Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Feeling creative? Post your fan stories and fan art here!
CurlyyHairGirl
Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler
Posts: 1503
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:52 pm
Location: San Jose State University

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

:clap hoorah hoorah!:D Dat is so just adorable...:shifty...uh *cough* that is spify old chap.
one name: Bruce Campbell
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by shankjam »

Sorry about the absence of any updates the past few days. I needed a little break to recooperate, writing doesnt come easy for me. I'm also finding this part of the story a little harder to put down in words so it's taking me a bit longer because of that as well.

So I'm gonna start posting each...scene i guess, when I finish it. Instead of trying to get larger chunks of each chapter posted.
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Chapter 3: Going Home? Part 2

Post by shankjam »

Jared flew them as close to the town as he dared, landing near a small copse of trees. As Jared’s wings burst once again, Kurt reached out and caught one of the feathers as it fell towards the ground. A moment later, however, it disappeared in a flash of light. Kurt looked up to see Jared squatting down, apparently drawing something in the snow. Jared then motioned him over, as he took off his watch.

Pointing to himself and then to the town in the distance, Jared said, “I need to go into town to find out where we are and get some supplies.” He then handed Kurt his watch and pointed to the figure he had drawn in the snow, which showed the time a few hours ahead. After a few moments of thought, Kurt finally nodded his understanding. As Jared began walking towards the town, he glanced back. Kurt had sat down and was hugging his legs tightly, his only protection from the chill air his dense fur.

Walking back, Jared removed his jacket and placed it around Kurt’s shoulders. An invisible flush crept onto Kurt’s face as he attempted to refuse it. Jared was insistent however, and Kurt relented and gratefully accepting it. “Thank you.” Jared smiled and playfully ruffled Kurt’s hair before heading off towards the town.

***

Jared returned less then two hours later carrying a bulging backpack. Jared spotted Kurt a moment later, as he detached himself from the shadows he blended in with so well. Kurt had put his arms through the sleeves of the jacket and, much to Jared’s chagrin, it seemed to fit him quite well. “I guess I’m more scrawny that I realized,” Jared thought to himself with a wry smile.

Squatting down, Jared plopped the backpack down in front of him as Kurt approached. Jared removed a hooded black pullover from the backpack and proffered it to Kurt, who quickly removed the jacket and returned it to Jared. After pulling on the hoodie, Kurt held out the watch Jared had lent him, “I like your watch, it’s very nice.”

Jared took the watch with one hand, rooting around the backpack with the other. He soon pulled out a book and began flipping through it, murmuring the German words Kurt had just spoken. Peering closely at the cover, Kurt was able to make out that it was some sort of English/German translation guide. After a few moments, Jared replied, “Ah! Yes, thank you.”

After another moment of looking through the book, Jared looked up at Kurt and asked, “Hungry?” A noticeable blush filled Kurt’s face as his stomach answered for him, growling loudly. Laughing, Jared pulled out a wrapped sandwich and a bottle of water, handing them to Kurt before pulling out some for himself. As they ate, Jared pulled out a map and spread it out on the ground.

The map was of the northeastern United States. Pointing to the middle of Virginia and recalling the words he had looked up on his walk back, Jared said, “We are here.” He then traced a path northwest, snaking around major cities and towns. Jared stopped his finger in Northern Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie. “Safety here…” "I hope,” Jared added silently. He had considered heading to Xavier’s mansion, but it was much farther away and Jared didn’t have the funds to support them roughing it for very long. He was suddenly very glad he had ditched his uniform for his usual clothes, which meant he had had his wallet with him.

Jared flipped through his book as they finished eating, softly mumbling under breath. After they were done, Jared packed everything back up. Handing the backpack to Kurt, Jared said in very broken German, “Try to sleep while we’re flying at night. I need you to keep watch while I rest during the day.” Kurt nodded his understanding as Jared turned and kneeled down, his wings bursting forth. Shifting the backpack till it was comfortable, Kurt then took his position between Jared’s wings. Lifting them off the ground, Jared flew them off in the direction of what he hoped would be safety.

***
CurlyyHairGirl
Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler
Posts: 1503
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:52 pm
Location: San Jose State University

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

:thumbup!!! I like this update alot. Very cute how Jared comunicates with Kurt.
one name: Bruce Campbell
Saint Kurt
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 2151
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2004 3:43 am
Title: Derelict Landlord
Location: Watch out for that cow pie!

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by Saint Kurt »

You asked if I would come and critique this so here I am.

I have very little feedback to give about the writing since you obviously have a good command of language and a clear writing style. My only real critique is with some of the characterization.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm finding Jared to be a bit too powerful. I think heroes are best when they have flaws, particularly weaknesses in their powers. The idea of a "chi" mutation is very cool, and you mention that using it drains him, but I haven't really seen that happen yet. So far, Jared is just a bad-ass. Also, in the beginning in the jet the X-Men characters felt a little off, particularly Jean. Kurt and Scott were okay, though I never thought of Kurt as such a brown noser. I think the characterization of Ultimate Kurt is spot on though.

You mentioned having difficulty both with putting this in writing and having motivation to finish it. I don't know how you write so I can't give you specific advice other than to tell you how I write.

First, do you have an outline for this story. I find an outline is very important both to see the entire story arc as you fill in the details, and for motivation because you can see the end. Without an outline, things tend to wander.

The other thing the outline allows me to do is write out of chronological order. I don't write much fan fic actually, but when I do I never start at the beginning. Usually I write the climactic scenes first and then go on to the beginning or the end. I fill in all the connecting scenes last. I don't know of anyone else who writes like this, but it works great for me particularly when I get stuck. If it's not working for me, I put that chapter away and go to one that is.

So if you don't have an outline, maybe your next step to get yourself motivated is to make one. Having a clear idea of how a story ends makes writing all that leads up to it much easier.

Good luck and I hope to see more.

-e
Image
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by shankjam »

Thanks for the feedback zamweasel. I tried to keep the parts of the other x-men to a minimum as I really dont know much about their characters outside of what ive seen in the movies. Kurt was just trying to lighten the mood a bit with his little act, and run interference for his friend ;) Just too bad Scott is such a prick, I never much liked him!

Now, as for Jared being too powerful... well hes suppose to be in the top eschelon of mutants. And there is a hidden reason for how powerful he is, though its not gonna come out in this story. Although hes probably not as powerful as you think he is. I made sure to put a few 'lull's in there where he could recooperate, such as after his fight with Apocalypse and before the sentinel attack.

As for weaknesses, well they arn't really showing up in this story except for little hints here and there, but they are there. Theres one very major one that really comes to the forefront in what happens after this particular story. If anyone is really interested in the last phase of Jared's life let me know and i'll give a synophsis, as I doubt ill every get around to writing a story for it.

I do have something of an outline, although its more of a breakdown of the chapters into scenes. The problem is the next one i need to write is sorta fuzzy in my mind, and I cant really skip around despite knowing what I want to happen for the rest of the story.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback!
CurlyyHairGirl
Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler
Posts: 1503
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:52 pm
Location: San Jose State University

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

QUOTE:
"If anyone is really interested in the last phase of Jared's life let me know and i'll give a synophsis"


I would like to know what happens. Please.
one name: Bruce Campbell
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

A synopsis of Jared's life

Post by shankjam »

Well, I don't think I'm gonna end up finishing this, at least not anytime soon, so instead I'll do an outline of the entire thing.

Act 1: Being of Mutantkind

This is the introduction to Jared. His powers manifested extremely late as these things go, not until his early 20's. Magneto found a way to use a crude Cerebro copy to track down the most powerful mutants, in order to 'recruit' them, willingly or not to his cause. The X-Men find out about this and try to at least give his targets a choice.

It was'nt until Magneto approached Jared and the ensuing struggle between him and the X-Men that Jared's powers manifested themselves. He used them to fight off Magneto long enough so he could escape with the X-Men.

Realizing how powerful Jared could become and knowing that he would almost certainly stay with the X-Men, Magneto sought to neutralize him. He was able to capture both him and Kurt. Instead of simply killing him, Magneto instead tried to corrupt Jared's X-genes. Using a machine (sorta of like the thing from the first X-Men movie) he tried to change Jared's mutation into that of Kurt, minus the teleportation. (ie he was adding insult to injury by making Jared look abnormal without any way to protect himself)

Unfortunately for Magneto, Jared was able to use his abilities to hold off the changes. However, whenever Jared used his abilities in any other way, the changes Magneto had set into motion made headway. So by the time he and Kurt are able to escape, Jared pretty much looks physically like Kurt, though he can still use his orginal abilities.

Thus ends Act 1. With Jared physically changed and unable to put his abilities to use, lest Magnetos interference run its full course and he lose them for good.

Act 2: Finding Ones True Nature

This act is mainly about Jared's struggle to cope and come to grips with what happened to him, while they try and find a way to reverse what Magneto did. He starts out being very withdrawn. While Kurt had always looked different, Jared had always looked like a normal person and had only known he was a mutant for a short time. It's during this period when Jared and Kurt really become best friends as Kurt helps Jared accept whats happened.

Over several months, while the X-Men deal with various situations, Jared is forced to 'babysit' the young students of Xaviers school. The other X-Men are very protective of Jared, trying to keep him from needing to use his powers so he does'nt lose them. Of course thats a really horrible situation to be in. Especially as Jared cannot even bring out his wings and fly, something he quickly grew to love when his powers manifested.

There's one scene I want to mention in particular. Jared is obviously hit hard by whats happened to him, though he trys to put on a brave face. He and Ororo have a little heart to heart discussion one day where he reveals that hes losing the fight against whats happening to him. The rare times where hes forced to use his abilities, specifically his blasts, his hands begin to tingle and it quickly turns painful. He also brings out his wings, which have lost their sheen and look sickly.

Eventually though, Xavier discovers a mutant who has the ability to fix genetic diseases and they believe she can fix what happened to Jared. Unfortunately shes very old and in poor health. They soon discover upon reaching her location that she was being used as bait by Magneto to lure the X-Men and Jared to him.

In the ensuing battle, Jared is forced to extensively use his powers to protect his friends. As he finally forces Magneto and his cohorts to flee, Jared collapses to the ground as his wings blacken and appear to decay away. They do get him to the woman in time, however, and as she attempts to fix the damage, Jared manages to ask her to leave the tail if possible before he blacks out.

The woman manages to do it, though the strain is so great that she dies moments later. Jared hides the fact that he kept the tail at first.

And so ends Act 2, with Jared essentially back to how he used to be, plus a tail. The reason its white and not blue was the womans decision, thinking it should match his wings I guess :P

Act 3: A Rising Darkness

While Kurt is happy that his friend is back to normal, it still hurts him a little that everyone had been trying to so hard to help Jared not look like him! So he tries to avoid Jared for a while, which forces Jared to continue to hide the fact that he kept the tail as he wanted Kurt to be the first to know. Eventually though they talk and things get back to normal.

For a while things are fairly calm. Kurt and Jared become popular playthings for the younger students. Specifically, at one point the ladder up to a large treehouse in the back of the school is destroyed and Kurt and Jared get recruited to help the kids go up and down. After several days, the two friends discover that the ladder had been fixed but the kids much prefered the new method and hadnt told them. So Kurt and Jared revolt! Unfortunately, they somehow manage to lose the 'battle' and end up suspended by their tails from the tree. I'm sure you all can imagine the humorous dialogue between Kurt and Jared at their humiliating 'defeat' ;) They 'revolt' several more times through the course of the entire story, beyond this Act, but always end up in the same predicement. This was meant to be a lighthearted little thing to show Kurt and Jared's kind and playful side. I hope you can all imagine as clearly as I can Kurt and Jared's mock fight with a swarm of young mutants and obviously losing on purpose. :LOL

The rest of this act involves the rise of Apocolypse and his aquisition of his Four Horsemen, Xavier, Magneto, Mystique and Storm. It culminates with a joint stradegy meeting between various mutant groups. Jared is the strongest mutant they have left and his task is to simply keep Apocolypse busy long enough for the rest to overcome or free the Horsemen from his control.

Thus ends Act 3, an extremely difficult fight looming ahead of them.

Act 4: A Most Important Mission

And here we are, up to the story that I started here. In his fight with Apocolypse, Jared is sent to another universe, the Ultimate one to be specific. He finds himself in the Weapon X facility and ends up freeing the young Kurt. After a narrow escape, they flee into the countryside.

Along the way to a place that Jared hopes will be safe, him and the young Kurt do some bonding! Once he recovered from the extended use of his abilities over the past day, Jared focused his power on accelerating his mind in order to learn German. It's quite draining for him to do this, after 2 hours or so he's completely exhausted. But after about 4 days time he's able to speak German fairly well, though not fluently.

Particular scenes of note. After a day or two Kurt becomes more comfortable around Jared, who remarkably(to the young Kurt) had never shown any sign of disgust or fear towards his appearance. They have a bit of a snowball fight and Kurt wins, and I mean really wins, no thrown fight here!

Also, the day before arriving at their destination, Kurt asks Jared, now that hes fluent enough in German, where he came from, etc. For the past few days, Jared had been trying hard to hold out hope concerning what had happened to his friends without him. But talking about it with Kurt becomes too much for him and he breaks down and has a good cry! (See, hes more then just a bad-ass :P )

They arrive at their destination the next day. Jared had taken them to what was his home, at least in his universe. After a bit of explaining to his 'mother' in this universe, as well as his much younger self(10), they agree to take care of the young Kurt(12). The younger pair hit it off fairly quickly.

It's soon after arriving there that Jared is contacted by someone from his universe. Instead of going back right away, Jared stays for another week, to help the young Kurt settle in. (Remember, Jareds the only one who can really communicate with him) Jared also helps his younger self tap into his mutation. While he isnt strong enough to do any of the blasts, by the end of the week Jared has taught him to manifest his wings.(Though they are too small and weak to allow him to fly yet) Having it be a sort of surprise for the mom, having left that part of his mutation out in his initial explaination.

Jared then returns to his universe, after a touching farwell with the young Kurt, as well as a promise to come back and visit.

As for what happened in his universe, when Apocolypse sent Jared into the alternate universe, he had to momentarily leave the home universe as well. This gave Jean and the other telepaths an opening to free Xavier from his control. With the Professor help, they were quickly able to free Magneto. Apocolypse eventually fled from the combined assult of the mutant groups.

As an epilogue to this Act, Jared takes a trip almost immediately after returning, going back home. His relation with his mother had'nt been very good since he had left. During the fight with Magneto that causes his powers to manifest, their house had been several damaged and his sudden departure had'nt helped things either. He also takes Kurt along, wanting to introduce his mom to his best friend. Theres a funny little scene at the end I want to share.

Jared:"Mom, I want you to meet someone. He's a little...unusual, but hes my best friend so I don't want you to be frightened."
Up walks Kurt who had been hidden in the shadow of a tree.
Jared:"Mom, this is Kurt"
Kurt:"Ah, such a beautiful lady, its a pleasure to meet you!"
Kurt does his usual galant thing, kissing her on the hand. Now, keep in mind Jared's mom isn't young, well into her 40's. Kurt's just being his usual debonair self!
Mother:"Oh my.." blushing slightly.
Jared:"Kurt! Thats my mom your hitting on!"
They both pretend to ignore him, as Jared's mom takes Kurt by the arm and begins to walk him into the house.
Mother:"Why, your covered in fur....oooh, and its so soft! Mmmm, so nice!"
Jared:"Mom?!"
Both Jared's mom and Kurt start laughing as the door closes behind all three. Obviously they were joking around and succeeded in getting a rise out of Jared.

Thus ends Act 4, with everything seemingly hunkydory...

Act 5: The Loss of Self

Heres where we really start to get to know whats up with Jared. In this act, Weapon X arises in Jared's home universe, despite the fact that he had of course warned Xavier to keep watch for such an organization. Weapon X gets it hands on several of the X-Men including Jared and Kurt. I dont know exactly what Weapon X did in the comics, but in this partiuclar case, they attempt to control/use and enhance the powers of mutants.

Jared quickly realizes just what they've gotten themselves into, recognizing whats going on from his brief stint in the Ultimate Universe. And when hes initially not strong enough to get him and his friends out....well it really gets to him as he knows whats coming. Eventually, he does become strong enough to break free and get him and his friends out, thanks in part to the training/treatments the Weapon X people perform.

Those who were caught changed because of what Weapon X did to them. For Jared, his 'pool' of chi grew exponentially. His eyes now glow like Kurt's, save his are a brilliant white. His wings also have a noticable glow to them as well. Kurt's fur turned a much darker blue, due to the constant teleportings he was forced to do. (I see this as a side effect of spending so much time in the Darkforce dimension or whatever its called that he goes through when he teleports.)

While in the Weapon X program, as his powers grew, Jared's discomfort at being alone became more powerful until it became a major fear. When he's alone, without anyone around to 'latch' onto to maintain some sort of idea of his identity, Jared felt like who he was, was drowning in the very power he harnessed. It was during one of his enforced isolations, one of Weapon X's methods of breaking him, that he was able to destroy the device they used to keep him under control.

Its in his paniced search for someone to 'latch' onto that he begins to free the others and they are able to escape.

After things get as close to normal as they can and things settle down, Jared finally discovers what it is that makes him so powerful. Growing inside him, is a...force. A sort of dual to the Phoenix Force that dwells in Jean. Its only potential right now, not really existing yet. But as Jared's power grows, so does it. He realizes that this is the source of his fear of isolation. When hes by himself, what this force will become, becomes dominant, pushing aside Jared's personality, who he is.

Thus ends Act 5, with Jared coming to the realization that what it is that makes him so powerful will ultimately destroy who he is.

Final Act: Birth

Jared is obviously struggling at dealing with this realization, and in an attempt to distract himself from the problem decides to visit his young friend in the Ulitimate Universe. He brings along his Kurt and they arrive the day before the younger pair is scheduled to leave for their Xavier's school.

So they help them move and travel with them to the school. There is perhaps a bit of angst at this point when the younger Kurt meets his counterpart. Its my belief that Ultimate Kurt started out being blue as well, but what happened to him at Weapon X eventually caused his change. Seeing the old Kurt brings back a lot of unpleasant memories. However, the young Jared comments that he thinks his black fur is much cooler then blue and perks the young Kurt back up.

Jared did'nt come empty handed, he had gifts for his young friends. For Kurt he had a watch, just like his own, that he had liked so much. And for his young counterpart, flying lessons now that his wings where strong enough.

They spent a few days at the school, helping their young counterparts get settled. Before leaving, Jared warned Xavier of the possible threat of Apocolypse. Jared also checked his younger self for any signs of the force that was growing in him, and was relieved when he found none.

Heres a 'technical' explaination for this force, which I think I've decided to name Seraph. I guess this could also be considered Jared's mutant name, similiar to how Jean becomes Phoenix, but no one ever actually calls him that. This force only needs to be born in one universe, but it started out with a little piece of its potential in the various Jared's. But very few became strong enough to support it, and eventually it comes to reside fully in the Jared of this story.

At first Jared tries to keep his situation to himself, but with two powerful telepaths around and a very perceptive friend, it eventually comes out. At first there's talk of attempting to somehow remove the entity growing in him, but Jared refuses that plan. He feels a great sense of urgency and importantance about it, that it has to be born.

His fear about whats happening to him continues to build up in Jared. Eventually he has to release it and has a major sob session when Kurt tries to talk to him about it.

However, having finally released all his fears like that, the anger that had been building up as well comes to the surface. A few days later he has the mutant who can move between universes take him to one where the earth is devoid of life and leave him there for a full day. When that mutant returns to bring him back, he finds the world(as far as he can see anyways) nothing more then rubble now.

Something to keep in mind is that, at this point, Jared has just a ridiculous amount of power. There is seriously very little he couldnt do if he put his mind to it. This is partly do to the entity growing inside him, as well as things Weapon X set in motion when they had their hands on him.

Having expelled his fears and anger, Jared felt quite empty. Xavier suggested that he should try putting his abilities to use in a more passive, beneficial way. In the hopes that it would show him a silver lining to what was happening to him. After some thought, Jared comes up with an idea and spends several months practicing and whatnot in secret to pull it off.

One evening, during a full moon, Jared invites everyone to a concert outside and behind the manor. (And just to be clear, think orchestral concert!) What Jared had been practicing was, not only how to play every instrument extremely well, but being able to physical manifest his chi beyond and outside his body with extreme precision.

So what does all that mean? Well, try and picture this. Its nighttime under a full moon. After ensuring everyone is in their seats and requesting that they all enjoy the performance, Jared leaves and walks back towards the manor, leaving the curtained stage. For a few moments nothing happens as those in attendance talk amoungst themselves trying to figure out what hes up too. But slowly, from behind those seated a golden fog or mist beginst to flow down the aisles and towards the stage.

As it reaches the stage, it crawls up the curtains and pushes them open, revealing a full orchestra, minus the performers! Instruments rest on the floor and on the empty chairs. The fog continues to flow through the stage and much to the amazement of those watching, forms into humanoid shapes that pick up the various instruments. For a few moments the sounds of muscians warming up and tuning instruments fills the air. A moment later, however, they all go silent as the form of a winged man takes shape at the cuductors stand.

As a fast paced waltz is played, those near the aisles gasp in awe as more forms spring up from the fog and begin dancing through the aisles. Several scores follow, each accompanied by different forms spring from the fog. The final score is soft and somber, accompanied by an undersea vista. Fish, whales and other aquatic animals swim through the air above the audience. As the song ends, the forms on stage begin to dissipate, their instruments settling back to the ground. As the fog rolls back from the stage, the winged form turns and bows before dissappearing. The fog continues to retreat back the way it came and as it flows back down through the aisles, the fish vanish until only one monstrous whale remains. With a startling and piercing call, the whale dives down through a large portion of the startled audience into the fog that spawned it.

As the last vestiges of the fog dissappear from view, those in attendance wait eagerly for Jared's return. After a few minutes though, they begin to head back towards the manor and the reception that awaits. A short while later, Xavier, Kurt and a few of Jareds other close friends find him sitting on the ground, leaning weakly against the side of a fountain, a soft smile on his face.

A very important conversation follows, where Jared finally embraces what is happening to him, realizing that he can shape what the entity growing inside him will become.

A few years pass and at this point in the story, the world has finally come to terms with mutantkind. Nearly all children born now are mutants. Most of the X-Men go their seperate ways, to live normal lives. Kurt and Jared stay on at the mansion as teachers, which remains a school for gifted youngsters. As for the force growing inside of Jared, while it had reached the point where it was ready to be born, they had come to a sort of agreement, where it would wait until Jared had lived a full life.

Much time passes, and while Kurt grows old, Jared doesnt appear to age. Though he may not appear to change physically, the presence of the being waiting to be born, weighs more heavily upon him as time passes.

When Kurt becomes ill in his old age, it becomes obvious he doesnt have much time left. Old friends return to be with him during his final days, most well advanced in years themselves. When Kurt's final moments approach, Jared reveals to him a promise he had made to himself. That Kurt would be there when the entity inside him was born. Kurt tries to convince Jared to not go through with it, knowing that he could continue living for a long time yet. Jared merely shakes his head and says his good byes.

As Kurt watches, Jared's skin appears to become translucent as a brilliant shafts of light begin to escape from him. After a few brief moments he loses sight of his friend completely as a blinding flash of light erupts from where he stood. As his vision returns, Kurt finds himself looking at a being of light, vaguely humanoid in shape. Sprouting from its back are expansive wings, comprise of thin streamers of light that wave gently as if in a breeze. Glimpses of a barbed tail lazily shifting about bring a small smile to Kurts face, despite what he knows now is the loss of his friend.

The figure calmly reguards Kurt as he struggles to hold on a little longer, wanting to gaze at the beautitful figure before him for a few moments more. The figure suddenly appears to flow into Kurt, bathing him a brilliant white light. Kurt feels an incredible warmth spread through him, as for a moment he connects with an infinitely powerful force.

A moment later, however, the being of light flows out of the now lifeless body. With another brillaint flash of light, the figure is gone. Those who witnessed these events would later remark, that while at first the being had been of a pure white light, they would swear they saw a tinge of blue before it dissappeared.

The End
CurlyyHairGirl
Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler
Posts: 1503
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:52 pm
Location: San Jose State University

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

:clap:thumbup Thank you so much for that, you are the best. I'm late for a date now, but it was well worth it!
one name: Bruce Campbell
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by shankjam »

My previous post, containing the synopsis of Jared's complete life is now finished. The writing isnt nearly as polished as what I've written previously, but if I was gonna even finish the synopsis, I knew I had to do it quick and dirty.

I hope that I did the story in my head justice with this summary, though it feels good to get it out completely, even if only the barebones. I also hope I did enough for you the Reader to get a feel for everything that happened to Jared.

If anyone has any specific questions about anything in the summary, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jared Shank
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by shankjam »

I did a lot of driving around today, and there was one song that I kept hearing on the radio regularly during the day. It was one I liked, and today I really listened the words. And I realized that it fit perfectly in the very last scene of the above summary. Its "The Reason" by Hoopastank, think of it as a final message from Seraph (the entity thats growing inside of Jared) to Jared. I went and found the lyrics in case people arnt familiar with the song...


I'm not a perfect person
Theres many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
Thats why i need you to hear

I've found a resaon for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is You [x4]

I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you
CurlyyHairGirl
Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler
Posts: 1503
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:52 pm
Location: San Jose State University

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

:oI....LOVE...That...Song!!!, Veelen danke, for the lyrics:D now I'll be singin it all day. It fits the story.*hums song to self*
one name: Bruce Campbell
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by shankjam »

A new event suddenly popped into my head the other day, meaning its not mentioned in the summary I did. Instead of editing the summary, which no one would even notice, I've decided to just write out the full thing. It takes place after their escape from Weapon X in Act 5. And just to be clear, this is in the home universe, not the Ultimate one that that 'A Most Important Mission' takes place in.

It'll probably be in 3-4 parts, nothing quite as long as before, as its just one happening.
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Act 5 Chapter ??: Emergance

Post by shankjam »

They were exhausted. The waves of sentinels sent by Weapon X to reclaim them had just kept coming. The final wave had nearly been their end, but they had survived and it appeared that Weapon X had fully tapped their resources and had nothing left to throw after them.

They were exhausted though, even Jared who had grown so much incredibly stronger during their captivity at Weapon X. The sight of an abandoned barn was a welcome relief, as they struggled to keep moving through the freshly fallen snow.

Upon entering, the mutants spread out to find what comfort they could. As Jared weakly leaned against a support, he stared in disbelief as an old enemy appeared as if from thin air. Before Jared could call out a warning, Apocalypse sent a wave of attacks at the gathered mutants.

Jared threw his arms up to block the attack directed at him, barely able to withstand it. As he struggled to remain standing, Jared saw his friends either out cold or weakly struggling on the ground. "Why?!" Jared thought, "Why now?!"

As Jared watched, Apocalypse launched a final wave of attacks that would destroy him and his friends. Time seemed to slow for Jared, as the various beams, projectiles, etc inched towards them. Jared struggled to find the strength to stop this, to save his friends, but there was nothing left. As he gave into despair, Jared felt something deep inside him, something he hadn't been aware was there.

Jared reached out to it, and knew no more....

***

To Be Continued
CurlyyHairGirl
Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler
Posts: 1503
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:52 pm
Location: San Jose State University

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

ERRRRG!!! CLIFFHANGER!!! Why must I alway choose to read at a cliffhanger moment?
one name: Bruce Campbell
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Act 5 Chapter ??: Emergance Continued

Post by shankjam »

"Its bright." Jared thought. It...light, it was light. The light was coming through a hole...a...window. The window was in a wall, part of the room that is…here. "But where..."

Jared was distracted at that moment by the sounds of children at play drifting up from the yard outside.

"The children are being particularly rowdy today..." he thought. Children? Yes, children, this was...a school.

Jared turns his head away from the window, to the other side of the bed hes lying in. Sitting there with clasped hands pressed to his forehead is Kurt.

"...whats that?" Jared thought. Its blue and...a friend. Its a friend. "A friend? Its...hes a friend." Friend...the friend was...Kurt.

"Kurt" said Jared softly, staring almost vacantly at the still form sitting beside him. Kurt nearly jumped out of his chair at the sound of his voice. "Jared?! Youre okay! We were so worried after..."

The Kurt friend was suddenly someplace a little different. He was making...noises. The noises were suppose to have...meaning. "I dont..." What did they mean?

Kurts heart sank as Jared returned his questions with a blank stare. "I better get the Professor," thought Kurt as he quickly exited the infirmary. As he left, Jareds attention was drawn to his own tail softly lashing about at the side of his bed.

The noises stopped...and the Kurt friend was gone. But there was a new thing...playing in the light. It was...a tail. "My tail..." Jared thought. He had a tail. Suddenly more noises...the Kurt friend was back. Another thing was there too...a...professor.

As Xavier entered the infirmary, he sent a faint thought out to Jared. After a moment, he let out a relieved sigh. "Hes going to be okay, Kurt. His psyche has begun to reform, itll probably be a few hours before hes back to normal, but hell be okay."

Kurt let out a relieved sigh of his own as he sank back down into the chair beside the bed. He watched, a little sadly, as Jared appeared fascinated by his shifting tail, waiting for his friend to return.

***

Jareds memories returned to him in a flood. It was as if he was reliving all the significant happenings in his life for the first time, and it was far from enjoyable. As humans, mutant or not, are prone to do, its the bad ones that remain most vivid in our minds.

After several hours, Jared had mostly regained his faculties. Holding a hand to his pounding head, Jared asked Xavier, "What the heck happened? How did we get away from Apocalypse?"

Kurt and Xavier shared a glance, before Xavier replied, "You mean you dont remember?" When Jared shook his head, Xavier steepled his fingers and pondered silently for a moment.

"Normally I would suggest letting your memory return normally, but..." Xavier paused, a somber expression on his face. "I think it might be best for you to know what happened." A sad smile on his face, Xavier asked, "Are you up to reliving one more past experience?"

As Jared nodded, Xavier closed his eyes and places on hand to the side his head. After a reassuring smile from Kurt, Jared closed his own eyes, and succumbed to Xaviers vision.

***

More To Come
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by shankjam »

They're all cliffhangers of one form or another, CHG. It's my way of torturing the Reader, to spread the torture it is for me to write stuff out like this. :P

And I bet all you 2 people who have checked this thread since i posted the first of this little episode thought you were gonna see the big confrontation in the second installment above?! Hah! Got you again!

Sometimes being evil equals fun!
CurlyyHairGirl
Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler
Posts: 1503
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:52 pm
Location: San Jose State University

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by CurlyyHairGirl »

You don't have to use those cliffhangers on me, I will always come back for a good story:kiss:D.

That was very good. I love his thought and his child like mind when he first woke up * that's how I am all the time*:D
one name: Bruce Campbell
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Interlude

Post by shankjam »

Next Episode....

Jared: What the hell happened to me?!

Xavier: I could show you what happened...

Jared: ....

Xavier: ....

Jared: Well?

Xavier: Im not sure I should.

Jared: Eh?!

Xavier: It might be best for you to remember on your own.

Logan: You sound like a broken record Professor.

Jared: Hey! Get out of here Logan! The maximum occupancy for a teaser such as this is two!

Logan: *grunt* Whatever kid.

Jared: Come on professor, I need to know!

Xavier: ...

Jared: Grr, I'll get it out of you one way or the other!

*sounds of blasts and fighting*

Next on Super Slueth Jared!

Episode 3: The Wary Witness

Jared: Take that! *explosion* And that! *more explosions*

-------------------

This zaniness brought to you by me playing too much Disgaea...
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Act 5: Chapter ?? Emergance Continued

Post by shankjam »

***

The X-men stumble into the abandoned barn and wearily spread out to locate what comfort they could find. As if out of thin air, Apocalypse was suddenly in their midst. Before any could react he launched a wave of attacks, a myriad of his many copied mutant powers going off at once.

The already exhausted X-men could do little to fend of his attack, and after the first wave only Jared remained standing. As Jared struggled to find the strength to protect his friends, Apocalypse launched another wave of attacks, bent on destroying those who had defeated him two years before.

As Apocalypse's attacks sped towards the helpless X-men, a brilliant flash of light erupted from Jared. In an instant, thin streamers of light shot through the air and halted Apocalypse's attacks. The ancient mutants face twisted in anger as he turned towards Jared. "Him...again it's him!"

The thin streamers of light were emanating from Jared's back, reminiscent of wings. A brilliant white aura surrounded him, tongues of light licking the air as a flame. Jared hung in the air a foot off the ground like a marionette with most of its strings cut, his limbs hanging limply.

A silent snarl on his face, Apocalypse launched a full-scale assault against Jared. Yet in an instant, the streamers of light sped to intercept each of his attacks. For the first time, Apocalypse feels fear as his assault is halted.

Before Apocalypse can mount another assault, the streamers of light are on him, wrapping around his limbs and body. He cries out in an ancient tongue, the emotionless and still form of Jared driving fear deep into his heart.

Suddenly the aura around Jared flares brightly and a brilliant white light shoots up the many streamers sprouting from his back towards Apocalypse. Apocalypse is enveloped in the light as it converges on him. There is a blinding flash of light, and a piercing scream echoes through the barn.

As the light fades, there is no sign of Apocalypse, only the streamers of light wafting slowly in the air. A moment later they zip through the air and back into Jared as the aura around him flickers and disappears. He falls to his knees before collapsing to the ground as if the last of a marionette's strings were cut, his eyes open and staring vacantly into the distance.

***

Conclusion Coming Soon
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Act 5 Chapter ??: Emergance Conclusion

Post by shankjam »

Xavier let his hand fall to the arm of his wheelchair and opened his eyes, ending the vision. He watched closely as Jared turned his head away and looked out the window, fighting to maintain his composure. After several moments, Xavier asked softly, "Do you remember now?"

Jared shook his head as he continued to stare out the window. When Xavier remained silent, Jared finally asked, "What happened to me, Professor?"

Xavier sighed deeply and replied, "I don't know Jared. Afterwards, you didn't appear physically harmed but..." Xavier hesitated for a moment before continuing. "But we could get no response from you. It was as if your psyche had...disappeared, I could feel nothing from you."

Kurt grew uneasy as his friend remained silent, his gaze fixed out the window. "The Professor says you're going to be okay though, you'll be back to normal again in no time. Whatever normal is." Kurt's uneasiness grew when his small joke elicited no response from Jared. A moment later, however, Jared gave a small snort of amusement as the corner of his mouth turned up.

Xavier placed a hand on Jared's arm, "I promise, we'll figure this out. But right now, you have some recuperating to do, we all do. We'll talk more about this later." Jared gave a small nod as Xavier withdrew his hand and headed towards the door.

As Xavier passed through the door, Jared stirred and called out, "Thank you, Professor, for showing me." Xavier raised a hand in acknowledgement as he continued on into the hall.

After a few moments of silence, Jared turned to face to his friend. Kurt perked up expectantly. "Kurt, I'd...like to be alone for a while." A look of worry crossed Kurts face as he tried to protest, knowing how fearful Jared was of being alone now. "Please Kurt? I'll be okay...for a little while at least."

It was with a great deal of reluctance that Kurt finally left the room, making it clear he would be back very soon. As the door closed behind Kurt, Jared placed a hand over his face. No longer holding back to tears of frustration and fear he had been fighting back.

***

Jared recalled the vision Xavier had shown him over and over again, trying to remember. "I remember Apocalypse's first wave of attacks...how I could barely remain standing." Jared struggled to continue the memory, fighting off the fog that seems to be clouding his mind. "I remember him launching the second wave of attacks...and then time seemed to slow down."

Jared puzzled over that for a few moments before finally concluding he must have used what little strength he had left to accelerate his mind in order to think of...something. Jared ran through it again and again, trying to remember what happened next and failing. "I was trying to find the strength to stop him, to save us but..."

And then he remembered. Jared remembered feeling something deep inside him, something he had reached out to in desperation. Suddenly, he was aware of it now, this thing that was inside him. The more he concentrated on it, the more pronounced it became.

Jared struggled to describe it in some way, but all he could come up with was...potential. It was...contained...a massive amount of potential.

As Jared contemplated it he grew more and more uneasy. It felt...different then before, he was sure of it. It had seemed inert before, but now it felt...sentient. Like it had a will that was it's own, the thought of which made Jared's blood run cold.

Sounds of his friend returning drifted through the closed door, as a mounting terror began to intrude in Jared's mind. Not knowing how to deal with it, Jared buried it. He pushed it away, trying to force himself not to feel its presence.

As Kurt and a few of his other friends entered the room, Jared forced a small smile to his face, even as he struggled against the fear that was building inside him.

***

End of Chapter
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Grief

Post by shankjam »

I'm not gonna provide any explanation of background for this story besides the following: It was inspired by one of my Nightcrawler wallpapers which ill post a link to later. And this has no connection with the Multiverse of the rest of the stuff I've posted before.

--------------------

It was pouring. The rain came down in sheets, the kind that soaked you to the skin in moments. But he didn't care. The young man was gazing down numbly at the ground in front of him. Not seeing the headstones there, but the faces of those that they memorialized, the ones he hadn't been able to protect. He didn't blame himself though. He had done all that he could. If it hadn't been for him, none of them would of survived.

No, he didn't blame himself, he blamed them. Those people who called themselves human, but had done such inhumane things to him and his friends. Though he knew what he had done would come back to haunt him, the destruction of them and their... organization at his hands brought a small amount of satisfaction. Yet, it seemed little recompense for what they had taken away from him, and what they had done.

The young man was lost in troubled thoughts for some time until finally deciding he had been there long enough. The few other who had survived, had returned to the mansion hours ago, reluctantly leaving him behind. As he walked away from the small group of headstones, the young man could feel his anger fading, the sadness and grief rising to take its place. Once again lost in troubled thoughts, he almost didn't notice the unusual sight ahead of him.

Ahead in the distance loomed one of the larger, more ornate gravestones, a massive cross. A form, obscured by the still pouring rain, on top of it. As the young man continued forward he was able to better make out the form clutching the gravestone. It looked like...a demon. It had pointed ears, three fingered hands and feet. A barbed tail was tightly coiled around one arm of the cross and it had only a pair of tattered shorts on.

For a few moments, the young man believed that it was truly a demon, but the truth soon occurred to him. It was a mutant, like him. "Except...he can't hide what he is behind a normal appearance like I can," the young man thought sadly. He paused and studied the mutant, its back was to him and its face was buried against the cross, almost as if it was hugging it close.

***
To be continued
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Grief Continued

Post by shankjam »

***

He didn't know how long he had been here, clinging to the gravestone. He also didn't know how much longer he would stay. All he knew was that his friend, the only person who had ever shown him kindness and understanding, was dead. After years of fleeing and hiding from persecution due to his appearance, he had finally found someone. Someone who had looked beyond his abnormal appearance and accepted him, cared for and sheltered him. Now his friend was dead and he was alone...again.

He wasn't sure what tipped him off, but the unusual looking mutant suddenly had the feeling that he wasn't alone. He jerked around to look behind him, finding a young man standing nearby. The man gave a sudden start, taken aback by the sudden movement and the glowing yellow eyes that now confronted him. The young man was of average height yet quite skinny. His leather jacket and baggy pants were sodden with rain, hanging heavily from his thin frame. He wore a pair of darkly tinted sunglasses, looking very out of place in such weather.

The mutant clutching the grave marker knew he should run, use his ability to escape before this person could react. But...he had no where to go. He was tired of running, for a short time he had know solace. But his friend was dead and gone, and he didn't want to go back to feeling and hiding from everyone. All he wanted to do right now was stay here, and mourn the loss of his only friend.

The two regarded each other, both a bit fearful, for several moments. The young man reached up to his sunglasses, causing the mutant to press himself against the gravestone tighter. The man hesitated for a moment before removing the sunglasses. The man hesitated for a moment before removing the sunglasses. The mutant was taken aback as a pair of glowing eyes like his confronted him, save the man's were a pure white. "He's like me," he thought, "...different." It made him feel slightly more at ease, knowing the young man was a mutant like him. But a twinge of fear and trepidation still wormed into his heart, when the young man offer an upturned palm to him.

***
--------------------

Don't know why I'm bothering to keep posting here, as it doesnt look like more then 1 or 2 people are even bothering to view my thread anymore! Probably just finish this story and call it quits.
User avatar
Lauren
Navigator
Navigator
Posts: 1452
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2003 7:07 pm
Location: Nightcrawler's bedroom *shhh!*

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by Lauren »

awww this story is so cute so far! Keep writing it! dernit! *glares menancingly at you*
"I am known as Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz Gombigobilla Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andri Charton-Haymoss Ivanovici Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser III. Don't hesitate to call." -Vash the Stampede


"No, you see I'm blind in my right eye now... So boring. You know what really makes me pissy? Grunge, Heroine chic, and dying are over. I so hate being behind the curve. Tourism's up." Brett(Alan Cumming) from Urbania
User avatar
shankjam
Bilge Rat
Bilge Rat
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 2:54 am
Location: Ohio

Shankjam's Stories (Updated 6/1 Grief Completed)

Post by shankjam »

C...cute? Cute?! Bah! This is suppose to be an attempt on my part for a more darker, sad story. Though I can't help but make it so things work out for Kurt in the end...

Anyways, like i said in my previous post, I'll finish this little story. Next part is almost finished, and then theres just one more after that. I've found I can actually sit down and write stuff out ahead of time during downtime at work. So its working out well.
Post Reply