#project lazarus

[queam]

Even you Shepard, are part synthetic.

[omegastation]

i already wrote here about Miranda & Grunt, the idea that they're linked for many reasons. And I said here that taking specific squadmates to some missions can be meaningful to me, so I always take Miranda to see Okeer.

They come across the tank-grown Krogan first, who tells Shepard:

"You don't smell like this world."

The sort of fun stuff Shepard can hear after the Lazarus Project. And obviously no one is going to stand there and stay in their feelings hearing this -especially when there are mercs around and there's a mission going on- but I wonder if Shepard comes 'home' later, in their new ship, and just thinks: I don't smell like this world. What it is like? Makes me a bit sad, to be honest. EDIT: could be specific to that world in particular, but in this wide context, that's what came to mind!

And when the krogan goes on and on about "glass mother" and how he was rejected because he was not perfect, the camara shows him:

and the squadmates a second later:

And obviously the game is busy with other things, one squadmate is already reacting to what's going on. But having Shepard and Miranda both look at him as he keeps repeating: I was not perfect, that has a special meaning. Especially as it happens after the conversation about greatness between Shepard and Miranda.

Miranda insists she was engineered for it while Shepard was "great before" they rebuilt them. Shepard can talk about spirit and personality making someone great but Miranda is not really convinced:

That's kind of you... I'm not sure I believe you, but thanks for saying it.

And later Okeer's very words are very focused on purity, his legacy, not caring about the "rejects" along the way. Basically just echoing what Miranda sees and knows of her own father. Which is why I think it matters that Shepard can call Okeer cruel and manipulative, and Miranda can be there to hear it.

Then Miranda witnesses Okeer dying, saying "My legacy is pure... This... one soldier, this grunt. Perfect."

And look at this picture:

Isn't this amazing? It says so much.

And my own interpretation at this point in ME2 is that Miranda is Not Okay, she hasn't dealt with her past yet and she's very much tied to insane Cerberus beliefs.

So she doesn't see Grunt as a person yet, she sees "a thing" and insists it's dangerous to let "it" out of the tank, that he was "educated by a madman" - which to be fair to her history, she might have a point there.

But still, not seeing the person, seeing the "it"/"the thing" makes it even more meaningful when Shepard hears her and goes:

With him.

A gentle reminder that they are all people: Grunt being tank born, Miranda being engineered, Shepard being new and resurrected.

What has been done to them can't take away their personhood. Love that for those three.

[westernlarch]

what are circe's feelings on the lazarus project? how does she cope with what happened to her?

So I've been sitting on this ask because I haven't had the time to devote to it, but now that I've finished my SMB entry and work is a little less overwhelming, I think I can tackle it 🙂 I'll start off by stating that Circe has absolutely no problem with the idea of being enhanced. As someone who has lived her entire adult life as a soldier (it's been her whole life, professional and personal, since the tragedy on Mindoir), she sees enhancements as a natural extension of her job. She doesn't feel bad for having them or using them. But as far as being brought back from the dead? That's a lot more complicated. There isn't a whole lot she remembers about dying itself---the extremes of the environment and the deterioration that happened make it impossible--but she comprehends that she well and truly died. But the part that's the hardest to reconcile isn't being brought back to life (though I will talk more on that later). It's the fact that she was treated like a tool, a vessel, a weapon. A rare object to collect. And this is without getting into Liara's motivations for handing her over to Cerberus. (In my mind, this is an inflection point in their friendship, where Shepard begins to keep her at arms length. They're still friends, but it's never the same after that.)

Circe doesn't believe in god, she isn't spiritual or anything like that, but once all is said and done in ME2, she questions how much of her is actually...well, her. I don't think she ever really gets over this. It's always somewhere in her subconscious, acting upon her in ways she doesn't always understand (again, will come back to this later). And the introduction of EDI, and even more so when EDI is put into a functional body, makes her wonder if there's really much difference between the two of them at the end of the day. I think that's a big part of why she comes to embrace her and support her journey to become more human.

As far as coping...there is always a goal. And another goal. And a job to get done. It's how she survives everything she goes through--rarely stopping, keeping herself busy and "useful". Not a healthy way to deal with problems, especially ones as existential as I AM A LIVING ZOMBIE.

Part 2 coming on the weekend because I've got more work to do right now 😅. Thanks for the ask!!!!

[swan2swan]

I LOVE HER

[sanguinemoonglitch]

Can safely say this is the most unexpected take on Lazarus I've seen yet:

[nightbirdbliss]

go my experiment. yes be denied humanity at every turn.

[waffowo]

Project: Lazarus is the funniest Big Finish audio ever. I genuinely started crying when Evelyn broke down at the end of Part 2 but I was in so much shock and laughter at Parts 3-4 when the Seventh Doctor…just started blasting? He just did not give a fuck???? They were crazy for that I fear.

[joking611]

Asunder: Chapter 26

Fandom: Mass Effect Relationship(s): Female Shepard/Liara T'Soni Summary: Liara settles into her new life on Illium, and Shepard finally wakes up from her nap. Illium: “Yes Ma’am. Thank you, Ma’am.” At Liara’s nod, the deferential lieutenant decided that he was dismissed, and left the asari’s office. The young information broker pursed her lips as she watched him go. She wondered briefly if this visit would be the one when he chose to avail himself of Nos Astra’s many distractions. She shook her head at the thought. Given the man’s single mindedness, probably not. Liara rose from her desk, turning to look out over the trading floor. She held her tea close to her chest as she looked out over the masses, red in the afternoon glow of Tasale. She could easily identify Tremblay as he walked purposefully in the direction of the docks. She almost allowed herself a smile at the man’s sense of duty. She should have known he wouldn’t be one to partake in the indulgences of Illium. It was probably just as well.The Alliance held no domain here in the Terminus, and Tremblay would be a tempting target if anyone knew the officer’s ties to both Admiral Hackett and the Head of House T’Soni. He must realize it as well, given the camouflage afforded by his battered shuttle and threadbare civilian attire. No worries. Anedra would ensure that he reached his shuttle safely, and she’d do it without him ever knowing she was there. Liara suspected that she wasn’t supposed to know either, for that matter. But then Denai selecting the most conspicuous member of her honor guard for this detail was probably the matron’s method of delivering a less-than-subtle message. ‘You are not alone.’ Goddess, even in her imagination she could almost hear the “peeress,” half in respect, half in jest. Continued on AO3