#s0me-writer

[angelwingsl3]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

I hear it’s Father’s Day for #PrimarchWeek. Enjoy this one!

Summary:  Before Adrien Victus became a Primarch, he became a father.

Inspired by @s0me-writer‘s Excerpt:

Yet, as he met the vicious eyes of the Councilor, the initial shock of fear that he felt upon meeting his gaze vanished. Though the eyes were colder and harder, they were still his father's. This was the man that raised him, took care of him when he was sick, taught him to shoot, taught him to fight, taught him a second language, and ultimately pushed him to be all that he could be in his career. This was the man that took the time to sit with him when he'd had a bad day at school and, later in his life, just to catch up after being away on their respective missions.This was the man that had been guiding him over the last four years without either of their awareness.

[palavenmoons]

Phew. I’ve been a bit delayed on uploading last September commissions, so time to rectify this!

Here goes some Adrien Victus love, done for @s0me-writer  . They have been working on some stories focusing on our all time favorite Hierarchy General, Adrien Victus. Be sure to check it out!

And because it was so much fun to work with Adrien and discussing some things through, I had to make some self indulgent art featuring both Victus and my own Dakon, both enjoying a very engaging board.

Who won? Well... that, would be telling.

----

Commission Info - Support me on Ko-Fi?

[squigglysquidd]

As a fellow Shakarian writer, I'd love to hear your thoughts on our mutual ship. If it's all right, I'm highlighting the whole row under 002 | Send me a ship and I will tell you:

002 | Send me a ship and I will tell you:

When I started shipping them: The first time I played ME 1, I actually wasn’t as into it as I was in later playthroughs. I’ll say up front that I was playing renegade (because I always play renegade my first rpg game playthroughs while my BF plays paragon) and stopped playing because I wasn’t expecting my Shepard to have sex with the Consort when she asked for more than credits. That surprise sex dropping on me really turned me off of the game and I stopped playing for the longest time. However, when I watched my BF play, I immediately fell in love with Garrus as a character, both because of looks and his personality. At the time, however, I didn’t really think about romances in games, so it didn’t become a ship until I was given the idea from playing the games. I wanted to romance him and was disappointed part 1 was only human LIs and Liara, but figured it was because Bioware didn’t think people would be into alien looking characters. Needless to say, I was so excited when I heard you could romance Garrus in a leak. 

My thoughts: I’m not too sure what exactly this question means, so I’ll go with some basic thoughts on them. I really like Garrus’ look, though I think it has a lot to do with my being into Jurassic Park as a kid and really into the velociraptors. My main Shep is always modeled a bit after a self-insert, not gonna lie or feel bad about it, so I get a little giddy whenever I replay that particular Shep and think about romancing Garrus again. As for the ship itself, I wish there had been a way to lock it down sooner so it wasn’t just the end of the games where you were in a relationship, especially in 3. Kinda wish they hadn’t written the entire thing like a FWB relationship even after Shep says multiple times that it is more important than that to her.

What makes me happy about them: Their friends to lovers build up is what I really love. Falling in love with your best friend is a great trope for me and I’ll admit that it really reminds me of my own relationship, so it feels relatable. That, and I really enjoy the growth Garrus has through the games, so I like to think that leads to their relationship growing and changing as well even if Shepard is such a blank slate for players.

What makes me sad about them: I really wish Bioware didn’t have Garrus call it an ‘inter-species liaison’ even after he spilled his heart out to Shepard before the Omega-4. That’s not something you do before just sex between friends and though the writers wanted to leave it open-ended for players, you can definitely tell it’s more when you break it off and see his reaction. Sure, he is saying it to be light-hearted, but we should have had a chance to make Shepard set things straight up front. Although that’s just one of many peeves about the writing for romances I have no matter the ships, but I get it, Bioware wanted to make things easy for the player.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t like how writers like to make Shepard control the direction of Garrus’ life in part 2. I know, I know, it’s the whole Sidonis debate, but I see them more as equals in 2 and 3 than 1, so Shepard should let the man make his own decisions. I don’t see it as a healthy situation for someone to stand in the way of another getting their closure by saying they know what’s best and the two almost immediately start the gears moving for an intimate relationship. I’m sorry, but no, I would definitely not want to have sex with a supposed friend who acts like they know the situation better than I do when they’ve been dead for the last two years. Garrus was never meant to be completely paragon like Shepard no matter what they let you say to him in 1, so writers forcing him into that position through their Shepards really irks me.

Things I look for in fanfic: Can I say smut? Okay okay, serious answer. I like to read fics where they are still friends even as lovers. Some relationships have it either one or the other, but having both just shows how well they get along because putting intimacy on the table doesn’t necessarily mean that they are missing out on one thing or that they are only close because of it. Having a nice, bantering, just caring couple with these two is something I always enjoy in fics.

My wishlist: More fanfic and fanart of Shakarian! lol Really, I just wish for there to be a never ending flow of it, but I really look forward to things that think out of the box, like AUS and what not.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Hm ... I kinda like Shep and Tali being together, but Tali and Garrus are my NOTP. Those two are better off like siblings and the games really build that up, so a romance between the two really threw me and just didn’t feel right. Of course, with Shep being so blank for players, she could really be with almost anyone. Garrus, though, feels more like he’d stick with turians if not with Shepard. I wouldn’t mind seeing him with that female turian in the Citadel DLC. He just, idk, seems like Shep is so out of his comfort zone that he wouldn’t try another species unless the two had that same kind of connection, which he doesn’t in games.

My happily ever after for them: You mean Shep surviving the Crucible and Garrus tracking her down so that they can settle down on a beach somewhere and only take the occasional mission that they have complete control over? Because we all know they couldn’t settle down completely, but maybe they’d start a security company or run security for whatever small town they decide to live close to.

Thanks for the asks! It was really fun :D

[ferociousqueak]

Mifflin, Pulitzer, and ink. 😘

mifflin: what do you feel is your strong suit in writing?

I think my strongest skill is in writing voice. In fact, myfic Family Resemblance is basically an exercise in happing between voices—eachchapter has a section from Alli’s perspective and a section from one of herparents, Hannah and Michael. While Hannah sees the world with a sense of hopeand optimism, Michael just sees enemies all around him, and Alli is still asponge absorbing the world around her and forming her own views. As a result,Hannah’s words tend to be lighter, her observations more forgiving, and herintrospection more hopeful. Michael’s sentence structure tends to be curt, histhoughts more winding, and his words more negative. Alli’s tone is almostalways laced with anxiety and insecurity, and she doesn’t always say the wisething (she’s still a kid after all), which she’ll agonize over to a fault.

In both dialogue and perspective, I choose words deliberately.Take for instance, Hannah and Dess’s first kiss:

Dess’s mouth waspressed against Hannah’s before she could finish offering her a way out, andher heart beat so hard she was sure it would burst right out of her chest atany moment. It wasn’t like any other kiss Hannah had ever experienced before.Dess’s mouth plates were softer, more pliant than she expected, though stillfirm and warm. She tasted sharp and sweet at the same time, and Hannah wantedmore of it, was hungry for it. She could feel Dess’s fingers brush up her neckto her jaw, tangling in her hair. Hannah felt a familiar tug in her stomach shehadn’t felt in a long time—a hunger, a longing she’d been careful to ignore fora long time, but now it overcame her. She parted her lips enough for her tongueto touch Dess’s mouth, both a question and an invitation.

vs.

Fuck it. Dess pressedher mouth against Han’s before she could finish offering Dess a way out—shedidn’t want a way out, and she didn’t want Han thinking she did. It wasn’t likeany other kiss Dess had ever experienced before. Hannah’s lips were soft andpliant, smooth and sweet from the balm she absentmindedly applied to them everyday. She tasted like . . . like a glass of cold water on a hot day, like thefirst breath of air when you’ve been under water too long, like lying on yourback among the cool grass under a sky full of stars, the whole world silentsave for the wind moving through the trees. Dess’s hands moved of their ownaccord, brushing her fingers up Han’s neck tangling in the silken strands of herhair. How was it possible for Han to be this soft?

There’s some parallel language, but the way each of themdescribes the same kiss is personalized. Hannah is more focused on what she’sphysically feeling in the moment, while Dess is carried away by how it makesher feel emotionally. Dess is also awriter, so of course she’s going to think in metaphors to parse her feelings.

pulitzer: tell about/link a piece where you felt your writing wasthe best.

You know what, while we’re at it, I think I’d like to beamover Family Resemblance,even though it’s still in progress. It’s an alphabet fic, so it’s already adecent challenge. But I just had to go and add the extra challenge ofperspective hopping to show not only how the Alliance grew up in the eyes ofthe galaxy, but also how Cerberus took root and influenced galactic eventsbefore Saren and Sovereign ever started making noise. And on top of THAT, Ithrew in the Paragon and Renegade influences that work together to make Allithe Butcher of Torfan, and later Commander Shepard. It’s a challengingnarrative, but so far I think I’m doing pretty well at it :D

ink: what do you do to “set the mood” when writing?

I used to have a more complicated ritual for setting themood to write, but eventually that ritual became a way for me to avoid actuallywriting. So these days, I “set the mood” by ensuring that I won’t have to getup to chase some distraction: I have glass of water and a snack like grapes oralmonds in easy reach, I have my preferred playlist brought up, and I have myTumblr tab CLOSED. When I have all these, I’ve taken away any excuse I mightthink of to interrupt my writing :P

Ask me things about being a writer!

[autodiscothings]

Mass Effect. 1) Character you would be best friends with. For 2), I'd like to return the question and hear your thoughts on a character the writers screwed up. :)

Character you would be best friends with.

Hard for me to answer, oddly. I’m not military or particularly active, I can’t think anyone from the main crew would appreciate me and my goblin ways. It’ll be nameless NPC on the Citadel, probably. The nice lady selling her car to buy armour for her salarian friend; the patient turian store clerk selling honey, etc and so forth.

A character the writers screwed up.

Because I have a tendency to over analyse things I love, if I’m not careful this answer is going to be long. I’m not sure it’s fair I hold a videogame world to so much scrutiny, as how you consume it is through playing, not reading/watching, but if you shove the franchise under a lens it... can be very shoddy in places.

In no particular order:

-Thane Krios and his inept ME3 writing. I don’t mind that he died, just that he died like that, and with little afterthought given to his death. I wonder if they intended it to be the case, but probably not. “We ran out of time” seems to be ME3 all over. 

-Ashley William’s ME3 writing hurts me. They apparently spent all their allotted time giving her a new lipgloss and not much else.

-You hit Liara on the head with yours, she was clearly meant to be The Default, and suffered from writer’s favourite syndrome.

-The games do a lot of telling and not showing of the lore, and who apart from us nerds reads the codex entries? 

For example: ”turians are a fundamentally egalitarian and widespread species in the galaxy, where military service for every citizen is seen as a mandatory part of adulthood and a cornerstone of their culture.” Actual lore! Women and men are equal in strength and size and power! 

In game: here are two female turians we added in DLC content because people whinged oh gosh you guys it’s so hard to animate a feeeeeeemale, we can’t just slap lipstick on a pig you know-

And it fucks me off, as fanon itself ignores canon and then comes up with bullshit lame-ass reasons why The Wimminz are hidden away, or ignore them because males are clearly better duh, when really the lore is (and was corrected in MEA! Lots of turian ladies there) is: women are equal to men.

-Cerberus as whole pisses in my wheaties in ME3, a lot of the decisions make no sense. Shitty Anime Sword Guy and TIM are handled in strange ways for the sake of canon fodder variation. They were in place as the devs thought we’d get sick of shooting Reapers, but to be honest the endless Cerberus army is just eye twitching.

Right yeah I should stop now, before it gets in this essay I will-

[squigglysquidd]

I'm dropping 24, 29, and 30 for your Garrus and Shepard. :)

I’m going to do all three of my Shakarians because why not? lol

24. Who whispers inappropriate things in the other’s ear during inappropriate times?

Garrus tends to initiate in Fibonacci and Parable, but Nocturni is actually harder to answer. I had to think about it some and I think that, while very rare, Garrus would probably be the one to do it most. His would probably be more subvocals than verbal words, but she’d be able to understand well enough. It takes a long time, though, with the way their lives are currently going, so it’ll be something to learn how to do. 

29. One headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart.

Parable

Jane and Garrus both suffer intense PTSD from the war. Jane’s is more visible and she often wakes from nightmares with screams and Garrus has to hold her down or immobile so she doesn’t hurt herself or others. His shows more as insomnia, but he sometimes has moments of silence where he zones out. If they didn’t have each other, they wouldn’t make it.

Nocturni

Nocturni has extended lives so Garrus could live well past the 150 years (Cydian is quite a few centuries already). Humans ... well. Jai doesn’t have that.

Fibonacci

At the end of the war, Jana would never be able to live in Cipritine with her royal mate because there aren’t really ways to travel around the city that’s been built into the cliff walls. It’s sectioned off along the cliffs that there isn’t really a direct way to traverse it without wings. Sure, there are trolleys, but it’s more for supplies and shipping things across the massive gaps. While there are some turian cities that are more easily accessible, it’s not common and very rare that Garrus would be able to live there given his royal responsibilities. It’ll definitely present a problem if they manage to survive the war and live a life together. 

30. One headcanon about this OTP that mends it.

Parable

They’re so in love with each other. One example (which I should write one day) is when they renewed their vows. It was a huge occasion and I mean huge with everyone pitching in. Cassia was actually the entire wedding planner and we all know how big and extravagant she likes to be.

Nocturni

Garrus makes the perfect cuddle partner to wrap around Jai when she gets a panic attack. With her cuddling Jimmu and Garrus spooning her, she feels so safe and warm that her attacks really do start to lessen and become rarer in frequency.

Fibonacci

Garrus helps Jana heal from her loss with his so drastically different nature. His youthfulness and free spirit help her to stop beating herself up over what happened in her reality. She will always remember her Garrus, but I actually think having Fibo Garrus really is better for her because he lacks the darkness that came from Omega and Sidonis’ betrayal.

Thanks for the great asks!

[swimmingtrunks]

s0me-writer replied to your post “ASK AND YE SHALL MAYBE RECEIVE: QUARANTINE EDITION”

That Jane is such a mood right now. Looks like it takes place during the house arrest. As for the post, if you're taking requests, seeing art of Adrien Victus always makes me smile. ;)

You got it in one! Been thinking about Shepard’s imprisonment a lot these days.

Here’s your Victus! :)

[squigglysquidd]

Which Mass Effect game was your favorite and why? Bonus question: What did you think of Andromeda?

Tough question! 

Can I say I liked them all, but for very different reasons? Because I really did.

I really liked the first because of how much it was like a Space Opera. It has an entirely different feel from the other two, almost like it’s a more casual game focused on telling the story than having it told around combat. That’s the reason I enjoy that game because I’m not really in it for the shooting gallery, but for the story.

I like the second because of the looming Suicide Mission, the urgency and very possible fact that if you mess up, you won’t make it out alive. To tell the truth, I actually lost some people on my first playthrough, but I don’t remember how I did it. I’ve played it so much since then that I can’t remember my flub playthrough of that mission, lol.

For three, I like the way it feels so hopeless. It’s very dreary if you focus on the story itself, but like many, I didn’t like the ending. The ending definitely fell flat compared to everything else. Plus, I really like how they expanded the crew, got them out of their usual spots, and just overall made people more like they had actual lives outside of their work stations.

And I did play Andromeda, though only once. It’s a good game, but it’s not a good Mass Effect, if you know what I mean. It felt very rushed and a bit disjointed. I wasn’t that intimidated by the kett and it seemed like we saw so few of them that the game would have been much better off if it had focused on the Revenant more than it did because we saw a lot of Revenant stuff in comparison. It just seemed like Revenant stuff could have made a better antagonist story than the Archon and kett. That, and it left a lot of open ends that they expected to cover in DLCs, but gave up on because they didn’t get the kind of reception they wanted (go figure). I do like quite a few qualities of the rest of the game, though, and I might actually use some ideas in Parable. Mainly fighting styles and the ways they went about combat. I think it’ll be a nice way to keep Efflux up to date.

Thanks for the great ask!