Mass Effect body pillows seem to have gone from 'meme horny' to 'actually horny'

gamesradar.com:

The BioWare merch store has released a Liara body pillow, and it seems we've fully crossed the line from novelty merchandise to earnest attempts to capitalize on how thirsty Mass Effect fans are for their digital crushes.

The Mass Effect body pillow saga starts with a 2014 April Fools Day gag, in which BioWare joked (opens in new tab) that a full-sized Garrus pillow was available for purchase. This pillow was meant to be in the style of a dakimakura pillow, which is stereotypically decorated with an amorous anime fan's waifu or husbando of choice.

The joke, of course, is that Garrus is a gangly alien who would probably be pretty uncomfortable to cuddle with. Yet Mass Effect fans also love Garrus, and the joke became a real piece of merchandise in 2019 - albeit, as a body pillow case rather than an actual pillow. Either way, the merch proved so popular that BioWare invested in a second wave, and you can still pick up the Garrus pillow case for a semi-reasonable $35.

Mass Effect has a lot of romance options, so the body pillows continued, with at least some semblance of a joke attached. There was Tali, doomed to never cuddle in human conditions due to her environmental suit. There was Thane, whose drell body is covered in a minor venom that you probably don't want to be in prolonged contact with.

Your loving companion Liara welcomes you into the most blissful slumber.