Paper Planes

a decade

January 22nd, 2008.

An icon.
A friend.
A father.
An inspiration.
An angel.
A legend.

There are so many things I wish to say, but the words just won't seem to come out. I remember the day like it was just yesterday — My mother's birthday, actually. It was all over the news, everyone knew. I didn't have a clue who Heath Ledger was, I was too young to see any of his films at that time. The only thing I knew him as was The Joker, and the same goes for a surprising
amount of individuals, even still today.

When you think of "Heath Ledger", what do you think of? Most think of The Joker, which I can't really blame them — His role in The Dark Knight left a considerably large mark on history. He completely stole the show — He made that character his.

However, when I think of Heath Ledger, I think of a phenomenal man. A strong-willed, talented and effortlessly gorgeous man — A man who could transform these simplistic characters into real people with so much depth and spunk. He had the ability to make a two-dimensional character into a real person.

Underneath all that confidence and talent, stood a shy guy. A humble man who had an unbearable amount of love for the simplistic things in life: Photography, art, people. When he loved, he loved with his whole heart. I honestly don't think there could've ever been a better feeling than being loved by Heath.

All sap aside, Heathcliff Andrew Ledger was a phenomenal human being. Even though he's been gone a whopping ten years, he still manages to surprise me all the time. Just seeing how much of an inspirational person he was is enough to keep his spirit alive for an eternity.

Most of all, I just want to thank him. Without his amazing talent and the risks he took, we would not have this complex character to admire. I absolutely adore the Joker he created with every fiber of my being. I love the amount of time and effort he put into constructing this character — How he literally locked himself away to really dig deep into the Joker's mind and create that haunting, bone-chilling laugh that we all know — As well as construct a diary, dedicated solely to the character (I've actually attached a page from it down below!)

Paper Planes has been such a pleasure to write. I'm so happy that Heath gave me (and all other Joker fanfiction authors) such a diverse character to work with. Writing about his Joker is certainly a challenge — To attempt to capture all of his little mannerisms and ticks and actions is beyond difficult, but what fun is writing without a challenge? Perhaps my favorite aspect of Ledger's Joker is, without a doubt, his dialogue. Italics are used quite heavily in this novel in order to properly portray Joker's speech. All in all, I really want you guys to read the words he enunciates and be able to hear his voice while doing so. Some of my best compliments have been in reference to "being able to hear him say this dialogue".

I love Heath and I love his Joker. This character is an absolute blast to write about and I never want to part from it, especially my version of his Joker: Jackson Napier.

I love you, Heath. I love everything that you accomplished in your nearly twenty-nine years, I love the positive outlook you had on life, and I love the mark you've left on the world. Although I've never known you, I feel as if I had. You feel like a distant best friend, a person who I'd known in a past life. Perhaps the reason I'm so drawn to this man is the mere fact that I am truly a female version of himself. Our souls and personalities are so frighteningly similar that sometimes I wonder how it's possible that we are so alike.

Once again, thank you. Thank you for the beautiful impact you've made in the short amount of time you had on Earth. We didn't deserve you, I know that, but I, just like many others, will forever be thankful for your beautiful presence.

So sorry for the sap. Thank you for everything, I appreciate you all more than you know. It is a pleasure to write for you all.

-allie. xo