Misc. Nightsister Merrin thoughts because she is everything to me (and the funniest character in JFO)
Okay so I do not know if you peeps heard the dialogues or came across it (I did once I finished the game and went to Dathomir, talking with Greez outside the Mantis) but basically, he is chatting with Cal. They talk about food or something, and Greez says something like “good luck trying to get a serving before Marrin does/ She already got 3 or four servings” or something like that so here are more Merrin headcanons because I love her and it spiralled-
“I will simply take what I am owed (three portions minimum)” Merrin does not “snack”, she commits.
If there is food, she is eating like she just personally survived a ritual trial (because in her mind… she kinda did). Also babygirl grew up on Dathomir with one (1) crusty old man (Malicos) and I too, would absolutely devour anything else other than despair, Jedi AND Sith reject, and dust. Greez makes one (1) comment about portions and she just goes “On Dathomir, hesitation meant starvation. You hesitate a lot.”
Also I feel like she eats fast but not messy. Like she has somewhere to be.
She will absolutely take food off Cal’s plate mid-conversation without breaking eye contact. She will pretend it is just to taste something, Cal being himself and sweet about it, offers some and he's trapped cause now it is HER plate and HER food.
I think desserts and sweets would confuse the Force out of her because they do not serve survival purpose to her? Like yeah she will eat some chocolate or something and be like????
Merrin does not sugarcoat, we know that. She doesn’t even own sugar to coat things with.
Cal: “Do you think that plan will work?”
Merrin: “No. But I am curious to see you try.”
She asks deeply invasive questions with zero awareness they’re invasive like, “Why are you emotionally attached to this object? It is… ugly” or something. Not because she is not respectful but because she is just like that?... She kinda grew up alone (beside that crusty ahh predatory dude) and I feel like no one would have told her “hey that is not nice to say-” cause the occasion never presented itself for it to be said in the first place.
If someone is being fake nice she immediately clocks it, “You are saying kind words but your energy feels like a threat. Explain.”
She defo gives compliments like “You are less annoying than before.” which, to her, is high praise and to be honest it is to me too lmao-
I think everything is fascinating to Merrin because everything is weird compared to what she grew up with (dust, regret, spiders and crusty old man). She treats completely normal things like she’s studying a new species. “Why do you celebrate surviving another year by consuming sugar?” but then again it is just curiosity, not said to be mean.
She will absolutely poke things she should not poke. Glowing plant? Poked. Strange goo? Already touched it. Potentially cursed artifact? She’s holding it up to the light going “hmm.” Cal is starting to go grey because of her and BD is like “FINALLY YOU SEE HOW WORRYING IT IS WHEN SOMEONE DOES NOT LISTEN HUH-”
She asks “why” over and over until the other person runs out of answers and starts questioning their own life choices. And when she learns slang? Oh it’s over. She uses it slightly wrong but with full confidence, like, “This is what you call… a ‘vibe,’ yes?” and no one has the heart to correct her. I would not correct her.
Animals are where she really shines because her standards are completely broken in the best way. Dathomir wildlife is basically 80% nightmare and 20% nightmare in a different font, so now Merrin sees something objectively dangerous and goes, “It has large eyes. I trust it.”
Cal is like “that can kill you” and she just shrugs, “Many things can. This one is fluffy.” Her approach to animals is just pure, unwavering confidence. No fear, no hesitation, just “we are friends now.”
If it hisses? “It is expressing boundaries. I respect that.” She does not leave. She would 100% adopt something mildly horrifying and insist it’s harmless. “It only bites when threatened. Or bored.” Which is somehow worse, but she says it like that’s reassuring.
Her sense of danger is permanently skewed from growing up on Dathomir. Giant predator? Manageable. Ancient dark magic? Fine. Small fast bug? Immediate, visceral hatred. “Kill it.”
She’ll also casually describe something deeply horrifying while everyone else is trying to eat and genuinely not understand the problem. Greez is like “can you not say that while I’m eating?” and she just goes, “Why? You are eating well.” She also does not understand why people get scared of things she considers normal. “It only tried to eat you once. That is practically friendliness.” The bar is so low and yet, somehow, comforting????
Socially, Merrin is just… observing. Constantly. She watches interactions like it’s a live study. “Fascinating. You are both pretending not to be angry.”
When she discovers humor, she gets it, slightly off-timing, wrong emphasis, wrong moment. She’ll repeat jokes later like, “Ah yes. ‘That went well.’ I understand sarcasm,” and everyone else is like… do you? Her deadpan delivery makes everything worse in the best way too. “If this goes poorly, I will simply resurrect us. Problem solved.” No one knows if she’s joking. She might not be.
Merrin absolutely talks to BD like they are having full, meaningful conversations even though she understands approximately 0% of what he’s saying. BD does a string of beeps and she nods like, “Yes. That is a valid perspective, little one.” Cal is like “you don’t know what he said” and she just goes, “I understand his tone.” Half the time BD is just reporting something completely unrelated and Merrin’s responding like he just confessed a deep emotional truth. At some point BD starts playing along, changing his beeps to match her vibe, and now they’ve accidentally developed a system where they both think they understand each other. Cal has lost control of the situation and does not have the heart to tell her what is going on.
She takes metaphors literally at first and then refuses to let them go even after she understands them. Someone says “we’re not out of the woods yet” and she pauses like “…there are no woods.. We are not on Kashyyyk” Then later she will use it herself but slightly wrong and with full confidence. “We are still… in the woods, yes?” No one corrects her because technically she’s got the spirit.
Merrin discovering pets that are just… small and harmless? Life-changing. She picks one up and just stares at it like she’s been lied to her entire life. “It does not want to kill me. Why?” She will sit there holding it for way too long, gently rotating it like she’s inspecting a relic. If it makes a noise she gasps a little, like “it speaks.” She’s not even being dramatic, she’s just genuinely fascinated. I think she would love guinea pigs tbh. Or cats.
She doesn’t really get personal space at first. Not in a creepy way, just in a “why would distance equal respect?” way. She will stand very close during conversations, tilt her head, and just… study people mid-sentence. If they lean back, she leans forward. Not aggressive. Just curious. Cal has to gently be like “you’re doing it again” and she’s like “ah. Yes. The space.”
Merrin tries to comfort people and it comes out so sincere but slightly terrifying. Someone’s upset and she’s like, “Your pain is temporary. Everything is temporary,” which is either deeply profound or mildly ominous depending on your mood. Or she’ll just sit next to them in silence for a while and then go, “I am here. That is… what you do, yes?” and honestly it works. Mostly with Cal.
She is obsessed with the concept of inside jokes. The moment she realizes people have shared bits of humor that don’t make sense to outsiders, she wants one immediately. She tries to start one by just saying something completely random and then repeating it later like it’s established lore. “This is like the time of the… broken spoon.” There was no broken spoon. Now there is. She will bring it up again weeks later and expect everyone to understand.
She takes things people say as jokes and occasionally just… keeps them as facts. Greez says something sarcastic like “yeah, sure, I’m the bravest guy here” and Merrin just goes, “Yes.” From then on, she refers to him with complete sincerity as the bravest among them. Greez does not know how to undo this.
Watching people argue is her favorite unexpected hobby. Not because she likes conflict or something, but because she’s trying to understand the rules. She’ll quietly sit there, tracking both sides, and then at the end go, “You are both wrong in different ways,” and walk away. No elaboration.
One of the cutest things is she checks in on people in very small, specific ways once she starts caring. Not big emotional speeches because that is not her, just quiet observations. “You are quieter today.” “You did not finish your food.” “Your movements are slower.” It’s never framed as concern, just… noticing. And if you brush it off, she doesn’t push or something, but she does stay nearby a little longer than usual.
