Nobody would give me a mirror… How bad is it?

In the sense that looking back at Mass Effect 2, she really was in WAY over her head as part of the Normandy team.

Particularly in hindsight by the time we meet her again in Mass Effect 3, it’s clear that Kelly was ‘handpicked’ by The Illusive Man not for any actual ability she might have, but because he considered her to be a useful, malleable and unwitting pawn who could be used to manipulate and spy on Shepard. In truth, Kelly really wasn’t cut out to be part of the Normandy team.

Something which she will always end up paying for. As in, her BEST outcome is ‘just’ getting horrifically traumatized by Collector abduction, to the point that by the time of Mass Effect 3, she CANNOT actually return to the Normandy even if Shepard invites her back, simply due to the immense trauma she now can’t help but associate with the ship. Even though the Normandy is probably the safest place in the galaxy for an ex-Cerberus member like her. Which in turn means that unless she changes her name and appearance, Kelly will end up being killed by Cerberus.

After everything she goes through, you really get the sense that Kelly shouldn’t have been on the Normandy to begin with. Partly because she really didn’t have much of anything to truly offer to the team, but mostly for her OWN sake.

And notably, I feel like this makes Kelly a very interesting foil to Samantha Traynor in Mass Effect 3?

In contrast to Kelly, Traynor was NOT handpicked or even so much as supposed to be part of the Normandy crew, having simply been part of the refit staff who got roped in when the Reapers invaded Earth.

Endless List of Favorite Characters - Mordin Solus from Mass Effect

Day two: URDNOT WREX

Credit to @traskodjur for the original idea. Honestly, it's brilliant and I laughed so loudly!

Mass Effect Ink Series [4/?]