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[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Idol

I rewrote the scene where Bartrand returns because I just love dramatic scenes between two people who love each other and have a complicated relationship.  First person Varric again because I’ve probably written thousands of these that will one day make it onto my dash.

.....

Darcy opened the door when I got home, same as usual.  Just like that though, I knew something was wrong. Darcy’s face was white, and he looked ill.  “Good evening My Lord Tathres,” he said.  “It is good to see My Lord again.  I trust My Lord had a pleasant journey?”  I frowned. The rate at which those My Lords were dropping was enough to tell me that whatever was wrong, it was badly wrong.

“Yes, I did, Darcy,” I said cautiously.

“Who is it, Darcy?” Bartrand’s voice sounded from the lounge.

“I heard my idiot brother had returned,” I said dryly.

“Yes indeed,” Darcy said.  He stepped aside so that I could enter the house.

I dropped my pack on the floor of the entrance hall.  “See to it that it gets to my room, please, Darcy,” I said.

“As My Lord wishes,” Darcy murmured, as I strode into the lounge, intent on giving Bartrand a tongue-lashing and possibly a black eye for everything he had done.  

I stepped through the door, and stopped short.  The fight left me and my mouth hung open.

“Atras valla, Brother,” Bartrand said happily, springing to his feet.

“Bartrand, what is this?” I asked slowly, my voice low.

The lounge was in semi-darkness, the only light coming from the fireplace.  The curtains were drawn, and the air in the room was hot and heavy.  My eyes roved around the room.  Father’s chair was occupied, was the first thing I noticed. But not by a dwarf, or anything living for that matter.  No, in the chair, was the strange red idol that we had found in the Deep Roads those years ago.  Circled around the chair, were four shapes.  I could not make out what they were in the poor light.

“They refused to worship it,” Bartrand said calmly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Bartrand,” I said.  “What have you done?”

“They refused to worship it,” Bartrand repeated.  “They made such a terrible noise.  Particularly the little ones, but now they are good and quiet.”

“Bartrand, please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did,” I said quietly.  “Please tell me you are busy playing a trick on me.  Please tell me that you had a good reason for abandoning us for three years.”

“Will you worship it, Varrec?” Bartrand asked.

“What are you talking about?” I whispered.

“The Red Idol,” Bartrand said.  “It wants you to worship it.”

I stepped forward into the half-light cast by the fire, and saw my brother’s face properly for the first time.  His skin was grey and hairless, and his eyes were crazed.  

“Maker’s blood,” I said softly.  

“The children and Nala refused to worship it, so the Red Idol said I should bring it their heads to make up for it,” Bartrand said, a strange smile on his face.  “Then Mother started getting all antsy, so I had to kill her too.  Four perfect sacrifices for the Red Idol.  It’s what it wanted.”

“No,” I said.  “No, you didn’t kill your wife, your children and your mother.  You wouldn’t do that, you’re the most honourable dwarf I know.”

“But I did, Varrec,” Bartrand answered.  “I did it because the Red Idol demanded it.  I would do anything it asked of me.”

“You killed your family because a stupid piece of stone told you to?” I shouted.  “Maker, Brother, what is wrong with you?  Where were you all these years?”

“Don’t call the idol stupid,” Bartrand shouted back.  

This was the last straw.  I was never much of a fighter as a child, preferring to read whilst the other noble children entered Provings to see how much the ancestors honoured them. Usually, when other children picked a fight with me when I was younger, Bartrand or Bianca would come to my rescue. However, now I was putting all my rage and fear into my fist, and Bartrand’s head snapped back when it connected with his chin.

Bartrand recovered quickly though.  He flung himself at me, punching, kicking and biting as he went. I landed hard with a thud on the stone floor, my nose inches from my mother’s dead eyes.  Bartrand’s fists pummelled and broke me as I stared, frozen, into her eyes.  Finally, a blow left me stunned, with a ringing in my ears.  At last, I looked up at Bartrand, and saw he held a dagger in his hand.

“Go ahead,” I said quietly.  “Do it.  Then you will have killed your entire family.  All for this idol.”

The dagger plunged downwards.  At the last minute, I raised my arms up.  It bounced harmlessly off of my vambraces, and clattered to the floor.

We both reached for the dagger at the same time.  With my other hand, I reached up and pushed at Bartrand’s face as hard as I could.  At the same time, my fingers curled around the hard pommel of the dagger.  Bartrand fell off of my chest, and I scrambled to my feet, the dagger gripped in my hand.

“Stay down,” I said warningly as he made to get up.  He knelt on the floor but made no move to regain his feet.

I held the dagger to his neck.  “I should kill you for what you did,” I whispered.  “You have disgraced your house and your name, and you have taken two innocent children from this world.”

“Do it,” Bartrand whispered, and suddenly, I saw the old Bartrand in his face.  “Get it over with.”

We stared into each other’s eyes for a long time.  “I can’t,” I whispered.  My hand was trembling, and sweat was running down my face and the back of my neck.

“No, well, I suppose you never were very traditional,” Bartrand said.

I hesitated and brought the pommel of the dagger down onto his temple.

.....

Another depressed Varric fic.  Good job me.

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

I mean Alistair and Leliana….can like….get it, you know?

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

A picture is worth a thousand words

@aspergerhero gave me the following prompt: For your Tumblr Collections on AO3 : Can you do a Tae x Gin with the prompts « photo » and « camera », and, well, this happened.  It probably isn’t what you had in mind, so yeah, sorry about that. <_> (Sorry also that it’s so late, I was being repatriated last week, and that took up a lot of my time).  Also also, this is only part one.  I will write more and post more, once I’ve figured out where I’m going with this.

.....

“Well well, this is very indulgent, isn’t it?” Gintoki poked a pinkie into his ear.  “We already have a manga, an anime and two live-action movies, and now we’re going to have Tumblr blog post written about us too? You sure you don’t want to do something a little more relevant?  Like Dragon B*ll Z?”  He withdrew the finger, examined whatever was stuck to the tip and blew it away.  “You haven’t watched it yet?”  The finger now found its way into a nostril.  “Let me tell you, it has influenced our culture to such an extent, old grannies are saying ‘remember the time before G*ku?’. The lead has fabulous hair and loves food…a lot like me I guess.  And no other show would have you watch fifteen episodes to see the outcome of a battle.”  His hand was now inserted into his kimono as he scratched his chest.  “You still want to write about us?  Won’t your readers who are expecting a M*ss Effect post or a Shingeki no Ky*jin post be disappointed with reading about Gintama? Oh, well if you have a small following, I suppose that is exactly on par for Gintama.  But I can’t promise that you won’t be disappointed by what you end up writing.  Ah, you’re used to that too?  Are you sure you aren’t actually a Gintama writer?  They’re always disappointed.”

“Good morning,” a voice called from inside the flat.

“That’ll be our straight man,” Gintoki said.  “Come on, it’s time to get to work.”

It was indeed Shinpachi at the front door.  “Good morning Gin-san,” Shinpachi said, in the process of removing his sandals.

“Good morning,” Gintoki said.  “I see you brought a guest.  To what do we owe this pleasure, Onee-san?”

“You’re older than me,” Tae grumbled.

“Right, so I guess I’m the Onii-san in this scenario,” Gintoki agreed.

Tae gave a grim smile and Gintoki supressed a shiver.  “Oi Four-Eyes, did you bring my sukonbu?” Kagura called from the living room, where she was eating her fourth bowl of rice.

“If you don’t have the money to buy sukonbu, what makes you think I do?” Shinpachi sighed, flopping onto the couch opposite the younger girl.

“I’ll kill you in your sleep,” Kagura said mildly.

“Now Kagura, you know young ladies shouldn’t make threats like that,” Tae said, still smiling.  “If you do, it won’t be a surprise when it happens.”

“Right, sorry Boss,” Kagura said.  “I won’t kill you in your sleep, Shinpachi.”  She gave Tae an exaggerated wink and mouthed ‘I so will.’  Tae gave her a giant thumbs up in return.

“You’re my sister, shouldn’t you be protecting me?” Shinpachi squawked.

“Nahnah, your sister likes me better,” Kagura gloated.

Shinpachi slumped.  “Yes, but you don’t have to say it,” he said.

“Don’t worry Patsuan, since the dawn of time, older sisters have killed their younger brothers,” Gintoki said comfortingly.  “That’s why it’s better to be an only child.”

“It’s not as if I had a lot of choice in the matter,” Shinpachi said grumpily.  “Say, Gin-san, who are all these people?”

“Your older sister Shimura Tae, Kagura the Yato that adopted us, and the giant dog named Sadaharu which was also adopted by Kagura,” Gintoki said.  “My name is Sakata Gintoki, leader of the Yorozuya.  The word ‘yorozuya’ means jack-of-all-trades or odd jobs.  Basically, I will do anything for money.”

“I don’t mean like that and you don’t need to give so much exposition in one go,” Shinpachi said.  “We are being read, no?  And this isn’t a manga, the readers can’t exactly see us.”

“Tumblr blog post,” Gintoki explained, flopping into his seat behind his desk.  “Some chick who named herself after a Coldplay song received a prompt and she decided to write this.”

“This is in English; will Westerners understand our humour?” Shinpachi wondered.

“Probably not the references, but they have straight-man-funny-man humour as well,” Gintoki said, once again digging in his nose.  “Just look at the Two Ronnies.”

“That isn’t exactly the pinnacle of good Western humour,” Shinpachi said.

“Can we please get started?” Kagura asked loudly.  “Edo’s Next Top Model is on in two hours.”

“Right,” Shinpachi said. “My sister is actually here as a client.”

Gintoki appeared to be raising an eyebrow.  “That’s surprising,” he said.  “I thought you hated me.”

“Oh I do,” Tae answered.  “That doesn’t mean you haven’t been occasionally useful to me.”

“Compliment me some more,” Gintoki said.  “So how can we help?”

Tae reached into her kimono and pulled out a photograph.  She handed it to Gintoki.  It was a photo of her, taken apparently from a long distance (judging by the grainy quality) and without her consent (she appeared to be mid-sneeze).

“And?” Gintoki asked. “I’ve always known you’re too unattractive to be taken as a bride.”

“This was left on my doorstep this morning,” Tae said, clamping a hand down hard on Gintoki’s shoulder.  “And if you don’t stop insulting me, I’ll take my business elsewhere.”

“Ow ok I’m sorry stop,” Gintoki winced.  Tae released her grip.  “I don’t see what’s so odd about this,” he said, rubbing his shoulder.  “We all know you have a stalker.”

“The Gorilla didn’t do this,” Tae said.

“And you’re so sure of this because…?” Gintoki asked.

“It’s not his style,” Tae said.  “Yes, he may break into my house, hide under my kotatsu, steal my underwear and harass me at work, but-“

“Yes I see, taking photos of you from a distance and then leaving them on your doorstep is totally beneath him,” Gintoki finished sarcastically.

“Maybe it’s a different gorilla,” Kagura suggested.

“Don’t be stupid, there’s no way we could get away with repeating the same joke over and over again,” Gintoki said.

“I don’t see why not, it’s gotten us this far,” Shinpachi said reasonably.  “Heck, it’s what made the Goons famous.”

“Stop name-dropping ancient British comedy groups, no one is going to understand those references,” Gintoki said.  “Wait, why am I being the straight man here?  Shinpachi, you need to get your act together.”

“Ah, forgive me,” Shinpachi said shamefacedly.

“Well, there’s only one thing for it,” Gintoki said.  “Before we discount the Gorilla completely, we ought to clear him from our list of suspects.  Onee-san, you’d better be aware that this is going to cost you.”

“Don’t I get a family discount?” Tae asked.  “Also, you’re still older than me.”

“You’re not my sister, are you?” Gintoki asked.  “Come on, if we’re clever, this can be dragged out into a multi-chapter affair.”

....

And it will be dragged out into a multi-chapter affair, given that I have no clue where I’m going with this (sorry Gin-san).  But anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this.  Look forward to the next one, where the Yorozuya and Tae go to the Shinsengumi to confront Kondou, and Tae gets another threatening photo (probably called Hell Hath no Fury like a Woman Scorned).  Kono bangumi wa goran no suponsa no teikyou de okurishimasu.

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

True Drabble

I wrote this three years ago (almost to the day) when I was going through a severe depressive episode.  It is written from Varric’s point of view, as the Dragon Age franchise was my writing outlet at the time.  Recently, I went through all the old stuff I had written and I found this and...I really like it.  It doesn’t make any sense in the canon, I have no explanation for this at all but still...I really like it.  That’s all.

.....

The Midwinter feast was better than I had expected, despite the exorbitant prices we spent on food, alcohol and gifts.  The food (which Hawk and Rivaini cooked) was delicious, with tiny fish pies, pickled vegetables, roast duck with dried fruit and mashed potatoes, different types of Fereldan cheese, and a chocolate flan pudding. After eating myself silly, I found myself alone on Hawk’s roof, staring up at the stars.  It was one of those perfect, clear desert nights, where the air was bitingly cold, and the stars were almost blindingly bright.

I had a strange feeling in my chest, an almost bubbly, airy feeling, like I was going to float away.  After a few moments of analysis (I had drunk a fair amount by this stage), I realised it was contentment.

“Well well,” I murmured to myself.  “It has been a long time.”  I turned south towards Ferelden and gave an ironic bow.

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Mass Effect Relationship Week-Day 7: Good Times

And so we’ve come to the end of Mass Effect Relationship Week eyyyy!!! Not gonna lie, it was actually really fun to revisit my first (and still favourite) Mass Effect ship, so thank you everyone who went on this journey with me, and sorry that it got angsty at times, that’s just how I roll.

Sorry for not posting yesterday. I’m currently in the process of (hopefully) being repatriated, so I’ve been too busy to write. I will still write Day 6’s prompt, hopefully from home soil and sometime next week.

This is another old one, but it’s another favourite.  This takes place during the period of the war summit in Mass Effect 3.  Enjoy.

.....

I spent the rest of the day preparing for the war summit, and at six PM sharp, I was at Thane’s front door, dressed in my formal blues.

Kolyat, Thane’s teenage son from his first marriage, answered the door.

“Hello Jane,” he said in an overly-formal voice.

“Hey Kolyat,” I said.  “How’re you doing?”

“Somewhat better than when we last met,” he said.

The last time I had seen Kolyat, he had just been arrested for murder and attempted murder.

“Yeah, no doubt,” I said.  “Is your dad in?”

“Yes,” Kolyat said, standing aside so that I could enter.  “Father said I should go to a friend’s house for the night.  However, I feel obliged to inform you that Father’s cardiovascular system is not what it once was.”

“Thanks for the info?” I said uncertainly.

“My pleasure,” he said.  “Have a good evening.  Try not to get pregnant.”

He left. “No worries,” I mumbled, going inside. The apartment was small but uncluttered, and had a view over the Presidium.  Thane was in the kitchen, stirring something delicious-smelling in a pot. Soft jazz music played from a set of speakers in the lounge.

Thane smiled when he saw me and came over to kiss me.

“Hi,” I said breathlessly when we broke apart.

“You’re beautiful,” he said.

“I feel a tad over-dressed,” I confessed.

He looked me up and down.  “Perhaps,” he said.  “It doesn’t change the fact that you’re beautiful.  Make yourself comfortable.”

I decided against tearing my clothes off, opting for seating myself on the counter instead.

“This is a really nice place,” I remarked.

“Yes,” he said. “I had a lot of money saved from my assassin work before the suicide mission.  I used it to buy this place.  I wanted to be near Kolyat.  And the doctors.”

“How long have you been here?” I asked.

“Not very long,” he replied.  “A few months.  It took me a while to persuade Kolyat to move in with me.”

“And your health?” I asked quietly, dreading the answer.

He shrugged. “I struggle to breathe, I get dizzy spells.  Sometimes I faint or lose sensation in my extremities,” he said.  “The doctors say I have a month GST, maybe a bit more.”

“So little?” I asked, a lump settling in my throat.  

He looked up and saw my expression.  “It’s going to be alright, Siha,” he said quietly.

I shook my head. “Let’s not talk about this now,” I said forcefully.

He looked sadly at me for a moment.  “Alright,” he said.  “Tell me what happened on Earth.”

My tale took us through most of supper. “And you’re in charge of the fight now?” he asked when I had finished.

“You know I don’t have much of an alternative,” I said.

“You could stay here with me and Kolyat,” Thane said without much conviction.  “You’ve done enough.  Remember what we talked about the night of the suicide mission?”

“Yes,” I said. “And there’s nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you, but I need to finish this.”

He smiled. “I know,” he said.  “And I love you for it.”

“You do?” I asked.

“Siha, you want to save the galaxy,” he said.  “And, unlike most who have that wish, you actually could do it.”

“I love you too,” I said.  “And I’m glad we found each other again.  I told you it would happen, remember?”

“I do,” he said. “And I tried to forget you, even though my entire being resisted doing so.”  He got up and took my hand.  “Dance with me,” he said.

“Thane, I can’t dance,” I groaned.

“Siha, if you can face your own death without fear, you can dance with your boyfriend in his living room,” he said commandingly.

I sighed and took his hand.  It was the strangest thing, being in his arms again, as though a part of me had been ripped away, and was not only replaced, but seamlessly repaired when I was with him again.  I clung tightly to him as we danced, breathing in his scent, knowing that, all too soon, I would not be able to do so.

....

And that’s that.  I’m gonna try to continue with the two posts a week streak that I had before going silent.  I already have my first Dragon Age post queued, and I’m planning on doing another Gintama one and a few more Attack on Titan posts, so if any of that interests you guys, please stick around.

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Mass Effect Relationship Week-Day 5: Emotional Moments

This is another piece I wrote years ago but that I still love.  It takes place the day before they go through the Omega-4 Relay.  I know that this is not how it happens in the game, but I like high angst and drama (also in the fanfic that I wrote around Mass Effect 2, which I may or may not still publish depending on how I feel, the ingame scene happens at another point).  Anyways, peace, love and oranges, and always respect Thane!

.....

Thane was waiting in my cabin for me as I expected.  He stood up from the bed and I walked straight into his arms.

“It’s ok, Siha,” he whispered.

“I’ve lost an entire crew twice now,” I whispered.  “Why am I a commander?”

“Because no one else is willing to do what you do,” he said.

I laughed shakily.  “I’m not sure what that says about me,” I said.

“It says that you are very special and very rare,” he said.

We climbed onto the bed, our hands clasped between us.  For a long time we just stared into each other’s eyes.  “I don’t like speeches, Siha, although I know that you do,” he whispered at last.  “But if I am to die tomorrow, I want you to know that you have changed my life.  You are beautiful, passionate, brave and true. You are everything that I am not, and you have woken me up to see a different galaxy to the one that was in existence when I first disconnected.”

“It’s the same galaxy, Thane,” I said. “In fact, it’s probably worse.”

“Ah, but the way you see it, Siha has changed it,” he said.  He cupped my cheek.  “Because of you, I see a galaxy that is full of hope.  It is beautiful.”

“But-,” I began.

“If you didn’t see it that way, you wouldn’t fight so hard for it,” he whispered.

We lay in silence.  “I wish I’d never met you,” I whispered.

He looked surprised and kind of hurt. I didn’t blame him.  “Why not?” he asked.

“Because I love you,” I said in a small voice.

Now he looked confused.  “I love you too, Siha,” he said uncertainly.

“You don’t understand,” I said. “Just before Ash’s death, I tried telling her that and she stopped me.  She said she knew.  Thing is, I’d never said that to anyone before, and I regretted that, in her last moments, she had never heard my voice say those three words.  It would destroy me if the same thing happened to you, because it’s true.  I love you so much.”

“I understand, Siha,” he said. “And I love you too.”  He stroked my cheek.  “We might not die tomorrow,” he said.

“We won’t,” I said obstinately.

“So what happens to us if we live? Do we carry on?”

“If I love you, and you love me, then I don’t see why not,” I said.  I gripped his hand tightly in my own.  “We can settle down on some nice small colony.  You know, house, garden for me to ruin, neighbours to hate, the works.  I can get a job in security or something.  I don’t think we should get married, since I don’t believe in the whole marriage thing, but we can cohabitate.  Also, I’ve never really considered having children, since I know from experience that spacers are generally not well adjusted, but I’d have kids with you. Without a second thought.  They’d go to school, and then to college, and have kids of their own, and then one day when we’re both ancient, we’ll die in each other’s arms.  I don’t know if drell and humans end up in the same place after death, but if there is a heaven, and I think there is, it is wherever you are.”

He listened to me ramble on for several minutes longer without saying anything.  We both knew that the future I was planning would never happen.  When I had finally talked myself into exhaustion, he kissed me on the lips.

“All I know, Siha, is that we are alive right now,” he said gently.  “And when we are not, I will meet you across the sea.”

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Vraag vir Afrikaans-spreukende Tumblr

Ek weet nie hoe veel Afrikaans-spreukende mense daar op tumblr is nie, maar ek het op AO3 iets gesien van vertalers (hulle soek vrywilligers), en ek dink daaraan om aansoek te doen.  Dit sal iets wees om my tyd mee te vul as niks anders nie, maar dit het my laat dink: is daar mense op tumblr wat graag meer Afrikaans stukke op tumblr/AO3 wil hê in die volgende fandoms:

Mass Effect

Dragon Age (as ek dit ooit sal regkry om iets te skryf)

Attack on Titan 

Shigatsu wa kimi no uso

Harry Potter

Wolf among us (weereens as ek ooit die inspirasie sal kry om hieroor te skryf)

Gintama

Ek is half-seker dat ek in ander fandoms êrens in die toekoms sal val, maar op die oomblik skryf ek meestals oor hierdie klompie.  As julle geïntereseerd is in Afrikaans stukke in hierdie fandoms, laat my weet of in die comments of op ‘n private boodskap, en ek sal kyk om van my ou werk te vertaal of om nuwe stukke in Afrikaans te skryf.

My skryfwerk in Afrikaans is seker my swakste punt van taal gebruik, maar dit sal ook goeie oefening vir my wees, aangesien ek een van die dae weer suid-afrika toe gaan keer en sal tienteen weer in ‘n Afrikaanse omgewing werk.  So...laat my weet.

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Mass Effect Relationship Week-Day 4: family

Not sure if I enjoy this piece, but I have always wondered how Kolyat would take to his dad dating someone.  This is sort of how I imagined that going down.

.....

They got to the restaurant fifteen minutes early and were told to wait for their table to open up. “How do I look?" Shepard asked, smoothing the front of her dress.

“Beautiful as always, Siha,” Thane said, smiling gently.

“Firstly, wrong,” Shepard said.  He opened his mouth to say something, and Shepard made a shushing motion.  “You sure it’s not too much?”

“Too much for what?” Thane asked.

“Well, I want Kolyat to think that his dad is with a…well, a respectable woman,” she said, sounding uncharacteristically nervous.

Thane snorted.  “Siha, you’re anything but respectable,” he said.

“Maybe, but a girl can have her dreams.”

Thane took hold of her hand. “Shepard, are you nervous?” he asked.

“Nah,” she said quickly. He threw a sceptical look her way and she sighed.  “Yeah, maybe a bit,” she amended.

“What are you nervous of?” he asked.

“What if your kid doesn’t like me?” she asked in a small voice.  “What if I make a horrible first impression and he hates me.”

“Well, you made a horrible first impression with me, and now we are together, no?” he said sounding amused.

“Yeah but that’s different,” Shepard said.

“I don’t see how.”

Because if he doesn’t like me, you’ll have to choose between your son and me, and no good parent chooses the partner.  She didn’t say this though.  Instead she said, “Because he’s your son.”

“Hm,” Thane murmured.

At that moment, the maitre de told them their table was open.  “It is likely that Kolyat will not like you at first in any case,” Thane said. “He is still angry at me for what happened with his mother and how I handled it.”

“Great,” Shepard said. “Why are we here then?”

He gave her a stern look. “Because I have limited time left and I want to include my son in something that brings great happiness to my life,” he said.

“Fair enough, that’s a good reason,” she sighed.

Kolyat arrived soon after this.  After a rather stiff greeting and ordering drinks, they fell into a fairly easy conversation as Thane questioned about his community service he was doing for C-Sec and the friends that he had made there.

When the appetisers arrived however, Kolyat seemed to square his shoulders.  “Father, why have you asked me to come to dinner?” he asked. “And why is she here?”

“Right,” Thane said, and Shepard detected the barest hint of nervousness in his voice.  “Kolyat, I have something important to tell you.”

“Oh God,” Shepard whispered.

Thane gave her a comforting look before turning back to his son.  “Kolyat,” he repeated.

“Yes?” Kolyat asked impatiently.

“Something very important has happened in my life,” Thane said.  “You see, Shepard and I, for want of a better word, are dating.”

Kolyat’s mouth dropped open, his eyes darting between the two of them.  “Is this a joke?” he asked at last.

“You know I never do that.”

“Then what is this?” Kolyat asked.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Thane said.  

“You are…dating….”

“Yes,” Thane said patiently.

“When…when did this happen?” Kolyat seemed to be in shock.

“Shortly after I met up with you on the Citadel,” Thane said.  

“Ok,” Kolyat said. “Why?”

“Why am I interested in her?” Thane asked.

“Why are you interested in anyone?” Kolyat asked, his voice cold.  “Or was it really that easy for you to brush Mother’s death away like it was nothing.”

“Of course it’s not easy, it’s never been easy,” Thane said.

“Then?”

“Kolyat, I miss your mother every day,” Thane said.  “All too soon, I will be reunited with her on the other side of the sea.  But right now, I’ve found someone who I want to spend my last remaining days with.  Someone who makes me happy.  Can’t you be happy with me?”

Kolyat gave a derisive snort.  “The last time we met, I thought that maybe you had changed, but it seems that you’re the same coward that you always were,” he said.

“I hardly see how this is relevant,” Thane said.

“You abandoned your wife to die,” Kolyat said, enough force to snap a tree in half in his voice. “You abandoned me.  Now you’re abandoning the memory of your family, all for what, some fun before you die?”

“Kolyat, I’m abandoning nothing.”

“Prove it then,” Kolyat snapped.  “Stop running from the memory of Mother.  Stop trying to leave this galaxy in a blaze of glory and come home with me.”

“Uh maybe I should go,” Shepard said uncomfortably.  “Y’all clearly have some stuff to work through.”  She made to stand up.

“Siha, sit down please,” Thane said, a hint of tension in his voice.  “We can work this out together.”

She sat down again, clasping her hands uncomfortably.  Kolyat glanced between the two of them, his face horrified.  “Kolyat, I’m not trying to use Shepard to replace your mother,” Thane said.

“Save it,” Kolyat snapped. “I’m out of here.”

He stalked out of the restaurant.  Thane sighed. “I will admit, I hoped for better,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” Shepard said in a small voice.

“No need to be,” Thane said. “These are all my mistakes coming back to haunt me.  Do you want to eat more or shall we call it a night?”

“Let’s get out of here,” Shepard said.  “I’m not that hungry anymore.”  Thane nodded.

“Let me go pay,” he said. He touched her cheek as he got up. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said.  “I think I need some air though.  I’ll meet you outside.”

Outside, the air was a lot cooler than in the restaurant.  Shepard gazed out over the Citadel lights until her heartrate slowed down.

“He called you Siha,” a voice said from behind her.

“I thought you’d left,” she replied without turning around.

“I’m waiting for a taxi,” Kolyat replied.  He came to stand next to her.  “Do you know what it means?”

“What, taxi?”

“Siha,” Kolyat said.

“Yeah, Thane told me,” she answered.  She glanced at the angry teenager next to her.  “He’s told me everything, Kolyat.”

“Then he’s told you how my mother died, how he left his so-called “siha” to die on her own?”

“Of course,” Shepard said. “And he’s told me how much he wishes it could have gone down differently, how he regrets not having been a real father to you.”

“If that’s the case, then he can come home to me,” Kolyat said in a rush.  “Not that I care either way,” he quickly amended.  Shepard bit down on a smile.  

“He’s part of my crew because he wants to make the galaxy better before he…leaves,” she said.

“Yes, he’s said,” Kolyat said sulkily.  “Seriously, what about you makes you a Siha?  There doesn’t seem to be anything remarkable about you.”

“Honestly, I agree,” Shepard admitted.  “I feel like he’s really misusing that term as well.  But I guess it’s Thane’s prerogative.”  She studied him.  “Are you scared of losing him?”

“Not really,” Kolyat mumbled.  “I mean I guess.”

“I am too,” Shepard said. “So I’m going to make a promise to the both of us: I’ll do whatever I can to bring him safely back from our mission, ok?  That way, the two of you can at least have a little time before…”  her voice trailed off.

Shepard saw his cheek lift slightly.  “What about you?”

“What about me what?”

“Where will you be?”

She shrugged.  “Who knows?” she said.  “At this point, nothing would surprise me.  But I have made a commitment to protect this galaxy, so I guess I’d be wherever I am needed in order to do that.”

“Even if it means leaving my father behind?” Kolyat asked quietly.

“If that’s what makes him happy, then yes,” Shepard said.  “But even if he is with me now, I don’t think it means that he’s left you behind either.  He loves you, Kolyat.  A great deal.”

Kolyat sighed.  “Maybe he isn’t as dumb as I thought,” he said. He turned to face her.  “If you hurt my dad, I will kill you,” he said.

Shepard smiled.  “I’ll be waiting,” she said.  “But promise me something in return.”  He nodded.  “You don’t have to forgive him, but at least give Thane a chance.  He is trying his best to make things right.  So let him try.”

He considered this then nodded.  “Ok,” he said.  “I’ll try.” A taxi pulled up in front of the restaurant and he stretched.  “I should go,” he said.  “Take care of my father, Shepard.”

“You bet,” Shepard said. she watched as the taxi pulled away.

“Thank you,” Thane said from behind her.

She smiled.  “He’s a good kid,” she said.

“He is,” Thane agreed. He took her hand.  “Come on, Siha,” he said, kissing her cheek.  “Let’s go home.”

....

It almost became very Twilight-ish towards the end there.  Hopefully I managed to rein myself in there a bit.

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Has this been done before? Gintama characters in lockdown

This isn’t an MERweek post because I couldn’t figure a good story out to go with the prompt. Instead we have a post about the only thing aside from my loved ones that’s keeping me sane right now: Gintama. I love this dumb anime with all my heart. I love the dumb, awful, horrible yet likeable characters. Whenever I feel sad, all I need to do is imagine Gintoki looking for a time machine in a vendor to feel better again. Gintama is great. So here we have my favourite idiots in quarantine/lockdown/isolation/whatever it’s called where you’re from.

.....

Otae-is experimenting with new ways of cooking eggs.  So far, she has perfected the devil’s eggs, scorched eggs, eggs burnt-to-death and hard-baked eggs.  She aims to add doesn’t-go-down-easy eggs to her list of masterpieces.

Shinpachi-moved in with Gintoki and Kagura on day three of the lockdown, with three broken teeth and having had zero nutritional content since the day before the lock-down began.  He has since established a daily routine and a chore-list for the household that Gintoki and Kagura mostly ignore.  Kagura has also been caught talking to his glasses twice.  His go-to playlist consists of Otsu’s music, and he has listened to her new song, “coronavirus is a chome-chome” on repeat.

Kondo-has been found in Otae’s bathroom, bedroom, closet, kitchen cupboard, under her porch, and eating the scorched eggs that Shinpachi secretly threw into the trash.  So far, he has two broken ribs, a broken arm, a bruised cheek and a split lip.

Katsura-is leading protests demanding the lockdown to end so that he can get a haircut. Refuses to wear a facemask when he goes out, as they are the shogun’s means of controlling the population.  When people point out the science behind the lockdown, he tells them “it’s not science, it’s Katsura.”

Otose-has started multiple feeding schemes, has invited numerous homeless people to sleep in her bar during the lockdown, complains online that a landlord’s income is rent, but in reality is allowing Gintoki and co to live rent-free and has even gotten Tama to take them a home-cooked meal every now and then.

Hijikata-has stocked up on enough mayonnaise to last a year.  Is going through withdrawal because of the nicotine ban (I know this isn’t a thing in Japan, please indulge me).  Has rewatched Sailor Moon five times.  And to make matters worse, whenever he steps outside to go for his morning run, he tramples in a giant pile of dog poo on his doorstep.

Sougo-has constructed several evil and elaborate plans to cause misery to others.  Was caught shoplifting twice because why not.  May or may not be bootlegging alcohol.  On a more positive note, he has offered to take Sadaharu out for a walk in the evening, and always makes sure that they take a route that goes past Hijikata’s house.

Sa-chan-has been found in Gintoki’s bathroom, bedroom, closet, kitchen cupboard, under his desk and sniffing his dirty underwear.  So far, her air travel record has been two hundred metres, but she and Gintoki hope to improve this figure soon.

Kagura-ate all her lockdown snacks with in the first hour of lockdown and now passes the time making pointed remarks at Sadeharu about how cruel it is to deprive a child of food.  No response yet from either Sadeharu or Gintoki.

Elizabeth-hasn’t been seen since the lockdown began.  No one seems to know where he is.  Katsura is yet to notice his absence.

Hasegawa-blew his relief cheque within two hours on pachinko.  He now sleeps in a dog kennel outside of Otose’s bar, despite her telling him he’s welcome to sleep inside the bar.  Posts online how much he misses physical contact with people.

Gintoki-only realised there was a lockdown when he went out four days in to buy the latest Jump and was turned around by the police.  So far, his life hasn’t changed much aside from the fact that he can’t read his beloved Jump, he can’t eat chocolate and he is getting less work.  He feels that the lockdown can stretch on for all eternity, so long as he can get his Jump, his strawberry milk and his chocolate.

.....

Tag yourselves.  I’m a mixture of Kagura and Hasegawa.  Anyways, I’m off to watch Gintama.  Stay safe everyone.

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Mass Effect Relationship Week-Day 2: hobbies

Here is Day 2.  I had a lot of fun writing this one.  Jane’s reaction is very much based on me whenever I meditate.

.....

The silence flowed around them like water, producing a cool feeling to her skin, like that of a sea-breeze. It was beautiful.  It made her aware of her presence in the universe, and exactly how small it was.  For one small moment, everything made sense.

Her nose itched and she reached up a hand irritably to scratch it.

“Siha,” Thane said calmly. “You’re not focusing.”

“Can you blame me, this is dead boring,” Jane said impatiently.

“It’s boring only because you’re telling yourself you’re bored,” Thane said patiently.  “If you emptied your mind of all thought and just became aware of your breathing, you will find that it is not nearly as boring as you think.”

“We’ve been sitting here for two hours,” Jane said.

“It’s been two minutes,” Thane said.  “Well, a minute and forty-eight seconds, to be exact.”

“God, is that all?” It may have been her imagination, but he appeared to be smirking.  “Seriously, what is the point of this?”

“Siha, you are a violent person,” he said, losing some of the patience.  “You act with anger and without thinking.  If you could just find a way to calm your thoughts, to learn to think rationally in the heat of the moment, maybe you would find yourself in less situations of conflict.”

“Yeah well, my ‘acting with anger and without thinking’ is what’s kept me alive all these years,” she replied petulantly, framing the inverted commas in the air with her fingers.

“It’s also what’s kept you trapped all these years.”  Thane was definitely losing his patient air.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Jane snapped.

“It means that, as much as you try to hide it, I can always tell when a nightmare wakes you up,” he said. “It means that no one believes your angry girl act.  We all know that it’s hiding the pain and fear of loss.”

Jane glared at him.  “I’d choose my next words very carefully if I were you, Thane.”

“Just because I’m dying doesn’t mean that you have to die too, Siha,” he said softly.  “You are so much more than the brash commander who has to save the galaxy.  You are already a good leader, no a great one, but is does that really matter if it comes at the cost of your own self?”

“Doesn’t matter, does it?” she said after a pause.

“Siha, it matters more than anything else in the galaxy,” he said.

She ran a frustrated hand through her hair.  “Look, I’m not going to change,” she said at last.  “Maybe it matters to you, maybe it has even started to matter to me, but the galaxy needs Jane Shepard to be invulnerable no matter what they throw at her, and no one can afford for her to drop that armour now.”

“Siha- “

Jane lifted her finger to his lips.  “We’re going through the Omega-4 relay soon and who knows if we’ll survive,” she said. “Even if we do, we’re probably going to be separated by the Alliance because of my little stint with the Alpha-Relay.  Regardless, we don’t have years to be together.  We barely have months to be together.  So, if this matters to you, I guess the least I can do is learn to meditate with you.”

He smiled.  “Really?” he asked.

“On one condition,” she said.

“Tell me.”

“Next time we take shore leave, you hit up an arcade with me.”

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Mass Effect Relationship Week-Day 1: first impressions

Oh the irony. My final past before going silent was me saying I’m not going to be posting Mass Effect anymore, and here I am back again with a string of Mass Effect posts planned, but there is a reason for this: Mass Effect Relationship Week!!! I am kinda slightly late to this party owing to the fact that I got sick last week Wednesday and only feel fully recovered enough to contribute to society today.  So I guess I’m still going to take part in MER2020, just four days late.

Here is Day 1′s prompt: first impressions.  I took it from an already-written fic that I wrote like six years ago but that will probably never see the light of day.  Even though I post a lot of Shenko on my blog, I am a Shrios girl through and through.

This takes place during and after the Dantius Tower mission, where Thane first gets recruited.

.....

There were no guards outside the penthouse, and I figured they had all retreated inside.  We took up position on either side of the door. I counted down on my fingers, and pushed the door opened up.

Inside stood five asari dressed in the purple Eclipse armour, and a sixth who was dressed in a very fancy and expensive-looking business suit, with a necklace with some of the largest jewels I’d ever seen at her neck.

“Who are you?” she asked us rudely.

“I take it you’re Nasana Dantius,” I said.

“What business do you have, storming up here and killing my guards?” she snapped.

“I’m looking for someone,” I said.  “I don’t think he’s here though.”

“What do you want?” she asked.

“You really are a piece of work,” I said.  “Paying people off, blackmail, murder.  No wonder someone wants to do you in.”

“Credits,” she said. “That’s what you want isn’t it?”

I heard a slight rustle in the vent above my head.  “Honestly, Nasana,” I said.  “I don’t think all the credits in the galaxy is going to save your life now.”

“Screw you,” she snapped. “Who gave you the right to play goddess? You come here and-what is it?” this was directed at one of her guard.

“I thought I heard something,” the guard said.

“Crap,” Nasana said. “Check the-,”

She never got to finish that sentence, because at that moment, the assassin dropped out of the air vent, on top of one of her guard.  I had been in the military for ten years, and before that I had lived on a military ship, but I had never seen anything like I saw that night.  He moved like he was insubstantial, like his body was made of water or mercury.  In a heartbeat, he had knocked all five guards out.  When he had dropped from the vent, his hands had been empty, but, as he pulled Nasana towards him, there was suddenly a pistol in his hand.  He put the barrel under her sternum and pulled the trigger.  The bullet would have pierced her diaphragm, heart and left lung.  Her death was instantaneous.

He cradled her head gently as he lay her down on the floor and folded her hands over her chest so that she looked as though she was sleeping.  Then he knelt at her feet, placed his hands together and bowed his head.

“Wow,” Grunt whispered, looking awestruck.

“That was…impressive,” Garrus said.  Even Jacob looking grudgingly impressed.  Thane did not look up.

I cleared my throat. “Um, Mr Krios,” I said.  “I kind of want to talk to you.”

“Forgive me,” he said. “Prayers for the wicked mustn’t be forgotten.”

“I really doubt she’s worth the breath,” I said, thinking back on the salarian workers.

“Not for her,” he said, getting up.  He looked me up and down.  “When I heard the commotion downstairs, I wasn’t expecting to see Cerberus agents, much less aliens working for them,” he said.  “Nonetheless, you provided me with a useful distraction.”

“A distraction?” I asked, getting annoyed.

“Yes,” he said.  “I prefer to work quietly.  If I have to kill people unnecessarily, it means I have made a mistake.  I rarely make mistakes.  As you can see here, the only person that is dead is the mark.  The guards will probably wake up with headaches in a few hours.”

“Right,” I said. “Well, at least you take pride in your work.”

“One must take pride in one’s work,” he said seriously.  “However, I assume you didn’t come all this way just to compliment me.  What can I do for you?”

“I, uh, wanted to talk to you,” I said, realising how ridiculous it sounded.  “Um, you weren’t at your apartment, and we couldn’t find you anywhere, so we figured we could catch you here.”

“Indeed?” Thane asked. “Well, here I am.”

“Right,” I said, getting more and more flustered by his cool demeanour.  “Well, Mr Krios-”

“Thane,” he corrected.

“Right, Thane,” I said. “My name is Jane Shepard, and I’m on an important mission for Cerberus.  Human colonies are being abducted by the Collectors.  We found out they’re being taken through the Omega-4 relay. We want to follow after and find out what’s going on.”

“The Omega-4 relay?” Thane asked, looking slightly surprised.  “No ship has returned from passing through there.”

“Yeah,” I said.  “It’s a, well, suicide mission.”

“A suicide mission,” he mused, gazing down at Nasana’s body.  “Yes, a suicide mission suits me nicely.”  He looked at me.  “I’m dying,” he said calmly.

“You’re what?” I asked, surprised.  He didn’t look like he was dying.  Whilst slim, he was clearly also strong, and his eyes and skin were a clear, green shade.  He looked, in fact, incredibly healthy.  “How are you dying?”

“I have a disease call Kepral’s Syndrome,” he said.  I was growing increasingly disconcerted by his calm demeanour.  “Don’t worry, it’s not communicable, even to other drell, but it does mean that low survival odds don’t bother me.  The abduction of your people does however.  I’ll join you, Ms Shepard.  No charge.” He held out his hand, and, after a moment’s hesitation, I shook it.

“Welcome aboard, Thane,” I said.

 .....

After breakfast the next morning, I went to talk to Thane in his room.  “You look different when you’re not wearing armour,” he said, giving me a cursory glance.

“Thinner, yeah I know,” I said.  “Shorter too, I believe.  Look, can we talk?”

“What would you like to talk about, Ms Shepard?” he asked.

“It’s Jane, I sound like a schoolteacher if you put a Ms before my name,” I said.  “You told me last night that you were dying.”

“I did,” he said.  

“What exactly is wrong?” I asked, sitting down in the armchair next to the television.  “I don’t know anything about Kepral’s Syndrome.”

“It’s a common enough disease among drell, although currently there is no cure,” he explained. “Our homeworld Rakhana was very arid. There was little rainfall in the residential areas, particularly closer to the end of our time there.  Tell me, Jane, how much do you know of drell history?”

“Your homeworld was destroyed in a nuclear holocaust, but a few of you managed to get away,” I said.

“Yes,” Thane answered. “At the time, we hadn’t developed FTL drive cores yet, and we had nowhere to evacuate our people to.  The hanar came in their ships and evacuated one hundred thousand drell, so that our people would not become extinct.  Since then we have lived with the hanar on their homeworld, Kahje.  The issue is however that Kahje is a very humid world, with daily rainfall.  Our lungs are not able to deal with the excess water vapour, and our vascular tissue is destroyed in increments.  It affects one in three drell.  It can take years for the problem to become debilitating however.” “So how much time do you have?” I asked, and hated myself for sounding so cold.

“The last doctor I saw gave me about a year,” he said.  “Safe to say that by that stage we will either be victorious or dead.  Don’t worry, Jane.  This won’t affect my performance.”

“I wasn’t actually worried about that, but I’m glad,” I said.  

“Then what were you worried about?” he asked, seeming confused.

“Well, you’re part of my crew now, so I’m concerned about your well-being,” I said.

“I see,” he said.  “I have always operated on my own, so I have no idea what it’s like to work with a team.”

“You’ll get used to it soon enough,” I said.  “Trust me, I’m going to be all up in your business now that you’re part of my crew. You’ll probably want out way before the mission even begins.”

He gave half-a-smile. “Well, I suppose that’s at least something to look forward to.”

.....

I’m not sure if this strictly falls within first impressions, but eh.  I still like this piece and these two fools.

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Announcing the forth annual Mass Effect Relationships week from July 1st to July 7th.

This is a chance for us to show some love to all the different relationships within the original Mass Effect trilogy AND Mass Effect Andromeda. Be it romantic, familial, friends, pets (like the space hamster, fish, and pyjacks), bromances, besties, acquaintances, frenimies, enemies, mentors, etc.

Rules:

Everyone is free to contribute.

You can post whatever you want. Such as fanart, gif sets, edits, fanfics, head canons, general discussions, etc.

No ship wars or racist/incestuous/sexist/lgbtq-phobic content.

Please tag mature content with nsfw, and any possible triggers with the relevant tags.

Use the tag: #merweek2020.

Please put this tag as your first tag so I don’t miss it. You can also tag/mention me in your posts if you’re worried I won’t see them.

Any questions, feel free to send me an ask. I’m looking forward to seeing everyones contributions. It’s going to be so much fun! 😃

MERweek 2020 Fanfic and Fanart Prompts  ( made by me this year 😎)

Note: These are suggestions to get you started. You can write or draw whatever your heart desires, as long as it stays within the rules. Also you can use these for edits and gifs too if you want 😊 Day 1: first impressions. Describe or draw the first time they met. How did they meet? What was their first impression? Was it negative, neutral, or positive, and did it stay the same? Day 2: hobbies. Describe or draw their favourite mutual hobbies. What activities do they like to do together? Maybe they are learning new things for the first time? Or one person is teaching the other something they enjoy. Day 3: mass effect + andromeda AU. Describe or draw a moment the two universes collided. Shepard and the Ryder twins could be half siblings or cousins. Characters from both could be related somehow or friends. Maybe even The Illusive Man and Alec Ryder used to be friends and now hate each other. The sky’s the limit! Day 4: we are family. Describe or draw a familiar moment. Are they close, or estranged? Are they blood relatives, or family found with friends? Day 5: emotional moments. Describe or draw a time when one was emotional, whether it be pain or joy. How they handled a death of a loved one. A reunion with someone that they hadn’t seen in a long time. Something that was touching but in a joyful way. Day 6: disagreements. Describe or draw a tense moment. Did they ever disagree about something, or have a huge fight? How did they resolve it? Are they enemies now? Or were they enemies to start with? Day 7: celebrate good times, come on! Describe or draw a moment of celebration. Whether it be a birthday, valentines day, christmas party, anniversary, or any day that is special to them. It could even be a day you created.

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Gratitude and announcement

So...two things.

Firstly, I just want to give a thanks to tumblr and the various communities that I belong to.  I have been going through a very difficult time in my personal life, probably since January of this year.  Having a space that I can come to and vent my feelings through the torturing of fictional characters has probably done a lot to save my mental health.  Belonging to groups that love the same things I do as helped me feel less isolated in this very tumultuous period in all our lives.  So I am extremely grateful that I have this network.

This is first time that I have consistently posted on tumblr for longer than a month.  In fact, my output has been the highest it’s ever been with at least two posts a week, and mostly new stuff that hasn’t been sitting in my Dropbox for years on end.  Largely, this has been to stop me from spiralling, but also to give me something to do that isn’t watching anime or doing my university work (my two quarantine hobbies, I guess you could say).  Thank you to everyone that has liked my work, reblogged my work or followed me.  I know I don’t have a massive following, but it’s not really about that for me.  If one person reblogs my work, I’m happy.  If I receive no likes, that’s ok too.  The people who do like, reblog and follow, are the icing on a very delicious cake, and I appreciate all of you.

However, with that being said, I have to make an announcement.  Probably 0/100 people care, but I’m going to be taking a brief hiatus and I’d hate for someone to say “Oh Charlie’s disappeared again, she’s clearly given up on tumblr once more, the fickle bitch.”  Don’t worry, I will be back.  My thesis submission date is approaching fast, and I need to submit a draft, do a seminar, edit the damn thing and then submit it again, all in the space of about three weeks.  It’s the last step to me getting my degree, and I therefore need to give it my 110% attention.  So, after this post goes live, I’m going to be uninstalling tumblr from my phone.  Don’t worry, I will be back, hopefully with a master’s degree and a thousand new ways to torture my favourite characters.

Good luck to all of you for the next couple of weeks!

Peace, love and oranges,

Charlie!

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Happily Ever After

I rarely write happy stories but I had the sudden hankering to write a proper happy ending Shenko (to go with the Happy Ending Shenko I wrote last year).  Here’s what I ended up with.

.....

“What should we name him?” Shepard asked quietly.

Kaidan shifted carefully so as to not to disturb the baby that lay between them.  “I dunno,” he said.  “Maybe we can name him after Ash.”

The baby (no, his baby) huffed a little sigh in his sleep, one that was echoed by his mother.

“Kaidan, you realise the baby is a boy and not a girl, right?” Shepard asked.

He reached up and stroked her scarred cheek.  “Yeah, I know,” he said.

“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” she whispered after a pause.

“Takes after his mama,” Kaidan said, smiling slightly.

She laughed quietly.  “You know his mama is anything but beautiful,” she said.

“Not true,” Kaidan said. “His mama is a survivor, and every scar, every mark, shows just how much she has had to survive, how far she’s come.” He looked into her eyes.  “You’re amazing, Shepard.”

They were both silent for a bit.  “Kaidan,” she said at last.

“Mmm?” he said absently.

“I know I didn’t want him at first,” she said.  “I was scared.  What kind of a mother could someone like me be?”  She hesitated.  “I’m glad we kept him,” she whispered.  “I love him so much already.”

Kaidan squeezed her good hand in his.  “We should name him David,” he said.

Her eyes filled with tears. “It’s perfect,” she whispered.  “David Alenko.”

Kaidan smiled.  “Hello David,” he said.  Some reflex caused the baby (no, David) to stretch his arms upwards. Shepard laughed.

“Perfect little David,” she said, kissing the top of his head.

The three of them lay in silence for a bit.  “You know we’re going to be ok, right?” Kaidan asked, breaking the silence.

“You think so?” Shepard asked.

“Of course,” Kaidan said. “We’ll take him home today.  You’ll look after him and I’ll look after both of you. Our friends will visit, and they’ll spoil our little boy.  Garrus will probably calibrate all sorts of widgets to put around his cot so that no intruders will be able to get to him.  Wrex will boast about how his sons are better, but I know secretly he’ll be happy for us.  David will grow and Tali will teach him complex maths and Liara will tell him stories about how the galaxy used to be.  He’ll grow and go to school and then to university and one day he’ll get married. He’ll bring us grandchildren to play with and spoil.  He’ll fight with us about this, but we’ll remind him that we raised him and he turned out alright, didn’t he?  He’ll still come over regardless because he loves us and we love him so much.”

“And what about us?” Shepard whispered.  “What will happen to us?”

Kaidan dropped a light kiss on her forehead.  “What will happen to us?” he echoed softly.  “Why, my love.  We’ll live happily ever after.”

.....

With this, I guess it’s time I announce that I’m probably not going to post as many Mass Effect posts as I have in the past (as is already pretty obvious I suppose).  I’ve been writing Mass Effect fics for the better part of eight years (many of which have yet to make it onto the internet), and I feel like I’ve wrung all the blood from that stone that I possibly could.  I will be writing the odd fic now and then, and I think I am still going to finish JSWM on Archive of our Own, but for now, it’s goodbye from me to Shepard and his/her gang.  

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Honestly same.

TFW you plan out a whole fanfiction instead of writing a paper for university.

Why can I write 1000 words in 30 minutes for an Attack on Titan fanfiction but it takes me hours to write a paragraph for a paper about project management strategies. 

i fuckin can’t dude. 

[a-skyfull-of-starz]

Kousei is such a cute, sweet kid and every single person in his life is mean to him can I please just protect this child with all my heart?