#also a lot of whump

[mirensiart]

Youve got MY brain churning now >:D

With regards to the lu x kiznaiver au, if someone is in so much pain that they pass out, do the remaining Links get an instant reprieve? The panic that would seep thru the chain if so- especially the first time it happenssss oohohoho

Im also watching the anime with a friend next week, ty for the unintentional recommendation 😂

It's such a fun concept, the brainrot is real lol!

And ooh, I would think so! Like when u pass out cause of pain, it's because the brain wants to shield u of it, so I would assume that if one of them passes out the rest would stop feeling that link's pain 🤔

The potential hurt/comfort though... you're cooking!

I actually want to rewatch the anime now too! I've watched it twice, but the last time I did was in 2017 so it's been A While lol

It's a short but fun watch, i liked the concept a lot, and I believe there's so many ways to explore it outside of what the anime did !!

I hope u enjoy it! I do remember the cast being very lovable hehe

[suspensefulpen]

Darling is such a powerful word to me

Imo you use that word for someone you are truly, deeply in love with. This person is your world, your everything, you can’t live without them.

On the other hand, you use that word for someone you’re extremely possessive of. You call someone that and they’re yours for all of eternity, whether they like it or not. No one else can have them because they’re yours if they know or not is completely irrelevant.

Now, imagine Whumpee being called that by both Caretaker and Whumper…

[hannibard]

Say what you will about the witcher season 2 but all the "Yennefer took Jaskier in the divorce", "Geralt and Yennefer are a divorced couple rasing a kid and dating the same man", "geraskefer love triangle with an oblivious Jaskier in the middle" memes and fics were top tier

[whump-side]

My piece for the ABCs of Whump zine @thewhumpyprintingpress My letter was T for Torture ! If you want to acquire this very whumpy zine, there are physical and digital copies still available. Make sure to visit The Whumpy Printing Press Tumblr for more informations

[brutal-nemesis]

whump enjoyers be like

[kabie-whump]

Ghost whumpee who has to relive their death again every night + living Caretaker covering their head with a pillow every night to block out the screams.

[thatsgonnaleaveamark]

kinda hard to describe but im really into like. clumsy (?) chases. character whos maybe just Some Guy being chased, maybe they have something the pursuer wants, half crashing into walls when turning around a corner, stumbling and falling and scrambling to get up again, tripping on steps when running upstairs, falling through unstable flooring, landing in a pile of something and then half limping trying to get away

[futurealchemy]

with the amount of times hiccup has had dragons scream directly in his ears at a very close distance, it would be surprising if his hearing wasn’t at least a little impaired honestly.

[fioblah]

surround yourself with fragile things

tip jar

[justbreakonme]

Whumpee liked many things about Caretaker.

They had a soft, kind voice, with soft kind hands, and even softer, kinder eyes.

They laughed a lot, and made him laugh too, and didn’t seem to notice when he laughed too long or too loudly or too gracelessly.

They gave him food, nice things, and clothes that fit, and a bed (a real bed, just for them!), but… There was one thing in particular that Whumpee liked the most.

See, Whumpee had never needed to be broken. They’d never dare intentionally step out of line, not even in their wildest dreams or most terrifying nightmares. But, they were flawed. Deeply. And made many mistakes.

But, where Whumper had attributed those mistakes to malice, Caretaker merely corrected him, forgave him, helped him.

He remembered fondly (oh how strange to remember anything fondly) the day Caretaker first brought him home. He had tripped over the edge of the welcome mat, and fell hard, knocking the coat rack down with him.

He had been braced for blows, or at best the yelling and screaming that always reduced him to tears, but, instead, Caretaker had crouched down and asked if he was okay. He had stared, blankly (stupidly), at them, covered in coats and scarves, until Caretaker had moved to help him. He’d flinched, and Caretaker still hadn’t struck him. Instead, they offered a hand, and helped him up.

Caretaker smiled, awkward and toothy and more beautiful than anything he’d ever seen, and apologized, (apologized, to him, of all things!) making a little joke about how welcome mat wasn’t very welcoming.

Whumpee had stared for a moment more, still braced for this all to be a trick. Then, it was like something inside him broke, like a rubber band snapping, and he laughed. He’d laughed, hysterical and ugly, till tears came to his eyes, and then couldn’t stop them.

He’d begged through tears that he was sorry, that he was trying to be good (an old habit that had still never died, despite having every reason to), but Caretaker still didn’t raise a hand against him.

He didn’t remember all the details, after that, only that Caretaker had brought him into the kitchen, and given him a mug of something warm and sweet, and sat down across from him. And had let him cry, only interrupting to assure him that he was not in trouble and to hand him a tissue.

Yes, Whumpee liked many things about Caretaker. Their heart most of all.

[alaccrity]

so there's this fic that i really really want to write but i havent gotten around to it which means im just gonna leave it here instead for why not lmao;; also warning there's a lot of projecting and maybe? a little ooc goin on but it's for me ok

one sentence summary: kind of childhood best friends to lovers second chance modern au zolu but oh boy do zoro's feelings make it complicated. lots of hurt comfort :)

zoro and luffy were raised in the same town, but it wasnt until around high school before they became friends. luffy was always just one of those people zoro knew because, well, luffy was an enigma, a spectacle, a rascal anywhere he went. the grape vine was zoro's only source of information on the kid who was simultaneously the bane and pride of the town. but upon their first encounter, zoro immediately understood why everyone loved him, how he just drew people in. luckily, luffy seemed just as intrigued by zoro, so somehow they became cohorts. zoro feels nothing short of fascination for luffy, who continues to attract more and more friends as the time goes on. he pins the magnetic feelings on luffy's idiotic lack of charm charm, though it doesnt take long for zoro to realize that he's a little in love. but this love is complicated, or really just difficult for perptually emotionally constipated zoro to handle, in that it is so all consuming. as the his crush intensifies, so does his utter devotion. the ease in which zoro could just give his heart to another man like this scares him. zoro is so prepared to give up his everything for luffy, and yet other bitter feelings sabotage him. perhaps it's because zoro's never felt anything this intense before or because he's always been a little shy, but a possessiveness over luffy starts to take over. he knows he's already devoted himself to luffy, already placed that ever beating heart into luffy's hands, but a horrid feeling twists his gut whenever he feels like luffy doesn't feel the same. that is to say, luffy belongs to everyone; he could never be zoro's alone. although zoro could never doubt the love they have for each other, that is something so raw and real and irreplacable whether platonic or romantic, doubt festers anyways. because luffy always needs more love, more attention than zoro could ever give him. he never feels like the things he does to prove that he is solely luffy's is enough to make him zoro's. luffy needs so much more than zoro. luffy needs to go out into the world and receive love from all those people, and zoro knows for certain that luffy deserves that. he knows, yet here he is constantly waiting for luffy to come home, writhing in his feelings of inadequacy. (A/N: i forgot to mention luffy is like a taekwondo olympian so he travels a lot in this fic lol). even now after they've made it official that they're dating and confirmed that their feelings mutually go beyond friendship, zoro can't help but feel even more distant for luffy. just because he slapped on the label of boyfriend, that doesnt make luffy any more his than he was before, that terrible feeling of a loneliness that shouldnt belong is everywhere. ultimately, ofc, it all blows up bc zoro doesnt know how to properly communicate things he cant even understand himself and tells luffy that he's hard to love bc he needs so much of that love and zoro feels shitty bc he cant provide it all. luffy turns it back on him, "aren't you the one who needs more? i cant give you what you want from me either, zoro." that exclusivity, even though for luffy, zoro was always different from everyone and anyone else he'd ever meet. zoro just couldn't understand that; the only thing he couldn't understand about luffy. of course luffy wants it all, that's just how he is. the fight between them is horrible because luffy had also sensed it. zoro didn't have enough trust in luffy's feelings towards him and luffy trusted zoro too much. as in luffy, despite the underlying tensions he felt, trusted that zoro would eventually tell him what was wrong regardless of what it was. except that luffy would've never anticipated it was about their love for each other, something he thought was so certain and constant, and that this conflict would be so bad. they havent broken up, but they dont see each other for a week just to reflect after the fight.

it's at this point that it's clear that it isnt going to work out because they have their own goals and problems cut out for them that they cant handle then, and peacefully, still with so much love for each other, at ages 21 and 19, they mutually break up.

five years later, they meet again when luffy returns home for the first time in a while since he's been travelling the world. more feelings and emotions reignite when they encounter each other, but this time zoro's determined to make it better. he's more emotionally mature now, wiser than the kid who couldnt get a read on his own feelings and desires. this time, he can make it right.

so yah that's the bare BARE skeleton of this fic it's so long lmaoo if anyone actually reads this, lmk what you think!! i need motivation to write this it's just a chock-full of chrc (zoro) introspection and again bc im kind of projecting and ik this is kinda? ooc for zoro :,) basically zolu if zoro was the most anxiety ridden teenager/ya ever haha;; in my head, it's also supposed to be like a nonlinear narrative going between the modern time, oh zoro does do kendo and yes all the other strawhats appear, and the past bc idk yeah! have a nice day :D

[fox-guardian]

happy tim stoker tuesday today i am thinking about how tim doesn't get enough attention paid to his mental state post-prentiss by fans. like yes there's a lot going in the meantime but dude made a point to bring up how Yeah That Whole Thing Is Very Much Affecting Him BEYOND jon's paranoia and stalking thing, and we don't know the specifics of that. is it just emotionally? mentally? how's his recovery? is he doing well taking care of himself, or is he struggling for one reason or another? is he doing the best he can, but still suffering unavoidable long-term ailments? does he get worse after a point? what's he up to when he's self isolating in season 3? i need to study him like a bug

[peachy-panic]

Wrong Place, Wrong Time (pt. 2)

I didn't intend to make this 3 parts, but shit happens. The boys are going through it. (Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy).

< PREVIOUS

WARNINGS: BBU, conditioning, major panic attack, references to past noncon, brief mentions of childhood in foster care

No one moves for a full three seconds. 

It’s Julian, of all people, who breaks first. He takes a hesitant step forward, palms raised, and what the fuck does he think he’s doing.

Over Sebastian’s dead fucking body will he come any closer to Jaime, who, at the barest hint of movement flinches back, arms coming up to protect his head. A fiery rage blows through Sebastian. He moves in between them, blocking his line of sight.

“Step. Back.” The warning comes out in a voice he doesn’t recognize as his own.

Julian blinks, apparently processing a shock of his own, but stumbles back quickly enough that his shoulder hits the door. Only when he’s sure that Julian will stay put does Sebastian turn back to Jaime. 

The shaking is visible from across the room. Sebastian knows this look. He’s seen it for himself more times than he’d like to remember. Terror. This is what it looks like when Jaime is terrified. 

Suddenly they are free-falling back through time, blowing apart every inch of confidence and safety and trust Jaime has fought tooth and nail for over the course of a few months. Sebastian takes a careful step toward him. Under his breath, Jaime is whispering something on a loop, so quiet that all Sebastian can make out is a repetition of consonants. As he gets closer, the words click into place.

“Please don’t. Please don’t. Please don’t. Please don’t.”

Sebastian can’t breathe. “Jaime,” he chokes out.

Jaime breaks his stillness to shake his head, quick and frantic, keeping his eyes on the floor. “No,” he says, “No, no, my… My name isn’t… My l-legal name is among the r-rights—”

“No,” Sebastian and Ezra say at the same time, hard enough to make Jaime flinch. “Sorry,” Sebastian whispers, but he doesn’t think it comes out audible. 

Ezra drops to one knee beside, a force of preternatural calm in the midst of panic, and Sebastian follows suit, keeping his body positioned between Jaime and Julian. Behind them, he can hear Aria whispering something low and calm, but Sebastian’s sole focus is on the boy in front of him. 

“No,” Ezra repeats, softer. “Your name is Jaime. I know you must be confused, but I promise, you are not in danger.” 

Rigid as he is, Jaime somehow stiffens even further at the sound of his voice. His head snaps up, eyes locked on Ezra’s with a sudden, razor-sharp focus. 

“You have to go,” he whispers, reaching up—seemingly without thought—to grab Ezra’s shirt. There is a panic that borders on mania in his voice, in the widened whites of his eyes. “Ezra, you… You have to run, you have to—”

“I am not going anywhere,” Ezra cuts him off. He softens the firmness in his voice by reaching up to cover the hand on his chest. “This is my home. He will not hurt me, just as he will not hurt you.” He turns his shoulder just enough to gesture behind him. “This is not the Handler Hernandez you know. He is my friend.”

Confusion and terror swim in Jaime’s eyes. “Your…?” He turns to Sebastian, brimming with tears. “Your friend?” His voice is so small. Sebastian understands that he is asking them both, now. 

He swallows. “Yes.”

Something in Jaime visibly crumbles. The tears he has been holding at bay finally tip over, streaking his cheeks. “Please. What did I do?”

Sick understanding settles in. The sort of betrayal Jaime must think is happening right now. 

“You didn’t do anything,” Sebastian tells him. His own trembling hands come up to reassure him in some way, to offer the kind of soft touch that they have spent so long working up to, but he thinks better of it and lets them drop to his sides. “He is not here for you, Jaime. He will not touch you.”

“I’m… I’m sorry, kid,” Julian says from behind him, his voice soft to the point of unrecognizable. 

Sebastian shoots a glare over his shoulder when Jaime tenses at the sound of his voice, ducking his head once more.

“Jules, let’s step outside,” Aria says. 

After a moment of hesitation and a final muttered apology, the front door opens and shuts behind them. Sam, clicking off the stove burners, excuses himself as well. 

The silence left in their wake crushes down on the three of them for seconds that feel like minutes 

“He is gone,” Sebastian whispers. “Jaime, it’s just us here. You, me, and Ezra. You’re safe.”

Jaime doesn’t raise his head. His shoulders rise and fall with the telltale breathing of a freefall into panic.  He doesn’t seem to notice the steady stream of tears now joining the sweat gathered at the neckline of his shirt. “What is happening?” he whispers between pulls for air. 

“Something that never should have been sprung on you like this,” Sebastian says. “And I’m so sorry.”

“He’s…” His eyes betray him by trailing over Sebastian’s shoulder, toward the front door. “He’s not taking me?”

God. “No, Jaime. Never.”

The sound of his breathing, hitched and labored and increasing with alarming speed, is the only sound in the house. Then, abruptly, Jaime lunges to his feet. 

“I need… I’m—I’m sorry,” is all he gets out before bolting toward the hallway. They hear the bathroom door click shut, and the walls are not thick enough to mask the sound of his retching. 

 ****

It’s hard to breathe. Jaime goes through all his usual tricks—the ones WRU taught him, and the ones he has come to learn on his own—but his chest still aches with the need for a full breath that he just can’t manage to pull. 

No one has come for him yet. He doesn’t know how long it’s been. More than ten. Less than thirty? It’s a good thing, he thinks. Jaime doesn’t know if he’s ready to face them. He doesn’t know how to. 

The feeling that finds him on the bathroom floor, as he comes down from the heaving nausea, is one that Jaime hasn’t allowed himself to feel in a long time. There are others, more familiar: confusion, pain, fear. But beneath that, perhaps because of it, something else simmers.

He keeps playing through the events on a loop, obsessing, trying to make sense of it, but his mind is a fractured mess of past and present, fragile trust and familiar betrayal. Because as Jaime knelt on Ezra’s living room floor, the world crashing around him, all he could think was: Is this how it ends? After months of fighting for every half-step of progress, of reaching for his last threads of fragile trust, of finding reasons to want to be a person again, had Sebastian given up on him?

No. He hasn’t. He wouldn’t. Sebastian isn’t like that.

But he doesn’t owe Jaime anything either.

Jaime has known betrayal before. Deeply, fundamentally. From foster parents he was meant to trust, teammates who were supposed to have his back, and men who pretended to be kind but who were all after the same thing. No one else had ever waited so long to show their true colors.

No. Sebastian is kind. He is not like the others.

And yet a crushing grief had fallen over him in that moment, because Jaime thought of Bella back at the house, and the last time he had scratched between her ears before they left, not knowing it would be the last time. He thought of the pineapple cheesecake in the refrigerator that they had made together three nights ago, half eaten, and wondered if Sebastian would throw it away or finish it when he’s gone. If he would feel bad about it. He thought of the clothes hanging in a closet that Jaime had finally come to think of as his own. 

He thought of a hug shared in the kitchen to the backdrop of birthday candlelight and wondered if Sebastian had already made his decision, then. 

He thought of all of this, and he wished he never had to know the taste of any of this happiness if it was only ever going to be taken from him. Because Handler Hernandez was here to take him back. And it was the end of Jaime’s world.

But then, it hadn’t been. Isn’t? He doesn’t…. Jaime doesn’t understand.

“You are not in danger,” Ezra told him. “You are safe,” Sebastian said. But Jaime doesn’t know what to believe. He found it hard to look at them in the moment (he couldn’t look at anyone, really, because a Handler entered the room, so it’s eyes down eyes down quiet quiet quiet). 

Friend, they called him. Handler Hernandez is their friend. 

He is Sebastian's friend.

And suddenly it’s hard to recall with any clarity the times he interacted with him inside the facility. Suddenly the months he spent there are a blur of faceless men in gray canvas and shock collar remotes and hands and hands and hands. Was Handler Hernandez one of them? Jaime can’t remember. Suddenly he can't tell any of them apart.

Friend. Friend. Friend.

Jaime doesn’t know how he is supposed to face them now—these people he has come to trust—with that word in their voices looping in his head. 

But a knock on the door tells him his time is up.

***

They give him time. We could all use a moment to process, Ezra wisely suggested, and so Sebastian took a seat at the bar while Ezra sank into the couch. Both of them are silent for several long minutes. Outside, Aria, Sam, and Julian must have moved far enough from the house that their voices don’t carry. 

“He was so afraid.” Sebastian is the first to speak, barely raising his voice from where his head is cradled in his hands. 

“I know,” Ezra says. 

They give him time, but Sebastian starts to worry that Jaime might be too scared to come out of his own volition, trapped in the bathroom by a self-imposed sense of shame or embarrassment or fear. 

“I’ll go,” Sebastian says, rising from his stool, but Ezra stands alongside him. 

“I’d like to speak to him as well,” he says. And although it doesn’t quite sound like he’s asking for permission, Sebastian nods anyway, silently grateful for the support. Ezra is always much better at hard conversations. 

Sebastian starts to worry when the first knock is met with silence. They don’t try again right away, but he can’t help but listen for sounds of distress. Sebastian would rather die than force open a door that Jaime has closed between them, but he will at least feel better if hears signs of life on the other side.

“Jaime?” Sebastian tips his forehead against the door, feeling the cool, wooden grain against his skin. “You don’t have to come out if you’re not ready to. I—we—Ezra and I, we just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’d like the chance to explain some things to you,” Ezra adds, keeping a step behind Sebastian. “Whenever you are ready. There is no rush.”

They wait. Sebastian glances back at Ezra, who meets him with a steady gaze that says patience. Finally, the handle clicks and the door pulls inward to reveal a disheveled Jaime. The bags under his eyes are nearly the color of bruises, and his hair tufts messily at the sides, as if he has been pulling at it. A sheen of sweat glistens at his forehead, and Sebastian clocks the way he holds onto the door frame to try and disguise his shaking. 

Guilt nearly bowls him over where he stands. 

Sebastian is glad for the flash of foresight he had to fill a glass with water before he and Ezra came to see him. He holds it out now, the condensation sweating over his fingers. 

“Here,” he says. Jaime lifts an arm robotically to take it from him, but he doesn’t take a sip, and he does not meet Sebastian’s eyes. 

“Is there anything I can get you, Jaime?” Ezra says when it’s clear Sebastian is lost for words. “Anything you need?”

Jaime stares in the direction of the glass in his hand and shakes his head. 

“Would you like to go somewhere and talk?” Ezra asks. “Sam has informed me that the others are gone now. We have the house to ourselves, just you, me, and Sebastian.”

He doesn’t say anything for a long moment, and Sebastian starts to worry about the possibility that he is in genuine shock. But then he lifts his eyes to his and a lead anchor drops in the pit of his stomach.

There is a flatness like cold steel in Jaime’s eyes, a distance that lacks any familiarity or warmth; an expression Sebastian hasn’t seen since the first day he met Jaime, alone in the exam room at the clinic, when Sebastian was nothing more than another stranger in power over him. A direct threat to his safety. 

“Wherever you’d like to go,” Jaime says to him. The implicit, resounding “sir” doesn’t need to be vocalized at the end for it to echo through the walls of the house. 

****

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[echoingalaxies]

Whumpees after rescue getting their own room. Caretaker helps them to choose the paint or wallpaper colour and surprises them with pillows and trinkets they think Whumpee would like.

Whumpees after rescue returning to their old rooms, getting teary-eyed noticing it's exactly the same as it used to be, perhaps only the dust has been cleaned for their return. It doesn't matter whether it is because Caretaker couldn't bring themselves to change a thing out of grief, or if they always knew Whumpee would come back home some day.

Just Whumpee's coming home and having their own safe space, where they can rest and breathe.

[necrotic-nephilim]

I’m gonna be honest I didn’t realize the new 52 messed with Kon that much till I read your post and now I can’t get over the potential. I’m a Tim/Kon girly at heart so I would devour anything you write exploring the 52 vs typical Kon. Also Time being in a clone sandwich is 👌.

the new-52 messed Kon up SO bad it's ridiculous. like, to the point i would personally argue he's a completely unrelated character to pre-Flashpoint/Rebirth Kon. his personality, his suit, his origin, all different. the only real similarities are the name and powerset. and even New-52!Kon's powers are slightly different from pre-Flashpoint!Kon. New-52!Kon is a clone of a future version of Jon Lane Kent, cloned by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to provide genetic material to Jon Lane Kent, whose body was not handling being half human/half Kryptonian well, it was a whole thing. New-52!Kon is also where we get the infamous "Kon-El means 'abomination of the house of El' and Kara basically named him a slur in Kryptonian culture" tidbit, because that is the only time that's canon. (originally Kon-El was a name gifted by Clark to accept Kon as his family way back in the 90s) he also never went by Conner Kent. New-52!Kon just straight up didn't have any real human identity or connections, outside of being very close to Tim and some Titans.

the very TLDR of Kon's history is: during post-Crisis/pre-Flashpoint, a clone called Superboy is created by CADMUS. at first, he's considered to be a clone of a dude named Paul Westfield and is not Kryptonian whatsoever, he was simply made to look like Superman and only has Tactile Telekinesis as a power. then, it was made canon that actually he was a clone of Lex Luthor and Clark Kent, but Lex hid this fact and slowly, Kon developed more Kryptonian powers. he's given the name Kon-El by Clark, and is taken in by the Kents, getting the name Conner Kent. then Flashpoint happens, we get the New-52, and we're given the above version of Kon-El, who is a clone of Jon Lane Kent, created by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. who has mostly very strong telekinesis powers and some Kryptonian powers. he's with the Titans for a bit, then at the end of the New-52, he kills some aliens and feels bad about it so he decides to fuck off and is never seen again, it's presumed he's dead but never confirmed. then Rebirth happens and DC makes Jon Kent the current Superboy, we get Supersons and all that, and it's assumed that no version of Kon-El exists. just at all. he's not around whatsoever, Jon is our only Superboy. *but* in 2019, we get a new Young Justice run and the pre-Flashpoint Kon-El is back, and we're given the explanation of: Kon got accidentally teleported to this alternate realm called Gemworld and then Flashpoint happened, and since that was a Crisis Event that changed the timeline, the poor lad got *erased* from the timeline, causing most people to *not fucking remember him* and for him to remember a timeline that no longer exists. some of the Young Justice team vaguely remember him, Ma and Pa Kent remember him, but notably, Clark *does not remember him*. it's not an issue of "Clark ignored Kon in favor of Jon" it's an issue of "Kon was erased from the timeline and didn't exist for years bc he was stuck in Gemworld and Clark just doesn't remember Kon or Kon's timeline" which to me, is far more tragic but i digress. since then, Kon has been back and is present in most significant Superfamily runs, with his own recent mini-series, Superboy: Man of Tomorrow. (which was very good btw)

so basically: the New-52 fucked Kon up so bad they wrote him out of comics for years and then brought back the pre-Flashpoint version, but never *explicitly* killed the New-52 version off. so hypothetically, it's possible that there are currently two characters existing in the DC universe named Kon-El who have been Superboy. and like i said above, one of New-52!Kon's only real significant relationships was with Tim, it was the only thing the New-52 managed to get right about Superboy, his closeness to Tim. they have a *lot* of moments that read incredibly queer. and ofc, it's just outright confirmed in Dark Crisis: Young Justice that Tim had a crush on pre-Flashpoint!Kon at some point. so while comics are intent on pretending New-52!Kon doesn't exist, i am intent on putting Tim in a clone sandwich.

because i do think it's fun to play with Tim having genuine feelings and potentially a relationship with both of them. and the fucked up nature of him not fully *remembering* his relationship with pre-Flashpoint!Kon (which is a canon thing, in YJ(2019) Tim has vague memories of Kon he's struggling to piece together and understand why he cares about this guy he doesn't recognize so much) and how frustrating that is for Tim. he knows he loves Kon, but it's all foggy besides that. and so it's even *more* fucked up if Tim dated New-52!Kon before he got emo and ran off into the unknown. obviously in canon no one has told current Kon about New-52!Kon bc comics are doing the good ol' tried and true of "sweep that shit under the rug" but for fanfic, i think it's fun to ask the question of: would anyone *tell* Kon? especially Tim? who now remembers dating both versions of them? would he admit to Kon that briefly, he had another Kon? how would Tim cope with that and move on? personality wise, they could not be more different. they dress and act and look different. they're not the same person, but there's certainly a questionable factor of Tim's dating history including two Kon-Els.

the idea i've had for a while is Tim slowly starting to date pre-Flashpoint!Kon again. it feels familiar and like home. and Tim has grieved and accepted that wherever New-52!Kon is, he doesn't want to come home, he didn't love TIm enough to stay and try. so Tim takes the Kon he has, and genuinely has a happy relationship. like for once, life is good and things almost make sense for Tim. but then, of course, New-52!Kon comes back. he decides he wants to try again and he finds Tim. only to find well. he's been replaced. and technically, he's been replaced with the *original* that he didn't even know *existed*. and if being a clone is bad enough, that just makes it a hundred times worse. because imagine knowing you're actually the second Kon-El your boyfriend who you never *technically* broke up with fell in love with. that's gotta give you some kind of complex.

so i think it's fun if both Kons try to step back and let the other Kon date Tim. both of them have reasons to feel like the "replacement" or "fake" Kon, and it makes them incredibly awkward with each other. do they count as the same person? bc they definitely don't *feel* like the same person to each other, but with weird timeline stuff, who can really say. them settling on an awkward throuple that's really meant to be Tim just dating them both but somehow they end up dating each other too is so fun for me. they both feel like imposters to the Superboy name but are so deeply in love with Tim Drake, it's the one thing truly connecting them. and then of course, Tim feels bad in that somehow, he's betraying both of them for having feelings for the other. but they make it work, with a lot of awkward angst and miscommunication. i just think it'd be fun. very difficult to write to get all the weird timeline nuances down in a way that's understandable in a fanfic (bc you can't just. infodump like i did on this post) but doable. also difficult to tag, because even though i argue these are two different characters, i'm pretty sure Ao3 groups them under the same character tag. so it'd be difficult to convey it's not *really* as selfcest-y as it would imply. comics, man. DC will never acknowledge New-52!Kon again, and he's admittedly a terrible adaptation of Kon-El, but. i think he was sort of neat in his own right and i'd *love* for DC to just inexplicably bring him back and make the current Kon deal with the consequences of all that. and them make Tim kiss them both. obviously.