#blasteddoodles

My entry for MEBB 2025. Collab with @mcgeeki .

Summary: After two years of silence, Shepard finds herself caught between Cerberus orders, Miranda’s scrutiny, and her own doubts. But nothing tests her resolve more than Horizon — and the ghosts it awakens.

The day is finally here and I can share what I’ve been working on! 🎉 

My MEBB fic “Heart of Glass” just went live, so if reading about John Shepard and one James Vega does tickle your fancy, you should head this way: read Heart of Glass

The wonderful art, including the banner with this fantastic dragon, was done by @blasteddoodles. Thank you so much for your art - and for the great collab!😍 Beta by none other than the wonderful @iberiandoctor. ❤️ Now, on to the juicy details:

The fic is rated explicit / NC-17, contains hurt/comfort, pining, trauma (aka the whole damn war) and, as a warning for those of you that always remembered to feed Shep’s fish, a small little mention of war-related fish-death.

Summary: Shepard has been in a coma since the war ended, with no hope for improvement - until Liara unearths experimental tech that might just be the thing to help them. James quickly volunteers to use it - ready to do anything to get Shepard back. Little does he know what he gets himself into. As means of protection, Shepard’s mind has constructed a new world around him filled with magical creatures, wonderment, and danger. James now faces the difficult task of getting them out—and trying not to give away what he really feels for Shepard.

Back in 1983 when I was fourteen and taking French in high school, I was paired up with someone in France. For years, we wrote back and forth to one another - these were the pre-PC/internet days, remember - and we were even able to meet up during two visits I made to France over the years. He was a very kind person, very giving and gentle. We had a lot of discussions over the years, on all sorts of topics. But most of all, we had friendship, one that I treasured very much and deeply.

The last time I heard from him was in 1999, a few months after my son was born when he sent a gift. After that, he stopped communicating. For years, I've wondered what happened to him, why he'd stopped writing, and I haunted the internet searching for any clue to what happened. Toward the end of last November, right after what would have been his 54th birthday, I found my answer. He died February 7, 2000. My greatest fear had been proven true.

Still, because I never knew for certain, I had hoped he was still out there, somewhere. I won't speculate as to what happened, and the notices and obituaries I found did not state the cause of death, but I have a suspicion. None of that matters, though. He was a dear friend, and I loved him for that, both when he lived and now.

In an effort to keep his memory fresh and alive, I created a Shepard to write about based on him, right down to how he looks. I commissioned @blasteddoodles for his picture (I only have two good photographs of him), and boy, did she deliver! Thank you, my friend, for capturing his likeness so well! <3

Tu me manques, mon ami. J'espère que ton esprit trouvera la paix. (I miss you, my friend. I hope your spirit finds peace.)

(forgive any grammatical errors - it's been over 20 years since I last spoke or wrote French)

~~~

The observation lounge is dark when Alexandre slips inside, the only light the thousands upon thousands of pinpricks scattered as far as the eye can see outside the window. But he isn’t alone. He pauses a few steps in and tilts his head, then offers a soft smile to his left, then walks over to the window. He leans his shoulder against the wall, angling himself to prop himself into place while still getting the best view. Well, almost the best view. The actual best view comes up behind him, slides his arms around him, and murmurs in his ear, “Tu es en retard.”

Wrapping his arms over the ones around his waist, Alexandre replies, “Non, je suis à l’heure, mon étoile. Tourjours à l’heure.”

Kaidan huffs softly as his arms tighten. Alexandre expects an argument – after all, there are the two years he was ‘dead’ and Cerberus rebuilt him to account for – but surprisingly, it is absent tonight. Turning his head, he asks, “Tout va bien?”

Kaidan inhales deeply, his chin coming to rest on Alexandre’s shoulder. “Tout va bien,” he agrees quietly.

Ostagar

Alistair's Rose

Re-wrote my Gray Warden design for Alistair and my Surana on a whim. I am so much happier with how they look now.

The Traveler from Journey, commissioned by @spaced0lphin. It was a pleasure working with you, as always.