I finally got around to touching up Derrik's theme, which has been a pain in the rear from day one. It's actually a very old song (I first composed it in 2003 or so.)

Anyway, I wanted it to represent him a bit better. This began with keeping the elements from the cultures he's lived in (hence the Samurai Western vibe.)
He's a lot more of a complicated person than he appears. On the surface, Derrik is a nihilistic pirate who has a very relaxed approach to life, and smokes funny smelling plants. Somehow, despite the fact that he's rather comedy-prone at times, or the fact that he quickly dismisses important facts for no apparent reason, he gets himself out of deadly situation after deadly situation.

This is mostly because, under that tough-talking, uncaring exterior, Derrik is much much more. A ball of volatile mixed emotions, unhappy memories, and a general discontent with the world that envelops him. He has an itchy trigger finger, sure, but that's because he's learned not to trust anyone. He keeps to himself, for much the same reason. He comes in expecting to be betrayed or left behind. He'd rather spend a few gold for a night with a less-than-reputable lady (or gentleman, as the case may be) than meet one, and form a bond. Too much baggage. Too much trouble, simply because relationships haven't ever worked out for him, and he feels they never will. He's not quite as smart as he thinks he is, either, but he's smart enough to get in trouble.
Underneath that, there is a goal. A smoldering pile of embers that can ignite from time to time. A plan. A future. Often though, it gets pushed aside by the few people that do depend on Derrik, and it quiets down once again.

To cope with all this, Derrik paints an awful lot. In fact, although he signs them under his birth name (which is surprisingly not Derrik at all) he still refuses to part with many of them, unless he paints them for someone as a gift. His work is often sought after for its detail, and the exquisite nature of his subjects, but Derrik finds that patronizing. Typically, he doesn't tell friends (few though they may be) he paints at all.

Note: As always, there are references to songs that are thematically related to this one.
Note: Thumbnail by Cainethelongshot!