Hyacinth the Steppe Polecat



Hyacinth the Steppe Polecat is a 16 year-old seemingly calm, serene and peaceful, and rather awkward steppe polecat hailing from the Silent Forest zone of the Lost Hex. She is quite the nature enthusiast, and she's certainly not afraid to let this fact be known to others. But, she's so enthusiastic about all of her knowledge of plants that she tends to scare people off. Even though she may be cool and collected by appearance, she is rather quick to anger, and she is not afraid to use her botanokinesis against anyone who threatens her or her plants.

Hyacinth is a Sonic the Hedgehog fancharacter created by SigmaAlphaThree (SA3).

Concept and Creation
In the early days of August 2014, Hyacinth's creator SigmaAlphaThree was in the mood for creating random designs of possible new characters. She wanted to make another character with a nature-based design, similar to Dawn's, although she wanted to use a more neutral and toned down palette.

The first couple of head and outfit design sketches were created. At this time, SA3 was unsure of what she wanted this character to be. At first, she was considering making Hyacinth only a minor character, but once she drew the digital version of her finalized design, SA3 felt more encouraged in making Hyacinth her own character. As such, personality ideas were bounced back and forth.

The polecat (then a lynx) was going to primarily be a usual shy-girl type of character, rarely speaking out and seeking solace in tending to her greenery. However, SA3 suddenly realized that she did not have an antagonist-like character for her others, and so she tried to make Hyacinth fit into that character archetype. The idea of a character like Hyacinth with such a soft appearance being a villain of any sort was at first unfitting, but soon SA3 tried to think of possible ways she could act like an antagonist. She pulled upon from various (and some pretty obvious) inspirations, such as Poison Ivy from the Batman comics. Soon enough the concept of Hyacinth having plant powers was created, and this is where she is now.

Rough Beginnings
Hyacinth was born on the far-off outskirts of the serene mountain village of Chun-nan by her mother, Settia, and her father, Zai. What would've usually been a nice and pleasant time of upbringing was plagued with familial arguments between Settia and Zai. Their hostile nature to one another was due to problems arising even before Hyacinth's birth: the girl's parents never truly loved each other.

The marriage had been arranged by Settia's side of the family for the primary goal of obtaining Zai's family wealth. This was found out a couple of months after Hyacinth's birth, and for nine to ten years, the house was chaos. Fights – both verbal and physical – occurred almost daily, making for an unstable life at home.

Hyacinth wanted to get as far away from these arguments as possible, and as such she hit the streets of Chun-nan, seeking an activity to occupy her time and take her mind off of the stress of home life

Plant Friends
Even before Hyacinth left the house, she was an outsider to a lot of people. The girl was extremely awkward; she had a hard time socializing with others, and when she did she would blurt out something outlandish, something totally strange and odd that would send the person she was talking to running. Usually one would be saddened by these failed advances in confronting others, but Hyacinth did not mind too much. In fact, she didn't necessarily desire the company of actual people. She found herself more attracted to spending time with trees, and plants, and all forms of nature.

At times, when she was younger and her parents were in a heated debate, she would seek solace in her home's own backyard garden, where she would sit on the stone bench, or lie in the branches of the red maple tree, and simply admire the beauty and think calmly. She found comfort in this common hideaway; it was the one thing that was actually stable in her life. While it was unsure of whether or not it was safe to stay in her own home, it was sure that she would always be welcome in the garden, no matter what the situation.

It was from this common instinct to go to the plants in times of distress that caused Hyacinth to be a little hesitant in going out on her own, but she decided it was for the best. She wanted to see what the rest of the town had to offer, not just her uneasy house life and the backyard garden.

To the Streets
From this, she actually produced a friend, despite her extremely socially awkard nature: another polecat just like her, although he was a boy, and his name was Shengcai. Shengcai found Hyacinth's shyness appealing; with him having living off the streets his whole life, finding someone so introverted and submissive was good, as they were qualities that made a person targetable and easy to manipulate. He begged Hyacinth to give the occasional donation to help in his life of poverty, to which Hyacinth readily obliged, happy to help one of her first actual "friends" she had ever made.

While casually walking along down the cobblestone path one day, the young polecat girl came across a paper flier advertising a wushu-styled tournament which would be held in town, with the grand prize being a large sum of money. At first, Hyacinth paid no mind to this; she found no value in worldly things like money in the first place.

But, the more she thought about it, the more she realized just what she could do with that money if she did win. She could get an even bigger garden with an even larger amount of plants and trees and the like. Or, better yet, she could get a place of her own, she could move away from the distressful life at her home with her parents, and just be with the people she truly relied on – herself, and her plants. At the time, Hyacinth wasn't aware that young girls that were ten years of age wouldn't be allowed to buy homes for theirselves, but the polecat wasn't aware of this. She still had this radically dellusional idea in her head of finally being free, and she was going to cling onto it no matter what.

The only problem was that she was certainly no fighter, not in the slightest. She had no prior experience in fighting, nor did she want to spend that much time on learning how to spar. Besides, the tournament was only a week away; she certainly wouldn't be ready by that time.

She expressed this fear anxiously to Shengcai, and from this Shengcai hatched an idea. If he could find some sort of way to make Hyacinth win the tournament easily, she'd be eternally grateful. Using his full-fledged knowledge of the streets, he was able to obtain a magic elixir created from people who practiced black magic, which had been advertised as an enchantment, but in actuality it was a form of Gu.

Shengcai came back, and explained to Hyacinth that he would give this elixir to her, which if she rubbed on her arms before the battle would give her amazing fighting capabilities, but only if she gave him half of the prize once she won the tournament. Hyacinth didn't even care that she was being swindled out of the money, or if she was cheating to win; she accepted his offer without a moment's hesitation. Now, she had other things on her mind rather than the prize money: the fame of being a renowned fighter, the assurance of a good future. Nobody would ever think of her as "that weird plant girl" ever again.

The Tournament
The day of the tournament finally came, which was held in the village's temple, and Hyacinth was just about ready to face her opponent, another contestant from a far off town. Before the big fight, the girl had rubbed the Gu elixir on her arms and hands, and was ready to go. But, everything went wrong once she hit the mat.

The Gu's effects began to work, but instead of acting like a poison, it gave her powers: botanokinesis. All of a sudden her hands felt as though they were on fire. The searing pain brought her onto her knees, and her opponent was confused at the sudden move, but he saw it as his opportunity to strike. He went in for a kick to her head to end the fight…

… When all of a sudden, her hands felt as if someone else had lifted them up, and vines, which had been hanging on the trees that were off to the side, came to life. They snaked their way to the boy opponent, and wrapped theirselves around his neck, choking the air out of his lungs.

Spectators were in an outroar. They screamed at Hyacinth to stop, but what she was doing was beyond her own control. These powers were new to her; she had no clue of how they worked. Finally, she was able to get the vines to deconstrict and fall limply to the ground. The boy opponent survived the ordeal, thankfully, but he was extremely shaken up, as was Hyacinth. The spectators were crowding around her now; the faces that once only paid attention to her with weird looks and side-glances were now full-on staring, spouting words of hatred and disgust. Frantically, Hyacinth ran off, and that was the last she had ever seen of the townspeople, or of Shengcai, or of Chun-nan altogether.

Aftermath
She spent her time at the house now, which had quieted down ever since Zai announced his and Settia's divorce. Hyacinth, at this point, could've cared less. Whatever kept the house peaceful was what she preferred. On the outside, she appeared hollow and expressionless, but on the inside she was battling her demons, questioning her sanity. She found it slightly alarming how she felt no ounce of regret for what she had done, from planning to cheat on the tournament to that boy's life being at risk. She never felt any need to apologize to him for almost murdering him, but even when she found this thought scary, she still felt no remorse.

But, she was going to be given a chance for a do-over. Zai took custody of Hyacinth once the divorce was finalized, and as soon as it was, he and his daughter moved to Spagonia, thankfully before any of Chun-nan's villagers went knocking on their door with torches and pitchforks.

While in Spagonia, Hyacinth found that she still had those deadly powers from the tournament. She had no clue how to get rid of them, or if she even could get rid of them, but she decided if she couldn't beat it, she would cope with it. She trained herself with her powers, and eventually mastered the art of botanokinesis. She currently lives with her father in Spagonia, although she is thinking of moving to the Lost Hex by herself at some point relatively soon.

At some point in the future, the Gu poison in Hyacinth eventually spreads throughout her whole body, corrupting her to the point of insanity, and switching her over to the side of evil.

Personality
Hyacinth is an extremely shy and introverted individual, or at least she appears that way at first glance. She only speaks unless spoken to, and when she is in a conversation, her softspoken attitude and gentle voice gives others a sense of timidness and seclusion. Hyacinth rarely talks about how she actually feels, and instead allows the people she's with a chance to say what's on their mind, acting as an outlet for their troubles and a good listener.

The only time Hyacinth really gets excited when talking with others, however, is when the conversation is geared towards the topic of plants. Hyacinth is the utter definition of a nature enthusiast, and has quite a green-thumb when it comes to planting new greenery. For every new bit of foliage plotted in her garden, it is guaranteed it will flourish and strive, as the polecat is sure to take great care when it comes to the plant's needs. She is like this with all creatures in her care, not just plants; and whenever she sees an animal or other person in need, she is intent on helping them with the utmost speed.

Now, from this description it can sound as though Hyacinth is nothing but a do-gooder. But, there is another underlying part of her personality that is not known by many. Hyacinth is not quick to anger, and it is very hard to get her to an upset point. But, if one is daring enough to make her angry, she shows the other side of her personality. She is cold-bloodedly sadistic, willing to let her enemy suffer for an excessive period of time before she is truly satisfied.

It is arguable whether she suffers from psychosis, although at some point in the future it is quite obvious to see that she had lost contact with reality. Hyacinth's mental stability is questionable; when alone, she has constant bouts of dellusional rants and rambles with herself. She does have a guilty conscience, an extremely one at that, but she is so afraid of facing the consequences of her actions that she is willing to make up lies in her head to try and justify what she's done.

Because of this, she could also be considered a pathological liar. She's quick to make up fibs, details, whole stories even, without any sense of regret, guilt, or remorse, only for the sole purpose of escaping judgement and justice. All of this is done for her own self-gratification, with no sorrow shown for the people she affects by it. However, all of these negative traits are only shown after her possession by the Gu poison.

Botanokinesis and Other Abilities
Hyacinth, due to her mutation from the Gu poison, possesses the power of botanokinesis, or the ability to control greenery or any type of plant. She can do a whole variety with the plants, but for fighting she commonly relies on using vines as whips to crack against other people's skin. A list of her full abilities is below.

List of Abilities
Vine Whip: Forcing vines on the floor to come alive like snakes, she can use them to then smack against a person to either daze or instill blunt force trauma.

Grow: If a plant is looking rather limp or close to the point of death, Hyacinth can use her powers to revert it back to full health. This can be done on a multitude of small plants like flowers or bushes, but can only be done on one or two trees, if she can concentrate enough.

Die: If necessary, she can will for a plant to die as well, an opposite to her Grow power. However, once the plant is dead, Hyacinth cannot use it for battle or any other purpose; it's gone forever.

Seed popper: It's almost like a gun, but for flowers. She can use a flower's seeds (which are in its center or eye) to suddenly pop out and shoot like bullets towards an enemy. If done correctly, they can go at a pretty fast pace, and hurt almost like a BB gun's clay bullets.

Leaf blades: This is for plants with long palms, fronds, or even for bamboo sticks. Hyacinth can sharpen their edges and use them for a limited amount of time as sharp knives or even swords, to either be thrown or held. But, because they're made of leaves, they aren't as durable as normal metal sharp objects.

Poison thorns: With the help of some of her Gu mutation, she is able to make thorns that have poisoned, purple tips. These thorns, if stabbed in an artery or any other crucial area of bloodflow, is almost certain to cause devastating damage. But, due to the fact that her Gu poison is actually inside of her body and cannot be taken out easily, it is very difficult to create such thorns. She actually needs to slice her arm to cause her blood and the poison to come out to use for the thorn, so this attack is not without its consequences.

Poison possession: It's like Upsilon's shadow possession, but this time the poison is used. Because the poison is beyond her control and unpredictable, so is the nature of the plants she possesses; they can turn on her at any moment, and it's hard to create them, but they generally remain loyal to her. She has one known possessed plant, an overgrown, carnivorous venus flytrap geniously named Vee.

Weaknesses
As most plants are susceptible to light, water, and enough carbon dioxide to live, so are her powers. If the plants around her are malnourished in terms of water, it's harder for her to control her powers.

She has a harder time using her powers in the dark or at night compared to broad daylight. As plants force themselves to user more energy in order to sustain themselves in the dark, they do not grow much. Thus, the plants for Hyacinth would be harder to contral at night, and in some cases this can actually hurt her greatly during battle, so she tends to avoid fights at night and go all out during the day.

In addition, if there is too much smoke, smog, or carbon dioxide in the air around her, or if there is no air at all (if she's in space), her powers are either difficult or impossible to control. Plus, there needs to be at least some nature around her to work with. For example, if she was in a completely metal facility, she couldn't do anything with her powers, unless there was some moss in the building's piping that was available.

When it comes to the elements, Hyacinth does terribly against pyrokinetics. Their fire will burn up her plants and foliage like paper within an instant. As for hydrokinetics, she can use this somewhat to her advantage, if they splash her plants to give them a drink. But, if constant blasts of water are hitting her plants, they'll eventually drown and soak her plants to the point where she can't use them.

In terms of the stuff she can do with her poison, there are many major drawbacks to that as well. She basically has to hurt herself and draw blood for her to get the poison out of her bloodstream and to use for possession and/or thorns. And since she has a great fear of seeing her own blood, it's only in desperate times does she use this aspect to her powers.

So, to summarize:
 * Conditions for light, carbon dioxide (or air), and water must be right
 * Needs to have healthy plants in order to use them
 * Using her powers in the dark hurts her greatly
 * Very weak against people who can use fire
 * Too much water can drown her plants
 * Using her poison powers hurts her greatly
 * Unpredictability factor when it comes to the poison

Upsilon the Mink
Upon meeting each other, the two were quite fond of one another. Greatly admiring each others calm nature and powerful attributes, the Upsilon and Hyacinth almost considered themselves as close friends, despite the fact that they had only known each other for maybe two months at best. Hyacinth would come over to Upsilon's house on numerous occasions, only to leave with the mink to explore the Silent Fores, and for her to share her extensive knowledge of all the flora inhabiting the zone. Even then, she couldn't help but act rather shy and awkward around Upsilon, even though they were rather close. While he thought this was just her common nature, there was another aspect to it: she was beginning to become infatuated with him. He was the closest thing to a true friend she ever had in her life, so of course, she found herself to become obsessive over everything about him.

But in the future, when she tries to display these feelings outwardly to him, she is rejected instantly. Upsilon was still in a relationship with his girlfriend, River the Echidna. And even when he refused, Hyacinth tried to kiss him on his lips to win him over. It didn't work at all. In fact, it only made Upsilon even more creeped out. That's when he left her in the forest, and they didn't see each other for almost twenty-five years afterwards. But miraculously, after all that time, Hyacinth couldn't seem to get over him. That day, she vowed that one day, the two would end up together… and of course, that never happened.

Kestrel the Pika
While Upsilon was totally enthusiastic about Hyacinth's company at first, Kestrel was far more skeptical of her. Hyacinth could easily catch onto Kestrel's questioning nature of her, and would always try to be overly nice to win her over, but that didn't sway the pika's opinion of her either. Finally, Hyacinth gave up, and focused her attention solely on her relations with Upsilon. Once Kestrel saw this, she was actually infuriated; her loyalty and friendship with River caused her to feel defensive and protective over her brother. The young girl could tell something was off with this mysterious girl who managed to befriend the mink so quickly. So, Kestrel was relieved to hear of the relationship's demise once Upsilon informed Kestrel of the pass Hyacinth had made at him.

(I'll add my other characters later.)

Trivia

 * Hyacinth's last name is a combination of two different language interpretations of the word "tree" (árbol [Arbo-] means "tree" in Spanish, and tsurī [-tsoori] is an incorrect translation of "tree" in Japanese).
 * Hyacinth's parents' names, Settia and Zai, are references to two different types of plants (Setta is the second part of the word poinsettia, and Zai is a different spelling of the second part of the word bonsai.)
 * Hyacinth's childhood friend Shengcai's name means "lettuce" or "green salad" in Chinese (生菜).
 * Lots of aspects, from her personality to her relationship with Upsilon, were inspired by Catherine Sloper's character from Washington Square by Henry James.
 * Her original name was going to be Aloe the Lynx.
 * Right now, she's the favorite of SA3's characters.