There is a group of people on the internet asking for changes be made to the way Mass Effect 3 ended. They are serious. They are so serious, in fact, that they've attached themselves to the Child's Play charity in the hope this makes them appear less "angry or entitled".

It doesn't work, of course, but bless them for trying.
The group, called "Retake Mass Effect", has a mission statement, which while acknowledging "it is the right of the writers and developers of the Mass Effect series to end that series however they see fit", very quickly goes on to "respectfully request additional endings be added", including "a heroic ending which provides a better sense of accomplishment".

There's a very big line to cross between being disappointed in the creative work of others and actively asking for it to be changed (or added to) to suit your own wishes. It never ceases to amaze me how often people don't see it.

Complain all you want about how a game ends, be as disappointed as your heart can humanly take, but don't ever start asking for story-telling by focus group. If you think game plots are bad now, wait until you see that dark future.

The arrogantly named "Retake Mass Effect" group has decided to offset the public bitching by raising some money for Child's Play, which fans are now cynically using to deflect criticism. I know this because Destructoid's tips line was spammed by emails from Mass Effect fans demanding we write about it for that very purpose.

Well ... here you are. Here's the story "proving" you're not entitled, which you earned by sending us emails implying you were entitled to it.

The group -- which was founded on the principle that Mass Effect 3's ending ruined an entire game series and undid all the fun everyone had -- raised over $26,000 for Child's Play in under 24 hours. It would've been more, but members were too busy seeking a public pat on the head for it.

So here's your post, which you wanted to offset what one tipster called our, "bashing the Mass Effect community through one-sided, poorly researched articles." Hopefully the undeniable positivity in this story will make you all feel better like the precious eggshell princes you are.

As of today, I have set an end goal for our fundraiser at $80,000.

The very idea that we would even be able to reach that goal was a fever dream only a week ago. I don't believe anyone can or should consider this effort to have been anything but spectacularly successful. As evidenced by the statement from Dr. Myzuka yesterday, we have made our voices heard. Those of you here have taken special care to be heard in a polite, positive manner, and I believe that this is a major contributor to that success.

We have shown our sincerity and passion. We have brought positive attention to the Retake Mass Effect movement.

Make no mistake. This effort has been victorious.

I have been in contact with a manager at Child's Play. First, he wanted to stress how grateful they were for our efforts here, and the huge impact it will have in helping the charity. However, he pointed out that several sources are incorrectly assuming a link between the charity and the petition, or outright support of the petition by the charity. This has been a source of difficulty for them, and it has been requested that we wind this effort down. Again, I want to stress that the charity is not unhappy with our work, they are exceptionally pleased with what we have accomplished.

There will be conspiracy theorys regarding this. Many of the public statements by Penny Arcade have been dismissive or outright derogatory of our effort. I believe this is a failure on their part to understand our issues, but they are entitled to their opinion. Regardless, I want to stress that I do not believe for one second that this is an attempt by anyone at Penny Arcade to silence this movement.

I also want you all to know I am acting unilaterally in this decision. I have been provided many eloquent arguments against winding down the drive and I appreciate them. In the end, however, I believe that now is the time for this phase of the process to come to an close.

Retake Mass Effect is not over by any means; Dr. Myzuka's statement was welcome, but did not directly address our concerns. You have been heard. Now it is time to make sure they get the details right

I will be taking a break from BSN for a time. My sincerest thanks to everyone who has supported this effort whether through donations, publicity, or kind words. Special thanks to the core group here who kept this thread polite, positive, and on track.

I hope to soon have an archive of the comments made on the ChipIn page located at www.wewillholdtheline.org.

To everyone here - my thanks, and I salute you.

Sincerely,

Robb

"Sef being dead was a relief to the remaining survivors of Canada. His want for something exciting to happen cost too many lives. He failed in starting World War 3."

"Dhiloda."