JAMES TYLER

 AGE    45 (fo3) / 55 (fo4)

 ORIENTATION    heterosexual

 APPEARANCE    at 6' tall, james has most often been of an average, but faintly muscular build, which undoubtedly softens when he's in the vault. gray creeps into his once dark brunette hair, and his eyes are a blue-tinged shade of green. though scarred, most aren't particularly notable. if one pays attention to his hands, they'll find them marked with signs of burns and cuts from various lab mishaps over the years.    FACECLAIM    jason isaacs.

 PERSONALITY    many who know james would call him restless and impulsive, driven by whatever fleeting fancy that catches his eye, before he's off to the next thing. meeting catherine changes this in him, to a degree. wherever she is, so he will be. while he remains impulsive, his greater traits of loyalty, good-natured, dedicated and kind mark his time in the wasteland. at times, he is also melancholic and difficult to reach, going through bouts of depression that last for days before he shakes them off. he is short-sighted in the name of pursuing the bigger picture, and might forgo small details or fail to notice the emotions of others in his race to better the world. 

  HISTORY  

born to the enclave in 2232, james tyler grew up in the rigid structure of the remains of "old world" america. while he thrived in intellectual pursuits, and often far surpassed his peers in his scientific studies, he found himself stifled by the enclave's self-interest. where they saw ruins needing to be re-tamed in the american way, james saw opportunity, whole groups of new people with their own cultures and understandings of the world, and all of them woefully unequipped to handle that world — something the enclave had the power to change.

though he oft kept these views close to his chest, his desire to forge a path away from the enclave became ever-clearer the moment he met catherine carson in 2255. only a year younger than him, catherine was vivacious, smart and wildly beautiful. her passion for helping others inspired him and pulled at his own desire to see the world become better. if there is any such thing as love at first sight, james experienced it the day he laid eyes on her.

though he doesn't defect from the enclave on the spot, when he returns to raven rock, he can't stop thinking about catherine, about a life in the wasteland. it takes him two weeks to decide, weeks he spends quietly squirreling away supplies like food, water, small weapons and ammunition. he slips away in the middle of the night and never returns.

his first stop is catherine's home, where he spends several months. the two of them, joined by her childhood friend, madison li, discuss their dreams of grandeur, their hopes for a greater future. these dreams become more concrete over time and, from them, comes the idea of project purity — the creation of a water purifier so large it would make all the water in the tidal basin drinkable once again.

within a year of james's arrival to the wasteland, the trio sets out for the jefferson memorial, which becomes their base of operations. at first, their presence there raises few eyebrows; they interface primarily with residents of rivet city, relying on them for supplies and food. 

the super mutants come first. the three of them aren't fighters, and they survive by the skin of their teeth. not long behind, comes the brotherhood of steel, who, intrigued by the project, agree to keep knights stationed at the memorial for protection. over time, other members join their team. they make progress; they fail. they keep going.

in 2257, james and catherine marry in a small ceremony in rivet city's church. when asked about children, they joke that the purifier is their baby and needy enough.

that is, until catherine discovers she's pregnant later that year. she's overjoyed at the idea of motherhood, and james finds himself swept along in the excitement. the news of their child rejuvenates the project for some time, and their team continues their research with a new sense of resolve, despite increasing super mutant attacks and the brotherhood's wavering support.

on july 13, 2258, their daughter, eliana, is born. 

on july 13, 2258, catherine goes into cardiac arrest. she doesn't survive.

lost without catherine's guidance, james decides to take their daughter to vault 101, where she'll be safe. where the wasteland won't touch her. 

for 19 years, he serves as the vault's doctor, dodges that overseer's obvious hatred of himself and his child, befriends jonas palmer — a bright young man who becomes his apprentice — and refuses to forget the project that catherine so desperately wanted to see come to fruition.

he remains active in his child's life, helps her with her homework, convinces her no monsters live beneath her bed; he plays cheerful host of playdates, is the first to congratulate her on good grades, and quick to scold when her she bloodies butch deloria's nose.

he loves her. truly, he does.

but he finds himself pulled by the same siren song that prompted him to leave the enclave. what good is he locked in the vault? 

as eliana gets older and more capable of caring for himself, james spends more and more time locked in his lab, experimenting.

his obsession with the long-dead project purity leads him to escape vault 101 in 2277, only a month after eliana's 19th birthday.