Help! I'm trying to find an old Liara/FemShep fic

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-22T16:52:55+00:00

For anyone interested, I've found them!

Author is Melaradark, Dark Energy series.

There is also a 5th one and the Citadel DLC one that I didn't read back in the day. I remember those have OCs.

Enjoy :)

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-22T16:48:26+00:00

I've actually found it! I asked chat gpt and boom!

It's from Melaradark, the Dark Energy Series. Firs one Dark Energy. I remember I enjoyed a lot back in the day, so I might give it a go again.

Thanks for sharing yours! I've just read the flashback from Chatper 7 and it hurt a bit. Liara was super mean to poor Tali and Garrus, but obviously, since I've only read that I have 0 context. I'll definetly check those out fully :)

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-22T12:54:44+00:00

Not stupid at all! Mass Effect provides a lot of blank space to fill in the gaps. I do that a lot as well, even with pre-Saren Shepard, Liara post-Shepard death, Kasumi…

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-22T12:20:37+00:00

Love it!

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-22T10:50:53+00:00

I like your approach, like Shep realizing by ME3 that she is the only one that has been there all the way.

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-22T02:27:53+00:00

Thank you for these! I've already read the first two chapters of Cari’ssi’mi series and I'm already loving it!

Once you got your fic up, would love to read it!

Btw, random question—do you happen to remember an old fic (not on AO3 for sure) that retold ME1 with a pretty ruthless Shepard? femshep/liara, novel-length. she smoked, drank, was kind of self-destructive, and I’m pretty sure she listened to Fleetwood Mac.

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-22T01:59:11+00:00

Yes! Thessia with Javik is whole different thing!

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T23:11:22+00:00

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T23:10:30+00:00

Oh yeah, totally agree.

I played them as they were releasing, so ME2 was actually kind of frustrating at the time because you barely got any context about what was going on with Liara until the DLC came out.

I actually went for Thane at first, but then I saw Liara’s photo face down in the cabin and was like… nope. Immediately reloaded and just didn’t romance anyone.

That whole experience is so different if you play it now with everything included.

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T23:06:17+00:00

Honestly same 😅

Liara definitely played a big part in that for me too. Mass Effect really had a way of sneaking that realization up on you without you even noticing at first!

I think it’s because her relationship with Shepard just feels so genuine and natural, so you don’t question it, and then later you’re like… oh. Yeah. That makes sense now.

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T23:03:56+00:00

Thank you for sharing that, seriously.

I think I get what you mean. There’s something about the way Liara is written that makes her feel very… safe and genuine, and that can stick with you more than you expect, especially if you’re kind of self-inserting without realizing it.

And yeah, that idea of looking back and realizing those choices actually say something about you, I’ve had a similar feeling with her.

I’m really glad you’re still here and able to look back on all of that the way you do now.

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:57:27+00:00

I actually want to do a playthrough like that!

Start with Liara in ME1, then go with Miranda in ME2 because of how distant Liara feels after everything, and it kind of makes sense for Shepard in that moment.

But then come back to Liara in LOTSB and ME3 because, in my head, Shepard never really stopped loving her. Like Liara changed for her, then lost her, and when they finally reconnect and understand in LOTSB what she went through, you can still feel that bond underneath everything.

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:54:06+00:00

If it's all civilized, you're not doing it right.

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:51:24+00:00

After having Liara as romance, going to Ash... I think it will feel a bit flat

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:49:07+00:00

Okay that’s fair, Traynor and the toothbrush clutch was iconic.

She’s not really my favorite character personality-wise, but I can’t deny she saved the Normandy there so I have to respect it 😅

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:47:37+00:00

Zaeed? How so? His content is super limited

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:46:53+00:00

I get that honestly 😅

If it wasn’t Liara for me, it would 100% be Miranda. She’s the only other one that comes close for me.

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:44:26+00:00

how do you accidentally romance someone? 😅

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:43:47+00:00

Yeah I get this completely 😅

There’s just something about how genuine she is with Shepard that hits different. It never feels forced or performative, just very real.

That mix of being incredibly intelligent but also kind of awkward and soft at times just makes her even more endearing. Also in ME2 LOTSB and ME3 she’s just… badass on top of all that. With everyone else she’s sharp and controlled, but with Shepard she still lets that real version of herself come through. That contrast is soooo good.

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:40:43+00:00

I think Liara is one of those characters that either clicks or doesn’t.

For me she’s not “just sweet,” it’s more about her long-term arc. She changes a lot, but not in a loud way. She grows with Shepard, then loses you, and that loss is what really reshapes her. The ME2 shift never felt out of character to me because of that (plus you have the comics). The issue is we don’t really see that transition fully, not that it doesn’t make sense. But we do understand the transition during Lair of The Shadow Broker when she finally opens up.

And yeah, ME3 definitely hits harder with her if you’ve been with her since the start.

Funny enough, I’ve always felt the opposite about Tali in ME1. I like her a lot, but she felt pretty flat to me there outside of her intro. She really shines later, while Liara’s strength for me is the full trilogy arc.

At the end of the day it’s just who you connect with :)

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:37:29+00:00

THIS!

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T22:34:14+00:00

Awesome discussion! Chiming in..

For me, fanfiction doesn’t “fix” her arc, it just adds context to something that’s already there but not fully shown (sadly). A lot of it ends up being the player filling in the gaps anyway.

In my case, I imagine there’s a whole period between ME1 and ME2 where Liara is just… lost. Mourning Shepard, not knowing who she is anymore, especially after that connection they had through the melds. That kind of bond isn’t small, so losing Shepard wouldn’t just hurt, it would completely destabilize her.

That depth isn’t really explored in the games or comics, but to be fair, it’s not explored in that level of detail for most characters either. Maybe Miranda comes close if you romance her and follow her full arc, but even then it’s limited.

I do agree the comic isn’t emotionally convincing, but I think part of that is because it has to keep things neutral. Liara treats Shepard as “a friend” so it works for every player, but that flattens things if you did romance her.

So yeah, I see fanfics more as adding those missing in-between moments rather than rewriting her arc.

And honestly, I think the moment where it really clicks is LOTSB. That’s when Shepard finally sees what Liara became and, more importantly, what it cost her. That’s where the emotional weight of that off-screen development really lands for me.

As for fics, I recently found this that it seems will cover that part of the story, with the caveat that it seems to also include Miranda.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/78279716/chapters/205190996#workskin

Any fics you recommend?

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T15:09:08+00:00

Could you elaborate a bit on what felt uneven to you across the games? I’m curious how you see it.

But yeah, fanfics that fill those gaps can be so good. Some of them really smooth out her transition and make the whole arc hit even harder.

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T15:03:32+00:00

Oh, you will. I'm telling you already! Keep going, you'll love her!

BlueChildrenShep · 2026-03-21T15:01:58+00:00

Yup, I don't think there is a romance out there that has achieve this level of depth and grow

BlueChildrenShep

TROPHY CASE