James Ryder Blaise"You guys should smile more! I mean, it's practically the end of the world and we might be the only settlement alive but come on, that doesn't mean we have to mope around!"
Name: James Ryder Blaise
Age: 21
Description: James has sandy blond hair and gray eyes. He has a lean athletic type of build, it being reminiscent to a runner than a fighter. However, this certainly doesn't mean that he's weaker than average. Taming panicked horses takes a particular amount of strength after all. He stands at a height of 5'9. He's usually seen wearing various button up shirts, pants and sneakers.
History: Honestly? James doesn't remember much about where he was from or much about the old times. He vaguely remembers a ranch and a bunch of farm animals. He even remembers a horse by the name of Klaus, a white maned stallion, which he used to spend time with. There were also his grandparents who smiled and cooked, taught his sister and himself about a lot of things. He vaguely remember saying goodbye to his sister daily because she goes to school.
Fifteen years ago, the Blaise family boarded a plane for America. It was a leisure trip for family time. They bid farewell to the grandparents and to the animals. It was meant to be only a month-long trip. Within the month, unexpected things began to happen. The hotel they stayed in was secure for a while. His parents would mount scavenging patrols with other survivors. The hotel fell after three months thanks to a troop of bandits who thought it would be a big score. The Blaise family managed to escape the terror of the bandits and continued on.
A year passed and his mother succumbed to he illness and was promptly buried. James was being taught by her older sister, Valerie, to read more advanced books. His father worked hard to feed his children and taught them how to survive. All this was a little too much for the young James Ryder Blaise, seven years old, but he took the advice in stride. His father always taught him that there was no way they were going back to hoping that the old world would come back. However, it became apparent that his sister would be the one who would have more trouble making the transition as James was young back then - too young and practically didn't remember much about it. Two years later, his father perished after being cornered by a bunch of zombies. James and Valeria had escaped unscathed thanks to their smaller frames which they used to squeeze through the blockade; unfortunately leaving their own father to die. He had wished them luck.
Valerie, aged fifteen, took charge. The two prove to be resilient and with time, they became a dynamic duo. Life proved to be hard on the both of them. After all, a teen and a pre-teen couldn't possibly survive very long in a world like that. They got into their own tight spots but with Valerie's quick thinking and James's quickness, they got out safely. All the while, both of them collected educational books for Valerie to teach her brother. They would often camp out in schools. Living with only the two of them forced them to gain skills they would otherwise learn when older. They had to grow up quickly after all. Despite all this happening to them, the two never failed to be jolly and optimistic while still being realistic. It would prove them no good if they just brought themselves down with their attitudes and they probably wouldn't survive if they kept being pessimistic. Valerie, at first, kept up appearances around her brother - acting happy for his sake. However, she soon grew to actually be happy thanks to her brother's constant energy.
Luckily, at one occasion, they encountered a scavenger group from Lasthope. At first, Valerie (17) and James (11) were cautious and tried to intimidate the group into leaving them alone. After Larry Wenston convinced them that they were allies and that they could help, they brought the two back to Lasthope. The two were at awe with what they saw. A community of actual humans working together for a better future. They were both immediately treated for any injuries and, after, was trained to become Troopers. As a child, James would often be found with the Veterinarian, Jonathan Meyer, and learning all about it. As they both grew up, Valerie proved to be a wonder on the field. James, while useful on scavenging and hunting parties, showed great skill in being a veterinarian under Meyer's guidance. The town had decided that James would be part of reserved Troopers or Scouts and would focus mainly on learning under Jonathan Meyer.
Five years ago, Valerie perished thanks to the same illness that claimed their mother's life. James was shaken and they allowed him two days to recuperate from the loss. He only needed one. He was then tasked to mostly stay within grounds to help the aging Jonathan with his work. He would mostly be seen inside Lasthope, but can be ordered to go on a patrol. He's rather fond of reading books so he can usually be seen holding one. He's been looking for various titles which his sister used to speak fondly off and expresses interest on reading more about them. Because, come on, from what Valerie had said, Shadows of the Wind sounded like an amazing book and he couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, none of the scavenging parties have ever gotten their hands on a book like that. They were mostly simply for educational purposes instead of leisure. James made a point to look mainly for these when he's assigned to a scavenger patrol.
Profession: Veterinarian-in-Training / Scavenger
Skills:
- Medicine - More focused on being a vet than a doctor for humans, he is learning the profession from the current veterinarian. He has shown particular skill in this profession and has a way with animals. He's admittedly a quick learner.
- Runner - Young and nimble, he's a pretty good scavenger thanks to this. This also allows him to climb up tress pretty fast since he does this a lot as a child.
- Adaptability: Put James in any situation and he'll be able to calmly think about what to do next. He doesn't panic as quickly as others.
Yes Double Docs Move him over