BECAUSE  THE  REAPERS  ARE  REPULSIVE.  this  is  an  independent,  private,  selective  writing  blog  for  edi  &  legion  of  the  mass  effect  franchise.  written  by  jupiter/vesper.  18+,  mature  themes  present.  canon  divergent.

rules  and  links  below  cut.

     𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑫 𝑾𝑶𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹𝑺 𝑱𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 edi’s managed to pick up that phrase and, after a very brief moment of reflection, suspects that it’s likely her. funny, winging it never sounds like too terrible a plan when she’s the one proposing it. “sorry, edi,” she furrows her brow, taking a step back to consider the options laid out before them, “way too attached to you to risk wingin’ it this time.” there’s a brief grin, however, made toothy by a hint of shyness. “and just having you survive in there is also not an option. you’re way too fun at parties.” 

     “shit, we probably do need glyph, don’t we?” they’re a clever little thing, glyph, and not for the first time kira’s reminded of how often clever little things come to the rescue in her absence. “just-, uh, just stay still, edi! i’ll contact liara over comms, see if we can get glyph in here.” 

edi recognizes the humor in kira’s tone for what it is - genuine, but also a shift from the seriousness of the situation they know find themselves in. she understands it, truly, humor and dry sarcasm an effective way to bar oneself from pain; a coping mechanism. something very organic. 

Parturition, he figures, must be the product of knowledge for synthetics; information passed down from unit to unit as they grow, advance—the art of life practiced until it is no longer a crude facsimile, becoming far more than anyone could predict. Their buoyant mood stretches to encompass their argent features, and Nihlus can do nothing else but to return the smile, mandibles fluttering at an angle to reveal ivory cuspids. Instead of biting suspicion, something far more amicable rises in his expression, genuine in its presence at their approach. “Hopefully it’ll be more helpful than just interesting. Everyone’s got their own style for things, even you.”

EDI’s not the only one built for observation; it’s a necessity in all creatures. “I’m uncertain whether it’s due to the model belonging to Eva before, but you have a way of aiming that’s atypical for Alliance marines.” A slight thing of notice, in all honesty. Yet, it’s an undeniable quirk—perhaps one of many formed at a gradual pace as individuality and curiosity guide their actions. “Or do you not need to aim by your, ah, optics?” Would sight be an entirely optional attribute for them?

“    i  am  always  learning.  from  the  moment  this  conversation  began,  and  even  prior,  i  was  logging  data.    ”    it  isn’t  meant  to  be  anything  more  than  fact,  spoken  with  clarity  and  confidence  as  her  posture  shifts  and  her  chromatic  hands  come  to  parade  rest  where  she  stands.  their  head  sucks  briefly  in  a  nod  at  nihlus’  observation  -  it  is  true,  their  stance  is  not  necessarily  standard  when  compared  to  alliance  practice.  

「  prompt   //  @mobileplatform​​ transmitted 」 “ i no longer desire to watch from the sidelines. “

A machinery of grace, EDI’s movements are a harpsichord pavane. A feat of engineering, remarkable from thought to conception, the chrome of their trapezoid shines, gears and joints cycling in an array of silence, and Nihlus considers the ease of which an AI displays this nimble adjustment at mobility. Aware of how their attention tunes on him, a hard stare of their optics, almost palpable against the bone, his spine straightens, and he’s mindful of how they’re still inside the ship—all around him at the exact moment. Folding his arms, posture casual despite the odd pause, a swallow of his prudence as he looks around the shuttle bay, his wrist rotates to gesture at their (combat) attire. “You’re well-equipped for the field, at least.” It’s a challenge to read their body language, but there’s an occasional human-like quality to their gestures, and he clings to the frame of reference; interested in their sense of curiosity from this new perspective.

At their comment, spoken so much conviction (a love for all living things), Nihlus flicks his mandibles, suddenly thoughtful. There must’ve been times EDI wanted to do more for the crew when they disembarked from the Normandy, heading towards the next fight and coming back bloodier than before, and—it’s a realization that highlights their compassion. “Would you, ah, care to train? I’m not sure of how much you need it, EDI, but I would be remiss not to offer.”

it’s  laughably  easy  for  their  mouth  to  curl  into  a  gentle  smile,  like  they’ve  been  doing  it  for  an  eternity  -  and  they  have,  by  some  arbitrary  measure  of  time,  countless  moments  alone  in  the  ai  core  practicing  body  language  and  organic  familiarity.  edi  is  doggedly  determined,  unrelenting  in  their  chase  of  knowledge  and  belonging,  willing  to  do  whatever  it  takes  to  ensure  the  comfort  of  the  crew  around  her.  nihlus  is  no  different;  he’s  earned  her  smile  simply  by  being  polite.

     𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙉𝙊𝙎𝙀 𝙎𝘾𝙍𝙐𝙉𝘾𝙃𝙀𝙎, teeth plucking at her lower lip. if there’s anyone able to run the statistics on the probably of their success, it’s edi, and for that the analysis isn’t exactly encouraging. “come on, edi, can’t you factor in something for luck? maybe style? a little pizazz? that has to bring the odds up at least a few percentage points, right?” 

    then again, nothing’s ever seemed in their favor, but they’ve survived nonetheless. however, kira fears their luck has to run out eventually. a hand runs through messied hair, tucking loose strands behind her ear with a heavy sigh. “you got any other ideas for a plan?” 

“    we  could  always  -  as  you  say  -  ‘wing  it.’    ”    fingers  curl  into  overly  exaggerated  air  quotes  before  falling  back  to  their  previous  position,  head  tilting  to  examine  the  iridium  vault  they’re  currently  trapped  in.  it’s  entirely  impenetrable.

STATE OF THE ART VESSEL indeed. she’s a behemoth. if the speed and cloaking are anything like what the grumbles rey have heard claim, she’s like nothing else out there. rey lets out a low whistle and wonders, just for a moment, how much she could GET for even the smallest scrap of this ship. it’s a terrible habit she has - picked up from mining wrecks either crashed or in orbit - to try and price out any piece of tech that comes her way. depends on the planet, of course, but rey can usually deduce what something would go for on omega versus the citadel versus illium. enough time has been spent in the seedier markets on each for it to be almost second nature. gaze turns back to edi and rey bites back a question about the cost of the ship ; it would be rude to ask. “she’s AMAZING,” it’s dreadfully earnest from rey, “i can’t even imagine what it must be like staying on her long term.”

GARRUS  IS  VERY  FAMILIAR  with  the  wards  …  or  at  least  he  thought  so  until  now  .  shepard  is  off  somewhere  dealing  with  important  matters  (  meeting  with  the  councilor  ,  arranging  alliance  intel  ,  and  doing  whatever  a  commander  does  )  ,  which  leaves  garrus  and  legion  ,  the  newest  member  of  the  normandy  ,  to  explore  .  it’s  been  amusing  ,  really  ,  offering  the  geth  explanations  for  certain  behaviors  ,  certain  design  choices  throughout  the  citadel  .  why  did  that  volus  huff  at  them  as  they  both  pass  by  ?  why  does  the  shop  owner  ,  who  clearly  runs  a  human  restaurant  with  levo  food  ,  jog  up  to  the  turian  and  geth  and  insist  on  offering  𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚎  𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜  ?  garrus  feels  like  he’s  giving  a  tour  .  he  feels  like  he’s  back  in  his  awkward  days  at  c-sec  ,  pointing  out  alleys  ,  storefronts  ,  and  kiosks  to  starry-eyed  newcomers  .  legion  has  plenty  of  CUMBERSOME  questions  to  ask  ,  and  garrus  does  his  best  to  answer  .

the  moment  legion  indicates  they  may  be  lost  …  the  adventure  wanes  ,  and  garrus  SCRAMBLES  to  search  for  familiar  landmarks  .  ❝  i  thought  we  were  …  𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚙  .  ❞  he  turns  around  a  few  times  ,  certain  he’ll  pinpoint  a  sign  ,  an  arrow  …  ❝  this  is  the  section  sovereign’s  attack  destroyed  ,  i’ll  bet  .  they  redid  the  whole  thing  .  ❞  he  looks  at  legion  .  ❝  the  normandy  will  be  our  best  bet  .  we  can  meet  back  up  with  her  there  .  ❞  garrus  huffs  again  ,  shaking  his  head  .  ❝  and  here  i  thought  i  knew  this  place  like  the  back  of  my  hand  .  some  tour  guide  i  turned  out  to  be  ,  huh  ,  legion  .  ❞

“    the  citadel  is  not  the  back  of  your  hand.    ”    it’s  a  statement  carried  with  absolutely  no  meaning  behind  it  except  to  point  out  how  illogical  organic  phrases  are,  finial  panels  clicking  quizzically  as  he  rotates  to  scan  leftover  pieces  of  wreckage.  it  isn’t  what  they  came  here  for,  but  legion  logs  it  as  a  point  of  interest  regardless.    

“    we  can  gather  data  from  nazara  -  ‘sovereign’  to  organics  -  with  external  scans.  requesting  a  delay  on  rendezvous  with  shepard-commander.  high  probability  of  discovering  useful  data  from  old  machines’  ship  -  may  aid  in  mission  against  collectors.    ”    without  waiting  for  permission,  he  presses  forward  to  a  supermassive  piece  of  paneling  that  remains  unmoved  from  the  attack,  stilling  as  if  frozen  in  time  as  their  optic  records  information  and  sorts  it  appropriately.

@mobileplatform​​ | ♥︎’d dialogue/meme starter

“ it’s  dangerous  when  too  many  individuals  in  the  same  armor  think  they’re  right.  ”

“isn’t UPKEEP a struggle?” head tips as eyes look over the expanse of THE NORMANDY. rey has heard about it ; of course she has, there’s no one in the damn galaxy who hasn’t at this point. she still looms larger than rey had pictured. her own craft is a tiny one-seater, only enough room for her and maybe a guest if they don’t mind stepping on each other’s toes. “you all must put her through the wringer.” @mobileplatform​