#ferus ponders
so, i’ve done it. here’s a ranked list of men in mass effect judged by their sexyman potential from yours truly.
if you somehow are blissfully unaware of what a tumblr sexyman is, hereandhere are some links that explain it. it’s a very cursed concept that has become a topic of discussion among self-proclaimed internet experts and a sociological phenomenon among tumblr users. and as a questionable lover letter to the mass effect fandom, here’s my mass effect sexyman ranking.
if your fav is here, please don’t take this personally. also, not every single male character from the series will be listed, just the ones with the most sexyman potential.
original trilogy only because i have yet to finish andromeda.these have been chosed based on 1) sexyman traits listed here and 2) fandom reception towards them.
Hey everyone:
For fanfic purposes, I’m soliciting opinions on why Garrus *should* shoot Sidonis. Everyone who’s annoyed that Garrus never gets to shoot Sidonis in fanfiction: here’s your chance to talk me into doing it!
…er, well, to try to talk me into doing it. I *may* have used the wrong Shepard for that… I’ll see!
clarification before i Get Into It, are you looking for reasons shepard should let garrus take the shot, or guidance for reasons behind it for the story as a whole?
Both really, but particularly why Shepard should let him or even encourage him.
excellent, my time has c o m e:
1. By the time they’re going after Sidonis Garrus has had plenty of time to think. The whole “oh he’s so angry on the mission he’s not thinking clearly” gets played up, but he’s had most likely weeks at minimum to think about and plan his course of action while not under duress or being affected by having Sidonis within immediate reach. He’s acting on a decision he came to while in a calmer headspace, so that decision should be trusted as being informed and what he really wants.
2. Shepard respects him and his choices. If he says this is how he wants to play it (see above), Shepard should have no reason to doubt him. In addition, Shepard doesn’t have the full story, all the details, the ins and outs that are informed by living it - Garrus does. It’s his choice to make, not Shepard’s, and Shepard would/should realize this as both a military person and a friend.
3. Garrus led his own missions on Omega, so this is hardly his first one. He can lead a mission and keep his head on under fire. His choices are not compromised by being on a mission or “in charge.”
4. Garrus is an ADULT. He can make his own god damn decisions - his own mistakes, if you insist on considering the Sidonis thing as such. It’s not our/Shepard’s job to tell him what to do or try to teach him a lesson at every opportunity.
5. The mission endpoint/goal was discussed ahead of time; Shepard came in fully knowing how Garrus wanted to play it. If they wanted to express concerns they should have been brought up and fleshed out in a pre-mission briefing, not in the middle of the mission.
6. On that note of compromising the mission: getting in the way of his shot. No warning to Garrus, going against his plan/instructions - that’s just fucking shitty??? Questions of respecting decisions aside, blocking the shot could give Sidonis a chance to get away that he wouldn’t have had if they’d stepped clear when appropriate, leading to mission failure - if you can’t see how this sort of thing is a big no-no in a combat/military setting, I don’t know what to tell you.
7. Something big it seems that everyone tends to forget: you the player may know that Garrus will remain loyal no matter your choice, but Shepard would not. Betraying Garrus’s trust on this could ruin their friendship or even his choice to remain on the Collector mission (I’ve read a few fics where Garrus takes time away from the Normandy after the Sidonis mission because of anger at the outcome - love that idea). If you can’t see Shepard respecting his decision, at least realize that from a practical standpoint, letting Garrus do what he decided he wants to do is the best way to make sure Shepard doesn’t lose him entirely.
8. The point of the loyalty missions is for everyone to have a clear head going into the relay, and I think that if Garrus is going to regret the outcome of the mission, he’s MUCH more likely to regret (and would experience more regret from) not taking the shot in line with his plan when he had the chance, than he is to regret going through with what he planned on and dealing the justice he feels his team deserves. For one thing, he’s very practical - plans are his Thing. Two, he’s not that self-reflective; he’s more likely to just move on than spend time ruminating now that action has been taken.
9. A point I’ve seen made in a couple of fics: Sidonis sold Garrus out, and effectively almost got him killed - almost made Shepard lose Garrus. And that’s not to mention the mental damage the whole incident caused. If Garrus didn’t want the shot for himself, Shepard could easily want to kill/hurt Sidonis themself for what he did to their friend.
I searched my blog for other posts discussing the Sidonis issue, and found two (some points may have been repeated between there and here lol): post 1,post 2
If you want to take a look at fics where Sidonis dies to see how other people have explored it, I have some listed on this rec list. Another fic I need to add to that list that I’d recommend especially given your question : illuminated in scars, a face aligned [13.8k, chapter 11 specifically for the topic at hand, but the whole thing is worth the read]; the ideas explored are based on a line in the French version that’s missing from the English version of the mission.
