character name: Derek Ellis Cohen
age & birthday: 28, December 15th 1993
gender & pronouns: Cis man, He/Him
place of birth & time in Fallbrook: Born in Fallbrook but moved away when he was 10, been back for almost a year and doesn't remember most people he knew.
district: Downtown
occupation: Carolina Hurricanes Hockey Player
faceclaim: Daniel Sharman
secret: He’s actually been issued a leave of absence from the league due to his use of steroids but the league wanted to keep all of that quiet. In order to play again, he’ll have to get clean.
CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY TWs: substance abuse, drugs, injury, physical abuse, abuse, steroids
Life growing up was no picnic for the Cohen twin. He learned very early on that keeping his head down and getting the job done was the easiest path to success and freedom. But sometimes, even that just wasn’t enough for his controlling father. Still, he continued to try his absolute best in hopes that it would somehow be enough. But watching his mother and sister get pushed to their absolute limits, and beyond time and time again, led him to one day fight the man back as he couldn’t hold back anymore. This resulted in a beating like no other before it and he ended up in the hospital. The family all worked together to cover up his injuries at the time, but it was definitely a turning point for the three real members of the family, at least they were the only ones that mattered to him.
His mother worked hard to scrape enough money together and he made sure that he and his sister stayed in line for the next few months until they would finally be able to leave. The three of them moved north to be away from his father. Getting out of that house was the single best thing that ever happened to him. His mother was a hero in his eyes. So from then on, he wanted to do any and every thing he possibly could within his power to give her the life she deserved.
Early on, he’d also discovered a natural talent in the sport of hockey, something that had come from his uncle who was a former NHL star. As a young child, he wanted to grow up and be just like him. And while his father had constantly tried to exploit the young Cohen’s talents, Derek refused to let him ruin the game he loved so much. When he was only ten, his uncle helped him and his twin sister get out of Fallbrook, and get full scholarships to a boarding school in the Northeast. There was something so freeing, being out on that ice as the cool wind rushed through his hair. As a defenseman, he found such pride in being able to be a line of defense for the team when it came to making sure they didn’t score a single goal. But he also had an affinity for scoring as well, making him a double threat on the ice.
After high school, he played in a junior league in Canada where he found out just what it was like to live in a loving and supportive family. But it was really difficult to be away from his mom and sister. He knew that his twin was struggling but also knew that he needed to stick with his path in hockey. He’d call her as often as he possibly could and she’d watch as many of his games as she could through online streaming. They’d always been as close as could be and it was important to Derek that that never changed despite being far away from each other.
After Juniors, he opted not to go to college, instead entering the NHL draft. He was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the third round which sent him straight to the AHL in Pennsylvania with the Hershey Bears where he met Wren Schneider. He noticed very quickly that Wren was getting picked on by the larger egos in the locker room and one day was pushed to his limits once again, where he stood up for the kid. They’ve been great friends ever since. Eventually he was drafted to up to the NHL but was soon traded to the Carolina Hurricanes where he has played for the last couple of seasons. He’s not on the starting line by any means, but is happy for any and all playing time he gets.
Derek is constantly keeping things deep down inside of him and never really expresses himself. This worked out for him for a very long time but has began to catch up with him in recent years. Due to this he has been known to drink a little bit more than he should at time to drown out some of the memories. He also began taking steroids over the last couple of seasons which has made him better at the game but also severely affected his moods. During this past season he got into a fight in a game and just completely saw red. He doesn’t even remember most of the fight, only looking up at an angry referee that ejected him from the game. He was suspended from the league and tested positive for steroids but no one knows this as the league wanted to keep it quiet. On top of that, he also sprained his groin. One of the worst injuries a player can get in hockey because of how hard it is to rehab back to full strength.
He moved back to Fallbrook when he became a Hurricane. He didn't know what drew him back to the town that held so many childhood nightmares for him. His dad was long gone, so in that way it felt safe. But in other ways, he knew he had to face some demons. But a part of him also knew that if he wanted to get back to hockey, he'd need to face them head on. He’s not sure whether or not he’ll be able to get back onto the team after all of this and is struggling to get clean from the steroids even though he knows that he needs to if he ever wants to play again. Which means the world to him so he knows he needs to get it done.
Wanted plots & Headcanons
WC: He’s super shy so he needs people to try and get him out of his comfort zone, emphasis on try because it isn’t easy and he’ll probably resist.
WC: People who accept him for the way he is, quiet and unemotional. These people could be good friends or acquaintances.
HC: He runs a lot so you could easily see him doing that around town.
HC: He’s helping Wren train for making it to the NHL.
HC: Probably has a barstool that he’ll sit at where he just cracks peanuts and watches sports at the bar frequently.
HC: He's a huge reader. Particularly sci-fi fantasy and fiction. And he'd like to join a book club if there is one in Fallbrook but he'd be shy about even bringing that up.
HC: Childhood friends with Arielle Rutherfurd and Owen Ence. They hit it off in Kindergarten and never lost touch even after he was gone all those years, traveling for hockey. He always knew they'd end up together.
HC: Is half siblings w/ Quinn Cohen and they never knew about each other until he moved back to Fallbrook.
