Make MELE Inclusive Spotlight: Jacob Taylor
Let’s take a look at one of the seven characters who we’re asking to have their sexuality and same-sex romances returned to them with post release patches (or patch) for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition!
Starting with: Jacob Taylor! 💖💜💙
(original twitter thread found here)
Jacob is a human biotic and former Alliance marine that joins Cerberus. He’s the first black man to be a companion in a Mass Effect game and is one of the first companions recruited in Mass Effect 2. If he survives the Suicide Mission, he even reappears in Mass Effect 3.
In both Mass Effect 2 and 3, he is romanceable by a female Shepard only, however he was originally going to be a bisexual man, romanceable regardless of Shepard’s gender. Unfortunately his same-sex romance was cut before the game was launched. (source)
Like the other six romances that we’re asking for, there remains content for Jacob’s same-sex romance in the files of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Unfortunately Jacob has the least amount of unused same-sex romance content within the remaster’s files.
The first minor flirt between Jacob and a male Shepard is accessible to modders. This means that in order to finish and patch it in, Jacob’s same-sex romance would need the most work out of the romances we’re asking for. (source)
There’s also the issue that Jacob’s romance is one that cannot be continued in Mass Effect 3 due to his story within the game. Now we behind Make MELE Inclusive are aware of all of this. We are aware that Jacob cheats on Shepard in Mass Effect 3. We are aware that as much as we would love for that aspect to be changed, it is highly unlikely. We are aware that returning his bisexuality to him walks the thin line of the Bisexual Cheating stereotype/trope.
But Jacob is still an amazing and complex character.
The fact of the matter is that we are aware of all of these and yet we are still asking for Jacob’s bisexuality and same-sex romance to be returned to him with a post-release patch to Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. We are aware of all of this but Jacob still matters and is worth the fight.
Even with how his romance ends in Mass Effect 3, Jacob’s romance in Mass Effect 2 is beautiful, sweet, and romantic. And we recognize that m/m players deserve the chance to experience his romance with their Shepards as well.
It would also make Jacob the first (and so far only) bisexual black man in Mass Effect. That is powerful representation. That representation matters.
Because we are aware of how much work is needed for Jacob’s same-sex romance, we want to make it clear that we don’t care how long it takes. We want the Mass Effect team to be able to complete and reinstate his same-sex romance in whatever time frame is best and healthiest for their employees. We don’t want anyone to be forced to work unhealthy hours or undergo crunch in order to patch in Jacob’s bisexuality and same-sex romance.
Around 1,750 people as of this moment agree with us that Jacob Taylor matters and the representation he was meant to be matters. (source - still available for signatures)
Choice matters so much in the Mass Effect franchise and all we are asking for all of us to be given the choice and chance to romance Jacob in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.
Like the other six romances we’re asking for, Jacob Taylor matters. His fans matter and the representation he was meant to be matters. He matters enough for us to ask BioWare to make Mass Effect: Legendary Edition inclusive.
We with Make MELE Inclusive want to work with BioWare, not against them.
For more information on Make MELE Inclusive, please check out our Master Post.
