#ladya has headcanons

[theoriginalladya]

Also: how about some (any) headcanon about David Anderson? And another one about the space hamster, because.

Can I just SQUEEE REALLY LOUD BECAUSE HAMSTER!!!!!!!!!

(and oh, I needed that question right now!!! thank you!!!!!)

Alrighty, hmm let me see ...

David Anderson

almost all of my Shepards either view him as a second dad or some sort of family member.  I think the game establishes there is a very good rapport between him and Shepard, enough to suggest they’ve known each other for a very long time.

I often have him and Kaidan’s father having served together, sometimes Shepard’s dad (if there is one), just to help tighten up the background a bit

there are times I headcanon that he survives the end of ME3 - depends more on the Shepard I’m writing about and if it’s necessary.  I mean, his death has importance too, and I don’t want to diminish that, but I’m a HUGE ‘WHAT IF?’ person - that’s usually how my story ideas get started! lol

oddly enough, I headcanon that he is quite the dancer - as in ballroom style dancing (not sure where that popped up from, but it’s there!)

of late (ShepShep fic), I’ve been headcanoning that he and Hackett sort of buck Alliance Command (why not?  Hackett is Fleet Admiral, he can get away with it if anyone can, right?) to get as much preparation for the Reaper arrival done as possible. (I’m happy to discuss this more in a separate ask, if you’re interested)

Space Hamster

If I can’t think of a specific name that any particular Shepard might have named him, they usually just call him Boo

I definitely headcanon that he’s a sneaky little rascal and will find ways to get out of his cage - either with Shepard’s unknowing help, or on his own

*** I DEFINITELY HEADCANON THAT THE REASON HE ENDS UP IN THE DUMPSTER DURING THE CITADEL DLC IS BECAUSE HE BIT THE CLONE ON THE THUMB!!!!! :P

He’s a bit smarter than your average Space Hamster (yes, like mabari smart! lol)

he is envious of the fish and their tank.  I mean, what space hamster wouldn’t want that much SPACE to play in, right?

ala the fanart that popped up from my queue (yesterday, I think?) I headcanon s/he and Grunt get along famously, and that Grunt will give it ‘rides’ on his shoulder throughout ME2

Boo is a bit afraid of Mordin at first because ... experiments, but warms up to him once he hears Mordin singing patter songs.

Thane just gets him.

Garrus makes or has made a small sniper rifle for Boo

Tali makes a small quarian-esque envirosuit that’s in N7 colors, complete with stripes, in Boo’s size

Tali and Garrus may have collaborated and done this on purpose

And Shepard loves them all the more for it!

Kaidan will let Boo out of the cage.  Once Boo can get a running start, it runs and jumps off the shelf ... and Kaidan uses his biotics to bounce him around Shepard’s office

Boo finds it amusing that the first time Jack and Miranda see him (different times and fairly shortly after his arrival) both were startled enough to yelp, thinking he was a mouse or something

Jack warms up to him; she’ll try some biotic stunts with him ME2 era which is why it’s comfortable with Kaidan ME3 era

Boo does NOT like the husk head in ME3

Boo DOES LIKE the chess set Shepard brings back from Omega and attempts to encourage Shepard to play by moving the pieces whenever it can

Boo is a BIG fan of smooth jazz (think Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five″)

I really need to think about Boo some more!  I love that little critter!!!!!  Thank you so much again for this!

[theoriginalladya]

So, each time I write a new Shepard (86 total now, god help me!) I try to come up with at least a handful of new headcanons to keep them separate from each other.

Only ... this time ... I think I just ... broke Caleb!  :(   

I was running around the Citadel, dropping off stuffs I’d picked up for people and wandered down to the Docks Holding Area.  I hadn’t listened to the teenage girl’s convo in full before on my own games (I’ve seen stuff here) but I’ve heard most of it, if not all, both times I’ve played through for him.  

Okay, this really hits close to home for him ... for reasons that will become clear in Seeing Reds over the last couple of chapters, but something else just occurred to me and THAT is what broke him.

WHAT THE EVERLIVING HELL HAPPENS TO EVERYONE ON THE CITADEL WHEN THE REAPERS/TIM SHOW UP???

Okay, so I headcanon (for ALL my Shepards) that Bailey has enough sense to get the Council off/out of there before it’s too damned late, so they end up safe and able to help after the war is over.

But what about the PEOPLE???  Even if the Reapers don’t destroy/process them all in the (how the hell long?) time they take over control before Shepard gets there, they can’t possibly be alive afterward, can they?  I mean, the Crucible DESTROYS the Citadel  (Okay - so I play Destroy ending - no idea if this is different in the others (I’d imagine so for at least Synthesis)).  Could anyone survive that?  Or, backtracking, how the hell long is it between when the Citadel moves to Sol and when Shepard gets there?  Unless we’re talking days to weeks, I don’t think they could process everyone (not like the body count we see when going up to the Citadel at the end), but then again, this is Bioware, so anything is possible I suppose.  

But, can you imagine?  People fleeing madly to the docks, trying to get off the Citadel as the Reapers are taking over?  MADHOUSE!  MAYHEM!!!  

And Caleb ...  OMG I BROKE HIM with that thought!

He watches the Reds die around him as he’s growing up ...

He sees his company get destroyed on Akuze ...

He sees the Normandy go down and 20 of the crew, including Pressly, go down too ...

He sees human colonies AFTER the Collectors take everyone, sees HORIZON with some of the bodies left behind and KNOWS HE’S JUST A FEW MINUTES TOO LATE ...

Earth ...

Palaven ...

THESSIA ...

And then to hear, to SEE the Citadel at the end, to know that Something Awful (tm) has happened that he couldn’t STOP ... 

... my heart hurts to much right now ...

[theoriginalladya]

My Mass Effect Headcanons

Okay, now that I’ve brought everyone down with me, here are a few more headcanons on the more positive side of things, maybe?  (I’m not sure they all qualify as headcanons, but what the hell)

(These are from a number of different Shepards, not just Caleb)

1)  Bailey’s kid(s) survive the war.  Depends on which story I’m writing, but I have two headcanons for this so far:

a) Serafina Shepard:  Bailey’s son and daughter were both biotic and among Kaidan’s biotic spec ops recruits.  Shannon ends up as Serafina’s ‘bodyguard’ post war (thanks to Hackett).  She and her squad are responsible for retrieving Shepard’s body off the Citadel before the remnants of Cerberus can get her. She serves as Serafina’s assistant once Shepard is up and working to help post-War before the Normandy returns.  Later, after a major escape off Earth with the Normandy, she eventually reunites with her father who is serving temporarily as humanity’s Councilor (until Shepard can take over - headcanon #2)) on the Citadel. 

b) Kathryn Bailey: Ryn is from my Mass Effect: Andromeda story.  I came up with their concept while we awaited the game to drop, then when it did I couldn’t let it go.  So, she’s the Alliance trained (Vanguard) biotic kid, still part of Kaidan’s biotic black ops recruits; her twin, William ‘do-not-call-me-Bill’ Bailey isn’t.  He’s a street cop from Earth, filling dad’s old footsteps.  Their mother becomes a part of the Andromeda Initiative and after at first refusing her offer/request to go with her, they eventually decide to go for plot reasons. :P  

2) Kaidan’s dad isn’t necessarily dead.  I know the game leans heavily in that direction, but they don’t outright say it that I’ve ever seen, so hey, why not investigate that line of thinking for something different?  (this is a Caleb one)

3) After the War, Ambassador Dominic Osaba takes over as human councilor.  Another new idea this time around.  I’ve always been intrigued by him and wanted to explore a bit more about him.  He’ll be interesting to develop.  I love this guy and I can’t even tell you why!

4) Headshot competitions between my Infiltrator Shepards and Garrus are a MUST!  Can’t be any other way.  James is still trying to figure that out.  He thinks they’re both loco ...

5) Anderson meets up with Kaidan’s dad on Earth - just a thing I can’t not see in my head.  Also, as part of tie in to this, Mr. Alenko, Anderson and Hackett all served together in their early days of Alliance Service (pre-Contact War).

6) (Micah) Shepard names their fish things like breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, elevensies, and Charlie.  When she is listing them all to Kaidan, she forgets to mention Charlie.  “Sorry, Charlie!”  I’m such a product of my childhood ...

I know I have many others if I can think of them ...

[theoriginalladya]

If you want to share some more Hackett headcanons with us, please feel free to do so. Also if you want to add some Hackett/Anderson ones if you have any maybe?

Oh, boy!  I do have some different Hackett headcanons, though some are specific to particular Shepards.  (I’ll see if I can get this right as I’m currently away my notes)

Anaya Shepard: (Earthborn/Ruthless/Vanguard)  Hacket is her father.  Her mother met him while they were both serving in the Alliance.  She left service after her stint was over, he stayed.  She had a child which I headcanon he was quite happy about.  While I don’t necessarily headcanon they married, they were seriously considering it.  Before they made a decision, however, she died (I haven’t sorted out the particulars of that yet).  Anaya wasn’t around, either (again, still working on the details) and he thought them both dead.  (Anaya was about six at this time)  Fast forward ten years or so ...  Hackett, Anderson and probably Kaidan’s Dad (she’s a Kaidanmancer, so why not?) are together (for some reason I’m still working on but thinking it may have to do with what Kaidan was doing between BAaT and enlisting) and as they walk through the city, they are set upon by some gang thugs.  While they could probably handle it well enough (c’mon, Anderson IS N7, right?), they’re opting to talk their way out of it.  During discussions, Anaya and some her Reds show up - the thugs in question are out of their territory and need to be taught a lesson.  Hackett has suspicions as soon as he sees Anaya who she is because she looks very much like her mother.  After the confrontation with the thugs is over, and over the next year or so, he reaches out to her.  She refuses to accept the gestures at first, but around that time she comes into her biotics.  Hackett helps her get access to an implant and training.  Eventually, she comes around to talking more with him.  The idea of enlisting on her 18th birthday is actually a surprise to Hackett, and he warns her that if she does, she will have no help/assistance from him or their relationship.  She accepts that and enlists.

Micah Shepard: (Spacer/War Hero/Adept) Calls Hackett and Anderson both “Uncle”.  They are not blood related, but they served with her father (an NPC I created) and after her father died on Mindoir, they helped out both Micah and Hannah.  After Micah dies over Alchera, they both again step in for support.

Other Hackett headcanons

more and more of late, I’ve been headcanoning that Shepard and the Normandy go out to see the Crucible project as it’s being built - I’m seeing it as post Citadel Coup attempt, and depending on the Shepard/story, may be more than once.  

at some point after Alchera, Hackett and Anderson meet up, go to a bar somewhere and get quietly drunk after losing Shepard.

Neither of them can stand Udina, but they find him a ‘necessary evil’ in order to get a Spectre.  In fact, I headcanon it was Udina who approached them, possibly Anderson first, and they reluctantly agreed to help with the process.

for my Mass Effect Andromeda story, I headcanon that both Hackett and Anderson suspect that the Andromeda Initiative is more than it seems and do not trust its intentions, which is why they convince my OCs (Kathryn (one of Kaidan’s students) and William (a cop like his dad) Bailey - yes, Commander Bailey’s kids) to go with their mother who is a part of the Initiative, even though they go in knowing there isn’t a whole lot they CAN do, but better to hedge their bets.  They also manage to place several other ‘former’ Alliance people within the Initiative to be contacts for Ryn and Will once they get there

Hackett sent Admiral Mikhailovich to ‘inspect’ the Normandy SR1 (first game) with the intention of seeing how Shepard reacts.  (Mikhailovich didn’t know he was being used in this manner, however)

a new headcanon I’m fooling around with is that Liara approaches Hackett when she finds out that the Shadow Broker/Collectors are after Shepard’s body and he approves (silently) her alliance with Cerberus to see that it doesn’t happen, to the point that when Liara does retrieve Shepard’s body and then hands it over to Cerberus for Project Lazarus, he agrees with that decision as well (so basically, it comes as no great surprise to him that Shepard is alive again two years later)

That’s pretty much what I’ve got right now, though I’m always willing to talk about it and come up with new ones!