Even though it’s probably a little cliche or whatever I think I’m going to have Seth and Merida be childhood friends.
When Merida’s family discovers she had magic they try and hide her for a while at the farm they live at, but when Templars start sniffing around (for an unrelated reason but they’re too close for comfort) Merida’s father takes her to Denerim to try and lay low for a while. He and Seth’s dad are old friends so they stay with them for about a year until Merida’s discovered and taken away. During that time they became fast friends. Merida doesn’t end up coming along on the whole journey I don’t think, but she does help during Broken Circle and during the Conner ordeal, and at the very end during the Battle in Denerim.
20) What-ifs/Alternate Timelines FOR ALL! OF THEM!!
SO MANY!!!!
I covered most of Merida’s here already, except I guess for the AU where she’s the Warden and Mason is the Inquisitor. Mostly I think because I’m basically treating that as their canon anyway. Real canon is overrated. She’s also been known to hang out with @king-of-the-knights‘ Reinette Cousland on occasion.
There’s also Raphael’s AUs with @villnis‘ Nye Lavellan and @skeleton-tea-parties Alvarr Lavellan (Considering his crush on Scout Harding too Raphael’s type is apparently small redheads and Dorian). I also have a companion AU for him where instead of joining the Valo-Kas he becomes a prizefighter because I felt like that would suit him very nicely. And that it was funny.
Nolan has an additional AU with @villnis‘ Val Cousland as his sister and Eira Amell as his wife in an arranged marriage (and convenient cover for both their boyfriends). I also am half tempted to make a Dairren lives AU for him because I got too attached to them.
Mason’s entire existence is basically an AU but there’s also an AU in development with @villnis‘ Raun Trevellyan as his old friend and sort of mentee. He would make a good companion though, I’ll have to think about developing a companion AU for him.
Penny is another one who’s basically a walking AU but she has a Thedas counterpart named Pippa that @rayeliann helped me make! I haven’t brought it out too much but it’s a lot of fun to think about. ((EDIT: I should also mention that Penny tends to hang out with rayeliann's Kas and Rys Shepard most frequently. And there may or may not have been a time when I shipped her with Ashley))
Merida’s never really forgiven Knight-Commander Greagoir for everything that went down with Jowan, though she never quite does anything about it. I doubt she’s too upset that annexing the Circle causes a lot of problems for him though. She doesn’t really have too much sympathy for most Templars after that.
18) Things they’ll never admit
I think she’d be embaressed to admit just how comfortable she was in the Circle now that she’s out and sees it’s issues. If the situation with Jowan never happened she probably would have lived there quite comfortably and never really thought much about leaving or what other mages might be going through.
20) What-ifs/Alternate Timelines
Ok, where do I even start with this? Merida has a TON, mostly AUs with other people’s Wardens like with @skeleton-tea-parties‘ Raina Mahariel (Including both a Band AU and Circus AU), and @villnis Egg Mahariel (also featuring Nolan) and Eira Amell. There’s also a universe with her, Mason, and Nolan all together in the Blight. I briefly had an AU with her as Inquisitor too. There are probably a few other than I’ve just forgotten about because I make AUs at the drop of a hat. Check back in a week and she’ll probably have more, I’m always willing to make a new AU.
Merida’s feet are very ticklish, but other than that she’s not too ticklish. she was when she was a kid, but she grew out of it.
13) What gets them flustered
She’d probably like to saw that nothing gets her flustered, but that’d be a bold faced lie. she’s flustered by seeing cute little animals, but people holding her hand, and by people suddenly asking her opinion on things.
22) People who’ve influenced them greatly
Mason was obviously a big influence on her growing up in the Circle, and he was a big hand in shaping who she was as she grew up. Once she was out thought the two people who probably had the biggest influence on her were Alistair and Leliana. They were the ones that helped her navigate the world outside the Chantry.
Raphael Adaar
7) Their tickle spots
He’s really tickling right in his side, a fact that easily exploitable by anyone that knows about it.
13) What gets them flustered
Not much really flusters him, but it definitely throws him off when people are unexpectedly genuine with him. And spiders. He hates spiders.
22) People who’ve influenced them greatly
When he was about fifteen a mercenary named Raphael came through his town. He thought the man was just about the coolest guy he’d ever met and followed him around constantly. Raphael took him under his wing a big and taught him a few things with his daggers. Later when Raphael left and decided not to go by Karaas anymore he named himself after him.
Because there’s no better time to revisit old AUs than OC kiss week: Merida Surana and @skeleton-tea-parties‘ Raina Mahariel in our circus AU
~
In all her time with the circus Merida could never remember a night as busy as tonight. Even on busy nights her tent didn’t always draw the biggest crowd, but it seemed she was starting to gain a reputation for accuracy. Considering she was an actual mage and not a pretender like most of the other fortune tellers that probably wasn’t much of a surprise, but that mean that she barely had a moment to herself all night. Looking at herself in the small mirror she kept in the back section of the tent, she could see that it showed.
It was the end of the night, and it was dark enough that it didn’t really matter, but Merida couldn’t help but start to fix herself up. The whole fortune teller look was a little bit dramatic for her taste, but it was what people expected. At least it wasn’t difficult. Dark eyes, deep red lips, and loose wavy hair. Simple, but she knew there was at least one person who appreciated it.
In the front she heard the flap to her tent open and someone walk in. “Excuse me? Is anyone here.” called a familiar voice. Merida smiled. Speak of the devil.
“Yes, I sensed that you would come.” she said, slipping into her usual act. When she lifted the flap separating the front and back of the tent she found Raina there in her street clothes. Her performance would have been long over by now, but she didn’t often swing by afterward. It wasn’t really encouraged considering that Merida was still working, but then again Raina was never one to follow the rules. “Take a seat. Your aura is very strong, I can sense that you have an important question weighing on your mind.”
“I do,” Raina said, sitting cross legged on the ground. “You see there’s a beautiful woman that I have my eye on, but I don’t know if she feels the same way about me. I was hoping for a little guidance.” Raina leaned forward on her elbows, grinning up at her.
So she wanted to play this game? Well Merida could play along. She waved her hand over the crystal ball on the table, making it glow softly. Sitting down herself she looked deeply into the ball, making a show of it. “I can see the outline of the answers you seek, but things are still cloudy. Perhaps if you were to describe this woman I would be able to see more clearly.”
Raina tilted her head, looking around the crystal ball straight to Merida. It almost made her laugh. For all of Raina many good qualities, subtly wasn’t one of them. Or play acting for that matter. “Well, I think I’ve already mentioned that she’s beautiful, but she’s also incredibly brilliant. If she wanted to she could do anything she set her mind to.”
The ball began to glow brighter as Merida fed mana into it, a trick she learned early on. It never failed to make the people that walked into her tent a little easier to convince. Nothing sold like showmanship. “Yes, the images are getting strong now. Can you tell me anything else?”
“She has such a smooth voice. I could listen to her talk for hours on end, looking into her lovely green eyes.”
The tent grew brighter, and Merida could see Raina more clearly now. Raina was closer than she had been a moment ago, she must have been scooting closer while Merida wasn’t looking. She tried her best to keep her serious expression, but Merida couldn’t help but crack a small smile. “Is there anything else?
“As much as I hate to admit it she can be a bit full of herself, and she loves to be flattered.”
Merida had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Even though she could feel Raina moving closer, she kept her eyes on the crystal ball. If she looked over Merida knew she’d just end up a giggling mess. As it turns out she wasn’t very good at play acting either. “I think I can see her now,” she said, staying focused. “What I can’t see is why you’re having doubts. I would think that a strong and clever woman such as yourself would have no problem winning over such a person.”
Raina leaned on the table and suddenly it was much more difficult for Merida to keep her eyes off her. There was no way that Raina wasn’t making that face right now, the face that could always made her heart melt and could convince her to do anything. “It never hurts to make sure, right? Do the spirits have anything to say?”
“They do.” With a flick of her wrist Merida stopped the crystal ball from glowing and lit the candles in the room. When she looked over she found that she had been absolutely right. Raina was looking over at her big brown eyes and suddenly there was nothing Merida wanted to do more than kiss her. “You’re in luck. She’s very much in love.”
“Well good.” Raina sat up and moved closer, wrapping her arm around her waist and pulling her close. “Otherwise this would be very awkward.”
Not wanting to wait another minute, Merida leaned down and kissed her. She put her arms around her neck, leaning into the kiss. Raina’s arms tightened around her, but Merida pulled back before she could deepen the kiss.
“You know, the spirits also say that you should apologize for saying I’m full of myself.”
“I’ll find some way to make it up to you.” Raina said with a grin, leaning back up for another kiss.
💬 😳 🌼 🏩 💝 for Merida, Thomas and Raphael (what "bias" what, what??)
Ok so since I’m basically answering basically 15 questions I’m going to put this under a cut since I’m inevitably going to go overboard with some of these.
Merida Surana
💬 When did my muse go on their first date?
Does the blight count as a date? Dating in the Circle isn’t really a thing, and if it was then she wouldn’t have really been doing it.
😳 What was my muse’s worst romantic/sexual relationship?
Well I guess I’ll have to go with her crush on Cullen. That didn’t really end well.
🌼 Would my muse prefer a big wedding or a small wedding?
Merida never really expected to get married at all, that was never something that was allowed in the circle and she never had imagined a life for herself out of it. Once it does become an option she’d prefer something small, with just her friends there. She’d absolutely wear the fanciest most beautiful dress she could find though. Whoever she’s marrying would feel real lucky.
🏩 What was my muse’s first time like?
Well the first time she and Alistair tried so have sex she essentially had a panic attack, a life time of associating sex with something dangerous was just a lot to unpack. The first time they actually had sex though went very nicely, since by then they’d talked a lot of things over and went very slowly.
💝 Does my muse like Valentine’s Day?
She does! I don’t think she necessarily likes to make a big deal out of it, but she does really enjoy the opportunity to get her partner a little gift and spoil them a little (and be spoiled in return of course).
Thomas Lavery
💬 When did my muse go on their first date?
In eighth grade he asked the girl he liked to the Halloween social. She said yes and he had his mom pick her up from her house and everything. They danced twice together, and then they ended up hanging out with their own group of friends for the majority of the night. The next week she told him she didn’t like him anymore, and that was the last date he’d been on in a while.
😳 What was my muse’s worst romantic/sexual relationship?
That would have to be the guy who was convinced that Thomas was going to cheat on him at some point once he found out he was bi. It made him really paranoid whenever they weren’t together, and the relationship didn’t last very long after that. He tried to talk shit about Thomas afterward, but no one that actually knew him took it very seriously.
🌼 Would my muse prefer a big wedding or a small wedding?
He’d probably go with a smaller wedding. He enjoys all the traditional aspects of a bigger wedding like the dancing and the fancy cake and the toasts and all that but he could do without all the fuss of a big wedding.
🏩 What was my muse’s first time like?
Just kind of fine. In high school he and his friend Natalie were experimenting, and they both just kind of decided that they didn’t really want their virginity hanging over them anymore. They both had a good enough time, but it wasn’t anything amazing. Luckily it didn’t make things awkward between them, and they stayed friends for a long time.
💝 Does my muse like Valentine’s Day?
Look any excuse Thomas has to plan some elaborate date is a good day for him, even if it does probably go haywire about halfway through.
Raphael Adaar
💬 When did my muse go on their first date?
Probably around fifteen he took a girl he liked out to one of the festivals during the holidays. They had a really nice time, and he was able to show off during one of the games and impress her. They saw each other for a little while longer before splitting up.
😳 What was my muse’s worst romantic/sexual relationship?
Since Raphael’s had a lot casual relationships he’s definitely had his fair share of good and bad experiences. The one that left the worst taste in his mouth though was a man who had come on really strong and took control early on during sex. Normally Raphael really likes it when his partners are assertive, since usually people tend to want him to do a lot of the work, so for a while he was really enjoying himself. After a while though it became clear that it was some sort of power play for the guy, that he was able to ‘control’ a big Qunari guy like him, and it really sucked the fun out of the whole thing. It also made him really wary of people who wanted to take charge right away.
🌼 Would my muse prefer a big wedding or a small wedding?
If Raphael is going to have a wedding at all you can bet that it’s going to be a spectacle. If his partner lets him do all the planning it’s going to get really out of hand really quickly. Everyone in the area in invited and everyone is gonna know just how happy he is.
🏩 What was my muse’s first time like?
He wanted to impress but didn’t 100% know what to do, so it just sort of ended up being a spectacular failure. Luckily the person he was with was understanding, and the next time was much better for both of them. Raphael learned the importance of good communication early.
💝 Does my muse like Valentine’s Day?
Yes, and anyone dating him should expect a mountain of gifts and probably a massage.
If I had any qualms about my incredibly self indulgent Nolan/Merida/Alistair OT3 it was out the window now considering Nolan seems to get along better with Alistair than anyone else. Even considering that I’m trying to play as close to what I think Nolan would say as I can.
It’s certainly keeping me bouncing around with approval for the other party members (That I didn’t leave in their cages for the darkspawn) but Nolan and Alistair just seem to be best buds already
