#but anyway at this point in the au wally is very happy to have more friends

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Lights Out dream team - scribbled Silly Style. low quality, even

[grapecinnamon]

Welcome Home x K-12 au

I know, I know, there's so many Welcome Home AUs anyway, but why not one more? Why not one more au? Why not one more alternate universe Wally Darling to call your darling? No, but fr I think Welcome Home and K-12 together would work so well. They're both childlike with adult themes that look more innocent than they let on. I haven't done many designs, but I thought about who I want to be who. So let's get into it.

First off, Wally Darling would be Crybaby. The main character of the story. He would be mostly stoic like how he is from the arg, but gets very emotional when he feels sad, giving him the nickname Crybaby among his peers. In the movie, the uniforms include short pink dresses for girls and white shirts with blue pants for the boys, both with a heart in the center with the k-12 logo in the middle. Crybaby dyes her dress lilac. I imagine Wally dyeing his uniform a light, pastel red. I'm not sure whether I want him wearing a dress or pants though.

Barnaby would be Angelita. Crybaby's best friend, the one who Crybaby/Wally can be the most vulnerable with. Barnaby would still be a joke-cracking comic, but he would also have Angelita's tough exterior, where he would convince Wally to stand up for himself more, just like what Angelita does.

Frank would be Celeste. I honestly could not have found a better placement for Frank. Both are deadpan, smart, and snarky, and aren't afraid to tell off a bully. Both are also easy to piss off.

Julie would be Magnolia. Both have a happy demeanor and love having fun and playing games. In the movie, Magnolia is the girl that sits alone before Crybaby makes friends with her via a really complicated secret hand shake, something I feel like her and Wally would do. Crybaby and Magnolia are also really short and the same size, like Wally and Julie, which I think is really cute. idk I just felt like bringing that up.

Poppy would be Fleur. Another really fitting one. Both Poppy and the actress of Fleur are trans women. Fleur is gentle and kind, but is manipulated by the popular clique for a while, believing that she's not good enough, and develops an ed. The movie includes a heart-to-heart where Fleur confides with Crybaby. I imagine having Poppy and Wally do that scene would be really fitting for both of their characters.

Sally would be Kelly. Kelly is the big mean girl that bully's Crybaby, and attacks her for flirting with her boyfriend, and later tries to include her in the clique after seeing her take down the abusive principal. Sally has mean girl energy. Although she would never do the things Kelly does, they're both overdramatic and think they're so great. In the movie, the girls apart of Kelly's clique all look the same, so I like to imagine all of Sally's girls would look like different stars.

Howdy would be the principal's son. Half-way through the movie, the principal is replaced by his son, who is even more unfair and bossy, caring only about money. Again, that's not really Howdy, but Clown did mention that Howdy is pretty bossy at some point. It's not shown much in the arg, but I still believe he would be perfect for the principal's son.

I'm not sure where Eddie would fit. I imagine him being Thomas, the guy who tells Crybaby the principal's forcing meds on certain students in the beginning. But Thomas doesn't get much screen time, and I would love to include Eddie more. I might interchange him and make him multiple one off characters, like Henry, the student who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I know that in the movie, Crybaby gets an anonymous love letter. In the au, I want Eddie to deliver a love letter to someone (I'm sure you know who) but it goes to Wally instead by accident.

I'm also not sure where Bea, Franny, and Jonesy Joyful (Julie's siblings) would fit. Maybe Franny could be Kelly, but I don't think Franny would be fitting. She seems like she'd be more deadpan than overdramatic like Sally. I've thought about making Jonesy the guy who asks Crybaby/Wally out as a joke... I think that could work but we'll see... As for Bea, I'm stumped

Lilith would be Ronald Dorelaine, the in-universe creator. Lilith in the movie is Crybaby's spirit guide. Crybaby also often begs for Lilith to take her away from the hell she's in... I swear these roles are too perfect. I do wonder if Wally Darling in the arg is aware of Ronald's existance...

Finally, as for Ben, Crybaby's love interest... y/n takes that role in the au. Don't come at me please, but this just feels right. Pretty much everyone does this in the WH aus. Besides... I'm not normal about Wally, so why not. (God I'm so glad Clown hasn't looked at the aus).

I'll create designs for the characters later. I'm hoping I can really flesh this au out as I go.

I also need a name for this au... maybe H-12??? W-12? H makes more sense though.

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

So I'm thinking. What if Barry's ears are like. VERY long and pointed. Not something you can overlook. Not World of Warcraft elf levels but definitely not LotR elf levels either. And then Wally's ears by contrast are more LotR. So he just. Doesn't consider his ears pointy because by comparison they really aren't at all? I might be having further character design thoughts.

Oh no, yeah that's for sure the vibe.

Barry and Wally are outliers because they're half-elves/changelings (<- altered lore tho) so they vary from the norm at times but generally speaking adult fae have pointier ears.

Outside the in-universe reason I kinda vibe with the ears in this au being the replacement for their lightning bolt ears. So, kinda similar in length to those I guess.

Barry definitely has very pointy ears. (Tho less so than a full fae). Wally's ears are barely noticeable, especially when his hair is longer. Wally's will definitely lengthen at a certain point.

I kinda have the lore already cooked up so now I'm using this as an excuse to talk about it lmao.

Fair Folk bind themselves to a court when they come of age. Either the Seelie Court or the Unseelie Court. Fae already experience diminished and dulled emotions when compared to humans, but they fully trade in their emotions when they get sealed to a court. Once sealed they gain access to the entire court's power. This is a mandatory coming of age ritual. All fae are happy to trade what little emotions they possess for more power.

When they get sealed, that's normally when they get the super pointy ears, inhumanely perfect skin and immortality, ect.

Barry is not sealed because he's a half human who was raised by humans and all the info on fae he has comes from Hal. Barry's still got above average ears though because Barry's op as hell and pointy ears = high power levels. Normally unsealed half-elves burn their magic out by the time they hit adulthood and become fully human. RIP to them but Barry's built different.

Wally also isn't sealed. He's too young for it anyway. So he's got baby ears. Although, to be fair, most half-elves don't have pointed ears at all at Wally's age. Half-elves typically burn their magic out young, especially if they don't know they have it. Barry accidentally jumpstarted Wally's magic when he was a very little tiny child so Wally is a bit of an early bloomer. (Which probably saved him from burn out. What they don't know is that the key to keeping magic is using it)

[saintclay]

its 'hyperfixate on my first ever fandom' time oh boy

been rotating the idea of a young justice circus AU fic in my head and I treat tumblr like its my personal notesapp anyway so I'm just gonna put this here. if anything comes of it it comes of it.

AU of the OG 6 + Will and Zatanna because he was there in the episode that sparked these brainworms and come one. magician found in circus. that one just writes itself.

basically instead of becoming sidekicks/'partners' and forming the team, events(tm) lead to all of the members joining the circus. I'd probably end up making it slice of life

ok time for backstory or whatever Dick

this one is obvious he just never left the circus

actually did a minor stint as robin but the circus closed ranks around him when bruce tried to adopt him and in this AU bruce has things like emotional intelligence (canonical to earth-16. kinda) and went 'hmmm perhaps I am not ready to raise a very traumatized kid. maybe he should stay with his adopted family'

Wayne Industries is a major sponsor of the circus (why do I keep saying 'the circus'. its Halys. the Haly International Travelling Circus.) in character because bruce feels Empathy(tm) for dick and out of character because do you know how many plot holes that fixes. 'why can the circus take in this many teens? because Wayne just fucking throws money at them. they could retire and live a lush life if they wanted to! they do this for love not for money, and they no longer have to worry about money its great'

does a solo trapeze act, and is working on a duo act with Wally

Wally

the science experiment did not give him superspeed it just gave him a hospital visit and a lecture

went to see Halys after he got out of the hospital. because Barry and Iris wanted to give him something else to focus on

his dad (not Barry and Iris they're great this is my AU and in MY AU he lived with his dad who was not great) he was like 'ok fuck it I'm joining the circus'. and then he did.

doesn't actually have an act in the big top, but is one of the people who helps with the live setup/takedown of equipment in the acts. Dick is teaching him how to do the trapeze stuff but he's nowhere near ready to actually perform

Kaldur

Travelled with the circus for a mission and liked it a lot

this AU is a little darker wrt Atlantis, but basically his family sent him to live surfaceside because the Purist attacks were getting bad enough that they (and he) were genuinely scared for his life

also in this AU he learned about Black Manta being his father a lot earlier. he still isn't happy about it but because he found out about it at around the same time he left to go be aqualad, finding out didn't have the same impact on him

He's still Aqualad in this AU he's just a league standby/auxilary roster member

he and Will are the only ones who are also full-time heros on top of being members of the circus. Dick sometimes tags along with them but a lot of the time 'absolutely the fuck not you are thirteen you cannot come along with us to help bust a human traffic-ing ring.' actually works because Dick can't make the 'I've been training with Batman for years, I know what the fuck I'm doing' argument in this cannon. also because they rightfully pointed out that he's young enough that showing up with them all the time could easily point back to the circus, whereas the two of them are old enough that people will buy the 'traveling heros' thing

Kaldur is also more of a back-end guy (he's one of the people who helps unload/set up equipment and the fair grounds before the circus kicks off), but on nights that Zatanna is sick he will fill in for her magic show

Will

did the cademus mission solo with Kaldur after bitching and moaning about how the league didn't trust the two of them and then 'finding' the intel that the league was gathering left out on Ollie's desk

'finding' as in the league is much more willing to entertain the idea of a covert ops team of underage heros when the two of them are in their late teens and considered legal adults (or at least Will is because idr how old Kladur is cannonically in S1 but iirc he's like 17) and wanted to stress-test the pair of them

They found Conner! and also! Roy!

Will is ok about that! Its fine! its cool! no biggie! everything about his life is a lie but thats okay!

(narrator voice: he was in fact not fine about it)

Anyway yeah he's having a moment about that but thats ok. Conner got stuck on the team with them. Will is also totally okay with this

(side note because this is less than a year with Roy in cryo sleep he and Ollie have a much better relationship in this cannon. I mean he's still pissed and also having a moment about losing his arm but also he's missed a lot less of his life)

(Roy and Will have a very end-of-s2 type relationship where Roy is like 'ok yeah so he's my clone and thats like. creepy and also weird and also what the fuck. but he is also the one who actively found me b/c otherwise they wouldn't have even known to look and also he didn't know so like. I mean I'm not okay with this in the slightest but I'm not mad at him)

does an archery act. with fire. its pretty sick

Artemis

her mom is still in prison. her dad just got arrested. her sister has been MIA for months now, and is in no place to take care of her

so what does she do? she runs away and joins the circus. because like FUCK if she's letting CPS get their hands on her (Jade knows she's in the circus but also at this point in her life has already started to carve out a name as Cheshire)

rolled up and went 'yo do y'all want a knife thrower' and since their sword swallower had just retired they were like 'yea sure we need a new pointy sharp act'

not the most open about being Sportsmaster's daughter but thats more of a 'why the fuck would I go around telling people that my dad is a killer' thing. by the time Will, Kaldur, and Conner roll up the the circus the rest of the gang knew (they were briefed about it so they also knew)

Conner

Will and Kaldur broke him out of Cadamus with the league

Came with them on this mission and yeah he's staying now he likes it here better

the circus full of strays collected him like a stray and he collected them right back. uno reverse bitches

this is honestly probably a healthier environment for him to be in

does a strongman act. does not really understand why people are so impressed, but he thinks its kinda cool

The Light is screaming crying tearing their hair out (except lex cause he's bald) why is their secret weapon clone having the time of his life in the circus what the fuck

M'gann

snuck down to earth. was not detected on her uncle's bio-ship

did NOT join the team did NOT tell anyone she was there.

showed up at the circus. did some research. asked if they wanted a contortionist

also presented herself as being 17-18 instead of being a teenager

nobody has realized that she's missing yet. she is. totally cool totally cool totally okay about that.

people do not know she's a martian and they have no reason to suspect. this is going to be one of The Many Big Reveals.

crushing on Conner because he's an Outsider who is Not Of Earth like her. he has heard this because she doesn't know how well he can hear and is like 'hmm. well I will not mention this'

honestly much more used to being Megan The Human Person

Zatanna

the events of cannon happened and her dad got Dr. Fate-ed

since she had met Connor/Will/Kaldur at this point and knew they were at the circus she showed up shortly after that and went 'can I join y'all'

and I mean. she's a born performer. and the theatrics of a deeply traumatized 16 year old who is desperately trying not to have a mental breakdown are RIVETING

depending on when I decide to start this AU she probably isn't at the circus (since I'm probably going to start with 'Conner, Will, and Kaldur go undercover at the circus, and she wouldn't show up until a bit later')

saves most of her grand magic for the stage. at this point since there have been reveals the rest of the team covers for her. does card tricks and slight of hand tricks as well but thats normally the warm up to her act

ok I'm tired I might add more to this later

[hello-im-not-a-possum]

Shapeshifting/Transformation lore dump for the Feed the Ink or it’ll Free Everyone AU because I wanna talk about it.

-The placebo effect giveth, and the placebo effect taketh away.

-There’s truth to the phrase “You are what you eat” in its literal sense, but you can’t become a bull just by eating a single burger.

-There’s multiple routes to the same destination.

-If you run a toon through one of the machines that make up to four different items out of ink, the toon will take the form of the selected item for a few seconds before snapping back to their original shape.

-If you run a searcher through one of those machines, they will hold the selected form until someone throws the item form they have taken into the ink. Also, items made with either a lost one or a searcher last a lot longer and are a lot more durable than items made with just thick ink.

-Running lost ones through them holds similar results to running a searcher through them. Except for the fact that there is a lot more screaming and bone-crunching noises.

-Nobody knows what will happen if you run Henry or Norman through one of those things because neither of them are melty/flexible enough to fit in the input slot.

-The Ink Demon has his heart set on misleading the studio away from the path of reclaiming their humanity because he fears that once they’re human (or human enough) again, they’ll go back to treating him like a monster. He’ll never admit this, instead claims; “They’ll be happier as toons anyway!”

-And in fairness to him, some people will prefer to stay as toons. Most of them because they genuinely enjoy their new lives and can’t imagine being as happy if they go back to being human, and some of them because they fear feeling lasting pain and permanent death.

-Wally’s the first person to successfully regain genuine humanity. He didn’t even actively pursue it, he just chilled with his friends and family, engaged in some tough decisions, and one day his tape recorder head just pops off and his human head pops out. Yes, he and his wife did scream when it happened but the aftermath was very happy for both of them.

-Sammy never regains his humanity.

-You know how when you play chess, the pawns are the weakest piece but they can become queens (the strongest piece) after completing the Herculean task of reaching the other side of the board?

-Why worship a god who will never notice you, when you can become a god? But maybe keep that on the down low, who knows what hell will break loose if anyone finds out what you’ve become and how you did it...

-The shape shifting abilities of toons are limited to cartoon world physics.

-Lost ones are more akin to skeletons covered in constantly-melting meat. They can change their meat within reason, but there’s still bones in there which they cannot change and have to keep in mind. Can a lost one make themselves a magnum dong? Yes, as long as they sculpt enough ink onto themselves. Can a lost one make themselves taller than how they were as a human? No.

-Meanwhile, searchers are capable of shape shifting to a far greater degree, but it’s rarely willingly as their forms are determined by the following: 1. the amount of magic in their body. 2. environment. 3. energy level. 4. diet. 5. mental/emotional state. 6. willpower.

For example, Say that Joey wanted to use his what abilities he has as a swollen searcher to make himself look human again, he would fail due to the fact he’s missing several key points of the criteria: points 1-4.

1. His magic level is pretty low without the ink machine’s aid. 2. He’s surrounded by other searchers/lost ones most of the time, which means he already fits in well with his environment, no need to waste precious energy . 3. He feels bloated and sluggish like this. 4. he’s not eating enough food to sustain a human-sized body, and what he is eating isn’t healthy.

-Formerly ink people who regain their humanity still have lingering scars from the ink. In 95% of cases, these scars will be literal; Wally’s a bunch of tiny scars all over his body and a mark in his chest that looks like a giant hole from a distance, Jack’s missing a leg and he no longer has a sense of smell, Norman has healed bullet wounds mostly on his chest and has a nasty scar around his neck, Bertrum has weird marks on his arms and legs, etc.

-Sammy similarly has a decent-sized, ax made hole on the right side of his head in spite of not being human.

[aeligsido]

🌗 💕 🌍 🎤 for the ask <3 <3

THANK U SO MUCH FOR THE ASK!

🌗 fluff or angst?

why it is always fluff or angst but never hurt/comfort????? i want my hurt/comfort guys that's all i ask,

(angst)

💕 favorite ship to write?

iorhfui honestly i don't think I have a favorite ship to write?? like, in general i like writing ship and i find them all interesting to write odifh it depends how much i like this particular ship i guess????

🌍fave type of au to write?

uuuuuh... any au? no but really, they all can be interesting as long as i have the ideas to go with it odfih

BUT in general i like modern au/no capes au (depending on the fandom), i also like fantasy au veeery much. I recently discovered my love for some fairy tales au (wait, not so recently actually now that i think about that)... like all of that is so much fun to write. AND!!! the worldbuilding!!! i love the worldbuilding!!

so, yeah. i'm staying with these one!

... except if canon divergence works..... i do like writing about it....

🎤fave line in a fic you wrote?

oh seriously i had to go find a fic and a line odufhu

SINCE IT'S LIKE THAT HERE I'LL PUT MORE THAN ONE

“So,” said Ashley, swallowing hardly on her breath. “You have two moms, and a dad. It's nice.” Not what she expected, but not unheard of.

“Five,” corrected Lian.

“... Five?”

“Yes. Five dads.”

I just really like this one bc it's very funny to me. It's from one of my WIP called "titans' babies vs the world", and in this one you have Lian talking about her parents lmao. Talking about that, here's Bobby talking about their parents as well:

“Yeah. The one who was with dad before, the dad who's Mar'i's dad dad and kind of mom's twin – or, well, they tell everyone they are even if they aren't really, I don't know, it's complicated – and now mom is with mom and they love each other very much. Like dad love mom and mom but in another way, you know?”

If it's extra confusing, it's the point LMAO. I just love these kids so much.

Stephanie flourishes on the road, cheeks reds from the wind and smiling, hands calloused under the work, her bag still light on her hips. This curse is turning into a blessing, even if she doesn’t say it out loud, even if she barely allow herself the thought.

But, for the first time since her mother’s death and what she feels is forever, Stephanie is truly happy.

This one is from another WIP!! A Fairy Tale AU with Steph as the main character :D idk, i just really like the way it flows, maybe it's just me lmao

Dick led the way toward the gardens, keeping Kori’s hand in his. The moon reflected on Kori’s hair in a bright, eerie way. He loved it.

It wasn’t too warm outside despite the summer night; a light breeze was creeping around and chilling the air in a pleasant way. The stars were shining.

Dick still had a ring in his pocket.

listen i'm a romantic at heart... i just really like this part. AND YES it's also for another one of my WIP. Well technically not WIP since it's finished but on its way to be betaed lmao

The last time Tim had seen him was years ago, when Jason was still Robin and Tim a stalker following the Batman and his allies. In his death, he somehow managed to grow up to be tall and bulky, towering close to Bruce’s height - and weight. All in all, Jason was terrifying, extremely competent, and there was no way for Tim to beat him in a fight.

After all, Tim knew that fighting wasn’t his strong suit, despite - or in spite - of all the training he had been put through. But, well, everyone said he had one thing for himself, and it was his brain. Or making wonderful plans on the spot, just like Kon told him two hours ago during their tag game. (That they won, for the record.)

Now was the perfect time to discover if Tim Drake could outsmart Jason Todd.

i just love it because it screams that Tim is about to do something very stupid lmao. AND!! this one is actually from a published fic, aka Checkmate :fingerguns:

“Because you’re Robin.” [...] “And Robin was me. My family colors. My name. I created it to honor my family - and by putting on this costume, you became a part of my family. You became mine, Jase. Not Bruce’s. Not anyone else’s. And you still are, will always be. Robins are a family, and Bruce has no say in that.”

Jason - Jason’s heart was breaking and healing at the same time, full of tiny shards of glass and soft bandages.

[...]

Jason never realized the consequences of being Robin, but this - being part of Dick’s family - was probably the best of all. It was worth it - worth everything else.

listen i'm extremely emotional about Jason and Dick and especially this fic. Anyway, it's from A Nest of Love and Robins, this one is posted too!

Wally missed it, sometimes. Missed the thrill of being Kid Flash, of being a Titan, of fighting and having movie nights with his best friends. When he looked at Bart, at Conner, at Cassie, at Cissie, at Tim – Wally wondered whose legacy they're carrying on. Of course, people automatically thought it was the Justice League's ; but Wally watched them and remembered and thought, 'Maybe they got it from us, maybe they're our legacy'. And that was a weird thought – because the Titans had never been about having a legacy or being one, but always been about being a group of friends and becoming a family in between two punches and a slice of pizza.

this one make me emotional too. I honestly don't have anything better to say, i just... really love the whole things. It comes from Watch Your Past!

Okay now last one but i'm really in love with this whole fic and yes i know i'm the one who wrote it and????

But- It was nice, too, in it's own way. They grew up together, faced death and life together. They knew each other so much they couldn't really hide anything, and sometimes it felt like they were an extension of his own soul.

He had thought, once upon a time, that maybe he was a tiny bit in love with his best friends. He loved them more than anything, after all; that didn't really change, he just added more people to this category. Their children. His siblings.

It hadn't been true, though – not entirely. Because if his interest in them wasn't romantic, it didn't mean he couldn't be in love with them. There are a lot of ways to be in love with people. Maybe it was just another one.

It didn't really matter, in the end, as long as they could stay together – in this life and the next.

[...]

They laughed, loud and clear – like all those years ago in Titans Tower or in the middle of a fight or standing proud against their enemies, mentors, whoever would try to go against them. They laughed, freely and with not a care for the world around them, like they still owned it after all these years. They laughed like they were young and innocent, ancient and tired, alive and free.

They laughed, loud and clear, in the same heartbeat and soul.

[...]

(Maybe they were all a little tiny bit in love, in the end.)

idk it's kind of poetic and full of feelz for me, so, yeah. It's from the fic home is where the heart settle, about the Fab Five!

AND THAT'S IT. Thanks again for the ask, ask list here!

[whatyouwantedmetosee]

so there is shipping going on with the human slimes, right? there has to be some shipping

The camera pans over to me in the corner, smushing together action figures of the human slimes and making kissing sounds.

I mean.

Yeah! Dang right there's shipping. I don't necessarily think the AU has to be shippy just because they’re humanoid now, but I personally love shipping, so there’s shipping. I just think it’s neat.

(And, just to have it on record, while the original Slime Rancher game's slimes are relatively unintelligent, I consider the slimes in the BatIM Slime Rancher AU to be more intelligent than you might think. They're still slimes, so it's not like they'd naturally know about human concepts. They have their own slime concepts they know more about. But they're able to learn and understand human stuff easier than you might think.)

Anyway, on to shipping thoughts. Putting this under a read more, since I accidentally rAMBLED FOR 20 YEARS.

-

First, and one that I feel is very important, is that the slimes have no real concept of exclusive relationships. It's a basically unknown concept to them, and nobody's taught them about it, so it just wouldn't be something they'd think about. All of these slimes are real dang polyamorous.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean they all get along. There are reasons they might not be fond of other slimes - like Sammy and Tom fighting over the Cuberry supply, or Wally's... uh, being Wally. But generally speaking, they’re not going to consider affection as exclusive.

I also feel like, at least at the start, the slimes wouldn't really get the concepts of friendship and romance being separate. They might learn about that sort of thing eventually, but at least at the start, it's just Strong Affection overall.

-

Most of the more human interactions the slimes picked up were learnt from Henry or Joey. Hugging in particular would be a big one they got from Henry, and a bunch of other comforting physical touches that require hands. Head pats would be another. While he might be grouchy about it, Sammy is part Tabby, and does love a good pat. Norman too, though you might have a harder time finding him to do that.

As for what they picked up from Joey... Well, uh. Let's just say that somehow, slime Sammy learnt what a kiss was. The action, anyway. He's still not entirely sure of the human implications behind that - it's just a thing you do to people you like, when you're happy? Either way, eventually the concept was passed on to the other slimes, so that's a thing they, for whatever reason, know about doing. And enjoy doing.

It'd take a bit for Henry to find out about all of this - with the slimes in as bad a condition as they were when he returned, it took a lot of care to get them to a point where they were strong and healthy enough to start transforming into human shape again. But once they did start turning humanoid again, well. The human thing was already a shock, but boy howdy, what a surprise to get.

-

On a different note, the slimes still have their own slime-specific ways of showing affection for each other! Slime stacks is a big one - happy enough slimes always like to try and stack on top of each other. It's a lot more difficult in human form, but that doesn't stop them. It tends to look more like just a big cuddle pile of slimes all snuggled up together. Very cute.

Likewise, individual types of slimes probably have their own specific ways of showing affection, too. Sammy and Norman's cat traits make them likely to try and pounce at people they're happy to see, with varying results due to the difference in their body shape to usual. They also purr when around people they're especially relaxed with.

Susie and Allison are likely to glow brighter in the company of people they care about, and Susie especially will sing for people she cares for. Jack (having originally been a Puddle slime) is extremely shy, but less so around people he cares about and trusts. Tom, as a Rock slime, is more stoic, but very protective of those he cares for. Wally... might steal you things. Or steal from you. Results inconclusive.

-

As far as actual relationships within the ranch... Things are a little tricky due to the Everything that went on, but there's definitely sets of slimes that care a lot about each other. Sammy is protective over Susie and Jack, and Tom is protective over Allison. Wally and Norman were pretty close from early on.

Even the combinations of slimes that are less friendly, I could see getting along at least a bit, with time. Especially given that they went through all this ink nonsense together, they all understand each other more than outside slimes probably would. Also, more slimes for the cuddle pile slime stack is always a good thing.

[janedrakey131]

zukka hp au part 6

Thank you so much, everyone! I hope you continue to enjoy this au. I had a few minutes last night, so I wrote up a couple scenes for all of you. 

I haven’t written anything in so long though, so I’m sorry about the quality. Also, if someone is OOC, I’m sorry, I really tried. I need to rewatch atla at this rate. But feedback is always appreciated! I’m tagging anyone currently on the tag list, but if you missed it or just saw it, please let me know on the tag list post and I’ll add you in for future posts. (If you’d like me to reblog and tag you on this one, that’s also an option, but please comment or DM me so I know exactly who would like that.)

Also, if you couldn’t tell, I have no idea what I’m doing. So if I left someone off the tag list by accident or put it in a weird spot, I’m sorry! It’s possibly because I had to google how to make one yesterday XD But if I missed you, please tell me! I swear it wasn’t intentional. If you have any other suggestions or questions, let me know!

If you’d like to catch up:

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12 part 13

If you would like to join the tag list

And with that, hope you enjoy :)

October 31 1981

There’s a suspicious bump.

The minister really does not like suspicious bumps.

But working in the Ministry of Magic for as long as he has, eventually he stopped jumping at every single one. He calls that progress. His wife says he’s finally lost whatever survival instincts he used to possess.

The minister doesn’t care overly much though. Today’s a happy day! The Avatar defeated Lord Sozin! He should be drafting congratulatory letters for the poor kid. Speaking of the child, he needs to find out where they are. And also who they are. There’s an astounding lack of information on this baby.

There’s a suspicious fwoosh and two masked wizards stand before him.

The minister is a calm and collected man. So, of course, he screams.

“None of that now,” says the older man with absolutely wild grey hair. “Stop screaming, Minister. We’re not here to hurt you.”

The minister wasn’t born yesterday, and his mother has reliably informed him that he isn’t a complete imbecile. He continues screaming.

The other intruder nudges the other and sighs. “You’re scaring him.”

“No, really?” Lunatic One groans. “I didn’t notice over all the screaming. Silencio. Honestly, he supposedly went toe to toe with Sozin in the Wizengamot for years. You’d think he’d have more guts than this.”

The nicer interloper (but still Lunatic Two) sighs again. “One who knows when to retreat will live longer than those who stay to fight past their abilities.”

“No, no, nope, we are not having your little philosophical riddles today. They just make my head hurt. You’re only here to make sure I don’t get bored and decide I want to wear his spine as a necklace.”

The minister’s eyes must pop out of his skull a bit.

“Just get to the point, my friend, so we can let this nice man enjoy his evening.”

“Nice man? He’s a politician. They’re all crackpots,” necklace man says.

The minister privately wonders why his friend bothers to sigh again when he clearly isn’t surprised.

“You’re a politician, too.”

“Yes,” the crazy one replies sagely. “I’m a crackpot. It means I wear the stench of insanity with pride and can identify it elsewhere.”

“Anyway,” the same man continues, but this time clearly directed towards the minister. “Simple request. Don’t look for the Avatar. No, no, no, I see you shaking your head at me. Just don’t look for them, or I’ll be back for my new bony accessories.”

His calmer friend looks the minister in the eyes. “We will keep the Avatar safe. But if Sozin’s followers find out where the child is, they’ll be dead before their next birthday. Do you understand, Minister?”

The minister likes to think he’s good at reading the room, so he nods a bit frantically. With them taking care of the child, that’s one less thing for him to worry about. And he gets to keep his spine. He’s rather partial to it now that he thinks about it. Anyway, it’s a win for everyone.

“Excellent.”

And then the two men are gone. 

Hurray for delegating responsibilities.

Today was enitrely too exciting for his delicate sensibilites. The minister pulls out the biggest bottle of Firewhiskey he owns and Floos home. Maybe he’ll get that takeout his wife likes today. She always deserves nice things, but especially today in exchange for all the blubbering he’s about to do.

oOo

“Did you really have to scare him so thoroughly, Headmaster?” Iroh asks once they’re safely back in the Headmaster’s office.

Headmaster Bumi throws his head back and laughs. “Fear is healthy! It keeps the blood pumping. The masks just added to the overall effect. And it’s not like I’d actually follow through. He just needs some character building. But at least that’s done. The kid’s with a friend of mine tonight. You’ll take the child to the orphanage tomorrow then?”

Iroh nods. “We’ll check in on him sometimes?”

“Of course,” Bumi says, looking scandalized. “What do you take me for? If he isn’t being treated well, prophecy or no prophecy, I’ll raise him myself. We don’t tolerate child abuse in this house.”

Iroh is extremely alarmed by the idea of Bumi raising any child, let alone the Avatar. But he is relieved they’re on the same page. At least now he doesn’t have to plan a kidnapping. Finally, after a long, but successful, night, Iroh leans back and enjoys his freshly brewed tea in peace.

Bumi’s chewing breaks the comfortable silence.

“Want a biscuit? They’re lemon poppy seed.”

Moderate peace then, but he thanks the Headmaster and enjoys his biscuit.

oOo

September 1, 1990

Sokka kind of assumes that he’ll be extremely bored during his first year of Hogwarts. He isn’t friends with anyone in his year yet, and Katara is a year younger.

Out of the limited number of other wizarding families he’s met, he hasn’t gotten along with many of the other kids. They were all either too dull, too old, or too annoying.

So Sokka has to admit he didn’t see this coming.

The boy in front of him is cool.

He’s already changed into pressed black Hogwarts robes with a red tie, so Sokka assumes the boy is maybe a second year Gryffindor. His black hair is neatly pulled out of his face, and there’s just a hint of the hair piece holding it up. Sokka’s busy staring at the rings on the boy’s fingers, a clear sign of an elemental magic user. But he’s too far away to figure out which element.

Sokka doesn’t really care though. People are people. It can’t hurt to ask if he can sit there.

So he screws up his courage and opens the door to the train compartment.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Sokka blinks. This boy isn’t very friendly, but he presses on.

“Everywhere else is full,” he says, lying through his teeth. “Mind if I join you?”

Five full compartments can be rounded up to all of them. Sokka’s a man of science. He would know.

The boy doesn’t answer for a beat, looking him up and down. Then he sneers. “Wolf’s tail, all that blue? You must be another Water Tribe peasant.”

Sokka can feel the blood rushing in his ears. Of all the compartments he had to walk into, it had to be a Fire Nation one.

“And you must be half troll with manners like that,” he bites out, before slamming the compartment door shut and walking away.

That was terrible. But it’s too late to go back and properly insult the other boy, so Sokka angrily walks away.

oOo

That’s all for now!

A few more things: 

I’m trying to make my life easier with dates for this au, so Halloween 1981 is when Sozin tried to kill the Avatar. Aang’s birthday is just going to be so late in the year that he got bumped to the year below. So we’re going based on Sokka’s years in school, first year starting in 1990. If something I’m doing doesn’t make sense or I’m completely contraindicating something, please ask! There’s a really good chance I’ve missed something. 

Also, any and all commentary or jokes made by characters about being insane and so on will not extend to actually poking fun at a character’s mental health. If they’ve got an issue that’s bothering them, that’s that. In this case, I think random people appearing in your office would scare you. And Bumi just sounds like someone who assumes everyone is as sane as he is. 

Lastly, say hello to one of the few straight characters we have. The minister was just a fun OC I made up, so I don’t have any corresponding atla character in mind for him. I was going to give him a name, but it just felt better having him be this random competent leader with a badass wife. 

If you’d like to catch up:

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12 part 13

If you would like to join the tag list

@delievia @assyouwishh @aphrcditeee @theoneandonlyredrobin @dongdingheresthething @bring-back-wally @zuko-just-wants-his-honor @youcant-escapefate @iwillgodownwiththisship27 @animegeneral17 @uglybutuwu @cocoa-hooves @errvaaa

[halfusek]

Still Life (Batim Portal AU)

Chapter One – “An old man walks into an abandoned studio” sounds like a beginning of a bad joke. It is.

Summary: We here at Joey Drew Studios are very, very happy to inform you about a special upcoming event. What shall the event be? Now that’s a surprise, but we can promise plenty of old faces, reunions, party and some real entertainment. And cake!

First chapter: [you’re here]

Next chapter: [coming soon]

✪ ✪ ✪

The taxi driver kept looking at him in the rear view.

And not like looking looking. Not with a bored nor curious peeks every now and then, no, no.

Cautiously glaring. Interested but suspicious.

Weird. Sure, the destination was rather special but here’s the thing. A special destination in a small not-so-special town that’s been there for a very long time? Nothing special about that.

The animation studio surely used to wake some sensation thirty years back (alongside many complaints) but these days… it shouldn’t be anything more than a part of the local ecosystem. It even “grew out” a bit on the outskirts. Never integrated to the rest of the place, as if the streets tried to reach there before but, like roots hitting a stone, changed their directions to literally anywhere else.

To be fair, he too did hit that rock.

Being outside of the cab, Henry Stein took a deep breath of fresh air. Don’t get it wrong, the location was nice. All this nature around.

Still. Anywhere else.

He was glad to have gotten out. The atmosphere started to lay heavily on his shoulders. Even the lack of usual small-talk was off-putting and he wasn’t the most talkative person!

Something clicked and his attention snapped back to the vehicle he just exited. It was the trunk. Seems like the other man won’t be that kind to help him with the suitcase. Not that he would ever demand such a thing but maybe he’s gotten a bit used to it. Especially nowadays, with so many years on his back.

Besides, he knew it wasn’t an act of unkindness.

The driver didn’t want to get out, Henry figured while paying him through the window.

Huh.

“I’m sorry, am I misunderstanding something or did the price for the ride go up compared to what it was before?” he furrowed his eyebrows. It’s been years but he remembered the road from the town’s center to here well. Oh, very well, “It’s as if… the price has doubled?”

The driver had an unlit cigarette in his mouth. He was moving it around with his mouth. Probably wanted to lit it for a while now.

“No, the price’s the same. I already counted for your way back.”

“Ah,” Henry smiled politely, “But you see, I don’t know when I’ll need to get back, so-“

“When I finish my Pall Mall, that’s when,” there was a slight impatient growl behind his voice, “Look, pal, I don’t know what you’re expecting to find there, but this gold ore has been mined to death. You are going to kiss that beautiful door handle goodbye and wait for me to finish my smoke.”

Old animator stared at him, flabbergasted.

Then he stood straight with the polite smile back on his face.

“And I thought I couldn’t believe I’m really going to be back there. Still, I do have a very believable invitation and therefore my request to pay for just one ride stands.”

Loud sigh, shuffle of papers, flicker of a lighter, and Henry, followed by the sound of his suitcase’s wheels, was on his way to the building.

Meanwhile, the man in the cab kept followed him with his eyes, turning away only to let the smoke out of his car.

Had it not been the money, he would have already left the place. But gas had its costs and he didn’t want to waste it on turning around when this crazy old man finally realizes there’s nothing grand there waiting for him and calls for a ride back. Calls him that is, as he was the only ride around here.

Knocking ashes from his cigarette, he looked around. It really was a wild place. Abandoned. The town hall wasn’t even bothering to keep the road in a good condition. It was getting a bit bumpy but not like anyone would care anyway.

Then his gaze went back to the traveler, or more precisely, it landed on the parking lot that the said traveler was walking across.

There weren’t any cars save for rusty few parked close to the entry to the workshop.

Weeds managed to crack through the concrete in many places. No one wiped off the leaves.

In years.

He turned the engine back on.

✪ ✪ ✪

Maybe it was because he was even older, but the old man didn’t seem bothered by those sights. To Henry, what mattered was how different the building looked like in the terms of its size. Just look at that thing! More floors, wings on both sides, surely there were some additions on the other side too.

His hand was on the handle. He took a deep breath.

Not out of fear nor worry.

Excitement. He was back.

Slightly chapped lips formed a big grin.

The driver’s jaw dropped and his cigarette quickly followed through.

✪ ✪ ✪

The door opened.

✪ ✪ ✪

Had Henry turned back, he would notice the terrified expression on the other man’s face. Maybe it would have changed something.

Who knows.

But in this story, Henry has entered Joey Drew Studios once again.

✪ ✪ ✪

What is he seeing? The actual surroundings? All the memories playing in his head that happened around them? Both past and present trying to fit in together in his sight?

What is he feeling? Is it nostalgia? Is it happiness? Is it anxiety? Some kind of blend?

Oh… so familiar and yet so different. He found himself looking with shiny eyes at every little detail he remembered, no matter if it was as important as the logo with wheels still turning around the exact same way they used to when he helped to install them, or if it was as mundane as skirting-boards. And then, such a weird thing, how intimidating the different things were. Again, simple changes, like the new chairs, or something popping the eye right away, like the prizes, the decorations, the reception, the-

And just like that the balance pan favored the side of what’s been making him uneasy.

No one was present at the reception.

Actually, there was nobody at all.

Henry wrinkled his nose and adjusted his glasses, turning around.

Surely someone had to be there. The electricity was on. The wheels were turning. The lights were on.

And the door wasn’t locked.

And the letter-

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper that looked… a bit less neat now that it spent a few hours under his butt.

But what it said remained just as clear.

DEAR MISTER STEIN,

WE HERE AT JOEY DREW STUDIOS ARE VERY, VERY HAPPY TO INFORM YOU ABOUT A SPECIAL UPCOMING EVENT. WHAT SHALL THE EVENT BE? NOW THAT’S A SURPRISE, BUT WE CAN PROMISE PLENTY OF OLD FACES, REUNIONS, PARTY AND SOME REAL ENTERTAINMENT. AND CAKE!

WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT THE WORLD OF ANIMATION REALLY NEEDS TO SEE AND WE WANT YOU TO BE A PART OF IT. BUT FIRST, WE NEED TO SHOW IT TO YOU. THE VETERANS! THE PIONEERS! THE ANIMATORS THAT BROUGHT TO LIFE THINGS WHICH STAGGERED THE IMAGINATION OF MILLIONS! IN FACT WE HAVE A LOT WE NEED TO SHOW YOU. IT’S ALL IN HERE, AT THE OLD WORKSHOP.

WE WOULD BE THRILLED TO BE GRACED WITH YOUR PRESENCE. TREMENDOUS FUN AWAITS!

JOEY DREW STUDIOS

And then addresses and all that stuff. He didn’t make it up. The building looking as if it was working wasn’t made up. None of it was made up!

Then… where were the people that sent him this letter?

He left the suitcase behind the reception’s desk. Just now he realized that he really was (was he?) alone – while he was rereading the invitation, the taxi driver finally took his leave.

Right. The taxi driver. His words. His… behavior…

Henry shook his head. No. Come on. You can’t make this up.

The old man took a few courageous steps towards the corridor. Again, full of new wonders just as of the old grind.

He stopped. There were words written at the end of the hall. In large letters.

In ink.

Blue eyes squinted to read them from this distance.

Oh, it was a banner.

Oh-

He beamed.

Suddenly his steps became a lot more energetic.

At the end of the banner’s message there was an arrow pointing to the right. He followed it.

It read: Surprise this way.

Of course. Ominous but, goddamnit, that was it. It had this energy.

His energy.

He hurried through the next corridor. There were balloons on the sides. Arrows pointing at a door at the very end.

What people are going to be there too? Oh, he would love to see Norman again. Or Sammy, or Wally- actually, why has he not seen them all this time?

Another door handle. He opened them without a care in the world.

And there was no world behind those doors. Or, maybe, a completely new one.

As in – it was really dark in here.

To be honest, now, that he stood there, seemingly all alone, in front of pitch black darkness, he wasn’t feeling so brave no more.

Nonetheless, he took that step forward. He searched for switch.

And there was the light.

Not from the bulb.

There were candles around a circular symbol that he seemed to have stepped into-

All balloons popped. The noise altogether was like a loud crack.

And then it was dark again.

✪ ✪ ✪

His alarm was going off.

Henry groaned as he turned under the sheets. He felt really tired. Why was an alarm set anyway? He wasn’t getting anywhere, must have set that by accident.

His arm lazily reached out of the bed in search for that devilish device. Where is it, where is it…

It was hard to reach with his suit limiting his moves and his glasses knocked askew because of the pressure between his head and the pillow.

Wait-

He fell asleep in his glasses? And clothes?

His hand didn’t reach anything. There was a worrying sense of… nothing.

When you sleep at the same house for years and years without moving the furniture around too much, you get used to things being in their place.

And they weren’t.

Blue eyes snapped right open.

What he saw was a wide room with multiple beds. Each had a cabinet on the side and there were a few shelves with products that looked like medicine, screens, speakers.

There was a camera high up.

Oh, shit. He was at a hospital.

Wait, no.

He slowly got up, massaging one temple with his hand.

No, no, no.

This layout…

He sat on the bed.

…he was still in the studio.

Or rather… he was at the studio. He actually was there. Could have been a dream.

But no.

Finally, his attention went back to the sound of the alarm. It was coming out of a device that resembled a radio more than a clock. He took it into his hands and turned off. Strange technology but wasn’t too hard.

As he was putting it back, the speakers screeched, almost causing him to drop the darn thing.

Then he froze.

“Hello! Joey Drew here! Welcome to the Joey Drew Studios Infirmary! I hope your brief detention there was a pleasant one…”

No. No way.

“If you’re hearing this message, that means all the damage you may have been experienced has been noted/taken care of, and that we can continue on with the work. There’s sure a lot of it to do!”

Henry frantically looked around the room.

Was it some sort of a cruel joke?

“However, before we get back to it, please, keep in mind, that although fun, those activities are your work, alright? And here, at Joey Drew Studios, we work hard. But happy, so to keep that spirit up do follow the guidelines and refrain from-“

The old man jumped in bed as the voice became incomprehensible.

“As always, thank you for participating. You are contributing to this wonderful bosom of creation we call art. Remember, dreams do come true! Now, let’s bring this thing to life!”

Minutes passed as Henry sat in silence after the end of what he realized was a prerecorded message.

He didn’t know what kind of person would make him listen to it but it had to be prerecorded.

Joey died fifteen years ago.

[mwolf0epsilon]

Hey look I love your au and I was wondering if you could do Sammy x Susie or Sammy x Jack up to you and maybe see him get along with Wally and another guestion can you please make Sammy’s different personalities please thanks 😊

I'll be honest, this ask was the equivalent of mental whiplash and it made me blank out for half a day.

I'm assuming you were either requesting art or a written prompt, so I went with the latter due to currently being on a commissions only basis for art requests.

I took the liberty to assume this was for SillyTunes AU, where relationships are currently strained, so it's mostly just Sammy and Jack having a heart to heart about past-relationships and repressed feelings.

---

It's not that Sammy resented his father for giving him not the best of upbringings. He couldn't entirely hate the man who paid for his education and who told him to do good by himself if he ever wanted to be better than the city abercrombies that ran about thinking they were better than southern joes like them. He was grateful, even, that his father had tried to raise him clever instead of letting his mind rot like the other kids back in their home town (the ones that threw rocks at birds, blew up rats with smuggled fireworks, and who broke property to entertain themselves because their parents couldn't be bothered to teach them any better).

What he did resent was the ideals he'd rubbed off on him. The bigoted views, the generational shortcomings of the Lawrence men that had been passed down like tradition. Views that had gotten Sammy black eyes, split lips, and busted noses. Worse yet, he resented how confused they made him.

Samuel Lawrence Sr. had been the kind of man to sneer at people he thought unsavory. Called them by their skin color like they were disease riddled animals, things Sammy slipped up on even after promising to be better. But where his father simply glared and commented offhandedly what he thought of others who did not share his skin tone, nothing could compare to his hatred of homosexuals. If anything, Samuel Sr. took glee from spitting out the most soul crushing things he could muster to anyone who looked at the same sex "funny". He aimed to hurt the "freaks" that went against the Bible.

How ironic that his own son was a closeted bisexual.

"You know, if anything I thought you'd be focused on the whole 'holy shit I'm a talking sheep' thing, not your repressed feelings for Norman..."

Bless Jack Fain for being who he was. Sammy had gotten along well with the slightly older man from the moment they met. A rarity if you really knew Sammy. He wasn't a people person and often had to be encouraged by his little sister to play nice. But Jack? Jack just eases him into being more open, more honest. He was a safe person to be vulnerable around, and one he could entrust with his little secret.

Mostly because Jack had his own secret: The fact that he was a gay man married to his best friend, a lesbian who'd orchestrated quite the grifter act so that both of them could be married and happy. Sammy had never personally met the woman, but he was grateful she'd managed to make it safe for his friend to be able to be spiritually married with the man of his dreams.

"That's not even the issue right now and you know it..." He sighed, covering his face (muzzle) with his gloved hands as he lay in the hammock he'd claimed for himself. The furthest one in the corner of the 'communal room'.

"Well, there's also the awkwardness with Susie..." Jack carefully tuned his fiddle as he talked, not once needing to look at Sammy to read him like an open book. "Between one and the other, you're pretty strung up on this whole mess."

"Jack, Susie and I ended on really bad terms, and falling back into friendly banter and hugs is physically painful when we both remember what happened." He looked at the shorter and rounder cartoon sheep. Jack was looking at him now, frowning slightly.

"And Norman?" The other asked calmly.

"Hates me because I apparently killed him while I was all whacky from drinking Satan's blood in inky form." Sammy stated dryly. "Cultist shit aside, Norman's married and has kids... Or uh, was married. None of us know who's out there waiting for us..."

"Norman's married life is none of my business but I'm pretty sure he was on the same boat as you. I've seen him eat up both broads and blokes with his good eye like you eye up a chocolate cake..." Jack pointed out, raising his gloved hand when Sammy went to cut him off. "I'm not saying he'd cheat on his wife, I'm just saying the man isn't as straight as you think... Now on the subject of you killing him... Err... Yeah that's rough, but not your fault."

"Because I can walk over to him now and say 'hey sorry for ripping out your heart with an axe, I wasn't myself'?" Sammy huffed and curled up into a tight wooly ball. This was hopeless. Between pining over Susie and Norman, and feeling guilty over all the shit Joey Drew and his damn magical Ink had put them through?

He felt like a fuck-up. A very confused fuck up that couldn't even figure out who he wanted in his life. And, to make it worse, in came someone he really didn't want to talk with...

"Hey guys, whatcha up to?" 'Wally' walked in with a wolfish smile and a chipper tone in his voice.

"Hey Wally." Jack greeted him back, while Sammy ignored the imposter. He didn't trust this guy as far as he could throw him, and it still annoyed him that the others ignored his very valid concerns. He was miserable enough as is. "Just resting... Sammy wasn't feeling well."

"It's all them inkwells he's been draining. It don't hurt us no more but it can't be good for ya to booze it up like that." The cartoon wolf chuckled as he went to his own hammock to retrieve something. "My ma used to say visiting the gin mill when you was down was only gonna put ya in an evil mood."

"You don't have a ma..." Sammy grumbled under his breath, getting a sharp look from the wolf.

"What was that?"

"Baa. I said baa. Laugh it up twit..." He lied as he gave up on getting comfortable. Might as well get up and move on with his life. Do something productive while he was in a funk.

"Don't pay him mind Wally, you know Sammy's not the nicest when he's joed and yearning." Jack laughed, getting an annoyed glare from the taller cartoon sheep.

"Jack!"

"Yearning for what exactly?" 'Wally' blinked in confusion. "Another drink? A slice of that delicious all the way from the cafe? Uh... Miss Campbell?"

Sammy took off his bell and chucked it at the wolf. It bounced off his snout harmlessly before it vanished and reappeared around the music director's neck. Damned thing! The wolf grinned.

"Awww you're still dizzy with the dame! That's real cute Sammy!"

"I'm not having this discussion with you!"

"Half a discussion you mean." Jack snorted.

"Silence Judas!" Sammy stamped his foot (hoof) and snorted loudly, electing to ignore the visible cloudy puffs that exited his nostrils. Toon logic was mind-boggling and the particle effects a bit annoying with how much they made it easy to read his moods.

"If it's about how screwy things got, why don't ya sit down and talk about it? Miss Campbell is a sweet dame, she'll listen." Wally suggested. "Think she might need t'talk it out anyways... She's pretty down about it too ya know."

This caught Sammy by surprise.

"What do you mean?" He couldn't help ask out of curiosity.

"Heard her venting to Norman. Was none of my business but hard not to eavesdrop when them walls ain't up to code or whatever Thomas goes on about with regulations and stuff..." The wolf shrugged. "Anywhos, she felt bad that she blew up on you when Joey gave her the slip. She didn't know Drew literally only told you and left ya to tell her she was fired..."

"I... How does she know that...?"

"Norman. Turns out Joey used to ramble to himself in his office when he thought he was on his lonesome... He was gonna try warn ya both that Joey was being shifty, but by then t'was too late and the damage was done. He felt awful that he wasn't too fast, but then again he wasn't really s'pose to know that anyway. I wonder if Joey would'a known he was watching him if ya both didn't blow up at each other like ya did over the whole replacement thing..."

Norman had told Susie that Joey had screwed things up between them on purpose? The guy had avoided him since going through Thomas and Henry's version of the machine! Why would he go though the hassle?

"See? That counts for something Sam." Jack smiled. "If he hated you he wouldn't be defending your honor."

"Norman Polk, hating on Sammy Lawrence? You guys crack me up! Guy don't have no mean bone in his body... He's all bark and little to no bite unless you deserve a beating!" Wally laughed.

"None of us have bones anymore idiot... But..." Sammy sighed. "Thanks... For the advice. And the information."

"..." The wolf sat down. "Well I'll be. I must be dead, cuzz there ain't no way Sammy just thanked little old me."

The bell was thrown once more and Sammy stamped off as the fake Wally cackled. Jack merely shook his head and muttered something along the lines of young love.

"You're only five years older than me!"

"That's five years worth more experience than you Sam!"

"Fuck off Jack!"

[iwritethat]

Roy Harper: Cold

A/N: I’ll put up the final fantasy AU soon and I didn’t realise y’all wanted Part 2s to them omg. For now, here’s some Roy fluff and misconceptions.

>>>>——————————>

It may've been ridiculous, anyone would've thought you were catching the crazies from some of the more notorious villains littering the city. However, your friends were mildly concerned with the enthusiasm you displayed at the prospect of catching a cold.

"So why are you doing this, see people usually try to get rid of a cold..." Roy smartly mocked, taking a brief glance from engineering his arrows with Dick and Wally nodding in agreement from their place at your kitchen table.

"I'm in a predicament, my friend wants to set me up on a blind date and she told me the person is really nice but I don't want to go, meeting a stranger makes me so nervous." You sighed before explaining, along with a variety of hand gestures.

"Uh Huh, so you said no..." Dick started, with a hinting tone and cocked brow.

"I couldn't say no, she's such a good friend and I didn't want to upset her so I automatically agreed because that's what I do. I do that sometimes, people need me and I cave. I'm such an idiot." Was your sheepish response, the others facepalming as you winced.

The crimson archer got up to squeeze your shoulder as some form of comfort, rare sincerity in his voice as he addressed you. "You're not an idiot, you’re just too nice."

"Hah! You're just the same Roy, you'd never pass up the chance for insults yet when it comes to (Y/n) you-" Wally quickly picked up on the conversation, piping in to taunt his friend.

"Shut it smartass!"

Once Roy had shot him a glare after instantly cutting him short, Wally raised his brows to you in a 'told you so' manner before dashing away at an ‘average pace’ leaving you to laugh. It was sweet how Dick and Wally tried to keep you from knowing their secret, whereas Roy had outrightly told you their identities so seeing Wally hold back on speeding in your presence was quite amusing. But to keep both you and Roy entertained you remained ‘oblivious’ to their second lives. In honesty you were lucky to have a friend as great as Roy was, you were incredibly close to the point you knew each other better than you knew yourselves and with all of the traumas you’d been through together it’d take a hell of a lot more to tear you apart. Dick and Wally had originally questioned why the two of you hadn’t made it official since you were basically dating anyway but since you both friendzoned each other quicker than the Flash, they never mentioned it again. At least not directly, West still had his subtle reminders.

.

Ultimately you ended up right back where you started after a few days of cold hunting, you'd stick your head out of the window after showering, slept without blankets, etc etc. You'd even walked to your local takeout joint without a jacket, however since Roy accompanied you the archer threw his own over shoulders completely ignoring your protests. He ensured you were wearing it on the way home too and forgot to take it from you once leaving your apartment to walk home. Douche.

After recapping the past events and how little time you had until the date deadline, you slumped against Roys coffee table after pacing the room wracking your brains for ideas as your ginger comrade shot them down with a snarky remark.

"[Achoo]"

Your attention instantly snapped to the alias under the Red Arrow, who leant on the arm of the sofa idly flicking through the channels and not really paying attention, your next move was out of both desperation and something else but as long as it aided your situation then hopefully he'd forgive you.

At first Roy was startled, feeling your lips on his was the last thing he expected after sneezing and fell back onto the couch taking you with him out of surprise. But soon you felt him melt into it, fingers running across your body as the exchange deepened. You gently pulled away, your hand resting on his chest as he raised a skeptic brow at you.

"Think that'll get me sick?" You playfully added, cute smirk on your lips despite Roy flashing a glimpse of disappointment but responded with a flirty tone.

"One more for good measure, definitely." Then he leaned in once more, and with a spine tingling kiss like that, your immune system should be deemed immortal if you didn't get catch his cold.

.

Within the next 48 hours you found yourself curled up in a fluffy blanket, snacks littered in front of you on the table and resting against Roys side with the both of you sniffling every so often. With a nudge from your sick buddy, you shifted with a groan.

"Aren't you gonna call off your date, best do it whilst you're blocked up." Harper proudly reminded you, pausing the TV series you were currently binge watching.

Begrudgingly you dialled up your friend, sickness clearer than ever and of course Roy was listening in as he chilled out beside you.

"Hi, yeah I'm not so good."

"Oh (Y/n), is it the date? If you're nervous then-" She was very considerate, you'd give her that.

"Ah, about that - I've come down with a terrible cold, I don't think I'll be up for that date on Saturday." You rasped, Roy sniggering as you feigned a cough.

"Oh don’t worry if - was that Roy? Wait wait, are you dating him, is that it? Hmm, you are always hanging out and stuff, he knows you better than me to be honest... it makes sense. You should've just said (Y/n), I would've been happy for you y’know and I can’t believe you didn’t tell me." Your joyful friend practically giggled down the phone causing your archer to halt in his amusement as you turned to each other in horror at first then morphed to a consenting head tilt, like you'd silently agreed the presumption wasn't horrendously miscalculated. But even so, she was still wrong and needed to lose that train of thought permanently.

"Wha-no! I'm sick. I’m sick and single!" You briskly corrected her, Roy taking the phone from your hand to sternly back up that statement.

"Very, very sick and not dating me!"

"Mmhm okay. Have fun making out!" She happily replied before the line went dead, leaving an awkward silence lingering in the air.

"..."

.

Of course the partly arrogant hero broke the tense atmosphere, sighing as he scanned your features for any kind of reaction other than furrowed brows.

"Realising that lying about us being together would've been easier in the first place?"

"Yes." A simple deadpanning response.

"And much healthier than catching a cold?" Roy continued, prompting the same tone once more.

"Yep."

"Idiot."

Now that stirred a response, digging your fingers into his sides as he jumped with a cute shriek at the gesture.

"Hey!"

"Alright alright - My idiot. So... wanna make out?"

[angsty-violet]

Bitter Ice

Written for the @dctvbingo bingo card and for the prompt “coffee shop au”. It is Jax/Wally West.

“Dude you have to try this new coffee shop. It’s insane. The guy who owns it hates people. He is always trying to drive away customers. However, his employee is always super nice. They also have the best coffee known to man there.” Barry looked at Wally skeptically.

“That doesn’t sound like it would be fun at all.”

“No, it’s great. I swear it is.”

“You have a crush on the employee don’t you?” Wally sighed and looked at the ground.

“Is it really so obvious?”

“Why else would you go to a place where the owner hates customers?” Wally gave his best pleading eyes.

“Please brother? Please go to the coffee shop with me so that my ogling is less obvious.” Barry sighed.

“Alright, but the coffee better be amazing. I suppose anywhere that hates customers is probably pretty quiet too. Jitters is always so crowded.”

“Yes! You won’t regret it, Barry. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.”

“Not really inspiring confidence there Wally.” Wally just shrugged and led the way to Bitter Ice. Upon first sight, it was an awesome coffee shop. Done up in dark colors and with retro punk décor it was definitely the place that Barry could see himself spending hours.

They saw that there was a dark-skinned young man behind the counter. He lit up when he saw Wally come in and then looked really disappointed when Barry followed after him.

“Hey, Jax. This is my brother Barry.” The disappointed look vanished and Jax once again was beaming at Wally. Turns out it was just as reciprocated. It made Barry at least feel better about being here.

“Hey, Barry. Welcome to Bitter Ice. The place with the best coffee, tea, and scones. Whether you like it hot or iced you won’t be bitter about the coffee when you leave.” It was the most ridiculous thing that Barry had ever heard. He gave a chuckle and was relieved when Jax grinned right along with him.

“Are those customers? Tell them to get lost!” These words were heard from somewhere in the back. Jax rubbed the back of his neck.

“No boss. We need the customers, remember? Besides, it’s just Wally and his brother. Want to come and make them some coffee?” There was some angry grumbling and then a man, somewhere over thirty but under fifty, came from the back.

He had the most piercing blue eyes that Barry had ever seen. It also stirred up an odd sort of curiousness in him. He couldn’t help but blurt out the question that had to be on everyone’s mind.

“If you don’t want customers, why do you own a coffee shop?” The man raised an eyebrow and Barry realized that that was kind of rude but it was a fair point.

“It’s a front for the mob.” This was said so completely deadpan that Barry couldn’t help but believe it. it also kind of made sense. If you were a front for the mob you wouldn’t want customers either. Jax however, gave a snort and rolled his eyes.

“He owns a coffee shop because he can’t stand not doing anything, despite being wealthy enough to retire comfortable. However, he doesn’t really want to have to deal with customers. It is unfortunate that some of the people who have tried have found that the coffee is so good that they can brave the boss. It means he actually has to deal with them occasionally.”

The man gave a world-weary sigh and Barry realized that that was part of his ploy to drive people away. Not many people wanted to go anywhere near anything that had mob written on it.

“Well, what can I get you?” This was said almost pained.

“I’ll have my usual mocha with the lighter roast.” Wally was a simple guy with simple tastes. Barry inspected the menu for a moment and then made his decision.

“I want the cortado with the light roast as well. And can I get that iced?” The man nodded and set about making the drinks.

“I’m Len by the way.” Barry raised an eyebrow and couldn’t resist the teasing.

“Introducing yourself, how will you ever drive customers off with that kind of behavior?”

“I figure that anyone who can make it through my first impression and still order coffee from me deserves to at least know my name. Besides, Wally would probably just tell you anyway. He always seems to have no problem telling my personal story whenever the mood hits him.” Here Len glared at Barry’s brother.

Wally just grinned unrepentantly back at him and went back to gazing soulfully after Jax. Len gave an eyeroll and Barry found himself completely entranced by the way the man moved. His motions were well worn. He had obviously done this numerous times. There were smooth and well-practiced. Despite the fact that he didn’t want customers he was very good at what he was doing.

Once the coffee had been made Len went back into the backroom to do God knows what and left the three of them alone. Jax it seemed wanted to make conversation at the very least. Which sort of made up for his boss’ attitude.

“So you guys have any other siblings?” This direction was technically directed at the both of them but Barry could tell that it was more directed at Wally then him. And it was Wally that answered.

“Yeah, a sister, Iris. I might bring her in here too.”

“Wow, you must really hate your siblings.” Jax joked. Barry could tell that he wasn’t really wanted. He knew that Wally only really brought him along for plausible deniability.

“Hey guys, I got to go I will see you later.” They gave an affirmative and he left the coffee shop deep in thought. He was happy that Wally had found someone really. However, it had opened up an entire feeling of curiosity. After all, he desperately wanted to get to know the mysterious Len.

Barry had the feeling that he was going to be visiting this coffee shop many times in the future.

[smokedstorybara]

I’m compiling a list of all my wips w/ summaries here to remind myself what all I should be working on and keep myself accountable - and if y’all wanna yell at me about them please do

(Also be warned there will be some spoilers in here cause I suck at non spoiler-y summaries)

Fanfics:

Dear Evan Hansen:

(Apprentice) Park Ranger Handsome part 16 (doesn’t even have a name yet I’m so sorry)

Evan and Connor’s first date!! They go to the orchard of course, and have more relationship conversation... and a picnic.

Fae Court AU

Prince Connor of the Winter Court falls in love with a human boy and acts on it, despite his parents having Rules against relationships with humans. The consequences are big but Connor and Evan weather them well.

Flash:

Soulmate AU (I’m thinking ‘Dream A Little Dream Of Me’ for series title)

A series of one-shots following the Arrowverse characters - with a bit of a focus on Team Flash and the Legends - as they find love and happiness , with some bumps along the way, in a world where you share dreams with your soulmate. Timeline is spread out from Stein and Clarissa’s first meeting to some point around mid canon.

endgame ships include Barry/Len, Hartley/Cisco, Wally/Jax, Sara/Ava, Nate/Ollie/Felicity/Lisa(it’ll make sense I promise), Iris/Caitlin/Shawna, and more

Role-reversal AU

In a world where Barry was kept strictly away from the file on his mother’s murder after he becomes a CSI he grows resentful and distrusting of law-enforcement and a little quicker to recognize that he can’t entirely fix the issues with the police from the inside. So when he wakes from a nine month coma with super speed his first thought is how much he can shove the police’s faces in the fact that the system isn’t perfect and needs to change... he becomes the world’s fastest thief - unbeatable. At least until he goes after a certain diamond at the same time as one Leonard Snart, who walks away from the encounter looking to the world like a hero and gets a sweet taste of positive press that he’s not all that eager to give up.

Harry Potter crossover

Snart and Rory go “backpacking across Europe” on a ridiculous challenge to steal one thing in each country. Their last stop is in England and they’ve set their sights on a suburb in Surrey... which leads them to noticing the treatment of the young nephew of their potential target. Being survivors of abuse themselves they decide to remove him from that environment... along with all of Vernon Dursley’s valuables. Raising a kid is hard, raising a magical kid while maintaining positions as master thieves? ...piece of cake...

Check Please:

Moving On

When Jack and Bitty go through a messy breakup their friends are torn and Bitty is uncertain about what to do, especially when he has to go back to Georgia - where he’s firmly in the closet - for summer break. He can’t talk to his family or his friends about all his conflicting feelings about what happened, so he somehow finds himself corresponding with the one person who he knows would understand - Jack’s other ex, Kent Parson. He also finds himself growing closer to the previous year’s freshmen on his college hockey team and the team’s new manager - especially when summer ends and they’re all handling the situation better than the rest of his friends - ie: behaving like nothing happened except that they’re immediately down to fight Jack at a moment’s notice.

The Umbrella Academy:

Ghost Dave (that’s what it’s called in my google docs but it’s definitely not gonna be the title of the final product)

Dave Katz has been haunting the surviving members of his unit for a couple decades when the story about the 43 women comes on the news; a story Dave had heard plenty about before he died from his lover, Klaus Hargreeves. In whose tellings of it he was one of the children born that day. He also had claimed a few times to be from the future so Dave was fairly willing to take this as proof he was telling the truth. Immediately Dave seeks out Reginald Hargreeves and the 7 of the children he adopted. Over the next 29 years Dave follows the young Klaus around, giving him advice and unconditional friendship and protection from the other ghosts the poor kid could see.

Circle Of Magic crossover

When Tris finds herself dropping out of some kind of portal in a strange land it doesn’t take her long to figure out that some mage had decided to get rid of her - and possibly her siblings - by banishing her to another world, one with advanced technology but not much by way of magic - if one didn’t count the six super-powered siblings she appeared in the middle of. At the same time, but also not, Tris’s adopted sister Sandry wound up smack dab in the center of a group calling themself The Commission who’re very interested in adding her to their ranks, she joins up but maintains suspicion. Daja, the third sister, follows a pair of assassins. And their one brother, Briar, falls into the Vietnam War alongside one freshly tortured Klaus Hargreeves. They all find their way back together eventually - with much fewer casualties than if they hadn’t been there

Harry Potter crossover 1

When an eighteen-year-old Klaus Hargreeves gets bored of being lookout on a mission in London and wanders into the bar across the street he isn’t expecting to find a best friend, but that’s exactly what happens. Lily Evans is a couple months into a break-up and still tired of her ex and his idiocy, especially after his most recent letter - a pile of stupid big enough to send her straight to her local bar. The two hit it off instantly via complaining about anything and everything and egging each other into doing the most ridiculous but fun things. Their night of fun turns sour when Klaus finds out his brother Ben died during the mission and at least one of his siblings blame him. Lily takes the broken boy back to her flat and let’s him stay with her until his visa to stay in England runs out. Thirteen years later the apocalypse is interrupted by a tired ex-professor bringing life changing news - Lily was pregnant when Klaus left England(they’d slept together a handful of times but were never more than friends with benefits), also Lily and her husband(the idiot ex who apologized and changed his behavior, Klaus was at their wedding) are dead and Klaus and Lily’s son was placed with his aunt Petunia(who Klaus has met and knows the boy never should’ve been put with) because only five people besides Lily and James knew who Harry’s father really was and the only one capable of doing anything about it had to find the wandering junkie first. Klaus handles all this about as well as a powerful veteran with a traumatic childhood can - fighting tooth and nail for custody and then raising the boy the best he can with help from his siblings and robot mom and shoving his son’s happiness and safety in the faces of everyone who did the boy wrong

Harry Potter crossover 2

Not long after the war ends Harry finds that he can’t stand staying in magical Britain any longer, so he takes his godson and moves to America. Six years later one of the kids who live across the street sneaks out his window, wearing only pjs despite the heavy snow. Harry finds himself staying up waiting for the boy to return to their street and making some hot cocoa - which he offers to the boy as soon as he sees him. It quickly becomes a Thing(tm); Klaus will sneak out his window in the middle of the night, go for a walk, and eventually wind up having hot cocoa in Harry’s kitchen. They form a strange friendship, one where Klaus has someone he knows he can go to when everything becomes too much - even if that means crawling through Harry’s window, collapsing on his floor in tears, and falling asleep on his couch, waking up just in time to get home before his absence is noticed. Three more years have passed when Harry and Teddy are idly watching tv and Harry sees a very familiar face as Reginald Hargreeves introduces ‘the inaugural class of the Umbrella Academy.’ When Klaus comes over that night Harry asks how much choice Hargreeves gave him and his siblings in their ‘heroics’. After some thought Klaus remembers how his brother Ben hadn’t wanted anything to do with what happened at the bank but was made to participate anyway. He answers honestly: they weren’t really given any. Thus begins Harry’s campaign to get custody for the kids from Hargreeves.

Original Works:

Four Elements Universe(a collection of stories set along one timeline - very far apart and with no overarching plot, just a shared world):

Sisa:

A secluded young king sneaks out of his castle and gets a job under a false identity in hope for friendship, then gives everything up to help his new friends and the rest of his people when he realizes the extent of his adviser’s corruption. Around the same time, a teenage master thief is hired to steal a specific box from the castle - and then to help another thief break her friend out of the castle dungeon - and uncovers several major secrets that might just change the fate of the kingdom.

Kings:

Bandit King Vakhtang’s life is irrevocably changed when he agrees to lend his men to a rebellion for a hefty amount of gold. Over time he finds himself growing fond of the boy prophesied to be the next king and learning just as much from his new employer about letting himself care and open up as he’s teaching the boy how to protect himself. (His best friend and lover is very proud of this growth and kinda wants to adopt the kid)

The Completely Unrelated Adventures Of Four People Who Had Nothing To Do With Each Other Beforehand:

Four teenagers in rural Texas follow a cipher they found in an old tome and discover that all four of them have magical abilities, and that their town may not be as average as they’d believed. As they delve deeper in this new world they uncover two different secret organizations and find themselves caught in the middle of a dangerous conflict over a powerful artifact - that may or may not be the kid sister of one of them.

Mythicals:

Six kids around the world each find objects - artifacts - that grant them magical transformations and abilities. Seven years later all six of them end up at the same prestigious performing arts school in New York. When they discover that they all have these artifacts and powers - and that New York and possibly the world is in danger - they team up to protect everyone else, and quickly become close friends. Though one of them has a secret that could drastically change how the others view them... and possibly risk the fate of the human race.

Eternity And Forever(this one does have an overarching plot):

Eternity Of Forever:

Back in the early years of humanity a young man goes up a mountain for his Trials of Adulthood - a series of three trials set to test a person on the traits of whichever three gods they’ve been assigned to serve - unfortunately for this boy he’s been chosen for the gods of empathy, loyalty, and love... three traits that do not come easily to him. In his desperation to pass his trials he cheats the system and gets caught. As punishment he’s cursed to live forever just on the cusp of adulthood but never reaching it, the only way to break his curse is to prove - with no possibility of dishonesty - that he’s capable of the three traits. Over the next few millennia he gets caught up in a war for the fate of all life on earth, and also somewhat adopts a maybe-alien and falls in love with a time traveler.

Throughout Eternity:

At some unknown point in the future all that’s left of the human race is a refugee colony on an island floating above the desolate remains of our planet. It’s into this that Quinton is born. But when it’s discovered that he can travel through time with just a thought he’s trained for a very important mission: to go back in time and stop the apocalypse. Shortly into his mission he meets an immortal teenager who claims to have met Quinton’s future self and who offers to help, telling him that first thing he should do is gather a team to help him - he even provides names and years. This little team becomes like a second family to Quinton, especially the pretend-aloof immortal.

Forever And After:

After the death of the closest thing he ever had to a father, Slythus finds himself applying to the superhero school the immortal had founded - despite knowing that even if he were accepted into the student body he’d never be accepted by the student body. Somehow he manages to get in... and even more impossible; manages to make friends. But even as he learns how to be good, his past is lurking on the edges of his new life and quickly becoming impossible to ignore - figuratively and literally.

Shadow Warriors:

After the dragon Svartr gets cursed protecting a village from invaders they offer their children to be trained by him - to take care of him as his condition worsens. Those selected and taught by him become known as the Shadow Warriors. Alexir was born several generations after the tradition began of sending every twelve-year-old up Svartr’s mountain for the selection and she never expected to be chosen, being much more focused on intellectual growth than physical, so when it happens it comes as a bit of a shock. She struggles to keep up with her peers in most of the lessons but refuses to give in, pushing herself to reach their level while also learning the complexities of friendship from them all.

Consequences(originally titled ‘Consequences of War’ until I realized it’s more about just consequences for actions in general - like: don’t piss off the powerful magical Being hiding out in the abandoned building):

After deliberately pissing off what they believed to be a ghost - or a false rumor more likely - a college aged idiot ends up being banished into a strange world... with a distinct change in biology(mostly in the area of hormones and primary sex characteristics). As they travel this new world in search of a way home - and back into their original form - they learn new things about themself and make interesting new friends. They find themself questioning whether they actually want their ‘old body’ back and then, when they begin to fall in love, whether they really want to return to their old world.

[whatifwallywas]

Two updates in the same week??? Please don’t get used to this, because I will break your hearts immediately. Thank you everyone who reblogged, you’re making me very happy <3  This is a part 2 of my Ghost AU! Part 1 is here This...became a wild ride for some reason. warning:  ghosts, death, abuse and murder, corpses, horror.

051B A Ghost? “Are you alright?” He sat in the passenger seat, his bag clutched tightly to his chest and his head so low it was practically touching his shoulders. The concerned voice brought him back to the present and he let up the deathgrip he had over his bag, forcing himself to relax just the smallest bit, wincing at the cramp in his neck.  Barry couldn’t remember the last time he felt this uncomfortable. 

“I hate cars.” He definitely didn’t whine which caused his companion to snort in laughter.

“How else did you plan to get all the way to Blue Valley?” Iris asked from the driver’s seat, sending him an amused glance. “Uh…” superspeed, he DEFINITELY didn’t say. “I think I don’t get as carsick if I’m the one driving.” He explained instead and she hummed in understanding. “Well, you’ll have to forgive me for not trusting a stranger with my car.” She joked and he cracked a smile. They have known each other for maybe 4 hours now, 1.5 of which they spent in the car together. Barry’s plan was to find Wally’s favourite aunt, speak with her and maybe try and convince her to meet him at Wally’s house the following week. He did not account for her to be just as bullheaded as her nephew, sit him down right then and there in the cafe, interrogate the hell out of him before stating she’s going to the house right away. He was more than a little intimidated by this fierce woman who was bold enough to invite a stranger into her car and take a two hour drive into an abandoned house in the middle of a tiny town on a Tuesday evening.

He had Hal on speed dial in case he needed to and he did see her send plenty of messages to someone, making sure people knew where she was going and when she should be back. Regardless of the weird circumstances, they were getting along surprisingly well and Barry would lie if he said he didn’t absolutely enjoy her company. She was funny and determined and she was willing to listen even though his story sounded very improbable. He assumed it meant she was good at her job as a journalist. Believing someone when they say they met your nephew’s ghost deserves a medal. Their conversation has slowly lulled into a comfortable silence a short while ago. Well, comfortable for her. It made Barry realise he was locked inside a tiny metal cage of death that he had no control over and why did people have cars anyways if trains were so much bigger anyway and better for the environment, what was America thinking and-

“Have you ever managed to contact Wally’s parents?” He asked out loud before he could stop himself. Iris glanced at him in surprise at the out-of-the-blue question before focusing on the road once more. She carefully considered the answer. “Rudolph has called me a little while after Wally went...missing.” She hesitated. “He said they are moving houses and changing their phone numbers. I had to really fight for any information concerning Wally but I assumed that was grief talking. I have not heard from my brother since though I did manage to contact Mary once. She seemed absolutely distressed after hearing my voice and hung up.” Iris has single handedly tried to find her little nephew for over a year now with no success. Rudolph and Mary disappeared and Wally’s case seemed to be swept under the rug. “I always knew there was something more to what happened, but...Wally was my nephew and after learning he’s gone I…” She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, taking a deep breath. Barry looked at her for a long moment. “I know it won’t change anything but...I’m sorry for what happened.” He said finally. She nodded.

___

The street looked deserted, which was terribly weird for a suburban neighbourhood around 3 o’clock in the evening. The air was heavy and the only sound he could hear other than the sharp crack of the car doors being closed by Iris was the howl of the nearby forest and the distant call of a crow.

There wasn’t a single living soul around, Barry thought in bemusement.

The house was just as big and intimidating as when he has left it two weeks ago after finally moving back to his apartment in Central. Yet, when he saw the curtain in the living room rustle he felt a rush of affection as he remembered why he was here. He wanted Wally free from the house.

Iris stood by him, taking in property with a frown on her face. Glanced at Barry and gestured for him to open the door. He walked the three creaky porch steps and slowly turned the key in the lock. They opened with a whine right into a dim hallway.

Inside was empty. Inside was still. Inside was dead.

He slowly walked in and heard his new companion follow. She looked devastated. “This used to be such a warm place.” She murmured, standing in the middle of the corridor and glancing first through the entrance to the kitchen, then towards the living room. She frowned in confusion at the color of the walls in the kitchen “They used to be blue.” she commented but didn’t elaborate further. Then, she looked at him expectantly and he cleared his throat.

“Okay, buddy.” Barry called into the house. “It’s safe to come out.” He promised.

And at first nothing changed. Everything was quiet except for the sound of an old house shifting. And then he heard Iris’s sharp inhale. He wasn’t sure she was breathing beforehand. There was a shimmer at the top of the stairs. It was like looking at the gas escaping from the stove, the air just slightly distorted but the longer he focused on the spot, the more detailed the shape became. Wally was keeping a firm hold on the banister, his wide, scared eyes focused solely on his aunt as he took a hesitant step forward.

Iris wasn’t blinking. After a second or two, her mouth formed a shaky smile as she slowly got to one knee and opened up her arms. “Hi, kiddo.” She called out gently, her eyes suspiciously wet. Wally took one shaky step, then another, and then there was a gust of wind coming from upstairs as he swept down right into her waiting arms. She held him close and let a couple of tears escape as she ran her fingers through his nearly tangible hair.

A noise sounded through the house, as if the entire place was whispering in a thousand voices and Barry recognised it as Wally’s attempt to speak. “...I missed you to.” Iris answered and the blonde found himself smiling as well.

It was a good family reunion.

___

Wally pointed them towards the basement. The dark void at the bottom of the stairs seemed stifling, its black maw ready to swallow them whole and it made both of them hesitate. The kid was clearly terrified because he disappeared as soon as the doors were opened. Barry could hear his sobs coming from inside. He glanced at Iris out of the corner of his eye and saw her bracing herself before she took a deep breath and took the first step forward.

Barry was glad he wasn’t counting the steps down because he could have sworn it took three times longer to get to the bottom than it should have.

It was just as he remembered it. It was stifling and dim, the single light bulb not providing enough light to chase the shadows in the corners away. He brought the flashlight up only to come face-to-face with Wally’s blank, terrified gaze and almost dropped it in fright.

“Wally?” Iris asked while he tried to get his frantic heart to slow down at least a little bit, but her question fell to deaf ears as the panicking kid dissolved into smoke. Then she furrowed her brows and looked deeply into the darkness of the basement. She walked over to him and reached her hand out for the flashlight, which he handed over without question. Shining around the basement her frown only deepend.

“It used to be bigger.” She said finally and Barry couldn’t help but blink. “Wh-” But she ignored him, walking around, looking at walls.

He remembered the first time he was here and thinking that the bricks looked off somehow. Now he understood. “This wall is a different color from the rest.” He murmured, causing her to first focus on him and then on the wall he was gesturing at. She let out a breath and it came out foggy. The room was cold.

As they neared the wall, the lightbulb began flickering, covering the room in total darkness every couple of seconds. The temperature dropped even more. Barry felt the hair at the back of his neck stand on ends as if they were being watched. He heard a sniffle, then a whine. Out of the corner of his eye he could see him. Wally stood right under the flickering light, eyes big, shoulders shaking. Bugs seemed to crawl from under him and away, as far away as they could, some trying their luck by going up the stairs and towards the kitchen. Wally was scared. Wally was crying. He pointed a shaky finger at them, past them, at the wall. Barry turned his back towards the bricks again.

“Here.” ___

They found an old toolbox on one of the shelves and got to work. They grabbed a screwdriver each and started chipping away at the mortar around one of the bricks, hoping to get it loose. If Iris wasn’t there, Barry would have done a quick job of it, using his super speed to crumble the wall in a couple of punches, but for now he was fine taking it slow. He was honestly dreading what they will find on the other side of the wall.

The basement was icy cold and he found himself fighting off attacks of anxiety that didn’t feel like his own but were overtaking his mind at times. He could hear something scratching on walls, something banging on the doors to the basement, he could hear Wally crying at the bottom of the stairs, sometimes comprehensible enough that it almost sounded like words and pleas of let me out please i will be good please it’s so dark, let. me. out!

They suddenly broke through the layer of mortar, making a tiny hole through the wall. That’s when the smell escaped through it. The stench hitting them like a freight train had Iris immediately covering her mouth and retching and Barry recoiling back. After working in forensic science for as long as he had, there was no doubt in his mind as of what it was. The smell of death was defeating.

He grimaced, pullet his t-shirt over his nose and continued on, breaking away the first brick and Iris joined him soon after, hiding the lower part of her face behind her jacket, her eyes watering from the reek. He didn’t know how much time they spent there, but they eventually managed to get two bricks out and after that, he tore a bigger piece of wall with his hands. They waited in silence for the dust to settle.

“Oh.” Iris whispered at the sight. “Oh, Wally.”

Curled up inside an indentation in the wall was a small, broken body of a child. Arms and legs were pushed in at unnatural angles, the hole too small to fit the body properly. Its skin was almost grey, stretched thin over the broken bones. It had a faded, red Flash shirt, light blue jeans stained with dried blood, and small white shoes.

In moments like these, Barry wished he never became a forensic scientist.

Because the bricks had scratch marks on them from the inside and the kid’s...Wally’s...fingers were bloody and the nails were broken. He had been walled in alive. “Let’s call the police.” Was what he said instead before taking three big steps away from the wall. He saw Wally looking past them at the hole before the boy disappeared upstairs. ___

The Police remembered him from when he went asking about Wally a few months back and were honestly confused about how to proceed with this. The house was still technically his - for another two weeks- and he had every right to go digging in the walls. They let them go after taking their statements and contact information.

The search for Rudolph and Mary West began anew and Barry and Iris came back to Central City before going their separate ways. Using his super speed after an entire day of holding back let him feel like he had at least some control as he quickly showered, went on patrol, showered again, and sat in his living room to eat. He leant back heavily against his sofa cushions and pondered calling Hal, when his entire coffee table rattled. He frowned in worry. “You alright, kiddo?” He asked gently, and winced when a lamp was suddenly swept from the cabinet. The only reason it didn’t smash into a million pieces was because it was stopped by the too short cable and instead was left hanging a few inches away from the ground. After the outburst everything suddenly quieted down and the room dropped a few degrees. “I’m not mad about the lamp.” The blonde was quick to reassure. “And you have every right to be upset right now.” He shifted from the couch to the carpet, pulled one leg to his chest and rested both his arms on his knee. He sighed into the crook of his elbow. “I’m sorry you had to see it today. It couldn’t have been easy. Iris and I thought you were very brave.” The stifling air didn’t let up and he nodded his head. “You can stay here as long as you’d like.”

After what felt like hours, he felt Wally move closer. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the lense that Hal left him a long while ago. It was a piece of the kitchen window he took when Barry had been kidnapped. The speedster had taken the tape off once he was out of the hospital and smoothed the sharp edges out before putting new tape on it. It was now more round and safe to touch and it allowed him to see Wally even outside the kid’s old house. Said kid was laying on the other side of the coffee table, curled up on the carpet and facing away from him. He was trembling. “Aw, kid.” He murmured before moving closer. It seemed like being away from his house was causing him physical pain, but the small redhead really didn’t want to be locked inside it alone and sometimes followed Barry to his apartment. It was one of the reasons Barry wanted to solve the case. He was hoping Wally would find some peace in justice and maybe be able to move on, or at least be free from the house he was tormented by and move in with the speedster permanently, but for months the kid refused to help him find any clues concerning his disappearance. Until a couple of day ago when he desperately led Barry to his aunt Iris and then the two of them to his corpse. However, instead of finding peace like Barry had hoped, it seemed to cause him even more distress.

He carefully put his hand on the other’s shoulder and winced at the sensation. It was like holding an icicle in his hand, thousand tiny needles biting into the skin, but considerably more painful. Then he felt the kid relax and the pain melted away into a regular chill. “It’s all going to work out soon.” He reassured, hoping he was right. ___ Finding Rudolph was surprisingly easy once the Police had a reason to go looking. Apparently, once questioned he quickly confessed to the murder of his 8 year old son and stuffing his still-breathing body in the wall. Seeing the man in detention however...did not go as planned. Iris was allowed one visit and she asked Barry if he would be willing to join her to which he agreed. Rudolph was a big man with brown hair and dark eyes. He looked...troubled. There were bags under his eyes and every couple of seconds he would glance this way and that in paranoia. When he finally focused on his sister and her companion, he scowled. Then his gaze went past Barry, right where the speedster knew Wally was standing. The man’s wild, bloodshot eyes widened. Then he started yelling. “Why the hell are you here, haven’t I told you to leave!!!” He demanded, slamming his hands on the table he was cuffed to. “Haven’t you done enough!!!” He spat.

Barry could feel Wally taking a couple of steps back. “It’s all your fault! Everything that happened! All your fault! They won’t leave us alone!” The light above his head started flickering and Iris turned her head questionably towards Barry. He in turn glanced back even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to see the kid without his glass lense. This didn’t feel right. This didn’t feel like Wally’s doing. His breath came out in a puff. The temperature dropped as Rudolph rage and fear grew. He sounded manic, as he rambled looking from side to side. “They found me again. There is no escape.” He mumbled, grabbing at his hair and pulling painfully. “Rudolph, who found you?” Iris probbed and he focused on her. He clenched his hands into fists, ripping tuffs from his scalp in the process. “Ever since I put that brat in his place. Finally shut him up. They showed up. They don’t want to leave. Moving houses didn’t work, they always follow. Stupid, useless brat, goddamn-” He bit back and Iris had trouble recognising him anymore. She wasn’t sure how much of her brother was left. “Who are they?” She asked and he focused on a point right above her head and started shaking even more. The coffee cup on the table across the room smashed against the wall and the radio went crazy. One of the lights burst plunging the room in grotesque shadows. The darkness seemed to be moving. The two officers present attempted to calm Rudolph down to no avail and they soon removed him from the room, the shadows calming but following after. Like a pack of wolfs after a wounded deer. “This keeps happening every so often.” Another officer explained later. “Mr. West’s lawyer tried to pledge insanity but the man immediately confessed to the murder. He didn’t seem that much bothered by it but the guilt must be eating him alive seeing the way he’s behaving.” She mused, and Barry felt his stomach twist at the words. He didn’t think it was guilt that was eating Rudolph alive.

___

His concerns only grew when him and Hal finally managed to hunt down Zatara and invite him over.

The magician had walked in the apartment and immediately zeroed in on the place on the carpet that Wally liked to sit in most. “Would the two of you mind giving us some privacy?” He asked and the two superheroes found themselves waiting in the bedroom, drinking coffee, Hal on the bed and Barry on the windowsill, looking at the building across the street. They didn’t comment when all lights suddenly went out or when the slight wind picked up even though all windows were closed. Barry strained his ears to listen to the conversation on the other side of the doors but other than Zatara’s gentle tones and Wally changing the radio stations there was nothing to pick up. When the magician finally called them back in, they could see him sitting on the couch with a deep frown on his face, next to the most tangible Wally they have ever seen.

The kid was fully visible but still pretty see-through and was sitting on the couch with his legs drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them for comfort. He glanced up when he saw them enter and wiped his face with a sleeve of his shirt.

“A little spell to help us communicate better.” Zatara explained before sighing deeply. “We...might be in a predicament.” He said finally.

Barry sat down right next to the small redhead and put his arm around him. He could feel the smallest amount of pressure and did not phase all the way through. He felt the kid lean a bit closer and he smiled gently, before focusing on Zatara once more. He nodded his head. “Fill us in.” ___ “...That’s a pickle.” “...Thank you Hal for summing it up so well.” Barry rolled his eyes at his friend’s shrug before rubbing his hand through his hair. Rudolph West was a cruel cruel man. After years of neglecting and abusing his son, he has walked past the point of no return. His 8 year old son died alone, forgotten and broken in a basement with no one there to hear his cries.

Zatara said that some humans who are willing to terrible things with no remorse open doors that should never be opened.

The moment a terryffied, hurt, 8 year old let out his last dying breath, his soul left his body and got stuck on earth as a spirit. At the same moment, something else has also crawled out from a little hole in the wall in Blue Valley’s basement. And latched itself onto the nastiest thing it could find and fed from it.

Rudolph West was haunted not by the tormented ghost of his son, but by the evil spirits that came crawling after they smelled how rotten the man’s soul was.

“Karma is a bitch.” Hal shrugged, before finishing his coffee. “Wanna grab lunch?” The unimpressed glances he got from all 3 of the people present had him rolling his eyes. “An asshole got what was coming for him.” He glanced at the unhappy translucent child in the room. “Wally’s ‘tormented soul’ is saved, good job us.”

“Young Wallace has done all he could for you to contact his aunt and find his body because he felt the spirits tormenting Mr West growing stronger.” Zatara explained with a frown, turning towards Barry again. “Having those creatures running free is dangerous.” Barry sighed, rubbing his hand soothingly on the kid’s back. “You were just trying to be a good person and help. Even if that person deserves it the least.” He saw Hal blink in surprise before crossing his arms but Barry just smiled. “I’m proud of you kiddo, you’re thinking like a real hero.” Wally ducked his head and shrugged. He sent a discreet worried glance at Hal and frowned. The man didn’t stand a chance. “...Okay, fine. Let’s save the asshole” The brunette whined, before putting his hands on his hips. “So, what magical ingredients, sacred weapons and/or mystical books do we need to find to get this done?” Zatara blinked at the hero before standing up and re-adjusting his bowtie. “I believe I already have all we will need.” ___ “This was anticlimactic.” Zatara indeed had all of the ingredients needed for the exorcism. They all went to Wally’s old house, past the police tape down to the basement and stood by and watched while the magician drew circles on the floor. Then it was a matter of a spell, many flashing lights and breaking glass, watching the horrifying demons with blood for eyes get sucked into a giant gaping chasm in the ground before it was sealed forever and that was that. Rudolph West should be safe and sound inside his cell, rotting away in prison this time without spirits sucking away at his soul. Cool.

Hal kicked a rock and it bounced a couple of times before rolling to a stop in front of a wall with...a hole in it...He found himself remembering what Barry told him about finding Wally’s corpse and swallowed a bile in his throat. Then he furrowed his brows in thought and turned towards the still very present redhead. The kid looked...relieved. He stood there besides Barry, staring at the place where his body has been and it seemed the weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Hal also couldn’t help but notice he was still...there. Didn’t seem too keen on moving towards other, better things. Like...the afterlife or whatever. He must have noticed the man staring, because he glanced toward him questioningly. Before being distracted by a hand falling on his head and ruffling his hair. Or, as much as one could try ruffling something nearly intangible. “Good job, kid.” Barry praised and the boy grinned at him. The bulb above their heads shone brighter for a couple of seconds before dimming again. The basement didn’t seem nearly so stifling and dead anymore. It felt like a regular, dusty, forgotten pantry. They all slowly walked up the steps, and left the place behind. Wally’s form didn’t waver as he stepped through the threshold. He was free. ___

“Hi, bud, whatcha doing here?” Green Lantern asked with a laugh as something white and blue zipped around him on the rooftop. Then he grinned at the red blur that followed. “For what do I owe the pleasure?” He clapped his best friend’s shoulder once he finally stopped beside him. “We decided to go for a run.” The Flash explained, taking in the night view of Coast City. “Also wanted to stop by and see you before you go to with Supes for the space mission.” Wally finally zipped back and stood on his other side, looking around with a wide smile on his face. He turned to Hal questioningly. “Shouldn’t take longer than two weeks.” The other replied, knowing the kid well enough by now to know his little non-verbal tells. He ruffled the boy’s hair and even almost felt it. “Don’t get in too much trouble when I’m gone. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He said after a second and the kid smiled even wider, nodding towards Barry. “Of course I was talking to him, I know you can behave yourself.” He laughed and then yelped when he was smacked upside the head by the speedster. “Not fair.” “Dork” the blonde replied, before shaking his head. “Alright, the break is over. I promised Iris to have Wally back by 10 and we still have 4 states to see on the way.”

They bid their goodbyes, promised to look over his city while he was gone, and then they were off again. Hal couldn’t help but grin after them.

What a crazy year it has been.

[chaoticquips]

The Other Wally West

I heard you weren’t feeling too good @linklyshow !! Also it sucks to hear your tablet died (This is based from that Coraline AU I was talking about a while ago!)

It’s strangely warm on the roof. 

He likes to come out here when he’s at home- at home-home, but... Well. He’s sort of trapped at the moment and he isn’t sure how he feels about it yet. 

“Always a catch, huh?” He thumbs the head of the buttoned-eyed ferret from his bedroom and it wiggles a bit in his hands. It doesn’t move after that, as still and lifeless as it looks. A sigh pulls his face into a frown.

The buttons unnerve him. Just... Wally’s always liked his eyes. His mother (his real mother) told them they were his best feature (despite the many science awards proudly lining his bedroom shelves). They were the first thing people commented on other than his flaming hair, they were what made him... Wally, almost. 

He’s stared into too many mirrors with puffed, red eyes surrounding that patented West green that it almost feels like cheating to just get rid of them. To just forget the past and the present and the pain so easily. And the way They looked, so eager and hungry after dinner for him to say yes, it... 

It unnerved him just a little too much. He went to bed earlier than he ever had before (and without dinner, of all things!) and woke up stiff, unsettled, and still here. 

So he climbed onto the roof in the dead of night. It should have been cold enough to warrant his sweater but instead the entire world was warm and foggy. Just humid enough that it felt as if he reached out to grab it, it would melt through his fingers like ice cream on a hot sidewalk. Or maybe it was just his nerves making his fingers feel a little jittery, his palms a little sweaty. 

He puts the ferret down, where it waits still as a board at his side, as he chucks off the stifling pajama shirt he was wearing. He barely feels a difference. Running a hand through his sweaty hair, he figures he should cut it soon.

A sharp, sweet wolf whistle flies through the air. Wally whips around to see the Other Neighbor Boy, who he’d dubbed Robin. The real version of the boy decided against telling Wally his name at all, always diverting the question or laughing it off like it was some sort of big joke. Whatever. He whistled and twittered like a robin in this world anyway, so it seemed fitting enough. 

“Need something?” Robin grinned like a feline and worked his way nimbly to the other boy from the other side of the roof. He plopped down next to him, button eyes glinting slightly in the moonlight. 

“...Yes?” Robin simply reached over with one of his fucking weird noiseless giggles and dragged a finger across Wally’s pectoral, only to flinch back like he’d been burned with a coy smile on his face. Wally flushed, neck turning red along with his face. 

“Oh, hah hah, very funny.” Wally reached to pull his shirt back on only to find it missing. Turning back showed Robin dangling it in his fingers over the roof edge. “...Um. Dude, can I have my shirt back?” 

Robin drops it off the roof. Wally doesn’t even want to think about weird, magical doll people right now, let alone have one blatantly hit on him while it looks like that kinda cute neighbor boy. 

On the other hand, there is the implication that, hypothetically, it’s acting off base personality and its doing what the other boy, hypothetically, would do under the same circumstances, but-

“Jokes on you, I hated it anyway.” But based off their earlier interactions, he’s not so sure. This world was apparently made to his tastes, maybe he just wants someone to be interested in him. Maybe this isn’t really... anything at all. It’s just what he wants from him. 

Robin sits close to him, letting their thighs touch. He shoots him a frown and Robin tilts his head inquisitively.

“I came out here to be away from you all. Why don’t you just go already?” Wally’s blocking the window from where he’s sitting, as Robin literally points out to him. 

“Well, figure something else out! You’re supposed to be smart, right? Why don’t you, I don’t know, jump off the roof or something?” Robin shrugs, standing up and perching on the edge of the roof. In the brief second he has, Wally panics.

“Wait! I didn’t mean literally-!” But Robin is already flipping off with a wide mouth open in a grin. He’d probably be whooping and hollering if he had a voice to do so with. Wally scrambles to look over the edge and is met face to face with shiny black buttons. “Gah!”

He reels back as a single, illuminated daisy is thrust into his chest, falling on his butt. He lets out a groan and flops over the rest of the way so he can look up at the night sky. He’d forgotten there was a tree right underneath his room with big, gnarly branches that could easily break someone’s fall.

Oh, and that this whole world is a fabricated mess of magic. Nobody is really supposed to die here, considering it’s supposed to be his happy place. Duh. 

He lifts his head up to look at Robin, who’s watching him, hand to his mouth, and shaking with silent giggles from the roof ledge.

“Is this a joke to you?” He drops his head without bothering to look at the other boy’s- doll’s- reaction and sighs again. “Does it even matter, anyway?” He mumbles.The flower’s stem feels odd as he rolls it in his fingers. He closes his eyes and listens to the rustles of clothing, of Robin moving to lay down next to him. He feels a body, but no warmth. 

It’s quiet. Wally never did well with quiet for very long. So he turns his head to the side and sees Robin laying half a foot away, petting his ferret almost absently on his chest. 

“...Did it hurt?” Wally whispers. It almost feels taboo to ask, like he isn’t supposed to really question the inner workings of this world, but Wally is a scientist through and through. He can’t help it. Robin only looks at him curiously again. “Your voice. You never answered me earlier, did it... did it hurt you, when they took out your voice?” 

Robin stares at him. 

“Did... does anything here matter at all? I mean, why should I go back home?” And there he goes, set off by one question he’s thought too much about that brings up the others. “It’s not like my parents really care that, you know, that I’m even here at all!” He sits up, suddenly angry. 

“Hell, they didn’t even try to listen to me about this place, they thought it was such a joke. Like I was-! ...Maybe I should just sew buttons into my eyes and be done with people who don’t even care about what I do.” There’s nothing to stop him, so he keeps going. Robin sits up and lets the ferret run off him. 

“Would anybody even care if I just dropped off the face of the planet to live the rest of my life in a magical doll house?! Would, would it even matter if, I just-” He pulls his knees to his chest and hides his face. 

“I’m just... I’m just stupid ol’ Wally West. I’m not nearly special enough to warrant this kind of attention, I just-” He chokes back a sniffle but can’t help the tears that start to fall down his face. “I just, I... I want to say yes so badly. But I can’t! I can’t because there’s something wrong and something is always wrong, but I just can’t let it go this time because,” He sniffs, “Because it feels really wrong and I, I’m so fucking scared, why am I scared-?” He stops before his voice starts to turn into that embarrassing whine he slips into when he’s truly upset and lets himself shut down for a minute. Sobbing quietly into his arms, he feels Robin shift closer. A hand on his back.

“God,” A rough whisper,  “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this! You can’t answer me, you can’t even talk-” He pulls at his hair and whips around to face the other boy and grip his shoulders. “I don’t even know your real name!” 

Robin stares at him. Wally stares back and feels something shift in his stomach. It...feels different this time, the way Robin’s looking at him. He looks more like the neighbor boy in the real world in this moment than the silly, playful doll that was supposed to be Wally’s cute escort around this world. Such a serious expression on him has Wally trying to swallow his snot and ask, “What?”

A gloved hand reaches out to wipe away tears before taking both of his cheeks in his hands. Wally sighs and closes his eyes, letting more tears fall out when he realizes its just... trying to complete its overall objective. Be some sort of pseudo boyfriend and make him feel good. It doesn’t act on its own volition. why would it? 

“Are you even real? Or are you just another figment of my imagination or something. Another cry for help that... that no one will ever hear.” He lets out a little huff of a laugh and looks to the side. “Hell, am I even real anymore? Am I dreaming? If I said yes... if I said yes, would anyone even remember me? Or would I just... disappear like I was never there at all?” He doesn’t know why he’s bothering. Its cold, button eyes just reflect bits of Wally’s face back to him. He can’t tell if there’s any sort of recognition at all. He looks dead to Wally. 

Robin moves a hand to his thigh, still staring at him. Wally lets out a sudden snarl of frustration and shakes the other boy- doll’s- shoulders again. 

“Say something! Just say something already! I want you to talk! Please! Just... Just be normal for a few minutes, ok? Stop trying to-” He feels Robin wiggling his fingers across his leg and he stifles a yelp when he goes into his pant’s pocket before pulling out-

“Hey! Give that back!” His polaroid of him and Uncle Barry at the STAR Labs Tech Museum, two birthdays ago. It very well could be the most valuable thing he owns. 

“Would you just, stop it!” He makes a lunge for it, only to hit Robin’s body with his own chest when the doll doesn’t move. He acts like such a solid deadweight that it winds Wally slightly. Robin is keeping his arm back, holding the photo away from Wally, precariously dangling between two fingers. 

“Why... why cant you just... stop being so fucking weird for a minute?!” He yells at him. Wally freezes. 

“I... oh god, I didn’t mean that. I’m so sorry.” There’s almost a sad look on Robin’s face as he pushes Wally to sit back. He pulls Wally’s hand out and places the photo in it, facing Wally, before pointing to Barry. 

“That’s Uncle Barry.” Wally mumbles, still embarrassed about yelling. “What about him?”

Robin points to it again, being careful that his gloves don’t scratch it, before leaning forward and putting his hand right where Wally’s heart was. It takes Wally a second. 

“...Oh.” Of course Uncle Barry would miss him. Of course he- they would. Wally never felt anything less than pure elation when he got to spend a weekend at Aunt Iris’s house. They would notice and... Wally loves that about them. They care. They’d probably believe him if he told them about this world, but not in the way an adult cares about a little kid’s imaginary friend. They really would.

“Oh.” He whispers again, a fresh new batch of tears coming out of his eyes. If I had buttons, I don’t even think I’d be able to cry, he thinks to himself. He takes one last look at the wild, happy grins they have in the photo before looking back up to Robin who’s got his head tilted again with that stupidly cute smile that the real one has. “I think I understand what you mean, now. I’m, uh, I’m sorry I thought you were, uh-” 

He’s cut off when Robin suddenly leans forward and presses a small peck to his cheek. He feels a flush on his neck again when he watches Robin look away shyly. He’d probably be blushing if he could, too. “Was that...?” There’s no answer, the other boy pointedly looking away from Wally and fiddling his hands with what has to be the cutest pout Wally has seen on anything before.

He puts the picture of Uncle Barry back into his pocket and is hit with the realization that even if he did want to go back home now, he has no idea how to get there because he woke up still here. He tells Robin so. 

Robin stares at him. 

Wally stares back, then lets a small little smile out. “Well, at least I’m stuck here with you. You’re not so bad, actually. I could get used to the whole not talking thing, I think, but maybe they could fix it so you could-” 

Suddenly Robin’s face warps into a painful expression and he vigorously shakes his head no, ripping himself away from Wally to hide his face in his hands. 

“Robin? What’s wrong?” He pulls Robin’s hands away from his face only to see the most distraught, warped look he’s seen on the doll before. He gasps softly and Robin pulls Wally’s hand to lay over his chest where his heart should be. 

Right. Right, there’s something horribly wrong with this world and... and Robin was sent to look after and take care of him while he was here, after all. He would tell Wally if there was something wrong... wouldn’t he? 

Unless he couldn’t. 

“Robin?” 

The boy pulls off his glove, shaking in strange, jerky manners like he was crying. He lets the sand and dust fall from his sleeve until the only thing left sticking out of his wrist is half a black key. He sniffs while Wally takes a closer look.

“The key! How did you get that from her? Wait, what am I saying, you’re such a sneaky little snitch I bet it wasn’t even a problem, huh?” The awful look on his face is replaced with a tiny, sad smile as he pushes his arm forward to Wally, who plucks the key from him. A bit of sand flicks out and scatters on the roof. 

“I... Thank you. You didn’t have to do this, but... something’s not right here, isn’t it? If I stay... If I stay, something bad will happen to me, huh?” 

Robin nods. He stands and shoves his glove back on his hand so the sand stops leaking out, but it looks mildly deformed now that its half full. He pulls Wally up and leads him back into the house, carefully creeping in the hallways and takes him to the tiny door that sits innocently in the sitting room. 

They kneel in front of it. Robin reaches forward to open the door but Wally stops him by grabbing his wrist. 

“Come with me. They... they’ll hurt you again.” Robin looks at him, eerily still before removing Wally’s hand. He unlocks the door and the draft that blows back into their faces has Wally shivering, wishing he had his shirt. 

Footsteps on the ceiling makes them jump. 

“Wally? It’s late, what are you doing, sweetie?” The voice comes from upstairs. Wally feels a cold shiver travel down his spine. They need to go, now. 

“Come on!” He tugs at Robin but the boy stubbornly refuses to go. Robin sighs sadly, leaning forward to press one last kiss to Wally’s cheek. Wally takes the opportunity to hug him, and when he pulls away Robin roughly shoves him through the door. He takes off his deformed hand and tosses it over to Wally while sand rapidly escapes his arm. 

“No, please-!” The last thing he sees is Robin’s sad smile before the door is slammed in his face. He can still hear the footsteps of his Other Mother coming, so he books it to the other side of the dark tunnel. 

When he crawls back into his house in the middle of the night, he pulls on Robin’s glove that just barely fits his hand and takes a deep breath. His skin prickles. 

It’s strangely cold in his house.

When Wally crawls back into the tunnel- fed, rested and prepared for war, you parent stealing bastards- he comes across a small pile of sand that has seeped in from underneath the door. Stomach sinking, he trails a finger through it and feels his breath hitch. When he opens up the door, there’s two things on the ground in front of him.

One empty, crumbled glove and two heeled feet. 

“Welcome home, dear.” 

[camsthisky]

Batfam Feb (2018) Fic Recs

Sorry for such a long wait. I forgot about January, so to make up for it, this is a little longer than the past rec lists. 

Mistakes Were Made by CaramelMachete Words: 7,369 Summary: Nightwing joins Jason as Robin and Batman for a stake-out. When Batman gets called away, Nightwing and Robin are unable to follow Batman's orders. They bite off a little more than they can chew. So, how much first aid training does Robin remember anyway? Jason worries that if he can't handle this, maybe he's not fit to be Robin after all. Comments: This is a great Dick ad Jason bonding fic, and I think I’ve read it before, but I don’t think I’ve rec’d it. The characterization is amazing, and it does a good job juggling the strained dynamics between Jason, Dick, and Bruce. It’s from Jason’s POV as Robin, too, which I don’t think we see enough.

been trying to do it right, been living a lonely life by streetlight_skeletons Words: 2,287 Summary: “Kid, what are you doing out alone?”

Even in the cold, shivering, the boy glared defiantly, the white lenses in his mask pushed up, and pushed out, “I- I’m not alone. Batman’s here”

To his credit, his voice seemed to shake from the cold and not paralysing fear, which Selina had expected. She grinned, looking around her mockingly. “Well, I don’t see him, do you?”

“He’ll- He’ll find you and beat you up if you hurt me,” the boy informed and, of that, Selina had no doubt.

Or,

There's an injured bird, but it wasn't the cat who did it Comments: I need more Robin Dick and Selina interacting. Also the fact that it’s hurt/comfort and Bruce is like an overprotective mother bear? Gold.

Brunch with Bruce by DawnsEternalLight Words: 2,014 Summary: Dick's overworked and exhausted, but he's not going to let that (or a cold) keep him from having lunch with Bruce. Comments: Dawn always manages to hit me right in the feeling with her fics, because sick, overworked, tired Dick and overprotective and worried Bruce is one of my biggest weaknesses.

The Blame Game by DawnsEternalLight Words: 5,669 Summary: While on a case together Jason gets hurt, and Dick realizes he's sicker than he thought he was. Comments: Dick and Jason angst!! This plays off the events of Batman #16 with Bane, and it’s done wonderfully. It was disappointing that we didn’t get the full account of what happened in comics, and this is a great insight into what could have happened! Plus, all of the hurt/comfort and angsting between brothers is amazing.

Scatter the Heavens into Stars by DawnsEternalLight Words: 2,416 Summary: Dick is getting over fear toxin, and finds the best way to do that is work a little and spend time with his dad and little brother. Comments: Cookies!! Dick spending time with his family!!! Cookie Dough!! His family loving him!!! Dick eating the cookie dough!!!!!!! I’ve read this no less than six times since it’s been posted.

Foreign Object by audreycritter Words: 86,122 (37/37) Summary: Bruce Wayne deals with a serious illness, one that threatens the most crucial part of himself. He and the family try to cope with their own fears and expectations about it and then the aftermath. This is written partly as character study, partly as family drama. Originally posted to tumblr. Comments: I’m going to be honest and admit that I had a really hard time starting this fic. I’ve read other things from the Cor Et Cerebrum series, but I hadn’t gotten to this one since it hits so close to home. However, I read this entire fic in one night, and it was absolutely worth it. The characterization is so on point, and there’s a balance of hurt, comfort, angst, fluff, and everything else.

Cold Hard Want by audreycritter Words: 12,310 Summary: “Are you happy?”

“I...I’m getting there.”

A follow-up to DC Rebirth Batman #35, in which Bruce recovers from being stabbed in the back and Damian considers the elusive nature of happiness. Comments: Holy shiitake mushrooms. Okay, so I’ve read this a few times, because it’s so good. Damian’s emotions are so real and present and I feel like I’m riding or dying along with him. It’s like I’m in the story and I’m seeing everything unfold, and my heart hurts for every single one of them. For Bruce, Selina, Dick, and Damian. It’s just so good.

Every Fiber of My Being by scxlias Words: 21,376 (5/5) Summary: As much as Dick and his siblings have argued, Bruce has never budged on his "Keeping Secrets Policy". There's not a person alive outside of the family that knows the secret identity of any of the Bats. Not even Dick's boyfriend. Dick understands the need for some secrets, knows that keeping their identities safe keeps them and their loved ones safe, but when he takes up the cowl, team dynamics aren't the only things that begin to change. Comments: This is a birdflash fic that I absolutely love to death. It’s an AU of the batfamily never telling anyone their identities, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking. You can feel how absolutely alone and stressed Dick feels as the weight on his shoulders grows heavier and heavier, until he’s just about to break, and it makes my heart hurt.

Fallen Bird by Croppmar000 Words: 2,887 Summary: Something had happened, something bad. Dick was a wreak. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Batman's birds didn't just die. Comments: A YJ fic that deals with Jason’s death and how Dick reacts to it. I love that it’s Wally and Roy that are there for Dick. I just love their friendship so much.

The Joys of Fatherhood by theragingstorm Words: 2,408 Summary: Young Bruce Wayne has a chance encounter with two small children, while all of them are still ignorant of how important they’ll become to each other. Comments: This is a cute little fic. It’s probably an AU, but it’s still cute nonetheless. It’s a “if Dick and Babs met as small children and hide from their fathers as they go absolutely mad with worry” fic, and it’s the cutest thing. Especially when Bruce comes into it.

Two Dead Birds by InsaneTrollLogic Words: 29,034 (15/15) Summary: There's some lunatic in red helmet running through Jason's territory. He wants to think it's a copy cat.

He's wrong. Comments: A Jason-centric fic. I’m not usually too big on fics that don’t have a lot of Dick in them, but this is a very good fic in my opinion. Jason’s characterization is very well done, and I love Dick when he comes into it as well. Time travel stories are also one of my favorite tropes though, so maybe I just have a weakness for it. The only thing is, it ends in a slightly open-ended way, and I’m not sure if that means there will be a sequel of if it’s just how the fic was meant to end. Either way, it was worth the read.

Catch Me by TantalumCobalt Words: 1,453 Summary: He hates these nights. When he’s stretched thin from chasing leads on three cases, when he’s trying to wrap things up as quickly as possible because he’s hyper conscious of what date is approaching, when a severe thunderstorm has driven him off the streets and back to the Manor. Comments: Again, stressed, overworked, tired Dick is my weakness. And Ren does a really good acknowledging the Blockbuster situation and the effects it has on Dick.

The Bat's Crest by lilylamaire Words: 168,328 (29/?) Summary: Tragedy strikes the hero community when Bruce Wayne commits a crime so heinous even the best start asking for blood. However, as the heroes try to recover from the hit and carry out justice for their friends, a random assortment of people start acting oddly, including the current Speedy Tim Drake, a child hostage in Gotham, and a young man from an unremarkable circus amongst others. All of them seem intent on saving Bruce Wayne from the grasp of the Justice League for no apparent reason, going as far as betraying their previous allegiances.

Unknown to the Justice League, these people are equally confused. Clearly they're stuck in another dimension, but how do they get back? How did they even get here? Who else is stuck in this world? And how long will Tim's patience last? Back home, the Bat was a planetary symbol that struck fear in the hearts of criminals. In this new world, it has no meaning, save for the handful of stranded souls. Comments: Okay, so this fic is Tim-centric, and it has a lot of Damian in it, too. I was a little disappointed because I’d hoped that there would be more Dick Grayson in it, but it makes sense why there isn’t. And it's a very good fic to address the problems of what would happen had Bruce Wayne not become Batman. It kept me on my toes, and when Dick does come in, I definitely think it’s worth the wait.

All your resolve (dissolves) by animegoil Words: 5,424 Summary: Season two: Tim watches Dick fall apart. Comments: Another YJ fic. I think this is one of my favorite topics to read about. Dick was under so much stress during the time while Bruce was on Rimbor, and I don’t think it’s addressed quite enough. This fic is one of my absolute favorites to go to when I think about Dick in season 2, and it does a really good job with Tim’s POV and his helplessness of being unable to properly figure out why Dick’s so stressed. There’s a lot of levels to this fic, and I honestly think it’s some of the best writing I’ve ever read.

The Wayne Family Ghost by pupeez4eva Words: 1,713 Summary: In which Bruce realises that having a legally dead son, who regularly hangs around the family, might be slightly problematic. Comments: This fic is kind of hilarious. I don’t often read funny fics, but Damian getting in trouble for accidentally including Jason Todd in the family and Bruce having to deal with the fallout is always great.

Pixar by ChimaeraKitten Words: 3,076 Summary: Sometimes, favorite movies are influenced less by the movie itself, and more by the people one shared it with. (batfam + Favorite Pixar movies) Comments: This is literally one of the cutest fics out there. It addresses each individual kid with Bruce, and I love that I get emotions about each kid through their favorite movie. Chi does the dynamics between all of them really well, too.

Monkey by ChimaeraKitten Words: 570 Summary: Dick has a new shirt. Comments: Baby Dick is so cute and Bruce is such a good dad in this.