User Profile

Name: Derek Hamilton
Age: 19
Social Class: Noble
Birthday: October 12
Blood Type: A
Family: Father (Isaac, 43); mother (Jennifer, 41); brothers (Gareth, 23; Evan, 18; Leon, 15); sisters (Maria, 21; Shiela, 16)
Preferred Element: Water

From the time he was born, Derek was ill. He cannot remember a time when he was not ill, if he thinks long and hard about it. Whether a cough or a fever, or a flu or pneumonia, there has never been a time that Derek hasn't been sick in some way or another. It was a miracle when he made it to five, a greater one when he made it to ten, and his family seems rather in awe of the fact that he's still alive and coughing at 19.

Because of his illness, there was never much expected of him. Poor, sick little Derek was allowed to lie in bed and be ill all day if that was what he so wanted, or even if it wasn't. He learned early in his life that protesting against the ministrations his parents forced upon him was useless, and so he went along with it. He spent his time reading (when his parents would let him) or writing (when his parents would let him), often fiction or poetry. He never took much of an interest in making either one more than a hobby, as it did seem that he could die at any time.

His siblings went on to do great things. His brother would inherit the house, his sister married and soon had her first child, and his younger siblings as well began to make their own paths in life. Paths that Derek knew he would never get to so much as look at, much less take. He was content enough with that, or so he told himself.

Then he turned 19, and everything changed. The testers for magic came, and though Derek coughed and choked through the whole test, they announced afterward that he would be attending Everthorne Academy with the opportunity to become a mage.

He was shocked. His family was shocked. They tried to find a way to make sure he didn't have to go, but there was none. He had no choice but to attend Everthorne, succeed or fail as he may. Following a visit from his doctor in the months between his birthday and the term's beginning, his parents told Derek that he was to fail as utterly and completely as he could, as the doctor had warned them that an extra tax on his strength, such as magic, might be the last straw for his weak health and send him spiraling into an even earlier death.

With the influence of his family being suddenly removed from his life in most of the ways that matter, Derek is finding himself with the ability to make himself into what he wants instead of what they want him to be. Yet he also finds himself not changing much. His family may not be there, but his illness still is, and that keeps him in old habits.

He's very much a dreamer, and can easily bury himself for days in a good book. He still writes fiction and poetry fairly often, though he gets incredibly embarassed when other people express an interest in what he writes. He's very isolated from the world most of the time, and tends to get anxious or jumpy when he's forced to interact with other people.

Most of the time, he's very shy, not speaking to other people much and trying to keep his focus on himself. He has a determination, however, that anything he's going to do, he's got to do on his own, now that his family isn't here. This is a chance to prove himself as more than just poor, sick little Derek, and he's latched onto the opportunity. At home, he had to accept help to do anything, even things as miniscule as blowing his own nose; at Everthorne, he's determined to do it all by himself.

He's finding himself in continual conflict over what he wants as opposed to what his family wants. All he wants is to be a mage, to have a real chance at a real life, but he's also sure that his family wants what's best for him, especially with what they told him the doctor had said. He's trying to find a happy medium between what he wants to do and what he thinks he should do.

Derek is of small build and looks just as sickly as he is. He has short, pale hair and dark golden eyes, with incredibly pale skin and a frame so thin that sometimes his bones seem to be poking out. He often looks ill; if he's not coughing or feverish, he looks tired and weak. He has very little physical prowess, and it shows in his body as well as in his behavior. No matter how he might try to be sporting or how he might attempt to gather his strength, he usually fails and has to ask for help. Despite this, he can be graceful when he tries, if he's not hacking up a lung.