Liara T’Soni in an Incredible Mass Effect Cosplay

Dr. Liara T’Soni is a character in the Mass Effect franchise. She’s an asari researcher who has spent the fifty years of her life studying Prothean technology and culture, specializing in the Prothean extinction. She was born on Thessia in 2077, making her “only” 106 years old, which is barely an adult for the asari species.

Liara is the daughter of the Asari matriarch, Benezia, who is an antagonist in the first Mass Effect. She becomes a member of the Normandy crew in the first Mass Effect. In the second game, she’s no longer the young innocent that she was at the onset of the series. In the DLC Lair of the Shadow Broker, she and Shepard hunt down the Shadow Broker and L’iara takes over the position. The player meets up with Liara in the third game because Commander Shepard was looking for the blueprints for a Prothean device that could destroy the Reapers (the big bads of the entire series). In Mass Effect 3, she once again joins the Normandy crew, using all her resources as the Shadow Broker to take down the Reapers.

Mass Effect has a huge amount of lore. Besides the three games and various DLC, there are also graphic novels and an animated feature film. Liara gets a lot of character development over the course of the series. In the beginning, she’s the innocent, and prone to occasional complaining. By the second game, she’s matured and her personality has darkened. She becomes ruthlessly independent. And in Mass Effect 3, she’s fully devoted to the cause. She realizes that with her huge sphere of influence, she can be of most assistance by joining the Normandy crew and fighting on the front lines.

As for game play, Liara is advantageous because she’s a biotic, which means she’s gifted with the ability to create mass effect fields to manipulate combat and the environment.

instead of hair, Asaris have semi-flexible, cartiladge-based, scalp crests. They are not, all joking aside, “hair tentacles.” Her skin is a beautiful shade of blue. She’s an other-worldly beauty, and quite difficult to cosplay due to the special effects makeup involved. Jennifer Pryer of Soylent Cosplay is a master of the type of sculpting, painting, and application needed to bring Liara to life. The work that she put into making Liara’s costume and prosthetics is just amazing. Those who like to see how costuming like this is made should check out the Soylent Cosplay Facebook page, as there are many step-by-step photos of the process. Makeup aside, Jennifer has done a wonderful job with Liara’s bodysuit and armor as well. This is not your average cosplay, and is sure to wow and amaze diehard fans and newcomers to Mass Effect.

Photography by Beethy Photography