#miranda analysis

(long ass post warning and i didn‘t edit this because my executive function disorder brain won‘t allow it so no beta we die like men)

contrary to what some people might believe, miranda doesn‘t think she is superior to other people because she‘s genetically modified. look what she says here:

‚You should know I‘ve had extensive genetic modification. Not my choice, but I make the best of it.‘

miranda doesn‘t seem to feel guilty for it, because it wasn‘t her choice. but she also doesn‘t feel like she‘s superior for having perfect genetics (which i feel a lot of people accuse her of), because she knows she only has those because her father paid for it. it isn‘t something she can take credit for. i think she knows she‘s got ‚unfair‘ advantages but she doesn‘t dwell on it - she makes the best of it. she‘s not ashamed to point it out, because it‘s just a fact - if other people interpret her stating the facts as her being cocky and feeling superior to others, that‘s their fault for falsely interpreting what she says. i also think she likes to point out how she‘s good at everything because before joining cerberus her whole life she believed she was a failure - her father constantly criticized her and picked her apart her entire childhood, how could she not believe she was a failure at everything she did?

that time when miranda instantly mentions what she is capable of (‚worried about my qualifications? i can crush a mech with my biotics or shoot its head off at a hundred yards. take your pick.“) isn‘t her bragging. it is miranda preemptively assuming that shepard is potentially doubting her qualifications. because her entire childhood miranda was constantly fighting a battle - constantly having to prove herself to her father. so before shepard even gets the chance to express any doubts, miranda makes sure to tell him what she is capable of because she doesn‘t want to be in that unpleasant position again of having someone doubt her. because she knows she is not the failure her father claimed she was.

she‘s still so traumatized from constantly being criticized, that she just instantly assumes shepard is worried about her qualifications. even though there should be no reason why shepard should be worried about her qualifications right from the start without a proper reason. it‘s the mindset abuse victims have.

miranda isn‘t bragging when she mentions her capabilities. she‘s just avoiding being vulnerable, or she is responding to questions - such as that time when she mentions what benefits she had from her modifications because shepard asked. she wouldn‘t have listed it off if shepard didn‘t ask - which is exactly what conceited people do who like to brag.

miranda, in my opinion, even downplays her modifications. when shepard asks what level of modification she‘s talking about she says

‚It‘s very thorough. Physically, I‘m superior in many ways. I heal fast and I‘ll likely live one time and half again as long as the average human. My biotics are also very advanced - for a human. Add to that some of the best training and education that money could buy and well, it‘s pretty impressive really.“

she‘s got far more modifications than just her lifespan, faster healing and biotics. if miranda really were that conceited she could have listed them all but she didn‘t. she gave shepard a quick run down of the most relevant ones (biotics and healing for instance are relevant to mention because it matters in a combat setting). she‘s not even mentioning her genetically modified intelligence here. she doesn‘t mention that until later. note how she also adds her biotics are only strong by human standards. would a person that is so conceited really mention that? if she were so conceited and self obsessed she‘d use every opportunity to get to brag. and she‘d definitely be mentioning something like superior intelligence much earlier if that were the case.