“Slightly, who cuts whistles out of the trees and dances ecstatically to his own tunes. Slightly is the most conceited of the boys. He thinks he remembers the days before he was lost...”
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Name: Sylvester Darling Nicknames: Sly -> Slightly Age: 23 Birthday: January 11, 2001 Height: 5′11″ Sexuality: Bisexual Occupation: Composer / musician
Slightly once had a family. His parents died when he was too young to properly remember them, but growing up in the orphanage he always liked to think that he remembered them—and knowing that he’d once had them was almost enough. What memories he did have were probably mere figments of his imagination, but as long as he believed in them, they were real…and it made many of the other kids jealous that he knew so much, which was a great bonus.
In truth, he doesn’t know half as much as claims to, just in general. Back in the orphanage, he was always coming in last in grades on schoolwork, even when he would sneak and copy answers off the other boys. He considered himself lucky to have escaped with Peter before they could ever force him into the public school system (or subject the public schools to him) but that would change when the Darling family moved to the island.
Wendy and her brothers John and Michael were assimilated into the group as easily as if they were the missing pieces they had always been waiting for, and they were especially what Slightly had been waiting for: a family with parents that were willing to adopt a stray child. The lost boys are his brothers first and foremost, but having real parents (not the play-pretend of Wendy and Peter as mom and dad) was an opportunity impossible to deny. Of course, they put him into school, which he struggled through, being held back a few grades, until he was old enough to drop out despite Mr. and Mrs. Darling’s protests.
Slightly is far from being the brightest bulb in the box, and he’s well aware of that, so he tries to make up for his short-comings by simply pretending to know everything he doesn’t know. Honestly? It gets him by pretty well. Most people don’t tend to challenge those who agree with them, so as long as he concurs with the prevailing wisdom of the moment, he’s golden. Unfortunately, he’s also often too quick to get the first word in that his opinion on a matter seems to change as soon as he’s contradicted.
The only thing he’s ever really been good at is music; he’s been playing any makeshift instrument he could get his hands on since he was young and carved his first wooden whistle while unsupervised at the orphanage. (No, he wasn’t supposed to have that knife, don’t worry about it.) Finding real instruments to try out was a lot easier after he was adopted. Percussion, strings, woodwinds, he’ll try anything he can get his hands on.
He composes and performs his own music locally, and is hopeful that his deal with Couffaine Records will get his career off the ground, because without even a high school degree he’s honestly not qualified or fit for much else (beyond settling down and being somebody’s trophy husband—that’s always on the table.) He wrote the lyrics to some of his songs, but the strongest ones have always come from his partnership with Cubby. Cubby has always been the poet, so his words and Slightly’s melodies combined make for the best music.
Since they were too young and short-sighted to steal their official documents before running away, Slightly doesn’t actually know what’s on his original birth certificate. He knows his first name, because that’s what the orphan wranglers called him—Sylvester—which was too much of a mouthful for any of the kids, so they just called him Sly and eventually Slightly. But damned if he remembers his parents’ name. He’s a Darling now. (No take-backs!)
Another of his closest friends outside of Peter, the lost boys, and the Darlings is of course Tink, who he also grew up alongside in the orphanage until she was adopted. She’s always been protective over the boys, but as the only girl in the group for the longest time, they also had reason to be protective over her. She was more of a sister than anything else. Slightly still likes to think he’s Tink’s favorite lost boy despite his generally being nobody’s favorite.
Though he’s realistically far from the best role model a boy could have, Slightly has worshipped Peter Pan his whole life and finds it impossible to tell him no. He would go along with every hare-brained scheme and adventure Peter wants to have, even if they have to break the rules along the way. He almost fears as much as respects him, never wanting to disappoint him.
Despite being generally full of bravado and conceit, Slightly is secretly pretty insecure about his obvious imperfections and much of his seeming unfounded confidence is really an unconscious defense mechanism.
“It’s not a cry for help / It’s just a cry for connection / And I’d trade my life and health to make people pay attention”
