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Works Masterlist | Ao3
@sorcerous-caress BG3/DnD General blog + writings
@shmowder Pathologic General blog + Writings
@peacehammer40k where I play with dolls
I'm having fun
🐈🪵

roma★

if i look back, i am lost
tumblr dot com

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AnasAbdin
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sheepfilms
will byers stan first human second
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
Cosmic Funnies
Cosimo Galluzzi

JBB: An Artblog!

titsay
Acquired Stardust
todays bird
🪼

⁂
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
seen from Hong Kong SAR China

seen from Türkiye

seen from United States

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@sol-consort
Request rules | Requests: Open
Works Masterlist | Ao3
@sorcerous-caress BG3/DnD General blog + writings
@shmowder Pathologic General blog + Writings
@peacehammer40k where I play with dolls
I'm having fun
🐈🪵
WHY ARE THESE MY ONLY TWO HUMAN OPTIONS? FUCK OR KILL THE ALIENS?
Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗
i hate everything I've ever written and all my favourites writers are dead
have this edited picture of Garrus instead
19 min, pixels on png
also in turian
That's us, together.
While we're looking up at the Artemis II astronauts journeying to the Moon, they're looking back home at us.
In this image, Earth peeks through the capsule window, reminding us that a view like this relies on the ingenuity and hard work of countless people back home.
In the second image, we see our home planet as a whole, lit up in spectacular blues and browns. A green aurora even lights up the atmosphere.
Follow the Artemis II astronauts on their journey to the Moon:
lately I've only ever felt the inspiration to write while under painkillers and I'm trying to ignore the implications of that
Marine biologist salarian from last year
I’m back on (another) 3 day 2 night trip! We’re working with CRISPR this year. I don’t have it in me as much to lard this year, but I might have to make a biochemist salarian oc (and make her use the the stupid little glass needles that my hands are two twitchy to load right without messing up the plastic tip used to load the needle with the practice dye.) Which then lead me to an actual thought, can you imagine how bad cross species labs would be? Just in sheer amount of equipment to be compatible with every species? Example, I can’t see a Turban and a Salarian both being able to use the same microscope, simply because their eyes are so different. Maybe some labs have stuff that’s so movable that it works seamlessly for everyone, but that seems like it would be exorbitantly expensive, just to have a mixed team.
Humans like to work with everyone thoughh, I could deadass see a human scientist taking as much as they could of their (debatably) own gear from their old lab with them on a trip just to go and run experiments with a team of aliens (totally not based in my desire to steal one of the really nice microscopes from here,,, totally not).
Imagine the cultural shock that'd come from the drastically different lab etiquette and safety guidelines.
Turians being a walking contamination disaster with their metalic exoskeleton that messes up the reading of any nearby magnets within a device. Could you imagine the disaster-in-waiting that is a turian in an MRI room? Their sharp talons easily cut throug rubber gloves so those are off the table. But on the other hand their metalic layer offers them more protection so maybe they don't use turian-grade rubber gloves unless a sterile environment is necessary? Mystery Chemical falls on your human flesh and easily begins chewing a second-degree burn shaped hole into the meat, but metal could endure more, has a more generous window of fail-safe measure to rinse it off than your poor tissue cells could ever dream of.
It's funny you mention struggling to hold the delicate lab equipment because our species is supposed to be the designated five-fingers hand-freaks. Lab instruments only get more crude and broad the more divorced from the general human shape the species becomes—could you imagine a needle viable to use by the elcor? If you're struggling, what hope does a drell or angara have with their webbed fingers.
But salarians might be more adept? It's a tradeoff between the human precise lithe fingers for bulbous anti-drop padded digits. They also have like 3 fingers total, their lab equipment gotta account for that.
My theory is that a lot of xeno labs rely on automated functions, barely requiring any manual handling, greatly reducing the risk factor. More akin to a small lab factory. That to them human labs seem very hands-on and tedious in comparison.
I'm thinking back to the Nexus laboratory in Andromeda, how it seemed to consist of mostly asari, humans, and one or two salarians? But that could be attributed to it being the human ark, like duh, of course it's gonna be mostly humans.
Do asari use biotics when it comes to handling lab instruments? Maybe it's baked into their equipment that fail to function if you lack the necessary telekinesis. On the surface all their devices seem very human-friendly to handle until you notice the complete lack of handles, and very narrow space provided for samples. Relying on some inner mechanism to function that is operated purely by biotics.
Krogans are immune to so many poisons and harmful chemicals, I have no doubt they can chug straight acid and be absolutely fine. Imagine all the scientific breakthroughs they could achieve! All the doors their inbuilt radiation immunity offers! A salarian would salivate at the thought of the potential a full-krogan science crew holds.
Hanar labs must accommodate for them being underwater... as all of their equipments and subjects. Imagine trying to press a spaceman between two slides but it keeps floating away LMAO. That's probably where their many tentacles come into play. I wonder how prone to contamination they are? Humans a walking bacteria ecosystem, but maybe the hanar body is more sterile than ours? Or maybe the surface of their skin traps all foreign bodies above it within, much like microfiber traps small stone shards, and prevents them from spreading?
It's more based on science fiction than science, but do you think researcher turians get an exoskeleton coating of a noble metal to act as their lab safety gear? Maybe gold or platinum. It would look cool as fuck, and protect their iron.
warhammer dating sim where you, a human baseline, get stuck in a necron crypt with a a bunch of colourful heretical aliens, and cooperating with the said xenos is your only way of escape
You're a very obedient cog of the imperial machine and buy into all of the propaganda, but also dumb and horny ape-brain, so it's a delicate balance between "holy shit filthy xenos emperor save me!" and "huh the eldar are much cuter up-close than the news channel illustrates them as"
There's a tau who's trying to remain cordial with you while not so subtly hoping you'll join the side of the greater good rather than go back to your hive world after escaping the hellscape tomb. The most friendly by a far margin, if you ignore the backhanded compliments over the human race, and digs at your entire life philosophy.
An aeldari who's 1) absolutely delighted over your anguish when the dogmatic brainwashing begins to crack, 2) sabotaging you at every step by feeding you the wrong advice whilst knowing their usefulness far outweighs their maliciousness so you have no choice but to endure their antics
An ork who isn't sold on the whole "escape" part of the plan as they're having a blast, by literally blasting through the necron troops. They make up 90% of your makeshift "team" total power and are quite possibly the only reason your skin is not flayed over some virus-ridden necron by now. Staying on their good side is absolutely vital for your survival
A lower tier necron warrior who you may or may have not reverse-lobotomised by accident, by throwing a rock at. That hit their circuit board in just the right way to shake some soul back into them, by some divine lore-breaking miracle, they regain the ability to have complex feelings, and recall their past. Deciding they rather ditch the whole eternal servitude thing and accompany you in your escape aka "use the infantile species as meatshields"
No you don't know how to fight + you're scared of your shadow + you hit as hard as a wet noodle + not one spare braincell + your ultramarine ex is NOT returning your calls to boot so zero chance of rescue (that's what you get for breaking up with him over the phone)
The end goal of this is not for a budding romance to blossom per say but more for you to Not Die a gruesome death be it at the hand of an alien, or the inquisiton who got a whiff of your relationship with aforementioned alien
no one talks about the ugly side of steam family share where you wake up to find your brother has filled your library with straight up horseshit
Quite Curious about this, if you were in Mass Effect, what class would you be? Weapons and Armor, what role would you play in the story? What combat style is unique to you?
I always wonder how people imagine themselves in games
What I'd do in Mass Effect? Probably what I'm doing rn, watering my plants while scrolling through headphone reviews before deciding my busted up Razer Kraken is worth keeping after all, all whilst dreading my upcoming dentist appointment this afternoon.
Most likely my whole life will be spent on Earth from the cradle to the grave. I don't even go out on weekends why would I ever consider leaving the planet?
But no I'm being deliberately obtuse to fuck with you. Of course I get what you're asking.
Okay. Imagine with me! A knight in space!
That's me. That's who I want to be! I want to fight with a cybersword and a plasma shield. I want heavy crusader-like armour that's actually extremely technologically advanced. Or maybe I'll go with a light weight fencer theme instead? Use a rapier and do the whole dance-like fighting movesets. Man I just wanna have fun and I really really love swords and knights.
Like yeah, yeah, guns are cool I get it. But I want to be That Bitch that still uses egregiously outdated weapons despite all their inconveniences. Purely for the love of the game!
I'd be introduced in the second game as temporary ally in one or two special missions then I'm on my way
Send a couple emails for flavour to update Shepard on the aftermath of whatever the plot of the mission was
I actually exist in the first game but don't make an appearance. It's a conversation between Tali and Garrus where he questions her about her browsing history showing frequent visits to a human writing website? It's Sun... something? Sol concrete? Tali is immediately flustered and completely denies it. The said writing blog has been getting some requests for turian/quarian stories for a while
The connection between my knight mercenary persona and writer persona isn't revealed until the end. For the whole 2 missions the player thinks I'm just some rando new character. Only in the aftermath emails am I like "Man that fight was rough huh? Who knew geth could take so much. At least I got new materials for my fics lol. Check out my blog when you can it's @sol-consort"
I do actually take the knight larping in those missions seriously, but hold an endearing amount of self-awareness. I'm mostly a tank/frontliner with mid damage and zero biotics ability.
If you take Grunt on my missions he comments on how samurais are cooler and I hold a grudge for life against him.
If you take Tali on my missions she doesn't recognise me until the end in which she completely freaks out and I do too because oh my god you like my stories!!! wtf you read my shit??? come here gimme a hug!
I have cheesy lines where I qoute poems in battle
The shield that my combat AI uses to protect the player with is what stands out the most in my fighting style, besides the mele sword. Squishy players love me, tank players roll their eyes.
I don't show up much in the third game because I'm more of a comic relief character than a serious one. Maybe I make an appearance in the Citadel party?
I definitely hit on Anderson and Hackett when the opportunity presents itself.
If Shepard picks a flirty option I just laugh it off, and tell them to meet me in a decade or two, I like my wine aged.
I gift you a book (One Hundred Years of Solitude) and a plant (Peace Lilly) as collectables for your cabin
Morality wise, I think Cerberus are a necessary evil, I don't hold it against Shepard for working with them. My ethics are left ambiguous overall.
There's a drastic difference between my fighting armour and civilian clothes. The switch from terrifying towering shiny armour, full-coverage intimidating helmet, and gaint steel sword, to the pastel colours, crop tops, mini skirts, flowery accessories and overall feminine appearance gives the player whiplash.
In fact when first introduced as the intimidating knight, Shepard and the crew assume I'm a guy and I never correct them, then when the "reveal" happens I'm like "eh what difference does it make?" slightly hinting to the whole non-binary all pronouns identity, but not explicitly stating it so Fox News doesn't nuke the game again
Many years after the trilogy ends, a dev reveals I was actually autistic, aro, and nb. Some parts of the fandom accept me with open arms, other unpleasant parts of the fandom cry that their manic pixie dream waifu was ruined by WOKE and refuse to refer to me as anything but a woman—those same people also happen to completely nerf my knight armour in fanart and whittle it down into a skintight spandex suit and armour bikin instead, sadly.
I usually make an appearance in fanfics as a background character in Tali/Garrus fics
There are easter eggs about me in Andromeda, the sword I used, some snippets of my writing, and a floral spray paint for the Nomad
The Hackett flirting is what I end up being the most memorable for and oftend memed about in the fandom, other than that I'm gracefully swept to the side for the main cast.
Your turn anon, who would you be as a character in Mass Effect?
Hope you don't mind me answering the question, even though I'm not the anon being referred to, just came across it on your feed and... Well, I ask myself stuff like that a lot so. *shrug* Ya know?
If I were a Mass Effect character lucky enough to be given screen time and more than the standard background NPC treatment?
I'd probably not be too different from what I am now, trained archivist, just working on the Citadel or somewhere major. Just with crazy biotic potential that, should I be graced with personal quests for the player to complete, could be refined even further and noted to being connected to me being on the Autism Spectrum.
Probably first showing up in the first game as somewhere between Conrad Verner and Anderson in terms of interaction importance: Shepard needs some intel I can get from the archives due to special access privileges and ends up coming across me in the cafe by the embassies. Still a side quest but if done, my personal quest dialogue gets triggered, all "Hey, you got a sec? I'm kinda dealing with a bit of a problem with my L4 implant? Still experimental-ish and I could use some help."
But end up fully joining the crew during 2 because of Udina and Anderson wanting a back-channel to Shepard and Shepard potentially needing intel from the archives at some point or another.
Turns out, I could be a decent combat asset, due to aforementioned biotics ("Turns out, moving things around for storage gave me some good practice in throwing guys around in a fight."), though with some weirdass Capoeira-inspired fighting and swinging a heavily modified polearm around.
I'd probably have a pistol and shotgun slot, mechanically speaking, the latter filled with something that had decent reload and stopping power while the former was more quickdraw and shooting speed.
Grunt would probably find me a little badass with the way I throw myself into some of the fights and kick Collector heads in, yet annoying with some of my more human/Autistic habits. Garrus would probably bitch and moan about having drag "the new guy" out of melee range but respect it in his weird Turian way, but also appreciate my keeping things orderly. And helping with calibrations.
Tali would probably like having another nerd around and I'd be able to help with sterilization and HVAC stuff and keeping a good environment to make it easier for her suit. Jack would not like having me around and the feeling would be mutual due to her response to her lifetime of trauma versus me having 'had it easy' in comparison and my Autistic ass not liking intra-crew confrontation.
Miranda would obviously try to keep me out of the Cerberus stuff in so far as possible but report on my ass to the Illusive Man. By contrast, me and Jacob would kinda like each other since he's honest and gets the whole "feeling out of place, even when you tried to fit in." schtick. Plus, "I'm not big on forcing these personal talks, Shepard." Jacob would get the whole "I'll talk when I want to." attitude.
I could easily see getting on well with Mordin, spend a few nights debating morals and philosophy. Also, entertaining the crew with musical numbers. Similar with Kasumi, talking about the things she's stolen and where they were from, what the previous owners did with them and stored them, etc. "Where'd you get this guy, Shep? He's kinda cute with his passion for art and organizing things." "Ask him about his sword collection back on the Citadel, sometime." sort of dialogue. And she'd definitely spill the beans on my fanfics and being the hugest geek she's seen in a long time ("Who spends that much on old comics? The digital versions are much easier to consult. Also, who writes about a crackship like that one?" "Him, apparently.").
I'd definitely prefer wearing loose-fitting garb if I could since I'm not part of the Cerberus or Alliance military hierarchy and thereby, if I want to look like I just rolled out of a grunge rock concert, so long as I can hold my own in a fight and clean up my own stuff, doubt anyone'd get on my back that bad. So those big denim pants that're frayed at the edges, crazy belt buckles, pop-culture T-shirts and Hawaiian print shirts, a decent pair of boots, and my love of dusters and greatcoats? Yeah, at least I keep myself much better attired than some. ("I heard that!" "Fuck you too, Jack!" "Not interested!").
Me and Thane would be somewhat understanding of each other's situations but in a more intense way, due to Drell memory and sensory perceptions being stronger. Also joins in on me and Mordin's debates and philosophy discourses, as noted by a few emails to Shepard. "Debate circle going well." [several attached vid files] being one example.
Players would probably be amused by my being "Asari-lover coded" due to my having ambient dialogue on Illium about there being a lot of beautiful Asari there. "Beautiful and dangerous. Not unlike the best things in life." When, really, it was more of an appreciation that was mostly "lesser known lore tidbits" and poetry in the background.
My Loyalty Mission in 2 would probably involve an extension of the biotic improvement stuff but also getting to be a mix of Indiana Jones and repatriating stuff back to the original owners with a memorable Nazi-face-punching moment.
My Loyalty Unlock enhances my Sentinel abilities with the ultimate move is basically a version of Singularity, called Dying Star. And yes, it does fire damage too.
Much like other Autistics, my morals would be bleeding-edge specific on specific things [see aforementioned Nazi face punching; "It's always ethically okay to beat up a Nazi."] but more vibe-based on others. Probably with a "We ARE gonna be taking the Normandy and defecting back to the Alliance, right?" convo or two with Shepard due to the conflict with Cerberus's "Humans first" tendency and how easily I could see it being taken to a bunch of extremes.
The player would probably get one of my old "totally not a Gundam" models for their quarters. "Assembling them is a good stimulation and hand manipulation exercise."
I'd definitely show up in the third game, just a lot more nervous and worn than in the second because the fate of the galaxy's at stake and I'm not taking the pressure well. And the Reaper's noises really screwing with my ears. "I DID NOT ASK FOR THEM TO BE THAT LOUD!" But on the upside, modded Crusader shotgun and stronger biotics (modded Sentinel build that players don't quite get). And outright flirting amidst some poetic and philosophical quotations if Liara or Tali aren't romanced. And noted moments of me and Jack being more okay with each other. Just more in a "Fuck you." "Fuck you first." "Still not interested." *insert snickering* way.
I'd take Thane's death the hardest and be the most ready to kill Kai Leng. No question.
Developers would probably note I was programmed as a backup love interest for Liara, Tali, and Samara in the event of a player not romancing them and Garrus dying. And noting that "seasonal allergies would have forced Tali's immune system to develop a lot faster, in the event of Quarian-Geth peace." But probably still implement allusions, such as my sitting with Samara in the Citadel apartment the morning after, quietly eating some of the eggs Vega made ("Cowboy over there asked if I needed any help with breakfast. When I said I had it handled, just asked if he could get some scrambled eggs and sausage and sat by Samara like we wouldn't notice.").
I'd probably be memed about by the fans as very "ERM, AKSHUALLY!", stereotypical nerd glasses, being a Japan-obsessed weeaboo version of McCree from Overwatch, and poor flirting with Liara, Samara, or any other plot-relevant Asari. The more tasteful writers would probably just have me in the background as writing things down or as a convenient way to info-dump about stuff they can't quite otherwise fit in.
There'd probably be some references to me in Andromeda, such as Liam mentioning knowing a guy on the Citadel who helped him set up shot-putting his car towards Andromeda, SAM noting Alec having help getting specific information from personal contacts ("Paid that weird kid in the Citadel Archives another visit with his usual "fee." Still don't know how he knew about my having this old stuff. But if it means I can trust these people signing up."), and a note at the cultural center about methods I advocated for being used. And a wearable coat available in several colors for the ship/Nexus, as well as an armored version for combat in the craftables.
Though that isn't getting into the weirder stuff, like "Suddenly dropping into Andromeda's events while fresh off the high of the Reaper War." and the weird relations with the Tempest crew.
one of my favourite things about 40k space battles (besides the ginormous size of the ships, like flagships are literally whole moving cities) is how ships never shy away from straight up ramming into one another during fights. Elegance? in my space fights? Never. Get the bumper cars out. My ship has reinforced plating and a pointy tip and I am going to shank your ship with it. Your energy shield might block my laser beam but let's see how it fairs against 40 trillion tons of pure steel
What hugging the alien races in Mass Effect feels like
[ Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four ]
Part Four: Elcor
His imposing stature doesn't get less daunting up close. The width of his front leg (arm?) easily surpasses that of a human torso with plenty of room to spare. You're briefly reminded of just how easy humans are to trample.
If he sensed your fear, he doesn't mention it. Patiently standing still, allowing you the initiative in this situation as to balance the scales. But primal caution wasn't the only thing driving your hesitation; out of all alien species, the elcor anatomy clashed with the humans the most.
How exactly are you going to make this work?
Do you hug one leg and hope for the best? Do you attempt to wrap your arms around his non-existence neck and call it a day?
He can't hug you back, for starters, he has no arms—or, at least, you don't think he does. It's not clear if his front legs can be repurposed into arms in a pinch. Now that you're thinking about it, you always see the elcor in front of screens, but never actually witness them physically interact with the interface, huh.
You do what any riddled human does when in a pickle... No, not lick the puzzling object, but touch the puzzling object. Put your tongue away. His skin is coarse to the touch, honed by evolution into the perfect protective insulation against the elements. Folded by heavy gravity into dense layers. It wasn't meant for touch or caressing, but for sustainability during periodic migration on-foot.
The lower you touch, the rougher the texture turns. By looks alone, the soles of his round feet nearly resemble stone.
Stepping closer, he instinctively leans down to meet you on the same level. Black circles staring at you from behind hooded eyes. Not the dark brown human usually attribute as black eyes, but truly obsidian coal black, the kind that only obsorbs light, never reflecting it, a stark reminder you of his extraterrestrial origins.
Pressing your forehead against his, you feel like you're on the right track once his eyelids close. Basking in the moment? You wonder. But it's not a hug yet, a simple forehead touch isn't enough. You need more: to wrap you arms around him, press whatever will fit of his face against the crook of your neck, brush your lips against the apples of his cheeks. This is not enough, you need to—he takes a heavy step back. Lifting his face out of your reach, breaking the skin contact, a rumbling voice follows after.
"Pleased but troubled: You are soft." He speaks slowly. "Sincerely apologetic: Hugs are overwhelming." A succinct conclusion strung in a monotone voice, the elcor might appear unaffected on the surface, but your bold shameless display of affection is sure to haunt his every waking moment for at least a month.
Forbidden to enter for others?
Contests of martial prowess??
Biological instincts???
ARE MY KNIGHTS FUCKING IN THE MEDITATION CHAMBER?!
...and they get a permanent 50% exp bonus from it?
There's gotta be a better way to announce that my man
TRICK OR TREAT!
"Jokes on you, human, I came prepared this year. Now would you like a nutrition bar or a frozen bug?"
That may not have been the best way to word that
the lion accepts freaky anon's lexicon as it is and won't ask freaky anon to change their freaky ways
which one of you fucks used a moneky's paw to wish for Mass Effect 4
in case (by some miracle) someone on here enjoys my blog and the world of Mass Effect but hasn't played the games yet. They're currently on sale on steam!
Highly recommend them even if shooter games aren't your thing, they're not my thing either, but Mass Effect seems to be the magical exception.
For the rest of you degens, Autumn sale is here! Grab more stuff to add to your backlogs of never ending unplayed games. Me personally I'm going with the Gemcraft series bc I miss those flash games fucks.