Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you." ~ Jules, Pulp Fiction.
A (mis) interpretation.
Name: Javier Fernandes Chigurh.
Alias: The Fighting JC.
Age: 50 years old.
Affiliation: Manny's Gym (former); The Thirteen Acolytes (former); The Adventure Kartel Collective (current).
Age : 50 years old.
Std. armaments: "The Blind Oracle" - severed precognitive Zomb Head; "The Towel of Turin" - divine towel.
Abilities: "The Exegesis" - divine empowerment; "The Ten Commandments" - divine martial art; "The Eye of Providence" - divine sight; divine protection; prayer empowerment; indomitable will; purification; healing; exorcism; peak human condition; enhanced wisdom/knowledge.
2001. JC watches intensely at the night sky and horizons as the din of the battles on land and above keeps him awake throughout the night. He is resting and taking a break from the on going fights against the rogue bots and borgs from the Robot Islands surging forth from the Northern Frontier. His restless mind and thoughts wander back to the past. Seems like a life time. Curiously feels like 2000 plus years ago even though it is not.
JC was born in the toughest mega block in Z10, "Maradona" in the Terra da Santa Cruz sub-sector, within the chocking, urban decay of the hive city, Megalopolis 3 on the Southern Sectors of United Americana. His father left when JC's mom was still pregnant with him. JC remembered his mom likes to joke to friends that JC is of virgin birth. His mom had to work in a back breaking mandatory job 24-7 as a boiler at a local warbot forge industrial complex to ensure there's food on the table and bills were paid on time. Like most kids his age, JC ran with a local posse after being expelled from school for beating a fellow student to near death for bullying and attacking a student of Eastasian origin (anti-immigrant, racial sentiment is exceptionally high in United Americana due to the war and near total collapse of society and economy). Himself a victim of bullying when he was a kid and experiences from watching and confronting bullies revealed the omnipresence of evil and enemies in the world, and taught him the value of physical strength and violence. JC instinctively knows it was the character of a person that matters, not creed, culture nor skin colour difference. Frequent exposure to violence and effects of injury combined with the massive criminal activities within the residential block gave him a hardboiled outlook on the world. Mix martial arts became a passionate preoccupation, as well as developing a love for all contests involving violent, masculine struggle.
In his late teens, he was noticed by John "The Baptist" Manny, a caporegime of a mafiosi clan who has a knack to dispensing loan defaulters by drowning them in a tub filled with water. He ran an underground, vicious mixed martial art tournaments, the Vale tudo, on the side. He witnessed a young, skinny JC outfighting and breaking the arm and leg of a 200 pound, 7 foot man in several places, knocking him out cold. He could had crushed JC like a fly but instead was beaten to pulp by the skinny lad. Manny knew a natural when he saw one and recruited JC into his stable of fighters, giving him proper training and guidance. JC could be his and the old f*** he calls "boss" who owns all the fight clubs and gyms, taking bets and organising both legit or otherwise fight tournaments, one of the many "businesses" under his ten fat, sausage like fingers, money making machine. Manny groomed and trained JC into a top mixed martial art fighter. Eventually JC would ran out of local opponents to fight. Manny knew it's time for JC to go regional and full pro. JC defeated everyone, and became the youngest number one contender, and where he won the prestigious Sparta Mixed Martial Arts World Championship at the age of 20, the youngest person to do so and a title which he held for the next 13 years. It is a record which that remains unbroken. JC himself became rich and living a lifestyle of excesses and grandeur. The 'bling bling' never stopped coming. More importantly, JC's mom would never have to work again, but yet she remained humble, staying at the mega block, and continued to work at the manufacturing plant. She even reprimanded JC for his excesses, resulting in frequent emotional confrontations and quarrels. 'Wastin away your life like that. I know there is something more to you, within yerself, than all these. This things ain't lastin', she said during one of their arguments.
JC's mom eventually succumbed to cancer, as the block they were staying, categorised as "slum status" by the Judges Law Enforcement Council, was located only 100 metres away from the lead wall that separates the vast, irradiated wasteland, " The Cursed Earth" as well as combination of the non-sanitary conditions of the manufacturing plant. JC never had the opportunity to seek a final reconciliation with his beloved mother. A particularly deafening explosion breaks JC's train of thought as his eyes welled with tears in present time. His mother's death would be the catalyst in his gradual path to enlightenment and spiritually free himself.
It all began in his dreams after several bouts of unprecedented boozing and pleasures with the girls. JC dreamt about an encounter with an old shepherd tending a herd of sheep on a hilly area with vast green grasses all around. These dreams would ended in nightmares, of a giant serpent coiling around JC, slowly choking and crush his body. He would try to break free but the serpent's grip was an unbreakable vise squeezing around his torsos, leaving him breathless. He would woke up covering in sweat. Day after day, he tried to forget the dreams and nightmares. Thinking he's going "Insane in the Membrane", JC consulted psychiatrists about the issue but without any breakthrough. He also began to un-consciously, underwent behavioural and personality changes. When he got his tattoos, he had "God Life" inked on his chest with a cross instead of "Thug Life" with an AK 47 as he initially wanted. He also tattooed "Zomb" on his fingers instead of "Bomb" and he punched the light out of the tattooist for the blunder. Later he had "Mary, the Mother of God" tattooed on his back instead of "J.B. Mary, Da Queen of Soul" a female artist he once admired. A second tattoo artist got punched out because of this.
He began to consciously grown tired of his current lifestyle and career ~ the endless partying, decadency, and fighting in the iron cages. He began to self-teach himself on various subjects on banned books on religions illegally obtained through his contacts, philosophy, science, social study, later expanded to occultism, mysticism, and arcane texts, methodically and meticulously. By choice, JC starts to celibate and adopts a vegan diet. At the age of 34, JC makes an important decision. He decides to give away all his wealth and luxurious possession to various charities and those in dire need. He asks Manny to hold a press conference, announcing to the shocking world that he is retiring, abandoning his championship titles. This incurs Manny's wrath, the man whom controlled his career and life, and had by then ascended to become the boss of the mafiosi clan. He orders some of his homeboys to teach JC a lesson. JC is shot six times on the chest at a drive by, but miraculously survived and non of the bullets hit any of his vital organs. He confronts Manny, after demolishing an army of his guards armed with weapons singlehandedly, saying he will remember Manny's gratitude, but he has now paid his due, owing Manny no more. His lingerie model trophy wife, Madeline, leaves him for someone else. JC, now stripped himself to nothing except for the knowledge gained, then exited the life he once knew. The dream and nightmare begin to stop. As for Manny, JC heard several years later that he and his clan were involved in the distribution of a new drug, triggering a block war with a rival clan, and the Judges finally enforced and executed all of them on the spot for trafficking of illegal substances, but primarily for being out of line. JC then fell out of the public consciousness and no more news were heard about him.
Time passed and JC, by then almost unrecognizable - beard, moustache, haggard and looking older than 50, but still lean and packing a mean punch and kick which could break bones and rupture internal organs, for he has by now trained himself to peak human physical condition - was travelling from city to city along the Amazonis Planitia on Mars, making his way to Olympus Mons with a group made up of eclectic individuals, calling themselves the Thirteen Acolytes, consisting JC himself, of brothers Pedro and Andre, both former MOD pirates; sister-brother team, Johanna and Jimmy, both former mercenaries; Phillipe, an ex-gigolo; Bart, a former smuggler; Matthaus, a former tithe collector; Tom, a disillusioned former Ecclesiarchy preacher; Jamie, Simone, Jude, all former Arbites of Mars; and Judy, a female former Vindicare assassin. They preached to those who listened, about the decadency and corruption of the religious ideals by the Ecclesiarchy. For a brief period, they were successful. Even a Cult of the Thirteen Acolytes was formed and spread among the Martians citizens. Declared heretics, they became highly wanted by the Ecclesiarchy of Mars and fought many battles against the Arbites and the Retinues. In one of the ensuing fight and violent rioting, JC is the only survivor. The deceased twelve other Acolytes were martyred later by the others. JC successfully evaded the Arbites and Retinues, smuggled himself on board a merchant ship en route to the politically neutral United Space Colony Federation. From there he arrives back onto a war torn Terra.
JC travels across Terra on his lonely journey, taking up odd jobs to meet ends. He first realises his more than human powers during a rest from his travel in Jerusalem's Lot, United Americana. A child has been possessed by a lesser daemon of The Warp and JC instinctively performs exorcism and casts out the entity. Years later, he subsequently gained a reputation as a monstrum venator. He eventually settles in Andria, Eurasia. Surviving the subsequent destruction of Andria, JC later joins the Adventure Kartel Collective. This is due to the rise of the walking dead, the Zomb Horde, former humans entombed with the old city, now known as the Necropolis or the Carrion City. Their relentlessly attacking, eating and stealing the brains of the human population of New Andria makes JC stays on and stops his nomadic lifestyle.
JC initially stayed at the Church of Divine Grace, only to realise that its members were actually perverse daemonic worshippers of the Ruinous Powers. After battling the demon possessed individuals, banished a demonic entity and burnt the building down, JC opted to stay at the attic converted into a room at Tommy's record shop. Tommy wanted to ask for rent but back off after seeing the tats and scars on the old man. Tommy knows JC means business, literally and metaphorically. All JC wanted for his room is a bed on the floor, clean blanket, clean pillow and a bolster. He went around the city, found some discarded but nice timbers, made himself a wooden chair and table, with a repaired table lamp, completed with old tomes, books and ancient texts. Tommy defunct band, the Missionary Position, rehearsal room and recording studio on the second floor was converted into a training room and gym at the request of JC. JC also began to train Tommy the art of hand to hand combat but the boy just cannot focus. On several training sessions, JC had broken Tommy's ribs (twice), both bones on his hands (thrice) and dislocated his jawbone (uncountable). JC eventually gave up on training Tommy after the latter kept coming with all sorts of excuses to skip the trainings. JC is a master and expert on all forms of existing martial art techniques, of which he combines and refines into what is known as "The Ten Commandments", a nigh formidable form of assault and defence hand to hand combat skill. It is said that no one except for a very few, could match JC in any fights.
In subsequent years, JC became well known to be at the forefront in all fights against the Zomb Hordes, daemonic entities and other foul creatures summon by their leader, the Zomb MD and the Heart of Darkness. JC would inked a cross onto his forearm for each successful mission. Tommy often commented how JC was a one man fighting machine against the Zombs and other supernatural creatures, regardless how numerous or powerful they may be. This is due to the divine empowerment, of which JC could gain powers from divine gods, spirits, concepts or forces. His normal human physiology is heightened to the level of a superhuman when invoking this power, and combine with his absolute mastery of all forms of existing marital art skills, JC is unstoppable in combat. One of his trademark divine empowerment abilities is called "The Exegesis", of which JC would be enveloped in bright light and blasts pure energy in a single, all directions. Another is cleanliness manipulation, of which JC is literally immune from all forms of pestilence and diseases of Nurgleth, as well as purifying and healing those affected by the Zombs. JC also performs exorcism to a great extent and very efficient and effectively so, purging those possessed by daemons from the Realms of Chaos and Warp Space. He possesses "the Eye of Providence", a supernatural ability to be able to see into the very soul of an individual and able to see all the vices and virtues, lies and truth of that individual. This ability also grants JC the capability to see a hidden daemon in the Real Space. JC is known to be able to cast back greater daemons or princes from the Warp personally. Lesser daemons are known to shriek in pain simply by the presence of JC. He doesn't charge his clients for his service. Tommy often got a severe, though non physical, but verbal reprimand from him for the former's fondness to con people of New Andria through his knowledge of sorcery and summoning of daemons, which often ended up disastrously, needing JC to clean up the mess. JC however, never reveal the truth on such matters for there's virtue in the boy and knowing his background, just, well, perhaps a bit too mischievous and lack responsibility for his own good.
Regardless, JC is still a mortal although there are intense speculation that he could be The One Who Sits On His Father's Right Hand of the House of YHWH of which JC ignores. He could still be severely injured, for all the divine empowerment has a toll on his health, often suffering from extreme fatigue and fainting spells if overstretching his power. JC would try not to use certain of his more formidable abilities unless faced with overwhelming or powerful enemies. Nevertheless, even without invoking the divine powers, JC is still the best hand to hand combatant around, and incredibly difficult to defeat. The Zomb MD considers JC to be his numero uno enemy.
During one of the combats against the Zomb Hordes, JC succeeded in obtaining the ghastly, decapitated head of the Blind Oracle, a zomb with a specific skill - divination. Sworn an oath of loyalty to JC, the Blind Oracle would advise JC on near future events (an hour to be precise), enabling JC to prepare for pre-emptive assaults against the walking dead next movement and action. The Blind Oracle also acts as a form of motion sensor, gurgling hideously if a fellow Zomb is nearby or hidden in the sewer, their favourite hiding place to launch an assault. JC speculates that the Blind Oracle Zomb has the ability due to overwhelming saturation of the corpse gas, causing it to go into trance and slight degree of clairvoyance. According to the Blind Oracle, the Heart of Darkness, the corrupted A.I. of the orbital station which destroyed Old Andria, is now a literal, living fusion of the Warp and Real Space, in constant mutation, a living, twisting mass of bio-mechanical horror, of which its tentacle-like circuitry has transformed the entombed former city into its own nightmarish imagery. The Heart requires constant human brains to fuel its existence, and even addicted to the endorphin. JC nurtures the Blind Oracle into forgoing the craving for human flesh and brain, instead replacing its constant hunger with lamb chops and sheep brain instead. JC keeps the Blind Oracle in a specially made box anointed with arcane rites to seal its contagion from harming others. JC slaps on a large warning sign stating "Bio-Toxin" on it and keep it in a secret place not even Tommy could not search for it (actually its beneath Tommy's bed).
Baron Shadow, knowing JC's background and suspected "real self", is keeping a close eye on him, whom he considers a "loose cannon" and highly unpredictable, for he is worried that one day, JC would eventually upset the fine balance of the truce between the monster hunters and the children of the night, an event which would result in unprecedented bloodshed and war, which had occurred during the Dark Days.
During one of the Zomb Horde attack, JC single handedly defeated 50 of them within 10 minutes. Covered in black, foul, putrid blood of the walking dead, JC quickly asked for soaps and towel to hose himself clean for "Cleanliness is Godliness". When Tommy took the towel to dispose off, he saw what seemed to be an image imprint of JC's face on it, which looked remarkable similar to the Shroud of Turin of which the Baron lusts for. A bright idea sparked in Tommy's mind. He sent a pict vid of the towel to Baron. The latter was naturally excited and paid a considerable sum for it to Tommy, but upon receiving the towel, Baron Shadow flew into a fit. As it turned out, within an hour of receiving it, the image had changed into a smiley face instead. The Baron sent a squad of ANKOU EX Shadow Security to see Tommy, demanding not only full refund, but also to pay compensation for making a fool out of the him. All JC could say was greed, one of the seven sins, was 'never good. Greed muddles. Greed clouds the mind. Hope this would be a good lesson to you'. Tommy was saved from all the troubles upon Lil Shadow's intervention on behalf of him. JC takes back the towel and has since use it to bitch-slap his supernatural enemies with it after infusing it with divine power.
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I leave it aside whether this figure is intended to be the Christian Messiah as I do not want to offend anyone. Also, I do not have any substaintial knowledge of the AK story (if there's any). The figure's different from the usual Hot Toys etc. figures. The details are a complete opposite to say, HT standard (not to mention it's increadibly dusty, I can literally see them floating around when unpacking it. Did they really put them through piles of dust during production?). But that's exactly why I am gearing up on collecting selected stuffs from ThreeA. It's different and re-freshing from the usual fare. And another good thing about ThreeA stuffs are sometimes it allows me to imagine the characterisations and storylines for myself. Of course, the official infos are around, there's a 3A Wiki, there's the forum for fans, and occasional cryptic bits of background infos drop by the man himself, Ashley Wood. But ultimately, that's what the whole fun is about, more shiok, for me, at least, personally, to re-think and re-imagine the whole senario. Just like when I played those old toys mom and pop got for me back then. He-Man vs Optimus Prime, the Zoids doubling up as Voltron's nemesis. Credits also go to works by Neil Gaiman, Mike Mignola's Hellboy series and others too numerous to remember or mention here. I'm gonna enjoy the ride while it lasts.
