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 Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:29 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:36 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:38 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:39 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:41 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:43 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:44 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:46 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:53 pm
[SOLO OF DOOM--Themi will be out of play for 2-3 IC days, to be determined]
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Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2017 7:57 pm
Wonder Woman
Backdated to June 2, 2017
She'd gotten the tickets about a month prior, preordering them the moment they were available. One seat, right up in front, at a theater where you could lean back in recliners, stretched back so you could see the whole screen no matter where you were sitting in the theater. The first showing, the midnight screening, she'd been there. Wearing a few accessories she'd made herself, the red, blue, gold and criss-crossing bands forming the tell-tale symbols of Wonder Woman.
Danika wasn't lost on the... irony? Was that the word?
Diana of Themiscyra. Diana Prince. Wonder Woman.
Diana of Themiscyra. Diana... something. Knight of Mars.
Her ring glinted in the neon lights of the theater lobby as she collected her ticket from the electronic kiosk. The slender gold chain around her throat felt like it was crackling with energy--or perhaps it was just that the whole theater was. Her whole body was. The DC Comics fan in her was electrified to see this movie, hyped up over it since the moment Gal Gadot had been announced as Wonder Woman in Batman vs Superman.
But some other part of her? Felt... odd. She knew, of course, the comics had nothing to do with her, or her past self. There was no correlation. Only coincidence in this case. But there was still something so... odd. So... just. Off. Weird. Seeing a different Themiscyra. Seeing a different Diana. Seeing someone being the hero that, Danika... wanted to be. She'd awoken as a knight and had crowed about finally being a hero. She'd jumped headlong into the fray, into learning about her wonder--Themiscyra, the city itself. Not an island, though against the red stone and sand of Mars it might as well have been. Some of the dips and odd bits of terrain around the city even made her wonder if it'd been in a body of water at one point in time. Or if just the city's construction, or rather, the city's construction over a prison that had been built long before even the city, had caused the dip and oddities.
Dominic, Thalia... Danika's chest tightened, and she pushed away the thoughts, the faces, the memories. Got her "limited edition" ridiculously huge cup with a few shots of Wonder Woman on it, and a few bags of candy to munch on during the film. She joined the group of people lining up, each with tickets dictating exactly which row and recliner seat was theirs. No fighting for spots. Already had your assigned one.
Of course the theater was packed. She got to her seat and was unsurprised to see people on either side. There was more than enough for her, and a holder to put her drink into, with plenty of room for her purse to sit beside her comfortably on the chair, and her pre-opened snacks to be shoved into there that she wasn't already keeping in hand to much on. The trailers began to play, and she was almost immediately struck by the one for Atomic Blonde. Yes please. She marveled at the sound cues and the perfection of which they orchestrated the trailer. Definitely got her interested--along with making a mental note to find out what song, or songs, were used in the trailer to listen to more later.
The lightheartedness of the trailers--in comparison to what followed after--came to a halt when she heard the accented voice speaking about the beauty of Earth. Of how there was a darkness lurking there, the closer you got. She watched, in silence, as Diana Prince made her way into her office, was given a briefcase sporting the name Wayne Industries and within... a piece of the past.
She laughed with the others in the audience as young Diana shined in her mischief and her urge to fight. For Danika, her heart broke. She'd been just as urgent to fight, just as willing. Just as wishful to find her own Antiope and fight the Negaverse. Be some great warrior. But there was always more than what Diana, than what Themiscyra Page of Mars, understood. It was always more than just some hero's story.
Pain lanced through her heart to see the battle on the beach, just as her fists clenched and her heart pounded to fight. Fight alongside others from Themiscyra, as she'd done in another life. Fight alongside other knights and senshi as she did in this life. But battles cost. There wasn't anything stopping the tears from pricking as the scenes continued to unfold. Oh she laughed as Diana adjusted to jolly old London and the attire. She puffed up with pride to see her voice her opinions, not be pressed down by the scoffs of a woman being present. Danika almost cheered when Diana tossed the guy threatening Charlie across the room, laughing with again the crowd at the correct times. The movie was spectacular.
But war had its costs.
Images of her friends, and of a future she prayed would never be, flashed before her eyes as she watched injured soldiers returning home, and fresh recruits being sent out into the fray. The fear, the grime, the pain. War had its costs, and Diana was being forced to see this. But she... she fought.
No Man's Land.
Danika nearly laughed at this. Bristling in her seat, one hand at her golden chain, the other over her ring. "This isn't why we're here." Steve. You meant well. You were trying. More people needed to be like you.
"No, this is why I'm here."
The pain in her chest was too much. Danika couldn't stop the fresh tears, having to bite on her hand to smother the sobs as her shoulders shook. Watching. Each step, each movement. Pushing forward into a place no one else would--could--go. They tried to call her back. She kept marching. Kept using the powers given to her, kept using her strength, her wisdom, her speed... she took the bullets, the impacts, so others could fight.
This is why the world needs Wonder Woman. It was the thought that wouldn't let up. It was the scene that wouldn't release her. The power of that scene, of No Man's Land, it...
Danika watched the rest of the movie in silence, barely aware of her snacks or drink. "It's not about deserving. It's about believing. And I believe in love." She almost wanted to throw her drink at the screen. How dare they? How dare they hit when she was already down? But it... was true.
It was all so... so painfully, bloody true.
In many ways... the world probably didn't deserve being saved. So much was already taken over by Chaos. So many people were likely happy to give themselves over to that, for an easier life, an easier way, no fighting required. But... did she still believe in saving this world?
She watched as Wonder Woman fought War. Fought, pushed back, broke under her sorrow and her strain and pushed above it. Loss was painful. Danika cried for Wonder Woman. She cried for Dominic. She cried for Thalia. She cried for all the people she couldn't help or save. But Wonder Woman kept pushing on. Kept fighting the fight she had to.
You don't condemn a world. You believe in a brighter future and you put everything you have towards it.
She left the theater in a daze, still clutching her barely half tasted drink and her various candies. She loved the movie, without question, but... it left a burning feeling in her. Away from the crowds, Danika focused. Shifted. Reformed. War consumed her, and she stood again as Themiscyra.
She was no Wonder Woman. Never would be, never could be. But as she kicked herself up onto the rooftops, she found herself still... smiling. It was pained, it was small. But it was something.
"It's not about deserving. It's about believing..."
{ Word Count: 1,321 }
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Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 10:15 pm
♂═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═♂
To the leader the pariah
{ Solo }
xxxx{ Getting Stronger }
xxxx{ Word Count . . . 1,071 }
↠xxx《 My return is a mystery
xxxxxxThought you had control of me
xxxxxxI'm offended that you're so surprised 》
↠xxx《 ┊January 2019┊》
Thump thump. Creak. Thump thump thump. Creaaak. Thump thump. Creaaaaak. Thump thump thump.
Within the gym, the forming rhythm stood out to her ears. Black and red boxing gloves collided with the hanging bright red bag, causing it to swing on the thick chain that groaned and creaked with each to and fro movement. Her breaths were sharp puffs mixed with grunts when she switched up the rhythm to slam a knee into the bag, or an elbow, or her hip, or her shin if she backed for a kick. Her feet kept moving, adding to the beat. Moving in place, moving as she shifted side to side or around the bag. The padding of her gloves did not prevent small sparks of pain in her knuckles now and then, and she knew it was for the best she'd bound them before putting on the gloves. Callouses had begun to form not long after she'd started the classes and practice sessions over two years prior. Still now and then she felt the friction and knew they'd continue on.
Her hair was bound back in a braid that was further wound into a bun. Bangs still fell around her face, growing slick from sweat. The black tight crop top and shorts were simple and unadorned, keeping what they needed to covered and controlled as she pushed her body this way and that. She'd already spent a while on the weights the gym had, though it's primary function were the kickboxing and other courses. A ring sat not far from where she worked, a pair of women going at it in a practice match with the trainers calling corrections and encouragements.
Danika hadn't agreed to step into the ring in a few weeks now. Probably a month or a bit more at that point. She was at the gym nearly every other day, some days going at the bags harder than others. Some days she more focused on technique and stretches. Other days, she wailed on the bag and didn't give a rat's a** about the way it landed till a trainer would catch her swinging something in a way that'd likely get her injured. She'd adjust, get the confirmation the correction was accurate, and go back to her pounding and slamming. On those days, she went for long stretches till she felt nearly faint. Pause. Stretch. Drink some water. Do some laps. Till she could properly breath and felt her body cool back down a bit. Then she'd be right back on the bag. Those nights had her muscles screaming the next day, but even still she felt it was worth it.
It was safer than going after youma, she figured.
And it was having a great effect on her body. Her stamina grew as time went on, the flexibility in her limbs increasing as she continued to practice and stretch. Areas of toned muscle formed, further fueled by her use of weights for that purpose. She had no interest in building up anything for vanity. She longed for strength.
It was all she wanted in many aspects of her life.
Her shin caught the bag in its forward swing, and the chain clattered and squealed as she forced the heavy weight backwards sharply. Pieces of cement around the connector the chain was linked to sprinkled onto the bag and onto the mat further beneath it, slowly being eroded by the smacks of the metal chain over and over. Her pulse pounded in her fists and throat, air sucked in through her nose and out her mouth. In, out, in, out.
Strength... physical strength. It was something she could improve. Something she could adapt and work towards. It was already proving obvious that her body aligned well for that. Now and then when she looked in the mirror, she saw flickers of that other body she glimpsed here and there in memories when she returned to Mars. The scars helped to add to it, she'd realized grudgingly.
"I'm not you," she'd screamed at the mirror one day, exhausted after the gym yet still burning with... something. "I'm nothing like you! This is my life, not yours. You ******** up your chance." She ached for a fight, even with her knuckles torn from the bandaging and gloves not being enough to protect her hands from the bag. The reflection she thought she saw from the corner of her eye now and then in the mirror had served as the perfect subject to try and goad. As if it could reach out across the glass and the bathroom sink to grab her, to strike her with the fists her opposite had clenched at her sides as Danika did. She had work the next morning, and knew she had to take a shower then before her morning was an even worse nightmare than it'd already be with how her body wouldn't want to move. Those were the only thoughts that kept her from lingering longer in front of the mirror and spitting insults at her reflection.
Because when she let herself really think about it, the goading wasn't accurate. That was probably the worst part of it all. Even minus the fact it'd been only her reflection she tried to pick a fight with.
Diana had plenty of physical strength from what she knew. She was smarter when it came to tactics, techniques, strategies. Probably had a stronger will to carry things out.
Those were all the bits Danika wasn't sure she had, or if she could improve those.
Strength of body. Strength of mind. Strength of will. Strength of... what else, soul? Determination? No, that was will. Wisdom? Kinda fell into mind territory. Heart?
Ah. That was a very difficult one.
Her hands caught the bag as it swung around haphazardly, bringing it to calm as she worked on herself for that, too. Groaning, she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the relatively cold surface of the bag. More strength, not just physical. That's what she needed. A large part of Danika still avoided the war, even being Themiscyra as much as it could. But none of her could deny that she needed... to be stronger.
She was getting there, on one route.
She just had to figure out the others, and no movie montage was going to suddenly play and end with her holding all the secrets she'd sought out magically.
♂═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═♂
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Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 8:37 pm
♂═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═♂
To the leader the pariah
{ Solo }
xxxx{ Getting Smarter }
xxxx{ Word Count . . . 528 }
↠xxx《 That first defeat was a practice round
xxxxxxBut I pulled myself off the ground
xxxxxxAnd I've already planned your demise. 》
↠xxx《 ┊February 2019┊》
They actually had a thing for Valentine's that year. Dani had dressed in red and pink, reworking a couple dresses she'd gotten from thrift stores into a new piece she felt was more suitable to her style. Something with slits up the sides to make it easier to get onto the bike and just tuck the fabric away so it wasn't waving around in the air. They'd eaten out--far preferable to his cooking, though it was getting better. They'd danced a bit. Laughed. Drank some. Nothing intense or boundary pushing. They went back to her place and...
She'd pulled back first.
Sometimes he did, but now and then she... was sure she saw that frustration. Or more recently, the understanding it was what she preferred. That was almost worse, and it ate at her. The doubt was just... there. Waiting for that other shoe to drop, waiting to wake up from another dream. Dominic entering her life again was arguably one of the best things that'd happen to her in the last two years or so. More, probably, since Thalia...
But Danika wasn't entirely capable of letting go of the past. On so many fronts. Now and then, she scolded herself. If she kept the crap up, she might just push him away, and then where would she be? But bless him, Dom was nothing if not patient with her cautious treatment of their relationship. It'd been nearly a year before she fully started to realize they were a thing again, and it wasn't just some silly hope that her heart was hesitant to hang onto. Little by little, she grew more comfortable in expecting him to respond to her texts and calls, looking forward to the times they could hang out and just... be them. There were uncomfortable questions now and then, and they'd already had their share of various roadblocks and bumpy roads. But she was happy.
Sometimes, she wondered if she was developing a self-sabotage tendency.
It'd been one such times when she'd considered it that she came across the ad online. Courses in history, something she'd always shied from when she could. It was through a community college, low cost and more a self-taught with some guidance sort of system. She'd been about to click off when she saw the bit about looking at warfare in different cultures and how tactics--accidental or not--made or broke the campaigns in some famous--or infamous--wars across the globe. There were a few courses like that, offering different cultural focuses or intent to history in general, or more specifically weaponry, or warfare at large. It'd been a debate for a few days... but she signed up for one, more aware that her schedule would need some adjusting to give herself time to actually... do readings. Which, for someone who disliked reading... it was a monumental decision.
But she was already trying to work on opening her mind to her renewed relationship. Trying to kick away that anxiety and fear and doubt. What was adding one more thing to work on? To learn, to grow. On her own pace and time, it might be feasible.
♂═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═♂
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2019 8:11 pm
♂═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═♂
To the leader the pariah
{ Solo }
xxxx{ Getting Harder }
xxxx{ Word Count . . . 1,233 }
↠xxx《 I won't stop fighting cause I'm not done yet
xxxxxxYou're gonna regret
xxxxxxThis time I won't let you forget 》
↠xxx《 ┊Early March 2019┊》
It wasn't often she got to meet her mom for lunch. Josselyn Teresi, homicide detective, could easily be considered married to her job. Certainly, she cited it as one of her reasons for not getting married to one of her partners, when Danika had asked years ago. She saw no reason to involve the government in her affairs, for her relationships and their arrangements were perfectly suited to her and her partners. Though she did admit she'd considered it due to financial reasons, or even just to be able to list one of them as her next of kin if something were to happen.
Danika had shut the conversation down shortly after, unwilling to consider the implications of why such a contact was necessary in connection with her mother's work. She wasn't a street cop, it was true, but Danika frequently questioned the safety of any cop--any person--in this city since awakening as Themiscyra. It wasn't until the last two years and all the losses that she began to realize how probable it was that she could lose her mother, too.
Both arranged for their lunch hours to match and meet at a simple little spot with great burgers. It ended up being closer to Danika's work, but Josselyn assured her it worked out--it wasn't far from some addresses she had to look up in connection to work. Danika didn't ask any further questions. Both in understanding her mom likely couldn't, and wouldn't, give further details, but also not wanting to dwell too long on the thought that they might be related to more cases of sudden, unexplained deaths. The city was full of them. Cardiac arrest was the usually assigned culprit, but Josselyn had ranted a few times about how weird so many of them were. People from all walks of life, all around the city. Danika could only agree on the oddities. She never dared to mention starseeds.
That was a whole can of worms she didn't know how to open around her mother. Someday, maybe. Now and then, she remembered that... future that never happened. Josselyn was aware of Danika being Themiscyra, became aware of senshi and knights, and what the Negaverse really was. She died helping them escape from the city when the bastards took over. The not-memory still chilled Danika to the bone. Her mom had been proud of her, though.
Would she be still, if Danika finally opened up?
"Hey, hun," the detective greeted her as Danika made her way into the restaurant. More of a diner, really. A little booth tucked away from the main counter offered a little bit of privacy to talk. She lifted a brow slightly. Considering her mother usually opted for a seat at the counter slash bar area, this was a bit unnerving. Then a breath left her lips in a rush and her shoulders sank slightly. Oh. Right. She was probably angling for an update.
"Hey, mom," she returned with a smile, genuine warmth in its place as she slid into the booth. A Coke was already fizzing away on her side, while a black coffee and water sat beside her mother. Josselyn still sported the same bob for her dark hair, her already olive-tan complexion growing a bit darker from her time outside. It would get a few shades darker by the time summer rolled around, and reminded Danika she, too, needed to switch out her makeup soon for darker shades to accommodate her own transition. The slight bags under her eyes though concerned the young woman, though she focused on the menu in front of her.
"Things going alright at work?" That was a safe topic, ish. Danika at least knew her mom would be honest, even if she couldn't give a full discussion on things.
The woman nodded before she paused, then tipped her head side to side repeatedly. "At times. We've been having snags." Snags usually meant cases not getting closed the way they wanted. Unanswered questions. Roadblocks. "We've been able to clear out some old cases, though, which has been good." Danika nodded, aware of some of the ones popping up on the news here and there. It was a highlight of things, at least. Cases actually getting solved, people actually getting justice. So many ended up just... closed as accidental or natural cases, nothing else.
They placed their orders, Danika was anxiously awaiting the bacon, ranch, and fronion monstrosity that would be heading her way. Josselyn got a classic, and didn't even give her daughter a second glance at her choice. She knew how often she was hitting the gym. Hard.
She turned the topic onto Danika's work with the new company she joined, working as an assistant designer. Her supervisor even had given her the chance to incorporate some of her own designs into the collection they were working on--with his approval and added critiques and alterations. But it was thrilling to her. Their food arrived while they still discussed her various co-workers, and slid into the topic of possible changes she was thinking of making in her apartment. That went within the lines of the lease, anyways.
It wasn't until their meal was done that Josselyn leaned back and sipped her coffee, rust-colored eyes sharp over the rim. Danika stiffened as she popped one of her last few fries into her mouth. "How're you and Dominic doing?"
Breathe in... and out. She knew it was coming. "Good, actually," she chimed back, making sure her voice conveyed all of this brilliantly. "Schedules haven't been a b***h, so we've been able to meet up a lot this week. I'm crashing at his place this weekend." When Josselyn lifted a delicate brow, Danika's smile turned more smug. "I've got drawers at his place. Same vice versa."
The brow lifted further. "Really? So you two are actually serious again on this." Danika smiled, bright and pleased she didn't cave and show how nervous she was on it all. She never told her mom what happened. Just that they... grew apart. Things came up. Stress. It wasn't working. Now? They were taking it slower, and things were... working this time. The detective hadn't pressed, much, but times like this still sprang up. Simple requests for updates. Checking in. "You're smiling a lot more these days, Dani. It's been good to see."
Danika's smile faltered and she stared across the table at her mother. The woman shrugged. "Last couple years have been... rough, I get that. You've put yourself through some changes, and other times... changes put themselves on you. But you're getting through it, kiddo. And it looks like you're finding that light on the other side of all that bleakness."
"I..." She didn't know how to respond at first, staring down at her mostly empty plate. She wasn't wrong, of course. But... was that bleakness really gone? Or was another bout just around the corner? Her eyes shifted to the ring on her finger, red stone engraved with the symbol of Mars. She was happier recently, she knew that. But doubts were swirling. Concerns were rising.
How long till this war took more people from her? Could she endure it, or would she shatter?
How long till she could prevent it from taking anyone else? The lights in her life, her reasons to smile.
"I think I might be, yeah. It's a process."
♂═━┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈━═♂
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