#to the people still waiting for me to answer their WIP Wednesday ask: I'm sorry; I promise I will get to them

[lazinesswrites]

I read this amazing Cody-centric wing-fic by @meebles, so now I'm thinking about Clones with wings, and - because I'm me - specifically the Bad Batch with wings.

What would their wings look like? The regs' wings would all be identical/very similar, of course, with the individuality mostly showing in dyes and so on. But the Batch with their mutations will likely have different wings too.

I want Crosshair's wings to be similar to the ice vultures', for obvious thematic reasons, but also because vultures tend to hang around in high places, whether that's sitting in a tree somewhere or circling high up in the air, waiting and watching. Good sniper traits. I don't think we really get to see the vultures in the show, but I assume they're white/grey, to blend in against the snow and ice and white/grey skies. Good colors for Crosshair.

The rest will be under the cut because this got away from me a little (a lot).

For Tech, I'm thinking common kestrel wings. I don't know if kestrels have any particular behavioral traits that would fit Tech, I mostly just like their colors for him. I did read a little bit, though, and what stood out to me was that the kestrel has multiple hunting methods - it does the usual bird of prey thing, of circling around on an updraft over open land and diving for its prey, or sitting on a fence pole or in a tree or even a bush and jumping on a mouse or whatever that gets too close. The thing it does that's maybe less common is that it will also skim across fields, very close to the ground, to pounce on anything small enough for it to eat. And maybe I'm reaching a little here, but that seems to me like a very resourceful bird which is also a very competent flier, and I figure that does fit our Tech very nicely.

I do kind of want to pick vulture for Tech too, if just to match his twin, but. I like the kestrel better. I mean, just look at it:

For Wrecker... Maybe something like a white-tailed eagle? Because. Big. And good at fishing. On a more angsty note, I'm thinking whatever happened to give Wrecker his iconic scar/cost him his eye, it probably also damaged his left wing. Maybe not enough to ground him fully, but enough that flying/steering would be harder for him, which is at least part of the reason he's still scared of heights.

Hunter's wings would probably be pretty similar to the regs', maybe a tiny bit smaller. I'm thinking something like the New Zealand falcon, or kārearea. Bird of prey, dark brown, fairly simple coloring (though still very pretty). According to the NZ Department of Conservation, there are three ecological forms of the kārearea: A large, pale 'eastern' falcon; a smaller, darker 'Bush' falcon, and a 'southern' falcon that's somewhere inbetween in both size and color. Perhaps the regs' wings are more like the eastern/southern ones (left image, I think), while Hunter's are more like those of the bush falcon (right image)?

Disclaimer: I actually know fuck-all about these birds, only what I've just read - if I'm mistaken about the identity of these birds, I blame the sources, which should all be linked in the images, though tumblr is tumblr.

Echo doesn't get his own picture (sorry, Echo) because he's a reg, technically, so he has wings like the left one above. I... am not sure what happened to them in that explosion, or his time on Skako Minor. Probably not very good things. Maybe his wings are just heavily scarred/damaged, maybe they're gone completely. Maybe he's got prosthetics for one or both of them?

(I'm just now realizing that the Clones having wings would mean some things on that mission to Skako Minor - namely, the escape from the techno Union's facility - would turn out slightly different, since they don't need those flying reptiles to get away when they have their own wings. Though maybe they still do if at least one (Skywalker), and maybe two or three of the people on that team can't fly (Echo, Wrecker). I'm well aware them having wings would completely change the mission to Eriadu in the TBB s2 finale, what with them being able to just. fly over there. and away again. Even if they do use the sky-rail or whatever, for Wrecker and/or Echo's sake, Tech would still have his wings, so... All's good.)

Omega also doesn't get her own image (sorry, Omega) because while she's not a reg, exactly, she's an unaltered Clone, which means... Well. I'm not actually sure what that means. I suppose that depends on whether Fett had wings, or that's something the Kaminoan's added? I'm gonna go with the first one, because I like that better. The Kaminoans may have changed things about the wings, but Omega will still have wings, because Fett did too. But that also means she'll have wings identical, or at least very similar to the regs' (left img. above), though maybe she'll have lighter feathers, to match her lighter hair. Also, since she's still (physically) a child, she'll have wings that look more like the immature/juvenile falcons', which means... less spots and stripes? I think? I'm not sure.

I'm also not sure when this whole thing changed from 'idle musings' to 'full-blown headcanons' but it certainly happened. Let me just go back and add a read-more somewhere. Alright, that's done. I'm not really sure if I'm actually gonna... do anything with these headcanons. I do really like the concept of meebles' fic, though - showing different relationships through the grooming and preening of wings - so maybe I'll write something a la that at some point, just for the Batch instead of Cody. Maybe some hurt/comfort about what the Empire does to Crosshair's wings while he's a prisoner? And how he has to learn to trust people near him/his wings again, and how his brothers help him heal, both physically and mentally.

If I do ever write something about all this, I'll make sure to link back to meebles's fic as the inspiration - and in case you missed it up top, or just don't wanna scroll all the way back up again (that's fair, this got rather long), here it is again: and the stars, like a loved one by firelord_zutara on Ao3, also known as meebles here on tumblr. Go read it, you won't regret it.

[wolfjackle-creates]

Answer My Call Chapter 2 Part 2

Happy WIP Wednesday! So last week, we had a tie between Bring Me Home and Answer My Call. The tie breaker didn't come in until Monday after I'd already finished the entire Bring Me Home chapter and half the Answer My Call one.

So y'all will be getting two fic upates today then I'm going to sleep. I'm tired after a full day of work with a call out. XP

If you want a say in next week's update, vote in the poll!

Story Summary: Jazz, Sam, and Tucker manage to help Danny escape the GIW, but they can't follow him and are under too much surveillance to communicate with each other. Sam snuck Danny a phone as he ran and Jazz sends him a text every day, hoping to hear he is all right. But he's not the one getting the texts.

Jason was away for several months on a mission with the Outlaws. When he finally returns home, he is surprised to find dozens of messages from an unknown number begging a Danny to tell her he's okay. Looks like there's not going to be a break between missions this time around.

Chapter 1: AO3 (user locked), Tumblr

Chapter 2: Part 1

Word Count: 1.3k

-----

After the performances—an odd mix where the main band yielded the stage to a poet or an accordionist when they needed a break—Jazz and Todd continued to mingle.

Jazz waited until about fifteen minutes had passed before reaching into her bag to search for her phone. “Todd!” she cried.

“Jazz? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find my phone! Shit, what time is it?”

Todd pulled out his. “Eleven fifty. Did you have it when we arrived?”

“I don’t know! I haven’t checked it. Where could it have gone?”

One of the other attendees broke into the conversation. “Lost your phone? What does it look like? We can help you look.” She was a woman in her forties or fifties. Next to her was another woman who nodded her agreement.

“Thank you, that’d be great.” It didn’t take much effort to bring tears to her eyes—all she had to do was remember that Danny was still missing. “It’s a Samsung in an unfortunately standard black case. The lock screen has picture of and my brother. My name’s Jazz, by the way. And this is Todd.”

“I’m Mel and this is my wife Jayden. I’m sure we’ll find your phone soon enough.” Then, in a voice loud enough to cut through the chatter, “Oi! Anyone see an unattended phone lying around? Jazz here misplaced hers?”

Even Mel, though, had to admit defeat after half an hour of searching through the entire apartment yielded nothing.

Jazz sat down on the floor and let herself cry. “And by now we’ve missed the last train. I’m sorry, Todd. What a disaster.”

“Hey, no. None of that, now. Tonight’s been a blast. This sucks for sure, but I can get us an uber or something—”

“How far are you kids going?” asked Jayden.

“Too far,” cried Jazz. “I live out of the city. Parked at Alewife and took the red line in.”

Jayden winced. “Well, we parked nearby. Is there somewhere close we can drive you?”

Jazz blinked up at them. “You’d do that?” She turned to Todd. “I just want to go to sleep. Is there a motel nearby we could stay at?”

Todd pulled out his phone and searched. “Looks like there’s a Holiday inn just down the street or a La Quinta that’s a little cheaper just a bit further out.” He smiled ruefully at the women who’d been helping them. “If you could get us to either place, we’d be more than grateful.”

One of the residents, an older man named Rob, took a seat next to them. “Hey, kiddo. What’s your email? We can contact you if anyone finds it.”

Jazz smiled at him gratefully and gave it. If it wasn’t so necessary, she’d feel bad for lying to and worrying all these people. But they were in so much danger. To the women, she said, “Would the La Quinta be too far out of the way? If I end up having to get a new phone, I’d like to save as much money as possible. Thank God I still have my wallet.”

“Sweetie, it’s totally fine,” assured Mel. “We’d take you all the way home if we didn’t live on the opposite side of the city.”

“Thank you, but that’s really okay. I just want to go to bed and worry about it tomorrow.”

“Come on, dear.” Mel reached out a hand to help Jazz up. “Let’s get you cleaned up then we’ll be on our way.”

Jazz thanked Rob for his help before Mel led her towards the bathroom with an arm around her shoulder.

Less than forty minutes later, Todd and Jazz were alone in a hotel room together. She pulled the blinds shut and finally let herself relax.

When she turned back to the room, Todd was looking at her with one eyebrow raised. “Want to explain to me what all of”—he threw out his hands—“that was about?”

Jazz glared back at him. “You didn’t tell me you died! Damn it, if I’d known in advance—!” she cut herself off and took a deep breath. “Never mind. What’s done is done.”

Todd was deadly still. “How do you know that?”

Jazz threw her hands in the air. “It’s obvious to anyone who knows how to tell. Including the Guys in White who I told you are dangerous to ghosts and liminals! I had plans for what I’d say when they found us, but those won’t work if you’re dead!”

“Wait.” Todd held up his hands. “You’re saying I can be persecuted under those Anti-Ecto acts?”

“Yes! You’re more ghostly than me, and I am watched every minute of every day.”

Todd narrowed his eyes and stared at her for a moment before asking, “Have you heard of Lazarus Water or had any dealings with the League of Assassins?”

“No! I have no idea what you’re talking about. Quit changing the subject. My brother is the only thing that matters and you and Red Robin promised to help me find him.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do!” Jason’s eyes flashed green, and Jazz glared right back at him. “The League of Assassins are the ones who brought me back to life with Lazarus Water. I need to know if you and your brother are mixed up with them because that would change our approach. If it’s a rogue government agency, that’s one thing. If it’s also the league, we’ve got a whole set of other problems.”

Jazz sat down heavily on one of the bed. “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t— It’s been a long few months. After a long few years.”

Todd sat down across from her and nodded for her to continue. “Tell me what happened.”

“It started three years ago. My parents, they’re ghost hunters. Been building weapons to detect and hunt ghosts since before I was born. But three years ago is when they finally finished their life’s work: the ghost portal. Only it didn’t work at first. Then my brother Danny and his friends decided to be stupid. They went to check it out. I wasn’t there and the three of them don’t talk about it, but something happened down there that day.

“My brother died and the portal was working. Only, he didn’t die all the way. He became half-ghost, half-human. And that would have been bad enough, but with the portal open, ghosts came through from the Infinite Realms, sometimes called the Ghost Zone by humans. Some were benign, but many of them came to cause problems or hurt people. Danny stopped them.”

Todd held up a hand to stop her. “Your brother became a supehero? How didn’t the Justice League hear about this? How old was he?”

Jazz shrugged. “I don’t know about the Justice League. It could be that no one ever contacted them. It could be they didn’t believe us. And it could be that no one cared. Danny felt responsible though, since it was his fault the portal turned on. And he was the only one with the ability to stop the ghosts, so…” She held up her hands in a what-can-you-do gesture.

Todd closed his eyes and let out a careful breath. “I can guarantee you the JL didn’t know about your town. A fourteen-year-old would never have been left alone to monitor an interdimensional portal if we had.”

Jazz had no idea what she thought of that. Danny had done it all alone. So finding out he could have had help? She shook her head. What-ifs were a waste of time. “Well, he did. But the government didn’t like that a ghost was the main defense against ghosts. So the Ghost Investigation Ward, more commonly called the Guys in White or GIW was formed. At first, they were as incompetent as any other ghost hunter. But they didn’t stay that way.”

“What happened to your brother, Jazz?” asked Todd.

-----

Next

Sorry to end it there. But it's the right length and I need to go to bed. XP

Hope you enjoy!

I no longer do tag lists, but please check out the Subscription Post if you want notifications when I update.

Not much to say about this one. When I went to the event at this location, my friend and I very nearly missed the last train. It was pulling into the station as we entered. If we'd been 2 or 3 minutes later, we would've been stranded so far from my car, I don't even want to know what that uber or cab would've cost.

Luckily Jazz and Jason had a few good Samaritans nearby.

Next up: We learn more about what happened to Danny!

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

Updates & WIP Wednesday

First up on my list of updates... We're coming up on the one year anniversary of Destiny & Deliverance, which is on July 11th. I still can't believe it has already been one whole year since I posted the first chapter. I'm also still in shock that I spent 10 months working on it (and finished it). It was a crazy ride, but it has connected me with all of you lovely people, and for that I am grateful. 💜 To celebrate, I have given the masterlist a little facelift with a new graphic. I also plan to finally get the one shot posted that I had planned for May (sorry, life got a little crazy). More on that below.

I have no ideas on what else we can do to celebrate. If you have a suggestion, send it my way. I’m open to asks though. If there is something you've always wanted to ask about this fic (inspiration, clarification, etc), jump into my inbox and I would be happy to answer it. 😘

My second update.... The Light in the Darkness masterlist got a little facelift too. Have I started on this yet? No. I had planned to work on it while working on Closed Position, but I do not have the brain power for it. I have a feeling it’s going to take a lot, emotionally, to do Dieter's POV as he struggles with his mental health. I'll get to it at some point, but it may be a bit. Rest assured, I do still plan to follow through with it.

Now for my third update... Written in the Stars is inching closer to being finished. My goal is to have is ready to post in time for the one year D & D anniversary as a way to celebrate. You know me, it will have angst and feels, but we know it has a happy ending. Now, enjoy your teaser below.

Summary: Dieter and Natalia receive an unexpected phone call that results in an emotional journey and an expansion of their little family. It takes a deeper dive into events that are mentioned in the Epilogue. It can be read as a standalone fic.

“How are you feeling about things?” I inhaled deeply and held it for a moment, “I don’t know…definitely overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done.” His eyes narrowed, “You know that’s not what I’m asking.” He’s too damn intuitive, I was totally avoiding the real conversation. “I’m not sure, honestly.” “Baby, you need to be open with me. I know what you’re doing…don’t shut yourself off.” I puffed air out of my cheeks, “Ok, fine… I feel a little disconnected from it…like an outsider. It’s awkward because you already have a bond with him and I’m not really sure how to be part of that. I know he isn’t as comfortable around me either. I can sense it.” Dieter pulled me into a hug, “He’s a shy kid on the best day. After you spend a little time with him, he’ll open up. You’ve gotta open up some too though.” I nodded. I knew it was true, but also knowing that this was meant to be temporary was making it hard for me to do that. After seeing Luca and what his life must have been like made me realize I could actually get attached to this kid. Even though I had been worried about being able to bond with a child that wasn’t my own, I could feel my maternal instincts kicking in.

Can't wait to share the rest of Luca's story with you all! Plus, more daddy Dieter. He's too damn cute.

💜Mysty

PS: If any of you tagged folks would like to join in on WIP, jump in!

D&D Taglist:

@rhoorl @bitchwitch1981 @readingiskeepingmegoing @runningmom94  @for-a-longlongtime 

@hisandsnakes @chaoticfestninja @survivingandenduring  @partyofone3413 @wannab-urs 

@cakipy-blog @titlee78 @poodlebae @guelyury  @missladym1981 

@maried01 @alokaerza @samiamproductions @misstokyo7love  @themonadiaries-blog 

@madnessofadaydreamer @darkheartgatita @avastrasposts  @weho2kcmo @harriedandharassed 

@tkchaos @girlofchaos @yghuibt  @musings-of-a-rose @annieispunk 

@sarcasm-theotherwhitemeat @copperhalfcent  @bunniboo0015 @indiegirlunited @babycatkitty 

@stevie75 @jessthebaker  @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @txlady37 @knownasyami 

@annalovesflorida @imdrinkingpedro

[theearlgreymage]

New Year. Same Projects. What a Shock.

Anyways.

I've been tippy-tapping away on my keyboard. Occasionally getting help from one of my cats who think that they can type on my keyboard. (They cannot, but they don't want to listen to me.)

Massive Hello and Thanks to all of you lovely folk who have been tagging me lately. Especially this past Sunday, I feel like EVERYONE was posting then, but me - whoops. @thewholelemon @artsyunderstudy @shrekgogurt @nausikaaa @that-disabled-princess @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @hushed-chorus @aristocratic-otter

Now. Onto the WIP Wednesday!!

I have TWO WIPs to share today. And one of them is actually Carry On. So sorry for my friends that have had to deal with my latest hyper-fixation these past few months.

Excerpt from Untitled SnowBaz Oneshot

I cannot believe I let Penelope Bunce drag me out here. Every single one of my ancestors is probably rolling in their graves as I cross the threshold to the studio. (Who am I kidding, they've been rolling in their graves since I came out as gay.) I'm shocked by how many people are here, all of them talking to each other as they get settled in front of their easels. Some have pulled up stools to sit on while others opt to stand, and there's two girls that have forgone an easel entire to sit on the floor with their sketchpads in their laps. No one pays us any mind as we walk around the circle of people, finding two unclaimed spots side-by-side. "Are you going to look like that the entire time, Basil?" Penelope asks as she pulls a stool closer to her easel. I scoff at her. "Look like what?" She just rolls her eyes at me. "Like you want to set this place or yourself on fire." "Seriously?" I seethe at her in a hush, leaning in close so no one overhears our conversation. "I accidentally set --" "Penny!!" A loud voice cuts me off as a taller bloke slides in between us. "I'm so glad you came tonight!" Looking over the strangers shoulder at Penny, I'm about to ask her just who the fuck is this, but her eyes are firmly planted on this newcomer. There's an undeniable blush on her cheeks. "I said I'd be here, didn't I?" She challenges the man as she adjusts her glasses. "And I even brought a friend." At that, they both turn to look at me. "This is Basil," Penny motions from the stranger to me. "It's his first time attending a class. Basil," she addresses me this time, "this is Shep - he's the instructor for tonight's class." "Pleasure to meet you," Shep offers his hand and I take it. He has a decent grip. "Likewise." "Are you planning to stay back after the session like normal?" Shep asks, turning his head in Penelope's direction. "Of course!" She answers immediately. And with Shep still looking at her, I can't help but raise an inquisitive eyebrow at her - one that she catches. Really, Penelope? The glare that she sends my way screams oh, fuck off, Basil.

And of course, a piece from the AOT project that has a chokehold on my life still.

Excerpt from Undecided Chapter of May Their Blood Boil

I don’t have a fucking clue what I’m supposed to do now. Every eye is firmly planted on me, and all I want to do is turn and run back down the hallway - find one of the secret passageways that Erwin’s showed me to slip into and wait out the rest of this ball.  Instead, I find Erwin amongst the sea of people. It isn’t difficult, he’s ridiculously tall and his hair shines in the candlelight. Not a single hair out of place, even his eyebrows look as though they’ve been tended to for the event. He’s in a suit that looks as though it was measured to his exact measurements. A soft blue, like that of storm clouds on the horizon with a rich gold embroidery along the edges that hugs his shoulders. What’s shocking about his attire, however, is the trinket on display around his neck. He’s wearing it as he normally does, like a bolo tie, with the emerald encrusted in gold resting on the ruffles of his dress shirt.  Erwin’s eyes worry me though. That mask that he’s been determined to wear is in place again, his eyes dull despite the bright smile plastered across his lips. There’s a glass of wine in his hands, he’s holding it delicately by the stem of the glass, and when he takes a sip of it he looks up towards me. Focusing on his gaze, on the smoldering fire beneath the front he’s put in place, I walk down the steps to join the fray.  I’m so focused on Erwin, I don’t notice Reiss waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. He’s holding out a hand for me, that I want to refuse to take, but his earlier words are still resonating in my eardrums.  Behave. Or I’ll execute every person in this palace who has so much as looked in your direction.  Placing my palm in his, I bite my tongue to keep from reacting to the disgusting clamminess of his hand. His smile at my obedience makes my stomach turn and my every muscle itch for a knife to lodge in his throat.

(Fun Fact - The first 5 Chapters of this fic are on AO3 AND there may be some secret fanart for this scene.)

Tags and Hello's to Everyone are beneath the cut 👋

@confused-bi-queer @cutestkilla @ebbpettier @facewithoutheart @fatalfangirl @ic3-que3n @ivelovedhimthroughworse @ionlydrinkhotwater @j-nipper-95 @johnwgrey @krisrix @larkral @letraspal @martsonmars @onepintobean @palimpsessed @prettylightsbigcity @raenestee @skeedelvee @stardustasincocaine @stitchyqueer @tea-brigade @theimpossibledemon @wellbelesbian @whogaveyoupermission @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

[stabbyfoxandrew]

mafia au please the boys are going THROUGH IT RN

WIP Wednesday (9/4) | Mafia Front Restaurant AU (Part 216)

After a couple breaths, Kevin chokes out, "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I'm not..." Jean licks his lips and shakes his head. "It doesn't matter."

“It does, I know it does. But I was afraid to tell you so I lied. Like a fucking coward!” Kevin says, voice dripping with self loathing. He starts to talk again and Jean silences him with a thumb over his lips.

“Afraid of what?”

“Afraid you’d leave me.” Kevin answers, voice rough. The sound of it, the meaning of the words… It has Jean’s heart breaking. There is no version of him who would ever leave Kevin, not in the entire universe.

"Kevin." Jean says firmly. Kevin blinks a few times and Jean drops his forehead onto Kevin's. "You're a beautiful idiot. Do you know that?"

"Huh?"

"Do you know how many times I kissed Neil when you were gone?" Jean murmurs low enough that Neil can't hear. "Hundreds."

"Yeah, but we—"

"Neil was my partner there. Andrew was your partner then. He took care of you and you loved him. That doesn't negate my feelings for you. Nothing can negate my feelings for you. If anything could, your attitude would've done it long ago." Jean says, just to get on his nerves. It works. And makes Neil laugh. 

“I love you.” Kevin says, releasing Jean's wrists to pull him in for a hug. Jean's arms are smashed between them, hands still on Kevin's face, but he can feel the way he's shaking. He kisses Kevin's head.

"I love you too. You ridiculous man," Jean says against his hair. Kevin tucks his head into Jean's neck and they stay that way for a moment, only startling apart when Neil clears his throat.

"Why did Andrew threaten his cousin?" He asks, lounging in his chair again like he'd never moved at all. Jean wants to throttle him. Why the fuck does it matter?

"Huh? Oh. I never figured it out. All I know is Nicky had a thing for me.” (Of course he did, look at you, Jean thinks.) “One night, we were at the club and I heard my name mixed up into some German. I assumed Nicky was drunk and forgot I didn't speak it. Before I could ask what he said, Andrew had him pinned to the wall with a knife at his throat.”

Good man, Jean thinks before shaking that thought away. Andrew Minyard might not have kissed his boyfriend, but he still beamed Jean with a ball in that one game—

"So, he threatened his cousin over you," Neil points out, making Jean's hatred shrink again. Damn it. He’s French, it shouldn’t be so easy.

"Yeah. That was the deal. Andrew said he would keep me safe no matter what." Kevin says, his expression wistful. Then it falls away. "But I walked away. He's not obligated to keep me safe anymore. He can do or say anything he wants."

"I still don't think he'd do it," Neil says as Jean leads Kevin to the other side of the couch and sits down. He waits for Kevin to sit beside him, but he just tilts his head back to look at the ceiling. Jean ogles his throat.

"Yeah. But what if he does?"

"No one would believe it. As far as anyone knows, you have not seen either of us since we were teammates," Jean says, a bit of insecurity gnawing at him. It disappears when Kevin drops into his lap. Jean winds his arms around him immediately, pulling Kevin closer and nuzzling into his hair. "Tell us, what is the worst that could happen if people knew?"

[blarrghe]

Shop talk! I know you're currently doing the whole writing and posting thing differently than before - like the whole thing is written, you're just editing and posting once a week. So what do you think of that? Do you prefer it over how you worked previously? Does it depend on the fic??

And how much editing are we talking? Both in terms of words changed as well as time spent on it? Do you do editing the next chapter for a whole week? Are you constantly editing all upcoming chapters??

Thanks for the ask! I love talking about this stuff :) Sorry for the obscenely long answer.

So it's the first time I've done that, and now that I'm in the posting part I am liking it a lot. I like the structure, I look forward to Wednesdays, I feel like I gathered a little bit of an audience that is there weekly with me as well, which is nice for everyone. I don't know if it makes any difference to people in terms of engagement if they hear that its completed in advance or see it posting regularly, but idk if it was me as a reader I would appreciate the regularity so I hope people do. At least one person has told me they're waiting to read it until it's finished/waited to start until it was over half posted, idk if I'll suddenly get new readers when its up in full or what but I def understand that. But yeah! The posting weekly thing has been nice. It feels productive even if I actually don't do a ton of writing every week.

Actually writing the thing took like two years though, specifically because there was absolutely no gratification to it haha. I didn't really even post wip snippets or talk about it much, because I wanted to keep my secrets. I was writing either Matchsies or A Complicated Match still when I had the idea and started plotting, so part of it taking so long is also that I was dividing my attention, and devoting more of it to the ongoing stuff I was actually posting. But I started this fic with the intention of letting it be a slow side-burner project so that I could make it "really good" by the time it went up. And that was a good call, because I did a lot of re-writes and re-structuring to elements of it, especially some of the early chapters, when I got further into the plot. To be clear, it's had the same outline all along, but there were connecting details that didn't work, like logistical travel time things that would have been glaringly annoying if I'd posted the first drafts of the first few chapters before writing the later ones. Also I re-vamped Sylvanna's character really early on into a more major role. She wasn't originally a bodyguard! Or really a main element of the story at all. Absolution came out at some point and I got Ideas.

Anyway, a lot of the editing that went into the fic before I started posting was pretty major, but by the time I was ready to actually start posting everything was much more concrete. I tend to edit the next chapter in the days before it goes up, and right before posting, mainly just for little details. But I try to give myself some distance and not overdo the constant editing so that when I do look at it right before posting I have some fresher eyes, right now I haven't looked at the next chapter (lying, I read it last night, but not from an EDITOR standpoint) in a couple weeks and I plan to put on editor glasses tomorrow morning before I post it. A big part of the editing that is ongoing is for how the prose reads, like I might come up with some gorgeous metaphor or re-do how a scene is described but keep the content the same. You get better all the time as a writer, so it's just about getting the Good Copy as Good as I can before it goes up. Every now and then I have a genius thought and go stick it in where it fits. Every now and then I also delete stuff or have a genius thought that doesn't actually fit and stick it in "CUT CONTENT" on the bottom of the doc. There's some Taren-perspective Bher stuff in there that didn't work with how I structured Ch. 20, for example. I was thinking for a sec I'd re-write that whole chapter and do a flashback chapter for him but it did not suit the flow at all and I only got a couple paragraphs in and then just... added like two lines of Taren Thoughts to get the point across instead haha. I also cut a couple chapters in half but didn't change them (19 and 20 are an example, which is also why a ch. 20 rewrite did not work.)

The most major edits I've made have been to the last two chapters, mainly to add in a few new ideas I had or to tie up loose ends I realised I was still leaving. I haven't majorly changed any of what was going to happen, it's more just me trying to really nail those last chapters. I am also constantly re-reading it in full (sometimes making minor tweaks to names in the narration ;) and also boring stuff like punctuation). I'll post a chapter and immediately get excited for the next one and go read from that point to the end...

There's also a "secret" epilogue that I wrote, really liked, and then cannibalized and entirely re-wrote like, yesterday. I wasn't initially sure I'd even post it but now I definitely will. So stay tuned for that ;)

[bitbybitwrites]

Six Sentence Sunday/WIP Wednesday (Science Fiction Double Feature - 😉)

Going to kill two birds with one stone. I've been tagged by a few people for both of these, and decided to do a double feature and answer both 😂 - hence the title of the post. Though it did make me think of my favorite version of said song.

So thanks: @forabeatofadrum, @annepi-blog, @shame-is-a-wasted-emotion and @kurtsascot for thinking of me and tagging me!

*****

Well, not surprisingly, I'm still working on If I Can Make Your Heart My Home. I'm so grateful for all of you folks who have been reading along. Thank you for your kudos and kind words . . . and some very passionate feelings about the story! I love all the feedback. 💖💖💖💖

So here's a little excerpt from an upcoming chapter:

Blaine leaned across the bar.  “Do you have any bottled water?’ He asked the bartender.  “For the orchestra?” The bartender nodded and reached behind the counter for a number of water bottles which he passed off to Blaine. Blaine nodded his thanks and turned to walk back to the waiting musicians when he inadvertently jostled another guest’s shoulder.  A number of the water bottles slipped from his arms onto the floor with a dull thud. “Oh, fuck. Sorry, mate. I didn’t see you there.” Blaine shook his head as he watched the guest place an empty champagne flute on the bar in order to bend down and pick up the remaining bottles on the floor. “My fault, really.  I wasn’t paying attention.” Blaine said in return.  The guest grinned and picked up the fallen soldiers.  ‘Here, let me help you out.”  He stood up and looked around the ballroom.  “Where to?” Blaine nodded his thanks.  “Just up to the orchestra.”  “I’m Adam, by the way.  Adam Crawford.” “Blaine.  Blaine Anderson.” The guest stopped in his tracks.  “Wait, Anderson?”   Blaine turned around, puzzled.  “Yes.” Adam stared at Blaine for a moment, a look of recognition dawning on his face.  “Aren’t you . .” Blaine sighed.  ‘Yes, Cooper Anderson’s brother.  Bradford Anderson’s son.  That Anderson family.” Adam shook his head.  “No, I was going to ask if you were the Anderson who played the cello at the MusiCares benefit a few months ago.  I loved that piece you ended the night with.  Bach, I think it was, right?” “I . . uh, yes.  Yes it was. That was me.” Blaine said, flustered. “I’m sorry, most folks aren’t able to pick up or remember that.  At least at these events - unless you play as well?” Adam chuckled as he shook his head.  “No, my talents lie far, far away from any sort of musical instrument.  I prefer the pen to the bow.” “Author?” Blaine asked as they continued towards the orchestra together. He started handing out the bottles to the waiting musicians as soon as they got there. “Well, working on that," Adam admitted.  “It’s a long term goal.  But for now, I’m a Lifestyle reporter for The Guardian.” He passed off the water bottles in his hands one by one to Blaine. “Ahhh," Blaine said.  “Working dinner then?” He smiled broadly as Adam nodded.  “Well, I hope you enjoy the music tonight.  I did all the arrangements myself and personally selected the musicians to play. If you need any information about the pieces or the orchestra, just let me know.” Adam threw Blaine a grateful look.  He pulled a business card out of his pocket and passed it over to the cellist.  “That would be great.  Here’s my contact info.  Now, sorry I have to run before Kurt starts thinking I abandoned him.  I promised him another round of champagne a few minutes ago. “K . .Kurt?” 

Gorgeous cover art above by @datshitrandom

******

Tagging: @madas-ahatters-world, @kirakiwiwrites, @coffeegleek, @hkvoyage, @esilher, @datshitrandom, @myheartalivewrites, @mynonah, if you want to share what any of your current WIPs are

[direwombat]

wip weekend + last lines

tagged variously by @jacobsneed, @trench-rot, @adelaidedrubman, @inafieldofdaisies, and @cassietrn for either a wip weekend or last lines, so here's both!

not tagging anyone today because i am...le tired and my brain's been struggling this weekend, sorry y'all...wait for wip wednesday <3

getting back into kneeling at the crossroads now that the abo fic has been exorcised from my brain. i'm pretty sure i shared the first few lines of this (i think?) a while ago, but i added more, so here's some of syb rescuing pastor jerome while she and grace are securing falls end!

“You’re a sight for sore eyes, Deputy,” Pastor Jerome says. He rubs at his wrists, chafed raw by the zip-ties pulled too tight.

“Don’t thank me just yet. Fight ain’t over,” she answers, using her jeans to wipe the bloody blade of her knife clean and sheathing it. “I’m gonna keep pushing North. If I send civilians this way, can I count on you to take care of ‘em?”

Jerome pulls a shotgun and bandolier from the dead Peggie who was guarding him. “I will save my flock and they will no longer be plundered,” he says. Giving the chamber a once over, he ejects the empty shell casings and reloads it with the ease and confidence of a man who’s held a shotgun all his life. He looks at her. Determination burns in his warm brown eyes. “You can count on me, Deputy.”

“Good,” she nods. “Anythin’ else you can tell me ‘bout what’s goin’ on here? Things or people to keep an eye out for?”

Jerome shrugs. “Wish I could. Cult rolled in during the middle of the night. Stole people right from their beds. A few managed to barricade themselves in their homes, but most have either been taken or killed.”

“What about Mary May?” she asks. “She sent out a distress call earlier this mornin’ but has since gone radio silent.”

Concern washes over his face, but he shakes his head. “Couldn’t tell you,” he shrugs. “I’ve been dealing with my own…issues.” He grimaces at the dead Peggie on the ground. “But I can say that she’s a fighter. She’d sooner die than let the Cult get their hands on the Spread Eagle.”

“Well, here’s hopin’ she’s still kickin’,” Sybille says. Then she nods at the church. “You get back inside and hunker down. Anyone I find, I’ll send your way.”

Jerome gives her a placid smile. “All due respect, Deputy, I ain’t leaving these steps.”

She lifts a brow and regards him. This is a man who’s been bruised, beaten, held at gunpoint, and threatened by those using his own God as justification. But rather than retreating, as many would, this man — a man she has only ever known to preach nonviolence — is taking up arms. Not out of revenge or desire for glory, but rather to protect the people who look to him for guidance.

Pastor Jerome is a good and righteous man. It’s so rare for someone to be both. And regardless of whether or not he was one before all this, he stands before her a soldier.

“Okay,” she says. “But be careful.”

“Likewise, Deputy,” he responds. “And God protect you.”

[a-bang-for-your-bucky]

Welcome Home (Part One)

(NOT MY GIF)

Summary: After not speaking to her brothers for over a year, Peyton Rhodes’ life is turned upside down when her boyfriend of four years cheats on her. She uproots her life with WWE and returns home to Atlanta. She finds herself among great friends and she is finding herself again after being lost for so long.

WORD COUNT: 2,624 (well shit). 

Pairings: Cody Rhodes x OFC (Sister), Brandi Rhodes x OFC (sister), Dustin Rhodes x OFC (Sister), past Seth Rollins x OFC, future Kenny Omega x OFC (maybe?), MJFx OFC( maybe?) Could end up being Matt Jackson x OFC (who knows) let the writing gods surprise us.

WARNINGS: explicit language, mentioned cheating, possible future smut (Warnings are subject to change as I continue writing and will be updated as needed).

A/N: This has been a WIP for over a year now. This will be multiple parts. It will be a slow burn. (MAYBE) I’m a sucker for the friends to lovers trope. Please do not think that this reflects my feels toward a certain wrestler (Seth). This story is strictly fiction. I do not own any of the characters except for my OFC(s). Please, please, please, give me feedback. I’m slowly working myself back into the fanfic world. <3

“Cody was right.” I cried as soon as my brother’s wife answered the phone. I hadn’t spoken to my brothers since they left WWE. Cody was upset that I wouldn’t leave with him. Brandi was my way of communication with them. She’d call at least twice a week. This week was different. 

“I caught him. I went to congratulate him after his win over Finn and they were,” I sniffled, hurt coming over me again. “It was Mandy. I thought she was my friend.” I explained to my sister in law.

“Pey, I am so sorry. Please come home. You know AEW has a spot for you whenever you want it.” Brandi offered. It was the same thing she said to me every week, but now I’m ready. 

“I just don’t know why.” I cried. “I was the perfect girlfriend. I basically put my career on hold for him. I thought he was, I thought he was it for me.” Brandi had said that they were going to be home for Cody’s birthday in a few weeks and invited me to come to the party. 

“I’ll talk to Hunter.” I choked out. 

Luckily, my contract was almost up and as soon as Vince heard I didn’t want to re-sign, he settled for my release. We didn’t have the best relationship, but Hunter advocated for me stating that it was best for the company as well as myself. He knew the situation and didn’t blame me for wanting to go.

I knew I had to go back one day. I just never thought it would be this soon. I parked my car in the drive. I could hear Pharaoh announcing my arrival before I could make it to the door. I made my way up the sidewalk to the porch. I took a deep breath and knocked. 

Brandi opened the door immediately. “Well I'll be damned.” She said, “I can’t believe you came!” I smiled, embracing my brother’s wife. 

“Like I would miss my big brother’s 35th birthday.” I lied and she knew it. If Seth hadn’t cheated on me, I wouldn’t be here. 

Brandi led me inside where there were some guests who had gathered in the foyer. Brandi introduced me quickly, leading me through to Cody. “Hey, babe. Your surprise is here.” Cody, who was standing by the fireplace, talking to Dustin, turned and saw me. 

Awkwardly, I raised a hand to wave. “Hi.” I whispered. Cody sat down his drink and walked over to me. I expected him to cuss and yell, but instead, he threw his arms around me, hugging me tightly. 

“Peyton, I'm so happy you’re here.” He whispered. Dustin came up behind him. 

“Long time, no see sis. You know, they invented this thing called a phone. You should look into it. Call your big brothers sometime.” Dustin fussed before hugging me too. 

“It is really good to see you guys.” I tried to hold back the tears, but some escaped anyway. “How have you been? AEW has really taken off huh?” I said making small talk.

Cody nodded, “Yeah, I have the best business partners. I can’t wait for you to meet them.” Looking at my brother, he was truly happy. WWE had given him a few more stress lines, but seeing him now, you couldn’t tell. 

He grabbed my hand, pulling me to follow him. He led me to Matt and Nick Jackson, standing with Kenny Omega and Adam Page. “Guys! Guys! Look who decided to show her face.” Cody beamed, smiling big. The four guys waved. 

“Finally! We get to meet the prodigal sister.” Kenny Omega spoke first. 

“Peyton, these are the guys.” Cody pointed to each of them. “Matt. Nick. Kenny. Adam.” 

“Nice to meet y’all finally. I watch your show every week. You are all very talented.” They all mumbled a “thank you” in tandem. 

The rest of the evening went by smoothly. We all sat and talked. Getting to know The Elite was amazing. It was almost as if I hadn’t been AWOL for a year and a half.  When the party was over, I was helping Brandi clean up. 

“Pey, you don’t have to help. You’re a guest.” She said, grabbing the glasses from my hands. I shook my head.

“I’m family. And family helps.” I smiled, taking the glasses back and continued to the kitchen. Cody walked in behind me with plates. 

“Hey,” he started, “Thank you for coming.” He finished, placing the plates in the dishwasher. I added my glasses. 

“I’m sorry.” I blurted out, turning to face him. Cody looked at me, confused. “I should have left with you. You were right about that place. My career, my relationship, everything, became a shitshow after you left.” tears began to fall. 

“Pey, it’s okay. I’m just happy you’re here now.” Cody wiped the tears away. 

“Code. I lost my title. Seth cheated on me, and I barely got any TV time.” Cody scoffed. He never liked Seth.

“He cheated on you?” Cody growled, and paced around the room. 

I nodded, “I caught him. I went to congratulate him after his win one night and they were,” I sniffled, explaining to Cody. “I don’t know why.” I cried. “And then I lost my title, and then stopped getting TV time, unless I was on Seth’s arm.” I darted my eyes to the ground. “We still had to work together. After everything, I had to pretend like we were the perfect couple, until my last appearance.” Cody pulled me into a tight hug. 

“I pissed a lot of people off with the way I left. I’m so sorry that affected you.” he whispered into my hair, like it was his fault. 

“I don’t blame you, Code. I was granted my release.” I mumbled into his chest. He pulled back. 

“What?” His eyes were wide. 

“I asked for my release and Hunter pushed it through. I’ll be a free agent in 90 days” I explained. Cody smiled like a Cheshire cat.  

“Babe! Dustin! Get in here!” Cody yelled, startling me. The both of them came running, looking for an emergency, but they only saw Cody pouring champagne for a toast. Confused looks covered their faces. 

Cody gave everyone a flute and started a toast. “To our baby sister, the newest AEW superstar.” Brandi squealed and hugged me tight. The guys joined in. 

I was finally home. 

It was hard, walking away from my life in WWE; However, finding my place within the Elite was easy. Especially with Kenny Omega. He quickly became one of my closest friends. The next 3 months were the best of my life. The break from wrestling gave my body and my heart time to heal. Everyone did their best to hide that I was coming to AEW, even leaving fake trails that I was going back to NJPW.

After working out the details of my contract, I was officially signed with AEW. Cody wanted me to make a surprise entrance, interrupt one of his segments. Creative loved the idea of brother and sister reuniting, but they wanted to make it interesting. When my debut date came, I couldn’t have been any more nervous.

Sitting in catering, I was alone, lost in thought, picking at my food. It had been a long journey here, but they made it. AEW came to life and it was thriving. Double or nothing had passed, and that meant tonight was Dynamite.

“Guess who?” Someone had snuck up on me, covering my eyes. I smiled because I knew exactly who it was.

“Hmm, Prince Charming?” I guessed quickly. Kenny placed a sloppy kiss to my cheek.

“Close, but better.” He said uncovering my eyes. “Hey, princess. Just thought I’d come save you from your thoughts. What’s going on in that head of yours right now?” he asked, knowing I’ll tell him, taking the seat next to me. 

I sighed, rubbing my face. “I was thinking about my journey, how I got here.” Kenny nodded, but didn’t say anything. “I was thinking about how I get to see Jon again, since leaving WWE, and I was thinking about Seth.” I finally spit it out. Seth, his name leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

“I knew something was bothering you. Talk to me, doll.”

“I was scrolling through Insta earlier. He’s engaged. I know I shouldn’t care, but I do. Not because I still have feelings for him, but because she is, was, my friend, and I don’t want him to do to her what he did to me.” I explained to him.

“That’s understandable, Pey, but people gotta make their own mistakes. Mandy knows what he did to you and she still said yes, so that’s on her.” Kenny said, ever the voice of reason.

I nodded in agreement with him, knowing he was right. I needed to focus on my new path, my new future.

“Peyton!” Cody called from a distance, Brandi following him. It was time.

Cody stood, center ring, proudly. He had won the TNT title at Double or Nothing. He went on about how he was issuing an open challenge every Wednesday.

I stood nervously behind the curtain, waiting for my cue. I was about to make my debut. My life has been a little crazy since I left WWE behind, but definitely for the better. 

As an avid Fall Out Boy fan, I had struck a deal to have my favorite song as my entrance music. I had been using it for most of my career. The music hit, the crowd went crazy. “Holy Hell, that music can only mean one person. The sister of the American Nightmare. That’s Peyton Rhodes!” JR yelled into his mic as I strolled down the ramp, ignoring the crowd. “Peyton” chants filled the arena as I made my way to the squared circle. 

“Peyton Rhodes has joined  AEW and the crowd couldn’t be happier,” Excalibur added. I walked around the ring to the time keeper, grabbing a mic from Justin, and strolled on toward the ring. 

The music cut, and Cody was first to speak. "Oh yeah. I guess we didn't announce this but Peyton Rhodes is AEW!" The crowd screamed at Cody's news, chanting "AEW". 

I soaked in the cheers because I knew it was all about to change. I had been a face for most of my pro-wrestling career, and now I finally get to pursue the heel turn my fans had been begging for. I took in a deep breath and adjusted my leather jacket. 

“Oh, Atlanta, shut the hell up!” I groaned into the mic. I revelled in the audible gasp that could be heard. “That’s right. No more sweet ‘Georgia peach’ Peyton Rhodes. I came to AEW to raise hell, and that’s what I’m going to do.” I wandered around the ring, stopping in front of a camera. “I’m sick and tired of wanting your approval. I’m here to get what I want. And I want it all.” I punctuated as I looked dead into the camera.

“Hear that big brother,” I turned and faced Cody, “Hell just arrived in AEW I hope you’re ready.” I gestured to the crowd, “I hope you’re all ready, because if you thought Cody was a nightmare, wait til you see me, the Dream Killer.” I dropped the mic, and rolled out of the ring. The crowd loved it. “Dream Killer” chants echoed in my ears all the way backstage. 

I was greeted by Dustin, Brandi, and Kenny. “That was perfect, Pey, they loved it.” Kenny said as soon as I was in sight. I grinned, running up to him, jumping into his arms for a hug. 

“The crowd loved you. They’ve been hoping for this heel turn since your WWE debut.” Cody said, smiling from ear to ear as he returned to the back after finishing his promo.

“For real, Pey! You pull off the ‘heel’ thing. I can’t wait to work on your wardrobe!” Brandi squealed, embracing me in a dancing hug. “Just think about the shoes, Pey, the shoes.” Brandi was way more excited about the outfits than the actual turn. She had helped me pick the one I was wearing. Black jean shorts, a front-zip black and white crop top, leather jacket, and black boots. 

“I can’t wait to see where this takes me.” I said before we were joined by the rest of The Elite.  

Nick was the first to speak. “Not bad, Rhodes. You might be a better heel than your brother here.” He elbowed Cody in the ribs.

Matt nodded in agreement, “For real Peyton, the crowd was so hyped for that turn.” He said with a soft smile, bringing me in for a quick hug. 

I turned to face everyone. “Thanks guys. All of you. You gave me this chance.” I thanked them, “I promise I won’t let you down.” 

“You’re a great addition to the AEW family.” Adam complimented, “Come on Ken, we got a match to get ready for.” he said before walking away. Kenny gave me one last hug before following him.

Cody and Brandi also parted as she had a segment coming up, leaving me with the Young Bucks. “Come on, Pey, lets celebrate!” We had walked back to catering where some more of the AEW stars were waiting. In the back, I spotted the one person I couldn’t wait to see again. I told The Bucks I’d catch up with them. 

“Jon!” I screamed, almost running to him. When he saw me rushing toward him, he opened his arms, inviting me in for a hug. Hugging him was a blast from the past. 

“Peyton fucking Rhodes. I heard rumors you were coming. Sweetheart, you knocked them dead.” He spoke into my hair. I gave him one more tight squeeze before pulling away. “Well, you look great.” He said, gesturing to my outfit. 

“I’m heel now. Finally.” I boasted. I’ve been waiting for this for the longest time and no one was taking it away from me. Jon and I talked, catching up. I asked about Renee and he lit up. He was happy and that’s all I wanted for him. He was finally able to be the fighting champion everyone knew he could be. 

“What about Seth? What happened? The last time I spoke to him, he said you guys were happy and he had bought a ring.” Jon asked, and it knocked the breath out of me. I knew he would ask, but I wasn’t expecting him to mention a ring. 

“He cheated on me. With Mandy. They’re engaged now.” I said without choking up, which was a good sign. I could see the disappointment well up in Jon’s eyes. 

“You were always too good for him.” I knew he and Seth were still good friends, but I appreciated the words nonetheless. Jon gave me one last hug before he got called away for his match, leaving me alone in catering again. 

I found a table close to a TV so I could watch the end of Kenny and Adam’s match. They were well on their way to becoming tag team champions. I started thinking about what Jon had said about Seth, about him buying a ring. I couldn’t believe it. He was going to ask me to marry him and I would have said yes, had I not found him with Mandy. I was pulled from my thoughts by my phone vibrating. It was Seth. 

I saw your debut. 

You look good. 

You’re gonna be a great heel.

I miss you. 

I wish you would talk to me and let me explain. 

I read and reread the messages a hundred times before replying. 

Okay, Seth. When and where?

[wolfjackle-creates]

Answer My Call Chapter 3 part 1

Happy WIP Wednesday! Answer My Call won by all one one vote last week. I was a bit nervous since I'm starting a new POV and I wasn't sure if I wanted to write from Tucker's POV or Tim's, but I settled on Tucker because it would let me dive into the action a bit sooner.

Story Summary: Danny's missing. The GIW have taken over Amity. Jazz, Tucker, and Sam are under constant surveillance and have been scattered across the country.

When Jazz's messages to Danny go to the wrong number, Red Hood decides to step in.

First, Previous

Word Count: 1.6k

-----

Tucker was alone in his dorm room working on homework. His desk was in the corner in a way that meant his computer screen faced the wall. It meant he had barely three feet of space to sit in, but after everything that had happened, he couldn’t let anyone sneak up behind him to spy on his work.

His roommate hated him for it because it took up so much extra space in their small room, but he was never around anyway, so Tucker didn’t really care what he thought.

He jumped when a loud knocking sounded on his door.

“Coming!” he called out as he took the time to save everything he had open and close all programs. He slammed it shut and squeezed out of his chair, half running to the door. “Sorry ‘bout the wait. Tyler isn’t here right now, I think he said something about spending time with Liz?”

Then he actually looked at the people at his door. The one was a broad boy wearing a spiked leather jacket over jeans. The other had a bulky sweatshirt on and a baseball cap. His face was shadowed as he was looking down at a tablet, typing away.

The bigger one was grinning at him. “You’re Tucker, right? We’re here to see you, not Tyler.”

Tucker blinked at them. “Why?” he asked, confused. People had given up on being friendly with him weeks ago.

The boy with the tablet huffed. “We’re here to invite you to our club.”

Tucker looked between them in confusion. “What?”

Tablet guy still didn’t look up. “We heard you like ghosts. We’re the officers of the student horror club and wanted to offer you a spot. Mind letting us in so we can tell you about it?”

Tucker rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m not interested in joining any clubs right now. Thanks, but no thanks.” He went to shut the door, but leather jacket stuck out his foot, keeping it from shutting.

“Just hear us out. We think you’d be perfect for it as an expert on ghosts.”

Tucker clenched his fists to hide their shaking. What did they know? Who sent them? He glared. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Tablet boy raised his head slightly, revealing a domino mask covering his eyes. He grinned, more a baring of teeth than anything. In a tone just loud enough to be heard, he said, “One of my associates is currently in Boston. I decided to come here instead.” In a normal ton he added, “Let me tell you about the horror club.”

Tucker’s mouth fell open. How? Boston? What had Jazz done? His eyes flitted down the hallway. But they were blocking his path and he wouldn’t be able to get past them. Dumbly, he stepped back, opening the door further.

Leather jacket grinned at him. “Thanks, dude,” he said.

Behind them, Tucker shut the door. His hand fell to his pocket where a lipstick laser was hidden.

Tablet boy was already pulling the blinds down over the window. When done, he handed his tablet to Tucker. It was open to a message that said: “We’re on your side. Turn off your devices. I’m going to set off a EMP and signal jammer.”

Tucker nodded and handed the tablet back.

Leather Jacket cleared his throat. “So, with the horror club, we meet once a week…”

Tucker only half-listened to his spiel. He used his phone to send a coded warning to Dani before turning it off. Then he went through his belongings and did the same to every laptop, PDA, tablet, and gaming system. If he turned on a ghostly recording device hidden inside an action figure, however, no one would know.

As soon as he was done, he nodded to Tablet Guy who pulled out a black cube from his backpack and pressed a button. The he pulled out another device and turned that on as well.

“That’s enough, Kon,” he said, pulling off his cap.

Leather Jacket—Kon?—grinned. “What, you don’t want to hear about my favorite horror movie, Rob?”

“I introduced you to your favorite horror movie. I know it as well as you do.”

Kon just laughed. Then he unzipped his jacket, revealing a blue outfit with Superman’s “S” on it.

“Holy shit,” breathed Tucker. What had Jazz done?

Tablet guy followed, pulling off his cap and removing his hoodie, revealing a red costume with a gold bird medallion in the center of his chest. “Nice to meet you, Tucker. I’m Red Robin, and this is Superboy. I’ve got some questions for you.”

Tucker’s eyes jumped between the two. “Holy shit,” he repeated.

Superboy laughed. “Didn’t expect to see us?”

Tucker could only shake his head. “You said Boston?” he asked.

“Red Hood is with Jazz as we speak. She asked for our help in rescuing Danny. We agreed.”

Tucker tensed. He was lying. They’d talked about reaching out to the Justice League dozens of times, but had decided they couldn’t be trusted. Jazz wouldn’t have gone to them. He reached into his pocked and pulled out the lipstick.

Both heroes tensed, though their wariness turned to confusion when they saw he only had a small lipstick tube.

Good, let them underestimate him. “Jazz wouldn’t go to the Justice League. We agreed it wasn’t safe. Why are you really here?”

Red Robin grinned at him and held up his hands. “All right, you’re right. I simplified for time’s sake. Jazz has been sending messages to a phone number she thought belonged to her brother Danny. But really, they were going to Red Hood. He’d been getting them for ages now, but was…out of town. As soon as he got back, he began looking into Amity and the GIW. When he couldn’t find anything, he brought me in on the case. When that still didn’t work, we called Jazz back. She decided to take a chance on us since Red Hood doesn’t work with the government. And, honestly, I’ve done quite a bit outside the law, too, even if I’m not as public about it.”

Tucker’s grip on the lipstick tightened and he stuck his nail under the cap, ready to flick it off at a moment’s notice. “Prove it.”

Red Robin pulled up his tablet again and tapped a few places. An audio recording started to play.

Tucker stopped breathing when he recognized Jazz’s voice. He closed his eyes and just listened. When he heard her demand a picture and the pose she asked for, he huffed out a laugh.

The recording ended and he slid the lipstick back into his pocket and wiped at his eyes.

“Okay, I believe you. What’s the plan?”

“Right now we want to make sure you, Jazz, and Sam are safe and find out as much information as we can.”

Tucker nodded. “I’m not as closely watched as Jazz. The school keeps close track of us students and the Guys in White rely on their records. Though they do have an agent stationed in admin who checks up on me at least once a week. I don’t keep my most sensitive belongings in this dorm as it’s searched every other week.”

Red Robin grinned at him. It sent shivers down Tucker’s back. “Does that mean your real stuff is kept somewhere else?”

Tucker smirked. “Of course. Cover yourselves back up; we need to go.”

Red Robin did something with his jammer and EMP and then began talking excitedly about the horror club again. “So glad you’ve agreed to come to our next meeting, Tucker! We’ve been trying to build the club.”

Superboy winked at him. “What do you say we get to know each other a bit before then? Want to come play video games with us?”

Tucker bit his lip and looked towards his desk and laptop as if he were undecided. “I should get back to my homework…”

“Oh, come on, it’ll still be there tomorrow,” said Red Robin. “Let’s go.” He looked back down at his tablet and headed towards the door, grabbing Tucker’s hand as he did.

Tucker looked over his shoulder one last time, but let himself be pulled along. They kept conversation light as they exited the building. Red Robin was an expert at angling his baseball cap to hide his masked face from every camera they passed.

Would he be willing to teach Tucker how to do that?

Once outside, Tucker took the lead. One of the first things he’d done after he’d been enrolled was memorize blueprints for every building on campus. On top of that, he’d made himself a good dozen different IDs. Three of those were copies of other students’. Those students he kept close track of to make sure their records didn’t show them in two places at once. Other ones belonged to various faculty and staff members. But his pride and joy was the one that belonged to Gabriel Carter. Gabriel was a janitor at the Academy and so could access any building. Gabriel also didn’t exist.

It was Gabriel’s ID that got them access to the basement level of one of the buildings. Hidden deep in the building was a set of rooms currently not in use. And in one of those rooms was a closet.

Tucker had built the locks on the door himself and, even having all the keys and codes, it took five minutes to get in.

He smirked when Red Robin himself let out a gasp of surprise at his set up.

-----

Hope you enjoyed!

Now, how did Kon get involved? Easy. Tim used the zeta tube from the cave to Titans Tower. Kon happened to be there. When Tim said he was working a case with Red Hood, the guy who tried to kill him once, Kon insisted on coming along. I debated having other members of the Young Justice, but I'm actually trying to keep character counts down for this one, so...

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