I was skimming through the codex the other day and it really hit me for the first time that it happened when Shepard was still in those important developmental years when shit can seriously stick with you as you grow into a fully defined person. Especially shit like all the adults around you being terrified about hideous alien monsters appearing without warning to kill lots of people. In toddler Shepard's mind the monsters under her bed and things that go bump in the night end up taking the form of turians
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Jaws that Bite, Claws that Catch 3a
anonymous
October 12 2012, 15:23:56 UTC
Shepard had worried that she’d have a hard time working with Vakarian out in the field, that she wouldn’t be able to trust him at her back. She’d kept a careful eye on her reactions on the way in to Zhu’s Hope, but after that first scrap with a geth scouting party, she realized the worry was unfounded. With his helmet on, Vakarian was just another voice on the comm
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Jaws that Bite, Claws that Catch 3b
anonymous
October 12 2012, 15:25:14 UTC
Much later, back on the Normandy after everything was over, she found Vakarian in the cargo hold, sitting in a quiet corner, contemplatively cleaning his gear. She watched him for a moment from a distance, thinking. It had almost been a shock when he’d taken his helmet off after the fighting was done. In combat, it was easy to work with him, easy to treat him like any other soldier, easy to forget about his plates and mandibles and sharp teeth
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Re: Jaws that Bite, Claws that Catch 3b
anonymous
October 14 2012, 21:11:04 UTC
This is absolutely wonderful. Looking back, a lot of Shepard's wording in the first game does imply a certain... caution regarding the alien races on occasion. (Not even taking into account the full-blown racism of the renegade path.) Your story offers a pretty unique interpretation of what might have been going through Shepard's head at the time, and I'm really enjoying the insight into her thought process. Can't wait for more!
Re: Jaws that Bite, Claws that Catch 3b
anonymous
October 15 2012, 05:39:44 UTC
Looking back, a lot of Shepard's wording in the first game does imply a certain... caution regarding the alien races on occasion.
Not to mention complete unfamiliarity sometimes. I know it's for the player's sake, to help introduce them to the universe, but still I can't help but facepalm whenever Shepard's like, "Hey, Mr. Hanar! You sure do talk funny! :B "
Jaws that Bite, Claws that Catch 4a
anonymous
October 17 2012, 17:50:56 UTC
Thanks for all the comments and encouragement! This is the first thing I've written that approaches anything like a straight-up romance, so I'm glad people are enjoying it!She brought Vakarian on most of the missions after that one, and made a point of exchanging a few words with him whenever she passed through the cargo hold, carefully observing his reactions and expressions and trying to map them to the human framework she knew. Her discomfort with him had become a thing to be fought and defeated, and she treated it as she would a flesh and blood enemy, giving no quarter
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http://masseffectkink.livejournal.com/5367.html?thread=19374327#t19374327
I was skimming through the codex the other day and it really hit me for the first time that it happened when Shepard was still in those important developmental years when shit can seriously stick with you as you grow into a fully defined person. Especially shit like all the adults around you being terrified about hideous alien monsters appearing without warning to kill lots of people. In toddler Shepard's mind the monsters under her bed and things that go bump in the night end up taking the form of turians ( ... )
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Not to mention complete unfamiliarity sometimes. I know it's for the player's sake, to help introduce them to the universe, but still I can't help but facepalm whenever Shepard's like, "Hey, Mr. Hanar! You sure do talk funny! :B "
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