#we LOVE vibes no plot

[suntails]

let me out

[chronic-hyperfixator]

Edwin: And so concludes this year’s Secret Santa drawing, just a quick reminder of the rules, $40 dollar limit, no perishable items, and no homemade massage coupons, Thomas.

Thomas: Fine, then everyone will have to pay full price for them.

Crystal: Oh, Edwin I would like a $40 dollar gift card to any restaurant that serves nachos.

Edwin: I don’t have you, Crystal.

Crystal: Not only do I know that you do indeed have me but I also know who everyone else has.

Jenny: That’s not possible.

Crystal: Perhaps not for ordinary people such as yourself, Jenny. But for the brilliant mind of Detective Crystal Sherlock Palace— I legally changed my name— it’s quite simply… elementary.

Crystal: For, you see, Charles made a face I only recognized from our bedroom, which means that he has Edwin.

Charles: *avoids eye contact*

Crystal: Monty has Jenny, his eyes keep shifting over to her.

Monty: No, they don’t. *eyes shift*

Crystal: Jenny looked disgusted, which means she has Thomas.

Crystal: Charlie didn’t draw a name, nor did she put one in, she doesn’t want to participate.

Night Nurse: Never do.

Crystal: Thomas moves his mouth when he reads and quite clearly said Monty.

Thomas: *flipping his paper* I did get Monty.

Crystal: Niko has Charles, she’s holding her paper name-side out.

Niko: Oh, she’s good.

Crystal: And I have Niko, which means Edwin has me. I’ll be taking that gift card, psychic loves nachos.

Edwin: Should we draw the names again and leave Crystal out?

All: Yeah!

Crystal: No!!! Sherlock wants a present!

[phoenixcatch7]

It's always funny to me when in an lu fic the chain is offered bananas and don't accept them. Like, you're offering these high energy adventures free food?? Fruit they'll have never even heard of before??? A ridiculously expensive imported good at best?? AND it boosts your attack?

Not ONE of these idiots would ever turn down something new and interesting to eat at least once. They'd be all over those bananas and immediately get dubbed yiga and I'm honestly surprised no one has used it in a fic yet 🤭

[starcurtain]

your phaidei essay....chef's kiss so good!!! amazing read, thank u.

I just wanted to say stuff about the part in the end: there is lore reason for mydei to leave - 3.1 established nikador was taking huge part of black tide monsters and without them we're having grove catastrophe. my question is why they aren't even trying to get some sort of connection with mydei (hello trailblazers? teleports? after we make a deal of them when we arrived in 3.0?) but suspension of disbelief and drama for story purposes are a must

also about queer-bating and queer-codding part also, 100% agree that cautiously optimism and let hoyo cook best way forward. there is one more chapter in the book for mydei, so he certainly comes back one more time at least (hopefully more).

(also like you said, there is anaxa and I woudn't be surprised if they decide to maximize fujo involvement and bait with him and hi3 feels another part of fujo audience 😂 if thats a case i will watch with curiosity but honestly after this patch my interest is set)

See, I agree that they tried to give a reason for Mydei having to go off to Castrum Kremnos to fight the black tide, except they didn't take the time to provide enough explanation there to close the obvious plotholes:

We're told Mydei needs to go back to Castrum Kremnos because he has a duty to hold off the black tide, which is what Castorice told Gnaeus they would do with his coreflame. Cool, theoretically Mydei taking on that specific duty makes perfect sense.

...Except that they never bothered to explain why literally being in Castrum Kremnos is necessary to do that. Tribbie doesn't have to stay in Janusopolis to open Century Gates. Aglaea doesn't have to stay in the Grove to maintain Mnestia's golden webs. Why would Mydei have to stay inside the literal Blade of Fury to wield Nikador's power? Is he actively hunting the blade tide using a psychic connection that can only be accomplished by staying in the vicinity of the Blade of Fury at all times? The game never bothers to explain this, making it look like there's no valid plot explanation for Mydei's sudden need to depart.

All it would have taken to solve this issue is to throw in a brief scene where Mydei discusses with Gnaeus exactly what it will mean for him to take on Nikador's duties. All they had to do was add one line: "In order to stave off the black tide, you will need to inhabit the Blade of Fury." Like, just a single line could have done the trick to at least lend some tiny plot credence to Mydei not being able to ever return to Okhema.

There wasn't even remotely any foreshadowing to this in 3.0 either. What would Aglaea have done if Phainon beat Nikador's trial? "Oh, okay, bye Phainon, guess you have to go live in Castrum Kremnos all by yourself now!" Why wasn't there a single discussion in 3.0 that taking on Nikador's power would mean leaving Okhema forever? Why let that plot point just swerve in out of nowhere in 3.1?

However, even if they had managed to explain why Mydei needed to stay in Castrum Kremnos permanently... I think the dev team forgot the entire point of Castrum Kremnos in the first place.

It's both a city-state... and a mobile war machine. That's literally what made the Kremnoans such effective conquerors: They didn't have to string out massive supply lines to fuel their armies; they literally just picked up their entire nation and moved to wherever they wanted to conquer!

The entire reason that Aglaea and Tribbie had so much trouble finding Castrum Kremnos prior to the events of 3.0 was because it had floated away.

So... What is the lore-related reason Mydei can't just... move Castrum Kremnos to the sky over Okhema?

The devs didn't even bother to put in the slightest hand wave, another thing that wouldn't have been too hard to do: "Castrum Kremnos's machina have been dormant for years. It may not be possible to move the fortress freely anymore. I'll search for a way, but until then, I won't be able to return to Okhema."

So... While I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and say "Perhaps they have some plot-related reason they need Mydei to go stay in Castrum Kremnos. I'm willing to give them at least a little wiggle room and not claim immediately that this was 100% bury-your-gays to get rid of him after 3.1..." I'm not willing to say they did it well at all. 😂

The fact that they didn't even bother to add a hand-wavey lore explanation does make Mydei's departure look worse than it is. Since they never bothered to explain why it was necessary and never bothered to explain why they couldn't take advantage of their own world-building to avoid the separation, the whole "I will never return" plot looks especially egregious. The timing is just insanely suspicious and lines up unfortunately well with the notion "write the gay romantic interest out of the main plot as soon as his banner ends."

All that said, I'm not a downer on Amphoreus's plot. At the very least, I have a feeling we'll see some kind of payout to the "in another life" concept. And we already know Mydei will still have some role in the plot.

I'm letting the devs cook... but still side-eying their writing decisions, lol.

[moonshynecybin]

@tartquez here with a mermaid Marc au question but only if you want to! ✨

After he does his deal with the devil to turn his tail into legs in exchange for his voice, are there any particular shenanigans you think (mute bambi-legged) Marc would get up to?

scream if we ARE doing the full little mermaid with mute marc, he would SO annoyed that he cant talk everyone around him's damn ear off omg... hm i like him talking/being irritating…. im gonna let him keep his voice. for this the witch fucks up his arm or smth.

so marc gets his legs (wildly traumatic experience), passes the fuck out on a piece of floating decrepit driftwood like that first scene in pirates of the caribbean, and gets rescued by vale's crew (cele sulking moodily in the crows nest like uh GUYS? when he spots marc. who is of course naked and gleaming in the sun like a piece of gold.) and the academy boys pull marc's body limp from the sea, and when marc wakes up it is to the loose shirt and rakishly raised brow of the famous captain valentino rossi... literally like THE guy who he got legs for (in all universes marc starts doing dangerous stuff bc he sees vale doing it when he was younger and falls head over ass in love w him lol)… and he has to think up a cover story QUICK

of course as we know, vale is the most curious man alive. so when this hot (weirdly familiar.....) mystery man is deposited on the deck of his ship two weeks away from any land with no clothes, no nearby ship wreckage to explain his presence, and seemingly no memory whatsoever, hes like okay. you can hang for a bit until i figure you out. at least until we get to land— but you also have to make yourself useful :) (in my head he’s so charming about this offensive even if he’s like. implicitly threatening marc a little lol) and marc gets bored easily so i think he folds himself into the crew p fast after that… there are scenes of immediate flirting (marc comma shameless and BOLD. hasn’t really figured out the clothes thing). there are scenes of marc not knowing how to use a fork because he is used to using his sharp teeth and nails to simply rend sushi to shreds. there are scenes where pecco and luca pull out their fiddle and flute for the crew at the end of a long day of raids and the marc stares at them like hes under a spell because they dont have that kind of music under the sea. there are scenes of marc being deathly afraid of the ocean because he cant swim now (thrown in as a prank and vale rescues him ? perhaps ?). there are scenes of marc being surprisingly, viciously good at sword fighting (makes vale even MORE suspicious... like okay he is definitely not a two bit merchant deckhand lol) and them shirtless and sweaty in the hot sun spending hours trying to get one over on each other. marc staring at fire like hes never seen it before. him and celestino pranking crewmembers. an ache in his chest when he thinks about alex. counting his toes because they’re WEIRD and learning how to PEE and learning how to JACK OFF. and most off all falling harder and faster than he thought possible and vice versa... truly nothing vale likes more than a surprising little puzzle who is obsessed w him, even while theres a voice niggling in the back of his head that the alien way marc cocks his head and stares rings more like a shark than an amnesiac sailor...

UNFORTUNATELYYYYY for vale and marc, part of the reason marc excels at sword fighting is because marc IS the prince of the mermen or whatever the fuck. and his spell has a two week time limit to find true love before his arm (getting weaker every day) is permanently FUCKED (really bad when you live in the ocean or simply lead the kind of life marc marquez does) and he has to slink back home to papa marquez and all the boring, safe trappings of being royalty (PAUSE: santi is sebastian. thank u). so alex shows up trying to bring him back, but marc doesnt want to go (starts 2 become guilty about foisting this on alex) and cant swim like this anyways (scar on his arm getting bigger comma. new legs), and then vale CATCHES THEMMMM talking late at night when everyone else is in bed and he remembers all the stories about sailors being dragged to their deaths (true. lol) and remembers the glittering flicker of marc's tail after he pulled him from the sea twenty years ago and all of his suspicions at marc’s ability at violence. and then its a huge fucking mess.

[completeoveranalysis]

[2]

Mokona is just uncomplicatedly happy about this but OH that bottom panel really gets me. Kurogane in complete shock, as if not quite daring to actually believe it yet. Still questioning if he could still get back the two kids he lost. 

It’s like the usual story of his life undone for once. Instead of watching family members die now they’re coming back and they’re just here now. 

Meanwhile FAI just looks SHATTERED. He’s not even looking up. He’s been forced to close his eyes. He looks heartbroken.  And I can’t tell if it’s because he knows what they went through to get here or if he is just so relieved that it’s them that it’s taking him a moment to actually believe it.

Incredible all round.

But The tone of this page! 

Sakura and Syaoran just look sad, even when they confirm it’s them. Maybe they’re hesitant? Or maybe it’s hard for them to be back here and seeing them all after all this time? Fai’s eyes are completely covered in that second panel with his face in shadow, and in the third he’s got a bit of a hesitant smile to his face when he tries to brush it off. It's all genuine, messy emotion, and I think it’s a sign of just how much this has thrown everyone off. 

I just love it. 

I think Fai didn’t let himself believe the happy option was even possible at first, so realising that he was right and that he can be happy about this might take a moment.

[green-green-grass]

girl it's because you're a demigod or a reality-breaking entity or something and your storyline isn't over girl

[george228732]

''Nova, you're boiling..."

''Apologies for me worrying you, sire... Although, It's just a fever, there's no need for being worried."

''You say that when I literally had to give you a cup of tea and my robes so you could be fine. Although, guess I can't complain since it's summer and I would die of a heatstroke if not.''

''...I am sorry.''

''Well, don't be! I still gotta keep that promise we made! We take care of eachother until that caretaker of yours brings us to the afterlife or whatever it's called.''

''...''

''...Soooooooo... Now that you have retired from being a knight and all that... What do you have planned to do now? Slacking off isn't something you'd do, so I'm curious!"

''...Well... I've been thinking about it, and I have some ideas...''

''Feel free to tell! I ain't going anywhere!''

''Well, I've been trying to delve into other things, like... Theater, and the sort.''

''Oh, theater? That's odd, I never thought that you'd like it!''

''To be fair, I never knew you got a liking of sewing, and yet you told me you made your own clothing.

''Touche.''

''But yes, I have been interested in it. My Father used to be an actor for theater plays when I was a kid. He had an acting that only the gods could compare, and he probably still has the talent deep within him. You can imagine all sorts of shows and scenarios when it comes to that topic and I have been wanting to delve deeper into it.''

''...Huh...! What if you become a playwright?''

''Oh?''

''Y'know! The ones that write plays for theater and such! Your writing is pretty nice, and I know people like it! Even though I have to pull out a thesaurus each time you do so.''

''...That doesn't sound like a bad idea.''

''Perfect! You'd make a nice playwright, let me tell you, I'll support you a lot!''

...

Meta Knight still had a high fever, so after leaving the cup that he was drinking from on the nightstand, he shoved his face down to Dedede's belly feathers like a cat rubbing their face on the carpet, with his claws grabbing onto him too with his meaty arms but thanks to how thick his feathers were, it didn't cause harm.

''...I apologize for how unprofessional this is...''

''Wait, what? No! Don't apologize! I am actually very happy that you feel so comfortable around me, so hey, if this is the pillow you wanna sleep on, I ain't gonna complain a bit."

It was then that Meta, whether in a way of saying thanks or for the embarrasment, he kissed him, not moving an inch from his position, and his wings started glowing with that constellation pattern he was known for ever since he got the Spade Spear, he felt safe in a way he hadn't experienced before.

Dedede simply chuckled a bit and curled up around Meta, using his tail and hands to welcome him too, along the robes that covered both, Meta could be hardly seen amongst all of that blue, and soon enough, both fell into a deep slumber.

The King, before dozing off, thought about what place could be appropiate to build in a theater.

[theomencometh]

okay i've had this scene from an au stuck in my head recently so here's 3k of timkon identity shenanigans where kon has been recently taken in by luthor for nefarious reasons and is forced to attend a gala where tim and bruce show up. robin hasn't revealed his identity to the team yet even though they've been friends for years. canon/timeline has been put in a blender and liquified.

Kon takes a deep breath in through his nose, holding it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out of his mouth.  It’s a technique that Robin taught the team when he was trying desperately to get them on a more bat-approved training regime, including meditation and an acrobatics routine that Nightwing allegedly used on the Teen Titans years ago.  Kon is fully aware that he’s got weird stuff going on with his body’s organs and systems compared to humans, but the slow, rhythmic breathing still brings comfort and helps center him, slowing everything down enough so he no longer feels like he’s going to accidentally fry someone with his heat vision.

He tugs at the collar of his dress shirt, gulping and taking a deep breath again.  The shirt and tie feels so much more restrictive than his Superboy uniform, tightening like a noose around his neck, and the inflexibility of the suit coat makes him feel like a stiff, awkward mannequin.

“Stop that,” Luthor says, putting a heavy hand on his shoulder.  Kon immediately stills, straightening and trying to relax at the same time.

“These people are vultures,” Lex says, voice low.  Kon tries to focus his super hearing on him, rather than the woman with the loud laugh across the ballroom or the clink of glasses down the hall where the staff is continuously loading and unloading equipment.  He can hear the steady beat of Lex’s heart, the rhythmic whoosh of air traveling in his lungs, the slight gurgle of his stomach (gross!).  Kon decides he doesn’t like listening to Lex Luthor very much.

“Remember what I told you,” Lex is still saying.  “Be on your best behavior.  Today is about getting your name and your face out there.  Be polite, but not a pushover.  Never let them see weakness.”

Kon forcibly bites back the retort that his only weakness is kryptonite and makes himself nod instead.

Luthor leads him over to a group of people with his hand still clamped on Connor’s shoulder like a shackle.  From there, it’s an exhausting parade of schmoozing with millionaires and billionaires, shaking hands firmly (but not too firmly!), laughing at unfunny jokes, and pretending that he loves dear old Dad instead of wanting to punt him through the nearest wall.

Kon is charming.  He knows this.  It’s something that he’s known since he freshly came out of a test tube, and it’s something that he’s perfected with smiles and body language and a well-placed word or phrase.  Kon can get most people eating out of his hand with barely any effort, but it’s usually normal people a little closer to his age, not rich, egotistical, out-of-touch old people who want to pinch his cheeks but absolutely cannot be allowed to due to his invulnerable skin.  Kon forgets everyone’s name almost as soon as he hears it, clutching his flute of sparkling cider like a lifeline (but not hard enough to shatter).

Kon doesn’t know how long he gets paraded around as Luthor’s newest pet, but it feels like forever.  Everyone talks around where he’s been for the past 17 years of his life (nonexistent and then in a lab and then gallivanting around with superheroes and then, finally, as of two month ago a little farm in Kansas until Lex Luthor uprooted everything with a few well-placed threats), and Kon lets Lex tell the cover story about how he didn’t find out about Connor until recently, but he’s happy to be reunited with his son now.

Son.  Connor isn’t anyone’s son.  He was maybe getting to be a family member to the Kents finally, but Luthor threw a wrench into all of that.

Connor had a room at the farm.  He had a chore list to do and homemade meals to eat, and Clark has finally stopped flinching when he sees him.  Clark grinned at him the other day, not his public smile or a small, polite thing, but an actual, honest to goodness grin.  Connor bets he can kiss that goodbye now, just like he can kiss goodbye ever knowing Robin’s real identity, because there’s no way that Batman will let him tell Kon now that Kon is semi-legally under the guardianship of a supervillain, and just like there’s no way that Kon can have anything remotely resembling a normal teenage experience as the ward of a billionaire and forced showpony, and just like–

“I’ll be damned,” Lex breathes next to him, interrupting Kon’s spiral.  Kon follows his gaze to the entrance of the ballroom, ears picking up the loud, boisterous laugh of Bruce Wayne clapping someone on the back a little too forcefully.  Kon has never seen Bruce Wayne in person, but he’s difficult to miss in the papers, especially with how often he finds himself in trouble.  Robin has told him of a few instances when he or one of the other Gotham vigilantes has had to rescue him, and Kon knows that Lois interviewed him once and Clark has informally run into him at a gala such as this.

Clark says he tried really hard to be the journalist from the Planet here tonight once Lex demanded that Connor be there, but it was too late notice.  Neither Clark nor Lois are among the reporters clustered in the corner.  Kon is alone.

“He didn’t RSVP,” Lex says, miffed.  Kon immediately likes Bruce Wayne significantly more because of it.  “Oh, and he brought a friend.”

Kon peers around the crowd that has quickly amassed around Gotham’s favorite billionaire and finally spots the person Bruce Wayne has a hand on the shoulder of.  It’s a teenage boy, dressed in a dark suit with dark hair parted in the middle to keep it out of his eyes.  He’s slight, but not skinny, and he’s not overly tall, probably closer to Robin or Bart’s height than Connor’s.  He doesn’t show any signs of discomfort at the press of adults around him, offering polite handshakes and letting the women kiss his cheeks the way some of them have tried with Kon.  Bruce doesn’t stray far, taking the boy with him when they finally finish with the crowd near the door and head to the bar.  The boy doesn’t seem to mind the attention.  Kon, however, does not appreciate the tone of voice that Lex used when he said friend.  He’s ready to do some superheroing if he needs to.

“Let’s go,” Lex says, putting his hand on Connor’s shoulder again to steer him through the crowd.  “Let me handle Bruce Wayne.  The kid is Timothy Drake.  He recently became the head of his parent’s company when his father died.  This is the first time he’s been seen at an event since the death.  Bruce is almost certainly going to adopt him.  Timothy stayed with him when Jack Drake was in a coma, plus he has the dark hair and light eyes and Brucie favors in his kids.  He’s your focus for the rest of the night.  Forget about everyone else.”

“Lex!  I didn’t know you’d be here, you old dog!” Bruce calls before Connor has time to process all of that, slinging an arm around Luthor’s shoulders and seemingly crushing all of the air out of him in less than a second.

“It’s my party,” Lex wheezes.

“Good thing I’m here to liven it up, eh?” Bruce asks, elbowing Luthor in the ribs.

Kon really hopes that Bruce Wayne’s obsession with dark haired, light eyed boys is an innocent coincidence, because he doesn’t want to apprehend him for being a pedophile when he’s pissing Lex off so easily.

“Hello, Timothy,” Luthor greets, holding out his hand.  Bruce pouts at being ignored while Timothy shakes politely.  “May I just say, it’s refreshing to see you out and about.  I’m sure running your parent’s company is stressful all by yourself.”

Timothy tilts his head, reminding Connor vaguely of a bird.

“I’m happy to do it,” he says, polite but firm.  “It’s what my parents would have wanted, and they left things well organized for me.”

“And I suppose Bruce here has been giving you advice?”

“Now Lex,” Bruce says, wagging his finger at him, “you know that’d be a conflict of interest.  Besides, Tim could run circles around me.  I should be asking him for advice!”

Connor feels his eyes start to glaze over as Luthor and Bruce volley back and forth, seemingly forgetting that he’s even there.  Having Lex’s attention off of him and on someone else is a much needed break, so he’s not about to complain, but it’s also really fucking rude.  Connor hasn’t even been introduced to these two.

Timothy catches his eye, sweeping his gaze over to Luthor and Bruce and rolling his eyes.  Connor smirks.  Timothy raises an eyebrow and Connor mirrors him, just a slight quirk.

Timothy looks pretty nice, up close.  His eyes are the promised light blue, but his dark eyelashes are long and thick, framing them beautifully.  He’s pale, almost reflective in the glittering chandelier light, and he carries himself with a self-assuredness that Connor envies in this environment.  The suit fits him really nicely, hugging his shoulders and accenting his trim waist and long legs.  When he raises his flute to take a sip of the drink inside, Kon finds himself tracking the liquid as it disappears past his pale pink lips, his throat flexing as he swallows.

He’s not bad to look at.  He could easily turn out to be dull as a brick or a total douchebag, but so far first impressions are good.

“And who is this young man?” Bruce asks, snapping him out of his thoughts.  Luthor puts a hand on his back to push him forward a step, and Kon doesn’t have to move, but Lex is going to be mad if he doesn’t and the situation is delicate.

“This is my son, Connor,” Luthor introduces.  Kon offers his hand with his most charming smile.

“Nice to meet you,” he says, shaking first Bruce’s hand (better grip than he expected) and then Timothy’s (rougher than he thought it’d be, skin warm).

“Son, eh?  He must take after his mother!” Bruce laughs.  Lex’s face pinches, but Connor doesn’t have a chance to relish in it before Bruce is sweeping Luthor away with another arm around his shoulder, talking loudly about secret children and parenting hacks.  Luthor tries to protest, but it’s quickly drowned out by Bruce, and he doesn’t have a chance to so much as glance back at Connor before they’re swallowed by the crowd.

Kon blinks.

“Bruce will keep him busy for a while, sorry,” Timothy says, not sounding very sorry.  He takes another sip from his glass, then leans in.  Cologne tickles Connor’s nose.

“Hold your drink by the stem, not the glass,” he says quietly.  “It’s supposed to keep your drink from getting warm, an old etiquette thing.  It’s small, but it’ll help you blend in a little more.”

Kon looks around the room, taking in the people with flutes like him and where they’re holding it.  The majority are holding the stem, and the ones that aren’t are people that Luthor hasn’t bothered to introduce him to yet.  Kon adjusts his grip accordingly, off-balance and embarrassed.

“Thanks,” he says.  Timothy tilts his head.

“You want to get some air?  There’s a balcony over there.  Your father will be able to find you easily once Bruce releases him.”

“Yes,” Kon agrees immediately.  He’s used to not fitting in, but having the eyes of so many judgy rich people on him when he’s pretending to be Lex Luthor’s human son has been exhausting.  No one has been too rude so far, but the weight of Lex’s hand on his shoulder is heavy, and this complicated set of social rules that he still doesn’t understand puts him on edge.

Normally he’d say fuck the rules and do what he wants, but the situation is too delicate for that.  Clarke and Robin both told him that he needs to be careful and think twice about every move he makes, and for once neither of them sounded condescending about it.  He could tell that they don’t like the situation, either, worry and sympathy clear in their faces.

“Come on,” Timothy says, heading towards a set of double doors.  He doesn’t glance back, trusting Connor to follow him, and Connor does, stepping in his footsteps as he expertly weaves through the crowd, deflecting anyone trying to stop to speak to them with smooth excuses and a well-placed smile.  In no time at all he’s pushing open the large french doors, releasing them from the ballroom and into the cool night air.

Kon tilts his head up, blinking at the night sky above him.  It’s cloudy, obscuring what few stars manage to make their way through the light pollution to reach Metropolis.  Connor wishes he could fly up there, feel the dampness of early rain on his face, burst into the dark and escape everything.  For now, he keeps his feet on the ground, instead joining Timothy by the railing.

“So, how often do you come to these things, Timothy?” Connor asks, leaning back on his elbows.  The other boy perches with a hip pressed against the railing, arms crossed over his chest.

“Tim, please,” he says.  “Timothy makes me feel like I’m in trouble or you’re trying to swindle me out of a business deal.”

“Okay.  How often do you come to these things, Tim?” Connor corrects, testing the feel of it in his mouth.  Tim relaxes at the sound.

“Decently often, but I usually stick to Gotham,” he says.  “I’ll have to start coming to more now that I’m in charge of Drake Industries, but I grew up going to galas.  Is this your first one since Luthor found you?”

“Is it that obvious?” Connor asks.  Tim smirks, but shakes his head.

“I think I’d remember if I’d seen you at one of these before.”

Connor flashes him a charming smile.

“I bet you say that to all the boys.”  Tim’s cheeks turn pink, his blush noticeable against his pale skin even with the limited light out here.  Kon takes a sip of his sparkling cider, satisfaction making it taste sweeter on his tongue.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re probably the only people under thirty in the whole building besides some of the catering staff,” Tim says. 

“You missed the toddler earlier,” Connor hums.  “She was throwing a tantrum.  I very much sympathized.”

“Did I really?” Tim asks dryly.  “What a pity.  Oh no.  How unfortunate that Bruce likes being fashionably late to everything.”

Connor snorts.

“Bruce Wayne, huh?” he says.  “How’d you two meet?”

Tim shifts so he’s leaning back against the railing like Kon.  Kon takes a moment to drink in his profile, tracing the sharp jut of his nose, the hair shielding his eyes from him at this angle.

“He’s my neighbor,” Tim says.  “I’ve kind of always known him, but our families weren’t really close until a few years ago.  When my dad was in a coma, Bruce took me in.  My uncle was supposed to get custody of me now, but…”

Tim trails off, searching for words.  Eventually, he shrugs.

“He’s fostering me right now.  We’ll see where it goes from there.”

“Do you want to stay with him?” Kon asks.  Tim considers his words carefully.  Connor’s mouth is always running away with him, but Tim seems to have the opposite approach.  Everything is measured and careful, cold and tactical.  It reminds Kon of Robin in the middle of missions, keeping his reactions even and methodical to counteract the impulsiveness of the rest of the team.  Kon wonders if Tim is the type of person to let himself be stupid and emotional around friends like Robin is, or if he always keeps everything bottled up.

“Yeah, I do,” Tim breathes eventually.  “But it’s complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

Another pause.  Kon does Robin’s breathing exercise, staying patient.  Some people need time to talk, and Kon can’t help if he doesn’t know what’s wrong.

“I guess I don’t want him to adopt me because he feels obligated,” Tim says.  “He has a family.  There’s–It’s a long story, too long to explain now.  Sorry, this is a weird first impression, huh? But enough about me!  What about you?  Where were you before Luthor found you?”

“Uh,” Connor says, still recovering from the whiplash of topics and searching for Luthor’s cover story.  “Kansas.”

“Kansas?” Tim prompts.

“Yeah, Kansas. I was in the foster system for a while, then I got adopted by this nice old couple who live on a farm in Smallville, which is just as small as it sounds.  I didn’t know anything about my birth parents until Lex showed up.”

“Wow,” Tim says.  “This has to be a big adjustment, then.”

Connor scratches the back of his neck.

“Yeah, kinda.”

Kon’s whole life feels like a big adjustment, from adjusting to existing and Clark’s negative feelings towards him, to adjusting to working for Camdus and living in Hawaii, to adjusting to Young Justice and Teen Titans, to finally trying to adjust to Smallville, only to be ripped away from that and forced into Metropolis high society.

“Do you miss them?” Tim asks.  “The old couple who adopted you?”

Kon swallows against the unexpected pang that rolls through him.  He can almost taste Martha’s pancakes on his tongue and hear the crinkle of the newspaper as Jonathan hands him the cartoons.

“I wasn’t with them very long.  Only a few months.”

Tim tilts his head.

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

Connor shrugs.  He doesn’t know what the right answer is here.  Martha and Jonathan are the closest thing he’s ever had to parents, but part of him never expected to stay with them.  When Luthor ripped him away from them, there was a part of Kon that wasn’t surprised at all, even if a bigger part was in agony.

Martha kissed his forehead when he left the farm and gave him a sad smile.

“You can always come back here, okay?  This is your home, no matter what Lex Luthor has to say about it.”

“If they formally adopted you, Lex Luthor’s claim as your biological father isn’t enough to force cut contact,” Tim says, pushing off the railing and taking a few steps closer.  “Trust me.  I researched this stuff when my dad came out of his coma.”

Kon frowns.

“He didn’t like Bruce?”

Tim wavers.

“It’s complicated,” he offers.  Kon snorts.

“Yeah, I get that.”

Tim’s mouth quirks up, giving Connor the shadow of a smile again.

“It’s not really a first meeting story.”

“Guess we need a second meeting, then,” Connor says.

“Yeah?” Tim asks.  “My weird family dynamic really captivated you, huh?”

“It was your eyes first, actually,” Connor says.  Tim opens his mouth, then closes it again, eyes wide.  Kon holds his breath.  He says flirty things all the time, both to his friends and to people he rescues who seem like they need a pick-me-up, but it’s been a while since he sincerely flirted with someone he plans to see again.  He almost never does it with someone who only knows him as Connor rather than Superboy, much less a boy.

If this goes badly and Tim tells the entire Metropolis elite that Lex’s son is a homosexual, maybe the scandal will be enough for Luthor to send him back to Smallville.  If it goes well…

“You have… very nice eyes, too,” Tim says eventually.  Connor beams, then beams even more at the sharp inhale Tim draws in response.  Tim shifts.

“Hey, do you want to get out of here?” he asks.  “There’s a decent ice cream place open late a few blocks away.  We can be there and back before anyone misses us.”

Connor glances towards Luthor in the ballroom.  He’s still talking to Bruce Wayne, and they’ve amassed a small crowd around them.

“Bruce will keep Lex busy for a while.  He likes to talk.  Besides, you can always tell him that you were networking,” Tim offers.

Luthor said that Tim should be his focus for the rest of the night.  He never said that they had to stay at the gala.

“Lead the way,” he says, gesturing grandly towards the French doors.  Tim blinks once, then again, then smiles.  His eyes light up with it, and Kon suddenly understands why Tim had to inhale before.

“Come on,” Tim says, leading the way.  Kon follows just as closely as he did before, trailing him until they spill out into the Metropolis night and he can stand next to him, almost close enough for their arms to brush.

Maybe living with Lex Luthor won’t be so bad if comes with seeing Tim Drake, too.

[kalied0skull]

if youwere a dnd character you wouldbe a tiefling bard/fighter

clocked me like a MOTHERFUCKER huh...

yeah okay whatever maybe i do actively have a tiefling fighter in my campaign

and yeah maybe he is a warlock because i thought bards were too classic and boring

and yeah maybe i do have a full pinterest board for him and several drawings of him and like his voice claim is kuzco from emperor's new groove

[purplespacekitty]

donna troy, kyle rayner, jason todd trio run when???

[valewritessss]

If I’m being completely honest… and please don’t hate me for this I thought this a long time ago and I don’t know if I still do but… I stopped reading Kotlc when it became too much about angsty/sad Keefe and not enough everyone else

Edit: this is not an anti keefe post. I love keefe.

[paynnincorporated]

WIP thing for a tarot card design (guess what card :^) )

I love evil mad scientists x evil gang lord lol (In the POV that Word is a nerd about gear and Zulay was the leader of the Dragon Eye crew) And yes, that's Zulay's dragon Addyr, who's meant to be Decepshun's relative/parent idk haha.

[vaguely-concerned]

"I'm rather lucky," said Wimsey, with that apologetic air which seems forced on anybody accused of too much wealth. "I have an extraordinarily faithful and intelligent man, who looks after me like a mother."

I love it when a book looks me in the eye and goes 'yes my friend you are so completely and utterly correct and valid and always right well done'. bunter DOES look after him like a mother I am literally always saying this!!!!

(that note from peter's uncle where he describes bunter like... peter returned from the war with the man bunter, who was and is devoted to him. I have been thinking about this for weeks now. what a thing to say. what a way to sum up a situation a man and a relationship. *gazing pensively into the air with my chin resting on my interlaced fingers* was and is devoted to him.....)

[feverdreamsandlucidnightmares]

I really could be your fake wife that died for the plot though. This is a service I can provide

[nortonwifey]

THAT MOVIE WAS SO GOOD AND WE'RE NOT EVEN DONE WATCHING IT AAAAAAAAAAAAAA