Merida Riptide//D5//FIN

Name: Merida
Age: 29
Gender: female
District: 5

Appearance:
Her mischievous light grey eyes can charm any person in the world. Her beautiful light brown curly hair is a true wonder. Considering that she never really takes care of it and only brushes it from time to time, it is a miracle that it is still long and incredibly beautiful. Her friends have always envied her white teeth and a shiny smile. She is rather tall and very thin.

The only not-so-beautiful thing about her appearance is that she probably has about a hundred freckles all over her face. She doesn't really mind, but her co-workers think that this part of her appearance is exactly what scares all men away from her. Her acquaintances blame the freckles when they whisper behind her back that she is almost thirty already and still single. However, they are wrong.

History:
When she was little, her father fell ill and died. Her mother passed away next year and she was left alone. Meri had to live with her grandmother until she turned seventeen and was old enough to get her inheritance - a small house on the edge of the district and some money. She had many admirers then, but one day everything changed.

Her cousin died in an accident and her twin daughters were left alone, with no family or money. Meri decided to take the kids to her house. It turned out that the money she had wasn't enough, so she left school and found herself a job in the factory. All her potential boyfriends vanished almost instantly because nobody wanted to take care of a girl with two children.

More children came later. Some of them were almost grown up, some of them were just babies. About half of them were just left on Meri's doorstep because everyone in her neighborhood realized that she just couldn't leave a helpless child in the street. Currently, she has about twenty mouths to feed including her own. She gets financial aid from her relatives and friends, but it is never enough and she has to sacrifice things like free time and new clothes to take care of her huge family.

Personality:
People who know her well think she is irresponsible and immature. Why else would she turn her own property into a children's kingdom? Why would she let the kids make such a mess in her home? Why can't she at least make them clean the house? Her neighbor, a skinny old woman with sensitive ears, thinks that "those Riptide kids are a nightmare and need a couple of good strict parents".

The children adore her. How could they not? She turned the house into their own dream place, giving each child a small corner to create something. Despite the lack of money she managed to give every kid of hers a chance to develop their talents and pursue their dreams. No matter how unrealistic those dreams might be, they are still dreams. And taking away a child's dream is one of the worst things Meri can imagine.

She doesn't know whether she likes herself or not. She only does her best to do what feels right and protect her family. Meri wants the children to be loved and happy. And that is her main goal in life. Marriage can wait. And if she is destined to find her special someone, that someone should be just as crazy as her and must not be afraid of kids.