#OPENING THIS TECHNODROME LIKE A CAN

[tapakah0]

Part 13!

For some fucking reason Tumblr just refuses to publish my posts. Although I've found that I can edit an already existing old draft and post it, but I don't have so many drafts that it's easy to sacrifice them gkjgn idk what's going on

Part 1

[likablemuffin]

Disaster twins are my life source

(From: Random ROTTMNT oneshots, continuation of the last chatfic chapter)

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

Donnie turned off his phone and headed out of his room. He walked quietly towards Leo's room, ready to be bombarded with snarky remarks the moment he entered.

"Aw, Dee isn't heartless after all!"

"So is this a once in a lifetime thing? Or..."

"Whoa, didn't know you actually liked me."

Donnie sighs in annoyance.

When he opens Leo's door, however, there are no snarky remarks. There is no light either, actually.

Donnie walks slightly into the room. 

"Nardo?"

Leo is snuggled up on his bed in a warm fuzzy blanket with tears streaming down his face while he looks at his phone. Donnie can tell just by looking at Leo's face that he's sick. He looks terrible.

"Oh....hey.... Dee..."

Donnie scoffs. "You good?" Leo whines. "No....." 

Donnie sighs and sits on Leo's bed. "So....you really thought I didn't love you?" Leo freezes up at the question and turns off his phone. He snuggles into his blanket further. "S-sort...of..."

Donnie sighs. "Now that is a very, very, that's two very's, stupid idea." "I-Is it really t-though? I m-mean, I put you a-and everyone e-else in so much d-danger and misery a-and-" Donnie cut him off. "And what about you, huh?"

Leo tilts his head in confusion. "W-what do you mean?..." 

Donnie groans in frustration. "I mean that you went through just as much as we did. And the whole thing wasn't even your fault to begin with anyway." Leo looks like he's about to cry even more. "B-but it w-was! I l-lost the key! I g-got Raph captured! I m-made you g-go into the technodrome! I-it was all my f-fault!"

Donnie puts his finger on Leo's lip. "Shush." "B-but-" "I said shush you dum dum. If you actually think that everything that happened is your fault, you need some serious scolding." Leo looks a bit confused and starts fiddling with his blanket.

"B-but it was my fault...."

Donnie sighs in annoyance and leaves the room for a bit. Leo isn't too pleased. Donnie comes back a few minutes later with a blanket. "D-Donnie...?"

Donnie sits down on Leo's bed. "Lie down, you dum dum." "Dee? What are you-" "Just lie down, Nardo."

Leo shrugged and lies down per Donnie's request. Donnie lies down next to him and takes the blanket he was carrying with him and drapes it over him and Leo. Leo chuckles.

"Donnie?" "Shut up Leo, I'm going to sleep with you tonight." 

Leo blinks a few times. "Aren't you a germaphobe?" Donnie rolls his eyes. "Yes. And?" "Uhh.... I'm sick...?"

Donnie scoffs. "So what? You need comfort, and I shall give you comfort." 

Leo looks surprised for a moment and starts to smile while crying again. "I love you Dee Dee...." Donnie smiles at the old nickname that Leo used to call him. He snuggles up against Leo and hugs him to his chest.

"Love you too, Lee Lee...."

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

Context for this

[kathaynesart]

Is the Replica comic actually gonna show the events of the story, right before the movie? Like, seeing the Kraang invade the Resistance base and how it all falls apart before the opening shows the tip ends of their final battle?

Yes! In fact that was the whole point of this comic. I really wanted to figure out how things fell apart and what lead up to the fall of the resistance. To this day I haven’t really seen a detailed depiction of how that dire situation came to be so I really wanted to take all the visual clues those first five minutes of the movie gave us and piece together a viable story! I just hope I can do it justice.

So, here are some points that have been inferred or stated in the comic that will be important to know as Replica progresses:

- the Krang currently do not know where the resistance is located, but they are searching…

- the bomb implants that all resistance fighters have in their heads insure the Krang can not read their minds to get the information out of them (like they did with Raph in the movie)

- the main Technodrome normally stays in Earth’s orbit, making it nearly impossible for the resistance to attack directly

- there are only a few other known colonies left on Earth. One in South America, one in China.

- Omega is now overseeing the care of the Liberty Colony and runs a majority of the vehicles and security systems to make sure the Krang can not take control of them (since it’s difficult for Krang to mind control AI).

- the probe Donnie implanted has given the resistance a great advantage where they now know where the Krang are planning to send their forces before they can even do it.

Just some food for thought :)

[lizaaardstuff]

Hellebores (shattered)

Hey guys, I’ve decided to try something a little new. This is a fic I’ve been working on for the last month now, and I wanted to share a small snippet of the beginning with you guys since it’ll be a bit longer before I’m able to post it on ao3.

This is a Donnie centric story that will take place after the invasion (like my other fanfic), but the beginning kicks off during the end battle.

⚠️Trigger warning for this fic will include: Major Character Injury, Permanent Injury, Paralysis, Internalized Ablism, PTSD, Medical Stuff; you know, the works.

Please let me know your thoughts once you’ve read this, I’d love to hear them <3

Word count: 1,845

———

Being apart of the Technodrome was... incredible. Being so wholly welcomed into such vast knowledge and power was thrilling- world changing. He was everything. He was everywhere. Nothing was out of his reach. He could feel the space in his head expand, his senses heightened to new levels, and as long as he ignored the pain in his shell and the prickling in his limbs and the pressure in his head, he would describe this as the best experience of his life. Truly, nothing could ever compare.

And then he was ripped out.

Violently.

Without any care to what it would do to him.

And suddenly the greatest experience of his life had turned into a living nightmare. He had never felt pain like this before, and not a second too soon, he blacks out.

———

"...nie!"

"Donnie, wake up!"

Donnie's eyes blearily crack open, dizzying colors invade his senses, and he fights the urge to close them again. He can hear himself wheezing, struggling to take in a full breath. He feels his head dipping down towards his chest, and he realizes he's being held up. Blinking to try to clear the haze from his vision, he looks around to his brothers, who are all being held up by the same gooey Krang matter. Donnie almost does a double take when he sees Raph, with the Krang's influence gone, but he doesn't even get a second to revel in this new development, because Leo and Mikey are suddenly yelling for him again.

"Donnie, c'mon, you have to fight it!" Leo shouts from across the room. A flash of blue lights up the room, and Donnie can feel the electricity of his brothers ninpō light up in his chest. And now that he's focusing on it, he can feel Raph's ninpō there too, strong and steady. Feeling that spark ignites something within his own kindling, and when Mikey's ninpō joins the mix, that's all the push Donnie needs before a beam of striking purple joins the cacophony.

There's yelling, but Donnie's ears are ringing, and everything sounds like it's happening behind a wall of cotton. He sees everyone's ninpō burning away the Krang matter that was holding them up, and he assumes the same was happening to him, but he could barely feel it.

Donnie drags in a breath, feeling like he was breathing through a straw, and uses all of his strength to lift up his right arm to pull at the Krang gunk that was pulling at his neck. If I could just get a moment to catch my breath...

And then the Krang matter is gone, and he's falling.

Donnie lands hard on his side, pain flaring through the upper part of his spine and echoing out across his chest, and the impact forces a weak cough out of him that takes away the little bit of air he had managed to gain in his lungs.

"Donnie!" he hears from above, but his eyes are slipping shut again, his energy spent.

There's a soft thud next to him, and a gentle hand on the side of his face. "Donnie, open your eyes man, please. C'mon, just open your eyes."

Leo.

Donnie slowly peels open his eyes again, despite how badly he wanted to just let them remain closed. Because Leo asked nicely.

Donnie drags in another breath.

Why is it still so hard to breathe?

"There you are," Leo sighs, a confusing mix of worry and relief painted on his face.

Donnie hears quick footsteps behind him and a soft gasp, "his shell," "oh Donnie," but when he tries to turn his head to see who's talking, Leo's hand that was still on his face presses down lightly to keep his head in place. "Don't move."

Donnie's head is starting to feel light from the lack of oxygen.

"Oh my god, Leo, what do we do." Mikey. That's Mikey. Donnie's fingers twitch against the ground as he tries once again to turn his head to see his baby brother, but Leo's hand remains firm.

"We have to move." Raph. His big brother is here too. Wait...

Donnie's already unsteady breathing halts, his eyes going wide. "Wait," he croaks out, all eyes turning back on him, "if you're all here... the Krang." Donnie's words slur, and his sentence ends in another wheezing breath.

The others share a confused look above him. Leo looks back down to meet Donnie's eyes, gently taking his hand with the one that wasn't securing the softshell's head. But Donnie could barely feel it. Everything felt so disconnected and muffled. Shock, maybe.

"Donnie," Leo says sharply, like he'd been calling his name a few times. Donnie drags his eyes back up to Leo, blinking through another round of haze. "Donnie, you're holding them off. Or, at least I'm assuming it's you. There's a big purple dome around us, and you're glowing, so..."

Huh?

"Leo," Raph says urgently from wherever he is. Donnie still can't see him or Mikey. If only I could just sit up... "We still need to get the Krang through that portal." There's hesitation in his voice, and Donnie wishes he could see his face.

"I know!" Leo snaps, voice trembling and eyes brimming with overwhelmed tears. It felt so unlike him. He'd only seen Leo make that face a few times in their lifetime, and most of what he could count were from the last 24 hours. Donnie focuses solely on flexing his fingers around Leo's hand, and Leo squeezes back automatically, looking back down at him but still talking to Raph. "I know, but- we can't move him like this."

"Leo, we can't stay here," Donnie hears Mikey say from somewhere above him.

Donnie watches as a tear rolls down Leo's cheek, catching the purple lighting of Donnie's ninpō. Then Leo squares his shoulders and his face hardens, eyes glancing up to meet the others above him, and Donnie knows that he's come to a decision.

"Raph, in a few minutes I'm going to need you to pick up Dee. As carefully as you possibly can. I'll portal you down to a safe spot. Donnie actually managed to get the ship pretty close to the portal before the Krang grabbed him and Mikey, so all Mikey and I have to do is push the big guy through. I need you to watch Dee, if you can find anything hard and flat to lay him on once you're down there, that would be best. Make sure he doesn't move." Good, Donnie thinks as he listens to his twin slip back into his leader voice, Leo's got this covered. Donnie can feel his eyes slipping shut again right as Leo's eyes shift back over to him. "Dee, look at me, I need you to focus."

Donnie would have rolled his eyes at the slider if he wasn't feeling so sluggish. Instead, he tries to hum to let him know he's listening, but it turned more into a weak groan.

"Before I have Raph pick you up, I'm going to do a quick check to see how you're doing. I need you to keep the shield up, okay? Can you do that for me? No, don't move your head, I got it," Leo adds quickly, pulling their hands apart to stop Donnie from nodding with both of his hands.

"Okay," Leo says, more to himself, as he finally lets go of Donnie's head, throwing a sharp glare in his direction with one more, "don't move," as he picks up Donnie's wrist to take his pulse.

He frowns, clearly not pleased with what he's feeling, but he moves on anyways, carefully shifting his head to lean against Donnie's chest. It was difficult since Donnie was on his side, and Leo seemed to take extra care in making sure not to jostle him. Leo's frown only deepens. This check up clearly wasn't going well. Damn, there goes my perfect test scores...

Then Leo goes to check his eyes, but without a pen light to use and the lighting around them being so dim, he gives up on that, moving to hold Donnie's hands instead.

"Squeeze my hands," Leo instructs.

Donnie has to dig through his energy reserve moving his fingers, and he notices that his right hand reacts before his left. Huh. But either way, he manages to give Leo's hands a weak, lopsided squeeze, which seemed to be good enough for now because Leo nods approvingly.

"Okay, now wiggle your toes for me." The slider sits up a bit straighter to look at the softshell's feet. Or, where Donnie assumes they must be, because he can't feel anything below his chest. Donnie's never been in shock before, and after this experience, he never wants to again. Though, that's a bit redundant. No one ever wants to go into shock, that would be masochistic. But Donnie definitely would rate this experience a zero out of ten, would not recommend-

"Donnie, focus," Leo says, placing a hand on Donnie's arm, bringing Donnie back to the present. "I need you to wiggle your toes." Was Donnie becoming delusional, or was there a hint of desperation in his brother's tone? Probably both.

So Donnie wiggles his toes like Leo has asked of him, if only to ease his brother's concern.

"Donnie, seriously, man. Move your toes so we can finish this up. I know you're feeling kinda out of it right now but-"

What? "I already did," Donnie mumbles out, immediately wishing he hadn't spoken when such a simple task leaves him breathless and dizzy.

"What? No, dude, you didn't. Try again." Leo's tone sharpens, eyes going wide, despite his casual wording.

Donnie furrows his smudged brows. "What're you talkin about?" Donnie tries to get an arm under him to push himself up, turning his head towards his legs, confused, but the second he tries to move, Leo's on top of him again.

"Stop! Stop moving," Leo shouts hurriedly. Donnie can feel the sharp sting of Leo's panic through their interlinked ninpō, and suddenly there's a shift in the air. Ignoring Leo's frantic pleads and shaking hands, Donnie tilts his head up slowly, painfully, and sees the large purple dome he had accidentally created to surround them shudder. A loud pounding followed by muffled rage filled roars could be heard just outside of the shield, as the Krang leader slams his fists into the structure, clearly becoming impatient.

When the Krang brings his fists down again, the structure glitches.

Donnie gasps, along with his brothers, and by pure instinct he pushes more energy into the shield. The world starts spinning and the corners of his vision go dim as he uses up the last of his reserves, and when Donnie blinks his eyes back open, his head is laying on the ground again. Leo's shouting something to someone, and there's a flash of bright, neon blue, and there's a large arm shifting under him. The last thing he sees is a burst of purple pixels as the dome shatters before his eyes slip shut.

———

Okay so I really have no idea how to format anything on this app, so if it’s hard to read, I’m so sorry 😭

[qoldenskies]

You answered how Raph would respond to being able to fight off the krang but not the curse, but what would Donnie think about it

i think he wouldn't make the connection, but raph would. donnie can connect the kraang possession to the curse just fine, and it freaks him out and makes him worry for both leo AND raph, but i don't think he would get the idea that raph managing to fight off the infection would be comparable to his inability with the curse.

donnie isn't stupid. at this point he's likely gotten a good description of how the curse operated, and he knew there was actually little his family could do. he'd probably use this to blame HIMSELF (he should have known. how could he have been so horrible , thinking of them that way?) but the kraang infection operates under different rules, and the way of resisting and stopping it is completely different. he would especially know this if you see the technodrome as a library of information like a lot of other people do lol.

but i think raph would be guilty about this. this has reopened those old wounds and now that he's been forced to hurt another brother, he cant help but worry that there WAS a way to get out of the curse, because unlike the infection he could tell something was off and he hurt donnie anyway.

he'd overthink it, and once he'd finally get his wits and open up to donnie about it, donnie genuinely wouldn't understand. sure seeing him that way freaked him out, it was triggering to see leo hurt like that, but why would this change anything? the curse was one thing and the infection was another. donnie doesn't blame him for being cursed, and he knows leo doesn't blame him for being infected.

raph doesn't know why that answer makes him feel worse.

[turtleblogatlast]

How are Mikey and Donnie doing? Since we've gotten the low down on Raph

Also, have they actually started to do worse since Leo has come back? Considering how he looks, the constant injuries, ect?

[ cw: death mention / injury mention / trauma / ]

Like I said here, Raph’s reason for believing in Leo’s survival is Trust.

Donnie’s is Proof. And Mikey’s is Hope.

More on them below

For Donnie, he’s made machine after machine, each one more complex than the last, all with the aim to tear a hole in reality to bring back his brother (his twin.) It never works, not once, and he considers, really and truly, remaking the Technodrome from the parts that have fallen all over the place (that thought is banished as soon as it hits him, and he was still shivering hours later.)

He considers stealing from the EPF. He considers getting the key and making a new portal himself regardless of the consequences. He considers many things and tries to do many things and maybe he would have if not for the rest of the family being on red alert for any dangerous actions.

It’s best he never did any of it, as the odds of finding one small turtle from a single unstable opening are low.

So he continues to search for an answer, even as it becomes more and more likely that Mikey may just be it. Donnie just can’t accept the thought of waiting around for the solution to come to them. He knows Mikey needs to train, but Donnie doesn’t want to wait.

Donnie hates to leave Leo in that place any longer than necessary. And he knows Leo’s probably there, the slider doesn’t die so easily.

There’s no proof of Leo’s death. They never saw a body, they never were contacted by his spirit.

So Donnie knows Leo’s out there. And he doesn’t want to keep him waiting.

On one occasion, Donnie swallows his pride and bows his head to the witches of Witch Town, begging for an answer, even if that answer isn’t within the realm of science.

They give him nothing.

Then. One day April makes a comment. She tells him that he’s “getting so tall.” So, of course, he immediately goes to check.

And, he is. He is tall. Tall-er at least, and getting taller still.

Taller than Leo was.

April finds him again an hour later, curled up in a heap on the floor and sobbing, sobbing, sobbing as he outpaces his memory of Leo.

It’s not like he didn’t know he’d probably one day get taller - after all, he’s a softshell versus Leo’s slider. Even considering all other aspects that may make them close, at most they’d be the same height, but most likely the end result is Donnie reigning supreme in the vertical department.

So. He knew he’d get taller. He’d been hoping to rub it in Leo’s face, considering they’d been on a back and forth with their heights for so long now.

But Leo wasn’t there.

Leo wasn’t there.

And. Then he was. And he was dead - and Donnie shut down.

But then Leo was - back? Somehow? And, for once, Donnie couldn’t - didn’t want to - question it because that’s his twin and-

Leo looks so young. So small. So hurt. And that- doesn’t change.

His shell is permanently cracked, so Donnie works on a battle shell.

He’s always cold, so Donnie makes a heat lamp.

His wounds never stop bleeding, so Donnie produces reinforced bandages.

And yet, despite all of this, Leo keeps getting hurt.

And yet, despite that, Donnie is still so fucking grateful Leo’s home.

Because finally. Donnie can breathe again.

Leo may end up alone one day, at the rate things were going.

So Donnie gonna make sure he’s got some company. Even if that company is a robot.

_____________

Mikey almost gets Leo back, that day.

He struggles and struggles, knowing he can open a portal if he tried hard enough. He knows he has it in him, he can feel it, but he also feels a sharp twinge in his arm from where the Krang snapped at it, so he’s given a brief flicker of orange before his arm falls to his side.

Before he fails in getting Leo back.

He tries again when he gets back control of his arm, but whatever he managed in the moment had passed.

Nothing but fizzles. Whiffs of uselessness.

He’s inconsolable and screaming for hours, hours, and for a while, the happy ball of sunshine he used to be has dimmed into stone. Expressionless and weary.

And then Draxum said he could teach Mikey.

And Mikey had hope. Just like Leo had said a ninja’s greatest weapon was.

Leo was always so cool, so confident. He’d play with Mikey and always got on his level. He’d protect Mikey when needed most, but let him be when not.

Leo had instilled hope in them, that day, and Mikey was ashamed that he allowed it to be extinguished so easily.

So, Mikey trains. Day after day, until he can reliably use his abilities without coming apart at the seams (and, sometimes/often/always Mikey wonders if maybe that’s okay, if it means Leo is back.)

But he acquiesces when Splinter looks at his spiderweb scars in horror.

It takes years, too long, much too long, (so long he has hair now-) but Mikey is finally able to do it.

He gets Leo out and-

And-

His brother.

Leo.

Leo was dead.

Mikey was too late. He failed Leo again.

Mikey doesn’t remember anything other than screaming, his own screaming, but he remembered Raph’s sudden change in expression, and how the snapper trailed off.

And Mikey remembered turning around, and feeling Hope flare up once more.

Leo was back, he was alive, and Mikey didn’t care how or why. He had problems, he was young looking, he was horribly wounded (always, now), he was kinda cursed, but he was home.

Leo wasn’t okay.

He wouldn’t talk about why either.

Mikey could figure some things out, off context clues alone, but the rest he’d need from the source.

But, Mikey wasn’t about to push his brother away. So he accepted the deflections and chose the next best thing - sticking as close as he could.

Gosh, he missed his brother so badly. He’d been training so much, so thoroughly, that six years came and went both agonizingly slowly and incredibly fast. He can only image it was similar for Leo.

So. So! Mikey has decided to live his life to the fullest, even if- even if Leo will outlive them. For the time he has, he will live for himself and his family.

And maybe look into how mystic spirits could stick around after death.

_____________

As for your last question - there’s some aspects of Leo’s return that are hard to deal with, undeniably so, but they’re more just. So happy he’s back. It’s 1000% more of a good thing than anything else. They missed him terribly, and weren’t the same with him gone, even if they were functional.

They weren’t whole without him. Just as he wasn’t whole without them.

[hibikiloserl]

Master Post! <3

First things first, my name is kiki and i’m 15. I go by any pronouns but I am in fact a female. I draw as a hobby and as a form of relaxation.

commissions are currently open!

My current hyper fixation is rottmnt! I also really like disney movies don’t judge me.

my carrd

( leos | dons | raphs | mikes )

Lost, But Not Forgotten AU

[ When Raph, Mikey, and Donnie fail to rescue Leo from the prison dimension they all fall into a deep period of grief. Donnie, distraught and angry, uses the key as a base to open another portal to the prison dimension. What he doesn’t realize is that he’s been keeping a little ‘souvenir’ from the technodrome. ]

teaser | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6

————————

AU adjacent art!

• wishful thinking

• sunset duo hug

• do butterflies drink turtle tears?

————————

you can also find anything au related under #comic art and/or #lost but not forgotten

Boundaries

Please be mindful of the fact that I am a minor and certain things will make me uncomfortable. Just don’t be too weird!

I don’t ship April with any of the turtles. I kinda consider it inc3st because they all canonically see each other as siblings but if you ship them i’m not gonna bite your head off about it.

I don’t ship leosagi either because I don’t even know who Usagi is so whenever I see it i’m just kind of confused.

I always appreciate gentle criticism! If there’s anything I can change to make my art better, please tell me!

And last but certainly not least,

TC3STERS AND PROSHITTERS DNI

[turtlethon]

The other one is much later in the show's run, in "Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter", when we learn that Shredder continued to experiment on innocent people, over a period of years, to the point where there were so many mutants running around town that a politician could run on an anti-mutant campaign platform.

Do you remember exact dialogue on that? I watched that episode recently and the only thing I remember was that Tokka & Rahzar were stated to be the result of the Shredder experimenting on Zoo Animals, which I assume to be a reference to the Groundchuck and Dirtbag episodes.

As for the other mutants like the Giraffe lady and mutant bird, I assumed they weren't Shredder experiments but just people or animals that got hit by carelessly placed mutagen during the show's shenanigans rather than deliberate experiments.

Also I feel Baxter Stockman's harsh treatment from Shredder and Krang may have been because he was something of an outsider; being coerced into working for them and once trying to betray the Shredder. Rocksteady and Bebop's gangs were thugs that had been working for them to begin with, so I feel they'd get better treatment.

Upon reflection (and going back and watching the opening of the Dirk Savage ep again) I think you're right: the intent seems to be that the events in the zoo during the Turtleoids special have led to the creation of subsequent mutants over a period of a few years. I'm many months removed from watching the show at this point, so I was basing that on what I wrote at the time and my already potentially fuzzy recollections.

Regarding Shredder and the gang (and by extension, Krang/Baxter) I think where you stand on Shredder's willingness to undo their mutations probably depends on how evil you interpret him to be...

This Shredder is presented as a credible ninja master and criminal mastermind, and is the one who mutated the gang members...

This Shredder is considerably less capable, to put it mildly, and if we're being honest more in-line with how he's presented for the bulk of the series. Outside of his feud with Splinter and the Turtles, his desire for world domination seems to be entirely rooted in his own vanity and self-aggrandizement.

His villainy/competence isn't a binary thing IMO, I think it can be charted on a spectrum depending on the era of the show and who's writing, but as a trend it keeps nudging into ineffectual goofball gradually up to the beginning of season eight, when it dramatically swings back in the opposite direction.

On that basis, I think the likelihood of Shredder undoing the mutations of the gang and letting them go depends on which point in the show it actually happens. If we're assuming it's in the window between S1 and S2 then maybe not, but after the S2 opener the way he's presented changes considerably and he seems to be borderline subservient to Krang rather than the two of them being in a fifty-fifty partnership. At that point I could see him just releasing the gang on the basis that he has enough to deal with, and doesn't need them hanging around.

In regards to Krang (and his attempted vaporizing of Baxter), I've long been of the opinion that as an alien warlord he likely places little value on human life, but I kind of like the idea that the presence of Shredder, Rocksteady & Bebop in the Technodrome softens him a bit and prevents him from being a total monster, in part because their incompetence invariably scuppers all of his plans and stops him doing any significant harm in the end. It's notable that he ordered Baxter's execution while Shredder, Rocksteady and Bebop were all on Earth, and there was no-one around to reason with him; I don't know if I'd go so far as to say they serve as his conscience, but, y'know... something like that!

[misteria247]

This wasn't supposed to happen.

None of this supposed to happen.

But here he was, on a small island watching in horror as one of his brothers was thrown into another dimension. Disappearing from the world as if it were nothing. Mikey could only watch in horror as the Krang ship disappeared from the skies of NYC, carrying Leo with it. He could hear Raph falling to his knees and letting out a primal, grief stricken scream into the air, his large frame shaking uncontrollably from the emotional onslaught. Donnie was deathly silent, but Mikey could feel the turmoil and disbelief coming from his older brother. Could smell the tears that had started coming down his cheeks. And Mikey.......

Mikey didn't even think about it before he found himself running towards the edge of the island. He heard Raph and Donnie's voices, broken and suddenly terrified by their little brother's behavior but at that moment Mikey didn't care if he scared them. Didn't care if he had let the mask he wore slip as he ran. Flashes of memories hit him like waves of an ocean. Lifetimes of losing Leo stabbing into him and cutting him deeply.

Leo when he'd been stabbed by Karai and beaten to near death by the Shredder.

Leo when he'd been taken to be used as a sacrifice for monsters.

Leo when he held back Kraang Subprime in the Technodrome, sinking into the sea.

Leo once again beaten by the Shredder to near death, ending up comatose for three months.

Leo nearly having all of his blood be taken and nearly going into shock.

Leo who had patted his head before going out with Casey and being blown to bits and pieces, a broken sword being all that was left.

Leo sacrificing himself at this very moment, throwing himself into the prison dimension with the Krang general to be beaten to death.

Mikey's eyes filled with tears as he drew closer towards the edge of the island, his heart racing. The words of his brothers echoing in his head in their brokenness.

'There's nothing we can do. Leo's gone.'

The box shell shook his head, refusing to accept it. Refusing to accept that Leo was gone for good. He remembered Casey Jr saying that his future self was a powerful mystic warrior. With skills unmatched by anyone. Mikey didn't know what he was going to do, but God damnit he was going to try.

He refused to give up on Leo.

Not when Leo wouldn't give up on him.

Mikey shot his arms out, the tears flying down his face in rivers as he struggled to do something. To do anything. If he could just get to Leo......

More memories of Leo filled Mikey's head, fueling his determination and desperation as he dug deeper into himself, forcing his mystics to do something.

Leo who held him when he had a nightmare.

Leo who made silly puns and catchphrases to annoy them as well as cheer them up.

Leo who always had their backs even when he was frustrated with them.

Leo mother henning them and keeping them safe on missions.

Leo with his selflessness and self sacrificial ways to ensure that his family was happy and taken care of.

Leo with his smile and laughter and wisdom and patience.

Leo, Leo, Leo-

Leonardo.

He wanted Leonardo back. He wanted him back home safely and smiling like he always did. He didn't want to lose Leonardo.

Not now.

Not ever again.

'Give him back-! Give me back my brother-! GIVE ME BACK LEO, GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHER PLEASE-!!!'

He pleaded to anyone listening, his blood singing with lifetimes of grief, rage and terror. At that moment something seemed to snap, like a delicate thread that held his mystics back had just snapped. He couldn't make out what Raph and Donnie were saying, instead focused solely on the sudden burning flames that tore and chipped away at his arms and hands. The pier in front of him began to change, a portal being torn open through Mikey's sheer force of will. He didn't care if this would kill him, as long as he could have his brother back then he'd lay his life down in a heartbeat. Mikey was so focused that he nearly jumped when he felt Raph and Donnie grip a shoulder each, taking on some of the mystic backlash that had burning the youngest turtle.

"I don't know how you're doing this Mikey! But don't stop!"

Raph's voice commanded as he gripped his little brother's shoulder. It took a bit before the portal finally opened and there floating around in the vast darkness of the prison dimension was Leo. The red eared slider blinked at the sudden light, his light blue hues landing on his brothers. A look of exhausted relief filled his face.

"Took you guys long enough...."

Leo said his voice gruff but teasing. Mikey felt relief hit him before horror replaced it as the sudden large form of the Krang general appeared behind Leo. A clawed hand reaching out to grab the blue clad turtle and crush him. Raph shouted Leo's name, his mystics sparking to life like a live wire. A large red hand grabbed Leo's wrist and yanked, and as the Krang general went to reach out to grab him and yank him back.....

A drill, sparking and whizzing flew straight into the alien's face and neck, the sounds of the powerful mystic drill tearing at the Krang general filling the air. Donnie with a murderous and cold glare made sure that he didn't miss. Leo was yanked through the portal and the Krang general went to lunge back towards them only to be met with a merciless expression from Mikey. Light brown eyes flashing the youngest threw his arms together in a closing motion, forcing the portal to shut and lock the monster away forever. Chest heaving from the adrenaline Mikey's head snapped towards his brothers seeing Leo laying on the ground with Raph and Donnie on either side of him.

'No, no please don't-don't let him be-'

Mikey felt his chest constrict in a nasty way as he joined his brothers looking at his bruised and beaten older brother.

"Leo....?"

Mikey croaked, his voice barely holding back his panic. A groan greeted him and the others before Leo's eyes opened up gazing up at the trio.

"Hey guys......."

The blue jokester began to say only to stop when he saw where they were.

"Ew-! Stan Island?!? Gross-!"

Leo complained immediately sitting up painfully so he wouldn't have to be laying on the ground. Mikey didn't even think about it before he launched himself into Leo's arms, clinging to him tightly as he promptly started to cry silent tears. Raph and Donnie were quick to join the hug, Raph's large arms circling around them.

Leo was safe.

Mikey hadn't failed him this time.

[copwef]

A turtle called sensei(Rottmnt au)

Chapter 1

___________________________________________

"The world needs Master Leonardo. And all we got is this guy..."

Leo remembers these words vividly. While they weren't last Casey had spoke to him, they where most important. A much needed wake up call before the hell he would have to face.

Leo remembers the image vividly. There strongest attack, the sum of all his brothers mystic power being flicked away by krang prime. However he doesn't remember much of the fall.

All he remembered was waking up on the ground, holding Casey's mask with his brothers no where in sight. Watching the technodrome completely pass through the portal.

Leo could hardly think. He definitely had a concussion and the thought that everyone he cared about could very well be dead wasn't helping.

He may have stood there for the rest of his life had Casey's mask not began to play that grim warning.

"Sensei... The plan failed... Your brothers were-" The audio briefly cut out, leaving him unaware of his family's fate. "I've been spotted. It doesn't look like we can stop the invasion after all. But as you told us, there is still hope."

Leo could almost laugh.

"How" he thought.

He couldn't comprehend how there could still be hope after he had doomed the earth in his ignorance.

"Master Leonardo mentioned to me once a place called the hidden city. He said that if his team had gotten their in time they may have been able to close the connection to new York and evacuate civilians there. He said it could've given us a advantage against krang."

Casey had stopped talking. His breathing be came frantic and Leo though he heard the sound of running footsteps.

"Listen. If you can, find Draxum, April, and splinter. And go to the hidden city. It may be our last hope..."

Casey's message ended there. No screaming, no crying, no panic. Just a desperate attempt at saving his sensei.

Looking back on it. Leo sometimes wonders if this gave Casey a form of peace. A feeling that at least he could save his sensei the second time around.

Leo's body practically acted on auto pilot after that. He quickly found his swords as portaled over to April and splinter. He didn't listen to there frantic questions about if he was alright and where his brothers where.

He opened a Portal to the hidden city and shoved them through.

He then portaled to the school where Draxum worked. There Draxum had been gathering survivors. There was were around 300 people. Men, women, children, and teens. People who may have lost their families.

Kinda like Leo did himself.

Leo quicky shut that thought down. There was no time to think about his mistake. He quickly opened another Portal to the hidden city and yelled at everyone to go inside.

The people were already freaked out and a giant sentient turtle definitely was not helping.

However Draxum was able to convince most people to go in willingly. The rest Leo practically forced into the portal. Before stepping in himself.

Now that everyone was in the hidden city, it was time for the second part of the plan.

He practically screamed at Draxum.

"WHO RUNS THE HIDDEN CITY AND WHERE ARE THEY!?

Draxum with both confusions and terror in his voice and expression responded.

"The council... The mystic counsel runs the hidden city. The should be in the massive structure to the east."

Leo wasted no time, portalling there instantly and barging in.

"SHUT DOWN THE CONNECTION To NEW YORK!" Leo screamed at the council.

The three members of the council were inraged, demanding who he was and why he thought he could order them around.

All Leo did was show them footage from Casey's mask of the apocalypse happening above ground. The counsel was horrified but still reluctant to listen to him.

Leo however, held up his sword's and opened a Portal. And threatened to lead krang here if they didn't

The council quickly complied and shut down the connection to new York. Leo than teleported to his remaining family. But before they could say anything, Leo's injury's and fatigue caught up with him, and he passed out.

As he felt himself falling unconscious. Leo could only pray this whole thing was a horrible nightmare.

But little did he know, this was just the beginning...

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

So what do you think of the first chapter of this series. I'd love to hear some feedback! Also sorry for lack of dialogue. I'm writing This as im about to go to bed. So I'll try to improve for the next chapter!

[onejellyfishplease]

Good morning, Jelly!

So, regarding the question I mentioned last night; As you are well aware of by now, my Tabletop Turtles AU (or TTAU, for short) esentially combines RotTMNT with D&D mechanics and tropes.

And if you are going to tell a classic D&D story, you need to have your adventuring party face off against a dragon, right? The question is, which iconic RotTMNT villain should I turn into a dragon? I've got two options I've torn between, both with their own pros and cons (I apologize in advance for the slight info-dump)

1) The Shredder Aesthetically, this is the easiest option. I mean, the Shredder is halfway towards being a dragon already. Just slap some wings and a tail on that sucker and boom, you have a dragon. And let's be honest, a Shredder dragon would look cool as fuck. And the lore wouldn't be too difficult to flesh out either. But there is one problem with this idea, and that is that the Shredder isn't the 'final boss' of RotTMNT. Which means I'd need to come up with a climactic threat to come after this dope ass dragon. And how am I supposed to top a creature that is so iconic to Dungeons and Dragons that it's literally in the name?

2) The Krang Making the Krang dragons would help them fit in with the fantasy setting, where aliens might feel a bit out of place. Though, while having the Krang be dragons will solidify them as a world-ending threat that blends iconic creatures from both the show and D&D, it would open a whole can of worms in regards of questions to answer. How would I design them so that they look recognizable while still retaining that classic D&D feel? If they aren't aliens, what would exactly would the technodrome be? How would they krang-ify people? What's the deal with those mech-armor things? would they still use them? These are just a few of the questions that would need answering.

In short, the Shredder would be the simpler option in terms of design and lore but would give me an extremely high bar to clear when I introduce the Krang. I could just… not use the Krang at all, but they feel like too much of an important part of RotTMNT canon to just ignore, y'know? On the other hand, the Krang would fit better thematically, but come with a plethora of design challenges and lore questions to answer.

I know this is a bit of complex lore problem, and you might not be able to provide a miracle answer that will solve all my problems, but hearing your two cents on this will be very helpful. After all, you have much more experience creating AUs (you seem pretty much incapable of not constantly making new AUs), and this is the first real AU I've created since I was a child.

First of all, I love the name youve chosen!! very cool.

And oof i get the struggle between thematic and aesthetic choices! it can be really hard!

I have a few suggestions that might help?

(just saying that i dont know much about dnd lore besides looking through a few of the books and osmosis from being around my brother)

Okay, Idea one: Kraang as Beholders? they kinda look similar i guess?

Idea two: (this ones a bit more fleshed out)

In a lot if tmnt iterations, the kraang use technology to become physically stronger (ie the mech suits) but since this is dnd, perhaps they should have a more magical solution. perhaps, they lean more into the possession role. perhaps here they act more like parasites? perhaps theyre taking over the minds of dragons and other dnd monsters- using them to their own will? (taking inspiration from rabies here). then u could get some kraangified dragons.

maybe the defeat of shredder can cause the release of the kraang?

this way you could still do the dragon idea for both of them.

the technodrome could be an amalgamation of possessed monster that have become so twisted that they have moulded together? (depends on how dark u wanna go here)

id say you could turn them both into dragons and get away with it if u make their designs, nature and goals different enough.

have the shredder be originally a dragon, but then merged himself with so much magical and cursed armour that he no longer looks like one

(or -another thought- make him a man who wanted the power of a dragon, and so through both magic and armour twisted himself into something vaguly dragon like)

making them related to one another (not just genetically but also thematically) might work aswell?

maybe the shredder created the kraang? maybe in his goal to make a synthetic biological dragon (why he would want that idk, something powerful that shares his ideals) and it went wrong?

woah that was a lot of rambling. i realise that i mostly did both the shredder and the kraang as dragons instead of anything else. my bad.

i hope this helps!! i know i threw a lot of rambling at you just now!

[snappedsky]

ROTTMNT: You Are Not Alone

The Mad Dogs fight back against the Krang.

*Reblogs appreciated*

--

Chapter 17

It’s like a huge hole has been ripped open in the sky above New York City, casting a reddened shadow. From it has emerged a ship, massive and round with tentacles writhing from the bottom- the Technodrome.

The human army has been called in. Fighter jets fly over the city, firing on the alien ship. Their weapons barely do any damage. Lasers fire from the Technodrome, destroying the jets in seconds.

On the ground, the Krang monsters have been infecting more and more, gaining numbers. The resistance fighting them has to pull back as they quickly get overwhelmed.

Within the captain’s quarters of the Technodrome, Leonardo is being forced to watch all of this. He’s pinned to the wall by flesh, facing towards the window. The view before him is all too familiar, and all too painful.

He hears chuckling from below and looks down to see the three Krang coming down the walkway, all three of them piloting armoured, mechanical suits.

“What a sight, is it not,” Krang 1 says, looking up at Leonardo. “I am pleased you get a front row seat. You may be immune to our powers, but you make a magnificent trophy.”

Krang 2 laughs as she gets up in Leonardo’s face. “Where are your jokes now?” He grimaces and looks away and she laughs more.

“My brother, begin the assault,” Krang 1 demands. The third Krang leaves the room. “My sister...go have some fun.” She laughs eagerly as she too leaves. Krang 1 turns to Leonardo. “Let’s enjoy the show, shall we.”

His laughter echoes through Leonardo’s head.

In the city, Raph, Leo, Donnie, Mikey, Splinter, April, Cassandra, and Casey watch the giant ship in the sky from atop a skyscraper. Below them, their allies fight to survive against the growing number of Krang’s monster.

“It’s happening,” Casey sighs dismally. “Just like before. We couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t do anything. Sensei and the key were both taken, right in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything.”

He drops to his knees and hangs his head. “I’m still so...weak...”

“We can’t give up, Casey,” Mikey insists.

“What more can we do?” he asks hopelessly, “maybe there is no way to change the future.”

[muses-inn]

Getting a chance to leave the house and visit the inhabitants of the Technodrome might as well be the highlight of Morty's day. He knows that things won't be smooth there either, but they also won't be worse. At least, he won't have to suffer through his Dad's boring movies and he'll get to see his friends. The boy is particularly excited about that last part. He has managed to find a gift he thinks Bebop and Rocksteady will love and he's eager to give it to them. And, hopefully, it will act as an excuse for the three of them, and N’sho-v if he wants to join, to hang out in the future. The moment they step into the fortress, the trio splits up, each of them heading in a different direction. An already half drunk Rick is off to bother Krang and Shredder (or rather, to add to their already ongoing bickering). Meanwhile, Summer makes a beeline for wherever Subprime was hiding, a hard disk with some designs for Irma's outfits in hand. "H-Hey, guys! M-Merry Christmas!" Morty greets as he joins the two mutants by the music player that's blasting rock covers of Christmas songs at a deafening volume. "Uh, d-do you mind if we…" He makes an awkward gesture towards the stereo. "J-Just for a bit?" Once the music is down to a reasonable level, so that he doesn't have to scream to be heard, the teen pulls out a thin rectangular package, wrapped in paper with skulls wearing Santa hats and beards. Once open, it will reveal some sort of tablet, with a list of concerts. Each of them can be clicked on, opening a new page that leads to all the information related to the event. Only a few of them are on Earth, while most are on alien worlds. The genres played are always the same: hard rock, punk and some metal. "T-They are coupons! Y-You can choose thirty of these concerts an-and you can go for free. W-With some, you also get a free drink an-and gadgets," Morty explains with obvious excitement. "An-And don't worry about getting there, I-I'll take care of that with Rick's portal gun." Which is easier to use and more reliable than the Technodrome portal. "Y-You also get to bring two plus ones, i-if you want to take someone along with you." He rubs the back of his head as his grin turns awkward. "I-I hope you like it." [[ Morty for Bebop & Rocksteady for the holiday inbox call! Don't mind me if I added a little mention of Summer bringing Subprime a gift too x3 ]] @countlessrealities

[🎄]  The holiday spirit is without a doubt the loudest in Bebop and Rocksteady's room. The two made it a fun game to stay as drunk as their outstanding regeneration allows them to while having just a good time. And as the two sing and roar, N'sho-v gleefully drums along on empty pizza boxes and beer bottles.

They don't seem to take too kindly on being asked to reduce the volume of their boombox at first, but given it is Morty and he carries a gift for them, they comply. N'sho-v joins them curiously as they clumsily unwrap the gift with childlike excitement.

[🎸]  "Yo Motown, that's fucking rad man! We so gonna check them space concerts out, youse and us!" Being a little unsure first about the gang-name they had picked for Morty, it ultimately just stuck and they're now evidently rolling with that.

[🔨]  "We party hard, an' we gonna stomp a bunch of aliens while we at it! An' guess what? We got somethin' for youse too!"

[🎸]  "Oh fuck yeah, that's right! Hang on!"

Bebop gets up, staggers a little bit for a moment, and then heads across the room to rummage in a bunch of boxes and bags that lie scattered around. Needless to say, their room is a big mess, but somehow they still know where their stuff is. More or less. After a bit of searching, Bebop pulls out a shopping bag that's been decorated with all kind of stickers. There was certainly some effort put into.

The gift Morty would find inside the bag, once given to him, is a slightly oversized jeans vest that was bleached, then dyed yellow. Its shoulder and chest area is studded and there are plenty of small and big patches from famous rock & punk bands all over it. There are also buttons and safety pins attached to it.

[🔨]  "Beebs an' I made this for you! Well, mostly Beebs. I was gettin' some of the patches an' studs tho!"

[🎸]  "Like, now we're SO ready to go out an' be LOUD! Merry Shitmas, bahahah!"

[♞]   They wouldn't be the only ones to party loud and in style next year. While Summer introduced her new designs to Subprime, he introduces a little invention he worked on to put these designs into form and shape right away. Including whatever it is Summer would like to sport. You know, just like a Star Trek brand of replicator for all kinds of clothes. And while Bishop had been gifting her and Morty only an one-time teleporter to Dimension X, Subprime bestows her with a permanent one. Maybe not without some ulterior motives. Either way, they would certainly have their fun too.

[im-gonna-squeet]

I still don't know who you are, I only know that I'm still lonely chap 3

ch.2

Donnie and April have a chat

It had been a few days since Donnie's 'bad night' as they called it and Missie was almost ready to be picked up. Maybe she would make them feel less lonely. Unlikely considering they already lived with three very supportive and loving siblings, and that didn't seem to help.

Maybe they'd talk to April about it.

There was less pressure opening up to her since they didnt live together (even though they spent most of their free time together anyways) so it didn't feel like they'd have to confront it again of they didn't want to.

They were snapped out of their thoughts by a reminder sounding on their wrist brace. They were supposed to pick April up from an after school event tonight. Convenient.

They checked the time, unsurprised to find that it was almost time to leave. Time had been wrong since The Technodrome. Or more likely, she had changed something in them to perceive the flow of time differently. But thinking about that made them want to scream and throw up and cry. So they much preferred the first option.

Streching and shaking that thought out, they left their lab to get changed, making sure anything that needed to be turned off was turned off.

They decided on their comfort hoodie and comfy jogging bottoms over their galaxy compression leggings. Before they leftt, they switched rheir contacts out for their glasses. They were just picking April up and maybw grabbing a drink, so unlikely to be doing any sort of acrobatics where they could lose them.

They exited the lair through the garage and sent a quick text to the groupchat so everyone knew where they were. They turned on their favourite playlist as they bagan the journey there.

~~~

"April!!", they exclaimed, removing one hand from their walker and turning to the side to hug their sister.

Donnie loved being with April. She never acted as if they were fragile or broken. She wss never afraid to play fight or shove them (she was more gentle with it now but that was understandible considering that they would 100% fall over), and she never tried to stop them from doing things under the guise of protection. So they, in turn, felt comfortable being around her, because the mood isnt going to change on a whim when she decides they cant do something anymore. They can decide their own limits.

So they listened while she told them all aboit all the drama and funny anecdotes from her day, and in turn shared their own (like how Leo manages to fall down the stairs and make the most cartoon 'bonk' noise they'd ever heard).

And before they knew it, they were back at April's flat.

They agreed to sit in the living room with Mayhem whilst April got changed.

"Hello little man." they said, cupping Mayhem's little face in their hands and rubbjng the top of his head with their thumbs. In response, Mayhem slow blinked and rested his head more into their palms. "What a sweetie pie, I hope you get along with Missy, it'd be nice for you to have another animal friend, wouldn't it?".

They planted a kiss onto the top of his head just as April walked in and Mayhem wriggled free of their grasp to jump into her arms.

"He HATE me. sad face emoji." They pouted.

"He doesnt, hate you, Dee," she moved Mayhem to press his 'lips' against the side of Donnke's head, "See? he loves you!" Donnie snorted in response, reaching up to scratch behind Mayhem's ear as April sat next to them.

"So, when does Drax reckon you'll be able to pick up Missy?"

"Some time this week, he said." they paused, "I'm not really sure about it T.B.H., like obviously she's gonna be a massive help and it'll make me feel better but also. Change. Y'know?"

"yeah, but we're all here for you and we'll help you adjust, yeah?"

"yeah." They gently knocked their heads together.

They argued over what film to watch for a while after that (as kf they weren't just going to watch the Atomic Lass one for the 4734736th time).

~~~~

When Donnie got back to the lair, they were surprised to see one Barron Draxum standing in the living room.

"Ah. Donatello."

"... Yes?"

"I must inform you that your, uh, service dog, will be ready for pick up tomorrow afternoon."

[thedawningofthehour]

Ok I have a lot of questions and I have to break this down into parts.

Actually, on the revealed page of the new comic, you can see Casey jr in one of the panels, and he looks the same as he does in the movie, which would confirm that the deaths of donnie and Raph were actually recent.

Wait, what's going on with the gay laws in china? Last I heard, china was actually tightening their laws regarding anything remotely queer, because of that many danmei (chinese gay genre) productions who already had experience working around censorship were having problems to the point where they didn't know if they could release. Even the genshin impact company was having problems over there, because one of their male characters was too feminine for their standards.

Aw, I got the impression from Casey Jr that he had never met Raph. He was really comfortable with Donnie and April, but much stiffer with Splinter and Raph. I always took that to mean Raph and Splinter either died before he was born or when he was too young to remember much. And you know Raph would have dadded any child that displayed even the slightest need for dadly guidance.

The way I have the order of death plotted out in my own headcanonical world, the death order went: Raph on invasion day -> Bella dying to save Donnie -> Splinter doing something stupid in a 'it needs to be done and it might as well be him' scenario -> Cass doing something unimaginably badass and cool and probably screaming "WITNESS ME" -> Donnie sacrificing his life to take out the Technodrome -> Draxum going on a suicide mission to destroy one of the main three Krangs -> Big Mama and April as we see their bodies at the beginning of the movie.

I will not be amending this whatsoever in light of the canonical material.

No but for real, I kind of enjoyed that the fandom had so much leeway to really do whatever we wanted with the post-apocalypse storyline. And I'm going to admit it now, I don't like Donnie's overalls. I like the ones other people have drawn on him and maybe it's because the sketch we saw was pretty low quality, but it doesn't do anything for me.

I said Chinese attitudes, which...in retrospect, means a lot less than it really should. Jesus Christ, I literally said that on the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

My understanding of what goes on in China is-well, for one, it's just not something I'm super informed on, I had literally one semester of world history in high school and we didn't even really get to east Asia, we started with Africa and moved east but got stuck in the Arab world because this was 2011. (use your imagination on what was said there) Literally, everything else was American history with the occasional Ancient Greece unit thrown in. No shit, I am literally Raph, I didn't know the Holy Roman Empire was a separate thing from the original Roman Empire until I was an adult. (I also thought nobody was Jewish anymore until I read 'Are You There God? It's Me Margaret' and realized that the Jews didn't all convert in Jesus' time) And what we did learn about modern China, we learned it through a...very anti-red lens. Which isn't to say communism good and all criticism of China is red scare propaganda, but educating yourself post-indoctrination involves actively challenging and unlearning the shit you were indoctrinated with, which can interfere with actually learning about shit with an open mind.

What was I talking about? Right, gay stuff in China. There's been little victories on that front, but from what I've read they've mostly been pretty performative without real underlying change, like with women's rights in Saudi Arabia. Which is its own problem, but progress is progress? But yeah, the censorship is getting worse. Which is worrisome.

Maybe it's kind of wishful thinking on my part, but I also think a shift in official attitudes would be the most logical thing for China right now. A lot of Chinese people support LGBT rights, and that number is only going to swell as older, more conservative people die off and young people enter adulthood. (and people get exposed to pro-LGBT viewpoints and content and realize homophobia is dumb) And the rest of the world is becoming more and more gay-friendly, the only exceptions really being Russia and a few Islamic states, and, uh. China is not really...endearing itself to the Islamic world right now. We'll leave it at that. It's going to get to a point where the UN is pressuring them and their own people are pressuring them, and either they give in on that issue or it comes to conflict. That's how it works.

I'm hopeful that things will change in China in my lifetime. I'm just very worried about how much blood it will take.

[tinytinyturttlesoup]

Spoiler: a snip bit of chapter two from two nardos

Casey stands, looking down at the boiling kettle. He hears the screaming high-pitched sound, can feel the heat from the steam bubbling and blowing past him. He can feel time passing, his lungs deflating, his heart beating. The noise of it all rolling over and through him.

He turns off the kettle. When was the last time Leo had let Casey touch him? It had to have been a few weeks ago. Casey touched Leo’s shoulder in an attempt to be friendly, to offer some kind of comfort, and Leo had just…he pushed him away. Swatting at his hand like it was nothing. They aren’t the same, Casey’s mind repeats over and over. None of them are the same. But Casey can’t help himself. It’s the glimpses. Leo’s laugh. Donnie and Mikey fussing over him. Raph’s stature and strength. April’s wit. And it’s Casey’s grief. He lost everyone he had ever known in one minute and then gained them all back the next. He thinks back to the key. The portal, big and buzzing with energy, the technodrome descending above him. The lack of gravity and the bright colorful sky as he looked at the key. Leo screaming in his ear to pull it, begging Casey to take the key and run. He froze. Until Sensei’s words compelled him to act. “Casey, it’s not about me.”   Then he shut his eyes, grabbed the key. and ran. Each step settled on the uneven rubble of a New York that was starting to look more and more like his own. A buzzing noise droning in the back of head, as the weight of everything fell on his shoulders. Finally, he had tumbled over to catch his breath, stopping to take big grasping gasps. He caught it again looking at Leo’s sword. He kneeled in the dirt and grime and grieved. Really grieved. He sobbed until his throat was raw, his chest aching. Whether it was from his lungs struggling to catch up with him, or the pain of accepting his loss, he couldn’t tell.

Casey shakes his head and the memory away. But the train of thought remains as he opens the cupboard and pulls out three mugs. It hadn’t been fair of Sensei to trust him with this. He was just a kid. It should have been Sensei. It Should have been the both of them. Casey opens the box of tea bags, a brand he has found to like in this new world. What was left for him after that? What did he have left? The world was saved but was also unrecognizable. He was a hero but with no home to return to. The life he had wanted with his family was gone. He had secured that none of them would ever exist. They wouldn’t need to exist; they shouldn’t have ever had to exist. He pours the water into the cups. The light fragrance of orange and chamomile prickles his nose and washes over his face, his buzzing mind calming down from the smell of warm tea. Casey looks at the steeping cups for a long moment.  If the timeline he was a part of shouldn’t have ever existed in the first place…

He brings the cup to his mouth, feeling the heat of ceramic burn away at his chapped lips. As he takes a tentative sip of hot tea, the warmth flows through him before settling in his core. Maybe he shouldn’t exist either. Casey is pulled from his thoughts as Mikey tiredly strides into the room. Casey offers him a small smile and a cup of tea. Mikey takes it gratefully. “You’re a lifesaver, Casey Jones.” “Anytime.” The two of them sip on their cups a moment or two before Mikey finally breaks the silence. “So, are you doing ok? It was pretty intense in there.” Casey huffs a pathetic attempt at a laugh. “Nothing I haven’t seen before. My Sensei had night terrors pretty often. I used to help Master Michelangelo calm him down. I guess it just makes sense that this version of him would have them too.” Mikey shifts his eyes over to Casey, a small worry obvious on his brow. “That must have been hard, to see him like that.” Casey grips the mug tighter. “It was, the first couple of times, but that was just the reality of it. I never blamed him for it.” “Of course not, but…That sounds scary. Seeing someone who was a mentor to you freak out.” Mikey knits the worry in his brow tighter. “Why did I show you that? If you had to make a guess.”

Casey thinks for a moment. “Probably, because, it was pretty hard to hide. I was always by his side. And if I wasn’t, then the screaming would wake me up. To be fair, it’s not like you wanted to show me. I don’t think either of you did, but I wanted to help.” “Oh.” The two of them sit in silence for a minute. “Casey,” “Yes?” “Did- did they ever get any better? Leo’s night terrors I mean, or-” Mikey holds tight to his mug. Casey sees something that looks like worry or guilt wash over Mikeys face. Casey can’t help but smile at the glimpse of something familiar. Mikey will always worry about his brothers, no matter the timeline. “They never got worse. But to be fair, it’s not like Leonardo has ever been very forthcoming when it comes to his mental health. And we never had a therapist with us in the trenches or anything. We all just sort of…coped. Did our best to make the situation bearable.” Casey watches as Mikey’s frown starts to deepen. “But you did have this power to make everyone feel better.” Mikeys face lightens at that. His expression becoming more bashful. “Oh. Well, that just comes with practice. I’m sure future me had plenty by the time-” “No. I mean, you had an actual power that helped people calm down.” “Oh. I did? Do?”  Casey nods at Mikey before smiling into his mug. A part of him has this weird little satisfaction in watching the turtles discover things about themselves from the future. “You used it on me when I was having hard times too.” “Oh.”  Mikey beams a little bit. “What did it feel like?” Casey thinks again. “Like- A heavy blanket. Warm and friendly. Or a hug on the inside.”

Mikey laughs, and after a while, Casey does too, before once again falling into silence. “Casey?” “Yeah?” Mikey puts his hand on Casey’s shoulder. The gesture feels warm, soothing and familiar. Always familiar. Mikey smiles at him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”