This Has Probably Already Been Spoken To Death About On Here, But Despite Mass Effect Being A Huge Part

this has probably already been spoken to death about on here, but despite mass effect being a huge part of my life for over a decade, I've not really yapped about it online

as much as i adore Garrus with every fibre of my being, there's a part of me that is actually glad we can't romance him in me1. If you ignore the initial reasoning behind why we can't, it works out so well for their relationship in the long run

when shepard first meets garrus, they are on uneven grounds. They fall into a form of mentor and protégé style of friendship, garrus looks up to shepard and comes to her for answers. She's been through a lot, so he wants shep's point of view that's been forged from her own experiences on the battlefield. Paragon or renegade, its safe to assume the events in shepard's chosen backstories helped push her into either direction.

Then she dies and he is left behind, then Omega happens. 2 years worth of mourning. 11 people to mourn in such a short span of time, all things considered. Shepard and his team snatched away from him without warning. That would change anyone to lose that amount of people so quickly.

Death changes people and shepard and garrus, for better or worse, are forced through that change 2 years later

So by the time shepard and garrus are reunited, they are now on equal ground. He no longer comes to shepard for answers. He's already gotten them from his own experiences. The same way she did before the hunt for saren. He doesn't need her answers anymore, he doesn't question the morality of his past missions, that's long since been cemented into his mind after shepards death and sidonis.

Back on the SR-1, garrus was lagging slightly behind her, but now on the SR-2? now they are truly side by side, on the battlefield and through this learnt experience.

imo this makes his romance even stronger than if we could romance him in the first game. because it really is strangers -> friends -> lovers in its purest form in my eyes.

I like the idea that Garrus starts really falling in love with Shepard in those post-ME2 ending scenes where you can call up your love interest to your cabin. He starts to understand that it is more than just the respect for a superior and a friend, more than just a simple crush. He feels himself falling for her while he holds her in bed or when she's talking his ear off as she sits on his lap on the couch. And he's enjoying her company so much, and he finds himself hoping that he'll get to stay up there for longer each time. And he always loves the nights where he wakes up in her bed and she's curled up in his chest and she hasn't asked him to leave. He likes to bury his head in her neck and let her talk, the vibrations of her voice so calming against his face. He asks her to practice this thing she calls kissing so that he can be better at it for her.

And to Shepard it isn't just a fun lay either. She's not calling him up just to sleep with him each time. She cares about him, she's actually always cared about him, but she's not very vocal about her feelings unless she's asked directly and that makes him slightly still hesitant to call it love. But in her mind she wants nothing more than to spend all her time with him. In her mind, reading over datapads together in bed and discussing their thoughts is romantic. In her mind, asking him to take a shower with her so they don't waste water is her way of saying she likes him. So I like to think that she's much quicker at accepting it.

And in the time he ruminates his feelings about her, she's already decided that he's the one for her.

arts and crafts are killing me. badly

Thinking about an overprotective Ace who considers yuu his responsibility. He believes he has a right to stake claim over yuu, he talked to yuu first after all. When you were written off as a trouble maker with no knowledge of their world, no redeeming qualities, and cast aside as a janitor, who bullied enlightened you on the great seven? Right? 😭

It's cute. He doesn't have to be so protective, he's obviously not naturally inclined to take that role. His identity, outside of mischief, is informed by his relationship to his older brother. He could just default to mimicking those patterns with yuu, but he doesn't. With his senpais, Ace coaxes them into taking more responsibility for him than necessary. Like, in his loungewear vignette, Kalim throws him an audacious feast after his birthday which he has no problem accepting. Evidently he's not against being the younger brother or being shamelessly taken care of.

But, in regards to Yuu, his voice-lines, vignettes, and main story dialogue, all subtly express a desire to take on more responsibility for their sake. (He says it outright in his level up line) His suisui vignette has him taking control and trying to protect yuu from an unknown threat at the time. This is a major shift in contrast to his presence in Playful Land, where he is reluctant to lead while older students are still present. He gathers Deuce in book 5 to rescue yuu from Scarabia, and takes a stern tone with yuu after they admit to leaving of their own volition to follow Malleus in his enhalo vignette. Yuu is the catalyst for Ace growing up, we don't see Yuu have such an impact on other characters. 😭

But of course he wants to protect his prefect, they're only magic less and he's only human after all lol

Soap: Simon, would you still love me if I was a worm?

Ghost: Yes. Would you still love me if you were a worm?

Soap: What?

Ghost: What if you’re not capable of loving me back and you fall in love with another worm? Eh? What then?

Kasumi's line about people wanting Shepard and Garrus to be together is so cute because I just know that the people on the normandy were shipping them so hard and they knew before Shepard and Garrus even really comprehended their own feeling as romantic