30-Day Fanfiction Meme, Day 3, plus Kolchak & Veran blurb
Meme, day 3: For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
The Phantom of the Opera--Raoul. Raoul has always been my favorite character in the fandom, and I cannot grasp why people hate him and bash him so much. He is an honest, selfless person, and yet most Erik fans make him out to be a villain. **shakes head** No wonder I'm so disillusioned by the fandom...
Pokémon--Brock, Ash, and Misty. The original trio. Every time I see ads for the new season (which is sans Misty and now sans Brock) I wonder how many kids watching this fail to realize what Pokémon once was--with the original trio, and their deep friendship. They started out as squabbling travelers, but their friendship truly did grow, and I'll always enjoy seeing them interact.
Yu-Gi-Oh--Seto Kaiba, for the reason that I simply like him a lot. Seto is an incredibly multifaceted character. Though aloof and cold, he truly is a loyal, staunch ally, and when the chips are really down, he will come through.
My second-favorite character to write about would be Joey Wheeler, for the comic relief.
Kingdom Hearts--Hmm. Probably Riku, since he is one of my favorite characters in the series.
Final Fantasy VII--Zack Fair, hands down. His banter is fun to write.
Tanz der Vampire--Graf von Krolock. He's an enigma, a vampire who wishes to repent, but can't.
The Legend of Zelda--Veran, Sorceress of Shadows. I think this is the only fandom where my favorite character to write about is a sadistic villain who takes pleasure in striking up sorrow. She's so manipulative and cunning; I honestly feel that she could easily pull one over on Ganondorf, if it had come to that. Alas, she was only in one game, and deserves to be in more.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?--Informant-tachi. Just the way they interact is fun and awesome.
The Road to... movies--Hot Lips and Scat. Rio was my favorite of the movies, and those two definitely looked out for each other more than the characters in the other movies.
TMNT--Donny and Mikey. No real reason for it, other than that Ronnie is cool and Mikey is the funny comic relief.
Perfect Strangers--Balki Bartokomous. I love how innocent he is, and how he's always seeing the best in everyone.
Get Smart--Max himself. And though I haven't written more than a line of dialogue for him yet, I can imagine that Siegfried would be a lot of fun to write for, too.
Hogan's Heroes--Well, this one is obvious: Louis LeBeau and Peter Newkirk. One is a hotheaded French chef, the other is a snarky East End thief. They're also the best of friends and their interaction is always a joy to see and write, whether snark, banter, or drama.
Monk--Natalie Teeger and Adrian Monk. They also have a very unique friendship dynamic.
Wild Kratts--The titular brothers, naturally. They have nice banter sessions, as well.
Kolchak: the Night Stalker--Tony Vincenzo and Carl Kolchak, again for the banter, and also for the unspoken but clear friendship and concern they have for each other.
Speaking of which, here is that blurb I mentioned about regarding Veran having cursed Tony, and Carl feeling terrible about it...
Carl Kolchak drove back to the INS that night with a heavy heart. He had to admit defeat tonight, and it was not he who was paying the piper.
The lights were all off in the building, and Carl kept them that way, even after coming inside and opening the door to Anthony Vincenzo’s office. There, illuminated by the moonlight, was a stone statue of Mr. Vincenzo himself-and what made Carl Kolchak’s heart twist was the knowledge that it was Mr. Vincenzo himself-frozen forever with a look of shock on his face, his arms raised in a vain attempt to defend himself against Veran, Sorceress of Shadows-the one who had done this to him.
And it was all Carl’s fault-the reporter knew that all too well. As usual, Carl had gotten in too deep, despite Tony’s orders and pleas to get off of the Veran case if he knew what was good for him-to leave her alone before something happened. And, also as usual, Carl continued to follow the story and the witch, ignoring his boss and driving him crazy. And why not? All those other times Tony told him to stay out of it, everything ended up working out somehow-Tony usually pulled the strings and got Carl out of whatever trouble he had gotten himself into.
This time, however, the strings that Tony had pulled had led straight to Veran-and she was pulling back. The witch, taking delight in the sorrow of others, cast her spell upon the unfortunate editor out of sheer amusement, and nothing more. Carl had arrived just in time to be too late; the flash of light and the editor’s horrified yell would haunt Carl for the rest of his life-if not beyond.
And now, the reporter stood in Tony’s office, forcing himself to look upon the consequences of his actions.
“Look at what you’ve done, Carl Kolchak,” he muttered to himself, his voice dripping with self-loathing. “A man is dead-forever frozen-because of you and your thirst for a story. And that man may have been the only real friend you had in the entire world.”
He forced himself to look into the statue’s eyes. The sight wasn’t even new to Carl Kolchak-he had seen it happen to Helen of Troy, after all, but she had brought it upon herself. But Tony had been innocent-selfless. He had always gone out of his way to keep Carl employed and had always bailed him out of jail. And how had such kindness been repaid? By nothing short of utter betrayal-and a horrible fate.
“Yes, look upon your handiwork,” Carl said, as he forced himself to walk up to the statue. “Are you proud of yourself? Well, now you can continue chasing after stories-there’s no one to stop you now… no one to get you out of trouble…”
He trailed off, his voice threatening to crack as he stared into the statue’s eyes, which had been preserved as they had been at that moment-wide with shock.
“…Oh, Tony… I’m so sorry…”
The words sounded so hollow… so inadequate. How dare he have the nerve to apologize? He could have prevented this by just listening to Tony for once. But now it was too late. Tony would never speak again.
“I am an idiot-and an ingrate,” Carl admitted to the statue. “You’ve done so much for me, Tony. I knew that, and yet I never appreciated it. …Why did you keep doing it? Why didn’t you just leave me in jail overnight or at the mercy of the mob like I deserved to be!?”
His voice was rising as he spoke, echoing off of the walls.
“You should’ve fired me, Tony. So, why didn’t you!? Why!?”
His clenched fists shook with emotion.
“You’d still be alive if you had…!”
Slowly, he placed his fingers around one of the stone wrists. But then, almost immediately, he let go with a shrill gasp. He could feel something in this statue-something he hadn’t felt in the statue of Helen at all. Suddenly, he realized what it was-it was life. There was life beneath the stone
“…You’re still in there!” Carl realized, his eyes wide. “You’re not dead! …Not yet, anyway… Oh, Tony…”
His mind raced furiously.
“Just… just keep hanging in there. I’ll get you out of this, Tony. I swear it!”
He wasn’t even sure how to go about it, but he would find a way now that he knew… He had to make this right…
“What do I do…?” he whispered, to no one in particular.
A voice answered him, sending a chill down his spine. It was the voice of Veran herself.
“I can tell you what to do, Carl Kolchak,” she purred, as she materialized from the shadows of the room.
Carl scowled at the witch.
“How long have you been here?” he asked, furious as the thought of her listening to all he had said.
“Long enough to realize just how much distress your editor’s condition is causing you,” she said. “And here I thought you couldn’t stand each other. Do not worry, Carl Kolchak. I can easily release him from the spell… but there is something I want from you, first.”
“From… me?”
“Sixty years ago, I had a mortal partner-one who would sustain my life with his life energy and would receive power and immortality through my magic in exchange. But this young man could not accept the darkness-he betrayed me and went back to his mortal friends,” Veran said. “But perhaps you will be different, Carl Kolchak. If you agree to take his place and become the next Masked Shadow, ruling by my side, I will release your editor from the spell.”
Carl blinked.
“Let me get this straight-you’ll free Tony from your spell if I agree to sell my soul to you?”
“That is correct.”
“…This is a ‘for all eternity’ thing, isn’t it…?”
“Indeed it is, Carl Kolchak. But say yes, and the world will address you as King Kolchak, co-ruler of the Third Age of Shadows. I can ensure you a life of happiness-an eternity of happiness. And you’ll free your editor-isn’t that the most important thing?”
Carl looked back at the statue, and then looked back to Veran. This wasn’t the first deal with darkness that had been offered to him-first by Senator Palmer, and then by another witch, Madelaine-but that had been different. Tony’s life had not been at stake…
Veran held out her hand, a large amethyst gleaming in her palm. It looked as though it had been pieced together; someone had shattered it at some point-perhaps that man from 60 years ago.
“All you need to do is touch the gem,” she said. “And the deal will be complete.”
Carl looked from the amethyst to the statue, his mind racing once again. Anything would be worth freeing Tony…
Wait, what was he thinking!? He couldn’t sell his soul to Veran or to anyone-she couldn’t be trusted to keep her word, and even if she was being sincere, what would it be like for Tony, knowing what had happened?
“I’ll free you from that rock, Tony,” he vowed. “But in a way where we’ll both come out of it!”
Before Veran could react, he angrily slapped her hand away. It was now the witch’s turn to have eyes wide in horror as the amethyst went sailing across the room and splintering as it hit the far wall.
Veran shrieked, dissipating back into the shadows, and Carl took a step towards the shards, getting a closer look. It was all only temporary, Carl knew; as soon as she figured out how to reassemble that amethyst again, she would be back…
His train of thought screeched to a halt as he heard a cracking sound behind him. With the amethyst shattered, Veran’s spell had broken-and the stone encasing was following suit. Carl didn’t dare to turn around as he heard the gasp behind him, but he knew that if he did, he would see Tony Vincenzo in the flesh once again, leaning against the desk and trying to catch his breath.
“Carl…?”
“You okay, Tony?” the reporter asked, quietly, as he continued to stare determinedly at the amethyst shards.
“Yeah… yeah, I’ll be fine,” Tony said, loosening his necktie. “I’m not sure what just happened, but I know I never want to go through that again…”
Carl wasn’t even going to try to explain what had happened-Tony would never believe he had been encased in stone… unless he did know, and just didn’t want to admit it, which seemed even more likely.
“Well, Vincenzo, there is an easy way to ensure that this never will happen again,” Carl said, quietly. “Fire me, like you know you should’ve done ages ago.”
Tony remained silent, prompting Carl to shut his eyes and shake his head.
“You really are an old softie, Tony. Too soft for your own good…”
“Carl, listen-”
“Veran isn’t going to retreat quietly; she’ll be back,” Carl said, cutting him off as he grabbed a handbroom and a dustpan to sweep up the amethyst shards, not wanting to touch them with his bare hands. “We can’t let her reassemble this thing; she’ll probably go after you again just to spite me.”
Tony sighed, realizing that Carl was trying to get away on purpose.
“Carl, will you stop beating yourself up about it?” he said. “I suppose I should be lucky that you came to your senses in time not to fall for her deal.”
“Yeah, well, I guess I’m just one of those people who can’t be bought…” Carl began, but he trailed off as the realization hit him, and he now, finally, turned back to face Tony. “You were… aware of what was going on?”
The look on Tony’s face gave Carl his answer, making the reporter realize that pretty much everything he had spoken earlier would’ve been heard by his editor.
“For what it’s worth, Carl, I’m glad you didn’t make a deal with her.”
Carl nodded, reading between the lines and understanding what Tony really meant to say.
“…I’m getting off the Veran case, Tony,” Carl promised. “I’m handing these shards over to an expert and washing my hands of them and her.”
“Don’t think I’m not grateful, but I think we’re both a little in too deep for that,” Tony sighed, sitting back at his desk. “Shards or no shards, she’ll be back.”
Carl looked to his employer, to the shards, and then back to Tony again.
“Then, this time, we’ll be ready for her,” Carl promised.
The Phantom of the Opera--Raoul. Raoul has always been my favorite character in the fandom, and I cannot grasp why people hate him and bash him so much. He is an honest, selfless person, and yet most Erik fans make him out to be a villain. **shakes head** No wonder I'm so disillusioned by the fandom...
Pokémon--Brock, Ash, and Misty. The original trio. Every time I see ads for the new season (which is sans Misty and now sans Brock) I wonder how many kids watching this fail to realize what Pokémon once was--with the original trio, and their deep friendship. They started out as squabbling travelers, but their friendship truly did grow, and I'll always enjoy seeing them interact.
Yu-Gi-Oh--Seto Kaiba, for the reason that I simply like him a lot. Seto is an incredibly multifaceted character. Though aloof and cold, he truly is a loyal, staunch ally, and when the chips are really down, he will come through.
My second-favorite character to write about would be Joey Wheeler, for the comic relief.
Kingdom Hearts--Hmm. Probably Riku, since he is one of my favorite characters in the series.
Final Fantasy VII--Zack Fair, hands down. His banter is fun to write.
Tanz der Vampire--Graf von Krolock. He's an enigma, a vampire who wishes to repent, but can't.
The Legend of Zelda--Veran, Sorceress of Shadows. I think this is the only fandom where my favorite character to write about is a sadistic villain who takes pleasure in striking up sorrow. She's so manipulative and cunning; I honestly feel that she could easily pull one over on Ganondorf, if it had come to that. Alas, she was only in one game, and deserves to be in more.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?--Informant-tachi. Just the way they interact is fun and awesome.
The Road to... movies--Hot Lips and Scat. Rio was my favorite of the movies, and those two definitely looked out for each other more than the characters in the other movies.
TMNT--Donny and Mikey. No real reason for it, other than that Ronnie is cool and Mikey is the funny comic relief.
Perfect Strangers--Balki Bartokomous. I love how innocent he is, and how he's always seeing the best in everyone.
Get Smart--Max himself. And though I haven't written more than a line of dialogue for him yet, I can imagine that Siegfried would be a lot of fun to write for, too.
Hogan's Heroes--Well, this one is obvious: Louis LeBeau and Peter Newkirk. One is a hotheaded French chef, the other is a snarky East End thief. They're also the best of friends and their interaction is always a joy to see and write, whether snark, banter, or drama.
Monk--Natalie Teeger and Adrian Monk. They also have a very unique friendship dynamic.
Wild Kratts--The titular brothers, naturally. They have nice banter sessions, as well.
Kolchak: the Night Stalker--Tony Vincenzo and Carl Kolchak, again for the banter, and also for the unspoken but clear friendship and concern they have for each other.
Speaking of which, here is that blurb I mentioned about regarding Veran having cursed Tony, and Carl feeling terrible about it...
Carl Kolchak drove back to the INS that night with a heavy heart. He had to admit defeat tonight, and it was not he who was paying the piper.
The lights were all off in the building, and Carl kept them that way, even after coming inside and opening the door to Anthony Vincenzo’s office. There, illuminated by the moonlight, was a stone statue of Mr. Vincenzo himself-and what made Carl Kolchak’s heart twist was the knowledge that it was Mr. Vincenzo himself-frozen forever with a look of shock on his face, his arms raised in a vain attempt to defend himself against Veran, Sorceress of Shadows-the one who had done this to him.
And it was all Carl’s fault-the reporter knew that all too well. As usual, Carl had gotten in too deep, despite Tony’s orders and pleas to get off of the Veran case if he knew what was good for him-to leave her alone before something happened. And, also as usual, Carl continued to follow the story and the witch, ignoring his boss and driving him crazy. And why not? All those other times Tony told him to stay out of it, everything ended up working out somehow-Tony usually pulled the strings and got Carl out of whatever trouble he had gotten himself into.
This time, however, the strings that Tony had pulled had led straight to Veran-and she was pulling back. The witch, taking delight in the sorrow of others, cast her spell upon the unfortunate editor out of sheer amusement, and nothing more. Carl had arrived just in time to be too late; the flash of light and the editor’s horrified yell would haunt Carl for the rest of his life-if not beyond.
And now, the reporter stood in Tony’s office, forcing himself to look upon the consequences of his actions.
“Look at what you’ve done, Carl Kolchak,” he muttered to himself, his voice dripping with self-loathing. “A man is dead-forever frozen-because of you and your thirst for a story. And that man may have been the only real friend you had in the entire world.”
He forced himself to look into the statue’s eyes. The sight wasn’t even new to Carl Kolchak-he had seen it happen to Helen of Troy, after all, but she had brought it upon herself. But Tony had been innocent-selfless. He had always gone out of his way to keep Carl employed and had always bailed him out of jail. And how had such kindness been repaid? By nothing short of utter betrayal-and a horrible fate.
“Yes, look upon your handiwork,” Carl said, as he forced himself to walk up to the statue. “Are you proud of yourself? Well, now you can continue chasing after stories-there’s no one to stop you now… no one to get you out of trouble…”
He trailed off, his voice threatening to crack as he stared into the statue’s eyes, which had been preserved as they had been at that moment-wide with shock.
“…Oh, Tony… I’m so sorry…”
The words sounded so hollow… so inadequate. How dare he have the nerve to apologize? He could have prevented this by just listening to Tony for once. But now it was too late. Tony would never speak again.
“I am an idiot-and an ingrate,” Carl admitted to the statue. “You’ve done so much for me, Tony. I knew that, and yet I never appreciated it. …Why did you keep doing it? Why didn’t you just leave me in jail overnight or at the mercy of the mob like I deserved to be!?”
His voice was rising as he spoke, echoing off of the walls.
“You should’ve fired me, Tony. So, why didn’t you!? Why!?”
His clenched fists shook with emotion.
“You’d still be alive if you had…!”
Slowly, he placed his fingers around one of the stone wrists. But then, almost immediately, he let go with a shrill gasp. He could feel something in this statue-something he hadn’t felt in the statue of Helen at all. Suddenly, he realized what it was-it was life. There was life beneath the stone
“…You’re still in there!” Carl realized, his eyes wide. “You’re not dead! …Not yet, anyway… Oh, Tony…”
His mind raced furiously.
“Just… just keep hanging in there. I’ll get you out of this, Tony. I swear it!”
He wasn’t even sure how to go about it, but he would find a way now that he knew… He had to make this right…
“What do I do…?” he whispered, to no one in particular.
A voice answered him, sending a chill down his spine. It was the voice of Veran herself.
“I can tell you what to do, Carl Kolchak,” she purred, as she materialized from the shadows of the room.
Carl scowled at the witch.
“How long have you been here?” he asked, furious as the thought of her listening to all he had said.
“Long enough to realize just how much distress your editor’s condition is causing you,” she said. “And here I thought you couldn’t stand each other. Do not worry, Carl Kolchak. I can easily release him from the spell… but there is something I want from you, first.”
“From… me?”
“Sixty years ago, I had a mortal partner-one who would sustain my life with his life energy and would receive power and immortality through my magic in exchange. But this young man could not accept the darkness-he betrayed me and went back to his mortal friends,” Veran said. “But perhaps you will be different, Carl Kolchak. If you agree to take his place and become the next Masked Shadow, ruling by my side, I will release your editor from the spell.”
Carl blinked.
“Let me get this straight-you’ll free Tony from your spell if I agree to sell my soul to you?”
“That is correct.”
“…This is a ‘for all eternity’ thing, isn’t it…?”
“Indeed it is, Carl Kolchak. But say yes, and the world will address you as King Kolchak, co-ruler of the Third Age of Shadows. I can ensure you a life of happiness-an eternity of happiness. And you’ll free your editor-isn’t that the most important thing?”
Carl looked back at the statue, and then looked back to Veran. This wasn’t the first deal with darkness that had been offered to him-first by Senator Palmer, and then by another witch, Madelaine-but that had been different. Tony’s life had not been at stake…
Veran held out her hand, a large amethyst gleaming in her palm. It looked as though it had been pieced together; someone had shattered it at some point-perhaps that man from 60 years ago.
“All you need to do is touch the gem,” she said. “And the deal will be complete.”
Carl looked from the amethyst to the statue, his mind racing once again. Anything would be worth freeing Tony…
Wait, what was he thinking!? He couldn’t sell his soul to Veran or to anyone-she couldn’t be trusted to keep her word, and even if she was being sincere, what would it be like for Tony, knowing what had happened?
“I’ll free you from that rock, Tony,” he vowed. “But in a way where we’ll both come out of it!”
Before Veran could react, he angrily slapped her hand away. It was now the witch’s turn to have eyes wide in horror as the amethyst went sailing across the room and splintering as it hit the far wall.
Veran shrieked, dissipating back into the shadows, and Carl took a step towards the shards, getting a closer look. It was all only temporary, Carl knew; as soon as she figured out how to reassemble that amethyst again, she would be back…
His train of thought screeched to a halt as he heard a cracking sound behind him. With the amethyst shattered, Veran’s spell had broken-and the stone encasing was following suit. Carl didn’t dare to turn around as he heard the gasp behind him, but he knew that if he did, he would see Tony Vincenzo in the flesh once again, leaning against the desk and trying to catch his breath.
“Carl…?”
“You okay, Tony?” the reporter asked, quietly, as he continued to stare determinedly at the amethyst shards.
“Yeah… yeah, I’ll be fine,” Tony said, loosening his necktie. “I’m not sure what just happened, but I know I never want to go through that again…”
Carl wasn’t even going to try to explain what had happened-Tony would never believe he had been encased in stone… unless he did know, and just didn’t want to admit it, which seemed even more likely.
“Well, Vincenzo, there is an easy way to ensure that this never will happen again,” Carl said, quietly. “Fire me, like you know you should’ve done ages ago.”
Tony remained silent, prompting Carl to shut his eyes and shake his head.
“You really are an old softie, Tony. Too soft for your own good…”
“Carl, listen-”
“Veran isn’t going to retreat quietly; she’ll be back,” Carl said, cutting him off as he grabbed a handbroom and a dustpan to sweep up the amethyst shards, not wanting to touch them with his bare hands. “We can’t let her reassemble this thing; she’ll probably go after you again just to spite me.”
Tony sighed, realizing that Carl was trying to get away on purpose.
“Carl, will you stop beating yourself up about it?” he said. “I suppose I should be lucky that you came to your senses in time not to fall for her deal.”
“Yeah, well, I guess I’m just one of those people who can’t be bought…” Carl began, but he trailed off as the realization hit him, and he now, finally, turned back to face Tony. “You were… aware of what was going on?”
The look on Tony’s face gave Carl his answer, making the reporter realize that pretty much everything he had spoken earlier would’ve been heard by his editor.
“For what it’s worth, Carl, I’m glad you didn’t make a deal with her.”
Carl nodded, reading between the lines and understanding what Tony really meant to say.
“…I’m getting off the Veran case, Tony,” Carl promised. “I’m handing these shards over to an expert and washing my hands of them and her.”
“Don’t think I’m not grateful, but I think we’re both a little in too deep for that,” Tony sighed, sitting back at his desk. “Shards or no shards, she’ll be back.”
Carl looked to his employer, to the shards, and then back to Tony again.
“Then, this time, we’ll be ready for her,” Carl promised.