#M!Shep/James

[thedenofcaseywolfe]

Rec Request

Anyone got some recs for Mass Effect fics that are HFN/HEA featuring:

M!Shep/Garrus

M!Shep/James

Thanks in advance!

[x3no9]

N7 Month Day 11-Crew

I have a fic that is perfect for this prompt!! Alot of the crew is in this one.

MATURE READERS ONLY !

[ginbiscuit]

The day is finally here and I can share what I’ve been working on! 🎉 

My MEBB fic “Heart of Glass” just went live, so if reading about John Shepard and one James Vega does tickle your fancy, you should head this way: read Heart of Glass

The wonderful art, including the banner with this fantastic dragon, was done by @blasteddoodles. Thank you so much for your art - and for the great collab!😍 Beta by none other than the wonderful @iberiandoctor. ❤️ Now, on to the juicy details:

The fic is rated explicit / NC-17, contains hurt/comfort, pining, trauma (aka the whole damn war) and, as a warning for those of you that always remembered to feed Shep’s fish, a small little mention of war-related fish-death.

Summary: Shepard has been in a coma since the war ended, with no hope for improvement - until Liara unearths experimental tech that might just be the thing to help them. James quickly volunteers to use it - ready to do anything to get Shepard back. Little does he know what he gets himself into. As means of protection, Shepard’s mind has constructed a new world around him filled with magical creatures, wonderment, and danger. James now faces the difficult task of getting them out—and trying not to give away what he really feels for Shepard.

Why are you still reading this? Go read fic! Follow the white rabbit hedgehog: Please take me to the MEBB Shepard/James fic!

[ferindencadash]

And now for a little shameless self-promotion!!

@spectre-requisitions-exchange 2024 has officially ended and the authors have been revealed! Which means I can talk about all the stuff I wrote! (I may have gone a little overboard...)

In addition to my first assignment, I picked up a pinch hit. And then I was feeling so inspired I wrote another two treats! I have been on a writing bender and it feels good! Not gonna lie, I'm pretty proud of myself. 😌

So my fics this year were:

T-rated (my first non-explicit fic!! 😅) FemShep/Ashley pairing. For @biotickaidan

Set in ME3, Ash has a crisis of fate after her near-death experience and talks things through with Shepard. A romance is rekindled.

People have been SO NICE about this fic?? I have never had so many comments before, it's honestly blowing my mind. Y'all are so sweet. 🥹

E-rated Jack/Kasumi (t4t!!) for @krahka

Be gay, do crime! Set pre-ME2, Jack and Kasumi accidentally end up committing the same crime. Hijinks ensue™️ and things get a little sexy.

This was ridiculously fun to write and very challenging. I watched a ton of heist movies to prepare for this one! 😂

E-rated MShep/James Vega for @ginbiscuit

Set between ME2 and 3, while James is guarding Shep in lock up. Shep is bored and entertains himself by being an incorrigible flirt. James tries to behave. You can guess how well that goes.

I think this is actually my favourite fic I have ever written?? I really think it's quite good. I fell in love with those two idiots while they fell in love with each other. Ethan Shepard may just have some future adventures, cause goddamnit HE IS CUTE. And I'm proud of my baseball metaphor (gods I hope someone notices 😭).

Please read this one? For me? 🥺

And finally! M-rated Tali & Jack for @beltsquid

Set during ME2. Tali is having a bad day. Jack is having a bad day and is making it everyone else's problem. Together they clean out the Normandy's bar and an unexpected friendship(?) develops.

I literally just finished this one a few hours ago. 😅My first gen fic! The prompt was fantastic and super inspiring. These two are so great together and I had so much fun exploring their relationship.

There were even more fantastic prompts I really wanted to write, but time is short! So I'll save them for next year. ;)

Now that I am finally done writing, I am going to delve into the rest of the fics available in the collection! There are SO MANY I'm excited to check out! So definitely look out for a recommendation list in the next few days. Or just go poke around the collection yourself!!

[theviridianbunny]

I see you like mass effect, do you have a custom shep 👀👀👀?? I would LOOOOVE to see them if you do!!!!!

Oh hey RJ-!

Yes, I do have a custom shep! My dear Zachary

Zachary is a paragade infiltrator (and the self proclaimed sharpest shooter in the galaxy-!) - Sadly I lost all her screenshots and her preset when I un installed MELE on my pc (but I have a collage I made a few years ago- that you can see below) ! At some point I will make her again - as I do want to do another playthrough with my gal

She’s a James Vega enjoyer (tm) (her romance with him runs so different to the "romance" seen in biowares canon)m and her best friend is EDI <3 - I do plan to draw her and edi hanging out (and gossiping about joker lololol)

My Zachary/ James fics can be found here and here <3 I plan to write more for them one day - god I also need to get their ship name sorted oopsie

Thank you for the ask ! I don’t talk about zach much - so this was nice - maybe at some point I’ll do a proper post about her !

[innepttia]

@spookyvalentine has this wonderful “50 questions about Shepard” list. They posted about it in our discord and the chat BLEW UP. So here we are with the most information ever about:

Maeve Shepard

TW: mentions of alcohol abuse

(Art by Twitter: Maitimo and tumblr: @point-maitimo )

1. Why did Shepard enlist? Any regrets?

OH YEAH - so many regrets. She enlisted because her parents were in the Alliance, but if she could have sat on a beach or in a remote cottage in the middle of a forest and listen to nature she would have been happier. But seeing as she has a spacer history, she’s not actually entirely sure how true that is. She’s never been to any of those places if it wasn’t for a mission.

2. How does your Shepard feel about having a yeoman assigned to them in 2? And in 3?

No thoughts. She accepts it, as she accepts the entirety of the crew she doesn’t get to pick.

3. What’s their relationship with Anderson?

I think everyone is going to hate me when I say this but… he’s just her coworker/boss. They’re a little friendlier than a regular colleague, but until he gives her his old apartment, she didn’t think they were good friends outside of work.

4. Is your Shepard any good at poker?

She’s not actually good at poker, but she is good at reading people, which makes up 90% of the game.

5. How well does Shepard know their crew? Not just the companions, but the folks making up the Normandy

She thinks she knows them well (I’m writing my Mass Effect Lower Decks (MELD) fic with Maeve as the Shepard). I mean she’s absolutely convinced she knows every single person, but at the beginning of ME2, hell no. At the end of ME2 (and at the end of my MELD fic), yes.

6. Initial reaction to EDI? Does it change?

Oh, she absolutely loves EDI. She’s engineer class, so AIs are quite a passion project for her, and now her ship has one? Fucking dope.

7. Does their love interest move into their quarters?

No, but he sure as fuck spends most of his time there.

8. What is their reaction to the Alchera mission? And after?

Before she goes down, she thinks it’s pandering. She thinks that the Alliance is trying to pacify her for something and she’s not entirely sure what, but she’s suspicious.

Afterwards, she’s a crying mess with a handful of dog tags and her old helmet and wants to be left alone in her cabin.

9. What type of fighter is your shepard? Do they fight with honor, or do they fight dirty

She will fight so dirty, like she will throw pocket sand in your face if she could.

10. Does Shepard keep any pets? The hamster, fish, something else?

No pets and if I could resist the hamster and fish in game, Shepard wouldn’t have any pets at all. She’s very aware she’s off to go fight in a suicide mission/war, so she doesn’t necessarily want to have more responsibility than she already has.

11. What order does Shepard pick up companions in me2?

Oh my god what a question lmao.

Zaeed and Kasumi (easiest ones), Garrus, Mordin, Jack, Grunt, Thane, Samara, Tali, Legion

12. Does Shepard have any nicknames? What do they think of em?

The aliens that can’t pronounce her name (excuse me, an a and an e RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER?!) call her M. She thinks it’s cool because of James Bond.

13. How does your Shep react to teasing/ribbing?

Teases them right back. She’s got a sharp tongue, but she knows when to stop so she doesn’t hurt anyones feelings.

14. Any good at flirting?

Middle ground on this one, I think. She’s good at picking people up at a bar, but once the flirting has to continue more than a couple minutes, she loses steam.

15. What colors does Shepard prefer for their armor?

The typical N7 colors: red, white and black.

After the war (and mentioned in my indoctrination fic), she changes her colors to match Thane 🥺: emerald and black.

16. Is Shepard a drinker? History of other substances? Do they struggle with sobriety

Oh boy. Yeah she’s a drinker. It was mostly social in ME1 and before, but after she died in the beginning of ME2, she hit the bottle hard. I have a little of Maeve written into my nameless Shepard in my Lungs fic, so if that tells you anything… She ends up swapping her drinking for a much more fun substance to abuse (drell venom).

Then she gets put in the brig for six months, is forced to sober up, and in the beginning of ME3 she’s clean. Haven’t quite decided what happens after that though.

17. How does Shepard react to attention? Do they enjoy it?

Maeve is used to it. She doesn't really think about it anymore.

18. Who’s the dream team? Which companions does Shepard fight best with and why?

I’m a fuckin simpleton and the dream team is Thane and Garrus. Maeve likes to be up close and personal so if she had a couple of long range snipers at her back… 🤌🏼

19. Are there any companions your Shepard just absolutely cannot vibe with or relate to

In ME2, she’s not a big fan of talking to Miranda and Jacob (whoops that’s mostly my fault because I am always so hype for ALL THE SQUAD) but she pretty much vibes with everyone. Get a couple drinks in her and it doesn't matter who she’s talking to.

20. Does Shepard enjoy looking for resources and upgrading gear, or do they see it as a chore?

She enjoys it! It’s the only thing in ME2 that makes her sleepy. 😂

21. Do you have any AUs for your shepard?

YAAAAHHHHHHHHH. Working on one now - an indoctrination fic. Although, is that really an AU? But I just got comfortable including her in my fics (usually used default Jane Shepard to be on the safe side) so hopefully more to come!

22. What’s the last thing Shepard ate before the final reaper showdown?

Holy shit I’ve never thought about this question. I saved this one for last and… honestly I think the last meal she ate would have been before killing Kai Leng, so it would be whatever is on the ship… probably some packet ramen? Just a quick wham bam meal. She was too focused on wrapping up her life at the end.

24. Who does Shepard turn to for advice? For comfort? Who do they like to gossip with

These are all different answers.

Advice: Samara (bruh she has a thousand years of morally grey choices to advise upon)

Comfort: Thane (he’s ALSO her best friend on top of being her LI)

Gossip: Kasumi (hands down the best choice)

25. How emotionally articulate is your Shepard? Do they emote well?

She’s funny, a lot of dry humor, but she’s emotionally constipated.

ME1, she was more liberal with her emotions, she smiled actual genuine smiles.

ME2, she’s more of a shark. Her smiles aren’t as real, mostly forced from a life that she previously knew. Maeve keeps her emotions real close to her chest.

ME3, uhhh honestly she’s just an entire mess. She’s sober for the first time in what feels like forever and it is actually not liberating for her. She’s constantly second guessing herself, she’s got the blood of millions on her hands, and she’s once more responsible for her crew’s safety on another suicide mission.

26. Does your Shepard have a romance? Who are they, and what drew Shep to them?

*shouts from the rooftops like Christian in Moulin Rouge* THANE! She falls hard for that little assassin dude. He glares at her during his recruitment mission and she’s like, oh my god am I in love?

He’s dark, mysterious, strangely polite, and also on the same course she seems to be. Both are barreling towards their deaths at an alarming speed.

27. Do they have any pet peeves?

Neither her nor I have put any thought to this. I can’t even think of any of my own pet peeves now that this question has been asked 😂

28. What about hyperfixations? What’s the topic that will get Shepard rolling no matter the person or place

Oh man, I feel like my Shepard is just so depressing…

Since ME2 she doesn’t have any hyperfixations. No time to enjoy anything but the people around her.

Prior to ME2, she used to be up on all the most recent video games. She would game online under the username “rogue_protocol” because her favorite book series is the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (lmao I’m dragging real life books into this now).

29. How active is Shepard? Are they hitting the gym, playing sports, or do they prefer quieter downtime?

She does go to the gym quite a bit, but she also prefers to read… uhh, when she’s not drinking, that is. 👀

30. What will always make them laugh?

EDI or Legion asking ridiculous questions about “why are organics like this”.

31. Who can always make them laugh?

Joker. There’s a lot of confusing feelings between them, oscillating at all times between wildly inappropriate and platonic. They’re kinda a mess, but neither of them have ever tried to sort out their feelings so in the long run, they’re besties.

32. What do they do when they have hit their limit angry, just incandescent with rage

It doesn’t happen much, or at all yet, but Maeve just goes feral. Verbal or physical, it doesn't matter. She loses it.

33. What skills do they have that are a surprise to the people around them?

Not sure if it’s a surprise she can do this, but more of a surprise that she does do this… she likes to tinker around and repair circuits and panels. She was building a new computer from scratch in ME2 whenever her thoughts got too loud and liquor didn’t quiet them, but it never got finished because, well, she got arrested. (Very Anakin-Skywalker-fixing-droids-esque.)

34. Got any tattoos?

I WISH! I wrote one fic with a Shep with tattoos and was constantly forgetting about them lol so it’s easier for my tiny brain if she doesn’t. And this is coming from a person with like… a lot of tattoos lmao

35. Which companions have they lost? How do they cope with it?

Maeve has only lost their companion on Virmire (don’t @ me, I still, to this day, can’t decide who officially lives) and Mordin and Thane in their forced death in ME3. She loses no one in ME2 (I can’t stomach losing anyone that I spent all game getting close to) but the people she does lose, it hits her hard. She does not cope well. Especially with Thane. The loss of Thane is what really triggers her in my Indoctrination AU fic.

36. Do they like to style their hair, wear makeup and jewelry? How do they feel about getting dressed up?

She would prefer to go natural with her hair, no makeup and no jewelry. UNLESS she’s dressing up, which she does enjoy doing. Her parents used to bring her to the Alliance military balls every year, so she’s pretty used to it.

But she would prefer to have her wavy hair down or clipped back out of her eyes. She never got quite comfortable wearing sweats around her crew until ME2. Then she said fuck it and wore whatever the fuck she wanted.

37. Got any bad habits?

No - lol actually probably but both her and I are biased towards her and think she’s perfect (if you don’t count the drinking, but honestly that’s a big one 😂)

38. Does Shepard do any activities with the companions and crew during downtime?

Maeve likes to enforce mandatory shore leave. She can be found either stuffing her face full of delicious food, trying to convince Thane to take his shirt off and sunbathe (if it’s a sunny planet) with her, or at a bar.

39. Do they keep around any sentimental items?

After ME2, no.

After the Citadel DLC, only a single artificial white flower in her cabin to remember Thane by.

40. Does your Shepard actually like to collect model ships? If not, what do they display?

Yes!! She loves it, but she’d just as easily not have them. They don’t mean much to her other than they’re fun to look at.

41. How is Shepard with a gun? What about hand to hand?

She prefers hand to hand combat. Maeve is fine with a gun, but prefers lighter guns so she has quicker access to her abilities. She likes to make things explode so if she can set it on fire and then overload it, it’ll no doubt make her laugh.

42. Favorite weapon?

Omni-blade. She loves that little sneaky shit. Oh, and her combat drone. It’s so cute and makes chirping noises and has a flamethrower.

43. Which version of the Normandy do they like best?

Normandy SR-2.

Hates the stupid window above her bed, but loves the freedom she had on this ship.

44. Do they like to rotate out companions for quests? Who do they bring the most?

No because her and I are dumb and fall into a habit of bringing only the sniper squad. In ME3, though, she’s a little more lax, a little more flippant, basically just says, “who wants to come” and the first two that say “me” are the ones she brings (mostly Garrus and Liara).

45. Do they approve of curing the genophage?

Yeah, bro, fuck that noise.

46. Does Shepard allow the rachni to live in me1?

Yes. It wouldn’t rest easy on her conscience if she killed the last living being of a species.

Both Maeve and I: *nervously looking at the Arrival DLC*

47. Does Shepard practice any kind of self-care?

Sometimes she puts moisturizer on her face… but she thinks, why’s self-care matter when you aren’t going to make it to 35 years old?

She’s a little pessimistic.

48. What abilities do they rely on the most in a fight?

Combat drone.

If she’s in battle and her drone is about to be destroyed, she’d rather save up her recharge to bring it back than use any other ability.

After that, it’s overload because there are 8000000 geth at all times.

49. What is Shepard’s happy ending? What’s the dream that keeps em going

Meeting Thane across the sea. I am not even kidding. This depressing shit is her happy ending. I have spent so long building up this story in my head that she didn’t want to be brought back, she didn’t want to be used in another war, she just wanted to be at peace. So, she’s going to do her damned job and save this ungrateful galaxy and hopefully be able to rest with Thane in whatever afterlife Kalahira has for them.

50. Is your Shepard indoctrinated

*HEAVY BREATHING*

(+1: what does Shepard smell like?)

Standard issued soap, grease from digging around in the ship’s engine room or AI core, and lavender because she uses lavender chapstick. Someone once told her that would help calm her thoughts and while it didn’t actually help, she keeps trying.

[a-still-small-vox]

Fics written in 2023, and their word counts:

The Bridge • FFXV | Promptis | 5,116 words | FTH gift

You and I Kaleide • FFXV | Promptis | 12,626 words | Promptis exchange gift

My Only • The Witcher | Gerlion | 1,714 words

A Ring for Dandelion • The Witcher | Gerlion | 1,798 words

Petals On Your Tongue • The Witcher | Gerlion | 2,954 words

Sleeping Bastard • FFXV | Promptis | 3,658 words | FTH gift

To Last Your Whole Life Long • The Witcher | Gerlion | 2,590 words

Hear My Cry • No. 6 | Nezushi | 794 words

Like The Wind • No. 6 | Nezushi | 1,980 words

One Dance • No. 6 | Nezushi | 694 words

A Quiet Evening • No. 6 | Nezushi | 889 words

Lost & Found • No. 6 | Nezushi | 1,320 words

The Spark & The Storm • No. 6 | Nezushi | 899 words

The Wanderer • No. 6 | Nezushi | 1,689 words

Why Do You Like Me? • Mighty Nein | Widomauk | 1,803 words

RE-ROLL • Mighty Nein | Widomauk | 12,354 words

The Moonweaver's Child • Mighty Nein | Widomauk | 6,567 words

grab your things, I've come to take you home • Mighty Nein | Widomauk | 4,231 words

See Through • FFXV | Promptis | 2,834 words | FTH gift

Welcome to the Polycule • Homestuck | KatNepDaveJade | 2,036 words | Homestuck Secret Santa gift

The Siren • No. 6 | Nezushi | 2,493 words | No. 6 Secret Santa gift

Unreleased fics:

Window Of The Soul • FFXV | Promptis | 5,341 words | Book Club Discord Exchange gift

Masquerade Heist • Critical Role | Widomauk | 5,316 words | Tealeaf Tavern Secret Santa gift

Long Shadows • Critical Role | Widomauk | 66,461 words | Super secret upcoming longfic, in beta~

Translations:

Petit fics pour la Semaine de Kaidan 2017 • Mass Effect | multi | 445 words | original by BardofHeartDive

Petit fics pour la Semaine de MER 2020 • Mass Effect | multi | 476 words | original by BardofHeartDive

Le Club des Maris Morts • Mass Effect | Kaidan/m!Shep | 1,347 words | original by BardofHeartDive

Récupération • Mass Effect | Kaidan/James/m!Shep | 1,618 words | original by BardofHeartDive

Fragile • Critical Role | Kimallura | 2,246 words | original by BardofHeartDive

La muse accidentelle • The Old Guard | Andy/Quynh | 2,422 words | original by Saltwaterselkie

Les cicatrices qu'elle portait • Black Widow | Natasha Romanov & Clint Barton | 2,485 words | original by Saltwaterselkie

14,000,606 • Avengers: Endgame | Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes; Steve Rogers & Tony Stark | 4,120 words | original by BardofHeartDive

Toutes mes lignes invisibles • A League Of Their Own | Max Chapman & Clance Morgan | 2,319 words | original by Saltwaterselkie

La Teuf d'Halloween de Billy Batson • Shazam! | Billy Batson & Batman | 3,478 words | original by Saltwaterselkie

Total fics: 24 + 10 translations Total word count: 150,147 + 20,956 (translated)

Specifics:

Best/worst title?

Best: You and I Kaleide, Hear My Cry, Like the Wind, RE-ROLL, & grab your things, I've come to take you home

Worst: See Through, One Dance

I think a lot of the titles were uninspired this year, but those two are the least aesthetically pleasing to me.

Best/worst quote/passage?

Best:

Brighter, richer, a window opening to a world Prompto has never known, a dimension unfolding before him. He is experiencing something for which he has no name, has no language and no words and can’t describe. It isn’t just the visual phenomenon. It is the way his heart, too, is opening. As easily and as freely as a door swinging wide.

The simplest explanation, which is no real explanation, is colour.

And the colour is blue.

And the world is breaking apart, fracturing and wheeling and turning in a glorious, shining ballet. Yet Prince Noctis’s face somehow remains the same, an anchor and a harbour and a refuge. There are new colours in his face and colours in his hair and colour dancing around him which he’ll only later know how to name, peach and pink and black and grey and blue, more blue; pure, vast blue of sky.

(You and I Kaleide)

Why?: Writing the descriptions of the magical kaleidoscope moment in this fic gave me the opportunity to be very creative and artsy. Honestly, I probably could've pushed it even further than I did. But I think this is the fic with the most unique visuals this year.

Best/worst first line?

Best: Caleb knows he’s smart, but he would need a major in psychology with double minors in tiefling and carnie to figure out why Mollymauk pays him as much attention as he does. (Why Do You Like Me?) Why?: Most of my first lines are pretty serviceable. This one is actually clever.

Worst: “H-hello?” (The Wanderer) Why?: Conveying emotion through adding a letter to indicate a stutter is a bit of a cop out. The runner up to this is "“We need a miracle,” Ignis muttered." (See Through) because I feel like that's a cliché thing to say.

Best/worst last line?

Best: Cradled by the arms of his living friend, who time had returned to him, he finally fell asleep. (RE-ROLL) Why?: None of the last lines from this year really stood out to me, but this one is definitely the most interesting.

Worst: Then they dashed out of the alleyway and back into the fray. (The Spark And The Storm) Why?: My last lines tend to have at least some emotion in them. This line doesn't really have any. It's pretty weak.

General questions:

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?

I wrote way more than I expected. I would never just expect to write 150K, aha. I especially didn't expect to write one fic a day for a week (which is what I did for No. 6 week), nor did I expect to write a novel-length longfic, which is what Long Shadows turned out to be.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

Last year I didn't know I'd get into the Witcher games or the Mighty Nein in 2023. I already had a vague interest in the Gerlion/Geraskier ship, but I didn't know I was going to start actually engaging in the fandom beyond having read one novel. And I've always had a vague awareness of Critical Role thanks to my other mutuals, but never had the intent to get into the fandom myself. That one happened, I think, because I got a chance to play my first game of DND this summer, and got interested in other DND stuff in consequence.

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

As always, it's a bit of a toss-up, but I think Long Shadows fucking rocks. I can't wait to share it with everyone. The Bridge, You and I Kaleide, and RE-ROLL are all really good too.

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

You and I Kaleide is my most popular by hits. The Bridge is my most popular by kudos. (Both in the FFXV fandom.)

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

It's kinda sucky to roll up to the Critical Role fandom like five years too late, especially with such an investment in Widomauk. The CritRole fandom also doesn't seem to comment much, and never really seems to have done so, which is a shame. But I feel like people do like my stories, even if they're not very vocal about it. ;3;

Story that could have been better?

All of my No. 6 week fics were made via writing sprint, so they're not necessarily the best thought out stories I've ever written. I think they're pretty good for what they are, though.

Sexiest story?

Long Shadows /eyes emoji

You can look forward to TWO sexy scenes in that one~

Saddest story?

The Bridge and Sleeping Bastard have some sad moments. RE-ROLL is kinda about a twenty three hour long panic attack, lol. And Long Shadows has a VERY angsty opening, woof.

Most fun?

Welcome To The Polycule has the most banter and silly lines in it. It's kinda unavoidable with Homestuck fics, because that's just how the characters talk.

Story with single sweetest moment?

Probably You and I Kaleide, which is just romance all the way down. But you could also make an argument for one of the fics in my Witcher 1 series. (My Only, A Ring For Dandelion, & To Last Your Whole Life Long)

Hardest story to write?

RE-ROLL, You and I Kaleide, and Long Shadows had the greatest effort put into them. I took copious notes on episodes 26 and 27 of the Mighty Nein campaign in order to be able to write RE-ROLL. You and I Kaleide has a pretty complicated structure that it took me a few tries to get right. And Long Shadows is a longfic, so of course it took more planning than just a one-shot. I've already written an author's note explaining my process for it, which will be released when the fic is fully posted.

Easiest/most fun story to write?

The writing sprints for No. 6 week were all pretty easy. Come up with an idea in five to ten minutes, then write for half an hour. Maybe a few minutes more or a second sprint. Done.

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?

I wrote Why Do You Like Me specifically to explore why Molly would like Caleb. I can see why Caleb would like Molly. Molly's great. But early-campaign Caleb is, well. An anti-social asshole with purposefully poor hygiene who gets reprimanded multiple times for being dishonest and selfish. Yet, there must be something special about him that's obvious to the people around him and not just to the audience, otherwise this ship wouldn't be as popular as it is. The question I had was what, and this fic helped me explore that.

Most overdue story?

See Through was based on an idea I had in like 2018. You and I Kaleide was also a prompt I had sitting around for a while. This is why I hoard all of my good story ideas - I never know when I might bust one out to write it for some gift exchange - or just because!

I also have been saying for many years that I ship KatNepDaveJade, but I never put my money where my mouth is before to actually write the ship.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

Lots, actually. You and I Kaleide had a very complicated structure. RE-ROLL used real dice rolls to direct the plot. And Long Shadows starts off with just a huge chunk of unapologetic angst, which is so not my normal wheelhouse. Then there were the writing sprints I just posted. Then The Bridge and Window Of The Soul have premises that are a little risqué, as they deal with themes of suicide and burgeoning sexuality. So yeah, I had a lot of fun flexing my creative muscles this year.

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

EDIT AND POST LONG SHADOWS!!!

Work on one of my currently unfinished fics (Perchance to Wake, OFF-Script, or Fateswap Beyond)

*

That’s all, folks! If anyone else wants to do this wrap up like it’s a meme and tag me, go right ahead. Happy New Year!

[romaniangothic]

here's my shep throughout the games cus why not

[anarchycox]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Male Shepard/James Vega Characters: James Vega, Male Shepard (Mass Effect), Garrus Vakarian, Grunt (Mass Effect), Jeff "Joker" Moreau, Mordin Solus, Steve Cortez, Liara T'Soni, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Legion (Mass Effect) Additional Tags: Get together fic, Clueless Character, James Vega POV, Fluff, Some feels, everyone knows but the main character, Falling In Love, Banter, care taking, sometimes a family is two space marines and their tank bred murder baby, garrus and shephard are bros, Confusion, Happy Ending, pure sap at the end, blasto movies Summary:

James Vega is confused. Lots of things confuse him - the council, people not joining the fight, how Turian legs actually work. But in this particular case he is very confused by why every time he meets an old friend or crew mate of Shephard they all just look at him and laugh. It has to be a weird sort of hazing thing. But whatever, as long as he gets to spend time with the Commander he can put up with the weird.

But it just keeps getting weirder, and everyone knows something he doesn't.

He'll figure it out though. With a nudge or two.

[trashquisitor-shirozora]

The "I Can 'Pin' Posts on Tumblr Now? Since When?" Intro/Masterpost

Greetings and welcome to the "Who The Fuck Am I?" post written by yours truly, whoever the fuck I am. Now that I'm back on my Fandom bullshit again in at least 2 blogs, I thought I'd re-introduce myself.

I am 2nd gen Korean-American on the Best West Coast. I ID as she/they/shiro, and ace/demi. I'm in the millennial bracket (aka, I am a Legal Adult) so be mindful when interacting with me. I do what I can to be antiracist and am always learning to be better.

I am some iteration of "shirozora" on: LiveJournal, Dreamwidth, AO3, Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Discord. My first Fandom 2.0 was political/pundit RPF and my first fandom fallout was Racefail '09, so you could say I've Seen Some Shit. Been 5+ years since I last engaged in actual Fandom, yet here the fuck I am.

Fandoms I have written/drawn for (FFN years do not count, I purged that account): political/pundit RPF, Supernatural, Tron: Legacy, MCU, Star Trek (AOS), Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy XIV, Star Wars/The Mandalorian

A Short List Of Things I Wrote in No Particular Order:

Lost Symphony (T): SPN; Dean/Cassie, Sam/Jessica, pre-Dean/Castiel; for the Racebending Revenge challenge - "Mary Ahn Winchester died on the ceiling of the nursery on November 2, 1983."

We Are Pilots (T+): Tron: Legacy; Sam/Tron; for the Tron Kink Meme - "Six months and Sam still can't shake off his father's ghost, so Quorra suggests returning to the Grid to find the answers he needs to move on."

Wishing Well (T): Captain America: The First Avenger; Steve/Howard, Steve/Peggy, unfulfilled Howard/Peggy/Steve; for the Cap Kink Meme - "And you just wanna feel like a coin that's been tossed / In a wishing well, a wishing well."

A Thousand Eyes Staring Back (T+): Mass Effect 2; Kaiden/m!Shep - "His problems start at Horizon, aka that time Kaidan Alenko was having a really bad day and his former CO was supposed to be dead."

Waking Ghosts (T+): Dragon Age; Dorian Pavus/Male Trevelyan Inquisitor; the Mummy (1999) AU nobody asked for - "Dorian Pavus, formerly of Qarinus, is an archivist at the Magisterium research outpost in Hightown."

Seasons Change (T): Black Panther/MCU; M'Baku/T'Challa - "A fisherman finds a dying king in his nets and Hanuman offers M'Baku an opportunity to repay T'Challa for sparing his life at Warrior Falls."

born in a thunderstorm (T+): Star Trek: AOS, Captain Marvel, Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy; Kirk/McCoy; the worst AU I ever wrote - "Kevin Riley insists that James Kirk didn't die on Tarsus IV. Nobody believes him."

Dangerous Dreams series (T) - The Storm; The Suns; Between Planets: Star Wars/The Mandalorian; Din/Luke; the reason why I'm writing this post - "To want something for yourself, that is a dangerous dream."

I cross-post and occasionally write about writing at @shirozora-writes. But I bet a bunch of y'all stumbled into my little sandbox through @shirozora-draws, so let's talk about that!

I suffered from artist's block for almost 4 years. That ended when I became utterly fixated on "So Grogu has two dads now - oh no." I fucking ragequit Star Wars after the fucking world lied to me about The Last Jedi* and now I'm doing the most insane and involved fanworks because of Star Wars. The fuck???

To end this unapologetically long-ass Intro Post, here are my 3 favorite recent doodles:

The original post is here. First time animating with Clip Studio Paint and I had a two-day meltdown over it.

The original post is here. Fun fact: the file name is "homoerotic chin tilt yolo". Also, 6.4k notes? You guys are wild.

The original post is here. The final illustration from The Suns.

*I hate The Last Jedi the most not just because it's racist sexist garbage that trashed everyone except Kylo Ren whoever the fuck he thinks he is, and jumpstarted some of the most toxic fandom behavior I had the displeasure of witnessing, but also because I read so much praise for it before walking into the theater, paying for a ticket with my own money, and realizing 5 minutes into the film that I was gonna have the worst time of my life. I can't and probably will never watch Knives Out because I still haven't forgiven the director for the psychological damage. This is 100% a TLJ Hate Zone.

[fucknooovirmire]

Can’t forget other valuable crew members.

Especially when they bring cake.

[x3no9]

Did up a quick sketch of James Vega to go along with a fic I wrote several months ago.

I just picture him striking this pose, with a toe up, asking my Commander Isaac Shep what his thinks of his tatt. Please note, I butchered the ink but I tried...

Other versions featured in the link.

Also, due to how muscular he is, I had to grid up an AI generated reference. I am sorry if that is cheating.

[ginbiscuit]

N7 Drabble 4/7

Not only is it N7 day (yay), it’s also my birthday! Which, to  me, proves that Mass Effect and I were just made for each other. 😉 To  celebrate this joyous day, I wrote seven little Mass Effect drabbles.

Here’s the fourth one:

Pairing: m!Shep / Kaidan Alenko / James Vega

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 100

Three

Shepard tasted like cotton candy and kissed like a man possessed – raw and needy. Kaidan was all coffee and slow kisses, sweetness in his touch. They both loved differently, too. But James liked it best when all of them were together, crashing against each other and becoming one.

James was the one who said „I love you“ first, blurting it out over breakfast, sleepy smiles meeting his confession. Later, it was Shepard who asked them to move in together, both men lying in his arms at night. A year later, Kaidan got down on his knees in front of them.

[gefionne]

Gef's Year of the Rare-ish Pair

In 2021, I ended up writing almost exclusively rare-ish (not totally rare, but still kinda counts) pairs for smaller/older fandoms. It was incredibly rewarding to craft these stories with love and care while expecting only a little bit of feedback. What I got, though, was wonderful. I'm sharing my year in review here.

Mass Effect

"Worlds Collide" - fShep/Nihlus Kryik First Contact War AU where Shepard is assigned to Palaven as security for the new human ambassador. She falls in love with Nihlus. 69k [Read on AO3]

"Valió La Pena (It Was Worth It)" -fShep/James Vega starting with Shep's incarceration in Vancouver and progressing through ME3 with some canon-divergent elements. Super slow burn with two duty-bound marines daring to break the fraternization regs. 200k [Read on AO3]

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine & Star Trek: The Next Generation

"What Will Grow Crooked, You Can't Make Straight" - Kira Nerys/Gul Dukat follow-up to a very classic fic written by another fan. A mating urge brings them together and they have to face the consequences back on DS9. 56k [Read on AO3]

"To the Wild and to the Both of Us" - Kira Nerys/Damar romance that moves between the Cardassian Liberation Front in season 7 and post-show. High romance that I treated myself to and loved working on. 50k [Read on AO3]

"Love Me Mercilessly" - Ro Laren/Will Riker mostly plotless hatefucking. What a fun time I had. 19k [Read on AO3]

Dragon Age

"The Dance at the Crossroads" - m!Inquisitor Trevelyan meets Lace Harding in each of the locations in DA:I and they become friends and then lovers. 36k [Read on AO3]

[wrathbites]

Regret

It’s the morning after the night before.  Rhys goes off in search of his other guests, leaving Kaidan to his own devices and trusting him to make it to the kitchen in one piece.  Which he does!  After almost falling over the shortcut downstairs... over the banister.

Heart sufficiently jolted into double time, Kaidan shelves the idea of making breakfast for everyone in favour of parking his ass on a stool and pancaking out across the counter.  Marble’s never felt so good, a balm for his headache and overwarm skin.

Joker joins him first, establishing coffee, asap, as his top priority and Kaidan’s grateful he appeared and not EDI.  He’s still not keen on the reminder of his head -

“Hey, Steve,” he says, pouncing on the chance to direct his thoughts elsewhere.

“Major,” Steve grunts back and adds himself to the pancake sploot.  Great ideas all around.

-

Two cups of coffee and a slice of toast later has Kaidan feeling less like an elcor bodyslammed him and a tiny bit more human.  Plenty biotic enough, though, to threaten James with immediate departure out the nearest window if he doesn’t pitch his voice lower, thank you kindly.

And then Rhys is draping over his back, all heavy limbs and grumbled curses.

“’m not a pillow, Shep.”

“Yet here we are,” Rhys replies, but takes the hint and slides off him.  Slides all the way down to the floor, in fact, and Kaidan frowns at him.  Nudges him with a foot for good measure.

“You alive?”

“No.”

“Okay.  Jus’ checkin.”

They both ignore Joker’s gagging noises as one by one the others emerge in a mixture of sleepy yawns and tottering regret.  Liara almost falls atop Rhys, Garrus actually trips on him, and Samara, like James, simply steps over him.  She doesn’t linger, but then she seems to prefer solitude anyway.  Wrex downs the entire coffee pot in four gulps, and Zaeed goes back to the booze, much to Kaidan’s horror.  EDI wonders the apartment at her leisure, Javik still snores behind one of the sofas, and Tali -

Where’s Tali?

As if reading his mind, James takes that moment to bellow her name at the top of his lungs, ignoring the collective protests and clutched heads all around.

“YO!  TALI!  YOU WANT EGGS?”

No reply.

“Does she eat eggs?” he asks of no-one in particular.  Kaidan peels himself off the counter long enough to fix him with a fuzzy glare.

“She’s quarian.  What do you think?”

“Sooooo... no to the eggs?  Damn.  That’s just tragic.”

The not-dead lump of Rhys at his feet stirs with a groan.  “What’s about to be tragic is me braining you with that fuckin’ frying pan if you don’t shut it.”

“All due respect, Commander, I’ve got a fuckton of messy projectiles here and I ain’t afraid to use them.”

“And I’ve got a Kaidan.”

“Is it always like this?” Traynor leans in to ask when they devolve into bickering.

It’s too damn early for all this going on, Kaidan thinks, laying his head down again.  All these crazy people holding semi-coherent conversation before midday.  Insanity.

“We’re not really morning people on shore le- waitaminute.  Oi!  What’s this about you’ve got a Kaidan?  What’ve you signed me up to this time?”

“Guard detail.”

“Hell no!”

-

A proper breakfast, some aspirin, and a round of “don’t kill the cranky Prothean” sees them still hungover, but being more subtle about it, lounging on the sofas until the cue comes for dispersal back to work.

Traynor sidelines it.  Rhys looks about ready to launch himself out the nearest window.  Kaidan still isn’t awake enough yet for this shit.

“I’m just saying!  The technology’s been there for years and scans don’t -”

“Nessie’s too smart to be caught on scanners.”

“But surely she’d have been found by now if she was real.”

“Listen.  Some folk believe in god.  Some believe in fate and soulmates.  I believe in Nessie and you’ll no be changing my mind.”

“Hey, Rhys?  If she’s so difficult to find, does that make her Scotland’s Leviathan?”

Rhys freezes.

Oh god.

“Joker.”

“Rhys.”

“Do not, ever, insult Nessie like that again in front of me.”  To the untrained eye he might even seem serious, but Kaidan knows him better.  So does Joker, if the shit-eating grin on his face is anything to go by.

“Aye aye, Commander.”

Just kill me now, Kaidan thinks, and mashes a cushion to his face.

Goddamn shore leave.

[jungledubs-archive]

About Us

As said in our pinned post, we’re the Jungle System! Our system sideblog (sort of, it’s mostly just reblogs of stuff we’ve requested for ourselves) is @jungle-system.

We are very open to talking about ourselves, so sending asks directed towards a certain alter is totally fine!

The System

Johan “Jesse” Greenwood, he/him. [S5 Bdubs introject]

Henrik Greenwood, he/they. [S5-6 Doc introject] [ @doc-greenwood ]

Nathaniel “Nigel” Indiana, pronouny [S5-6 Scar introject] [ @captainangryeyes ]

Hank, he/him. [SMPLive AntVenom introject]

Gendry Ross, he/him or fae/faer. [3rd Life Martyn introject]

Jon Hunter, he/him. [3rd Life Ren introject]

Melkior, it/its. [3rd Life Red King introject]

Lal, she/her.

Zero, they/it.

Rexx Taylor, he/they/gold. [3rd Life/S7 Tango introject]

Gabriel Storm, he/him or ze/zem/zir. [Mianite/SMPLive Sparklez introject]

Tyrion Valentine, he/him or xe/xem/xyr. [3rd Life/S7 Impulse introject]

Ed, they/them. [S7 Xisuma introject]

Bruce MacDuff, he/him. [Helsknight OC introject]

Oscar Charleston, ae/aem/aer. [SMPLive/Epic SMP Slimecicle & S7 Grian introject]

Mike Fitzgerald, he/him. [Markiplier & Michael Afton/Mike Schmidt introject]

Nathan, he/him.

Theo, he/it. [SMPLive/Epic SMP Ted introject]

Thorne Maelstrom, he/him or ve/vex/ver. [S5-6 Cub introject]

Spector, they/he/she. [Hels!Doc OC introject]

Jed Alden, he/him. [SMPLive Schlatt introject]

Connor, he/him. [SMPLive Connor introject]

Bruno, he/they. [S7-8/VH Iskall introject]

Colin, he/xe. [S7-8 Mumbo introject]

Mitchell DeVille, he/him. [AU MatPat introject]

Chandler Bing, he/him.

Alastor/Lucius Syn, he/him. [Mianite Tom introject]

Viktor Greenwood, he/him. [S5 Beef introject]

Lukas Greenwood, xhee/xhey/exe/[redacted]. [S5 Etho introject]

Coda, he/him. [S6-7-8 Keralis introject]

Balthazar Ozwald, they/he/it. [S8 Zedaph introject]

Karl, he/him. [Mianite Karl introject]

Sebastian/Sevens, he/him. [77-2 Scar introject]

Micah Soot, he/fin. [SMPLive Wilbur introject]

Dink, he/him. [SMPLive Dinkster introject]

James Kakujo, he/him. [77-2 Kakujo introject]

Bucky Barnes, he/him. [FATWS Bucky introject]

Ashfur, he/him. [AU Warrior Cats Ashfur introject]

Rowan Xelqua, he/him, pup/pups, bloom/blooms, sun/suns, ☀️/☀️’s. [S6 Grian introject]

Weston Jericho, he/him. [Mianite Jericho introject]

Siren, it/he.

Anakin Skywalker, he/him. [Attack of the Clones Anakin introject]

Warren Hunter, he/him. [S6 Renbob introject]

Obi-Wan Kenobi, he/him. [Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan introject]

xB, he/it. [Hermitopia xB introject]

Wels, he/him. [S7 Welsknight introject]

Riverstar, he/him. [Warrior Cats Riverstar introject]

Peanut Butter, she/her. [Hermitcraft Jellie introject]

Samuel G. Samson, xe/xim, it/its, te/tech, wy/wir, in/int. [Deltarune Spamton introject]

Queen, she/it/queen. [Deltarune Queen introject]

Matthew M. Samson, any pronouns (he/she preferred). [Undertale Mettaton introject]

Hunter, he/it. [Last Life Joel introject]

Shep, he/him. [Last Life Scar introject]

Tubbo, he/him. [SMPLive AU Tubbo introject]

Dianite, he/they. [Mianitian Isles Dianite introject]

Aster Littlewood, he/him. [Last Life Mumbo introject]

Arin Littlewood, he/him. [Last Life Martyn introject]

Horatio Iris, he/him. [Last Life Solidarity introject]

Kestrel Littlewood, he/him. [SMPEarth Tommy introject]

Ranboo, he/they/it. [Voltz Wars Ranboo introject]

Sky, they/them. [SMPLive Sky introject]

Red Velvet, he/bark/hound/pup. [Cookie Run Red Velvet Cookie introject]

Clap Trap, he/him. [Hels!Mumbo OC introject]

Riven, end/prime/dream/he. [Manhunt Dream introject]

Brann, he/hog. [SMPEarth Techno introject]

Pieter Crow, he/they/caw/crow. [SMPEarth Phil introject]

X33N, they/it/voi/he. [Mianite AU X33N introject]

Espresso, he/vi/they. [Cookie Run Espresso Cookie introject]

Lex, he/they/blaze. [Manhunt Sapnap introject]

Dominic, any pronouns. [Manhunt BBH introject]

George, he/him. [Manhunt GNF introject]

Ianite, she/they. [Mianitian Isles Ianite introject]

Mianite, he/they. [Mianitian Isles Mianite introject]

Mad/Doran, he/it. [AU MadPat introject]

Florian Zett, he/him. [AU Jacksepticeye introject]

Hollyleaf, she/her. [Power of Three Warrior Cats Hollyleaf introject]

Ross, he/they. [Epic SMP Ross introject]

Dr Solar Asunder, he/him. [77-2 Doc introject]

Cordelia Iris, she/her. [Last Life Lizzie introject]

Octavia Cleopatra, she/her. [Last Life Cleo introject]

Dan, they/💎. [DanTDM introject]

Alastair Eret, he/she. [Eret introject]

Balderdash, he/him. [Hels!Mumbo OC introject]

Charleston Tek, he/him. [Hels!Tango OC introject]

Sir Jeriah, he/him. [Mianite Jeriah introject]

Spark Conway, he/him. [Mianite Spark introject]

Jonquil Nestor, he/she. [AU Crankgameplays introject]

Stolas, he/him.

Pete, e/em. [PeteZahHutt introject]

Scott Major, he/him. [Last Life Scott introject]

Robb Valentine, he/him. [Last Life Skizz introject]

Jack Manifold, he/him. [Jack Manifold introject]

Niki Nihachu, she/her. [Nihachu introject]

Fundy, he/him. [Fundy introject]

H, he/him. [Hbomb introject]

Kikoku Botan, he/it. [Mianite AU Sparklez introject]

Angel, he/she. [S7 Grian introject]

Echo, he/him. [Hels!Impulse OC introject]

Roose Hills, he/him. [S8 Joe Hills introject]

Sansa Stark, she/her. [Game of Thrones Sansa introject]

Eros Zett, he/him. [Antisepticeye introject]

Arry, he/him. [S7 GTWS introject]

Zircon, he/him. [S7 Bdubs introject]

Blank/Doran, he/it. [AU Blankgameplays introject]

Kristin Minecraft, she/her. [Misstrixtin introject]

Jake/Ryan, he/him. [AU Cryaotic introject]

Dylan, he/him. [Mianitian Isles Declan introject]

Beef Stew, he/him. [SMPLive Beef Stew introject]