OOC
Name/Alias: Nico Age: 27 years old Pronouns: They/Them Timezone: GMT+1
IC
Face Claim: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett Full Name: Ulysses Goode Gender & Pronouns: Demi-guy & They/Them or He/Him Age: 30 years old House: N/A Tier and Role: Null Gift: N/A Occupation: Resident Surgeon at Sacred Heart Hospital
3 Positive Traits: LOYAL, CHARMING, OBSERVANT 3 Negative Traits: ARROGANT, RELUCTANT, QUICK TO JUDGE
Biography: discrimination tw, racism tw, homophobia tw, lupus tw, kidney failure tw
There was one sentence young Ulysses had heard their parents say to them from the moment of their birth:
“You are going to be great one day!”
And they believed it. They even invented their own reaction the more they heard it, with a chuckle and a look of love they would reply to their parents: “The greatest.”
It was what they believed all through childhood. Or at least a hope they held onto. It didn’t matter what others thought of them, how they were viewed by those in their class, in a predominantly white neighbourhood, in a predominantly white school. A basket case who kept to the walls, hid away during lunches. They had to work twice as hard as everyone else to make it just as far. So they did their best to get significant marks, to be studious, to be helpful, and even if they were disappointed in themselves for not making it, it was always enough for their parents. The slurs that followed them home would not get to them as soon as they looked upon their parents again.
They might try to hurt them at school, hoping for a reaction from the kid who always had a smile on their face, but they were met with disappointment.
Even if discrimination turned violent, even when they found out that someone had shared their personal emails in which they admitted to identifying as non-binary, Ulysses still got home alright. Because hard work would pay off.
And their parents would keep them hopeful: You are going to be great one day! The greatest!
But they stopped believing it when they got to High School. People got older, people got nastier, found different ways to try and break their patience. And they managed to do it, from time to time Ulysses would lash out.
The world was flawed. That was their general consensus. They still wanted to be a doctor though. It was a wish that had grown in them at some point. Their parents weren’t rich, they owned a hardware store in the city center, worked seven days a week. They could help other people and help their parents. When they had first suggested the idea, their parents had been ecstatic. Perhaps that was the sole thing that kept them sane. Their goal.
And their goal made sense. People were meant to fight and suffer and try to get back up. Or they would not get back up at all. And that was the way of the world. But the more this ate at them, the more they started to realise that they could fight that too.
They could, no they would, fight those slurs and comments with a smile. They would kill with kindness. If that was to be their only weapon against a flawed world and its flawed people, then so be it. They would soon have another weapon, given time, they would prove they could help others fight the flawed world.
So they fought to keep their grades up, because they would be great.
Ulysses soon took up five extra classes to keep their grades up, got three part-time jobs to pay for med-school, often working together with either their dad or their mom - who were trying to earn some extra cash as well, and relief some of the stress from their shoulders - and yet despite it, they felt happiness in the small moments. Every single dollar matters, but so did every minute they got to fight for it.
They would reach their goal.
The grades finally came in, and their acceptance letter fell through the mailbox at the same time as their money goal was almost reached. Their mom and dad had rushed to grab the letter with their greedy hands, having promised to read it so Ulysses didn’t have to, and deliver them the news. Soon as their parents had read the good news, they had bolted up the stairs, ready to tell them about it.
Instead of being able to share the news and eat the pie that was in the fridge, they found their child on the floor of their bedroom, unresponsive.
Acute kidney failure. A transplant was needed.
They were lucky, their parents drove them to the ER, offered all the information they could think of, and eventually the right call was made. Ulysses remembered nothing from between passing out on the floor and waking up three days later after a surgery.
Their parents were there, hugging them, saying they were alright. A doctor and a surgeon followed, the surgeon looked just like them, he smiled and explained to Ulysses and their parents what had happened. The acute kidney failure was a result of Lupus, an auto-imune disease which could often start showing first symptoms after a period of stress. It wasn’t odd for someone as young as them to get it, but it was still a serious illness: regular check-ups, medication, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and a healthy way of living.
While Ulysses felt their heart sink at the thought of that, at the idea of their own life being so fragile, they listened with great attention as the surgeon explained the process of the kidney transplant.
The surgeon left after telling them that there were a lot of people who had Lupus, and those who had the healthiest outlook on life, lived the longest. “You will be alright, kid,” he had said, a hand on their shoulder. He should know, he was a surgeon, the greatest.
While most of the money they had earned over the years went into medical bills, Ulysses still went to Med school. It was harder, a job on the side to pay off their bills, a small room that barely fitted a bed, their medication and regular check-ups, and traveling back home every weekend to help their parents. They knew the pay-off would be greater than the price, it had to be.
They studied hard, their parents would say harder than before, but they had already been going as hard as they could to keep up. Only now it seemed different. Surrounded by so many people who all wanted to help people, to save lives or help save them, they felt like they belonged. Like minded souls.
They didn’t have to be the greatest, they all were.
They met Tessa at meds school, whether instant friendship was the expected result, it didn’t matter, because they grew close in a way that they had never experienced before.
Their friendship was crazy, a wild ride of shared secrets and inside jokes. A mutual enjoyment of life’s mysteries and a love for people. Ulysses was the charming one, the outgoing one, Tessa always ended up being dragged along. But it was pure and good.
They both cared about people, they both knew they wanted to be surgeons. Those summer nights discussing the fragility of life and the consequences of their actions, those summer nights hoping for the best outcome, and sharing the faith they had in each other.
But it didn’t last. Tessa’s relationship didn’t, and despite their friendship, she wished to go home. They had wanted to keep her there, but they would never force her to do something against her will. So she left.
Without her there, Ulysses once again had to face their troubles alone, depending on their parents. They finished med-school with flying colours however, despite falling asleep a lot or having to miss important classes due to check-ups. They had vowed to go through life with a smile, to keep the wolves at bay, and while they too had their moments of darkness, saving lives is what they wanted to do.
First hospital where they did their residency realised very early on that Ulysses had talent. It wasn’t just hard work anymore, but their general interest and dedication made it possible for them to get the attention of their peers.
It also helped that by that time Ulysses no longer needed to hold their part-time job. Medical bills could be paid, and even their parents could slow down. They were getting old, so whenever they did have some money left, it went to taking some more weight off of their parent’s backs.
Soon enough the praise became so much that it all went to their head. They had worked for this, endless studying and not giving up had made it so they were finally recognised for the skill they had.
Ulysses became a star. They became the greatest.
When a spot opened up in Asphodel, and the payment was said to be even higher than in Baylor, Texas, they knew taking it would be another opportunity to help their parents even further. Also the change of venue got them excited, so they took the offer and moved.
To their greatest surprise, a new opportunity wasn’t all they found there.