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Name: James "Jim" Grayson

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Date of Birth: May 4th, 1983

Height: 5' 10"

Weight: 170 lbs.

Hair color: Short, brown

Eye color: Blue

Skin color: Light tan

Clothing and appearance: Jim is not a really muscular guy, though it can definatly can be seen that he is in some kind of sport. He usually wears a black, 2002 winter olympics shirt (an image of the shirt he wears is here.), blue cargo pants and and black/blue tennis shoes. On his left arm, he wears a sport watch (image can be found here). His hair is almost always disheveled since he has never really found a reason as to why he should comb it, especally since he wears a dark blue baseball cap most of the time with some hair sticking out at the bottom of it. He is clean shaven and is almost always found having the earbuds of his IPod in his ears and his IPod in his left pocket.

Birthplace: Long Beach, California

Current Location: San Diego, California

Family: Susan Grayson, mother: Deceased, James Grayson Sr., father: 44, Andrew Grayson, grandfather: Deceased

Likes: Cross-country skiing, the Winter Olympics, snow, music (he mainly listens to alternative rock along with some classic rock as well), stand-up comedy, video games, comedy and action movies.

Dislikes: People who judge him before they get to know him or are completely inconsiderate to others, being called by his full first name, talking about his father, rain, heat.

Personality: Jim is a nice, fun-loving, friendly guy, even though he'd rather be by himself more often than not. This isn't because of him being shy (though he does get a little nervous when meeting someone for the first time) or just disliking other people, but because he'd rather deal with his problems and personal demons on his own and he hides any kind of emotion that shows that something's wrong to make sure of it. There are times he'll show that there's something wrong, but this is only when he feels overwhelmed and even then, he'll still find it hard to accept any help offered to him since he'd rather not trouble people with his problems.

Still, Jim does have the makings of a true friend. With all that he's gone through, he has great compassion for others and would never ignore someone in pain. If someone has a problem, he'll be willing to listen and help out in any way he can (as long as he doesn't have to talk about his own problems). To have Jim as a friend is to have someone there for both good times and bad.

When it comes to anger, Jim is pretty much the calmest as he doesn't get angered easily since mostly just shrugs things off. However, when he does get angry, he really shows it in his voice and face, but don't count on him to start a fight out of anger though.

Jim is a complete skeptic to wild stories told by people, especially any conspiracy theories and the like since he pretty much considers stuff like this ranked along the lines of the many "Elvis is not dead" theories. He also has a good sense of humor and likes to mix in a little humor with what he says sometimes.

Backstory: Jim’s life started out all right at the start, with him being born into what seemed to be a loving, middle class family. His father, James Sr., worked as a real estate agent in Long Beach, though he was more concerned about his position on the corporate ladder than his wife and family. As for Susan, his mother, she was in the process of becoming a lawyer, but she put that on pause when Jim was born since she wanted to spend as much time as she could with her son. When Jim started to go to school, he wasn’t very popular among the other kids. Still, he was able to make several friends so he wasn’t completely by himself. As for his grades in school, he wasn't really a straight A student, but Jim still was a good student anyway with him getting mostly A's and B's. Growing up, however, he couldn’t help but notice the fact that sometimes his parents fought a little with each other.

These little fights soon developed into a big argument on the night of February 5th, when Jim was 10 years old. Apparently, Susan was sick and tired of James’s obsession with his work and lack of attention he gave to both her and Jim. The fight ended when Susan stormed out of the house and driving away in anger, only to be killed by a drunk driver later on. Jim was devastated when he heard the news from his dad and started crying, but he didn’t understand why his dad wasn’t crying or showing any emotion at all, especially since it was his fault that she left the house in the first place. As if things weren’t bad enough, Jim found out a couple of months after that he was going to be moving to San Diego with his dad after he was done with elementary school since James was given a job offer over there that he could not resist taking. Jim couldn’t believe that he was going to have to leave the friends he made behind and tried to talk his dad out of it, but he didn’t want to hear any of the objections that Jim had.

When Jim started middle school, he hoped that he would make at least some friends here in San Diego so he wouldn’t be by himself. Unfortunately, most of the other kids in his classes paid no attention to him, especially since he was the new guy and they didn’t know him at all. As this went on, day after day, Jim started to feel like he was an outsider and wished that he was back in Long Beach where he knew he had friends. He thought that his dad would be able to help him out in someway with this, but the obsession Jim’s dad had with his work constantly denied him and it added to the frustration that was starting to grow inside him. Luckily, his grandfather was living in San Diego and the new house that Jim and his dad were living in was just down the street from his house. Every now and then, he would walk over and say hi along with asking for help with anything that was bothering him, along with getting some valuable life lessons that he would always remember as well. Every time Jim visited him, he felt like he was going to a second home. Heck, even his grandfather admitted one time that he hated what his dad had become, a slave to his own work. Jim didn’t like living with his dad in San Diego, but with his grandfather here for him, he was able to at least tolerate it a little.

As high school started, the feeling that Jim was an outsider stayed with him, keeping him away from others. He was starting to take an interest in winter sports though, but the only winter sport they had at his high school was ice hockey. Jim didn’t really want to try out, but he still went to the games to watch since it helped him focus on something else other than what was going on at school. However, on October 8, 1997, Jim was going to be dealt with a crushing blow. As he was trying to study for a couple of tests for the next day, someone called the house. When he picked up the phone, he found out it was the local hospital saying that his grandfather had just passed away from a heart attack. “We’re sorry, but we tried everything we could. He was just too far gone.” Those were the last words Jim heard before he hung up the phone. For a few moments, Jim didn’t move a muscle because of the state of total shock he was in. When he finally snapped out of it, Jim had to fight to keep himself from breaking down since he couldn’t believe that another member of his family that actually cared about him was now gone forever and he was truly alone.

As the days went on after his grandfather's death, Jim became more and more determined to get away from his dad and the life he was shoved into because of him. After graduating, Jim started job hunting and got employed at a video store so he could just start making money, and applied for a CAL Grant in order to have his college expenses covered. His application for the grant was approved later on and as summer came to an end, moved out of the house and away from his father. As Jim got settled into the dorm room that was given to him, he couldn’t help but feel like some weight was lifted off of him now that he was on his own. He hoped that this was a sign that he could finally put everything that happened behind him and decided to use his nickname as his first name to start distancing himself from those memories.

Beginning college, Jim chose to major in web design, a field of work that started to interest him. However, his other interest, winter sports, was growing and as soon as he heard about his college sponsoring a trip to Salt Lake to see the 2002 Winter Olympics, he made sure to save up enough money to go. As he was there, Jim took some time to reflect a bit on what had happened in his life so far. It was then that he felt that even though the had left his dad and and was now on his own, he didn't fully close that chapter of his life yet. He just needed to do something that would help separate him from the person he was, a withdrawn person who'd rather just watch than do something. That's when he finally decided that he would start training for a sport and hopefully one day make it to the Winter Olympics. The thing was, though, he really didn’t know what sport he should get into. It wasn’t until he saw the last day’s 50 km cross-country event that he finally decided to enter cross-country skiing. He liked the fact that it wasn’t really complicated since it was basically like a race, yet it was also challenging in the fact that endurance was a key factor to this sport. When he returned, he started jogging around the campus early in the morning several times a week and also used his one week vacation from work during the winter break to go to Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center near Mammoth Mountain for several days to learn and practice cross-country skiing as well. Jim was in no real rush to start actual training at a training camp as he did this, he preferred to feel confident in his abilities before he made any attempt to go pro.

With this, a job, and college, Jim felt that he could finally lay his past to rest. In fact, he was making progress in the fact that he started to become less of an outsider by talking to people instead of shying away from them, but this was not the case with his memories as he kept thinking about his past. The one memory that really stood out in his mind though, was the night that his mom left the house just to end up getting killed. Jim just couldn't let it go and have it fade away, especially since he felt that he could have done something to prevent it. Though Jim wanted to talk to someone and get help, he felt that this was something that he had deal with by himself. Besides, even if he did have someone to talk to, he didn't want to bother them with this.

A working dog breed that originated in eastern Siberia, the Siberian Husky is a wolf-like, medium-sized dog, 35 to 60 pounds (16 to 27 kg) in weight, 20 to 23.5 inches (51 to 60 cm) in height, originally bred by the Chukchi tribes for use as a village dog, herding the reindeer, pulling sledges, and guarding the women and children.

Appearance

Siberians have a dense double-layer coat that comes in a variety of colors and patterns, usually with white feet and legs, facial markings, and tail tip. The most common colors are black and white, grey and white, copper-red and white, and pure white, though many individuals have brown, reddish, or biscuit shadings and some are piebald spotted. Striking masks, spectacles, and other facial markings occur in wide variety. They have a wolf-like appearance, albeit smaller and with less shaggy fur.

Their eyes are brown, hazel, or blue. Light blue eye colour is characteristic but not completely dominant. The breed may have one eye brown or hazel and the other blue, or may have blue and another colour mixed in the iris of one or both eyes; this latter trait, heterochromia, is sometimes called "bi-eyed, or parti-eyed" by Siberian enthusiasts. This is one of the few breeds for which different-colored eyes are allowed in the show ring. The Siberian Husky is one of the few dog breeds where blue eyes are common. Most dogs (and humans) have brown eyes.

Its ears are triangular, well-furred, medium-sized, and erect; its fox-like brush tail is carried in a sickle curve over the back.

The Siberian Husky's coat consists of two layers, a dense, cashmere-like undercoat and a longer coarser topcoat consisting of straight guard hairs. Siberians usually shed their undercoat once or twice a year, producing prodigious quantities of fur; the process is commonly referred to as blowing their coat. Dogs that live primarily indoors often shed year round, so the shedding is less profuse�but constant. Therefore, an owner might have a Siberian that sheds lightly all year, or a Siberian that blows its complete coat twice a year. A strong steel comb helps in removing the dense handfuls of hair that come loose while the dog is blowing its coat. Otherwise, grooming is minimal; bathing is normally unnecessary as the coat sheds dirt. Also, it is not uncommon for a dog of this breed to groom itself carefully in much the same way one might expect of cats. Well and healthy Siberians have little odor. Their ears are amazingly soft and they have very good hearing.

Temperament

Popular as family pets and as show dogs due to their striking appearance and gentle temperament, Siberians have certain drawbacks. Huskies are extremely affectionate, curious, and welcoming to people, which means they rarely hurt humans and so are not good guard dogs. Properly socialized Siberians are often quite gentle with children, although no dog, including Siberians, should be left unsupervised with small children. Normally quite tractable, affectionate, and docile with people, they nonetheless have a strong hunting drive and are known to kill cats, rabbits, chickens, squirrels, and other birds and small animals. They have even been known to savage sheep on occasion, which is one of the many reasons why they are believed to be too closely related to the wolf.

Siberian Huskies should be kept in secure fenced (at least 6ft or over) enclosures as they will not always come to call and will often disappear on long hunting trips. Thus, they cannot be allowed to run loose. Always keep them on the leash or you may end up losing your beloved Siberian. Siberians are also accomplished escape artists and diggers, so it is important to check enclosures frequently for any potential escape routes. Make sure your fence is buried well into the ground so they can't dig under it. Huskies are trainable to a certain degree, but patience is necessary. They are independent in nature and not given to blind obedience to every command.

Health

Siberians are normally rather healthy dogs, living typically from eleven to fifteen years of age. Health issues in the breed are eye troubles (cataracts, glaucoma, and corneal dystrophy among others), allergies, and cancer in older animals. Hip dysplasia occurs but is not a major concern in the breed. This breed needs a high-quality diet with high levels of protein and fat, particularly when used for dogsledding. That said, Siberian Huskies are rather fuel efficient dogs, consuming less food than other dogs of similar size and activity level. The diet must be adjusted to their level of work and exercise; obesity can be a problem for underexercised, overfed pets.

History

The Siberian Husky is widely believed to have originated exclusively with the Coastal Chukchi tribes of the east-Siberian peninsula. There is evidence, however, that Siberian dogs were also imported from the Koryak and Kamchadal tribes. Recent DNA analysis confirms that this is one of the oldest breeds of dog. Dogs from the Anadyr River and surrounding regions were imported into Alaska from 1908 (and for the next two decades) during the gold rush for use as sleddogs, especially in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes (AAS), a 408 mile (657 km) distance dogsled race from Nome to Candle and back. Smaller, faster and more enduring than the 100 to 120 pound (45 to 54 kg) freighting dogs then in general use, they immediately dominated the Nome Sweepstakes.

Leonhard Seppala, a Norwegian fisherman turned gold miner, became involved with Siberian dogs when he was asked by his employer to train a group of females and pups for the 1914 AAS. After a poor start his first year, Seppala dominated the races thereafter. In 1925 he was a key figure in the 1925 serum run to Nome which delivered diphtheria serum from Nenana by dogsled after the city was stricken by an epidemic. The Iditarod trail race commemorates this famous delivery. The following year two groups of Seppala�s dogs toured the USA, starting a mania for sleddogs and dogsled racing, particularly in the New England states.

In 1930 the last Siberians were exported as the Soviet government closed the borders of Siberia to external trade. The same year saw recognition of the Siberian Husky by the American Kennel Club. Nine years later the breed was first registered in Canada. Today�s Siberian Huskies registered in North America are largely the descendants of the 1930 Siberia imports and of Leonhard Seppala�s dogs.

Miscellaneous

Siberians are still used occasionally as sleddogs in dogsled racing but have been widely replaced by the more popular Alaskan Husky and hound-type crossbreds that are specially bred and selected for speed and have less heavy coats. Siberian Huskies were designed to pull a light load over long distances at a medium pace, and simply can't keep up with their faster counterparts. Siberians are still popular in races restricted to purebreds and are faster than other pure sleddog breeds such as the Samoyed and Alaskan Malamute. Today the breed tends to divide along lines of “racing” Siberians versus “show” Siberians.

Apart from dogsled racing, they are very popular for recreational mushing and are also used for skijoring (one to three dogs pulling a skier) and European ski-pulka. A few owners use them for dog-packing and hiking. They have also seen use as therapy dogs.

Donators:
None as of yet

Other:
Emelyn, for the gold reimbursement for the 10k pages raffle and the free entry for the Flaffle.
Crowfoot, Sejii, and sola84 for the character art.
Everyone who got me a bottle for the Secret Santa event for 2006.

Alternate Animals

Alaskan Malamute
Greenland Dog
Tamaskan Dog

Sorry for the confusion with my banner, I honestly didn't expect this kind of thing to happen. sweatdrop I just found this font after searching so many font sites and it just felt like it would work with what I had planned with my banner and as for the title, well, it was just the first thing that came to mind when I made it.

All coincidences aside, thanks for the comments and help. I'll get right on thinking of another reason as to why he wants to get to the olympics and complete how he gets to the island.