my internet went out so its an hour late, i hope it can still count :) 1 Nightshade is set in an average american city, it is fictional so i can make it as i need to for Plot Reasons (ie I do not spend enough time in a single city to be accurate) For Fun the city is named Escorn. It follows the “ordinary” life of Sadie Taylor and Eric Finch, as they go through junior year of high school, as well as their “super” lives as Nightshade, a “villain” (by her society’s standards) and Physo, a hero. Sadie is trying to dismantle the corrupt police system in her city. While she originally does not want/ask for help, she soon has to face the fact that she can not do this alone, and enlists her best friend Eric to help her. Central themes include police corruption, trusting others even when you are scared, asking for help does not make you weaker, trauma does not make you less human (meaning that people with post traumatic stress disorder often feel ostracized and alone, when that really is not the case, it also isolates people because they are unsure of who they can trust), and that friendships and platonic love can be just as confusing and complicated and wonderful as romantic love is. I feel the journey is more a reflection of the reader, rather than my writing. I can see this as a journey of healing and coping, and relate more to the fear and growing through it, whereas someone else might feel the journey of friendship and helping the ones you love through anything. This story covers a lot of issues, which makes it good for a wide range of people, because there are all sorts of journeys the characters go through, and all sorts of journeys people have gone through, which will affect how they experience this story. 2 I discussed in depth Sadie and her voice patterns, so we can skip right on over to Eric. Eric is the golden boy. Literally. Like Sadie, he plays a character at school, he has the stereotypical jock accent, he flirts relentlessly with everyone, he gets the teachers to not assign homework, he is That Kid. He comes fourth in the class, so he is not stupid by any means, but sometimes he puts on a stereotypically “dumb blonde” voice (he is blonde, do not yell at me) to make Sadie laugh. When speaking normally, he just sounds like the boy next door, not too much of anything. Strikingly Average, but that is just what he sounds like. If you listen to what he says, it is almost always really concise and calculated, he always says what you need to hear, but never in a way that will hurt his relationship with you, which is how he convinces Sadie to let him join her. Sadie’s mom (Hannah) is overprotective after the loss of her life partner (they did not like the term spouse, or husband and wife). She checks things four or five times before she is satisfied (“do you have your lunch? Have a nice say sweetie, make sure you have your lunch! Love you”) She allows Sadie to go on her quest only after laying ground rules and making Sadie promise that if it gets dangerous she leaves immediately. When Eric or other company is nearby, Hannah puts on the overly cheerful, fake suburban mom voice, to make other people not worry about her after the loss. She does not really talk much because she feels that no one other than Jaden (Sadie’s dad) could ever understand her. All of the police look and sound the same. Their politeness sounds forced and fake, their words only used when needed. They normally just attack first and ask questions later. The Sheriff is the only exception. He speaks as though he is the most important person in the room and expects all people near him to stop what they are doing as soon as he opens his mouth. He is pompous and a politician before anything else, so he always sounds like he is trying to sell you something. The teachers are mostly laid back, and they teach because they have genuine enjoyment in the subject they teach. They love their jobs, and teachers are the second highest paid profession after cops, so they are not as stressed as teachers in our world are, leading them to let Eric win on the no homework plan from time to time. “Okay fine, Eric, the book report can be due Monday as long as you people ACTUALLY TURN SOMETHING IN” “Its a beautiful day in the beautiful city or Escorn, how horrible it is to have such a horrible accusation thrown” “Well, ain’t that convenient. He literally fell from the sky.”
3 Set: watching tv, an afternoon tradition for the Taylor family Sadie: Mom, what if I became a super villain Hannah: Thats fine honey- Wait. WHAT!? No! Sadie: Please mom, they killed dad, i have to stop them Hannah: Baby you could die too! I cant let that happen Sadie: It wont Hannah: It better not! Sadie: Please Hannah: I just want you to live a normal life Sadie: I can never live a normal life as long as this is still happening. They stopped me from living a normal life last year. I have to do this. Hannah: I’ll think about it SadieL Thanks, mom, im going to go up and do my homework, call me for dinner Set: Sadie’s bedroom, a phone call between Sadie and Eric, they are supposed to be doing Calculus homework Sadie: So, yeah she said she’ll think about it, which is basically a yes! This is fantastic Eric! I’ll be able to get justice for my father! Eric: What if you didnt become a villain though, Sadie…its really dangerous and I dont want you to get hurt Sadie: I wont, Eric, you sound like my mom Eric: Well your mom is a very smart woman. Besides, i heard that the station is hiring secretaries, what if you just applied there Sadie: And have them watch my every move? No thank you! Eric: What if I applied and I left evidence just, on the desk and Villain you just, happened to rob me. Sadie: Then youd get in trouble and lose your job Eric: Worth it Sadie: No, it isnt. Youd never be able to work again! But I can tell you really want to do this, and that arguing is pointless, so Ill just say fine Eric: Awesome! Sadie: Its not, but whatever…what did you get for question sixteen? Eric: y’=2.4 Sadie: Thats what I got, thanks! Mom’s summoning me for dinner so I have to go Eric: Okay! Talk to you later! Let me know if you decide on a villain name! *They hang up* Sadie, rolling her eyes: This guy I swear After dinner, Sadie and Hannah are cleaning up Hannah: Sadie, so I was thinking about what you said earlier, and I’ve decided that I’m going to let you do it. Sadie: REALLY!? THANKS MOM Hannah: ON a couple of conditions: 1.) It will not affect your homework 2.) You will not go out of your way to put yourself in a dangerous situation 3.) If a situation becomes too dangerous, you will abort mission immediately 4.) you will go through this villain agency Sadie: There are villain agencies? Hannah: Yeah, they make sure that their villains have everything they need, including healthcare, weapons, tutors, snacks- Sadie: I get it, thanks mom Hannah: So you understand my rules? Sadie: Yes mom Hannah: And you will follow them? Sadie: Yes mom Hannah: And you are certain this is what you want to do? Sadie: I have to, mom Hannah: Then okay, sweetie, I’ll let you do it *Sadie ambushes her mother with a hug, causing a dish to drop, but not break* Hannah: OH! Oh my gosh, that scared me! Did it break? Sadie: Nope, its fine! Hannah: Okay, good. Love you Sadie, stay safe Sadie:I love you too mom 4 Sadie, I would do anything for you. Live, die, lose, win. Anything. As long I as it would make you happy. And this is the way its been for a while, and I didnt know what changed, but all of a sudden it feels different now. Like the feeling is the same, but the foundation is different. I feel weird saying that I love you now, it feels like im spilling a secret, but ive been saying that for ages. But then I figured it out. When you came and yelled at me for lying to you about not knowing you were Nightshade. Of course I knew. I knew from the first briefing it was you. So I volunteered to be the hero that would stop you, and named myself after the antidote, thinking that you would know it was me. It took a little bit but you did get there. ::nervous laugh:: When I grabbed your hand in that conversation and you stopped yelling at me long enough to question what i did and laugh at the absurdity of it? You have the best laugh. And i realized i didnt want to let go of you. Ever. wait that sounded creepy. I guess what im trying to say is that I love you. I love you Sadie Taylor, and I want to be something other than friends. Do you?
