⇀ Description

• Height || 5'7"
• Build || average, a little but chubby
• Eyes || blue grey
• Skin tone || pale
• Hair color || black
• Hair style || middle part, one side slicked back, the other swept to the side
• Demeanor || slouchy, tired
• Style || formal, quirky colors, lots of pastels

James is either well groomed or a complete mess, there's no in-between. He almost always wears dress shirts, dress pants, and dress shoes; it's pretty much the only thing he buys. His skin is covered in freckles, everywhere, with a higher concentration of freckles on his face and arms. He has an oval shaped face and a prominant nose. He's what the kids call "skinny fat"; he's not exactly chubby but he has very little muscle definition. He has poor posture.

⇀ Important Notes

• Freckles, lots, everywhere, not just on his cheeks
• Prefers bow ties to normal ties
• Always dress shoes, never sneakers
• Very little body hair
• Prominent aquiline nose

⇀ Moodboard

⇀ Background

James was born and raised in a fairly normal family. He lived happily with his mothers as an only child attending a private school. He received his primary education in full. His experiences gardening with his parents are what laid his foundation for his love of plants. He had a happy childhood.

A short yet passionate relationship James had in his adolescence defined his view of love. The relationship ended and, though he's tried, he cannot find the girl who stole his heart years before. His view of love has been warped by time, as well as his own nostalgia, to give him the idealized, unattainable view of "true love" he holds today.

In his teen years, James won a web design contest with a large monetary reward. This set him on the path of being a software engineer, despite his love of botany. He went to university to learn in flourished in the field; soon he was a budding star in the class of new engineers. After schooling, he joined the company he's currently at, Innovation Inc., and struck gold again. He developed a string of code that greatly increased the efficiency of a popular computer language. His achievement set James up for a comfortable life and gave his research team a large fund to continue their work, but also put pressure on him for the rest of his life. He's trying to convince himself and others that his achievement was not just a one-time thing. He feels helpless and inferior to his past successes and feels the stress of people waiting for him to prove himself once more.

⇀ Family

James was part of a tight-knit family consisting of him and his two mothers. He was adopted by them and raised lovingly. He has an incredibly positive relationship with his parents. Growing up shy, they were the ones he spends the most time with, and he sees them as friends as well as family. As a child, James saw his grandparents and cousins frequently too.

In more recent years, James has grown distant from much of his family with the exception of his mothers. He calls them often and frequently visits his childhood home where they live to tend to their garden, as they have difficulty doing it themselves. They are the ones he cares most about.

⇀ Important Moments

• James' first success with computer engineering set him on his career path, without his event, he would have most likely pursued botany.
• Jame's short, intense relationship with a girl he met while traveling defined his view of love, something important to his personality. A vision of a soul-mate, romantic yet innocent attraction, and the idea of an ideal partner were all established at this point. His love interest disappeared and did not contact him after their initial fling; the incident has left his heart broken since. He struggles to make ends meet with any new partners he has because of this past relationship.
• James' breakthrough discovery is important as it shows the great things he's capable of. His reputation revolves around this sole success. He's constantly trying to live up to the genius he achieved here. He has a great deal of anxiety about this as he knows he's already reached his peak, but he's constantly struggling to achieve more for the sake of his company and his own sense of self-worth.

⇀ (Foundation Arc)

At this point, James is a side character working in the Innovation IV Team. He's clearly stressed but has a decent amount of control over his life and mental state.

James is most notable for being one of the members of Innovation IV already known personally by Louie and already recognized for his achievement by Eric.

⇀ (Red Sky Arc)

In the Red Sky Arc, James is beginning to show signs of mental distress. By this point, it's revealed that James has bipolar disorder. Jame's negative outlook have a noticeable effect on the Main Crew as they visit the research team.

James' expertise is put to use by the Main Crew in their preparations for the Red Sky Event. James and Eric get to know each other better, and more of James' past and present character traits are revealed. The event ends with a peak of optimism from James, most likely due to switching to a manic phase.

⇀ (New Materials Arc)

James' knowledge is put to the test as he works alongside Eric and the rest of the Innovation IV team on the New Materials Project. He shows the most signs of mania and instability at this point; his actions bringing more unrest to an already disturbed team. He develops an intense fear of Louie at this point, which strains his friendship with Tom.

His work on the project brings another important event in James' life; a new achievement. He's troubled by this new success almost more than his past one. Due to the questionable legal and ethical work being done it's dangerous to share his work; Innovation IV must hide any sign of the project. He feels emotional turmoil as he struggles to hide what he feels to be a way out of the pressure he felt in his career before. His judgment is clouded in this phase; he primarily chooses inaction as an answer to his problems despite the manic tendencies he experiences.