#⟡°⋄ ––––– ◜ verse: indoctrination // ( shepard . ) ◞

[dutyworn]

@innerwar said: 😈Worst thing you’ve ever done to your muse?  😂Funniest thing that’s ever happened to your muse?

Mun talks about the Muse    /    ACCEPTING ↷

😈Worst thing you’ve ever done to your muse? :: I love whump, so there's so much. However... worst in her opinion. Not the worst injuries she's ever had, but the fact that she was filmed and broadcast to her crew later - I have a wishlist item, that I'm also writing with someone (hi @perditos), where Wren was kidnapped by someone who wanted to undermine the galaxy's trust on her, so they filmed restraining her and beating her up, and didn't get the reaction from her they were hoping to get, so they eventually strangled her, which is, in ME2 onwards era, a PTSD trigger for her because she remembers suffocating to death, so that finally made her visibly panic. She doesn't say anything about it until later, once she's mostly recovered physically, these mf-ers manage to hijack the Normandy's comm systems, and broadcast the footage to all of her crew. So she's watching the people she's supposed to command watch her panic. Was not a good time for her

I've not yet explored this in writing, but it mayyyyy become an AU verse... the basis being what if Shepard was indoctrinated instead of Saren in ME1. @anderwhohn introduced the idea to me sometime last year, iirc it's from a fic, and I've been thinking about it ever since enough so that I might expand it from a wishlist item to a full verse if I ever manage to make it work in a more generic manner than tailored to specific muses. Anyway that would. She would. Not like that. 0/10 for her. The idea being that they'd manage to unindoctrinate her at some point but only after she's killed countless of innocents, including Jenkins, possibly Kaidan, on Eden Prime, and it'd be her who shot Nihlus, maybe Saren, etc.

😂Funniest thing that’s ever happened to your muse? :: Citadel DLC??? Surely something in Citadel DLC????? Nothing like fighting your CLONE after falling through a fish tank and getting yourself and your pilot banned from half the fancy restaurants on the Citadel for life.

[kleinewahines]

V: Orthrus (i'm being lazy again)

Mass Effect Verse

Vi Commander Vi Shepard. Colonist, sole survivor. Soldier. No biotics to speak of and doesn't want them. Actually really fucking hates being around biotics due to an event early in her military career (commiserating with Vega on this is a huge source of comfort for Vi). 'Lost' Powder on Mindoir.

Micah Tasked with helping those who left Cerberus for whatever reason, she makes sure everyone's health is on the up and up. Because of her neurology training, she helps the almost Indoctrinated the most. Is involved only slightly in the Crucible Project, if only because there isn't much cause for a neuropathologist on such an engineering project. She is just meant to track peoples' neurology to search for any Indoctrinated saboteurs.

Jessie Biotic and loving it. She stole the latest amp coming out of the company she works for and nobody knows it and she lies on all her forms about which amp she has. Ostensibly is only in biotic research anyway, has no contract or contact with the Alliance. As with Micah, no work with the Crucible.

Kath N7 Marine a few years before either Leng or Shepard were in the program but after the First Contact War. During an assignment, was exposed to demozane in an explosion which broke a number of bones from the chest down. Is technically retired now but does work security for the Crucible Project.

[corpocyborg]

ON REPEAT

Rules: Shuffle your on repeat playlist and share the first ten songs. Tagged by @merge-conflict! Thank you so much! I'm including commentary on each song just for fun.

Ahhh Bullet with Butterfly Wings... My theme song, my favorite song of all time... Anthem of impotent anger... And I like this cover even more than the original bc it sounds even more harsh.

Another of my favorite songs of all time... Who would've thought my On Repeat would have so many of those... I love the bloodlust of this song... The description of murder as an escape from daily life, as "deep, distant, and pure," and the daydreamy joy of the verses too

Another of my favorite songs of all time... It's about being killed by nukes. This is why my roommates always tease me about being an edgelord. But i mean... This song is poetry.

This is a new discovery that's been on my rotation lately. It popped up on my "Quiet Rock Mix" playlist. Actually most of the new songs on here are from that playlist. That or "Cathartic Quiet Mix" too.

This song is from my Miranda/Femshep mix and that is likely why it made it into my on repeat playlist. I think it fits them very well. "I'm here to save the world. But who will save Supergirl?"

Finally something a little less edgelordy. Just a silly little song about experiencing spontaneous combustion.

And we're back to the edgelordy with a song about shooting a shooter... Chevelle is one of my favorite bands of all time. They have never written a song that isn't angry I'm pretty sure. 😂

Yeah... Very edgelordy. Another discovery from either "Quiet Rock Mix" or "Cathartic Quiet Mix." I can't remember which. Even just that opening line tho... Ultimate edgelord. "miss jones taught me English but I think I just shot her son"

Ohhh I adore this song. Another discovery from Quiet Rock Mix. Though of course I've been a foo fighters fan forever I hadn't heard this one before. It's currently on my WIP harry du bois/kim kitsuragi mix.

Ahhh I love this song. From the nonsense noises of the opening line, to the way she enunciates "I've been bad" to the endless repetition of the chorus "I fought the war but the war won" until you feel like it just drives it into you. On my indoctrinated commander shepard playlist. Not going to tag anyone because I've recently tagged all my regular mutuals on a spotify song sharing tag game. But if you see it and want to play, consider yourself tagged!

[solesoldier-a]

MY  GOD  IS  GONNA  OWE  ME:    an  indoctrination au  playlist  featuring  ,  DESTRUCTION  -  joy  wave    /      TROUBLE  COMES  KNOCKING  -  timber timbre    /    ALL  THE  GOOD  GIRLS  GO  TO  HELL  -  billie  eilish    /    MY  BOY  BUILDS  COFFINS  -    florence + the  machine    /    WHAT  THE  WATER  GAVE  ME  -  florence + the  machine    /    THE  MIND  ELECTRIC  -  miracle  musical   /    OH  ANA  -  mother  mother    /    THIS  DEVIL'S  WORKDAY  -  modest  mouse    /    ARE  YOU  SATISFIED?  -  marina      /    GRAVE  DIGGER  -  matt  maeson    /    IT  WILL  COME  BACK  -  hozier    /    RULER  OF  EVERYTHING  -  tally  hall    /    DIRTY  -  grandson    /    INFERNO, PT. 2  -  the  buttress    /    KING  RAT  -  modest  mouse    /    LAPLACE’S  ANGEL  ( HURT  PEOPLE?  HURT  PEOPLE! )  -  will  wood    /    EAST  HASTINGS  -  godspeed  you!  black  emperor        (  listen  here  )  

[systems-alliance-pilot]

Cerberus AU - ME2 verse: 

Name: Owen Blackthorne Titles: Operative / Pilot / Ace Role: Shuttle pilot (he hates it - he feels like a glorified ferryman); original test pilot of Normandy SR-2 (intended helmsman before Joker agreed to join); Cerberus fighter ace  Loyalty mission: help Owen hunt down and eliminate the slavers that attempted to take him as a child.   - Cerberus release footage of the attempted kidnapping to Shepard and give them coordinates to an infamous slaver ring now led by the Batarians associated with Owen. Owen himself is not made aware of the images/information unless Shepard tells him.  - “infiltrate” the base (Owen crashes the shuttle through a window before taking point through the facility - Shepard gets to see the ruthless soldier side of the pilot)   - slaughter most the slavers before the leader attempts to flee the facility       - Owen hops in a fighter and manages to shoot down the leader’s ship - this is where the Commander gets to see his real flight skills       - regroups with Shepard and squad at crash site   - Owen finds a data pad in the wreckage - a record of the group’s “transactions” - and learns the fate of his friends: turns to go kill the final slaver           - Shepard can intervene here:                  - Paragon: make Owen spare the Batarian: inform him they’ll go to the Alliance and get justice, reminds him that Cerberus knew of this for years and kept it from him.                  - Renegade: let Owen beat the slaver to death.      - Either way, Owen goes to free the prisoners once the “main” issue is dealt with: here he  contacts either Cerberus or the Alliance for assistance (depending on Shepard’s previous choice)  Ending: Loyalty mission complete: remains loyal to Shepard - defects from Cerberus and follows Shepard to Earth  Loyalty mission ignored: remains loyal to Cerberus - returns as an indoctrinated pilot in ME3.

[jshepard]

new verses that still need names:

rogue spectre au ( vaguely indoctrinated ) with @reaptre ( specifically shepard working with saren and sovereign. ) willing to write this with whoever else honestly. feed me.

shepard not being accepted by the alliance and spending his days pedaling illegal goods on omega ( mostly in his early 20′s, ) trying to get enough credits for a shuttle back home. he’s a punk ass kid in this verse., beware.

siblings! as of right now specifically with @infiltratcr. mostly revolving around faith finding out shepard is alive / the shadow broker coming in contact with shepard ( through indirect means ) and telling him of his sister’s whereabouts two years after his “death.”

[chelledoggo]

What the Evangelical Church Does to You...

cw: religion, abuse, homophobia

It makes you feel like a rebel. Like a nonconformist.

They call themselves "non-denominational" and say "it's not about religion, it's about a relationship with God."

You're not like those stuffy Catholics or Protestants. You're a counter-cultural Christian who doesn't  conform to empty rituals and practices.

A real rebel against the establishment, just like Jesus.

That's how it starts. That's how they lure you in and make you feel special.

Now that you're hooked, the indoctrination can begin.

It starts out ordinarily enough. The sharply-dressed, smiling pastor stands up there at the stage.

He paces about; greeting the church warmly, cracking a few lighthearted jokes. Making announcements and prayer requests.

"Sharon is now out of the hospital and cancer-free! Praise Jesus! Please pray for Robert who is heading out to fight in Afghanistan next month. Don't forget, our Womens' Ministry Brunch is next Sunday after morning service. Please bring a homemade dish if you can!"

Now it's time to offer worship in song. Unlike those boring normie churches that have an organ, there's a whole band here! Keyboard, guitar, electric drums...Sure they're not very good, but they're so much livelier than your old church, right?

A bunch of elderly white people shuffle up to the altar and start awkwardly dancing. During the transition from one song to the next, the charismatic old pastor starts shouting praises to the Lord, speaking in fake tongues, beckoning his assembly to join him.

The next thing you know, the people gathered around the altar are waving their hands in the air, shouting gibberish, falling to their knees, thrashing about on the floor; all while the pastor lays his hands upon them like Jesus to the blind man. Everyone's putting on a show, either to "inspire" those around them, or to show off just who Jesus loves the most.

After what seems like hours of this, the sermon begins proper.

The pastor bring to attention a passage, a verse, a story from the Bible. The passage in question is projected onto the screen for the congregation to follow along in their Bibles and take notes.

It starts out pretty basic.

Then the pastor starts talking about this one time when he was younger, or this one time during a missions trip, or this one time spotting a poor lost soul somewhere in public. Something that loosely, if at all, relates to the Bible passage.

"We're in the end of days, folks," he proclaims. "Satan is the god of the world, and he's taking hold of all those lost souls out there!"

This allows him a segue to talk about how horrible and sinful the world is.

All the violence, the homosexuality, the fornication, the drugs, the homosexuality, the rock music, the false religions, the homosexuality, the idoltry, the homosexuality, the liberal agenda, the homosexuality, the pagan yoga practices, the homosexuality, the abortions, the homosexuality, the homosexuality, and of course the homosexuality.

He pauses, pretending to hear a message from God.

"The Lord is telling me that some of you out there are living in sin! That you're not saved! It's time to get right with God, before it's too late!"

A very broad generalization to make. The kind of speech that can make anyone begin to question themselves. Thinking about that one time they drank too much, or that one time they talked ill of their neighbor, or that one time they had sexual thoughts. Normal human experiences, blown up in their minds to be unforgivable sins.

"If you feel the Lord is calling you to come to him this morning, come up to the stage, and I'll lay hands on you! All you have to do is proclaim that you accept Jesus as your savior!"

A dozen weeping sinners gather up together like sheep to the shepard. They want to be washed clean of their filth.

After all, all you have to do is accept Jesus as your savior.

Now you're clean, right?

Well, now all you have to do is become baptized in a big tank of water front of the entire church.

All you have to do is force your adolescent children to be baptized in a big tank of water in front of the entire church.

All you have to do is preach the word to everyone you meet.

All you have to do is join the church's Bible Study.

All you have to do is send your kids to the church's Youth Group.

All you have to do is throw out your secular media and only listen to K-Love and watch PureFlix.

All you have to do is shame your children for consuming secular media.

All you have to do is join the next Pro-Life Rally.

All you have to do is plaster your car with Jesus fish sticikers.

All you have to do is vote Republican.

All you have to do is give every other paycheck to the TV pastor.

All you have to do is hate the gays.

All you have to do is disown your kids if they're gay.

All you have to do is threaten your kids with Bible verses if they step out of line.

All you have to do is shun the outside world.

All you have to do is to distrust everyone.

All you have to do is live in fear and push that fear on others.

All you have to do is live exactly how the church tells you to.

All you have to do is make your kids live in constant fear that God is judging their every move and that they should never explore their true self lest God cast them into Hell.

All you have to do is give your kids a dangerous psychological complex that will follow them for the rest of their life, even if they wise up and leave.

All you have to do is make your loved ones see God not as a loving father, but as a cruel, hateful dictator.

All you have to do is completely fuck up the people you love.

This is your new "counter-cultural" Christian life.

It's not about religion.

It's just about conforming to your charismatic preacher so that God won't punish you with eternal Hellfire or leave you behind at the end of the world, which is ever so slowly creeping up on you.

This is your freedom.

Walking in perfect straight lines like good little sheep to the sharply-dressed shepard.

This is your happy new life, filled with constant fear of damnation and hatred of the world.

This is what the Evangelical Church does to you.

[belzinone]

What does the Bel think of GUNS?

// ‘aight i’m not gonna use this to instigate any political commentary but to explain her thoughts as both a medical officer, soldier, & criminal in the contexts of different verses, circumstances, perceptions, yadayada

// we’ve seen some evidence of gun control in paradis during the uprising arc when levi used the barkeep’s rifle against kenny ( ch 58 ; page 24) from this we can infer that it’s likely illegal for citizens to own guns and the right is only legally given to soldiers (specifically military police officers who open carry) and bars for protection.

// if there are other hints about this strewn through the chapters i missed them, but in this universe it makes enough sense to me. a big deal was made out of people killing people vs. titans killing people and soldiers fighting titans.

// from this notion, i get the feeling that the presence of guns might be unsettling to the common folk. even the bartender kept his hidden under the bar and not displayed as a threat to potential robbers or flex of his privilege.

// HOWEVER, in the context of the uprising arc where people took up arms to overthrow the oligarchy things were very different. perhaps the king outlawed guns to take power from the citizens the same way they withheld the first king’s knowledge from the rest of the population. that’s very likely.

// whatever the reason was, the monarchy was garbage and the populace took up whatever means necessary to reascertain their rights not to own guns but to be treated as human beings capable of individual thought, deserving of freedom, and not just sheep in the herd with a fake shepard that was basically just a dictatorship, monopoly, and religious indoctrination in a trenchcoat.

// that being said, in canonverse bel thinks of guns as a valuable but very dangerous tool that serves more to induce fear rather than be useful in the context of everyday life. when it comes to guns in war against competing forces (much like in the uprising arc and later conflict with marley) she takes a very desmond doss-like approach to firearms. she doesn’t like them or having to use them, even to protect her comrades. she likely uses them as sparingly as she can in self defense and in combat to protect those she holds dear, very much preferring to avoid those circumstances whenever she can and devote her energy to being the latter rather than former part of combat MEDIC.

// this attitude generally spills into her modern verses with increasingly anti-gun sentiment the more closely her life ties into the medical field. her thoughts mirror those of the doctors in this thread. (there’s more out there on this particular exchange, but that post is the one i’ve gotten my hands on most recently). even in other verses where her main profession is not medical practitioner, she doesn’t like the idea of having to use a gun, but begrudgingly accepts it because of how society tends to view her other professions.

// in her wallflower verses, she pops more skulls than pussies and ain’t even mad.

[mindthemuse]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘 -- JENNET SHEPARD!

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐒 & 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒

BOLD all that applies to your muse. italicized  -  applicable in some verses.

EYES:   blue | green | brown | hazel | gray | gray-blue | other ( honey ) HAIR:   blond | sandy | brown | black | auburn | ginger | grey / white | multi-color | other BODY TYPE:   skinny | slender | slim | built | curvy | athletic | average | muscular | pudgy | overweight SKIN:   pale | light | fair | freckled | tan | olive | medium | dark | discolored GENDER:   male | female | trans | cis | agender | demigender | genderfluid | other | SEXUALITY: heterosexual | homosexual | bisexual | pansexual | asexual | demisexual | other ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: homoromantic | heteroromantic | biromantic |panromantic | aromantic | demiromantic

SPECIES:   human | undead | shapeshifter | demon | angel | witch | wizard | ghost | incubus / succubus | werewolf | alien | mutant | android | antichrist | cyborg EDUCATION:   high school | college | university | master’s degree | PhD | other ( N7 ) I’VE BEEN:  in love | hurt | ill | mentally abused | bullied | physically abused | tortured | brainwashed (fucking indoctrination) | shot | stabbed

POSITIVE TRAITS: affectionate | adventurous | athletic | brave | careful | charming | confident | creative | cunning | determined | forgiving | generous | honest | humorous| intelligent | loyal | modest | patient | selfless | polite | down-to-earth | diligent | romantic| moral | fun-loving | charismatic | calm

NEGATIVE TRAITS: aggressive | bossy | cynical | envious | shy | fearful | greedy | gullible | jealous | impatient | impulsive | cocky | reckless | insecure | irresponsible | mistrustful | paranoid | possessive | sarcastic | self-conscious | selfish | swears | unstable | clumsy | rebellious | emotional | vengeful | anxious | self-sabotaging | moody | peevish | angry| pessimistic | slacker | thin skinned | overly dramatic | argumentative | emotionally distant | obsessive |  solemn | overconfident | rigorous

LIVING SITUATION: lives alone | lives with parent(s) / guardian | lives with significant other | lives with a friend | drifter | homeless | lives with children | other PARENTS/GUARDIANS:   mother | father | adoptive | foster | grandmother | grandfather | other SIBLING(S): sister(s) | brother(s) | half-sister | half-brother | none | other RELATIONSHIP: single | crushing | dating | engaged | married | separated | it’s complicated

I HAVE A(N): learning disorder | personality disorder | mental disorder | anxiety disorder | sleep disorder | eating disorder | behavioral disorder | substance-related disorder | PTSD | mental disability | physical disability | abandonment issues

THINGS I’VE DONE BEFORE:   had alcohol | smoked | stolen | done drugs | self-harmed | starved | had sex | had a threesome | had a one-night stand | gotten into a fist fight | gone to hospital | gone to jail | used a fake ID | played hooky | gone to a rave | killed someone  |had someone try to kill them

tagged by: @dcgsquad (thank you so, so much!) tagging: @krogcn, @wineinthewidow, @williamofwestworld, @praeventorea, @electricsheepwrangler, @bluesunsdank (tor or whomever you feel like!)

[dutyworn]

open starter for anyone, strangers and established relationships alike. no prior interaction needed. i will reply to replies on a new post to be able to track all threads. setting: mind controlled shepard. details may vary from reaper indoctrination to exposure to experimental chemicals to... whatever we want. works for any verse (seriously, i can make it work even pre-trilogy or crossovers so if you want to reply, please do, no worries about whether it makes "sense").

The world around her comes to her in a sickening wham; all at once but in an unsteady wave. Wren’s eyes, staring, go from the person in front of her to the pistol in her hand. Pointed at them. Why is it pointed at them? Why is she pointing it at them? Her finger, gods know how close to having pulled the trigger... she moves it away with agonising slowness, as if she had to force it to move, presses it against the body of the weapon instead, because if she knows anything, at all, she knows she’s not going to fire the gun. This is wrong. This is... this is not a threat. She is the threat. The gun stays pointed at the other person, but at least her finger isn’t threatening the trigger.

❝ What... ❞    She thinks she’s shaking. She’s definitely shaking. Full body trembles, the arm holding the gun the steadiest. Her free hand opens and closes at her side, as if trying to grasp for reality.    ❝ What happened? ❞    She’s a threat but the words are weak, strangled, frightened.

[theeternalsun]

{ ; holds up ariel shepard for you to talk about pls & thank you }

talk about us ( accepting ) | @arielshepard

What they define their relationship with your muse as: Talking in the !collectorpriestess verse. I can’t really say into words. It’s something quite similar to what she feels in her canon verse for Falon’din in which it’s such a blind sort of love that really surpasses anything that I’ve felt myself. It’s a feverish adoration especially when she is told that she is doing a good job which only pushes her forward to put more work into collecting worlds and indoctrinating/improving those that are brought to the pods. I can’t really say from Ariel’s point of view, only from the priestess, but Ariel is her emperor and she would literally do anything for Ariel.

Something they like about your muse: Everything, in the priestess’ eyes she has no flaws.

Something they dislike about your muse: how do you dislike anything that belongs to your God? Especially one that names you the Will of Harbinger?? what is wrong with you????

Their first impression of your muse: The priestess was a high general within the prothean army, so the first reaction was that sort of fear that threatens to break every single part of your skull into small shards, it’s the sort of fear that makes your brain immediately black out and your breathing nearly cease. Your muscles becoming extremely stiff.

Their impression of your muse now: Actual Goddess, 12/10 on yelp. Now seriously, she would do anything for Ariel.

How they feel about your muse: just gonna remove this one because I simply go off on the other ones

Something they are hiding from your muse: Nothing, she literally can hide nothing from her, nor does she want to.

Something they wish they could to tell your muse: She shares everything with Ariel, especially how the young larvae are coming up like the proudest mom.

[dutyworn]

@anderwhohn said: 🌌Favorite alternate version of the muse? / 🔮 What do you see in your muse's future? / ⌨ What's a situation you've always wanted to RP with the muse?

Mun talks about the Muse / ACCEPTING ↷

🌌Favorite alternate version of the muse? :: I don't do full AUs with Wren, but I stretch the definition of canon divergent so much I guess technically you would count, like, the first contact verse as a full AU. Anyway - clone!Wren is actually literally an alternate version of Wren, so I'm going to say her. Because she's not Wren, she is... literally... Wren's clone. And while I haven't written in that verse yet, it has such potential with the baseline being Wren, but renegade. With me, deliberately, writing her out of character, while trying to balance her as still being Wren's clone, not a different Shepard... juicy!

🔮 What do you see in your muse's future? :: I see her fully growing into her potential of being a Spectre rather than an Alliance marine. During the trilogy, there's always something going on that prevents her from breathing, let alone just being a regular Spectre rather than a symbol for the galactic war or whatnot - post-trilogy, she will have the time and the space to really just be a Spectre. No, it's not a normal job by any means, but like... relatively speaking? Because she will be good at it, and she won't need to sacrifice her own values to the chain of command as a soldier, and maybe... maybe she will also begin to learn to see herself as a person first, soldier second. Not to say I won't put her in SituationsTM

⌨ What's a situation you've always wanted to RP with the muse? :: Speaking of situations, LOL. I really want her to be indoctrinated by the Reapers. Whether that'd be a full Shepard-in-Saren's-role timeline or something less plot heavy, I want to see her indoctrinated. Brainwashed. Controlled. Forced to hurt people. And to come out of it and have to live with having done horrible things to people.