#idw to fight about it leave me alone

[lesbianleonardo]

sooo normal about this (lying)

[revelboo]

Everything Is Alright Pt 72

IDW Starscream x Reader, Soundwave x Reader

• Chest aching, you lay a hand on Starscream’s face. Unable to believe he’s really okay after all the worry. “You needn’t worry about me, little one,” he murmurs, raspy voice low and for you alone. Reminding you that Soundwave is right there watching. And there’s that uneasy guilt, wanting to reach out to him, too. But knowing not to push Star and their very fragile truce. That feeling of warmth and belonging hums through you even if you’re not all that sure how your messed up relationship with them both is going to actually work. If they’ll have a sort of joint custody or visitation? Thinking about it leaves you somewhere between laughing and crying.

• It’s a bittersweet ache around his spark watching you with Starscream. Knowing you’ll go with him. Lay against him while he recharges, holding you. And that he can’t have that no matter what he wants. Aware that while the Seeker might tolerate him, this arrangement is a fragile thing. You’re all that’s keeping the Seeker civil and he’s not sure how long that will last. They both know that Starscream can’t watch you all the time, neither of them can. But working together? They can keep you safe and secret. They have to, because he needs this feeling you give him. Needs you.

• Venting against you, he glances at the communications officer. No matter how calm Soundwave appears, the other mech can’t be okay with this. With sharing even if Soundwave had suggested it to begin with. Mostly, he’s still not sure he trusts him. Not with his life and certainly not with yours. Wings flicking up when Soundwave starts, head turning toward the door. “Megatron,” Soundwave says, voice tense and Starscream goes rigid. Realizing exactly how fragged they both are. It’s not like they’re friends or even really on speaking terms normally, there’s no real reason for him to be in the communications officer’s private habsuite.

• “What’s going on?” Soundwave’s opening his chest compartment and then Starscream is slipping you inside it. Breath catching as the door closes to shroud you in warmth and the dim glow of the communication officer’s biolights. Sitting down hard when Soundwave moves. Everything muffled inside here, though you can hear the thrum of Soundwave’s spark. But what’s going on outside? Something’s wrong. Soundwave has said ‘Megatron.’ Is he coming? “Soundwave?” Can he hear you in here? Panic claws at you as you press your ear against the closed door, straining to hear.

• Pressing his servos against the closed door, Soundwave meets Starscream’s wide optics. There’s nowhere to hide the Seeker. Knows how this will look to Megatron. Like plotting and betrayal. Wings flaring aggressively, Starscream turns toward the door and he wants to seize the Seeker by a wing. Warn him to be quiet and not provoke the warlord. Be if that’s what it takes, because you’re hidden but still so vulnerable. If Starscream gets into it with Megatron, if he also gets dragged into the fight, you’ll get hurt. “Don’t,” he says, but Starscream is staring at the door, denta bared in a cold smile. Ready to fight.

• Keying open the door, Megatron’s expression empties. “How unexpected,” he growls. Starscream’s wings flick up aggressively and stay there in a very obvious threat. No longer cowering as Megatron studies him then Soundwave, noting the latter’s tension. Like he’s been caught red handed. Another coup, then? Anger flickering through his lines to settle like a weight in his spark, because of all of them, he’d trusted Soundwave. To find him working with Starscream? It hurts more than he would have thought. “How long have you been plotting against me, old friend?” He asks, servos curling into fists. So tired of being betrayed again and again.

Previous

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[turrondeluxe]

Hey ik on that "equally distribute the horrors" post, a lot of people were talking about Mikey needing horrors (tbh he deserves some, they all need equal rights to the horrors.), but I've never seen anyone even talk about the horrors for Raph? Maybe that's just me and my web experience tho. (If you have any examples of Raph dealing with the horrors pls list them, my cousin ((who also says Mikey needs more horrors, at least)) and I are desperate)

ah that's probably because i specified mikey in the tags because im a mikey enjoyer who is followed principally by more mikey enjoyers teeheee

but huh

i guess i understand what you mean

in terms of Raph Horrors�� we have

mmmm i unfortunately won't include every single horror from every single tmnt iteration out there. there's too many for me to remember all the specific raph horrors from each of them rn so i'll just list some random ones off the top of my head 😺

Feel free to add more to the raph horrors list! lol

Mirage

- Raphael gets progressively demutated and basically reverts to a normal turtle for a while

(the panels of when this was happening were actually very emotive and made me cry) he does say this when he's back to normal which i find very funny tho

90's movies

- Raph gets beaten the fuck up and then gets thrown trough a skylight. He's then placed in a bath tub while he heals (Leo is the one who never leaves his side on this iteration)

2003

- Nearly injures Mikey greatly with a metal tube because of anger (He feels really bad about this and i def think this moment never truly left his brain ever)

- Getting kidnapped by footbots, getting interrogated by Hun

- All the fights with shredder or karai/all the injuries gotten in all the fights with shredder or karai

- Same As It Never Was Raph

- Watching his injured older brother get thrown to a window and watch said older brother heal from his wounds

- Seeing himself as the shredder/ thinking himself as the shredder

- Got his home raided countless times

- Getting separated from his younger brothers + dad in one of said times and waiting alone in the surface without knowing if his family even made it out alive

- Witnessed dad get disintegrated

- Brainwashed (actually getting infected with a digital virus but eh). Him and his brothers are foot ninjas for an unspecified amount of time (maybe days). During this, shredder sends the brothers to the most mortal/difficult missions in hopes that they die under his command.

- Getting thrown into the future (Raph is the one brother who hates this event the most lmao)

2007

- Witnesses older brother get kidnapped and blames himself for it

2011 IDW

- Raph gets separated from his family before mutating. Spends years homeless and by himself before his brothers find him again (this forever makes raph feel that even if he's with his family. he somehow doesn't belong)

- Right after getting mutated he spent some time being cared by Buck (blind homeless guy that is the first person ever/parent figure that's nice to Raph). Watches Buck get beaten to death. (Possibly. Buck did survive but i can't remember if he did die because of his injuries. still. traumatizing to raph that was still fairly new to the world)

- Forced to be family warrior/protector (he doesn't want this, he just wants to be a farmer man 😔👊)

- Witnessed shredder stab Casey (Raph's bestie/first ever friend that he relates to)

- Had to fight against brainwashed brother (Foot Leo)

- Witnessed Donnie's corpse (would def fuck u up if you feel like the protection of your family is your responsibility)

- Gets kidnapped and experimented with/tortured

- Dad dies, rip 🕊️

2012

- Losing Spike (he literally stayed 15 years underground with only his family for company. spike meant so much to him)

- Watching mikey get hurt because of his bad leadership literally made him freeze up and not know what to do at all

- The whole scene of splinter letting his brothers insult him. what the hell 💀

- Fighting his (brainwashed/hypnotized?) dad

- Cockroach mutant

- THE FUCKED UP SQUIRRELS

- Watching his older brother get thrown trough a window (the sequel). And watching said older brother be extremely injured.

- Leo 3 month coma

- GETTING TURNED INTO A PLANT?

- Brainwashed via worm that ate all the way through his skull and into his brain

- Dad dies, rip 🕊️ the sequel (this happens quite a bit in the series) and hil being in the front row of how splinter gets mortally wounded and then thrown off the roof

- Fighting his family while brainwashed

- kidnapped and being put into an oven to die (and would have died if leo didn't go ham and destroyed his enclosure)

- Witnessed someone kill himself while he was actively trying to prevent it

- Witnessing the death of both two little brothers

- Witnessing older brother nearly die. Again (Again. this happens quite a bit in the series)

- the whole mutant bomb apocalypse holy shit

theres def more that im forgetting mb

Bayverse

- Home gets raided, the sequel

- All brothers get kidnapped except for him

- BROKEN SHELL BECAUSE OF SHREDDER AND HE JUST KEEPS GOING???? please..............take one second to rest THATS YOUR SPINE

Rise

- Eldest sister syndrome

- The fucking bunny plushie that I've forgotten the name of (his siblings were so mean for no reason at all that ep 😭)

- Rise shredder

- Having to forcefully remove his family from deathly situation even if it meant leaving a beloved family member behind (he prob blames himself about karai ....augh)

- Kidnapped/taken hostage (?)

- Kraang Brainwashed

- Having to fight younger brother while brainwashed

- Apocalyptic Kraang Future

The last ronin

- Died for literally no reason at all . fly high king 🕊️

Mutant mayhem

- Getting kidnapped (quite violently too)

- Milking Machine

- Getting shell cracked from being squished too hard

[cats-mayhem]

I wanna say that I have only read mainline IDW and haven't read the side series' so... yeah

BUT I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS ON SURGE AND KIT.

What is fascinating to me about Kit is that the only way for him to go against his programming is to be isolated.

But it's the opposite for Surge. In order to go against her own programming, she needs people around her. She needs to be talked to in order for her to go against her programming. And when I say "talked to" I mean have a reasonable conversation. But her personality is a big roadblock for that on a road filled with obstacles.

With Kit however, he's adaptable. The few times he's alone, he follows whoever he comes in contact to. His main focus is Surge, but without her, he needs to fill the void.

In his fight with Tails, he seemed very determined to kill him. However, the moment Tails starts asking questions, he bluescreens. Surge needs to make a decision for him if he should answer or not, but since she isn't there, he needs to find someone to tell him what to do.

And that someone is Tails. He goes along with Tails' questions uneasily since Tails was asking questions, not telling him to answer. But by design, Kit is submissive, and so he answers them because he doesn't want to disobey.

The moment Tails mentions sonic, however, is the moment where Kit is reminded of his main programming. Surge told Kit to target (and probably kill) Tails.

And then later, Kit is literally helping Sonic. Because Surge isn't around, he goes to the most Surge like adjacent person. When Sonic says Surge is dead, he has a whole breakdown. But in just like, a few hours, he gets over it and says that Sonic can use him instead. He needs someone to fill the commander role for him.

The only time where we see Kit make a decision for himself is when Surge is alive, and he assumes Sonic lied to him just to use him. He makes the decision to destroy the lab. No one told him to do that, he did it himself.

And it makes me wonder. Kit can only be himself if you surgically remove Surge from his life (by killing her or make her abandon him or have her betray him, ect). And then you just have to leave him to his own devices in order for him to make his own decisions.

What's curious to me is that if Sonic didn't help Tails when he was being bullied, Tails would've ended up like Nine from Sonic Prime. Or, at least Nine adjacent. But since Sonic did help Tails out and became an older brother figure to Tails, he became the Lil Dork we all know and love. If no one saved him, he would've been worse off.

But with Kit, you need to stop yourself from saving him. Because if he's isolated, he'll latch onto anyone who will take him in. You need to abandon him.

I have a headcannon that when Starline was making these two he was like "Omg the narrative FOIL!!! YASSSS EGGMAN COULD NEVER!!" (He already had created a narrative foil with Metal Sonic).

[myymi]

intro !!

꒷˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚

⤿danielle / myla

⤿18 || [02/23]

⤿agender || they/them + ny/nym (preferred, but im ok w any!!)

⤿alt.blogs :: personal - @dyymi || art - @ceemi

⤿ao3

⤿mutuals are free to ask for my discord 💜

⤿.

⤿don't forget your daily clicks!!

faq !!

꒷˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚

⤿"are you still taking prompts?"

⇢ ˗ˏˋmy bio will say if theyre open or closed <3

⤿"how do you get inspiration?"

⇢ ˗ˏˋlistening to music!

⤿"can i draw art based on your fics?"

⇢ ˗ˏˋof course!! please tag me if you do, i'd love to see it!

⤿"have you written for any other fandoms?"

⇢ ˗ˏˋyes, but you'll never find it. i never posted them lol

⤿"any tips for __?"

⇢ ˗ˏˋcheck my tips tag first!

main tags !!

꒷˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚

⤿tails - miles tails prower

⇢ ˗ˏˋ& sonic - unbreakable bond / dynamic duo

⇢ ˗ˏˋ& knuckles - brain and brawn

⇢ ˗ˏˋ& amy - pinky lemonade

⇢ ˗ˏˋ& shadow - bumblebee

⤿asks - myyanswers / anon / anonymous / anon ask

⤿drabbles - myydrabs

⤿fanfic - myyfics

⤿headcanons - myyhcs

⤿alt.blogs rbs - dyymi / ceemi

⤿tips - writing tips

(you may not find every post when searching up tags. i sometimes forget to tag them, and a lot of these are new ones. sorryyy)

fics !!

꒷˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚

[it's quite long, so i'm going to add a read more]

⤿Quick Trip

⇢ ˗ˏˋTails just wanted to run to the store to pick up a few things but was attacked on his way home.

⤿Tails can Purr

⇢ ˗ˏˋjust the family finding out tails can purr

⤿Tails can Purr | Sonic Boom Edition

⇢ ˗ˏˋthis is before season 2, same time as cabin fever cause i love that episode

⤿Welcome To Westside Island!

⇢ ˗ˏˋtails runs into some old 'friends'

⤿What Kind of Genius Can't Figure This Out?

⇢ ˗ˏˋThe crew stay behind to lend a hand in repairing the chateau after the avalanche hits. Over time, Tails properly processes everything that happened that day, but is left with more questions than answers.

⤿Early Birthday Gift

⇢ ˗ˏˋTails is working on The Tornado when Amy swings by the house with an early birthday present

⤿Sonic Hoodie

⇢ ˗ˏˋsonic comes home to tails in a hoodie that looks like him

⤿Feelings

⇢ ˗ˏˋSonic and Tails have a little talk about what happened during the war.

⤿Reality Check

⇢ ˗ˏˋWhat starts as a normal day with Tails fixing up Omega after an accident turns into the fox receiving a reality check from Shadow

⤿Chaotix Babysitting

⇢ ˗ˏˋour favorite detective agency look after our favorite two tailed fox while he's sick :)

⤿Abandonment Issues

⇢ ˗ˏˋKnuckles and Tails are left home alone for the first time. It later proves to be a terrible idea

⤿They're Called Scary Movies for a Reason

⇢ ˗ˏˋtails watches a horror movie for the first time. it does not end well

⤿Echidna Memorial

⇢ ˗ˏˋknuckles takes sonic and tails to the memorial he made for his ancestors :]

⤿It's What Brothers Do

⇢ ˗ˏˋjust a cute little moment between the boys, set in the aosth universe :]

⤿That's His Little Brother

⇢ ˗ˏˋsomeone else saves Sonic instead of the avatar

⤿Worried

⇢ ˗ˏˋAs Tails packs up the Tornado, Sonic comes to him to talk about something on his mind.

⤿What's the Point?

⇢ ˗ˏˋtails notices people don’t typically care to listen to his tech rambles so he stops

⤿Sleeping Troubles

⇢ ˗ˏˋknuckles wakes to find tails missing and sets off to locate him. they talk abt history :]

⤿Hide and Seek

⇢ ˗ˏˋjust kids being kids. for the most part, anyways

⤿You're Not Alone

⇢ ˗ˏˋa small rewrite of one of the scenes in the third issue of idw's scrapnik island :]

⤿Rainy Day, Sick Hedeghog

⇢ ˗ˏˋsonic gets sick, leaving tails to take care of him :]

⤿He's Still Five.

⇢ ˗ˏˋknuckles watches over tails while sonic goes to fight eggman

⤿First I Love Yous

⇢ ˗ˏˋsonic wakes up to a empty bed that should’ve had a fox cub in it

⤿Jelly

⇢ ˗ˏˋbasically; tails finds out he’s allergic to jelly. lethally

⤿Sonic Prower

⇢ ˗ˏˋsonic changes his name

⤿Online Fights

⇢ ˗ˏˋsonic and tails get into a fight like losers /lh

⤿If you can't catch a Hedgehog, Torture a Fox

⇢ ˗ˏˋthis is based off a response my friend got when messing around with an eggman ai

⤿School Troubles

⇢ ˗ˏˋTom and Maddie get a call from the school about Tails

⤿Complimentary Colors

⇢ ˗ˏˋobligatory first meet fic starring sonic and tails

⤿Waiting

⇢ ˗ˏˋtails waits for sonic to come home

⤿Storybook

⇢ ˗ˏˋEither Tails has a nice nostalgia trip, or Sonic gets to embarrass him. The joys of being the big brother.

⤿Easily Hurt

⇢ ˗ˏˋ"You ever think about plastic surgery to fix those, uh, freaky tails?" -- based on the events in episode 61 'fast and easy' in aosth

⤿Situation

⇢ ˗ˏˋknuckles gets some visitors

⤿Tumblr Drabbles

⇢ ˗ˏˋvarious drabbles from tumblr

⤿Find a Rock

⇢ ˗ˏˋbaby tails meets amy

⤿One Last Favor

⇢ ˗ˏˋa scene from telltale's the walking dead game rewritten w sonic and tails

⤿Mobius Lost Another Hero

⇢ ˗ˏˋtails, knuckles, and shadow scavenge for supplies. it does not end well

⤿Grocery Shopping

⇢ ˗ˏˋlittle slice of life fic, aosth bros

⤿Similarities

⇢ ˗ˏˋshadow sits on a roof to sulk. tails says no

⤿Tail Wags

⇢ ˗ˏˋtails finds out his tails wag

⤿Rainstorm

⇢ ˗ˏˋknuckles sonic and tails are stuck in a cave during a rainstorm

⤿A Warm Meal

⇢ ˗ˏˋzombie apocalypse sonic au - inspired by telltale's the walking dead (s1e2)

⤿New Allies

⇢ ˗ˏˋsonic and tails meet knuckles !! yayyy

⤿Bitten

⇢ ˗ˏˋzombie apocalypse sonic au - inspired by telltale's the walking dead (s2e1)

⤿Actions Have Consequences

⇢ ˗ˏˋzombie apocalypse sonic au - inspired by telltale's the walking dead (s1e3)

⤿What Did I Do?

⇢ ˗ˏˋmy take on what happens after the end of sonic prime part 3 (contains spoilers)

⤿Have You Seen Tails?

⇢ ˗ˏˋsonic wakes up from his nap and tails is not there

⤿False Paradise

⇢ ˗ˏˋsonic and tails talk on angel island

⤿Collapsed

⇢ ˗ˏˋa large hotel collapses while a certain fox is inside

⤿Holoska

⇢ ˗ˏˋonce the world began to restore itself after the war against infiite, tails sets out to explore an abadoned eggman base located in holoska

surely nothing bad could happen there

⤿Love is Confusing

⇢ ˗ˏˋtails has no idea what love is

⤿Familiar Faces

⇢ ˗ˏˋtails runs into a few familiar faces as he's transporting a batch of weapons to the resistance's armory

⤿Welcome to the Team

⇢ ˗ˏˋAmy and Sonic are on a walk through a forest when Knucks, Amy's Sandslash, runs off the path. They follow him, and Sonic ends up gaining a new team member. - pokemon au

⤿Closer is Better

⇢ ˗ˏˋtails falls asleep on sonic for the first time

⤿A Small Celebration

⇢ ˗ˏˋtails's eighth birthday is here, but there's a problem; sonic isn't there to celebrate it with him

⤿sacrifices

⇢ ˗ˏˋ" Tails smiles, "See you on the ground?" "

⤿Tumblr Drabbles

⇢ ˗ˏˋvarious drabbles from tumblr

[theoceanoasis]

I saw a fanart of Rodimus as a deity and I loved the idea and I started to think. (I dunno why but my brain went whit a mix of IDW and Cyberverse)

Deity Rodimus/Hot Rod who hides that he actually is a deity. Soundwave went whit Ravage on the lost light and hit stuck there.

I just imagine Rodimus/Hot Rod get shown to actually be a deity and the reaction of everyone there. Mostly soundwave.

It happened in slow motion. Tarn was reaching towards Ravage and he suddenly had a vision of him being ripped in half.

Panicking he shouted at the cyber panther even though he knew it wouldn't help.

"Ravage!"

He raised his hand watching in shock as Tarn suddenly caught on fire. Which allowed Ravage to escape unharmed. Having not used his powers in a long time it was shocking to see them in action again.

He felt his body shift. Changing into his true form. Gold markings he'd had since he was born revealed themselves across his body, glittering in the planets light. His whole body seemed to glow as a halo appeared around him. As he felt his body change he could feel the stares of shock and awe

The D.J.D charged at him. Raising a hand he stopped them in their tracks. He made them turn around and leave him and his friends alone. Going back to their ship they took off leaving the planet behind.

He felt a rush of power through him and he could hear people talking about him. Asking questions and wanting to know what was going on.

He didn't truly understand what was happening, lost in a haze of fear and worry about Ravage. It wasn't until he looked down seeing his true form revealed that he started to panic.

He looked around feeling dizzy as everyone gathered around him wanting to know what happened and how he did that.

Feeling overwhelmed he ran off. Transforming he drove as fast as possible wanting to get far away.

His body feeling like it was overheating made him transform. He collapsed against a nearby rock and cried. He'd tried so hard to hide what he was. Wanting to have a normal life.

He was a child born of Primus. Deity of the flame and hearth. His patron city was Nyon which had called to him in times of need. When Zeta used his machine. They called to him one last time, asking him to set the city ablaze and end them all.

That was the last time he'd ever used his powers. When everyone in Nyon died no one called upon him again. He banished himself choosing to fight in the war not as a deity but as a regular soldier.

However Primus would not let his youngest go and when Megatron shot him in the chest. He used the Matrix of leader to heal him changing him into a Prime.

He'd always run away from that position never wanting to be a prime or a deity always feeling like a failure. That's why he created the lost light because he wanted to get away. Although he was most known for being the deity of fire and the hearth. He was also the deity of family and found himself making the lost Light a family without even realizing it.

Now however all of that was gone. His secret had been revealed and no one would want anything to do with him.

He shuddered crying in distress. He'd recently started something with Soundwave. It was something special that made him feel happy. When he was around Soundwave he found himself letting down the barriers he'd created to keep people out showing the real him.

He loved Soundwave so much and now it was all gone. He keened fire erupting around him in response to his pain.

"Hot Rod!?"

He looked over to see Soundwave coming over looking worried.

"Are you okay?"

He found himself unable to speak as he stared at Soundwave in surprise. Becoming concerned Soundwave came closer ignoring the fire raging around him. He kneeled down next to him and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you for saving Ravage."

He nodded feeling tears in his optics.

"I don't know what's happening right now but I'm here for you."

"Why? I'm a monster you should hate me."

"I could never hate you. I love you Hot Rod and this doesn't change anything."

He sobbed and Soundwave held him for a long time reminding him how much he loved him. When he finally calmed down he let Soundwave carry him back to the others.

He didn't know what was going to happen with the others but he knew as long as Soundwave was there he would be okay.

[drawnaghht]

Yuichi Usagi + SRTUC reflist + overview

ok, so, REPOST, because the og post won't let me edit it..... (deleting the other post later) I've noticed some common ideas online abt Usagi and his show/world and thought I'd make a list of references for folks who haven't seen the show, but would maybe like to know more. Mostly this is like a small rundown of what happens in the series, but maybe this'll help also with writing/drawing the characters. lol this accidentally became too long again with over 3K words >___>;;

(you can visit my srtuc posts masterlist for other references and fun tidbits, observations, interview links etc)

More under the cut!

Yuichi Usagi is obsessed with becoming a samurai. He is shown reading a comic about his own ancestor, Miyamoto Usagi (the protagonist of the Usagi Yojimbo comic irl, which is what the show is loosely based on). We can assume there are more comics about his ancestor and other family lore.

He is a bit reckless and prone to accidents and distraction. He also fantasizes a lot about fighting and being a cool samurai.

Like his ancestor, he has a pet lizard, Spot! Spot looks a bit like a weird cross between a tiny dinosaur and a regular green lizard (like in the comics), but is basically Usagi's only friend to confide in at the farm. Spot acts a lot like a pet or dog would. Tokage (lit. lizards) are very common in this world.

Before his 16th birthday, Usagi lives with his auntie on their family farm, but after messing up a farmbotto and getting into an argument with her, he decides it's better to leave to Neo Edo, to become a real samurai.

He plans to do this by riding on his Ki-cycle, an energy-powered tri-wheeled motorbike (it has a battery-pack)

His auntie agrees, because even tho she has trained him in sword-fighting and combat, that's all she had and Usagi needs a real swordmaster, a true sensei who will teach him when to not use a sword. (boy is a little bit sword-happy)

Usagi's auntie has a missing left ear-half and left leg (from some unknown wars only mentioned in passing)

His auntie gives him her own sword, Edgewing, which she made with her own grandfather. It has a red scabbard and a purple pommel - a crystal with a butterfly inside it. She calls this the Omurasaki, a "family heirloom" from Miyamoto Usagi himself (this will become important later), citing that it has brough her good luck despite the missing ear and leg.

Arriving in the city, Usagi is completely awe-struck and foregoes all caution, showing us how distracted he gets and has to be saved by Spot from on-coming traffic. This is his first time seeing Ki-stone powered cars, trolleys or streets.

Usagi decides to visit the Ki-Stone temple, a place where he fantasizes the Ki-Stone will give him some sort sort of power (he is 16). This is a show-only element, but seems to be based on elements in Senso, a stand-alone book in UY, which predates the WhereWhen crossover with the IDW turtles, but happens after WhereWhen. No spoilers but the show lifts a few crucial ideas from this stand-alone comic.

Usagi is not a yokai, but he is obsessed with yokai, who in his world have been a myth and children's tales for 1000 years. Usagi is well-versed in many yokai myths because of his obsession with his "yokai hunter samurai ancestor" and can tell at a glance who or what a type of yokai is.

in truth, yokai were locked away by his ancestor from the Edo era, Miyamoto Usagi, who is a well-known traitor because of this incident, which involved. Usagi does not know this at first and the 1st season deals with him uncovering the reasons why his ancestor was branded a traitor.

Because of this, Usagi is immediately looked at with disdain or avoided, because he is the only white rabbit to appear in Neo Edo in a long time and that makes him stick out.

On his way to the Ki-Stone temple, he accidentally bothers and angers 3 people: Gen, Kitsune and Chizu. They all wanna beat him up for his transgressions but over the first 4 episodes, they bond over hi-jinks and become close friends after Usagi is arrested when exiting the Ki-Stone temple.

Him, Gen and Kitsune also anger the Mogura gang, styles to look sorta like 1970s yakuza, but also like 1950s greasers (they will show up in the series for a few more key moments). This is when Usagi shows his quick thinking by jamming Edgewing's end-cap into a crumbling ceiling and saving the group from the gang.

After this tunnel fight, Kitsune discovers a shiny green egg with metal scales and decides to keep it in hopes of earning some money with it (her puppet has been destroyed in the tunnel-slide caused by Usagi) This egg will come up again later.

Dropping the last name Usagi introduces himself as Usagi to Kitsune, but Gen is still mad at him and they give chase.

Somehow the three of them arrive at the Ki-Stone temple thru the tunnel network, angering Chizu, and the three newer characters gang up on Usagi until they're stopped by Tetsujin, guardian of the Ki-Stone, a Kaikishi warrior. (This will become an oft-used term in the show - we can assume, it's basically meant for all who become a guardian warrior of the Ki-Stone)

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Usagi gets distracted and even while Tetsujin is warning him, touches the Ki-Stone, showing us some foreshadowing for the next 19 episodes.

Because of his relation to Miyamoto Usagi, Usagi releases the yokai who have been trapped for 10 decades.

Unlike Tetsujin, Usagi does not become a ghost-like person, but he does sputter out for a moment while he sees his own ancestor and a bunch of other images ghost over his mind.

Usagi basically starts to have visions of Miyamoto Usagi each time he touches the Ki-Stone. Each time he comes in contact becomes gradually more painful.

Tetsujin "is transmuted into another state of being" - so he's basically a ghost, but science-reasons that he's just on another plane of existence now (which... is sorta what ghosts are lol)

The last to be released is Kagehito (lit. "shadow person"), who immediately clocks Usagi as his ancestor Miyamoto Usagi (this will become a common occurence in his life now) and proceeds to threaten him for the 1000-year imprisonment.

Realizing this is in-fact, some random rabbit and not the guy who trapped him, he throws Usagi from 3 stories or so and flies away through the hole on top of the Ki-Stone temple. Usagi survives this drop and calls the incident awesome.

Basically, this guy is really excited to fight yokai.

Over the next 3+ episodes, he learns that actually, yokai are not all bad and most of them are sorta benign, if not outwardly friendly. Over the show you will see the friend-crew and other citizens get used to these friendlier yokai.

The Ki-Stone gives Usagi a change at having a mystical weapon, only given to Kaikishi warriors like Tetsujin was.

Because he is distracted again, he picks a yoyo as it sticks out to him on the big shelf. No take-backsies from the Ki-Stone, she seals the shelf and he is left with this yoyo. Quickly recovering from this shock of not getting a sword, Usagi gets used to having a different weapon.

The yoyo is magnetic, and also glows and hovers a bit when near yokai. It can be used to capture or lead yokai.

Exiting to outside commotion, this group of 5 find that the shogun of Neo Edo, Lord Kogane, has come to arrest the trouble-maker (remember how the citizens looked all disappointed when he arrived in Neo Edo?)

Lord Kogane arrests him after Usagi proudly names himself the descendant of Miyamoto Usagi. Here Usagi also finds out his ancestor is a historically well-known traitor, even a 1000 years later.

These 3 strangers who wanted to clobber him, take pity and go to covertly save him from the jailhouse. Both Gen and Chizu surprised that the other 2 are also there. there's a lot of fun banter between them.

Meanwhile, Usagi gets told the tale about how his ancestor is not the hero he thought he was and killed the shogun from 1000 years ago. Usagi gets depressed and thinks he's gonna live in that jail in-definitely. Until he notices, the yoyo is magnetic, decides he's gonna clear his ancestors name (biggest Miyamoto Usagi defender alive lol) and escapes the jail through hi-jinks and beating up the cop.

Gen and Kitsune have located his cell, Gen breaks the wall as Usagi's just made his cell-escape and he immediately offers friendship and hugs.

Usagi finds more uses for the kaikishi yoyo, when fighting Karasu-Tengu (based on real myth yokai, the crow-headed demi-gods who sometimes trained samurai...) who also at first thinks he's Miyamoto Usagi. He survives the fight due to his auntie's teachings, some skill and sheer dumb luck, capturing her sword and releasing his new friends. She backs off because she has no beef with this new random rabbit.

The Shogun still wants to arrest them after saving his life from Karasu-Tengu, but they somehow extort him to become his Yokai fighters instead (he needed clean-up in his personal museum)

Chizu has an interesting backstory which is already apparent from her first appearance and is slowly uncovered and dissected over episodes 2-6. It's further expanded upon in season 2 as she becomes the leader of the Neko Ninja gang.

Lady Fuwa is the leader of the Neko Ninja crew, and also the person who kidnapped Chizu from an orphanage (although, it's only implied, so she could have also been kidnapped from a real home)

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From episode 3 onwards, we get glimpses of Gen's backstory as well. We also meet Gen's twin little sister, Toshiko, who left to join the circus after their family home was taken by the shogun to be city property, turned into a "museum". A subplot of this is Toshiko buying the mansion back from Lord Kogane, and the Murakami estate becomes home for their group.

In the process of fighting yokai at the museum, Gen's horn gets cut off.

In episode 4, Usagi and Kitsune leave the mansion to find a replacement horn for Gen. Outside they discover a bounty has been put on Usagi's head and Usagi and Kitsune get knocked out by the Mogura gang thanks to Usagi's recklessness.

Chizu also arrives there, to scare off the Mogura.

However, another gang, The Bat Squadron, has also come to collect the bounty and the leader of the Mogura, Chikabuma, leaves his knife with Usagi, who fights the admiral of the bat squadron. (Chikabuma will feature again later on...)

Overwhelmed by the fight (there's only him and Kitsune, with Chizu flying around in a stolen hovercraft), they're saved by Gen busting the fight with some common sense (the bat squadron would also get arrested by the city police...)

Re-arrested by Lord Kogane, Usagi uncovers that the Shogun's hat was posessed, posessing the Lord in return, and makes a deal with the hat-yokai and the shogun and earns enough trust for people to believe that there are yokai out again.

Obsessed with not being a third-rate crew next to the other two, Chikabuma makes a deal with Kagehito, to help him uncover some lost craft or ship. Over the season, because they were chased away by the Bat Squadron the Mogura crew helps Kagehito.

Kitsune does not really have a backstory-proper like Gen and Chizu, so you can sort of give her your own version or headcanons. What we do know:

She's highly adept at puppeteering (she's introduced as a scammer-puppet-actor, with a dancing O-dokuro puppet)

She is very good at stealing (but still gets caught by Usagi twice)

She mostly uses her fans for self-defense

her S2 fans can disappear and re-appear at will.

Assuming it's more than a reference to comics-Kitsune, she probably can actually dance herself too

Before meeting the other three, she slept on the streets and is used to making traps to help her avoid capture.

Her and Chizu are both orphans. Gen and Usagi had parents, but lost them at some point before the series began.

She hates being alone, which can be seen how much she wants to be friends with Usagi, Chizu and Gen, but also has trust issues, with how she reacts to Chizu's betrayal.

She has some sort of queer undertones going on with Chizu, and seeing how there's an openly gay writer on the show team, it's not out of the question that these undertones and subtext are intentional. Go wild with this info!

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In episode 5, Usagi has located Karasu-Tengu and challenged her to a spar because he wants the best sensei. Karasu-Tengu agrees to teach him if he captures 3 urban yokai. This has a really cool plot-line over the next 3-4 episodes which leads to Chizu and Usagi basically adopting a little sister, Hana ("flower").

Over the next 2-3 episodes, Usagi succeeds in capturing 2 of the urban yokai, Destruction and Distraction (also overcoming some of his own bad tendencies haha)

Gen and Kitsune take Usagi to the game arcade for the first time

Somehow they encounter Hakai, the desctruction yokai, posessing a construction-botto. Usagi has been trying to discourage the others from helping so far, so sure he could capture them on his own, but after getting battered and captured, agrees to their help.

Chizu tries to keep the crew away from the Ki-Stone temple to no avail (with an addition of, I'm sorry, but frankly hilarious haunting of Lady Fuwa as the full moon)

Usagi receives another vision, confirming that Miyamoto Usagi did kill the shogun then.

Chizu is revelead as a Neko Ninja spy, but betrays her ninja crew

Chizu has become really attached to Kitsune, Usagi and Gen, so she sees them as her true family now

She has a lot to make up for, especially to Kitsune, but they basically make up while Gen and Usagi are capturing Sakuran, the deception yokai.

He does not succeed capturing the 3rd urban yokai "Deception", but instead find one of the Neko Ninja dojo trainees, Hana. Hana tells them that her friend Kana pretends to be her so she can avoid doing all the assassination and fighting training.

The 3rd yokai has befriended Hana and after hearing Hana's please, Usagi decides it is wrong to capture this one. They visit the Ki-Stone temple instead to show the kids the Ki-Stone and so that Usagi can say his goodbyes to Tetsujin.

The Murakami siblings discover that one of the yokai who has stayed behind, has posessed their old Ashi-basha, a fancier kind of car, which they associate with the better times with their family.

Chikabuma and his gang have helped Kagehito uncover his space-ship and he reveals his plan to wipe out all life

—---------------------------

Usagi takes Hana to live with his Auntie and having given up his samurai dream, asks to live there too. But wait!

Hana's friend Kana was actually Karasu-Tengu in disguise, tesing Usagi on his earnestness to learn, because the skills she teaches can become more than lethal (basically, Usagi would eventually have supernatural abilities in the sword, if he continues)

Because of the promise of everything being destroyed, Chikabuma goes to warn Usagi and his friends, who go looking for Usagi at his farm with the Ashi-basha.

Usagi receives his training and spends 2 seasons on a magical mountain where time passes weirdly and not at all. When he arrives back in Neo Edo, it's night-time, instead of evening.

His family and friends are fighting O-Dokuro, who's been spying for Usagi to leave (his mystic yoyo being the only thing able to stop O-Dokuro), and came to the farm looking for a fight because of his pride as a yokai warrior.

Because of this training Usagi now defeats the Bat Squadron with ease, with help from Chikabuma.

The rest of the orphan crew + auntie have arrived at the Ki-Stone temple, they fight the Neko Ninja, with Lady Fuwa gaining the upper hand with numbers.

Usagi arrives and defeats the Neko Ninja forces (ngl, I personally thought this fight scene could have been better, but, it also gets the point across pretty clearly that Usagi has become a cut above the rest now)

all the while, Kagehito and Tetsujin (juiced up by the Ki-Stone), have been having an all-out battle at the temple

Usagi and crew chase after Kagehito at the bottom of the temple stairs, letting Usagi take the reigns in capturing him, but Kagehito breaks Usagi's yoyo. Usagi gets sad about this and so...

Kagehito succeeds in his plan to attach the "Clavis" device onto the Ki-Stone and she opens up a big portal in the sky.

Kagehito is freed and reveals that he was under the control of the Makkine, which the sky butterfly is a harbinger of. When the portal opens, a big monster will first arrive, with hundrends of warbotto.

Usagi leaps at the Clavis, trying to remove it from the Ki-Stone and has another vision, of what really happened 1000 years ago.

Everyone else sees this vision too this time! Miyamoto Usagi's name is cleared.

Usagi notes that she must have shown this for a reason and needs a missing piece, which has been lost for a thousand years.

Usagi realizes that Omurasaki is actually the missing piece of the Ki-Stone, attached to Edgewing, which he gave to his auntie earlier after the Neko Ninja fight.

At Gen's mansion, Lady Fuwa has been stalking after Hana and auntie as well and when Usagi arrives, threatens Hana's life, but the yokai save her.

They stop the Clavis from further infecting the Ki-Stone and the big hole in the sky closes up, replaced by a bright energy-butterfly.

Usagi's yoyo is repaired by the Ki-Stone as thanks for saving her and he puts the dying Kagehito back in her in the hopes of saving him.

In the 2nd season, Gen, Chizu and Kitsune also get their own personal Kaikishi weapons!

A big butterfly looms over the temple for the rest of the 2nd season and everyone mostly hand-waves it as "solved problem"

The Ki-Stone is silent in S2 and doesn't speak to Tetsujin anymore.

The 2nd season it's mentioned a few times that the Ki-Stone always being "on" makes it really really bright in both day and night in N-E.

Usagi being as self-important as he sees himself after the season 1 finale, feels jealous of his friends getting cooler kaikishi weapons and decides, "he'll be their sensei". Hilarity ensues.

The Bat Squadron kidnaps the shogun, because they want him to shut down the Ki-Stone Usagi trusts his friends to fight properly with their new weapons.

After going to eat, Kitsune discovers that the small green egg she discovered in the mogura tunnels after meeting Usagi, is actually alive. she names it Kiyoko.

this egg becomes like an adopted sister and will feature a lot in this season (by namesake, she's basically a reference to comics-Kitsune's adopted sister, a young girl also trained as a thief by UY Kitsune)

It's revealed in ep 2 that Usagi's ears are at least partially prehensile??? (he can lift and move them separately to grasp and throw Kiyoko) I just thought this was a funny detail, but must have been fun to board for the pre-production crew.

The orphan crew take some time off playing at the arcade again, but are attacked again by O-dokuro, who wants to get rid of yokai fighters once and for all (lot of fun fights in this ep, Usagi's yoyo gets stuck in a gacha machine because of O-Dokuro)

After the fight and collecting all of O-Dokuro's bones besides his head, Usagi allows him to live with them

They basically domesticate him in skull-form 😂 he befriends the kids visiting at the Murakami residence and Kitsune starts to feel like it's a real family.

Chizu and Kitsune save the other Neko Ninja kids. (ep 3)

Chizu challenges Lady Fuwa to a duel, defeating her fair and square and becoming the next Lady of the dojo.

As a result of this, she shares her time between the dojo and Kaikishi warrior duties, so the team's attention is sorta split between no yokai to fight and some looming danger they don't know yet.

The makkine warbotto are back. They keep 3D-printing themselves at the Sakura part where Usagi and Karasu-Tengu sparred in S1.

The crew retrieve the orb where Kagehito's people are trapped in some form of forced stasis.

They find out the Clavis (the creepy red thing) is so attached to the Ki-Stone, they might as well be one

cutting the Clavis would cut the connection to the other dimension

The only thing that can cut the Ki-Stone is Miyamoto Usagi's own sword, which cut the piece (Omurasaki) 1000 years prior.

They retrieve Miyamoto Usagi's sword, Willow Branch (with no sign of Young Willow, his wakizashi). We're given a backstory about the sword being lost with a family servant, who went on to search for it his whole life after losing it in the midst of some battle.

The whole episode about retrieving the sowrd is fun, I rec it.

Kitsune gets to pilot a big mecha built by Tetsujin (a defensebotto)

Cutting the Clavis off would also mean losing the connection to Kagehito's people, so Usagi bides his time.

He meditates on the sword and meets his ancestor face-to-face, getting to actually speak to Miyamoto Usagi and learn from him (it's funny, plz watch it)

The Neko Ninja crew betrays Chizu, save for one (Fumiko), the rest joining back with Lady Fuwa

Fumiko also escapes the situation, and Chizu is left alone to fight Fuwa, but Fumiko returns with Kitsune and her giant botto, scaring away Fuwa and her ninja

Kiyoko is revealed to be a makkine warmachine, but as she puts it, she's a "learning machine" and learned so much from Kitsune and the others, she doesn't want to forma a super mega biomech with the other biomechs around Neo Edo.

roll out-on-town sibling sequence as Kitsune and Kiyoko go around town doing fun stuff and scaring the city folk (lol)

the makkine warbotto find the other warmachine eggs and we're shown that they can reset them (one of them had learned from Chikabuma's personality), Kiyoko gets upset at after accidentally hurting Kitsune and escapes the mansion crying, seeing how the others are afraid of her

She's caught by the warbotto and after a big fight, she is connected with the other biomechs, over-riding her personality

More makkine warbotto and wawrmachines start coming through because the bat-squadron decided to sap the Ki-Stone from energy…… the last 2 eps deal with Usagi and the orphan crew + the Bat Squadron and Mogura crew dealing with this outfall!

Kiyoko is revealed to have over-ridden the big bio-mechs personality herself, bc Kitsune's personality is basically too big to be over-ridden and she learned from her.

Dividing the teams into three, they defeat the aliens, save Kagehito's people and Usagi finally cuts the Clavis off the Ki-Stone for good. Fuwa and the Neko Ninja help a little too.

(Gen with Nochi and Kagehito going after the supreme commander through the dimension portal, Kitsune, Kiyoko, O-Dokuro and Karasu-Tengu defending the city from the warbotto and mega-biomechs and Usagi and Tetsujin + later Fuwa and Chizu at the temple)

they seemingly destroy the makkine for good (as evidenced by Kiyoko also dropping dead with the rest of the warmachines and warbotto + the big explosion in the sky)

they get to keep Kiyoko alive via Ki-Stone battery.

Although the Bats take the credit, the shogun agrees to shut down the city's lights for the night, revealing the night sky for the first time since the Ki-Stone was almost shut down by the Clavis in S1. Usagi spies on this ceremony, reacting to Admiral Nochi being awarded.

Despite this, he sits happily with his friends at the end of the episode, saying they've earned this and that this sky and his friends are all he needs. (leaving the series at a nice open but conclusive ending)

Hope this helps! Happy writing and drawing!

[soundcrusher]

The super secret thing that's definitely Hot Rod x Overlord

Okay, so, it might have taken me three days to finsish this, but it's done now. Here's the "Secret Option that's definitely not Hot Rod x Overlord" that you guys voten on here.

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As a small sumary:

In this little story, Hot Rod never joined a faction after Nyon burned. Instead he became a drifter before becoming a mercenary who works for both factions from time to time.

(Please keep in mind that I'm working with whatever I can gather from TFWiki about the characters and their stories from the IDW contenuity.)

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With that being said, please enjoy a roughly 11 pages long fanfic with a pairing that should (probably) have never happened.

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Nyon burned, and no-one cared.

His people died, and no-one cared.

He was the only one left, and no-one seemed to care about that. They only wanted to claim one of the last known survivors of Nyon as their own. Not because of what he could offer to their cause, but rather as a symbol of how cruel their enemy could be.

It was sickening, because neither side didn’t think about what their claim would mean to Hot Rod. The Autobots saw it as a duty to take in a stranded mech without a home as a sign of good will, while the Decepticons only wanted him as a symbol of what a corrupted government could do to you. And call him selfish, headstrong or stupid, but Hot Rod did not want to become either. He, like every Nyonian buried under the ashes of their home and burned by the flames of their deathly freedom, would never join a faction that failed to help those in need.

The leaders only saw their goal after all. They could have helped, but neither did. No-one came when they called for help, and no-one tried to save them. They were pushed to the end. They fought till the end, and only now are the Autobots and Decepticons coming. Trying to claim the last remains of Nyon as their own.

And Hot Rod wouldn’t stand for that. No matter how much they tried to convince him, the young speedster only looked at them, before turning his back on everything. Walking away in search of a new home and purpose, far away from everything that provided a stark reminder of what he has lost, but Nyon’s downfall always found him.

At first, it was a single Autobot caught up in a trap set by Decepticons. And despite his burning hate for either faction, Hot Rod couldn’t turn his back on someone who was in need. So, he helped the Autobot out. Bringing them to safety, before leaving them alone. He couldn’t risk getting on their radar and getting another ‘Recruitment Speech’. He’s gotten sick of them the first time around. Especially those made by Optimus.

‘Freedom is the right of all sentient beings’, what a load of robo-bullcrap. If it truly was the right of all, why were they fighting and destroying life and freedom across the galaxy. Yes, the Decepticons are also to blame, but still, the Prime should be more self-conscious about his own decisions. And that comes from a known hot head”

Either way, this whole mess he found himself in started with one Autobot, and then it just spiraled. Everywhere he went, everywhere he tried to run to Nyon followed him. And then, when he thought about all he had lost, there was always someone in desperate need of help.

And Hot Rod always ended up helping whoever needed him. Be it Autobot, Decepticon, Neutral, or a poor organic caught up in the middle of Megatron’s and Optimus’ spike measuring contest. He was always there to help out, and despite his late friends' wishes, despite everything they hoped for him, Hot Rod took up arms and learned how to shoot, to fight, take on and dismantle ‘bots and ‘cons bigger than him, stronger than him. And when the factions learned about it, Hot Rod found himself facing them again. Over and over, like an endless song stuck in your head.

“Join us!”

“We could need a mech like you.”

“Why are you throwing away your skills, when you could use them for something greater?”

Those were just a few of the phrases Hot Rod heard while helping out, and he hated them. His skills weren’t supposed to be used by one of the sides. They were supposed to help whoever needed him. Whoever was faced with a situation like his own, like Nyonians, where the only way out was death.

So what if he sometimes helped out Autobots, only to face them on the other side in the next battle? This was war, and he was a drifter turned mercenary, Hot Rod had no obligations to anyone. No matter how many of those he fought with called him a traitor for taking on jobs offered to him. Let them think what they want, Hot Rod knows who he is. The last Nyonian he knows, and one who wouldn’t bow before anyone.

Not before the senate, not before Optimus Prime and not before Megatron, even if he was currently working for the latter one.

At least working for Megatron was easier than the Prime. Yes, he might get the occasional question as to why he isn’t joining his quest, but at least none of those questions were ‘Recruitment Speeches’. Not anymore at least.

But then again, working with the Decepticons also had its down-sides. Especially when it came to the mechs and femmes in the faction. Some were okay, some were annoying, and then there were those who seemed to have it out for him. And with ‘out for him’, Hot Rod meant that they were either trying to pick a fight with, or kill him.

Although, it was mostly the bigger ‘cons asking for a fight, because they never truly believe him that he can take them down. And yet, he always proves them wrong. Right now, he was sitting on the downed Decepticon he just fought while cleaning his rifle. It wasn’t his fault that the big lug got knocked out while fighting him. Also, Hot Rod was quick to notice how others seemed to avoid him whenever he was perching on one of his defeated opponents. So, this quickly became a habit. Not only because it kept others away, but also because it added to his image of a menacing mercenary. And such an image is always good.

But, much to Hot Rod’s disdain, one ‘con seemed to not take the hint. Or at least, he chose to ignore the hostile field the speedster let seep through his cracks, whenever he wanted to make sure others knew not to talk with him. Thus why he internally gagged, as he heard all too familiar footsteps come his way.

Great, as if he didn’t have anything better to do.

“Look what the cyber-cat dragged in…” Muttered Hot Rod quietly to himself, as he looked over at the mech. “Overlord, didn’t expect you to come back so soon. I would offer you a chair, but… yeeaaah. There’s none around.”

Overlord only smirked, as he waved one of his hands in a dismissive way, while the other was placed on his hip. “Oh, that’s okay. I’ve been sitting most of the day either way. That little mission was over in nothing more than a second.”

“Sounds like Megatron didn’t give you the interesting one. Heh, but you’re not the only one who’s been pushed to the side lines.” Hot Rod said and finished cleaning his rifle. Storing the cleaning rag in his subspace, before getting down from his perch and walking away. “But hey, I don’t mind it. Just means work is easier for me and I’ll be gone sooner than later.”

“So, you’re leaving again? Didn’t think you would abandone a fight that easily, Hot Rod.”

The speedster only laughed and shrugged his shoulders. Hiding his annoyance when he suddenly noticed that he had company when walking down the hall towards his temporary hab-suite. “Oh, I’m not abandoning a fight. I’m merely doing my job, while hoping to get an opportunity to finally see the… let’s say ‘fulfillment of my dream’.”

“And what would that entail?”

Overlord sure didn’t take social cues, or he opted to ignore them. Hot Rod was betting on the latter, while praying to Primus that his hab-suit would finally show up. He couldn’t stand the company of others, especially when they were nothing more than murderers who killed just for the sake of killing.

Hypocritic, he knows, but what else can he say? Everyone’s going to become a killer sooner or later when getting involved in this war. Doesn’t mean that Hot Rod had to enjoy it, even if there was a small part deep down that somehow relished in the fact that the mechs who didn’t help his people found their end at his hands. It’s poetic, in a way.

"Many things. Nyon being rebuilt would be a part of it, but… I would say seeing Megatron’s and Optimus’ grayed out form would be the biggest part. I wouldn’t even care who did it, as long as it happens.” That seemed to shut Overlord up for a second, and Hot Rod reveled in the silence. Until the bigger mech decided to speak up again.

“Would you try to kill Megatron on your own?” Asked Overlord, and this time, Hot Rod wasn’t sure what to think of the bigger mech. He didn’t like his tone. It was too flat and lacked his usual dramatic tendencies. Making him feel like prey, and Hot Rod hated that feeling.

“No, I’m not stupid.” Was the speedster's answer, before he let out a sigh. “Everyone knows he’s your kill. And frankly, I wouldn’t take your chance away to fight him.” He said with a laugh. “As I said, seeing his grayed out form is enough for me… Just… may I have one request?”

“And that would be?”

“A front seat when you get your re-match. I want to see the look on his face when he realizes that he can’t win.”

A smirk was all Hot Rod got as an answer, before entering his temporary hab-suit. And as he sat down on his berth, rifle stored away next to it and a knife placed in an easy to grab spot, did Hot Rod think about what exactly he said. Hopefully he didn’t make himself interesting for the big-lipped psycho. He didn’t need the attention of someone who’s known for his obsession over bloodshed and killing. It would only lead to problems. And Hot Rod didn’t need even more problems.

But those fears seemed unfounded, because when he awoke from recharge the next day, Overlord was long gone. Send to a mission which Hot Rod found out was far enough away from him. And so, the Nyonian continued his work for the Decepticons, before going his own way again. Leaving as soon as he got his payment and deciding to keep away from the war for a while.

And a while became a long time, because, as the war dragged on and he had to fight and kill more than before, Hot Rod found himself constantly confronted with the darkest part of his spark. A part that constantly tried to justify his killing by saying it was vengeance for his fallen people, but who was he kidding? War turns everyone into a killer, and Hot Rod was fighting with his urge to just go wild. Thus why he distanced himself from both factions from time to time. He didn’t need a longer list of victims, although he would always keep two spots open. Just in case.

His struggle to keep his darkest part at bay is also why he joined many ships and crews not as a killer but as a security guard. Traveling from place to place, until his latest crew crash landed on a planet he didn’t bother to learn the name of. Although, maybe he should have, because a group of Decepticons herded together the remaining survivors of the crash and him, and led them all back to a prison. An Autobot looking prison that was entirely run by Decepticons.

Great, this was just what Hot Rod needed. A place where he’ll probably rot until the end of his days, or die a lot sooner. Hopefully it’s the last, he’s always hated being trapped in one place. It reminds him too much of Nyon and how many of his people must have died trapped underneath rubble or in a room forced to slowly die.

But alas, fate seemed to make his life a cruel joke, because when his temporary crew was brought before the warden… it was Overlord. And Hot Rod found himself regretting his life choices, because out of all the planets he could have crash landed on, it was the one where Overlord was running a prison.

He really needs to have a long talk with Primus after this, because why must he torture him with having to face the one mech he didn’t want to see? But hey, at least Overlord didn’t recognize him when they were in front of him, and didn’t say anything when they were all herded towards the nearest cells. And as long as he kept his head and spoilers low, he should be able to-

“Hot Rod?”

Primus damn it! His luck was never here to stay, was it? So, with a deep inhale, Hot Rod put on his most charismatic smirk, before turning around. “Howdy Overlord, long time no see.” He said, while awkwardly finger gunning at the bigger mech. “Eeeeeeither way, I’m pretty sure your guys are supposed to bring me to a nice cell. Sooooo, see ya later?”

“No. I would rather see you now. We have… a lot of catching up to do.” And with that, Hot Rod was whisked away by Overlord. Separated from his temporary crew and led to another part of the prison. One that looked more like mechs were supposed to live there, rather than being imprisoned. Which means, there’s only one way how this is going to end, and Hot Rod wasn’t ready for that. Not even when Overlord simply pushed him into the biggest hab-suit he’s ever seen and locked the door behind them.

Great, just great, he was locked in with a mech known for killing anyone he pleases. And who was currently lounging on something that looked like a mix between a berth and a plush chair from earth. Weird choice of furniture, but who was he to judge. Hot Rod didn’t have the greatest taste either.

Still, with Overlord ‘seated’, the speedster remained standing. His hands fidgeted by his side, as his eyes roamed around the room. Mapping out possible escape routes, while he was already preparing a strategy in case this encounter would end in a fight.

“Well, well, well, look what the cyber-cat dragged in.” Said Overlord with the most self-serving smirk Hot Rod has ever seen. “I didn’t expect to see you this soon, Hot Rod. And this time, there are even enough chairs that I can offer you one to sit on.”

“Very clever, Lordy. Using my own words against me. Didn’t think you would remember them.” Was the answer Hot Rod gave, while walking around the room. Noting some energon stains littering either the floor, walls or ceiling. “And it looks like you’ve been… busy in here…”

“Of course. A gladiatorial pit doesn’t run itself after all and, well, you could say my sense of decor is quite… explicit.” Said Overlord, as he watched Hot Rod walk around. Observing how the speedster’s hands would sometimes form into fists, while his spoiler shook from something the Phase Sixer couldn’t quite place yet. “But it seems I’m not the only one who’s been busy, ‘Flaming Death’.” A hitch of the spoilers. One that made Overlord smirk even wider. “It seems you’ve made yourself quite the name, Roddy.”

“… A name I hate, but it seems to stick with me.” Was all Hot Rod said, before sitting down on a chair. “Either way, why am I not in a cell? Because I doubt this is only a way for us to ‘reconnect’, Overlord. If you want news about the Decepticons, I don’t know much. Haven’t worked with them for quite some time.”

“Oh no, that’s not why I invited you in here.” He didn’t like Overlord’s smile. Nor did he like how the Phase Sixer was sitting up, arms propped up on his legs and hands clasped together as he leaned forward. A smirk similar to that of the cheshire cat stretching across his face. “I was hoping you would stay here for a while. You see, the fights have become somewhat repetitive. No-one seems to know how to properly entertain my me-”

“You.” Hot Rod cut in. Barely containing his shit eating grin, as he saw one of Overlord’s eyes twitch in annoyance. “No-one seems to know how to properly entertain you. And let me guess, you’re hoping that I could breathe some fresh air into the fights by participating myself. Sorry Lordy, but I’m trying not to fight or kill anyone currently.”

Overlord looked deeply into Hot Rod’s eyes. Trying to find something that would or could indicate that the speedster was lying, but it seemed that his ‘friend’ was speaking the truth. But alas, he could see something simmering underneath the surface of the truth. And that was enough for him. “What a pity then. I know how much you hate recruitment speeches, but my proposition surely will interest you.”

“And what would that be?” Hot Rod didn’t like this. Hearing a speech from Optimus or Megatron was one thing, but Overlord played in a different kind of league. And he was never sure if Overlord didn’t know about the darker part of his spark. The one that liked killing.

“No need to be so tense, Roddy. It’s quite simple. Stay for a few days and join me during some of the matches. You don’t have to fight, only watch. And if you happen to want to join, I won’t stop you.”

This sounded like a good deal. One Hot Rod could do, but he was still unsure. There surely was a catch. “And what if I don’t want to?”

“There’s always a nice cell waiting for you and then you will have no choice but to fight.”

Damn it, that was a good point. And considering how he was currently at Overlord’s mercy, if that mech even knew the meaning of that word, his hands were tied. So, Hot Rod heaved a deep sigh, before nodding. “Alright, but I’ll be allowed to decide when I go. You know why I don’t like sticking around one place for a long time. I get too twitchy whenever I can’t move on.”

“Of course, of course. But I would still advise you to, at least, stay for some stellar cycles. You can’t really get the full experience otherwise.”

And so, Hot Rod stayed. Joining Overlord whenever there was a fight happening and watching the poor mechs dying for a chance of freedom, but the speedster knew that it was a lie. Overlord never lets anyone live, and he only needed to witness one winner getting annihilated by the Phase Sixer after their hard earned winning streak, for him to get into the arena himself.

At first, he made sure the deaths would be quick. Hot Rod hated dragging them out. No-one was supposed to suffer when he fought them. Not when there was already enough suffering across the galaxy, but then he was confronted with his next opponent. And Hot Rod’s blood started to boil.

He remembered the mech from when Optimus came to gaze upon the burned remains of Nyon. That mech dared to insult his city, his people. Calling them cowards for destroying their home and not finding another way out. And for once, Hot Rod didn’t hold back, nor did he let the Autobot die a quick death.

No, Hot Rod took his time with killing this mech

At first, he made the mech stagger and fall by weaving between his punches. His opponent was taller than him, but this wasn’t the first time Hot Rod faced off against someone that was bigger and stronger. And neither was it his first time fighting a mech who had an ego bigger than what was healthy. So, it didn’t take him long until the Autobot was tired out, and with one quick punch between his chest plates, the big fella fell. With Hot Rod quickly descending upon him. Ribbing through cables and painting the ground of the arena with his opponents energon, until the Autobot could no-longer move. The speedster hard removed every cable needed for that.

However, Hot Rod didn’t finish him off yet. Rather, he took one look at the mech, before igniting his fire. Coating his right arm with flames burning hotter than they should while he slowly pressed it against his opponents chest. Melting his chest plating as Hot Rod’s hand steadily buried its way closer and closer to the mech’s spark. And when he reached his destiny, Hot Rod stared into the Autobots eyes. Tilting his head slightly to the side while smiling sweetly, before plunging his hand deeper. Burning him from the inside.

And only when it was done, did Hot Rod look up. Staring Overlord straight in the eyes, as he slowly got up. Energon that wasn’t his own dripping from his frame, before he turned around and left the arena.

He had given them a spectacle. He had given Overlord exactly what he wanted, and now, he was tired. Primus, was he tired. Using his flames freely without restriction was one thing, but using them in a concentrated way that made it able for him to burn through another Cybertronian’s plating was another thing. There were many things he had to consider after all. The spot where he was concentrating all his flames to, the intensity of the heat used and the willpower to pull through.

And that alone made Hot Rod tired. Tired enough to not notice the looming presence following him.

“That was quite the show you put on, Roddy.” Great, Overlord coming after him was the last thing he needed. Especially when he was low on fuel and his frame was screaming at him to rest.

“Can we not do this now Overlord? I’m not really… in the right mood for whatever this is going to be.” Hot Rod sighed, as he felt his body slowly shutting down. Maybe he shouldn’t have gone all out, but pit be damned, it was worth it. Even if it was just to shut up the dark part of his spark and, in a twisted way, protect his fallen city and people's honor.

“I can see that. Using those flames of yours must have really tired you out.” Overlord grinned, as he scooped up the exhausted speedster and started to carry him down the halls. “I can’t recall ever seeing them. Nor have you ever said anything about them. How come?”

Hot Rod didn’t want to, but he couldn’t help but lean against Overlord, before answering the big lug. “I just didn’t think it would interest anyone. Flames aren’t really that special after all. There are far cooler abilities out there.”

“And yet, I must admit that they fascinate me. Seeing you burn through your twelfth opponent with such ferocity, such bloodlust, one could start to think that you relish in the pain of those you kill.”

Hot Rod knew that Overlord was toying with him, but frankly, he was too tired to indulge him. So, he simply shrugged his shoulders as best as he could, before closing his eyes. Thinking more about the fact that he’s killed twelve mechs so far, with only the last one being a brutal death. Seems like he still has his self-control in check. Good.

"Twelfth… huh? So, did you come to pick up the scraps and finish me off? Don’t think that that would be satisfying for you.”

“Oh no. I’m not here to fight you. I’m just here to make sure you’re taken care of, before your ‘final fight’. I want you to be presentable and at full strength after all.” That didn’t sound good. The final fight, from what Hot Rod has seen, was one between Overlord and whoever the unfortunate Cybertronian was that got so far.

“Sorry… but that won’t happen. The second I can, I’m calling in our deal and leaving this place. And you can’t really do anything against it, Lordy.”

“Are you sure I can’t do anything against it?” Asked Overlord with that degradingly silky tone of voice that caused Hot Rod’s internals to churn in hate. And, maybe, something else. But he didn’t say so. Instead, the speedster online his optics and glared up at the smug looking bastard towering over him. Growling lowly, as he hurled a small blast of fire at Overlord’s face. But considering his state, it didn’t reach its target. Dissipating the second the blast left his outstretched arm.

Causing Overlord to let out a chuckle, as he readjusted his hold on the weakened speedster. Holding Hot Rod’s arm, while gently squeezing it. “I take this as a ‘No’, Roddy. And if I were you, I wouldn’t try to argue with me. Not when you like your arm.”

“Suck my exhaust pipe.”

“Maybe later.”

Later came all too soon for Hot Rod and, turns out, Overlord didn’t really mean an actual fight when he told him he had to be ready for his ‘final fight’. It was a proposition. One he wasn’t sure if he should accept, but considering everything else, he said yes. And ended up with more than just Overlord sucking his exhaust pipe. Because it turns out that Overlord doesn’t just have very kissable lips, he’s also very good with them… and with everything else too…

That’s also why Hot Rod finds himself fighting back a deep blush whenever he remembers that night. Even as he moved on, leaving the prison and planet, the memory of that night never truly left him. It was something else, and to be honest, it was probably the first time Hot Rod felt understood or even heard out. And the only part that caused some sort of anger to rise whenever he thought about that was, that it’s Overlord.

That guy’s supposed to be a dangerous but charming mass murderer who kills only for the fun of it. Not someone Hot Rod feels comfortable around… and yet, the spark wants what the spark wants. And so, the speedster did the only thing he could think of.

Run as far as he could and wait until the war was over, before going back to Cybertron. He wanted a new start, something that could give him a chance to break out of the circle of violence he found himself in, and yet, the only jobs he got were those that caused others pain. And those only caused the dark part of Hot Rod’s spark to grow, no matter how deep he tried to push it back down. It always rose up, just like Overlord said.

Maybe that’s why he joined that weird crew when they were looking for Cybertronians who wanted to join their quest in finding the Knights of Cybertron. Maybe he thought that the Knights could help him with his problem. They were Knights after all, they surely fought some mechs. They should know how to deal with the urge to kill, right? They could help him, right?

Either way, joining the crew might have been the wrong call. Not because it wasn’t fun, oh no, despite him being surrounded by Autobots, Hot Rod had a blast. He even found a friend in the swordmech named Drift. His problems were more with the crew members who knew him from his time as mercenary. Especially that Whirl fella always tried to pick a fight with him, and Hot Rod always obliged. Whipping that mech’s aft over and over, and always landing in the brig for it. If he didn’t know it better, he would say that that big blue mech was after him. Then again, he did kind of steal his version of the Autobot Codex and vandalize it, so, yea. It’s kinda deserved.

But still, no matter how many adventures they got into, or how often he fought with Whirl, Hot Rod couldn’t escape his urges. They always came back to haunt him, especially after he visited Rung to talk about Nyon. It was turning into a problem, one his new and only friend always seemed to notice. And then, Hot Rod would find himself seated next to the swordmech. Trying his best to meditate with him, but it was harder than he thought.

Things have only gotten harder for Hod Rod since the peace time started, and they seemed to only get worse when it was discovered that none other than Overlord was held on the ship. Like, wasn’t his life already hard enough? Did Primus really have to make him face the one mech he loathes and maybe loves the most?

Primus was probably using him as nothing more than a joke, but at least he got to fight the Phase Sixer. And this time, Hot Rod didn’t hold back like the other times the crew got into a fight. Oh no, he went into the fight with fists raised and fire blazing. Taking some of his new crew members by surprise, because they only knew him as a neutral mech who, sometimes, got into fights with Whirl. Not as someone who would willingly go up against someone like Overlord and flirt while doing so. It sure was fun.

“Well, well, well, look what the cyber-cat let loose. Haven’t seen you since Garrus-9, Lordy.” Chuckled Hot Rod, as he dodged one of Overlord’s strikes by ducking and rolling to the side. “Don’t tell me you’ve been… hey!… Waiting for me in that cell.” Another dodge, before he sent a blast of fire into the Phase Sixers direction. Successfully distracting him from stepping on poor Pipes and probably killing him. “If I had known, I would have visited you sooner.”

“You left so soon after our special night and never came back, I thought you'd forgotten about me.” Chuckled the big mech, before driving his fist into the ship’s wall and ripping out a pipe. Which he hurled after poor Pipes. Knocking him off his feets but not killing him. “But had I known that you were here, I would have broken out sooner.”

“Awww, sounds like I’m your new favorite mech! Heh, I bet it’s my charm that won you over.” Hot Rod quickly struck a pose, before jumping to the side and doing a somersault to dodge another one of Overlord’s punches. Doing his trademark finger guns as soon as he stood up-right again. “Come one, admit it, ya missed me!”

“Of course I’ve missed you, Roddy. None of the mechs I’ve met after your departure have screamed like you have.”

That seemed to shut Hod Rod up, because the flamboyant mech couldn’t quite figure out what Overlord meant. And so, he put his hands together and two fingers against his lips, before moving everything forwards and pointing at the mech in front of him. “You’ve interfaced with someone else? You don’t really strike me as someone who would do something like that.”

“Oh no. I actually meant your screams when you burned the hole into that Autobot’s chest.” Answered Overlord, before quickly smacking away the pipe Hot Rod picked up and threw at him. “But now that you mention it, I also missed those screams.” And with each word, Overlord walked closer and closer to Hot Rod, until the small speedster was literally trapped between a wall and the Phase Sixer. And as soon as he was sure Hot Rod couldn’t escape the situation, Overlord leaned down to whisper straight into his audials. Purring softly. “And I’ve been itching for another ‘fight’, little flame.”

But before Hot Rod could say anything, they got interrupted by some of the crew. Much to Overlord’s dislike. “Can’t you see we’re having a moment!?” He yelled, before noticing exactly who interrupted them. “Ah. Why hello Maximus. I haven’t seen you since Garrus-9 either.”

And then, everything turned into chaos.

Hod Rod still can’t remember how he managed to somehow slip past the two the second Maximus bounced on Overlord like a rapid turbofox ready to tear out someone’s spark, but hey. When he was still a mercenary he didn’t really question things like this either. So, he simply stood there. Watching, taking notes on the fighting styles of both mechs and waving at those of the crew who decided to join the fight. And when asked why he was standing to the side, Hot Rod simply shrugged his shoulders and said, “Would you get in between this?” Which was met with understanding nods, until things got even messier.

And now, Hot Rod found himself sitting in that one cell together with Overlord and that poor minicon Rewind. Or at least with whatever remained of Rewind. It was a shame, not only because of Chromedone, but also because Hot Rod kind of liked the witty minicon. He was fun to talk to, even though he often had to pretend to be someone else in front of him. Just like with everyone else.

“You seem unhappy to be stuck with me.” Said Overlord, after the silence between them grew too large. “And here I thought our reunion would be a lot better.”

“Well…” Started Hot Rod with a rather annoyed tone. “ You just killed some of my crew members and poor Rewind over there, I think ‘unhappy’ is underselling it a little bit.”

“Since when did you care about other mechs? As far as I can remember, you never cared about anyone else but you.” He scoffed while waving a hand around. “But it seems like a few years apart can change even the most interesting mechs. What happened to the Hot Rod who fought bigger mechs than him and then used them as his perch? What happened to the Hot Rod that killed mechs with a single shot, and then joked about it? Where is he?”

“Gone! He’s gone, Lordy. Gone, buried and never coming back.” Growled Hot Rod, before smacking his hands against his face. “And honestly, I was happy with that, but then you had to come back! Just walked right into my life and dug him up again… Thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What!? Nevermind, listen. It would have been better if he-” Hot Rod was about to explain why exactly it was better for him to have that part of his life buried, but Overlord stopped him with a quick kiss.

“It’s a shame to see you bury such a lovely part of yourself, little flame.” Purred the bigger mech, before sitting back up and pulling Hot Rod onto his lap. “Do you know how thrilling it is to watch you tear through one mech after the other? To see you turn them into grayed out husks of their former selves? I loved seeing you take out all that buried anger on mechs who deserved nothing else but death.” Overlord chuckled, before his smile turned into a frown as he saw how Hot Rod was avoiding his gaze. So, he softly placed a finger underneath the smaller mech’s chin and tilted it upwards. Giving him no other choice than to look into his smug face. “Why are you so scared of a part that’s so beautiful?”

“Maybe because if I… if I show it, others won’t want to be with me? Because it reminds me too much of Nyon? I don’t know…”

“And even if others would avoid you if they knew about it, what does it matter? You still got me, Roddy. I would never turn away from someone as beautiful as you.”

Hot Rod couldn’t help himself not to laugh. This was cheesy, while also sounding impossible. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”

But Overlord only smiled, before leaning down to press another kiss onto Hot Rod’s lips. “If I were, you would be dead.”

And then, it was their ‘final fight’ all over again.

[eldritch-araneae]

Hi there! Hope your having a good day ^^

I had watched TFE not too long ago, then someone suggested I come to your posts for TFE Bee analysis and observations- then I saw your response about with Optimus being controlled by GHOST, which had me thinking. If Optimus was controlled by GHOST, would that explain why he gave Bee the mission to look for Grimlock rather than telling him to go back into hiding. If he went back to hiding then GHOST would lose track of him, but sending him to that exact location under the guise of a mission meant that he was less likely to leave, would put in the effort to win, his strength was being drained and if/when he would eventually lose, there’s no reason for anyone to assume it was GHOST’s doing, even if someone found Mandroid’s stuff, because no one would know Mandroid is in Kahoots with GHOST.

IDK, could be wrong tho

Hello! First I'm very flattered that someone out there reads my thoughts about the show, I love analyzing it.

ES Spoiler under the cut!

Your idea sounds solid, bc I also find it suspicious why Bumblebee of all other Autobots (since he's not only one working undercover) was send there. He's a scout, not a warrior to fight in gladiator rings, even tho he can handle himself well.

Which also feeds into my suspicious that GHOST has a huge beef with Bee. Schloder was obsessing with him for a long time, and the fact that even fake dead didn't help!

And since we know about Optimus less we know about Megatron it feeds into more suspicions. But at same time there can be many possibilities why this happened:

Optimus being controlled or manipulated by GHOST like you said, it can be more direct or more subtle. Because Optimus got a tip about Grimlock's whereabouts, but we don't from who. So this could be a trap to begin with. A lot of mind games happening in there!

Also it's possible that Bumblebee took initiative himself! I won't be surprised that he didn't even reported to Optimus yet that he was discovered by GHOST, but to smooth things out and out of guilt he just overheard about Grimlock and went onto this mission alone. This makes perfect sense why he, a scout, went to fight in the ring, and it's so in his character!

Optimus being absent also can mean that he might working on better way to protect Cybertronians in secret bc GHOST is military - so Croft has all the power to prevent it. So no one can even know about this. Which is my the most preferred outcome, but its probably the least likely to be true bc how everyone in general treat optimistic and kind people ( example: all this weird "Optimus is naive" thing and forgetting that the core of this character is "being strong enough to be gentle", plus how horrendously Bumblebee was handled in idw comics). Even tho the progress was made by people who went "life has to be better than this".

[deadpool1763492]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin: The Lost Years #1 spoilers below the cut. Read at your own risk.

Edit: Just bought my physical copy yay me

Okay, I may or may not have ended up reading that issue in 10 minutes because I was so goddamn excited, so here are some of my initial notes from it following my first read through. I will be keeping images out of this post just because the issue was released less than half an hour after I'm writing this. Buy yourself a copy because this story is amazing!

1. "Get up, foolish child!"

So, this line came up a few times in this issue, namely from Splinter, who is saying it to Michelangelo in the midst of battle. It's interesting to see that he's calling Mikey foolish for not wanting to fight anymore.

I can't tell what I think about Master Splinter in this series. Yes, he reminds Mikey that he's not alone in this war and that he will always have his family by his side, but he also says things like, "This is what I have trained you for all your life" and "I will not leave you here to meet a coward's death". It's bittersweet, in a way. Mikey just wants to stop fighting; it was a theme throughout the initial Last Ronin storyline, as well. There's a reason why it ends with "know peace".

And then we cut to Casey, April and Casey's daughter, training the four new turtles we were teased at the end of Last Ronin #5, also yelling "get up" at them during training. I guess this line is going to be a sort of motif throughout the series, this idea of getting up no matter how many times you're knocked down. It's a good lesson, of course, but, as shown through Splinter and the entirety of the first series, it's clear that it has its consequences.

2. The New Turtles

It seems that this series is taking a page from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in having these four new characters be different species of turtles, which is really interesting. Like I said before, I'll be keeping images out of this post for now just for the sake of having other people read the story themselves (and copyright, of course), but I'll list the names of these turtles and what I can gather of their personalities just from the few panels we have of them.

Odyn — He's the biggest of the four at the moment, and all we really know about him is that he's apparently always hungry and he's not a big fan of tai chi because it's "too hard". So, not a big fan of training in general and possibly even fighting altogether, which could prove interesting in the future.

Uno — He's the showoff out of the four of them. He seems physically gifted and enjoys training, whether that be with the others or on his own. He also seems to believe he's better than the others from what I can gather, and doesn't seem to get along well with Moja, who I will get to next.

Moja — She's looks like the short-tempered defender of the group, seeming really similar to Raphael in some ways. She is quick to defend Odyn when Uno makes fun of him, and picks a fight with Uno when he doesn't seize the teasing. Unlike Uno, however, she seems to show a lot of respect towards April and owns up to her mistakes quickly.

Yi — From what I can go off of (which isn't exactly much, considering how little we got of these four), she's the Donatello of the group. She seems pretty calm and collected for the most part, and apparently loves spending time with April in the garage "fixing" things. I just hope she isn't some carbon copy of Donnie and has her own personality, albeit similar to his.

Speaking of similarities, that brings me to my third and final thought when reading this issue.

3. Change is Constant

Did I steal that from the first IDW arc? Who's to say.

So, this theme has been in the franchise for as long as it has existed. I mean, the first episode of 2003 is literally titled "Things Change". It's the idea that life always comes with its twists and turns and that there's no predicting exactly what will happen next. We can't control the universe, we simply exist within it. Empires rise and they fall. That's just life. You can't hold on to something forever because that's how you let that thing consume you. "Know peace," as Michelangelo stated.

Then we get to these four new turtles. Casey never really knew the original four outside of stories told by her mother, which caused these ideas of heroic martyrs to be put into the kid's head all her life. Because of this, her goal with these new turtles is to probably forge them into their predecessors' images. The problem with that is, of course, that's not really how life works.

These kids have big shoes to fill. That much is obvious. I mean, look at the original turtles. They trained their entire life to fight in a war against the Foot Clan. As teenagers, they went to space, they traveled to different universes, they fought other mutants and the US government and so much more. I can bet you that this legacy will come into play in this story, and not exactly in a good way.

Odyn, Uno, Moja, and Yi are not Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. They know this. Casey and April know this. We as an audience know this. What that means, however, is that we should not be putting them into boxes to fit the former turtles. Casey is trying to mold them into her heroes, and April no doubt is probably unconsciously doing the same just because she misses them just as much, but that could be pretty awful for these new guys. Think of it as growing up with an amazing older sibling or family member in general. All your life, you end up just trying to be like that one person, so much so you end up neglecting who you might be. I'm guessing individuality is going to be a big focus of this story, as well.

Well, that's my initial thoughts on this issue. I've been waiting a while for this, and, as a long-time fan of this franchise, I'm so excited to see what comes next in the story. I love how we're finally branching off to new characters and possibly new storylines altogether, all inspired by the original story. Now to wait a month for the next issue. I'll see you all then!

[true-blue-sonic]

I can't recall if I've ever asked about it here (apologies if I already have!) but stuff like the IDW comics and the April Fools game have really gotten me wondering, what exactly ARE Espio's abilities beyond ninjutsu and the innate ability to camouflage? Cause like sure, the "communicating through subconscious" thing from TMoStH was definitely unexpected, but I'm also REALLY fascinated by the random leaf swirl he has in IDW sometimes when using his abilities? Like... where does he get those???

I don't think you have, no worries! ^-^ I think Espio's skills are a combination of factors, namely the fact that he is a chameleon, a ninja, and apparently simply also quite intelligent, if he can speak 17 languages fluently and speedread books*. Personally, I think certain skills are attributed to his chameleon species: wallcrawling and being able to camouflage, for example. Being a ninja then adds stealthiness, espionage, and proper fighting manoeuvres, and he can furthermore build further on his chameleon skills through his ninja training, like being able to turn entirely invisible (because in Generations, he calls his invisibility 'Ninja arts, camouflage!', but being able to change colours is innate to real-life chameleons).

As for Leaf Swirl specifically, the Sonic wiki leads me to the Sonic Heroes instruction booklet which says this:

So that is apparently a ninja thing! No idea where he gets the transparent leaves from, however. Just some added ninja flair for coolness? XD

But honestly, I do get the feeling that it is easy for game developers to just give Espio Cool AbilitiesTM and handwave it with the fact he is a ninjutsu-practicing ninja, like the whole 'communicating through subconscious' thing. And let's be real, ninja are quite mystical and mysterious, so I doubt many players are going to question the logistics behind it. But the Sonic franchise does not really tend to explain where any character gets their abilities from and what their limits are, it feels like, so I guess the fact Espio has so many skills arbitrarily linked to being a ninja fits right in!

*One thing I should remark here is that for me, I try to keep in mind what is meant as a joke and what is meant to be serious world-building, and I think that in this case, the mentioning of Espio's abilities kind of was the former? Just something to make players chuckle when the whole case unravels, basically. So I'm ambivalent about whether it's really canon or just a joke thrown inbetween, let alone that I'm not sure if TMOSTH is canon to the games to begin with. But for my fics it is definitely something I'd like to keep in mind :>

[roughandtumble-r]

Sorry it took me so long to get to Issue 3 of Scrapnik Island, I made a bit of a miscalculation on my end that made this take a lot longer to do, but at the very least, I guess it’s fitting that I’m talking about the last IDW Issue of this year on the final day of the year :3

So after getting knocked out and Sonic gets kidnapped by Mecha Sonic, Sigma wakes up to find Mecha Knuckles destroyed...

Meanwhile, Tails and the other scrapniks find out about Mecha Sonic keeping Sonic hooked up to a machine, and they get ready to save him.

Tails and the scrapniks then make their way into the Death Egg and find Sigma, who explains that he wasn’t able to completely free Mecha of Eggman’s programming, which explains why he’s been acting the way he has since seeing Sonic.

Mecha Sonic finds them after Sigma explains this however, and after picking them off one by one to leave him alone, Mecha Sonic drops Tails in the trash.

Don’t forget to recycle, kids :3

Mecha then takes Tails’ Miles Electric pad to the machine where he’s keeping Sonic, and he’s now ready to set his plans in motion...

...also, Mecha Sonic may be planning on swapping their brains, but we won’t know for sure until the final issue. Speaking of the final issue, both Issue 4 of Scrapnik Island as well as Issue 56 were set to come out in the next couple weeks, although we haven’t gotten any preview pages for Issue 56 yet, so there’s a chance it (and possibly Issue 4 of Scrapnik Island) have been delayed, but we’ll once again have to wait and see.

We also got both a cover and the solicit for Issue 59, which is set to come out in March...

Androids everywhere! Three teams are trapped in Eggperial City, fighting wave after wave of androids. Sonic is speeding, Amy is smashing, Tails is flying. Shadow is punching, Omega is ripping, Rouge is…looting. But will it be enough? And has anyone seen Tangle?!

[revelboo]

I'm soooo obsessed with 'Skin and Bones' it makes me look stupid. I daydream about it at work lmao. Honestly fantastic

For me, it’s as fun to write soft Megatron as it is to write feral TFP Megs. Mass displaced mech 18+ 🌶️

Skin and Bones Pt 9- extended cut

IDW Megatron x Reader

Servos trembling as they curl into fists, he shrugs off Soundwave’s hand on his shoulder. Knows the communications officers is concerned, but the energon splattered on his hands and chassis isn’t his. It rarely ever is.

“Leave me,” he growls, wishing he could gentle his tone. But that fury is a living thing inside his spark. Another failed coup to put down. It’s not like it’s anything new, but he’s just so tired of it and violence is the only way to keep his throne. The only thing his followers respect and he hadn’t been able to temper his blows, because betrayal always brings out the worst in him. Those memories always too close to the surface.

Drags him right back to the gladiator pits, struggling and clawing just to survive, because one wrong move will cost his life. Never being able to relax, not even during recharge. Being the strongest had placed a target on his head. Made him plenty of enemies.

And finally alone, that rage shakes him, sinking into his spark. Because everything he’s done has been for them. Fighting for freedom, to not be leashed by the aristocracy ever again. Dragging his chair away from his desk, he slings it across the room. Wants to tear the walls down around him, but it’s the sharp cry from his berth that freezes him. Chains that fury.

Spark constricting as he realizes he’d forgotten all about you. Head turning, he finds you pressed against the wall on his berth, eyes wide with fear. Seeing the real him for the first time, the angry mech who’d fought so hard just to survive, who’d grown bitter and determined. And you’re terrified.

“Little one,” he growls, voice too rough still as he approaches. The chair didn’t land anywhere near you, but he’s been so careful to not show you the worst of him, because around you he can relax. Remember that there were times before the fights that weren’t easy by any means, but were almost happy. Companionship found with the other miners, a sense of family that had been taken from him. Reaching out a hand, he doesn’t try to touch you as you flinch back, little hands curled against yourself. Afraid if he tries to touch you, it’ll send you running. And he’s afraid of what he’ll do in turn if you reject him. He’s just so tired of it all, but you give him comfort. A little spot of trusting warmth.

Eyes shiny, you look from his outstretched hand to his face. Slowly letting out a breath and coming to him to lay a warm palm on his servo. Still trusting him even if you’re scared.

“Everything okay?” You ask, looking up at him as a single tear slides down your cheek and you reach up to scrub it away. Afraid, but asking him if he’s okay and your concern aches in his spark.

Knows how dangerous it is after the brawl he’d just had. If anyone comes looking for him, if they get past their fear and come at him together? Knows he shouldn’t risk it even as he places his ped on the berth, leaning forward and mass shifting. Closing the distance between you as he shrinks and seeing your eyes widen as he carefully grips your little hand. Even like this, you’re so much smaller than he is, fragile. But as you look up at him, he’s snared by those eyes, the little flecks of color in them he’s never noticed.

“You’re little. Smaller,” you whisper with a soft, awkward laugh, eyes dropping to stare at his hand gripping yours. “Didn’t know you could do that.”

He needs to see those eyes again, his free hand reaching to cup your soft cheek and tip your face up. Feeling when you lay your palm on his hand as he slides a servo along your cheek. Accepting his touch despite the faint tremor he can still feel, those trusting eyes seeing him. The good and the bad, and not running. Venting sharply when his touch leaves a smear of energon on your cheek, marking your skin with his sins.

Because that’s what he’s always done, isn’t it? Every time he reaches out, he just ends up destroying what he’s trying to protect.

He’s frozen, those red optics fixed on his servos against your cheek as you try to calm your racing heart. That had been the other side of the coin, the vicious warlord that the Seekers had whispered about. Feared. Red optics glowing, denta bared as he’d seized his chair in energon wet hands and thrown it. That hatred twisting his face mixed with despair, cutting you so deeply, piercing the fear.

Those wet servos are touching you, dampening your skin. And he’s just staring, venting raggedly like he’s about to lose it all over again. That’s what makes you catch his hand between both of yours when he tries to snatch it away. Eyes dropping as he hesitates and you pull, turning yourself so your back is to him, his arm under yours and pinned to your body. So you can examine that big hand. “I like when you touch my cheek or play with my hair,” you begin, unsure of how to say what you need to, what he needs to hear. Playing with a servo to curl it slightly and amazed that he’s letting you. “These hands don’t scare me, they’re warm against me when I sleep. They’re strong, but they keep me safe.”

“They destroy, too,” he murmurs.

He’s so close he’s almost touching you and you feel the warmth of him when he vents and it stirs your hair. “Mine can, too.”

He huffs out what might be a bitter laugh at that, but he would think you’re too little, too fragile to do any harm. Giving in, you lean back into him. Soaking in his warmth and safety and realizing how attached to him you are. That you like that rumbling voice, like those big, gentle hands. It’s not like you’d ever deluded yourself into thinking he was safe, but he’d made you feel seen and cherished. He’d felt safe even knowing what he was and what he’s capable of.

“I’m not afraid of you.” Tugging his hand up, you press a kiss against the center of his palm. You can’t look at him, can’t risk seeing the surprise or worse, the disgust on his face. Cause to him, you’re a pet. A weird little alien he adopted as his. So you brace yourself when he turns you, those red optics searching your face.

“You should be,” he says, cupping your face in those warm hands. “I terrify myself.” And his head dips, his mouth brushing against yours.

More of a question than a kiss, a warm stroke of his lips against yours and he’s lifting his head. Going up on tiptoes as warmth spreads through you, you catch his helm and drag him back so you can mold your own mouth to his. Wanting this, him even though it’s crazy. You’re two very different species, but being held by him, drowsing to the thrum of his spark under you, it feels like coming home. And you want all of it. Want to hang on with both hands so you’re not left alone again, because after him? You might not survive that loneliness.

His glossa slides against the seam of your lips entering when you part for him. Those big hands sliding over you, dragging you closer as your feet leave the ground. His mouth moves against yours in a hungry demand and one of his arms cages you to him.

Your mouth is all heat and hunger against his, those soft hands clinging to him as if afraid he might stop. Even if he’d wanted to, he’s not sure he could now. Because you’d reached out, taken what you wanted and given him permission to do the same. No, there’s no stopping until he takes everything he can, loses himself in whatever comfort you’ll allow him. Because you? There’s no conniving or plotting in those warm eyes. Pinning you to his frame, he goes down on his knees and lays you down under him, head lifting slightly so he can find those eyes. Reassure himself that he can have this without destroying what little he has.

“Don’t go,” you whisper, face flushed as you reach for him and how can he deny you?

Slowly so he doesn’t scare you, he finds the bottom edge of your shirt and slides it up to reveal soft skin. “I’m here,” he says and you smile faintly, little hands moving to help him strip you. And only then, bare underneath him, do you avoid his optics as he surfs a palm against you, mapping you out with his servos. “Look at me.” It’s a demand and not as gentle as he’d meant, but you hesitantly meet his optics. “We’re very different.”

“I know,” you say, reaching up to skim your fingers over his chassis in barely there touches. As if not sure if you’re allowed.

Catching your wrist, he presses your palm more firmly against him. “I like those differences.” Shifting slightly, he continues his slow exploration. Finding where he can touch you to make you shiver, squirm away, or gasp. Then his servos find you, cup you and stroke that wet heat. Realizing that as different as you are, it feels like you’re made for him as he presses a servo inside you and you arch. Primus, help him as he frees his spike. Needing to be buried deep inside you even as he strokes that servo deep.

“Don’t stop,” you protest when he pulls his hand away and he laughs softly. He can’t even if you asked him to as he shifts to cover you. Little eyes widening as you feel his spike slide against you, then slowly press inside. “Oh.”

You’re so tight and wet wrapped around his spike as he sheaths himself. He can feel you clench on him before you relax and soften as he cups your cheek. Rocks himself against you with a growl, savoring the feel of you. “I love those differences,” he snarls, beginning to move against you. Hips driving urgently against yours, still wound up with that anger from earlier. Taking that frustration out on you, claiming you rougher than he intended. And you hold onto him, murmuring against his neck. Right there, please, his name, falling almost mindlessly from your lips against the mesh of his neck. Accepting him even like this when you deserve gentle and soft.

And when you cry out and tighten on him, he keeps rutting against you. Denta bared as he thrusts and chases you over that edge. Feeling you milk his spike as he buries himself deep and releases. Claiming you as his. Needing you and those soft hands that had reached out, those eyes that had seen him and not turned away. Knows he doesn’t deserve you, but wants to hold onto this as long as you’ll trust yourself to him, because you feel more like home than anywhere he’s ever been.

Previous

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[kninedlog]

Here's every current Sonic character IDW or Videogame and my; I've been with sonic the hedgehog since birth, opinion. PART 2

Yes this a part 2 I made another one that I posted before this one. If you haven't seen it you don't need to, but it does cover the main guys. This one goes a little obscure cuz this is mostly comic characters now.

If you want to read the first part check it out HERE and at the bottom of the post. THX 😊 Let's roll!

V+Name= Videogame vr

C+Name= IDW comic vr

Name = just assume I'm talking about both iterations or they only have the one of either.

(mostly jokes under the cut. I'm not taking this seriously. Obviously Spoilers for the IDW Sonic the hedgehog series.)

Tangle: She's cool and funny. Seriously though she's just a more accurate female sonic that Sonic Team was originally trying to go for with blaze but she turned out too serious and by the book so they placed that on Tangle. She handles that title well though. Truly a fun and charismatic girl.

Whisper: She's my favorite out of the new comic cast. I thought it would be Bell but then she came in. Whisper is so cool that she too has an urban legend about her in silver's time. That's enough for me to get hooked. If the future character knows about you and you turn it to be what the rumors say than you instantly take my heart.

Bell: She is interesting. Another reformed Eggman robot, we've seen that before but the fact SHE got Metal to halt and hesitate and also didn't attack her on the spot got me doing some thinking. Some theory crafting when that happened. I want her to have an hour with metal's system and watch she'll probably reform him for just a single issue alone. I want that so bad. She's skilled and dare I say a little scary, considering what she can do if sonic doesn't blow up every egg pawn or badnik he sees and just gives it to her so they can work for the resistance. Also happy that's she's technically tails' assist and lives with him, that's cute.

Jewel: She's so cute! I love her! She's so shiny and tiny and jumpy and whiney, and it's a fresh air to have a character thinking about common sense.

CTHE DEADLY SIX: They were cool for the short time they were there. I mean yeah they were there, what they could do with the emeralds was fascinating along with the arc they appered in. They were serious threats! Yet it was sort sweeped aside for Zavok and I kinda didn't like that. I wanted to see more of the problems the Six could've caused. Master Zik got the Babylon rouges stuck, that was shocking. The fight between zor, Silver and whisper was cool. Silver demolishing Zor's mechanical owl and then doing the cruelest thing he's ever done and leaving him for dead. That was cold. Cream vs Zeena was heart wrenching cuz I could already see the outcome despite the victory. Those were fun. The fights between Amy and tails vs Zomom and Espio vs Zazz they were lack luster to me.

CTHE DEADLY SIX: I could make a YouTube video about I feel about these six. It's been years since the game came out when they debuted so I have a lot of words that I can fit in this post alone. Take what I said from the comic iterations of them and you'll guess how I feel.

Jet: I feel the same about him in both vr's of himself. He's cool, he's loyal. And he's a jackass towards sonic. All the best character traits a sonic character could ever have.

Wave: She barely said anything in the comic so I'll have to go by games more. However, badsed on body poses and facial expressions alone you can tell that she's roughly the same character albeit a bit more laid back than her video game self. Although, the situation we saw the Babylon Rouges in was a bit unfair for their characters to suddenly be shown, so I'd just have to hope to see them again to form a better opinion. Other than all that, she's cool.

Storm: Haha big dumb funny guy haha.

Lanolin: OOHH I have a lot to say about Lanolin! She's dope. Really dope. I like her wispon and her choice of wisp. That's so flipping clever! I've been seeing (mostly hearing through the sonic content people I watch on YouTube) that she reminds everyone of Sally Acron too much and to that I say politely to Shut Up!

[[Small Tanget — OMG, not everyone is Sally. Amy gets development, she's Sally. Whisper gets some comic time and importance, she's Sally. I miss her too, honestly. Truly I do. But you gotta understand that she's not coming back. Sure people can have a look at any of them and say she's Sally Inspired or has made changes in honor of Sally but don't say they ARE her. Cuz their not. Their clearly not. There's enough different in many things to separate the two. Is someone where to redraw Sally over any of them (which I bet some people have tried to do, idk, I haven't been to that dark side of the fandom in forever and I refuse to go back) I bet it's gonna look really out of place. Not because you KNOW she's not supposed to be there but becuase how big of those differences are.]]]

Lanolin is great. She's a kick ass leader for the new Diamond cutters and I can't wait to see more of her. She's dope. It's also really cool how she's been developing in the background. I've noticed that and have been telling myself since the metal virus, "she's gonna be important someday. A design doesn't stay this consistent in the sonic verse without reason"

Dr Starline: AHH I love him! He's so cool and swauve and interesting. Yet his downfall was sad and we all saw it coming but without him we wouldn't have gotten the most bone chilling and coolest Eggman art. His character development from a collected and impressionable admirer, to a broken and disheveled fanatic deadset on impressing and topping the Eggman at his own game was on some anime levels type of writing. I hope they keep this up in the comic with any new villains cause Starline set an expectation for all new villains to try and climb over.

Surge: okay 2 things. 1 - my phone was giving me a hard time writing her name as it kept auto correcting or my fingers kept typing scourge at first. I don't know what that says about me but that's a thing. And 2 - The Tenrec is awesome. She had the fandom that was reading the comic in a chokehold once she was introduced. Setting the bar for antiheros in the sonic universe; that aren't robotic, for what they should be like in the future. Her and Kit in the same room reigns over the fight and causes utter destruction. Give them time and they'll create it to levels of Chaos flooding all of station square and more. Surge herself though is intriguing, for the last speed "villain" sonic has ever faced seriously was scourge in the comics and shadow in the games. Her means for acting and being the way she is with the tourtre Starline put her and Kitsunami through all for the sake of one flipping person. I'd be just as mad. Honestly, and I don't think my anger would ever go away. One of the best Sonic clones in a long time.

Kitsunami: Everytime I re-read imposter syndrome and the issues he was in I wanna cry. The personality of Kit is the exact opposite of his partner Surge and everytime they interacted healthily it was deep cuts of emotions for me. They both display the huge dramatized different reactions to trauma. Kitsunami's hit harder for me than Surge as I tend to people please more then get angry and lash out. With Kits whole deal being surge and nothing but her, I got scared for him when he was saved and Surge had her little fake out death. It scared the hell out of me, because what else was he supposed to do but bow down and fawn to the next thing closest to her. I'm sure if her death was real and Sonic and Tails took him in, he would soon grow and become his own person but his built in obsession for the tenrec or anything closest to her when she's not there as a character trait hurts but is amazing writing wise nonetheless.

Clutch: Clutch the Opossum is really cool. So cool to the point where I hope and pray so much that he comes back. Becuase I can see him being a legitimate threat. He too is an issue to both sonic and co and Eggman as he hotwires badniks to do is bidding with ease, apparently. So add that, with the extension of he's a composed business type of guy, with a face so sinister that mobsters would probably step down to him if he were to crack a deal, a master of deception feigning unconsciousness when possible and having a taste for the high quality of things. What's stopping him from collecting the emeralds himself. Or already/always having one in his possession. He's more a villain made to combat rouge or the Chaotix more than sonic and his gaggle of close friends, but I'm curious to see more of him.

Mimic: He's still out there. That's all I have to say. If you've read the Tangle and Whisper spin off and you read the bad guys spin off then you know who Mimic is, and know that he's still out there with the capabilities of being a SERIOUS problem all because of his simple ability of shape shifting.

- PART 1 - Here

- PART 2 - You're here!

[kudosmyhero]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) #29: Northampton - part 1

Read Date: May 28, 2023 Cover Date: December 2013 ● Story: Kevin Eastman ◦ Bobby Curnow ◦ Tom Waltz ● Script: Tom Waltz ● Art: Sophie Campbell ● Colors: Ronda Pattison ● Letters: Shawn Lee ● Editor: Bobby Curnow ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● I got such a feeling of peace from this splash

● Alopex <3 ● so that’s how she stayed caught up with them ● O_O Leo called Splinter “Yoshi” ● Raph’s face when he learns Casey and April might be an item

● the shaky speech balloons for April’s dad just made me burst into tears ● 👏👏👏👏👏

Synopsis: April O'Neil and Casey Jones are recalling the events of the past few days in New York while driving to Northampton (amidst brilliant autumn colors), with the turtles and Splinter asleep in the back of April's van. Upon arriving at April's parents' farmhouse they all begin to unload, leaving Splinter and Leonardo to sleep a little longer in the van due to their trauma. While they unpack, April shows the turtles the barn and tells them they'll be safe on the farm as long as they stay hidden from her parents, and the turtles thank her, going to wake up Splinter and Leo so April and Casey can go to the main house to let her parents know they've arrived. When Raphael tries to wake Leo and help him out of the van, Leo is startled and runs into the forest to clear his head.

Raph does nothing to stop him until he spots an injured Alopex sneaking into the woods. Raph immediately attacks, throwing his sai at her, and accuses her of attempting an ambush, though Alopex claims she wants no conflict. Suddenly, Leo attacks Raph to defend Alopex, saying she had no desire to fight. Raph accuses Leo of still having ties to the Foot for being so quick to defend her, and the two fight causing Donatello and Michelangelo to intervene and pull them off of each other (Leo tells Mikey not to touch him when Mikey pulls him back).

Master Splinter finally gets involved, telling his sons to cease their arguing, and giving Alopex a chance to explain herself. She tells them that whether they trust her or not, she has abandoned the Foot Clan. After attacking the Shredder but being unsuccessful in killing him, she followed the turtles and hitched a ride on top of their van to escape the city just as they had. When Donnie questions her reasons for betrayal, she explains that the Shredder had murdered her family. Raph is still doubtful, and he and Leo almost begin to fight again, but Splinter orders them to stop. Leo tells Splinter (bluntly calling him "Yoshi") that he is not his sensei, and leaves the group to wander into the forest; no one does anything to stop him. Splinter tells Alopex that although he doesn't trust her he is honor bound to accept her truce because she saved his life by attacking the Shredder. Alopex tells him she doesn't want help or honor and leaves the group as well.

Casey and April are about to depart from the group, and Donnie apologizes to April for all the drama. Casey and Raph, meanwhile are having their own conversation. Casey tells Raph to go easy on Leo as he's been through a lot and Raph agrees, but points out he still doesn't trust Alopex. Casey also reveals to Raph that he and April are dating, but are keeping it quiet and taking it slow, and he is nervous about meeting her parents.

Arriving at the house, April enthusiastically greets her parents while Casey is being awkward about the introduction. April's mother tells Casey to call her Beth. Beth then brings them in to meet April's father, John, who recently suffered a stroke and is a sports fan like Casey. During their conversation, Beth tells April that she was relieved that April had come home because of the destruction of StockGen on the news.

At nightfall, Leo is out wandering alone in the woods. He remembers the visions he had of his mother along with other moments like his battle with Raph. He kneels by the lake and asks aloud where his mother is, and that he needs her to come back to him.

Back at the house, Beth is helping John into bed while he comments that Casey seems nice. When Beth returns to Casey and April in the living room, she finds the two marveling at the fact that StockGen had been destroyed. Beth says she and John were also shocked as they had worked for the company for a long time. April comments that she believed that illegal things were happening there, and specifically mentions the "ooze". Beth is silent, and leaves the room to make tea. She tells April and Casey that she has a lot of things to tell them regarding StockGen, and that it could be a long conversation with information that may or may not be important.

The issue ends back on Leo, who is still sitting out by the lake lost in thought. Alopex is secretly watching him from behind in the bushes.

(https://turtlepedia.fandom.com/wiki/Northampton,_part_1)

Fan Art: RAPHAEL goodbye, my brothers… by DeadPea

Accompanying Podcast: ● Shellheads - episode 62

[thedegenerateasexual]

a rant: i am so fucking tired, brought to you by: this horrible textpost that showed up on my dash THREE TIMES and i guess i only have it in me to ignore it twice

Hi I’m Liz And I’m Tired

i am tired of other aces setting themselves up to be an easy punchline and easier targets for all the bullshit other queers throw at us 

i am tired of people using it as an excuse to point & laugh at all asexual-related things 

i’m tired because my instinct here is to get angry at the ace person for asking this question and not at the OP for not just ignoring the post if they felt that weird about it instead of being a jerk

i am tired because i know the second poster might have meant meant “queerplatonically” (and since that’s a bond without romantic or sexual attraction yeah you COULD have an entire debate about it i guess if you cared enough but that’s beside the point) but 1. english doesn’t seem to be their first language and 2. that’s not a word commonly found in queer jargon so they get to get laughed at by like 60 thousand people instead sure

i'm tired because ace-specific words like “queerplatonic” and “demisexual” or whatever instinctively sound so stupid they make you want to cringe (and me too! and i’m even asexual! i’m fighting tooth and nail to unlearn it and it's impossible!) but on the flip side everyone knows what words like “butch” and “twink” mean and you don’t get people laughing at you for using them. theyre just words

i’m tired because i catch myself all the time typing “ace” instead not just because it’s shorter and i’m lazy but also because i’m trying to distance myself from the goddamn word and i’m already using “queer asexual” for me instead of “graysexual” because it sounds less cringe-y and more valid and i have been struggling with this for twelve years, when do i get to be done feeling embarrassed about this shit

i am tired of posts where asexuals being fucking idiots because they’re asexual are the punchline - its different than the loving way we make fun of gays for not being able to do math and drive or lesbians not being able to tell when a girl is flirting, because in that case most of us are laughing at ourselves. this is mean spirited. “hurr hurr calm down it’s just a stupid text post you’re being way too sensitive” yeah i am sensitive about it & yeah it is just a textpost & yeah it’s a mean spirited one

i’m also tired of being sensitive about it. i wish i didn’t have to be!! that’d be swell! i’d love that! wouldn’t it be great if i had a magic time machine to undo all the deeply terrible experiences i’ve had because i’m ace! i wish i didn’t have to put things like “aphobes dont interact” in my fucking bio to draw my absolute bottom goddamned line, but here we are! 

i am tired of the majority of aces on the internet being this goddamn uwu because apparently that’s ace culture! bc like Where Are My People. the non-uwu aces. They Don’t Exist And I Am Alone. i can’t even trust other queers because they might be assholes like OP! they might reblog this post and then where would i be! i’m tired because i don’t know if i can trust people who laugh at this kinda stuff!

i am tired of seeing posts like these because then i do this whole internal thing where i feel the need to either side with someone who is supposed to be one of My People but looks like an idiot or someone who laughs at people like me and makes us feel ashamed and broken

mostly i’m tired because i read through OP’s blog and surprise they don’t even believe asexuality or aphobia is real and that the conceopt is inherently homophobic (me: a queer ace: lmao ok) so that’s where we’re at this fine monday night. three times i had to witness this fucking bullshit on my dash and no one stopped to think “hey you know what maybe that’s actually a shitty post and not a funny clapback” because if the target’s on an ace how can you miss lmao i hate this website and also the entire internet