#ALSO i want jack gets stronger like you see in apprentice/monk fics but i dont want him relying on someone else's standards

[jack-of-spicers]

Thinking of yet ANOTHER au because I cant turn the alternate timeline machine in my brain off where it starts out in the "good" timeline that completely sucks for jack. He hasn't gone good or redeemed himself or anything, but he also hasnt gotten anywhere with evil and the rate at which he's spent his childhood burning himself out is starting to catch up. He's not hopeless, and he doesn't blame his past self for being a kid, but it's clear he could have avoided some of his present problems if he'd heeded at least some of the annoying advice about "health" and "working on a schedule instead of til he collapses then lazing around for a week". It is what it is, and there are still Showdowns to be won, so he carries on with his plan of the week until- ZAP -he's... a kid again???

It's not day one or anything, but he's suddenly MUCH earlier in his villainous career with an uncharacteristically clear awareness of his shortcomings and exact steps that can be taken to fix them. The more time goes on, the more his old life feels like a dream instead of a memory, but the will to move forward and do it right is as strong as anything. What do you do with another chance?