The House of Dawkins, A Retrospective...

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CONCEPT

Spring Heeled Jack, a figure of local mythology and something of a folk hero, he is arguably the first real life rendition of a costumed adventurer western civilization has record of. Said to leap large distances and drop from vast heights in an instant, he had the facial features of a devil and some say he could even breathe fire. Though as stated by many eyewitnesses, he was a menace to society, opting to humiliate and accost random wanderers by scaring them after landing from an 'impossible leap' afar, even going as far as blinding a woman by 'vomiting a blue flame' upon her face. Not the most heroic of figures, but a presence nonetheless and one I saw as fodder for a protagonist... somehow.

When trying to come up with a story for this character I eventually decided to feature him as an enemy in a short-lived novella known only as 'Solace' in which... Well... See Supernatural for the plot, I got a little co-opted on that one (no seriously, if you like anime by all means check out Supernatural) but I still liked the character and so I thought about writing a period-story about the character as a superhero. Even in eyewitness accounts they atest to the fact that he wore a type of oilskin and cape along with a helmet. In this incarnation, he takes on a corrupt bureaucracy as they attempt to discredit him through propoganda, it would be about revolution and...

And then I finally got around to reading V For Vendetta...

So back to the drawing board, I decided to modernize the story, to make it a character which is a descendant of the character, living in modern times. Here, I constructed the following characters:

Jack Dawkins - A reference to 'The Artful Dodger' in Oliver Twist, an orphan who resorted to less than reputable means to make ends meet. When I began writing I found his motives to be a bit too selfish and so I added a modifier, a baby sister, to make him more likeable. Jack is a brash, impulsive, very crude character who tended to be something of a rebel rouser and often played with his opponents by slapping or using acrobatics to defeat them. In this early *coughhighschoolcough* incarntion he sports a hooded jacket and very baggy chained pants.

Helena McHale - The love interest and local bar owner, no depth or anything of note here, she was just around for exposition and plot progression, a more of a plot device than a character.

Mira Dawkins - Ditto, simply around to get into trouble so that Jack could come and save her. Many of these plotlines were attempted to be rehashed as a means to 'pass the torch' but they ultimately fell flat.

Ezekiel Laurent - A street magician/con-artist who is little more than a common theif with some interesting little gadgets similar to Batman's Utility belt back in the old television show ala "Deus Ex Machina- oh did I forget to mention I carry exploding shark repellant with me at all times just for this specific scenario?" type of writing. Though, later this is actually admitted when Jack inquires "Get bored much?"

So then the project came to a halt as soon as I realized the character had absolutely no

antagonist to work off of :\.

THE ANOMALOUS YEARS

When Rise Of The Anomalous was first written, it ended on a rather bleak note which would set up a couple of sequels. In this case, a character from ROTA goes into exile and arrives in London to find The Spring Heeled Jack there to take him in on asylum.

This is the first story in which the pub doubles as the Dawkins' business as well as their home, living upstairs in a loft. While these are quite common in many urban residences (primarily bohemian districts) I originally got the idea from my very first barber, a man who had an entire set up in his first floor, but lived upstairs.

In this incarnation:

Jack Dawkins - A little more mature and in his early 20's, still doing his superhero thing about 50 percent of the time while helping run a pub. His role in the story is essentially to show the exiled and rundown character that there is a way to prioritize his life and have the things he wants, so long as he realizes that it would take a toll on his own endeavors in the long run. Somewhat tragic, though mostly a 'protective big brother' type of character, Jack developed something of a fatherly quality which I nearly tossed out because it was in contrast to his harsh upbringing. While being 'The Spring Heeled Jack', Jack is adorned in an 'Underarmour' type of track suit with loose pants and a horned skullcap- though towards the end of the story he is adorned in the skeletal garb which Spring Heeled Jack is normally depicted in.

Helena McHale - Her role is to be a confidant for the exiled character, someone for him to unload on and to help carry his burdens. Though never really a romantic love interest, they do share a small bond and she plays a heavy role in helping the exiled character regain his momentum. It was in this rather secondary role that Helena seemed to establish herself as a "rock", a character that is steady no matter how turbulent things get and also, ironically, the bread-winner of the Pub, which becomes a mainstay of her and Jack's relationship, he's there for the heavy lifting and she's there for business and management. While Jack would think with his heart, she would often think with her head and thanks to her, both developed in the sense that they learned to think with their opposite facility.

Miranda Dawkins - The ingenue, at age 16 she is precocious and outgoing to the exile, yearning to be his love interest and admittedly, a Bella Swan character simply meant for slapstick comedy. Ultimately she marries the exile and he is made a part of the family, though it's in these storylines that there is the initial evidence regarding her envy to Helena as well as her cousin, Lucille.

Lucille Dawkins - Inspired by Perak, Lucille is a retired Spring Heel who runs a vessel, also arguably a pirate....... I was in High School, get off of me!

---

THE HOUSE OF DAWKINS / FICTIONPRESS REBOOT

The House of Dawkins is meant to mean a family or clan pertaining to the Dawkins. Ultimately the storyline would go along the same troves as the previous story's premise, but with a context set up by one of the final drafts of Rise of the Anomalous in which the terrain is far more detailed and an ongoing continuity becomes a backbone to support the body of work I'm trying to create. In this case, rather than their parents simply being absent with vague detail into their disappearance, their mother is the Spring Heeled Jack of their past generation and was killed in a civil conflict following her rebel rousing and advocation during the second depression.

It's worth noting that this is the first story where I stop simply saying "In London" and actually localize the pub in Soho which is an entertainment district and also integrate various real life elements of London into the world such as Tube Stations, local colleges and secondary academies, sports, and the controversial Ring of Steel which some believe is an Orwellian 'Big Brother' type of security system in which public areas (including the streets outside of people houses) are placed under camera survelliance.

This is also the first story where we begin seeing a change in focus, rather than the story following Jack and his ongoing adventures, the focus is on how he as well as those ongoing adventures affect his little sister, Miranda or Mira, as she comes of age and learns of her family's secrets while also developing her own abilities.

Jack Dawkins- Mid-20's, far more fatherly though he retains a secretive and playful nature with his peers. In this incarnation, Jack puts on a different face with different people, around Helena he is the heart-driven rebel rouser, around Mira he is a borderline father figure, around the returning Ezekiel he is a business partner and comrade, around his cousin he is a true Spring Heel, around the exile he is utterly strict and protective of his virgin baby sister, and in the kitchen he is a multi-tasking chef. An analog between himself and cooking was meant to come across either through self-admitted dialogue or even some grand metaphor, but the idea of him seeing ingredients as small contributions to a final product and breaking down expert cuisine to distinguish the subtle nuances of every said ingredient was a testament to how much his family means to him and how although he keeps himself as a composed and arrogant loudmouth who's on top of everything and everyone, knowing exactly what to say and do to keep them going- it's really them who contribute something to keep him whole.

Helena McHale- In this story, Helena loses her parents in the same incident in which Jack did and the two have been together ever since. Mostly off screen as planned in early stories due to her attending college in order to completely own the pub instead of simply leasing it. Despite he consistent absence in the 'act one' of most of the published chapters, she is established as a maternal figure and role model to Miranda, though hints are placed at a semi-oedipus complex due to the buxom and womanly build of Helena versus the lean and petite frame of Miranda. Prior to shooting myself in the foot by attempting a time skip after 5 chapters, I played with the idea of her asking Jack for marriage and even entertaining the prospect of children, only for a pregnancy scare shortly after getting her degree and both Jack and Helena coming to the conclusion that Mira is, for all intents and purposes, their daughter. Her role as 'rock' more prominent in this rendition, Helena subtly persuades Jack from time to time, knowing his routines and understanding when he lets his temper get the best of him, even undermining his authority over Miranda at times when they both decide to deliberately antagonize him. Overall, Helena is the brain's of the operation and while phsyically she offers little relevance in more action packed storylines, much of Mira's growth into womanhood is based upon Helena's actions early on in the story.

Ezekiel - An inventor and resourceful con-man who is an expert at sleight of hand, Zeke is a family friend and ally. Somewhere along the line I decided to make him a trustfund baby and I apologize. Though, his wealth did stick into recent drafts and incarnations. I began to write him as something of a 'theif king' one who is seemingly a genuis and expert to a supernatural extent in a field of crime, only to be exposed as the proprietor of that whom he is stealing from. In this case, his knowledge of the limitations and extent of surveillance 'The Ring of Steel' provides in London is not because of covert study or research but because his family is the one who upgraded and designed it. Also, Ezekiel was implied to be a member of the Cunning Folk.

Lucille "Luciphine" Dawkins - This version of Luciphine is the first typical western "Strong, Powerful Woman" who is attractive and lethal. I blatantly made her conform to the hollywood sensibility as a means of having that sort of influence on Mira- an alternate path. Lucille is depicted as a jubilant and rather extroverted party girl who owns a fishing business, selling many of her best catches to Jack wherein he makes the Pub's signature dish and thus contributing to the thriving small business. Beneath the one-dimensional surface it's hinted that she has a lot of regrets and it's left to be determine if because or in spite of her past she encourages Mira to be without fear or have any regrets. Also, it's established that she has a rather maternal bond with the exile, often defending him when Jack is too strict or giving him leeway when the opportunity arises. Also it's worth mentioning that there was an ongoing relationship between herself and Ezekiel.

Miranda "Mira" Dawkins - Though a jock who loves to play soccor and yearns to be treated as an adult, she was still something of a blank slate to me at the beginning of the story, I thought it would be a fun idea to 'develop' the character (ad-libb) every week until something just stuck. While it would have been passable, by inducing a time-skip in just five chapters and also having her try out a Lucille-influenced lifestyle, it sort of crashed and burned. But what I got from the mistake with this character is that Mira cannot be a carbon copy of any of the three female figures in her life, her courageous and noble mother, her voluptuous and knowledgable mother-figure Helena, or the seductive and promiscuous (borderline neurotic) party-girl Lucille. The biggest strength I have as an author is that when I get into a writer's block or encounter a plothole, I use it to progress the story but this time around I didn't abide by that. In this case when I got into a writer's block as far as Mira having to ultimately reject all three role models in order to become herself I didn't want to do that (because I was ad-libbing) and the story fell apart because while everyone is pretty much a constant in relation to Mira's ongoing storyline, if Mira does not progress then they no longer progress thus the storyline becomes stagnant, repetative, and tedious (See Smallville).

Other secondary characters included:

Earl Yeoman - Originally meant to be a take on Robin Hood (as Jack was a take on the Artful Dodger) who stole from the rich to provide for the poor. It's established that he had a past with Jack and Helena following their parents' death, possibly even romantically linked with Helena at one time, but ultimately the two warmed up to a stable living for Mira whereas he continued the good fight. Ever resentful for their 'betrayal', he continued waging a war with the buearocracy and high-society of London, ultimately becoming a villain.

Hayes (AKA Haze) - A weapons dealer and key antagonist to Ezekiel, using a number of firearms and trick-weapons. A notable trait bout Hayes was the ambiguity of the weapon dealer's gender, often speaking in a feminine and dainty voice, but assuming a gutteral roar when angered and contradicted, though always taking time to make pleasantries with any and all opposition despite any previous misgivings due to being a 'professional' first and foremost. It's implied that Hayes is eithr bipolar or has some dissassociative complex.

The Laban Clan - A Jewish bloodline that has the divined ability to animate inanimate objects rendering them as "Golem's" or servants of God. It's established that Jack's ancestors may have been at odds (civily, not violently) but a pact has been formed and all is forgiven. Though with Perak, a distant relative and derivative of the Dawkins family (Luciphine's ancestor) there is an implied animosity that is never completely explored. Ari Laban, a young conjurer, seeks out Mira for vengeance as a means of asserting her maturity to her elders (even though having the advance ability to conjure a Golem) and nearly kills her until Jack arrives and easily dispatches the abomination before sending her home and informing her parents of 'the misunderstanding'.

Ultimately, the story failed and even with the hand-full of storylines and characters presented who would become mainstays in the next drafts, a key villain was missing. Another hitch in the plan was the advent of another family-dynamic in the "Twilight" series, alterations had to be made due to the likeness of the Cullens vs. the Dawkins and upon doing a compare and contrast similar to my tabs kept on Heroes, Supernatural, Kick-Ass, Smallville, and Hancock, I found that some ideas were co-opted such as every member of their respective family to have a base list of superpowers but for them to each develop one which was their "talent" or "specialty" though in varying degrees.

In my case, along with the family traits of enhanced strength, speed, durability, healing, and resilience to most diseases, Jack's senses were acute to the point where he could track down, detect, hunt, and judge his jumps with an almost psychic level of accuracy because he's relied upon these senses to survive. Luciphine has become an amazing swimmer, can hold her breath for long periods of time, and withstand the depths of the seafloor due to her job and years of development. Mira had yet to develop any specialty. In the Meyerverse, you had Edward who could read thoughts, another who could influence people through his whim, Bella who could create forcefields, a chick who could create illusions, and one who could control the weather (allegedly) simply because that's what Meyer assigned them.

---

In this incarnation, following the global economic collapse London is in a constant state of unrest as their trust in parliament dwindles and their co-dependence on a local church begins to become violent. In a conflict which is a callback to both the Ireland 'Troubles' and The Relgious Order of the Sisters of Mercy Conspiracy, the pious church becomes something of a religious cult that is protected by their devout followers. With an impending civil war brewing, a figure to advocate the rights of the people emerges in the form of a devil to stand against the holier than thou predators and opportunists. Waging a guerilla war and invesigation for years alongside an informant known as Jack Kent, the conspiracy is exposed, but Parliament does nothing to convict the known abusers. Thus, the people take to the streets donning symbolic masks to protect their identities and begin a peaceful protest- a shot suddenly heard and civilians guarding the church begin opening fire on unarmed civilians (having amnesty from gun control to protect themselves from overzealous protestors by the government).

Kent and The Spring Heel emerge to dispatch the gunmen before more people have to die and turn themselves in. They are unmasked to be executed, Spring Heel is revealed to be a woman to everyone's shock but she is swiftly killed before the protesters. Eyewitnesses to the murder, the upheaval is enough so that the government will finally cease and disband the church, going through the motions of convicting the abusers, though many are simply exiled from the city. Keeping their mother's Maiden name for protection, Jack and a baby Miranda are among the fray of protestors, literally running into Helena shortly after her father is caught in the crossfire. The two band together to survive.

The House of Dawkins in this story is, for all intents and purposes, the Justice League if it were a recon-taskforce. Though not completely standing for truth, justice, and patrotism, they work covertly to regulate the balance of anomalous activity in the world, particularly in the third epynomous novel wherein a crisis unfolds and the 'good' anomalous must get on the same page to begin combating the misguided and resentful anomalous who are wreaking havoc.

For future reference however, there are three ranks for The House:

Vet - These are the leaders, usually the founding members. In this case it consists of a triumverate including Ezekiel, Luciphine, and Jack- though Jack isn't a full-time member.

Brother/Sister - Pretty much team members who get full rides from the resources of The House. False identities, alibis, equipment, information, assistance (depending), as well as shelter and housing (once again, depending).

Associate - Essentially they have the same opportunities of the Brothers/Sisters but they require approval from one of the vets before any action is taken. While technically acknowledged members of The House who will be protected so long as they are in good graces with the law, they are meant to stay within their "beat" and deal with more topics of interest that The House cannot deal with at the moment due to dealing with matters of global crisis such as Malik going after missing children and rebuilding towns, Endo following his father's will, Casey taking down human trafficking rings, etc. More likely than often, many associates are often "average" people who cannot face off against the larger than life conflicts that Jack or Luciphine could (No wrasslin' Golems for Mayor Hardy!) In a nutshell, the Vets are the U.N., Brothers and Sisters are the Navy/Airforce, and Associates are The Coast Guard/National Guard.

Moving on...

Jack "Junior" Dawkins - Previously a teenager with a chip on his shoulder, current draft Jack is in his late 20's, a chef and handyman of the Devil's Den Pub, he works 84 hours a week Monday-Saturday cooking appetizers, entrees, and deserts for his patrons while on his off hours tending to any repairs and duties around the pub and flat above, including Miranda. Having an affinity for cooking since he was young, Jack is content with his busy schedule and completely dedicated to giving his sister all of the benefits he feels his parents would have provided along with financially supporting Helena as she works her way through college above him at the pub. In this story, Jack seems a little more resentful of his parents for getting involved in the conflict, though never tells his sister anything less than flattering tales of how courageous her mother was. A lack of parental guidance and attention seems to motivate him to be a better role model to his little sister and weighs heavily in his decision to cease fighting the good fight in late teens alongide Yeoman and Lucille. Though, his old habits and temper still shine through from time to time in large extremes, particularly in retrospective when Mira reminds Helena of a time when she was 13 and an older boy cornered her off to kiss her (first kiss). When she arrived home she told Jack and Helena, intending it to be an amusing story, Jack chuckles and mutters "Boys will be boys" before she retires to her room, he then gives Helena his share of tips for the day and leaves the pub, proceeding to hunt the boy down and brutally assaulting him as well as his friends. Despite this, Jack is a beloved fixture by his community in Soho and many speak kindly of him and his baby sister. Although resigning from The House of Dawkins as it's leader, Jack is still an associate of the team and his word is still regarded as law to his peers, often offering his services when he thinks his judgement would be more appropriate than the heavy-handed Luciphine or Yeoman. Due to his attentiveness to the flock of women in his life, Jack has developed extra-sensory-perception and can sense and pinpoint various targets through his enhanced five senses. Also, he's the only Dawkins thus far who has perfected the ability to blow fire using the tasteless, odorless, and highly combustible acids from his stomach.

The Spring Heeled Jack costume also take a drastic turn from an oil-skin unitard to gothic hot topic wear to extreme sports garb and now a more traditional golden-age costume that I hope to have concept art of sometime soon.

Helena McHale- Previously a secondary character meant solely to be the local pair of tits and provide convenient exposition, rather than being English as in past drafts, Helena is Irish in this story, though despite background alterations, her top heavy frame and personality remains. Jack does all of the physical and menial tasks while she works with people and affiliates for proprieting resources and business. In an ironic turn of events, one of her corresponding business partners is Lucille who often refers to Helena with little regard calling her "Red" or "Tits". A distinct change between herself in past incarnations is her willingness to allow life to assign her a role. Being the rock of the family, Helena often supresses her doubts, primarily what may very well be the blasphemous yearning to do more with her life than own a pub and be a domesticated housewife. It's established that she's considered leaving the pub at least a few times and on one occassion DOES leave one morning only to come back when she runs into a friend of Mira's who asks if Helena is Mira's mother. Jack doesn't find the letter she left which ends one a sullen note "I'm done playing house" and she returns, throwing away the note only to accept the fact that she is stuck in her role, silently miserable initially before making amends with her new family and settling down.

Ezekiel "The Gentleman" Laurent - Previously depicted as little more than a plot device for exposition to Jack or serve as a Deus Ex Machina when the stakes grew too high, in this incarnation Zeke is presented early on in the series as a Cunning Folk member and also the heir of Illumnati knowledge on anomalous activities. Having ties to a library of research and classified studies from the past century on the subject of psuedoscience, Zeke is easily the most knowledgable character in the series and often serves as a go-to in many stories when a protagonist has a problem in which they need assistance, even a peer to a non-human entity which is on par with the series' God-like antagonist. Still retaining a grasp on London's Ring of Steel, Zeke can provide many alibis for the member of The House of Dawkins, integrating them into the city-wide system with false name and pasts, thus creating secret identites similar to witness protection agencies. Like all of the other members and associates of The House of Dawkins, he has a handle which he is addressed by on radio, 'The Gentleman'.

Lucille "Luciphine" Dawkins - Previously depicted as little more than a stock character meant to represent the archtypical "Strong, Powerful Woman", Luciphine is a mix between Aquaman and Golden Age Wonder Woman, a master of the seas with the mindset of a warrior who isn't afraid to kill if she needs to. Lucille retains her overtly sexual nature, donning a wetsuit for more efficient swimming and coping with regret by focusing on 'the here and now', either consuming alcohol or going clubbing to set aside her guilt. In this story, Jack does a lot of business when her as far as the resources she offers the pub and in turn, Mira, yet in her pre-teen years when Mira asked who her cousin Luci was, Jack replied "Someone you won't meet until you're 18". Despite accepting the fact that Jack disapproves of her actions as well as her lifestyle, Lucille has a motherly affection toward her baby cousin and often is at odds with Helena who Luci can clearly see doesn't want this life. Because of her ability to see through Helena's facade (in the past at least) the two do no get along and often insult one another, only for Luci to assert her considerable strength and have the last word to the average Helena. Due to her experience at the sea and a natural affinity for swimming, Luci can submerge underwater into the depths of water, swim, and fight through the pressure of the ocean with ease and at an alarming rate, her lung capacity is also indefinite providing her more than enough time to go without oxygen underwater, fatigue on land, as well as the unique ability to exhale the air in her lungs with an immense gust of concentrated air- though this is only used to piss off Helena when she's doing homework.

Richard "Yeoman" Yorke - Unlike in previous drafts in which Richard was orphaned in a manner similar to Helena, he is an orphan who is physically and sexually abused by the church and grows devoted to The House of Dawkins as a gun-touting mercenary, even insisting to be referred to as "Yeoman" in person and rejecting the identity of Yorke. Known for being the more trigger-happy of the group and always on the chopping block to be demoted to 'associate' Yeoman, like Luciphine, has no qualms against killing evil-doers and has zero tolerance against misers of any type. Zeke maintains that Yeoman is an asset to the team not as someone who is willing to go to almost villainous extremes of violence for sake of an objective but because he offers victims of abuse guidance and sympathy. Richard is at odds with the exile with the utmost prejudice due to a lifestyle choice of the exile. It's also worth nothing that while he had at one time an ongoing sexual relationship with Luciphine, the two barely talk and have any similar interests beyond their work, both express regret over their promiscuity and Yeoman becomes selibant. Like previous drafts, Yeoman resents Jack with the utmost hatred for turning his back on the fight against tyranny and is visibly angered when he sees the perks Jack has for abiding to the reformed government's redistribution of wealth, often when needing Jack's opinion or advice on a mission he will refer to a go-between, most of the time Luciphine. While possessing no superpowers, Yeoman is fitted with various lightweight technological perks by Zeke including a survival suit meant for use during World War III. Yeoman specializes in infilation, precision demolition, and stealth operations using a silenced pistol, "kaltrops" (micro-mines which embed onto a surface and detonate remotely), and a sniper rifle.

Miranda "Mira" Dawkins - Previously little more than a plot device- no- a background item meant to freshen up otherwise bleak scenery, Mira is now the main character of the story and the equivalent of this series' Supergirl. Depicted in her younger years in Quality of Life alongside Jack, Helena, Zeke, and Lucille as a 10 year old who is small for her age, by the time she is 16 she is almost as tall as Jack (over 6'2") and rather than being voluptuous like Helena is lean and slightly muscular due to her affinity for athletics. Teased due to her height by girls and threatening the egos of most prospective love interests, Mira feels rather dettached from most of her friends. Also, rather suddenly, she develops immense strength that seems to fluctuate spontaneously as she becomes frustrated or despondent that she spends a good portion of the story attempting to learn to control after inadvertantly breaking many everyday items. Due to her prowess in sports and her frame, Mira is possibly the strongest character in the series but upon learning to control herself, maintains and an agile and lithe grace when leaping from building to building, her leg strength in addition to her dexterity allowing her to spring and leap off of any stable surface and remain aloft for long durations of time. Also implied during the previous draft, she has a knack for precision kicks and balance.

Secondary Characters:

Hayes AKA Haze - Slated to appear in Quality of Life in a storyline which includes a tertiary character from yet another book of the series.

The Laban Clan - Allies and active associates of The House of Dawkins, Ari appears earlier in the series.

Other members of The House of Dawkins will be kept under a shroud for now, but it's worth noting that circumstances in the first book lead to the rebirth of the team, however, it's easy to assume that the ongoing storyline is indeed The House of Dawkins evolving to eventually take on the arch-nemesis of the Speculative Tales series and the roster continues to fluctuate either due to new acquisitions (such as the exile) or due to untimely demises on the field. Many established characters may be recruited but there are still a plethora of others who haven't previously debut who are presented as either associates or veteran members of The House. So, it's safe to say that this is just as much a take on The Justice League as it is The Order Of The Pheonix.

The story revolves around Mira and her growth into womanhood, the choices she makes, and the exploration of the actions taken by her family through Perak's aid of the Laban Clan during the Jewish Resistance of the ethnic cleansing taking place across Europe to the unflattering truths of her mother and father that Jack had tried to shelter her from, as well as the current actions of The House of Dawkins as a militaristic group based on protocol and duty rather than a civil union based on right and wrong. I picked 'The Wanting Comes In Waves' by The Decemberists because that's pretty much the point of the book, the will of a fleeting mother vs. the will of an ambitious son, those are Mira's options, arriving to the conclusion of the choice is the point of her story.

-J