Where Do You Draw The Line?

Events and happenings began influencing who our characters are long before the SOTF ACT was even a glimmer in someone's eye. Have an interesting memory of your character's to share? Want to show the world why they are the way they are? Even if you just want to establish why they like comic books, this is the place to do it!
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GameMaker†
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Where Do You Draw The Line?

#1

Post by GameMaker† »

Ugh... what time was it? JJ looked down, and saw the bright green numbers displayed on his alarm clock: 8:54 am. Motherfucker... he had set it for 9:30! He had meant to set it for 7:30... give him a nice half an hour to take a quick shower, get dressed, head over to the school in his car, and have a pre-class smoke. It was his usual routine.

JJ stepped out of his bed, walking to his door quickly. He'd have to make this shower fast- they had barely even started school, and it wouldn't do for him to be getting a bunch of cuts already. His parents weren't there- when they were working, they were usually out of the house before he even woke up. You mean when you're supposed to wake up, at 7:30? Yeah, because they're definitely not going to be there when you wake up at 9:30 am, fucknuts.

JJ undressed and stepped into the bathroom, showering as quickly as possible. When he stepped out, he wrapped a towel over himself before walking back into the bedroom. He slipped on the first few clothes he could find- an Abercrombie shirt, and a pair of jeans. Looking into his bedroom mirror, he ran a hand through his hair. He smiled. I look motherfucking good.

He grabbed his phone and his wallet, putting them into his pockets. Then he reached for his cigarettes- Wild Sevens- and realized that it felt very, very light. Too light.

He opened up the pack, but instead of any cigarettes, all he saw a piece of crumbled paper crammed inside there. He smoothed it out on his dresser top, and squinted to read the handwriting scribbled on it. It was just three letters, written in his mom's loopy handwriting: IOU.

"Fucking bitch!" JJ shouted this, and threw the cigarette pack to the floor. IOU my fucking ass... who did that bitch think she was, stealing cigarettes from him? Dammit... he'd have to go pick up another pack at lunch.

JJ stormed out of his bedroom, slamming the door behind him as he did. Late to fucking school, and not even a fucking cigarette on him. He gave the refrigerator a glance- another quick, scribbled message in his mother's handwriting: "Back at 9. Make yourself dinner. Sorry."

Fuck! ...This day was just getting worse and worse. JJ opened up the garage door, walking over to his car, slamming it as he went. He opened his car door, turning his key into the ignition and used his car's garage door opener. He enjoyed the rumble of the car as it turned on underneath him- it was a powerful feeling. Yeah, some things might be wrong... but still, he was JJ Sturn. He was The fucking Man. Not some dipshit fucking nervous wreck.

He backed out, and pressed down the gas pedal as he raced down to Bayview High. It wasn't too far- easy walking distance if he wanted to walk, but fuck that. He'd need the car to get a pack today, and besides, he liked eating out anyway. He took the turn into the school, and parked his car into his normal spot right by the school's side entrance. He got out and walked into the school, locking his car door behind him.

The halls were empty- not surprising, almost everyone was in class right now, and the ones that weren't were in the cafeteria. He looked up at one of the clocks on the wall: 9:20. If I'm already that late... fuck it, I'm not even going to go class. Hmm... but what to do? Well... could always go to the cafeteria. With that thought on his mind, JJ Sturn started walking down the hallway, a smile on his face. Yeah, his friends would definitely be in there.
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DetectiveArcher†
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#2

Post by DetectiveArcher† »

The bell rang, calling second period Economics to a close. Ilario gathered up his materials, while other students bolted for the door, already having packed up during the lecture. Zipping up his messenger bag, the studious young man shook his head. Father always said that a job wasn't done properly if it wasn't seen to the end. And improperly performing a task was worse than never trying at all.

Shouldering his bag and leaving the classroom behind, the young Fiametta quickly made his way towards the cafeteria. Third period was his free period. He'd worked damn hard in both his AP classes as well as extracurriculars, to ensure that he would have time enough to take a break, senior year. Normally Father would never have allowed it. There was simply too much to pack into the day already. But, with the boy's impressive returns on his Pre-SATs had finally given the old man enough confidence in him to allow for a short rest.

It hadn't been easy, but it was, without a doubt, worth the stress. An entire period to relax and get an early start on some of his studies. Moving through the chaos of passing period, Ilario made his way through the bustling throng of students. Arriving at the cafeteria, he took a spot in the relatively short line for food. Ilario was never one for a large breakfast. The school, despite claims of terrible food, did offer a fairly palatable breakfast tea.

That was the boy's routine. A styrofoam cup of tea and a leisurely amount of studying. It may not have seemed like much to any who cared to observe, but for Ilario, it was rather enjoyable. Time enough to rest. Waiting patiently for his turn, he half-heartedly listened to the quiet hum of his peers.
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Mimi
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#3

Post by Mimi »

[[ Frankie Fiametta continued from Attack Of The Fifty Foot Cliche! ]]

Frankie's blood pressure was rising by the second. Running a hand through her unwashed hair and haphazardly popping her plastic retainer on and off her bottom teeth, she stared intently at the worn and torn backpack resting on the table in front of her. She had been there for a good fifteen minutes yanking shit out of the bag and shoving shit right back inside in a desperate attempt to score some lose change from the bottom of it. No such luck, though. Try as she might to fucking zap some money in there with her fucking telekinetic mind voodoo shit, it still refused to pony-up.

She wasn't even sure why she even fucking went to school anymore. It wasn't even worth it. Fucking Baby Jesus himself knew she didn't have a chance at college, she was sure as shit no Ilario. He'd be guaranteed acceptance to anywhere of his choice. Fuckin' Martians would probably descend from space itself to abduct him and take him to fucking Mars College or someshit with grades like his. And Rosa could just fuck her way into college. But Frankie get into college? Not a chance on Earth. Maybe Ily would let her come with him to Space College.

To make everything just that much shittier, Dumbass spent all her green on dope, leaving her pinching pennies in order to food. Well, she'd be pinching them if she had any, but she was shit out of luck in that department. Running her hand once more through the hair she was too lazy to wash that morning, Frankie scoured the lunchroom in hopes of seeing someone she could bum some cash off of. Girl needed to eat, didn't she?

Cha-ching.

Frankie snatched up her back-pack, hurling a mess of balled up paper that she didn't feel like picking up over the linoleum floor and moved toward her target. She knew she could sucker him into picking up her tap.

"Illllyyy," Frankie coo'ed in what was possibly the most atrocious 'sweet' voice to ever come out of a single human. "So, I blew most of my money on weed and I'm starving, Ily. Absolutely starving" She whined, rubbing her stomach for emphasis before holding out and open palm. "I'll pay you back, swear."

She had no intentions of paying him back.
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GameMaker†
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#4

Post by GameMaker† »

Fuck. The only people JJ saw in the cafeteria were ones he didn't know- asides from a few people he'd been at parties with a couple of times. Frankie Fiametta was one of the ones he spotted first- she was looking through her backpack for something. Girl was a fucking burnout, though; there was no point in him wasting his fucking time talking to her. Plus, she was Rosa's sister. Bitch probably fucking hated him.

JJ shook his head, and turned around to look at the cafeteria food. It wasn't exactly the best fucking food in the world, but he was a little hungry- might as well grab some. There was only one person in the line; JJ didn't know who it was at first, but as he got closer, he realized it was Illario Fiametta. The last of the three... and supposedly, the kid was a fucking genius, a regular straight and clean A-student. Wonder what the fuck happened to the other two...

JJ started walking towards the cafeteria, and as he did, he saw Frankie come running over to her brother. She quickly cut him off, and he stopped walking, wondering what the fuck she was doing.

"Illllyyy," ...What a fucking annoying girl. JJ wondered how the fuck Illario put up with those two. n. "So, I blew most of my money on weed and I'm starving, Ily. Absolutely starving." Of course she would... dumb bitch had no common sense. JJ might not be what people called 'book smart', but he did at least have common sense.

"Ah, Illy, it's heartbreaking for me, this family moment. It really, really fucking is." JJ stepped in front of Illario, bumping into him with his shoulder as he did. JJ took some brief satisfaction in watching Illario stumble back a little bit- he might have two annoying sisters, but the kid was still a fucking prick himself. "But you'll have to excuse me- I want to eat, so could you do me a solid and get the fuck out of my way?"
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ifnotwinter†
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#5

Post by ifnotwinter† »

Standing in the line, which despite the short length wasn't moving particularly fast, Ilario contemplated getting a muffin to go with his tea. Something to nibble on while he studied - it certainly sounded nice.

His musings were interrupted, however, by a familiar and not entirely welcome voice. "Illllyyy," Frankie sang out, and as Ilario turned towards her voice he restrained himself from rolling his eyes. The Fiametta sibling dynamic certainly was a peculiar one, and were he the type to gamble, he would have bet quite a large amount on Frankie's sweetness having more to do with something she wanted then any sort of sisterly affection.

And sure enough, "So, I blew most of my money on weed and I'm starving, Ily. Absolutely starving"

This time he did roll his eyes, blowing out a short breath of frustration. Frankie's issues were a constant source of frustration and anxiety to him, not that she ever noticed or cared. Sometimes it seemed like Ilario was just a mobile ATM to her, useful for spitting out cash or the occasional alibi when she knew Father was nearing the end of his patience.

The sad thing was, he thought as she promised him (like she had how many times before?) that she'd pay him back was that she only thought that because that was what he was. Father had entrusted him with the care of the two female triplets, and that was what he would do.

And in the end they were his sisters, and he loved them, and he was glad he could help them. Even if occasionally it did feel a little one-sided.

He didn't bother saying anything, just turned his head to dig in his bag. Occupied with the search for his wallet, he didn't notice JJ's approach until the much larger boy bumped into him, knocking him back a step or two.

Ilario's head jerked up, and when he saw who it was he flushed slightly, lips thinning with anger. JJ Sturn. A ridiculously ill-mannered, uncultured, abrasive asshole. and Ilario didn't use the word lightly. He'd disliked him even before Rosa had started seeing him, but afterwards...

"Ah, Illy, it's heartbreaking for me, this family moment. It really, really fucking is. But you'll have to excuse me- I want to eat, so could you do me a solid and get the fuck out of my way?"

The other boy's arrogance was astounding. Ilario was briefly aware of the fact that his hands had clenched themselves into fists and that he was standing as tall as he could with every inch of his five-foot-seven frame.

It wasn't even just that JJ was an asshole. There were plenty of kids at school that Ilario disliked for one reason or another, and a few less that had run afoul of his sisters. Those, he didn't have a problem with. But JJ had crossed the line when he had broken up with Rosa.

Ilario had gotten most of the details from Frankie - Rosa hadn't been too keen on telling him anything - but he'd also seen her the morning after and thinking about it made his blood boil. As much as he occasionally despaired of the other two triplets, it was his job, his role - he knew it was - to look after them. To protect them. And not only had JJ treated Rosa like dirt, spreading the rumors and stories around school, he'd hit her. He'd gone too far, much too far, and now here he was, standing in front of Ilario like he didn't have a care in the world, a swaggering bully.

It wasn't even a conscious thought in Ilario's head. It was like instinct, eighteen years of anxieties washing away, eighteen years of knowing that violence was not the answer disappearing in a red haze as the slender Fiametta swung a hard right hook into the side of JJ Sturn's smugly smiling face.
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GameMaker†
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#6

Post by GameMaker† »

JJ's vision went red for a second, and all he felt was pain. His head went down, and he almost stumbled over. Illario had hit him... and the bastard had hit him fucking hard. A small kid like that, he hadn't accepted that kind of a hit- there was no technique, just raw anger in it. He had just cut him in line, though... this kid was going to freak out over that? JJ tasted blood in his mouth, and spat. What filled him right now anger, but even overwhelming that was confusion and surprise.

Why would he... and in that split moment of thought, memories came rushing back. Rosa's face, covered with angry tears. The sting of the slap where she hit him. His reaction... and what he felt afterwards. Looking at her blood. His crappy attempt at an apology. There were some times where JJ had been a dick... well, to be fucking honest, many times where he had been a dick. Most of the time he was fully aware of it, and thought it was neccesary- sometimes, people do just have to learn their place. But that... that had been a whole new level. That had made him feel sick, had made him feel awful, had made him wish he'd never even thought of doing something like that.

But there was no way to undo those things. He didn't have any fucking time machine... he couldn't go back and say to himself "JJ, lay off her, man. This is a bad motherfucking idea." So he tried to forget it.. Tried not to think about it. Its a natural thing to do, isn't it? When you fuck up real badly, you just try to get past it... you put it at the back of your mind, and you don't think about it. But when you get punched in the face... these memories start to come back. And JJ felt that same feeling of guilt and self loathing come over him again... the what the fuck feeling, the idea he had really screwed up.

It was her brother who hit him, obviously. JJ hadn't had any sisters or brothers... he had a feeling his parents thought they had already fucked up enough when they had him. If he had a brother or sister, though, he'd look out for them. He'd protect them... and if he ever found out someone did to his sister what he did to Rosa, he'd fucking kill them. ...And that's what Illario was trying to do. Trying to stand up for his sister, to make things right... And as JJ turned up to look at him, he felt a moment of sympathy, remorse, and a little self disgust.. But his anger hadn't gone away.

His face was a mask of anger, and he let his fist fly into Illario's stomach, hard. It wasn't mean to knock him back- just knock the wind out of him. And as Illario took the shot full on in the stomach, his face became a grimace of pain. With his left hand, JJ grabbed the small kid and pulled him in close. Close enough that JJ's mouth was right next to Illario's ear. JJ had to talk with him, at least- it would be a one way conversation, until Illario got his wind back, but that was all he needed.

"This... is about your sister, isn't it?" JJ whispered. "I apologize for what happened. I... I fucked up." JJ frowned at these words, a look of bitterness on his face. "I wish I could take it back, but I can't. I also apologize for what I'm about to do. I'm in the wrong in this situation- I did something awful, beyond awful to your sister, and you're just trying to protect her, even against someone like me... thats something more brave than I'd ever do. In a perfect world, things would be different... but I got a certain reputation to keep."

With the hand that was holding Illario, JJ quickly jerked him away from him, hard enough that Illario's neck snapped back a bit. And in the split second that followed, JJ aimed his fist right at Illario's nose... this was gonna be a hard hit.
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Mimi
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#7

Post by Mimi »

"Whatever, just forget it," Frankie spat, recoiling her open palmed hand and shoving it fervently into her pocket after seeing the glimmer of annoyance within her brother. What the fuck? When did Ilario, of all fucking people, grow a spine and why didn't anyone tell her? A wave of her own annoyance came crashing down onto her, forcing her pocketed hand to ball into a fist in a sad attempt to quell her ever-boiling anger.

"Fuck it, man," Her tone was harder, now, and lacked the playful energy she had beforehand, "I'll just starve or some shit, alright? 'Cause I obviously can't make one fucking mistake," She said, hoping to grasp whatever control she had left over her younger brother.

It almost wasn't worth the trouble, y'know? It's not like she was trying to get of fucking fortune off of him, it was only a few measly fucking dollars; but it signified way more than that to her. This was her pride at stake. She wasn't going to step down and let the 'prized' Ilario Fiametta fucking Jr. deny her. That wasn't how it worked. Planet Bitch called and they want you back, Ily. Fucking ASAP.

With a resilient sigh, Ily reached into his bag and a satisfied smile spread over her features. Winner, winner, chicken fucking dinner. "Thanks so much, Il'. And forget about the shit I said, I really need a hit or somethin'." She laughed, pocketing the money. She could be mad at him later.

"Ah, Illy, it's heartbreaking for me, this family moment. It really, really fucking is."

Frankie didn't stop herself from bellowing a loud, annoyed sigh when the familiar voice assaulted her ears. JJ Sturn was a large contributor to her hatred of kids her age. Fucking retarded son a bitch who walked around flaunting his pencil-dick and his steroid-birthed muscles. Fuuuck off. You're not cool, prick. You roll around on the floor with half naked guys, lame ass. And then you go and fucking take advantage of girls to hide your closeted douchebag self. Bet you feel real Goddamn cool, huh?

There wasn't a soul in the student body who didn't know what he did to her sister. And if there was, they obviously weren't paying enough fucking attention. Frankie was perfectly fine ignoring JJ for the time being and continuing her inner defamation of his character, but her fuse was already used up thanks to Ily and the minute he shoved her brother, the bomb on the other end exploded.

"Really, dude? Are you fucking kidd-SHIT!" Frankie's hand instinctively hovered over her mouth, though it was already too late. The attention of the cafeteria goers focused in on the two boys. Frankie, herself, was in complete and total fucking shock. Her brother, Mr. Genius Debater himself, had just punched a competitive wrestler square in the motherfucking face. Ily was a puss, but hell, now he was a puss that clocked a dick.

An awkward silence hung in air for what seemed like hours, Ily was still poised in his after-punch position and JJ clasped onto the side of his face, like the big baby that he was. The silence was demolished in the blink of an eye as JJ retaliated. Everything was moving too fast and all Frankie could do was watch. Her brain was fried; she couldn't think clearly without her weed, there was no way. She watched as her brother feebly tried to fend off his attacker. A loud, almost earth shattering crack shook Frankie out of her stupor. People had gathered around to watch the fight, and Frankie's eyes scanned over the damage. JJ was pummeling Ilario, who was clutching his nose with both hands and taking the hits like a champ. She had to do something.

"Get the fuck off him, JJ!" She yelled, attempting the separate the two boys. JJ was latched on far too strongly for her willowy figure to yank off. Attempting to pull him away by his waist yielded no results either and she did the only thing she could think of. She sunk her teeth as hard as she could into JJ's should and clamped down, her arms still tightly pulling at his waist.
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ifnotwinter†
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#8

Post by ifnotwinter† »

As his fist sunk into JJ's face and the much larger boy's head snapped back, Ilario felt a brief moment of triumph. How's it feel when someone beats on you, asshole? Almost immediately however, it was overtaken by complete and utter shock at what he'd just done.

He'd just hit someone. He'd just hit someone. Even as JJ's eyes narrowed, his face compressing into a mask of anger, Ilario couldn't bring himself to be scared because he too busy panicking about what he'd just done.

He had just long enough to think Father is going to kill me before JJ's fist sunk into his stomach and his breath whooshed out of him in a painful stream. He doubled over, barely aware of JJ grabbing his collar and pulling him in close.

As he frantically gasped for breath, just barely aware of Frankie and more concerned with the combination of pain from his bruised knuckles and stomach, JJ's voice sounded in his ear.

"This... is about your sister, isn't it? I apologize for what happened. I... I fucked up. I wish I could take it back, but I can't. I also apologize for what I'm about to do. I'm in the wrong in this situation- I did something awful, beyond awful to your sister, and you're just trying to protect her, even against someone like me... that's something more brave than I'd ever do. In a perfect world, things would be different... but I got a certain reputation to keep."

Barely comprehending the words through the steady pounding of blood in his ears, his breath coming fast and shallow as he fought through the panic, Ilario had no way of reacting as JJ thrust him back and punched him full force in the nose.

His world exploded into pretty stars, the other pain fading out to help him center even more on the white-hot agony at the bridge of his nose. His mind was a steady litany of OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKFUCKFUCK as his breath caught in his throat, his vision coming back to the by now frankly terrifying sight of JJ still standing over him.

The punches kept coming, too, not that he was registering much at this point. With both hands clasped over his nose and half-hyperventilating already, he didn't bother trying to block - just closed his eyes and hoped it'd be over soon.

That was when a voice echoed in his ears. "Get the fuck off him, JJ!"

He opened his watering eyes, shocked and confused at the sound of Frankie's voice, just in time to see her latch onto the body of JJ Sturn. Arms wrapped around him, she sunk her teeth into the soft flesh of his shoulder.
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GameMaker†
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#9

Post by GameMaker† »

It's easy to lose yourself in emotions. That's the way JJ always fought. Adrenalin, anger, it fueled him, and consumed him. It was a mutual relationship of pain and hurt- for a time, his anger and him wanted the same thing, and they were partners in crime. Emotions were of no concern- who it was you were fighting, why you were fighting, what you had done to them before this. Or, at least, that was what JJ had thought.

"Get the fuck off of him, JJ!" The voice was background noise. His mind wasted no time in even attempting to identify who it was, and he just continued to beat on Illario- he had to learn. It was even worse now, it was like a burning all over him- he had held back his temper for a little bit, to talk to Illario, but now he had let it out in full force. He felt weak hands grip him around the waist, and he did nothing to even attempt to get them off. He had felt bad for him before- now he felt nothing but primal urges. This man had made him hurt. So he'd make him hurt in return. And then- a sudden pain in his shoulder. He felt... teeth? Someone was biting him!

His body reacted and he quickly pulled away, stopping his assault on Illario and wrenching his shoulders to get out of the bite. He spun around, and he raised his fist, prepared to hit whoever it was who just bit him. He froze.

"...Rosa?" When he pulled away, he had knocked whoever it was to the ground. Frankie Fiametta, lying on the ground, a trickle of blood coming from her lip- it had split when he hit her with his shoulder. It... she was bleeding, she looked like her sister. She looked like Rosa. This- no. No! Not- not again.

"Frankie, I'm s-" He stopped mid sentence. Fuck you and your shitty attempt at saying sorry, JJ! Words and images blared through his head- Rosa yelling, people talking about him, girls refusing to talk to him because of it- him waking up in his driveway the next morning. There was a crowd- they were all looking at him. All wondering what was going on... this was JJ Sturn. What was he stopping, what was he doing?

NO. No, he wouldn't do it again. He wouldn't hit a girl again- especially not her. They couldn't make him, they shouldn't expect him to- they were glaring at him, glaring at him. GET OUT OF MY HEAD! he screamed... but Rosa wouldn't leave. His thoughts wouldn't leave. He felt his stomach tighten up- the anger was gone. That monster used him and left- it hit Rosa, used him to do it, and left him. He was stuck with a sick feeling in his stomach, and pain in his head. Guilt, regret, remorse.

"Fuck... Fuck you!" He started backing up, the counter behind him and Illario and Frankie in front of him. He felt the cold metal touch his back, and he felt the sweat drip down his skin. He was trapped- trapped with all of these people around him. "FUCK ALL OF YOU!"
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