Line #188 FanFic/RazorsEdge


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/razors_edge_small_1565.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Offical Razor's Edge Cover Art - See full size and RE's Tali at animemagix.deviantart.com]]
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4	''Razor's Edge'' is a ''Franchise/MassEffect'' fanfic trilogy by [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2399641/Tairis-Deamhan Tairis Deamhan]]
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6	The first installment in the series, ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6049842/1/Razor-s-Edge Razor's Edge]]'', covers the events of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''. Its immediate sequel, ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6814325/1/Razor-s-Edge-Dark-Witness Razor's Edge: Dark Witness]]'' picks up right after the ending and deals with the events of [[{{DLC}} Lair of the Shadow Broker]]. The third installment in the series, ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7952484/1/Razor-s-Edge-Requiem Razor's Edge: Requiem]]'' features the events of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''.
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8	The trilogy focuses strongly on a Shepard/Tali pairing, with much [[AdaptationExpansion expansion]] to the canon plot as well as copious helpings of CharacterDevelopment.
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10	Note that the Shepard featured has a combination of the Spacer and SoleSurvivor backgrounds, with a smashing of Colonist added in for flavour.
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12	For tropes relating to the original go to ''Franchise/MassEffect''.
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14	----
15	!!Tropes contained in Razor's Edge:
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17	* ActionPrologue: Razor's Edge begins with the Collector attack on the Normandy, same as Mass Effect 2.
18	* AdaptationDistillation: In the first story, the events of Zaeed's and Kasumi's loyalty missions are combined into one chapter, with Vido Santiago and a bunch of his Blue Suns thugs being guests at Donovan Hock's party and an explosion in the vault causing the fire that threatens to kill a lot of civilians.
19	** Similarly, Samara and Thane's recruitment missions are combined.
20	** On another note, the events of the Overlord DLC are not touched upon at all, probably because the author hadn't played it when he started writing the series. The Arrival DLC isn't really dealt with in much detail, but that's because the author does not like that particular DLC at all and has expressed irritation at how heavy-handed the plot's {{Railroading}} is in it.
21	** Also, perhaps more in the vein of a PragmaticAdaptation, some of the more humorous elements of the Mass Effect universe that are LeaningOnTheFourthWall are absent: examples include Conrad Verner and the Friend Zone Turian/Valley Girl Quarian, who are nowhere to be found in this series.
22	** The author has stated he will not be covering the Citadel DLC due to it not fitting the story's tone or pacing. It receives, at best, small mentions here and then.
23	** Shepard and his team never go to Sanctuary in ''Requiem.'' Instead, they discover Cronos Station thanks to the fact that some of the Leviathans' thralls were Cerberus sleeper agents and Leviathan was able to extract the location of the station by putting together bits of information from various agents. Because of that, the plot-important events of Sanctuary take place on Cronos, although [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome we don't see how Miranda dealt with her father.]] In addition to that, there are very few Cerberus troops on Cronos so it's more or less a straight shot from the hangar to the control center. Shepard attributes that last part to Kai Leng losing his mind and becoming obsessed with [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou killing Shepard personally.]]
24	* AdaptationExpansion: Many events in the games that seem improbable or outright silly are given serious consideration as to how they could have happened. A very notable example is the Cerberus takeover of the Citadel in ''Requiem''. Considerable attention is paid to how exactly an NGOSuperpower would be able to invade a space station that is 25 kilometers long and defended by a powerful multinational fleet as well as how difficult it would be to repel an invasion of that magnitude once it had become firmly entrenched.
25	* AdaptationalBadass:
26	** Kai Leng. Who manages to shrug off [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice being impaled in the chest.]] (Which killed him in the actual game.) And on Cronos Station, we see that [[spoiler: he fully upgrades himself with Reaper implants, mutating into a horrific man-machine abomination that barely looks human.]]
27	** The Illusive Man as well. See MagnificentBastard for more information.
28	** Not to mention the Shadow Broker. Using his information network to find out every secret and weakness of the Normandy's crew and then [[ManipulativeBastard ruthlessly exploiting it.]]
29	** Cerberus Phantoms were just a bunch of EliteMooks in the game. In ''Requiem'', they make their debut very late in the story and are treated as a sort of PraetorianGuard. [[spoiler: Although a SubvertedTrope, as Kai Leng still says they're expendable and easily replaced, and Shepard and his team don't have too much trouble taking care of them despite their grand entrance.]]
30	* AdaptationalVillainy: It is indirectly confirmed [[spoiler: by a fully-indoctrinated Kai Leng that The Illusive Man is not indoctrinated by the Reapers, and he is pursuing an agenda to take control of the Reaper fleet on his own. Although again, [[SubvertedTrope subverted]], as by the time Anderson and Shepard confront him on the Citadel, he has become fully indoctrinated and events play out much like they did in the canon game.]]
31	* AffablyEvil: The Shadow Broker assassin waiting for Shepard in Liara's office in ''Dark Witness'' is unfailingly polite and jovial and considers Shepard a WorthyOpponent.
32	* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Shepard's mother tells Tali about the time that she found an issue of Fornax [[PornStash under John's bed]].
33	* ArcWords: "Find something WorthLivingFor." This comes up several times during both ''Razor's Edge'' and ''Requiem''.
34	* ArchEnemy: ''Razor's Edge'' treats Saren as Shepard's most personal foe.
35	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: [[spoiler:Ghost!Saren give Shepard a rather awesome one while he is suffering from the Reaper's attempt at indoctrination on Rannoch. ''"Then why are you the one running?"'']]
36	* AscendedExtra: [[ClassyCatBurglar Kasumi]] is one of the major characters in this fic. She gets a lot more screen time compared to {{Canon}}, is best friends with Tali, and in ''Requiem'' even rejoins Shepard. Also has a great deal of ShipTease with Garrus.
37	** Urz even joins the party after Tuchanka as the TeamPet. He proves invaluable during the Collector attack on the Normandy by [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome taking down a Collector that almost had Joker.]]
38	** Also the Rachni have a FAR larger part during ''Requiem'' than in the canon game. [[spoiler: The Queen saves Shepard's life during his attempted LastStand on Utukku and helps him overcome his indoctrination before lending her armada to the alliance against the Reapers. Two Rachni foot-soldiers also become regular members of the Normandy Crew]].
39	** Considering that she was nothing more than a very minor, unnamed sidequest character in the second game, everything about Quin'Sala a.k.a. Slave Girl Quarian on Ilium. She's appeared in every ''Razor's Edge'' installment.
40	** Lia'Vael nar Ulnay also gets a little more screen time in the first story by getting to share some girl talk with Tali. Then she gets into some troublesome shenanigans with Kolyat in ''Dark Witness.''
41	** Miranda Lawson has a much larger role in ''Requiem'' than in the vanilla ''Mass Effect 3'', with Shepard hand-picking her to lead the operation to liberate Omega from Oleg Petrovsky.
42	* TheAtoner: Han'Gerrel after the events of Rannoch.
43	* AwesomeButImpractical: Shortly before the battle of Rannoch, Kasumi enlists the aid of Legion and the rachni to upgrade Shepard, Garrus, and Tali's armor with miniaturized quantum entanglement communications devices. Shepard is the first to ask if it would be possible to distribute these across the entire war effort. Legion's answer is no, since a single one of the devices costs the equivalent of 168.3 million credits. Or enough to build an entire frigate.
44	* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: After a plan is made to officially unite the galaxy under a single banner, an Alliance devoted to destroying the Reapers, [[spoiler: the Commander is unanimously voted by all the races into "Praetor" Shepard.]]
45	* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: Unlike in canon, in ''Requiem'' Udina is killed by Kai Leng right before he could launch into a MotiveRant on why he chose to work with Cerberus.
46	* BattleCouple: Shepard and Tali, after their RelationshipUpgrade of course. [[spoiler: Garrus & Kasumi graduate to one in ''Requiem.'']]
47	* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Well more like battle in the center of the Geth consensus.
48	** [[spoiler:Also Shepard versus all his fears and the Reaper's powers in the form of Saren. Shepard wins.]]
49	* BerserkButton: Don't threaten Shepard's crew. Just don't. Anderson sums it up nicely:
50	--> '''James Vega''': "(Anderson) told me personally that under no circumstances were any threats to be made against any crew that remained aboard and if we did it would only end badly for all of us. Said that went double if (Garrus was) still aboard and that 'god help your stupid grunt soul if the quarian on the crew manifest gets caught in the line of fire'."
51	* BetaCouple: Oddly enough, in ''Requiem'' Shepard and Tali could be considered the BetaCouple for Garrus and Kasumi.
52	* BigBrotherInstinct:
53	--> '''Kasumi''': "Having (Shepard and Garrus) around is like having two big brothers. That are capable of [[CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon killing people with spoons]]. And [[DeathGlare angry looks]]."
54	* BigDamnHeroes: A group of krogan show up in time to save Miranda, Jacob, Mordin, and Kasumi from the Shadow Broker's soldiers.
55	* BigWhat:
56	--> '''Garrus''': "Sooo... You forgot to mention the AI, huh?"\
57	'''Tali''': "The WHAT?"
58	* BlackAndGreyMorality: In ''Razor's Edge'', before going through the Omega-4 Relay, Shepard knows the ''Normandy'' needs to be upgraded. Unfortunately, there are no ports where they can do so... except for Omega, which means he needs to get on Aria's good side. Said deal consists of taking along Garrus and Legion to form a team of [[ColdSniper Cold Snipers]] and eliminate an upstart drug-smuggling group that is growing too quickly for Aria's liking. Essentially, Shepard and friends end up contracting themselves out as hitmen in a petty gang war. [[FromBadToWorse Things get worse]] when it turns out that some of the drug smugglers they've been contracted to kill were enslaved teens and preteens, which really pushes Shepard's BerserkButton...
59	* BlessedWithSuck: Shepard's [[spoiler: biotic abilities]] during ''Razor's Edge''. Since he hasn't had any training he can't use them without getting [[PsychicNosebleed crippling headaches]]. This is mostly averted by ''Dark Witness'' due to training from Jack. By the time ''Requiem'' rolls around Shepard has had 6 months to practice and can [[spoiler: fling biotics]] with the best of them.
60	* BottledHeroicResolve: Thane has one created with a medicine designed to artificially increase the oxygen in his blood combined with several highly illegal stimulants, it allows him to race to the Citadel tower, take out several Cerberus agents along the way, and stall Kai Leng long enough for reinforcements to arrive. The side effects from the drug are pretty severe but Thane dies before they become an issue.
61	* BrokenAce: Shepard, thanks to his ChronicHeroSyndrome [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished biting him in the arse.]]
62	* BrokenFaceplate: Played for extreme drama in the climax of ''Dark Witness'' when [[spoiler: the Shadow Broker throws a grenade that destroys Tali's helmet, putting her at death's door and also revealing her face to Liara for the first time.]]
63	* TheBrute: Kai Leng, whom The Illusive Man considers to be little more than a rabid attack dog.
64	* CallForward: EDI notes that the windows in Shepard's cabin are equipped with armored shutters so they won't be structural weaknesses.
65	* CasualDangerDialogue:
66	** All over the place from Shepard and Garrus but Tali and Hanah Shepard have a great moment in ''Dark Witness,'' discussing Shepard's stubbornness while hunkered down behind a table exchanging shots with some thugs.
67	** There's also this exchange when Shepard (wearing armor Liara got him) is being thrown around the battlefield by a brute:
68	--->'''Liara''': "Shepard! Get out of there!"\
69	'''Shepard''': "I've got nowhere to go, Liara. Armor is good, though. Thanks."
70	* TheChainsOfCommanding: Part of the reason for Shepard's slow breakdown over the course of ''Requiem'' is due how he stats to crack under the pressure. The other part is [[spoiler:the Indoctrination attempts by the Reapers]].
71	* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Shepard, oh so much. Just about everyone comments on how he's unable to stop trying to solve other people's problems.
72	* CoitusInterruptus: A running gag in the aptly named chapter "Interruptions" is Shepard and Tali getting interrupted just before they get started.
73	* ColdBloodedTorture: Shepard just threatens an assassin with this to get him to talk, but he was perfectly capable of carrying out his threat.
74	* CowboyCop: Bailey, more so than in canon. He captures a group of assassins that he doesn't have the authority to arrest, and even if he did, [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney they'd be out in a few days]]. So, he looks the other way as Thane kills them all.
75	* CreativeSterility: Anderson notes in ''Requiem'' that the Reapers don't really change their tactics in response to his resistance units' assaults. It's probably because [[HopelessWar it doesn't matter how many forces they lose, there will always be more.]]
76	* CurbStompBattle: Shepard versus the Shadow Broker after the latter [[spoiler: nearly kills Tali]]. Liara even compares it more to an execution than a battle.
77	** Also the first fight between [[spoiler: Shepard and Kai Leng]]. Practically a SingleStrokeBattle.
78	* CuteLittleFangs: Tali is noted to have these under her suit.
79	* DeadManWriting: Mordin leaves a message to be seen by Shepard after his death.
80	* DeathByAdaptation: While AnyoneCanDie in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' ganes, one very notable death in this fic is [[spoiler: Miranda killing Aria after it is clear she will not allow anyone to stop her from murdering Petrovsky after his surrender.]] Notable because this is one of the few major characters in the games that cannot die outside of the "Refuse" ending.
81	* DefiantToTheEnd: Shepard's response after being cornered by Rachni husks [[spoiler:while the Reapers make one last attempt at indoctrinating him]]? Pull out a couple of grenades.
82	* DemotedToExtra: Many of the new characters introduced in VideoGame/MassEffect3 suffer this fate in ''Requiem'', such as Cortez and Traynor. Even Javik and Vega aren't fully immune to this, though they both get a bit more time in the limelight in later chapters.
83	* DentedIron: [[spoiler: Shepard is permanently handicapped in the ending, as his cybernetics were of Reaper origin and were shut down by the Crucible's abort command. He has lost all vision in one eye and must use a cane to walk.]]
84	* DescriptionCut:
85	** After being interrupted (again) for some early morning alone time with Tali...
86	--->'''Shepard''': "Someone better be dead."\
87	(cut to next scene)\
88	'''Miranda''': "No one is dead, Commander."\
89	'''Shepard''': "That can be fixed."
90	** Shepard begins to form a plan as to how the squad should handle Kalros, the Mother of all Thresher-Maws...
91	---> '''Garrus''': "Boss, why is it that you say ''I've got a plan''... the same way a terrorist says ''I've got a bomb''?"\
92	(cut to next scene)\
93	'''Garrus''': "This is a terrible, '''terrible''' plan!
94	** Shepard and Tali in a shuttle, about to launch the assault on Rannoch...
95	--->'''Shepard''': "Ready to see your homeworld?"\
96	(cut to next scene)\
97	'''Tali''': (while evading heavy AntiAir fire) ''"This is not what I had in mind!"''
98	* DestinationDefenestration: Shepard does this to an assassin in ''Dark Witness''.
99	* DidntSeeThatComing: Shepard's [[spoiler: newly developed biotic abilities]] end up being a lifesaver twice in ''Dark Witness'' since no one knows about them.
100	* DirtyBusiness:
101	** Shepard feels this way about destroying Purgatory, and makes sure that the responsibility is his alone.
102	** Shepard also considers his choice to work with [[spoiler: Aria and kill a convoy of drug dealers]] this.
103	* DisappearedDad: Shepard's dad was on Mindoir when the Batarians attacked it.
104	* DrivesLikeCrazy: Detective Anaya. It doesn't help that her 3-seater car is carrying five, either.
105	* DrowningMySorrows: Shepard has a couple episodes of this early on in ''Razor's Edge''. He eventually gets better.
106	* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Shepard becomes a biotic as part of the Lazarus project. Said project also stuffs a great deal of cybernetics into him, making him considerably more durable and strong than a typical human.
107	* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Shepard and Tali's feelings for each other were apparently the worst kept secret on the Normandy in ''Razor's Edge'', to the point that most of the ground team as well as Joker and Chakwas had a bet on when Shepard and Tali would publicly admit their feelings for each other.
108	* FantasticRacism: Kai Leng as in canon, but the segments from Leng's point of view really take the cake. He even refers to Shepard and Tali's relationship as being "No better than [[BestialityIsDepraved bestiality.]]"
109	* FlashbackNightmare: Shepard has one while he's being revived by the Lazarus project which starts like this, with him reliving Akuze. Then his current squad takes the place of his old one...
110	* FireForgedFriends: Fighting off a squad of assassins together addresses all of Hannah Shepard's concerns with Tali dating John Shepard.
111	* FourStarBadass: From ''Dark Witness'', Rear Admiral Hannah Shepard of the ''Orizaba.''
112	* GargleBlaster: The Black Death.
113	--> '''Aethyta''': "Real dark liquor and an equally dark beer, I think there might even be some other minor shit in there. Apparently named after a plague on their world. They say every third one kills you."
114	* GenderRestrictedAbility: According to Kai Leng, Phantoms can only be created from human females that are between the ages of seventeen and thirty.
115	* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Tali does this to Shepard to try and sober him up after he's spent a few hours [[DrowningMySorrows drowning his sorrows]].
116	* HeadTiltinglyKinky: When Shepard's team watches Fleet and Flotilla, the... interactions between the stars are never described, but plenty can be inferred from the reactions of the viewers.
117	* HeelFaceTurn: Quite unexpectedly in ''Requiem'', [[spoiler: the ghost of Saren undergoes a dramatic change after Shepard rejects his existence as a Reaper puppet.]] Unlike most examples of this trope, though, he does not become purely helpful, but rather goes from being outright antagonistic to simply being pessimistic about their chances of success.
118	* HeroicBSOD: Shepard goes into one when facing the [[SandWorm Thresher Maw]] on Tuchanka during Grunt's rite. Shepard also has a big one earlier after confronting Liara on Illium.
119	* HeroicRROD: Thane takes a drug to re-oxygenate his blood and allow him to function at his peak for a short time, but it will severely worsen his already critical condition once it wears off.
120	* HeroicWillpower: Part of what allows Shepard to resist Reaper indoctrination. As for the other part...
121	-->''The Reapers' ability to warp the mind found root in the doubts and fears that lived in the psyche of every man, woman, and child. To purge him of that influence would have been to purge what made him human, to make him like the workers and soldiers of rachni, one mind among the whole without fear or doubt. Hope-Singer's song couldn't banish the twisted call of the Reapers, but it let him see it for what it was.''
122	* HesBack: [[spoiler: Shepard, after Utukku. And an awesome comeback it is!]]
123	* InsecureLoveInterest: Tali for the first story. She seems to get over it by the second, but then Liara comes back into the picture and the insecurity returns in full force. [[spoiler: [[FromBadToWorse Things get worse]] when the Shadow Broker decides to [[ManipulativeBastard play this to his own advantage.]]]]
124	* TheInsomniac: Shepard has nightmares from Akuze, and tries to avoid sleeping as much as possible to avoid them.
125	* ItHasBeenAnHonor: Said by Mordin during his DeadManWriting bit and by Garrus before Legion's HeroicSacrifice.
126	* InSeriesNickname: Tali calls Garrus a "Big blue [[PardonMyKlingon bosh'tet]]" whenever he's being especially annoying.
127	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Both Tali and Shepard have a case of this at first.
128	* NeckLift: Shepard does this to Han'Gerrel after Gerrel tries to blow up the geth dreadnaught Shepard and his team were still on.
129	* LampshadeHanging: Miranda's FormFittingWardrobe is pointed out to be insufficient for a serious firefight.
130	* ManipulativeBastard: The Shadow Broker is a LOT more manipulative, and a lot more dangerous.
131	* ManipulativeEditing: In ''Dark Witness'', the video file the Shadow Broker sends to [[spoiler: Tali]] is [[NotWhatItLooksLike designed to cast Shepard in the worst possible light.]] Also, in ''Requiem'', [[spoiler: a fully indoctrinated Kai Leng is convinced he can beat Shepard because the Reapers have shown to Leng in his dreams all the traumas and fears Shepard has. As Shepard points out to Leng, the Reapers only showed Leng what they ''wanted'' him to see: they conveniently ignored all the times Shepard has defeated the Reapers and their mind games.]]
132	* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: In ''Requiem'', [[spoiler: it's quite difficult to say whether Saren is a genuine ghost or if he may be nothing more than a [[BrainUploading personality fragment of the original]] preserved by Reaper cybernetics. [[MindScrew Even Saren does not know.]]]]
133	* MeaningfulName: All the names given by the Rachni. According to them it isn't so much giving a name as "''We sing only of what we see within.''"
134	** The Rachni queen: Hope-Singer
135	** Shepard: Sings-of-Endings
136	** Tali: Devotion-Singer
137	** Grunt: Sings-Memories
138	** Liara: Watchful-Singer
139	** Garrus: Sings-Loyalty
140	** Ashley: Iron-Singer
141	** Thane: Sings-Penance
142	** Kasumi: Whisper-Singer
143	** Chakwas: Mending-Singer
144	** Legion: Sings-Not
145	** Miranda: Defiant-Singer
146	** Samara: Sorrow-Singer
147	** Jack: Caged-Singer
148	** Zaeed: Sings-of-Endless-Fire
149	** Vega: Sings-Strength
150	** The Turians: Predator-Singers
151	** The Krogan: Survival-Singers
152	** The Asari: Long-Singers
153	** The Salarians: Singers-of-Bright-Brief-Songs
154	** The Quarians: Wander-Singers
155	** The Reapers: Dark-Song Destroyers
156	** Synthetics in general: Cold-Singers
157	** The Rachni can't even give a name to Kai Leng's song.
158	** Banshees don't sing. They scream.
159	* MemeticBadass: Referenced InUniverse in ''Requiem'' when [[spoiler:after Shepard's [[BackFromTheDead return from the dead]]]] Wrex mentions that "One of our younger warriors said that krogan might have two hearts, but no krogan can ever claim to have had [[spoiler:three]] lives."
160	* MomentKiller: In ''Razor's Edge'' a moment between Shepard and Tali is interrupted by the Collector attack on the Normandy. In ''Dark Witness'' Tali and Shepard are interrupted multiple times to the point that its almost a RunningGag.
161	* MoralityChain: Tali is the reason Shepard is still sane. This fact is readily acknowledged by Shepard and The Illusive Man.
162	* MyFriendsAndZoidberg:
163	-->'''Shepard''': "Might want to secure yourselves, ladies and gentlemen."\
164	'''Jack''': "Hey!"\
165	'''Shepard''': "And Jack."
166	* MySensorsIndicateYouWantToTapThat: Wrex quickly figures out that Shepard and Tali are together.
167	* MythologyGag: The bomb that explodes on the Citadel and [[spoiler: critically injures Kasumi is pretty much how she dies in ''Mass Effect 3'' if she is not loyal while doing the hanar ambassador sidequest.]]
168	* NoodleIncident:
169	** Everything that occurred during the events of ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', as [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''Requiem'' when Vega presses Garrus for more details. In particular, though, is an event referenced by Tali in ''Razor's Edge'' she calls the "Tartarus incident" when Shepard [[NotSoStoic lost his cool]] against a gang of pirates who were apparently [[BerserkButton torturing kidnapped colonist children]]. The fact that the pirates then threatened to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape and kill Tali]] really pushed Shepard [[UnstoppableRage over the edge.]] It should be noted that the incident in question is nowhere to be found in the game (there aren't even any locations called Tartarus in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'').
170	** In Requiem, at point Tali briefly goes on about several pranks Garrus had pulled on her during their time on the original Normandy such as swapping her nutrient paste with one labelled [[BlazingInfernoHellfireSauce extra-spicy]].
171	* NotHisSled: The finale reveals that, in the Razor's Edge timeline, [[spoiler:Harbinger wasn't the first Reaper; Sovereign was]].
172	* NotSoDifferentRemark: Shepard's cybernetics, Renegade tendencies, Spectre status and [[spoiler: indoctrination]] remind him of Saren.
173	* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Aethytha wipes the floor with a squad of Shadow Broker mercenaries who attack her bar in ''Dark Witness.'' Shepard and friends arrive just in time to see her promptly toss one of them [[DisneyVillainDeath over the edge of the skyscraper.]]
174	* OneHeadTaller: Garrus is a good foot taller than Kasumi, with whom he frequently trades banter [[spoiler:and eventually romances]].
175	* [[spoiler: OurHeroIsDead: The Utukku mission when Shepard seemingly blows himself up to fight off both indoctrination and Reaper-controlled rachni. True to the trope, the rest of the crew is convinced he's dead and flees. One chapter later, he's alive.]]
176	* OrcusOnHisThrone: In the assault on Cronos Station, [[spoiler: Kai Leng is more than content to sit in The Illusive Man's chair and just watch Shepard and friends fight off his Phantoms, all the while spewing out insults at Shepard as well as [[InfoDump exposition]] on the Phantoms and where TIM is. It isn't until the Phantoms are defeated does he get up to fight.]]
177	* PoorCommunicationKills: The Shadow Broker's attempt [[spoiler: to turn Tali over to his side]] in ''Dark Witness'' could have been alleviated if Shepard had talked to his girlfriend a bit more after noticing she seemed sullen at having Liara on board again.
178	** Ditto in ''Requiem'': Shepard's deteriorating mental state might not have gotten so bad [[spoiler: if he'd been willing to come clean about his indoctrination and his freaky dreams to ''somebody'', anybody.]] Given a LampshadeHanging right before he [[spoiler: performs his HeroicSacrifice. Though he survives.]]
179	*** In Shepard's defence, it's implied [[spoiler: the indoctrination was keeping him from telling anybody.]]
180	* PsychicNosebleed: Shepard gets one when he [[spoiler: first starts using biotics]].
181	* PreMortemOneLiner:
182	-->'''Harbinger''': "You cannot harm me. We bring your salvation."\
183	'''Shepard''': "Yeah? Well I bring a really big gun." ([[TorsoWithAView Blows a hole in the drone's chest]])
184	* RecoilBoost: Shepard uses the recoil of his SMG to help him make a particularly long jump. Justified because he was in zero-g.
185	* RecurringDreams: Shepard has had nightmares at least once a night since Akuze, with the destruction of the Normandy and the Prothean beacon making appearances more recently.
186	* ScarsAreForever: The Lazarus project did not erase Shepard's scars. It's noted that that was probably an intentional decision on the Illusive Man's part, making it an enforced trope.
187	* SecondLove: Tali for Shepard, considering he was with Liara during the first game.
188	** And Liara herself was already a SecondLove for Shepard, as apparently the first woman he had serious feelings for was a sniper in his squad who [[DeathByOriginStory died on Akuze.]]
189	** At the rate things are going, Garrus'll likely be this to Kasumi.
190	* ShadowArchetype: [[spoiler: Shepard's recurring hallucinations of Saren]] in ''Requiem.''
191	* ShipTease: For Garrus and Kasumi. Though by the time of ''Requiem'', it's become less "WillTheyOrWontThey", and more "What does a human-turian baby look like?"
192	* ShootTheDog: For most of ''Razor's Edge'', Shepard is more or less a pretty straight-up [[TheParagon Paragon]] fellow. Thus, it comes as a pretty strong shock when he [[spoiler: allows Maelon to leave the Weyrloc compound, only to then climb up to a 2nd story window and coldly shoot him InTheBack at a hundred paces.]] A stark reminder that this Shepard is an [[ColdSniper Infiltrator]] who has done his fair share of dirty work in his career. And earlier he blew up Purgatory.
193	** There's also his killing of Donovan Hock, because no cop could touch him if Shepard just arrested him.
194	** In ''Requiem'', he [[spoiler: seriously contemplates killing Mordin on Tuchanka.]] Even [[{{Antihero}} Garrus]] is unsettled by this.
195	* ShoutOut: The rachni naming convention is by and large inspired from fellow fanfic writer Myetel's story ''Fanfic/SpiritOfRedemption.''
196	** At Hock's party, Kasumi changes a password to [[Franchise/StarWars Dagobah]].
197	** The entire sequence of [[spoiler: Shepard clawing his way out of the caves of Utukku]] is one long shout out to Bruce Wayne's rise from the Pit in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises.'' According to comments by the author from the talizorah.org fansite, the scene had been planned out well in advance of the movie's release, but after watching the film, he couldn't [[AscendedFanon resist making it more similar.]]
198	** [[{{Series/Firefly}} Kal'Reegar]] and his squad are BigDamnHeroes.
199	** When Joker blasts a pair of torpedoes into the geth base pit, he comments that it's [[Franchise/StarWars "Easier than shooting womp rats]]!"
200	** Amongst the assault team she's leading to re-take Omega, Miranda (voiced by Yvonne Strahovski) is introduced to a pilot with little to no field combat experience... he's named "[[Series/{{Chuck}} Carmichael]]."
201	* ShownTheirWork: There's a moment in ''Requiem'' which is practically lifted line by line out of [[WhatCouldHaveBeen cut content from Mass Effect 3's November 2011 leaked script]]: [[spoiler: the moment when the Council appoints Shepard the "Praetor" of the galaxy's combined forces. The only real difference is that the leak called the title "Lord Protector."]]
202	** Fun fact: [[WordOfGod the author]] didn't actually know about it at all.
203	* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Just like in the game, Shepard convinces Tali that he's really alive by reminding her of the Geth data he gave her. In this case, the scene is made much darker as the nearly hysterical Tali is fully prepared to blow the brains out of who she believes is an imposter.
204	** Come ''Requiem'', and Mordin precedes to blow this trope to hell and back with three simple words [[spoiler: ''"Do not ingest."'']]
205	* SparedByTheAdaptation: Unlike canon, Nyreen survives the assault on Omega thanks to [[spoiler: Zaeed's HeroicSacrifice clearing out all the Adjutants in front of Afterlife]], and then later being ordered to HoldTheLine instead of joining the assault into the club.
206	* SpitTake: Happens to Shepard twice during ''Dark Witness.'' The first is when Garrus invokes it by waiting for Shepard to get a glass of water before mentioning that the ''Orizaba'', the ship his mother commands, will be at the Citadel soon. The second is when Hannah Shepard mentions that due to the incident of some thugs nearly killing her and Tali, she can skip straight to asking Shepard awkward questions about his sex life (right when he has a cup of '''hot''' coffee). Shepard Lampshades that he ''really'' needs to keep liquids away from himself when others are talking to him.
207	* StoryboardingTheApocalypse: During one of Shepard's bad dreams, [[spoiler: Ghost!Saren shows Shepard the destruction of the Migrant Fleet [[ItsAWonderfulPlot that would have occurred had peace not been brokered]] between the quarians and the geth.]]
208	* TakeThat / FixFic: There are moments that definitely seem to be aimed at rectifying elements of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' that many hated.
209	* TeamPet: Urz joins the crew after Tuchanka during ''Razor's Edge.''
210	* TemptingFate: During the assault on Rannoch:
211	--> '''Shepard''': "I'm starting to think this is too easy."\
212	(cut to next scene under fire from dozens of geth)\
213	'''Garrus''': "Dammit Shepard, next time you think the mission is 'too easy' keep your mouth shut!"
214	* ThatCameOutWrong:
215	-->'''Tali''': "You're just being nice because I'm on to your plan to lure me back to fix your engines so you don't have to get dirty.\
216	'''Shepard''': "With all the upgrades we're talking about, chances are I'll be down there helping you, so my cunning plan must not be working too well. Besides, if I'm going to get dirty, I figure might as well be with a friend. That... came out sounding very different than it did in my head. Let's just pretend I didn't say that."
217	%%* ThanatosGambit: The Rachni queen offers to pull one of these if Shepard [[ShootTheDog kills her.]]
218	* TookALevelInBadass: Quin'Sala, the quarian Shepard rescues from indentured servitude in ''Razor's Edge'', learns how to handle a shotgun from Matriarch Aethyta. By ''Requiem'', she helps repel the Cerberus assault on the Citadel.
219	* TranquilFury: Pretty much the entire team after the crew of the Normandy is kidnapped by the Collectors. Shepard in ''Dark Witness'' after some thugs start shooting at Tali and Shepard's mom and when the Shadow Broker nearly kills Tali. In all three cases large amounts of ass-kicking follows.
220	* TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening: [[spoiler:Shepard first manifests his biotics when Tali's about to be mauled by a husk, saving her]].
221	* UndyingLoyalty: The Shadow Broker notes that [[MagneticHero Shepard]] inspires this in people, as evidenced when he tried to contact members of the ''Normandy's'' crew and pay them off to sell out their boss. In particular, the Broker was quite surprised to see that even [[AntiHero Zaeed]] [[NotInThisForYourRevolution Massani]] refused to betray Shepard for credits.
222	* VillainousBreakdown: Averted compared to canon with the Shadow Broker. The fact that he still has one more card to play probably has something to do with it.
223	** That card is implied to be the only reason this trope is averted however, [[spoiler: and sure enough, once it's revealed that Tali double-crossed him, the Shadow Broker proceeds to play this trope straight.]]
224	* WhamEpisode: ''Requiem'' has the side-mission on Utukku take an unexpected turn [[spoiler: when it appears that Shepard has sacrified himself to save the Rachni and destroy the Reaper forces!]]
225	* WhamLine: Chapter 18 of ''Requiem''.
226	-->[[spoiler: Miranda: "Keystone is the Illusive Man's plan to seize control of the Citadel."]]
227	* WhatDidIDoLastNight: Shepard remembers very little of the night he spent [[DrowningMySorrows drowning his sorrows]] with some [[GargleBlaster Gargle Blasters]]. It's downplayed because Garrus and Tali immediately explain what happened, though.
228	* WhatTheHellHero: Garrus reads Shepard the riot act after the Tuchanka missions, where [[spoiler: Shepard nearly decides to kill Mordin, and didn't fill Garrus in until afterwards]]. Shepard justifies his actions as IDidWhatIHadToDo.
229	* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The ending of ''Requiem'' takes five years after the final battle at Earth and updates us briefly on exactly where most of the ''Normandy's'' crew are in their lives now.
230	* WordAssociationTest: Tali pulls one of these on Garrus to force him to confront what he really feels for Kasumi. She also mentions [[HollywoodPsych she learned it from Kelly.]]
231	* WorkingWithTheEx: Shepard was with Liara during the hunt for Saren, so... yeah.
232	* YouAreInCommandNow: The mantle of leadership (as well as Spectre status) unexpectedly falls onto Garrus's shoulders after the events of [[WhamEpisode Utukku]].

Context FanFic / RazorsEdge