charles xavier. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
forgodssake) wrote2013-12-03 12:50 pm
forgodssake) wrote2013-12-03 12:50 pm
application } ataraxion.
P L A Y E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Your Name: Samm
OOC Journal:![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
neveryourmuse
Under 18? If yes, what is your age?: 25
Email + IM: neverrryourmask @ gmail, nneveryourmaskk @ aim
Characters Played at Ataraxion: Rick Grimes
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Professor Charles Francis Xavier
Canon: X-Men: First Class
Original or Alternate Universe: OU
Canon Point: Post-movie.
Number: RNG me.
Setting: Charles is from a universe officially named Earth-10005, a version of the world where mutants exist. This world is very much like our own world except with the addition of people who possess the X-gene and are gifted (or afflicted) with mutant powers. At the time of Charles' canonpoint, during the 1960s, mutants are a mostly unknown quality, living in secret and only recently on the brink of broader discovery, beginning with the investigation of the threat Sebastian Shaw presents and the government becoming cognizant to the existence of mutantkind. Many mutants were estranged from one another, even ignorant to the idea that they weren't the only ones who were different.
With the outing of their type would come the next few decades of social struggle as mutantkind tried to find their place in society. Charles characterises a hopeful outlook, while his foil, Erik Lehnsherr, anticipated eventual war. From the time of Charles' canon point, this conflict is only just beginning, including the beginning of the X-Men, and Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
From the time of Charles' canonpoint, world history has not so much been altered as been it has been added to. The Nazi party is involved, through Dr. Klaus Schmidt (who is later known as Sebastian Shaw), in the study and experimentation of mutant genetics, and Shaw appears to be the cause of the Cuban missile crisis in an attempt to induce nuclear war for his own schemes.
History: We are given a glimpse of Charles' early life, and it's one that indicates a great amount of privilege as well as isolation. He was born and raised in New York, and to take a leaf out of comics publications, his father was a nuclear scientist who was killed early in Charles' life. His mother remarried to a man more interested in her considerable wealth than she, and all existed in relative independence from one another, even when Charles was tiny.
It was during this time he met Raven, a mutant shapeshifter girl who had broken into his home to feed herself. Charles, excited to discover someone like him (as his telepathic powers had manifested already and were shaping up to be fairly formidable), took her in on behalf of his family. Either his parents barely noticed, or he used his own powers to enable this adoption.
They grew up together in a sibling dynamic, and remained close as they grew into adolescence and adulthood, with Raven still relatively young by the time Charles was accepted into Oxford, and the pair of them moved to the UK where Charles persued his doctorate in genetics. After graduating, he is approached by CIA agent Moira MacTaggert, seeking his advice and knowledge in genetic mutation. After glimpsing into her mind and seeing the level threat she's pursuing in the form of Sebastian Shaw and his mutant ilk's interference with global politics, he agrees to assist in any way he can.
After convincing government officials as to the credible threat that is Sebastian Shaw by indicating the existence of mutantkind, Xavier continues to work with the government to track down Shaw, but his telepathic ability is blocked by Shaw's companion, Emma Frost. They meet Erik Lehnsherr, as Erik is on a warpath against Shaw, and they bring him back to base out of common interest. Charles manages to convince Erik to remain, and together, with the use of a machine called Cerebro that amplifies Xavier's powers, invented by Dr. Hank McCoy, they go on a roadtrip and recruit young people with mutant powers, to train up and to assist.
The scale of Shaw's plan becomes known to Erik and Charles when they, with the help of the CIA, track Emma Frost down in Russia, and extract from her Shaw's plan to start a nuclear World War III. Because Shaw is crazy. And believes this is setting the stage for mutant take over and advancement.
However, Shaw and his henchmen meanwhile attack the CIA base where Xavier's new recruits are held, highlighting both to the young mutants as well as the audience at home the beginnings of division between mutant and humankind when the agents fail to protect the youths. Darwin is killed, and Angel is recruited, and the rest, along with Charles, Erik, and Moira, are forced to move operations -- Charles invites them back to his place, which would later become the X-Mansion. A training montage happens, including a conversation between Charles and Erik that helps tap into Erik's greater power, while Shaw continues to ready the world for war by triggering the Cuban missile crisis. This begins Charles' new role as mentor and teacher.
As Shaw sets the stage to force the USA to fire on Russia in a naval stand-off, Charles manages to interfere by compelling a Russian officer to fire upon their own ship that had been about to break the US issued blockade (as set up by Shaw). Erik uses his powers to drag Shaw's submarine onto land, and there begins a good old fashioned mutant-y firefight between Charles' recruits and Shaw's henchmen, with Erik going after Shaw before Shaw can absorb the energy of a nuclear reactor and manhandle his scheme into place regardless.
When Erik confronts Shaw, both he and Charles manage to subdue him, with Erik bringing down Shaw's guards against Charles' telepathy and Charles freezing Shaw in place. However, Erik reveals he largely agrees with Shaw's politics and methods, but was in pursuit of revenge, as Shaw had killed Erik's mother. He murders Shaw in cold blood despite Charles' pleas for him to be the better man.
Shaw is dead. Erik emerges onto the beach as the Russian and US forces are turning their guns on the little beach on which all the mutants stand, and let fly their missiles. Erik saves them all, but then attempts to use his powers to turn the missiles back against the ships from whence they came. Charles manages to stop him via slapfight on the beach.
Moira attempts to shoot Erik, but Erik deflects her bullets, and accidentally cripples Charles in the process. Distracted in trying to help Charles, Erik's attempts on the respective naval forces in the ocean are stalled and defeated. Erik leaves, and takes with him Shaw's henchmen, as well as Raven (with Charles' blessing), whose views better align with what Erik wants from the world.
Charles' story ends back in New York, at his home, that would become the home of many generations of mutants to come. He is wheelchair-bound, and establishing a school for the especially gifted, and to keep this project safe, he mindwipes Moira MacTaggert of all recent events so that she can't be made to report to her superiors about information Xavier would rather keep a secret.
Which is when Ataraxion will occur.
Personality: The man Charles is at the start of the movie and the man who Professor X is known for being decades from then are not incredible leagues of difference, with the main points of difference being vibrant youth and a sense of purpose. Ultimately, Charles is a good man with the best of intentions at heart, and enough arrogance to believe in them and carry them out. Growing up with immense social privilege coupled with having a potentially ostracising (and completely invisible) trait of being a mutant makes for a potent and occasionally questionable combination of do-gooding that leaves him very optimistic, with an unfortunate case of tunnel vision.
But we'll get to that.
Let's back up and start with the recent Oxford graduate. Armed with great intelligence, a prestigious name, lots of money, and telepathic abilities, Charles powered through his doctorate with room left over for partying and womanising. There is a clear, early desire to affect change for the better through his research, unashamed though he is to utilise it, along with his telepathy, to also pick up chicks. In fact, a casual and frequent use of telepathy characterises much of Charles' interaction with people, both between friends and perfect strangers, plucking secrets and thoughts out of their heads and waving it under their noses in completely amicable ways, whether it's "guessing" someone's drink of choice or accidentally outing them as mutants in front of their peers (for which he is truly sorry okay).
He dances along the line of secrecy and discretion, although took more objection when Raven did the same thing in flaunting her powers in plain sight, probably a result of his own confidence in his power being both plausibly deniable and able to retcon interactions as necessary, brotherly protectiveness, and hypocrisy. In the future, he broadens his own mind to the difficulties of other mutants in society such as mutant visibility, as well as, probably, other intersecting issues such as race, gender, and so forth, but this era of Charles Xavier still has some of the trappings of being a rich white man in the sixties.
But he is an educated and thoughtful man, and although this amounts to a lot of positives, it comes with a more than healthy ego. His default is that he knows what's best for the people around him and, maybe, the world at large, and has rarely been proven wrong. As a result, he is occasionally, almost willfully blind to others not being on the same page as he is -- when he isn't reading minds, he isn't always the best at anticipating people, Erik Lehnsherr's FALL FROM GRACE being an obvious example. Although they'd shared enough polite disagreements over chess and martinis for Charles to know that they did not have the same point of view, Charles treated this more like intellectual debate and an opportunity to change Erik's mind for the better, trusting that he was so very correct in his stance that Erik would, of course, come around eventually.
When Erik did not, it was a rude awakening, but did not shake Charles' faith in mankind and a future where mutant and humans could co-exist peacefully. Erik's betrayal was polarising, and only cemented a determination to not allow this conflict to turn into war, but also showed Charles that mutants could stand to be united and mentored. This act of being a guide and a teacher was first tested among their initial recruits, with Charles playing a hand in each of their development (including Erik's), planting a seed for the teacher and leader he is destined to become.
This is the warmer result of his arrogance. The nastier side effects include acts that range from frequent invasion of privacy, to almost instinctual thievings of personal agency, memory erasures of people who trust him, and other telepathic impositions that are alarmingly effortless for a man who comes across as kind as he does, with the absence of these acts portayed as some sort of magnanimous gesture. This comes across as not a deliberate maliciousness, but a sign that Charles is very connected to his ability and uses it as he would sight and hearing, with a little propensity to show off or to simply be practical.
But there is much good to him too. He shows ambition for the betterment of the world. He displays courageous acts in the interests of others. He is willing to get his hands dirty for all that his power often absolves him of this. His intelligence and the knowledge of his own intelligence does not close him off to new ideas nor diminish brilliance in other people. He is very empathetic to the struggles of others when he is in a position to understand them. He is easy to talk to, automatically polite in affect, a little charming, and ultimately, wants to help save the world, now that he realises that it needs him.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Charles Xavier grows up to be an incredibly powerful telepath, perhaps the most powerful in the world, and with a grasp on his ability from a young age and a continued study in the nature of genetic mutation, Xavier proves to be a psychic force to be reckoned with as a young man as well.
The span of his telepathy is broad, touching on almost all aspects fathomable. In the movie, these appear to be broken down as the following:
thought projection, being able to project his mental voice into the minds of others as a secret sort of communication -- the range on this appears to be somewhat local as opposed to across the country, as Charles requires Cerebro to extend his power much further
mind control, from subtle suggestion such as directing someone to calm down, to dictating their decision making and physical action
freeze, which is probably related to the above, but Xavier can seem to put someone on physical and mental lockdown where they freeze in place, and either comprehend nothing or everything (as per the film, he demonstrates being able to do this with one person at a time -- in later movies, he can do this to a vast many)
reading minds, is exactly what it says -- he can pick up on impulse/surface thoughts as easily as someone hears words spoken out loud, and for memories that run deeper and concealed, he must concentrate, but can more or less dig out any truth he wants unless the target is especially skilled at evading telepaths
memory tampering, which is demonstrated as eliminating memories
illusions, which appear to be relatively simple, such as making someone see empty space where he would otherwise be standing -- this is among the tricks that require some focus
...there's a lot, and Charles doesn't even mitigate this by being shy about using his abilities, as he is decidedly and unabashedly keen to use them as he sees fit, although he makes a conscious effort to not manipulate those he considers his friends. Even closer acquaintances may escape having their thoughts read. How considerate!
In Ataraxion, his ability will be reduced down to the recommended half. He will lose his ability to tamper with memory completely, and everything except for telepathic communication and surface mind reading will be much harder to achieve and become more fallible and unreliable. I am open and willing to receive alternative suggestions/restrictions, as well as additional restrictions that psychics are to receive.
Inventory:
clothing; a three-piece suit, a couple of dress shirts, a sweater, slacks, shoes, and a few sundry accessories (belt, tie, wristwatch)
a travel sized, light weight chess-set
a bound copy of his thesis on genetic mutation
Appearance: James McAvoy portrays hipster Charles Xavier. He is a 5'7" white man with dark hair and blue eyes. He keeps himself neat and tidy, and is particularly vain about his floppy fucking hair. His face is soft and a little weak, despite being distinct, but lends itself to an unassuming and ultimately harmless, pacifying air he likes to affect.
Age: 27
AU Clarification: n/a
S A M P L E S
Log Sample:
It takes only a few minutes for Charles to work out why the oxygen gardens feel as strange as they do. It isn't due to the telltale signs of artifice and confinement, for after a week of existing onboard the Tranquility, Charles has adapted to the strange claustrophobia of even the more massive spaces. It's brilliantly green and smells of earth and air and moisture, and the ground gives beneath his feet -- for he has also readjusted to feeling anything beneath them once more -- in an expected manner, and for all its strangeness and ordinariness, he isn't sure what feels, in a niggling way, missing.
But then he knows, all at once, when he shuts his eyes for a moment: it's the lack of birdsong.
No matter. Although the gardens do not provide the same sort of comfort as libraries, his quarters, the pattern of a newly set chess board, they fullfill some other need he would never have thought he'd especially require. He finds a place to sit, an arm looped around a knee, swatting a buzzing insect from his face.
He watches, for a while, the panels of illumination that simulate sunlight, barely visible through the tangled jungle canopy. After a moment, he reaches again, inwardly, for the presence of another mind. The noise of others closer by is skimmed across, but feels dull and distance, as if attempting to pick one star from another.
Disturbed, Charles once again raises his hand.
Comms Sample:
I'm sure you must all see a lot've messages like this.
[ The man who appears is one who has appeared on the network before -- soft-faced and earnest, anxiety tested in the lines next to his eyes and a direct sort of stare that manages not to miss the tiny camera embedded in the device he's holding. Still, he smiles, just a little.
His address is slow and not exactly formal, just considered. ]
My name is Charles Xavier, and I've only just arrived. I'm still collecting my bearings, so please forgive me if I ask any questions you might have heard before. That said, I've made some progress in collecting what information I could already, but any advice for the newly arrived would be greatly appreciated.
What I would most like to know is how many are here that had some sort of... [ He hesitates. ] ...gift. A natural ability of some kind, beyond the usual human faculties. A conversation would be of great interest to me.
Thank you.
Your Name: Samm
OOC Journal:
neveryourmuseUnder 18? If yes, what is your age?: 25
Email + IM: neverrryourmask @ gmail, nneveryourmaskk @ aim
Characters Played at Ataraxion: Rick Grimes
C H A R A C T E R I N F O R M A T I O N
Name: Professor Charles Francis Xavier
Canon: X-Men: First Class
Original or Alternate Universe: OU
Canon Point: Post-movie.
Number: RNG me.
Setting: Charles is from a universe officially named Earth-10005, a version of the world where mutants exist. This world is very much like our own world except with the addition of people who possess the X-gene and are gifted (or afflicted) with mutant powers. At the time of Charles' canonpoint, during the 1960s, mutants are a mostly unknown quality, living in secret and only recently on the brink of broader discovery, beginning with the investigation of the threat Sebastian Shaw presents and the government becoming cognizant to the existence of mutantkind. Many mutants were estranged from one another, even ignorant to the idea that they weren't the only ones who were different.
With the outing of their type would come the next few decades of social struggle as mutantkind tried to find their place in society. Charles characterises a hopeful outlook, while his foil, Erik Lehnsherr, anticipated eventual war. From the time of Charles' canon point, this conflict is only just beginning, including the beginning of the X-Men, and Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
From the time of Charles' canonpoint, world history has not so much been altered as been it has been added to. The Nazi party is involved, through Dr. Klaus Schmidt (who is later known as Sebastian Shaw), in the study and experimentation of mutant genetics, and Shaw appears to be the cause of the Cuban missile crisis in an attempt to induce nuclear war for his own schemes.
History: We are given a glimpse of Charles' early life, and it's one that indicates a great amount of privilege as well as isolation. He was born and raised in New York, and to take a leaf out of comics publications, his father was a nuclear scientist who was killed early in Charles' life. His mother remarried to a man more interested in her considerable wealth than she, and all existed in relative independence from one another, even when Charles was tiny.
It was during this time he met Raven, a mutant shapeshifter girl who had broken into his home to feed herself. Charles, excited to discover someone like him (as his telepathic powers had manifested already and were shaping up to be fairly formidable), took her in on behalf of his family. Either his parents barely noticed, or he used his own powers to enable this adoption.
They grew up together in a sibling dynamic, and remained close as they grew into adolescence and adulthood, with Raven still relatively young by the time Charles was accepted into Oxford, and the pair of them moved to the UK where Charles persued his doctorate in genetics. After graduating, he is approached by CIA agent Moira MacTaggert, seeking his advice and knowledge in genetic mutation. After glimpsing into her mind and seeing the level threat she's pursuing in the form of Sebastian Shaw and his mutant ilk's interference with global politics, he agrees to assist in any way he can.
After convincing government officials as to the credible threat that is Sebastian Shaw by indicating the existence of mutantkind, Xavier continues to work with the government to track down Shaw, but his telepathic ability is blocked by Shaw's companion, Emma Frost. They meet Erik Lehnsherr, as Erik is on a warpath against Shaw, and they bring him back to base out of common interest. Charles manages to convince Erik to remain, and together, with the use of a machine called Cerebro that amplifies Xavier's powers, invented by Dr. Hank McCoy, they go on a roadtrip and recruit young people with mutant powers, to train up and to assist.
The scale of Shaw's plan becomes known to Erik and Charles when they, with the help of the CIA, track Emma Frost down in Russia, and extract from her Shaw's plan to start a nuclear World War III. Because Shaw is crazy. And believes this is setting the stage for mutant take over and advancement.
However, Shaw and his henchmen meanwhile attack the CIA base where Xavier's new recruits are held, highlighting both to the young mutants as well as the audience at home the beginnings of division between mutant and humankind when the agents fail to protect the youths. Darwin is killed, and Angel is recruited, and the rest, along with Charles, Erik, and Moira, are forced to move operations -- Charles invites them back to his place, which would later become the X-Mansion. A training montage happens, including a conversation between Charles and Erik that helps tap into Erik's greater power, while Shaw continues to ready the world for war by triggering the Cuban missile crisis. This begins Charles' new role as mentor and teacher.
As Shaw sets the stage to force the USA to fire on Russia in a naval stand-off, Charles manages to interfere by compelling a Russian officer to fire upon their own ship that had been about to break the US issued blockade (as set up by Shaw). Erik uses his powers to drag Shaw's submarine onto land, and there begins a good old fashioned mutant-y firefight between Charles' recruits and Shaw's henchmen, with Erik going after Shaw before Shaw can absorb the energy of a nuclear reactor and manhandle his scheme into place regardless.
When Erik confronts Shaw, both he and Charles manage to subdue him, with Erik bringing down Shaw's guards against Charles' telepathy and Charles freezing Shaw in place. However, Erik reveals he largely agrees with Shaw's politics and methods, but was in pursuit of revenge, as Shaw had killed Erik's mother. He murders Shaw in cold blood despite Charles' pleas for him to be the better man.
Shaw is dead. Erik emerges onto the beach as the Russian and US forces are turning their guns on the little beach on which all the mutants stand, and let fly their missiles. Erik saves them all, but then attempts to use his powers to turn the missiles back against the ships from whence they came. Charles manages to stop him via slapfight on the beach.
Moira attempts to shoot Erik, but Erik deflects her bullets, and accidentally cripples Charles in the process. Distracted in trying to help Charles, Erik's attempts on the respective naval forces in the ocean are stalled and defeated. Erik leaves, and takes with him Shaw's henchmen, as well as Raven (with Charles' blessing), whose views better align with what Erik wants from the world.
Charles' story ends back in New York, at his home, that would become the home of many generations of mutants to come. He is wheelchair-bound, and establishing a school for the especially gifted, and to keep this project safe, he mindwipes Moira MacTaggert of all recent events so that she can't be made to report to her superiors about information Xavier would rather keep a secret.
Which is when Ataraxion will occur.
Personality: The man Charles is at the start of the movie and the man who Professor X is known for being decades from then are not incredible leagues of difference, with the main points of difference being vibrant youth and a sense of purpose. Ultimately, Charles is a good man with the best of intentions at heart, and enough arrogance to believe in them and carry them out. Growing up with immense social privilege coupled with having a potentially ostracising (and completely invisible) trait of being a mutant makes for a potent and occasionally questionable combination of do-gooding that leaves him very optimistic, with an unfortunate case of tunnel vision.
But we'll get to that.
Let's back up and start with the recent Oxford graduate. Armed with great intelligence, a prestigious name, lots of money, and telepathic abilities, Charles powered through his doctorate with room left over for partying and womanising. There is a clear, early desire to affect change for the better through his research, unashamed though he is to utilise it, along with his telepathy, to also pick up chicks. In fact, a casual and frequent use of telepathy characterises much of Charles' interaction with people, both between friends and perfect strangers, plucking secrets and thoughts out of their heads and waving it under their noses in completely amicable ways, whether it's "guessing" someone's drink of choice or accidentally outing them as mutants in front of their peers (for which he is truly sorry okay).
He dances along the line of secrecy and discretion, although took more objection when Raven did the same thing in flaunting her powers in plain sight, probably a result of his own confidence in his power being both plausibly deniable and able to retcon interactions as necessary, brotherly protectiveness, and hypocrisy. In the future, he broadens his own mind to the difficulties of other mutants in society such as mutant visibility, as well as, probably, other intersecting issues such as race, gender, and so forth, but this era of Charles Xavier still has some of the trappings of being a rich white man in the sixties.
But he is an educated and thoughtful man, and although this amounts to a lot of positives, it comes with a more than healthy ego. His default is that he knows what's best for the people around him and, maybe, the world at large, and has rarely been proven wrong. As a result, he is occasionally, almost willfully blind to others not being on the same page as he is -- when he isn't reading minds, he isn't always the best at anticipating people, Erik Lehnsherr's FALL FROM GRACE being an obvious example. Although they'd shared enough polite disagreements over chess and martinis for Charles to know that they did not have the same point of view, Charles treated this more like intellectual debate and an opportunity to change Erik's mind for the better, trusting that he was so very correct in his stance that Erik would, of course, come around eventually.
When Erik did not, it was a rude awakening, but did not shake Charles' faith in mankind and a future where mutant and humans could co-exist peacefully. Erik's betrayal was polarising, and only cemented a determination to not allow this conflict to turn into war, but also showed Charles that mutants could stand to be united and mentored. This act of being a guide and a teacher was first tested among their initial recruits, with Charles playing a hand in each of their development (including Erik's), planting a seed for the teacher and leader he is destined to become.
This is the warmer result of his arrogance. The nastier side effects include acts that range from frequent invasion of privacy, to almost instinctual thievings of personal agency, memory erasures of people who trust him, and other telepathic impositions that are alarmingly effortless for a man who comes across as kind as he does, with the absence of these acts portayed as some sort of magnanimous gesture. This comes across as not a deliberate maliciousness, but a sign that Charles is very connected to his ability and uses it as he would sight and hearing, with a little propensity to show off or to simply be practical.
But there is much good to him too. He shows ambition for the betterment of the world. He displays courageous acts in the interests of others. He is willing to get his hands dirty for all that his power often absolves him of this. His intelligence and the knowledge of his own intelligence does not close him off to new ideas nor diminish brilliance in other people. He is very empathetic to the struggles of others when he is in a position to understand them. He is easy to talk to, automatically polite in affect, a little charming, and ultimately, wants to help save the world, now that he realises that it needs him.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: Charles Xavier grows up to be an incredibly powerful telepath, perhaps the most powerful in the world, and with a grasp on his ability from a young age and a continued study in the nature of genetic mutation, Xavier proves to be a psychic force to be reckoned with as a young man as well.
The span of his telepathy is broad, touching on almost all aspects fathomable. In the movie, these appear to be broken down as the following:
...there's a lot, and Charles doesn't even mitigate this by being shy about using his abilities, as he is decidedly and unabashedly keen to use them as he sees fit, although he makes a conscious effort to not manipulate those he considers his friends. Even closer acquaintances may escape having their thoughts read. How considerate!
In Ataraxion, his ability will be reduced down to the recommended half. He will lose his ability to tamper with memory completely, and everything except for telepathic communication and surface mind reading will be much harder to achieve and become more fallible and unreliable. I am open and willing to receive alternative suggestions/restrictions, as well as additional restrictions that psychics are to receive.
Inventory:
Appearance: James McAvoy portrays hipster Charles Xavier. He is a 5'7" white man with dark hair and blue eyes. He keeps himself neat and tidy, and is particularly vain about his floppy fucking hair. His face is soft and a little weak, despite being distinct, but lends itself to an unassuming and ultimately harmless, pacifying air he likes to affect.
Age: 27
AU Clarification: n/a
S A M P L E S
Log Sample:
It takes only a few minutes for Charles to work out why the oxygen gardens feel as strange as they do. It isn't due to the telltale signs of artifice and confinement, for after a week of existing onboard the Tranquility, Charles has adapted to the strange claustrophobia of even the more massive spaces. It's brilliantly green and smells of earth and air and moisture, and the ground gives beneath his feet -- for he has also readjusted to feeling anything beneath them once more -- in an expected manner, and for all its strangeness and ordinariness, he isn't sure what feels, in a niggling way, missing.
But then he knows, all at once, when he shuts his eyes for a moment: it's the lack of birdsong.
No matter. Although the gardens do not provide the same sort of comfort as libraries, his quarters, the pattern of a newly set chess board, they fullfill some other need he would never have thought he'd especially require. He finds a place to sit, an arm looped around a knee, swatting a buzzing insect from his face.
As immense as this place is, I can't imagine it won't become swiftly awkward if we're to try to avoid one another.With his telepathic voice, he allows the intangible idea of green serenity to transmit with it. He lifts a hand to place two fingers against his temple in his habitual need to connect the ephemeral mind with the physical and focus himself -- it has seemed so much more difficult, lately.
I think we should talk, don't you?Charles lowers his hand, sitting back to rest his head against the bark of a tree directly behind him.
He watches, for a while, the panels of illumination that simulate sunlight, barely visible through the tangled jungle canopy. After a moment, he reaches again, inwardly, for the presence of another mind. The noise of others closer by is skimmed across, but feels dull and distance, as if attempting to pick one star from another.
Disturbed, Charles once again raises his hand.
Erik?But he may as well have echoed that thought within his own head. Damn. Soon, not even the tranquil peace of the jungle seems enough, and Charles leaves, dogged by nagging urgency of purpose -- or a lack thereof.
Comms Sample:
I'm sure you must all see a lot've messages like this.
[ The man who appears is one who has appeared on the network before -- soft-faced and earnest, anxiety tested in the lines next to his eyes and a direct sort of stare that manages not to miss the tiny camera embedded in the device he's holding. Still, he smiles, just a little.
His address is slow and not exactly formal, just considered. ]
My name is Charles Xavier, and I've only just arrived. I'm still collecting my bearings, so please forgive me if I ask any questions you might have heard before. That said, I've made some progress in collecting what information I could already, but any advice for the newly arrived would be greatly appreciated.
What I would most like to know is how many are here that had some sort of... [ He hesitates. ] ...gift. A natural ability of some kind, beyond the usual human faculties. A conversation would be of great interest to me.
Thank you.