Name: Hemera Moachm
Hemera- Means "the sun"
Moachm- "Mo" from monochrome; ACHM is the shortened version of "Achromatopsia", literal colorblindness!
Blood colour: Teal- #1B8576
Gender: She/her
Symbol: Astrological symbol of the sun ☉
Personality: Hemera does her best to come off as mature for her age. She looks at things from an intellectual standpoint, preferring to talk about things deeper than, say, the weather as of late, or new pop singles. How about art history instead? Ancient fashion trends, maybe? To back this up, Mera spends a lot of time reading. She researches whatever she can, both out of curiosity and to just plain keep up appearances. She wants to look smart, so she has to be up to snuff, stuffing as much into her thinkpan as she can to impress others. Because of this, she’s full of fun facts. It’s great for trivia games!
She works so hard to know so much that she tends to assume she knows more than others on her well-researched subjects. Overall, Mera isn’t a huge fan of other trolls having the upper hand knowledge-wise; it makes her look like a fool, and the last thing she ever wants is humiliation. She refuses to be laughed at, seen as weak, or incapable. Growing up slightly different from everyone else because of her powers, all she wants is to be able to stand on her own by her intellect, which she had to work for, versus any possible edge her powers may give her.
Since her intellect can’t go to waste, Mera takes advantage of socializing whenever she can. She hopes that higher caste trolls will remember her later on and recommend her to superiors down the line; meanwhile, lower caste trolls are there to be pitied for their lot in life, listened to, and guided along if they’re going astray. The latter is the most important thing; mid and lowbloods will be freely coddled, and since she’s technically higher class than they are, she’ll know what’s good for them more than they might. If their lusus apparently hasn’t taught them better, someone has to step up to the plate before they cause a fuss or something!
Mera fits very comfortably in the hemospectrum, and she follows it to a T. She’s in a position to believe that since one can help the blood color they have, they shouldn’t let it keep them from being happy. After all, isn’t that what the rebellion is? Lowbloods letting their envy get in the way of their happiness? Of course it is. They just need a little push in the right direction, and someone to listen to their woes. With enough shoosh-papping and inspirational speeches, they’ll realize that it’s not as bad as it looks. If all these historical trolls rose to be great and help out the great empire, so can they! There’s opportunity for everyone!
That said, trolls shouldn’t be outright snubbed for their blood color, either. From violently entitled higher castes to the lowest of the low, everyone should be given a chance to get along. In group situations, Mera won’t let even the most aloof loner stay in a back corner. There’s room for everybody here! Your blood color might be lacking, as well as your attitude, but hey, everyone’s more than what they were born with. It’s most important to benefit the community over the self in whatever way possible! Always. Because if they don’t, everything will collapse, and how could you let society crumble into anarchy? Life is hard as it is, but it could only be worse without order! All published texts on the matter say so!
As dedicated as she is, she isn’t a manufactured robot. Just studying and meddling all the time is too taxing! Even this girl needs time to herself and unwind. Mera likes to spend her downtime watching troll TV, mostly things like Troll Law & Order and the many, many, many spin-offs (so much intrigue in so many flavors), Troll CSI...though Troll NCIS continues to be exciting with all the quadrant-hopping between two of the leads. When there are reruns on, she sometimes catches up on Sudoku and uses the shows as background noise. Mera honestly enjoys Troll NCIS, if only because the characters are always wonderfully quirky and engaging and the right kind of snarky. Troll CSI has good plots but the one-liners make her grimace oh-so-hard. And Law&Order…well, it’s just dull and stale. It’s so serious and angry, but it’s supposed to be so realistic that it might as well be training for her future, right? Life is not supposed to be all fun and games anyhow. At least the plots change some episode after episode because the actors sure can’t. It must be good to someone, though, if there’s so much of it on all the time. But for trolls like her, the harmless Sudoku was made to keep her thinkpan engaged if the TV can’t.
Every near-dawn, just before recuperacoon-time, Mera likes to end the night watching her fashion competition shows. Her favorite, hands down, is Troll Project Runway, where she can yell poor designs and judge picks...and revel in some of the out-there but amazing designs. You can cut throats in such high heels? Absolutely astounding. She also catches Troll Styled to Rock when she can, envying the high-bloods the competitors design for. When the designs are, you know, any good. Mera could talk about these shows forever, and is so critically loving about them that she actually would in mixed company. They’re not silly, like dolls, and just look like an interest. Anyone could watch these shows and not be super into fashion, so it’s okay, right? Right. Besides, it can only be more tasteful than Alternian sitcoms. Canned laughter can get so grating. And the humor is…well…best not dwell on imperfections, right?
Besides entertainment for its own sake, like a responsible young troll, Mera keeps her eyes on the news reports. It’s her duty as a troll’s troll to stay up-to-date with the times, and be able to jump into discussions on current events! Some of which can actually be pretty interesting. Like what happened in Chittentown? So much sympathy for the lowbloods and their drought, but taking down the culprit sounds amazing! This will go down in the history books for sure! One of many examples showing why working selfishly is never good nor worth it.
Hemera loves her shows so much that she’s stocked up on related toys, from crime drama action figures to brutally fashionable Barbees (every doll comes with a neat matching weapon!) Between such different genres, she tries to combine both worlds of fashion and justice, and make everyone look as good as possible while they do it! No one wears the same outfit for long, but the combinations can get...kind of repetitive. Alas, that's what happens with a limited budget and playing safe with palettes (that are of course also acceptable based on blood color.)
However, she keeps her toys in her respiteblock and would never let anyone know about them. Ever. Because only wigglers play with dolls. Let’s talk about the types of planets Alternia’s conquered in one of its many campaigns instead!
Honestly, dressing up her toys and thinking about looking nice, coming up with fashion concepts and all, as childish as it is, are some of the few things that Hemera whole-heartedly enjoys. While she can learn super interesting thing from books, she doesn't see reading so much as a pastime as much as it is training. A continuing necessity for her pride. There are all sorts of novels out there, but they don't seem like they would hold others in awe in Mera’s mind. And the crime dramas she watches...while full of great plot twists, feel more like she’s obligated to watch them more than anything else. Tealbloods are known for being civil service agents. Since Mera is one to fill a niche, she goes with the flow even if it's not what she's super into herself. She, too, is a cog in the system. The last thing she wants to do is let Alternia down for not applying herself to the role she was likely born for! Even if...she's not very interested. At least not compared to her closet hobbies, anyways.
Hemera's obsessed with research so she can speak with authority. She is, as far as those who make the rules are concerned, right, and that’s what matters. Holding some kind of power gives her more sway and make things go the way she wants them to.
At the same time, she follows that same logic in her own life, despite being hypocritical about other things, because there's a pressure on her own end that if she doesn't, she could become a problem herself if she toes out of line. As far as her lusus is concerned, if she doesn't become a respectable tealblood in a traditional tealblood role, it might as well be rebellion. Those who fight against the status quo hurt the community.
She spouts Royalist propaganda because it gives her unquestionable power, but at the same time, she's afraid of the repercussions if she doesn't put the community first in her own future plans. The last thing she wants is to be cast out, or worse, culled, for making the wrong move.
Strengths:
. Inclusive- Hemera will happily make friends with anyone and everyone no matter how they look, smell, or present themselves. No one should be locked out based on things they might not be able to help. Snobbery just makes you look like an a*****e, and she likes to think she’s better than that. And it gives her more opportunities to meddle with their affairs! Yay!
. Resolute- Mera walks with her head high and eyes on the prize. She holds all the resolve in the world. If there’s something she wants to get done, she’s going to get it by hook or by crook. That determination gets her through late mornings of studying, as well as reading about things that’s supposedly smart but seems boring as all get out to her. The life of a scholar is a tough one, so she has the nerves of steel to keep herself afloat.
. Thorough- There is no such thing as “just good enough” in Mera’s mind. Either it’s taken care of, or it isn’t. And if something needs to be done, she’ll make sure it’s done right. Not only to feel at ease about it herself, but it’s imperative to make sure others only have positive things to say, too. It isn’t perfect until there’s no room for negative feedback or criticism. From making concrete plans, to cleaning her hive, and of course, research, research, research, she ties up every loose end possible.
Flaws:
. Melodramatic- Everything is black and white. Good or bad. No in between. And if it’s bad, it’s a nightmare. Having to go out of her way to work with unexpected obstacles gets in the way of her other plans! It’s such a chore, and worse, messes with the order she’s set up! If something bad happens, you'll definitely hear about it. Endlessly. Because that mature facade can only stretch so far, until that breaking point. She’s still a child, and nowhere near above temper tantrums and making herself out to be the victim of whatever the terrible circumstance is.
. Controlling- Mera is a fusser. Things should go the way she wants them to, by god. It’s her way or the highway, because if it doesn’t, she just knows everything will spiral out of control. Nights will be ruined, feelings might get hurt... And then she’ll give you a very high-and-mighty “I told you so” after the chaos.
She fusses over making sure her plans go through, fusses over other trolls following through on her directions and advice, and will check up on others incessantly and let them know just how it just has to go the exact way she envisions.
. Formulaic- Hemera is deep-set in her ways and refuses to break away from them. With all these sources, how could she possibly go wrong? Because of this, Mera does not pull any punches. She will stick to the same sort of plan of action over and over because it's worked in the past for so many people, so it will work now. She relies so much on what's published that she abhors unconventional methods to conventional situations. If you like someone, look at an advice column and they'll surely be able to help you! Academic voices will always save the day, and if there aren't any, they just need to be found. Until then, she will sputter and flounder and refuse to believe the empire doesn't have a corner on the situation. Without an informed opinion, there's nothing. And having no safety net is risk. And that's terrifying.
Weapon: A boomerang! It always comes back, and circles around you like you’re the sun! So reliable.
Appearance: She has shoulder-length hair with sweeping, swooshy ram horns poking out of it. Her teeth actually seem rather...flat...for a troll. Mera stands at an average height. She wears almost all the time since she's near-sighted. She tends to clothe herself in overalls with a large pouch sewn on the front, perfect for carrying a book with her or sandwiches for when she’s out for a while. It’s very functional, and super cute! When climbing around the mountains, she wears matching booties and a fluffy jacket. Indoors, however, she goes barefoot as often as possible. She just loves feeling the different kinds of floors she installed under her feet, and isn't about to let that go to waste.
Home: Busthind Mountain- While there were many more luxurious options available to Hemera, like Four Fronds or Civisect, she wasn’t interested in the quick and easy route. What’s there to brag about? Highbloods won’t be impressed and lowbloods might just show ugly envy. Living in Busthind, she can boast about toughing it out on the mountains and the adventurous treks it takes to get to the library and back. Living here, she'll have her own stories to tell on top of being a general intellectual. It’s a perilous place, but there are guides and common sense to living in treacherous conditions. It’s also nice to be able to practice her ability and not stick out like a sore thumb. Who would want to be a walking block of ice in the city or in a tourist trap? That would just garner too much attention as far as she’s concerned. Attention for something not her great book-smarts, anyhow.
Living in Busthind can be lonely sometimes, but fortunately she has plenty of books to keep her company during those low days, if not her television. And, if she gets major cabin fever, she can climb down to the train station.
The hive itself is tall and sturdy, with three floors. There is one major room per floor. The rooms go from top to bottom, vertically, through an interior ladder system. The uppermost floor is the living room, where Mera watches TV comfortably, the middle floor is her library, and the bottom is her respiteblock. Her lusus has a nest room situated on the other side of her respiteblock, and has his own chute full of perches to get up and down the floors without getting any of his waxy mess all over Mera’s hive. She gets into and out of her hive via a trap door on the roof of the hive, and of course there's a ladder on the side to get to and from the door to begin with. The hive was build this way to withstand getting snowed in during blizzards and avoid the effects of flooding and mudslides by only having one way in at the very top, high above the water line.
The interior design is very much like a mountain cabin, comfortable and warm. Unsurprisingly, she keeps it spick and span.
Lusus: Hemera’s guardian is an average-sized peacock with waxy, drippy wings who refuses to be called anything besides "Pagoni". Not even “dad” is okay with him. The pretty bird is rather conceited. First impressions and appearances come first and foremost in his eyes. Pagoni doesn’t want his little sweetie to mix about with riff raff or anyone who will set her off-course, so they butt heads pretty often. Few things can mess with Hemera’s plans like her own lusus can, she she’s always trying to talk him down before he starts getting huffy. He’s also a bit anxious about melting in the sun, which Hemera constantly has to reassure him is basically impossible. Despite being a right pain in the neck, the peacock does care about his charge’s safety comfort...and steadfastly believes she’ll be most comfortable if she’s a happy little part of the hemospectrum and never thinks otherwise. Pagoni has taken many steps to ensure that any attempts to think outside of the box are immediately shot down, either through passive-aggression or gentle chiding laced with the occasional subtle threat. Like her love of clothes is cute and all, but working for the law would be much more beneficial for everyone. You wouldn’t want to cripple the system by putting your silly little hobby before Alternia’s needs!
Pagoni also needles her about her abilities because great power comes great responsibility or something. He says he doesn’t want her to abuse her gifts or think she’s hot stuff because of it. Having an edge only means so much, and there will always be others who can snuff you out anyways. And getting their attention to begin with is terrible! So he tempers her further to the point that being any sort of different is annoying considering that others probably don’t have to deal with this kind of fuss.
Since the bird henpecks her so often, Mera prefers to get away from him whenever she can. Unfortunately, he follows her everywhere and fusses, fusses, fusses. And drips wax everywhere. It's embarrassing. He’s embarrassing.
Hemera doesn't realize the irony in this and just wishes to get away from being so smothered all the time. What is she, a wiggler or something?
Power: Elemental skin- ice. Defensive Style B power.
Mera has the ability to form icy armor over her skin via freezing the moisture around it. It is a tough second hide that can take on harsh attacks. However, once it cracks from impact, it doesn’t take much beyond that to shatter entirely. In colder climates, it’s easier for her to freeze up some and can slip into it from emotional responses, but it takes lots of focus and willpower to create a thick, protective hide.
