Loot Crate: Mass Effect: Andromeda

I haven't finished playing Mass Effect: Andromeda yet, because at some point I started thinking about the wisdom of playing first person shooters while pregnant. (I guess it's fine if you don't get too immersed in the game and avoid the adrenaline rush, but where's the fun in that?) I finished the Havarl missions, so I'm somewhere around "A Trail of Hope," I think. But here's the limited edition Loot Crate, which is, like the game, not as good as the original Mass Effect, but still fun. 

So, what did I get?  

An Andromeda Initiative hoodie.

A miniature Nomad. (Which I hate almost as much as the Mako, for the record.)

Cereal bowls. These are so fun I almost wish Blast-Ohs were real. And they're plastic, so the baby can have her cereal in style by the time she's that age. (And no, she still hasn't made an appearance.)

Vortex bar glasses.

Assorted pins and patches.

And a Mass Effect comic.

Mass Effect: In Full Colour!

Have I mentioned I love Mass Effect? And how much? THIS MUCH!!! (Note that it's an ADULT colouring book. Totally valid excuse to buy one.)  

The illustrations are pretty cool too. Check out Wrex here, for example. And you get a fun quote for every image.

Thane!

But Garrus is my favourite, so I had to start with him. The thing is, it's really hard to remember which bit of the armour is which colour. Luckily, I came up with a solution.  

Work it, baby! Blue Steel! 

Totally worth the money. 

(I got mine on Amazon, but it looks like these are pretty widely available. Oh, and Dragon Age has one too! Looks like they're going for about ten bucks right now.)

It's Here!

. . . I hope it doesn't suck. (Shouldn't have read the reviews before playing.)

MASS EFFECT ANDROMEDA!!!

Mass Effect Andromeda is coming, who's excited? The release date is March 21st and I've got the game on preorder, so that's my plans for the weekend covered.  Can't wait!

Just in case there are other Mass Effect fans out there, Loot Crate is doing a special limited edition ME:Andromeda crate. Click on the link to check it out if you're interested. The crate isn't on sale yet, but you can sign up to be notified when it is. (And yes, of course I'm ordering one. I'm still bummed I missed the previous Mass Effect crate they did.)

Happy New Year!

There's no Shepard without Vakarian.

                            

2015 was a pretty great year for me, writing-wise. I sold my first story and saw it in print, participated in an international writing class, and started this blog.

A part of me still can't believe it happened.

Here's hoping that 2016 will be equally awesome.

The drinks above are Mass Effect themed. The Shepard is cranberry juice, whiskey, and Red Bull with a persimmon slice, and The Vakarian is tequila, blue curaçao, and lime juice. Mix at your own risk. (These two are my own concoctions, but for more video-game inspired cocktail ideas check out www.thedrunkenmoogle.com.)

 Happy New Year!

P.S. SpeckLit accepted some more of my drabbles for publication. Super happy about that:) (One of last quarters' was up on the 26th, if you want to take a look.)

For Ages 13 Years and Up

I love Mass Effect. Probably too much, according to my friends, who are too polite to tell me to shut up when I go on and on about it. But come on, what's not to love? Great storyline, fantastic, likeable characters, one of the greatest sci-fi universes ever created! The whole game is like a masterclass in world-building, and you could learn a thing or too about character arcs as well from playing it. Okay, so the ending of ME3 sucked, but that doesn't negate the rest of the awesomeness in any way. It's like saying that The Matrix is a bad movie because the two cringe-worthy sequels ruined it. That's not how it works for me, anyway. 

So, I'm enjoying another playthrough and I kind of got carried away.

Without further ado... a couple of new acquisitions:     

The Thane action figure is from Big Fish, and not nearly as detailed as the Garrus one, but pretty cool nonetheless.

Okay. And here's Garrus. Oh Garrus, the best imaginary space boyfriend a girl could have. You followed me to hell and back, and all we got was that lousy ending. Yup, still bitter. 

What? You don't believe Garrus is the coolest? Remember this?

"I’m Garrus Vakarian. Codename: Archangel. All-around turian bad boy and dispenser of justice in an unjust galaxy. Also, I kill Reapers on the side. "

'Nuff said.

There's just one thing I'm still wondering about. What's with all the calibrations?

Okay, I'll try really hard not to swallow his sniper rifle, tempting as that is.