James at a Glance
âBurnout is a bone-tired, soul-tired, heart-tired, kind of exhaustionâ
NAME:Â James Raymon Goldstein
ALIASES:Â Former last name was Fuentes until he was adopted at 16 by the Goldsteins
AGE:Â 54 [Born April 2nd]
GENDER/PRONOUNS:Â Cis Male, He/Him
SEXUALITY:Â Bisexual, preference for particularly masculine men and all women
CLASS/HIERARCHY: Virtue Knight
OCCUPATION:Â Police Lieutenant, does PI work on the side
HOUSING: Joan of Arc's Refuge, unit 2b with his calico Missy
GOOD: Courageous, Honorable, Loyal
BAD: Abrasive, Cynical, Self-Destructive
QUIRKS: Spattering of tattoos and scars, each having different stories to tell from Jamesâ life. A bit of a goof once you get to know him. Adores cats. Is incredibly good at his job but has two major fears: clowns and bugs, especially spiders. Tends to be a workaholic because he genuinely believes in the good he can put out in the world through his profession. Is adept at both boxing and ju-jitsu. Has blue-yellow color blindness. Has to take monthly Iceheart tonics since the incident.
BIOGRAPHY
James lost his biological parents in a fatal house fire when he was 11 years old. For 5 years he bounced around the foster care system, the experience ranging from okay to downright horrific.
At 16, it felt like a cruel joke when it was announced he was getting adopted. No one wanted teenagers, that was the harsh reality. And yet, the moment he met the Goldsteins, faces smiling, his new little brother running up to hug him, James hoped that if it was a joke they would let him keep living the lie a little longer.
His new family gave James all the love and support they could offer, helping him to flourish and thrive. However, he was at a loss for what to do with his life, no real purpose or goals. That changed at 19, when his adoptive fatherâs locally run barber shop was robbed and James hated how incompetent the Knights were in the case. He swore to do a hell of a lot better than they ever did.
Things went fairly well for James throughout his adult years. Â Sure, his love life was abysmal, too many partners complaining of him already being married to his job, but overall, he was happy. Â It was a good life, for all intents and purposes. He rose up the ranks rather quickly as a Knight, showing a lot of promise in his sharp intelligence and compassionate heart, even under the gruff demeanor.Â
After an incident on the job left his right leg in a cyber-enhanced brace, James slowly became less active on the field. When his work partner Elijah got selected for Gambit, James was as proud as could be. But his mental health also suffered without his old partner and best friend there to be a buffer.
James would never admit it to anyone but working as a Knight for 32 years really was starting to take a toll on him. Â He never talked to anyone about how it was affecting him, seeing the most depraved of humanity at times. Â The mental scanners strongly suggested he take Iceheart, but James refused every time. And yet, it was becoming harder to go into work each day.
The official report says James was found drunkenly passed out at Seraphina Sanctuary on a bench, his service pistol clutched tightly in hand. After that he was forced into treatment, both for severe depression and alcohol addiction, and moved into a purely administrative position.  He still struggles with sobriety, his smoking intake significantly increasing now that his ID is barred from purchasing alcohol.
While his mental health has improved, James finds desk duty extremely dull and in his free time has begun to do bit of a PI side business. He even has a rather crude and archaic website set up for anyone wanting to request his services.














