Dictys was fisherman royalty in Greek mythology; glauci is taken from glaucillus (or rather taken from glaucus and modified), the genus of Dictys’ lusus.
Blood colour: #890e53 or #720c45 - i can't decide!
Gender: Agender. Ey doesn't identify within the binary, and eir physiological sex doesn't seem distinguishable when ey's got clothes on (not that most trolls eir age have sexes that are easily distinguished at first sight). I'd rather randomize eir sex, if possible. Ey actually has difficulty differentiating gender emself, and often uses gender-neutral pronouns even to describe other trolls.
Symbol:
It's a symbol for nitro-hydrochloric acid, which is known for dissolving gold.
Personality: Even as a wiggler, Dictys has a life that can be defined with one word: busy. If it's not watching starship serializations (isn't the flawless coordination of the titular ship of Glory to Her Condescension's myriad, supremely talented crew just so karmic?), it's a strict training regimen (swimming, diving, and pilates!), or a trip ashore to scout out new recruits for eir future starship. Not to mention hours upon hours of schoolfeeding – it takes work to become a captain, and Dictys has already loaded up eir schedule with tactics lessons, rhetorics lessons, and history lessons. Ey's got dreams and a precocious mind, and if ey was born to do anything, it was to achieve.
And also to socialize, apparently – Dictys loves meeting new trolls, and ey's fascinated by trolls who are especially talented or driven. Ey's sure that getting to know them will prove beneficial, and so ey tends to scout them out and try to ingratiate emself to them through favors and eir rhetorical talents. And in the case that they do end up signing up for eir eventual crew (Dictys plans to keep a list in eir hive), ey believes that getting to know them and building a mutually beneficial working relationship will promote the best sort of harmony aboard a starship. Besides, Dictys deserves nothing less than the best quality friends, contacts, and things. That extends to eir immediate social circle, too - what kind of captain would ey be if eir crew didn't have all that they needed to function at the highest possible level? One who was shitty and undeserving, that's what. Of course, Dictys hasn't come close to forming a viable crew yet, but ey knows ey's gotta keep it in mind. It helps that Dictys seems genuinely interested in other trolls, even past their immediate use for em (although ey tends to only be interested in trolls with some sort of use in the first place). Ey likes learning about what makes others tick - their likes, their dislikes (their strengths, their weaknesses) - and if that helps em persuade trolls to join eir cause? Well, then that's even better.
Dictys also tends to hunger for information. That means schoolfeeding (ey's always the first in line for the latest and greatest relevant modules appropriate for eir age, especially since it gives em an excuse to head into the city and try to meet new trolls, too) in addition to, well, gossip, whether it's about promotions or quadrants. This is rather surprising to some trolls, since otherwise Dictys seems like ey's all about business. But it's so interesting, see, and it can help em get to know who to avoid because they're having a bad night. Ey's willing to listen to almost anyone in this regard, and seems to enjoy relating tales of eir own in return.
Ey does tend to overbook emself when it comes to mixing schoolfeeding with forming connections, though. Ey has a habit of forgetting exactly how long a night is, and not everyone operates at Dictys' speed! And while ey's quite energetic, ey tends to spend eir time playing at things that are quite stressful, especially for a child. Ey even takes eir starship dramas seriously to a degree that is rather illogical - ey finds it difficult to find time to relax, since ey's got an agenda to push even when ey's out socializing with friends.
On the other hand, though, ey's extraordinarily goal-oriented, and it's difficult to push em off a goal once ey's gotten started. Ey can't multitask (yet) but ey does know how to be persistent, and how to follow through. Eir diligence and self-discipline is great for em, and ey thinks it's an amazing skill to have developed so young (ey has no shortage of ego, clearly). Eir dedication is inspired by a great love, though: starship dramas. Mommydaddy is quite a bit of a couch potato, and images of the Alternian heavens have always fascinated Dictys with their boundless potential. Ey also adores Troll Star Trek, having become enamored with its various iterations and the characters within each. Although ey hasn't finished any series in its entirety, ey certainly plans to, and in chronological order, to boot. Ey thinks it's really a shame that so much of the current cast passed during the Vast Glub; ey'd love to see it continued where it left off. But that's just more motivation for em to create starship stories emself. Ey's gone through several geographical schoolfeeding modules just to admire in depth the majesty of the Alternian empire and the foresight and valor of eir fine-finned forebears.
On the subject of media, Dictys doesn't limit eir consumption to starship dramas! Ey prefers works of fiction (or historical nonfiction, if ey can get eir fins on it) centering on life in the Alternian army, which is certain to be full of glory for any fine-finned troll such as emself. Ey's bored by underdog stories, but ey loves exciting tales of conquest and adventure. Ey doesn't get much time to truly appreciate these, though; eir passion for media that isn't centered around the galaxies beyond Alternia's atmosphere mainly exists in order to give em something to start conversations with. Mainly ey leaves them playing in the late mornings when young trolls should be getting to bed...
It’s hard for a troll of privilege to see any benefit from moving away from the system that provides that privilege – and, yeah, Dictys is pretty comfortable with the hemospectrum the way it is tonight. Ey was born to be a leader, as far as ey can tell, and ey’s cool (get it?) with that verdict. While ey does pay attention to blood colors between other seadwellers (ey treats those of higher blood with deference and respect, although ey doesn't seem to mind those of similar or lower hues of blood just yet), ey treats everytroll else like equals (although not relative to emself). They're very, very inferior equals, but they’re really all the same to em. This is a little grating at times, especially if ey’s addressing someone who’d ordinarily be considered a highblood. But it can be nice for other trolls - ey doesn’t go around mocking warmbloods for the shell of it. See, every landdweller is equally vital to the workings of a ship, and only trolls working in unity can recreate the glorious Alternian empire. Dictys knows this, from eir considerable experience watching dramas. So while ey certainly must hold emself above them (something ey occasionally fails to do, as a youngster, but will improve at as ey ages), ey needs to ensure that they all feel equally welcome aboard eir own ship. Besides, helmsmen are always warmblooded. Conversely, ey isn't sure how to react to lowbloods who seem to disrespect eir position. Ey's likely to ignore insubordination at first, closing eir eyes and repeating eir demands - but after the third try, ey's likely to snap. By...tattling, or asking for Mommydaddy's help. Ey'll probably develop some greater independence later on, though!
Due to eir social position, ey can also be quite spoiled. Ey has a lot of luxuries, including all of the latest technology (ey's a bit of a technophile, actually, if only because the best starships tend to be equipped with state of the art equipment - although ey isn't a mechanic or skilled at apiculture by any means, ey does love a sleek user interface), and tons of bling. Ey feeds well every night, and ey has far more opportunity to rub elbows with the empress than do landdwellers. Ey sleeps and lives in comfort, and ey tends not to realize that not every troll is provided for with the exact same amount of care. Ey steps past beggars on the streets of New Hemisect City with nary a backwards glance, and ey finds the concept of malnourishment strange. And thievery? Who needs to resort to that? Ey has a rather idealistic and simplified vision of the world due to eir sheltered upbringing.
Ey’s spent a lot of time dreaming about flying to the furthest reaches of the Empire and getting to conquer inferior alien species. Ey’ll bring glory to the empire, sure, but what’s most important is eir personal glory. Ey’d love to have a planet named after em someday, and ey’d love to have some sort of personal recognition as a troll who could do anything. Ey loves Alternian history schoolfeedings, and wants eir name to someday be on the top of the list of important Alternian generals. During travel time, ey tends to stargaze or moongaze. It's quite calming, and ey loves imagining traveling to all those once-conquered worlds (ey's not oblivious; the empire's shrunken a bit now that their army has) and reclaiming them in eir name. A star named after emself would be ideal.
And ey's sure ey'll be the proud owner of the sleekest, most aerodynamic ship in the fleet next to the Battleship Condescension some day. Ey wants it to move through the void of space even better than ey emself moves through water, with a helmsman who collaborates with em to turn and accelerate the ship to Dictys' on will. Ey'll do anything to get that.
Physically, ey's still a wiggler. More significantly, ey's a wiggler who was raised primarily in the depths of the ocean, and also underwater. Ey's a strong, graceful swimmer for eir age (compared, especially, to landdwellers - eir gait is only above average within the context of eir blood type), and eir every movement looks fluid and planned while ey's underwater (it helps that ey doesn't have to remember to breathe). Ey's quite a bit clumsier abovewater, though! Ey walks with a sealegged gait, and seems to stumble often, as ey isn't accustomed to holding eir feet flat on a ground. This slows Dictys' movement abovewater a little, but not so much that it becomes debilitating or that Dictys is often left behind. Ey does tend to look clumsy, however. Ey doesn't care too much, though - as a child, ey doesn't set much store in the concept of dignity, and trolls don't need to walk in zero-g, which is where they're all going to end up, right? Eir dexterity will probably improve some with age regardless.
Precocious and ambitious, Dictys is an often dangerous young troll. But ey's sure that eir ambitions of becoming a starship captain, conquering galaxies in Alternia's name, are amenable to the Condescension's own. Look out, Alternia - here ey comes!
Strengths: decisive - Probably the last descriptor you'd use for Dictys is wishy-washy. Ey might take time to think, sometimes (everyone does), but ey knows how to prioritize and ey definitely knows how to make a decision, and then to stick to it. Dictys tends to make eir decisions based on personal ambition and long-term goals, but is sometimes known to do things that only have a foreseeable short-term benefit. Ey seems to make a hobby of ordering and categorizing eir priorities, in order to best facilitate decision-making, and in order to ensure that it happens quickest. There simply isn't enough time in the night otherwise, so ey can’t help but want to know exactly what ey wants.
diligent - Shoot for the stars, Mommydaddy always tells em. With Alternian technology, there's no way you can miss. And honestly? Dictys is confident that, even with the fleet as small as it is, ey'll go far. But it helps that ey loves the pursuit of high ranks (because sure, ey knows that ey deserves honors and commendations and medals, but not every troll does), and that ey isn't afraid to work for it. Ey's enthusiastic about work, not only for its future benefits, but also for its own sake. Dictys' relentless pursuit of eir dreams (well - not quite dreams, because ey sleeps in a recuperacoon just like any proper troll, but ey's sure you understand the metaphor) is admirable. It keeps em determined to come out ahead of the pack, too, and that drive keeps em on eir toes. See, even at a young age, ey knows that other seadwellers want exactly the same sort of cushy positions that ey’s aiming for, once the fleet’s back in full working order. Ey’s driven to outwork them and outperform them, so that there will be no doubt as to who deserves command of the best ship on the fleet. Next to the Battleship Condescension, of course.
glib – For a seadweller, Dictys is surprisingly friendly. Ey always remembers to ask how someone is doing, and rarely forgets names. Ey reaches out to other trolls, even if eir motives are simply furthering eir own ambitions. And ey knows how to fill an awkward silence with talk, and how to shut up and listen when ey needs to get some important information. Ey functions well in conversation, being naturally eloquent, and rarely stumbles over eir words despite being rather young. And ey does have a genuine interest in knowing more about other trolls, if only for eir own perceived benefit. Ey isn't always interested in maintaining friendships, of course (you have to cut your losses somewhere), but ey's great at making them. Thus, while this friendliness may be merely superficial, it can certainly ingratiate Dictys to other trolls, which gets eir foot in the door.
mnemonist – There are plenty of fish in the ocean, and there are plenty of trolls on Alternia all vying desperately for the exact thing Dictys wants: rank. And, well, beetles, and glory, and to conquer planets and have them named after themselves, and to go down in Alternian history so that generations of wigglers to come will still whisper their names in awe. Dictys believes ey's especially suited to this due to eir incredible memory (especially of the visible and audible nature). While ey certainly can't claim to have an eidetic memory, ey also doesn't tend to need encoding strategies to remember things people have said to em with fairly exacting detail (but not verbatim, naturally), and ey often doesn't need to go through eir schoolfeeding texts more than a few times to have them memorized, at least for the time being. It's a talent that allows em to speed through life, and ey's pretty damned proud of it.
Flaws:
nosy - Ey's a highblood, and ey feels pretty goddamned entitled about all the perks that come with that lovely violet blood color. As a seadweller, ey should have the right to know everything about everyone. Ey likes to know things, after all. Dictys tends to poke eir fins into everybody's business, out of both curiosity and some warped desire to know everything about the lives of eir future subordinates (because that's what those other trolls are). Ey's not quite sure why other trolls are so bothered by it, either - invasion of privacy is a completely unfamiliar concept to em, since ey's perfectly willing to share all sorts of details about eir own personal life. For now, this is fairly limited to personal details - ey doesn't want to hear about political intrigue (traitors to the crown? Those couldn't possibly exist!) or whispers of revolution, but ey wants to know everything about the troll you just met. Ey'll tell you something super juicy in return!
impatient – Dictys wants to you to get things done, and ey wants them done now. Dictys is on the whole a pretty impatient troll – ey's quick, determined, and goal-oriented, so ey doesn't see why anyone else has to be any different. Eir impatience is especially relevant when it comes to material things (those shouldn't take awhile at all – come on) and tasks that need to be completed, since those clearly are easily completed. Ey's quick to lose eir temper with another troll, which won't necessarily result in a tantrum – but will result in more snide treatment of the other troll. It's generally not taken well, either, because ey seems to expect that things are completed at a speed only matched by drones who are trained not to be distracted. To be fair, ey does expect the same exacting standards of emself.
self-centered - Dictys' (admittedly large) interest in other trolls extends about as far as they can be useful to em, or at least potentially useful. Ey's friendly enough, sure, but there's something about conversations with Dictys that always circle back around to em. Em and eir future and your own proud role in it. Many trolls find the attitude off-putting, but it fits Dictys’ sort of focus and drive very well. Dictys has plans, and no one is about to ruin them. No one. Ey also tends to get bossy and insensitive because of this – for some reason, ey tends to assume that everyone else has the same focus as ey does, and should be working just as hard toward eir goal. This is rarely, if ever, the case with eir acquaintances. Despite that, ey believes that ey’s entitled to tell them what to do and how to do it. It's pretty annoying coming from such a little kid.
Dictys' egocentrism also manifests in the assumption that everyone has had an experience similar to eir own. Ey treats older trolls like equals, and certainly without the deference generally afforded to elders, and often mixes up pronouns - Mommydaddy has still never seen fit to teach em about Alternian gender differentiation, and ey finds it difficult to recognize Alternian gender performativity. Ey's rather obstinate on these points, although that may fade as ey becomes more integrated into Alternian society...
spoiled – Dictys is accustomed to getting exactly what ey wants. Eir purple blood opens doors for em, and is probably what lets em get away without settling on a gender within the binary. And as far as anyone can remember, ey has always squeezed around limitations by flaunting eir blood color or eir wealth. Ey likes luxuries and gold jewelry and having doors opened without eir asking for them to be opened, and ey probably wouldn’t be able to survive without them. Ey pretends to be self-sufficient, and so long as that only involves meeting new contacts and keeping up with schoolfeeding and exercise, ey’s perfectly fine. But ey can’t cook, or sew, or even clean. Ey has servants to perform all of those chores for em, and to a standard that ey will never be able to reproduce. Ey’s accustomed to all of those, too, and finds it difficult to dine or reside at an establishment that doesn’t meet eir rather exacting standards. What ey’ll do once ey’s aboard a starship that’ll have far more rations than it does gourmet fare (and far more uncultured militaristic brats , no one knows.
Weapon: Knifekind! Eir favorite knife is an injection knife that ey keeps hidden, but ey’s always got a few more on hand in case ey needs them. Ey doesn’t tend to use the actual injection abilities of eir knife, if only because it’s a pain getting it refilled, and ey doesn’t want to kill trolls who might otherwise be persuaded to help em. But it's a nice backup, and it's even nicer for hunting (although, really, ey doesn't need to do that much at all). At the moment, ey's working with throwing knives so that ey'll be able to attack from a greater distance, as well. As attractive as the idea of close combat is, ey really doesn't want to be vulnerable from a distance.
Appearance: WOW HOT BABBY ART DONE SO SUGOI (ami is the best QmQ)
I'm honestly not that picky about eir looks, other than apparent androgyny. I have a few requests, though -
This is eir beautiful hairstyle.
Eir horns should resemble eir symbol! O V O
Eir wardrobe is a mix of ~elegant and dapper~ and a little punk-y * v * ;; with tons of glorious jewelry in gold and bloodhue (a few earrings and some ridiculous gold thread braided through eir hair - you should look at em and think is this kid serious?); the actual articles of clothing are mainly BLACK AS SOLDIER'S SOUL with pops of bloodhue - not much in the way of grey to be found! Ey’s pretty slim, but obviously not starved; ey’ve got the lean build and aerodynamics of any great swimmer. Or at least – it’s on its way.
also hot runway fashion yes
[x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]
(I also really like the aesthetic of Na+H for eir wardrobe)
Home: LAKE (but OCEAN in child stage?) – Ey currently lives in Old Hemisect City, in a large amphibious mobile hive (or a submarine, as ey calls it - ey's an upper-class troll!), generally located in the pelagic zones but with the ability to move above the surface. It looks rather utilitarian in shape, and Dictys' single concession to flights of seadweller fancy (well, beyond the completely necessary oh troll gods violet gems and gilded accents) is a pair of retractable aerodynamic wings that allow it the ability to glide aboveground for a few meters at a time - something that looks cool, but isn't really practical for transport. As ey grows older, ey'll begin to migrate over to Four Fronds' lake.
Lusus: A sea swallow with strange extra leafy protrusions who Dictys calls Mommydaddy. Mommydaddy spends their time underwater, although generally in pelagic zones or those fewer than fifty feet from surface level. They have the size of a leafy sea dragon (a respectable twenty centimeters, which fits conveniently into a glass fishbowl that Dictys can carry when ey needs to get out of eir hive for whatever reason), however, and actually do have the ability to fly through air – it's just terrible for their scales; you know how it is (the ability does make for a nice surprise when Dictys is threatened by strangers, however, and they move quickly). Like Earth sea swallows, they're poisonous, and have both serrated teeth on their radula's blades and the ability to collect poison in their cerata – which can make up for their relatively small size! They're quite a couch potato, despite their abilities, and thus they encourage Dictys' obsession with media entertainment such as starship novels and trollvision series. They seem to love the idea of the Alternian empire and have clearly directed DIctys' schoolfeeding to glorify it - although it seems that their rather confused understanding of Alternian gender performativity affects Dictys, as well. They only want the best for their precious wiggler, though, and ey really deserves it, in their opinion.
