Poke
Dr Axshen (a.k.a. Poke)
Dr. Axshen, known to everyone as Poke, is a Quillian Agesian. One of the earliest Jumpers, and one of the friendliest, Poke has taken a backseat as a Jumper in the years since the Cryergy War. Poke now provides background support, helping coordinate Jumpers and providing technical support and Core research from the RICR Center.
Physical Description
Special abilities
Pre-purge, Poke lacked a distinctive fighting style, merely relying on his feral instincts. In a pinch, or in a scenario where using his weapon would be inadvisable, he can fall-back to this, simply fighting tooth and nail with his enemies. His specialty is his speed. He's been quick on his feet before, but his studies of gravity augment it to new heights, giving the ability to run along walls, ceiling, and loops with ease. He has also been known on occasion to use his speed and friction to create small fireballs or gusts of wind, although he has no control over them once they have been created.
As a Quillian, he can also release dangerous spines at his opponent. Altering gravity can give him control over their range and trajectories as well.
Because of the all-inclusive nature of gravity, there are only two things he can target using its abilities: His own center of gravity, or EVERYTHING. Adjustments to his center of gravity are straightforward: He is able to catapult himself in any direction he chooses, as well as become heavier or lighter, or although extreme manipulation of his weight can cause damage to his body. However, increasing the gravity applied on himself can allow him to put immense physical pressure on those beneath him, giving him the strength to crush steel. Manipulating his gravity allows him to get in position to do this, however it's also highly telegraphed and is usually an obvious point of attack to anyone familiar with his powers. The minor workaround is that anything he's holding or caught in his path will also be carried off with him when he shifts gravity.
Targeting everything means he can alter the gravity in a space surrounding him. When tuned up, he can bring everyone - including himself - to their knees. The indiscriminate nature of this power means that Poke can rarely use it unless he fights alone against his enemies, as he would take great concern not to endanger his fellow Jumpers. The effects of gravity manipulation are also more pronounced against heavier foes; against foes lighter than himself, he would be at a disadvantage.
Apparel & Accessories
Poke tends to wear a white lab jacket and brown pants, a pair of emerald green shoes, and a red flat cap hat.
Specialized Equipment
Poke's main gear is the Twin Rings, a set of rings he crafted himself after years of research and smithing. There's four rings worn on each hand, and once completed, Poke is never seen without them. The first three rings on the index, middle, and ring fingers correspond to the RGB color spectrum, and have a capacitive touch receptor. By sliding his fingers along the rings, he's able to alter the color of them, with each color corresponding to a different state or direction of gravitational flux. The outside rings worn on the pinkies correspond to light and dark on the color spectrum and affect the intensity of gravity around him. While these rings could in theory be used by anyone, there is a steep learning curve involved as the wearer must know how the gravity maps to the color spectrum, which only Poke would know in advance having designed it himself.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Poke's interests developed at a young age, as he had an aptitude for math and science and a strong dislike of violence, which was commonplace among his Agesian neighbors. He retreated into studies of technology and his education progressed rapidly. However, he dropped his studies and left a prestigious university after a chance encounter with the legendary sage, Jyu Gie. The sage's knowledge of the Core was unmatched at the time, and while Poke's technological proficiency never diminished, he quickly grew into the role of a Core Researcher and became known primarily as the successor of Jyu Gie.
Although he had endured violence in his youth and as a Jumper, the Purge was devastating to Poke. Faced with the apparent death of his mentor, the suspected betrayal of his research assistant, the physical shock from being in close proximity to the Core, and his grave concern for the longevity of the Core itself as part of his identity, his skin was shocked white and he developed a new attitude in regard to his pacifism. No longer would he leave his and the core's defense to the Jumpers entirely. Using the insights of his research from his now-distant companions, Poke would develop his own signature weapon: The Twin Rings, a set of rings worn on each hand. The rings share a similar chemical makeup to his assistant's weapon, as well as some minor infusions from the Core itself, allowing the wearer to manipulate gravity in his vicinity.
At present, Poke remains the leading expert on Core Research and is primarily tasked with studying it and preventing harm and misuse. He is also tasked with passing this information on to a pupil of his own, and on the side also maintains the Jumper database.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Jyu Gie: Poke's mentor in the field of Core Research. Believing him to have perished in the purge, Poke wears his red beret as a memento from his former teacher. He holds him in high regard and has little tolerance for those who speak ill of him, as rare as they may be.
Core Guardians: One of the few among the Jumpers aware of their existence, Poke's knowledge and relationship with them is a closely-guarded secret. His interactions with them are infrequent, but when they do appear their conversations are generally at great length concerning the state of the Core and TGC as a whole. While their interactions are mainly political in nature, he has come to view them as sort of penpals that he communicates with at a distance, but also the biggest connection he has to the core after Jyu Gie vanished. He is constantly intrigued by their alien perspectives on the world, almost to the point of embarrassing them.
Blue Logic: Pre-purge, Blue worked closely with Poke as a research assistant. Blue's abilities were perfect for studying the relationship between the Core and gravity itself, and fruitful experiments helped Poke learn about gravity manipulation in fine detail. Blue also took great interest in the Core, and Poke enjoyed the company of another rational, scientific-minded individual. After the purge, Poke never explicitly cut ties but stopped conducting experiments with him. With both believing the other to have "stolen" their research, they retain a cool animosity for each other and keep at a distance lest it grow hot.
DJ: Post-purge, DJ became Poke's "protege", in a very loose sense. After his mentor vanished, Poke realized that someone else needed to have the intimate knowledge of the core so that the knowledge was not lost, as Poke narrowly survived the Purge himself. While not as passionate as Blue in regards to the pursuit of knowledge, DJ's powers were also well suited to assisting with experiments, and his more disinterested nature gave Poke reason to be less suspicious of him. Poke approached DJ about this primarily due to DJ's position and general responsibility with maintaining the legacy of TGC, but also under the belief that DJ, due to his heroism and strong ties to the Core, would be the Jumper most likely to defend it with his all.
The Jumpers: As the editor of the Jumper database, Poke is well-read on the majority of Jumpers, along with their strengths, weaknesses, and dispositions. This knowledge makes him an excellent strategist in Jumper affairs, even if he usually distances himself from this role.
Social Aptitude
Poke has a laid-back, easy-going attitude. He's thoughtful and has a passion for science and systems, so when a problem arises, he'd rather hang back and deliberate over the best solution instead of charging in head-first. His analytical mind can make him appear introverted or removed from the other Jumpers, as a sort of behind-the-scenes guy, but he still enjoys spending time with the others and is known for silly jokes and pranks to lighten the mood.
Following the purge, he became more protective of his research relating to the Core, fearing its misuse. This combined with a general pacifistic nature has often put him at odds with the more military and political operations of the Jumpers. He has a strong disposition against violence and militarization but understands it's inevitable to numerous Jumper activities, so he tends to recuse himself from these subjects.
Species
Ethnicity
Currently Held Titles
Date of Birth
March 8
Year of Birth
9985
24 Years old
Birthplace
Children
Eyes
Emerald
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Teal
Height
4'4"
Weight
87lbs
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