Name: Aerona Scrall
Aero -> relating to air & aviation; having a shape that reduces drag
Squall -> A sudden, violent gust of wind or localized storm
Blood colour: Blood Color: #ba2500 – red
Gender: female; she/her!
Symbol: Meteorology symbol for squall!
Personality:
If you’re looking for fiery fun, Aerona Scrall is your girl. Her athleticism and competitive energy take her to new heights in the mountaintops of Busthind, and even her lusus Sophitia has a tough time keeping up with her pace.
Aerona isn’t high energy, per se, but becomes very restless in the sparsely populated mountains. As a result of boredom and desire for activity, Aerona began climbing the mountains and racing to and fro. The hobby stuck, and since then she’s made it a game to run, jump and climb to her pump biscuit's content. Aerona loves the brisk air and the feeling of exercise and being free. Aerona is a thrillseeker by nature. Not only does she climb to the highest of heights just because she can, she’ll test her limits in other areas of her life as well. She has a rebellious streak towards breaking boundaries set by her lusus, and is drawn to dangerous scenarios to keep herself entertained.
Aerona hates to lose, and feeling as though she is less than any troll she interacts with. In regular games, competitions, and other rivalries Aerona goes all out, but only with the idea in mind to make her opponent lose rather than in an attempt to win. Some social interactions with Aerona can end up the same way - if she perceives an interaction as a debate, she'll try to shut it down. That being said, she is a sociable troll, and is generally upbeat. Establishing respect with Aerona will earn you a quick friend.
When she’s not playing on the cliffsides or getting into trouble, Aerona likes to spend time with Sophitia learning how to make hive and home in the cave. She has had to learn medicinal techniques due to the harsh climate and her frequent scrapes, and Sophitia is a skilled herbalist when she can get her little claws on supplies. Those pigment-supplying grubs and plants are something that Sophitia and Aerona use to dye goods that they create together in their own home, and treks across the land to receive them are common. Aerona enjoys identifying the shrubs and plants around the mountain, and carries a sketchbook with her to jot down notes and practice the identification of new specimens. Art allows her to keep her mind and hands busy, and while she’s not a particularly imaginative artist she enjoys capturing the Alternian landscapes and fauna around her. It staves off some of the isolation of the mountainside, to boot.
While unlikely on the cliffs of Busthind, high-energy social situations are likely to hype Aerona up in the same way that her exercise does. She is a gregarious extrovert, seeking out others and any parties or exciting exploits they may be putting on. When Aerona gets any chance to travel outside of Busthind, she takes it. While she loves her home, the city is thrilling and filled with troll-made mountains, sights and sounds, and of course plenty of food that beats the game of Busthind.
Ultimately, trips into the city and the looming presence of some of Alternia’s harshest Punishment Facilities in Busthind have exposed the redblood to the ways of the Alternian caste system. She began her life unknowing – her lusus tried to shield her from the inequality, seeing it fit that lowbloods had their place on the outskirts of society away from all of the hubbub and danger of the big cities. Sophitia's doting turned quickly into sheltering and turning her daughter into the "ideal lowblood", which Aerona responded poorly to. This immediately sparked questions from the precocious Aerona, and her budding curiousity and rebelliousness turned into questions about the caste system that Sophitia refused to answer. Aerona begged and pleaded to move to the village and visit the big cities and would act out until Sophitia folded. Finally, she got her wish, and soon realized the widespread truth of the caste system. Her frequent trips since then have allowed her to see the dangers of the status quo, and quickly her experiences have given her a deep-seated hatred for highbloods.
As a child, Aerona's drive to rebel comes from her emotionality. She's empathetic to those on her level and projects herself onto those less fortunate, even though she herself doesn't actively deal with oppression living in relative isolation. Even so, she considers her opportunities in life as perpetually less than any troll who is of higher blood than her, and that discrimination is enough to set her off (as simplified as that view is). A big part of her immaturity reveals itself in that she has a very specific idea of the injustice, and anyone who is accepting of it is in the wrong or isn't paying enough attention. Her intentions are honorable, but Aerona has seen that on Alternia, action and violence is the way to get results. In that way she is ironically following the path set by the victorious predecessors setting the quo on Alternia, but at this point in her life she sees this as the best (and most exciting) option.
Aerona’s disgust at highbloods leads her to interact with them rather uncharacteristically for a “well-behaved” lowblood. She is always testing her limits (which often don’t have her health’s best interest in mind), and isn't afraid to mouth off if she deems there to be a proper escape route. With her lifespan and station in life being the way it is, what’s the point of laying down if you can’t make a few royals uncomfortable? The last thing that Aerona wants to do is contribute to the cushy lifestyle that highbloods enjoy, and when she's rubbed the wrong way she can get needlessly malicious. Lighting cherry bombs under scuttlebuggies, dropping unsavory liquids on passersby from great heights, and being generally belligerent to those who she deems deserve it are how she vents her frustrations at the hemospectrum.
Aerona doesn't trust highbloods as far as she can throw them, and is quick to assume ulterior motives. She's not really interested in getting ahead by schmoozing but isn't outright cruel to trolls she meets. If a lowblood she trusts associates with a highblood she'll be wary, and will likely dismiss them in favor of the lowblood's ideas, for instance. Aerona refuses to allow any bleeding hearts or so-called “pacifistic” highbloods muddy her call for social upheaval. Aerona considers it impossible for the blood colors to coincide without a kind of social order separate from the time-honored tradition of fish-freaks screwing everyone over, and is unimpressed by calls for peace. She would rather the whole world suffer with the redbloods than listen to bluebloods rant about oppression they know nothing about.
Strengths:
- Bold: Aerona is not afraid to take chances. She won’t shy away from a challenge, and is a go-getter through and through. Her strategy is go big or go home, and her confidence allows her to tackle challenges that many trolls would normally shy away from. Her daredevil attitude translates to fearless action in all aspects of her life, whether it be scaling a mountain or sassing a highblood.
- Outgoing: Aerona is uninhibited and loves being the life of the party. Having a good time allows her to schmooze easily, and she knows how to defuse social situations when things get dicey. Aerona uses her social skills to gauge the atmosphere of the room, and manipulates it to her will by adding fuel to the fire or by cutting and running. She is able to make connections easily, and finds talking with others a comforting hobby. She is no shirk when it comes to making friends and important connections.
- Witty: Aerona is a skilled improviser, and is quick on her feet. When she’s on an expedition or free-running through Busthind, she can calculate her moves with dexterous grace. In a social situation, she is on top of any witticism that may come about. Aerona has a strong awareness of what to say and when to say it in a conversation, which usually means talking circles around her intellectual enemies because she can. Her tongue can get her in and out of trouble, but she’s never at a loss for words.
Flaws:
- Impulsive: Snap decisions are something that Aerona makes on a regular basis. She acts out frequently and tends not to think her plans through, relying on her quick wit to get her out of trouble. Generally, she prefers the quickest route to victory over a well thought out one, and her hastiness often leaves others in the dust. She isn’t afraid to leave her friends behind if they aren’t quick to follow with her spontaneity, and can be a flake when it comes to making plans and then breaking them.
- Spiteful: Aerona can be downright nasty to trolls she doesn’t like. She’d prefer to see everyone fail than for her enemies to have a victory, and is an active saboteur—even going so far as to sabotaging herself to make sure that no one can ride her coattails. Her desire to pull highbloods and other entitled trolls down to her level is a huge distraction for Aerona, and her pettiness can turn violent very easily, endangering herself and her associates.
- Shameless: There is no limit to the number of trolls Aerona will throw under the bus to get away from danger. Throwing others under the bus is necessary to her; she feels as though they have a better chance of getting out of trouble. She'll be less inclined to sell out other lowbloods (specifically those less fortunate than her) because of this. Aerona lives dangerously and outrageously at times, and is prepared to pay the price. She doesn’t have a great sense of self-preservation, but avoiding pain comes at the cost of others. Unless there is an obvious scapegoat, talking her way out of trouble is Aerona's first defense, followed by running, fighting, and then attempts to "cut deals" and the like -- which never ends well for a party involved. In a fight situation she’s not afraid to play dirty (and in fact, she’ll probably start the fight by playing dirty). As a result, her brazen attitude endangers her regularly. She gets a rush out of escaping by the skin of her teeth, but plays a deadly game in doing so.
Weapon: Sophitia’s thick exoskeleton has made her impervious to the various explosives Aerona lights off for fun. Firecrackers and flares are the start of it, but soon Aerona will grow into a fascination with larger explosives. As a teen she will use small incendiaries as traps and in direct combat.
Appearance: Her long bangs are pulled back and clipped to her head, causing a playful pouf between her horns. She often wears a beanie to warm her head in the cold climate. She currently wears her hair in two pigtail braids, with some loose strands curling around her cheeks. Aerona has athletic features gained from living on the mountain, and has a face filled with red freckles. She wears a high-collared athletic jacket and leggings with big old boots.
Home: Aerona grew up in the more isolated areas of Busthind Mountain, but currently lives in the village. She seeks adventure and doesn’t get much of it from the sparse town, so she frequently climbs the mountain and whatever she can. Her hive is located near the cliffside and has rocky interiors that Sophitia loves. It reminds her of a cave, and Aerona of one of those supervillain lairs. The hive gets incredibly cold during Busthind’s winters, and lacks many amenities for Aerona and her lusus to be truly comfortable, but it’s home.
Lusus: Sophitia is an incredibly pleasant lusus who makes a mean casserole. She is crustacean in nature, covered in a thick exoskeleton with facial features reminiscent of a shark. She stands upright on a segmented torso, and has two small arms with four claws each. Sophitia has six sharp, articulated legs like a crab that are directly under her body. Sophitia often wears little hand-knit clothes and accessories, as she is self-conscious about her appearance – particularly when she is molting!
Aerona has a very good relationship with her lusus. Sophitia is doting and responsible, and does the best she can given the situation of their caste. Early in Aerona’s life, the isolation of Busthind and the closeness with her lusus lead Aerona to live comfortably enough as Sophitia was the main provider of food and home. However, as she grew up and began to crave the contact of other trolls, the social divide on Alternia could no longer be avoided and Aerona became aware of their station in life. Sophitia’s subservience and pleasantries have started to cause friction with Aerona, who realizes more and more every night that she and her lusus are destined for the scraps of society. Aerona rebels against Sophitia’s obedience towards those of higher castes, and it angers her that she and her lusus are forced to bow down. Unfortunately, the subject is too overwhelming to discuss with Sophitia. She treads lightly around the subject with Sophitia, and will even concede to pleasantries with highbloods around her so as to not upset her. Her mother becomes distraught whenever Aerona is in danger, and is unpredictable when this occurs. She is a fierce predator, but dislikes revealing her protective nature around Aerona for the sake of presenting as a docile and amiable lowblood.
Power: Nope.
