#but this little pop up used to have a frog instead of a ninja

[electricea]

GO BACK TO THE FROG 🐸

[yellowhollyhock]

this got me thinking about bayverse raph and 07 donnie, and I wanted to write a oneshot where they hug but instead I have ended up with this multichapter concept where they hopefully will both be hugged eventually

so I guess here's part one of Where's the Honor in Secrets, update to come idk when maybe this year

part 1 part 2

"So Leo told Donnie to keep it a secret. From us?"

Mikey paused as he realized where Raph's head was at. Mikey, who, just like Donnie, was ready to accept Leo's decision no matter how unfair. Mikey who wanted so badly to go to the Halloween festival, or comic con, or even the supermarket.

Mikey wouldn't call Leo out on his behavior. And somebody needed to.

"No?" Mikey squeaked, utterly unconvincing. "Hold on." But Raph wasn't listening.

"Who does he think he is?"

Leo was in the dojo, peacefully playing his part as the most responsible ninja even as he kept from his brothers the one thing they'd always wanted most desperately.

Raph strode in with confidence and purpose, righteous fury driving him forward.

"Pop quiz: what are the three most important traits of the ninja?"

He stumbled, confused by his surroundings. He had just stepped under the doorway into the dojo; he'd seen Leo inside practicing before. He turned around to see where he'd come from.

Everything was wrong.

He looked in front of him again, finding, instead of the dojo, someone else's living room.

And like that wasn't weird enough, a little green guy, probably barely over five feet tall, sitting in a rolling chair and wearing a headset.

The strange mutant stared at him, but held up a finger and spoke to someone else.

"Please hold."

He pressed a button, removed his headset, and whirled his chair to face Raph.

They stared at each other. Raph fidgeted. The little guy had looked like a frog at first, but now Raph could see he was definitely a turtle. He even wore a purple ninja mask.

Was he dreaming?

"What?" the turtle in the chair broke the silence.

Raph startled. "What?"

The smaller turtle blinked at him. "What did you ask me, while I was on the phone?"

Raph gaped. This was definitely a dream, it had to be--but he could feel his heart hammering, his face was still flushed with anger. He'd been talking with Mikey in the other room two seconds ago.

"That's what you're asking?" he blurted.

The smaller turtle winced at the increase in volume. "Um," he looked Raph up and down, "I mean, I have a lot of questions, but it seemed the most polite to ask about what you just said, and if I knew that it might give me a starting point to know what else to ask, because right now this makes literally no sense and I don't know what I don't know. Does that make sense?"

Oh, this was going to be a long day. Or dream, or whatever it was. "No, it doesn't."

The smaller turtle sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I'm going with, you're a hallucination and that probably means I haven't slept, so. I'm gonna finish this call and then clock out."

That left him with all kinds of concerns of varying urgency, but somehow the only thing he managed to say was, "Hey! I'm not a hallucination."

"That's exactly what a hallucination would say," the smaller turtle smirked with misplaced smugness as he slipped his headset back on.

"No it ain't!" he protested, even though it probably was.

"Thank you for holding. Do you see the three dots at the top left corner of your screen?"

Something about the clipped, professional tone had Raph waiting patiently, hands folded neatly in front of him. Waiting made him antsy, especially since he still had no idea where he was or who he was talking to, but he pushed the panic down for now. This was probably all a dream anyway.

He zoned out while his dream who thought he was a hallucination finished walking a stranger through changing their settings.

Then, finally, the headset was tossed unceremoniously onto the desk, and the smaller turtle beelined for--away from Raph.

"Hey!"

He didn't even glance over his shoulder. Raph hated being ignored. He crossed the room in three long steps, and grabbed the at-this-point-probably-not-a-dream by the shoulder.

"Don't leave me here!"

He turned the weird mini-mutant around to face him, and was shocked to see the little guy's eyes fill with fear. He immediately drew his hands back; he hadn't meant to be too rough. He was usually good about keeping control while he fought, always bearing in mind that humans were smaller, with softer skin, and no protective shell.

But now he wasn't fighting, and probably hadn't been careful enough.

"Uh, sorry. I just wanna know how I got here and who you are and how I'm gonna get home. I didn't mean to--are you okay?"

The smaller turtle didn't appear hurt, but he was blinking away tears. He seemed a bit out of it, and it was kind of freaking Raph out. He sort of reminded him of Donnie when he got focused on one thing and startled easily, if Donnie were very small and smiled a lot less.

"'M good," he swiped at his snout. "Sorry. Just got startled. I mean, I wasn't expecting you to be corporeal."

Raph took another look at the little creature in front of him, whose reaction to a stranger appearing in his living room had been 'what.' The purple mask concealed the dark circles under his eyes, but Raph could guess they were there from the slumped shoulders and bloodshot eyeballs. He looked like he might fall over if someone talked too loudly in his direction.

"How long did you say it's been since you slept?"

He laughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject. His sudden turnaround startled Raph a little. "Don't worry about it. Now that we for sure know you are in fact corporeal, we should probably figure out how you got here and how you're going to get back to wherever you came from."

"I knew I was corporeal," Raph argued instinctively. He bit his tongue; this weird sleep-deprived little mutant was his best chance at getting home.

To his surprise, the little guy started pushing him towards the couch. He was a lot stronger than he looked.

"Wait here," he instructed, "I need to get my notes."

"Your notes?" Raph was starting to get irritated. "How often do you get random people dropping in here?"

He was already walking away. Raph twisted to look over the back of the couch so he could shout at his retreating shell. "I still don't even know who you are!"

A door clicked shut. Raph sighed angrily. He tried to make himself comfortable on the couch while he waited.

Was he in some kind of mutant turtle world? Was this a punishment for doubting Leo's decision about becoming human?

The purple-masked mutant reappeared with a clipboard clutched under one arm, a thick textbook in another. It wasn't exactly reassuring.

He settled on the armchair, setting the book down next to himself and clicking his pen on and off. "Best theory I have so far is an alternate dimension," he announced. "What's your name, by the way?"

Raph crossed his arms, eyeing the clipboard mistrustfully. "You first."

The little mutant shrugged. "I'm Donnie."

Raph's heart-rate spiked. "That's--" he fought to keep his tone and expression calm. He didn't really have the luxury to not trust this guy at all, but he couldn't exactly fully trust him either. "That's my brother's name."

Donnie scribbled eagerly on the clipboard. He flipped the back to a dog-eared page, but kept talking instead of reading. "Well that pretty much confirms it. You're Raphael, right? And your brothers are Leo, Mikey, and Donnie."

Okay, that was definitely the exact opposite of reassuring. Was he meant to understand that he'd somehow landed himself in some kind of mirror-world, where short, frog-like versions of his family worked customer service jobs over the phone? The worst part was, if a situation like that dropped into his living room back home, this was pretty much exactly how Donnie would break the news.

"Can I talk to Master Splinter?" he asked, rather than confirm his name.

"Ah, no. Bad idea. This time of night, with this kind of news... we better not. But you can meet Mikey!"

Alright, that was downright suspicious. Why would Mikey be the only one he could meet? Something about this whole situation was deeply off. But Raph didn't know what to do, besides stay on his guard. He'd literally been in his own living room not fifteen minutes ago.

Donnie was already knocking lightly on Mikey's bedroom door. Raph wondered if this Mikey's room was next to his and across from Donnie's, like back home.

He didn't have much time to think about it before a turtle even smaller than Donnie, this one maskless, was practically on top of him.

"Who are you? Is he Raph? He's got a red mask and twin sai. Are you Raph? Is he from a parallel universe like in The One?"

Donnie chuckled. "Well, I hope it isn't too much like The One, but yes. As far as we've determined, this is Raph from a parallel universe. Seems like there was some kind of unexplained link between our worlds that he slipped through accidentally. I haven't determined what caused it, so I need you to call out of work tomorrow and be very careful around the exit. Raph, this is my brother Mikey. You'll meet Raph and Master Splinter in the morning."

Something about having a hyper Mikey practically in his lap and hearing Donnie's sleepy rambles put Raph at ease in spite of himself. It also made him ache for his own brothers, and Donnie's less than thorough explanation of how he'd gotten here didn't inspire confidence that he'd be able to get back.

"Okay," he managed to croak out, unsure what else to say.

"What's your favorite food? We could make it tomorrow. Hey, we should watch a movie! I bet you haven't seen any of the same movies we've seen."

Raph glanced uncertainly between the two of them. Donnie gave him a sympathetic look.

"He's probably tired, Mikey. I'll set up a couple air mattresses, I think that's as comfortable as we can offer tonight. Unless you'd want to sleep in Leo's bed? It'll be kinda small for you, but firmer than an air mattress."

Raph had about a million questions--where was Leo? Why were these guys so short? Why couldn't they wake up Master Splinter, or their Raph? What was that about being careful near the exit? And besides all that, he still had his own brothers and that purple stuff that could change their lives on his mind.

But mostly, he was wondering what kinds of movies they had in other dimensions.

"Actually, I'm nocturnal. I'd be down for a movie."

Donnie and Mikey exchanged identical grins--the kind that made Raph wonder what he'd just gotten himself into.

He leaned forward and held up a finger.

"No cartoons."

They both laughed, and Raph felt himself smile.

[gwenbrightly]

Of Milk and Cookies Chapter 18

I'll be honest... It's been years since my last update. Life happened and a lot of my writing took a hit as a result. This story was never truly abandoned, just put aside for awhile, as much as I love this story. Anyway, I am so happy to finally have another chapter ready to share with the world. Hope you all enjoy!

"You have no idea how good it is to eat real food again," Nya declared through a mouthful of pizza. She was finally home after several days of being stuck in her hospital room. The doctors had been concerned about potential infections and had a hard time believing she would stay put if they released her sooner. It had taken a wide array of medical tests (and a lot of begging) to convince them to let her leave. Nya would have danced with glee if not for her stitches. Instead, she settled for a celebratory dinner from her favorite pizza place.

"I can only imagine," Lloyd commented. His own diet lately had been an odd mixture of fast food and local delicacies (some of which were…. Unique for lack of better words) depending on his location throughout the victory tour. He had politely declined her not so subtle attempts to get rid of her bowls of jello and mystery goop by getting someone else to eat them during more than one visit.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Nya," Jay told her, reaching for a slice of pepperoni. He had been extra protective of her since their mad dash to the hospital a few days earlier. Nya wasn't sure if she found it adorable or annoying.

"Yeah, don't scare us like that again." Kai added, earning him a vicious elbow jab from his sister. Nya ignored his yelp of pain.

"I'm fine, guys, really."

"If you're fine, I guess we should put back all the booby traps we found in your room, huh?" Cole offered teasingly. Several of the students of Wu's Academy had chosen to express their excitement at Nya's return by leaving little… surprises in her room.

"Nope. Definitely don't do that," Nya relented. She didn't have the energy to deal with frogs in her bed or whatever else the kids had come up with. "How did Sally and Megan even get in there?" Whoever else may have been involved, those two were almost always the ringleaders when it came to annoying Nya.

"It wouldn't surprise me if Brad taught them to pick locks," Lloyd offered with a shrug. As much as his friend had changed, Lloyd was sure he could still be a menace when he wanted to be.

"Eh. That tracks. I gotta say, I like that kid way better when he's focused on his gardening instead of causing chaos." Nya might find Brad annoying, but she had to admit he had done wonders with the school's flowerbeds.

"He has really been trying to turn over a new leaf lately. I'm proud of him," Stated Zane. The others nodded in agreement. Brad had come a long ways since they had first met him during the Evil Clone Incident.

"With a granny like his, I'm not surprised. She scares me." Jay shuddered.

"Hey, now," Lloyd said. He took a bite of pizza before continuing. "Everyone needs a slightly terrifying old person in their lives. Brad has his granny and we have Uncle Wu."

"You find Wu terrifying?" Zane asked, skeptical. He found it difficult to see Wu as particularly threatening. On most days, at least.

"Well yeah - Sometimes." The green ninja sheepishly admitted. He was fully aware that most people probably expected his father to be the relative he found scary. And Garmadon was scary, too, but things were different now that he was free of the Great Devourer's venom. Wu was a menace because he wanted to be, not because of any outside influences.

"Have you seen how quickly Wu can move when he wants to be sneaky? I swear the guy gives me a heart attack at least once a week popping up behind me when I'm in the middle of something!" Jay exclaimed, "I'm with Lloyd on this one."

"You probably shouldn't say that in front of Wu. It'll just encourage him," Kai commented.

"Yeah," Cole agreed, "Don't give him any ideas. One time I told him he might wanna sing a little more quietly in the shower… So He sang louder instead."

Nya stifled a giggle. Their uptight mentor certainly knew how to mess with people when he wasn't forcing them out of bed hellishly early to train. No one except maybe Zane appreciated that. Speaking of beds, Nya was beginning to think hers sounded like a rather nice place to be right about now. Definitely more inviting than the hospital cot had been. With a thick pile of fuzzy blankets and plenty of extra pillows. Mmm… Yes… Bed… sleep. She had a lot of sleep to catch up on…

"Ugh. I hate to say it, but I'm about ready to fall asleep at the table. All the pain meds they had me on really wiped me out," Nya admitted, yawning. Several of the others began to boo loudly at this announcement.

"Oh stop it you guys. You managed to survive a weekend without me. I'm sure you can survive a little longer," Nya told them. She rolled her eyes at the ridiculously pathetic looks Lloyd and Jay were giving her. She wouldn't be giving in to their pleading puppy eyes routine. Not this time.

"Aww fine…" Lloyd was the first to relent. "But at least have some dessert before you go?" He leapt up from his seat and disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve a grocery bag with several boxes of frosted sugar cookies. Nya stared longingly at them and said,

"I guess I could be convinced to stay up a few more minutes." She couldn't help it. The cookies were calling to her.

"That's what I figured," Lloyd replied. He really was an expert at the Bribing Nya game. It was a skill worth being proud of.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Cole interjected, "we can't have cookies without milk. It's practically illegal."

"Truth. I got it!" Jay announced. Glasses and a jug of milk were quickly added to the assortment of cookies Lloyd was arranging on the table.

"I propose a toast," Kai stated, pouring himself a cup of milk, "To Nya not dying and finally escaping the hospital."

The sound of glasses clinking followed as the others repeated, "To Nya not dying and finally escaping the hospital!"

It really was good to be home.

[turtlethon]

Turtlethon Extra Slices: “Shredder’s Revenge“

Welcome to the first in an occasional series, Turtlethon Extra Slices! This sub-project will cover media connected to the 1987 incarnation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Shredder’s Revenge, developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu, was released on June 16, 2022. This is the latest in a long, long line of TMNT games released since 1989, but in particular acts as a spiritual sequel to Konami’s original arcade release from that same year, its 1991 sequel Turtles in Time, and their various home ports and spin-offs.

Breaking News: the Foot Clan is back! The Turtles, April and Splinter learn from a broadcast by Bebop on TV that the villains are taking over the Statue of Liberty. It’s up to our heroes to travel through New York, battling waves of the bad guys on their way to final encounters with Krang and Shredder. This time around April and Splinter join the Turtles as playable characters in their journey; completing Story Mode also unlocks Casey Jones for you to use.

While the core of the game draws upon the Turtles coin-op titles for inspiration – and the arcade mode plays in much the same manner – the infamous original TMNT game for the Nintendo Entertainment System hasn’t been forgotten either. Story Mode features a map screen in which the Turtle Van bobs around the city, allowing the player to freely select their next mission in much the same manner as the top-down sections of that first 8-bit title. In this mode, each character accumulates experience and can level up over time, increasing their fighting abilities. This aspect of Shredder’s Revenge has kept me coming back even after completing it, as there’s always incentive to play through again in order to fully power up the team.

Further easter eggs can be found scattered throughout in Story Mode, as players are encouraged by allies of the Turtles to recover lost items. Irma requests that you find her missing diary, while Burne and Vernon have you recover items for Channel 6. Later, you complete similar missions for the Punk Frogs and Neutrinos. Sadly, you don’t really get anything for doing so beyond the acknowledgment that you successfully completed the task.

Speaking of the Punk Frogs, an ongoing gag throughout Shredder’s Revenge has them apparently now being considered celebrities, their popularity equivalent to that of the Turtles in our real world back in the nineties. Other familiar faces from the show pop up across the different stages, ranging from obvious inclusions like Baxter Stockman and Rat King to more obscure inclusions like Tempestra. I would have liked Tribute to go even further in this direction, incorporating the roster of the Archie TMNT comics, the toy line and maybe even some characters from the Red Sky era of the show like Lord Dregg, but it seems that a deliberate decision has been made to avoid any of that and concentrate on the golden era of the cartoon instead, with a few nods to the live-action movies here and there.

Cameos aren’t just restricted to the bosses: characters from the show can be seen scattered throughout the game, such as Burne’s girlfriend Tiffany appearing in a crowd scene running out of the Channel 6 building. Honestly, I would have liked even more of these little shout-outs to have been incorporated, but I concede that going too far in that direction would be a lot of effort and not enhance the playing experience for most players in any tangible fashion.

Having revisited the Super Nintendo port of Turtles in Time recently, it struck me how developed the play mechanics for Shredder’s Revenge are by comparison. Though the Turtles in the older game each had unique attributes, their core fundamentals remained the same, and the moves available to the player were largely restricted to the same basic strikes and throws. This time around the number of manoeuvres available to our heroes has expanded greatly, and the player will need to learn to use them effectively to progress. (Something that I initially ignored, to my cost!)

Voicing Donatello, Raphael, Michaelangelo and Leonardo are the actors from the 1987 cartoon. Barry Gordon, Rob Paulsen, Townsend Coleman and Cam Clarke all make welcome returns here and lend their voices to the supporting cast too – Rocksteady, for example, is also handled by Clarke. Most of the other characters aren’t so lucky. There’s no Renae Jacobs as April or Peter Renaday as Splinter. Some of the other characters have voices that are nothing like their original portrayals, and there are instances where I was genuinely surprised that famous bits of dialogue such as Metalhead’s “I’m going to mangle you green slimeballs!” or Leatherhead’s “ah gah-rawn-tee!” didn’t make the cut.

While the voice acting gets the basics right and leaves it there, the soundtrack is phenomenal. Tee Lopes had previously been responsible for Sonic Mania’s music, and continues to do excellent work here. Each stage’s track has its own vibe, drawing not only upon previous Turtles games for inspiration but also the mid-to-late eighties and early nineties, the two eras which TMNT itself is rooted in. A vaporwave mall setting is accompanied by a tune reminiscent of Madonna’s “Into the Groove”, while a street setting’s theme evokes Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”. As the player draws closer to the Technodrome and the game’s final confrontations with Krang and Shredder, the themes become more dramatic and foreboding, making the journey of the Turtles and their allies feel like a genuinely big deal. Fantastic stuff, and I’ve been listening to the soundtrack regularly even when not playing. I think this the aspect of the game that will live on long after everyone has tired of playing.

Is Shredder’s Revenge the best TMNT game ever? Turtles in Time (either the SNES or arcade versions, depending on who you ask) seems to have been considered the standard bearer up to this point. In the conversation also is the fan game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rescue-Palooza!, though as an unofficial project it’s debatable as to whether it counts. For me, at least for now, Dotemu have crafted the definitive video game for the 1987 Turtles. I’m looking forward to squeezing at least one or two more play throughs of story mode in before we all get to revisit the classic games in Konami’s Cowabunga Collection, which arrives on August 30th.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is available now for Windows and Linux (via Steam), on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

[nanamigatari]

Sasori

So this was what all those Ascension Candies were about.

Granted, Nanami didn’t expect to actually have it affect her so quickly. By the time she was out the door and breaking the candy’s shell with her teeth to chew, she could already sense that something was wrong. The sugary mush in her mouth hadn’t even been swallowed yet, but she could already feel what seemed like several needles prickling her tongue. Her resulting coughing it wasn’t as bad as any of her usual ones, but it surprised her enough to allow a good portion of the wretched sweet to travel down her gullet. 

Granted, she should have used better judgement, considering the location she had been imprisoned in for the last several months. 

Wearing a costume was said to be the main focus of Halloween, she had been told. You wore the garb of another being to hide among the demons and spirits that were said to haunt the land of the living during the apex of the fall season. Some of the city-folk were already dressed so exotically that Nanami wondered why they would even bother with a costume in the first place. Yet she understood how that felt- trying to put a meaning behind something that presented itself as meaningless. 

There didn’t seem to be any difficulty or deeper obligation to putting a costume on (other than having to partake social festivities, and that was already forced upon her anyway each month), so she decided to try it. Walking outside to see all the various colors and styles that her island life had hidden from her seemed better than hiding away in her room while in the darkness. All she had to really do was to settle her sights on what sort of outfit to wear and how to make it. 

After remembering the strangely garbed ninjas she had met over a year ago, she decided to settle for an animal.

A scorpion. 

True, the Maniwa had dressed as pure insects and a scorpion was an arachnid, but it would have felt boring to borrow their style so closely. Scorpions preyed on insects and their own kind, a fact that didn’t escape her notice. On her way to the costume shop, her hair already styled into a heavy braid instead of a ponytail, she recalled the fable she had scanned during her occasional browsing of Spirale’s modern literature. 

It had been titled “The Scorpion and the Frog.”

Nanami had read other short tales before it, though it had stuck with her. The moral was something that she felt a bit of a connection to. And the more she had thought about it, the more ‘funny’ it seemed. It formed the basis of her choice, though there was also the fact that she had already seen her fair share of ghosts, zombies, and witches. Those were too on the nose for her... and she never minded sticking out. 

Besides adjusting her ponytail to better resemble the stinger of a scorpion, she had parted her bands somewhat, combing and cutting them. Nanami had never given herself a hair-cut unless it was to keep the length of her hair down, always retaining the same style since her youth. Now, however, the sides of her hairline and bangs were trimmed down to look like the jagged limbs of a scorpion, claws and all. She could easily let wash out this gel and let more of it grow out if she decided that Halloween wasn’t for her. Not finished with her costume, she left her home and made her way to the costume shop down the block, on the look-out for make-up to complete the look. 

Now here she was, her legs buckling under her as she stumbled into an alley, the cries and shouts of surprise behind her as other people were consumed by their own costumes. Black spots began to fill her eyes as her legs finally crumpled beneath her weight. A series of pops from her joints and even her spine greeted her ears. The latter felt like burning oil had been poured on it. Tendons stretched, muscles swelled, and bones snapped until it felt like she would vomit. When her saliva hit the dirt below, she heard a sizzling hiss.

Hyperventilating and still conscious, Nanami looked down at her own trembling form as the truth of the situation began to dawn on her. Now she could see why she couldn’t feel her legs anymore, much less her toes. 

Nanami's whole lower half was that of a massive scorpion. Her human legs had shrunken inwards into her body, replaced by an armored carapace and six sharpened legs. Those legs were connected to a new green and purple abdomen, which sat just below her rear. It was almost like she was sitting on a throne of sorts. A segmented, arching tail jutted out of the end of her abdomen, tipped out with several barbs and a stinger that looked like a golden blade. 

Mercifully and strangely, she noticed that her hands hadn’t become pincers, a fact that was confirmed when she stopped touching her face and looked straight at them. They had still developed several patches of tough, scaly, green-colored patches of exoskeleton that reminded her of sores. Some even covered her face; she wasn’t sure about the rest of her body, though aside from some tears in her kimono, her torso was still modestly covered. She was somehow taller, too, much taller. That was a small comfort to her... Not that she would have been embarrassed at all, but she liked her clothes. 

The more she observed the features of her new form, the less she knew what to think of it. In the end, she settled for smiling. It became a full-on grin before she struck at the wall next to her- a web of cracks soon formed along the brickwork. She was stronger, too. 

Perfect.

Nanami didn’t need a puddle or a mirror to see anymore now. She shakily rose up to her full height (one that would have made her own brother short in comparison to her chagrin) and did her best to move. It started out as her dragging herself along before managing something of a crawl. Several new synapses were firing off in her brain at once, a plethora of new instincts beginning to awaken. 

It was both liberating and repulsive at once. 

You should be happy, she thought to herself, already noticing the other transformations around her. You don’t know how this body works at all. Maybe it will mar that technique of yours. Besides, now you finally look as warped as your mind. It’s funny, isn’t it?

Ignoring the stares and gasps around her, Nanami let a chuckle escape her. The ending of the fable repeated in her mind and she finally escalated into a giggle. 

Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.

"You fool!" croaked the frog. "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"

The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back.

"I could not help myself. It is my nature."

Then they both sank into the muddy waters of the swiftly flowing river.

[highglossfinish]

Tattletail

Welcome to the 'highglossfinish' room.

Leo: Maybe um... give it a moment? It takes them a little time to see posts... Cardinal: Hello! Knock Out: That would be the purpose of the frogs. Knock Out: Cardinal! Hello! Cardinal: ((*rollin my sick *** into the chat vroom)) Knock Out: Is the stream cooperating? Can everyone see the frogs? Cardinal: Alternate!  It's been too long! Knock Out: Hasn't it though? Cardinal: I . . . see a beautiful "Offline" screen. Cardinal: Very colorful. Leo: ... there's frogs? Leo: Oh dear... Leo: It was just working! thenightetc: Same thenightetc: I mean, same that it's offline.  Also it's lagging horribly, I can't even see what I'm typing Knock Out: Any better? Faeline: Well, there's video and sound this time... >.> thenightetc: oh! thenightetc: There it is Faeline: Why are there frogs? Knock Out: Excellent! Knock Out: Who cares? There's something!

Cardinal: I see them! Faeline: And flute music accompanied by... quacking? Cardinal: Very nice. Knock Out: Hmm...still there? Leo: I don't know why it could have started off like that, we checked it ten minutes ago. Thenightetc changed their nickname to thenighetc. thenighetc: *switches browsers* Leo: That creature is unsettling... Faeline: Is it some kind of demented furby? Knock Out: So you can still see it? Knock Out: It is indeed. thenighetc: Yyyyyes Leo: Yes, doctor. I'll ping you if something goes wrong on our end. Cardinal: ((A++++ design, totally looks like a legit 90s toy Knock Out: Excellent. Then without further ado, Tattletail! thenighetc: So this is what, a horror game? Knock Out: It is. Faeline: Looks like. Leo: I-I still can't believe... um, that I almost let Radar watch the stream with me... Leo: O-On Thursday! N-Not tonight! Knock Out: Please never let Radar see this. Knock Out: Or know that it exists. Thebes: Hello, I hear we are watching the furby-being horrors! Leo: That was why, um, I had a caretaker... um... come get him. Faeline: Why is the creepy music box tune a Christmas carol? Cardinal: Because Santa is about to show up and shame Rudolph for his noseglow. Faeline: Do not shame Rudolph! He can't help it. Faeline: >:( Cardinal: Don't tell me, tell Santa. Leo: ... what are you talking about? Faeline: Is this going to be Gremlins: the Game? Faeline: Rudolph is from a children's story. Leo: ... what is it? Faeline: He has a bright, shiny red nose. The story is about ~accepting your differences~ Faeline: with the unfortunate implication that as long as you're useful, you can be as weird as you want. Leo: ... I-I haven't read much Cybertronian history, but... wasn't that the basis of the caste system? Faeline: Maybe? I'm not much of an expert on Cybertronian culture. Leo: ... y-you would think that I would be, but... well Leo: I-I missed the mechanics, what does the yellow symbol mean? Faeline: I thought you were... whatever Cybertronians are instead of born... after the war had... uh. thenighetc: That you're making noise? Faeline: It's a sound symbol. Not sure what they're using it for here. Leo: W-Well... I... remember some things... th-they're not my real memories, but I can use them sometimes... thenighetc: (by the way everybody, do NOT update Firefox. :') Flash hasn't worked at all since I did this morning.) Faeline: Sorry, that was probably awkward. thenighetc: (*is slumming it in IE now*) Leo: N-No, i-it's okay! Faeline: (Thanks for the heads up.) thenighetc: (Going to see if I can roll it back a version or two after this.) Leo: Our patch is similar to um... "Google Chrome," and ours work just fine... Faeline: A french fry? Ewwww. thenighetc: (Don't have that one, just Firefox, Opera, and IE.  :S) Leo: "Nope!" thenighetc: (But thanks!) Leo: Oh dear... that noise... Faeline: Yikes. thenighetc: I'm sure it means something GOOD Leo: It sounds... um... like an engine stalling out... Cardinal: . . . thenighetc: ...are they implying they blindd her Cardinal: Is the horror aspect that these hideous toys aren't returnable? Thebes: this can only be a good thing Leo: N-Nexus below... th-this is horrifying... Knock Out: Just popping up to save the chat log, don't mind me! Faeline: So what do we all think happens on Christmas? thenighetc: ...presents? Leo: I-I don't even want to think about it... Faeline: Maybe it'll be good! Maybe Ninja Santa will come to save us from the hell-furby. Leo: W-w-wait... wh-why are there two now... Leo: AHHHHHHHHHHh thenighetc: !! thenighetc: You know, this is just like that Elf on the Shelf movie. Leo: ... wh-what? Faeline: There was a movie about that? Why. thenighetc: You know, I don't have a good answer for that? Faeline: The Elf on the Shelf is a doll that you tell your kid is watching them. It's supposed to be cute, but it's actually horrifying. Leo: ... wh-why does it want to watch them? Wh-what does it want? Faeline: It's an inanimate object. It doesn't want anything. Faeline: The whole thing is made up as a ~flight of fancy~ for the kid, because clearly kids are incapable of playing pretend on their own. /sarcasm Leo: ... b-but why does it "watch them?" thenighetc: It's made up to scare them into behaving. Faeline: I'm not sure? I think it's supposed to be reporting to Santa but I'm not sure. Faeline: I never had one. thenighetc: ...What just happened Faeline: Who knows? Faeline: Maybe we're having a nightmare and at the end of the game we wake up. Maybe we're feverish and hallucinating. Maybe this is hell. Leo: N-Noises are, um... certainly a... um... main mechanic, aren't they...? thenighetc: "no I hate parties" Faeline: How can you brush it if it's solid plastic? thenighetc: Nah it has fur.  Short fur, but stil Thebes: well this isn't at all creepy Faeline: Here's a better question: what if I smash mama with a poker? What then? Leo: I-It's like that game where there's the... um... what are they... trees. Faeline: Trees? Faeline: There's a horror game where you're menaced by trees? Leo: W-With the trees. A-And the notes. Faeline: Oh, Slender. Leo: M-Maybe? Faeline: For some reason I was thinking more along the lines of When Trees Attack. Leo: I-I'm sorry... Faeline: Nah, it was my misunderstanding. Faeline: Slender makes more sense, I was just thinking about the villains instead of mechanics. Leo: I-It's like the tree game... and um... and the fox game. thenighetc: Yeah, there's definitely some similarities to Five Nights at Freddy's thenighetc: ...combined with the worst escort mission ever Faeline: ...the worst escort mission ever? Leo: N-No, th-there's worse ones. thenighetc: You know.  Having to bring some terrible little creature everywhere with you and look after it and stop it from getting you killed. thenighetc: ...I'm just saying. Faeline: I know what an escort mission is, I just wasn't sure if you were referrring to a specific one? Leo: ... th-there's an old game that R-Ratchet had a copy of... um... th-there were /so many/ escort missions... thenighetc: Oh!  Nah, I just mean fffffffffffffffffffffffffff Leo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Rangers_Dino_Thunder_(video_game) Leo: Th-This one. S-So many escort missions. Faeline: Huh. Sorry, I haven't played that one. thenighetc: Huh Leo: A-Always have to um... escort the big one and i-it moves S-SO SLOWLY! thenighetc: ...Yeah, there probably are worse ones than this.  Just.  Y'know.  There are similarites. Knock Out: I'm turning up the lights and it's not cheating because I already beat this disaster once. thenighetc: Apparently there's this WOW escort mission where you have to escort some old lady somewhere and she moves incredibly slowly and makes all these digressions. thenighetc: And then as soon as you finish she SPRINTS off Faeline: y i k e s Cardinal: You know we would support you even if you were cheating, alternate. thenighetc: Pure trolling Leo: A-And target damage i-is the worst! Faeline: Leave it to WoW to take it way past extreme. Cardinal: ((holy *** neighbor's cat just popped up outside my window and scared me Leo: Y-Your neighbout should w-watch their cat... Leo: Y-Your neighbour, excuse me... Knock Out: Scrap. Am I supposed to look straight at her or away from her? Knock Out: I STILL don't know. thenighetc: Ah well you see the uncertainty about what you're supposed to be doing is all part of the... ludonarrative... mumblemumblemumble... Leo: Th-The text says she moves when you don't look... I think you're not supposed to look at her... thenighetc: ...I just noticed that your footsteps are really way too loud on the grass, carpet, etc Knock Out: SCRAP SCRAP DRAINING GLITCH. Leo: A-And if you make a loud noise too close, like that thenighetc: Actually, too loud on the tile and stone, too!  Like the player character wore big heavy boots to bed for some reason Thebes: then again, we've all had those times when everything was so quiet we felt too loud thenighetc: True.  Maybe it's just loud in their imagination. Leo: I-I think that's what the yellow symbol is for? I-If you make too much noise while the "Mama" is close... maybe it makes her attack? thenighetc: (Imagine if Audrey kept saying "Give me a treat!" instead of "Feed me") Leo: ... th-that's the plant that sings and kills humans, right? thenighetc: That's the one! Leo: R-Ratchet listens to songs from that film... a lot. I-It's one of my favourites now... thenighetc: Yeah, it's pretty great. :) Cardinal: So you have to keep fulfilling the demands of the small Tattletails to keep the noise down so Mama won't find you? Leo: W-Well they talk anyway... thenighetc: It actually creeps me out how they're having you build this sort of shrine in the basemen thenighetc: t Knock Out: Oh, thank the Allspark. Leo: ... th-that's the plant that sings and kills humans, right? thenighetc: That's the one! Leo: R-Ratchet listens to songs from that film... a lot. I-It's one of my favourites now... thenighetc: Yeah, it's pretty great. :) Cardinal: So you have to keep fulfilling the demands of the small Tattletails to keep the noise down so Mama won't find you? Leo: W-Well they talk anyway... thenighetc: It actually creeps me out how they're having you build this sort of shrine in the basemen thenighetc: t Knock Out: Oh, thank the Allspark. thenighetc: What? Leo: I-If the game is moving, he doesn't um... doesn't answer. thenighetc: (What is this thing eating.  HOW is it eating.  Its mouth clearly doesn't go anywhere) Faeline: its mouth goes directly to hell. the food is dissolved by lava. Thebes: (also, what consitutes 'real food' that lets a toy differentiate from, say, humans) Leo: L-Literally stared death in the... um... demon holes Thebes: So this is happening thenighetc: ...apparently? Cardinal: . . . Leo: Wh... Wha... thenighetc: imagine the parents being woken up by this and coming downstairs Faeline: My mom would've killed me. Just, bam, grounded until I'm dead. Thebes: possibly would also have trouble sleeping for a while Leo: Sh-She doesn't move if you look at her... thenighetc: I guess the downside is she doesnt move AWAY if you look at her...? Leo: W-Well... that's why she wasn't leaving... a-and why he got Mama'd Leo: ... I-I think Bumblebee is getting a little freaked out by the audio... if he can even hear it... considering all the jokes latly... Leo: ... oh no, "lately," excuse me... Faeline: Is this phase just going to go on forever? Knock Out: Just...hard. Knock Out: Oh no, it's beatable. Faeline: Oh, you're reloading. Not sure how I missed that. Leo: Y-You could have fooled us... Leo: ... oh dear, that was rude... where did that come from... Faeline: Sorry, my brain seems to have turned inside out. Leo: ... um, y-you know what's a r-really fun horror game? Th-The Park. thenighetc: What's it like? Leo: Um, you um... y-you play as a... a human, and she goes into a... um... amusement park? Is that what you call it? A-After closing... um... because her... um... offspring ran in there Knock Out: Hah! Did it again! thenighetc: So there are... monsters?  Spooky rides? thenighetc: *cheers* Leo: U-Um... a lot of just... um... jumps. N-No monsters... thenighetc: so what would have happened if you'd answerd the phone...? thenighetc: Hmmmm. Leo: B-But the um... the human? She... um... sh-she's not so uh... not so sane... a-and the park h-has things about it... thenighetc: What kind of things? Knock Out: And that's that! Leo: ... wh... but... wasn't she g-gone? Knock Out: And I have no idea. Knock Out: Apparently not. Faeline: I'm a bit confused myself. Knock Out: Collecting all the eggs is supposed to do something, but then...well. Faeline: But there's over 200 of them. Holy crap. Leo: A-and The Park um... has... th-there's a lot of "accidents" that happened... a-and the... what is it... um... they wear animal costumes... Faeline: The mascots? thenighetc: Maybe you have to collect the eggs before the ritual Knock Out: It said you just had to find 22, but clearly that was a lie. Knock Out: What filth. Faeline: We could check youtube and see if anyone else was that crazy. Leo: ... i-is this a mascot? http://blog.timesunion.com/christopher/files/2009/08/102_2509.jpg Knock Out: I could and I will. Faeline: Yup. thenighetc: Yep! Knock Out: Right now, I'm just glad Livestream didn't choke and die on the floor in front of us again. Faeline: Yyyyeah. thenighetc: That was a trip, anyway. Knock Out: It was, wasn't it? Knock Out: Thank you all for coming along on...whatever ride that was. thenighetc: Thank you for hosting! Knock Out: Always a pleasure! Faeline: Yeah, thanks! 0u0