#indoctrination theory

[sailforvalinor]

Mass Effect fans, watching Stranger Things fans flip out over “Conformity Gate” theories: “First time, huh?”

[kishock-harpoon]

Mmm thinking about how Indoctrination Theory would affect Kaidan

He's already worried that Shepard is affected/changed by the Cerberus rebuilding, but when he sees signs of her trying to solo an internal battle from Reaper control? Oh boy, my man would be struggling.

Loves her. Supports her. Will die for her. Has NO IDEA how he can lend her some ammo in this fight.

Being woken up in the middle of the night by her oily shadow nightmares, holding her close as he begs her to wake up. Her scars brighten for a moment, blue, when she growls "you exist because we allow it" before going limp, back to sleep. Scars glowing their normal red. She has the helm once again.

All as if Kaidan isn't quietly crying and wondering if the fight might already be over.

[arasaka-android]

(but the war won)

A Mass Effect playlist for an indoctrinated Commander Shepard.

"As your friends, relatives, and acquaintances perish in catastrophe, just think of it as the best movie you'll ever hope to see."

[sachyriel]

This post contains minor and major spoilers, minor about Conrad, major about TIM. Viewer discretion is advised.

Conrad Verner is obsessed with Commander Shepard. That's not the spoiler, that's like the main pillar of the character everyone knows. Conrad seeks your approval, wants to be like you, even as far as recruiting for Cerberus in ME3 (that's a spoiler but not the spoiler I mean). He's recruiting for Cerberus in 3 cause you were working for them in 2, he uhhh, didn't get the memo.

The Illusive Man is also obsessed with Shepard. He literally moves mountains of cash to bring you back from the dead. He also seeks your approval, especially [MAJOR SPOILER] at the end of ME3 on the Citadel when he's trying to argue for controlling the Reapers. That's what drives him, he wants to control the Reapers, sure, but if you're a Goody-two shoes he ends up giving up, Saren style *cough cough*.

Now you maybe thinking Conrad Verner and The illusive Man are so different in position that they could not be further apart. Conrad Verner is a bum trying to impress people with his Shepard Fandom, TIM is the head of a galactic underground terrorist organization with enough sway to bend the law when they need to (or break it if it they can't). How can they be so similar? TIM got to be the head of Cerberus by his cunning and ruthlessness, but in his drive to bring Shepard back, you think Conrad wouldn't have done the same thing in TIM's place?

TIM is very smart, you don't get to be head terrorist of a galactic underground org without having a good head on your shoulders.

[MINOR SPOILER] Doctor Conrad Verner is a doctor. "A doctor honey" - Turanga Leela, wait wrong series. But I feel people underestimate Conrad. He's gota good head on his shoulders, he's a Doctor in Xenotechnology and Dark Energy Integration. If TIM knew this guy he'd hire him on the spot, instead Conrad likely got recruited by some local schmuck who didn't care about his education. TIM would have looked at that resume and locked Conrad into some outpost where he could do Dark Matter stuff and Xenotechnology research, to be fed as many pictures of Shepard as he wants.

But I think Conrad Verner and The Illusive Man are more alike than people used to think. Now that I've said my piece, you will tell me I am correct because you are INDOCTRINATED.

[fllagellant]

“ Shepard, Joker has been displaying concerning behaviour… ”

[the-god-of-nihon]

Still ascribe to the indoctrination theory, that the ending of ME3 is a mental projection/simulated scenario from Harbinger in a final attempt to get Shepard to submit in their weakened state. Destroy being rejecting indoctrination and maintaining their will, which is why it’s the only ending w/ Shepard alive in the rubble. Both synthesis & control were paths taken by Saren & the Illusive man, and demonstrably failures. No star child, no green/blue/red energy blast ending. The crucible doesn’t even get activated in reality. Synthetic life doesn’t get wiped out.

Essentially none of the events after the charge down the hill, & reaper beam actually occur, it’s all in Shepard’s head. And the series essentially ends w/ Shepard having resisted indoctrination, but the fight is still ongoing. 

[krimzie]

👀 For Mass Effect?

Ooooooooh yes! Thank you for the ask. ❤️

Mass Effect WIP snippet (post-ME3, destroy ending)

Kaidan was never one to doubt Shepard’s instincts but her choice, this time, was hard to stomach. While he’d promised her up and down he wouldn’t treat her any differently now than he had prior to the Reaper War, deep down, he knew he would. It wasn’t a lie, not quite - he wanted to be optimistic that she was right, that she’d been a veteran of many wars before this one, that she always bounced back, that he’d be unwise to coddle a soldier of her rank in any way, shape, or form. But he knew just as well as anyone--anyone who wasn’t in denial, that is--that the Reaper War wasn’t a normal war. It was a war of terror, manipulation, and mind games, of which Shepard was a prime target.

Dr. Chakwas couldn’t say one way or another if the effects of indoctrination were long lasting or would heal the more time passed from the Reapers’ mass deactivation. It hadn’t been long enough to really document and identifying patients who could objectively say that yes, they were indoctrinated, and yes, they would accept treatment, and could more importantly describe in honest detail what was going on in their minds was... difficult.

Shepard, meanwhile, accepted treatment but getting her to say more than a few words about anything these days was a task no one had yet accomplished.

Unsurprisingly, she was silent as she limped next to him. It was getting colder in Vancouver and her plated and barely healed bones were getting stiff. “You wanna stop for a bit?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.

“No,” she said, and that was all.

Kaidan watched her longer than she clearly would’ve liked. The glassy eyes that had been carefully trained on the ground to avoid rubble and construction darted away from him. Kaidan watched her, the way she favored her real leg over the mecha-prosthetic, how her new hair growth sharpened the long scar along her scalp. Whether sensing what he saw or reacting to the chilly breeze off the bay, he couldn’t be sure, but she pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and balled her hands in its front pockets.

“So, ah, how… how’d it go?” Kaidan attempted awkwardly. They were, after all, walking back to her apartment from four back to back appointments. She'd had two physical therapy sessions, one military benefits review, and one psychologist visit, and he knew nothing about any of them except for the types of chairs in their waiting rooms.

“Fine,” she said, and that was all.

“Well, you finally get your own space now, yeah? That’s… that’s something to look forward to,” Kaidan attempted. Shepard said nothing, and there was nothing to indicate that she was even listening. “Hanson was a tough roommate, I’d imagine.”

“He’s still in a coma,” Shepard said. Kaidan cringed--he hadn’t known. “You’d have known if you’d ever stopped by,” she added, as if hearing his thoughts.

“They wouldn’t let me in,” Kaidan said emphatically, “and I promise I tried. It was hard enough thinking I’d lost you again, only to learn you’re alive but I couldn’t see you.”

“It’s for the best. I’m a war criminal,” Shepard said emptily. It drew Kaidan’s eyes to her ankle, where a tracker flashed an insistent blue-green light. She sighed, the first sign of emotion in a while, and spared him a glance. “I have to go tomorrow, Kaidan.”

“Shepard…”

“It’s for the best. I won’t risk another war when we’re barely hanging on as it is. I shouldn’t have cheated death again. I might as well make it worth something.”

[foxinginflannel]

Sooo, recently I got into replaying #MassEffect2 like a trillionth time 🤷 and noticed a couple of things:

1) In one part of the Overlord quest - when Shepard goes on the shuttle to collect some valuables on a cold and snowy planet, there basically is a reaper beam in the middle of the map - the same size, swirly thing in the sky etc.

I'm not telling that there are reapers there or whatever, however there should some kind of explanation for this thing being there.

2) In the other part of the Overlord quest chain Shepard and the team go to some cave where all the scientists were indoctrinated by this artifact - this huge sphere hanging in the air. And Shepard just touches it, gets thrown on the ground by a blast and then takes the thing to her cabin 🥺 This literally left me in shock.

3) In the Arrival DLC when Shrpard gets to see the reaper artifact for the first time and is subjected to its influence - if Shep keeps shooting down the enemies and consequently doesn't succumb to the influence, reaper voice first says "Do not resist" and then - if you stay alive even longer - you get the mini version of the ray blast (sound and all) as in the ME3 ending 🤯

And if here, in Arrival, it's a 100% obvious indoctrination atttempt, then what it makes with the ME3 example? Now I'm more than ever sure that it is as well an attempt to indoctrinate Shepard 😱😱😱