James Dominic Mason
From Condemnations
| Image:Jamesmason.jpg | |
| James Dominic Mason | |
| Character Journal: | withinthecanvas |
| Nationality: | English |
| Occupation: | Artist (Painter) |
| Powers: | Within canvas painting minor telekinesis painting materialization |
| Portrayed by: | Jason Issacs |
| Writer: | Nienna |
Contents |
►IN-GAME INFO
basic information
name — James Dominic Mason
nicknames — Jamie (very rarely used, he isn't that fond of it)
age — 42
gender — Male
birthday — August 29th
sexuality — Straight
religion — Church of England (Protestant) - non practising.
height — 5 ft 11 in
weight — 140lbs
hair color — Brunet
eye color — Blue
languages — English (native), Italian (fluent), aboriginal (conversational), French (rudimentary), Korean (rudimentary), German (rudimentary).
likes — Artwork, scuba & snorkel diving, Great Barrier Reef, opera, red wine & port, books, people that follow their dreams
dislikes — champagne, loud and obnoxious people, mindless trend followers
theme — none as yet.
post-pulse
(I am going to put major events here, but if you want to see a play-by-play of James' doings they are listed here)
2010
► In Sydney when the pulse hit.
August
► AUG. 19TH: Finished the Hide-Away Painting (see trivia below)
► BACKGROUND
history
James had a fairly stereotypical upbringing. Has an older and a younger brother and his parents were middle-class and caring. Though he didn't always get exactly what he wanted, his parents worked hard and gave their sons what they could. James' father (Anthony) was a middle-management man for a textile company and his mother (Teri) was a retired model. She gave up her career when she has James' elder brother, Mark. A year later James came along and George one year after that.
Nothing remarkable at all happened until James was starting secondary school at age eleven and his art teacher found that the boy had an exceptional talent for artwork but especially painting. His parents would have preferred him to be a great talent in academia and though he was no slouch, he was not as sharp as his older brother (Mark). Mark got all his O and A levels with no issue and James was expected to do the same. He didn't, he got what he needed but did minimum work - however his art marks were very high. He decided to go to art college and this somewhat distanced him from his parents, especially when George decided to follow suit. Mark became the 'golden child' but James did not care all that much - he was doing what he loved and was happy living in a rented flat with his younger brother.
James graduated university with honours (focusing on art history and Italian) but George dropped out in his second year to go traveling with a group of potheads he had taken up with. James did not care for mind-altering substances so he focused on his artwork and had a string of pretty girlfriends, none of whom worked out. He did not mind as he guessed himself to be more of the loner type and dedicated himself to his work.
One of the girlfriends paid off when he was 23 as her mother was a famous art critic and she happened to stop by James' studio one day looking for her daughter. The relationship fizzled but ended on good terms and even better for James as the mother loved his stuff and raved about it in her columns. Soon he found himself putting on exhibitions of his work and the money started rolling in. His parents even came to see a few of them, proud of him but still half-wishing he'd become an investment banker like his elder brother.
He decided to go to Australia and study aboriginal artwork for a particular exhibiton he was planning and never came back. He found the climate suited him and knew that as an artist he could be based anywhere he wanted. He traveled a lot (picking up rudimentary language skills but he relied on a translator more often than not) and enjoyed life.
The pulse hit and he knows his parents are safe but both of his brothers are missing. Ever since then, though - he has found that he can actually go inside his canvas and paint from within. It is now said that the artwork he produces looks so realistic and lifelike that is almost would step right off the page and his reputation has only grown, despite the world being more concerned with survival than beautiful artworks.
personality
James is a fairly quiet, solitary man who indulges himself with study and painting, although this does not mean that he is a total recluse. He does enjoy the company of others when it suits him - but he has no time for very loud, obnoxious types of people.
He has a way about him that tends to attract people to what he has to say and the beautiful things he can produce. He often keeps people wanting more, he is not one to overindulge and spill too much of himself in any way. His other passions to artwork include fine wines (red and port are his favoured but he dislikes champagne) and collecting old books. In his home in Sydney he has a fine library of books he has collected on his travels and he often likes to finish the day with a glass or two of wine and a book.
He also sometimes likes to visit the opera and art galleries as he finds it adds to his artwork when he does so, as if it fills him with a burst of creativity. Since moving to Australia he also developed a passion for scuba diving and snorkel diving and he has taken to it well. It is something he misses as he now is a little too afraid to venture into the water since the pulse.
► POWERS
- 1 - In-canvas painting. If he touches a canvas, he can literally step inside and paint from within. The detail he can gain this way far outstrips anything he ever dreamed of producing before. He also found that after the zombie attacks that he could hide out safely inside these.
- 2 - Minor telekinesis. He discovered this by wishing the paint he needed was closer to him and it flew right over. He can't currently manage things that are bigger than the size of a bottle of wine.
- 3 - If he imbues an artwork with enough dedication and time, he can bring it momentarily to life.
For example a plant he can withdraw from the canvas will last about a day whereas bigger things like a person will only last a couple of hours. Once their time is up, they simply fade back into the original canvas.There now seems to be no time limit to this as he has practised so often.
► RELATIONSHIPS
family
Anthony Mason - father. Currently lives in Kent, England with Teri Mason. Worked as a middle-management man in a textile company for years. Retired two years ago and now spends most of his time pottering about his garden. Is trying to follow any leads as to the whereabouts of Mark and George Mason. accounted for
Teri Mason - mother. Retired model (retired mid-sixties). Was a housewife and full-time mother to her three sons. Nice, if typical, middle-class lady. accounted for
Mark Mason - older brother. Golden boy of the family. Investment banker. Bores James silly. missing
George Mason - younger brother. Failed artist, hippie, pothead. Went off to tour Nepal, Thailand and India and other such places after dropping out of Uni. Sent sporadic updates (usually asking for money) but has not been heard from since the pulse. missing
friends
Someone James would not have expected himself to get along so well with. Jade responded to James' advertisement for a nude model for an upcoming piece of artwork he was doing. The two have since proven to get along famously and Jade is a good influence on James' oft loner aspects of his personality.
acquaintances
They have only spoken once when she asked him about the kids he mentioned in his post.
[[Michaela Rosenzweig]
Michaela knows of James' reputation as an artist and has expressed an interest in meeting him at some point.
The two had a conversation starting with red wine and ended with James being interested in visiting Donatien's pawn shop in case the man has any collector-grade first editions in.
They amused themselves over the Bryce kids smashing an ugly vase while he had painted pixies for them to play with.
The two began talking when he had finished his 'Hide-Away Painting' (see trivia below) and she asked him about his "celebratory Full English". It then morphed into him offering to teach her Italian when he visits the country for his next exhibition.
important exes
Catherina (Catie) Bryce née Cordan An ex-girlfriend that he is still friends with. He met her soon after moving to Australia and dated her for two years. They split because she wanted to settle down and have kids before he was ready but he never begrudged her leaving him for a man who was ready. She lives a few blocks away and they are still good friends. He is even on good terms with Henry Bryce, Catie's husband and often visits for dinner. He also painted most of the artwork in their house, including a present to them of a painting he did of their wedding day. Catie might have been the love of his life but he just was not ready. Luckily for him he doesn't wallow or regret how things went. He is very happy for her. All the family are accounted for after the pulse. accounted for
Myka Yelisabeta Sharapova Myka was his girlfriend during the bulk of his university years and she has been immortalized in many of his more famous paintings. An exotic beauty, she was the perfect subject for an eager artist (especially as she was quite happy to pose nude) and James fell for her in a big way. They split when University ended to go back to Dmitrov, Russia. He has since painted a few pieces of her from memory. He tried to locate her after the pulse but has had no luck. missing
Melanie (Mellie) Katz The dreaded kind of ex. She came after Myka but they split after six months. He was not taking well to her demanding nature and he had to endure eighteen months of torment from her after the split resulting in a restraining order. After she was caught trying to kill his cat, Rufus, he used her in a painting as a villain. He has not heard from her since, apparently shamed into leaving him alone. He has no idea where she is and hopes he never has to know again. unknown
► TRIVIA
Rufus - the Longhaired Japanese Bobtail
Rufus is James' beloved cat. He is 10 years old and if James is out of the country, the Bryces take care of him. Rufus was a streetcat that lived in James' area and used to attack birds and such in James' back garden until the man simply adopted him as a pet.
Hide-away Painting
After the "cure" zombie attacks, James found that he could hide himself in his paintings and even managed to pull some others in with him (namely the Bryce family) and so he set to work on painting a safe haven. It is utterly stocked with food, water and bedding if the need arises for a "bomb shelter" of sorts.
Collector
The man has a very large wine cellar and many, many books. He collects first editions especially and keeps them all in very good condition. He likes the finer things in life and has a large collection of paintings and sculptures by other artists as well as some of his own work on display.
