#I ship myself with mikey too

[rirabeko]

Some of Baji's mischaracterization that gives me the ICK

It's 2024 and there are people out there who still can't understand Baji's character and mischaracterize him heavily, mostly because of the Bajifuyu ship.

DISCLAIMER: You can ship whoever you want. I'm just tired of seeing my favourite character constantly being mischaracterized because of toxic shippers. Also I'm not a shipper myself, I do not romanticize any of the relationships I mention below.

The biggest issue with Baji's character is the fact that Bajifuyu shippers (and sometimes just the fandom in general) constantly ignore Kazutora's role in Baji's life, meanwhile Kazutora made a huge impact on Baji's character. You can clearly see it not just in the anime or in the manga, but in the spin-off too.

Baji and Kazutora were that duo, they were a literal separated team within Toman. They met naturally, become friends instantly and spent most of their time together (many times without Toman). It's accepted by the fandom, that Kazutora's first real friend was Baji, but also Baji's first close friend was Kazutora.

Obviously Mikey and Baji were close as kids, but after Baji moved to a different place they weren't that close. I bet this is the reason why Baji didn't know about Shinichiro's bike shop, since when they met regularly Baji was a little kid and Shinichiro was a teenager without a bike shop. It also shows that Mikey and Baji aren't that close, they are more like childhood buddies than close friends.

I can talk about this for hours but now I only wrote it as a small disclaimer, before I get into my points, so let's go.

I am sick of it when:

they call Baji stupid (he literally outsmarted Kisaki, being smart not equals only book smart)

people headcanon him as a mean, aggressive, abusive bf (he is canonly no.1 best lover and he literally died because he has a heart of gold, let this bs go pls)

they can't understand the reason behind his suicide and make it a ship war (ICK)

people can't accept the fact Baji loves his friends differently, and not everyone is his bestie (it doesn't mean he does not love them, or prefers someone over the other but love can be different towards different people and it's absolutely normal!)

they make his character all about Bajifuyu (he is an individual, stop bringing up Chifuyu EVERYTIME when it comes to Baji. His character is much more than a guy in a dominant-submissive fanmade yaoi ship people like dragging him into!)

they make Chifuyu the good, perfect friend while constantly dragging Baji down and made him the bad guy in their relationship (I could write a whole essay just about this being a bullshit)

when they romanticize Bajifuyu (Baji canonly sees Chifuyu as a younger brother figure said by Baji's mom, but there are people out there who still believes unironically that they are in love... WHY?)

they ignore that Baji is very caring and affectionate not just towards Chifuyu, he is like this because these are his own personality traits. He behaves like this with everyone who's close to him. (Mikey, Kazutora, Ryuusei and just Toman in general)

people say Chifuyu was the only one who understood Baji's feelings and aims (the literal reason Baji died was because no one really understood his goals and behaviour, not even Chifuyu)

they romanticize Chifuyu's obsessiveness towards Baji (if Chifuyu was a girl, he would be cancelled for this behaviour immediately, but the double standard won again)

people make his death an opportunity to romanticize Bajifuyu (biggest ICK)

they say Baji is only distant with Chifuyu beacuse he is a tsundere (there are so many situations when Chifuyu truly annoys Baji, e.g. he said it many times that Chifuyu's infatuation really disturbs him and asked Chifuyu to stop)

Bajifuyu shippers ignore and hate Kazutora just because he disturbs their ship

they say Baji was a bad influence to Kazutora (Kazutora hung out with gangs even before he met Baji, he was already a part of the underworld. the reason Kazutora turned out that way was his abusive father and his horrible childhood in general. Baji literally saved him, and he could finally be himself around Baji without any judgement or harassment)

they ignore or even DENY Bajitora's bond because of Bajifuyu

they accept Bajifuyu, Kazufuyu or even the Bajitrio but HATE Bajitora (the biggest bullshit ever)

they can't recognise the fanservice of Bajifuyu and calls them canon because of the clear fanservice acts

people think Bajitora is one sided (more Baji sided) meanwhile Tora loves Baji more than his own life and shows it many times how much he loves Baji and how much Baji means to him

they accept that Chifuyu never changed his hairstyle after Baji made it for him (and obviously they romanticize it) but they are hating because Kazutora looked exactly like Baji in bad toman timeline

people ignore Bajitora and always forgets that they are very close to each other in every timeline. the new panels Wakui drew were also about Kazutora putting Chifuyu to his place after Chifuyu completly ignored Tora and disturbed his time with his best friend. (we all know Kazutora is very possessive with Baji for obvious reasons and does not tolerate being disrespected by someone)

The list could go on and on but these are the main problems I still see in this fandom when it comes to Baji's character.

I'm tired of seeing this amazingly well-written character turns into a boring, abusive, mean guy by the fandom who is only an abuser in a toxic fanmade yaoi ship.

SIDE NOTE:

To all the people who dislike him/call him mean and aggressive because he beat Chifuyu up:

This anime is based on a manga which takes place in the early 2000's gangster world in Japan. He is the captain of the 1st division, he is the leader, and his role is not just to be the strongest in the division but also to manage his team, bc this is also what a leader does. If someone is disrespectful, breaks the rules and shows a bad example to the others he has to punish them. In this world this is how things go. This won't make him a bad person, or an aggressive jerk. Baji can be very calm and collected when it comes to leading his division. He is a very good leader, who takes care of his teammates, so no surprise he is really loved by his division. 

Also when he beat Chifuyu up before joining Valhalla: he hated himself for doing that. But he had to, he had no other choice. And Chifuyu had every right to stand up against Baji and tell him he's not doing it. But since Chifuyu never questions Baji's decisions as the captain of the first division he agreed with this one too, and also because he wanted to help him. Chifuyu knew exactly what he was doing when he let Baji doing this to him, and he went along with it. Stop bringing this up everytime and use it against Baji.

[fandomfluffandfuck]

S, I need some Sebastian/ Stucky/ Evanstan Blog recommendations because most of the ones I'm following have been inactive for a while, and I don't know who to follow.

Your 🍑

Oof, yeah, I feel that lately! Evanstan had a nice bump recently with the Hollywood Walk of Fame moment, but it's pretty much been inactive other than that. I've been trying to find more blogs myself, lol. Blogs that aren't gossip blogs because that's just not my style, and there's a whole side of the Chris Evans fandom that I do not want to see right now 💀

@musette22 is an evergreen follow, for sure!

@mrs-stans is great for Seb updates

@archivecevans is a semi-recent follow for me, and it has paid in dividends with all this Chris content lately, lol

@meidui isn't stucky forward (in fact, Cassie posts a whole lot about stony with a good mix of steggy in there, too, so I get if that isn't your thing since you're asking for stucky and usually for people those ships clash) but everything is about Steve Rogers so I enjoy the content she makes and takes she has, lol.

@turtle-steverogers again, an evergreen. The Steve headcanons from Mikey are impeccable.

@whiteglovemanor / @bvckyysarm is out here writing and doing the lords work

@yourbuckies is THEE gif maker for stucky right now, lol, with soul crushing Thursday posts.

@elkleggs comes through with a lot of good art! So do @pinup-pigeon @writeyourdarlings @kiu-k @moontashpena @petite-madame @capibuck they all make such, such good art!!

@jbb32557038t41t420 is a current Bucky cosplayer, too!

And if I'm missing anyone, my deepest apologies. Feel free to add onto this, too, whether I tagged you or not. I need more evanstan/stucky people, too!

[dumb-duxky]

What are some of your favorite character relationships/dynamics in TMNT, and why? Is there anything that you particularly like seeing explored with them in fan works (art, writing, comics, etc)?

Yall I think I'm abouta yap with this one 😼

I've watched at least a little of every tmnt out there, but I'm going to go with the ones I know more of (sadly, I have not been able to read the IDW comics other than the last ronin... 🤧)

2012:

I'm a huge fan of Mikey and Leatherheads friendship. Like, given Mikey isn't really taken seriously by his brothers, Leatherhead does amd greatly respects him too. He sees the type of intelligence and empathy Mikey has and greatly appreciates it. They are always genuinely happy to see eachother and I think it's cute, especially since literally everytime they see eachother Mikey hugs him 🤧 I really wish I saw more of that (guess I gotta draw it myself lmao or look harder) But I have read fanfiction with it, particularly "Hey Sunshine" by leaden on Ao3. (I gotta catch up ☠️) but I wish I saw more of this, because genuinely they are really good friends. And honestly this one might be my favorite, I'm always so happy seeing them together on screen.

I would go into the brothers relationships, but I'd just end up yapping too much ☠️

Rise:

Donnie and Shelldon is genuinely such an adorable father son duo, along with Senior Hueso and Leo. I find it really adorable, and just thinking of these make me happy. Sadly I don't have much to say, given it's been a while since I've last watched (other than the movie lmao) I haven't seen much of this either, sadly. (Sometimes in fanfiction or art, which is always a lil treat 😋)

Mutant Mayhem:

Sadly the show didn't give us much on dynamics on the brothers (though I am happy to see each one grow independently, kinda a twist from others of working together, or mostly focusing on Leo or raph) but from what I saw loved Raph and splinter. In other iterations, Raphs anger was something he needed to control, and while that is valid, splinter clearly saw that Raph was getting overwhelmed by the environment and sent him out. I just really liked that, or I just really liked Raphs portrayal of anger in general in that episode. I guess I have seen this in a fanfiction, where it's generally the boys have a great relationship with splinter. But I can't remember right now so I might come back and edit this lmao.

I was also pleasantly surprised by Leo's friendship with April. It wasn't another Donnie situation, and it showed that first and foremost, they are genuinely friends who get along with eachother. I just really liked that. I actually have seen some art on this, and it makes me happy, bc this is a ship I fw ngl.

I'm gonna stop rn before I make a 4 page essay no one would read ☠️ anyways thank you so much for the question ^^ sorry it was a few days late, didn't see it till now (3 am...) but I'm happy you asked >_< I'm always happy to yap about whatever lmao

[colibrie]

Confrontations- Doubling Down, part III

Art credit to the incredible @trilobitepunch. Check out all of her art, it's incredible!

When no reply came in return Mikey pushed back and went to his and Leo’s room, quietly closing the door behind him. The room was exactly how they had left it, but the excitement of the morning felt so far away now. Nearly another life time, another him all together.

He sighed, dropping down to sit on the edge his bed.

“Man…What am I going to-Ack!”

A shadow broke from the rest to zip across the room, leathery wings beating gusts of air into his face as happy trills and squeaks broke through the gloom.

“George!” Mikey cheered, his mouth and mood lifting as he held up an arm to his beloved pet. “Hey buddy!”

The smooka chirped as he settled on the proffered perch, chattering affectionately as his scaly head nuzzled against Mikey’s cheek.

“Heh, I missed you too,” Mikey hummed, giggling at the sensation of a wiggly nose pressing against the sensitive parts of his neck. “You would not believe the day we’ve had.”

Words poured past his lips as he told his beloved friend about training, about the fight, their flight home, and the revelations of the afternoon. About his father’s story and the weaponized words his brother and father had hurled at one another.

“I don’t know what to do George,” he groaned, flopping back to stare at ceiling. “I don’t know how to fix this!”

George let out a sympathetic croon, prehensile tail wrapping lightly around Mikey’s neck in a lose hug as a pair of sharp front teeth tugged at the collar of his shirt.

“I know they didn’t mean what they said, either of them,” Mikey continued, fingers stroking the short fuzz on his friend’s mottled brown skin. “Dad and Leo are stubborn, and they just…gah, I don’t know! I don’t even know how I feel about all this! I mean, it’s not like I didn’t know that I had two other brothers at some point, but Raph and Donnie… it’s…I’m…”

George purred, a deep rumble that shook his tiny body as it sank soothingly into Mikey’s chest. It coaxed the air and frustration from his lungs and encouraged him to take a new, clean breath.

“Yeah…You’re right George. I can’t help any of them if I don’t start with me. So, let’s do this Dr. Feelings!” he agreed, lightly clapping his hands to psyche himself up.

“First step is to break the feelings down and define them. I’m…overwhelmed. Confused, and scared. Someone tried to kill me, and that someone is actually my big brother, whose name is Raphael. Leo froze up and got hurt because of my other brother Donatello, and that is scary too. I’m also…frustrated, and maybe a little angry. I’m frustrated with myself for panicking and forgetting how to land the ship. I’m frustrated that Leo and Dad can’t just talk to each other. I’m... I’m angry at dad for treating my force abilities like they’re bad thing. I’m angry that I didn’t even know my other brothers’ names. I’m angry…no…I’m hurt that I’m the only one who doesn’t get remember them, that Leo and Dad have all these memories to fall back on while I’m stuck in the dark. I’m hurt that I just found out my big brothers are alive, and dad won’t let us go after them.”

He paused to pull in several slow breaths, carefully counting each one as George continued to purr against his throat.

“Okay, emotions identified. Great job! Now to take a step back and put those emotions in context.”

The shadows slowly grew longer as he worked, George occasionally letting out a squeak or chirp in support as he carefully untangled the skeins of his thoughts and feelings.

“There’s something dad isn’t saying about what happened back at the temple, but…it’s not because he wants to hurt us, and I don’t think he forbid us from going after Raph and Donatello because he doesn’t care. I think he’s just scared. For some reason, he’s scared of whatever it was Leo saw, and he’s probably scared that what happened to Donnie and Raph will happen to us too. Leo is probably feeling awful right now. Probably feels betrayed and thinks he’s all alone with everything. Which means he’s gonna do something stupid…”

“Not on my watch,” he muttered, pushing himself up. “Come on George, we’ve got work to do!”

_________________________________________

The silvery light of the moon gilded the treetops, wispy clouds scrolling lazily across a sky studded with breathtaking stars. The night’s chorus well underway, a symphony of nocturnal insects and creatures moving through their monotonous routines, unconcerned with the faintest footsteps that slipped by. Beaten earth wound on to the clearing, shadows peeling back as a lone, lean figure strode toward the parked shuttle. One hand was shoved deep into a pocket while the other held a bag slung over his shoulder, the hem of a long coat barely kissing the top of grass as he passed. His head hung low, the moon highlighting the brilliant blue of his mask as he frowned absently at the ground.

“Bedtime stroll, Leo?” a voice broke the silence as a second, smaller figure detached itself from the side of the shuttle, stepping out into the moonlight as the taller one flinched to a halt.

“M-Mikey?” Leo blinked, mouth falling open in puzzled shock as he glanced between his little brother and the direction he had just come. “Wha…. How…but you were…?”

“Wow, you must be really off your game if you actually fell for the old pillow under a blanket trick,” Mikey scoffed, letting his own bag drop beside him with a dull thump before crossing his arms. “Care to share what you’re doing out here in the middle of the night?”

“Uh…”

“Because I know it’s not because you were planning to steal the shuttle to go after Donnie and Raph all alone, right?”

“What? Pshaw, that doesn’t sound like something I would do,” Leo laughed, faceman smile spreading across his lips as Mikey silently returned a dry, unimpressed look.

“Really Leo?”

“Really! Everything is fine Mikester, I just couldn’t sleep is all. You know how it is. I just need a walk to wind down. You should head back though; dad will go ballistic if he finds-”

“I’m gonna save us both some trouble and stop you right there,” Mikey cut in, planting his hands on his hips as he leaned into Leo’s space, pinning his elder brother with a glare that had Leo leaning back, hands half raised in unconscious surrender. “I know you are planning on stealing the shuttle. I know you are planning to go after Raph and Donnie, and I am going with you.”

“I won’t…you’re what now?”

“I. Am going. With you.”

“Absolutely not! Mikey go ho-”

“They are my brothers too, Leonardo,” he argued. “I may not remember them the way you do, but that doesn’t mean I love them less!”

“I didn’t say tha-”

“And that also goes for you. You are my big brother, and I love you! Whatever comes next, we are going to face it together. Understood?!”

They stared at each other, a silent battle of wills backset by the songs of the night. George shuffled on his perch on Mikey’s shoulder, chattering softly as he too stared a Leo with shiny, expectant eyes. Little by little Mikey’s resolve chipped away at Leo’s, until at last the elder gave in, huffing out a resigned sigh. The next smile he gave shifted away from the perfect, artificial faceman to something a little more crooked, a little more real.

“Alright, alright, I give. Yeesh, you’re a real delicate touch when you want something.”

“You know it baby!” Mikey crowed, a wide smile replacing his glare as he leapt forward and wrapped his arms around Leo’s neck. “I’ve got your back Lee!”

“I know,” Leo mumbled, gently patting Mikey’s shell. “Its going to be a lot harder with out the maps in dads holocron, but we’ll figure something out.”

“Or” Mikey snickered, fingers deftly poking the sensitive skin at the back of Leo’s neck, “you could just say “abracadabra”.”

“Abraca-aaahhhh! Mikey, why?!” Leo squawked, flinching back. Mikey smirked as his brothers glare quickly transformed into dumbfounded delight as he took in the bright cube now sitting in Mikeys palm.

“Ta-da!”

“How did you…?”

“Jedi secret, oh beloved brother. Maybe one day you’ll reach my level of skill.”

“You little!”

Mikey squealed as Leo lunged for him, and the clearing rang with laughter as the two chased each other under the watchful stars. Mikey inevitably ended up in a headlock, giggling like a fool as Leo fought to both noogie him and push away a swooping George. Said headlock slowly transitioned to a tight embrace, the two of them standing firm against the looming unknown.

“We’ve got this Lee,” Mikey whispered, holding on with all his strength.

“Let’s bring them home,” Leo answered, pressing a kiss to the top of Mikeys head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Down below their father awoke to a horrifyingly familiar feeling, one he’d had only once before, on the night when everything changed.

No. Please, no!

The door slammed as clawed feet tore up the path, terror mounting as the familiar whine of a shuttle lifting off shattered the night.

Not my boys. Please! Please, not my boys!

“Boys, no!” he screamed as the shuttle appeared above the trees, willing his legs to go faster even as his heart wailed for the impending loss.

They are too young! he begged, willing the force to listen. Please don’t take them too!

“LEONARDO! MICHELANGELO!”

He reached the clearing as the ships thrusters engaged, one hand reaching uselessly for sky as the shuttle, and his precious children, shot into the atmosphere.

[thepunkmuppet]

UNHOLYVERSE CLOSING THOUGHTS YIPPEEEE YIPPEE YIPPEE

it’s 1am and I’ve finished it :)

the plot was fucking amazing as was the writing, it was like a really really good tv show, or maybe an amazing movie (pt1) and its slightly more deranged sequel (pt2 and 3). I think I definitely preferred all things unholy as a whole, but yeah the next parts really did feel very sequel-like, in that the first one was The Story and the second and third were building on that first core story, expanding the characters and world. which ummmm btw the lore is insane??? so much going on lmfao but I think it all worked really well. the fallout boy stuff was fucking wild though icl because WHAT 💀 I’m also obsessed with the idea of god talking to frank in the form of the cardinal dream, that worked soooo well and still leaving it open at the end is great. I’m so glad frank and gerard got a happy ending, I ship those stupid twats SO hard I’m literally clawing at the walls they make me INSANE RRAAHHHH!!! icl I really didn’t care about mikey and ray’s romance like at all but it worked as a source of conflict and was pretty cute

I kind of forgot it was meant to be mcr fanfic for a while lmfao, which brings me on to I guess the most important part which is my main takeaway on the whole rpf thing

as I’ve said in a post before, I really struggle to picture voices and faces accurately in my head when reading. well except when it comes to buffyverse characters, but that’s just because those shows are so deeply ingrained into my psyche forever that istg I could literally channel buffy summers at this point and just become her. lmfao but yeah I really struggle with that! so when I’m reading, I just kind of create a vibe, a vague mind’s-eye image of a character, it’s very hard to explain. so for me these frank, gerard, mikey, etc characters were subconsciously already way far removed from the real people, like I had to consciously make an effort to make them sound and look exactly like them in my head. but like I said, it felt like a real piece of media like a tv show or something, so to me the unholyverse characters are just that - characters. it really felt like mcr playing movie roles lmfao which I was perfectly happy with. the romance and other relationships were written soooooo well, the real problem was ofc the smut!

I don’t like smut in general, not in a judgy or censor-y way, I just get no joy or kick out of reading it and all it does is make me feel awkward. but with rpf smut, even though I see unholyverse frank and gerard as fictional characters, I can’t ignore the fact that THIS IS FULLY EXPLICIT WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY PORN BEING WRITTEN ABOUT REAL PEOPLE 💀 read it write it all you want, personally I find it uncomfortable and it just doesn’t do anything for me. made me think too much about the fact that it WAS rpf, yk?? got me thinking about the real frank and gerard and how fucking weird it would be to read smth like that about yourself idk, also the fact they have wives and kids…. 😟 gosh idk it was very very well-written smut, it just made me so icked out the more I thought about it

but anyway, OVERALL: I loved it. it was so good, will definitely reread, bookmark, and think about it for a very very very long time. possibly scream and cry and tear my hair out too, idk. part 1 was my favourite by a long shot, it’s so iconic, and feels pretty removed from parts 2 and 3 in a nice way that makes it feel like a movie and its strange sequel. I’ve discovered I like rpf when it’s good and when it’s a complete au and the people feel like original fictional characters in their own right. I don’t enjoy rpf smut, though, AT ALL, which isn’t a surprise bc I don’t enjoy smut in general, the rpf aspect just made it way more uncomfy for me personally. kind of feel the need now to bleach my brain out and consume normal mcr content just to remind myself of the disconnect between unholyverse frerard and the real people lmfao

OH ALSO THAT

I do NOT ship frerard irl, that shit’s fucking weird don’t do it. yes there is a difference between fic like this and saying two married friends and colleagues in real life are actually in love with and attracted to each other. I do for sure ship unholyverse frerard, as I’ve said they’re fictional characters to me

[caiusmarciuscoriolanus]

I’m about to literally yeet myself off of the bear tumbler until after I watch season 3. Like most of you guys are really super cool and I’ve had some genuinely awesome conversations about meta and characters with really cool mutuals. That being said.. SOME, AND I MEAN SOME NOT ALL, ARE WAY WAY TOO INVESTED IN THE PERSONAL LIVES OF THESE ACTORS AND YOURE NOT SEPARATING THE ACTORS FROM THEIR CHARACTERS. This I feel like mostly applies to Sydcarmy (as I’ve observed). Like I said, SOME of you want sydcarmy to happen so bad (which is fine) that you would go as far as to push the same narrative onto the actual actors. Why do you care so much about what they do? Why speculate on the nature of their relationship? Why hate or obsess over it? If they haven’t come out and said “yeah we’re a thing” or some shit then it’s not really anybody’s business what they do or don’t do. Whether that would be together or separately as their own people. I completely understand the love for shipping the characters but literally leave the actors alone.

And also while I’m at it, I think having favorite ships is fine and shipping in general is fine, but I’m almost kinda to the point where I’m tired of digging through all the shipping content for the bear (all ships really) to try and get to the actual stuff people post about individual characters, plot lines, meta. Like yes, I think shipping is fun and I generally don’t have any thing against it all, it’s just that at this point within the plot the relationships and priorities of characters feel like they need individual focus. We literally ended last season on close up contemplation for each individual character within the show. They are all trying to grasp their own personal struggle with the chaos and all feeling different about it. There needs to be more of that. They all have stuff to work on individually. I just don’t think we need these characters forming romantic or intimate stages to their relationships with each other or others until they settle the situation the storyline took us through last season. I may be the only person that feels that way but idk🤷🏻‍♂️ like I need so many other plot points explored before any sort of romance or intimacy. I need carmy to fucking get his shit together and figure out if he wants to do this restaurant shit. I need syd to do the same thing just in a little bit of a different font. I need Richie and Carmy to fix their shit. I need to see what Marcus is gonna do. I need carmy and Nat to lay more of their Mikey shit out on the table. I need more syd taking the reins and being acknowledged for said effort. I need Carmy to call his fucking mom. I NEED CARMY TO JUST FUCKING SAY SOMETHING AND IT NOT BE A TOTAL DEFLECTION. BRO I NEED HIM TO LIKE ACTUALLY INTAKE OXYGEN FOR A MINUTE. AND I KNOW THERE HAS TO BE MORE MIKEY FLASH BACKS. THERE ALSO HAS TO BE MORE WORLD BUILDING IF THATS THE CASE. WE’RE ONLY TWO SEASONS INTO THIS SHOW AND THERE IS SO MUCH MORE SHIT I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT.

[untitled-tmnt-blog]

Name: Untitled

Full disclosure: I've never actually shared my own writing before, but figured this event would be a fun way of giving myself the push to do so! I trust you all not to judge me too harshly!

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Likes: Hurt/comfort, family fluff, Splinter being a dad, Draxum trying to be better, family being protective of one another, pretty much any combination of turtles

Squicks: Super explicit gore, unhappy endings, romance-centric stories (it being a minor part is fine, but shipping just isn't my thing in TMNT)

Favorite Iteration(s): Rise! Although I do also enjoy 2003, 2012, and mm/tottmnt.

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Prompt #1 - Rise Mikey, any age, using his artistic talents to make gifts for his family

Prompt #2 - New dad Splinter (Rise), very unprepared, but doing the best he can

Prompt #3 - Rise Leo confides in Hueso, and gets some much needed advice

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[hepatosaurus]

2024 AO3 Wrapped!

I meant to post this earlier (like last weekend) but then I finally started playing Baldur's Gate 3 and uhhhhh uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh OOPS where did the time go. So before it gets even more egregious (and because I am eyeing my Steam Deck as I write this): here's my 2024 AO3 Wrapped! Already posted on twitter and bluesky, but now with more rambling. Here we go.

Word Count

So: in 2024 I read 64 fics and 546,908 words across 15 fandoms. That's a good 13 fewer fics compared to last year and 400k fewer words somehow, holy shit? I knew I was gravitating towards short fic this year (which tracks with my book reading too) but damn. My attention span really wasn't great. I had some definite dips through the year but my fic reading basically ground to a halt this fall. too stressed, too tired, too sad. December did bring a revival in both reading and general mood/ability to engage with fandom stuff, so an enormous thank you to sylvix week for being such a big part of that. Hopefully things continue to improve in the new year because woof. (also my Marked for Later is soooooooooo loooong lol.)

(continued under the cut.)

Top Fandoms

Surprise surprise. What can I say, no other fandom had that je ne sais quoi that makes me want to seek out fic seriously! Did some dabbling in other fandoms throughout the year, plus a little fic book club with friends that made me finally read some classics like astolat's Transformers But Make It Omelas fic (believe it or not, my first and only astolat, though not my first Naomi Novik), but otherwise I'm still very monofandom. I'm wondering if the Witch Hat Atelier anime later this year will inspire me to finally read all those fics in my MfL... it might! or maybe not! really depends. Like, I fully expected to read more Dungeon Meshi fic this year, but I think the fact that I am still sloooowly reading the manga (according to what my library system has, not scanlations), and have no desire to be spoiled more than I already am (grumble) was a big deterrent. And IWTV, which I LOVE, is already so satisfying that I personally don't need or want to fill in any blanks in a fannish way.

Top Authors

47 individual authors with a few repeats - thank you again mikey desmodus for your service and dedication to putting sylvain into so many situations. 🫡 I DID finally read fic by a few authors whose names I've seen around for years but never tried out, which was fun! And led to reading a bunch of stuff I might not normally read, which is also fun/illuminating.

Top Pairings

I'm still sylvix trash after all these years, water is wet, etc. What can I say, those two have an iron grip on my brain. But I'm pleasantly surprised to see more F/F 3H pairings creeping up in the rankings! Well, "more" is a relative term when you look at the numbers but there's a lot of great stuff out there. Good job None for holding on to the no. 2 spot, and as always I'm delighted to see my Rakugo darlings make an appearance thanks to my Annual SGRS Jess Fic.

Top Characters

Sylvain at 50% (down from 57% lol) - how the mighty have fallen...😔 Kidding aside, this is about what I expected especially given my top ships. It's always kind of fun to see who shows up in the 1s though, outside of 3H; we got Transformers, we got History Boys, we got half-foot adventurers! And below the arbitrary top 20 cut off, there are hockey players, kpop idols, one charming young man capable of being terrible™, a crotchety journalist-turned-vampire, and your average Napoleonic War-era naturalist/physician/spy. Variety! yahoo.

Ratings, Categories, Etc.

I told myself I'd sort out that Multi category this year, which did NOT happen, but oh well. Maybe in 2025. Explicit still reigns supreme, because this is fandom, but it's definitely dropped, and NSFW is down 15% as well (below 50% now!). Make of that what you will. ¯\_(���)_/¯

Tags & Tropes

PWP, Character Study, Established Relationship, Post-Canon? Check. But it was VERY interesting to see Humor break into the top six for the first time, with a not entirely insignificant lead over ye olde standbys Pining and Angst. not sure if this was due to my gravitating towards lighter fic this year (which would definitely make sense considering...how this year has gone) OR because I apparently made an effort to add the Humor tag even if the authors didn't? Probably a bit of both tbh; I definitely wasn't actively seeking out dark content (example: Major Character Death is an extremely mood-dependent tag for me in a normal year and even less appealing recently, and there are a few fics with that tag - by authors I like! - that have been sitting in my MfL for going on two years now). But also, there's a lot of genuinely funny fic out there! I want to keep track of those gems.

Etc: Commenting, Rereading, Reccing, and Bookmarks

I managed to comment on over 50% of fics I read in 2023, and continued doing so in 2024 (despite everything). From 51.9% to 54.69%, hooray. I definitely want to see if I can increase that number this year. Looks like I enjoyed/would rec a comfortable majority of the fic I read too, which is always nice, and got a little less wishy washy on the fic I didn't like (more Nos than Maybes in 2024, while Maybe had a solid lead in 2023). I didn't outright hate anything either. I'm still not much of a rereader, and bookmarks remain low like they generally have since I started tracking my fic (which is probably a combo of being mostly in a five-year-old fandom and well, tracking my fic in a separate spreadsheet). About half of the fic I DID bookmark were for non-3H fandoms too.

Looking Ahead

So that's it! I haven't actually read any new fic in 2025 yet since almost literally all my downtime has been spent playing Baldur's Gate 3 lol. but I am hopeful for this year! At least in terms of my reading (no comment on the rest). Despite my current BG3 fixation I will be EXTREMELY surprised if that translates into my reading any fic - tbh even though I've loved this series for over 20 years (it's one of THE defining video games of my youth, and the new game is fucking incredible), I've never been interested in the transformative fandom side of things. We'll see if that changes this year, but I'm kind of doubtful. Witch Hat is another story, but again, you never know. There's a ton of 3H fic I want to get to soon so I've definitely got enough reading material on that side of things (WIPs! new fic posted during sylvix week! old fic I've been meaning to read for a year now! pairings I'm curious about but have never really checked out!). Let's see where the fandom winds take me I guess. :)

As always, thank you all fic authors past and present! I appreciate you more than you can ever know. xoxo

[99pansy]

what is baycest did you mean waycest or is it something else and also what other weird stuff was gerard doing around that time (referring to what you said in your recent post about their controversies) also as a new MCR fan youre really cool for educating people about lore and stuff thank you

if you REALLY wanna know what baycest was I'll put an explanation at the bottom of this post cos I'm not a gatekeeper but.... like it's really awful so you might not wanna know?

i wanna preface all of this by saying I really do not intend to drag gerard or anything. i honestly love and respect him so much. i don't condone everything he's done but I acknowledge he's a human being who

is capable of making mistakes

has struggled with addiction on/off

has grown significantly as a person in the last 10-15 years

our heroes are human too!

anyway i'll explain what i said about gerard. there are some verita venom posts that describe them throwing up on stage and throwing it at fans? i have literally never seen a video of this and it does sound super out of character. if they were throwing something into the crowd, I can't believe it would have been literal vomit?! (I linked the main one but she mentions it a few times in her posts)

alsooo (im about to criticize gerard) he definitely did some weird shit on stage like pretending to jork it with minors in the crowd and just generally acting sexually on stage (this was projekt revolution so the show was all ages)

i do believe he had relapsed and was drinking again at this time, probably doing coke as well

im also gonna link some other posts verita made that describe some of his behaviors on stage to support this. please don't think i share the same exact views as her, I'm only linking cos many of the occurrences mentioned in her posts really happened, and you can research them individually if you want. her blog is an unfortunately good source. and i would look up the videos myself but they make me uncomfy

(x) (x)

verita venom criticizes him for acting this way especially after befriending/touring with msi

i hope this answers your question. and btw you're so welcome <3 i love writing and I love mcr, and would consider myself a bit of a historian, so making these posts is literally my pleasure

anyway.... ill explain baycest :(((((((((((((

tw: child abuse, incest

i dont even wanna type this and idk how to explain it tactfully but its basically gerard/bandit and/or mikey as a "ship" or whatever. people took it to an extreme.... literally sent it to him on twitter and everything

gerard relapsed again (the same year) in 2010

it was a real thing on here during 2010-2012. sort of a "meme" I guess... there was this era of extremely edgy/tasteless mcr bloggers who thought this sort of thing was hilarious

im really glad the collective fanbase has grown the fuck up since then cos idk how anyone thought it was funny.

[life-set-to-random]

Oh dear lord… the Ninja Tribunal arch. So much to unpack. Give me strength…

I’m going to try and be fair, I’m going to mention something positive for every complaint I make. I don’t want to be that person after all.

Firstly, please, please, for the love of all things , STOP CALLING OUT ATTACKS LIKE A CHEAP 90S ANIME DUB!!! The original cringe. 😖

Ok, nice thing time. These four were very likable (if not superfluous). I found myself wanting to know more about them and even shipping some of them with the Hamato brothers, if not romantically then at least as besties. Sadly they spend the entire arch building up friendships between these humans and the Turtles only to kill them off in the end. But it feels SO forced. We weren’t given enough time with them to really cry over them as individuals so much as morn the wasted potential they were brimming with. I get they couldn’t kill off the Turtles and thus needed some “Red Shirts” to try and sell the high stakes, but still.

And what about the relatives they were threatened with in the first episode of the arch? Joi Reynard’s Aunt who lives in Japan (I’m assuming Army or Navy brat, she’s WAY too caucasian to even be half Japanese, I’m assuming French ancestry), and Adam McCay’s brother (who never gets a name) in Miami Florida? Faraji Ngala and Yoshida Tora aren’t given specific loved ones to fret over but Tora obviously has someone because he apologizes to Mikey “…our families are at stake.”

Did anyone notify those poor people that their relatives died?! Because they weren’t even mentioned after this.

Side note while we’re on the subject of the folks left behind back on the home front, I hope April or one of the other human Allie’s back in NY are taking care of Klunk. With the way the Hamato clan keeps getting kidnaped for long periods of time, the poor fluff ball could starve easily.

These four, ugh where to start?

Positive note, beautiful visual designs, if not a westerner’s usual hodgepodge of Asian fantasy stereotypes. 🙄😑

Weak backstory, contorting groundbreaking original canon for this series into a very boring and predictable bit of nonsense. Completely unnecessary and obviously half assed, to the point where the Turtles sum it up so succinctly you want to say to Splinter and The Ancient One “That’s how you tell a story!”

Oh and their attitudes sucked! Almost as bad as their communication skills. Thankfully, when he arrived, Splinter flat out called them out on their crap. “How can they prepare themselves if you do not tell them anything?!”

Probably should say something positive again… Um, their voice actors were great?😅 And I love the juxtaposition of the girl being the one to represent strength and having a huge man representing stealth.

The weapons. Positive observations, they’re real weapon types and are actually pretty cool looking. Also it’s nice to see the boys deviated from their comfort zones (not Leo unfortunately, the writers just can’t separate him from swords in their minds apparently). How Leo gets his is so infuriatingly complicated when it didn’t need to be and falls into the trope of “black guy dies first” (then the girl, then the sweetheart, then the cool dude. Did we take a wrong turn into a late 90s horror movie or something?).

The monsters. None of these creatures look like their Japanese inspiration AT ALL! And none of them are Tengu, Tengu doesn’t even mean “demon”! They just stuck Tengu on the end of every other Japanese Yokai name! For no good reason!

I kept hearing that line from Princess Bride in my head. “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

I’m not even Asian and I’m so offended and confused, I can’t imagine how an actual member of the Japanese culture must feel getting shit on like this. Whoever wrote this arch did not respect the source material, the source culture, or the audience because they obviously assumed we were all stupid unaware kids! Ether that, or they were seriously lazy, I suspect both.

And if you’re going to give an English speaking cast of white people Japanese words to say, TEACH THEM HOW TO £¥€&ING SAY THEM CORRECTLY! Jeezus Henry Christmas! (Best Herminone Granger voice) It’s “Oh-Knee” not “On-Eye”!

Bright side, they do look awesome.🤷🏻‍♀️

Im going to have to post about the Tribunal’s dragon forms on another post, I’ve run out of picture space.😑

[vdragon-creations]

Spring Stars! (Part 2) A Date By Any Other Name!

(2003 Donatello x Sasha Fic)

✨💛💜✨

Author’s Note: Holy shit, it’s been a hot minute since I made Part one! I just wanna say a quick thank you (and a very big sorry) to those of you who read it! Means a lot to me that you even attempted to sit through my garbage writing! And now, you’re here looking for more punishment, and deliver it I shall! Plenty of OCxCC ship trash to go around, and more art with it too! Also, MAYBE a slight CW on this one for mentions of possible Spicy thoughts & a little angst! Other than that, it’s all just some fun character interactions! There will also probably be one more part to this story because I love torturing myself, and I can't seem to make anything easy! So enjoy! :3

✨💛💜✨

“Is this a… date?”

The question felt like a switch being flipped, turning the world around them into nothing. Donnie froze, feeling his heart start to pound. He hadn’t really planned for this kind of question, and to him this didn’t FEEL like a date. Though, thinking back on what he had in mind for this outing, it did seem like one. The idea making his face burn even more. But, he had to be honest, the look on Sasha’s face was more studious, and she’d surely be able to tell if he was trying to lie.

“W-we don’t have to call it that just because tht’s what everyone else does. It can be a j-just two friend having fun and getting to know each other better!” Donnie said, nervously smiling as he gulped. Sasha chuckled a little while an unsure grin came to her lips, “That sounds like a date though…” “Fair…” Donnie admitted. There was another pause between them, Sasha now looking at the floor again, then back up at Don. She approached him, getting in so close that Don felt the need to back up, but he stood his ground. While not being much taller then Donnie, Sasha’s stature always made it seem like she was bigger then him. This was a test, and she stared him down to see if there were any signs of wavering. And he just stared back.

“So…what do you say?” Donnie asked, trying to break the silence. Sasha tucked her bottom lip in a bit, her eyes not leaving him. The look in her eyes was thoughtful, then she opened her mouth to speak.

“YO GUYS! WHAT’S THE ETA ON THAT POPCORN? YOU TWO LOVE BIRDS DONE YET?”

The interruption from Mikey calling out for them, along with the ensuing swoons from others mocking them as well, made them both quickly jolt back from one another. Sasha actually seemed rather pissed off by it and she growled back, “ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY! AND NEITHER IS GOOD POPCORN! JUST SETTLE YOUR SHELL!” The others could be heard laughing in the background. Sasha caught her breath and hissed a bit in irritation, before sighing, looking back at Donnie with a disappointment look. “W-we’ll talk more after the movies. Okey?” Donnie had caught his breath too, but now looked disappointed. “S-sure…”

With that the two finished making the Popcorn, and finally came out to the living room where everyone was waiting to start the movie. “Bout time you two joined us! Donnie burn something again?” Raph teased. “Nooo, he actually did quite well. Though maybe it would’ve been done faster if SOME turtles had tried helping out!” Sasha chastised, only to be met with the remaining three turtles looking away, whistling a tune. Sasha rolled her eyes, looking over to April, hoping to get some actual conversation going! “Soooo, did you guys finally decide what to watch? I’m pretty curious!” April nodded, putting in a DVD, “Yep! Casey’s movie is the first!” “Booyah! You’re gunna love it! You’re from like, the desert and stuff, right? The Mummy is the best horror film ever!”

Donnie placed down a few bowls of popcorn onto the coffee table, as Sasha moved over to the side of the couch, still holding a huge bucket of popcorn for herself and Leatherhead. “The Mummy? What’s so scary about Mummies?” She seemed genuinely confused. “You don’t think they look creepy! Dead bodies wrapped in bandages, trying to eat your brain!” Casey argued, getting up and out of his seat and lunging at Sasha playfully, imitating a mummy. Sasha’s ears tilted back, and she stepped back from him, “Yeah…mummies aren’t like that at all! Having seen some up close, they’re more fascinating then anything. You humans are spooked by the weirdest things…”

Casey scoffed, sitting back down and crossing his arms, “Says the girl who can’t look at a kiddy pool without getting shaky…” He muttered under his breath to April, who rolled her eyes at him. “What was that Jones?” Sasha hissed as she turned her head to look back at him, her ears still back. “N-Nothin’! Nothin’ at all!” He scrambled to keep her from jumping him, April and the others having to stifle giggles. “That’s what I thought…” Sasha huffed, turning her attention on trying to find a seat.

Sasha quickly noticed that all the seats where taken on the couch and chairs, with only Leatherhead sitting on the ground, as he was far too big to sit on anything really. As small as she was, she still didn’t like the idea of having to squeeze into any of the seats, getting a little too close for comfort with anyone. But he didn’t need to worry as Leatherhead patted his lap, sitting cross legged on the ground. “It’s easier to share popcorn this way.” He said, giving her a warm and toothy grin. Sasha thought nothing really about it, and agreed. Walking over to him and plopping herself down in his lap. Being this close to Leatherhead was pretty normal to her, having spent plenty of nights by his side, calming him down from his nightmares and helping him get to sleep. However, it was a new sight for a certain terrapin ninja. Donnie had scooted into the couch next to Mikey and Honeycutt, and if she had asked, he would’ve gladly moved to the floor. But instead, here he was, staring at his crush in the lap of another large male mutant!

The normally levelheaded turtle had to admit to himself, it made his heart sink and his blood boil. Truthfully he’d always envied, to some degree, how close Leatherhead was to Sasha. She lived with him, spent most of the day with him, and judging by how comfortable she was touching him and sitting in his lap, spent a lot of time getting…cozy with him. As the movie started on the TV, Donnie started to feel a bit sick, watching Letherhead and Sasha in the corner of his eyes. He’d hold out his hand, and Sasha would take a bit of the Popcorn and place it into his palm.

“Why isn’t she like that with us? With me?”

And after she left his offer for a date unanswered, it made this even harder to watch.

✨💛💜✨

Movie after movie, the night continued, until it was time to start getting to bed. Everyone set up sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets in the living room. Casey and April shared the couch, Mikey and Donnie taking up the Lazyboy chairs, and the others all scattered along the floor. All except Honeycutt who decided to return to Leatherhead’s lair. While getting ready for bed, Donnie ran into Leatherhead, who was washing the bowls and cups they had used all night. “Oh, Donatello! I need to ask you, which soap do you tend to use for your dishes? The Green Apple scent or the Original?” Leatherhead asked, turning his head to see his turtle friend standing in the doorway. Donnie was stunned for a moment, as he wasn’t sure how to feel. His voice was caught between wanting to snap at him cause he was still upset about Sasha. But the more rational side of him told him to cool it for now. He shrugged, “Oh uhhhh, I think we use Original…” he replied, sounding a bit mopey as he crossed the room and grabbed a cup from the cabinets, doing his best to not make eye contact. But Leatherhead noticed immediately, “What is wrong my friend? You seem upset.” Donnie stayed still, staring at the cup in his hand, trying his best to not snap at him, debating on whether or not to say anything.

“I really don’t have the right to be upset. I don’t own her…” Donnie said flatly. His eyes flew wide open, and he gasped a bit at what just came out of his mouth. He really didn’t wanna say it out loud, but it just…came out. Even Leatherhead was a little spooked, it was a tone he had never heard from his terrapin friend. He sounded almost, bitter and childish. “What are you talking about? You don’t own who?” As soon as he said it, it’s like the answer came right to the front of his mind, but it still didn’t make sense. “Are you…talking about Sasha?” Hearing her name come from Leatherhead’s mouth brought Donnie back to reality, and brought back his earlier frustration. That’s when he finally looked up at the taller reptile, with a face that made Leatherhead actually step back for a second. “Look, Leatherhead. I-I…need you to be honest with me!” Donnie started, he looked like a mixture of determination, worry, and possibly anger. “Of course my friend…” Leatherhead’s brows turned down in concerned confusion.

Donnie sucked in a breath, clenching his fist before finally breathing out, a slight shake coming from the puff of air. “Are and Sasha…involved at all?” The words felt painful coming from his lips, the meaning of which almost made a tear come to his eyes. Even his voice hitched as he spoke. He trusted Leatherhead so much, he was one of his closest friends. For sure he knew how he felt about Sasha, even without being told directly! And if he was having a relationship with her while knowing this, it was a betrayal on a level he hadn’t dealt with before. Leatherhead’s eyes went wide as the words finally met his ears, his jaws gaping open in an attempt to speak. “W-what? Have you gone mad?” “Just please answer me Leatherhead!” Donnie snapped back, he was trying his best to sound tough, like he wasn’t about to cry. And still trying not to be heard by the others. “I-I don’t know what you’re going on about friend! What Sasha and I have is purely platonic. Nothing more! Where on earth would you get the idea otherwise?” Leatherhead asked, but Donnie didn’t answer back, he just stood there, keeping eyes contact with him. That’s when it hit him.

“This is about her sitting on my lap…” he stated, his voice starting to sound less startled and more cold. If the Croc was being honest, he was kinda offended by the implications this question brought on. “And the touching and the feeding you popcorn…” Donnie added, starting to sound a bit more argumentative. A growl started to form in Leatherhead’s voice now, “You can’t be serious Donatello! I would never-“ Before he could finish his words, Sasha’s voice coming from the doorway spooked both of them. They whipped their heads to see Sasha standing there clutching a couple of chip bags that were now rolled up and clipped shut. She had a confused look on her face, looking back and forth between the two. “Did I interrupt something?” She asked.

“So…she didn’t hear anything…”

The thought alone made Donnie relax a little bit and he stammered out a response. “N-No nothing really.” Sasha squinted a bit at him, then looked at Leatherhead, who straightened up at her gaze. “Yes, nothing really too pressing.” Yeah, she didn’t buy that for a second, looking back and forth between the two again. “Alright then…well…I’ve got these leftover chips. Where would you like me to put them Donnie?” She asked. Donnie stuttered a bit but approached her “I’ve got it for you!” He took them from her arms and walked over to a random cabinet and shoved them in there. “Ah! I s-see…thanks…” Sasha said, feeling a little weird now. It was clear the two were in the middle of a conversation, one she wasn’t welcome to, so she made herself scarce. Sasha then stretched and yawned, “Well then, I’m just gunna…uhh start getting our blankets ready Leatherhead!” She chirped. “Thank you Sasha! I’ll be over to help in a minute!” Leatherhead nodded her way, prompting the turtle to give him a side glance. Sasha nodded back, giving the two of them another look before walking off.

There was silence once more between them, before Leatherhead huffed and looked back down at Donnie. The Turtle already looking back up at him. “I don’t know what is going on with you my friend, but I’d never willingly hurt you. I’d hope that after what happened with bishop and your transformation, I would have proven myself more then loyal to you and your brothers.”

“Ouch…he really had to go there…”

Donnie bristled a bit at that. It had happened a while back. And while he didn’t remember anything that happened during it, from everything Leatherhead and his brothers told him, he was a lot to deal with. He didn’t know if Sasha had been told the story of that or not, but the thought of her knowing made him cringe a bit. With that, Leatherhead went back to the dishes, turning his back to Donnie.

✨💛💜✨

After getting something cold to drink from the fridge, Donnie left the kitchen to see everyone getting settled down for the night. Including Sasha, who was making a big spot on the floor for Leatherhead. A smaller spot lay right next to it. Sasha, looked up for a split second to see him staring. Her face becoming a bit flustered. Donnie bit his lip and quickly walked over to his bedroom. Raph happened to look up and see him making a beeline for his room and let out a quick “Yo Donnie!”, prompting the purple clad turtle to stop dead in his tracks, squeezing his eyes shut in embarrassment. “What are you doing? We agreed on a full crew sleep over!” He had to think fast, come up with an excuse, any excuse that would keep him out of the same room where Sasha and Leatherhead would be laying together.

“Oh uhh, yeah I know! I-I was just gunna work on something real quick, just till I get sleepy! Then I’ll join you guys!”

Donnie chirped, just as Leatherhead came out of the Kitchen. He turned his head just in time to meet eyes with the Croc once more, then he looked back at the others, the ever friendly smile still on his face. “Promise! You guys just go ahead without me!” The others looked at one another confused, meanwhile Sasha just looked at him confused, ears tilted low. Leatherhead himself looking at the turtle with a stern stare. With that, Donnie booked it into his room and shut the door behind him, breathing in a sigh of relief, shell against the door.

After his retreat the others decided to play a few card and board games to wear themselves out. But the whole time, Sasha seamed a bit, distracted. Leatherhead had to get to the bottom of this. It was clear now to him that something had to have gone down between both of his friends. It was the only way to explain Donnie’s sudden jealousy. So after excusing himself to the kitchen, he gestured for Sasha to come with him. Sasha was confused, but agreed, as she was pretty thirsty. Once she entered the kitchen, Leatherhead was leaning against the countertop, staring right at her with an expectant look on his face. She flinched a bit, but then tried to play it cool. “H-hey big guy, what’s up?” “I was hoping you would know.” Leatherhead responded flatly, letting his thick tail flop loudly on the ground behind him. “Know about what? I don’t fallow.” Sasha asked, now genuinely curious and a bit annoyed. Leatherhead was quite for a moment, looking like he was trying to choose his words carefully. “Donatello is acting strange, and I was hoping you’d be able to tell me why.” Sasha raised a brow, her lips turning into a frown, “Well, yeah, he’s acting weird. But why would I have anything to do with it? The more likely thing is that whatever it was you two were talking about in here earlier is what set him off.” Sasha shot back, crossing her arms, “Maybe I should be asking YOU why he’s acting weird.”

Leatherhead snorted loudly, narrowing his eyes at the feline. “You know, Michelangelo told me he overheard you two talking earlier in here…” Sasha seemed to freeze as her eyes widened, her face somehow starting to burn with embarrassment. She gulped, but tried to play it off, though her tone wasn’t convincing at all, “W-What did he hear?” “He didn’t give any details, said that the two of you were far too quiet to be understood. But whatever it was, it was charged. So to speak.” Sasha’s eyes looked down at the floor, as she absentmindedly sighed. Both with relief and frustration perhaps. Then her eyes looked back up at Leatherhead, still a bit miffed at this interrogation, “Still not sure where you’re going with this then.” Leatherhead hummed a little under his breath, before deciding it was better to be blunt about this. “Donatello seems to be a bit jealous with our relationship.”

Sasha’s face went from annoyed to being downright stunned in a matter of seconds. And she just stood there, mind spinning like a video game loading screen, before words finally started forming in her throat, “I-I w-what? How does that work? What do you mean by our ‘relationship’!?” Sasha asked, in a hushed but clearly angered tone. Doing her best to keep the others in the living room from hearing. Leatherhead shrugged, “He just really seemed to be upset with how close we seemed. Especially physically. Had a problem with you sitting in my lap during the movie and handing me popcorn.” Sasha shook her head and started rubbing her temples in frustration. A hissing sound escaping her lips. “I told him that he should be able to trust me, given our history together. But I wanted to know if there was actually something going on between the two of you that I should know about. Because I’m clearly missing something.” Leatherhead added. Sasha huffed, now crossing her arms. Having her back turned now at the Croc.

Even from behind her, he could see her staring at the ground, her tail and ears twitching with aggravation. Clearly thinking. He gave her a few moments, before her ears drooped in defeat and she sighed, “Promise me! This doesn’t leave this room!” She looked back at him over her shoulder. Leatherhead silently nodded. Sasha then turned to face him, eyes still low to the ground and arms crossed in front of her, but now her cheeks actually started to show a slight pink hue. “D-Donnie sorta…asked me out…” She muttered.

There was a pause, and Leatherhead’s eyes slowly widened.

“Oh!” He said, finally putting two and two together. Sasha growled and her eyes snapped up at him, she wasn’t sure why, but his almost lackluster reaction to this news pissed her off. “Oh! Just Oh!?” “Sorry! Sorry I just wasn’t expecting that! You mean like…asked you out! As in a date?” Leatherhead asked. Sasha’s irritation dropped a bit and she shrugged, “He said we didn’t have to call it that. Just two friends hoping to get closer to one another and understand their feelings more…” She muttered, looking back down at the floor. Leatherhead raised and eyebrow at that, a slight smirk tugging at his lips, “That sounds a lot like a date.” “That’s exactly what I said.” There was another pause.

“So, did you say yes?”

“No…”

“You rejected him?”

“What? No! W-we got interrupted before I could give him an answer…”

“Ooohhhhh…” he said, looking off to the floor. Mulling over this new information. Now Donnie’s attitude made a lot more sense. To pour your heart out and finally ask out the girl you’ve been crushing on for the last few months, only to then have no clear answer and watch as she gets closer to another dude. And his close friend at that! He’d be a bit miffed too. Maybe even violent. Though, Sasha can’t really be held responsible for this alone. “So what did you end up telling him?” He asked, finally looking back at her. “I told him that we would talk more about it after the movie. But…then I saw you two in here talking, and now Donnie seems awfully upset…” Sasha responded, leaning against the counter. Leatherhead sighed, This whole thing was a bit of an emotional mess. And communication would be the obvious answer. “You need to tell him your decision tonight. Irreparable damage could be done to your relationship if you don’t let him know soon. And frankly, I can’t stay. I’ve never seen Donatello so angry before, and while I won't hold it against him, if I stay the night, I’ll only make it worse…” Leatherhead muttered. Sasha’s ears drooped, he was right. This needed to be settled soon.

With that, Leatherhead left the room with Sasha closely following. He said his goodbyes to the others, but explained that he had to head back home to be with Professor Honeycutt.

As he left, Donnie peaked ever so slightly out of his door, to see Leatherhead leaving…with Sasha close behind him. It stung, he couldn’t deny that! But, he also couldn’t blame them. After being the kind of ass he was being, he’d be surprised if either of them wanted to talk to him ever.

“So much for…getting closer and figuring things out…”

With regret and shame in his heart, he slumped back over to his bed and flopped down onto it.

✨💛💜✨

A few hours had passed since Donnie passed out, and he looked over at the clock across the room. “2:30 a.m…” he muttered, yawning as he did so. He felt his mouth was dry and his head seemed to hurt quite a bit. “Should probably get some water…” he thought, before remembering that the others were still in the living room, and that he had promised to come out to join them all. He cringed, guilt tugging at his nerves. He tiptoed over to the door and peaked out again, relieved to find everyone had fallen asleep. The pressure of them badgering him was now gone, and replaced with a new fear and mission. “Get to the kitchen and get some water without waking them.” He thought.

As silently as he could, he cracked the door open and stared tiptoeing his way to the kitchen, putting his ninja training into practice. Only stopping shortly to look over at the entrance to the Lair, more guilt seeping in as he remembered seeing Leatherhead and Sasha leaving together. But, he got to the kitchen without waking anyone, and he quietly got a small cup and turned the faucet on. After filling his cup, he peaked out of the kitchen, and after seeing that the coast was clear, he tiptoed back to his room.

He turned to softly close the door behind him, but as soon as he turned back to look at his bed, he saw Sasha sitting there. Blue eyes staring right at him in the dark room. The surprise alone of someone being there, made him flinch and almost scream, but he was stopped when Sasha zipped off the bed and was now in front of him, covering his mouth with the back of her hand. “Shhhhh! It’s me, relax!” She whispered harshly. After a few seconds of hyperventilation, Donnie blinked a bit and relaxed, Sasha then moved her hand away from him and stepped back. “W-when did..” he tried asking, but Sasha answered promptly, “About the time you were on your way to the Kitchen. You stopped and looked my way. Thought you saw me, but it didn’t seem like it…” “Oh…I see.” He muttered, then froze realizing that his cup was missing and nearly having a heart attack, thinking that he dropped it and alerted the others. But just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw Sasha holding up the cup in the dark. “Getting yourself a drink after working for so long?” She said softly, a tinge of sarcasm and bitterness in her tone. Donnie’s heart shriveled up a bit. She knew he was lying.

Donnie took the cup from her fingers and chugged it down, but it really didn’t help much, her being here like this made his stomach feel sick. The silence between them was the loudest thing in the world now, and it made Donnie feel so clammy. But he had to say something. But once again, Sasha spoke first. “Leatherhead told me everything…” And just like that, Donnie’s heart dropped to the floor so hard he was surprised it didn’t wake everyone in The Lair. He felt heat rise to his cheeks and he felt tears beginning to come to his eyes. “I-I don’t know what came over me…” he started, “…and I’m sorry…” “I’m not really the one who needs to hear that…” Sasha piped up. “I know, and I plan to tell him sorry in the morning. But, I’m also sorry to you…” Sasha raised an eyebrow at that. Donnie sighed, “I had no right to act Ike that. You didn’t belong to me, you still don’t, and you never will. I was being selfish, entitled, jealous, and…just plain stupid…” he said, taking a seat over by his deck, slumped over, face in his hands.

Sasha kept her eyes on him the whole time, and after hearing that, a soft red started to creep up on her cheeks. She stayed silent for a bit, waiting to see if he would say more. But he didn’t, so she continued, “You’re the furthest thing from stupid Don. Cut yourself some slack. Not every guy out there can admit that sorta thing out loud, ya' know?” Donnie let out a dry chuckle, no humor was there though. “I don’t know if I should be praised so highly. After all…I-I…” his cheeks went dark red before continuing, “I still can’t admit how I feel about you…not to myself, to anyone, and…” his eyes trailed up to her, and seeing her rosy cheeks and blue eyes staring at him, he swallowed his words and just clammed up, looking back down at the floor. Sasha blinked in shock, her mouth slightly agape. But this shock only lasted a moment, and it was replaced with a rush.

Confidence, Determination, and Excitement!

An ever so slight grin came to Sasha’s lips, her cheeks getting warmer. “Well… at the very least I’m glad you plan on apologizing to Leatherhead! I wouldn’t wanna spend the night looking at stars with you if that was gunna be the case.” Donnie softly nodded, the words “Yeah…” muttered their way out of his mouth as he stared at the floor. Until what Sasha said finally clicked in his brain, and his head snapped back up to look at her. She had a soft smile on her lips, a small red tint peaking its way through the fur on her cheeks. Donnie’s eyes started growing wide as his heart started gaining speed in his chest. “W-wait, w-what? Did you just..” he was about to question, but Sasha just nodded softly in response. “REALLY?!” Donnie said, almost shouting, before noticing how loud he was and flinching, bringing his hands up to his mouth, clamping it shut. He quickly got up and rushed around to his door and peaked back out into the living room. Everyone was still sound asleep, and he sighed in relief.

Donnie closed the door back behind him, and faced back to Sasha. A sheepish grin pulled at the corners of his mouth, “I-I..I’m happy you’re up for it.” Sasha let a small giggle out, crossing her arms in front of herself, “Well, I was always up for something like this, but finding an activity that didn’t necessarily involve being all ‘Sciencey’ and what not was a bit difficult. Especially finding something we’d both like equally.” Donnie nodded in agreement, having had the same thoughts before talking with April about all this. Happy to see he wasn’t alone in that. “But…Stargazing actually sounds really fun! Used to do that all the time back home. And…it’s pretty romantic…” The heat on her cheeks getting stronger as those words came from her lips. Don wasn’t sure if that was a bad reaction or if she liked the idea of that, so he reiterated his earlier statement, “Y-yeah…I know. But again, we don’t…have to call it a date if that makes it too…well…you know.” “Y-Yeah, I know….” There was a very tense pause between them, before Sasha spoke up again. “Well then…Uhhh…” she stuttered out, looking at him, almost like she wasn’t sure what to do next. Her arms now kinda lifted like she wanted to reach out to him, almost like a hug or maybe something else. But she quickly shook her head and brought them back down to her sides, “Y-you have a good night, ok?”

Donnie was about to protest a bit, after seeing that, but decided not to try and press his luck. The girl he’d been crushing on for a while now had just agreed to go out with him. He wasn’t about to try anything stupid now! He softly nodded, “Y-yeah… you too Sasha…”

✨💛💜✨

With that everything was set in motion! Splinter was told about his plans and his blessing was given, though not without the embarrassing implication that he “Expects that they’re not going to do anything that would be irresponsible.” Donnie promised no such thing would get even close to happening. Not that the idea hadn’t crossed his mind before in a few dreams he’d wish would leave him alone. And of course April knew about the plan. The only one’s not in the loop where Casey & his brothers! And if he had anything to say about it, none of them would ever know about it. Though hiding the fact that he’d be gone for about a week was gunna be impossible.

For the next few days, Sasha and Donnie texted back and forth, disguising the details of the trip. Sasha was a little surprised to find out that it wouldn’t just be a single night out alone with him, but it would actually be a six day long trip! One day to make it there, two days hike out to where they would actually be star gazing, Two days back to the farmhouse, and then a one day trip back to the city! This made Sasha just a tad bit more worried about the idea, and it made a pit form in her stomach.

“Oh god…am-am I gunna be able to handle being alone with him for that long...?”

Sasha looked down at her claws, noting the sharp nails again. The memory of the other night where she accepted his offer replaying in her head again for the 30th time that day. She was about to hug him, but she had to stop herself again. Those feelings, Those thoughts, those…urges, they showed no sign of stopping. And it really started to scare her more. Worried about how she would handle it all, she went to Leatherhead for advice. If it was this hard to hold back being all cooped up, she could only imagine how much harder it would be to keep herself under control while not only being out in nature again for the first time in months, but it was also spring time. The Time of Passion for a lot of species, including themselves. Leatherhead assured her she’d be fine, but if she really felt uncomfortable, she could just change her mind about going.

But no, Sasha snorted, “I can’t keep being a coward. And I’ve already gotten this far. I might as well see how this goes. And I trust Donnie, so I need to start trying to trust myself.”

Finally the day came, and with it, butterflies galore for both of them. Donnie was in his room, getting his final preparations ready. All the gear he’d be taking with them laid out over his floor. “Let’s see…Blankets, Pillows, Telescope, Flint, Matches, Water Canteen, Notebooks…” He muttered to himself, before a knock at his door spooked him. “Hey yo, Donnie! You in there bro?” called out Raph’s muffled voice from behind the door. Donnie panicked a bit and quickly started to shove the items into his duffle bag, “Uhhh, j-just a minute Raph! I’m here!” Raph raised a brow at that, “The heck does that mean? The hell are you-“ Raph asked as he opened Donnie’s door anyways to see his brother haphazardly slamming his duffle bag under his desk and him quickly plopping his butt into his deck chair. There was a pause while Donnie tried playing it cool, “Oh hey! Sorry about that Raph, I was just…uhhh…you know…reorganizing my stuff…” trailing off in the last part a bit. Both in a way that made it sound like he was questioning what was coming out of his mouth and instantly regretting it. He had been able to hide the trip from his brothers for the whole week, but this is where shit was gunna hit the fan.

It was pretty obvious that Donnie was lying, he was never good at it! Raph’s eyes flicked down at the duffle bag and then back up at his brother, then they narrowed, “You always stuff your bag full of your crap when you ‘Reorganize’ things?” He asked, really not amused. “I do now.” Donnie stated, quickly rushing past his brother. If he was gunna be getting ready for this trip and getting the snacks packed, he was gunna have to do it now while he still could. But Raph wasn’t letting him go that easy. The whole week leading up to today, he, Leo, and Mikey had been feeling like something was up with him and Sasha! Big time! Mikey said that during the sleepover, he overheard Sasha and Donnie talking in his room, but couldn’t exactly understand what they were saying. And ever since that, the two of them have been a lot weirder around each other. They could be seen starring at one another more often, they’d be whispering to one another, and it seemed like the super awkward air they had between them was nearly gone almost over night! And now, this morning, Donnie hadn’t come out of his room and was now packing a bag with god knows what!

“Like Shell you do! The heck is up with you today?” Raph asked, fallowing close behind his brother who was heading to the kitchen. “I have no clue what you’re talking about…” Donnie said quickly, trying to shake off the praying. But it wasn’t gunna work. Leo stopped his training to walk over to them, “What’s going on?” Leo asked, concerned that the two might have gotten into another fight. “Donnie here is packing a bag in his room!” Raph said, still fallowing Don and not stopping. “What?” Leo asked, genuinely concerned hearing this. “It’s not how it sounds…” Donnie said while digging through the cabinets for a few sandwich bags and filling them with a few small snacks. “It’s exactly how it sounds! Don’t give us that!” Raph barked back. “What the shell are you doing packing up your stuff Donnie?” Leo asked, now getting really worried. “I’m…going on a short trip…” Donnie’s said, figuring he might as well give them that much. “What!? Why? Where? Does Splinter know about this?” “Any particular order you want those answers in?” Donnie snarked back as he quickly gathered up some juice pouches into a cooler along with the snacks, still not making eye contact with his brothers.

“Stop it Donnie, I’m serious! What is going on?” Leo tried to plead, but it fell on deaf ears as Donnie slid a few extra things from the fridge into his cooler and made his way back out of the kitchen, cooler in hand. “Nothing that you two need to concern yourselves with! I’m just gunna be gone for a week! I’ll be fine!” Donnie said, obviously getting annoyed and stressed by the badgering from his brothers, speed-walking his way back to his room. And just as he saw his open bedroom door, he could see Mikey, looking through his Shell Cell. The duffle bag he had on the floor now open.

“MIKEY!” Donnie shouted in anger as he charged into his room, quickly whipping the Shell Cell from his hands and quickly slinging the duffle bag over his shoulders. “Whoa! Easy Donnie, I was just-“ “Snooping through my things when I’ve told you about a thousand times not to…” Donnie quickly retorted, clearly not amused. “Come on dude! You aren’t telling us what you’re up to, and I KNOW you’re up to something!” Mikey said back, sure he could be a little shit stirrer, but he was just as worried about this “trip” as much as his brothers were. Donnie rolled his eyes, letting out and exacerbated huff, “Look I’m gunna be fine! I have my Bo with me, and if I need anything, I have my Shell Cell!” He said, now packed up and ready to leave. He had already texted Sasha to let her know he was ready to leave.

Walking into the living room area, Donnie just stood there, looking through the Shell Cell at his messages. But his brothers weren’t gunna let up. “Can you at least tell us where you’re going?” Leo asked. “Why, so you three can fallow me? I don’t need any praying eyes!” He brothers all just threw up their brows and that, and looked at one another. They had to admit that fallowing him was kinda on the table, but no way they were admitting it. “What does that mean?” Leo asked. “Yeah!?” Raph asked. “You got some super secret vehicles you’re working on or something?” Mikey asked. Donnie turned to look at his brothers, “What? No! Look, I’m not telling you guys what I’m doing or where I’m going! And that’s final!” Donnie snapped. The brothers had to take a step back for a minute, looking a bit concerned now. Donnie sighed, “Look, I’m sorry, ok? I just need to be alone for this! Splinter and April know where I am if something happens to me. But I’m gunna be fine, I just, need to face this on my own.”

Leo narrowed his brows a bit, Donnie made it seem like a very important mission, “Face what on your own?” But before Leo could get any kind of answer to his question, a voice came up from behind Donnie at the entrance to the lair! “Hey Donnie, sorry for taking a while, I had to find all my old camping ge-“ Sasha chirped as she entered the lair, to see Donnie, Leo, Mikey, and Raph all looking up at her. The latter three looking up at her a bit bewildered. Donnie looking back at her over his shoulder, now smiling. There was a short pause before Sasha let out a nervous chuckle, taking in the scene right in front of her. “Oh…Am I interrupting something?” She asked, a crooked smile crossing her face. “Nope! Just finishing up here!” Donnie chirped back, giving her a sweet smile, his brothers now looking at the two of them with wide eyes and slacked jaws.

Sasha, noticed the light signal from Don that she needed to run, and she nodded. “Ah! I see, well…meet you in the Battle Shell then! See you in a week fellas!” She said, giving them another smile and backing up a bit. And before any of them could react, Sasha turned tail and sped off on foot. Another awkward pause wafted through the room, before Don looked back at his brothers, “Welp, you heard her! And it’s not polite to keep a lady waiting!” “WHAT?” His brothers shouted, but Don was already booking it out of the lair, disappearing in to the darkness of the tunnels. “The shell was that?!” Raph asked, genuinely thrown off by how bizarre and quickly that went down. “I-I don’t know…” Leo muttered, honestly too shocked to really understand what just happened. “Huh…well that explains what I found in Donnie’s bag…” Mikey then starts to giggle a little, that impish smile he gets when he’s just played a prank on someone slowly growing on his face. “What? What’s so funny?” Raph looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow. “Oh nothing…sure we’ll find out in a week…” Mikey grinned.

✨💛💜✨

Donnie was nearly out of breath by the time he made it to the warehouse, where Sasha was already sitting besides the Battle Shell, leaning up against it. But once she heard his feet approaching she straighten up and waved. She looked nervous, but was clearly trying to hide it, “How did it go?” She asked. Donnie shook his head as he approached her, “About as good as I figured it would…” he said. Sasha cringed, “Ooof. Sorry to leave you behind like that…” “No need to apologize, probably would’ve gone way worse had you stuck around.” Donnie admitted, opening the back of the Battle Shell, loading up his duffle bag and cooler. “Fair enough!” Sasha said, also placing her duffle bag next to his. “With that said we should probably get outta here pretty quick before they have a chance to fallow?” “Oh you bet! Hop in!” Donnie said, climbing into the Battle Shell first, turning around once inside, holding out his hand to her. Sasha blinked a bit, surprised by the offer. Her eyes looked up to his and he was giving her a soft smile, cheeks the slightest bit dark. “N-need a lift?” Sasha looked back down at his outstretched hand, lips pressed into a thin line, contemplating and nervous. Finally, she tentatively reached out and gently took his hand. Donnie then pulled her up into the Battle Shell, finally sliding the back hatch behind them down.

Sasha had been in the Battle Shell a small number of times before now, and it always impressed her just how much work went into it. It was one of the first projects Leatherhead ever told Sasha about when she first met him, and was telling her about how brilliant Donnie was. When she finally got to meet him and he decided to show her the Battle Shell, she was smitten with it! Such a beautiful machine made from only scraps and junk. It was truly a sight to behold. Since then, she’s been allowed to help in making adjustments to it. Specifically, Donnie wanted her to help with making it go faster, which the cheetah was more than delighted to help with. Speed was part of who she was after all, and her tips on making the Battle Shell more aerodynamic were incredibly effective. Only now further demonstrated by how fast Donnie pulled it out of the warehouse and into the back allies! When they finally made it onto the main streets of the city, Sasha’s eyes seemed to grow to the size of dinner plates!

“Oh my spots…” She said in amazement. Seeing the city at night from the rooftops was one thing, but during the day it was a whole other beast. The sun was so bright, there were so many people it was impossible to make out any one face in the crowd, and all the noise going on was insane. A stray thought made Sasha wince as her ears drooped and she moved her face away from the windows a little. “Uhhh aren’t you worried someone is gunna like…see us?” She asked, honestly not having thought about that until now. “No need to worry! I tinted these windows to the maximum legal limit! They won’t be able to make us out.” Donnie chimed up. Sasha sighed, feeling a lot better now. “Oh good! Thought I was gunna get us caught there of a sec…” She started shifting her gaze back out the window again, partly to keep looking at the world around them, and partly to try and keep from making eye contact with Donnie. She was hoping that the new sights would keep the butterflies that had been doing back flips inside her stomach down, but that wasn’t happening.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Donnie asked, noticing her wondering look. “It’s definitely something! They have cities in South Africa too, but…nothing like this!” Sasha responded, still not looking back at Donnie. Donnie nodded, his eyes now wondered over from the road to Sasha in the passenger's seat. He didn’t say anything about it before and had no plans to bring it up to her at all out of fear of being seen as a creep, but…something seemed…different about her today. Almost…prettier. Not that he ever thought of her as not pretty, far from it actually. But for some reason, her fur seemed smoother, more groomed then she normally looked. Her coat shining in what little sunlight was making its way through the windows. And…if he wasn’t mistaken, she had to be wearing some kind of perfume, or maybe it was her shampoo. It was a fruity smell, like a watermelon maybe. The smell of which was filling the cab.

“Did she really get all dolled up just for this?”

This staring went on for a bit, till he noticed something, her tail was wrapped around in her lap. Her nails lightly playing with the fur at the ends, hands seemingly shivering. Of course, she was nervous. Not that he blamed her, so was he.

A honk from a car behind them made Donnie jolt a little, focusing his attention back onto the road, nearly making him leap out of his shell. Sasha then glanced back at him, “Y-you get everything you needed?” She asked. “Huh? O-oh, yeah! Well, just the essentials. I was packing over the span of the week so my brothers wouldn’t get suspicious. B-But uhhhh…you saw how well that went.” Donnie answered, his hands gripping the steering wheel every once in a while. Sasha nodded, taking notice of his hands, it was pretty clear he was nervous but was doing his best to seem relaxed. And that’s when a faint hint of sunlight made her notice something else. A short but noticeable glimmer came from behind Donnie.

“D-Did he polish his shell? All for...this? For...me?”

The thought made Sasha’s face burn, though she really couldn’t judge. She was the one that called April and had her come over way earlier in the day before she left to help her get ready. And for moral support.

Feeling like she was starting to stare a bit, she quickly looked away and started trying to think of something to say, keeping her eyes anywhere but at him. “I-I'm really glad you asked me to come with you…” She said, sheepishly. Donnie blinked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, “Oh…Really?” Sasha nodded, “Yeah, I mean, I not only get to spend a bit more time with…well, you. But I also get to see a forest for the first time!” Donnie took a second for those words to set in his mind, the idea of her never seeing a forest before was baffling, but then logic kicked back in and he nodded. “Oh yeah, that’s right!” “This closest I’ve ever gotten to seeing one was a Jungle, but it wasn’t very big. And of course, pictures online and in books don't really count.” Sasha added. “Well, I’m hoping to show you more then just that! We have a two day hike ahead after we get there. Casey, April, and my brothers have had a few…adventures out there. I can even show you where a spaceship crashed!”

Sasha’s eyes grew wide and her head snapped up to look at him, “Are you for real?” Donnie laughed, “I wouldn’t lie to you! Yeah! I can also show you a nuclear power plant that we shut down because it was killing off some mutant fish folk that were living in the river!” Sasha’s mouth curled into a wide grin, “This so cool! I can’t wait to see it!”

With a little bit of the tension lifted, the rest of their drive out of the city was a little more comfortable. And once they started hitting the wilderness, Sasha’s eyes wondered even more. Without much traffic around them now, Sasha felt safe enough to roll down her window a bit to see everything better. The trees were just beginning to sprout fresh leaves, and the grass seemed to already be bringing out colorful flowers and weeds! The sun was high in the sky, giving the daytime a pleasant warmth, something for the plants and newly awoken critters to soak up to prepare for the new season. The scent of clean spring air hit Sasha’s face, her smile turning soft as she took it in. Her fur seemed to shiver a little, as if a new wave of energy was going through her body.

That’s when another feeling creeped into her body, and she froze a little, a rush of embarrassment and worry slowly starting to take over. Her eyes glanced over at Donnie, who seemed more relaxed, but was still focused on the road. A very slight smile on his face. Taking in his features, Sasha felt that weird tingle in her body and she frowned.

“T-this is…gunna get…weird…”

Sasha started looking down at the floor, thankful that the window was down now so that she could get a soft cool breeze on herself as her cheeks began to burn hard. “H-Hey uhhh, D-Donnie?” She started softly, starting to feel her paws shake. Donnie almost didn’t hear her over the sound of the wind, but his eye’s could see her lips move from the corner of his eye and he turned his head slightly, “Huh? What’s up?” He asked, honestly looking a little concerned now. She didn’t look too hot, and her cheeks could be seen turning red through the fur on her cheeks, “You getting sick? Should I pull over?” He asked. Sasha shook her head, “N-no it’s just…I-I’m a bit worried.” She muttered, her hands coming together in her lap, clamping onto one another tightly. Donnie’s brows curved up, taking quick glances at her, still trying to keep an eye on the road. “What about? If it’s the hike and camping-“ He was cut off pretty quickly. “N-No! I-It’s not that…I-It’s…about me…” Donnie cocked a brow and looked at her for a good long second at that. “What do you mean? Thought you said you weren’t sick.” Sasha grimaced a bit, looking back out the window at the beautiful woods just beyond the road, as if she were looking for a way to put it. “I suppose you could…see it as being ‘sick’, in a way…” She said.

Now that REALLY confused the poor terrapin, but she was clearly getting at something, so he prodded as gently as he could, “Okeeeey…care to explain?” Sasha gulped, “Tell me…W-what does spring usually mean?” Donnie felt like he had to pause and reboot his brain for a moment. The vagueness of that question only making his worry and confusion more tangled. But, he trusted she was going somewhere with this, so he tentatively answered, “Uhhhh, well I think Blooming Flowers, Bugs, Warmer weather, and maybe allergies?” Sasha has to hold back a small laugh at his last statement, but it seemed like he didn’t notice. But the laugh was replaced with a loud sigh, as she started coming to the realization that she was gunna have to spell it out for him. Her face getting even hotter. “It also happens to be the season of procreation for many species…”

"..."

The silence is incredibly loud in the Battle Shell, even the wind coming in through the cracked window seemed to be drowning in it. Donnie’s eyes went wide as a slight heat creeped up into his cheeks, waiting for a second for what she said to sink in. He turned his head slightly her way, only to see her still facing out the window, but her eyes staring right at him. Her cheeks were a bright red, ears drooped and her mouth was in an uncomfortable frown. “…that includes yours and mine.” She concluded, her voice almost hitching, but the statement still hit like a semi-truck. That’s when Donnie’s face started turning bright red and he quickly looked away just to try and save himself from every thought racing into his head at once. But, it was too late! He really wasn’t sure what to say to that!

“I-I uhhh, w-well, I mean…you’re right. But-but that d-dosen’t mean anything. W-we’re not like…well normal animals! We have more control!” He said, just trying to get something said out loud. Though it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself and her, but it didn’t, as a hoard of butterflies started churning in his stomach again. Nights worth of dreams finally flooding his brain with any and all scenarios his teenaged mind could conjure. Sasha just whimpers a bit, shifting in her seat so that she’s scooted a bit further from her turtle friend, but still facing him. Her eyes started drifting down to the floor, “Y-Yeah, I know. B-but it’s less you I’m worried about, and…m-more me…” Donnie glanced at her, and she continued, “Being a cheetah, we a-aren’t that tough, but we’re still big cats. And cats are…p-pretty…aggressive during this kind of season…” a tinge of worry coming across Donnie’s face a little hearing this. “And it get’s more intense when w-we’re…in our element. So to speak…”

“Y-your not gunna…like…hurt me, or anything like that are you?” Donnie asked, honestly a little confused by her words. The way she was talking it was like she was scared she might try to eat him. Sasha’s eyes flew up and she looked really scared, “My Spots! N-no! Never in my life! It’s just…remember that night how I-I…” she trailed off, looking down. She slowly opened her paw to look at it. He knew what she was getting at almost immediately, bringing his own hand up to his cheek, it getting warm again. “Y-yeah…I remember…” “When I’m…in my element, I tend to be a…bit more bold. And I start to show a bit more of myself…” she continued, “You’ve likely noticed before…” Donnie thought about it, and she did seem to be a bit more open when they’d be out on missions, or in the heat of battle, or even just when she’s in the zone while in the lab. Calm, tactical, and cheery most of the time, but Donnie started seeing glimpses of something else during these other occasions. A Sly playfulness here or a small trace of bashfulness there, little peeks into Sasha’s true personality.

Donnie let his mind wander a bit, before Sasha sighed, “I’m sorry for having to bring it up NOW, but… I didn’t wanna seem like I didn’t wanna…go out with you like this…” she said, her eyes glancing back out the window, leaning against the door with one arm up against it, the other on her lap and cradling her stomach. “N-no! It’s ok! I-I’m happy you’re being honest with me! That’s the whole point of this trip after all! To get to know each other more!” Donnie said, reassuring her. A slow nervous smile passed over Sasha’s lips, “…just promise me that… if I get too…” her cheeks turned bright red and her ears lowered “…Frisky…, you’ll stop me if I cross a line. And p-please don’t…take it too personally…”

The word ‘frisky’ coming from Sasha of all folks made Donnie nearly laugh, but he held it in immediately. “Of course! I promise, nothing you could do would cross a line for me! But, uhhhh, I suppose the same should be said for me…” Sasha looked at him, an eyebrow raised. Donnie nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck some, “I’m assuming you know how turtles get w-when…uhhh…” he trailed off, cheeks burning immediately. Sasha smirked a little, nodding.

Of course, Sasha was always more into the Biology branches of science, it was something he admired about her. He swallowed, “R-right, so…stop me if I cross a line too.” Sasha nodded again, “Deal… though…” a light devious glint hit her eyes “I don’t think I’ll need to worry about you. I know more about your body than you do about mine…” Donnie eyes grew at the sound of that, and his looked over her way. She was blushing still, a slight smirk on her face, but she was leaning against the window again. Staring off at the passing trees. The butterflies in his stomach were going insane now, his face practically wanting to melt off.

"W-what the shell?"

Quickly looking back at the road so they wouldn’t crash, Donnie kept driving. Sasha felt pleased with that, but the pit in her stomach still hadn’t let up. She had been honest with him. Right?

✨💛💜✨

After about another hour or so, they finally pulled up the long dirt road leading up to the large Farmhouse. Sasha let out a long whistle, looking at the size of the property and seeing the woods just beyond it. “Talk about some fresh air! This place is so…beautiful!” She said, taking off her seat belt, still keeping her eyes trained on the tree line. Donnie huffed out a small laugh, “I know right! Plenty of wide open space for us to just stretch our legs a-“ The sound of Sasha’s door opening and her hopping out made him stop. The speedy pattering of her feet on the grass was so quick that Donnie hardly started unbuckling his seatbelt yet. By the time he finally climbed out, he turned his attention to the back of the Battle Shell, and Sasha had already made it halfway across the property. She was looking all over the place, slowly turning, her tail softly flicking behind her. She was wonderstruck!

A soft smile spread on Donnie’s lips as he watched her. “I guess she really HAD been needing some time out in nature.” Sasha only stopped moving when her eyes landed on the sight of the distant hills, a huge smile spreading on her face. A present spring breeze blew through the trees and grass, and as it made its way into her fur, Sasha closed her eyes and took in a huge breath of it. The tips of her ears and tail now softly twitching. She then let out with a sigh, the wind suddenly changing direction and strength along with it, almost in sync. That’s when her ears flicked to something behind her, and she quickly turned to see Donnie approaching her, carrying both his and her own bags. “Huh, that wind gust was pretty strong!” He chuckled, getting closer and holding her bag out to her.

Sasha seemed to flinch at him taking notice of that and her ears drooped a bit, but she quickly shook that off and took her bag from him. “O-oh yeah, you know! These Spring winds they…uhhhh…always seem to…you know…move with the hearts of those who let it in.” Donnie raised a brow at that, “I’ve never heard that one before…” he said, a small smile on his face. While it was strange, Sasha always seemed to know a few weird sayings, most of which were kinda funny but mostly endearing. Maybe even a little spiritual at times. “Y-yeah, it’s something my Grandmother used to say…” She said, seeing to be in a hurry to stop talking about it, quickly slinging her bag onto her shoulders. “Well, I hope you’re ready to move like the wind, cause we’ve got a LOT of ground to cover before we make it to were we gotta be.” Donnie piped up, tilting his head in the direction of the woods just ahead of them.

She looked at him of a second, her ears perking back up again, the cat-like smirk returning to her lips, “Born ready my terrapin friend! Lead the way!” Donnie walked ahead a bit, “Well, We’ll have to move a bit stealthily from here for about a mile through these woods! Casey has a neighbor here who once sent his pitbull after Mikey.” “Oh! Crazy Man Hatchet?” Donnie froze for a second, looking back at her surprised that she knew. “How did-“ Sasha shrugged, “Mikey told me the story! You three saved a furry green man thing and it’s baby.” “Right…well, I’m hoping we won’t be seen like he was. But, like I said, we only got to get past a mile and then we should be in the clear.” Sasha nodded, “You got it…” she started walking ahead of him, only stopping to get right next to him, giving him a playful bump on his shoulder “Ninja Boy…” The way her voice came out was so sultry and almost teasing. Donnie froze a bit, feeling her soft tail brush his arm as she passed him. The tingle from such an action traveled through his whole body, making him shutter as his face began to burn. “Oh shell…is THIS what she meant by ‘being bold’?” He thought to himself, staring at Sasha, slack-jawed as she walked ahead of him. Noticing the way her tail swooshed, moving in time with her steps and the sway of her hips. He gulped, “If so, I just hope I can handle all of…that!”

The cheetah looked back at him, over her shoulder, “Race you to the other side?” She shouted back, a sly smirk on her. The return of that competitive spirit in her, and the quickening of her steps made Donnie flinch, before springing to life himself. He smirked and ran to catch up, “Sure, but aren’t I supposed to lead the way!?” He yelled back, with a laugh in his voice.

(To Be Continued...)

[boxfullaturtles]

What is your kingdoms heart au

Please I wanna know info dump everything to me pls

Hee hee hee! Okay!!!! So!

Originally I just wanted to do character designs and Keyblade designs 'cause I love doing that stuff. But then I got Too Into It. As you do.

Raph, Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and April (and Casey Junior when he shows up) are all Keybearers in training. Dunno who's training them, because it's not Splinter. Actually played with the idea of the boys losing Splinter to Darkness but dunno if I wanna do that to them,, >> I'm still working on the profiles for Raph, Donnie, April, and Casey.

Anyway! They're all in training, learning how to work as a team, properly wield their Keyblades, use magic, the power of the Heart and all that jazz. They pop around to different worlds to expand their minds and be heroes and everything. I don't have a solid plot or anything, just vague ideas and snapshots of moments.

Like Casey Jr comes from future where their World fell to the Darkness--specifically the Krang. The Krang command legions of Heartless on top of the body horror shit they already do, so they're double the danger. In Casey's timeline, everyone fell one by one. Donnie went first, then Leo, then Raph, then April. Mikey was the only one left. Time travel in Kingdom Hearts is funky and has some weird rules about only being able to travel along your own timeline or something. But screw that. Mikey's a badass mage. He sacrifices his own heart to tear open a portal and send Casey back in time to stop the Krang invasion and the spread of Darkness.

And then I just got little ideas like, Donnie built the Turtle Tank Gummi Ship (and its Teenie Ships, the Shell Hogs). He has a space entirely to himself in the Gummi Garage that Chip and Dale just kind of gave him. He...tolerates them, at the most. Donnie's also got a lab in KH AU, but absolutely NO ONE is allowed in it. If he locks it, not even a Keyblade can open that baby up. He doesn't let anyone in there and he's extremely protective of whatever it is he works on. The others do eventually find out what he's doing and it's not...great. They'd be angry with him were it not for how they find out.

Leo doesn't actually get his Portal Chopped ability until after they stop the Krang invasion. I dunno how those events played out, probably drastically different from the movie lol, but I'm feeling the kind of "end of KH1, I will lock myself in the Realm of Darkness to spare my friends" kind of thing? Buuuuttt while he does think being able to wield two Keyblades is boss as fuck, he does not like Before the Fall. So he doesn't use Portal Chopped a lot. Maybe he should get over himself a bit.

I also like to think about them going to Disney Town and making an absolute menace of themselves. Mikey gets himself sick eating too much ice cream, Leo keeps trying to sneak into Disney Castle, Donnie probably pisses off the wrong people, Raph's gotten too excited about something and broken a few things OR he chases after Leo and they get into a friendly spat and cause a huge mess. April gave up trying to wrangle them a long time ago, she just watches the descent into madness with tired resignation.

KH Leo is extremely competitive and if something's got a score or record, he's got to beat it. He will absolutely be number one in everything on every world. It drives everyone else nuts.

So yeah it's just bits and bobs and ideas floating around. Mostly KH AU exists for me to play with designs. I love Keyblade design so much like holy shit it's so cool

[sw33tsuccubus]

You

frank iero x reader

desc: You had no reason to think that your boyfriend was doing more than playing shows - per usual - until your friend shows you a video.

genre: angst

inspired/requested by: myself

word count: 1.7k

A/N: i wrote this to channel out some pent up emotions i've had for a while | i envisioned this as an aftermath of the events that took place during ProRev. i do not ship frerard/grank or whatever you people call it | i named the friend after a friend of my own (she doesn't like MCR so this is a jab at her)

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

You didn't suspect anything. To be fair, you had no reason to.

Frank was off on tour with the band, and you were stuck at home, continuing work. It was perfectly fine; you called and texted everyday, updating each other. You didn't normally have much going on, but his stories were always interesting.

Little did you know, he wasn't telling you everything.

Yes, he was playing onstage with the band. But there were other things he was doing onstage and offstage he wouldn't tell you about. He avoided the very topic of those events, not wanting to hurt your feelings.

You were going to get hurt anyways.

You knew Frank and Gerard were close, but not that close. Close enough to watch movies together and confide in the other in their darkest of times. Not close enough to make out with each other on stage and then proceed to do some things.. off stage.

You were just so happy for your boyfriend that his band was basically number one. They were talked about everywhere, they were being invited on tours, and their latest album was a huge hit.

You were excited for him to get back home. There was only a month left; you could wait that long. It wasn't like one of the tours they used to go on, where they had to leave a week after they got back.

~~~

y/n: so mikey's not gonna be back for the rest of tour?

frank: no, he's off in la la land with alicia. can't believe he took off the whole tour just for a wedding and a honeymoon.

y/n: maybe this means they will be together for the rest of their lives.

frank: yeah, maybe.

frank: did you have a good day at work?

Just as you were about to send a response, you got another text.

mari: hey, y/n?

y/n: yeah?

mari: remember i snagged that ticket to a my chem show?

y/n: oh yeah! yes, i do.

mari: it's in two days!! do you want me to take pics for you?

You smiled at the thought of it. Frank had been growing out his hair, and you weren't one to deny it. He looked good.

y/n: that would be nice.

mari: i got you.

You started to put your phone down when you got another text notification.

frank: y/n?

y/n: oh, sorry. it was good. how's tour been?

frank: well, today we got to hang out with msi. they're pretty cool.

y/n: that's great!

frank: i miss you, you know. i wish you could have come.

y/n: i couldn't have. sorry babe, work requirements.

y/n: now goodnight. i want energy for tomorrow.

frank: goodnight. sweet dreams.

~~~

Hearing a knock on your door, you paused the TV and walked towards it. Upon peeking through the peephole, you found out it was Mari behind the door. Finally, you thought. She had only waited two days to come to you.

"Where have you been? I've wanted to see the pictures you took!"

Mari stepped inside, although she didn't say anything. She walked into your house, dropping down onto the couch and looking up at you.

"You okay, Mari?"

"Just.. you'll see. These pictures.. I took a video too. I thought you would enjoy the song. Boy..."

You were struck with confusion as she pulled out her phone. What footage did she have? Thrashing, as usual? That would explain her worry. Most people would think that he hurt himself.

Taking her phone, you looked through the photos, trying to contain a smile. You were right. He looked hot with long hair. As his partner, you approved.

Only when you got to the video did you have a feeling of uneasiness. You didn't know why; it was just a song.

Boy, were you wrong.

Halfway through the video was when it happened. You felt as if your insides had been flipped, like a pancake.

There Frank was on the screen, making out with Gerard. His best friend. His bandmate. Your friend.

Feeling her eyes on you, you turned to Mari. She had a look of sympathy pasted on her face.

"I'm sorry Y/n. Especially that this is the way that you found out."

You shook your head, trying to ground yourself. There was no way your boyfriend would do this. Right? Surely it was just to excite the fans.

But you couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on.

You could always wait for him to get back home so that he could tell you, but.. you wanted to know as soon as possible. You couldn't wait that full month.

~~~

Your boss had let you skip out for the month, or however long you were going to be gone. You made the excuse of a dead relative and that you were extremely close to them. He sent you home with greatest regards, saying he knew how you felt.

Right now, you were currently backstage at a concert venue, unknown to a certain boyfriend of yours. Who happened to be onstage.

You were watching the movements of both him and Gerard, trying to connect dots. But you didn't need to. They did it for you.

You weren't sure how it happened, but it did. Gerard was kneeling at Frank's side, an arm around him, when Frank started humping him. It went on for a few seconds before Frank walked away, leaving Gerard there to sing.

You, on the other hand, felt sick. You turned around and went to the bathroom, sitting in the farthest stall. You only left a few minutes after you heard the music stop.

You showed up at the dressing rooms, and you had to make a decision. There was your boyfriend, who you didn't even want to see right then and there. There was Gerard, the one Frank was most likely cheating on you with. And then there was Ray, who hadn't done anything wrong. You would talk to Ray, but.. you couldn't help yourself. You needed just a glimpse of Frank on his own, to make sure he was still him. The Frank you knew wouldn't ever hurt you.

You turned the knob to Frank's dressing room as silently as possible, opening it just slightly. And that was when you felt your heart shatter.

Two men, both in their underwear, making out against the dressing room vanity. There was no audience for them to entertain. What were they doing?

You closed the door, trying not to cry. They shouldn't know you were there. You weren't sure why. You could have marched in there and yelled at the both of them, but you didn't have the willpower.

Turning around, you ran out of the venue, looking for a taxi. To hell with all of them. Sure, Ray didn't do anything regarding their activities. But he could have told you.

~~~

You had ignored every text sent to you. Frank, Gerard, Mari, Ray, hell, even Mikey was messaging you at this point. They all got worried when you started missing every single one of Frank's calls. Mari was just worried in general; you had told her your plan and she had wished you luck, but she hadn't heard from you since.

Getting out of bed, you walked to the kitchen to make yourself coffee. You hadn't gone back to work yet, afraid you wouldn't do things right and make others mad.

While waiting for the coffee to brew, you checked the calendar nailed to the wall. If you had the coffee at that moment, you would have dropped the mug.

Frank was supposed to be home today.

You felt tears well up in your eyes. You couldn't face him. You weren't ready. When you heard the coffee maker go off, you grabbed a mug and poured yourself some of the liquid. You took a sip, burning your tongue.

You poured the rest of the coffee down the drain, taking your mug with you to the living room. You sat down on the couch, taking sips and staring at the wall. You needed a way to approach the subject in a way that wouldn't hurt Frank.

At that thought, you furrowed your eyebrows. Why should you worry about his feelings? He destroyed yours, so why have mercy?

No. You wouldn't be like him. Maybe he didn't use words to hurt him, but actions speak louder than words. To be fair, nothing you could say could counterattack what he had done.

Suddenly, you had a plan. You grinned to yourself, knowing tomorrow wouldn't be the same. But were you ready for that? You shared friends.. but Frank was the one who had messed up. Surely they would be more on your side than his.

~~~

Frank was excited. Sure, Gerard had gone and broken his heart. But he could see his other lover, Y/n. Along with excitement, he felt worried as well. Y/n wasn't answering anyone's messages. Were they okay?

He grabbed his key from his pocket, unlocking the door. He grabbed his bags back up and walked inside, dropping the bags in the foyer. Stepping into the house, he saw it was clean to perfection. He hoped it was because Y/n had just cleaned and not because they hadn't been home for a long time.

"Y/n, babe, are you home?"

"Yeah, I'm in the kitchen!"

Frank grinned and ran in the direction of the kitchen. He had missed his partner very badly.

Upon spotting you, Frank stepped towards you and pressed a kiss to your cheek. You played along, kissing his cheek and giving his hand a squeeze.

"How was the travel back?"

"It was kind of boring. But I knew it would be okay since I was coming back to you!"

He smiled at you, and you felt your insides churn. Would you have fallen into his trap if you hadn't known? You shot your eyes open, feigning sudden remembrance and pointed to the refrigerator.

"Oh! Frank, could you get the milk from the fridge?"

He nodded and walked to the fridge, grabbing the milk. And then he saw it. He grabbed the small box from the fridge, behind where the milk was.

"Babe, what's this?"

He walked towards you and placed the milk beside you, holding up the box. It was the kind that would hold a ring. Wait; were you proposing?

"It's a present, Frank. Open it up."

Seeing the smirk on your face, he responded with a cheeky smile. Opening the box, however, caused his smile to be replaced with a confused look. Instead of a ring, there was a carefully folded piece of paper.

"When did you take up origami?"

"Just for this. I hope you like it."

"I do! It's beautiful."

"Unfold it."

He quirked an eyebrow before looking at the creases. He observed for a moment before unfolding, doing his best to not damage the paper.

When he read the message, he felt like the floor had been yanked from under his feet.

'I know what you did, cheater.'

Frank took a ragged breath before looking back up at you. He regretted it. You had anger in your eyes, and your face just looked like you had seen someone get murdered. Fear, pain, and anger. Such a strong combo of emotions.

"I loved you, y'know."

"I love you too, Y/n. Listen, it was just a misunderstanding. We did it for the fans!"

"So fucking in your dressing rooms, where no fan is allowed, is for the fans?"

Frank winced. How did you know? Did - did you visit and see them?

"I hope you're happy with Gerard, because you clearly weren't satisfied with me."

You started walking away, and Frank felt his entire world slip from his fingers. This couldn't be happening. He loved you more than anything. More than Gerard, even. But Gerard was out of reach too.

"But.. Gerard got married!"

You turned back to face Frank, eyes widened, and he felt a small shimmer of hope. When your eyes narrowed however, he felt a pang of guilt. Not a pang; a tidal wave.

"Good for him. Hope they're better for him than you. Pack up all your things and get out of my house."

There were tears streaming down both of your faces by this point, and Frank hadn't even gotten to say what he wanted to.

"Y/n.. it wasn't my fault! I missed you, and I couldn't wait-"

"Do you think before you speak? Must you blame everything but your doing?"

"But, Gerard-"

"Frank, shut the hell up. Listen to me."

He stood still as you walked over to him. He flinched when you poked at his chest.

"You. You are to blame. You did this yourself. You, you, you. Do not blame Gerard. Do not blame anyone but yourself. Okay?"

Sniffing, Frank nodded.

"O-okay."

"Now get out. Ray will most likely help you. And you better tell him the truth."

Frank sighed, nodding sadly. He hurried up to the shared bedroom collecting his things, before moving to the bathroom. He grabbed everything of his belonging and walked back to the door, grabbing the bags he had brought on tour.

"Y/n? I truly am sorry."

"Save it, Frank. Get out of here."

Frank closed the door behind him, walking to his car. He was now glad you two had separate cars. After throwing everything into the trunk, he climbed into the drivers seat and wiped his eyes.

He drove to Ray's house, knowing that he could offer some sort of sanctuary. When the man opened the door, he was taken aback. There Frank was, tears running down his face, bags beside him.

"What happened?"

"I..."

Ray watched as Frank sniffled, wiping his eyes free of tears. Of course, they streamed back down his face right after, but it was something to do to stall.

"I fucked up."

[my-name-is-bunnyfoxy]

About this post: https://www.tumblr.com/my-name-is-bunnyfoxy/729290480682172416/whats-your-favorite-iteration-of-raph-mine-is?source=share

Where would u place Rise Raph? Lke, 4th maybe? I know u did a list ranking Raphs (and Leos too), but I don't know remember where you placed him.

Also, what ask were u talking about that u sent Pumpkinpie that talked about IDW Raph, and/or IDW Raph x Alopex? I tried to find it, but I didn't.

I do admit I still love IDW Raph, IDW Alopex and that ship (I also love IDW Casey still, I know pumpkinpie doesn't like him as much anymore), but I get why people may not like them and/or that ship anymore. Tbh, I actually (probably) like Leo with Alopex more. Not nesscarily shipping them, but just them together. Because I love both characters, and they got an interesting and tragic history together (i.e.; both of being traumitized by Shredder and/or Kitsune), and so I really like stuff with them. And I am still hoping we get more good canon IDW stuff with them. As well; as more fan stuff w/ them. Raph with Alopex and/or x Alopex is still fine and/or cool though.

Poor IDW Raph being placed last by u now. I do prefer IDW Leo and Mikey myself too. Like, Leo is my favorite, then Mikey is up there too. And Donnie and Raph were basically tied for me (though sometimes one would be over the other), and sometimes tied with Mikey. Anyways, I love all of them. But IDW Leo; wow. And IDW Mikey. I have other favorites/loves in IDW too. Like Karai, Koya, Jennika, Venus, etc., etc. But among the main 4 turtles it is Leo. Then Mikey. And just in general, Leo is my top favorite (yes, I am biased for Leo, I won't deny this. So ofc I love him so much. But Leo is geninuely so great in IDW). And Mikey (Mikey is also so good too) is also still really up there too. In that case. But I do still love IDW; he is a complicated boi (too/as well). And I don't think I would place IDW Raph in my top 3 or at least Top 2 for Raphs, but I don't think I would place him low, and defin. not last. However; if you do, that is totally fine though. DIfferent opinoins and stuff. I am curious to understand a bit more why u decided to put him in dead last for ur ranking of Raphs.

(Also; thank you for answering my ships question(s)! I am happy u love 2012 Leopril and Caseynardo so much too! And that u are liking MM Leopril so far. I hadn't really thought about Rise Cass x Leo that much. Though yesssss, I think they would/could have been really close in the Bad Future Timeline. Romanctically or not. And I think they could have/can have some fun, interesting potential in the present too. Just generally. Not just romantically. I was surprised to see u talk about Rise Leo x April too. Honestly, I think that relationship is very underrated. Both as a ship or not. Like, I love Rise April x Donnie too and their relationship in general, but I really do like Rise Leo and April and/or Rise Leo x April (I am putting both for these things, because sometimes I just like their relationship in general. And it doesn't have to be romantic. Or it could be romantic and/or become romantic), and I think it is really underrated. Esp./Even more compared with Rise April and Donnie and/or Rise Apriltello (I still love them too though).

Also; yes, yes I love Caprilnardo. I love both April x Leo x Casey and April x Casey x Donnie myself. :)

First of all: I LITERALLY GOT EXCITED WHEN I FOUND YET ANOTHER CAPRITELLO I ALMOST SCREAMED REEEE- I'M NOT ALONE!!!

Now to everything else:

The Raph ranking

Honestly those two ranking lists I did I consider them outdated. Because I'm gonna admit with full shame that uhhhhhh- I didn't watch ALL of the TMNTs and there are some TMNTs I still haven't finished. So I find my old post more based on things I heard, red or the clips I saw. I will remake them when I see a good handful of TMNT.

Now onto Rise Raph, possibly 4th or 5th. Like said, 90s Raph is coming up. Plus as much as I love Rise Raph and how much focus he got, I really wish we saw more of him having like emotional damage or something and the reason why he is struggling being the leader is because he is incapable of controlling his emotions and there are many things that he lacks. I still love him in the finale and his character development and what we got from him. I just wish we got more but oh well, I'll take what we have gotten and what we will get later if the show comes back.

About the ask and IDW Raph

Sadly I'm having a hard time finding the ask. BUT. I have a big reason I dislike Raph x Alopex and why I no longer like IDW Raph. For the longest time I thought she was 2 years or so older then him and they met when she was at least an adult and Raph was also close to being an adult.

BUT THEN I FOUND OUT ALOPEX WAS 12 WHEN SHE MET RAPH WHO WAS 16 AT THAT TIME.

I did a bit of research and it's illegal and weird for a 16 year old to date a 12 year old. I wouldn't have cared if they had that age gap as adults but knowing that that is not the case makes me feel gross. I thought Next Mutation Raph sucked but now they share the same spot. Also Emily mentioned how Raph gets worse as the comics go on.

I don't know much about IDW so this opinion of mine comes from what I have learned and found out about.

Now to a bit more light hearted. I do enjoy and love IDW, even though I haven't red any of the actual comics or got them. I know quite some stuff like for example the things you mentioned.

I LOVE Leo and Mikey. My favorite ones! Leo's brainwashing was upsetting and blatant emotional damage, and Mikey MAN. He's my 2nd favorite Mikey right next to Ronnin Mikey. Just DAMN. He wasn't a coward and stood up to Splinter and basically told him to shut his mouth. MIKEY!! MY MAN IS AMAZING!

Also I will forever love Jennika and Venus. This comic series gave justice to Venus and brought back a character that deserved better. I will forever love both of these beautiful gals. Jenny is awesome and so is Vee Vee.

Now onto that last part, No problem! :3 Also I kind of decided that after I posted my answer I changed my mind. Rise Aprilnardo gets a 9/10 for me. It's close to 10 very close. AND YES IT'S UNDERRATED!!! Also i'm surprised to find a Rise Apritello shipper awh man.

Also like mentioned at the start, ANOTHER CAPRITELLO AND CAPRILANRDO SHIPPER YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Okay that's all. This post is very rushed since I have a whole ton of studying to do this week.

[naivesilver]

Hello I have been summoned

2. When I tell you I think about raph holding up 03 Mikeys like a hamburger to see the city lights, and I can hear the excited chirps and babbles and just see his face turn to such a soft look URGH I THINK ABOUT IT SO MUCH

5. I really want to read your big pinocchio AU fic that you've told me about, and I will one day for sure and I'll get to see the family you have constructed

7. Definitely that Mikey and Raph thing again, babe I think about it so much, but I just a close second is that belle and vector fix you wrote me a couple years ago for sure

9. Your montabello fic may never update again, it might in years time, it could tomorrow! Idc it's fun and self indulgent and I remember you telling me you where going to do it and how excited you where and it's a great read and it is special to me

10/13/14. All kind of related, listen I really don't like crossover fics much, and I especially don't like when people age up or down characters I never have! But you where so excited about shaking the latch I forced myself to give it a go and it is genuinely one of my favourite tmnt fics of all time and I love love love making art for it and talking to you about it and maybe stealing it a little but gosh it's great and the descriptions are lovely and the characterisations are fab and I just love it so so much I'll be so sad when you finish it you know like a chapter has closed on my life and I'm not even actively involved in it's creation

12. Your early vecpio fics, before I met you I read them so many times I was star stuck we where out in a discord together I have to be honest 💕 I've also read your recent gift fic for me a few times aswell but gosh yeah your so talented babes xxx

FUCK YOU I GOT SO OVERWHELMED BY THE SHEER JOY OF THIS ASK I DON'T THINK I CAN ANSWER IT COHERENTLY, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THIS HARD 😭💞 if I forget to say something, just know that what I tell you every day is the more concise and sensible version and that's that ajsfhjalfhjlahfjl thank you, you absolute menace ❤️

Fanfic Asks (For The Askers)

2. My favorite chapter in my favorite fic of yours

7. What made me the most emotional after reading

LISDEN.........I spent so much time thinking about that scene before writing it, I'm just glad it hit as well as it did for you too. The 03 turtles had a lot of issues with the outside world not accepting them, you know? So big, rough Raph holding this teeny tiny baby and knowing he can break the cycle and keep these children from going through those struggles...Being aware that Mini Mikey TRUSTS Raph to hold him up high and shield him from the world...It does ThingsTM to me, so it's only fair that you feel them, too 💝

5. A fic I haven't read yet from you, but I want to

I'd be honored to have you read that, but I'll be honest, I don't blame you for hesitating LMAO I know I went overboard baby, even if you never touch those 2763847393 fics in there I'll be happy :^)

9. A fic I'm excited for you updating/posting

I WILL FINISH THAT!!!!!! Sorry, I know that wasn't the point of the question, but I NEED to speak this into existence - I have so many ideas that need to come out onto the page, so thank you for having faith in it, it's really important to me 🤗

10. A character/ship I didn't enjoy/think about as much before you wrote about them

13. If I've ever shared/talked about your fic to someone else

14. A fic I didn't expect to like so much

Again, thank you 💞💞💞 not much to say aside from what I mentioned before in private but it's been so much fun to go on this turtle journey with you, and your patience with my VERY delayed updates is extraordinary.

12. A fic of yours that I've re-read

Finally, BOY what a blast from the past - I still don't know what compelled you to stick around after the delirium that was 2020, but I'm super glad you did. Those shitty Chaotix parenthood moments have given me a special friend so I can't be TOO mad at them 🥰🥰🥰

[lovesick-rambles]

No One Messes with Mikey's Girl

commission for: @fleur-ships

summary: Michael is surprised at himself for agreeing to go on a double date with his girlfriend Fleur and their friends, Natalie and Trevor. The whole thing has left him feeling anxious.

word count: 2.3k

content warnings: blood mention, very mide sexual language

author's note: AHH thank you so much for commissioning me, Jules! I loved writing this so much! Thank you also for letting me insert myself and Trevor in it! It made me so happy! :)

banner credit: cafekitsune

Michael let out a long, heavy sigh, “Are you sure that this is a good idea?”

“For the tenth time, yes!” Fleur rolled her eyes, “Come on, we’ve been talking about this for like a week now. You’ve had time to prepare!”

“Yeah, and I’m still not.” His hands gripped the steering wheel, “Why am I so masochistic?”

“You are so dramatic! It’s not like I’m dragging you to go get a lobotomy!” She couldn’t help but laugh at his pitiful face, “It’s just a double date. A double date that you agreed to, might I add.”

“With a man who not-so-secretly wants me fucking dead!” Michael winced at the thought of his old friend publicly murdering him during this date.

“And my best friend!” Fleur chirped, ignoring the statement he just made.

“And your best friend.” He replied, “Whom I’m a little more fond of. Even if her taste is…questionable.”

She swatted his arm, “Hey! Be nice! You could say the same thing about me being with you.”

Michael scoffed, “Hey, at least I’ve never made chili out of human flesh.”

“Sure, but didn’t you fake your death?” Fleur questioned, smirking while she asked.

“Jesus, Fleur, that was fuckin’ years ago!” He groaned, “Man, I get that enough from Trevor so now I have to hear it from you, too?”

She sniggered and lovingly placed a hand on his thigh, “I’m just teasing, baby. You don’t need to be nervous. It’s just our friends, we’ll have fun! I promise.”

“If you say so.” The car slowly came to a halt as Michael parked it, “Let’s just pray that Trevor doesn’t gouge my eyes out with the goddamn spork.”

“He won’t!” Fleur stepped out of the car and gave him another smirk, “He’s much more likely to use the steak knife.”

“Gee, thanks. You know how to make a man feel better.” He glared at her and placed a hand on the small of her back. They entered the unfamiliar restaurant and walked up to the host stand, “Yeah, uh, reservation for De Santa?”

The hostess scanned the reservation list, quietly mouthing the names she read, “Yep! Here you are! We have two guests waiting for you, already.”

“Wonderful. Thanks.” Michael said dryly, giving Fleur a pained look. She hit his chest with the back of her hand and shushed him before following the hostess. He trailed behind slowly, contemplating if anyone would notice if he hightailed it to his car or not. But, he decided against it. Only because he didn’t want to leave Fleur here alone. He spotted their double date, Natalie and Trevor in the distance and felt his heart sink. He likes them, well, he liked Natalie, but he just felt nervous about the whole thing. He hasn’t been on a cutesy date like this since his teenage years, so it was a little odd to be here again as a 48 year old. Natalie saw them approach and her face lit up, waving at them. She hopped out of her seat to swallow Fleur in a hug, rocking the two of them back and forth.

“I’m so happy to see you!” Natalie laughed, a huge smile plastered on her face.

“Well, well, Mikey.” Trevor leaned his face against his hand and glared at Michael, “Awful nice of you to finally fuckin’ show up. You have a knack for bad timing.”

“Jesus, T. Seriously? I just got here.” Michael took a seat at the booth.

“It just ain’t nice to keep a lady waitin’.” He looked over to Natalie and gave her a smile.

“Oh, yeah? And what do you know about manners, Trevor?” He rolled his eyes, “Your idea of romance was stealing a man’s wife and hiding her away in your trailer.”

“Really? Fuckin’ bringing up a fling I had in front of my girl? That’s low, Mikey. But you’ve been lower. Six feet lower, actually.” Trevor sneered, his lip curling a little.

“Oh, shush you two!” Fleur scoffed, “You two are bickering like an old married couple! Let’s order some drinks and food and just have fun!”

“Yeah, I agree.” Natalie peered at Trevor from over her glasses, “Besides, you promised you’d be well behaved for once, T.”

Trevor sighed and looked back at Natalie, “You’re right, I did promise. I’ll be good, darlin’, I swear. Wanna take a bet to see if Mikey will behave, though?” He pointed at Michael and chuckled, “You’ll lose right away.”

“Oh, yeah, because I’m the one with behavioral issues.” Michael looked at Fleur, who was scowling at him, “I mean, uh, how have you two been?”

“Oh, you know. Keepin’ busy.” Natalie shrugged, “T.P.I is still going strong, my shop still pulls in dumb tourists, we’re living together, life is fine. Nothing too crazy. How about you guys?”

“Yeah, same here. This is actually the first time we’ve been able to go out in a while!” Fleur beamed, “Things get so boring at the Vanilla Unicorn sometimes. It’s always the same three creeps who want the same drinks asking for my number or one of the stripper’s.”

“I hear you. It’s been a while since we’ve gone out like this, too.” Natalie elbowed Trevor gently, “This fucker gets to have wild days whenever he wants. Guns, blood, glory, you have it. Me? I sit behind a counter waiting for someone to just pick a fucking towel already.”

“Jesus, don’t make me sound like an asshole!” Trevor laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“You don’t need Natalie to do that.” Michael muttered, earning another glare from Fleur.

“Wanna run that by me again, Mikey?” Trevor cocked an eyebrow at him, clearly getting agitated.

“Okay, let’s order something!” Natalie interrupted, waving her hands, “I’m fucking starving.”

“And I could use a drink.” Michael agreed.

“I think we all do.” Fleur awkwardly giggled, “So yes! Let’s get something!”

That seemed to ease the tension a little bit. They all relaxed a little and scanned the menus, each picking out something they wanted. Michael was stiff. He forgot what it was like to be on dates. Actual, cliche, romantic dates. He didn’t know what to do, completely forgetting how to act. He’d give Fleur a small smile every now and then before going back to taking a sip of his drink, but he felt that it wasn’t enough. Finally, he sighed and copied Trevor by draping his arm over her shoulders.

“Hey,” She said, locking her fingers with his, “You okay?”

“Yeah,” He shrugged, “Just a little stiff. This date stuff, it reminds me of being a kid, you know? I’m rusty. Out of practice.”

“Well, guess that means we should do this more often.” Fleur suggested, batting her eyelashes at him. 

He chuckled at her, his heart fluttering a little because of her, “I guess so. I have to admit, this isn’t half bad. I’m actually enjoying it a little, I think.”

“Aw, well, would ya look at that?” Trevor chimed in, “Michael admitted a feeling! We gotta alert the news!” He started clapping loudly, turning a few heads.

“On second thought, maybe I hate this.” He replied dryly, flipping Trevor off.

“No, no, don't say that!” Natalie jokingly pleaded, “Please, I’m having so much fun! We don’t get to see you often. He’s just a bastard.”

“Same here with this guy.” Fleur pointed at Michael, “This is fun! Sadly, I think our men have some allergy to fun and have to argue like school children.”

“Squabbling must be a side effect of this allergy.” Natalie joked, side eyeing Trevor. He laughed awkwardly, feeling a little sheepish. Michael also felt embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. 

“You remember when we used to hang like this when we were younger, T?” Michael asked, moving on from what just happened. Trevor furrowed his eyebrows and nodded hesitantly. Michael snickered softly and continued, “Man, we used to drive the bartenders nuts. We would drink them out of house and home or until they’d force us out.”

Trevor shook his head, a grin slowly spreading across his face, “They fuckin’ hated us. Every goddamn bar in town shuddered at the names ‘Michael Townley’ and ‘Trevor Philips’. Good times.”

“Yeah, good times.” Michael trailed off, thinking for a bit, “Hey, why don’t we do that anymore?”

Trevor shrugged, “I dunno. Guess we both never think of it.”

“Well, maybe we should.” He suggested, “Uh, you know, do more of these double dates the girls like so much. But also maybe just us, like old times.”

Trevor looked at Michael, confused at first but he quickly became pleased, “I’d like that.”

Fleur and Natalie exchanged a look of relief. As funny as their bickering was sometimes, it got tiring. It was nice to have them get along like actual friends for a change. They were happy that the mood had shifted to something happier for the four of them. Natalie held up her drink and initiated a cheers that they all took part in. Things were looking up. 

In the middle of their meal, a strange man suddenly appeared and leaned against the table near Fleur, “Well, it isn’t often you find a pretty girl here in Plastic City, let alone two. Come here often?” Both women cringed at the cliche and stared at the stranger uncomfortably. He leaned in closer to Fleur, making intense eye contact, “Say, what’s your name? Let’s get to know each other.”

Michael was frozen, his eyes not moving from this guy. Trevor noticed his posture and cleared his throat, “Can’t you see she ain’t interested? She’s already got a man. Beat it if you like them teeth of yours.”

The man tore his gaze away from Fleur for the first time and locked eyes with Michael, “This guy? He looks a little jaded for someone like you. Come on, don’t you want someone with a little bit of action?”

“Oh, I’ll show you action!” Michael reached across the table and grabbed the man’s collar, practically crawling over Fleur to get out of the booth. He dragged the man out by his collar, not even caring about all the looks he was getting. 

“Michael?” Fleur called out, but it was no use. He was out of ear shot and even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t stop for anybody. All Michael cared about was showing this punk a lesson.

“This is the Michael I remember!” Trevor cackled, getting out of his seat. He quickly turned to Natalie and grabbed her shoulders, planting a kiss on her forehead, “Sit pretty for me, yeah? It’ll only be a second. M, wait up!” With that, he cracked his knuckles loudly and followed Michael out, the sound of his steel toed boots getting quieter with each step. Fleur and Natalie looked at each other, not exactly knowing how to react. A few moments passed before they both silently got up and followed the men out, not having to search too hard since the three of them were in the middle of the parking lot. Trevor had his arms hooked under the stranger’s armpits, securing him in place. Michael alternated between punching his face and torso. It wasn’t a pretty sight. In fact, it was attracting some attention. But, Natalie and Fleur were only focused on what was unfolding in front of them. The guy who was flirting with Fleur was unrecognizable at this point, his nose bleeding profusely and his eye was squinting because it was bruised. Michael wasn’t focused on anything else besides pummeling this guy into a bloody pulp and Trevor had this crazed, cat-like look as he helped keep their victim in place. 

“How about this for a little bit of action, huh?” Michael sneered, curling his fist, “How’s this action feel, huh buddy?” His fist made direct contact with the guy’s stomach, making him cry out in pain. Michael continued taunting him, saying how someone with that small of a dick could never get a girl like Fleur, how he has more man in his pinky toe than he has in his whole body, how no one smart enough knows not to mess with Mikey’s girl, and so on. 

Trevor had a huge, toothy grin plastered on his face and he showed it to Natalie, “Didn’t I tell ya to wait, sugar?”

Natalie winced at the violence, “Well, who refuses to have a show with dinner?”

“Good point!” He yelled before turning back to encouraging Michael and insulting the man nestled tightly in his arms.

Fleur’s eyes never left Michael. It all happened so fast. Sure, seeing this guy be turned into minced meat before her wasn’t a pretty sight, but her chest swelled with how quickly he wanted to defend her. Frankly, she found it very attractive. 

“Okay, boys.” Natalie said hesitantly, “I think you made your point clear. The poor fucker ain’t getting any bloodier. The police were also called so uh, T? Wanna grab dessert?”

“Oh, fuck yeah!” Trevor pushed the man down, getting one kick in before returning to Natalie, “Let’s do this double date night thing again soon!”

“I agree!” Michael panted, wiping his bloodied knuckles on his jacket, “Fleur, baby, we should make plans with these two again very, very soon.”

Fleur chuckled and wrapped an arm around his waist, “Did you enjoy it that much?”

“Fuck yeah I did!” He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. The couples said goodbye to each other quickly before Natalie and Trevor sped off in his truck, hearing police sirens in the distance.

“Thank you, baby.” She looked at him, lovestruck, “Thank you for taking care of that creep.”

“Anytime, hon.” He replied, opening the car door for her, “I love you. No one messes with my girl. No one.”