Uncategorized

0 comments on "About: Kanon Darkstar pt 1 (supervillain, the GOAT) #HarperWCK"

"Darkstar" is introduced in Heroes & Villains as the supervillain name of the once-superhero Starburst.

Vereint Georges has always dreamed of being a superhero like his wall poster crush Blue Ice. So when he gains superpowers (strength, flight, invulnerability, speed–the basic package) he sets out to be what he thinks a superhero should be.

From the haircut, to the "I’m a superhero" voice, to the almighty poses, he uses them all.

And as a result, his superhero persona Starburst is universally mocked by reporters and superheroes alike. Including Blue Ice.

In a confrontation with Blue Ice, Starburst discovers some kind of new ability where violet light auras out of his body and melts everything it touches. He barely manages to stop it after it melts a section of street and sidewalk (and possibly a fire hydrant? I have to go back and reread that scene).

For a second, he’s proud of himself that he managed to get control. He looks up and catches Blue Ice’s–his hero’s!–eyes, and expects some kind of praise or something. Instead he gets derision and a general sense of "Get your shit together."

Vereint continues on as a superhero for awhile, but eventually snaps and decides that if he can’t be a hero, he’s going to be a villain and do whatever he wants. So during the annual Good Day Parade, he robs a jewelry store.

And that’s the start of his criminal career.

Stealing things. Displaying his powers to crowds as they hand off their wealth and goods. Trying out different outfits and looks to the enjoyment of the masses. And obliterating anyone that dares to confront him.

Every time Vereint "powers up," his metabilities grow.

In the Heroes & Villains universe, he falls in love with Warrick and retires from the super-life. There are occasions where he’s forced to power up (and violently kills a bunch of people, sorry to the squeamish) which grows his metabilities. But for the most part, his metabilities are just simmering under the surface, growing, but slowly. It’s more of a natural progression than Kanon-Darkstar’s power growth.

Because Kanon-Darkstar constantly uses his metabilities, his Charm is off the charts. It’s to the point where it’s more than just a registered weapon–his section of Megacity is under permanent quarantine.

Because while Kanon Darkstar can and does leave his Megacity to visit other places, he lives there and sleeps there most nights.

HV-Vereint can "power down," basically damp himself down so much that he’s practically a normal human. More durable, stronger, but at his depowered base he could still push a car or jump onto a second floor roof. It’s when he wants to move heavier things or do more metahuman stuff that he has to tap into his "inner power." But as long as he’s powered down, his Charm isn’t effecting the people around him. There’s not tendrils of influence going out, scrambling peoples’ brains.

Kanon Darkstar has kept himself powered up for so long and for so hard that even in his most depowered state, he can’t help exuding Charm around him.

And, as is revealed in–I think Allies & Enemies or Tuesday Night–one of the stories, a metahuman being around a stronger metahuman can make them stronger. (It’s all about the manna and the nectar zions and all that stuff from Timeline. It doesn’t matter for exposition purposes.)

Kanon-Darkstar is a powermaker.

Him just living in an area, exuding his presence all over, results in stronger metabilities in those that would have Manifested without him, and in metabilities developing in those that would have had a dormant Nor-gene.

In Allies & Enemies there’s statistics mentioned in the news about something like 80% of the population possessing the Nor gene, with most Manifesting minor abilities. Stuff like being able to grow their fingernails or heal their own skin. Minor stuff.

In the Kanon-verse, there are a lot more powerful metahumans because Darkstar is polluting the air around him with his very presence. And the more powerful metahumans there are, the more metahumans they effect and help create.

Kanon Sunfire is stronger than HV-Sunfire, and has displayed a much stronger–and deadlier–photokinetic ability as well as a devastating level of Charm-ability. Meanwhile, Kanon Melissa Kim becomes a superhero, but her powerset is a bit different from Blue Devil’s and she can’t fly.

no Vereint x Warrick = no adopted Melissa Kim = no Blue Devil

HV-Darkstar developed the gaussian blur he’s known for over time. There are clear photographs of the superhero Starburst, though everyone notes they look like different people. They could be brothers, but no one would think Starburst was Darkstar.

This is because while the gaussian blur is Darkstar’s metabilities visibly affecting mechanical equipment, it’s also a proof that his Charm is reaching out from his body. It shows up stronger closer around his head and face, but there’s no doubt that an invisible something is reaching out.

Because everyone that comes into contact with him is effected.

It is because of Darkstar that Charm is classified as one of the most powerful metabilities in the Kanon universe. So while the Heroes & Villains universe chugs along in ignorance, the Kanonverse understands that Charm is a horrifying and inexorable metability.

After a time, the League of Superheroes and other groups develop the use of "Charm proof" helmets for when they have to come into contact with Darkstar. But it’s well understood that the helmets will do nothing against long term contact or if the complete attention of Darkstar rests on someone. It’s better to not have him power up around people.

Thus the quarantining of Megacity.

He is treated as a god. Given everything and anything that he wants and whatever people think he might desire.

Some want his attentions upon them, feeling the burning glory of his presence against their skin and every bit of being.

Most people dread his attentions, glad to keep him appeased and within the confines of the Quarantine Zone.

"Darkstar is like a bear. A fucking dancing bear. He doesn’t know how to fight. He’s flailing around, punching and kicking and ‘oh look, I did a flip’ when it’s his ability to fly. But if you let that bear get its paws on you… it will fuck you up." — possibly from an LoS meeting where they watch video of Darkstar "fighting" a large group of people.

Vereint in Heroes & Villains has no real fight training. He never bothered to learn more than the basics he’s managed to pick up.

Kanon-Darkstar has more fight ability, but he’s still not "skilled" at it. Mostly because anything he hits with intent is obliterated.

It’s very hard to practice martial arts when you’re so strong that the world around you might as well be made of soda-lime glass.

All Systems Red at Amazon
0 comments on "Thoughts on Things; Writing stuff; Bits and Bobs"

Thoughts on Things

So… There’s been a lot of Florida Man incidents in the news lately.

Like, Florida Man recently kicked an iguana to death then claimed Stand Your Ground laws in court. https://twitter.com/HarperKingsley0/status/1400140467207999488?s=20

Or, Florida Man recently took his 10-year old son on a paintball drive-by that resulted in the kid being shot with a real gun and run over by his dad’s van. https://twitter.com/HarperKingsley0/status/1400166245429772290?s=20

“12-year-old boy, 14-year-old girl open fire at deputies with guns including AK-47, Florida sheriff’s officials say”

“A right-wing Florida pastor was hospitalized with Covid-19, weeks after saying vaccination efforts were part of a ‘mass death campaign.'”

So… yeah.

It feels like people are acting up lately.

Stay safe, normal people of Florida. We’re all praying for you. What with Florida Man being on the loose.

Writing stuff

Still working on my Bits and Bobs project. Gonna finish up a couple more fills and make it public.

The current settings of the browser play game have all content available. The purple (paid content) and the red (NSFW) writing is going to be in the paid version, same with most of the green (spoilers).

As the Itch system is currently set, if you have a game available for browser play, it’s there for everyone. I’m okay with that.

The only unfortunate thing is that if you buy the game, you still have to download it to your own computer/phone to play.

I think it would be better if you could just log in and have the full game available in their game browser. That way the updates are right there. And there’s nothing to download and fidget with.

As it is, the paid version will include a zip file of html and image files. Unzip the folder and click index to start. Any updates will include instructions of where to drop the new files. That’s the plan.

Otherwise, I have no idea what I’m doing.

“WIPs, Snips, Bits and Bobs” by Harper Kingsley. https://harperkingsley.itch.io/bits-and-bobs (current password: “Amorpho”)

Bits and Bobs: Story Prompt Generator

The “STORY PROMPT GENERATOR: 60 Prompts” section includes 60 story prompts for creatives.

I’ll likely include the current version of the story prompt generator itself in a later update. It’s a click-button tool that pulls up a character and a situation.

example: Prompt 26 and fill

26. Recently having regained human form, an alchemist’s apprentice drank a bottle of homemade alcohol.

He felt strange in his own skin, as though it didn’t fit anymore. He didn’t know if he’d outgrown himself or if his skin had shrunk while it was changed.

He felt uncomfortable in his human body. A month as an otter, and suddenly being human felt unfamiliar and wrong.

A part of him hadn’t wanted to change back.

If the spell hadn’t ended when it did, he might have decided to stay an otter. He might have followed the call of the sea and never come back to his humdrum existence at the Alchemists Guild.

And how should he feel about that? Happier as an otter than a human being.

The package had come for his master. She’d pointed at him and said, “Those must be the jams I ordered. Open it for me, would you?”

And he’d pulled the string and his everything had changed. Simpler and easier without losing a sense of “Everything is good and right.”

There had been joy as an otter that his regular life lacked. He wasn’t awkward and uncomfortable in his own skin. He was sleek and graceful and diving into the water was like coming home.

He raised the cup of Master Gardener’s best homebrew to his lips. The taste of the beer was said to be excellent; he didn’t know. He’d never had much fondness for alcohol. It was just that he felt so lost (afraid). He needed something to help him feel anchored.

So here he was in the toolshed with four other apprentices. His friends and age-mates.

Smug bastards that didn’t and wouldn’t understand the great sense of loss he felt.

For a brief time, he’d been whole.

“How you doin’, mate?” Alby asked.

“I’m alright,” he said, then coughed to clear his throat and take another drink. He didn’t see the concerned looks he received.

“I can’t imagine the bollocks on the magicians, thinking they could turn Master Flamewroth into an animal. She’d probably have been a tiger and torn them to pieces. Tough luck on you, though.”

“Yeah. Tough luck on me.”

/END Prompt 26

Bits and Bobs: Current suggested path

When you first run Bits and Bobs, click the “Show NSFW” button then click the “Hide NSFW” button (if you don’t really want to see NSFW content). The current settings have the “Show NSFW’ button unlocking what would otherwise be paid content (purple text).

Everything is currently a work-in-progress. Segments that have “/END” after them can be expanded at any time. (Especially if someone shows interest in a particular segment.)

The actual NSFW content is currently at around PG-15 levels. When everything’s finished, the button will mostly be for violence, language, dialogue, and graphic imagery. Erotica and all that will be separate modules available for purchase and download. That way I don’t have to worry about minors accessing content way outside their current kink settings.

There will also be extra story modules available for some projects otherwise unavailable for purchase (Tuesday Night, et al).

“WIPs, Snips, Bits and Bobs” by Harper Kingsley. https://harperkingsley.itch.io/bits-and-bobs (current password: “Amorpho”)

Oh yeah, and fyi, I’m writing this project in text, which means no spellcheck. I fix the mistakes that I spot, otherwise I’m going to run it through a spellchecker when I’m done with the project base.

The Way of the Househusband 01 at Amazon
1 comment on "Fic: Sound Beyond Sound"

Sound Beyond Sound

Excerpt:

I feel like I’m getting sick. Or on the brink of having a migraine.

It’s that feeling of having woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

Part of me just wants to go back to bed, curl up in my blankets, and sleep and sleep until I feel less like everything is off kilter.

But if I do that, these people can’t take care of themselves. They are mess-makers and helpless in the face of it. Constantly crying out "Help me!" even if not through words. The scream of unoiled hinges purposely made to sound their noise. The thump of items being tossed onto the counter or floor. The heavy crack of porcelain being set down much too roughly.

I wouldn’t get much sleep anyway.

With a heavy sigh, I pull myself to my feet and head to the laundry room to move the clothes to the dryer.

I am just opening the dryer when I hear it.

Cr-THUMP.

There’s something about the sound that puts me instantly on edge. There feels like jolts of electricity flowing from the top of my head, down my arms, and into my fingers, causing them to twitch and tingle. I am afraid, and I don’t know why. It’s just terror, pure and uncut by reason.

In other circumstances, I would have called out, "Are you all right?" as the noise was likely my family.

But in this moment? In this time?

Something’s very wrong.

Tears burn in my eyes and I don’t know why. There’s a sense of impending doom.

Over the pounding of my heart, I strain to listen to the world beyond the laundry room door. I dread the window at my back, but whatever’s happening in the house–the kitchen? the living room?–is real.

Because I can hear other sounds now. Growing sounds. Thumps, bumps, what sounds like a moaning growl. The scuff of something being dragged across the hardwood floor.

And with it, there’s this sound that pierces to the soul of my every fear. Urine prickles, and subconsciously I squeeze to keep from peeing myself. It’s a comfort. Something I can semi-control in the face of whatever’s happening on the other side of the door.

Because something terrible is happening out there.

Something is very very wrong out there.

Dread is pressing down on me. Oppressive fear has turned my knees to water. I couldn’t move if I wanted to. And I didn’t want to.

Because whatever was happening to my family in the rest of the house? It already felt like it was too late.

In my mind, it was blatantly obvious: They’re all dead. Why else weren’t they screaming? Why else hadn’t I seen someone run past the laundry room window as they fled the house to safety? Why else could I still hear that sound.

Whatever it was, it was growing in power and intensity. Louder, stronger, a pulsing something almost recognizable building out of what had seemed a dull buzz before.

My bones were aching.

My eyes felt like they were being pressed into the back of my skull, the orbs being squished into the bone. I clenched my eyelids shut in pain. Nausea churned in my gut

I would have laid down on the floor if I had any control. But it felt like my tendons had stiffened into lines of fire stretching my limbs out in a clenching, quivering, uncontrollable shaking. My skin felt like it was going to split open from the pressure as my body juddered and jerked.

Consciousness was slipping out of my control, and I was glad of it.

I’d rather be unconscious when whatever that was killed me. That way I wouldn’t have to feel it.

My body slipped sideways against the washing machine and I slid down onto the floor, the back of my head knocking against an inconvenient shoe rack. My neck was bent at an uncomfortable angle, but I barely cared in the face of everything else.

Stiff as a board, my body shuddered and shook. I could feel my arms and legs shaking and twitching, my feet pointed so far down and so stiffly that I wondered if my toes were going to break off.

It was outside the door. A sweeping "wh-UM-um-UMmmMMmmMM b-muh-WUH-hmmmMMMhhMhmmm" of sound-deeper-than-sound walking the hallway outside.

It was a relief to lose consciousness. To get away from that growing horrible sound that had turned my bowels to liquid. To know that whatever happened next, I wouldn’t have to be awake for it.

(x_x ) ( x_x ) ( x_x)

They called themselves The Settlers. They were from some far off star they refused to name, and they’d come to Earth to make it their new home. Which meant clearing humans off the land they’d designated for their Pod Cities. Those peapod-shaped buildings reaching up for the sky as their roots and wires dug deep and deeper into the ground below, pumping out The Sludge, a bile yellow mystery that was likely doing something terrible.

Their alien telepathy didn’t interact well with the human brain. There were a lot of deaths. Hundreds of millions, burned to atoms in highly efficient alien kilns.

I woke up in the labor camp a sibling-less orphan. The human doctor–eyes showing startled fear that was gradually changing to a deeper, lasting terror–injected me with five syringes in the same arm and sent me on my way. No explanations of what were in the injections. No words spoken at all.

I put on the clothes I had been given–loose gray pants, a green tee shirt–and followed the signs to the largest of four buildings located within the miles of fence. Massive sprawling buildings that were eerily quiet.

People everywhere within the fence. Adults and children intermixed in masses of wide-eyed terror, the shock a palpable presence everywhere I looked.

And they were all so quiet. It was weird. And frightening.

Nobody spoke. Nobody vocalized a sound. There was touch, there was gesture, but nobody spoke. No babies screamed in their parents’ arms. It was just masses of people moving around each other, exploring the confines of our cage.

And as I opened the door of the big building and stepped past the threshold, I realized that I hadn’t spoken either.

I should have asked the doctor questions. I should have been demanding answers. But I hadn’t said anything.

The doctor had been silent. The nurses and other patients had been silent.

And I hadn’t felt a single need to speak.

I still didn’t.

Wait, what?

I thought about saying something, but there was no desire there. There was no need to speak. No purpose to it. No reason to make a single sound.

And when I forced my mouth open and air escaped my throat, I realized that I didn’t know how to speak. I remember having done it before, the sound of my own voice, the ease of it all, but it was… distant. Broken somehow.

Because when I tried to speak, my mouth moved, air flowed, but I didn’t know how to make my vocal cords work. They were dead things in my throat. Or maybe I had forgotten what they were.

/EXCERPT

Kakushigoto 01 at Amazon
0 comments on "23 April, 2021 19:19"

A leaf on the wind. Delicate and drifting, slipping back and forth across the path, flitting from one sight to another. The curiosity of the thing was a hypnotizing oddity.

The Spirit watched the human child through the shifting lens of the Atherial Realms.

Born from corporeal beings that had achieved transcendence, the Spirit had never desired to be a "solid mass" itself.

Until now.

To see the candelight soul flickering and fluttering in its simple joy, followed by the steady presence of the caregiver, for the first time the Spirit wanted.

And so, with a wish of being, the godling took form.