#dark warrior program

A bunch of close ups of the torture chair for the dark warrior program from jak 2

...

For

I headcannon that jak has some internal shame about being able to control dark eco. He's clearly upset and dislikes it, it hurts him and others around him call him the "dark eco freak" when really, praxis and erol are to blame for his dark form. He became the very thing he had destroied in game 1, someone who was changed by dark eco, and he changed against his will. He was TORTURED with dark eco for two years and FORCEFULLY got these powers he didn't want. Teleprompters around haven city mention him as being able to "change into a monstrous creature" clearly putting FEAR INTO THE PEOPLE OF HAVEN CITY BECAUSE OF PRAXIS.

Everyone is either appaled, shocked or scared by his change, by his new dark form. All citizens flee in terror and the guards go to attack him right away, his closest friends are shocked and don't think that he is anywhere near the same person since this new dark jak form, and years of torture had happened.

Even Kira, someone who he loves, tries to seperate the jak he once "was" from who he is now. His motive is to get vengance, and for all we know, that could've been his motive in the first game, he just never verbalized it becuase he was mute. She says he "gets angry and change(es)" That "the jak I knew wouldn't be working for a guy like krew". That the jak she once knew was gone or buried deep, which is most likely true due to his imprisonment and torture. Sure, she tried to reach out for a brief moment when they first reconnected, but daxter is there and says "don't piss him off he's changed" not giving jak and Kira a chance to talk or rekindle much at all. Until the end of the game, EVEN THEN he interupts them.

Samos isn't much help either, when he sees jak after the 2 year gap. He literally yells "what happened to you jak?!"

Not giving him a chance to answer because he only sees the dark eco had changed him. And jak was stunned into silence. Then yet again, daxter interupted because "plot".

Daxter being the comedic relief, repeatedly interupts serious moments to make jokes in all of the games. But what I am focusing on is when jak has his moments when reuniting with the others, like Kira and Samos. He interupts and had not truly acknowledged the pain jak had gone through in the prison. All he does is says "what happened?" And doesn't let jak elaborate. Jak goes in his dark form and daxter just writes it off as him being "pissed off" because of what happened. Whenever jak goes in his dark jak form, daxter either steps away or says "that was cool" or makes it about himself, not acknowledging that it hurts jak whenever he uses it.

Of course jak would be ashamed of his powers, dark eco alone is frowned upon because of its dangerous properties. There must be somewhere in the history of haven city where gul and myia are mentioned and are seen as the potential destroiers of the world at that time. Dark eco had always gotten a bad reputation, just because jak got powers doesn't mean he would be praised for it. Daxter has only ridiculed himself because of him being in his ottsel body. Jak has only ever seen his dark abilities as dangerous or weird or painful. Imagine the atrocities of him seeing fellow prisoners being melted, burned, and killed by the dark eco injections. We know this because jak is the only survivor of this program. All the others had died, and praxis hoped jak would be different, and he was, only when he escaped.

Clearly, dark jak wasn't as utilized in the story or gameplay as us fans would have wanted, but in the jak 2 design bible, it is stated that when in dark jak form, it greatly hurts/drains jak's body, leaving him to have 1hp left. Similar to how Gul from TPL had trouble breathing and was shakey when he talked due to his own dark eco enfusement, as well as his dark form changing his tone and vocal chords.

JAK HAS SIMILAR VOCAL CHORDS IN HIS DARK FORM, HE IS ALSO SHAKEY WHEN HE GETS OUT OF HIS DARK ECO FORM

EVERY SINGLE TIME: HE IS SHAKEY

HE LITERALLY SAYS HE CANT CONTROL IT AND HE LOOKED LIKE HE WOULD'VE FAINTED THE FIRST TIME HE TRANSFORMED.

Of course he would feel ashamed for physical weakness and or lack of control. Everyone belittles him, is shocked, or ignores his change. The change he had no control over.

Back in Sandover village everyone saw him as the reliable good kid that can help, the kid that Samos raised, sure he gets into trouble sometimes. BUT he is a good kid.

But now in this strange new city, everybody is mean or strict or trying to hurt him in some way like the krimson guards, erol, or krew.

That is until he is banished from the only home he had in haven city, by the very people he saved, they kick him out because he is "an abomination" a "dark eco freak" and could have even let metal heads into the city because of what he did for krew in jak2. Which hasnt been determined, but after saving the whole city, nobody thought to give him a second chance, they kick him to the curb because of his dark form and because of what he might have done.

And then he and daxter get accepted by spargas and damas through the means of jak's physical strength rather than what he can "do for people" like all of the missions that torn and krew had sent him on.

Seem, although was different, she saw through his facade and knew about his dark abilities, mainly because he of course showed his dark form on display in the fighting ring to fight and win. She points out his dark powers, saying he couldn't possibly understand the dark forces in spargas, but jak retaliates, clearly threatened because she knows nothing about his trauma or connection to dark eco.

Damas however saw his dark form as a strength rather than an odditiy, he hears what it is first, then says it can be useful rather than jak being a "freak" or "accursed" Damas even says he is proud of jak, which besides from Samos, nobody has said to jak.

Jak of course sees damas as a father figure, because he didn't have one growing up.

(Spoiler warning)

When damas dies, jak feels immense pain and agony, which fuels his dark jak form for a brief moment. (I may just be restating what happened in the game at this point but if you want, keep reading lol)

After seeing damas as a father figure and relying on him for support, strength and advice, he looses him, which fuels his anger and pushes him to be closed off further, which is shown in the events of Jak X: Combat Racing.

Throughout JakX

Jaks is less talkitive, more closed off and when called a hero, is silent ie. When daxter smacks his head and says "say some hero stuff" jak is silent.

Clearly loosing damas hit him hard. (as well as being poisoned and being out raced by those in the game)

You can even hear jak say "this one's for damas" when you win and get first place in a race in jak x.

Jak is shown drinking, being closer to Kira and has a more sullen attitude throughout the events of Jak X.

This is shown especially shown when at the end of Jak X (Spoiler warning)

Jak walks away from the burning car, and GT blitz asks "you have a habit of leaving people to die don't you?" And jak says with a depressed expression "you get used to it"

He must've been thinking of damas, krew, praxis, and erol. But mainly damas because he was a positive figure that he left to die.

(I know this essay/headcannon has changed from talking about jak's shame to rambling, ill try to stay on topic lol)

Throughout jak X, his reputation is not well known, even though daxter tries to fluf up their story to random people in bars, jak's main focus is to win and get the cure to the poison. Which can be depressing if all the weight is on his shoulders, which it is. Sure he's in a "team" but most of his friends compete to win regardless, and some even "betray him" to win the race themselves. Like Ashlin.

Ultimately, jak has changed, he knows it, his original capabilities of channeling eco has been corrupted due to the dark eco within him, he no longer has the "pure gift" that his younger self once had. And he is ashamed of that.

Dark eco was crystalized

Most of the time dark eco crystals hurt people and exploded on impact with another object or thing

But what if.

Hear me out

It could be crushed into powder and traded as an illegal drug in haven city.

The druggies of haven would snort it or something

The high would be like a buzzing surge of energy and it would weigh your heart down and make your brain fuzzy, you'd be more prone to energetic outbursts or fits of rage.

The user's eyes would turn yellowish if it's overused. Like how Gul and Myia's eyes were

Some haven crime scenes of drug dens would either be explosions (they got the exploding crystal by accident)

Or possibly the crystals all in a bag yet to be crushed with some bits of dark eco powder residue.

Also fanfic writers like myself who need a reference to describe terrain/buildings in jak 2

(Specifically the prison and the strip mine)

YALL

I FOUND ON THE MAP WHERE JAK AND DAXTER ARE TRANSPORTED TO

(Jak is the blue triangle on the map btw)

Now the route(s) to the prison:

(Video order: Cutscene first, then location, then route to prison)

ITS EVEN GOT A GUARD ATTACKING ME AT THIS LOCATION LOL

(the whole reason I did this was because I wanted to know how far it was from the prison)

I FOUND IT BY WATCHING THE CUTSCENE WHERE THEY SHOOT THROUGH THE RIFT AND USING THE SIGNS AND LEDGE/PLATFORM THINGIES AS MY REFERENCE

AND

I

FOUND

IT

Also jak was transported in a prisoner's zoomer. Like this:

Sure he could've squeezed through the bars, but maybe they've got an electric field like MANY THINGS IN JAK 2 THAT THE BARON OWNS

LIKE FORCE FIELD WALLSS AND STUFF THAT ARE IN THE FORTRESS.

I timed with a timer how long it took from the first location (where jak showed up and was taken captive)

Through the city (walking) then on a zoomer, i took one of the bigger slower ones to copy the movement of a prison transport zoomer, arriving to the prison, inside the prison, AND TO A PRISONER'S CELL(where you start the jak 2 gameplay)

what surprised me is that the route to the prison is quick.

From basically anywhere in the city.

(Except the slums and racing place)

It was 4 minutes and 8 seconds from where jak was caught, to the prison, to a cell, but with the usual haven city zoomers driving slow, it may be about 5 minutes.

He originally got training from Samos on gyzer rock in jak tpl

But in jak 2, he's using guns, and punching and using his dark jak form

BECAUSE COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK A GUN EASILY. (sure sig gives the tutorial but still)

my headcannon is that since the dark warrior program was to make WARRIORS then they would train them with battle strategy, battle training, and possibly similar training to what the KG had. Which could explain why all the gaurds recognize him as a suspect (before the baron put a bounty on his head)

IT WOULD ALSO EXPLAIN WHY DAXTER WAS WEARY WHEN JAK FIRST ATTACKS THE GAURDS.

BECAUSE HE SAYS

"GAURDS JAK! do your uh- stuff"

As if jak's fury was more refined in his fighting because of his torture. He must've gone through some WARRIOR training.

I believe all the prisoner's were either fighting, being expiremented on, or in their cells during the dark warrior program.

KEEP IN MIND JAK WAS THE ONLY SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE.

WHICH MEANS THE REST DIED FROM THE EXPIREMENT OR WERE KILLED.