#got everyone a job at Raphael's university

[sky-kiss]

Raphael x Tav: Coffee Shop AU Pt. 2

A/N: Continuing from this, because someone wanted Raphael's POV and I wanted to goof off instead of writing serious things.

______

She’s a Barista. How Did it Come to This?

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As a professor of the English language and literature on the whole, Raphael has no small amount of experience when it comes to divining an author’s intent and reading subtext. Years of honing these talents allow him to translate Haarlep’s intended message: ask the barista out. 

What he actually says is, “It’s been seven months, old man, is this a joke? Skip dinner and fuck the poor thing sideways.” Which is uncouth, uncivil, and utterly par for the course for the younger man. 

“Why are you here?”

Haarlep shrugs. He’s currently sprawled out across the only sofa in the teacher’s lounge, both monopolizing the space and looking too cramped on the loveseat. Korilla rolls her eyes, leaning over his feet to pluck another paper from the pile. The University has afforded him two assistants this semester. Only one is pulling their weight. But Haarlep’s is not without use. Between himself and his assistant, he has never seen: 

Such positive class reviews. 

So many female students with a vested interest in classical literature. 

It’s frankly uncanny. 

“You’d be happier for taking my advice.” 

“Not everyone is playing ‘catch the venereal' disease, Haarlep,” Korilla mutters. Haarlep shoots her a look. Something unspoken passes between them. In the absence of words (and Korilla’s repentance), Haarlep digs their heel into her thigh before sitting up. 

“Oh, take me with you. One evening, Raphael. That's all I need. And you and your sweet barista will be happy little lambs.” 

“Aren’t you busy?” Raphael eyes the essays. 

Haarlep waves him off. “Unimportant. I hate to see you so solemn, dear. Please.” 

And unfortunately, there’s no denying Haarlep anything once they’re in full flow. Gods save them all. 

_________

Fifteen minutes into the drive, he insists on silence. Raphael is always one for a good discussion, but Haarlep is a peculiar breed. He whiplashes from topic to topic with an alacrity most find disorienting and asserts opinions so occasionally outlandish that Raphael wonders if he believes them. The smirk says he doesn’t; half of what they do is for their amusement, the little shit. 

“You must like her,” Haarlep mutters. “The cafe might as well be in a different city.” 

“Don’t be so dramatic. We’re half an hour from campus.” 

“Mmm.” 

He doesn’t like that sound one bit. Or the look his assistant is giving him. Raphael grumbles, motioning for the younger man to go ahead of him. The bell on the door chimes when they step inside, and he’s overcome with that feeling of peace.

Tav’s shop smells equal parts coffee shop and bookstore, the slightly spicy scent of old paper lingering on the air. He associates the smell with snowy mornings spent indoors, curled beneath his covers, safe and comfortable. There are seating areas and tables, yes, indicative of any metropolitan cafe. It’s the books he fell in love with. Shelves and shelves of books, of all genres and ages. You were as likely to find a history of naval battles as you were an airport bestseller or romance. 

Haarlep pulls a face. “It smells like a library.” 

“That will be the books, you troglodyte.” 

They accept the gibe gamely enough, stuffing their hands in their pockets. Haarlep scans the place with their frankly unsettling, at times preternatural, gaze, weighing every barista. They linger on Tav. “That one?” 

“How…” 

“Raphael, you are aware of what attraction looks like, yes? Do you have some cursory awareness? That girl looked at you with the stupidest doe-eyes when you walked in. It made me a little upset. Or nauseous.” He waved a hand. “Hard to say which.” 

“Your dramatics are noted, Haarlep. Find a book. I’ll order for us.” 

“Oh, good. More reading.” 

He is very aware of Haarlep’s eyes on him as he approaches the counter. It pales in comparison to the roiling feeling in his gut. The voice in his head (sounding too much like his father) screams every time he gets close. She’s too young; they’re from different worlds. She won’t look at him. If she’s polite, it’s because she’s paid to be polite, Raphael. Tav smiles at him; the expression lights up the entirety of her face. He thinks, in that moment, that she is one of the most singularly lovely creatures he’s seen. 

“Raphael!” She uses his name. Tav leans forward on the counter, beckoning him nearer. Her little friends behind the counter share a look among themselves, snickering. “I took your advice.” She points to a shelf on the left side of the store. He recognizes the book: one of his recommendations. “You were right. I couldn’t put it down. I figured others might enjoy it too. If you have any more suggestions…” 

“Of course. Of course! It’s…very nearly my profession!” 

“Isn’t that your profession?” 

He smirks, dipping into a half bow. “Among other things. You’ll find me a font of philosophy and tired rhetoric. Should it ever strike your fancy.” 

“Mmm. You do know how to sweet talk a girl.”

He thinks he hears Haarlep groan from across the cafe. Tav is looking at him, and the weight of that stare leaves him parched or hungry. Raphael clears his throat. “May I ask how you found the ending?” 

“Why doesn’t she explain it to you,” Shadowheart says, sliding a coffee to him. “Over dinner? Say six?” 

Haarlep winds an arm around his waist, resting their chin on his shoulder. “Six is perfect, my beauty. He can’t wait. Italian?” 

“Her absolute favorite. Passatempo?” 

Haarlep reaches out to shake the she-elf’s hand. “He’s never been. But he’s so eager to try.” 

It is, perhaps, the most surreal way he’s ever gotten a date. Tav stares at him in sputtering horror, her face a vibrant red. Raphael saves her, writing his number on one of the cafe’s business cards. He hands it to her. “My number. I look forward to our…” 

“...date.” She finishes, so conclusively, so resolutely, that he laughs. 

“Yes. Of course.” 

[yuumcbr]

What are your favorite Twisted Wonderland AUs?

Like every fandom, Twisted Wonderland has countless AUs. Among them, there are some that I really like.

The purpose of this post is to share my favorite AUs and hopefully get to know others through other people. Under no circumstances do I want to cause conflict or confusion.

To begin with, I really like universes where the protagonist of the story is a secondary character in the story who is trying not to get involved or live an everyday life.I found most of these stories on AO3, such as:

In this fic, a boy from our world goes to the body of a boy from Octavinelle who committed suicide. Now he tries to adapt to his new routine at a magic school, without attracting attention (he attracts a lot of attention).

In this one, the protagonist is reincarnated as a rabbit-beastman and grows up in a watch shop. Bunny's (the protagonist's nickname) goal is to create a way to return to his world.

As time goes by, he enters RSA, but is expelled and enrolls in NRC.

Here we are introduced to a boy who had a sister who was in love with an Otome game called Twisted Wonderland. One day, he wakes up as Raphael, a boy who picked on Yuu (the protagonist of the game, not the story).But something happens, he is able to see the level of love the character has for Yuu.

Another type of AU that I love are the universes that take place in the modern world, that is, ours. And Yuu gradually gets to know other characters.

Some examples of this AU are:

In this AU, Yuu is a wizard who can see demons and works with a charlatan medium (Fellow).

Little by little, Yuu meets countless demons who want to make a contract with him and take his soul.

This one, Yuu works in a shop in Donetsk and his customers are, well, different...

Yuu is gradually introduced to the magical world of magical girls (who are actually the boys of TWST), apparently people can't see certain things around them, but Yuu discovers that he is an exception.

And this draws a lot of attention.

Here is a world of heroes and villains, Yuu is a student who adopted a cat/tanuki monster who wants to be the greatest villain of all.

Yuu's city is divided into factions, and sometimes he works at Mr. S's shop which is located in a neutral zone.

Little by little, Yuu and Grim find themselves indirectly meeting and forming bonds with people they shouldn't.

The next AU is a crossover created by two people, this AU takes place after everyone graduates from NRC, Yuu is studying at a History college and his friends got their own jobs.

But there's more to it than meets the eye, TWST x SAW Au.

As I said before, the AU was created by two people. While @kimium shows Yuu's view of their friends and everyday life at History college, @m34gs shows the characters planning murders and their past where they were trapped in someone's plan.

You can find more information on their tumblrs.

Next up is the Seven Great AU by @amarizuu , in this universe, Yuu can talk to the 7 Greats in his head.

This makes interactions with other characters very interesting, since Yuu listens to them 24 hours a day. They give opinions and discuss in Yuu's head.

Yuu went through a lot before going to NRC, being manipulated and treated like a weapon, at least now he can be treated like a normal teenager (as much as possible, since we're talking about NRC students).

Another AU that I love a lot is Deity AU or God AU, on Tumblr it was created by @ceruleancattail and on AO3 you can find the series of "twisted_wonderland_shenanigans" with this link:

I really like this AU, to summarize, the characters of TWST are gods that interact with the human world or a specific human.

You can also find other stories of this AU on Tumblr.

Now Android AU, this AU is by @ceruleancattail .Yuu is a mechanic who has always loved taking things apart and putting them back together. His curiosity about how things work has made him a great professional.

In the AU, Yuu fixes robots (who would be the characters) and treats them like any other person, not just as machines.

This makes the androids not want to go back to their owners who treat them like machines and stay with Yuu forever.

There is a touch of Yandere in the stories, but nothing too strong or explicit.

The stories in the AU vary a lot, but they are all really cool.

You can also find some stories from this AU on tumblr.

I think I mentioned most of them, I can't remember exactly which ones.

But now comes the fun part, which TWST AUs do you like the most?

This isn't a rhetorical question, I would really like to know more AUs and it's always fun to interact with other people in the fandom.

Ps: If you own one of the AUs and stories above and would like something removed or added, please let me know.

And if you didn't like me tagging you, let me know too.

[stuffforthestash]

Modern Academic AU pt2

Originally started because Professor Raphael got stuck in my head and I had (foolishly) hoped if I wrote down some thoughts, that would be the end of it 🫠

Part 1 and Part 3 ------------------------------ Minthara - School of Law. Used to be a high profile defense lawyer but was barred from practice under questionable circumstances, so now she teaches courses on criminal procedure and domestic violence litigation. Male students are actively warned against taking any of her classes. Elminster - Liberal Arts Dean. Has been in the position forever and is something of a legend at this point. He's Gale's mentor and long time family friend, and he delights in showing up unannounced to Prof. Dekarios's lectures. The two of them have a longstanding tradition of leaving surprise pranks in each others offices. Rolan - English department. Newly upgraded from adjunct instructor to junior full time staff, he's been assigned the special hell of having to teach the general ed. introductory writing courses that none of the other faculty want to deal with. He hates it and thinks it's a complete waste of his talents, but is determined to stick through it long enough to get that research grant. Alfira - School of Theater & Music. Teaches vocal technique and musicality at every level. She's also the faculty coordinator for multiple on-campus performance groups, directs the university chorale and composes all their arrangements, is herself in a local acapella group, AND does community arts & outreach programs for kids.

Gortash - Newly appointed Dean of Information Studies. He's brilliant, he talks big about new frontiers in infosec and grand designs in the future potential of AI... and is already under investigation by the ethics board for misappropriation of university funds. Ketheric - VP of Alumni and he's been with the university longer than Elminster. Nobody knows why he hasn't just retired yet, despite how much he seems to hate his job. Orin - School of Fine Art. She "teaches" a course on performative art. It's weird and extremely uncomfortable for everyone involved, but for some reason people keep enrolling. Durge - Fine Art Dep't Chair. The deeply disturbing nature of his personal art aside, he's actually good at his job as both the chair and an instructor. Mostly teaches anatomy and live model studio courses. Ulder - VP of Public Affairs. He's a great public face for the university, everybody loves him... except the son he refuses to acknowledge after a falling out years ago. Mizora - Human resources admin. Loves her job because it gives her power over other people. Is more likely to be the source of an HR complaint than the one who actually solves the problem. Thaniel (as requested!) - Also HR. He's the one you hope gets assigned to whatever you need because he's great at it. Is also the only one who can reliably get in touch with Halsin; it's not well known that he can, so he'll usually agree to help those who figure out to ask him.

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

This started going long, so it looks like I'll be doing a third (and probably final?) installment to cover Dammon, Zevlor, Wulbren, Aylin & Isobel, and any other requests!

[majachee]

YOU HAVE A TMNT SHATTERED GLASS AU?!?!

I DO, I DO! It's been in development for a WHILE now, and I've offhandedly mentioned it once or twice on here. But I never really delved into it lmao

The premise is that the OG turtles get transported into the SG world as a last ditch effort to defeat SG Splinter and save the SG turtles! >:3c

SG lore copy-and-pasted from discord:

So for those unfamiliar with Transformers: Shattered Glass (source material that directly inspired this au); it's an alternate universe where not only the roles of villains/heroes are swapped, but the main personality traits of the individual characters get flipped as well.

For example: in this AU, Bradford would be a genuinely caring, teacher-esque guy who got famous for teaching kids self defense and responsibility with his martial arts skills. The Rat King would still be passionate about rats, but he'd be a behavioral scientist who studies the behaviors and intelligence of domesticated and wild rats in order to beat the stigma against them. Teehee.

I love using the canonical kraang technology and dimensional travel in the show itself, so the main plot is that the OG turtles get isekai'd into the "shattered glass" universe as a last ditch effort made by Good Dad Oroku Saki and Oroku Miwa to save the "evil" turtles and defeat the EVIL YOSHI.

Karai and the turtles' roles are flipped in the SG universe, yes. Miwa sees the turtles as her brothers and wants to save them from her wacky as hell bio dad.

Shenanigans DO HAPPEN because this is post-season 5 for the og turtles, and the awkwardness of cooperating with alternative, good guy versions of your enemies to fight against emo versions of yourselves is... wild. Lol. Teehee. :^))

The flipped personalities are way more obvious with the turtles lol

Leonardo is aloof and slacks off, purposely shoving missions and chores onto his younger brothers. He's also lacking the enthusiasm and passion OG Leo has for his interests. SG Leonardo wears disinterest like a badge of honor, though he's also severely lacking in that as well.

SG Raphael is quiet, a pushover, and is much more emotional than his counterpart. OG Raph covers up his insecurities with snark and anger, SG Raph's an open book and is very easily worked up to the point of blubbering out all his weaknesses to his enemies. He hides behind his brothers in battle until Leo or Donnie makes him fight. Saki and his team avoid fighting Raph for obvious reasons.

SG Donatello is a genius and he knows it, that is why he sabotages his underlings and his two aforementioned brothers. He does not use his brains to make inventions or plan tactics, instead he uses his brains to bully everyone else around him and purposely cause problems. He dangles his intelligence above others in order to make them feel bad, especially if they ever ask him to do something with said intelligence.

SG Mikey spent several years in Dimension X on a mission for Splinter, he is now several years older than his brothers and is the self-appointed leader. He is deathly serious, ruthless, has no time for pranks or jokes, and ends up carrying the weight of the team for a majority of their missions. (Because Leo and Donnie keep trying to make Raph do their jobs. 👊😔)

The time difference between Earth and Dimension X fascinated me. So yeah, SG turtles saw Mikey go into a pink portal for like 2 minutes and he came back several years older than all of them. And also a foot taller. That was a very "well damn" moment for them. Lol.

SG Mikey is a more central antagonist than SG Splinter/Yoshi. Evil Mikey centric YEAHHH

[redstringraven]

thought i'd participate in tmntvday since i've done some art of these two but haven't properly introduced them yet or whatever. OTP questions/prompts for week 1 under the cut!

[ID: a digital drawing of raph and a taller, purple-haired girl (gwyn, an oc). they're sitting on the ground in 'opposite' directions, raph reclined so his back and head are resting in her lap and he's looking up at her, smiling. she's smiling back down at him, and they both appear relaxed and at ease with each other. /END ID]

1) in which TMNT universe does your pairing exist?

the 2003 iteration because that's the only sandbox i play in.

2) introduce us to your OTP.

the idiot turtle is raphael and the lady-himbo is gwyneth. raph is from 3rd earth, and gwyn is from liáfsini, which is a world of my own making/kind of a world-between-worlds or nexus situation.

3) how did they meet?

in the most blunt, nutshell and to-the-point way possible: gwyn and her twin-sister-trapped-in-a-weapon are on the run from this druid (darach) from liáfsini, and she happened to cross onto earth. one of darach's hench-critters mistook casey for gwyn, the boys got wrapped up in a fight, gwyn intervened because she was like hey i probably shouldn't let these guys get wasted, they beat the hench-critter and got a chance to talk after.

they didn't really get along at first on account of raph being protective of his family and suspicious, so he was asking questions, and gwyn being paranoid about their intentions and not liking that she was being asked so many questions. terrible job everyone. ...again, this is an extremely condensed version of events.

4) how is the relationship now?

again, i feel like i have to give a very condensed version because there are a lot of moving parts, here. but essentially they're doing great. gwyn and raph develop a high level of trust and respect for each other, which then leads into a slow-burn/careful cultivation of more romantic-leaning feelings. they don't have much of a 'pining period', it's much more small 'pebbles' being thrown at each other's windows.

eventually one night at the farmhouse they catch themselves staring at the other a bit too long and both them realize kind of at the same time "...--oh fuck", awkwardly go their separate ways for the evening, but in the morning when neither of them act differently around each other they silently agree "...okay, let's try this" and step into a relationship. how long it takes everyone around them to notice the shift is anyone's guess because neither of them are much for PDA.

5) what is each other's love language?

raph's love languages for 'giving' are acts of service and quality time. gwyn's for 'giving' are physical touch and acts of service.

raph's love languages for 'receiving' are words of affirmation and physical touch. gwyn's are words of affirmation and quality time.

quality time and acts of service are the two that tend to be the most prevalent in their relationship, giving or receiving.

their own, personal, 'love language' is taking naps together. neither of them are people who trust easy or like appearing 'vulnerable’, so the act of sleeping in the same space as one another is a big gesture for both of them. and raph’s snoring doesn’t bother gwyn that much; it actually almost tethers her to the present and makes it harder for her to slip into a night terror or experience sleep paralysis.

6) do they get married or have any kids?

no and no. i don't think the concept of marriage is important to either of them, even if they could probably do it in liáfsini. i can see them doing something to symbolize that they're together--like, the concept of rings but something different and tied to liáfsian culture--but actually going through with legal/official marriage or a ceremony? nah.

as for having kids, they can't biologically have kids of their own, and i don't see them actively looking to adopt, either. best chance of them having a kid is "what's with this sassy, lost child?" and accidentally wind up found-family adopting some snarky orphan on a mission or something idk.

7) what is your favorite thing about this pairing? (gush as much as you want!)

*just kind of stands here with my microphone* ... disaster bis on the ace spectrum. goongala. *the crowd goes wild*

[naivesilver]

things that only happen in the 1987 tmnt italian dub for no discernible reason

(with special thanks to retrotaverna for collecting them, as there were many I wouldn't have thought to include - go give them a watch if you know italian!)

they only make references to italian pop culture. this does not mean, and I can't stress it enough, that they're in some parallel universe where the story is set in italy - they go to italy, some seasons down the line. they go to venice, florence and rome, they dress up as catholic friars and splinter gets to geek about art. what it does mean is that these american turtles live in american sewers, pay for pizza with american dollars and still make jokes about pippo franco.

a notable exception is gone with the wind, because apparently, they ALL love gone with the wind. donnie quotes gone with the wind. shredder quotes gone with the wind. everyone quotes gone with the wind. beats me why.

mikey does a passable neapolitan accent constantly and unprompted. he also has the same voice actor as ash ketchum. a man of many talents.

cowabunga got translated as other stuff for like three seasons straight and the first untranslated one was not said by any of the turtles but by shredder.

upon having to take care of an injured alien, donatello's first demand is for someone to bring him boiled water, to which raphael replies "what are you talking about??? it's not like he's about to have a baby!!!"

people keep bursting into songs........except it's never something related to the story, but only a vaguely appropriate pop tune. the kraang leader hums frank sinatra. there is a robot singing a blues brothers song. other notable mentions feature lucio battisti, vasco rossi and the kessler twins.

they also consistently break the fourth wall to acknowledge the fact that kids are watching them and that they should hurry up before the episode ends.

bebop is from the province of milan and he makes it his whole personality. his accent is the most lombard accent you'll ever hear. he allegedly accepted to work for shredder instead of taking a steady job in milan because "he didn't want to commute". rocksteady hijacks a train and he demands to be dropped off at the municipal square (of milan). upon being asked where his boss is, he earnestly says "I don't know, maybe he went to milan". commitment to the bit 101.

they are always a cautionary bleep away from cursing. always. especially april and raph.

shredder can't drive on his own because he only has a learner's permit. he also promises kraang to bring him coffee in bed if he helps with a mission.

usagi shows up and has to disguise himself as a friar. this is, of course, unrelated to the friar disguises the turtles use in vatican city, and they say it makes him look like a character in the name of the rose.

last but not least, vernon enters a pub and asks for hot cocoa to recover from the disappointment of seeing april on live tv. he gets the cocoa, drinks it, complains that it's "sparkling"(?) and leaves.

close-up on the sparkling cocoa.

it's beer.

get 4kids-ed idiot.

[blu-eh]

rottmnt fic recs

ive been deep into rottmnt fic for the last couple months. its not a super popular fandom for fic-related stuff so i wanted to give a shoutout to some of the fics ive read & enjoyed!

Tomato Maze by Sroloc_Elbisivni

Leo still has no idea what’s going on here, but if they’re not going to hurt him then there’s absolutely nothing to stop him from screwing with these assholes. He can do ‘recalcitrant and obnoxious’ with the best of them, as any member of his family could tell you. At length. He’s not going to cooperate at all.

He leans against the wall and smirks up at the camera with his third-smarmiest smirk. “Aw, do I get a cookie if I help you with your widdle tests?”

“No.” The door on the other side of the room opens. “You get a tomato if you do this maze.”

“Ooh, tomato maze,” Leo says, and walks through the door immediately.

op's mind is incredible. i read this one after reading their series, bunnyguard, which is ALSO another great bunch of fics but: this headcanon. its mine now tyvm

find another guiding light by taizi

If Leo wanted to be the leader, he’d be good at it. As long as he doesn’t want to, he won’t be. So it’s a scheme—Donnie can get behind that. He knows whose side he’s on. It’s the side he’s always been on, since the day he read the definition of “twin” out of a water-logged dictionary. It’s his job to be here. Leo’s kind of an idiot for expecting him to be anywhere else.

anything taizi writes is incredible and i have been following them since era one piece BUT this one in particular. iconic. love it

Write Me Well, My Love, Write Me Weird by Under_the_red_beenie

When stories start popping up on various media outlets of the Turtleman, New York Cities own personal cryptid, most of the world shrugged. To the citizens of New York? fear, excitement, adoration for this odd and lovable creature. Everyone is quick to share stories and memories of their encounters, much to lament of Turtleman's older brother.

Alternatively, Donnie and Leo accidentally become modern folklore and legend to the city of New York.

AHHHHHH yeah. this one i have read so much & inspired my own fic and it is just!!! this entire concept is just so much fun and they do rlly well with balancing the funny with the deeper bits

i waited eight long months (she finally set him free) by stillateenageabomination

“Chasing us down is one thing,” said the red-masked turtle with a vicious smirk. He kept his grip on his sai firm as his brothers circled around him and April. “It’s gutsy enough that I can actually respect it. But threatening our pizza? Now you made it personal. Big mistake.”

April held her breath. She would not do what she wanted to do, she would not, she would not –

April burst out into uproarious laughter, her giggles so uncontrollable that the mutant that could only be Raphael had to ease up his grip on his sai. He just stared at her in confusion, as did the rest of his brothers, as April struggled to quiet her laughter.

“I’m – I’m sorry,” April said between giggles. It was so bad that her glasses started fogging up. “You’re just – really short.”

2012/2018 crossover i was following this fic back when it was still updating and when i got to the last two chapters there were times wher ei just. could not handle it. had to go take a lap around my house. it is THAT good.

i did want to give a shoutout to some of the ones that are actively updating too:

Leo, Leoo & Leon by Superherokid

Leonardo wakes up in an unknown location which is never a good sign! He is very far from home and he doesn’t know how he got here or where here even is!

SUPER good 2003/2012/2018 crossover. i adored the characterization & spent the better part of last night reading the entire thing

Turtle out of Water by Anonymous

Mikey's aim is more than a little off, and Leo is freed from the Prison Dimension only to land in a universe full of superheroes. Which is cool and all, but he's injured, his brothers don't even know the portal saved him, and he has no idea how to get home.

It takes all of two seconds for the Justice League to offer a helping hand. Not long after, the Team gains a new member from across the multiverse.

rise/DC fic that we all need in these trying times tbh. love it so much

A Tale of Spirits by unorthodoxx

The arrival of four great spirits changes everything

alta/rottmnt. i shouldnt even have to say anything abt this one but it DOES live up to the hype. i am hyped.

[willmarstudios]

Bookworm Will Review #5

Title: "Be Dazzled" Author: Ryan La Sala Rating: 4/5 Review: (MILD SPOILERS) This book was a HUGE wave of nostalgia for me as a retired cosplayer and the added romance was so perfect!

I was recommending this to all of my cosplay friends because it just that wholesome. What really left an impact on me was the character discovery that we got to witness from Raphael, Raffy, as the story progressed. At first I wasn't sure how much of a fan I was going to be of the alternating timelines between past and present, but it really helped give the reader insight on Raffy's and Luca's relationship.

To me the best part was the internal struggle between Raffy trying to learn exactly how he wants his relationship to look. I don't mean that physically, but here is where I can see it varying from person to person; Raffy's ambition to be the best helps him dedicate himself to his work because he obviously has big dreams and wants to achieve them. For himself because that who is he, but ALSO to get his mother approval. That mentality of 'once I make it big, I'll be enough and then everyone whoever doubted me will see as who I really am!' is motivating, but so toxic at the same time.

Once Luca got in the picture, we got to see that shift in Raffy's perspective of still wanting to be the best, but unable to figure out how to let others into this life he is so determined to be apart of. Raffy's ambition clearly started to impact his relationship, not just with Luca, but with his friends as well. That mentality really connected with me because as a creative, it can be so difficult to 'make it big' so being all determined about that 'grind life' can really show an ugly side to people.

I went to college with @derpkind @moonmilkii @skelelock and the students had a self appointed saying, "Sleep Comes After Death", that used the university's initials (IYKYK). While funny as a freshman, you slowly start to learn how unfunny it was. For me, and I feel Raffy's case, it was a consuming ego of being unrecognized the way that you wanted to be. Some times it was to be the best of the class, other times it was to be acknowledged for having talent during critiques, overall it leaves you viewing the world around you differently (especially other creatives).

When Luca confronted Raffy about his behavior and the notable shifts as they worked on cosplay together, it was such a reflective moment for the plot and for me as the reader. Luca was struggling with wanting to be helpful, even though he wasn't the best craftsman, but saw that Raffy was able to get SO MUCH more work done without him there as a distraction. I can relate as being someone who is very type A, I usually prefer to work alone, but after finally asking Luca why he wasn't attending one of their hangout sessions did we finally get to see the climax of Raffy's character development. To Raffy, the competition was to fulfill his dream while to Luca, it was to spend time with each other so it could be their thing as a couple.

Did Raffy want Luca in his dream?

That hit such a relatable nerve with me because (TMI incoming), I've had to face this with my own relationship. I work a full time job and then spend most of my free time fulfilling creative work for my portfolio which has caused me to neglect my partner. My partner and Luca both share the love language of quality time together, but when that quality time gets in the way of someone's dream or end goal, it can be messy. To myself and Raffy, it looks like we are trying to make it big as creatives to BENEFIT our relationships: at least thats how it seems to us.

The main takeaway that I took is to let go of that ego, let go of those competitive feelings until you can separate it from everything else. Healthy competition is possible and more fun that groveling over a loss. The moments where Luca was with Raffy in their studio working, Raffy kept phrasing certain things Luca did as a distraction which yes, can be truly frustrating if you are trying to achieve a goal, but I believe Luca was trying to teach Raffy the importance of breaks.

We all should allow ourselves a break. We need to take time to be ourselves and really ENJOY our passions and hobbies. You never know what someone is going through and projecting your stress on others is never ideal, especially when it comes to a hobby like cosplay.

When they were together watching anime or just embracing each other inbetween crafting sessions were moments that made me feel so warm and fuzzy.

(Forgive the long ass tangent)

Long story short, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it! I did wish we could explore more side characters like Evie and May and even Luca's family, but overall such a fun read!

[jblockman1]

Last Week on Slap her Bald Head Sunday:

We trudge through the disgusting wasp nest and - shockingly - there's wasps in here

Right as the fight begins Jubat (Our Rogue, who was absent last session) bursts in riding a wasp he just killed. Because of course he did.

We all roll really badly, which commences the shakign and crying etc...

Somehow we get through, get to the top, and save Lulu from getting eaten!

We take a moment to rest and recoup in the car (Also we level up so I get my barbarian level yay)

As we start driving, we encounter a giant boat in the middle of the wastes.

We approach, seems to be called the Wondrous Emporium

A guy named Mahadi is here - apparently we already knew about him from the Otter Wizard back before we descended into Avernus.

He offers to hold a feast for us and tells us about all the shops we can find here.

Jubat and Raphael(Fighter/Barbarian) head to a Forge, find a Salamander (The DnD creature not the amphibian) working the forge and talk shop with him.

The Guy mentions the name Olanthius, as one of Zariel's other close generals (We killed Haruman the session prior so it's good to know who else might be coming to kick our asses.)

The rest of the gang follows me (Altiar, the now Blood Hunter/Barbarian) to what is essentially an Infernal Mail Service

They mention they can deliver messages anywhere in Avernus, and even beyond into other planes (Not the Celestial aligned ones, for obvious reasons.)

The owner also mentions there's a job paying soul coins by the Stygian Docks, something about dredging the river (Sounds nasty but also like it could be fun.)

We then head over to a place called "Ichor's Aweigh", which looks and smells nasty but is still intriguing.

We talk to the guy running the place, his name is Elliach and he's got lots of weird mutations. He deals in demon Ichor and apparently it can give you mutations.

He both sells ichor and buys it, since my character is a mutant blood hunter I offer to sell some of my blood to him instead of ichor and he takes it.

We then buy a vial of ichor and in a moment of impulsiveness that only a character who downed dubious substances for the entire first half of the game would have - I down the ichor immediately.

This was a bad idea as there was a large list of things that could've gone wrong: my ears could've flown off, I could've had my voice fucked up.

Of course the Universe (the Dice) rewarded me for this act of foolishness and suddenly I sprouted wings.

Cara (Our Winged Elf feral Warlock who has wanted all of the party members to get wings of their own) was understandably freaking out.

We, the players, were understandably freaking out.

After that we join back up with everyone and decide to go to the barber. Partially for the sake of Faith (Our poor NPC paladin who deserves to have something nice considering it's STILL her birthday.) And partially because yeah it's been a while since we've gotten cleaned up proper.

The barber's name is Burney and she's rather cheerful

She seems immediately distasteful of soul coins and since we have more gold anyways we don't mind.

Everybody gets a nice haircut and styling (except for Altiar, who being a dragonborn gets his scales buffed out nicely. She also helps my fledgling wings to get a bit more into their proper shape.)

Mentions a friend named "Fizban the Fabulous" in the North West part of Avernus, and wants us to find some info about him.

Is very picky about exactly which gold coins she takes from Raphael.

We head out and end the session, leaving the feast until next session.

LIKE TO SLAP HER BALD HEAD REBLOG TO SLAP HER BALD HEAD (You will die)

[melancholysway]

TMNT Headcanons: Japanese

For every installment of TMNT I’m providing why each turtle would speak/practice/appreciate Japanese, enjoy!

TMNT 2003

Leonardo

- speaking in Japanese strictly to speak formally to Splinter

- doesn’t curse

- nothing informal, iykyk

- I honestly think he would be great at writing kanji, I headcanon that Leonardo has the neatest handwriting out of his brothers

Raphael

- definetely uses that shit to degrade EVERYONE and EVERYTHING that pisses him off.

- You know that man gets mad at everything, even BUGS.

-Expect it to be very informal, likes to use it around Casey to confuse him

-can’t write it as good as Leo, but it’s legible & that’s what matters y’all

Donatello

- uses it to curse…but a little for the sake of speaking it just to speak it.

- Still working on informalities and formalities, but whatever

- not the best at writing it

-chicken scratch fr fr

- don’t ask him to write anything for you

-secretly uses duolingo, emotionally attached to the duo bird xoxo

Michelangelo

- uses it to curse

- can translate (when nobody asked,)

- also to joke around, observe:

Raph: *incoherent cursing in Japanese*

Mikey: so what he means to say is-

Leo: I know what he said!

TMNT 2007

Leonardo

-loves to describe different things using Japanese. Like, he'll compliment the weather or the way something looks

-liked to use it in South America to scare people into thinking it was a ghost

- sort of kind of writes it, not all the time, I think 2007!Leo would fuck up some Japanese poetry though <3

Raphael

-you guys remember his police radio right? Sometimes he'll go on there and talk in Japanese just to fuck with them.

-they dont know what he's saying

-observe the phrase Raph loves the most:

"クソ制服からゼリーを舐め続けろ、ろくでなし！"

-ill let you guys search that.

- uses it around Mikey to confuse him, but only for short phrases

-doesn’t write it as much, I headcanon he has the second best handwriting in this one since he’s canonically left handed, (I’m ambidextrous) but I speak for all left handed people that we dislike the lead stain on the side of our hands A LOT.

Donatello

-like raph, he uses it someitmes to fuck with the customers on the other line of his IT Tech Support job. If they're giving him a hard time, or being plain stupid, he'll start describing what to do to fix their problem in a different language.

-uses it freely, except one time he was helping a guy who was fluent in it.

-all it took was a "yokai" in response and Donnie was bamboozled.

-he doesn't use it as much on there anymore after that.

-definitely had one of those learn kanji books where you trace the symbols so he can better learn the linework

Michelangelo

-i like to think in this universe of tmnt, Mikey and Splinter watch J-dramas together

-its already mentioned that Splinter is into soaps, imagine him and Mikey watching a good old J-Drama from the 90s.

-Without english subtitles

-Splinter likes it that way, it's more dramatic

-has definitely taught some kids from the parties he hosted how to write pizza in Japanese

TMNT 2012

Leonardo

-okay, he definetely has watched Space Heroes in the Japanese Dub

-A1 voice acting, he loves it

-He sometimes like to say the orders in his head he says to his brothers in Japanese, to see if he still got his translating skills yk?

- would try and speak it around Karai to impress her no doubt

- called inanimate objects by their name in Japanese- couch: ソファー table: テーブル mutagen: 変異原, you get the gist yall

-while splinter was teaching them all how to read and write, Leo got his hands on some post-its and stuck them on every piece of furniture and machinery around the lair and wrote their name in kanji

-convinced that it works and don’t tell him otherwise

Donatello

-would 100% teach April a thing or two

-Master Splinter offered to teach April

-cue Donnie coming into the cut saying he could do it instead

-one on one study sessions with him and April, she enjoys it a lot

-donnie is actually a great teacher

-until he gets into the phonetic and semantics- ie; the science on why in the Japanese language they pronounce certain things the way they do

-she doesn't remember much about that part

- talks to himself while he’s working on an invention, sometimes to Timothy

-Timothy definitely doesn’t understand what the fuck he’s saying

Bayverse TMNT

Leonardo

-most likely uses it while on missions and fighting and in stealth mode, but mainly uses sign language during said stealth mode

-he practices his writing all the time, is really into line work and origins of the language/the evolution of it from ancient to modern Japanese

- enjoys reading it in his downtime, that man definitely has a stack of old Japanese literature that he likes to read!

Donatello

-Reddit man for the win

- anything about Japanese culture/aesthetics, he can answer!

-doesn’t speak it much, but he enjoys learning about the culture a lot!

-REALLY loves Japanese City Pop, probably bayverse Donnie’s favorite genre of music no doubt

-Donnie passes notes under the door of his lab to whoever’s passing by when he needs something, not a full sentence at all, just one word notes.

Observe:

After some loud knocking coming from the other side of the lab door, Leonardo comes to it as if it’s a habit at this point. He’s so used to Donnie not coming out his lab for hours, and he’s come accustomed to retrieving any item he needs from the “outside world.”

So when he sees the neatly placed slip of paper of “food!” written in chicken scratch kanji, he’s trudging his feet to the cupboard where Donnie’s secret stash of lab snacks are. Yes, a whole bin that’s labeled “lab snacks.” He reaches for the usual packet of strawberry frosted Pop-Tarts, noticing that there’s only one box left. He would have to ask April to get some again soon.

Leonardo wonders if he should attempt to toast them for Donnie, but as he glances at the silver toaster that Donnie fixed (again) a few nights ago, he thinks about how badly it would end and how pissed Donnie would get for having to fix it the 4th time this week. He picks out the aluminum wrapped strawberry Pop Tarts as is, placing the bin back in its secret place to where Mikey can’t see it.

Raphael

-likes the art aspect of Japanese culture, has the kanji for “family” etched on his shell

-since he knits in his past time, he makes small things that reflect the language or art in some way, whether it be making a cherry blossom rug for Splinter’s room, or making Mikey his requested mits for the winter time patrols with his name written in kanji

- like Donnie, he doesn’t verbally speak it, but incorporates it into his life in some way

-will engrave anything if his that he can with kanji

-since he can’t exactly get a tattoo, he reverts to engraving, hence his shell

Michelangelo

- 100% calls the pizza shop and orders in Japanese

-they don’t understand what he’s saying

-when the Hamato family is feeling some Japanese food, he hits them up and orders in Japanese, he gets all giddy when they respond back

Rise!TMNT

Leonardo

-him and Donnie argue in Japanese 110%

-he’s struggling with memorizing certain kanji symbols, so he’s using Rosetta Stone

-doesn’t like the Duo bird

-has a conspiracy theory that the Duo bird tracks his every move???

-will switch the TV to a J-Drama or put Splinter’s TV to the Japanese Dub version of whatever he’s watching just to fuck with him

-secretly enjoys said J-Dramas

-pretends to be leader and barks orders in Japanese

-yeah nobody listens to him

Donatello

-using his “platinum library card,” he loves those Japanese picture books of modern art

-DOES NOT lend them to Mikey, since he’s missing some now

-overdue library books because of this

-really enjoys those learn kanji trace workbooks, will trace the symbols with a purple colored pencil

-also, everything he writes will be in purple

-he doesn’t care what you think about that

Raphael

-calls animals by their name in Japanese

-cats, dogs, whatever! He’s naming them out loud

-had a pet parrot once that he got to speak back to him in Japanese

-he loved that

-until Leo got his parrot to curse in Japanese

-didn’t know how to make him stop, so he had to deal with that for a while

Michelangelo

-participates in changing the TV around to the Japanese Dub with Leo to mess with Splinter

-the cause of Donnie’s overdue books

-he really likes the art! Preferably the modern art

-100% prank calls people with Leo pretending to be foreign realtors & telling people they’re overdue on their car insurance

Masterlist

[ramzawrites]

My knight in shining shell - 2k12!Leonardo x Reader

GEN

Pairings: Leonardo/Reader

Characters included: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael

Warnings: n/a

Series: No

Summary: Leo is stoic and serious. He needed to be for his brothers and the team. This is just how it worked and honestly he has gotten really good at being the serious leader. But then there was Y/N who just tore that right down to pieces. They were a flirt and somehow they managed to affect Leo. So much so that he began having a serious crush on them. Sadly the flirtiness was only with him, no they did the same with everyone. One moment they flirted with him, which gave him hope on to take that hope and destroy it as they began flirting with someone else. It’s only natural that Leo would get to a point where he needs to tell Y/N to stop.

Word count: 4805

Authors Note: The truth come out, Ramza does not know how to flirt but they tried their best here 😤Also just saying, detailed prompts are always good! It gives the author you request to more to work with! Then again this can depend a bit on the author but I think this is true for a lot

Request: Ohhh requests are open??? How about 2012 leo with a flirty reader. He tries his damn hardest to remain composed and all responsable and leader-like but he just goes full on tomato when reader flirts with him.

Thing is... leo actually developsa crush on reader, but they are a bit flirty with everyone and he is not sure if they really like him back, and is a bit insecure about the whole "stoic boring leader" thing and thinks they would not choose him 

One time they are alone and teasing as usual, but leo can't take it anymore and says to please stop playing with his heart, he can't take it anymore. And reader is like... dude I mean everything I say to you, why do you think I flirt with you the most out of everyone?

Angst with a cute ending hehe 💓 

(Or just flustered leo with a flirty reader, If you don't like detailed prompts?)

(Ps. Could you tag my sideblog @selfship-mishaps if/when you post the request? I would love to see what you write but don't want it to get lost on my dash!)

Being the leader meant for Leo that he needed to be in control. It was his job to ensure that whenever the group was out on missions that everything went along smoothly. He needed to have a plan for every possible situation. Sure, his brothers may joke that he acts way too paranoid or is way too cautious but this way he could ensure that the chances of all four of them returning in one piece was way higher than if they just winged it. Besides he was happy to take on this burden himself. His brothers don’t need to worry about all those things and can instead goof around when the time allows it.

And the older they got the better he has gotten to fall right into his stoic leader persona. Not a single twitch in his facial expression when he dodged the sixth water balloon from Mikey that day.

His brothers have accepted him being the worrywart and stoic brother that he was. After all they grew up with him, they know him better than he might think. They very much realized what kind of burden he laid on himself. In private Leo did enjoy to goof of here and there as well, which especially Mikey took advantage of, though over time even that seemed to lessen.

Raph would sometimes joke that Leo’s face was made out of stone the way he always carried the same expression on his face.

Now for Leo, the chaos of his brothers was a known quantity. At this point he could predict fairly accurately what they were up to and what was going on. It wasn’t hard to steel his emotions and expression when you knew what to expect and after all, he has a ton of training in that regard.

So, when the group got into contact with a new human, Leo was certain he could uphold his typical persona fairly easy. But of course, the universe wouldn’t make it that easy for him, for the universe sent no one else but the agent of chaos right to them.

Y/N was actually quite a normal human. Did alright at school, had a few friends with whom they happily hung out with and loved to read comics in their free time. And yet if you asked the others, they would describe Y/N as someone who believed that life was a game and that they were currently winning it.

It was almost frustrating how easy Y/N managed to befriend everyone.

They were introduced to the group after the turtles saved them and April from some attackers. April has been already good friends with them. The two just randomly met and apparently hit it off immediately. It didn’t take long for Casey to meet them as well and from that on the mention of Y/N became an almost daily occurrence.

April or Casey would stare at their phones, sometimes giggle or roll their eyes only to explain to the turtles that it was “Just Y/N being Y/N”. Of course, the turtles got curious and asked them about this mysterious Y/N who suddenly caught Casey’s and April’s attention so much.

Poor Donnie saw April even less because she met up with Y/N as often as she could. Something about being happy that she had a normal friend as well.

That of course changed when the brothers saved April and Y/N from a Krang attack. April tried to send Y/N away, tell them to flee and that she got it covered but Y/N was stubborn. They tried kicking one of their attackers away only to painfully realize that they were more robust than anticipated.

The turtles dealt with the bots quite easily with the help of April as Y/N just stared mouth agape. As soon as the last one fell to the ground Donnie helped April up on the roof while Mikey grabbed the new human to help them up as well.

There April calmed them down and explained them that friendly turtle mutants exist and that they were good friends of hers. Saying something on the lines of “Remember the friend group I always hang out with and talk about? That’s them.” Which earned herself a bit of a stern stare from Leo.

“Well, what am I supposed to say when I have to randomly run off when I hang out with them. It’s easier to just say that a friend needs my help. Which is usually true, I just omitted some things.”

He couldn’t argue with that. Leo knew that April was in a bit of an annoying position, but she has managed to handle her two different lives as a normal student and as a kunoichi in training surprisingly well, so he felt it was fair to let this go. Besides the cat was definitely out of the bag at this point.

Which reminded him.

Y/N was standing next to April, once they realized that the turtles were friendly and good friends of their friend they definitely relaxed. They even sported a nice and friendly smile as he and his brothers introduced themselves. It spoke volumes about them how they managed to stay calm and even friendly in the night where they suddenly found out that robots with aliens in their bellies existed but also ninja mutant turtles who fought them on the regular.

Mikey was bouncing around, clearly happy since this situation probably meant that they get to have a new human friend. Even Donnie and Raph eyed them curiously.

Leo on the other hand had his typical neutral but stern expression on. He would be more worried about the implications of this situation, but April seemed to trust them with the knowledge of him and his family. But still, he had to ensure his family’s safety.

Taking a few steps closer so he stood right in front of the new human he took a moment to stare blankly into their eyes. Maybe it was a tactic to intimidate them a little, maybe he just wanted to see how they would react. Either way Y/N wasn’t afraid to stare him down right back. The slight grin on their lips didn’t go unnoticed. It made Leo feel like as if they knew exactly what he was doing. As if they could see right through him. He didn’t like that.

“Y/N.” He tried out their name. Even though their eyes were still burning right through him it felt like there was a new glint in their eyes.

“You do not tell anyone about us, if we find out you talked about us to others… I’ll make sure you will regret it.” Okay, sure some might say this was way too aggressive, but this was about the safety of his family. Seeing how his said family didn’t step in, they must have realized his intentions as well.

As a response Y/N laid their hand over their heart “I solemnly swear I will not mention you guys to anyone. I mean who will believe me anyway? Besides you guys saved me, and April seems to like you. Who am I to put my handsome knight in shining shell in more danger.”

That was a… response. It made him stop in his tracks. If he wasn’t already tense this would definitely make him tense.

April couldn’t help herself as she let out a chuckle “You are impossible.” Clearly used to their antics.

Leo just narrowed his eyes “This is serious.”

“And I’m being serious as well! Everything I said I meant wholeheartedly.” Their smile wide accompanied by a wink, clearly referring mostly to the little flirty quip at the end.

Before Leo could retort April just elbowed their side to which Y/N finally relented and sighed.

“I mean it. I won’t tell anyone anything. I don’t want to put you into more danger and from the little bit what April has told me over time I can tell that she trusts you a lot.” Somehow Leo thought it was impossible for them to sound serious but here they were.

Suddenly Leo felt some weight on his shell and Mikey’s face popped up next to him as he was still busy staring down the new human.

“Does that mean they will be a new friend that we can hang out with?”

“I’m not sure. They would be in way more danger if they hung out with us. It would be better if they just continued on and ignored our existence.” Leo replied.

But apparently Y/N had other ideas because they shook their head “Oh no, Blue. You can’t get rid of me that easily now. Any friends of April are my friends.”

Mikey beamed at that, leaning more over his brother as he continued climbing up him. Leo had to move a few steps to the side to keep his balance as Mikey tried to get closer to Y/N yet he still looked at Leo from the side “See! They say we are already friends, Leo!”

“If it helps, Leo, I’ll vouch for them. I honestly believe one of the reasons I wasn’t suspended from school yet for missing classes is because Y/N here managed to come up with excuses for me even without knowing what was going on. I trust them.”

“Only if Sensei is okay with it.” He finally relented.

Y/N and Mikey cheered at that while April happily laid her arm around them. April might have been happy with having a normal friend, but she accepted a long time ago already that her life will never be normal.

Finally, Mikey jumped off his eldest brother to begin talking Y/N’s ears off.

The group led their new friend to the sewers where Y/N met Splinter. Y/N must have noticed how the others held immense respect towards the tall rat mutant since they tried to act as polite as possible. They happily told him who they were and earnestly told him that they will keep their existence a secret. And after April once again vouched for them Splinter happily agreed to let them be apart of the little friend group of his sons.

When he retreated into his quarters Leo’s brothers, mostly Mikey, immediately jumped to get to know the human better. As they begun pulling them along to show off their home, Y/N took a look back towards the leader in blue.

“Seems like we will get to know each other better, Blue.” Another wink and they turned back around to follow Mikey around.

And as Leo felt a tingle in his stomach at their words and behavior, he knew that they would be more trouble than they are worth it.

And trouble they were. Specifically, for him.

The brothers sat around the kitchen table, opening their pizza cartons to finally grab a nice bite to eat after a long training session. Honestly it went better than usual. Even Mikey managed to somewhat focus. Well for a few minutes longer than usual.

It was then that Y/N just waltzed into their lair as if they owned it. They were about to fling themself on the couch but noticed the brothers in the kitchen.

“What’s up, dude! Good timing!” Mikey said, his mouth full with pizza.

Y/N chuckled as they walked into the kitchen, their eyes looking over the pizza boxes “Clearly! Can I get a piece? Pretty please?”

But Mikey put his arm protectively around his box, lightly pushing it away from Y/N a serious frown on his face “Nuh-uh! I worked for this! Should have grabbed some food before coming over.”

Their eyes widened, their mouth playfully turned downwards “Mikey! My pretty best friend! You would starve me?”

“Yep.”

Clearly Y/N couldn’t let this be so their pleading eyes landed on Raph.

“No chance.”

Then on to Donnie.

“Oh no. This is mine. You came in here unannounced that’s what you get.”

And when Y/N’s eyes landed on Leo, he made sure to ignore them. He just kept on eating. It didn’t stop him from feeling warm under their gaze. And while he made a point to not look at them and concentrate on his food, he did notice Y/N stepping closer. From the corner of his eyes, he could see them pout.

As they stood next to him, they leaned closer to him, one hand casually on his shoulder “Come on, Leo. Please?”

“You heard Donnie.” Was all he said.

Now what Leo forgot was that Y/N didn’t know what shame was and honestly, they were way too brave for their own good.

Just as Leo grabbed another pizza piece their own hand landed on his wrist as he was halfway back in the air. Now he couldn’t help but look at Y/N, who had a very smug smile on their face. Not wanting to give them the satisfaction of a reaction, he made sure to steel his expression into his professional neutral one.

As the two stood in this standstill the other three at the table couldn’t help but stare.

Both kept staring at each other. Leo stoically and Y/N smugly.

Once again to Leo it felt like Y/N could see right through him. Through the façade he put on to look stronger more able than he sometimes felt. Though right now he needed it to hide how his mouth suddenly felt dry, how there was an unmistakable heat climbing up his neck as Y/N stood so close to him. He knew they did it on purpose to stand close and press their side against his.

It’s just how they were, he tried to explain to himself. They searched for body contact whenever they could. Grabbing Mikey to dance to the music they randomly put on. Climbing onto Raph’s back as a way to distract him when they played video games. Throwing their arm around Donnie’s shoulders to pull him away from his projects.

He could feel the pull of their fingers against his wrist as they slowly moved his pizza towards them. Taking a huge bite out of it with a grin.

“Thank you, Blue. You’re my favorite for a reason.”

When they suddenly let go of his wrist, he couldn’t help but miss the warmth of their hand. Even while they forcefully had moved his hand so they could take a bite out of his pizza, it was still careful.

“Is… Is Leo blushing? Did Y/N manage to break our fearless leader?” Raph asked. He genuinely sounded impressed.

Leo moved his head away to the side, a frown on his face. He wasn’t blushing! He couldn’t be!

“Wow. Y/N is more powerful than I thought.” Donnie spoke.

Taking in a deep breath Leo tried to calm his heart down, this was horrible. Normally he could hide his emotions well but somehow Y/N really managed to get under his skin.

Speaking of Y/N they placed their hands on his arm, slightly squeezing it “Hey, Leo, come on. Look at me.” Their voice was soft, quiet even as they pleaded to him but even without looking at them Leo could tell that they were still smiling. They were always smiling.

At this point he felt like he had better control of his body, so he turned around, trying to look unamused. Expecting to see Y/N with a Cheshire smile on their face but he instead it was a soft one. There was an emotion hidden there that he couldn’t decipher. Their eyes clearly running over his face, probably trying to find a hint of said blush. Which he of course didn’t have!

“Aw, I wanted to see your blushing face! I bet it looks cute.”

Leo sighed defeated, once again turning away “Just grab a slice already. You won.” The heat exploded on his cheeks at their last comment. He knew it didn’t work like that, but he hoped that his mask would hide his blush.

“I know I just said this but there is a reason you are my favorite. You don’t let me starve.” They made sure to narrow their eyes and look at the other turtles accusingly.

The others didn’t even seem to properly register what Y/N was doing. They were honestly too baffled that this just happened. Getting under the leader’s skin like that so easily was not easy. Actually, they haven’t seen anything like that yet. Not from someone outside the family at least. As his brothers they knew how to push his buttons, but this was new.

Oh, they will be sure to remind him of this until the end of days.

As it turned out though, they didn’t have to do a lot since Y/N had it covered themself.

After the pizza incident they were mostly found around Leo. Throwing themself on his back whining something about wanting to be carried by him. Stealing his food whenever they could. Putting their legs across his lab whenever the group had movie night. And the hugs, there were so many hugs.

And whenever Leo broke out into another blush Y/N would cheer happily and give him compliments about how it apparently suited him.

It didn’t take long for Leo that he had to admit that he developed a bit of a crush on Y/N.

How could he deny that fact for long when there was literally only one thing that managed to break through his leader persona, and he couldn’t help but enjoy it a little bit. At first it was annoying. He needed to be the serious one, he needed to have the control but somehow Y/N just managed to break through that wall so easily again and again.

The problem with admitting that he did indeed have a crush was that he started having hope. Hope was dangerous, especially with Y/N.

Every time they searched for body contact with him, made compliments, flirty quips when they watched him train, he couldn’t help but for the moment think this was something they only did to him. That this meant something more than just to rile him up and see him flustered as his brothers giggled.

But whenever Y/N pulled Mikey along to dance again, interlacing their fingers with his, whenever they asked for a one-on-one training session from Raph with a wink, whenever they told Donnie that they enjoyed listening to his ramblings because they loved his voice, it felt like someone threw ice water onto his head.

A wake-up call from his own rose-tinted dream that he tried to hold on to.

He knew he made it worse for himself as he couldn’t help but enjoy the attention from Y/N and looked for it whenever they came to visit again. At this point he only needed to take one look at them for his heartbeat to pick up. A smile cracking through his façade when his eyes met theirs. His breath hitching when they notice how he looks at them and grace him with that soft smile that he saw so rarely.

And then they turn around and throw a compliment towards one of his brothers which always brought him back down to reality. Reality hurt.

Reality was that Y/N just liked to flirt with everybody. It was just who they were. It was harmless. It meant nothing.

It meant nothing to them. It shouldn’t mean anything to Leo. His mind knew what was going on, but his heart didn’t.

There was no chance that Y/N liked him back anyhow. They were funny, loved to goof off and did everything to liven the place up. He was just the boring leader who looked serious twenty-four-seven and forced everyone else to take everything serious. No, there was no chance that they could feel the same in any way. It was just impossible.

Honestly this was maddening. He tried to work through his frustration with training and meditation, but Y/N invaded his mind even then. Leo had to admit, he was thoroughly screwed.

Leo knew he had to do something about it but what, he didn’t know.

The day came sooner than he anticipated.

He just finished another training session alone when Y/N came into the dojo. Even as brash as they were they knew that the dojo was a bit of a special place. Taking cautious steps towards Leo, searching his eyes for permission.

Leo chuckled “What’s up?” He made a choice to ignore how his heart was thrumming behind his plastron as he saw how Y/N now walked happier over to him. Their hands behind their back as they smiled their soft smile.

Whatever the reason was as to why they came over, he wanted to believe that it was more than boredom that made them choose to look for him specifically. Damn, there he goes again, making life more difficult for himself.

Y/N shrugged but the glint in their eyes told him they had a specific agenda “Oh, I don’t know. Heard that you were training and thought I could maybe watch but apparently you are done already. Bad timing on my part.”

“You know how often you watch us train you might as well join us.”

“Oh, what? Then I have to save my sorry butt myself! Why save myself if I could just wait for my blue knight in shining shell come and sweep me off my feet.” They sighed dramatically, laying the back of their hand on their forehead.

Leo narrowed his eyes at that. Of course, he would come and save them whenever they are in trouble, but he would do this for all his friends. Y/N wasn’t special at all, yep.

Y/N giggled stepping closer, playfully poking him once at the top of his plastron “Don’t look like that, Blue. If I remember correctly when we met it was you who carried me while you all sailed along the roofs to bring me to your lair. What can I say, I got addicted. I mean who wouldn’t be when a guy just casually picks you up and safely carries you like it was nothing.”

“Can you just… stop.” His voice was quiet, yet it made Y/N stop blabbering while he was surprised himself. It just left his mouth, betraying what went through his mind. He needed this to stop, this false hope was painful.

“Not liking compliments today?” Y/N clearly tried to alleviate the awkward air that suddenly surrounded the two. Their eyes looked over him quizzically.

Leo gulped, noticing how his mouth was suddenly dry, something that happened way too often around them “I-“ It was his chance to finally set things right and get rid of this knot in the pit of his stomach.

Y/N cocked their head to the side “I know you are the serious one, but I really don’t like this frown on your face. I prefer a smile on it. Tell me what is going through your mind, Leo.” They rarely called him that, opting to calling him Blue most of the time.

Their hands tentatively traveled to his hand, squeezing it. It was their way to encourage him. After all they were very much the touchy type.

He sighed, trying to breath out the nervousness that encompassed him “I just can’t keep dealing with this. I don’t think you notice the way you are playing with my heart and it’s just-“

This might be the first time Leo saw Y/N almost mirror his serious expression “You need to talk to me otherwise I can’t help you.”

They were right.

This time Leo didn’t mind that he could tell that he was blushing, he needed this to stop. He couldn’t concentrate anymore but he needed to.

“Your compliments… your flirting is what the problem is. I care for you. A lot. And every time you throw these compliments at my head my heart skips a beat! At first, I was just embarrassed but the way- how easily you can just get to me… I fell for you, Y/N and every time you flirt with me only to turn around to do the same with others.” He sighs again “It hurts. I need you to stop playing with my heart like this. I can’t concentrate anymore. Just- Just stop this with me, please. I know this doesn’t mean anything to you but to me you give me hope only to tear it into pieces the next moment. I tried ignoring it, but I can’t anymore.”

Then there was quiet.

Y/N just kept staring into his eyes as he tried to stand his ground.

Leo just told them exactly how he felt but it was needed. He couldn’t do this any longer.

His face was ablaze, and he could tell that he began to sweat due to his nerves. Leo tried to untangle his hand with that of Y/N’s but they just squeezed his hand again, laying their other hand on top of his. The warmth was welcoming but at the same time it felt like it was burning him. He wanted to retreat, just get out of this situation, and forget this has happened but Y/N held him firmly in this place.

But what really made him stop trying to get out of their grasp were their eyes. The soft smile, a crinkle around their eyes as their smile seemingly reached their beautiful eyes. Though what surprised him was the unmistakable blush that was on their cheeks. It positively sucked all the air out of his lungs.

He could cry, he wanted all of this to stop but somehow it just got worse.

“Yeah, you are right. Only partially though. I am a flirt. It’s how I show I care for people, it’s just my go to reaction but the problem with that is when I really mean it… I guess it comes over as my usual self.” They chuckled nervously.

“Y/N?” his voice was wavering.

“It means that when I flirted with you, I actually meant it for once. Maybe I thought you could tell that I was flirting with you more than the others because I care for you. I think, the moment I met you I began having a crush on you. I never wanted you to feel this pain. The first time I saw your blushing face I knew that I had it bad for you.”

To say the least, this was not what he expected.

Leo expected that they might try to talk their way out of this. Say something that he should loosen up but this? Never. Maybe only in his dreams but that was that. Dreams.

“You mean that?” He flinched at the crack of his voice, suddenly feeling more like a child than a ninja that beat up all kinds of foes on the daily.

Y/N let go of his hand, sad at the sudden loss of contact once again. But their hands landed on his shoulders, pulling him closer against them in a hug. It wasn’t the first hug but this time it felt more genuine, more loving, more intimate.

They slowly moved a step back to snake their hands over to grasp his face softly between their soft hands. Leo involuntarily leaned more into their touch.

Seeing this as a good sign, Y/N smile and moved up to meet his lips in a chaste kiss. Their lips soft as they hesitantly brushed against his. It felt like he got electrocuted. Not believing what was happening. His heart felt like it exploded in his chest. The butterflies in his stomach seemed to have multiplied.

“Does this answer your question?” They looked confident but the waver in their voice betrayed their own nerves.

“I- I think so…”

“Okay, then if you can tell what I’m feeling for you now let me just say this. I’m sorry for doing this to you. I never meant to play with your emotions like that. I realize now how this all must have looked towards you and I’m really, really sorry.”

This time it was Leo who softly leaned over to catch Y/N off guard with a kiss. Where this sudden confidence came from, he didn’t know. Maybe it was all the frustration that has build up over the months.

“I think I can forgive you.” He chuckled. Immense relief rushing over him. “But…”

“But?”

“Maybe keep your attention from now on me only?”

This made Y/N laugh, it was a beautiful laugh that seemed to wash away any of the rest of the thick air that was still surrounding them “Oh, happily! How can I not! I have my handsome prince charming right here.”

And this time with this simple flirt, it felt correct. There wasn’t a heaviness, there was just the heat that laid across Leo’s cheeks while his heart tried to jump out of his chest. And dare he, he even allowed a huge smile to crack through on to his face.

[fluffytriceratops]

Random Facts About Kristina. <3

Huehue-

Tags: @rheawritesforfun @digitl-art-monstr @thelaundrybitch @turtle-babe83 @post-apocalyptic-daydream @leosgirl82 @raphslovemuffin80 @raphielover @drowninghell @mysticboombox

_

- She has a photographic memory. 

- Mother is a police woman. Father is a nurse. 

- Her mother offered to help train her with firearms when she was younger, but she was afraid of them so she refused. She eventually does learn in her mid to late teens. She also carries around pepper spray and other self defense tools everywhere she goes. Originally, Kris had very little if any kind of combat abilities, generally relying on her intelligence to get her out of sticky/dangerous situations. However, not long after meeting the turtles, and going on numerous adventures with them, they convince her to learn ninjitsu and she becomes a highly competent fighter, displaying proficiency in martial arts and marksmanship. 

- Kristina is an only child, raised by her parents Westly and Lorie who were originally from Denmark. They moved to New York after they got married. Her mother was in an accident and couldn't bear/conceive children, so they used her father's sperm and had a friend be their surrogate.

- Her birth mom, the friend, is a lovely Egyptian woman. She is basically an aunt to Kristina, and even after finding out she is her birth mother, Kris continues to see her as an aunt and nothing else.

- Growing up, Kristina was fascinated by ancient Greek and Egyptian mythology. She studied it in her free time, and wrote, read, and watched things about it. One of her dreams was to become a Egyptologist from a young age. She longed to travel the world, especially go to Egypt and Greece. A few of her biggest role models growing up were Evelyn O'Connell, Indiana Jones, and Lara Croft. She dreamed of being like them one day.

- At age 15, Kris was able to get a part time job at a book store. She worked there till she graduated High School and eventually quit to become a librarian when she was 18/19. She also goes to the New York University (also known as NYU) to study to become an Egyptologist or an Archaeologist. Eventually somewhere along the line she meets the Hamato brothers. And she couldn't be more happy to have them in her life. 

- Kristina tends to be a optimistic person and tries to look on the bright side of things. She can be a bit skittish at times, but she's confident in some situations.

- She's relentless in her goals.

- She knows how to write and read ancient texts, and understand ancient tongues. As an adult, Kris retains her passion for knowledge and becomes more mature and less frightened. 

- During her teen years, Kristina said that she had no time for romances, despite her later feelings for Raph, and when finally wedded to Raphael Hamato, she became inseparable from him. 

- Kristina is incredibly hyperactive, cheerful, intelligent, bubbly, and optimistic. She's kind to everyone she meets, never threatening or harming anyone directly.  Despite frequent scientific complications, Kris finds each failure as an opportunity to learn. She also admitted she had poor people skills and thought if she could help people, they would like her. 

- She remembers the most random things. And likes to spew little weird facts at people. 

- She's obsessed with books. She takes them with her everywhere. Literally everywhere. She always has at least one book on her person at all times. If you can't find her reading, she'll most likely be writing/drawing, practicing calligraphy or researching random facts.

- She tried to teach herself the hula dance from Lilo & Stitch when she was little, this resulted in her taking hula classes. Something she stopped during high school because, and I quote, "I just don't have the time". Though she does love to hula, and is pretty good at it.

- Kris has always been very serious about her grades. She's very smart, a classic nerd. She worked so hard, she never really made friends in school. She was always studying or doing some form of school work. She was constantly invited to things, but after a while of her constantly declining hanging out, people just stopped bothering to ask at all. This made her a bit of a loner in high school. But she had her books and she was mainly content.

- This is one of the main reasons why she cherishes the turtles friendship so much. Because she never really had any real friends before. It's a foreign feeling/experience but she loves it. And she does her best to be a good friend in return, despite her poor people skills.

- "For science!" a classic catchphrase of hers. Kristina will get herself in trouble/mischief sometimes and when lectured by a friend/family member she'll almost always respond with; "I had to do it, for science!" (or something of the sort)

- Curiosity may just be the end of her. (Raph definitely hovers and feels like he has to keep a close eye on her, lest she go off and do something dumb in the name of curiosity/science).

- She's obsessed with Donnie's lab. She thinks it's very cool and could spend hours in there if they let her. Kris and Donnie definitely go into little tangents, they could talk for hours about science and similar topics.

- Kris and Mikey are doodle buddies. I can honestly see them hanging out for hours just drawing with each other. They'd share little tips and tricks and show each other their art work. It'd be really cute and wholesome.

- She likes to read/draw/write/study while Raph works out. If you can't find her with Donnie, you'll most likely find her with Raphael. Sometimes she'll join him, but she'd rather sit on his shell while he's doing push ups, or lay underneath him, or off to the side somewhere and watch him work. She finds it very attractive, and she likes to watch him train. She thinks it/he's cool lol.

- (mainly for RiseLeo) Kris does not understand his jokes/puns a good majority of the time. Humor isn't really her thing, and sometimes she'll just sit there like; O.O. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that. Do you think you could explain the joke to me?" Leo probably either A) tries even harder to make her laugh/react. Or B) eventually just gives up entirely and tries to avoid telling her jokes. "Why do I even try with you?" (LMAO) I can totally see Leo telling a joke and Kris not understanding it, and immediately following up with the most bizarre fact and then Leo's the one who's confused/disturbed.

Leo: *pulls off some kind of cringey dad joke*

Kristina: "Did you know that a ducks penis is like a corkscrew?" (she'd also say this completely straight faced-)

Leo: O.O "Why- How do you even know this?"

(Either that or he'd be intrigued and want to know more of her weird ass facts.)

- IMAGINE: she's on a date with Raphael and all of a sudden just blurts out the most random/weird thing- he ends up choking on his food and she's patting his back all innocent- maybe even continuing on with her lil story.

Idk- I have more but imma leave it on that note so this isn't too long hehe.

^^ her friends/family every time Kris opens her mouth to tell them the latest fact she's learned. ^^

[teenagemutantninjatrauma]

Okay thoughts incoming over here:

the Timestresses tend to call each other “little big sibling” because living outside of linear time makes everyone unable to determine who’s older or younger.

There’s many Timestresses and so Mikey and Renet are practically classmates, both being disciples of the Time Lord, but outside of that they tend to do their own thing unless assigned the same chores.

he first meets Raph when he and Renet mess around with the Time Staff, and the moment Raph sees him, he recognizes him. No doubt about it, he insists, Michelangelo is his brother. Mikey laughs in his face, “the universe is infinite, dude, I’ve got a bajillion siblings technically! ‘Cept in reality I know none of them soooo that doesn’t really mean much to me lol. Anyways time to dip out!”

Except then they get into trouble and Raph and Mikey bond and suddenly - Raph isn’t just one of the bajillions. He’s the Raphael now, and Mikey can’t stop thinking about him, can’t get having a brother that looks out for him out of his mind. Raph told him Mikey’s the youngest brother, and that is the most time-focused Michelangelo has ever been. It’s shockingly grounding, the idea that he could Know For A Fact he’s younger than someone and older than someone.

Beings and entities living in a singular linear timeline with little to no anomalies (for example traveling to the Battle Nexus or being thrown into another dimension against your will) are referred to by Time Management Staff as “time-tethered.” Mikey uses the term often when talking to Raph and Raph’s family. Later on in becomes a sort of meme in the fam, one of them occasionally going “my time-tethered ass could never” and all of them losing their shit over it

He makes references from different times and sometimes tries to explain future memes or past traditions to Raph, who usually gives up on trying to understand in about five seconds. Leo likes hearing about old phrases and figures of speech and traditions, though, and Donnie catches onto future memery really quick and loves it. They’re all so fuckin weird I love them sm

Mikey is studying for a different position than Renet, one that requires a special skill called Witnessing — when seeing an entity, you can see that entity’s entire past. Splinter and Raph make use of this skill when trying to determine what happened to their other two brothers when they got separated, by having Mikey look both through Raph and Splinter’s past. Mikey Witnesses, and they probably already knew about Leo before this because I’m thinking Raph and Leo encounter each other first, so this Witnessing is to find Donnie - and that’s how they start tracking Bishop.

So we all know Mikey’s got attention issues, well imagine you’re not stuck in linear time and can go literally anywhere anytime whenever you want. Yeah. This makes Mikey extremely unhelpful at times, for example right after they discover Bishop might have Donnie or know what happened to him, Mikey goes “well anyways I’m beat! Bye!” and just dips.

After they find Donnie though. Oh boy dude. Mikey Witnesses Donnie’s past and Raph watches as his youngest brother makes this horribly, horribly sad expression. And then he just goes, “they really put you through the ringer, huh.”

Eventually, after lots and lots of character development I haven’t completely thought out yet, Mikey decides to give up on the Timestress job to stay with his bros. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m psyched, but aren’t ya scared of the whole ‘time-tethered’ thing?” Raph asks when Mikey voices his decision, and Michelangelo grins and hugs him tight. “The important part is, I’m tethered to you now.”

So ummm.. over on my turtle blog @teenagemutantninjatrauma, I may have created a Separated AU because all the cool kids were doing it but no one was doing it for the 2k3 turtles…… and long story short Mikey is a Timestress! Everyone check out his absolutely BANGER outfit!!

He also definitely shouldn’t have that staff. But who was gonna teach him responsibility, little big sis Renet? Yeah no, I don’t think so.

I have so many thoughts about him but I’m gonna save them for later <3 might finish coloring this, but for now I only wanted to design the outfit!

[autisticandroids]

yknow those episodes where a character's whole personality gets split into 3-5 different distinct separate bodies? what bodies would cas have? I feel like it'd just be a mess tbh, imagine 5 different castiels all of them loving dean to a certain extent but showing it VASTLY differently. one cas would literally want to murder the others lmao

okay so i don’t actually think this trope would be an effective tool for analyzing cas? he’s not conflicted enough in himself. he’s too impulsive, too singleminded, too uninhibited. like, in the end, cas always ends up doing whatever he wants. there aren’t multiple discrete voices vying for control, really, or rather, if there are, one is always significantly stronger than the others. like in the end cas will always end up eating raw meat off the floor, you know? he’ll do what he wants. if i was going to do personality splitting i’d do it to someone intensely internally conflicted, like dean.

however, because i’m in an essay writing mood today, i’ll answer a question slightly to the left of the one you asked. cas may not be internally conflicted, but he is intensely changeable. these two things are related, actually; the same impulsivity and singlemindedness that mean he doesn’t have a ton of internal conflict at any given time mean that different ideas sound good to him at different times, because he isn’t really thinking about, say, what future-him will think of them. and he’s not really trying to maintain an image or identity. he’s just doing what feels right at the time, which is very different at different times and in different situations.

anyway, that in mind, i think a lot about ways to bring together many alternate versions of cas which sort of correspond to different times in the show.

i have a fic in my head about a bunch of cas-es pulled from alternate timelines by some kind of spell. so this would be set during the widower arc because the basic impulse here is to show dean a very bad time. just absolutely put him through hell. also, all the alternate timelines are different because different stuff happened, not because cas made different choices, because if we’re torturing dean it has to be like 5x04, the changes in cas can’t be cas’ fault. they have to be dean’s or just like, the universe’s (which makes them dean’s).

so dean is trying to bring cas back, and he finds some kind of spell that can bring someone “from another world.” and he tries it because hey. can’t hurt to try. anyway i’ve thought a long time about different versions of cas i would put in this and here is what i have. in order of when the timeline split off.

- a cas who never raised dean from hell. think 14x13 “lebanon.” this one i’m not too sure about, like, this could be fun, but i don’t know if it’s different enough from the next one. like this castiel would have lived through the averted apocalypse and subsequent general fuckery that happened as an angelic footsoldier, which would actually be pretty interesting now that i think about it, especially since all that stuff would have gone down soooooooo differently without cas specifically for your average angel footsoldier. like cas has PERSONALLY caused more upheaval in heaven in twelve years of spn than there seems to have been in millennia. so he would be the point of view of a normal footsoldier from a totally other world.

- a cas who died mid season four, and is pulled out of the empty in 2017 by this spell. i’m not sure when this cas died. my thoughts are (1) killed in on the head of a pin by alistair, (2) killed during his torture in the rapture, or (3) simply never resurrected after lucifer rising. (3) makes the most sense, but that cas has already thrown away everything for dean. i prefer the idea of a cas who loves dean, is already on the brink of disobedience for him, but has not yet taken the plunge. both on the head of a pin and the rapture are great places for this, and they both have strengths and weaknesses. if he died in the rapture, he was killed by heaven, which is fundamentally more fun, but he was also really very much over the edge already. if he died in on the head of a pin, he wasn’t killed by heaven, but he is perfectly teetering on the brink of falling for dean. regardless of when he died, the purpose of this cas is to be horrified at all the various and myriad ways he has destroyed and corrupted himself for dean in the other timelines.

- possibly endverse cas, who would have died in 2014, but like s4 cas, would have been pulled from the afterlife by the spell. i’m not so sure on this one. we as a society love endverse cas but i dunno what purpose he would serve. maybe endverse cas didn’t die in 2014, and instead was imprisoned by lucifer, because, you know. he’s the only brother lucifer has left. so he is very excited to see dean alive and well, since his dean is dead, and, not being an angel, cas can’t bring him back. the purpose of this cas would be to horrify dean that cas loves him and needs him so much, and to disgust the other cas-es with his neediness.

- a cas who was in some way on better terms with dean during s6. maybe dean and cas ride off into the sunset together after swan song instead of dean going to live with lisa, maybe dean prayed to cas while he was with lisa because he missed him, who knows. either way, cas has dean’s help with the angel revolution in season six from the start, and never goes to crowley. the plan cas and dean come up with to beat raphael includes breaking into the cage and stealing the grace of michael and lucifer, freeing sam and adam in the process. incidentally, it also involves cas possessing dean, because if cas is gonna eat archangel grace to become more powerful, he’s going to need a stronger vessel. so cas and dean have a whole like. midam situation happening. they’re a double archangel together, and godstiel never happened so none of the other terrible apocalypses that stemmed from that happened, and everything is pretty cool where they’re from, and also they’re obviously uhhhhhh SOME kind of together. the purpose of this cas is to upset dean because this cas shows how much better everything could have been and how much better his and cas’ relationship could have been if dean had simply been more considerate of cas in s6, and also freak dean out with how uh. close. this dean and cas are.

- a godstiel who managed to swallow purgatory without swallowing the leviathans and remained god. he’s probably soooomewhat less scary and murdery than canonverse godstiel because no leviathans, so you know, not as many angel purges or massacres on earth. and he probably went and fixed sam’s wall within about three days because cas is prideful but he does NOT like it when dean is mad at him. so they did kiss and make up, and so this cas would have had dean to act as his morality chain. but he’s still very scary and godstiel. and also he refers to dean as “The Beloved” you know. his purpose is to freak everyone out, because he’s scary, but also, for the past cas-es, because he is a terrifying abomination that they could never imagine becoming, for the future cas-es, because he is a reminder of their worst selves, and for dean, because he is a reminder of how dangerous cas is, but also because he uh. obviously has some feelings about his dean. unclear if they are consummated or not.

- a cas who naomi never rescued from purgatory, and who stayed there. hasn't spoken to another being in half a decade, has not recovered from his emotionally destroyed state in purgatory in s8. believes at first that the spell is his dean rescuing him, and is crushed when he realizes he was wrong. like endverse cas, his purpose is to show dean how much cas needs him and depends on him emotionally, and how he (dean) is capable of destroying cas, as well as his guilt for leaving him in purgatory and how lucky he is that his cas got out. this is especially noteworthy since the guilt for leaving cas in purgatory is part of the reason dean is trying to get cas back.

- a cas who stayed human after season nine, and has built himself a small human life over the next four years. he has a job and an apartment and friends outside the winchesters and yes, he still goes hunting after work sometimes, and he's still in contact with dean, but he is also independent in a way no other version of cas has ever been. he exists to freak out dean because dean has never seen cas independent of him. he is also fairly bitter at dean since dean did kind of stop spending time with him when he was no longer useful, and our dean feels guilty for that.

- a cas who showed up twenty minutes later in 10x03, finding sam dead and dean gone, and had to chase down demon dean, and has now spent three years following demon dean around as his tragically adoring stalker, because he hasn't found a way to resurrect sam yet and he doesn't want to put dean through the demon cure until he can save sam because he doesn't want dean to experience that guilt, but he also adores dean and wants to keep an eye on him and keep him safe and also keep him from doing anything too heinous, so he just covertly follows him around the country and watches from a distance as he commits various murders and fucks his way through every local bar scene. and occasionally cas finds dean something to kill, when the mark gets hungry, and drops it in his path. his purpose is to freak dean out with the lengths cas would go for him, and the depths cas would sink to.

anyway. lebanon cas and season four cas are horrified and perhaps disgusted (lebanon cas more than s4 cas) by ALL of the later cas-es, and how far they’re fallen, all of it for dean. godstiel and archangel cas being abominations, endverse cas and s9 cas being fallen, even purgatory cas and demon dean’s cas for their total dependence on dean.

purgatory cas and endverse cas are just happy to see a dean, even if it’s not their dean. demon dean’s cas, too, in a way. he’s happy to see a dean who is still human, who he can still have as a friend.

human cas is pissed to see that he was right, that dean would have stuck by him if he’d still had his powers, that this version of dean is doing spells to try and bring his cas, who is still an angel, back, whereas he and his dean only see each other once every couple months.

everyone is terrified and disgusted by godstiel, as i said before.

they’re mostly kind of thrown by archangel cas. a lot of them are jealous. godstiel is furious because how dare anyone, even an alternate version of himself, take dean as a vessel (even if dean likes it). godstiel isn’t really there, though, he resisted the summoning and just sort of popped his head through to see what was going on, and he goes back to his own reality pretty fast without murdering anyone.

also to be clear dean has not at this point examined or acknowledged any feelings he may have about his cas besides “friendship,” nor has he wondered what feelings his cas may have for him. given how many of the cas-es were clearly in some kind of relationship with their dean (endverse cas, archangel cas) or just openly in love with their dean (godstiel, purgatory cas, demon dean’s cas), dean is forced to reevaluate the nature of his and cas’ relationship.

[ckneal]

Awhile back, someone in the archangel fandom (or was it the midam fandom?) posited the idea that Michael can’t read, and I got to admit that I really love that idea, and if I ever do write my genfic about the Shurley family before Lucifer’s fall, I am going to steal it.

Because I think that it’s great for setting up Michael’s relationship with Metatron in particular. Between rearing the younger siblings and acting as Chuck’s liaison, relaying orders to the few groups of angels that were already actively involved in Chuck’s Plan (i.e., the cupids and the reapers [yes, I know, I don’t like the reapers being angels either; blame season 9]), and overseeing a multitude of tasks ranging from the extermination of the hellhounds to the safe transition of life from sea to land, not to mention struggling to help keep Lucifer in line as his devil-may-care attitude became increasingly problematic--Michael just did not have TIME to learn to read. So he delegated that. 

Namely, to Raphael.

However, when the day came, things did not go as planned. You see, Chuck had a lot of rules. Some of which applied to all of the angels, and some just to the four archangels, who were the only beings alive to have knowledge of certain things. Like, the Empty. Because Castiel didn’t know what the Empty was when he died. Or the spell that could bind god-level creatures away. Or--and this was a big one--Amara. After Amara was sealed away, Chuck never wanted to hear her spoken about ever again, and he specifically forbade the archangels from talking about the Darkness in any way, shape, or form--thus explaining why Castiel did not know what he was unleashing when he removed the Mark of Cain from Dean in season 10. 

So when Raphael stumbled upon Lucifer and Gabriel dramatically reenacting the battle that sealed away the universe’s first unspeakable monster in front of an audience made up of their younger siblings, Raphael was scandalized in a number of ways. At the disregard the two of them were showing toward one of their father’s most fervent rules, at the demonization of their aunt (even if Gabriel and Lucifer weren’t blatantly identifying who that monster had been), and that Gabriel would participate in something that made light of what had been an extremely painful episode in their family history. Even if Raphael knew that Lucifer and Gabriel were very close, and could tell at a glance that Lucifer likely manipulated Gabriel’s love for showmanship. 

Gabriel breaks character immediately and starts to stammer, “Please don’t tell!” But even as he’s saying it, all of the angels nearby feel a rumble in their grace, which the archangels recognize in the same way that anyone who has ever worked at a help desk would recognize the dinging of a bell. Seconds later, they hear Michael call out in the distance, “RAPHAEL! WE ARE NEEDED!”

Before they can answer, Lucifer jumps on Raphael, pinning them to the ground with a hand over their mouth, looking around in a panic because Michael finding out what Raphael had walked in on was almost as bad as their dad finding out. Raphael looks up at Gabriel as they struggle, their eyes clearly saying, Are you really just going to stand there?

Gabriel was never good with family conflicts. Lucifer, however, was always quick under pressure. Hearing Michael call out again, louder now, as he came closer to their location, Lucifer looked beyond Gabriel, to the multitude of younger angels who were all still gathered there watching. In an authoritative voice that reminded everyone that he was the God’s second eldest son and second in command of Heaven’s armies, he yelled, “Disperse!” 

Angels promptly flew off in every directly, like a flock of pigeons startled. Michael was caught off guard. And, shielding his face with one arm, that was how Michael came to blindly reached out into the the flurry of bodies and grab one angel at random. 

“Metatron. Have you seen Raphael? It’s important.”

“Um--” Before Metatron could grapple with becoming the third angel ever to lie (Lucifer and Gabriel being the first two), the rumble occurs again, and Michael makes a frazzled grumbling noise. 

“Can you write?”

“Yes?”

“Okay. . .” Michael looks around again, clearly uncomfortable, and unaware that Raphael is hmm-ing around Lucifer’s hand as loud as they can in frustration a short distance away while Gabriel’s shrugging helplessly--but not really, because he could get up and shout for Michael himself, but then Lucifer would be mad at him, and Gabriel just does not do well in these situations. . .!

Meanwhile, Michael. “Okay, Metatron. I have a very important job for you.” 

He releases his hold on Metatron and starts patting down his hair, trying to make this random angel plucked out the crowd look presentable, because Michael can’t very well act of God’s scribe and Raphael’s disappeared.

“Me? Really?”

“Yes. Now, when you go in, stand up straight and don’t stare. Don’t question him, and don’t interrupt him. Wings.” 

Metatron isn’t picking up on it, but Michael’s tone is disinterested in the actual conversation, he’s just trying to get a job done--and for goodness sake, why isn’t Raphael here? Metatron spreads his wings, and Michael hastily begins smoothing out the feathers. 

Meanwhile, things are starting to sink in. “Wait, you don’t mean--”

“It’ll be fine. Don’t be intimidated.” Michael snaps his fingers, and the door to Chuck’s throne room opens. He crouches down and looks into Metatron’s face for the first time. “Be respectful, but don’t be intimidated. Remember, he’s our father, and he loves you.” 

And then Michael shoves Metatron through the door, desperately hoping that this isn’t going to blow up in his face. Their father had been very clear in not wanting the younger siblings in his workspace. Mentally, Michael is promising himself that he will never delegate something so important ever again--completely unaware, as he so often was, that he had just been party to an immensely defining moment in a younger sibling’s life. Metatron was already glorifying this moment in his head, thinking about how God himself had singled him out for special purpose, and that their father loved him.

He and Michael would have that mistake in common later in life.

[fireemblems24]

Post Grondor Field AM Analysis

I'm prefacing this by saying that I'm still not sure I can write a good analysis of this scene for two reasons:

1. I don't know what comes after, and

2. I'm very emotionally involved in what happened.

But I tried my best. One thing is for sure though, what happened in Grondor in AM was an incredibly significant turning point for AM and Dimitri and my thoughts and analysis on it will definitely expand as I keep writing about and playing the game.

Part of me is just so happy I got to see Dimitri's supports, have the inevitable turn around, and get to do things like tea and dinner time again that it's hard to be objective about this scene.

And by "this scene," I don't mean that actual fight at Grondor, but everything from Fleche's attack to Byleth's words in the rain later.

It wasn't all about Byleth . . .

Given how poignant Dimitri's character arc has been so far, I had a deep rooted fear player-pandering would ruin it. Byleth, as a concept, isn't bad, but too often the heaps of praise feel underserved and other things (like Claude's intelligence, Edelgard's relationships with everyone else) get ignored to make more room for player-pandering.

Thankfully this did not happen. Byleth, throughout the early chapters of AM's part 2, failed to reach Dimitri. And, honestly, seeing Byleth actually struggle for once has done wonders for how I view her character. Still, I worried that player-pandering-power, rather than something that felt earned, would cause the inevitable eye-opener for Dimitri.

But it wasn't just Byleth. Fleche's vengeance kicked everything off, what veered Dimitri away from his fate in other routes. He accepted his death at her hands, not bothering to defend himself. Rodrigue stepping in the way and his parting words forced Dimitri to confront things he'd ignored. Throughout AM so far, people have posed questions to Dimitri who refused to answer them because he didn't want to face what they asked. But Rodrigue dying for him, spending his final words telling Dimitri to live for himself - combined with Fleche's attack - forced Dimitri to confront things he avoided. It wasn't until after all of that when Byleth steps in.

And Byleth didn't "fix" him either. Dimitri's supports show a young man who's still very much struggling with his mental health, poor self-image, his previous actions, and wondering if he deserves not only to live for himself - but if he even deserves to live. Byleth didn't hand-wave Dimitri's problems away.

Everything about the scene is stronger because it didn't fall back on player-pandering, but more earned, realistic, and dramatic actions and consequences - including Byleth's involvement which felt far more earned than usual because of prior failure.

But I wish Dimitri's friends played a bigger role.

Not everything was perfect though. I wish we got a little more than we did from Dimitri's house mates - especially his childhood friends Sylvain, Ingrid, and extra special mention to Felix and especially, especially Dedue.

Throughout all of AM, none of the above mentioned characters feel utilized to their full potential. This isn't a problem exclusive to AM, and by all means it's far from the biggest offender, but given how close all the ties are in AM, it's felt when it's not there.

I still don't know what exactly I would've done with them. Maybe I'd need to make the game an actual novel to do it, and you can't forget how perma-death has historically held back games at times, limiting major moments to a select few "retreat" candidates.

Still, though, getting a bit more from Ingrid, Sylvain, Felix, and Dedue would've made the scene even more powerful.

I actually really liked the scene in the rain.

I haven't made it a secret that I dislike Byleth. Or maybe disliked is more accurate. Lately I've been rethinking my stance on Byleth, in part because I've heard from people who like her or found ways to make her work and from my own thinking about the game while planning future write ups.

I don't think it's Byleth I really dislike, but the player-pandering. Separating the two isn't easy, but it's easier since I've starting coming around to seeing Byleth as her own character.

There's been a few moments that made me care for Byleth, and this scene in the rain was one of them. Because she didn't just fix everything. She tried and failed for months to reason with Dimitri, and despite everything she never gave up on him or failed to keep offering her hand.

I'm not going to lie. I got all the bubbly, heartwarming, heartbreaking feels the writers wanted me to in this scene. Seeing Byleth reach for something and fail, and then finally, finally get through was rewarding in a way many of Byleth's prior accomplishments aren't because this one felt earned. And by God did she earn it.

Some people will likely disagree with that last point, but I disagree with them. She asked Dimitri hard-hitting questions, forcing him to come to unpleasant conclusions rather than trying to force him into anything. She kept Dimitri from veering to far off course, even at expense to herself when she killed Randolph. She saved Dimitri from Fleche when he refused to save himself. She quietly supported him, coaxing out the good she knew was still there and refused to give up on.

I'd never in a million years say someone in real life should put up with Dimitri's toxic behavior and verbal abuse, even considering his extreme trauma and aggravated mental illness. But seeing someone fuck up so badly still get forgiven, still get supported, still struggle but honestly change for the good, still get loved, start to accept and forgive himself through the power of love and forgiveness from others is very powerful, especially since media so often downplays those "softer" things as weakness in comparison to the "badassery" of ambition and stoicism. Using Byleth, who previously had little experience with feelings, who was encouraged to experience them in healthy ways by Dimitri, return the favor isn't really the worst choice.

It's cliche, but cliches aren't always bad.

The mentor dies. Redemption in the rain. Revenge against the protagonist's actions opens their eyes. Etc . . . This scene was chuck full of cliches, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Tropes serve an important narrative purpose because a writer can rely on them to convey a message to the audience that either saves time or sets them up for something unexpected or even expected. Fire Emblem has always and will always be incredibly cliche and full of tropes. It loves tropes so much there's in-universe ones that make some unit or character discussions sound like a foreign language to people outside of or new to the fandom, talking about "Ests" and calling someone a "Camus."

What matters is if a story pulled something off well, not if it's terribly unique. A mentor dying is powerful because it forces the student to grow. Redemption in the rain is high symbolic of water washing things away + the somber atmosphere rain creates. Someone trying to get revenge against a character provides an eye-opening experience about the ripple effect of their actions. We see these things in fiction all the time because they work.

All the tropes worked like expected in this scene. Using images instead of cut scenes did make less of an impact, but more on that later.

Tl;dr: There's nothing unexpected or terribly unique about what happened. It was honestly painfully predictable, but that doesn't make it bad and is in a series that does this all of the time.

The voice acting carried because those images can't.

A major downside to this scene is that it used vague images instead of a cut scene. I get that budget and time were likely concerns, but many cut scenes from earlier in the game seem rather trivial. Did we really need that dance one? Really? I don't think so.

This was a hugely important, action heavy moment. Using one or two still images to convey everything that's happening and all those emotions, really makes it less than it could've been.

That said, the voice acting saves it. I've raved about how amazing Chris Hackeny is as Dimitri, so nothing new here. Rodrigue's and Fleche's VAs also did a fantastic job. No one oversold or undersold the emotions. Even without the cut scene, you felt what happened thanks to the skill of the actors. This scene would've been so much harder to engage with without them, if this was an older FE game where all you got was text. This is 100% one of the moments highly elevated by the decision to have a fully voiced game and choosing high caliber talent (let's not talk about Radiant Dawn's voice acting).

Questionable support timing.

One issue I had came right after the scene when I viewed Dimitri's supports. The nature of some - like his with Raphael and Alois - didn't quite line up with the character I saw in dialogue right after. I wish they staggered them a bit more or got picker about what you could get in part 1 or 2.

This isn't limited to Dimitri either. In the same support batch, I also got a Marianne B support where she still had no confidence or self-worth. And then like 10 minutes later I talk to her in the monastery and she mentions about how seeing all the death in Grondor made her value her life even more.

In the past, I've also received entirely valid opinions that Dorothea in part 2 is hard to understand because she's cherry and flirty in her supports, and morose and hates the war in her monastery stuff, making her seem inconsistent.

It's a bit jarring. It's not really an issue for characters who don't change much like Edelgard or Raphael, but even for characters with more subtle differences than Dimitri, Marianne, and Dorothea - like, say, Lorenz - you get a lot of weird stuff because of supports. I just think Dimitri's stands out because he's a main character with a really prominent, important turning point for his growth.