#ariella shepard (bennet)

[bardofheartdive]

OC Name Origins

I was tagged by @ronqueesha - thank you so much! I will tag (only if you want to play): @commander-krios, @happychica, @korkro, and @mallaidhsomo. Only if you want to, of course!

RULES: Search and post the meaning of your OCs’ names (if you made their name up or they go by a nickname, post an explanation of how it came to you)! Bonus if you can find something for their last name too.

But . . . I've done this one with all of my characters here. So instead, I'll tell you why I picked the names I did. (I’m letting you in on some Easter Eggs here, so take note!)

Alejandra “Ale” Ryder Aragón

Ironically the "named after her father" didn't come up until after I'd picked "Alejandra." I wanted a Spanish name that was kind of long with a good nickname option. I was actually leaning toward "Gabriela/Gabi" or "Daniela/Dani" because I was worried "Ale" (ah-leh) would be read by English-speakers as "ale" (the alcoholic beverage) but I kept coming back to "Alejandra" so eventually I just decided to go with what felt right.

Ariella Shepard 

I love the name Ariel. I put an "a" and the end of it because I could. Ariella was the ORIGINAL name of my "proto-femShep" - my very first Shepard - and it only felt right keeping it with the Shepard that got the canon universe.

Donovan Shepard and Lír

Remember those Easter Eggs I mentioned? This is one of them, a nod to Burn Notice. The actor who plays the main character is Jeffrey Donovan. (The main character's name is also "Michael," which is Donovan's middle name.)

Javier “Javi” Ryder Aragón 

Honestly, "Javier" didn't get a lot of thought. I needed a Spanish boy name for Ale's twin and I liked the way it sounded. (And I didn’t plan on him becoming an actual, fully developed CHARACTER . . . )

Mara Shepard

When I split up my "proto-femShep" and I needed to name the one that got my Without You series, I decided to go with names by meanings. One of the meanings of "Mara" is "bitter" and it's also Biblically connected to grief. Which, of course, made it perfect!

Veerla Shepard

This was originally spelled Veerle after one of my favorite (triple threat) stage performers, Veerle Casteleyn. The name is pronounced the same, though I changed the spelling to be phonetic because a friend told me they had always read it "veer-lee" (referring to the actress).

[bardofheartdive]

OC Name Meanings

I was tagged by @ronqueesha, thank you so much friend! I will tag (only if you want to play) @alyssalenko, @captainsaku, @ghostxofxartemis, @happychica, @jediwalkerw, and @theheroofoakvale. Anyone who wants to play!

Rules: Google and post the meaning of your OC’s name (if you made their name up or they go by a nickname, post an explanation of how it came to you)! bonus if you can find something for their last name too

I’ve got a lot of them and I did them all so everyone buckle up!

First things first:

Shepard: variant of “Shepherd,” meaning “herder of sheep”

Ryder: Old English, meaning “cavalrymen”

Ale Ryder

Alejandra: Spanish, meaning “defender of mankind”

Jacinta: Spanish, meaning “hyacinth”

Aragón: Spanish, place-name referring to the kingdom and/or river Aragón

Ariella Shepard

Ariella: Hebrew, meaning “lion of God”

Jean: English, meaning “God is gracious”

Bennet: variant of “Bennett,” meaning “blessed”

Chris Shepard

Christopher: Greek, “meaning bearer of Christ”

Jonah: Hebrew, meaning “dove”

Ramsey: Scottish, place-name likely referring to a place in Huntingdonshire

Donovan Shepard (and Lír)

Donovan: Irish, meaning “dark”

Michael: Hebrew, meaning “who is like God?”

Lír: Irish, meaning “sea”

Gina Shepard

Gina: Italian, meaning “queen”

Torianne: Compound of Tori (English, meaning “winner”) and Anne (Hebrew, meaning “favored”)

Ewing: Scottish, from the clan name “Clann Eóghain,” meaning “children of Eóghain”

Javier Ryder

Javier: Spanish, meaning “bright”

Luis: variant of “Louis,” meaning “famed warrior”

Aragón: Spanish, place-name referring to the kingdom and/or river Aragón

Mara Shepard

Mara: Hebrew, meaning “bitter”

Elizabeth: Hebrew, meaning “God is my oath”

Payne: English, meaning “countryman”

Veerla Shepard

Veerla: variant of “Veerle,” meaning “battle traveller”

Renée: French, meaning “reborn”

Sterling: English, referring to the sterling coin

[bardofheartdive]

OC Heights

I was tagged by @alyssalenko to show my characters’ heights using this height comparison chart. I’d done a few of these a while back but I’ve thrown in a couple new sets too. I’ll tag, only if you want to play, @asianshep, @briarfox13, @ghostxofxartemis, @ginbiscuit, @jediwalkerw, and @ronqueesha​.

Shepards and Ryders:

Veerla, Donovan (Lír), Kaidan:

Dawn Squad (Donovan’s Torfan team):

Jack and Ale:

Kate and Veerla:

Theo and Donovan (Shepard):

(Jack, Kate, and Theo belong to @cdrkateshepard​)

[bardofheartdive]

My girls (at least the main ones) all end with “a” - Alejandra, Ariella, Gina, Mara, and Veerla. I also happen to have three middle names that start with “J” - Alejandra Jacinta, Ariella Jean, and Christopher Jonah - which I didn’t realize until I did looked at them for this. 

Besides that, though, they’re pretty varied.

Look at the names of your ocs, do you have a personal pattern? Is there a first Initial you tend to go most with or an ending like -ia? If you listed your ocs alphabetically, would all letters of the alphabet be covered?

[bardofheartdive]

What Color Character Are You

Tagged by @ronqueesha to take this quiz. Thank you, hon, for always making me feel like one of the cool kids! I will tag, only if you want to play, @alyssalenko, @ghostxofxartemis, @happychica​, @theheroofoakvale​, and anyone else who wants to play!

ARIELLA SHEPARD: YELLOW

Yellow characters tend to be positive and upbeat people, who try to see the bright side in most situations (although the older a character is, the less likely they’ll be as openly positive). They’re friendly and energetic much of the time, and while often genuine it can become a cover for their more negative feelings. They tend to have a lot of skill in one specific area which they have to work hard to harness and use properly. Because of this skill they can be put up on a pedestal and have high expectations placed on them to perform. Often these expectations also come from themselves. They have a strong sense of responsibility and duty placed on them that can cause them to develop a bit of a savior complex, blaming themselves for not being able to protect everyone around them. They are diffusers and peacemakers, preferring to be in harmony with everyone, sometimes making it confusing when others around them are not this way. They’re pretty cheerful and bubbly and usually the light of their friend group. They care about their friends a lot, and go out of their way to show it, although it can cause them to be jealous when they feel as if they aren’t being included. While kind people, they also have a competitive streak and like to win. They love fun and are likely to get sidetracked and drag their friends along with them. Others are able to relax in their presence and enjoy themselves, and it’s hard not to like a yellow character. While these characters may be warm and diligent though, they also have a hard time taking risks, generally preferring to stay in their comfort zone. They can have a bit of both a main character and a savior complex because of how much responsibility they put on themselves, and while well meaning it can irk other characters. Sometimes they go too far trying to help and interfere with others, and when they don’t want to do something they will often shut down and distract themselves from it. They are surprisingly mature for how innocent they seem, and when in a healthy place they always give their best effort. They are wise and interpersonal and really tie their friend group together. Yellow characters need to be given a safe space to release negative emotions without letting them build up, and they need people in their life who will help them keep a healthy balance of work and play without pressuring them too much.

VEERLA SHEPARD: RED

Red characters tend to be both quiet and observant as well as loud and dramatic. They are often brash and impulsive, and tend to act on instinct rather than planning ahead. They are quite self-sacrificing, often veering into self-destructive, and they push themselves to their limits trying to succeed. They tend to be stubborn, and it might take a lot to change their mind. They have a hard time expressing their feelings, and may come off as either emotionless, self-absorbed, or perpetually angry. They don’t have a ton of friends, and when they do, it’s often by circumstance rather than choice (although they grow to fiercely love their friends). They are not usually innately good at fitting into social situations, and can be awkward and out of place in them. They can come off as unhumorous because of how sincere and honest they tend to be, but tend to just have a dryer, sarcastic sense of humor. They do often think of others first, but their motivations for it might not be entirely selfless. They usually have a hard time conceivably lying, and are quite earnest without meaning to be.They put their full effort into what they do, and push themselves to improve at all costs. They get easily defensive, and feel like they have to prove themselves to earn anyone’s respect. They have a strong sense of internal morality and high standards for themselves. They also hold others to their internal high standards, which can cause a lot of conflict if not worked out. They tend to have bad relationships with their parental figures, who were usually either absent or abusive, and contributed to their toxic view of themselves. At their core, red characters want to be loved and accepted, but have often been denied it, leading them to build up lots of defenses. Others need to be patient with them and give them a safe space to be themselves as they open up and begin to flourish.

DONOVAN SHEPARD: PURPLE

Purple characters are strong leaders and fierce people with a strong moral compass. They tend to be lost in the background, occupied by characters with louder personalities, but these characters are dependable and wonderful in their own right. They are poised and collected and can remain calm under pressure. They are also charismatic and supportive. They aren’t likely to accept half-assed excuses, but they are still compassionate. In addition to leading, they also often take on mentor roles with the people that they lead. People like following them, and while not particularly witty, they have a good sense of humor and an easy nature to them that causes others to enjoy spending time with them. They can vary between being very uptight and stern, as well as chill and lighthearted. They are affectionate towards the people they care about, but they can come across as intimidating to people who don’t know them. They usually establish themselves as generally friendly, but people know not to seriously upset or cross them. Although they are great and well-rounded people, they can become unsure of themselves if their leadership fails in any aspect. While they are patient, they can also become quite frustrated by people not understanding their perspective. They aren’t necessarily inflammatory, but often prefer fighting first and conversing later. They can jump to conclusions and stick to decisions that the people around them don’t like following, in order to not be seen as pushovers or indecisive. Purple characters need people in their life who allow them not to lead and to just join in the fun like everyone else, while also reassuring them that they are an important part of whatever group or organization they have found themselves in.

[bardofheartdive]

OC Faceclaims

Another tag from @alyssalenko from so long ago... Thank you for your patience, friend! I will tag (only if you want to play) @cdrkateshepard, @ghostxofxartemis, @illusivesoul, @korkro, @pigeontheoneandonly, and @ronqueesha​, as well as anyone who wants to play! I'm not going to spam you all with ALL of my OCs so here is a carefully chosen selection for your perusal.

Ariella Shepard (Bennet): Scottie Thompson

Mara Shepard (Payne): Anna Selezneva

Veerla Shepard (Sterling): Meisa Kuroki

Donovan Lír and Donovan Shepard: Jensen Ackles

Chris Ramsey (Shepard): Brian Balzerini

Gina Ewing (Shepard): Alex Marshall-Brown

Alejanda Ryder Aragón: Ximena Romo

Javier Ryder Aragón: Adrian Bellani

Summer Shepard and Autumn Brooks: Jamie Ray Newman

Ansleigh Albright: Alona Tal

[bardofheartdive]

OC Inspiration

I was tagged a long time ago by @ronqueesha - thank you for the tag, friend, and your patience. I will tag (only if you want to play) @alyssalenko, @briarfox13, @cassiefisherdrake @cdrkateshepard, @ghostxofxartemis, @jediwalkerw, and @theheroofoakvale. I’m really bad at tumblr gif searches and I froze my laptop TWICE so I’m going with more pictures than gifs. Doing ALL my OCs seemed excessive, so I’m only going with my three “main” Shepards: Ariella, Donovan and Veerla. If you’re interested in learning more about them (or any of my OCs) you can also check out my Pintrest boards!

Ariella Bennet (Shepard)

Donovan Shepard

Veerla Sterling (Shepard)

[bardofheartdive]

Ariella (Bennet): Colonist, Sole Survivor, Paragon, Destroy, Kaidan Alenko

Chris (Ramsey): Spacer, Ruthless, Renegade, Control, Ashley Williams in ME1, one-nighters with Jack and Kelly Chambers then Miranda Lawson in ME2, Diana Allers in ME3 and also Chloe Michel even though the game won’t actually let you (in short every willing or coercible human female)

Gina (Ewing): Earthborn, Sole Survivor, Neutral, Refusal, Liara in ME1 and Garrus in ME2 and 3

Mara (Payne): Spacer, War Hero, Paragon, depends on the Divergent Point, I’ve written Destroy and Refusal and of course sometimes she doesn’t survive to the Crucible or isn’t the one to pick, Kaidan Alenko (though they can never be together because tragedy)

Veerla (Sterling): Colonist, War Hero, Paragon (occasionally into Neutral), Destroy (but AU so it’s not quite the same...), Donovan Lír (an OC) and Kaidan Alenko

let’s do a thing:

colonist, earthborn, or spacer? ruthless, war hero, or sole survivor? paragon, renegade, or neutral? control, destroy, or synthesis?

[bardofheartdive]

🎶 + Ariella and Kaidan

Thank you so much for asking! Ariella and Kaidan haven't been getting a lot of my attention recently, so it's nice to go back to them! In honor of that, you get a two-for-one, their individual points of view for the same event. (Ariella being dead.)

"Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep" by Tom Read (for Ariella)

Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there, no, I do not sleep Do not stand at my grave and cry I am not there, no, I am alive

"Stars" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (for Kaidan)

Stars, they make me wonder where you are Stars, up on Heaven's boulevard And if I know you at all I know you've gone too far So I can't look at the stars

Send me a 🎶 and a pairing, please!

[bardofheartdive]

Series Overview: A Good Ride

Down to the wire but not overdue for Day 1 of @the-wip-project‘s 100 Days of Writing! I’m going to start with a small overview of each of my projects both as a reference for readers and a way to get myself talking about them. It seems fitting to start with the first series I posted, including the first fic I posted. Here we go!

A Good Ride

This is Ariella’s series and the only one of my series that is canon complaint (at least as far as canon complies with itself). I started it because I wanted to explore canon itself and give myself the challenge of telling a story I wanted to tell within the Mass Effect universe as it stands. At the moment, it starts with ME2 and mainly focuses on Ariella’s relationship with Kaidan but I have plans for pre-ME1 stories and continuing through to post-ME3.

Quick Stats:

Shepard: Ariella Jean Shepard

Colonist

Sole Survivor

Vanguard

Love Interest: Kaidan Alenko

Other Important Relationships: Kaidan Alenko & Garrus Vakarian

Favorite Completed Fic: Three and Nine. Is it weird that my favorite fic in an fShenko series doesn’t do more than mention Ariella? Probably but it doesn’t make it any less true. This fic features Kaidan and Garrus coming to an understanding after the stand-off during the Cerberus coup. 

WIP I’m Most Excited For: 12 Angry Geth (working title). Set post ME3 with a canon Destroy ending. Ariella is charged with genocide against the geth when they were killed as well as the Reapers. There is a quite a bit of world-building I’m excited to share with this fic, as well as a bunch of OCs I’m excited to introduce.

[bardofheartdive]

Don't feel bad, @mallaidhsomo. I also have six:

Veerla: Adept (modified)/Colonist/War Hero. Paragade. Romances Kaidan and Donovan Lír, one of my OCs, in a poly triad.

Gina: Soldier/Earthborn/Sole Survivor. Renegon. Romances Liara in 1 and Garrus in 2 and 3. (For her playthrough but actually romances an OC because she's not actually Commander Shepard... It’s complicated...)

Chris: Engineer/Spacer/Ruthless. Renegade. Romances (“romances”) every female human he can but he doesn’t care about any of them. (He is my misogynistic, xenophobic asshat.)

Ariella: Vanguard/Colonist/Sole Survivor. Paragon. Romances Kaidan.

Mara: Sentinel/Spacer/War Hero. Paragon. Romances Kaidan.

Donovan: Infiltrator/Earthborn (modified)/Ruthless. Paragade. Romances @cdrkateshepard‘s Theo Walker.

Actually, technically, seven! I always forget John...

John: Soldier/Earthborn/Sole Survivor. Paragade. Romances Kaidan and James in a poly triad.

im a sole survivor, a paragon, and a vanguard that romances kaidan.

how about you? i wanna see the variety of sheps out there.

[bardofheartdive]

💜🖤 for airella/kaidan 👀

Hey there! Thanks for the ask! Ariella was my first(-ish) main Shepard and though she hasn't gotten a lot of attention recently she is still present in my mind and glad to get out into every now and then.

💜 Give a random fact about their daily life together!

(With BONUS information about Kaidan's family!) Kaidan's mother, Lucy, is a professional ballroom dancer who teaches Ariella while the Normandy is lost after the Crucible fires. After Kaidan gets back, he continues to teach her different styles and steps. She still only dances in public for their first dance as a married couple (choreographed and taught by Lucy) but she loves learning from both Kaidan and his mother.

🖤 Have they ever had a really bad argument where they almost broke up?

Yes! After things start getting back to normal post-ME3, Ariella gets put on trial for genocide for killing the geth when she chose destroy. The arrest and start of the trial was relatively sudden and Kaidan was away on a Spectre mission and found out about by seeing it on the news. They had a huge argument about the whole thing largely centering around Kaidan feeling like he was loosing her for the THIRD time and Ariella's unresolved/treating/dealt-with feelings of guilt.

Ask me these asks, please!

[bardofheartdive]

N7 Month 2020

This year for @n7month​ I did a series of aesthetic boards for my OCs. For the grand finale, here they are all in one place! (Links to individual boards below.)

Gina Shepard (Ewing), “Red” | Ariella Shepard (Bennet), “Cooperation | Donovan Lír, “Green” | Chris Shepard (Ramsey), “Blue” | Veerla Shepard (Sterling), “Purple” | Ale Ryder Shepard (Ryder Ramirez), “Legacy” | Mara Shepard (Payne), “Free Space”

[bardofheartdive]

OTP Playlist: Ariella and Kaidan

I was tagged by @ronqueesha​ to make a 5 song playlist for my OTP. (Thanks for thinking of me, hon! I LOVE music memes!) I’m doing Ariella/Kaidan this time and I’ve done Veerla/Donovan/Kaidan, Jack/Ale, and Mara/Kaidan before. I will tag (only if you want to) @alyssalenko​, @cdrkateshepard​, @ljandersen​, @pigeontheoneandonly​, and @swaps55​.

(I have no Ariella/Kaidan art but here’s Ariella’s faceclaim, Scottie Thompson)

Just A Kiss by Lady Antebellum

“Just a shot in the dark that you just might Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight”

Stand By You by Rachel Platten

“And love, if your wings are broken We can brave through those emotions too ‘Cause I'm gonna stand by you”

Candle On The Water by Helen Reddy

“I'll be your candle on the water My love for you will always burn I know you're lost and drifting But the clouds are lifting Don't give up, you have somewhere to turn”

Unforgettable by Nat King Cole

“Like a song of love that clings to me How the thought of you does things to me No, never before Has someone been more Unforgettable”

I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab For Cutie

“If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks Then I'll follow you into the dark”

[bardofheartdive]

Oooh! How fancy! I did mine too! (Still can't figure out how to make mine look nice but the information is there all the same!)

Veerla: 5'7" | Gina: 5'2" | Chris: 5'11" | Ariella: 5'10" | Ale: 5'4" | Mara: 5'9" | Donovan: 6'2"

I found this neat height comparison chart thing, and decided to plug some of my characters into it. 

[bardofheartdive]

N7 Month, Day 3: Cooperation

Ariella Jean Shepard (Bennet)

Colonist / Sole Survivor / Vanguard