User blog comment:The Milkman/Indoctrination: You're Doing It Wrong/@comment-2127388-20120624204818/@comment-2127388-20120625113941

Agow95: I must admit I havent ended ME2 with keeping the Collector base, so I dont knew this at all. All I know is that the color of the sun near Kronos Station changes colors according to Shepard's morality, blue for Paragon, red for Renegade, and blue/red for neutral. Thought I must admit when I look on ME3 ending, it is similar. Red energy is associated with destruction, and blue is associated in ME2 as energy which kills only organic, while in ME3 it is energy which changes Reaper's mind. The blue is energy which "dont destroys" things (not entirely).

And, the indoctrination, its not that Shepard was under Reaper's control nearly the whole two games, but more like they were slowly influencing him/her. The colors of ending in ME2 and possibly ME3 have no meaning, but Shepard was encountering many of Reaper's technology, and practically walked under one during Battle of Citadel, being very close to it. Even a small amount into the "Indoctrination bar" could have been added, and with all met Reaper technology the bar would have been filled to level where Shepard isnt controlled completely, but the dreams and imagination are weakening his/her will.

The Milkman: 1. Depends on point of view. While you are right that it dont adds anything, for me it is a way how to think there was something after.

2. I understand what you mean. If IT is true, the story isnt ended "officially", because Shepard wakes up on Earth before destruction of Reapers. But like I said in 1., it gives a players who support this theory a chance to think of their own ending of the story, how Shepard stands up and go to kill Harbinger, or teleports himself on Citadel, fights his/her way through the station, activates Citadel-Crucible-Catalyst to get rid of Reapers, or one version I like, like Marauder Shields "comic", where Shepard is fighting in his/her subconsciousness with Reapers, while lying unconscious on Earth, where all of his/her friends and companions fights to the death, and where Shepard's body is protected by Marauder Shields, who is (in this comic) revealed to be husk of Nihlus Kriik, who regained consciousness thanks to Shepard, and now as Marauder kills all Husks. Those who dont like IT are satisfied with how BW ended the game, but there is far larger (or I guess it is larger) community of players who arent. IT is not an proper end of ME3 for those fans, it is only a guidepost (or guide) to the end fans want. Thats what i think.

3. Like I said to Agow95, when I think about it the colors probably have no other meaning than just to show if it is Destroy, Control or Synthesis. When we assume that red Destroy is good and blue Control is bad in eyes of Shepard, why does he have to die when choosing Control or Synthesis? Does it mean if Shepard was bastard from the very beginning, it means he will truly in the end die? Why the good Shepard, who chooses to Destroy Reapers, has a chance to survive? A discrimination of choice? Why is it? It would be than also against everything the Mass Effect was about; choice. These small things are supporting the IT, fueling it.

And the Synthesis, while you are right that the idea of unity is great, and possibly Crucible can be capable of doing that, think of it this way. If IT is right, when Shepard chooses Synthesis, in his eyes galaxy will become bio-synthesis, and he will be happy that the galaxy is saved. But the IT would than say in reality Shepard merged to Reapers, accepting their way, and being their Indoctrinated tool and servant.

4. Well, I really dont understand how would Shepard's helmet get on the surface of that planet, because the re-entry to atmosphere causes so intense heat that Shepard's body would have been fried that not even ash will remain. So two options are, that the body remained on orbit (unlikely, from it's trajectory in the cutscene), or the body was protected by remaining Normandy's mass effect field, which protected Shepard's body against atmosphere entry, and when the body hit ground, it ultimately killed him/her, shattered every bone several times, crushed organs, but as whole the body survived.

For the body in ME3, I dont think he is on Citadel, because when you look on the background, it is mostly concrete or rock, but Citadel is made from metal, and the rocks would be only in parks. You can now say that if it is on Earth, it may have been that Shepard survived atmosphere entry just the same like previously, because from one of the story writers it was said after Citadel's destruction the citizen on board would have survived it, because Citadel mostly just shattered, not entirely detonated like Death Stars. And on the other hand, if IT is correct, choosing Destroy option, to win against Reaper's last attempt to indoctrinate Shepard, Shepard wakes up on Earth after he/she was "hit" by Harbinger's beam blast before him.

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Also I must say, speaking with you gives me new outlook on the situation. While I think IT brings hope to the ending which is more satisfactory, I would accept that the "official ending" is right, but only when all the question marks around it will be explained. Why was Shepard teleported 200 meters close to the teleport beam? Why no one see him/her and Anderson? Why Anderson get ahead of Shepard when he entered teleport beam after Shepard, while the road to console was straight? Why would the teleport send you straight to the console and not some large area where the dead bodies can be stored more efficiently? Why would Reapers send the dead Human bodies to main Citadel console in the first place? Why Shepard dont argues with "Catalyst", and just subdues to what the kid tells him? Why does Catalyst take shape of kid which Shepard seen only three times and than in dreams? And especially, what happens after the activation of Crucible, with your allies, companions, love, with galaxy?

When this all will be answered, than I would accept the ending as it is, not before. BW was making great stories, I played both KOTOR, and I loved them, also ME1-2 were great experiences, and ME3 was until the last 15 minutes. It is only my speculation, but I think that in all this mess EA has its dirty fingers. To meet the release date, they throw away quality, and even wanted to gain from this new DLC and all MP DLCs a money (really, Extended Cut was planned to require money to buy, as well as the two MP DLCs).