#a WHILE

[k3w33d]

it could be just like this

[dandylovesturtles]

havin' all these Splinter and Leo thoughts. augh.

this is partly the fault of @/turtleblogatlast's post about Leo just wanting to make Splinter proud.

post-movie

...

Seven days post-invasion, and Leo is feeling (relatively) pretty good. Sure, he's still on a truly ridiculous amount of painkillers and he can't walk two steps without collapsing, but he's able to stay awake and talk to his family and considering where he thought he would be right about now, well... that's everything.

So yeah, he's feeling pretty good. He just finished his lunch of soup and a protein shake, warm and a little drowsy while he listens to April talk about some of the more ridiculous conspiracy theories that have started spreading on the surface. Donnie's tinkering with one of his smaller inventions while he listens, Mikey is nestled in Raph's lap, and everything is calm and cozy in their makeshift medbay.

And then his dad walks in and says, "I would like to talk to Blue, please. Alone."

And suddenly Leo doesn't feel so good anymore.

"Aha, wait," he says quickly, reaching out and grabbing April's sleeve just before she rises from her chair. "Whatever it is, you can say it in front of everyone, right?"

Splinter shakes his head. "This is a conversation I think it is best we have in private." He makes a shooing motion at the others, and April pulls her sleeve from Leo's fingers with a helpless shrug.

"See ya in a few, Leo," she says, then walks out. The others look from Splinter, to him, then back to Splinter, and one by one they each get up and shuffle out, too, with their own hasty farewells.

Traitors, every single one of them.

The door closes, and Leo finds himself alone with Splinter for the first time since coming back from Staten Island. Or at least, the first time he can remember. He was pretty out of it the first few days; most of what he remembers is muddled and confused. And embarrassing. He cried a lot more than he'd care to admit.

Splinter hops into chair April was sitting in and pulls it closer; he has to stay standing to be anywhere near eye level with Leo. He wishes he could read Splinter's face, but his expression is giving nothing away. Sometimes it's easy to forget he spent a not-insignificant part of his life as an actor, until something like this happens.

Leo decides to speak before he can. Head him off at the pass, or something.

"If you're going to yell at me, just remember my eardrums are already damaged."

Which is true - turns out being 1, too close to an exploding alien spaceship and 2, getting punched in the head repeatedly by an alien very mad about said exploding spaceship is bad for the ears, even when you don't have outer ears like a human. So super loud noises are a bad idea right now, and thus Leo cannot be yelled at. Flawless logic; maybe he can keep using that every time he gets in trouble.

For the first time, his dad's expression shifts, just a little. A deeper frown, a heavier set to his brow.

"You think I came in here to yell at you?"

Leo feels his stomach twist. Does he have to spell it out? "I mean, didn't you? That's usually what kicking everyone else out is leading up to."

"I see..." Splinter is still unreadable, looking a little too intensely at Leo. "And what do you think I want to yell at you about?"

He really does want it spelled out. Leo suddenly realizes that there won't be any yelling because this is his punishment: to admit everything he's done, to speak all his sins for his dad's ears. Lay it all out in his own tongue and show that he understands, really and truly, the depths of his screwups.

Oh, he understands. He understands it so well he may choke on the words.

"...For losing the key," he says finally, and it stings on its way out. He hasn't talked about it since it happened; every time he tries to say anything to the others, they shush him, saying, "It's okay, Leo, everything is fine now."

It's not okay, and everything isn't fine, and this is when he finally hears about it.

Finally, an identifiable emotion on Splinter's face: horror, dawning clear and present. And Leo doesn't understand that, because doesn't Splinter know he lost the key? He was there for that conversation, wasn't he? Leo's memories of that day have grown a little hazy between the drugs and the recovery and the fact that thinking about it for too long makes him go fuzzy around the edges, but he's pretty sure he remembers Splinter being there. He flicked popcorn at Leo's head. He probably should have done more than that; maybe then Leo wouldn't have made such a mess of things.

Splinter doesn't say anything right away, just stares at Leo with that horrified expression, and the silence is so scary that Leo starts filling it without even thinking.

"I was kidding about the whole... not yelling at me thing. I know I deserve it. I mean, I was fooling around, doing what you and Raph told me not to do, and I doomed the whole world doing it! Some leader I am, right? And I know I'm not exactly your favorite son to begin with, and that's fair, because I keep letting you down, but this is definitely my worst screwup to date, and you yell at me when I don't close the fridge door all the way or throw balls around the TV room so why wouldn't you yell at me for destroying the planet, right...?"

His voice peters out at the end, too hoarse to continue. That's the most words he's strung together over the last week, and for the first time he's glad for his injuries, for stopping him from spewing any more embarrassing word vomit just to fill the air.

Splinter is still looking at him with that same horrified expression. If anything, he just looks more upset, which means that Leo at least accomplished his goal.

Leo's waiting for the yelling to start, but when Splinter finally says something, it's, "You think I have a favorite son?" throwing Leo for a loop once again.

"Uh, yeah?" he says, because that's all there is to say. He's always assumed it's Donnie - the "funny one", the one who fixes Splinter's TV when it's broken, and the only one of them likely to get a real job and move out of the house. But even if it's not Donnie, it's gotta be Mikey, or Raph. His brothers are amazing and talented, and all Leo has ever been good at is winning the Lair Games.

Splinter closes his eyes a moment, and when he opens them his face moves back to a more neutral expression. "I do not have a favorite son," he says, firm and serious. "I love all of you just the same."

Leo thinks that can't be true - if it is, he feels bad for the other guys. But he doesn't think he can just say that, so he says, "Yeah, Dad, of course," instead.

Splinter looks a bit crestfallen. "You don't believe me?" he asks, and shoot. Leo has no idea how to respond to that.

"...I know you love us," is what he says. And that's true, it is! He just doesn't know how his dad could like him as much as the others.

Splinter's expression turns sad. He reaches out and lays a furry hand on Leo's arm, careful of his bandages and all the many wires he's hooked to. "You think you doomed the world?"

"I lost the key," Leo repeats. "It was all my fault. It's why I had to..." His voice fumbles over the words, and he revises. "It's why it had to be me."

Splinter's mouth twists. He climbs out of the chair and onto the mattress, careful not to jostle Leo as he settles down on his knees.

"Blue," he says softly, gently palming Leo's face this time. "None of this was your fault."

Leo's stomach twists again. He thought he was being punished, but somehow this is worse.

"Yes it was," he argues. "I lost the key," for the third time, "and... and I ignored the order to retreat, and got Raph captured, and and and, I ignored the guys and tried to force our way into Metro Tower, and it was me who told Donnie to try to fly that stupid ship, and because of me Mikey had to-"

"Leonardo," says Splinter, sharp, and Leo goes silent. His dad looks devastated, but he keeps his hand on Leo's cheek, brushing with his thumb, and for the first time Leo realizes his skin is wet. Splinter sighs heavily, his entire frame seeming to droop with the weight of it.

"Leonardo," he repeats, softly this time. "You did not doom the world."

"But-"

A furry finger on his lip quiets him.

"You did not doom the world," Splinter repeats, once again firm and serious. "You did not take the theft of the key seriously, because you did not know what it was, the threat it represented. But it was the Foot Clan who chose to use that key, fully knowing what evil it would unleash. That is not on you, my son. The responsibility falls squarely on them."

Leo doesn't know how much he can believe that - isn't it their job to stop the Foot Clan? But Splinter looks so sure as he says it, and his hand is still tender on Leo's cheek, and for the first time a little bit of doubt seeps into Leo's heart, telling him that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't all his fault after all.

But still...

"Even if that's true," he says, with heavy emphasis on the if, "everything I did after that-"

"You are young," his dad interrupts. "You are inexperienced. You are learning. And the amount of growth you showed us all, even over just that one day... You shined as brightly as I know you can."

Again, Leo's stomach does a twist - but it's a happier one, this time. Splinter's voice is sincere, leaving no room for doubt, and Leo can almost, almost believe that this is true, that his dad has believed in him from the very beginning. Has seen something in him, whatever it was that led him to make Leo the leader, that lead to him putting trust in Leo.

He just wishes he felt like he'd done more to earn it.

"You did not doom the world," says his dad again. "You saved it. But, it never should have been like that to begin with. You should never have been facing down such a fierce foe so young, especially as alone as you boys were. And you-"

His voice becomes choked up, and Leo's heart lurches.

"You... sacrificed yourself to save us all. I... I am your father, and I... could not protect you."

He's crying. His dad is crying, and Leo feels panic, reaching out to try and stop this.

"Dad-"

"No." Splinter holds up a hand, giving his head a hard shake. "All I ever wanted for you boys was to save you from the sacrifices asked of our family. And yet I could not - and for that, you paid dearly. You almost paid the ultimate price, and we almost lost you forever."

A thick knot forms in Leo's throat, and he can barely get out, "I'm okay, Dad, I'm here."

"Yes you are." Splinter squeezes his shoulder desperately. "You are here. You are safe. But that doesn't change that it should not have been you to begin with."

Leo watches in dawning horror as Splinter steps back, then kneels over on the mattress.

"This is why I came in here, Blue. Not to yell at you. To apologize."

He presses his forehead against the sheets.

"I am so sorry that I could not protect you."

He's crying. So is Leo, openly now. He reaches out for his dad, fumbling for his shoulders and urging him to straighten up.

"No, Dad... This wasn't your fault!"

"But-"

"No! It was just... it was just a really, really shitty thing that happened, okay? It was the Foot Clan, and the Krang, but it wasn't- it wasn't..."

Splinter raises his face and looks at him, and suddenly the words he's been trying to get Leo to believe for the last several minutes barrel into him and Leo crumbles.

"...I didn't have to do it," he says.

"No." Splinter gets up, coming closer. "You had nothing to atone for. You did it because you are brave, and you are kind, but this was never yours to fix."

Leo sucks in one harsh breath, then another, and then he's sobbing harder than he ever has in his life, and his dad hugs him tight, his arms warm and his fur soft where Leo buries his face in his shoulder.

All the feelings he's pushed aside - the ones he didn't think he had the right to feel, because he'd had to do it, he had to make up for his mistakes - bubble over, gripping him with grief and despair but also relief, that he's still here to cry and be hugged by his dad.

"I was so scared."

"I know."

"I thought I wouldn't see you guys again."

"I know. We thought we had lost you, too."

"I just... I didn't know what else to do... I couldn't let him... I couldn't..."

"Shhh, it's alright. It's over now. We're all safe."

Leo hugs his dad back, as tightly as he can with his injuries, and sobs and sobs until he's all out of tears. And all along, his dad tells him he is safe, he is good, and he is loved.

Later, Leo feels even better than he had before.

[an-experienced-gentleman]

Come, let's rest for a while.

Six Sexy Words

[justablah56]

y'all do know that when people talk about the dangers of creating parasocial relationships with the creators of a thing they *arent* saying stop interacting with fan artists/writers like people. y'all know that right. you guys get that when people say the writer of your favorite tv show isn't your friend they *don't* mean you can't be friends with fan creators. right.

[wiidoodles]

Beach Episode......more to come

Nai's delicate victorian skin vs. the literal sun

[tiredmoonslut]

I think it's interesting how SJM's books have taken on their current Tiktok reputation of being the most popular "faerie porn book" when the thing that has always stuck out to me as far more engrossing and unique about her writing is the life she pumps into her worldbuilding, and her magic systems.

Magic is never just a tool in her worlds. It lives and breathes like a sentient being and every single magically empowered person in her stories has a personal, symbiotic relationship to it that I find endlessly fascinating. The gods, and their permutations throughout each series bring a sense of galactic enormity to that magic, highlighting the events of each story and really mastering that feeling of fate and destiny. She takes the kind of all-powerful, world-spanning levels of power common to male authors in the fantasy genre and makes it sexy. Not by adding smut---but by mastering aesthetic. There's a reason SJ and all her stars and storms and crowns and shadows have sparked such an emulative phenomenon in the fantasy genre, and it's because it brought sexy back to having power that can destroy worlds. It's a power fantasy---written for women, instead of men.

Idk I just feel like the erotica pales in comparison to just how good Sarah is at making worlds that feel gorgeous and enchanting and vivid and populating them with characters who kick fucking ass. I wish that had been what made her blow up on Tiktok instead.

[blindbisexualgoose]

At this point I’m just a Rodrick fanpage. And there’s nothing wrong with that

[wyvernspirit]

Someone's cooking 👀

(( @solarockk ))

[klarioncall]

[Young Justice, in the woods by Mount Justice, format vertical video phone recording] Bart is filming. So, instead of cuts, the video just goes blurry for a quarter of a second. Robin and Superboy walk into the frame, in full costume, start doing the “I Know What You Are” bit from Twilight. (Tim as Bella, Kon as Edward.) Everyone breaks when Kon says “Say it, out loud” and Tim replies, “A Clone”

[weregonnabecoolbeans]

Every time I think about Armand being turned at 17 I laugh because I cannot help thinking about the fact that EDWARD CULLEN was also 17

It just explains so much about both of them its hilarious

[vinnyandthephenomena]

these flowers in the attic lifetime movies are absolutely wild did they even read the books i’m gonna cry

[seaglassmelody]

I am trying to be an active participant in fandom for probably the first time ever and also get back into writing little things for fun so!!

Just a little scene for @thedissonantverses Writing Wednesday challenge:

Angst 2: Characters have tragically gone missing and left others behind to cope

Or: Lucanis and Bellara have to Cook Out The Stress

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find you in here.” There was a laugh in Bellara’s voice, but it was heavy, landing like a pebble in a still pond in the silence of the Lighthouse kitchen.

Lucanis looked up from his cup of coffee. Maker knows how long he’d been sitting there in silence, watching Spite pace the room in agitation.

“I was going to try to make dinner.” His voice was toneless, the ‘but’ at the end of his sentence heavily implied.

“Well…I could help! Emmrich told me to take a break before I burned myself out…”

The lyrium dagger copy was coming along, but not fast enough. It had already been a week and a half and no sign of real progress.

They hadn’t even heard any news about Neve still.

Bellara made her way to the kitchen as Lucanis pushed himself up from the table.

“I do not even remember what ingredients we have right now.” He glanced at the countertops, barely processing the vegetables and spice containers scattered about.

“Well…we should still have the bread and cheese I got for khachapuri!”

“Khachapuri? Hollowed out bread? Three kinds of cheese?”

There was silence for a moment before Bellara’s startled laugh rang through the room.

“That’s exactly what Neve said! When I told her I’d make it!”

The stressful tension in the room eased a bit as the two laughed- harder than the coincidental statement warranted, but desperately needed.

“So you bought that for Neve then?” He asked as they both managed to managed to catch their breath.

Bellara nodded. “Rook wanted to try it too. Said she never had it but ‘anything with bread and cheese has to be good.’” She wrung her hands together anxiously. “I really wanted them to tell me if mine was any good…”

Lucanis paused pensively. “We can taste test it with the others. Make sure the recipe is perfected when we bring Neve and Rook home.”

His voice was quiet, almost fragile. Bellara stared for a moment before giving him a bright smile.

“Yeah. Yeah! Let’s make sure we give them the best welcome back celebration we can muster!”

----

(They proceeded to spend the next several hours planning out the perfect Welcome Back Party menu. Was it too much food for just the Veilguard? Probably. Does that matter? Of course not.)

[badlydrawngenshincomics]

who are YOU pulling for in fontaine?

[theyuniversity]

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[hopelesslygaysstuff]

help what should i title this fic

its inspired by THIS and should be up within the next 24 hours maybe we shall see if i find enough motivation for it

its already so long i am incapable of writing short fics i fear