Monday Musing | The Last Hurrah……

It is finally upon us. A wait of a little over a week, and the last DLC for Mass Effect 3 shall be released. Most who visit this blog, are already privy to the details pertaining to this new content. But for those that have yet to read, here are the press notes for Citadel:

“When a sinister conspiracy targets Commander Shepard, you and your team must uncover the truth, through battles and intrigue that range from the glamour of the Citadel’s Wards to the top-secret Council Archives.  Uncover the truth and fight alongside your squad – as well as the cast from the original Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2.

When the adventure is over, reconnect with your favorite characters from the Mass Effect Trilogy, try your luck at the Citadel’s Silver Coast Casino, blow off steam in the Armax Combat Arena, or explore and furnish Shepard’s own living quarters on the Citadel. With unique content and cinematics featuring your friends and romance interests in the Mass Effect trilogy, Mass Effect 3: Citadel offers one final chance to see the characters you have known for years and rekindle romances.”

                                            – Chris Priestly BSN

To date, we have gathered the following information on what characters are believed to appear in this DLC.  Between official promotional shots, Twitter and the BSN, it would seem that the current ME3 squadmates will all be accessible, along with Urdnot Wrex, Miranda Lawson, Jack, Samantha Traynor and Zaeed Massani.  It is probably safe to assume, based on Samantha’s inclusion, that Steve Cortez will be along for the ride as well.  Those that have not been confirmed are Jacob Taylor, Thane Krios, Kasumi Goto, Samara, Mordin Solus, Legion, and Morinth.  Based on the fact that this new content will not be accessible till after the Citadel coup, the likelyhood of an appearance by Thane Krios is slim.  Jacob Taylor may also be occupied along his main storyline, so he too may not play a part in this DLC. Mordin is possibly dead or elsewhere, and same goes for Legion. As for the other three, it is left to speculations.  I suspect that at least Kasumi Goto, will have a good chance at being seen in this DLC.

So far, there isn’t a lot of “musing” going on, for my part.  This being the last Monday Musing I will produce, I suppose I should get cracking.  So what are my thoughts regarding this news?  Amazed. Thrilled for those that will get a chance to further explore exposition and romance with their favorite returning characters. Awed by the efforts of so many of my collegues and all of you, that made your voices heard regarding your hopes for new content.  Bravo!

However, this also comes with a pang of futility for some who may not see the benefit of their voices.  At least in regards to their favorite characters.  Unfortunately, I count myself among them. My wishes for something positive to come for those that pinned their original hopes on the romance arcs of Jacob Taylor, Thane Krios and Samara are quickly fading.  Those that have read most of my pieces on this site, are probably aware that my favorite love interest is Thane Krios.  So while I am pleased to learn that our cumulative voices have not gone unnoticed, it comes to me with a heavy heart.  Admittedly a selfish reaction, but there it is.  I wanted more time – quality time – with Thane for my Cate, Ulee, Evan, Mace and Chase Shepard.  My positivity for such things have…..dimmed.  Please forgive my morose tone, but having worked on a number of initiatives with some amazingly wonderful people, over the past year, I had hoped (as they did) that ALL our favorite LI’s would grab a little time in the spotlight.

So at this point, I would like to list a few projects/initiatives that helped (I’m guessing) garner attention, to the desire we all had to see romance and character-centric content come to be in this DLC. Many of these I was fortunate to work on, and humbled to be a part of:

1) LIA “The Book” – One of the first successful projects to get something tangible into the hands of the developers themselves.  “The Book” was put together by a fellow Thanemancer and a couple of her friends who were also dedicated Mass Effect fans.  It contained letters to BioWare, from fans of all the different love interests, and was hand delivered to the Mass Effect developers at PAX East.

2) Protesting the Treatment of ME2 Romances in ME3 – A Facebook group started by a Thanemancer, and used by multiple ME2 romancers.  Still active, so feel free to drop by…the door is always open.

3) #FindMiranda – Operation: Find Miranda. This group of Miranda fans, sent off posters to BioWare, to promote their favorite Cerberus Operative.

4) “For an Option” – Poster designed and sent by a Thanemancer.  Quotes from numerous Thane fans, were placed around an art image of Thane.  The poster and other items (essays, letters, and trinkets) were sent to BioWare, to raise awareness for an option to keep Thane alive throughout the third game. Also was the launching pad for #savethane.

5) #NoShepardWithoutVakarian – Another character-centric fan initiative coordinated across multiple forums and social media sites, resulting in a collection of artwork, fan fiction, and poetry about our favorite turian in Mass Effect.

6) LIA “The Tribute” – Another volume put together by those that developed “The Book”, and finished and mailed to BioWare by another Thane fan.  A collection of Shepard x LI stories by numerous fans, art and screenshots, in a 226 (front and back) page book.

7) #MoreTimeWithTali – An initiative coordinated primarily by fans of Tali on HTL that resulted in posters being sent to BioWare.

8) #FightLikeHell#KaidanisWaiting – A Kaidan-centric project put together by groups of fans on BSN and HTL.  Resulted in a book filled with the 56 FemSheps of players along with some artwork and quotes that were bound together and sent to both BioWare and Kaidan’s VA, Raphael Sbarge.

9) #ForOurLI – A fan initiative based at HTL that focused on creating “postcard-style” artwork for several Love Interests to be sent to BioWare.

10) Thane: Quest for a Cure – A Thane plushie was made by a fellow Thanemancer from Scotland.  This plushie has been to 10 different countries so far (with multiple stops in a few of the countries), and two continents.  Pictures are posted in the Group thread on the BSN and on Twitter under #ThaneKriosTour. (I am scheduled to receive the plushie sometime next month.)

11) Thane Fanbook – A collection of art, poems, stories, dialogues and essays, contributed by Thane fans around the world.  Project is still ongoing and details can be found on dA.

There are oodles of groups on Facebook, Twitter, deviantArt, Tumblr, and other blog sites, dedicated to Mass Effect and it’s characters we have grown so fond of. It also goes without saying, those that put together the original survey that this blog is based on, and all those that have contributed to the Cosmic Love blog, have also played a part in getting the message out.  Every one of you who has taken the time to post threads, start hash-tag groups on Twitter, and has supported this site and others by reading and commenting, should pat themselves on the back.

Now that I have gushed, I feel the need to wrap things up.  I have truly enjoyed writing this little column, and have been overjoyed to see comments from those that have read them.  So while my personal hope may be waning, I wish you all the joy, and dammit!……FUN, in spending more time with your favorite romances.  Happy gaming!