#Garrus just wants to kill a man

[lassieposting]

Concept: ME2, told through Shepard's very active text chain with bestest best buddy Wrex after he leaves the Normandy post-ME1.

Like. Cerberus has a new omnitool for her aboard the SR2 and the first thing she does is try to contact him and Garrus. It takes a few days - and a few frustrating phone calls - to reactivate her old line and forward her messages and contacts and shit, but eventually they all ping her at once as the tool downloads them

10 November 2183

[10:46 GST] Urdnot Wrex: [11 missed calls]

[10:48 GST] Urdnot Wrex: pick up

[10:51 GST] Urdnot Wrex: answer me

[10:52 GST] Urdnot Wrex: alliancenewsnetwork.ex/breaking_news_ssv_normandy_shot_down_over_alchera

[10:53 GST] Urdnot Wrex: ur ok?

[12:01 GST] Urdnot Wrex: shepard?

[14:32 GST] Urdnot Wrex: SHEPARD???

10 November 2184

[8:51 GST] Urdnot Wrex: img_attachment_bottle_of_ryncol_very_blurry.jpg

[8:52 GST] Urdnot Wrex: cheers

[8:52 GST] Urdnot Wrex: fucking. pyjak

And she gets back in touch with him, explains what happened to her and why she was MIA for two years, has a bit of a quick cry maybe because she misses him and she's surrounded by Cerberus lifers and she just wants someone on board she can trust to have her back, and from then on Wrex has to get used to receiving weird contextless texts on a regular basis

Like

[9:17 TNT] Shepard: LOOK WHO I FOUND

[9:17 TNT] Shepard: img_attachment_garrus_asleep_in_medbay_post_surgery.png

[9:18 TNT] Shepard: Ignore all the bandages, his face fell off but we fixed it. You will not believe what he's been doing im going to kill him

[13:18 TNT] Shepard: video_attachment_garrus_fascinated_by_medbay_automatic_doors.mp4

[13:18 TNT] Shepard: Anaesthetic is wearing off...slowly...

And

[17:08 TNT] Shepard: img_attachment_urz_wearing_hotdog_costume.png

[17:08 TNT] Shepard: :)

[17:09 TNT] Urdnot Wrex: i gave u that thing to win u credits and ur just putting it in stupid outfits

[17:10 TNT] Shepard: img_attachment_urz_asleep_on_bed_with_plushie.png

[17:11 TNT] Shepard: yeah :) he baby

[17:13 TNT] Shepard: instagram.ex/urztherescuevarren

And

[22:31 TNT] Shepard: img_attachment_harbinger_assuming_direct_control.png

[22:31 TNT] Shepard: wHaT tHe FuCk WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK

[22:47 TNT] Shepard: img_attachment_collector_corpses.png

[22:47 TNT] Shepard: nvm we good man these things UGLY

And of course, some go in the opposite direction.

[05:17 GST] Urdnot Wrex: so you finally did it eh

[05:25 GST] Shepard: Did what?

[05:29 GST] Urdnot Wrex: vakarian. about damn time

[05:41 GST] Shepard: oh my god 😂

[05:41 GST] Shepard: brb gonna go kill grunt

[05:42 GST] Urdnot Wrex: whatever a "step" dad is, he thinks hes getting one

Just. Shep and Wrex staying a big part of each others lives despite all the lightyears and star systems and backbreaking responsibility between them

[janewayintersection]

the amount of people who are like "omg i ditched kaidan for garrus after he was mean to me on horizon!!" baffle me. shit on bioware's writing for making shep work with cerberus all you want, but kaidan calling shep out on this and not joining them is NOT the issue. in fact, him reacting like this is why i love him??

he specifically states he trusts shep, just not cerberus. which is the only rational response in that whole entire goddamn game!! like?? you spend all of me1 stopping cerberus operations. they kill several alliance soldiers and admiral kahoku, try to make a rachni army -- they are WELL known for cloning and ais... miranda even outright states she wanted to plant shep with a control chip. there is literally zero reason for kaidan to believe the shep in front of him isn't some cerberus sleeper agent. or an ai. or indoctrinated. or being manipulated (THIS ONE IS CANON BTW). even if he trusts shepard, he doesn't trust cerberus not to pull any of this. quite frankly, i'm baffled more companions don't have this exact, entirely justified concern.

loyalty is important, but blind loyalty is dangerous.

honestly, the crew in me2 is lucky that the illusive man was so weirdly and uncharacteristically insistent on shepard remaining untouched. things could have gotten very bad otherwise.

being best friends with someone, or more notably, being in love with someone, isn't the end all be all magic potion in this world. being in love with someone doesn't mean you should blindly trust their actions. if my significant other joined a terrorist group, you can bet my ass i wouldn't join them! sorry! if anything, it's healthy that kaidan has his own sense of morals and priorities he follows over shepard. he's his OWN person, love shouldn't be something that makes you suddenly give up who you are and what you believe in.

not to mention kaidan is entirely out of the loop for the whole game. his intel states that cerberus is behind the abductions (the horizon incident is partially a result of cerberus' fiddling btw), and that shep has been alive and never even reached out to anyone. he doesn't have the information we the players have. he doesn't know that the illusive man insisted on no control chip. he doesn't know about the lazarus project or its specifics.

and as for the "cheating" discourse if you romance someone new in me2, i do personally believe shep getting with one of the me2 love interests is cheating on their me1 love interest. to shep, they skipped those two years. they wake up as they did during the me2 prologue. no time has passed. and then they immediately get with someone else after one (1) argument with their love interest over them, may i remind you, joining a terrorist group. even if you don't think it's "technically" cheating, it's at the very least pretty trashy and flakey.

if anything, i'm gonna say it! kaidan is more forgiving than i'd be! the fact that he even sends an email saying he still cares and that they can see what happens after this is all resolved is WAY more than i would have done. the fact that kaidan will find out shep got with someone else, and STILL be willing to give shep a chance is like. man. it's saying a lot. i am just saying.

imagine losing someone. you see them literally die as your ship explodes and they burn up in the nearby planet's atmosphere. you grieve. you put yourself into your work. then suddenly, two years, later. they pop back up again. ALIVE. and with a terrorist group. and basically tell you the equivalent of "just trust me bro" despite the fact that while you trust them, you don't trust the terrorist group. so you're like hey, what the fuck. why are you with a terrorist group. and they're like i'm not with them, we just have common goals. and you're like. i'm gonna say it again. i trust you, not the terrorist group. okay?? i can't join you for this reason. please be careful out there, seriously.

and then they immediately jump into the pants of that one guy you knew back on a mission from two years ago.

what would you do?? would you not feel hurt? betrayed? upset? confused?? i'm sorry, i'm completely on kaidan's side. i'd go as far to say that he's far more understanding than he should be in me2.

me3 is all about regaining that complete and undying trust back, and that cerberus didn't fuck around w shep. or that being with cerberus didn't change them. his "loyalty" quest is just visiting him in the hospital and showing him shepard still cares. that they're still the same. that cerberus truly didn't alter them. that there was more going on. that shepard was forced to work with cerberus out of complete necessity and only did what they thought was right. and i think that's neat!!!!

[average-mako-enjoyer]

Things I learned thanks to the Mass Effect fandom:

1. Men can't be friends with women.

2. Relationships between two consenting adults are only okay if they are between two women. All male-female relationships are predatory and the result of grooming and power imbalance.*

3. A woman sacrificing her life has more impact than a man doing the same thing. Men's lives are inherently less valuable.

4. People who question your decisions aren't just wrong, they're rotten, immoral, a nuisance to be either killed or avoided at all costs.

5. You can make people hate what they love and love what you love instead, if you're consistent and persistent enough.

6. There's only one right way to play Garrus dating simulator these games.

7. Men can't experience trauma. They only fake trauma to have sex with women.*

8. Men talking about their feelings and past experiences with you is a sign that they just want to have sex with you and nothing else.*

9. Men don't have any goals or aspirations other than to exploit women and have sex with them.*

10. It is okay to cheat on men.* They can't get upset about it. If they're upset, they're just upset that they can't have sex with you anymore.

11. Men who have relationships with other men are kinda lame, but tolerable. These men can be excused for being men. Kinda.

12. You can hate things with hate and without hate.

13. Men are only okay if they are virgins or have had no more than two partners. Any other number of partners can only mean that they're predators trying to exploit women.

*Garrus and Thane are the only exceptions to these rules.

Please add what you've learned through this fandom's discourse in tags and reblogs, I'm curious.

[sliceoflifeshepard]

Ash Shepard's Writeblr Reintroduction

Hi guys, its been about 2 and a half years since I've really worked on any of my wips, so I thought since I'm getting back into writing, to do a writeblr introduction again.

My inbox is always open, I have a Ko-fi here if you wanna support me

I'm 27. Im British, I live in the UK and i'm a Non-binary autistic person. You can call me either Hal, or Ash Shepard

I'm a die hard Mass Effect fan and I ship FemShep and Garrus a.k.a Shakarian

I write for adults, with adult themes and I write Mass Effect fanfiction as well as Original Works.

I write a variety of things - screenplays, short stories, drabbles/fics, novels, the whole lot basically.

For my original works, I mainly seem to write about Angels, Demons, Gods and Reapers with the ocassional human caught in the mix. I've been writing supernatural paranormal and romance stuff for 4 years, since November 2020 so you can actually thank Destiel and the US Election for that (a.k.a you should have been on tumblr on november 4th/november 5th of 2020)

I have hundreds of characters and my wips im working on, fluctuates, but heres a list of my current main wips:

Terraclaw - about a kingdom falling apart during a war and a desperate bid to restore order that only plunges the world into further darkness and uncertainy

Wildlands - about a bunch of people, including an autistic professor named Layton who travels around space to different planets in search of friends, family and treasure

Not You - Jericho loses his wife to a jealous boss who kills her and Jericho tries to go back in time to save her and then travels to an alternate universe to see her again and its just a journey of coming to terms with loss and getting justice.

Raising Hell - The Grim Reaper's son is being targeted by Angels and Gods that want him dead and the whole world is falling apart, so he and his friends have to save the world and put things right

Speechless - Elves vs Humans and the right to speak up in the face of justice and not being supressed because humans think they're superior. Its about finding family and standing up for whats right.

Heaven's Fallen - Genderbent AU of Raising Hell with their own adventures

With God As My Witness - about a man named Lou Hart who is being gaslighted by the government to think that the supernatural don't exist, but everyone he knows and loves is involved with them and the world is starting to go to shit

[deep-space-lines]

I've realized the main reason I romance Garrus every time (apart from the fact that he's cool and I love him) is because he's the only one my demisexual ass can tolerate tbh

Liara and Kaidan are trying to smash from day 1 and I keep coming around to liking them by the time I finish a playthrough, but then when I replay ME1 again I HATE THEM AGAIN I'm like bitch I'm just trying to be nice to you STOP trying to get in my pants I swear to god I WILL TURN THIS CAR AROUND AND TAKE YOU BOTH RIGHT BACK TO THE CITADEL DO NOT TEST ME

Jacob speaks for himself

Thane? It's not even because he dies (or is a man), it's that I physically cannot bring myself to romance him because the option to do that comes right after him talking about his dead wife and I just can't, dude, I just can't. That's weird to me. Guy just told me about this traumatic experience he had and how his wife was killed and he's never talked to anyone about that before and I'm supposed to sensitively reply with "wow dude so sorry that happened to you! anyway. i want you" I CAN'T DO THAT!!! WHO DOES THAT!!!

Samantha's cute as hell don't get me wrong. Finally a gay woman who isn't Liara! But the shower thing caught me so off guard I was genuinely looking forward to playing chess with my new bestie & she decides to shoot her shot by showering in her underwear with the door open, like I gotta respect it but girl what 😭

anyway shoutout to Garrus for being the only romance option that doesn't make my ace ass even vaguely uncomfortable, if he wasn't in there my Shepard would be getting No Bitches

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

I can empathize with being disappointed that your favs are losing, I do. So you want to know why Garrus has so much support? Are you wondering where the propaganda is? I'll give it to you.

Let's set aside the fact that the Mass Effect series is in itself a highly influential piece of sci fi that has been around for 15 years and has a greater hold on pop culture than most games. And let's honestly set aside sexual orientation - if being bi automatically makes you more dateable, then that should have been in the rules - because we often choose our genders in games, and a dateable character will make you want to play as another gender just to be with them (e.g. the only time I ever played male in Dragon Age Inquisition was because I fucking love Cassandra so much, istg).

So, Garrus. Yeah, he's a former cop, one who watched criminals get away with murder or worse, often because they could grease the right palms - the guy he asks you to help him find was a geneticist using human test subjects to grow organs and sell them illegally, who used hostages to stop the authorities from firing on him. You don't have to agree about how he wants to handle it, but damn, it's hard not to feel for someone sick of injustice and watching good people get hurt.

After your character dies (don't worry, you get better), he is disillusioned with the entire system and runs away to a place on the edge of the universe where crime and corruption runs rampant. He makes the gangs' lives hell and saves innocent peoples' lives until his team is killed, and when you find him, he's cornered by the gangs and ready to lose all hope. He literally takes a rocket to the face and is permanently disfigured for the rest of the series. He eventually asks you to help him find the man responsible for his team's demise, themself a member of his team that sold them out. And you know what? You can let the guy go and convince Garrus to end his need for revenge, because he respects you so damn much that he will question such things because you ask it of him.

In the third game, when the galaxy is on the verge of annihilation, and when his planet is under attack and he doesn't even know if his family members are alive, he will still join you and stand by your side because he has so much faith that YOU are capable of saving the galaxy, and he's willing to bet the lives of his family and all of his species on YOU. And he does this whether you are romanced or not.

So we have a disabled, traumatised veteran who is willing to question his values for someone he respects, who literally believes you are capable of saving the galaxy and will protect your back while you do it. He befriends someone from a species his people severely warred with, he will callibrate the shit out of your guns so you never lose a firefight, and for an alien, he dances a mean tango.

This is why we love Garrus Vakarian.

^

[am-i-dead]

Just finished Greedfall in 2024 because it was on sale (and they implemented a way to disable camera effects which stopped me from playing the first time due to motion sickness). And I saw your post about Greedfall content in 2023, and I am similarly starving. This was such an ambitious game for a small studio, and I think with more polish and resources, it could've been an all-time great. It kills me to think this game won't get the love that it deserves since it's made with so much heart, you know? Worse yet, I fell for Kurt, the least loved LI by Steam metrics. Only 1.7%??? C'mon! Haven't fallen this hard for a fictional character since Garrus Vakarian (please don't judge me).

That's exactly why I started playing Greedfall in the first place too, I was just looking for a random fantasy game, and I saw it on sale for like $7 and I just bought it on a whim. And honestly, despite some of Greedfall’s bugs it's SUCH a fantastic game, plus the fact that it was made by such a small studio?? The visuals are phenomenal, and the world-building is chefs KISS. It just sucks that it was made by a smaller studio with limited resources, so it wasn't able to reach its full potential. Think if a group like Bethesda had produced this game, it would've been, like you said “an all-time great”! But then again, if it had been made by a bigger studio, it wouldn't have the same amount of heart as Greedfall now…

OMG and don't get me started on Kurt. If the game had gotten more popular IMAGINE all the Kurt content we could’ve had. I find it SO HARD TO BELIEVE that only 1.7% of ppl romanced him… LIKE WHAT?????? You are telling me you don't want this beautiful beautiful traumatized soldier? I hyper-fixated on that man for MONTHS

(also no judgment abt Garrus, I GET you. He is a fantastic choice)

[thelikesoffinn]

been thinking about it lately and Ascended Astarion = Dead Dove content and I'm not sure that's really understood, even by the writers. when I finally got around to the character I decided to ascend him with, I was SUPREMELY disappointed by the conversations options following it. it seemed like the dialogue choices were trying to push the narrative on my character that they made this choice w/o considering the consequences and they are bound to regret it. the closest I could get to answering his question of "why did u let me go thru w it?" was "I wanted u to be powerful".

but with that character? my accept Bhaal durge? that isn't the reasoning. at all. (related: "what do u want as a reward?" "ur body" was the closest answer my character could give. otherwise I'd've answered "murder :))")

for context, this run was born of a conversation w my friend discussing supposed content no one had seen bc "no one's that evil". we thought, what's more evil than killing literally every npc? I failed the conceit of the challenge immediately bc I can't handle senseless animal cruelty in my games. killing children? fine (u need a mod to do this in BG3, but I am thankfully plenty delighted to use mods), killing a neutral animal npc? no can do.

so I started this durge (they are the only character that can come close to "killing" Gale with that first interaction) run with the intention of killing everyone except Shadowheart (only a cleric of Shar can truly kill Aylin) and Astarion (bc I need to smooch him). (and there is a mod for playing an origin character as durge, which would have meant playing as Shadowheart, but I MUST smooch Astarion and I don't tend to do het or female romances, unless I'm forced to (*sighs dreamily* oh, Garrus Vakarian). I'm just not interested in that set of equipment in that way, so may as well just make a durge dude.) somehow something went wonky and Halsin ended up joining us and I was so perplexed I just allowed him to stay. (he's meant to attack if u destroy the grove but free him anyway, but instead he just showed up that night and went straight into his Moonrise spiel. is it bc the wolf Silver never aggro'd me and thus survived???) so I fixed the Shadow Curse all while killing every single humanoid and hostile animal in acts 1 & 2. including Thaniel, which makes Halsin's talks later in act 3 of getting news from Thaniel and the Grove hysterical. idk what I did but I sure as hell broke this poor man.

(on a related note, Halsin will give out to u when u accept Bhaal, but will still give u the "u have exceeding my expectations, also we should bang" in the same conversation. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID BUT IT'S DARKLY FUNNY.)

in the conversation when Astarion is expressing surprise that u let him go thru w it, my durge is just like, yes my motivation is that I like to kill ppl :))). it's not a sex thing for him (that is separate from the murder!), but he's still fine w the outcome. yes, Astarion looks down on him, but that's fine! he's allowed to be wrong about that, durge doesn't care. so long as Astarion lets him kill ppl he genuinely just does not give a shit.

(I actually had the idea that if Halsin were to ever rediscover his morals and tried to leave he'd ask Astarion to turn him so Halsin would not have a choice. as I said, this durge *does not fucking care*.)

this is probably the only character I will play that would let Astarion ascend bc I enjoy dead dove SOMETIMES, but not always or in large doses, but I get so few dialogue options that convey that in an rp sense! I don't think the writers/devs REALLY took that into consideration, sometimes. like, yeah, there are going to be ppl making fucked up choices but surely no one would go THIS far! for THIS reason! honey, u need to look up the Dead Dove tag on AO3, there are absolutely ppl making choices for those fucked up reasons.

(and I understand the whole "this confirms to Astarion about sex yadda yadda". even if that's not Tav/Durge motivation, that's how ASTARION would *interpret* it.)

(oh yes, and also, don't let Orin abduct Yenna. it doesn't matter whether u find out in camp or the sewers, Grub will not survive. I was devastated. if I'd known, I would have made sure Halsin was available for her, but she won't abduct a party member or someone ur romancing.)

long story short, I want to play a durge that even ascended Astarion finds unsettling. that's the dream.

Hello there, duck!

Your run sounds delightfully evil! I wish I could play one of those, haha, but I'm too soft hearted. My one evil run with my durge Salira was ended before even entering the grove because I felt horrible after getting rid of Gales hand! Seriously, I can barely take killing the squirrel as durge, and I always save Alfira because I feel horrendous otherwise!

(Fun fact, on all five runs I've done Yenna just vanished at some point and grubs was left standing in my camp, which was like...eh?)

And yes, Halsin is always somewhat of an issue, isn't he? He's just running around, causing mayhem in peoples games because he seems slightly bugged out, haha. I had one run, where he wouldn't go to the spot where we save Thaniel because he joined the fight against Marcus at Last Light and somehow got stuck, for some reason. Same run, none of his vocals would play, which was also very interesting. Everybody would make noise when they climbed or got hurt but Halsin was always silent and just there! And in another run the dude really straight up hated me - he was so mean and snappy, I swear to god he wanted my Durge dead - and then he suddenly went: "Hey you're super cool and strong and I just want to gently fuck you beneath the moonlight if you'll let me" and I was like: Say what.

Regarding the dead Dove: I've talked to people of Discord before, and some of them mentioned something similar a couple of times, but personally, I do think the writers actually knew what they were doing here!

Of course, I do agree that it relies heavily on the regret notion and that it somewhat shoehorns you into a certain narrative corner, I noticed that too when I was ascending him for research - I hated doing that, but all for the asks, haha - but I thought it was really fitting for what it is!

The bad ending, that is. I know we all somewhat forget that because of how people view him as a character, but ascension is the bad ending. Even on an evil run, where your character may have considered all options, it is very likely that Tav hasn't accounted for one very important part of being a true vampire.

The obsession.

It's still somewhat mild in the game, though definitely there, but it will only get stronger as time goes on, and it will probably get to the point that the only escape is death. Either his or Tav's. So, in the end, ascension will come with an armload of regret and the writers were making sure we know that.

And, on top of that, even if we let him ascend in a pursuit for power - or in in your durge's special case: murder :) - we still cast spawn Astarion aside because he doesn't fit our needs, thus making it very clear to him that who he is isn't enough and his behaviour is the price we now pay.

It's pretty much the same with all the other companions as well - justiciar Shadowheart and ascended Lae'zel, for example. However, it doesn't bother us as much, because we have different expectations towards ascended Astarion than, for example, dark justiciar Shadowheart. We don't expect a positive narrative here, a narrative where becoming shady-shar's loyal subject isn't an objectively dumb decision to make, so we don't mind the dead dove as much. It's exactly what we've been expecting - and Aylin even warned us how Shadowheart would change upon becoming a dark justiciar - so yepp. This went exactly how we thought it would and this is what we wanted.

Astarion, however, is a somewhat special case, because his bad ending is, by far, the one that gets the most romanticised. He's so heavily romanticised by so many, that the bad parts nearly start to fade, even with those who don't like the ascended ending. It becomes just 'the other ending', if you will.

And yet, it's still the bad ending.

Ascension is the bad ending for a character that we've somewhat given up on. That we misunderstood so deeply, mayhaps, that we traded his entire being for power and, quite frankly, beauty. We showed him that he isn't enough, we let the boy run and hide the only way he knew how and now we're faced with the consequences and yes, it's really dead dove but...what did we expect?

[monowires]

you know what fucks me up the most about me2, though? it isn't just the fact that there was a 2 year time gap, it's that that time didn't even pass for shepard.

shepard was, as jacob puts it, "in a coma or worse" for most of it—the only real conscious moment he has before waking up at the start of the game during the attack is that one moment where the sedatives wore off and he started waking up.

everyone he runs into gives him some form of "it's been two years, you shouldn't expect things to be the same," but it's literally been like blinking to shepard. he was asphyxiating in space and then he was fighting for his life in a cerberus facility. he's expected to handle this reorientation himself; it's never really talked about, not fully. he catches up with people like anderson on what's happened in the past two years, but it's never really clarified how he processes it. and even so, he makes a visible effort to try and understand it, to try and understand the viewpoints of old allies like kaidan and tali and garrus.

this is something that i feel a lot of the characters overlooked when chiding him for 'working with' cerberus. like, my dude died and then woke up immediately thereafter (to him) in a cerberus facility. his only options were to ally with them or die, and then the elusive man went to extensive lengths to make it such that shepard COULDN'T leave—where would he go? the normandy wasn't his anymore. what crew would he take with him? they'd all been contacted by cerberus beforehand.

it just breaks my heart, because he dies saving joker/his crew during the normandy attack, and is then thrust into the future—literally, to him—and expected to just get up and keep moving. he was never given any time to process it, never given any time to argue, never given any autonomy beyond which mission he did first.

in me3, he still isn't given the luxury of being understood—people don't trust him, and understandably so given the reputation cerberus built for itself—but they also don't listen to him. when he tries to defend himself by saying he didn't have much choice, he is told "isn't that just what they want you to say?"

even jack gives him shit for it, and she was with him in me2. and if he tries to say he knows, he knows cerberus is awful, she says something along the lines of 'i'm sure that'll comfort all the people they killed' and that just stung in the moment because it really shows how alone shepard is, how alone he always has been. how being alone is a necessity when you're tasked with the fate of the galaxy—how he has to sacrifice himself in more ways than one to ensure the continuity of time itself.

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 2 replay, recruiting Thane:

-There is quite a bit of autodialogue throughout this mission.

-As others have said, Seryna raises questions. Why did Nassana let her former head of security leave?

She kills shift workers that leave – at least, allegedly – but the former head of security can just walk out?

As we see with Thane and Shepard, that’s a big security risk.

-Why does Seryna want Nassana dead so badly?

She helps Thane. She helps Shepard on the chance that helping Shepard find Thane will end with Nassana dead. Nothing asked for in return.

This is a lot to do because you don’t like your former boss. Even if your boss is having people killed to protect her secrets. It seems personal – did Nassana kill some Seryna cared about?

-Seryna says she and Shepard will leave after shift workers clear out Tower Two.

However, there’s a salarian in the area fussing that’s he’s lost his family’s data because Nassana forced them out ASAP. He’ll get it once he’s allowed back in.

So it seems the towers have already been cleared out. If the salarian had been kicked out from an earlier shift, I presume he could have gone in when the next shift was permitted in.

-Seryna doesn’t ask if Shepard’s plan is to stop Thane or not until you’re in the car with them.

Considering she wants Thane to kill Seryna, she must be very confident Thane can take Shepard out if Shepard’s plan is to stop him.

-Letting the first salarian worker die is just cold, especially if you say his coworkers are on their own. There’s no reason to not help him.

-All the shift workers are salarian. Illium’s an asari dominated world, so they’re a minority on it. There’s probably some parallel to the real world in that and Nassana’s treatment of them.

-Kasumi about Thane helping the first group of salarians you find: That’s sweet. An assassin with a heart of gold.

Considering Kasumi is a thief with a heart of gold…

-Nassana’s essentially enslaved the salarians: They have to work to the end of their contract on threat of death. They don’t get overtime, and she’s quite willing to kill them when she wants them to leave.

This is probably legal on Illium.

-Huh. No one commented on me letting the mercenary who was up against the window go. Garrus always comments on that.

-Speaking of, the glass in these towers breaks way too easily. Nassana’s cheaping out on materials.

-If you go neutral on the salarian worker that points a gun at you, Kasumi calls him a “jumpy little lizard”.

Charming. Kasumi, you’re supposed to be better than that.

-If you choose any other option, Telon ends up passed out on the floor. It’s funny watching him swoon if you go paragon/renegade after skipping the renegade interrupt.

-The salarian workers do a lot for this mission. Without them, it would just be one long corridor of shooting. They also characterize Thane as a man who protects innocents before ever meeting him.

-I died so. Many. Times. On the windy bridge. Those drones that shoot missiles are awful, and what do you mean I can’t get a lock???

-The sun in the background when you finally meet Thane and Nassana adds a lot of drama to the cutscene.

-Jacob’s bitchiness to Thane is very odd. He never indicates an issue with mercenaries or assassins before or after this scene.

-As others have noted, Jacob’s claim he’s loyal to more than a paycheck is hypocritical. He left the Alliance because it had too much red tape, and he insists that he’s skeptical of Cerberus and will leave if it gives him reason to.

So that’s not loyalty to either employer. The closest he can say is that he’s loyal to his beliefs, but if so then the same could be said for Thane.

-If you go renegade with Thane and tell him you only hired him because he’s a good gun, he can bite back and reply that’s he’s working for you by choice and can leave at any time.

Nice. It’s always good to see someone push back against Shepard.

-You can tell Jacob to keep an eye on Thane.

This entire scene is so odd. I’m wondering if the original plan for Thane was different and it would have had him more ethically ambiguous?

Maybe you would have had Thane switch loyalties while he was on a mission by paying him more than his current employer. That would explain both Jacob’s and Shepard’s skepticism of his trustworthiness.

Just, something to explain this scene.

-If you go paragon, Thane says that he’s just a weapon. Weapons don’t kill, their wielders do.

I disagree. Thane chooses to be a weapon, ergo he has culpability for who he’s directed to kill.

“Just following orders” is not a get out of jail card.

Normandy

-Mordin’s loyalty mission is very abrupt. You only get one investigate option, and no real dialogue options.

Considering how talkative Mordin normally is, I suppose this curtness is a sign of his distress. No explanation for why Shepard’s not asking questions though.

-Samara says the code is 5000 sutras and covers every possible situation.

How long ago was this written? Because societies change over time. There are ethical questions that exist today that couldn’t have been imagined 500 years ago. What happens when one of those crop up?

Maybe this is one reason why asari society is so static – justicars decide what’s “correct” and kill everyone who disagrees with them. Makes it a bit difficult society to progress.

-And what happens when justicars disagree?

And I’m not accepting a cop out that the code causes all justicars to always come to the same conclusion. Look at how much blood has been spilled over human religious texts.

Are there factions of justicar that kill each other on sight? Did someone work out a truce so justicars with different interpretations politely avoid each other?

-Ah, time for another ME2 humanity is special moment. Humans are more individualist than any other species Samara has known.

Is this all humanity? Because as I recall, western society is normally considered more individualistic and eastern society is more collectivist. Did Bioware think that far?

-Thane had his eyes treated so he can see hanar bioluminescence. As a result he can’t see the difference between dark red and black.

That seems a tad dangerous for an assassin. Isn’t being able to tell colors apart critical for being able to blend in?

-When I choose investigate with Thane, there’s an option for other topics. However, this takes me back to the start menu. So what is is purpose? I can choose Return and other also go back to the Start menu.

-The drell situation with the hanar on Kahje is sad. It’s good they help each other, but it shouldn’t be a death sentence for the drell. Let them help hanar on other worlds that don’t make them sick.

-If you go neutral with Thane, he says he’s always considered himself dead to some degree.

Well, that’s fucked up. I’d like to have some words with the hanar that trained him.

-If you go paragon, he doubts your medical facilities and staff can do anything that the best hanar medical professionals have not been able to.

As others have pointed out: Buddy, the Normandy has Mordin fucking Solus on board. He cured a brand new multi species pathogen created by the Collectors working out of a back alley on Omega. Miracles are his specialty.

[ladylamrian]

- Chapter 3: The Unknown

[ Please read past chapters before this ]

-> Masterlist of this Mini Series <-

Female MainCharacter: Alexis Clarissa Fontaine

Pairing: F!MC×NikRyder

Other characters in this chapter: Katherine, Vera Reimonenq, Ivy, Garrus, Krom, Elijah,...

Summary: Nik doesn't remember Alex, instead... Elijah Ryder and the bloodwraith are back.

Word Count: 1.1K words

Rating: Teen (Mystery, Angst)

Warnings: Language, Talk about death

-> My complete Nightbound Masterlist <-

Taglist: @infactnoimmasitinthemiddle ; @peonierose ; @secretaryunpaid ; @jdstar88 ; @blackcatkita ; @lilyoffandoms ; @liviusofpella ; @mxdanni ; @mariemarieohcontrary ; @tessa-liam ; @choicesficwriterscreations ; @hopelessromantic1352 ; @rosepetals1 ; @stars-are-within-me ; @dutifullynuttywitch ; @artbyalz

Comments via Reblog wholeheartly welcome

GIF interpretation: Alex loses her lover, Nik Ryder. Again.

With an old enemy left and getting rescued by an old, familiar stranger from a past vision, Alex froze, slowly trying to progress. She's shocked, and so is the blond next to her. Nik Ryder, being an absolute stranger tried to calm down his pet. Never in his life has he seen that kind of creature, and now being saved by an old man who shoots glowing arrows in the modern 21st century?? Both face Elijah with open mouths. The legendary nighthunter, Elijah Ryder standing now in front of them.

"What are ya' both lookin' at me??", the old man muttered.

"I... Uh, Elijah? Is that you? No, it can't be. You're supposed to be dead.", Alex unsurely spoke.

"Oh, here I go to war and ya' already expect me to be dead?!! I may be old, but tougher than you think, child. Look at you, getting saved... and... Who's that pretty boy of your's anyway?", his strict gaze turned to Nik who was standing next to her. Nik who felt addressed, cleaned away the dust from his clothes and adjusted his glasses while his dog curiously started sniffing the surrounding area.

"Thank you for the rescue, sir. I don't know how you did this or what that was, but thanks. My name's Nik.", he reached his hand forward to shake Elijah's hand, but the old man avoided the friendly gesture and turned his strict gaze back towards Alex.

"How many times did I tell you to stay away from danger and not take things into your own hands when I'm not around?! You would have been dead now, child. Glad that I appeared on time, huh? And what are you even wearing? Where's ya' huntin' gear?"

"Uhhh, I'm wearing my regular clothes. My white shoulder-free top and blue jeans. Excuse me, what's going on? Who are you? You can't be alive, because you died years ago?!!"

"What non-sense are ya' muttering? Enough! Let's pay Garrus a visit, he'll have to explain. I told him to look out for ya' and...", he answered, grabbed her arm and pulled her to follow him until Nik intervened.

"Hey, back off!! Is this the way you treat a woman?"

"She's my student and my responsibility. Mind your own business, pretty boy.", he shooted a glare at him.

Exchanging another glance with Alex, Nik decided to turn his back and leave. His loyal dog follows him. Alex's heart sank seeing Nik go. Not after finally seeing him again. What's happening? What's going on? That man can't be her Nik. He doesn't even recognize her. Maybe a look-alike?

"Nik...", she sadly wispered while shedding another tear for him. She wanted him back, found him, and then she lost him.

"Child, I expected better from you. Remember what I once said, the closer you get to a person, the weaker you get. The more it will hurt you one day, so don't get too close. Don't trust anyone.", he explained in a harsh tone as she turned her attention towards him.

"Nik is the love of my life and I trust him from the bottom of my heart."

"A few months I was just gone and ya' already changed. Look how close the bloodwraith was about to kill ya'. Guess, I'll have to have a few strict words with Garrus for not looking after ya' while I was gone."

"Oh yes, lead me to Garrus. He'll explain what exactly is going on here.", she glared at Elijah.

The entrance doors of the Graveyard Shift shot open, as Elijah Ryder and Alex Clarissa Fontaine marched together inside. Both seeking answers. A friendly face with shimmering blue eyes greeted them.

"Elijah sir. Alex darling. Glad to..."

"I told ya' to look after her while I was gone. Just returning from NY and then I discover her beeing chased after the bloodwraith while holding hands with a guy."

"What??! My apologies, I didn't know. Alex, I thought you were at home?"

"Uhhhhh, Garrus. Explain first... Why is Elijah Ryder still alive and standing next to me? Nik said that he died when he was 17."

"What rubbish are y'a sayin', girl? Nothing ever happened to me and who's that Nik guy you're talking 'bout? Second thing, why were ya' runnin' away from the wraith, like a damn coward? I taught you to fight.", Elijah intervened when Alex was asking Garrus the question.

Before Alex could answer back, suddenly someone hugged her from behind which startled her at first. But then she calmed herself down after discovering who it was.

"Hey Alex, missed me?"

"Katherine?!! You're... You're back!!!"

Delighted to see her friend after so many months, she turned around to face her, returning her a warm welcoming hug. Again, tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Katherine, is that really you?! And the scars on your cheek... You're hurt. Did the war...?", she sniffed.

"I'm as hell as fine. Long time not seen, huh? Just returned with Elijah from the Vampire War. New York is safe now."

"I'm glad that you're alright, Katherine. I missed you. But... What is happening here and what happened to Nik? And Elijah??!!"

"Who's Nik, sweety?"

"Ooooh, is our Alex in love?! I want to know too. Who's Nik? Is he good-looking?", Ivy came from behind to tease her and giggled.

"Oh, not you all too!!", she begged and angrily dashed outside, leaving everyone behind in Graveyard Shift. Escaping those questions and everything. What should she do? What just happened? Of course, she's happy to finally have Katherine back, but Nik? Instead, she got Elijah??? No. No!! As Alex's mind tried to process everything, her eyes discovered a heartwarming, familiar face. It's... It's Vera who's lonely walking down the streets.

"Veraaaa!!!", she shouted, hoping that she knew at least what was happening. As she called her the second time, their eyes met each other's. Mysterious dark eyes. But before she could finally catch up to her, Vera frightened and ran away.

"What??!! Veraaaa, nooooo! Stop!!!"

Hearing Alex her screams, Katherine, Elijah, Garrus, Krom and Ivy dashed out from the Graveyard Shift to check on her.

"What's the matter, darling?"

"Everything okay? Why are you screaming Vera's name? Did she try to harm you?", Krom asked with concern as they all faced Alex and her tears.

"Wha... Wha... What? Why would Ve... Vera try to harm me? She's my friend."

"Because she's a Reimonenq. And a Reimonenq only wants power.", Elijah hissed.

"But Vera is different and not like her mother, Elijah."

"Why do ya' care for her? I thought I already convinced ya'? She's an enemy who can't be trusted. You two are no friends."

Nik beeing a total stranger? Elijah is alive? Not beeing friends with Vera? One night all friends were sitting together to comfort each other. But now everything and everyone has become unknown.

"I... I... I'll go for a walk. I want to be alone for a while, please.", Alex requested, turned away and left without turning back.

"What's wrong with this girl?!!", Elijah hissed.

*tap and zoom closer on pictures to see details

[lassieposting]

Things that make me wheeze in mass effect 3: that one sidequest where you convince the Eclipse second-in-command to enact a coup so you don't have to let his insane boss out of jail

And when you find him

He's here

Garrus is

Public enemy #1 to the Omega criminal gangs

Responsible for so much sabotage and so many high-profile assassinations that six months ago-ish(!) the three gangs teamed up to kill him, which was unprecedented

A wanted man, despite the rumours that he died in the attack - the Shadow Broker confirms that there's still an unclaimed bounty on Archangel's head

Wearing the Archangel insignia on his fucking armour

This little salarian dude (with his security thugs!) is either the least observant person in the galaxy, or he's so shit-scared of Archangel that he's not even going to try and pick that fight. And he doesn't want Archangel to notice him and pick a fight, either. So him and his guys are just hanging out without their Eclipse armour on like

[callmissrogers]

"Kaiden was a good man and a great soldier. He found with us what we all hope to find, a family. We will work as a team and as a family to bring down Saren and get justice for him and for every other soul that we have lost in this fight." Shepard said, standing tall as she always did when addressing her crew. But Garrus could tell that there was something else going on. His eye mask could pick up on things on things such as stress, anger, and sadness. This meant that he could tell that under this brave exterior, he could tell that she was crumbling under the surface.

"Alright, back to your positions," Shepard said.

The crew members all filed out, each heading for their respective postings.

Garrus, on the other hand, simply rounded the corner and then waited.

As he suspected, Shepard stepped out a moment later when she could feel certain no one would see her, and she made for the Starport. He had noticed that whenever things got especially difficult, she would steal away to that room.

Now, he had a small crisis.

Did he leave her be? Or did he follow? What did humans prefer?

But then something Shepard herself had said made up his mind for him: "We are all searching for connection, understanding, validation, a listening ear and shoulder to cry on."

He'd follow.

The door slid open, there she was, learning against the glass. She was crying.

Carefully, he went over and stood next to her. When she saw his reflection in the glass, she turned round to face him.

"Garrus - " "If you want to talk about it - I'll listen to you - and if you just need someone to sit by you, I can do that too,"

She looked at him and wiped her eyes on her sleeve before sitting down facing the glass.

" It's my fault. " She whispered. He sat beside her, " What is?"You know what. I killed Kaidan. " "Is that what you think? Shepard, you didn't kill him. He made that decision for you. " "I - " "Shepard, I understand that you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. But just because you're the commander, that doesn't mean everything is on you. . . You are not alone out here, you have Liara, Tali, Joker, who would take about a million bullets for you, and me with my witty humor. "

Shepard couldn't help but smile at his little joke.

"Thank you Garrus. "

"Shepard?" "Yes." "You don't have to always be strong, alright? It's ok to be human and to need to feel things. I'm here, if you ever need someone to let your guard down with."

Shepard looked over at the Turrian. How could someone, who wasn't even a human, understand emotions so well?

Her follow-up question to herself was, how could a human feel her heart begin to flutter over a Turrian?

[locallegion]

I've beaten the Mass Effect trilogy like 10 times now (Nearly through ME1 on my 11th playthrough. Help) and the single funniest thing to happen to me was during Garrus' specific side quest in ME1.

You see, you're going along with him to help deal with a Salarian genetecist that was harvesting and growing organs in people on the Citadel's black market. The genetecist got away and Garrus wants that man *dead*.

So you go to the ship the genetecist is on and you fight of hoards of his experiments, which are essentially like the Thorian Creepers you fight on Feros, its grim. You find the genetecist and Garrus is all for shooting the guy then and there. Shepard talks him down, saying that it's better that you take him in for questioning and arrest him. Garrus objects initially, but eventually agrees that he needs to be kept alive and under arrest.

Enter Ashley fucking Williams.

Ash was esentially stuck on the bench the entire time because Garrus/Wrex instantly became my go-to team so she never saw any action. I figured that I might as well bring her once to see how she works.

The moment the cutscene ends I see Ashley quickdrawing a shotgun and fucking LAUNCHING the genetecist across the room only for Shepard to basically be like "Welp. Shit happens, sorry Garrus" AND I COMPLETED THE QUEST. Just... zero acknowledgement that Ashley did anything.

Like, I know now that the genetecist being killed happens regardless of if you pick the Paragon/Renegade options, but I was genuinely speechless for a few minutes the first time it happened.

Also Garrus' ME1-ME3 character development is basically Shepard going 'I can fix him' and actually doing it ngl

[otemporanerys]

A playlist for my species swap Shakarian fan fic set during Mass Effect 2

The playlist | The fic

Liner notes below the cut (tw discussions of suicide)

Happiness is a Warm Gun - The Breeders

I always like to start my playlists with something to set the mood - this is definitely an atmosphere song. I also like using covers for species swap, and a different one kicks off the ME3 playlist lol if I ever get around to writing that. The defamiliarisation sets up the AU

2. In the Wake of Your Leave - Gang of Youths

OK so technically tracks 2 and 3 are cheating because they're actually for Interregnum, leave me alone

Anyway! Sad bangers are my jam, and I wanted something that conveyed the grief of losing someone, but giving the energy a bit of a kick after the Breeders song

3. I Don't Smoke - Mitski

I'm a basic bitch who loves Mitski, what can I say?

No, this song is for the Gareth sad spiral (TM) and for the fact that sad smoking is cool, actually (don't @ me)

4. Peel - Weakened Friends

This is a Shepherd song, you know, the beginning of her terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad nervous breakdown.

There was an earlier version of LBEL which was much more actively about Shepherd trying to bring Cerberus down from the inside: but actually now I think the lyrics speak much more to Shepherd feeling like she always has to fit the mold of the pragmatic, practical soldier

5. Toy Soldier - The Menzingers

This is thee Garrus song, sorry I don't make the rules. The lost friends! Carrying on despite that loss!!! Dutyyy

6. Wicked Game - Chris Isaak

Gareth is kind of an old soul, which is why his songs lean slightly more retro - and just the deep well of yearning in this song always gets me. It's very much his feelings after Shepherd saves him, loving her and wishing he didn’t

7. Born to Lose - Sleigh Bells

I primarily associate this song with Shepherd being discarded by the Hierarchy and the struggles she has with knowing protocol is to kill herself

8. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - The Beatles

Gareth: conceal, don't feel 😢 I have always loved this song and it's very much Gareth knowing that he can't be open about his feelings

9. Quitter - Weakened Friends

More good mental health time for Shepherd, excellent. I don’t mind repeating artists in my playlists but I do tend to keep it to one

10. Bullet with Butterfly Wings - The Smashing Pumpkins

The one thing I am actually a snob about with playlists is not using too many "popular" songs, but I did like this one for Horizon. Shepherd's really starting to spiral here, folks

11. Anybody (Stripped) - Dead Sara

Horizon sex, Shepherd POV. She's so lonely in this fic, really longing for connection, and this song is the words she doesn't know how to say

12. Baby I Got the Death Rattle - Los Campesinos!

Horizon sex, Gareth POV

This is one of those songs that doesn't start as a blorbo song, but if you tell me you've heard a lyric that's more "Garrus Vakarian down bad" than "Baby I got the death rattle and baby I got it bad | I've been digging my own grave for quite some time when I'm not digging up the past" then I would love to hear it

13. Bedroom Eyes - Dum Dum Girls

One of my favourite bits of LBEL is the quiet intimacy that Gareth and Shepherd have when they're sleeping together, and this song reflects that

14. Hopeless - Screaming Females

Shepherd dumping Gareth because she likes him too much 😭 I'm fine. The lyrics and the vocals are so plaintive, again the emotions Shepherd won't allow herself to express

15. Something Bigger, Something Brighter - Pretty Girls Make Graves

This isn't a terribly literal inclusion, it's a good angsty-sounding song for where Shepherd's at post-breakup

16. Heavy Metal Heart - Sky Ferreira

This is just. Shepherd's song 💖 I love it, and her

17. Apocalypse Now (&Later) - Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers

This is a great Mass Effect 2 song more broadly but man is it perfect for Gareth and Shep reuniting just before the suicide mission!!!

18. The Hand That Feeds - Nine Inch Nails

Fuck Cerberus, part 1. There just is not a better song for being done with someone else's bullshit

19. Search and Destroy - Peaches

Fuck Cerberus, part 2 (or, how Shepherd got her groove back). Peaches always has such brilliant swagger and I adore this cover - Shepherd coming back into her own power and recognising how dangerous (and unpredictable) she can be

20. I Would Find You - Oceanator

I adore this song, the softness and kindness at the end of the world. It's really the thesis statement of the fic, and a promise for Gareth and Shepherd going forward, even through the hard times. It was the perfect grace note to end on

[stormikins]

7 snippets, 7 mutuals

I was tagged by @omniblades-and-stars you can find her post here

—

sour apple baby me1: Feros, Ash POV - I enjoy this dialogue exchange very much

“You two go to the utility building,” Alenko orders her and Liara. “If we can get power turned back on, maybe we can come up with some defenses.” “Will the geth not simply hack those?” Liara asks. Garrus snorts. “Have you seen this colony? Whatever they got won’t be sophisticated enough to hack.” “Whether their defenses are good or not, doesn’t matter,” Alenko cuts in. “Power is what the people need.” “Amen to that.” Williams hefts her rifle and nods, trying not to laugh, “why we got democracy.” Alenko sighs at her, but she can see the crinkle of his eyes in a smile. “Go.” Liara starts for the door, and she walks backwards. “You know, LT, splitting up in a horror vid never goes well.” “It’s a good thing we’re not in a horror vid then.” “Coulda fooled me.” “Go,” he says while chuckling. She gives a two-finger salute and then swivels on her heel.

the rest is under the cut!

—

sour apple baby interim between 1&2: Kaidan POV - this is rough just fyi

Noveria. Practically Illium but nestled in what’s now Alliance space. It makes sense that they would find Cerberus here. Noveria doesn’t look any different to Kaidan; mountain peaks in the distance, snow everywhere, winds that threaten to knock him on his ass. Their approach is like Peak-15’s: dodge turret fire and go through the front door. They crouch behind the fighter jet that’s on the landing pad, the turret firing on them. Coats cloaks though, moving right to survey while Riley starts her hack of the turrets. “Seems like they’re willing to let the turrets do the work,” Coats comments through the comm. “Or they don’t want to be in this cold. Fucking hell,” Fredricks grumbles next to him. He even adds in a shiver for emphasis. “Why’d we have to come in the middle of a blizzard?” “Riley?” Kaidan asks instead. It’s like the wind swirls up ghosts of snow. Garrus asked the same thing. “These things are old Alliance. Just another minute.” The turrets stop a minute later. “We wanna draw ‘em out or go in headfirst?” Kaidan asks. Fredricks hefts his rifle and Kaidan knows he’s smiling behind his helmet. “I say we kick down the front door.” “And walk into an ambush?” Riley retorts. “Let’s draw them out.” “The more we kill out here, the less we have to fight inside," Kaidan agrees. “But inside is warm,” Fredricks responds to him. “Do you always complain this much?” Riley asks. “Only when my balls are about to freeze off.”

—

sour apple baby me2: Minuteman Station, Shep POV - tfw you wake up and your body literally looks like its been through hell

The scars continue across her body in the same way like on her arms and legs. Across her left collarbone, top of her left thigh, her right ribs and the back of her right shoulder. But there’s one stretching almost from left armpit to hip. It’s wider than the others, definitely longer. She’s got a Grand Canyon from hell carved into her body. The glow of it seems to pulsate with her heartbeat. 

—

sour apple baby me3: down time Nihlus POV - some nice intimacy between

Kal places his hand under Nihlus’ chin, his throat, keeping him there as he moves the brush. Kal starts around his eyes, sweeping around them and then up in bold strokes. He’s never done this before— either of them. Kal marking a turian, and Nihlus letting anyone but family or an artist do it. He tightens his hands on Kal’s thighs. It doesn’t seem like Kal hasn’t, not with how sure Kal’s movements are. He’s humming as well, and Nihlus has to tap down his own responsive noise to that. He doesn’t want to distract the man after all. A lone finger under his chin as he drags the brush down it in the three stripes.

—

The Kal Project take 2: Kal POV

During Kal’s break, he finds Shepard at the galaxy map. While he wasn’t intentionally seeking her out, it is nice to have run into her. The map is transformed to a hologram of a planet, most likely the one they’re orbiting, and her hands are outstretched, manipulating two circular holograms in front of her. There’s a graph to the side, fluctuating with its spikes. He leans against her desk on the left, crossing his arms as he watches her. She’s utterly focused on her work, with that familiar scowl pinching her brow. His eyes trace the scar on her cheek, and then the line of her jaw to follow down her neck. He can feel himself blush as he follows it all the way down her biceps and forearms to her hands once more. Ancestors, she’s beautiful. “Something interesting, Kal?” Her head is turned toward him now, when he snaps his head up to meet her eyes. He gives a little shake to his head. “Just you.” She scoffs, looking forward again, but she doesn’t quite smother her grin. After a moment of staring at the hologram, she looks to him once more and juts her head. “Well, come on.” He lets out a little “yay,” as he eagerly straightens and ascends the steps to stand next to her.

—

Untitled Joker/James: Joker POV

Joker always thought Ashley was exaggerating about getting trapped in awkward elevator rides but here he is. Joker stands like a normal person in it, in the middle, simply watching the numbers tick down. James on the other hand, leans against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Staring at him. On principle, Joker doesn’t stare at the way his Henley stretches across his chest. It’s like every shirt the man owns is a size too small.

—

Untitled mistletoe Garrus/Mshep: Garrus POV

Christmas tradition. Everything the past two weeks have been about Christmas traditions according to Joker. Burnt cookies stinking up the battery from how bad Jack made them. Multicolored lights everywhere Jacob could put them and, in some places, where he shouldn’t. Glitter… everywhere. Mistletoe. The little sprigs of plants seem to be everywhere on the ship, no doubt curtesy of Kasumi. Joker and Miranda got caught under one and after a simple kiss, both looked away with bashful eyes. Zaeed had managed to catch Samara and after him blustering for about a minute she had kissed his cheek. He stood there bright red while she continued with her day. Kasumi has yet to get Jacob under one. Shepard got caught. With Jack. And when the two realized, they stared at each other for a mere second before colliding together in a comically exaggerated kiss. They broke away laughing, Jack’s lipstick smeared over both of their mouths. After that, Garrus decided mistletoe wasn’t fun anymore.

No pressure tagging: @jtownnn @xoshepard @nowandthane @swaps55 @cr-noble-writes @commander-krios @spacebunshep and if anyone else wants to do this tag me!