stay outta my way.

James isn't okay. He is bleeding. His head hurts again, and his leg is throbbing near his ankle, like he ran through some barbed wire. Danger, I'm in danger is the first thing he thinks when he opens his eyes, blinking back the blurriness in front of his face. It feels like he's been drugged, but it may just be that his body is overcompensating for the massive pain he has in his left ankle and his chin is now bruised from where he hit it on the ground while being dragged away. The last thing he remembers, from being taken, he remembers the anger, fear on Moira's face, but she couldn't reach him.

If that wasn't bad enough. James attempts to move now that he's awake, but he finds that he is tied up, both hands bound behind his back with rope that digs into his skin. There's a wall to his back, keeping him from falling over. Slowly, he takes in his surrounds, licking at his bottom lip, it's swollen and crusted with dried blood.

All the lights are dimmed enough that he can't make out much of his surroundings, but he knows he is alone. Who knows when whatever took him will return to finish what it started...

Eventually, Moira and he had grown too tired to continue their trek through what appeared to be a neverending series of passageways and rooms and stairs. Luckily, nothing else had tried to attack them so the night ended eerily quiet. They had camped in a well lit room and attempted to rest. James barely slept, feeling wind and bugs crawling over his skin, only to jolt him wake. He finally managed a couple hours of sleep after essentially just passing out from exhaust.

He wakes up grouchy and disoriented.  It is finally sinking in how fucked they are. They have no means of communication or guide. They are essentially just guessing their way through here. Even if someone came here wherever it was, they would never find them. Not to mention they have no food or water. This is probably why they have been snapping at each other ever since they woke up. 

"We have already been this way," James says, gritting his teeth in frustration. The rooms were just going in circles. "Twice."

BACKGROUND & HISTORY

As the eldest Thornton child, James has led a charmed and privileged life from the moment he was placed in his parents’ arms twenty-nine years ago. From tutors to private preschool to an elite boarding school, James’ education was priority number one for both of his parents. He was always expected to take his father’s place as a leader of Siren Cove. However, the death of his mother when he was a young boy jolted James’ off his path. His mother was kind, gentle, and when he lost her, he too lost his way in a way. His heart grew bitter, and he started to blame what he saw as an unfair curse on his family. Deep down he has always know that her death could be traced back to the witches in this town. He’s just never been able to prove it.

Despite his obsession with figuring out the mysterious circumstances behind his mother’s death, his father still thought James would follow his footsteps. Spoiler: he didn’t. Instead of politics, James has chosen a more weaponized form of civic duty. Maybe he just wants to avenge his mother. Maybe he heard one too many bedtime stories of witches versus humans. But James became a cop, and a good one at that.

Despite his strained relationship with his father, James is always game to play big brother to his younger siblings. He is especially close with his brother Demetri. In their youth, Demetri and James used to run all over town, pranking younger kids and getting into trouble. James definitely knows his family’s history, and his job in law enforcement gives him plenty of time to dream up ways to cutdown on supernatural activity in this godforsaken town.

PERSONALITY

James is a protective person. It's why he became a cop. It's why he's a good older brother. It's why he has never moved from Siren Cove despite the constant bullshit with the supernatural. Maybe part of it is that his family is so involved with everything since the very beginning that he doesn't know how to leave. But he certainly never knows when to quit. James spends hours and hours on the job. Studying case files. Investigating crimes, and attempting to keep peace around this place. If that means arresting people, issuing a few citations, and generally being labeled a jerky asshole, so be it. He also isn’t one to sugarcoat things. If he thinks someone is being a prick, he’s going to say it too their face. James would rather do his job right than win popularity contests. Often sarcastic and exasperated, James isn't exactly the friendliest of people you will ever meet. If you get him really fired up, he can have a temper even. However, being a Thornton, James is always well-aware of his manners and sensibility while in public. One could even say he is overly concerned with things like this, but he can't help how he was raised. A good respectful gentlemanly type, but it's also because James is a good person when it comes down to it. 

OPINION OF THE RIVALRY

Look the truth is James doesn’t know if what happened between his family and the Coombs a century ago really cursed this town or not. What he knows is something major went down with his mother, and she didn’t just die from natural causes. No matter anyone says. 

LIFESTYLE

All that private schooling suddenly meant nothing when James decided to join the police force. It wasn’t a huge loss, he was always a “C” student at best. At least on the police force, he gets to fire a weapon and bust a few heads every so often, which he greatly enjoys doing. Of course, someone like James can afford to do whatever he wants because he always has a nice cushy trust fund to fall back on. Still, he lives in rather modest living arrangements considering how rich his family is. He never saw the point in finding any place fancier. He is a cop, and he lives like one. He is barely home. He isn’t really a “thing” person either. Sometimes he remembers to call in his cleaning lady, sometimes his kitchen smells like old milk and spaghetti sauce from last week's dinner. His bed is never made, and his clothes are usually in miserably shape due to the amount of time he spends roaming through the woods chasing things. As far as relationships, James isn’t against them. He just doesn't pay that much attention to romantic entanglements. He is busy okay.  

POWERS & ABILITIES

Considering he’s a cop, James is definitely aware of the supernatural element in Siren Cove. It’s his job to keep it in check, and he is committed to protecting the town and those living here. If you want to talk about abilities, James has a fantastic shot. So beware.

HEADCANONS

• Loves to shoot things when he is stressed out. 
• A bit prudish and easily embarrassed when it comes to discussing sex in public. His friends Grant and Alex tease him relentlessly over this.

CURRENT RELATIONSHIPS 

• GRANT MIDDLETON - His best friend and partner on the force. Grant helps keep James from going off the deep end and maybe occasionally gets him to loosen up a little. Also knows when James needs to shoot the hell out of something, which he appreciates. 
• ALESSANDRA CASTILLO - Secretary at the police station. She has over time become like another little sister to James, and he cares for her dearly. Also has a tendency to fret over James' dietary needs, which he secretly doesn't mind as much as he says. 
• MOIRA COOMBS - Maybe it's because they're the same age, but Moira is the main Coombs family member that receives the bulk of James' rage over the town curse and their families' ongoing feud. They are often seen arguing in the streets, and James has arrested her on numerous occasions for various violations. 
• LOUISE ABASI - When James needed someone to help him get his hands on some closed case files connected to his mother's murder, he went to Louise. She helped him out, and he is grateful to her for jeopardizing her career to not so legally obtain the files he needed.