#tayliams

hear me out: let's ship Ashley with...

not an option in canon edition; no Shepards or Jameses here.

Jacob: hey remember how Jacob's an Eden Prime survivor too? maybe they knew each other from there when the units had shore leave together or joint exercises or whatever. and Ash is so mad when he joins Cerberus down the track but (and I nicked this from @beltsquid) Cerberus recruits frustrated people who want to do more and Ash has to have the guilty thought that that could have been her too. later on they have a lot to work through with Jake having joined Cerberus and worked with Shepard while Ash stayed with the Alliance, but so satisfying! even if they didn't know each other on Eden Prime, they both have that frustration with the Alliance's inaction and that core want of wanting to do something good. also we know that Ashley likes her some beefcake. 👌🏼

Thane: he says he'll watch over her in the hospital! they can bond over physio, and over both working with Shepard, and over both being religious even though they don't worship the same god. (lemme tell you what I have friends who are Muslim and Jewish respectively and dated at one point and this apparently worked out well for both their food restrictions if nothing else.) Ash can be Thane's siha 🥹

Tarquin: yeah the Victus kid. both have their male family member's legacy hanging over their heads, both have so much survivor's guilt but Ash is in a much different place with hers by the time Tarquin hits it - in a good place to help him through it, that's where!!

Samantha: Samantha was on Horizon when Ashley was - maybe she was the only person who was nice to that Alliance soldier (derogatory)!! they're both colony girls and if you go by L'etoile's thoughts, both brown girls. Sam with her spa sessions and beauty supplies can help indulge Ash's girly "look pretty damn good in a dress" side and with her bartending can also indulge the drinks 😂 I think they'd have a lot of fun gaming together! also, soooooo awkward if Sam finds the voice of the robot that beat up her girl sexy lmao.

Tiran: the parallels are paralleling: old military family legacy, expectations they'd do the same as their family, trying to prove they're more than their family members, willing to martyr themself for it, family curse, both get drawn into the plot with a geth ambush! sooooo much to bond about, and like Tarquin, being at different stages of it.

Miranda: the big sister bonding potential is immense and could probably get them through the "boooo you were with Cerberus" tension like that with Jacob above. Miri being so PeRfEcT is an interesting foil to Ash always having to be better than the best. they can be troubleshooting space divas!!

Suvi: two women of faith in space gotta stick together!! instant bonding over that and the way they've both been derided for it in their lives. plus they both come from big families. super cute jock/nerd potential here.

Jack: you know what they have in common? "fuck Cerberus" and also. poetry. what if Ash is getting into more modern stuff besides the classics and finds Jack's online. I feel like Ash would appreciate Jack's attitude and how protective she is of her kids (it's like her and her sisters) and Jack would admire how tough Ash is despite not having any biotics! also. Jack talking Ash into a tattoo? 👀

Nyreen: the strong moral compass girlies!! bonding over the Expectations of military family legacies/curses and being super underused by their militaries despite their leadership potential. and then the tension when Nyreen goes off on her own as a merc and Ash stays military.

Kaidan: it's a tragic classic for a reason 👌🏼

Garrus: I wrote the manifesto nine years ago but let's just leave it at Ashley being the only ME1 squadmate Garrus doesn't offend in the elevators.