Mass Effect is full of fruitful and rewarding relationships. If players keep characters close to the chest and the narrative allows for them to stay in the player's party for more than a single game, these relationships may even span a trilogy of installments. Between each game in the original trilogy, some of Mass Effect's most beloved squadmates return frequently, some are gone for a considerable amount of time, and others do not return at all.
Characters such as Miranda Lawson have a much larger role to play in Mass Effect 2 than in Mass Effect 3, for example, and the choices that players make throughout each game do carry over into subsequent titles. However, few characters stick around in the same capacity as Garrus Vakarian, a former C-Sec officer who briefly becomes the vigilante infiltrator Archangel. One fan shares beautiful artwork that highlights their favorite romantic relationship in the trilogy: Shepard and the turian.
LunaRedgrave5's illustration places Garrus in an inverted position above a female Shepard, with their heads close together. The art's background is a starry sky of red, purple, and blue. Between Garrus' inverted portion of the illustration and Shepard's, LunaRedgrave5 has also included a fan-favorite line of dialogue: "There is no Shepard without Vakarian." Indeed, players have the option of either blossoming Shepard and Garrus' relationship to a romantic potential throughout each game, or simply have him as a respectable and loyal ally that they can depend upon in any situation.
Whether playing as a male or female Shepard, the player's relationship with Garrus is always rich and intimate. Of course, like most characters, it is possible for Garrus to die in Mass Effect 2's emergent Suicide Mission. But, if kept alive, his character arcs throughout each game are meaningful and inhabit some of Mass Effect's most memorable sequences. Mass Effect 3's Citadel DLC, for example, offers a sensual yet playful dance sequence at the Silver Coast Casino.
Because Garrus' presence throughout the trilogy is so prominent, the frequency with which players might choose to have him accompany them to a destination is greater. BioWare's data statistics revealed that Garrus was players' most popular companion in the original Mass Effect, and he was also the most likely to survive Mass Effect 2's Suicide Mission. This demonstrates the influence that Garrus had on players' squads, whether in a platonic or romantic capacity, and LunaRedgrave5's artwork is a lovely celebration of that affinity.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.