#Casey Jones family is forever

[selinas-ships]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

LOOK AT WHAT I COMMISSIONED FROM @candyheartedchy !!!!!! IT’S SO GOOD I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!!!!

[snackugaki-jestsjapesjokes]

@sharpwindow Chen's backgrounds thassit, that's the reblog

...

But also Chen has a whole story with each of those illustrations and without spoiling his story thus far.... but just, things are gettin' good in the Chenverse

Richard Chen’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Part I

[themulitipurposechannel]

Fic: This is victory (hollow and cold).

Part: One

What if.. Mikey’s portal drags home a cold dead corpse.

I would like to preface this by saying I completely blame @goodlucktai for their amazing Incredible story, raised on little light for putting this idea into my head. Guys go check it out the fic, it’s amazing it makes me so so sad but there is also so many good things in it 😭. Personally speaking I don’t think there’s anything I can write that will ever come close to what Tai can do, but as a famous internet post once said, write your shitty pots. So here we goes ppl

Tw: major character death, grief, suicide idealisation, getting disowned, disassociation, starvation, slight description of injuries and inaccurate medical advice

But I promise, there is still hope even in this.

_

“Casey! When I get to the other side you close that portal!”

Everything stills. The world falls static.

“What..?” A foreign voice enters the fray. Ah. Cj thinks distantly. It’s mine.

A series of thoughts shoots through his mind. Faster than the battle drones Uncle Tello used to make, faster than the joy rides Uncle Mi used to give.

He sees empty eyes, forced smiles. Screaming voices stained with the weight only grief, hunger, thirst and stress can give.

He thinks of Michelangelo in the brief moments he has met the turtle, so bright and so energetic. And then he remembers his Uncle Mi twisted into something quiet, slow and outwardly peaceful.

He remembers Monty, so stoic and so very angry. Yet so very indulgent when it counts. Out in a blaze of guns and glory. Standard-issue shoulder pauldron shoved into shaking hands. You will do great things Princey. He remembers Monty’s mother. Whose name he never got, forever in a daze, staring at walls of nothing. A hallowed husk like so many of the living ghosts that wandered their dusty halls. He remembers Miwa. So tiny, so fragile. So young. Too young. No amount of their anything can ever replace or beat modern medicine.

His Uncle Tello, bitter, grumpy; burnt out and constantly overstimulated from the dirt covered and squishy pink hell they’ve found themselves in. But sometimes on better days he cocks his head to the side, with a face that almost smiles at Cj and says, “Come Jones Junior; I appear to have some scraps we need to dispose off.” Which is code for we’re going to give your Pa an aneurysm and make things go boom.

He remembers his family. Tired, thirsty, hungry, eyes on them constantly. Countless sleepless nights in hushed voices arguing, strategising, weeping. They thought he didn’t hear. But children always have the biggest ears and the longest standing shelter on earth is only so large.

First and foremost. Cj knows. He knows with heart wrenching certainty. If there was any way to make peace with the present Hamatos it would all be over now. They’ll hate him. They will. They will never forgive him for this.

Maybe if this was his Mom, his Auntie April, his Da-Uncle Mi, his Uncle Tello, his Grandpa Drax. Whatever else Master Raphael and Master splinter might have been to him. They might just forgive him but these people are not them. They have not been softened with a lifetime of knowing Cj. He doesn’t have that baby of the family privilege. He doesn’t have any privilege at all. It’s only been a day. Less than that technically.

Even just the thought of being hated by his family. Any version of them, curdles something in his core. Every fiber in his being lashes out and screams at the younger version of his sensei. (Oh but it was Leonardo wasn’t it? Oh, what has he done?) In ways he hasn’t done since he was 8 years old, because poor 8 year old Casey hadn’t quite figured out how to breathe through the hunger pains. I’m a healer. I’m supposed to stop these things. Please, I already let go before you can’t make me do this again-

“Leo no! There has to be another way!”

But this Leonardo says;

“We’ve tried everything Case, he’s too strong”

And deep down Cj knows that too. Much like the lies his family told him. “We can win” He knows otherwise too. Just like if he does this, he knows he’ll be left with nothing too.

But his family will still be here, surrounded by food, clean water, light, and endless amount of comics or magazines they could possibly want. They will be free.

They will never know gnawing hunger or sapping thirst, nor will they know the ever present hum of runhidenotsafe. They will never know the unique kind of suffering that comes from grasping for strength to just open your eyes and breathe in a world that has already long given up on itself.

Cj has seen the future. He has lived and breathed and sometimes, even thrived in an era where the krang came. Where the sky was a bloody brown instead of this clear dark blue and people were driven to insanity and killed from the common cold. Where the sour smell of rot piled everywhere. No matter how much or how hard you scrubbed.

He remembers his Sensei, his Pa, wise, comforting, always ready with a witty comeback or a brilliant plan. He remembers his Commander O’Neil, his Auntie April, rousing, quick and endlessly enduring, the steady voice of reason where even Sensei’s wit dulled. But they were tired, so very tired. The burden of leadership and grief and all the aches and pains of hunger and thirst that can never be quenched, already a fully dressed tomb just waiting for them to hang up their coats and admit futility to the unsurmountable cold.

He remembers how much his family loved him. How hard they tried to scrape together any piece of warmth for him. Tired Golden-Orange heaves himself into the air, to scoop Cj into his arms. Busy Blue who takes any meagre time he has to himself and spends it with Cj. Prickly Purple finds away to colour all his armour a shade of teal, even his siblings are still decked in occasional shades of grey. Overstretched Green always ready to pull her brothers back and scold; too guilty, too smothering, too harsh. Stop. You’re hurting the kid.

If Cj doesn’t close this portal, if he keeps this open, if he disobeys-the Krang will just come back through. And they will plunge the earth into a bloody, poisoned hell.

And he knows that if not Leonardo, then someone else in their stupid, selfless, self-sacrificial family will take up the mantle of resistance, unable to stand idly by at people’s suffering. Because these people are good, so very good. The Hamatos will fight, they will try. And they will lose.

The force of their ire will break him. The thought alone makes him sob, hiccuping in a way he hasn’t done, not since he was found shrieking over a cold Uncle Tello and had to be wrenched away, kicking and screaming. But still holding on. Even to the very last second and beyond. Because he is Cassandra Jones Junjor and a Hamato in every way that matters and he could never leave family behind. At least back then he couldn’t feel mom die

But the apocalypse.. that long, slow, painful march to inevitable death, will break him too. It wasn’t always bad, they had fun, karaoke nights, hilarious attempts to make birthday cakes for kids like him. But fuck.. that doesn’t change the fact that they still lost. That they will all still loose. Cj doesn’t know if he can willingly doom them all again because that’s what he’s going to do isn’t it? They were all so tired, so hungry, so thirsty. How can he let them go through that again?

He remembers how much happier, and how much lighter they always looked in those old scarce photos.

Selfishly, Cj doesn’t know if he can survive through another 20 something years or however long they make it this time, through that hell again. Forced to slowly watch again, as the Krang chip away at his family. Chip away at the people he called his friends till everything, bright, lively and kind was carved out;Uncle Hiro I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry-

They will never love you again. A voice thunders, like the death roll of their final march just this morning where Cj was still breathing in corrupted air under rusty skies. If only he died there with them. Anything is better than having to do this.

I know. Cj shakes, trembling fingers wrap around the key. Casey can see the division between young and new, old and worn and knows he cannot let it blur and become one.

“Casey! Urgh-please!”

Anything. I will give anything, Casey weeps. Anything as long as they live. Casey squeezes his eyes shut.

And just like with Uncle Tello,

Casey finally lets go.

The portal to the prison dimension slams shut with a glorious boom.

Leo, I love you. I’m sorry.

I wish I got more time to know you.

.

.

.

They scream at him. It’s Muffled, like the sensation of sound in the aftermath of a live grenade. They hurl all manner of abuse and venom at his face. He thinks he might be crying. Or maybe he’s not. His head feels tangled like the heaps of crusty old wires, Uncle Tello will never get the chance to unravel.

The shattered body of their Leonardo lies between them, like territory lines drawn between begrudging survivor groups. Cradled by a shaking soft shell. The blurry shapes of familiar voices once desperately calm and patient now roar,cutting and rightfully angry. It falls on his ears. He tries to grasp it, he does. He’s ruined everything, the least Cj can do now is listen.

But exhaustion gnaws at his very bones. Head pounding.

Nothing can explain this.

Nothing will justify this.

Severe head trauma, and shattered, collapsed carapace. Possible bruised and punctured lungs via pieces of loose carapace as the overall structure caved in, resulting in internal bleeding in the lungs and eventual asphyxiation. Patient chocked on his own blood. The field medic immediately drones internally, years of experience and training unable to be shut off (or rather, trained to never shut off) as listless eyes drift down to meet the unmoving slider.

It seems the one-sided eye contact is what finally breaks the softshell’s stupor. “Don’t you fucking dare.” The teen snarls, teeth flashing in all the ways he used to bare it at unwelcome visitors. But never at Casey. Never for long.

Wake up Jones. This is not your Uncle.

The rest of the group falls silent, shocked to see their previously silent family member speaking.

“You don’t get to look at him.” Achingly gentle, the purple branded softshell sets Leonardo onto the tiled floor.

Donatello stands. “You.” He hisses, pointing at Cj.

“You did this.”

Somewhere, somehow Cj manages to gather enough of himself to incline his head slightly in agreement. It’s the least he can do for them.

“Leave.” Donatello orders.

And like the good soldier he is, Cj does. Disappearing into the tunnels.

No one stops him.

<Part 1 | Next>

[hallowbees]

good evening rottmnt community. so i haven't written fanfic in almost a decade, but whilst taking a break from working on a rottmnt fanfic, i have written... another rottmnt fanfic. i wanted to play around with different povs and tenses than i usually use, and decided to use casey jr and the future timeline to try it out - it was super fun to write, so i thought why not share it!!

you're a lifesaver, casey jones

fives times casey jones junior saves the resistance, and the one time it doesn’t feel like a victory

five months old

You’re only five months old when you save the resistance for the first time. You’re so young.

The shattered remains of a home cradle you, muscle memory from the years of keeping a family long gone safe and warm, and even if you can feel the wind as it whistles through the cracks in the bricks and the sky looms red, enemy drones and rubble floating above you like a cot mobile, you don’t cry. Your little life has already taught you the harshest lesson of the apocalypse, and it’s not that crying won’t get you anywhere; crying will get you somewhere alright, six feet deep in a grave if the wrong ones hear you. Of course you don’t actually know that, not in that way at least, but you do know crying only ever wears you out. Tough lesson to learn, ain't it kid, but you learnt it well. You might just make it yet. 

There’s no telling how long you’ve been here- could have been five minutes, could have been forever, it's all the same to you. It’s unlikely that there are any coherent thoughts rattling around in that little brain of yours yet, but if so, they might sound something like this; I miss you, I miss you, where did you go? I’m hungry, it hurts, I miss you. Where did everyone go? I miss you. The same thoughts plague most brains these days, everyone’s got a ‘you’ to miss. We’ll all be ‘you’ someday, if we’re lucky. God, this is all quite morbid isn’t it, little one? It’s okay, though. Remember, this is a story about how you save them. It’s a happy story, you’ll get your happily ever after, even if they don’t all live.

She looks a lot like you, strangely. It’s something about the eyes, dark and strong, and the general aura of defiance. Maybe that’s why she finds you first, she feels a kinship in your ‘warrior spirit’, as she calls it, ‘a true fighter’, she calls you. ‘They are a baby, babies cannot fight. Primarily because they are still in the very early stages of fine motor skills development and cannot wield weapons yet, amongst other reasons.’ another voice says, but he doesn’t know just how hard you already have fought, will fight still. You’re there, and that is everything these days. She comes to your defence, proclaiming you ‘the strongest fighter of the resistance’, and ‘silence, purple one!’. You can’t tell that the second shout isn’t aimed at you, but what you can tell is that it's warm in her arms and now you only see her and not the broken sky above you. It’s not ‘you’, and you’re still not sure where everyone went, but this still feels comfortable. This feels like home, you think.

That’s the moment you break, and the tears start. You cry, and you cry, and you are surrounded by her. Her voice is low now, a tone rusty in use but so sure of itself as she tells you that you’re okay, you’re safe, she’s got you. ‘Poor thing, they must be so scared.’ comes a new voice, and there's a blur of orange (once you figure out what orange is, it’ll become your favourite colour, one of four favourites) over her shoulder. ‘Ain’t we all.’ comes a low rumble from behind. ‘They won’t be anymore. We’ve got them now.’ she says, and that’s how you meet your strange little family. Some of it, that is - there are more, an aunt and a grandfather or two, so many people ready to love you. 

She doesn’t just give you a name, she gives you hers. You’re Casey Jones Junior, a reminder that something always comes after. You don’t know yet how badly Casey Jones Senior had needed that reminder - she’s spent her whole life in pursuit of what’s next, in hopes that its greater than what’s now (a promotion, a resurrection, a fabled leader) and despair that it never is (better luck next time recruit, they could do it all without her, she breaks the chains that spell his downfall herself). When she finds the apocalypse next, she starts to think that maybe nothing next would be quite alright, but then there’s you and for the first time she truly feels like she’s on the right track. 

She carries you home, her family around her and in her arms, and Casey Jones Senior resolves to keep fighting another day. 

four years old

In your defence, such a sharp weapon should have never been left in your curious reach. In his, there's so much to keep on top of when you’re spearheading a resistance that if a sai or two get misplaced in the process, can anyone really blame him? Your hand is being patched up as he is berated once again, because ‘you know that weapons stay on you at all times, Raph’, and ‘why are they even sharp? Aren’t sai meant to be blunt?’. He groans out something about being a stupid teenager once upon a time, wondering what would happen if he sharpened his weapon the same way his brother did his swords, much out of the same curiosity that got you into this very predicament. He sounds like he might cry, but you can’t work out why. It’s your palm that's bleeding, and you didn’t even make a peep. That might have been the problem, though - no one noticed until your blood was smeared across the floor and that’s a sight no one can stomach. You were scooped up quickly, and he looks haunted. ‘He’ could have been anyone in the room.

“Raph’s sorry, lil’ guy.”. He’s gentle, so gentle, as he kneels before you and takes your bandaged hand. “I promise I won’t leave ‘em out again like that.”. There’s no promise that you won’t get hurt again, because no one likes to break a promise, but the way he smiles at you, still so gentle, makes all the pain go away.

“Can I hold ‘em again when I’m bigger please?” you ask, and of course you can’t see it but there’s a little sparkle in your eyes as you look up at him, glimmering like the stars that are still above you even if you can’t see them anymore, in the sky that no longer belongs to Earth. Let's look on the bright side though; it could still be ours again someday.

“Um… if your Mom says you can, then sure thing, buddy. But only when you’re older.”. Your mom will say yes, she always says yes because there is nothing that a Jones cannot do, so you cheer and throw your tiny little arms around his far bigger neck. You can’t hold all of him, so you just squeeze extra tight so he still feels the love all over. A hand comes to pat you on the back, and you certainly feel loved in his hold. 

“Why’d you want to hold ‘em so bad anyways, bud?” he asks, and you grin. It’s big and toothy, with a little gap right at the front where you lost your first tooth, and thank god that you lost it in the natural way, and not the way most people lose teeth these days.

“I wanna be just like Uncle Raphie!”. He melts, and the tears are back. Rather than wipe them away though, he just squeezes you closer. 

It’s one of the last memories you’ll get of Raphael, so please hold onto it. Hold onto it just as tight as you held onto his neck that day, held him long enough for the blood to seep through your bandages and make its mark on his skin. 

…

Well, anyways - there’s a conversation later that night that you’re not privy to. You’re probably fast asleep by your mother’s side when the clock strikes this antisocial hour. 

“He’s so little. Too little. Casey shouldn’t be even thinking about holding weapons yet.”.

Yet, yet, yet, it’s always yet. Weaponry is waiting for you in the future, and no one can lie, there are keen eyes on you as you play around the resistance base, to spot any signs of affinity for particular weapon types and fighting styles (you’re fast, get up close and personal, and there will be a brute force behind your hits if you really want there to be - someone offhandedly mentions hockey and the blueprints are already being drawn up). 

“Maybe it would be better to start him young. It is inevitable, after all.”. That’s probably the toughest pill for them to swallow, that when you grow up (if, if you grow up - that would be even harder to choke down if they would let themselves even consider it) you’ll be thrown to the front lines. 

But hey - we’re looking on the bright side, remember?

“C’mon guys, enough with the doom and gloom! Think of it this way - at least there will be someone to keep on fighting after us. And he’s going to be far more prepared than we ever could have been. Seriously, he’s like, the apocalypse nepo baby.”. You’d be shocked by how funny the apocalypse could be sometimes. It has to be, because if you don’t laugh you’ll cry, and you already know where crying gets you. It’s not the best joke, but it gets a snort from someone. “He’s got no choice but to succeed. I’m calling it now, Casey’s gonna be the one to end this someday. ”

“S’not much of a bright side. He’ll still have to fight.”. 

“Chin up, big guy. Look at what we’ve achieved already. The kind of things Casey’s going to do with all of us behind him? It’s looking pretty bright to me.”. It goes unsaid that most of them probably won’t be there to see it, but it’s enough for now. The thought of you seeing the other side of this war, even if you have to fight for it tooth and nail, it’s enough to let Raph truly think about what the end of the apocalypse could look like for the very first time since Hell arrived on earth. He thinks of the stars, how they’re still shining brightly and how we will see them again. He can even see a small smattering of them in the bleeding sky when he lays dying a few days later, and his final thought is that maybe we’re already starting to turn the tides. 

seven years old

Most people will probably tell you that celebrating a birthday is a waste of time, resources, and energy. The most cynical of the bunch would probably tell you that we don’t actually know when your birthday is, so why are you so confident that it’s today? But, and please don’t repeat this language, fuck them -  you’re seven years old, and isn’t that just incredible? You feel like the luckiest seven year old in the entire resistance (you’re only one of three in this branch, and Laura’s leg got broken yesterday, so your competition isn’t exactly tough) when your culinary wizard of an uncle manages to scrape together some sort of cake. The adults around you grimace a little when they bite into it (culinary wizard he may be, but there’s only so much magic can do), but you think it’s the best thing you’ve ever tasted. It’s dry, and sticks to the roof of your mouth, and you’d hesitate to call it chocolate, but you go in for a second helping, and no one stops you because it’s your birthday! There’s more than enough to go around; your family has gotten a little bit smaller, after all. They’re never truly gone though, because you can always see his red bandana, and you’ll always share your name with her. You don’t really remember anything more than a grey blur, but your grandfather’s famous battle cry continues to echo across the frontlines. You make sure to enjoy your second helping even more than the first, just for them. 

There is one slice of cake left, and it has no business sitting on the plate looking all lonely like that. You’re not sure exactly why he didn’t show up this time, but you’re not going to let your special day pass by without seeing him. It may be your day, but the things that make you happy are so much sweeter when you share them; you think it might be because you love your family’s smiles more than anything else in the whole entire world. Pushing yourself up from the comfortable pile of mostly everyone you love on the floor (if some missions had been shifted around to make sure everyone could be here for you today, then no one was going to complain), you pick up the plate and go to find the missing piece of your family’s jigsaw puzzle.

“Where are you taking that, Case? Trying to sneak a third helping?”. Voices are light, and maybe it’s the most at ease you’ve ever seen your family. Today really is special.

“Nope, it’s Uncle Donnie’s and he’s gotta eat it today because tomorrow it’s just cake and that's much less exciting than birthday cake.”. You’re on a mission, just like the ones your uncles and aunt go on, ones you can’t wait to join them on someday, because you don’t want to be anything other than just like them when you finally grow up. Your aunt has even begun teaching you how to fight, and she always tells you what a natural you are (she feels so guilty about it, because it would be so much easier if you weren’t going to be such a powerhouse on the battlefield; there would maybe be cause to clutch you close to her chest and never let you go otherwise).

You might hear what’s said as you leave. “Casey, buddy, maybe you shouldn’t…”. You don’t let it deter you, even if you do.

“Nah, I say let him try. Maybe he’ll finally get through to that brilliantly dumb brain of his.”.

You guard the cake with your life as you run to the lab, because you can’t possibly wait a second longer to see him. This is the one thing that could make your day go from amazing to perfect. Call it your birthday wish, even if you didn’t have a candle to blow out.

You’re not actually sure when you last saw your uncle beyond a fleeting flash of purple at breakfast time, and that one night last week you had a standoff in the corridor at 3am, because you had a nightmare and wanted your Uncle Mikey, and he needed more coffee (if it was just a bit lighter, you’d have seen his damp eyes, and maybe would have figured out that he needed to seek out his brothers just as much as you). You know when you’re going to see him next, though - in about 30 seconds, because you’re standing in front of his door.

Knock, knock, knock. There isn’t a pattern, you just bang on the door with one hand, careful to balance the plate on your other. Bang, bang, bang. You’re greeted with the rhythmic bang of a hammer in response - or at least you think at first, it doesn’t take much waiting to realise that he probably hasn’t heard you. 

Knock, knock, knock. “Uncle Donnie! I have something for you!” you shout, right at the top of your lungs. Bang, bang - “Just leave it outside the door, I’ll get it later.” - bang.

Well, in that case - you sit down, cross legged and leaning against the door. Because sure, you’re bringing him the cake, but you’re really here because you miss him, and just want a little bit of his time. You think that sounds like a fair exchange; he gets a slice of your best birthday cake ever, and you get five minutes with your beloved uncle. Neither of those come around that often, so you should both make the most of it.

He must have underestimated your attention span, because he has the audacity to look shocked that you’re still there when he opens the door and you fall backwards into the lab with a shout of surprise. It’s only been 20 minutes; you’d wait so much longer than that for him. Miraculously, even in your speedy venture to the floor, the cake is still sitting neatly on its plate, and you hold it up with a wide grin. “I got you cake!”.

A million miles an hour is probably a gross underestimation of how fast your uncle’s brain goes at any given moment, for better or worse. The look on his face suggests that for a moment, his thoughts are speeding even by his standards, and then they promptly smash into a brick wall. You can tell by the way his eyes get a little bit too wide, and his mouth falls open a little - it’s an expression you only see in the rare moments he feels like he’s failed, although all you can see is a success - because there he is! You’re still grinning up at him from the floor, even if your arms are starting to shake from holding the plate up. He shakes away the expression, and quickly takes the plate from you. Only to swiftly discard it on a nearby workbench though, in favour of kneeling down and leaning over to look at your blinding grin. 

“Casey… is it today?” he asks, still a little too wide eyed. You giggle a little, because what else would it be, tomorrow? He does genuinely look lost though, so you nod. It’s rare that you know something that he doesn’t, but even if it might feel cool to outsmart the smartest person you know, you fill him in. “Yeah, it’s today! And it’s also my birthday.”. He’s quiet for a moment, teeth worrying his lips as his eyes flick away from your face. “And I’m seven.”.

“Not until 6:47pm.” he says, almost automatically. Once he realises what he’s said, his panicked eyes flick to the screen on his wrist, and you think he’s checking the time.

“You haven’t missed it! I made sure to keep looking at the hands on the clock so I could come and see you before you miss it.”. It’s the time that the scouting-turned-rescue mission seven years ago got back to the base, and an official mission report was made. ‘Baby boy, approximately 5 months old, found in rubble. No others found in immediate vicinity.’, submitted at 6:47pm. It’s never bothered you that it’s not the exact day or moment you were born, it’s the exact day and time your family became just that, and that's what really matters to you. None of your uncles know the exact time and day they were born either (the debate of who’s older still rages on till this day, not even the end of the world can put that argument to rest), so it means you’re just like them. You still can’t imagine wanting to be anything else. 

“Okay.”. He stands up, and offers you a hand. You take it, giggling as he pulls you up a little bit too far and your legs dangle. You kick them for a second, before he notices and puts you back firmly on solid ground. “I have two forks.”. 

You sit in the bean bags he has stashed in the corner of the lab, and the two of you share the last slice of birthday cake. He struggles more than the others to hide his distaste for it, but you think it tastes the best it has yet. The lab door has been left open, and you know that it’s not by mistake, because it could have been shut with a quick tap of a screen, but it stays wide open as the rest of your family files in. You’re all slotted together perfectly when the clock strikes 6:47pm, and you hear your Uncle Donnie sing the loudest as your family wishes you a happy birthday. You think it’s because you’re sitting closest to him, but everyone else can see the way his chest expands as he takes deep breaths, putting his all into his well wishes.

It was easy for him to forget that life isn’t over yet, even if what he’s been burdened with is creating and creating until he has something that will prolong it just that little bit longer. Amidst the cheers of ‘hip hip hooray’, he remembers that moments like this are exactly what he’s toiling away in the lab for. They haven’t gone anywhere yet though, and he doesn’t want to let even a single second of it pass him by again. Donnie actually smiles for once, because you are seven years old now and that really is something incredible. You see him everyday at breakfast after that, with actual food rather than just a mug, and he always has a fork for you. 

eleven years old

You’re just about in the double digits the first time you actually realise that you’ve saved the resistance. It happens so quickly - you’re still not old enough to be out on the field, but it’s all hands on deck when the krang brings the fight to your front door. Maybe don’t say this to anyone else, but you sort of think that it makes your age a moot point - if you can fight like hell when the hallways are caving in and there's pink, pink, pink everywhere, then surely you can join simple scouting missions? No one quite understands why you’re so eager to be out there on the field, and maybe you don’t fully understand either (you definitely don't understand just how dire it is out there, they’ve done a good job of keeping that from you so far), but you know that it’s what you want. It’s what all of your heroes do, after all. You know for a fact that your uncles wanted to be just like their own heroes when they grew up, and now that you’re finally getting taller and your arms are starting to gain a little muscle, why can’t you follow in their footsteps? The only difference is that their heroes were on the TV screen. You’re lucky enough to see yours in the flesh every single day. Two of them, at least. Purple now flutters alongside the fraying red. 

At first, it’s no different from all of the other hounds. It’s gross and dripping, what you think must be teeth gnashing and shockingly red. You’re not stupid, you know that it can’t be krang blood, you don’t think they even have it, but nothing can deter you from swinging your hockey stick right into its side (and you know you could do so much more than just crack it’s bones into tiny little pieces if someone finally listened to you and removed the child lock that Donnie was forced to add), sending it flying sideways. A little blood never bothered you, and it’s a good job, because you’re covered in it. Some of it might be your own, but there’s so much adrenaline pumping through your veins right now that pain doesn’t even stand a chance at stopping you. You feel so alive as you wipe some of that blood from your face (definitely not your own, you’d know if you had a head wound), but your heart stops as you see what was laid beneath the hound. 

It’s your aunt, or what might be left of her - you can’t tell if her chest is still rising and falling or not. She’s teetering on the edge of just being another body in the makeshift morgue, which you know is nearing full already. Your body wants to freeze, your tears want to fall, your voice wants to scream, but listen, here’s what you do instead: drop to your knees, bring your ear right up to her mouth to here those wheezing, determined breaths, then immediately pull the hoodie over your head to first clear enough blood to find the wound, and second put pressure on it as you scream out for help. You’ve got this. You’re doing so well, kid. Just remember to take a few breaths of your own in the middle of all of this chaos. 

Help doesn’t come, but another hound does. You don’t let it get close, as you put those little muscles to use and scoop her up. This one won’t get to her. It snarls at you, and you snarl back, flashing your matching bloody teeth. You turn and run before it can even think about pouncing, and even though she’s heavy, you’re still fast as you jump over rubble and dodge bodies you don’t have time to think about trying to save.

The medbay is still standing, proving that the decision to make it the most out of the way and difficult to reach location in the base was at least somewhat strategic. The krang hasn’t reached it, and based on the mutters of ‘code green’ and ‘it’s over’, they won’t this time. It’s still yet, yet, yet, as you know, but it’s not now so you shove your aunt onto a bed and don’t even wait for an adult to start grabbing bandages and needles. They do still take over eventually, because it doesn’t matter that you just saved Commander O’Neil’s life - you are still just a child. Just barely in the double digits. Hopefully one day you’ll realise this was never an insult, instead it was maybe the greatest display of love they could give you. No one escapes the apocalypse, but they still tried to give you routes out of it. The corridors are all collapsed now though, and you grip your hockey stick tight in your blood-slicked grasp as you watch your aunt be pulled back together into one piece. 

April’s probably the one person in the resistance whose resolve has never shaken, but that’s not to say it can’t still be strengthened. When she wakes to see your bloodstained hoodie discarded by the cot she’s found herself on, she’ll of course panic for a second. Thankfully, someone will quickly fill her in, tell her that the blood is her own, and the unbelievable story of the little child who dragged her from the jaws of the hounds. She’ll believe it though, because for starters, you're a Jones, and a Jones can do anything, of course. You’re also a Hamato, and if there’s one thing Hamato can’t do, it’s leave family behind. This spells the start of your official tenure as a resistance fighter, because your age is something you’ll outgrow, but your fighting spirit is something you will not.

It might also have something to do with the fact that much of the resistance lay dead all around you, their blood still clinging to your skin, but what do we always say? Look on the bright side. Stars are still shining, buddy. Time to join your heroes in taking them back.

fourteen years old

You don’t even have to do anything this time. You’re off somewhere with your aunt, maybe training, maybe laughing, ideally both. 

The way you save the resistance this time looks something like this: sparks of molten magic, and a pull he’s never felt before. He can’t deny it, it does feel like hope, but hurts like hell as it starts to crackle up his arms. He’s swiftly stopped, not by his own will, but he’s grateful when the fire splitting him apart fizzles out. It’s very quiet in the aftermath, because they know what this means. It means it’s possible. It means it's going to cost everything. 

They decide that it would be worth it though, if it gave you a chance. There’s no one else they believe in more than you. It’s been said for years, as far back as the days where the only time you shed blood was when you mishandled sai that now just sit and collect dust; you’re gonna be the one to end this someday.

That day should be far off in the future though, when they’ve had time to give you the mission brief, hand over the supplies, and give you a tight hug, not goodbye but good luck. There isn’t really a point dwelling on it now. Mikey just smiles as he tugs the bandages tighter around his arms, and relishes in the fact that they finally have a plan B that might just work out this time. It helps to reignite the optimistic fire he was reluctant to tell anyone was starting to burn out. 

+1. sixteen years old

You’re only sixteen years old when you save the resistance for the last time. You’re so young. I think it might really be the end this time, kiddo. 

You don’t even flinch when I bleed on you, you just tell me that you’ve got me, just as I had you all those time you scraped your knee or bruised your elbow. Not to be arrogant, but you said it yourself - you learned from the best. Sorry. I know it’s not about me, but there’s very little left these days to focus on. Let’s keep the attention on you though, because you’re about to finally save the resistance once and for all. 

All that needs to be said is ‘hope’, and Mikey knows it’s time for plan B. There’s no time for anything we’d planned, no explanation, no hugs goodbye or good luck, but the belief in you never wavers. Not for a second. You’re Casey Jones-Hamato Junior, remember? There’s nothing you can’t do, except leave your family behind. I won’t say that out loud, because you’ll argue that you are in fact leaving me and Mikey behind. Technically, I’d argue you’re leaving us ahead, because soon we’ll be the future. Again, I won’t say that, because if my last words are going to be a joke, I at least want it to be a good one. What you’re doing, in actual fact, is giving us a second chance. I don’t doubt for a second that you’ll find us back there. Our sky may now be lost, but they’ll take you to the highest rooftop and show you every single shimmering constellation and you’ll finally know an Earth that firmly belongs to us. Oh buddy, you’re going to love it.

The last I see of you, you’re crying. It’s one of the first things I saw you do, and now it’s the last. That first time all those sixteen years ago, I think you only started crying because you knew it was finally safe to call attention to yourself as Casey held you in surprisingly gentle but strong arms. Now, I can’t kid myself, I know it’s because you’re scared, and I’m sorry. But hey, you know how I like to look on the bright side - at least the last you see of me, I’m smiling. 

I hope that’s the last you see, at least, I know it won’t be long as a hound throws itself at me. There’s only one thing on my mind now, and it’s that you really are gonna do it. You’re gonna be the one to end this today. 

I’m real proud of-

[yume-chin]

You and Casey are what?!

And finally something for Raphal too!

Excuse me for waiting but by now the university exams are just around the corner and all I do is study from morning to night!

✧˖°.✧˖°.⟡⋆⭒˚｡⋆✧˖°⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⋆｡˚

Request: No

Warning: Just a little angst and bad English

Genre: She/her

✧˖°.✧˖°.⟡⋆⭒˚｡⋆✧˖°⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⋆｡˚

Pov: Raphael is extremely jealous of the close relationship you have with Casey but he doesn't know the truth behind your relationship.

Version: Bayverse / 2014/2016

✧˖°.✧˖°.⟡⋆⭒˚｡⋆✧˖°⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⋆｡˚

Text words: 1048

Total words: 1246

✧˖°.✧˖°.⟡⋆⭒˚｡⋆✧˖°⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⋆｡˚

In the heart of New York, between the shadows and the sewers, mysterious creatures, four brothers, four mutant ninja turtles, patrolled the streets of the city, fighting crime and keeping their home safe. Among them was Raphael, the fierce and passionate turtle who had captured your heart.

You met in your childhood. Since you were a child you had always been an extremely curious child and this extreme curiosity of yours led you to discover a hidden entrance that led directly to the city's sewers. However, failing to satisfy your curiosity, you had decided to walk the long and dark tunnel that had presented itself in front of you and at the end of the journey you had come across the four brothers.

Right from the start you had a very strong bond with all four of them but in particular you always had a greater sympathy for the red turtle, Raphael.

Your relationship with Raphael had blossomed over the years and you two were inseparable. You understood each other like no one else could, sharing laughs, secrets and the unique challenges of your lives. Yet as the days passed, Raphael's normally confident demeanor began to falter.

One evening, while you and Raphael were training together in the den, his movements were abrupt and aggressive. His eyes kept darting towards the entrance, as if waiting for someone. Finally, he dropped his weapon and turned to face you, a rare vulnerability in his expression.

"Hey, Y/n, can we talk?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically uncertain.

You nodded, concerned. "Of course, Raph. What do you have in mind?"

Raphael hesitated, nervously tapping his green fingers on his thigh. "It's about Casey."

Your heart skipped a beat. Casey Jones, your lifelong friend and confidant, has been a part of your life since childhood. "And he?"

Raphael sighed, pulling a hand through his red bandana. "I've... noticed how much time you've been spending with him lately. It's like you're always together."

You frowned, surprised by Raphael's sudden discomfort. "Raph, Casey and I have been friends forever. He's like a brother to me. It doesn't change how I feel about you."

Raphael's eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a low growl. "Yeah, well, it's just…I don't want to lose you, Y/n. You mean everything to me."

Your heart ached at her vulnerability. Moving closer, you put a hand on his cheek. "Raph, you won't lose me. Casey is from my family, but you are my partner, my love. No one can ever replace you."

Raphael's tension eased slightly, but his discomfort remained. "I know, but… sometimes I can't help but feel like I'm not enough."

You cupped his face, forcing him to look you in the eye. "Raph, you are more than enough. You are my hero, my rock. And I am yours, no matter what."

For a moment he seemed reassured and a small smile crept to the corners of his lips. Still, the concern in her eyes lingered and you knew it wasn't something that could be fixed in a single conversation.

The next few days were tense. Raphael's jealousy flared whenever he saw you and Casey together. She would have tried to hide it, but her agitation was palpable. The den felt stuffy and it seemed that an invisible barrier was forming between you.

One evening, as the sun sank below the horizon, you returned home a little later than normal, so Casey volunteered to give you a lift instead of letting you walk home alone in the dark. But just as you both walked into the house and put your stuff down out of the corner of your eye you saw a huge green figure climbing up onto the roof. At that point you decided to go up to the roof too and there you found Raphael standing on the roof, looking out over the city. You approached him carefully, giving him a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking.

“What are you doing at his house? And why did you hitch a ride with him?” he started questioning in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Raph, we need to talk about this, this isn't good for you or me" you said softly.

He sighed, leaning against the edge of the roof. "I know, Y/n. It's just…I can't get rid of this feeling."

You approached, your presence was a reassuring warmth at his side. "Raphael, what if I tell you something that might help you?"

He looked at you, his eyes a mixture of curiosity and caution. "What?"

Taking a deep breath, you spoke the words you had kept hidden. "Casey and I are actually brothers."

His eyes widened in shock, his expression a mixture of disbelief and confusion. "What? How... how is that possible?"

You explained the situation, that you don't have a good relationship with your parents and that's why you went to live with him. "We've known each other a long time Raph and you know you're the person I love most in the world."

Raphael's eyes searched yours, his emotions a tumultuous storm. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

You shrugged, a sad smile curling your lips. "I didn't think it mattered. Casey and I have always been close but as much as we are brothers it seems more like a friendship but still you should know that you are the one holding my heart."

Raphael let out a sigh he hadn't realized he was holding, his shoulders relaxing as if a weight had been lifted. "I was so damn jealous, Y/n. I thought I was losing you."

You take his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. "Raph, you are everything to me. No secrets or stories can change that. We are connected and nothing can ever change that."

He has you in a tight embrace, his grip almost desperate. "I love you, Y/n. I'm sorry I doubted us."

You hugged him back, feeling his heartbeat against yours. "I love you too, Raphael. And I'm happy that we are stronger than any doubt or fear."

As the night sky stretched above you, city lights twinkled in the distance, you held each other close. Your love, once tested by jealousy and insecurity, had emerged even stronger, a bond that nothing could break.

✧˖°.✧˖°.⟡⋆⭒˚｡⋆✧˖°⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⋆｡˚

Excuse me if it's a very short text but I'm really exhausted, physically and mentally.

I finished writing at 3:10 am and it's been a week since I've been going to sleep very late and I wake up very early.

These last three days I went to sleep at 6:00 am.

I hope you still like it ♡

✧˖°.✧˖°.⟡⋆⭒˚｡⋆✧˖°⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⋆｡˚

If you want to read something specific feel free to ask me any request. ♡

✧˖°.✧˖°.⟡⋆⭒˚｡⋆✧˖°⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⋆｡˚

A big hug ♡

[fluffytriceratops]

w r i t i n g m a s t e r l i s t. <3

please read my rules before interacting with my blog & requesting, thank you.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

TMNT:

2003:

Casey Jones: Leonardo: Donatello: Dating Headcannons. Raphael: Michelangelo:

2007:

2012:

Casey Jones: Study Date. (old) Leonardo: Hostage. (old) Gimme Them Cuddles. Donatello: Raphael: I'll Kick Your Ass. (old) Michelangelo:

Bayverse (2014/2016):

Casey Jones: Leonardo: Dating Headcannons. I'll Always Be Here. Fanfiction Blue Eyes. Belt Kisses. Donatello: Dating Headcannons. Cookie Confession. Belt Kisses. Raphael: Dating Headcannons. The Cursed Mark. Belt Kisses. I Burn For You. Michelangelo: Dating Headcannons. Anything For Her. Belt Kisses. Most Ardently (Pride & Prejudice AU story, Leo x Reader): Preview. Chapter One: Mr. Hamato.

ROTTMNT (2018):

Leonardo: Gimme Them Cuddles. Donatello: Raphael: Michelangelo:

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Transformers:

Bayverse:

Prime:

Optimus: To Cybertron and Back.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Ninjago:

Masters of Spinjitsu:

Lloyd Garmadon: Absinthe [fanfiction] - prologue - - chapter one - - chapter two - [no longer posting chapters on here, to continue reading the fanfic you must read it on my wattpad, quotev, or ao3] Kai Smith: Sleepless. Cole Brookestone: Jay Walker: Zane Julien: Incandescently Happy. Morro: Sensei Wu: Lord Garmadon:

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Haikyuu:

Nekoma:

Kenma Kozume: I Miss You. (old)

Aoba Johsai:

Toru Oikawa: I Don't Need You. (old)

Inarizaki:

Atsumu Miya: Let Her Go. (old)

"Incandescent": Atsumu Miya Fanfiction: - originally called "sour cream". - Intro. Profiles. Chapter One: mrs kwan is my sugar daddy. Chapter Two: bootymeat. Chapter Three: there he is, mr. america. Chapter Four: i want some lettuce. [no longer posting chapters on here after the 4th one. to continue reading the fanfic you must either read it on my wattpad, ao3, or quotev.]

Itachiyama:

Kiyoomi Sakusa: "Apple Juice". [Fanfiction.] Apple Juice - Chapter One: oi with the poodles already. [no longer posting chapters on here, to continue reading the fanfic you must read it on my wattpad, ao3, or quotev.]

Karasuno:

Ryunosuke Tanaka: Just Friends.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

My Hero Academia:

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

OCs:

TMNT: Random Facts About Kristina &lt;3 Timelines [Ft. Alba, Iris, Kris, & Ro] Random Drabbles/Headcannons with Kristina and Raphael Forever & Always [Raph & Kris] Random Facts About Monet Random Facts About Nefertiri Kris and Raph being cutiepatooties. How long Kris and Raph kept their relationship hidden from her parents. BNHA/MHA: Promposal. [Shigaraki & Linnea] (old) Forced To Stargaze. [Shigaraki & Linnea] (old) I Don't Love You. [2nd Gen: Ryuu & Callisto.] (old) Feelings For Kaiga. [2nd Gen: Tamashi & Callisto] (old)

FRIENDS WRITING FEATURING MY OCs: Mamacita Part One By: @digitl-art-monstr Mamacita Part Two By: @digitl-art-monstr Family Yokai Stuff By: @digitl-art-monstr Wedding Night By: @rheawritesforfun Human Family Stuff By: @digitl-art-monstr Pops Knows Best By: @rheawritesforfun Meeting The Mother By: @digitl-art-monstr Pillow-fort Talk By: @rheawritesforfun Red Ear Sliders Are Invasive By: @rheawritesforfun Springtime Prime By: @rheawritesforfun Iris Lord, Baby #1 By: @digitl-art-monstr Married But They'll Stay Idiots By: @rheawritesforfun Rise And Shine By: @rheawritesforfun Animal Bride Rewrite Story Feat Kris & Raph By: @lec743

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

[ click here for my art masterlist. ]

[ click here for my fandoms. ]

[ click here for commission info. ]

[ click here for admin info. ]

[ click here for my blog & request rules. ]

[ click here for rp information. ]

[red-garden]

Young Gods, Old Blood

ROTTMNT AU by Red Garden

Setting

◦ High Fantasy

◦ Magic, mythic creatures, alchemy

◦ Warlock magic system: mages make deals with gods, devils and beasts to use their magics

◦ 7 (6) continents known- Aldera, Kufyteu, Ignosios, Y’Theaka, Mbano-o, Kibuxia, Unock

◦ Kingdoms, empires, feudal states, tribal leagues, and anarchistic communes

◦ Main characters- April, Casey, Casey Jr, Sunita, Draxum, Hueso, Piel, Hypno, Warren, and Big Mama

Overarching plot-

Casey is out to destroy the Foot with the power of the dark armor. Little does she know that the Spider Empress is looking for the same relic so she can extend her empire across the globe. There are forces far greater than they can imagine wrapped up in the dark armor- old gods waking from slumber, ancient warriors hidden away, and at the heart of it all, The Crying Titan.

Characters

Casey Jones

Any pronouns, 26, 5 6”, ronin

No magic; lightning long sword, Morningstar gauntlets

Born to the Foot clan in Ignosios, she was raised to be a samurai. But the Foot hides many secrets. After years of service, she was confronted with her actions. She killed a child in a village raid. It wasn’t the first time, but it would be the last. They left the Foot at 20, searching for the relic that could wipe away the Foot with a singe stroke- the dark armor.

April O’Neil

She/they, 25, 5 2”, martial warlock

Magic pact with the Four Pillars (the turtles), uses elemental magic; wields iron knuckles, mostly used martial arts Her family granted shelter to Yoshi and the turtles after they fled Kibuxia. She grew up along side the turtles and trained with them to protect her village from Kibuxia raiding forces. The Four Pillars (the turtles) have been keeping the empire from spreading further north, but they can’t last forever. April needs to find and destroy the dark armor before the empress gets her hands on it and can use it against them.

Sunita Pandit

She/her, 25, 5 10”, paladin

Magic pact with River Bottom; blessed silt spear

River Bottom is being intentionally poisoned by the Kibuxia Empire so they can invade the land. With her god weakening, Sunita joins April and Casey on thier quest to find the Dark armor. Secretly, she wants to provide River Bottom with the armor so it many grow unbeatably powerful.

Casey Jr Jones

She/her (later he/him), 11, 4 8”, apprentice

Learning to wield a bow

To prove herself useful enough to Casey that she’ll keep her around.

Baron Ganzaya Alazar

He/him, 53, 6 4”, artificer

Pact with Ashpush goddess of the forge; wields an artificer’s hammer

Searching for his estranged sons, The Pillars, who he lost when they fled Kibuxia. April promised to bring him to them if he could help them find the dark armor.

Hueso Rivera

He/him, 40, 5 8”, Twin sea spirit

Can create whirlpools; Bone whip

Wants to find his son and let him know he’s still alive.

Piel Rivera

He/him, 40, 5,8”, twin sea spirit

Can summon waves; Sabre

Since the transformation, Piel has lost most of his motivation, and is content to follow his brother.

Ihaka Atama (hypno)

He/him, 31, 5 9”, prophet

Signed a pact with Y’Kana, god of prophecy

Part of the deal with Y’Kana was to sacrifice the only he loved most after 10 years. It’s been 9 years, and since then he’s become best friends (and maybe more) with Warren. He hasn’t told Warren about the deal, and is determined to break his connection to Y’Kana to save his ‘bestie’. Unfortunately, the only way to do this is with extremely powerful magic, such that that only relics like the dark armor could offer him.

Warren Stone

He/him, 36, 5 3”, bard

No magic, no weapons, he’s not even very good at barding

Happy to go where ever Ihaka goes. Not a thought behind those eyes.

Empress Sen Motsu Kumo (Big Mama)

She/her, age unknown, size varies , 1,000 Hands Spider Goddess

She’s a spider goddess, she has spider powers (miles morales?? 😳)

She’s a colonizer. She wants her empire to conquer all, extract their resources, and make her the more powerful/wealthy being on earth.

Ocean (Leo)

He/him, 23, 7’, artificially created water god

Can control water ATLA style; wields a double katana

To stop the empire from spreading no matter what.

Mountain(Raph)

He/him (?), 24, 15 7”, artificially created earth god

Can control earth ATLA style; wields twin sai

To keep his family safe, no matter what.

Wind (Donnie)

They/he, 23, 8 1”, artificially created wind god

Can control wind ATLA style; wields bo

To create a weapon powerful enough to wipe out the empire.

Fire (Mikey)

Any pronouns, 22, 5 7”, artificially created fire god

Can control fire ATLA style; wields dual nunchaku

To find a way to stop the war.

Hamato Yoshi (Spinter)

He/him, 54, 5 1”, Martial arts master

No magic, just punches

To keep his family hidden from the empress.

Usagi Yuichi

He/him, 23, 5 10”, samurai

Pact with martial goddess Yama which gives him bursts of extreme speed, strength, and agility- but he passes out from exhaustion immediately after (shonen ass); wields a katana

One of the only surviving samurai from the conquest of clan Usagi in Kibuxia. He ran away from the fight, and carries the shame with him. Now he wants to fight alongside the pillars to maintain the norther border of the empire (it certainly helps that Ocean is easy on the eyes too).

Kitsune Kanoe

She/her, 27, 6 1”, mage

Pact with the illusion god of clan Kitsune, Red Mist- she can cast complex illusions with extreme concentration, as well as shapeshift into a fox

Her clan was conquered by Kibuxia as well, scattering or imprisoning any survivors. She got away, but unknown numbers of her family are in imperial labor camps. She wants to become an illusion master so she can free them, but is terrified of facing the empire again.

Tora Chizu

They/it, 30, 5 11”, brawler

No magic, no weapons, just fists and anger

Fled clan Tora when it was young, and has been running ever since. They’ve been homeless for the past 6 years, picking fights where it can and getting paid when it wins. After being given food and medicine by Kitsune, they’re entranced, willing to follow wherever she goes.

Ashigawa Gen

He/him, 32, 6 8”, Calvary soldier

No magic; rides a great horned beast and wields a metal club

He defected from the Kibuxia army, heading north to escape execution. After Usagi told him of the Four Pillars he decided to follow the same path and hold the border with them.

Tora Hana

She/her, 14, 5 2”, apprentice

No magic, wields a wakazashi

She’s another runaway from clan Toru, with nowhere to go. Usagi found her while heading north and took pity on her. She wants to impress him, and later Chizu, and learn how to defend herself.

The Metal Man(Repo Mantis)

He/him, age unknown, height changes

Pact breaker curse- he’s covered in metal and spikes, half living half dead, doomed to do the bidding of Wheynin, the collector god, until he’s destroyed

He has no motivation, he is merely a husk at the whim of his master, no longer alive but not dead either.

Hunger (Meat Sweats)

It/it’s, age unknown, size indeterminate

It’s comes to you in a haze. The Hunger. It must feed.

There is no running. There is no resisting. There is only Hunger.

The General (Rocksteady)

He/him, 51, 6’, knight

Powers unknown; wields an axe

Full obscured by his armor, he rides that great horned beast… he comes and goes as the empress pleases, rolling over the land like a tide, leaving the earth soaked and trampled. The only thing he wants is to dominate.

The Scout (Beebop)

He/him, 29, 5 5”, ranger

Made a pact with the goddess of the hunt, Heart Beat- can go invisible for up to a minute,moves exceptionally quietly and has a keen sense of smell; wields a bow

Always at the side of The General, The Scout is sometimes called the Harbinger. He wears all black, coming and going like an insect through walls. He never shows his face- some believe he bears a curse on it, some believe it’s because he was horribly mangled. Neither are true. He does as The General commands.

Brek Oso (Razar)

They/Them, 55, 7 6”, man hunter

Rumored to have made a pact with a devil. Wields a spear.

They chase gold. No one gets away.

More lore to come…….

[blindaysblogforturtles]

Look, it's gonna ruin my bad girl image, but I needed to let it out. Cass' apocalyptic stories have gotten me. Yeah.

I'm not such a great artist, and I don't write that well, but I wanted to show my gratitude towards Cass for making such an amazing series. So, here goes nothin'.

Beyond memory and mourning

I have seen battles from beyond the years Things no one else saw or will ever see So many moments that will die with me Things to remember that don't even exist Who is to say if it was real or not I still remember all the things I saw I can still name every one of them The ones I left and would die to see again Father, someone who protects and guides Family, the people that will help you hide Not only hide but teach you how to fight We face monsters together fighting, side by side What I would not give to see them again To tell them that I did it and our future is safe I can only dream of them smiling proud But I'll never get to see it or hear them say it out loud So I speak with nothing, and it hears what I say That we can finish the story, let a new one begin I know it would be selfish to wish you were here But I can't help but need at least one of them with me I'm stuck in this world with a story beyond With people that will love me but for now they don't know For now I'm a stranger from a world they can't see Mourning people that are here, but have ceased to exist

A poem inspired by Casey Jones as depicted by @somerandomdudelmao in their series.

Goodbye I'm gonna shove my face in a hole and explode forever.

[fowlaroundtown]

MIDDLE AGED MUTANT NINJA TURTLES MASTER POST!!!

Table of Contents:

Synopsis

Line Ups

Protagonists Bois

Other Major Characters

Mini comics (in chronological order)

Other Links

Okay cool now that that’s out of the way, I’m putting all of this under a cut lol.

Synopsis

Middle Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles (MAMNT) is a tmnt au created by @hamburgrr and myself! The premise is simple:

After a brutal attack from the Shredder, resulting in both his own and Splinter’s death, the Turtles drift apart. They go their own seperate ways— Mikey traveling the world, Donnie perusing academics, Raph retiring to a quiet life, and Leo moving in with (a happily married) Casey and April to continue to protect New York. However, nothing can last forever, and after nearly thee decades of silence, a new evil has begun to threaten the Hamato Clan yet again.

Can this family heal its broken relationships? Or will do many years of Turmoil prove to difficult to heal from? What have they even been doing this entire time? Find out in MAMNT!

Line Ups:

Time period: Mid 90s ish

Time Period: Late 90s ish

Time Period: Late 2010s - Early 2020s ish

Protagonist Bios (in order of Age):

April O’Neil

April O’Neil isn’t exactly what you’d call normal. She’s got four turtle brothers, a vigilante spouse, a genius of a daughter, and isn’t exactly human herself. April is an empath— able to feel other people’s emotions through touch. This, along with a few other psychic abilities (minor telekinesis and VERY minor mind reading abilities)— while useful— can be very overwhelming. As to why she has these abilities…. Honestly, she’s not sure. Just was born with them. April is charismatic, kind, and very rambunctious. When it comes to her family, there’s nothing she isn’t willing to do.

Check out April’s design notes here!

Casey Jones

By night Casey Jones patrols the street, taking down anyone that has the nerve to cause shit in their city. By day though? They’re a stay-at-home-Dad/building mechanic with a mean recipe for mac ‘n cheese and the most supped-up car on the block. Just the way they like it. They may be a little trigger happy, but at the end of the day they are a creative, scarily loyal, and fun-loving dude who’s maybe alittle too proud of the family they’ve found for themself. They’re a meathead with a left hook you do NOT wanna mess with, but a good person.

Check out Casey’s design notes here!

Hamato Michelangelo

Mikey is a little bit lost, to be honest. He’s been for most of his life— but usually pretty happy for it. He’s been traveling so long without direction that actually having a mission is a little bit….. scary. In general, Mikey is a very chill, level headed dude just looking for a good time, and even better company. He’s charismatic, maybe a little immature, but very brave when it matters.

Check out Mikey’s design notes here!

Hamato Donatello

Donnie does not have time for this. Between his job as a Biologist, raising his own unruly teenager, and hiding the fact that he is a giant mutant turtle from just about everybody in his life, saving the world isn’t that high on his list of priorities. That being said, if it involves his younger brothers… he’ll go along with it. Despite his cold disposition, Donnie is a genuinely kind, loyal, and deeply caring individual. He is very hard working (sometimes detrimentally so) individual, and enjoys gardening, good music, and minor biological warfare.

Check out Donnie’s design notes here!

Hamato Raphael

If there’s one thing Raph wants, it’s not to be here. Over the years she’s cooled from a spit-fire youngster to a tired, kind of grumpy lady. She has a life she’s made for herself that she genuinely enjoys, and being dragged away from it to save a city she doesn’t even live in anymore is…. Tough. But once you get past that wall she’s put up, you’ll find a deeply compassionate, laid back, and protective person. You’ve just gotta get there first.

Check out Raph’s design notes here!

Hamato Leonardo

Well…. He’s holding on. A lot of bad shit has happened in Leo’s life; but he’s made a point to get through it all with a smile and a shrug. Even if it has left him a touch lost in the past…. This is not to say that everything in Leo’s life is doom and gloom though! He’s got what remains of his family close, a job he loves, and a boyfriend who helps keep his head above the water. Despite it all he’s a genuinely optimistic, passionate, and clever dude who will do anything if it means keeping the people he loves safe.

Check out Leo’s design notes here!

Other Major Characters

Oroku Karai (the Shredder) - To put it simply: Oroku Karai is a vengeful bitch. She’s got a strong sense of fairness in the world, and once she feels she has been slighted she will deal it back tenfold. Unfortunately for her enemies she is also calculating, precise, patient, and incredibly loyal to those within her inner circle. All the makings of a very VERY dangerous woman.

Baxter Stockman - Stockman can be described simply as a bastard. As head of EPF (a position he wormed his way into and dumps the intense work off onto his personal assistant Dr. Chaplin) he is in an annoyingly decent position of Power. He is vain, cocky, and admittedly, very intelligent and determined.

The Kraang - The Kraang are a pretty massive threat, if not a slow one. Not much is known about them, as they are a very recent threat, other than that they are very, very dangerous. And they, for some reason, seem REALLY interested with April.

The Dark Turtles - The Dark Turtles a new threat. They are made of up of Four members: Venus De Milo, Jennika, Slash, and Tokka. Their exact motive is unknown, but for some reason they seem to really, really not like the Turtles.

Agent Bishop - Agent John Bishop is EPF’s local conspiracy nut. Despite their low ranking (their office is litterally in the basement), they will do ANYTHING to learn the truth of what happened to them. Even if thst means taking matters into their own hands….

Baron Draxum - Baron is just a formality really. Draxum these days is a stuffy old goat who wants nothing more than to sit in his library and catch up on some reading. Honestly the dude needs a break considering the heights of his career include ‘disgraced biologist’, ‘villian of the week’, and ‘owes a lot of child support’.

Casey Jones Jr - Casey Jones Jr has a lot to live up to. But!! She’s well on her way to becoming just as great a hero as her parents and uncle (even if they won’t let her go on big missions yet)! Right now she’s functionally the team’s ‘man in the chair’ thanks to her skill with computers and robotics!

Miyamoto Usagi - Miyamoto Usagi was once on the track to becoming his world’s greatest Samurai. Key word: once. These days he just does odd jobs and is working his way towards a degree in history. It’s ok though, he’s learned to be much happier than he once was here.

Splinter - Splinter was a loving father, and someone with a lot of secrets. He lived a hard life, and because of that was maybe a bit to over protective of his sons. While he certainly had his issues, over all Splinter was a very loving, kind, and funny guy. He was very loved.

Oroku Saki (also the Shredder) - Oroku Saki was a spiteful, cruel, ignorant man. He cared little for the tradition of his clan, ruling over his faction of the Foot Clan purely for the power it gave him. Little can good can be said of him, aside for that he was smart, resourceful, and genuinely loved his daughter.

Mini Comics (in chronological Order)

Mid to Late 90s ish

(Coming Soon!)

Post Splinter’s Death

(Coming Soon!)

The Lonely Years

(Coming Soon!)

Season One

A Beginning

Season Two

(Coming Soon!)

Season Three

(Coming Soon!)

Season Four

(Coming Soon!)

Season Five

(Coming Soon!)

Post Series

(Coming Soon!)

Other Links

Dark Turtles!

Happy Pride 2023

Collection of Head Shots

Get Recked

Donnie’s Completely Straight and Not Gay At All College Years. Totally.

Thanks for reading!!!!

[notstilinski]

One Last Stop Starters !

Taken from the 2021 novel by Casey McQuinston, One Last Stop Some of these have already been edited. You can change them however you see fit!

“(Name), stop telling people about frog ghosts.”

“They’re on (Name)‘s sleep schedule, though. So, a ghost in the night.”

“It gave us nine great years. And carpet can hide a multitude of sins.”

“If they’re gonna kill you, get their DNA under your fingernails.”

“That little twink contains multitudes.”

“They love me as much as they love anyone else.”

“You like jokes. I don’t.”

“Do you realize you just say words in any random order like they’re supposed to mean something?”

“I can’t decide if I’m impressed or horrified?”

“Definitely brought me back from the dead more than once, so, thank you.”

“Really out here smashing pussy, (Name).”

“We get about a hundred hot lesbians through here a week. You’ll find another one.”

“Sorry, like, it’s your life and all, but do you not hear how badass that sounds?”

“That sucks. I’m your mom now. The rules are, no Tarantino movies and bedtime is never.”

“You’re a bullshitter.”

“Because you have, like, the energy of someone who knows things.”

“A frontal lobotomy to forget the night I had?”

“Never thought I’d see a vampire I didn’t want to fuck.”

“We’ve kissed, like, three times, but they have that thing where they’re terrified of being loved and refuses to believe they’ve deserved it. It’s so tedious.”

“Does it ever, like… I don’t know. Make you lonely? To love somebody who can’t meet you there?”

“I hadn’t pegged you for a scammer.”

“I’m mysterious by nature, (Name).”

“Jesus. What did ya’ll do this time?”

“Hey, what’s up with you? Who hurt your feelings?”

“Who do we have to frame for murder?”

“A gift from (Name)? What god have I pleased?”

“Oh, I’m loving this already. What kind of creatures?”

“Cute. Maybe a poltergeist. A cute poltergeist. Can I meet them?”

“So, you’ve gathered us here to tell us you’re boned up for a ghost.”

“What? Pick the lock? What kind of feral child are you? Are you Jessica Jones?”

“You know, I thought you were a little spicy when I met you.”

“I swear to God, if a ghost kills me, I’ll haunt the shower.”

“Your friend is weird.”

“I told you, I think, I’m. Something’s wrong with me.”

“Honestly? The day I met you.”

“Yeah, guess I don’t have the whole magical soulmate bond you have with them.”

“(Name). Can we maybe not treat them like a creature of the week?”

“Like you’re their Pop-Tart angel. Like you shit sunshine. Like you invented love as a concept.”

“I think I should kiss you.”

“I’m repressing it! Let me repress it!”

“You’re so mean to me.”

“So many questions for someone who does not come to work.”

“Yeah, exactly. Forever. As in, it’s the only thing I know how to do.”

“I know logistically how to perform some tasks.“

“Go where? I’m trying to have a nervous breakdown here.”

“Can you turn that brain of yours off for a second and trust?”

“It makes me feel like I’m going to die!”

“You trusted me, right? Now trust yourself.”

“Big dick energy is gender neutral.”

“I mean, it’s as if you like to be emotionally tortured.”

“God, you are the most useless bisexual I’ve ever met in my entire goddam life.”

“I’d disappoint them. They don’t deserve to be disappointed.”

“Loving the sacrilege.”

“Wow, holy shit, you figured it out. You’re gonna win a Peabody Award for reporting.”

“As fun as it is to break your brain, no one at work knows. Tell them and I break your arm.”

“Is your family horny for Jesus too?”

“I’m not cute. I’m-I’m tough. Like a cactus.”

“Where does that disembodied voice keep coming from?”

“They’re always wearing the exact same thing. That’s ghost behavior if you ask me.”

“And I left them. That’s… Fuck. I forgot how that felt. I left them.”

“Yes, thank you. I invite you to eat a dick. Goodbye.”

“Maybe no good timing means there’s no bad timing either.”

“You’re a normal person. Under un-normal circumstances.”

“That’s new for you, huh? Being able to get drunk?”

“Is this a date? Am I on a date right now?”

“(Name). Any way you want to kiss me is the way I wanna be kissed, okay?”

“You’re like—like a fucking painting or something stupid like that, what the fuck. You just walk around like this all the time.”

“Sorry, was I skulking? Sometimes I skulk without realizing.”

“Okay, still, let me be a mom for a second.”

“(Name), we’re adults, just say you got your back blown out.”

“I guess criminal behavior isn’t as much of a turn-on for me.”

“Never go to a second location with someone unless you’ve checked their trunk for weapons first.”

“Let go of me. I deserve to be free.”

“They’re not gonna leave us if they get married, (Name).”

“How did this become a roast of me? (Name) is the one under the table.”

“I’m wearing a shirt and no pants. I’m Winnie the Pooh-ing it.”

“What do you mean? Why would they leave me something? I’m the shameful family secret.”

“No. I hit him. The lip is from when someone else pulled me off of him.”

“It’s like I died. I died, except I have to feel it. And on top of that, I have to feel everything else I’ve ever felt all over again. I have to get the bad news again every day, I have to deal with the choices I made, and I can’t fix it. I can’t even run from it. It’s miserable.”

“No, you didn’t. But you made me realize it. You made me remember. And maybe that’s worse.”

“Just because you can’t run doesn’t mean you can make me do it for you.”

“Uh-huh, and this wouldn’t have anything to do with the way you reflexively ice out anyone who even appears to have rejected or wronged you?”

“Oh, so they… they thought I just left without saying goodbye?”

“It’s not a heist. It’s… an elaborate, planned crime.”

“Okay…hmm… oh, I’ve made friends with a subway rat.”

“Judge all you want, but I’m the only one who will be spared in the inevitable Great Rat Uprising.”

“No, it’s cute! You’re such a nerd. It’s endearing!”

“What can I say? I’m the one that got away.”

“I have to say, I’m impressed. This is definitely the most organized crime I’ve ever been involved in.”

“Sometimes the point is to be sad, (Name). Sometimes you just have to feel it because it deserves to be felt.”

“For what it’s worth, you’ve never disappointed me once since I’ve met you.”

“Is there anything else you want, before tomorrow?”

“I just did it because I thought you were hot.”

“I was really lonely before I met you.”

“I like when you’re in crime boss mode.”

“They have to kill him. It’s the only way.”

“I can think later. Right now I just want to be here, okay?”

“I’m here. I’m not leaving.”

“You’re the most important person I’ve ever met. And I never should have met you at all.”

[istherewifiinhell]

character opinion bingo!! rottmnt donnie, draxum, and cassandra 🥺

BESTIEEEE HELL YEAHHHHHH. my writting gets worse in my excitement please persue the alt for clarity. OUR FIRST TRIPPPPLEEE BINGOOOOOOO

[ALT] DONIIIIIEEEEEEEE MY BOYYYYY my special special shaped boyyyyyy. everyone is wrong i THINK ive disscussed. his autism doesnt present like urs or some other guy just cause u realise hes autistic. HE LOVESSSS HIS FAMILY. he has VARIED interest in hugs and textures and flavours and cleanliness. the fandom meanness isnt actually that bad MORE. they looooove to hit him with the angst hammer. well. by all means. scraped s2 and 3 EPSIODESSSSSS GUH. hessss a botantist hessss going on a journey with his mystics hissss ARCSSSSS. WAH. best donnie design we all know this. u can like other ones (I DO!!) but we all know hes best. look at his eyebrows. groovying donnie still my discord icon <3. I WANT EP WERE HE PASS AWAY. the sacred text. IS LITERALLY ABOUT HIM. DID i cry at rise movie i think so. ALSO. famously. well i never know if any of u know. BUT bnf super popular au comic. I DEF CRIED.

HAVE I MENTIONED. how much of a perfect addition he was to turtles character villian/ally roster. HESSSS SOOOOO GOOD.

[ALT] HES THE HOT VILLAIN REDEEMED BABY TRAPPING GOAT MAN!!!!!!! he was evil and scary and evil and scary and used and then pathetic and wet and then running this lunch room like the navy and then PROTECTIVE COOL DAD. in a hot robe. actually maybe the au evil draxys have calmed down now. or i just check the tag less..... HE WAS. suppose to HELP HIS KIDS. with their MAGICS. there was an EP he was supposed to help RAPH they were supposed to BUILD UP as a FAMIBLY. CRIES FOREVER. hessss so silly hes such a perfect fun cartoon villian i have EVEN more opinions than previously about the laws of cartoon villians. which is that if their fun they can do whatever they want. this is not a contradiction. its the purpose of a cartoon. sorrrrrry sorrrry mr cena sorrrrry i really want to hear his villian song with the second va. think he woulda had the range. tho i dont know. silly bastard man.

(sung like sweeny todd joana) I SEEEE U, CASSANDRA.

[ALT] HER NAME IS CASEY JONES SHELL BUST UR BONES

broooooo. BROOOOOOOOOO. THEY MADE CASEY A CRAZYYYYYY 18 year old GIRL DUDEEEEEEEEEEE. and then REPLACED HER IN THE MOVIE. forrrr normiessss. WITH SORA???? shes a great turtles character fake out moment shes a great CHARACTER. its GREAT that she gets added to the group by being mentored by splints cause he sees a upset child hes like. well no thats not good. DO U KNOW? what ususally happens with caseys and aprils in TURTLES?? U GET ME??? crazy girl 4 crazy girl. she issss SO silly. shes drawn and written and VOICED soooo fucking spectacularly so perfectly executed. frankly. where the hell else are u getting a female cartoon character this buck wild. es arcee... maybe. kdjfgnjdf. WE SHOULDA GOTTEN MOREEEEE. she and raph were gonna be the best of fucking bros U_U. they would fucking BREAK. EVERYTHING <3. her fucking gay dads and their cupcake shop. etc

[r0b0t1me]

"#sorry i can only make snippets of scenes and never elaborate on them#unless someone asked me to. huehue" i am begging. you to elaborate the "train me" sketch on the upper right 🥹 and any jr. hcs you have that u wanna talk abt (but only if u want).... also pls your coloring and expressions are INSANE but this is nothing i havent told u before!!!!!!!!! i just think your sketches have so much story bleeding out of them. its great

so funny thing about the train me one....

some of these are ideas i know ive talked about already, but im pulling a lot from idw where casey copes with fear/anger/insecurity by picking fights and attempting to be a vigilante. leos always the one who portals him out of jail and patches him up but the more i think about it, raph could help in managing his anger or taking it out in a more productive way (duo missions perhaps?), even if he cant unpack the mountain of trauma caseys got on his shoulders

i cant help it that the scene where casey cusses out leo is engraved in my brain forever. the kids a jones, on top of the constant violence in his life, anger feels like something that would come pretty naturally to him in order to cope* (i know he was raised to be a soldier, following orders and keeping a check on his emotions to carry things out, so i feel like the moment he doesnt have to fight a war and keep himself in line for the sake of other people anymore everything just kind of pours out of him) donnie has easily spent 1000$ in new sandbags for the dojo

*not that i think casey is inherently violent or always upset. but i think the kids a bit messed up sometimes from the. yknow the Everything

from riches and wonders by the mountain goats. casey jones, the restless ghost who cant feel at home

actually yknow what lets make this post a mile long who cares. i wanna explore casey hanging out with all the boys. i know i focus a lot on him and leo bc their dynamic is so twisted but i need to draw him hanging with mikey, learning to cope with self expression that he never got the real chance to do in wartime. him being around donnie and the two of them both learning they can support each other while still trying to protect their family in their own way (talking mainly abt casey helping donnie with his tech here, since donnies neurotic as hell abt security after the movie to me). casey getting to know raph in general, a living legend to him. and of course cassandra, something i was too afraid to touch on before but now i think im confident enough to try and tackle at this point

i dont think ill ever get around to writing a whole story but i know eventually casey finds stability. in my mind i see him getting a job where he helps people (something in a medical field, maybe). he has a good relationship with his family, and practically lives with them 75% of the time. leo is the one hes closest to, of course. he travels the world alone after a few years and cries over fleo never getting to see it, but knows that wherever his master is that hes at peace, knowing that at least casey had the chance

i have more to talk about but im running out of steam and im starting to get embarrassingly heartfelt the longer i ramble so um- (EXPLODES)

[darkscaleswriter]

⭐️ pls tell me more about your fic pls it’s wonderful 🥹❤️

:D the fic in question

ahhh im so glad you like it!! thank you for giving me the opportunity to ramble about this fic haha. i have SO many emotions about casey jones jr and the future timeline turtles, im never getting over the tragedy of that movie opening. future mikey's wink as he tears open space and time. future leo's "it's not about me" and the way he physically throws casey through the portal. like!!! hello!!!

imo part of what makes the future timeline so tragic is that so much of the show before this point (especially s2) focused on the hamato motto of "anata wa hitori ja nai," even before the turtles actually learned about the hamato clan. none of them have ever been alone, and as part of the hamato clan, legacies of generations upon generations of mystic warriors, they never will be. except then the bad future timeline shows up, and. they're gone. the family is fractured, the turtles are dead, and the last survivor, casey jr, is sent back alone.

so, that's kind of a long way to say that the conception of "write our names in the wet concrete" came from me taking this tragedy and shoving anata wa hitori ja nai in its face. lol.

in the fic, the moment future mikey decides that hes not going to let future leo die is the moment of canon divergence from the movie. the reason he actually manages it is bc in that moment, mikey and all of the hamato spirits look at the last surviving members of their family and say, no. we refuse. the war might be lost, but we will ensure that no member of our clan will be left alone.

it's not just mikey at the end, here, throwing leo back along with casey. it's him and donnie and raph and april and splinter and karai and even oroku saki, every single hamato all at once, facing down the end of the world and choosing to save the last of their family whether they like it or not.

sorry future leo, you dont get a choice! but hey, at least casey isn't stuck in the past and cut off from everything he's ever known by himself, right? :3

the reason i set the fic as pre-show instead of at the movie is bc i really wanted to focus on casey jr's relationship with future leo, and what that might look like when they're forced to actually, like. live semi-regular lives instead of being tossed directly into a high-stakes mission. the looming specter of the krang invasion is a constant stressor, but they also have more immediate things to worry about for a change. like money! big rip to future leo, forgetting that was a thing.

and casey junior learning to live in a non-apocalyptic society is always fun haha. he's a semi-feral apocalypse child who's used to eating rats and leaves! writing his pov is an entertaining challenge, bc he only knows things about pre-apocalyptic society via snippets hes heard from older ppl/family stories, and he approaches the world through a very different lens as a result. he is definitely going to hunt an alley rat at some point and be like :D look theres so much meat on this!! and non-apocalypse survivors around him are like uhhh kiddo wtf. are you... are you seriously going to eat that.

casey, already roasting it over a fire: yes?? why would i not??

anyway, im going to cut myself off before i ramble about this fic forever and spoil future chapters (currently writing chapter 5 :D), but thank you so much for reading it!! im having a lot of fun with this au and i'm glad you are too ^.^

(feel free ask me anything about my fics!)

[sroloc--elbisivni]

i feel like there was a point in like. last december where i could have detached and escaped being insane about casey jones and just let it be a passing fancy. and then the idw comics just fucking clocked me over the head with a thesis on masculinity and individualism and violence and community and chosen affiliation and family and also engraved "if we broke this one in half we'd find a burning flame" into my brain. and so now i am simply Here Forever.

[richincolor]

I'm looking forward to compiling a list of books to read this summer, and here are three that caught my eye. What summer releases are you looking forward to?

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade Sourcebooks Fire

Sutton going missing is the worst thing to happen to Casey, to their family. She’s trying to help find her sister, but Casey is furious. And she can’t tell anyone about their argument before Sutton disappeared. Everyone paints a picture of Sutton’s perfection: the popular cheerleader with an entourage of friends, a doting boyfriend, and a limitless future. But Sutton manipulated everyone around her, even stole an heirloom bracelet from Casey. People don’t look for missing Black girls--or half-Black girls--without believing there is an angel to be saved.

When Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved. Except Sutton isn’t the same. She remembers nothing about while she was gone—or anything from her old life, including how she made Casey miserable. There’s something unsettling about the way she wants to spend time with Casey, the way she hums and watches her goldfish swim for hours.

What happened to Sutton? The more Casey starts uncovering her sister’s secrets, the more questions she has. Did she really know her sister? Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? And what will it take to uncover the truth? -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

A Guide to the Dark by Meriam Metoui Henry Holt

You can check out of Room 9, but you can never leave.

The Haunting of Hill House meets Nina LaCour in this paranormal mystery YA about the ghosts we carry with us.

Something is building, simmering just out of reach.

The room is watching. But Mira and Layla don't know this yet. When the two best friends are stranded on their spring break college tour road trip, they find themselves at the Wildwood Motel, located in the middle of nowhere, Indiana. Mira can't shake the feeling that there is something wrong and rotten about their room. Inside, she's haunted by nightmares of her dead brother. When she wakes up, he's still there.

Layla doesn't see him. Or notice anything suspicious about Room 9. The place may be a little run down, but it has a certain charm she can’t wait to capture on camera. If Layla is being honest, she’s too preoccupied with confusing feelings for Mira to see much else. But when they learn eight people died in that same room, they realize there must be a connection between the deaths and the unexplainable things that keep happening inside it. They just have to find the connection before Mira becomes the ninth.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones Wednesday Books

Magic flickers. Love flames. Chaos reigns.

Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.

Jin Zhara already had enough to worry about—appease her stepmother’s cruel whims, looking after her blind younger sister, and keeping her own magical gifts under control—without having to deal with rumors of monsters re-emerging in the marsh. But when a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han brings her into contact with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn, Zhara realizes there may be more to these rumors than she thought. A mysterious plague is corrupting the magicians of Zanhei and transforming them into monsters, and the Guardians of Dawn believe a demon is responsible.

In order to restore harmony and bring peace to the world, Zhara must discover the elemental warrior within, lest the balance between order and chaos is lost forever.

[shantechni]

Okay, so counter point to 03 Casey being hopelessly in love with April

THEY GET MARRIED

I don’t imagine 12 Donnie and MM Leo even beginning to get 1% close to that 😂 03 Casey has them beat!

Oh yeah, and it just occured to me, there’s also Cody Jones. Their great grandson in the future, who was established before they get married. I haven’t thought about him in forever 😂

Yeah, "hopelessly" doesn't exactly apply to Casey considering that he actually ended up with April and started a whole family with her off screen lol, but he does sometimes make a fool out of himself when trying to impress her, so that counts as something in my book-

Maybe MM Leo has a chance of something with April, but you're right, the chances are low💀Nothing against him and '12 Donnie, but they're awkward romantics.