#He's still a soldier. Especially in me1

[husband-steve-cortez]

Shoulder devil that sounds a lot like Javik and shoulder angel that sounds a lot like Kaidan. Is that anything.

#Kaidan isn't necessarily as angelic as people (me included) make him out to be #He's still a soldier. Especially in me1 #integrity is important to Kaidan but he's not an especially saintly moral center. That's not really mass effect's vibe #even a paragon is still a soldier #but this is about Miles and Miles thinks of him that way.

[sol-consort]

Can you imagine tho the aliens reactions when humans all start collectively singing the same song. Like it’s busy in the bar or something, everyone’s doing their own thing, and suddenly Bohemian Rhapsody comes on and every single human in the bar stops what they’re doing to sing along like we’re compelled by some unseen force to do it, maybe some try to pull in their non human friends and get them to join in

You know for a fact Joker and Shepard definitely sang to some stupid y2k songs while sitting on the helm together and roped EDI into joining them.

Especially the meme songs, what's better than a whole ship captain and their pilot singing along to "I LOVE IT!" By Icona pop and Joker really bringing out the vocal cords in the "I CRASHED MY CAR INTO THE BRIDGE. I WATCHED AND LET IT BURN" while in the lower engineering decks, they're not sure why Liara keeps pinging them all panicking and saying "check on joker pls" and "is element zero inflammable?" and "coordinates for the nearest bridge?"

Humans L O V E joint community behaviour. We would do so many things for the bit, walk slower if we hear a song we like in a nearby shop, sing along if it's in a bar or a concert, drum our fingers to the beat if we're in a car with a strangers, have a rhythm to our footsteps when listening to music through headphones.

There are so many different songs, so many different instruments! A vast ocean of potential with more than a 100k songs being uploaded per day based on Spotify.

Hell have you seen these videos of military marches where the soldiers have to sing along to something like "I'm a barbie girl" or "call me maybe" and not laugh as a way to build discipline?

I bet you alliance marines still use the same technique with humans, so all the alliance ships and personals have so many songs memorised back from their training days.

Captian Anderson taking the crew to after a successful mission to unwind and the bar just happened to play a tone familiar to the human ear? Of course the literal whole drunk crew of the Normandy will sing like their it's their last day alive. Some yelling, some quietly, some so offbeat but confident and others nailing the beat perfectly but don't wanna look like show offs.

Humans are so adorable omfg, they love doing things in groups and they'd join stranger humans in singing along to a song they like. Humans love playing even as adults and singing is just a form of play. So is poker, billiard and so many things.

Garrus would definitely be roped into it, give him a hard hitting song about being a winner and he's so on board with the rowdy humans tugging him along to join and commenting on how they've never heard a turian sing before.

Tali would be so shy about it but maybe if it's a nerdy song about something she loves? Some human must have wanted to fuck spaceships and wrote something about it.

Oh and parades and ceremonies too! World cup opening and closing songs! The fan cheers in matches and concerts! Humans invented being cheerleaders and each human has one inside them ready to come out the second their alien friend is hesitant about something and needs a bit of enabling from good old chaotic humans.

Dude, just imagine karaoke night with all human songs. In ME1 boring rover planet exploration, Shepard and Ashley definitely sing along to a playlist they had Kaidan install into the car and he snuck some of his favourite songs in their to join them with.

With time and cycling team members, at first, the aliens are weirded out, wtf is this some kind of cult.

But then they're like.

And it just becomes a tradition to sing along while on long car rides on planets. Sometimes, you catch Wrex humming the lyrics while on long elevator rides. Other times, Liara will have the song playing in the background while she works.

It's just so fun to introduce the aliens to how colorful life can be when you sing along, dance without knowing all the steps and being a silly little race.

On a less pop and enthusiast drunks note.

There are also the emotional songs, ones from sad movies or plays. The known songs people play in wedding slow dances or after a break up. A bunch of humans would sing it slowly, lovingly, emotions showing through the sheer importance this song ment for them.

#☆several characters #☆garrus #☆Wrex #☆Ashley #☆Tali #☆Liara #☆Kaidan #☆shepard reader #☆humans #☆human kink #☆fluff

[clericofshadows]

Do you mind sharing the tea about Regis and Garrus

I don't mind at all, anon :)

tbh a lot of Regis's feelings on Garrus are an extension of my own feelings which are: I don't like him and I find him boring and annoying. and a bit whiny about "justice" and shit.

but to look at it from Regis's perspective in a rambling post under the cut:

In ME1, Regis does not follow up on Garrus's lead first. He finds Wrex and Tali first, which is sufficient enough for him, and gets ready to go on the mission as a new Spectre. Garrus will stop you at the elevator if you didn't recruit him and stays in C-Sec if you change your mind. Regis refuses his offer, saying he works best with a smaller team (which is true, he hates the large group in ME2 even if it is technically necessary). With his newfound powers, back on the Normandy, he pulls up Garrus's C-Sec file, and based on comments his father made in Garrus's comic, Regis refuses to entertain the idea of recruiting him after reading about his disregard for rules all for his idea of justice.

He casts Vakarian out of his mind, and is essentially forgotten by the end of Saren's mission.

In ME2, Regis recruits Archangel fairly early on after getting Zaeed, Kasumi, and Mordin on his crew. He doesn't necessarily like the idea of recruiting a vigilante, but maybe there's more to the story.

And well, we all know how the recruitment mission goes. Regis doesn't immediately recognize Garrus, and instead asks who he is, only getting a vague recollection. Vakarian jogs his memory, and Regis has a moment where he wonders why the hell a C-Sec officer decided going to Omega is a good idea but casts the thought aside for now.

After the mission, he gives Vakarian medical attention and after he heals up, he sizes him up. He confronts him directly about his C-Sec file and some of his cases that Regis read about, recalling what he saw in his file. From there, it is basically a clash of ideas and differing morals/opinions, Vakarian assuming that as the Butcher of Torfan and generally having more 'renegade' tendencies that they would be of the same mind, but in reality, Regis refuses to sacrifice civilian lives and will always look for another way if at all possible. He's not as "murderous" as people think he is. Torfan was a choice he made knowing he'll be sacrificing Alliance lives, but he did it because he knew it would save far more lives in the end. The soldiers knew the score. Civilians don't. (Which makes Zaeed's loyalty mission something very interesting to tackle, especially as Regis and Zaeed are becoming lovers again. I have some ideas for that).

Their relationship comes to a head in the loyalty mission, and Regis refuses to entertain the idea of being part of an execution without having all the details, so he more or less tells Vakarian that if you want his help, you'll listen to him.

So, when Regis tries to signal him to stand down and not shoot Sidonis, Garrus does it anyway, thus making him effectively "un-loyal" and Regis keeps him out of his main squad rotation since he couldn't follow a basic order. I wish more of the loyal missions had fail conditions like this, would've made the game more interesting IMO, especially if you never took them on missions and so they wouldn't necessarily trust you the same way another character who had been on more missions.

Anyway, as my suicide mission is not perfect and well, it's not a golden outcome, Garrus dies as the crew escort, Grunt dies on the hold the line segment, and Legion dies as one of the squadmates part of the final fight. All thanks to Risky Suicide Mission lol. Will it happen exactly like that in Regis's fics? Probably not, but that's how it happened in game.

I effectively ignore Garrus in my playthroughs, so that's basically what Regis does. Not as much drama as the Liara stuff, but still, even on my non-Regis playthroughs he never gets recruited and dies on the suicide mission, since it's the only way to remove the forced best-friend bullshit between them that I don't like.

#ask #anon #regis shepard

[death-rebirth-senshi]

Also not over me3 just giving Ashley Zaeed's kit.

I mean James just has Grunt's kit and like, I get why they'd make him the tank soldier and give Ashley more in the way of DPS to differentiate the two (though with Garrus' AP Ammo he's winning that contest unfortunately) and that's fine, sniper rifle and assault rifle is likely how you'd spec her in me1, weapon DPS has always been the standout thing of the Soldier class and it's not really a tank class anyway especially as the series progresses (that goes to sentinel + vanguard)

But Ashley is still also a tank to me.

#me vs me3 #fairly sure marksman is a useless power to give to a squadmate #and I've heard it's bugged on Ashley specifically but still #I do think Ashley's health is decent and like I said. I'm fine with her being dps #best gunner #I don't *use* fortification on James because you hardly need a tank like you do in me2 #and fortification is better for Grunt because he charges enemies because he's a Krogan #and on that note obviously Wrex is the *better* tank as a Vanguard with immunity and healing and barrier

[dispatchwithlove]

I discovered your Cases series recently after I finishedy playthrough of ME1 and 2 and am at Priority Earth on 3. And I am head over heels in love with your portrayal of Vakarian. I love him the way he is in the games of course, but there's something special about the way you write him especially that endears him even more to me. It's like he's still that same little shit from 1 but maintains that maturity through the other two games minus the Reaper-induced trauma and Sidonis' betrayal. And Jane, oh I adore Jane so so much! She's so kind and bouncy and made of sunshine and she has this gravitational pull to her that just makes her so irresistible. Her relationships with not just Garrus but with the other characters as well really shine through her interactions with them. I just really really love the way you write.

First, so sorry it took me so long to reply to this. I have butterflies in my brain and I get so distracted in life! I hope the end of ME3 went well! I've only finished it once and was very careful to get the ending I wanted (and I pretend the bad stuff doesn't actually happen, is it obvious why I write fanfiction and au specifically, lol). I definitely don't think of writing Garrus as more in line with his canon personality as much as I should! He's become my own little version of what Garrus might be with a very different history. I'm glad a little bit of his bratty attitude carries through! And while I have sort of worked in betrayal trauma via his ex who abandoned him, that's no where near as bad as his team being trapped and killed! I'm just ecstatic that you like Garrus as I write him 😊 And au detective Jane is just worlds different than how I'd write canon Shepard (I think, lol...I don't write her much so I can't be 100% sure). Detective Jane has so much less trauma and doesn't need to be a tough soldier. She's also not in charge of much, and I think that level of responsibility and military leader holds makes a huge impact on who they are. So, Detective Jane has room to be a bouncy ray of sunshine who makes people happy. I see that as something innate in Shepard whether in canon or au -- she's someone who wants to make the world a better place. Detective Jane accomplishes that through spreading kindness and happiness. So happy you enjoy the way I write. This comment gave me a huge smile and a big boost of confidence! I'm thrilled that I can share stories with you and that you enjoy them ❤️

#asks and replies #shakarian #shepard x garrus #garrus x shepard #garrus vakarian #shepard #canon vs au #the cases of shepard and vakarian

[dalekofchaos]

What would you say are the biggest mistakes Mass Effect 3 made?

Okay this is going to be a long one, but these would be the biggest mistakes ME3 ever made in my opinion

Choosing Cerberus over The Reapers. The thing that annoyed me most about ME3 is the fact that Harbinger is not the main threat. The Illusive Man is. Harbinger has been built up as the big bad since ME2. "YOU HAVE FAILED. WE WILL FIND ANOTHER WAY." He says as he discards the Collectors. Then his speech to Shepard as the base blows up. "Human, you've changed nothing. Your species has the attention of those infinitely your greater. That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction. You will surrender your potential against the growing void. We return, and you will rise. We are the harbinger of your perfection. We will bring your species into harmony with our own. Your species will be raised to a new existence. We are the beginning, you will be the end. Prepare for our domination. Prepare for our coming." Then in Arrival, he came pretty damn close to unleashing quick subjugation and harvest upon an unprepared galaxy. Upon Shepard foiling his plans. "Shepard. You have become an annoyance. You fight against inevitability. Dust struggling against cosmic winds. This seems a victory to you. A star system sacrificed. But even now, your greatest civilizations are doomed to fall. Your leaders will beg to serve us. Know this as you die in vain: Your time will come. Your species will fall. Prepare yourselves for the Arrival." The perfect final villain right? Unfortunately, Cerberus was more focused on than The Reapers. My problem with Cerberus and no Harbinger is Too many Cerberus, too few Reaper forces in plot. We fight Cerberus more often than the reapers. Hardly any boss fight and the one with Reaper Destroyer on Rannoch was more an interactive movie than fight. During the Horizon mission in Mass Effect 2, Harbinger was solidified as the Big Bad. It was menacing and ominous, with just the right amount of annoying. It taunted us throughout the game, telling us how insignificant we were, and how our actions were pointless. It was willing to posses drones through the Collector General to fight us personally, and when we killed the host, it tossed them aside. Harbinger even gave the typical “You haven’t seen the last of me!” villain rant. It made any fire fight frustrating, and that made me want to kill it even more; I hated Harbinger. Many games fail to do that. Harbinger was an enemy which I looked forward to defeating. I had the desire to annihilate. In Mass Effect 3, I got a codex entry and a cameo. Harbinger just swoops in at the last second and blows my friends and I to hell(and lets the Normandy save them), then flies off. Personally, I would have loved to hear Harbinger’s menacing monologue, it drove me on. I would have felt a deeper motivation to take the fight back to Earth if it told me how much destruction the Reapers were causing, how many lives were lost. I felt cheated when I got to the final mission, only to suddenly realize it was largely absent from the game. Harbinger has been replaced. Replaced by the Illusive Man and Kai Leng. The former is an old acquaintance, albeit one now controlled by the Reapers. The latter is a space ninja from a terrible book. What would've been amazing is if Harbinger IS the Catalyst. Harbinger taunts and haunts Shepard throughout the game He uses the memory of that child to haunt Shepard as a symbol of humanity lost. After Shepard activates the Crucible. Harbinger appears. He explains to why and how The Reapers were made. the AI Leviathan created to solve the equation is Harbinger all along, Harbinger manipulated The Leviathan into giving it Reaper form and birth at first it did what it commanded and what they asked of it was to look at the dark energy building up which back then was only an anomaly that Leviathan was concerned with but then the first harvest began and Harbinger and The Reapers were born. Funny enough, Leviathan reminds me so much of FMA:Brotherhood. The Intelligence tricked Leviathan to create the Reaper is very similar to how the Dwarf in the flask became Father. So what I think should have happened is it would've been revealed that Harbinger is the AI that convinced the Leviathan that harvest was the only way to survive and justifies the harvests not because organics and synthetics can't coexist, but because of the dark matter crisis. Throughout the game we would have more confrontations with Harbinger. Have him "ASSUME CONTROL" during fights. Give us a voiced confrontation between Shepard and Harbinger. Make it clear that Harbinger chose The Illusive Man and convinced him of together they could uplift and empower humanity over the lesser races. The Illusive Man is to Harbinger, as what Saren was for Soverign. Then the Crucible will grant us the choice to Destroy or Control The Reapers or Harvest this cycle to survive the Dark Matter crisis. You could either. Destroy Harbinger and The Reapers, while the united races would discover a way to stop the dark matter problem. Give in to Harbinger to harvest humanity to save the galaxy. Control The Reapers to stop the harvesting and to work together to stop the dark matter crisis.

Choosing to have a smaller crew than ME2 and focusing solely on the ME1 characters and screwing over or ignoring the ME2 crew, especially romancing Jack, Miranda and Thane. If it were up to me, this is what my ideal ME3 line up would be Ashley/Kaidan EDI Garrus Liara Tali Javik Jack Miranda Thane(EA forgot about him and simply chose to kill him off, I think Thane could’ve rejoined the crew and even had a mission where we find a cure for Thane and Kolyat) Grunt Mordin(you'll see how later) Legion(You'll see later) Balak or any Batarian Squadmember. Ideally it would be someone who survived the Bahak system or even a Batarian freedom fighter who puts his people’s survival over the pride and prejudices of the Hegemony. His sole goal is to liberate Khar'shan and save his people. But for a more memorable person, Balak would be the squad member. I would make killing Balak not an option. The last high ranking officer in the Hegemony. Instead of causing deaths on the Citadel, he seeks Shepard out. It’s an enemy of my enemy is my friend. Over time, Balak would show remorse for his past actions as a terrorist and for the Hegemony’s past. Shepard and Balak learns to overcome their differences and see each other as friend and works together to destroy the Reapers. We would get a Priority Khar’shan where we could liberate the planet and the Batarians would be in a fighting force.

Keeping James alive. I like James, but he added absolutely nothing to the game. We already had an Alliance character. Ashley Williams/Kaidan Alenko. James should have been the Jenkins/Wilson of the game. He should have died in the crash to take out Eva and Ashley/Kaidan should have been with us from beginning to end. James is a character we barely know. We’ve waited a long ass time to see Ashley/Kaidan and it was downright disappointing that neither Ashley nor Kaidan did not get to interact with Garrus on Priority Palaven and Wrex during Priority S’Urkesh.

Mirandafying Ashley Williams. Mirandafying Ashley Williams for Mass Effect 3 was shallow and unnecessary. Wearing loose and long hair and skimpy clothing? Ashley Williams is a by the books soldier. She would not look like this. She would not grow her hair or let it down like this. I mean, it’s not that they changed her face so much, but they just tried too hard with the makeup, hair and outfit. Ashley didn’t need to be model-sexy and run around in heels and showing cleavage. She was already sexy as hell in her own way. All they needed to do was give her the Alliance Crewmen outfit as her casual look and the Phoenix Armor and the current Alliance type armor she was given in ME3, as well as a unique Spectre armor. It's not just the shallow Mirandafying. It's the fact that Ashley has little to no interactions. Ashley barely has any interactions in the game. Compared to Kaidan, Ashley is not interactable. I don't like that Ashley barely has any interactions and just feels...hollow. Ashley should have crew moments with Joker, Adams, Ashley at the monument mourning those who died with the original Normandy, Liara, Tali and Garrus. Was it so much to ask for simple interactions? And really, Ashley in the first game had a personality, Ashley in ME3 feels hollow.

Choosing Diana Allers over Emily Wong and Khalisah al-Jilani. Emily and Khalisah are two reporters we actually know and respect. They earned their place on the Normandy. Emily reported on crime and traffic controllers. Khalisah gave us hard hitting questions and actually cared about reporting on what the fuck was going on in the galaxy. They earned their place on the Normandy as far as I'm concerned. Compare that to Diana Allers. What has Diana Allers done to deserve a spot on the Normandy? Nothing. They created the Battlespace to make her seem like a hip and cool Alliance News Correspondent. Allers looked, weird and she just comes off as annoying and she's a waste of space on the Normandy when we could've had a whole new or returning squad member. God, I WISH Javik could throw her out the fucking airlock. You had TWO perfectly great reporter characters and you did jackshit for any of them. Just so you could have an excuse to hire Jessica Chobot.

Not letting us see Tali's face on Rannoch. Legendary Edition fixed the mistake by finally showing us Tali's face, but it's still exclusive to Shali romancers. What should have happened was we see Tali's face when she unmasks on Rannoch. If we don't romance her, she unmasks and gives us a smile. If we romance her we see her face and kiss her. Something simple like that. It would've been great to see

Not having the ME2 squad members join in on the Citadel DLC. I mean for fuck's sake, it's like they want us to know "fuck you, ME1 squadmembers only" Again, why? Why wasn’t Jack, Miranda, Grunt, Samara, Jacob, Zaeed and Kasumi not added? If we romanced Jack or Miranda, why didn't they come to save us when we were being hunted? Why not REALLY making it feel like Team Hammerhead by actually adding the ME2 Squad members to the Citadel DLC before the party? There was no reason why you couldn't include the ME2 squad members in the Citadel DLC

Making Cerberus the villains instead of uneasy allies, when The Batarians were the perfect allies for The Reapers. This might just be me but I think Cerberus should have been on our side in ME3 and The Batarians should have been fighting for The Reapers. Makes sense Cerberus has just been a rouge organization doing what the job no matter what the cost(even if the cost is atrocities) and instead of indoctrinating themselves they could of studied it to make themselves immune to indoctrination and The Illusive Man's goal was to use any means necessary in order to destroy The Reapers. I also like the idea that you know you can't trust him, but he does get results. The Council and The Alliance are desperate, so they accept a partnership with Cerberus. The Batarians have always held a grudge against The Alliance, The Council and would have wanted revenge for Bahak/ Viper Nebula. The fact that there are no consequences for what we had to do in Arrival from The Batarians just doesn't make any sense and you'd think this would give The Batarians the motive to turn to The Reapers. Hell in the Terra Nova DLC in Mass Effect 1 it seemed to me that Balak was already indoctrinated and Balak’s revelation of the “Batarian rebellion” makes it seem like they would be the perfect tools for The Reapers. Balak will be the new Saren figure. If you killed Balak, then The Reapers would just bring him back. The first act of war for the Batarians was the destruction of the Viper Nebula, so their retaliation was killing Udina. Prior to the Reaper invasion of Earth, Udina would go to Omega to make peace talks with Aria. The Batarians attack and gain control of Omega, Aria is ousted(but saved by General Petrovsky) and Udina is executed live for the galaxy to see. Because of Udina's execution and Anderson leading the resistance on Earth. The Illusive Man is now the Human Councilor. Miranda and Kai Leng would be squad members. Depending on if you gave TIM the Collector Base or destroyed it, he will either keep you in the dark or help you at every turn. Just think of the Cerberus War Assets Cerberus Scientists General Oleg Petrovsky Collector Base Cerberus Fighters Cerberus Phantoms Cerberus Engineers Project Phoenix We would get a big mission to deal with the Batarians, Priority:Khar'shan. If you do not deal with the Batarians, there will be major casualties. However half of the Batarian forces are not indoctrinated and just want to end the mistakes of their government and live. Balak wants to kill the rebellion of his people. Ironic. Somehow Balak has placed enough bombs on the planet to destroy everyone who is resisting Reaper indoctrination. We can either. Talk Balak out of it. Telling him to resist and fight for your people(which WOULD gain Balak as an ally) or talk Balak into killing himself. Or the true Renegade option is to kill Balak and order a strike that wipes out the Batarian forces, but sacrificing the Batarian Rebellion. By the time we get to Priority Earth everyone is on the same page and united against the true threat, The Reapers. And it is Harbinger who is the final boss

Not having Maelon be there with Mordin in ME3. This isn't really a problem, but I had a thought. If we spared Maelon and kept Maelon's data for the cure. Maelon should have been on board to help Mordin with the cure. If we warn Mordin and Maelon about the sabotage, then Maelon would choose to sacrifice himself to save Mordin. And after that, Mordin would choose to join Shepard's crew.

Legion's "death" is pointless. He....is software. He could easily copy and paste The Reaper code without sacrificing himself in the same manner when he was broadcasting the Reaper signal to all Geth. Or he could've disseminated himself after he made a copy and transfer that copy over to his platform. I just get the feeling that they didn't want to keep Mordin, Thane or Legion alive....for reasons.

#Mass Effect #Mass Effect Legendary Edition #Mass Effect 3 #Ashley Williams #Kaidan Alenko #Commander Shepard #Femshep #Harbinger #Miranda Lawson #Jacqueline Nought #Tali'Zorah #Garrus Vakarian #Urdnot Grunt #Mordin Solus #Thane Krios #Legion #Emily Wong #Khalisah al Jilani #Ka'hairal Balak

[ljandersen]

Do you think Kaidan also went through N training at some point? I've seen fics where he's apparently gone through it, but couldn't find anything in canon about it.

Hi, anon! Ooh, a question. Fun! Thank you for thinking of me.

Do I think Kaidan is N-trained?  In short, no.

There isn't evidence disproving that he's N trained, but there isn’t evidence suggesting he's N trained either. If anything, the lack of any indication he has N training is proof in itself.

For one, none of the characters associated with N training ever include Kaidan as if he’s a member. James goes to Shepard with his N questions. He never mentions or refers to Kaidan's experience. Neither Anderson nor Shepard mention Kaidan being N trained.

It's not mentioned in his background anywhere. It's said he has over a dozen special commendations. He does get involved in special operations, even leading the first Special Operation Biotic Company, but this doesn't require an N designation.  Unless he failed out before qualifying as a N1, it seems like something that would be included in his history.  

In ME1, he specifically says he’s been holding back up to this point in using his biotics offensively.  Jenkins is the first soldier he’s lost to hostile action.  None of these suggest to me someone who’s undergone rigorous N spec ops training, where holding back would probably limit being accepted.  Some N operatives may not have seen someone die due to hostile action, but it’s at least more likely with a N trained operative than a general marine.  It seems like Kaidan is still coming into his own in biotic combat in ME1.

If anything, I wonder if health concerns over his L2 implant may not disqualify him.  N operatives frequently lead high-risk, high-priority missions either independently or in charge of a small groups. The whole mission hinges on that one person. Having a serious pre-existing health condition, especially one triggerable on the field (light, sound, stress, etc.), would be a serious concern. 

 While he may function well on a team or even in a leadership position commanding a unit, I think special forces may rely heavier on single-person performance under high-strain situations.  Conditions on those high risk N missions maybe be more likely to trigger an attack than typical combat.   Alone, disabled, and with the whole mission riding on him achieve a specific task, it could be disastrous.

Even if was accepted to apply, I don't know if he could pass N training with his health condition. If Wiki is correct, it says this about N1 training:

"If this is their first time at the school, trainees participate in scenarios experienced by the elite units of most land-based armies; a typical candidate may be in training more than 20 hours a day, leading small units into combat over hostile terrain with little sleep or food. Trainees who do well are awarded an internal designation of N1 and are invited to return."

While Kaidan is obviously a tough person, who's gone through basic and performs well as a marine on the field, I don't know if he could push himself to operate with 4 hours of sleep a day and hardly any food. My sister has terrible migraines, and she has to careful judge her sleep cycle and the timing of her meals. If she doesn't get enough sleep or oversleeps, she gets a migraine. If she misses a meal, she gets a migraine. 

Obviously, Kaidan would face those issues while on the field as a general marine, but I don't think it would be to the same extent as here.  If on the field in these conditions, a migraine could be dealt with, either supported by his team and medication.  Or, if extreme, by evacuation.  As a N candidate under these conditions, a bad migraine affecting his performance would simply disqualify him.

It also says about higher level N training:

"The highest grade of training, N6, provides actual combat experience in conflict zones throughout the galaxy. From day one, invitees are given basic gear, then separated and stranded on an asteroid with no nav data. The test ends when the last person runs out of oxygen. The first few are out of the program. If the trainee survives these scenarios in "admirable and effective fashion," they finally receive the coveted N7 designation."

I imagine every N operative enters training with the intention of becoming a N7. No one thinks, "Yeah, I'll join, but I only want to be a N4." Everyone is shooting for the top. In that case, if Kaidan wanted to become a N7, that means he'd be stranded alone on an asteroid and rationing oxygen. I think the hypoxia alone could be a huge trigger for a bad migraine.

Overall, I don't think there's any evidence to suggest Kaidan entered N training. Moreover, I suspect he may not qualify due to health concerns. If he did qualify, I don't know if he'd get pass the extreme conditions to get even a N1 designation.

Now that sounds like I'm looking down on Kaidan and what he can do having a migraine condition, but I'm really not. He obviously has found a way to function effectively as a marine. He assures Shepard he won't be a burden on the crew, if Shepard was worried.   He received all those commendations and jumps up the ranks fast.  He obviously functions well and deserves his position as a marine.  But the military is strict with health limitations, and I think N training may be the point where the line is drawn.  It’s just too risky for him and the mission.

I think what opportunities Kaidan lacks due to his L2 implant, he makes up for with his outstanding leadership skills, level-headed resourcefulness, and intuitiveness for politics and tact.  Through ME1, he is frequently dissecting Council and Alliance motivation and power-plays.  He’s open minded, fair, and progressive in the larger picture, long-term goals of the Alliance.  He takes time considering all of the political players involved and giving the benefit of a doubt to aliens in their actions toward humanity.  

To me, he makes an excellent candidate for Spectre for his political saavy in addition to his leadership skills, lack of racial bias, self-accountability, determination, and independent decision making.  He thinks for himself beyond blindly accepting orders.  He is willing to take those convictions to the level of breaking rules and confronting superiors.  Those are important for a Spectre, and his moral self-accountability will ensure he has proper discernment in how he uses his powers.  He obviously has good fighting skills and ability to lead on the field despite his health condition, because he jumps so many Alliance ranks.  He learns to Reave and is teaching other spec op biotics.  He’s very capable both on a political intellectual level and physically with skills and ability.

While he may not, in my opinion, match well with the rigors and high-intensity of N training, he’s an exceptional option for a high leadership positions within the Alliance and for promoting galactic interests as a Spectre.  

Thank you for the ask!!!

#anon ask #Kaidan Alenko #Mass Effect #kaidan alenko meta #n7 training #spectre appointment #anon #Personal opinion #character meta

[effectingsomedragons]

Mass Effect Trilogy Tag

Tagged by: @nicolasadrabbles

I actually got into the game just after ME2 came out in 2010, when I'd bought a 360 for a much anticipated G1-based Transformers game I'd preordered. I wanted a game to play while I waited and a friend recommended Mass Effect. From that point on, I was hooked.

Favorite game of the series: Mass Effect 2. It's more character driven, sure, but I really like being able to build up relationships and the focus on learning more about the truth of what happened to the Protheans.

MaleShep or FemShep?: I've always played with femShep, and I'll always play femShep in the future.

Earthborn, Colonist or Spacer?: My two main Shepards are Spacer and Colonist respectively, and I like them both for entirely different reasons, and for entirely different levels of angst.

Paragon or Renegade?: I am physically incapable of being intentionally mean to a character in a video game, so most of my playthroughs are overwhelmingly Paragon. Desi leans a little more Paragade but still overall pretty blue.

Biotics or Tech?: Hilariously, for my main Shepard, neither. She's a soldier and she is totally fine with shooting and/or punching a problem she can't talk down until it stops being a problem. But if I had to personally pick, biotics.

Favorite class: Soldier. I know it's the stock Basic Bitch class but it's honestly really fun, and it's just hilarious that this Just A Guy soldier would become the savior of the galaxy when surrounded by space wizards and tech geniuses.

Favorite companion: Garrus is definitely top of the list, followed immediately after by Tali and Kasumi, depending on the mission. They all had some of the best dialogue, and I am terrible at balancing a party.

Least favorite companion: Vega. I love him as a character, but I really was just generally frustrated that he took up the tank slot normally filled by a krogan, and we were denied Baby Boy Grunt. Still love him though.

My squad selection: ME1 - Garrus and Wrex or Garrus and Tali, sometimes Wrex and Tali, ME2 - Garrus and Tali, usually, but occasionally Zaeed and Kasumi for shits and giggles, ME3 - I weirdly never had a set squad but I did usually have Garrus with me.

Favorite in-game romance: Garrus, with Thane a close second despite his treatment by Bioware.

Other pairings I like: Tali/Kal, Sam/Gabby, Joker/Edi

Favorite NPC: Nyreen, Kal'Reegar, Zaal'Koris, and Niftu Cal

Favorite antagonist: I am again a basic bitch and really like Saren. His history fascinates me, and he's honestly a great mirror to hold up of what Shepard could become if they aren't careful.

Favorite mission: Priority: Rannoch. There's just something really heartbreaking but at the same time really sweet about it, depending on how you play it, though I always make peace between the quarians and the geth... which I think lends to the poignancy I feel. Their war ends in peace in the very place it began.

Favorite loyalty mission: Easily Tali's loyalty mission. My heart breaks for her every single time I play through it, especially when she breaks down after finding her father's body. And being able to rally the crowd if you helped Veetor and save Kal is easily my favorite way to solve that mission... unorthodox AND fun.

Favorite DLC: Lair of the Shadow Broker. It has some of the best dialogue in the entire game, including my favorite exchange between Liara and Shepard (see below).

Control, Synthesis or Destroy?: Destroy. The whole twist "but the Reapers aren't really bad they really just want to prove organics and synthetics will never get along" bs never sits well with me when I just made peace between the quarians and the geth and taught an AI to love. I usually use one of the happy ending mods just to clear it out further.

Favorite weapon: M-7 Lancer and M-5 Phalanx, my beloveds.

Favorite place: The Migrant Fleet, for what little time we get to spend there. But part of that is a wish of what could have been- I'd have loved to have seen more of it.

A quote I like:

Shepard: What kind of weapons does this thing have? Liara: It's a taxi; it has a fare meter!

Tagging... anyone who wants to do it!

#meme time

[commander-krios]

The Virmire Survivors

Thank you, anon. My faves <3

Kaidan Alenko

favorite thing about them: I love how despite his past dealings with aliens and some tough times as a biotic in the military (plus those migraines), Kaidan is still a kind man who refuses to let bad things sour his worldview. You don't get to see much of that from some of the other characters in game.

least favorite thing about them: The entire "cheating" crap. I never understood why that was a thing when Horizon was clearly the end of a romantic relationship but that's mostly on the writers, not the character.

favorite line: "Fifty thousand years to figure this out and it’s down to twenty-five mutineers. Way to go, Team Milky Way."

brOTP: Shepard/Kaidan, Ashley/Kaidan, Joker/Kaidan

OTP: Shepard/Kaidan

nOTP: I've seen Kaidan/Jack and I don't see how the two of them would meet, let alone become romantic?

random headcanon: I can totally see Kaidan training biotics for the military later on or even just becoming a Spectre full time for the Council. Perhaps, he'd even become political and try to help fellow biotics get a better foothold in the galaxy.

unpopular opinion: I don't know how unpopular it is, but I am so sick of people shitting on Kaidan's character. He's not whiny. He's a decent character (for the most part) who struggles with his potential and his past. I love him. Also, I'm furious that people talk shit about him in game.

song i associate with them: n/a

favorite picture of them: All the pictures! I especially love the ones from ME1. He doesn't quite look like the war weary soldier yet.

Ashley Williams

favorite thing about them: Ashley starts out a colony kid with a bad deal thanks to politics in the military. She goes from all of that baggage and joins Shepard, only to (possibly) become the second human Spectre in history. That's pretty great, but she's also a good person in general. If you get to know her, your Shepard can become the best of friends with her and she'll always have your back.

least favorite thing about them: She does have some lines that are kind of gross (specifically comparing aliens to animals) but honestly, again, that's a writer problem that still hasn't been fixed.

favorite line: "Why is it whenever someone says "with all due respect" they really mean "kiss my ass"?"

brOTP: Ashley/Kaidan, Ashley/Shepard, Ashley/Tali

OTP: Ashley/Femshep

nOTP: I don't know if I've seen one I hate enough to call a nOTP. I've seen people push Ash and Garrus, but it was only a few times so idk if it's actually a thing.

random headcanon: Ashley is bisexual. That is all.

unpopular opinion: Ashley is no more racist (and probably less racist overall) than Wrex, Garrus, and quite a few other characters throughout the series.

song i associate with them: n/a

favorite picture of them: I've seen modded Ashley in ME3 to look more like her 1 and 2 style. With the bun and stuff. I love that.

#anonymous #kay replies #kaidan alenko #ashley williams #sorry this took so long #my son woke up

[merrilldidnothingwrong]

little things about kaidan i love

beyond “hes so pretty and good” and also for anyone whose never played mass effect

my absolute favorite quality is that hes military, but the first time you talk to him, its not his defining quality. like hes NOT 100% military all the time. hes loyal to the alliance, but hes also loyal to shepard’s crew that has aliens on it.

he has no issue with aliens (you have to push him renegade to make him xenophobic)

unless you make him more renegade, outside of ME2, you dont see him angry. (which is completely justified given the situation)

hes untrusting of shepard in the start of me3, but that will change depending on your choices

in one quest during me3, he still mourns for a lost soldier that was lost in the first quest of me1

and ashley

when you talk to him in me1, he really wears his heart on his sleeve. he opens up pretty easily. he tells you about a situation that broke his heart as a teen

he also shows concern for shepard too, saying he will look out for them when a bad situation comes up. (at this point shepard is a spectre, so thats saying something)

hes the kind of guy that would turn someone in if someone was dirty (..or tell shepard to take care of it if they were REALLY bad)

hes very much his own person, hes not looking for shepard to help him in his career or anything. he does see them as a potential very good friend or a lover but there is no personal quest for him

the way he talks is very..... not what youd expect?? its very soft, calm, he really takes his time. he does talk things out with shepard from the beginning, so thats the closest he gets to a personal quest

plus his voice is very, hnnnnn

hes got a really dry sense of humor. you see it the most in me3, especially in the citadel dlc

hes just a “normal guy” who likes steak and beer, but yet, hes just.. so much more??

at the end of the day i believe he joined the alliance not just bc of the biotics but bc he really cares about people, he wanted to protect people, not just humans.

and thats why hes SPECTRE kaidan alenko!!! because he deserved that shit!!!!!!!

he will do anything to make sure that happens!!! he is so good!!!!!!!!

he is the best autistic brown bisexual man bioware ever made

feel free to add more

#mass effect #kaidan #kaidan alenko #THIS IS NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO HATE ON ASHLEY #and ill never forgive bioware for whitewashing him in me3 #NEVER NEVER NEVER

[dianapocalypse]

so I’m having a very interesting (for me) mass effect legendary edition playthru and i wanna talk about it even tho no one but me will be interested so UNDER THE CUT WE GO!

this probably isn’t interesting to anyone but me but I wanted to write it down for posterity lol

so this time around, I spent a LONG TIME staring at the character creator, not even making anything. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to make my ‘main’ Shepard, play Jane just for the new model in ME1, or make a new Shep entirely. and if I did the last one, did I want to play differently this time??

i ended up making a shepard that was PRETTY similar to my main one. they’re both vanguards (didn’t want to learn a new kit bc my ability to hold a controller is pretty limited these days), both earthborn, same haircut but different overall appearances. this time I went war hero instead of sole survivor, since I’ve played those sidequests so many times at this point. I hit start and named her Kieran, not really knowing what I was going for with this shep and expecting I’d mostly make the same choices, romance garrus, etc

so the first few hours of the game I played p much like I always do. more paragon options than usual, but I attribute that more to me changing than character choices. I also started picking the middle options I always ignore just to see what they are. grabbed Liara, did bring down the sky, nothing new or unusual until I start talking to garrus.

is it just me, or does garrus.... kinda hit different in 2021? don’t get me wrong, still one of my favorite fictonal characters of all time, but also... garrus is a loose canon police officer who thinks regulations that, presumably, are in place to protect peoples’ rights, should be ignored for what he deems is the greater good. while we as players know garrus’s morals are in the right place, uh... if I met someone like that in real life I’d expect them to be a complete jackass. im also american so that contributes to my ill feelings towards police officers, and c-sec in the games is generally portrayed as being a much less awful organization than the american police state, but I’ve definitely gone from always supporting Garrus when he thinks a fucker needs to die to being like... garrus rules are there for a reason, people have RIGHTS

and then like. kieran shepard is earthborn, she was in gangs. she... probably doesn’t like cops either? my last shep was, too, but tbh I didn’t think about it all that much. for the first time I’m playing a shepard that does not trust garrus and that’s WILD.

so then I’m doing sidequests on the citadel, and earthborns get a gang member from their past who tries to blackmail shep into busting one of their members out of prison. for the first time ever, I actually didn’t have the paragon or renegade points necessary to resolve the situation in a ‘good’ way for me. I got to the end of it, and my only options were to bribe him to leave me alone, or shoot him.

i’ll say in my defense, I thought shoot him would be more ‘shoot him in the leg to show him i meant business’, but shep straight up killed him, and I was like, woah. I’m gonna have to figure out how to make THAT work with this character arc!

and the turian cop who he wants you to talk to, he’s right there, and says “wow, I guess maybe the first human spectre will get things done!’ or something, indicating like. that was the Right Thing To Do by his standards. just kill a dude in public for threatening blackmail.

so in role playing games, i try to justify decisions my characters make, even if it’s a decision that I didn’t make on purpose--it’s more fun for me to try to gather these disparate character choices and cohere them into a character than to try to get it ‘right’ for the character i’m playing, if that makes sense. so here, even tho I was definitely not intending to kill that dude, I wanted to find a way to make it work for Kieran Shepard. and it’s kinda ended up shaping the whole way I’m playing her, and it’s cool and interesting bc this is a shepard unlike any I’ve played before! i’m always so focused on min/maxing my character, especially their paragon/renegade points to get the ‘best’ outcomes, that ive never been faced with something like that.

so I think this is where I’ve landed:

Kieran Shepard grows up on the streets, she does not trust authority. all she has is her crew, and herself, more importantly. she does some bad shit, she gets into trouble, she’s strong-headed and stubborn. later in life, she gets recruited to the alliance military. frankly, I think she keeps a lot of the same attitude and distrust of authority, but this is a paycheck, and I think since the Tenth Street Reds are getting really human supremacist and xenophobic, she gets out and needs to go Somewhere that her past won’t follow her--space. off earth.

mostly she’s a shithead at first. gets into trouble with the brass all the time. but she’s got a really good head for tactics. she knows how to think like a merc gang, she thinks of strategies in simulations that higher ups wouldn’t ever consider. think like. star trek 2009 captain kirk basically lmao.

and then anderson gets a hold of her. for the first time in her life, she has like, a Parental Figure, someone who knows she can do better and expects her to. and she FLOURISHES. suddenly she’s got motivation, she’s straightening up. she’s positioned on elysium and the skyllian blitz starts, and one thing she knows how to do, something she’s always been good at, it surviving, and rallying people around her to fight, not roll over and die. her skills from her life as a gangster marry with her skills as a soldier and she rallies the colonists to beat back the invasion. with her STREET SMARTS!

now she’s a war hero, and she’s starting to feel the impostor syndrome set in. she gets a medal, she gets accolades, promotions--she’s just a scrappy former criminal and she doesn’t deserve this. she doesn’t deserve any of it, or anderson’s regard. she starts spending her time trying to be The Perfect Soldier to make up for her past. for the first time, it’s a point of embarrassment to her, not a point of pride. it’s public record, sure, but she needs her entire existence to refute it. she needs to be Commander Shepard now, she needs to be The First Human Spectre, she needs to be PERFECT.

and then Finch shows up, and he’s threatening her, he wants to drag her back into the Life and he’ll blackmail her if she doesn’t comply. she knows if she bribes him he’ll be back in a month for more, he’ll never stop. so she panics. she shoots this guy, kills him in cold blood, in public. old habits die hard. and the cop practically CONGRATULATES her for it.

kieran, now, is in full blown panic mode about Who She Is. she is very much not a fan of the ‘law and order’ of C-Sec, but she’s also not a fan of the spectres and how they operate, but now she’s becoming the thing she as a teen would have hated the most. and she’s being congratulated for it. can she be trusted with this kind of responsibility?? can anyone???

anyway that’s the last thing I did but I think... honestly? the only character that could help her sort out these feelings? is kaidan alenko.

so. i think this is it. this is the playthru i finally romance kaidan.

#mass effect #mass effect legendary edition #kaidan alenko #this post is long as fuck but i promise he's in there #kieran shepard tag

[aricazorel]

Day 15 "Leader"

Kaidan Alenko, Kori Reese

post-ME1/pre-ME2

Kaidan Alenko been a Staff Lieutenant aboard the SSV Normandy SR-1 during its maiden voyage, in charge of the ship’s marine detail. After the Battle of the Citadel, he’d been promoted to Lieutenant Commander. That victory had not only allowed humanity to show the galaxy that they could be team players but had also afforded them a seat on the Council. It was an amazing accomplishment all the way around but not without a cost.

A bulk of the Alliance fleet had been lost during that fateful battle and a month later the man responsible for the victory had been killed in action. The loss of Commander Shepard and the Normandy had hit the L2 biotic hard, but he’d come out of it stronger. Within a year, he been awarded several commendations and awards for going above and beyond in the completion of each assignment he had been given. Whatever reason the Brass used, the truth was Kaidan was acting in the manner he thought best to ensure Shepard’s memory was kept alive. He knew that the threat Shepard had warned the galaxy about was not over. Regardless of what the Alliance higher ups believed, he knew it was imperative to remain vigilant.

Now nearly two years after his tour of duty had been abruptly cut short on the SR-1, the L2 biotic was slated for another promotion. This time to the rank of Staff Commander. He knew he was an exemplary officer and model soldier. He was the poster boy as some would say for a biotic in serving in the military. While he was cognizant of those facts, he tried very hard not to let it go to his head. He knew he could be cocky on occasion but that never helped anyone come back alive from a mission.

Kaidan had made it this far by being cautious and learning to read the situation before he proceeded with anything. Some called him overly cautious. Others called him a stick in the mud for not taking unnecessary risks. He had learned a long time ago that taking risks without knowing the facts could cause more harm than good. He also knew from personal experience that sometimes a risk was worth taking but there would be consequences. Ones you would have to live with for the rest of your life.

This particular promotion was slated to happen on Earth in less than an hour. He was currently in a prep room for important affairs held at Alliance HQ in Vancouver. His parents would be there this time and a few friends he had told. He hadn’t expected Anderson and Hackett to make such a big deal about it, but the two Admirals had insisted it was good for morale especially since he was an L2. But the PR machine had a hand in the promotion ceremony too. After all, the Alliance would use anything they could to promote itself. He supposed he couldn’t blame them but why did it have to involve him?

He shook his head as he gazed as his reflection in the mirror. He was in his dress blues, everything crisp and perfect as was to be expected. What he hadn’t expected was for Anderson to tell him he would be running his own unit after this. He had been working on many solo missions off the books almost since the Normandy had gone down. Occasionally he would work with a select few operatives that reported directly to Anderson. But now they were asking him to work more openly. It was a change he had not been prepared for.

It was a very obvious leadership role. A public one at that. A stark change from what he had been doing, working behind the scenes to help ready the Alliance for the Reapers. Anderson had a reason for the change. He had just elected not to inform Kaidan of it yet. The L2 was sure of it. Either way, being in charge wasn’t necessarily the main concern he had. If anything, he wondered how those under his command would react to having a biotic as a CO. And an L2 at that. The marines on the SR-1 hadn’t been phased by it. In fact, Jenkins had said it was “cool.”

“Hey,” a familiar voice called from behind him. “Still looking good in your dress blues, tech boy.”

His whiskey brown eyes shot up to the doorway behind him in the mirror. A pair of grey eyes met his from the door that was now ajar. “Kori?”

“Who else calls you tech boy?” she asked with a smirk as she pushed the door open the rest of the way.

“No one,” he replied as he turned to face her. She was dressed in her own dress blues with her hair braided and coiled at the base of her neck. “You aren’t supposed to be here.”

Reese arched an eyebrow. “Is that anyway to greet your best friend who took leave to make sure she was here?”

“You took leave? I thought you were out in the Traverse with—”

“Mike?” she finished for him. “I was. But I wasn’t going to miss this. Anderson let me have leave so I could be here. It’s kind of a big deal.”

Kaidan narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, but why? I thought you were working with the Geth tech Tali left you.”

“I was,” the L3 biotic confirmed as she entered the small dressing room more. “But she’s on another assignment right now and the geth tech isn’t going anywhere. It’s deactivated.”

“Kori, I appreciate you coming but—”

“Mike said I should be here,” she interrupted obviously not wanting to hear his objections. “I’ve been to all your other promotions. Why miss this one?”

Alenko grew quiet as he took in her words. She had been dating Michael Westmore for several months now, but he still couldn’t quite get used to the fact that there was another person she could turn to for…well anything. Slowly he said, “I see…I suppose you are going to head out as soon as this is over then.”

Reese cocked her head. “No. Why would you say that?”

He shrugged. “You have your own assignments to get back to and I don’t want to keep you from—”

“Mike’s here, Kaidan,” the L3 interrupted as she motioned to the hallway. “He’s waiting for the all clear to come it. He wants to congratulate you too.”

“Kori, I’m not sure—”

“Please, Kaidan? You two are both important to me, and I don’t want the past to keep getting in the way. You said you two moved on but now…Ever since we started dating you’ve been…distant.”

He looked away. He had focused on his work more in recent months. Maybe that was because he wanted to honor Shepard’s memory. Maybe it was because he wanted to push himself to be the best he could be. Maybe it was because he wanted to distract himself from what Kori was doing. Maybe it was combination of all three.

“Kori, I’m happy for you really,” he said as he turned back to her. “But you know my past with Mike is complicated. He’s a good friend now. He’s a good man. He always has been, but I never thought…”

He sighed as he trailed off. He had to get over his own hang-ups and accept the reality of the situation. He took a step forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I should have done better. You both deserve better. I suppose I’m just…I don’t handle change well sometimes.”

Reese nodded as she glanced up at him with a grin. “I know. Neither do I but this change is a good one. And he just wants to let you know he believes you’ll make a great Staff Commander…And you can gloat that you out rank him again.”

Alenko chuckled. “You know, that might make this worth it.”

“See?” she said as she poked him playfully in the chest. “A little bragging now and then never hurt anyone especially when the one bragging is going to be a badass leader. I mean who wants to mess with the biotic poster boy of the Alliance?”

“Kori, can you not bring that up?”

She snickered. “Okay. Fine. I promise I won’t, but Mike will.”

Kaidan groaned. It was nice to see Kori again after a two-month absence, especially at his promotion ceremony. Even having Mike show up offered an opportunity for closure for his lingering issues with the friend he had made at Brain camp all those years ago. If he were going to be the leader everyone expected him to be he had to learn to let somethings go. Maybe this was one of those things.

Either way, he had two people here plus more outside that were here because they believed in him and his abilities. He just needed to trust them, and his gut instinct and he’d be alright. He had made it this far doing just that. Why should this be any different?

He grinned as he followed Reese out of the dressing room. It didn’t have to be different, and he’d continue making strides towards his goals his own way. He’d forged his own path his own way since BAaT. He’d follow through with that into the foreseeable future and he’d be the best leader he could be. Shepard’s memory deserved that much, and he would always honor it. Always.

#n7month #mass effect #kaidan alenko #kori reese

[sol-consort]

Who is a non romancable npc that you would've liked to romance in each game?

I want to fuck Admiral Hackett.

Man, it feels good getting it out there, you feel me? These things are good for you.

Anyway, so.

ME1

Wrex

didn't know much about korgans at the time and just thought they were the hottest thing alive. Especially that stare down Wrex and Shepard have when they first meet each other in the C-sec station and he's throwing his weight everywhere and not giving a single fuck about the cops trying to arrest him.

Are Korgans just not attracted to humans? He never makes a move on you. Ever. They're clearly into asari and we're not that far off.

In the first game, he was the only one to not respect Shepard from the start. It's kinda hot, yk? He was this mysterious edgy person with a jaded view on his race, and we were this hopeful human who wanted to encourage him to reunite the koragns. I wanted to have a slobby makeout session with him filled with teeth after his personal mission.

.

Nihlus

Listen to me. It was love at first sight. I still remember it so clearly when you talk to him in the prologue where he questions you about Eden Prime. The fact he was the one to recommend Shepard to the council as a spectre too is just the topping on the cake.

I think he was into us, as a human. Like everyone on the ship clearly was weary of him because of how fresh the first contact war was, and Shepard is the only friendly person to him besides Anderson.

My Ideal romance would've been us saving him from Saren then being a mentor and student kinda of ordeal? Like at a certian point we surpass him in power while sparring and he looks so proud of us and we lean in for the kiss and he doesn't pull away.

A Turian and a human romance would've been so scandalous on the first game bc of again, contact war. It would've been the perfect drama.

.

Doctor Chakwas.

You can't tell me that you didn't think about it! She is the only person taking care of everyone on this damn ship. We're in the middle of fuck off space clumsily stumbling our way into shootouts and coming out with bullets in godforsaken places!

She's the one that patches you up while scolding you for being so reckless. She can abandon protocols and formality as much as she likes because she's your doctor and has a right to! She can order a whole admiral around.

It doesn't help how she opens up to us about her fantasies in her youth of being this cute doctor and patching up wounded soldiers with stars in their eyes and living the romance dream. The game is begging you to make her dream a reality and give this older woman the true romantic experience she has been dreaming of!

.

Captain Anderson

Listen to me. Listen. No no come back. Come here!

I am an adult, you are an adult. We are adults. He is a very hot adult that I want to do unspeakable things to.

I'm just saying!!! I didn't know anything about him becoming Shepard's parental figure in ME2 and ME3.

So when I first met him in ME1 I was like oh. Are we about to...have a superior forbidden army romance situation? Am I your sugar baby? Golden trophy soldier? Why do you like me so much and treat me with so much favouritism? Are we doing it on the down low behind closed doors?

But no. They take him away from me like immediately afterwards and burst my bubble of fantasy. I forget about him for the rest of the game then I meet him at the end but it doesn't hit the same vibe it did at the start.

He just admires and respects Shepard. Nothing else :(

My romance and fantasy with him was very short lived and now he is more of a stand in parental figure.

.

ME2

The Illusive man

He is obsessed. Literally every interaction with him made me feel so giddy inside afterwards. It's like he gets off on just being near you and doesn't ask for nothing else. He is like a sugar daddy without the needed sugar.

And the "Cerberus allowance" credits money that you get after each missions just increasing in numbers didn't help. You report to him after every mission and he gives you more and more money. It almost makes you feel dirty in a good way.

Like based on his shadowbroker intel, he has the best escorts and strippers in the galaxy that he frequents. Yet it is you that he spends the most money on and you don't even have to put out or show a shoulder. It's not like a mercenary job either because one of his requirements is seeing you and talking to you, stalking you even.

Your meer existence gives him a rush and he keeps paying you for it, just to be allowed to witness you being you. I wish there was an evil romance option route where you go full human supremacy and agree with his evil plans to control the reapers and the last scene is like Shepard sitting on his lap in that room with the orange blue star.

I want that romance to be creepy and clearly self-serving. That both of them are using each other to get their own needs. There is no love involved, just obsession and hunger for power.

.

Legion

They wear a piece of your armour, they have a hole where their heart should be. They clearly look up to you so hopelessly with admiration.

And you're the first organic to treat them with kindness, show them warmth, help give them a name. You're everything they imagine love to be and more and they literally cannot process it. They can't comprehend the feelings they're feeling, they only know it's all consuming and they're short-circuiting around you.

It would've been a very fluffy and sweet romance where you really push the limit of the geth having a soul. To have a soul is to love, even if it's not romantic love.

But as a romance between you too, I feel like Legion having a scene where they pluck a small flower from the ground to present to you is everything. But then the flower gets crumbled in their iron grip and they look all dejected and sad.

You gently taking it and still thanking them for it, maybe putting the flower in the hole in their chest after giving it a small kiss. I have so many ideas, Legion deserves so much softness.

.

Aria

I don't think she'd allow a full romance, but we definitely would've had a complicated relationship. Both dominiating and ruling their own corners of the galaxy, yours just happened to be a moving ship.

It's like a ruthless queen and a faithful soldier. She could've made Shepard worse, you could've made her better. It's a very complicated love and hate relationship, a constant power play.

You send her Valentine's gifts that she claims to have thrown away, but you see her snacking on the box of chocolates that you got her the next time you visit. Threatening to cut someone's hand off because they asked for a piece.

She always tells you to go find someone cute to spend the night with but all of her strippers know better than to flirt with you. Aria warned all of them that you're off limit and no one even dares looks into your eyes.

Hell the fact she got a whole bartender to give you drinks for free after the last one tried to poison you? God that's hot.

But emphasis on complicated. Neither of you are willing to step down from your thrones and serve the other. She wants you on a leash like a dog at her side, you want to weild her like a dagger against your enemies throats.

Both of you were made for freedom and only deal with people who obey all of your orders. The two of you can never have a peaceful relationship because you're constantly at each other's throats but the attraction and tension is so thick in the air to deny.

.

ME3

Admiral Hackett

I don't have any excuse. I only started getting attracted to him during this game when we kept having constant communication with him.

He just...is very calm? Includes Shepard a lot and is very patient and wise. Steering you into the right direction and reminding you of the greater purpose you all serve.

But also he is down to earth in his own way, it feels intimate for him to call you just Shepard. Look at you with such eyes that have seen everything, it's like he is the single person that understands what you're going through in this, the single person to share your burden in all of this.

Because Anderson can't relate to Shepard in the way Shepard is supposed to be invincible steel, the way Shepard is supposed to be the unbreakable hero. But Hackett feels like he can relate to you in that way, like he too was in your shoes once and knows how lonely it must be.

How each relationship you have will always have a hallow emptiness inside because you can never be equal to someone. Each person you date will always see the commander Shepard before seeing you, the world will fall for your mask and not the one wearing it.

Except Admiral Hackett. It's like he can see behind the mask. He can see behind the titles and spectre status and the medals. He sees you as the little thing you are, so tired and exhausted from carrying the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders, you poor thing.

He's very caring in a way, no matter what wrongs you've done. He's very understanding too.

In ME2, he asks you for a favour and contacts you to help him. YOU! he asks YOU while you were a traitor working for Cerberus. god, the amount of trust he has in you.

Not to mention that he was actively stalling the alliance when it came to charging you for crimes for allying with Cerberus even before the whole favour DLC thing. In the Shadowbroker messages you can find him telling his subordinates "Negative" when they asked to finally bring you in.

It's also how commanding he is with just a single word? He does it twice. Once in the battle of Saren in ME1 when the alliance ships are beginning to retreat and he calmly refuses and tells them to move ahead.

And in ME2 where his subordinates write a long ass email on why you should be charged with treason but his literal only response is "negative."

His words carry such weight to them, fuck. It's so attractive the power and authority he casually throws around. Actually casually doing it unlike the illusive man who makes a point to show off to you. Hackett has nothing to prove and no one to impress.

The only person to view the commander Shepard as a fragile thing. The only person to understand what you're going through. The only person to realise what's truly at stakes here. How can I not want to be with him?

But with you he talks longer, he explains himself and line of thinking more. He doesn't treat you with the same strict attitude he gives to other soldiers. It's clear favouritism where he is gentler with you, softer like you're a fragile thing that might crack if someone even raised their voice at you.

Not to mention the whole "why pick me?" Dialogue option you get to ask him. On why he puts so much faith in you. Why he is always on your side.

And you get a straight answer for once. It's because you have this magical pull on people that gets them to work together, you were made to be a leader. It's easy to pay a merc to shoot a gun for you, but you cannot pay them for their loyality to follow you into hell twice. Yet you have that effect on people and he clearly sees your true skills that the others are blind to.

.

I have more, like James Vega, Samara, Mordin, Joker, EDI, Conrad verner, Saren, Sovereign, Kai Leng and Eve.

But I've written a lot, maybe for another time! Thanks for asking this, btw <3

#☆Anderson #☆Hackett #☆Aria #☆Wrex #☆Legion #☆Dr.Chakwas #☆Nihlus #☆the Illusive man

[clericofshadows]

📒

thank you :D

daydream fanfic ask

Pretty much all my daydream fics involve Regis in some way, and another scenario I've thought about is an AU where Regis is a squadmate, especially for ME2. Regis damn near passed up the Normandy in my canon (which is discussed in my the offer fic) and in this scenario, he did.

Which makes ME1 & ME2 very interesting. What if Shepard didn't rescue Kaidan on Virmire, and instead, Regis loses Kaidan. Or maybe they do rescue Kaidan? How does that impact Regis in ME2, being trapped with Cerberus and knowing his lover is unsure of Regis's fate?

Because in ME2, Regis's recruitment mission is Asteroid X57, and he's on his own, mission close to failure, and Cerberus wants a ruthless, N7 soldier and teacher on their side. He's recruited before Horizon, so what if he's one of the squadmates on Shepard's team during the mission and runs into Kaidan? Or what if he runs into Ashley instead, and instead of being her best friend, all he sees is the one Shepard saved in favor of his lover.

And of course, how Shepard handles Zaeed is a whole other thing. Regis and Zaeed still have feelings and even have the potential to get back together, but Zaeed's loyalty mission can go a lot of ways... and what if Shepard leaves Zaeed to die AND left Kaidan on Virmire? What then... :)

#parker-of-loxley #ask #I've actually been meeting to write up a dossier for this exact thing but its so time consuming

[zet-sway]

I feel like I need to add to my post about Thane and Irikah living through the reaper war.

When I say Thane becomes invested in helping the drell homeworld, I mean it like this: he ends up on a mission to go there, and hears the "other side of the story." It challenges his beliefs and the customs he was raised with, so he does what any smart man would do and searches for the facts. He finds that a lot of what Rakhana drell have been saying about the hanar is true.

I imagine the reapers gain an easy foothold on Rakhana due to the planet's vulnerable state, especially if Sovereign is a reaper scout looking for easy soldiers to feed its army. Rakhana's population was in the billions, and only like less than 500k drell were "rescued" by the hanar. There's got to be several million drell still fighting to survive there, and being largely pissed on by the generation of drell born on Kahje.

So anyway if the reapers got an early foothold there, Thane and Irikah could be joining Shepard's crew as early as ME1.

#zet headcanon tag #many thoughts head full

[slothssassin]

OC/Shepard as a companion

So ages ago the lovely @alyssalenko tagged me to do this, thank you, and sorry it took so super long! Originally this is a meme for your Shepard, but since I wanted to add a new OC to my Jules Shepard's story, I did it for her. Hope you don't mind!

Tagging @liaorban @starsandskies @playstationmademe and @galacticnug but no pressure of course, and feel free to do this for your Shep and not for an OC!

Picrew is here!

THE BASICS:

Full name: Tori Robin Royle

Class: Engineer

Pre-service history: Enlisted to basic Alliance training when she was 18 in 2175. After she had finished school, she traveled around for a while, performing at different places, planning to start her career as a singer. All in her family are active Alliance soldiers though so Tori felt the pressure to enlist as well.

Psychological profile: Unlike the rest of her family, Tori wasn’t meant to be a soldier. During her basic training, where she also met Commander Shepard and became their protegé, it became clear quickly that she wouldn’t be able to fight at the front line. The Alliance encourages her to improve her tech skills though, and with hard work (and help from Shepard) Tori becomes an Engineer. While she’s not a powerful fighter, Tori can quickly oversee the battlefield in combat and debuff enemies with her tech skills, actually becoming one of the most valued Engineers in her unit. Still, Tori never really felt at home in the military and didn’t stop dreaming of a career as a musician. While Shepard oversees other young soldiers as well, they developed a special connection with Tori, reassuring her to go her own way, even if that meant leaving the Alliance. To her own surprise, Tori gets assigned to a unit that hunts down batarian pirates in 2179. During an attack she gets heavily wounded though and loses her right arm. After she spent months on her recovery, she finally decides to leave the Alliance. Not much is known about her life after that - but she did become rather well known on the Citadel, finally working as the musician she always wanted to be. The Alliance loosely keeps track of her as she’s still in contact with Commander Shepard.

Rest is under the cut :)

MASS EFFECT 1:

When/how are they recruited: She won’t be recruited in ME1. She’s 26 at this time (2183), and left the Alliance in 2180 after she couldn’t get over her accident in 2179. Tori used to play the guitar in a band, but in 2182 she started her solo-career. She’s not really a celebrity but has made a name for herself as a singer, mostly performing at bars. Shepard can meet her at the Flux where she performs on Wednesday nights with her “Oldies” show - heavily influenced by 1950s Earth music.

Where are they on the Normandy: At the Citadel. She can be found at the Flux when she performs or at the Presidium

Are they romanceable: No

Personal quest: If Shepard visits her at the Flux they can talk about their common past. Tori will ask Shepard to check on her parents who she hasn’t heard from in a few months - which is not uncommon, as they aren’t close, but she started to worry. Shepard can then check the last known coordinates for the spaceship Tori’s parents worked on and find out that there was a major technical problem. The crew was trapped on the Carrier with no means to land and no way of contacting anyone. If Shepard does the mission and saves the ship, including Tori’s parents, it will contribute to Tori and her parents getting closer plus you get to see Tori perform. If Shepard doesn’t visit Tori or doesn’t do her quest, a Turian ship will save the Carrier and Shepard will hear about it in an elevator on the Citadel.

Who are their friends: Shepard is her friend, and she would get on especially well with Liara, Joker and Kaidan.

MASS EFFECT 2:

What does their dossier say: Tori Robin Royle, or Robin Royle aka RR when she performs, is a seemingly harmless, popular singer on the Citadel. But, behind the mask of a performer, she’s a retired but very capable Engineer. She has ties to Commander Shepard, could be easily influenced to help the mission, and, as a friend, might improve Shepard’s mood and thoughts about working with Cerberus, if she is recruited.

When/how are they recruited: She can be recruited in Act 2 after Shepard went to Horizon. If Shepard was in a romantic relationship with Ashley or Kaidan, Tori will send a message to Shepard, telling them she heard what happened and is there to talk whenever they want. The Illusive Man will encourage Shepard to visit Tori on the Citadel and ask her to join as she could be a valuable asset - hinting heavily that he has the means to end Tori’s career if Shepard doesn’t ask her.

Where are they on the Normandy: Either in the Mess Hall on Deck 3 or in the Starboard Observation.

Are they romanceable: No. If Shepard doesn’t romance Thane she’ll be in a relationship with him though.

How do they react to the PC returning: She will be incredibly surprised, but happy - after all, they had been friends and Tori had grieved for them. She’d be unsure about their connection to Cerberus though, and worried that Cerberus rebuilding them might have changed them. Tori would ask Shepard some personal questions, but would stop quickly as she’d feel like she’s invading their privacy. Only later on, on the Normandy, they would talk again about how Shepard feels about working with Cerberus, their cybernetics, and their personal history.

Personal quest: Tori approaches Shepard after she gets a call from her parents. If Shepard did Tori’s assignment in ME1, she will tell them that she got a bit closer with her parents, even though they don’t see each other often. If Shepard didn’t do her quest she’ll say that her parents wouldn’t contact her if it’s not important. Tori’s brother Andrew, a rather high-ranking Alliance officer, has gone missing and the Alliance wasn’t able to investigate or didn’t share any information. Shepard and Tori will meet with the Shadow Broker, aka Liara, to get information on Tori’s brother. They will discover that the Alliance did investigate but couldn’t find out what happened to Andrew either, and that his last coordinates are somewhere on a planet in the Horse Head Nebula. After following the coordinates and finding some clues they discover that Andrew had formed a small unit to hunt down a gang of Turian pirates. The pirates got the better of them though and Andrew and his unit died - their bodies can be found inside a factory, seemingly killed in action. Tori will be devastated, even though she wasn’t close with her brother. Shepard can assure her they will hunt down the pirates (which would lead to another side quest) and that they’ll do her best so the Alliance honours his death - this will cheer Tori up a little, but it’s not necessary to gain her loyalty.

Do they fight with any other companions: She has companions she’s not very close with due to them being rather different - like Miranda, Jack or Zaeed. However she rather keeps her distance than to engage in any fights.

What files does the Shadow Broker have on them: Her personal history, information on her family and video material of some of her performances. A list of songs she wants to cover, an extensive shopping list and the history of her watched videos. If Shepard hasn’t romanced Thane, then he and Tori get close - there will also be some files of songs she wrote for him (and changed frequently) and some emails they exchanged.

Can they die in the suicide mission, and how: She can die if she’s left behind as a defender as her combat skills aren’t the best.

MASS EFFECT 3:

When/how are they recruited: After the suicide mission she takes some time off. First, she visits her family and grieves for her brother. Then she goes back to the Citadel, planning to continue working as a singer. If she’s with Thane she spends less time performing and puts all her energy into helping him find a cure. She can then be convinced to come back to the Normandy after Thane dies (or for those like me who refuse to accept that Thane dies: They both come back after the Coup). If she’s not with Thane she will still join the Normandy Crew after the Coup.

Where are they on the Normandy: Mostly in the Starboard Observatory or the Mess Hall, just like in ME2.

Are they romanceable: No. If Shepard didn’t romance Thane she’s with him.

Citadel meetup (during the game, where do you meet them on the Citadel and what do you talk about): She can be found on the Silversun Strip, happy to get the chance to perform again. Other times she’s seen with the refugees, talking to them or playing the guitar for some children. If she’s with Thane, both can also be found at the Presidium. She and Shepard would talk about their past, how things have changed, and their hobbies. If she’s with Thane Shepard can also talk about his sickness (and recovery) and how they spend their time together.

How does the PC relax with them in the Citadel DLC (ie, buying gifts with EDI, watching the game with James and Vega, etc.): Tori would invite Shepard to watch one of her performances. She’d also suggest some firearms training as she feels like she needs it. Alternatively they would go to a bar or a restaurant to talk, or go shopping for supplies (and maybe more fish).

What do they say to the PC before the final battle: “I can’t believe this is it.. I’m scared Shepard, but I’ll do my best to assist you. And please, know that whatever happens - you’ve been a true friend to me, always helpful, always supporting. I’m thankful I met you all those years ago. Now let’s go. We’ll get out of this. We’ll see each other again, I know it.“

#mass effect #mass effect oc #tori robin royle #tagged