| “ | I like orange. Reminds me of sunsets and good days. | ” |
–Rob to Lyra | ||
Rob Oppedyk is a Dutch potioneer cursed with lycanthropy. His life ambition is to find a cure for werewolves, and has become actively involved with the Aware Wolf initiative started by his colleague and friend, Sienna Linslee.
Personality[]
Before his bite, Rob was known as a quiet, yet clever young man. He exceeded in his endeavours, but rarely boasted. This all changed when he was fourteen, and bitten by a werewolf while off on an adventure whilst the rest of his family remained tucked away safely. Rob grew to be singularly focused on his hatred for his condition, the pain and agony that he endured once a month driving him to the edge of sanity. Even with the Wolfsbane potion, Rob became obsessed with finding a cure for lycanthropy, enhanced by his natural talent with potions.
Rob has a lack of trust and respect in the establishment, despite the fact that his very own mother and sisters are key parts of the establishment, so to speak. He is fiercely independent and clever, though often he comes off as too straightforward and to the point. He has never minced words and is known for speaking his opinion. He enjoys being surrounded by people, as long as he has a concrete way to escape if he desires to do so.
A flirt to his very core, Rob finds it difficult to maintain romantic relationships, growing wary and bored of those who do not share his singular commitment to finding a cure for lycanthropy. A man of many dalliances, Rob’s outwardly friendly demeanour makes him even more attractive despite his rather uncouth leanings and distrust. Labelled obnoxious and a pig on more than one occasion, rather than shy away from this assessment Rob leans into it, now the arrogant, teasing young man so opposite of who he was as a youth.
Relationships[]
HELEEN OPPEDYK - sister, Halo
LYRA HORVÁTH - mate
RHYS GREYBACK - close friend
GUS COURTEMANCHE - close friend
SIENNA LINSLEE - close friend, colleague
History[]
A contrarian from his very birth, Rob refused to don his traditional family name, instead from a young age on a more anglicised version. The second child of a mostly magical, wealthy family, Rob always seemed to be the black sheep of the family. The only boy, quiet and clever, Rob frequently enjoyed his own company over those of others. His mother and father taught him manners in the style of the upper echelons of society, none of which he appreciated as much as bringing a book to the table and getting lost in one tale or another. Often seen as a disappointment in the eyes of his mother, Rob distanced himself more and more from his family as he aged. He threw an absolute fit when his parents tried to insist on homeschooling him like his older sister, finally getting them to relent to send him to Beauxbatons.
Delighted to be out from under their tutelage, Rob flourished in his early years at Beauxbatons. Few cared that he had transferred in as a second year, though he mostly found himself in the company of those who did not hail from the capital city. However, the summer after Rob’s fourth year, things shifted. In the summer months, while he was off on an evening run, he was attacked and bitten by a werewolf. He managed to get himself home and taken care of, but his curse became his own, shifting him into a creature of darkness and blood once a month. His parents threatened to pull him from school but Rob roared his disapproval, and they finally relented after a month of him causing an absolute uproar at home.
Rob shared his condition with next to no one - only his sister, Heleen, who was also at Beauxbatons, and a young man with whom he had become quite close. Gus Courtemanche was younger than Rob by two years, but Rob never saw an issue with an age gap. Even through his shame, Gus didn’t care. It was a bit of a shock to him, who had been taught that different was bad and society looked down upon those who were different. Especially those with dirty blood, such as a werewolf. Someone who attacked and feasted upon the innocent, no matter how hard he tried to deny his very nature.
After graduating from Beauxbatons, Rob struggled to find a full time career that held his interest longer than a few months. Eventually, he realised he was happiest brewing potions, especially when each experimental concoction brought him closer to his ultimate goal of finding a cure for lycanthropy. He became a freelance potioneer, honing his craft and expertise until he was almost unmatched in renown across the world.
Rob was devastated to hear of the death of the Beauxbatons champion and the explosion of the carriage in general. Secretly, he was glad it hadn’t been anyone he’d known, nor had it involved anything to do with werewolves, as their reputation was tarnished enough. Just over a year ago, Rob moved to the United Kingdom to be closer to his younger sister, Heleen. She had always been more accepting of his differences, especially considering her own special nature. He continued his potion making, working with numerous different offices and entities, though refusing to help political organisations out of spite. Even with his sister working for the ministry, Rob was stoic as a monolith. The resurgence of druids within society intrigued Rob, leading to him to enquire about how they dealt with lycanthropy only to be unceremoniously turned away simply for his condition. Druids didn’t like demi-humans. Recently, Rob was recruited for a position at Slug and Jiggers to work with his close friend’s girlfriend, a small world indeed.