Doesn't being single also trigger unique dialogue with Anderson at the end of ME3 where instead of the famous "I'm proud of you" dialogue, he asks Shepard if he/she has ever considered children, as he/she would make a great parent. I've seen a clip of it once so I know it exists, but I'm not sure how it's triggered but I would assume it's tied to being single.
TH-cam really needs to treat that word “incel” like a racial slur. It’s super offensive. No one calls someone who doesn’t have children a “childless one.” Because not everyone is meant to be a parent, let alone wants to be a parent. And just because we’re all born from a man and a woman it doesn’t mean that we’re all gonna desire to have either of them in our lives full time. The problem with the term “incel” is that it arrogantly assumes what goals and priorities a person must have in their life. It’s like if someone made fun of you or tried to insult you because you didn’t like to go out to eat at restaurants. Because the idea of strangers preparing your food creeps you out. None of us have an obligation to eat at restaurants. The same way we’re not obligated to have a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Joker should be standard for that walk back to the Normandy, homie’s been there since the very beginning. He’s LITERALLY the first person you speak with, and it’s Seth Green!
@@nolanschotanus2769 that’s a valid counterpoint. For role playing purposes comfort from the one you love in that situation makes sense. I suppose I just wish they had done more with their relationship. I can’t quite pinpoint the reason, but by the end I felt like they didn’t do enough with him; and that’s even with his little section from ME 2 in mind.
@@benjaminhoover8524 His appearance is also triggered if FemShep only romanced Thane. In case you haven't seen that Citadel DLC Ending, I'm not going to spoil what happens.
You forgot the best one, Mordin asks Femshep if she's hitting on him and he politely rejects her saying he gets hit on a lot by many different species and says "if I were to try human, would try you"
@@TheKlm213 I mean with asexuals its the same thing as with bisexuals. Just from the other side - they dont care about male or female because they are interested in neither.
There’s actually one additional detail relevant to ME1. While the Normandy has been grounded by Udina, BEFORE you escape the Citadel, there is a cutscene on the Normandy where Shepard is sitting on the floor at their locker (opposite where Kaidan normally stands), frustratedly talking to themself about Udina betraying them. At this point, if Shepard has a love interest, they will come and comfort Shepard. Joker will interrupt through the intercom, and Shepard will ask “were you spying on us?”. If Shepard has no love interest, then nobody will come to comfort them, and they will continue to sit on the floor. Joker will still interrupt through the intercom, and Shepard will instead reply “were you spying on me”.
Fraternization is a serious matter in actual militaries. People can be court martialed, dishonorably discharged and in some cases even sent to prison for violating it. In fact, had the trilogy given me romance options that weren’t on your ship or part of your squad, such as say that cop on Noveria, that scientist on Feros, or someone on the Citadel, I’d have preferred that to someone whose life is mine to risk in combat.
@@brainconqueror8095 Well, Miranda is sort of that woman because she is not part of the alliance and for the most part she does her own thing after ME2 SM is over.
@@Dark_Voice but you have to initiate the romance while she is your XO in the second game. Granted, at this point you aren’t in an official military, but you still got way more than friendly with one of your subordinates. What if the Suicide Mission had a Virmire like moment where you had to assign a specialist to a task, but that specialist has to die in the process? Would you then not pick Miranda even though she may objectively be the best suited for the task, because you are romancing her? This is why rules forbidding fraternization exist.
@@brainconqueror8095 In that case, I would choose Jacob the Sacrificial idiot. Jokes aside, if there was no other way and it would be the best solution - yep, I definitely would and probably romance Liara in ME3. (BTW, I used Miranda for every fire team mission during SM, I also used my second favorite character, Kasumi Goto, as a tech expert, and third favorite, Samara, as the shield specialist => during suicide mission I literally risked my favorite characters BUT I look at it from the other POV - I would send there Miranda even as my girlfriend because I know I can trust and rely on her to get the job done no matter what)
@@silverblade357 Placed by who no one placed her there she chose to join you in 2(She actually informed Reegor that she was gonna go with you and not return to the fleet) in 3 she was an admiral so no one had authority over her she volunteered to help you and decided on her own to join you after Rannoch. Literally in both games she decides to join you on her own. She follows you out of respect not because of any actual obligation. Edit: If by subordinate you mean she follows him and defers to his judgement than yes but what you seem to be implying is chain of command which doesn't apply to her as she's technically not under his command if anything she technically outranks him in 3 her being Admiral technically means she's equivalent to Hackett or Anderson
The sequence with Joker would make having no romance totally worth it. It is subtle, sweet, and ultimately makes the bond between Shepard and Joker even better as the chapter closes.
@@isaacalexander5286 god the thane scene just hits deep when he shows up as a ghost. It's because of that scene that, for me, thane feels like the canon romance for femshep (at least my femshep anyhow) it makes her sacrifice and the end all worthwhile as she ends up with thane whilst saving everyone else.
The most frustrating, but yet funny part of my play through of the games was I couldn’t tell with was Paragon and which was flirting. And I really was trying to remain friendly. But I’d always stumble into a route, and realize my last save was 6 missions back.
Same. I wanted to romance the space racist but was being nice to liara and all of a sudden she wanted to smash, so I rejected her. Fast forward to mass effect 2 and she forces a kiss on me.
This is especially a problem with Jack's romance in ME2. Her best character-development conversations are locked behind her romance having been initiated, and it isn't even obvious that you've initiated it.
@@CognizantCheddar That just happened on my most recent playthrough. Was trying to stay true to Liara and all of a sudden I m finding my shepard having talks of romance with Jack.😕
@@nick7072 don't they have a limited amount of females and they have a better chance of mating with a higher pedigree per that mission where everyone picks the renegade option of throwing the guy out of the window? They are actually what incels imagine themselves to be.
I actually really like the outcome if you choose no romance, seeing Shepard wake up like that really evokes that feeling that he's the only one: he's different, stronger than most, weighted by his influence and decisions, and that music pared with the setting really put the feeling into perspective. Thanks for showing me this Dan! Im very tempted to do a solo Shepard run now, it hits you in a different way than the traditional outcome.
I role-played it as mine being loyal to his wife and son who died before the first game, and the number of nightmares about the kid in ME3 being due to how much the boy reminded him of his own. And vice versa for my one FemShep playthrough.
Celebrate shepherd definitely hits different it makes the character feel much more sad and lonely. It is so much lonelier because despite having a big crew full of trusted comrades they still go to bed alone and awaken alone with nobody to share the burden with.
@@_MaZTeR_ The funny thing is there is at least one krogan in ME2 who wants to have sex with shepard after killing the thresher maw😂. I hope wrex taught shepard how to avoid krogan women.
@@emmanuel4989 Voice: "Urdnot Wrex!" Wrex: "Craaap!" F!Krogan: "Where is the Shepard! I've been pursuing him since the Thresher Maw! I knows he's somewhere on this wretched station but all these human soldiers look alike to me!" Wrex: "I, uh..." (looks at Shepard) Dialogue Wheel pops up "I'm Shepard." "Get me another drink." "Shepard's usually at his favorite store." Paragon: "Uh. He's Shepard." *(points at Conrad Verner)* Renegade: "Didn't you know? Wrex is the Shepard! The Council uses their influence to cover it all up."
Have you seen the one where FemShep romances Thane, stays true to him, and then has a conversation with his ghost right there? Total tearjerker moment.
Listening to Joker and Shep talk at the end of the citadel Dlc broke my heart. He's been there through it all and trying to cheer shep up even though they both know it's the end. God I love this
You also get an additional conversation with James where he asks Shepard why shepard doesn't have a relationship with anyone, where you can reply that either Shepard is too busy with his/her work as commander or that he/she hasn't found the right one just yet.
At least the romance choices are obvious. I remember in one of the Dragon Ages I was just being friendly to my team and then all of the sudden being straight wasn't an option anymore. No means no Anders!
@@spartanq7781 True as well, though, id take a discount Alistair over Anders anyday. (Though i think ANders was like that mostly due to Justice) I mena, between Cullen and Anders, id still take Cullen.
Being straight is always an option in the game. However how canonically bisexual characters react to being rejected is on them as people. If Anders wants to be an entitled little shit, then he can be. It doesn't mean that you as a player has to gentle him through that rejection.
It was definitely a interesting perspective, on this another reason why I will always love the mass effect series because of how many paths u can take. Great video 📹
In ME2, they should have had a scene where the crew has what could be their last meal together if you didn't romance anyone at all. Their reactions will be based on whether you got the good ingredients for Gardner or not.
Speaking of romance, the database in the Shadow Broker's lair mentions that our megalomaniac uncle with blue eyes, the Illusive Man, has an affair with four women simultaneously. But even after blowing off steam, he still looks as grim as a Reaper. Maybe the affairs didn't really work out.
Friendships before Relationships! Volcel Shed is all heart and business! Get shit done, form strong bonds, break no hearts! A real Catarina Claes roleplay build right there! Honestly, I know it’s kinda against Mass Effect tradition, but that’s my true-to-self playthrough.
The chaos with a Commander Catarina Claes lol and in true Catarina style, it'd be possible to get Harbinger to fall in love with you and then be totally oblivious to it lol
Except that it sidelined the ME1 characters completly: two of them got relegated to a cameo apperance and the third one didn't even counted for the trophy/achievement. It would have been neat if they had expanded the role of A/K in ME2 beyond a simple cameo in the Legendary Edition, as the ME VA regulary work with Modders, so as to have more than one scene type in ME3 rather than just their bull rushed development.
@@robertharris6092 Liara is very prominently as she gets her OWN excellent DLC, but the Virmire Survivor just gets sidelined, a mission after the Collector Base where we bumped into them getting out of Horizon would have been great if we blew up the Collector Base while if we saved it we ran into them as they were on a ship back into Alliance Space.
@Rettznom Very true, and worse I think LE made it even easier to give Kaiden the wrong idea. I spoke to him once then took him out of the party and never spoke to him again except when Ash died. And at the end he still asked if he could keep me company. I learned his romance wasn't worth it in ME2 so pass.
You might want to rethink the thumbnail - as "Incel" stand for "Involuntary Celibacy" (itself a misnomer); but if Shepard remains single throughout the game series then it is because that was a conscious choice not because he was unable to find a partner.
I've played like this, i thought that my Shepard would start a relation with tali when all the reaper shit was solved, imagine my regrets with the ending of ME3.
@@evanboll4651 That might give Sole Survivor and butcher of torfan a new meaning... Imagine your soldier-wife/husband died on akuze, or civilian-wife/husband cause of batarian raid.
I've done this with my FemShep. I just looked at everyone and thought that they all(including my character) had severe PTSD and needed a therapy instead of rushing to relationship just to temporarily feel good. I still think that was the right choice
Idk why but that little jog at the end of the Citadel DLC from shep always gets me, it feels so human and like they are just a person hanging out with good friend for once, no weight of the galaxy on their shoulders for atleast one moment
Do a video on how to make the most promiscuous male shepard possible through the trilogy... including shaira, the casual sex with Jack in me 2, kiss with miranda, romance with tali, the dlc sex scene with liara and kelly as a side piece.
Ah, gaming before these 'work in progress' games with 'future content coming.. maybe' were the norm. I've played ME1 when it came out, gave up during boring mako expedition 58 or something. Then ME2 was about to come out and looked amazing so i forced myself to replay ME1. I completely fell in love with the series then. I still hate the mako bits with a passion and find the ending of me3 a let down. But despite the (ample) faults it's the most expansive and engaging trilogy i've ever played.
this never happened to me on any of my playthroughs EXCEPT for the one where i was intentionally getting everyone killed, where traynor, one of the guaranteed survivors, tried to escape the photo.
I've willingly done this for both a FemShep and MShep playthrough roleplaying as the two having been married and one died before the first game, only to end up in an alternate reality where they were the one who lived, both being loyal to the end, then reuniting in a third reality after activating the Crucible and living out the rest of their lives in peace.
In one of my playthroughs, I went with the "no romance" playthrough. It kind of made sense to me that Shepard after going through so much shit and trauma in his life, now has to deal with the biggest threat in the galaxy, and practically the weight of it is on his shoulders, he wouldn't think about anything else other than finishing the damn war and then sleep the eternal slumber. It kind of feels poignant if you go the Paragon way; makes him seem almost enigmatic. The Commander who keeps throwing himself in the line of fire to save people whenever he can, the man who abstains from any pleasure or distractions because the thought of failure is always on his mind, and then either lives or dies at the end. It's actually one of my favorite playstyles.
On the other hand, you can have a tragic Shepard where she romances Kaidan but has to leave him on Virmire, romances Thane but then he dies in 3, romances Kelly but then she either dies at the Collector base or in 3, and romances Liara in 3 but then is taken from her at the end by going in that beam to the Citadel.
I actually did this trying to see if I could romance both ash and liara, i romanced ash first then sacrificed her at vermire then had a chat with liara.
Back when the original Mass Effect was all we had, I did one playthrough where I romanced the person I ended up sacrificing in VIrmire. I was extremely disappointed when this didn't lead to any unique dialogue. Dunno if it would lead to unique dialogue in future games or not.
Yeah I was so surprised when my Shep woke up next to Javik with that line that implies clearly that they hooked up... I was like, I didn't choose this! Also didn't get a romance trophy for that, lol dirty hookup with a 50,000 year old alien.
I actually didn’t romance anyone until Liara in ME3. But my Shepard already came to terms with her likely death and was just waiting for the shoe to drop, making it all so extra tragic how there was a wall between them until the very end. What can I say, I love the deathseeker-Shepard headcanon XD
It's a bit of a gip romancing Miranda. You always wake up alone in your cabin on the Normandy in 3. Not even a picture. She isn't even at your memorial after.
I experienced this in one of my playthroughs. Went full renegade, found that my Shepard was just too crappy for any romance to be believable, and then died alone at the end of ME3. Paragon and Renagon only, from here on out. Full renegade just isn't fun.
I get that scene of Shep waking up alone in ME3 a lot since they're often not in a romance with anyone in the squad - since I always do the party before Cronos Station, it becomes an even darker piece of foreshadowing for the ending.
First thing: Shep is not incel, cause he voluntarily does not romance anyone, despite everybody being positive to him doing so. Second: Lonely shep wake up scene is there even if you have romance, but your love interest is not part of the crew in me3. E.g. you'll still get this scene if you pursued Miranda or Jack and got paramour for it in me3.
I always get emotional at the Soundtrack when you finish the Citadel DLC. I play a lot of playthroughs in ME 3, now i dont finish the playthrough i play because i hated to see Anderson dying and the endings. Because i already knew all endings
Clint Mansell is fantastic. Check out his soundtrack to the movie The Fountain,. And of course there is Lux Eterna made famous in the trailer for The Two Towers.
I love the way you phrased "if you didn't romance Liara in ME1", implying that she's basically the only sensible romance option in ME1. And let's be real, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that 90% of the people romanced her on their first playthrough.
Actually when I played original Mass Effect for the first time, I had no idea that you even had an option to romance your crewmates, then in Mass Effect 2 I realised romancing is an option and I went with Miranda.
Reminds me of my first trilogy run, faithful to Liara all the way and trying to meta some dialogue post Kai Leng stealing what's it called, told her I needed to be alone. Didn't even realize that I missed the romance for years, figuring her "gift" had been it
@@christineherrmann205 Considering how few players choose to romance no one, and then do all the things to get this scene, it was a funny easter egg at most.
You should get an achievement called "HR Approved Commander". Having said that I can't resist Liara. And seriously can Femshep please have the option to be Ace?
Hey, so just wanted to say that playing me3, I had not romanced anyone by the time I did the citadel dlc. I didnt wake up next to javik, he was just in the bathroom being sick. I woke up alone. Playing as renegade femshep.
For me it's impossible not to romance anybody. First, the characters are too amazing. Second, even if I try not to romance anybody, characters still fall in love with Shepard because he or she is being nice with them.
the end of the citadel dlc breaks me every single time....the musical score, jokers lines "its been a good run" then shepard says "the best" ....just wrecks me
Wait... did I understand this correctly, the game forces that scene with javik if you are not romancing anyone? Feels like betrayal on developers' part, but perhaps the whole thing was just badly programmed. But then, I completed the dlc without rekindling my romance beforehand and shep woke up alone.
Me doing this run. Ashley: Nope Liara: Nope Jack: Hell nope Miranda: Noperoni Tali: Shepard!? Me who's favorite romance in Mass Effect is Tali: Resist the temptation, resist!!!!
I’ll always respect James because he’s the only person that seems to understand that saving the Galaxy shouldn’t involve banging his squad mates. And, yeah I know he hits on Ashley during the party but that’s a very specific scene and it’s just some flirting when they’re both drunk, and he seems to drop it after the DLC.
Let's be honest, Javik's voice alone would win me over let alone his epic morally gray or anti-hero vibes he gives off. His armor is cool looking too and I gotta admit, he is one attractive alien lol.
This is actually the only way I play the games. In-game romances hold absolutely no interest for me in any game (though the same could be said of real-life romance too). I like to play my Shep as a guy who is focused on saving the universe and just needs the support of his good friends; he's got more important things to do than chase after love right now.
Talks about Shep being single. Has picture of Tali on the nightstand 4:35 Guess she didn't survive the collector base. I wouldn't be able to move on from that either.
I still wonder why they always wake up with all their clothes/armor on. Like how did Shep get busy with anyone and you still wake up fully clothed? Lmao
I think the whole crew loves him, if you treat them right, just not in a romantic way... the ending of the trilogy is just enough proof of it... still sad
Love comes in many forms, sexual attraction (and the desire to act upon them) is only one of those forms. This Shep could be ACE and happy as a clam that everyone around them respects that.
@@thatlonelygiraffeinc.6989 I don't know if that's the case he might be interested but it might be more or less maybe he's too focused on the mission if that were to be the case but honestly if I was playing Shepherd or if I were Shepherd there's no way in hell I'm going to go into a suicide mission without finding somebody
I'll admit, I was upset about the Javik part because I wanted to do both genders without romance and since the male Shepard was what I expected....then the femshep happened and I was disturbed. So, I romanced Thane to prevent that from happening again.
When the legendary version came out I didn’t romance anyone. Cuz my head canon is that Shepard is hell bent on destroying the reapers that he didn’t even think about getting into a relationship
I heard Shepard gets a 20% boost to melee damage for each game he doesn't bang someone😎. Seriously though, I've done the whole "I don't have time for fraternization" professional soldier Shepard before, and while the LI conversations are great, I really do like that scene with Joker at the end of the Citadel DLC. It's poetic that you catch up with him being the first person you speak to in the franchise.
I've actually managed to do the Citadel DLC as Fem Shep who was single, and she still woke up in bed alone. I think you just gotta do... Something, to get Javik in bed too.
@Gi Gi Let's see... She was professional with James(Didn't allow him to call her "Lola") and Javik both. She was in a romance with Thane, and remained loyal till he died, and after, romancing and flirting with no one else up till she died in the Synthesis ending.
Only 6 more days left to grab the merch
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Can you do a Guide on how to romance (and avoid romances, and how to escape them)
Doesn't being single also trigger unique dialogue with Anderson at the end of ME3 where instead of the famous "I'm proud of you" dialogue, he asks Shepard if he/she has ever considered children, as he/she would make a great parent.
I've seen a clip of it once so I know it exists, but I'm not sure how it's triggered but I would assume it's tied to being single.
I love how EDI stands up just before the photo
I think I missed it
TH-cam really needs to treat that word “incel” like a racial slur. It’s super offensive. No one calls someone who doesn’t have children a “childless one.” Because not everyone is meant to be a parent, let alone wants to be a parent. And just because we’re all born from a man and a woman it doesn’t mean that we’re all gonna desire to have either of them in our lives full time.
The problem with the term “incel” is that it arrogantly assumes what goals and priorities a person must have in their life.
It’s like if someone made fun of you or tried to insult you because you didn’t like to go out to eat at restaurants. Because the idea of strangers preparing your food creeps you out.
None of us have an obligation to eat at restaurants. The same way we’re not obligated to have a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Joker should be standard for that walk back to the Normandy, homie’s been there since the very beginning. He’s LITERALLY the first person you speak with, and it’s Seth Green!
I sorta agree, I think it's important to the player that the romance option they choose gives them comfort
@@nolanschotanus2769 that’s a valid counterpoint. For role playing purposes comfort from the one you love in that situation makes sense. I suppose I just wish they had done more with their relationship. I can’t quite pinpoint the reason, but by the end I felt like they didn’t do enough with him; and that’s even with his little section from ME 2 in mind.
@@benjaminhoover8524 His appearance is also triggered if FemShep only romanced Thane. In case you haven't seen that Citadel DLC Ending, I'm not going to spoil what happens.
If you play as female shepherd, she says something to that fact about if she were interested in Joker. He basically Admits he’s too much of a bitch.
@@LordBloodraven what happened?
This the kind of Shepard who studies the omni-blade instead of engaging in premarital sex.
That vanguard rush tactic in insanity is of more importance than big blue tiddies
Weeb Shepard Confirmed.
The halal shepard
Queebs watching fleet and flotilla with their body pillows in an environment suit cover
@@danielawesome36
Noooooooooooooooo! 😂
You forgot the best one, Mordin asks Femshep if she's hitting on him and he politely rejects her saying he gets hit on a lot by many different species and says "if I were to try human, would try you"
omg yes i forgot about that hahah i love mordin
Also happens with Male Shep hilariously enough
@@TheKlm213 I mean with asexuals its the same thing as with bisexuals. Just from the other side - they dont care about male or female because they are interested in neither.
THEN TRY ME, FROG BOYY
What a bro, haha
There’s also a scene with James vega in the citadel dlc when he asks you about how you’re not with anyone.
I was wondering where that scene was. Huge missed opportunity
BigDan been slipping
Sounds like Big Dan needs to do another video-to the Dancave,Big Dan!
also if I remember correctly James can take Javik's place at the end of the party.
@@ColinRoxs you have to exclusively flirt with James and get him drunk. If you're choosing to be an flirt-less Shepard, it won't happen
There’s actually one additional detail relevant to ME1.
While the Normandy has been grounded by Udina, BEFORE you escape the Citadel, there is a cutscene on the Normandy where Shepard is sitting on the floor at their locker (opposite where Kaidan normally stands), frustratedly talking to themself about Udina betraying them.
At this point, if Shepard has a love interest, they will come and comfort Shepard. Joker will interrupt through the intercom, and Shepard will ask “were you spying on us?”.
If Shepard has no love interest, then nobody will come to comfort them, and they will continue to sit on the floor. Joker will still interrupt through the intercom, and Shepard will instead reply “were you spying on me”.
Weird
Why mine is just standing around?
I'm doing that right now and I called it Ace Shepard Run. Or the "Shepard understands workplace bounderies and does not hit on his employees run"
My Femshep in the first game was this
Then along came the Garrus romance so I gave that up
@@beccal7133 It's ok you don't pay Garrus
Ace Fem Shep is hilarious to play in 3. Traynor gets VERY much the wrong idea when you hang out with her in the captain's quarters.
"Even though he is not technically Alliance really for most of the trilogy."
Kaiden and Ashley are the only romances that can be considered to be Shepherds subordinates even then that's not technically correct
I imagine somebody accidentally played this way throughout the trilogy because they thought what Ashley said about fraternization was serious.
That doesnt stop you from dating all the alliens. Only Kaiden, Ashley, maybe Jacob but thats it.
Fraternization is a serious matter in actual militaries. People can be court martialed, dishonorably discharged and in some cases even sent to prison for violating it. In fact, had the trilogy given me romance options that weren’t on your ship or part of your squad, such as say that cop on Noveria, that scientist on Feros, or someone on the Citadel, I’d have preferred that to someone whose life is mine to risk in combat.
@@brainconqueror8095 Well, Miranda is sort of that woman because she is not part of the alliance and for the most part she does her own thing after ME2 SM is over.
@@Dark_Voice but you have to initiate the romance while she is your XO in the second game. Granted, at this point you aren’t in an official military, but you still got way more than friendly with one of your subordinates. What if the Suicide Mission had a Virmire like moment where you had to assign a specialist to a task, but that specialist has to die in the process? Would you then not pick Miranda even though she may objectively be the best suited for the task, because you are romancing her? This is why rules forbidding fraternization exist.
@@brainconqueror8095 In that case, I would choose Jacob the Sacrificial idiot. Jokes aside, if there was no other way and it would be the best solution - yep, I definitely would and probably romance Liara in ME3.
(BTW, I used Miranda for every fire team mission during SM, I also used my second favorite character, Kasumi Goto, as a tech expert, and third favorite, Samara, as the shield specialist => during suicide mission I literally risked my favorite characters BUT I look at it from the other POV - I would send there Miranda even as my girlfriend because I know I can trust and rely on her to get the job done no matter what)
That's not being an incel or involuntarily celibate. That'd just be Shepard being a professional officer and not fraternizing with his subordinates.
Right? its funny how manny people don´t see that.
Sometimes people playing romantic games too much
But Tali technically isn't his subordinate
@@gokublack8342 Tali was officially placed under his command in ME2 and ME3. That's makes her his subordinate.
@@silverblade357 Placed by who no one placed her there she chose to join you in 2(She actually informed Reegor that she was gonna go with you and not return to the fleet) in 3 she was an admiral so no one had authority over her she volunteered to help you and decided on her own to join you after Rannoch. Literally in both games she decides to join you on her own. She follows you out of respect not because of any actual obligation. Edit: If by subordinate you mean she follows him and defers to his judgement than yes but what you seem to be implying is chain of command which doesn't apply to her as she's technically not under his command if anything she technically outranks him in 3 her being Admiral technically means she's equivalent to Hackett or Anderson
The sequence with Joker would make having no romance totally worth it.
It is subtle, sweet, and ultimately makes the bond between Shepard and Joker even better as the chapter closes.
You can still get that with the Thane romance
@@isaacalexander5286 god the thane scene just hits deep when he shows up as a ghost. It's because of that scene that, for me, thane feels like the canon romance for femshep (at least my femshep anyhow) it makes her sacrifice and the end all worthwhile as she ends up with thane whilst saving everyone else.
@@ThePr0jection This. This is why ThaneShep's my headcanon.
@@ThePr0jection Thane's wife would throw a wrench in that afterlife reunion though... (No, not that Afterlife)
The most frustrating, but yet funny part of my play through of the games was I couldn’t tell with was Paragon and which was flirting. And I really was trying to remain friendly. But I’d always stumble into a route, and realize my last save was 6 missions back.
My goodness, so much yes! Happend to me in DAO as well, if the memory serves
Yes I've done that.
Same. I wanted to romance the space racist but was being nice to liara and all of a sudden she wanted to smash, so I rejected her. Fast forward to mass effect 2 and she forces a kiss on me.
This is especially a problem with Jack's romance in ME2. Her best character-development conversations are locked behind her romance having been initiated, and it isn't even obvious that you've initiated it.
@@CognizantCheddar That just happened on my most recent playthrough. Was trying to stay true to Liara and all of a sudden I m finding my shepard having talks of romance with Jack.😕
Isn't he being voluntarily celibate? That would make him a volcel, which is actually a new species in Mass Effect 5
More like Salarians are already volcels, lol.
@@nick7072 don't they have a limited amount of females and they have a better chance of mating with a higher pedigree per that mission where everyone picks the renegade option of throwing the guy out of the window?
They are actually what incels imagine themselves to be.
Technically, it's just being a good commander who isn't taking advantage of his subordinates. So he's not an incel or volcel... I should go.
Or just an ace.
Ace/Aro Shep is a valid path
I actually really like the outcome if you choose no romance, seeing Shepard wake up like that really evokes that feeling that he's the only one: he's different, stronger than most, weighted by his influence and decisions, and that music pared with the setting really put the feeling into perspective.
Thanks for showing me this Dan! Im very tempted to do a solo Shepard run now, it hits you in a different way than the traditional outcome.
I role-played it as mine being loyal to his wife and son who died before the first game, and the number of nightmares about the kid in ME3 being due to how much the boy reminded him of his own. And vice versa for my one FemShep playthrough.
i was thinking that too, when he woke up all by himself the music in the background kind of made the scene haunting
@CYB3R2K30 Each to their own.
@@evanboll4651 Fuck that loyalty shit. I'm passing myself around
Celebrate shepherd definitely hits different it makes the character feel much more sad and lonely. It is so much lonelier because despite having a big crew full of trusted comrades they still go to bed alone and awaken alone with nobody to share the burden with.
"Why are you not with anybody?"
Shepard: I am busy with SAVING THE GALAXY!
He's saving his Thanix cannon for marriage, it's pre-Thermal Clip so it overheats
Asian Spacer Shepard calling his mom in the citadel dlc
they are too busy solving everybody else problems to have a love life lol
How is that an incel path if he voluntary chooses it? Everyone wants a piece of Shepard.
More like Volcel.
He had to escape from his own bathroom window.
This male Shepard wanted wrex. He’s an incel :(
Tell that to Katsumi. She wasnt on board at all :(
@@_MaZTeR_ The funny thing is there is at least one krogan in ME2 who wants to have sex with shepard after killing the thresher maw😂. I hope wrex taught shepard how to avoid krogan women.
@@emmanuel4989
Voice: "Urdnot Wrex!"
Wrex: "Craaap!"
F!Krogan: "Where is the Shepard! I've been pursuing him since the Thresher Maw! I knows he's somewhere on this wretched station but all these human soldiers look alike to me!"
Wrex: "I, uh..." (looks at Shepard)
Dialogue Wheel pops up
"I'm Shepard."
"Get me another drink."
"Shepard's usually at his favorite store."
Paragon: "Uh. He's Shepard." *(points at Conrad Verner)*
Renegade: "Didn't you know? Wrex is the Shepard! The Council uses their influence to cover it all up."
That final cutscene in me3 citadel always hits me in feels just hearing shepard go, "the best" will always hurt just a bit
Have you seen the one where FemShep romances Thane, stays true to him, and then has a conversation with his ghost right there?
Total tearjerker moment.
Listening to Joker and Shep talk at the end of the citadel Dlc broke my heart. He's been there through it all and trying to cheer shep up even though they both know it's the end. God I love this
You also get an additional conversation with James where he asks Shepard why shepard doesn't have a relationship with anyone, where you can reply that either Shepard is too busy with his/her work as commander or that he/she hasn't found the right one just yet.
At least the romance choices are obvious. I remember in one of the Dragon Ages I was just being friendly to my team and then all of the sudden being straight wasn't an option anymore. No means no Anders!
I fucking hate that so much. There is no neutral option. It's either yes or no and he gets pissy at you over that.
Luckily it was "only" Anders really, they made him dirty in DA2 anyways. He was such a cool character in Awakening.
@@astralaris8712 To be honest in Awakening he was just discount Allister.
@@spartanq7781 True as well, though, id take a discount Alistair over Anders anyday. (Though i think ANders was like that mostly due to Justice)
I mena, between Cullen and Anders, id still take Cullen.
Being straight is always an option in the game. However how canonically bisexual characters react to being rejected is on them as people. If Anders wants to be an entitled little shit, then he can be. It doesn't mean that you as a player has to gentle him through that rejection.
It was definitely a interesting perspective, on this another reason why I will always love the mass effect series because of how many paths u can take. Great video 📹
In ME2, they should have had a scene where the crew has what could be their last meal together if you didn't romance anyone at all. Their reactions will be based on whether you got the good ingredients for Gardner or not.
If you wanted to play through the series as a PTSD riddled loner with the weight of the universe on your shoulders. It's amazing you can do that.
Speaking of romance, the database in the Shadow Broker's lair mentions that our megalomaniac uncle with blue eyes, the Illusive Man, has an affair with four women simultaneously. But even after blowing off steam, he still looks as grim as a Reaper. Maybe the affairs didn't really work out.
That or they found out.
@@Mysticgamer well one of them was an Asari so....
Wait illusive man is Shepard's uncle?
@@mangavf2525 No, 'megalomaniac uncle with blue eyes' is a nickname for the Illusive Man, given by me.
@@Arijit_Das_ though to be honest,he`d make a great uncle.
Friendships before Relationships! Volcel Shed is all heart and business! Get shit done, form strong bonds, break no hearts!
A real Catarina Claes roleplay build right there!
Honestly, I know it’s kinda against Mass Effect tradition, but that’s my true-to-self playthrough.
The chaos with a Commander Catarina Claes lol and in true Catarina style, it'd be possible to get Harbinger to fall in love with you and then be totally oblivious to it lol
'Support friendship' between Miranda and Jack has a way more funnier dialogue. 😆
Jack: "Kasumi, I will find you and I will hurt you badly."
Kasumi and her cloaking is hilarious at the party.
That killed me last time I played. Probably one of funniest lines in the series.
@@Jedi_Spartan Yeah, Kasumi's cloaking prank is one of the best.
The romance in ME1 is one of the few things i didn't like about the game. I'm glad it was greatly improved in ME2.
Except that it sidelined the ME1 characters completly: two of them got relegated to a cameo apperance and the third one didn't even counted for the trophy/achievement. It would have been neat if they had expanded the role of A/K in ME2 beyond a simple cameo in the Legendary Edition, as the ME VA regulary work with Modders, so as to have more than one scene type in ME3 rather than just their bull rushed development.
@@luisemoralesfalcon4716 yeah its stupid that ME2 removes all 3 ME1 romances as squad members.
@@robertharris6092 Liara is very prominently as she gets her OWN excellent DLC, but the Virmire Survivor just gets sidelined, a mission after the Collector Base where we bumped into them getting out of Horizon would have been great if we blew up the Collector Base while if we saved it we ran into them as they were on a ship back into Alliance Space.
Yes. This embarassing scene there male Shepard is forced to choose Ash or Liara. It's so teenagers wet dream.
@Rettznom Very true, and worse I think LE made it even easier to give Kaiden the wrong idea. I spoke to him once then took him out of the party and never spoke to him again except when Ash died. And at the end he still asked if he could keep me company. I learned his romance wasn't worth it in ME2 so pass.
You might want to rethink the thumbnail - as "Incel" stand for "Involuntary Celibacy" (itself a misnomer); but if Shepard remains single throughout the game series then it is because that was a conscious choice not because he was unable to find a partner.
I've played like this, i thought that my Shepard would start a relation with tali when all the reaper shit was solved, imagine my regrets with the ending of ME3.
I played it as Shepard being loyal to his wife who died before ME1, and vice versa for my FemShep playthrough.
@@evanboll4651
That might give Sole Survivor and butcher of torfan a new meaning...
Imagine your soldier-wife/husband died on akuze, or civilian-wife/husband cause of batarian raid.
ironic considering big dan's appearance
@@Blox117😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Savage 😂😂😂
I've done this with my FemShep. I just looked at everyone and thought that they all(including my character) had severe PTSD and needed a therapy instead of rushing to relationship just to temporarily feel good. I still think that was the right choice
Then everyone dies without having either.
the scene with joker at the end of the citadel dlc is actually more emotionally impactful then with my partner in these games somehow.
I agree to me Joker is a brother to Shepard
when a joker (or a Joker) stops joking...it hits you
Cuz he's the homie. The GOAT.
"what if shepard acutaly acted like a miltiary officer should"
Idk why but that little jog at the end of the Citadel DLC from shep always gets me, it feels so human and like they are just a person hanging out with good friend for once, no weight of the galaxy on their shoulders for atleast one moment
Do a video on how to make the most promiscuous male shepard possible through the trilogy... including shaira, the casual sex with Jack in me 2, kiss with miranda, romance with tali, the dlc sex scene with liara and kelly as a side piece.
What dlc was that
@@enochb3939 shadow broker
@@felipe0102031 Did u have to romance Lira in ME1 an then Kelly in ME2 to tigger it or something?
I'm playing a Shep like this right now 😁 I think you can also start a new romance with Ash in ME3?
@@KaizokuOujo it's true you can still have a encounter with kelly in me3 in the citadel and then dump then all to romance Ashley
I find it quite amazing that there is so much content in Mass Effect that an entire youtube channel is almost entirely dedicated to the trilogy.
Yeah. i domt tbink any one person could play through every possiblr choice without doing it like a job.
Ah, gaming before these 'work in progress' games with 'future content coming.. maybe' were the norm.
I've played ME1 when it came out, gave up during boring mako expedition 58 or something. Then ME2 was about to come out and looked amazing so i forced myself to replay ME1. I completely fell in love with the series then. I still hate the mako bits with a passion and find the ending of me3 a let down. But despite the (ample) faults it's the most expansive and engaging trilogy i've ever played.
@@robertharris6092 exactly!! You wouldn't safely be able to skip any of the dialog in case of accidentally making a choice you didn't mean to make...
4:52 EDI stands up for nano second before picture is taken
this never happened to me on any of my playthroughs EXCEPT for the one where i was intentionally getting everyone killed, where traynor, one of the guaranteed survivors, tried to escape the photo.
Yeah wtf was that
Creepy
I always wonder how experienced content creators manage to create an 8-minute video from the phrase “Nothing Happens.”
I've willingly done this for both a FemShep and MShep playthrough roleplaying as the two having been married and one died before the first game, only to end up in an alternate reality where they were the one who lived, both being loyal to the end, then reuniting in a third reality after activating the Crucible and living out the rest of their lives in peace.
Wow! That's a new headcannon for me. Never heard that one before. Interesting. :)
Shepard was the one that Shepard has been waiting for all of their life.
This reminds me of Fallout 4.
In one of my playthroughs, I went with the "no romance" playthrough. It kind of made sense to me that Shepard after going through so much shit and trauma in his life, now has to deal with the biggest threat in the galaxy, and practically the weight of it is on his shoulders, he wouldn't think about anything else other than finishing the damn war and then sleep the eternal slumber. It kind of feels poignant if you go the Paragon way; makes him seem almost enigmatic. The Commander who keeps throwing himself in the line of fire to save people whenever he can, the man who abstains from any pleasure or distractions because the thought of failure is always on his mind, and then either lives or dies at the end. It's actually one of my favorite playstyles.
On the other hand, you can have a tragic Shepard where she romances Kaidan but has to leave him on Virmire, romances Thane but then he dies in 3, romances Kelly but then she either dies at the Collector base or in 3, and romances Liara in 3 but then is taken from her at the end by going in that beam to the Citadel.
bruuuuuuh
Your poor Shep can’t catch a break
I actually did this trying to see if I could romance both ash and liara, i romanced ash first then sacrificed her at vermire then had a chat with liara.
Back when the original Mass Effect was all we had, I did one playthrough where I romanced the person I ended up sacrificing in VIrmire. I was extremely disappointed when this didn't lead to any unique dialogue. Dunno if it would lead to unique dialogue in future games or not.
On my first ever play through I actually tried not romancing anyone but accidentally stumbled into one with Ashley. This was honestly fun to see.
5:22 The tune here was so nostalgic...aah, it made Citadel dlc more impactful.
Yeah I was so surprised when my Shep woke up next to Javik with that line that implies clearly that they hooked up... I was like, I didn't choose this! Also didn't get a romance trophy for that, lol dirty hookup with a 50,000 year old alien.
It turns out there is one thing primitives are good at
Yeah that is pretty messed up!
Wait, so Sheperd randomly hooks up with Mr. Airlock?
Damn, the fanfic writers probably lost their minds
I actually didn’t romance anyone until Liara in ME3. But my Shepard already came to terms with her likely death and was just waiting for the shoe to drop, making it all so extra tragic how there was a wall between them until the very end. What can I say, I love the deathseeker-Shepard headcanon XD
Shepard during my playthroughs:
Mass Effect 1: The mission is too important to let personal feelings get in the way.
Mass Effect 2 & 3: Hi, Tali.
Incel??? Shepard is a god damn Chad, he's got several people crushing on him throughout the trilogy.
"Maybe when I'm done helping the people of Zhu's Hope, and you're done doing...whatever it is you're doing...maybe..."
That's NOT incel. He was VOLUNTARILY not having romantic/sexual relations.
@@newbiegain117 He was also jacked and tan and not sitting in his bedroom all day complaining on Reddit.
That Commander is a man of faith. No sex before marriage.
AKA: what if Shepard was ACTUALLY the player.
It's a bit of a gip romancing Miranda. You always wake up alone in your cabin on the Normandy in 3. Not even a picture. She isn't even at your memorial after.
1:31 I'm guessing you didn't buy any fish during this test.
I experienced this in one of my playthroughs. Went full renegade, found that my Shepard was just too crappy for any romance to be believable, and then died alone at the end of ME3.
Paragon and Renagon only, from here on out. Full renegade just isn't fun.
I get that scene of Shep waking up alone in ME3 a lot since they're often not in a romance with anyone in the squad - since I always do the party before Cronos Station, it becomes an even darker piece of foreshadowing for the ending.
This is what I got in most of my serious playthroughs back in the day.
Kind of makes me glad I didn't have From Ashes at the time.
Waking up next to Javik sounds and looks so wrong! 🤣
First thing: Shep is not incel, cause he voluntarily does not romance anyone, despite everybody being positive to him doing so.
Second: Lonely shep wake up scene is there even if you have romance, but your love interest is not part of the crew in me3. E.g. you'll still get this scene if you pursued Miranda or Jack and got paramour for it in me3.
My FemShep in my LE playthrough only romanced Jacob on ME2.
So it was basically like I romanced no one throughout the trilogy...
Wait. You what?
@@mingQWERTY yeah I know, why would anyone ever romance Jacob, I’d never romanced him before so thought I’d try something different.
Garrus: That's nasty!😐
That part where Liara is crying and renegade Shep is just looming there over her shoulder with the demon eyes is so uncomfortable ngl.
I always get emotional at the Soundtrack when you finish the Citadel DLC. I play a lot of playthroughs in ME 3, now i dont finish the playthrough i play because i hated to see Anderson dying and the endings. Because i already knew all endings
Clint Mansell is fantastic. Check out his soundtrack to the movie The Fountain,. And of course there is Lux Eterna made famous in the trailer for The Two Towers.
I love the way you phrased "if you didn't romance Liara in ME1", implying that she's basically the only sensible romance option in ME1. And let's be real, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that 90% of the people romanced her on their first playthrough.
Guilty as charged.
the Fox News segment only featured her after all
Yeah I did not. I loved Tali right away. This was before I knew ME2 was going to exist.
@@Rith9789 u cant romance Tali in mass effect 1 tho
Actually when I played original Mass Effect for the first time, I had no idea that you even had an option to romance your crewmates, then in Mass Effect 2 I realised romancing is an option and I went with Miranda.
Reminds me of my first trilogy run, faithful to Liara all the way and trying to meta some dialogue post Kai Leng stealing what's it called, told her I needed to be alone. Didn't even realize that I missed the romance for years, figuring her "gift" had been it
Javik: allow me to introduce myself ;)
Worst decision they made for Citadel DLC. Ok, one of them.
@@christineherrmann205 Considering how few players choose to romance no one, and then do all the things to get this scene, it was a funny easter egg at most.
It was nice seeing Joker comforting Shepard honestly never seen that scene
You should get an achievement called "HR Approved Commander". Having said that I can't resist Liara. And seriously can Femshep please have the option to be Ace?
So far my latest playthrough I ended up doing this without realizing it. Now I know what happens
Hey, so just wanted to say that playing me3, I had not romanced anyone by the time I did the citadel dlc. I didnt wake up next to javik, he was just in the bathroom being sick. I woke up alone. Playing as renegade femshep.
Mass effect without romance doesn't really feel like mass effect.
I love how Tali's photo was still on the nightstand LMFAOOOO that shit had me busting up laughing
Incel Shepard? More like sigma Shepard
Definitely. Shepard having romance makes more sense to me.
Younger me playing mass effect never romancing anyone and not even realizing that it was a concept
EDI jumpscare at 4:52
For me it's impossible not to romance anybody. First, the characters are too amazing. Second, even if I try not to romance anybody, characters still fall in love with Shepard because he or she is being nice with them.
Shepard is not an INcel. He's making an active effort to not fraternize and keep his eyes on the mission
the end of the citadel dlc breaks me every single time....the musical score, jokers lines "its been a good run" then shepard says "the best" ....just wrecks me
Wait... did I understand this correctly, the game forces that scene with javik if you are not romancing anyone? Feels like betrayal on developers' part, but perhaps the whole thing was just badly programmed. But then, I completed the dlc without rekindling my romance beforehand and shep woke up alone.
Me doing this run.
Ashley: Nope
Liara: Nope
Jack: Hell nope
Miranda: Noperoni
Tali: Shepard!?
Me who's favorite romance in Mass Effect is Tali: Resist the temptation, resist!!!!
Tali is best I always romance her
This is how my son plays it. He says his Shepard is asexual.
Shepard loves everyone too much to just love someone. That's why he will save us all. Smart kid.
@@magicalmanfromwonderland That's now how love works lol
Disown your kid
@@cheefqueef6494 My son says that Shepard's true love is the military. Can't fault him on that...
Shepard: It's Just A Dream
Garrus: Hello Shepard
Shepard: Noooo
Goggles Shepard has more game than regular Shepard... there I said it
I’ll always respect James because he’s the only person that seems to understand that saving the Galaxy shouldn’t involve banging his squad mates.
And, yeah I know he hits on Ashley during the party but that’s a very specific scene and it’s just some flirting when they’re both drunk, and he seems to drop it after the DLC.
I think you're using the word incel wrong. It means involuntarily celibate, as in, not by choice. This playthrough is more perpetual bachelor.
Incel has lost all meeting like simp
Only women can truly be an incel.
@@jordandennis6794 It really has. Nowadays it tends to be used as a derogatory term, as if a man who doesn't have sex is somehow less of a man.
@@Not_Always Millennials are the worst. Could say the same for lonely zoomers that instigate shit.
And that is how Shepard became the most powerful human biotic in the entire Milky Way galaxy.
At 4:52 did anyone else see EDI stand up real quick and back down in that split frame scene?
Yeah
“ There is no other landing zone!”- my lover
Interesting that Jarvik woke up wearing his armor. Cmon.
They all do. It's ridiculous. Hell, can they at least be in their underwear!?
Let's be honest, Javik's voice alone would win me over let alone his epic morally gray or anti-hero vibes he gives off. His armor is cool looking too and I gotta admit, he is one attractive alien lol.
This is actually the only way I play the games. In-game romances hold absolutely no interest for me in any game (though the same could be said of real-life romance too). I like to play my Shep as a guy who is focused on saving the universe and just needs the support of his good friends; he's got more important things to do than chase after love right now.
Talks about Shep being single. Has picture of Tali on the nightstand 4:35
Guess she didn't survive the collector base. I wouldn't be able to move on from that either.
A one nighter with javik complete with buyer's remorse. LMFAO 😂😆
I still wonder why they always wake up with all their clothes/armor on. Like how did Shep get busy with anyone and you still wake up fully clothed? Lmao
On my first playthrough I didn't romance anyone. I didn't even talk to teammates in ME1 😂
I’m still salty that FemShep can’t romance Joker. He’s my favorite character.
5:55 damn, this part breaks my heart. this probably was bioware's last piece of decent content which makes it even stronger.
This is so sad Shepard needs a romance him goin through hell and having no one to love him is just so sad
I think the whole crew loves him, if you treat them right, just not in a romantic way... the ending of the trilogy is just enough proof of it... still sad
Love comes in many forms, sexual attraction (and the desire to act upon them) is only one of those forms.
This Shep could be ACE and happy as a clam that everyone around them respects that.
Maybe he just isn't interested
@@thatlonelygiraffeinc.6989 I don't know if that's the case he might be interested but it might be more or less maybe he's too focused on the mission if that were to be the case but honestly if I was playing Shepherd or if I were Shepherd there's no way in hell I'm going to go into a suicide mission without finding somebody
You forgot that the Virmire survivor is more likely to trust you in 3 if you romanced them in 1.
I'll admit, I was upset about the Javik part because I wanted to do both genders without romance and since the male Shepard was what I expected....then the femshep happened and I was disturbed. So, I romanced Thane to prevent that from happening again.
Omg that ONS with the Prothean is hilarious.
I did this on my first playthrough since I never really play this sort of thing
When the legendary version came out I didn’t romance anyone. Cuz my head canon is that Shepard is hell bent on destroying the reapers that he didn’t even think about getting into a relationship
Keep it professional, no hanky panky, and no love drama. Just like me. OH GOD, IM SO LONELY. 😭
I heard Shepard gets a 20% boost to melee damage for each game he doesn't bang someone😎.
Seriously though, I've done the whole "I don't have time for fraternization" professional soldier Shepard before, and while the LI conversations are great, I really do like that scene with Joker at the end of the Citadel DLC. It's poetic that you catch up with him being the first person you speak to in the franchise.
I've actually managed to do the Citadel DLC as Fem Shep who was single, and she still woke up in bed alone. I think you just gotta do... Something, to get Javik in bed too.
@Gi Gi Let's see...
She was professional with James(Didn't allow him to call her "Lola") and Javik both.
She was in a romance with Thane, and remained loyal till he died, and after, romancing and flirting with no one else up till she died in the Synthesis ending.