Name: Guouli Pyrero
Guouli- GU "gula" meaning "gluttony", OULI for "scar"
Pyrero- Play on "Pyertos" which means "fever", with a dash of "ero" as a reference to the son of Aphrodite / love.
Blood colour: Blue- #00368C
Gender: Male
Symbol: The Venus symbol ♀
Personality: Guouli has had few issues in life, likely because of his blood status. He’s enjoyed the luxury of entitlement ever since he left the caverns, and it shows. He has an air about him with how he walks and talks that says I’ve got this. I’m in charge. He holds his head high with an upstanding posture, and there's a bounce to his step. He steers the conversation, and has no issue bulldozing over other’s topics if they’re boring him. If something strikes a chord with him, however, he can be enraptured and shut his trap for a bit. These topics usually have to be amazing stories of adventure or rumors of hidden mountain treasures or juicy gossip in general. Who can say no to some good drama?
Guo tends to smirk; he knows the world's his oyster, and he revels in it. He loves the power he holds over others from his natural privilege, and he sure does take advantage of it, especially to see others squirm. He gets a major kick out of seeing others helpless to fight back. And, of course, if they try to fight anyhow, he loves putting them back in line. Guo isn't afraid of using violence to get what he wants. What words can't solve, fists can. He really doesn’t care if he upsets other people, especially the lower castes.
The ‘little trolls’ are barely on his radar in general. They're lucky if he bothers with him at all when he could be keeping better company, according to his mindset. However, if they have similar interests to his or if he thinks they'll be useful to him somehow, he'll change his tune quick and come off as somewhat friendly for a bit. He knows the benefits of acting nice if it works in his favor.
If Guo ticks off trolls who are his blood color and beyond, though, he will make some effort to feign an apology if need be, but more often than not it’s a half-assed effort. He tends to come off like he's more annoyed that he has to deal with the process than feeling any regret for his actions. The threat of ramifications don't faze him too much because he doesn't believe they're a big deal. The idea of being imprisoned or tortured doesn't get to him because he has an uppity view that it can't be any worse than being snowed in for weeks on end or any more painful than the injuries he's gotten from living in the mountains.
For the most part, he treats the higher castes amiably like those of his own hue range. If they expect him to bow down or quail at their feet, though, he might start laughing. It’s true that he’s obligated to defer to them, but he doesn’t need to lick boots and he knows it.
Guo has a higher pain threshold from his rough and tumble outdoor adventures, but that doesn’t mean it’s at a ridiculous level; he's just so incapable of thinking beyond himself and his own experiences that he shrugs things off recklessly. Pain is a part of life anyway, and society has adapted so much to it. You could break his limbs or amputate them, sure, but he could always get them replaced. Realistically, though, deep burns, amputations, and broken limbs will make him as much of a wailing wreck as anyone else; he just isn’t willing to admit it.
He’s also not willing to let anyone know that there are things that do scare him deep into his core. One of the few things Guouli fears most is the possibility of losing people he actually likes hanging out with. It’s a very basic, primal fear he can’t escape. Considering that he’s a bit of an egotistical jerk and all, it's not so much an interpersonal attachment that he cherishes so much as it is general selfishness. Other people are like toys: they're for his amusement and enjoyment, and if they're yanked away from him, he'll flip. He also has issues with not having the upper hand or any form of sway; most of all, he wouldn't be able to handle falling from blood color-fueled grace. Because if he’s not on top, then what is he? He relies too heavily on his privilege to imagine life without it, and abhors the idea of not being able to kick anyone around. Despite his general attitude, Guo is just self-aware enough to feel lucky to be where he is and not have been born in a lesser castes.
Most importantly, he fears being cut off from society at large. This is why he apologizes to the higher-ups…but at the same time he refuses to believe he could land into bad enough trouble to bring this fear to the forefront. If there was an actual threat of losing all control, the smooth exterior would break and he would become a begging, blubbering mess.
When lowerblooded trolls show as much resolve as he does to stay in control, he fights back, and hard. But if he starts to lose, his uppity demeanor quickly crumbles and before long he’ll end up throwing a fit. Guo can’t stand humiliation in general. If he looks bad, he’ll lose some of his sway, and moments like that are not allowed in his book. During any unsteady, angry moment, he will lash out with more violence than ever, while probably crying too, and could even be pushed to go to extremes for the sake of his pride.
He doesn't handle despair very well either, and would be likely to curl up in a ball for a long time if the feelings weren't evened out by burning anger at the situation. Also, trying to make him feel guilty is like poking an animal with a stick. He would turn his ire at whoever was responsible for making him feel low, and redirect those negative feelings elsewhere. Internalize them for their next meeting. Then beat the hell out of them. He’s good at holding a grudge for the long-term.
Guouli spends a lot of time outside. He’s either exploring the area around his hive, and all the treacherous terrain that implies, or off somewhere else on Alternia. He tends to prefer the scenic parts of nature than bustling city crowds. Nature itself is cruel, yet beautiful, and he loves that aspect about the untamed wildernesses around many parts of the planet. Trolls are cruel, too, of course, but most are some form of predictable after a while. You can eventually figure out why trolls do certain things. Nature continues to be a deep, dark mystery, and he loves it for that very fact. He’d rather die from a hiking accident than by another troll’s hand, actually, because he respects the harsh planet they live on in comparison.
When he's not out getting hurt or running his mouth around others, Guo consumes a lot of visual media, namely movies and video games. His favorite film genres are, unsurprisingly, swashbuckling flicks (violence, adventure, and more violence! But like an artform! Yarrrr!) and horror. Guo absolutely loves his jump scares, guro, disturbing imagery, murder; all sorts of things that feed into his favorite topics of conversation! He loves suspense, too, but that kind of build-up is nothing compared to the adrenaline of stuff jumping up in your face! He's so into it. A little too into it.
He enjoys scary games just as much. Guo tends to find himself morbidly fascinated with the death cinematics than actually beating the games themselves. But, of course, to save face, he can't just let his characters be killed and never beat the games! Where are the bragging rights in that?
It’s hard to get him into books, though. Sometimes he could be convinced to read a novel, but only if it’s troll Stephen King levels of good scares. Otherwise he gets bored easily.
Speaking of suspense, Guo occasionally catches troll TV crime dramas, mainly ones that focus more on the twisted criminals than the trials. Because who cares about the repetitive due process of law? Booooring.
Strengths:
. Daring- Take risks! Get messy! That’s Guo’s approach. He’ll go out on a limb, even if others won’t. He loves adventure and trying new things, pushing himself to extremes just to see what he can do. Fortune favors the brace and all that. Guo will be the first to volunteer for risky jobs and treacherous adventures, showing that if the blueblood's not afraid, why should anyone else be? Lead by example!
. Sturdy- Running around a mountain builds up your tolerance for the elements, and by extension, spats with others. Guo is unwavering, able to take a lot. He’s stomped through snow storms, fallen from high up…and after all, whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. You can throw all sorts of things at him, but he'll tough through it.
. Exploitative- Carpe noctem, as they say. Where Guo sees any opportunity for personal gain, he’ll take it. Others might let morals or ethics hold them back, Guo will bypass without a second care, achieving more of his personal agenda by using what he’s got to the fullest. He gets more done by using all the resources at his disposal. Whether it's by using his blood color to his advantage, the environment, or his head, literally, he's got this. He's so totally got this.
Flaws:
. Inappropriate- He freely says stuff he shouldn’t without thinking. And often times he’ll be a jackass despite realizing that it’s not tactful. Or it’ll be even more reason to say it. He acts the way he wants to with very little concern for the effect it’ll have on others. After all, he thinks himself blameless or that the ramifications aren’t a big deal as long as he’s not committing any sort of big crime or anything.
. Detached- He doesn’t really see people as people. While he’s capable of expressing sympathy, it’s all superficial. Life feels less real than the media he consumes, so he doesn’t take as much stock in reality. He doesn’t have to, being entitled and all. But there are consequences to his actions sometimes, but he doesn’t care. Guo is either apathetic or challenges having to take responsibility because in the end it feels like it won’t matter anyhow one way or another.
. Addictive- When he falls for something, he falls hard. Guouli has an addictive personality where he’s either all in or couldn’t give a single s**t. Even if he seems to be vaguely interested in something at first, it’ll quickly escalate. He won’t stop talking about it or thinking about it until something else comes along that peaks his interests as much or more. And so his interests are specified, and he has little patience for what others want to talk about if they have nothing to do with what’s on his mind.
Weapon: Old-fashioned razor blade. So fancy!
Appearance: His hair sticks up in a weird spiky 'do that he tried to cut himself. He has short but sharp, hooked horns growing in. He has double-fangs, the inner fangs small while the outer ones are a bit longer. He currently wears a tee over a long-sleeved shirt, and wears a pair of sweat pants. Not only do they keep him warm, but they effectively hide his bumps and bruises until he decides to show them off. Like an unveiling or something. On his feet, he wears…a sock and flip-flop mix? What a DORK. No wonder he gets hurt all the time with footwear like that in the environment he lives in.
Home: Busthind Mountain- The perfect place for someone who likes action! Adventure! Taking terrible risks! What? Yeah, Guouli likes the challenge that comes from living in the mountains, as well as brag-worthy the scrapes and bumps he gets from being there. Check out this scar, isn't it neat? It means he’s toughening up to be a troll's troll! And there’s always a new challenge to seek out! Huge caves, tall peaks, bottomless chasms…so many dangerous opportunities, so little time!
His hive has been built into one of Busthind's smaller peaks (a la this set-up) and is full of movie posters, poorly-drawn fanart, and the occasional bloodstains from brushing past Hogdad. Guo's hive isn't the cleanest by any means, as he's too busy doing things to keep it in tip-top shape. There are grubby discs laying about, piles of clothes, general trash he hasn't bothered to pick up that Hogdad can't just eat instead...
You could say it's a bit of a pig-sty. But considering Guo doesn't really expect guests that often, it doesn't bother him much.
Lusus: Razorback hog- literally! His back is covered in natural spikes, kind of like a porcupine. He's poked his kid pretty often on accident. Poor bumbling Hogdad. He’s about the size of a smaller beanbag chair, snuffling around and constantly knocking things over. If nothing else, Guo can use him to help poke holes in tab-less cans.
When Guouli left the caverns, Hogdad picked the plucky troll as his charge, liking the energy and gusto Guo had at the end of the trials. At that point, Hogdad was somewhat excitable, and his own enthusiasm quickly hurt his new kid. Hogdad felt really bad over that, not liking to see Guo cry, and started distancing himself some physically so Guo wouldn’t get hurt. Instead, Guouli started racking up injuries from climbing the mountains and letting himself get into fights, but there has been little Hogdad can to do besides provide moral support when Guo cries. With such an inept parent, Guo has become rather self-reliant and even enjoys making his lusus fuss when he gets into danger. The upset squealing is hilarious.
Even if Hogdad cannot be cuddled properly, ridden, or even touched beyond his head and face, he is very protective of his charge and will not let anyone hurt Guo if he can help it. Because of this, Guo is willing to egg people on further if his lusus can get sic’d on them for Guouli’s sake. It gives him more freedom to say whatever he wants if there’s no real punishment for it. Sometimes, if he’s angry enough, Hogdad keeps Guo from running past him by catching Guo’s shirt in his mouth so Guo doesn’t get beat up by another party.
He tries, oh does this pig try.
Guo speaks in a MoSTLY CoNSISTENT MaNNER, OnLY DrOPPING HiS ToNE On A SyLLABLE OnCE In A WhILE.
