Messages

Poor Mickey... Guess he was a dirty rat after all.

K2

Will the Judges series of three editions cover the timeframe from the April-2031 rollout of Street Judges to the January-2033 of The Avalanche?

Thanks for any response you can render!

K2

Oh, P.S.: Be aware that the warning and cautions at the head of the story are accurate and not simply casually added.  Determine your exposure to the content before hand.

K2

[another]

Welp Fellas, that's it;

I finally have it up and finished (past letting it sit and simmer a while before another re-read/edit for grammar and phrasing) due to all of your help.  I am extremely pleased with the result of this project, and confident that conditions were established to give reason for how Judge Fargo became the man he is on the series.

The 2000AD/Rebellion story as it stood left open a great opportunity to try and make the whole scenario plausible.  The greatest challenges being:

* How to get a young Harvard Law graduate, turned U.S. prosecutor, to such a point that he toughens up enough to be a field duty Street Judge.  That's a pretty big leap from a lawyer/politician to a street cop/judge who leads by example.
* How to put the U.S. into such a position that the citizens accept overriding the Charters of Freedom.  Here in the U.S. that is an unimaginable concept.  Our nation didn't spend years existing under various systems to then work our way to democracy and civil rights; the U.S. was founded and built upon them.
* Lastly, making it all happen in a mere decade (using today as the starting point).

Finally, having stood the world on its ear in the story to make all that happen, I even added an "out."  Essentially, anything in my story can be discounted in whole or part in existing or subsequent works, yet alters nothing in what I've written.

Though I will not post links to the story (due to content and to not spam), if any are curious how it turned out and wish to take a peek you can perform a search for "WRIST: Writers, Readers, Interaction, Stories & Themes" where it will be found in the only section of the forum a visitor can see.

A second option would require you to check the story section of the notorious blue adult forum (of which some of you may be members of).

In any case, thank you all so much once again!  You helped generate a novel I'm proud of!

K2

[Lest ye be Judged]

I'm so close to wrapping this up only requiring another 're-read/edit,' since you all are mentioned in the preface, I decided to post the frontmatter and table of contents here.  I'm extremely pleased/proud of how the story played out, in no small part due to you all and your help.  Truly, the information you supplied inspired the plot, forming the course of the story to generate events to affect Eustace Fargo (Cub) to be the man you all know.

My 20k-word short evolved into a 95k-word novel with extensive appendices and background chapters.

My sincere thanks once again.

K2

Lest ye be Judged
An 'unauthorized and not for profit' Judge Dredd Prequel ~ 2029


Copyright Licensing Disclaimer:
The novel "Lest ye be Judged" is an original 'unauthorized, unpaid and not for profit' fan-fiction of which the author has not received compensation in any form for its production.

"Judge Dredd, Eustace Fargo, Street Judges and any other part of the Judge Dredd Universe" are all copyrighted characters and themes wholly owned by Rebellion Publishing, Oxford, UK, who have not authorized, licensed or been paid for their use within this body of work, nor upon the header art.

The header art background "Sci Fi Street" is a copyrighted work of art wholly owned by Andre Sutherland, of Berlin, DE (formerly Melbourne, AU), who has not authorized, licensed or been paid for its use upon the header art. All musical and audio works are wholly owned by the respective artists and/or production companies who have not authorized, licensed or been paid for their use within this work, and are listed in appendix-A5.

The character "the Mad Clown," no matter how realistic or similar to any other person or POTUS is simply a fictional character developed solely for this story. Any similarity is purely, somewhat, kinda-sorta coincidental. No one could be that whacked out and be president of the United States. Could they?

This work including the header-art is not to be reproduced or distributed in whole or part without the direct consent of the applicable copyright holding parties and the author of this novel, K2- U.S.A., April 03, 2018.


***Warning*** This fictional novel contains graphic depictions of; violence, death, genocide, murder, sex (both consensual and not), drug use and a significant number of expletives, vulgar terms and expressions. If the reader finds any of those fictional depictions too offensive to be exposed to, then they are advised to cease reading now. ***Warning***

**Caution** This fictional story contains references to disturbing subjects such as; execution, murder, rape, various forms of sex, drug use, prostitution, torture, cannibalism, slavery, slavery of minors, starvation, disease, dehumanization, crushing poverty, totalitarian governments, dystopian societies, ecological collapse, nuclear weapon use and others. If the reader is unsettled by mention of such subjects, then they are advised to cease reading now. **Caution**


Preface -or- My drivel as to how and why:
Inspired by the 2012 movie "Dredd," disconcertingly drawn to "Ma-Ma," compelled me to write a short story or fan-fiction set in the seedier shadows of Mega-City One. As you will discover, the short-story part didn't exactly pan out.

Hoping to do the movie justice, I began investigating background information regarding the characters, the world as presented and so on, in short order discovering 2000AD comics and Rebellion A/S, originators of all things Dredd. Overwhelming would be a fair description arriving to this party some forty years too late. Fortunately, during my research I stumbled upon the 2000AD forums and the gracious members there.

My gratitude to the members of the 2000AD forum and those at Rebellion A/S is both deep and sincere. Without their invaluable assistance, my research would have been long and exhausting. Due to their help, the story would evolve as it did; though more truthfully reveal itself, the story already there.

So again to the 2000AD forum members and those at Rebellion, my deepest thanks or as another might say, "Florix Grabundae!"

With their help, I encountered a startling revelation. The Street Judge system in the series had begun in the year 2031. After some quick math (fingers, toes, clomping my foot and so on), it struck me that year was a mere thirteen away. After a bit more digging I discovered that 2029 and even 2027 had direct relevance, reducing that timeframe to a paltry nine years.

Please don't misunderstand, I get it. It's a fictional story, set in a fictional timeline, established forty years ago when it was a possibility. However, I have always felt that the best stories were at least plausible. The question being; 'how could the citizens and government of the United States, devolve to such a point that they would be willing to surrender their civil liberties in a mere nine years?'

The current news supplied the mechanism for that collapse. The help from the fine folks at the 2000AD forums supplied me with information for the end (or more accurately, what my ending had to establish to support their story's beginning). That left everything in between, which thankfully the comic series had left mostly wide open. Unfortunately, here in America surrendering civil liberties is a huge step back, and then it struck me.

Why go back when you could go forward? The cycle of life, full circle and all that.

This story's clock did not stop at midnight, continuing instead into the darkest hours. What follows are those dark hours. And though we cannot turn the clock back to midnight, perhaps it can be nudged forward into the twilight before the dawn.

K2- U.S.A., April 03, 2018.


Enhanced Reading Options:
Be aware before playing sound effects (denoted by >> <<) and music that they may be loud.
The sound effects and music are added into this work to help establish a mood in the reader. If you opt to listen to the sound files you are advised to; 'pause your reading, listen, and only once through, resume your reading' in that they can be extremely distracting and will detract from the story if listened to otherwise.

Five Historical Background Chapters (2, 10, 16, 21, 32) are scattered throughout the story (denoted by *** after the chapter name). The reader may peruse these chapters at any time without fear of them working as spoilers. However, if the reader would prefer to remain as ignorant as the characters, understanding and experiencing the world from their viewpoint, then they should be avoided until finished with the story.

Appendices have been added to help the reader fully understand all aspects of the story. The reader may review these appendices at any time without fear of them working as a spoiler. To do so will grant you the insight and knowledge of Rokka-Kae, the story's protagonist. In contrast, the reader may opt to experience the story from the viewpoint of Cub, the deuteragonist. If so, then chapter No.1 "Harvest Time," Appendices; A2-Glossary of the RCFG, Pastoral A3-Vocabulary & A4-Translations, should be avoided.

Glossary, Vocabulary and Translation Appendices have been included in this novel due to the extensive number of unfamiliar terms and words utilized throughout. They are as follows.
A2. Glossary of the Restored Constitution Federal Government: Words, equipment, terms and definitions used by the fictional U.S. government of 2029.
A3. Pastoral Pidgin/Slang Vocabulary: The unique words and their meanings as used by the citizens in the region the story primarily takes place.
A4. Pastoral Pidgin Conversations Translated (by Chapter): Direct translations of entire lines of dialogue by chapter.


Introduction:
What would it take for you to willingly give up your civil rights, your freedom, or those rights God given, self-evident, unalienable and that shall not be infringed upon?

Would it be the threat of loss of life? What about agonizing torture or any other long-suffering cruelty that someone could inflict upon you? Naturally, those rights could be taken away by an irresistible force; yet what fate would inspire you to surrender them anxiously and when all said and done, be grateful that you had?

Half a world away, over forty-years ago, a man peered into an electrified cage at two females who had suffered terribly and long. To terrorize them before he began his cruelties again, in a calm monotone voice he told them a sadistic truth.

"You would be amazed at how malleable the mind becomes when a person is deprived of food, water and comfort. The terror and suffering however, I inflict for pleasure."

A horrific prospect to be sure, though it does beg the question of how quickly we would relent when faced with the prospect of going hungry while suffering an unquenchable thirst. For some it might mean a day, others a week and still others perhaps a month. However, what if your expectation was forever?

In a mere two years, the world had been brought to the brink of ruin. For a half-century, industries that had been restrained to protect from that, overnight found the established controls abolished. Like some great marauding beast free of its chains, the corporations supported by the politicians who they supported in kind, ran rampant over the face of the earth. And so, whether it was environmental cause and effect, Nature as a sentient being or perhaps God himself, they relented and said; "so be it."

Simply to survive, the people gathered only to discover those who had caused the loss of their world, the wealthy and politically powerful, were their only option to survive. Adroit at seizing opportunities for exploitation, the corrupt 0.1-percent had finally won; vanquishing the flawed concepts of liberty and democratic equality. Rightfully, or so those few believed, the plutocracy smugly smiled upon the starving masses stating simply; "we will save you."

Granted, at first it was difficult until systems could be put into place; yet once they had been, the rectified, imperious new colossus's sustenance filled hands extended toward the huddled masses, then paused and waited until they heard it.

"Please! Thank you."

That was nine years ago, being 2029. With ninety-four percent of the population's focus upon simply surviving another day, none remembered they had once lived another way.

One however did.


Table of Contents:
ii. Warnings and Cautions
iii. Preface
iv. Enhanced Reading Options
v. Introduction
1. Harvest Time
2. Crush of Humanity ***
3. To be a Reaper
4. Into the Land of Madness
5. Horror Compounded
6. To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
7. Training Day
8. With Furious Wrath
9. Grappling with a Monster
10. The Mad Clown ***
11. Revelations **
12. Ever Deeper
13. The Dancing Instructor
14. Way of the Future **
15. Altered States
16. Columbia Stumbled ***
17. Let it Flow
18. Respect da Choka
19. Eeny Meeny Miny Ho
20. Parking Old School
21. Same Difference ***
22. Another Day
23. Onward to Eden
24. Oasis of Humanity
25. Hide and Seek
26. Tin Can Alley **
27. Field of Steel **
28. Molding a Killer
29. A Mother's Wrath
30. Tower Horizon
31. Philosophy on High
32. Policy of Erasure ***
33. Racing the Tempest
34. Finger of God
35. Race to Infamy
36. To be a Hero
37. We the People
38. American Atlas
39. Clearing the Buffers ~ A Postscript

Pre-Outro: Breathe by Télépopmusik

Epilogue:

Post-Outro: Disparate Youth by Santigold ~ The White Tiger Theme

Appendices:
A1. Equipment of Reaper-379, Rokka-Kae (Rahk'kuh-Kay)
A2. Glossary of the Restored Constitution Federal Government (82-count)
A3. Pastoral Pidgin/Slang Vocabulary (131-count)
A4. Pastoral Pidgin Conversations Translated (by Chapter)
A5. Music & Sound Credits

Reference Documentation ~ Not for Public Viewing:
A6. Radio Traffic Conversations Complete (by Chapter)
A7. Memoirs of the Sermons of Rokka-Kae (by Chapter)
R1. Archival Film Footage (transcription) of Chief Justice Eustace Fargo
R2. Chief Justice Fargo's Last Conversation with Judge Dredd
R3. Existing 2000AD Fargo/Dredd/Mega-City One/"Dredd-world" History
R4. Propaganda
(Saved Deleted Chapters)
SD1. The Woo-Bar
SD2. Knockin' at the Woo-Bar


K2

Well dang, I began this 'short-story' with the intent of it being 10k-20k words on Feb. 02.   Now 2-months later I have 1-1/4 chapters remaining (of now 40 chapters, +4 extensive appendices, +4 short sections of front-matter, +header art) and I'm at 93,000 words. 

Verbose might be the appropriate term, but I'll go with yappy.    

K2

Monte Walsh with Tom Selleck. Best "cowboy" (not western) movie ever.

K2

Thank you so much!

K2

["Blue Forum"]

This project is advancing extremely well and if any of you are members of the notorious "Blue Forum" (due to the adult content it will contain), and curious about this feel free to check there!

Thanks again EVERYONE for all your help!

K2

Congratulations and well done!

K2

Why do all wedding dresses come in white?

[spoiler]Because that's the color all new major appliances come in.[/spoiler]

K2

I'm excited to see how the voting turns out.  Thanks Bad City Blue for hosting this contest.  Good stuff everyone!

K2

Though the "non entry" thing might be ironic or something.

I never thought about that, it's a good idea!

K2

500;

No, sorry I can't help in that regard.  Our other connections are on the tin-foil hat side of secure.  Perhaps I can check if I head over to a friend's home, yet even then I'd suspect that they're using Charter Cable as well.

No worries, I sincerely appreciate your attention to this.  Like my Husband says "God made stamps and envelopes for a reason."

K2

[1. Heath C. Ackley : Eye of the Storm.]

1. Heath C. Ackley : Eye of the Storm.  I really enjoyed the image that it all conjured up. Seeming to describe just a few seconds of enduring the harsh environment as he faced the storm of memories in his own mind.  Quickly both those thoughts and the storm around him merging into one.  Well done!

2. Bad City Blue : I Killed a Judge Today, Oh Boy. Though "Penny Dreadful" is not a term used in the U.S., after looking it up I found it to mean the same as our "Pulp Fiction" or "Dime Novels."  Of all the entries I found this one to be closest to the cheesy, dark and overly dramatic vein that they are supposed to be in. Those adjectives are not intended to denigrate the style, yet to say that it exemplifies the style which frankly being as fun to read as they are, has made such publications so successful.  Another job well done!

3. James C. : Last Moments. A very good example of taking a single person's monologue, and instead of simply being a long telling of a tale, breaks it up in such a way that it condenses a lot of action/time, description of the environment/situation and chain of events that the reader infers all of that getting the whole story in a short piece.  Well done, I could see such being used in the series!

Eamonn Clarke : The Promethean, and The Legendary Shark : Blood Hounds; More great work by each of you!  On par with the three I chose above, the only reason I have yours as an honorable mention is that we can pick only three, and though simply different, the styles I chose (in that the quality of the content was equal) simply struck me harder.  Well done to both of you as well!

K2