â NO ONE CARES UNLESS YOUâRE PRETTY OR DYING. â
NAME: Sebastian Rotheram
GENDER/PRONOUNS: Male, He/Him
DATE OF BIRTH:Â February 14, 1995
BIRTH PLACE: London, England
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Mid-City
OCCUPATION: Artist, owner of Rotheram Studios
FACE CLAIM: Gavin Leatherwood
Sebastianâs mother called him her own baby Cupid. So much about his existence was a miracle, and his mother would never let him forget that. Born on Valentineâs Day, to a dying marriage, his parents would attribute their briefly rekindled flame to Sebastianâs conception. Only, it wasnât exactly simple to place the burden of a failing relationship on a small child. The Rotherams should have been happy. They had success in their careers, more money than anybody could ever need, and now, a darling baby- and yet, they still were not satisfied. The marriage lasted until Sebastian was five years old, and then it exploded. Sebastianâs world was thrown into turmoil, moved from house, to apartment, to hotel- caught in a custody battle that just never seemed to end.
By the time Sebastian was eighteen years old, he was convinced that love was a fictitious concept that was devised only for commercial gain. Growing up, he did all he good to avoid romance, hiding away on his birthday to avoid any comments about the joys of being born on Valentineâs Day. In fact, it was his very hatred of all things related to love that sparked his passion. Even though his mother pushed for him to pursue a more academic career, to become a lawyer at his fatherâs firm, or a doctor like his mother- Sebastian felt much more at home in the world of the arts. He was inspired to create art that depicted much darker themes, to rebel against the romantics. It was also the hands of his overbearing mother that made him want to escape.
When he was given the opportunity to study Art at the Rhode Island School of Design, he jumped at the opportunity. Without hesitation, he got on the plane to America, and never once looked back. And as he had been in life before, heâd been mostly fortunate to live a smooth life. He graduated with honours, with the financial backing of his parents opened Rotheram Studios- and such was life, pursuing a passion and creating art pieces that depicted a sadness and desperation heâd never truly been privy to.
It was probably foolish of Sebastian to believe that life would always be that simple and easy. On his twenty second birthday, the world went dark. The doctors described told him what happened was  an arteriovenous malformation. A stroke. In less than ten minutes, everything was taken from him. When he eventually regained consciousness, the weight of the consequences crashed down on him. The room was cloudy, his limbs were heavy- but every sound was intense, and as the doctors explained that his prognosis was still uncertain- he felt every hope slip away. The likelihood that heâd regain movement in his limbs was quite high, though the chances of his sight returning were slim.
Recovery was slow- agonisingly, and frustratingly slow. Physiotherapy was painful, and the constant reminder that he may never again do the thing heâd dedicated his life so far to was daunting. The pressure of life itself was heavy, and if he didnât make a drastic change soon, heâd drive himself insane within those same four walls. So, he set himself a goal. If he could force himself, push himself, to regain most of his movement by the time his twenty-fifth birthday came around- heâd leave town. Heâd get out of there, and start something new.
With determination, and the hope of a new life, Sebastian pushed himself. Exactly two years after his accident, he could walk again with the help of a walking stick, and most of the movement in his hands had returned. Save for his sight, and a recurrent facial twitch, Sebastian almost felt like the man he used to be. With the help of Ida, his guide dog, he could live independently- and make plans to leave town. To be free again.
Sebastian found himself in Santa Monica. The beachside seemed like the perfect, refreshing environment for a new life. Though he may never be able to see the ocean again, to feel the sand beneath his feet, to hear the joys of the people on the beach- it was enough to make Sebastian feel like this would be home.
