God I fucking love Feferi

Feferi Peixes is an unusually striking member of the troll species, possessing the unmistakable physical traits of a highblood while simultaneously carrying herself with an almost aggressively cheerful warmth that makes her difficult to mistake for the cold, intimidating aristocrats normally associated with the upper end of Alternian society. She is a sea-dwelling troll, and virtually every aspect of her appearance reflects that heritage. Her body is built for an aquatic environment, her head bears distinctive fin-like protrusions, her clothing is filled with bright marine colors, and her entire visual presentation combines the imagery of an underwater princess with the exuberant personality of someone who would rather greet a dangerous sea monster than run away from it.

The most immediately noticeable feature of Feferi's appearance is her size and exceptionally soft, heavy build. In this interpretation, Feferi is distinctly fat, with a broad, rounded body that gives her a considerably more imposing silhouette than the slimmer depictions of her usually suggest. Her weight is distributed throughout her body rather than concentrated in one particular area. Her torso is wide and substantial, her stomach forms a prominent rounded curve, her hips are broad, her thighs are thick, and her arms and shoulders have a soft heaviness of their own. Her overall silhouette resembles a large, comfortable, rounded figure rather than the narrow humanoid proportions common among many of the other trolls.

Her size does not make her appear weak. Quite the opposite. Feferi's body possesses a peculiar combination of softness and physical power. She looks plush and rounded at first glance, but beneath that softness is the strength expected from someone capable of dragging an enormous lusus through the water and propelling herself through the ocean with considerable force. Her physicality is therefore deceptive. Someone unfamiliar with her might assume that her large body makes her slow or helpless, only to discover that Feferi can move with startling determination when she actually puts effort into something.

Her fatness is simply part of her physical identity. Feferi does not constantly worry about it, apologize for it, or treat it as something that needs to be hidden. She has the same basic attitude toward her body that she has toward nearly everything else: if it exists, then there is probably something wonderful about it. Her large stomach, wide hips, thick limbs, rounded cheeks, and substantial frame all contribute to the distinctive visual impression she gives off. Rather than appearing delicate like a conventional princess, Feferi resembles a gigantic, cheerful underwater noblewoman who could simultaneously host a banquet, wrestle a sea creature, and spend the afternoon taking care of injured animals.

Her skin is the characteristic pale gray associated with trolls, though the lighting in different depictions can make it appear somewhat lighter or darker. Against the vivid colors of her clothing and accessories, her gray complexion creates a particularly strong contrast. The neutral tone of her skin allows her jewelry, clothing, glasses, and other accessories to dominate her visual presentation.

Feferi's face is round and expressive. Her cheeks have a naturally full appearance, especially when she smiles, laughs, puffs her cheeks out in excitement, or becomes dramatically indignant. Her facial expressions are rarely subtle. Feferi is the sort of person whose emotions immediately become visible in her face. When she is happy, her entire expression seems to brighten. When she becomes curious, her eyes widen and her eyebrows rise. When she is confused, her expression can become almost comically blank before rapidly transforming into an exaggerated look of realization.

Her eyes are yellow, matching the distinctive troll aesthetic while also complementing her bright accessories. They are especially expressive because Feferi's personality causes her to use them constantly while communicating. She can look delighted, suspicious, confused, fascinated, horrified, amused, or intensely focused without needing to say anything. Her eyes frequently become enormous when something catches her attention.

Feferi's hair is thick, extremely dark, and voluminous. It falls around her head in a mass of black waves, curls, and large, somewhat unruly shapes. Rather than having perfectly controlled aristocratic hair, hers has an energetic quality that fits her personality. It looks as though it could become increasingly wild the more excited she becomes.

The darkness of her hair also emphasizes her horns. Feferi's horns emerge prominently from the top of her head, with a curved shape reminiscent of the horns seen on other trolls but possessing their own distinctive proportions. They are primarily yellow with warmer orange coloration toward their lower portions, creating a gradient that makes them appear almost like polished pieces of amber or coral.

Her horns are particularly noticeable because Feferi's hair surrounds them, making them look almost like a pair of golden ornaments naturally incorporated into her hairstyle. They contribute strongly to her appearance as a highblood. Even without her clothing, jewelry, or title, the horns would immediately identify her as a troll of considerable social importance.

Along the sides of Feferi's head are fin-like protrusions, one of the clearest indications of her aquatic heritage. These structures resemble broad fins or frills and give the sides of her head a silhouette that is distinctly different from that of land-dwelling trolls. They are soft-looking in appearance but still structurally suited to her aquatic biology. When she swims, these fins help reinforce the impression that Feferi is something between a troll and a marine creature.

Her goggles are another defining part of her appearance. They are bright fuchsia or hot pink, with a large, rounded design that covers much of the area around her eyes. The goggles are not merely practical equipment. Feferi wears them as part of her personal aesthetic, and their vivid color complements the rest of her wardrobe.

The goggles also reinforce her identity as an aquatic troll. They make sense for someone who spends significant amounts of time underwater, where vision can be affected by depth, pressure, and water conditions. At the same time, their oversized shape contributes to her playful appearance. They look less like severe military equipment and more like something an enthusiastic aquatic princess would wear while preparing for another adventure.

Feferi's clothing is colorful and intentionally flamboyant. She has little interest in dressing conservatively merely because she happens to occupy an aristocratic position. Gold, pink, green, cyan, blue, and purple all appear throughout her wardrobe, creating an almost tropical reef-like palette.

Her clothing often includes bright green and cyan elements that emphasize her association with the ocean. These colors contrast beautifully against her gray skin and black hair. Pink and purple accessories provide warmer accents, while gold jewelry and her horns reinforce her royal status.

One of the most recognizable aspects of her clothing is the multicolored skirt associated with her classic design. Rather than being plain or understated, it uses bright colors reminiscent of tropical fish, coral reefs, and underwater vegetation. The skirt contributes to the impression that Feferi dresses according to what makes her happy rather than what would make her look intimidating.

Her jewelry is similarly colorful. Gold bracelets, bright ornaments, and other accessories appear throughout her wardrobe. These pieces reflect her enormous social status. Feferi is not merely another troll with access to expensive objects; she is the heir apparent to the title of Empress, meaning that her clothing carries the visual weight of someone raised within the highest level of Alternian society.

Yet she does not look particularly formal.

That contradiction is essential to her appearance.

Feferi possesses the clothing and accessories of royalty, but she wears them with the energy of someone who might abandon a formal ceremony because she noticed an interesting fish outside the window. Her wardrobe communicates nobility while her posture and expressions communicate enthusiasm.

Her body language is similarly expressive. Feferi tends to occupy space confidently. Her large frame gives her movements a noticeable physical presence, but she rarely attempts to make herself smaller. When she gestures, she tends to use her entire arm. When she points at something exciting, the motion can be dramatic. When she laughs, her shoulders shake and her entire body seems to participate.

When seated, her broad body naturally settles into whatever furniture she is using, making her appear comfortable and relaxed. She tends to prefer large chairs, couches, cushions, and aquatic platforms that allow her to spread out without feeling restricted. A cramped environment can make her visibly uncomfortable, although she usually treats the inconvenience as amusing rather than becoming genuinely angry.

When standing, Feferi's height and width combine to create a surprisingly imposing silhouette. She can look almost intimidating if she becomes completely still. Her large body, horns, fins, dark hair, and highblood status make her visually formidable. However, the effect usually disappears the moment she smiles.

Her smile is one of her most recognizable features.

Feferi smiles frequently, enthusiastically, and without much reservation. Her smile can be enormous when she becomes excited, revealing her troll teeth and giving her an almost shark-like quality. Rather than making her look frightening, however, the expression usually makes her look mischievous and delighted.

Her teeth are especially visible when she laughs. Feferi's laughter is energetic and contagious. She tends not to restrain herself when something genuinely amuses her. If she finds something hilarious, she laughs loudly. If she is extremely excited, her voice can become dramatically louder and more animated.

The second image's exaggerated depiction of Feferi emphasizes this aspect of her design by presenting her as extraordinarily large and rounded, almost comically so. The visual exaggeration works because Feferi's canon personality already lends itself to exaggerated emotional expression. A larger, softer version of her therefore does not need to become a different character. Her enthusiasm simply becomes attached to a more substantial physical presence.

Her size also creates an interesting contrast with her incredible strength.

Feferi is not a delicate princess who requires someone else to carry her through danger. She is a physically capable sea-dweller whose strength is easy to underestimate. Her large body gives her considerable momentum in water, and she possesses the stamina necessary to swim for extended periods. She can move her substantial frame through the ocean with surprising grace.

Underwater, she becomes much more graceful than she initially appears on land. Water supports much of her weight, allowing her to move in broad, powerful strokes. Her fins assist her navigation while her strong limbs provide propulsion. Her large body becomes less of an obstacle and more of an advantage, giving her considerable buoyancy and stability.

Her swimming style is energetic rather than elegant.

Feferi does not glide like a perfectly trained royal swimmer. She kicks, twists, laughs, dives, resurfaces, changes direction, and frequently gets distracted. She may begin swimming toward a specific destination and suddenly veer toward something interesting because she saw an unfamiliar creature.

She is especially fascinated by marine life.

Her appearance as an aquatic troll is therefore inseparable from her interest in animals. She frequently carries small grooming tools, feeding containers, medical supplies, or other objects intended for creatures under her care. Her palace is not merely a royal residence. It is effectively a massive underwater sanctuary filled with creatures she has decided need her assistance.

Some of those creatures absolutely do not need her assistance.

Feferi knows this.

That does not stop her.

Her fascination with animals influences her appearance as well. She likes accessories that resemble shells, coral, pearls, fish, waves, and other marine imagery. Her personal spaces tend to contain colorful objects, unusual specimens, aquatic plants, and decorations gathered from across the ocean.

Her royal palace follows the same philosophy.

The lower portion of her hive resembles a giant conch shell, producing a grand silhouette that immediately communicates both royalty and marine biology. The structure is enormous, ornate, and unmistakably aquatic. Curving architecture, smooth surfaces, shell-like structures, underwater gardens, and chambers designed for aquatic creatures make the palace feel less like a traditional castle and more like a fantastical reef transformed into a royal residence.

Inside, Feferi's large size is accommodated rather than treated as a problem. Hallways are spacious. Seating is broad. Pools are deep and extensive. Doors are large enough to accommodate her comfortably. Her rooms contain enormous cushions and aquatic platforms where she can relax.

She likes soft things.

This is another detail that suits the visual interpretation of her character. Feferi enjoys cushions, blankets, plush objects, oversized pillows, soft aquatic plants, and anything else that feels comfortable. Her quarters are therefore unlikely to look austere or intimidating.

Instead, they look lived in.

There may be royal objects worth unimaginable amounts of money sitting next to something Feferi picked up because she thought it was cute.

She has little understanding of why anyone would want to separate those things.

To Feferi, a priceless royal ornament and a funny-shaped shell can both be treasures.

Her appearance therefore becomes a physical representation of her worldview: enormous, colorful, enthusiastic, aquatic, aristocratic, soft, energetic, and completely unconcerned with being understated.

She is a princess who looks like she belongs in a coral palace, surrounded by fish, wearing enormous goggles, brightly colored jewelry, and a grin that suggests she has just discovered something extremely exciting.

And beneath all of it is an undeniable physical strength.

Feferi can be soft without being weak.

She can be large without being sluggish.

She can be royal without being cold.

She can be powerful without being cruel.

That combination defines her.

Part Two — Personality

Feferi's personality is dominated by one quality above nearly everything else: enthusiasm.

She gets excited incredibly easily.

A strange animal? Exciting.

A new friendship? Extremely exciting.

A mysterious noise underwater? Probably exciting.

A gigantic monster emerging from an abyss? Potentially exciting.

A new snack? Extremely exciting.

A fascinating shell? Absolutely worth investigating.

A prophecy about the future? EXCITING.

Someone suggesting that the prophecy may have an unpleasant interpretation? Still exciting, although possibly followed by confusion.

Feferi's enthusiasm is so intense that it can become almost overwhelming to people who are less energetic than she is. She speaks with animation, gestures constantly, and frequently jumps from one topic to another because her mind is moving faster than her ability to organize it.

She is not naturally pessimistic.

In fact, pessimism is something she has to consciously understand.

When someone tells Feferi that something will probably fail, her immediate response is often to ask why.

Not angrily.

Curiously.

She genuinely wants to know.

If someone says, "That won't work," Feferi is likely to respond with something along the lines of, "Why not?! Maybe we just need to try it differently!"

This makes her incredibly persistent.

Feferi's optimism can be inspiring, but it can also be naive.

She believes that problems can be solved through kindness, cooperation, communication, and a willingness to understand one another. Those ideas are admirable, but Alternia is not a society designed around them.

Feferi knows that her society is cruel.

She simply believes it does not have to remain that way.

Her desire to redefine "culling" as caring for the unfit and infirm is perhaps the clearest example of her personality. She looks at a brutal institution and thinks the problem is partly the meaning attached to the word. If she can change the concept, perhaps she can change the behavior.

It is a very Feferi solution.

She does not begin with revolution.

She begins with compassion.

She wants to take creatures that are considered weak, unwanted, useless, or inconvenient and demonstrate that they still deserve care.

Her enormous collection of aquatic animals is the physical manifestation of this philosophy.

She captures creatures.

She feeds them.

She grooms them.

She gives them names.

She builds environments for them.

She worries about them.

She talks to them.

She celebrates their accomplishments.

And then she occasionally realizes that they were perfectly capable of surviving without her.

This realization does not necessarily discourage her.

Instead, she laughs.

She knows her efforts are sometimes pointless.

She simply enjoys helping.

Feferi has a strong nurturing instinct, but it is not always particularly practical. She can become so enthusiastic about caring for something that she fails to consider whether the thing actually wants or needs her intervention.

This is one of her most amusing flaws.

If she finds a creature sitting quietly by itself, Feferi may immediately assume that it is lonely.

If she sees a creature eating normally, she may decide it needs a better diet.

If an animal looks tired, she may immediately begin planning an elaborate sleeping area.

If someone tells her the animal is fine, she may stare at them for several seconds before replying that "fine" is not the same thing as "pampered."

Her intentions are almost always good.

Her judgment is not always perfect.

Feferi's kindness also extends to people.

She does not naturally judge others according to their blood color.

Her position at the top of the hemospectrum could have made her arrogant, but she does not behave like the typical highblood aristocrat. She does not believe that lower-status trolls are inherently inferior.

If anything, she finds the entire idea rather strange.

To Feferi, blood color is a social circumstance rather than a measurement of someone's worth.

She can understand why Alternian society treats it as important, but understanding something does not mean agreeing with it.

She wants a society in which people can interact without constantly worrying about whether another troll is above or below them.

This makes her a radical reformist.

Her reformist beliefs are not usually expressed through elaborate political speeches.

Instead, they appear through everyday behavior.

She helps people.

She talks to people.

She befriends people.

She gives attention to people who are normally ignored.

She treats animals considered disposable as living beings.

She tries to make people laugh.

She believes that if enough people experience kindness, eventually they will begin treating others kindly themselves.

It is idealistic.

Sometimes painfully so.

But Feferi genuinely believes it.

Her optimism also gives her an unusual fearlessness.

Feferi does not frighten easily.

Even when confronted with things that terrify other trolls, she may remain surprisingly calm.

Her experience with her monstrous lusus has helped enormously with this.

She grew up around something enormous, dangerous, and frightening.

Instead of learning that monsters should always be feared, she learned that monsters can sometimes be understood.

That lesson shapes her approach to nearly everything.

When someone encounters something horrifying, Feferi's first instinct is often not to attack.

It is to ask questions.

"What does it want?"

"Is it hungry?"

"Is it hurt?"

"Does it have a family?"

"Maybe we should talk to it."

This attitude can be extraordinarily dangerous.

Feferi is not fearless because she understands every danger.

She is fearless because she sometimes does not recognize danger quickly enough.

That distinction is important.

She is brave, but she is also naive.

She can walk directly toward something terrifying because she genuinely believes that there must be something good about it.

Sometimes she is right.

Sometimes she is spectacularly wrong.

Either way, she rarely loses her optimism permanently.

Feferi's emotional intensity also means that her mood can change rapidly.

She can go from laughing to irritated in seconds.

Most of the time, her anger is not cruel.

It is explosive frustration.

When someone repeatedly behaves badly, Feferi can become extremely direct.

She may begin with cheerful explanations.

Then increasingly firm explanations.

Then a warning.

Then an irritated declaration that she has already explained this three times.

When dealing with someone she knows particularly well, her patience can disappear even faster.

Her relationship with Eridan is a good example.

Feferi can be surprisingly condescending toward him.

Her usual kindness does not mean she blindly approves of everything her friends do. When she believes someone is being ridiculous, she can tell them so.

She can tease.

She can mock.

She can be sarcastic.

She can even be rude.

The difference is that her cruelty is generally reactive rather than ideological.

Feferi does not enjoy hurting people merely because they are beneath her.

If she becomes rude, it is usually because she has become frustrated with someone who refuses to listen.

Her teasing can also be affectionate.

Feferi enjoys playful pranks, especially when she believes the target will appreciate them.

She understands that not every friendship needs to be solemn.

Sometimes the funniest thing she can do is intentionally confuse someone.

Sometimes she will pretend to misunderstand something.

Sometimes she will dramatically exaggerate a situation simply to see someone's reaction.

Her humor is energetic and occasionally absurd.

She loves making people laugh.

She also loves being the center of attention, although not necessarily because she wants admiration.

Feferi simply enjoys shared excitement.

If she discovers something fascinating, she wants everyone else to be fascinated too.

If she is happy, she wants her friends to be happy.

If she discovers a beautiful creature, she immediately wants to show everyone.

If she finds a funny object, she wants everyone to see it.

Her enthusiasm is communal.

That is one of her strongest qualities.

She does not want to enjoy the world alone.

She wants everyone else to experience it with her.

Her personality therefore works especially well around quieter people.

She can fill silence effortlessly.

Someone who does not know what to say may find Feferi talking enthusiastically about marine animals for twenty minutes.

Someone who is sad may find her sitting beside them and attempting to make them smile.

Someone who is lonely may suddenly discover that Feferi has invited them into an enormous group activity involving several animals, a pile of snacks, and a questionable amount of glitter.

Feferi is not necessarily the best at subtle emotional support.

She is better at active support.

She wants to do something.

If someone is upset, she may bring them food.

If someone is injured, she will find medical supplies.

If someone is lonely, she will invite them somewhere.

If someone is scared, she will stay with them.

If someone is angry, she will listen until she understands why.

Her physical size contributes to the comforting impression she can create.

Despite being intimidating at first glance, Feferi has a naturally warm presence. Her broad, soft frame, large smile, expressive eyes, and tendency to surround herself with cushions and colorful objects make her feel more like a giant living comforter than an authoritarian princess.

She gives surprisingly good hugs.

Her friends may occasionally find themselves completely engulfed by her arms when she becomes enthusiastic.

Feferi does not always understand the concept of personal space.

She means well.

Very well.

But her enthusiasm can result in her leaning over someone, wrapping them in a hug, grabbing their hands, or pulling them toward something she wants to show them.

If someone tells her to stop, she will stop.

She is enthusiastic, not deliberately invasive.

Her size also means she can be physically protective when necessary.

Feferi is not naturally violent, but she is absolutely capable of defending someone she cares about.

Her strength is considerable.

When angered on behalf of another person, the cheerful princess can become frighteningly determined.

The important distinction is that Feferi does not enjoy violence.

She sees fighting as something that should happen when all other options have failed.

If someone threatens one of her friends, however, her priorities become very simple.

Protect them first.

Ask questions later.

Her trident is therefore not simply a weapon.

It is an extension of her royal identity, aquatic heritage, and willingness to defend herself and others.

Feferi is perfectly capable of using it when necessary, but she would much rather use it as a symbol of authority than as an instrument of destruction.

Her natural strength sometimes causes her to underestimate how dangerous she can be.

A playful shove from Feferi may be considerably stronger than she intended.

A friendly tug can pull someone off balance.

A cheerful attempt to drag a heavy object can result in her moving it effortlessly while everyone else stares.

She does not always recognize how extraordinary her physical abilities are.

To her, she is simply Feferi.

She grew up strong.

She swims.

She lifts things.

She takes care of animals.

She does not spend much time thinking about whether she is physically impressive.

This also contributes to her confidence regarding her larger body.

Feferi does not equate thinness with beauty or strength.

Her own body has taught her otherwise.

She is large, soft, heavy, and powerful.

She can swim.

She can fight.

She can survive.

She can carry things.

She can protect people.

She can rule.

She can be beautiful.

None of those qualities are mutually exclusive.

She therefore has little patience for someone who attempts to insult her simply because she is fat.

At first, she may not even understand why the insult is supposed to be effective.

Someone might say that she is too large.

Feferi might look down at herself.

Then look back at them.

Then shrug.

"Okay?"

If they continue, she may become irritated.

Not ashamed.

Irritated.

She has far more interesting things to think about.

This attitude is important to her personality because it prevents her body from becoming her entire identity.

Feferi is fat.

But Feferi is also a princess.

A reformist.

A caretaker.

A swimmer.

A fighter.

A friend.

An animal enthusiast.

A highblood.

A dreamer.

A leader.

A prankster.

A loudmouth.

A hopeless optimist.

A stubborn idealist.

Her body is one part of who she is, not the entirety of who she is.

She also enjoys food.

Feferi has an enormous appetite, although her relationship with food is more enthusiastic than obsessive. Meals are social occasions for her. She enjoys sharing food with others and discovering strange dishes from different regions.

She is particularly fond of seafood, unsurprisingly.

However, she is curious enough to try almost anything.

She likes unusual flavors.

She likes brightly colored desserts.

She likes crunchy snacks.

She likes things with strange textures.

She especially enjoys discovering food that makes unusual sounds when eaten.

This is reflected in the playful imagery of the provided artwork, where Feferi is depicted enthusiastically eating snacks. She does not treat eating as something that must be performed elegantly for the sake of royal appearances. If something tastes good, she enjoys it.

She can be remarkably messy when she is excited.

Crumbs may end up on her clothes.

Sauce may appear on her cheek.

She may completely forget that she is holding something while explaining an unrelated story.

Then she notices the mess.

Then she laughs.

Royal etiquette is not her strongest talent.

She knows etiquette.

She simply does not always care about following it.

Feferi was raised to understand that she is important.

She was also raised with the burden that comes with being important.

The position of Empress is not simply a glamorous title.

It carries expectations.

Responsibility.

Political consequences.

Prophecy.

Fear.

Duty.

Feferi handles that burden differently from someone like Vriska or another ambitious highblood might.

She does not crave power for its own sake.

She wants power because she believes she can use it to help people.

That distinction makes her political ambitions unusually sincere.

She genuinely wants to improve Alternia.

She wants to reduce cruelty.

She wants to make the social hierarchy less oppressive.

She wants creatures and people to be protected rather than discarded.

She wants the future to be better than the past.

Her problem is that she sometimes underestimates how deeply entrenched the problems are.

She can imagine a better society very easily.

Creating that society is much harder.

Feferi occasionally becomes frustrated when people refuse to cooperate.

She may think, "Why don't we just stop hurting each other?"

To her, the solution seems obvious.

To everyone else, it may be impossibly complicated.

This is where her naivety becomes most apparent.

Feferi is intelligent.

She is not stupid.

She is simply inexperienced in certain forms of cruelty.

She understands emotions very well but politics less reliably.

She understands animals extremely well but sometimes misunderstands people.

She understands friendship intuitively but struggles with manipulation.

She understands kindness but has difficulty predicting what someone cruel might do with it.

That does not make her weak.

It makes her young and idealistic.

Her experiences gradually force her to confront the possibility that kindness alone cannot solve everything.

Yet even when reality challenges her beliefs, she rarely abandons them entirely.

Instead, she adapts.

She learns.

She becomes more cautious.

She becomes better at recognizing manipulation.

But she still wants to help.

That stubborn hope is perhaps her greatest strength.

Feferi's relationship with prophecy is similarly complicated.

She wants to believe that prophecies have meaning.

At the same time, she understands that not every prophecy can necessarily come true.

This gives her an unusual ability to accept uncertainty.

She does not always demand absolute answers.

Sometimes she is comfortable saying, "Maybe."

For someone as energetic as Feferi, that willingness to accept uncertainty is surprisingly mature.

Her relationship with her lusus has also shaped her profoundly.

Rather than seeing her enormous, monstrous guardian as something purely terrifying, she developed affection for it.

She learned to coexist with something that other trolls might instinctively fear.

That experience reinforced her belief that appearances can be misleading.

A monster may not be evil.

A highblood may not be cruel.

A lowblood may not be inferior.

A frightening creature may simply be misunderstood.

A fat body may be powerful.

A princess may be silly.

A warrior may be gentle.

Feferi constantly challenges simplistic assumptions.

She is a contradiction in motion.

She is powerful and soft.

Royal and casual.

Optimistic and occasionally rude.

Naive and surprisingly perceptive.

Fearless and sometimes reckless.

Compassionate and occasionally condescending.

Energetic and capable of becoming deeply thoughtful.

She is not perfect.

Her enthusiasm can become annoying.

Her optimism can become unrealistic.

Her attempts to help can become overbearing.

Her political ideas can be naive.

Her anger can be sharp.

Her confidence can become stubbornness.

Her generosity can make her easy to manipulate.

Her enormous collection of animals can become impractical.

But Feferi's flaws are closely tied to her virtues.

She is overbearing because she cares intensely.

She is naive because she genuinely believes people can become better.

She is stubborn because she refuses to give up easily.

She is reckless because fear rarely stops her from helping.

She is occasionally rude because she is passionate enough to become frustrated when someone she cares about behaves terribly.

She is imperfect because she is a real person rather than an idealized symbol of kindness.

And that is what makes her compelling.

Feferi is not simply "the nice troll."

She is someone who has been handed enormous power in a society built around cruelty and has decided, almost stubbornly, that she wants to use that power for compassion instead.

Her physical appearance reinforces that theme.

She is large enough to be intimidating.

She has the horns of a powerful highblood.

She possesses extraordinary strength.

She carries a trident.

She is heir to the imperial throne.

She could easily become terrifying.

Instead, she smiles.

She worries about animals.

She gets excited over snacks.

She tries to make friends.

She wears ridiculous bright accessories.

She gets distracted.

She laughs too loudly.

She wants everyone to have a good time.

She is a giant, colorful, fat sea-dwelling princess with the power to become one of the most influential figures in her civilization, and she genuinely wants the world to be kinder.

That is Feferi's central contradiction.

She looks like someone who should rule through fear.

She wants to rule through compassion.

She possesses the physical power to crush opposition.

She would rather convince people.

She comes from the highest level of the hemospectrum.

She wants that hierarchy to matter less.

She lives in an enormous underwater palace.

She spends her time caring for creatures.

She has an enormous appetite.

She has an even larger appetite for friendship.

Her optimism is not quiet.

It is loud.

It is colorful.

It is persistent.

It is sometimes ridiculous.

And when Feferi becomes truly excited, she is almost impossible to stop.

Her voice becomes louder.

Her gestures become bigger.

Her eyes become wider.

Her smile becomes enormous.

Her fins twitch.

Her horns seem almost to frame her excitement.

Her substantial body moves with renewed energy despite its considerable size.

She announces whatever has caught her attention to anyone who happens to be nearby.

And then she is off.

Swimming.

Laughing.

Helping.

Investigating.

Protecting.

Exploring.

Feferi does not merely want to survive her world.

She wants to improve it.

She wants to prove that strength does not require cruelty.

She wants to prove that royalty does not require arrogance.

She wants to prove that compassion is not weakness.

She wants to prove that being different does not mean being inferior.

And, perhaps most importantly, she wants everyone she meets to feel as though there is still something worth getting excited about.

That is why her larger, softer appearance does not conflict with her identity.

If anything, it makes her silhouette even more distinctive.

She is not a tiny, delicate princess waiting for someone to protect her.

She is a huge, round, powerful sea princess who can protect herself quite well.

She is comfortable with her body.

She is comfortable with her strength.

She is comfortable with her emotions.

And although she may still have a great deal to learn about leadership, politics, and the darker realities of her society, she possesses something that many of the people around her lack:

the stubborn belief that the future can be better.

Even when everyone else says otherwise.

Even when the odds look terrible.

Even when her plans fail.

Even when her optimism seems childish.

Feferi keeps trying.

Because to Feferi, giving up simply because something is difficult would be far more frightening than facing the difficulty itself.

She is a princess of the sea.

A highblood with a heart for the vulnerable.

A caretaker who occasionally needs someone to take care of her.

A powerful warrior who prefers peace.

A political reformer who would rather hug someone than give a speech.

A giant, colorful, fat troll whose enormous presence is matched by an even more enormous personality.

And above everything else, Feferi is excited to be alive.

-EXCIT----------------ED!