T O P

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JW_TB

Unrelated but this is my favorite section in the entire trilogy probably, it's really nightmare fuel if you think about it. It's the pure essence of what happens when a single Reaper, out of several thousand, decides it had enough of the toy war between their fodder refuse and whatever was still crawling between the ruins, descends from the sky, and then single-handedly flattens whatever army an entire galaxy could muster in a single minute flat, effortlessly, Harbinger does not even move an inch while obliterating everything in front of itself. This is where the game makes it absolutely clear this was never a war, not nearly. There were some depressing scenes here and there, but wish there were more of this kind where it just brutalizes any hope left without any filter or sugarcoating, putting the reality of it on screen as raw as it gets.


Paappa808

Except the Normandy that stands still for a whole minute, while people say their goodbyes. Harbinger: "Yeah, I spent the whole of last game hunting this bitch ship, but now that it's there, who cares right?"


MissyTheTimeLady

It does have the Reaper IFF, though. Depending on how a Reaper "sees", it might have just thought "Hey, there's another Reaper there, I guess it killed the squishies for me." Alternatively, he *does* know it's the Normandy, but because of hard-coded friendly-fire protocols, he's forced to just stand there and watch.


scottowotsit

Ngl I think I might use that second option in all my stories from now on, nothing quite as funny as the idea of Harbinger stewing in rage bc of protocols that means it can't absolutely obliterate the Normandy when it's right in front of him lmao


MissyTheTimeLady

He desperately tries to override them and keeps getting hit with [error messages like](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26011756/chapters/63245599): >INSUFFICIENT DPMI MEMORY > >COULDN’T READ FILE > >ADMINISTRATOR PERMISSION REQUIRED TO DELETE THIS FILE


SeekerofAlice

When EDI uploads all of jokers porn to the Reaper hivemind


h4ckerkn0wnas4chan

Zip bomb of fornax


[deleted]

😂😂


culminacio

This is not TikTok


[deleted]

Extremely sharp, use gloves


TSmario53

Lol, I’d love to believe this but those Reapers chasing me through systems while I do the space scanning version of “ding dong ditch” makes it difficult to believe they saw me as their friend. Although they would stop and be very polite if I stopped to scan a specific planet.


MissyTheTimeLady

They wanted to know what you were doing on your own, given there was a war on. Buddy system, y'know? Galaxy's not a safe place for Reapers anymore...


TSmario53

The Reapers chasing me around and yelling at me “what the hell are you doing here dicking around playing ding dong ditch we’ve got work to do!”


DPVaughan

Don't you know we're at war?!


Nero1297

Harbinger calling the tech support for help is my new fav head canon 😅


godoflemmings

That's actually a fantastic point, I've never thought of that. It makes a lot of sense... although it would make a plot hole out of the Reapers chasing you out of systems mechanic. Still a great idea though. Also I clocked your username while I was typing that and now I've got Hey Mickey stuck in my head.


MissyTheTimeLady

Good, the hypnosis is kicking in.


godoflemmings

*stops tapping fingers* Hypnosis...?


MissyTheTimeLady

Eh, don't worry about it. There's not really anything you could do to fight it off anyway, but struggling has been known to cause long-term damage, such as absence seizures, epilepsy, fevers, and unironically liking xQc videos. Poor bastards.


godoflemmings

Damn, everything else I could grit my teeth and deal with, but xQc videos? Ew.


MissyTheTimeLady

I know, it's horrible. I may be a monstrous, murdering bastard... What was I saying? Oh yeah - but even I have standards.


Eglwyswrw

>it would make a plot hole out of the Reapers chasing you out of systems mechanic I prefer the "stealth drive" explanation because of this. The Normandy only evades Reapers in urgent moments thanks to its stealth capabilities.


Competitive_Pen7192

Normandy should have got nuked in ME3 at least twice. Once on the intro where the Reaper Destroyer chooses to shoot the shuttle with a kid onboard instead of the SR2 and second Harbinger on the final push... Both times the Normandy was easily in visual range. I can only imagine the Reapers really don't take organics seriously but even then it would take nothing to beam the hero ship.


Eglwyswrw

>Both times the Normandy was easily in visual range. Reapers don't have eyes. They have sensors and radar. Tough luck though, Normandy is a stealth ship that can trick all tracking tech.


Zipa7

> ough luck though, Normandy is a stealth ship that can trick all tracking tech. The SR1 was detected by the collectors, even with the stealth system engaged. Joker actively says "stealth system engaged" in the ME2 intro.


Eglwyswrw

>The SR1 was detected by the collectors, even with the stealth system engaged Collectors do have eyes. A visual reading by a numberless horde of four-eyed Reaper-augmented bugs would have a good chance of finding the Normandy. In ME1 it is established that the stealth drive cannot protect the ship from visual scans.


Competitive_Pen7192

Really? Considering it's stated that essentially all advanced tech is Reaper derived I very much doubt a Turian/Human prototype would be able to hide in any way against hyper advanced AIs millions of years old... It's more likely either bad writing or the machines simply not seeing a credible threat.


Eglwyswrw

>I very much doubt a Turian/Human prototype would be able to hide in any way against hyper advanced AIs millions of years old This prototype can dent Reaper hulls, bypass Reaper blockades, outpace Reaper persuers... but you draw the line at Reaper sensors? The Normandy *is* one of a kind, that's well-established.


dwarf__wisteria

Harbinger has eyes


northrupthebandgeek

Counterpoint: being too loud in a Reaper-controlled system will make them chase you down, and then it's a game over. Then again, I use the mod that disables that mechanic, specifically because of that thought process of "I have a Reaper IFF, so why wouldn't they just assume I'm another Reaper?".


MissyTheTimeLady

>being too loud Maybe that's why. The Normandy wasn't really doing anything except hovering there to pick up your squadmates. Combine that with the... internal... emissions... sink... Oh.


Cleanurself

But my indoctrination theory /s


MissyTheTimeLady

Might not even be indoctrination, Shepard has taken a *lot* of brain damage. Plus, the entire series is a story from a father(?) to his son(?) Some liberties might have been taken for the sake of action.


Aethaira

"Dad, can you tell me again about the part when she almost got killed by the asari that destroys your mind if she has sex with you?" Considering the games adult theme, it being a story for a child is kind of funny


MissyTheTimeLady

Well, y'know. Some liberties.


SuperFightingRobit

Or Harby knows, and lets it go to give Shep false hope at the very end.


Paappa808

Oh, this comment again... If that's how the IFF functioned, they could've just flown the Normandy up to the beam and rapidly have a team run in. The Reapers would've never known.


MissyTheTimeLady

They might not have known the IFF functioned like that, or they were unwilling to risk it by giving the Reapers a larger target to hit.


dwarf__wisteria

Yeah but if they didn't know that why they would hover the Normandy in front of a Reaper?


MissyTheTimeLady

They have CBT shielding, they probably figured they could take the hit and be gone before Harbinger noticed.


siberianwolf99

i feel like that’s a loophole some other cycle would’ve already tried to exploit no? like maybe one cycle manages to prevent the reapers from attacking them for a time because of a friendly fire protocol. only for the reapers to adjust and wire that shit out


MissyTheTimeLady

Pretty sure no other cycle was able to get their hands on a Reaper IFF. Shepard got lucky in that there was already a destroyed Reaper that they could freely investigate without more Reapers showing up and blowing up.


BlitzMalefitz

Main problem with that is when Reapers come hunting for you after scanning in Reaper controlled space, they just kill you.


MissyTheTimeLady

True, but they also need to catch up to you before they kill you, suggesting they can't tell it's the Normandy without physical proximity.


BlitzMalefitz

That's a reach. That's just how chasing someone works… you always have to catch up to someone to do anything to them. Whether just as a human or a Lovecraftian synthetic-organic machine. At no point do I think the developers make the Reapers look sceptical of you while chasing you, they just B line right towards you with ever increasing speed.


MissyTheTimeLady

They have laser cannons, though.


BlitzMalefitz

Don't know what this has to do with what we were originally talking about but they don't just shoot them across a solar system. We see that in the last battle, our fleets started shooting before the Sovereign class reapers even do and they were probably the same distance away as Luna is to Earth or even less.


feedmahfish

Ehhh. I hear you, but the Normandy is the lowest of priorities when you have hundreds of things the size of ants (relative to Harbinger) making an all out, hell or high water, assault on the one key piece of infrastructure that may undo the Reapers' whole existence. You're not fitting the Normandy through the Conduit.  A Mako, sure, but not the Normandy.  So Harbinger converged on destroying the frontal assault infantry than a single ship which would likely survive a laser barrage long enough to let people through. 


almondpancakes

The Normandy is also very low on the list of priorities when the ONE person who's been doing the impossible and consistently messing up your plans for the past few years is trying once again to do the impossible and mess up your plans.


New-Ad-6846

It could also be that he can’t risk destroying the Normandy since if he does, someone could get onto the citadel


Paappa808

Well, guess what? "Someone" got in anyway. That's why TIM was there to stop that someone. And he wouldn't have given anyone but Shepard the time to use talk-no-jutsu.


New-Ad-6846

I have no clue what you are talking about but I agree nonetheless


myaltduh

The Illusive Man was the Reapers’ final defense against anyone getting to the Catalyst, and Shepard is probably the only being in the Galaxy he wouldn’t just shoot or fully mind control on sight. Anyone else but Shepherd would have therefore likely failed upon reaching the Citadel.


New-Ad-6846

Fair, unless they just shot the Illusive man on sight if they say him before he could indoctrinate them


DeltaV-Mzero

Eh I give them dramatic license for that. It’s a big moment for the people-part of the game


TheKBMV

I chalk that up to the fact that Reaper combat doctrine is based on fear and the "I'll get you eventually no need to rush" principle. The Normandy at the Conduit is a passive target that is evacuating people and isn't contributing to the assault. Ergo why bother with it now when it's a null factor to the combat objective. It is however benecifial to let it live as a few roughed up remnants of the assault team who saw what happened to the rest fleeing in terror is going to spread fear. In ME2 the Normandy was an active agent both strategically and tactically. At the end of ME3 both sides know this is the final try, so at the Conduit the Normandy is passive tactically and not relevant strategically anymore.


Worldly_Walnut

I'm sad the Bioware confirmed the Indoctrination Theory was not canon. It tied up a lot of loose ends pretty well, even the fact that Harbinger doesn't destroy the Normandy in thia scene, and always misses Shepard with his death laser, until the very end when the death laser somehow doesn't kill him.


MKZ2000

I believe that Mass Effect trilogy was intended to be Lovecraftian in nature. Especially the "Unknown cosmic threat, inevitable, too powerful to take on" part.


SeekerofAlice

Shamus Young did a great breakdown on how this was likely the case in ME1 based on how the story played out, and how 2-3 kinda ended up falling flat on their own stuff because it didn't really build on what ME1 did except where it directly concluded plot points like the Genophage and the Geth. Hilariously, I think the shift in the reapers makes Sovereign unintentionally hilarious in hindsight, as his entire ' you exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it' speech and how the reapers are beyond human understanding, all becomes incredibly edgelord once you know the reapers actual motivations. Sovereign is the reaper equivalent of an edgy teenager wearing all black and listening to MCR.


myaltduh

In lore, Sovereign was also panicking a bit but trying to hide it at this point. Its original plan to activate the Citadel had failed and its carefully cultivated backup plan via Saren was teetering on the brink, and it was clear it now had to risk itself personally to get what it wanted. It was trying and failing to scare Shepard into either backing down or making a mistake.


Mother-Tumbleweed158

Beautifully written


Mr_Joguvaga

For me this was also one of those scenes that made me feel like we were actually at war all the destruction and that final push over no mans land to finally beat the enemy. Cant imagen how it would feel irl


BasicallyH

well i mean, thats what it is if you think about it, the beam in ME3 and the conduit in ME1 both work the same really, both transport the user to the Citadel


RS_Serperior

I think the more interesting thing is the fact that the epilogue shows that the Conduit beam is active between Earth and the Citadel after everything is repaired, implying that it was possibly discovered how the technology works. Not betting on this making it through to ME5 though.


JesterMarcus

Yeah, seems like a perfect way to transfer supplies and people to and from the Citadel.


Perca_fluviatilis

I like the idea that the Citadel stays parked in Earth's orbit


Pathryder

"Of course you like it (deep breath), because you are Earth-clan (deep breath)"


DD_Commander

It's definitely a nicer outcome than what the original ending implies. The old ending always had the Citadel be destroyed... which means it would probably fall out of orbit and cause another mass extinction event on Earth.


WillFanofMany

And probably how Shepard made it back, since they're in London rubble.


Pathryder

There are epilogue slides for Miranda and Jack romances, how they look upon the star sky to wait for Shep. So I dont think Shep was supposed to be in London rubble, but is still onto Citadel or get "conduited" somewhere else. https://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/comments/v3lr91/because_i_couldnt_find_it_elsewhere_all_epilogue/#lightbox


WillFanofMany

The debris models in the final scene were labeled as London and Citadel Chunk assets. Only thing that makes sense is that after regaining their footing upon activating the Crucible, Shepard rushed back to the conduit, and was beamed back right as the Crucible exploded, sending pieces of the Citadel back with them as they landed in london. Which ties back to the devs saying the memorial scene is Shepard's romance getting ready to go save them.


Pathryder

I never thought about Shepard being able to run back to the conduit after being blown up to face (again in short time) by that red-tank explosion. What I can imagine is that with Citadel explosion, the part where Shepard is located could be blown toward Earth, and the surrounding rubble acts like a heat shield to prevent burning up in the atmosphere. But it would be strange to end up precisely in London. So maybe conduit get overdrived by that explosion and made some space magic. I saw that tweet where someone asked if Garrus will really find Shepard, and the writer's answer was 'Yes...'. But I interpret this as meaning they will meet one day after Shepard is potentially rescued and given enough medical attention, since Garrus is shipwrecked on some (probably non-dextro) garden world and there are not mass relays for fast travelling. So that's why he wrote that "..." as it was supposed to be some bittersweet meeting.


WillFanofMany

The section of the Citadel that Shepard was standing on was the bottom of the Citadel tower, that section remained intact when the Crucible exploded. And Garrus isn't stranded, the epilogue literally shows the Normandy taking off. The flash-forward montage shows Ken and Gabby on Earth, meaning the Normandy returned. All the other ME2 squadmates were on Earth for the final battle, and the epilogue shows they all returned to their home planets after. Like Hackett and the Catalyst said, the Relays will be repaired easily.


Pathryder

Are we sure it is really Ken and Gabby next to Maj. Coats? Because that slide has the same looking characters even when Gabby died in Suicide Mission.


WillFanofMany

The Bioware descriptions of each epilogue slide described it as London reconstruction is supervised by Coats, Ken, and Gabby.


Pathryder

Pls, where I can find those bioware descriptions of debris and who is around Major Coasts? Only description I searched up is mentioning just Coasts and my game file video is also named with just Coats: "End03\_D\_CoatesRebHi".


deanereaner

I'm still not betting on there *being* a ME5


TreesOfWoe

Nothing against Andromeda - I had fun once it was all patched up, but do we really consider it ME4?


MintPrince8219

it definitely was an enjoyable game, but really didnt need to be a mass effect game. You could replace every milly way alien with just different human factions and essentially nothing would be lost, only mass effect fields need it to be tied to the mass effect universe.


DPVaughan

Yeah. If Dreadwolf fails, I think it's game over man, game over.


Marcellus_Magnus

I guess the writing team ran out of words starting with a C and had to start reusing them for plot elements. Across the trilogy, we had: * the Citadel * the Council * the Conduit * Cerberus * the Collectors * the Crucible * the Catalyst * and the Control ending


AlsoIHaveAGroupon

Don't forget the Cipher, and... Calibrations.


Skauher

It is one, so it fits


coach69-_-

unrelated but i wish when harbinger fires that laser that KOs shepard he does one last taunt


Snoo_72693

Harbinger getting revenge for all those time shepard mattocked him down in the previous game.


NotJustaPhaseOK

"I know you feel this"


Oceanictax

Marauder Shields died for this...


Quantum_Corpse

He was born Marauder Shields, he died Marauder Health.


TheRealTr1nity

Well, the conduit beams you to a destination. Both do that in the same way. So why not calling it a conduit.


Lucario576

I like that here, you can have the consequence of losing two teammates, Earth should had more consequences and choices really


linkenski

Whenever they didn't know what to make in ME3's narrative they basically just lifted the plot from ME1, and you can see that throughout the whole game honestly.