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Making a small tweak to the Gala Headcanon, turning it into a Council held gala rather than an Alliance one. A few weeks after repairs have started, and whatnot. Shepard is initially invited alone as the guest of honor, but regardless if it's Blair or Astrid, they will convince Udina to allow the crew to join.

It's a bit of an argument because Udina will think it's preferable to keep her alien crew like Wrex and Tali from the event (given Citadel races prejudice towards krogan and quarians), but Shepard won't have any of that and it's either they all go, or she won't show up.

Blair will obviously intimidate Udina whereas Astrid would charm him, reflecting their different morality stances (even though playing ME1 with full Intimidation + Alternative Persuasion mod made it so that Blair had to charm Saren at the end)

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Brows knitting together at Ashley's rapid response, concern paints the young woman's features as she followed up. She did have a point… Spectre authority could be the only explanation why the Alliance can't justifiably do anything to her. Not if she told them that Spectre business was her reason for being aboard a Cerberus vessel. Hell, it'd be her excuse, too, if it meant not losing everything that came with the Alliance.

"Wh-what?!" Bewilderment is the new emotion expressed on Astrid's face, leaving her looking at her friend as if she had grown a second head. "I know we had to effectively nuke Virmire, but— I don't see how a mission that goes beyond the Omega-4 relay could involve something as drastic as… that." Hands wringing together as she spoke, the Commander was never good at hiding how she felt behind her words. What was this mission going to ask of her? Everyone was calling it a suicide mission—what would Fate ask her to sacrifice in order to beat this enemy?

Distracted green eyes that had wandered off snap back to meet Ashley's warm brown gaze when her she speaks once more. Countering her claim of what Cerberus had done for her. Manipulated? That sounded a bit intense. The concerned expression returns once more, carefully watching Ashley's movements and taking in her words. Frustration borne from concern—it was a familiar feeling that Astrid would find herself wrapped up in from time-to-time.

"I get what you're saying, I do…" Hands holding onto her arms, she holds herself in a self hug of sorts. "But... I don't know what I can do. The threat is there, Ash. Cerberus is actively doing something to try and combat it. The most I can do is be careful with how everything plays out now that I've got the Normandy."

“What if they demote me and slander me, you mean?” Or worse—there was always worse. “Astrid, I’m not just an officer any more—I’m a Spectre. I’d have to screw up pretty damn bad. Saren-level bad. And, well, if they’re revoking mine, they’re probably revoking yours, too.” Ashley had done her due diligence ensuring the right people knew why she was there and what she would be doing. She kept in touch as much as she could—and probably far more than Cerberus liked.

“Just don’t blow up any alien colony worlds or anything crazy like that, and we’re good. You can keep yourself out of that much trouble… right?” She was half-joking, of course; Astrid wasn’t the type of person to do any of that. She was too kind, too gentle for such carnage. If anyone told her Astrid Shepard did such a thing, she’d laugh in their face.

But as for the rest? “As for all this… You mean, manipulated your kind spirit into doing their bidding. Don’t get me wrong; we’re doing what needs to be done, but don’t sit there and tell me you don’t think Mysterio isn’t going to try and swindle you into doing something so he can pull the wool over your eyes for just a teeny tiny second while he pulls some bullshit behind the scenes.” After all—who wouldn’t be grateful for what Cerberus did? Giving her a second lease on life, regardless of the truth behind it… it was more than anyone could ask for.

“Look,” Ashley continued, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I don’t mean to sound like a wet blanket. I’m glad you’re back, no matter what. But… I’m also worried, Skipper. I’m worried they’re trying to manipulate you and that something’s gonna blow up in your face because of it. Something stinks, and it’s not Tuchanka this time.” It'd be foolish of her not to voice that kind of thing to Astrid; while she knew the Commander had likely noticed the same herself, there was a kinship between them; Astrid, being almost the same age as her, brought out that overprotective sister nature in her.

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abbeycowen: I LIKE IT HERE ☃️

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🐝  *  ―  𝑬𝑷𝑰𝑪: 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑰𝑪𝑨𝑳 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺.

Troy Saga ❛  do what i say and you'll see them again.  ❜ ❛  what do you live for? what do you try for?  ❜ ❛  say no more, i know tat i'm ready.  ❜ ❛  the blood on your hands is something you won't lose.  ❜ ❛  is the price i pay endless pain?  ❜ ❛  something feels off here, i see fire but there's no smoke.  ❜ ❛  we should try to find a way no one ends up dead.  ❜ ❛  why should we take when we could give?  ❜ ❛  i see in your face, there's so much guilt inside your heart.  ❜ ❛  have you forgotten the lessons i taught you?  ❜

The Cyclops Saga ❛  it's almost too perfect, too god to be true.  ❜ ❛  what gives you the right to deal a pain so deep?  ❜ ❛  your life now is in my hand.  ❜ ❛  remember them, we're the ones who carry on.  ❜ ❛  what good would killing do when mercy is a skill more of this world could learn to use?  ❜ ❛  i am your darkest moment.  ❜ ❛  i don't know where i went wrong but i warned ya', and you failed the test.  ❜ ❛  that's just like you, why should i be surprised?  ❜ ❛  unlike you, every time someone dies i'm left to deal with the strain.  ❜ ❛  i'll remind you i saw you as a friend but now we're done.  ❜

The Ocean Saga ❛  at this rate, we won't make it out alive.  ❜ ❛  please don't tell me you're about to do what i think you'll do.  ❜ ❛  yes, but how much longer til your luck runs out?  ❜ ❛  you rely on wit, and people die on it.  ❜ ❛  you're like the brother i could never do without.  ❜ ❛  and suddenly you doubt that i could figure this out?  ❜ ❛  keep your friends close and your enemies closer, never really know who you can trust.  ❜ ❛  'cause the end always justifies the means.  ❜ ❛  do you know who i am?  ❜ ❛  you are the worst kind of good 'cause you're not even great.  ❜

The Circe Saga ❛  whatever you need to say can wait some more.  ❜ ❛  there's no length i wouldn't go if it was you i had to save.  ❜ ❛  wouldn't you like a taste of the power?  ❜ ❛  don't thank me friend, you very well may die.  ❜ ❛  did you do something to them?  ❜ ❛  if you make one wrong move, then you're done for.  ❜ ❛  you and i are now evenly matched.  ❜ ❛  you've given me no reason to bestow you with my trust.  ❜ ❛  who's to say, with the mistakes i've made that they will be the last mistakes i ever make?  ❜ ❛  this is the price we pay to love.  ❜

The Underworld Saga ❛  all i hear are screams, every time i dare to close my eyes.  ❜ ❛  i no longer dream, only nigtmares of those who've died.  ❜ ❛  when does a man become a monster?  ❜ ❛  now you tell us our effort's are for nothing?  ❜ ❛  how has everything been turned against us?  ❜ ❛  do i need to change?  ❜ ❛  i'm the only one whose line i haven't crossed.  ❜ ❛  what if i'm the problem that's been hiding all along?  ❜ ❛  what if i've been far too kind to foes but a monster to ourselves?  ❜ ❛  if i became the monster and threw that guilt away would that make us stronger?  ❜

The Thunder Saga ❛  you wouldn't have spared me. i made a mistake like this, it almost cost my life.  ❜ ❛  i've got a secret i can no longer keep.  ❜ ❛  you know that we are the same.  ❜ ❛  we must do what it takes to survive.  ❜ ❛  tell me you did not know that would happen.  ❜ ❛  if you want all the power, you must carry all the blame.  ❜ ❛  how are we supposed to trust you now?  ❜ ❛  how much longer must i suffer now?  ❜ ❛  someone's gotta die today and you have got the final say.  ❜ ❛  please don't make me do this.  ❜

The Wisdom Saga ❛  you've made your worst mistake here.  ❜ ❛  this cruel world doesn't give out presents just for being good.  ❜ ❛  you're my friend, i couldn't ask for more.  ❜ ❛  did you know you talk in your sleep?  ❜ ❛  i'm what you want here, i'm what you need here.  ❜ ❛  you don't know what i've gone through.  ❜ ❛  i know your life's been hard, i'll stay inside your heart.  ❜ ❛  life would be so much worse if you had died.  ❜ ❛  you dare to defy me, to make me feel shame?  ❜ ❛  no one beats me, no one wins my game.  ❜

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@diewithaname sent: [WHISPER]: sender whispers sweet nothings into receiver's ears

my fucking meme tag because yeet

His breath is hot against her ear, leaving goosebumps on her skin as a shiver shoots down her spine, a jerk in her stance a response. Him being so close to her, feeling his words tickle her—she's trying to resist the urge to squirm, to hide how her breath hitched in her throat when she tried to breathe.

Astrid's already stopped paying attention to what he was actually saying with his honeyed words, focusing only on keeping herself from falling apart in response to them. It wasn't fair how he had such a way with her; how he was capable of making her feel at ease on one hand and driving her insane on the other.

"Owen..." Her voice is shaky, her concentration being poured into getting her words to come out. "Unless... unless you're planning to do more— please... I can't do anymore otherwise..."

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FATE: THE WINX SAGA | 2x03: “Your Newfound Popularity”  

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Astrid didn't get either of their heights.

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I can't remember if I ever chose a name for Astrid's dad prior and just simply forgot, but it's Callum McLaughlin. Astrid gets Hannah's last name since Callum has been involved in a lot of classified stuff prior to her birth (but to compensate, Astrid looks just like Callum—a retcon of the original hc of Astrid looking like Hannah.) He's also N7 as I've mentioned in another post, and is a Paladin-Sentinel. Kind of a big guy. Think grizzly bear. Cuddly but could also snap a man's neck.

I've thought about them both being participants in the First Contact War, maybe Callum was a part of Ahern's squad. I'd have to do some timeline consulting to check dates and whatnot.

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Astrid's dad is N7 (paladin sentinel) and an active participant in the Reaper War, taking part in missions like you experience in the original ME3 multiplayer. Astrid and Hannah both lose contact with him just after curing the genophage.

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Continuing @torntruth’s post

What was going on behind those blue eyes? Getting lost in someone else's similarly stranded gaze, it was the closest she'd felt to time standing still. Did all asari have such captivating eyes..? Liara's especially—so vibrant and intense in that vivid blue hue, but complimentary to the rest of her features. Oh, how those eyes make her heart flutter, even as they’re busy drifting through unknown thoughts.

But she was losing time, they needed to finish getting ready to meet everyone on time before the gala.

Where was she at..? Right, eyeliner.

Astrid returns her attention to her partner’s eyes, eyeliner in hand, and begins the process, working slowly to ensure no mess-ups. The level of concentration displayed on the woman’s features rivals the very concentration she showed when she had to diffuse a bomb in ten seconds. Liara’s gaze drifts, her head turning to follow, and Astrid instinctively moves her free hand to stop her. A gentle redirect so as to not ruin her work.

“Don’t… move…”

…There. Perfect wings.

Her hand pulls away, the woman drawing back to admire her work—to admire Liara. There was no hiding the heat that rose to to the young Commander’s face, dusting her cheeks and ears red. “You’re gorgeous…” breathless words spilled from her lips, and she can’t help but stare at Liara as if she had hung the stars. It was going to be impossible for Astrid to not get distracted by her during the gala.

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Reaching midnight where I am, I got a random stroke of artistic inspiration and managed to sketch out Astrid in her outfit for the post-ME1 gala. 💜

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Not gonna lie, I went from feeling like I was at a wall with this to just having a constantly unraveling idea that made me get concrete details down. I made something like this for Blair, explaining what she gets up to if she survived the attack on the Normandy SR-1 while her relative perished. This is Astrid's version, pulled directly from my writing app and tweaked to fit tumblr posts (and make better sense)

Astrid survives the destruction of the Normandy SR-1, having focused on trying to get the crewmates on the lower decks to the escape pods safely. This leaves either Liara or the Virmire Survivor to go and seek Shepard.

Astrid grieves hard. Her bereavement leave from duty is long, and if Shepard has the apartment on Intai'sei, she will spend most of her time at the apartment. She doesn't reach out to anyone but will not deny company should it appear. This lasts for about eight months, but she doesn't return to duty until a year after Shepard's death. On the surface, it's just assumed that in those final months before turning, she refused visitors or left the apartment.

In reality, she was back in the field being pushed hard behind the scenes by the Alliance into becoming the next Spectre. So far that she had gotten to the point of having been monitored by a Spectre during several missions with them and is awaiting to hear the response—to hear anything from the Council. During that period, they replace Shepard with her as the poster girl for the Alliance. The best of humanity. When rumors begin to circulate regarding Shepard being seen alive, Astrid feels the need to investigate, but she’s denied answers from everyone she turns to. Hackett stonewalls her. Anderson stonewalls her, as well—even if Shepard chose him as the Councilor.

Shepard will have the ability to reach out and try to recruit Astrid for their mission against the Collectors. This is where Shepard’s decisions in ME1 come into play:

IF THE COUNCIL IS KILLED… It's clear that Astrid wants to join Shepard, however she has to decline their offer. She has her own things that are important and she needs to take care of, and she can’t go AWOL. If Shepard takes the Renegade dialogue in response, Astrid snaps back that they’ve been gone for two years and never reached out to her until after she heard the rumors about them. Clearly whatever they were doing with Cerberus was more important than reaching out to her to tell her that they're alive. So in that case, they’re not more important than what she’s doing currently in the Alliance. It's a bit of a half truth. The half truth is that she won't leave the Alliance in fear of losing everything—becoming a Spectre allows her to set aside that fear. Plus, she's still waiting to hear back from the Council about her Spectre candidacy and is afraid to ruin her chances by being seen associating with Cerberus. It’s only after Horizon that Astrid is inducted into the Spectres. Once inducted, she reaches out to Shepard, asking to meet them somewhere. There, she'll tell them that she took care of her business with the Alliance and she's able to help them with their mission now. Shepard can welcome her aboard or can refuse to bring her along. She refuses that answer, and begins to explain herself, explain how she was a candidate for the Spectres, that that was what she was waiting on when Shepard first asked her to join. Shepard can either stand firm on their decision or allow her to join. What happens if Shepard ultimately refuses to recruit Astrid is worth a whole separate post.

IF THE COUNCIL IS SAVED… The process for Astrid’s Spectre candidacy goes by faster if the Council is saved. By the time Shepard wakes up during the attack within the Lazarus Research station, Astrid is a newly inducted Spectre. When she hears about Shepard being alive, she immediately goes to try and meet with them. Astrid can be recruited after Shepard gets their first squadmate after Freedom’s Progress, allowing time for rumors to begin circulating and for her to begin investigating.

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Northern lights photographed from space

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@diewithaname sent: "Quit your grinning." — Owen Blackthorne

'Things My Friends' Muses Have Said' prompts

Shepard had stopped over to Owen's little corner to check up on him; last mission, he had taken a little more heat than what was desired, and a visit with Chakwas was ordered. The meds the doctor had given him, well... it revealed that there was a side of Owen that Astrid hadn't seen—not that she had any qualms with it. And now she was seeing how he was doing a few hours after his interaction with the non-human crew, involving reminding him of his little 'presentation', much to his chagrin.

"I'm sorry!" Laughter spills from the Commander's lips, light and playful. "But you should have seen yourself! You brought up the Bermuda Triangle! To our alien crew!" The Commander's outburst is disrupted by gasps, the woman attempting to refill her lungs with sharp inhales. "Agh, my sides..!" Arms wrapping around her waist, Astrid pauses once more as she attempts to recollect herself, her gasps for air turning into deeper breaths to finally settle her racing heart. Despite all that, the softest chuckle still made its way out.

"I think you managed to convince Tali to never visit Earth."