The Bennet Institute for Psychic Research and Development, more commonly known by the locals as simply 'The Institute', was established in the year 1948. It was founded by Professor Joffrey Bennet, a brilliant man who had been fascinated by psychic abilities, and the people who were born able to wield them. He lived and worked at the Institute until the day he died in 1994, when it was passed on to his son, Alexander Bennet.

The Institute, as you might expect, specializes in the study and research of psychic abilities. The staff there, headed by Alexander, work with individuals (mostly young adults) who possess psychic talents, but do not yet know how to control them. These people are, essentially, students, and will live at the Institute for a period of time, undergoing testing and studies until the staff feel they have sufficient control over their abilities, and are ready to 'graduate'. After leaving, the students are expected to return for periodic testing and to prove they've maintained that level of control. Please see the housing & testing section for more information.

Our goal here at ~the-institute is to keep an active and friendly atmosphere. We are here to enjoy the community as much as you are, so if there are ever any questions please don't hesitate to contact us.

The Institute is located in Louisiana, where Joffrey Bennet was born and raised. There are five buildings on the Bennet Estate, the main one being the remodeled Victorian mansion that served as the Institute in its entirety when Joffrey founded it in the 1940s. Now, there are four additional buildings spread out across twenty-three acres.

The mansion, known as the main house by the staff and residents of The Institute, houses Alexander Bennet, as well as one doctor, and a few staff members. There are several dormitory-style rooms, as well, that serve as temporary rooms for the newest students, until they get settled enough to move to one of the other housing buildings. There is also a large library, and three private testing rooms in the main house. It's cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and the plumbing is incredibly noisy, but it's surprisingly homey for such a large, old house.

Two of the remaining four buildings are dedicated to housing. They are larger and more modern than the main house, having enough space for twenty residents each. Each house is three stories, the ground floor containing a kitchen, a small common area, and a study room. The houses are all co-ed, but the bedrooms are gender-specific.

The fourth building on the Estate is dedicated to the main laboratories and testing rooms. This is where the students will learn to hone their skills. There are simple machines for psychokinesis testing, secluded ares for telepathy experiments, even a sensory deprivation tank, which has been proven to significantly raise the level of psychic abilities in many subjects. This is also where the staff works, keeping record of the progress of the residents, and charting the results of the experiments performed. It is always locked at night, to prevent off-the-book experimentation and illegal activity.

The last building on the Estate is the two-story barn that was the only other building on the property when the Institute was founded. It has been updated and renovated into a space where current and past residents of the Institute can get together and socialize. It's the place where people will gather to unwind after testing, where birthday parties take place, and where movie nights are held. There's an ancient ping-pong table, a small kitchen, and right out the back door is a swimming pool and a kidney shaped hot tub.

The Bennet Estate is near the heart of New Orleans; it is secluded enough to provide peace and quiet, but close enough to the city so one does not feel cut off from the outside world. Bourbon Street and the French Quarter are a quick bus ride away, and many of the residents who graduate from their studies at the Institute find apartments nearby, so they can take part in occasional additional testing.

The following is a list of the psychic abilities you can choose from for your character. Please note that 'powers' such as pyrokinesis, levitation, teleportation, etc. will not be accepted.

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• Aura reading - The perception of energy fields surrounding people, places and things.
• Automatic writing - Writing produced without conscious thought.
• Astral projection - An out-of-body experience in which an astral body becomes separate from the physical body.
• Clairvoyance - The ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through extrasensory perception.
• Death-warning - A vision of a living person prior to their death. Note: Your character should not have constant death-visions. Nobody wants to be forever seeing death. Also, seeing the death of another character in the community, or their family members, would count as godmodding.
• Energy healing - Healing by channeling a form of energy into the patient.
• Mediumship or channeling - Communicating with spirits. Due to popularity, we will no longer be accepting mediums at this time. Once we have a bit more variety, we'll lift this.
• Precognition - Perception of events before they happen, either through visions or dreams.
• Psychokinesis or telekinesis - The ability to manipulate objects by the power of thought.
• Psychometry or psychoscopy - Obtaining information about a person or object, usually by touching or concentrating on the object or a related object, or making skin-to-skin contact with the person. Due to popularity, we will no longer be accepting psychometric members at this time. Once we have a bit more variety, we'll lift this.
• Remote viewing - Gathering of information at a distance.
• Retro-cognition - Perception of past events.
• Telepathy - Transfer of thoughts, words or emotions in either direction.