#its been a while since I draw Leo

[ikemengoessbrrrrr]

Finally drawing something after a week not touching my pen tablet

Just sketch of three of my husbandos

Also decided to draw Tanjiro with my artstyle because why not

[triforce-of-mischief]

cowabunga, my dudes! 💙❤️💜🧡

[kathaynesart]

RECOMMENDED MUSIC: Boom Goes the Donnie-mite (Mikey/Donnie/Raph vs the Sweeper) - "The Red Zone" by Mitsuoto Suzuk

Finally! This big ol' update is out! Thank you everyone for your patience. Hopefully the next one will be much sooner since I already have parts of it drawn out. We're nearing the end of... uh, lets just call it the "Holiday Special."

BEGINNING || PREVIOUS || NEXT MASTER POST

Also couldn't get this out of my head as I was drawing this update:

Mikey's Ninpo:

Donnie's Ninpo:

Anyways, have some long winded deep dive into Donnie and Mikey's powers below the cut:

Mikey and Donnie are interesting because I feel these two are the ones who truly reach the full potential of their gifts. Mikey isn't there as of yet in the story but he will be by the end of Replica. Where as Leo and Raph had a lot of other things to focus on (leading, planning, and dealing with colony drama), Donnie and Mikey took the time to really focus on themselves and their abilities, choosing to distance themselves from a lot of the drama that the leaders of the family have to deal with.

Mikey's Ninpo

I always found it interesting how Mikey's weapon (the kusari-fundō) seemed to be the only one that had an actual entity within it. While they never address it, it's obviously some sort of flame demon/spirt. It could also help explain Mikey's dramatic increase in strength knowing that the spirit of his weapon is literally able to help him lift boats and buildings. I like to think that Michelangelo formed a connection with the spirit, especially since he looked so crushed when the Shredder destroyed his weapon in a way that none of the other brothers had.

Shortly after the victory against the Shredder I imagine he comes across his destroyed weapon in their old lair (probably while they're gathering thing to move to their new home) and he can still feel the sad little remnants of the spirit clinging to life in the broken object. I feel this would be the turning point that would lead to Mikey's first dip into the mystic arts. He would bring the weapon back to Barry for guidance and Barry would explain that the spirit has been bound to the object for so long that it can no longer survive on its own. Normally it could be bound to a new object but in it's dying state it would not be able to attach properly.

It is Mikey who suggests that maybe if it was bound to a person rather than a inanimate object then maybe the person could help the spirit survive. Barry admits the reasoning is sound and after much coercing finally helps guide Mikey through the steps, allowing the fire spirt to bind itself to Mikey's being (think something similar to Howl and Calcifer in Howl's Moving Castle, sans the heart losing). At first, not much seems to comes of the union. The spirit is still too weak to be able to do much of anything, but over time it regains its strength in tandem with Mikey and is able to gift him with similar abilities, becoming an integral part of Mikey's arsenal as well as a new spiritual connection to the Hamato family line. That is what we get a peek of here in this chapter.

Donnie's Ninpo

Just as Mikey canonically will go through a sort of mystic and spiritual enlightenment, Donnie too will have a similar scientific revelation. It always bothered me in the movie that his "firepower" (guns, missiles, etc) never seemed to be very effective, or at least not as effective as his ninpo designed physical constructs (such as the jet packs and the giant drill he uses on both the Krang and the Shredder). I believe this is because with physical constructs like a drill he has a sense of the weight and velocity needed to understand how hard it should hit. This properly visualized weight and damage is then made into reality.

But it's different with firearms and bombs. Up until the movie he really doesn't have a lot of real world experience around artillery and projectiles outside of what he sees on the internet and film. He does not know how a megaton bomb should feel or even the damage a bullet can create. And don't get me started on the the imaginary ray guns he uses on the Krang that don't seem to even leave a scratch. Without proper knowledge it's all just a light show. Very flashy, but not very effective.

When he realizes this it comes as a heavy hit to Donnie early on in the war. ...However, if there's one thing he is going to be exposed to in this bad timeline it's weapons of all kinds, even mass destruction. He will know exactly how it feels to get hit with a bullet, the blast of a projectile, and even an atomic bomb. He will then take this real world knowledge and recreate it in the same realistic way he can recreate his battle shell or drill staff. It takes a lot of work, sweat, and literal blood but this exposure to the worst of mankind's creations will help make him a walking encyclopedia of destruction. Over time, he will no longer need to make actual constructs of "bombs" or "bullets." He'll be able to simply create the pure raw power desired, no radiation or nuclear fusion needed. That's exactly what we see here.

We also see his use of shields, which is just as important as his ninpo arsenal. Specifically his ability to create shields to contain his own blasts, dramatically reducing the collateral damage from his own weapons of mass destruction. This makes him highly effective at taking down large enemies, but the shields sap his strength even more than the weapons (for it is easy to destroy, but hard to protect and preserve). This makes him often times a liability. He's often a sitting duck after pushing himself too hard and it can take him a decent amount of time to build these heavy hitting bombs. It's a double edged sword to be sure.

NOTE: these are stories I do plan to address further in my Patreon, with proper illustrations, but I wanted to give a little taste of what to expect! Haha. Very soon....

[kokii-omii]

The Babies (Viri lore)

i said that Viri was raised by his Papa, he was also raised on land because his papa married a human

so at a very young age Viridis had to learn to adapt to living on land for most of his life, he still got to visit his bio mama, but not very often due to his step mom

And since they couldn't see each other as much they gave Viri a locket that showed him the Coral Sea so if he ever missed the ocean he could still have a part of it in his locket

The locket played a song every time you opened it, he loved this locket so much

but his step mother wasn't as fond of it like Viri was, he would wear it to every occasion, and she eventually got fed up with it and threw it away into the ocean

viri doesn't have a lot to do at home, so he mostly draws things he sees in books or outside, tho he cant really see a lot of the outside with a wall blocking it

he wanted his locket back so bad that he was willing to sneak out and swim into the ocean just to be able to get it

so he found a way past the wall and crawled outside just to get to the ocean

but luckily for him, someone already found his locket so it saved him the trouble of searching around the area

and you guessed it, its Leo, this is the first time they ever meet, and they've been friends ever since,

and since then Viri has been constantly sneaking out without his step mother knowing and without ever getting caught (he's really cautious)

and him and leo hang out a lot, viri paints, and Leo just talks to him

Viri then had to live with his birth mama in the ocean, he didn't immediately live with them right away but every visit he had in the sea started getting longer and longer until his Papa told him to live with his mama for a while because him and his step mom we're having issues

its a good thing for Viri anyway, because his step mom was strict about Viri's diet, she was lenient with everything else, but it was specifically his diet she was constantly monitoring

she wouldn't let him eat sweets that she thought were "fatty" nor did she let him eat foods that seemed like they were gonna make him gain weight, so no junk food, no dessert, no oily foods etc

and when he visits his mama and she lets him eat the delicious foods he's always wanted to eat, his step mother cuts portions of his food in order to "balance out" the amount of stuff he ate at home

he was a really skinny kid but when he started living with his mama he started to get an average build going on (cuz the boy was actually getting fed)

and since he was in the ocean now, he gets to hangout with leo way more often now that they dont have to stay on land

[intotheelliwoods]

2AL mini AU... the Leoverse.. Leo Generations...

What would their personalities be if they hypothetically did exist?

I actually had storylines in mind for a long while for both Big Leos bigger leo and Poptarts hypothetical little leo! :)

I decided that if Poptarts timeline DID go to shit... the reason would be due to Triceritons! (remember their damn skull in the krang ship? lmao what if they were still alive)

Anyways, the catch here and what makes this dynamic different is that, Poptart would not tell his little leo at all about Sprout. Not even a peep.

Poptart would also be all over this poor little leo constantly to the point of the little leo getting super annoyed. Poptart on the other hand is constantly cheery and upbeat and a giant nuisance! It is not until Poptart finally has some big mental breakdown, and tells his little leo about Sprout and the whole cycle, that the walls break and they can finally bond closely as a duo

Poptart would also, dub his little leo, Pudding. Banana Pudding. Why not.

Anyways Big Leos bigger leo is a bit of a darker story so, I am putting it under a cut, huge warning for character death:

Short version: Big Leo gets a grand total of 3 minutes with his bigger self, before said bigger self dies in his arms

Long version: I have had this one off comic in my head for so long but dont really know how to draw it and I kept thinking it was too dark to draw anyways so... I never drew it But the premise is...

It begins around the start of the Krang apocalypse in Big Leos timeline, him (still has the arm, age 18-20ish) and his brothers are all in some meeting frustrated not knowing what to do, eventually Leo decides he needs a break to think and heads off into another room and sits against a wall

A portal blue opens besides him, and out comes out his bigger self! Leo is freaked as shit before he realizes, oh, this guy is hurt. Leo goes to help his bigger self who is on the floor trying to crawl and check the damage since the guy was losing a lot of blood and it looks like a lot had already been lost

I do not have the exact dialogue down but, it is something along the lines of Bigger Leo insisting "dont worry about me, I need to warn you something, its amazing I made it here at all and.... I am sorry it looks like I showed up too late and...." He then looks into Leos eyes and becomes less tense, he goes "hey..... teacup, its good to see you before melting in for a hug. Leo hugs back and sobs, while the bigger leo soon after starts going limp..

Eventually Leos brothers would find where he hid after he stormed off to see the aftermath to the scene, they would take bigger leo over to their med bay maybe but it would be too late, and trying to get Leo away from the body was a nightmare, Leo could not stop staring

Did I just come up with the Teacup nickname while writing this all down? Yes.. yes I did....

Do you see why this might be too dark for a comic lmao?

This would also explain why Big Leo made no mention of this whole situation to Sprout, I dont think Sprout would have even wanted to know

[cryptidghostgirl]

Drawing Down the Moon (Alastor x Ancient Roman!Witch!Reader)

Pairing: Alastor x Reader

Warnings: I don't think there are any? Please correct me if I am wrong. The subject matter is a little niche.

Description: Alastor reencounters an old friend.

Word Count: 2,871

Master Lists:

All Master Lists 

Hazbin Hotel Master List 

Alastor Master List 

Click here and leave a comment if you want to be added to any taglists or send me an ask about it.

A/N i’ve been reading about roman magic laws for school okay?? don’t judge me. Maybe one of the nichest things I've ever written (except that one Akutagawa x Reader fic I have on my Wattpad where I made them talk to one another in ancient Greek and Latin (its called Leo, Leonis and tbh, that fic slaps if I do say so myself)). Won't be surprised if no one reads or likes this one but I don't care. This will be a monster of a fic, she's been lurking in the recesses of my mind for a hot second now.

"Why would she lie for so long? Does she think I wouldn't accept her?" Charlie was animatedly talking at Alastor as they walked the streets of Hell, "What about me, ME, says un understanding... misunderstanding?... Disunder- Wait, w-where are we?"

Alastor sprung to life as Charlie finally asked a question he had an answer to. Theatrically, he stepped into her curious line of sight, his arms held wide.

"Cannibal Town!" respectfully, Alastor turned and took Charlie's arm in his own, "There's a friend of mine I think you should meet."

"In Cannibal Town?" Charlie doubtfully asked as Alastor began to lead her towards a crowded shop entrance, "But it's... it's... surprisingly nice here."

"Isn't it, though?" Alastor proudly replied, "And it is all thanks to a very special someone."

Alastor opened the stained glass doors to the emporium, allowing Charlie to walk through them before he followed in her wake. The store was full, packed to the brim with cannibals of all sorts, all of whom seemed to part respectfully in the face of Alastor, allowing him to approach the front counter with Charlie trailing after him.

"Ah, Johnny my good fellow." Alastor hummed to the cashier, leaning casually on the counter.

The demon seated behind the table looked up with a wide smile.

"Mister Alastor, it has been quite a while since we've seen your face around these parts."

Charlie watched the interaction in mild surprise. It wasn't often she had the pleasure of meeting someone Alastor knew who didn't hate him or want him dead. Curiosity clouded her mind as Alastor waved the man off.

"I don't mean to be rude but, we're in a bit of a rush." Alastor said, politeness pooling delicately around his words, "Rosie wouldn't happen to be in, would she?"

"Ah, well, you see, Mister Alastor..." the demon seemed slightly uncomfortable, scratching at his ear slightly, "She's a tad... preoccupied at the moment?"

"A guest?" Alastor asked.

"A guest." Johnny reluctantly confirmed.

"Well, no matter. Is she in the back?"

"Yes," Johnny got to his feet, leaning forward as Alastor linked arms with Charlie once again, leading her behind the counter, "but I really don't think it's a good idea to... and they're gone."

"Wasn't that rude?" Charlie asked as Alastor pulled her behind the curtain that separated the main store from the backrooms and Rosie's apartment, "Oh no, is that guy going to get in trouble? Because of us?"

"Everything will be just fine my dear, don't you worry." Alastor patted her hand reassuringly as they came to stop before a door.

Letting Charlie's arm fall free, he straightened his jacket just the slightest bit before knocking on the door. There was a moment of silent anticipation before a voice from the other side called:

"Who is it?!"

"Alastor, Rosie." Alastor replied calmly.

There was a rustling of fabric, a handful of hasty footsteps, and the door swung open to reveal a woman. She was tall and beautiful in her long dress and her wide brimmed hat.

"Oh my stars!" she exclaimed with a bright smile, "Do my eyes deceive me? Alastor? Alastor! Where have you been? These halls really lost some of their sparkle without your lively presence and-"

The woman, Rosie, trailed off as she caught sight of Charlie standing beside her dear friend.

"Oh, who's this you brought with you? Come now, Alastor, she's much too young for you. Oh, I'm just kidding. But where are your manners, Mister? Introduce us, why don't you?"

"Ah, yes, Charlie, this is Rosie: the most darling, delightful, and dangerous Overlord this side of the pentagram."

At his words, Rosie smiled, giving a perfect curtsy. It was as her form lowered that Charlie caught sight of the interior of the room, and the strange seated figure it housed. Alastor seemed not to have noticed and as Rosie straightened herself up again, she laughed slightly.

"Oh, always such a charmer."

"And Rosie," Alastor continued, "it is my pleasure to introduce you to Princess Charlie Morningstar, daughter of Lucifer and heir to the throne of Hell."

Charlie smiled weakly, waving slightly at the imposing and nearly off-puttingly cheerful woman.

"How do you do?" she asked awkwardly, "I am very sorry for interrupting your meeting, I tried to get Alastor to wait but..."

"Oh, yes!" Rosie suddenly exclaimed, almost as if she had forgotten about her previous guest in all the excitement, "Come on in you two, I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Charlie was about to protest when Rosie grabbed her by the arm, dragging her into the room. Alastor followed, turning his back as he shut the door behind them. Charlie's mouth fell open slightly as her eyes finally saw the truth of Rosie's guest.

She was tall, probably tall enough to rival Alastor or Rosie herself. Skin tinged slightly blue, she seemed to be covered in a faint gold dust that clung to her draped, toga-like dress and skin in equal amount. Heaps of gold jewelry hung on every inch of her as well, wrapping her wrists, her neck, her ankles, her fingers, even braided into her hair. Resting atop her head was a crown of gold with a half moon on it, her feet were bare. With wide, white eyes that nearly seemed unseeing, the woman watched Charlie carefully.

"Can I offer you something to eat?" Rosie was asking, but Charlie could barley hear her, unable to break eye contact with the woman, "I'm sure I have a leg around here or something..."

"I am afraid were not here for food." Alastor thankfully stepped in, turning to Rosie with closed eyes and a wide smile, "We happen to be in need of some help."

"Alastor?" the woman spoke and her voice resounded in itself, loud yet soft at the same time, singular and yet somehow plural.

"Well, aren't you fresh."

That was the first thing she had ever said to him. Alastor had been wandering Hell, minding his own business when he had heard that voice say those words and felt a fire ignited in him. Slowly, he had turned around to see a pair of towering demons. Overlords, he realized, and big ones at that. Alastor's smile sharpened at its edges as he began to formulate a plan.

Charlie turned at last, as if whatever spell the stranger had cast on her had broken at the sound of her voice, to look at Alastor in mild confusion. She heard his breath hitch in his throat. The man in question was frozen, his ears twitching wildly, his eyes now wide open.

"Is that you?" the demon asked again.

Alastor somehow seemed to reassemble himself before their very eyes. Slowly, he turned to the room's only occupied chair.

"Who are you?"

Alastor feigned innocence, looking up at the titan herself as she took a step forward. In an instant, she stood at his height, looking him dead in the eyes.

"An odd one too." she hummed thoughtfully, white eyes tracking the stars, reading his future it almost seemed, "Most people go with what before who."

Alastor was unsure how to respond to that one. The titan chuckled, a grin flashing across her face. It was unexpected, disconcerting. Alastor hadn't thought her face capable of any expression save solemn disinterest. She turned her head slightly to the side, looking back over her shoulder to her companion.

"Zestial, cara mea?"

The spidery demon took a step forward, meeting her eyes.

"Yes?"

"Don't you have something you need to be getting to?"

Alastor may have been dumbstruck, but he wasn't stupid. He heard the order as clearly as if she had not bothered with the formalities of disguising it. It shocked Alastor to his core. This might be his first time encountering Zestial but, he had heard the demon's name before. Most frequently, it had been spat at him by his victims who claimed that one of Hell's oldest and most respected demons would come for him. So who was this other overlord, the titan? Sure, he'd heard of her before but enough that such blatant disrespect towards Hell's most respected made sense? No. Not at all, in fact.

Zestial paused a moment before bowing his head slightly.

"You're quite right." he hummed, "I will be seeing you presently I expect?"

"Perchance." the titan lazily replied, her gaze having long since switched back to Alastor, set on analyzing his features, "I'll let you know."

With another polite bow, Zestial had turned and began walking in the opposite direction. The titan held an arm out for Alastor. He looked at it curiously before meeting the demon's eye's again. She laughed.

"So suspicious. I thought you we're the one killing overlords, not me."

His eyes went wide.

"How do you..." he cleared his throat, "how did you know?"

It was a stupid question and he knew it. There hadn't been any secret keeping, not really. Sure, he never outright said he was the Radio Demon who broadcasted screams but he supposed there couldn't be many Radio Demon's out there really. It didn't matter that he had only been going after overlords for a month or so now, she was one. Of course she would know.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

All it took was one look. Suddenly, he was new again, spat fresh out of life on Earth and in to Hell's gaping maw. One look at her, and he dissolved at the edges, forming and reforming his own ability to speak and comprehend the world around him.

"It is." the woman hummed, a wide smile breaking across her face, revealing the blackness of her teeth, her mouth.

Alastor soon formed a bit of a soft spot for the inhuman overlord. It was that first meeting, that first walk. He had asked, hunting for information to wield against her, about her life on Earth and in Hell. It was her fault really, for answering. That's what had him stuck.

Y/n had laid her life out for him like a freshly pressed table cloth. She had been raised on the streets of ancient Rome and executed as a witch. She was perhaps the oldest demon remaining in Hell, the exterminations having eventually wiped out even the strongest members of her times. Just as Alastor had been reborn as a deer due to his death, so too was she reborn as what they had accused her of. Every ritual, every spell, prophecy itself all worked for her. It was then Alastor understood the interaction he had witnessed between Zestial and Y/n, then he understood the respect.

He found himself drawn to her more and more and, somehow, he always seemed to be able to find her when he went searching. He assumed it was some strange magical nonsense she controlled. Alastor didn't question it.

Y/n showed him Hell in a way he had never seen it before. She taught him where to gather herbs and how to use them, how to bend the earth to his will, how to spin iunges and call down the storms, the rain, the moon. Alastor devoured, fed by her hand.

It was odd, Charlie had never seen a demon like her before. The white eyes, the teeth black with what seemed to be darkness, the gold. All of it was off putting yet somehow, captivating. Alastor seemed to be acting weird, his eyes flitting wildly across the woman, taking in her every detail. Charlie wasn't sure what to do about that.

In some sense, Alastor seemed to be scared. In another, he was in an overjoyed state of disbelief. Charlie wasn't sure which was more disconcerting, or how to respond to either and so, she simply watched.

"I have a question, mea ocella."

Y/n announced one day and Alastor turned from where he sat spinning stories into his microphone at her feet. That was what she had called him, her little eye. She told him it was a term of endearment. Alastor had no reason to doubt. The red grass swayed slightly in the breeze as he looked up at her, immediately bringing a halt to his broadcast.

"What is it?"

"You've been so set on ending all us overlords for so long now," she hummed, "wouldn't you like to do something different?"

"Something like what?"

"See from the other side of the glass."

Her white eyes glowed blue, the gold on her skin shining out into the world around like stars. Alastor sighed.

"You're prophesying again."

She nodded in agreement. Y/n had never seen the point in lying, she had never known its use. Not since before she could remember, back in the times she lived. They were so distant now, so immaterial and unimportant she rarely payed those memories much mind.

"So, what is it you see me doing?"

"Simple riddle or play on words?"

The two types of prophesy, the two options. Alastor put a finger to his chin, humming in thought.

"Simple riddle. Please, not in dactylic hexameter if you would, decoding that always gives me a headache."

"But that has been the meter of prophecy since Justice herself sat on the Delphic throne, mea ocella." Y/n retorted in surprise, meeting Alastor's eyes.

"Yeah, well."

Y/n laughed lightly, looking back out blankly toward the future.

"As you wish, ocella. Just this once. My gift to you."

Alastor hummed his non-comital thanks, turning his gaze back out the the skyline of the city as well.

"One will be two, two will be four, when that number comes be ready for more. Seven years past under grim sudden stress, four becomes ten, I'll tell you what happens next. Help one bright star to the top, not too far, and you will be free from the one not the three."

"Rhymes? Really?"

Y/n looked down at him, the glow fading from her as their eyes met and the future vanished from the scope of her vision.

"You asked for no hexameter, I still get to have fun."

"Yeah, yeah."

The pair fell into a comfortable silence. Alastor ran the words of her fortune in his head, trying to gain any semblance of reason from them.

"They don't sound very... avoidable."

"That's because it's not one of the ones you can change."

"Oh."

Y/n pulled herself to her feet suddenly, her chiton swirling around her. Alastor watched in awe as her image flickered in the air for a moment between the image of herself just a head shorter than him, the one who loomed around nine feet tall, and some three headed monster at what must've been five stories. Leaning, she held a hand out for him to grasp. It took Alastor a moment to realize, shaking his head slightly as he at last accepted Y/n's help and got to his feet.

"Where are we going?"

"I've decided you are going to be an overlord, mea ocella."

"Why?"

"I think it might help you down the line."

It had been years since Alastor had seen her. Long before he had taken his so called seven year sabbatical, Y/n had vanished. Alastor knew she wasn't dead, he would have been able to tell if she was dead. Surly the world would have shifted in some new and strange way to lose the goddess of the crossroads, the titan, Hekate made flesh and blood. Nothing like that had happened and so he knew she was alive, just not where or how.

Y/n's prophecies were always accurate. Standing here before her now, Alastor recalled her words from all those decades before.

One will be two, two will be four. When that number comes, be ready for more.

One had been just him. Two? When he had died and met his shadow. Alastor realized now that three had been Y/n herself and that the fourth important person who had come into his afterlife was the very person who owned his soul.

Seven years past under grim sudden stress, four becomes ten, I'll tell you what happens next.

Seven years he'd been gone, indeed under an unexpected and disastrous situation. When, after seven long years, he had returned to Hell, he had gone to the hotel. It was at the Hazbin Hotel that he not only met Charlie, Vaggie, Angel, and Sir Pentious but that they became vital parts of his life along with Husk and Nifty who before then had mostly existed on the periphery. Those six, plus the original four, made ten.

Help one bright star to the top, not too far, and you will be free from the one not the three.

All along, all those years ago, she had known. Alastor had always respected Y/n, always harbored a soft and disconcerting love for the witch. Never before now had either felt so overwhelming. Alastor took a trembling step forward from his place at Charlie's side. The world closed in, she was the only thing he could see.

Y/n smiled as he sunk to his knee before her, his head bowed.

"Mea ocella." she happily hummed, lifting his head up gently with the tips of her bluish grey fingers.

"Y/n."

----

This fic will probably have a part two.

TAGS:

@willowshadenox @i-love-jafar @elfyeet @reader3 @lazygirlfanfic0-0 @kahlan170 @wendyphan01203-blog @fairyv-ice @clarakainda @lunaramune @mcueveryday @luxky-aish @peterpankat @corvid007 @juskonutoh @simpingsohard @sethianaa @gabile18 @slytherin4ever @skyeliteratures @zombiesnips-blog

[chiscribbs]

Updated Future Donnie Concept Art!!!

So, I've been hesitant to try my hand at designing an Apocalyptic Future version of Donnie for a while, for a number of reasons - mainly that I just didn't have a clear idea of him in my brain yet and the thought of attempting to update his already pretty perfect design was highly daunting - but I finally caved and decided to take a crack at it. A couple months and several revisions later, I'm actually genuinely happy with the result. I'd still consider this "concept art" more so than a final design, elements of it could definitely be improved, but I really do like the concept as a whole - I think it could work!

The main goals I had in mind while working on this were: A. Must fit the character/look like something Donnie would canonically wear and still be easily recognizable. B. Must work in the Rise world & style (i.e. not be overly detailed or have too complex a silhouette.) C. Must fit in with the other (canonical) Future Rise designs.

I was also thinking about what problems Donnie might be trying to solve, which is what inspired the belt (more info on that below). All-in-all, although there might still be a few kinks to work out, I think I managed to come up with a pretty solid base design for my favorite Warring Warrior Scientist (Jr.)

Some additional character tidbits under the cut.

Also, I can't draw mechanisms to save my life, so just pretend those vague ninpo-gun-things make sense lol

Donnie has a mechanical prosthetic leg. How'd he lose that leg? Up to interpretation - my working theory is that it was a minefield accident that occurred when he was trying to blow some Krang dogs to Timbuktu. Naturally, since it's Donnie and they are in the midst of an alien apocalypse, he designed the leg to do a whole lot more than just help him stand without falling down. It's a multifunctional tool that contains a plethora of secret uses - including, but certainly not limited to, sawing off ugly Krang faces. It's essentially his new tech bo.

Bonus leg tidbit: Casey Jr. saw him deploy the saw blade in battle once when he was little, he then proceeded to beg for a saw-leg of his own to fight the Krang with. Donnie, realizing that amputating a perfectly healthy child's leg is probably not that most morally acceptable option, instead made him his own "sawing stick"(AKA, his motorized hockey stick)...which the others then made him wait until Casey's 10th birthday to give him.

The belt that Donnie's wearing here is a prototype of his latest invention. Its intended purpose: to deflect the Krang's mystic-blocking attacks, allowing them to use their ninpo in close combat. It took a lot of risk-taking to collect the necessary information to create such a device, and he experienced a number of way-too-close calls (one of which may or may not have resulted in that large gash across his plastron), but he finally managed to crack the code and pinpoint the frequency of the Krang's sound waves. He's testing it out right now to make sure that it works and is safe to use, but once it's out of beta, he plans to mass-produce them for every mystic-wielder in the Resistance to use in battle. He believes it could turn the tides of the war...unfortunately, the device never makes it out of beta, as he dies before its completion.

Donnie's gloves are fashioned after the ones his dad used to wear in his Lou Jitsu days (with some modifications, for comfort and to make working with screens a little easier and less annoying.) The material they're made out of is far more durable, of course, since he's working with them near-constantly and under varying conditions. But maybe he designed them to look like this as a way of keeping his dad's memory close, similar to Leo's sword hilt?

Ironically, Donnie uses his ninpo probably the most consistently out of all the brothers (even though Mikey uses his to the greatest extent, hence his rapid aging). He's constantly using it to check on the base's security status and multitask while working on other projects. Because his ninpo takes a good deal of brain power to operate, it puts a significant amount of strain on his nervous system and this causes frequent complications. Seizures, spasms, and blackouts become a semi-regular occurrence - especially in the latter part of his life. Donnie does his best to manage them, but the workload makes it almost impossible to do so properly. Mikey is able to help with these attacks when they happen, but Donnie - not wanting his brother to overuse his powers any more than he is already - usually opts to just ride it out and save the mystic healing for people who need it. The exception to this rule being when he's in the middle of an extremely important procedure and can't stop long enough to let the attack pass naturally, then he has no choice but to accept Mikey's aid.

This is probably needless to say at this point, but much like Leo and his other brothers, he is a giant. Equal in height to Leo (if not slightly taller, even without the goggles.) The doodle in the top-left corner of the sketch page where he's next to April is meant to be them sitting, so don't take it as anywhere near an accurate representation of their height comparison. It is not, he dwarfs her by several feet, lol.

[somuchforsnakes]

Bionicle's Bohrok were one of the first antagonists in the theme, yet it's incredible how their designs nailed their characterization and story role while being unique. Let's analyze them all, for they must be analyzed.

In my review of Friends' Leo, I stressed the importance of communicating character and story role efficiently and effectively in a toy, since you can't guarantee that everyone will read the supplementary material before or after buying it. This is also true for the Bohrok, but their story isn't about baking and soccer games.

The Bohrok are a hive of powerful, fearless and mysterious machines built long ago, kept in a deep slumber underground. When awoken, they swarm the surface and destroy everything, per their directive to "clean it all" (The Bohrok aren't truly evil, it's just that our heroes count as "all" right now). There's no use appealing to emotions or morals, since the Bohrok have neither. While the story's main protagonists can disarm a few Bohrok at a time, their weapons can't stop the whole swarm.

Aside from a few technicalities, this is a typical "alien invasion" story, so the Bohrok need designs befitting an invading force. They need to instill fear and look unfamiliar, but they should also have an interesting thematic throughline. On top of that, the Bohrok need to look distinct from other monsters in fiction and unmistakably belong to Bionicle. How did the designers solve these dilemmas?

Like many sci-fi and horror creatures, the Bohrok's designs draw from a classic well of inspiration: the arthropods. Basing a design on something so different from humans is a convenient way to instill unfamiliarity and fear (it's partly why more people fear spiders than deer, who have a much higher body count). The Bohrok don't draw from a single creepy crawly, though: they have sturdy, compact bodies reminiscent of beetles, the cast structure of termites (two monarchs, a wealth of soldiers, and diminutive helpers), powers that evoke the roles of eusocial insects in an exaggerated way, a hive similar to a bee's, the ability to curl into a ball like a woodlouse, big eyes and sharp mandibles.

The Bohrok also deviate from their inspirations as much as they borrow: they're bipedal, they have two body segments, and they lack many of the trademark body parts of an arthropod, such as wings, antennae and stingers. Altogether, the Bohrok's designs are hard to pin down - they're not quite animals, but not humanlike either - and that ups their fear factor (their sharp shape language also helps). Their inscrutable faces sell their lack of individual thought and makes it even harder to relate to them.

This may not have been intentional, but one of my favorite details about this character design is how it plays with our tendency to look for eyes first. Since the standard Bohrok silhouette is bipedal, I was conditioned to find the Bohrok's eyes near the top of its head, but this failed me since I just saw their clear head-plates. Those teardrop-shaped parts next to the mandibles are their actual eyes. Even if this misdirect lasted for a few seconds, it left a distinct impression on me.

Nailing the fundamentals is all well and good, but I could have used those earlier paragraphs to describe a lot of monsters. What makes the Bohrok so special? The answers lie in what made Bionicle so special in its early years: the focus on combat and the masks.

You may have noticed that beneath the Bohrok's head-plates lie rubbery, face-like things: those are krana, the brains of the Bohrok and their only piece of organic tissue. This exposed brain serves as both ghastly imagery and a play function: press down on the Bohrok's eyes and the krana jumps out. If it finds its way on a character's head, they become part of the swarm.

Mind control and assimilation are two other classic sci-fi conventions, conveyed beautifully by the krana forcibly replacing the victim's mask, the window into their character. Combined with how they don't quite fit their victims' heads, you know something isn't right when a character is wearing one of these.

Since both the traditional masks and the krana are designed to be knocked off in battle and the Bohrok can attack using their gear functions, the intended story can unfold naturally through play. Children could easily invent stories where a Bohrok emerges and it's too powerful, and uh-oh, one of the heroes has become corrupted! They can pit heroes against heroes, or maybe the villagers find their own way to stop a Bohrok. Sure enough, these possibilities are explored in supplementary material.

It's no easy feat to make a design's inspiration and role clear while also respecting its mystery, but the Bohrok stick the landing. While the tropes they pay homage to are familiar, they put a Bionicle spin on them. They truly earned their status as one of Bionicle's most iconic antagonists.

Author's note: Thanks for reading my second analysis! Going from minidolls to Technic creatures was a weird transition, but I'm glad I chose these bonkle bugs as my first non-minifig, non-minidoll subject. Brushing up on the lore was a ride.

I probably won't analyze another Bionicle character for a while, though, as I want to represent a wide variety of themes on this blog. Still, I appreciate recommendations and feedback.

If you're wondering about the Friends cast in that last picture: originally I planned to showcase the Bohrok's play features through a Nuhvok invading Heartlake City and destroying stuff, but I thought it would be more fitting to use its home series' media to prove my points. Plus, I forgot just how small typical LEGO characters were to the Bohrok. I still wanted to include something featuring them, so here's Autumn and pals dismantling it. Careful with that krana!

[ginxyy]

A Serenade in the city 

New york, bus boys, jealousy and confessions

The neon lights of New York City shimmered against the evening sky, wrapping the bustling streets in a glow that felt almost magical. As I walked hand in hand with Vernon, the excitement of our surroundings was matched only by the fluttering in my heart. It had been a few months since we’d decided to embark on this beautiful journey together, and there was something undeniably special about this date in one of the world’s most romantic cities.

Vernon, with his easy smile and infectious laughter, was my guide through this urban wonderland. We meandered through the throngs of people, the air thick with the scents of street food and laughter threading through the music that wafted from the bars lining the avenues. Every step he took, breathing in the city with childlike wonder, made me marvel at how lucky I was to have him by my side. It was moments like this that made time feel both fleeting and endless.

We found ourselves at an intimate little restaurant nestled between towering buildings, its warm, inviting atmosphere a welcome respite from the chaos outside. The low, soft hum of jazz enveloped us as we settled into a cozy booth, adorned with flickering candlelight. I could see the gleam in Vernon’s eyes as he talked animatedly about his favorite local spots, his passion spilling over in the form of laughter and vibrant descriptions. He was charming in a way that made the world around us disappear his voice was the only music I needed to hear.

As the evening flowed, our meals arrived, and I savored every bite while drinking in Vernon’s stories. Flirting was interwoven seamlessly into our conversation, with the playful banter tickling our senses like the gentle breeze that slipped through the open windows. Suddenly, as if the universe was orchestrating its own rhythm, Vernon excused himself to head to the bathroom, leaving me alone at our table.

In that moment of solitude, I found myself chatting with a friendly busboy who had a warm smile and an infectious charm. He introduced himself as Leo and struck up an effortless conversation. The light banter felt harmless at first after all, I was simply being polite but I soon sensed the level of attention he was giving me. It was flattering yet disconcerting, like a light fog that blurred the lines of the romantic evening I had been enjoying.

Just as I tried to navigate the conversation, Vernon returned, and I caught the change in his demeanor instantly. His eyes darkened slightly as they scanned the room, landing on me and the busboy mid-laughter. I could see the protective instincts kick in, and it was almost adorable how he clenched his jaw a physical manifestation of his jealousy.

“Everything okay here?” Vernon interjected, his tone lighter than his posture suggested, but I could detect the hint of possessiveness lacing his words.

“Of course! Just talking about the best pizza places in the city,” I replied, trying to defuse the tension as Leo nodded politely and excused himself to get back to his duties.

However, as soon as Leo left, I noticed Vernon’s mood shifted from protective to sulky, and I couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Are you jealous?” I teased, a warm smile playing on my lips as I leaned back into my seat.

“No,” he replied, his voice low and almost grumbling. The boyish pout he wore sent a thrill down my spine. It was hard not to find his jealousy endearing, even if I knew it was unwarranted.

“C’mon, Vernon. You know it was a harmless chat,” I said, my heart swelling with affection as I gently tugged at his hand, drawing him closer. “You’re the one I’m here with.”

He looked into my eyes, assessing me for a beat longer than necessary, and then he sighed, relenting, as the corners of his mouth lifted into a shy smile. “I know. It’s just... sometimes I worry I’m not enough,” he confessed, his vulnerability shining through.

With the soft strains of music wrapping around us, I reached across the table and took his hand in mine, feeling the warmth radiate between us. “You have no idea how much you mean to me,” I said, my heart racing with every word that climbed up my throat. “I only have eyes for you, Vernon. I love you.”

The words hung between us, a palpable moment filled with promise and sincerity. For the first time, we’d said it

“I love you too,” he replied in a breathless whisper, his face brightening like the city lights outside. It was as though the world around us faded into nothing more than a backdrop to this intimate moment. Leaning closer, he kissed me gently, and then not so gently, wrapping me up in the warmth of his affection as he peppered my lips with sweet, lingering kisses.

The pang of jealousy was forgotten, replaced with the intoxicating mix of love and reassurance. We melted into each other, our surroundings blurring into obscurity as we savored the moment, lost in our little world tucked away in the heart of the city.

As we pulled back, breathless and smiling, I rested my head on his shoulder and breathed in the scent of him soothing and familiar. We were entwined in our own New York City romance, two souls navigating love amidst the chaos of life, a tale that felt both timeless and uniquely ours. And in that moment, beneath the glittering canvas of the night, I knew that this was just the beginning of our story an adventure waiting to unfold, one kiss at a time.

[chil-aglia]

𝐃𝐨 𝐈 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐦? |ROTTMNT| (Male OC)

[The Way He Looks at Me]

Be sure to read the tags on my Ao3 so you guys know what you’re getting yourselves into.

Didn’t have time to draw anything for this chapter but PLEASE feel free to make your own art and idk tag me in it or something. Please I’m begging for fanart for this chapter and series in general. On my knees—

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Edit: Art above was made by @bootyshakerrr9000

ITS SO GOOD THANK YOU! I love him 😭

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Warnings: Blood, graphic detail of body horror, amputation of a limb, vomiting, etc

And of course, a quick thank you to my awesome beta reader @cimmerian1275 (who helped me out a lot with this chapter! Very talented and please, go give them a follow, like their work, etc.

I also welcome @bootyshakerrr9000 to the team! They’re my second beta reader for this series! The three amigos is what we are now—

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Caden eyed his new look, silent and deep in thought. Unable to properly grasp exactly what he was really feeling. Judging from everyone’s reaction, they were pleased, happy for him.

But Caden couldn’t quite understand as to why… why was this something to be happy about? It’s only clothes. Leo wasn’t much help either, just stood there quietly, observing his family and friends.

A sudden clap of Donnie’s hands echoed throughout the room, jolting Caden back to reality as he noticed the way the soft shell cleared his throat, “Well! While yes, this has been fun. We still have work to do. Now shoo! I need Caden to run an errand with me. You hooligans be off with you!” Donnie exclaims, already gathering his brothers, April and Casey into a group and shuffling them towards the door.

No one had time to say anything as Donnie kicked them out, shutting the door on their faces as Caden blinked owlishly at him. Donnie silently sighs, and turns to Caden, striding towards him and grabbing his arms, holding them out.

“Hey—!”

“Hm… it’ll manage. You’re a mutant, you can hold heavy weight.”

What?

Before Caden could even begin to ask what Donnie was even talking about, he let out a confused grunt when Donnie dumped a box into his still outstretched arms, filled with what looked like medical supplies, medicines and other little bits and pieces that were probably important.

“Now, don’t drop those. They’re important” Donnie instructs, walking away to grab some boxes off the counter. Caden huffs, adjusting his grip with the box to be more comfortable, unaware that Donnie gazed over at him as he did so, eyes briefly squinted in analysis for a moment.

He would have thought that Caden might’ve at least struggled a tiny bit with the weight. Those were heavy items in there, and since Caden hadn’t had proper time to fully understand the limits of his body and discover what he can and cannot hold… Donnie let out a tiny ‘huh’ in interest, before shaking his head dismissively.

“Come, we got stuff to deliver.” He announces, walking to the door as it automatically opens, Caden tilted his head at him.

“Where are we going?” He inquires, not budging from his spot, as Donnie looks back over his shoulder at him.

“Med bay dummy. Someone has to keep the Resistance alive.”

Caden narrowed his eyelids more, slowly inching his way over to him, “Okay… but why me? Mikey would have been better, yeah?” He asked, only to be taken aback when Donnie swiftly turned to face him with his full attention. 

“Because child labor!”

Ugh…

Caden shoots him a deadpan look, rolling his eyes and gesturing for Donnie to leave the room first so that he may follow. 

Donnie didn’t say much when he walked in the direction of the med bay, Caden trying to keep up from behind, turning corners and trying to not drop the box when he couldn't see where his feet were going. He wondered what kind of stuff he’d see in the med bay, he doesn’t think he’s actually ever seen it properly. Only been in one of the rooms they had, the first one he woke up in.

“Hey, Leo. Is the med bay just full of sick people?”

….

“Leo?”

“You’ll see.”

Weird…

Donnie pauses, standing in front of two large doors as he looks down at Caden, “Make sure your hood is up.” He advised, his voice firm and expression blank, Caden felt a kind of uneasy anxiety bubble up in his stomach with the way Donnie spoke.

He carried the box for a moment with one hand, using his free hand to pull up his hood, giving a nod towards Donnie who hums in approval as he steps closer to the doors, they slid open automatically, revealing their destination.

The first thing Caden noticed was the heavy and suffocating stench of iron in the air. Then the sounds of raw and pained groans, yells and whimpering. Some coughed, some gagged. Yokai and humans alike wearing white and bloodied lab coats scuttled by, tending to the wounded, helping them as much as they could.

Machines beeped, the noise grating on his ears.

Caden froze where he stood, his pupils wide and mouth opened slightly, taking in the devastating scene as he unknowingly gripped at the box tightly in a self hug, trying to find something to ground himself with.

“Come on. This way.” Donnie spoke, already walking ahead as Caden hesitated before chasing after him, deciding that the floor was more interesting to stare at. Ignoring the screams of chaos around him.

“Help me!”

“It h-hurts…”

“I’m scared… I’m gonna die aren’t I?”

Help me… help me, help me, help me—

Caden let out a startled gasp when he accidentally collided into someone, some items from the box spilling out. He clicked his tongue, feeling sweat forming at the back of his neck, he shook off any tension he was feeling in his body as he concentrated on who he bumped into.

“Sorry…” He mumbles, eyeing the figure that crouched down and picked up the remaining fallen pieces. It was a girl. One with dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, her clothes covered in dirty and dried blood. 

She looked tired. But when she noticed Caden, she gave a soft smile, “It’s all right. Just got caught up in your own world, huh?” She questioned, chuckling lightly in an attempt to ease the obviously tense turtle.

Caden blinked, looking away so as to not draw much attention to his face. “Something like that…” He responded, sighing quietly to himself as the girl curiously tilted her head at him.

She suddenly extended her hand out.

“I’m Maya.”

Caden side eyed the hand, knowing she was silently asking for a handshake. But with his situation, of both holding the box and avoiding showing his appearance to others, he just lets out a hum of disinterested acknowledgment.

“Caden. Catch up with Donnie.” Leo snapped, interrupting the moment and making Caden scowl a bit at his nagging, grumbling under his breath.

“Dude, quit it. Donnie can survive without me by his side for a second.”

Maya let out a confused hum, leaning slightly forward in curiosity. “Are you talking about Master Donatello?” She wondered, shocking Caden who mentally wanted to slap Leo for distracting him.

“Yeah…”

“Huh… you’re not one of the turtles are you? I mean… judging from your hands, you have their three fingers. But you look quite young.” She murmured, stepping closer as Caden instinctively pulled back for distance.

“I gotta get going. Nice to meet you Maya.”

He quickly weaved around her, speed walking towards where Donnie was settled. It was a small room, where a human patient lay on the bed, looking sick and pale. Donnie sitting next to them, having a wet cloth placed on their forehead.

He turns to Caden, narrowing his eyes. “You're supposed to stay with me, remember? Set the box over there.” He informed, gesturing to the table behind him, as Caden nodded silently and put the box down, looking over his shoulder as he eyed the sick human.

He didn’t see any blood, but it was clear they were in pain in some other way.

“Master… D-Dona—“ They paused, going into a violent coughing fit as Donnie frowns, grabbing a vial of one of the medicines he brought with him. “You’re going to be okay… here, drink this.” He soothed, helping them ease the liquid down their throat.

Caden watched, grimacing as he awkwardly looked away.

The moans of people in distress and the sour smell of what Caden uncomfortably realised is actually blood, made his stomach roil in a sick way.

He couldn’t stand the thought of being in the room right now, it was becoming overwhelming with everything he's seen here. When Donnie wasn’t looking at him, Caden snuck out, taking in a sharp intake of cleaner air as he cautiously eyed around his surroundings.

The tension in the med bay was intense, seeing the way people were in wheelchairs and beds, he couldn’t even stare long enough at anything that was red. Afraid it might be blood.

“Take a look, kid.”

….

“Caden. Take a look.”

He gulps, listening and looking up, observing the facility. His legs trembled but he ignored them and pushed himself to walk, taking his time to stop and stare. To absorb all he was witnessing.

The first thing he saw was a group of 4, bandaged up from head to toe, arms in slings, cuts and bruises on their faces and exposed arms and legs.

“What… what happened to them?” He mumbled quietly under his breath, gripping anxiously at his cloak.

“War. Krang. The apocalypse itself. That is what happened.” Leo noted, staring ahead at the mess he was seeing through Caden’s eyes, arms crossed over his plastron.

Caden walks forward again, his mind and body feeling heavy at each scream he heard as he passed by, at each cry he couldn't block out and ignore. Someone had knocked over a tray, making Caden jump at the sudden loudness, turning around and seeing a yokai missing a whole damn leg. They were currently gagging, actually coughing up blood as a doctor helped them pick themselves off the floor where they fell.

Caden shuddered, backing up until his shell touched a nearby wall. Staring ahead helplessly at all the injured around him.

Sudden flashes of memories that weren’t his clouded his vision. They were quick, but vivid. Clearly Leo had seen quite a lot during his time in his own body.

Caden shook his head. Not wanting to see the images that dared tried to cloud his mind. 

Leo noticed and felt the slow overload of emotions from Caden, making him feel a little off-centre himself, as he placed a hand over the young mutant's shoulder in their mindscape.

“Kid—“

He couldn’t get a sentence out when a sudden, ear-splitting scream bounced off the walls. Making both of them flinch as Caden looked up and witnessed a human man, screaming at no one in particular as they crouched on the floor, writhing in clearly visible agony.

And then… they changed.

Or at least their arm did. 

Caden watch, horrified and transfixed, unable to tear his eyes away when the man's fingers bulged and bent at odd angles. The color of their hand shifted and changed, as a sickly pink crept up their wrist.

Their arm was morphing into something unnatural, tendrils burst from the knuckles and snaked up their forearm as it spasmed. Disgusting, pink and—so many yellow eyes began blinking open. The human clasped his other arm over his bicep, in a futile attempt to either cut off the circulation or tear the growth away, Caden couldn't tell, their ear-splitting shrieks of pain were drowning out any possible thought process.

Their hand was no longer normal. It became tentacle-like, the veins bursting from the skin, visible and changing from purple to pink. As though something was trying to crawl right out from the inside.

“Shit— We got an infected! Prepare the isolation room!”

Some yokai immediately rushed over and grabbed the man, lifting him up off the ground and carrying him into another room. Caden was frozen, he… he didn’t think he’d ever see something like that in the med bay.

“Caden, I need to take over.” Leo announced, voice quivering slightly as Caden didn’t bother arguing, shakily stepping back from the controls as Leo pounced into action.

The older slider felt strange for a moment when he adjusted to being in control, but he had a job to do. He raced after where he saw them take the infected man, bursting through the door, watching as the yokai doctors were strapping the man down. He wailed and flailed about, the Krang arm having a mind of its own as it slithered wildly up and about, trying to grasp onto anything.

Leo noticed how the yokai doctors were hesitant in their movements, either from worry or inexperience, he couldn’t pinpoint. Nor did he care at the moment.

Leo, narrowing his eyes, grabs the nearby medical tray stocked full of supplies, sliding it towards the bed as he snatched a pair of gloves that thankfully fit Caden’s hands, hastily and expertly slipping them on.

“Hey, kid! What are you—“

“Hold him still.” Leo orders, quickly sorting through the items of what he needed.

“Hold him still? Kid, you shouldn’t be in here. It’s dangerous!” 

Leo scoffs, shaking his head to not snap at them as he points over to a cabinet. “Grab me the saw in there. The only way to stop this kind of infection that's already begun to spread… is to cut off the arm.” He sternly states, the room became thick with tension at his words.

“Cut off his…”

“W-we can’t do that…! We don't kn—”

Leo growls, slamming his fist down on the tray, causing a loud echo to bounce around the room and catch their attention. “Which is why I’m doing it. You just need to make sure he doesn’t grab my face.” Leo snapped in a firm but confident tone, and finally, finally—they listened.

One left to grab the saw, the other helping with having to grab the other necessary items like gauze and disinfectant.

Caden watched from the back. “Leo… you're not…” He tried to say, but his voice felt like it was caught in his throat, observing how they plugged in the saw, the straps tightening on the man to hold him down. The way Leo shoved a towel inside the man’s mouth, telling him to bite down hard on it.

Leo grabbed an untethered strap and used it to tightly and firmly tie a knot just below the shoulder, cutting the blood circulation to the arm above the slowly spreading infection. The sound of the saw that Leo was holding in his hands as it began whirring, activating, sickened Caden to his core.

“Leo…”

The older slider moved the machine closer using Caden’s physical body, with determined and grim precision etched into every movement closer.

“Leo?! Stop…!”

A couple more inches and the blades of the saw would pierce through the skin. The cries from the younger turtle trapped in the mindscape fell on deaf ears.

Caden had uncontrollable tears beginning to stream down from his eyes, his voice feeling raw from the overpowering shock and from trying to grab Leo’s attention.

“Leo—!”

…..

………

“AHHHHHH!!”

Caden shivered and shook, violently recoiling back in the mindscape, legs giving out when he heard the high pitched and piercing scream of the man in gut-wrenching agony. 

It was so deafening. So overwhelming as Leo used his body, his hands, to cut through a man's skin, to cut through the nerves and bones of another living being.

And the blood—oh god, the fucking blood—

“URK!”

Caden quickly placed a hand over his mouth, shaking, eyes blown wide as bile crept up through his throat. He had to hold it down, he told himself. He didn’t think he was even capable of throwing up in the mindscape.

Leo ignored the throbbing in his head, the emotions swirling inside him. He knew Caden was freaking out, he couldn’t blame him. He would too if he wasn't already desensitized to this routine.

But Leo had to focus. Had to focus on saving this man that wailed uncontrollably.

The whirring sound of the saw faded as Leo swiftly turned it off, placing it down on the tray, he swiftly reached for the bandages, thread and needle.

Concentrate Leo…

He disinfects the needle, his hands moving along expertly as he sews through the flesh, closing it up. Then, he wrapped a bandage around the fresh nub.

After that…it was total silence.

The man had stopped moving all together, limp on the bed. Leo worried for a moment that he was dead, that the blood loss and shock was too much.

Shakily he placed a hand over the man’s neck, waiting and waiting….

Thump…..thump…

He sighs in relief at the pulse of his heartbeat, albeit weak, but he was alive. Just passed out.

He backs up, eyeing the dismembered and infected arm with disgust, the pink tentacles had slowed and stopped moving with the loss of connection to the host. “Make sure to burn the arm outside the base. And… and make sure to check on him every hour.” He orders, not bothering to wait for their responses as he had to get out of there.

He takes off his blood covered gloves, hastily throwing them into a bin that he passed. His breathing is sharp and chest tight. Vision becoming blurred and the mind struggling to process a single thought as Caden’s emotions began overpowering Leo's subsiding adrenaline.

Leo used the wall as support, trembling as he tried to take in deep, calming breaths.

Keep it together…

Flashes of the amputation he just performed strained his mind all of a sudden. Whether it was from him or Caden, he couldn’t tell.

But it was just enough to send Leo over the edge. Unable to hold it down.

He quickly turned away and raced to the nearest bin he could find. Gagging and spewing up vomit that burned his throat as he coughs and heaves over the bin.

Caden’s emotions had greatly affected him in a way that Leo wasn’t quite prepared for. He didn’t think Caden’s own anxiety would actually make Leo throw up, let alone influence him this much.

The older turtle pants and gasps, wiping his mouth with his hand as he leans over the bin slightly to keep himself from collapsing to the floor.

“Kid… hey, kid, you okay? Talk to me.”

Caden didn’t say anything, he sat there unmoving, his eyes fixated on the voids floor as Leo looked over his shoulder at him.

“Caden—“

“You… cut his arm off…”

Ah, okay, he can still talk.

Leo nods, “I did…” He confirms, not that there was much to confirm, considering Caden was right there the entire time to witness Leo amputate that man's limb.

Caden looks up at Leo, eyes narrowed, tears in the corner of his eyelids as he glares and bares his teeth. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! You used my body to cut off someone's limb!” He screams, arms shaking with pent up emotion as he stares at his clean palms.

Leo clicks his teeth, turning around fully and towering over Caden, his own eyes just as cold as Caden’s.

“I had to!”

“Why?!”

“Because that man would’ve been dead if I hadn’t intervened. I am not letting someone die when I can prevent it!”

The two stare… tension pulled taught in the air between the two as Leo turns back away, shoulders stiff.

“Wake up kid. This is your responsibility too, now.”

Caden didn’t say anything, letting the words sink in as he curled in on himself.

He didn’t want this… why him… why did he have to get involved in this?

He thought back to the shouts of those people and yokai in pain, screaming and calling out for help as doctors and nurses responded to their calls.

He couldn’t help but think…

Where was his help…?

Caden slowly stands up, making his way to the controls as Leo watches him, wondering what he was doing. “Donnie is probably looking for me…” Caden mutters, monotoned as Leo steps back, letting Caden take control.

When Caden was back to the present, he took a moment to close his eyes, trying to ignore the burning sensation at the back of his throat as he peels himself away from the bin, legs wobbling as he uses the wall briefly for support.

He took a second to adjust, swallowing down a greedy breath as he walked away, going in the direction of where he last saw Donnie.

The trek back felt long, but he reached the room Donnie was in. Looking around, only to be surprised that it was just Donnie. The patient from earlier is no longer in the bed.

“W-where…?”

Donnie turns around, facing Caden with a stoic expression. His tech gauntlet had a holographic screen up but it minimizes the moment Caden walked in. Caden briefly grimaced, noticing the way Donnie watched him, like Caden had been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be.

Well, he wasn’t wrong there if that was the case.

“I told you to stay with me, at all times.”

“I-I know, but—“

Donnie clicked his tongue in utter annoyance at Caden and his feeble attempt at forming an excuse.

“At all times.”

Caden gazed down, feeling guilty while Donnie huffs, leaning against the table behind him. “Seriously Leo… even if you have amnesia, you’re still always going off and doing your own thing.” He grumbles out loud, whether he meant for Caden to hear or not was something he couldn’t be bothered with thinking about.

Caden focused his gaze on Donnie’s gauntlet, the soft shell taking note when he glanced his way as he hummed to himself.

“Let’s get outta here. I got something back in the lab for you.”

Without saying much else, Donnie stood up, stretching for a moment and walking past Caden who begrudgingly followed.

As they walked through the med bay, a comment caught Donnie’s attention as he saw a group of yokai talking among themselves not far from him, water held in their hands.

“That Yokai kid… wonder where he ran off too.”

“Yeah, for someone with three fingers, he was skilled back there.”

“We should look for him. Get him on the medic team. Like, where has he been this whole time?”

Donnie side eyed Caden, who kept his focus on the floor, looking deep in thought, most likely not hearing that these yokai were already talking about him. With a clear of his throat, the doors from the med bay to leave open up for him and Caden.

Caden looked back for a moment as the doors closed on him. Taking a final glimpse of the med bay before rushing after Donnie.

-----

The footsteps echoing down the corridors were loud, louder than usual. Caden felt like his body was tilting. The ground wanted to swallow him up.

The horrifying screams of the man rang inside his mind on repeat. The heavy stench of blood filled his nostrils, his eyes unmoving from the ground passing by as he recalled everything he saw.

From the moment he saw that human collapse on the floor, the way his arm changed. Morphing into something alien-like. The slit yellow eyes moving around on the skin and staring at him, the purple and pink pulsing veins.

Then the room. What did they call it?

The isolation room.

He could understand why it should be isolated. After what he saw. What Leo basically forced him to do, even if he wasn’t in control.

He didn’t think someone could lose that much blood from an arm.

So much blood. So much…

The mindscape felt like it was darkening, despite its already gloomy appearance, Leo noticed the change, immediately looking towards Caden who had his shell facing him, standing at the control panel.

“Kid…?”

Caden didn’t react, he just kept thinking. Remembering. 

The blood, the unnatural noise of the saw, the screams of fear and pain, the exposed flesh, the breaking of the bones and the unprotected nerves. The stitching of the loose and severed skin that hung once the arm was separated.

Leo was able to do that so surely. So precisely. As though he’s done it millions of times.

With him now gone for the time being… fuck, was Caden supposed to be doing that from now on? Chopping limbs off!? Ordering people to hold the infected down, as he removed their arms.

The infected… was that caused by the Krang? It made sense if that was the case. Caden had yet to see a Krang, but if that was just one of the many things they could do to someone—

His throat closed up, hand trembling up to feel his windpipe.

Breathe… j-just breathe.

It was hard, he tried really hard to not wheeze on his own suffocation as he followed Donnie, who either didn’t notice his state or chose to not point it out.

They had arrived at the lab, the two turtle mutants stepping inside with Donnie yawning for a moment. “Man, what a day.” He groans, walking over to a closet, scrummaging through as Caden stood, silent and clearly distracted with his own thoughts.

Donnie peeks over for a moment, tensing at how quiet Caden was. Donnie awkwardly bit his lip, looking once more through the closet, relieved when he saw what he was looking for.

“Aha! Here it is.” The soft shell grins, shutting the closet space as he holds an older looking metallic gauntlet. He strides calmly towards Caden, waiting for a moment to see if Caden would look up at him, react to his presence. 

But nothing.

Okay Donatello, it's your time to act and be the one to distract your miniature version of your brother who is no doubt spiraling, because, well, it’s Leo, starts here…

He gently grabbed at Caden’s left arm, pulling it up towards him and placing the gauntlet over his forearm.

It clamps down comfortably, sealing itself onto Caden’s arm as the latter, who flinched at the sudden intrusion of something unexpected on his body, as he began trying to shake it off. “What the hell is this?” Caden grumbles, but his question is answered when all of a sudden a blue holographic screen pops up from the tech gauntlet.

It was very similar to Donnie’s.

Actually, it was basically identical to Donnie’s, if not looking a little worn and scuffed in a few places.

“I’ve noticed you’ve been quite interested in my gauntlet. Which I get, my tech is amazing, I know.” He proudly claims, hands on hips before clearing his throat to regain focus.

“Anyway—figured you should get one too. Help with your curiosity and whatnot. You can essentially contact anyone in the base, and by that I mean me, our brothers and friends. There’s also a couple of little apps, I suppose. Such as note taking, scheduling that you can add to, setting reminders—“

Donnie rants on, but Caden wasn’t listening, eyeing the gauntlet. He curiously tapped at it, watching the screen appear and disappear at each tap he made on the screen.

“Stop that, you’ll break it.” Donnie scolds, placing his larger hand over the new device to prevent Caden from spamming the pop-up screen.

“Wait, you’re giving this to me?”

“Well, duh. Weren’t you listening dumb-dumb?”

Caden narrowed his eyes at the soft shell, slapping his hand off his wrist before letting his arm fall to his side comfortably. “I’m just surprised is all… didn’t think you’d give me your tech.”

Donnie shrugs, turning away. “Yes, well… just trust me when I say, it’ll be beneficial.”

Beneficial…?

Caden shakes his head. It was Donnie, he could barely understand how his mind works. “Right… um, thank you.” Caden responded, fighting down the small smile that tried to inch its way across his lips.

“Yes, yes, I know I’m the best brother. All true. Now shoo, begone. I have work to do, and make sure to keep your hood up!”

Caden hums, not wanting to be ushered out like the others were earlier, as he quickly turned heel and exited the lab post-haste.

Donnie waited a few seconds after Caden left, deciding it was safe, he pulled up his own gauntlet, typing away quickly as the holographic screen lit up before him, a video appearing as Donnie pressed play, he made sure it was muted in case someone from outside were to hear.

It was the video of Caden amputating that man. He was precise, moved with ease and the body language of someone experienced in this particular task.

How…?

Was Leo gaining back his memories?

Donnie placed his hand under his chin in thought. Eyes glued to the screen.

“…I don’t know what’s scarier. The fact none of them screamed at the sight of an amputated arm, or the fact that Leo seems to remember how to chop a limb off.”

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

So….don’t we just adore Leo looking out for this lil guy I say with sarcasm as I’m choking him

APOLOGISE FOR ANY GRAMMAR MISTAKES THAT WERE MADE, I TYPE PRETTY FAST AND OFTEN DON’T SEE THEM UNTIL I ACTUALLY PUBLISH THE CHAPTER. THEN I’D TRY AND FIX ANY MISTAKES WHEN I SEE ONE.

Quotev - Do I Look Like Him?

Ao3 - Do I Look Like Him?

First Chapter here

Next Chapter here

Taglist:

@turtl3sk3tch3s

[sarynneko]

«Mission: Find Our Brother»

Episode 2: page 6, 7, 8 and 9

It's been a while since I've posted anything from this comic, I'm sorry about that... I recently finished my college degree and it was impossible for me not to dedicate all my time to trying not to fail my internship haha, I needed to take an extended break from everything. But at least I'm back and I hope to bring the next pages sooner rather than later.

Most probably I'll be publishing another comic also focused on Leo, that one is much more thought and finished in the script, unlike this one that was to get this silly idea out of my head haha, the other one is really an AU that I've been wanting to bring, I was going to wait to finish this one but I can't stand it anymore, so soon I'll be doing its own masterpost hehehe

Thank you so much for the likes and reblogs you give, it makes me so happy every time I see an interaction <3.

Does anyone know the reference to another series in these pages? (If anyone notices it, I'll give you a drawing for your profile picture with flat colors -offer valid for a week haha-).

Masterpost...

Previous...

Next…

Episode 1, page 1...

[miss-tc-nova]

With Reckless Choices - Leona Kingscholar x Reader Pt 14

Ah, Leo's back!...Did you think it would be that easy?

Premise: Leona is definitely owed an apology

Words: 1,288

Music Inspirations: Better Off Without Me - Matt Hansen

~~~An Apology Owed~~~

               Public knowledge has yet to glean the status of the Briar Valley heir’s marriage. In the weeks since our marriage was officially dissolved, we’ve kept our heads down, biding time for the perfect moment as advised. However, against consultation, I had to venture out. I have, at the very least, apologies to make.

               The better part of the day has been spent in search of the lion, hiding beneath a paltry disguise of a sun hat and shades. His room had been my first look, but it was empty. There were signs of habitation, though maybe a natural disaster by how trashed it was. So I set out, risking my cover as I wandered the streets beneath the bright sun.

               Now I stand before the Sunrise City Stadium, not sure where my search may take me if he’s not here. The locked door meant to keep out intruders is barely a hinderance as I make my way inside. Instructive calls echo in empty halls, guiding me towards the open field where a team of red faces off against one of gold.

               Watching the players, I lean against the wall. It takes only a quick glance to find a prince among the gold players. He’s not doing well.

               His teammates all call out, wide open for him to pass to. Their shouts go unheeded as he presses forward, determined to fight. Drawing his arm, the man lets loose the disc despite being nearly halfway across the field from the goal. At the same time, the opposition casts a spell that should’ve been easy enough to avoid. The blast throws the lion back, clearly knocking the wind out of him as he rolls. Allies circle around the fallen man, none looking all that pleased nor surprised by the outcome. A trio hauls him off the field to lay against the arena wall while the rest get back to practice.

               Concern and perhaps a bit of excitement compel me to round the field to check on him.

               As I approach, I see that the heavy toll hasn’t changed. His frame is still smaller than I remember and his skin doesn’t glow as it used to. Even his eyes—striking and gorgeous—appear dull as he stares at the dirt.

               His name comes on a pitiful sigh.

               “Oh Leona.”

               His body goes rigid and his eyes snap to me. For a moment, he doesn’t appear to believe I’m actually here. That all changes when the fury sets in.

               His voice rasps, dragging its jagged edges across my heart. “The fuck you want?”

               That’s fair.

               “I came to see you.”

               Shoving himself from the dirt, he stumbles back towards the field, showing off his middle finger. “Well I hope you got a good eyeful. Now fuck off.”

               The anger I can understand, I just wish he’d chosen a better path for himself than self-destruction.

               “Leo…”

               A finger jabs in my direction as he whirls back. “Don’t call me that!”

               Perhaps against my better judgement, I follow him. “Can we just talk? Please?”

               “You’ve said enough.”

               “Woah, what’s going on here?” We’ve caught the coach’s attention.

               “Nothin.’ Set up the next play,” Leona huffs.

               I can only give the gentleman a helpless look but he turns to Leona. “Look, I think you need to sit this one out and get your head clear.”

               “It is clear!” he snaps. “Now set up!”

               The sheer ferocity he aims at the man has even me on edge. It draws in the rest of the team, unease working through the crowd.

               “Leona—”

               “Don’t make me repeat myself!” He might be looking for a fight.

               Raising a hand, I draw up a portal straight to his room. A glance to the coach conveys my apologies while I reach for the back of Leona’s jersey. Before I have the chance to pull him through my magic, there’s a painful grip on my arm.

               “Like I would fall for that shit again!” Only hatred and pain lie in his eyes.

               A harsh shove sends me sprawling into my own portal. From the other side, he glowers.

               “You made your choice so stay the hell out of my life!”

               Suddenly, Leona is stumbling forward, nearly landing on top of me. Through my portal I see a familiar young man with sandy hair and rounded brown ears. At first, those lazy eyes are wide with shock, his gaze locked onto my exposed face. Then, a toothy grin splits his face.

               “Take care of him, will ya?” And he winks at me.

               My magic closes, surprise and even a bit of fear caught in my chest. That’s quickly interrupted by Leona staggering to his feet.

               “RUGGIIIIEEEE! I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!”

               As I slowly stand, he turns on me.

               “GET OUT!”

               The hostility has me hesitating, but only so I can choose my words carefully.

               “No.”

               “Get out or regret it!” A breeze swirls at his feet.

               “No.”

               He takes a step, but I’m already in front of the door.

               “Please, just hear me out. Then you can have me kicked out or exposed or…or even turned to sand.”

               “Or I could just end you now.”

               “You could; I would deserve it after everything I’ve done to you.”

               “You think some stupid apology is gonna fix things?” he says.

               “No. But I owe you one regardless.” When he doesn’t immediately retort, I go on. “What I did was cruel. Even if I had the best intentions, my execution was vile. I just—”

               “Excuse me?! You had the best intentions?! Are you fucking kidding me?!”

               “My priority was you. It may have started out with me using you to satisfy my desire for attention, but in the end you became the only thing that I cared about. So how could I turn you into the monster that ruined Malleus Draconia’s engagement? How could I subject you to their cruelty?”

               “You didn’t think I had the strength to endure that?!”

               “It doesn’t matter how strong you are! Malleus was angry!” Tears manage to escape my will, trailing my face. “I needed you to be safe.”

               “Oh shut up! I didn’t care about being safe! I didn’t care if that bastard hated me! He could get in line with the rest of them! The only thing that mattered was that you chose me! Because then maybe I wouldn’t be first in line! But you didn’t…”

               “Leo—”

               “I know! I’m just a sore loser, right?! A lazy, petty piece of shit that nobody would ever choose first!” His head shakes. “An idiot that fell for his own stupid game.”

               “And so did I!”

               “Yeah right.”

               I really messed up. “I can’t change what happened. And everything you feel right now, that’s valid. I was willing to do whatever I had to in order to make you leave.” Shame brings my gaze to the floor where drops of water soak the floor. “It worked. And that will always be the biggest mistake of my life. I’m sorry.”

               When there are no harsh retorts or cutting accusation, I decide it’s time I took my leave. I’ve imposed far more than I had any right to. Turning my back, I draw open my exit and step through. Still, my useless heart pulls and tugs as if I’m cutting my only lifeline. I can’t stop myself from glancing back. In Leona’s glower there seems to be a wary hint. It’s all I can do to muster a weary smile, hoping to cherish even this last, miserable moment of the lion.

               When the entirety of Twisted Wonderland separates us once again, my shoulder meets the nearest wall, guiding me to the floor.

               Sometimes, there is no mending what’s broken.

~~~~~

Part 15

Nova’s Twisted Wonderland Masterlist

[lara-cairncross]

Ok I literally just submitted an ask but I am now watching the Pirate FAIRY and I have more questions for you!

First, would we ever see a talent switcheroo for the boys? And if so, who would switch with who??

Secondly, I had a sudden revelation. What if, and hear me out, what if instead of Captain Hook we have Cassandra???? I think she would be super fun in that role!! You could even make her have a REAL turnaround at the end for a full redemption arc! Again, just ideas, fully your au and I just wanted to share my thoughts!

Lastly, I realized that we need a Zarina, and I thought for a while about it. Then it came to me.

What about Kendra? She's a Tinker Fairy too iirc, so she could totally be a dust keeper who likes to experiment and everything from the movie could happen!

Again, just some ideas lol. Thanks for everything you do, I get so excited everytime it crosses my dashboard!! You are so wonderfully skilled and talented!!

HI HI HI ITS YOU AGAIN!!! :DDD this is a very late answer (again) but shhhhhhhh--

I've gotten so many people ask about talent switching!! While I don't think it'll ever be, like, a plot point or anything, I've been doodling little designs of the boys with swapped talents while I'm at work and it's SO MUCH FUN!!! I love swapping their designs around!!!! I definitely wanna do a more finished version at some point, especially since the pirate fairy movie isssss probably my favorite? top 2 at least :D

I'm not sure who would get who's power yet, honestly. There are a few cool things I could try with this concept. I like the idea of Donnie getting the animal talent, since I think it'd be funny for all of these animals to absolutely LOVE him despite the fact that he's not crazy about em. And Leo with the tinker talent would be funny to me purely because he would think it's the lamest thing ever HAH--

oooooo boy Cassandra. holy fuck. I have literally like, three different possible ideas for her that I just CANNOT DECIDE between. And uh I guess I now have four???? FUCK MAN THE IDEA OF HER BEING A PIRATE IS JUST SO COOL-- LIKE SHE WOULD ROCK THAT STYLE OG MY GOD. UH. might draw her as a pirate now even if it doesn't end up being canon AHHHH

and lastly: there IS a Zarina counterpart in this story! it's not a 1:1 ration by any means, but there is a bit of dabbling into pixie dust alchemy and dust-keeping by one fairy in particular...

not sayin' who yet, though :3

(I'll be keeping the kendra idea in mind though, that could solve a plothole or two--)

[kathaynesart]

Happy Friday! Have some Replica Usagi from my Patreon! It was requested during one of my Question Times a month or so back if I had ever drawn Usagi or planned on brining him into Replica. While I have no intention of actually putting him in the comic I thought it would be fun to draw how he might look in the Rise style. More details under the cut!

I would have likely used Usagi Miyamoto (not Yuichi) who at least has some canon connection to TMNT, which is more in line with my canon-esque goal for Replica. He would have been a Yokai from the Hidden Village in Japan that is still hiding in the bad future timeline. Like canon Usagi, Replica Usagi would be strict, disciplined, very no-nonsense, but forms his bonds through honesty and respect. So uh... I don't think he would like Leo very much at first if they ever did come into contact hahah! He's about 5-6 years older than the turtles and I could see them eventually warming up to each other. He would also slowly realize how Leo's less "formal" way of leading and protecting also has its place. Camaraderie is definitely on the table, but I see him more being a mentor/inspiration to Leo and his brothers rather than a love interest. He's sort of like the honor-bound Splinter they never got to have. This is just my interpretation, but I feel like this might be how Rise (with it's no shipping policy) would probably handle an Usagi inclusion.

I really studied some of the designs of yokai of the more furry variety when trying to figure out Usagi's look. It was a fun challenge because while Rise's style tends to use harder/pointy edges for more masculine characters, Yojimbo's style is naturally very round and soft. It was interesting trying to strike that balance between the two. This is still only a first pass but I am liking it so far. Right now I just have him in his typical samurai attire, since I feel like he would work hard to keep his clothing well cared for even in the bad future timeline. But I might eventually think of a more rugged, post-apocalyptic look for him later on.

[fjsjjgnnfjdjf]

Size allergy (7/?)

Finally the update I wanted so badly to do on this story. I may make a Masterpost for this soon, as I'm starting to have a hard time keeping up with all my posts 😅

Also, since I saw that you liked my drawing, I will make more drawings to represent some other parts of this fic, although not all of them will be canon 🐢✨

Warnings: Mikey and Donnie are stressed, Raph and Leo try to keep them calm.

English is not my mother tongue, if you see an error, please feel free to comment.

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

The moment was interrupted by a loud noise that seemed to come from the back of Todd's house. Raphael went to look and it turns out that the capybara was pulling out what looked like a large wooden tub, the snapping turtle helped him with the load, noticing that, inside it, was full of lemonade. Todd exclaimed excitedly when he saw Mikey had made him some extra special lemonade that would help with the pain; the four brothers were surprised, not so much by Todd's kindness, but because in that tub there must have been close to 100 liters of lemonade.

“Where does Todd get so many lemons?” Leo whispered to Donnie.

“Wow… You must tell us later who gives you the lemons?” Mikey expressed everyone's doubt, he moved his hand away from the table and used both of them to take the wooden container “But thank you very much” he smiled while he drank some of the liquid, the capybara smiled back.

The three brothers watched in amazement as Mikey could drink liters and liters of lemonade as if it were a simple drink. The tub in his hands looked like a cup and the boy drank all its contents quickly, he was thirsty and enjoyed the sweet drink very much. That made, for a couple of seconds, Raph's mind worries about something that would soon be a problem with his little brother, but he decided to leave it aside for the moment, it had been a long enough night already.

“Delicious… Thanks Todd” smiled Mikey putting the improvised cup back on the floor, he relaxed his posture a bit, now that he was less nervous.

“It's always a pleasure to help my best friends!” exclaimed the capybara happily.

Again, as if Mikey's allergy didn't want to let him feel good for a while, he felt a twinge (like a cramp) in his legs, he knew immediately what (again) was coming. He had to admit that now the pain felt much more like annoying tingling than the terrible muscle pain he'd had the previous times; maybe Todd's lemonade was really helping him with the pain, or maybe his body was just getting used to growing every so often.

“Guys… It's happening again…” he said with a grimace, reminding himself not to yell, so as not to scare everyone.

Raphael immediately took his little brother's hand to reassure him.

“It's okay Mikey” said the turtle with a conciliatory tone “We are here with you” he caressed the boy's hand, which felt a little tense.

“Mikey, if you want to sneeze, do it IMMEDIATELY!” Donnie exclaimed, waving his arms anxiously “Don't stifle it!”

Raph and Todd seemed to fret, while Leo put a hand to his face in frustration, “Way to be subtle Donnie” he thought to himself. Mikey was just confused by his brother's chirping, more concerned at how much he was going to grow up now.

“Easy brother…” said Leo placing a hand on the soft-shelled turtle's shoulder and moving to the edge of the table to be a little closer to Raph “Donnie just wants to say that if Mikey needs to sneeze, he should do it… That way he won't feel pain”

Usually, Donatello hated it when Leo took everything so relaxed; but this time, he inwardly thanked his twin for trying to calm things down. Raph looked at his shrunken brothers in confusion, but he didn't have time to process their behaviors, as Mikey spoke to him.

“Wh-what did they say?” he asked half in a stutter, due to his pain being a little stronger now, but he didn't want to drop to the ground again, it would make everything shake.

“… They say don't hold your sneezing …” it was strange the way they said it, but as he agreed on that he didn't think much about it “And they are right… Sneeze as soon as you feel the urge, otherwise you'll feel more pain”

Just as Mikey nodded to him, he felt the strong desire to sneeze and (heeding his brother) sneezed without thinking. The small blast of air the sneeze gave off, however, was enough to send Donnie and Leo flying off the table; Todd managed to catch Donnie before he flew off, but Leo flew off and out of sight of the table. They didn't have long to think about it when the familiar shaking started; Mikey was growing again and Raph (as he had promised him earlier) didn't leave his side, but he did exclaim to Todd to find Leo. During the same shaking, one of the pitchers of lemonade ended up spilling over the side of the table, causing someone to let out a groan; this caught the capybara's attention and he found Leo on the side of the table, he looked unharmed and was mostly complaining about being drenched in juice.

Mikey's growth spurt was short-lived, with no major changes now to the previous size, something that even surprised him. Yes, he was bigger, but he thought it would be much worse. Raph was still clinging to his hand, which made him tender for his big brother. Again, everything looked smaller, but only a little.

“Wow…” he said as he noticed everyone was still there, even some of Todd's puppies were still around, that's when he noticed the absence of his brothers at the table “Wait… Leo? Donnie?…” he started to panic.

“Take it easy, my friend!” exclaimed Todd, showing him that he had both turtles in his hands “Here they are, safe and sound!” Leo smiled, while Donnie waved and forced a smile for his little brother.

Mikey, despite his mild relief, did not fail to look worried. He ducked his head to keep up with Todd, or well, as much as he could, “I was the one who got them in trouble” he thought feeling a little guilty.

“Sorry guys…” even in his soft voice, they could hear the tone of guilt.

“No problem big boy!” Leo exclaimed at the top of his lungs “Now I smell like lemon!”

“And you're sticky too…” Donnie commented, pulling away from him in disgust, then climbed over Todd's head and stood on top of him, trying to get a little closer to the orange banded turtle “Mikey, I want to know if you can hear me now!” he cupped his hands and raised his voice as loud as he could.

“I hear you… A little, but I hear you…” he smiled slightly when he noticed that his brothers weren't annoyed with him “Your voices sound like mouse squeaks…” he laughed a little with this last one, he found it a little adorable.

“Sigh…” Donnie commented softly, and then projected his voice to Mikey again “Good! I need you to take your distance again! I'll scan you again!” when his little brother nodded and started to get up, the turtle with the purple band turned for a moment to Leo and Todd “With this data I will be able to evidence the progress of his allergy… Todd, can you reach my goggles?”

“Of course!” exclaimed the capybara cheerfully, much to the twins' slight annoyance at the volume of his voice.

To hold the goggles, he set Leo down on the table and used both hands to hold them above his head so that Donnie could see through them. As Mikey took his distance again, he found it more complicated now to settle back into the same spot, as everything was now much smaller than it had been an hour ago. He tried to be as careful as possible, walking very slowly and sitting with extreme attention to everything around him, he didn't want to end up crushing any of Todd's dogs or any of the forest animals by accident, he noticed with some surprise and concern that now, standing up, his head could see above the top of the tallest trees.

After a minute in complete silence from the genie turtle, he turned to his brothers with a proud smile.

“Gentlemen… I am pleased to announce that, according to my analysis, Mikey has already finished growing…” although his little brother couldn't hear him, Raph didn't wait to tell him.

“Mikey! Donnie says you won't grow any bigger!” he exclaimed towards the boy with excitement in his voice, as he ran up to him.

However, the shout was not well received by Leo and Donnie, who covered their ears. The softshell turtle begged Todd to put him back on the table, because the capybara (who was also excited) began to move as well, becoming very agitated. Todd put it down and ran over to Mikey as well.

“Really?” Mikey almost exclaimed, feeling a new wave of happiness he hadn't felt in hours.

“Yes! He just said it!” Raph was smiling and waving his hands.

Mikey, who was now feeling much more relieved, could not contain himself and grabbed Raph to pull him to his face and hug him. Despite the snapping turtle's initial surprise, he accepted his little brother's unannounced grab for this time, and raised his hands to hug the boy's cheek.

“I'm so happy for you guys!” Todd said watching as both brothers hugged and laughed.

“Ow Todd!” said Mikey with a smile on his face “Come here”

Then the box turtle used one of his hands and lifted Todd up to his face as well, hugging both the capybara and his brother very gently against his cheek. Todd simply joined in the joy of the hug.

A little away from the hubbub, Leo and Donnie watched from the table all around, both feeling a weight off their shoulders.

“When I get back to normal, I'll teach them about voice volume control” Donnie commented, still rubbing his ears a bit, he heard Leo laugh lightly.

“Heh… Looks like Raph is doing much better” he said as he looked straight ahead and smiled “I think he just got a BIG weight off his shoulders” his tone changed and he approached Donnie, smiling mockingly “Get it?”

“Your sense of humor is still just as pitiful” Donnie commented annoyed by the joke, but still smiling, he too was a little relieved. “Why do his stitches keep glowing?” he thought to himself the little detail he saw when scanning his little brother.

~~~~

It took a while for sleep to overpower the boys; because of everything that had happened with Mikey in the last few hours, none of his brothers wanted to let him sleep outside alone, even Leo and Donnie gave up the comfort of sleeping in the spot Todd had set up for them for being outside with their giant baby brother. The capybara brought them as many sheets and pillows as possible to help make them more comfortable, although Mikey ended up using them all so he could have something like a pillow to rest his head on the floor.

The box turtle looked for a wide spot and laid down with his plastron to the floor and his hands under his head.

“You guys really don't have to do this… I'll be fine” commented Mikey when he saw Raph approach his arm and climb on it, Leo and Donnie were on his shoulders.

“And leave you alone outside? No, Mad Dogs don't leave anyone of their team behind” he settled on his arm and got closer to his little brother's face.

“It's just like when we camped” commented Leo, even knowing that Mikey didn't understand him “Don't make it such a BIG deal…” he said in a mocking tone.

“Ugh… Really Leo?” complained Raph for the bad joke, while Donnie rolled his eyes, annoyed.

“What!” he complained, but he was still smiling in amusement “Mikey did like it! Can't you see how he's smiling?!” he said directing his gaze to the huge box turtle, who indeed had a half smile on his face.

“He didn't even understand the nonsense you said” Donnie commented “If he had, he would have agreed with us” Leo gasped in an exaggerated way, looking offended.

“Heh… Your chirps are funny guys” said Mikey with a little chuckle, his voice was almost a whisper for him, he didn't want to end up sending his brothers to fly again.

“I told you” said Donnie to Leo, smiling for being right.

“That's enough, both of you… We'd better do what Mikey did and settle down to rest” this time he brought both hands to his shoulders, allowing Leo and Donnie to climb on them in their own time.

The softshell turtle was still having a hard time getting used to the whole being so small and vulnerable thing, it got worse when he was in his big brother's hand. It took him longer than Leo to step on Raph's hand, and it also took him longer to stabilize himself in it, but once he did, he signaled to Raph that he was ready; then his big brother left them in the space that formed between Mikey's bent arm and his head, if there was a place where they could both be safe outside, that was it.

“Are you okay in there?” Raph asked, crouching down a little, so as not to look so imposing.

“All in order down here captain!” exclaimed the blue-banded turtle cheerfully.

“I'm serious Leo…” commented the snapping turtle wearily.

“I'm serious brother!… Right Don-Tron?” he turned to his twin.

“Ugh, you're unbearable” complained his brother, but he still saw Raph “YES! We're fine here, it's the most comfortable thing we can opt for” he scratched his wrists a bit, something Leo just caught that his twin had been doing all night.

“Fine…” commented with some bitterness Raph “If you need anything, wake me up”

Saying that, he turned and leaned the upper half of his body on Mikey's arm.

“All set here buddy” he said as he tried to get comfortable.

“Raph?” Mikey interrupted with a slightly worried voice, which immediately made him pay attention to his “Are you sure you want to come with me?” the fear could be felt in his words.

“Of course!… Why wouldn't we?” he smiled genuinely this time and caressed his little brother's arm.

“It's just that… I'm too big…” he commented low “I don't know if it's safe… And Leo and Donnie, they're too little, I can't even understand them when they talk… What if I'm dangerous?” he asked fearful of Raph's answer.

“Hey… Easy buddy” he touched his little brother's cheek a little “You've been through a lot today… And you're not dangerous, none of us think that about you…” he smiled to try to cheer him up “Besides, it's not all bad things… I can help you understand Leo and Donnie… And you could take advantage of being the big brother now that you are a big”

“Hehehe… That sounds good” Mikey laughed lightly “Thanks Raph” he smiled a little bit more while he felt the caresses of this one “You are the best brother…” saying this, he closed his eyes and settled down to sleep.

Raphael erased his smile as soon as his little brother closed his eyes, even so, he settled down to sleep, trying to calm his train of negative thoughts, “What will I tell to pops?” was one of these.

Although it may not have seemed like it, Leo and Donnie overheard Mikey and Raph's entire conversation. There wasn't much they could do to change their brothers' perception of them as fragile beings, Donnie seemed particularly upset about it.

“Do they think we can't defend ourselves?… We're just smaller, not vulnerable” he complained.

“Hey… Don't get me wrong” replied his twin, resting a hand on his shoulder “But they have a point…”

“What point?!… To see us as inferior?!” he exclaimed, pushing Leo's hand away and scratching his arms harder “Agh! It's not fair!… If I had my technology here, they'd see who's the weak one!” he snorted in annoyance several times before realizing that Leo was looking at him somewhat worried “Puf!… I can't stand being away from my stuff anymore, we should get back to the table, if I stay here, I won't be able to be calm” he moved to try to leave, but Leo grabbed his arm.

“Oh ho ho! No!… I won't let you leave; you need to rest egghead” he could feel how stiff his twin muscles were, he was so stressed.

“I don't need sleep! I need answers!” he exclaimed, trying to break free from his brother's grip.

“You need that nerd brain to rest… And I know just how to do it” he gave a mischievous look as he said the latter.

“What are you talking about?” he noticed how Leo was getting too close “Wait Nardo, you're…” when he realized his brother's idea he tried to escape “No!… Wait… I'm warning you!”

But it was useless, Leo pounced on top of Donnie, leaving him on the ground, while he lay on top of him, lying on his soft shell. It was something they had sometimes done when they were younger, as Leo used to deliver just enough pressure to Donnie to calm his nerves, as well as secure his vulnerable shell. Although at first the purple tortoise kicked and tried to resist, he slowly began to calm down, he really was exhausted from all this stress.

“See, brother?” commented Leo smiling when he felt Donnie's breathing calmed down “… Now try to sleep, I'll watch your back” he laughed lightly.

“I swear Nardo…” his voice sounded empty, something that would have scared anyone who didn't know him “That, if I get back to normal before you, I'll crush you”

“Noted” said Leo calmly, he knew his brother was angry, but feeling a small vibration coming from him (similar to a purr) gave him to understand that a part of him did thank him for taking care of him, even if he would never admit it.

Finally, both of them calmed down, closed their eyes and settled down to try to sleep.

~~~~

It was late at night when Splinter woke up from his couch with the urge to refuel on his nightly snacks. He was really struggling with this change of routine with his kids, but he was determined to take things seriously this time; since his last fight with Shredder, the fear that something bad could happen to his kids in the future was increased quite a bit, so now his training was more rigorous and stricter. It was easier said than done, as much as his sons had the natural talent in fighting, they were messy and extremely distracted, which meant that after each training session he ended up extremely exhausted.

When he returned to his resting place, something caught his attention, like a noise, or rather a lack of it. After his children had such an active day, Raph always snored noisily, but now not a single noise could be heard in the den, not from his other children either. Curious, he went to each of his children's rooms to find that none of them were there; however, what caught his attention the most was when he reached Mikey's room, as he saw something strange inside, and when he entered to find out what it was…

“WHAT IS THIS!” he exclaimed with a jump when a loud bang was felt near him and he noticed a huge orange object, similar to the weapon his son was using.

Okay; it was one thing that he did not find his children at night, they often went out to walk around the city and sometimes returned at dawn, there was nothing strange about that. But that Mikey had gone out without his weapon was already strange, and if we add to this that this one was now the size of a lamp post well… This was way beyond unusual.

“Ugh… What's going on my children?” he shouted to himself to try to calm down, although panic was in his words.

At least they must be together, he supposed, but the other made no sense. It was time to track them down, and hope they weren't in any trouble, though that may be waiting too long.

Prologue Previous / Next

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Double-Mutated Mikey

Chapter 8: Recollections

Continued from the short story written by @boots-with-the-fur-club

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Raph sits down on his bed, grabbing a stuffed bear and rubbing his thumb over its worn-down stomach.

The room is dim, but not dark. The main light is off, but the hanging lanterns he has strung along the wall give a warm red glow to the room.

Ever since his krangification, Raph's eye has been a bit sensitive. It waters easily, stings on occasion, and bright lights irritate him. He's started wearing sunglasses outside more often, even on cloudy days. Donnie offered to make an artificial eye to help, but Raph said no. He'd rather keep the eye, even with its attitude and quirks.

"I'm not ready to be a cyborg just yet," he'd joked.

He thought that much of a change would be too big for him, after all the changes he and his family have already gone through.

Now a mechanical eye doesn't sound so crazy or scary.

Raph hugs his teddy bear. It squeaks in his arms. He thinks of how similar it felt to holding Mikey before he got mutated...

He grimaces, scrunching his face up tight and pressing his hands against his head, trying to force the thoughts away.

Mikey is still Mikey! Just with a few new... he won't call them upgrades. Changes. Nothing that can't be reversed, of course.

But... what if they can't be?

Raph presses his hands even tighter against his head.

Stop it. Shut up. Shut up!!

He doesn't want to think about this. He doesn't want to think about Mikey. Not in this way.

He feels like he's betraying him somehow, thinking of him as a monster or a wild animal rather than a brother. But then, he feels like he won't be able to help him if he keeps thinking of Mikey as he was before, and not accepting that he is changed now. But then, he won't stay changed. But then...

"SHUT UP!" Raph yells to himself, slamming his fists against the bed frame.

His ninpo activates, giant red fists breaking the bed slightly and causing the edge of it to slip under his weight and crash against the floor. Raph yipes in alarm, looking down at the mess he's made.

"...Nice going, Raph," he grumbles, grabbing some boxes of dumbells from the corner of his room to prop up the extension on his bed.

He sighs, sitting down on the edge of the mattress again, head in his hands.

He tries to stay strong. He tries not to break down. His family doesn’t need that right now, they don't need a basket case or a worry-wart or whatever else they might call him. They need Raph, strong and brave and ready to take on the world.

But he needs Mikey... he needs his baby brother back, safe, sound, whole. Not broken, not bloody, not feral and confused. He wants Mikey home again. Home in his own body.

Raph starts crying. Although he's disappointed in himself for it, he is glad that he can finally get the tears out. He presses his face into his stuffed animals, trying to get it all out all at once.

Raph hates himself so much right now...

Because...

Because it is all his fault...

.

.

.

"...But I don't see WHY we have to wait!" Raph gripes, Mikey sitting beside him, drawing random doodles on his arm wraps while he listens to the rant. "If we know that the place is doing villain stuff, shouldn't we go in to stop em?"

"I mean, Leo's decision does make a little sense," Mikey counters, taking a big yellow marker out and drawing a smiling sun on Raph's arm. "It's a pretty big building, dude."

"I'm not saying we storm the castle," he responds, waving his arms in exasperation.

Mikey scolds him and brings his arm back down to continue his work.

"I'm just saying that we could scope out the place instead of ignoring it completely!"

"We're not ignoring it," Mikey corrects. "Donnie is gonna run surveillance on it. Leo's gonna have Cass and the girl scouts check it out. Besides, when did you become the go-getter? I thought you and your Raph-chasm would have preferred taking it slow and safe!"

"Raph-chasm?!" he sputters. "Is Leo spreading that slander around?"

Mikey giggles.

"You do know we've been calling it that for years, right?"

Raph growls angrily.

"Dang it, Leo..."

Mikey giggles again.

"But for real, Raph... why are you so antsy?"

"I don't know... just a gut feeling. There's been reports of all kinds of crazy stuff since the invasion, and most of it has something to do with that new organization Donnie and April told us about..."

"What did they call it again? ESP?"

"EPF," Raphael corrects. "Earth Protection Force, or some junk. But the building they're occupying is labeled Techno Cosmic Research Institute, or some junk."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Mikey hums, taking out a blue marker and drawing a mini version of Leo on Raph. "Sounds like a radio shack from the 90's or something!"

"Maybe, but it bothers me that this new weird mystery organization is everywhere." Raph shudders. "It's unsettling. What if they find us?"

"Find us...?" Mikey turns his head up. "What do you think they'd do?"

"I don't know. But I don't trust em. Something about it all just... bugs me."

Mikey is quiet for a second. He places the cap on his marker. He's managed to draw everyone in the family but himself.

"Well, if it bugs you, then... let's go check em out!"

"Wait, huh?"

"You're gut says they're untrustworthy? Then that's enough for me!" he says, jumping up from his spot. "Let's go see how bad they are."

"But... Leo said..."

"Weren't you the one just complaining about how you didn't think we should stand still and do nothing?" Mikey challenges.

"I know. But Leo is the leader, and I want to show him that I trust him."

"We do!" Mikey exclaims. "We're not storming a castle, we're checking out the scene. Leo wants to wait until we can get some actual intel? Then let's help him along! Let's grab a few listening devices or something and place them along the windows."

"Well... that would help... but we leave at the first sign of trouble, okay?"

"Absolutely!" Mikey salutes. "Now, am I breaking into Donnie's labs to get the spy stuff or are you?"

Raph chuckles as he stands, cracking his knuckles.

"You get the spy equipment, I'll get the weapons. Meet you at the tank."

The two give quick nods before heading off in separate directions.

Raph rushes to the training room and grabs the weapons. It is only then that he sees Mikey's doodles.

Oh, he should change his wraps. He doesn't have time to clean them off, and besides, he knows Mikey prefers to take pictures of all his doodles before getting rid of them.

Raph quickly grabs his sai and Mikey's nunchucks before heading to his room, grabbing a spare roll of black bandages, and carefully but speedily removing the one on his right arm. He just needs to replace the one arm, Mikey hasn't gotten to decorating the left yet. Maybe when they get back he can finish it...

He races back to the tunnel, seeing Mikey leaning against the ginormous tire of the turtle tank as he waits.

"There you are! Ready to go?"

"Sure thing. Do you wanna try driving tonight?"

"Can I?" Mikey asks with excitement.

"Sure, why not? You need the practice."

Mikey squeals with delight as he climbs in, Raph following suit.

The two drive away, making plans while Raph gives Mikey impromptu driving lessons. They joke, they laugh, Raph clings to his seat when Mikey's turns come in too sharply.

"Park over there," Raph says, pointing to an alley closeby to the targeted building.

Mikey nods with an "aye-aye, cap'n!" as he makes another sharp turn and hides the tank in the alley, activating a cloaking device Donnie came up with recently.

"Okay, got the listening doohickeys?"

"Right here!" Mikey says, reaching out and producing several small, round baubles with purple centers.

"Alright, so all we're gonna do is ninja up there, ninja a few of these around the perimeter, and then ninja out."

"That sounds just like the time future Leo saved a war camp!" Mikey giggles. "Or whatever Casey Jr. said."

"Uh, okay?" Raph offers. "I'll pretend like I understood that."

The two exit the vehicle and slink around the block, coming up on the building.

It looks like a normal building. No more than 13 stories, small windows with frosted glass, a rotating door that leads to a small lobby, a few security guards and an intern behind a desk. Above the door is the acronym TCRI, bright and silver surrounded by white LED lights. There's graffiti on the side of the wall, with what looks like an artist's rendition of the 'New York Heroes'. Mikey takes a quick selfie with it before getting back to the unsanctioned mission.

"You take the left side, I'll take the right," Raph whispers. "We don't have a lot of listening gadgets, so use 'em sparingly. Got it?"

"Got it!" Mikey whispers back.

He takes his chucks out and swings them up. A long glowing chain activates, and Mikey starts to scale the wall, swinging to the opposite side.

Raph starts pressing the small devices to the wall, doing two for each floor. Once the gadgets stick to the bricks, the purple centers start to blink.

After about five minutes, Raph's phone buzzes. He pulls it out to see that he's getting a call from Donnie.

Uh-oh.

He declines the call.

He presses two more devices to the wall before Donnie calls him again. Raph groans and pulls the phone out, answering it.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Raphala, where are you?" Donnie asks. His tone sounds cheerful and fake. He can tell he's seething.

"Um, nowhere..."

"Nowhere? Really? Then, would you care to explain to me why I am getting bombarded with notifications about my spy tech being activated? And why when I checked the garage, the tank was gone? And why I cannot find you, nor Mikey, nor your gear anywhere within the lair??"

"Um... bad connection?" Raph tries.

"What are you doing."

"Nuthin'," Raph says, his voice squeaking. He clears his throat and tries again. "Just, y'know... ninja stuff."

"I can clearly see your location, Raph."

"Shoot, I forgot about that," he hisses. "I mean, uh..."

"Is that Raph?" Leo's voice comes into the call.

"Oh no," he groans.

"Let me talk to him."

"You had your chance," Donnie speaks into the phone, before handing it over to Leo.

"Raph. Where are you. What are you and Mikey doing with the listening devices."

"Okay, well, we were thinking," he starts, moving away from the alley for a moment as he talks with Leo on the phone. "We were thinking that maaayyybeee it would be a good idea to get some surveillance on the TCRI place before our next big mission, and so --"

"And so you ignore the fact that I said to wait?!" Leo yells angrily. "Raph, we TALKED about this! I thought you said you were gonna let me be leader without pulling these kinds of stunts behind my back!"

"I'm not pulling any stunt! All we're doing is setting up the devices, then leaving! We just wanted to try and see if we could get any intel on them to help! We're not stupid enough to just go in and mess around, ya know!"

"Where's Mikey?" Leo asks exasperatedly. "He isn't answering his phone."

Raph turned back to look at the building he's walked away from. He looks up, and can see Mikey standing on the roof, looking around.

"He's on the roof," Raph sighs. "I'll go and get him."

Raph puts Leo on hold as he runs back to the building. Once in the alley, he starts jumping between walls, doing impressive parkour as he bounces back and forth and flips off of fire escapes until he's at the roof.

But Mikey isn't there.

Raph walks to the other side of the roof and looks over the edge.

Mikey isn't on the ground.

He notices a vent panel has been jimmied open.

"Oh no."

Raph grabs his phone.

"Um, Leo? I think he went in..."

"WHAT?!" Leo screams at him, causing Raph to pull his phone away from his ear.

"Why would he go in?!"

"I don't know!" Raph whimpers. "I told him we were only doing the exterior--"

"You shouldn't be there at all!"

"Should I go in after him?"

"No, don't -- wait for a minute, call him, maybe he'll answer you."

"Okay, yeah, I'll do that," he says, trying not to panic. "Call you back soon."

Raph hangs up and quickly dials Mikey.

It rings once before he answers.

"Shello?" he whispers.

"Mikey? Where are ya?!" Raph hisses at him. "I thought we said no inside stuff!"

"I saw a weird van pull up," he explains. "They took a krangified person in through the back."

"They what?"

"Yeah, I know. I wanted to see what they were gonna do with him."

"Mikey, I think you should get outta there," Raph whimpers.

"I will in just a sec, I think I found the room where... huh..."

Mikey's voice trails off.

"Mikey? Mikey, what is it?"

"I'm not sure... hold on a sec, 'kay?" Mikey whispers, his voice soft and secretive.

"Mikey, get out of there, now!" Raph scolds.

Mikey doesn’t respond.

Raph waits for him to say something. Anything. He hears Mikey gasp quietly.

"Ohmigosh," he whimpers. His voice is weak and his breathing fast. "Okay, that's enough for me, I'm coming out now!"

"Mikey?! What did you see, what's going on?"

He hears a clattering sound, a stifled gasp, muffled shouting.

"I dropped my phone," Mikey whimpers in fear. "I think they heard me."

"GET OUT NOW!" Raph yells. He dials Leo, adding him to the call.

"Raph? What's going --"

"Mikey's been made," Raph says in a panic.

"Get out of there, now!"

"Leo?" Mikey whispers nervously. "Is that you?"

"Mikey, we're on our way now, just get out as fast as you can! Don't worry about whether or not you're seen, just get out!"

"I'm trying!" Mikey cries nervously. "I'm stuck in the vents!!"

Raph hears a loud clang, followed by Mikey's screams and a thud.

"There he is!"

"Get him!"

"Come'ere, kid!"

Mikey yells in protest, terrified screams as he shouts at them to 'let me go, stop, leave me alone!'

Raph yells out into the phone. He's not sure what he yells, only that he wants Mikey back. He hears Leo yelling, too.

"Raph! Leo!" Mikey screams.

"MIKEY!!" the two yell back in unison.

The line goes dead.

A blue light ignites besides Raph, and Leo jumps through immediately, gasping for air as he stares down at Raph, who is on his hands and knees, holding the phone like it was Mikey's only lifeline.

"Where is he?" Leo pants. "Where is Mikey?"

Raph can't do anything but shake.

Mikey got captured... Because of him...

.

.

.

Raph lifts his face from the army of plushies he has been confiding in.

He takes in a deep breath.

He stands, going to a drawer and pulling out the wraps from that day. Almost a week ago.

The drawings are still there. The sketches and doodles are all intact. The image of a family is there, with each member colour-coded. Red, Blue, Purple... but it's missing their Orange brother. He never did get to finish that portrait.

Raphael leaves his train car and walks over to Mikey's. The door is wide open.

Inside, he sees Leo, slumped over on a beanbag chair and snoring softly, his mouth fallen open.

He hadn't said anything about sleeping in here.

He must've wanted to check on Mikey, too...

Raph grabs of one the extra blankets and pillows and adjusts his brother so that he can sleep more comfortably.

He takes residence in another beanbag chair opposite him.

Once settled, Raphael watches Mikey, who is sleeping peacefully and undisturbed, his tail swinging from side to side and his claws twitching on occasion.

Raph sighs.

Tears silently streak down his face as he cries himself to sleep.

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