#you're welcome to join!

[perryelornitorrinco]

Who would win a milk chugging contest?

Okay the single braincell I have sparked and I thought about something.

The whole Chain is too competitive so what if they all battle against eachother to prove the rest who likes milk the most BUT not only by chugging milk but with a milk league >:). So I shared the braincell with Wild and he will be deciding the different challenges to prove the biggest milk enjoyer.

Also I think Wind or Sky wouldn't know what is a cow or that cow milk was a thing (at least Wind probably knows about coconut milk), but neither does Hyrule, living in a cave is tough bruh. Maybe they can try a round as a trio and the best of them goes with one of the pairs, that way a league would work!

Next chapter

SO, FIRST MILK ROUND. A little hint I’ll give you is “corn maze”. Now time to guess: >:·3

Also I'll do like a little comic/drawing for each round of course hehe so please be patient with me if I'm slow 🥺😭

[casiaorbis]

Thanks for the tag!

Last song : some Ella Fitzgerald song

Favourite colour : Pink! It's slowly overtaking my wardrobe, I'm like some fly who gets drawn to cutesy pink stuff haha

Last movie/TV show : Community

Currently watching : Clannad After Story(heard it's going to be angsty, I'm scared but looking forward to it)

Comfort characters : Saeran from mystic messenger, he's such a complex yet well written character and thinking of him still makes me happy!

Also my ocs

Relationship status : Single, constantly so cuz I don't know many people unless imaginary dates with fiction characters somehow count

Sweet/spicy/savoury? : Sweet! Savoury and spicy is great too though

Current obsessions : OCs! They've been living rent free in my head. The game Dungeons and Dragons too because I get to rp them out too, it's really good for storytelling!

Last thing I googled : "Halloween larp events" was just curiousXD

9 people I would like to know better

Thank you for tagging me @drewstarkeysbae!!

last song? Heartbeat, Childish Gambino

favorite color? Red

last movie/tv show? The 100

currently watching? Invasion

sweet/spicy/savoury? Spicy

relationship status? Talking

current obsessions? Jack championnnn

last thing you googled? Jessica Lord (bc Matt Rife is dating her lmfaoo)

No pressure tags: @reychvmpion @runningfrom2am @rvfecamerons @serial444killer @corpsebasil @heavensghost @heavenhillgirl @11133 @polishlolita

[benevadeca]

Getting into SVSSS in an 'only cares abt OG!SJ' way and it's getting to the point of madness where i concoct a defense attorney AU where the primary plot is them getting SJ's help to fight the court case of the millenia: Tianlang Jun VS The (cultivation) World

half wanting to abide by this tumblr post's thesis on detectives / half want to do a vague bg of them being in a small sect and being disillusioned by the handling of things wuxia defected cop detective style / half want to just have the punchline be that it's JJ Falcon from Aviary Attorney who isekai-ed into human fantasy china and has no idea what's going on.

Anyway rogue cultivator obv bc it gives them the jurisdiction to be the wuxia equiv of a random detective that pops out of the woodwork / the desperation to need jobs to survive that preferably do not make them (but in practical reality often do) risk their life / enrichment of landing in any random fuckass town and going y'all got a mystery in here?

Introduction is case fic #1 researching a human trafficking case that ends up involving a demonic cultivator and demon children also being victims. Either falling into the orbit of SJ who is on the same case and they work together on it time-is-of-the-essence-style OR colliding at the climax of it and getting in his way bleeding heart 'the demon isn't involved and is actually a kid also' and he reluctantly is like ok fine whatever as long as it doesn't become my problem.

And after he's like well that was an insufferable idiot i just met. Good thing they're so stupid they'll get themself killed sooner or later and never bother me again

(time skip)

bothers him again

arc: TLJ vs the (cultivation) world. somehow falls into investigating that old shit show and is like hmmmmm.

needs support from someone from a major non-HH sect who could be sympathetic to demons/reasonable/could be convinced releasing the demon lord and acquitting him of his crimes is the rational thing to do instead of waiting for him to break out

SJ isn't rly any of those things but he is A. a life-long "the worst thing that could happen will happen" fatalizer and minimizing TLJ's anger at CQ's involvement in his imprisonment is important and it's the perfect role to ALSO throw the rest of the sects under the bus about it if need be // B. being involved if this whole thing is a lesson in futility that he can cut off at the root if it seems dangerous to CQ // C. genuine nosy bitch interest in what this insane and yet highly thoughtful guy who believes in 'due process' and 'innocent until proven guilty' and 'restorative justice' and whatever is interesting and his life as peak lord (CEO of children he hates with co-workers he hates) is sucky enough he's like OK fine i could use the intellectual stimulation.

OC attempting to find someone who checks all the above boxes and doing BG research and SJ is the most reasonable CQ person of power actually bc of the brothel allegations. BC tbh most big-sect cultivators are pretty high and mighty and aren't even willing to really engage with the 'lesser' of society / basic deduction of just being willing to go to the WRP and be like hi quarstion abt peak lord shen. is he like, chill? oh you respect the privacy of your patrons and seem actually weirdly protective? ok i can work with this.

Actively accosts him there and is like hi i'm a fan of your work in [specialty field he's probably written an academic article in] and wanted your assistance with [mid-tier case vaguely related that i can use as a recruitment interview], minor mini case where they talk around each other death note style but more in a SJ usual paranoia around strangers / OC autistically make him think in death note circles.

Simple case that unintentionally unlocks a deeper conspiracy that takes longer and they have to actually lock in abt it and SJ slightly like a millimeter lets his guard down by the end in a 'well they're competent and almost fine ig' way until OC drops the hi i commissioned you here under false pretenses and he's like fuck this guy actually.

OC pitches to SJ and he's like no. Before being like actually red flags this person isn't chill and somehow hasn't gotten shanked in an alley yet from chronic naivety and if this becomes a Thing he has to deal with later he's setting something on fire.

SJ has (reluctantly) joined your party!

SJ: OK what is your plan to investigate this

OC: well i figured since your sect helped in the initial subjugation they'd know about the wards on the mt. can you get me in to talk to him?

SJ:

SJ somehow reluctantly gets swayed into the first plan of attack being to actually talk to TLJ. by breaking into a heavily fortified magic prison. they have some 'isnt this illegal aren't you a law guy' 'well im on the side of the people mainly' and in the process SJ gains very very reluctant tangible respect instead of just being baffled at the audacity of every prior thing he's bore witness to them doing.

Filler abt SJ doing his own bg research on the subjugation since he wasn't directly involved like YQY was. Insert maybe vague worldbuilding on the cultivation vs mortal vs demon world divide // the beginning of the domino chain effect of finding out abt Xuan Su occurs. But in a 'i have a job RN and i don't have time for mulling over my trauma codependent childhood traitor' kind of way.

Scouting TLJ's prison and coming across ZZL, vague buddy cop bonding and worldview. Immovable Object "suffering is inevitable and unavoidable and character building bc if it wasn't i couldn't rationalize my trauma" SJ vs "human actors can consciously choose mercy and compassion towards others and a society build on inequality and vengeance is cringe actually" unstoppable force of the themes and plot OC. SJ stop being politically apathetic fail class traitor and start becoming a medieval class warfare advocate. ZZL is also here and mostly just confused.

Cross examination of ZZL > meeting TLJ > initial comedy of any TLJ interaction and disbelief at what's happening > Cross examination of TLJ > comparing the public narrative VS TLJ's account

But anyway OFC it's early enough that LBH's adoptive mom lives/at least gets help for her preventable medical issues. Maybe SJ has a POV moment that showcases his character growth in a 'i want to absolutely punt this kid out a window and yet im too busy having a crisis abt the tangible positive effect i'm learning i can have on the world.' and does not in fact punt a child. #Growth

Crux of the mystery ofc is: what happened to Su Xiyan / what were the HH palace master's motivations and what was he trying to accomplish if TLJ can be trusted. Splitting the team to look into rumors on both. Also eventually finding LBH but IDK where exactly that fits into the investigative portion.

Also somewhere during this SJ also making a cover story abt why he's been going out so much and hanging out with this rogue cultivator. IDK maybe they did some whistleblower shit or wrote a legal manifesto that was highly censored and is being hunted by mortal governments for their 'the mandate of heaven can come fight me if it's so real' claims and SJ is like this is the fool i'm giving asylum to/faking the identity of bc they're vaguely competent. Except only YQY is given that first bit of information and neglected shelter dog just sighs and lets it happen but no one else knows abt that so this random stranger is just highly suspicious and the inevitable unfounded and unreasonable rumor mill does what it does. Actual rumor content does not matter it's whatever is funniest.

Part of this backstory also means they're wasting time mystery side-questing it up scooby doo mystery incorporated style. This small town TLJ told us he frequented that we went to get character witness accounts about is suffering from a paranormal drought while the magistrate of the larger trading town nearby has a luxurious garden estate unaffected by it! this borderlands outpost has been experiencing increased and out-of-season raids on their farmland by wildlife and the black market has an influx of rare and unusual products from the demon realm? etc.

Eventually finding concrete evidence that puts the palace master's claims from 'reasonable doubt' to 'actively contradicted by the facts' area and they finally provide their investigation evidence presentation to YQY and manhandle him into PR lying to the rest of the peak lords that this was a totally secret investigation he assigned to SJ and uhhh this other guy. And that it was totally fully sanctioned by him and we need a united front against the other sects right guys? Right guys?? to the variable reaction of the rest of the PLs. and if it's airplane!SQH then he's also here having a minor panic attack like WHY ARE WE CHANGING GENRE INTO ACE ATTORNEY. this is a work founded on plot holes and easily resolvable misunderstandings! a world founded on biases, hearsay, and self-righteous cult-like divisiveness!! people aren't supposed to second guess their preconceptions!!

Confrontation w HH and the actual legal court of battle climax.

Xuan Su is not resolved within the mainline but maybe a sequel of OC being like a transient but now official assistant CQ calls on for legal bullshit. Scene in my mind of them giving a mock (inaccurate bc it's my own knowledge) psychology character assessment workshop and SJ is not there so they're like OK an easy one let's start with something simple and work up. Tell me 3 tangible facts you know about your fellow PL SQQ and from those define in 3 traits his character. and everyone realizes they don't know fuck all abt jackshit actually and the group has a collective through-clenched-teeth Hmmmm moment.

Additional story sequel of OC like hey SJ someone told me to look into this old case and find someone maybe you can help? I'm working with some really old, subjective, assumptive information that contradicts itself and SJ is like sure what is it and it's Qui Haitang asking them to track down the slave that killed her family and SJ has a full trauma moment until the OC is like well f to the girl and im ofc sympathetic but first slavery should be illegal and while this girl deserves closure i don't wanna ruin some guys life abt it even if he is guilty and also kind of based for a teenager to do what is being claimed they did and SJ is like what and OC is like what.

[dovalore]

parkour civilization but i think way too deeply about the fighter layer

lore and design thoughts under cut

oh yeah, buckle up for this one

design notes - apf

ah yes, emf's species my beloved (i will not stop interpreting skins as them) ex1 ex2

apf's albino, so his eyes are bright red and his fur is completely pale

also yes, that's his full name here, it's not an abbreviation of anything

but he also answers to ghost if that helps

which kinda leads me to my next point, in a way. i associate this song with him (caution: loud)

the other song i associate with him is this (SPOILERS FOR FFXIV DAWNTRAIL) (specifically the third story dungeon) (you will not escape my love of ffxiv even in parkciv)

his tail isn't broken, its just kinked and has been for his entire life

despite looking like they could snap off if you pinch them, apf's horns are actually really sturdy

fighter boots have spurs on them, kids get a trainee version that have a stud in the back instead, y'know for safety reasons

wears dark clothes to make himself stand out less, the sleeves of his hoodie got progressively more tattered until he got sick of trying to stop them from falling apart so he tore them off himself

he uses bandages to substitute their absence, if he wraps them just firm enough, they won't get caught and tear on things as often. probably. he's making do

his tail isn't wrapped because it restricts its movement too much, which is dangerous when he uses it for balance

he does have two eyes, but he's also got a long ass fringe that seems to almost always cover one of them

design notes - seawatt

he's just a little guy!

there's not too much going on with his appearance at the moment, but he is wearing the same necklace as he is in this, it's just being covered by his paws (i also don't... really have an actual design in mind for it so it's still just kind of a vague thing)

lore

meta: initially it was just gonna be present apf, but then i thought about naphia's animation and i was like, yeah! let's add his past version as well, why not include seawatt? he's in the video and a fighter too, then it kinda just has a domino effect from there (i am deeply unwell about parkour civilization)

the colour of the effect particles around present apf is specifically F82421

apf's parents disappeared when he was still small, but he was taken care of by the adults around him, seawatt's parents included

apf and seawatt are roughly the same age and have been friends basically their entire lives

because of his upbringing, apf sees basically everyone as family, so everything he knows about the world and parkour comes from his family

one of the more prominent figures in his life is ms ami, his (and seawatt's) mentor. her lessons were absolutely vital to his development as a fighter and later on, his survival after the fighter layer was erased

seawatt might be the the one that introduced brewing stand jumps to the series, but even his considerable skill with them pales in comparison to apf's. granted, he didn't have to use them in life or death situations as often as apf did, so the gulf between their skill level really only becomes a thing post erasure

of course apf knew that his layer was going to be cut off from the rest of parkour civilization, everyone there did. but he couldn't just leave them there to fend for themselves, especially not when most of the people who took care of him as a kid were growing too old to do parkour

the difference between him and seawatt is that he understood why it had to be this way because he happened to be there when the champion briefly returned to say goodbye to an old friend

so after the layer was wiped, apf spent most of his time scavenging for food and blocks, most of the former would be given away to the people he was looking after

as time passed, he didn't have to push himself as far to look for food because... well, the number of people he cared for gradually dwindled, be it from natural causes or... other reasons

by the time seawatt returned to the fighter layer, there was only one person still being watched over by apf

he didn't get to see them before being taken to the master layer though, so he has no idea if they're alright. he'll ask to go back once he's able, though

design note i'm putting here instead of up there because it has more context now: yeah, he was designed to look unfriendly despite being the exact opposite of that. just like our first impression of this guy and then like, actually knowing what he's like in the series

not entirely based off the fact that he gave his last piece of steak to evbo when he went to face the parkour villain, but remembering that particular detail while drawing kind of just solidified this specific image of him in my mind as someone who really cares for others despite everything

[part-time-zombie]

WHO THE FUCK ARE REMUS AND VERGIL WHAT HAVE YOU TURNED MY DASH INTO.

>:)

(I love my dark dorks)

[zolo-san]

If anyone is interested I created a ZoSan community and it just got approved yesterday 😊 If you want to join, you can find the Community here

[whenthewallfell]

Can I make fanart of your THG red dead AU? Saw your post about drawing horses and as someone who grew up just drawing horses and cats & a sucker for anything western, this has me scratching at the walls of my enclosure. I will gladly draw horsie tell me about the horses PLEASE

I would be honoured and may cry a little bit omg

I'm actually working on a horse pic now, should finish it in the next couple days if you wanted to wait for 'official' art (what an insane concept) of Katniss' horse

If not, I don't have any solid ideas for everyone else's, so you're welcome to play around with some of them if you like! I can imagine Peeta with a sleepy little Morgan for eg :)

[triaelf9]

sobbing, crying, I love them all, how will I choose between literally any of the ladies they are all perfect already, HARDING ALL YOUR FRECKLES SOB SOB

I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE A NEW TEAM OF BESTIES (also, dwagon fwend pwease??) GRIFFON YESSSS I need to go re-read all the comics and stories AHHHH

[kastillia]

my alphabetical list is complete

[papercuttragedy]

I love Staringback's "Sooner or Later You're Gonna Be Mine"

I think most viewers know that.

Its story is beautifully well-made that it has its own originality and character development that I've never seen other manage to muster in a simple fanfiction about a video game from 2015 of all things. I've read this book for so many times that I've actually lost count. The Calysto YouTube dub was the introduction that brought me into the wonderful story, and I thank all who had been acquainted with it. It's truly a story like no other. (Damn, I sound obsessed, lol)

As of right now, the official story is on hiatus, and I hope that Staringback takes a mental break after so much. If Staringback sees this, know that I love your story and that I hope you're doing alright. You must have had a lot of pressure over the years, and please know that we respect you. Take your time. Rest easy. ❤️

I've been wondering about a certain thing recently, one that could help for those waiting for an official update and one for personal fun.

GUYS. I've decided to try to make a fan-made continuation of Solygbm for silly fun purposes (though I'm not really sure if it could go anywhere). It's random and frankly, a big step out of nowhere, so I thought that if anyone else who happens to be curious about this big project would like to help as assistant writers or story brainstormers or just want to talk about it. This is probably not much, so I'm not surprised if it doesn't really go anywhere. I'm just here for the fun experience of seeing other fans and their interpretations of the story we all know and love.

DISCORD DOWN BELOW:

https://discord.com/invite/ZdUQhTy

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS:

(I'm right here, lol). Just ask my blog

Thank you for stopping by to listen!

[jonathanbyersphd]

One more day until Jonathan Byers birth month (I made this the fuck up with loose connections to canon)

[biggerbagingos]

saying "goals" to something that defies all metaphysical boundaries, let alone the limits of the human body.

[gunsatthaphan]

not Boun, Prem and Santa hopping from WabiSabi to GMMTV in the matter of not even 30 minutes eye---

[bowelfly]

Hello! A couple weeks ago you mentioned you'd probably post some info about the next Art Telephone event around now - have I missed it, or is it still in the works/uncertain? If so, no pressure, was just wondering ^^

yup it's still in the works, though right now i'm thinking i probably won't start it until around january since the holidays are always a pain in the ass to coordinate people during.

tbh i'm still not sure how best to recruit additional artists for the next art telephone. based on past experience i know that if i put out a general call for artists i'm going to get many dozens of applicants, on top of all the returning artists from last round, and coordinating a 72-artist game was already a borderline part-time job and each additional artist is one more cat for me to herd. also there's no way to say this without sounding like a snob but there is a certain level of skill and distinctive style that i want for my art telephone games. all that means i'm probably going to end up saying no to a lot of people which is not something i enjoy and i'm really good at putting off things i don't enjoy which the main reason you haven't seen much from me about the next game so far.

to make things easier for myself i've been toying with the idea with making some kind of google form for people to apply through, with a big disclaimer that i will probably end up rejecting the majority of applicants and nobody is allowed to get upset at me about it. if that happens it'll probably be sometime in the next month or so, and if it doesn't then that probably means i decided it was too much work and am just arranging things privately.

[owl-with-a-pen]

[Haven't dropped a fic sneak peek in a while. And yes, despite the word count, this is just a peek. Very self-indulgent fic on a Supergirl-verse Legion origin story for Brainy, starring a certain descendant of Nia's that I have yet to write for. For anyone interested, the fic is under the cut. 😉]

Querl Dox was easily the strangest Coluan that Nura had ever seen. With his washed-out blue skin and frazzled hair as stark as her own, had she not dreamt of him beforehand, she never would have placed him as a native of Colu.

The three circles on his forehead glowed dully – some kind of transdermal implant, she suspected. A body modification? They weren’t uncommon on this side of the galaxy, although Coluan mods were never usually so exposed.

He didn’t wear them as a mark of pride, that was for sure. They looked cumbersome on his thin frame, odd ends of wiry hair thrown overtop in a vain attempt to disguise them. It could have been how he held himself naturally, she supposed - hunched over like a moody teenager trying to mask his face from the world.

No, that was exactly what he was. A teenager. Maybe pushing late adolescence by now, just like her. Not that age meant much to a Coluan, all they really cared about was intellectual maturity. Still, Nura thought it would be a few years yet until he fully grew into those implants.

Maybe they were an aid of some sort – not that he’d ever admit to it.

Nura smirked. Not yet, at least.

He hadn’t moved since she’d started watching him. Comfortably unobservable from behind a screen of one-way plasma glass, there was no way he could have known she was there. It wasn’t until Mon-El and Imra entered through the main doorway that he'd known he had visitors at all.

He didn’t so much as glance in their direction. Instead, he remained perched on the edge of the single bed he’d been granted, head bowed towards his knees, the glow of his implants reflecting back against his face like a ghostly shadow.

This was the make it or break it moment, as Mon-El had once called it. The part where an offer went one of two ways. While many wayward teens would have jumped at the chance to join their ranks, appealing to potential Legionnaires wasn’t always so easy.

After all, this was the first time that initiation would be conducted from a prison cell.

Nura followed Imra and Mon-El’s progress in a trance-like state, her mind dipped halfway into the future as her visions spun duplicates of the very conversation being had. She hummed along to the tune of the words yet to be spoken, mouthing Mon-El’s opening line, reciting it from memory.

“So,” Mon-El said casually, stopping in front of the cell that housed one Querl Dox. He caught Imra’s eye. “Interplanetary grand-theft auto, huh? I’m told you souped up some very nice engines for some very bad people.” He cracked an easy smile. “What were you trying to be, some kind of mechanic?”

Silence followed. Querl kept his head down, hands wrung loosely by his knees.

Mon-El wasn’t deterred quite so easily. “No, you’re right. Your talents would be wasted on something like that.” He folded his arms, widening his stance. “We don’t see too many Coluans this far from home.”

That got a reaction. Nura was just able to catch it beneath the shroud of Querl’s matted hair - a twitch of the lips as he bared his teeth at the ground.  

“Although, I can’t say I’m surprised,” Mon-El continued, feigning ignorance. “With a family like yours, I’m sure it’s better you keep your distance, right?”

 A sound rumbled from Querl’s chest, something that could have passed as a laugh if it hadn’t been for the jarring robotic quality. He rubbed at his wrist idly, scanning the floor beyond his cell. “So, you figured it out,” he muttered. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”

Mon-El pulled a face. “I mean, maybe a little. The whole blue thing nearly threw us off. Although, I’ve got some second-hand experience with your family. Indigo was one of your relatives, wasn’t she?”

Querl stiffened. “A distant relation.”

“Right.” Mon-El nodded along. “Like Brainiac.”

Querl flinched, meeting Mon-El’s eye for the first time. Behind that shock of white hair was an alarmingly dark expression, one that bore into Mon-El with an intensity that twisted Nura’s stomach into knots. She’d known mostly what to expect from Querl Dox, and she’d warned her friends as much. If Mon-El hadn’t been listening to her then, he would certainly understand the might of the mind sat before him now.

Querl wasn’t just some moody teenager. With one wrong word, he could become their most formidable enemy to date.

It won’t happen like that, Nura reminded herself. This would all be fine. It had to be. She’d seen it.

Sort of.

Imra took Mon-El’s arm, making out as though she was offering him a steadying hand. Nura could read between the lines. She disapproved of Mon-El’s method – she was probably giving him a psychic reprimand in the same gesture.

Imra Ardeen was a woman of few words during most first-contacts with Legion potentials, but that didn’t mean she was just some impassive tag-along. If anything, Imra’s job was the most critical to their success. While Mon-El did the talking, she was already reading the thoughts of their would-be recruits, acting as a living lie-detector to ensure the validity of their intentions. That job was made a little more difficult with the psychic shielding fitted to any standard U.P prison cell, but not impossible. She was well enough acquainted with the mind from her broad studies on Titan to read a person’s expressions just as easily.  

Mon-El sighed, nodding almost imperceptibly in Imra’s direction. He scratched his jaw, clearing his throat. “Look,” he said levelly, “if you think that’s why we’re here, it isn’t. It’s just, I notice you’ve hopped between a lot of jail cells these last few years. Petty crime, mostly. Wrong place, wrong time, right?”

Querl narrowed his eyes.

“Except,” Mon-El hastened, “if you’re a Brainiac, that makes you pretty damn smart. Smart enough to know how not to get caught.” When Querl didn’t say anything to that, Mon-El relaxed, smiling knowingly. “Yeah,” he murmured, “thought so.”

Querl’s nostrils flared in irritation. Mon-El was playing on some very dangerous territory to dangle something like that over Querl’s head. Implying he knew something that Querl didn’t – well – it was the surest way to piss off any Coluan. Nura held her breath.

“Thought what?” Querl spat, teeth clenched tight.

If Mon-El felt ill at ease, he didn’t show it. Instead, he grinned. “This cell,” he said, “it’s Coluan force-shield tech, right?” He drew an outline of the cell walls with his fingers, marking all four edges as though preparing to take an old-fashioned photograph. “A few years outdated by science police standards; they probably should’ve gone for the upgrade.” He winked. “Even with power dampeners, your intellect is still unmatchable, especially with home advantage. You could break out at any time. But you don’t. For the same reason you got caught in the first place.” He tipped his chin forward seriously. “Want me to keep going?”

Querl scoffed, though Nura could hear the strain in it.

Mon-El didn’t need much encouragement. “Okay, well, the last ship you souped up was being used as a getaway vehicle for a string of interplanetary robberies. The most recent robbery, the one that got you and the rest of your little crew incarcerated – huh - it’s pretty interesting. Your ship gets into a chase with the science police, and in the process, it ends up on a collision course with a civilian air-car. Your ship has shielding, it’d be fine, but that civilian ship would’ve been blown out of the sky. No survivors.”

Querl’s glare was practically poisonous.

“Weird, then,” Mon-El continued amiably, “that before both ships can collide, yours experiences a total power loss. Stalls and starts falling mid-flight, giving the authorities the opportunity to snag your ship before it can do any damage. Now, they’re saying it was an engine malfunction on all the official documentation, and maybe that’s true. But I’m thinking with your skill, there’s no way that engine went in faulty.” He crossed his arms behind his back. “Do you want to know what I think? I think someone tampered with it in a way that would’ve been totally imperceptible to the rest of the crew. Because the person that did it not only built it, but wouldn’t have needed to touch it at all.”

“Are you accusing me of something?” Querl muttered. He made a flippant gesture to his cell. “Because if you are, then I think you’ll find I’m already in the right place.”

Mon-El shook his head slowly. “See, I don’t think you are.” He stepped forward, just as Imra did the same. “My name’s Mon-El, and this is Imra Ardeen. We represent the Legion of Superheroes. We’re a pretty small organisation right now, but we’ve built up something of a reputation here on Earth - as well as the rest of the United Planets thanks to some of our newest members. We have a set of rules, but the most important one is to put the needs of the people before our own. To protect life. Never kill.” His lips quirked. “I’d say you displayed that admirably.”

Nura watched wide-eyed from her invisible vantage, knuckles pressed tight against her lips. She’d seen the outcome of the day’s events a dozen times over in her dreams, but even that wasn’t enough to quell her anxiety. Something felt wrong. She just couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

As though in answer to her fears, Querl drew back, enough that he could look Mon-El squarely in the eye. His hair fell away from his face, drawing around the edges of his implants like a display curtain. “Mon-El. Yes,” he breathed the word slowly, his dark eyes glistening with knowledge far beyond his years, “I know who you are.” He cocked his head suddenly. “It always causes a stir when someone breaks the boundaries of spacetime. You are from the past. From a dead world. The sister planet of Krypton.” His lips curled with disdain. “Daxam.”

Nura swore under her breath. Out in the cell room, Mon-El nodded, a touch of defensiveness in his tone. “Yes—"

But Querl didn’t let him finish. “You profess these ideals,” he spat, “and yet you have built a monument to your hubris with this… Legion.” He sneered at them both, drawing his fire on Imra next. “You wear your Saturn identifier with pride, Titanian. Telepathy is a most valuable gift in the art of subterfuge.” He narrowed his eyes. “All I see here is a collection of powers you can utilise to meet your own ends. And nothing good comes out of that.”

Nura jolted towards the glass as another dream claimed her, Mon-El’s words flashing in her mind seconds before they touched his lips.

“Don’t say it,” she gasped.

But it was too late.

“I suppose you would know all about collections,” Mon-El said, the charm in his tone all-but gone.

Nura swore again. Mon-El might as well have just declared war.

“Visiting hours have ended,” Querl said, his voice tight. He lay down abruptly on his side, turning away from them both so that he faced the wall. “Do not come back.”

----------------

Nura waited impatiently at the view box door, stepping aside just before it pushed open.

“I think that went well,” Mon-El remarked as he and Imra walked through, brushing himself down with a casual air.

Imra rolled her eyes. “You shouldn’t have engaged with his snark.”

“So, you agree it was snark!”

“It was a cover! I don’t need my powers to see that. It was all over his face.”

“This should be working,” Nura cut in, kicking herself from the wall as she stalked past them both towards the plasma glass view screen. She stabbed her finger at the Coluan still lying dormant on the other side. “I dreamed it. Querl Dox will agree to join the Legion. Today.”

Imra’s brow creased sympathetically. “I don’t doubt that, Nura,” she said gently. “It’s just…”

“Do you have any idea how it happens?” Mon-El asked. “A conversation starter—or a cheat sheet on what to say that won’t piss him off?”

“I could’ve told you that,” Imra muttered.

“You know that’s not how it works,” Nura sighed. “I don’t know exactly how it happens, only that it will. Besides, you two are always the ones that bring in the new recruits. It made sense.”

“Yeah, but that’s usually because we want to,” Mon-El muttered, flinching against another psychic reprimand.

Nura glared through the window, trying to make a clean study of their unwilling recruit. He’d rolled onto his back since Mon-El and Imra had left, his arms crossed smartly over his chest. To an untrained eye, it looked like he was in some sort of meditative state. Whatever it was, Nura was well enough acquainted with the unconscious realm to know it was mostly for show.

“Querl Dox is important,” Nura said, repeating her earlier words back at herself. Or, maybe they were her future words? Sometimes it was so hard to tell. She cleared her throat, raising her voice. “If the Legion is going to continue, we’ll need him. His intellect will save lives. And…” She stopped herself, clenching her hands.

“What is it?” Imra prompted.

Nura shook her head. “We don’t just need him. I think he…” She couldn’t say it yet; couldn’t betray his pride like that, not before he’d even met her for the first time.

There was a good way to rectify that, at least.

Nura sucked in a deep breath, pulling back from the window. “My visions are never wrong. Let me try and talk to him.”

“Go ahead,” Mon-El said, offering her the length of the hallway. “But I’ll warn you, he’s stubborn.”

Nura smiled grimly. “That makes two of us.”