AD ASTRA PER ASPERA

Excuse for me to support/reblog art

Attempted writing and drawing (if I get brave enough to share it)

RP blog exists

Will yap about:

How Ashley WIlliams (Mass Effect) deserved better

My OC's

How insanely talented everyone is

How insanely amazing all your characters are

Say the Reapers hadn't been real and/or something else happened that resulted in the Normandy failing their mission but the reapers not making an appearance yet: who do you honestly believe gets the blame? Shepard? The Council's latest pet? The soldier the Alliance sends to every possible situation, regardless of if they're qualified to handle it or not? The poster boy/girl/person for humanity? They'll get punished, sure, but who out of the Alliance and the Council is going to admit they got it wrong and ruin Shepard's life? They'll get the Harkin treatment and anything that can be swept under the rug, will be.

Kaidan? He was just following Shepard's lead. If anything he might actually benefit from it later on (again, after a promotion hold or some other minor punishment). He's a good soldier through his own merit, and a loyal one, no one is going to ruin him or go after his family.

Joker? Mr "best damn pilot in the Alliance Fleet"? He'd be grounded for a while and likely banned from ever being a test pilot again, but how are they going to justify removing him from his position entirely? He'll hate it, sure, but he'll still be able to do the job he loves.

Any of the alien crew? Wrex is a merc. Liara is a scientist. Garrus is also essentially a merc at this point. Tali is a "kid on her pilgrimage". Who would punish any of them and risk a potential diplomatic issue?

So who can they blame? Someone has to be held responsible. What's that, a Williams was on board? A name blacklisted for "cowardice" and ruining the Alliance's reputation? Someone who, regardless of being the best of the best constantly, is overlooked, disrespected and belittled by every superior officer she met before Shepard? Yep, that'll do.

Ashley finally has an opportunity to serve and make a difference; she's finally getting the chance to prove what she can do; she's finally getting recognition and support from someone who sees her as a person and not a curse...

I saw a post where someone pointed out that Mass Effect centres around the "ruthless calculus" of war and it made me rethink my whole 'the Starkid was lying and EDI and the Geth are actually fine' and 'I like the indoctrination theory' stance. Whilst I do still like those ideas - especially indoctrination - the thought of Shepard having to come to terms with what they did to EDI and the Geth adds another layer to the question: how does Shepard handle their guilt if they survive?

Shepard gave synthetics the most powerful of human/organic emotions: hope. They gave them hope for a future, hope for a chance at life, hope that a galaxy after the reapers would be different to a galaxy before them. But when the choice needed to be made, Shepard sacrificed them, sacrificed their hopes and their dreams, for those of organics.