SIGN UPS OPEN

All: I'm opening sign-ups a bit early in case I get busy in the morning and can't get to it.

Here's the link to sign up:

Remember to review the Sign Up Guide but let me know if you have any questions about sign ups. Sign ups are open until MAY 14th.

List of Nominations Big Place Discord

merrin study based off of @animatedjen's photography

Hozier covers ‘Ain’t no sunshine’ during Billboard live | Tribute to Bill Whiters

chappell roan // kansas city 4.8.24

2024 SpecRecs Exchange

author reveals are live for @spectre-requisitions-exchange so time to post! i recieved two wonderful fics this year

My Gifts

God Is A Verb (M, Kaidan Alenko/Jack | Subject Zero/Male Shepard, Harbinger & Male Shepard)

absolutely heartbreaking, exactly what i was hoping for from my post-synthesis angst prompt. characterisation is so strong, i love the reaper!shepard perspective, and i adore harbinger being the little devil on shep's shoulder. shepard trying to cling to his humanity vs the (maybe?) inevitability of losing it is *chef's kiss*

astronomy in reverse (G, Female Shepard/Male Shepard)

the only thing i can think to say about this fic is it is absolute poetry. the prose is SO good. each few lines i was going 'god, this is incredible'. it's so beautiful and unique and i'm going to be thinking about it for ages to come

Fic I Wrote

On The Shore (From A Distance) (M, Kaidan/Male Citadel Doctor)

i had such fun coming up with miles as a character and trying to place him into the mass effect universe as seamlessly as possible. it's a big angsty, because i am an angst fiend, but i wanted to give it a hopeful ending. also had a lot of fun with the flashback structure!

Tango Blue (E, Jack/Male Shepard)

how have i never written m!shep/jack before given how much i love them??? regardless, i had so much fun writing this, especially because of the t4t jack/shep prompt! i wanted to give them a lived-in and affectionate feeling despite some rough physicality

Fic Recs

Art Recs

And now for a little shameless self-promotion!!

@spectre-requisitions-exchange 2024 has officially ended and the authors have been revealed! Which means I can talk about all the stuff I wrote! (I may have gone a little overboard...)

In addition to my first assignment, I picked up a pinch hit. And then I was feeling so inspired I wrote another two treats! I have been on a writing bender and it feels good! Not gonna lie, I'm pretty proud of myself. 😌

So my fics this year were:

T-rated (my first non-explicit fic!! 😅) FemShep/Ashley pairing. For @biotickaidan

Set in ME3, Ash has a crisis of fate after her near-death experience and talks things through with Shepard. A romance is rekindled.

People have been SO NICE about this fic?? I have never had so many comments before, it's honestly blowing my mind. Y'all are so sweet. 🥹

E-rated Jack/Kasumi (t4t!!) for @krahka

Be gay, do crime! Set pre-ME2, Jack and Kasumi accidentally end up committing the same crime. Hijinks ensue™️ and things get a little sexy.

This was ridiculously fun to write and very challenging. I watched a ton of heist movies to prepare for this one! 😂

E-rated MShep/James Vega for @ginbiscuit

Set between ME2 and 3, while James is guarding Shep in lock up. Shep is bored and entertains himself by being an incorrigible flirt. James tries to behave. You can guess how well that goes.

I think this is actually my favourite fic I have ever written?? I really think it's quite good. I fell in love with those two idiots while they fell in love with each other. Ethan Shepard may just have some future adventures, cause goddamnit HE IS CUTE. And I'm proud of my baseball metaphor (gods I hope someone notices 😭).

Please read this one? For me? 🥺

And finally! M-rated Tali & Jack for @beltsquid

Set during ME2. Tali is having a bad day. Jack is having a bad day and is making it everyone else's problem. Together they clean out the Normandy's bar and an unexpected friendship(?) develops.

I literally just finished this one a few hours ago. 😅My first gen fic! The prompt was fantastic and super inspiring. These two are so great together and I had so much fun exploring their relationship.

There were even more fantastic prompts I really wanted to write, but time is short! So I'll save them for next year. ;)

Now that I am finally done writing, I am going to delve into the rest of the fics available in the collection! There are SO MANY I'm excited to check out! So definitely look out for a recommendation list in the next few days. Or just go poke around the collection yourself!!

Forgot to post this a while back, whoops! This is a commissioned piece for a Mass Effect fan~

specreqs 2024 fic recs

I was so happy to participate in this year's @spectre-requisitions-exchange, and I have a round of recs to share!!

what I received:

Going Up by Kahika, G, Ashley/Garrus

what I wrote:

follow me into the dark, M, F!Shep/Tali

factors of safety, T, Tali/Adams

(I love my little engineers)

some amazing fics

One Night in Nos Astra by goodnightxgoodbye, T, Kaidan/Liara

The Crack in Everything by FerindenCadash, T, F!Shep/Ashley

Reception by Vidra_on_the_Rocks, G, Human Refugee Teen & Turian Citadel Guard

Seeing a Salarian About a Ship by SaintMidnight, T, Kaidan/Coats

I'll probably have many more recs as I work through the amazing collection, but I am so excited to keep reading! And it was an absolute blast participating; can't wait for next year :)

SpecReqs 2024

OK, so I was very busy and tired this year, and I wrote five fics for SpecReqs last year, so I, uh. decided to write six fics for @spectre-requisitions-exchange this year. Don't look too hard at that math.

First up, the actual assignment! let's blow this (human) popsicle stand for @depressed-sock (thanks to Ferus for the title). I was compelled by the idea of writing ME3 Multiplayer characters per their prompt - I've sunk so many hours into that gamemode - so I set up some OCs, a heist, and a story set on Illium in the background of the Reaper War, where there's just so much space to play.

Second up, the pinch hit! From: Ashley (Ashley/Female Shepard) for @kesla. I signed up for the pinch hit around two days before the deadline, and was casting around for a story structure that packed a full-sized punch in the not-so-many words that I had the time to write. And then I thought - well, I've always loved epistolary works, but I've never had the courage to write one. So, why not? If you liked this fic/Shepley epistolary be sure to check out Connection Lost by kesla - we truly had the same braincell on this one!

And now, to the treats. Firstly, twilight (Female Shepard/Samara) and dawn (CloneShepard/Morinth). Companion fics - designed to be readable alone but better together - showing two halves of the same story. There was something about Cloneshep/Morinth as a parallel to Shep/Samara that really dug its claws into me this year. Replacements doomed to fail by the narrative, women letting their duty take everything from them vs women clawing their way to anything of their own, and I'm glad I got the chance to write these!

Second, the meaning of safe (Ashley/Liara) for celeme. I set it in that period between ME1 and ME2 where Liara's changing as a person, and Ashley's growing into herself. I can't believe Liara wouldn't reach out - she really does need loyal help on her quest. So I wrote it! There's so much potential to this ship. I'm excited to try again next year.

And finally, Vignette #14 in C Minor (Sloane/Aria) for @thedaselcor. I didn't write a full fic for this one, but I was so compelled by their prompt I felt the need to do something - Sloane/Aria is really a genius pairing idea. Plus, I wanted to thank them for the code snippet that helped me add the attachment in From:Ashley.

See you all next year!

spectre recquisitions 2024

This was my first year participating in @spectre-requisitions-exchange and I hope I get to do so again next year, everyone has been incredibly kind and also everyone is so super talented!!

A huge huge thank you to my gifter who wrote me some fantastically delicous old man smut!!

Take Me Down by MyGorramShip (LoneSurvivor) for FinchMarie (Explicit)

My piece was for @dandenbo and I got the opportunity to draw their NB Shep Otto, and it filled my little queer heart with joy.

Also I'm very proud of how it turned out! It's my most explicit art to date and I'm excited to have ripped off the band aid on that so my art can get shamelessly more filthy in the future. Sorry in advance buds gotta be logged into AO3 to see the full thing!

Be Gentle by FinchMarie for DanDenbo (Explicit)

The author of my gift this year had me stumped! But wowsers do I admire their style. I look forward to reading more from them in the future. Thank you so much SaintMidnight!

(Rated Teen)

I also received a super fun treat from @depressed-sock and I'm now on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next, because hoo-damn did Zaeed misjudge the situation.

(Rated Teen)

There were a bunch of great reads this year and with 88(+) fics/fanart pieces, I'm still working my way through my TBR pile. But for now check this variety out! It's a long post so see more below the cut! (Please review fic description/tags and read at your own discretion)

Stuff I did for Spec Reqs 2024! :D

(I'll also be doing individual posts for these but here's just a comprehensive list! )

It's Colder in Hell (Wishing you were there!) (2,649 words) part 1/2 | Zaeed/Nb Shepard

Dangerous Together (Art) Miranda/ Liara

Hanging Around (375 words and Art) Zaeed/Chakwas

Mourning what we could be (911 words) FShep & Clone Shep

Beach day! (Art) Jacob/MShep

Make me a Home even as I Wander (4,345 words) Jack/Nb Shepard

Out on the town (Art) Miranda/ Liara

An end, once and for all

HELLO, Mass Effect fandom that I will never leave! The 2024 @spectre-requisitions-exchange collection is live and authors have been revealed!!

First of all: PLEASE check out the wonderful gift I received, From: Ashley, for a fantastically sad HEA fshepley epistolary by @coaxionunlimited!! 💐

Second of all: coax and I were sharing the braincell, because I uh ALSO wrote angstastic epistolary femshep/ash, side of smut, for my giftee, @jusbeinkt. The vibe:

Folks, this might be the best thing I've ever put on the internet?? Good food and drink owed to my two superb betas, @meggannn and @meredithalden. You are the salt and the acid that make this a meal.

Read it here and peruse the full 2024 SpecReqs collection here!!

I’m

The youth are lost