#fshepdebplaythrough

but javik not being "good" as people see it is why he's so interesting. he's from a different time with different rules, and that's the entire point! he's there so we can see how it was done before, and why this current cycle has a chance.

we wouldn't understand the importance of uniting very different and unique people if javik wasn't there to say that the prothean empire failed by forcing people under one people, one rule. and this epic failure happened despite the prothean believing themselves so superior to others!

we also get this lesson about idolizing previous civilizations and cultures as liara has to come to terms with the fact that the protheans aren't as wise and/or as benevolent as she wanted them to be. surely it's not that distant from irl where people tend to idolize empires from before, and learn almost nothing from history.

and it's not just on a larger scale that javik has a purpose in the story. he's also a character who believes there is no honor in war and who has lost everything. symbolically, he can be seen as a ghost, but also a great warning for shepard and their future.

Example 1: A very sad scene is ending when Shepard suddenly yells "THIS COULD BE USEFUL!"

Example 2: Same order of idea: you end a loyalty mission that destroys your heart (let's say, Kasumi dealing with Keiji's graybox), the 'Mission Complete' screen appears and you hear Shepard say, as if commenting the weather: "This is valuable."

I know we've said it so many times before but James at the beginning of ME3 is a new witness to everything Shepard-related and watching him is so damn funny. You can tell he's like "wtf???" the entire time.

First Shepard turns out to be bff with all the cool Admirals who want to send them everywhere but on planet Earth where he wants to be. So off they go to Mars, where he has to listen to Ash or Kaidan have a very deep and intense conversation with Shepard. It's not awkward at all haha. Then an asari appears almost out of nowhere (out of a vent, okay????) and kills Cerberus soldiers. When he points his weapon at her (seems like the smart thing to do in this situation, right?), Shepard stops him because of course, that asari is their friend. Of course.

So he looks like at Ash or Kaidan like "Is this for real????"

And later the asari named Liara casually mentions she's THE Shadow Broker and she's collaborating with Admiral Hackett to get the plans for a device that will kill all the Reapers. OBVIOUSLY.

if i have to make a list i'll start with garrus, who i truly love, but who knew people who had a personal history on omega would be best attached to his cause, while he didn't have that personal history at all:

he said it himself, he was looking for a place with no "red tape" to let his rage out. genuinely the first conversation back on the normandy is just a typical "watch out for a guy's red flags" vid on my fyp lmao

and fandom wants us to believe that he's the one Truly Grieving, the One and Only Who Felt Pain, and that's just... not true to me. I think crew members and squad members grieved just as much and grief can be seen in different ways. grief is not about being stuck somewhere, it's not about behaving in a specific way and if you think this is it, you are truly lucky because you've never gone through it, so you don't know how it feels like

joker is obviously in a lot of pain and anger and his grief is expressed in a very different way than garrus. liara's grief is also another example of a grief expressed very differently. but it's still grief, and you can't take that away from those characters. i say so lol

and what garrus is doing on Omega is extreme, but it's extreme because it's not just linked to grief, it's linked to accumulated anger over the years with no way to handle it with a clear purpose. it's linked to someone who can't see shades of grey, and lack of nuance in a person is a terrible terrible thing to have

"I figure every time someone dies and it's not me, my chances of survival go up."

to this Jack:

"Anyone screws with my students, I will tear them apart."

this is why I love Garrus tbh, that sort of dry and unexpected humor

All characters end up linked to a cult-like organization -Cerberus- with a charismatic leader, but even in their personal stories you find hints of ideologies, propaganda and non-Reaper indoctrination starting at an early age.

Lately I've seen a lot of Thane critical posts and while I get that what he's saying can be shocking (about his body and lack of responsibility), let's not forget he's a direct product of an ideology and childhood propaganda. He was introduced to fighting at 6 and made his first kill at 12. He's very clear with the fact that he was "trained" as an "investment". That's a 6 years old kid being manipulated into being an assassin. And when he talks about the hanar, he immediately rushes to apologize on their behalf and say they "regretted their need" for him, which shows a reasoning he was forced to accept when he was too young to know better. The things he's saying about himself and his role as an assassin don't come out of nowhere.

To me, that's abuse, just like many other characters in ME2 were abused as children or have abuse in their stories linked to cults. And when it's not a direct organization, it's a dangerous ideology often linked to eugenics (Miranda, Grunt). In some cases, like Samara, it's linked to a spiritual or religous purpose but most organizations of that nature don't have the deadly power that the Justicars have. They're so dangerous and with such a strict code that everyone is shaking in their boots just by the presence of a member somewhere, as if they will be shot right away if they so much as move. That's not normal.

The way I see it, those organizations or cult-like behaviors and ideologies can have the power they have because there is a complete lack of due process in Mass Effect. There's the illusion of justice, but no real or fair justice (or as close to the concept being put into practice if you believe it can exist). And I believe the worldbuilding in the games fully embraces that. In ME2, we get Purgatory as an example but also Tali's treason trial where a speech reminding the military honor of the accused can save the hour and no evidence needs to be shown. We also get other examples of a justice system not working quite well in ME1 and ME3.

And sure, saving Tali from treason feels good, but in that universe, lack of evidence in a trial like this co-exists with other situations where cult and cult-like organizations can keep moving either openly or in the shadows, abusing children and directing propaganda at them.

KROGAN LORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!