Theo Perkins

Theo Perkins is a human male born on May 25, 1906. He is the younger son of John and Amanda Perkins, and younger brother to August Perkins. He is part Fae, a type of Myling, and has the ability to influence the growth and movement of plants and the weather in his immediate vicinity. Theo is quiet and timid, and gets sick often and easily as a half-Fae living in the human world.

### Physical Appearance

From birth, Theo was odd looking, and unlike the rest of his family. Though identifiable as August's brother and John and Mandy's son, his features are exaggerated and his coloring unexpected. His hair is bright red and falls to his lower back, though he typically keeps it tied back in a messy braid or loose ponytail. His skin is unnervingly pale and nearly translucent, with freckles littered unevenly over his entire body, thickest on his face and shoulders. He has long, narrow arms and legs that make his hands and feet appear too big, and long fingers. His eyes are noticeably too large, and an unnaturally bright, mossy green. He is quite thin, and is described as 'sickly' by many for his sad, sunken eyes and watery complexion. Despite his seemingly delicate skin, he does not sunburn easily, nor does he tan. His face is thin, with a long nose and narrow mouth. As a Fae away from Elphame, his growth was somewhat stunted, and at 20 years, he stands just 5 feet and 5 inches tall, and is often mistaken for a girl. Theo does not like constricting clothing, and wears almost strictly hand-me-down shirts from August and knickers he insists on keeping untied. He very rarely wears shoes and socks in the warmer seasons, and will not cut his hair. Iron burns his skin, as it does to all Fae, and he always ate with wooden utensils--or his hands--to avoid the reaction

### Personality

As a young child, Theo was painfully shy and remained so throughout his life. He did not speak until he was nearly 3, and spoke to few outside his family until he was seven. Many of the people in town thought him mute, as he never spoke to the churchgoers when his father gave Mass. He was rarely without the threadbare stuffed rabbit his mother made for him before he was born, even when sent to the asylum in Augusta at 17. His isolation from age 9-17 made him essentially socially inept, fearful of crowds and unsure of how to interact with anyone outside his family and the Fae. He remains quiet and behaves unusually, crouching at the dinner table instead of sitting down, preferring the floor to a chair, going barefoot, even in the woods, openly speaking to animals and Fae only he can hear, and often appearing to 'zone out' and totally ignore everything going on around him. He has always been overly emotional, with both positive and negative emotions, and these emotions often trigger reactions in nature--flowers growing around him, wind blowing, trees twisting, and the sky becoming cloudy, as well as other reactions. As a child, he had little control over this phenomenon, and the reaction in the natural world was often disproportional to his feelings, but as he grew up, he learned to control himself and regulate his feelings and the power they evoked.

Despite his shyness, Theo had always taken comfort in physical contact, and would often lean against or embrace a trusted person, regardless of the situation he found himself in. He is gentle, and animals and children gravitate toward him and take comfort in is presence. As an infant, August and Annie's daughter Caroline would only stop crying when Theo held her. Chicks and hens would follow him around the yard. He loves his dog, Hazel, and always has her with him. Even wild animals seemed to have no fear of him. He is as kind as he knows how to be, but sometimes misreads situations and comes across as rude, and will not hesitate to speak on his own behalf, particularly when being ridiculed for his oddities. Nora often told him he was a bastard, that his mother had an affair, that he was some sort of demon because of his red hair, which greatly perturbed him, eventually to violence, however unintentional. He always feels incredibly guilty after causing harm, no matter how insignificant, and never forgives himself for hurting August while his soul was out of his body, and again later when they fight as young adults. After fighting with August and the death of Hazel, Theo falls into so much guilt and despair he attempts suicide via iron hay-hook, as iron burns the Fae.

### History

Theo was born early in the morning on Friday, May 25th, 1906, and was stillborn. Unsure what to do but knowing his son was dead, his father took him to the chapel and left him in front of the altar.

Theo's soul, though tiny, was strong and persistent. Because he was not baptized, his soul could not move on and cross through Elphame. His soul returned to the World as a Myling, but because he was able to locate his body, he could live. Most Mylings become stuck as spirits and wander the woods, but Theo reassumed his body, and his spirit returned to it. However, the ordeal was not without repercussions. Part of Theo's soul decided it liked Elphame, and it split down the middle, half of it returning to life, the other half residing in the Fairy World. From then on, Theo could see both the human World and Elphame at the same time.

Upon waking and tending the animals a few hours later, John heard crying from the chapel and found his son alive when he entered. Thinking it a miracle, he brought the baby inside and introduced him to his family.