Synopsis - Beyond the Arc
Continuing on with the Shadows-Spawned universe ...
Let’s be real. Who gives a damn about a white, CIS, straight, successful basketball player who was the son of one of the most iconic rock stars in history? Anyone? Bueler?
Yep. Really, Luke is Batman - meaning he is the king of the Mary Sue’s. He’s perfect, right? Just. Perfect.
But that’s okay. Here’s his story anyway.
When Luke was a little kid, he cared about one thing and one thing only: time with dad. He hated his mother. He was left alone much of the time, ignored by his mother, and often mistreated by the men she brought into the home. His freedom was his weekends with his dad where they would play basketball and go to Spurs games and just spend the time together. When his father told him he wanted to get full custody, Luke pushed and pushed for it. Especially when his mother told him that she was planning to send him to boarding school and “get him out of her hair.”
As a kid, Luke had no idea about the truth of the circumstances of his birth. He just thought his parents were like so many of those of his friends - angry and divorced. It wasn’t until after his father’s death that he learned the truth (but more on that later.)
To everyone’s surprise, the judge granted Marc custody and Luke settled into a life with his father. He was enrolled in a private Catholic school, played basketball and soccer, and when his dad was on the road he went with, tutor in place. The time on the road led to him moving quickly through his studies so he was often ahead of his classmates and was placed a grade ahead.
Luke had a natural aptitude for science and math, which Marc encouraged. Marc had never graduated from high school and he wanted his son to get into a good college and have a life he worked for, not just relying on the money Marc was setting aside for him. Everyone, including Luke, thought that sports were just a good outlet. When Marc started dating Stephen Peterson, Stephen was the one who noted Luke’s talent on the basketball court.
Luke’s world was rocked when Marc was diagnosed with AIDS. Luke withdrew into himself and his only focus became basketball. Stephen bonded with him, helping to encourage the skill, knowing it would save his step-son’s life. As Marc grew sicker, Luke decided he would go to college to be a doctor so he could save parents of other kids. But more and more it was proved all he really cared about was basketball.
After his father’s death, Luke was sent back to his mother, where the truth was soon revealed about what she really did for a living. Luke had grown up thinking she ran a consignment shop, but it was just a front for her drug business. Leslie was planning to send Luke to a boarding school, to get him out of her way, when everyone’s world came crashing down. The DEA came crashing through the door and Leslie was killed in the shootout. It was during the legal cleanup later that Luke learned the reason his father had been granted custody was because his mother had been on the DEA’s radar for a very long time and the feds had intervened in the case to get Luke out of the way of the mess.
Twelve-year-old Luke was sent back to live with his uncle Tony. He wanted to live with Stephen, but that was a custody request that just couldn’t be honored. Angry at the world, Luke turned his entire focus to basketball and to a little kid adopted into the Time Machine family. AJ Belmont had just lost her daddy, and so he took on babysitting duties for the little girl. Over the years, the big brother relationship became a saving grace for both of them as they battled the losses of their fathers. He scored an athletic scholarship to UNC and spent two years at the iconic college - breaking his promise to his father that he would finish his studies.
Drafted 9th in the NBA draft, Luke entered the league full of ego. He was the youngest player that year, he’d led UNC to a championship, and Utah was in need of a point guard with his skill set. Quickly, he was knocked back to earth. His new coach didn’t care about his pedigree. The pro game was faster than he’d ever realized. And the star point guard for Utah hated his guts. Luke befriended the other rookie on the team - a long, lanky kid named Kevin who had been drafted 60th and was just glad to have a chance to make the squad.
Kevin and Luke became inseparable and Luke was the first person Kevin came out to. Luke protected his best friend fiercely - which would become necessary once Kevin came out publicly.
Luke spent every spare moment in the gym. Every breath was devoted to getting stronger and doing better. He trained endlessly - after all, the sound of the basketball against the hardwood had always been the only thing that silenced the demons in his mind. His father’s death, his mother’s hatred … only basketball made it all make sense. He was relentless, and that passion was a saving grace and ended up harming him more than he ever expected.
Midway through the season, the starting point guard for the team was traded unexpectedly after an altercation with the coach. Suddenly, the team was Luke’s to command on the court and the rookie failed spectacularly. The team plummeted to last place in the conference and Luke was sure his rookie contract would not be renewed. It was. And he was offered a chance to practice with USA basketball’s national team. When the starting point guard was injured, Luke was given the chance to travel with the team for the Olympics. USA basketball dominated as it always did and as the 3rd string on the team, Luke saw very little playing time. In the last 5 minutes with the men’s team up 20 in the Gold Medal game, Luke was put in. On the last shot of the game, he landed wrong and tore his ACL, taking him completely out of commission for his second season in the league.
Luke’s rehab was slow and frustrating. He couldn’t train like he was used to training and as a result, the demons grew louder and louder. His friendship with AJ became even more important to him during this time, because she knew exactly how to talk him down from ledges. He turned his energy to going back to school and while he didn’t finish, taking classes helped to settle his mind. He also started a foundation aimed at working with kids who had lost parents due to drugs and illness. The busywork helped, but he watched other point guards become beloved by the fan base and he waited for the plug to be pulled on his contract and to be traded.
He wasn’t.
When Luke returned, the dedication to the game continued. He still trained endlessly and even his strings of relationships (many with gymnasts) didn’t really focus him on anything except basketball. His entire focus was the game and his team. Having been raised in a world where his father’s band was nothing more than extended family - uncles and second fathers and aunts and real mothers - he felt the team should be set up similarly. Slowly, this became the culture in the locker room and together, the Salt City Raptors rose through the standings.
Luke’s 8th year in the league brought the very first championship to Utah.
And it was after that championship that the demons grew louder and louder. He’d won everything. His parents were still dead. It wasn’t enough to just have a championship. Luke chased records - assists and steals and 3 points and games won in a row and games won in a season. He chased gold medals and championships. A part of him he refused to acknowledge always felt that if he played the game hard enough, he could bring his father back from the dead.
Luke’s dedication eventually won him 5 championships, brought him in second in the steals and assists records (behind the untouchable John Stockton), and two more gold medals. But that dedication had a heavy price. His knees and ankles were deteriorating and his back was a mess of pain. All the training in the world couldn’t stop the early end of a pro athlete's career.
One bright spot existed for him as he watched the end of his career come crashing toward him like a wave on a beach - a couple of years before it all halted, he let AJ know that he’d fallen in love with her. To the delight of everyone who knew them, they started a relationship and eventually married and the birth of their son put everything into a new perspective.
Luke retired the spring after his son’s birth. He decided to bow out early, before people could say he could no longer play. But in truth, he couldn’t even hold the ball anymore. Everything was a ball of pain and the fact that he couldn’t play anymore was a bitter pill to swallow.
He was only 37.
But Jonah gave him life. He doted on his oldest son and on his wife, relishing the job of stay at home dad. While AJ toured, he was able to devote his time to his child and that helped his demons.
Slightly.
Where this is all going -
Jonah’s hearing loss gave Luke something to actively focus on, to adapt to. And with the same focus he’d had for his game, he now had for his child. That devotion was heaped on his other two children as well, after he and AJ had Izzy and Tristan a couple of years later.
Still, Luke wasn’t really settled. And as the kids grew and needed him less and less, Luke was more restless. A series of surgeries had repaired his knees and helped his back and he could move around again. When Jonah was nine, Luke returned to basketball, this time as a coach at UCLA.
The kids on the team became like his own kids, and Luke poured his usual devotion into the team. At first, it proved problematic for his own family - especially when he didn’t notice Jonah’s mental health issues creeping up. But eventually, he and AJ worked to find balance between the team and the family.
But the demons never leave Luke and the only way he ever silences them is on the court, with his basketball.
I have no idea if this is going anywhere. I want it to. But the catch is that I don’t know where the novel is in all of this story. I suspect it will emerge though. Because Luke does have something to say.
Let’s be real. Who gives a damn about a white, CIS, straight, successful basketball player who was the son of one of the most iconic rock stars in history? Anyone? Bueler?
Yep. Really, Luke is Batman - meaning he is the king of the Mary Sue’s. He’s perfect, right? Just. Perfect.
But that’s okay. Here’s his story anyway.
When Luke was a little kid, he cared about one thing and one thing only: time with dad. He hated his mother. He was left alone much of the time, ignored by his mother, and often mistreated by the men she brought into the home. His freedom was his weekends with his dad where they would play basketball and go to Spurs games and just spend the time together. When his father told him he wanted to get full custody, Luke pushed and pushed for it. Especially when his mother told him that she was planning to send him to boarding school and “get him out of her hair.”
As a kid, Luke had no idea about the truth of the circumstances of his birth. He just thought his parents were like so many of those of his friends - angry and divorced. It wasn’t until after his father’s death that he learned the truth (but more on that later.)
To everyone’s surprise, the judge granted Marc custody and Luke settled into a life with his father. He was enrolled in a private Catholic school, played basketball and soccer, and when his dad was on the road he went with, tutor in place. The time on the road led to him moving quickly through his studies so he was often ahead of his classmates and was placed a grade ahead.
Luke had a natural aptitude for science and math, which Marc encouraged. Marc had never graduated from high school and he wanted his son to get into a good college and have a life he worked for, not just relying on the money Marc was setting aside for him. Everyone, including Luke, thought that sports were just a good outlet. When Marc started dating Stephen Peterson, Stephen was the one who noted Luke’s talent on the basketball court.
Luke’s world was rocked when Marc was diagnosed with AIDS. Luke withdrew into himself and his only focus became basketball. Stephen bonded with him, helping to encourage the skill, knowing it would save his step-son’s life. As Marc grew sicker, Luke decided he would go to college to be a doctor so he could save parents of other kids. But more and more it was proved all he really cared about was basketball.
After his father’s death, Luke was sent back to his mother, where the truth was soon revealed about what she really did for a living. Luke had grown up thinking she ran a consignment shop, but it was just a front for her drug business. Leslie was planning to send Luke to a boarding school, to get him out of her way, when everyone’s world came crashing down. The DEA came crashing through the door and Leslie was killed in the shootout. It was during the legal cleanup later that Luke learned the reason his father had been granted custody was because his mother had been on the DEA’s radar for a very long time and the feds had intervened in the case to get Luke out of the way of the mess.
Twelve-year-old Luke was sent back to live with his uncle Tony. He wanted to live with Stephen, but that was a custody request that just couldn’t be honored. Angry at the world, Luke turned his entire focus to basketball and to a little kid adopted into the Time Machine family. AJ Belmont had just lost her daddy, and so he took on babysitting duties for the little girl. Over the years, the big brother relationship became a saving grace for both of them as they battled the losses of their fathers. He scored an athletic scholarship to UNC and spent two years at the iconic college - breaking his promise to his father that he would finish his studies.
Drafted 9th in the NBA draft, Luke entered the league full of ego. He was the youngest player that year, he’d led UNC to a championship, and Utah was in need of a point guard with his skill set. Quickly, he was knocked back to earth. His new coach didn’t care about his pedigree. The pro game was faster than he’d ever realized. And the star point guard for Utah hated his guts. Luke befriended the other rookie on the team - a long, lanky kid named Kevin who had been drafted 60th and was just glad to have a chance to make the squad.
Kevin and Luke became inseparable and Luke was the first person Kevin came out to. Luke protected his best friend fiercely - which would become necessary once Kevin came out publicly.
Luke spent every spare moment in the gym. Every breath was devoted to getting stronger and doing better. He trained endlessly - after all, the sound of the basketball against the hardwood had always been the only thing that silenced the demons in his mind. His father’s death, his mother’s hatred … only basketball made it all make sense. He was relentless, and that passion was a saving grace and ended up harming him more than he ever expected.
Midway through the season, the starting point guard for the team was traded unexpectedly after an altercation with the coach. Suddenly, the team was Luke’s to command on the court and the rookie failed spectacularly. The team plummeted to last place in the conference and Luke was sure his rookie contract would not be renewed. It was. And he was offered a chance to practice with USA basketball’s national team. When the starting point guard was injured, Luke was given the chance to travel with the team for the Olympics. USA basketball dominated as it always did and as the 3rd string on the team, Luke saw very little playing time. In the last 5 minutes with the men’s team up 20 in the Gold Medal game, Luke was put in. On the last shot of the game, he landed wrong and tore his ACL, taking him completely out of commission for his second season in the league.
Luke’s rehab was slow and frustrating. He couldn’t train like he was used to training and as a result, the demons grew louder and louder. His friendship with AJ became even more important to him during this time, because she knew exactly how to talk him down from ledges. He turned his energy to going back to school and while he didn’t finish, taking classes helped to settle his mind. He also started a foundation aimed at working with kids who had lost parents due to drugs and illness. The busywork helped, but he watched other point guards become beloved by the fan base and he waited for the plug to be pulled on his contract and to be traded.
He wasn’t.
When Luke returned, the dedication to the game continued. He still trained endlessly and even his strings of relationships (many with gymnasts) didn’t really focus him on anything except basketball. His entire focus was the game and his team. Having been raised in a world where his father’s band was nothing more than extended family - uncles and second fathers and aunts and real mothers - he felt the team should be set up similarly. Slowly, this became the culture in the locker room and together, the Salt City Raptors rose through the standings.
Luke’s 8th year in the league brought the very first championship to Utah.
And it was after that championship that the demons grew louder and louder. He’d won everything. His parents were still dead. It wasn’t enough to just have a championship. Luke chased records - assists and steals and 3 points and games won in a row and games won in a season. He chased gold medals and championships. A part of him he refused to acknowledge always felt that if he played the game hard enough, he could bring his father back from the dead.
Luke’s dedication eventually won him 5 championships, brought him in second in the steals and assists records (behind the untouchable John Stockton), and two more gold medals. But that dedication had a heavy price. His knees and ankles were deteriorating and his back was a mess of pain. All the training in the world couldn’t stop the early end of a pro athlete's career.
One bright spot existed for him as he watched the end of his career come crashing toward him like a wave on a beach - a couple of years before it all halted, he let AJ know that he’d fallen in love with her. To the delight of everyone who knew them, they started a relationship and eventually married and the birth of their son put everything into a new perspective.
Luke retired the spring after his son’s birth. He decided to bow out early, before people could say he could no longer play. But in truth, he couldn’t even hold the ball anymore. Everything was a ball of pain and the fact that he couldn’t play anymore was a bitter pill to swallow.
He was only 37.
But Jonah gave him life. He doted on his oldest son and on his wife, relishing the job of stay at home dad. While AJ toured, he was able to devote his time to his child and that helped his demons.
Slightly.
Where this is all going -
Jonah’s hearing loss gave Luke something to actively focus on, to adapt to. And with the same focus he’d had for his game, he now had for his child. That devotion was heaped on his other two children as well, after he and AJ had Izzy and Tristan a couple of years later.
Still, Luke wasn’t really settled. And as the kids grew and needed him less and less, Luke was more restless. A series of surgeries had repaired his knees and helped his back and he could move around again. When Jonah was nine, Luke returned to basketball, this time as a coach at UCLA.
The kids on the team became like his own kids, and Luke poured his usual devotion into the team. At first, it proved problematic for his own family - especially when he didn’t notice Jonah’s mental health issues creeping up. But eventually, he and AJ worked to find balance between the team and the family.
But the demons never leave Luke and the only way he ever silences them is on the court, with his basketball.
I have no idea if this is going anywhere. I want it to. But the catch is that I don’t know where the novel is in all of this story. I suspect it will emerge though. Because Luke does have something to say.