Im late for the Major Arcana asks, and I want to ask one too many. I'll keep it simple: The Magician for Edric and Aristide, The Empress for Edric and Athren, The Lovers for Ari and Athren. Death in Reverse for whomever!
The Magician: How does your character unleash their creativity or resourcefulness?
Edric - As a magic teacher! I headcanon that after the events of DAO-A, he goes to Antiva City with Zevran. While Zev is embroiled in his efforts to dismantle the Crows, Edric gets curious about new ways to teach young mages how to safely control and explore their powers. He ends up leading an underground mage school, starting with Crow recruit kiddos freed by Zevran. Edric is a patient and warm-hearted teacher who really loves finding new ways to connect with students.
Aristide - Ari has artistic inclinations as both a visual artist/illustrator (they've had to get very good at conveying people's faces for their illusion powers) as well as being a good dancer. In a kinder world, Ari's artistic side is one of their core traits. In a real world/modern AU, I've been toying with the idea of making them a professional dancer--an ensemble performer for touring/off-Broadway type musical productions.
The Empress: Who has been a positive female figure in your character’s life?
Edric - Leliana. During the events of DAO, Leliana was a major emotional sounding board for him. Exhausted by dealing with blunt people like Morrigan, Sten and Oghren; frequently frustrated by Alistair's immature behavior and unexamined self-deprecation; dealing with complex Wynne feelings as his former teacher; and frankly unable to have an emotionally vulnerable conversation with Zevran until Denerim; for all her eccentricities, Leliana helped Edric keep his sanity.
Athren - His mom Intrae has been a mentor and guide for all of his life. His childhood friend and later lover Jinarra frequently challenged him and inspired him. Even the ruthless Waterdeep-Zhentarim Master of Trade and Coin Istrid, he regards as a kind of mentor and possibility model. But tbh for this I really want to say his fellow PC Thia MacDonald 🥺Athren's identity was so tightly wound around being a younger sibling, but his friendship with this weird teen warlock has allowed him to explore new sides of himself: a confident, knowledgeable mentor to someone else, and feeling protective and nurturing.
The Lovers: Which of your character’s relationships has been the most positive? (Romantic or otherwise)
Aristide - the easy answer of course would be their lover, partner, and Crow compañera Renata. She's single-handedly changed the trajectory of their life by helping them doubt some of the brainwashing and abusive ways that their Crow mage teacher has spent the last decade instructing them. With Renata, they have the opportunity to be both vulnerable and strong in ways they have never before experienced, getting to set aside some of the masks they always wear and live more authentically.
Athren - gotta say his fellow PCs, who I tend to refer to as the Trollskull Tavern Crew! For similar reasons to what I said about Thia. The dynamic with them is totally different than anything he's experienced before, and he kind of loves who he gets to be around them/on their behalf: someone confident, ambitious, daring, powerful in a fight, charming, with a wry sense of humor. In some sense, it's who he's always been, but he's really never gotten to manifest that before spending time with them.
Death in Reverse: When has your character tried to fight change?
Looking at my suite of OCs, most of them do not have arcs around trying to fight change. If anything, they tend to instigate change and push for more of it than what they usually get. But they're protagonists, so of course they are subjected to some Inciting Incidents that involve trauma and unwanted change.
Edric didn't want to be a Grey Warden; he ratted out Jowan, why is he getting punished??
Ari was taken in by the Crows as a child following a magical accident where they killed people.
Athren would have preferred to stay in Menzoberranzan rather than flee to the surface followed the failed coup, but he felt his family had no other option.
