#Serafina (Shepard) MacKinnon

[theoriginalladya]

Where's Serafina's fave place to be, in all of the galaxy? Who would she show it to?

Oh, goodness, ask the tough ones why don't you?! LOL

I suppose that depends on several factors: which universe she is in and who she is with. Let me see if I can sort this out some...

To top things off, no matter which universe she is in, in order to be a favorite place, her twin needs to be nearby (translation: within easy visiting distance). She and Sean grow up inseparable and that does translate over to their adult lives for the most part, though once enlisted, obviously, they are at the whim of the Alliance. They make do, but reunions take on a special importance to them, usually filled with huge hugs and finding time to just sit together and BE. They don't have to talk because just having the other in touching distance (back to back, shoulder to shoulder, something like that) speaks volumes to them because they are never fully happy unless they are 'whole' (each is a half of that whole, if that makes sense). Thankfully, no matter who each ends up with, the other gets along with them so having the twin around isn't like having a third wheel or anything for the LI.

In her main universe where she is The Shepard and she ends up the human Councilor after the war, her favorite place in all the galaxy is probably the Alenko family orchard. After the attack on Mindoir, she and Sean are taken there by Anderson (who knows Kaidan's dad). Kaidan is not there, he's off on his 'messed up kid' years, so for two years until Serafina and Sean enlist at 18, they are there. I'm still trying to resort this out for her and Sean - I've written it up for my previous version of Serafina, but there will need to be a few changes to include Sean in the new version. After the war, I see her and Kaidan taking their four kids back to the orchard whenever they can - a place to get away from the Citadel, to be themselves, to be with Kaidan's mom and occasionally Sean and his partner, Coats. [[when Sean is The Shepard, he's still with Coats, so it stays pretty much the same, though I'm not 100% sure if she ends up Councilor in that 'verse or not just yet]]

In the universe where she and Sean are best friends with Lachlan and Iain Shepard, I would have to say her favorite place would be the Highlands of Scotland. The four of them - Sera, Sean, Lachlan, Iain - are all from Mindoir, but their families have deep roots back to Scotland. Serafina and Caleb (her LI in that 'verse) end up going to track down long lost family members after the war. Sean is around somewhere (not sure who he ends up with in that 'verse yet), but for the most part it's just Serafina and Caleb. Though, I will add that he does take her back to Ireland at some point and she does fall in love with it there, too. :)

Serafina has many many places in the galaxy she loves to visit, don't get me wrong. For example, she absolutely LOVED Eletania...except for the killer pollen. LOL Illium is one she finds fascinating, though only in small doses. But her 'favorite places' tend to be places where she is with the people she loves - it's more who she is with rather than where she is, if that makes sense?

As a side note: In the ME/WWII 'verse, her favorite place is this tiny little bookshop tucked away in the Latin quarter in Paris, France both before and after the war. It's family run and they somehow survive the occupation, and once in a while Serafina will convince her husband (Iain Shepard in that 'verse) that they need to go back to Paris for a visit.

I hope this answers what you were looking for! <3 Thanks so much for asking about my girl!!!

[theoriginalladya]

Oh, I have some siblings I would love to write for!

Serafina/Sean MacKinnon (Dragon Age)

Ashleigh/David/Mikhail/Kaycey Shepard-Alenko (Serafina Shepard's kids with Kaidan)(Mass Effect)

Kaidan and Kandra Alenko (Mass Effect)

Iain and Lachlan Shepard (Mass Effect)

Kristofer and his as yet unnamed older sister Shepard (Mass Effect)

Hi! I see A LOT of otp prompts on tumblr but it's so hard to find platonic ones. If you don't mind, do you think you can make some sibling and parental prompts?

Thanks 🍒

HI :)

Here are some prompts and some dialogue for siblings and then parents. (I know you requested found family in another ask as well, but I will come to it later under that ask.)

Siblings Prompts

teasing and bantering on a daily basis

importance of being the older one

not wanting to be compared to each other by parents, teachers, etc.

secretly kinda comparing themselves

a lot of inside jokes

getting each other just by looking at each other

sitting next to each other and sending each other memes and texting this is you

annoying each other but loving each other dearly

knowing when the other one is down and trying to annoy them just to get their mind of what made them sad or anxious

Dialogue

“I will go first. I’m the older one!” “You don’t have to tell me, everyone can see that.”

“Oh, you really messed up. Can I be there when you tell mom and dad?”

“That’s not what you wrote in your diary...”

“And this is why mom loves me more.”

“Oh, you think you’re so funny, aren’t you?”

“Mom! They don’t want to give me the remote!” “You’re both in your twenties, learn to handle it yourself!”

Existing prompts

Babysitting your younger sister is hard enough in itself. But when your sister is not like normal kids and it’s possible that she could just float away like a helium-filled balloon, it’s hell. (#296)

Write a story about playing Mario Cart. Against friends, family or strangers. Extra points for using absurd insults against the other contestants. (#13)

What had started as a friendly game of Simon Says quickly turned into a complete and utter disaster. (#398)

Parent Prompts

kids falling asleep in the car on the way home and their parents don’t want to wake them up

wanting another child but not knowing how the first one reacts

going to the grocery store with that many kids is a challenge

being the loudest and proudest parent at their kid’s game

having an argument but can’t staying mad at each other for longer than a few minutes

child is just hugging the parent, murmuring sorry

knowing how important it is to say sorry to your child, when the parent was wrong

basically adopting all their kid’s friends, the more the merrier

an important decision has to be made and they want to know the child’s opinion

Dialogue

“Isn’t that the girl you keep talking about?” “Mom!”

“You’re good old dad is not here to embarrass you. I’m just here to eat cake with your friends and tell dad jokes.”

“You can tell me everything, you know that, right? I will not judge you.”

“It’s great that you want to become a princess when you’re older, Honey. But even future monarchs have to eat their vegetables.”

“I talked to the mom of that boy you think is so cute...”

“Tell me what happened.”

“Oh, how cute! Is it a boy or a girl.” “It’s a child.”

“I’d come for you”, he said. “No matter what, when you need me, I will be there.” (#138)

“Mom! I’m an internationally feared super villain!” “Sure, of course you are, sweetie.” (#92)

Other existing prompts

She’s the kind of Mom who just knows when it’s the worst time to come in. (#202)

“Hi.” “Hi? I have to find out that my dad is not my real dad, that I was living a lie my whole life and that my father is a strange man and then I meet the strange man and everything he has to say is ‘Hi’?” (#331)

Have fun!

- Jana

[theoriginalladya]

11, 39, 49 fooooooorrrrrr Lachlan?

from this list here

AHHH! Thank you for asking about Lachlan!!!! <3 Let's see here...

11. Who is in their inner circle?

Oh gosh, tough tough tough.

Before ME1, it's his brother, Iain, Kaidan, and Serafina and Sean MacKinnon (who grew up with him and Iain on Mindoir).

He's close to all the NPCs in the games, but I would have to say his innermost circle of them would be Wrex, Garrus, Tali, Kasumi, Samara, Mordin and Dr. Chakwas. But like I said, he gets along with all of them very well, so it's difficult to narrow it down. (this is also predicated on the assumption that his husband really doesn't count on this list, you know? lol Because yeah, Kaidan's at the top of it)

After the war, it shifts a little bit. He recently told me he wants to go back to Mindoir sometime after the relays are fixed, and of course Iain and Coats will tag along. Serafina and Sean and their SOs show up at some point, getting land nearby. (something about the first time around and what their parents were trying to accomplish leading them all back home, I guess). I think Jack (who Lachlan adores but just isn't sure how to show it in a way so Jack won't haul off and hurt him), Kahlee and Miranda show up eventually and convince Kaidan to help them with a biotic school, so Lachlan is seeing them constantly and finally figures out Jack and Miranda and being the friendly guy that he is, pretty much pulls them into his closest bunch of friends he has at that point. (still figuring out the post war stuff, so that's subject to change)

39. What would Shepard say their flaws are?

Ask Mama Shepard: he's got too much energy and doesn't know how to put it all to good use!

Seriously though, Lachlan is a kind and generous man. I suppose his 'worst' flaw is that he cares too much and wants things to work out 'right.' (he is, I think, the most Paragon of all my Sheps)

49. What do they wear to sleep?

He switches between a ragged old Alliance T-Shirt he got in Basic (what he doesn't know is Kaidan switches it out on him when it gets too old and ragged lol) and a Fish Dog Food Shack one that Grunt gets him at some point, with cotton or flannel sleep pants.

Thanks so much for the asks! Lachlan is starting to perk up in my head again, so I'm delighted to explore some more about him! <3

[theoriginalladya]

Anything Goes - No, anything but that

Chapter: No, anything but that

Summary:

In olden days, a glimpse of stocking Was looked on as something shocking But now, God knows anything goes...

- Cole Porter, Anything Goes

Small glimpses into the life of John Smith and Lachlan Berger.

A series of prompts from the Flufftober 2020, Fictober 2022, and October 2022 lists off Tumblr; written and posted in no particular order. Part of the Romance & Resistance Mass Effect/WWII crossover series.

Excerpt:

They were going to come for him and he had no way to avoid it.

Just under a year ago – still?  Had it really been so little time? – the idea of war had been that of trenches and gas masks, of stopping the Germans at the Maginot Line and keeping the atrocities from the first time around from happening again.  John and Iain had been sent off to stop it, to keep it coming to Britain’s doorstep.

But the boches had proved too clever.  Why stick with the old way of playing war when you could reinvent horrors meant to kill and destroy the world?  No, they had invaded France, poured over the country – all of Europe, really; the French were only most recent – like too much cream in your tea.  And now Britain was in their sights.  The last gem in the crown, so to speak.

And here we sit, ripe for the taking.

They’d saved the men off Dunkirk – well, many of them, anyway – but not the equipment.  It was a sore spot with many, an inspiration for others.  But for Lachlan, it meant one thing: now that the war was on in full, now that his students had all been evacuated from the city yet again, he was without a job, and that meant the military machine that had forced John overseas to serve for a foreign country, who’d sent Iain off to fight only to come back crippled in body and spirit, would now come for him.

It was a worrisome situation, to say the least.

Read Chapter | Read From Beginning | Read Series

This work is part of a collaborative side series to the main ME/WWII series, Something Wicked This Way Comes and features @happychica's John Shepard as John Smith with Ladyamesindy's Lachlan Shepard as Lachlan Berger. The time frame of events ranges from Spring 1938 through the Second World War.

[theoriginalladya]

Anything Goes: Check that again, are you sure?

Chapter: Check that again, are you sure?

Summary:

In olden days, a glimpse of stocking Was looked on as something shocking But now, God knows anything goes...

- Cole Porter, Anything Goes

Small glimpses into the life of John Smith and Lachlan Berger.

A series of prompts from the Flufftober 2020, Fictober 2022, and October 2022 lists off Tumblr; written and posted in no particular order. Part of the Romance & Resistance Mass Effect/WWII crossover series.

Excerpt:

Stress was one of those things that was unpredictable.  Most of the time, when it stalked him, Lachlan could find refuge in playing his cello, in letting the music carry him to a place where worry stood by the wayside or locked itself away in some hidden recess of his mind until such time as he could focus and actually deal with it.

But this wasn’t ‘most of the time,’ and it was far from a typical situation. 

Where the hell was John?

Serafina had gotten a message to him faster than anyone had the ight to receive one, Lachlan suspected, sending Joker over to the school with an official looking note and with instructions to take him to King’s Cross Hospital.  Lachlan didn’t remember what happened after that; presumably, someone had taken over his class and he’d been given leave for the remainder of the day and until such time as he felt able to return.  All that told him was the headmaster knew more about what was happening than he did. 

Realization to that effect came in the backseat of the car as Joker maneuvered through traffic and Lachlan tore open the note.

Lach Ness, Iain needs you.  – Fin

It didn’t dawn on him until after they arrived at the hospital that Joker hadn’t said a word to him the entire drive.  Not one joke or smart comment.  Just a couple of words of reassurance as they parted ways in the lobby and a reminder he’d be around the hospital for a while if Lachlan needed a lift anywhere later.

That had been two days ago.

Read Chapter | Read From Beginning | Read Series

This work is part of a collaborative side series to the main ME/WWII series, Something Wicked This Way Comes and features @happychica's John Shepard as John Smith with Ladyamesindy's Lachlan Shepard as Lachlan Berger. The time frame of events ranges from Spring 1938 through the Second World War.

[theoriginalladya]

Fighting Style Meme

I was tagged by @punwolf​.  Thank you!

I figure this is a good time to highlight Serafina in multiple worlds - Dragon Age, Mass Effect and the World of Darkness (Vampire).

Tagging anyone interested in sharing.  Please tag me back so I can see!

Rules:

Bold - applies Italics - somewhat applies Simple - very rarely applies Crossed out - doesn’t apply

Character: Serafina MacKinnon

Fandom: Dragon Age Class: Rogue/Bard

fight honorably / fight dirty / prefer close-quarters / prefer range / chat during /  go silent / low pain tolerance / high pain tolerance / attack in bursts / attack steadily / go for the kill / aim to disarm / fight defensively / bait an opponent’s first strike / strike first / provoked easily / provoke their opponent / tease / get visibly frustrated / shout while attacking / use strategy / focus on their battle / experience conflicting thoughts during battle / rush in recklessly / try to read their opponent before fighting / fight wildly / fight calmly, apathetically / fight with anger / fight with excitement / fight because they have to / fight because they want to / fight without regard to wounds / run away when wounded / hide wounds / take a blow to protect another / prefer a blade / prefer a gun (doesen’t apply / prefer a bow / prefer a shield /  prefer a spear / prefer a personalized weapon / prefer magic or spells / prefer brawling / their greatest weakness is physical / their greatest weakness is mental / their greatest weakness is emotional / transform for battle / fight as they appear / rely on strength / rely on speed / use everything they have / hide their full potential / exhaust quickly/ high stamina / doubt their strength / proceed with caution / behave arrogantly / brag after landing a hit / belittle their abilities / use psychological tactics / use brute strength / avoid civilians / strike down civilians / damage surroundings / avoid damaging surroundings / signature fighting style / making it up as they go / mastered skillset / learning their skillset / fancy footwork / sloppy footwork / messy fighter / elegant fighter / accept defeat / refuse defeat / beg for mercy / compliment their opponent / insult their opponent / use unnecessary movements / move efficiently / barely move / prefer to dodge / prefer to block / defend their blindside / has no blindside / use all available advantages / strictly use one main method / play around / hold back / fight ruthlessly / show mercy / wait for opponent to be ready / strike when opponent isn’t ready / fear death / fear pain / fear killing / has PTSD / avoid fighting/ has lost a fight / has won a fight / has killed / refuses to kill / want to die standing / would succumb slowly

As an Orlesian-trained bard, Serafina prefers words as her weapons, but she was raised as a dual wielding rogue and is not afraid to use her blades when necessary.  Whenever possible she relies on the shadows as her ally.  Apart from that, if it’s necessary, she will use a good Warrior as a shield. :P

Character: Serafina Shepard Fandom: Mass Effect Class: Infiltrator fight honorably / fight dirty / prefer close-quarters / prefer range / chat during /  go silent / low pain tolerance / high pain tolerance / attack in bursts / attack steadily / go for the kill / aim to disarm / fight defensively / bait an opponent’s first strike / strike first / provoked easily / provoke their opponent / tease / get visibly frustrated / shout while attacking / use strategy / focus on their battle / experience conflicting thoughts during battle / rush in recklessly / try to read their opponent before fighting / fight ldly / fight calmly, apathetically / fight with anger / fight with excitement / fight because they have to / fight because they want to / fight without regard to wounds / run away when wounded / hide wounds / take a blow to protect another / prefer a blade / prefer a gun (doesen’t apply / prefer a bow / prefer a shield /  prefer a spear / prefer a personalized weapon / prefer magic or spells / prefer brawling / their greatest weakness is physical / their greatest weakness is mental / their greatest weakness is emotional / transform for battle / fight as they appear / rely on strength / rely on speed / use everything they have / hide their full potential / exhaust quickly/ high stamina / doubt their strength / proceed with caution / behave arrogantly / brag after landing a hit / belittle their abilities / use psychological tactics / use brute strength / avoid civilians / strike down civilians / damage surroundings / avoid damaging surroundings / signature fighting style / making it up as they go / mastered skillset / learning their skillset / fancy footwork / sloppy footwork / messy fighter / elegant fighter / accept defeat / refuse defeat / beg for mercy / compliment their opponent / insult their opponent / use unnecessary movements / move efficiently / barely move / prefer to dodge / prefer to block / defend their blindside / has no blindside / use all available advantages / strictly use one main method / play around / hold back / fight ruthlessly / show mercy / wait for opponent to be ready / strike when opponent isn’t ready / fear death / fear pain / fear killing / has PTSD / avoid fighting/ has lost a fight / has won a fight / has killed / refuses to kill / want to die standing / would succumb slowly Serafina Shepard is sniper trained, prefers ranged fighting and picking off her targets.  Her choice of weapon is in this order:  sniper rifle (preferably the Widow of some form), pistol, SMG.  She can fight in close range, as all N7s are trained as such, as well as hand to hand combat but overall prefers sniping.  When in battle, especially in ME2/3, she and Garrus have ‘headshot competitions’ ala Legolas and Gimli in LoTR.

Character: Serafina MacKinnon Fandom: World of Darkness:  Vampire the Masquerade Class/Clan:  Salubri fight honorably / fight dirty / prefer close-quarters / prefer range / chat during /  go silent / low pain tolerance / high pain tolerance / attack in bursts / attack steadily / go for the kill / aim to disarm / fight defensively / bait an opponent’s first strike / strike first / provoked easily / provoke their opponent / tease / get visibly frustrated / shout while attacking / use strategy / focus on their battle / experience conflicting thoughts during battle / rush in recklessly / try to read their opponent before fighting / fight ldly / fight calmly, apathetically / fight with anger / fight with excitement / fight because they have to / fight because they want to / fight without regard to wounds / run away when wounded / hide wounds / take a blow to protect another / prefer a blade / prefer a gun (doesen’t apply / prefer a bow / prefer a shield /  prefer a spear / prefer a personalized weapon / prefer magic or spells (Disciplines)/ prefer brawling / their greatest weakness is physical / their greatest weakness is mental / their greatest weakness is emotional / transform for battle / fight as they appear / rely on strength / rely on speed / use everything they have / hide their full potential / exhaust quickly/ high stamina / doubt their strength / proceed with caution / behave arrogantly / brag after landing a hit / belittle their abilities / use psychological tactics / use brute strength / avoid civilians / strike down civilians / damage surroundings / avoid damaging surroundings / signature fighting style / making it up as they go / mastered skillset / learning their skillset / fancy footwork / sloppy footwork / messy fighter / elegant fighter / accept defeat / refuse defeat / beg for mercy / compliment their opponent / insult their opponent / use unnecessary movements / move efficiently / barely move / prefer to dodge / prefer to block / defend their blindside / has no blindside / use all available advantages / strictly use one main method / play around / hold back / fight ruthlessly / show mercy / wait for opponent to be ready / strike when opponent isn’t ready / fear death / fear pain / fear killing / has PTSD / avoid fighting/ has lost a fight / has won a fight / has killed / refuses to kill / want to die standing / would succumb slowly

Serafina MacKinnon in the World of Darkness is a recently embraced Salubri.  Up to this point, she was a professor of history at the University of Lunas and knows very little of actual fighting, though she is a fifth-degree black belt in karate. (Self defense needs are there, vampire or not!)  Now that she has been embraced, she is learning how to use her new skills/disciplines.

[theoriginalladya]

I posted 3,524 times in 2022

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Longest Tag: 134 characters

#once in a very blue moon i will get my first name spelled right and then it usually shocks me so badly i need to sit for a minute! lol

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

(commissioned art of Caleb Shepard by the fabulous @dr-vauclair-art)

In an effort to try and stir the muses awake in Caleb's ME/WWII crossover world, I've been combing through some prompt lists to see what provokes them. From the 100 Ways to Say I Love You list:

Series: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Work: Keep To the West

Chapter 7: It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway." (Read in full on AO3)

Snippet:

The glass-paned windows rattled sharply as the wind whipped against them startling Kaidan from restless slumber.  Blinking through the dark, the threads of sleep reluctant to release him to the waking world, he yawned.  Something stirred in his mind – part memory, part dream, yet a reminder of something that was – and he rolled to his other side, content to slip back into unconsciousness.  As tired as he was from the last mission, it was easy to give in, and he nearly had until his arm met emptiness instead of the warmth of the body he expected. 

He's gone…isn’t he?  Lost over the side of –

Bolting upright, a surge of adrenaline raced through him, seeking and finding the weak spots within.  Panic, icy and unrelenting, chilled him to the bone and all thoughts of sleep fled.  The bedding fell in a tangled pool around his waist, restraining him, and his heart thumped wildly in his chest.  It took long moments for calm to return, for memories to sort, for reality to stake its claim once more.

Shepard…alive, returned, safe…

A soft whimper broke free of his chest and escaped his lips.  So much had happened, it was difficult to discern truth and reality from the nightmares that had haunted him for months.

It wasn’t just a dream…was it?  Shepard is alive…?

Read in full on AO3 here

40 notes - Posted May 30, 2022

#4

Had the Humblebi pattern come across my dash recently and I decided to make a gift for a friend's daughter who likes bees. Fiddled with gauge and yarn (worsted weight (Red Heart Gold) and size 9 needles) to make it a bit bigger, but it knit up like a dream. I've never done a bottom-up knit before, and aside from the struggle of counting out to make sure I had enough stitches at the beginning, it was fun! Might have to make one for myself now! :)

41 notes - Posted May 21, 2022

#3

and...voila! One Starry Night cake of yarn. The darker color bled a bit during the wash and the lighter colors aren't so bright now, but it still looks really good! Can't wait to have a chance to knit this up!

42 notes - Posted August 31, 2022

#2

(top picture: Serafina MacKinnon and Alistair Theirin)

(bottom picture: Serafina and her twin, Sean)

Was thinking about my girl earlier today, and decided to stare at the lovely art that @xla-hainex did for me for a while.

Really hoping this means she's prepared to start talking to me again so I can get back to her story over in Dragon Age. She and her twin, Sean, have a LOT to share, and if I can finally get that done, then I might be able to get back to the two of them over in Mass Effect.

45 notes - Posted August 31, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Happy Birthday, Commander Shepard!

See the full post

105 notes - Posted April 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[theoriginalladya]

The open asks for Lachlan. Pick any 5 questions 😁

from this list

Are you sure you want me to pick them????? ROFL Okay, let me see about my Scottish boy for you....

Since he is, in many ways, my 'wild and crazy boy', I'll try to stick with that theme.

4. Do they enjoy wearing socks/stockings when they aren’t wearing shoes?

Inside the house (space station, base, ship), I'd have to say Lachlan probably favors wearing socks. If he's outside (especially as a kid on Mindoir), he'd run barefoot all the time! :D

11. How expressive is their face? Are they easy to read?

Okay, my fair-freckled-skinned, red-headed boy is pretty easy to read when he gets embarrassed or angry. He's always in motion, so if he stops, you know there's trouble of some kind brewing, too.

On the flip side of that, if he's playing music, you can definitely read his face as to how much he's into the piece he's playing. He doesn't just play, he feels the song. His body sways, his eyes close (he'll have memorized his music, of course), probably the biggest smile and expression of love you'll ever see on him outside of when he's with Kaidan.

21. What was their favorite way to play as a child (ex: playing pretend, playing games with rules like tag,)?

Okay, so growing up on Mindoir, Lachlan played a lot with his younger brother, Iain. They're thick as thieves. Outside of that, they've got two best friends - the twins, Sean and Serafina MacKinnon. And later on, Kaidan comes into the mix. But for most of those years, it was the first four. Music was a big one. Some sports, though each have different ones they like (Lachlan was particularly fond of running track). He and Iain played pretend a LOT. (there's a chapter for Cadenza I really need to finish that involves this..and a rubber ducky...) So, you name it, they probably played it. And as far as mama Fiona Shepard was concerned, the more outdoor activities they could get involved in, the better!

22. How do the sneeze (ex: loudly, quietly, openly, into their elbow, hold the sneeze in)?

Okay, all I'm gonna say here is that a) Lachlan isn't a dainty sneezer, and b) if you think his sneezing is bad/loud/dramatic, you haven't heard him sneeze while playing the pipes...

37. How often are they the one to initiate physical contact?

I think with Kaidan, it's a 50/50 split. For example, Kaidan is the one who comes up with the interlocking pinky idea on Mindoir, but Lachlan will take any excuse to implement it after that first time. I'd say they aren't afraid of PDA (to a point and within reason - neither is an exhibitionist, after all) especially since they get married on Elysium (he is the War Hero :D ) and have been married seven/eight years by the time of Alchera. Outside of that, in private, depends on the circumstance and who gets the 'jump' on the other. :D

Thanks so much for asking!!!!

[theoriginalladya]

Sunday Snippet

Finally had a Shepard other than Caleb poking at my brain today! Here is a rough snippet from some drabblings about Kaidan from Lachlan Shepard's story. (Serafina MacKinnon is my Serafina Shepard in a non-Shep role in this story)

Setting: 2185, Horizon, Kaidan Alenko, Serafina Shepard

NOTE: Kaidan and Serafina are not with the Alliance a this point in time, but work for Kaidan's company of biotics and tech specialists in an organization called BiotiKorps (akin to his biotic students from the game that we hear about).

~~~

Serafina glances over as Kaidan stumbles into the kitchen, dressed but eyes still bleary. Chuckling softly, she points at the coffee maker before turning back to the eggs she’s making for breakfast. “Ready and waiting for you.”

Somehow, he manages to pour a cup without spilling, something she isn’t certain he can manage as groggy as he seems. “Up late?”

“Rough night,” he mumbles and turns to lean against the counter as he drinks.

She sighs. “Dreams, then?”

The creases around his eyes deepen as he fights a wince unsuccessfully. “Memories.”

Setting the pan off the heat, she walks over to stand beside him. Gently, she nudges his arm with her shoulder and waits. Lips pressing into a thin line, he sets the coffee on the counter before facing her. “I’m okay, Fina, just…”

“I know it still hurts,” she tells him quietly. “He was my best friend, Kaidan.”

The hug they share is brief but warm, and when they pull apart, Kaidan offers a smile. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Giving breakfast her full attention, she asks, “Travis came by about a half hour ago. Communications are down again. Tried messaging Ontarom, but no go.”

Sighing heavily, Kaidan downs the rest of his coffee and pours another cup. “Surprised they aren’t blaming us for that.”

“Same here. Still, I promised I would go find Egan and Delan to see if between us we can’t figure out what’s going on. What about you?”

He cracks a yawn as he pops a couple slices of bread into the toaster. “I was going to have a crack at the targeting system again, but I suppose I ought to check in with Lilith first if comms are down.”

Opening a cupboard, he pulls out a couple of plates, setting them on the counter for her. Serafina serves up the eggs before retrieving the bacon she has warming in a towel. “Does it bother you how frequently communications get interrupted out here?”

He shrugs. “Used to happen on Mindoir, too.”

“Not nearly as bad as here,” she points out. “Seems like it happens at least once a week.”

“Close enough.”

[theoriginalladya]

Top 5 Fics of 2020

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your five (ish) favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I was tagged by the lovely @faith-less-one - thank you so much!

I’ll drop a few tags this time - no obligation!  @shadoedseptmbr, @mallaidhsomo, @swaps55, @jedirangerpenguin, @jediwalkerw and anyone else who wants to participate!  All I ask is you tag me on it so I can see what you have! :)

So, I did one of these a little while back here, so this time I think I’m going to focus on my writing prompts (since last time I avoided them).

1. Over and Over Again Until It’s Nothing But Senseless Babble - (Mass Effect) (mshenko) This is one of the “50 Ways to Say I Love You” prompts and the only one I will insist is in any order, and it will always be my favorite because @swaps55 asked for it and out of that prompt, Caleb Shepard was born.  I absolutely adore my Irish Shepard, just a smidgen more than all the others mSheps I’ve created this year, because he’s my first.  THIS is what started all the mshenko writing, and for that I’ll be forever grateful to swaps for starting me down that path.

2. Chasing Someone’s Lips After They Pull Away -  (Mass Effect) (mShenko) - Caleb and Kaidan again.  I have to put this on because a) it turned out so much better than i EVER could have hoped and, b) I got two comments on AO3 for it - one was “Wow” and a heart flutter, and the other I apparently made @jedirangerpenguin drop her chip while eating lunch.  *rubs hands together*  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! :D

3. A Kiss in a Dream - (Mass Effect) (mshenko)  This one is Takao Shepard and Kaidan.  This prompt confounded me for a long time because I couldn’t quite figure out how to make it work for Taka.  I think it sat in my inbox for about two months?  Maybe longer.  But eventually it worked out.  I love this pairing and I cannot wait to share more of them!  Theirs is definitely an interesting twist to the whole Mass Effect story!

4. Basorexia - An Overwhelming Desire To Kiss - (Mass Effect) (Rydenko) - Scott Ryder with Kaidan Alenko is not a pairing I might have looked at before a few months ago, let alone write, but once I did I was hooked!  Writing them, especially from Scott’s pov, is so FREEING in so many ways!  He has such an impish side to him, and I’ve no doubt I’m going to have a LOT OF FUN writing his stories out!!!

5. You’re Out of Your Damned Mind -  (Dragon Age) This one references no particular pairing, but it’s focused on the friendship between Serafina MacKinnon (my OC) and Aedan Cousland.  It’s the first bit of her and her story I posted up out there starting this year - I apparently wrote quite a bit of them?  One of these days, I will get their full story written, but for now these will do and I love how they two interact with one another!!!

I wrote far too many to narrow it down to my five most favorite - trust me, they are ALL my favorites for a number of different reasons!  Here’s hoping 2021 is as productive/successful writing year as 2020 turned out to be!

[theoriginalladya]

WIP Folders

I was tagged by the lovely @hunnybadgerv who I know will be looking for something specific here ( @shadoedseptmbr  may be as well after a chat we had today! lol)  

I’ve done this before but thought I’d put a few new ones out there.  Just going to put folder names because I have so many, but a few have subfolders which i’ll include too, in case anyone is interested in asking about them.

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and I’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Dragon Age

From the Ever Constant universe:

The Fox and the Hound

Constant Vigil

Other

AUPAFDA (this is an acronym)

From my Dragon Age: The Dye is Cast series (Serafina MacKinnon) [there are multiple documents or folders in each of these folders.  Pick a folder and a character or pairing and I’ll find something for them]

Dragon Age Origins - Serafina MacKinnon, Sean MacKinnon, Aedan Cousland, Fergus Cousland, Alistair Theirin

Dragon Age II - Meghan Hawke/Nathaniel Howe, Sebastian Vael

Dragon Age Inquisition - Anaya Trevelyan/Cullen Rutherford, Cassandra, Dorian, Serafina/Alistair, Sebastian Vael

Post Inquisition - Casey MacKinnon-Theirin, Serafina MacKinnon-Theirin, Sebastian Vael

Mass Effect

Straight on Til Morning (Rydenko)

Alenkoats (Kaidan/Coats)

Alexandre Shepard (mshenko)

Caleb Shepard (mshenko)

subfolder of Caleb:  Abby/Coats

subfolder of Caleb:  werewolf AU (my Werewolf Effect series)

Gabriel Shepard (mshenko)

John Michael Shepard (mshenko)

Kristofer Shepard (mshenko)

Lachlan Shepard (mshenko)

subfolder of Lachlan:  Iain/Coats

Normandy Island AU (mshenko & fshoats)

Rhys Shepard (mshenko)

Takao Shepard (mshenko)

Destiny’s Fate (ShepShep)

Tagging anyone who hasn’t participated before and would like to, or anyone who would like to again.

[theoriginalladya]

Stories you want to write

but haven’t quite yet.   Tagged by @shadoedseptmbr - thank you!

Tagging @mallaidhsomo @jedirangerpenguin @jediwalkerw and anyone else who wants to participate!

Ummm ...  I have soooooo many ‘in the works’ it’s not even funny.  I’ll just focus on some of the most likely to see the light of day, how’s that?  

Mass Effect

I have so many smaller/individual stories planned for Caleb (mshenko) - he’s going to take a while, but I dedided to break it all down into smaller stories so I could switch up  my timeline if I had to.  I definitely have three BIG post-war stories for them, maybe a fourth depending if I can flesh out a new plot idea I came up with.  So he’s got a loooooong way to go. (Seriously, he’s only just joined the Alliance - it’s a long way home! lol)

Michael Shepard (mshenko) - starting in November, he’ll get more attention. Right now, his story is looking to be one of epic level proportions though, so goodness knows how long it will take to get there.  Plus some more side stories.  And who knows what else ... ;)

Kristofer Shepard (mshenko) is another I have a bigger post-war fic in mind for.  I’m a bit stuck on some of his plot - I know what I want to do, but still working out how to get it there.  

Serafina Shepard (fshenko) - I want to get back to reworking her big fic, adding in some additional pieces I’ve since come up with and actually finishing her story and moving her forward in time.  Much of her’s is well post-war and involves hers and Kaidan’s kids.

Micah Shepard (fshenko) - her story is on the unique side of things and I really would like to finish it and move onto the next one.

Kane Shepard - #67 on my spreadsheet - loosely based off Eliot Spencer on Leverage (thus the name Kane).  His plot is sort of worked out, won’t be a major work but might need a month or two to just sit and work on to get it where I want it.  

And then we have Dragon Age ...

Serafina MacKinnon’s whole big ‘shebang’ which ultimately will include the Warden, Hawke, Trevelyan and their stories plus an idea that I’ve had for over a decade now ...  multiple story ideas, but they are all tied together in the end

Follow up stories for my Ever Constant series - three more stories there.

Annet Cousland - older sister to Fergus and younger Cousland who isn’t in Ferelden at the time of the Blight but gets drawn into the happenings there against her will

And a couple of World of Darkeness stories tied to my werewolf characters that I play....

Oh, some crossover story ideas, too.  Mass Effect/Dune, Mass Effect/Dragon Age, Mass Effect/Pacific Rim.  I think there’s one more but it escapes me at the moment.

Plus all of my original fic ideas.

(I have a lot of stories in my head .......)

[theoriginalladya]

calamityjess

I'm so behind, who is Caleb? What happened to Shep Shep, how many stories are you in the middle of now??

~~~

ROFL   Okay, let me answer these in reverse order:

1) When have you ever known me NOT to be in the middle of a GAZILLION stories all at once?

2) ShepShep still exists I promise! - I’m 2 weeks behind on posting because of catching Covid.  That said, I’m doing much better and hoping to get back to posting next week.

3) CALEB SHEPARD!!!!!  OMG - okay, you have @swaps55 to blame for his creation, but he’s my newest and my first mshenko Shepard.  Jess, the best way I can put it so you’ll understand:  You know how important Serafina (MacKinnon or Shepard) is to me;  Caleb is JUST AS IMPORTANT!  Here’s a link to his series on AO3 if you want to try to get caught up - mostly writing prompts and his Earthborn background story so far, but there’s a LOT PLANNED FOR FUTURE!

[just as a note: I have another mshenko pairing - Michael Shepard, aka: bioitic pinball wizard -  that gets posted around here as well, plus a third one in the works.  Michael has no stories posted yet, but at least one writing prompt and a number of WIP Wednesdays and 6 Sentence Sundays]

By the way, glad to see you back around here more!

EDIT: I realized I forgot to mention a bit more about Caleb:  Irish, Infiltrator/Earthborn/Sole Survivor

[theoriginalladya]

Author Interview

I was tagged by @jedirangerpenguin - thank you so much, and hello!  Nice to meet you!!!  (and I absolutely ADORE your tumblr name!)

Name: theoriginalladya  (because my original name, ladyamesindy, was scooped up by some bot during my year-long absence)

Fandoms: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect Andromeda, Dragon Age (all games), Werewolf the Apocalypse

Where You Post: AO3  as ladyamesindy 

Most Popular One-Shot: Oh, good question.  Well, I originally posted to both AO3 and ff.net but left the latter a while back so any of my DA oneshots that might have been popular are not up at the moment (hoping to relocate them over to AO3 at some point).  According to AO3 it’s I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead at 1067 hits.  Interesting.  It’s a little piece I wrote for a friend over here some years ago who loved the Shakarian romance.  The phrase (from the game) is also one I’ve used many times in my life as well.

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: Not too surprisingly, it’s Ever Constant at 3380 hits  which, coincidentally, is my longest fic at the moment (116 chapters).  It’s a Dragon Age AU where Bryallyn Cousland and Nathaniel Howe were married before the Blight and followed them through its entirety.  I had a lot of fun with that piece.

Favorite Story You Wrote: Oh gosh, how to choose???  I have far too many favorites among all of them!  I have 80 works over there, most of which are Mass Effect until I get some of my Dragon Age titles moved.

Story You Were Nervous to Post: Most nervous?  As of right now, Neverending Winter Nights probably.  It’s about Nathaniel Howe and an original character I used to play on an online RPG site from the DA world meeting and spending the night together.  I’m never very comfortable writing/posting those because I do it so rarely.  That may soon change, however ... 

How You Choose Your Titles: Usually they pop right into my head.  Song titles or lyrics, quite often, or possibly some word or theme from the chapter/story resonates and a title is born.  Occasionally they can be bad puns.  

Complete: Most of them?  Too many to count right now.

Incomplete: More than I’d like.  I had severe writer’s block a couple of years back because of real life stuff and since returning to writing, I’ve tried to focus on one at a time, though that isn’t always the case.  Right now my big focus is on finishing my ShepShep series and getting more comfortable writing Caleb Shepard with Kaidan.

Do You Outline? Unless it’s a oneshot, almost always.  Mostly it’s a way to organize major ideas I want to cover, keep track of pieces of dialogue I don’t want to lose, that sort of thing.  I’d never be able to write the longfics I do without them.

Coming Soon/Not Yet Started: More Caleb Shepard/Kaidan Alenko!  Also hoping to start getting some of my Werewolf adventures down on the page.  I’ve been RPG-ing that for over four years now and I have several characters I’d like to share.  Also included here is my OC Serafina MacKinnon from the DA world whose stories will protray my canon view of my playthroughs of the games.

Do You Accept Prompts? ALWAYS!!!  My list of characters and links to their stories is here if anyone ever wants to prompt something specific, or just drop a prompt in the ask and I’ll adapt it to whoever it fits.  

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: I’m always excited about ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!  Goodness .... Most excited, probably Serafina and her group of stories which will likely take me the rest of my life to write! lol  Also Caleb and Kaidan - I was pulled into that idea by a writing prompt from @swaps55 and I’ll admit, I’ve fallen so HARD for them.  But seriously, I’ve so many ideas and new ones are always hitting me.  Seriously, I have a spreadsheet for all my Shepards and I’m currently sitting at something like 85, I think???  The possiblities are endless!!!  This also goes for any/all fandoms I listed above.  Probably a few others, too.

I’m not sure who all has done this and at 2:30 AM, I’m not going to go check to see if certain people have, so I’ll just tag anyone who wants to share!  Please, if you do, let me know so I can see what you have going on with your writing!!!!!

[theoriginalladya]

jedirangerpenguin

haha, I was worried 21 might be a tough one, but I was defiinitely curious!!

~~~

I’ll be honest, characters that I create myself are easy enough to get into their heads and write.  I should have added Serafina (Shepard and MacKinnon over in DA) as well.  There’s usually something about each OC that I put into their character that makes it easy (ish) for me to connect with when writing them.

Characters that have specific ‘voices’ are harder - Kaidan, Scott Ryder, Garrus, Alistair (DA), etc.  They are more of a challenge.  I can do it, but I sometimes have to sit for a while and play the games or watch videos to get the right inflections and speech patterns.

[theoriginalladya]

18, 22?

from this prompt list

Sorry!  I started answering this the other day and accidentally closed it then forgot about it!  Let’s see what we’ve got here ...

18.  Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

Hmm ... Yes, actually.  I’d toyed with an idea for Serafina Shepard (colonist) where she and Kaidan actually met on Mindoir before the batarian attack.  I even considered taking this piece and expanding it into its own full-blown story, but I’ve not got beyond more than just a bit of plotting for that yet.  The idea is still there, but it’s just chilling in the background.  

I also have some AU versions for Serafina MacKinnon in Dragon Age, but nothing that’s been posted.  Just things I pull out to toy with once in a while to see if I can stir up the muses if necessary.  One has her as a Grey Warden and Alistair as the Warden Commander.  The other is a world in which I have her, Alistar and Cullen all becoming Templars together.

22.  Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?

Oh goodness, yes! lol  Half the reason I started writing in the first place was to entertain myself!  I have alternating reactions to them, depending on the fic and how old it is, etc.  I inevitably end up cringing at grammatical mistakes, typos, phrasing that isn’t quite right, but overall, I really enjoy them and I often have some moments of “OMG I wrote this??!!”  One of the one’s I go back to a lot at the moment is Destiny’s Hand and that’s for two reasons:  1) I really like how it turned out (though I look back and think I should expand it some) and 2) I’m trying to make sure I don’t drop any plot threads I inserted there for Destiny’s Fate.  Outlines help with that, and mine are pretty thorough, but it helps to actually see how I wrote it out to make sure.  Plus, I had some really, really, REALLY good moments in that fic!  (I’m currently looking forward to the first time Jane runs into Wrex since the ryncol incident on Tuchanka ...)