This might sound basic but Party Poison is my favorite Killjoy. They are so much more than just, "Gerard acted as him in the music videos" and "oo, bright hair hot."

Part of the reason I love them so much is because they're so widely debated in the Danger Days fanbase. Everyone has such different views of who they are. They're transgender. They're a little shit. They're hurting but don't show it. Everyone makes Poison so complex and I love that because they're not just one thing.

I also love the parts of them that I've made up or things that other people have thought up and I have used in my re-creation of the character. To me, Party Poison is extravagant, in a sense. They are untouchable, a celebrity of the Zones. They're charming and full of wit and are highly regarded as being one of the most charismatic people you'd ever have the pleasure or displeasure of meeting.

They also aren't all that special. They're hurting and have gone through hell and back, just like everyone else in the Zones. They are no different from the average Killjoy. The only thing that sets Poison apart from everyone else is their insane savior complex. Their constant, almost need, to be the hero, to be the voice of rebellion, because no one else can be. No one else has the guts, no one else has the patience or the perserverance.

Party Poison is tired. So very few people can see it but they are exhausted. But they will never take a break.

Doctor Death Defying...

He was drafted into the first Helium War. He doesn't talk about it much.

He lost his legs in a poison gas incident. It damaged the nerves in his legs and he hasn't been able to walk since.

Kind of a father-like figure to everyone, especially Ponyboy and Cherri.

Hardly seen without his aviator glasses. Kobra copied that from him.

Dr. D doesn't leave the radio station much. It's hard to get his wheelchair around places and he always likes to be there in case he needs to emergency broadcast something.

Very aware of his surroundings; years of being in the military and then years of being a rebel in the city makes you hyper-aware of things.

Has a slight southern accent that you can hear only sometimes.

He has a weird sense of humor that not a lot of people get. Show Pony is one of the few.

Dr. D is a Taurus.

I liked the format of my last post so let's keep doing that. Let's do Show Pony next.

Show Pony is a very fluid person. Any pronouns, unlabeled orientation. They describe themselves as, "just being."

Almost everyone calls them Ponyboy after the character from The Outsiders.

When Pony talks, xe have a tendency to enunciate random words in xir sentences.

Pony loves any sort of party. The only reason they haven't become some rongee kay is because they owe Dr. D for taking them in and need to cover shifts at the radio station.

Despite being pretty obnoxious, Show Pony is very, very intuitive. Cherri swears that they can read minds.

They're also really good at math.

Pony believes in the Graffitti Bible and even has a piece of it that xe wrote xirselves.

They have very nice handwriting. Like, looks-like-it's-been-typed-out kind of nice.

Pony is a Gemini.

I really like Cherri Cola so here's some things about him that I made up/kept as part of my HC:

Cherri loves poetry. Reading it, writing it. Whenever he talks on WKIL 109 FMX, he reads it to the listeners.

He has a gray streak in the front of his hair even though he's only 26. He dyes it blue from time to time but his hair doesn't hold color very well so there's really no point.

Cherri has a deeper voice. He can sing pretty well, too.

He's very quiet and observant. Very much a peacemaker when Dr. D and Show Pony (or really anybody) butt heads.

Kind of like a big brother to Show Pony. Pony is an adult but Cherri tags along to parties to make sure they don't get into too much trouble. He basically babysits them.

He's very emotional, but he doesn't show it much. Even when he's happy, there's a sort of sad aura around him.

He and Kobra have a very deep emotional connection. Cherri and Kobra are both very reserved beings but they open up to each other a lot.

Cherri's poems were often kind of sad but, lately, they've been about love. He puts some poems that he writes for Kobra on the radio, from time to time.

Cherri is a Scorpio.

Fun Ghoul has never been in a relationship. At least, he would tell you that. He and Party Poison had a fling back when the Fabulous Four had just settled into the Diner, before the Girl even showed up. It was short and sweet but the two decided they weren't good as a couple. They remain close, having a different bond from the rest of the Four. More physical, in a way, but strictly platonic.

Jet Star has never been in one, either. He's never desired to be, never felt the need to find someone. He isn't asexual, isn't aromantic. He's just been so busy running his whole life that it's just become habit to put things like that aside, even now that he has a home and feels safe, most of the time.

Kobra Kid has had a thing for Cherri Cola since the day they met. Cherri was always too busy dealing with his own problems to find someone to love and Kobra was always too quiet to say anything, so nothing happened between them for a long time. Poison, the only person that knew of Kobra's not-so-little crush (because they knew Kobra about as well as they knew themselves) finally got him to work up the courage to confess his feelings. Kobra has never been happier since.

Party Poison has had a good amount of "lovers." None of them really were love though (except for Ghoul) they were just someone else to hold on to, a distraction from whatever bit of the past was in their head, at the time. Poison seemed to attract the kind of Killjoys who just bounced around. Of course, Poison wasn't exactly the best at commitment themselves. And then they met Adrenaline Rush. They're not sure how they feel about her - maybe it's a great friendship, maybe it's something more - but Poison knows that there's something there that they haven't ever felt before. They love people; the rest of the Four, the Girl, Show Pony, Cherri, Dr. D. But this is different.

Fun Ghoul: Cisgender but uses he/they, only because he doesn't really get gender/doesn't care. He feels like a guy but, also, does it really matter? They encourage using both pronouns in one sentence just for the chaos.

Jet Star: Also cisgender, uses he/him, but Killjoys often have this polite thing where if they don't know your pronouns, they go with the neutral they/them and Jet's fine with that.

Kobra Kid: Demiboy, so, therefore, uses he/they, although he sometimes has a preference for he/him. It's a bit of a 65/35 ratio.

Party Poison: They've never been super big on labels but, for the sake of one, they say they're fluid and prefer they/them, but they're alright with any pronouns. They, like Ghoul, don't really get gender/don't care about it.

Sleep. This seems to be a trying topic for everyone's Killjoy HC's so I'll give you mine.

Fun Ghoul usually sleeps alright. He's naturally a light sleeper, of course, but otherwise he sleeps relatively fine. But there are some nights where he's wide awake as his brain tries to piece itself back together, working into the small hours of the morning to fix the damage that the lab caused. Ghoul doesn't really have nightmares - he doesn't really dream - but that doesn't stop him from remembering all the awful things he's seen on those particular nights when his head is fighting sleep.

Jet Star, not unlike Fun Ghoul, is a light sleeper. Unlike Ghoul, it is from years of living in the desert, waiting and listening for something bad to happen. For Dracs to come in and take everything away from him. It wouldn't be the first time. Nightmares plague what little deep sleep he ever gets. Replays of his old family, his old gangs, getting dusted. Of the Fabulous Four dying. Always tragic deaths. Some nights, he wakes up in a rage, throws punches at the wall, trying to feel something other than the loneliness and grief that sleep brings.

Kobra Kid is a deep sleeper. The only deep sleeper in the gang besides the Girl. He naps often. He doesn't ever get the nightmares when he sleeps. It's only when he's awake, when there's small reminders, that everything about his past comes flooding back. Sleep treats him well. Sometimes, he just wishes he could sleep for a long, long time to avoid those small reminders of shouting and blood and dust.

Party Poison hardly sleeps. It's half habitual, as they always took watch first while they and Kobra were out, alone, in the Zones, scared out of their minds. They just always ended up staying up longer than intended, not wanting to wake Kobra up, as he was always exhausted. So, they just adjusted to having little sleep. They stay up late almost every night, sometimes going up to the roof so the rest of the Four don't hear their shuffling around the Diner or the moments when they become so overwhelmed by everything, that they have to let it out. Poison doesn't ever tell anyone that the other reason that they stay up is because their sleep is filled with dreadful things. Things so awful and painful that when Poison finally wakes up from them, they don't go back to sleep.

Falling in love in the Zones is basically unheard of. Uttering three simple words to someone is practically a death wish. A curse. The desert is no place for love. Having a family-like gang is dangerous enough.

You never know when something could go wrong. Whether it be a Drac or Crow raid, a lack of food, an accident on the road, a nuclear bomb. Being a Killjoy means you've lost so much already. Telling someone you love them and then losing them or getting dusted yourself the next day is too much to bear.

So, people avoid it. They blow off steam at parties or on the roads. One night stands and Zoneweed. Some joys drift from party to party, lighthouse to lighthouse, avoiding getting close to anyone at all because losing someone would just be the last straw.

Of course, like everything, there are exceptions. People who don't fear their own death or losing someone else. They tell people "I love you" and start some sort of a life together and even have makeshift weddings. They're considered fearless, these people who love so unconditionally even though everything could be taken away in a split second.

Love is nearly unavoidable, obviously. You can't control it. Killjoys fall in love, of course. Most just don't act on it. "I love you," three little words, is almost mythical. Rarely heard. Not saying those words is just protecting yourself from the hurt. Protecting yourself from the inevitable end of things because, out in the desert, everything has a brutal end.

party poison isn't easily shaken. or at least they don't show it when something really scares them.

but watching the girl struggle to break free from korse's arms, right in front of xem, knowing damn well xe weren't going to be able to fight off the crows? coming to, sand in their mouth, knowing that she was gone? knowing the next steps he would take to get her back? knowing deep down that he wouldn't live to see her come home?

that scared him more than anything. and there was no point hiding it this time.

party was dead the minute he realized he loved her.

Party Poison. Known for being a bit of a nuisance to Better Living Industries and a bit of a celebrity out in the Zones. They never meant to be so well known. They're just very charismatic. Even the few enemies they've made would agree.

Poison has always had a reputation to maintain; rebelliousness, a quick wit, a taste for danger. Even back in the city, they were always known for being loud. Outspoken. Following in the footsteps of their older sister, long gone from one of the many public executions that Battery City held for juvie halls who would never make it out.

Their parents hated them. They never said that, not those exact words, but they did. Poison knew. That's why they ran off when they finally sent them away, hoping some private school, closer to the BL/ind headquarters, would make Poison change. It didn't. It only made them have a bigger desire for rebellion. With no where else to go, they went to Kobra Kid, the only other person that Poison relied on.

Sometime that night, they broke down. They realized that they would probably never see their parents again, never have their old life back. They could easily go back to it, a life of luxury. They felt torn. Broken. Kobra saw it, the absolute meltdown that Poison had. Kobra was the only person allowed to see it. Poison had a reputation to maintain.

And they have ever since. When the safe haven in the outskirts was raided by Dracs, when the group that Poison and Kobra had managed to escape with was dusted in Zone 2 by a group of Crows, when they would finally find a place to stay after days of wandering the desert with no food, water, or shelter. Poison was always the brave face, the steadfast friend. They never intended to become this person but, at some point, they realized that someone had to be. After a while, it became an obligation to be the hero.

But don't let it fool you. They're just as broken as everyone else. Nightmares. Sleepless nights. The meltdowns, not unlike the one they had that first night at Kobra's. The rest of the Four have witnessed them at least once. They never say a word about it the next day. They know how important it is to Poison that they maintain this reputation of this fearless leader with bright hair and a dashing personality. They know that they're willing to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders if it means that, someday, things will be better.

Maybe, someday, Poison will take the mask off, the persona that they've created, that they've let become a part of themselves. Someday, when things are better, they won't just reserve the emotional moments for the dead of night and they'll let their guard down a little. But that day is not today.

Kobra Kid has always been quiet. Always. It's not necessarily because he doesn't have anything to say. He has things on his mind, something you wouldn't guess from his almost constant poker face. He just doesn't say them. It's a choice.

Back when he was living in Battery City, it wasn't just a choice to be quiet. When his father would take in huge waves of kids from the labs and bring them to outskirts and they had to hide under the floorboards or in the walls or wherever else they could squeeze into when a S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit showed up, you had to be completely and utterly silent. By the time Kobra was three or four, he knew how important silence was.

When he met Poison in school, he hated them, at first. Poison didn't know anything about being quiet. They would mouth off to teachers and other kids and just about everyone who got in their way. It was only when one of the other kids made fun of Kobra for living in the outskirts and Poison promptly called them a word that you weren't supposed to use at school that the two became friends. They evened each other out; Kobra hardly said a word and Poison never stopped talking.

Years passed. Poison was sent to a private school in the inner city. Kobra missed them. That didn't last long, though. On another quiet day at home, Poison showed up at Kobra's door, a runaway with no where else to go. Kobra's father did what he did best and took them in. Poison was still loud but Kobra taught him to be quiet. At least, when their lives depended on it.

The silence didn't last forever. Kobra doesn't remember all of it. He remembers his father being dragged away by Dracs. Dead bodies. His friends. Noise. So much noise. And then Poison dragged them and a few other kids out and they didn't stop running. They never stopped running, even when they started making it fine out in the desert. And then the dust settled on another loud night and Kobra and Poison were the only ones left.

Ever since Show Pony and Jet Star found them, the noise has died down. It's still there, in the form of good noises. Loud music and cars and shouts of a crowd at the Races. Laughter and "I love yous." Kobra is still quiet. As a choice now. But, sometimes, the memories, the bad noises, are really, really loud.

Jet Star, while very much alive, is like a ghost. Quietly shifting through the walls of the Diner, watching. Haunting.

The rest of the Four knows that he probably wasn't always like this. So stoic. So aloof. But they have seen enough people who had grown up in the desert to know that their old personalities never completely come back. It's as if they're a shell of themselves. Of who they used to be.

That's not to say that Jet's completely apathetic. He can be just as lively as the rest of them. He's smart and will give you his two sense if he knows it's needed. He likes loud music and even louder cars. He jokes about how he lost his eye, leaving everyone around him to wonder what actually happened.

There's just times where he seems...lost. Lost in his head, in the haunting memories of growing up in the Zones. The desert was much more unforgiving back then. And that's saying a lot.

Jet has nightmares. More like memories replayed during his sleep. His family being killed, the various gangs he was a part of afterward getting dusted. Death always seemed to follow him. So he just stopped trying. It was a miracle that Cherri Cola found him, wandering through the dunes, looking on the verge of death. It took Doctor Death Defying a long time to pry out what had happened to him.

Poison has walked in on the aftermath of one of these nightmares. Whispering. Crying. Bruised knuckles and blood on the wall. An overwhelming sense of loneliness and pain and grief. It took Poison a long time that night to get Jet to stop shaking.

Jet might seem tough on the outside. This tall, brooding, almost menacing figure. And he can be. Some Killjoys really are scared of him, if they've gotten on his bad side. But inside, he's just as damaged as everybody else.

Fun Ghoul talks a lot. Some people dread being around him for fear that they'll never get away from him jabbering about something over and over. He has a tendency to repeat himself, to forget that he told you something before. He has no filter, whatsoever.

For a while, when they first met him, the rest of the Fabulous Four didn't know what was up with him. Why he talked so much and yet never seemed to run out of things to say. One day, during one of Fun's ramblings, it slipped.

Fun was a lab kid. One of those poor, orphaned city kids who didn't have any value in the eyes of Better Living Industries, so they were just sent to a lab, where they were live experiments for whatever BL/ind desired. They didn't care; the kid was probably going to die on the street, anyway.

Suddenly, everything made sense. Fun's lack of any sort of filter. His tendencies to ask a question and not listen to the answer or to space out when someone was talking to him for too long. Who knew what kind of harm BL/ind did to his brain in the lab?

When they asked about it some more, Fun seemed happy to tell them. Like he didn't have a care in the world if they knew about his troubled childhood. He even showed them the scars on his arms from the overuse of needles. Acted like it was nothing.

And, while, most of the time, he really doesn't seem to mind telling them, or anyone, about his trauma, the Four have lived with him long enough now to know that bits of it are still there. It's there in the form of a deathly fear of needles, or anything with a thin, sharp point, really. It's there in the form of sleepless nights, when his brain is overworking itself, trying to fix the damage that the time in the lab did to it.

Fun likes talking. Maybe part of it is because he really does just like talking. Maybe it's partly because he was alone for so long, that it's just his way of expressing relief for finally having someone there to listen. But the Four knew the biggest factor, not just in Fun's tendency to ramble, but in his whole personality. Experimental drugs always left a little bit of damage to the kids who managed to get out of the lab.

The Girl.

The Fabulous Four remember the day they found her and her mother at their doorstep. She was little, then. About four years old.

The Four were young, too. Fun Ghoul and Kobra Kid were barely 15, Party Poison was 16, and Jet Star was 19. None of them knew how to handle a kid. They could barely handle themselves.

They had only just formed a gang. It had been two months since Fun Ghoul found the Diner and the four of them decided to finally move out of Dr. D's station. Two months of being just the Fabulous Four.

But then there she was. Standing there, wide-eyed, as her mother sat there, dying right in front of them. She pleaded for them to take her, to take her little girl and keep her safe. They didn't have any time to say no before she finally succumbed to the nasty gunshot in her stomach. They didn't even know her name as they went and buried her just past the group of cacti just a few yards away from the Diner.

And then they were stuck with this child. This small girl, who looked like she hadn't had a good meal and good night's sleep her whole life. She didn't even have a name.

She came into their world as if she had always been there. She took no time to adjust. She played with their hair and their ray guns and asked for bedtime stories and cuddled up next to them when she was scared of the dark as if she had known them her whole life. It's as if she knew the unmerciful desert would just make her move on. It always did.

So, they did, too. Fun said it was like fate that he found that Diner, where the Girl's mother inevitably took her child and her last breath. Kobra and Jet said it was a rewarding coincidence. Poison didn't care what it was, they just agreed that it was good.

It didn't take long for them to get attached. The Girl was a perfect match for all of them, somehow. She matched Poison's charm and Jet's toughness and Kobra's wit and Fun's eccentricity. Even other Killjoys adored her.

So, while the Girl was certainly unexpected, she was one of the best things to happen to the Fabulous Four. She was like the missing member of the team that they never knew they needed.

The Four sometimes get in disagreements but they always, consistantly, agree on one thing; any one of them would die for that kid.