#thuviel

Oh boy, these are fun questions for Isala. Thank you for asking!

👀 Does your OC believe they are attractive? Do they use that to their advantage?

Isala doesn't really believe she is attractive. She does believe some people find her attractive if they express interest but it will always be a little surprising to her (even if she doesn't express that).

Depending on the context, she will absolutely use it to her advantage. It becomes more of a question if that advantage is worth it, because she typically finds it isn't.

😍 What does your OC find irresistible in others?

The irony for Isala is what makes you irresistible will also make her incredibly skittish. She finds intelligence and competency to be incredibly attractive, but with that attraction come a lot of wariness. Those two traits in the past have led her into situations she'd like to avoid, so she is incredibly difficult to warm up to

Intelligence. Isala is profoundly attracted to intelligence and is part of what draws her to many of the Inquisition members. Especially Josephine and what first drew her into Solas. Though he wasn't always the most kind when displaying it, there was that initial draw. It is also what got her to gradually warm up to Bull, though it is also part of why she was wary of him for a lot longer than anyone else haha. So intelligence is something that is irresistible to her but it isn't a trait that will blind her to other things. It can be a double edge sword.

Additionally, competency. A competent leader, a competent scout, a competent goat herder. Competency is hot to her not only because it means she can leave one thing to that person and not have to worry about cleaning up. She has been through a lot, and being able to rely on someone and give that trust is something she values highly.

(She also loves callouses because it shows a life lived, among other things.)

💐 What is their courting style? How would they woo someone?

She never proactively wooed someone. Her first engagement to Inan, he wooed her. So she doesn't have any particular style. However, when she is trying to show she cares, she does so through mundane acts of care. Things that are easy enough to pass off as something platonic due to the way she was raised, such acts are just how you show interest in any relationship; platonic or otherwise.

So she does things that range from making food, hunting, gifting them something she knows they use regularly, doing a small chore like mending a small hole in their laundry. She will also make time to do something they like with them, play a game, read together, or spar.

She wooed Iron Bull by getting a bigger bed for her quarters so he could comfortably spend the night. She got a bigger tub so they could both sit in it together after sex or returning from a trip.

The entire time she swore up and down it wasn't anything meaningful (she didn't think it was at the time), but a practical investment. She wasn't expecting their arrangement to end any time soon and she wasn't going to neglect his comfort just because he was.

Did a redraw of @thuviels best oc, Faron! I drew him for a prompt back in 2020 and wanted to see how far I’ve come since then. Original under the cut :3c

7. Do they wear perfume/cologne? What is their favorite scent?

They don't really wear any perfume, but they are found of sweet smells and if it would be possible to buy one they would right away :D  However, they smell like lavender and a little bit of iron and their favorite scent would be lavender and something sweet - probably something like candy.

18. Do they believe in true love? Have they experienced it?

Uff okey! big question! Yes, they do highly believe in true love because isn't it nice to be in hope there is someone just for you? And not even in romantic love but just love that click :DD but HMM right now I would say they had not experienced it yet. But who knows in the future!

30. Do they have a favorite fabric or texture?

I do not think they truly have a favorite number one, even when Nielh is very strictly judgemental about fabrics, their material and quality. However, they would themselves go for one that is pleasant to the touch, fluffy and keeps you warm.

32. What’s their preferred sleeping position?

Yay! Thank you for asking!

8. What do they believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?

Aeric is functionally agnostic and has never had a strong belief in Dalish religion, but especially so after the events of Trespasser. So he doesn't believe in Dirthamen and whatever. He does believe that souls pass through the Fade, though where they go after that, he doesn't even pretend to know. He would like to think that the souls of the dead can find their loved ones again and exist in some fashion with them for eternity.

He's scared of death in the way anyone will be afraid of dying. But he's comforted in the belief that his soul will go somewhere and be with his deceased loved ones, even if he doesn't know what that kind of afterlife would look like.

25. What is their biggest flaw?

I'd probably say Aeric's biggest flaw is that he's too much of an optimist and idealist. That sounds like a bad job interview kind of answer ("My biggest flaw is I'm TOO perfect!"), but he is sometimes unrealistically optimistic or idealistic and that has backfired on him on occasion. When those hopes or ideals are dashed, it's a big disappointment for him.

He's been fortunate in the Inquisition because that stubborn hopefulness helped him browbeat Ferelden and Orlais into some semblance of order, but in his day-to-day life that can cause problems. For example, he has a very clear idea of what he thinks a parent should do and how they should act. His parents aren't perfect and often floundered in parenting him. So when his parents often failed to defend him from his Aunt Deshanna (who hates him) in the name of keeping the peace in their family, that soured them in his opinion somewhat. He also doesn't realize it yet, but his optimism about what life would be like in Tevinter with Dorian is... not realistic. And that's going to be a hard pill to swallow for him.

32. What is their self esteem like?

Aeric generally has a good self-esteem as an adult and is confident in who he is. He had a much lower self-esteem when he was a child and teenager, largely due to his clanmates bullying him. He learned over the years not to give a fuck about what other people say about him, though being purposefully excluded or being insulted will still obviously upset him sometimes. His self-esteem also takes a hit after Trespasser because suddenly he doesn't know his place in the world, but he does eventually recover once he finds some purpose and direction in his life.

69. How did the people in their environment growing up affect their personality?

I talk about this above, but he was bullied a lot in his clan. They thought he was weird and broken and too interested in human things. He was always pretty quiet, but the attitudes of his clanmates made him pretty withdrawn. It's why he often likes to be alone when he's upset, because he feels like being around people will just make him more upset. However, his dynamic with his clanmates also made him a really independent person and developed within him the ability to let a lot of insults slide off his proverbial back, which was really helpful as the sole Dalish in the Inquisition. It also helped develop his sense of compassion; he hates people in a position of power stepping on people who are hurting and marginalized.

77. What is their most prized possession?

Aeric's not very materialistic, so I had to think on this one a bit. Before Dorian, his most prized possession is probably his family pendant that he always wears (but that I often forget to mention in fics unless it's plot-relevant, lol). His father had him and his sister Paikea carve and paint their own pendants when they were kids, and Pai's pendant was what he buried when she died at the Conclave.

Then after he establishes his relationship with Dorian and they have to be apart, Aeric's most prized possessions are his letters and the sending crystal. He keeps every letter from Dorian in a bundle and reads through them often. He also LOVES the painting of Paikea's grave-tree that Sera makes for him and will eventually make a frame for it to hang up in his home.

And then, after Aeric and Dorian get married, his very favorite thing in the world are their wedding rings. :D

87. What is something they regret?

Two things. First is when he went hunting with his older cousin, Ierin (the Keeper's son) when Aeric was a young teenager. Ierin abandoned Aeric in the woods, but then got himself gored by a boar. Aeric found him and didn't go for help right away because he froze. Ierin still might not have survived if Aeric had gotten help immediately, but Aeric hates that there was a chance that Ierin could have survived and didn't, because of him. (This is also partly why the Keeper hates Aeric.)

Second is trusting Solas. Aeric doesn't know how he would have known that Solas was behind the Conclave blowing up or that he's the Dread Wolf. But Aeric is nevertheless mad at himself for thinking Solas was his friend.