#debmeleplaythrough

Anderson's love for Shepard can be found everywhere in the games but those notes he's leaving are something. He's making sure this love is recorded and everyone, Shepard included, will know.

"Oh sure, I can talk about Shepard." Right. He's like full on ready to talk, has been since the beginning, no need to prompt him.

And this "we" he's talking about? My Shepard just listens to this and can only picture Anderson - in the middle of a war zone, a devastated planet - losing sleep over him.

And this dialogue between them:

"It's practical. We need you in the best shape possible. Rested. Focused." "If you say so. Thank you."

If you say so? Shepard's doubt is killing me but Anderson is Anderson. Shepard will agree with him, defer to him. Meanwhile, Anderson is like... please, use this place that has been always safe for me and make it your home. it's all yours. Invite people, enjoy yourself even if for a few minutes.

The family picture is coming. Anderson won't be in it, but we know, he clearly sees Shepard as his kid and he will spend his last breath telling Shepard how proud he is.

Anyway. Not me getting choked up.

After the war someone is going to write a book about Hackett and multiple chapters will involve the number of times Shepard called to report something completely unexpected that almost caused the end of the galaxy as they all know it and how Hackett had to roll with it

But out of all of them, Kaidan's reaction is, to me, the most intense:

Can you feel it, Shepard? Feel the quickening? Illusive Man better say his prayers tonight. Because we're coming for him. Murderous asshole. Oh, yeah. Tide is turning. I feel it.

Those lines like this don't do justice to the scene. The voice acting is just A+ and makes him sound quite scary. He's standing with his arms crossed, talking quietly.

He has that sort of very cold and focused anger that makes you think he will show no mercy when the time comes, especially not to someone like TIM.

Canon has shown repeatedly what Kaidan is capable of doing and why (if you steal someone's innocence around him, you're fu****) so there is nothing surprising there, at all. But since he's otherwise so gentle and sweet, I think it's possible to forget that aspect of him - this sort of steel in him.

Shepard barely has time to ask him what he's doing there, Wrex is already getting into combat position with the other squadmate as if it's so NATURAL to him and it is:

It's a split second that illustrates what happens when people have known and loved each other for so long that time will not change how they react and communicate with each other.

And I love picking Wrex as a squadmate when going into the Citadel Archives. It's been so long he could think Shepard will use more recent squadmates living on the Normandy. But my Shepard doesn't hesitate and Wrex looks like he's having the best time of his life.

fiercely defending his FRIEND: "No one will ever believe you're Shepard."

And he flat out says how happy he is, hanging out with them and shooting bad guys:

He gets to try a new catchphrase: Uncle Urdnot is back in town, and he brought the boom!

He's like: WHAT DO YOU THINK???? DO YOU LIKE MY NEW CATCHPHRASE, SHEPAAAAARD???? HOW COOL IS IT ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10????? A TEN RIGHT????

the "say please" in the dialogue tree at first, then the looks zaeed gives shepard:

he shakes his head a little, and says please for real but not while looking at shepard.

the way shepard moves forward then, nobody is saying anything, and then he withdraws? and it's probably the handing of credits going on here, but to me, it looks like shepard wanted to get closer and it feels like a display of dominance? in complete silence????!

and later zaeed just says "credits", as an order, and shepard gives without commenting, which I find interesting.

zaeed wins and immediately gives the toy to the asari in the corner who looks like she wants to be alone with him, but zaeed only looks at shepard

and when it's time to go someplace else, zaeed just says "you're buying"

and shepard says "yes I am" but with such a fierce look on his face, and even the voice acting makes the line looks fierce:

like he's saying yes. yes zaeed. i'm the only buying. i'm the one giving you credits. ME. It's all me.

so in that universe, what is there to do? i guess the answer is what shepard is doing. believing in a collective that can be powerful and strong and kind, and making steps to bring everyone together.

it all leads to the fleets arriving - something no one thought would actually happen at the beginning of me3 or even before that. but it did happen. shepard made it happen.

the leviathans said shepard was an anomaly but i don't believe shepard is the only one, in all cycles, who had that strength and willingness to work with others. someone like shepard can only be as strong as the people around them. i mean shepard's support system (which include hackett, anderson, the whole squad, normandy crew, alliance) + everyone who ends up negociating (the primarch, wrex, ...) + everyone the leviathans think are "lesser" beings doing little things to win the war and save people. all of them together? that's the true anomaly.

it doesn't take away at all from what shepard is doing because they're the driving force making it possible. but still, it all comes down to this: we face our enemy together.