#maggie shepard

[foofyschmoofer]

100 Days of Writing, Day 4

Today, @the-wip-project asked:

Thinking back to the motivation(s) you defined yesterday, what is your character’s goal (or goals) and what conflict(s) prevents them from getting to that? In short: Define the GMC for your characters.

I'm switching it up today, going with Maggie from Deja Vu.

Quick intro: Dr. Maggie Shepard is a Prothean expert (a la Liara, with sliiiightly less experience lol) who first met (then Lt.) Kaidan Alenko on Elysium while on her honeymoon. Fast forward seven years and she's studying the beacon found on Eden Prime. Enter Commander Alenko to save the day once again.

Goal: Prior to Elysium, Maggie's goal was simply to live out her life, studying Prothean ruins, hopefully meeting Dr. T'Soni, who was the inspiration for Maggie becoming an archaeologist in the first place. Simply... exisisting. Since Elysium, her goal has been to find peace.

Motivation: Simple: she was traumatized by the Skyllian Blitz, particularly having her husband die in her arms. And living through Eden Prime strengthened her motivation even more.

Conflict: At the moment, Saren and the geth. Also, initially, seeing Kaidan again-she'd spent the last seven years avoiding all mentions of him until she found out he was the one retrieving the beacon. But mostly Saren and the geth.

[foofyschmoofer]

4, 10, and 39 for Maggie please <3

4. Shepard wakes up in an alternate universe. What tips them off?

John, her first husband who was killed on Elysium, is still alive.

10. How do they handle a teammate being badly injured on a mission?

so far, she's been the worst off during missions, but when it does happen (I think there was one where Ash and Garrus ended up in the medbay), she sits back and waits to see if she can help and sort of... panics a bit. Because every injury on a mission reminds her of the injuries and death she saw on Elysium and Eden Prime (she needs way more therapy than she's had....)

39. What would Shepard say their flaws are?

Well, she's crap at shooting, and biotic fighting, and flirting/knowing when someone else is flirting with her

[foofyschmoofer]

11, 20, 42 for Maggie?

11. Who is in their inner circle?

Hackett (her father), Dr. Chakwas, Anderson, Kaidan, Joker, Liara for a time, Ashley, Miranda begrudgingly

Her truly inner circle would be Hackett, Kaidan, Joker, & eventually Ashley

20. Does Shepard's armor hold any significance to them? What about a weapon?

Her father gave her the armor she currently wears when she first moved to Eden Prime. She didn't see the point of it until Saren's attack. Afterward, she realized just how naive she'd been, despite having been on Elysium as well, and she treasured that armor even after she upgraded.

As for weapons, he also gave her a shotgun, which she uses throughout the hunt for Saren.

42. Does Shepard imagine what retirement will be like?

Before Elysium, she'd always imagined she'd die of old age, still going on digs. After the hunt for Saren, all she wanted to do was settle at the orchard with Kaidan, who had planned to retire after that as well. Then Alchera happened and her world got flipped on its head yet again, and she went back to not ever imagining retirement, even after she knew Kaidan was coming back. But after the war, they do get their original dream of retiring at the orchard with their son, though it's not true retirement, just a definite place to call home.

[foofyschmoofer]

For the Shepard Ask Meme: Moon and Stardust. :)

Moon:

For parts of her childhood, Bex didn't really have any dreams aside from surviving; after she was reunited with her bio dad, and especially after he died, she dreamed of being a vet like him

Katie had always dreamed of following her dad (Hackett) into the Alliance, pretty much from the day he came home from First Contact

Maggie had been pretty set on being a historian from day one; then she met Benezia, brought in by her father to teach her how to control and use her biotics; not long before said lessons ended, Benezia gifted Maggie a copy of Liara's dissertation and archaeology became her lasting obsession

Stardust:

Katie mostly wears jeans and boots, topped by a sweatshirt or some other shirt she's "borrowed" from either Joker or Zaeed

Maggie hasn't exactly had a chance to replenish her wardrobe since it was destroyed during the attack on Eden Prime, so she mostly wears borrowed jumpsuits

[nopointhere]

The only one of your ocs I know is Maggie, so: 3, 7, 21, 27, 45, and 49!

Lol yeah I barely talk about them. I just threw together a proper list, you can check it out here if you want (even though, as I said, I barely talk about them, so the names are gonna be absolutely meaningless to you). BUT ANYWAY, for Maggie Shepard–

3. Did they have a good childhood? What are fond memories they have of it? What’s a bad memory?

Maggie certainly thought she had a good childhood for a long time. Her backstory is different from the actual canon Earthborn Shep background: while she was an orphan at the start, she was adopted at a very young age by an upper-middle class family. While they did love her, her parents were somewhat manipulative, keeping information from her so that she would believe she was “normal,” and constantly pulling the “I thought we raised you better” card at the slightest transgression. When she finally found out about all the things they hid from her, Maggie cut them out of her life completely, and changed her last name from “Kowalski” to “Shepard” to further distance herself from them. She refuses to talk about them if anyone asks unless she REALLY trusts them.

One of Maggie’s fondest memories barely features her parents at all– When she was recovering from a nasty injury, her closest friends would visit her every day to help her keep caught up in school and to play video games. Her worst memory is of the day her parents found out about her snakebite piercings– they were absolutely FURIOUS, and grounded her for a month.

7. Did they have lots of friends as a child? Did they keep any of their childhood friends into adulthood?

She had a small group of close friends (I have yet to give any of them names), and a few acquaintances from her very brief stint in a gang. She only kept in touch with a couple of them, and meets up with them again purely by chance during the events of ME1.

21. Do they have a temper? Are they patient? What are they like when they do lose their temper?

Maggie is INCREDIBLY patient– you have to really work at it if you want to rile her up. In the few events where she DOES lose her temper, she will get right up in the person’s face and just fucking TEAR into them. Screaming, swearing in at least two languages, stomping her foot, grabbing her hair, maybe the occasional shove, biotics flaring up, the whole nine yards. If she loses her temper in COMBAT.... Hooooooo boy.....

27. What makes them sad? Do they cry regularly? Do they cry openly or hide it? What are they like they are sad?

She gets sad when she thinks she’s failed someone (and since she blames herself for almost everything, this tends to happen a lot). She at least tears up frequently, and tries to hide it or find somewhere to be alone when she gets sad. When the waterworks REALLY start up, she just breaks down– ugly sobbing, dripping snot, hiccups, pathetic sniffles, it’s a mess. During her bout with VERY severe depression in ME2, she would sometimes start tearing up for seemingly no reason, even when she didn’t feel any significant emotions at all. (Kinda like that thing from Hyperbole And A Half– “... Why are you crying?” “I don’t know. It’s just something that’s happening.”)

45. How do other people see them? Is it similar to how they see themselves?

I can’t really speak for individual characters, but people generally see Maggie as a bit too much of a goody-two-shoes rule-follower for her own good. Honestly, she tries a little TOO hard to be a model soldier. Still, most people’s opinions of her are higher than the opinion she has of herself; she has VERY low self-worth.

49. What is their most valued object? Are they sentimental? Is there something they have to take everywhere with them?

Among her many bird-related knickknacks, she has a little wooden statue of a magpie in flight that she got for her birthday when she was a kid. It’s the only memento from her parents that Maggie’s kept through everything. Pretty much every one of her non-essential possessions has some sort of sentimental value, but she always keeps them in her room so they don’t get lost or damaged.

[nopointhere]

OC meme for Maggie Shepard!

*rubs hands together* HERE WE GO

Full Name: Margaret Phillip ShepardGender and Sexuality: Female, BisexualPronouns: She/herEthnicity/Species: I honestly still haven’t decided on her ethnicity???Birthplace and Birthdate: Somewhere in Maine, though she was raised in Minnesota. Born April 11, 2154, as is the case with most Commander ShepardsGuilty Pleasures: Scandinavian viking metal. She’ll turn it down if you ask, though.Phobias: Absolutely terrified of being useless, or being abandonedWhat They Would Be Famous For: Aside from all the shit that happens in Mass Effect? She’d be a vocal advocate of disabled/neurodivergent rights and acceptance, being autistic herself.What They Would Get Arrested For: Beyond how she actually does get arrested in-story for blowing up an entire star system? Nothing lmao, she’s too much of a rule-followerOC You Ship Them With: In my Bioware Crossoverse AU, I totes friend-ship her with Briar LavellanOC Most Likely To Murder Them: Out of my OCs? Either Vernon Cousland or Wilbur Trevelyan, though they’re willing to murder anyone. If we count other people’s OCs, though... *casts a wary glance in Ai Shepard’s direction*Favorite Movie/Book Genre: She absolutely loves old speculative fiction storiesLeast Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: “WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO HAVE A HAM-FISTED ROMANCE?! THEY BARELY EVEN HAVE ANY CHEMISTRY!”Talents and/or Powers: Aside from her biotics and other space marine talents, she’s really, REALLY good at knitting and crocheting.Why Someone Might Love Them: She always worries about other people, she’s eager to please, she’s really dominant in bedWhy Someone Might Hate Them: SHE’S TOO MUCH OF A GOODY-TWO-SHOES RULE-FOLLOWER. When she actually has to make a choice for herself, she panics and is really indecisive. Don’t ever ask her to pick what movie to watch.How They Change: Over the course of the games, she actually starts thinking for herself more, rather than just doing as she’s told/following ordersWhy You Love Them: She is my very first Shepard and I did not expect her to evolve into such a twitchy wimp, yet here we are.

[neothebean]

I really wanna talk about Maggie and Owen but don’t want to just straight up bother my friends, so I’m gonna just shove some random crap under a read more and apologize to mobile users.

Canon voice for Owen is Tom Hardy as Mad Max. But, like his deafness, he wasn’t always that way. His voice was pretty normal, if a bit scratchier than most. But on a mission with Lia, the monster they were hunting sprayed him with a gas somewhat akin to acid. His throat and sinuses were burned; he recovered just fine, but his voice was never the same...nor his sense of smell. Lia told him his new voice was sexy. Rest assured he never let that go.

Owen used to wear a hearing aid in both ears. But one time he was on a mission with a newbie, who panicked when confronted with the monster and discharged his weapon. Unfortunately for Owen, the weapon was a high-power gun that shot explosives...and it was set off on his bad side. The doctors told him they could try to repair the damage with an implant, but he just said “fuck it” and accepted that he’d no longer be able to hear in stereo.

Maggie instinctively keeps to Owen’s right side (the good one). But when she’s annoyed with him, she purposefully hangs out to his left side so that he has to turn around to hear her. He catches onto it pretty quickly and uses it tell when she’s mad at him. He sometimes retaliates by asking her questions and then repeatedly going, “What?” when she responds instead of turning so he can hear.

The first time Maggie calls him “Dad” is when she accidentally gets involved in one of his missions. Although she holds her own during the ensuing danger, she winds up getting pretty badly hurt at the very end. Once Owen and his partner get the situation under control, Owen goes to sit with her while they wait for help. She says something along the lines of, “I’m scared, Dad.” He’s so startled that he replies, “It’s okay, sweetheart.” Later in the hospital, she apologizes for calling him Dad, he apologizes for calling her sweetheart, and they both pretend they didn’t actually like it.

Owen’s best friend is Delta (real name unpronounceable by human lips), a “genetically modified special agent.” In reality, she’s what happens when a human and one of the more humanoid monstery critters participate in ill-advised activities. She has a second mouth somewhere around her stomach and a retractable tail, but is otherwise human in appearance. They’ve known each other for over ten years, and Delta is one of those very few people who know his soft side. She tells Maggie that “most people think he’s an asshole; those of us who know him better know he’s an asshole, but only because he wants to be.”

Owen’s oldest friend is his boss, who was an agent alongside Owen and Lia before climbing a little higher on the food chain. There’s a lot of talk that Owen only keeps his job because of their past, even though it’s well-known that he’s just damn good at what he does. But Owen doesn’t exactly endear himself to others, so the talk goes on.

Maggie and Owen use a bastardized version of sign language. Maggie learned sign language from her mother, who in turn learned it from her completely-deaf mother. Maggie’s mother was not totally deaf, though her hearing loss increased with age, and was able to get by pretty well without sign language. For Owen’s part, he only learned sign language out of fear of losing the rest of his hearing. Delta had a hand in him learning; she convinced him it could be useful and in fact learned with him. The end result is two people who don’t need signs to communicate but use them intermittently (and sometimes improperly) to help things along. Maggie in particular has a habit of using partial signs when talking. (Delta, on the other hand, committed to her studies and gets frustrated with the two of them when they don’t understand her/she has no idea what the hell they’re trying to communicate.)

The breakfast menu at the Owens household consists of one item: Pancakes. Owen makes delicious pancakes. So does Maggie, but she puts chocolate chips in the them, which Owen doesn’t dislike, but he sure doesn’t prefer. She doesn’t care, which means he has to either suffer through or wake up first. Unfortunately for him, he’s not a morning person...but she is. It’s a struggle.

Delta doesn’t like pancakes. Owen thinks this is a travesty.

[neothebean]

8, 9, 13, 16, 24, 29, 37, 52. For different OC(s) of your choice, please.

SINCE I’M THINKING ABOUT MAGGIE AND OWEN let’s do that

8: What are some of your OCs strengths?

Maggie: Quick learner. Resilient. Independent. Crafty. If given a task, she’ll see it completed to the best of her abilities, whether given all the proper tools or not.

Owen: Takes pride in his work and strives for perfection. Merciful. Despite outward appearances, he will always put others before himself in serious situations.

9: What are some of your OCs weaknesses?

Maggie: Inexperienced. Small and not very strong. Often forgoes caution in order to impress others. Has a tendency to disobey orders.

Owen: Bull-headed. Doesn’t work well with others. Can be too hard on colleagues, resulting in resentment and bad teamwork. 

13: What is your OCs earliest memory?

Maggie: First day of preschool, clinging to her mother, begging to go home, her mother gently prying her away and signing something–she can’t remember what, something simple, maybe “I love you”?–and kissing her forehead.

Owen: The first time his parents took him camping, catching a fish with his dad, s’mores after dinner, melted marshmallow everywhere, tossing sticks in the fire, catching fireflies in the evening.

16: When is your OCs favorite time of year?

Maggie: Spring, when the trees are all in flower and the petals fall like snow when the wind blows, and when it rains until the ground is muddy and her sneakers make that squelching sound when she walks through it.

Owen: Fall, once the leaves change and the ground is covered. Reminds him of walks through the woods a long time ago.

24: What does your OC smell like?

Maggie: Whatever lotion she picked up at the store. Coconut shampoo. Nail polish. Old sneakers.

Owen: Deodorant. Old car. Leather seats. Hair gel, when he takes the time.

29: Can your OC swim?

Maggie: She took swimming classes as a kid, but she only knows the basics. Enough to get by, but she’d never choose to step foot in anything bigger than a pool. She’s currently in agency-sanctioned lessons in order to meet physical requirements for field agents.

Owen: His parents had a pool when he was growing up, and he spent a lot of his summer swimming. He was on the swim team for a year in high school, but he quit in order to join the theater club with Lia. (He was a damn good pirate that year. There are still a few older agents who heard the story from Lia; everyone else wonders why they make hooks with their fingers when they pass Owen in the halls.)

37: What was your OCs first word?

Maggie: Bob, for bottle. Her parents thought it was funny and called bottles “bobs” for years.

Owen: Good question. There’s no one left to remember, but he seems to recall his mother saying it was “puppy.”

52: How does your OC feel about insects?

Maggie: She’s not a big fan, but if you need someone to get a cockroach out of your tub, she’s your girl. She thinks moths are pretty cool…until they fly at her face. 

Owen: He’s met enough giant, insect-like creatures that tried to disembowel him to turn him off of creepy crawlies for a couple of lifetimes.