#Northern Lights Out

[turtlethon]

“Northern Lights Out”

Season 7, Episode 12 First US Airdate: October 23, 1993

The Turtles battle a Viking warrior who plans to cause global flooding.

“Northern Lights Out” is the penultimate episode of the “Vacation in Europe” side-season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ted Pedersen and Francis Moss are the writers of this adventure, both making their final contributions to the series here.

April is picnicking with the Turtles in Oslo, Norway, and had made a point of asking the hotel to prepare some local cuisine for the occasion. The Turtles have intervened to ensure the meal ends up being a pizza, in this case with a Scandanavian theme: a sardine and lutefisk topping. Donatello isn’t convinced, not being a fan of fish.

While in town, April attends an alternative energy conference. Donatello sits in as Professor Svenson addresses the audience, explaining that Norway rests on a series of mostly dormant volcanic pools; if their energy could be harnessed, it would provide the equivalent of half of Europe’s current power usage, generating enough electricity to light Oslo for a thousand years. The Professor is set to meet with government officials later that day to outline his proposal, but before he can do so, his speech is interrupted by a huge man in traditional Viking attire, introducing himself as Eric the Redeye, descendant of Thor. The axe-wielding warrior steals the Professor’s notes, easily defeats a group of security guards, and upon being quizzed by April for Channel 6, takes her hostage before escaping.

Losing his disguise, Donatello gives chase, charging through a glass window and falling from the second floor into a cart full of fish sitting on the street. As April watches on, Donnie and Eric size each other up but the fight ends abruptly when the damage caused to the building leads to bricks raining down upon them. Eric escapes with his men in a Viking motorcycle(?!) as the other Turtles arrive on the scene, frantically digging through the bricks while trying to free Donatello. The team are baffled when Donnie himself arrives to help, explaining that he dropped through a sewer opening and was never in danger.

Later, in their van, the Turtles watch a broadcast where April interviews Professor Svenson. She quizzes him as to whether Eric the Redeye could use the stolen notes for nefarious purposes, and with each question Svenson provides the same response: “Ya, sure, you betcha!” He eventually reveals that the notes on their own are useless, as only he knows the location of the volcanic pools in question. Figuring that this makes Svenson a target for a return visit from the Viking, the Turtles drive off to prepare for a counterattack.

As predicted, Eric arrives with a group of his men, taking Professor Svenson and April hostage. By the time the Turtles hit the scene they’ve quite literally missed the boat, watching as a solar-powered ship carrying the villains leaves the harbour. The Turtles source a boat of their own and follow closely behind, but are caught in a trap by Eric as act one ends, a mechanically operated chasm closing in on their ship.

Act two begins with the Turtles having lost their boat, now squeezed into small space on a cliff between the two sides of the chasm. Our heroes use grappling hooks to scale the chasm and watch as Eric’s ship sails away. Continuing to give chase by land, the Turtles head to a nearby farm; there, they find a pair of Elks, which they ride until they spot Eric’s ship pulling into a fjord. A concealed wall briefly opens to allow the boat inside, closing again moments later.

The Turtles consider how to get to Eric’s secret headquarters, with Donatello suggesting that there must be an air vent that could be used to gain entry. A bird happens to be seen getting sucked down into the ground, providing an indicator of where to go; later, the Turtles are seen descending via ropes. Below ground, they discover a Viking village and realise they’ll need to quickly source disguises.

A captive April learns that Professor Svenson has provided Eric with the locations of the volcanic pools. The Viking leader leaves with a group of his men in a giant mechanical flying horse, giving orders that Svenson and “that wench” be monitored in his absence. April takes offense at being addressed in such a manner, her anger overheard by the Turtles who are now wandering through the village dressed as locals. A rescue attempt by the team is foiled when the Vikings see through their disguises, but an unlikely figure saves our heroes: an old lady who is insistent that the Turtles are “green dwarves”, responsible for fashioning Thor’s hammer. She declares that the green teens “have come to do Odin’s bidding”, leading to rejoicing from the villagers. The Turtles lean into this, ordering that April and the Professor be freed and requesting the use of their longship.

Later, in the solar-powered boat, Professor Svenson explains to April and the Turtles that Eric intends to blow up the volcanic pools; doing so will melt the polar ice cap, causing disastrous coastal flooding. In the resulting chaos, the Vikings will plunder the flooded cities. A further complication follows as the ship carrying our heroes is confronted by Jormungandr, a legendary Nordic sea monster. The creature begins chowing down on the boat, at one point sending Michaelangelo through the ship’s deck; Raphael quips that he “feels another cliffhanger coming on” as the boat is pulled into Jormungandr’s mouth, concluding the second act.

The final segment of the show opens with Donatello discovering that Jormungandr is actually a robot, launching himself into its throat and using his bo staff to jam its mechanisms. Abandoning the ship, the other Turtles, April and Professor Svenson join Donnie inside the robot. The group alter its course, heading for the volcanic pools, but Eric is already there, and learns that his creature has been captured by the Turtles. Activating a remote control, he locks the Turtles out of the sea serpent’s control room and has it hit the rocks, the resulting flooding threatening to finish off our heroes who remain trapped inside.

Donatello works quickly, implementing a plan to re-fashion the sails of the boat devoured earlier by Jormungandr into a set of solar-powered gliders. The Turtles arrive at the volcanic pools and confront the hordes of Vikings, with Donatello attempting to disable the bomb but facing resistance from Eric. A final confrontation unfolds between the two within the volcano, but Donnie was able to study the schematics of Thor’s supposed hammer while aboard Jormungandr and activates a device which vaporises it. (Throughout this episode the hammer has been drawn, confusingly, as an axe.) With the villain defeated, he goes on to send the detonator device into the air on one of the gliders, narrowly avoiding disaster.

With the day saved, the team reunite, Donatello noting how hungry he is after today’s events. April reveals that she saved him a slice of the fish pizza from the beginning of the episode, leading the team’s resident inventor to run off, repulsed.

“Northern Lights Out” might be the most action-themed episode of the European Vacation arc, consisting largely of a series of chase scenes. We get a small amount of breathing room when the Turtles discover the Viking village, but soon our heroes are on their way again. Pedersen and Moss are among the show’s most prolific contributors and make a point of giving the Turtles plenty of one-liners along the way, which helped a great deal in maintaining my interest.

Like “Artless” before it, this episode breaks from convention by introducing a new villain; this should be refreshing, but Jim Cummings voices Eric the Redeye here sounding almost identical to his substitute Shredder, which diminishes the novelty considerably. Eric reminds me of the jewel thieves from “April Gets in Dutch” in that his defeat feels rushed and unsatisfying; Donatello destroys his hammer and Eric simply falls to his knees before the story moves on to hurriedly tie up the remaining loose ends before the end credits roll.

One final episode of this arc remains! Next time the green teens return to London and travel back in time for a very special crossover of sorts in “Elementary, My Dear Turtle”.

[claraoswalds]

You didn't look at my name, sir. Course I did. It's Henry— what was it? Henry... "Henry Arbinger". That's it. Harbinger. Think of him as my prelude. And now his song is sung.

DOCTOR WHO The Devil's Chord

[canisalbus]

Love your art so much. Will you show us cool nature pics from your country? I'm literally so stoned I forgot where you live sorry.

Sure anon, why not. I'm not a photographer so the quality of these is kind of slushy at best. I like nature and wander around a little bit, but I rarely hike properly, so I don't go to that many scenic places. These are mostly from regular walks. Long post warning.

Summers are short but very green, and since we're at the arctic circle we get sunlight around the clock. Some of these were taken at midnight or early morning small hours. Most of Finland is very sparsely populated and covered in boreal forests.

Finland is a very watery country, lots of lakes in particular.

Sometimes you get intense sunsets

And winters are very cold, snowy and last about six months. In summer we have midnight sun and in winter there's the polar night to counter it. Around late December sun only rises for about two hours per day where I live so it's very dark for many, many weeks on end (which is wonderful if you get seasonal depression like I do). But sometimes the weather and lighting are just right and you get this ethereal pastel effect that I love.

[bluecapsicum]

[modmad]

TPoH: Update!

Update here on the TPoH website!

Read TPoH from the start here.

Have you still not got your nice warm Assok socks? Well why not mosy on down to Topatoco town and introduce yourself to my store!

and completely unrelated to today's update, did you know Topatoco also supports the 'this is fine' artist? with lots of funny things? oh yes.

And if you're a long termer you can always support me on patreon; even one dollar a month helps!

[notsofriendlyfriendlyreminder]

Abigail If I get too close Roberts

John And I'm not how you hoped Marston

and

Mary Forgive my northern attitude Gillis

Arthur I was raised out in the cold Morgan

[jakeperalta]

how did the entire world see the northern lights last night except me

[coffeeghoulie]

Mushy May Day 12: First Time

Dew's entrusted with Aeon's first time Up Top.

Thank you to @forlorn-crows for putting Mushy May together, and to @ghuleh-recs for the divider <3

Contains t4t ghouls, discussion of boundaries, a little miscommunication that is quickly resolved, but no actual smut because this got long and it was very late lol

"I'm not him, you know," Aeon says tentatively, pulling away from the barrage of kisses, even as Dew keeps backing them against the wall of their hotel room. They're somewhere they've never been before, somewhere in the middle of the United States that they can't really remember the name of. "I don't know if I want it if this is just because he's not here."

"Voidling," Dew freezes, hands caging Aeon in. Something in his hungry expression cracks, softens, and Aeon stares with wide, nervous eyes as Dew brings a hand in, running his knobby knuckles over Aeon's cheek in a sort of caress. His brow furrows. "Did you think I wanted you because Aether's back at the Abbey?"

Aeon shrinks back as much as they can. It isn't a lot, their spine already pressed to the tacky hotel wallpaper. They can't meet Dew's eyes. The silence is enough of an answer. Dew hums, and Aeon squeezes their eyes shut. They bite at their already kiss-swollen bottom lip.

"Voidling, look at me," Dew says in a tone that Aeon's never heard from the fire ghoul before. It's shockingly soft, and it's enough of a jolt to their system that they glance up, mismatched eyes meeting copper. He sighs, and Aeon tenses up as he keeps touching their cheek. "I want this because it's you. Blow off some steam, yes, but because I wanted to do this with you. If you don't, if you think you're obligated to keep going, tell me to fuck right off, okay?"

Aeon blinks, a little shellshocked. They had played it up at the Ritual a few hours earlier, falling to their knees at Dew's feet and bending back so far their helmet had brushed against the stage.

Dew had stalked up to them after bows, spindly fingers around the back of their neck burning like a brand, whispering in a low, dark tone that they'd be rooming with him tonight. It had sent a spark of something hot down their spine. And when they had gotten to the hotel, and the door had barely latched behind them before Dew was pouncing, kissing them like he meant to devour?

It hadn't been a spark. More like a bonfire.

They've tried to make up for their inexperience with enthusiasm, pretending like they haven't been staring at him since the moment they arrived Up Top a few months ago.

"Voidling?" Dew asks, an undercurrent of worry filtering into his voice. "Hey, Aeon, you alright?"

Aeon shakes their head, not as a no but to clear their head. "'M okay," they say, trying their best to maintain eye contact.

"What's goin' on in there, Aeon?" Dew asks, hand still on their cheek. "Let me in."

"I want this, I do, I'm just-" They sputter, tongue too big in their mouth, unyieldy.

"Easy. Take a breath. 'M not gonna bite. Not unless you ask."

Aeon obeys, chest heaving as they inhale hard. "I haven't done this Up Top yet, not in a vessel. I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Oh," Dew's hands move down from their face, curling softly around their biceps. "That's okay. I'd be honored, voidling, that is, if you're sure you want it to be me. I haven't exactly been, ugh, the nicest to you."

Aeon flushes a dark violet, making silver freckles stand out on their cheeks. Their mismatched eyes go wide, hair falling over their forehead with how violently they nod. "Please, really want it to be you."

Dew smiles, something softer than Aeon's ever seen on the fire ghoul's face, and he reaches up to push a few strands back. The lamplight softens his sharp features, and he cocks his head. "Let me treat you right, voidling."

Aeon nods again, and Dew draws them into another kiss. This is like nothing Aeon's ever experienced, leagues of difference between this and the kisses from before, the ones that felt like Dew was trying to consume them whole. This feels almost reverent, the way Dew's lips move against theirs, the way he cups their cheek like they're something to be cherished. They don't know what to do with their hands, brushing over Dew's hair, down his arms.

They kiss like that until Aeon's dizzy with it, pulling back to pant desperately. There's a warmth blooming deep in their gut, knees shaking. Dew laughs, not unkind, and begins to herd him towards one of the queen beds. Their eyes go wide as the backs of their calves bump against the mattress, collapsing back onto the bed.

"Again, voidling, if you don't like any of this, tell me to fuck off. Those words. Okay?" Dew looks more serious than he has the entire time, a small furrow between his brows that Aeon has the impulse to kiss away.

"If I don't like it, I'll tell you to fuck off," they repeat, nodding. Dew's lips quirk up in a smirk, and it sends a bolt of heat down Aeon's spine, tail flicking as they prop themself up on their elbows.

"Good boy," he purrs, crowding closer before pausing. "'Boy' a good word for you?"

Aeon chews on their bottom lip, the pupil of their good eye probably dilated to the size of a quarter. "Very much so," they breathe.

Dew nods curtly, visibly filing that information away in his brain. "Let's get you stripped down, want to see what you're hiding under those hoodies, voidling."

Aeon obeys, tugging the hoodie up over their head. "You've seen me changing, though," they say, struggling not to tangle the hoodie in their horns with how eager they are to get rid of it. "We share dressing rooms."

Dew leans in, a glint in his copper eyes. "Yeah, but I've never looked. Let me see."

Aeon swallows hard, tossing the hoodie at the corner of the room, blush spilling down their chest as they feel more than see Dew's eyes on them.

"Pretty," Dew hums, gaze raking over the swell of Aeon's chest. The chill of the air conditioning makes their nipples pebble, a pretty lavender against the rest of their skin, and they fight the urge to cover themself with their arms.

Dew notices, because of course he does, ever perceptive, and tugs his own hoodie off, revealing skin covered in silvery scars, matching sets along his ribcage and two much more prominent ones underneath his pecs. Aeon swallows the saliva pooling on their tongue, staring unashamedly. "That's better, right?" Dew laughs, pressing closer until Aeon can feel his body heat radiating off of him.

"Yeah," Aeon says, chest heaving and all they've done is kiss. "Dew, please." It's not something that they meant to say, but it slips past their lips on a whine.

Dew absolutely lights up at the sound. "What, voidling? What are you begging all pretty for?"

Aeon tries to turn their head away, but then Dew's fingers are on their chin, gently making them keep eye contact. "Please fuck me?"

Dew leans in, pressing a soft kiss at the corner of Aeon's mouth. "Of course, voidling. I'm going to take such good care of you, I promise."

[stillavoidingbaddays]

I SAW THE NORTHERN LIGHTS FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM MY BACK GARDEN IM AMAZED

[wiltking]

I SAW IT

[mikey-boards]

Space!! And nerd stuff 4 my bro @purpleshellhaver!!

[clarisimart]

Every single adult who comes into direct contact with Lyra and talks with her for any period of time (and is not related to her): I only had Lyra for ten seconds, but if anything happened to her, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.

Meanwhile, her bio parents: Excuse you, the only one who is allowed to horrifically mistreat my daughter and do unforgivable things to her and those she cares about, is me!

[snoftshell-snurtle]

i love '87 leonardo's code-named battle plans. attack plan thirty-five: send a giant snowball rolling down upon your enemies. the old number seven: lower the enemy's guard by begging for mercy.

clearly it gives him immense joy to have this mental list, and to heroically proclaim the name of the move before he plays it -- even though it conveys nothing to his buddies. they don't have the list memorized. leonardo doesn't really expect them to; it's entirely "lookie me! i'm the ninja strats guy and i have a ninja strat! follow my lead :D"

[crimeronan]

it's really lovely scrolling thru people's aurora photos and watching everyone take a break from the usual stress of life to be really happy and calm. last night we went up to the same spot in the gorge that we always do for sunrises and meteor showers and stargazing & like with every Big Sky Event, it was packed with people, & at 3 AM a group of girls started loudly n drunkenly singing happy birthday to their friend & then everyone cheered when they finished.

sometimes life is fine.

[fictionadventurer]

🌠

[blueartistic813]

Aurora Borealis: May 10th 2024

This was my first time ever seeing the northern lights!!! I never thought it would be right above my head! I live pretty far south from the usual auroral zone so having this treat was surely a once in a lifetime thing for me! These pictures I took had a lot of exposure used cause with the naked eye you could barely see much, however you could make out the different hues in the sky especially when the pinks and purples were more present. All in all, this is yet another thing ticked off my bucket list :D