#;tmnt oc: cassia dubois

[redstringraven]

⋆｡ﾟPROFILE: Cassia Dubois a tmnt'03 original character

BASIC INFO:

Name: Cassia Alyssa Dubois Nickname: Cassie, “sweet girl” (Esme and Oliver only) Age: 17ish (post-season 4) ; 19ish (present) Gender: trans gal (she/her) Orientation: aromantic asexual (sex neutral) Species: human (3rd Earth) Height: 5’7 (170cm) Eye Color: chestnut brown Hair Color: brunette (dyed bubblegum-pink) Birthday: December 5th, 1987 (sagittarius) Enneagram: 7w8 Voice Claim: Penny Parker (Snapcube on Youtube)

Likes: 70s aesthetic, weird little trinkets, “cursed” memes, nicknames, street art, snickerdoodles

Dislikes: Purple Dragons, triceratons, watching sports (boring!), citrus smells, big dogs (doesn’t like being jumped on or barked at), losing the game

(( biography, personality, & relationships w/ cast under the cut! ))

BIO:

Cassia was born to Oliver and Esme Dubois on December 5th, 1987, after several attempts to carry a child to full term. She had a ‘normal’ and quiet childhood. Oliver’s occupation as a train conductor required him to travel and travel often, so she was primarily raised by her mother after the two decided it would be best for their child to have roots in one place. Despite the demands of his occupation, Oliver took whatever stray time his trips allowed him to find creative little ways to communicate with his wife and child, be it written letters, photos or puzzles or doodles, phone calls during hotel stays--whatever he could do to ensure that, no matter where he was, he was still present in Cassia’s life. Whenever he is in town, best believe the family’s schedules are cleared to maximize their time together.

As Cassia grew, she began to feel detached from the gender she was assigned at birth. While her parents always welcomed her to express herself in the ways that came to her naturally and made her happy, she began to notice the world around her didn’t. She began being bullied or ostracized by peers for being “too girly”, chastised by adults at school for behaving in ways that were “too feminine” and "concerning", finding more and more that when she’d daydream she’d picture herself as a girl among her few friends--all culminating in a breakdown when she was in her early teens. One evening, as Cassia sat in the kitchen doing homework while Esme prepared dinner, she began sobbing. She asked Esme why she had to be born a boy. She didn’t want to be one; she wanted to be a girl--like the few friends she had--be able to do what they could. Esme tried to assure her that who she was, and how she wanted to express herself, was her beautiful choice; that no one got to tell her who she's expected to be. And while Cassia seemed receptive to this, it didn't appear to be enough to stop the tears or pain. Concerned, saddened, and unsure what to do, Esme asked Cassia if she would like to be referred to as her “sweet girl” from then on. The sentiment seemed to work, and, slowly, Cassia calmed down. But as the rest of the night went on, Esme felt this wasn't as simple as a reaction to a bad day.

That evening, after Cassia had gone to bed, Esme and Oliver stayed on the phone long into the night discussing what happened before dinner and the pain their child had expressed. Esme began seeking out a therapist and making regular trips to the library for books to read between clients, and Oliver assisted how he could between stops. A friendly exchange with a passenger drew his attention to New York City’s LGBTQ+ Center and community as well. Slowly, but surely, they began Cassia’s transition process. 

Oliver’s mother and brother were more than supportive, but Esme’s side of the family rejected Cassia’s transition. So, Esme rejected them. Cassia continues to have a wonderful relationship with her paternal grandmother and uncle, who love her very much. Cassia chose her new name, and she asked her parents to choose a middle-name for her. They chose ‘Alyssa’, after her paternal grandmother.

For the next few years, life was pretty normal and uneventful. Until it wasn’t.

One night, an alien race that called themselves the Triceraton Republic invaded Earth. Throughout the invasion, Cassia and Esme remained hidden in their apartment, but Oliver had been in the midst of a trip. They lost touch with him and fell into a state of fear and worry, having no way of knowing if he was safe or even alive. It wasn’t until after the triceratons fully abandoned Earth that they were able to contact him. While the family came out the other side unharmed, their sense of security had been severely shaken. Esme, already prone to anxiety and worry, struggled to navigate the weeks Oliver would be traveling. She and Cassia would both have long spells of insomnia throughout his trips that they tried to quell with “camp outs” in the living room, watching movies and sleeping in the comfort of a shared blanket fort around the couch. After a while, they almost allowed themselves to settle back into a semblance of normal...but a new danger began lurking in New York’s shadows. 

Esme would hear talk from her clients about missing family members, co-workers or neighbors; children who’d gone missing after school, reports of suspected runaways and sightings of police walking neighborhood blocks. Rumors of strange shapes in alleyways--sickly looking animals. Cassia was asked to either go straight home or to the small salon where Esme worked after school. She was not to stay out past dusk, even with friends. For several weeks, that tension of fear and confusion clouded the household. But, much in the same way as the strange occurrences had begun… they stopped. And New York City grew ‘quiet’ once more.

Nearly a year passed, and Cassia tried once again to settle back into the mundane. News of long trips for her dad still riled a strong sense of anxiety, and she’d catch herself being a little less than bold when it came to city exploration.

It was one evening, while she was out later than expected, covering Purple Dragon tags with images of Kirby, Yoshi, and the Pink Panther, that she got surrounded by a small group of the sleazeballs. She managed to ‘fight off’ two on her own, spraying them in the face with her paint, and she nearly skated away before one managed to grab her hair. But he didn’t have her for long. A figure dropped down from a nearby roof and knocked him out. When she turned to look at the newcomer, Cassia found herself face to beak with a green… alien? creature of some sort. He pleaded for her not to spray him in the face with paint, too, and after a few seconds of tension, Cassia felt an odd sense of familiarity wash over her. He was scared of her—in some small way. She promised not to tell anyone about him (a bit of a white lie, as the moment she got home--and the reality of what had nearly transpired hit her--she burst into tears and told Esme everything, right down to the strange, turtle-like creature that’d had her back), and they went their separate ways.

It'd be another few weeks until Cassia crossed paths with the creature again, this time in the skate-park with his three brothers. She introduced herself (for real this time), and got to learn that her rescuer from that night went by ‘Mikey’. Turns out? He’s pretty groovy. And so are his brothers. Also, they shred?? That's SICK.

Cassia rarely joins the turtles’ on their more adventurous and drastic shenanigans, but she’s become a close and down to Earth friend. Esme has since met Mikey, and opened their home to him and his family should they ever need the escape or comfort.

PERSONALITY:

Bubbly, energetic, and out-going, Cassia has no problem expressing herself and relishes being an open book. If she’s not at school or at home, you’re likely to find her coasting around one of the city’s skate-parks, livening up a space with some creative street art, or at her favorite diner in a booth by a big bright window. Much of her street art involves pop-culture characters, with heavy influences of 60s and 70s bright colors and rounded shapes. If a space permits her to wear her skates, you can almost always expect to see her wearing her favorite pair of mint green roller skates with pink wheels and LED lights (her "watermelon wheels", if you will). Along with her trusty skates, she always carries a silly little backpack or satchel-purse with a few cans of spray-paint, chalk, and a pair of sneakers. 

On top of being social, Cassia can be very physically affectionate. She’ll hold your hand or hug your arm while walking places with you (unless you express discomfort with this, of course), and she tends to grab arms, shoulders, or hands when excited and expressing joy. Sometimes she’ll gleefully drum her palms against your back or shoulders (or in the turtles' case, their shells). She’s aware that she can be overwhelming for more withdrawn or introverted personalities, and  she does try to adjust her energy and volume levels when in the presence of those sorts of folks. Cassia won’t change who she is for you, but she will more than often adapt, so those around her still feel welcomed and comfortable.

She’s that girl who won’t even know you but will hype you up in the bathroom; if someone’s making you uncomfortable, she’ll make a scene for you--get them in a full nelson--who knows. Point is: befriend this silly girl, and you’ll have a friend for life. If she likes you, you'll have a nickname by the end of the week and regular donut drops on your front porch after you’ve had a rough day.

Relationships:

ESME & OLIVER DUBOIS:

Cassia and her parents are extremely close. Esme and Oliver were accepting of Cassia's transition immediately, and both are very involved in her life as well as the LGBTQ+ community in the city. Despite Oliver's work as a train conductor requiring him to travel often, he and Cassia have maintained a strong relationship through regular calls, letters, and other inventive forms of communication and gift exchange. Cassia's social calendar will go on pause when he's in town, so she has ample time to spend with him. When they're together, it's easy to see where Cassia gets her sense of humor, curiosity, and out-going nature. Esme works as a hairdresser, and, on her busier days, Cassia will take it upon herself to tidy the apartment or cook dinner to help out. Esme can be high-anxiety, resulting in both Cassia and Oliver being protective of her, but will snap into “mama bear” mode if she feels her daughter is being slighted or antagonized--anxiety be damned.  Similarly, she makes an effort to keep her salon space decorated with small pride trinkets to signal safety for her clients. Every child deserves to feel loved, and she'll go out of her way to ensure this happens. This is one of the many reasons Cassia was confident her mother (and father) could be another potential safe haven for the boys; she knew after the initial shock wore off, both would be more than accepting and loving. And they were!

DONATELLO:

While Cassia and Don get along, they spend the least amount of time around each other. Don falls into the category of people who can get overwhelmed by Cassia's company, so she's careful to give him the space he needs. She'll pop in to check on him, ask what he's working on, gush over it for a minute or two, and then promptly heck off. The longer spans of time with him tend to occur when Mikey ropes Don in for shenanigans or when Don lets her help with a paint job on one of his latest projects. Where Cassia's fallen into a "little sister" role with the other brothers, she carries more of an "older sister" air around Don and will speak up for him if she senses him becoming uncomfortable or irritated--times when he might opt for a polite tone when something more direct is warranted. Not that Don ISN'T capable of making how he feels known, but... he did ask for no pickles. Very disappointed you didn't hear him the first time.

Nicknames for Don include: Grapes, Donnerd, and Mothman.

LEONARDO:

Cassia enjoys Leo's company but sometimes finds herself a little underwhelmed by him. Where Mikey and Raph are more willing dare-devils and mischief-makers, Leo’s often hesitant to participate or will draw attention to potential consequences for whatever activity they're about to do. While sometimes frustrating, she appreciates him for it at the end of the day. His concern--and willingness to be “the wet blanket”--reminds her of her mom. She understands Leo's firm hold on the reins is more out of love than it is trying to ruin anyone's fun. This connection has also lead to her seeking advice or guidance from him. She very much enjoys engaging in quiet quality time with Leo, be it doodling in her sketchbook while he reads or practicing a dance routine (with her headphones on!) while he meditates nearby. However… to say that she thrives when Leo's silly and playful side comes out would be the understatement of the century. There’s little she loves more than coaxing out his competitive edge. He can deny it all he wants, but it's there. She absolutely delights in the glint he gets in his eyes when he's about to show off.

Nicknames for Leo include: Blue's Clues, Pink Panther, and Aslan.

MICHELANGELO:

Mikey was the first of the turtles Cassia directly encountered, and he was the one she formed the most immediate connection to. They clicked near-instantly due to shared interests in art, skating, and general tomfoolery. They’re a couple of high-energy gremlins, both naturally curious, highly expressive, adventurous, and attention-loving. Cassia’s become something of an anchor for Mikey, being a source that helps keep him grounded from all the craziness in his life. She’s been a point of guidance as he’s found himself on the aroace spectrum--another common ground the two share. She’s also not afraid to ‘force’ him to slow down sometimes and process emotions he’s been avoiding. Many nights filled with facial masks, nail polish, and mugs of hot chocolate have been had. Esme's already been taking mental notes of the snacks and drinks Mikey responds positively to and doing her best to make sure a few extras are stored away in the pantry and fridge. Just in case he's hungry and needs to drop in. Cassia assures her that the boys DO have a home and resources, but... oh, you never know.

Nicknames for Mikey include: Tangerine, Jell-O, and Champ.

RAPHAEL:

Since Cassia's friendship with Mikey often involves ruffling Raph's feathers, much of her friendship with Raph is banter-centric, teasing, and empty threats from both parties. Cassia’s slightly more aware of and, I guess the word would be 'attentive', to Raph’s temper boundaries than Mikey. This is partially due to being less familiar of Raph’s finer lines in the sand than Mikey, but it's also a sincere effort NOT to actually piss him off. It's not that Raph’s heightened states scare her or make her uneasy, moreso that this is a temperament she hasn’t quite figured out how to navigate yet. She prefers not to set it off if she can help it. Raph and Cassia have a silent affection sort of thing going on, where Cassia will climb up onto Raph's shell, and he stops walking long enough for her to get up there and then goes about whatever he was doing. Their version of Cassia’s habitual hand or arm holding, but perhaps in a way Raph’s more receptive of.  Sometimes, if she’s having a particularly high-anxiety night, she’ll text Raph and request a picture of Klunk or Spoon. A few minutes later, without fail, she’ll have a handful of cute cat pics to scroll through.

Nicknames for Raph include: Forks, Beyblade, and Kool-Aid.

MASTER SPLINTER:

Cassia and Splinter don't interact too much. Not that they deliberately avoid each other, of course, but Cassia does tend to bring a new wave of energy and noise to an already somewhat chaotic ‘household’. Splinter prefers to keep to his own activities or quietly excuse himself when he senses things are about to get rowdier than usual. Cassia’s been quick to catch on that Splinter falls into a similar camp as Don, Leo and her mother; she'll tone herself down around him (partially because she's realized his hearing is much more sensitive than most) and try to be a little less eager to instigate petty competition or mischief between the brothers. Despite that their personalities and forms of expression sometimes conflict, they get along well enough, and Cassia holds a lot of respect for him. Splinter hasn’t gotten to meet her parents yet, but she thinks the three of them will get along great.

Cassia always addresses Splinter as “Master Splinter” (or replies with "yes, sir" and "no, sir"), but when referring to him in conversation with others, she’ll sometimes say “the coolest slice of pepperjack this side of Brooklyn”. 

BREANNE O'NEIL:

Bree and Cassia have shared some classes throughout high school and knew each other on a casual-acquaintance sort of level. They became closer friends after Cassia encountered the turtles in the skate-park. Both are artistic spirits--Cassia's favorite medium being street art and Bree's being painting or sketching--and they enjoy having art parties with Mikey. Like with Don, Cassia tends to step into more of a “big sister” role with Bree and won't hesitate to throw hands with anyone who gives her a hard time.

Nicknames for Bree include: Sundrop and "Breanne, Green Eggs and Ham". (bree's tag!)

MIN-JI SEONG:

While Min-ji and Cassia had seen each other around school, they had never properly interacted until Cassia's second encounter with the turtles. Due to Min-ji’s recent experiences with the Purple Dragons and the Foot, she was guarded and a little suspicious of Cassia's ease in accepting that there were mutant turtles in the city. As Min-ji became more comfortable around Cassia, they grew closer as friends. Enough so, that they had a nice little heart-to-heart after school one afternoon. Min-ji expressed concern for Cassia’s safety when it came to her antagonizing the Purple Dragons by painting over their tags, and Cassia in turn offered to help Min-ji process leftover pain and anger she harbored toward someone she thought she could trust. Min-ji often struggles with her confidence and self-esteem, but Cassia’s already made it a main mission to be her biggest hype-woman, as Raph’s already Min-ji’s biggest hype-man (Leo’s just gonna have to deal with that… unless he thinks he can prove otherwise).

Nicknames for Min-ji include: Ji-ji, Jeepers, Swan Song, and City Siren. (min-ji's tag!)

NYXRAM:

While Cassia and Nyxram haven’t met, it probably goes without saying that any encounters would be… tense. Especially on Cassia’s end of things. Even though Cassia and her family were fortunate enough to not have direct contact with triceratons during the invasion, the event was still traumatic and caused her family immense distress. Should Cassia find herself in Nyxram’s presence, she’d likely be overwhelmed by fear and anger but would clam up and try to make herself as invisible as possible. 

(nyxram's tag!)

GWYNETH:

Cassia’s interactions with Gwyn have been quite minimal and civil. The two are friendly toward each other, but there is an underlying sense of unease and distrust. Whether it’s because Gwyn’s not from Earth or that Cassia can feel Gwyn doesn’t trust her, Cassia instinctively grows more alert in the liáfsian’s presence. The two only seem to be fully at ease around each other if Mikey or Raph are also sharing the space with them. Cassia does, if she were being honest with herself, harbor a small amount of resentment toward Gwyn for disappearing and hurting both Mikey and Bree’s feelings in doing so. ...there’s... also a small part of her that does wish Gwyn would move on to another planet, as her presence on Earth might draw the attention of other aliens. She hasn’t heard a lot about this Darach guy, but she’s heard enough to know she doesn’t want another invader blasting down her door or making her wonder if she'll ever see her father again.

(gwyneth's tag!)

AISLINN:

If Cassia’s interactions with Gwyn have been minimal, her interactions with Ash have been next to none. Cassia’s aware of Ash’s sentience and presence in the weapon Gwyn carries around, but she’s significantly less aware of any details surrounding Ash. At most, she knows Ash is aware of her surroundings, has enough of a personality to be a bit of a smartass sometimes, and that Gwyn gets bristly when someone focuses on Ash for too long. So, she lets Ash instigate any of their interactions. Which Ash usually doesn’t do.

(aislinn's tag!)

YUNSOL SEONG:

While Cassia has only briefly met Min-ji’s cousin, Yunsol, she and her mother have already extended a supportive hand to her. Yunsol had been facing severe bullying, blackmail, and emotional abuse from people she thought were her friends. They'd learned she was a lesbian, still timid about this revelation, and closeted from her family. Min-ji sought out Cassia and Esme for help resolving the situation, so Yunsol could be free of it without being forced to come out to her parents before she was ready. Though Cassia and Yunsol have yet to interact outside of this heavier context, they unknowingly HAVE crossed paths online. Yunsol is one of Cassia’s favorite sapphic fanfic writers. She has no idea how many nights Cassia’s been up well longer than she should have, lying on her stomach, kicking her feet in the air, and hugging a pillow against her face while she reads the sapphic adventures of Elle Woods. And Cassia has no idea how much each and every one of those keyboard smashing comments have warmed Yunsol's heart.

(yunsol's tag!)

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*gentle disclaimer that bree, min-ji, and yunsol belong to @/plantdonut!

[grozva]

some oc sketches from a while ago bc I haven't posted to tumblr for some time :3

characters here with allan and andy belong to my friends :D

[redstringraven]

some tension in the studio today...

[redstringraven]

do your ocs have any pets (or would they like to have any)? do they consider their pet(s) part of the family, essentially their baby, their best friend, or maybe view them as a working partner for getting the job done?

*DEEP, EXCITED INHALE!!!!* omg pet and/or animal question. TuT!!! thank you so much.

—*—

CASSIA nope! cassia's never had a pet. i think she's the type of person who's content not having a pet of her own but does enjoy being around the pets her friends have. if she ever were to have a pet, it'd probably be something like... pet jellyfish. a species that's easy to take care of. they look cool, their tanks make relaxing water sounds, they don't destroy your things, and they're usually not a huge time commitment. they'd still get names, tho. because duh. buuut overall, again, she doesn't really desire having a pet of her own.

she adores klunk and gets to chill with him plenty. same goes for spoon, even if the little guy often sticks to raph like glue. she USED to get a little antsy around casey's adopted golden retriever, lady, but over time as gotten less nervous with lady's presence. if lady starts barking, cassia might sidle a little closer to whichever turtle is standing nearby. the turtles have also picked up on her anxiety around dogs and, if lady comes barreling toward her in joyous greeting, at least one of the guys will side-step between cassia and the in-coming torpedo of sloppy kisses and full-body wiggles.

NYXRAM you probably already guessed it but, no, nyxram didn't have any pets growing up. and, post-rebellion, she'll still tell you she doesn't have any "pets". however.

with her father MIA and her mother now in high-security custody, nyxram is on the path to inheriting the estate of akeron (the piece of rock where she was raised). while it's technically not hers ""legally""... it IS empty, as its only real purpose was to be an isolated location for her creation, training and development.

one of the first things the rebellion did, after zanramon was removed from power, was turn over the arena. after the remaining gladiators had been relocated, the question of what to do with the animals rose.

several of them had been born in captivity--specifically for use in the games--and had never experienced living in their natural habitats. many more had sustained some sort of injury where releasing them would be a death sentence all its own. the rebellion was at a bit of a loss, unsure what to do with them. and, well... akeron sure is just floating there. collecting space dust.

nyxram volunteered the estate to serve as a sort of sanctuary for the remaining animals. there was some push back, as ...well, most of them are dangerous (and also, are we sure it's a good idea to give an assassin a bunch of dangerous animals?), but she'd made up her mind. nyxram and her squad now care for the surviving animals, kept in various paddocks and enclosures built on akeron.

while nyxram, personally, hasn't named any of them--and she doesn't call them "pets", because they're not--the squad has loosely assigned names to a few of the critters they've either grown attached to or are scared of, to the point the animal needs a specific method of identification to serve as a warning. nyxram, grax, and ceron are the three who spend the most time directly around the animals or in close proximity to them (they're the most capable of protecting themselves), whereas ranzar and zuron only help out if necessary or by doing 'behind the scenes' stuff like food prep.

traximus technically isn't part of the squad. when he does visit akeron, he often goes out of his way to avoid interactions with the animals. not only do they make him uneasy (some even triggering painful memories), but he's aware that he has a similar effect on several of them.

i wouldn't say nyxram sees the animals as 'her babies', friends, or even working partners. she sees them for what they are. BUT, there's also an obvious extended empathy and compassion for them, as they're also victims of the arena's cruelty. the squad is under strict instructions to only raise a hand to one of the animals if their own survival is on the line. she wants to give those who survived the most peace she can during what remains of their lives.

GWYN growing up and present day, gwyn doesn't have any pets. and she isn't the type of person to consider pets as "pets", either; she would definitely see them as 'her baby' or 'a friend' or 'working partner', etc. though, this is more in acknowledging that the animal experiences emotions, has a personality, may have other bonds of its own, and has things it does or doesn't like--but in its own animal way--and less about full anthropomorphism (seeing the animal as 'another person').

i've said a few times that gwyn has a strong love and compassion for both animal and plant life, and a huge part of that is because, early on, she discovered that... animals didn't care she was a bad omen.

with her community, even when she'd "play by the rules" and do her best to listen and showcase that she could be good, other liáfsians still shunned her (and in many cases, her standing with them got worse). but animals? respecting their rules, their space, giving them time to see you're good? they respond to that. even if it's just continuing to graze and eat rather than immediately run from your presence.

when ash couldn't be by her side, the company of animals kept her from being completely isolated and lonely. sometimes they'd even share things: their food, shelter, warmth and protection. she felt more welcome and accepted among them than she ever had in her own community. by the time she had to flee liáfsini with ash and the shapeshifting weapon, she'd established herself with several of the fauna native to the realm's light woods.

it's important to note that, despite any joking on MY end of things, gwyn isn't delusional in thinking that all animals are capable of being "befriended", and she knows many aren't safe to be around or handle or interact directly with. her eagerness to learn about them and be around them is not without respect for what they are and what they're capable of. sometimes the 'best' you can do is a silent arrangement to safely "co-exist" in close proximity with an animal. respect their rules once you know them; don't fuck with them, they don't fuck with you.

presently, the closest thing gwyn has to pets would be the time she spends around klunk and spoon (and lady, when casey's around). to say she adores them would be an understatement. she also has a habit of sharing some of the food scraps she keeps on her with strays, eager to earn their trust if they'll have her but more than happy to just provide them with a meal if they won't.

raph hasn't introduced her to ms. morrison, so she hasn't met lucy yet. it likely won't be until after the events surrounding gwyn end that she'll get to meet ms. morrison (raph's already protective of her, as well as her home being a bit of a get-away for himself, so the idea of ms. morrison somehow getting tangled up in all of this--even in a small way... is simply not going to be humored).

gwyn HAS met some baby 'green men'! she and mikey crossed paths with raph while he was playing hide-and-seek with the little guys. she wants to get to interact with them and their mother more. even tho... they are... stinky.

ASH as likely expected, to mirror gwyn's answer: growing up and in present day, ash doesn't have any pets. while she does share gwyn's admiration and respect for animals, she doesn't experience the same draw to them nor eagerness to earn their trust. ash did deal with some of the social "side-effects" of being a twin, but since she was the 'older' twin and, thus, the 'original soul', she was still given chances and opportunities to takes part in the community. she didn't have the same sense of emptiness and loneliness to fill that gwyn did.

although ash is still able to pick up on an animal's behavior and 'rules', she doesn't quite have the same keen eye or ability to adapt as gwyn does. if faced with a predator, or an animal giving a threat display, ash is more likely to succumb to her anxiety and react in ways she "shouldn't". gwyn will hold her ground and might even have a chance of psyching the animal out or calming it down.

i got on a bit of a tangent there, but i figured it was worth mentioning since ash otherwise doesn't have much of an answer to this question, given her living situation was similar to gwyn's and she's been in the shapeshifting weapon ever since.

she enjoys talking to klunk when he loafs on or around gwyn, and there have been a few times she's asked gwyn to throw her so lady can fetch her (gwyn absolutely will not do this, and she gets a little antsy and irritable when ash asks).

there IS a chance, in the future, that ash will have a ragdoll cat and/or a samoyed dog, but we ain't there yet.

[redstringraven]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF getting super close to being done with cassia's profile stuff!!! i've also drafted two of the written sections. aiming to have this thing posted either during or at the end of the holiday! then i can start the next year with nyxram's!

[redstringraven]

Back with an OC ask: If your OC's Best Friend was asked to share one story that summed up the OC, what story would they tell? Why? (assuming they were asked by people they trust and get along with)

omfg this is SUCH a good question, thank you so much. D:< and so sorry for the wait, i've been all over the place lately ;-;

—*—

CASSIA i have a feeling that a story mikey might share to describe cassia would be the afternoon they kind of went from pals who hangout sometimes to besties who're more open with each other.

at this point in the 'arc', gwyn (and ash) had disappeared overnight. it was both expected and unexpected; gwyn had been growing restless and anxious hiding on earth while making no progress toward getting ash back in a body. she'd told bree that she was going to leave soon, which mikey overheard. he and bree then took it upon themselves to plan a farmhouse trip as a sort of "going away" party.

raph, in an effort to communicate to gwyn that she shouldn't brush off her leaving or act like it was unimportant, had warned her that mikey hates good-byes. he hadn't anticipated that she'd take that as... "don't give him the option". a few mornings later, leo found her room empty. it likely goes without saying that mikey didn't take this well, despite his efforts to act otherwise.

a few weeks later, cassia invited mikey over to meet her mom. min-ji was already at her apartment (the two of them recovering from a confrontation with one of cassia's old bullies), and esme was hovering about making warm snacks and drinks. this isn't about mikey meeting esme, though, so we'll skip that for now.

min-ji ducked out to make a phone call, and cassia tried asking mikey if he'd been good lately. he ignored the question--opting to ask about nail polish--but this only caught her attention. she asked again, he dodged again, and, this time, cassia called him on it: "i know deflecting when i see it, mister". 

this surprised him at first; he hadn’t realized cassia was so insightful, as it was one thing for his brothers to notice but he didn’t think anyone else would (he barely noticed it, himself). mikey admits that he feels really different lately. 'off'. he and his brothers have gotten used to people coming and going out of their lives, and he'd found ways to move on before. but since gwyn and ash dipped it feels... different. like they're never going to come back. like he's gonna be forgotten by people he really cares for.

cassia assured him that he's "one hard motherfucker to forget", and that gwyn--who was never relaxed--always seemed to find a way to relax around him. finding a person who gives you the space to breathe? ...that means something. she doubts gwyn devalues that, and he shouldn't devalue it either. their conversation concludes with cassia reminding him that, now that esme's met him, he's welcome to come by whenever he wants or needs to. even if it's just to snag a bag of chips and play games on her computer.

the gesture to listen--and to open up her home to him--meant a lot, and i'm sure also helped mikey feel a little less alone. it didn't mend the hole he was feeling after gwyn and ash's departure, of course... but it spoke to cassia's warmth, insight and generosity.

NYXRAM i feel like traximus would definitely share a type of story that 'humanized' her, but not at her expense (so nothing embarrassing or that would make her look stupid). triceratons who know what nyxram was tend to be utterly terrified of her or view her as something 'other'.

(...of course, her monosyllabic speaking habits, deadpan expression, stiff/professional posture, and tendency to isolate herself aren't exactly beating these allegations).

triceratons raise their young communally, and all are expected to serve some amount of time in the hatcheries helping the parents. once zanramon was overthrown, i’m sure traximus would have carved out some time to visit several of the hatcheries. nyxram would have gone with him anyway (she’s silently appointed herself to be his bodyguard since the republic is fragile and traximus was the face of the recent revolution), but traximus still invites her and the rest of the squad along. 

the first several minutes in the hatchery go about as well as they could, but not without stumbling and awkwardness. it’s kind of the first time that traximus realizes… just how warped nyxram’s upbringing must have been?

most of their interactions up to this point have been strictly “business”: rebellion moves, intel gathering and exchange, then establishing some sort of foundation for the new republic to grow, and so on. but it’s now, as he rushes over to correct a way she may be handling an infant or speaking to a child, that he learns she wasn’t even hatched in a hatchery. her clutch had been born and raised isolated. which, on its own, is shocking enough. but this wouldn’t be part of the story he’d tell (it’s not his to tell, after all).

what he’d focus on would be how, every time he corrected her, she would listen without protest. she’d ask questions. she’d adjust her behavior. how clear it was that, despite all attempts to mold her into something meant only for destruction, she wanted to be something beyond that. she seems to know that everything her parents did to raise her was wrong--and something she never wants another child to go through--but… it’s also all she knows. she only knows what not to do.

even if she’d been holding an infant wrong, she’d still handled them tenderly. though her word choice or tone could have been better speaking to that child, she was on the right track. she’s not a mindless killer who doesn’t desire connection. he’s seen first-hand that she wants it. she’s just… clumsy. be patient with her. the worst she’ll do is glare at you. ...probably.

GWYN because ash is a MENACE, there's a handful of stories she loves to share about gwyn to the very, very few people the twins have managed to befriend (...so, the turtles and those in their circle).

one of her favorites is a story where gwyn had developed a distant crush on one of the other girls in their community (probably because this girl just ignored her rather than went out of her way to bully her).

according to ash, gwyn ran up to where the girl was reading by a river, shouted "check THIS OUT", picked up the biggest rock she could find, and threw it into the river. this caused a huge wave of water to splash over the girl and her book, ruining the latter and infuriating the former.

if we were to exclude ash, mikey would probably tell you one of two stories, depending on the vibe you're giving him in regard to how you feel about gwyn.

if he's getting the sense you've already warmed up to gwyn and like her enough, he'll likely tell you about how he and gwyn are in constant 'competition' to befriend whatever stray cat or dog they find in the city.

but if he gets the sense you're still wary of gwyn or unsure how to feel about her, he might tell you about the time she helped him deal with some purple dragons. 

maybe a month or two after gwyn and ash returned to earth (from their disappearance mentioned in cassia’s answer), the three intercepted some purple dragons during a night run and discovered the dragons were going to burn down a shop-apartment. gwyn initially wanted to leave--stating it wasn't their problem--but mikey argued the right thing to do was stop the dragons from ruining someone's livelihood. after learning there were kids still upstairs, and mikey moved to fight off the dragons, ash insisted they check the bedrooms. gwyn found the two kids, who mistook her for a sugarplum fairy (likely due to her bioluminescence and the time of year it was) but let her get them both outside and away from the immediate danger.

more happened that night, but mikey would probably end the core of the story there, emphasizing that even though gwyn could have left--and WANTED to--she didn’t. 

he’d asked, after things had calmed down, if she “only interacts with people if she can get something from them”, and she’d admitted “that’s one way of putting it”. 

she hadn’t wanted to get involved, and he didn’t do anything to force her to get involved, yet she’d still chosen to do something. and for people who could offer her nothing in return. 

gwyn’s hard to read because she doesn’t want to be read. she’s hard to understand because she doesn’t want to be understood. she often acts selfishly because it’s how she survives. somehow all these things are true… but also… not? 

he’s still figuring gwyn out. there’s a lot they don’t know about each other. but he knows gwyn’s made him realize stuff about himself he didn’t even know was there, and that means a lot to him. and she’s willing to trust him which, after everything he’s heard, sounds pretty big! she’s layered! like an onion! --an onion just waiting to be made into the greatest bowl of onion rings ever!! …mmm… onion rings… --let’s go see if we can annoy raph enough that he’ll make some.

ASH unlike ash, if gwyn were to tell you a story about her sibling she’d probably choose one that paints ash out to be some sort of… perfect, wonderful person. which speaks both to how gwyn often puts ash on a pedestal, since she literally gave up her life for her, as well as how gwyn doesn’t think highly of herself. not that ash ISN’T wonderful, but know that there is some strong bias and guilt attached to whatever gwyn is saying. 

one story she enjoys telling is about a liáfsian ‘holiday’. every cycle, the community would gather at an old shrine at the edge of the woods with food, drink, dancing and singing. when night falls, and their skin begins glowing with bioluminescence, they leave food and drink on the shrine for the guardian spirits--offerings of breads, cakes, a ring of wine at the shrine’s foot, flowers from their gardens, homemade jewelry. a week later, the druids would return to the shrine to clean up unaccepted offerings.

ash would have been permitted to engage with the festivities, but the druids would find gwyn’s presence offensive to the guardian spirits and the realm as a whole. so, ash proposed they have their own celebrations away from everyone else. and they did.

if we were to exclude gwyn… raph would snort and tell you about this one time at the farmhouse, mikey and bree drew up this whole fancy map of the whole place. three poster boards taped together with drawings of the farmhouse, the barn, the windmill, the most noticeable nearby trees, the lake--which was slathered in glitter--and orchard--the WORKS. ash told gwyn to bring her closer, so she did. then ash said, deadass serious:

“gwyn. put me in the glitter.”

and gwyn did.

we can only assume that somewhere, in all that shapeshifting mineral, ash still has some glitter in her. can never get rid of that crap--it’s just part of her now. fascinatin'.

[redstringraven]

i know this isn’t the how the current meme goes, but i can’t see “you know what that means” without thinking of the vine.

[redstringraven]

do you make playlists of what each of your OCs would listen to? do they have a specific artist/band, or genre they enjoy? any they hate? what kind of music did they grow up on that gives them nostalgia?

for the first question: i haven't! and i think the main reason is because--knowing me--i'd have to take the time to sit down and listen to music with an extremely active/attentive filter. it'd take me a lot of time, especially since needing to be attentive would likely mean i can't be doing this while drawing (and certainly not while researching/writing). i--personally--wouldn't consider this a high-priority step in how i tell and share their stories, and i tend to find that music that makes me think of them is a bigger inspiration for me than music they themselves would listen to. if that makes sense?

but! if anything, i'll try to keep more of a radar up for the next time a song slides through my shuffle and i catch myself thinking "haha, cassia would totally listen to this", to maybe start some playlists that way and just... slowly grow them. 6-6!! tis a cool little thing to have going on the side.

CASSIA i can see cassia loving a range of artists from the 70s and 80s alongside more modern pop. i don't think lady gaga's first album dropped until 2008? and the present day in my writing's timeline is probably more 2006 or 2007, so... not QUITE there, but getting there. a lot of her love of 70s/80s music does probably have a connection to growing up, given that it's music her parents would have listened to! shared and traded albums are a way she and her dad could stay connected, too, when he's on longer trips. listening to music her dad likes or grew up around kinda gives her a sense he's in the apartment with her somehow.

artists she likely gravitates toward... lady gaga--like i said--kesha, earth wind & fire... michael jackson... "don't stop believin'", "blue monday" ... and, worse of all? unironically/even BEFORE IT WAS A MEME, i bet she liked "never gonna give you up" by the king himself: rick astley.

one of her hobbies, actually, is finding new and inventive ways to rick roll raph and leo. leo doesn't always get it (this 'joke' doesn't make any sense), and if you hear raph yell "god. DAMNIT." from somewhere in the lair, there's a 50/50 chance he's been rick rolled and won't be speaking to cassia again for twenty-four hours. (he's not actually mad, this is part of the bit; you know this).

god, what have i done.

i don't think cassia has any music she hates, necessarily, i think it's more that she finds certain types of music... not stimulating in the way she wants them to be? like. say don's listening to classical music while he's working, and she walks in. SOME classical music, she can find a way to dance to in the background with escalating silliness that's both enjoyable for her and might also get a chuckle or two out of don (also! enjoyable for her). buuuut there's also some classical music where the mood of it doesn't work for that sort of thing. maybe it's too slow or too sad... --don, are you good? we don't have to talk, i could just bring you an ice cream or something.

NYXRAM to answer your last question first: nyxram didn't grow up with any music. i'd say, over all, she grew up with limited exposure to any form of art--with a handful of exceptions, most of them being unavoidable in one way or another. i can't think of any reason music would be one of those exceptions. and because of THAT, i don't think she really differentiates music from noise. it's just... more noise.

this is likely a point of minor and petty conflict when it comes to her squad post-rebellion. i can see ranzar and zuron enjoying some music while they run maintenance on one of akeron's shuttles, nyxram walks in to touch base with them, and... even though she doesn't address the music, she's visibly put off by it. not ANNOYED but more like... this air of "why are you two willingly filling the room with racket while you work on something as complex as a shuttle?". so perplexed that she can't quite keep her usual poker face.

i HAVE said before that i can see her enjoying 3rd earth's harp, should she ever get exposure to it. and it'd be kind of, like. weird. to, i guess, "witness" her listening to it, because i don't think she'd listen to it while doing something else. she'd just be sitting or standing there. listening to the music. doing nothing else.

and this wouldn't be because she can't focus on something else because there's noise/sound happening--she's trained to work regardless of external (and internal) stimuli--it'd be because... this is music, right? you're supposed to listen to it. so that's what i'm doing. i'm listening to it.

GWYN on the opposite end of the spectrum from nyxram, music and song is a huge part of liáfsian life and culture. though gwyn was forbidden from engaging with the community and being taught in more community-driven settings, this didn't stop ash from finding ways to include her and, to their credit, in their earlier years gwyn's parents did kind of teach her a few basics (less to their credit, this was probably more because ash begged them to or refused to learn unless gwyn could as well and not out of a desire to just... teach gwyn). as they got older and the people around them tried to separate them more often, gwyn found other ways to appreciate music and song. it existed outside of the community, in the woods with the animals and even some of the plant-life (there's a pothos-like plant said to 'sing' to you should you curl up in its leaves, known for being a healing/recovery space for wounded animals).

in present day, she hasn't quite taken the time to pinpoint any 3rd earth artists or bands that she likes. part of this is because she's still very much in the mentality of... "my interests shift based on what's most beneficial for me to be interested in", and she's content to listen to and enjoy whatever music one of the turtles is playing while they go about their day.

for gwyn's first secret santa gift exchange, min-ji gave her a cd with whale songs on it. gwyn and ash both said that the whale songs remind them of the "song wolves" of liáfsini*: long, echoing, something that fills your ribs and blooms.

when it comes to how i might build her playlist, i can see putting music from the oh hellos on there, but... i think as gwyn's arc ends, and she begins the journey of rediscovering her own identity, she'd be more prone to enjoying stuff like ambient music and soundscapes. music that feels like it weaves and blends seamlessly with the natural sounds happening around it. ...i can see cassia showing leo some of those "ambient relaxing music/meditative soundscape" youtube videos for his own meditation, which then leads to gwyn maybe walking past his door, hearing it, and just sort of... sitting on the ground listening to it. he'd catch on that she enjoys it and pass the info on to her. or, maybe she just takes to a corner of the room and draws in her journal while he meditates. i dunno. nice little common ground the two of them end up sharing.

*the "song wolves" used to be called sithòran, but i'm renaming the handful of fauna i'd kind of given placeholder names to.

ASH similar start to the answer as gwyn: music and song is a huge part of liáfsian life and culture. but since ash had the advantage of lessons and guidance, she tends to be much more confident in her musical ability, knowledge, and is also just... sincerely drawn to it. while she does enjoy a handful of liáfsian instruments, her favorite is the voice. which... kind of worked out for her, given she can still use it in her current state. it's not uncommon for ash to sing old lullabies or folk songs to gwyn in those rare pockets of solitude and peace, both as a way to lift her own spirits but also provide gwyn with some sort of familiarity, comfort, and reassurance that she's not alone.

after their story arc concludes, ash's taste in 3rd earth music will likely be... all over the place. i can't really see her being restricted by genre. she'd probably adore opera, love singing along to whatever modern pop song mikey and cassia are blasting in the living room with wooden spoons for microphones, sing duets with min-ji at the piano, idle around master splinter or leo's spaces to listen to traditional japanese music, and... weird as it might be, if either of the twins is gonna be found head-banging to metal and hardcore music with raph, it's gonna be ash. when it comes to music appreciation, girl's got: hella range.

this range doesn't come without criticism, though--liáfsians often tell stories, myths, etc through the medium of song. so, if a song has lyrics and after the moment of enjoying it has passed, you might find yourself listening to ash talk about the song from a more technical standpoint or wondering why the artist made certain decisions where they did. i don't think there'd be a specific type of music she'd hate. it'd more just be a case of "this song isn't really doing it for me" and moving on.

[redstringraven]

Okay I gotta pull an uno reverse card and ask you about your ocs now bc you asked me really good questions and now I'm wondering how in depth your OCs are 👀. If they each had to introduce themselves in a small group of strangers how would they do it? How do they react to someone incorrectly correcting them in something they know a lot about?

<:333 *excitedly paps hands on my desk* omgg THANK YOU 🖤🌷

these are such good questions, too, aaaAAA!!!

---*---

if they each had to introduce themselves in a small group of strangers how would they do it?

cassia she's usually pretty fearless (and eager) when it comes to meeting new people! if you look interesting, or what she overhears from your conversation catches her attention, girl's gonna step right up and involve herself. a decent amount of her ''''introductions'''' start with complimenting an accessory of yours she loves or thinks is neat--maybe asking where you got it. if the vibes stay good and groovy through that initial exchange, she'll follow up by giving her name. if not, she'll dip. simple as that. nyxram pre-triceraton rebellion? she simply would not. most of the time, her presence in the room is either subtle or unnoticeable, anyway. she's only going to socialize with you if there's no other option, and she definitely won't be the one to initiate it. it will be less an 'introduction' and more 'how many ways can i signal to you i don't want to talk'. post-rebellion, she's, in some ways, forced to socialize a bit more, but remains monosyllabic and minimalist as she can get away with. you'll get her name, and the bare minimum answer for any question that follows that. she'll be as friendly as she feels she has to be. gwyn chances are, if she's the one initiating the interaction, she's talking to you because she thinks you might be 'useful' somehow. you won't know this, of course. could be as small as needing directions or getting a scope of the area, but she could also be looking into swindling you out of a meal or lifting something off of you when you let your guard down or even setting you up to take the fall for something. she will have discretely hovered nearby--listening, getting an idea of what you respond positively and negatively to--and when she actually does talk to you, she'll use whatever approach will put you at ease the fastest. could be joining the conversation enthusiastically and confidently, could be joining with the preface that she's a little lost and needs guidance as she's new in town. she's a tricky one. a social chameleon, for better or for worse, and she'll work a room when she needs to. ash will most likely NOT make herself known in a group of strangers and continue playing the role of an inanimate object (she often takes the form of a dagger on gwyn's belt). on the rare occasion she feels the need to make herself known, it's usually in a threatening manner and done to keep you away from gwyn (who's most likely unconscious) or herself. this is how they met the turtles, actually. after gwyn passed out from a burn-wound, leo reached to pick ash (currently in the form of a spear) off the ground, and she shape-shifted into a scythe-like weapon, cutting his forearm in the process.

how do they react to someone incorrectly correcting them in something they know a lot about?

cassia immediately tells you you're wrong, probably with a lopsided smirk and a long "uuuuuhhhhh noooooo?". depending on the energy you gave her when you corrected her will depend on the energy she gives you back. if you were rude about it, she's going to be equally rude and condescending when she corrects you--and best believe she'll have receipts and proof that she's right. if you weren't rude, she'll be more gentle and take a more 'educative' approach. you shouldn't be shamed for being wrong if you're willing to learn! and also if you weren't a jackass about it. nyxram says nothing verbally, but her eyes say it all: you're wrong. this isn't an opinion, it's a fact. but you're free to continue living in your wrongness. she makes no effort to correct you and carries on as though you said nothing at all. whether you think she's right or wrong, or whether you know yourself to be right or wrong, doesn't matter to her. the only exception i can think of to this 'rule' is traximus (and maybe grax's spouse, xi, once they become friends), but i doubt he'd correct her when it comes to an area she's obviously very knowledgeable in. the most likely situation would be when it comes to translating/communicating with other races and potentially getting words or sentence structure confused. he's often on the right track with this sort of thing, but not quite right. when this happens, she prompts him to provide reasoning for why he thinks his answer is right, then bluntly (but not unkindly) tells him why it's not. he's usually receptive to this; they trust each other. gwyn varies with who she's talking to, as well as the context of the situation. like... if she thinks it'll be beneficial to let you be right, she will. if it'd be even more beneficial to stroke your ego, she might prompt you to "tell her more" or "teach her" (this will not only give you a false sense of control, but it will also give her a better idea of YOUR understanding of the topic or lackthereof, which could be useful to exploit if necessary). if she doesn't think letting you be right matters, she might go the opposite route and respond however she thinks will most embarrass you or make you feel stupid. could be laughing at you, could be bluntly telling you you're wrong... again, depends on the person, the topic, as well as her current 'needs' out of the exchange. ash says in the most matter-of-fact tone you can imagine: "...no." and then moves on. does not elaborate--in fact, often refuses to elaborate. you'll know you're wrong, but nothing more. die mad.

[redstringraven]

Your OCs are in my head rent free so have a question for each of them:

Cassia: How is her relationship with April? and by proxy Casey? Does Splinter see her as one of his children?

Nyxram: I think it would have been interesting if The Ultimate Ninja challenged Nyx to a duel to the death like he did Leo. How would that have gone down?

Gwyn and Ash: Since Ash considers herself dead does she feel any remorse or hesitancy about being used to hurt or kill people? Does Gwyn have reservations about using her like that? Does Gwyn know Ash considers herself dead?

over here being emotional because that made me so happy, and i'm extremely grateful. ;w; for real, thank you for these asks and saying that, i just. ahhhh!! it makes my day. i always get so excited to talk about and further explore my dweebs.

---*---

cassia: how is her relationship with april? and by proxy casey? does splinter see her as one of his children?

cassia's interacted with april slightly more than she has casey, and i think they get along very well! she's also close with april's niece, bree (@/plantdonut's oc), so they run into each other a fair amount. cassia LOVES the 70s aesthetic and weird little trinkets. it wouldn't surprise me at all if she scopes out april's shop for things from that decade, or dropping not-so-subtle hints that it'd be super cool and stuff if april kept an eye out for anything of the sort. no reason. it'd just be pretty cool of her.

as for casey, they get along for the most part. though, casey tends to have moments where he... exposes how much learning and growing he still has ahead of him. like making a comment he didn't consider would be offensive or asking a question without thinking. cassia just stops what she's doing, stares at him and bluntly says "dude." (raph can be seen pinching the bridge of his beak in the background and groaning because his friend is a moron and, oh my god, you're embarrassing him).

thankfully for casey, cassia's willing to be patient with him, since he at least IS trying and making genuine efforts to correct bad habits, so... that's recognized and appreciated. and the turtles or april are there to back her up. ...i don't think esme would like casey very much, though. he seems like the type of person who'd have her on edge the whole time she's in proximity to him, and she'd likely be much less patient than cassia due to mother-bear-protectiveness (her side of the family did not accept cassia's transition; they've since been estranged). casey is someone esme can endure being around, but... that's about it.

i don't know if splinter would go as far as considering cassia one of his own. he does very much appreciate that his sons have a few more friends their age, and that cassia can be a more grounding presence for them. we DO have another slight 'personality clash' situation with splinter and cassia, where she can be high energy and loud, which adds to any chaos that may already be present in the lair that day. she often enables antics between raph and mikey, or enjoys the challenge of managing to pull a prank on leo.

...i can also see cassia developing a stupid one-sided-joke with splinter, where if she and mikey are watching a movie, and the actor pulls off a wild stunt, she turns to splinter and points at the tv and goes "DID YOU TEACH THEM THAT???? dude, that's crazy--that's mega coconuts" and splinter just kind of stares at her.

it's possible this has expanded into more ridiculous things like ...vehicle stunts... anime moves... ...godzilla firing his laser. i'm so sorry, sensei.

nyxram: i think it would have been interesting if the ultimate ninja challenged nyx to a duel to the death like he did leo. how would that have gone down?

oh. he'd. ...he'd die. >xDDD

like. i normally don't like sitting here with the air of "lmao my oc's power level is so high haha"--if this were asked of gwyn i'd waffle around, weigh her chances based off the environment and how resourceful she's allowed to be or if ue even allowed her to use ash as her primary weapon--but this is nyxram.

nyxram was birthed with the intention of forging the perfect killer. she's the only survivor of her clutch because she fought for it from the day she hatched, and that was by design. her parents wanted to weed out "the weak". she was meant to surpass her mother and father in their skills, she's supposed to be walking death, serving the prime leader and triceraton republic. this woman has single-handedly taken out small federation fleets and made it look like they just oopsie-daisy'd and vanished into a black hole.

like. i cannot emphasize enough... ue is DEAD.

being the daimyo's son, i'm pretty sure he's high-profile enough that he'd be on her radar by default. he'd have almost no element of surprise; she'd go into the fight already having an idea of what to expect from him. the SECOND he opens himself to a kill shot, she's taking it. NO hesitation. none. this is, literally, what she was made to do.

there would be some chance she'd spare him if this were post-rebellion, but... --i've had gwyn use this line in RP before, but nyxram would also abide by it: if you're going to kill, you better be ready to be killed.

you challenge her to a duel to the death? ...alright.

i'd ask what you want her to tell your family, but it wouldn't matter. she won't be reaching out to them. you should have considered that before you threw your knife at a reaper's feet.

gwyn and ash: since ash considers herself dead does she feel any remorse or hesitancy about being used to hurt or kill people? does gwyn have reservations about using her like that? does gwyn know ash considers herself dead?

for the first two questions, in short: it's complicated for both of them.

just in case it needs restating, the entire reason they're having to survive like this at all is because, ever since ash wound up trapped in the shape-shifting weapon, they've been followed, tracked, hunted, set upon by assassins and bounty-hunters--just, endlessly pursued. a liáfsian druid, darach, is near always on their heels and trying to get his hands on the weapon (this is an extreme nutshell version of that situation because the question's not about that). neither of them WANT this.

i'd say who has more reservations with causing harm highly depends on the situation, and it's near always done in self-defense. ash wants gwyn to live, and she'll do whatever she can with her limited power to keep her alive. gwyn tells herself repeatedly that if SHE dies, what little remains of ash dies, and thus will do whatever she feels she has to in order to keep herself alive. because she CAN'T let ash "truly die". i can't really say which of them is more prone to lean into violence or revenge or spite; they both have their share of triggers that might cause them to 'twist the knife' more than they need to in a survival situation. but it's usually because one of them feels the other was wronged in a specific, pointed way, and they want the source of it to pay.

they both also have ways of preventing a more violent outcome. like, if ash is currently in the form of a sword and doesn't WANT to used to stab someone, she can simply take the form of a whip instead. gwyn has no control over ash's shape-shifting.

and vise versa, if gwyn doesn't want to use ash to hurt someone, she can put ash in a sheath or other location on her person where if ash tried a sneak-attack, she'd risk hurting gwyn in the process. in most cases if one of them doesn't want the violence to happen? it won't happen.

gwyn does have more autonomy than ash does, though. if ash won't cooperate, gwyn will find something else to do the damage she wants. but this rarely happens because if ash makes it clear she doesn't want a certain outcome, gwyn will almost always listen to her. they tend to be on the same page.

and for that final question: yes. gwyn knows ash considers herself dead. they've had this argument dozens of times; most of them took place in the earlier period of ash's presence in the weapon. as time's passed, ash has grown more and more exhausted with the topic. now it mostly comes up when gwyn's had a near-death experience, and ash is panicked and pleading with her to just let her go and get on with her life already. but gwyn... just won't listen to her. the moment passes. and they carry on.

there're times gwyn wonders if what she's doing is entirely selfish, prolonging ash's torment with her delusional hope. spirits in liáfsini exist, free in the afterlife, and ash SHOULD be among them. instead, she remains trapped in the weapon. gwyn knows dozens of people--several of whom she's never met--have been left suffering in her path because she clings to the possibility she can get ash back in a body. ash's only real agency is her voice, but gwyn's fear of someone stealing her robs her from having her own relationships and connections.

but the more she dwells on that, the more terrified she becomes with the realization that she has... nothing. ash is all she has, all she's ever really had. she doesn't even know who she is anymore if she's not searching for a way to get ash back. so maybe it is selfish. but if she were to leave ash behind and, someday, stumble across a way she could have gotten her back... how could she ever forgive herself? ash gave her life protecting gwyn, after all. guess the whole ill-omen and parasite thing wasn't too far off, was it?

[redstringraven]

🎙oc voiceclaims!

i've shared my ocs voiceclaims a few times, and they'll be mentioned again when i finish their profiles, but i thought i'd make a separate post for it with some linked samples as well!

💕🎒 cassia: penny parker (snapcube on yt)

mid-to-late teens , early 20s onward bonus: the house of mirrors incident (feat: mikey, don and raph)

⚔🔻 nyxram: shohreh aghdashloo

sample 1, sample 2 additional: when wearing her helmet/rebreather, it distorts her voice in a way similar to mr. freeze's from the arkham games

🌲🌪 gwyn: marisha ray (primarily her beauregard voice)

sample 1, sample 2 bonus: unguarded/genuine, squeaky laugh

🦋🎶 ash: salóme gunnarsdóttir

sample 1, sample 2 additional: ash tends to sing in higher octaves, especially when kulning/calling to the fauna of liáfsini, and i associate that with the vocals from GRIS

[redstringraven]

Ok question about Cassia in particular, if she ever met Rise Leo, how would they interact. It seems like that would be an interesting duo to me where they might get along great or absolutely hate eachother's guts. What if Rise Donnie is there too? Also are all of your OCs from the TMNT 2003 world? or, universe rather

full disclosure that i've barely interacted with rise; almost all of my exposure to it has been osmosis via being around other tmnt fans/seeing it pass by my various feeds.

but i know enough to know that if you put them in the same room together, someone would likely say "oh no, god made TWO OF THEM???" and then the universe would divide by zero, and we'd all implode.

i think the biggest difference between them (again: limited exposure to rise; sorry if this is inaccurate) is that cassia's more capable and willing to drop the goofy facade and take things seriously when needed. despite her tomfoolery, she IS my most stable OC of the four, having regularly been to therapy since she was young and knowing how to self-reflect, identify what she's feeling, and manage it. she's a lot more emotionally intelligent than she lets on, and--in enneagram terms--is on the healthier side of her 7 where she's willing to slow down and process the heavier feelings.

as for rise!don... my gut feeling is that she'd butt heads with him a lot and potentially become easily frustrated around him or generally Done With Him™. we don't like the energy we've created in the studio today. the vibes are off. i don't think they'd be outright antagonistic toward each other, more so they're just... personalities who don't jive. oil and water and all that.

and yes! all my OCs are from/for the 2003 iteration. c: it's the one i'm familiar with, the one i grew up with, and the only one i have any real interest in engaging with and expanding on! this isn't to say i think lesser of the others, of course! '03 is just what i know, and it's where i like to spend my time and energy. 🖤

[redstringraven]

hi!! who are each of your OCs closest to emotionally? (canon or otherwise). who would they like to be closer to?

hi!!! ;u; and omg THANK YOU!!!

---*---

who are each of your OCs closest to emotionally? who would they like to be closer to?

CASSIA if we were to exclude cassia's parents (esme and oliver), without a doubt, cassia is closest to mikey. not only are they cut from the same cloth in terms of humor, energy levels, mischief-making, and love of art, but they're both aroace. i bring this up because it's something mikey's... not 'struggled' with? but is kind of something he's surprised by in terms of thinking he and his brothers were all on the same page when it came to the subject, only to realize that this wasn't the case. cassia's not only had the socialization to realize this about herself, but her therapy, involvement in new york's lgbtq+ scene and her own transition has given her the opportunity to have access to more information, insight, and other things to better understand who she is and know she's not alone in it. when she starts picking up that mikey thinks something's "wrong" with him, she basically tells esme what's going on, the two of them compile a silly little educational slide-show, and mikey is kidnapped for a night of learning, support, and movies plus good, homemade snacks. get loved, BITCH.

as for who she'd LIKE to be closer to... probably don! i wouldn't say it's not that they aren't already somewhat close, it's more of a conflict of energy and personalities.

cassia's already got a bond with raph going much in the same way he and mikey rough-house and get along, and leo kind of has this energy and demeanor that reminds cassia of her mother--which is a compliment in every way that it can be, because cassia adores her mother. don tends to keep to himself; he needs gentle coaxing out of his lab or away from his projects. so, cassia tends to try meeting him in the middle by wandering into his spaces on her own and asking questions about what he's working on, then she makes her exit when she starts to get the sense her presence is smothering him a bit. it makes for slower bonding, but! she's more than happy to go at his pace. i think i've said elsewhere that while cassia has a "little sister" relationship with leo, mikey and raph, she tends to have more of a "big sister" relationship with don.

NYXRAM close? emotionally? uh. i'm kidding (mostly).

nyxram is closest with traximus and... pretty much JUST traximus, if we're being entirely honest. at least for the time being. before he was cast into the arena, she'd already developed a decent amount of respect for him from a distance. he was a brilliant commander, kind and loyal to his colleagues, and one of the few people in the room willing to push back against zanramon. when he escaped the arena and started the rebellion, she sought him out (which terrified everyone for a while; imagine the prime leader's personal assassin showing up at your secret base and being like "i want in"--what is this, a trap?). nyxram and traximus went from being sort of reluctant comrades, to being willing to trust each other with their lives, to having an extremely strong and genuine bond.

it's important to me that it is highlighted, circled, underlined in bright red ink that they have never been--nor ever will be--romantically involved. they've found solace in each other due to having gone through experiences none of their other peers will ever understand, and each is fiercely loyal to the other.

nyx would LIKE to become closer to her personal squad: grax, ceron, ranzar and zuron. i think she envies their natural closeness and their ability to bond with each other so quickly and (seemingly) effortlessly. she's making efforts, but she's struggling. they're doing their best to be understanding of the fact her worldview is incredibly warped due to her upbringing and experiences, and that she's not used to working with or relying on others.

with time, i think she'll form a strong bond with grax and his spouse, xi. at some point the two have a clutch, and, since triceratons raise their young communally, nyxram will have a part in helping with the babies. she and xi will become very good friends, and xi will play a big role in helping nyxram learn to live a more mundane, peaceful life, as well as discover she's more than she was born and forged to be. traximus is making efforts in this area as well, but i think having a civilian with little-to-no exposure to violence and war will help in its own ways.

GWYN i'd be outright lying or straight up inaccurate if i said gwyn was closest to anyone but her twin. ash has consistently been the only person who's treated her... like a person. multiple births are extremely rare in liáfsini, and it's considered a splitting of the soul, with the second-born being viewed as an ill-omen and almost a parasite. gwyn's existence threatened her parents' standing as practicing druids, and she was an outcast in the community as a whole, shunned at best and targeted for bullying by other children at worst. but ash's love and loyalty to her never faltered. ash would teach her lessons in secret, would play and explore with her, would hold her hand when she was sad or lonely. so, when ash died protecting gwyn, and her soul became one with the shape-shifting weapon... it was just a given that gwyn would do whatever it took to get her sister back in a living, breathing body. and ash has continued to be her only constant through this journey.

...at least up until now, when the turtles have entered their lives. as it stands, gwyn's closest to mikey. i've mentioned previously that he's her first and best friend. when gwyn needs assurance that she can trust someone, she looks to mikey first. when she wants company, she seeks him out. he's the only one out of the four brothers who she's willingly handed ash over to (she does NOT like having ash off her person; she's extremely reluctant to let anyone else hold ash out of fear they might try running off with her). she loves gassing him up whenever he brags about being the battle nexus champion. he's the one she's been the most open with.

as for who she'd like to be closer to, probably @/plantdonut's OC, min-ji. gwyn and min-ji got off to a pretty rough start, as both tend to be paranoid personalities and wary of the intentions of others. min-ji's grown protective of the turtles in her own way, and is also protective and worried about her own family getting involved in the dangers gwyn presents (as well as being emotionally hurt by getting close to her only for gwyn to run off). gwyn would often feel judged by min-ji when it comes to how she's managed to stay alive or her willingness to use others to get what she wants or needs. they both thought the other despised them. they've semi-recently had a bit of a heart to heart, and they've agreed to try starting fresh. gwyn knows min-ji's extremely important to the boys--they love her--and she does sincerely want to get to know min better and prove that her relationship with the turtles isn't transactional, like her past relationships have been. they're working on it.

ASH you can kind of copy/paste that first part of gwyn's answer down here because it also applies. i'd be lying if i said ash's closest relationship wasn't gwyn; even though ash was slightly more accepted by the community and actually given opportunities to be involved, she still stuck to gwyn's side like glue.

...you can also copy paste mikey's part of the answer because... well, ash doesn't have a lot of autonomy right now. if gwyn spends most of her time around mikey, ash does, too. it feels kind of like a cop-out answer, but it's just kind of the situation ash is stuck in. i refer to what i said in a past ask: "since ash does consider herself 'dead’ and is at peace with the possibility she’ll be a literal shapeshifting weapon for the rest of her sentience, i think a lot of mikey's meaning to her (right now) is very rooted in what he means for gwyn."

as for who she'd like to be closer to? i almost have to say, right now, no one. she... considers herself dead. a huge part of her has come to wish that gwyn would let her go and find her own happiness, her own identity. her pessimism and acceptance toward her situation kind of prevents her from desiring relationships (because if she IS stuck in this weapon, that's just more loss and more pain she has to endure). gwyn continues to cling to the possibility she can get ash back in a physical body, and ash... goes along with it, because it's this drive that's keeping gwyn moving and on her feet and determined to stay alive. she won't take that away from her.

[redstringraven]

Also sorry if you have already answered this, but for Cassia, does her therapist know about the turtles or does she kind of dance around mentioning them in incriminating ways? How long has she had her current therapist, has she had any other therapists, good or bad?

i've absolutely not answered this!! and even if i had, NO APOLOGIES! i very much appreciate the question >:J thank you!!

cassia's therapist ...knows loosely about the turtles. as in, she knows cassia has friends who she refers to by various nicknames (cassia gives ALL of her friends several nicknames and will cycle through them just as often as their name-names, so this isn't unusual behavior for her or anything that might draw 'suspicion' from her therapist). as far as her therapist knows or can tell, they're a group of kids who go to a different school nearby or something, and she met them at the skate park. there's... four of them? she thinks? jell-o, mothman, ...bey-blades and aslan. --or, wait, are bey-blades and aslan the same one? no, blues clues and aslan are the same one. --i'm sorry, who's "tangerine"? --oh! another nickname for jell-o. *writing furiously* got it, got it.

mmm i'd say she probably--in the beginning--went through three or four therapists before she found her current one, and she's been with her current therapist for maybe five or six years? not all of her previous therapists were "bad" experiences, more so she just didn't feel a connection or they didn't click very well. i'm sure at least one of them was a more negative-leaning experience (came off as judgemental or was maybe passive or uninterested in any topics tied into her transition), and esme and oliver would have gotten her out of that immediately and started searching for a new one.

she adores her current therapist, tho!! they've got a great connection; cassia would glide in on her heelies wearing sunglasses and carrying a margarita if she could, say "dude, you're not gonna fuckin' believe this", drop onto the couch, and her therapist would click her pen and say "girl, spill", and that's the energy we've cultivated in the studio.

[redstringraven]

Okay question for your OCs, if they were tasked with getting information out of someone how would they go about it? (coercion, getting close to them and tricking them into revealing it, spying, etc.)

<:D! first of all omg thank you, second.... :D *chuckles*

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if they were tasked with getting information out of someone how would they go about it?

CASSIA is most likely NOT going to wind up in a situation like this. at least, not in one where the stakes are extremely high. it'd be more like... a friend asked her to discretely find out what another friend might be hoping to get as a birthday present, or if someone is single, or if they'd have any interest in being surprised with tickets to a concert--that sort of thing. mundane, slice of life stakes. and... cassia's also often just... too excited to be 'good' at this sort of thing. >xD yes, she can be a little manipulative when she wants to be, but most of the time she's.. just.. gonna ask you. yes, the original asker said to be discrete, but SHE'S asking. so there's still an element of surprise, as the answer isn't for her! there are obviously some exceptions to this, especially if she's in on it (i.e. she and mikey are setting up a prank on raph, and she casually asks don if he happens to know where raph is or if he's going to be back any time soon--oh no reason! she just wanted to know if he had any spare skate wheels haha okay BYEEEEE DONNIEEEEE~! nailed it). NYXRAM heavily depends on context and the kind of information she's looking for. i'd say in most cases, it's spying and research--either through hacking or "field work". there've been multiple situations where nyx has known her marks arguably better than their family members and friends; she shadows them, learns their routines, schedules, usual haunts, accounts they have have--just, the list goes on. it will never be "excessive"; it'll be anything she believes she needs to know to complete her task efficiently. this was one of the first things she'd do before a job; knowing your mark allows for the easiest clean up, including possible ways you could pin their death or disappearance on someone else or simply making them vanish from the record all together. you gotta know where the cracks are and what to drop into them. there have been a few instances where she's been required to get intel before killing her mark. sometimes her sheer intimidation factor is all she really needs. if that doesn't work and you need a little persuasion, best believe it's going to come with cross-checking. torture isn't a guaranteed method for success; they'll often just give you information they think you want to hear to get you to stop. if they're lying and you kill them, you've just wasted a bunch of time and a resource you can't get back. better to have two parties. separate them. rough them up enough that they know you could do worse, and you know what type of pain they most respond to. ask them the same question and make it clear their buddy better answer the same way.

if you don't have a buddy for the cross-checking, don't worry. she'll have found some other way to test or verify that you're telling her the truth. lying to her never ends well, and she'll know if you are.

if they're a lone wolf and have nothing to lose? or just that stubborn? you're better off just removing them from the board and finding the information yourself. they'll just slow you down. GWYN kind of like nyxram in the spying department, and then it just... HEAVILY depends on the situation and context.

like i said in a previous ask, she's likely to linger around you and get an idea of what social things you respond positively and negatively to. the game's started long before she actually approaches you and makes her presence known. gwyn's learned that people will willingly give you all SORTS of information if you prompt them in the right ways, pay attention, look for connections, and get their guard down low enough. sometimes they'll get so comfortable, they'll perform actions that should be more private almost subconsciously: they'll open things around you, reveal pin codes or phone passwords, door codes, key locations, back entrances, small details about the area--all kinds of information you can collect passively and potentially use later. relying on her charisma and ability to mold herself into someone you're comfortable around is her 'default' approach, but she will resort to violence if she decides it becomes necessary (this is usually in a situation where she already feels backed into a corner, so to speak).

she's also not above getting close to you to get something she wants. if she's trying to get information or a resource out of you, and you seem remotely attracted to her? she's leaning into that. sometimes... there IS some sincerity in wanting that company; she was outcast from her community since birth, and her twin sister was the only real friend or companion she ever had. even if she has an ulterior motive for why she might start getting close to you... it's... nice. to feel desired and wanted. she's had a handful of relationships throughout her travels, some flings entirely for convenience and some that ran the risk of becoming more. but the inevitable 'backstabbing' has gone both ways, so. this is always a dangerous game to play. gwyn's going to do whatever she feels like she needs to in order to keep surviving and get closer to finding what she wants. methods and results vary.

ASH highly unlikely to be in this position since 99% of the time, gwyn's the one who does the talking and ash continues to play the role of an inanimate object.

in her youth, she was sometimes good at manipulating her parents, neighbors, and the druids through good behavior in order to get extra lessons or resources that she could share with gwyn in secret, but... she's obviously very out of practice when it comes to socialization thanks to the whole "being trapped in a weapon" thing.

[redstringraven]

For Cassia: 3, 8, 11! And for Nyxram: 1, 6, 11!

<:D!! AAAAA thank you so much!

Secret Ask List

-------------------- .: • CASSIA --------------------

3) what song describes your oc?

cassia is one of those ocs where the music i find for her playlist is almost all vibes and not really based on lyrics. it's the energy of the music, the way it makes you wanna move or bob or sing along. that being said: "rage" by hyper crush and "joyride" by kesha immediately make me think of her. lyrically, "i love it" by icona pop might be a good fit.

8) what hobbies does your oc have? what do they do to unwind?

cassia's major hobby is rollerskating! but she's also super into street art, and she enjoys beautifying her favorite areas of new york in a manner of silly or meaningful ways. when she's at home, she also enjoys random doodling--mostly ideas for graffiti or future street art--learning dances from her favorite music videos, and playing a variety of video games.

11) what was your inspiration for your oc?

i distinctly remember driving to my local movie trading company to see if they had any physical dvds for tmnt'03, and "girlfriend" by avril lavigne came on spotify shuffle. for whatever reason, i got the image of a pink-haired girl in rollerskates, and she wouldn't leave my head. cassia's my first tmnt oc, and i think she was always meant to be kind of like april in that she's a grounding presence in their otherwise chaotic lives. despite how high-energy and mischievous she is, she's extremely stable and does regularly go to therapy, which has made her more thoughtful and aware of others along with herself. her biggest conflicts come from being an out trans-girl in the 90s and early 2000s, but none of it is tied to her immediate family (her parents ADORE her). she is, for the most part, about as ''''average'''' a civilian in the tmnt'03 world as you can get. i dunno! i think i kind of just wanted to give them all another anchor of sorts, another safe haven. cassia's parents, oliver and esme, also become guardian figures to the turtles in a sense (especially mikey). esme loves to mother them.

-------------------- .: • NYXRAM ----------------------------

1) does your oc have a voice claim, if so who?

god yes. nyx's voice claim is shohreh aghdashloo. the moment i heard her as enforcer grayson in arcane, i pointed at the screen and muttered: "you". as someone who's very picky about these sorts of things i seriously feel like it was gift-wrapped to me. >xD shohreh also provides the voice for the dragon in damsel, which is a dumb as hell movie but i will continue to listen to it for the sake of hearing her talk.

6) if your oc is in a fantasy setting, what profession would they be in the modern day?

kind of a weird question, since 'modern day' implies that this is more a difference in time period? e-e;; i imagine she'd likely still have assassin roots, but. after the rebellion succeeds, the republic begins to rebuild, and the games are disbanded, nyxram takes it upon herself to use her family's "estate" as a sanctuary for the animals used in the games, since most of them can't be returned to their natural habitats due to injuries and/or being raised in captivity. so! i think a potential "modern day" or "human" profession for her might be owning and managing something like an old friends senior dogs sanctuary. providing housing, love, and comfort for older animals when most folks want younger pets, and ensuring that their last few years are happy and safe. she's taken so much life, so... it feels like giving back, in a way.

11) what was your inspiration for your oc?

@/plantdonut doesn't live with me (alas), but if she did, i would have turned to her during our '03 rewatch a few years ago and asked, bluntly, "why do all the triceratons gotta be dudes? where're my giant, amazon warrior dinosaurs?". and within a few days, i was practicing my hand at drawing triceratons, so i could make it so. my two major points of inspiration for nyx come from cassandra cain (2nd batgirl, pre-new52) and john wick. cassandra for being... basically born and bred to be the perfect assassin, only to have 'too much' compassion and love and guilt and go hero instead, and john wick for being a 'baba yaga' to anyone who knows his name. not the boogeyman, but the one you send to kill the boogeyman. the idea of a triceraton assassin was very cool to me, given that they're often a straight-forward, loud, and blunt force to face with little concern for being subtle. it also draws an interesting connection to her and the turtles; at some point nyx comments that despite their practice being tied to assassins such as herself, any blood on their hands comes from self-defense. in some ways, she envies them. but in many more, she doesn't. she's the sole survivor of her clutch, and the only one of her siblings to 'earn' a name. she was, in a way, a political move--a gift/tool offered to the prime leader to ensure that her parents had a connection to power and could continue their own work with protection from punishment. ...they just didn't expect for her to want something else. since the triceratons seem to have a handful of 'nods' and aesthetics pointing toward the roman empire, i named nyxram after the greek goddess 'nyx', the personification and substance of night. i also specifically use greek spelling with her, whereas her parents will have roman spelling of their names to further emphasize her 'otherness' from triceraton society as a whole.