it all
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A long outline... far from complete...
Jacob DeLaney was born in New York, New York to a pretentious couple in the upper east side. His parents were seen rarely, and Jake spent more time being raised by staff, teachers and tutors. When his parents were around, they were full of expectations, disappointment and were just as distant in person as they were when they were elsewhere.
There's a lot of expectation growing up as the son of Erebos, a god who was hateful and far from a good father. He found Jake weak from the start, and offered him abuse in the place of love and support. While he would expect his child to be much like himself, Jake was far more interested in the world of the arts. In particular, he loved books, though he had a natural penchant for musical instruments as well.
More than once he would find his books destroyed or burned, and be thrust into more useful tutilage, like fighting and training his young abilities, or dragged along to some event or another. Despite this, he kept journals from a very young age, detailed journals that he kept tucked away and continues to keep them today.
Jacob graduated high school with a college degree and more than one publication, and a job offer got him out of his home the moment he had his freedom. When he left his home, he was a shy, kind, quiet young man who only wanted to write and become the person he couldn't be under the roof of his powerful family.
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The years that followed, Jacob grew up very quickly in the outside world. It was no more forgiving than the fist of his father, nor the blood of his heritage. Quickly, he found himself embroiled in the so called underground, and it ate him alive. Love destroyed him with his first true love and first marriage, violence shaped him, and he came into his power at the cost of several lives. Kind hearted Jake was chewed up, and spat out the other end by the devils in the world, and he offered a sacrifice in response.
Jake tried to kill himself.
Given his background, he chose the correct tools to do it, he knew a demigod couldn't die from a mortal instrument, so he used a blade that would do the trick. From wrist to elbow, he gouged himself wide open, destroying everything within a couple of inches of the surface, though the second wrist wasn't as bad, given his lack of dexterity in the first. The scars are still there, cauterized by an unnatural flame from a friend who'd found him.
Through all this, his career hadn't suffered. In fact, his early career sky-rocketed quickly. Those journals he'd always kept were polished up and published. With them, details of the supernatural world were revealed. Jacob busted open secrets that no one wanted to be revealed in such a way. Customs, facts, magic, and more... so much more was left for the public to absorb and relish. Enemies were made en masse in the same breath that he was gained fame because of it.
Not all was left in the journals, not who his father was, names were changed, minor details that were sure to get him killed were adjusted just a bit. None would find an untruth in his books, though, and he's continued to publish more every few years. There've been TV interviews, photoshoots and articles, textbooks made in collaboration, and so much more following this geiser of information Jake offered. -
Since that period in his life, Jake has been beneath a perpetual cloud of depression. Darkness follows him in many forms, and he has gradually accumulated more and more vices. Seldom does he not have a flask and smokes on him, and commonly has indulged in harder drugs as well as gambling. While he goes go through phases, happiness isn't something he's experienced much since those younger years.
There was a time of exception, though, when he met his now ex-husband. When they came together, everything changed. His whole world was altered with his second chance at love. A handful of years were spent in bliss before he was left. It destroyed him, especially given he was offered no explanation. It seemed he was quite doomed to only ever be not only alone, but filled with potent rage and hatred.
His children are the only thing that has kept him from repeating attempts on his life, as he's had several through the course of his time. Despite the man he has become, he is at least a good father and loves his children. Some are grown, some are under his care, and some are with their mothers. There have been no additions to his bloodline in some time, and he'd rather like to keep it that way. While all his children were born of love, he has no more to give.
Along the way, Jake was introduced to family he didn't know he had. His father had many more children than just Jake, as many gods like to spread themselves about through the centuries. One of the other women Erebos cursed his seed with had many of his children, and from that came a massive crime family. One of Jake's half brothers quickly became his closest friend early on. However, this extension of family also came with it a new collection of enemies.
Jake doesn't participate in their crime, he doesn't see it as any of his business. Still, he'd sooner protect and support his brothers and sisters than see them rot in a cell, even if he won't be at any meetings with them. They deal in all sorts of trades, to drugs, guns and flesh. A number of times, though, Jake's been gifted flesh and hasn't turned it down. Not to mention, he has a wonderful supply for his habits. His brothers and choices in friends and lovers have never been particularly helpful for Jake's morality. Though, nor have they judged him when he's torn people apart, especially women who look like his ex-wife.
