#blows kisses @ garrus | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shittybundaskenyer · 8 months

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✹ ▬ 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐒

rating: Explicit pairing: Female Shepard x Garrus Vakarian summary: the Mako breaks down in a snowstorm on Noveria. Shepard is stuck with her turian friend after some things went sideways in one of the research labs. warnings: first time gone wrong (but then so right), sex pollen, so much kissing, just pure smut (what do you want from me??), does doing it in the Mako is considered car sex?, interspecies sex, love confessions, so much fluff, Garrus is too sweet for his own good word count: 3831

a/n: I had Mass Effect Legendary Edition on my PC for like a year and I'm now cursing myself why I've waited for so long to play the trilogy. The Bioware brainrot took me once more under its influence so I guess I'm going back to my roots. This is almost entirely is pure smut, I guess I can't write anything else nowadays but I'm embracing it now. So have this very rusty, messy love scene I wrote in a frenzy after finishing the trilogy. <33

MASTERLIST | ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN

Noveria is cold and white and still beautiful in that strange way only death can be. It became the noose woven around Garrus’ own neck too, when it twirled his fate and Shepard's own together in form of a messy string.

It only started becoming strange when Shepard started to tear her armor off of her body, but by then all common sense was out, laying dead in the relentless snowstorm. She became feverish, smelling so sweet, like summer, like sun-warmed earth, like arousal that Garrus had realized all too late. They were warned by the dangers of the labs surrounding Peak 15, the tower that was like an old pine ringed by fungi, all the rot and unethical discoveries blooming under the disguise of neat little buildings that twinkled in the darkened landscape—a constellation hiding in a thick cloud of dark matter.

He knows she was curious. He knows she only wanted to help, but Spirits, it will be the death of her one day, N7 or not, she’s only human. And she’s fragile, a goddamn glass cannon that can blow up the whole universe and crumble from hands that grip her a bit too tight at the same time.

Liara’s warning came too late, they had to cut to the chase and there was no time to think about the consequences of Shepard's stray shot breaking open the containment cell of an unnaturally lush, succulent little flower in one of the labs. It didn’t set in until they were in the Mako and she steered the dumb tank even more recklessly than she did it stone cold sober. A boulder came, then the half of the mountain too, raining down thick globes of fresh snow until the Mako was good and well stuck. She was sweating by then, skin hot and wet and her eyes wild and Liara offered to get help from one of the nearby labs, leaving Garrus to protect his commander with his life. From what, he didn’t know. There was nothing, only snow and wind and Shepard’s warmth all around them for miles. But time trickled by like water on a glass window after a storm, slow, sluggish, and Shepard couldn’t keep herself in line anymore.

She pleaded for a caress she always wanted from him and he wanted to give her everything instead.

(Maybe he loved her all along.)

And now, now Liara is gone and has been gone for hours, and Garrus pushes Shepard into the Mako's seat, his forehead meeting hers, something akin to a kiss only lovers do. Her skin is damp, her hair sticking to her face in messed up crimson ribbons and he tries to trace the constellations under her eye with a blunted talon when blood floods her cheeks, making them twinkle like stars adrift a sea of nebulae. The Mako is dark but not dark enough to hide the fire flickering in her gaze, shielded by a series of curved, dark lashes. Humans and their strange hair—eyebrows and lashes and thousands of fair fuzz that stand up as he moves his hand lover, to the vulnerable skin of her throat, swiping a thumb over her pulse that jumps wildly at the touch.

"Kiss me," she whispers, barely audible for the translator to pick up, and it almost sounds like music like this, a series of hisses and high notes, so he nuzzles his way closer to hear it once more, now pleading, the sound buzzing in her throat.

It's beautiful in a way.

"How?" he whispers against the side of her jaw, warm plates against cooler skin, and she puts a hand to his face, five fingers splaying over his colony markings, urging him upwards until her lips can brush over his mouth. It's strange. It's unbelievably soft. Then— wet as her tongue darts out and tries to coax his mouth plates apart.

He takes the leap and lets her in. Even if he has all the sharp teeth, even if it's wildly different from his own experiences. And Spirits, it feels good. It's tender—even though they started to tear at each other's armor before this, even though he has to clench his fingers into a fist before he scratches her in his hurry. This has to be gentle where nothing in the world is.

His tongue meets hers, and now he understands why humans like kissing so much. He does now too. Shepard makes a sound as he tastes the inside of her mouth, the blunt edge of her teeth and sucks in a breath when Garrus pulls back to gaze down at her and find her looking dazed.

"Alright?," he checks, always, afraid of fucking this precious thing up and Shepard has the audacity to smile. Full of teeth and curving lips, a flash of white in the darkness.

"I'm good," she knocks her forehead against his, nuzzling him, "really good."

Garrus kisses her again as an answer, bolder now, so much braver, and he kisses and kisses her until there's no more left to give, until there's no air in her lungs. Something new shines in her eyes, in the pool of darkness that is her pupils, dilated beyond belief, ringed by a thin strip of wild green, a black hole with a halo. Want. Need. Something more. Something unbelievable.

Garrus rumbles deep in his chest, a sound so low she can only feel its vibration against her sternum, the crook of her neck where his face finds a home. His subvocals sing so many things at once, a confession she can't understand, not yet. Contentment. Gratefulness. Lust. Love.

(Maybe I love you.)

She drags her hand across his face again, that delicate, soft hand that is only calloused in places where wielding a gun made the skin harder. She touches his fringe, and under it, where plates turn into the most vulnerable patch of hide he has on his body. His voice grows louder, more like a growl than a purr, and she smiles again, so pretty something under his keelbone jumps and bursts and flickers—a star being born.

"That's—," he starts and he's not proud of the way his voice trembles. "That's one way to give the night a quick start."

Shepard's fingers stop in their movement, but before she could pull away he takes a hold of her forearm and soothes a thumb over the inside of her wrist, guiding her back to that spot.

"Am I hurting you?"

"Spirits, no," he flicks a mandible at her, his way of smiling, and Shepard puts her mouth to his jaw as her confidence grows. Garrus can feel the plates at his sheath slowly parting and somehow he's hyperaware of her body trapped against his, her knee brushing his own, warm even through metal and ceramic plates.

They have to strip down that damn armor, like, right now.

But Shepard knows this, feels this too, and her hand disappears so she can grab the waist of his pants and tug on it, even though turian armor is not designed in a way that it could make it come off easily.

"Help me, will you?" she asks against the side of his mandible, face and incredibly soft lips still so close, her eyelashes brushing his jaw as she looks down between them in the dark and Garrus desperately wishes that he could feel that fluttering. Instead, he's stripping. The rest of his undersuit that was hanging by his hips goes lower when he unfastens every little clasp and belt he has around his spurs.

Shepard licks his mouth. He rumbles again, louder when the thin fabric of protective weave finally pools on the Mako's floor, and he's right up there against her, pressing close, so close, until his keel digs between her breasts and his side is framed by her knees and he kisses her the human way, with so much tongue and want it leaves her breathless.

"How much time do we have?" he asks against the underside of her ear, finding a soft spot there, one that pulls a whimper from her.

"Barely any," she hisses and lets him nibble on the curve of her neck. "Gonna make the most of it?"

"Trying to," he smiles, mandibles catching her messy hair, blood red on silver, hands going up to cradle her nape, to get lost in that soft sea of crimson.

Shepard likes this, likes the feel of his hide on her skin and she wants more, wants no barriers in those minimal, quiet gaps the differences of their bodies create. Negative space filled with heat and some unintelligible emotion, something like summer, something like home. She melds her body to his and Garrus can't help the low resonance his subvocals start to make.

"Am I hurting you?" she whispers as she lays tiny kisses on his neck, just beside the edge of the plates shielding his spine. "You're trembling."

"No, I just—," his breath hitches as those kisses turn into gentle nips. Right where a bondmark would go. Spirits, he's slipping. She can't know this, she can't— "You just found all the good buttons to push."

He feels her smirk on his hide. He wants to have her mark here, even though the thought terrifies him.

(Maybe I love you.)

"You know I'm good at pushing buttons."

Garrus chuckles but it comes out rasped. He doesn't care. Not when he can feel her body vibrating, shivering as his hands finally roam downwards, onto her sides, her hips, the soft of her belly that is so blessedly bare.

He slides a talon along the muscles leading down, around the small divot in the middle, lower still where Shepard's already lifting her hips up to let him free her of her undersuit pants. There's still some fabric that remains, covering her most intimate parts but she grabs his hands and makes him grip the fabric of it in a hurry.

"Pull this down too," she whisper-commands and he obliges, skims the tips of his blunted talons over the jut of her hipbones, a feature all too familiar on a body made of infinite curves. It traps his gaze, the small hills and valleys, freckled here too, and hairy when he gazes lower, a trail of tiny red curls disappearing between lush thighs as he reveals more of her skin.

The undergarment only gets down one leg, dangles on the other by her knee when he pries apart her thighs, makes himself at home right in the cradle of them. This is all too fast and all too hot, but none of them complains as they meet in another heated kiss. She smells different like this, stronger, sweet and tangy and something else, pure arousal he realizes, and Garrus can't hold himself back any longer, can't will the swollen edges of his sheath to stay closed.

"Show me how to touch you," he asks, almost pleads, because damn, he can't be selfish with her, not when he trusts her with his life and wants all the happiness the world can offer for her. That too, is a confession he's not ready to make, not for himself and not for her, but Shepard stops him in his thoughts as she puts her hand back right under his fringe, driving him wild.

"None of that right now," she pants, breathless as his hands go bruising on her hips. "I just want you inside me."

Fuck, this was not the way Garrus thought he would die.

"I don't want to hurt—" she interrupts him with another kiss, then a hand on his stomach, low enough to almost graze the plates on his groin.

"Please, Garrus," it's a plea. Broken and rasped. Raw, like a fresh wound. Why is she suffering?

"Don't let me hurt you. I could not live with myself and the consequences."

"You're sweet," she smiles quietly, looking up at him from under the shadow of those long lashes, eyes burning with fire and want and that same thing that eats his heart alive, while it still beats a wild rhythm only for her.

Garrus touches a hand between her legs, follows the trail of fascinating hair to where it parts in a seam of flesh, soft folds hiding a hot, wet warmth. It's familiar enough, so much more slick and so much smaller, but there's give in the muscle lower, where his finger finally dips inside her. Spirits, that’s—

She angles her hips, and moans, right beside his ear when his finger slips deeper, almost to the last knuckle in one go and damn if that's not something he'll remember for the rest of his life.

"C'mon," her lips brush the word against his mandible. He puts his forehead to hers and pulls his hand away, moving her instead, three fingers splayed on the jut of a hipbone.

It takes a little more shuffling, a little more angling and gripping for him to slot himself right at the apex of her thighs, her warmth scorching here, a sun, a red giant star, her wetness smearing on the bare hide of his stomach and then he's holding her firm and letting his sheath finally, blessedly open, his cock sliding out and into her in a slow, perfect motion.

Shepard doesn't breathe. She can't. Garrus can feel her shuddering against his keel as he keeps filling her, making way for himself inside her even though there's barely any. He never thought she could— that she would have all of him, like this, with her leg cramping up around his hip, with her throat full to bursting with unsaid curses and whimpers. His subvocals scream, his mind fogged by the feeling of her oh so close, so perfect, so beautiful like this, with her hands bruising his neck and her lips open on some silent shout.

"Fuck, Garrus I—," there's a hitch in her breath, then a fluttering squeeze right on his cock, her muscles clenching up. He's gonna lose his mind just like how he lost control of his voice.

(I love you.)

“I got you,” he murmurs instead, eyes half-closed, hands still gripping her waist. “I got you sweetheart.”

Shepard squirms, pulls his face right down to her, then lower, into the crook of her neck and a deep urge surfaces in him, an instinct buried deep under centuries of civilized life and culture, yet it was never erased from his genes. He evolved like this, with the want, the need, to bite, to mark something that he wants to forever keep his own. Turians mate for life. If she leaves now, he thinks he will die. Can another soul be ripped from his own? He would gladly lay in a cold grave with her. Would follow her to the end of the universe and back, just so he can protect her. Shield the one that wants to keep the world from crumbling. Travel through all the stars and Mass Relays laying dormant, see all the wild emptiness and beauty of the galaxy and it would still be nothing compared to the way she looks up at him now.

There’s water collecting at her pinched brows; sweat, he remembers, and he lifts a hand there to swipe it away. Her eyes are wet too, glossy, glinting in the low light like a starry night sky over home.

“Garrus—” she presses out between her teeth, her face scrunched up in a frown of pain-pleasure he assumes, because she never makes a move to push him away, to halt this perfect joining. He hopes it’s okay. He hopes he’s not fucking this up. Losing her after this would be a killing blow. A heart-shaped bullet hole right on his heart.

“Just tell me how,” he takes her cheek in his palm, angles her so that he can kiss her. Slowly. Softly. It’s a fleeting thing that ends with her nipping on his mouth, his tongue, just to get his attention. Like his every nerve was not focused on her anyway from the start.

“Please move,” she murmurs against his mandible, her body squeezing him tight, making him groan. He pulls back a little, testing, careful, always so afraid of hurting her, his tough girl, but Shepard smiles and it’s enough to make him thrust shallowly into her. “Yeah, you feel so good.”

Garrus’ vision whites out for a second as her insides tug him back inside, so warm and so wet that a messy patch is already forming between their bodies, his sheath hitting her folds, the friction blinding, and the sight even more as he looks down, fringe tangled into her hair, and in the darkness he finds himself nestled deep, her cunt stretched around him, glistening in their combined want.

He moves, spirits, he moves. And his chest rumbles and his hands shake and his mandibles twitch at her cheek and his heart aches so damn hard it makes his breaths get stuck in his lungs like trapped creatures in a bone cage.

(I love you so damn much.)

She moves with him like a tide, like water rising on an endless black ocean alight with stars, then falling back, and even though he knows she's the most horrible dancer the galaxy has, she follows the steps of this tango by heart. Maybe because it's wanted. Maybe because it's with him. He desperately wishes that it would be true.

"I won't last long like this," his voice is barely picked up by the translator and he knows this, hopes that she doesn't mind the sounds he makes. They're real. So perfectly clear in their meaning, so sure in expressing something he's not yet ready to say when she can understand.

(I love you, I love you, I love you.)

She puts a palm to his stomach, just above his sheath, five lithe fingers mapping out the narrow lines of his sides, and damn, it makes his cock twitch, makes him thrust in roughly for the first time. There's a sound of delight. It comes from her, head tipped back and lips smeared with spit and red strands of hair, like fresh blood after a good brawl.

"Yes," she breathes out, dragging him down to her, clinging to him tightly as he finally moves his hips in a hard, steady rhythm. His knees are gonna kill him later but it doesn’t matter because he’s with her, joined like lovers, like mates.

She takes his hand, leads it over her body, to the divot of her collarbones, her sternum, the dip of her stomach, then the soft of her belly where she makes him press down a little, makes him feel the distinct shape of him moving inside her. That's something entirely new.

It makes him even more aware of the fact that this small, fragile woman would take up a krogan in a fistfight and come out alive. It makes him lose his mind. It makes some sick, posessive part of him growl and rumble and hold her so tight he's sure her hips are gonna bruise.

"Shepard," he hisses, one hand gripping the seat behind her to find more leverage, her sounds getting louder, out of breath and high-pitched, his name a silent mantra only muttered with gaping lips. “Show me how to make you come.”

She whimpers, clutches his fingers tighter on her navel. The talons of his other hand tear the Mako’s seat behind her. She drags his palm over the mound of hairy flesh where they join, and he enjoys carding his talons through the curls, then she takes a thick finger and places the pad of it just above where he’s stretching her open with his cock, on a small bundle of swollen flesh that instantly makes her tighten around him. This is something he could never get used to—the tight warmth clinging to him like a second skin under Palaven’s unforgiving sun. He swipes his thumb over it, then draws a slow circle. The tightness becomes almost unbearable. He keens.

“Damn clever turian,” she hiccups, grinding into his touch, into his unsteady thrusts, her hand gripping his wrist instead, not guiding but trying to steady herself. “I’m so close, Garrus.”

He nuzzles her jaw at that, forehead meeting forehead after, then lips with plates, tongue with tongue. The kiss breaks off in a series of desperate gasps, and Garrus murmurs against her, “let me come with you. Senna, please I—”

“Love you,” she pants into the crook of his neck, teeth grazing him, and then biting in when he pushes his whole length into her, the stretch unbearable, her words ringing in his ears like endless echoes in a hallway made of dark matter and stardust, and he claims her, puncturing her shoulder and filling her cunt, his tie growing, the taste of her blood bursting on his tongue. Sweet. Salty. Iron. Just like her.

She tightens on him impossibly so, and then there’s a fluttering, her muscles spasming violently in an orgasm that makes her legs shake and her stomach jump. His thumb slowly stops moving on the bundle of flesh she showed him when her short nails dig forcefully into his forearm.

(I love you, I love you, I love you—)

Subvocals screaming, his whole body trembling, he finally releases her flesh, knocks his nose against hers until her eyes flutter open, dazed and unfocused, brimmed with tears, pupils dilated to infinity. She smiles, blunt teeth flashing white and blue in the low light, and it takes him a few seconds to realize that it’s his own blood on her lips.

He leans down to lick it off, to embrace her tighter, to feel the taste of her tingle in the back of his throat. She bit him. She marked him for life.

“I love you so damn much, baby.”

It’s out and it’s his own shot right through his heart, a shard of metal carved out just in the shape of her, and Garrus knows that nothing ever will be the same. The marks, the blood, his tie cradled by her fluttering warmth, his heart laying bare out in the snow, thawing in her warmth.

Turians don’t like the cold, but Shepard scorches and it's just the right way.

“Thank you,” she whispers, weak now, entirely spent, but not influenced by the poison of want anymore. “I know this was… not how a first date should’ve happened but…” she bites the bruised swell of her bottom lip and he smooths a hand over her cheek, brushing away sticky hairs from her face. “Can we… have a next time?”

Garrus flicks out his mandibles in a smile and hugs her tighter, reassuring, eyes full of hope and wonder and her own disheveled reflection, “I want all the next times with you.”

“Good,” her grin tickles his hide, mischievous now. “I’m looking forward to it.”

(I do too. I do, I do, I do.)

#mass effect #mass effect fanfiction #shakarian #shepard x garrus #garrus x shepard #garrus vakarian #commander shepard #oc: senna shepard #mass effect 1 #mass effect legendary edition #mass effect fanfic #shakarian fanfic #so um i wrote this while being sleep deprived #i'm so rusty #but heyy new babies i can obsess over #i cried so hard at the end of the trilogy i had to do something about it #you call it coping i call it the writer's muse

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lilmissnatcat24 · 3 months

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Turn Left Ch 29- 4 Minutes by Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake

Shepard, Garrus, Wrex, and Liara fight to escape the warehouse with the rachni. Enemies are closer to Shepard than she first thought. (CW: gore)

Relationship: Femshep/Garrus Vakarian

Archive Warnings in author's note

Additional tags: enemies to friends to lovers, slow burn, slow build, alternate universe- canon divergence, detective noir, sex club, anonymous sex, canon temporary character death, murder mystery, drug use, dom garrus vakarian, whump, smut, heavy angst, alien sex, dual pov, an overly sexual elcor named candy, earthborn, ruthless, fake/pretend relationship, dead dove: do not eat, identity porn, minor character death

Detective AU mixed with identity porn mixed with so much whump my fingers are bleeding

(or, start from the beginning here)

lil text blurb:

Sixty seconds. This was okay, right? There were a million things Shepard could get done in sixty seconds. She could lace up her shoes. She could down a small container of carryout fries. She could braid her hair once down the back of her skull. She could get herself off-- twice, if she set her vibrator into maximum override mode.

What she pointedly could not do was escape a warehouse with noxious gas threatening to gas them all out. Say what you want, but she was no miracle worker. She considered laying down on the ground in a fetal position and rocking back and forth. She also considered fishing out the one little last bit of sand she carried on her-- she wasn’t going to forget it like the last major assault she was apart of when she needed it the most-- and snorting it, rubbing her fingertips in her gums for that last little bit of high right before she died. She also considered grabbing Vakarian by the carapace and bringing her lips to his. Not that she imagined what it would be like kissing turians with all of her free time or anything; call it more of a scientific curiosity.

Luck would have it, however, that for once she wasn’t the one who had to think quickly on their feet. “See that porthole to your right?” the voice in her comms, Nihlus, said firmly. “Blow it out. It’ll be a squeeze, especially for the krogan, but you’ll all fit.”

“And if I don’t?” Wrex asked.

“Well, it was nice knowing you then, Wrex my boy.” Wrex responded to that with a guttural yell, his head glowing blue before making contact with the porthole, shards of glass flying out onto the street below. “It’s a drop. Sorry if you break your ankles, but I think you’d rather a little sprain than suffocate to death.”

#mass effect fanfiction #mass effect #mass effect fanfic #shakarian #shepard x garrus #ao3 fanfic #turn left #garrus vakarian #femshep

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dragonflight203 · 27 days

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An observation I've frequently seen is that Mass Effect 2 is more of a side quest than a sequel to Mass Effect 1, and that a person can go straight from ME1 to ME3 while losing very little necessary information. Nothing that couldn't be covered by a NPC line or two in ME3.

And that raises the question: How to fix ME2?

A thought that came to me just now - replace Shepard with the Virmire Survivor. This makes the game a true sidequest that still fits in with any player's canon. You can even choose to play male/female.

The Virmire Survivor barely survives Virmire. (If Shepard can survive being spaced, they can survive being nuked. Maybe some of those omnipresent Cerberus operatives got them out.) Cerberus obtains them, fixes them up, and send them out to save the human colonies from the Collectors.

From there the game plays out similarly to how it does in canon. However, Garrus, Liara, Chakwas, and Joker are not there - since Shepard doesn't die, their lives don't spiral like they do in ME2.

The VS run into Shepard on Horizon - Shepard is there as a spectre investigating the missing colonists. They're outraged at the VS joining up with Cerberus after everything they learned about them in ME1; the VS tries to explain that they're making the best of a shitty situation (without outright saying they can't leave) to save humanity. Shepard isn't having it, and they part on poor terms.

The suicide mission plays out. Just like ME2, any of the companions can die. The VS can decide to stick with Cerberus or tell them to fuck off. Arrival either doesn't happen or is carried out by a squad of marines.

In ME3 (or possibly ME2, in this universe), the player plays as Shepard again. At some point, they're saved by the VS who is accompanied by the companions that survived the suicide mission. Depending on the choices from the side game, they're aligned with Cerberus or acting on their own.

How successful the rescue is depends on how many of the VS's companions that survived: -If everyone did, they come in guns blazing. Perfect success.

-If only two survived, Shepard and co barely escape with their life.

-If the player didn't play the side game, a set of pre designated companions survived the mission. Success is middling. It's a tossup whether the VS is aligned with Cerberus or not.

Then there's more dialogue between Shepard and VS. They can kiss and make up (maybe literally!) or get in a screaming fight and barely refrain from coming to blows.

Either way, they separate to go on their own missions. They may or may not keep contact. There will definitely be consequences from this encounter later.

I actually quite like this version. It bypasses the whole shenanigans of Shepard "dying" and joining Cerberus, and potentially adds more drama with them being in conflict with the person they left to die for the greater good. Shepard's past choices literally come back to haunt them.

It also permits the "real" plot with the Reapers to stay front and center in the main games, but Cerberus still gets its moment in the spotlight (if you think it needed to have one).

#mass effect #mass effect 2 #mass effect meta

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cousinslavellan-archive · 2 years

Note

Protective prompt: "I'll stay the night" Pairing of your choosing :)

Shakarian, ME2 - Fits in my Kissing Turians'verse. Hey look I'm not dead it only took forever to answer this! Ty for the prompt tho, it's been good to have some in my box to go back to! ♥

Garrus goes down to the rocket and Arisa feels like she’s watching herself die all over again.

There’s shouts, voices - Miranda’s, Jacobs, her own - as they evac him to the Normandy, get him into the medbay so Chakwas can work on him.

“Shepard, I need space.” Dr. Chakwas had ushered her out of the room - firm but kind, giving her a look, “I’ll page you once he’s stable.”

Arisa had stared at her - stared at the door, when it closed in her face. Fists clenched, energy pulsing in three quick flares.

Snuffed with a growl of frustration and a quick-turnabout, snapping orders into her comm - back to the shuttle, let’s get Mordin.

Distraction would be good, while she waited for news on her best friend.

The Salarians clinic is deep in the bowels of Omega, but they get through and get him out - and the second her pager goes off, Arisa is running, heedless of her armor.

Chakwas looks far too amused when she barrels into medbay, but she really can’t say she cares.

“Is he…?”

“Stable, sleeping. He’ll need to rest, for at least a few cycles. I had to use cybernetics to repair his mandible.” Chakwas frowns, covering her mouth to hide a yawn, “Goodness, what time is it?”

“Go get some coffee - I’ll keep watch over sleeping beauty.”

There’s no argument, but she hadn’t expected there to be.

The moment the doors close and they’re alone, Arisa lets out a long breath, taking a seat on the bed across from the sleeping Turian and watching his face for a moment - half covered in bandages, some blue blood still visible.

But breathing. Alive. She hadn’t failed him.

Arisa runs a rough hand through her hair, glancing around - startling a little when Garrus coughs and shifts on his bed, eyes flicking open after a moment's pause.

It’s sort of strange, seeing him without his visor - for a split second he looks more vulnerable. But he quickly shifts to alertness - or more alert, at least, given how many pain meds Chakwas had likely pumped him with, those blue eyes zeroing in on her.

“Shepard.” he coughs, and she’d swear her name had never sounded so good before, “What happened?”

“Rocket to the face, buddy. You were in rough shape.” Arisa leans forwards a bit, lips quirked, “Chakwas took good care of you. Shouldn’t try to move yet, though - need to heal for a bit.”

“Damn, no wonder my face stings so much.” Garrus grimaces, “How bad is it, Shepard?”

Arisa can’t help it - she grins, eyebrows up. “Damn Garrus, haven’t you ever heard how much women dig scars? You’ll be a chick magnet in no time.”

“Ow, shit, Shepard, don’t make me laugh. That hurts.”

Still, the quiet chuckle she’d gotten out of him is worth it, and Arisa hums, moving to push up from the bed.

“I should let you rest, I just wanted to make sure you were alright-”

A three-taloned hand on her wrist stops her, making green eyes shoot to blue.

“Stay.” Garrus requests, voice so soft it’s obvious he’s on the verge of passing back out, “Please. I’d feel better, knowing you’re here.”

Arisa stares for a moment, heart thumping. She wonders how much of what he’s saying is the drugs, or the blow to the head.

But she realizes, at the end of it, that it doesn’t matter.

“I’ll stay the night.” she promises, smiling when he relaxes immediately, “Someone’s gotta keep your ass in check, Vakarian.”

Garrus snorts, and Arisa only grins wider.

#shakarian #garrus vakarian #femshep #mass effect 2 #short fic #kissing turians verse #my writing #arisa shepard #hey look ma I wrote a thing!#I haven't written ME in ages so I hope it's ok gjbg

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craftylittlenerd · 1 year

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January YOTP submission - First Kiss prompt

Blowing Off Steam

Crafty_little_nerd (Izzime) https://archiveofourown.org/works/44769097

Summary:

My take on Garrus and Shepard’s first time before the attack on the Collector Base. Inspiration for this fic is obviously from the game itself, including the in-game quotes, the extended romance mod, and my dirty mind.

Notes:

First and foremost, a shout out to my good friend and beta reader CitrusLemon, who helped me on this journey, especially the journey of smut writing. Who knew writing sex could be so hard (pun totally intended). Check their stuff out, especially their tales from the side stage series; its top-tier smut and storytelling all rolled into the fluff and angst we all love.

This story has had quite an adventure. It initially started as a fic for kinktober, but I didn't finish it in time. Then I wanted to have it up for N7 Day 7 challenge Free Space; yeah, that didn't happen either. Then I was introduced to YOTP and thought yeah, I'll make this January's submission. Well, a good case of writer's block and how do you write believable sex (along with the start of my spring semester and my birthday) kicked in, so now it's just a bit late, and beta read.

#year of the otp #yotp #yotp 2023 #shakarian #shakarian fanfic #mass effect 2 #mass effect trilogy #mass effect fanfic #mass effect fanfiction #Garrus Romance #garrus x shepard

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captainderyn · 1 year

Note

1 & 5 from the otp asks for Ryn/Garrus! <3

Who would end a heated argument by defending their actions with ‘because I love you!’ ?

Hm...Ryn. Ryn is far more likely to pull the "because I love you!" card not really as a way to put down the argument but as an outburst of frustration/emotion.

First and foremost, Garrus struggles hard to say "I love you" so for the situations where they're most likely to be in a heated argument he hasn't even been able to say those words yet, let alone throw them in Ryn's face.

Ryn has an awful self-sacrificing mentality where she believes she has to be the one to shoulder all this danger, all this harm, to spare others from it. She takes it all on as her personal responsibility. So when someone, say Garrus, starts asking her to be "selfish" in her mind, to prioritize herself first because they love her, she gets frustrated because in her mind she's doing all this for them, she's doing this to keep them safe because she loves them. It's very hard for her to conceptualize the idea that the people who love her want her there and safe even if it means more danger.

5. Describe their cozy night in.

They need a cozy night in my goodness. Hear it goes:

Step one, according to Ryn, is snacks. She's going to be getting a whole bag of snacks. Sweet snacks, salty snacks, carb-packed snacks...it might get complicated because of dietary differences but if that means they each get their own bag of chocolate chips then that's fine by her.

Step two is that they need something to drink. Sometimes this is a bottle of cheap, sweet wine but Ryn like to keep that for special occasions. Usually, if she's the one let loose in the grocery store, it's going to be the weird shit. The "Ryn, what is this and why did you buy it" drinks. Weirdest flavors on the shelf.

The next step is obviously to put on comfy clothes. Duh. Can't have a night in without comfy clothes. Ryn usually has on a pair of baggy sweatpants and a crop top/loose t-shirt depending on the day. She gets Garrus matching sweatpants ("Put on the sweatpants, Vakarian, that is an order and a threat ;) *blows kiss*").

And of course, blankets! if Ryn isn't buried beneath six blankets she doesn't want it. After that, it really depends what they're feeling. Sometimes, though not super often, it'll be watching movies or tv shows. Sometimes it'll just be existing next to each other reading or something. But more often than not its them talking. Not always about serious stuff, or history, but reading off of lists of ridiculous "would you rather" questions or "fifty weird questions to ask your partner" questions.

#captainderyn answers #thank you for the asks!#otp: Keep Me Grounded

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n7viper · 1 year

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I posted 7,039 times in 2022

That's 7,039 more posts than 2021!

342 posts created (5%)

6,697 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@hawkeshep

@moss-flesh

@commander-krios

@plisuu

@alongtidesoflight

I tagged 6,845 of my posts in 2022

Only 3% of my posts had no tags

#art - 2,806 posts

#dragon age - 2,385 posts

#other - 1,527 posts

#mass effect - 1,319 posts

#shepard - 745 posts

#lavellan - 443 posts

#cullen - 315 posts

#garrus - 307 posts

#solas - 293 posts

#hawke - 229 posts

Longest Tag: 134 characters

#for the piercings - i wish i had some artistic talent because i would die to see her with some extra piercings i can't see in the game

I sent 3 gifts in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

my friend just sent me this video and I just -

those are some pretty crazy rock formations

51 notes - Posted September 12, 2022

Random OTP Asks

I scraped a random assortment of questions from this mega post so that I could answer them in a very self-indulgent way. I didn't originally number them, and it turns out I ended up with an odd number. Sorry to all Increments of Five enjoyers out there.

Who is always horny and will have sex, at any place and at any time?

Who slides their arm around the other’s waist?

Who tops and who bottoms?

Who acts tough but actually is really submissive?

Who is louder in bed?

Who does some crazy stunt to try and impress the other and who ends up driving them to the ER after it backfires?

Who likes to give the other hugs from behind followed by a kiss?

Who causes the tomfoolery and who has to try and stop the tomfoolery?

Who’s ready for marriage first?

Who wants kids first?

Who’s the first to break down because they’re going to be parents?

Which one has more insecurities? Over what?

Would they hate-fuck if they were mad at one another? If they had a falling out?

Which one stubbornly tries to pretend they aren’t sick?

Who initiates PDA the most in public?

Who is your OTP’s unofficial/official child?

Who pulls the other closer while sleeping?

Who likes to sit in the other’s lap?

Who still blushes when their partner compliments them?

Who asks the other’s father/father figure to marry their son/daughter?

Who sleeps on which side of the bed?

Who would be a lovey dovey drunk?

Who do they ask to be their bridesmaid(s)/best man/men?

Who distracts the driver by being a bit too provocative in the car?

Favorite canon moment of them?

Least favorite canon moment of them?

Which one fixes up the other one’s outfit in the morning (adjusting a tie, putting hair in the right spot, etc)?

What theme would their wedding be, if they were going to get married?

See the full post

76 notes - Posted September 16, 2022

A few months ago, I was l lucky enough to receive the most amazing commission of my girl from the lovely @lilithkb (LilithKBArt on Twitter) 💖

I have been absolutely obsessed with this since I got it back. The amount of detail that Lilith put into this blows my mind. I love the tweaks that they made to the armour to make it more Mihri, the colours that we worked together on to make it more meaningful*.

I'm never good at words when it comes to these things because I feel like words can't really convey the love I have for this. If you're on Twitter, please go give them and their amazing art some love!

*green is Mihri's favourite color! However, I tend to associate her with turquoise for some reason. The armour colors are a lovely blend of both of us.

78 notes - Posted September 4, 2022

I was lucky enough to snag a commission slot from the lovely @jentrevellan, so you know I had to get a bust of Mihri 💖 I can’t get over how she looks in her little dress, and the FLOWER CROWN! Thank you again, Jen! 💖💖

160 notes - Posted August 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Cullen's pretty sure he's gonna go grey by 35

722 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#3% of posts untagged is still really high for me #dislike #1000 more DA posts than ME #the brainrot was real #I came back to tumblr just to get back into mass effect fandom #it was only a kiss how did it end up like this?#the cullen tweet was the only time I was funny in my entire life and I will never be humorous again #tumblr2022 #year in review

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miragesbian · 3 years

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“if you don’t let garrus win the shooting contest you’re a monster” if garrus wants to win the shooting contest his little turian ass can do two things and that’ 1) Git and 2) Gud

#text tag #mass effect #he's not my boyfriend i don't have to respect him #jk #blows kisses @ garrus #he's still not my boyfriend

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artisticdagger · 4 years

Photo

Did another SixFanarts. This was fun! A ragtag group of characters this round for sure

#sixfanarts #link #hat kid #loz #hat in time #garrus vakarian #mass effect #alucard #castlevania #ryou bakura #yugioh #harley quinn #this rekindled my romance for Garrus Vakarian #garrus if you're out there #blows a kiss

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not-great-not-terrible · 4 years

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Summer has come and passed

The innocent can never last

Wake me up when September ends

#mass effect #blows a kiss to the sky for garrus

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atllas · 5 years

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Happy N7 Day to any Mass Effect fans!!

#i miss the original trilogy #-blows a kiss into the sky for garrus #atllaschats

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mlm-writer · 2 years

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Red Tape and Cutting Corners - Masterlist

Summary: Garrus Vakarian plays fast and loose with the law to keep up with the criminals of the Citadel. This gets him results, but does not make his superiors happy. One misstep too many, his captain partners him with a human partner to keep him in line. Kaidan Alenko seems to be a lover of policies, protocol and procedure, much to Garrus’ dismay. However, with red tape halting their investigation at every turn, even Kaidan learns that some corners were meant to be cut. In a web of ill Elcor, dead Asari and one missing medi-gel dispenser, it is not clear who pays the price and neither of them might be willing to defray when someone comes to collect.

Rating: M

Pairing: Kaidan Alenko x Garrus Vakarian

Tags: Buddy cop AU, almost canon compliant, graphic violence, mentions of drugs, explicit alcohol consumption, mentions of sex trafficking, graphic crime scene descriptions, murder, mentions of suicide (case-related), idiots in love, enemies to lovers, homoerotic arguments, kiss and make up, and they were from different species (oh my god they were from different species), migraines, hinted at Kaidan having PTSD after Jump Zero but never explicitly said so, healing, slow-burn, fluff and angst (with a happy ending?)

Thank you @anaisonfire for the prompt! This fic also available on AO3. The poster is made by yours truly.

Protocol and Procedure

Big Place

Humans Have a Saying

Coming to Terms

Blowing Off Steam

Are We Good?

No Fetish for Humans

Special

Bad for Business

Leaving You Behind

#Mass Effect #mass effect trilogy #Kaidan Alenko #alenkarian #Garrus Vakarian x Kaidan Alenko #Garrus Vakarian #garrus x kaidan #mele #buddy cop #mass effect legendary edition #garrus #kaidan #mass effect fic #fanfic #meleedit #mass effect edit #mass effect art #mass effect fanart

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dispatchwithlove · 2 years

Note

Hi! ☺️👋Was totally going to just message and say hi, but saw you had a prompt list of kisses! Feel like doing this one for Garrus and Shepard? Garrus is super cozy, but Shep is roasting...

#30 Weak, sweaty kisses because it’s unbearably hot.

Hi! It was so exciting to see your message! Thanks for the prompt! Hope what I came up with is an enjoyable little peek into Shep and Garrus's life post marriage/bonding 😊 And feel free to reach out anytime!

*****

“I hate working out at your gym,” Jane whined, her heavy breaths weren’t meant to be so enticing, but Garrus couldn’t help but stare at the way the tight, thin fabric of her sports bra strained, her breasts swelling with every inhale. She looked just about spent while hanging from the pull-up bar. He’d learned from asking more than once if she was ready to throw in the towel to never challenge her with an insinuation that she couldn’t handle her typical workout in the heat of the turian gym, which was a decent temperature, 20 degrees warmer than her gym.

“It’s so fucking hot.” She panted again, chest huffing. She looked gorgeous, suspended mid-air. Her strong shoulders spread wide, biceps bulging. Her tight waist stretched long in a drastic curve down to her wide hips. And her skin, damp with sweat from her temple to her knees, glistened in a way he never would have expected to find so sexy.

Garrus ran a hooked finger over Jane’s sweat-slick thigh. “I don’t know, for some reason I enjoy watching you workout here more.”

“Fuck off, don’t tease me.” Another deep breath and her ribs expanded. He loved running his tongue along the up-sweeping line of her ribs when her back arched and she was pinned beneath him. Each of her excited breaths would make his tongue tingle. “I’m dripping here. All the turians are staring.”

“Just because they don’t think you can do this last rep. Come on.”

“Blow on me,” she begged.

“I can’t blow, saccha.”

“Fan me a little,” she whined, lips pouting and capturing all of his attention.

Her glare made him chuckle but didn’t deter him from admiring every beautiful inch of her. “You’re so hot.”

A laugh barked out of her. “Yeah, literally.”

She stopped glaring at him to focus back on her workout. With her eyes focused on the bar above her like it was a despised enemy, she pulled herself up. An arms-length away and eager to close the distance, he watched as her body raised and lowered, muscles straining in an impressive effort. With every pullup, she released a soft, breathy grunt that sent heat crawling between his thighs.

“Ha, fucking did it!” She said as she lowered to a resting point. Her proud smile rounded her blushed cheeks, a single bead of sweat traveled along the curve and to her jaw.

He stepped closer, a purr tickling his chest.

“Good job, now drop down and come over here for your reward.”

Her mischievous chuckle teased him. She took a deep breath and swung her lower body forward, closing the few feet between them, wrapping her legs around his waist, and pulling him closer with thick, clenching thighs. Enfolded in her embrace, her skin heated, that purr tore out of him.

The effort sapped the last of her strength. She took deep, dragging breaths. Garrus placed a hand on the small of her back, and another between her shoulder blades, pulling her against his chest

With all of her weight resting on his hips, she let go of the bar and wrapped her arms around his carapace. They shook slightly, she’d be so sore tomorrow, but there was no convincing her to hold back. Adorable, stubborn woman.

“How do you like me now, hm? Now that you’re covered in all my gross sweat.”

“You know I don't mind. Never do.”

A single bead of sweat rolled between her breasts and disappeared beneath her bra.

“Want me to carry you to the locker room?”

“No,” she said, her huffing breaths fanning across his neck and chest. “I can make it. I want my reward first though.”

He lowered his hand, grazing over the distinct shelf between her lower back and fell to her the firm contour of her cheek. He palmed the plump, muscled flesh, right where the curve peaked and was the sweetest to hold, and gave it a greedy squeeze.

She gave him a quirked brow and pursed lips. “That’s my reward? Getting groped in public.”

“Funny, I remember being groped in public once, by you, at a bar, with a lot more spectators. I thought you’d appreciate finally receiving what you gave.”

She squeezed her thighs around him, a little teasing clench.

“What kind of reward would you like instead?” he asked.

“This.” Her arms trembled with the effort to pull herself upwards and she pressed her lips to his. The tang of salt hit his tongue. Her mouth barely touched his, her lips just a featherlight presence, before she pulled back to take a deep, needy breath. He could feel her pounding pulse in her thighs.

“You’re exhausted,” he told her.

“Mm,” she mumbled, “finished my workout though.”

“You’re amazing.” She was, truly. Strong and stubborn and beautiful. The light of the stars, the warmth in his heart. The love of his life.

She pressed her lips to his again. This kiss was even fainter than the last. He took it, though, because he’d cherish anything she had to give him.

Her greedy drags of air only intensified, her chest rising and falling with every heave. Her body weight melted into his hold as her hold on him grew weaker. “Ok, I give up, carry me to the locker room.” Her forehead fell against the downward swoop of his collar.

“You got it. But I’ll need one thing in return.”

She groaned. “What? I can’t make dinner tonight, I’ll collapse.”

He chuckled, removed the hand from her very nice ass to capture her chin with a hooked finger, bringing her gaze to meet his. “We can order in. But I want one last kiss.”

Her beautiful smile lit a fire inside him, deep in the pit of his stomach. “You’ll have to lift me up.”

He did, wrapping his arms around her hips and hauling her up higher on his waist. Her nose grazed his and she gave him one last weak, tender kiss with the last bit of energy she had. Her lips no more than a gentle flutter against his. When she broke the kiss she collapsed into his arms, every pound of her relying on his loving hold.

A deep, happy rumble settled in his chest. “That was perfect. You’re perfect.”

“I love you for thinking I’m perfect even when I’m exhausted, sweaty, and smelly.”

“I love you too, amar.”

Her lips pressed to his neck so lightly he almost didn’t feel it. But the sensation was there, and he adored her for using the last fleeting drops of her energy to kiss him.

A tired hum vibrated against his skin before she spoke. “Skip the locker room. Take me home,” she said with a tinge of humor and a hint of begging.

“Non-stop travel arrangements? That’ll be one more kiss, sorry.”

Her lips brushed along the curve of his neck, He held his breath, waiting for one last soft, sweet kiss, and instead he got a jolt when her blunt little teeth nipped into his skin, hard enough to actually give him a faint shock of pain. The smile on her lips dragged against his skin and he laughed, deep and hard.

While the last of his chuckle died out he trailed a talon along her spine and whispered into her ear, “You’re gonna pay for that.”

“Understandable. But wait until the morning, so I can enjoy my punishment.”

“Hmm, reasonable. I think it’ll be more enjoyable for both of us that way.”

The thought of their home, a comforting dinner, a lit fireplace, and the chair next to their big window overlooking the little neighborhood garden guided him home. He’d lie her down in that chair, set her feet up on the ottoman, and cover her from ankle to throat in kisses as soft and tender as the ones she just gave him.

******

Thanks for reading! I have one more prompt to fill. The prompt list is pinned on my page so send me a prompt if you'd like.

#shakarian #shepard x garrus #kissing #kiss prompts #a turian in love #idiots in love #they're just my favorite

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dalekofchaos · 3 years

Note

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

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amalthea-fictions · 3 years

Text

Commander Shepard's Nickname

I had this idea after James and Garrus get that banter dialogue on the Normandy in ME3! Summary: everyone is trolling poor James...

---

He doesn’t believe it at first. Thinks he must be misreading things. But slowly, the pieces all start fitting together.

His first hint is when she immediately rejects his nickname. But, not because of duty or rules against fraternization, no. But out of a sheer lack of interest.

“You sure know how to fight, Lola.”

“Lola?” She snorts.

He shrugs.

She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. “You’re calling me Lola because…?”

“I like giving people nicknames.” He lets his gaze wander over her, wondering if she’ll play his game.

But it backfires.

“Let’s not, Vega,” she says, her tone strict with all the practiced sternness of a commanding officer. “Just ‘Commander Shepard’ is fine for you.”

“Alright, but it’s your loss.” He straightens when she scowls at him and adds, “ma’am.”

Then they meet up with the turian on Palaven’s moon. James had known that Shepard was close with a turian --after all, the crew that helped her defeat Sovereign and blow up the Collector base included everything from turian to krogan.

But something is… different about the way she speaks to this turian.

“We need to find General Victus immediately, then,” Shepard says to the commanding turian officer who had just informed them that this Victus guy is the next in the line of succession to become the primarch.

The flanging voice of another turian approaches behind them. “Don’t worry. I’m on it.”

Shepard spins around a little too hastily. “Garrus!”

The turian, Garrus, smiles ---well, flicks his mandibles-- looking genuinely happy to see her. “Amalthea,” he says, and there’s pure relief and joy in his voice. She’s beaming back at him as they take each other’s hands. It could have been a friendly handshake, but James doesn’t fail to notice the way he takes her hand in both of his, all tender-like.

After the mission, he begins to notice more clues. Especially how Garrus keeps calling her--

“Amalthea.”

The commander looks up from her datapad. The lot of them are sitting around the war table. Garrus says something about krogans, and Shepard doesn’t seem to mind when his hand brushes against hers as he points out things on her datapad. Not once does she scold him for using her first name.

The next day, he sees them eating together. He fixes his own plate at the mess counter and tries not to make it too obvious he’s straining to listen to their conversation. But-- yes-- there it is! He doesn’t call her Commander Shepard. Or even just Shepard:

“I’m sure Wrex will be more happy to see you than me, Malthie,” the turian says.

Malthie -- and that’s definitely a nickname if he ever heard one.

James quirks his eyebrow as he finishes his plate. So, no nicknames from Lieutenant Vega, but they’re acceptable from Garrus Vakarian?

He finds his gaze wandering over the commander’s body again one day when he’s had a few too many drinks in Purgatory. He’s in the middle of talking about EDI’s new body, and how now he’ll be even more distracted because the commander can also fill out a uniform like nobody’s business--

“Nice try, James,” she says, holding up her hand as if to physically shield herself from the drunken flirting. “But you’d best stop unless you want to get on the bad side of a certain turian.”

Right. Certain turian.

The worst part is, everyone else seems to know, too. It’s like an unspoken understanding, and James can’t get anyone to really admit that they’re together.

“Estefan,” he tries one day, protected from intruding ears by the loud sheering sound of Cortez’s drill. “What’s between the commander and the turian?”

Cortez shrugs, not stopping his work. “There’s something between them, obviously. In case you haven’t noticed, amigo, we have bigger things to worry about than who the Commander is dating.”

But James can’t just leave it at that. He needs to know.

“Hey, Joker,” he tries later. “You’ve known Shepard and Vakarian a long time, right?”

“Yeah, we’re SR1 originals,” he shrugs. “Why?”

“So have the commander and Garrus always…?”

Joker doesn’t look up from his flight controls.

“Always been badass? Hell yeah.”

James doesn’t get anywhere.

“EDI,” he even resorts to one day. “You have access to the ship’s surveillance, right?”

“That is correct, Lieutenant Vega.”

“Okay, so, you’d be able to see if anyone was… you know… right?”

“If you’re asking about the sexual activities of the crew, Lieutenant Vega,” EDI says, “then yes, I have logged each romantic relationship aboard the Normandy and linked them to each crew member’s individual health logs. Shepard says this is a breach of privacy, but Professor Solus notes that it is necessary to ensure crewmember health. Therefore the moral ambiguity of the action is justified by the potential benefits of preventing sexually transmitted infections and monitoring vitals aboard the ship…”

She goes on and on about crew vitals and moral justifications.

So, great. Even the AI is complicit in stonewalling him.

Is it just like… a weird fling? Sexual tension from saving the world together so many times? Or are they together together?

And then one day he and Garrus end up in the mess hall together, bantering. It’s a friendly conversation, at first, seeing who can out-brag the other: who’s done bigger and better things (a ‘who-has-the-bigger-quad competition,’ as Wrex says).

“I kind of tracked down this rogue Spectre named Saren and stopped a Reaper from destroying the Citadel,” Garrus says.

James rolls his eyes. “That doesn’t count. You were with Shepard.”

But then Garrus gives James a look: his eyes gleam the way a predator’s would when their prey is trapped in a corner.

“That’s right, Vega,” Garrus smirks, and speaks slowly, dragging out his next words. “I’ve always been with Shepard. Right from the very beginning.”

James blinks. Once. Twice.

Has-- has everyone been trolling him--

Just so Garrus can rub in the fact that they’re together??

“Wait a minute,” he says.

But before he can ask anything else, the commander herself enters the room.

“What’s going on here, boys?”

Garrus smiles at her. “Oh, don’t mind us,” he says, eyeing James. “Vega and I were just...comparing our adventures.”

Shepard quirks her eyebrows. “Uh-huh. Well. I’ll let you get back to it, then.”

But before going about her business, she crosses the mess hall to the turian. “I have some free time later,” she says to him, her voice low enough that James knows it’s only meant for Garrus but loud enough for him to hear. “Meet me in my cabin after?”

“You know I’ll be there.”

She stands on her toes and kisses him on the mandible.

And when she walks away, James swears the damn turian is smirking knowingly at him.

#shepard x garrus #shakarian #garrus vakarian #female shepard #Amalthea Shepard #me3 #mass effect #james vega

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