OOC: I may have been watching slightly too much Poppy Playtime and other mascot horror game-related fan vids and so on lately, but I can absolutely imagine Rafaele and Mona leaning into the childhood horror category of scaring their enemies by having teddy bears go feral on them, or trapping them in places that are some kind of twisted funhouse and challenging them to figure out how to get out.
Bonus points if Rafaele persuades Tahirah to have people test them out as possible training facilities. "Like childhood games, but we amp up the stakes," he'd say. "I wouldn't actually make them lethally dangerous, but a good fright is necessary to make them effective."
Tahirah's main concern is figuring out who would be willing to be the guinea pig for seeing if such a thing would actually help people test their skills.
OOC: I've had this idea at the back of my mind that one of Rafaele's outfits would be Swan Lake-inspired - but instead of being the white swan Odette, he's representing the black swan, Odile.
If Rafaele was trying to get along with Dragon Age: Inquisition companions and advisors:
It would ultimately have some difficulties, mainly because Rafaele has a hard time opening up to them. This difficulty with opening up is because of his general secrecy, as well as him being spelled into being unable to talk about specific subjects.
However, some ideas of how I think things could go between him and the others are:
(thrown under a cut for length)
Cole - Rafaele feels the most vulnerable around him, purely because Cole can read minds. There are a lot of things that Rafaele hides from the others, so when Cole brings them to light, it's...well, a bit scary, honestly. However, Cole being able to read his thoughts is a great loophole around Rafaele being spelled into secrecy on specific subjects, so Rafaele might be able to discuss those things with him (albeit in very roundabout terms).
Cole is also effective with assassinations and so on, and Rafaele deeply respects that. The two of them can easily work together to dispatch enemies in the shadows.
Solas - Rafaele can sense something powerful from being around Solas - he's not sure what, but it intimidates him. He is, however, intrigued by the other being so self-taught with his magic, so Rafaele takes the time to inquire about what that was like.
After Solas' identity is revealed along with his plans to tear down the Veil, however, Rafaele isn't pleased. At all. Depending on how close those two have bonded prior to the reveal, Rafaele might think he's been betrayed by such a reveal - especially after working together to stabilize things and stop Corypheus.
Iron Bull - Rafaele thinks that Iron Bull reminds him of Lukas - easygoing, enthusiastic for battles and drinks and flirting, etc.
The only difference (other than Bull being a Qunari and Lukas being human) is that he knows Bull probably has other motives as a Ben-Hassrath agent, and so does his best not to be too open around him. He does, however, ease up around Bull a bit if Bull becomes Tal'Vashoth later.
Dorian - Rafaele can kind-of relate to Dorian in terms of keeping things about his identity secret and so on - albeit in a different context. He just hopes that Dorian doesn't take over everyone's sense of fashion taste and doesn't poke too far into his own secrets.
Vivienne - Rafaele respects her sense of fashion. However, he finds her to be quite similar to Araceli Nemesis (who, by the way, tried to kill Rafaele several years ago) because of all the stuff about the Game and so on. It's hard for him to connect with her, let alone feel the most comfortable being around her.
Cassandra - Rafaele sympathizes with her sense of duty and so on, and will likely ask about her experiences as a Seeker and so on. However, the difficulty is him keeping himself out of Cassandra's "this is sus" radar, and he'll probably end up on her radar whether he likes it or not.
Sera - Sera's clear honesty makes Rafaele a little jealous of her. There are things Rafaele wishes he could say aloud, but he literally cannot - both because of his own secrecy and also because he's spelled into keeping it secret.
Varric - Rafaele knows that the gift of the gab is useful at times, and Varric certainly has that gift. He's interested to listen in on what Varric has to say - even if what he finds out from him might not be the most accurate.
Blackwall - Rafaele immediately knows that something is up with Blackwall, but doesn't know what. Despite the later reveal that Blackwall isn't Blackwall, however, Rafaele slightly sympathizes with him on the hidden identity thing.
Leilana - Rafaele appreciates her work in the shadows and would be open to collaborating with her. However, he hope he can keep his own secrets out of her radar.
Josephine - Rafaele wishes he could be more honest with Josephine about various things, but can't because of his spelled limitations.
Cullen - He appreciates Cullen's strategizing and working with the other advisors and everyone else. Much like Cassandra, however, Rafaele has to be wary about not becoming suspicious in Cullen's point of view - or in the view of any of the other advisors.
OOC: Rafaele has quite a few crystals collected in his room, as well as a lot of plush objects like cushions, blankets, a throw blanket, etc. He thinks that it gives it a homey sort of feel.
OOC: I’ve mentioned that Arlyn and Nuriel are two muses of mine that will always be in a romantic relationship with each other on this blog, but there are also two other muses that potentially may get together depending on situations in threads - Lukas and Rafaele.
Both have worked with each other for 8 years prior to the current times of main verse threads so they’ve had plenty of time to bond and so on, and Lukas has kissed Raf once (though it didn’t go anywhere at the time). Both start off as single by default in verses/threads but perhaps they might be brought together depending on what happens...
OOC: Lukas has kissed Rafaele once, but the attempt did not lead to anything in their relations with each other by the current time of most threads taking place on this blog.
As both have a history of working with each other and training under Starling, however, they do hold a deep trust in each other. Lukas just wishes Raf would take some time off to just chill, since Rafaele tends to be a bit of a workaholic and busies himself a lot to get things done.
OOC: Araceli had the shock of her life when she found out Rafaele, the man she tried to murder about a decade ago, ended up surviving.
Rafaele probably re-debuts his presence at Melodia castle during one of their standard parties at the castle. Dressed to the nines, looking all fine - as if he’s always been part of the castle as Tahirah’s mysterious and lovely godfather.
And Rafaele just smirks when his eyes meet Araceli’s own - because he’s back, and he knows that she didn’t expect him to live through her assassination attempt against him. And it’s not the only surprise he has in store for her, either, in the long run...
