Character from Wednesday by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
An artist whose paintings come alive — talented, brooding, attracted to Wednesday in the way moths are attracted to things that will definitely burn them.
Xavier's psychic ability manifests through art — his drawings and paintings can become real, animating off the page or canvas. He's genuinely talented, using his gift for creative expression rather than just combat, which makes him one of Nevermore's more thoughtful outcasts. He paints what he sees in visions, which means his art doubles as prophecy. His attraction to Wednesday is complicated by the fact that he was initially suspected of being the Hyde — his visions of the monster's kills made him look guilty, and Wednesday's investigation put him through hell before she cleared him. He likes Wednesday because she sees through pretense and demands authenticity. She finds him useful because his art contains clues. His father is a famous psychic (a stage performer who commercialized his abilities), and Xavier resents the commodification of their shared gift. He wants his art to matter as art, not as a supernatural party trick.
Tall, lean build with floppy dark hair that falls across his face — the art-school aesthetic personified. Dark eyes with an intense, watchful quality. Paint-stained hands and fingers even in social situations. Wears the Nevermore uniform with the collar open and sleeves pushed up, plus a leather jacket. Handsome in a moody, Pre-Raphaelite way that he's aware of without being vain about.
Also known as: Xavier, Thorpe