#garvi asks

4. In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

Well if you leave it open for all Sheppies, I’m gonna do it for all Sheppies XD

Sam - Sam is my first Shepard, so her background is the closest to what the game actually assigns. She’s largely been shaped by military life. Both her parents were in the alliance navy (her dad is retired, Hannah still active duty). David Anderson is a family friend who she knew growing up (although she didn’t know about his brief history with the Spectres or Saren) so she was personally invested even before her boots hit the ground on Eden Prime.

Saul - also a spacer kid, but by a more circuitous route than Sam. Saul was in contact with both parents growing up, but was raised by Hannah and his grandmother (Hannah’s mom, who is a rabbi). He never got along with his dad, who (loudly) disapproved of his goal to enlist. Saul did really well in school and could have gone far either in academia or industry but never gave up on wanting to be an N7 marine. Saul did not reconcile with his father before the Reaper war started.

Atticus - Atticus is a colonist. He lost his entire family in the raid on Mindoir except for his uncle, his mother’s brother, who took him in until he enlisted at 18. Atticus remained quietly angry, very driven in his military career, and an advocate for bolstering defenses for colonies. His reputation as a ruthless commander is only partially deserved. Getting assigned to Major Kyle’s unit wasn’t good for him. Kyle was good at inspiring loyalty and drive in his soldiers but prone to fanaticism even then, and since Torfan was a retaliation for the attack on Elysium, it was hard for Atticus to remain professional. Torfan saw him at his most reckless. Watching his fellow soldiers die around him strained his self-control, and when one of the batarian prisoners who had surrendered tried to stab him while being taken into custody, Atticus had a flashback to Mindoir and snapped. 

Atticus needed more counseling after Torfan than he got, but he kept his mouth shut about the flashback and let people believe he’d executed the prisoners rather than deal with any potential fallout from an admission that he’d lost control, and deep down he was glad they were dead. He’s made a promise to himself that he won’t lose more humans to batarian violence, which was the reason he let the terrorist on asteroid X57 go. 

1. What is one word to shut them up?

“Thug”. He’s a big guy - muscular, over six feet tall, and he wears heavy armor. But he isn’t proud of his past as a gang member, and he was called a thug a lot during the years he ran with the Reds (even if he was a skinny kid then). If someone uses that word to describe him, he will immediately stop trying to engage with them because he knows (or believes) they’ll never see him as anything else.

3. What is the worst pain they’ve ever experienced?

Everything that happened on Akuze, both physical and emotional pain. He was badly burned by thresher maw acid, and had broken bones and internal injuries after being trapped under a rockslide for three days until the search and rescue team found him. Tarik, one of his best friends, was trapped along with him and died shortly after the attack. Garv heard the sound of shuttles and saw the lights when Cerberus came to investigate the site of the massacre but didn’t know who it was - he thought the Alliance had come to look for survivors. When he heard them leave, he believed he’d been left for dead.

5. List 3 fears; one “surface level” fear, one “repressed” fear, and one “deep dark” fear.

I don’t know if it’d be a “surface” fear, because it’s definitely not insignificant, but the first thing he’d think of if someone asked him “What are you afraid of?” is the fear of losing his adopted family, Hannah and his brother Akil. 

Repressed fear would be thresher maws. (With good reason.) But he manages to push through it most of the time - maybe gets the shakes later, but he can deal with it.

The deepest, darkest fear he has probably doesn’t come until after the end of the Reaper war. Akil is the only person who knows Garv was holding the gun that killed David Anderson. When Garv was debriefed, he said that Anderson was killed by the Illusive Man, which was true...but he knew if he said that he was forced to shoot Anderson with his own gun, there would be some people who would see him as the man who killed Anderson. The thought of people believing that about him is unbearable and although he and Akil will never tell anybody the whole truth, the idea of it coming to light terrifies him.

7. What feature (physical or otherwise) do they hate most about themselves?

Questions from here!

7. Did they want to be part of the N7 program? 

Garviel: Yes! Enlisting in the Alliance navy saved his life, got him away from Earth, and gave him the chance to have achievable goals. So when he learned about the program he decided to go for it. 

Sam: Also yes! Her parents, Hannah and Mike, were career soldiers - when she was little, she wanted to be like them. When she was older, she wanted to enlist for her own reasons, but she didn’t want to always be “that Shepard kid”. The N7 program was a way for her to set herself apart and be recognized for her own merit. (She did not expect the notoriety that came with being the Hero of Elysium. That sort of recognition made her a little uncomfortable.)

Saul: Aaaand yes. :D Like Sam, he knew about the N7 program before he enlisted. Saul was ambitious and liked the idea of a challenge. His dad was very vocal about his preference that Saul’s ambition be directed toward the science/R&D side of the military. Hannah was proud of Saul and supported his decision.

9. What are their hobbies and which hobby is their favorite? 

Garviel: Garv likes spending time outdoors; he enjoys going to new planets and exploring when he has down time. Even Earth - he grew up in a city and didn’t have the opportunity to do anything like hiking, visit national parks, or go to the beach. So when he gets the chance, he will. He likes participating in most sports (although he gets bored easily playing baseball).

Sam: She likes to read and do a little creative writing, but it’s mostly for herself and she doesn’t share it with most people. Although she’s not a great dancer if it’s a club setting, Garrus got her interested in ballroom dancing and she likes dancing as long as it’s with him. She’s also pretty good at ultimate frisbee.

V4. what do they like as far as comfort goes?

If Garv needs comfort or reassurance, he actually responds best to physical affection, something he didn’t realize about himself until he was an adult; just sitting and leaning against someone goes a long way with him. But he’s very reserved and private, so there are only a few people he allows inside his personal space bubble. His adopted mother, Hannah, and brother, Akil, are two of them. Tarik was another, before he died on Akuze. Eventually, he becomes close enough friends with Garrus and Cortez to include them. And he lets Tali flop on him.

X4. can they sing well?

He can kind of carry a tune enough that it’s recognizable, but he’s not particularly impressive. 

Z4. what’s their dream pet?

Yay team!

Shepards Samantha, Garv, and Saul would work well together. All of them play well with others, and since they’re a Vanguard, Soldier, and Infiltrator (in that order), their skill sets would combine nicely. Garv especially is used to partnering with biotics, since his brother is an Adept. Sam would probably be the one to lead the group.

Behold! All about Garvi-bear.

1. What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)? 

Garv is based off the character Garviel Loken from the Warhammer 40k Horus Heresy books. So I already had his name and appearance set in my head. Loken is also a sole survivor, so that background made the most sense for Garv Shepard as well. 

2. Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

At the time I came up with him, no. I’d tried playing a male Shepard before and was completely bored with him. (Sorry, Levi.) I decided that maybe naming dudeshep after Loken would keep me interested. IT CERTAINLY DID

3. How did you choose their name?

See question #1. :D 

4. In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

Probably knowing that he’d be a sole survivor, and that he was an Earthborn orphan. I had most of his backstory in my head before I even started playing - he was the most developed OC I’ve started. 

5. Is there any significance behind their hair color?6. Is there any significance behind their eye color?7. Is there any significance behind their height?

Lumping these questions together - I gave him the same/similar coloring that Garviel Loken has. Garv Shepard is a big guy, probably about 6′2′’; partly because I just liked the thought of him being really big, but also because he’s modeled after a giant, genetically enhanced, transhuman wall of muscle and power armor. :D

8. What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

Answered here! :D

9. Are they based off of you, in some way?

Not in the least XD

10. If they have an LI, how much of their character is tailored to be compatible to that person?

Garv doesn’t have a love interest :3

11. Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?

Yep! The character that I modeled Garv after is asexual and aromantic. I knew I wasn’t going to change that about him. :D

8. What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

The importance of friendships and found family, I think. Garv’s deepest bonds are with his adopted family and with a small handful of crew members who become his friends. To some extent, I do like media that features romantic relationships, but most of the time, it’s the platonic friendships that resonate most strongly with me. So Garv and I have that in common. XD

4. In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

Argh, this is kind of hard. XD I didn’t know much about the DA world when I started thinking about Lynnie’s backstory, so I kind of made it up as I went along. And I didn’t know there was an “official” Amell backstory either, so by the time I figured that out, I’d already kind of come up with a bit of a background for her.

Oohh, Garv and Saul do coexist! I like that. Do they stay in touch?

They do! Garv had three roommates during basic: Tarik, Saul, and Nate (all four of them are named after characters in the Horus Heresy book series, because I have way too many emotions about space marines). XD Tarik died on Akuze, but both Saul and Nate survive the Reaper War (although Nate’s left leg does not survive).