``STANWOOD, derek

[Derek Stanwood]

valkyrie, california ,

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It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word[/center]


the ocean breathes salty ,[/b][/size][/color]
roleplayer ,

name: ughh
age: ugh
gender: ugh
years roleplaying: ugh
other characters: outsiders ugh

collected my belongings ,[/b][/size][/color]
character facts ,

full name: Derek Oliver Stanwood
gender: Male
age: 18
university year: none, will be going into his first come next valkyrie fall
major: will be Medevil History
minor: will be Latin
job: Works at the Renaissance Fair as an actor and story teller
portrayed by: Colin Morgan
appearance:

There is nothing average about Derek Stanwood, not even his appearance. That way he presents himself, dress, moves, speaks, they are all uniquely his own. He may not know it but he was given some pretty great genes from his birth parents. I mean his sister, the one he doesn't know exists has even modeled! But his appearance is mostly shaped from his own personality and the style he puts forth from the day to day which surprisingly works very well for him, not that anyone in a place as fashion trend crazed as Valkyrie would notice. Derek has "normal clothing." He does, a few pairs of jeans, a few t-shirts and a sweatshirt he liks quite a lot but he doesn't wear them as much as you would expect him to. No, from the day to day, he is usually wearing very simple linens. A slightly modernized form of a peasants rags in med evil time and yet somehow it looks so natural on him, some people don't even notice. It's not like he's running around in knights armor and chain-mail. He just has simple long sleeved shirts made from linen. It's really not that different from regular clothing apart from the fact it looks more like PJs than what he wears out of the house. Also, when at Rein Fair he does wear the period shoes but when not, even though he's wearing the clothes he tends to wear sneakers. Better protection for his feet.

But moving away from his unique presentation and self-expression through what he wears and heading back towards those good genes we've mentioned earlier. He does have them. He may not be the hot jock type attractive but the boy has more modelesque features in his face. Probably the most predominant are his especially high cheekbones. Seriously in some lightings they pop so much it's almost ridiculous. See?? Ridiculous. He has a strong bone structure in general. The cheekbones, strong chin, long face, long nose. It all works. Also going along with bone structure, the boy is tall and lanky. With a little less than a swimmer's build he's a few steps higher than Eric Forman from that 70s show. He is broad and his bones are just strong. It is a hard thing to explain but he has a very strong skeletal structure. Long arms too.

Moving back to the boys face. Derek was blessed with his father's eyes. His twin sister has them as well. They are just blue. Very blue. His are a bit different though. His eyes are a slightly darker blue thanks to some specles of gold within them. They're hard to see but every so often when he passes under the perfect lighting and you're in the perfect angle you will see his eyes shimmer with gold, just the way the light reflects off them in that half second. It one of his favorite features about himself. Makes him feel magical. It also makes his eyes look a bit of a darker blue than the others. He also has these ears. They don't curve as much on the side as other peoples do, the cartilage in them just isn't as bent up as usual. His hearings fine, great even, but they just look different. They are long but not wide and they stick out forward. They're actually very cute. He also has a large adams apple.

Now, as obsessed with the 1500s as he is, Derek is not one to believe in their type of hygiene. No, our boy here brushes his teeth everyday and showers or bathes far more than once a year. He isn't a prude when it comes to personal care. If he's super busy he'll go a day without showering, but he won't go a week. He's more like the normal person in that aspect. One thing he doesn't really ever take the care to do is wash his face separately. And yet the boy has never had bad acne. Good genes again huh? He has truly fantastic skin, more on fair skin side, burns easily but it's clear and smooth all the time. He never had oily skin, sometimes it can get a bit dry but that's easier to deal with.

in your head, in mouth ,[/b][/size][/color]
character personality ,

personality:

When you first meet Derek Stanwood the first thing you will notice is the way he addresses you. He will call you 'sir' or 'ma'am' and he will always use his please and thank you's. He is a very polite person in any situation. It is most likely due to the stories of honor and courage and always doing the right thing are all things this eighteen year old boy idolizes. Showing respect in order to receive respect, even when the others refuse to be as courteous. He tends to be a very good person to anyone, especially whom he likes. It is like when he was back in the orphanage, he would take the blame repeatedly for things he didn't do in order to save others from punishment. If you ask Derek to do you a favor, he will most likely try to accommodate you to the best of his ability. It is a very very sweet trait for him to have but it can get him taken advantage of. And although his is this very polite and accommodating person, his mouth is another thing entirely.

Derek has never been a good liar. It is not so much that he sees all lying as wrong or morally reprehensible as much as it is, he just isn't good at it. Keeping a secret is all fine and well for him unless he's asked about it. Then comes out the stuttering and the stating the obvious and redundant mutterings. Because of this lack of talent, his policy has always been to just... not lie. It has worked well for him thus far. But it's not just not lying. He is fairly blunt to. He is a polite guy in the way he speaks, but he is not a bootlicker. If you're a prat, he will tell you your a prat. Although he would usually begin it by saying, beg your pardon, see?

Although some people, the ones who are extremely polite, can seem cold shouldered, prude-like and un-passionate *cough* rose *cough* Derek is not like them. When the boy feels something, he feels it whole heartedly and you can see it. And he has a love. It's a strong, passionate time consuming love for history. Medevil history to be exact and any and all legends, myths, tales that spawned out of it. Robin Hood, King Arhtur tales, they all enchant him in a way nothing else can. And because of this love there is only one logical place for him to have found sanctuary and that is at a Reinaissance fair. He began working at them when his was thirteen alongside his sister. Every week end during the school year and every day during the summer he would be there pretending to be someone else. That might have been part of why he loves it so much. When he's there, he doesn't have to be Derek Stanwood. He's anyone he wishes to be and to be in this world to which backdrops all the heroes he idolizes, or as close to the world as he can get, it's a great feeling. He feels more at home there than he does anywhere. The people who work there are his only friends and compadres because for the most part they are like him in their passion for the world. He is a Rennie for Life and I don't think it possible to beat it out of him.

He also does know how to have fun. Maybe it's not the 'lets go out and get shitfaced and die in a car accident or star in a porno' type of fun, but he does have fun. Mostly at Fair. Horse Shoes is fun for him, plus it's one he plays at Fair. Betting on the jousts is always good fun, he tends to have fairly good judgement and can clean up pretty nicely. Earns more that way that his actual paycheck ever is. When he gets excited, it's obvious by the huge goofy grin on his face. When he's anxious it's obvious from his frantic pacing. He may not like new people or let himself get close to them or tell them factoids and historical tidbits about his own life but when it comes to how he's feeling from moment to moment, he's a boy who wears his heart on his sleeve. Heart on his sleeve, but his past is buried on a rock, a big one. He doesn't talk about his past and for good reason. He doesn't ever lie about it, more so he just avoids any questions pertaining to his history. He just does not like talking to people about it, not even his sister. He has been through a fair deal so it's more than understandable. And although he doesn't trust others very well, he is a very trustable person. Dependable. He and his sister always try to take the moral high ground in every situation. They both can actually be a bit up on themselves because of it.

Another aspect of being so untrusting is him not liking new people. Every time he meets a new person, the politeness shines through and everything is fine. But when if the person attempts to be close to him or his sister they will feel a wave of coldness shot their way. New people are fine but they cant be trusted, him and his sister are none of their business and why would they want to get to know him and his twin anyways? Perhaps this compulsion is caused from his past history with being left constantly. Also the majority of people he meets that are his own age that aren't a part of Fair are complete asses to him anyways because face it, he is a bit of dork. He tends to be bullied or made fun of a lot. All I know is he is not open to new people in his life. And it's not just new people. It's new experiences as well. It took him a great deal of courage to come to America, and of course he didn't actually want to come. The only reason he did was because his sister Meg was so determined to come and meet their birth family. His view is that they didn't want them then, why should they want them now? He doesn't care who conceived them. Meg's his family, that's it. They don't need anyone else. But she was going to go with or without him, And Derek needs his sister. She's all he's got.


likes: Epic Tales of adventure and morality, his sister, feeling successful, rein fair, rein fair, rein fair, swords, bow and arrows, the woods, being outdoors, wine, horses, reading, libraries, England, the color red, celtic music, board games, magic tricks
dislikes: rap music, the mall, prats, new people, guns, cell phones, especially ones with crazy ringtones, California, dramatic teen series like Gossip Girl and 90210, anyone who shows an interest in Meg, the idea of meeting his birth parents,
flaws:
- Clings
- judgmental
- untrusting
- afraid of change
- can be a bit clutzy
- really bad at lying
habits:
- stuttering
- big wide grins when happy
strengths:
- loyal
- polite
- strong sense of morality
- honest
- upfront
weaknesses:
- afraid of new people
- suspicious
- afraid of new experiences

when the ocean met the sky ,[/b][/size][/color]
character history ,

originated from: immediately adopted by a family in London, England, so London.
parents:
Rebecca and Colin Stanwood - Adoptive parents from birth to age three, named them
Birth parents: Shawn and Rachel Anderson
siblings:
Margaret Stanwood - twin
Shay Anderson - 17
Kelly Anderson - Sixteen
JT Anderson - Half-brother, seventeen
other:
Xavier Street - cousin
living situation: shaks
history:

Is it ever fair when children are forced to separate from their parents? Shawn and Rachel Anderson were married once upon a time. Shawn was a doctor and his wife? She was, for lack of a better term, a bitch. She was superficial and crazy on some levels. Now some 18 years ago, before their modelesque daughter Shay was born, Rachel gave birth to two children, fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. The first one to come out was the girl. Rachel looked at the baby girl and smiled at the crystal blue eyes and the little tuff of dark dark hair. But less then ten minutes later she was pushing out the boy. They cleaned him up and she got a good look at the baby boy. Dark hair like his sister, light eyes although his were slightly darker than his twins but while her baby girl was cute for a new born, this baby boy just looked... alien. He was pale and with a long face compared to most babies. He had large ears and just... he didn't look the way Rachel wanted and therefore he wasn't acceptable.

Now what kind of mother can look at a healthy new born son and be scornful? I am not quite sure but this boy didn't fit her standards and he was not wanted. And he was ugly. Rachel wasn't a quite sensical woman so after she turned away from her son she looked to her girl whom he had shared the womb with for nine months and then decided the girl must have been corrupted in some sense of the word. She decided that these children weren't her's. She wouldn't have them. Her husband, and the twins father didn't know what to do. He was just happy they were alive and healthy, to him his children were his children. He wanted to be with them but when his wife pushed and pushed and threw a fit, part of him gave up and part of him knew what it would be like in the house for these children with a woman like Rachel pitted against them. So there it went, he and Rachel signed the papers and off the newborns went with child services. It was time to find them different homes. Shawn did make sure to request that they be kept together. That way neither of them would be alone. And they were kept together.

At the age of five weeks the two still unnamed infants were adopted by Rebecca and Colin Stanwood. They were a British couple and while in America they adopted these two infants. Rebecca Stanwood said the selling factor was the large adorable ears on the baby boy. She thought they were adorable. Colin and Rebecca had to be two of the most loving people in the world and as soon as they saw these babies they knew they loved them. Rebecca named the boy Derek and Colin gave Derek the middle name of Oliver. Colin named the girl Margaret and Rebecca gave her the middle name of Cynthia. And that's how the two twins became Derek Oliver Stanwood and Margaret Cynthia Stanwood. They went back to England with their new parents and they both lived there happily for the first few years. The Stanwoods were fun and loving parents, and despite the rocky start, it looked as though things were going to turn out just fine for the twins.

But one winter, when the twins were 4 years old, tragedy struck them out of their blissful reality and took the lives of their parents in the form of a large car crash. The twins were both so young, neither quite understood what that meant for them. And since they were in England, Shawn Anderson's request no longer really made a difference. The twins were separated. Meg was sent to a new family in Sussex pretty quickly while Derek ended up in an orphanage in London. When he was placed in this orphanage, it all seemed off. He was given vaccinations and everything. Settled in fine but the other kids were quiet. Unnaturally quiet. They weren't unfriendly or friendly, they were sullen but with a fake smile. The five year old boy was highly confused. But things all became clear when his handler left him in the care of the man running the orphanage. One Mr. Squires. ((yeah it's a reference to Nicholas Nickleby, don't like it? Suck it.))

Mr. Squires was an angry, bitter man who seemed to hate kids more than he hated being sober. He was brutal and strict with the children, explaining their very passive and unnaturally well behaved display they put on when around the woman dropping off Derek. They were all verbally and physically abused, more than harshly. Squires was simply horrible to them, perhaps not like he was breaking ribs with each blow but you get my point. Derek and the other children bonded very tightly. There was probably a group of 9 there. They were each other's life lines, all going through the same thing. They were of all ages, and they all told stories their parents or uncles or aunts or whoever used to tell them about knights and codes of honor and the stories fascinated Derek. He kept them close and they helped keep him sane. From them, he developed a bit of a heart of gold complex. He would try to save the other kids, even the older ones by getting their "jailer" to focus on him. He was brave and self sacrificing for the other kids because in those tales of chivalry, that's what a knight was supposed to do. But because of this, Derek was given little to nothing in basic luxuries, like books or playing outside instead of cleaning bathrooms. The poor boy got it brought down hard on him but if you had asked him then if he regretted taking the blame for that other boy, he would tell you no. He would still tell you no. He felt better feeling like the truly good one, in a chivalrous and arthurian sort of way.

But because he was always in the spotlight for punishments, Squires got so frustrated because to him, Derek was a repeated offender who he knew was always going on about how the knights of Camelot would fight back, defend themselves and children everywhere and how they should stand up to him and yada yada yada... He had enough and one day while the boys were playing, someone broke a glass. Now this time Squires saw the kid. He was younger than Derek, who by this time was eight years old. So Derek really couldn't take the blame but when the angry "jailer" got out his belt and hit the boy hard across the back, Derek had to say something and he stepped forward. The other boy's punishment was forgotten and Derek's was just beginning. The old man last it, he was so angry. He took Derek and he locked him in the cellar of the building. The cellar was basically a room built of dirt and rock with one wooden staircase leaded out through the roof/floor of the above room. It was underground, cold during the night, hot during the day. He was only given one glass of water a day. He was given some bread once a week. And it went on like this. Derek alone and locked away in the dark. Some of the boys would sneak off and talk to him through the floor boards, their bit company helped him a lot. This routine lasted for about 2 months, Then he was allowed a sleeping bag, a lamp and a few children's, food and water for 3 more. Five months he had been alone in the dirt cellar, five months. The books were what kept him alive although he couldn't read the letters very well, he had never gone to school before, even if he was a bright kid. And that's how it was for him for another three months.

EIGHT MONTHS he had been locked down there, his only comfort being the stories in his head and the books he held tight to his chest and the whispered conversations the boys and him would have come night fall. If he hadn't been considered lanky and then before, he was for sure now. Despite the lack of exercising options in a dirt cellar, he was fed and watered only enough to keep him alive. He had no clue how long he had been down there. He stopped counting the days after day 77, but after it had been about eight months, one night the boys didn't come to talk to him come nightfall, which happened sometimes but then no one came in the morning with his slice of bread. He didn't hear any feet or movement or voices all day and no one came with his water. The next day was the same and the lack of food and water was taking effect. He yelled for help but no one came. Three days passed before he was found, he was nearly dead from dehydration and exhaustion from yelling for help, when a police officer and his team came down. They had learned of the abuse and arrested Mr. Squires but he never told them of Derek's whereabouts until they spoke to the kids. Derek was in the hospital for about a month, gaining back his strength when he was sent to a large group home in Sevenoaks Weald, which is a very small village in Northern England.

It worked a lot like farm, there were kids everywhere, the people in charge were kind, but Derek was pretty screwed up. He didn't connect with these kids, he didn't even want to know them that much. He was quiet, kept to himself, tended to huddle to corners. He spoke to other children but honestly the other kids more made fun of him than anything. He did like opening up to the women who worked there, not the men, but he was always polite. He always watched what he said very carefully. He would laugh only with a select few adults. For the most part he was a very isolated kid. And it stayed like this until he was twelve years of age, when the most important thing in his life happened. A new girl came to the group home. She was very pretty and seemed to get along with everyone at the home and even though Derek usually avoided girls, he was drawn to her, and her to him. They just felt safe around each other. She would defend him against the other kids, she took to protecting him like a mother lioness took to protecting her cubs. They're strange and seemingly random closeness may have helped Derek in life but with the other kids not so much. One of the other boys in the home thought Derek liked this new girl((So not the case)) and then beat the skinny boy up for it.

Yeah, this girl wasn't happy about that. But seriously, the two were so different and another strange thing about the two, despite that Derek was slightly gangly and awkward and she was stunning, they looked a bit alike. Both had light blue eyes, and both had dark raven hair and pale skin. They both even had a similar birthmark on their lower back that sort of looked like a dragon shape if you squinted. One of the women who worked at the home and who watched them together decided to get curious and began to dig through both children's records. One month and a lot of phone calls later they had the answer, Derek, and the new girl Meg aka Margaret, were brother and sister. Twins. Needless to say it came as a shock to everyone. No one really knew what to think about it but the twins just seemed so perfectly content with each other. I think they were just happy to know they had family out there. Meg had been schooled her whole life but Derek, not him. When this home gave him tutors though, lord he caught on fast. In no time he was average for his age in math and science. Where he really shined was history, although he had always had a knack for remembering tales. But he suffered greatly in an area that broke his heart, reading. Reading, if not taught young is one of the hardest things to teach, it's like learning a new language and it didn't help that he was dyslexic for years without anyone noticing. It was Meg who finally noticed and decided to ask him to get checked out. Honestly it killed him, that one of the things he wanted to do most in the world would always be a challenge to him, that being reading the immense amounts of stories this world had to offer.

When the two turned 16, they got a job together working at a local Renaissance fair. Both loved it. Derek had never felt more at home than he did while pretending to live in 1400s. He wasn't one to play nobility though, he always found the peasant, servant, blacksmith, etc to far more interesting. Meg on the other hand like any role where she got to receive a fair amount of attention. She soon became aware that for a career in life, she wanted to be an actress. They worked there for years and they were inseparable. When they turned 18 they were free to leave, Derek was sort of lost. But Meg knew what she wanted to do and that was find their real parents. Derek hated the idea, new places new people, all unnecessary risk, they should stay, work at Rein fair, they had each other, their parents weren't even real parents they left them. But when stubborn Meg said she'd leave with or without, he went with her, not loosing the only one he trusts. They get the record released and go to Valkyrie California to seek them out. They are now getting jobs at the local Rein fair and getting permission to stay in the shops until they get settled.

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why don't you waste the afterlife ,[/b][/size][/color]
for admins ,

read the rules: ugh
name one you like: ugh
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credit: format by lainey, lyrics by modest mouse

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[Haley Summers]

ACCEPTING MYSELF!!!!