Template:Featured Articles/31-2025

Moment of Awesome - Jean Grey/Phoenix: Powerless following the events in New Orleans, Jean explains things to David Haller and he takes a psychic look at the damage done. "Back to your problem," he said, seeking familiar ground, "would you like me to take a look? I'm not sure I'll be able to find the cause, but it could give us an idea of what we're working with." Grateful for the change in topic, Jean nodded. "I'll take it," she said. There were few that could potentially help her in this situation. She didn't feel like turning to magic either. The mind was their realm. "Okay. This shouldn't take long." With the other telepath unable to meet him in the middle, physical contact would act as the easiest bridge. Jim placed his fingertips to Jean's temple and closed his eyes. There were different ways of seeing, especially on the astral plane. An individual's self-image was deeply personal; it said as much about who they felt themselves to be as who they were. Normally Jean appeared in her mind as she appeared in reality: a little brighter, perhaps, more vibrant, but firmly connected to who she was on the outside. The Jean he saw now was not. Soot smudged her skin and darkened her hair. Her clothing was dirty with ash and dried blood, although it did not seem to be from any wound of her own. Her neck was ringed with bruises in the shape of a clutching hand. Her body was next to him, but her mind was still processing what had happened in New Orleans. Like a man unfocusing his eyes to view the image hidden in a stereogram, Jim exhaled and moved now to a different view. He sought to perceive not how Jean saw herself, but her connection to her powers and how they rested within her. Jim had seen Jean in action on the astral plane before. In that state her power pulsed beneath her skin like living flame. Now, though, he sat beside a woman of char and ash. A shell, blackened and cold, like a burned-out fire. Empty. Jim pulled his hand away. Jean studied him carefully. The heartache of it was that she didn't feel a thing when he was in her mind. Normally she could sense it, a tremor, a ripple, something out of place. But now...nothing. Had he not asked she would have never known. She felt vulnerable. "Well? What did you see?" "An absence." Jim paused, trying to put his interpretation into words. "I didn't detect a mental block. I did sense . . . fatigue. That points towards burnout. But with magic involved it's hard to tell if it was a natural consequence of using so much power, or some kind of price. I don't know much about magic, but I do know it doesn't give you something for nothing. Either way, for the moment it seems like your powers are gone. Or" he added thoughtfully, "recovering." Letting out a breath, Jean rubbed her forehead. "Let's hope for the latter," she said before folding her arms awkwardly. "You know when you're in a conversation with a bunch of people at a party and at one point everyone goes quiet at the same time? It's like that right now. It's...unnerving."