Hermes

Born ████████ Chang, Hermes did not choose his name until he was running away from home at age 17. Before this, life was alright. As a child he was rambunctious and emotional. It was easy to see he would be a very competitive person even from toddler stages.

As he grew up, Hermes was always quick to make friends. There was a natural charm to him and openmind that was easy to talk to. It was also quick to figure out he got frustrated and angry easily. Sometimes too aggressive, Hermes would often go for runs or fly around if things got too much. He would apologize later, yet it would be an issue that would follow him everywhere.

When Hermes turned 15 he realized he loved racing. It was something he constantly did with other fairies on foot and through the air, however he never realized the speed he could get from racing on other creatures. Tiger beetles were what he gravitated towards the most. They were fast, some of the fastest beetles there was, and had to rely solely on their legs. It was no wonder he found his own beetle and began to race. Elias was the name of the beetle Hermes connected with, although he’d often call him Eli. He was a fast beetle but not the fastest and Hermes was certain he could change that.

Hermes’ family was not as receptive to the racing as he was. They quickly grew concerned due to the dangers of it and the fact he often raced in unregistered races as well. It put a massive strain on his relationship with them, with his father constantly fighting him on it. His mother was equally as disapproving but tried. She would often be there after fights to try and talk to Hermes. It was usually to convince him to stop, but there was still kindness in her intent.

There was no stopping him though. He continued to race mostly with Eli and sometimes with scarabs if the opportunity arose. It wasn’t until age 17 did his recklessness finally catch up. During a race, Hermes began to push a little too hard, get a little too aggressive, and caused both Eli and him to crash. Despite protective wear, Hermes doesn’t remember much of the actual impact and only the after. His left wing had been torn and was now missing the entire half of it. He remembers crying over Eli, guilt and shame over the accident flooding him

This accident is the cause of the biggest fight with his parents. His father screamed about how dangerous it was, his mother didn’t yell but agreed. Hermes screamed back, threw things, and tearfully said goodbye before slamming the door and leaving his home. He hopped aboard Eli and ran off to Bimble Pass. He mostly was a wanderer around Bimble Pass, no actual home to his name. But he recovered slowly and tried to make connections throughout town.

During his first year in Bimble Pass, Hermes finally unpacked the feelings he had been feeling for awhile now. A lot of feelings on gender boiled down to “I’m probably trans but I need to race so I don’t care.” Now he was forced to take a break from racing and confront these. He chose the name Hermes as a way of honoring the name his parents gave him as well as his mother. At age 18 he got top surgery and sent a letter off to his parents as a formal coming out. He didn’t know their response for years.

At age 21 his parents had come to their first race. He had returned to racing for 3 years now and was doing well. He knew they would recognize him as he didn’t change much of his appearance and always gave Eli a distinct look. They found him after the race, one he hadn’t even podiumed, and talked. It wasn’t… the best talk. There was still tension and animosity, but it wasn’t screaming. Hermes was happy to hear his parents call him their son. It didn’t take away the hurt of the disapproval of his life choices. They were not happy, they did not approve of what he was doing, but they were proud of what he has done and happy he is alive.

Nowadays if he is not racing, he can be found taking care of Eli the beetle and other insects as well as out and about socializing. A lot of his flaws have not gone away since childhood, but he’s doing what he loves.