My apologies in advance...

...I'm about to get busier than usual, which means this fan blog might suffer with more intermittent posts, but only temporarily!  I'm not sick or anything, I'm seriously going to be busier.  It's because of the fan epilog I'm about to REALLY hunker down to write and give my 100-percent to.  As a "Mass Effect" fan, it's a story that means a lot to me to get right, and I want to get it right for my fellow fans.

You've already seen a hint of what I have in store for this story with my work, "Forever Starts Now".  In broad strokes, it involves my 'headcanon' of what occurs after FemShep destroys the Reapers, and how she will launch into a desperate search for the one she loves, Liara T'Soni, and the rest of her lost crew.  This fic won't be going by half, either...the trilogy was a massive story, and to do it right will need an equally involved conclusion, another thing that for whatever reason BioWare couldn't give to us.

You'll see my fic soon at FanFiction.net, deviantART...and here, so stay tuned! :)

The Galaxy's Mightiest Heroes!

At the start of the 1980's, in part because of legendary actor John Wayne's recent passing, a trend developed for filmmakers to find someone who could fill his larger-than-life boots on the silver screen. Those heirs to The Duke had names like Stallone, Norris, Schwarzenegger and Van Damme. All became famous in their own right for their own brand of heroics, and the need to make them just as larger-than-life as Wayne put them in the roles of lone heroes who often had to deal with dozens, if not hundreds of bad guys before they finally won the day. It was overcompensation, especially in terms of sheer firepower, because honestly: how can any guy, no matter how much of a man they were, compete with John Wayne? Those filmmakers of the 80's forgot one important thing, though...more often than not, even The Duke didn't right wrongs all by himself. By the middle of the decade, though, the 'Buddy Movie' emerged for action-adventure fans, first with Billy Crystal and the late Gregory Hines as Chicago supercop partners in "Running Scared", and not long after that Mel Gibson and Danny Glover blasted bad guys with a grin in the first of the "Lethal Weapon" films.

There's strength in numbers. We learned that as kids either reading (or watching!) "The Wizard of Oz", and seeing four very different characters join together to travel along the Yellow Brick Road and find what each of them desperately needed. Dorothy needed a way home, the Scarecrow wanted a brain, the Tin Man yearned for a heart, and the cowardly Lion hoped to find courage. The irony of the story as it unfolded, of course, was that this group already had all of those things they wanted; they simply needed to look within themselves. Even Dorothy was told -- belatedly, and only AFTER she helped bring an end to the Wicked Witch of the West, which I thought was pretty cold! -- that her Ruby Slippers were her means to get back home.

In the realm of geekdom, not too far removed from Oz, science fiction has also shown that for every adventure where it comes down to a lone hero saving the day, like Superman, there are also stories when a group of like-minded souls can make anything possible for the greater good. In comics, there have been super-teams like the Fantastic Four, the All-Star Squadron, the Justice League of America...and then there were the mighty Avengers, Marvel Comics' collection of heroes (and not to be confused with a classic TV series featuring British secret agents John Steed and Emma Peel). You might have heard of the upcoming movie bringing the Avengers to life directed by Joss Whedon. If you haven't, congratulations! You live under a rock.

The comic "The Avengers" was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963...the heroes known as Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp banded together and swore they would fight the villains no single hero can defeat. In the fourth issue Captain America, super-soldier of WWII, was found and revived and made an honorary founding member of the team. Since that time, the roster of the Avengers has changed as often as the seasons, but the approach the writers and artists since has been the same following Lee and Kirby's lead: that there be as much realism and drama between the group's characters as there is conflict between the group and the many, many villains they've faced. Each Avenger has been as different from the other as night and day, each defined as much by their flaws as their virtues. Some team members were once criminals and/or super-villains themselves, and others have suffered everything from alcoholism to nervous breakdowns. (And yes, death. But that's only temporary in comics, as every fan knows!) Perhaps the most infamous subplot to shake up the team was when Hank "Ant-Man or Giant-Man or Yellowjacket or whatever!" Pym physically abused his wife, Janet "The Wasp" Van Dyne, and they divorced as a result.

Ultimately, though, in spite of their flaws and any possible skeletons, what makes the Avengers great has always been their diversity and what each unique hero brings to the team's table. They've repeatedly complemented each other in battle, and with the leadership of heroes like Captain America or Iron Man, they're capable of defeating even the most seemingly unstoppable foes. Yes, there is strength in numbers...and that's a lesson also to be learned in "Mass Effect".

Of course, the crew of the Normandy far more closely relate to the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise from "Star Trek", or the heroes brought together by the Force to fight the Galactic Empire in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, or Joss Whedon's comparatively more humble crew of the Serenity in the short-lived "Firefly". Commander Shepard, whatever he/she looks like, has been as bold and heroic as Captain Kirk, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker or Captain Reynolds, leading a truly diverse team of heroes brought together by the same interest: to preserve all they hold dear from the threat of the Reapers, which is more terrifying than any Empire because they don't threaten a despotic rule, they threaten to take away all life itself. In spite of being very different from Shepard, in spite of being from a world once enemy to Earth like Garrus Vakarian...or a professional mercenary like Zaeed Massani or Urdnot Wrex, or a master thief like Kasumi Goto...or having to wear sealed armor to avoid the slightest infection like Tali'Zorah vas Normandy...or forced to live with a debilitating handicap, like Joker...even those who Shepard called enemies, like Legion and Miranda Lawson, have become part of his/her crew and made it even stronger because of what made them each unique.

Could Shepard have succeeded alone, as he/she was forced to do in the incompetent ending to "Mass Effect 3", all of his/her decisions before that not meaning a damn? No. However, what makes Shepard the lynchpin and hero of the series is that he/she inspires others as a leader to follow her example, like Captain Kirk or Captain America, not because she works alone. That's the reason Shepard rises above the rest, and yeah, he/she would be the first to say (if Paragon!) that he/she got as far as they did because of their crew.

That's why the Avengers may be Earth's mightiest heroes, but Shepard and the crew of the Normandy are the galaxy's mightiest.

Thinking about it, after having to deal with the Reapers, Shepard would call fighting a super-villain like Doctor Doom a walk in the park! ;)

Cosplay Effect #3: Jack

It's like Subject Zero walked out of the game, didn't she?  Jia Jem is spectacular as the Psychotic Biotic herself, Jack! :)

"Forever Starts Now"

This is a piece I submitted to deviantART yesterday, and I wanted to bring it to my fellow fans here.  If only BioWare had just put at least a little extra energy into what they did give us for some closure, especially with Shepard's love interest.  Since I'm hugely into FemShep, this is a little something I created that relates to a fiction I'm writing (as fast as I can!) based on my 'headcanon' for FemShep and Liara.  How does it relate?  Hey, I can only spoil so much... ;3

Quotable Quotes: Too Much Info, The Asari Edition!

*Caution:  ASARI-BRAND SPOILERS HERE!*

"ME" fans will remember meeting a certain Matriarch tending bar on Illium in the second game...it turns out she was watching Liara when she was hunting the Shadow Broker, and if you're careful enough, you'll run into her again behind the counter of the Presidium Commons' Apollo's Cafe in #3.  And she's still watching Liara!  Why?  Her name is Aethyta, and she's Liara's long-lost 'dad'!  The only surprise bigger than that is Liara knows her 'dad' is watching her!  As Shepard, you can nudge her into talking to Aethyta for the first time...and Liara (and we) learn more than we thought we would!  You'll catch them talking if you hover around enough... :)



Aethyta:  "Come on, you can't blame the Matriarchs for keeping an eye on you."
Liara:  "I am not my mother."
Aethyta:  "You did threaten to flay someone alive with your mind."
Liara:  "I had to make them take me seriously. I wasn't going to actually do it. And...you bugged my office on Illium."
Aethyta:  "That'd be the logical conclusion, yeah."

Aethyta:  "The Matriarchs aren't gonna do anything to you, especially in the middle of this damn war."
Liara:  "My reports don't show much activity from the Asari military against the Reapers."
Aethyta:  "Come on, you know how the Asari work. Infiltration and sabotage."
Liara:  "But against Reaper forces, that's..."
Aethyta:  "I know. About as useful as tits on a Hanar. Good thing we've got the Turians and the Krogan to do the heavy lifting. Our people just aren't built for the front ranks."

Aethyta:  "So yeah, my dad was a Krogan."
Liara:  "Yes, I'm aware of that."
Aethyta:  "So that makes you a quarter Krogan."
Liara:  "That's...not how it works!"
Aethyta:  "I'm a thousand years old. I've had kids with Hanar. Don't tell me how Asari reproduction works."
Liara:  "Wait...I have a half-sister who's part Hanar?"
Aethyta:  "I thought that wasn't how it worked."

Aethyta:  "All I'm saying is that if you feel the urge to head-butt something, it's genetic."
Liara:  "I have never wanted to head-butt anything."
Aethyta:  "Really? Not even a little bit? Come on."
Liara:  "I do not head-butt people!"
Aethyta:  "All right, fine, don't go all Blood Rage on me."
Liara:  "Or what? You'll tell the other Matriarchs to order a hit?"
Aethyta:  "Hey. That's not going to happen."

Aethyta:  "Nezzy and I were together for more than a century."
Liara:  "You loved her?"
Aethyta:  "Course I loved her. She was so smart. Always thinking. Nice, too. Hell of a lot nicer than I am. And damn, that rack. I mean, even before she hit the Matriarch stage..."
Liara:  "You don't need to tell me everything."

Aethyta:  "Nezzy was the only one who ever listened to me when I said the Asari were stuck in the past. Only difference was, I wanted us to stand on our own. She wanted alliances with the other species."
Liara:  "Is that why..."
Aethyta:  "Why it ended? Nah. Well, maybe. I don't know. Mostly it ended because she wanted to solve things the smart way. I wanted to fight."
Liara:  "Those aren't mutually exclusive."
Aethyta:  "Yeah, I hear you've racked up quite a body count. But then, you are a quarter Krogan."
Liara:  "Now you're doing it on purpose."

Aethyta:  "It was pretty clear she was leaving. Can't be the wise counselor when you're married."
Liara:  "Why not?"
Aethyta:  "Sex appeal. Most species only pay attention if they want to have sex with you. So you have to be available, mysterious..."
Liara:  "What? That's not true! Shepard listens to me!"
Aethyta:  "And how many times have you thrown her on the bed and peeled her out of her uniform?"
Liara:  "Do you have to make it sound so...tawdry?"
Aethyta:  "If it's all civilized, you're not doing it right."

Aethyta:  "I made her promise to let you go your own way, though. No matter what she wanted."
Liara:  "Really?"
Aethyta:  "I knew you'd be special, kid. Any daughter of hers. I told her, 'You're treating her like a baby bird, Nezzy, but she's gonna raise one hell of a storm with those little wings.'"
Liara:  "Little Wing?"
Aethyta:  "You okay?"
Liara:  "Yes. Thanks."

Aethyta:  "It's better to remember her like this than as whatever she turned into with that Saren bastard."
Liara:  "It wasn't her fault. She was trying to stop Saren, guide him as a force of good. But she was Indoctrinated."
Aethyta:  "Look, I've heard stories about the Reapers messing with your head..."
Liara:  "They're more than stories. I've seen it. Every Cerberus solider is a Reaper slave. She fought it with every fiber of her being. She even broke free and helped Shepard on Noveria before she died. I was there. She said I'd made her proud."
Aethyta:  "All this time, I'd blamed Nezzy for it. Thousand years old, and I still don't know crap. Thanks for telling me."

Aethyta:  "Just take care of yourself out there, okay, kid?"
Liara:  "I will...Dad."
Aethyta:  "Hey, I've called a few friends. Commandos. Eclipse girls who owe me some favors. They're all yours. Just tell 'em where to go."
Liara:  "You're giving me...Asari Commandos?"
Aethyta:  "Well, you're too old for me to buy you a damn pony..."
Liara:  "You're the best father a girl could ask for."

Why Garrus is Tougher Than You:

I will get to this guy's capsule bio and explain ALL of why he's awesome someday, don't worry!

Heartfelt Hugs...

Sometimes I'll take a moment to focus on "Mass Effect" art from my fellow fans. This piece from jameson9101322 deserves more than just focus. If this doesn't tug at your heartstrings, you don't have a heart. Just saying.