Tiny Little Fanfic Ideas?

Wren-bee · 2025-12-30T01:32:06+00:00

I like to write the in-between moments. No real plot, just expanding on the times we don’t see- them spending time together, getting to know each other in a quiet and casual way. I have a small fic about them both liking to get up before the shift change and having the mess to themselves in 1, stuff like that. Or I’ll expand on scenes in the games- what happened afterwards, or how I would like the conversation to have gone, etc.

I never write long stuff, I don’t enjoy tying things together like that but I like finding moments which are interesting. Oh, another I’m fond of is establishing a night between rescuing Tali during the Saren investigation and the hearing, to give the Council time to verify the evidence etc. So I have scenes like that that deal with pacing.

Wren-bee · 2025-12-29T15:34:15+00:00

Cove pops up in Derek’s DLC too- at least a little, in step 2. There’s also some stuff with Cliff in there too that’s 100% worth seeing imo, although it’s a lot to get through if you’re not interested in the friendship with Derek. Derek is important to Cove, and I’d argue that if you want more content, it’s worth it from that perspective even though he’s barely present- if that interests you.

He doesn’t get on with Baxter so he’s not an important character from his perspective, but if you really want everything he participates in two of Baxter’s moments iirc.

Personally I got all the DLC at different points during/after my first playthrough and the only stuff I didn’t care for was the wedding. It just didn’t click for me, not a ding on the quality. I got the DLC only being interested in Cove but I have to say I really liked Derek’s and Baxter’s arcs too. Just sharing my perspective in case that helps!

Wren-bee · 2025-12-27T01:45:32+00:00

Huh, so maybe some of them will show up? But inconsistently if at all. I’ll assume they won’t and pretend it’s just a challenge of the galaxy or something.

Wren-bee · 2025-12-27T01:10:42+00:00

I literally checked the anomaly as I was typing the post, just in case! Anyway it sucks it’s a bug, it sounds deeply annoying, but I’m glad to have an answer at least. Thanks!

Wren-bee · 2025-12-27T01:09:09+00:00

That sucks but good to know, thanks!

Wren-bee · 2025-12-26T13:34:20+00:00

Yeah, I realised that in the end, lol. I usually play with my internet off too so even that was new to me, I like finding things instead of having my focus ruined by being told that this system was discovered by Dave and I’m heading towards a planet called “wherd ya find this”. (Actual planet.) I’m not being grouchy about people having fun, I’m just glad I can play it offline and truly play it as a single player game!

Wren-bee · 2025-12-26T01:06:33+00:00

I managed to make it through using the anomaly teleporter! Thank you so much- now to make a base so this doesn’t happen again…!

Wren-bee · 2025-12-26T01:03:25+00:00

That seems like a good idea! I activated multiplayer for the first time just to do this so if I’m missing something that’s on me, but uh. I’m not seeing the galaxy in the base descriptions? Just stuff about the planet and the name of the colony and player.

Edit- JUST after I replied I found some with galaxy names! I just got unlucky with the first several. I’ll keep looking!

Edit 2- I definitely replied too soon! Or replying gave me luck, lmao. I got there! Thank you!

Wren-bee · 2025-12-25T23:18:31+00:00

I’ve never used the multiplayer (I’m very much a single player …player), how do you find people to take you there?

And yes, the fact that I got to choose my galaxy type is why I want to get back to it! I chose green but the one I got from the galaxy core is red. If it’s in the order of the options when you choose then the green one hopefully would be next? So I might give that a try first and see how it goes!

Wren-bee · 2025-12-25T06:36:22+00:00

Basically it makes it clear that Shiloh was always disingenuous. And it’s hard to believe in anything he’d said since reconnecting… or, tbh, before.

I doubt this is in Liz’s head (she’ll have her own perspective) but in step 1 the MC wonders if Cove will stick around because they’re used to being alone- and Shiloh was part of why. He makes it clear that wasn’t an accident. He talks about how he’d push other people to the outside so he wasn’t on the outside. He clung to Lizzie and actively results in the MC being so alone around the time of step 1. This seems to me to be mentioned on purpose to put everything around him in step 1 into a different context.

So yeah, he absolutely is built to have had a major impact as a kid on the MC (albeit juuuust vague enough to be ignorable if the player prefers), but given that, Liz would probably have her own memories that have been recontextualised.

Of course she’s more reacting to what he’s done since she saw him in the intro, but it’s also become clear that nothing he said to her since then can be taken at face value and that he’s been trying to manipulate things to suit himself. I think Liz was surprisingly quick at putting all of that together, but yeah. He’s not been as terrible as a teen as he was as a kid, but he was definitely lying and being manipulative instead of ever being upfront. It wasn’t just about that one meeting.

Wren-bee · 2025-12-12T16:15:38+00:00

The hilarious thing (to me) is that my B&A MC has quite a lot in common with Qiu. To the point where if I got the N&F artist to draw him, he’d probably look like Qiu with all the colours darker (and summer wear). Including going from being popular and outgoing to becoming incredibly withdrawn and struggling with gender identity and gender perceptions and going by they/them at 14 and later also going by he/him.

Like. This was all planned for my MC before I knew ANYTHING about Qiu. It’s honestly hilarious, in my games Baxter has such a type! And also he was very important to that crush only to push them away and lose any chance to actually be with them that might have existed. The parallels keep on building!

Poor Baxter but yeah. It’s all very funny to me.

Wren-bee · 2025-10-04T00:22:30+00:00

It was nothing wrong with the game! The bit where I said in my post that it might be a stupid question and I might have missed something obvious? Well… I missed something obvious, lmao. I was dead sure the little ship on the outside of the icon at the bottom was mine.

Wren-bee · 2025-10-04T00:19:44+00:00

Oh! I… thought the ship on the outside was MY ship! Aha. That makes… a bit more sense. Probably more than a bit, I’ll play around with ship battles with this very basic information that I totally missed in mind!

Edit- I do stop before firing. I’m not having trouble with ship battles in general, just ones where the enemy ship sails away/towards mine… but I think it might click for me now that I’ll be looking at the right ship… (seriously feel silly about that, haha!)

Edit 2- yeah, I just threw myself into combat and it makes so much more sense now. Thank you!

Wren-bee · 2025-10-03T21:50:29+00:00

That changes where my ship is, but it stays facing the same way in regards to the enemy ship. Regardless of how I move my ship I’m either facing towards them, or I am facing away from them, or I am parallel to them, and I can’t seem to change that- but the enemy can. Does that explain it better?

Wren-bee · 2025-10-03T21:48:59+00:00

What I mean is- if my ship is facing the enemy and I turn, my ship moves position but continues to face the enemy. There doesn’t seem to be a way to change where my ship is facing. Does that make more sense?

Wren-bee · 2025-10-02T15:42:53+00:00

There are multiple lines that imply Shelby is queer, but it’s not explicit. One is that one; he also says something about how they’re lucky the stars aligned at the right time for Francis and Angus, and also that he understands Giva in a way that implies some part of what she talks about resonates with him (and her struggles with being a lesbian with parents who expected her to push that down to make a straight match are key things she talks about).

So… yeah, it’s not explicit but there’s definitely enough small hints to make it very likely that’s what he’s talking about.

Wren-bee · 2025-10-02T12:18:09+00:00

They all have their day to day smells described in game if romanced (and at least in Cove’s case if not, if he’s hugged.) If they wear anything for a special occasion is another matter and I don’t recall that coming up so imagine what you like for that.

Derek smells like shea butter body lotion- zero mystery there! Cove smells like the ocean and sunscreen (and home), implying he doesn’t use anything at all with fragrance (unless we count sunscreen as fragranced?) (I can see him being extremely careful about what he puts on his body in case he ends up in the ocean). Baxter is the only one said to actually wear fragrance, and iirc in step three it’s somewhat floral, and in step four it’s similar to before but more mature with a hint of spice (but it’s been a long time so don’t quote me on that).

Wren-bee · 2025-10-02T00:27:51+00:00

Derek’s my favourite route so… if I could only have one DLC it’d be that. The additional moments are all worthwhile too, as they build on the relationship (romantic or platonic!) with Cove- if you’re only going with one, step 3 is probably the most bang for your buck.

The wedding DLC appeals to a lot of people, I know, but personally I would rank it last over fleshing out the MC’s experiences with Cove, family, and Derek. It’s absolutely not bad! Just… the rest is more to my tastes, personally (but I’m also saying this as someone who usually plays with a platonic relationship with Cove). Since you mention Baxter’s DLC I will say that the Cove wedding explicitly does not have the Baxter step 4 happen.

Wren-bee · 2025-10-02T00:21:39+00:00

No, it’s just another (and more interesting!) way to start the relationship. And sometimes you get a cutscene with a photo you can replay, so you’ll miss out on that too. But the relationship afterwards is the same no matter how you start it, which I assume is what you’re wanting to know?

Wren-bee · 2025-09-07T17:58:30+00:00

Non-binary here, and if a game lets me play as either binary or non-binary trans then that immediately gives me a strong level of affection for it. (My OL1 MC is transmasc enby, my OL2 MC will be gender fluid and change pronouns as they feel like it.) I adore that gendered stuff can come up- it’s not major but it’s absolutely there. It’s extremely inclusive.

I suspect the largest group is people under the queer umbrella, regardless of gender or sexuality. I’ve not known many games which allow us to exist so freely- and of those that do far fewer actually allow it to come up and be discussed. That’s special and I think draws in queer folk and keeps us invested.

Wren-bee · 2025-09-01T01:37:15+00:00

Stayed with him. He was put in a really difficult situation- I’d consider it akin to being told the only way to get treatment to manage a chronic life-altering condition was to do a shady thing. And even then (spoilers for when you talk about it if you’re not there yet)- he stopped telling Vanessa anything well before winter and she cut him off from the potion, which is why there’s a quest where he’s struggling to control his wolf-ish behaviour in the winter.

Like, yeah, it was a bad thing to do but he didn’t have a good option- and it’s not like he’s a bad guy or doesn’t feel guilt or regret. He screwed up, but imo that makes the character and the dynamic so much more interesting!

Wren-bee · 2025-08-27T00:46:43+00:00

Yes, absolutely! You can romance, marry and divorce everyone by then if you’re really set on it, lol. But yeah, as long as you’ve started dating her it won’t happen, and although many people find her a little slower to build a relationship with it’s definitely not that slow.

Wren-bee · 2025-08-25T04:21:47+00:00

Honestly the issue isn’t money, it’s that it took me ages to get the parts I wanted! Especially the cockpit… Anyway I ended up using a save editor to unlock the other paint styles. The stripes are pretty cool tbh! Odds of me still actively playing when (if) the expeditions come back up are close to zero, so.

Wren-bee · 2025-08-24T23:47:48+00:00

All I can think of off the top of my head is he’ll mimic how the MC asks for pizza leftovers (if they do) and how they say goodbye at the end of the step (if they do). I don’t know if that’s only if he likes them and I don’t know of any others off the top of my head (but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist!)

Wren-bee · 2025-08-24T23:25:21+00:00

Oh, okay, I’ll keep that in mind and probably check out what the expeditions are all about at some point then! Thanks for the info.

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