#and Casey's such a sweet boy in this | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lunar-lair · 2 years ago

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a new star is born...

(but hes more than just a star.

SURPRISE! @ashwii im BACK with the casey idea i mentioned!!! i ended up landing on him being sort of...the gods deciding leo would need someone, at the end of the day. or, uh, universe. and, well, creating stars is so dang confusing, and there was risk later on of it becoming too much for leos power alone to contain all the history and the reactions of or something like that. so they set up a failsafe of sorts: instead of leo collecting these reactions and collisions and beginnings, it would be delegated to a part of him, instead, that would grow slowly and become its own god inevitably. hence, casey! and why hes so late to the party, hehe. ill warn you, this one isnt as Godlytm and more kind of just...familial? and dialogue heavy, and lovey dovey. im tired idk how good this thing is tbh lmao. gonna put it under a read more cause its 2.5K. yeah i went a tad feral on this one. casey and leo r just <3 2 me ok)

It was a slow, quiet thing.

Leo felt it, in the corner of his brain, his heart, his soul, every inch of him. Like a new star, but bigger. Like a new star, but greater.

It was like…almost like a supernova, but in reverse. It was so slow. Not agonizing, no, more…

Like something was blooming, like the flowers on earth. Like something was slowly waking up, warm and tired and sleepy.

Like it was building itself up from scratch, carefully crafting itself inch by inch.

Leo waited, patient as could be.

He knew it was one of his, and he’d always wait for his stars.

It was sudden, sharp and clear and bright and warm. This calling that swallowed up his entire being, this question, asking,

Are you there? I’m home.

Casey woke up.

He felt…small. No, that felt just right. He was tired. Really, really tired. How long had he been asleep? How did he know what being asleep was? Wait, no, too many questions, he needs to…

He jolted, but calmed immediately.

Oh. The stars.

He was home.

It was an innate thing, something he couldn’t shake off if he wanted to. He was warm, and he was made for this endless black, a blink of light shining in the dark.

He stayed there for a while, but reached out. Not with his hands, with his soul.

There was something…someone.

Warm yet cool. Blue. Gentle and focused and ready, sharp, and silly and carefree and-and-

He wanted to see him. He was lonely. These were his brothers and his sisters, he knew that, he knew.

He didn’t need to be told.

He was part of this-this, whoever. This warm person he needed to see, needed to be held by. He was part of them, and he was part of this family.

And he missed them, even though he hadn’t met them.

So, he reached out, quiet and careful.

And waited.

After a moment, he curled into himself, starbursts on his forearm catching his eye.

He could be patient. He could be, he knew he could be. He waited so long to wake up, he knew that.

But he was still so cold out here.

He didn’t want to be alone anymore.

Leo started to make his way through the cosmos leisurely, waving hi to stars here and there and asking them what they knew about the new kid.

According to most of them, he seemed a little more powerful than the lot of them. A demigod, maybe? Leo wondered, though he wasn’t sure how that would happen. Maybe…a minor one…or just a cluster of-

He froze.

It was quiet, at first, but he could hear it. Could hear it loud and clear.

He could hear, vaguely, the call of any star, when they truly needed him. Like a ripple, on the edges of his form, stars shifting and moving like an itch that needed to be scratched. He’d always find them, of course he did, but it would always take a moment of thought.

This was like a shout. A call. A plea.

It was like someone had whispered right into his ear, like they were right next to him.

Please. It’s cold.

Dread and worry and pain and guilt and love all poured themselves out into Leo’s core and he was by the starchild’s side in a mere second.

He softened, an instant thing.

Oh, he was beautiful.

He looked like newborn stars. Bright collisions and nitrogen and helium slowly mixing and clashing, stardust and love and new warmth, new light in the sky. He was small, just a kid. Not too young, but about as young as Leo was when he started out.

He looked like bright light, like the beginning of everything Leo loved.

The starchild jolted and turned the moment Leo appeared, leaping into his hold and shouting, “You’re here, you’re here!!”

Leo laughed back, pulling back with a grin like honey. Nothing less, for this bright boy. He was human, but well enough, for the beginnings of his stars, for the complex mix and match of chemicals and light. “Woah, hey, slow down, buddy!” He framed his face in his hands, softening when the boy leaned in. “What’s your name, starchild?”

“Casey,” he hummed back, grin quiet and tired, and warm like nothing else Leo had ever seen. “I’m really glad you’re here. I missed you.”

Leo laughed, quiet and only a fraction of the bonfire this boy gave off. Blinding, he was blinding. Leo already loved him with everything he had. “You hadn’t met me yet, starlight.” They both knew better, but they laughed anyways.

“Yeah,” Casey hummed back, sitting down on thin air and pulling Leo with him. He looked around, at all his brothers and sisters and everyone Leo would have to introduce him to when he could, and-oh, Raph is gonna love this kid, he knows it-”I woke up with everyone else around me, but I just…” He took Leo’s hands in his, five fingers folding perfectly between Leo’s three, like he’d been doing it for centuries. (Maybe he had. Maybe he had always been part of Leo, brewing, forming slowly. Like a world egg or the calcium that made his shell, the beginnings of his stars, the delightful afterbirth of the many that had come and gone.) “It was cold. And you’re warm, in-in a special way. None of the other stars are you.” What Casey left unsaid was, they don’t care like you. They aren’t safe like you. I love them, but they can’t hold me like you, and they can’t understand waking up and being and living and holding like you can. And I missed you, and I’m so so glad you’re here, now.

Leo didn’t get it, really. He knew that his stars cared for him like a caretaker and a father, and he would never let them think he didn’t love them just the same back. But he’d never had that, himself. He had his brothers, and…well, he got lonely in a certain kind of way when they were off doing their own things, sometimes. Maybe it was about this star-no, this minor god, his mind shot back, that innate knowledge that stirred from within on occasion-well, maybe it was about Casey being like him. Given form by the Gods, being…simply more than the stars and the humans and the moons and the planets, however much they were beloved.

Well, he was here now. And, if Life had deigned to give him the gift of this bright, bright starlight, he’d never let him go.

Leo laughed softly and pulled Casey in, unsurprised when he clung to Leo’s shell like he’d disappear if he didn’t. He set Casey on his hip and stood, an instinctual thing, even though he hadn’t done it before. Stars were never this…physical compared to his form. He couldn’t hold them, couldn’t feel their every-burning warmth.

Maybe that was the difference. Maybe Casey was just cold.

Leo pulled him in a little closer, and Casey happily reciprocated, hiding his face in his shoulder. “Well, I’m here now, starburst. Say the word, I’ll be there.”

Casey laughed-a soft and bubbly and quiet and absolutely adorable oh Leo was smitten-little thing, but only held onto Leo’s neck and nodded. “Ok.”

They sat there, for a while, Leo curling up a little and just…letting Casey sit there and breathe. It was a lot, to wake up. It was a lot, to miss someone like that. He didn’t want to ever leave him like that again. Never, he promised himself, he never would.

Eventually, finally, he smiled and huffed a soft sigh, Casey’s stardust hair drifting slightly in response. He looked up at Leo, eyes wide and face curious. Always so bright, even with eyes as gray as a rainy day down on Earth. Leo grinned back. “I should probably introduce you to my brothers.”

Casey brightened immediately, sunny and sudden and beautifully blinding. He pulled his arms back and pumped his fists up and down, nodding all the while, saying, “I’d love to!!” because clearly he was determined to be the cutest thing Leo had ever witnessed.

Leo grinned back, a little toothy, and only said, “Hold on tight.” before blinking away to a star near their usual hangout spout above Earth.

Casey only laughed with glee, though, throwing his arms around Leo’s neck again, grin wide enough to show teeth. (Somehow, they were crooked, and somehow, it was perfect.) “That was so cool!!! How do you do that??”

Leo laughed, one part cocky fool persona and ten parts warmth. “When you’re every star around, you can get anywhere, anytime, starlight. Just another perk.”

Casey grinned. He knew exactly what Leo was gonna say next (because he knew, he knew, how much he loved them and the warmth radiating from Leo’s soul and mind and everything he was a part of, all of the love he refused not to share with every single star he held), but he still asked, “And the other?”

Leo nuzzled his beak into Casey’s forehead, heart bursting with adoration when Casey giggled back. God, he loved his stars with everything he had, but nothing could compete with being able to hold one, with being able to hold Casey and his bright fire, his neverending warmth. He wondered, for a moment, if he could play favorites, and the playful cheering on that rippled back told him he absolutely could. “You and your siblings of course, silly!”

Raph interrupted any response Casey could’ve given, taking Leo by the shoulders (not noticing as Casey ducked away and Leo carefully pulled him closer) and shaking, asking, “What happened where’d you go?? You left so suddenly I felt a new star show up but it was way brighter than usual wh-”

Mikey pried him off, Donnie following behind with a raised eyebrow. “Raph! Leave him alone, at least give the man a chance to explain!” He huffed, turned away, busy scowling at Raph.

Donnie turned down and gave a soft gasp, catching his brother’s attention.

Leo was busy pulling Casey’s hair back, eyebrows drawn. “You ok? Raph kinda spooked you there, huh?”

Casey didn’t bat his hands away, though, only shook his head. “No, no, I’m fine.”

Mikey was the first to lose it, yelling loud enough for Earth to probably hear (and for a comet to go splashing into the atlantic in response). Donnie pushed Mikey away, officially ending his onslaught and far more carefully introducing himself (and Mikey, since he’d been too busy crying over how adorable the boy was to do it himself). Raph was a little sheepish, but he loved the boy immediately, just as Leo predicted. They were bright, the two of them, in a way none of them could compete with. Sunny like Mikey, warm like Raph, smart like Donnie, loving and careful and a bit sassy like Leo. He was always meant to be here; he just showed up a little late to the party.

“And,” Donnie finally hummed, the other three crowded around Casey at a respectable distance, “who might this little brightspot be?”

Casey grinned, big and wide, crooked teeth and dry lips making him all the more charming. He raised a hand, and said, “Hi, I’m Casey!! I’m the creation of all of Dad’s new stars.”

They all went silent, though for different reasons.

Stardust started falling and everyone else started talking amongst each other-he must’ve woken up like us, just like Leo but more specific, I wonder what this means for future gods-while Leo was busy pulling Casey in, blubbering about “Ohhh Dad that one’s such a classic I haven’t heard it in ages!!! Casey I’d be so glad to be that you can stay forever and ever even after all the stars go out I love you so much-”

Casey only laughed, bright and bubbly, and even Leo’s brothers shut up, even as Leo kept blubbering and pulling Casey in close enough that stardust stained his cheeks. “Calm down, Dad, we’ll have forever together! As long as stars are born, I’ll be here.” Leo settled, but only a little, stardust falling. He seemed more frozen than anything else, Casey still held close to his chest. Casey smiled up at him, gentle, understanding, warm, loving. He knew, he knew. Of course he knew. “I’ll be with you ‘til the end, and I’ll have you ‘til the end, too.”

Leo curled up, pulling Casey in as close as he possibly could. His brothers gathered around as Leo started crying in earnest, Casey only patting his plastron.

“You will be, won’t you? We’ll have each other…”

Til the end of time.

Stars will form, and stars will die, and stars will live and exist and be.

Leo will never have to be alone.

And neither will Casey.

Leo pulled back after a while, setting his forehead against Casey’s, smiling, syrup and honey and every comforting thing that Casey knew Leo alone had, soft starlight a perfect match to his bright beginnings. “Well, Case, I’m ready and willing to keep you for forever, long as you’ll stay.”

Casey grinned softly back and pulled away just to dive into a hug. “‘Course. You’re warm, anyways.”

Casey was a new addition to their daily lives, but one taken happily. Him and Leo were rarely ever apart, Casey even taking to welcome new stars with him. Besides Leo, he was closest with Raph, but that was a given. Him and Mikey raised hell together, little hydrogen and helium creations and megalith comets that Mikey could only rain on Pluto, lest all of humanity be forgone. (They looked epic as hell, though.) As soon as Casey was old enough to figure out a corporeal form on Earth-and Leo was assured it would be fine, even if he wasn’t as powerful as them, though he refused not to stick to Casey’s side like glue regardless-they introduced to April. Of course, she was smitten, but as Leo claimed, head held high and grin proud, who wasn’t?

The kid was pretty easy to get along with, anyone would give him that.

True to his promise, Leo kept Casey close. They always knew where the other was, anyways, but it was rare they wouldn’t fall asleep and wake up together. (Raph would always be grateful to the kid for fixing Leo’s sleep schedule, if nothing else.) They lived every moment they could together, warmth and love and beginning and living and ending.

Casey was always there for Leo to hold when a star died. Leo was always there to make sure Casey was never alone, always there to be the safe comfort he needed.

But no matter what happened to them, if Casey really did have to go before Leo did, if Casey was ever left without him, Leo would always have Casey’s bright, starlight smile, and Casey would always have Leo’s stardust tears and ever-warm eyes.

Beginning and living. They were the start and the living and the end of the same thing, one apart of the other.

There was no such thing as loneliness for stars. Not if they had a say in it.

#HAD to add the little Post Concept concepts to it. could not leave you all w/out the 'how the boy adjusts portion'#it is my firm belief that casey jr is the sweetest boy in existence actually you cant prove me otherwise #hes also a little hellion. and hes also got some bark. but hes also very very sweet this is just true #rottmnt #rottmnt celestial au #lunas lies #lunas library #finally. ive been itchin to write this one for a WHILE #idk how good it turned out? maybe i shouldve waited idk #but i had the IDEAS the MOTIVATION so i went ahead #maybe if i rlly want to ill rewrite it at some point idk #now! time to crosspost to ao3

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sibillascribbles08 · 2 months ago

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Big Ol' Rottmnt Fic Rec List

Hi, I've needed to do this for a while, so here's a big bundle of fic recs from me !

I've broken it down between one shots, chaptered fics, and series. I'll try to mention what the character focus is along with a brief summary and some personal thoughts. If you need more details I encourage you to check the fics summary and tags for yourself! I will only include an author's tumblr account if it's easy for me to find haha

One Shots

Mama's Boy - ashtreelane: Technically two chapters but it feels like a one shot. Casey Jr. angst, involving him finding out that maybe you can fix kraang infections and that he failed to save his mother. I love when people really pile the grief on Junior after all the fighting is over and the fic does it so well.

Forget-Me-Nots - GibbousLunation (AKA @klunkcat ): Hi, oh my god??? Leo and Mikey centric angst, in which saving Leo from the prison dimension has an insane ripple effect. Mikey dying? Nah he's going to start getting erased from every timeline and Leo slowly watches it happen (and refuses to do nothing about it). I utterly adore how this fic handles this concept. You see almost all of it from Leo's POV, noticing the little changes but writing them off as memory failures, because of how subtle some of it is.

Fight or Flight - pickledcarrotsandradish: Leo centric, post movie, Leo keeps waiting for his family to start lecturing him about all the dumb stuff he did during the invasion, and they aren't, so it's getting to him. A very neat narrative about how self loathing can warp our perception of how others see us. A++++

The Friend Zone Sounds Pretty Good, Actually - Cryptvokeeper: Eating this, eating this. You probably already know I love aroace Leo and this fic is an INCREDIBLE exploration of that. Even as just an ace person it hit SO many notes where I was just like "Oh god... I've been there buddy". And as a bonus the dynamic between Leo and Yuichi is v sweet. Love this a lot I've read it like five times.

Pink in The Night - unnamedmystery: Incredible April/Sunita fic. Like seriously this author wrote April's crush so well I think I was starting to fall in love with Sunita. Just incredibly cute all the way through, and great April writing, adore it.

《 until then, matriarch 》 - chiangyorange: HI OH MY GOD A nice chunky oneshot about Karai, about her being a leader, and it's phenomenal. It hits and hits and does not miss, really going in depth about her emotions involving her father turning into something wicked and having to destroy him, and how it ruins all of her good memories.

The Kindness of Collision - SpoonerizedSwiftness (AKA @splickedylit ): Hi I still remember the fic and the art suddenly showing up in the tag and then I was thinking about it for the next like five weeks aslkdjf A very interesting idea that when the turtles reach the age they were in the doomed timeline before things got reset, all the memories of their other life more or less hit them like a train. All of them have to comb through that information and it's a wonderful and emotional ride.

Chaptered Fics

Hamartia - Punable (in progress): Hi this is one of my all time favorite rise fics, mainly because in a way, it helped me come to terms with my chronic pain. It's Donnie centric and smack full of angst in all the best ways. Shorthand summary, an explosion in Donnie's lab almost takes him out (or kind of DOES take him out) and the recovery is not only long and agonizing, it may only go so far, and Donnie doesn't cope well with that.

Kick It Up a Notch - Brokenpitchpipe (completed): Hi this is my other all time fav rise fic. Donnie centric separated AU in which Donnie is raised by Draxum. My love for it stems a lot from the characterization of Donnie though, and even Draxum in this case. Not to mention that in a lot of cases it matches the vibes of the show. And in spite of all the humor, there's a few really gut wrenching moments. 10/10 will re-read.

Lightning in Our Fingertips Today - DaFlangsLairde (AKA @daflangstlairde-art) (completed): Leo and Donnie centric, mostly angst, with body swapping between the twins which results in Donnie finding out that Leo's ninpo hurts him. Love love love the character writing in this, and also how the swap is written.

Under Pressure - ParvumAutomaton (completed): Not sure this is a single character focused fic, but basically April goes cave diving and is out for a while, and the turtles get worried and go looking for her. This might be personal bias but as someone who gets really into caving stories, this fic hits the spot for so many reasons. A really great emotional ride, and if you wanna see April go through it then I super recommend it.

Nothing Haunts Us (like the things we don't say) - mad_and_thick_as_theives (completed): A lot of great fics by this author btw, but this one personally stood out to me. It starts of silly and light only to sweep in with the emotional weight. Turtles are all cursed with a truth spell, basically, but I think my favorite bit is who gets out of it first (and why). V sweet.

Creation of a Philospher's Stone - IgnisCanis (completed): Whoooo boy, if you want some Draxum centric character exploration this is a great one. It really fleshes him out as a morally grey character and also does a fantastic job at writing Mikey when he finds out.

The Ol Switcheroo - radishhqueen (AKA @radishhqueen) (completed): Haha not going to lie I have a few by this author (so I'll only tag them once) but MAN. Hands down my favorite take on future leo coming to the past, and maybe I'm biased because I like when those fics actually explore Junior's character in the process buuuuut I love it. Junior's already struggling to adapt himself to the present, and after getting caught up in a foot clan spell which summons his sensei to the present too it really doesn't get any easier.

Vigilantism for Fun and Profit - radishhqueen (completed): The Cassandra Jones fic ever. Zero contest. If you're uncertain about writing Cassandra because she had so little development in the show I encourage you to read this for inspiration (I know it inspired me a lot). It does such a great deep dive into her character post show and a bit of the movie too. Honestly anytime radishh has a Cassandra fic I am clicking.

Tried to Grow Up Good - Sroloc_Elbisivni (AKA @sroloc--elbisivni )(completed): The Casey Jr. fic ever. CRAZY in love with this post movie take on him. It's messy, it's fun, it's so so real and you get a good chunk of Casey Sr. in here too. Adore it.

Hold On (Or Three Times Donatello's Soft Shell Almost Killed Him, and One Time it Saved His Life) - dunk_on_em (AKA @spockazilla )(completed): If you ever want a bit of angst involving Donnie's shell this is my go to. Every chapter has an emotional swing, even the positive ones. And shows something most people might see as a disadvantage as a good thing, actually.

Atlas, My Brother - swampcryptid (AKA @the-name-is-rizzotherat)(in progress): Get your Raph angst, specifically involving him always shielding his siblings, this time via a curse. My guy is already going through it and I think it'll get worse if a solution isn't found.

I've Got You Under My Skin - Cass_Phoenix (in progress): More Raph angst, and some Donnie, a truly chilling exploration of the possible consequences to connecting with the kraang. This fic constantly has me on the edge of my seat, and constantly stressing for Raph.

What We Leave Behind (How We Start Anew) - iam57311 (AKA @iam-57311)(in progress): Any Baronjitsu fans here? An alternate take on canon in which Draxum and Splinter co-parent the kids since they're first born (made?) Hilariously while I love the Baronjitsu content in here, I think some of my favorite parts are actually with the sisters, Big Mama, and Draxum's sister who is so so cool I love her.

Proof of Redemption - iam57311 (complete): Another one of theirs! A short and sweet lil close to canon fic about Draxum steadily gaining the trust and affection of the Hamatos, with each chapter focused on a different character. I love how they're all paced out from each other, really hits how some are much slower than others to trust Draxum hehe.

No Crime* Only Brooches - OllieTheScribe (AKA @olliethescribe) (in progress): Well I have to get THE HypnoWarren fic in here. Such a fun take on these characters, I love love love the backstory they built up for Warren too, plus the dynamic between these two and the turtles after (eventually) become friends haha.

Minor Interference - bambiraptorx (AKA @bambiraptorx) (in progress): What can I say? This fic is delightful. Between the hilarity of the turtles going with Draxum just to mess with him, the lore additions for yokai and the Hidden City, HoH Donnie, and their slowly building dynamic, always eager for a new chapter with this one.

Series

A Butterfly with a Mechanical Wing - Amethyst_Goldenwind (AKA @amethystgoldenwind ): Donnie centric series about being a non-verbal autistic. I'm always fond of non-verbal/mute explorations of characters, and so far I really like how, because his family has grown up with it, all of it is very normal for them. The various forms of communication are delightful. Excited to see further entries.

Analogous Hues - alwerakoo (AKA @alwerakoo): It's a separated AU with similar titling themes as my own, needed to check it out. The titles are just about all they have in common though! This AU focuses a lot on the turtles (Raph and Leo with Splinter and Donnie and Mikey with Draxum). I love how this explores not only the dynamics of the two groups and how different they are, but also the dynamics between each of the siblings, also how some magic sibling connections can influence that. Not to mention the different home life in more ways than one. If you're into separated AUs that really dig into the turtles dynamics try this one out !

#scribs speaks #rottmnt fics #fic recs #rottmnt #long post #that's all for now #I may make another one down the line when I do a bit more catch up and find some new ones !#some holiday posts suggest showing fic writers appreciation #best way I got to do it rn #some of these fics are well known but I'm giving them a shout out anyway

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