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Post by Odin on Jul 14, 2009 23:17:09 GMT -5
"They matter," ::Odin replied. Though he tried to stop the first thoughts in his mind from springing forth past his lips, particularly as he had no control when questions were involved, on some topics, he was hopelessly opinionated. Mutants trying to find their way in the world was one such topic; it was what kept him more idealistic than not, despite the changing political climate and the growing anti-mutant sentiment.
As that was hardly the most eloquent he could be, and he prided himself on speaking well, even when playing cryptic, he continued,:: "Apart from any belief about individual lives mattering for the sake of individual life, mutant children are the future."
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Post by Nadia Davich on Jul 15, 2009 16:22:58 GMT -5
Nadia was intrigued. Did he think that mutant children were more important than normal human children? She herself wanted to do all she could to help the young mutants get used to their powers, but all she wanted was for them to be treated as equals. Not be superior to regular humans.
She leaned forward, her arms on the table. Nadia wanted to know more about his statement, to find out if she was feeling him out right. "The future of what? Our world? This country?" Now she pressed on, hoping she wasn't stepping on any sensitive topic for him. "Or do you mean to say that you think they are more important than humans?"
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Post by Odin on Jul 18, 2009 16:38:19 GMT -5
::Whereas she leaned forward, Odin leaned back slightly. It was the dance of conversation; to lean forward was to be conspiratorial, and would draw attention. Instead, he took on a relaxed pose, despite the questions before him which he would have to answer. He folded his hands on the table in front of him and explained,:: "Of the country and the world, eventually. I wouldn't go so far as to say mutant children are more important than human children as I wouldn't want to downplay the value of anyone's individual life."
::Not to mention that Odin had had his fill of supremacy at the hands of Laudine Piercefield. Thinking of her could still make his stomach sour. He continued,:: "But the number of mutants will raise exponentially, and eventually there will be more mutants than baseline humans. And in that, children are the future."
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Post by Nadia Davich on Jul 22, 2009 15:03:08 GMT -5
She nodded at his answer. It satisfied her. Though a mutant herself, she wasn't one of those who wanted to be heralded as better than humans. Just because she wanted to help out and gain equality didn't mean she thought she was any better than regular humans. No, Nadia was completely happy with just getting the rest of the country and world to realize that mutants were not bad and were just as good as the rest of them.
Nadia was curious about his last statement, though. How could he be so sure that mutants would eventually outnumber normal humans? Was the gene gaining more genetic power that she didn't know about? She nodded, though. Children were the future, whether mutant or not, whether they all held the same views or not. But they were the future... and by teaching them to live with their abilities, Nadia was hoping that their future would be better than her own was.
But she decided to press him, leaning back but keeping her arms resting on the top of the table. "You think mutants will eventually become the majority? How so?"
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Post by Odin on Jul 28, 2009 23:21:45 GMT -5
"I do," ::Odin replied to the first question as it came, and he had little time for consideration before he was compelled the answer the second. Fortunately, it was open-ended enough, as he didn't wish to go into full disclosure in the middle of a crowded diner.:: "The mutant gene is sturdy and prolific; the mutant population has grown many times over since the first discovery. With that trend, and abilities that keep them better able to fend off a host of death-causing for lack of a better term 'predators' be they diseases, natural disasters or other people, their numbers will eventually surpass those of baseline humans. It's evolution in the making."
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Post by Nadia Davich on Jul 29, 2009 16:10:13 GMT -5
Nadia pondered his answer for a moment. It certainly sounded plausible. But, then again, she was not genetics expert. She smiled. "I suppose you're right. Even if mutants... breed with regular humans, the gene will continually be passed on to future generations. "But," she added, as another idea had come to her. "We can't let it go to our heads." Nadia smiled at him again. "Just because mutants become the majority, most likely gaining more power... We will have to make sure that some of them don't get swelled heads." ((This is probably my last post for a little while... I'm going on vacation and will be back on the 10th of August. ))
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Post by Odin on Aug 15, 2009 21:13:08 GMT -5
((OOC: Welcome home; I hope that you enjoyed your vacation. And I apologize for the late reply; I've been a bit unwell.))
::Odin had no doubt that he was right, although he had manners enough not to say as much; he was a bit smug, but he tried not to overdo it. Speaking of not letting it go to his head, there was the rest of her point, one with which he tended to agree. It had taken some time to reach that point.:: "No more than anything else. It should be treated like cultural heritage, pride without going so far as to become an active supremacist."
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Post by Nadia Davich on Aug 17, 2009 15:09:53 GMT -5
((I did, and thanks )) She nodded and smiled. He had put into words what she had been thinking. Yes, being a mutant was just like a heritage. Something to be proud of just like any other culture or nation was proud of their own heritage. Though she hadn't been there in many years, she was still proud of her native country. And of Russia, what she thought of as her adopted country, a place where she had many friends. And, sometimes, loved more than the Ukraine. But no matter how well the majority of them thought like this, there would always be the few supremacists, like he had said. Those that wanted to be like the mutant version of the Nazis, wanting to exterminate anyone who wasn't a mutant or akin to their cause. It was this that always made Nadia a little sad and want to work harder to instill good values in young mutants just coming into their own. She wanted to give them that what she didn't have in her own childhood. Nadia realized she had been lost in her thoughts and hadn't said anything in reply to Odin. "We will have to do what we can to make sure that these supremacists don't get into power over us." She was speaking in the generic mutant 'we,' not meaning just the two of them. "That some of the mutants out there don't go around filling the world's minds with nonsense. That is part of what I try to teach the young ones that come to me. That, although they are unique, they are not special. If you take my meaning."
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Post by Odin on Aug 23, 2009 22:37:59 GMT -5
"I take your meaning," ::Odin assured her, and his thoughts lingered on what she had to say about mutants - and he had to assume she meant the Brotherhood, because who didn't at this stage in life? - and he thought of his own journey and maturity these past few years. He'd benefited from his mentor, but his mentor hadn't been a mutant activist, not in the same way that he had become, or those at his workplace, or as Nadia across from him appeared, or the X-Men he had seen time and again.
If the children she assisted were anything like he had been, they needed a strong grounding presence. And unfortunately, charisma was doled out to those with nefarious purposes more often than not; rather, those with charisma gave in to temptation to use it for nefarious purposes, as he had seen time and again. A dangerous proposition, considering how many responded to charismatic personalities on all points of the spectrum. He remarked,:: "There has to be a strong counter-message."
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Post by Nadia Davich on Aug 24, 2009 16:23:59 GMT -5
She nodded in agreement to what he said. "Yes, indeed. And it seems that this city, of all cities, needs it the most with regards to mutants. I have only been here a short time, but I have heard a lot of things on the news. And through the... gossip lines." Nadia paused here, thinking that she didn't need to tell this man about what was going on recently. He lived here among it all, experiencing it on almost a face-to-face basis.
"I feel like my presence here was well-timed." Nadia smiled. "Many young mutants in this city are looking for an alternative to the more... structured groups in this area. And I hope to be able to provide that choice for them." Nadia herself had tried out Xavier's school when she first had came to America. And almost immediately felt out of place; her ideas clashing with that of the good doctor. She had left, looking for her own niche in the world of mutants, and finally found her calling with what she was doing now. Helping young mutants find their place, not trying to push them in any direction, but just helping them deal with their new powers and bodies.
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Post by Odin on Aug 25, 2009 22:32:59 GMT -5
::Odin needed no vague descriptions; there was pain and danger enough for all in this country, and with such a diverse population as Manhattan, it was often the powderkeg of his old neighborhood, with more culture and potential, which was why he stayed. Others had not, and he could hardly fault them, although he wondered just where they thought would be safer.
Her comment about structure fit with her earlier comments about the Brotherhood, but it contained a wider scope. Perhaps she was familiar with Xavier's school. If she was, she obviously disagreed with some part of the philosophy or the establishment, although from what Odin knew about the institution, and from what she explained, he imagined it to be the latter more than the former. He was not a graduate, an instructor, or a recruiter ,and thus it was not his affair. He was, however, curious about her teachings, and thus asked,:: "What does your choice entail? Aside from mentoring?"
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Post by Nadia Davich on Aug 26, 2009 16:50:37 GMT -5
"Well... " She ran a finger along the outside rim of her glass, thinking. Her small little organization encompassed a lot of things, but she would try to give him an overview. "Mainly, just the fact that they have a choice. A choice to not have to conform to where society thinks they belong. That they do not have to be in a structured environment, like the special school where Dr Xavier likes to hide mutants.
"To let them know that they have no reason to be ashamed of who there are. That they don't have to hide behind concrete walls. That they are allowed to think what they want to think without teachings and philosophies forced on them."
Nadia paused a moment. "I just want to give them a place to be with other mutants, where they are still allowed to stay in the real world, but can come whenever they like if they have had a bad day, or need to speak to other mutants. So that they have the choice to be a part of both worlds, not just the mutant one.
"My hope is that they will be universally accepted and will be able to travel the world freely, just as any human. But I am not stupid; I realize the world is not ready for that, not yet. And I realize that some children need their support system, their families, their friends. And that they may not feel comfortable yet in revealing their secrets. And so instead of being isolated in a mutant school, they can stay where they want to be and feel most comfortable, only coming to my... organization when they feel the need to."
She smiled wryly. "I hope I have not confused you."
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Post by Odin on Aug 29, 2009 23:41:08 GMT -5
::Odin leaned forward slightly, not so close as to appear to be conspiring, but enough to convey his interest. She mentioned Xavier's school which demonstrated that she was aware of it, and the context showed she disagreed to some extent, but only so far as structure in a student's life was concerned. Considering the turns his life had taken, it wasn't a point with which he could immediately and completely disagree, and thus his curiosity was piqued; she had his full attention.
As she continued to outline the aspects of the choice she offered, he found that for the most part, he could disagree with very little. As with all things, philosophy would have to give way to practicality, and thus could only be judged in a "real life test" when her students came of age. Still, her beliefs sounded rational; he could appreciate several aspects.
When she finished, he leaned back to his original position. To her last comment, he shook his head slightly.:: "You haven't."
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Post by Nadia Davich on Aug 31, 2009 15:23:26 GMT -5
She smiled at him widely, showing her white teeth. "I'm glad. Sometimes it's hard to convey in words exactly what my thoughts are." Nadia was happy that someone else seemed to understand where she was coming from, what she was actually doing and planning to do. So many others, human and mutant both, seemed to despise her and try to shut her down.
The government wanted to keep the mutants hidden and out of the way. Most mutants felt the same way, hiding because of fear. And the few that were out in the open, had ideologies completely to the opposite. Nadia just wanted to find some middle ground. Let mutants drive away their fear and the fear of others and be able to live regular lives. Without causing any harm.
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Post by Odin on Sept 1, 2009 20:02:11 GMT -5
"The mortal condition," ::Odin said with a slight smile. Unless a telepath was around, they were all limited by their ability to communicate through speech or gesture. He continued,:: "How long have you been in business?"
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