[Link to first installment]
"Ok," Kim said. "Let's say I accept that you're on my side in spite of being half Shego."
"I am on your side, princess," Sharon said.
"Assuming that's true," Kim said, "where do we go from here?"
"Well I know this really nice coffee shop, if the nacos aren't agreeing with you," Sharon said. "It has this incredible atmosphere, like it was transported here from Paris except the staff is nicer and they all speak English."
It wasn't the words, it was the tone of voice.
"Are you suggesting a," Kim blushed and her voice cracked, "date?"
"Well we have been together since junior prom," Sharon said.
"No," Kim said. "No, no, no. No." She paused a moment to collect her thoughts, "We are not going on a date when you're--"
"Taller? A brunette? Female? Smoking hot?" Sharon offered.
"When you're half Shego!" Kim shouted.
Sharon appeared to remain entirely calm. Somehow that made the following silence more awkward. Eventually she took a nibble of her naco.
"Is this about my skin color?" Sharon asked.
Kim sputtered and the only coherent word she produced was, "What!?"
"Relax," Sharon said, "I'm just teasing you. Unless I'm forgetting something, you've never been the least bit rude about my skin color. Besides, I got over being the green freak a long time ago."
"Freak?" Kim asked.
"Did you want to hear about my tale of woe?" Sharon asked.
"Nobody should be called a freak," Kim said.
"You called Rufus a freak," Sharon said.
Kim looked at the table.
"I said worse about Monkey Fist, though I didn't know it applied to him, when we first met him," Sharon said. "Anyway, all in the past now.
"Where were you thinking we'd go from here?" Sharon asked.
"I don't know," Kim said. "I don't even know where you're going to stay tonight."
"Well if you're so worried--" Sharon said seductively, but then stopped.
Kim was blushing ferociously.
"Sorry, KP," Sharon said. "I figure I'll stay with the 'rents."
"You don't think that could be a little awkward?" Kim asked.
"If it is then I'll go to the lair," Sharon said. "Drakken and I might be theoretically reformed--"
Kim laughed. That the two had never stopped their life of crime was an open secret. Payment for saving the world hadn't really been a pardon, it had been agreeing to look the other way whenever they weren't actively involved in a take over the world scheme.
Kim would have objected if not for two reasons. First, that was basically the status quo anyway. Drakken and Shego always defaulted to their Caribbean lair and were never hard to find, yet no one ever tried to arrest them between plots. Second, while Ron might have defeated the two alien leaders, it was Drakken and Shego who defeated the actual war machines all across the world. The villains had saved the day, Ron had mopped up the two remaining annoyances, and Kim had barely made a difference. The bad guys deserved a cookie for that one.
Sharon hadn't stopped, "--but that doesn't mean that I can't terrify him into submission as if it were the old days."
"I'm guessing you want a ride to the house, then," Kim said.
Sharon nodded.
Sharon woke up fashionably late, threw on Ron-standard clothes --she'd need to consolidate her wardrobes if she wanted anything more feminine beyond the skirt she came out of the zipper in-- and went down for breakfast.
When she walked into the kitchen she noted her parents and Hana at the table then made a beeline for the cereal.
Her mother was the first to respond to her presence, "Who are y-- RON!?"
"Ok," Kim said. "Let's say I accept that you're on my side in spite of being half Shego."
"I am on your side, princess," Sharon said.
"Assuming that's true," Kim said, "where do we go from here?"
"Well I know this really nice coffee shop, if the nacos aren't agreeing with you," Sharon said. "It has this incredible atmosphere, like it was transported here from Paris except the staff is nicer and they all speak English."
It wasn't the words, it was the tone of voice.
"Are you suggesting a," Kim blushed and her voice cracked, "date?"
"Well we have been together since junior prom," Sharon said.
"No," Kim said. "No, no, no. No." She paused a moment to collect her thoughts, "We are not going on a date when you're--"
"Taller? A brunette? Female? Smoking hot?" Sharon offered.
"When you're half Shego!" Kim shouted.
Sharon appeared to remain entirely calm. Somehow that made the following silence more awkward. Eventually she took a nibble of her naco.
"Is this about my skin color?" Sharon asked.
Kim sputtered and the only coherent word she produced was, "What!?"
"Relax," Sharon said, "I'm just teasing you. Unless I'm forgetting something, you've never been the least bit rude about my skin color. Besides, I got over being the green freak a long time ago."
"Freak?" Kim asked.
"Did you want to hear about my tale of woe?" Sharon asked.
"Nobody should be called a freak," Kim said.
"You called Rufus a freak," Sharon said.
Kim looked at the table.
"I said worse about Monkey Fist, though I didn't know it applied to him, when we first met him," Sharon said. "Anyway, all in the past now.
"Where were you thinking we'd go from here?" Sharon asked.
"I don't know," Kim said. "I don't even know where you're going to stay tonight."
"Well if you're so worried--" Sharon said seductively, but then stopped.
Kim was blushing ferociously.
"Sorry, KP," Sharon said. "I figure I'll stay with the 'rents."
"You don't think that could be a little awkward?" Kim asked.
"If it is then I'll go to the lair," Sharon said. "Drakken and I might be theoretically reformed--"
Kim laughed. That the two had never stopped their life of crime was an open secret. Payment for saving the world hadn't really been a pardon, it had been agreeing to look the other way whenever they weren't actively involved in a take over the world scheme.
Kim would have objected if not for two reasons. First, that was basically the status quo anyway. Drakken and Shego always defaulted to their Caribbean lair and were never hard to find, yet no one ever tried to arrest them between plots. Second, while Ron might have defeated the two alien leaders, it was Drakken and Shego who defeated the actual war machines all across the world. The villains had saved the day, Ron had mopped up the two remaining annoyances, and Kim had barely made a difference. The bad guys deserved a cookie for that one.
Sharon hadn't stopped, "--but that doesn't mean that I can't terrify him into submission as if it were the old days."
"I'm guessing you want a ride to the house, then," Kim said.
Sharon nodded.
* * *
Sharon woke up fashionably late, threw on Ron-standard clothes --she'd need to consolidate her wardrobes if she wanted anything more feminine beyond the skirt she came out of the zipper in-- and went down for breakfast.
When she walked into the kitchen she noted her parents and Hana at the table then made a beeline for the cereal.
Her mother was the first to respond to her presence, "Who are y-- RON!?"
* * *
"So you were combined at a genetic level with your girlfriend's arch nemesis changing every level of your being..." Mr. Stoppable said.
"... and you didn't tell us?" Mrs. Stoppable finished.
"Actually," Sharon said as she scooped up more cereal with her spoon, "this is my way of telling you." Sharon ate the sugary goodness.
Hana giggled.
Wade said, "Your ride should be there in--"
"Wade," Kim said in the most accusatory way she could manage.
"I'll just call Ron-- um, Sharon, to let him-- her know--"
"I'm not sure we can trust Sharon," Kim said.
Wade looked relieved at the new direction of the conversation.
"Well we can trust Ron and Shego isn't exactly Dementor's biggest fan," Wade said, So I don't see why this particular mission would be a problem."
Kim groaned, but she said, "Ok."
"So," Sharon said while the two traveled in the cargo hold of a transport jet, "do you want to do this the tried and true way, or would you like to add something new to the mix?" Her left hand lit up with a green glow and she had a giant smirk on her face.
"Just remember whose side you're on," Kim said.
Sharon shrugged.
Kim decided it was best to add, "And I'm the hero, you're the sidekick. You listen to me."
"Is that how you see our relationship?" Sharon asked. It was impossible to gauge the emotion behind it.
Kim thought about it for a bit. Ron was still in there, she hoped to get him out, and she didn't want to say anything she shouldn't just because the situation was extremely awkweird.
"If Ron wants to be my partner," Kim said, "then he can ask me. But that's Ron: best friend since pre-k, sidekick since I had braces, boyfriend since junior prom. That is not Sharron who I've known for two days, and it's definitely not Shego."
"I have nothing against you being on top in principle," Sharon said (Kim blushed), "but in practice how I feel about it depends on what you do while you're on top."
"Could you quit it with the innuendo?"
"What innuendo?" Sharon asked. Then she started to file her nails.
Kim sighed. This was going to be a long mission.
"Actually," Sharon said as she scooped up more cereal with her spoon, "this is my way of telling you." Sharon ate the sugary goodness.
Hana giggled.
* * *
Kim answered the Kimmunicator and said, "Please tell me that you've got a way to de-fuse Ron and Shego.
"Sorry," Wade said. "Dr. Dementor is mutating plants again. If you don't stop him all of Europe will be overrun by mutant marigolds in six hours."
"I don't remember Dementor mutating plants before," Kim said.
"I don't remember Dementor mutating plants before," Kim said.
"Oh, right," Wade said, "that was when . . ."
Nothing suspicious about that. Nope. Not at all.
"Wade," Kim said in the most accusatory way she could manage.
"I'll just call Ron-- um, Sharon, to let him-- her know--"
"I'm not sure we can trust Sharon," Kim said.
Wade looked relieved at the new direction of the conversation.
"Well we can trust Ron and Shego isn't exactly Dementor's biggest fan," Wade said, So I don't see why this particular mission would be a problem."
Kim groaned, but she said, "Ok."
* * *
"So," Sharon said while the two traveled in the cargo hold of a transport jet, "do you want to do this the tried and true way, or would you like to add something new to the mix?" Her left hand lit up with a green glow and she had a giant smirk on her face.
"Just remember whose side you're on," Kim said.
Sharon shrugged.
Kim decided it was best to add, "And I'm the hero, you're the sidekick. You listen to me."
"Is that how you see our relationship?" Sharon asked. It was impossible to gauge the emotion behind it.
Kim thought about it for a bit. Ron was still in there, she hoped to get him out, and she didn't want to say anything she shouldn't just because the situation was extremely awkweird.
"If Ron wants to be my partner," Kim said, "then he can ask me. But that's Ron: best friend since pre-k, sidekick since I had braces, boyfriend since junior prom. That is not Sharron who I've known for two days, and it's definitely not Shego."
"I have nothing against you being on top in principle," Sharon said (Kim blushed), "but in practice how I feel about it depends on what you do while you're on top."
"Could you quit it with the innuendo?"
"What innuendo?" Sharon asked. Then she started to file her nails.
Kim sighed. This was going to be a long mission.
-
Commenting to say I've read it, just so you know I did, so you do not just write into the void.
ReplyDelete---Redcrow
I'm really liking the character of Sharon. I've noticed that I tend not to like Kim nearly so much as the other characters in your stuff (With the exception of Bent, Not Broken). Is that something you're doing on purpose, or just, like, me not really connecting so much with the canonical version of the character?
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteKim's probably got a few things going on.
One is that the canonical character does not live up to the idea of the character. Another is that while the creators might have fallen short when it came to the good points, the flaws are all dialed up to 11 and that's done convincingly enough that it tends to count against her.
The last thing, which might be the main thing really, is a question of what I'm good at.
While (I think and hope) I do really well with other people's stories, I have a harder time with other people's characters. It's not a problem for Rayford Steele or Bella Swan because I have to basically tear them apart and then build them up from scratch anyway. But Kim isn't so bad that she needs to become an original character who happens to have the same name, and she is well established (she has four seasons, including two movies, worth of character establishment.)
I'm not as good at working with that.
I think I can do a pretty good job of working from that, though.
Place, in Being more than a Simulacrum, is a joy for me to write, and I think she's a believable tangent from canon Kim, but the reason she's a joy is because she diverges sharply (because of the revelation she's a clone and the fact she doesn't have a Ron providing the childlike fun and wonder for her.)
Bent, not Broken Kim is a result of having a decade to change, which means that there's a lot more of me shaping the character instead of me trying to write an established character.
Sharon is circling very close round the stereotype zone of "something a bit odd but totally comfortable with it". Still, I suspect the alternative is a screaming fit. It's a good double-act.
ReplyDeleteI like the innuendo.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting...
ReplyDeleteWhat I love most about fanworks is using the familiar shared world to explore different stories...
Good writing as always, Chris. I'll try to remember to comment more often.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Delete