#merrick shepard

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The >:| face in response to Simon accidentally shooting Shepard is always funny.

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Chatting on the elevator after talking to Vigil:

Liara: All their culture, all their advanced technology, and the Protheans were taken in by the Reapers, just as we were. They failed.

I'm not sure what determines who's mournful about the Protheans and who gets to respond, but I like Kaidan's line.

Kaidan: Not entirely. They've given us a weapon. They've given us a chance...if we can just get there in time.

(I also love Ash's line - "We can get there in time. Their plan only fails if we do, and I've come too far to watch Saren win.")

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Poking at Kaidan's dialogue and getting the guys to the thinking-you-were-gone-was-like-losing-a-limb friendship stage by the end of 1.

Comparing Kaidan's dialogue between what I normally get with my lady Sheps and what Merrick's been getting and wow, no wonder I feel like I'm having to mentally headcanon in stuff.

(This was less of a problem with my other two dudeSheps because they are considerably warmer and more openly affectionate and, in my heart, went "NEW BEST FRIEND" at Kaidan early on and he was just like "well I guess my new commander is also my new best buddy now.")

I'm not getting bits and pieces like the discussion about how Rahna reacted after the Vyrnnus incident, etc, and it does add up.

Admittedly, some of it IS self-inflicted because I looked at the "did you love Rahna?" option real earlier on and went "Merrick would not ask that because it's a very personal question."

But then I got to the whole explanation about what happened with Vyrnnus.

Merrick: hmm should I ask him how the girl he clearly liked reacted to this when he tried to defend her and ended up killing Vyrnnus

Merrick: no, I should probably just wait to see if he explains

Merrick: *instead tells him that not hating turians seems reasonable and "keep that level head and we'll do fine"

Kaidan: *does not explain about Rahna* *instead comments that "staying reasonable is about all we've got left" and that everyone else in the galaxy "seems to have gone out of their minds. Present company excepted, of course" (which was funny)

I don't mind at all missing the romance parts but I am a little bummed to miss Kaidan's "I don't usually think of much beyond the job" line because they are the saaaame.

Clearly the guys are doing Perfectly Fine with No Issues Whatsoever.

Virmire is interesting in that the usual oh-no-did-romantic-feelings-affect-this-decision question is entirely absent (and still would be even if Ash made it).

Not that it makes anything easier, but it is a little....simpler, I guess, to have that not be an issue.

They do a lot of late-night chatting post-Virmire.

Merrick's up at odd hours of the night and sitting in the mess hall on a fairly regular basis because visions and has been since Eden Prime. Which resulted in things like "Ash also being up and asking him about Akuze because she's struggling with Eden Prime" and "Liara being up and sitting with him and chatting a little" and "whoever's also up and wandering occasionally jumping about a feet because ARGH the commander's right there and I did not notice him."

So Kaidan's also up at weird hours post-Virmire and they sit and talk about things like "why'd you pick me" and Kaidan finally asks about how he dealt with Akuze and Merrick's all "Ash asked me about that too and you're better off not doing what I did" but does elaborate. And they sit and quietly play cards - Merrick has been playing whatever the ME equivalent of solitaire is for ages and got real into it after Akuze and Kaidan's just like "okay, I'm teaching you how to play Skyllian-Five."

And there's generally a lot of figuring out how to operate now that there's just the two of them and no Ash instead of having the three of them.

Realized that post-Virmire is like. Merrick's first experience of "I am grieving someone close and there are people around me who are also missing the same person I am" because he did *not* have that after Mindoir or after Akuze because he had no relatives left (or at least ones that he was familiar with/could easily contact) and no fellow soldiers left.

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:D Oh, that's great! You *can* bypass that entire conversation with Charn!

I wish I'd done that with my Colonist Engineer too but that's okay.

I was checking the map on the wiki, ended up poking around, and saw a note that said "if you attack Charn you'll automatically enter combat with him."

And that is absolutely correct. And if you start attacking pretty much the minute Shepard turns that corner after coming downstairs, you also skip Charn's "hold it right there" line.

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looking forward to the friend version of Horizon with Merrick and Kaidan; that'll be fun (for me)

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Zipping around doing sidequests and landed on a planet as part of the geth incursion questline.

Oh, that is definitely thresher maw territory over there.

YEP, DEFINITELY.

A little surprised the thresher maw didn't get to the humans (presumably Alliance since that looks like a tank) first, but getting shot by geth is not much better than getting killed by a thresher maw. Possibly faster.

Found a Prothean data disc for Liara! That makes it....sort of worthwhile.

Good thing Liara did not go along and therefore there was no sticking around and checking out the ruins there.

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The rest of the squad's all "Feels like I'm walking over a grave" and "We shouldn't be here" and then there's Liara.

She's so happy, awww.

Liara: I never dreamed I would actually find Ilos!

Liara: I wish I had more time to study all of this.

Liara: So much history here. So much to learn. I only hope I have the chance to come back some day.

I like to think she does. Wonder if she ends up on that Ilos expedition (likely post-Alchera) that the Council refers to (they tell Shepard in 2 that "the hologram is no longer functional"). Or post-war - Merrick would be onboard with that.