Small sideblog where I post artwork and fanfic of my Killjoy OC Tiger Mom, mainly to share with some friends of mine. Will probably be inactive at other times.
“A musical one, huh?” "Apparently," I replied to Jet's grinning stature at my wit's end as I shuffled through the now quickly cooling diner. The sun had set and the incoming darkness quickly covered the desert with a chilly wind. As the five of us began to hermetically close up the building, I started to realize how weird, hectic, and utterly tiring this day had been, with the Battery City trip and everything else.
Eventually I grabbed one of the blankets we had and walked around the bar of the diner, retreating into the old fashioned kitchen where I opened a few aligned cupboards, revealing the insides that I'd made into a makeshift bedroom over the past couple of years. I always kept the doors open, but liked the reclusiveness of it. I crawled in, on top of the few blankets that already laid there, and curled up underneath the one I'd just grabbed, sighing again and looking at the bread basket I'd put right next to the cupboards- there hadn't been any space left inside next to me. The nameless girl was still vast asleep after my karaoke session, and I was glad of it as I looked at her.
Before I could try and fall asleep myself however, one of the guys walked into the now quickly darkening kitchen. "Ty?," Party questioned quietly. I scoffed; "Yeah, what's up?" "I think we should go to Dr. D tomorrow, tell him the good news." "You think he'd be invested?" "Well, for one, he's a firm believer in the Phoenix Witch, so there's a start," the redhead said as he quietly slid down the drawer section I slept next to, before plopping down onto the tiled floor next to the basket with the girl. He stared at her solemnly before he spoke again. "If there's anyone who might maybe have some answers," he mumbled," it's him."
"I suppose you're right," I sighted, really not wanting to have this conversation at this time. "But I'm sleeping in tomorrow." "You're going to sleep through the morning cold?," Party chuckled, legitimately surprised. "Not just wait for the afternoon slur? Have a little siesta?" "Nope," I said, before shuffling myself further down my cupboard, hoping he'd pick up on my hints. “Not today.”
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tumblr removed line breaks this is fine :)
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“You think they’ll be okay out there?” I snorted as the guys walked out of Dr. Death’s radio station, laughing at something one of them had muttered on their way out. “Ah, they’ll be fine,” Death chuckled amusedly. “Show Pony knows how to keep people entertained alright,” he continued, turning his wheelchair to me and leaning back with a deep sigh. His build was reminiscent of my dad’s, whom I hadn’t been able to contact since the Analog Wars, and I wasn’t sure if I found it comforting or distressing.
His smile faded as his glare went down to the girl in my arms, sleeping soundly. “What to do with you…,” he said quietly, dragging out each word as if questioning himself. He quickly gathered himself however and faced me again. “Party said you wanted to talk to me specifically?” “Oh, uh, yeah,” I stumbled over my words awkwardly. “I always knew you were a spiritual one,” I continued, “but when Party mentioned you were invested in my suicide mission of getting her out of Battery City I was a bit surprised.”
“Well it’s not every day a Killjoy puts their life on the line by walking down Battery City’s streets,” the large man chuckled. “Party told me you had some vision or something, said that he thought it would be good if you and I sat down and had a talk.” “Oh, well…” I thought for a bit. “Then he and I had the same idea. ‘Cuz that’s why I wanted to talk to you alone.” He hummed and adjusted himself in his seat. When he didn’t speak up after that I decided to just rant and get it over with.
“You know how her mum and I were friends, right? Me and Bandit’s Grace? I mean I didn’t see her that much ‘cuz she operated in a different part of the Zones but when she got pregnant I was so ready to become the ‘aunt’ of this kid… And then our two groups met up and they had that ambush lying there, those Scarecrows? She was mere weeks away from delivery so when they’d shot her down instead of dusting her they put one of their Drac masks on her, and I saw them do that and as that happened, everything around me just sorta seemed to slow down, you know how they used to do that in movies? Like the sounds would be like you’re underwater and everything becomes slow motion? It was kinda like that and as they put that mask on her I feel these long, sharp nails in my shoulders, pinching, and I smelled birds - I know that sounds weird but birds DO have a smell, it’s kinda muffy and dusty? - anyway this raspy voice whispered in my ear and I knew I shouldn’t turn around to see who it was and I really didn’t need to ‘cuz when they started talking I knew who she was, and she goes and calls me by my real name and goes ‘you see what’s happening there’ as she points at Grace and as she’s pointing, Grace’s chest starts glowing but like, from the inside? It looked like when you take an old flashlight that had those yellow light bulbs and hold them against the palm of your hand and this little orb became smaller and smaller and moved from her chest to her stomach and the Witch just went ‘that’s what you’ve got to protect. At all costs. Tell them. There won’t be a next time’, and then everything just went back to normal.”
I was quiet for a moment and looked up at Dr. Death, who didn’t seem to have moved a muscle. “After that I got the worst headache and felt my knees shake and before I knew it I was lying in the dirt, limp.” Death remained silent. I waited for a bit but then plainly said: “That’s it, I’m done now.” Still nothing. He almost seemed lost in thought but the direct eye contact he was making suggested otherwise. “I don’t know why she chose me, honestly. Probably because she wanted someone to stand in for her mom, and she wanted to give me some good motivation for it instead of being all cryptic about it? I don’t know Doc., I truly don’t.” “And you didn’t tell anyone else besides the rest of the Fab Five,” Dr. Death suddenly asked. I shook my head, still holding the tiny human in my arms as it slept. “I didn’t feel comfortable telling anyone else.”
Death sighed once more and leaned back in his chair again. He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “Y’know kid, I hate to admit this but even I don’t know all about the Phoenix Witch. I do know what she does: she helps those who got dusted in the fight to find some peace, and for that we should be thankful, but stuff like this?” He gestured with his hand and made a face. “This is beyond me too kiddo.” I sighed. “I know, and I don’t blame you, I just wish I could know why me? Or maybe there even isn’t a why, maybe it was just a roll of the dice….”
When we both remained silent I continued rambling. “And next to that it’s like, why is she being so cryptid about this kid,” I said while nodding at the baby in my arms. “I mean I’m not against getting as many people out of BL/ind.’s clutches as possible but why is THIS ONE so special? ‘Cuz she’s making it sound like this one is going to wake Destroya one day or something!” “Isn’t that android belief?” Death asked, an eyebrow raised. I shrugged annoyedly. “I don’t know what to believe at this point anymore man, but the Witch is sure making it sound like this is the new Messiah or something like that.”
Dr. Death chuckled at that. “Wouldn’t that be somethin’... then again, a Killjoy, born from someone who’s turned into a Draculoid? You never know,” he winked. I blinked a couple of times, registering what he’d said. “I mean yeah, when you put it like that…”
Then suddenly, Death briskly turned his wheelchair around and made his way to the minifridge across the room. “I’m sure the Phoenix Witch knows what she’s doing, I have faith in that. All advice I can give is follow her instructions,” he said as he opened the door and the blue light illuminated his face. “Soda?” “Sure.” He grabbed two brightly colored cans from the fridge and closed the door. “Well, either way, whatever happens, you know me and my crew are on your side. That includes Cherri and Pony,” he assured me as he handed me the can.
“If there’s ever something you need that you can’t get at Tommy’s, or just need someone to help out, you know where to find us,” he said with a smile before opening the sizzling can in his hands. “Which reminds me,” he said after taking a big swig, “how did you guys even manage to get that deep into Battery City? The place is sprawling with BL/ind. forces, they should’ve spotted you immediately!”
I opened my own can and took a small swig as well before explaining. “There’s a group called The Undead, they operate from within Battery City, even before it was called ‘Battery City’. While they’re not the biggest believers, they’ll support anything that can possibly help them bring back the city that they lost. Ghoul once got in touch when them when he needed materials for his explosives, that’s how we were able to get their help - Party probably mentioned it would help their cause if they helped us. They mainly operate from The Lobby, but have mastered making their way through town unnoticed.”
Dr. Death hummed approvingly. “Maybe Battery City’s built on more pillars of sand than we thought,” he mumbled with a small smile.
Rules: Pick a character from your WIP, and have them answer these 15 questions, then tag 15 people!
Thanks @xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx for the tag!
I’m tagging @professionalfobtrash, @eerie-von, and whoever might enjoy doing this!
Does he count as a “character”? Idk, but he’s the star of everything I write these days, so here we go….
1. What is your full name? Gerard Arthur Way.
2. What does your name mean? My grandma picked it, I dunno. I looked it up, apparently it means “strength of the spear” or something. That sounds kind of badass.
3. What are your nicknames/other names? My friends call me Gee.
4. What is your gender? I’ve struggled with my gender identity a little bit, to be honest. I was designated male at birth, and, for the most part, I would say ‘male’ does suit me. But, if you’d rather call me they/them, than he/him…I’d answer to that, too.
5. What is your sexuality? I’m pretty much straight….but, I’ll admit, I’ve kissed a few guys when I was drunk.
6. Where are you from? I come from New Jersey! Where we shoot motherfuckers like you!
7. How old are you? I was born in 1977….you do the math. Yeah. I know, I’m getting fucking old lol
8. Any special talents? Well, I’m most known for my singing….but, I’m actually very good at drawing, too. Believe it or not, that’s what I went to school for! I have a degree in cartooning…..this whole “rock star” thing just sort of happened.
9. Do you have any kids? I have a child from my first marriage….her name is Bandit, and I love her to death. She’s so smart. Her favorite subject in school is English, and she says she wants to write comics when she grows up, just like her dad.
10. What is your aesthetic? Well, it changes so often, you know? Every album cycle I’ve done, there’s been a very different aesthetic involved. Like, Revenge was very goth, with all the blood and Catholic imagery and stuff. But, then, with Danger Days, we did all those bright, primary colors, and the comic book inspired visuals. As for now? I’ve been into more muted, earth tones lately. Like, the colors of the forest….I really like to go out into the woods and just meditate. It’s so peaceful out there. I guess in DND terms, you could say I’m turning into a druid these days lol
11. Who is your best friend? My little brother, Mikey. We’ve always done everything together, ever since we were little kids. When I decided to start a band, he taught himself to play bass, just so he could be part of that. And now I’m mostly doing comics, and he’s gotten involved with that, too. I can’t wait for you guys to read his first story, Collapser, when it comes out next month. I’m so proud of him.
12. Would you ever get a piercing/tattoo? No, I’m way too scared of needles! I like tattoos on other people though. I think the artistry that goes into designing them, is fascinating. I wouldn’t mind designing one for somebody else. My friend Frank, he has tons of tattoos, and they look amazing on him.
13. When are you happiest? When I’m just sitting at home, writing, or drawing, and I look up, and Y/N is there, smiling at me, staring at the paper in front of me, like whatever I’ve made, is just the most fascinating thing in the world to her. She makes me feel like the coolest person. Even though I know I’m a huge nerd.
14. What is your biggest secret? Sometimes, I do miss being in my band. I don’t miss the cutthroat capitalism of the music industry. I don’t miss being on the road, a thousand miles away from Y/N, all the time. But, sometimes, I miss those friends, that I don’t see so often anymore - friends that used to share a stage with me every night. I miss writing songs with them. But, I don’t think I’m supposed to go back to doing that. I think I’m a completely different person than I was then. Some things, are just better left as memories. …..
15. What is the first thing you notice about people? I notice eyes. They really are the windows to the soul. Sometimes, fans will meet me, and as soon as our eyes meet, they just start tearing up? And I’m like why? Like, don’t cry, it’s ok…..I don’t know why I stir up such strong emotion in people. I guess I should feel flattered…..but if I ever see you irl, I would rather see your eyes smiling, okay?
Rules: Pick a character from your WIP, and have them answer these 15 questions, then tag 15 people!
Hhhheck I never get tagged in these sorts of things bless U @mcrxreader
While I have plenty of self-inserts/personas for plenty of fandoms none have dedicated blogs like this and I asked them, they tagged me with Tiger Mom in mind so here I go! (I have no other mutuals who run blogs like this so I ain’t tagging anyone :P)
1. What is your full name? That ain’t anyone’s business anymore. So no more personal questions. I go by Tiger Mom now, you’ll have to make do with that.
2. What does your name mean? Well, my aim sucks but I had my fair share of first aid skills to put into the fray, and since I’m naturally a protective person the guys quickly started calling me ‘the mom friend’, but just calling someone ‘mum’ as their Killjoy name was too plain, so I threw my Chinese zodiac into the mix. And there ya go.
3. What are your nicknames/other names? Ty, Tiger, and the lil’ one calls me plain ‘mom’ a lot.
4. What is your gender? Cisgender woman as assigned, baby! But of course in full support of everyone differently or inbetween!
5. What is your sexuality? Before the Analog Wars, when I first got into college I was finally able to embrace the fact that despite having a preference, I was still allowed and able to call myself bisexual, and I’ve stuck to that. Not that it matters to anyone in the Zones.
6. Where are you from? What did I say about personal questions?
7. How old are you? Twenty-something.
8. Any special talents? Y’know, I used to be an illustrator and beginning animator before all this! The Analog Wars broke out before I could finish my four-year animation Bachelor, so I never actually dove into the industry. Besides that, I used to be able to play piano but instruments like those are a scarce resource nowadays, so I stick to my relatively decent voice for music. Party’s a lot better at that though.
9. Do you have any kids? WELL NOT ORIGINALLY. All things considered it was without question that I took the little ‘messiah’ in, and she’s a sweetheart, but any of my own? Nah, and I don’t plan to change that either.
10. What is your aesthetic? A mess.*
11. Who is your best friend? While all four of the guys are sweethearts in their own way, I’ve bonded the best with Party. Especially now with the added responsibility of having to care for the Girl, it’s nice to sometimes have a more mature person to talk to. Which is why Jet and I also get along quite well.
Besides that I find a lot of comfort in my visits to Dr. D. I’m not religious, but I was already convinced there was more beyond death before the Analog Wars started, and this teddy bear knows a lot more about the Killjoy faith and the Phoenix Witch than I do. And even so, if our conversations aren’t about that, I really enjoy his comforting words of advice from time to time.
12. Would you ever get a piercing/tattoo? Back in my day I was thinking of getting inked, but now it’s good that I didn’t. Makes us less easy to identify by BL/ind. forces.
13. When are you happiest? When the bloody sun finally starts to set and the desert heat becomes bearable, the air becomes breathable, and me and the gang can just sit around a campfire and eat in peace, while the sky displays every color of the rainbow. I’m not cut out for fights like these, it’s nice to have a bit of quiet every once in a while.
Or when Dr. D is playing good jams and bops.
14. What is your biggest secret? Who I was before the Analog Wars, obviously, and it’s gonna remain a secret so next question!
15. What is the first thing you notice about people? Clothes, height, if they’re armed or not. I’m not sure what deep emotional thing you expected here, but I’m pretty ordinary when it comes to these things. The fact that I’m a pretty small individual probably explains the height but other than that, 🤷
* = Authors note: I should probably make a pinterest board for that, to get a better idea of it.
Her crying practically hadn’t stopped since our escape from Battery City, and by now my head had really started to turn itself against me. I leaned back against the concrete wall of the cool, dimmed stock room of the diner, where I’d taken refuge for a moment, the baby still in my arms. I’d tried, unsuccessfully to get her to suckle, had changed her into a (relatively) clean, hand sewn onesie I’d put together, and had taken her out of the heat, but nothing seemed to soothe her.
At one point I’d left her laying in the stock room, gently wrapped up in blankets, in order to patch up the guys, hoping that maybe the quiet would calm her enough to go back to sleep. After the rendezvous with Party, Kobra and Ghoul in the sewers, we’d made a run straight for the Trans Amp, and were lucky no BL/ind. Forces spotted or went after us. This didn’t mean we’d made it out undamaged, although everyone’s injuries seemed minor. After playing nurse and patching them all up as best as I could, the girl still crying in the other room, I went back in to comfort her once more. I’d gently picked her up again and had laid down against the wall, my legs spread out lazily across the dusty, tiled floor.
“Still nothing,” I heard Party’s voice question on my right as he walked into the stock room as well. I opened my initially closed eyes and slowly lifted my head from the wall to face him. I piped up over the screaming, saying: “My head is going to kill me if this keeps on going.” “That bad?” “Knock me out when she finally falls asleep, I swear to god, at this point I’d rather be unconscious,” I muttered. “Have you… tried nursing,” Party tried reluctantly. “What do you think was the first thing I tried,” I answered, leaning back against the wall once more. “I changed her, washed her as well as I could, tried to feed her but she wouldn’t- not even the baby milk Kobra got on the black market- nothing.” I swayed her in my arms slightly as I summed up all my efforts.
“I’ve got a sore back, shaky legs, a splitting headache, am tired beyond belief, hungry and slightly dehydrated. This new Messiah of ours is sooner to kill one of us than to save us all, really,” I complained as another wave of heat washed over me. I hated the desert environment, but under all other circumstances, I could usually deal. “I remember my grandma used to sing to Kobra when he was upset,” Party said suddenly. I turned to look at him, but I could see in his eyes that he was clearly reminiscing of when he and his younger brother still lived in normal suburbs, with normal lives like normal kids.
“Are you saying I should sing nursery rhymes or something,” I chuckled weakly. “You never know,” Party said with a sheepish smile. I sighed. “Fine. Get me a bottle of water and then leave please. I’m not singing when I know others are listening, you know how I feel about that.” Party grinned and left without saying a word. Truth be told, singing was one of the last things I wanted to do right now, but anything that could possibly shut the girl up, I was willing to try.
Party returned soon enough, kneeled down next to me, and handed me a plastic, label less bottle with water, and asked if he could get me anything else. “No, thanks,” I mumbled before taking a few big swigs of water and ushering him out the door with waving hand gestures, the girl still upset in my lap. I lulled her back and forth a little still, digging through my internal music library to find something fitting. Music was a scarce thing in the Zones, or anywhere at all at this point, really. Which is why a lot of us were grateful for Dr. Death and the tunes he released into the air. Every so often, he’d play something I’d recognize from my childhood, and it’d send me back through a portal to a simpler time.
Eventually my brain landed on a fitting song, but now I had to gather up the courage to start singing at the little, angry, screaming human that wriggled relentlessly in my arms. The first few sentences were always the worst to start off with, after that I’d feel more comfortable. This knowledge didn’t help me much though.
“Love on an atom, love on a cloud,” I mumbled hesitantly and quietly.
“To see the birth of all that isn’t now,” I added after a few seconds, playing the track in my head as well as I could.
“Can you imagine,” I continued, slightly louder now, “a love that is so proud?”
“It never has to question why or how.”
If I tried just hard enough, I could hear the electric guitars play in the distance, my mind playing small tricks on me. It was the only song I knew that was about parenthood, if you looked into the lyrics, but despite me never being an actual mom, this didn’t mean it hadn’t been one of my favorite songs from before the Analog Wars. I’d missed this track, I hadn’t heard it in years, I now realized. My internal radio still knew every key change and drum beat though, and by the time I’d finished the song, it took me a few moments to realize that the girl had stopped crying and was now staring up at me with dazed, sleepy eyes.
I tried to sleep as best as I could in the back of the Trans Amp as we soared through the desert, the sun still hiding behind the horizon. I never was a morning person, and war hadn’t changed that. Eventually Jet Star nudged me carefully when in the distance the tall skyscrapers of Battery City started to loom over us. Party drove the Trans Amp off the main road before Scarecrows would spot us, and parked it somewhere between a handful of rock formations. We all grabbed our weaponry, put our masks on, and quietly followed him as we snuck out through the dry grass and sand towards the west side of the city, where the supervising eye of BL/ind’s Draculoid patrols slowly but surely died out as we quietly neared the coast. Which on its own was dangerous due to the many ships from Japan coming in and out of the city’s port, from BL/ind’s country of origin.
The southwest of the harbor though, which we were sneaking up on presently, was where the city’s waterworks ceased to exist and ended in multiple big, tall and round concrete sewer pipes that emerged from the even taller city walls, which threw up their contents onto an already existing and slow-moving stream of garbage, bodily fluids, and everything else that God forbids. The scent was horrid from a mile or so away, despite the cloth that covered most of my face and nose, and by the time we actually neared the entrance to the sewers the sun was steadily climbing its way into the sky, heating up the already disgusting mess that the city left behind, causing the already increasing smell to send Jet Star to the ground, adding his breakfast to the mess.
After we helped Jet back on his feet, Poison took a look at the directions he’d scribbled onto a scrap of paper, prepared his flashlight, urging us to do so as well, before he climbed into the most right sewer pipe. Even with his 5’7 feet, the tunnel’s ceiling towered over him- he could probably take at least one clone of himself on his shoulders and still not reach it. He pulled us up into the pipe one by one, all of us doing our best to not get too much undefinable goo on our clothing as we did so. We ended up turning our backs towards the rising sun as we descended into the darkness, careful to walk next to the slow stream of crap on our left, our eyes slowly adjusting, turning on flashlights one by one.
It took about ten minutes before we reached a first fork in the structure, Poison leading us to take the left turn. We continued in silence for a good fifteen minutes, taking turns here and there, one time even taking the middle of three tunnels, before the ceilings noticeably started to get lower, especially when Kid slipped and almost fell in the goo, and when he reached out to grab onto something he ended up touching the ceiling. After a right turn and by now being stuck here for a good 45 minutes, we had to start crouching slightly, the bottom of the tunnels now being too small to allow us to walk next to the disgusting sludge, forcing us to walk through it, although the quantities had diminished now that we weren’t in the main sewer pipes anymore. By now I started to notice the small rays of light that shone through the manholes a few feet above us.
After a left turn and only a few more minutes of walking, Party stopped below one of said manholes and looked up. For the first time since Kid’s fall we spoke up. “This is the place?” “Yup, now let’s hope the guys are actually there,” Party said as he turned off his flashlight, took out his ray gun, and quietly ascended the metal ladder hanging from the manhole, climbing into the tunnel that led to the surface. He lifted up the iron cover and peeked out ever so slightly. Kid had also climbed up the ladder and hung just below his older brother, ray gun aimed at whoever might be beyond the surface, but when Poison whistled the same tune Dr. Death used at the beginning of his news reports, the manhole was quickly shoved aside by someone from the street, blinding all of us.
“Quickly, now,” a voice hissed, and before I knew it, I was pushed onto the ladder by Jet, forcing me to quickly climb after Kobra and clumsily getting pulled up onto the streets by him and Poison, still having to get used to the bright light of the outside world. Whoever it was that got us out of the sewer, I didn’t get a chance to observe them as they shoved us into the direction of an old, seemingly abandoned warehouse, where another person with a cloth in front of their face like mine, already held open the door slightly, urging us to quickly hurry inside. Now my eyes had to adjust to the dim lighting of the old building and I muttered some curses as I leaned against one of the concrete walls as the rest of the gang entered as well, before the door was shut close.
The sound of gunfire and the continuous ringing of the alarm were getting to my head by the time we’d reached the right room. Without a second thought, Jet kicked in the door and yelled at me to go inside. I ran in, ray gun aimed at whoever might be in there. I was met with high-pitched, shrill shrieks that only increased the headache I already had, and the mumbled pleas of a nurse who slowly raised her hands. She wasn’t a Draculoid or Scarecrow, her face still visible, but was very clearly drugged to the moon and back. I could shoot her, but she was probably as innocent as she wanted to be, and since the alarm had been ringing for the past ten minutes already, it wasn’t like she was going to worsen the situation.
“GET AWAY FROM HER,” I tried yelling over the loud noises from the hallway as I walked further into the room, towards the crib near the window, my gun still pointed at the nurse whom looked at me with a dazed look in her eyes. I wanted to feel bad for her, but when another loud shriek left the baby’s throat I dropped my guard and shoved my ray gun back in its holster, before turning in place and facing the infant. I wanted to rip the plastic wristband with a number off her tiny arm, but instead I grabbed her and the clinically white blanket she laid underneath, wrapped her in it as well as I could, and took her in my arms.
When I turned back to the room however, holding the girl tightly against my chest, something else caught my eye. “Eeeh, JET?” “WHAT?” He sounded panicked. “HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE?” “NOT MUCH, WHY?” “Oh fuck- CAN YOU BUY ME SOME OR SHOULD I GO?” “ONLY IF YOU HURRY I CAN!” I quickly put the girl back down in the crib, roughly took the drawsting bag off my shoulders, and shoved the nurse aside in order to reach the cupboards against the wall. A loud explosion could be heard from the hallway. That was Jet’s time-buying. I rapidly threw as many clean towels and as much medical equipment and baby stuff into the bag as I could, ranging from baby bottles to syringes. I quickly swung the bag back on my shoulders, grabbed the still crying girl, and raced back onto the hallway.
Immediately, the sound of gunfire worsened. I looked around: on my left, a dead-end hallway with only a window and an emergency-exit, on my right, the entire gang fighting back against a horde of Dracs, hiding behind a barricade of hospital chairs and a file cabinet. “GUYS, SHE’S OUT, LET’S PULL BACK,” Jet screamed as he slammed the door shut behind me, and he and I started to run for the emergency-exit at the end of the hallway. While the rest of the guys slowly pulled back and covered for us, Jet quickly opened the door and pushed me onto the metal steps on the outside of the building, the high-risen sun sending a wave of heat over me and the loudly crying infant. In a flash I realized that that screaming could possibly ruin our cover in the sewers later.
Ignoring the gunfire behind me, Jet and I started down the stairs and into the alleyway behind the hospital, hoping to get us into the sewers as quick as we could. I pulled the girl away from my chest a bit and let her look up at me as I tried to shush her. “Sssh, it’s alright, auntie is here, nothing’s gonna happen to-“ “TIGER, COME ON, WE GOTTA GO,” Jet yelled at me from one pair of steps lower. I stopped talking and started running once more, before following the fellow Killjoy down into the dark corners of Battery City. Jet and Party were the only ones who knew which manhole we needed to go down in order to get out of the city as quick as we could, so now I was entirely dependent on him, with the gunfire slowly but surely fading out into the distance.
“The sewer system?” “Apparently it’s the only way in that doesn’t have camera supervision or Dracs on patrol,” Poison said, reading the message the Underground had sent us. “Can you blame them,” Kid chuckled. “There’s a small unit of Underground folk who’ve provided us with directions that lead directly to their place, they can keep us hidden there until we’re ready to sneak into the hospital,” Poison continued. “They suggest doing the whole operation in one day, with our best option being at 12:10 exactly, when the Drac patrol around the building is taken over by a bunch of Scarecrows. That way no one will be around when we sneak in.” “But what about when we sneak out,” Ghoul wanted to know. Poison looked at the screen in front of him, and back at us. “Yeah, we’re probably going to have to make a run for that one,” he said awkwardly. “What, they didn’t give specifications for that,” I said in disbelief.
“All they’ve said is that there’s an entrance to the sewers two alleys east of the building; they’re suggesting that we take that and immediately get out of the city…” I sighted and took a sip of my can of soda. “Well, it’s like you said…,” I mumbled, “it’s our best shot.” We were all silent for a moment, but then Poison took it upon himself and said: “Alright, well, let’s get prepared then. I want to be at the edge of Battery City at sunrise, because judging from the directions we’ve been given, we’re going to be walking through their cisterns and drainages for quite a while.” The rest of us immediately jumped into action, Fun Ghoul walking towards his work station to finish his next set of explosions, Jet Star collecting everyone’s ray guns to patch them up as best as he could, Kobra Kid walking out of the diner to make sure the Trans Am was solid enough for another long ride through the desert, and Party Poison fixing up a reply to the Underground, confirming we’d be there tomorrow morning.
I stood there, in the middle of the diner, everyone quietly working on what they needed to do to make sure we’d get out of tomorrow’s mission in one piece. Eventually I gathered up the courage to say what had been on my mind for the past couple of days. “Poison?” “What’s up,” the redhead said without looking up from his screen. “M- maybe I shouldn’t go with tomorrow.” That caught his attention. “What, why not?” He looked up, the bright blue light of the screen still illuminating his face, causing his confused expression to look rather haunting. “I mean, we all know my aim is shit, we all know what I do in this organization, and I just don’t want to be in your way, is all.” “No, Tiger, we need you on this mission,” Party said as he stood up and started walking towards me. “I mean, who’s going to get that baby out of there when me and Kobra are shooting up the place, Ghoul is throwing bombs around and Jet’s already behind the wheel, screaming at us to hurry the fuck up,” he said with a grin. “Hell, it’s in your name, even! Tiger Mom. I mean, it’s not like the four of us guys don’t know how to hold a baby, but not when we’re fighting BL/ind force
“So you’re signing me up as the mom of this expedition?” Party smiled. “I thought you’d already done that a few days ago?” I snorted. “Okay, fair enough, smartass,” I said, giving him a gentle push back towards the table where Jet’s contraption was still humming, waiting for a message to be send to the Underground. “I better start prepping too then.” I opened up one of the cabinets behind the bar where I kept most of my stuff and pulled out a drawstring bag, filling it with a few blankets and towels, making sure to pick the cleanest and softest ones, as well as two empty plastic bottles, hoping to fill those up with water, before remembering something. “Hey, guys…,” I said as I turned around to face the diner again, “if this is an infant, and we’re stripping it away from her biological mum… she’s still going to need… well…” At this point Party, Jet and Ghoul were all looking at me, but I decided to crush my embarrassment, counting myself lucky the most immature man of the group had gone outside. This was war after all. “She’s still going to need to get something along the lines of breastfeeding…” I issued, blushing still, despite me putting shame aside. This was one of those moments I was reminded of the fact that even though some called us the Fabulous Five, I was still a woman in a group of guys. Maternity amongst paternity.
“Kid and I were planning to make a brief stop on the black market…,” Jet started slowly, slightly embarrassed. “It’s going to be difficult to get our hands on it but who knows if someone still has milk powder?” “You mean like baby milk,” I asked for reassurance. He nodded, his wild hair bouncing with as he did so. I sighted in desperation. “Even that isn’t really what I’d like to give her, especially since you have to look out for BL/ind brands, ‘cuz we know they put mashed pills in there, and I can’t give her solid food yet either for a good year or so, so I can’t mash something together with fruits and vitamins…,” I thought out loud. Proper baby milk powder was as rare as it could get; even medical equipment was easier to get in the Zones. Not a lot of children were born amongst the Killjoys anymore, and the ones that did had always still had their mum.
“Because actual milk, from like… a mom, would be best… right,” Ghoul asked, with slightly less embarrassment than Jet. “I mean, yeah,” I shrugged defeated. “And you can’t give her that?” “Well, I mean, no, unless you want me to become a fuckin’ wet nurse or something…” The response to Ghoul had barely left my mouth when I realized that that was probably the best way to go about this. I dropped my face in my hands in defeat and to hide my glowing cheeks and sighted. “I’m going to have to become a fucking wet nurse, ain’t I,” I said muffled through my fingers. “If that means this kid will live, then yes,” Party now spoke up. I looked up at him with tired eyes. “I know, Poison, I know. This kid could literally save thousands- no, millions of lives, and she cannot go out and be the new Messiah when she dies during infancy because she’s not getting the proper food.” “So you’ll…-“ “Yes, Party, I’ll do it. I’ll still need supplement for a good two weeks though. If my body is responsive at all. Plus this means I won’t be able to go on missions anymore.” “If that means we get a healthy Messiah, so be it. We won’t miss your aim much anyway,” Party said jokingly, in an attempt to lift the mood.
“Yeah, yeah, rub it in,” I said with a grin as I threw an empty soda can at him, before turning to Jet. “Like I said: I’ll still need milk powder. Hopefully just less of it. Try to find pre-Analog stuff; some powder is good for a couple of years I think. If not: hunt for vitamins and fruit. It’s not preferable but it’ll have to do. And no dairy, by the way.” When I saw Jet scribble my advice down on a scrap of paper, I turned back to fill my bag with whatever I would need tomorrow, and tried not to worry about it too much. Maybe he and Kobra would have a lucky find.
After putting minimal medical equipment in the bag as well, just to be sure, I tried to tidy up the kitchen behind the bar of the diner, which I’d sort of claimed as mine long ago, and gabbed a handful of Power Pup cans, the few kitchen utensils that were left behind long ago, and a saucepan, before walking out of the diner and into the desert air, which was starting to cool down as the sun sunk below the dunes at the horizon. Kobra was still half-hidden under the Trans Amp, his boots sticking out from under the dusty, multi-colored car, a few tools lying around in the sand. He didn’t notice me come out, so I let out a short greeting, to let him know it was me walking around, and not a Draculoid that might’ve snuck up on him. I walked towards the small fireplace I’d used many times before to make dinner on. I got out a lighter and grabbed a handful of random tumbleweeds to start a fire, before opening the cans I’d taken with and dumped them all into the saucepan.
Using an old and crooked spoon, I dug through the brown chunks and goo, eventually pulling out a handful of blue pills that were hidden in the food to drug those who ate it. Throwing them into the dirt, I placed the pan with the remaining chunks on the fire, stirring every so often, trying to get most of the liquid to evaporate without burning the actual food that was in the cans. The fact that we’d found a bunch of pans when looting a Scarecrow camp was a gift from heaven above- the goo and liquid BL/ind used to keep the contents of the cans edible was one of the most disgusting things I’d ever tasted, and when I discovered this simple way to get rid of it, I wasn’t the only one that was cheering. One by one the guys emerged from the diner once the smell of meat and old vegetables started to fill the air, and before long we were all munching on tough chunks of food from cans we used as substitute plates while the sun’s last rays of light dyed the sky many shades of orange, pink and purple.
Genres (may be updated along with newer chapters): Self-Insert/OC, Angst, Drama
Pairing: None (yet!)
Plot: After the woman that joined the Fabulous Four during the Analog Wars gets the daunting task to raise The Girl, from a force outside of the Zones, she starts to realize that change is coming sooner than the Killjoys expected.
Chapters:
Chapter 1 - One Does Not Simply Walk Into Battery City:
https://killjoytigermom.tumblr.com/post/164378458798/chapter-1-one-does-not-simply-walk-into-battery
Chapter 2 - Substitutes And Sewer Systems:
https://killjoytigermom.tumblr.com/post/164608161903/chapter-2-substitutes-and-sewer-systems
Chapter 3 - When Shit Hits the Fan
https://killjoytigermom.tumblr.com/post/166720309278/chapter-3-when-shit-hits-the-fan
Chapter 4 - Loud LIke Love
https://killjoytigermom.tumblr.com/post/168197314388/chapter-4-loud-like-love
Chapter 5 - Pillars Of Sand
https://killjoytigermom.tumblr.com/post/185869987823/chapter-5-pillars-of-sand
Other:
15 questions tag
https://killjoytigermom.tumblr.com/post/185820733798/mcrxreader-rules-pick-a-character-from-your
Chapter 1 - One Does Not Simply Walk Into Battery City
A/N: Hello Internet! A bunch of friends of mine led by @mcrxreader convinced me to make my own Killjoy OC, and have inspired me to actually start writing fanfic and fleshing out her story, so that’s what I’ve done. More of her backstory will be revealed as the chapters are published, but for now: here’s chapter one!
“NO, I’M NOT HAVING THIS, I’M NOT LETTING THEM!” “Tiger, calm down,” Jet Star tried, but to no avail. “NO JET, I’M NOT CALMING DOWN! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY’RE GOING TO DO TO HER? I’M NOT LETTING THEM, I’LL GO GET HER MYSELF IF I HAVE TO!” “Ty, think this through- you can’t just walk into Battery City on your own and expect them to hand her over,” Fun Ghoul tried to reason. “THEN COME WITH ME,” I screeched, livid still. “Tiger, Ghoul is right, we’ve got to make a plan of attack if we ever want to get her out of there, and if we-“ “PARTY, SHE WAS DUE RIGHT ABOUT FUCKING NOW! IF WE WAIT ANY LONGER THEY’LL START DRUGGING HER FROM THE MOMENT THE GIRL’S BORN AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT YOU HAVE A NUMBED DOWN CHILD THAT’S INCAPABLE OF THINKING FOR ITSELF!” I’d started tearing up at this point. I’d made a promise to her mum, and I wasn’t planning on breaking it anytime soon.
“Tiger,” Poison said quietly as he grabbed a hold of my shoulders, forcing me to look at him, “we’re not letting them. But we can’t just barge in without a plan.” “We don’t have time for a plan,” I sniffled. The silence that followed between all of us was only interrupted by the quiet sound of the boombox that still stood on the table, where Dr. D had started playing another record, having just finished his brief news report. I was still shaking all over, anxiety and adrenalin rushing through me. I felt like running, wanting to immediately go to Battery City to free her. “Do we know where in the city she is,” Poison suddenly asked. “If they Turned her mom, I reckon they put her in the medical ward for BL/ind’s Armed Forces unit she’s given birth,” Jet started. “That hospital is all the way downtown, according to the Underground sources. We’re going to have to cross half the city to get there,” Fun Ghoul argued. “Isn’t there a way the Underground could help us with this, maybe,” I blurted.
“Even they can’t just walk into the city hospital without repercussions…,” Fun said. “…no, we’re going to have to come up with something better,” he sighted, rubbing his probably aching head. “Why don’t we just, I don’t know… get them to sneak us into the city, and we’ll see from there? Shit, that hospital place can’t possibly be as strictly guarded at night, can it,” I questioned, still not completely familiar with Battery City and its ways. “It’s probably the exact opposite,” Kid now joined in as well. “They’ll expect raids during the night. Our best chance would be to sneak in from the back of the building or something, during daytime. If we can get some people from the Underground to figure out the schedule of the patrols and guards, we might find a blind spot we can use.”
“…so we just… have to wait? For days? We just have to hope they’ll get back to us in time for us to save her,” I questioned, my voice going up a few pitches in panic and disbelief. “It’s the best way to go about it,” Kid reassured me. “We could give the order to save her to the Underground, but they’ll be doomed if they get caught. Their entire network could be discovered and exterminated in mere hours. No, we’re going to have to go ourselves…” His older brother joined in as well, already messing around with the machine they used to contact the Underground forces, to get it up and running, saying: “I’ll send the message out to the Underground, and I’ll discuss with them how they can get us into the city undetected. It’s our best option, Tiger. I know you’re not a fan of it, but I can’t think of any other way to do this either.” He sounded apologetic as he made that final statement.
I sighted. I knew they were right, but my maternal side was still screaming at me to jump into action. I sat back down on an old bar stool at the messy, dirty bar that still remained in the old diner. “I guess so…,” I mumbled. My thoughts were still with the little girl though. I remembered seeing them take her mother, and putting that disgusting mask on her. And I definitely remembered the Phoenix Witch whispering in my ear as they did so. I’d always been more receptive towards paranormal things, but when her raspy voice explained to me why them putting the mask on my friend was blinding me, and what her soul was currently doing, I still felt shivers running down my body, cold sweat abruptly breaking out.
When the Witch instructed me to get the then still unborn child from BL/ind’s clutches, her long nails digging into my shoulder as she breathed down my neck, my knees finally gave in and I fell into the desert sand, vaguely registering them shoving my now Turned friend into one of their white vans and driving off as the dust settled slowly. I wondered what had become of the little girl that suddenly had her mother’s soul implanted in her as I now sat here, in the dusty old diner we called home.
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