This.

Ghoulcy ❤️

I finally got the Halsin proposition/sex cutscenes and I have no idea what some of you are talking about. "Oh he comes on too strong" "He's so pushy" like did we watch the same cutscene? He asks, and if you're already partnered, he asks you to go to them and see how they'd feel about it, and says he wouldn't do anything without anyone's permission. He's so kind and lovely about it. If you say no, or your romanced character says no, then nothing happens and he respects it. Playing the game with Halsin in my team just makes me more aware of some of the lies I've seen going around about my boy.

I'll never get tired of seeing Halsin included in this cutscene. It was....not a fun discovery back in the older versions seeing him missing. I figured I'd at least settle for Tav exploring this tower without anyone on the team if Halsin wasn't showing up, but the game auto selected 2 random teammates instead 😑.

It's often the little things like that, that can enhance a game for me.

I like to headcanon that my Shepard Amara, who's so used to cramped military quarters, was utterly appalled at how much open space in Anderson's apartment was going unused by a single occupant. So she's invited several crewmates to stay with her during shore leave beyond the party and several took her up on the offer like James who laid claim to the bedroom below for the gym equipment and Tali who claimed the one above since Quarians rarely get any private spaces. It's not uncommon for Amara to wake in the morning and walk past someone passed out on her couch or to head downstairs and see another eating breakfast. She's thinking about converting the art gallery and upstairs living room into more bedrooms. It works out for everyone since living space is becoming more and more difficult due to refugees and the apartment is far superior to the standardized accommodations.

Wasn't expecting to get called out so early this morning.....

That's neurodiversity babe!

What particularly frustrated me the first time I played was that Shepard can literally tell them that it wasn’t their choice, that Cerberus rebuilt them while they were in some sort of coma. But that line comes right before being accused of betraying the Alliance and them. So I ended up feeling like I had been talked over and ignored. It’s realistic but damn, it’s still frustrating every time it happens. 

you know whats hilarious about the games and the fandom giving ashley and kaidan such a hard time about criticising shepard’s decision to work with cerberus. is that they end up being right. cerberus was lying to shepard. the illusive man hand-picked kelly, gabby, ken and joker in order to give the impression of a friendly cerberus. hell, kelly was feeding reports back to TIM on shepard’s mental state throughout the entire game behind their back. and then at the end of me2, when push comes to shove? it turns out that the whole time the illusive man’s motives were getting his hands on the technology in the collector base in order to support cerberus in its pro-human agenda. and even then its made quite clear throughout the game that he doesnt really give that much of a shit about the colonies, considering he used horizon as bait. so like. idk man

garrus lives rent free in my mind. garrus can do no wrong. he may be conflicted with his sense of justice but lest you forget that this man dropped everything multiple times to join his lady in saving the galaxy. he recognized her as soon as he saw her on Omega. he never questioned if she was really shepard after being brought back by cerberus. he said to hell with turian standards AND GRABBED HER HAND ON MENAE. he is simply unmatched.

[ Dr. Phil disliked that]

I've been thinking about the tendency of some fans who create their ideal OC character in an RPG and the mockery it gets because it's derided as too "Mary Sue" and I thought about my own preferences as I'm prone towards that in my own way.

But it's only done once and then I'm good with wanting to explore other backgrounds, other decisions and appearances. In fact, I explicitly don't want to repeat the one "perfect" playthrough.

I don't know how similar that is for other folks, but I kinda suspect that I do it because in a life of constant imperfections, of compromises and thwarted wishes and dreams, of having to be content with far less satisfying outcomes, an RPG lets me indulge in one instance where I don't have to compromise, where I can have it exactly as I wish (mods have become an addiction) without it harming or affecting anyone else. There's something deeply soothing about being able to save every villager, to have that waistline I know I'll never have, to wear an outfit I'd never feel comfortable doing in public (and still have no wish to), to have a romance that still gives that giddy rush.

It scratches an itch I know isn't realistic, it lets me feel like there's some parallel universe where it inexplicably all came together and then when it's done, I can set it aside and revisit whenever I'm feeling particularly frustrated with the real world. And when I get bored with everything being so specifically to those wishes, I can go try something different.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go provoke a necromancer and then lead him into a fight with the guards.

Ok, so I've been giggling like a loon for the past hour at the thought of a Paladin decked out in full wartime armor, with fury in their heart and the wrath of heaven in their eyes, declaring in a voice that will command the heathens and sinners to listen:

"GET READY FOR MY ALMIGHTY SMITE-Y!"

Bonus points if they're smacking a wooden paddle in one hand while shouting that.