#klienearschlock

[swaps55]

What was the deciding factor that made you write Opus from everyone else’s pov and not Sam’s? Going back and reading it again while waiting (with rabid patience) for Mezzo, I’m truly seeing how fleshed out you’ve made Sam. And is it possible that we see another pov from Hannah? The small piece that was in Mezzo was really eye opening

It was a couple of things!

One is that we spend three games looking through Shepard's eyes, and if I was going to cover canon events in a fanfic, I wanted to look at them through the eyes of someone else to give events we all know about already a fresh perspective.

The second is that one of the things I wanted to do with Opus was really emphasize the 'larger than life' aspect of Shepard's legacy. As the player character of a video game, Shepard by design is the center of the Mass Effect universe. They are the only person who can save the galaxy, the person everyone looks to as a leader, the person through which all decisions flow. But fanfic isn't a video game, and a question I really wanted to answer about Sam specifically was...why him? What makes him the person who saves the galaxy? What makes him a hero? Because "he's the player character" isn't an answer.

Part of answering that question was making him feel larger than life to the reader. And one of the ways I thought I could do that was never letting the reader really see what's going on in his head. His narrative is entirely filtered through the eyes of others, so that all you see is what others think of him. They all offer pieces of the full picture of Sam, but no one has all the pieces. And even the people who love him the most - like Kaidan - still get him wrong sometimes. The reader is the only one who gets the most complete picture of him, but even you are missing one vital piece of the puzzle - Sam's.

It felt like a fun way to add a little mystery to who he is. There is always some part of him that's unknowable, which feels important to a character who exists as a symbol to so many. There's a person underneath the mantle, but you have to work for him, and what you get is a little different depending on whose eyes you're looking through.

It's been an interesting and really fun challenge to develop a main character whose thoughts you never see, but who nevertheless has a lot of depth and compels people rather than frustrates them when you don't know what he's thinking.

As for Hannah Shepard, I am all but certain we will get another POV from her. Her involvement in Mezzo and in the next story, Requiem, continues to evolve in ways I am really pleased with. I'm learning a lot about her, and I hope you will be surprised with the direction I think her character arc is going to go.

[nazmy02]

@equipebrasil @king-b0mbastic @enchanted-lightning-aes @kamal-jpr @sunsetview-blog @sunsetsandstars @fairytales2003 @hiddles-loves-cookies @russianspacegeckosexparty @kordeliiius @officialkendallroy @expressionmemeschallenge @where-fading-princesses-live @revolutionariess @expressionmemeschallenge @jenndoesntwantto @urlocalaxemurderer @russianspacegeckosexparty @klienearschlock @jumping-jackalope @fairytales2003 @hiddles-loves-cookies @elfdragon12 @fhtagn-and-tentacles @fhlorism @fhlur @hjlphotos @yxngkhalifa-blog @hxcfairyhasmoved @tnutty @tbhstudying

A cry of hunger that the world does not hear: A little girl struggles amid the crowds to obtain some food as famine continues in the Gaza Strip and aid is prevented from entering.

I am Nazmi, a displaced person from Gaza. I am living through a very difficult war. We live in tents without food, drink, or nutrition for the children who have been suffering from dehydration in this siege for more than 19 months. I cannot buy what is available because its price has risen dramatically. 😥 I need your help so that we can live, just me and my children. 🙏

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #380 )✅️💔

@fvckmami @johnallisonweiss @rhiwddolion @dg-fragments @masktress25-blog @-arianagrande @--luna-- @--cutequotes @--gem-- @---flower--child--- @---happiness--- @--- @------------- @xxgvtz-0r-gutsxx @cedarspiced @bkbrains @thatveganwhiterose @dgalvb @rvengebullet @determinate-negation @piedaho @kn57 @itsgreystorm @introvert-celeste @joonsbees @gk7 @kelpieeq @hoofpeet @fn @fndungeonmom @ckliwy @dbzscreencaps @eb @rnapolimerasi @msmakeupaddict

[edgepunk]

Pretty sure the game devs of atomic heart modeled the robots after Viktoriia Apanasenko who entered into Miss Universe for Ukraine, I don’t know how true it actually is, I’ve only seen a tweet about the similarities of her warrior of light costume and the sex robots

I honestly don't know enough about the game to confirm or dispute that, but some people said they were modeled after Yulia Tymoshenko, a Ukrainian politician.

Either way, this game gives me the ick, the vibes are rancid and the robots are one of the most sexless fanservice please-buy-our-shitty-game shticks I've seen in a while.

[comefeedtherainn]

yeet, 1 thru 7 mshenko pls

Y E E T <3 

1. do they have a lot of arguments? if so, over what?

they do! but it’s not as bad as it sounds. they’re both just kinda...argue-y guys lmao where they work through things by basically verbally sparring. they’re rarely actually mad at each other. and if they are mad they’ll apologize, which...well, we can go over that in the next question :3

2. who apologizes first? in what way? is it hard for either of them to apologize?

kaidan is quicker to apologize, mostly because “sorry” is part of his everyday vocabulary lmao. and he’s much more likely than shepard to feel like he’s overstepping or has said too much/been too harsh. both of them apologize verbally before anything, but shepard is big on Apology Presents to supplement. Neither of them find it difficult to apologize, John just sometimes doesn’t realize he���s stepped in it for a while because Kaidan is passive aggressive lmao.

3. which one has more insecurities? over what?

i guess that depends what you mean?????? like what kind of insecurities?? if we’re talking purely canonverse (no i dont think of my own ficverse as more canon for me why would you ask that dont look at me), we can ignore all the ways that i think kaidan is insecure about his physical appearance because they don’t apply here ;) 

if we’re ignoring that, i think kaidan’s biggest insecurity is in his own biotic ability. I’ve explored this a little bit in fics, but I think he is very unsure of how much of what he’s been able to accomplish is due to being The Good L2 (aka the one that didn’t get cancer or fall mentally ill), and I think he would also struggle with perfectionism. My Kaidan also has ADHD, and as a result he frequently questions his own intelligence.

John is a big, tightly wound ball of anxiety and bitten up cuticles. So, his list of insecurities is about a mile long. Probably the biggest problem he has is imposter syndrome! As he’s said before, he’s “just a soldier,” and he is far less than comfortable with the pedestal he’s frequently put on, particularly in Mass Effect 3. I think that he enjoys leading, but he never wanted to be what he was, basically, forced into being for humanity. Someone let my son take a nap.

4. who gets more riled up? do they show their anger? 

oh, shepard for sure lmao. as mentioned before - big ball of anxiety. doesn’t handle anger well. How he shows it tends to be different depending on the situation. When he’s on his own he’s prone to hitting and throwing things, and drinking. Bad John. When Kaidan’s around he’ll trying to tone down the aggression and just pace instead. That’s also when he turns to pulling on his own hair or scratching on his arms, because he’s trying not to be aggressive around Kaidan.

5. how do they hide their pain when they’re upset? do they try to hide their pain?

John drinks. Or at least he does for a while, but he eventually kicks that habit post-war. He also gets pissed off when he’s upset, even if he’s actually just sad or hurt. Kaidan gets quiet and self-isolates. As is probably obvious - yes, they both try to hide it, but no, they can never hide it from each other.

6. who tries to make up first? does it work?

Kaidan, usually, because he’s more likely to self-deprecate and therefore more quick to confess to fucking up. John can and will admit to fucking up, but it takes him a little longer to cool down. He also likes to be sure he’s calm before trying to go make up, because like I said, he doesn’t like to be upset around Kaidan.

7. would they hate-fuck if they were mad at one another? if they had a falling out?

lmao UHHH. well hate-fuck is a strong word! they do have make up sex for sure. and sometimes they’ll be a little rougher just work it all out a bit. but it’s only after they’ve talked shit out, and only after they’ve come down from the high emotions. they do not have rough sex while they’re angry!

[klienearschlock]

I honestly rlly didn’t like dreadsociety so uhhhh SMALL ASSHOLE IT IS

[comefeedtherainn]

dudeeeeee, i am always here for ur writing bc it’s so good 63 and mshenko?

hiiii! ahhh thank you, you’re so sweet hehe <3 i love doing little drabbles for y’all, it makes my heart fuzzy! and it’s good practice to just mess around a little with something fun y’knowwwwww

63. “I really would’ve liked it if you told me your parents were coming to town.” - “I really would’ve liked it if you put underwear on before coming into the kitchen.”

It was a lazy day in the Shepard-Alenko household, and Shepard stepped out of his lengthy shower feeling content and refreshed. Post-war was proving to be weird for both he and Kaidan, and when there were bad days, they were pretty bad. But, when there were good days, Shepard tried not to question it and just embraced the calm while it stuck around.

Today was one such day. Neither of them had had any nightmares, nor did they wake cranky or too sore. Shepard tried to revel in the calm and safe feeling. Once he was dried off he shuffled out of the bathroom, not bothering with clothes as it was hot as balls outside and it was only Kaidan around, anyway. He stretched his arms over his head, popping his spine in a couple places, as he made his way toward the kitchen. 

He froze in the doorway when he indeed saw Kaidan, and sitting with him - his mother and father. They all stared at each other for a split second that felt like ten years. Immediately, Kaidan’s father averted his eyes toward the ceiling with a look that distinctly read ‘yikes.’ Kaidan’s mother clapped a hand over her mouth, and as Shepard quickly backpedaled toward the bedroom, he could hear her laughing her ass off.

Shepard wasn’t one for shame, really. Might’ve been because he’d spent a lot of his youth in real close quarters with other people, and personal space and shit was hard to come by. But, well…your partner’s parents getting a full frontal view of your goods was grounds for a little blushing.

Just as he was pulling on a pair of pants, Kaidan entered the bedroom, standing in the doorway and leveling him with a hard look as he crossed his arms over his chest. Shepard gave him out right back, putting his hands on his hips and resting his weight on one foot.

“I would have liked it if you told me your parents were coming to town,” he huffed.

“I would have liked if you put on underwear before coming into the kitchen.”

“I didn’t think anyone else was here!”

Kaidan snorted, shaking his head as he appeared to be trying to fight a grin. “They came by without saying anything. To surprise us.”

“Well,” Shepard grumbled. “Consider me fucking surprised.”

“Eh,” Kaidan shrugged. “I’d say they’re probably more surprised. My mom laughed so hard she cried, so there’s that.”

“Fuck me,” Shepard groaned, rubbing his face with his hands.

feel free to send me a number!

[comefeedtherainn]

klienearschlock replied to your post: me, listening to literally any song by hootie &...

also, hozier

ALSO THAT. i have at least one hozier song on my BoD playlist lmaooo

[comefeedtherainn]

if ur doing more prompts 28 and mshenko 💕💕💕

it’s always prompt time tbh hehehehehe <3 

am i doing more college au? a bitch just might.

28. “How drunk was I?”

Kaidan woke to find himself sprawled on a nasty couch, surrounded by empty Solo cups and bottles and pizza boxes, feeling like he had the head cold of the century. He groaned, rubbing his face wearily as bits and pieces of the previous night came back, though they were a little fuzzy. He remembered doing shots with Vega and his frat brothers, trying and failing miserably not to hit on Shepard (story of his life), and after that...not much.

He fucking knew he shouldn’t have been drinking that blue shit.

He didn’t feel too sick, though, which surprised him. Just a bit like he had a cold. When he rolled over, he saw a half-empty bottle of water. He’d have to thank whoever had taken charge of his ass last night. He sat up, grimacing at the soreness and sighing heavily. The kitchen smelled like coffee, so he dragged himself to his feet and shuffled in.

He found Ashley standing at the coffee maker, still in the same leggings and tank top from the previous night and looking a bit rumpled. She didn’t seem too bad off, otherwise, and smirked at Kaidan when he approached. “Good morning, sleeping beauty.”

“Nngh.”

She snickered at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you that hammered.”

Kaidan shook his head. “I have...regrets. Least I’m not throwing up, though.”

“Yeah.” She poured him a mug of coffee and slid it toward him, knowing he was picky about his creamer-to-coffee ratio. She glanced at him briefly, then gasped, then snorted. She covered her mouth with her hand, still laughed. “Oh...man.”

Kaidan blinked at her. “What?”

“Uh...check out the mirror in the hall.”

He raised his eyebrows at her, then slowly turned to go and do as she said. The second he caught a glimpse of himself he gasped, himself, because right underneath his ear was a compact, dark red and purple hickey. “What the fuck?!”

He didn’t appreciate the cackling laughter coming from the kitchen, and stomped back in with his face bright red. 

“Where did that come from?!”

“I don’t know,” Ashley giggled, though she looked like she was fighting a losing battle to stop laughing. 

“Did you see me hooking up with anyone?”

“No! I watched you all night, I swear.” She paused,  her mouth forming an ‘o’. “...well...”

“Well?!”

“Well! You and Shep were dancing for a while. If you could...call that much drunken gyrating dancing. Maybe he gave it to you.”

Kaidan stared at her, comprehensive thought escaping him for a solid fifteen seconds or so. “I...was dirty dancing. With John Shepard. At a frat party.”

Ashley nodded solemnly, reaching to squeeze his shoulder. “’fraid so. If it helps, you looked like you were having a great time?”

That did not help. Kaidan groaned, sinking into a chair at the kitchen table, not even minding that it was kind of sticky. “How drunk was I?” he lamented. “How drunk was he?!”

“Drunk enough, man. Drunk enough.”

[comefeedtherainn]

low key feel bad asking for another but i requested 76 and i love ur writing soooo much, could u do 94 and mshenko

nah dude, you’re totally good, dont feel bad!! thank you, i’m so glad you liked the previous one! i cracked up writing it hehehe

94. “I had a bad dream again.”

Shepard stirred in the middle of the night, feeling cold. He frowned, rolling over to leech some of Kaidan’s body, but paused when he found only empty mattress beside him. He grunted pushing himself up to sit and rubbing his face. Anderson’s - well, his, now - apartment’s open floor plan meant that noise traveled quite easily, so it only took a moment for him to notice soft clanking and rustling from the kitchen. He yawned widely, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

He found Kaidan in the ktichen, as he’d suspected, putting the finishing touches on a sandwich.

“Make one for me, too,” Shepard said around a yawn, grimacing when Kaidan jumped a little. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Kaidan shook his head, smiling slightly as he retrieved two more pieces of bread. “That’s fine. Not hard to do, especially these days.” He looked up, frowning at Shepard as he leaned one hip against the kitchen counter. “Did I wake you up?”

“Nah,” Shepard murmured. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Kaidan’s eyes flitted back down to his own hands, sliding the new sandwich toward Shepard quietly. “Had a bad dream again.”

Shepard frowned, reaching to brush some wild curls away from his eyes; they always got so frizzy and cute when he slept. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Maybe tomorrow,” Kaidan sighed, the corners of his mouth turned down. He twisted up the bread once more, and put away the meat and cheese, silent all the while. Then, the pair of them brought their plates out to the living room and sat on the floor in front of the fire place, Kaidan’s legs tucked underneath him while Shepard spread his out in a v-shape. They ate quietly, eyes half-lidded as they sleepily chewed. 

Kaidan leaned sideways a bit, resting his head on Shepard’s shoulder, eyes sliding closed. Shepard gently kissed his forehead, the fireplace crackling behind them and warming their backs, the rest of the apartment cast in heavy shadow. Eventually, they went back to sleep, and didn’t stir again.

feel free to send me a number! <3

[comefeedtherainn]

for the otp questions, 2, 3, 6, 13, 21, 24 and mshenko ofc

ayyyy! of course hehehehe

2. Big spoon/Little spoon?

They switch around a lot, but during the night Kaidan ALWAYS ends up wrapped around Shep like an octopus. So, Shepard always ends up the little spoon in the end, I suppose lmao

3. Most common argument?

During the war they try not to argue, because they’ve got potentially limited time together. Sounds cute, but that kinda means that post-war they have to figure out Couple Shit they didn’t work out before. The biggest thing they tend to argue about is learning how to slow down and pay attention to each other. Shepard always assumes everything’s totally great all the time, and if Kaidan’s ever upset he’s like ‘well my eyebrows are very big why can’t he tell’ lmao. They figure it out eventually.

6. What is their favorite feature of their partner’s?

Shepard really likes Kaidan’s eyes. And his butt. Obviously. It’s a good butt. Kaidan likes Shepard’s…entire face. And his arms. They’re very distracting.

13. Who reaches for the other’s hand first?

Shepard, definitely. He’s a physical affection/reassurance kinda guy.

21. Who is more likely to start dancing with the other?

This one was answered here! :D

24. Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear during inappropriate times?

Shepard. He’s the absolute worst. Kaidan’s kinda into it, though.