Disclaimer: If I owned JTHM of IFS or any of Jhonen's work, do you think
I'd waste time writing about it? No, he is the true genius here. I only
among the lowly organisms who wish for such talent, and write comics about
stick figures worse than the infamous Happy Noodle Boy. Here's some more.
Incoming: Nonsense.
Nny walked silently past Dragon Books, near to tears. He was holding a brainfreezy, and for once he'd decided on frosty peanut instead of cherry doom. He was thinking. He'd gotten out of his house pretty late after hours of mulling and pondering. He was near tears because for the first time in his life, he was in love, and he hadn't realized it 'til just now.
He wondered if he should go into the bookstore and see if Devi was there, but he remembered that it was almost three in the morning. He forgot the time most often, because he didn't sleep anymore. Sleep only brought unpleasant memories, replayed in full color. The times his abusive father had beaten him when he was small, the day his mother had died.
He remembered it only too well, the day full of dread. How she'd left to go to the store, how his father had gone with her. How little Nny, only 11, had stayed home alone, and was spared from death. His father had stabbed his mother in the car, because he was drunk. He wished he had died then, because he never would have hurt so many people if he had died before he started killing. And the first murder had been his father. He'd been so angry after years of torture that he'd just finally poisoned him.
Nny wiped the tears away, and walked on. The street was dingy, and snow was beginning to fall softly.
***Across town, in a small apartment, Devi sat up trying to paint something for NERVE.
"Shit!" she finally hollered, and slashed a huge mark of purple across the whole painting, panting and shaking with anger. "Oh great. Not I gotta start over. Fuck, fuck, fuck," Devi hissed. She didn't have her mind on the painting. At all. She was dwelling on other things. She finally threw her paintbrush down and grabbed her long, tan leather coat. She put it on over the black tank top and purple baggy pants she was wearing with boots, and swept out the door. On the way out of the apartment building, on the next floor down, she heard music blasting from Tenna's apartment. She'd fallen asleep with music on again.
Devi knew it was late, but she left anyway. She wasn't sure where she was going really.
Nny continued to walk along the street, and cast his eyes downward every time he heard someone pass. They all stared at him. Of course. He was 'wacky'.
Nny looked up at the bright lights in the distance. He wished there was someone out there who would make him feel wanted, like most people did. Because he felt like shit. A filthy piece of shit that someone had thrown outside because they detested it.
Suddenly there was a motion to his left. He hadn't been aware of anyone coming; he'd been so lost in thought. He was determined to look away, but he recognized the figure nearing him. She had purple hair, and she was moving swiftly, though she looked as though she was only wandering aimlessly. Her head was almost cast all the way down. She was slouched as she walked, a troubled figure.
As they passed each other by, Nny looked cautiously at her. She didn't seem to notice him until he looked at her. Her eyes slid over his form, and locked into his for a moment as she passed.
"Devi?" Nny whispered softly as he passed her. She didn't hear him. He watched her go mournfully, not even sure if she recognized him.
Yes, that was Nny, Devi thought. She hated him. She wanted him dead. But somehow, somewhere deep inside herself, she couldn't bring herself to really hate him. She told herself she did, but what she felt was really divergent to what she led herself to believe she felt. She didn't hate him at all.
But she had to.
But she didn't.
Yes she did.
No.
She loved him.
She couldn't quite understand how, he'd tried to kill her and obviously hated her, but she loved him all the same. Why? Life was so complicated.
Nny watched Devi head off in the opposite direction.
Devi headed into a dark alley. Her mind was buzzing with twisted convulsions of thoughts, and she paid no attention to where she was going.
Until it was too late.
She suddenly felt someone hold her hands behind her back.
"What the fuck!" she asked.
"Shut up girlie," a strange voice said.
"What do you want?" Devi asked, struggling against the strong man's grasp.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"Get the hell away from me!" Devi yelled.
A little way off, Nny was walking still when he heard that familiar voice shout.
"Devi," he said, plain and simple. What was going on? He took off.
Back in the alley, Devi was surprised that she hadn't been able to escape. He attacker was somehow keeping her immobile.
She was struggling fiercely, trying to escape the man's grasp, when suddenly there was a whirring sound, and a dull thunk. Devi was aware of the spatter of blood, and the gasp on the attacker. He threw her on the ground.
"Mighty fuck!" the attacker gasped, collapsing. He pulled himself back to his feet Devi looked up and saw her attacker yank something sharp and glinting from his neck.
"Who the hell are you?" the attacker rasped, glaring at the thrower of the knife. Whoever had thrown it was right now a shadow.
The 'shadow' responded by throwing another knife at the attacker. The attacker caught it in midair.
"Nice try faggot," he hissed, lunging at the 'shadow'. The attacker somehow stabbed the knife into the 'shadow's' body. The 'shadow' cried out in pain, and Devi watched the knife sail into the air. The hand of the attacker grabbed it, and thrust it toward the 'shadow'. The 'shadow' tried to push the knife away, but was wrestled to the ground, the knife held just before his throat.
The attacker was about to stab the 'shadow's' neck when the 'shadow' suddenly threw a well-placed kick into the attacker's groin. The attacker flew backward, dropping the knife.
The 'shadow' grabbed the knife and drove it deep into the attacker's chest. The attacker fought back for a moment, hitting the 'shadow' squarely in the head with a fist and sending the 'shadow' sailing backward into the brick wall and sliding down, hitting some garbage cans with a loud crash. Then the attacker gave a moan and fell silent. He was dead.
Devi sat up in shock, looking around the dark alley. The 'shadow' was a dark lump on the ground near the trashcans. Devi stared at the lump. The 'shadow' sat up slowly, pulling himself shakily to his feet. He looked in Devi's direction.
Oh great, she thought. Some homicidal freak was going to finish her off just like her attacker. He moved toward her. Devi was sure he was going to pull out another knife, but he only held out his hand. Devi was confused for a moment until she realized he was trying to help her, and she took it, climbing to her feet erratically. His hand was slim and cold. He let go of her hand. The faraway street lamp was illuminating the man's eyes, and they were large and black. Very familiar.
"You OK?" he asked, in a very familiar voice.
"Yes. Thanks for that. But...Who are you?" she asked. She knew it was someone she'd seen before.
"Erm," the man said nervously. There was a dark, glistening spot on the shoulder of his shirt; blood. And suddenly Devi recognized the young man. She couldn't believe she hadn't before.
"Nny?" she asked in alarm.
Nny skittered off into the dark.
"Nny, wait!" Devi said. He disappeared from view, and Devi sighed.
*/*/* Nny headed off toward his residence. When he reached it, he charged inside. He sat down heavily on the sofa, and grabbed a piece of torn cloth off the ground. H held it against his shoulder, which was bleeding copiously. The blood quickly soaked through the cloth. It had already soaked through his black shirt. He put the cloth down and allowed the blood to run down his arm. It dripped onto the sofa, and Nny watched it intently. And suddenly there came a soft, rapping noise. Nny jumped three feet in the air, coming back down onto the couch with a thud. The soft sound came again. Nny was unable to work out what it was. Then it hit him. The door. Someone was here to visit him.
He hoped it wasn't someone like Jimmy again. He picked up a small dagger and crept to the door. He opened it a crack to reveal Devi, standing on his doorstep.
There was definitely something wrong with this picture.
Nny threw the dagger aside and opened the door all the way, at a snail's pace.
"Um, I think you've got the wrong address," Nny said cautiously.
"Hello, Nny," Devi said.
"Uh, hello Devi ," Nny said quietly.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence.
"I know this sounds a bit rude, but what are you doing here?" Nny asked inquisitively.
"What do you mean?' Devi asked.
"Err, do you want to come in?" Nny asked.
"I guess so," Devi said.
Nny opened the door to its fullest scope, and moved aside.
Devi cautiously inched inside.
The two of them stood there awkwardly, the silence mounting.
"So, aren't you going to start screaming at me?" Nny asked desolately, staring at the bloodstained floorboards.
"No," Devi said. She sat down inelegantly on the floor. Nny sank down beside her, after a moment of vacillation.
"so...............?" Nny asked quietly.
"Thank you," Devi said.
For what?" Nny asked , shuffling his feet against the floorboards, and shifting around.
"You saved my life," she said.
"No. I don't think that guy was even going to-" Nny began.
Devi silenced him with little effort.
"No. You saved my life. If you hadn't showed up.......I don't even want to think of what would have happened," Devi said with a shudder.
"Yeah well-" Nny said. He couldn't think of anything else to say, though.
"Nny, I know you kill people. But you saved me. No one else would have done that for me," Devi said.
"I'm sure someone else would have-" Nny began. He then fell silent. He stared at his knees.
Devi hesitated for a moment, then reached out her hand across the warped floorboards and took Nny's hand in hers. Nny jumped slightly, and stared at her hand around his own. She looked at him inveiglantly for a moment.
"Nny, may I ask you a question?" Devi asked softly.
"Yes," Nny said nervously.
"Why did you...try to kill me before?" she asked.
"Oh, I-you see- the doughboys," Nny said.
"Huh?" Devi asked.
"OK, let me explain everything," Nny said. He glanced at her hand around his and took a deep breath.
More soon.
~Moonchild
Incoming: Nonsense.
Nny walked silently past Dragon Books, near to tears. He was holding a brainfreezy, and for once he'd decided on frosty peanut instead of cherry doom. He was thinking. He'd gotten out of his house pretty late after hours of mulling and pondering. He was near tears because for the first time in his life, he was in love, and he hadn't realized it 'til just now.
He wondered if he should go into the bookstore and see if Devi was there, but he remembered that it was almost three in the morning. He forgot the time most often, because he didn't sleep anymore. Sleep only brought unpleasant memories, replayed in full color. The times his abusive father had beaten him when he was small, the day his mother had died.
He remembered it only too well, the day full of dread. How she'd left to go to the store, how his father had gone with her. How little Nny, only 11, had stayed home alone, and was spared from death. His father had stabbed his mother in the car, because he was drunk. He wished he had died then, because he never would have hurt so many people if he had died before he started killing. And the first murder had been his father. He'd been so angry after years of torture that he'd just finally poisoned him.
Nny wiped the tears away, and walked on. The street was dingy, and snow was beginning to fall softly.
***Across town, in a small apartment, Devi sat up trying to paint something for NERVE.
"Shit!" she finally hollered, and slashed a huge mark of purple across the whole painting, panting and shaking with anger. "Oh great. Not I gotta start over. Fuck, fuck, fuck," Devi hissed. She didn't have her mind on the painting. At all. She was dwelling on other things. She finally threw her paintbrush down and grabbed her long, tan leather coat. She put it on over the black tank top and purple baggy pants she was wearing with boots, and swept out the door. On the way out of the apartment building, on the next floor down, she heard music blasting from Tenna's apartment. She'd fallen asleep with music on again.
Devi knew it was late, but she left anyway. She wasn't sure where she was going really.
Nny continued to walk along the street, and cast his eyes downward every time he heard someone pass. They all stared at him. Of course. He was 'wacky'.
Nny looked up at the bright lights in the distance. He wished there was someone out there who would make him feel wanted, like most people did. Because he felt like shit. A filthy piece of shit that someone had thrown outside because they detested it.
Suddenly there was a motion to his left. He hadn't been aware of anyone coming; he'd been so lost in thought. He was determined to look away, but he recognized the figure nearing him. She had purple hair, and she was moving swiftly, though she looked as though she was only wandering aimlessly. Her head was almost cast all the way down. She was slouched as she walked, a troubled figure.
As they passed each other by, Nny looked cautiously at her. She didn't seem to notice him until he looked at her. Her eyes slid over his form, and locked into his for a moment as she passed.
"Devi?" Nny whispered softly as he passed her. She didn't hear him. He watched her go mournfully, not even sure if she recognized him.
Yes, that was Nny, Devi thought. She hated him. She wanted him dead. But somehow, somewhere deep inside herself, she couldn't bring herself to really hate him. She told herself she did, but what she felt was really divergent to what she led herself to believe she felt. She didn't hate him at all.
But she had to.
But she didn't.
Yes she did.
No.
She loved him.
She couldn't quite understand how, he'd tried to kill her and obviously hated her, but she loved him all the same. Why? Life was so complicated.
Nny watched Devi head off in the opposite direction.
Devi headed into a dark alley. Her mind was buzzing with twisted convulsions of thoughts, and she paid no attention to where she was going.
Until it was too late.
She suddenly felt someone hold her hands behind her back.
"What the fuck!" she asked.
"Shut up girlie," a strange voice said.
"What do you want?" Devi asked, struggling against the strong man's grasp.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"Get the hell away from me!" Devi yelled.
A little way off, Nny was walking still when he heard that familiar voice shout.
"Devi," he said, plain and simple. What was going on? He took off.
Back in the alley, Devi was surprised that she hadn't been able to escape. He attacker was somehow keeping her immobile.
She was struggling fiercely, trying to escape the man's grasp, when suddenly there was a whirring sound, and a dull thunk. Devi was aware of the spatter of blood, and the gasp on the attacker. He threw her on the ground.
"Mighty fuck!" the attacker gasped, collapsing. He pulled himself back to his feet Devi looked up and saw her attacker yank something sharp and glinting from his neck.
"Who the hell are you?" the attacker rasped, glaring at the thrower of the knife. Whoever had thrown it was right now a shadow.
The 'shadow' responded by throwing another knife at the attacker. The attacker caught it in midair.
"Nice try faggot," he hissed, lunging at the 'shadow'. The attacker somehow stabbed the knife into the 'shadow's' body. The 'shadow' cried out in pain, and Devi watched the knife sail into the air. The hand of the attacker grabbed it, and thrust it toward the 'shadow'. The 'shadow' tried to push the knife away, but was wrestled to the ground, the knife held just before his throat.
The attacker was about to stab the 'shadow's' neck when the 'shadow' suddenly threw a well-placed kick into the attacker's groin. The attacker flew backward, dropping the knife.
The 'shadow' grabbed the knife and drove it deep into the attacker's chest. The attacker fought back for a moment, hitting the 'shadow' squarely in the head with a fist and sending the 'shadow' sailing backward into the brick wall and sliding down, hitting some garbage cans with a loud crash. Then the attacker gave a moan and fell silent. He was dead.
Devi sat up in shock, looking around the dark alley. The 'shadow' was a dark lump on the ground near the trashcans. Devi stared at the lump. The 'shadow' sat up slowly, pulling himself shakily to his feet. He looked in Devi's direction.
Oh great, she thought. Some homicidal freak was going to finish her off just like her attacker. He moved toward her. Devi was sure he was going to pull out another knife, but he only held out his hand. Devi was confused for a moment until she realized he was trying to help her, and she took it, climbing to her feet erratically. His hand was slim and cold. He let go of her hand. The faraway street lamp was illuminating the man's eyes, and they were large and black. Very familiar.
"You OK?" he asked, in a very familiar voice.
"Yes. Thanks for that. But...Who are you?" she asked. She knew it was someone she'd seen before.
"Erm," the man said nervously. There was a dark, glistening spot on the shoulder of his shirt; blood. And suddenly Devi recognized the young man. She couldn't believe she hadn't before.
"Nny?" she asked in alarm.
Nny skittered off into the dark.
"Nny, wait!" Devi said. He disappeared from view, and Devi sighed.
*/*/* Nny headed off toward his residence. When he reached it, he charged inside. He sat down heavily on the sofa, and grabbed a piece of torn cloth off the ground. H held it against his shoulder, which was bleeding copiously. The blood quickly soaked through the cloth. It had already soaked through his black shirt. He put the cloth down and allowed the blood to run down his arm. It dripped onto the sofa, and Nny watched it intently. And suddenly there came a soft, rapping noise. Nny jumped three feet in the air, coming back down onto the couch with a thud. The soft sound came again. Nny was unable to work out what it was. Then it hit him. The door. Someone was here to visit him.
He hoped it wasn't someone like Jimmy again. He picked up a small dagger and crept to the door. He opened it a crack to reveal Devi, standing on his doorstep.
There was definitely something wrong with this picture.
Nny threw the dagger aside and opened the door all the way, at a snail's pace.
"Um, I think you've got the wrong address," Nny said cautiously.
"Hello, Nny," Devi said.
"Uh, hello Devi ," Nny said quietly.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence.
"I know this sounds a bit rude, but what are you doing here?" Nny asked inquisitively.
"What do you mean?' Devi asked.
"Err, do you want to come in?" Nny asked.
"I guess so," Devi said.
Nny opened the door to its fullest scope, and moved aside.
Devi cautiously inched inside.
The two of them stood there awkwardly, the silence mounting.
"So, aren't you going to start screaming at me?" Nny asked desolately, staring at the bloodstained floorboards.
"No," Devi said. She sat down inelegantly on the floor. Nny sank down beside her, after a moment of vacillation.
"so...............?" Nny asked quietly.
"Thank you," Devi said.
For what?" Nny asked , shuffling his feet against the floorboards, and shifting around.
"You saved my life," she said.
"No. I don't think that guy was even going to-" Nny began.
Devi silenced him with little effort.
"No. You saved my life. If you hadn't showed up.......I don't even want to think of what would have happened," Devi said with a shudder.
"Yeah well-" Nny said. He couldn't think of anything else to say, though.
"Nny, I know you kill people. But you saved me. No one else would have done that for me," Devi said.
"I'm sure someone else would have-" Nny began. He then fell silent. He stared at his knees.
Devi hesitated for a moment, then reached out her hand across the warped floorboards and took Nny's hand in hers. Nny jumped slightly, and stared at her hand around his own. She looked at him inveiglantly for a moment.
"Nny, may I ask you a question?" Devi asked softly.
"Yes," Nny said nervously.
"Why did you...try to kill me before?" she asked.
"Oh, I-you see- the doughboys," Nny said.
"Huh?" Devi asked.
"OK, let me explain everything," Nny said. He glanced at her hand around his and took a deep breath.
More soon.
~Moonchild
