#and them remembering the triad since those guys were created around then

[cosmicseapop]

Theoretically, any dead champion can pull a Tara and return to Lore via portal from their Elemental Plane. Every element based faction probably have a portal (the thing the basement of the termina temple, drowning machine, the platform the Mysterious Stranger was chained to), so it would be possible for a dead champion to come back. Probably not permanently unless the area is attune to their element - I think Tara gets a pass since she the champion of mana and that’s literally everywhere - but they would have the ability to come back to Lore.

Thus, this is the dead champion of light from the planar conflict

[kiseiakhun]

What are your feelings on Kyle/Jason/Wally. I kinda think it might happen if Kyle had a crush on both. Accidentally tells Wally. Teasing. Jason finding out. Jason and Wally overdramaticly flirting. Dick finds out and Kyle dying from the close proximity of both Jason/Wally Wally/Jason Jason/Kyle Wally/Kyle. And then Flirting/Showing off intensifying. Although I don't really know much about Wally or Kyle. ❤

RUBS HANDS TOGETHER

Hello? This is the greatest ask anyone’s ever sent me. Kyle is a lovey-dovey dumbass who falls in love after two seconds of knowing someone, so like. It’s real. It’s very real. He and Wally would’ve had their thing first? Because of their whole enemies to lovers arc in JL, except - because of that whole dynamic where they started off ragging on each other, I feel like they both would’ve been oblivious to their feelings. Add in a healthy dose of compulsory heterosexuality from Kyle, and yeah... the adults of the League have probably been waiting years for that ship to sail, except the babies just keep being oblivious dunderheads.

(Wally realized in his teen years that he’s not strictly heterosexual, because being on a team with Dick Grayson when you’re male tends to draw out any bent inclinations very, very quickly. It’s just. Kyle is the snot-nosed rookie too big for his britches. He’s a baby? He’s an infant. Wally is not attracted to an infant, wtf.)

And then Kyle goes off on his journey of self-discovery with Donna and Jason. Well, journey of self-discovery for him, because Jason’s ass and body and his devil-may-care tough guy attitude is the culmination of Kyle’s bisexual crisis. Seriously, countdown is basically Kyle going “ugh, that stupid hot sexy asshole is so hot and sexy around Donna, there’s no way she can resist him. Why is he attractive? He needs to stop. I’m going to fight him because he’s TOO HOT.” It’s incredible. If the writers weren’t cowards, countdown would’ve ended with them being in a triad.

Donna’s probably the one who points out that mayhaps... Kyle’s constant mooning over Jason might mean something different... and Kyle’s like wtf, no. And then he actually thinks about it, because Kyle’s one of maybe two (2) men in the dcu who has a semblance of emotional intelligence (idk who the other one is, but I’m sure he’s out there) (edit: it’s Connor. Connor Hawke. Connor is the other man. I was going to say Clark but Clark keeps going to extremes whenever he or his are threatened and. like. he tries, bless his heart, but there’s still a lot of repression going on with him) and he’s like wait. Fuck. Well what do I do with this information!! It’s not like Jason is into guys!!!

To which Donna just looks at him like, how are you so smart yet so stupid at the same time. She remembers how baby Jason mooned over Roy and Dick as much as he mooned over her. She Remembers.

(Also, lbr, Donna’s very experienced by now at dealing with dumb boys in denial about their non-het leanings. See previous statements about being on a team with Dick Grayson. She saw all of it, man. She’s seen so much.)

Cue Kyle, sitting bolt upright in bed after they’ve just wound down for the night and just saying, “Oh my god, Wally.”

And Donna’s just like, yup.

And Jason’s just like ? wtf is that asshole up to now. Whatever, idc, blissfully unaware of Kyle’s bi panic.

Anyway. The world is saved, and they get back to their Earth, and Kyle manages to put it aside because Everything Happens So Much. He’s the Green fking Lantern, okay, he doesn’t have time to deal with sexuality crises, except. Except. It won’t leave him alone?

Like, in his downtime he hangs out with Wally a lot since they’re friends, and oh yes, hello raging crush that he can no longer pretend isn’t a thing, because once Kyle acknowledges his attraction? That is it, man, there’s no turning back from that point. And ik that in canon, Jason threw a snitfit and left Kyle and Donna in the middle of their happy fun space adventure fieldtrip, but let’s say he didn’t have a sudden ooc personality turn because of writer mandate, and he stayed with Kyle and Donna until the end of their journey, and they stayed in touch.

And Kyle realizes, to his horror, that Jason is charming, and funny, and not bad on the eyes, and fuuuuck. This isn’t really helping his stupid dumb crush. Stupid dumb crushes. Goddamn.

(Sometimes Jason even joins him in his Space Adventures because of his new team. More specifically, Kori and her shiny new spaceship that can sustain humans in space conditions, and he is not jealous, shut up, Roy.)

(Roy caught on pretty quickly, because he’s much more empathetic and in tune with other peoples emotions than he pretends to be 90% of the time. Unfortunately, he only uses his powers for chaos.)

Ofc, Wally would start getting curious about Jason eventually because suddenly this kid is fucking everywhere? Dick’s calling on him for intel in the middle of a firefight, and he’s ragging on Roy’s atrocious dress sense, and he’s joking with Donna and Kyle’s giving him the same shit that he used to give to Wally, excuse me. Wasn’t he a villain or something? The last time Wally paid attention to him, he was sawing heads off in Gotham, and now Wally can’t seem to turn without tripping over him. When the fuck did that even happen?

(I’m not sure if Wally ever met Robin!Jason. Hm. Were Jason’s guest-appearances on the team during when Wally was pulling one of his stints of... I don’t WANT to be a hero, I want to be a NORMAL BOY who goes to COLLEGE, even though I literally re-created the Flash’s lab accident down to the letter just so I can have his powers and be a hero and save the world? ... ykw, we don’t acknowledge that era of Wally. This was back when he was a meninist incel or something. Ick.)

... and damn, Wally really can trip over him now, huh. Because he sure did grow up big, and strong, and rugged, and haha fuck now Dick is starting to glare at him, too, and not just at Roy, abort, abort.

...... Wally does attempt to subtly ask Roy, later, if there’s any truth to the statements about him and Jason and Kori that Roy says to Dick to get him all riled up. I say “attempt to” because Wally is bad at subtlety. It’s part of why he and Kyle get along so well. Roy realizes what he’s asking and he about has an apoplexy because Wally? Wally? Now there’s a surprise contender he did not expect, tossing his hat into the ring.

But also. Also... hot.

Roy and Kori are watching all of this while munching popcorn like damn, this is better than TV. Because Kyle’s having his crisis, his Love crisis, and Wally’s having his oh my god why do I find my best friend’s little brother hot crisis, and Jason is just happily oblivious to all of this, because he’s too busy angsting over his dad not loving him enough and dismantling trafficking rings and being the big, bad scourge of Gotham to notice Kyle pining after him like a lovelorn puppy, and Wally eyeing him appreciatively like he hasn’t eaten in a whole hour and Jason is a tender piece of marbled steak roasted on both sides to perfection. He does notice the way Kyle and Wally look at each other, though, because he’s only observant when it comes to the positive emotions of other people. And he is not stepping in the middle of that, tyvm, because from what Roy’s told him the two of them have a looooong history and he does not want to get caught in the middle of that crossfire.

Roy and Kori are both like, what makes you think it’s going to get messy, anyway? And Jason, whose real world examples of functioning relationships are 1. Willis and Catherine Todd, 2. Bruce and Selina, 3. Bruce and Talia, 4. Dick and all his exes, 5. Roy and all of his not-exes because he doesn’t date but people keep falling in love with him anyway and he panics and ghosts them because he is Roy William Commitment Issues Harper, 6. Kori and whatever the fuck she’s got going on with Dick and like, an ex? back on Tamaran? who she might still be married to?? what the fuck, 7. Kyle and Donna and their messy breakup(s)(?) (Jason doesn’t ask, because he Does Not Want To Know) (he’s too busy repressing to realize it’s half because of jealousy), is just like, that’s just how things go.

And Roy and Kori, both having mentally run through all of those ^ options while Jason was thinking of a response, are just like. ... yeah, alright, that’s fair enough.

God, every single relationship in DC is a mess.

Where was I even going with this?

Oh, right. Basically, Kyle is pining like a lovelorn idiot, Wally doesn’t know what the fuck he’s feeling and it’s making him confused, and Jason is ignoring his feelings because maybe if he just represses them hard enough, they won’t spill over and punch him in the face. Honestly, I see Wally making the first move, because his inadequacy issues don’t run as deep as Jason and Kyle’s do, and Kyle’s just like :D and Jason’s like, what the fuck. What the fuck? Because it literally blindsides him, even though it’s stupidly, painfully obvious to everyone else around him.

Either that, or Roy gets sick enough of watching their lovelorn pining, and employs Dick’s help to lock them all in a closet, naked, and fuck it out.

(Dick doesn’t actually disapprove of Jason sleeping with his friends, he just needs to get over his mental block of still seeing Jason as a baby)

Anyway. They’re all a whole-ass mess.

[nerteragranadensis]

assorted thoughts on my first Leverage rewatch since I binged the whole series in 2016 (spoilers for everything through s3e4 The Scheherazade Job):

it’s really cool to see just how much character relationship stuff is set up in the early seasons, before it gets stated more explicitly in s4/s5.

Hardison/Parker is a perfect example- Hardison flirts with Parker in "The Nigerian Job”, and there’s explicit romantic tension btwn them in “The Wedding Job”. That’s episode seven in the broadcast order, but if you watch in the DVD/intended order, that’s episode three. it’s amazing to see how early that relationship is set up and how slow the burn is, especially considering it’s an interracial ship- and it’s great to have the writers follow through with it by the end of the show.

another example is Parker becoming the mastermind- there’s a handful of episodes in s2 where she’s clearly shadowing Nate and observing his plans (The Order 23 Job, The Top Hat Job, The Lost Heir Job, and The Runway Job come to mind), and in The Inside Job Nate and Hardison straight-up say that Parker’s plans for breaking into the steranko building were as solid as anything Nate ever came up with. In season 3.

y’all were right, Parker grifting in The Iceman Job is incredibly hot

every episode is good, I love all of them, but the two-parter of The Three Strikes Job/The Maltese Falcon back-to-back blew my fucking socks off this time around

it’s so good. it’s so good. there are so many small things that I love. Eliot having to play baseball and actually getting really into it. (”They named a sandwich after me!”) The mob stuff, which is especially funny when every other episode of s2 involves some kind of mob activity (you’ve got the Armenian mob, the Russian mob, the Irish mob, the Chinese triads... seriously). Sophie coming back at the end, a twist that I completely forgot about, which made it that much better--seriously, I probably made the same face Nate did when she showed up.

Nate and Hardison pretending to be mob guys to interrogate the mayor... ngl, I thought it was a little bit hot

I love any kind of grift/subterfuge where the characters pretend to be People They Definitely Aren’t, so it was fun on that level too

and the ending of The Maltese Falcon Job... wow. I remember being impressed even the first time I saw it, because it’s an ending that ties seasons 1 & 2 together into one big arc not only for Nate but for the team. It’s incredibly dramatic (the double cross! the self sacrifice! the kiss! Nate gets shot!) but it’s not a cliffhanger, it gives us a real ending for these characters... they truly could’ve ended the show after season 2 and it would’ve been a complete, compelling story. Obviously I’m glad they didn’t! but just the fact that they could have... the writing on this show, I swear

If I didn’t already know that Sophie’s arc in s2 was written that way to shoot around Gina Bellman’s pregnancy, I would’ve never figured it out. Sophie’s arc in s2 is so good! It actually makes sense why she would want time off to explore and maybe find herself! and the rest of the team ends up growing from it, too! so many fun episodes of s2 hinge on Sophie, even if she’s not physically there. And again, the fact that she’s gone for most of the second half of s2 makes her return in the finale that much better.

Sophie cons her own team at the end of season one and Nate cons his own team at the end of season two. it’s parallelism

Moving on to season 3- The Reunion Job is so extra. I’m not even sure if it’s a good episode, but it sure as hell is fun

The last episode I saw was The Scheherazade Job, which I remember disliking the first time I saw it. I thought the hypnosis twist was dumb, came out of nowhere, and took agency away from Hardison. On review... I think I’ve softened to it. The episode points out that the hypnosis was kind of an asshole move; Nate outright tells Hardison that being the mastermind sometimes means manipulating your own team (and that’s something Hardison won’t do, because he’s a sweetheart <3). And the episode also notes that Hardison always had the skill to play that violin solo, just not the confidence. I still think the hypnosis thing is a little out there, but what holds the episode together for me is that final heist sequence. Organizing a heist set to a musical performance? Amazing. Brilliant. Showstopping. The opera scene from mission impossible: rogue nation wants what this episode has

and then Hardison gets up to play his solo and he plays it and it’s so beautiful that literally everyone stops to listen. Everyone is moved, including me. Parker starts crying. the team almost blows the entire con, just to hear Hardison play, and it’s worth it. It’s just... a breathtaking scene.

I... really like Nate. I love the whole team, obviously, and if you asked me to pick a favorite character I’d have a really hard time, but I do like Nate. I think he’s interesting and even relatable (in a few specific ways. Nate is also an asshole and I do not want to be like him). This is kind of unfortunate in light of the recent allegations against Timothy Hutton (tw for sexual assault if you follow that link). I’m still working through my feelings w/r/t Leverage since this news broke. obviously it hasn’t stopped me from rewatching the show, but... I don’t know. I still struggle w/ how to engage with media that I love when one or more of the people who created that media (and those characters) was a sexual predator. At the very least, I am glad that Hutton won’t be returning for the Leverage reboot.

[cryingcow]

Sera, Jingu, & Kazama - The Tojo Clan Secret [RGGO] - Ch. 4-5

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 .

A bit late because of emergency schoolwork, but here we go!

Previously: Jingu asked Sera if he is “ride or die” with him, which Sera answers with an enthusiastic yes (a declaration that he probably really regrets 17 years later). He then probably knocks on every Chinese restaurant in Yokohama, chases a boat with a helicopter, and wakes Lau Ka Long from his beauty sleep.

Warnings: Major Yakuza Kiwami/1 spoilers coming up. Also some super minor Y3 spoilers, where Kazama may or may not be vaguely referring to Joji

.

CHAPTER 4

.

[Tokyo Bay – Snake Flower Triad ship]

Sera: “If it isn’t Lau Ka Long . . . General of the Snake Flower Triad’s Japanese Branch.”

Lau: “Are you a regular yakuza? You seem to have quite the organizational strength.”

Sera: “Well, you’re close.”

Lau: “That’s right, that face . . . I remember now. The Tojo Clan’s Third Chairman.”

Sera: “I’m taking back the 10 billion.”

Lau: “Fu . . . I don’t appreciate you getting the drop on my men.”

Sera: “That’s on you. The one at the top should be the one who makes the best tactical decisions.”

Lau: “Wrong . . . The one at the top should be the strongest.”

Sera: “I can be that too. Don’t let your guard down.”

{Boss fight against Lau Ka Long happens. Sera defeats him.}

Sera: “It’s unlikely you could ever win against the entire Nikkyo Consortium.”

Lau: “Fu . . . you are a bad opponent.”

Sera: “I’d say the ones at the top are the ones with an edge. Unlike you, distracted by the game.”

{A Snake Flower member bloodied and bruised runs in.}

Snake Flower member: “Boss! It’s in their ship! They took the 10 billion!”

Lau: “What’s that?!”

Sera: “Thank you for buying us time by fighting with me. See you.”

Lau: “Tch! I’ll never forget this!”

----

|Next day.|

[Tojo HQ - Meeting Room]

Jingu: “Sera! You did well!”

Sera: “So . . . is that 10 billion to be managed by the Tojo?”

Jingu: “Oh, of course! If you manage the money, then I wouldn’t have a hand in it.”

Sera: “That’s true . . . but it’s still 10 billion. It’ll take some time to clean it.”

Jingu: “I don’t mind. It gives me time to deal with the police executives.”

 ----

|After that, Sera undertook the dirty work of Jingu, while Jingu secretly backed Sera.|

|A few years pass . . .| (It doesn’t say the year, but presumably it’s 1995/1996 now)

[Tojo HQ - Meeting Room]

Jingu: “. . . Sera. Thank you once again for your help.”

Sera: “As always. Come straight to me whenever you are in trouble.”

?: “Sera? Are you here talking with Jingu?”

{Kazama comes in with Yumi following right behind him.}

Sera: “Kazama-san. And also Yumi . . .”

Jingu: “Hello Kazama-san. Yumi-san.”

Yumi: “Jingu-san . . . “

Kazama: “Jingu. Don’t drag Sera into too much trouble. You may be an old friend, but he’s the Third Chairman.”

Jingu: “I already . . . I know that very well. By the way, Kazama-san, I actually promised Yumi-san I would drive her around today. I would like to ask permission from you as her guardian . . .”

Kazama: “What? Is that why you wanted to come to Tojo Headquarters with me?”

Yumi: “. . . yes. I’ll be out until dark.”

Kazama: “. . . is that so. Alright.”

Jingu: “Well then . . . let’s go, Yumi-san.”

{Jingu and Yumi leave.}

Sera: “Jingu seems to be getting along with Yumi lately.”

Kazama: “That seems to be the case . . . Yumi has changed a lot. I’ve been busy since she lost her memories about Dojima-san a few months ago.”

Sera: “Kazama-san, Yumi still hasn’t remembered?”

Kazama: “Her memory is still gone. She can’t remember anything about the incident . . . or Kiryu. She just needs time. By the way, what kind of man is that Jingu?”

Sera: “He is a man burning with ideals. He doesn’t shy away from power and he sticks to his aspirations. . . . he has many enemies because of that. In order for him to realize his dreams in the front world, I want to help him from the shadows.”

Kazama: “If that’s what you buy . . . then I guess I can’t say any more on the matter. But Sera, I’m worried about you, too.”

Sera: “Why’s that?”

Kazama: “Because a relationship between a government official and a yakuza always ends in tragedy.”

Sera: “Don’t worry. We’ve been inseparable since we were students.”

Kazama: “Is that so . . . in that case, good.”

Sera: (We worked together to crush the police’s scheme with that 10 billion. There is nothing to worry about . . . )

 .

-END-

.

CHAPTER 5

.

[Tea Room]

Sera: “. . . Jingu. What do you need help with this time?”

Jingu: “It’s a little troublesome.”

Sera: “Heh. It’s always been, so far.”

Jingu: “No, it’s a lot more so this time. I’m being shaken down by a civilian.”

Sera: “A civilian? Jingu, what did you do?”

Jingu: “A few years back, I faced a tough opposition. In a head-on battle, I didn’t gain much traction. The people I met at the time . . . I made a request . . . for them to obstruct the elections . . .”

Sera: “Election obstruction? You’d do that . . . ?”

Jingu: “I had no choice . . . There was no other way.”

Sera: “Who are you in trouble with?”

Jingu: “The owner of a building company. A former yakuza, though not associated with the Tojo Clan. He has a memo with my orders and is threatening me with it. They were rough guys; the election obstruction was done more than necessary . . . some people got seriously injured.”

Sera: “Assault on top of election obstruction?”

Jingu: “Sera! It’ll be bad if the public finds that out! My image would definitely be tarnished!! I’ve already solidified my position in parliament. The secretary-general has been hinting at it . . . “

Sera: “. . . what would you have me do?”

Jingu: “I want you to get back that memo. And I want you to take care of the man, make sure he never makes trouble again.”

Sera: “ ‘Take care’ . . . no way, are you asking me to kill him?”

Jingu: “N-no. If you can hurt him and threaten him into not doing it again, that’s fine. . . . but if he won’t listen . . .”

Sera: “. . . alright. Let’s do this.”

Jingu: “I’m sorry for pressing such a thing . . . !”

Sera: “I’ve dirtied my hands with far worse back in the day. But . . .”

Jingu: “What?”

Sera: (Kazama-san’s warning . . . a tragedy is created by establishing a connection between the government and the yakuza . . . I believe in Jingu. That feeling hasn’t changed. But . . .)

Sera: “Jingu. What about you and Yumi?”

Jingu: “What? That came out of nowhere.”

Sera: “You two are dating, right?”

Jingu: “. . . ah. Well, that’s correct. However, I’m thinking of breaking up with her. She’s all alone. I don’t think she has anyone she’s close to, and no relatives.”

Sera: “. . . ? What’s wrong with that?”

Jingu: “Sera. For politicians, engagement is a political strategy. Yumi has no relatives, and thus no connections. Kazama-san, who can be said to be her only family, is a yakuza. It’s a juicy story for those who want to burn me. I think he’s a good person. But . . . this could be a stumbling block to the realization of my aspirations.”

Sera: “Your girlfriend Yumi is Kazama-san’s family. Don’t play her.”

Jingu: “I know. I will break it off in good faith.”

----

[Builder’s Office]

{Sera and his men storm in, fight with the builder Imaeda and his lackeys, and defeat them. Imaeda is tied up and interrogated.}

Sera’s subordinate: “Didn’t you hear me? That memo. Take it out.”

Sera: “Answer the question. Where is the memo?”

Imaeda: “. . . I don’t know what you’re talking about . . .”

Sera: “He won’t talk. Torture him.”

Sera’s subordinate: “Understood.”

{Sera’s subordinate beats up the builder.}

Imaeda: “I’m used to . . . bastards like you . . .”

{Imaeda passes out.}

Sera’s subordinate: “Chairman, he’s completely out. He won’t wake up for a while.”

Sera: “Look around for a memo in the room. Then tie him up and put him in the trunk of the car.”

Sera’s subordinate: “What are you going to do?”

Sera: “It’s not enough to just hurt this guy. We need to end him.”

----

[The forest where people go to murder people, aka where Nishiki tried to shoot Kiryu. I’ll call it Murder Forest from now on.]

Imaeda: “. . . hnn. What? Where am I?”

Sera: “You’re finally awake.”

Imaeda: “My feet hurt. Is this- is this concrete? Damn it! What are you going to do to me?”

Sera: “The bottom of the lake is full of aquatic plants. When corpses get tangled up, they don’t seem to float up. It’s unlikely you’ll ever be found with concrete attached to you as you sink. Drowning sounds like a painful way to go. By the way, we’ve recovered the memo. But I don’t suppose there’s a copy?”

Imaeda: “Okay, just let me go and-“

Sera: “Oh well. It’s not like a copy would matter when you’re submerged in the lake.”

Imaeda: “W-wait!”

Sera: “Do it.”

Sera’s subordinate: “Yes sir.”

{Imaeda is dragged towards the edge of the lake. The sound of splashing water can be heard.}

Imaeda: “Wait! I no longer have a copy of the memo, and I swear I won’t get involved with Jingu ever again! Please spare me!”

Sera: “Is that true?”

Imaeda: “It is! I have a 5 year old son, I just want to live . . . !”

Sera: “Children can grow up without parents.”

{More splashing is heard.}

Imaeda: “Please!!! I’m begging you!! I’ll do whatever you want!!!”

Sera: “. . . alright stop. Help him out.”

{Sera’s subordinate drags Imaeda back onto dry land.}

Imaeda: “Ah . . . thank you! Thank you!”

Sera: “But . . . don’t forget the words you mentioned earlier. If you break your promise – no matter where you are in the world, I’ll hunt you down and make you sink. This time with your son. That would be sad. Oh, we forgot your wife. I’ll do the same to her.”

Imaeda: “Y-you devil . . . !”

----

[Car]

Sera: *on the phone* Hello. I’ve recovered the memo.”

Jingu’s voice: “That guy . . . did you kill him?”

Sera: “There was no need to kill. You’ll never face his bared teeth again.”

Jingu’s voice: “Is it really okay? I don’t want a scandal right now!”

Sera: “It should be fine, nothing to worry about.”

Sera: (Jingu . . . he’s impatient. That’s because he’s always been in the political world. I wonder what he’s willing to lose at bigger stakes?)

----

|A few weeks later . . .|

[Tojo HQ - Chairman’s Office]

Sera: “Yumi is . . . pregnant?”

Kazama: “Yes. It’s been 3 months.”

Sera: “That is . . . congratulations. And the father . . . ?”

Kazama: “It’s Jingu. Didn’t he tell you anything?”

Sera: “N-no . . .”

Kazama: “It seems we will not be able to make anything official until Jingu has settled his affairs. So for now it’s a common-law marriage. Yumi . . . I hope her eyes are set on the future.”

Sera: (Jingu, what are you going to do . . .?!)

 .

-END-

.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6

[knightthunderis]

Knight Thunder Chronicles

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

Time is a very constant thing. From the time, we are born until the time we pass from this life to the next, time is very constant. We are all given a special purpose in life, but it is revealed in God's timetable and when it is revealed, we are to keep with it until He says it is finished. Over the years, I had been a daughter, sister, wife, mother, warrior, defender, protector, and now a Guardian. And not just any Guardian, the ultimate guardian. I was Phaedra of Castle Galaxia, the protector of the Universal secrets and the various Guardian powers from long ago. This is the story of a time long ago, of myths and legends, a universe of warlords, kings and overlords who plagued the universe with suffering. Only one group dared to challenge their power. They were the Universal Galactic Knights forged and created by Jehovah to battle the forces of evil and return peace to the galaxy. They traveled the universe battling the minions of the evil Lucifer. Every generation was stronger than the one before. As time went on and the forces of evil were sealed away, my brother and the present Universal Knights settled into their roles as parents and royals. But still that lingering shadow of Keilyn's kidnapping remained. Six and a half years had passed since the imprisonment of the forces of evil we had faced, and peace had settled over our part of the galaxy, but I knew that it was not going to last. During the first few years, the Guardians, Cosmic Enforcers, and I continued the search for Princess Keilyn but sadly we were unable to find the world to which she was taken. It seemed that the search would never bear good fruit. The biggest question was: Where could she have been taken? I was startled out of my meditation by my name being called.

"Taryne, it is time for you to put your part of this search to rest for now." Jehovah said. "The Universal Guardians and the Cosmic Enforcers will continue the search for Keilyn. I have another job for you to do right now. You can resume your part in the search later."

"Father, I am sorry for my failures." I sobbed. "I feel as though I have failed you and my family. As the leader of the Guardians and the Cosmic Enforcers, I should have seen this coming, but I did not see it coming. By not preventing Keilyn's kidnapping by Borna, the prophecy of the Galactic Triad is not complete, and I have failed you in my duty as a Guardian and Cosmic Enforcer."

"No Princess, you did not fail." he replied sternly. "And you did not do anything that would warrant forgiveness. You know better than anyone that everything that happens, happens for a reason. There is a reason for everything and a time for everything as well."

"But without Keilyn, the Galactic Triad prophecy is not complete." I protested. "Borna thinks that he took the only heir. I wish to return to my family with the good news that their youngest child has been found."

"She will be found and returned to her family." Jehovah said. "But now is not the time. I have already sent her Guardians to her and she will have her destiny when the time is right but now is not it. It is time to gather the present Guardian Companions for the young ones."

I looked in the pool of images and saw Reimeiko and Aaronis now six years old playing in the Silverglade forest trying to hide from my son and daughter Reinar and Taryn. They were getting better at their tracking skills, but they were no match for Reimeiko and Aaron's synchronized thinking or their quick agility and speed.

"I swear Taryn gets more and more annoying every day." Aaron hissed to his sister through telepathy. "Training is one thing, but she has a bad case of making it an all-day thing and what is worse, she thinks she can boss us around."

"Calm down Brother." Reimeiko replied. "You are just giving her the ammunition against you. Why do you always let her tear you down? You know better than that."

"That is easy for you to say, Rei." Aaronis snapped. "She does not harass you about training to be a warrior because the kingdom needs to be protected. She does not understand that not only are we too young to be thinking about that but-"

"The parents and defenders can handle everything until we are old enough to train." Reimeiko said. "I know what you are thinking about. She will not be able to keep bossing us around forever, Uncle Keidar will put a rein on her soon enough."

I gasped as Reimeiko lost her footing then she and Prince Aaronis rolled down a steep incline and landed near a lioness who was badly injured and was guarding her lion cubs as well as two tiger cubs. I could see that she was dying but she was fiercely guarding the cubs.

"Easy momma." Reimeiko said through telepathy. "My brother and I will not harm you. I just want to help you. You have nothing to fear from me. Somehow I can heal your wounds by just touching you."

"It is too late for me, Princess." the Queen Lioness said. "The Tigers and us Priderians are being hunted to extinction. The mother of the tiger cubs has already been taken and I am afraid that I am not far behind her."

"Just rest Queen Marina." Aaronis said. "You will be alright. My sister and I will build a litter and we will carry you to Castle Reiden where you can be cared for and your wounds be healed. Please let us help you Queen Marina."

"I will not make it young Prince." Marina replied. "My request is that you care for the cubs, they would not survive on their own out here. Please Princess, you and your brother are their only chance to live."

"Very well Marina." Reimeiko said. "I promise that my brother and I will guard and care for the cubs with our lives and they will be our constant companions."

With that the Lion Queen drew her last breath and died. The lion cubs showed no fear as they approached Reimeiko, climbed into her lap and curled up seemingly crying over the loss of their mother. As she comforted the lion cubs that she named Samson and Jaira, the tiger cubs came out of their hiding places. Aaron slid down next to his sister and froze at the tiger cubs.

"Come on out you guys, it is alright." Aaron announced. "If Father will let us keep the lion and tiger cubs they will be our constant companions. I will name you two Ambrose and Jocasta. We need to talk to Father about putting a stop to these poachers. If they can keep going all of our special animals will cease to exist."

"I agree wholeheartedly with you Brother." Reimeiko replied. "But first we need to see about getting back up the hill, then we will see about talking to daddy about keeping the cubs and dealing with these poachers. Come on we have to get out of here."

Carrying the cubs in carrier packs, Aaron and Reimeiko made the climb of the incline where Taryn, Reinar, and the other young ones were waiting on them and the angry look on Taryn's face was priceless.

"As always we find you two slacking off on your training." Princess Taryn snapped. "How many times must we bail you out of trouble?" Angerly, Aaron moved to say his piece, but his sister stopped him mid-stride.

"Come on Brother, we do not have time for this." Reimeiko said. "Do not let her get to you. We still must speak to Father about stopping the poachers. Dealing with task master Taryn is the least of our headaches right now."

The group watched slack jawed as the twins walked passed them and toward Reiden Thunder. The young soon-to-be Knights broke into peals of laughter at the twins' humiliation of Taryn. Karyson Wolfe was the first to regain control of himself before he spoke up.

"Cool your jets Taryn." he replied. "Those two are not old enough to start training to protect the kingdom. It will be Thor and Kyiandra who will decide when it is time for Reimeiko and Aaron to start defense training, the same will be for the rest of them. Do not be so harsh anyway. It is not your place to be their boss or trainer."

"Well somebody has to whip those two into shape." Taryn protested. "The Parents and Defenders will not be able to protect the Universe forever. The more we youngsters learn the better we will be in the future when it becomes our turn to be defenders of the universe. Maybe we will even be chosen to be Universal Knights. But we will have to be ready if we get the call."

Karyson shook his head as he and the other youngsters followed Taryn back to Castle Reiden. Thor allowed the children to keep and care for the lion and tiger cubs and then began an investigation into the poaching. He met with his council about the whole situation.

"The Priderians are a very rare race." Thor announced. "But they are also very powerful. They are Animegis Knights; at least, members of the royal families. I have sent word to the Priderian King about the death of Queen Marina and the other Priderians. We are going to have to find out who is behind this and put a stop to this fast."

"But what can we do, Your Majesty?" Queen Armina asked. "The Priderians are a very proud race and would never be a part of any kind of Universal Alliance even though the Priderians are a part of our solar system."

"We must still try though." King Shayne of Corinthia protested. "The Priderians are very strong and if I remember correctly, they were once a part of the Universal Alliance."

"And with the Universal Alliance our people remain Corinthian King." Princess Siana announced entering the war room with King Jadus. "Although we have never needed help before with our people being killed off, it is apparent that help is now needed for us all."

"We Priderians are a very powerful race." King Jadus replied. "There is no way of knowing who it is behind the poaching, but we do know the reason behind it. Because we are a human like race and because of our variety of powers. Every time a Priderian is killed, the one who did it gains their powers, but they have always also been killed for the fur, claws, and teeth and the money gained is outrageous."

"We will find these poachers and put a stop to their endeavors very quickly." Queen Ariel replied. "You can rest assured of the promise of the Universal Defenders. These poachers will be brought to justice."

"Thank you, Queen, of Corinthia." King Jadus said. "With the combined forces of the Priderians and the Galaxian Alliance, the poachers will not stand a chance and you can guarantee the Priderians will join your alliance and be your allies for life."

Thor and Jadus shook hands and a new alliance and addition was made. The pool of images faded leaving my brothers, the Priderians, and the rest of the Universal Galactic Defenders behind in the shadows. I knew this was going to be a new beginning for everyone.

[alexhaydenxii-blog]

The Man Who Changed the Philippines

A short story

On a non-descript grey room, there sat a man wearing the orange jumpsuit of a prisoner and opposite him is a man wearing a navy-blue polo with his eyes looking intensely at the prisoner. In his hand he had a ballpen and the other hand is on his lap clenched in anger. As a journalist Martin must learn to control his emotions, or else this jackpot would go away like a fly chased by a human hand.

The prisoner didn't smile, he simply stared at the journalist waiting for an answer. Alexander is studying this man before him, observing every little body language he sends out involuntarily. He noticed Martin's jaw clenched and sweat forming on his forehead. The room given to them has good ventilation, why the hell would this man sweat profusely? He asked himself that. Finally the cold and silent atmosphere improved when Martin finally said something.

He laid out his phone on the table and pressed record. "I am Martin Andreas, the journalist assigned to interview Mr. Alexander Reyes, convicted drug lord and terrorist."

It was at this moment that Alex broke his silence by laughing. "Whoa, terrorist sounds a bit too much, what about a multi-billion drug lord who earned billions of pesos throughout my entire career." He boasted with a huge grin on his face, like a kid who found out that he is the top of his class.

Martin ignored his comment, but it made his heart pump hot blood throughout his veins. He felt an urge that made him rub both of his hands and take a deep breath before speaking. "As you have known I am interviewing you here today about your deeds that changed the country Mr. Reyes." Alex replied by nodding. "You were a notorious crime lord that caused the crime rate of this country to go up by 72%. Tell me, why did you choose the path of crime in the first place? You were an excellent lawyer, who came form a very prestigious schoo. what made you decide to become an infamous criminal in the first place?" Martin asked, preparing to take down notes.

A response was formed right away and Alex answered. "Short answer would be I wanted to change this country for the good, long answer is that I thought being one of the good guys would help me change the system of this country but I was wrong. Do you know who is Senator John Santos?" The reporter nodded.

"Of course you do, you're the one who reported his death on television. John Santos and I were close friends and we share the same passion to change this country. He became elected as Mayor of Manila and he ran for the Senate and won. That victory was the final nail in his coffin. He stepped on a lot of dirty politicians during his term and made laws that actually helped our country. Obviously the corrupt government officials wanted him out of the picture and they succeeded. He was gunned down on his own home with the rest of his familu and up until now no one knows who ordered the hit. Can you imagine that, his wife and three kids lied there bleeding with him." For a second Martin saw a hint of pity on his eyes, but only for a secomd.

"It was you." Martin suddenly said. The sudden interruption caught Alex off-guard, he simply smiled. "Oh wait, yeah now I remember. People thought I did it, but it's all bullshit. When there are no facts present, people turn to rumors and stupid theories which they use as an answer to the unknown." To Martin this is clearly bullshit, but then why would he need to lie since he is already convicted to rot here in this jail. Martin said nothing and let him explain.

"God this interview makes me feel old. If I remember I was a lawyer back then. A lawyer who is pissed off at the system. Can you imagine how many of the fuckers that I nearly convicted but was released due to their deep pockets? Fucking bastards. John's death was a blow to me, and also served as my epiphany. I decided that, in order for me to make real change, I must adapt and beat the assholes in their own game." Martin was surprised to see tears forming on the convict's eyes, tears that he fought hard to hide.

Still his arrogant tone is the same, but Martin could see the sadness in his eyes as he was speaking. "So you believed that by poisoning millions of Filipinos with the drugs you brought to this country, and also instigating a massacre in Binondo that killed defenseless Filipinos children and adult alike, it would change the Philippines?" Martin said, raising his voice. "Yes, I do. I worked so hard to be the drug kingpin of this country. I did what was necessary. Charles Darwin once said that the strong should survive and the weak shall perish. That's what happened. Those weak enough to try the harmful substances I brought died, those strong enough fought back against me and forced the government to do their jobs properly." The sadness he once had is now gone. He was like an artist, boasting his magnum opus to the world.

"5 million Filipinos died because of you Mr. Reyes, 5 million." Martin said, his face now turning red. "So? Should I care that 5 million useless Filipinos died? Filipinos that are what you call in Tagalog "palamunin"? Should I care about--"

"Because of that stupid shoot-out with the Chinese Triads in Binondo my sister died!" Martin shouted, standing up and striking the metal table with his hands. Alex didnt even flinch, he just stared at Martin. "The two guards outside despise me because I did something nasty to their families before, if you decided to vent out your anger on me with your fists you are welcome to do so." Alex mocked.

Martin grabbed him by his collar and raised his fist, clenching tightly. Should he do it? His face deserves to be reduced to a bloody pulp. He deserves so much pain, and all that power lies in his hands. Martin can't, it seems like an invisible chain tightened on his hand that prevented him from punching. He tried, tried so hard but he can't. Martin simply screamed, screamed like a bloodthirsty barbarian. His scream echoed loudly on the room. He punched the metal table instead before sitting down and taking a deep breath.

"Huh, your principles got the better of you. I admire that Martin, I am very impressed. Anyway, back to the main topic. If it weren't for me, those drug lords, crooks and politicians I dumped on Manila Bay would still be alive, stagnating this country. If it weren't for the gang war in Binondo that escalated into masaacre, the President wouldn't have the balls to push the Chinese out of our country. I'm sorry Martin about your loss, but look around you, I greatly reduced crime and corruption due to stricter laws that punish criminals and the sudden boom of rehabilitation centers in this country." Alexander's voice now started to get intense as he explained.

"Because of the great panic I created that disrupted this country, you wouldn't have the strength to fight back against the system. I served as the rallying cry for you to rise up and fight! Look what happened? Senators, Mayors and governors are being imprisoned left and right. They are replaced by Filipinos who have the country's interest first before their own. Yes, I did kill 5 million people, I had to do it in order for the next 5 million Filipinos about to come out of their mother's womb yo have a better life Martin. Now, tell me if I am still a terrorist." Alex said, his gaze now intensifying as all his words were delivered proudly, no inch of remorse present at all.

Martin had a thousand words he wanted to say to him, questions and insults but at this moment he was speechless, as if he accidentally swallowed his own tongue. The alarm rung out and the guards outside announced that the interview is up. Martin turned off the recorder, picked up his notepad and phone and walked out the room, without saying anything. He was in deep thought, he felt like being his teenage self again suffering with existential crisis. Everything around him seemed unreal. He thought of heroes as someone who is the epitome of all that is good in this world, someone who'll preserve life at all costs. But Martin lives in the real world, the real world where the Rules are different and there is no good and evil. Maybe Alexander did save this country, or maybe he was a mass murderer who condemned millions of lives to their deaths. But one thing is for sure, Philippines is vastly different from what it used to be. Perhaps the end really does justify the means.

[heavenlydreamerblog]

In Too Deep

Hey everyone, I’m back after a slight break. Hope you all enjoy this latest chapter. I love getting your feedback, so please let me know what you think of this latest instalment of the Jared, Shannon and Lexy story xxxx

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Chapter 16

One week later........

I’m counting down the days to Shannon’s party and I can feel a knot of dread building from deep inside. For the past few days I’ve survived on the bare minimum of sleep, either locked in the office with my head buried deep in accounts or – as I am now – pacing around Jared’s home, dealing with all the last minute preparations.

“Stop,” I shouted, motioning for the electrician to halt work for a moment. “Those lanterns are for outside not in here.” I sighed, wondering when someone would listen to my instructions. “Jared wants the smaller lights decorating the kitchen and this area,” I pointed to where we were standing in a vast hangar-like area. I could tell he was pissed, so I rushed off, letting him get on with the job.

Everything was coming together but I could feel the stress building as my phone vibrated constantly with questions, demands and people letting me down at the last minute. I huffed as it vibrated once more but decided to let it go.

Instead, I walked towards the sunlight at the back of the house, letting my bare shoulders brush against the cool white walls. It wasn’t hot outside but neither was it cold, just a soothing early morning hint of warmth. I made my way to the poolside, gazing at the water and remembering Jared wrapping his shirt around my shoulders. What did he say about me being his to tame? God the guy had some nerve. A sudden breeze sent a shiver through my body and I turned to reach for a blanket on a nearby chair. I sat there cocooned, lost in my thoughts for a precious moment. My phone vibrated again. “Hell fire,” I muttered. “Can’t I just have a moment’s peace.” I had two texts, both from Jared. I cursed myself for ignoring the earlier one.

Jared: How’s my party planner?  Hope everything’s working out. Call me back please.

I  felt the blood rise to my cheeks, knowing how he felt when I didn’t respond to his messages. I clicked on the second text he’d just sent.

Jared: Good to see you’re hard at work babe. You look nice and warm there.

I shot out of the seat, the blanket falling from my shoulders and landing in a heap on the ground. I could feel my cheeks burning and was glad my sunglasses hid my sleep-deprived eyes.

Jared was leaning against the door frame, hair tied up in a messy bun while those blue eyes burned holes through me. His lips curled into a smile and I knew he was revelling in my apparent discomfort.

“How long have you been watching me?” I asked, turning to scoop the blanket off the floor, busying myself folding it, avoiding eye contact.

“Long enough Lexy, long enough. I was worried when you didn’t call me back as I asked .... “ He pushed himself away from the door and padded over, bare feet on the cold paving slabs. I watched him move gracefully, his muscled body just visible under a tight fitting shirt.

He bent over and picked up the blanket I’d just discarded. “Come over here,” he motioned to me, holding out the throw. “I can see goosebumps,” he smiled, wrapping it tight around me.

“Jared, thanks but I’m OK,” I whispered, snaking my arm out and placing it against his chest. I needed some distance between the two of us. My night with Shannon was still too vivid and my emotional attachment to him was growing as fast as I tried to shut it down. “Let’s go inside. I’ll make you some tea,” I suggested, moving to put some distance between us. I hurried back into the kitchen, the blanket now trailing in my wake. I filled the kettle while opening and closing cupboards trying to find cups and plates to prepare breakfast. This was not in the remit of my job but anything to keep myself at arm’s length from him.

I raised my head up, sunglasses misting from the steam pouring from the boiling kettle. “I think you’ll have to remove them now.” The voice came from behind me and I felt his hands slide through my hair, gently pushing the misted spex from my face. “You need 20/20 vision handling something this hot Lexy.” I could hear the smirk without even turning round to face him.

“Could we please keep things professional  Jared,” I pleaded, aware of various people coming in and out of the building (at times it was difficult to call something this large a home). My back was sandwiched against the warmth of his chest as he pressed my hips against the counter top. “Stop,” I muttered, pushing back against him to create a little room. “I have a job to do and you’re not helping at the moment. Look,” I gestured out to the poolside. “Nothing’s been set up yet. No lighting because the electrician messed up. They’ve yet to construct the bar area and I haven’t heard from your DJ friend who pissed me off a few weeks ago. So, hands off me.”

I stomped off down the hallway but then cursed myself for forgetting he still had hold of my sunglasses. Taking a deep breath, I marched back to the kitchen, holding out my hand. “My glasses.”

His eyes held mine, before roaming down my body. “That’s no way to ask for something baby girl.”

I could feel my cheeks turn pink. “Don’t make me beg Jared. Just hand them over and let me go.”

“What do I get in return Lexy?”

I took a deep breath and met his gaze. God those blue eyes would be the death of me. “If you’re lucky Jared, in return you’ll have a party for your brother. But if you continue behaving like you’re doing, that’s looking less likely by the hour.” I held out my hand. “Glasses ... please.”

********************* 

Jared got the message. He knew how important this party was and at last gave me the space I needed. The day was spent in a whirl of details; some small and some so large they were giving me brain-ache after a few hours. The good news was the ambient lighting was sorted. I couldn’t wait to see what it looked like when the sun went down. But I wasn’t hanging around for that today. I called the office to check on things there. Jess answered, as usual on the first ring. “Hey it’s Lex,” I giggled, listening to Carrie cursing in the background. “Normal service resumed now she’s back in LA then? What’s flipped her lid?” I asked, at the same time directing some guy in tattered jeans and a ripped T with a tool box outside. “Sorry Jess, what did you say? I’m talking to you while trying to run a military operation up here.” I sat down, propping my back against some cool tiles and spent the next ten minutes catching up on office gossip. A text pinged on my phone and we said our goodbyes with promises to catch up later. I clicked on the message.

Shannon: I miss you x <3

I smiled, realising how much I’d missed hearing his voice and feeling his arms wrapped around me, hugging, soothing and massaging away my worries. I didn’t bother returning the text and hit call instead.

“Hey, I miss you too,” I whispered as soon as he answered. “Where are you?”

“Home. What about you?”

“Working still. It’s been a bit hectic and ... look sorry I haven’t called.” It’d been a week since we were last together and there hadn’t been a waking moment when I hadn’t thought back to how our bodies reacted to each other, the sexual spark ignited by promises we’d both made. “Look, I’ll be finished in an hour, how about taking me out for a walk somewhere quiet. I need to escape ... with you.”

“Who are you escaping with?” The voice was curious. I hadn’t heard Jared approaching, so lost was I in my brief conversation with Shannon. “One moment,” I whispered, covering the phone with my hand.

“Don’t  let me stop you Lexy.” He crouched down on the floor next to me, his eyes watching as I hid the phone beneath my hand. “Have you something to hide from me baby girl?” A smile curled his lips, watching as I squirmed under his gaze. My cheeks were burning. I gripped the phone. “I’ll call you back,” I muttered before ending the call and shoving the phone into the back pocket of my jeans.

“Do you think, just for one moment, you could afford me just a degree of privacy.” I glared at Jared, who was  squatted in front of me, balancing on his toes. “I’ve finished for today,” I continued. “You have a list of things completed, things still to be done. The latter I’ll be back to work on tomorrow. Now, Jared, I’m leaving.” I pushed myself up from the cool floor, angry that he’d interrupted my chat with Shannon.

“Who were you talking to?” His voice was curious, maybe tinged with a hint of jealousy.

“None of your bloody business.” I stomped back into the kitchen where I’d left my bag. I grabbed my car keys and turned to leave. Jared was watching my every move. I knew I’d have to return in the morning, so I closed the distance between us. “I’m tired J,” I explained, searching his eyes for a hint of understanding. “I have to go meet someone.” Against my better judgement I allowed my lips to brush the corner of his mouth. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  ********************* 

“So who is this mystery client?” Shannon watched my reaction closely as he took two bottles of water from the fridge, placing one of them on the breakfast bar in front of me. “Baby girl? That’s some term of endearment for a business meeting.”

“Shan, it’s not what it seems, please listen to me.” I took his hand and pulled him closer, close enough to let my fingers trace the outline of the triad tattoo on his neck. “It’s a job, that’s it. It’s a well paid job, the client is demanding and you will understand – soon, I promise.” I felt myself holding my breath, refusing to break eye contact until he spoke. I remembered last time we were together telling him there’d be no second chances. The question was, would he give me a second chance?

His hand moved to the nape of my neck, his fingers tangling into my hair. His muscled arms pulled me tight to his chest, my head buried into his shoulder. Then I heard the click of a shutter.

“Stay there, don’t move, I love feeling you so close.” I knew he was on his phone behind my back.

“Who are you texting Shan?” I tried to swivel round, but he held me tight.

“Nobody, nothing for you to worry about.” His lips brushed across my cheek, finding my mouth. “It’s been a long time since I felt this way about anyone, so I decided to quash all those rumours about my love life.” His tongue traced across my teeth before he nibbled my bottom lip. “I can’t believe what I’ve just done.” His hazel eyes were as alive as I’ve ever seen them. I laughed, feeling a warmth spread through me.

“OK, what have you done?”

He looked away, biting his bottom lip. “I just posted a photo of us on my Instagram account.”

Stay tuned for what happens next. It won’t be long x 

[juuls]

do you outline your fics?

*scratches head* Er… yes?? *coughs*

I do! But it’s very… erratic would be the right word. So basically what happens is that I come up with a premise. Occasionally I come up with a first chapter, the first part of the story, and go with that for a little, and then sit down and plan. But usually what happens is I have this concept I want to write. Like, for a recent example…

I knew I wanted to write a Pacific Rim fic for Stuckony.

I kept mulling over that idea in my head until I had something a little more stable to work off of.

I started to write down notes in whatever order they came to me, in my ‘notes’ document or in Notepad on my phone, which was later transferred to said document.

I started to place the notes into some semblance of order and then expanded, expounded, extrapolated, etc. on them. I would also get rid of ideas that wouldn’t fit with the picture of the fic that was emerging as I worked with these notes (this process takes me several days or even weeks when starting a new fic, or even a fic idea that has never seen the light of day).

Continue to write notes as they come to me in the same manner as the above, as I start to actually write and post my chapters.

I usually have an end goal for the fic loosely in place once I start the fic (it falls under the ‘premise’ of my fic, as I really do need something to work towards) but it can change as I go along. 

Sometimes as I write notes for one chapter I come up with ideas for later chapters, so I copy those notes in their entirety to another section of my notes document that is for later plot points/scenes/ideas. 

I create big points that I want to work towards but those small events and interactions that occur between those big points can, and often do, change as I write each chapter. I’m constantly reassessing what is best for the story, for the characters, for the feel of it all. I try to let the characters and the story dictate what it, they, want. They are, after all, dynamic. I try to listen to them. Thus… change is natural and often occurs. 

Addition: My outlining process involves my lovely beta @cuthian. Oftentimes I will write out notes to myself that are in the format of me asking questions to myself and her. 

So in short: I do outline, but it is rather messy. And outlines that I make often change as I go. Mostly I just sort of ramble at myself and jot down notes and then shove it into some semblance of order. The notes are mostly for me to keep track of things and not forget important ideas, but I rely mainly on the idea that’s continuously swirling around in my head.

Here’s an example from an earlier chapter of Hanging From a Cross of Iron where I was coming up with what exactly I wanted to happen, including smaller details. This is one of my more usual types of notes/outlines these days, where I basically just talk to myself/my beta. :P I also included an example of my more… straightforward and strict outlining process from a little over two years ago. The example used is from my old Star Wars story, Gradations. You don’t need to know what’s going on to check out the style of outlining.

(@cuthian is a wonderful gem of a beta and a great friend and I am so lucky to have her.)

Thank you for asking, anon, and sorry for taking so long to reply! xoxo

My original note:

Steve’s PoV, finishing his watch before dawn and then wakingthe others up. His thoughts on Toni, on the soulbond, on what she’d told them.How he didn’t want another soulmate except Bucky. That if he’d known about themarks (which Bucky and he found after talking to Toni the night before) thenthey would have avoided the area. Or at least he would have wanted to. Hewasn’t so sure about Bucky, though. Bucky seemed to like Toni. How Triad bondsare rare. How her tech really does look like Hydra stuff and maybe he’d getHoward to get a look at it. Trying to figure out what to do about her,especially when they were supposed to be attacking a Hydra base that night.

All the above as they’re getting their gear together andbreaking up camp and getting on their motorcycles. He isn’t really cold to Toni, per se, but he’s not warmeither. Doesn’t quite know what to make of her. Dugan sort of takes her in, orat least makes friends with her. Dernier and she hit it off when she noticeshis explosives. She loves explosives,even though she’s no longer making weapons (could be a place for her toreference that, but probably not till later, honestly). She borrows someclothes and boots from the spare sets (maybe Morita is a close enough match).

Who does she ride with? Dugan?

Toni PoV. Ride is mostly uneventful and at lunch she gets toknow the Howling Commandos better while keeping track of Bucky and Steve whokeep their distance.

They arrive at the Hydra base. Steve tries to tell her tostay behind and she’s like fine whatever. But as she’s watching from a vantagepoint she notices another group of soldiers approach in trucks and though she’spretty sure Bucky notices them, she decides to go in and handle them on herown. She’d been given binoculars (or ‘borrowed’ them). She feels faint emotionsthrough the still nascent bond between her and the boys.

(Maybe split chapter here? I’m keeping them between 2 to 4kwords. Especially if I make it a detailed attack in the following section.)

She races back to the motorcycles and grabs a shotgun, someexplosives, and pulls out one or two gadgets she brought with her from thefuture accidentally (not sure what yet, but likely an earlier version of thewatch repulsor glove, and maybe a miniature version of Jarvis who she couldmaybe get connected to Hydra’s tesseract-run systems – or something likethat?). She helps them avoid getting all killed somehow, though it’s not likeshe singlehandedly saved the day.

End with them… wondering what her weapon is? Wondering ifshe’s a spy and is trying to gain their trust so she can get information?Wondering what she got from the base with Jarvis? Or do they trust her afterthis? Might depend what happens in the attack.

 @cuthian wrote back:

I like this so far,seems like you’ve got it planned out pretty well and the sequence of eventsmakes sense. Couple of questions though, and I’m just going to list them here,because they’re really just overarching ones:

-       DoesSteve explicitly tell Bucky he’s not too sure about Toni and ask him to stay alittle more distant from her? Or does Bucky do that on his own, feeling thatSteve is wary and following his soulmate’s senses on it? ‘Cause you’ve totallygot room to do something like… Steve is looking down at his feet andhunching his shoulders as though he’s still that skinny five-foot-nothinglittle shit that stole Bucky’s heart even before he knew what that meant, andBucky understands, hell, he knows that trusting Toni right off the bat isdangerous. He ain’t dumb. He also knows his Stevie gets possessive and unsure andneeds reassurance. “Come on, pal,” he chuckles, forcing levity into his tonethat he hasn’t felt since he got shipped out. “Look, I know this isn’t whateither of us expected, and Lord knows I don’t know the best thing to do either,but Stevie…” He curls his hand around the curve of Steve neck and presses histhumb to that goddamned chiseled jawline until Steve looks up at him frombeneath long lashes—prettier than any dame Bucky’s ever seen. “Stevie, we’re inthis together. To the end of the line, remember? You’re always going to bestguy. It’s always you and me, Stevie. Always.”

-       For Dugan…I’m pretty sure he’s usually the loud, boisterous one. the Wikipedia on him says “Dum Dum Dugan is a belligerent but witty person,a gentle giant who hates injustice and is extremely loyal to his comrades. As amember of the Howling Commandos, he is recognized as one of the most skilledsoldiers in US Army. He is highly trained, and he possesses a great amount ofstrength.” he’s also the one that takes command of the Howlies after Steve dies, so Iimagine he’s already heavily involved in the strategic planning of missions andwhile he likes to joke around, I imagine him being quite serious when he needsto be. He and Bucky were pretty good friends too.

-       Dernieris the oldest of the group. He strikes me as a little reckless at times, butonly in appearance, because he actually does know what he’s doing, even if itdoesn’t look like it to the others at the time. Wikipedia exerpt:  “Expert Marksman: Afterjoining the French Resistance, Dernier became proficient in firearms usage.After being freed by Captain America during the Liberation of Allied Prisoners of War,he wielded a Tesseract-powered HYDRA gun with relative ease, killing multipleHYDRA soldiers with it. Explosives Expert:Being considered the explosives expert of the Howling Commandos, Dernier had the ability to single-handedlyplace a bomb under the manifold of a HYDRA Mini Tank and destroy it.”

-       Justwondering if Toni’s got any sort of martial arts training or combat experiencebeyond the things she’s able to do with the suit? Maybe something she got intoafter Afghanistan, to take back control over her body or something?

-       LOL, ifshe runs into the fight, blows shit up, I just imagine Bucky and the otherCommandos staring and then Bucky turning to Steve and going, “There’s no doubtshe’s our damned match, Rogers, she’s as reckless as you are.” xD

Okay, I hope that helps a little :D  

(Also, here’s an example of how I USED to outline my fics, back when I was writing Star Wars. It was quite a lot more… linear and particular. As you can see with the crossed out section, I would cut things out and move things around, but when I was just about to write the chapter and the one right after it, those notes were pretty set in stone. Though… as I would write the chapter, things could and would change if the characters wanted them to!!)

[pluckyredhead]

Daredevil 101: The Nifty (Late) Nineties

Last time on Daredevil 101, Matt had yet another nervous breakdown, and Foggy finally found out, after 30 years of canon, that his best friend was Daredevil.

Now, with Matt having un-faked his death, he, Foggy, and Karen are free to settle into a new status quo - and it’s a refreshingly light-hearted one! Honestly, I would say this is the peppiest Daredevil ever is - there’s less melodramatic thought-bubbling than the Silver Age, and no undercurrent of severe depression like in the Waid run. It’s just sheer, pleasant fun.

In fact, it’s basically a romcom, with wacky misunderstandings and lots of workplace shenanigans thrown in. Which, considering we’re talking 1996-1998, is right on schedule.

Over the next three posts we’ll be covering Daredevil Volume 1 #353-375, mostly by the creative teams of Karl Kesel/Cary Nord and Joe Kelly/Gene Colan (the latter of whom also drew much of Silver Age Daredevil, aw).

Content Warning: Reading between the lines, emotional abuse by a parent.

We begin with Matt deciding that the best way to announce his return to the world is to stroll into the courtroom during one of Foggy’s cases and just start arguing it alongside him, creating a media circus. Foggy’s...less than thrilled:

How on earth would he know you’re really blind, Matt? You never a) explained anything or b) apologized, you literally just jumped out the window and ran away.

Anyway, they don’t have time to go into it (and Matt gets to skip out of apologizing again) because they get a shocking message:

1. Foggy, you are a fashion icon, never change.

2. How does he know Rosalind Sharpe? And why is he so agitated at the prospect of meeting with her???

Meanwhile, Karen's trying to find her own direction in life:

Matt’s always been pretty careless and jovial about Karen selling out his secret identity - he has literally never tasked her with or blamed her for it - but it weighs on Karen. Also, I don’t blame Karen for not being sure what job to take, since her last two were “handing out anti-porn pamphlets on a street corner” and “running a drug addiction hotline,” both of which are noble causes but neither of which seemed to come with a salary.

Side note: this haircut is very dated but it is my 100% favorite Karen haircut of all time. So kicky! So fresh! So Monica Gellar circa Season 2! I love it.

Meanwhile, Matt’s gone back to “swashbuckling banter-er” when it comes to fighting crime:

I mean, Matt’s jokes are stupid, but that’s part of the point. At least he didn’t say “Talk to the hand” or “Don’t have a cow, man.”

Later, he and Foggy meet with Rosalind, and she offers them both junior partnerships in her firm. Foggy instantly, gleefully accepts, but Matt’s more reluctant:

So yeah, Rosalind is a stone cold bitch, and I don’t use that word lightly. I think she’s a fascinating character but not because she’s, like, not an awful person or anything. (For anyone reading this who doesn’t know why this is so awful: Rosalind is Foggy’s biological mom, though Matt and the reader don’t know that at this point. That’s why this means so much to Foggy.)

It’s also pretty baffling, because Rosalind declares Foggy “adequate” and Matt “astounding,” but Matt has been a) disbarred and b) declared dead twice, while Foggy is a former district attorney and legal counsel to both the Fantastic Four and Tony Stark around this point in time. The perceived wisdom about the characters up until Bendis takes over in a couple years is that Matt is a brilliant attorney and Foggy’s a fumbling buffoon, and both Kesel and Kelly steer hard into that curve, but not only does it not match what the characters actually do, it never made any sense from a character point of view. Why would Matt, The Greatest Lawyer Ever, saddle himself with an incompetent? And how could he run The Most Successful Law Firm In New York while dragging Foggy’s dead weight behind him when it’s canon that he barely ever has the time or emotional capacity to do legal work? I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS FOGGY NELSON SLANDER!

Anyway, Matt and Foggy take some time to hash it out (though Matt obviously doesn’t tell Foggy about Rosalind’s ultimatum), but it’s a tense discussion considering how hurt Foggy still is about the Daredevil thing:

“I can only say I’m sorry so many times, Foggy!” Maybe start with once? That’s a good number to begin at, Matthew. (This “UGH get OVER it” attitude continues for a while, btw, until Foggy finally stops bringing it up. Gee, I wonder where he learned to put up with such belittling dismissal from his loved ones?)

That’s Liz Osborn at the door - formerly Liz Allan, Spider-Man’s high school dream girl, now the widow of Harry Osborn, mother of his child Normie, and head of OsCorp. Foggy helped her with a legal matter recently and she’s come to, well...

Yeah, she’s there to ask him out. GET IT, GIRL. Liz knows what’s what. (Well, she does now. Not so much when she was 16, but then who among us did?)

Check out Foggy’s foreshadowing about Rosalind there in panel 2, btw.

Matt, meanwhile, realizes that he really does owe Foggy this after, you know, the lying to him forever thing, so he tells Rosalind he’s in, on one condition:

Yeah, so Rosalind wants to fuck her son’s best friend, right? That’s what’s happening here? I mean, I kind of get it - Cary Nord draws a hell of a Matt - but also Jesus Christ, no, Rose, keep it in your pants.

And so Nelson and Murdock becomes Sharpe, Nelson, and Murdock. Meanwhile, Karen is fully on board the Foggy/Liz train:

Matt, as usual, is deliberately obtuse/borderline resentful of the fact that Foggy might have other relationships. Oh, Matthew. I’m sure if you just tell Foggy you’re in a triad with him and Karen he’d be on board.

Hey look! It’s Misty!

(She’s the investigator for Rosalind’s firm. She’s also talking about Danny there, yes. They dated pretty consistently in the comics for like 40 years. They’re very cute. COMICS DANNY IS BETTER. Anyway I like it when she and Matt flirt.)

Oh and hey, while we’re here, let’s have the one-two punch of Nelson and Murdock in action. ONE: Matt, having badgered Foggy into defending a supervillain for convoluted Daredevil reasons, fails to show up in court:

Foggy, you are a sartorial wonder and a joy forever, I love you. (Seriously: KILLING. IT.)

TWO: Matt bursts in, either in costume or out, with evidence he’s just come into possession of that’ll blow this case wide open!

There you go, that’s every Daredevil trial scene ever except for the time Matt made Peter dress up as Daredevil so that he could cross-examine him.

Please note Rosalind cackling evilly back there, because she’s trying to get Foggy to throw Matt under the bus, because...she resorted to extortion to get Matt to join her firm and now she wants to ruin his reputation? Which will hurt hers to? Again, Rosalind’s so busy being calculating and cutthroat that her actions frequently don’t make any goddamn sense.

But this is also pretty much the moment that Foggy lets go of his resentment over Matt’s secret and re-pledges his troth, so I feel a lot of feels about it. Even if I would like to see Matt dangle a bit longer.

Meanwhile, Karen’s found a job, though she’s been a bit cagey about what it is with Matt. Why? Well, she’s a late night DJ/talk radio host...but for WFSK, which is owned by - you guessed it - Fisk. But she’s great at it!

This dialogue is 100% ridiculous but also 100% believable, can’t you just hear her cadence? If you’re old enough to remember this kind of thing, at least.

Rosalind has decided to turn Foggy’s friendship with Daredevil (who of course she doesn’t know is Matt) into a win for the firm by branding him as “Daredevil’s Pal,” so she calls in and puts a very startled Foggy on the phone so that he can talk about his relationship with Daredevil:

YOU GUYS. I’M CAN’T. <3 <3 <3

A few callers dial in with weird theories and questions (“What if he has weird bug eyes?” “Whatever happened to those funny little kids he used to hang out with?”), but then “Mike” from the Bronx calls to ask what Karen - I mean, “Paige Angel” - thinks of Daredevil:

Karen goes on to say that Daredevil’s saved her life, and she wouldn’t be the person she is without him. “Mike” replies that Daredevil must be blind...if he can’t see how lucky he is to have people like her in his corner. He adds that whoever Daredevil is, he’d probably be impressed that “Paige” is trying to do some good from the inside at a place like WFSK.

Karen, not being an idiot, recognizes Matt and is touched. And Matt, who’s just heard his two favorite people wax rhapsodic about how wonderful he is?

AWWWWW LOOK AT THIS HAPPY BOY! You enjoy it, buddy. You don’t get to have it too often.

Next up: Nelson family drama, and the return of two of Matt’s old flames!

[stainedglassthreads]

Triad: Chapter 18

Triad

Arc 3: Waterfall

Part 1

Genocide

The human stumbled into the tunnels, sullen and quiet. The moment that they saw flowing water, they rushed towards it, trying desperately to get all the dust off their hands and out of their hair and clothes. The attempt left them soaking wet, but they didn’t care anymore.

It didn’t work. It didn’t do anything to ease their conscience.

...There was someone else. A reptile, yellow scales, yellow and darker yellow shirt, about as tall as they were…

They didn’t want to talk to him. If they had killed both Toriel and Papyrus without meaning to then, well…

Nobody was safe, were they?

They hurried out of that chamber.

They stepped as quickly and silently as they could. They weren’t quite sure what they would do if they came across another Monster.

It was only when they came across a patch of grass, in a very dim part of the cavern, that they stopped. And that was mainly because they had seen… it.

Whatever it was was in some very tough looking armor.

...They felt uncomfortable.

The human tried inching away, but that made the grass rustle, and the figure immediately whirled around.

Its armor clanked noisily as it stepped forwards.

And then it summoned a gleaming cyan spear.

The human, for a brief moment, contemplated running out of the grass and getting hit by it.

...No.

They couldn’t do that.

They were too determined.

They slowly sank to their knees, eyes fixed on the shining point.

A second passed.

And another.

It allowed the spear to dissipate.

And it backed away into shadows.

The human couldn’t breathe. They hit their chest as hard as they could with their stick, and then inhaled sharply. Then they were breathing too fast. They pressed their fingernails into their palms until they could get their breathing to slow down.

...It made sense.

They’d done bad things. If that was Undyne… then she was probably here to punish them for it.

Inside, they realized they had been waiting for this… They thought Flowey would be doing it, though.

After killing Toriel, they had felt so sick and guilty. And they had kept killing anyways. And after killing Papyrus… They just felt numb.

When you did something bad, you were supposed to feel bad too.

This was punishment for doing that, and not feeling anything.

...They couldn’t accept it, though.

Their fear of death filled them with determination.

They stepped out of the grass… Only for that kid from before to step out after them, all starry-eyed and awestruck. That reptilian armless one.

The human stepped away, stick raised. They didn’t feel fear, or anger… It was almost on instinct.

It was just something that they felt they were supposed to do.

“Yo!” Monster Kid chirped, paddling his feet excitedly. “Did ya see the way she was staring at ya? That… was AWESOME!! I’m sooooooo jealous! She was just standing there and waiting forever and then--!! THEN!!” Monster Kid gasped. “C’mon! Let’s go watch her beat up some bad guys!” He dashed away at an unsafe speed, which caused him to faceplant. This apparently didn’t faze him at all, though, as he immediately got up and raced away again at the exact same speed.

The human gripped their stick tightly with their left hand, gripping their left sweater sleeve with their right hand. In the next area, there was a strange sight…

...Then again, they should be no stranger to those kinds of things, since falling down here.

Four flowers bloomed in the water, created a strange kind of bridge. The human peered into the water to judge how deep it was.

...They hadn’t really looked at themself in the water before, but now they noticed it… Their cheeks were starting to show. Maybe they had washed themself a bit too much before…

...It didn’t look too shallow, though. So they tested the flower…

And even when the human put their full weight onto the flower, it held. They walked forwards, testing each bloom with their stick before stepping onto it.

They continued making their way through the twisting caves. They barely gave a thought to slaughtering the monster they encountered. It was a reflex. Something… they just did.

They that those bridge flowers were always in the exact place they were needed was very convenient. They offhandedly wondered if the monsters in the caverns gardened the flowers in those spots on purpose for convenience.

They entered another small passage. A plaque on the wall declared it to be the ‘Wishing Room’. Scattered throughout it were beautiful luminescent flowers, petals and stems softly radiating cyan blue light. The petals seemed to grow in a way that created a cup. It bathed the entire area in an eerie and haunting light. The human turned to glimpse over their shoulder, half expecting a ghost to be behind them. The room’s mood was certainly creepy enough for that. Then they looked upwards, and slowly sucked in a breath.

They remembered faintly seeing stars in Snowdin, before they passed out and woke up in Papyrus’ shed. Or, not really stars, but crystal shards they could pretend were stars.

There were crystalline shards here, too, and they shone.

It was so quiet. They human barely realized they had slumped to the muddy floor as they watched the false stars.

Even when they realized it, they didn’t get up. They just felt tired, and drained. Remembering their encounter with that armored figure… Now they couldn’t find the energy to even be afraid, or have a sense of urgency.

Maybe the fact that they felt this was their punishment contributed to that.

When they finally did get up, they shuffled vacantly onwards. They noticed the telescope in the room, but once their eyes left it they didn’t pay it any more heed. They wandered out of that particular chamber, and felt their shoes hit the wood of a sturdy dock, creating echoes of footsteps. Slowly moving water whispered softly nearby.

The human noticed something different in this chamber. The walls on the other side of the room had some strange sort of plaque, bordered by the glowing crystalline shards. They looked along the wall, from left to right… There were multiple plaques.

A story?

They trudged up to what they assumed to be the first plaque. It was very old, and the traced their fingers along the engraved words to try and get all the dust that had settled in it over the years out. They squinted at the words.

“The War of Humans and Monsters.”

...The human walked towards the next plaque, curious. They allowed their hand to trace across the stony nooks and crannies of the wall, and their stick to drag against the wooden dock.

“Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. Indeed, it would take the Soul of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human Soul.”

Next…

“But humans have one weakness, ironically, it is the strength of their Soul. Its power allows it to persist outside of the human body, even after death.”

“If a monster defeats a human, they can take its Soul. A monster with a human Soul… A horrible beast with unfathomable power.”

...The next plaque had no words. Just a picture of a strange creature that sent chills up the human’s spine.

They pushed themself away from the wall, walking swiftly away from the plaque. The picture. And into inky blackness. They used their stick to navigate it, tapping it ahead of them to make sure they were really going to step on to sturdy docking, instead of falling.

If they fell again, they may end up somewhere even worse.

...If they fell again, they may end up someone even worse.

On second thought, that was a silly fear. They were the worst they could be.

Soon enough they entered the light. They walked forwards… And stopped suddenly, a blazing cyan spearshaft quivering inches from their nose. They looked about wildly for its source, and were shocked to find the moment they had looked away, the spear had vanished again. Had they just imagined it? Were they going crazy? Or…?

They looked around again, and this time locked gazes with… That armored figure.

That knight.

Fear, adrenaline, and an overwhelming urge to flee to survive and live, coursed through their veins.

So they did.

They didn’t bother tapping to discern what planks were safe to step on, the human simply began running. Their legs seemed to be imbued with a new power allowing them access to boundless energy. Energy that they would desperately need, as more cyan spears were flying towards them.

One nailed them in the ankle, and they let out a pained gasp, before continuing to run. If they paused from the pain, two things would probably occur. Either they’d be in a lot more pain in a split second… Or they’d never feel pain again.

...Perhaps that second option wasn’t as bad as it first seemed.

They weren’t human. They were worse than a monster.

Maybe it would be better if they just vanished.

However, even if they did truly wish to commit to that course of action, while they were thinking their survival instincts had completely hijacked their body. Careening at such a speed that they were almost flying, with complete disregard for bumps or bruises that they may obtain.

After all, there was a good chance they may sustain an injury far worse than a bump or bruise if they didn’t keep up this pace.

Bobbing and weaving. Jumping and rolling. They weren’t even winded, which they were glad for, because there was no time at all to catch their breath.

In an odd way, they were also somewhat grateful for the spears, as they were a wonderful source of light.

Then suddenly that source of light was gone, as they dodged into a patch of tall, wild grass. Their foot hit an unseen stone, and they fell face first into mud and crushed grass blades.

All their exhaustion suddenly caught up with them. They stayed, huddled in the grass, trying to gasp for air as quietly as they possibly could.

And then when they heard clanking metal and heavy footsteps crushing grass, they stopped breathing entirely.

The knight grew close. Far too close.

They thrust out an arm, which went far over the human’s head, grabbing something else? And from the grass, they pulled out that monster kid from before.

Still, the human did not breathe.

The knight stomped off. The human slowly exhaled as silently as they dared, and proceeded to crawl out from the grass.

When they were fully clear, just as they were about to stand up, the monster kid raced out of the foliage and collided with the human, causing both to fall to the ground. Monster kid proceeded to scramble to his feet with surprising speed. He beamed at the human.

“Yo, did ya see that!?” he yelled, excitedly. “Undyne ju--just TOUCHED ME!!”

He appeared to be in full on fanboy mode.

“I’m never washing my face again,” Monster kid spoke ecstatically. Then he seemed to notice the human again, and frowned. “Man, you’re so unlucky. If ya were standing just a little ta the left…” He shook his head wistfully, before perking up again. “Yo, don’t worry! I’m sure we’ll see her again!” He the proceeded to whirl around and dash away.

The human then turned their attention to their ankle. Like the other times they had bit hit by magic attacks, it didn’t have a physical wound. But it still hurt.

They slowly stood up, and began moving forwards. Leaning on their stick at times, trying to put their weight on their other leg, but still walking relatively fast.

That knight might come back, after all.

They were hunting for the human. The human really doubted they would stop hunting anytime soon.

The human entered a chamber with a telescope and looked up, taking in the shining crystals attached to the ceiling of the chamber.

Not for the first time, they wondered if it really would be so bad if they just sat there, and waited for the knight.

A slight flicker flared up in their Soul. Determination. The will to press on. They weren’t sure why it was there… They were no longer in immediate danger…

...Maybe it was just that they wanted to see the real stars one last time.

They pressed on. Deeper into the complex of tunnels.

They ended up in a marsh. The mud was black, and the water winding around the muddy islets was almost luminescent, a bright cyan.

Like the spears.

The human was suddenly a bit more uncomfortable about this area.

They tried picking up the pace even more, but the black mud simply sucked at their shoes every time they lifted a leg to take a step, making walking seem to be a massive effort.

When they finally got out of the mud, they sighed in relief, and immediately noticed something.

Another plaque.

Curiosity gripped at them, and they walked over to it to read it.

“The power to take their Souls. This is the power that the humans feared.”

...The human kind of understood why they would fear that. What with all the monsters down here after their own Soul. They instinctively touched their chest.

They continued moving, until they came across the next set of plaques.

“This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster’s Soul. When a monster dies, its Soul disappears, and an incredible power would be needed to take the Soul of a living monster.”

A memory of Toriel’s death drifted across the human’s mind. Or rather, right after her death. The human shoved it away before they could dwell on it.

“There is only one exception. The Soul of a special species of monster called a ‘Boss Monster’. A Boss Monster’s Soul is strong enough to persist after death, if only for a few moments. A human could absorb this Soul, but it has never happened.

And now it never will.”

The human stumbled back, blinking. And decided to move on.

There was a statue in the next chamber. And in the one after that, a garbage can full of umbrellas. They ignored both.

In the room after those two, was that monster kid. He, unfortunately, was more difficult to ignore.

“Yo! Ya can’t hold an umbrella either?” Monster Kid asked.

The human began walking away, ignoring him.

“If you’re walking away, guess I’ll go with ya, haha…” he said, sheepishly, before jumping up to follow.

They walked in silence for exactly thirty seconds before Monster Kid began talking.

“Man, Undyne is sooooooo cool!” he raved. “She beats up bad guys and never loses! If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night, knowing she was gonna beat me up! Hahahahaha!”

The human decided not to remark at this.

Exactly thirty seconds of silence passed.

“So, one time, we had a school project where we had ta take care of a flower. The king--we had ta call him ‘Mr. Dreemurr’--volunteered ta donate his own flowers. He ended up coming ta school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking… YO!! How cool would it be if UNDYNE came ta school!? She could beat up all the teachers!”

Again, the human chose not to remark at this.

Thirty seconds. On the dot. Like an alarm clock.

“Ummm, maybe she wouldn’t beat up the teachers… She’s too cool ta ever hurt an innocent person!”

The human did not remark about this either.

They looked down, and began walking once more.

…

…

…

Wow, one hundred twenty seconds! It was a new record!

They were contemplating this miracle, when they walked directly into a ledge.

They backed up and stared at it, contemplating a way to somehow scramble over it.

Monster Kid grinned at the human. “Yo, this ledge is way too steep… Hmmm…”

The human stared for a few more minutes, and began walking away right before Monster Kid began speaking to them once more.

“Yo, ya wanna see Undyne, right? Climb up on my shoulders.

The human refrained from asking what shoulders, and instead did just that.

Monster Kid winced. “Owww… Yo, try being a bit less rough, haha… Anyways, I’ll look for another way through! See ya!”

Monster Kid dashed away. And the human walked off, finding yet another set of plaques.

“The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy.”

“In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single Soul was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust.”

...From what they had seen, that sounded about right.

The human continued walking, and came across a rather gloomy bridge. They started crossing it… Only for a small cyan puddle of light to form on the wooden boards.

And then there were two.

Three.

Eleven.

Spears suddenly exploded from the bridge, narrowly missing the human.

The moment that the spears faded the human was off and running.

They then entered what was practically a maze of bridges, dodging the spears that would coalesce around them.

They ran and ran, backtracking when they hit dead ends, and narrowly avoiding falling off of the bridge more than once.

Soon it was just a single long bridge they were running along, dancing around the lethal lights.

And then it was nothing.

The human skidded to a stop to avoid going over the edge of the bridge.

They whirled around, raising their stick up defensively as their pupils dilated and heart-rate accelerated, prepared for a confrontation. Their stick blazed with channeled determination.

Slowly, the knight approached them.

Their mind raced. Fight or flight.

Fight or flight.

They eyed the gaping abyss behind them.

Even if this had been an area where a fight could have been undertaken…

...They made a choice.

They slammed their stick against the bridge, red flaring up and then exploding everywhere. And the boards… began to melt. The human’s end of the bridge became unstable.

And so they fell.

I’m scared.

I don’t want to die.

I don’t want her to kill me! 

It’s… kill or be… 

The human woke up.

The moment that they realized they were on a bed of golden flowers they screamed and leaped up, backtracking into about four inches deep of mucky water.

It took them three minutes to realize that none of the flowers were Flowey. They collapsed to their knees in relief and exhaustion. And suddenly realized that they were crying.

Then they suddenly realized something else. They were still alive.

They weren’t quite sure why they were crying. Or what they were feeling. They couldn’t feel the chill water soaking their shorts and socks and skin, but they could feel the rush of adrenaline sagging and clinging to their Soul in the form of something else.

It took them a few moments to recognize it. Resignation.

They couldn’t keep running, or hoping for it to end.

The next time they and the knight faced off, one would have to die.

They slowly stood up, and began trudging through the water. As they moved, they saw quite a few haphazardly stacked piles of garbage, teetering slightly as they passed.

While walking, they took their time. Fortunately, they did not appear to have sustained any injuries while falling. Apparently they had not fallen particularly far.

They navigates their way between more towering heaps of garbage, and didn’t even notice the dummy sitting forlornly amongst them.

...Well. They didn’t notice it until it, without any warning whatsoever, suddenly leaped in front of the human, splashing filthy water everywhere. If the human had not been soaked before, they definitely were now.

“FOOL! Ignoring me!? I am a ghost that lives inside this dummy. My cousin used to live inside a dummy, too! Until YOU CAME ALONG!”

The human frowned. This other dummy apparently hadn’t made a very prominent mark in their memory.

“Not only did YOUR actions cause them to leave their home, but now all of their neighbours are gone too!” It began shaking violently. “Despicable. Despicable! DESPICABLE!”

The dummy was so very made that it had somehow turned red. “YOU’RE THE WORST PERSON I’VE EVER MET! I’VE NEVER BEEN MORE MAD!!! GuuuuuuUUOOOOOOOOH!!! My mannequin levels are goiNG OFF THE CHARTS!!!!!”  

The human fell backwards from the sheer force of the dummy’s screaming. There was a bright flash… and the dummy’s appearance changed.

The dummy bent down to inspect its appearance. “This… this feeling? Eureka. Eureka! EUREKA!!” It turned to the human, grinning widely. “Human. That moment of unbridled emotion. It allowed me to finally fuse with my body! I’m fully corporeal now! My lifelong dream, realized! In return, I guess I won’t stomp you. How’s that sound?”

The world flickered and drained to black and white.

The human reacted, leaping towards the dummy and striking it with their stick.

The stick cleaved the dummy in half, scattering cotton everywhere. Then it all disintegrated into dust.

It got up their nose again.

They suddenly remembered the other dummy, the one it had been talking about. Something similar had happened with that one.

The human sneezed, and noticed their reflection in the water.

They were dirty and dusty and soaked. Bits of trash stuck to their skin and hair and clothes. Their hair was wild. Their blue and pink sweater was soaked. Their eyes and cheeks were bright red. They looked like an utter mess.

They hugged themselve, shuddering slightly. They started wondering if they had sneezed because they were catching a cold, rather than because of the dust.

They began trudging forwards again. Standing knee-deep in water would do them no good if they were catching a cold.

They waded out of the water, and onto solid ground, and sat on the ground again. They started trying to wring out their sweater and shorts, without taking them off., and trying to wipe the water off of their skin. Some way to get themselves drier, and warmer.

They patted their nose, to make sure that their bandage was still there, and not peeling off. It had been waterlogged, and started sticking off, so they pressed it down harder so it would stay.

They felt like… Like this was all different. Like they were different too.

That they should try keeping everything they had come here with, because they were scared of losing what they had left of them.

There was only one way to stop their changing that they could think of. They’d have to make a choice.

Them or the knight.

They stood up again, and began staggering along once more.

They walked along, and saw what looked like a shop off to the side…

...They ignored it.

Soon enough they came across the next set of ancient plaques, they traced their fingers across the old grooves as they read them.

“Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful Soul can leave.”

“There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human Souls, attacks the Barrier… It will be destroyed.”

The human stared at that one for several moments.

Seven.

They were one. How many did they have already?

...Although.

They weren’t human anymore. Did they even count?

They trudged onwards to the next plaque.

“But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever.”

...Indeed. No way.

Like they had just said, they weren’t a human, were they?

...Would a human do this? Kill indiscriminately, just because it was the first idea in their head? They wouldn’t right? The words humanity, and humane, books and movies and stories about what it means to be human.

The human had, ironically, lost that along the way.

They needed to be stopped. 

...They were starting to become unsure if they wanted to be stopped or not.

…

...They continued on.

Now it was dark and gloomy. They were wading through muddy water again.

It was so dark. So very dark. They stumbled about in the inky black before their foot accidentally kicked a flower.

A voice echoed. “Behind you.”

They turned around. The knight was there.

They stared each other down.

The knight approached, slowly. Menacingly.

And then, for the first time that they could remember, the knight spoke.

“...Seven.”

The knight’s voice was serious, intense, almost theatrical. Filled with anger and authority. And, surprisingly… feminine.

She straightened up, positively glowering at them.

“Seven human Souls. With the power of Seven human Souls, our king, King Asgore Dreemurr, will become a god. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the Barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity and give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured.”

The knight paused, before the volume and spite in her voice increased. “Understand, human? This is your only chance at redemption. Give up your Soul, or I’ll tear it from your body.”

They quietly informed the knight that they were not human.

“Liar. This may be my first time encountering a human, but no monster would ever do what you have. Murderer.”

They told the knight that they didn’t know what they were. But a human wouldn’t do this, either.

They told the knight that their Soul was probably worthless to the monsters.

The knight trembled, rage shining in her one visible eye. “...Stop your stalling!” She lifted her hand, a radiant cyan spear coalescing in it, and stomped towards them.

They raised their stick. They needed to be stopped, but they were unwilling to die quietly.

The knight charged, only to stop when Monster Kid leaped out from a patch of wild grass. “Undyne!!!”

There was a very awkward moment and Monster Kid glanced about wildly.

His eyes settled on them. “YO!!!!! Ya did it!!! Undyne is RIGHT in FRONT OF YA!!!” Ya’ve got a front row seat ta see her fight!!” He gave them a friendly headbutt, before resuming his glancing about wildly. He paused, a mildly confused look on his face. “...Wait… Who’s she fighting???” He gave both they and the knight helpless faces, hoping that one would provide him with an answer.

None did.

Instead, the knight grabbed him and dragged him away. Monster Kid let out a yelp, and began calling out. “H-hey!! Ya aren’t going ta tell my parents about this, are ya!?”

They were left alone with their thoughts.

They decided they didn’t like their thoughts, and so proceeded forwards as fast as they possibly could.

The next passageway they passed through was beautiful. Strange spheres of golden light lazing about in the air, and pretty cyan blossoms sprouting from the water…

...Lazing.

They wondered what had happened to Sans.

They had killed Papyrus, and never heard or seen anything from him again.

...His brother had been very dear to him.

Was he grieving? Plotting revenge?

...Had he gone to join his brother?

They thought that the last one might have been rather likely.

They found another plaque at the end of the passageway.

“However… There is a prophecy. The Angel, the one who has seen the surface, they will return and the underground will go empty.”

Their mind interpreted that in two ways.

One, everyone will leave and go to the surface, or two…

...They weren’t an angel. Angels were forces of good. It was the first one.

It wasn’t ever going to come true now, though, probably.

They moved on.

And stepped on to a bridge.

They began slowing down, not wanting to move too quickly and fall off, when they heard a familiar voice and stopped.

“Yo!”

They turned around to see Monster Kid several feet behind them.

He slowly approached.

He looked terrified. He was trying to put on a brave face, but they could tell easily. He was glaring at them, his mouth set into a pouty line, as he tried to mask his fear with righteous anger, but his tail was waving from side to side and his knees seemed to be all locked up.

He walked all the way up to them, until they were mere inches apart.

Then he spoke. “Yo. Undyne told me to stay away from you. She said you… You hurt a lot of people.” He paused, and his mask cracked. He looked scared, but at the same time… He was trying to smile. Trying to smile reassuringly, trying to appear harmless and friendly and helpful and brave. “But, yo, that’s not true… right?”

They said it was. His face fell, leaving just fear for a moment. “I-i… that’s…” He was trying to smile again. It was more like a fearful grimace. He turned to the side, opening and closing his eyes, trying to calm himself down desperately.

They regarded him.

He was just a kid.

Then again, so were they.

An idea crossed their mind.

If everyone was gone… No one would miss each other.

Maybe they could be an angel. And angel granting merciful death, freedom from this place of despair. It wasn’t like the monsters wanted to be down here, if the plaques were any indication…

Maybe they didn’t need to be stopped.

Maybe they just needed to put everyone out of their misery.

They told Monster Kid that everything was going to be okay. They hadn’t hurt anyone.

He turned back to them, his face filled with confusion. “Wh-but--huh? But you said that--”

It was okay.

They weren’t going to hurt him.

“That’s… that’s a…” He smiled. He was crying. “That’s a-- a relief! I was… You had me… Had me really worried there, man! But yo, hey… Don’t--d-don’t sweat it, it’s just… I’m not crying, I’m just… So r-relieved…” He was crying. “I thought, I thought maybe--”

They raised their stick. He widened his eyes.

“Y-yo, not funny! Th-that’s not a very nice j-joke, man--!!”

It’s not a joke.

He backed up. They advanced towards him.

Hold still. It’ll be over soon.

Your angel’s here to rescue you.

“I-i-i-- h-hel--!”

No need to panic. This is what you wanted.

Freedom.

Several emotions flickered rapidly across his face, before the world drained of color.

He was trying to look brave.

He failed.

They swung their stick, blazing brightly with determi--

23468

The someone shoved Monster Kid away, leaping in front. The stick pierced her eyepatch, and horrible black goo began dripping out, sizzling along her left cheek.

The knight.

Undyne.

...They were not going to be stopped now.

Never.

Monster Kid was crying again.

“U-undyne… You’re… You’re hurt…”

Undyne gave Monster Kid a toothy grin. She seemed totally unbothered by the caustic black goo dripping out of her eye socket and melting part of her face. “Hurt? It’s nothing. Next time, listen when I tell you to leave, okay?” Some of the goo dripped onto her breastplate, sizzling as it burned through that as well and onto her chest. She didn’t even wince.

They stared at the black goo coating the point of the stick, right underneath the dancing fires of determination.

No… It was not underneath them.

It… it was the source of the bright red flames.

“Undyne… I…” Monster Kid sniffled.

“I’ll take care of this!” Undyne hissed, wiping some of the goo off with her glove, as the liquid burned through the leather and caused her hand to involuntarily flinch. “Get out of here!”

Monster Kid reluctantly took a step.

The another.

Then he was racing away as fast as he possibly could.

Undyne smirked slightly.

They noticed dust lining the edges of her gloves and armor.

“Heh. ‘It’s nothing’... No… S-somehow, with just one hit… I’m already… Already…”

They stared at her, frozen, watching as the dust drifted out in flakes, and the dark liquid kept dripping down further along her armor.

“D… damn it…” Undyne muttered. She didn’t sound as angry as she had before. Now she just sounded… hopeless. Wistful. Her voice was weakening, fading. She hung her head. “Papyrus… Alphys… Asgore… Just like that, I… I’ve failed you…”

More flakes of dust. White dust drifting like ash, like snow, off of the bridge.

She was almost gone, before a weak, distant voice like an echo of the wind spoke up. One last gust as the storm slowly died. “No…”

And suddenly, it reversed.

A slight gust kicked up. Dust seemed to spiral back together, rushing and twisting and fitting back together into a shape it had memorized long ago, glued back by that same dark liquid. A snowy explosion in reverse, a small white and black tornado, slowly regaining color and definition.

And that final wind’s echo spoke again. Spoke with clarity, and renewed vigor.

They felt something stir within them.

This was unnatural. This was familiar.

This was their own determination, but not.

This was Undyne’s determination.

They had been unwilling to die, but they had not considered that Undyne wasn’t willing to die, either.

The voice slowly gained volume and strength, but there was a blazing fire, an undying passion running beneath it all the same.

“My body… It feels like it’s splitting apart. Like any instant, I’ll scatter into a million pieces. But… Deep, deep in my Soul… There’s a burning feeling I can’t describe. A burning feeling that won’t let me die.” She grinned.

She knew. They knew.

“...If I fall here… If I fail to stop you… You’re not going to ever stop, are you? Not until someone stops you. And right now… I know I am the one who can end this!”

Undyne made eye contact with them. And pointed a wavering, pure white spear. “Demon. I, Undyne, will STRIKE. YOU. DOWN.”

And it all exploded again. It scorched them. Brilliant, beautiful crimson and cyan flames danced, before revealing…

Undyne. But different.

Not dying, for one. With very impressive armor, for another. With strange red embers dancing about her empty left eye socket. And with a glint of cerise in her spear.

She smirked at them.

“You’re going to have to try a little harder than that.”

They raised their stick, glaring at Undyne.

Red fires burned with determination.

They lunged, striking her chest with their stick--

Three spears bloomed from their chest.

They gasped, falling to the hard wooden planks. They felt warm blood oozing out. They tried grabbing at a spear, but it just burned their hands.

Another spear shot into their neck.

Everything went dark.

[jokers-sweethearts]

Trust Pt. 1

A Jared/Joker x Daughter Crossover Fic

Part 2

What happens when you wake up in another life? Another body? But you and the people you love are still out there? What happens when you see yourself and the person you love more than anything? What would you do to get them back?

What will Jared... the Joker... do to get his daughter back, from himself?

////////////

   Jared made his way up to his daughters bed room to wake her up, clutching the new Gucci box that just arrived. He gently knocked on the door and peaked his head in, she was curled up and still in dream land. He made his way in and sat down next to her, she looked so beautiful and comfortable it took all his strength to wake her up. He began with a kiss on her forehead, when she didn’t move he tickled her side over the blankets knowing that would do the trick. She groaned annoyed at him and covered her head with a pillow ignoring him. 

   He knew it would be a long, emotional day for her and felt guilty for getting her up so early. Felt guilty for doing this to her at all. He sat there for a few minutes letting her enjoy some more rest. He desperately wished he could crawl under the covers to cuddle her and rest himself, but his phone vibrated pulling him out of his trance. He looked down, it was Emma.

Remember to get to the airport at least an hour early. I’m sending the car over to get the rest of the stuff from the house. They said it should be in New York just a few days after you. She need coffee?

   Jared laughed to himself, Emma was always business, business, business, he remembered the days when he was like that. Before his daughter came along and taught him how to slow down and relax more. He looked at her still asleep and sighed, knowing the coffee was the only thing to keep his daughter from being too upset.

Yes. As many expresso shots as you can without making her heart explode. 

   Jared put his phone away and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “baby, come on time to get up” he was met with more groaning. “I know I know but we have to go so we won’t miss our plane”.

“I hope we do” she said back to him with a fierce attitude. 

“Vanessa.... don’t take that tone with me. I know you don’t want to do this but”

“Then why are you making me?” Vanessa pulled the covers down to expose her face.

Jared couldn’t tell if she was angry or on the verge of tears, only thing he knew for sure was that the look on her face hurt him. 

“It’s just for a little while baby while I film, then we’ll come back I promise” he leaned down to kiss her and she reluctantly allowed him. While he was kissing her forehead he brought the gucci box in his hand to her. “I was hoping this could help ease some of the tension. That and Emma is going to have a large cup of coffee for you” he smiled at his daughter, like a peace offering.

   Vanessa smile back as best she could and sat up to accept her present. She wasn’t going to lie to herself, she felt it was the least her dad could do. After pulling her away from her school, friends, everything she had known in LA to go to a new city just for a movie. She hated being dragged around because of his career. But her dad was her whole world. The only one she could really trust, who had always been there for her. As mad as she got at time and tried to rub it in his face, she could never make it last. She took the box from him and opened it up. It was a gold heart necklace with a small triad symbol in the middle. Vanessa smiled more genuinely when she saw it, having nostalgia wash over her.

“I thought it’d be fitting. Remember I made this for you when you were little? One of the first pieces of merch for the band we had really. Figured since it all worked out, I’d get you one that was actually worth something” he said remembering the early days. He promised himself that one day he’d get her things of value, things he never had as a kid.

“I thought the original was pretty cool” she looked up, her soft eyes trying to convey appreciation. “But having it gucci is really cool” she smirked.

   Father and daughter took a moment just to get lost in each others eyes. Taking in the happiness of the moment before all the turmoil that was sure to come ahead between them in the new life they were going to create for the next few months. 

“Come here” Jared said opening his arms. The hug was more a command than an offer, and Vanessa followed the order. He held her tightly, knowing it’d be the last one in their home for a while.

“Okay okay let me go” Vanessa said pushing away at him. He teasingly held onto her and tickled her more just to get another smile. Until his phone vibrated again.

I’m on my way to the airport now. 

   Emma snapped Jared back into work mode. “All right, get dressed and pack what you need in your carry on. Dress comfortably for the plane” he got off his daughters bed and headed out to search the house one last time. 

   Vanessa threw her covers off and put her new gift around her neck. She looked in the mirror and a part of her longed for the old one back, along with those years when everything seemed so simple. 

..............................

   Vanessa could feel her heart beating faster and faster as they got closer to LAX. She had a last minute thought to just jump out of the car and run. She hoped deep down inside her dad would say fuck it and turn around and keep driving until they reached the edge of the earth. But she knew he never would, he was too practical and wouldn’t do that, even for her. She didn’t know if she was thankful for that or resentful.

   Jared pulled into a free spot and switched off the engine, he looked over at his daughter who barely seemed to notice they stopped moving. He ran his hand over her shoulder to try and give some comfort. She felt it but ignored it getting out of the car. Jared did the same and grabbed their bags from the back seat.

“Stay close to me with the paparazzi running around” he said sternly. 

   They made their way inside scanning the crowd for Emma, the camera flashes began immediately and Jared motioned for his daughter to go to his other side and avoid them. They were ruthlessly invading their space and trying to get a shot. It always took everything he had not to punch them in the face. It was just another thing for him to feel guilty about.

   Vanessa walked faster to get away, praying Emma would appear with coffee soon. She could feel the anger building up again. Being uprooted, moved again, and now the cherry on top the paparazzi hounding her. 

   It felt like years for both of them getting through checks and security but once they were finally seated on the plane, and Vanessa was half way through her coffee, things calmed down a bit. The skies were turning grey and the pilot came on announcing a small storm passing.

“You okay” Jared leaned down and asked his daughter, knowing turbulence was her least favorite part of flying.

“Fine” she shot back coldly. 

   Jared got the hint and left her alone, he figured it was the least he could do. Just let her take the ride to relax. He spotted the necklace that was hidden by the sweater and reached over to pull it over her shirt. It dangled down and he felt a small sense of pride looking at it, slightly easing his guilt. Vanessa continued to stare out the window letting him fix her chain. The storm was more than a small one, the flight across the country was making the entire plane uncomfortable but they eventually made it to JFK without too much trouble. It wasn’t until they began to land that the thunder and lightening really picked up. When they finally escaped and made it inside Jared directed his daughter to take a seat in the back near the windows so she could watch the storm as him and Emma tried to figure out what to do.

“The apartment is ready right?” he asked her trying to keep his voice down so Vanessa wouldn’t hear him. Emma nodded getting the point.

“The car should be outside waiting if you guys are ready? I’ll meet you later in the night.” 

“Ness” Jared said grabbing her arm, “let’s go” Jared picked up their bags and they headed out to find their car.

   The entire ride there the storm didn’t settle, the streets were flooding slightly and the sky was almost black. 

“Where’s the hotel at?” Vanessa asked with her eyes glued to the outside.

   Jared breathed out deeply, he wanted to avoid the subject as long as possible but telling her was inevitable now.

‘We’re not...” he toyed with his hands in his lap “We’re not going to a hotel baby”.

   Vanessa turned around and gave him a confused look, finding it odd her father wouldn’t look at her back. “What does that mean? Where are we staying?”

“I got us an apartment. We’re only a few minutes away”.

“Dad” Vanessa said in such an angry tone it made the driver look in the rear view mirror. “Why do we need an apartment if we’ll only be there for a few months?”

“It’ll be longer than that baby. We are going to live here” he admitted, defeat in his voice.

   Vanessa felt the tears welling up in her eyes, when she tried to speak it was like an invisible hand wrapped around her throat preventing her. Jared didn’t dare look at her, he knew his little girl would be in pain. When they pulled outside the building Jared jumped into action mode getting their bags and paying the driver, trying to avoid what he knew he did was wrong. He only looked at her and saw how broken she looked when she didn’t get out of the car. He threw the hand in his hand under the opposite arm so he’d have a free hand to take hers and lead her in the complex. In complete silence they headed up to their new home. Jared barely had the door unlocked for a few seconds before his daughter stormed in past him.

“So you just lied?” she yelled at him and he shut the door.

“I didn’t lie baby”

“You said we’d only be here for a few months. Now we’re living here? That’s a lie. Why would you do that to me?”

“I knew how hard it would be on you” he walked over to her and took her face in his hands, wiping away the tears that were falling with his thumbs “I wanted to make it as easy on you as possible. Baby you have to understand that”.

“I understand, dad” she pulled away from him. “I understand that I should have known better. This is what you do” Vanessa was filling up with the same fury she had when she first woke that that morning. She knew it. She tried to remember what she told herself. That she loved her dad, that he was the only person she had, but every time she thought about it the lie came back. The thunder outside the building matched her rage.

“What does that mean?” Jared asked trying to grab her hand to pull her back to him. But she walked around the apartment looking around and headed down the hallways. 

“Where’s my room? Since we’re living here I better get comfortable” she ignored him.

“Vanessa I asked you a question. What does that mean?” he caught up to her and tugged on her hand. She turned around to face him but ripped it away.

“It means when people don’t want what you want, you lie. You manipulate to get them to agree. You knew I’d be unhappy here so you lied. I bet there’s not even a movie to film”.

“Ness don’t be ridiculous. I’d never want to hurt you on purpose”

“Well you did” she snapped at him. Vanessa felt the tears she had fought so hard to hold back begin to win. She turned from him and ran down the hallway, turning into the first room she found. Jared tried to run after her but was met with a door slam in his face.

   He rested his forehead against it, and knocked gently calling her name. But all he heard was her soft whimpers on the other side. He felt a stinging sensation in his chest. He wished he had the strength to beat through the door and make it all better. He wished he was irrational and could just shoot off the handle, take her, and run away. He wanted to continue to knock and convince her to open the door, but the heart ache made it impossible for him to speak. 

   He headed into the living room, through the windows he could see the lighting shooting down from the sky. The storm was so vicious the lamps were flicking and paintings on the walls shake. The few decorations he had arranged to be hung up, to try and make it a place she liked, were useless. He didn’t care if they fell or broke now. 

   He laid down on the couch and ran his hands over his face, his head was pounding from all the stress. He didn’t even want to think about starting to film a new movie. About diving into a role again, devoting so much time to something and away from her. He never doubted himself or his work, only ever his ability to be a father because he wanted to badly to be perfect. And he fucked up. He laughed under his breath thinking about his other roles and what he’d have to do again. What his characters would do. Maybe if he was really the Joker he’d know what to do. Then he could really break down the door and tell her that they could run away and never worry about anything again. Imagine that, the Joker making her more happy than he could.

   He kicked off his shoes and decided to sleep on the couch, maybe this way he could hear when she finally unlocked the door and came out. She had to eventually.

   The storm raged on outside. Every few minutes new thunder bolts reigned down and shook all of new york. Jared was tossing back and forth and kicking in his sleep. Nightmare after nightmare rolled into his head. He broke out into a cold sweat but wouldn’t wake up. His body jolted around on the couch more as his nightmare became harder to make out. All he could see were flashes of green, hear something that sounded like gun shots, a view of purple and bright lights. A crack of thunder outside sounded like a bomb had dropped. Jared screamed in his nightmare before he felt hands on his chest.

“Dad!” Vanessa cried out and his eyes shot open. He grabbed onto her arms and looked around the room. “Dad I can hear you screaming from down the hall are you okay?” 

   Vanessa didn’t want to be next to him so mad, but his screams were scaring her more than the storm outside. 

“I’m...I’m fine baby” he let out in heavy breaths. “Go back to sleep” he knew he wasn’t feeling right. Whatever he was dreaming scared the living shit out of him. He was just happy to be awake then. 

   Vanessa got up and moved out of his grip heading back down the hallway. He wanted to try and talk to her again, but he wasn’t in his right mind. He had to recover from his nightmare or whatever it was first. 

..................................

“Dad!” Vanessa’s voice echoed in his head. He could see his daughter but couldn’t reach her. He tried to extend his hand but nothing was there. He knew he was dreaming but couldn’t wake himself up. “Dad!” her voice screamed again and he opened his mouth to let out a cry. When he did he left the dreamworld and woke up to darkness.

   He felt around looking for the lamp on the table next to the couch, but didn’t feel it, beneath it it felt more like a bed. He figured he might have gone to his room and not remembered. He felt around for a nightstand and when he found it switched on that light. 

   He could barely open his eyes as he stood up to get the blood flowing through his body again. He ran his fingers through his hair but immediately became confused. Why was his hair shorter? Where was all of it. He went to feel his beard but it was gone. His eyes shot open and he looked around. Nothing was familiar. It wasn’t his apartment. Wasn’t his bedroom. He was sure he had to be dreaming. He closed his eyes and held them before shooting them open again. Same room. 

   He turned and saw the door and began running to it, but he stopped dead in his tracks after he passed a mirror hanging over a vanity. He couldn’t believe what he had just seen. He stepped back slowly and was met with his reflection. But it wasn’t him. Staring back at Jared was the pale, tattooed, green haired villain he had played not long ago. 

“I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming” he kept saying to himself. But his voice wasn't his own. It was the He touched his bare chest, his face, his hair,  he pinched his arm but when he didn’t wake up he slapped himself harder. He didn’t wake up. “Vanessa” he whispered. He had to check on his daughter. Hearing he voice would wake him up he figured. It was a dream, nothing had to make sense. 

   He ran out of the room and called out for her with no response. He felt paralyzed looking around. It was the Jokers apartment he spent so much time filming in. He called out his daughters name again but she wasn’t there. It felt so real standing there and calling for her. 

“Boss” a voice behind him said and almost made him jump fifty feet in the air “Boss who are you calling for? Who’s Vanessa?”

   He turned around to see Johnny Frost. But not the actor. He was there in his black suit and purple tie. Looking at him like he was the crazy one. Immediately his mind went to the worst scenario. Someone had to be playing a sick joke on them or someone was after them. Were him and Vanessa kidnapped? All his confusion took him over and he lunged at the man before him. Pinning him against the wall. He was surprised by his own strength. 

“Where’s my daughter?!” 

“Wha.... what daughter?”

.

.

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Hope you enjoyed the first part! If you would like to be on a tag list for the ongoing chapters, please reply below with “tag” thanks guys!  🖤

[braverydefined-blog]

where do you see john's life going if he had not died when he did? or do you think it was an "act of fate"/inevitable?

RANDOM CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS  /  ALWAYS ACCEPTING !!

this is honestly one of my favorite things to talk about !!!   it’s 1am so sorry if this gets a bit rambly but here it goes !!   (  trigger warnings for suicide ,   depression ,   and alcoholism.  )

the thing to remember is that john never PLANNED to survive the war ,   so he doesn’t have a backup plan for survival.   so in verses where john survives ,   he’s basically entirely aimless.   he doesn’t see any kind of future for himself     –––––     the only things he really could do are law   (  since his father forced him to go to law school ,   instead of studying medicine as john wished to do     –––––     if he had been allowed to study medicine ,   i can see john using those skills and being less purposeless after the war ,   but alas  )   or politics   (  which is ,   honestly ,   something he’d 100% rather die than do     –––––     he didn’t have the stomach for law ,   he certainly couldn’t stand being a politician  ).   he hates both of those options so much.

the good news is that he’s rich ,   still ,   so he wouldn’t necessarily HAVE to work.   the bad news is that he gets RESTLESS real fast.   this purposelessness isn’t good for him     –––––     it quickly makes his depression a thousand times worse ,   combined with the fact that he wishes he had died during the war   &   the fact that the one reason he would stay alive is alexander and alexander is now occupied between law  /  politics  /  eliza  /  his children.   john would hate to feel like he’s intruding on what alexander   &   eliza have or somehow fucking up their relationship ,   so he’d distance himself from alexander ,   which only serves to make everything worse   (  note how during the war ,   the two main times he was separated from alexander at length     –––––     when he was a prisoner of war in pennsylvania   &   the months leading to his death at combahee     –––––     were the times when his mental health was at its lowest.   letters exist from alexander to john while john was a prisoner of war basically begging john not to commit suicide.   it isn’t pretty.  ) 

so we have john ,   restless and depressed and probably suicidal ,   who has no idea what he’s doing with his life.   i doubt he would stay in south carolina   (  returning there was a suicidal action in itself   ;   his home state doesn’t have very many good memories in it ,   but it was a last resort at dying.   once the possibility of death is over ,   he’d leave.  )   the ONE THING that gives him direction in life at this point is working towards his abolitionist efforts ,   so he’d move to wherever the government is based at the time ,   be it nyc or philadelphia or dc bc i genuinely can’t remember the timeline of when it was where.   so he moves to the government ,   keeps petitioning congress about freeing slaves     –––––     but if he thought it was hard during the war ,   it seems downright impossible now ,   and he finds that no one is willing to listen to his ideas.   he’s branded an idealist and ignored.   this just makes him spiral deeper into depression   &   seclude himself further.   in addition ,   he struggles with ptsd from the war   (  he’d already had it from his brother’s death ,   but the war only makes it worse  ).   he has frequent nightmares ,   occasional flashbacks ,   and is emotionally numb most of the time.   he tends to rely more heavily on alcohol to help him ,   and becomes borderline an alcoholic   (  i hesitate to label him as that simply because i don’t know enough about it ,   and i don’t think he entirely depends on alcohol enough to truly call him an alcoholic ,   but he’s very close  )   and hardly sleeps ,   which certainly creates a vicious cycle and doesn’t help his mental health at all.

to go on a bit of a tangent ,   let’s talk about him and ALEXANDER post  -  war.   like i said earlier ,   john would distance himself a lot from alex ,   believing it’s for alex’s own good.   there’s a certain leniency for soldiers taking solace in each other   ;   during the war ,   if they were seen being more affectionate than the standard ,   it would be mostly ignored ,   and john was comforted by that fact in the midst of his fear about someone finding out.   (  this is the one thing he refuses to be reckless about     –––––     his legacy ,   his chance at glory after death.  )   but once the war has ENDED ,   there’s no longer that tendency to look away from those behaviors ,   and with alex’s blossoming political career and alex’s wife ,   john can’t risk that.   he stays away as much as he can   (  and what happens then is sorta dependent on what alex i’m writing with   ;   i have a verse with @bankhoe where they continue to be together in secret and make this little hidden life with each other ,   but the rest of what’s been stated remains   &   john is never quite satisfied with having to keep their love hidden like that and still dies in the way that’ll be discussed below.  )  

there’s also the matter of john’s DAUGHTER to consider.   frances - eleanor was six years old at the time of the war’s end ,   and living with john’s sister after john’s wife ,    martha ,   passed away a few months before john would have died in an ordinary verse.   if john doesn’t die ,   he’ll be expected to bring frances over from england to live with him.   john never met frances ,   had already left for america by the time she was born ,   and despite being slightly older than he was then ,   he’s still TERRIFIED at the thought of being a father.   he considers taking care of frances his duty now that martha’s gone ,   but he carries tremendous guilt for frances’ existence and for wronging martha like that ,   and it shows in his interactions with her     –––––     he becomes like his own father   (  the thing he feared the most  ) ,   emotionally distant from her throughout their time together.   it certainly doesn’t help that the entire time he’ll know frances is also his low point re : depression   ;   he can’t seem to form any attachment ,   despite the logical knowledge that this is his child.   he gives her the best life he can ,   gets her the best education possible ,   but in terms of emotions he ends up being a pretty shitty father in this verse.   (  in addition to being essentially a stay at home dad ,   john would likely be pressured ,   especially by his father ,   to remarry eventually ,   and he doesn’t want to put someone else through what he put martha through.  )

now for the topic we’ve all been waiting for :   DEATH.   john picks up some pretty bad habits in a post  -  war au.   he already has a tendency to get into fights   ;   in this verse ,   those tendencies reach suicidal heights ,   going out at least several times a week to bars or taverns just to pick fights with drunks in the hopes that one of them will go too far and kill him.   it’s an unspoken wish ,   but it’s there nonetheless ,   and not entirely subconscious.   he also gets into the habit of duels ,   will do stupid things just to get challenged or to have the chance to challenge someone.   normally i figure about three years pass after the war until he dies     –––––     he’s challenged to a duel by someone ,   and who it is doesn’t matter so much as the fact that john thinks the guy may actually shoot him   &   john wants that ,   so john goes and aims his pistol at the sky ,   hamilton - style ,   and is shot and killed pretty quickly.   

during the war ,   half of his suicidalness was in a desperate bid for GLORY ,   always obsessed with concepts of honor   &   legacy.   after the war ,   a duel is the closest he can get to that ,   and it still isn’t a satisfying end     –––––     he regrets pretty much daily that he didn’t manage to die during the war ,   but without another war to join a duel is the closest he’s going to get.   he leaves two letters behind before leaving for the duel ,   one for frances   (  a fairly typical one ,   apologizing for his actions ,   bidding her goodbye ,   saying he’ll see her on the other side when it’s her time ,   but carrying a too  -  formal and detached tone throughout it.  )   and one for alexander.   the letter for alexander is much more emotional     –––––     it’s an apology both for the duel itself and for pushing him away ,   and a declaration of how much john has continued to love alexander ,   and a plea for alexander to not be too upset at john’s death.   he begs alexander not to be angry with him for his choice.

OPTION B :   so now that john’s dead ,   let’s talk about the one option for post  -  war au to NOT be a total depressing mess !!   and that option ,   dear friends ,   is polyamory.   hear me out.   there’s a lot of reasons john’s depression is so bad post  -  war ,   but a good deal of it is him distancing himself from everyone.   particularly alexander ,   but the fact is that without alex ,   john’s friend base is considerably lessened ,   given that he was never quite as close to mulligan   &   lafayette has returned to france.   john is ridiculously dependent on alexander in terms of his mental health ,   to a frankly unhealthy degree   ;   john buys into ideas that he could be fixed or saved by love.   

here’s where poly comes in  :   if john doesn’t have to lose alexander and doesn’t have to keep their love a complete secret or feel like he’s harming alexander by loving him ,   he’s significantly less unsatisfied.   he’s still restless ,   still not quite content ,   still feels like he should have died during the war ,   but he’s not actively trying to get himself killed.   this could happen as john ,   eliza ,   and alex having a full poly triad or just v - shaped poly with both dating alex.   john is a jealous person ,   and it would take him a bit to warm up to the idea ,   but i do see the possibility for it to happen     –––––     and this also opens the possibility for his relationship with his daughter to be healthier ,   as he wouldn’t be entirely on his own raising her ,   and with slightly less depression weighing him down could actually form a healthy relationship and raise her correctly.   having some help to raise her instead of being alone would make him a bit less afraid of being a father ,   too ,   which is important     –––––     he’s constantly worried he’ll mess something up ,   and having alex and eliza around to help would be a huge assistance.   

of course ,   i’m not saying love makes his depression go away   ;   he still struggles with it frequently ,   even more than he did during the war ,   but he doesn’t have to resort to such unhealthy coping mechanisms ,   and has people to remind him that he matters.   in this version of the au ,   i can picture him living an almost content   &   fairly domestic life with alexander and eliza ,   helping raise their kids and frances ,   and dying later in life.   there’s a chance he still goes out in the way mentioned above ,   but i see it as more likely that he’d die of illness or some kind of accidental death ,   since with so many more people depending on him he would at least make an effort not to be actively suicidal.   

all in all ,   i see it as way more likely that the first option would happen.   i’d like to think that john would continue fighting for his beliefs with the same passion he carried during the war   &   possibly get some things changed on the front of civil rights earlier than what happened historically ,   but realistically ,   between the political climate of the time and john’s own depression and suicidal tendencies ,   he probably ends up just as overlooked as he ended up in a verse where he died at combahee.   what you said about his death being an act of fate is sort of correct     –––––     no matter what ,   he’s destined to die ,   and fated to become just a footnote in a history book ,   unfortunately. 

[soulthelalafell-blog]

FFTV: CRIBS

Hello FFTV and welcome to my Crib!!

I currently reside in the beautiful Goblet Residential area in the Sultana Breath Apartments near to my hometown of Ul’dah where I was born and raised all those years ago by my dear sweet mama and papa... God Rest their souls *Bows head* Firstly you may have noticed the interior of my apartment - The Walls are of an Alpine design which I thought matched perfectly with my very luxurious Marble flooring which cost a pretty GIL but the results certainly speak for themselves don’t you agree?

Let us start off by taking a quick tour of my living room - As you can see I have an impressive sitting arrangement made with TWO South Sea Sofas placed side by side to create somewhere for myself and my wonderful guests to sit and talk about our days. In front of us is this beautiful Deluxe Manor Fireplace which gives the apartment a warm and inviting feel which is always essential to turn any kind of building into your home in my opinion.

OK this is one of my favourite items in my apartment and I can honestly say that if you are planning on owning your own apartment or even house then you need to find a way to own your very own Orchestrion because just the simple pleasure of coming home to some of Eorzea beautiful music is just something I can not begin to explain why but it makes the atmosphere here so much better.

And if you are wondering what my playlist is...Here you go, I personally think these are the best currently some may disagree but everyone is entitled to their own unique opinions and tastes This just happens to be mine 

Around my apartment hangs the portraits of some of the most important people I have had the pleasure of interacting with and meeting during my adventures - From the leaders of the three territories to Minfilia who was in charge of the scions when I first joined to Haurchefant who...I’d rather not talk about that, its still too soon for us all right now.

To the Left of my apartment is where my two lovely assistance work, I know a lot of people who take theirs and just put them to work in such cramped spaces...But not me - These girls deserved only the best I could give them as they look after my home whilst I am out so I paid no expense to give them this set up right here. First of all is this beautiful Guildleve counter which spans the entire corner of the room to give my two assistance all the space and room they could possibly want to do their tasks. In front of the desk is my summoning bell and Crystal bell where I can either call upon one of my 5 servants who take care of all of my resources, materials or riches for me so that I do not lose or waste any of it or I can call upon that freaky hairdresser who may be essentric to say the least but god lord does he know how to style someone hair perfectly * puffs up hair*  Behind them is my Deadwyrm “Miniature” No clue why they call it a Miniature because the thing is HUGE to me and...*Looking around* Oh come on guys, I get it I am a Lalafell but seriously it is big even to you.

Finally the crown jewel to my assistance desk area is the Head of the Dreadwyrm - The incredible piece is infused with special magic so when Activated produces a replica of the incredible wing span of the dragons which is both scary but also a sight to behold if I do say so myself.

Now here we have my very lovely Aquarium, Tier 4 if you wish to know, which has my fishes swimming around quiet happily in their southern sea trimmings lay out so they always feel at home within my home (because I want everyone to feel at home). In front of the tank is my luxurious Knights Captain Desk that I had to pretty much beg Aymeric to give me permission to have his carpenters make this for me because apparently it usually “Only reserved for those power within Ishgard” but after all the work I did I think I earn the right to be an exception to that rule *giggles* Upon the desk are my two favourite Miniatures that I could get my hands on, The Sophia and The Scathath - These two were not easy to come by let me tell you and I had to let go of quite a sizeable pouch of GIL to obtain them... But if they were easy to get they wouldn’t be as special now would they? And in between them is my Triple Triad desk that allows me and my friends to play the game in the comfort of my home - Now I am not a great player but I do love getting out there and finding the cards to add to my collection and hopefully one day I will be able to take part in one of those major tournaments they have at the Gold Saucer and test my skills against some of the best. 

Now I know most people just have their bedroom on display from EVERYONE who walks into their homes to see..I however like mine to have some form of privacy in case I am sleeping so I built these area inside my apartment to house my sleeping quarters. But I am not sleeping so I suppose it is only fair that I let you, the viewers take a look inside...what do you say?

Here we go - My Bedroom, The Sleeping quarters, Where the magic happens... Whatever you like to call it this is where I go to get much needed rest after a long and hard days work. First of all, Yes that is indeed a double feather bed that you see - To be honest it is not the most luxurious looking one I have seen and a lot of people may even say its probably the blandest however this is the only one right now that allows TWO people to sleep upon it side by side and that is good for when...*coughs* friends are crashing over during the night. Complimenting the bed is my Tonberry Square rug which is simply beautiful and is really nice on my little toes when I get out of bed instead of stepping on that harden marble floor...beauty is pain my friends and I will bare it so my home feels beautiful too.

Above my bed hanging the portrait of my Sultana, Miss Nanamo Ul Namo - I do not care about anyone else opinion (although they are entitled to them) but this lady is the greatest of the 3 leaders and she does it with limited power yet a style and class unlike anyone else I know... She makes me proud to be from Ul’dah and it is an honour to serve underneath her as a part of the Immortal Flames.

My Father once told me “My Dear, Sometimes to go forward, you have to take a few step back from your current position to see the paths that you are paving for yourself” - Those words are why I decided to purchase my very own “Unending Journey” Diary table where I can go back to revisit some of my past accomplishments both to remember how far I have come over the years but to see what my future could hold.

Beyond my quarters and through my Oriential sliding door (which were too hard to get a decent picture of so deal with it) is my final room, hiding quite cleverly from eyes by my Aquarium is my bathroom in all of it glory where I can wash up before I go to bed because fighting all day and coming home through The Thanalan desert to get home makes me very, very,,,VERY sweaty let me tell you.

From the top of my Aquarium you can get a much better look at what goes on in my bathroom - The main piece is of course my Glade Bathtub which I absolutely love since the middle has seating so I can have friends over to enjoy the hottub experience whenever they like. Built into the bath is my shower which is for when I just want to get in and out because the day has been super long and although hygiene is important - The call of the bed calls with more determination than any other days.

...Oh dear lord, there is my picture of two of the weirdest yet oddly charming people that I have had the pleasure of getting to know during my travels of Eorzea, Hildibrand and Nashu. Why do I have their picture in my bathroom you ask? Because someone I have had a rough day and sometimes I am in a foul mood but when I have finished my bath I have to look at this picture and for some reason all of the memories of the wacky adventures I went on with these two just come rushing back and for some reason it always cheers me up :)

Anyways Thank you so much for coming to my Crib FFTV, please make sure to like this if you found it entertaining, be sure to leave your comments or question and I will be sure to answer them as soon as I can ...but until then I have Two Words for you... GET OUT!! Go on, out the door with your cameras and all that...bye bye now *closes door*

[aion-rsa]

Jordan and Moustafa’s Savage Things Makes Murderers Out of Children

When Justin Jordan was a psych major at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania nearly 20 years ago, the aspiring comic book creator interviewed former FBI special agent John Douglas for a project on serial killers. Douglas was one of the first-ever criminal profilers, and was actually the inspiration for FBI agent Jack Crawford, a major character in the Thomas Harris novels and films “Red Dragon” and “The Silence of the Lambs.”

Ever since the encounter, Jordan has been developing an idea about a covert government organization tasked with kidnapping young children with pre-existing homicidal tendencies and turning them into terrorists or ‘chaos agents’ for fomenting unrest and executing enemies of the state around the world.

Teamed with artist Ibrahim Moustafa, the high concept is now a reality, as Vertigo released “Savage Things” #1 this week.

CBR connected with Jordan and Moustafa to discuss the eight-issue series, and the pair shared important details about how you make a murderer, why we need to rethink the Cain and Abel dynamic and the reason that violent acts are sometimes even more frightening when then happen off-panel.

CBR: “Making a Murderer” was a huge success for Netflix, and “Serial” really captured the zeitgeist, making a podcast a pop culture touchstone for many people. Why are we obsessed with killers — or, I guess, alleged killers?

Justin Jordan: It’s a good question. I think people who are abhorrent fascinate us. There are, I suspect, and this may reveal some sort of incipient sociopathy in me, but I think there are certain situations where we are all like: “Yeah, I wouldn’t kill somebody but I get it.” [Laughs] Someone breaks into your house and you stab him. I get it. But I think with murder, there is a gap at least for me. At some point, they went: “I should just kill this mother fucker.” And that seemed like a reasonable thing to do.

That’s alien to us. It fascinates us the way that most alien stuff does. It is outside of our own experience to the point that it’s hard to even get into that kind of headspace. Even me and my work, which in general hasn’t been non-violent, it is difficult me to understand that level of violence as anything more than an abstract thing. I understand that sorts of processes exist but I can’t make myself think that way. Where if someone falls in love or is having a bad day, you get that. You can understand it. There is inherent empathy for it. But I think it’s the strangeness and alien-ness of killers that interests us. It’s probably not coincidental that psychologists and psychiatrists were called alienists back in the day. That was the term for them. That’s probably echoed in our fascination today for things like “Making a Murderer” and “Serial.”

Ibrahim Moustafa: As humans, one of our most basic instincts is to try evade violence. When we look at something like “Savage Things” where violence is very much this sort of pervasive force that has to be dealt with, I think that really creates some space for some interesting storytelling and some interesting hypothesizing on how would this type of situation be handled, especially when it is a situation that you create yourself in a way. To Justin’s point, I think there is a general interest in the ‘what would I do in this situation’ type of thing too. Even though our main character is a sociopath who is bread to be this killer, we’re still able to follow the story through his lens because we get to see what he does do in this situation.

Let’s talk about these sociopaths who are bred to be killers, which is the central conceit of “Savage Things.” We see the students on their first day in the Black Forest program, the training ground for the killers, and we learn about the homicidal triad, which is cruelty to animals, obsession with fire setting, and persistent bedwetting past a certain age. Did one of you study psychology, or did you research serial killers for this series to learn about these behavioral characteristics?

Jordan: I’m almost 40, I just turned, and that’s relevant because one of the things that inspired this series was years ago, back in the late-’90s, I was able to do a small discussion with John Douglas, who is famously the FBI profiler guy that built the serial crime division and wrote the book, “Mindhunter.” He’s written many books, actually, but “Mindhunter” was the big one. He was actually the basis for one of the main characters in “Silence of the Lambs.” Back when I did that discussion, I was a psych major, so I read all of his books because I was interested in that kind of psychology.

One of the things about having been interested in that for a long time and having looked at it again is that our viewpoint on sociopathy has changed over the years, which makes doing research worthwhile. Especially in the case of this book, since part of it takes place literally 25 years ago. This becomes relevant to the plot as the series goes on. When you think about what these children are and what they can become has changed since that program started and the present day. I felt research was necessary to do that type of thing. I will happily sacrifice realism for drama, but I like to know what I am sacrificing. I will write when a gun clicks on an empty chamber, even though semi-autos don’t naturally do that, if it’s dramatic, but I want know if I am getting stuff wrong. It’s the same thing here. I am willing to play fast and loose with the psychological underpinnings of this series and how the world actually is but I want to know what the world is actually like before I do that. [Laughs]

Ibrahim, can you please talk about your art style for this series? Specifically, how you change what you are doing to differentiate between the two eras.

Moustafa: I almost look at the two different parts not as a different story, but certainly, I need to think about the technology and the equipment of the time. It’s easy to get lost in present day, but I need to think back to the ’90s and remember what a TV looked like back then. In the first couple of pages, we see Abel’s living room, and I had to think about what his parents would be wearing. [Laughs] What does a mom wear in the ’90s? What does a kid wear? That takes a lot of concentration, in terms of drawing stuff from the past.

Fortunately, when we get to the Black Forest site, they are kind of secluded in a bubble environment so the look is kind of whatever we want it to be but I wanted that part to feel a little bit more timeless. The kids are all wearing uniforms but they’re not necessarily indicative of post-Cold War or the tail end of the Cold War. When you think about government funding and what’s going to be a priority, maybe their desks are going to be a little bit older and the tech isn’t quite as new. That’s the thought process for that kind of stuff. And Jordan [Boyd] with his colors did a really nice, washed out, almost sort of film feel to it to help denote the past from the present, which I think worked out really well.

For those not lucky enough to have read the first issue yet, what is the Black Forest program?

Jordan: The idea behind the Black Forest program is that they took children, who had demonstrated sociopathic tendencies and were already presenting the homicidal triad, which we already discussed, but it’s basically three traits that serial killers tend to have. Having them doesn’t mean that you’re going to become a serial killer but most serial killers have them. Again, the homicidal triad is pyromania, cruelty to animals and wetting the bed, oddly enough, at an inappropriate age. The government recruits them by killing their parents and kidnapping them and then bringing them to the school. They’re basically living the life of a special forces soldier from a very young age. They’re trained to infiltrate. They’re trained how to evaluate a target. They’re trained how to psychologically terrorize and basically, channel their nasty, serial impulses in the direction that the government wants them to go.

The point of all of this is not to make soldiers out of them. The point is to be able to insert them into an area and just terrify the shit out of our enemies. Or do false flag operations, where we can do something horrible with no official record and blame it on somebody else. And they’re good at it until the government decides that it’s too dangerous to allow them to live and tries to kill them, which given the nature of the book, didn’t work. [Laughs] Basically, if the government was going to train a bunch of Hannibal Lecters as terrorists, Black Forest is more or less what you would get.

In the first issue, we meet a character named Abel, and it appears that he may actually best another character by the name of Cain in a head-to-head conflict. If that’s the case, it’s the complete opposite scenario of how that same conflict played out in the Bible. Is that relevant to “Savage Things” moving forward?

Jordan: Abel is an extremely capable character. The main subplot of the book is entirely his relationship with Cain and how they defy what the names would make you think what they are. They don’t inhabit the same roles. The names are, and this is mentioned in the book, given to them by the Black Forest program creators specifically because of the inherent symbolism. And it does kind of designate what their roles are. I have gone with the Abel-Cain thing before. I thought it worked in “Luther Strode.” The ultimate bad guy is obviously Cain – he’s the first murderer – so I wanted to play with that symbolism a little more with Abel but go in a different direction with it. His name is not apt as we get into the series in terms of where he’s going and what he’s done by the time “Savage Things” #8 rolls around.

This is solicited as an eight-issue series, but do you have more stories to tell about Abel and the Black Forest program should the opportunity present itself?

Jordan: This story is eight issues. There are certainly things happening in this universe that we’ve created that could go for another series if anybody were interested but within the context of “Savage Things,” if you read these eight issues, you get a complete and satisfying story. That’s what we set out to tell and we get to tell the whole thing. In eight issues so it’s nice.

Is Abel a good guy in this series? And if so, who are the bad guys? Koenig, Proctor and the other men and women running the Black Forest program?

Jordan: There are no good guys. [Laughs] There are bad guys and less bad guys. Arguably, Kira represents the good guys even though she’s working for Proctor and Koenig. Abel is least bad apart from Kira because his goals are not pure mayhem and destruction. He has a beef against Cain, which focuses his mayhem and destruction. He’s on the less bad side of Cain, but yes, you’re mostly looking at various shades of evil. [Laughs]

Finally Ibrahim, we’ve talked a lot about researching sociopaths and serial killers for this series but I wanted to ask you specifically about the art. There are some pretty gruesome things in even the first issue – an exposed spinal cord comes to mind – have you been looking at crime scene photos and images of severed body parts for your prep work?

Moustafa: I wish I could say that it’s cathartic, but a lot of times I am just like, “Yikes, I need to go pet my dog for a while.” [Laughs]

Definitely, this is something that I have never done before so it’s a fun challenge. It is a little worrisome. Sometimes I come up with something and I think, “That’s pretty cool.” And then I am like, “Oh. That was inside of me.” [Laughs] It’s a fine balance in trying to find a way to convey that type of horror but not being gratuitous for gratuity’s sake. I am definitely trying to find ways to imply a lot of the horror almost more of Hitchcockian approach to it. It’s almost what you don’t see is scarier than what you do see. But there are definitely moments when it has to be all-out carnage. There will definitely be some of that coming up.

“Savage Things” #1 is available now.

The post Jordan and Moustafa’s Savage Things Makes Murderers Out of Children appeared first on CBR.com.

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