Post by James Bradley on Jun 11, 2009 14:31:57 GMT
Name: James Arthur Bradley
Age: 25 [born 31st July, 1984]
Physical Description: James is quite tall, reaching about 6’1’’ in total. He is broad-shouldered, muscled and solid; a body built by years of combat training and fighting. He has the golden hair and big baby blue eyes of an angel- and this is where all comparisons to angels end. However, he does have quite fine features, and a wicked, charismatic grin that can serve to charm almost anything out of anyone.
His skin is darkly tanned, having spent the past 6 years running around in the Sahara. He is missing the two fingers furthest from his thumb on his right hand, and has several serious scars running the length of his torso. There is also a slight indent to the back of his head, although this is hidden by his thick blond hair. Several bullet wounds litter his body and his hands and feet are rough and calloused.
Across his heart, James bears a tattoo of the Orchid emblem. Paralleling it on his back is the mark of the Sahara; a symbol to signify his time served in the Orchid troops placed there.
Clothing Description: Plain, practical clothing. James likes bold colours such as red for impact, but hates anything too fancy. He usually wears cheap boots with tough soles; ones good for climbing and hiking. He has several hard-wearing jackets, most of which he picked up in London before catching the ride to Orchid. None of them are particularly pretty, but James manages to pull them off. He rarely wears a watch, nor ‘man jewellery’ as he tends to refer to bracelets and wristbands. In somewhat of a contradiction to his apparent aversion to ‘man jewellery’ he wears an African pendant around his neck a lot of the time, which serves as a reminder of his time in the continent. Apparently, because it was given as a gift, this makes it, ‘okay’.
Personality: When James was Head of the Warriors at Orchid Hill one of his most defining characteristics was his confidence- something often perceived, sometimes correctly, as cockiness. Throughout his life, he has maintained a high level of self-confidence, although this confidence can easily be shaken by those who know him well. James habitually overestimates himself and pushes himself too far; often without any other motivation other the desire to impress and earn respect. Respect is something of very high value to James- in some ways, one of his greatest weaknesses is that he cares too much about other peoples’ opinions of him. Still, his compulsion to push himself to his utmost limits also displays his determination. James is stubborn and headstrong; rarely listening to any advice intended to benefit him.
James admires both physical and moral strength. He has a deep sense of justice and hates cheaters, liars and hypocrites. Although sometimes selfish in his motivations for things, his overall intention is usually good. An ambitious and born leader he often finds himself even giving commands to his friends. Because of his dominant presence, it is rare that anyone ever tries to challenge him. As his opinion is so seldom debated, this has served to fuel some of the arrogance seen in his swagger.
James usually puts on a rather stoic pretence. His only recognisable expressions can be divided into the categories of ‘alright’ and ‘hacked off as f*ck’ and it is rare for anyone to catch anything in between. He rarely shows his emotions- something that has grown particularly present in his person over the last two years away from Orchid Hill, in which he kept most of them at bay through a combination of tiredness and stubbornness. This deliberate lack of emotion comes from a lifelong terror of being weak- being perceived as weak, and becoming weak. Weakness was a characteristic loathed by his father, and this loathing was passed down to his ever unquestioning son. If he does feel emotionally vulnerable in the slightest, James will joke. He’d do just about anything to lighten the bloody mood. Fortunately, James has a fantastic sense of humour, and a bit of a flair for practical jokes.
James is surprisingly patient with people, and, if not sensitive towards them, he does respect how they think and feel. As long as one is willing to learn, and willing to persevere in spite of the odds, they have James’ respect and support. And as for those who defy what he says… for some reason, he can’t help but like them. It shows spirit. Spirit is another quality he admires in people.
It makes life that little bit more interesting.
James has been known to have a quick temper and is prone to recklessness.
History: James grew up in a large town in the county of Somerset in South West England. His mother died giving birth to him, and James grew up under the strict rule of his single father, Stewart A. Bradley, a man with an intolerance for any opinion other than his own. Perhaps this is where the young James picked up many of his later traits- just as Stewart was a man not to be argued with, so became James. Though father and son did not enjoy the closest of relationships, a mutual respect existed between the two. Often, James suspected that his father was once a warmer person, but his mother’s death took that out of him.
James had a normal enough childhood. He grew up in a magical area, and so was unsurprised to discover at the age of seven he, too, possessed magical powers. Whilst his father was not magic, he was proud of his son’s talents. But, unwilling to let his son become too dependant on them, he also trained him in areas of combat. As a Cold War veteran, Stewart tolerated no nonsense from his son. He treated him like a soldier, and a soldier he became.
Orchid Hill was the only way forward for James. Stewart could see no other option, nor would he explore it.
Fortunately for James, Orchid was like a dream come true. His quiet upbringing in Somerset was nothing compared to the life and vitality of Orchid Hill. His arrogance grew when he was enlisted into the Warriors and realised how much more competent than his fellows he already was in the field of combat. His impressed Head, Andrew Paver, praised him openly before the others. James quickly earned the respect of his fellow Warriors and was spurred on to train harder, inspired by the talents of Paver- who promised him upon his leaving the school that he would make sure that James followed him as Head.
True to Paver’s word, at the age of 16, James’ ambition was realised. Himself and three other young teenagers were called to Professor Hoodham’s office on September 1st, 2000, and appointed Heads of their four respective groups. James was placed as Head of the Warriors- a position he had coveted since the very moment he set foot in the Warrior Training Room back when he was a young first-year student. The Heads of the Carers and Spies were both female and placed in a Dorm together, whilst James and the Head of the Academics, a boy named Morgan Collins, were placed in a separate Dorm together.
The two male Heads clashed instantaneously. James knew Morgan from classes they had had together in junior years and as far as James could tell, Morgan Collins was nothing but an annoying little smart-ass who spent too much time with his nose stuck in a book. The guy drove him crazy. He never laughed at any of James’ jokes, frequently pointed out errors in what James was doing and saying, rarely followed instructions and never agreed on any strategies James came up with. Ever. Even the good ones! Sometimes James had to wonder if Morgan was really as smart as they gave him credit for. Either that, he concluded, or Morgan was just disagreeing for the hell of it.
Yet somehow- miraculously- throughout the course of their first year together, a grudging respect began to grow within James for Morgan. Unlike some Academics, who shrank away in fear if James were to even slightly raise his voice, Morgan rose to the challenge. Even before he’d been appointed as Head, hardly anybody had ever questioned him. By the time he was 16, he’d begun to believe his opinions so sure, so well-thought out and so bloody brilliant, there must simply be no room for any argument as there could not be one.
The amount of times Morgan blew this theory up in his face kinda hurt. He lost track after the 196th round.
It seemed Morgan‘s opinion of James developed, too, over the course of their first year together. James wasn’t sure what it was or why, exactly, but something… somewhere along the line… began to change in Morgan’s attitude towards him. He was still a smart-ass, of course, but… well… sometimes he didn’t seem… y’know. All that bad. Sometimes he seemed pleasant. Sometimes he even seemed like good fun. The contrast was bizarre.
Before he really could take in what was happening, James found himself admitting he liked Morgan.
Worse than that, next thing ya know, they were friends.
More than that- suddenly-
He wasn’t sure what.
Their improving relationship couldn’t have come at a better time. The Orchid War was entering a rough patch. Their first battle was in late May, 2001, followed by their second in October 2001. In the year 2002, a total of five battles occurred during the course of the entire year. Under the leadership of the four Heads- particularly with the combined teamwork of Morgan and James- the Orchid population came out of every battle completely unscathed. In the years 2000-2003, when James and Morgan were Heads at Orchid Hill, not a single pupil was lost to the war.
Their final battle was in the year 2003.
This was to be the last time the two Heads were united.
For reasons unknown to anyone in the Orchid area- be it the Cardsdale villagers, the teaching staff or any of the pupils- the two Heads… fell apart. One day it the best friends were thick as thieves and planning a future in the Orchid War outside of school together. The next, neither one would meet the others’ eye. They were curt, cold and formal when they spoke- which was rare, as they spoke only when absolutely necessary. This sudden change continued to the end of the school year and things were never resolved.
James left Orchid Hill without ever saying goodbye.
The Orchid War, however, was as ever strong in his heart. Within a week of leaving the school, James had signed up and been shipped off to one of several Orchid war zones scattered across the globe. James was placed on the front line in the Sahara Desert- an area like a magnified No Man’s Land. Barren and dead, the land took down as many of the soldiers and the war itself did. As the Sahara was mostly uninhabited, it was marked out as war territory back in 1802, when an ancient Hoodham had demanded the war be kept to the more remote areas of the globe to spare as many innocent lives as possible.
It was hell out there.
Days never seemed to end. Sometimes, James caught himself wondering what would kill him first- an enemy arrow, or the boiling sun. Conditions made quick movement impossible; they drove heavy vehicles and those who could flew, but the sand blew hard into their faces, forcing the troops to wear protective eye-gear and clothing. There was no shade. There was no cover. An enemy could spot them miles off into the distance, just as they could spot them. It was always touch-and-go whenever they were ordered to move out into the battlefield of the desert. One never knew quite who would return.
They could not track the enemy movements across the sand, as the ground beneath them shifted and moved with the winds. Only if they were fortunate enough to have a tracker or telepath amongst their troops were they able to figure out any of the enemy moves- but these useful members were picked out and shot down quickly by the enemy. Sometimes, their ranks swelled with tribes of trolls and goblins, who thrived in the hot conditions. But these creatures never stayed long, as their talents were in greater demand in their homelands, and often, only men were left to fight.
The bonds one formed in the barracks were strong- but more often than not- temporary. The Sahara war-zone boasted one of the highest death tolls in all of the Orchid zones. James lost many friends. Too many to count. Due to his success as a Head at Orchid Hill, James was unaccustomed to loss.
He soon adjusted.
James made it 5 years out in the desert- most didn’t last one. Although he survived, he did not survive without cost. He lost several digits to a grenade during the course of his second year. They would’ve been reattached under normal conditions, but with their only medic on the mission already shot down, James had no choice but to give up his fingers and leave them behind to gather dust. Several long scars run the length of his torso, where a particularly nasty enemy had attacked him with talons for nails. If one was to search for it, one would find a subtle indent to the back of his head, where he was hit hard with by a metal-bender and knocked out cold for eight hours straight. Several tell-tale scars across his back and legs show that James had to pull more than a few bullets out.
But still, despite all of this, he lived.
So that made him, ‘lucky’.
James didn’t like to think of himself as, ‘lucky’. Truth was, there was only one reason why James hadn’t keeled over and died like a dog with the rest of them in the hot desert sun.
As long as he could remember the face of a long-lost friend, he could keep going.
When James received notice from Major Hoodham he was wanted back at the school to work with the current Head of the Warriors… he couldn’t deny his relief to anyone. Nor was he expected to. Anyone would’ve given anything to get out of that desert.
The problem was, they couldn’t leave. If they left, no-one else would go.
And nobody was gonna give into the Forces like that.
When James left his camp, he went to visit one particular man who had been with him since they were both enlisted into the troops. He made a special point of saying goodbye to him. When his lift arrived, James shook hands with Lance one final time.
Both men knew neither would see the other ever again.
Powers: As an ex-Head, James has four powers. The first he managed to discover his ability to harden his skin to become like rock. Though his is a useful defensive mechanism, as it glances off most bullets and swords it is utterly useful when James is on the offensive, as it restricts movement and slows him down.
James’ second power is an ability to be able to sense through the earth the movements of a person or people. It works best on solid ground, and he has been able to use it to estimate army sizes, numbers and their distance from a certain location in the past.
His third power is an ability to split into several selves at once; and fight individually through each self. However, any injuries sustained by these selves affect every version of himself in combat. Usually, it is wisest to use this power with caution, as when James returns to his singular form, he carries all the wounds with him.
His fourth power, granted to him by Professors Hoodham and Thandie upon his appointment as Head. He was rewarded the power of increased agility and resistance to injuries. Not much of a power, he thought initially, but he was thankful for it later on the battlefield. It accounts for some of his so-called, ‘luck’.
Group: Ex-Head of the Warriors [September 2000 - July 2003]
Other: N/A
Age: 25 [born 31st July, 1984]
Physical Description: James is quite tall, reaching about 6’1’’ in total. He is broad-shouldered, muscled and solid; a body built by years of combat training and fighting. He has the golden hair and big baby blue eyes of an angel- and this is where all comparisons to angels end. However, he does have quite fine features, and a wicked, charismatic grin that can serve to charm almost anything out of anyone.
His skin is darkly tanned, having spent the past 6 years running around in the Sahara. He is missing the two fingers furthest from his thumb on his right hand, and has several serious scars running the length of his torso. There is also a slight indent to the back of his head, although this is hidden by his thick blond hair. Several bullet wounds litter his body and his hands and feet are rough and calloused.
Across his heart, James bears a tattoo of the Orchid emblem. Paralleling it on his back is the mark of the Sahara; a symbol to signify his time served in the Orchid troops placed there.
Clothing Description: Plain, practical clothing. James likes bold colours such as red for impact, but hates anything too fancy. He usually wears cheap boots with tough soles; ones good for climbing and hiking. He has several hard-wearing jackets, most of which he picked up in London before catching the ride to Orchid. None of them are particularly pretty, but James manages to pull them off. He rarely wears a watch, nor ‘man jewellery’ as he tends to refer to bracelets and wristbands. In somewhat of a contradiction to his apparent aversion to ‘man jewellery’ he wears an African pendant around his neck a lot of the time, which serves as a reminder of his time in the continent. Apparently, because it was given as a gift, this makes it, ‘okay’.
Personality: When James was Head of the Warriors at Orchid Hill one of his most defining characteristics was his confidence- something often perceived, sometimes correctly, as cockiness. Throughout his life, he has maintained a high level of self-confidence, although this confidence can easily be shaken by those who know him well. James habitually overestimates himself and pushes himself too far; often without any other motivation other the desire to impress and earn respect. Respect is something of very high value to James- in some ways, one of his greatest weaknesses is that he cares too much about other peoples’ opinions of him. Still, his compulsion to push himself to his utmost limits also displays his determination. James is stubborn and headstrong; rarely listening to any advice intended to benefit him.
James admires both physical and moral strength. He has a deep sense of justice and hates cheaters, liars and hypocrites. Although sometimes selfish in his motivations for things, his overall intention is usually good. An ambitious and born leader he often finds himself even giving commands to his friends. Because of his dominant presence, it is rare that anyone ever tries to challenge him. As his opinion is so seldom debated, this has served to fuel some of the arrogance seen in his swagger.
James usually puts on a rather stoic pretence. His only recognisable expressions can be divided into the categories of ‘alright’ and ‘hacked off as f*ck’ and it is rare for anyone to catch anything in between. He rarely shows his emotions- something that has grown particularly present in his person over the last two years away from Orchid Hill, in which he kept most of them at bay through a combination of tiredness and stubbornness. This deliberate lack of emotion comes from a lifelong terror of being weak- being perceived as weak, and becoming weak. Weakness was a characteristic loathed by his father, and this loathing was passed down to his ever unquestioning son. If he does feel emotionally vulnerable in the slightest, James will joke. He’d do just about anything to lighten the bloody mood. Fortunately, James has a fantastic sense of humour, and a bit of a flair for practical jokes.
James is surprisingly patient with people, and, if not sensitive towards them, he does respect how they think and feel. As long as one is willing to learn, and willing to persevere in spite of the odds, they have James’ respect and support. And as for those who defy what he says… for some reason, he can’t help but like them. It shows spirit. Spirit is another quality he admires in people.
It makes life that little bit more interesting.
James has been known to have a quick temper and is prone to recklessness.
History: James grew up in a large town in the county of Somerset in South West England. His mother died giving birth to him, and James grew up under the strict rule of his single father, Stewart A. Bradley, a man with an intolerance for any opinion other than his own. Perhaps this is where the young James picked up many of his later traits- just as Stewart was a man not to be argued with, so became James. Though father and son did not enjoy the closest of relationships, a mutual respect existed between the two. Often, James suspected that his father was once a warmer person, but his mother’s death took that out of him.
James had a normal enough childhood. He grew up in a magical area, and so was unsurprised to discover at the age of seven he, too, possessed magical powers. Whilst his father was not magic, he was proud of his son’s talents. But, unwilling to let his son become too dependant on them, he also trained him in areas of combat. As a Cold War veteran, Stewart tolerated no nonsense from his son. He treated him like a soldier, and a soldier he became.
Orchid Hill was the only way forward for James. Stewart could see no other option, nor would he explore it.
Fortunately for James, Orchid was like a dream come true. His quiet upbringing in Somerset was nothing compared to the life and vitality of Orchid Hill. His arrogance grew when he was enlisted into the Warriors and realised how much more competent than his fellows he already was in the field of combat. His impressed Head, Andrew Paver, praised him openly before the others. James quickly earned the respect of his fellow Warriors and was spurred on to train harder, inspired by the talents of Paver- who promised him upon his leaving the school that he would make sure that James followed him as Head.
True to Paver’s word, at the age of 16, James’ ambition was realised. Himself and three other young teenagers were called to Professor Hoodham’s office on September 1st, 2000, and appointed Heads of their four respective groups. James was placed as Head of the Warriors- a position he had coveted since the very moment he set foot in the Warrior Training Room back when he was a young first-year student. The Heads of the Carers and Spies were both female and placed in a Dorm together, whilst James and the Head of the Academics, a boy named Morgan Collins, were placed in a separate Dorm together.
The two male Heads clashed instantaneously. James knew Morgan from classes they had had together in junior years and as far as James could tell, Morgan Collins was nothing but an annoying little smart-ass who spent too much time with his nose stuck in a book. The guy drove him crazy. He never laughed at any of James’ jokes, frequently pointed out errors in what James was doing and saying, rarely followed instructions and never agreed on any strategies James came up with. Ever. Even the good ones! Sometimes James had to wonder if Morgan was really as smart as they gave him credit for. Either that, he concluded, or Morgan was just disagreeing for the hell of it.
Yet somehow- miraculously- throughout the course of their first year together, a grudging respect began to grow within James for Morgan. Unlike some Academics, who shrank away in fear if James were to even slightly raise his voice, Morgan rose to the challenge. Even before he’d been appointed as Head, hardly anybody had ever questioned him. By the time he was 16, he’d begun to believe his opinions so sure, so well-thought out and so bloody brilliant, there must simply be no room for any argument as there could not be one.
The amount of times Morgan blew this theory up in his face kinda hurt. He lost track after the 196th round.
It seemed Morgan‘s opinion of James developed, too, over the course of their first year together. James wasn’t sure what it was or why, exactly, but something… somewhere along the line… began to change in Morgan’s attitude towards him. He was still a smart-ass, of course, but… well… sometimes he didn’t seem… y’know. All that bad. Sometimes he seemed pleasant. Sometimes he even seemed like good fun. The contrast was bizarre.
Before he really could take in what was happening, James found himself admitting he liked Morgan.
Worse than that, next thing ya know, they were friends.
More than that- suddenly-
He wasn’t sure what.
Their improving relationship couldn’t have come at a better time. The Orchid War was entering a rough patch. Their first battle was in late May, 2001, followed by their second in October 2001. In the year 2002, a total of five battles occurred during the course of the entire year. Under the leadership of the four Heads- particularly with the combined teamwork of Morgan and James- the Orchid population came out of every battle completely unscathed. In the years 2000-2003, when James and Morgan were Heads at Orchid Hill, not a single pupil was lost to the war.
Their final battle was in the year 2003.
This was to be the last time the two Heads were united.
For reasons unknown to anyone in the Orchid area- be it the Cardsdale villagers, the teaching staff or any of the pupils- the two Heads… fell apart. One day it the best friends were thick as thieves and planning a future in the Orchid War outside of school together. The next, neither one would meet the others’ eye. They were curt, cold and formal when they spoke- which was rare, as they spoke only when absolutely necessary. This sudden change continued to the end of the school year and things were never resolved.
James left Orchid Hill without ever saying goodbye.
The Orchid War, however, was as ever strong in his heart. Within a week of leaving the school, James had signed up and been shipped off to one of several Orchid war zones scattered across the globe. James was placed on the front line in the Sahara Desert- an area like a magnified No Man’s Land. Barren and dead, the land took down as many of the soldiers and the war itself did. As the Sahara was mostly uninhabited, it was marked out as war territory back in 1802, when an ancient Hoodham had demanded the war be kept to the more remote areas of the globe to spare as many innocent lives as possible.
It was hell out there.
Days never seemed to end. Sometimes, James caught himself wondering what would kill him first- an enemy arrow, or the boiling sun. Conditions made quick movement impossible; they drove heavy vehicles and those who could flew, but the sand blew hard into their faces, forcing the troops to wear protective eye-gear and clothing. There was no shade. There was no cover. An enemy could spot them miles off into the distance, just as they could spot them. It was always touch-and-go whenever they were ordered to move out into the battlefield of the desert. One never knew quite who would return.
They could not track the enemy movements across the sand, as the ground beneath them shifted and moved with the winds. Only if they were fortunate enough to have a tracker or telepath amongst their troops were they able to figure out any of the enemy moves- but these useful members were picked out and shot down quickly by the enemy. Sometimes, their ranks swelled with tribes of trolls and goblins, who thrived in the hot conditions. But these creatures never stayed long, as their talents were in greater demand in their homelands, and often, only men were left to fight.
The bonds one formed in the barracks were strong- but more often than not- temporary. The Sahara war-zone boasted one of the highest death tolls in all of the Orchid zones. James lost many friends. Too many to count. Due to his success as a Head at Orchid Hill, James was unaccustomed to loss.
He soon adjusted.
James made it 5 years out in the desert- most didn’t last one. Although he survived, he did not survive without cost. He lost several digits to a grenade during the course of his second year. They would’ve been reattached under normal conditions, but with their only medic on the mission already shot down, James had no choice but to give up his fingers and leave them behind to gather dust. Several long scars run the length of his torso, where a particularly nasty enemy had attacked him with talons for nails. If one was to search for it, one would find a subtle indent to the back of his head, where he was hit hard with by a metal-bender and knocked out cold for eight hours straight. Several tell-tale scars across his back and legs show that James had to pull more than a few bullets out.
But still, despite all of this, he lived.
So that made him, ‘lucky’.
James didn’t like to think of himself as, ‘lucky’. Truth was, there was only one reason why James hadn’t keeled over and died like a dog with the rest of them in the hot desert sun.
As long as he could remember the face of a long-lost friend, he could keep going.
When James received notice from Major Hoodham he was wanted back at the school to work with the current Head of the Warriors… he couldn’t deny his relief to anyone. Nor was he expected to. Anyone would’ve given anything to get out of that desert.
The problem was, they couldn’t leave. If they left, no-one else would go.
And nobody was gonna give into the Forces like that.
When James left his camp, he went to visit one particular man who had been with him since they were both enlisted into the troops. He made a special point of saying goodbye to him. When his lift arrived, James shook hands with Lance one final time.
Both men knew neither would see the other ever again.
Powers: As an ex-Head, James has four powers. The first he managed to discover his ability to harden his skin to become like rock. Though his is a useful defensive mechanism, as it glances off most bullets and swords it is utterly useful when James is on the offensive, as it restricts movement and slows him down.
James’ second power is an ability to be able to sense through the earth the movements of a person or people. It works best on solid ground, and he has been able to use it to estimate army sizes, numbers and their distance from a certain location in the past.
His third power is an ability to split into several selves at once; and fight individually through each self. However, any injuries sustained by these selves affect every version of himself in combat. Usually, it is wisest to use this power with caution, as when James returns to his singular form, he carries all the wounds with him.
His fourth power, granted to him by Professors Hoodham and Thandie upon his appointment as Head. He was rewarded the power of increased agility and resistance to injuries. Not much of a power, he thought initially, but he was thankful for it later on the battlefield. It accounts for some of his so-called, ‘luck’.
Group: Ex-Head of the Warriors [September 2000 - July 2003]
Other: N/A
