Feels good to do something that engages the whole composition of a page (good ol' 8.5x11 never fails) though if I had a larger sheet of paper, and a comfortable clipboard to work with on it, it could've been much larger, sure.

Still, the poster class size of this makes me wonder if I should make this, among others, into a series of prints. Would anyone buy? I dunno LOL.

Truthfully, all I really wanted to do behind this was sit down, draw some line art and color. I feel incompetent with coloring so I've been forcing myself (painfully) to work with colors just to get by and get better, ya know?

Alright y'all-- STORY TIME, another random moment with Sierrace's (so far) unnamed Interviewer of the interesting people therein of the city Juju and almost every other character of mine lives in:

=====

*There was an awkward moment of silence between the two as Juju seemed distant now, staring off into nothing whilst holding his drink up close to his face but held it there, gazing endlessly. The Interviewer noticed Juju's prolonged stare into oblivion and being the person that he was, proceeded with a question.*

(Interviewer) Say uh... Juju?

(Juju) *Juju suddenly broke from his lacking focus into his memories, thus setting his cup down* Yes?

(Inter...) You seemed distant there... everything okay?

(Juju) Yeah. *grinning with a chuckle following from behind his tender smile and rubbed at his forehead momentarily* Yeah... I tend to daydream from time to time. Sorry.

(Inter...) No it's cool... say uh, speaking about dreams. I know this might sound like a strange question, though I'd REALLY like to hear more about that girl--

(Juju) Okay? What is it?

(Inter...) *Setting his cup down as well after taking a sip and wiping his lip abruptly* Ever have nightmares? I mean like, REALLY weird ones?

(Juju) *That question hit a chord in Juju pretty hard, his eyes widening with concern, brow shifting vastly as if in agony and his ears pinning down low and retreating from his face*

(Inter...) I... I'm sorry-- you don't have to answer tha--

(Juju) No...

*Juju closed his eyes, putting his hands to his face as a sliver of his memory jarred at him and he heard a distant whisper from the recesses of his unconscious sounding in his ear with gentle, however disturbing, laughter and did his best to shake most of the feeling off. He took his hands away from his face, smiling as best he could to bluff his sudden disturbance*

(Juju) No, it's fine... ... sure, I've had nightmares... um... since you asked, there was this one reoccurring night terror. I can't remember, nor would I like to, how long it lasted but I remember them quite vividly.

(Inter...) This isn't something I can add an inquisitive joke into, is it?

(Juju) N-no... I'm sorry it isn't.

*Both of them laughing nervously to each other as Juju continued*

(Juju) You remember a while back when Sierrace authorities were looking into those serial killings? Brutal, vicious murders which were at first considered coincidental animal attacks by some unknown species?

(Inter...) Oh, yeah, I remember that. Alot of people were scared to step foot outside their homes and into the night life for a while when info leaked out that the investigations led up to claim that it was a serial killer.

(Juju) Yeah, I... that was about the time I was having those nightmares. Honestly, I don't know why I did-- it's not like I was really strung out or stressed out at the time. I was depressed, I guess, but who isn't from time to time, right?

(Inter...) Right...

(Juju) Anyway, these nightmares were, vague, at best. Most of the time it felt like I was covered in some thick, dark blanket that I couldn't escape. No matter how much I fought, crawled, struggled my way out-- it seemed endless. Infinite.

(Inter...) Sounds claustrophobic.

(Juju) It kinda was but... it had this morbid 'security blanket' feel. What I hated most was that I just couldn't get out! But then there would be these sudden instances where the darkness opened up and there'd be a face, from what I remember, mostly, if not all, men. They were... begging, pleading for their lives but then the darkness would shut them out.

(Inter...) Weird...

(Juju) Again, all I'd get was darkness but I'd hear some of the most awful sounding things I'd ever heard. Screams I don't even think were humanly possible-- agonizing, moaning voices of torment, most of them begging for mercy but whatever I dreamt, was relentless.

(Inter...) You... dreamt about killing people?

(Juju) I guess so? I really don't know... I mean I don't exactly HATE anyone and I hope the same goes about how people feel about me but I had no intentional hate or malice against anyone, ESPECIALLY not during the time I had these dreams.

(Inter...) What exactly did you feel then? At the time of these dreams, precisely?

(Juju) Loneliness... longing for compassion of another person's touch, a woman more precisely... however events prior to those feelings I underwent some pretty rough times which made me extremely reclusive. I like to think these nightmares were just a result of my prolonged state of exclusion taking hold of me and mentally abusing myself, to, I dunno, force myself to get back out there in the world.

(Inter...) And did you?

(Juju) I did! ... but the nightmares still stuck. No matter how happy I was during the day, or how happy I made others around me-- the nights were dreaded with terror, violence and, surprisingly, DEEP long hours of sleep. Ironically, those days were probably the best I ever slept... ... ehhh, under the circumstances that I woke up feeling pretty weirded out in the mornings.

(Inter...) Most people wake up during sleep, or suffer some kind of insomnia in fear of stuff that haunts them during the night, though.

(Juju) That's the thing, right? That's not what happened with me... ... and like I said, these dreams lasted for weeks, maybe months, I can't really recall anymore.

(Inter...) Well I'm glad they're over now. Aren't they?

(Juju) For the most part, yeah... but ya know what the weirdest thing about these nightmares were?

(Inter...) What?

(Juju) Okay, I don't watch TV but every now and then I'll turn on the thing just to catch the news or something. And the times I did, there'd be breaking news reports about 'the chaotic serial killer' and his victims. The weird part? When they reputed the information of the slain, like, it'd show the deceased's mug shot?

(Inter...) Yeah?

(Juju) THOSE were the faces I saw in my nightmares.

(Inter....) Okay, whoa dude. Creepy.

(Juju) I, in essence, got one good look at them before they went down-- and I saw them in my dreams.

(Inter...) You never met any of those guys though, right?

(Juju) I don't even think I would have-- because as I recall from the news reports of the information released, nearly ALL those guys had some kind of criminal background-- heinous deeds against mankind.

(Inter...) I don't think I recall what most of those dead guys were....

(Juju) I do... molestors. Rapists. Abusive individuals-- the range went on from all sorts of deviances and horrendous vices these slain individuals were known for. Given they were released by psych eval or parole... ... in the end, alot of people felt their deaths were justified by the character they were.

(Inter...) That seems pretty unfair to judge people from what they did and what they could have been after punishment was due.

(Juju) There's two sides of that fence but I'm not really here to talk about that.

(Inter...) Of course, I apologize.

(Juju) I will address that alot of people argued that same idea though. For the most part, I remember Sierrace being pretty dark and scary but kind of liberating that someone, despite being a psycho, was out there reaping what those souls wrought. Given the chance that anyone, including myself, could have been victimized by that killer's serial operations.

(Inter...) The case has never been solved though.

(Juju) A cold case that might last in permafrost I'm afraid then because as if out of nowhere, the acts completely dissipated and haven't heard from since. Coincidentally, my nightmares stopped just then.

(Inter...) You... couldn't be that killer could you?

(Juju) *Juju burst out into laughter uncontrollably, seeing the Interviewer making the vast connection between his dreams and the brutal, bloody events depicted long ago* And what would I say to that? That I killed these guys in my sleep?

(Inter...) It wouldn't be as far fetched as you would think...

(Juju) Really... then where's the weapon? Do you RECALL what the murder weapon was?

(Inter...) Ya know that was an interesting bit there... they knew it was someone systematically hunting these significant individuals down and killing them, but the killings were all inconsistent with each other.

(Juju) Right. Remember, in the beginning, authorities claimed it was a loose, rabid animal yet no traces of rabies or contingent bacterial strain that would cause anything similar was NOT found on the bodies. Second to that, most were slashed to death. Some were thrown out of windows from their own homes. The worst case being when they found multiple deaths in a single location.

(Inter...) I heard about that bit. Detectives claimed the DOAs were aware of the proposed killer and that some of these guys would rally up in preparation to take the killer head on.

(Juju) And their lives met a nasty end.

(Inter...) Still--

(Juju) Look, REPORTS claimed there was never any 'human' activities which caused their deaths. Almost every single one of them looked like they'd been mauled by an animal yet the logical, systematic killings of a decided group of people ruled that it had to be SOMEONE.

(Inter...) Maybe the guy owned a killer animal?

(Juju) And I own a small, fluffy cat...

(Inter...) He could... be the craziest son of a bitch mother nature has ever conceived!

*Juju laughing again, the Interviewer feeling safe to laugh with him as the possibility sounded more and more off the wall to each other*

(Juju) Sierrace authorities were very thorough with the investigations though. SUN employees were one of the first to be called in simply because of our far reaching resources and connections with the community.

(Inter) They never suspected anyone?

(Juju) I had my fair share of questions needing asked, and so did alot more. It goes more and more vicious as it went higher up the chain but it all ended up being a huge waste of time. 90% of the time we had no idea what they were talking about. We were all aware of... SOMETHING killing guys out there but no, they never pulled in any suspects from the SUN.

(Inter...) I feel as though we got sidetracked... so your nightmares... what do you think they meant?

(Juju) I honestly try not to think about that time in my life considering how odd and morbid it all seemed-- like the universe playing some cosmically crazy joke on me, and maybe me, I dunno. But for the most part? While sleeping was always mentally surreal and violent... it had an odd sense of security. Again, that 'security blanket' thing.

(Inter...) Like a fallen angel watching over you it seemed?

(Juju) Might explain why despite all the weird dreams, fate didn't catch up with me to be one of the guys that made breaking news, DEAD.

(Inter...) You're a nice guy! Who would do such a thing?

(Juju) Haha... I guess... so yeah, those dreams, as weird as they were, were still, in a way, my guardian angel.

(Inter...) A kind of black way of looking at it but I'll go with that.

(Juju) It's probably the best explanation I'll ever find.

*Though in the farthest recesses of Juju's mind, a lingering presence of something ethereal, alien and all around out worldly which made no sense at all, remained. Juju looked down to his hands for a moment, and for a split second saw his hands contorted with dark, elongated digits fitted with cruel, razor sharp talons and an inky, blotty presence. Juju quickly shifted his hands in reverse but noticed his hands returned to normal within that instant. The Interviewer caught glimpse of Juju's quick, frantic movement.*

(Inter...) Something wrong?

(Juju) *Gazing up before pocketing his hands into his sweater and smiled back at the Interviewer gently* Thought I had a spider crawling on me...