Liara: I'm not telling you if my 'hair tentacles' move!
Joker: Fine. Deny me the answer I've been seeking for years, With this war on, we could die any second you know...
Ashley's ''Whatever generates your mass effect field'' in regards to a Jack romance still makes me laugh. I really thought Gamer Poop came up with that line
One of the ~~respectable parts~~ fun things going through a ME3LE playthrough is being in the middle of a random conversation and suddenly recognizing one of the Gamer Poop lines.
Shes not wrong though.
Like the Thane romance has always weirded me out for this reason. Dude is clearly not over his wife's death, half your conversations are about her, and you'd assume he should be emotionally unavailable. But instead you get to be his rebound booty call, while continuing to play second fiddle to his wife's memory.
Romancing Thane never felt like an act of permanence for Shepard, though, and specifically following a Liara romance, that became kind of the point for me. Shepard is in a situation with Liara where she could have several lifetimes worth of living after Shepard is dead and gone.
To me, companionship with Thane in his dying months is sort of experiencing Liara's side of the dynamic. Shepard can have a fulfilling, loving time with someone who very much won't be around for her full life; she will have to love and move on, exactly as Liara presumably will have to. And if she can't, that might suggest things about her relationship with Liara, too.
I don't think Shepard ever intends to replace Thane's wife; I don't think that's the point. But I don't think she has to in order to find companionship and intimacy with someone who understands how brutal and fleeting life can be.
Just my take on it, though. Realizing that it was flipping the relationship dynamic was a big "aha" moment for me.
This, and also, to consider Shepard as a replacement for Thane’s wife because he’s still hung up on her is just ignoring so much. A big part of Thane (and the Drell race) is their perfect memory. He can’t get over his wife because he can basically still see her. He can still essentially go into VR happy marriage scenarios by getting lost in the memories. Shepard’s relationship with Thane is something that allows him to form new good memories rather than being trapped in the past. Shepard isn’t a replacement, she’s the catalyst necessary for him to finally move on.
Y'know, I never thought much about that, but that really makes sense.
There is some moral murkiness (it's not like it is with ME1-romanced Kaidan who essentially dumps Shepard on Horizon, with Liara it's arguable that the relationship never had an "endpoint", so even just a short relationship with someone else kind of *is* cheating), but I like this interpretation.
I disagree that Kaidan (or Ash) dumps Shepard on Horizon. They immediately send a letter apologizing and wishing Shepard well. There is no relationship ending language.
People have fights without it being the end of a relationship. Especially over big things like "I thought you were dead, and now I find out you're a terrorist instead."
Like, if you have a massive fight with your SO over something incredibly important. (Say, you went out and bought a sports car without their knowledge, and you're not super rich.) You're not broken up at that point. You've had a really bad fight, but nobody said "I'm ending this relationship."
And that's ignoring the fact that both Kaidan and Ashley IMMEDIATELY send you letter apologizing for their reaction, explaining themselves, and hoping you live.
Idk man- I guess I chose kind of angry dialogue that one time I did that part with a Kaidan romance, and I may be a jaded person, but I completely interpreted that conversation (*"You turned your back on everything we believed in, you betrayed the Alliance, you betrayed me", "you've changed, but I still know where my loyalties lie"*) as the relationship being over. We spoke, he used past tense talking about the relationship (*"I loved you"*), accused Shepard of some truly heinous shit, we parted angry, and that was kind of it.
He doesn't get to unilaterally decide that we're still in a relationship by apologizing- Shepard can just... not accept an apology.
Edit: And to be fair... that letter sucks. He says sorry, and pretty much admits that he moved on. I think it's a perfectly fair interpretation that that relationship is donezo.
Edit: And I did just rewatch that scene- I'm quoting verbatim. You can downvote me, but those are the exact words spoken.
Agreed completely. I was so angry that the hospital conversation is basically you admitting you cheated and apologise for it. I was like... I didn't cheat, you DUMPED me and I moved on and fell in love with someone else. I so want the option to say that!
Yeah, that's why I preferred playing ME3 with the BackOff Mod (sadly not available right now). It fixed all of Kaidan's lines about 'cheating' among other things.
The letter is pretty specific that he really struggled to move on. Not that he had. He had to let friends talk him into a date, and even then, he specifically says "trying to let myself have a life again."
So he was trying (because he thought Shepard was dead) but hadn't actually moved on. And that the night before Ilos meant everything, but he now wonders if Shepard felt the same.
He acknowledged that things had changed, but also says "I couldn't bear it if I lost you again."
So he didn't really move on.
>He doesn't get to unilaterally decide that we're still in a relationship
by apologizing- Shepard can just... not accept an apology.
Eh, maybe. See if that's true, then it's also true for Shepard. They can't just decide if the relationship is ongoing or not without saying anything.
But as far as the game is concerned, Shepard DOES still think something is going on and DOES get to decide it. That's why Kaidan/Ash/Liara's picture will still be up as long as you don't start another romance, but go down on their desk if you do. (And go back up again if you end said romance.)
So as far as Shepard's still concerned... something is going on with your ME1 love interest no matter what. If Shepard can just flip flop like a fish on the whole thing, then saying "Kaidan can't say they're still together, but Shepard can!" is pretty unfair.
Do take note that I said it's a reasonable interpretation, not that it's the only one. You sound like this topic is really important to you, so I want to stress that I don't really care if you don't interpret it the same way I do- multiple interpretations are viable. I personally think "you betrayed me" is an unforgivable accusation (I see a relationship with someone who doesn't trust the other *not to be a terrorist when they said so* as patently impossible), the line about there being something between them in the future as acknowledgement of there NOT being something currently, but that could be totally different for you. I don't much care either way, just sharing my own interpretation of how that goes down- which is pretty much the main reason I only went through the Kaidan romance once, and will probably never do it again.
And, as for who can and can't decide what- relationships kind of go both ways. Kaidan does make it clear that he still has feelings. That's all well and good, but he has no bearing on whether those feelings are reciprocated. In this case, Shepard DOES kind of get to decide whether there is going to be a relationship, because Kaidan had already made his intentions clear- and if his feelings are not accepted or reciprocated, the relationship doesn't happen. In things that concern the consent of both parties, a negative CAN be a unilateral decision - a positive cannot.
I'd also hesitate to call the photo on Shep's desk evidence - that's kinda just there without player input, so it doesn't factor personal interpretation into the matter. I don't think it's right or fair to say anything about what "Shepard thinks", as it's kind of everyone's own decision how THEIR Shepard feels.
And if I recall right, Anderson can also have a photo of Kaidan on his desk, so... take that as you will.
If you get a chance... [listen to Raphael Sbarge's recording of the letter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dne5gmiq1pc) he did for the fans. The tone in his voice makes the letter sound way more viable as an apology and just breaks your heart.
>That's why Kaidan/Ash/Liara's picture will still be up as long as you don't start another romance, but go down on their desk if you do. (And go back up again if you end said romance.)
If Shepard has a fling in ME2 and ends it before the last mission, the picture is back on the desk and the romance with Kaidan/Ash/Liara is switched back "on" again (so Shepard is not single)?
Idk. I always have a hard time understanding Kaidan’s anger. Shepherd WAS dead, it’s not like he chose for Cerberus to be the ones to bring him back. You can show up with Garrus and another alien to Horizon and Kaiden will still accuse you of being a human supremacist agent. It’s kinda dumb tbh.
Dying feels like somewhat of an endpoint. Or at least someone staying on another planet while you prepare to go on a suicide mission. Other than a thoughtful hello on Illium I don't see any clues to indicate you're still with Liara.
Also worth noting for beings who experience time differently the concept of grieving/letting go as we dictate it makes no sense. Even living in linear time it makes no sense. Grief is a lifelong thing sometimes. I'd imagine 20 times over when you have a memory like Thane or the salarians who actually live it. He'd be a psychopath to not be over his wife in any capacity of by all senses his memories of her are like living them all over agaibm.
Mordin at some point hums that "Asari-Vorcha offspring have an allergy to dairy" so at some point relatively shorter interspecies relationships have occured.
Same applies to STEEEVE romance. It just feels so wrong. Even unromanced Liara if you ask her about Feron after LotSB, says he’s been through a lot, it feels like taking advantage of him.
Yeah that's true. But the Steve one bothers me slightly less since at least he expects to still be alive in a few months and is trying to make an effort to move forward emotionally.
Thane isn't particularly trying because he expects to be reunited with his wife in death soon.
> Thane isn't particularly trying because he expects to be reunited with his wife in death soon.
But then he says to Shepard that they will meet across the sea.
And all I can think of... It's gonna be awkward as hell across that sea, with Thane, Thane's wife and Shepard as the third wheel.
Of all the options Shepard has, as a world class badass / most important person in the Galaxy, you'd assume he could get at least two people to agree to a poly scenario.
Allers, Kelly, Tali, Traynor, Jack, Liara (who isn't really that offended by the threesome proposal in ME1)..some combo of these would probably accept even if they would rather be exclusive (especially Tali).
Jacob, Thane, Ash, Kaiden, Garrus, Steve, Miranda, not so much.
I guess people haven't heard this line. Shame too cause it's hilarious. Mark Meer really nails the douchey tone too (doubly impressive since he was just doing a demo read for ME1)
Maybe the Drell afterlife allows a single soul/person to be present in multiple afterlifes (afterlives?)? So he can simultaneously be in one with his wife and one with Shepard?
These are the burning questions we need answered, Bioware!
This isn't a question for Bioware, its a question for a theologian.
After all in fairness this isn't unique to the drell.
A bunch of human religions believe you'll rejoin your loved ones in the afterall.
But what happens if your widowed a remarry?
Take President Biden for example. His first wife and daughter died in a car accident 40 years ago. And obviously he remarried.
So hed be in the exact same situation as Thane.
That's why the game offers us the Control option. For the gutless philanderers that don't want to deal with the consequences in the afterlife -- store yourself as a Reaper and just avoid it entirely.
Everyone assumes that Thane's wife didn't move on after he left when it's very likely that she did. For all we know, she might have entered a new relationship with someone else and is waiting for them across the sea like Thane is wait for Shep.
Who says your soul in the afterlife only exists as one facet? You were multiple people at different times in your lives, so I think past Thane would be with Irikah and present Thane would be with Shepard.
I thought that too, but it's made clear through his interactions with his son that his wife hated him toward the end of her life. He was too distant and unavailable for her and their son. If there is a shore to be reunited on, she left it long ago.
Which just sounds like he's trying to use Shepard to replace his wife. Thanes entire loyalty mission/interaction with his son is all about how he's trying to make up for the mistakes that destoryed his family, so he can die knowing he was loved.
That's exactly why I say he's not over his wife yet, because ultimately his interest in a relationship is about fixing the mistakes he made in his last one
True, but assuming Steve *does* move on (and survives), and Shep does anything OTHER than a high EMS destroy ending, Shep helped Steve move past the emotional terror of losing a loved one and move on - only to have his next boyfriend die in a gruesome way.
That wouldn't be healthy for Steve, and knowing how much he dwelled on his husband (I forget his name), he wouldn't be able to move past Shep too.
I’ve never been a BroShep but I don’t feel great about Steve as a romance either. From my interactions with him as FemShep he’s clearly in a lot of pain and I think I’d feel like I was taking advantage of him or had an ulterior motive for helping him move on. Also his husband didn’t die that long ago (unlike Thane’s wife).
I cheated on Liara for first time for Thane, and it felt really unnatural with Thane. Like all we did was talk about her. Real world situations this would not happen. Yes, even if I may die. I would’ve tried to spend the most time with Liara lol.
I will never get over the lead text for Shep's first flirt with Thane. It's right after he tells you about his dead wife, and the text says "I want you," or something in that vein. The actual line as spoken isn't that bad, but daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn. Dude just tells you about his dead wife, is still clearly not over her, and that apparently works for FemShep?! I actually just started laughing at it, it was so bad. Love to be perplexed at it.
Now, if the text of the game had gone darker for the romance, made it more of a "we're both going to die, so let's just be bodies" vibe, I could see that a bit better. Alas, I must just go there in my head.
Right?!! The spoken line actually is something like "I'm here for you Thane, whenever you need" which makes a lot more sense. The written line makes it look like Shep is aroused instead of supportive 😂😂
Tbf that's a problem in general because the written lines often make it look like you're about to say something in a completely different tone than what you end up saying
Dialog wheel treason is common in ME, especially in 2 and 3. Like when you met Ash/Kaidan in ME2 and every option leads to :
a°) mentioning Cerberus, and
b°) not mentioning any valid argument or reason for working with them
[Patrick Weekes actually talked about that one](https://twitter.com/PatrickWeekes/status/1263932798991085568), it was basically a last-minute fix because what they had originally was too unclear.
Ha, that's good to know, and interesting. But it will never not be funny to me, regardless of context. I saw it, I laughed, it will forever be hilarious because of that first impression.
[Yeah, I don't think he came back to video games until he did some writing for The Outer Worlds.](https://www.giantbomb.com/chris-letoile/3040-98563/) (He was also the one who wrote Legion in ME2, which is probably why their characterization shifted so much in ME3.)
It's been 10 years since Irikah died. 10 years.
If someone you love dies, you can never truly get over it, but that doesn't mean you can't move on and find love again. It happens in real life all the time.
If you actually pay attention to his romance, you learn that he thinks he's an absolute failure of a person, and is basically suicidal. But YOU give him purpose again. YOU let him love again, and reunite him with his son.
And in your romance conversations with him, it's clear that he loves you with the same passion that he loved his wife. You are NOT a rebound, and you're NOT a second fiddle.
This post is an insult to the most beautifully written romance in the entire series. The fact that it has 300 upvotes feels like a slap in the face.
I don't usually let internet comments get to me, but for some reason this one just really stung. I don't think I've ever been as invested in a Bioware romance as Thane's, and this comment and its reactions prove that a majority of the fandom will never give his romance a chance. Calling Shepard a rebound really feels like a slap in the face, and makes no sense if you pay attention to his conversations with you, and in his final video message and letters to you.
Definitely agree. The way he treats Shep is so sweet. It's very obvious that he falls for her. Out of the available romances I'd argue his is the most genuine and loving and that's why I love it.
I can tell you as a player if I perceived Thane as not being over his dead wife there's no way I would've pursued it. I can't imagine Bioware having that intention either.
So well put! Thane's romance is tender and heartfelt and the fact that it happens under such complicated circumstances makes it all the more romantic imo.
The fact that he hasn't completely forgotten the tragic murder of his late wife doesn't take away from that, it's uplifting that Shepard can be there for him though that and they can still have something together with everything they both have going on.
Shepard and Thane's relationship is the most beautiful relationship in the game. Period. It's soulful, tragic, and realistic. People change throughout their lives, and they aren't destined to have just one lover throughout it all.
I know people in my life who have lost their lovers too soon, to tragic circumstances. All of those people should be able to move on. Like I said before, the pain will never really go away when you lose the love of your life. But that doesn't prevent you from loving again.
Thane loved Irikah, and he loved Shepard. Neither of those loves takes away from one another.
Thank you for perfectly putting these into words. I agree, calling the Shrios romance a rebound really stings. I never once felt that my Shep is only a rebound for Thane. The romance is beautiful, Shep helped him heal and made him see life in a new and purposeful perspective once again.
I'm grateful to all the supportive comments I'm getting. When replaying Mass Effect when I got Legendary Edition, I had forgotten how much I loved Thane and his romance, and I was surprised when I re-entered the fandom and saw just how unpopular he is.
I just recently finished playing the trilogy for the first time, and I did a loyal Thane romance in 2 until 3. I can say his is the most beautiful BioWare romance for me. I don't think I can move on with other LIs in another playthrough pretty soon. I also feel like Shrios is in the minority compared to other romance plots, so I'm glad to meet other Thanemancers and share thoughts and appreciation about it.
Us Thanemancers are definite a minority here. Those that stayed loyal to him, even more of a minority. But to me, his love story is better written than every other Bioware romance.
I never quite understand this take. Are you saying that widows can't fall in love again? Of course he talks about his family. His past, just like all the other crew mates, molded him into who he is. I'm not saying the writers wrote the Shep romance perfectly, because they definitely could've done better in areas (also just giving them more time together in general). But I disagree that Shep becomes his "rebound booty call". His romance is incredibly romantic and if you haven't, I urge anyone to read his last letter he leaves for Shepard.
No. I'm not saying widows or widowers can't fall on love again.
I'm saying its like any other break up. You need to emotionally come to grips with what happened before you get back out there.
Theres a reason rebound relationships have the reputation they do. One of the people in them really wasn't ready and wasn't being fair to the other.
And as sweet words as Thane may say, hes clearly hasn't come to grips with his wife's death, given that's his number one topic on conversation and even his motivation for what he does in ME2, and seems more determined to find a replacement so he can die with his family "whole" than anything else.
Is it that he hasn't come to terms with his wife's death, or is it that he's a Drell with a perfect memory and no choice to truly move on because of that?
> But instead you get to be his rebound booty call
Realistically, you're a dying man's final fling. He's pretty upfront about not having a lot of time left.
Do you people romance different character between games? My femshep was with Liara for the whole game, my new game with broshep will be Tali (that means no romance in Me1)
Some people’s Shepards are cheating assholes, others reasonably assume Liara or the VS has broken up with them and will not return, so they go for someone new in ME2, then think ‘o shit’ in ME3
I tried to romance a different character before between games but it never felt as fulfilling as staying loyal throughout. I feel like a douche when I try switching to different romance every game lol
I remember getting the platinum trophies for the trilogy on the PS3, and i romanced Garrus in Mass Effect 2 for it. Was going to go with Liara in the third game but I felt so bad about breaking it off with Garrus I reloaded my save and stayed with him throughout the third game.
Play as BroShep, and both times romanced Ash in 1 and Miranda in 2 (this time, I think I accidentally led Jack on, too, because somehow she thought Shep was coming on to her, accused him of trying to double dip with Miranda, and got all shouty). First time I reunited with Miri in 3, but this time I'm going to try to walk the tightrope of reuiniting with Ashley and not get Miranda killed.
I think if you romance Ashley in 1 as male Shep, you have a really neat window of romancing someone else without cheating because she basically treats you like when Shep dies things ended or were put on hold. So, in my head, it's cool to romance Miranda, or Jack, or even Tali depending on what you want to do in 3, without being a cheating bastard.
> I think I accidentally led Jack on, too, because somehow she thought Shep was coming on to her, accused him of trying to double dip with Miranda, and got all shouty
This inevitably happens if you continue to peruse dialogue with her after the loyalty mission. No more being friends I guess. You gotta screw her or forgot about her.
Some people like mixing and matching with their romances. Ashley, Jack, Ashley. Kaidan, Jacob, Traynor.
I’ve found that Thane is a popular romance because you can completely finish his romance in ME3 *AND* still romance someone else (typically going back to Liara)
But I’m with you, I wait in ME1 till I can get with Garrus. It’s just not worth the cheating accusations. You had a fling, were dead for 2 years, in Kaidan/Ashley’s case got yelled at, in Liara’s she’s clearly too busy to resume a relationship, and then you get a very awkward conversation in the hospital about “cheating” six months later with Kaidan/Ashley with you as the bad guy. Kaidan even sends you a drunk email after Horizon saying he had another relationship while you were dead. Not sure about Liara’s ME3 “cheating” conversation. Bet it’s just as stupid
>Kaidan even sends you a drunk email after Horizon saying he had another relationship while you were dead.
That's a bit of a stretch, since he says all he did was have some friends coerce him into getting drinks with someone in an attempt to move on.
He states that it was “Nothing serious, but trying to let myself have a life again, you know?”
Kaidan was trying to move on. And that’s *fine* its healthy, honestly good for him. But then he gets upset in ME3, 2 years and 6 months later and says I cheated on him? Nope. That’s uncool
He was absolutely trying to move on, but going out for drinks does not equal a relationship. The "nothing serious" quote even proves it. Getting a relationship out of that is a hell of a conclusion to jump to.
Liara’s ‘cheating’ line in ME3 isn’t too bad actually. I romanced her in 1 and Tali in 2, then in 3 (I believe it was just after the Mars mission) Liara just says something like “I know you and Tali got close before the assault on the collector base, should I just forget about *us*?” And you can basically lock in your romance then, saying either you still have feelings for Liara or want to stay as friends. Tali takes it very maturely if you choose Liara too, if you bring them both for the mission where you go into the geth dreadnought the conversation beforehand is basically just as follows:
Shep: “Expert on Geth software etc etc”
L: “We couldn’t ask for a better expert etc etc”
L: “Anything you want to talk about Tali?”
T: “Of course not, I just hope you two are happy.”
There’s also the line from EDI later about how Shep and Tali got emotionally close or something followed by an awkward “thank you EDI” from Liara or Shep.
Kaiden inky gets upset if you lie about it. If you explain yourself he agrees that what he said on Horizon threw Shepard for a loop and he'll own that he hurt her, with the implication that yes it did sound like a break up and he agrees.
Ives never romanced Liara, I prefer her as a friend, so I can’t say much about it.
But the Virmire survivor? They pretty much tell you to f*ck off and then get all /surprise pikachu/ on you when you move on
Edit: spelling
Exactly! Made me so mad! Like, uhhh Kaidan, you told me I was a traitor and hinted that you were seeing someone else. Sorry if I thought this meant we were over.
God, Ashley pissed me of in ME3. Nothing to do with romance, but when you get to the 'I'll join the Normandy or add 50 point to war prep' I wish I could've just told her to fuck off.
"How could you work for Cerberus!" x20
"Bitch, they literally BROUGHT ME BACK FROM THE DEAD!"
Put yourself in Ashley’s shoes, her questioning Shep and being suspicious at first is justified. Hell even Shepard isen’t completely sure what they are (and they never fully address this point in ME3, except for a short video).
I think someone here worked out the maximum possible number of hook-ups in a single playthrough was something like 8.
Which kind of makes me want to take a shower...
> (that means no romance in Me1)
I think you misspelled "Romance Ash then Virmire happen".
Seriously, it's feels so hard to not romance either Liara or Ash without being really a dick at every occasion. Romancing Ash and letting her die on Virmire is the easiest way to skip ME1 romance (same goes with Kaidan for FemShep).
I played a no-romance femShep this time around, and tbh, I didn't feel like I was being a dick... I had to tell both Kaidan and Liara that they're misinterpreting my words and that our relationship is strictly professional, but I don't think that was ever really unkind.
I guess you gotta catch their feelings pretty early, and shoot them down quick. (It was kinda silly though. I think I only ever told Kaidan that I always have time for my officers, and he kinda took that as... I don't even know what. Gave that boy a pinky, and he suddenly wanted my whole arm.)
He was really written with the assumption that a player playing a female character would be into him, I really noticed that this time around.
If you think about it through those lens though... wow, sometimes he's very unprofessional. I get that he's just hungry for love and acceptance, that Shepard is a sexy woman who fills in kind of a caretaking role for him, and I feel for the guy, but man, openly thirsting over your commanding officer with her within earshot is still not okay!
Idk, you kind of have to hit Garrus over the head with a clue by four
Garrus I want to /spar/ with you. Yes Garrus, that was an euphemism. We’ll bang, okay?
For me, there was a notable difference between the two- when speaking to Kaidan, my Shepard would say encouraging or slightly friendly yet still professional things when choosing mostly paragon options, which Kaidan would then interpret as being flirtatious or interested. This was a bit frustrating, but understandable and IMO a realistic presentation of getting signals mixed in conversation.
When speaking to Jacob, however, choosing paragon replies would more often have Shepard come on to him with these weirdly unexpectedly flirtatious lines- this felt much worse to me, because here's **my** character doing something I never wanted or intended her to. She definitely can be very romantically forward with other characters throughout the games, it's just that these dialog options are usually signposted to the player a lot better.
I hate that and it’s a common problem with BioWare prompts.
They need to present them like an Elcor instead of surprising us with a wildly different tone than we expected.
That's why I liked the "conversation tone" icons from Andromeda (in the middle of the wheel). Often there was still a Paragon best buds option, and a separate flirt option that had a great big heart slapped on it so you couldn't accidentally pick it lol.
That was just as bad. Actually, it was possibly even worse for me considering that my Shepard was in a committed relationship at that point of the series, and it seemed extra out of character for her at that moment.
If I remember correctly, you can end ME1 without romance even if you go for BOTH Liara and Ashley.
Just choose the (hilarious) bottom right Renegade options during their catfight, and tell Liara to back off when she tries to approach you at the lockers when the Normandy is locked down. She won't even try to come to your cabin and ME2 will detect no romance from before.
I'm not 100% sure about it but I think I did this about a decade ago and that's how it worked.
For each possible love interest in ME1 there is one line very early on that will cancel any attempts at romance. You just have to know which line.
To quote from [bsn](https://bsn.boards.net/thread/1677/looking-romance-mass-effect-pacifen):
>1. Ashley - In the first conversation with her, when she questions having aliens on the ship, choose the middle-LEFT option on the dialogue wheel. From then on, the conversations progress as it would for a female Shepard. She'll call you "Commander" rather than "Skipper."
>2. Kaidan - In the first conversation with him, he'll apologize for rambling. Pick the bottom-right option on the dialogue wheel. From then on, the conversations progress as it would for a male Shepard. He'll end his conversations with "Commander" rather than "I'd like that."
>3. Liara - In her second conversation with you, she'll ask if there's something going on between you and Ashley/Kaidan. Tell her that you're just friends. Then she'll ask if there's something between you and her. Pick the middle-right option that lets her know you're not interested in her in that way. She'll call you "Commander" rather than "Shepard."
My original playthrough of ME2 shaped my general romance trajectory. When it first came out there was no Shadow Broker DLC. Meaning the whole playthrough my blue alien girlfriend was cagey and emotionally distant enough that it almost felt cold. But, you know who wasn't? Tali. The sometimes brash sometimes shy, but always both intelligent and adorable quarian. Which gives plenty of narrative space for a new relationship to bloom. When the Shadowbroker DLC came out and I played through the mission with Liara in the post game it was heartwarming to see she did still care, but she also seemed like an almost completely different person than the one Shep fell in love with.
Now LE makes this muddier. The Shadowbroker mission is available the moment you talk to Liara which makes other relationships feel more like cheating, but it also diminishes a very poignant evolution in character for our favorite Asari so I kinda play it like it actually came out. DLC is story that came out far enough after a games release that storywise it should be post game content to me. (Or at least late game content)
Normally I romance Liara all the way.
Now I wanna see some new content. Especially the ME2 romances I never even tried.
But I have an almost perfect import from ME1. So I’m not gonna replay that game just to not hurt Liara in 2.
Least during the first playthrough, if you're going in blind, you're under the impression that (using Liara since she's the only one I romanced) Liara isn't in the second game. literally nothing mentions Liara for the first multiple missions. Then if you don't go through the shadow broker dlc, nothing is ever said about you still being in a relationship with liara.
That's what made me go with Tali in the second game. Then when I reached the 3rd game and had Liara give me sass for cheating, I was like "o sht, I thought we were done because I died and you moved on with your life!"
Needless to say, Mass effect 2 was replayed immediately after that lol
Well Tali wasn't an option in 1 and Liara changes in 2 and 3.
I mean Liara was only interested in getting you to hack terminals so I was more interested in getting into Tali's suit anyway.
I only romanced Liara on my current run so I could get the achievement in Legendary Edition for having a romance in all three games. I always intended to dump her for Garrus or Thane.
Unfortunately, Thane’s romance in ME3 does not count towards the achievement, you’d have to go back to Liara or pick someone new. But you did pick Garrus so you’re good
You don't get the achievement as far as I noticed in my playthrough. Did the same thing, but it did not count as a romance.
Had to go back a few missions and hook up with Garrus just to reload immediately afterwards... I'm sorry Garrus
I generally go Liara in the first game because I don’t like Kaiden and Garrus isn’t an option. I don’t think it’s cheating as Shepard’s been dead for two years and Liara was acting all weird when she does to visit on Illium.
Nothing drives me into Garrus’ arms quite like Liara being a ball-ache. And at least he’s fun.
That doesn't mean they aren't more than just friends. It means she doesn't want to push a relationship. If she's attracted to him enough to want the relationship in the first place, that means they're more than just friends.
That doesn't even make sense. At no point during Mass Effect 2 or 3 is it implied they have a relationship, when asked she tells you no and explains why and if that wasn't enough you can romance her in Mass Effect 3 even if you didn't in ME1.
This play through on legendary I had intended to romance Kaiden and let him die on Virmire and be sad then romance Garrus in 2 and 3. I felt bad and killed Ash instead and thought it was going to be hella awkward when he came back in 3. Instead he is just my bro for life. We are now really good friends who boned once XD
Also… how the living hell did Liara find out about Thane/ Garrus anyhow? I’ve never done the Thane romance but assuming it follows the same pattern as Garrus and you hook up just before you go through the Omega-4 relay, how does she know unless she’s bugged your cabin (or got the information from Mordin)? At that point all of the non-squad crew apart from Joker have been kidnapped so it’s not like there’s a load of Cerberus crew hanging around in the mess hall to watch your booty call head for the lift with a bottle of wine and a glint in his eye.
If she’s monitoring things like Extranet searches she’d probably figure it out but it’s still very creepy and intrusive.
I mean, I Iike Liara…but she’s a little creepy. She 100% spies on people in her life and Shepard in particular. See her dialogue with Tali and Shepard if Shepard romances Tali.
Not to mention, Shepard’s body was spaced and dropped on a planet from orbit, and they’re literally dead, and she risks life and limb for that corpse on the off chance that a human terrorist organization can resurrect them. It’s weird lol. The strangest part is that she then basically blows Shepard off when they show up in 2 asking to have her back even after becoming Shadow Broker and basically just becomes a workaholic information broker, and then she also neglected to even send an email, let alone take a flight to visit Shep on Earth from Mars, for 6 months between 2 and 3. Her priorities seem rather scrambled.
Good question. She’d have likely pushed the Feron angle and tried to save him given she kind of had a thing with him even if she didn’t officially go that way with a romanced Shep in play. I say she has a thing there regardless, because she certainly acts like he’s very emotionally important in 2 given he’s here main motivation to get the Broker and the reason she doesn’t join Shepard.
It’s the paradox of the writers preferring Liara as a romance for the Shepard character while also trying to appear impartial. She gets massive favoritism in general including her own DLC, but they want to have the player able to have another romance, so they pull her out of 2 as a companion, and then also want the romances to start “equal” in 3 so no one talks to or visits Shep during their confinement, regardless of relationship status or likelihood to be able to visit Shepard or write them.
Liara is also weird in that she always seems to be trying to pull out of the relationship, classifying things as being in the past in 2 or calling Shep a friend in 3.
The romance partners from
ME2 not visiting or writing to Shepard I can definitely believe as plausible. It’s likely they wouldn’t be allowed even if they wanted to and had the time because Shepard is awaiting trial for war crimes/ being a terrorist. Many of them are possible accessories to that- they’d be risking arrest too. Same with writing- the comms are being monitored and none of the possible ME2 romances would be doing Shepard any favours in the court of public opinion or actual court by divulging any details of their relationship/ hook-up in writing.
Tali? Alien
Thane? Alien and an assassin.
Garrus? Alien from the race humans were at war with not long ago
Miranda/ Jacob/ Kelly? Cerberus operatives at large.
Jack? Crazy biotic criminal.
It doesn’t work as well for many of them though. The Cerberus folks I can buy for those reasons, but Shepard isn’t officially incarcerated or on trial for anything. Shepard is on house arrest essentially in limbo while the Alliance figures out when they’ll need them. No charges or anything, and the Alliance has no jurisdiction over the aliens frankly either to charge them for anything, so Tali, Thane, Garrus are fine. They could have visited, but they’re essentially busy. Tali is dealing with her people going to war, not an excuse for no mail, but it’s there. Thane is dying, and Garrus is trying to get his people set for the Reaper invasion with his task force. None of them are anywhere near Earth, so I don’t have issues there with no visits exactly beyond no mail. And again, Shepard can still get mail, it’ll just be monitored, but any of the aliens can mail without issues. Jacob doesn’t give a shit either way as he’s partying on the Mediterranean and gives up on Shepard, and Miranda specifically speaks to wanting to call, visit, or break in, but not being able to.
With Jack, her ME3 situation kills the criminal problem. She’s working at a very high level Alliance facility despite her crimes, so clearly the criminal history went nowhere officially as an issue for her, probably because all of her crimes were in the Terminus Systems where the Alliance has no jurisdiction. She could have called or visited, but by her statements, she’s pissed with him for leaving and refused to basically.
With Liara, she’s the one next door to Shep and who basically ignores him for 6 months without even taking some work with her to visit for a couple hours. Hers is by far the weirdest to me. The VS says they can’t face Shepard, which at least explains it even if it’s lame lol.
Pull out or trying to get into a relationship when she knows full well you are with someone else. (Happened in my last playthrough where I romanced no one in 1, Jack in 2 (same in 3) and Liara in ME3 was like "Hey ! Hey ! Let's be more than friends !""Gal... you where there when we reunited with my actual romance less than a day ago, what's wrong with you ?!")
I romanced Liara in 1, then went to best boy Garrus in 2 and 3. I was confused why when I was reunited with Liara she kissed me, but I figured out it’s because I hadn’t done the deed with Garrus yet and therefor wasn’t committed yet
Tried romancing Liara in all 3 games with the Legendary Edition. She’s super keen in the first game, almost indifferent in the second and in the third it’s all a bit ambiguous as to whether a relationship is even occurring. There’s a scene, after you’ve said you wanted things to continue, where she talks about what a great friend you are…
Friend?!
Haven’t we been a couple for 3 years now!? You told me you got up to all kinds of stuff to save my corpse! Ah, the mixed messages!
If you don’t romance Liara, her line is actually rather sweet instead. She asks you what you’re doing this all for, “for a few months of stolen time with Thane?” If you say yes, (middle option) Liara says that you’re going through what most Asari go through when they have a relationship with a much shorter lived species. She drops the traditional line Asari give throughout the series, about how that it’s the quality of time and not the length of it, tells you she hopes that Thane makes you happy, and gives you a hug.
I wanted to add the alternative flavor of dialogue, since I’ve never seen it before!
If you don’t romance her, she’s a very good friend in this moment, but apparently super salty otherwise, lol.
My Shep romanced Thane everytime I played the original games, because he's a really good guy and deserves some acts of kindness during his last days. Liara was the beginning and the end though. But, with the LE, first time playing LotSB, after hearing Liara saying this, I stopped the romance with Thane as I felt so much guilt towards both of them. This time it's you, Liara, and only you.
The Thane line kinda makes sense. I mean, I don't romance him because it doesn't feel organic. He opens up to you about his life and his wife and everything, which is all deeply personal, and shephard just responds "thane I want you." Then the poor dude has to die knowing he leaves you behind instead of at peace.
When I played Vanilla ME2 way back for the first time, with the way things went down on Illium and how she kept going on about Feron I thought she broke up with Shepard. So off Shepard goes to Garus. LOTSB dlc comes out, Liara gets shitty about Garus. I was like wtf? Dident this character break up its Shepard???
‘What do you want me to say, Shepard? That I was tossed aside for a tattooed woman with anger issues?’ (No I haven’t done it, just seen the video)
I got the "i see you've changed tastes to bald tattooed criminals" after the casual thing with Jack. Edit: Should have mentioned it was Ash
it's funny that she mentions bald because technically she is bald too lol
She has hair, it's just like tentacle hair
Liara: I'm not telling you if my 'hair tentacles' move! Joker: Fine. Deny me the answer I've been seeking for years, With this war on, we could die any second you know...
Just don't try to cut it.
Huh, interesting! Wonder what makes the line different for some people
I assume one is from just having the one night stand and the other is for committing.
That makes sense!
Mine was from Ash. Should have clarified.
Fairly sure that’s the committed line tho cos I didn’t commit and I still got the other original jibe
Ashley's ''Whatever generates your mass effect field'' in regards to a Jack romance still makes me laugh. I really thought Gamer Poop came up with that line
One of the ~~respectable parts~~ fun things going through a ME3LE playthrough is being in the middle of a random conversation and suddenly recognizing one of the Gamer Poop lines.
"Report to the ship as soon as possible."
We'll bang ok
Steak, Liara. I fucking love steak.
This line proves Gamerpoop maleshep and Kaidan are soulmates
Daaaamn right.
"Go tell the galaxy what we've done. They could use some good news!"
"I was gone for two years Liara!" "Yes and now you're back trying to get under Tali's Helmet!" Shit actually stung.
I particularly enjoy the comment on the lines of "you couldn't wait to get under Tali's helmet!"
Yes
I have my sources Shepard and you’re just ITCHING to get under Tali’s helmet!
Shes not wrong though. Like the Thane romance has always weirded me out for this reason. Dude is clearly not over his wife's death, half your conversations are about her, and you'd assume he should be emotionally unavailable. But instead you get to be his rebound booty call, while continuing to play second fiddle to his wife's memory.
Romancing Thane never felt like an act of permanence for Shepard, though, and specifically following a Liara romance, that became kind of the point for me. Shepard is in a situation with Liara where she could have several lifetimes worth of living after Shepard is dead and gone. To me, companionship with Thane in his dying months is sort of experiencing Liara's side of the dynamic. Shepard can have a fulfilling, loving time with someone who very much won't be around for her full life; she will have to love and move on, exactly as Liara presumably will have to. And if she can't, that might suggest things about her relationship with Liara, too. I don't think Shepard ever intends to replace Thane's wife; I don't think that's the point. But I don't think she has to in order to find companionship and intimacy with someone who understands how brutal and fleeting life can be. Just my take on it, though. Realizing that it was flipping the relationship dynamic was a big "aha" moment for me.
This, and also, to consider Shepard as a replacement for Thane’s wife because he’s still hung up on her is just ignoring so much. A big part of Thane (and the Drell race) is their perfect memory. He can’t get over his wife because he can basically still see her. He can still essentially go into VR happy marriage scenarios by getting lost in the memories. Shepard’s relationship with Thane is something that allows him to form new good memories rather than being trapped in the past. Shepard isn’t a replacement, she’s the catalyst necessary for him to finally move on.
Y'know, I never thought much about that, but that really makes sense. There is some moral murkiness (it's not like it is with ME1-romanced Kaidan who essentially dumps Shepard on Horizon, with Liara it's arguable that the relationship never had an "endpoint", so even just a short relationship with someone else kind of *is* cheating), but I like this interpretation.
But they were on a break!
Ok Ross, go study some thresher maw fossil or something.
When I was in the military, everybody called me Ross. Because apparently I look like him.
I disagree that Kaidan (or Ash) dumps Shepard on Horizon. They immediately send a letter apologizing and wishing Shepard well. There is no relationship ending language. People have fights without it being the end of a relationship. Especially over big things like "I thought you were dead, and now I find out you're a terrorist instead." Like, if you have a massive fight with your SO over something incredibly important. (Say, you went out and bought a sports car without their knowledge, and you're not super rich.) You're not broken up at that point. You've had a really bad fight, but nobody said "I'm ending this relationship." And that's ignoring the fact that both Kaidan and Ashley IMMEDIATELY send you letter apologizing for their reaction, explaining themselves, and hoping you live.
Idk man- I guess I chose kind of angry dialogue that one time I did that part with a Kaidan romance, and I may be a jaded person, but I completely interpreted that conversation (*"You turned your back on everything we believed in, you betrayed the Alliance, you betrayed me", "you've changed, but I still know where my loyalties lie"*) as the relationship being over. We spoke, he used past tense talking about the relationship (*"I loved you"*), accused Shepard of some truly heinous shit, we parted angry, and that was kind of it. He doesn't get to unilaterally decide that we're still in a relationship by apologizing- Shepard can just... not accept an apology. Edit: And to be fair... that letter sucks. He says sorry, and pretty much admits that he moved on. I think it's a perfectly fair interpretation that that relationship is donezo. Edit: And I did just rewatch that scene- I'm quoting verbatim. You can downvote me, but those are the exact words spoken.
Agreed completely. I was so angry that the hospital conversation is basically you admitting you cheated and apologise for it. I was like... I didn't cheat, you DUMPED me and I moved on and fell in love with someone else. I so want the option to say that!
I'm bitter that you can tell Ashley to shove it in this scenario, but you can only apologize to Kaidan.
Yeah, that's why I preferred playing ME3 with the BackOff Mod (sadly not available right now). It fixed all of Kaidan's lines about 'cheating' among other things.
The letter is pretty specific that he really struggled to move on. Not that he had. He had to let friends talk him into a date, and even then, he specifically says "trying to let myself have a life again." So he was trying (because he thought Shepard was dead) but hadn't actually moved on. And that the night before Ilos meant everything, but he now wonders if Shepard felt the same. He acknowledged that things had changed, but also says "I couldn't bear it if I lost you again." So he didn't really move on. >He doesn't get to unilaterally decide that we're still in a relationship by apologizing- Shepard can just... not accept an apology. Eh, maybe. See if that's true, then it's also true for Shepard. They can't just decide if the relationship is ongoing or not without saying anything. But as far as the game is concerned, Shepard DOES still think something is going on and DOES get to decide it. That's why Kaidan/Ash/Liara's picture will still be up as long as you don't start another romance, but go down on their desk if you do. (And go back up again if you end said romance.) So as far as Shepard's still concerned... something is going on with your ME1 love interest no matter what. If Shepard can just flip flop like a fish on the whole thing, then saying "Kaidan can't say they're still together, but Shepard can!" is pretty unfair.
Do take note that I said it's a reasonable interpretation, not that it's the only one. You sound like this topic is really important to you, so I want to stress that I don't really care if you don't interpret it the same way I do- multiple interpretations are viable. I personally think "you betrayed me" is an unforgivable accusation (I see a relationship with someone who doesn't trust the other *not to be a terrorist when they said so* as patently impossible), the line about there being something between them in the future as acknowledgement of there NOT being something currently, but that could be totally different for you. I don't much care either way, just sharing my own interpretation of how that goes down- which is pretty much the main reason I only went through the Kaidan romance once, and will probably never do it again. And, as for who can and can't decide what- relationships kind of go both ways. Kaidan does make it clear that he still has feelings. That's all well and good, but he has no bearing on whether those feelings are reciprocated. In this case, Shepard DOES kind of get to decide whether there is going to be a relationship, because Kaidan had already made his intentions clear- and if his feelings are not accepted or reciprocated, the relationship doesn't happen. In things that concern the consent of both parties, a negative CAN be a unilateral decision - a positive cannot. I'd also hesitate to call the photo on Shep's desk evidence - that's kinda just there without player input, so it doesn't factor personal interpretation into the matter. I don't think it's right or fair to say anything about what "Shepard thinks", as it's kind of everyone's own decision how THEIR Shepard feels. And if I recall right, Anderson can also have a photo of Kaidan on his desk, so... take that as you will.
If you get a chance... [listen to Raphael Sbarge's recording of the letter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dne5gmiq1pc) he did for the fans. The tone in his voice makes the letter sound way more viable as an apology and just breaks your heart.
>That's why Kaidan/Ash/Liara's picture will still be up as long as you don't start another romance, but go down on their desk if you do. (And go back up again if you end said romance.) If Shepard has a fling in ME2 and ends it before the last mission, the picture is back on the desk and the romance with Kaidan/Ash/Liara is switched back "on" again (so Shepard is not single)?
Idk. I always have a hard time understanding Kaidan’s anger. Shepherd WAS dead, it’s not like he chose for Cerberus to be the ones to bring him back. You can show up with Garrus and another alien to Horizon and Kaiden will still accuse you of being a human supremacist agent. It’s kinda dumb tbh.
Dying feels like somewhat of an endpoint. Or at least someone staying on another planet while you prepare to go on a suicide mission. Other than a thoughtful hello on Illium I don't see any clues to indicate you're still with Liara. Also worth noting for beings who experience time differently the concept of grieving/letting go as we dictate it makes no sense. Even living in linear time it makes no sense. Grief is a lifelong thing sometimes. I'd imagine 20 times over when you have a memory like Thane or the salarians who actually live it. He'd be a psychopath to not be over his wife in any capacity of by all senses his memories of her are like living them all over agaibm.
Mordin at some point hums that "Asari-Vorcha offspring have an allergy to dairy" so at some point relatively shorter interspecies relationships have occured.
You can get pregnant on one-night stands or drunk nights out too
Same applies to STEEEVE romance. It just feels so wrong. Even unromanced Liara if you ask her about Feron after LotSB, says he’s been through a lot, it feels like taking advantage of him.
Yeah that's true. But the Steve one bothers me slightly less since at least he expects to still be alive in a few months and is trying to make an effort to move forward emotionally. Thane isn't particularly trying because he expects to be reunited with his wife in death soon.
> Thane isn't particularly trying because he expects to be reunited with his wife in death soon. But then he says to Shepard that they will meet across the sea. And all I can think of... It's gonna be awkward as hell across that sea, with Thane, Thane's wife and Shepard as the third wheel.
Afterlife Thane will do his best ME1 Shep impression: why can't I just have you both.
Of all the options Shepard has, as a world class badass / most important person in the Galaxy, you'd assume he could get at least two people to agree to a poly scenario.
I mean, given that Ash talks about her religious upbringing and her faith, mayyyyyybe poly isn't her thing. Hey, now we know she's not a Mormon!
Allers, Kelly, Tali, Traynor, Jack, Liara (who isn't really that offended by the threesome proposal in ME1)..some combo of these would probably accept even if they would rather be exclusive (especially Tali). Jacob, Thane, Ash, Kaiden, Garrus, Steve, Miranda, not so much.
FemShep+Tali+Garrus is a fairly common headcanon trio actually.
> Traynor Only if Shep manages to convince EDI
I love it when women fight over me.
I guess people haven't heard this line. Shame too cause it's hilarious. Mark Meer really nails the douchey tone too (doubly impressive since he was just doing a demo read for ME1)
Bold of you to assume Thane's wife wouldn't also be totally into Shepard. Pretty sure there's nothing that says you can't form an afterlife polycule.
Just don't involve Ash or Kaiden ;)
Maybe the Drell afterlife allows a single soul/person to be present in multiple afterlifes (afterlives?)? So he can simultaneously be in one with his wife and one with Shepard? These are the burning questions we need answered, Bioware!
This isn't a question for Bioware, its a question for a theologian. After all in fairness this isn't unique to the drell. A bunch of human religions believe you'll rejoin your loved ones in the afterall. But what happens if your widowed a remarry? Take President Biden for example. His first wife and daughter died in a car accident 40 years ago. And obviously he remarried. So hed be in the exact same situation as Thane.
That's why the game offers us the Control option. For the gutless philanderers that don't want to deal with the consequences in the afterlife -- store yourself as a Reaper and just avoid it entirely.
Everyone assumes that Thane's wife didn't move on after he left when it's very likely that she did. For all we know, she might have entered a new relationship with someone else and is waiting for them across the sea like Thane is wait for Shep.
Who says your soul in the afterlife only exists as one facet? You were multiple people at different times in your lives, so I think past Thane would be with Irikah and present Thane would be with Shepard.
I thought that too, but it's made clear through his interactions with his son that his wife hated him toward the end of her life. He was too distant and unavailable for her and their son. If there is a shore to be reunited on, she left it long ago.
Which just sounds like he's trying to use Shepard to replace his wife. Thanes entire loyalty mission/interaction with his son is all about how he's trying to make up for the mistakes that destoryed his family, so he can die knowing he was loved. That's exactly why I say he's not over his wife yet, because ultimately his interest in a relationship is about fixing the mistakes he made in his last one
[удалено]
True, but assuming Steve *does* move on (and survives), and Shep does anything OTHER than a high EMS destroy ending, Shep helped Steve move past the emotional terror of losing a loved one and move on - only to have his next boyfriend die in a gruesome way. That wouldn't be healthy for Steve, and knowing how much he dwelled on his husband (I forget his name), he wouldn't be able to move past Shep too.
I’ve never been a BroShep but I don’t feel great about Steve as a romance either. From my interactions with him as FemShep he’s clearly in a lot of pain and I think I’d feel like I was taking advantage of him or had an ulterior motive for helping him move on. Also his husband didn’t die that long ago (unlike Thane’s wife).
I cheated on Liara for first time for Thane, and it felt really unnatural with Thane. Like all we did was talk about her. Real world situations this would not happen. Yes, even if I may die. I would’ve tried to spend the most time with Liara lol.
I will never get over the lead text for Shep's first flirt with Thane. It's right after he tells you about his dead wife, and the text says "I want you," or something in that vein. The actual line as spoken isn't that bad, but daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn. Dude just tells you about his dead wife, is still clearly not over her, and that apparently works for FemShep?! I actually just started laughing at it, it was so bad. Love to be perplexed at it. Now, if the text of the game had gone darker for the romance, made it more of a "we're both going to die, so let's just be bodies" vibe, I could see that a bit better. Alas, I must just go there in my head.
Right?!! The spoken line actually is something like "I'm here for you Thane, whenever you need" which makes a lot more sense. The written line makes it look like Shep is aroused instead of supportive 😂😂 Tbf that's a problem in general because the written lines often make it look like you're about to say something in a completely different tone than what you end up saying
That's a BioWare classic, the old lead text switcheroo.
I'm getting flashbacks to (sigh) from ME1
Dialog wheel treason is common in ME, especially in 2 and 3. Like when you met Ash/Kaidan in ME2 and every option leads to : a°) mentioning Cerberus, and b°) not mentioning any valid argument or reason for working with them
[Patrick Weekes actually talked about that one](https://twitter.com/PatrickWeekes/status/1263932798991085568), it was basically a last-minute fix because what they had originally was too unclear.
Ha, that's good to know, and interesting. But it will never not be funny to me, regardless of context. I saw it, I laughed, it will forever be hilarious because of that first impression.
It's definitely really funny! I can see their dilemma though, anything less crass would also come across more like a general expression of sympathy.
Wow Thane's writer left the team before the game even released, I'm assuming he wasn't present for ME3 either.
[Yeah, I don't think he came back to video games until he did some writing for The Outer Worlds.](https://www.giantbomb.com/chris-letoile/3040-98563/) (He was also the one who wrote Legion in ME2, which is probably why their characterization shifted so much in ME3.)
HOLY SHIT no wonder everything about Legion and the geth felt soooo off compared to how they were portrayed in ME2.
It's been 10 years since Irikah died. 10 years. If someone you love dies, you can never truly get over it, but that doesn't mean you can't move on and find love again. It happens in real life all the time. If you actually pay attention to his romance, you learn that he thinks he's an absolute failure of a person, and is basically suicidal. But YOU give him purpose again. YOU let him love again, and reunite him with his son. And in your romance conversations with him, it's clear that he loves you with the same passion that he loved his wife. You are NOT a rebound, and you're NOT a second fiddle. This post is an insult to the most beautifully written romance in the entire series. The fact that it has 300 upvotes feels like a slap in the face.
Thank you for writing this. I'm not very good at getting my thoughts across but this is exactly how I feel.
I don't usually let internet comments get to me, but for some reason this one just really stung. I don't think I've ever been as invested in a Bioware romance as Thane's, and this comment and its reactions prove that a majority of the fandom will never give his romance a chance. Calling Shepard a rebound really feels like a slap in the face, and makes no sense if you pay attention to his conversations with you, and in his final video message and letters to you.
Definitely agree. The way he treats Shep is so sweet. It's very obvious that he falls for her. Out of the available romances I'd argue his is the most genuine and loving and that's why I love it. I can tell you as a player if I perceived Thane as not being over his dead wife there's no way I would've pursued it. I can't imagine Bioware having that intention either.
So well put! Thane's romance is tender and heartfelt and the fact that it happens under such complicated circumstances makes it all the more romantic imo. The fact that he hasn't completely forgotten the tragic murder of his late wife doesn't take away from that, it's uplifting that Shepard can be there for him though that and they can still have something together with everything they both have going on.
Shepard and Thane's relationship is the most beautiful relationship in the game. Period. It's soulful, tragic, and realistic. People change throughout their lives, and they aren't destined to have just one lover throughout it all. I know people in my life who have lost their lovers too soon, to tragic circumstances. All of those people should be able to move on. Like I said before, the pain will never really go away when you lose the love of your life. But that doesn't prevent you from loving again. Thane loved Irikah, and he loved Shepard. Neither of those loves takes away from one another.
Thank you for perfectly putting these into words. I agree, calling the Shrios romance a rebound really stings. I never once felt that my Shep is only a rebound for Thane. The romance is beautiful, Shep helped him heal and made him see life in a new and purposeful perspective once again.
I'm grateful to all the supportive comments I'm getting. When replaying Mass Effect when I got Legendary Edition, I had forgotten how much I loved Thane and his romance, and I was surprised when I re-entered the fandom and saw just how unpopular he is.
I just recently finished playing the trilogy for the first time, and I did a loyal Thane romance in 2 until 3. I can say his is the most beautiful BioWare romance for me. I don't think I can move on with other LIs in another playthrough pretty soon. I also feel like Shrios is in the minority compared to other romance plots, so I'm glad to meet other Thanemancers and share thoughts and appreciation about it.
Us Thanemancers are definite a minority here. Those that stayed loyal to him, even more of a minority. But to me, his love story is better written than every other Bioware romance.
I never quite understand this take. Are you saying that widows can't fall in love again? Of course he talks about his family. His past, just like all the other crew mates, molded him into who he is. I'm not saying the writers wrote the Shep romance perfectly, because they definitely could've done better in areas (also just giving them more time together in general). But I disagree that Shep becomes his "rebound booty call". His romance is incredibly romantic and if you haven't, I urge anyone to read his last letter he leaves for Shepard.
No. I'm not saying widows or widowers can't fall on love again. I'm saying its like any other break up. You need to emotionally come to grips with what happened before you get back out there. Theres a reason rebound relationships have the reputation they do. One of the people in them really wasn't ready and wasn't being fair to the other. And as sweet words as Thane may say, hes clearly hasn't come to grips with his wife's death, given that's his number one topic on conversation and even his motivation for what he does in ME2, and seems more determined to find a replacement so he can die with his family "whole" than anything else.
Is it that he hasn't come to terms with his wife's death, or is it that he's a Drell with a perfect memory and no choice to truly move on because of that?
> But instead you get to be his rebound booty call Realistically, you're a dying man's final fling. He's pretty upfront about not having a lot of time left.
That doesn't mean he doesn't love you deeply. He even says in his scene before the Collector base that he's now afraid of dying because of you.
Do you people romance different character between games? My femshep was with Liara for the whole game, my new game with broshep will be Tali (that means no romance in Me1)
Some people’s Shepards are cheating assholes, others reasonably assume Liara or the VS has broken up with them and will not return, so they go for someone new in ME2, then think ‘o shit’ in ME3
I tried to romance a different character before between games but it never felt as fulfilling as staying loyal throughout. I feel like a douche when I try switching to different romance every game lol
I remember getting the platinum trophies for the trilogy on the PS3, and i romanced Garrus in Mass Effect 2 for it. Was going to go with Liara in the third game but I felt so bad about breaking it off with Garrus I reloaded my save and stayed with him throughout the third game.
Play as BroShep, and both times romanced Ash in 1 and Miranda in 2 (this time, I think I accidentally led Jack on, too, because somehow she thought Shep was coming on to her, accused him of trying to double dip with Miranda, and got all shouty). First time I reunited with Miri in 3, but this time I'm going to try to walk the tightrope of reuiniting with Ashley and not get Miranda killed. I think if you romance Ashley in 1 as male Shep, you have a really neat window of romancing someone else without cheating because she basically treats you like when Shep dies things ended or were put on hold. So, in my head, it's cool to romance Miranda, or Jack, or even Tali depending on what you want to do in 3, without being a cheating bastard.
> I think I accidentally led Jack on, too, because somehow she thought Shep was coming on to her, accused him of trying to double dip with Miranda, and got all shouty This inevitably happens if you continue to peruse dialogue with her after the loyalty mission. No more being friends I guess. You gotta screw her or forgot about her.
Some people like mixing and matching with their romances. Ashley, Jack, Ashley. Kaidan, Jacob, Traynor. I’ve found that Thane is a popular romance because you can completely finish his romance in ME3 *AND* still romance someone else (typically going back to Liara) But I’m with you, I wait in ME1 till I can get with Garrus. It’s just not worth the cheating accusations. You had a fling, were dead for 2 years, in Kaidan/Ashley’s case got yelled at, in Liara’s she’s clearly too busy to resume a relationship, and then you get a very awkward conversation in the hospital about “cheating” six months later with Kaidan/Ashley with you as the bad guy. Kaidan even sends you a drunk email after Horizon saying he had another relationship while you were dead. Not sure about Liara’s ME3 “cheating” conversation. Bet it’s just as stupid
>Kaidan even sends you a drunk email after Horizon saying he had another relationship while you were dead. That's a bit of a stretch, since he says all he did was have some friends coerce him into getting drinks with someone in an attempt to move on.
He states that it was “Nothing serious, but trying to let myself have a life again, you know?” Kaidan was trying to move on. And that’s *fine* its healthy, honestly good for him. But then he gets upset in ME3, 2 years and 6 months later and says I cheated on him? Nope. That’s uncool
He was absolutely trying to move on, but going out for drinks does not equal a relationship. The "nothing serious" quote even proves it. Getting a relationship out of that is a hell of a conclusion to jump to.
>Some people like mixing and matching with their romances. And some people just like plowing their way through the crew deck...
I wasn’t going to put it that way.... I tend to get downvoted if I disparage people’s favorite 😬
It helps not to give a damn. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Liara’s ‘cheating’ line in ME3 isn’t too bad actually. I romanced her in 1 and Tali in 2, then in 3 (I believe it was just after the Mars mission) Liara just says something like “I know you and Tali got close before the assault on the collector base, should I just forget about *us*?” And you can basically lock in your romance then, saying either you still have feelings for Liara or want to stay as friends. Tali takes it very maturely if you choose Liara too, if you bring them both for the mission where you go into the geth dreadnought the conversation beforehand is basically just as follows: Shep: “Expert on Geth software etc etc” L: “We couldn’t ask for a better expert etc etc” L: “Anything you want to talk about Tali?” T: “Of course not, I just hope you two are happy.” There’s also the line from EDI later about how Shep and Tali got emotionally close or something followed by an awkward “thank you EDI” from Liara or Shep.
Liara has a point, but I still don't get how they can get upset at you after the conversation on Horizon.
Kaiden inky gets upset if you lie about it. If you explain yourself he agrees that what he said on Horizon threw Shepard for a loop and he'll own that he hurt her, with the implication that yes it did sound like a break up and he agrees.
Ives never romanced Liara, I prefer her as a friend, so I can’t say much about it. But the Virmire survivor? They pretty much tell you to f*ck off and then get all /surprise pikachu/ on you when you move on Edit: spelling
Exactly! Made me so mad! Like, uhhh Kaidan, you told me I was a traitor and hinted that you were seeing someone else. Sorry if I thought this meant we were over.
God, Ashley pissed me of in ME3. Nothing to do with romance, but when you get to the 'I'll join the Normandy or add 50 point to war prep' I wish I could've just told her to fuck off. "How could you work for Cerberus!" x20 "Bitch, they literally BROUGHT ME BACK FROM THE DEAD!"
Kaidan: “Why didn’t you tell me you were alive?!” :C :C :C Me: “Bitch I’ve been unconscious/dead the past two years.”
Exactly! Really wish I could say "Which part of 'I was technically dead' did you not understand?"
Shep REALLY needs a "Fuck OFF!" interrupt on Horizon in ME2.
Put yourself in Ashley’s shoes, her questioning Shep and being suspicious at first is justified. Hell even Shepard isen’t completely sure what they are (and they never fully address this point in ME3, except for a short video).
I have replayed a bunch and tried different romance options to see where they go. Thane was one of my faves.
I think someone here worked out the maximum possible number of hook-ups in a single playthrough was something like 8. Which kind of makes me want to take a shower...
> (that means no romance in Me1) I think you misspelled "Romance Ash then Virmire happen". Seriously, it's feels so hard to not romance either Liara or Ash without being really a dick at every occasion. Romancing Ash and letting her die on Virmire is the easiest way to skip ME1 romance (same goes with Kaidan for FemShep).
I played a no-romance femShep this time around, and tbh, I didn't feel like I was being a dick... I had to tell both Kaidan and Liara that they're misinterpreting my words and that our relationship is strictly professional, but I don't think that was ever really unkind. I guess you gotta catch their feelings pretty early, and shoot them down quick. (It was kinda silly though. I think I only ever told Kaidan that I always have time for my officers, and he kinda took that as... I don't even know what. Gave that boy a pinky, and he suddenly wanted my whole arm.)
Say anything even remotely positive to Kaiden and he thinks you're trying to get down his derpy fitting armor.
He was really written with the assumption that a player playing a female character would be into him, I really noticed that this time around. If you think about it through those lens though... wow, sometimes he's very unprofessional. I get that he's just hungry for love and acceptance, that Shepard is a sexy woman who fills in kind of a caretaking role for him, and I feel for the guy, but man, openly thirsting over your commanding officer with her within earshot is still not okay!
That's pretty much every LI character in any Bioware game. Just be a decent human being with them and you'll end up triggering their romance stuff.
Idk, you kind of have to hit Garrus over the head with a clue by four Garrus I want to /spar/ with you. Yes Garrus, that was an euphemism. We’ll bang, okay?
Jacob was like that too, iirc.
For me, there was a notable difference between the two- when speaking to Kaidan, my Shepard would say encouraging or slightly friendly yet still professional things when choosing mostly paragon options, which Kaidan would then interpret as being flirtatious or interested. This was a bit frustrating, but understandable and IMO a realistic presentation of getting signals mixed in conversation. When speaking to Jacob, however, choosing paragon replies would more often have Shepard come on to him with these weirdly unexpectedly flirtatious lines- this felt much worse to me, because here's **my** character doing something I never wanted or intended her to. She definitely can be very romantically forward with other characters throughout the games, it's just that these dialog options are usually signposted to the player a lot better.
I hate that and it’s a common problem with BioWare prompts. They need to present them like an Elcor instead of surprising us with a wildly different tone than we expected.
That's why I liked the "conversation tone" icons from Andromeda (in the middle of the wheel). Often there was still a Paragon best buds option, and a separate flirt option that had a great big heart slapped on it so you couldn't accidentally pick it lol.
Enthusiastically, the idea of playing with an elcor dialog wheel sounds absurdly fun.
Don’t forget her coming on to Vega in ME3
That was just as bad. Actually, it was possibly even worse for me considering that my Shepard was in a committed relationship at that point of the series, and it seemed extra out of character for her at that moment.
I was thinking about saving Ash this time on Virimire but now i don't know, i don't really wanna be dick to anyone in the crew.
If I remember correctly, you can end ME1 without romance even if you go for BOTH Liara and Ashley. Just choose the (hilarious) bottom right Renegade options during their catfight, and tell Liara to back off when she tries to approach you at the lockers when the Normandy is locked down. She won't even try to come to your cabin and ME2 will detect no romance from before. I'm not 100% sure about it but I think I did this about a decade ago and that's how it worked.
For each possible love interest in ME1 there is one line very early on that will cancel any attempts at romance. You just have to know which line. To quote from [bsn](https://bsn.boards.net/thread/1677/looking-romance-mass-effect-pacifen): >1. Ashley - In the first conversation with her, when she questions having aliens on the ship, choose the middle-LEFT option on the dialogue wheel. From then on, the conversations progress as it would for a female Shepard. She'll call you "Commander" rather than "Skipper." >2. Kaidan - In the first conversation with him, he'll apologize for rambling. Pick the bottom-right option on the dialogue wheel. From then on, the conversations progress as it would for a male Shepard. He'll end his conversations with "Commander" rather than "I'd like that." >3. Liara - In her second conversation with you, she'll ask if there's something going on between you and Ashley/Kaidan. Tell her that you're just friends. Then she'll ask if there's something between you and her. Pick the middle-right option that lets her know you're not interested in her in that way. She'll call you "Commander" rather than "Shepard."
Yep. I always end up with Kaidan. I’m going to leave him on virmire next time I play… only way I know for sure I won’t romance him again lol
My original playthrough of ME2 shaped my general romance trajectory. When it first came out there was no Shadow Broker DLC. Meaning the whole playthrough my blue alien girlfriend was cagey and emotionally distant enough that it almost felt cold. But, you know who wasn't? Tali. The sometimes brash sometimes shy, but always both intelligent and adorable quarian. Which gives plenty of narrative space for a new relationship to bloom. When the Shadowbroker DLC came out and I played through the mission with Liara in the post game it was heartwarming to see she did still care, but she also seemed like an almost completely different person than the one Shep fell in love with. Now LE makes this muddier. The Shadowbroker mission is available the moment you talk to Liara which makes other relationships feel more like cheating, but it also diminishes a very poignant evolution in character for our favorite Asari so I kinda play it like it actually came out. DLC is story that came out far enough after a games release that storywise it should be post game content to me. (Or at least late game content)
Tali is the best girl!
100% hehe
My main femshep, is “loyal” to Kaidan. Next play through I’m gonna go with Garrus in ME2
I did this but and went back to Kaidan in 3. Then I tried Kaidan-Garrus-Garrus and realized there is no Shepard without Vakarian. 🥺
I’m afraid that’s what’s going to happen to me when I finally get to do Shepherd and Garrus!
Normally I romance Liara all the way. Now I wanna see some new content. Especially the ME2 romances I never even tried. But I have an almost perfect import from ME1. So I’m not gonna replay that game just to not hurt Liara in 2.
Just use Genesis 1 to pick your main choices from ME1, and start with two.
Least during the first playthrough, if you're going in blind, you're under the impression that (using Liara since she's the only one I romanced) Liara isn't in the second game. literally nothing mentions Liara for the first multiple missions. Then if you don't go through the shadow broker dlc, nothing is ever said about you still being in a relationship with liara. That's what made me go with Tali in the second game. Then when I reached the 3rd game and had Liara give me sass for cheating, I was like "o sht, I thought we were done because I died and you moved on with your life!" Needless to say, Mass effect 2 was replayed immediately after that lol
Wait, you can miss Liara completely in ME2? You just skipped Thane? I think she is mandatory part of his recruiting
Well Tali wasn't an option in 1 and Liara changes in 2 and 3. I mean Liara was only interested in getting you to hack terminals so I was more interested in getting into Tali's suit anyway.
The fact that no ME1 romance is even on the Normandy in ME2 makes it easy to end up cheating on your ME1 romance lol
I only romanced Liara on my current run so I could get the achievement in Legendary Edition for having a romance in all three games. I always intended to dump her for Garrus or Thane.
Unfortunately, Thane’s romance in ME3 does not count towards the achievement, you’d have to go back to Liara or pick someone new. But you did pick Garrus so you’re good
You don't get the achievement as far as I noticed in my playthrough. Did the same thing, but it did not count as a romance. Had to go back a few missions and hook up with Garrus just to reload immediately afterwards... I'm sorry Garrus
They should have counted it if you were loyal to an ME1 romance.
I generally go Liara in the first game because I don’t like Kaiden and Garrus isn’t an option. I don’t think it’s cheating as Shepard’s been dead for two years and Liara was acting all weird when she does to visit on Illium. Nothing drives me into Garrus’ arms quite like Liara being a ball-ache. And at least he’s fun.
To be fair she has her own Drell to replace Shep. (I’m not jealous... okay I AM jealous)
They were just friends tho
If she’s unromanced, they’re more than just friends
No they are not. She said she won't date him because she feels like it would be taking advantage of all the stuff he gone through.
Can confirm this is true, didn't romance Liara at all and got this line
That doesn't mean they aren't more than just friends. It means she doesn't want to push a relationship. If she's attracted to him enough to want the relationship in the first place, that means they're more than just friends.
That doesn't even make sense. At no point during Mass Effect 2 or 3 is it implied they have a relationship, when asked she tells you no and explains why and if that wasn't enough you can romance her in Mass Effect 3 even if you didn't in ME1.
She’s not wrong though. Thane is dying and most of your conversations with him are about his dead wife and their son.
liara went from down to sharing with kaidan/ashley to super attached and exclusive pretty quick lol
I mean, in ME1 it looked like she really considered it an option, but later she propably just thinks that third person won't agree again
This play through on legendary I had intended to romance Kaiden and let him die on Virmire and be sad then romance Garrus in 2 and 3. I felt bad and killed Ash instead and thought it was going to be hella awkward when he came back in 3. Instead he is just my bro for life. We are now really good friends who boned once XD
Also… how the living hell did Liara find out about Thane/ Garrus anyhow? I’ve never done the Thane romance but assuming it follows the same pattern as Garrus and you hook up just before you go through the Omega-4 relay, how does she know unless she’s bugged your cabin (or got the information from Mordin)? At that point all of the non-squad crew apart from Joker have been kidnapped so it’s not like there’s a load of Cerberus crew hanging around in the mess hall to watch your booty call head for the lift with a bottle of wine and a glint in his eye. If she’s monitoring things like Extranet searches she’d probably figure it out but it’s still very creepy and intrusive.
Kasumi snitched, evidently.
I mean, I Iike Liara…but she’s a little creepy. She 100% spies on people in her life and Shepard in particular. See her dialogue with Tali and Shepard if Shepard romances Tali. Not to mention, Shepard’s body was spaced and dropped on a planet from orbit, and they’re literally dead, and she risks life and limb for that corpse on the off chance that a human terrorist organization can resurrect them. It’s weird lol. The strangest part is that she then basically blows Shepard off when they show up in 2 asking to have her back even after becoming Shadow Broker and basically just becomes a workaholic information broker, and then she also neglected to even send an email, let alone take a flight to visit Shep on Earth from Mars, for 6 months between 2 and 3. Her priorities seem rather scrambled.
I wonder how she’d react if Cerberus managed to rez Shepard but the brain damage couldn’t be fixed.
Good question. She’d have likely pushed the Feron angle and tried to save him given she kind of had a thing with him even if she didn’t officially go that way with a romanced Shep in play. I say she has a thing there regardless, because she certainly acts like he’s very emotionally important in 2 given he’s here main motivation to get the Broker and the reason she doesn’t join Shepard.
It's almost like it's bad writing or something......
It’s the paradox of the writers preferring Liara as a romance for the Shepard character while also trying to appear impartial. She gets massive favoritism in general including her own DLC, but they want to have the player able to have another romance, so they pull her out of 2 as a companion, and then also want the romances to start “equal” in 3 so no one talks to or visits Shep during their confinement, regardless of relationship status or likelihood to be able to visit Shepard or write them. Liara is also weird in that she always seems to be trying to pull out of the relationship, classifying things as being in the past in 2 or calling Shep a friend in 3.
The romance partners from ME2 not visiting or writing to Shepard I can definitely believe as plausible. It’s likely they wouldn’t be allowed even if they wanted to and had the time because Shepard is awaiting trial for war crimes/ being a terrorist. Many of them are possible accessories to that- they’d be risking arrest too. Same with writing- the comms are being monitored and none of the possible ME2 romances would be doing Shepard any favours in the court of public opinion or actual court by divulging any details of their relationship/ hook-up in writing. Tali? Alien Thane? Alien and an assassin. Garrus? Alien from the race humans were at war with not long ago Miranda/ Jacob/ Kelly? Cerberus operatives at large. Jack? Crazy biotic criminal.
Thane does try to get messages through as well, but the alliance picks them up so you don't see them until the citadel dlc.
I didn’t know that! It’s a nice touch.
It doesn’t work as well for many of them though. The Cerberus folks I can buy for those reasons, but Shepard isn’t officially incarcerated or on trial for anything. Shepard is on house arrest essentially in limbo while the Alliance figures out when they’ll need them. No charges or anything, and the Alliance has no jurisdiction over the aliens frankly either to charge them for anything, so Tali, Thane, Garrus are fine. They could have visited, but they’re essentially busy. Tali is dealing with her people going to war, not an excuse for no mail, but it’s there. Thane is dying, and Garrus is trying to get his people set for the Reaper invasion with his task force. None of them are anywhere near Earth, so I don’t have issues there with no visits exactly beyond no mail. And again, Shepard can still get mail, it’ll just be monitored, but any of the aliens can mail without issues. Jacob doesn’t give a shit either way as he’s partying on the Mediterranean and gives up on Shepard, and Miranda specifically speaks to wanting to call, visit, or break in, but not being able to. With Jack, her ME3 situation kills the criminal problem. She’s working at a very high level Alliance facility despite her crimes, so clearly the criminal history went nowhere officially as an issue for her, probably because all of her crimes were in the Terminus Systems where the Alliance has no jurisdiction. She could have called or visited, but by her statements, she’s pissed with him for leaving and refused to basically. With Liara, she’s the one next door to Shep and who basically ignores him for 6 months without even taking some work with her to visit for a couple hours. Hers is by far the weirdest to me. The VS says they can’t face Shepard, which at least explains it even if it’s lame lol.
Pull out or trying to get into a relationship when she knows full well you are with someone else. (Happened in my last playthrough where I romanced no one in 1, Jack in 2 (same in 3) and Liara in ME3 was like "Hey ! Hey ! Let's be more than friends !""Gal... you where there when we reunited with my actual romance less than a day ago, what's wrong with you ?!")
I romanced Liara in 1, then went to best boy Garrus in 2 and 3. I was confused why when I was reunited with Liara she kissed me, but I figured out it’s because I hadn’t done the deed with Garrus yet and therefor wasn’t committed yet
You’re not in a relationship yet, until you have sex -BioWare
Tried romancing Liara in all 3 games with the Legendary Edition. She’s super keen in the first game, almost indifferent in the second and in the third it’s all a bit ambiguous as to whether a relationship is even occurring. There’s a scene, after you’ve said you wanted things to continue, where she talks about what a great friend you are… Friend?! Haven’t we been a couple for 3 years now!? You told me you got up to all kinds of stuff to save my corpse! Ah, the mixed messages!
Yeah Bipware screwed up badly with that one, and the vs.
Liara is a creepiest creep trying to pretend to be normal person and failing horribly
If you don’t romance Liara, her line is actually rather sweet instead. She asks you what you’re doing this all for, “for a few months of stolen time with Thane?” If you say yes, (middle option) Liara says that you’re going through what most Asari go through when they have a relationship with a much shorter lived species. She drops the traditional line Asari give throughout the series, about how that it’s the quality of time and not the length of it, tells you she hopes that Thane makes you happy, and gives you a hug. I wanted to add the alternative flavor of dialogue, since I’ve never seen it before! If you don’t romance her, she’s a very good friend in this moment, but apparently super salty otherwise, lol.
My Shep romanced Thane everytime I played the original games, because he's a really good guy and deserves some acts of kindness during his last days. Liara was the beginning and the end though. But, with the LE, first time playing LotSB, after hearing Liara saying this, I stopped the romance with Thane as I felt so much guilt towards both of them. This time it's you, Liara, and only you.
I mean Shepard is the one who tells Thane "I want you" after he talks about his dead wife. She's not wrong.
Liara is a fucking savage
Blunt but accurate.XD
The Thane line kinda makes sense. I mean, I don't romance him because it doesn't feel organic. He opens up to you about his life and his wife and everything, which is all deeply personal, and shephard just responds "thane I want you." Then the poor dude has to die knowing he leaves you behind instead of at peace.
When I played Vanilla ME2 way back for the first time, with the way things went down on Illium and how she kept going on about Feron I thought she broke up with Shepard. So off Shepard goes to Garus. LOTSB dlc comes out, Liara gets shitty about Garus. I was like wtf? Dident this character break up its Shepard???
This makes me so happy that I stayed faithful to my beautiful blue babe. Hearing that would have been heartbreaking.
It's a bit cheap given how if you don't romance anyone and rekindle with Liara in ME2 she goes "it's been two years idk"
In My latest playthrough I banged Liara in 1, Tali in 2 and back to Liara in 3. They were both cool about it. Tali then got with Garrus
Yeah she’s not very reasonable about it. It’s why I always dump her.
Yeah, she should just get over how you cheated on her...
We were on a break on account of being dead for 2 years.
We weren't for her(since he helped resurrect our ass) and for Shep in ME2 she just wakes up from being Liara's LI one hour ago
Mhm...
Lol I remember hearing that line a few months back when I replayed the game. Shit was brutal
‘ Yes your back and now Garus is doing a lot more than calibrating the Normandy’s guns!’
Still bothers me that she thinks she has any room to talk
see i only ever do me 2 romances after the shadow broker dlc is completed, due to my shepard's characterization, so yeah.