Cirrus

Shine City II: The Next Season

James and Molly have spoken a whole 12 sentences to one another and the ships are so far out they can't even see land. You guys move quick.

Edit: Even my music player seems to ship them. The moment I opened Molly's hider on the characters tab it started playing Yiruma - River Flows in You.

Shine City II: The Next Season

I was thinking of my chara having a Monomi hoodie like I have irl, but wasn't sure what funny off-brand pun I could make for it~...

@Princess Sakura

Monami, a play on French Mon'Ami and Mon'Amie, could work. They mean "My friend (male)" and "My friend (female)," respectively.

Shine City II: The Next Season

"Mochavine sounds wonderful."

She's awfully willing to head somewhere with a stranger. Maybe her brief interaction with Matsuoka was unrelated and she was really sent by someone else who told her plenty of things about me? No. That couldn't be it. There's not a single person in this city who knows plenty of things about me to tell and even so they wouldn't have known that I was at that spot. It must've been Matsuoka, but what could he have told her to get her to do this?

"How old are you?" Molly asks, breaking James' jumbled thoughts, "I'm nineteen, and I go to the Academy." Oh. It all makes sense now. Matsuoka is probably a familiar face to her and she might have seen me at the Academy so he probably wouldn't have needed to say much. Agreeing to Mochavine makes sense, too. I think that's how normal students interact with one another, anyway.

"I'm 21 and I'm a student there as well," James responds while getting a better look at her face. Odd. I don't remember seeing her at the Academy and I'm absolutely sure I would remember a face like hers. I haven't been looking around at people much recently, though, and considering her age she probably hasn't attended for long. "I'm majoring in Computer Science. How about you?" I think this is the first time I've spoken with a female student, or any student, really, outside of group projects or class discussions. It's nice, but it would be much nicer if I wasn't nervous enough to be shaking a little -- or maybe that's the cold? James touches his hands to the back of his neck for a moment to warm them before he puts them into his hoodie pockets. Molly pulls a leaf from a shrub. I guess I'm not the only one who's nervous. He continues to watch her as she rips it apart. It's kind of cute, odd as it to use that word to describe someone plucking off part of a living organism and systematically tearing it to pieces. I'll need to thank Matsuoka later... somehow.

@Ivory

Shine City II: The Next Season

@Stern Algorithm@MyCatGinger
How I imagine James handled that biology class (which would have been during the previous semester just before summer break) is that for any given assignment James either did excellent work (95%-100%) or simply didn't turn anything in. Shou would certainly have noticed that James gamed the grades to finish the semester at just barely over 80% with only a minor amount of out-of-class time expended. Shizuka probably never interacted with James directly, but if she assisted in grading she may have noticed that he skipped a sizable portion of the assignments despite clearly knowing what he was doing.

Shine City II: The Next Season

James, glancing sideways beneath his hood, keeps his eyes on the instructor's legs to see if he approaches. He does not and James is relieved for a moment, but before he can relax completely another set of legs comes into view. The two stop in close proximity and James catches a glance of long hair as the figure bends to pet the dog. I've heard Matsuoka has a way with women even when he's not walking a dog. Poor girl must be swooning. Then she starts to walk in his direction. Wait. Why would she be walking towards me? I certainly don't look approachable right now. Maybe she's just one of those people who walks around talking to people at the park. Pretty rare to see them after dark, but I guess it wouldn't be impossible. Or maybe Matsuoka noticed me and sent her? Why would he do that? The woman reaches James and kneels on the snow.

"Hello. I'm Molly and I was told to introduce myself to you."

Sounds like he did send her here. What's he up to? I'll need to be careful. James looks up to see a pretty young girl with a beautiful smile and his eyes soften. Nobody smiles like that when they're up to trouble. Could Matsuoka simply be playing wingman? No. It's more likely he's trying to use her to force me to look his way. If he isn't I have nothing to lose by avoiding eye contact with him and if he is then I don't suspect I'm going to enjoy what happens. Best to play it safe.

"Good evening, Molly. I'm James," he says with a light smile and in a calm voice that only slightly betrays how surprised he is by the situation. He looks into her eyes as he speaks, in which he sees just as much sincerity as her smile. I should probably move the conversation somewhere else before asking who sent her. Can't have her making me look at Matsuoka. James closes his notebook, which is open to a page full of crossed-out flowcharts and lists, and notices that Molly is kneeling in the snow. "There's no reason to get yourself wet in this weather. We should head somewhere we can talk comfortably," he suggests as he shifts to his feet and picks up the small, black tarp he was sitting on. He shakes it gently with one hand (away from Molly, of course) and tucks his notebook between his arm and chest before quickly folding the tarp into a triangle three times and stowing it in his front left hoodie pocket, from which it sticks out slightly. As he is folding the tarp he asks, "How does Mochavine sound?"

(@Ivory@MyCatGinger)

Shine City II: The Next Season

James Avery exits Shine City Academy and looks up at the twilit sky. It's not even dark yet and I'm already done with classes. What am I supposed to do with all this time? He moves off to the side of the path to make sure he isn't in anyone's way and ponders for a moment. I suppose I could finish even more of the homework early, but then I won't be able to do it later... Was I just wishing for more homework? What's wrong with me? He eventually decides to head home so he can at least be warm while he figures something out.

James enters his dark, empty dorm room. Nobody's home, as expected. He's had terrible luck with roommates. At the start of every year he got a first-year who partied hard for a few months then dropped out. He had two separate people move in during each mid-year, but the first one graduated soon after and the second had some kind of family emergency so he had to leave. James lights a jar candle near his bed before setting his laptop on the ground near his desk and hooking it up to his two monitors, keyboard, mouse, and headset. I suppose since I have the time I'll get in some early study for finals. He sits down and opens BookFace before getting to work. No internet connection. That's unusual. The dorms here have pretty good uptime. I guess I'll play some Bombsweeper. James is given another reminder that whoever lives above him is a klutz as a loud thud echoes briefly through his bare rooms. It is immediately followed by some rather loud conversation. On second thought I'll think about a project or something at the park instead.

James sits down in the shade of his favorite tree, or rather where its shade would be if it still had leaves and the sun hadn't set, and opens his notebook. After a fair amount of time but little progress he notices a large dog being led by a tall man not far off in the distance. Appropriate pair, those two... He feels familiar. I've seen him somewhere, I know it. After a few moments he realizes who it is. Uh oh. He was the one who taught that Biology class I neglected for Algorithms. James lifts his hood to cover his red hair and considers for a moment how the conversation would go. Well, I was only a few points behind the highest grade on the final. Maybe that compensates for not doing so many of the assignments? Either way I haven't been around a dog for a while. At least that would be nice.

Shine City II: The Next Season

James Avery

Name: James Avery

Age: 21

Appearance:
Always wears a black hoodie with a zipper and front pockets (even during the summer).
(Edit: Recolored his eyes to fit my view of him and make him look less high.)

Height: 5'11" / 180cm

Weight: 140lbs / 63.5kg

Likes: games of all kinds, programming, puns, one on one conversations, animals, clouds, chewing gum (specifically peppermint), caffeine, music without lyrics, and improving things

Dislikes: sunlight, sports / e-sports culture, casinos, waking up early, anyone who uses religion as an excuse to be hateful, and chocolate (unless it's hot chocolate or mixed with peanut butter)

Party Trick: Carries an incomplete deck of playing cards that he can throw with remarkable accuracy.

Profession: James is a student at SCA majoring in Computer Science. Instead of pursuing a specific minor he carefully picks his electives and occasionally audits an extra class in order to maximize his game-related courses and keep his parents happy.

Bio/Personality:
James was raised in an extremely religious town in the US by his mother (a teacher) and his father (a banker). Most of his early years were spent reading his mother's textbooks for fun and playing the (educational) computer games his parents bought for him. By the time he entered middle school he was nearly ready for high school but he didn't skip any grades. That academic head-start combined with a generally different set of interests from others his age came with the price of being alienated and bullied by the other kids. Because of this James is adept at avoiding notice (which tends to happen whether or not he wants it to), noticing people who are up to no good before they start making trouble, and maintaining composure during stressful situations. James has been planning to study abroad since before he started high school because he wanted to get away from that place. He set his sights on Shine City Academy and didn't even apply to anywhere else. He managed to score some sizable test-based scholarships and he receives support from his family on the condition that he replaces the time he would have spent working with studying and learning instead. James is now late into his second year at SCA where he lives in the dorms. His gaming pseudonym (Stratus) is well-known at the arcade because he has a leaderboard entry on most of the arcade games. This semester is light for him due to course scheduling conflicts and lapses in new content for his favorite games, which makes now the perfect opportunity to search for people to spend time with in the city instead of relying on voice chat for socialization.

James is all about learning and having fun. He is usually cautious and deliberate but he can be convinced (and frequently convinces himself) to try something crazy if he thinks it will be a fun or beneficial experience. He is a bit paranoid which has led him to be bizarrely prepared. His hoodies are weighted with internal pockets that hold compact tools and useful items (paperclips, rubber bands, string, etc.). He has a hopelessly optimistic side that fights his better judgement and he is highly empathetic, the combination of which has caused him to be unusually kind.

Theme

Shine City II: The Next Season

I fixed James' surname (the overlap was not intended) and will add him to the character list when I get home.

I'm not Ivory but I am new here. I wanted to make a character for this before it filled up so I've been neglecting an intro post. I'll get around to that at some point. Sorry about the confusion there.

Shine City II: The Next Season

Name: James Avery
Age: 21
Appearance:
Always wears a black hoodie with a zipper and front pockets (even during the summer).
Height: 5'11" / 180cm
Weight: 140lbs / 63.5kg

Likes: games of all kinds, programming, puns, one on one conversations, animals, clouds, chewing gum (specifically peppermint), caffeine, music without lyrics, and improving things

Dislikes: sunlight, sports / e-sports culture, waking up early, anyone who uses religion as an excuse to be hateful, and chocolate (unless it's hot chocolate or mixed with peanut butter)

Party Trick: Carries an incomplete deck of playing cards that he can throw with remarkable accuracy.

Profession: James is a student at SCA majoring in Computer Science. Instead of pursuing a specific minor he carefully picks his electives and occasionally audits an extra class in order to maximize his game-related courses and keep his parents happy.

Bio/Personality:
James was raised in an extremely religious town in the US by his mother (a teacher) and his father (a banker). Most of his early years were spent reading his mother's textbooks for fun and playing the (educational) computer games his parents bought for him. By the time he entered middle school he was nearly ready for high school but he didn't skip any grades. That academic head-start combined with a generally different set of interests from others his age came with the price of being alienated and bullied by the other kids. Because of this James is adept at avoiding notice (which tends to happen whether or not he wants it to), noticing people who are up to no good before they start making trouble, and maintaining composure during stressful situations. James has been planning to study abroad since before he started high school because he wanted to get away from that place. He set his sights on Shine City Academy and didn't even apply to anywhere else. He managed to score some sizable test-based scholarships and he receives support from his family on the condition that he replaces the time he would have spent working with studying and learning instead. James is now late into his second year at SCA where he lives in the dorms. His gaming pseudonym (Stratus) is well-known at the arcade because he has a high score entry on most of the arcade games. This semester is light for him due to course scheduling conflicts and lapses in new content for his favorite games, which makes now the perfect opportunity to search for people to spend time with in the city instead of relying on voice chat for socialization.

James is all about learning and having fun. He is usually cautious and deliberate but he can be convinced (and frequently convinces himself) to try something crazy if he thinks it will be a fun or beneficial experience. He is a bit paranoid which has led him to be bizarrely prepared. His hoodies are weighted with internal pockets that hold compact tools and useful items (paperclips, rubber bands, string, etc.). He has a hopelessly optimistic side that fights his better judgement and he is highly empathetic, the combination of which has caused him to be unusually kind.

Theme: youtube.com/watch?v=r7tHzaT6MGg