#wip: dead serious

[captain-kraken]

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Thank you @bardicbeetle for tagging me over here!

Dead Serious

-

It was strange. He knew he was dead, yet it hadn’t ended the pain that throbbed his heart. How could it no longer be beating, yet still ache so much?

He cried more times after his death than he had done in his whole life. Sometimes he got the impression that people could hear him. He felt eyes in his direction, yet he never caught sight of anyone.

Perhaps this was his punishment. To spend an eternity in loneliness, with a shattered heart and a broken soul.

No pressure tag for @magic-is-something-we-create @ceph-the-ghost-writer and open tag!

[windyengel]

WIP WEDNESDAY

Every bat has a cat.

There’s an old phrase in Gotham: every Bat has a Cat.

Like most things whispered through Gotham’s smog, it’s only mostly untrue. Technically, the only Bat who ever really had a Cat was Batman himself—and even that’s been more of a tug-of-war than a love story. Not for lack of effort on Catwoman’s part. She’s tried everything: seduction, threats, borderline kidnapping. At one point, she swore she’d adopt all of Batman’s kids just to spite him. She’s teamed up with the Birds of Prey—where a few of the Bat-daughters moonlight—and once even tried to snatch up Little Timothy Drake back when he was still Robin, dangling the offer of being her “pet stray.” It didn’t take. Timmy was too invested in feathered spandex and daddy issues.

And then there was that… incident with Nightwing. But Gotham doesn’t talk about that. Gotham forgets. Gotham represses.

Still, the saying stuck around, mostly as a joke. A rite of passage, the locals would wink: “Once the birds become Bats, they’ll find their Cat.” Like puberty, but with more rooftop flirting and potential felony charges.

It was all fun and folklore—until it wasn’t.

No one really knows when the joke stopped being a joke. When the line between myth and prophecy started to blur. All anyone can remember is the night it finally got everyone’s attention.

It happened at the grand reopening of the Gotham Museum, debuting a new exhibit on Ancient Sumerian artifacts. Bruce Wayne showed up with two-thirds of his grim duckling trio—Tim and Damian in tuxedos, sulking appropriately (Jason, the other brooding duckling has refused to come, and everyone knew Duke and Dick to be too much of sunshine boys to be part of the brooding bunch). The opening night was invitation-only, with patrons shuffled between exhibits like a very wealthy cattle drive: first Sumerian, then Medieval, then an optional wine bar where the Chardonnay was too warm.

It was during one of these exhibit rotations that Tim saw it. A flicker. A whisper of motion at the corner of his eye. Something feline, something familiar, slipping back into the shadows of the Sumerian wing.

He didn’t hesitate. He turned to Bruce and Damian, voice clipped and sharp.

“Catwoman’s here.”

As soon as Tim muttered the alert, the Bat Family trio slipped into action with the kind of silent efficiency that only years of crimefighting, trauma bonding, and tactical group chats could provide.

Bruce gave a curt nod. “We’re changing. Now.”

It took them less than five minutes to disappear from the gala and reappear as the Bat, Red Robin, and the Robin—silent shadows in kevlar and purpose. They moved through back corridors, slipping past distracted security and tipsy patrons, until they reached the Sumerian exhibit once more.

Only this time, the lights were off.

Tim frowned behind his mask. “That's not ominous at all.”

“Should we announce ourselves?” Damian asked, already reaching for his sword.

“No,” Bruce answered curtly, gesturing for silence.

That’s when the voices drifted through the shadows. Muffled, conversational, and—oddly—playful.

“I dunno, Kitty,” a teen male voice said, exasperated but not particularly hurried. “Mama said not to overindulge, and we already got most of the artifacts we wanted.”

Tim blinked. Mama? Oh great. A new Cat-themed villain with actual parental boundaries.

“Sure,” replied a teen girl, voice bright with amusement. “But look at this diamond, Stray. Tell me it’s not gorgeous. Wouldn’t it look perfect in our collection?”

There was a dramatic sigh, the kind of sigh that implied someone had already lost this argument many times before.

“Mmhhmm... you know what? Fine. What’s one more diamond in the bag?”

That was their cue. The trio advanced, silent as breath, until they reached the edge of the display hall and got their first clear look at the culprits.

It… wasn’t Catwoman.

It was a girl, sure—dressed in what looked like a Catwoman suit, but styled after a tuxedo cat, complete with white accents at her gloves, boots and torso. Her partner, taller and broader, wore a sleeker suit—blacker than night and painted to his skin, save for white hands and feet—and had a calm posture that said yes, I do this a lot and no, I’m not impressed by any of you. Both wore green-tinted goggles that glowed faintly in the dark, and both had visible tufts of snow-white hair peeking from their hoods.

Tim stared. “Okay, so… not Catwoman.”

“No,” Bruce confirmed, grim.

Damian narrowed his eyes. “They are amateurs.”

“Amateurs who just stole a priceless diamond,” Tim muttered. “And called it ‘pretty.’”

Bruce’s jaw tightened. “We move. Now.”

Batman dropped down in front of the display case like thunder in a cape, his shadow stretching long and ominous over the marble floor.

Red Robin and Robin flanked him a beat later, dramatic and ready—Tim in full tactical mode, Damian practically vibrating with the urge to stab something.

“Step away from the artifacts,” Batman growled.

The two teens froze mid-theft. The girl blinked behind her green goggles. The boy raised an unimpressed brow that none of them could see but everyone could feel.

“Oh no,” the girl deadpanned, dramatically clutching the diamond to her chest. “It’s the law.”

“Panic,” the boy muttered with a lazy smirk.

“You’re trespassing on federal property,” Batman continued, all gravel and menace. “Surrender. Now.”

“Hmm,” the girl—Kitty—tilted her head. “No thanks.”

“Yeah,” the boy—Stray, apparently—shrugged. “We’re kind of indoor ferals. Surrendering isn’t in the skill set.”

Tim lunged first. He was fast, calculated, and nearly caught her.

Nearly.

Kitty somersaulted backward over a Sumerian statue with all the grace of an Olympic gymnast raised by a jungle cat. She landed en pointe on the exhibit railing, wiggled her fingers in a “ta-ta” motion, and vanished into the shadows like smoke.

Damian growled and went after Stray. “I will neuter you.”

“Big words, Bird Boy,” Stray laughed, ducking and weaving as Damian’s staff sliced through empty air. “But you gotta catch me first.”

Batman threw a batarang—clean, perfect arc, museum-quality aim.

It bounced off the floor as Stray backflipped over it, landing in a low crouch. “Mama warned us about this. Rule number one: Don’t play fetch with the Bat, you aren't a dog, you are a cat and cats has stabdards.”

“Not that she has anything to talk about” answer Kitty, sitting over a display. “She is the first one who plays cat and mouse with him”

Tim leapt from above, a textbook ambush.

Kitty twisted in midair, caught his cape mid-descent, and used it to swing him into a wall.

“Ow,” Tim muttered from the floor, sprawled in an undignified tangle of limbs and regrets. “That’s—okay. That’s fair.”

“Gotta admit,” Kitty said, lightly jogging backward while juggling the diamond between her hands, “you guys are way more coordinated than the usual mall cops.”

“But you still can’t catch us,” Stray added cheerfully, cartwheeling away from Damian’s latest sword swipe and Batman batarang. “Seriously, has anyone ever told you three you try really hard?”

“They’re cute,” Kitty said with mock affection. “Like, ‘aw, they think they’re scary’ cute. Specially the little one, you think I can add him to my display? I always wanted a bird”

“I call dibs on the one who smells like coffee!!”

Batman’s eyes narrowed. “Who trained you?”

They shared a glance. Then, in perfect unison:

“Mama did.”

Robin skidded to a stop, scowling. “You mean Catwoman.”

Stay grinned, sharp and smug. “We call her Mama. You probably call her when you're lonely.”

“Ooooh,” Kitty winced. “He’s gonna stab you for that.”

“Let him try.”

Another dive. Another swipe. Another miss.

They danced around the trio like mischievous spirits in catsuits, leaping, tumbling, and disappearing behind columns and curtains, always just out of reach.

By the time security finally wandered in—late, confused, and holding tiny flashlights—the Sumerian wing looked like someone had hosted a parkour-themed wedding in it.

The only thing left of the mysterious teens?

A single calling card, perched atop the display case like a signature.

It was shaped like a white paw print.

Tim picked it up and read aloud, “From Mama’s kittens, with love.”

Damian scowled. “I hate cat rogues.”

Batman just stared at the shadows, his voice low. “She trained them.”

“Yeah,” Tim muttered, rubbing his sore shoulder. “And apparently, she trained them too well.”

[rad-roche]

panel preview. experimenting and synthesizing a bunch of things i've been doing as far as texture goes. the softest softlaunch of how BIOMASSE'll look

[jesncin]

wip of someone at the end of their rope

[thewanderingconstellation]

The String That Binds Us

WIP:

A soulmate, a precious gift, a divine blessing, and a double-edged sword bestowed upon others by the grace of God. The origins of this phenomenon are shrouded in mystery, with countless tales and legends attempting to explain its existence, yet the truth remains elusive. Throughout the course of history, from ancient times to the present day, soulmates have forged various types of connections.

Fate has a mysterious way of intertwining the lives of individuals, even when they come from worlds apart. No matter how far apart they may be, destiny has a knack for uniting two souls and drawing them closer together.

[atsadi-shenanigans]

I literally could not help myself.

[redflagshipwriter]

I have had this account for ALMOST ONE MONTH and to celebrate I am valiantly aiming to post an update on every single story in progress tomorrow, Wednesday the 28th. If I can't get to it all, what would you wanna see most?

[youmaycallmeyourhighness]

Wip Wednesday - Pressure Cooker

"Who do you think you are? You think you’re tough shit?"

It's so hot in here.

"Answer me." Chef Nolan barks.

"No, Chef."

"You think you know what you’re doing, that plate is cold. Hurry the fuck up."

Vi does not let her hands shake.

"Yes, Chef."

"I know you think you got yourself here but the truth is you’re nothing. You. Are. Nothing. You hear me?"

"Yes, Chef."

"Say it."

Vi swallows back anger and bile and shame.

"I am…nothing, Chef."

Don’t ever forget it.

[chatgroove]

Working on Cerberus' human form(s) plural cause they turn into three different people lol With three different personalities to boot! I think the one on the right needs a rabies shot tho.

[wizards4for20]

I will never turn down the opportunity to hear about someone’s OC or WIP. I love hearing people talk about stuff they made and are passionate about. It makes me so genuinely happy.

It doesn’t matter if we’re strangers or best friends. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the verge of publishing or it will never see the light of day. It doesn’t matter if the lore is deep and developed or if you literally just came up with some dude two minutes ago. Tell me the things! I love the things!

[daincrediblegg]

Do itttttttt

Give us the gory details baby

All right nonnie, if you say so, here you go...

John Franklin had been dead for days. When the Marshalls found him, the flies had been so dense that he’d looked nothing more than a shadow of a man standing over the creek near duskfall. Had there been a man to accompany him, perhaps Deputy Jopson wouldn’t have noticed him at all, save for the way the thing moved and jittered like lakewater, and the man stank of all manner of filth- whether human or non-human, remained to be seen. 

Deputy Little had his theories, and certainly spared none of them to the open air as they rode to where the man had been found. Hodgeson, the Marshall’s man, of course, did nothing to assuage them. The man seemed to be full of apocryphal tales of natives (he’d never specified which, of course), missing children, women with their necks cleaved open by tomahawks, all manner of brutality that might befall a man should he face the indian hordes outside the safeties of their little town. Sheriff Crozier, of course, gave credence to none of them. He was never a speculating man, save for the occasional game of cards he played with Thomas at the Blue Belle, but he’d not put a penny on anything until he had a chance to see for himself exactly the manner of carnage that befell their man. If his years with his badge had taught him anything, fear never led to the truth, and speculation was always the birthmother of that poor mistress. But, he supposed, these greenhorns fresh from those pretty cities back east had nothing but those tales to go on. Not a lick of sense but for that of the men by whom they were raised to go on, none of which would serve them in the open country as they were now. None of it would prepare them for what they would find when they arrived. None of it would have prepared their poor stomachs fresh from breakfast for what Deputy Jopson had to show them.

George was the first to go, and from the smell alone, as they had not even cleared the treeline before he’d emptied his stomach upon the grass. Ned was not too far behind him, judging by the thick swallow that Crozier heard beside him as he scaled down the ridge to where the Marshall and his men waited for them. He at least had had the good sense to cover his face with his neckerchief before approaching further, as Crozier had. Still, all men present couldn’t help but wince under their masks.

Even Crozier himself felt queasy as he came face to face with their inquest. His belly had been empty for hours now, save for the shot of whiskey he spared himself when Jopson came storming into the office in a frenzy he’d never much seen in his young protege. He understood a bit better now to look at what he had seen.

The whole thing looked as though it might up and move by itself at any given moment, were it not for the construction of branch and twig and twine that held the poor man upright. The flies began to shift and scatter in places as he approached to inspect a little better the patches left untouched underneath the swarm. He could hear a man begin to wretch a little behind him, to see the pallid gray palor the man now posessed- Little, most likely, since Hodgeson could dare not venture further and opted to watch the tree-line, and wait for his own betters to arrive back from town with a cart to transport the man- or better he would say, what was left.

Crozier waved his hand then, to clear the flies and better look at what lay beneath the carrion that had gathered, and was met immediately with a scene that made the younger men behind him gasp.

The eyes were pale, but strung open wide, and the mouth affixed- agape, skin pulling back at the lips- rigor having long settled in. The horrified expression, combined with the odd shaping of the man’s pose, provided no clarity. There were wounds around his belly, but little blood soaked into the clothes to indicate their incision. But more ghastly of all was the gaping flesh at the top of the man’s hip where his leg should be, but where currently there was none, and where the flies continued their work at the rotting flesh there, blood and meat congealing against raw bone. 

“Have you found the leg?” Crozier finally asked, his tone even to himself unexpectedly low.

“No, Sir,” Jopson replied in a whisper, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, “I had Deputy Irving sweep the shoreline before riding out to alert Fitzjames’ party. Haven’t seen any sign of it.”

Crozier grunted as he stood again, not so much at the ache in his bones but more for the mention of one Mr. Fitzjames. A foolish man who seemed to be under the impression that his appearance, subdued though he tried to keep it, as it was, might disguise better in this place the truth of his employment, but Crozier knew a Pinkerton man when he saw one. The man couldn’t hide that no matter how many fine waistcoats he owned and wore. Not to mention his distaste for the local culture. He expected the man would show himself any minute now, with those city airs of his, and no doubt, some theory to who might have done this that might satisfy the speculations of the Deputies. 

It would not, however, satisfy Crozier.

[captain-kraken]

Happy STS! If your WIP would be a videogame what kind of game would it be and which character would you pick as the one the player meets first?

Happy STS! Thanks for the ask!

okay so not Blue Blood, but I've thought about this a LOT with Dead Serious lol

I just really like horror games and it's a nice combination of scary and funny. I thought about how if the player character was a ghost hunter who has specifically come to the house to find out more about the ghosts there.

I think the first one would probably have to be Hop, just because he's more of a "daytime" ghost and he spends most of his time on the lower floor.

[dead-tired-cm]

Like I said all of these are wips that have just been sitting in my drafts, none are fully written/done or edited. I might just fix errors and post them or write more and then post them; idk. So here’s a bit about each one.

404 - Title Not Found pt-3:

Current Word Count: 431

Current/up to date wip of part 3. Jason and Danny talk while doing laundry and Danny recognizes him at the gala, ends up trying to avoid him cause how could he explain it’s just a coincidence.

Deadserious angst:

Current Word Count: 324

All started with me thinking about Danny asking if Damian would still love him as a worm, turned into angst cause I love parallel story telling.

Damian&Danny “enemies” to friends(maybe deadserious?)

Current Word Count: 141

Danny and Jazz move to Gotham(good Fenton parents, not dead or bad) since Jazz is starting university and everyone thought maybe a change of place would help Danny focus more on school/grades but with the amazing Fenton luck, he ends up automatically having enemy(he’s being dramatic) at his new school.

[candyunicornsateme]

currently desperately fighting the inner “ramble about random shit and have anxiety about everything” beast and working on a wip

[goldammerchen]

[chatgroove]

I don't normally post wips but!!! I'm redrawing Umbra from his very first picture and I'm really proud of the progress I've made :]