InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "JESUS CHRIST, IT'S A LION!"

Julian Keller; SCION (inheritor) wrote,
@ 2012-10-24 21:53:00

for time_mod

[PLAYER]
Contact information has been removed. If you're not in the game and need to reach me, please PM this journal.

[HOME REALITY: Earth 273]
In 1986, mutants made themselves known to the general public. Things went remarkably, unbelievably well; several prominent citizens (who just happened to be mutants themselves) had been working for years with various world governments to smooth the way and prepare the general public to accept their super-powered neighbors. In the United States, hysteria died down quickly as the government proved to have adequate safety measures in place to protect against general mutant threats. Aside from the occasional super-powered crime, the status quo remained the same. Mutant children were mainstreamed into public schools, mutant adults held respectable jobs. Prejudice was not unheard of, but it certainly wasn't supported by weight of law. If you were a mutant, it was possible to have a normal life.

Because there were no known threats capable of tipping the scales of global power, there were no X-Men, no Fantastic Four, and the Avengers Initiative remained a small division within SHIELD. This is why, when Apocalypse awoke in 2004, the modern world wasn't prepared to oppose him.

The war lasted for four years. In the end, through the combined efforts of traditional human military and super-powered volunteers, Apocalypse and his forces were defeated. In the aftermath, a large number of people - mutant and human, soldier and civilian - were dead. Huge swaths of the world were war-ravaged, cities were destroyed, and transportation was scarce. Having seen the true potential for destruction that lay within the mutant community, the battered American people elected a militant government that they felt could protect them while the world rebuilt. A number of laws were passed in quick succession, the first requiring superhuman registration and allowing for imprisonment of any superhumans (mutant or otherwise) found in violation of the law.

Although the Superhuman Registration Act and subsequent legislation stripped away freedoms, in practice the laws proved difficult to enforce. First, because much of the United States infrastructure had been destroyed during the war against Apocalypse, and there simply weren't resources for a quick round-up. Second, because resistance groups quickly sprang up. The government instituted a mandatory draft for superhumans, using the registration rolls to find suitable recruits (who were monetarily compensated and treated under the law as regular soldiers), but they proved ineffective against the resistors (some of whom had been part of the forces who'd helped combat Apocalypse, and possessed considerable experience).

The year is 2010, and Earth 273 is a mess. Most of the U.S. eastern seaboard is in ruins. America is practically under martial law. It's illegal to be unregistered if you have powers. People who break the registration law and are caught are shipped off to prison, never to be seen again. People who obey the law are frequently drafted into 'rebuilding efforts,' either into peacekeeping or into actual reconstruction. Prejudice and paranoia are rampant. Mutants that are able to remain in their communities are, at best, treated with suspicion. Twenty-four years of progress in mutant/human relations have been destroyed, leaving behind post-apocalyptic turmoil.

[CHARACTER]
Name: Julian Keller
Codename: Scion
Age: 21
Character Base: Hellion
Home Reality: Earth 273. (See above.)
What did this person do wrong to be pulled out by the Timebroker? Scion is one of the leaders of a resistance group out of New York. They call themselves the X-Men, after the deceased college professor who located many of them during the war. Julian's a hot-headed, prideful, militant young man, but he also has strong personal charisma and a lot of pull with the rank-and-file. He's leading the X-Men astray; Scion's confrontational nature has him set to turn his followers into his universe's version of the Brotherhood and stir up more distrust and hatred. If he doesn't change tactics, he'll spark off another mutant/human war within the next two years.
Appearance: In a better world, Julian would be the sort of effortless, pulled-together cool that borders on the obnoxious. Unfortunately, he comes from a world where supplies are scarce and there's not time or energy to waste on things like personal appearance. He has dark hair that is worn a little too long, and though he shaves whenever he can put his hands on a razor, he's usually just this side of scruffy. He wears whatever is handy; old tee-shirts and flannel, jackets and stocking hats and jeans. He recognizes the finer things - in his youth, he came from a wealthy family - but it's been a long time since he had the luxury.
PB: Tom Sturridge

Powers / Skills Julian is a first-class telekinetic, probably the best (surviving) telekinetic in his home reality. Using his ability to move objects with his mind, he can fly at aircraft speeds while simultaneously generating a 'shield' to protect his body from the forces exerted upon it. He can 'pick up' and manipulate objects up to around 10 tons, and can also exert equivalent force in a telekinetic 'blast.' Given a similar incoming force, Julian can create a telekinetic shield to protect himself and others in his general vicinity.

As far as skills go, he's a competent (but certainly not expert) strategist. In his favor, he did serve on active duty at the tail end of the war against Apocalypse, so he's had actual experience. He's also pretty good hand-to-hand, although he's more 'brawler with some martial arts thrown in' than 'expert martial artist' and he'd much prefer his powers to a fistfight. Against him? He's young, impulsive, and favors direct confrontation.

Julian also has the benefit of knowing New York, the supply networks of his home reality, how to barter, how to negotiate, and how to scavenge. He's lived on his wits and his creativity for years; some things are impossible to come by, no matter who you know or what you have to barter. You learn to make do with what you can find, and Julian's no exception. He has a talent for urban survival, for finding food and shelter in the wasteland that used to be Manhattan.

Weaknesses: Finesse. He was briefly trained in the use of his abilities, but during the war the point was packing a big punch and taking out the opponent, not carefully moving tiny objects about with perfect precision. Sure, Julian can take out an entire floor of a building, but he has a hard time with the fine motor skills. He'd be much more effective battering down a door than trying to work the lock. Subtlety? Thy name is not Scion. Also, he's impulsive and confrontational, which means that he often makes things harder for himself than they need to be.

Personality: Julian is an arrogant, aggressive jerk, but he's a personable jerk. If he likes you, he can be charming and friendly. He knows how to make people feel welcome and, while he's superficial in a lot of ways, he doesn't judge based upon skin colors or extra appendages. As long as you accept yourself for who you are, Julian's probably not going to give you hell over your looks or your more out-there physical mutations. He can appreciate a confident, competent person.

Once upon a time he was classist, but that's long since been set aside; nobody has any money, and being (essentially) a homeless person himself, he can't judge. No, these days Julian's prejudices come in the anti-human (or rather, pro-mutant) variety. He's suspicious of 'ordinary humans' and the mutants who serve them. This is not because he's an inherently hateful person, but because he's been confronted with rampant anti-mutant sentiment and he needs to think highly of himself. Either mutants (and by extension, Julian) are in the wrong, or the humans are. He'd much prefer to demonize the other side than to take a reasoned middle ground. He hasn't stopped to think that everyone is scared in the wake of an ugly war and that all sides should be cut a little slack and dealt with diplomatically.

Julian isn't the most forgiving or tactful individual; he calls people out for their offenses, real or imagined, without regard for alternate methods of dealing with a situation. In fact, 'without regard for alternate methods' is a theme in Julian's problem-solving techniques. Mutants being rounded up for failure to register? Confront their captors, fight your way in, set everyone free. Interpersonal issues within a group? Confront the 'problem.' It's been his way of dealing with trouble since he was young, back when his overbearing parents were still trying to mold him. The urge to rebel is an ingrained reflex that he needs to learn to resist. It's usually not helpful.

Although arrogant and impulsive, Julian's also an incredibly loyal individual. It's one of his best positives; if you're 'in,' he has your back. He might be a poor leader because of his tendency to leap without looking, but he's an excellent leader in terms of protecting his people. He's not going to leave men (or women) behind. If he can just get over his prejudices and tendency to rush in, he could actually do a lot of good in his home reality.

Overview:

1989; Julian Keller born to a wealthy couple (non-mutants) in California.

2000; After years of being micromanaged by his parents, Julian begins acting out. It's your typical pre-teen / teenaged cry for attention, but his parents don't see it that way. They continue on the 'seen but not heard' path of parenting and take privileges away when their son deviates from what they want for/from him.

2002; Julian's powers manifest. As the only mutant in the family, Julian takes his telekinesis as proof that he's special. His behavior worsens and his parents send him to boarding school in retaliation.

2004 (July); War breaks out. Apocalypse's forces strike the first blow in New York City's Times Square. 400 people are killed.

2004 (November); A college professor and research scientist by the name of Charles Xavier begins working on a way to locate and contact mutants who might help in the fight against Apocalypse. For Julian, personally, the outbreak of war means constant worry. Apocalypse operates primarily through other mutants, both disaffected volunteers and unwilling brainwashed captives. Fighting isn't constant, but it can break out anywhere and at any time.

2005 (January - September); Many of the major cities on the east coast fall to Apocalypse. New York is the first to go, then Boston and Philadelphia. By September, Apocalypse's forces also hold Baltimore and Richmond. He has tried to take DC twice; the opposition holds on, but barely. (Overseas, Apocalypse has captured much of his native Egypt and is using the country as a staging ground to move north into Europe and Russia and south into Africa.)

2005 (October); As the war spreads, anti-mutant feeling grows. Julian, who has always been open about his powers, finds himself on the receiving end of resentment and suspicion. After a particularly ugly verbal exchange, he gets into a fight with another student at his boarding school. Said child is the son of an influential rival of his parents' company. The boy's father sues; Julian's parents pull him from school and put him on lock-down at home.

2005 (December); Charles Xavier's Cerebro device locates Julian. His parents are reluctant to part with him, fearful of what his involvement in the war might do to their reputation and to the pending lawsuit. Julian runs away to follow the Professor. In retaliation, his parents disown him.

2006; Although underaged mutants are not allowed to serve - for a variety of reasons - Julian goes into training with other young recruits that Xavier has managed to gather. They call themselves the 'New Mutants' and are the up-and-coming reinforcements for an older team of mutants already out and fighting the war. In the New Mutants, Julian learns more about how to use his powers and picks up basic combat skills.

2007; Julian turns eighteen and volunteers for active duty under the codename of 'Scion.' He is assigned to serve under Cyclops, an ex-member of SHIELD's Avengers Initiative, who Julian feels 'is a massive tool.' In spite of this, Julian's unit has a number of successes. Eventually, Julian comes to respect Scott as a strategist and leader, if not as a person.

2008; The war ends. Five separate units cooperate in an assault on Apocalypse's base. Cyclops's unit is split; half mind the perimeter, half accompany their leader inside to clear the way for the others. Charles Xavier and Jean Grey lead the assault on Apocalypse, Hawkeye leads a team to slow down and distract Apocalypse's minions, and Captain America's unit goes to take on Mr. Sinister, Apocalypse's right-hand man. Basically? Everyone dies, save a handful of Cyclops's people. Julian is among the few who survived, thanks in no small part to his duty assignment on the perimeter, which keeps him on the fringes of the explosive/psychic blast that destroys the building.

2009 (early); Rebuilding begins. A new Congress is elected, but martial law is still the de facto state of affairs. Supplies are scarce, roads and rail lines are destroyed, and cities are in shambles. Paranoia and fear of mutants runs high in the aftermath, even though many voluntarily sacrificed their lives to protect the civilian population.

2009 (late); The Superhuman Registration Act passes. Julian goes into hiding in New York.

2010 (January); Other former New Mutants begin to gather in New York. Julian, Noriko Ashida (Surge) and Cessily Kincaid (Mercury) band together for mutual protection and in resistance to the Act. They begin collecting other mutants, New Mutants and newcomers alike.

2010 (March); The still-unnamed resistance group breaks into a local police precinct and frees the mutant prisoners. Notably, human prisoners are left behind. The culprits tag the walls with an 'X' for Professor Xavier. The tag becomes a calling card, and earns them the name 'X-Men.' (Somewhere, Xavier was probably rolling over in his grave at the misappropriation of his name.)

2010 (May); The first X-Men strike in which someone is actually injured. A government-sponsored team of drafted mutants clashes with Julian's crew in Brooklyn; to escape capture Julian brings the roof down behind him. He defends the action as a necessity and, as his pursuer (Elixir) has healing abilities, most of the other X-Men accept his claims.

2010 (July); The X-Men attack a holding facility for unregistered mutants. They set the captives loose and don't bother to check their ensuing rampage. No one is killed, but two guards are sent to the hospital.

2010 (September); Noriko begins to grow concerned with Julian's disregard for collateral damage. She approaches Mercury about it. Cessily sides with Scion.

2010 (October); Julian is planning another break-out when the Timebroker snatches him. This one would have ended in an accidental death, the first fatal casualty of Julian's recklessness.