If Merida Came To Storybrooke...

Modern Merida - Amy Pond (Doctor Who) style - OUAT Fan Art by John Raptor

... what would she be like?

It's so very, very unlikely but wouldn't it be interesting to see Merida grown-up and still rebellious, becoming Janet from Tam Lin in Storybrooke? Perhaps even getting pregnant (or related metaphor) and saving her own-chosen true love from a fate worse than death (ie fairies)?

And think of the potential for magic effects and costume possibilities (because we all know these are important considerations): fairies, an enchanted midnight parade, Celtic influence and superstitions, Tam Lin metamorphosing from one being to another in Janet/Merida's arms (you'd have to include a bear in the middle there of course). There's so much to play with and best of all it works with either world because it's such a human story yet has an actual, very annoyed, Faerie Queen.

Although Brave is mother-daughter focused, the themes of the story are in many ways very similar to those of Tam Lin.

Merida has to hold on with everything she's got, and she has to see her mother inside the bear, with her heart, to break the spell. (Heck there's even a conveniently placed water well for Merida/Janet to douse a flaming sword in!)


Merida goes about her rebellion and her drive to break the spell very similarly to Janet as well. From the cockiness and headstrong actions of a strong-willed fiery red head coming into - and expressing - her adulthood, to how much she would risk, to how deep her bravery really goes and in the deepness in her love/bond.

Also, if Merida were a Janet-character, you could even substitute her mother for the figure of Janet's father, since their view on responsibilities and lineage etc are very similar.

I hadn't thought about it so much before but perhaps that's one of the big reasons I've grown to love Merida so much. She's like a slightly-younger Janet. With serious archery skills.

By the way - there are more Merida channeling Darryl Dixon pics (from The Walking Dead) by cosplayer Zoisite-Virupaksha HERE. It works ridiculously well. Between discovering a Merida/Tam Lin/Doctor Who cross-over potential and Merida being ready for the zombie apocalypse, (this modern Merida HERE by an unknown artist, is pretty great too), I'm on the verge of petitioning OUAT creators Kitsis & Horowitz to just go there already!

(And now I need someone to do some Merida as Tam Lin fan art to make my day...)

Merida cosplay by Hidden Writer Spirit