Murmillos said:
RJ 17 said:
And your argument that the Reapers are so arrogant as to not even care about the Crucible is flawed. The entire reason they moved the Citadel to Earth in the first place is because TIM warned them about the Crucible and they wanted to protect it where the vast bulk of their fleet was stationed.
and yet it makes to the citadel without any issues at all (that are presented to us).
and then while Shepard is talking to space space timmy, there doesn't appear to be any urgency by the Reapers to dislodge it or attack it.
Everything in SOL is just a unraveling ball of mess.
RJ 17 said:
As for the "Bad guy's spilling the beans", that's completely different from the conversation that takes place. Space Timmy isn't telling Shepard what the Reaper's plans are, arrogantly under the impression that Shepard and the rest of the galaxy are helpless, the Catalyst is literally telling Shepard how to defeat the Reapers. No insight has to be gleened, no flaw in the Reaper plan. It's "Do this, this, or this and you beat the Reapers."
As such, that would be like Harbinger saying "You're utterly insignificant. An ant trying to hold back a storm. Your entire race is doomed. Surreneder is your only option. Only death awaits you. We are your salvation through destruction. Alright, now that you've made it to this room I'm going to tell you how you can kick all of our asses."
In a way, why not? Timmy does. The Crucible changes Timmy; the same Crucible could change Harbinger, who are nearly one of the same. Harbinger is still defiant, but unable to act against the Crucible. He dares you (the player/Shepard) to pick an option at that point, "can you control us?" "nullify the technology you hold dear?" or "Merge the might of flesh and machine?" or turn off the Crucible and go head to head with the Reapers, knowing that there is a 99.9% chance you'll lose to them and the Cycle continues.
Indeed, the Crucible changes Timmy, and its for that reason that the Reapers are in no hurry to dislodge it. If every Reaper was independant but saw Harbinger as their leader, you can bet your ass they'd be trying to dislodge it. They may be arrogant, but they're also cunning, precise, and absolutely ruthless. Anything that could potentially be seen as a threat is either converted to their side or destroyed. It's why they attack Sanctuary after it touches the power of Indoctrination. It's why they offer Geth the power to defeat the Quarians in exchange for their obedience. It's why that sneaky bastard Destroyerer is already camped out at the Shroud, trying to poison the atmosphere.
If they consider something a threat, they destroy it. There's a reason the Crucible was brought in last: so the Reapers would be too busy fighting off the rest of the united galactic fleet to pay attention to it. Once it's plugged in and their collective will is changed, Timmy keeps them from attacking since there are new solutions.
But Harbinger is a Reaper, not the governing will of the Reapers. As I said, on Thessia it's specifically mentioned that the Reapers are just the ones that maintain and progress the Cycle, but they are not the ones who created and implemented it. They're just tools.
You still seem to be dodging the fact that there HAS to be a Space Timmy in the story (or at least some variation of it). Would you have HONESTLY been happier if Harbinger - your nemesis throughout ME 2 and the Reaper officially recognized as the biggest and baddest - had suddenly gone from telling you how laughable your feeble attempts to stop the inevitable are to suddenly breaking down and explaining the various ways for which you can win, ultimately?
"That's right Shepard. It's hopeless. There's nothing you can do. Submit. Oh, you brought in a new toy? Alright. Well I DARE you to do it! You don't have the BALLS to destroy us! You don't have the BALLS to take control over us!" "Wait, you mean TIM was right?" "Yes, but he couldn't control us. You can....if you have the BALLS to go through with it! Or you could bring about a utopian society by advancing all life to the final stage of evolution and ensure that peace and prosperity reign supreme forever and always! But we all know you don't have the BALLS to do that either!"
Not really a challenging dare if everything what you're being dared to do utterly defeats your enemy at the cost of a single life. Given the fact that a major theme from the beginning of ME 3 is "Fight to the death or you're already dead", I don't think Shepard would hesitate at throwing away his/her life if dared to do so and knowing it'll end the war. And sure enough, as the endings show, Shepard isn't afraid to throw away his/her life to end the war.
You might be saying that you'd have prefered a Harbinger hologram over Space Timmy, but I've got a feeling that if that really were the case, there'd be even more rage at the sudden and very drastic change in Harby's "personality" going from omnipotent space-devil-ship who arrogantly taunts you to no end is never ceases to remind you about how worthless you are and how indestructible he and the rest of the Reapers are to suddenly saying "If you do this, you'll utterly destroy us. If you do this, we'll be forced to obey your will for the rest of eternity. Or you can do this and everyone can coexist in harmony for the rest of eternity. Every civilization that has been preserved in Reaper form will now be "free" to share its knowledge and culture with the current societies of the galaxy, and it's all very lovey dovey forever and always."
P that's actually why the Blue ending is my favorite...I hate utopias).
So once again I state that there HAS to be a character that fills the role of Space Timmy. You can complain about the execution of that role, perhaps wishing it was something other than a hologram of Spontaneous Combustion Lad from your dreams, but the fact remains that the role Space Timmy fills is necessary and cannot be filled by a Reaper.
