B049 - Humbert, James

Throughout V4, several characters were withdrawn or else failed to be confirmed for the roll-call. This board includes withdrawn characters who were at one point approved, as well as all characters who were assigned a number and weapon but did not actually enter the game (some of these double-up from the Pregame roster). By and large, unless these characters had appearances in Pregame, they should be considered non-canon.
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MK Kilmarnock
Posts: 1931
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:28 am
Location: On one of the coasts, generally

B049 - Humbert, James

#1

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

Name: James Humbert
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Grade: 12
School: Bayview Secondary School
Hobbies and Interests: Motocross, Classic Rock, Literature, Philosophy, History, Poetry, Science Fiction

Appearance: James stands at 5'10, and weighs about 160 pounds.  He has bright blue eyes and auburn hair.  He suffers from a mild case of acne, and wears glasses.  He has normal sight in his right eye, but he is barely able to see with his left eye without his glasses on.  He has auburn hair, and skinny eyebrows.  James has been characterized as handsome, though he personally sees himself as having average looks.  James wears jeans and a t-shirt regardless of the temperature, although during snowstorms he will wear a jean jacket over his t-shirt.  He sports a watch with Russian on it, which his great-grandfather stripped from a Siberian prison guard during World War 1.  His signature article of clothing is the “Three Wolves and a Moon” shirt of internet fame.  He drives an old red Miata convertible, a wedding gift to his father from his grandfather.  He is never found without a pair of black combat boots, size 13 (he has abnormally large feet, which he inherited from his mother's family).

Biography: James is the son of a programmer, his father, and a statistician, his mother.  His father, Jordan, has vaguely East European routes and grew up in New York City.   family's last name was changed to the American “Humbert” when they immigrated into America.  His mother, Mathilde, named after composer Richard Wagner's love, is half German, and grew up in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina.  Her father, Siegfried, was born in Germany.  His own father, Friedrich, had fought in World War I.  He was captured and sent to a Siberian prison camp, where he escaped, killing one of the guards.  Friedrich made his way to China and was there given passage to Germany.  Scarred by the experience, Friedrich became a pacifist and left Germany before World War II as not to be forced to fight yet again.  They settled in Chicago, from which Siegfried left for the Appalachians.  James's mother, Mathilde, and father, Jordan, met going to college at East North Carolina University, in North Carolina.

After college James's parents stayed in Church Hill, where James was born.  He was born on November 12.  A month later, on December 13, his grandfather Siegfried died.  His mother, who had been very close to her father, was devastated by this.  James's father had himself been brought up in the old school of “children should be seen, not heard” parenting, so was himself unsure of how to connect emotionally with his child.  Despite this, James was a social child, attending a “play group,” and learned how to speak at a slightly above average rate.  He entered a local kindergarten, and learned to read at a quick rate, in order to impress the object of his young affections, a girl named Sofia.  James manifested early a love of literature; the first "adult novel" he read was Faust (Part One), in 4th grade.  He also read Verne and Wells, who along with several other, more pulpier authors cemented a lifelong love of Science Fiction.  By 5th grade he had expanded his horizons to realistic fiction, some basic philosophy, and histories. He became close to Sofia, and soon spent much of his free time with her.  The friendship between the two lasted until 8th Grade.  It was during that time that Sofia and James kissed for the first time.  It was also at that time when Sofia was killed in a car accident.

After Sofia's death, James pulled back from reality and immersed himself even further into the world of literature.  He read countless philosophers novelists, and historians, the stack of books on his bedside in constant danger of falling over.  At this point he began to identify himself particularly with Nietzsche, a trait he never grew out of.  He read not only Nietzsche but Nietzsche's influences, biographies of Nietzsche, and books on Nietzsche.  He took to heart axioms such as "Battle not with monsters lest ye become a monster."  James saw in Nietzsche a kindred spirit: Nietzsche had had a father die, a brother die.  During the worst parts of the two years after Sofia's deaths, he would ponder suicide, thinking life without Sofia too difficult to bear.  It would be at these times he would remember to himself that "The thought of suicide is a great source of comfort; with it a calm passage is to be made over many a bad night."

Aside effect of all James's reading was that he became less involved socially throughout the rest of 8th grade and his first two years of high school.  At school he was cordial, but had no friends.  If anyone invited him somewhere, he would decline.  After school, he would spend all his time alone.  He visited a grief councilor several times.  James never knew what the councilor told his parents, but they never intervened.  In later years, he would assume that it was typical “cycle of grief” rubbish.  He never knew exactly what it was about Sofia's death that had brought this upon him.  It was too painful to think about for him to dissect his exact feelings toward it, and nobody since has been tactless enough to ask.  His parents made the standard compassionate sounds to Sofia's parents, but moved on, never having been particularly fond of Sofia.

James never had any interest in sports, something his father found revolting.  After failing at teaching James tennis and golf, he bought James a dirt bike and decreed that James was to learn to use it.  This was during the summer between the 5h and 6th grades.  By the time he was in 11th grade, he had become more proficient at motocross than his motorcycle-riding father, and had become a fixture at local race circuits.  James wears combat boots because they allow him to kick-start his dirt bike more easily.  Jordan also forced James to attend Boy Scout camps every summer, starting at when James was 12.  James, who detested being outdoors except when doing motocross, hated these camps.  The frequency with which he attended these camps led to him unavoidably developing basic skill at swimming, shooting, orienteering, and first aid.  Once he reached  High School, James began taking classes online over the summer, leaving his father no choice but to let James stay home.  Soon, James's boy scout skills were forgotten.

One thing James shares with his father is a love of classic rock.  His father introduced him to Pink Floyd, who James listens to almost religiously, along with Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, The Who, the Rolling Stones, and other classic acts.  He places a premium on lyrics, viewing them the way he would a poem.  Of actual poetry, James enjoys that of Romantics such as Blake and Goethe.  He shared this love with Sofia, making it difficult for him to read them today.

Once James reached his Junior year he appeared to be a changed man.  To all it seemed that he had worked through his grief.  He regained a social life, and hung out with the “nerdy” clique due to a shared love of reading.  Though he has not had a girlfriend since Sofia's death, most contribute this to a an awkwardness typical of “nerds.”  In truth, James felt that having a girlfriend was betraying Sofia's memory.  His depression had not gone away, but had gone into “remission,” preventing him from having emotional responses to others at times.  Over the course of his High School career, James learned to “fake” emotions when necessary.  None are aware of this fact.  James's family moved to the St. Paul area the middle of his Senior year, as his father had been laid off.  Their Church Hill house had been expensive, and without the two incomes making ends meet would have been impossible.

In school, James does well in English and Social Studies.  His constant reading makes a good impression on these teachers, and he takes advanced placement courses in both.  In mathematics and science, however, he is indifferent.  They seem terribly boring compared to the world of books, leading him to read during class.  Arriving at Bayview in the middle of the year as he did, few options were available as far as extra-curriculars.  He had previously been involved in the local Dungeons and Dragons club at his school, eating lunch there, talking with others in the "nerdy" clique, and reading, but never playing, as he had always had a distaste for medieval fantasy.  He is so far still looking to find others "like him," in the hope that this will let him move on.

Advantages: James's distrusting nature can be an asset, as can his good looks.  He is skilled at hiding emotions.  James is able to tolerate low temperatures.
Disadvantages: James still suffers from trust issues.  He is physically out of shape, as well as very uncomfortable outdoors.  He can be shy around women.  He is barely able to see with his left eye.

Designated Number: Male student no. 049

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Designated Weapon: Vibrating Dildo
Conclusion: Oh, look at this, yet another nerdy boy who's destined to die a virgin! How rich... don't worry, Boy 049, since you can't manage to talk with the ladies, I'm sure that... 'ravishing' weapon you've got there with you will provide all the company that you'll ever need until somebody puts you out of your misery.
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