Diogenes

Chesterfield Act Registry of the Expressive Database

File #31 Mar 2019 16:08

Summary

Name Dorian "Diogenes" Meursault Aliases Status Registered Expressive (Class U Unknown) Ability Paralysis Gender Male Birthdate May 23, 1988 Age 30 Height 5'10" Build Fit Eyes Brown Hair Brown Residence Phoenix Heights Employment "The Labyrinth" Bookstore Parents Unknown Siblings N/A Marital Status Single Children N/A First Scene Reunion in the Ruins Last Scene Profile A wanderer. A seeker. A hopeful cynic weighing the scales.

portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Background

The Before

Little can be gleaned from Diogenes prior to his arrival to the States. It's hard to find anything on him and it's even harder to pry it out of the man himself. Occasionally, softer consonants of a hard to place, European accent slip into his otherwise New Yorker speech mannerisms, and he blends fairly well into the cultural melting pot that is the NYC Safe Zone, especially after the influx of foreign asylum seekers. He bears the name of Dorian Meursault, yet carries Diogenes as though it were his real name, and the former were but a mask; when question, he simply laughs it off, saying that the folk at the administrative office made a mistake when registering him. The most information he's willing to share is that he grew up an orphan, and that his country of origin is Belgium, even if he avoids speaking in either Dutch or French.

War Within, War Without

The time Diogenes spent in the United States was initially spent aimlessly wandering, as he was quickly overwhelmed by his lofty ambition of staying a neutral observer of a shifting world. He had decided he needed a purpose as a starting point, which was to be joining up with the Ferrymen. A chance to remain unregistered certainly helped his motivations to join. Although he chose to continue to hide his identity and refused to fully commit to the faction, he offered his help wherever and whenever it would be accepted, whether it was teaching English, world history or first aid, or even providing limited counseling and lending an ear. Following the raid on the Institute, he continued to work with the Ferrymen and helping with relief efforts, at least until Mitchell's presidency. Days after the coup however, Diogenes disappeared from New York City.

In the ensuing years, Diogenes wandered westward, keeping largely to himself and observing the conflict of a divided nation. A chance encounter with the man during this time wasn't implausible, although between summer of 2012 and early 2014, he was even more elusive and isolated. Of those who had encountered the man in the past, few could imagine the lethargic, philosophizing cynic spending nearly 2 years working at a farm in Kansas. Once the conflict wound down, he was on the move again. This time, with a surer step, a keener eye and a more satiated mind. As he wandered, he broke up fights between those who were SLC-Expressive and those weren't, regardless of who oppressed whom. As he traveled, he shared what food he could with those who seemed in need. The supplies shared with others and used to survive on his own were sometimes ill-begotten, and other times honestly earned, so long as the workplace didn't demand a form of identification.

The Return

In autumn 2015, Diogenes finally returned to New York. As colorful and varied as his nomadic endeavors were, he surprised himself with a yearning to return there. The news that SESA were accepting volunteers to help rebuild New York helped fuel his desire to come back. There, he applied as an asylum seeker from Belgium, registering under the name Dorian Meursault and as an SLC-E individual with an as of yet unmanifested ability. Then, Dorian "Diogenes" Meursault went on to volunteer helping with relief efforts for the next couple of years, contributing to the establishment of the NYC Safe Zone, until he eventually withdrew a couple of years later to once again keep a reasonably low profile. As of 2019, Diogenes rents a humble apartment in Phoenix Heights, and currently works at a ramshackle book store within the same area.

Psych Profile

Having suffered from anomie at an early age, Diogenes had become embittered and cynical early on in his life. At his worst, he embodied apathy, believing that humanity is inherently self-destructive, that our creations are unsuccessful attempts to escape the destructive pull, and that these creations themselves either serve or fall prey to annihilation. Fragments of these beliefs survive to this day, but his experiences have ultimately shaped him into a hopeful cynic. "Expect the worst, hope for the best" has become his motto. In order to help cope with his Sisyphean inner conflict, Diogenes adopted a sardonic sense of humor. It's worth noting however, that he makes a point of distinguishing cynicism and negative bias, and his mockeries are rarely truly dismissive.

Diogenes may be direct, but he's slow to trust other people, and he engages others expecting the same from them. It applies doubly for SLC-Expressive individuals; he operates under the belief that the moral philosophy is yet to adapt to the introduction of human individuals with extraordinary abilities, and that actions need to be measured several times beforehand, a lesson he experienced first-hand. Still, Diogenes is reluctant to place his trust in registration, even though the Chesterfield Act is more benevolent in appearance. This ties in with his beliefs, specifically that men conventionally defined as "good" are capable of misdeeds much as men conventionally defined as "evil" are capable of noble action. As much as Diogenes would disagree with an attempt to briefly summarize his beliefs, his morality primarily disagrees with the institutionalization or systematization of good or bad, while still respecting order over chaos.

Evolved Ability

Diogenes has the ability to induce and remove paralysis. This ability could be described as a more limited, more specific mental manipulation - he impairs the communication between the brain and certain or multiple parts of the spinal cord, rendering the target paralyzed in various ways. He can paralyze as little as one's toes, as much as the entire body and allow naught but speech, or he can even impair his victim's breathing and ultimately kill. Paralysis cannot be overcome by sheer will or strength, seeing as this is not simulated paralysis. Additionally, Diogenes can eliminate other forms of paralysis, so long as the cause is missing communication between the brain and the spine. While paralysis induced from a distance can last up to 24 hours, with its life span chosen by Diogenes, physical contact can ensure permanence. Otherwise, this ability has a range of approximately ten yards, and Diogenes must have the target in his line of sight. A delayed reaction (caused by fatigue or mind altering substances, for example) and/or the potential victim's sudden disappearance from his field of vision are the factors that might sabotage the use of his ability, since he needs a brief time to "lock on" to a target.

Among the shortfalls of this ability is that it is best used to deal with one individual at a time; his ability can affect up to three individuals, yet the addition of each additional target exponentially increases the toll it takes on Diogenes and the time it takes to "lock on" to them. Performing such a feat muddles his own motor function and leaves him with a headache and nausea for several hours afterwards. This doesn't however, affect the number of people he can paralyze in total - this number is infinite, since he doesn't mentally maintain their paralysis, rather it's a switch which can be left unattended. Another drawback of this ability is that Diogenes cannot shut off the use of an ability, unless the power relies on physical movement. Enhanced strength and super-speed will obviously be impaired, whereas telepathy will function just fine. Powers that don't necessarily require movement, but are much easier to execute with motion, are a different matter - paralysis can teach the Evolved to use that power while being still (e.g. telekinesis). Mind altering substances such as alcohol or sedatives will also greatly weaken his ability to make use of this power, and so will things like fatigue.

Appendices

Skills

Intellect

Diogenes is very well read for someone who only has a high school degree. He chose to hone his intellect independently, self-studying select subjects, focusing mostly on human anatomy, psychology and philosophy. He speaks English, Russian and Lithuanian, and can hold a basic conversation in German and Spanish, having picked up the latter during his time in the States. In regards to English, he's familiar with and is pretty good at impersonating a variety of accents; nowadays, when he speaks English, he uses a New Yorker accent, exceptions notwithstanding.

Deception

While by no means a master conman or a polygraph, Diogenes knows how to lie well. He can let his mind wander to a particularly sad moment in his life and squeeze out a tear as he shares some sob story, or he can keep a straight face and a level tone of voice when feigning ignorance. Conversely, he is pretty good at reading people, although the accuracy of that will naturally vary from person to person.

Constitution

Time spent doing hard labor has shaped Diogenes up to be more physically capable. Since he still has no combat discipline, he's not a trained fighter, and as such would still lose many fights against the more experienced, just that he now stands a chance in an average brawl. More than anything, he simply has increased endurance and toughness.

Firearms

Diogenes has learned how to operate a handgun and a hunting rifle. He owns an unlicensed USP Compact semi-automatic pistol, although he's generally not fond of using firearms.

Hooks

• Ex-Ferryman - Between late 2010 and early 2012, Diogenes helped the Ferrymen. While he didn't fully commit to the faction, he helped out where he could, teaching English, world history and first aid, as well as offering limited counseling, before he disappeared days after Andrew Mitchell's coup in January of 2012. Perhaps you know him from his time with the Ferrymen?

• Traveler - Between 2014 and 2015, Diogenes wandered across the Midwestern United States. During this time, he broke up the occasional fight between humans and the Evolved, worked as a volunteer in a couple of homeless shelters (being one of the more inquisitive workers there) and plain spent time people watching. Is it possible you witnessed or encountered him then?

• Laborer - Between 2015 and 2017, Diogenes volunteered to help with rebuilding the NYC Safe Zone. Did you cross paths with him there?

• Bookstore Clerk - As of 2019, Diogenes works as a bookstore clerk (and in a less official capacity, a manager of sorts) at "The Labyrinth," a ramshackle place in Phoenix Heights. It's a borderline claustrophobic place, small pathways smothered by bookcases. It accepts (book) donations, and sells books both old and new. He is not the owner.

Appearances

April 2019

Date	Time	Title	Participants	Summary
4/03	Morning	Reunion in the Ruins	Diogenes and Isis	A decade later, a pair meets for the first time, a second time.

Relationships

Entangled

	The pair shares a complex relationship that not even Diogenes can fully define or understand. In all the possible definitions however, some constants prevail - he cares for the redhead's well being, he trusts her more than most, and he envies her brazen willingness to act in spite of any reservations or fears.

Alliances

To come later. Much later.

Enemies

Watch this space.

Past, but not Forgotten...

	Diogenes hasn't forgotten their short-lived plan, nor the good doctor himself. It's a matter of when and how the two will meet again, not if, at least in Diogenes' mind. Fortunately for Zachery, Diogenes hasn't had sufficient reason to seek him out. Yet.
	Of all the familiar sights that changed over the years, Diogenes is perhaps surprised by Kaylee the most. Their first meeting, and their thrill-seeking adventure will forever remain in his mind however.

Gallery