Alright my dear readers. I just couldn't leave you alone after that short goodbye in the last chapter. So I thought I'd sit down and give my thanks for all of my wonderful readers and reviewers as well as the people in my life who helped to inspire me.
Special Thanks To :
My Mother for always being there for me and teaching me what it really means to be a woman and to be strong.
My Father for teaching me the two greatest lessons life will ever teach a person. That love lives on even after the people we love are gone. And that no one can avoid death.
To my Sister, with all the love in my heart.
To my Cousins Nick, Cassie, and Amy for giving me the support I needed when I needed it most.
To my Cousin Dan for his courage and his quiet inspiring nature.
And to my friends who always put up with my little eccentricities.
Reviewer Thanks and Response :
Chapter 1 -
darkerego ] Thank you for the positive, if short, encouragement.
HeatSink ] I hope you enjoyed the rest of the chapters as much as the first and that they were worth waiting for.
obsydiandreams ] In case you didn't notice, I also have a soft spot for Garrus. It's the scars…I have a weakness for them.
FancyLadySnackCake ] Thank you for the wonderful compliments. It's always encouraging to hear I haven't screwed up, especially when it comes to an established character's personality.
Neva ] It's fine that English isn't your strong suit. It's not mine either. Most of the time I speak in utter gibberish.
Chapter 2 -
obsydiandreams ] Good to see you stuck with me to chapter 2, I hope you enjoyed the entire story just as much as the first few chapters.
Neva ] I was hoping to go for the feel of friends in the beginning, with the lingering tension of something more. I'm glad I was able to convey that to at least one person. Thank you so much for the constructive review.
RayneEthelwulf ] I dunno, if I had to go for most AWESOME Turian ever…I'd have to go with Nihilus…but that's maybe because he paved the path for my obsession with Garrus. Who knows?
Yamiro ] Yeah I know, I messed up Shepard's name in the first few chapters. I blame my spellcheck and autocorrecting type settings. Thank you so much for pointing it out though. I really wish more people did that. I know I tend to miss things when I type.
Kallmered ] Yeah, I really did feel like the love-triangle thing was a bit over-done. Plus…I really did kill Kaiden in the game. He just annoyed me to no end. No offense to Kaiden fans out there. I think he's a perfectly fine character…I just got annoyed with him.
FancyLadySnackCakes ] Glad to see somebody actually pays attention to my profile as well as the story itself. I hope you enjoyed Why Don't You Do Right as much as Fighting Urges.
Chapter 3-
Shukumei-of-another-world ] Glad to see I kept your attention enough to keep you coming back for more. Makes me feel a little bit like a drug dealer though. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
HeatSink ] Thank you very much. I enjoy how I write Garrus as well.
MyHeartIsObsidian ] I'm not sure if "dark minded" is the right word for it but I do enjoy the more dramatic and realistic elements of story-telling and I'm surely not shy of dark subject matter. Thank you very much for reading and leaving me with an encouraging review. I hope you enjoyed the story.
Siha Shap ] In truth I like to think that there is a certain baseline for how Shepard's character should be like. I mean even if you're a woman you're supposed to be this seasoned solider, trained, and truly capable of taking command. It's tying that into a person that would make the decisions I would make that's the fun and the challenge. Gene Shepard is honestly how I see Shepard….well…an earthborn, Warhero shep anyway.
RayneEthelwulf ] If I had to be sexually harassed by anyone Garrus certainly would be at the top of my list.
HatefulHeart ] Thank you for the short and encouraging review. I hope you enjoyed the finished project.
Neva ] Sometimes I like to think I'm funny. It's good to know I'm not the only one.
Naught ] Well, Jenkins did have a way with words. Thanks for the amusing review.
Kallmered ] I don't know if I'd say 'dirty' maybe just titular….oh god I'm sorry. *chuckles*
Chaper 4 -
RayneEthelwulf ] Family always does don't they?
Neva ] Glad I can add a little pleasure to your life. Thanks for sticking with me.
Not Sick Nobody's Darling ] Thank you so much for your honest opinion. Honestly your's was probably the best review I've ever gotten. As much as I do truly love the glowing praise I love it even more when somebody points out what I've done wrong. Thanks to you I learned about how to better the experience of my readers and that's a gift that keeps on giving. ( although if I had say I'd say that ' sick little darlings' sounds a bit more Sweeney Todd than Anne Rice, after all Anne Rice is classy )
Chapter 5 -
Shukumei-of-another-world ] Well I do at least try to follow the rules of proper grammar. I don't always succeed but I'm glad people notice when I get it right. As for the twins I'd say their look is less 'punk' and more a mix of cyber-punk and steam -punk. Which is how I see gangsters and "punks" as in punk kids dressing in the Mass Effect world.
HeatSink ] Oh god…somebody actually liked that joke. I think I wrote in at around 3 in the morning. My exact words when I posted that chapter were ' Whelp there goes the worst joke I've ever written'. Glad to know it amused someone. XD
Siha Shap ] Oh the Twins live and god no. I imagine Shepard clones as equalling something terrible. The Twins are more like what would happen if ( and dear god I can't believe I'm using this as a reference ) if the Hitachi twins from Ouran High School Host Club got to be mercenaries.
strangegibbon ] Interesting to know that I amused someone with a discerning palate for fanfiction. Thank you so much for the encouraging review.
RayneEthelwulf ] I think the best way to do an OC, if you're going to do one, is to make one an interesting but otherwise inconsequential character that a reader can find some humor with and then mostly forget. Unless, you know, they're the main characters in which case then you have to flush them out and make sure the reader remembers them off the bat. I don't know, I just feel like a lot of people fall into the trap of making every OC they write an 'OMG I'm a special little snowflake' because they feel like they can't let that character down or something…..I dunno now I'm rambling.
Chapter 6 -
Shukumei-of-another-world ] Yeah the plan was to have the twins act as a sort of uplifting yet conflicting side bar in Garrus' life. His crew however…I feel as if they'd mean more to him. And since they have names and were actually apart of the game I just didn't want to take away from the in-game impact they seemed to have had on our favorite blue-marked turian.
ErsbethShadowSong ] Well to be honest I felt I had to somehow address what could have helped lead to Sidonis' betrayal and since I had nothing to go off of I just wanted to subtly give hints that things weren't perfect between him and Garrus. As for the rumors, when I did my play through and when I imagine Gene going through the process of finding and recruiting those on the dossiers I imagine her going for Dr. Solus first. And if that's the case then there were a ton of people she came across that could have easily spread the news. What's more if Aria knew about Shepard before she landed then I imagined that others could probably at the very least start some rumors about it. Rumors are, after all, just rumors and they do tend to fly faster than the wind.
Chapter 7 -
Shukumei-of-another-world ] Thank you very much for the compliment, and don't worry about it. It's taken me years to get this good at describing movements and I'm still trying to improve. Writing is all about the practice. About the biting though, I was trying to imagine how Turians would show affection since it doesn't really seem like they'd kiss much ( what with the mandibles and the uh…turtle mouth…) so I thought about the developers had said. Since Turians are based off birds and ancient raptors I figured that ( like some birds of prey ) Turians might show their affection by a gentle sort of nipping. And, ( like some reptiles ) do some sort of biting/ clinging thing during uh…the deed. But hey that's just me. Most of the time I make this stuff up as I go along.
Songilan ] Thank you so much for your honest criticism, honestly it's the best thing in the world for me. As for the fight, well, Garrus is a guy and more than that he'd just come out of a tough emotionally draining/ turbulent situation so I imagined he'd be a bit on edge. For the most part it really wasn't him initiating the fight, it was Gene. She wanted him to get violent with her and she manipulated him into that fight so that they could both work out their issues. It may not make much sense, but that's Gene. She's a bit of a rough n' tumble type of gal who works out her issues better through punching the crap out of something than by talking about it.
Fendie ] Glad I made you smile. I hope you have many more.
softcorecurls ] I also like sexual tension. It's why I write a ton of it. Glad you enjoyed it.
RayneEthelwulf ] Thank you very much for the birthday wishes and the encouragement.
Chapter 8 -
Danish Existence ] Thank you so much for the encouraging review, especially since it was the only one I received for this particular chapter. It was just what I needed at the time.
Chapter 9 -
MyHeartIsObsidian ] So, from personal experience, flailing is a fun way to pass the time isn't it? :D
Chapter 10 -
2009 ] Yeah…no review is just that ' no review '. But thanks for breaking from your routine to give me a shout out. I always appreciate it.
Ely779 ] I wouldn't be much of a writer if I couldn't engage my readers. Thanks for the lovely review.
Silver-06 ] It's more or less ' third person' rather than Garrus' POV but I did definitely focus on him rather than Gene. Thanks for reading and leaving me a nice review.
popo Shepard ] Always happy to give away smiles. Thanks for the review.
RayneEthelwulf ] Don't pout your reviews were always the highlight of my day.
Chapter 11 -
Kojishi ] Thanks for leaving me a wonderful review and glad to know someone was concerned I might lose my way and fall to that evil vixen known as Portal and Valve.
Chapter 12 -
femgade ] It's not a good story if there's not some drama and just the tiniest bits of jealousy. That's what makes love great… it's selfish.
RayneEthelwulf ] Ah a western fan huh? I'm more of a modern day/ scottish/irish fantasy type of gal.
M-Angel ] Sorry if I never got around to reading or reviewing your story if I didn't. If I did then uh…thank you and your welcome?
Chapter 13 -
Shukumei-of-another-world ] I do try. Glad to know you appreciate a nicely written back-story.
2009 ] Oh yeah it does get brought up again. It's pretty much Gene's main conflicting issue so it kind of had to be brought up again.
GrimsonAshes ] I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter as much as you. Good to hear that I wrote something that tugged a cord with someone. It is my job after all. ( and that was my favorite line to. I really debated over how Garrus would react and when I finally settled on that I wanted to make it clear that it wasn't his initial reaction )
MacaroniWithExtraCheese ] Thanks for the honest criticism. I'm actually working on a way to edit that chapter so the letter scene flows in better with the rest of the chapter. Also the the teasing nearly gave me a heart attack but I do always enjoy a little ribbing. XD
RayneEthelwulf ] It's okay to be neutral. After all some of the best countries in the world are neutral. Like Switzerland. ….and Sweden.
bale626 ] Thank you for the honest ( if short ) review. Hope you enjoyed reading.
Silver06 ] Thank you…as always.
Chapter 14 -
Shukumei-of-another-world ] Ache all over huh? Glad to know I can give you some sort of anticipation.
MyHeartIsObsidian ] I'm pretty sure it's because you just read something steamy and delicious.
RayneEthelwulf ] How can you have more than one smile? Were you born with a second mouth? Lol. I kid. Glad you enjoyed it.
femegade ] Best way to end anything is to leave your audience wanting more.
Animage ] It's alright. You conveyed yourself just fine. It's certainly fun to learn how much I can stir my readers up.
Chapter 15 -
femegade ] sometimes sweet is good. This was one of those times.
M-Angel 05 ] It would not surprise me if Gene started sticking stickers to the back of Garrus' armor saying ' back off he's mine!'.
Chapter 16 -
MyHeartIsObsidian ] I cannot tell you how many times my screen was tilting back and forth while playing that game. I blame Chakwas, she started the idea of 'drunken Shepard' for me.
femegade ] So demanding, good thing I have the supplely to meet such a demand. …I don't even know what I'm saying anymore.
Redglade ] I don't really see Garrus following Shepard like a worried mother hen. I see him more following her around like the alpha male to her alpha female in a pack of wolves….but I'm weird.
M-Angel 05 ] Oh I think Garrus learned more than just a lil about his Commander by the time this story was done.
RayneEthelwulf ] Glad I could still catch you off guard.
Chapter 17 -
Shukumei-of-another-world ] I don't really think 'vampire' when I think 'biting'. I tend equate 'sucking' with vampires and not just biting. Besides when Garrus does it it's more like a cat gently nipping at you to show it's affection ( …and yes that does come from personal experiences with cats….and boyfriends….)
YoshisSupport ] Thank you so much for the feedback. I'm so glad that my writing is easy to follow and engaging. I hope you stuck around for the ending.
GrimsonAshes ] The way I see it jealousy is just apart of love and everyone's gotta have their own way of expressing it.
M-Angel 05 ] I'm happy you could sit back and relax with this for reading material.
femegade ] It was a rather exciting chapter to write. Glad you liked it.
SpartanGoddess ] No good romance story is complete without that all important seasoning known as ' tension'.
Chapter 18 -
ghostflowers.x ] Thank you so much for the wonderful and encouraging review. It really made me feel proud of this story and more than a little flattered.
GrimsonAshes ] I just hope I didn't let you down when the sex finally did come.
dannybates ] I'm not that cruel….okay maybe I am. Thanks for reading. ( also…OMG dannybates reviewed my stuff *fans self* I had a bit of a moment when I spotted your name in my review pile. I love your stuff. ).
M-Angel 05 ] GOOD! I did my job then.
Chapter 19 -
Shukumei-of-another-world ] LOL. I'm glad you somehow managed to get over it.
GoogleFloobs ] I've thought about writing the other dynamics as well but…I dunno I'm just not as motivated in those areas at the moment. Maybe sometime in the future. You could certainly put in a bid for a request or commission if you really want me to get on it though. And don't worry about the chapter titles they're mostly there to amuse. ( here's a hint though, they all have something to do with some sort of myth or fairytale )
Animage ] Mush huh? I think I'm very happy with this news.
femegade ] Awesome to know you enjoyed it.
Uranus' Angel Eyes ] All in one huh? Sweeeet.
Chapter 20 -
femegade ] I did try to portray sensuality, glad to know I got that part down.
Jon36155 ] To be honest I was just so surprised that someone recognized that song that I think I sat there stunned for the first five seconds after reading your review. Glad you loved it.
ghostflowers.x ] It would kind of suck if I gave away the ending to those that haven't played the game. And it was about time for some tenderness so it all fit pretty well.
m-angel 05 ] Thank you for loving this story so much, it means a lot to me.
Chapter 21 -
Shukumei-of-another-world ] Nah it was all mostly fatherly.
nazzy and jerkez ] I choked up a bit reading your glowing review. Thank you so much for the praise. Not so sure how I feel about the stalker thing. Good…ish? And don't worry. If you don't find anything better…just know that I'm always here to WRITE something better.
Raiden Hawkeye ] To be fair the Krogan charging you would probably hit you even if you were paying attention but it's encouraging to know that I can distract people from life or death situations…sort of.
Bluumberry ] Yeah those sort of things are great for some people but tend to throw me off a story so I tried my best to avoid in-game scenes and Kaiden three-way romance issues. Hope you enjoyed the story to the end.
karla ] Love Shepard's family huh? Then you'll really love the sequel to this story.
Starlight Sanctuary ] Well geez, now I feel like I'm chocolate…..this a good feeling.
M-Angel 05 ] As always it's great to hear from you.
YoshisSupport ] It's awesome to hear that you found something worthwhile in this story. And yeah…the talk was pretty fun.
dannybates ] I know. I started out going pretty steady and fast on this one but circumstances forced me to go a bit slower after I got to a certain point.
Chapter 22 -
BladesoftheValkyrie ] Banter is one of my favorite things to write. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I hope you enjoyed the rest of the story as well.
shadow fox91 ] Will do. Thanks for the review.
KinkyLittleMonster ] Well I did try for the ' cute older couple' feel with them. But in the sequel to this story you'll get to see their rough patches…trust me. It's pretty darn awesome and cute in it's awkward way.
YoshisSupport ] Good to know that they work well as plot reminders. And yeah Shepard finding out was something of a giggle moment for me too.
M-Angel 05 ] Yeah Gene's family is a bit fun to show off…to a point.
Chapter 23 -
Kim Demon ] Yeah things did get better. Thanks for the support and I'm glad you loved the story.
SpartanGoddess ] Thank you for the best wishes. It's always encouraging to hear people care whether or not bad things happen to me. Even if they are strangers over the internet.
M-Angel 05 ] The only reason I didn't forget this mission is because I've played through the game at least ten different times….and that includes all of the DLC.
Chapter 24 -
Sentinel145 ] I'm not yet sure whether or not this story will continue once ME3 comes out. It depends on the story of ME3 and how I feel about it. It is highly likely however that this story will pick up again once ME3 has come out.
Chapter 25 -
Jozs001 ] I am intending for Cultural Studies to be something of a Romantic Comedy. Glad you are looking forward to it. Hope you enjoy my stories in the future.
M-Angel 05 ] I'm so glad! Thank you for sticking with me for so long!