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clericofshadows · 10 hours ago

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BEHIND THE SCENES OF: MEET THE CREW OF THE NORMANDY SR-2 (2185)

Hey there! Here's a (slightly, but actually very long) post with some fun behind the scenes and canon ranting from my previous post with all my character posters from my ME2 canon! If you're interested in a longer read, there's some details and some pictures below the cut. :)

SOPH

I thought I would start with Soph! Some things on the posters were definitely a bit harder to see, simply because of lighting/post editing in Photoshop. One of the things that was honestly harder to see was all of Soph'a Lazarus fuckery, which is most prominent on her face with the cyber-eye and the blue scarring which you can see in some of the screenshots. I've always sort of liked the idea of matching the colors of the cyber-fuckery (blue) to the same stuff you see on that first troop you meet with the Virmire Survivor in ME3 when you're on Mars and you pull off the mask, which is why I made Soph's blue. Sort of an extension of the idea that what TIM is doing to the rest of Cerberus is some kind of offshoot project similar to Lazarus. I kind of like the callback to that idea, even if I don't keep Mars the same in my canon. Some of the other smaller things you probably couldn't see are the color of the piercings (also blue, but for Kaidan instead- since tends to rep his colors however she can right after she resurrects and she isn't directly with him for a small bit), the little compass tattoo she gets for him, and her little sun tattoo she gets for Dom, with the little moon inside for her. :) I'm a big fan of little things in my canon for representing other people (lmao I bet you couldn't tell if you've read my rants before.) A lot of the people that are close to Soph and Dom do similar things after they meet them :)

DOM

It was also probably a bit harder to see, but Dom also has matching cyber-fuckery scars. His are just in red. In Soph's canon, Dom ends up at Pragia after Mindoir, and then in the custody of Cerberus for multiple years. The clone storyline from ME3 probably gets cut, since I think Dom was the original Lazarus test subject. His are slightly more faded/a different color since they're older. :) He also has a matching sun tattoo, but he reps the the moon on his ear instead. Trying to figure out where he got his tattoos in this canon was interesting, since in his main canon he gets them mostly as a way to remember his grandfather's paintings. I decided to keep that for this canon, but twisted it a bit. Instead he gets all of his tattoos as a way to keep the memories he keeps forgetting. ;) His biotics are purple! That was something I had fun with and probably something I'll rant a bit more about further below with all the other biotics, since I've always thought every biotic probably has a different color. And I liked the idea of distinguishing everyone with a different color to represent them/their biotics. Him and Soph are also using the same set of weapons since I liked the idea that once he starts remembering more, he copies off her a bit when she's gone, since he misses her.

KAIDAN

Kaidan was a fun one to do, since I got to play around with him a bit more. In Soph's canon he ends up going to N school with Ash during the year-ish+ when Soph is dead after they handle the Vorcha mafia incident (which is why both of them use N-branded weapons/gear in their posters!) In my head, his biotics are blue, so I kept them blue for his poster. Blue tends to steer toward a symbolism of power and control, so I liked the idea of his being blue. I kind of tried to find some sort of symbolism for colors for people since I'm a symbolism bitch. :) It was harder to see the earrings in his poster, but he has four rings and a moon in his right ear. They are usually also in most of my gifs I make of him. ;) I also gave him the leather bracelet Soph always wears that Dom made for her when they were kids, since she gives it to him at some point during ME1 and ME2 canon. It's her signification that he's part of her family. <3

ASH

So for Ash, I decided to give her a new bun when I was rendering her out to signify that some time had past and she was in a new position! (Thank you Neve Gallus!) She is the only person carrying four weapons, since I think Ash is the kind of gal who likes to be prepared for any situation. Like Kaidan, all her weapons are from the N armory since she's also an N7 in Soph's canon and also her executive officer on board. Also, I'm a huge fan of the idea that Ash likes bulkier gear, so N7 Titan fit her perfectly. Plus? Shoulders. :) I didn't really touch piercings/tats for Ash. I thought about it, but I think Ash colored me as the type to be more into regulations than the rest of the crew- so I just kept it a bit more simple when I was trying to think of how she might change up her look a bit. I think she does have tattoos, just maybe less visible ones. :)

ARNO

So Arno was fun because I've never shown him off before! In Soph's canon, he was also a Shade. He's slightly older than her (Around 43), and the two of them met working a job on Eden Prime about 6 or 7 prior to the events of LE1, which is how he loses his left arm. The Eden Prime job is how the two of them become friends/both earn their N designations. Following N school at the Villa, Soph ends up splitting and heading off to Omega where she meets Zaeed, and Arno leaves the Shade program to go the flight school. When he graduates he applies to fly frigates for the Alliance and ends up blacklisted since he has spec ops on his record (which carries negative connotations in my canons), so he ends up signing on to fly shuttles since it's the only positing he can get, even if he has solid flight scores until ME2! He's the shuttle pilot for the Normandy during ME1 even though he applied to be the pilot (the posting went to Joker instead.) He is soldier subclass- commando designation. His primary weapon is a Crusader shotgun. ;)

ZAEED

Zaeed was also a fun one to pose! He is a huge part of Soph's canon in ME1 and beyond since he's been a part of it prior to the events of the game, and is probably the person she's closest to on the Normandy. He's essentially her second in command during the entirety of ME2 canon and helps her build the team from the ground up. I did say his Viper is painted red and black for Regis, and it's much easier to see without the blue lighting lol. He also carries N-branded weaponry since he's an adjunct for the Villa prior to being on the Normandy (Valkyrie/Eagle, similar to Regis since he likes using the same weapons when they're apart. He misses his husband.) He's also Soph's Shadow Broker in her canon, since she does not trust Liara after she finds out she gave her body to Cerberus. So she gives the resources to the best information broker she knows and probably the person she trusts more than anyone else in the galaxy. :) I like to think the coat is his Shadow Broker outfit, thanks.

NYREEN

Nyreen was actually the only person I rendered twice when I made the posters! I edited her render to blend both her renders together. In Soph's canon, she takes on the role of Archangel Talon, while also heading up the Talon mercenary/vigilante group on Omega to deal with growing crime waves being brought on by the Suns, Eclipse, and the Blood Pack. She essentially takes on Garrus's role in ME2 canon for Soph, but with major adjustments to give her her own spin and make her her own character without just shoving her into the exact same storyline he had, since I love her and she deserved better than what she got in ME3. :) In my head, her biotics are an amber color, since I really wanted to distinguish her from other biotics in the group- and also make her a bit easily recognizable that first time they meet up again on Omega. She's carrying a Phaeston (Since she carries one in the Omega DLC) and also a pistol and an SMG that a lot of the gang enemies on Omega carry, since I felt like it seemed fairly standard to headcanon it as something commonly used out in the Terminus Systems.

NAIA

Naia is another blorbo I haven't shown off before! She's a doctor for the Talons in ME2 canon, and she is also married to Nyreen and heads up the Talons with her. There's a cute little Talons logo on her armor that was a bit hidden by her hair in her poster. Her and Nyreen are using the same set of weapons, too. :) She's also a bigger part of Soph's life! They were in a relationship at one point prior to Soph being involved in Akuze. Naia's sister introduced the two of them, and was on Akuze with Soph. The three of them were close, and Naia's sister ended up being part of the fireteam Soph lost on Akuze, which Soph carried heavy guilt/blamed herself over. She ended up dipping through the relays without telling Naia and the relationship fizzled out entirely without any contact for years. They meet up again and end up becoming close friends again during ME1 canon! Naia replaces Dr. Michel down in the Wards. She leads the squad to Nyreen and Wrex, and ends up back on the Normandy as a medical consultant to keep close to her wife. ;)

MIRI

Miri isn't super far off from her canon appearance. I love the bun for her, just because I'm always a fan of hair up for combat. And I like the dark makeup for her. For her biotics, I was always a fan of the idea that hers are probably pretty close to like a pearlescent white color. In my head white is sort of symbolic of pristine appearances/perfection, and I think Miri's dad was probably a stickler about gene-modding the color of her biotics to get them as close to the shade of "perfection" as he could. They are slightly pink-ish in the tint just since I think they aren't "perfect" and it plays on the idea that she wasn't perfect in his eyes. And pink is a symbol of healing, which is what I think Miri is working through during ME2 canon when she leaves Cerberus and also tries to consolidate who she is. For her weapons I went with a Mantis sniper and a Locust pistol. This was also sort of playing off that line from ME2 that Miri has where she says, "Worried about my qualifications? I can crush a mech with my biotics or shoot its head off at 100 yards. Take your pick." I figured she'd be able to handle a sniper and a pistol pretty well. ;) Also? I kind of liked the idea of her still slightly rep'ing Cerberus colors in the outfit even if she's left them, since she's still working on consolidating her identity outside of them.

JACOB

Jacob is definitely a character who looks remarkably different from canon. His backstory in game was always interesting, so I kind of wanted to touch on the Alliance bit somewhat more when I was both posing him and while I write him. Jacob deserves more love since he's such an interesting character. :) In Soph's canon I have him as an N7 from her class who was assigned to go undercover with the Cerberus black ops branch after Akuze happened and as he's working through it, he starts to uncover a more sinister plot. He's a Vanguard who favors a Piranha shotgun. He is also the only person carrying a heavy weapon, since I think Jacob favors heavier armor/heavier gear when he's not undercover. In my head, he splits what he wears undercover (likely lighter gear/arms) so that it's more difficult to pinpoint who he is outside of it. His biotics are a deeper shade of orange that's almost reddish. I wanted to make him distinguishable and the color felt like it fit. I also gave him a dread fade (which I also yoinked from Veilguard!) because it also felt like it just fit him, and since I think he grew out his hair when he was undercover maybe to fit in a bit more. :)

JACK

Jack was probably one of my favorites to play around with. I didn't make a ton of changes to her canon appearance since I love it, but I did give her a few extra facial piercings since I think Jack would fuck heavily with facial piercings in the ME universe. They were definitely harder to see in the poster (but I gave her some snakebites, two nose rings, bridge piercings, and some eyebrow studs!) I don't think Jack goes super heavily armed when she fights. In my head, she was a biotic pirate prior to being captured at Purgatory and fighting her way out of Pragia. And I think she mostly fights with her biotics, so I kept her weapons pretty close quarters for when she does pull them out! (A Striker shotgun, and one of the same pistols I gave Naia/Nyreen that seemed common for Terminus Systems gang members to use.) In Soph's universe her and Dom were at Pragia together. He was Subject Seven, she was Subject Zero. He's the one who catches onto her being at Purgatory and makes the team run to get her since he remembers her and refuses to leave her in Suns custody. She is probably his closest friend/confidant on the ship. :) I kept her biotics purple, since it felt like it fit her.

SAMARA

Samara doesn't have a ton of canon appearance changes either, but in my head as a Justicar, she probably goes a bit heavier on the armor. I do think she does go a bit lighter on the arms and fights mostly with her biotics- so I kept it simple with just a Phalanx for her. In my head, Samara's biotics are a lighter shade of purple/almost blue, since those are both associated with calmness/mediation. The only really staggering thing that was probably harder to see on her poster was that her eyes were slightly lit and glowing the same shade as her biotics. :) In Soph's canon, her and Samara have met a few times through her work in the Terminus Systems. So she knows her when they meet up again on Illium. ;)

THANE

I don't have a ton to say for Thane. His weapons are fairly standard. Sniper/AR/Pistol. The only interesting thing about his pistol is that it's the same one from the ME3 Citadel DLC that has the silencer, since I thought Thane would be the kind of guy that uses a silenced pistol for close quarters assassinations. I also thought Thane probably had green biotics. Green is a symbol of harmony, which felt like it fit Thane's spirituality. It made him a bit easier to distinguish from the rest of the crowd, too. Thane is working down a few contracts hunting various Cerberus agents between ME1 and ME2, which is how he meets Dom- who is also doing the same thing when they end up bumping heads on the same contract. Dom is how he gets introduced to the team during ME2 canon when they run into him again. :)

KASUMI

Kasumi is probably the render I spent the longest on- and she's probably the character who looks the most different lol. In Soph's canon, Kasumi is a former Shade who split off with Keiji after meeting him on a heist/contract the two shared together. She's also an expert in cybernetics and a master thief, somewhat similar to normal ME canon. I thought it would be fun to give her cybernetics in her face and on her arm (which are much easier to see without the blue lighting!) I also ripped her a new haircut, since I felt like Kasumi is the kind of gal who would rock a side shave (and a purple streak!) She rocks a sniper and the Locust you get from Hock's mission as her main weapons. Arno introduces the team to her since she's one of his former Shade contacts. :)

TALI

Tali is also not super different from canon storywise, but I've always been a huge fan of Children of Rannoch, so that's how I envision her to look in Soph's universe. She also seems like a shotgun/pistol user to me with a drone for longer-range combat encounters. I'm not entirely sure how Freedom's Progress goes yet, but I do think Tali joins up at some point later. :)

MORDIN

Mordin was an interesting one. I wasn't sure if I was keeping him or not for a little while, since Miranda and Naia both filled the geneticist/biology roles- but I settled on keeping him on as a non-combat consultant in Soph's universe. This is more of what I think he would wear if he went out into the field. I picked his weapons based off of what I think he ran in STG. :) As for Soph canon? I think it's more of a reluctance thing for her- having him on the ship. Especially when she finds out about his genophage work. I do not think she trusts him. He's probably the only person on the ship she has EDI keep an eye on. :)

SOME OTHER DETAILS/OTHER QUESTIONS

WHERE IS...? Legion? I cut Legion, honestly. He's never been a favorite of mine. When they run into him, I think Soph either never turns him back on, or gives him to the Alliance. After ME1? I doubt she'd trust a Geth just out of the blue. Grunt? With the Krogan on Tuchanka. When Soph lets him out of the tank, her first instinct is to bring him back to Wrex. I do still think she helps handle being his krantt/setting him up with clan Urdnot, but she doesn't keep him on the team. Garrus? I don't know. Probably still with C-Sec. I cut him out of her canon in ME1 after the first Citadel Tower conversation when you go to meet the Council lmao.

I could probably rant for a little longer about 50 other things, but this post has gone on long enough lol. Thanks for listening to a rant that wasn't in the tags for once. <3

#sophie shepard #dominik shepard #this is such a cool read Mira and i love seeing your insights on your canon <3 #and how lovingly you rendered mine beckas and morning's mods in your stuff :)#crying at the tattoos and the bracelets and the matching twins and zaeed missing Regis #prob more things to add in the tags later but your canon is amazing #and hell yeah to no garrus

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