#donovan lír

[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]

OC Character Personality Quiz

I was tagged by the delightful @alyssalenko to do this Which Character Personality Quiz for my OCs. (It was a lot of fun so I did a bunch of characters. Also, SUPER pleased with the results - I feel like they matched really well.) I'm posting the top 5 for each OC from a fandom that I am familiar enough to deem accurate. (Also following @alyssalenko's example, I'm doing fancy eye shots for my characters!)

Javi:

Ty Lee (Avatar: The Last Airbender): 90%

Lito Rodriguez (Sense8): 90%

Genie (Aladdin): 87%

Simba (The Lion King) 87%

Chris Turk (Scrubs): 87%

Wyatt:

Fantine (Les Miserables): 87%

Frodo Baggins (The Lord of the Rings): 86%

Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games): 86%

Samwise Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings): 85%

Christian (Moulin Rouge): 85%

Mara:

Eliza Hamilton (Hamilton): 89%

Astrid Leong-Teo (Crazy Rich Asians): 84%

Maid Marian (Robin Hood): 83%

Deanna Troi (Star Trek: The Next Generation): 83%

Cosette (Les Miserables): 83%

Veerla (gets 6 because of a 3-way tie for 4th):

Inara Sera (Firefly): 89%

Mulan (Mulan): 88%

Princess Fiona (Shrek): 88%

Sailor Jupiter (Sailor Moon): 87%

Nala (The Lion King): 86%

Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Carribean): 86%

Angelica Schuyler (Hamilton): 86%

Donovan:

Derek Morgan (Criminal Minds): 93%

Sailor Jupiter (Sailor Moon): 90%

Maximus Decimus Meridius (Gladiator): 89%

Mulan (Mulan): 88%

Will Turner (Pirates of the Carribean): 87%

Tagging (if you want to play): @captainsaku, @happychica, @hawkeykirsah, @mallaidhsomo, @pigeontheoneandonly, and @ronqueesha. (Only if you want to, of course!)

[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]

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]

3 OTP* Questions

* Actually doing my OT3 because I want to and I can!

Another tag from a million years ago (my e-mail notification is from February 29th of last year) that I am only now getting to. This one is from @ronqueesha - thank you for your patience! I’ll tag (only if you want to play) @alyssalenko, @bagog, @mallaidhsomo, and @swaps55. No pressure!

Veerla Shepard / Donovan Lír / Kaidan Alenko

(art by the fantastic @mooreaux​!)

1. How did they first meet?

Donovan and Kaidan were the first to meet, several years pre-canon when Donovan had just signed on with Alliance and Kaidan was a red sand addict following BAaT. Donovan played a big part in getting Kaidan out of that life and they stayed friends from then on.

Veerla and Donovan met while they were both working for CODA (my Alliance CIA). Veerla was on a mission and needed support for part of it. Donovan’s status as CODA agent with extensive military history got him the assignment. They worked well together and liked each other, so a while later Donovan requested her for a similar role in one of his jobs. That one went sideways fast and the fallout bonded them significantly.

Veerla and Kaidan first met on the Normandy during Mass Effect 1. Her universe is extensively AU and she doesn’t stay on the Normandy but they do cross paths several times throughout “ME1″ and develop something of a professional friendship during that time.

2. Were they immediately interested / attracted, or did that come later? / 3. What did they think of each other at first? (I also answered these together!)

Donovan was not attracted to Kaidan at all when they first met. Besides the fact that he was dating and in love with someone else at the time, he saw Kaidan as someone who was lost and needed a friend. At the time, there was too much of a difference in power for him to find Kaidan attractive.

Kaidan was immediately attracted to Donovan, though he also resented him somewhat. He was in a bad place and was jealous of Donovan having everything he wanted, a job he enjoyed, a committed partner, a good relationship with his family, etc.

Veerla and Donovan were both immediately attracted to each other, however they both knew neither of them were in a position to commit to relationship. Both of them have complex personal histories and careers that make it hard to maintain relationships. They started with casual flirting then friendship, which deepened over time as they put in the work on themselves to be good partners, until they were ready to take the plunge into a meanful relationship. 

Kaidan thought Veerla was pretty but had no intentions of pursuing. He wasn’t looking for a romantic relationship at the time. He also found out pretty soon after their meeting that she and Donovan were together so even if he had been interested, he wouldn’t have made a move.

[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]

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]

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]

For the WIP ask, if you haven't done them yet: D&D Effect and the Death of a Toaster!

Hiya, bagoggles! Thanks for the ask!

D&D Effect is a Mass Effect fantasy AU, specifically using 5E Dungeons and Dragons. Tech and biotics are magic, Normandy is a skyship, and Sovereign is a cursed suit of armor that corrupts its wearer. (Not going to lie, a large part of this project was driven by wanting to stat out and equip a bunch of D&D characters...) I don't have much of it done but here's a little snippet.

The woman spun toward him, a blind fury burning in her dark brown eyes. Her fingers tightened around her axe and Shepard’s hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword. He was trying to decide if he actually wanted to draw it when Kaidan stepped between them.

“He’s a friend, Ash.” Her attention turned toward him and for a moment she snarled but Kaidan simply raised his hands and repeated. “He’s a friend.”

At that her demeanor changed immediately, the rage draining into exhaustion. Kaidan took another step toward her and bumped his shoulder into hers and the worst of the burns on her belly healed over.

“Kaidan,” she murmured, her voice ragged.

“What happened? Where’s the rest of the guard?”

“They’re gone.” She leaned into Kaidan a little more and repeated. “They’re all gone. The devils came and—”

“Devils haven't been seen on this plane since the Sundering,” Shepard cut her off.

“They’re here now,” she answered, an edge slipping into her voice.

“They must have come for the Beacon,” Kaidan suggested before either of them could argue further.

The Death of a Toaster centered around Veerla's legendary inability to cook. It also features Brendan Dewan, whom she broke up with in "Square Peg." Here's a bit from the beginning for you!

“Shit, shit shit! Dammit, no! No! No, no, no, no, no! Fuck!”

Donovan wasn’t sure whether it was the alarm or the swearing that actually woke him up. The smell of something burning hit him next and he bolted out of the bedroom without bothering to pull on pants. He rounded the corner to the kitchen just in time to see Veerla yank the fire extinguisher off the wall, all the while spewing a steady stream of expletives. Smoke was pouring out of his toaster but he didn’t see any actual flames. Yet.

“Cancel alarm,” she snapped, emptying the extinguisher onto his countertop.

Ask me about my WIPs, if you want!

[bardofheartdive]

Happy Birthday Donovan

Today is Donovan’s birthday (he doesn’t use the canon date) so have some birthday headcanons!

More so than other holidays, Donovan tries to get home (Killorglin, Ireland) for birthdays. Growing up, Nan (his caretaker) often had to work during holidays but it was easier for them to get together on birthdays.

Nan and Felix (his brother) are both fantastic gift-givers and, while they don't always get him something, when they do it's always a good one. Some of his favorites have included a set of hurling gear and (Gaelic) football gear, a complete refurbishing of his father's guitar, and a nice violin.

Regardless of anything else, Felix gets him a 5 pack of beer (a 6 pack with one bottle missing) every year. If he made it home that year it's some expensive specialty craft brand. If not, it's real from-Ireland Guinness.

He always asks for an American-style breakfast for his birthday dinner. Waffles, eggs, and streaky bacon. Once he's joined the Alliance he asks for coffee and it's the only time Nan allows it in the house.

There is an Irish birthday tradition of holding the guest of honor upside down and bumping their head against the floor for luck, plus an extra one for good measure. (Think birthday spankings with a flourish.) Donovan continues this even though he's too tall/heavy for the lads to actually lift by having them ceremonially hold his legs and spot him while he does the appropriate number of handstand-pushups, tapping his head on the floor every time.

[bardofheartdive]

OC Profile: Veerla Sterling/Shepard

I was enabled encouraged to do Veerla by the wonderful @bagog. Here you are friend! Also, tagging anyone who would like to play. (You. Yes, you, reading this. If you want to play you’re tagged. Please tag me back.)

Awesome art by @savbakk

GENERAL-

Name: Veerla Renée Shepard (or Sterling, if it’s not her “canon” universe)

Alias(es): Her friends call her Vee, plus several from her time as a spy

Gender: Female

Age: 29 (at the start of ME1)

Birthdate: October 29th, 2149

Place of birth: Brenoux, Mindoir

Hometown: Brenoux, Mindoir

Spoken language(s): Fluent in English, monovocal Cipritinic (turian), standard, subcaste, and "underbelly" Khar'ishii (batarian), and the galactic trade language. Conversational in Asaria (asari). Smatterings of Japanese, French, Arabic, Spanish, and Sur'Keran (salarian)*

Sexual preference: Pansexual with a strong preference for human men

Occupation: Alliance First Lieutenant, Clandestine Operations and Defense Agency Operative, Citadel Council Spectre

APPEARANCE-

Eye color: Lavender

Hair color: Black

Height: 5′7″

Scars: Through her right eyebrow and on her left upper lip. All her others were scrubbed when she joined CODA and then before and after every mission.

FAVORITE-

Color: Silver

Hair color: No preference

Song: “Hard Love” by NEEDTOBREATH featuring Andra Day (at the moment)

Food: Ramen, white peaches

Drink: Mojitos, green and white teas

HAVE THEY-

Passed university: Yes. She majored in xenolinguistics at the London Alliance Naval Academy

Had sex: Yes

Had sex in public: Yes

Gotten pregnant: I think so? I know she and Donovan and Kaidan have a baby together but I’m not sure if she carries him or not.

Kissed a boy: Yes

Kissed a girl: Yes

Gotten tattoos: Yes, though only for her covers and they were removed after the missions were complete

Gotten piercings: Just her ears

Been in love: Yes

Stayed up for more than 24 hours: Yes

ARE THEY-

A virgin: No

A cuddler: Yes

A kisser: Yes

Scared easily: No

Jealous easily: No

Dominant: She’s a switch

Submissive: Again, switch

In love: Yes

Single: No

RANDOM QUESTIONS-

Have they harmed themselves: Yes

Thought of suicide: Yes

Attempted suicide: Not really?

Wanted to kill someone: Yes

Have / had a job: Yes

Have any fears: Losing her sanity/sense of self, failing or losing the people she loves, pregnancy

FAMILY-

Sibling(s): None

Parent(s): Thomas Aaron (father) and Hana (mother) Shepard or Sterling. Both of them were killed on Mindoir. She also lived with Anderson for a few years after the raid and he filled a pseudo-parental role for her during that time

Children: Two, Charlotte “Charlie” Braden (technically her step-daughter) and Benjamin “Ben” Connor Gray

Significant other: Donovan Lír and Kaidan Alenko. Please enjoy this BEAUTIFUL art piece by @xla-hainex. 

Fun fact: No one in their household has the same last name. Veerla, Donovan, and Kaidan all keep their own even after they’re married. Charlie uses her mother’s last name and Ben uses Kaidan’s father’s last name. (“Alenko” is his mother’s.)

Pet(s): None, she’s gone so much it’s just not feasible

[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]

OC Associations: Donovan Lír

I was tagged so SO SOOO long ago by @ronqueesha to list some fictional characters I associate with my OC. I’m doing Donovan again but in a shocking twist I’m going with Lír, not Shepard! I’ll tag (only if you want to play): @alyssalenko​, @asianshep​, @ghostxofxartemis, and @pigeontheoneandonly. Also anyone who wants to play, of course!

Dean Winchester (Supernatural)

I would be remiss if I didn’t start with Dean (and Jensen Ackles) who is, of course, Donovan’s faceclaim. Donovan is a bit unique in that I made him FOR another of my characters (Veerla Sterling/Shepard). I told her I’d give her whatever she wanted and she said “Dean Winchester.” Obviously, now that he’s fleshed out, Donovan is very different from Dean but he must be first on this list!

Prince Lír (The Last Unicorn)

When I was looking for Donovan’s name, I stumbled upon “Lir” as the name of the Irish god of the sea. But anyone who knows anything about me knows my love of The Last Unicorn and having a viable reason to use the name was more than enough for me. Lír, in the book, has one of my favorite quotes which delightfully applies to Donovan as well: “I love whom I love," [Prince Lir repeated firmly.] "You have no power over anything that matters.”

Michael Westen (Burn Notice)

Burn Notice is my go-to “spy” media so Michael Westen became the obvious influence for Donovan’s CODA days. There are actually several Burn Notice Easter Eggs involving Donovan, for example he and Veerla use “honey” as a panic code. Donovan worked primarily for CODA’s deep-cover division and his work is most similar to his Season 7 work.

Sam Axe (Burn Notice)

But for all of Donovan’s time as a spy, he has always been and will always be a soldier at heart. Donovan’s military service, sense of humor, and many many friends (“buddies”) fall much closer to Sam than Michael. He loves a good beer, though he prefers whiskey over mojitos, and is good with kids.

[bardofheartdive]

The death of a toaster?

Veerla! She did it again, didn't she?

ANOTHER ask?!?!?! Thank you so much!!!

Yes, Veerla did do it again. This piece is a silly bit of fluff from early in the her relationship with (Donovan) Lír. Here's a bit of dialogue between her and a responding firefighter. (Who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Ask me how they met.)

“[Lír] let you in the kitchen?”

“Well, he certainly won’t after this.” Veerla leaned against the counter, glancing ruefully at the toaster before pulling it toward her to inspect it. “Know anything about toasters?”

“Besides not to let you near mine?”

“Obviously. It seems I’m in the market for a new one.”

Ask me about one of my WIPs, please!

[bardofheartdive]

Series Overview: Rise

This was supposed to be Day 3 of @the-wip-project‘s 100 Days of Writing but Real Life is a thing so now it’s going up on the 5th and we’ll worry about catching up later. Continuing the Series Overviews with Veerla’s “canon” story.

Rise

I’m not sure if you’re supposed to have a favorite child project but this is definitely mine. This universe is a Reaper-less, Everybody Lives AU with a Shepard who’s a super secret biotic spy (more on that later) instead of an N7 and Cerberus as the Big Bad. For me, this universe hits the sweet spot of different enough to be mine but the same enough to be recognizable and I love it.

Quick Stats:

Shepard: Veerla Reneé Shepard

Colonist

War Hero

Adept (modified)

Love Interest: Donovan Lír and Kaidan Alenko (poly triad)

Other Important Relationships: femShep & David Anderson, femShep & Nihlus Kryik, Kaidan Alenko/Citadel Doctor, plus lots of OC / OC and OC & OC relationships

Favorite Completed Fic: What We Pulled From The Ashes. Veerla’s relationship with Anderson is one of the most influential in her life and this story shows the roots of that relationship. It takes place immediately after the Mindoir raid and gives a peek into Vee’s experience through Anderson’s eyes as he tries to help her recover.

WIP I’m Most Excited For: All of it. Sorry. I tried to pick just one but this universe covers so much time that I couldn’t. Soldier(s) Fallen (working title) is up there, which is a pre-canon, post-BAaT story focusing on Donovan and Kaidan’s friendship. The ME2 rewrite (unnamed) is another one I’m excited for, because it’s the most different from canon of the “game” stories. And, of course, Veerla’s recruitment and training as a spy (essentially her version of N School, since she didn’t go to N School).