60 réponses à ce sujet

[ForumPortal]

I've only played as a male Shepard so I can't speak to female romance options, but I wonder, do Shepard and any of the LI's love each other, or is the romance a product of the intensity of the mission? If so, could any romance actually work out in the long run? 

I'll defend my theory for each LI for male Shepard in the wall of text below. If you don't care to see my defenses, feel free to skip and answer the question straight away.

Ashley: Shepard accepts her and treats her fairly despite her religious views and disgraced family name. Ashley has had a hard life, raising a sister who doesn't always appreciate her, and dealing with scorn from colleagues in the military. Shepard is one of the few people that's actually nice to her, so she reciprocates. 

Liara: Is an introvert and is also very young. Her naivete is overwhelmed by the gravity of the mission and her central involvement. Amidst this chaos the one solid constant is Shepard, a strong individual who is also deeply connected with the Protheans, Liara's own life's work. Liara's love for Shepard is the culmination of her repressed sexual energy, the tension of the mission, and her passion for galactic history.

Tali: Has a very romanticized view of Shepard. She literally describes him as a space hero that sweeps her off her feet and takes her on a galactic adventure. The mission is a childhood fantasy-turned reality for her.

Jack: Masks her emotions and painful childhood with malice. Shepard can break through this defense and reach out to her. Jack is really just responding to someone who has cared for her for maybe the first time in her life. 

Miranda: Admires Shepard. She devoted two years of her life to resurrecting him and must have an emotional attachment to the well-being of Shepard. Additionally, Shepard is one of the few people who sees Miranda as a person rather than a genetically engineered tool. 

In addition to the above specific reasons, I think the spillover effect applies in all cases. The idea is that when people are in a setting that is very emotionally tense, the feelings of the moment spill over, and are associated to other things. For example, there was a study done where groups of two people would do an intense activity together, like rock climbing or tight-rope walking. People who shared an exciting experience together were much more likely to date or become romantically involved after the experience.

Thoughts? 

[KawaiiKatie]

It's doubtful that ME3 will address how Shepard and his/her love-interest "work out in the long run." It'll be left to fanfiction, personal canon, and speculation threads.

[goofyomnivore]

I always thought romance was the bridge between lust and love. I agree with you to a degree, but I don't think we can judge is it love or not until the end of the story. As of right now I think romance describes it well.

[GodWood]

Jack: Masks her emotions and painful childhood with malice. Shepard can break through this defense and reach out to her. Jack is really just responding to someone who has cared for her for maybe the first time in her life.

Incorrect.
Did you forget her little story about Murtok?

[CrimsonNephilim]

Unfortunately before the Normandy SR-1 was destroyed, we're not given any backstory on what has been going on with Shepard and the LI so as far as we can assume, the relationship had deepened.

I've only done one romance with my female Shepard and it was with Kaidan. In ME2, after the events on Horizon, Kaidan (if romanced), while upset (understandably) admits to have been in love with Shepard. Later on, he sends a letter to Shepard apologizing for his actions on Horizon because seeing her alive after two years of survivor's guilt and with Cerberus had completely thrown him.

He goes on to say, vaguely, that after the Collector's are defeated, he hopes that the two of them can meet up and see what happens from there. So in the case of a Kaidan/Shepard romance, there seems to be love between them.

Modifié par CrimsonNephilim, 18 juin 2011 - 07:23 .

[GodWood]

Montezuma IV wrote...
What is Love? Is it definable? Or is it based on the perspective from person to person. I don't think this question can be answered.

Of course it can

[Leonia]

Montezuma IV wrote...

What is Love? Is it definable? Or is it based on the perspective from person to person. I don't think this question can be answered.

What is love? Baby don't hurt me..

Umm, I dunno, I guess whether it truly is love or not is up to the player controlling Shepard. We may never really see the full extent of the relationships but we can infer whatever we want from them I suppose.

[GodWood]

leonia42 wrote...
What is love? Baby don't hurt me..

Don't hurt me...

[HogarthHughes 3]

leonia42 wrote...

Montezuma IV wrote...

What is Love? Is it definable? Or is it based on the perspective from person to person. I don't think this question can be answered.

What is love? Baby don't hurt me..

Umm, I dunno, I guess whether it truly is love or not is up to the player controlling Shepard. We may never really see the full extent of the relationships but we can infer whatever we want from them I suppose.

 I thought exactly this when I first read that.

It seems like Shepard & his/her respective LI are fairly close, but they aren't married or anything like that.  People can change over the years, who's to say what will happen 20 years after ME3(if they're even still together)?

[CrimsonNephilim]

GodWood wrote...

leonia42 wrote...
What is love? Baby don't hurt me..

Don't hurt me...

That link...is AWESOME! XD

[Siansonea]

Love is simply hormones and neurotransmitters, so Shepard and his/her LI probably feel it for each other. It's not like love is anything special or unique, it's just a holdover from our evolutionary past. Total "monkey brain" stuff.

[CheeseEnchilada]

There's a clear amount of affection between Shepard and his/her chosen LI, and we have to remember that the series isn't over yet. There's a six to twelve month gap between ME2 and 3 where the relationship could blossom, and of course the entire third game. I would guess that if you stick with your LI through the final game, you'll get some sort of romantic payoff.

Whether you would consider the relationships love or not depends on your point of view on love in general. But it does seem clear that there's something there, and how it develops is all up to how you play your Shepard.

[Paula Deen]

We have to understand that, due to budget and time constraints, we can't have 30 conversations between Shepard and his/her LI to show the developing relationship--especially when there are a dozen LI's.

We also have the one month time-gap after ME1 and the 6-12 month time-gap after ME2 (though that is a bit complicated).

Lair of the Shadow Broker, for instance, shows what reconciliation or working through problems is like for Shepard/LI relationships, and how the work.

[greed89]

Dependson the LI Really

Miranda's LI seems more like her claiming a Trophy then a romance

Where as say Jack's They are together because of some thing more and it not even clear if they slept together or not

[Epic Legion]

Love doesn't exist

[Cutlass Jack]

"Ah yes 'Love.' *airquotes* That glorious and rich decadent emotion that one finds themselves hopelessly stuck in. Like Caramel pudding. We have dismissed this claim."

[Sras]

@Godwood - You=awesome.

As for the romancing being love, well that's up to head cannon. Each Shepard is different and each player will place different personalities to THEIR Shepard. When one person sees Shepard trying to just get into someone's pants, another might see him going for something deeper (that's what she said) and more meaningful.

For example, I'm romancing Garrus on my 'canon' female Shepard. I personally see it as a start to a life-long romance. But that's just me. Someone else might see it as a quick fling.

TL;DR? - It's all about the head canon.

[Whale]

mandatory techno turian

[mineralica]

For one romance I'm absolutely sure the relationship between Shepard and LI is love - Jack's "paragon" romance. It's more the work on building trust between two characters slowly growing into something more than the mere Shepard's desire to flirt suddenly getting benefits.
I'd mark "very likely love" all ME1 romances - they'd more natural progression (Liara's been a bit rushed in ME1 but it was fixed by LotSB). Maybe I'm just biased, though.
For others... sorry girls/guys, I need in more information to decide.

[Caihn]

Shepard : I care about you Miranda, and I think you care about me.
Miranda : This is no time for emotional entanglement ! 
You and I know more about the Collectors than anyone. We know how unlikely it is that we're coming back alive ! 
What idiotic bunch of hormones thought that now was a great time for love ?
Shepard : It doesn't matter. What matters is how we feel.
Miranda : Damn it.
Shepard : Come on, Miranda. You want this.
Miranda : Yeah. I do. So don't die! You promise me, damn it!
Shepard : It doesn't work that way. We could all be dead this time tomorrow. So if it's not worth it.
(Miranda hugs Shepard)
Miranda : No. It is.

Yes, it's love.

[Patchwork]

I kinda agree mineralica romances were a slow build-up throughout the game in ME1 especially with the VS. Were as in ME2 LI aren't available until after their loyalty mission and the switch from squadie to LI can be a very abrupt dialogue choice. ME2 romance felt less natural and being generous more the start of a relationship that can deepen into love.

Put another way, when Kaidan said he loved Shepard on Horizon it didn't feel out of place. Whereas in similar circumstances it would feel false from the ME2 LIs.

[elearon1]

Well, I know that for my Femshep she had imagined a long term relationship between herself and Liara, but when she runs into her on Illium and receives a half hearted kind of welcome back, she starts questioning some things ... she begins to wonder if Liara has moved on and, interacting with more Asari on planet she starts to realize how doomed a long term relationship with the girl would be.

Asari can live a thousand years, which means in the long run Shep's relationship with Liara will only be a small part of her vast lifespan. They would never get to grow old together, to wonder about the impermanence of life and what might lay beyond together; they wouldn't fade together. Instead Shep would grow old and weary while Liara barely changed at all; she would grow slow while her beautiful alien love was still in the flower of her youth ... and she would start to become a burden tying her love down.

That is something, I think, my Shep would really have a hard time with. She is a strong, independent woman and would probably live a good long, and even energetic and healthy life ... but in the end, no matter how hard she tried to keep up, she'd know she was becoming an anchor, keeping a still young a vibrant woman from going out and living her life.

Humans have certain expectations about long term, and even "life long" relationships that simply could not be fulfilled with an Asari.

But who else? She has something of a crush on Tali, but even if the other woman reciprocated I don't think it would be any more than a fun fling - maybe a couple years, but soon the illusion would wear off for Tali and they would realize that their long term goals pulled them in different directions. They'd probably always remain greatest of friends, with that underlying "something" between them, but I doubt they'd manage a truly long term relationship,

And those are the only two women my Shep would even consider for anything more than flings. Miranda would be fun for a time, but I don't see either one of them making more of it than it was.

Jack ... a hard couple nights and some partying, but no - nothing more than that.

Ash? No. Shep likes and respects her - chose to save her over Kaidan - but there was no romantic chemistry between them. They would remain long friends, as her and Anderson probably will if he survives this next attack, but the kind of friends she had beers on the porch with while talking about how old they feel and how young the new generation of soldiers was. "Was I ever that young?" Ash would ask, "You mean before I turned you into a real soldier?" Shep would tease; at which point Anderson would pull out some embarrassing story about Shep still getting her "sea legs" ... and they'd laugh and raise a toast to the open sky ,,, and for a moment everything would become somber as they remembered those who had passed, and those they had let go ... and then Anderson's wife would come out and say something, or Ash would make a crack about Shep's sea legs, and the moment would pass ... as eventually so would they. And the Galaxy, it would keep on as it always had ...

[VolusNamedBob]

Yannkee wrote...

Shepard : I care about you Miranda, and I think you care about me.
Miranda : This is no time for emotional entanglement ! 
You and I know more about the Collectors than anyone. We know how unlikely it is that we're coming back alive ! 
What idiotic bunch of hormones thought that now was a great time for love ?
Shepard : It doesn't matter. What matters is how we feel.
Miranda : Damn it.
Shepard : Come on, Miranda. You want this.
Miranda : Yeah. I do. So don't die! You promise me, damn it!
Shepard : It doesn't work that way. We could all be dead this time tomorrow. So if it's not worth it.
(Miranda hugs Shepard)
Miranda : No. It is.

Yes, it's love.

"Who said anything about love? I'm just trying to get you into bed."

Must we forget this moment?

Some romances do come across as love, while others don't. Garrus' comes across as both in my opinion. They never say "I love you" to one another, but you can sense that Garrus cares about Shepard. He's just too awkward to say it, which is well done in my opinion.

[Caihn]

VolusNamedBob wrote...

"Who said anything about love? I'm just trying to get you into bed."

Must we forget this moment?

This line is a joke (obvious if you consider Miranda's response : "you ass"), and Mark Meer voice acting is really bad during this scene.
I never used this line during the romances with Miranda : not the best moment for a stupid joke (just after she opens up to Shepard).
That's why I prefer "It doesn't matter. What matters is how we feel." line.