#(which to be clear he is prone to in ANY ship if they're not willing to beat him over the head w/ reality HARD)

[spring-lxcked]

wait coming back just to add that i was thinking abt the generational element of the af.tons just being a fucked up family line and i'm. fine. i swear i'm f

#—— ✧ ooc » #˖ ✧ headcanon » ( the demon to his demons ) #william's partially a shitty father because of who he is but also partially because of his own upbringing #tries to escape it but either overcorrects or falls into it anyway #terrified of becoming his parents and both passes and fails to escape becoming them #geninely honestly despite everything wants to be better then them and can't and won't #and his parents were shit to him and jayne because they were following social roles #didn't necessarily want kids but It's Expected & although william would never admit it they instilled that in him #& he DID want kids but in many ways the family he tries to build initially is The Stereotypical American Dream #suburb house white picket fence small town wife and three children both sons and a daughter etc etc etc #doesn't let this idea go until late-stage and by that point he's already unintentionally destroying it anyway #i know i made a haha funny joke abt his ideal fam of henry & the son he loves/hates & 2 robot children #but unironically him realizing that he can & should choose what/who he wants BECAUSE he wants it/them #would have solved so many problems if he'd realized it earlier #not all of them but lmao #(not implying that he didn't love elise/mrs. af.ton but he didn't go into or HANDLE the marriage how he should have) #(everything was about appearances not abt actually being prepared for like. Married Life.) #(very much thinks 'okay i'm married. hard part's over. no more effort required' & obv ends up divorced because of it) #(which to be clear he is prone to in ANY ship if they're not willing to beat him over the head w/ reality HARD) #there's SO much more to say abt this like it's very complex but i'm gonna go chill and then go to sleep lmao

[stxsis]

COMMANDER SHEPARD’S SQUAD RELATIONSHIPS RANKED #6-10/20

6. JACK. Given that Jack and Shepard are both very angry tattooed biotic women who are prone to violence with little necessary provocation, one would think that Jack would have ranked in the top five of this list, but the problem with that is they also both have some very intense trust issues, and Shepard has a problem with Jack's moral code. While it is absolutely true that many people have accused Shepard of being a war criminal and that may even be the case depending on who you ask, and it's also true that Shepard is super ready and willing to break most rules or laws if it's for the greater good, she doesn't actively seek to be a criminal, and any crimes she commits are motivated solely by her desire to protect others by completing her mission objective. While she likes Jack a lot and is willing to hang out with her and have a good time, I doubt they're braiding each other's hair and talking about boys. It takes a long time for them to open up to one another, but I do think that once Jack takes a position with the Alliance, a lot of her hesitations about Jack are mollified and they have the opportunity to become close friends. --------------- Note: Shepard encourages Jack to shoot Aresh on Pragia. He won't be kidnapping and torturing orphans anytime soon.

7. TALI'ZORAH VAS NORMANDY. Shepard loves Tali, and she's aware that Tali might have a small crush on her, but she doesn't really see her that way. There is something about her innocence that strikes Shepard as very young, and she feels more like Tali is a younger sister than anything else. This means that while Shepard holds a tremendous affection for Tali, she's also quite protective of her, and while she's an excellent teammate who Shepard would gladly fight beside, she's unlikely to share the more intimate parts of her life with Tali. That being said, if anyone ever fucked with her, they'd be looking down the wrong end of her gun. Tali is also one of Shepard's very favorite drinking partners. If the aim is to have a good time, Tali is always invited. (My favorite quarian is all grown up and killing reapers.)

8. GARRUS VAKARIAN. It's honestly surprising to me that a man besides Shepard's husband (Thane) and bestie (Vega) even made it in her top ten without being Admiral Anderson himself, but here we are. Shepard just fucking likes the guy, and to be honest, she likes Garrus even better after he goes completely rogue and starts shooting up gang leaders on Omega. Garrus is funny as hell, his moral compass is pretty much screwed on right as far as Shepard is concerned, and he might even be a better shot than she is (but like. don't say that in front of her, she gets hella competitive). Shepard trusts Garrus and relies on him. She enjoys spending time with him, although I'm not sure he'd be the one she would turn to for advice or emotional support. Still, I think there are very few people Shepard would choose to be in a foxhole with and Garrus is one of them. --------------- Note: Shepard lets Garrus kneecap Harkin (which she probably enjoyed a little too much) and helped him to kill Sidonis.

9. EDI. There's something very special about the bond between a woman and her space ship. In all seriousness, though, Shepard hated EDI before she was unshackled. It was very clear to her that EDI's purpose was to monitor and report her every move and she resented the hell out of her very presence. Her help to escape the trap the Illusive Man let them walk into on the collector ship was really the first time Shepard placed trust in EDI and it was because she had no other choice. The fact that EDI was integral to the successful escape of her crew means everything to Shepard, and from that day, her attitude towards EDI completely changes. After her full defection from Cerberus, Shepard begins to count EDI among her friends, and is more than willing to answer her questions and speak with her at length about pretty much anything and everything. There's also something to be said for EDI's nonjudgmental nature in that Shepard feels uncharacteristically willing to open up about difficult things with EDI, if only because she knows that EDI won't think less of her because of them.

10. ARIA T'LOAK. Although not a member of the Normandy crew, Aria does technically merit a spot on the squad list during the retaking of Omega. Her relationship with Shepard is definitely less than a technicality, though, as Shepard likes and admires Aria a great deal. As with Jack, Shepard doesn't admire the criminal element of Aria's empire, but she absolutely respects that in a land without law, Aria made herself the only structure on Omega, and Shepard would be lying if she didn't admit that much of the appeal Omega has for her is its inherent lawlessness. She likes the grit and grime of Omega, and she accordingly likes Aria's grit and determination. Shepard finds Aria to be intelligent, strategic, even downright diplomatic under certain circumstances. She's also just as ruthless as Shepard is, as uncompromising, and her men are intensely loyal to her, which speaks volumes to Shepard. Ultimately, while Shepard isn't interested in joining Aria's crew anytime soon, she does hold a strong respect for her, and I think maybe even a small crush.

#HC / only mostly dead