Media Firestorm
is a Mass Effect fanfiction written by Rogen80.
Its a collection of news articles about the galaxy’s reaction to the discovery of Shepard and Tali’s relationship during the Reaper War.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- Khalisah at first thinks that Tali is cheating on Shepard when she meets Conrad, only for it to be revealed that its a quarian who only looks like Tali because she’s a Loony Fan of her.
- When Khalisah contacts Hannah Shepard and informs her of John’s relationship with Tali, she at first thinks that Hannah doesn’t approve of his relationship with Tali, only for the admiral to correct her by saying that she wondered why John didn’t tell her at first.
- Battle Couple: Shepard and Tali fight side by side during the Reaper war. Something that the krogan admire greatly, as Urdnot Ghartur says in his article in the Tuchankan Telegraph in chapter eight, that true love is forged on the battlefield.
- Birds of a Feather: Conrad Verner is revealed to be in a relationship with a quarian who is just as big of a fan of Tali as he is to Shepard.
- Brain Bleach: Aria asks Khalisah if she can imagine what a fight between a hanar prostitute and a cheap elcor customer would look like, but she immediately changes the subject.
- Brutal Honesty: After an incident with an unnamed asari trying to flirt with him, and decrying his choice of mate, the Council asks Shepard to make a statement to deny the rumors of his relationship with Tali. Shepard responds by openly admitting in a public hearing that he is indeed in a relationship with Tali, and says that denying it would be betraying his love for her.
- Fantastic Racism: The sole reason why a number of people don’t approve of Shepard’s relationship with Tali is due to their prejudices against quarians.
- Flower Motifs: Urdnot Ghartur uses a rose to describe Tali, pointing out that while roses are beautiful, they also have thorns, calling them beautiful but powerful.
- I Have Your Wife: When the Reapers learn of Shepard and Tali’s relationship, Harbinger orders that they use that to their advantage against Shepard.
- Immoral Journalist: Khalisah as per usual. The entirety of the "Ambush" arc is her interviewing Shepard’s allies to slander his reputation due to his relationship with Tali.
- Loony Fan: Conrad Verner’s quarian mate is one towards Tali, which is why he and her got into a relationship.
- Noodle Incident: Aria tells Khalisah about how one day, she witnessed a hanar prostitute get into a fight with a cheap elcor customer, but Knalisah drops the subject before she can elaborate any further.
- Only Sane Man:
- Javik is the only one who seems to think that everyone is wasting their time focusing on Shepard and Tali’s relationship when the Reapers are invading.
- Daro’Xen is the only Quarian Admiral who couldn’t care less about Tali’s relationship with Shepard. Unlike the other three who get into an argument about it, with Shala’Raan and Zaal'Koris approving of her relationship while Han’Gerrel disapproves of it.
- Admiral Hackett is the only person who Khalisah is unable to interview on his opinion on Shepard and Tali’s relationship, as he immediately disconnects when asked about it, knowing that he would be wasting his time.
- Precision F-Strike: When Khalisah asks if E.D.I. is an illegal AI, Joker tells her that she’s protected under the ‘F-U Clause’.
- Rage Quit: When Jacob asks Khalisah if she has anymore questions for him after telling her that he was just getting warmed up, she immediately ends the interview.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- When Khalisah tries to interview Javik, he immediately brushes her off, calling it a waste of his time.
- When Khalisah tries to ask Admiral Hackett about his opinion on Shepard and Tali’s relationship, he immediately disconnects from her.
- Skewed Priorities:
- Westerlund News and the Terra Firma Harold are more focused on trying to slander Shepard despite the fact that the Reapers are killing everyone in the galaxy.
- This is how Javik views the rest of the galaxy focusing on Shepard and Tali, due to the fact that they’re fighting a war against the Reapers
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Kasumi does this to Khalisah. First she pops up out of nowhere for an interview, then immediately disappears during said interview.
- Stylistic Suck: The trailer for ‘Fleet and Flotilla 2: An Unforgettable Pilgrimage’ is just so bad, that it manages to be quite charming.
- Tranquil Fury: Downplayed with Samara. She barely manages to hold back her rage against Khalisah, warning her that if she were not under an oath to Shepard, she would have killed her on the spot.
- We Will Not Use Photoshop in the Future: Khalisah tries to use a heavily edited picture of Garrus and Tali in her interview with Garrus to try to slander her relationship with Shepard, only for Garrus to point out the glaring flaws in the picture due to being a former C-SEC Officer.
- What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: The Geth at first have a difficult time understanding Shepard and Tali’s relationship, but after Legion sacrifices himself to grant them true sapience, they begin to have a general understanding of what love is.
