.

Basically what I'm doing right now but much more work. Literally reading/skimming every single one of those goddamn posts. In December I make note of my new-ish job at Kroger, not exactly sure of the month I got that job but I'm already complimenting myself about how good a bagger I was which could not have happened in the first couple of months of ANY job where my esteem is at its lowest. So it had to have been a few months into that second job. Posts really slow down here. January-Februrary 2018: Literally six posts between these months.

March-April-May 2018: I actually attempted to have a gaming schedule for my youtube. Oh, such youthful folly. But this is probably why my posts slow down a bit. Youtubing effectively does the "Current Activities" post in a more live setting so blogging about it is redundant. This carries over even today.

June-July 2018: I discover Conan Exiles. I would later put in thousands of hours into it, largely on RP servers over the years. It's basically my second or third most played game on Steam.

August-September-October 2018: This was also the era of Tumblr's titty ban so I lose a couple Conan posts.

November-December 2018: The KDA Rock Stars video from the LoL people comes out so I obsess over Akali for a bit. Several gifsets and she was my avatar for a while (and still is on certain lesser used sites).

I'm also starting to really recognize some stuff here. This is kinda my solidified era of gaming, there's a bit here I still play to this day. So in 2019 my activity drops off severely. Not even worth going month by month. There's quite a bit of Conan Exiles stuff. There's some months I didn't post anything at all. This is very likely because of my youtube channel. I'm probably recording and posting pretty consistently at this point. I literally don't post in 2020 until April and once in July. A couple of game reviews. This was also the covid lockdown era but I was still an essential nearly fulltime produce clerk at this time so I was plenty distracted. August 2020: It picks back up a bit as I discover Horizon Zero Dawn and Sims 4. Sims gets its own CA series. I think I also discover Critical Role roughly in this timeframe cos I'm seeing a Laura Bailey gif for the first time. I'm not a big reblogger to begin with (except when I was obsessed with Korrasami) so I might have discovered CR earlier than this and just didn't talk about it.

November-December 2020: I install and play Cyberpunk 2077 which I dump a shitton of time into. Once again there's only a handful of posts in 2021. Unfortunately, including the post in which I lose my mother in November. On a less sad note, this is about the time I start getting back into Elder Scrolls Online and my CA series exceeds ~224 posts.

In 2022 I get a bit more consistent with posting, a few posts a month but they're minor. Arcane happens, Season 3 of Critical Role happens. I tested positive for Covid in January and was out of work for 3 weeks or so.

May 2022 I post a lot about Elden Ring.

2023 was the year of Baldur's Gate 3 and Warframe for me. I participate in Tennotober, my October of 2023 blows up with various Warframe screenshots with single-word prompts. Generally meant for artists but I did what I could. I didn't talk about it but I essentially quit my Kroger job in 2022, picked up a Food Lion job throughout 2023 and then quit that after about a year in Janurary of 2024. Right after losing that Food Lion job I spent a lot of money on computer upgrades so right there in January I'm seeing Starfield posts, which I couldn't play before. March of 2024, Rooster Teeth shutters its doors and I have opinions about that. Will probably repost that here. In April 2024 I'm entering a personal golden age in ESO which ends like ten months later. I later have some posts about Fallout 76 and Forbidden West. Posts generally just drop off because once again, my Youtube channel does the CA job for me. Last month in April 2025 was my current up to date CA post at 231 where I talk about Oblivion Remastered. Before that I dip my toes in SWTOR for a couple months but fell off of it again. Warframe enters my life again as I delve into the 1999 update.

[mamamittens]

It's good and bad when I sit on a fic without any official chapter post because it means I can really COOK.

let that shit SIMMER.

Mayhaps I'll start a little document with all the heart shattering details so I don't forget them lol

Uh, maybe shrodinger's spoilers for that Mass Effect Andromeda fic

Since Mia wasn't allowed a lot of high energy activities growing up, she had some more passive outlets for her emotions, per recommendations of an Asari doctor who helped manage her biotic development. Like art and violin as a binding activity with her grandfather that helped learn discipline.

I mean, she also learned a LOT OF BOMB SHIT from her 'retired' bomb squad grandmother, but it was amazing at helping her maintain her composure under pressure. Little danger is good for kids... Maybe not like that tho lol

Anyway, naturally, after Habitat 7, Mia does some art therapy. She claims her first piece in Andromeda is one of her dad accessing the remnant tech, all that orange light and wonder. (Mixed media, because she favored a very particular style hard to replicate in just one medium). Watercolor, ink, and pastel for the highlights.

In reality, late one night, she did one in charcoal wash. Messy and choppy with the only color a haze of blue in the background. Her dad reaching down to take off her shattered helmet, tears in his eyes and determination. Fractured glass spiderwebbing in the corners catching thin slices of the electrified sky.

She doesn't show anyone this picture. It's too... Much. Too raw. Horrible. The moment she realized how much her father loved her. The instant he made his choice.

But despite hiding the picture, someone does find it by accident.

Cora, looking for something else, stumbles across it and is quiet for the rest of the day. She makes her excuses and locks her room that night. She doesn't sleep for a long time, utterly distraught. Guilty.

There will be several moments where I plan on rubbing in Cora's mistake but without these posts it would just come across as her mourning a mentor.

Her quickness to vocally accept Mia as Pathfinder.

(She doubted him once and look what happened.)

Her conflicted support of Scott as 'acting Pathfinder'.

(He couldn't know better than Alec. She didn't.)

Her steadfast attempts to tutor Mia when possible and indulge her whenever she could.

(Her fault Mia's last chance at a normal childhood was shattered like her helmet had been.)

The way she tended to default to Mia's suggestions before Scott's, though even Scott asked his sister for a different perspective often.

Cora is mildly insubordinate to Scott a LOT early on. She almost hates how quick he was to take charge. How certain he is if it means shielding his sister. His confidence despite his lack of experience. Scott is a go getter with no hesitation. A goof ball with a heart of gold, meanwhile all Cora can think of is how it should be her.

And the fact that it would kill Mia to try and pass SAM on doing little to assuage her wounded pride ultimately confirming to herself why Alec must have never considered her fit to lead.

She even resents Alec a little for not putting the Initiative and the literal thousands of colonists before a single kid. But ultimately, as questionable of a man as Alec was, when push came to shove he was willing to be a good father first before being a great Pathfinder.

And Cora couldn't even be a decent second when given the chance.

That stings a lot. And it takes a whole lot more for her to confess any of this.

[imperium-wealth-management]

Hi Candice,

So I didn't want to believe know the fact that we were going to be at Andromeda galaxy and knowing the fact that Mass effect was having stronghold over there over here that I would think something would have changed that it was all domestic surface area and that DOD was working with us military assets and US military only but I found out that it was Mass effect in other people Star treks all these leftover technologies that they move from a ship to vehicles so all that is you know being found out and

I'm sorry that I got mad at you I really thought you guys were just hanging back for some reason or holding until August or something to make some timeline fit.

If you can forgive me I was trying really really hard to get chipped off of people's shoulder so that that karma doesn't get encoded into genomics DNA and and get blood over to descendants or ancestors depending on the situation.

Found out that department of defense operator Lloyd is dead obviously he was a chicken it was replaced he's much bigger and fatter now than before anyways the issue with Lloyd and whatever happened in Baltimore got squished it was all good at that point.

Apocalypso which was alien being pretty up there you saw how he fights with all these movies and stuff and he still exists to a certain degree but not like the way you guys think I'm sure some of those transformations and missions do you come in through chips and other types of communication because they're encoded with their DNA and they can speak through all that.

I was pretty sure when boba Fett he didn't really say you took care of it but he was here and I saw the same attack vectors from Bellevue coming over here so I thought there was just going to be belvie people and maybe pla but it was pla plus Jimmy predator and it goes up the star citizens and Star Trek and what SML was doing and with Bellevue and all that.

So based on my understanding the top is Ballard green Legos green yellow Legos or green yellow and some plastic of some sort.

Didn't have a plan after what they were going to do for Mass effect or just tomorrow in general.

Ruff ryders and SML or Ballard was working together day by day trying to scrounge up food whenever they can and then try to get quick kills whenever they can.

It was a bounty hunter an assassin that's inside a mass effect ship and she cloned herself or shepherded herself so male and female are both shepherds probably German based.

And they have been going around with javik which is another alien and then Pentagon spokesperson reddish yellowish reddish whitish color alien they all look somewhat similar to Warframe but not really colorized

So that's kind of the end of it right now they're dealing with some factions of leadership how to tell themselves that it's not all their fault it is partially their fault they have to go through the legal process.

Many people will be upset at them rough riders zero dark thirty and DOD and Bellevue and all that and I'm sure people will because all some death needed to happen because I told you to manage your karma and the people that were not managing your comment was white folks.

So that's kind of the gist of it I requested help from China and Russia from the future to come down and maintain some order because the hardest thing you can get right now is an adult.

I started yelling because all the efforts that I put into trying to remove someone else's chip on their shoulder that they were doing all along everyday all day and it was a diminishing return and felt like a huge waste of time for me.

But then again it was a heavenly mandate so I had to go through the process didn't quite know how even he himself didn't know how it was going to end not even said it was an uncharted Territory so everything was Lucy goosey.

I know you love me and I love you too okay when emotions get like this or to a point where people are dying left and right and they're always demanding something out of me to fix this situation and or do some other business ideas of expansion and stuff so I was under a tremendous amount of stress and no I'm not sleeping very well and no I'm not eating very well and no I'm not drinking very well and no I'm not smoking enough unfortunately.

The satellites are so bad EMF d e W's were all around me everyday all day and I think that's going to subside significantly.

I was up 24 hours trying to get to the bottom of it and I'm sorry it took so long and I hope you can find some peace in your heart to forgive me that goes for everybody who I was yelling at but really it's it's your fault but it's not really your fault your fault that you weren't here to defend it right that's your child.

For me I mean I went through this process so much of trying to take care of Ari Anakin and Micah all at the same time I'm exhausted being bad really to be honest that's a lot of I have to do double time I have this young ones that I have the kind of talk to you and you know do you do my part in and then I got the older side which is mid range and then I got the old side and they all have their own lives to live and me doing this is probably somebody inconvenient but I still tell him that they have to do it and so this whatever this thing this negative feedback loop is ending as we know it.

I've had discussions with rough riders I have discussions with Ballard SML pretty much everybody minus downtown but I did send out a communication to let them know that I'm just going to stop there and I'll have your leadership or anyone else who's in that position explain the situation to you.

It's not all of our collective fault but partially it is my fault I was greedy and I wanted something more for myself and I'm sorry for that everybody is what you need to say.

Until you are feeling right and you have this off your shoulders I feel as I should do something for you please let me know what I can do anything and everything within reason without financial ramifications and I'll be out of pocket my expenses the person who's speaking.

I'll give you a few days to kind of sleep over and see what kind of thoughts you have I like to get your feedback and I'm doing best as I can under the circumstances I'm not trying to use fancy words but I just want you to know that I'm deeply apologetic and this will be no longer happening going forward.

And as of right now I feel less abusing myself as the best choice and I'm going to try to talk to somebody else so that I don't think this entire bird not to myself and add that chip to your shoulder so that other people can feel it so don't do that okay lift up please if you are receiving recipient please give him hope and hands up of some sort a hug will be great too say it's all of our faults every one of us including myself.

[sol-consort]

So Liam was my first ever andromeda romance (listen, he was cute and friendly and passionate about what he did, I couldn't resist), and I think what a lot of people dislike about him is he usually takes risks first and only tells others about them when they either blow up in his face or work out. Which isn't ideal in the current situation where communication is key to survival. He is used to making quick, potentially risky decisions on his own due to his background in crisis response and rescue, which, as i mentioned, doesn't really work on a crisis this big. Also, he clashes with Vetra, but given their different upbringing and views on life, it can be understandable, but a lot of people dislike him for it. I do feel like he is a little stuck in the way he handles the world around him, but he isn't as bad as some of the fandom makes him out to be, since he does show willingness to grow. So, overall, not my favourite character, but he isn't as bad as some of the fandom makes him out to be. In my opinion. I am a little iffy on Cora's general personnality, but that's because I don't know her very well and never really take her anywhere since I feel like our personalities wouldn't mesh well. The way she handles some things irritates me (same with Liam), but she has more nuance than she is usually given credit for, from what i can tell. -blue anon

I think it's Andromeda writing and pacing that's not giving him justice.

Mass effect writting was always corny in a way, campy more accurately. Cliche but fondly so and the pacing was just right. Most importantly, it was self aware. The writers knew the tropes they were leaning into and it clearly showed. That's why it hits so hard when a twist comes since you get used to expecting to know what comes next.

In Andromeda the pacing is thrown out the window since it's an open world game. Making scenes with Liam either feel too rushed or too spaced out depending on your playstyle and how many times you talk to him. Sometimes it felt like he's moving too fast, other times like he's giving me the cold shoulder.

Even his speech feels...rushed? It's bite sized scenes. Not giving him enough time to fully talk and express his thoughts. Compare any of his scenes at the start with that one scene with Kaidan where he awkwardly explains his backstory at jump zero.

Was it convoluted and painstakingly long? Yes but it gave him time to shine. Players who cared about him enjoyed the exposition a lot, especially with how much he was opening up. He spoke in details and stuttered a lot because it is true to his character.

Meanwhile when liam talks about himself, it feels chopped and out of place because of his writing. Like I know chopped, and the way his speech jumps from point A to Z immediately without any letter in between just makes it feel like a fever dream. It's like you're speaking with someone who's trying to say many things at once and you end up leaving not sure what the fuck the two of you were even talking about.

A lot of Andromeda writting suffers from trying to be hip and cool while being corny? Like you can't be camp if you desperately attempt to be genuinely cool and modern, these things contrast. Liam is a character that was clearly ment to represent a casual chill guy with a chaotic side and modern tones. Not too wild like Peebee but not too non-human like Cora, he's new but not new new.

So he ends up being written like what a kid imagines a cool guy to be and it doesn't work in his favour at all.

You have to look past a lot of bad writing to see his genuine traits and core ideas shine through is what I'm saying. There this muddy fog between you and the character he was meant to be.

Because he's exactly like you described! But only after you have all the pieces to his personality and be able to filter him from the horrible game writing.

Liamn was very interesting to me at the start. Like you immediately focus on him after creating your character because he is directly opposite from you during the scene and you can't help but stare at him. It was organic and so beautifully done how he was seamlessly introduced, catching your attention.

But man it is downhill after that. There is just....nothing below the surface, a thousand yards empty stare. Kaidan and Ashley felt like actual people most of the time while Liam and Cora always felt like characters in a videogame.

Like of course you'll say that, you're a character in a videogame. They were never immersive and never gave their tropes any rest. Delivering their roles of being characters perfectly and making you aware you're playing a game.

I am giving him more chances, since your ask, I've started taking him with Vetra along on missions just to hear their dialogue because nothing makes characters shine like conflict.

And it's...tame. fine. Okay.

Mild.

Boring.

Delivered like a first time stand up comedian on a stage who keeps shuffling their cards loudly before reading from them.

I wish they actually made them hate each other like Ashley used to do with other companions. I wish they gave him some claws or gave Vetra a spine. I wish they revealed anything interesting besides vague comments about vague past events with vague characters we never mention by name because fuck making commitment and actually developing character backstories huh?

They never commit, never reveal much. Just vagueness.

I love Jaal but he too is becoming very boring. I mean fumbling an interesting character like him that's basically the curent closest thing to an actual alien ingame is almost impressive for Andromeda.

I liked Jaal and Liam interactions but it never went anywhere. Liam is supposed to be this risktaker, act now think later and the personification of the phrase "curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back" and yet he can't actually do any risk taking with the game constantly holding him back.

A fucking movie night is the biggest thing he can manage? I expected strip poker with alcohol energy drinks potion mixing from this guy and we just get movie night??? That gets delayed back????

I love the guy but I am disappointed.

So I get you. The way you see him is for who his character was supposed to be, the way I wish he was given justice in his portrayal. But not what he currently is ingame.

Because this is the Liam we have ingame

[thevulturesquadron]

“We'll guard the Hyperion.” 'Kandros? Who's with you?' “The invitation was opened - unless you're refusing Kadara's help?"

This one’s for @omegastation after she successfully managed to pull me back into the depths of feels for these two characters and their relationship during the book. Whoever is telling me that they don’t end up having a brutally honest conversation to clear the air after fighting side by side on Meridian, is just in denial. 

[abalidoth]

Die a Hainly or Live Long Enough to See Yourself Become the Vilia: Gender, Breath of the Wild, and Representational Sterility

Thanks to @start-anywhere for encouraging me to write this essay!

Major spoilers for Breath of the Wild, minor spoilers for Mass Effect Andromeda and Horizon: Forbidden West, as well as the Tears of the Kingdom trailer and H:FW Burning Shores.

cw: transmisogyny.

"Be careful playing the Gerudo segment," I heard from friends. "There's a transmisogynist joke there."

There's a lot I don't remember about 2017. That year was a perfect recipe for dissociation: I was finishing a very fraught and frustrating PhD dissertation and TAing at the same time, with very little sleep. I was constantly worrying about finding a job after graduation, and moving to a new city sight unseen. I spent the first two months of the year away from Emma for a math fellowship, the longest we'd ever been apart.

And on top of that, I was a closeted trans femme living in Laramie, Wyoming, a town famous for a homophobic hate crime, during the first year of the Trump administration. My gender pressure had been building for years, out to friends online but not to anyone in person save Emma. I knew I wasn't a man but the closest I could come to expressing it was wearing skirts at home, and nail polish on the weekends. (Apply Friday afternoon, remove Sunday evening, repeat weekly.)

But I do remember playing Breath of the Wild with Emma.

Zelda is in the DNA of our relationship -- Emma showed me Ocarina of Time before we even started dating, Twilight Princess was one of the first games we played through together, and I proposed to her with a ceramic replica I made of Anju and Kafei's wedding mask from Majora's Mask.

So, getting to play a new Zelda game -- an extremely good one, at that -- with her, during one of the worst years of my life, was an incredible beacon of light.

So the warning about a transmisogynist joke in the Gerudo segment was disappointing, but I kept it in mind as we played.

For those who haven't played the game, here's a quick synopsis of that quest: Link, our hero, needs to access Gerudo Town, a town of all women. (Sorta. Put a pin in that. 📌) You talk to a male shopkeep outside who tells you that he's heard "a man" has been "sneaking" into town, and he's waiting to catch a peek. Other (Gerudo) characters mention an odd human woman, a merchant, who hangs out on the roof of a bazaar a ways outside town. Up there you find Vilia.

(image source: Zelda Wiki, which correctly genders Vilia unlike some wikis 😒)

If you accuse her of being the "man in disguise" she brushes you off and won't speak to you further. If you compliment her, she'll offer to help you get into town, sell you the Gerudo clothing set (grab another pin 📍) and say how pretty you look, making Link blush. Then the wind will blow her veil aside, which we only see obliquely, but we do see that she has facial hair. Link acts surprised.

Okay. Let's unpack.

First off... Vilia is a trans woman with a beard. I'm just gonna treat that as a fact from this point forward. Everyone who actually interacts with her refers to her as a woman, she refers to herself as a woman, we will set "but maybe she's just a crossdresser" or whatever aside, she's a trans woman. With a beard.

Is that problematic?

A big theme of my evolution as a social justice advocate is that "problematic" is meaningless in a vacuum. The existence of a trans woman with a beard is not, itself, problematic. Otherwise that's pretty bad news for me, a trans femme with a beard.

But her depiction... There are definitely some elements of cultural transmisogyny being upheld here. Stubble is a common feature in popular caricatures of the Gross Tranny. Link's reaction being played for comedy makes Vilia's existence sort of a big joke.

And on a surface level examination, it looks like this is a straightforward "man dresses as woman to gain access to women's spaces" story, straight out of Joanne's Twitter-addled fever dreams.

But other than that, Vilia is pretty well treated by the narrative. All of the Gerudo refer to her as a little odd, but fundamentally a helpful person, and they respect her identity. It's clear when Link runs around Gerudo Town that multiple people clock him, but nobody ever throws him out because they just assume he's a trans woman and therefore implicitly welcome.

Vilia's character model isn't exaggerated in any way I'd consider transmisogynist, aside from the facial hair, and Link in the Gerudo outfit is, well, far from an unflattering portrayal.

And importantly, you cannot progress the main story if you misgender her.

There is no other way to get into Gerudo Town, and thereby the Divine Beast Vah Naboris, if you just say "you're a dude, right?" and don't walk it back. You can technically finish the game without any of the four Divine Beasts, but they make it MUCH easier, and a significant chunk of story is locked behind her quest.

So back in 2017 I played this, went "well that wasn't great but it wasn't as bad as I thought," and went on to wear the Gerudo outfit as much as humanly possible.

Flash forward to my 2023 replay, in anticipation of the sequel. I'm avidly curious to replay this section, given my evolution in my own gender understanding. (The first time around, I id'ed as genderqueer and Definitely Not A Guy but I'm not sure I was comfortable with "trans" yet, and definitely not "situationally a girl".)

Turns out? Vilia fuckin' rules. Gender icon. They hate to see a girlbeard winning.

Ok, I'm exaggerating. (A little.) But there is a reason I'm writing this essay, and I came away with a much improved sympathy for her character and her position in the story. I want to talk about why, but first let's clear a couple of those pins.

📌 The Gerudo are an all-female race. This is historically true in the Zelda games, with the single exception of Ganondorf, an ancient incarnation of evil who is born as the only make Gerudo once in an age. Ganondorf isn't in this game (though he is in the sequel!) so he's not relevant here. There are two things to note here: one, the Gerudo are nonwhite and heavily middle eastern coded. This is something I can't get into, as an Extremely White Person, but their interaction with gender is not without racial context and it would be irresponsible of me to not mention it.

But second, and the thing I will talk about, is that they seldom use the words "man" and "woman", but rather "voe" and "vai". We get these translated for us, but they are just that -- translations. They are gender concepts unique to the Gerudo that get mapped imperfectly to Hylian standards. The Gorons, a race of rock people who all use male pronouns and forms of address, are allowed into Gerudo Town, being "neither voe nor vai". And all of the Gerudo characters treat you differently when you're in the Gerudo clothing, even though it's clear that many of them have the perceptiveness to see through it.

I think it makes perfect sense to interpret "vai" as less "woman" and more "fem presenting". The Gerudo's actions are consistent (arguably, more so) if you do so.

📍The Gerudo armor. There's a few things to talk about here. First, Vilia sells it to you rather than just giving it to you. This seems a bit callous, but there's other similar monetary roadblocks in the game, and she's explicitly a traveling merchant and jewels are (as she says) expensive. I don't blame her.

The Gerudo armor is also, in game, pretty terrible. If you're wearing all three pieces you get a tiny bit of heat resistance, but it has basically no armor and can't be upgraded. There is a purchaseable "voe armor" with similar aesthetics but much better stats, but it can't be used to access Gerudo Town.

This is... Not ideal. I like to run around in the Gerudo armor because Link looks absolutely adorable in it; that was more of a priority back then than it is now that I have my own fem wardrobe, but it's still true. I wish it could be upgraded. I also wish you could just wear whatever armor aesthetically and get a different set of bonuses.

Okay. Now. To explain what it is I actually like about Vilia's portrayal, I want to talk about two other transfeminine characters from open world games: Hainly Abrams from Mass Effect: Andromeda and Wekatta from Horizon: Forbidden West.

Hainly Abrams is a scientist on the planet Prodromos in Mass Effect: Andromeda. In her first conversation with you, you can ask her why she came to Andromeda, and she says she was looking for a fresh start for her transition, and then... weirdly deadnames herself, in a way that feels utterly alien to anyone who's interacted with trans people. BioWare took criticism on this... sort of, and patched that conversation to only happen after you gain her trust by saving her fiance. But it's still extremely jarring. I cannot find information about her voice actress.

Wekatta is a troop leader of the Sky Clan Tenakth in H:FW. Like Vilia, the narrative is actually somewhat cagey as to whether she's a trans woman or not. I don't believe anyone actually refers to her with she/her pronouns, unlike Vilia, and the closest she gets to saying she's trans is

Aloy: And you think he's crazy for trying?

Wekatta: I'm not a fan of that word. When I chose to wear a woman's armor, people called me crazy, too.

Wekatta only shows up for a single minor side quest, and doesn't really get to actually do anything. She is at least voiced by a trans voice actress, Rebecca Root.

Both of these portrayals are mostly free of overt transmisogyny. Hainly deadnames herself in a strange and off-putting way, and Wekatta's portrayal is ambiguous to the point of over-caution, but there's not much that could be read as a transphobic joke like in Vilia's story.

They're also both boring as heck. And neither of them really feels trans.

Both of these characters feel like existing bit-player characters with one "bee tee dubs, I am A Tran" line slapped into their dialog. Sure there isn't anything overtly wrong with that kind of representation, if it's done carefully, but this is "minor character mentions he has a husband" rep, not "on-screen gay kiss with main character" rep. (Side note, though, good for Guerrilla for making Aloy canonically queer in Burning Shores. Haven't played it yet but I'm stoked to. Hell yeah.)

Vilia, as problematic as elements of her portrayal are, feels like a real transfeminine person. She feels more like me. Her gender is kinda messy! She has a girlbeard! She gets to call you out if you misgender her!

And best of all, her interactions with Link (excluding the shocked face at the end, which is pretty annoying) can be read very easily as an older, more experienced trans woman helping a younger trans girl with early transition, giving her her first feminine outfit and complimenting her. There's no wonder why transfem Link is such a popular headcanon. (My personal favorite for Link is some kind of transfeminine genderfluid.)

Vilia isn't perfect, but truly great and realistic trans representation is going to be easier if you start with a Vilia and clip off the overtly problematic bits, than if you start with a Wekatta or a Hainly and try to make them feel more real.

[maranull]

MARAAAAAAAAAA

Right, before the asks, can I just say how awesome it is to see you getting back into your hobby ??? I have a bud who does climbing and you two seem to look at it with the exact same enthusiasm, it's awesome! If I weren't so terrified of heights etc I'd love to give it a go xD

Anyways!

13. Quick, name the first song from a game that comes to mind

18. A game location you really like

21. A boss that was disappointing

24. A game with a cool art style

30. Game you think you’ll finish next?

BOMBOMBITIBOMBIMBOOOOOOOM!!!

Oh no, you mentioned climbing. Gonna derail this ask, forgive me. :P

SO. FIRST OF ALL YOUR BUD HAS HELLA GOOD TASTE

SECOND! I can only speak for my exp, but bouldering doesn't have you reaching any higher than maybe... 4 meters? Maybe 5 depending on the gym, i think. And that height is with you using your full reach, meaning the floor is like 2 or 3 meters away. Plus falling is like crushing on a bed, the fall area is basically like falling on mattresses. But I kinda get the height fear, before this recent try I was going with rope on rock and while I didn't go higher than 6 meters, the fear was definitely there. STILL I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND BOULDERING IF YOU'RE CURIOUS

OKAY! TO THE ACTUAL VIDI GAME ASKS NOW!

~

13. Quick, name the first song from a game that comes to mind

Leaving Earth from Mass Effect 3. That series is what got me into gaming and also the one that got me going "hey, why do i relate so much more to the character when I'm playing femShep?" (basically it planted the first seeds of maybe-not-cis 👍) The soundtrack is a sci-fi banger, and combined with my nostalgia... Yep. Leaving Earth is the first thing in my mind. Hmm hmm.

18. A game location you really like

Eurydice's chambers in Hades. I always stay for her song to finish every time before talking to her. Such a vibe, that place.

21. A boss that was disappointing

Oooh, that's hard. Hmm... Oh! The Remnant Architect, the final boss of Mass Effect: Andromeda. Just a bullet sponge and plain annoying. I loved most of that game, but the endgame was... Well, kinda shit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

24. A game with a cool art style

TRANSISTOR!! PLAY IT!! MADE BY THE HADES DEVS AND IT SLAPS IN EVERY CONCEIVABLE WAY!

30. Game you think you’ll finish next?

Honestly, I have no clue. Maybe Elden Ring again, in order to get Marika's hammer for a build I wanted for some months now? Or Cyberpunk 2077? Or Hades again? I dunno, I'm only replaying games lately and just switch every once in a while :P

~

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK AND THE CLIMBING STUFF!!!

❤