#also 2 pictured are Jade War and (the rest of) Once and Future King

[random-jot]

Rearranged my shelves to make a ‘TBR Of Shame’ section. As you can see I have. I have quite a few to go through.

[thespooniewrites]

WIP questions tag game

i was tagged by kira-desomma (who i will send the link for this to in a DM because tumblr’s tagging is acting REAL WEIRD) thank you!!! I’m gunna talk about Blood Song because while I’m finally getting back into the swing of editing Mina’s story, I think I’ve answered 101 tag game type things about that one so... Blood Song!

1:describe the plot in one sentence:

The government is trying to criminalize the existence of, and hunt down, people with genetic mutations that grant them one of four special “skills”, and June is unlucky enough to have what is considered the most dangerous skill of all. 

2: pick one sight, smell, sound, and taste to describe the aesthetic of your novel

Sight - City packed with sky scrapers so crowded together, so clouded with fog, that hardly any sunlight gets through

smell - Green apples

sound - Your own heartbeat drumming in your ears

taste - The taste of ink that floods your tongue when your IV gets flushed with saline

3: 3+ songs to describe your novel?

Oh no I’m bad at this...

- 99 by Elliot Moss

- Rise by SAINT PHNX

- Kerosene by Armors

- A Longer View by Shaman’s Harvest

(four!??!? I got four?!)

4: what’s the time period your novel takes place?

Future, for sure. Not wildly distant future but distant enough, but I’m thinking there was probably a war or something (I’ll admit, haven’t figured out that part of the history) long before the story starts that cut the country’s ties with the rest of their world and slowed down technological advances. So, future, but not ~futuristic~ if that makes sense.

5: are there any former titles you considered but discarded?

Listen, man. It’s... I’m bad at titles. This is a working title, not even the official one. Can we just be happy it has one?

6: what’s the first line?

Junelle Song. Black hair, brown eyes. Blood summoner. Extremely dangerous. Do not approach.

7: what’s a line of dialogue you are particularly proud of?

It’s still first draft and only a few chapters in which involve a good chunk of action so, unfortunately, there hasn’t been a whole hell of a lot of opportunity for really WOWing dialogue so far, but I think this is one of my favorite exchanges.

“Says here you’re a blood summoner, is that correct?”

“If I say no, do I get to go home? Courtesy shuttle to my front door?”

“No. Should I take that as a yes, then?”

“Take it however you like.”

8: which line from the novel best represents it as a whole?

ok so.. there are two that I think do it pretty well?

-  Our mother loved us until she found out, which begs the question: did she ever really love us at all?

-  If I focused, I could feel his blood pulsing through his veins like it was my own.

9: who are your character’s faceclaims?

Basically none of them have face claims, unfortunately. I think Pheonix looks a bit like Michael Hudson (the model, not the old guy that pops up when some people google him), and Nick looks a bit like Reese King but... it’s not bang-on by a long shot.

10: sort your characters into Hogwarts houses

Kassius is the most ravenclaw to ever ravenclaw. Phoenix is undoubtedly a hufflepuff and June is definitely a slytherin. Nick is... weird. He’s hard. I can’t decide between gryffindor or hufflepuff, or maybe even slytherin. Ivy is a gryffindor, Marina is a ravenpuff and you can’t make me choose one for her.

11: which character’s name do you like the most?

I LIKE THEM ALL THAT’S WHY I CHOSE THEM!!! But uh... I guess? top three???? June and Kassius Song, and Phoenix. He doesn’t have a last name and there’s something about that that I like.

12: describe each character’s outfits

June tends to run around in shorts and combat boots and a comfy top, though I often picture her with a tank top and some sort of like.. cardigan, or a light jacket. Her white jade lotus necklace is always a must though.

Kassius is all about the comfies. Warm knitted sweaters, flannel, soft jeans, sneakers, just comfy comfy comfy. And his adorable thick-rim glasses.

Phoenix prefers like... function? He likes to climb and run and work, so anything he can move in. Similar to June, probably a fan of shorts and tank top, maybe sweats and one of those huge heavy plaid jackets if it’s cooler. Always has his single feather earring. It’s not one earring, he has many, but he only wears one at a time in one ear and it’s almost always a feather. He is morally opposed to shoes until it’s too cold to be barefoot.

Ivy is all about cargo pants and a t-shirt. It’s easy. It has a bunch of pockets. I’m not sure what she’s trying to carry in all those pockets but she likes them.

Marina is way oversized pink sweaters and grey sweatpants and fuzzy socks.

Nick, like Phoenix, prefers things he can move in. Slim-fit stretchy track pants, black. Similarly closely fitted jacket, zipped up to his chin, also black. Lightweight boots laced tight enough to give his ankles some support, also black, but a little scuffed.

13: do any of your characters have distinctive birthmarks/scars?

Nick would probably have a few scars here and there but nothing huge. Marina has a shaved head with a tattoo on her scalp kind of curling around her ear. Ivy’s missing a whole entire leg, so there’s that. I also think she probably has a pretty massive scar somewhere on her face though I’m not quite sure where yet. 

14: which character most fits a character trope?

Ivy could easily fit that gruff and grumpy revolution leader type. She grumbles, she tells people she doesn’t care about their sob story, she smokes, just kind of... the grumpy leader trope.

15: which character is the best writer? Worst?

Kassius is the best, he loves story telling. Nick probably hasn’t been granted creative freedom once in his life, so he’s probably the worst.

16: which character is the best liar? Worst?

It’s.. really hard to be a good liar in this world since there are some people who can literally feel lies. I think Kassius, with his story telling, might be the best though I doubt he would use it often, if ever. Phoenix is the worst because he doesn’t care for lies at all, mainly because he’s one of the people who can feel lies so.. it’s just easier not to. You always know where you stand with him.

17: which character swears the most? Least?

Most: June or Ivy.

Least: Phoenix, probably. Maybe Kass.

18: which character has the best handwriting? Worst?

Marina has awful handwriting but it’s mostly because she’s just writing herself notes. If she slowed down, it’d be better. I feel like Nick would have surprisingly nice handwriting.

19: which character is most like you?

Kassius, I think.

20: which character would you most like to be?

June or Phoenix. I admire June’s bravery and fiery attitude, and I like Phoenix’s seemingly limitless kindness and energy.

I tag uuuuuuhhhhh @idreamonpaper !!!!! And.. @sincerestaffect and whoever else sees this and wants to do it can say i tagged them!

[xbostonsfinestx-blog]

Jade

”Jade? Agent Kerrigan?” The voice of the doctor sitting across from her drew her from her thoughts, leaving her to glance around the room to place herself once more. She had been in session for nearly fifty minutes, but his last question would send her into the depths of her mind. “Can you tell me about your childhood?” The man repeated, noting the manner in which Jade’s fists clenched tightly at the mere mention of the word. Right on cue, there was a beep from the phone on his desk, signifying the end of their session. “Well, I think we did good here today and we’ll pick up with that question tomorrow. Jade rose to her feet, still slightly disoriented from the flashes in her mind, drawing in a deep breath as the doctor offered his hand for a firm handshake. “Tomorrow, at 11.” His reminder was met with a slow nod of the agent’s head as she turned for the door.

Jade stepped out of the room to find her long term boyfriend, Orion King, sitting in a chair just beyond the door. He had known her since the age of seven and knew her better than most, immediately spotting that look on her face. The topic she didn’t want breeched had been touched upon. He knew not to reach for her, but to allow her to do this if she should so desire. The fact was, her childhood had been hell. At only two years old, she and her twin brother, Cael Kerrigan, were placed with Allison and Finn Kerrigan by their father upon the death of their mother. The twins’ names were changed from Giada and Vinicio to Jade and Cael. Their deaths were faked. No trace would link the Savastano children to the Kerrigan children. They were to be safe there, to grow up in a normal family, living out the dream that their father could no longer provide to them.

Jade took the separation especially hard while Cael adapted to his environment more easily. Jade decided if she could control nothing else, then she would refuse to speak unless it were to her /real/ father. At first, the Kerrigan’s would give in to the tiny girl, wanting her to realize they were not the enemies there. But eventually, the calls were not permitted. Jade would go long periods of time not speaking. Cael did not understand why she was doing this, but in Jade’s mind, it made perfect sense. She’d refuse until her father was sent for and then she would have her daddy back. Only her plan did not work out the way she had hoped. Instead of bending to the strong willed child, Finn Kerrigan decided to take matters into his own hands. If she wouldn’t speak, he’d force sound from her in one way or another. The first assault took place when Jade was four years old and would continue until her seventh year when one Allison Kerrigan would return home to find the man with Jade.

The coming months, Allison worked together with Jade and Cael’s biological father to put the charges to rest, as well as seal the child’s records. Finn Kerrigan died that night at the hand of his wife for that which she had found upon her return. Discovery would unveil that Jade had suffered for three years there beneath Finn Kerrigan, in order to protect her brother from the same. This damage was irreversible. Into her adult years, the aftermath was there. Jade was not comfortable with the touch of any person she did not know well. She would shrink back when an unwelcomed hand would reach for her shoulder. In time, she learned some of this was beyond her control. She’d have to shake hands. She’d have to accept that someone would brush against her arm on the street. Though she wouldn’t react, it would always shoot tremors through her tiny frame, flashing back to the years infected by Finn Kerrigan.

The question of her childhood sparked it all within her easily, as it never took too much to throw her mind into that place again. Lord knew Orion had been up against quite the feat there with the woman as she battled her demons for twenty years. But now, she had a whole new band of demons that would exist within her. Things she had seen, done, and taken part in while in her latest under cover case. Six months is how long she would go under deep cover, infiltrating the Martinelli Crime Organization in New York. Leaving her home in Boston, her family, her friends, her boyfriend, she’d take on a new persona. Her cover’s name was Juliana Castellano, nicknamed ‘Jaycie’. For six months, she lived a completely different life to take down the man who ordered the murder of one Velia Savastano. When the job was complete, a taped confession in the agent’s possession, she made contact with her handler, informing them the mission was completed. The next morning, Jaycie and forty-two other members of the organization were arrested in three locations owned by the Martinelli Family. Jaycie then committed suicide, as far as anyone else would know, as Jade returned to Boston to her life, finally able to move forward from the death of her mother, if it would be so easy.

Upon her return, she was given two pieces of information. 1. She was to sustain a series of psychological evaluations that would be taken into strong consideration to be sure she was prepared to return to the field after being under for as long as she had. 2. Things change. People change. Stick to the cover story that she was at Quantico running a special training there for the past six months and realize the reality she was stepping back into wouldn’t be easy. To ease in. Not to do too much too soon. Take it easy and enjoy some paid time off with just a few appointments along the way. It sounded easy enough, but was misleading all at the same time. Easing back in was far easier said than done. Jade was an ‘in with both feet’ kind of person and this would be no different. The first night back, she went straight to her boyfriend’s apartment, reuniting with him. It had its bumps, but was rather seamless, giving her a false confidence leading into other reunions. With Orion, he knew where she had been. There wasn’t a lie there. Though she didn’t want to talk about all she had seen and done, as well as much of it being confidential information, his only concern was for her return and their relationship status. Her brother and her best friend would be two entirely different situations. They had been fed the lie, yet the news coverage would say something else to them. They knew she had lied, or at least she thought they did.

Baby steps. Everything had to move slowly. Ease in. She kept reminding herself, but as she stepped out of the office of the psychologist, she felt the walls closing in. That night, she was supposed to rest. Orion had allowed her to stay with him for the unforeseeable future while she took a break from her twin brother. His morning spent at the therapist’s office had him working a later shift as Sheriff’s Deputy, leaving Jade to her own devices. She promised to rest, but eventually it became frustrating to her. When she closed her eyes, she now not only saw the nightmares she had faced in her time away, but the additional nightmares of her childhood thanks to the therapist poking and prodding at her brain for sport. A walk was necessary to clear her mind, though losing her clearance temporarily had the woman unarmed. She’d forever feel naked without a piece at her side, but the tiny keyring of mace would have to suffice. As she left the apartment, she locked it behind her, venturing a few blocks from the apartment building. As she turned around to head back, she came face to face with a man she had not seen in years, and certainly never seen without her father there at his side. “Mr. Reddington?” She whispered in that raspy tone of hers, almost taken back, almost sure it couldn’t be him, yet took that step forward to see his face a little more clearly. “What are you…?” She began, asking what he was doing there, though too surprised to complete her own thought out loud. Reddington

CHAPTER ONE: A LITTLE PUSH;


        Odysseus spent a decade at war. But his biggest battle was finding his way home.



      The soft hum of an idle engine, scent of fuel wafting into confined space. Veiled in darkness, just beyond the edge of illuminated sanctity; the tall stacks of industrial growth tainted planetary defense. A pair of vehicles parked parallel, reminiscent of olden film: how shallow and otherwise predictable. From this vantage, occupants of both vehicles exited; a team of four from a government-style SUV, black with tinted windows. A simple pair of men from the high-end sedan, also tinted. Rounding the front of their vehicles, both sets exchanged greeting before lights disengaged, cloaking them within darkness' gentle embrace. 


      As much as it pained to embrace reality, the world was nothing more than a great big board, a game in which leaders carelessly expended pawns, promoted their rooks, and secured their knights. The kings and queens would remain otherwise isolated, free to issue commands from the sanctity of exile. But the players? Always two. Two who transcended purpose and would dictate it to others; two who could put aside affiliation and see the greater picture. Driven but never ambitious, calculating but never vindictive. Surrounded but never overwhelmed. 


      ''Stop me if you've heard this one: a French guy walks into a bar . . .'' The voice, perfectly measured in decibel distribution, inflection marking gifted oration. ''Tells the bartender, 'Le mot impossible n'est pas français' before executing him. A terrible waste of human life, don't you think? Well, the French guy goes on to end a revolution, supplanting the French Directory with something more beneficial to his cause. Ringing any bells?'' There was a particular air of confidence, voice lingering amid the dull hum. A smirk stretched over countenance, one that humbled any notion Faust had of the deceptive Mephistopheles. The opposing gathering looked toward each other, confusion marking their disposition. ''Thought not. At the age of twenty two, a young Frenchman would change the world; Napoléon Bonaparte spread French influence throughout continental Europe and beyond. He did this through a mix of deception, manipulation, and unparalleled battlefield tactics. You see, Napoléon preferred to let his enemies make assumptions, their own false conclusions before capitalizing on these errors.'' 


      Spawned from darkness, weapons trained on the team ��� eight barrels belonging to assault rifles emerged from behind the orator, sheer surprise handicapping retaliatory response. To the orator's side, the original secondary component of the duo furnished the Glock 19 handgun, training it on the group's leader. 


      ''You see Matteo, I am Napoléon and you are the decrepit French Directorate; in order to flourish I need to cut the cancer before it spreads.'' 


      "I think you've grown c*cky, Mister Eros. You see, La Cosa Nostra doesn't just disappear, it doesn't get bulled, and it certainly won't leave New York just because you want it to. We're international and the moment I make a call, you're dead. Get it?" The leader took a confident step forward, chest puffed out. 


      ''Of course the Spanish ruler, Ferdinand the Eighth, attempted to resist French influence only to find himself . . . cast aside.'' 


CHAPTER TWO: REUNION;

      "It's done.''


       There was no response, a simple press of a button to end the phone call. Looking at the burner device, he'd pass it along to the awaiting African male, who placed it in his pocket. His eyes averted to the passing landscape, watching as the natural beauty passed him. Of course, the late hour endowed very little in the way of extensive sights, but it was enough. "Twenty minutes, Raymond. Are you sure you want to do this?" 


      ''Absolutely, Dembe. From time to time the tree needs to be refreshed with a little flood of truth.'' The Concierge of Crime consulted his watch, a habit earned from his time as a United States Naval Intelligence Officer; meticulous scheduling, each bit of his time accounted for, down to the last second.  ''It's been far too long.'' 


      Nostalgia would eliminate the impatience of being stuck within the vehicle, lost within dulcet memories. Of a father and twins. He had been a 'friend', if such a thing existed, before the Christmas incident of nineteen ninety ( 1990 ). When his wife had been killed, he was there to provide assistance. Indeed, throughout the twins' lives, the enigmatic man had always been there, a provider of sorts. Despite personal loss, he didn't allow it to taint his vision. 


       As the vehicle made its approach, the Concierge caught sight of the familiar face walking along the street. Stepping out, his shadow would follow, eyes constantly surveying the area. Dembe Zuma possessed many hats, but perhaps the one he wore most was protector. He had also been graced by Red's benevolent hand. 


      ''The years have been kind to you, Giada, but as I remind you: no need to call me 'Mister'. Our history is far too intimate for that.'' He'd remove fedora, bowing his head: a sign of respect as well as greeting.  ''We need to talk, get in the car.'' Gesturing toward the open car door, ''It's about Velia.'' The death of  the Martinelli family's patriarch hit the underworld with ferocity that matched any domestic terror assault, tainting the net of information for weeks. No one saw it coming, no one knew who perpetrated it; this sort of chaos only serves to enhance feuds. The death of the Crime Boss set into motion a war unlike any other.


       The vehicle pulled away, once more entering the safety of the road: constant mobility. ''Congratulations on your hit; no one knows what happened. Well, no one important.'' There was the faintest twitch of a wink. ''The Martinelli were among New York's most elusive criminal family, responsible for the state's major weapons imports, muling various drugs: dirty business. I'm glad to see them gone but it's only a matter of time before they link this hit to you. We have some work to do.''

Jade

Giada. The very name drew a breath at her lips as she would never find herself fit for such a name, though she knew it was her name by birth. There were only four in the world that would know this piece of information, yet only one would ever refer to her in such a manner. Raymond Reddington. Even her own father had called her by the name Jade to keep up appearances as such. Giada and Vinicio Savastano died at two years old. Yet there was something about hearing the name from Red’s lips that would leave her in awe of a name and life that was taken from her. The next name to fall from the man was that of her mother. The death of her mother, in her own opinion, was the single event that spurred all others into existence. Without the death of Velia Savastano, she would have been raised in New York instead of Boston. She would have been in a family where there may be violence beyond its walls, but not within. She would have been protected by the man in the father role, not sexually abused by him.

There would be no hesitation from the woman to join Reddington in the car. He was familiar to her. She knew him. Her father new him. Her brother knew him. Though she couldn’t place the last time she had seen the man, she did know her safety was not in doubt when with him. Immediately upon her entry to the vehicle, he was speaking of her position, knowing her to be responsible. She drew her lips tightly together, knowing she was to stick to her cover story. No one was to know that she was even in New York, outside of her FBI counterparts. But Red knew. Her father knew. Her boyfriend knew. And that was three more than she was permitted.

News had been flooded for days with information on the forty-three arrests within the Martinelli Crime Organization. So far, there were three that found a way to kill themselves, though one of those did not make sense. Jaycie’s suicide was planned to get Jade out of her cover and back to Boston. Another suicide was actually real, the only that was actually real. And then there was that of Martinelli himself. Though it was painted to look like a suicide, there was much speculation that he had been taken out, yet how it had happened within custody was another question circling the dark world. This should have been a hiccup for them. Something their highly paid lawyers could get them out of. Yet for Jade, it was retribution for that which had been done to her, to her mother.

As Red congratulated her on the hit, her head jerked to the side. Hazel eyes imploring his as if to say he couldn’t know that for sure. Even those within the bureau did not know that it was her hand that would fire the gun to take out Martinelli within the unit. “The way I heard it, he killed himself.” She reminded him, a slightly too comfortable look there on her face with the edges of her lips upturning ever so slightly. Jade wasn’t a killer. But Jaycie was. Red was seeing Jaycie in this moment, proud of that which she had done. This form of herself was not permitted. She was fighting tooth and nail to keep it at bay constantly, but for some reason, she’d slipped into that mindset rather easily when called out on Martinelli’s murder. “No one’s coming for me. They think I’m dead.” A quick reminder from her lips, from the lips of Jaycie. The words came out so easily, they left Jade in near shock over the matter. She knew she felt safe with Reddington, but this was too much and she knew it. She had to turn off that woman in her head. The woman she was trained to be. She had to be herself, which meant no ties to Martinelli. She was Jade Kerrigan. FBI Agent. She had been at Quantico for the last six months, running a training series.

-December 29, 2015