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betenoire_rp:
1. Player Information
Name (or internet handle): Mara
Current characters in Bete Noire: Nikita, Benjamin/Delta
2. Character Information
Name: Charles Xavier
Livejournal Username:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
xprofessor
Fandom: Marvel (X-Men: First Class)
Image: http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/111328781/39021378
Reserve: http://magistrated.livejournal.com/1299.html?thread=1625363#t1625363
3. Character Information II
Age/Appearance: Nearly thirty, slim, a soft look around his face, full lips. Where the canon Xavier would be pale, physically weaker, this one has just a hint of muscle (the sort that comes from use, not from the gym), skin tanned from the desert, a tougher look around his eyes.
History: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_X (canon version)
http://cerebel-fics.livejournal.com/93560.html (AU fic that explores the beginning of this universe)
Bullet points are as follows:
- Born 1928 in England. Grew up with a distant mother, a dead father, and a potential stepfather suitor who, as Charles' telepathy revealed, only wanted his mother for her money. Charles eventually forces the man to leave telepathically, rendering his mother more distant and depressed than before. Frustratingly enough.
- Discovered and recruited 1940 by the British government to use his telepathy against the Germans. Yes, at the ripe old age of 12. He was taken away from his mother at this time.
- Charles matures into the use of his power as an agent of the British government, with official backing.
- 1942: Charles discovers he's not the only person with the powers in the world, and meets Erik Lensherr, a young boy forced into servitude by the German army.
- 1943: The two ally together and help crush the Germans. (Note: In this version of history, due to the influence of the two powerful young mutants, America was only involved in the war on the Pacific front.)
- 1943: After the war, Charles is offered a permanent position in the British government. At Erik's urging, he declines.
Now we go into post-fic.
- 1944-1946: Erik and Charles' involvement in the war does not remain a secret (though their identities do, for now). The shockwave of mutant realization passes through the entire world, with varied and terrifying effects. Mostly: 1) governments realize that they want mutants for themselves, and 2) governments realize that they want mutants locked up. Mostly both at the same time.
- As a result, Erik feels compelled to help the new movement towards creating a haven for Jews and mutants both in Israel. Erik and Charles both become key figures in the new Israeli government as it moves towards independence. They represent the mutant half of the immigrants.
- 1946: The Zionist movement becomes a disaster even faster than it does in our course of history. The presence of mutants (militarized) makes Israel confident; an independent state is declared in 1946 and this action immediately sparks a volatile situation into an outright war.
- 1946-1950: A brutal war is fought in the Middle East, and Israel *wins*. The conflict itself spreads into many nations, which tend to emulate the Nazi example (to great controversy) in order to contain mutants.
- 1951: The Middle East settles into an uneasy peace. Charles outspokenly advocates for resolution and diplomacy in order to make sure that war never happens again. Cause it's the second he's experienced, and he is not a fan. Erik argues for the necessity of arms and violence. The formerly inseparable friendship begins to fray.
- 1952: Charles returns to England, accepting a public job as a mutant advocate and pursuing his degree in genetics. He accepts great restrictions on his powers. Erik thinks it's the wrong choice.
- 1953-1956: Charles continues in his advocate job, traveling back to Israel regularly. But he and Erik almost never see eye-to-eye anymore.
- late 1956: Finally, mutants in Erik's employ decide enough is enough. They take Charles and throw him out into the desert, tied up, no water, with a helmet to block any telepathic call for help. They leave him for dead. He is found just barely in time by an American agent - a young shapeshifter named Raven.
- 1957: Charles recovers under Raven's care. He is upset, angry and betrayed. Charles assumes Erik was behind the murder attempt.
- also 1957: Erik assumes Charles is dead by the hand of dissidents. It makes him even crueler in cracking down on anti-Israeli sentiment.
- 1958-1960: After a brief and unhappy stint working for the US government, Charles persuades Raven to leave with him and start working on behalf of mutants everywhere. 'Professor X' becomes something of a cult figure among mutants, a mythical figure representing freedom and peace and coexistence, even though such an ideal is still far from being realized.
Xavier enters here, as an undercover sort of peacekeeper, going around and protecting mutants and stopping violence. And ignoring the consequences.
Personality:
On the outside, Charles Xavier is an eccentric, intelligent, friendly and flirtatious young man, kind to a fault, generous, and trusting. He's always the first to extend the hand of friendship and trust. He believes in the goodness of people, and isn't afraid of being vocal about it. He likes a good time, enjoys flirting with lovely ladies, and shows off his intellectual ability and emotional insight almost every chance he gets.
That is … in canon.
This AU version of Charles has learned caution and has seen terrible violence. He certainly can turn on the charm and is still prone to trust, but he's quieter. He knows the value of secrecy. He uses telepathy only subtly, making absolutely sure that the other person won't know they're being read.
He believes at heart that people are good, that they are worth it, that peace is possible and achievable and the right way. Frankly, Charles has lived his entire life hearing the surface thoughts of everyone around him -- every secret, every petty jealousy. Especially in the suppressed, quiet British culture of the 1940s, this must have been a shocking contradiction to the young boy. He only managed to survive by making his faith in humanity absolutely unshakeable, part of the core of his being.
Of course, Charles has been through not one but two wars, now. Both time he was on the winning side, and both times he a major cause of that victory. He's seen a lot of men killed. He's caused a lot of death. The first time, he believed he was right with the absolute unshakeability of youth, but the second time, he faced atrocities and slaughters on the part of his allies, and he couldn't take it. He sees no side as absolute good, anymore. Everyone is worth saving, yes, but governments and institutions lead necessarily towards violence to keep themselves in power, and Charles can't trust that. Rogue peacekeeping, therefore, is the only answer he's managed to come up with, and even that is a fragile stopgap, and his reasoning is fraught with internal psychological contradiction.
In short: Charles is brilliant and compassionate but extremely flawed. His view of the world is too black and white, a mottled idealist cynicism, balanced on a knifes edge and perfectly ready for someone to shove it one way or the other.
Sexual Preferences/Orientation:
First, with this, I'm going to cover Charles' feelings on intimacy, which are something I didn't go over in the personality section. Charles' distant mother and lack of a father figure creates in him a voracious longing for affection. No doubt a lot of the reason he extends trust so easily is because he wants love in return. He needs deeply and in a way that's not at all healthy.
Now: sex. In his formative years, Charles only saw sex as one party taking advantage of the other. Adding to that the understated social mores concerning sex in pre-WWII England, and overall it's safe to say that Charles grew up tense and afraid of physical intimacy. Adding to that the fact that he no doubt heard and felt sex telepathically at an age where he wouldn't have understood it -- Charles' sexual development was accelerated in odd patches, stunted in others, and in general never quite came out the way it should.
He first introduced himself to sex after the end of World War II, when he as a confident and accomplished young man (who thought himself much more mature than his years) discovered that romancing women could be a lot of fun. He learned to flirt and to enjoy, but there was always a barrier to how intimate he would get. If he fell too much in love, if he wanted to give of himself fully, he might lose control of his powers. And, when out of control, he could twist someone out of all recognition. He could erase someone entirely.
So, Charles only sleeps with people he likes and enjoys. But he can't like them too much.
Thus enter Erik and Raven. Both of them claim extremely important places in his life. Erik is/was his closest friend, his greatest rival, the man who understood him perfectly. There was indeed desire to possess and give of himself, with Erik, even though it was a long time before Charles had any word for or conception of homosexuality.
With Raven, the problems of homosexuality don't enter the equation, but he grew to care for her and depend on her so much that he was careful to keep her within the realm of family. She was a partner. Every time she started to make hints towards sexual desire, he would shut it down, pretending ignorance and/or misunderstanding.
As for gender: Charles is primarily attracted to women, due to both social pressures, internal assumptions, and being a 1.5ish on the Kinsey scale. Women are for unequal relationships, in his mind. Men, on the other hand, are equals -- and a man who challenges Charles, who understands him, could be a powerful lure.
Powers: According to the wiki, Charles Xavier has a truly ridiculous list of powers. His psychic range is 250-300 miles, and within that range, he's able to read minds, communicate with them, erase memories, create illusions, mind control, astrally project, and more.
Needless to say, I won't be playing him with all of those because omg godmode.
Charles' range will be decreased to the size of the city (of course). In addition, his powers will decrease exponentially the farther away the person is. This means that he'll barely be able to communicate with someone on the other side of the city.
He will retain all other powers except astral projection. Bete Noire, of course, makes these powers function sporadically; currents of magic can produce false images and false impressions, or could prevent him from using telepathy entirely (this would be used if a mundane did not want their muse's mind read). On top of that, the overall environment of Bete Noire will wear on his brain in a more intimate and visceral way than the other inhabitants, making it as much a weakness as a strength.
Reason for playing:
- He fits into my niche. Badass who just wants to be loved.
- I'm super-enthusiastic about him lately and I'd like to channel that enthusiasm into Bete Noire.
- His telepathy and constant desire to meddle make him the source of many potential plots.
- He looks the same as Gabriel from Cho's backstory and there will be mindfuckery.
- Why AU? Because I'd like the chance to explore Charles as a more weathered, more experienced individual, while still keeping him the same optimist we saw in canon. I think it'll be a great challenge, and I also relish the opportunity for WTFery as he interacts with possible non-AU canonmates.
4. Original Character Supplement
World History: What kind of world is your character from? This part can be short, but it must focus on the particular character's context. What was their world like, from their point of view?
Character History: Let us have a summary of the highlights, the turning points of your character's history. What was it that made them who they are?
5. Samples
First-Person:
I'll never send this letter, Erik. I'll never tell you what happened to me after you had me killed. I wonder if you deserve that. After all, if you were confronted with your friend, the man you'd betrayed and ordered to the slaughter, it would hurt. I know you that well, my friend. It would lend me some satisfaction, and a good deal of closure.
Unfortunately, now, my only concern is my safety. If you knew I was alive, that safety would be threatened.
The only time name you will know me by, now, will be Professor X.
Third-Person: http://cerebel-fics.livejournal.com/93560.html
Third-Person #2: When he touches Erik, it's with young, raw, furtive intimacy.
He's seventeen. He's only just lost his virginity (to an older girl, awed by his stories of war). He hasn't lost the gangly, awkward, youthful look, and he's starting to believe he never will. He and Erik are sparring, testing and re-testing their powers, their ever-so-basic fighting skills, a give-and-take they've mastered by now. Impromptu.
Until suddenly he touches something in Erik's mind that sparks like a live wire.
He freezes, and Erik takes him to the ground.
There are sparks, red-hot sparks, and Charles breathes shakily, caught in a rare heat.
"Erik," he whispers.
Erik is uncertain, suddenly, and that strikes Charles as highly unusual. Ever since Erik grew out of his shell, ever since he learned English, he's always been tough, sure, quiet and ruthless.
Charles moves to prop himself up on his elbows, to shift out from under Erik's body, but Erik catches him.
A flush stains Charles' cheeks.
When they kiss, all Charles can think is this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, because he has no context for this, no words, nothing but a clumsy sexuality that threatens to devour him. He's afraid to move, afraid to reach out telepathically, afraid of what he'll find and what he might not.
Their teeth click together.
Charles' fingers tighten in Erik's clothes.
And then he pushes Erik away.
"No," he says. "No, I'm sorry, we can't," his heart pounding with the fear and the dreadful want alike. "My friend -- we can't."
Name (or internet handle): Mara
Current characters in Bete Noire: Nikita, Benjamin/Delta
2. Character Information
Name: Charles Xavier
Livejournal Username:
xprofessorFandom: Marvel (X-Men: First Class)
Image: http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/111328781/39021378
Reserve: http://magistrated.livejournal.com/1299.html?thread=1625363#t1625363
3. Character Information II
Age/Appearance: Nearly thirty, slim, a soft look around his face, full lips. Where the canon Xavier would be pale, physically weaker, this one has just a hint of muscle (the sort that comes from use, not from the gym), skin tanned from the desert, a tougher look around his eyes.
History: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_X (canon version)
http://cerebel-fics.livejournal.com/93560.html (AU fic that explores the beginning of this universe)
Bullet points are as follows:
- Born 1928 in England. Grew up with a distant mother, a dead father, and a potential stepfather suitor who, as Charles' telepathy revealed, only wanted his mother for her money. Charles eventually forces the man to leave telepathically, rendering his mother more distant and depressed than before. Frustratingly enough.
- Discovered and recruited 1940 by the British government to use his telepathy against the Germans. Yes, at the ripe old age of 12. He was taken away from his mother at this time.
- Charles matures into the use of his power as an agent of the British government, with official backing.
- 1942: Charles discovers he's not the only person with the powers in the world, and meets Erik Lensherr, a young boy forced into servitude by the German army.
- 1943: The two ally together and help crush the Germans. (Note: In this version of history, due to the influence of the two powerful young mutants, America was only involved in the war on the Pacific front.)
- 1943: After the war, Charles is offered a permanent position in the British government. At Erik's urging, he declines.
Now we go into post-fic.
- 1944-1946: Erik and Charles' involvement in the war does not remain a secret (though their identities do, for now). The shockwave of mutant realization passes through the entire world, with varied and terrifying effects. Mostly: 1) governments realize that they want mutants for themselves, and 2) governments realize that they want mutants locked up. Mostly both at the same time.
- As a result, Erik feels compelled to help the new movement towards creating a haven for Jews and mutants both in Israel. Erik and Charles both become key figures in the new Israeli government as it moves towards independence. They represent the mutant half of the immigrants.
- 1946: The Zionist movement becomes a disaster even faster than it does in our course of history. The presence of mutants (militarized) makes Israel confident; an independent state is declared in 1946 and this action immediately sparks a volatile situation into an outright war.
- 1946-1950: A brutal war is fought in the Middle East, and Israel *wins*. The conflict itself spreads into many nations, which tend to emulate the Nazi example (to great controversy) in order to contain mutants.
- 1951: The Middle East settles into an uneasy peace. Charles outspokenly advocates for resolution and diplomacy in order to make sure that war never happens again. Cause it's the second he's experienced, and he is not a fan. Erik argues for the necessity of arms and violence. The formerly inseparable friendship begins to fray.
- 1952: Charles returns to England, accepting a public job as a mutant advocate and pursuing his degree in genetics. He accepts great restrictions on his powers. Erik thinks it's the wrong choice.
- 1953-1956: Charles continues in his advocate job, traveling back to Israel regularly. But he and Erik almost never see eye-to-eye anymore.
- late 1956: Finally, mutants in Erik's employ decide enough is enough. They take Charles and throw him out into the desert, tied up, no water, with a helmet to block any telepathic call for help. They leave him for dead. He is found just barely in time by an American agent - a young shapeshifter named Raven.
- 1957: Charles recovers under Raven's care. He is upset, angry and betrayed. Charles assumes Erik was behind the murder attempt.
- also 1957: Erik assumes Charles is dead by the hand of dissidents. It makes him even crueler in cracking down on anti-Israeli sentiment.
- 1958-1960: After a brief and unhappy stint working for the US government, Charles persuades Raven to leave with him and start working on behalf of mutants everywhere. 'Professor X' becomes something of a cult figure among mutants, a mythical figure representing freedom and peace and coexistence, even though such an ideal is still far from being realized.
Xavier enters here, as an undercover sort of peacekeeper, going around and protecting mutants and stopping violence. And ignoring the consequences.
Personality:
On the outside, Charles Xavier is an eccentric, intelligent, friendly and flirtatious young man, kind to a fault, generous, and trusting. He's always the first to extend the hand of friendship and trust. He believes in the goodness of people, and isn't afraid of being vocal about it. He likes a good time, enjoys flirting with lovely ladies, and shows off his intellectual ability and emotional insight almost every chance he gets.
That is … in canon.
This AU version of Charles has learned caution and has seen terrible violence. He certainly can turn on the charm and is still prone to trust, but he's quieter. He knows the value of secrecy. He uses telepathy only subtly, making absolutely sure that the other person won't know they're being read.
He believes at heart that people are good, that they are worth it, that peace is possible and achievable and the right way. Frankly, Charles has lived his entire life hearing the surface thoughts of everyone around him -- every secret, every petty jealousy. Especially in the suppressed, quiet British culture of the 1940s, this must have been a shocking contradiction to the young boy. He only managed to survive by making his faith in humanity absolutely unshakeable, part of the core of his being.
Of course, Charles has been through not one but two wars, now. Both time he was on the winning side, and both times he a major cause of that victory. He's seen a lot of men killed. He's caused a lot of death. The first time, he believed he was right with the absolute unshakeability of youth, but the second time, he faced atrocities and slaughters on the part of his allies, and he couldn't take it. He sees no side as absolute good, anymore. Everyone is worth saving, yes, but governments and institutions lead necessarily towards violence to keep themselves in power, and Charles can't trust that. Rogue peacekeeping, therefore, is the only answer he's managed to come up with, and even that is a fragile stopgap, and his reasoning is fraught with internal psychological contradiction.
In short: Charles is brilliant and compassionate but extremely flawed. His view of the world is too black and white, a mottled idealist cynicism, balanced on a knifes edge and perfectly ready for someone to shove it one way or the other.
Sexual Preferences/Orientation:
First, with this, I'm going to cover Charles' feelings on intimacy, which are something I didn't go over in the personality section. Charles' distant mother and lack of a father figure creates in him a voracious longing for affection. No doubt a lot of the reason he extends trust so easily is because he wants love in return. He needs deeply and in a way that's not at all healthy.
Now: sex. In his formative years, Charles only saw sex as one party taking advantage of the other. Adding to that the understated social mores concerning sex in pre-WWII England, and overall it's safe to say that Charles grew up tense and afraid of physical intimacy. Adding to that the fact that he no doubt heard and felt sex telepathically at an age where he wouldn't have understood it -- Charles' sexual development was accelerated in odd patches, stunted in others, and in general never quite came out the way it should.
He first introduced himself to sex after the end of World War II, when he as a confident and accomplished young man (who thought himself much more mature than his years) discovered that romancing women could be a lot of fun. He learned to flirt and to enjoy, but there was always a barrier to how intimate he would get. If he fell too much in love, if he wanted to give of himself fully, he might lose control of his powers. And, when out of control, he could twist someone out of all recognition. He could erase someone entirely.
So, Charles only sleeps with people he likes and enjoys. But he can't like them too much.
Thus enter Erik and Raven. Both of them claim extremely important places in his life. Erik is/was his closest friend, his greatest rival, the man who understood him perfectly. There was indeed desire to possess and give of himself, with Erik, even though it was a long time before Charles had any word for or conception of homosexuality.
With Raven, the problems of homosexuality don't enter the equation, but he grew to care for her and depend on her so much that he was careful to keep her within the realm of family. She was a partner. Every time she started to make hints towards sexual desire, he would shut it down, pretending ignorance and/or misunderstanding.
As for gender: Charles is primarily attracted to women, due to both social pressures, internal assumptions, and being a 1.5ish on the Kinsey scale. Women are for unequal relationships, in his mind. Men, on the other hand, are equals -- and a man who challenges Charles, who understands him, could be a powerful lure.
Powers: According to the wiki, Charles Xavier has a truly ridiculous list of powers. His psychic range is 250-300 miles, and within that range, he's able to read minds, communicate with them, erase memories, create illusions, mind control, astrally project, and more.
Needless to say, I won't be playing him with all of those because omg godmode.
Charles' range will be decreased to the size of the city (of course). In addition, his powers will decrease exponentially the farther away the person is. This means that he'll barely be able to communicate with someone on the other side of the city.
He will retain all other powers except astral projection. Bete Noire, of course, makes these powers function sporadically; currents of magic can produce false images and false impressions, or could prevent him from using telepathy entirely (this would be used if a mundane did not want their muse's mind read). On top of that, the overall environment of Bete Noire will wear on his brain in a more intimate and visceral way than the other inhabitants, making it as much a weakness as a strength.
Reason for playing:
- He fits into my niche. Badass who just wants to be loved.
- I'm super-enthusiastic about him lately and I'd like to channel that enthusiasm into Bete Noire.
- His telepathy and constant desire to meddle make him the source of many potential plots.
- He looks the same as Gabriel from Cho's backstory and there will be mindfuckery.
- Why AU? Because I'd like the chance to explore Charles as a more weathered, more experienced individual, while still keeping him the same optimist we saw in canon. I think it'll be a great challenge, and I also relish the opportunity for WTFery as he interacts with possible non-AU canonmates.
World History: What kind of world is your character from? This part can be short, but it must focus on the particular character's context. What was their world like, from their point of view?
Character History: Let us have a summary of the highlights, the turning points of your character's history. What was it that made them who they are?
5. Samples
First-Person:
I'll never send this letter, Erik. I'll never tell you what happened to me after you had me killed. I wonder if you deserve that. After all, if you were confronted with your friend, the man you'd betrayed and ordered to the slaughter, it would hurt. I know you that well, my friend. It would lend me some satisfaction, and a good deal of closure.
Unfortunately, now, my only concern is my safety. If you knew I was alive, that safety would be threatened.
The only time name you will know me by, now, will be Professor X.
Third-Person: http://cerebel-fics.livejournal.com/93560.html
Third-Person #2: When he touches Erik, it's with young, raw, furtive intimacy.
He's seventeen. He's only just lost his virginity (to an older girl, awed by his stories of war). He hasn't lost the gangly, awkward, youthful look, and he's starting to believe he never will. He and Erik are sparring, testing and re-testing their powers, their ever-so-basic fighting skills, a give-and-take they've mastered by now. Impromptu.
Until suddenly he touches something in Erik's mind that sparks like a live wire.
He freezes, and Erik takes him to the ground.
There are sparks, red-hot sparks, and Charles breathes shakily, caught in a rare heat.
"Erik," he whispers.
Erik is uncertain, suddenly, and that strikes Charles as highly unusual. Ever since Erik grew out of his shell, ever since he learned English, he's always been tough, sure, quiet and ruthless.
Charles moves to prop himself up on his elbows, to shift out from under Erik's body, but Erik catches him.
A flush stains Charles' cheeks.
When they kiss, all Charles can think is this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, because he has no context for this, no words, nothing but a clumsy sexuality that threatens to devour him. He's afraid to move, afraid to reach out telepathically, afraid of what he'll find and what he might not.
Their teeth click together.
Charles' fingers tighten in Erik's clothes.
And then he pushes Erik away.
"No," he says. "No, I'm sorry, we can't," his heart pounding with the fear and the dreadful want alike. "My friend -- we can't."