#so many words and I still haven't said what Gertrud is

[yellowvixen]

Logo by @bunnymajo, thank you!!

Better late than never, here's a Q&A for @sonic-oc-showdown

✨ How did you come up with the OC’s name?

I wanted to use a word that meant ice that wasn't extremely obvious, and Rime ended up being perfect! To be specific it means hoar frost.

🌼 How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

Same age as Blaze! She was created ~100 years ago, but like Shadow she was frozen and didn't age until she got woken up.

🌺 Do they have any love interest(s)?

She's aro, so no romantic love interest. That said, she and Blaze do definitely end up in a relationship :3

🍕 What is their favorite food?

Surprisingly, anything spicy!

🎹 Do they have any hobbies?

Ice skating! Rime can create her own ice and propell herself pretty easily, but outside of fighting she's discovered she loves the elegance of truly dancing on ice, and challenges herself to learn difficult jumps. She also likes going for long morning walks, especially on a crisp winter morning when the ground is still covered in frost.

❤️ What is one of your OC’s best memories?

Most of their memories as a child with their brother, although a lot of them are bittersweet to look back on now.

✂️ What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

Seeing her brother die before being frozen.

🧊 Is their current design the first one?

Yup! Some of their fur colour has changed ever so slightly (her muzzle and ear/chest fluff are now pure white rather than the same off white as the rest of her fur) but that's it.

🍀 What originally inspired the OC?

@transgendershadowthehedgehog made a post about how Blaze should have an aro cryomancer rival, and I ran with the idea.

🌂 What genre do they belong in?

@mari-madas gave me the idea that the Sol dimension is centered more around fantasy in contrast with Sonic's dimension being more sci fi. Not a hard and fast rule as they both have magic and tech, but it's about the Aesthetic™. So, fantasy!

💚 What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

Aromantic nonbinary lesbian! Or as she would describe herself, girlthing.

🙌 How many sibling does your OC have?

Just the one, her adopted brother, Gertrude's grandson! Possibly also a Sol version of Biolizard, but I haven't come up with anything for that idea yet

🍎 What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

Like Shadow, Rime was made rather than born, so technically doesn't have parents. But her creator, the witch Gertrude, was basically a mother to her... In a way.

Rime was always perfectly happy with Gertrude and never really thinks anything was wrong with how they grew up. But anyone else might think differently, as Rime was treated more like an animal than a person. Not with (much) malice, Gertrude just assumed that Rime didn't have the intelligence of a regular mobian. This allowed Rime to grow up pretty feral, which she considers a good thing! She won't look too deeply into it. She DOESN'T have mommy issues, promise (lying).

✏️ How often do you draw/write about the OC?

Definitely more since this showndown, which I'm glad of! I want to draw her more in the future too, she simply hasn't been around long enough for me to have made a lot of art for her.

💎 Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

I mean... gestures to Shadow "dying" at the end of sa2. A similar thing happens to Rime, so while she does die, it's not permanent.

💀 Does your OC have any phobias?

Large open areas, especially at night. Being in space is particularly awful for her (not that she'd show it)

🍩 Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

Blaze ;)

Feel free to ask more questions about her!! Brainstorming how to answer them is pretty much how I've created her lore so far lmao

[brykyo]

WIP that I wasn't gonna continue but still am for whatever reason

        From the moment Elijah first opened his eyes, he was shaped for his future. A future he had no choice but to accept as his own. Being a wealthy son was one thing, but given what his parents were, the rules became all the more strict, another thing Elijah had to accept was just his lot in life as a Van Dahl and as a Vampire. He was controlled from each aspect of his life, from what he studied to who he befriended, nothing wasn't taken out of his hands and micromanaged to make sure that he wouldn't bring shame to his families name. Not to say his life wasn't without its small joys, Elijah had his frivolous pastimes, between his studies and meeting with other elite families, but there was a certain... emptiness to his life that, for the life of him, Elijah just couldn't quite grasp. Well, until he met her.          The day had been like any other, Father had once again drained another of their servants and they were hard pressed to replace them when Father chanced upon a few women coming in from Russia in need of work. Father had his strict rules about who their servants could be, their blood had to be clean, they had to be presentable, and above else, they had to be unable to betray the family's secret. Young girls that could barely speak the language nor find well paying jobs was a perfect fit, as sad as it may be. That particular day, Elijah had been in his room studying, his gaze drifting off to the window to the quiet garden below. What would it be like to just spend a quiet afternoon under that tree by the lake? What would it be like to sit with a friend and enjoy their company right there? Such thoughts distracted him until the sound of music drifting in from the garden caught his attention. The new servants were dancing as they sang sweet sounding songs in their native tongue, the song so captivating that Elijah couldn't tear himself away, and in the middle of this small group was one that shone so brightly Elijah wondered if she wasn't an angel. This was his first sight of Gertrud, the woman that would eventually steal his heart.         Gertrud and the rest were cooks by name, and while they did cook when the family was hosting a party or had guests over for business, their main job was to offer blood to the family. Father had a habit of being rough, his thirst often taking control of his senses until he would leave a half drained girl laying so close to death you could almost see the light fading from her eyes. And this was the best case scenario. Worst case, Elijah would find another dead girl laying abandoned in the hall, waiting for another servant to take her out back and get rid of the body. Elijah tried not to think about how many bodies had been snuck out back and destroyed, but this time, he was determined to keep his angel safe. He couldn't let the girl who sang so sweetly be killed while he could do something to stop it, he just couldn't. So, he began the arduous task of keeping the maiden away from his ravenous father, even going so far as to try and claim her for his own. Though, standing up to his parents was never his strong suit. He still tried and for the first time in his life, he felt like he was actually accomplishing something on his own, it was an exhilarating feeling, to be sure, but he was unaware that his actions had caught Gertrud's attention.         It might've been silly of Elijah to think he was invisible to Gertrud, but he just couldn't picture someone so radiant ever looking at someone as gloomy as he. To him, she was like the sun, and with what he was, he could never hope to get close to her, so he had accepted watching her from a distance. Or well, that was what he had planned until Gertrud closed that distance herself. It was cool outside, so timidly, Elijah had ventured out to test how a picnic under that tree would feel - sans a talking partner, but he had a book, so he assumed it would be alright. Soon, he found himself lost in the pages as he reclined against the trunk of the tree, just relaxing in this rare moment. Both of his parents were out, there were few servants inside, and he had the afternoon to himself, a rare, joyous time to be sure. Until suddenly he felt a presence standing by his side and suddenly looked up to see Gertrud herself looking at the words on the page with interest.          "I... Sorry" she blushed a pretty pink color, her hands fidgeting with her skirt. "I was just wondering..." Elijah had heard her sing a few some out by this same tree, but this was the first time she had ever spoken around him and he found himself dazzled by the musical lilt to her voice. "What you were reading." She finished, her eyes meeting his and if he wasn't what he was, he would have sworn his heart had stopped. Her grey eyes were piercing, but kind, they almost seemed to shine with this light. Golden curl spilled from a tight bun, framing a gentle face. Already his fingers itched to reach up and brush them out of her face, but there he sat, completely speechless. "Mister Van Dahl?" Her head tilted, her brows coming together worriedly.         "E-Elijah." He stammered, closing the book with a loud thud that had even him flinching. "Sorry. Please just call me Elijah." Smooth, he was so very smooth, wasn't he, but she graced him with a small smile.         "Alright. Elijah. I am Gertrud." Elijah bit back the words 'I know', all too aware of how that would sound to anyone. So he just nodded and gave her a tentative smile of his own.         "Gertrud." It's strange to think a relationship could start with that conversation, but something had clicked that day. Instead of spending the afternoon alone, like he thought he would, he spent it with Gertrud, talking about books. The more they spoke, the more confidence Elijah gained. At some point, Gertrud had convinced him to shed his shoes and step into the lake with her. Fumbling, he followed after her into the cool waters, swallowing a rising lump in his throat as she pulled her skirt up higher. It was also then that he took in the shawl that was wrapped around her waist. It was white and almost looked like it was made of feathers if he looked at it a certain way         "Doesn't it feel nice?" He jolted up quickly, silently berating himself for staring as he had.         "Yes! Yes, it does." Gertrud laughed, a tinkling sound that made him feel giddy.         "Whenever we have free time, the girls and I, we like to come out here and play in the water." She told him, like she was letting him in on a secret. Once more, Elijah was nodding like he had no clue what she was talking about. Like he didn't spend those days peering out at them like some stalker. This is how his afternoon was spent, being strung along by Gertrud and slowly rebuilding up confidence, only to have the rug yanked out from under him as something new was introduced, but he didn't hate a second. Gertrud was so full of life, so vibrant and joyous that he found himself smiling even as they parted and he made his way back to his room.         Finding ways to speak to her again wasn't easy, but somehow they found a way. Elijah would make sure to drink a glass of blood, just to make sure he was in full control and would rush out to find her. His father disapproved of nearly everything Elijah would do on his own, so this was his secret and he was determined to keep it that way, at least to keep her safe. Father disapproved of a lot, to be honest. He never was a fan of the way Elijah got his blood, since in his eyes, drinking from anywhere but the vein was wasteful. Elijah, on the other hand had seen far too many drained and broken bodies to even want to try. But, with business booming and father kept busy, Elijah was able to spend his days with Gertrud with relative ease, if only ducking his mother here and there through the rooms. The easiest place to speak was closer to the servant's quarters, though Elijah often found himself wondering if he was hated by some of the servants, the way they would look at him and Gertrud. Gertrud would assure him that it was simply shock, but Elijah just wasn't sure. It wasn't until both of his parents had left for a business trip, leaving Elijah to his own devices, that he got to know a few of the other servants.