Meraki

Meraki Stars
he / him ☆ artist / student ☆ gay
CURRENTLY UNDERGOING REVAMP
belongs to radar, please don't steal!
Meraki 	Meraki
 	
Art By 	radar
Background Information	Background Information
Aliases 	mr. stars, sparkles, mars
Creator 	radar
Attribute 	fearlessness, optimism, imagination, hyperactivity
Element 	frosting, sunsets, oceans, bubble tea, clouds, glitter, paint
Animal 	cat, cockatoo
Color 	peach, aquamarine, cyan, pastel pink, grey
Song 	meraki • juan rios
Character Information 	Character Information
Age 	16 (hy)
Gender 	male
Orientation 	gay
Occupation 	painter, art nerd, high school student, weeb, basketball player
Tribe 	1/2 night, 1/4 sand, 1/4 rain
Residence 	rubedo
Relatives 	ilunga • mother, june • father, tesoro • older brother
Allies 	cayenne, tesoro, most dragons
Enemies 	june, bullies, creeps
Likes 	creativity, stuffed animals, reptiles, insects, spending time with friends, outdoor activities, anime, cartoons, manga, affection, climbing stuff, dirt, tesoro, cayenne, summer, warmth, plants, gardening, painting, cool art styles, basketball, animals, zoos & aquariums, the arcade, video games
Dislikes 	school, confrontation, loud noises, yelling, scoldings, june, college, loved ones getting hurt, boredom, clock ticking, the color grey, creeps, harassment, overstimulation, novels, wool sweaters
Powers 	skilled painter, creativity, athletic
Weapons 	teeth, paintbrush, basketball
Loves 	open, i suppose
Quote 	"it's amateur hour!"
Personality
revamping
Hyperactive, adventurous, fearless, curious, and very creative, Meraki is quite the handful. Unlike his best friend, Cayenne, who is very shy and reserved, the tribrid is very outgoing and talkative, being able to keep up a conversation well. Perhaps his most defining features are his incredibly big imagination and ever-flowing creativity and his hyperactivity. It's not hard to believe that Meraki is a creative individual, being able to have fun in seemingly the most mundane places. Though such creativity does come at the price of not being able to focus very well, getting lost in his own mind. This is especially prevalent when he's in class, made even worse by his hyperactive tendencies making it hard for him to sit still.
Meraki is, generally speaking, a kind and friendly individual with an unwavering adventurous spirit. Playing outside and exploring the neighborhood, whether it be the town itself or the forested area surrounding it, is one of Meraki's favorite hobbies.
*hyperactive, curious, creative, and adventurous. while a bit mischievous, he's overall a good kid whose very nice and friendly towards everyone he meets.
*loves playing outside and getting dirty. doesn't seem to mind all the cuts and bruises he gets from climbing, tripping, and falling off of things.
* brave kid who isn't afraid of most things.
*has trouble focusing on stuff he doesn't consider interesting, like schoolwork... or chores and often needs someone to help keep him focused.
*despite not being academically gifted, he's emotionally intelligent, clever, and street smart.
*is willing to help his friends out with stuff and will always comfort them when their down. especially cayenne.
*just lets himself in to his neighbors' houses because that's what he does all the time at his house.
* socially confident. can keep up conversation with most of the people he talks to. has more difficulty talking with adults and doesn't usually talk to random adult strangers.
**though he's very talkative with those he's familiar with and can talk on and on with them.
*extroverted and talkative. admirably confident in himself, but isn't cocky or egotistical.
*struggles to sit still or wait, especially in "boring" environments. does better when he's watching something visually simulating like cartoons or sports.
**often finds himself bouncing up and down or fidgeting with his talons or hoodie.
**also does these actions when excited or happy.
*hates burdening others and often feels guilty when he feels like dead weight to someone or is annoying them. tries to act independent, but that often fails and leads to him being even more miserable.
*when he gets "creativity shortages" he falls into a depressive state that can last weeks or even several months. in this state he's often unmotivated, sad and has a greatly reduced lack of enthusiasm. he can also act apathetic and snappy at times.
*very close with his family members and hates when something bad happens to them. wants to keep them close to him and make sure they're safe.
*a bit of a knucklehead.
*gets irritable and frustrated when dealing with hard problems (typically school-related) as well as when listening to loud or short, repetitive noises. this is in-part due to his heightened hearing.
*affectionate towards those close to him. will shower them in hugs and kisses if they're okay with it.
*loves playing in the woods, exploring the town he lives in, and playing outdoor sports. specifically likes playing basketball in his front driveway with friends. also loves hunting and catching animals like snakes and lizards. often goes bug-hunting with cayenne for fun.
*also enjoys rough-housing, but only ever does that with his brother.
*LOVES art and manga and can talk on and on about the history of anime and animation in general since it's something that interests him.
*whenever someone turns on an old cartoon or something, he'll geek out and often talk about stuff like the reasons behind character design changes or how the animation was done... y'know, stuff like that.
**also geeks out when watching basketball games and enjoys telling the nearing person to him about the inner workings of what's going on. only really knows this stuff because he plays basketball as a way to let out his excess energy.
*forgetful due to his hyperactivity and absentmindedness. tesoro, his brother, often had to remind him about things but due to his absence, meraki sometimes forgets to do things like brush his teeth, bring his backpack and/or schoolwork to school, or even that he's supposed to be walking with people.
*is uncomfortable around random, creepy strangers talking to him and generally avoids talking about his father since he was a terrible presence in his life.
*doesn't really like yelling since it hurts his ears and makes him uneasy. unnerved by confrontations and intimidation as well. can get small bursts of anxiety attacks when being yelled at or threatened, especially by strange adults.
** this fear is almost entirely because of june and his loud and threatening behavior towards him.
*HATES any over-stimulating environment including but not limited to loud parties, concerts and sports games (as in going to the stadium to watch them, not watching them on a tv). often when placed in these environments he gets sensory overloaded and breaks down. in the most extreme cases, he even faints.
*good at making friends, but doesn't usually hold many long-term relationships.
*loves insects and dirt and climbing stuff. thinks all the cuts and bruises he gets from falling off of stuff gives him character. can come off as a bit careless in that regard. wont cry over a scrapped knee but will instead laugh over it in a somewhat embarrassed manner and quickly pick himself back up again.
*not grossed out by animals of any kind, even those considered to be gross. gets excited when people find snakes or lizards or frogs... or anything really. WILL pick up any small animal he finds that isn't venomous or y'know... dangerous.
----
Naïve and starry-eyed, Pastel has a lot to learn, but never seems to put enough time into learning it. His head is almost always in the clouds and at times he seems to drift from reality entirely. Especially when a fantasy land of his own creation seems more appealing than a boring real world. When things aren't interesting, imagination takes him away, resting his mind in other worlds. Some would call him forgetful and oblivious, running by his own schedule rather than one set by others. This often gets him in trouble, for either not paying any attention in class or accidently skipping class entirely.
When things do catch Pastel's fancy he can come off as overenthusiastic, hyper, and eager to please. Though this behavior might catch most off-guard, as they're used to his airheadedness. He expressed his creativity through artwork and frequently paints brilliant pieces. Most of his skill lies in painting, but doodles are seen frequently. After all, doodling can prevent him from doing anything brash out of pure boredom. A way to keep his mind busy and imaginative from the boredom of class. With that said, Pastel is prone to doodling on his schoolwork which sometimes gets him into trouble.
Though it might seem like he'd be a chaotic individual, Pastel loves organization and usually organizes things alphabetically or by color. If someone were to mess up something he is organizing, he will organize it again until it's perfect in his eyes. The tribrid is very patient and kind to others, always seeing the best is just about everyone. Though this combined with his naivety can make him vulnerable. One of the many things that catches his interest is space. Just the mention of it makes him completely riled up and hyper. Occasionally he spews random space facts in the middle of class when frustrated. He can't help it sometimes.
Pastel sometimes can be a bit oblivious to the rules and has gotten into his fair share of trouble with the law for vandalism. Though he sees it as gifting the community with pretty murals and not a crime, it's really vandalizing private property. Some of murals still remain though, especially on the one he painted on the school and on the planetarium. Most of his paintings have something to do with space and anime, two things he's obsessed with bundled up in something else he's obsessed with. Even though he's been jailed once and spent countless hours doing community service, he still does it. Not with any malicious intent, he just enjoys painting things for others. People are just confused why he never asks for consent first.
The blooming artist has no shortage of kindness and he genuinely has a good heart. Very socially confident and outgoing, he can easily walk up to a new person he finds interesting and start up a conversation. Often he talks about anime, shipping, and space and goes off into space when the subjects start to get boring. He rarely regrets most of the decisions he's made, like dyeing his sail himself for example. The only things he regrets are the mean things he accidently said to others and all the people he unintentionally offended. Pastel can be a bit loose with his words sometimes, he talks so much that eventually something comes out that he doesn't actually mean.
Even if he doesn't like it, he has his flaws that he just has to accept about himself. He doesn't like being babied or feeling like he's weighing down others. Often does scolding him bring out the feeling that he's a burden to the person scolding him. Sometimes he puts more pressure on himself than necessary and he can be hard on himself, striving to be better when he doesn't even try. Any attempt he tries to focus on the boring subjects he falls back into old habits of drifting into imagination. Pastel tries not to get mad at others, or just mad in general and he controls his frustration and anger by diverting it with the endless wonders of space. While usually happy-go-lucky and positive, there are periods where he can barely keep himself together. During these times he isolates himself from society, barricading himself in his room.
He's full of self-doubt, especially when love is brought into the picture. Though he's a lover of shipping anime characters and pining away from them, a certain thought sits in the back of his mind. Is he worthy of being loved after all the people he's burdened and ruined? Such a thought only comes to the front during his sad periods, a certain feeling of hopelessness and dread of being seen. He contemplates every bad thing that has ever happened between him and another person and blames himself for it not working out even if it's not factually true. When there is nothing that can interest him, when his imagination can't be sparked, he feels chained to the bottom of the sea. He can spend hours staring at the ceiling of his room in an empty abyss listening to all his bad thoughts that simmer in the pit of his mind.
Appearance
Soft and warming on the eyes, Pastel's color palette ranges from light greys to pastel pinks and peaches to aquamarine and turquoise. His main scales are peach, with hints of pastel pinks at the tips of his ears and as blush on his cheeks. Pale pastel pink stripes go across the tip of the tribrid's ears and down the sides of his neck. It is to be noted that between each streak of this color on his ears, the rosier his main scales become. A rose pink heart is painted onto his right cheek where the "blush" is, with star-like scales sprinkling this area too. Across the top of his head and around is eyes is a pink-grey coloration that goes down his back as well. Pastel's horns are somewhat stubby and protrude straight out from his head. These are a gradient of pastel pink, with the tips and center of the horns being lighter than the rest. Small silver pink stars dot the horns.
A small ruff is seen underneath his ears, looking similar in appearance to that of small, feathered wings. It's pastel pink in color with stronger pastel pink patterns that were similar to that of clouds. Pastel's sail is large and showy, but only lasts until the end of his neck. It's similar in color to the scales on the top of his head and around his eyes, a pink-grey coloration. A hint of pink is seen near the end of the sail, remnants from when he dyed his sail pink. NightWing-like spines begin from then on, the same color as the sail. The small row of flat scales going down his back are the same as the colors around his eyes, much like the sail is. Light pink goes across his underbelly, with a hint of rose seeping in from below his chin to near the tip of wear his ruff droops down. This color isn't seen again on his underbelly.
Pastel's eyes are large and round, with bright aquamarine covering the top half of his eyes before fading into a sky blue at the bottom half of them. This same color palette is seen on his sweatshirt he is always seen wearing, in addition to the silver-blue stars on it, it too is aquamarine and blue. Though, admittedly, the aquamarine is much more prominent than the blue, with the blue seen on the edges of the shirt as well as faded in and out. The tribrid's wing membranes are much darker in contrast to the rest of him, being composed of dark purples and burnt peach. The dark purple covers most of the wings, dark blues and blacks also are seen fading in and out, burnt peach is mainly seen near the edges of his wings. Silver pinprick stars bejewel the undersides of his wings, producing a faint glow when in the dark.
His build is short, but well-built, layers of fat are seen on his cheeks, neck, legs, and underbelly. Pastel seems to slouch over a little bit from looking on his phone a lot. His canines can be seen even when he closes his mouth, they are slightly yellow due to the amount of time he's forgotten to brush his teeth.
Abilities
A seemingly endlessly creative mind is certainly a gift to admire. It's one of Meraki's greatest strengths along with his social confidence and climbing ability. Unfortunately his creativity has led to some problems with him focusing when in "boring" environments. He didn't inherit anything from his tribes, with all their powers being lost due to another tribe's genes. The only thing he really inherited from his tribes was slight night vision; it's not enough to really benefit him in any way. Meraki has also shown to have a heightened sense of hearing, which might be useful in some cases but mostly detrimental to him. Because of his sensitive ears, noises that are too loud or are too grating for him might cause headaches and frustration. To combat this, he sometimes wears ear plugs that he keeps with him at all times.
Fueled by his creativity, Meraki is a very talented artist, specializing mostly in paint and pencil sketches, though he's experimented with other mediums before. His imagination can only be rivaled by that of his knowledge on manga and cartoon production, it's quite impressive really. Though he often brings up this knowledge when no-one asks for it or when someone is quietly pondering how something was done in a cartoon. Meraki's athletic capabilities are quite good, even if room for improvement is still very much there. His throwing accuracy has also quite improved since he began playing basketball, though such skill begins going downhill the smaller the throwable item is. He's not allowed to play darts because of this.
History
*family was kind of happy before meraki came around. june was an electrician and ilunga worked as a saildresser (basically a hairdresser for dragons with sails. typically sandwings due to location and the fact that sandwing sails are sometimes actually hair).
*meraki wasn't what his father would consider "normal," and often found the dragonet's hyperactivity and general "abnormal behavior" to be irritating. would often berate meraki for "not acting normal."
*tension formed between the parents over meraki and a fear was instilled in the young dragonet, who often looked towards his older brother for protection. tes would often take his younger brother up to their room whenever he heard their parents fighting.
*didn't do that well in school from the very beginning. was a slow-learner and was often uninterested in the subjects he was learning. tes often helped him with schoolwork and helped meraki stay focused and engaged.
*parents got divorced before meraki even graduated from preschool, but things got better after june left, even if it was slow at first.
**meraki did blame himself for this occurring and felt that guilt weigh on him for a long time.
*did start being more expressive and social after june's departure. would often explore outside with tes and look for all sorts of cool animals.
Relationships
please roleplay beforehand
Tesoro Stars
Tesoro (commonly referred to as Tes) is Meraki's older brother and role model. The two brothers are very close with one another, something that hasn't wavered despite Tes's absence due to college. Meraki always enjoyed spending time with him and Tes would often accompany him on his many adventures. One part to keep his little brother out of trouble and another part to make sure he wouldn't get lost, something that was prone to happening to him in his younger years. The tribrid always admired his brother, considering him to be one of the smartest people in the world (only out-classed by their mother) because of his expansive knowledge on just about everything. He especially admires how much he knows about insects.
Oftentimes when Tes, Meraki, and their childhood friends Shimizu and Reese went out bug-hunting, he'd often eagerly show Tes any insect he caught that he didn't recognize. Bug-hunting was always one of the many things the brothers bonded over, with others being play-fighting, exploring the neighborhood, watching Saturday morning cartoons, and playing basketball together. Meraki sees Tes as a role model and has taken his advice about responsibility and such to heart, never forgetting the things he's taught him. Oftentimes it was Tes that helped Meraki remember things as well as help him with the homework he had trouble with. Since going away to a college in Pantala, Meraki misses him dearly and even has a calendar in his room that counts down the days until summer break.
Never forgot Tes's promise to always protect him from harm (that, at the time, being June) and will always think of him as his protector.
Very Positive
Ilunga Stars
Meraki is very close with his mother and while they don't interact as much as they used to, their relationship is nothing but positive. He's certainly learned a thing or two from her, like how to dye his sail, ways of calming himself down, and how to stay focused. Ilunga has been nothing but nice and patient with him throughout his entire life and, despite his hyperactive and forgetful tendencies, she's never yelled at him. He considers her to be the best mother in the world and he truly admires her patience with even the most stubborn and arrogant of people. Whenever she's feeling down, he always tries his best to make her feel better, which has a varied rate of success. It's safe to say he cares deeply for her, despite any arguments that may come between them or any difficulties either one puts on the other.
The tribrid enjoys the "games" she plays with him, which are often just chores in disguise, but she always does it in a way in which Meraki enjoys doing it. The two also sometimes watch anime together and while Ilunga doesn't seem to understand most of what is going on, Meraki is always there to explain it for her. Sometimes, during the weekends, she lets Meraki play at the sail salon she's the manager of. While he's not always fully into the work she does, he does like watching cartoons on the TV there and meeting all the nice customers who visit.
Very Positive
June
He's often referred to by the name Peiorare, since "it better describes him" according to his mother. For the little time his deadbeat father was in Meraki's life, he did nothing but make it miserable. He was irritable, impatient, and lazy and often got frustrated with Meraki because of his hyperactivity and short attention-span. He worsened not only the tribrid's mental health, but also Ilunga's and Tesoro's. Ilunga still hasn't quite recovered from when June left them and it still makes him really uncomfortable whenever he has to talk about him. More often than not, he tries to forget he even had a father, which has been made easier due to the fact that he's been completely erased from all pictures in the house.
Negative
Cayenne
Cayenne is Meraki's best friend that he made near the end of the school year. While shy, anxious and cautious, he's very kind and giving. He enjoys spending time with the hybrid and has introduced him to so many different things like anime and the woods near Meraki's house. The two met when Meraki noticed him watching all the other kids on the playground from the other side of a wire fence. At the time he was part of a nearby private school that didn't have a playground so there wasn't much he could've done to entertain himself. Intrigued by his odd uniform and general appearance, Meraki walked over to the fence and waved. To which Cayenne immediately ran off.
It took awhile for Cayenne to warm up to him, mostly due to finding his eager and confident demeanor overwhelming. But he eventually hesitantly agreed to meet up with him at the playground after both of them were out of school. That day kickstarted their entire friendship, one neither party will forget. Meraki enjoys spending time with him and his company has really helped in curbing his loneliness since his brother's departure. He also enjoys seeing all the plants Cayenne has been growing in his room and in his greenhouse, admiring his dedication and passion. Additionally, his interest in photography and sketching has really caught Meraki's interest and he enjoys looking at all the stuff he's been working on. Specifically his photo album and a plant identification book Cayenne has been both writing and illustrating.
Though the tribrid might not realize it, he's certainly helped Cayenne with his social anxiety and self-confidence deficiency. Even if he doesn't relate to the hybrid's struggles, Meraki is always there to comfort and listen to him vent when he needs to get something off his chest.
Very Positive
Shimizu
text
Positive
Reese
text
Positive
Polly
cayenne's caretaker whom he's fond of but doesn't really interact with past a simple hello. finds her to be kind and welcoming and appreciates her hospitality. also she's really good at cooking, something he compliments her on often. on some occasions, when cayenne is struggling with his mental health and has locked himself in his room, polly asks meraki if he can help the hybrid out or at least convince him to leave his room.
Positive / Neutral
Trivia
*moral alignment is lawful good.
*certified weirdo.
*peach is the best color.
*could build a house from the amount of stuffed animals he owns.
*loves popping bubble wrap and can often spend hours popping it. his mom often brings it to help him calm down.
*spacecore and animecore kid.
*doesn't have an eye for fashion, just puts on whatever he wants.
*was originally going to be an adopt, but i loved his design so much that is took him for myself.
* if random dragons were to ask meraki where he lived, he'd give them the location of a pizza restaurant that is down the block from his house. it was a trick his brother taught him.
*scared of geese.
*has a treehouse that he and his brother built together with some help from their mother and childhood friends. he's since turned it into his personal art studio.
*owns a box turtle that once belonged to tes, but due to his absence meraki has since taken care of it.
*originally was named pastel stars, but since i liked meraki better i scrapped his old name and changed it to the new one.
*takes some inspiration from the character clarence from the tv show of the same name and kel from the video game omori.
*zodiac is aries, having hatched on march 21st.
*the nickname mars was given to him by his mother because that was the planet he was born under (ilunga was into astrology at the time she gave it to him, but has since lost interest).
**because he was quite fond of this nickname, he's since made it his "gamer tag." basically whenever he goes to arcades or is writing his signature outside of official papers, he uses mars (or mar is a arcade only allows three characters).
*his hyper-fixation is manga / anime (specifically spectral catalyst).
Gallery
Pastel stars.png
Pastelstarswheatley.png|base by wheatley
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Geese are truly terrifying.png|storm
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:RainWings
Category:NightWings
Category:SandWings
Category:Hybrids
Category:LGBT+
Category:Work in Progress
Category:Content (Verglas the IceWing)
Category:Occupation (Artist)
Category:Occupation (Student)
Category:Occupation (Athlete)
Category:Dragonets