#ladya replies

[theoriginalladya]

15 Questions and 15 Friends

I was tagged by @mtreebeardiles and (sort of) @shadoedseptmbr, so here we go.

Not sure I have fifteen people I can tag, but (no pressure!) how about @painterofhorizons, @tiny-banana-time, @keriweird, @happychica, @wrathbites, and anyone else who would like to participate! <3

Are you named after anyone?

Two grandmothers and a great grandmother (and great aunt with the same name)

When was the last time you cried?

Technically, just a few minutes ago while laughing my ass off at a tumblr post? Outside of that, not sure. Painful tears I try to forget ASAP, and happy ones usually just leave me with a smile. :)

Do you have kids?

Yup! Kiddo in his mid-20s and two rambunctious 6 year old (probably teenaged) cats.

What sports do you play/have you played?

Oh gosh, here we go. starting waaaaay back in the day and moving forward...swimming, softball, volleyball, basketball, does cheerleading count?, (manager) soccer, (horseback) riding. (I count the soccer because it counted as PE credit in college)

Do you use sarcasm?

Nahhhh, whatever gave you that idea? (Whenever possible.)

What is the first thing you notice about people?

Their eyes. Their smile. Their voice.

What is your eye color?

Ummm...Technically, I'm listed as brown, but ever since high school, there's been a vague hint of green in there? So I guess I'd say hazel at this point.

Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy Endings 1000000000% I can't do scary. It's never been my thing.

What are your hobbies?

Knitting, crocheting, spinning, sewing, writing, gaming (video and tabletop): basically, CREATING

Do you have any pets?

Two cats, as stated above. Today they were my eclipse buddies.

How tall are you?

At my tallest 5'4", but have started the inevitable shrinking process, so not sure where I'm at right now

Favorite subject in school?

High School: Choir and French

College: history, history, history

Dream Job?

Actually had it for a year and a half about twenty years ago before the airline industry started to get weird and our airline folded. Worked as a Flight Attendant Administration Assistant. It was a blast and I would have gone on much longer if I could have!

[qubixo1]

IPL 2025: RUTAJ GIKWARD is responding to a surprise reply When asked about CSK learners to resolve

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Walking gikwad Recently offered a developed and interested in interest and communication with anchor Bhavna Balakrishnan. Ruturaj gikwad smaller opinions on the minimum CSK player When asked about CSK players not to look at the IPL 2025, GIIBAD was mentioned Msi ladyA Cricket Lovers who have been permission to permission from the beginning. Unexpected response to…

[jacquelefluer]

Are there eney hairy ladya on here that reply back

Probably but not associated with the Oasis.Goodness knows where some these fotos come from.

[theoriginalladya]

Speaking as someone who took the ‘traditional’ route to become a teacher, you coming from a non-traditional background is a breath of fresh air.  As for the length of time you’ve been teaching?  Three years or thirty, you’re a teacher.  The state says you are.  The State Dept. of Ed can just suck it.  Those teachers are complaining because they don’t match up with your kind of experience!�� Yeah, it can be frustrating, but they have ways of getting to the same point you have.  YOU EFFING EARNED IT!  You were chosen because they think you are perfect for the job - now go show ‘em, tiger!  It sounds right up your alley!  I’m so excited for you, I can’t even put it into words!!!  Now, go knock their socks off! :)  <3

captainsaku Oooooh, congrats V!!

shadoedseptmbr OH Well DONE!

chyrstis Congrats on getting it! That's seriously awesome! :D

shallow-gravy CONGRATS!

crackerdumortain congrats!!! 🎉

theoriginalladya congratulations!!!!!

Thank you guy! You're awesome. I was so excited. I really wanted it because it's a chance to be involved with district-wide curriculum writing and decisions. I kind of can't believe it. I didn't figure they would choose me.

Three-year teacher with a non-traditional background.

I was in a State Department of Ed meeting and got to listen to a group of teachers complain about the existence of people like me. So, to have been allowed this chance really kind of makes me even more about this opportunity.

[theoriginalladya]

trick or treat 🎃

Have a treat! Here are my little goblins earlier today, actually sitting together without fighting!

[theoriginalladya]

@painterofhorizons - That job was so much fun! I worked in Flight Attendant Administration with someone else. We were responsible for a number of things, but she ran the medical/leave side and I was running the "paperwork" side of things (not sure exactly how to categorize it). One of the things FAs had to do on each flight was complete a quick trip summary. Especially if there was an 'incident' on board (that could be something as simple as someone tripped on the way to their seat, the emergency doors being opened, someone having a medical emergency, etc. Basically, anything "out of the ordinary" happening). Those were sent back to our department and I was responsible for looking through them and spotting any immediate issues then filing them away in case they were ever needed for follow up investigations (and often times they were). I read some really interesting stories, let me tell you!, and a few times even had to get further involved with the investigations down the line. I found it fascinating, to say the least! (my mystery/story loving mind coming up with all sorts of ideas, let me tell you! lol) But, alas, it was a small airline and a year and a half after I joined, they downsized (lovely to get a 'you're being laid off' notice two days before your birthday). They lasted another year or so before going completely under, I think. It was too bad. They were a great place to work and I really enjoyed the job!

[theoriginalladya]

What is Caleb's favorite comfort food? And where is his favorite place to have it?

[Note: I will include links to a couple of recipes, but I have not tried them yet myself]

*pokes Caleb*

Caleb ponders for a few minutes.

"Well, when I was young, Nan used to make this cheese and potato soup that was great on cold winter nights when the wind liked to howl outside of Old Neddy's. That and some crusty bread - it was about the only time she didn't chide me for using my fingers to eat! - made for a good way to warm up."

Irish Potato & Cheese Soup

"After I enlisted in the Alliance, Hammersmith [Coats] introduced me to Oxtail Soup - family recipe, he said. Not quite as good as good old Irish Stew, but close. Not sure what he put in it - to this day, I don't think he's ever made it using the same veg as that first time - but I'd swear he raided some garden just off base! like Nan's soup, good to warm you up on a cold night. At least Hammersmith was smart enough to pair it up with some Guinness."

*from a distance* "Hey, I heard that!"

Oxtail Soup

"Now, if you're talking about something sweet, gotta say my go to is Moose Tracks ice cream. Can't recall where or when I came across it first, but I can't imagine living without it."

*Kaidan chuckles.* "Are you saying you saved the galaxy from the Reapers just to save the moose?"

*Caleb looks around the table at Kaidan, Tadhg and Niamh, all who are eating Moose Tracks as well. Mooses Squoosh [Niamh's plush moose from Aunt Abby] sits on the table next to her as she eats her ice cream*. "Maybe not just the moose," he replies while grinning around a mouthful of ice cream and winking.

~~~

So, there ya go. Honestly, I think he's less 'favorite' comfort food and more 'comfort from the people he spends the time with'. Depending on the point in his life, he could be sitting at the dinner table with Ned and Nan, hiding in a damp, cold hideout with some of the Reds during the war with the Greystones, hanging out in a pub with Coats and Kaidan, or at home with Kaidan and the kids after the war and be equally happy.

Thank you so much for the ask - what great questions!!! <3 And thanks for dropping by my inbox!

[theoriginalladya]

ROFL We'll see how it goes! lol *goes to check if she still has some of the seasons on disc*

#you and swaps55 are gonna get me rewatching this #aren’t you??? ;)

@theoriginalladya JOIN US

[theoriginalladya]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you. learn to know your mutuals and followers :)

Awww, thank you, my friend!

Let me see here... (and in no particular order)

My son's laugh. No matter how old he is, his laughter never fails to bring me all kinds of delight.

A new story idea! Developing characters and plot, figuring out the details of what's going to happen, etc. (*eyes notes* Especially when it's an original fic idea!)

Pocket friends! <3

A pretty colored yarn, some knitting needles and an idea of something to create with them!

Kaidan kitty coming over to snuggle with me!

Bonus picture of #5:

[theoriginalladya]

Hello! Your Caleb Shepard has inspired me to make the last push to get in touch with my Irish heritage, but I don’t know where to start. I definitely want to learn Gaelic.

Hello! Oh, what a lovely compliment and wow, how exciting!!!! Thank you!! I will admit, Caleb has become very dear to my heart and I have used him to learn a lot of things Irish that I never would have otherwise!

I'll be honest up front: I do not know Gaelic myself. That's one of those things on my 'to do' list that I probably should bump up to the top. Most of what I use in my stories come from a lot of searching around the internet. I have some experience learning a foreign language (French) as well as researching documents in others (the joys of being a history major lol) so I understand enough about phrasing and structure once I've found a few examples and can get a feel for it, but I also tend to do an over abundance of research to make sure I get a word or phrase as accurate as possible. I also follow some Irish blogs that help, too.

As for actually learning of the language, I have a couple of friends who have suggested I look into starting with Babbel. (I honestly know nothing about Babbel, but I have seen advertisements for it as well) I'm sure there must be other options out there, but I haven't started checking into them yet.

As for the other aspects of his Irish background - history, folktales, places, etc. - that is something that comes far more naturally to me! I was a history major in college ages ago and eventually ended up getting my MA in Medieval History. One benefit to that was learning how to research and how to discern reliable sources. It's a skill that has come in handy over the years (and as a result, when the research bug hits, I tend to go deeeeeeep into a subject just to satisfy my curiosity! lol).

Now, as for deciding where to make Caleb come from, I won't say I threw a dart at the map to choose (I'm not nearly so good at darts as he is!), but my parents visited Ireland about a decade ago and shared a bunch of photos and stories of their adventure. That fed into my love of geography, all things Celtic and history, and so I sat down at the computer, did a quick, general Google search on Irish history to get me started, and ended up chasing after bits and pieces that caught my interest. My Master's thesis was on the history of an abbey in England (of which I hope to one day publish an original fic with that as a large part of it's story) and in doing my research for that, I occasionally came across references to events in history that tied back to Ireland that piqued my interest as well. It's a research adventure that is still ongoing today - some thirty years after my MA Thesis and three and a half years after creating Caleb, but there's still more to learn about!

But like I said, I honestly cannot say what made me decide to plant Caleb in Shannon. He has the character background of an Earthborn Shepard, so I knew he'd be from a city. The foundation of his character, though, stems from a different game where I play Brigit, his mother, who is most definitely from rural Ireland. He was a natural fit for Mass Effect, and once I plonked him into Shannon, I started to explore the surrounding areas on maps, in folklore, in history, etc. It all kind of snowballed from there. I've scrounged up some 2nd hand travel guides for Ireland at used bookstores, read numerous books of Irish folktales I've collected over the years, and continue to search the Web for new and interesting tidbits to feed my fancy. My latest fixation has been on discovering more of the fae/fairy stories and folklore so I can adapt it to a Mass Effect/Fairy AU idea I have. Now to be fair, some of my fae knowledge is influenced by an RPG game I play as well as the information I've gathered, so please don't take it as 100% accurate, especially once I've added in the Mass Effect side of things!

So, all of my rambling aside - sorry about that, get me going on my characters and you might have to tell me to stop! lol - I would suggest a Google search to get you started or, alternatively, to help you narrow things down a bit to a starting point. Do you have a place you are really interested in? A story or bit of folklore? An ancestor from over there you'd like to learn more about? (trust me, tracing genealogy is just as dangerous for me - still happens to me whenever I pull mine out to update!) Could be something as simple as wondering about the history of Guinness beer or what Irish wool/yarn is native to the country or a W.B. Yeats poem you want to track down the meaning behind.

Come to think of it, a friend did pass along some W.B. Yeats back when I created Caleb. And my mom did give me some 'real Irish wool' yarn when she came back from that trip that I really need to dig out and make something with. Hmm....

(and feel free to drop other asks if you have specific questions! I'm sorry I've rambled on so long, but what a delight to find your comments in my inbox! thank you so much!!!)

[theoriginalladya]

So, @painterofhorizons asked me about one of the projects I listed on that last meme.

Mass Effect: The Shanxi Files is a background piece for Caleb, sort of. I'm still sorting out bits and pieces of the plot, but it's going to focus on a few characters who play important roles in Caleb's life later on. For example, you'll get to see...

a younger Dr. Chakwas on her first deployment who is paired up with a young Irish medic named Ciaran O'Connell (Caleb's dad)

Anderson and Connor O'Bannon (aka: Athair) when they fought in the First Contact War...

Remember that tiny side quest in ME1 that involved Dr. Michel, Anderson and Admiral Kahoku? The one about Armistan Banes? Yeah, he's in it too and has a run in with one Jack Harper at the end of it...

So far, I've got most of my outline done and a draft of the prologue which will be the message General Williams sends out to Arcturus to let them know the colony's being attacked. I'm hoping it'll start grabbing hold soon because I really want to get it written and out there to share!

[theoriginalladya]

♛: Sharing a dessert for Aubrey and Kaidan?

from this list

On AO3 here

Okay, so this got way out of control almost from the moment I first saw it. Just dropping a snippet here, the rest is over on AO3. Hope you like it! :)

~~~

Brain Freeze

The heat was a problem.

Since coming to the orchard, Aubrey had settled in surprisingly well, if Kaidan and his mother were to be believed.  Never having been around nature before, let alone so much all at once, it was a bit of a shock.  Tree branches drifting gently in the breeze were not Aria’s troops closing in, nor was the subtle shift from daylight to dusk a sign someone was messing with the power grid.  It had taken time to get used to it all – and truthfully, he would admit he wasn’t quite there yet – but Kaidan’s reassurances that they had the time now to be together and that was the most important thing, made the process of adjusting here so much easier.

And then there was Kaidan’s mother.

Anna-Marie Alenko was not what Aubrey had expected.  Perhaps that wasn’t quite fair, since the only woman with any major influence in his life before now was Brooks and that had been the absolute worst sort of relationship.  However, Kaidan’s mother was well beyond the opposite end of the spectrum from Brooks.  Kind, patient, understanding; so many of the same qualities Aubrey had come to find in Kaidan.  Anna-Marie had sensed Aubrey’s initial discomfort immediately upon his arrival and gone out of her way to welcome him; not with open-armed hugs or excited words, but with a warm smile that reached her eyes and a knowing look.  Most importantly, he’d discovered, she was willing to share.

Aubrey’s lack of knowledge – of nature or anything else, really – didn’t seem to be a concern to her.  As she told him in those first days, it was an opportunity to learn and grow.  A blessing, plain and simple.  Now, all these weeks later and even though he still couldn’t tell an apple tree from a peach unless the fruit was present, she never showed concern but instead patiently explained it yet again.  Small successes were still successes, and who was he to argue with her?  And the very fact he could new tell the difference between those trees that produced fruit and those that were merely decorative was one such success.    

How could he not fall in love with this place?

Find the rest over on AO3!

[theoriginalladya]

From the Soft OTP prompts: "cuddling into each other’s warmth under the covers when it’s cold and winter" for abboats, please!

Hehehe Somehow, I knew you'd ask for them! :)

On AO3 here

from this prompt list

~~~

London, England, Winter 2186

For the first time in what feels like years – and maybe it has been, who can tell what day it is in this bloody war when each one feels just like the day before – it isn’t a hoarse, harsh whisper in his ear, waking him just before reaper troops arrive to scour their location.  The shell of a building around him doesn’t shake, tremors induced by the giant forms of their alien overlords moving ever closer.  There isn’t a fight between civilians, scrabbling over scraps of rotting food and contaminated water.  And it isn’t the ice of winter’s breath hitting him full in the face and chilling him to the bone because not just the window, but the whole side of the building is shorn away.

No.  Blinking his eyes open to darkness that surrounds him – someday, he will sleep the night through again – it’s to find warmth instead of a chill.  Hope, such as it is, instead of despair.

Who knew the old, sappy songs had the right of it?

Movement against his hip paired with the softest, sleepiest, most adorable hum draws his attention.  Through the dark, Coats meets the chocolate brown gaze and lazy smile directed at him.  Despite the cold – the kind that seeps deep into the bones and refuses to relent all season long – she’s never once complained.

Returning the smile, he tugs the edge of his coat around Abby’s shoulders before taking her chin between thumb and forefinger, tipping it slightly upwards and brushing her lips with his.  “Go back to sleep, darlin’.”  He tucks a few strands of hair back around her ear.  “Morning’ll come soon enough.”  At least one of us can get some sleep.

Her smile tilts drastically to the right as she rests her head into the crook of his shoulder and curls into him.  “’S’at so?”

Chuckling softly, he tweaks her nose.  “Cheeky thing, aren’t you?”

Her eyes close, but her smile widens.  It is, he thinks, the most beautiful sight he’s seen in this living hell. 

“Took lessons,” she murmurs around a yawn, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.  When it lowers, her eyes pop back open, exhaustion still present but sparkling with amusement as she stares up at him.  “Learned from the best.”

“Hmm.”  He reaches beneath the coat and pulls one of her hands to his chest, covering it with his to hold it in place as well as warm it up.  “Does your mother have any idea how sassy you are?”

She snorts softly, but there’s a hint of an giggle mixed in.  “We Williams women are not ‘sassy.’”

It’s an old protest, one he’s heard many times in the months since they met; he believes her now about as much as he did before.  He tugs the coat more snugly around her before tipping his head to rest against her crown.  “Sleep, Abbs.  You’re exhausted.”

She yawns again, ducking her head to hide it from him.

As if she can. 

“Only if you do,” she says as she sidles up as close to him as she can, ducking beneath his other arm to hook it around her shoulders.  “We both need rest.  And I…”

Her voice trails off and he allows the silence to hang for almost a minute before he prods, “You?”

She’s still hesitant and won’t look directly at him as she whispers, “Stand watch in my dreams?”

Biting back a groan of dismay, he guides her to sit across his lap, tucking her head beneath his chin before wrapping both arms around her.  Still having dreams about Fulham, are we?  God, what he wouldn’t do to get her away from all this.  Too damn many close calls!

“’Course, I will, darlin’,” he promises, kissing the top of her head one last time as she settles against him, “but only if you’ll do the same for me.”  After all, he still has nightmares about Fulham, too. Her lips part, warm breath fanning across the underside of his chin just before her lips touch.  “I’ll meet you there…”

[theoriginalladya]

Found in a different ask game and was curious :D Based on your recent reference searches, what would the FBI assume about you?

LOL I've seen this going around. Hmmm. Well, I'd say the first thing they'd assume is that I'm a fan of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. I've been checking scores and occasionally, schools participating.

Outside of that, I've been kind of boring of late. Should've asked me a couple of months ago when I was looking into what poisonous plants commonly grew around Wiltshire, England. :D

[theoriginalladya]

🎀🕯️

Oooo, nice ones! Let's see what I've got here...

from this list

🎀give yourself a compliment about your own writing

Oh gosh, this is the third time answering this one. I'm horrible at complimenting my own stuff, but here goes...

I like to think I am pretty good at coming up with characters who are interesting and unique and who capture the reader's attention pretty well.

How's that? (first response is here, second response is here if you're interested)

🕯️was there a fic that was really hard on you to write, or took you to a place you didn’t think it would take you?

Oh, excellent question!

I think I have to go with If London Falls... It's still a work in progress, but it's really a challenge to write for a number of reasons. I never expected Abby Williams to become such a compelling character to me, let along end up grabbing hold of Coats' attention, but there ya go. Setting them in London at the beginning of the Reaper War is a great idea - on paper - but when I sat down to start writing it, boy did it become a challenge! There's some element of worldbuilding to it, I suppose, since we only get the barest glimpse of the city when the reapers attack and we don't really hear much about the war on Earth until the very end. But, yeah. And honestly, these two and this story are why I am able to work on another Shepard story set on Earth during the war (Biotic Pinball Wizard series, but not posted yet, sorry).

Thanks so much for the ask! These are great questions!

[theoriginalladya]

✨ 🎀 💞

Thank you for asking!

from this list

✨What’s a fic you’ve posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

Oh goodness, let me see. There are so many I could choose from! Still, I'd have to say of my more recent fics, probably Young & Proud or May The Road Rise To Meet You.

Young & Proud is about the first time Caleb Shepard and (Major) Coats meet at sniper school and the rivalry that develops between them and eventually turns into a long, life-lasting friendship. That story is a very special one to me because they essentially start off by hating one another because of their backgrounds, but by the end of it, they're brothers. Found family is a big thing, for Caleb and turns out, for Coats as well.

May The Road Rise To Meet You is Caleb's Akuze story. Caleb has a history of losing people in his life, and Akuze is no different, of course, but his story has a more positive twist at the end of it.

🎀give yourself a compliment about your own writing

Hehehehe. Well, I'm pretty good at coming up with plot ideas! :D (points at Shepard spreadsheet which is now at... 141, I think?) Coming up with ideas is a LOT of fun and, yeah, might be a bit addictive to me! :D

💞what’s the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

Ahahaha. *points above* I'll say this: Plot first, but characters second. They're both pretty close, but I still think plot wins out. Gotta have a story that drives the characters in the first place, right?

Thank you so very much for asking!