Profile
About
Often surly to boot, Phillip James (or PJ for short) can be best summed up as “gruff.” His temper runs short, and as customary from his youth, he often shows his discontent for things and emotions through physicality. He’s a very physical person, negative or positive. In his crassness, he is also honest. Those pills he gives may just be tough ones to swallow, but he’ll still give them. He's also fluent in sarcasm. When you get to know him, you’ll find a softer, sometimes patient, heart beneath the rough and tumble exterior. He regards loyalty as his utmost virtue and will ride-or-die for his loved ones. PJ also has a bad habit of being too paternal with those he views either as younger than him or more naive than him. Sometimes he’s not the brightest crayon in the box, but he tries.
BASICS
PREFERENCES
LIKES
Buddy Films
Fair Food (Onion Rings)
Old School R&B
Spring Weather
DISLIKES
TikTok Dance Challenges
Entitled Customers
Tight-fitting Suits
Winter Time
FUN FACTS
- Played one year of football in college.
- Has a total of 5 tattoos.
- Does own a pair of reading glasses, but will kill you if you say he looks like a hipster.
BACKGROUND
Hometown: Saintshaven
They say suburban kids often are the ones to cause the most problems in an otherwise peaceful lifestyle. And, to the dismay of everyone and surprise to no one, such was the case for PJ.
PJ grew up on a small backyard ranch in Saintshaven, along with his mother Maddie, his father River, and his little brother Hunter. You could say Hunter and PJ’s sibling relationship was the standard: “you scratch my back, I scratch yours.” Being not too far apart in age, the two had an inseparability, together and with the trouble they landed themselves into. When Hunter was in too deep, PJ had to drag him out by the shirt. When their dad caught wind of wrongdoing, who else was there to look to except PJ? Not that this was always the case, but PJ had felt an obligation to his little brother ever since Hunt’s beady little eyes had landed on him. He didn’t mind it.
He especially didn’t mind it when their mother spent more effort cultivating Hunter’s raw talent, as the boy had a knack for fighting beyond the boys’ roughhousing. The fascination PJ had grown for cooking with their Gram had fallen to his mother’s wayside. But he didn’t mind it.
No, he didn’t mind it at all. At least, not until Gram died.
PJ’s relationship with his grandmother had formed over many childhood summer visits. While Hunter played with his fists against the air, PJ yelled for him to come inside when he and Gram had finished cooking dinner. He’d fallen in love with cooking, and she had always been his biggest supporter. So, losing her so suddenly and so quickly left PJ stretched thin. No longer was he as receptive to his brother’s antics, nor did he have the wherewithal to mince his snapping at his parents. During this time, the cracks started unraveling between River and Maddie. PJ was old enough to see it—how they weren’t sure how to handle Hunter, or him.
Hunt’s brush with death was the final straw. River and Maddie divorced, with River taking responsibility for Hunter and PJ moving away with their mother. He barely remembered the goodbyes, only the motions. When he and his mom moved to Aethinia, they hadn’t immediately heard word of their other halves. Other than holidays and sparse, infrequent calls, it was quiet. After a certain point, PJ stopped expecting it.
Maddie tried to be better for PJ, as it was now only the two of them, but during his high school life, they were still withdrawn. She didn’t know where PJ started and ended his day—who he hung with or if he’d decided to ditch. It took his offhand comments about being ‘less of a failure if he quit while he was ahead’ for them to have their first serious talk since the divorce. And for PJ, it was the first instance he’d seen his mom’s regret—and guilt. He understood her not just as his mother but as an adult, too. And she was sorry.
The bad crowds PJ rolled with turned into tastier venues as the years went on, and PJ embraced the Aethinian culture. Sitting in restaurants, trying the food, interviewing the chefs—it all put him on the fasttrack to a culinary arts department in college. His first job was his food truck, and it was in late summer when he’d meet the mother of his future child: Deloris.
Deloris and PJ were an odd coupling—a man who barely owned his own venue and was caked in flour and yeast 75% of the time, and the CEO of a law firm. Deloris was seven years his senior, too, which made it all the more shocking when Periwinkle was born into their 3-year anniversary. Neither of them knew much in the way of parenting, but they made it work and married for four years.
But some good things don’t last. PJ and Deloris drifted apart, and PJ took full custody of their daughter. It didn’t ease the pain of learning about the affair, but since coming into his life, PJ had taken his role as a father very seriously.
Finding a new place to live became paramount. Aethinia was no longer feasible, despite its reputable dining culture. Living there wasn’t cheap. So where was a good place to find himself and provide a safe space to teach Peri how to do the same?
Well, word would have it that retired pro-fighter Hunter and his wife intended to settle down in Arcana, the mysterious town. Maybe, it was time to start big and start fresh for PJ, too.
PERSONALITY
STATS
SPELLS
"SELF SERVE" - Enchantment
Think of this in terms of attunement. Any cooking utensil that PJ uses particularly frequently becomes something he can enchant. Ladles, spatulas, mixers—this allows him to have his hands free where the utensils do the work for him. He has a natural affinity for cooking objects and no other objects.
"STEELY RESOLVE" - Power
Much like flexing, PJ tightens his body to the point of feeling as hard as metal. The thick fur glossens as well, making it look shiny while in use. Like this, his body is basically impenetrable for a short while, increasing his pain tolerance. However, the closer he reaches his limit, the more potentially lethal the wound kickback will be. Afterward, he will need to recharge and will feel greatly lethargic as a result. This spell can be used at the same time as Grizzly End, but comes with a cost of quicker exhaustion.
"A GRIZZLY END" - Beast | Power
PJ becomes one with his more feral tendencies, just one step below becoming a full-on grizzly bear. With this spell, he:
- Gains an improved sense of smell and hearing.
- Develops thicker and sharper claws, where he can shred through trees like paper.
- Temporarily grows larger, gaining an extra foot of height (puts him at 7’).
- Attacks with twice his arm strength and can lift double his weight. Hits hard and heavy.
This spell is used mostly for combat, intimidation, tracking, or making a warm, fluffy heat pad. Consequently, his intellect drops a bit and he runs on pure instinct/impulse. His words can sound clipped and harsher. Honestly, it’s hard to know for sure whether PJ doesn’t constantly have this spell on or not, aside from the boon to his size.
