Headcannon

[galaxyherder]

★ ON; THE USE OF HER SURNAME AS NAME

 

Shepard always goes by Shepard. Very few people actual know what her first name is, and even those that do, rarely call her by it. Her full name is Alison Jane Shepard. Her father used to call her Ally Cat as a child, but she went by Jane in her earlier years of school. As soon as she joined the military however, she became so used to hearing herself referred to as Shepard that she eventually just grew fond of being called that. When she introduces herself, she introduces herself as simply, 'Shepard' because that is what she prefers to be called. She will respond to her first name of course, but it is simply not the name she truly identifies with. So, if your character is the sort of person who is quick to dish out a nickname or two, bare with her, she might take a while to get used to it. Especially if you play off her first name. Calling her Alison or Alli or AJ won't always register to her than you are even talking to her. She'll respond to Jane much quicker. She won't mind it though.

★ ON; FEMININITY
 

Shepard, while being a bad ass chick in a very male dominated field, is not a 'tomboy'. She is smart and strong, and maybe she doesn't mind getting her hands a little dirty or going a few days without a shower, but she can be very feminine as well. That auburn hair of hers isn't always the same shade of red, and she's no stranger to a mascara wand and a tube of lipstick. She's a soldier, so she values practicality and functionality, but goddamn does a spa day sound like a treat every now and then.

 

★ ON; SEX & SEXUALITY
 

A lot more fluid than the average person, Shepard is easily classifiable as bisexual or perhaps even pansexual. What Shepard finds attractive in another person generally has little to do with what pieces they are made out of, but rather, what they do with them. She admires strength, confidence, and the rare ability to keep up with her. And it should certainly be stated that to her, strength of character is far, far more important to her than the ability to bench press a truck. Shepard is a strong woman herself, and in a highly dangerous field. She simply cannot allow herself to grow attached to people who are going to be emotionally draining on her. As a rule, this leads to more male partners than female ones, but not always. And she enjoys sex. Maybe doesn't have it as often as she might like because... there is a galaxy to save and sometimes that puts a damper on things. But her strong, confidant and enthusiastic personality is easily carried over into the bedroom.

★ ON; RELIGION & MORALITY

Shepard does not have a strong religious tie to any particular belief structure. She was legally dead for two years and came back, soul intact, and hasn't really had the need or desire to delve into what the implications of that could (or potentially, could not) mean. While not what you would call an atheist, she would certainly classify herself as agnostic. She was not raised by parents with strong religious beliefs, and she has live her life among the stars, where every new planet is has a dozen new beliefs on 'the greater powers.' She is aware that there is a lot out there, and with the knowledge that nearly all sentient races tend to have some form of belief in a 'greater power,' the likeliness of one (or more) existing, seems to only raise, not decline. Her belief is that there probably is some higher power, but that it is unknowable and indefinable. She doesn't really worry herself too much about it.