#turian cabal

[dragonflight203]

Head canons about turian biotics, because I think about this entirely too much:

-There’s a saying: “From the Terminus they come, to the Terminus they return”.

Hierarchy born biotics are fairly rare because of the Hierarchy’s strict safety standards. (Fairly certain I’m stealing that from somewhere, but I can’t recall whose idea it was.)

So many of the Cabal recruits are from the Terminus; many join to have a biotic implant safely installed (“safe” operations in the Terminus varies widely) and for training.

After a stint in the Cabals, many leave for the Terminus again – including many Hiearchy born biotics. They’ve grown attached to their comrades, and biotics are rejected by turians everywhere so might as well stay with the people you’re close too...

The Hierarchy has a huge biotic drain problem. There are more turian biotics than most people realize; most just aren’t in C-Space.

-A side-effect of many biotics coming from the Terminus and many leaving for it is that the Cabals have a good information network. They frequently know about events or hear whispers of what will occur prior to Hierarchy intelligence.

They may or may not give the Hierarchy a heads up in advance, depending on what it involves. Sometimes this involved anonymous messages to Hierarchy intelligence.

This appearance of precognition does not help the reputation of biotics.

-Biotic enclaves are common across turian space, both C-Space and Terminus.

Biotics tend to live in the same neighborhoods or on space stations dominated by biotics nearby turian worlds.

Biotic kids are frequently rejected by their families or iced out, and many find their ways to their enclaves for training and a safe place to live. Or are picked up and brought to them by adult biotics.

Their mentors frequently spent time in the Cabals, and encourage young biotics to join.

-Biotics tend to have a different view on territory than other turians.

Most turians are innately territorial to varying extents; the Hierarchy puts a lot of effort into drilling into its citizens that their “territory” should include the entire Hierarchy.

Biotics – othered by society, frequently forced to leave their childhood home because they’ve been rejected – tend to be far less territorial about a place than others. Their territorialness is more likely to be directed at groups of people.

This ambivalence is one of the reasons why other turians tend to reject biotics: Their lack of territorialness about a place marks them as “not-pack” and viewed as suspicious. And so the cycle self-perpetrates.

-Many biotics have ambivalent feelings towards the Hierarchy, regardless of where they were born.

They don’t have the patriotism many native-born non-biotic Hierarchy citizens do, but they appreciate the safety it provides to biotics.

That lingers even if many leave for the Terminus after a Cabal stint.

-The exchange of biotics to and from the Terminus Systems means that if the Hierarchy knows where to look, they can frequently find friendly (or at least non-hostile) faces in the Terminus Systems.

Former Cabals may be reluctant, but they can often be grudgingly talked into assisting the Hierarchy on matters that aren’t a threat to their society. For example, in hunting down slavers or pirates.

Most Hierarchy personnel are completely unaware of this; Cabals, however, are and it’s one of the reasons why they have such a high success rate in Terminus missions.

-Late-developing biotics have a difficult time integrating into biotic society.

Biotics tend to be tight-knit, since others are wary and suspicious of them. They have a subculture of their own with language, etiquette, etc. A basic level of skill with your biotics – enough to not be a danger to those around you – is expected.

Late-developing biotics are not familiar with this and many struggle with accepting their new abilities. They don’t want to integrate with these people they still don’t trust, don’t want to learn a new culture, and don’t want to train these new talents they never asked for. The struggle with being rejected by friends and family.

Biotics who have dealt with this their whole life tend to have little patience for this. This is just what life is for biotics; get used to it.

Some late-developing biotics do adapt and integrate into biotic enclaves; many do not and spend the rest of their lives on the fringes of both biotic and non-biotic turian society.

-As a follow up, this is why many late-developing biotics transferred to the Cabals leave Hierarchy service quickly.

The Cabals are first and foremost a biotic specialist unit; to rise in the ranks you need to be a skilled biotic, and preferably strong.

Late-developing biotics have to learn these skills from scratch, and are often frustrated that their former skills (engineer, sniper, etc.) aren’t highly valued. Their rank often doesn’t transfer either, or at best is stalled – they don’t have the biotic skills necessary for it in the Cabals, and it will take them years to catch up.

So many leave ASAP. Their units are frequently relieved to be rid of them.

The Hierarchy has a big problem with retaining biotics.

[zombiemaykr]

Hic

He's so drunk I'm sure even he has no idea which way he's going. But that's what You get when You combine an alcoholic with the job perk of all the drinks being on the house

[girorodesu]

*makes another Turian oc for fun*

[spaceouttatime]

Major overhaul for my turian character, Iterius! He's a Shanxi vet, former Cabal, and the ultimate anti-morning person.

[guardevoir]

100 days of art, 78/100 - still stuck in Turian Hell. I needed some more folks for Virgil's backstory, so here's Favilla Nemonda; she usually gets referred to as "Nemo". She's Virgil's cabal leader/biotics mentor/mildly unhinged honorary aunt.

Her parents trained her for her role in the Cabal pretty much since she was born and it is frankly a miracle that she turned out more or less well-adjusted.

[shepsfishtank]

this post got me thinking about turian cabals and saren. obviously it's not addressed in-game since we don't get the cabal worldbuilding until me3, but it makes saren's status as a council spectre interesting.

he joins the hierarchy's military at the typical age of 15, and assuming his biotics had manifested at that point, he would've been assigned to a cabal unit -- a designation that turians in general mistrust... but then he's quickly promoted to active service and then joins the spectres at the age of 20. youngest turian ever accepted! was his service in the cabals that impressive to overcome the hierarchy's cultural bias?

or maybe the hierarchy views biotics as well-suited for the role of a spectre, if you consider the history of biotics' use as surveillance agents during the unification wars and the independence with which spectres operate. if that's true, maybe biotics are overrepresented among turian spectres.

[aceouttatime]

MASTER POST

About Me:

Howdy! I go by Ace or Alex--I'm a hobby artist and author busy making coffee, assisting research into ye ol' noggin (and the thoughts inside), and thinking about turians.

I make a fair bit of Mass Effect art, and I'm currently working on a Relay 314 Incident/First Contact War fic, Storm-Chaser. You might know by my m!Shakarian content, Cabal worldbuilding, or host of mediocre doodles.

Feel free to shoot me an ask or message; I don't bite (usually ;D)!

More links, info, and such below the cut!

What's The Haps?

Storm-Chaser Blue-gray fatigues and uncomfortable-looking knees made him sure it wasn't turian, and the scope had a clear view of the down on its head. Not down--fur, maybe. That made his gizzard less upset. Poor thing was sprawled on the gravel before it knew what hit it. "Old man had a good aim, Ascensus." Keep talking. Don't think about the dead alien. Fur. Not down. -----Status: WIP -----Chapter Count: 0 -----Length: 8.1K

Commissions? More Likely Than You’d Think!

I'm not currently accepting commissions! All my slots are filled. I last opened them on 3/18. I typically do 2-3 slots at a time, and I have an update list if you'd like updated when they open! <3

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Reblog account - What it says on the tin; mostly Mass-Effect-related shenanigans!

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List O' Tags

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[diaphanouso]

✨ Fic Masterlist ✨

Last Updated: July 4, 2024

Hello! 💞 Below is a list of all my fics, completed and in progress. Each listing is formatted as follows:

Title ※ Word Count ※ Status ※ Rating ※ Relationship/Character(s) ※ Brief Description/Summary

Unless otherwise noted:

The works below live on Ao3.

"Explicit" rating is for smut 🌶️

Baldur's Gate 3

To Have and Behold ※ (2,293 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Rolan/F!Tav (Ruby) ※ Ruby shares a fantasy of hers with Rolan. They decide to try it out, and Rolan finds he's really into it. A companion piece to In Full View.

In Full View ※ (1,000 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Rolan/F!Tav (Ruby) ※ Ruby indulges in front of a (mostly) silent audience.

To Burn in Desire's Name ※ WIP ※ Rolan/F!Tav (Ruby) ※ Series in progress centering on Rolan and my Selunite Cleric Tav, Ruby. Snippets I've posted on Tumblr so far:

A Compliment and a Kiss ※ Spice level: 🥛 (none) ※ Rolan receives a very nice message from Tav — so nice, it reminds him of the night she bestowed upon him a platonic kiss on the cheek that was surely nothing more than a friendly gesture.

Rolan With His Books ※ Spice level: 🥛 (none) ※ Rolan spends some quality time with his books just before some weird/spooky shit happens.

He Needs to be Touched, Y'all 😭 ※ Spice level: 🌶️※ When a tame fantasy about Tav is enough to send Rolan over the edge...

Emergency Use of Thunderwave ※ Spice level: 🌶️🌶️ ※ Rolan goes farther in his fantasies about Tav than ever before. Features a tailjob and the singular terror of a family member walking in on you.

Angels' Fury ※ (3,614 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ Shadowheart & Tav; Shadowheart & Astarion ※ Tav and co. make their way to a confrontation with Orin the Red, but they get waylaid by an unexpected foe.

Dispel Darkness ※ (5,210 words) ※ Complete (for now) ※ Explicit ※ Halsin/Female OC ※ A Ranger returns from the Underdark feeling unlike herself; she runs into an old friend who's more than willing to show her there's still good in this world. (Please see my A/N re: the Underdark!)

The Shape of Water (2017)

Lonely Gods ※ (2,344 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ The Asset/Elisa Esposito ※ A former god ruminates on his past, and the nature of love and reverence. (This has some of the writing I'm most proud of ❤️)

Mass Effect

Vox Spiritus ※ (69,929 words) ※ WIP ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ (Humanity-as-client race AU) Shepard, a cabal squad leader, joins the first human-turian mission in an attempt to catch Saren following a tragedy on Eden Prime.

One (1) New Message ※ (5,011 words) ※ WIP ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ (AU swap) Garrus falls asleep in his apartment one night, only to wake up on an unfamiliar ship, in a life he doesn't recognize... and face to face with a ghost.

Acts of Amity ※ (5,322 words) ※ WIP ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian/Nihlus Kryik ※ Garrus and Shepard's fantasies about their hot friend Nihlus become reality.

Acts of Temperance ※ (7,297 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ Garrus suffers and is more in love than ever; featuring my headcanon that "meditative edging" is very much a thing for turians.

Acts of Service ※ (7,635 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ Garrus is a good boy in love; affectionate talon/nail grooming as turian headcanon.

Flare ※ (10,886 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ Shepard and Garrus would both like a repeat of the night before the Omega 4 Relay, but they're too busy saving the galaxy and being dumb quiet about their feelings... until a cosmic force decides to have a say in that.

Ship of Theseus ※ (22,894 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ (The first smut I ever wrote! 🎉) Feeling like a ghost haunting a body she doesn't trust, Shepard desperately wants to prove she can be more than the weapon Cerberus intended her to be, to make this body at least feel like it's hers. Luckily, she has a friend who's willing to help.

Moon in Your Mouth ※ (4,377 words) ※ Complete ※ Teen ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ (Post-Synthesis grief/angst) For Garrus, rebuilding the galaxy without Shepard feels impossible. He's lost her twice now, and he's certain he'll never recover. But one day, he hears a familiar voice coming from his visor…

One in Ten Thousand ※ (5,526 words) ※ Complete ※ Teen ※ FShakarian ※ A very mogwai  space hamster Xmas.

Twenty-One Seconds ※ (15,511 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ A post-Destroy Xmas Carol.

Growing Pains ※ (3,381 words) ※ Complete ※ Teen ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ Grunt starts losing his baby teeth.

Happy Little Trees ※ (6,310 words) ※ Complete ※ Teen ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian ※ (Garrus discovers Bob Ross) Shepard gets Garrus a paint set. Garrus is grateful, but he finds that embarking on his new hobby provides more than simple wish-fulfillment.

Deeper Understanding ※ (2,426 words) ※ Complete ※ General Audiences ※ EDI & Legion ※ EDI and Legion catch a movie while visiting the Citadel.

Lead Me Home ※ (2,038 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya ※ The night before the beacon, the end, a beginning.

Stay ※ (14,292 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Samara/Nihlus Kryik ※ While hunting down her daughter, Samara witnesses a Spectre killing an innocent. The Spectre flees into the wilderness, and the pursuit ends up being more than either of them bargained for. Or: how that "cat-and-mouse" encounter between Samara and Nihlus went down.

Decompression ※ (1,635 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ Nihlus Kryik/Dr. Chloe Michel ※ Dr. Michel runs into a handsome, injured turian who refuses her help, but it's not the last time they meet (the first fic with this pairing on Ao3! 🎉).

Longing Makes a Thief ※ (17,711 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Kasumi Goto/Rolan Quarn ※ While trapped in a mansion together, Kasumi and Rolan Quarn get to know each other; creative use of 3D printer.

Star Pupil ※ (4,366 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ FShep/Kasumi/Conrad ※ Shepard and Kasumi are very mean to Conrad Verner and he loves it.

Breathe With Me ※ (6,948 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Thane Krios ※ Shepard and Thane spend some time recuperating after the Reaper War.

Sweet Tides ※ (4,333 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ F!Shepard/Hanar OCs ※ When Shepard is cordially invited to take part in a hanar ritual, she’s honored in a way she doesn’t expect but is totally into. Features tentacle sex and a hot Elder hanar with a deep voice (no, it's hotter than you'd expect).

Shelter From Storms Within ※ (8,297 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Liara T'Soni/Feron ※ Even after taking on the mantle of Shadow Broker, there are still some things Liara is uncertain about. But how much she cares for Feron? That may be the only thing Liara is sure of. Features drell memories and asari mind meld used for sexual purposes.

The Becoming ※ (4,605 words) ※ Complete ※ Explicit ※ Prothean OCs ※ Stranded in a system with a broken relay, Karvok and Pavor make a home on Erinle, having escaped the Reaper threat; explicit rating is for gore/body horror.

Agony of Creation ※ (1,417 words) ※ Complete ※ Mature ※ Morinth/Male OC ※ From the second she laid eyes on him, Morinth knew he was hers. Or: Morinth brings home her prey.

Mass Effect Drabbles

Godless ※ (100 words) ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian

Memories ※ (100 words) ※ General Audiences ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian

Concussion ※ (100 words) ※ Teen ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian

Come Back Alive ※ (100 words) ※ Teen ※ F!Shepard/Garrus Vakarian

Seashells ※ (100 words) ※ General Audiences ※ Mordin

The Taming of Time ※ (200 words) ※ Mature ※ F!Shepard/Nihlus Kryik

[linklewinklewoman]

A few examples of Mass Effect OCs I made

A female Krogan who loved making custom weapons

An Human engineer who works among a crew of Asari and always has grease on her face

An Elcor who writes and likes to act out parts of his stories

A Human Shadow Broker agent who works with a shackled AI

Turian Cabal lady who works undercover a lot

Asari gal who races on high speed bikes in tight suits

Kindly old Batarian doctor lady

Quarian doctor who spent her pilgrimage mainly on Tuchunka

A drell lady that teaches hand to hand combat in formal classes on the Citadel

This isn't even all of them! Pretty sure I had a lady who had an unfortunate strong crush on Aria. Haven't found her yet.

[sparatus]

Anutha one Pride Goes, Ambition Follows

trade secret my adhd doesnt forget things as much as it tosses it in random folders that only it knows the locations of

wip folder game

pride goes, ambition follows is another one in the concept stage, but boy is it fun to play with. it goes back-back, way back, to the very start of exdiff saren's career. he's eighteen and has just been recruited for the spectres, and placed with asari agent rianea d'varin, as there are no turian agents with biotics powerful enough to be an effective mentor for him given the cabals didn't know what to do with such immense biotic potential. when the fic opens, he's nervous and Something is bothering him, but he won't open up about what for another while.

from there it's both a character study of younger saren and an exploration of his own training. we eventually learn the reason he's a little off is that he and desolas had a massive fight about him going into special tactics, because desolas is afraid of losing him but saren believes him overreacting; now that he's away from the only support network he's ever known and facing incredible stress and a new environment he wasn't prepared for, though, he desperately wants his big brother back, but doesn't know how to get him. his mentor rianea is also struggling with how to train a turian student, much less a turian with biotic power that rivals a matriarch, complete with culture clashes and anatomy incompatibility. saren having been effectively raised by the turian military doesn't help, as he obviously wasn't learning any messages of tolerance or getting along with aliens from his big brother and his fellow jarheads.

but slowly, things get better. saren proves himself the prodigy cnclr aepharia thought he could be, he and rianea reach a mutual respect and appreciation for each other, and he and desolas start gradually messaging again, albeit just sending memes and pictures of where they are back and forth and not talking about the fight at all ever. saren graduates to full spectre status at age 20, rianea gifts him a new ship all his own that he christens the axekonah, the galaxy is abuzz about him, everything is fine.

until one rainy, stormy night on a hastatim base, desolas opens the door to find his little brother, soaked and crying because rianea has disappeared, he's the only person who could feasibly track them down, and he didn't know who else to turn to. he's bracing to get yelled at, but all he gets is a crushing hug.

saren spends a few nights on his brother's couch, seeking the only comfort he's ever really known. and desolas, not knowing what else to do, gives it to him. it's like they were never fighting, never angry with each other - but they both know what lies the end of the path saren has to go down, and des wishes he didn't have to send him off to travel it alone.

ultimately it's mostly a character study, going through saren's training and how he's forced to grow up fast, and how being recruited for the spectres at such a young age affected both his own development and his relationships with everyone around him. the title is from henry iv part 2, "pride went before, ambition follows him," and is obviously a reference to young saren's ego and how it leads him to greatness. and obv it wouldn't be a NoisyNoiverns saren fic without arterius brothers angst now would it

[outpost51]

💙 make'a my heart hurt a little

Snippet Asks

🫡 you got it, my dude.

💙share a snippet where a character falls out of love a little

from child of the stars:

After the adults helped them set up a big nest on the floor with pillows and blankets and couch cushions, and everyone had been tucked in and given good-night snuggles — which he definitely didn’t need, he was six, not three, but Mama needed them to sleep, and she had a very important job so she needed all the sleep she could get — someone tapped his nasal plates until he woke up.

“We missed you on Thessia,” Jane whispered.

He… didn’t know what to do with that.

“Tarquin said your mom said you were sick.”

“I was,” Garrus lied.

Jane’s teeth flashed in the dark. “You’re a bad liar, Garrus Vakarian.”

His neck heated.

It was hard to make out her expression in the dark, Garrus didn’t have his adult low-light vision yet, but her teeth vanished and a line appeared between the patches of baby-down on her face. “Did I scare you at the tide pool?”

“No,” he huffed. “I’m not scared of anything.”

“Are all turians this bad at fibbing, or just you?”

Jane’s voice took on the same lilt it did when she was teasing her brother. Her teeth didn’t come out, though, and the line between her down-patches deepened more the longer he went without answering.

Garrus reached out and carefully pressed the pad of his finger over the line, rubbing at it until it disappeared. He wasn’t sure why he did it. He certainly hadn’t asked to touch her, and Mama said to always ask before touching someone.

It was only fair, then, that he let her gently grab his mandibles and flap them in and out.

Her mouth curved upwards at the corners. He poked the little divots that formed on the sides of her face. “Dimples,” she whispered. When Garrus connected the divots with a few of the other spots dusted across her nose, she snorted. “Freckles.” Out of curiosity, he traced the down-patches above her eyes. “Eyebrows.”

Jane drew a stripe across his face with her finger, then one down each of his mandibles. “Why don’t you get to wear blue like your mom?”

“I haven’t earned it yet,” he whispered back. “I’ll get the paint when I come home from Basic.”

“Did Mr. Arterius go to Basic?”

Garrus lowered his browplates. “He’s a General, Jane, show some respect.”

She shook her head. “Not the big one,” she huffed. “The other one. The one that does magic like me.”

He froze.

The crease returned between her eyebrows.

Garrus rubbed at it again. Her smiling went away when the crease appeared. The crease meant the opposite of happy, and he didn’t like being the reason it was there, even if they were just at war. They weren’t soldiers yet. They didn’t have to hurt each other. “Agent Arterius?”

Jane shrugged. Her mouth curved down.

He poked at the spots where her dimples were. Maybe if he pressed in hard enough — but still gentle, humans were soft, Captain Victus had warned them not to tackle each other too hard — the smiling would come back, like a button on a remote. “He’s a Spectre,” Garrus explained. “Before that, he was a Cabal. I don’t think Cabals have Basic.”

“Is that why he doesn’t get to have stripes like General Arterius? Cap’n Victus said they’re brothers.”

It was Garrus’s turn to shrug. At least one gesture transcended species.

“What’s a Cabal?”

That one, he knew. “That’s where the biotics go. They’re too unpredictable. Dangerous.”

“Like Agent Arterius.”

“Like you.”

He shouldn’t have said that.

The crease came back.

She batted away his hand and rolled over.

[otemporanerys]

WIP guessing game: chill and watch

No for chill, but yes for watch (upcoming in Life Behind Enemy Lines) ---

“I don’t suppose they have any turian glasses?”

She turned around to watch Cobas stroll into the kitchen. Naked, naturally, not that the safehouse had anything that would fit him. She moved out of the way while he bent over the sink, drinking straight from the tap.

She and Cobas had first worked together when he was still in his cabal, a bit of unpleasantness with the batarian ambassador to the Citadel. That had merely been a stroke of luck, finding the right man for the job at the exact right moment, but tracking him down a few days ago had been a deliberate move on her part. She was looking for whatever remained of Commander Farvardin, the Shepherd of Cipritine, and if she could pull off what she thought she could pull off, it’d be helpful to have a turian by her side. Not that she’d planned on sleeping with him, of course, but if it worked it worked.

Send me a word and I'll see if it features in any of my WIPs!

[upwards-descent]

Omega born, Virris Dolmian was raised in the cesspit of society, growing up amongst violence and squalor. His ticket out was a combination of impressive fighting skills under the wing of a local gang plus his rare status as a Turian biotic. Selected by a Turian Cabal task force, Virris' specialty was infiltration as well as heavy weapons experience and powerful natural biotic talents. He served with the Spec Ops unit for only a couple years before his experiences made him realize being a military dog was just as cruel and unfulfilling as his childhood on Omega. Virris decided to vanish, becoming a deserter and relocating to Illium where his luck would change once he entered a club called Comet...

[daxaris]

Burning Son

The Rahstarick’s were a close-knit family, they all kept in touch even after Atticus’ older sister Kasis left for basic training, leaving him in the care of his mother, Remani. Atticus treasured his time with his mother, running around the base on Digeris, playing in the holo-sym, and her telling him stories of her family’s history. His favorite were the ones she would tell of the Unification War, and how her family just barely escaped the eradication of their colony on Carthaan by the Hierarchy. “Your ancestors fought as far as their honor required of them. The Hierarchy came in higher numbers and with more modern ships.”

She explained, “The colony’s defenders had a plan to minimize their advantage, but there were spies amongst them. Turians loyal to the Hierarchy who had biotic potential and hid in their ranks feeding the Hierarchy their intelligence.” Remani’s face grew more solemn, her green eyes looking past her son as she remembers the story passed from generation to generation. “Once the Hierarchy arrived, they were the first to attack from the ground, using their biotics to devastate the colonist’s defenses. It took only a few weeks for orbital strikes and scorched earth to completely wipe out the entire Colony. Thankfully our ancestors were able to get one of the last ships off world before the final assault. I don’t blame the Hierarchy for wanting peace, but those biotics were a cruel tactic. I’m glad they keep the biotics isolated now in the Cabal units, they should be kept in check and used as tools against our enemies, not ourselves.” These stories stuck with Atticus for most his childhood, up until the day he displayed his ability to use biotics himself when he was around 12.

Diomus went on leave to come home and discus what Atticus’ new abilities would mean for his future. They tried to hide it, but Atticus could often hear them arguing through the house. “There must have been an unaddressed Element Zero leak in the FTL drive of the Farikul when I was serving as FLT engineer. I didn’t think a short maintenance voyage like that would be long enough to expose him to too much inside the womb…” Remani dissented. Diomus was quick to reply, “Whatever caused it, he’s got the biotics and not cancer, so we should count our blessings, Rem. The Cabal program would make sure his biotics don’t get out of control and still provide him a promising career.” Atticus sat against the wall of his room with his legs hugged to his chest as he listened to his parents argue over what to do, anxious because of his mother’s stories of the Cabal.

“Or we hide it. Make him hide his biotics and just send him to basic training in a few years. Spirits willing, his abilities will fade from disuse.” Remani glanced to Diomus to see what his reaction to that option would be and to her surprise Diomus looked even more furious. “Rem… do you know what can happen to biotics who don’t get implants and aren’t taught how to control their abilities? They either end up accidently killing themselves or someone else. Do you really fear biotics so much you’d put our son’s life at risk to pretend he’s fine?” Atticus listened in anxiously to hear his mother’s reply, caring deeply for both their opinions on his situation. Though his heart sank when he heard her give a soft but serious, “Yes.”

Remani went back on active duty to escape the situation for awhile and left Atticus with his father. Kasis was told as well and agreed with Diomus that Atticus should get the training he needs with the Cabals. Once Atticus turned 15, he was enlisted to join them despite his mother’s disdain for the idea. He tried calling her before getting in the ship, since she was not with Diomus, Kasis, his base friends, and his grandparents to see him off, but she couldn’t, or wouldn’t answer. “Hey ma. I… Know you may not have wished this future for me, but it’s the future I have to face. I really want you to be a part of that future, so  please call me if you can. I’ll send you the address of the base if you want to visit sometime. Love you.” And after leaving that message, he let out a sigh and steeled himself before stepping onto the ship into the unknown future.

After a few months of introduction into the Cabal program, Atticus was scheduled to have his biotic amp implanted. Because of the rarity of Biotic Turians, the procedure can be dangerous, so Diomus and Kasis wanted to be there to support him. To all their surprise, Remani showed up to the operation as well. The first time any of them had seen her in over a year. “You’re biotic, but I wouldn’t forgive myself if our argument was the last you remembered, Atticus.” They could all tell she was uncomfortable here, but despite her words, she still never offered him any physical comfort even after he offered her a hug she slid away from it, barely looking him in the eyes. He then went into the operating room and when the operation was starting to go on longer than anticipated, his family began to worry. After several hours of waiting, the doctor finally came out to address them.

“Atticus is alive and healthy, and the amp has been successfully implanted.” He said in a formal tone, but his expression shifted as he looked over his omni-tool once more before looking up at them all again. “But for reasons we aren’t quite sure of, he seems to have lost his biotic potential.” Diomus and Kasis looked at eachother worriedly, but both were stunned when Remani let out an audible, “Oh, thank the Spirits.” All three of them looked at her curiously or in frustration before she sat back down in shame. Atticus was brought out and he greeted his family somberly. His father and sister were quick to comfort him, but Remani sat there, still refusing to look at him. “Mom. I thought this is what you wanted. I…Im not biotic anymore, why cant you look at me?” He asked through rising emotion. His eyes began to water as he looked to his mother for any kind of response, but she did not give any. “I’m not a monster from your stories… I’m your son. Please mom, look at me…” Atticus spoke through his tears as all eyes rested on Remani. She finally stood up, looked Atticus in the eyes with tears of her own and said, “I shouldn’t have come… I’m sorry.” Then rushed out of the building and off planet.

Atticus was devastated at his mother’s reaction but was kept from complete despair by his sister and dad taking the next few weeks to comfort him and help his transfer to a mainstream boot camp. Turians are taught to be resilient, but he was still only 15, and was greatly affected by this moment. Soon enough Remani also cut communication with Kasis and Diomus, leading to her and Atticus’ father to get a divorce. He was thankful to have his sister and father, and treasure them both to this day, but every so often his mind goes to his mother and their time on base before this all began. But through the support of his family, friends, and the stability of the military, he made peace with what happened and forgave his mother in his heart and through a voicemail he left her just before leaving for an undercover mission to Omega. “Hi, mom… It’s Atticus. I made it through training in the top of my class and served a good few years with Kas before specializing in sniper school, just like grandpa Sendal.” He chuckled softly. “I’ve been assigned on a secret mission in the Terminus Systems, so I wanted to let you know I forgive you. You’re my mom and despite your best efforts, I still love you. I wish you the best. Bye mom.” After ending the voicemail, he takes one last deep breath before running over to his young friend Damisius and his Captain Setara who were waving him over to their civilian starship.

[spaceouttatime]

Pspsps okay oc kwestshuns

For iterius:

💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

🥞 PANCAKE - what is their comfort breakfast?

🙊 SPEAK-NO-EVIL - what is something your oc will refuse to stay quiet about?

For sylvan:

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

🙉 HEAR-NO-EVIL - what is the worse thing your oc could hear from someone?

And for viktor:

💢 ANGER - what are some habits they have that will take some getting used to?

☕️ HOT BEVERAGE - do they prefer hot or cold drinks? what is their favourite drink?

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL - whats a side of your oc that they don't want to show other people?

Mwah, enjoy <3

Thank you for the character-building questions, dear! (and for letting me steal that emoji ask meme in general lmao)

For Iterius:

COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

Iterius struggles with vulnerability. For most of his life, he's outwardly repressed most emotions because they've either not been useful in whatever mission he's got himself set on completing or threatened the identity he's built as cold, calculative, and independent. - In reality, he struggles a lot with the grief, anxiety, and guilt that comes with being his father's son and trying to live up to his legacy. Aumius Ascensus was a decorated general in the turian fleet--a master marksman and leader. And while Iterius did end up becoming a Spectre for the Council later in life, for most of his adult years, he'd either been in the Cabals or doing mercenary work for whatever cause he found to be worthy. - His biotics developed late, and part of him still feels like they ruined his chance of leading the life he was supposed to. He'd been pulled from the Navy because of them, and he remains bitter over the fact that he'd likely disappointed Aumius simply by straying for the path they'd both set for him before the elder Ascensus had passed. Iterius had had potential to follow in his footsteps. - Not only that, but he'd ended up falling for a human, Viktor Lunetta, during the early years after first contact. Even now, after the war with the Reapers, there's a stigma against that sort of relationship. He struggles with a mix of sorrow and outrage about it all, but there's also this underlying feeling of guilt that, like when his biotics developed, he dishonored his father's memory. - But mostly, when it comes to Viktor, Iterius still struggles with the emotional vulnerability part. They care about one another a lot, but they're both very damaged people. And they're still learning how to heal.

PANCAKE - what is their comfort breakfast?

Pretty much the turian equivalent of an omelet! I've headcanoned that turians are primarily carnivorous but supplement their diet with fruits and nuts. He likes to add dextro-amino cheeses and fried meats similar to our bacon; his mum taught him how to cook early on, and he's not half bad. Iterius tends to stay on the lookout for any exports from Syglar, his home planet, as it is home to species, and therefore foods, not found anywhere else in the galaxy. His favorite type of eggs to use for omelets are from a large, ostrich-like bird native to Syglar, and the yolks are blue!

SPEAK NO EVIL - what is something your oc will refuse to stay quiet about?

Ascensus is an avid, AVID hater of the cold. Syglar is hot. Equatorial Palaven, during the years he trained there, was hot. And turians in general are sensitive to the cold. When he's assigned to travel to anywhere cold enough for it to snow, no matter how stoic and resilient he usually is on the job, the poor guy WILL be complaining the entire time. - Thankfully Viktor has caught on to this and tries to pack extra blankets if they're going to Noveria. All I'll say is that the captains' quarters on the Twelfth Labor has an absurd number of pillows and blankets.

For Sylvan (my shep <3):

LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show that they're lying?

He's a decent liar when it comes to important things, but he hates doing it. It's another reason Shepard hates playing diplomat, but, y'know, sometimes stakes are high and 'I punch things, not play politician' doesn't cut it. Thankfully, he doesn't have to do it all that often--he's one of those people whose emotions are pretty obvious if you know him well and get a good look at his eyes. They're his big tell, I guess. Very expressive. - Oh, but he can't tell a white lie for shit. He gets all awkward about it; the crew has and will continue to make jokes about how bad he is at it. Sylvan's also chronically dehydrated, so it's a good thing that all Chakwas has to do is ask him if he's drank water that day to get all the info she needs, whether he gives a straight answer or not.

SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood?what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

Shep had a good childhood on Mindoir: security, love, and a future. His mother and father were loving in that almost classic kind of way, even if they were a little overprotective, and he had two siblings, one of whom was his twin. - He lost everything in the slaver raids when he was 16. Everything besides the four-leaf clover his sister, Lorrie, had picked for him when they were little. Technically, the actual preserved plant was lost to time on Mindoir, but he has a tattoo on the back of his neck signifying it. After Cerberus rebuilt him, he had to get it redone. Garrus came with him, actually.

HEAR-NO-EVIL - what is the worst thing your oc could hear from someone?

Hm. I suppose something to do with his gender identity. Sylvan Shepard is a transgender man, and while I've taken liberties to assume people are more accepting in the 2180s, it would make him extremely uncomfortable to have that be public knowledge. Shep's a private person, and while he's comfortable with who he is, he'd much rather have the power to decide who he decides to trust with that information.

For Viktor:

ANGER - what are some habits they have that will take some getting used to?

Viktor is somewhat of a morning person. And by that, I mean to say that no matter what time he's waking up, he's going to get ready for the day. And while that's a fantastic trait as a pilot, it's not as fantastic a trait when his sleep-deprived biotic partner would much rather continue to rest in his nest of blankets at 6 in the morning. - Yes, turians need less sleep than humans. Nap Georg (Iterius) is an outlier and should not be counted.

HOT BEVERAGE - do they prefer hot or cold drinks? what is their favorite drink?

He's 100% a hot drink person. Despite being a morning person, Vik is also a caffeine addict. He likes his coffee black and bitter, and as long as it's better than the shitty ration coffee, it's good enough for him. - There's this place on the Citadel that sells coffee beans imported from Earth, and he never passes up the opportunity to snag a few bags, much to his blood pressure's dismay. Back during basic, he used to pay a guy off to get his unwanted rationed coffee. Desperate times.

SEE-NO-EVIL - what's a side of your oc that they don't want to show other people?

Viktor Lunetta can't stay in one place too long. His whole life has been moving from one spot to the next, whether back on Earth or traversing the stars during his Alliance days. He's restless, and sometimes it feels as if he's searching for something. Part of him worries he'll never retire--as long as there's a ship to fly and a bullet in his gun, he can't see himself settling down anywhere. Not really. - At least, it seems his employer doesn't plan on settling anytime soon, either. Their ever-changing crew and shared quarters are enough a home to Viktor.

[breadedsinner]

idk if it's anything you've thought about before, but what do you think Judy would be like as Shepard in a Mass Effect AU? she gives me the impression she'd be a soldier, and that she'd be very well-respected in the Alliance :) (also I want to say that I love your OCs dearly, and I respect your incredibly correct Blackwall and Sebastian opinions! they deserve more appreciation)

That's very kind, thank you so much!

I have given it a little thought! There's a few options:

-As Shepard, which... maybe a little jarring since Hawke's...trajectory is very off from Shepard's which is why conceptually I like them more lmao. BUT Judy Shepard would be a Vanguard. Likely from the colonies, her family wanted a fresh start, and she wants to support them while making a difference.... or this is tit for tat and they've all died, and she feels this is all she can do. She would take the honor of First Human Spectre very seriously, be mostly Paragon and... I'm gonna say Thane for romance.

-Could be non-Shepard, a colonist who went to Grissom with her sister, though she had a higher aptitude for using it in combat and joins the Alliance to support her family. Possibly signs up for the Andromeda Initiative, after losing her brother in the Battle of the Citadel.

-I have also imagined her as a turian, in which her name would be Judex (haha see what I did there), a Cabal Vanguard, not unlike Nyreen....hell I could picture her in such a scenario, becoming disenchanted with the military, but that experience is put to work, making a group of mercenaries more effective.....she would NEVER date someone like Aria though. She wants a partner who sees things her way, not a fan of Opposites Attract.