I'm sure it's been said a million times already but the thing that drives me up the wall about the whole "AsHlEy Is SpAcE rAcIsT!1!" thing is that in Mass Effect humans are not the dominant species in the galactic community. They have little structural power in the beginning, and structural power actually matters like... a lot, when you're going to talk about an in-universe prejudice as racism. I feel like people are so used to scifi/fantasy settings where humans are the ones with power over others that they behave as though this is the case even when the worldbuilding is very explicit about how it isn't here. Asari, turians, and salarians are the ones with the sociopolitical power. Not humans. Humans have zero representation on the Council in ME1. Humans are relative newcomers to the galactic community, and their first contact with other species was turians firing on them without warning or negotiation for trying to reactivate a mass relay (which they had no idea was against Citadel law because they had no idea the Citadel or the Council existed), forcing the Council to step in and negotiate peace before more lives were lost. Ashley's concern is about allowing access to cutting edge Alliance military tech to people who within living memory would have been considered enemy combatants, because again, turian forces attacked an unknown alien race on sight with no warning and no attempt to negotiate, and in spite of this it's humanity that gained a reputation as aggressive. Funny how that works, right--it works because turians are the ones with structural power in this setting, not humans.
And that's all before we even get into how Ashley grows and changes if you let her live to see ME3. This is all just where we are at the start.
@spookyvalentine has this wonderful “50 questions about Shepard” list. They posted about it in our discord and the chat BLEW UP. So here we are with the most information ever about:
Maeve Shepard
TW: mentions of alcohol abuse
(Art by Twitter: Maitimo and tumblr: @point-maitimo )
1. Why did Shepard enlist? Any regrets?
OH YEAH - so many regrets. She enlisted because her parents were in the Alliance, but if she could have sat on a beach or in a remote cottage in the middle of a forest and listen to nature she would have been happier. But seeing as she has a spacer history, she’s not actually entirely sure how true that is. She’s never been to any of those places if it wasn’t for a mission.
2. How does your Shepard feel about having a yeoman assigned to them in 2? And in 3?
No thoughts. She accepts it, as she accepts the entirety of the crew she doesn’t get to pick.
3. What’s their relationship with Anderson?
I think everyone is going to hate me when I say this but… he’s just her coworker/boss. They’re a little friendlier than a regular colleague, but until he gives her his old apartment, she didn’t think they were good friends outside of work.
4. Is your Shepard any good at poker?
She’s not actually good at poker, but she is good at reading people, which makes up 90% of the game.
5. How well does Shepard know their crew? Not just the companions, but the folks making up the Normandy
She thinks she knows them well (I’m writing my Mass Effect Lower Decks (MELD) fic with Maeve as the Shepard). I mean she’s absolutely convinced she knows every single person, but at the beginning of ME2, hell no. At the end of ME2 (and at the end of my MELD fic), yes.
6. Initial reaction to EDI? Does it change?
Oh, she absolutely loves EDI. She’s engineer class, so AIs are quite a passion project for her, and now her ship has one? Fucking dope.
7. Does their love interest move into their quarters?
No, but he sure as fuck spends most of his time there.
8. What is their reaction to the Alchera mission? And after?
Before she goes down, she thinks it’s pandering. She thinks that the Alliance is trying to pacify her for something and she’s not entirely sure what, but she’s suspicious.
Afterwards, she’s a crying mess with a handful of dog tags and her old helmet and wants to be left alone in her cabin.
9. What type of fighter is your shepard? Do they fight with honor, or do they fight dirty
She will fight so dirty, like she will throw pocket sand in your face if she could.
10. Does Shepard keep any pets? The hamster, fish, something else?
No pets and if I could resist the hamster and fish in game, Shepard wouldn’t have any pets at all. She’s very aware she’s off to go fight in a suicide mission/war, so she doesn’t necessarily want to have more responsibility than she already has.
11. What order does Shepard pick up companions in me2?
12. Does Shepard have any nicknames? What do they think of em?
The aliens that can’t pronounce her name (excuse me, an a and an e RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER?!) call her M. She thinks it’s cool because of James Bond.
13. How does your Shep react to teasing/ribbing?
Teases them right back. She’s got a sharp tongue, but she knows when to stop so she doesn’t hurt anyones feelings.
14. Any good at flirting?
Middle ground on this one, I think. She’s good at picking people up at a bar, but once the flirting has to continue more than a couple minutes, she loses steam.
15. What colors does Shepard prefer for their armor?
The typical N7 colors: red, white and black.
After the war (and mentioned in my indoctrination fic), she changes her colors to match Thane 🥺: emerald and black.
16. Is Shepard a drinker? History of other substances? Do they struggle with sobriety
Oh boy. Yeah she’s a drinker. It was mostly social in ME1 and before, but after she died in the beginning of ME2, she hit the bottle hard. I have a little of Maeve written into my nameless Shepard in my Lungs fic, so if that tells you anything… She ends up swapping her drinking for a much more fun substance to abuse (drell venom).
Then she gets put in the brig for six months, is forced to sober up, and in the beginning of ME3 she’s clean. Haven’t quite decided what happens after that though.
17. How does Shepard react to attention? Do they enjoy it?
Maeve is used to it. She doesn't really think about it anymore.
18. Who’s the dream team? Which companions does Shepard fight best with and why?
I’m a fuckin simpleton and the dream team is Thane and Garrus. Maeve likes to be up close and personal so if she had a couple of long range snipers at her back… 🤌🏼
19. Are there any companions your Shepard just absolutely cannot vibe with or relate to
In ME2, she’s not a big fan of talking to Miranda and Jacob (whoops that’s mostly my fault because I am always so hype for ALL THE SQUAD) but she pretty much vibes with everyone. Get a couple drinks in her and it doesn't matter who she’s talking to.
20. Does Shepard enjoy looking for resources and upgrading gear, or do they see it as a chore?
She enjoys it! It’s the only thing in ME2 that makes her sleepy. 😂
21. Do you have any AUs for your shepard?
YAAAAHHHHHHHHH. Working on one now - an indoctrination fic. Although, is that really an AU? But I just got comfortable including her in my fics (usually used default Jane Shepard to be on the safe side) so hopefully more to come!
22. What’s the last thing Shepard ate before the final reaper showdown?
Holy shit I’ve never thought about this question. I saved this one for last and… honestly I think the last meal she ate would have been before killing Kai Leng, so it would be whatever is on the ship… probably some packet ramen? Just a quick wham bam meal. She was too focused on wrapping up her life at the end.
24. Who does Shepard turn to for advice? For comfort? Who do they like to gossip with
These are all different answers.
Advice: Samara (bruh she has a thousand years of morally grey choices to advise upon)
Comfort: Thane (he’s ALSO her best friend on top of being her LI)
Gossip: Kasumi (hands down the best choice)
25. How emotionally articulate is your Shepard? Do they emote well?
She’s funny, a lot of dry humor, but she’s emotionally constipated.
ME1, she was more liberal with her emotions, she smiled actual genuine smiles.
ME2, she’s more of a shark. Her smiles aren’t as real, mostly forced from a life that she previously knew. Maeve keeps her emotions real close to her chest.
ME3, uhhh honestly she’s just an entire mess. She’s sober for the first time in what feels like forever and it is actually not liberating for her. She’s constantly second guessing herself, she’s got the blood of millions on her hands, and she’s once more responsible for her crew’s safety on another suicide mission.
26. Does your Shepard have a romance? Who are they, and what drew Shep to them?
*shouts from the rooftops like Christian in Moulin Rouge* THANE! She falls hard for that little assassin dude. He glares at her during his recruitment mission and she’s like, oh my god am I in love?
He’s dark, mysterious, strangely polite, and also on the same course she seems to be. Both are barreling towards their deaths at an alarming speed.
27. Do they have any pet peeves?
Neither her nor I have put any thought to this. I can’t even think of any of my own pet peeves now that this question has been asked 😂
28. What about hyperfixations? What’s the topic that will get Shepard rolling no matter the person or place
Oh man, I feel like my Shepard is just so depressing…
Since ME2 she doesn’t have any hyperfixations. No time to enjoy anything but the people around her.
Prior to ME2, she used to be up on all the most recent video games. She would game online under the username “rogue_protocol” because her favorite book series is the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (lmao I’m dragging real life books into this now).
29. How active is Shepard? Are they hitting the gym, playing sports, or do they prefer quieter downtime?
She does go to the gym quite a bit, but she also prefers to read… uhh, when she’s not drinking, that is. 👀
30. What will always make them laugh?
EDI or Legion asking ridiculous questions about “why are organics like this”.
31. Who can always make them laugh?
Joker. There’s a lot of confusing feelings between them, oscillating at all times between wildly inappropriate and platonic. They’re kinda a mess, but neither of them have ever tried to sort out their feelings so in the long run, they’re besties.
32. What do they do when they have hit their limit angry, just incandescent with rage
It doesn’t happen much, or at all yet, but Maeve just goes feral. Verbal or physical, it doesn't matter. She loses it.
33. What skills do they have that are a surprise to the people around them?
Not sure if it’s a surprise she can do this, but more of a surprise that she does do this… she likes to tinker around and repair circuits and panels. She was building a new computer from scratch in ME2 whenever her thoughts got too loud and liquor didn’t quiet them, but it never got finished because, well, she got arrested. (Very Anakin-Skywalker-fixing-droids-esque.)
34. Got any tattoos?
I WISH! I wrote one fic with a Shep with tattoos and was constantly forgetting about them lol so it’s easier for my tiny brain if she doesn’t. And this is coming from a person with like… a lot of tattoos lmao
35. Which companions have they lost? How do they cope with it?
Maeve has only lost their companion on Virmire (don’t @ me, I still, to this day, can’t decide who officially lives) and Mordin and Thane in their forced death in ME3. She loses no one in ME2 (I can’t stomach losing anyone that I spent all game getting close to) but the people she does lose, it hits her hard. She does not cope well. Especially with Thane. The loss of Thane is what really triggers her in my Indoctrination AU fic.
36. Do they like to style their hair, wear makeup and jewelry? How do they feel about getting dressed up?
She would prefer to go natural with her hair, no makeup and no jewelry. UNLESS she’s dressing up, which she does enjoy doing. Her parents used to bring her to the Alliance military balls every year, so she’s pretty used to it.
But she would prefer to have her wavy hair down or clipped back out of her eyes. She never got quite comfortable wearing sweats around her crew until ME2. Then she said fuck it and wore whatever the fuck she wanted.
37. Got any bad habits?
No - lol actually probably but both her and I are biased towards her and think she’s perfect (if you don’t count the drinking, but honestly that’s a big one 😂)
38. Does Shepard do any activities with the companions and crew during downtime?
Maeve likes to enforce mandatory shore leave. She can be found either stuffing her face full of delicious food, trying to convince Thane to take his shirt off and sunbathe (if it’s a sunny planet) with her, or at a bar.
39. Do they keep around any sentimental items?
After ME2, no.
After the Citadel DLC, only a single artificial white flower in her cabin to remember Thane by.
40. Does your Shepard actually like to collect model ships? If not, what do they display?
Yes!! She loves it, but she’d just as easily not have them. They don’t mean much to her other than they’re fun to look at.
41. How is Shepard with a gun? What about hand to hand?
She prefers hand to hand combat. Maeve is fine with a gun, but prefers lighter guns so she has quicker access to her abilities. She likes to make things explode so if she can set it on fire and then overload it, it’ll no doubt make her laugh.
42. Favorite weapon?
Omni-blade. She loves that little sneaky shit. Oh, and her combat drone. It’s so cute and makes chirping noises and has a flamethrower.
43. Which version of the Normandy do they like best?
Normandy SR-2.
Hates the stupid window above her bed, but loves the freedom she had on this ship.
44. Do they like to rotate out companions for quests? Who do they bring the most?
No because her and I are dumb and fall into a habit of bringing only the sniper squad. In ME3, though, she’s a little more lax, a little more flippant, basically just says, “who wants to come” and the first two that say “me” are the ones she brings (mostly Garrus and Liara).
45. Do they approve of curing the genophage?
Yeah, bro, fuck that noise.
46. Does Shepard allow the rachni to live in me1?
Yes. It wouldn’t rest easy on her conscience if she killed the last living being of a species.
Both Maeve and I: *nervously looking at the Arrival DLC*
47. Does Shepard practice any kind of self-care?
Sometimes she puts moisturizer on her face… but she thinks, why’s self-care matter when you aren’t going to make it to 35 years old?
She’s a little pessimistic.
48. What abilities do they rely on the most in a fight?
Combat drone.
If she’s in battle and her drone is about to be destroyed, she’d rather save up her recharge to bring it back than use any other ability.
After that, it’s overload because there are 8000000 geth at all times.
49. What is Shepard’s happy ending? What’s the dream that keeps em going
Meeting Thane across the sea. I am not even kidding. This depressing shit is her happy ending. I have spent so long building up this story in my head that she didn’t want to be brought back, she didn’t want to be used in another war, she just wanted to be at peace. So, she’s going to do her damned job and save this ungrateful galaxy and hopefully be able to rest with Thane in whatever afterlife Kalahira has for them.
50. Is your Shepard indoctrinated
*HEAVY BREATHING*
(+1: what does Shepard smell like?)
Standard issued soap, grease from digging around in the ship’s engine room or AI core, and lavender because she uses lavender chapstick. Someone once told her that would help calm her thoughts and while it didn’t actually help, she keeps trying.
So, my mom has been playing the Mass Effect trilogy for the first time, and she just got to the point in ME2 where you get the letter from your ME1 love interest. And the *look* on her face when she opened it and Kaidan’s voice started playing from my phone next to the computer was absolutely priceless. She thought it was the most charming thing. (And then she was sufficiently sad bc you don’t get to really see Kaidan again in that game, but you know. She’s also on team “I get why you’re not joining me, but also, I miss you.”)
barely took any other photos than our group but that garrus was too friggin awesome and halloween henry and new year’s takumi were way too cute to pass up
