OOC; info
--the basics--
Name Gertrude "Gertie" Elise van Horn
Age 20
Birthdate May 19th
Occupation Waitress and aspiring Broadway actress
--the tale--
Tale The Snow Queen; Gerda
Ability None, unless you count extreme busy-bodyness as a power.
Relationship to the Tale The original Gerda went through, basically, hell and high water both to save her Kay, even though he didn't want to be saved. Gertie has that same dedication and loyalty to everyone who manages to befriend her, although not to quite the same extent that Gerda had it for Kay- that's reserved for one special someone, somehow, someday, or so she imagines. Nothing deters her from her chosen path- not kindly Lapp women, not forgetfulness, not icy snow queens, and certainly not the unwillingness of her chosen one to be saved from his or her self.
--the history--
Born on a particularly muggy day in the suburbs of New York City, Gertrude Elise van Horn came into the world screaming, and she hasn't shut up since. The van Horns were in the habit of giving their children family names, but by their fifth they were running out of relatives to honour. The baby got stuck with Great Aunt Gertrude.
Gertie's childhood home was loud and crowded; she was the last child (the family line goes that they couldn't have named any more,) but five kids tend to make a three-bedroom house seem very small, especially when three of them are boys. Gertie learned early that the best way to make yourself listened to was to make yourself heard. The baby of the family by three years, she was often spoiled and often indulged, circumstances which have led her to the lifelong belief that she is both capable and deserving of anything and everything.
Always outgoing, Gertie had a lot of friends growing up, even though her meddlesome ways and blithely entitled manner often annoyed her peers. In middle school, her theatrical temperament finally found an outlet in the school musicals, productions which she stayed involved with throughout highschool; the musical Into the Woods was always her favourite, somehow; she'd always had an affinity for fairy tales.
Maybe it had something to do with the dreams. They started when she was about fourteen- dreams of snow and ice splinters, a rooftop garret, roses, and a boy, a boy who she loved much more than herself. They were troubling dreams, vivid and unsettling, more like memories than anything else she experienced while sleeping. She tried to tune them out, but that didn't work- the emotions, the fear and the love and the cold, were much too strong. So she took to ignoring them, trying to channel that emotion into singing, and sleeping with a lamp lit.
Upon graduating high school, Gertie made the decision to skip college. Her grades weren't good enough that there'd be a scholarship, and having already put four children through the higher education system, the van Horns didn't exactly have a lot of spare cash lying around for the education of the fifth. What was she going to do instead? Why, she was going to move to the City and become a STAR!
Her concerned parents tried to talk her out of it, of course, but they knew it was useless from the beginning- Gertie's stubborn streak was a mile wide. She managed to finagle herself a loan, enough to rent a room in a tiny, fetid, horrible apartment on the outskirts of the city; at 18 she moved out on her own and began auditioning, taking an extremely clichéd job of waiting tables while looking for her Big Broadway Break. With her infectious personality and strong voice, she wormed her way into the choruses of a few minor shows, but it's hard out there for a girl without a drama degree.
And then, shortly after moving into the city, Gertie- quite possibly motivated by the large quantities of marijuana she smoked with her roommates- came to the conclusion that she was a reincarnation. And not just any reincarnation- the reincarnation of a STORY. A story that explained the DREAMS. Yeah, dude.
In the morning, the more logical part of her brain concluded that this was nothing more or less than a pipe dream; but a part of Gertie wasn't convinced. It had seemed so…so reasonable, and likely, and real. And, truth be told, it still did.
A few weeks later, she was contacted by the Atheneum.
Once they'd managed to convince her that this wasn't her friends playing a stupid joke, Gertie took to her new life story with the same gusto that she took to everything else. Once her lease was up- shortly after her nineteenth birthday- she moved into the Pentamerone, figuring that she could go on auditions and to work just as easily, if not with more ease, from there- and that it was a big step up from her squalid city apartment. She's been there for about a year now, getting into everyone's business and doing her best to save every poor lost little lamb: none of them, so far, are quite her Kay, but then she doesn't really know what it would take to be her Kay- a reborn soul? The same innocence as the original Kay? A really nice ass? None of the above?- and she's content to wait. For now.
Family Elise van Horn, mother
Nigel van Horn, father
Patricia Elizabeth van Horn, sister, 28
Henry Nigel van horn, brother, 26
William Harold van Horn, brother, 25
Benjamin Patrick van Horn, brother, 23
--the girl--
Gertie is one of the most stubborn people you'll ever meet. She likes to think of it as a definite virtue- who doesn't approve of dedication to a cause? Once she's made up her mind to do something, absolutely nothing will stop her- disappointment? Never. She'll just try again. Humiliation? Hardly! Anything incurred while getting something done can't be half as humiliating as not actually getting it done. Actual danger? Ha! Gertie either considers herself invincible, or simply refuses to admit that preserving her own health is a worthy goal. There's actually some debate among her friends as to whether chopping the blonde up into little bits and spreading the bits across the globe would be an effective way to stop her from completing whatever project she's got in mind this week; the odds are currently put at about 70-30 against. In short, bull-headedness doesn't even begin to describe it.
Furthermore, Gertie is one of those people who fully believes that she knows what's best for everyone. All the time. No, really. She's pretty certain that if you don't listen to her, it'll all end in tears; and once she's taken an interest in you or decided that you or something in your life needs fixing- well. That's when the stubbornness kicks in. The term 'busy-body' was actually invented for her, even though she wasn't even born at the time.
It may seem hard to fathom that a girl like this manages to make and keep any friends at all; fortunately for Gertie, a bubbly and infectious optimism tends to keep people coming back. And there's no malice to her schemes; she really does have your best interests at heart, even if the two of you disagree over what your best interests actually are. The fact that she has good instincts and is right at least half the time doesn't hurt; and you couldn't ask for a more loyal friend than this girl is. She'll go to the ends of the earth for you, and she won't hold it over your head; in fact, she'll be ecstatic to do it. Her enthusiasm for- well, everything- often has the effect of being catching, and Gertie is very good at having fun and making sure others do as well. After all, what she's most dedicated to is everyone's happiness- and everyone's happy when they're enjoying themselves!
--the looks--
Eyes Blue, slanted, a bit narrow.
Hair Light, straw-blonde. Long.
Height 5'6"
Build Slim and athletic; Gertie keeps in shape with frequent dance classes- gotta keep your skills up if you want to be on Broadway- and tai chi
Dress Simple and comfortable. Gertie doesn't really have time to worry about fashion; unless she's at work, she tends to wear skinny jeans and tank tops in the summer, henleys and hoodies in cooler weather. At work, her uniform consists of a nice blouse, a pencil skirt, and heels. She hates it.
--the relationships--
Status In between boys- she's something of a serial monogamist.
Sexuality A few bi tendencies, but really only when she's intoxicated. On the whole, Gertie likes boys. Lots and lots of boys.
Turn Ons Humour. Optimism. Blue eyes. Nice asses. A bit of a bad-boy streak. Strong personality.
Turn Offs Excessive bossiness- she doesn't take it as well as she dishes it out. Bad hair. Weak-willed people.
Crushes On Are you a boy of a relatively acceptable age and an agreeable appearance? Then you.
Exes Murdock Varletti.
Friends Karisma Singh. Vegas Palmero. C.J. Emerson. Christian Pascal. Luna Jones. Bianca Bredoteau. Sammy Reed. Holden Weiss. Cassia Wyndham-Frost. Murdock Varletti, if by 'friend' you mean 'person she threatens to kill regularly.' Practically everybody, to hear her tell it.
Enemies Dislikes Sebastian Han a LOT, but would we call that an enemy? Only time will tell.
Gertie considers Eva Lamontagne an enemy, and is entirely convinced that Eva feels the same way about her. Don't try telling her otherwise. Really. It won't work
--the mun--
Name Sara!
AIM SavageFlight
CDJ baobabble
PB Blake Lively [!,@]
To Disclaim I'm not Blake Lively, and unfortunately I couldn't even pass for her in a darkened bar after you'd drank half your weight. It's one of the tragedies of my life. Similarly, I'm not ACTUALLY Gerda- I think- nor do I own her, nor am I associated with Hans Christian Anderson in any way. Gertrude van Horn is mine, in that she lives in my brain. Don't try to take her. You wouldn't want her, she's a lot of trouble.
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