Mass Effect Epilogue & Extras
R.A. Crandall a.k.a. Walking Dot Studio (username WalkingDotStudio) on Deviant Art & Tumblr
Foreword
I give you the "ultimate" Extended Cut of the Kaidan Alenko romance.
In the Extras you will find many of the scenes you know and love so well with sizeable expansions as well as a healthy extra helping of character development for both Kaidan and Shepard. Throughout the romance I have tried to emphasize finding common ground, each complementing the other's vulnerabilities. More so than in the games due to the fact that in the Extended Cut DLC it felt like Kaidan had been turned into a damsel-in-distress and I thoroughly dislike viewing the character that way. Or any of our LIs, for that matter. There are also a few re-writes of other scenes – an extended cut of Wrex's Troubles post-cure being one of my favourites. And a hijacking of Ashley's bar fight.
Having made Shepard a Colonist and Ruthless while in game, I thought this might serve as an interesting look at why she ended up that way. If you're ruthless as all hell, this is a background you are likely to appreciate. Don't worry, there's a dash of Kaidan fan service in there to boot.
My best suggestion would be to read this alongside your current or next play through. Or at least a healthy helping of You-Tube vids to refresh your memory as to how the characters move and behave in the moment. Most of that detail was left out to focus on interaction between the characters and is only explored where it changed or was absent from the game.
While reading you will find jarring cuts away from the action in certain scenes. When you find a 'v' in a line between paragraphs I have either cut to a new scene or moved forward to another point in the story, intending to leave what would lie between as it was in game. Where major scenes belong is outlined by location or incident names. The order of events tends to be dictated by what is required to happen before the events in question can take place. I would appreciate it if you could point out any goofs I may have made there. I've also tried to be logically consistent with my own changes but I may have missed a thing or two along the way.
As a side note: If all you were hoping for is the Epilogue, feel free to jump clear through to that chapter. It continues from where the games ended, as Bioware left it, as if it belonged there. But, if you're like me and can't seem to get enough of Kaidan Alenko, don't hesitate to give the whole darn thing a good read.
Most importantly, as with anyone trying improve their ability to craft a good story, any feedback, comments, criticisms, complements and discussions are hoped for and welcome. Please take a few minutes to let me know what you think! Thank you. :)
Lastly, if you want to read this fic like you're reading an e-book, you'll find PDFs of the individual sections posted on my user page at Deviant Art. This certainly is my favourite way to enjoy them.
Fair winds and fortunes be with you on your journey.
(UPDATE: It seems that due to mature content/security settings on Deviant Art, the PDFs weren't available for download without an account registered at DA. This has been changed for you. Sorry!)
(UPDATE: Please bear with me as content jumps around. I still think of this as a rough draft. It's my intention to compile it all into one beginning-to-end story featuring my favourite mix of the Paragon and Renegade versions I've written. As soon as that project is under way I'll stop updating this story and post one final version. I'm looking forward to it. I just have to finish the game in Shepard's shoes and I'll start that journey.)