#mostly leo. he’s tricky to figure out

[misiahasahardname]

i have no idea how the american school system works so i’m currently trying to figure out what kind of subjects the tales turtles would choose for their highers

[our-happygirl500-fan]

Various pieces of information from the Rise Q&A back in July 

1. When asked how the Turtles got their names in Rise it was said that back when Splinter was Lou Jitsu he travelled the world & developed a love for the Italian Renaissance & it’s art

This might have possibly been hinted at in the show as during the episode Al Be Back, Splinter was shown singing opera when trying to convince his sons to let him join their band.

2. Big Mama’s Assistant was stated to be one of the Turtle’s missing siblings & there were plans to name her after a female artist with Frida Kahlo possibly being the artist Big Mama’s Assistant would have been named after

The Turtles were supposed to figure out that Big Mama’s Assistant was related to them after various encounters with Big Mama, her personality is said to be ‘so disciplined & serious to the point where it is funny’.

3.  The Turtles had always had the potential for mystic powers & the mystic weapons that they took from Draxum acted as a catalyst & conduit to activating them

The Turtles are said to have had their mystic abilities inherently but needed something to help unlock them.

4. When asked about Mayhem it was admitted that Mayhem’s teleport ability was tricky to use due to easily being able to get the Turtles out of any serious situation

However it was stated that it could of been fun to see Mayhem go on seperate adventures similar to Perry the platypus in Phineas & Ferb.

5. When asked about the Raph & Casey friendship which can be seen in other iterations in TMNT it was said that though Raph & Casey didn’t get the chance to interact that much in the show they would actually make ‘the perfect pair’ if they had gotten to spend time together.

6. It was stated that after the Krang were sealed away the Turtles crashed & needed recovery time

7. After the events of the movie the public become slightly more aware of the existence of the Turtles

It was said that there would be a divide between people who feared & people who supported mutants & that the Turtles would have to work to maintain their reputation as heroes

8. When asked about if the Turtles had favourites when it came to their brother it was stated that Mikey was most likely Raph’s favourite & that Leo had a soft spot for Donnie & that Leo, Mikey & Donnie all look up to Raph

Mikey, Donnie & Leo: Raph! Raph! Raph!

9. When asked about Future Mikey & why he looked so much older in the future it was stated that the more powerful you Ninpo & Mystic energy are the more potential the powers have to drain whoever is using them

10. When asked about the heights of the future Turtles it was stated that due to his powers draining him Mikey had shrunk slightly but the Future version of Raph had been over 6ft 6 & the Future Version of Donnie had been slightly taller that Future Leo.

11. Casey Junior is said to have lost Cassandra when he was rather young & only has brief memories of her & that he was mostly raised by the Future version of Leo.

12. When asked about Splinter’s mystic abilities it was stated that he could do anything any of the Turtles could do if he tried

We’ve have briefly seen this when Splinter used Leo’s odachi to make portals but it also possibly means that Splinter could have also possibly replicated some of Raph, Donnie & Mikey’s abilities as well.

13. If there had been a cross over episode with Rise the 2012 Turtles were the Turtles most likely to be used due to many of the people who worked on Rise having also worked on the 2012 cartoon as well

Mikey’s powers are said to open up the possibility for cross overs with other universes

14. When asked about the Rat King it was stated he could have possibly been an extremely powerful Yokai

15. It was stated that Leo & Donnie both got their confidence from Splinter while Raph inherited his courage & sense of duty 

It was also stated that Mikey can tell that Splinter misses his old family & works to keep the family together

[phoebehalliwell]

oh holla i love complicated family dynamics which parental figure (whether it's theirs or an aunt/uncle w/e) do you think each of the next gen might have their respective problems with the Most

ooh ooh okay so let's start with the obvious

for chris it's leo. promo!

and, ipso facto, for wyatt, it's also leo. bc like. wyatt cannot deny that their father treats them differently and that it does create a kind of divide between wyatt and chris. i think wyatt still very much loves his father but he wishes his dad Wouldn't Do That bc wyatt would much rather just have a normal relationship with his brother

for melinda i'm sorrry i know leo's getting a lashing rn but it's just also gotta be leo bc leo is kind of the reason chris and wyatt's relationship is Like That and now she ends up having to play mediator or worse get caught up in some kind of dumb fight or even dumber plan and like. had her dad just been Normal about it this wouldn't be an issue she deals with. and i don't think she holds it against him per se, as an empath she understands that it comes from a place of love but like. wounded love, it festers like an infection, and it's just one of those Go To Therapy moments like this is just a nasty tender thing you have growing under your skin and i understand how the pain makes you act like that but dudeeee. dudeeee. please stop making Your Inability To Heal my problem please pleaseeee go to therapyyy.

kat is also easy because she kind of has mommy issues so it's gonna be paige. and again it's not a hate by any means she loves her mother but she just feels suffocated by her you know? and then paige also isn't her whitelighter, leo is, and like young kat who felt very disconnected from the craft kinda as a kid because her and Tamora were raised without powers and like she really hated the Charmed legacy that followed her around magic school but she loves being a witch and her mom love being a witch she knows she sees her mom guide so many witches and just the fact that her mom chose not to guide her. it burns her a little bit.

tamora is a little more tricky i don't know. tamora's deepest issue is just that she feels very like. dumb. inferior. like she has these major self confidence issues and she's a really good student but she's not like peyton who is naturally, effortlessly smart, who's starting high school in calc because this shit just clicks for her, tamora is a good student because she Needs to pour over this material and intensively study it in order to fucking understand it. she has a lot of trouble with it, but like, at this point, school's the only thing she's good at because she figured out how to do school she figured out how to make up for her "dumbness" deficit you know what i'm saying? but she feels like she hasn't hacked this for witchcraft or even like socializing, so she doesn't really. practice at it that much. because she believes herself to be dumb/bad at it. So. the answer is either paige, henry, or piper. paige because her momma is just so effortlessly confidently and funny and people like her and why why why couldn't she have gotten those genes Whyyy did she turn out like this. henry gets second place because the odds of the answer to that being your dad are just. always high. and should be acknowledged. but idk exactly What her issues with her father would be. piper gets a shout out here because piper is the one who trains tamora with her powers (because they share the same power) and tamora does struggle with control over her powers. and piper just seems to do it so effortlessly and is just so strong and confident and capable in her use of them it just. it makes tam feel dumb :(

henry jr has actually a kind of funny answer because i think it's actually phoebe. sorry pheebs!! because i think paige really does trust her son like she knows he's capable and can fend for himself and mostly understands his mortality and of course he is equipped with a couple solid enchanted items just in general to prevent too much damage. and you know. leo's not really henry's whitelighter but he still watches out for / over him you know that is family and um. both leo and paige watched chris die. so paige's vouching for henry that i think he's safe he's strong he's capable i think leo does really value that because he does feel like paige understands the risks she's staring down here. piper sides with her husband bc she trusts his judgement. but phoebe... phoebe is worried!! okay! sue her! so she's worried!! and lord knows when she worries she kind of makes it everyone else's problem. he's human he really Should Not be running around with witches i mean christ he's only in high school!! especially because when henry engages in magical shenanigans with the cupitches so frequently phoebe's concern is definitely a presence in his life. and like. here's the thing. phoebe doesn't mind henry getting involved with magic. like the parker's athame thing? that was cool that was fasicating but also. that was a perfect example of henry still being able to engage in the world of witches, their world, without endangering himself. she doesn't mind him helping out, but, god, went he goes out with the girls to fight demons, like christ no she cannot have that. and if he died??? if he died on a vanquish with her girls how would she ever tell paige?? you know? so basically phoebe is very suffocating to henry.

pj is gonna actually be with prue. it's hard being the eldest sister sharing the same name as thee eldest sister who died eldest sistering.

parker is going to be with. phoebe. but also coop. it's just they're such therapists and you know what i'm saying like okay let's talk it out lets not go to bed angry let's understand our emotions and where they're coming from and parker just wants to be angry sometimes!!! she does want to articulate her emotions and be receptive to others responses she wants to throw things and scream she just. she is an angry girl. she wants to be angry.

peyton is also gonna be phoebe. peyton wishes her mom insisted that they fight demons less and like phoebe's tried but pj and parker don't listen but like. they are too young to be doing this!! hello!! and she just. idk. i think honestly she probably wishes phoebe had bound their powers.

[ryderastrea]

With his shift and Greg sent off with a lollipop, Ryder tugged his gloves off with a tired sigh and tossed them into the trash before washing his hands. He blew at a stray piece of hair before deciding to just redo his ponytail entirely to get his almost two-toned red and blonde hair out of his face. Needless to say, Ryder was ready to get out of the medbay. It wasn't a bad shift. Just--was any shift really a good one when he didn't actually like doing this?

Pushing that thought from his head, Ryder turned to go and stopped short when he saw Ian approaching him, blinking in surprise. As they predicted, they didn't hang out after their conversation about Leo, and Ryder decided he must've done something wrong. Whatever it was, they wanted to fix it, but they didn't know how. It was tricky when he didn't actually know what he did. He promised himself he would try and talk to Ian about it, but he was too scared to approach them.

It looked like Ian beat him to it, and while Ryder was a little relieved, they mostly felt sick with nerves, because now they'd have to have a hard conversation. He tried to wrack his brain to figure out what he did, but he couldn't come up with anything. Maybe he was just too self-absorbed, and it put Ian off, and that would be really hard to hear without crying. "Hey," Ryder said softly and twisted a few rings nervously, matching Ian's fidgeting. "Um, y-yeah. We can talk. Did you want to go somewhere private?"

closed starter for @ryderastrea

Some time after his talk with Daniel, Ian was feeling better about their friendship.  He didn’t feel like he needed to pull away out of necessity anymore at least, and he made himself follow his own urge to text him and meet up when he wanted to.  He’d come to tell himself if Daniel didn’t want to hang out or not text him back, then he had the option on his own of not doing so.

He didn’t feel very good about his friendship with Ryder, though; having given them the same weird cold shoulder for months.  And Ian had realized late one evening while unable to sleep, that if Daniel had noticed he’d been pulling away and felt sad about it, then Ryder probably did, too.  If that were the case, then he didn’t want to make Ryder sad anymore.  That was the last thing he wanted out of all of this.  The thought of potentially having another conversation like the one with Daniel made his stomach churn uncontrollably, but the thought of no longer being friends with Ryder hurt even more.

The next evening, Ian headed to the medbay when he knew their shift was about to end, so that he knew where they would be.  The other medics were obviously still around as he entered, and he gave a cheerful enough smile to them on his way to the hybrid’s station.  “Hey, Ryder,” Ian greeted, then in a quieter tone he continued, unthinkingly fidgeting with his hands.  “Um, I was wondering…could I talk to you about something?"

[acefaun]

A Crabby Wish

Every night you dream that you talk to a genie, when you wake up you can't remember what you wished for. One morning you wake up with a giant crab pincer replacing your right arm. What do you do?

A/N: Why did Tumblr have to give such a perfect writing prompt? I'm gonna lose my mind over this crack idea. But I just wrote general head canons so I could keep it as short and sweet as possible. This also isn't edited in any way, furtherly adding to the crack! 😝

^^ This was in my notifications with the prompt prepared for posting and I love how funny it actually was. I hope they give more fun surprises. 🎉

(I also couldn't hook my SCM Masterlist to this for whatever reason... But we know where it goes. ✨)

First off, Genies were real? What the hell? These thoughts were stirred the previous days before the existence of your magical claw. The gods never told you that! Questioning them about the existence of genies only seemed to set them off as they thought genies were nothing but trouble. Even Ichthys who loves to prank people seemed to have a problem with the wish-granting spirits. "They don't have any boundaries," Ichthys said as if he had boundaries when it came to pranking. 

Despite their warnings, you seemed to have taken none of them as you accepted making a wish to the mischievous dream genie. Of course, as expected, you didn't remember your wish even as you woke up the next morning to a big surprise. 

You held your breath as you stared at yourself in the mirror . First of all… there was no way you were getting out of your pajamas for the day. Second of all… there was no way you were going to work. Third of all… the gods were not going to be very happy with you. Considering you ignored their warnings about genies… you were sure you'd be lucky if they even considered helping you get your arm back. 

By all means, it wasn't your fault! Yes, they were mad at you, but how could they blame you when the genie was the one to blame? Yes, if that wicked spirit hadn't tempted you! They challenged you by saying, "Your gods think I'm so evil… You don't think I'm an evil trickster, do you? After all, I'm a creation of the King of the Heavens! How evil can I be? Make a wish and you'll see for yourself that genies are worth befriending!" You thought it was fine. Why would the King of the Heavens do anything malicious, after all?

It wasn't all that bad when you had supportive zodiac boyfriends, however. They really pampered you during your time of only having one hand, so you should consider yourself lucky. 

Still, even the gods had their own personal thoughts on your giant crab pincer.

Leon wondered what in your right mind could you have been wishing for to end up looking like that? Did you want your arm to be stronger or something? Why would you have wanted something like that? Humans were so fickle. Besides, even if you wanted to be stronger, Leo could've easily made that happen. Stupid goldfish, going to some minion of the King for help. You deserved to live with a crab pincer, in his opinion. It was only a matter of time before you went crying to him for help.

Karno's first thought was that your wish might have had something to do with him. He wasn't as egocentric or as narcissistic as Leo, but he still had his suspicions. He was the crab zodiac, after all. But what could you have wished that ended up with you having a crab arm?! He couldn't phantom it. This is why it's so hard for them to figure out what you wished for. This was always the case with those tricky genies. 

Huedhaut was the one to think about this from a scientific stand point… He went through all the possibilities that could have gotten you to your current predicament. Still, nothing was set in stone until they understood your wish. He was mostly upset with you for trying to read books in your state. You clearly couldn't hold the book with your crab pincer, but you were wrinkling the pages trying to turn them with your pincer! And were those tears on the corners? That was worse than dog-ear bookmarks!

Teorus straight up hated the pincer. Of course, he tried his best to support you, but how could he be okay with you looking like that? You couldn't even go on a date with him because Zyglavis told you to stay in the mansion. It was so unfair! Why couldn't you have wished for a cooler animal? He would have loved it even more if you had wished for cow horns or a fluffy tail! Then you'd represent his cute zodiac, not Karno's crabby, ugly shell-creature of a zodiac.

Aigonorus mourned the fact that you were no longer a soft goldfish, perfectly made for cuddling and napping to his hearts content. Why would you even think that this was okay? Well, maybe… if you slept with your crab pincer as far away from him as possible… then he could wrap around the other side of your body… But then you still couldn't wrap your arms around him and cuddle him! Unacceptable! Get your arm fixed now!

Tauxolouve thought it was an… interesting piece of anatomy. He tried his best to come up with unique compliments so you wouldn't feel like you were an ugly human-crab combination. He even had the nerve to call you a demi-crab, as if that would make things better somehow! He also offered to paint your demi-crab beauty, but why the hell would you want this immortalized in a painting??? You were probably never going to hear the end of it from them without Lou engraving it into their heads with art!

Zyglavis was one of the gods who took over explaining the history of genies and why they were such vile creatures of the King. But you didn't listen to a single word he said, so why should he sit there and prattle over you? If anything, this was your punishment for not listening to him. Oh, your excuse was that it was just a dream? Dreams were real too and it's about time you learned that. Did he feel bad that you couldn't fix yourself food and such? Maybe… So maybe offering you a little bit of support wouldn't hurt. But it was just for your survival, he assured himself.

Scorpio wondered if your crab pincer wasn't actually a crab pincer for a while… Could it be a scorpion claw? That would mean your wish had something to do with him. Would he have been jealous if it was a crab claw and not a scorpion? …no. Don't be ridiculous. He didn't care if your wish was about that stupid wishes vice-minister. Stupid crab. Regardless of what your wish was though, you couldn't make him any of those things! Those… the apple things… the rabbit shaped ones… You needed to get your arm back to normal or you were going to have a problem with the Punishments vice-minister!

Ichthys was bold enough to think that he might be able to use you in some of his pranks, but that idea soon dropped without any second thoughts. He was more than content with just playing with the claw and seeing how strong this new arm of yours was. He wasted no time in summoning various objects for you to snap or crush with the claw. Did it make a mess when he got you to snap a watermelon in the middle of the living room? Yes. Did you get kicked out of the mansion and into the courtyard? Also yes.

Dui was among the gods who didn't like the claw all that much. It wasn't like he didn't like it! That would imply that he didn't like you, and he absolutely loved you! He didn't want to make you feel like he hated you because of the claw so he did his hardest to act like the claw wasn't even there despite how blatantly obvious it was when you were doing normal human stuff. His biggest regret was watching you falter when he asked to bake a cherry pie. It was something so completely normal that he mentally kicked himself when he saw your face fall. Instead, he got a jar of cherries and dedicated himself to feeding you himself. Though, he got scolded a few times when he accidentally ate the cherries instead of directing them to your waiting mouth.

Krioff wasn't opposed to you having a stronger more durable arm. In fact, if you were more crab like then maybe you wouldn't be so fragile. Maybe then he wouldn't pose a danger to you with his flames. Though, it took some explaining that his flames would boil you alive into an edible snack… but he didn't want to imagine cracking your crab pincer open and eating your arm! Durable or not, he was starting to not like how you thought of your arm as food! If the other gods didn't act soon then he was going to take things into his own hands and fix this!

Partheno detested the pincer with a passion. By all means, he refused to accept it as part of you. Yes, he loved you without condition, but this claw… he needed it fixed. The color of it completely clashed with anything he helped you wear. Sure, you were getting tired of him snapping his fingers for the next outfit, but, darling, you looked so out of sorts and he was just trying to make it better. To make matters worse, you couldn't even fix your own hair. Of course, Partheno was often the one to fix your hair when the mood struck him, so this wasn't unusual for him. He just had to remind himself that this wasn't permanent. But he still couldn't help but think that this was worse than anything he would have ever done to you as a demon...

Needless to say, they were upset. You, on the other hand? You were handling this like a champ. Sure, you couldn't grab things anymore… or move your hair out of your face without bonking yourself in the head… or hold hands with more than one god at a time… or make food for your favorite god… or play video games with your gods… or anything that required two hands, really.

But it was fine….

…really….

….who needed two fully functional hands anyway...

...Nope.

...

...

That's it. You need your hand back.

Unfortunately, the only way they could do that was if they knew specifically what you said to the genie. w o r d f o r w o r d. Of course, how could you remember something you said in a dream?! That was like asking you to repeat something you said on this day five years ago. 

The only viable option left was for Huedhaut to go into your dreams himself while you were sleeping and decipher what was said. Either that, or if he was fortunate enough he might find the genie itself. Then he'd be able to fix the problem at its source. It wouldn't be a very fortunate situation for the wishing spirit, on the other hand, but no one ever said a wishes god couldn't have a bit of punishments spirit in them.

You'd never been more grateful to have such wonderful boyfriends. Though, once you had both of your hands back to usual, they didn't hesitate to make sure you understood that it was time for you to return the favor. They took care of you all this time, didn't they? Couldn't you spare them with some home cooked food of yours or some personal attention? A thanks would be nice. They made sure you'd have your work cut out for you.

[cantsleepwithoutthesubway]

(TMNT asks) 6 and 15!

Ooh these are good ones. Let's see...

6. Least favorite headcanons

These will be general across all versions. I don't know about too many headcanons, and I don't tend to dwell on ones I don't like, so this was a bit tricky.

Leo's is that he doesn't know how to have fun, or the 'fun killer'. Just because he's the oldest and the most responsible doesn't mean he doesn't have time to be chill.

Raph's is that his One Trait is that he's always angry. I firmly believe that his expressions of anger are only because he doesn't know how to express his emotions. To him, it may not seem like anger, but that's how it comes across. All in all, I think most of the time he's a chill dude that, yes protects his family, but also snarks to show affection and likes to help when he's capable. He's only in Anger Mode, in extreme circumstances, like high stakes the movies and tv shows have.

Donnie's is that he's the least skilled turtle. I don't agree. Because regardless of skill in martial arts, he also has skills that his brothers don't have. And I don't just mean his brain. I'm sure that Donnie takes breaks to figure out issues on a project by going through training, the movement helping him think. Donnie doesn't outwardly show his skill as often as the others, but it doesn't mean he can't hold his own in a fight.

Mikey's is that he's the dumb one. I hate this one. Mostly because I head canon he's got ADHD, and as someone with ADHD, I hate being called stupid for something outside my control. Mikey zones out at bad times, thinks of unrelated things, and has trouble putting his focus on training or missions, etc. And that's not because he's stupid or isn't trying, and I wish people would realize that. He's not the comical relief or the dunce of the team. (Adding onto this, the fact that people think giving Mikey coffee would make him MORE hyper, while kinda funny, doesn't mesh well with him having ADHD, since caffeine affects us differently.)

15. Least favorite character development/storyline

My least favorite storyline is in the 2012 show, where Mikey had to clean up the farmhouse alone and he ran away because of it. Yes, he did make the mess himself, but it was clearly a task too big for him alone and his brothers should have known that by then after living with him for so long. There was a better way to handle that.

[technofantasia]

Rise of the TMNT Timeline

Alright, by piecing together some clues from the show and making some educated guesses, I’ve put together a tentative chronology for Rise!

(Note: not all episodes are included, just a couple that either have timeline evidence or are somehow plot notable. This is assuming the canonical episode order is also chronological order.)

[EDIT] Added some more information (namely Splinter’s birthday month).

1600s-ish: The Shredder was created and sealed away September 1960: Splinter was born 1966: Splinter’s mother left (Finale part 1 flashback) 1979: Splinter left for America (Finale part 1 flashback) 1980-1984: Splinter became an action film star, dated around 1984: Splinter started dating Big Mama 1987: Splinter’s “Hot Soup: the Game” was released 1989: Splinter proposed to Big Mama, was imprisoned in Battle Nexus November 2002: April was born April-August 2003: (Presumably) Raph was born April-August 2004: (Presumably) Leo and Donnie were born April-August 2005: (Presumably) Mikey was born October 2005: Splinter and the Turtles were mutated February 2014: The first Lair Games was held 2014-2016: Donnie made his first battleshell, goggles, and tech bracer Early 2018: Piebald was flushed August 2018: Mystic Mayhem (the series begins), Down with the Sickness September 2018: The Turtle Tank was created (The Fast and the Furriest), Bug Busters, Hypno part Deux October 2018: Bullhop,  Evil League of Mutants, Shelldon was first created (Smart Lair), Shadow of Evil November 2018: April’s 16th Birthday (Warren and Hypno), April meets Sunita (Operation: Normal) December 2018: Snow Day January 2019: S1 Finale February 2019: The sixth Lair Games was held (Lair Games), Repairin’ the Baron March 2019: Air Turtle April-May 2019: S2 Finale

(Reasoning below the cut!)

So. Assuming that the episodes occur in chronological order, we can reasonably assume that the course of the show proper takes around or slightly less than a year.

In Hypno Part Deux, April is going to a homecoming dance; homecoming dances happen usually around the beginning of the school year, in late September or early October. Since she is canonically 15 at the time (she says she’s 16 in Always Be Brownies, which happens after her birthday) and has a birthday that comes after homecoming, that would likely make her a high school junior! That’s not important, just a fun fact. Placing the beginning of the series around August makes sense, then, since it’d be before April started school and during flu season, giving Splinter a good reason for catching the rat flu in Down with the Sickness.

The other solid time marker we have is Snow Day, which obviously takes place during snow season in New York (which is usually December to March). It’d likely be closer to December, since I’d like to imagine that they would have gone out to have fun in the snow as soon as they could have, potentially even at first snow. Since Lair Games comes chronologically after Snow Day and confirms the year as being 2019, we can assume that most episodes that happen before Snow Day happened in 2018 while those after happened in 2019.

Another, slightly more tenuous time marker is Bullhop, where a calendar is shown that says the 21st of the month was on a Sunday; by our previous assumption, this is 2018, so a calendar shows this must have been during the month of October, which falls in line with the rest of our timeline here! Neat. The 2018-2019 NBA season went from October 6 to April 10, so, since Air Turtle presumably showed a late season game with potential for turnaround, early March seems like a fair bet. All of those episodes combined give a pretty good sense of time throughout the series, spanning from probably around August 2018 to Mid-2019. The finale could have happened any time after March and before June (when high school would end, meaning Sloppy Joe wouldn’t have had to be working Draxum’s kitchen). Because there were quite a few episodes that should have happened before the finale, though, I’ll split the difference and say the S2 finale happened in or around May.

Fun detail: by this timeline, April’s birthday is sometime between October and December/January, likely November (seeing as it comes after Bullhop but before Snow Day, and judging by the fall colors of the foliage in Operation Normal which comes directly after her birthday episode.)

As for the brothers, we can assume that they might have different birthdays judging by how in Lair Games, Mikey says that one of his favorite days is “my birthday”; if they all shared a birthday, he might have been more likely to say “our birthday”. They were mutated sometime close to October, but since they didn’t seem to see the date of their mutation as anything special in ELoM, we can assume they don’t celebrate it as their birthday. We know that at the beginning of the show, Mikey is 13, Leo and Donnie are 14, and Raph is 15; at no point during the show do any of them have a birthday, which leads me to assume that they are the same ages by the S2 finale. They COULD have had a birthday offscreen, but since birthdays are a pretty big thing for teenagers, I’d think that if one of them had a birthday it would be pretty noteworthy. I’ll just guess and say they didn’t have one. If that’s the case, then all of their birthdays would be some time between April-ish and August-ish. By the time the show starts, then, they would have already had their birthdays, confirming for us their (probably only guessed anyway but whatever) birth years as 2003, 2004, and 2005. Realistically, Splinter probably didn’t know how much older Raph was from any of the others or anything like that, but the years are still somewhat important for age calculation purposes. I could try to guess their birthday months by saying they might all have wanted a unique birthday month, but that would be complete conjecture on my part (as compared to the rest of this which is just mostly conjecture), and would honestly be more headcanon territory than an educated guess? So for the timeline I’ll just say that their birthdays are between April and August.

Now, reaching further backwards to figure out Splinter’s life timeline!

In Splinter’s memories in E-turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, we see a clip of a teenage Splinter. Said “teenage splinter” looks to be on the older side of teenager, as he seems to have his own apartment and just looks older besides, so I’d place him at either 18 or 19 (leaning towards 19). Additionally, taking a look around his room, it looks like he might be using a Sony Walkman (first made in 1979), and has what looks to be a Star Wars poster on his wall (1977). Additionally, he has a TV in his room that looks to be a Toshiba Blackstripe model that was popular in the mid-to-late 70s. While I can’t tell if he does actually have a walkman or not, I’d probably place this scene as being 1978 or 1979 anyway, so let’s just say it’s 1979. If he was 19 in 1979, that would place Splinter’s birth year as 1960, which is nice and even so I’m keeping it. That would make Splinter 58-59 during the course of the show, which seems to track! He has a birthday in Mascot Melee (the turtles are buying him a new robe as a birthday present), which, according to my episode timeline, puts his birthday around early September.

The flashback of Splinter as a kid is a little bit tricky, since he looks to be about five or six judging by how he acts in the scene? But he’s also holding a Kamen Rider doll, and that show didn’t exist until 1971. I nonetheless place the scene in 1966, since this is a cartoon and hey, maybe the Kamen Rider equivalent came out a few years earlier in this world, who cares. The bottle flip challenge already apparently happened in 2014 here, why not move some other stuff around? This exercise has already had me comparing calendar days, I will not be deterred

In Many Unhappy Returns, the clapperboard for the film “Crouching Shrimp, Hidden Tiger Prawn” in Splinter’s flashback shows that it was 1984 when he first met Big Mama, meaning that he was not only Lou Jitsu by then (at just 24 years old!), but that he had been making movies for at least a few years. After all, he and Big Mama were supposedly inseparable after meeting, and in The Shadow of Evil, it’s shown that Splinter did date around a bit as a star. Assuming that rat dad isn’t the cheating type, that would have had to be before meeting Big Mama. In Fists of Furry, Splinter mentions that he hasn’t seen any of his dojos in thirty years; while he may not have meant literally thirty years on the dot, assuming he’s at least close, that would mean that he was first abducted around 1989 (age 29). At that point, he and Big Mama would have been dating for around 5 years, which seems like a reasonable amount of time for him to wait before proposing. He also would have had time to build up quite a bit of fame as a movie star; the game he had of him looks to be on a system similar to the Atari 2600 and in fact looks pretty similar to the real life game “Kung Fu Master” that came out on Atari in 1987, a year which would have been the prime of his career. Sure, that date works as well as any. After that point, we know he was imprisoned in the Battle Nexus until Baron Draxum kidnapped him in order to use his DNA to mutate the turtles 13 years before The Evil League of Mutants. That would have placed his kidnapping and their mutations at around October of 2005, judging by the monthly timeline of the show. So, Splinter would have been around 45 when he adopted the turtles, after having been imprisoned and forced to fight for ~16 straight years. Dang.

Finally, I figured that the whole deal with Shredder and Karai would have happened at some point in the 1600s as it was 18 generations ago, judging by the number of “greats” in Karai’s grandma title, and if you average out a generation to be about 20-25 years, that lands you in the range of the 15th century. That works especially because Ninja apparently first started becoming a thing in the 15th century, so the timing checks out well enough.

(and, just as an extra fun note for the timeline, the lair games was said to have been going on for 6 years as of early 2019, meaning it must have started in 2014. We see that, in 2014 (year 1 of the Lair Games), Donnie doesn’t have his goggles or battleshell and is instead wearing glasses. In 2016 (year 3), though, he looks about the same as he does in the present, meaning he must have created all his tech that he wears on him (battleshell, goggles, tech bracer) between 2014 and 2016.)

So, the above timeline is a guesstimated and shoved around compilation of all this totally meaningless investigation, typed in a form that makes some kind of chronological sense! I hope that someone finds it useful, or just fun to think about :D

[nerdgatehobbit]

Much Rambling Ahead

With both second seasons of XWP and Sun & Moon done, I’m going to take a mini-break from watching shows other than TOS, the end of the Kenobi show, and getting back on track with the SG-1 mini-watch, especially with the big anniversary next month.  I did get around to “The Changeling”, which was as good as I remembered.  I’m really looking forward to a SGA re-watch (well, I’ll be skipping some episodes but whatever).  There’ll probably be screencaps galore, but I’ll try to space them out for the sake of everyone’s dashes.

I keep putting off going back for PRIS & PRLG screencaps, mostly because I’m upset that Andros and Leo got to have considerably more spotlight and it evidently wasn’t an issue, but several years later there was backlash about PRMF’s Red Ranger Nick being featured in under a quarter of the season.  Nick and Koragg got focused on in “Whispering Voices” and “Legendary Catastros”; he and Madison shared a subplot in “Rock Solid”, he was the primary focus in “The Light” and “The Hunter”, shared with Vida in “Hard Heads”, and had a role-swap dynamic with Daggeron in “The Snow Prince”.  That’s just seven episodes out of thirty-two (21%).

Meanwhile Andros the Red Space Ranger had three solo episodes, another three with Ashley, four with Astronema AKA Karone, two with Carlos, one with Cassie, one with TJ, two with Zhane, and another two shared with both Ashley and Zhane.  That’s eighteen episodes out of forty-three (41%), and honestly I could have been more exact and counted another two as more Andros-y than team-centric.  As for Leo the Red Galaxy Ranger, he was a focus in seventeen episodes out of forty-five (38%).  Him and Damon in one; with Kai in two; three by himself; one with Karone (that episode was irritating as her making amends got him a Battlizer); with his big brother Mike in three; with the original Magna Defender in four; with Trakeena in two; and lastly Leo, Mike, and the original Magna Defender got shared focus in one episode.

To have had an equivalent amount of episodes as Andros & Leo, Nick would have needed to be the focus in about a dozen episodes total, not seven.  I can’t deny that nostalgia could be a factor, as originally my own position as a member of the Nick Defense Squad was largely because it was the first season I watched, but I have a bad feeling some racism and/or islamophobia was going on with the fanbase.  :/

Still, that’s not the franchise’s fault (unlike what happened with David Yost).  I do want to do some sort of celebration next year, as 2023 will mark three decades of Power Rangers.  I just need to figure out how to properly represent the first seventeen seasons and when/if I should look into the newer seasons.  I don’t want to turn into one of those fans that just snub them, as I remember the dismissal the Disney seasons frequently got from the older fans way back when, but it’s been tricky to figure out how to obtain them for a fair price.

Similarly, I remain frustrated by how expensive & complicated buying the original Sailor Moon, one of the biggest anime of all time, would be.  With luck, I will enjoy Sailor Moon Crystal, whose three seasons I did snag a while back, but I more recently caught some of its Eternal movie and was left underwhelmed & kinda unnerved, which I’d be more worried by except I know it’s a compression of the third season so it’s probably like about the ATLA live-action film than anything else... right?

Arrow’s second season will be entering the rotation soon-ish (more David Nykl!).  I will eventually go back to The Flash someday, but honestly I’ll probably start out with getting Iris-centric screencaps from season 1 before going on to season two again.  I feel bad that I put off LOT reviews for so long that the show ended before I began.  :/

I need to get back into ALOK.  The whiplash between teen romance antics and Amon’s terrorism was a lot so that’s been on pause for a few weeks.  I should get back to the back of Princess Tutu sometime as well.  At this rate, it’ll probably be a while before I get around to Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century.

So: movie time!  I’m trying to narrow down my options, as quite a backlog has built up.  Merlin 1998, Sense and Sensibility 2008, and Tin Man are all technically miniseries but still.  I particularly want to do the S&S miniseries, as I feel like I should watch it and get screencaps there before going back to re-watch any other Austen adaptation.

Ever After is way up there, and I know I need to get around to Turning Red.  I kinda want to go back and re-watch the Pokémon movies with Lugia and Celebi because I got them in the app.  I do have The Mummy movies to watch because Brendan Fraser.  Christopher Robin is about due for a re-watch, since I haven’t seen it since it came out.  Plus it’s probably the closest thing to an Obi-Wan and Hondo movie we’ll get.  I also recently got a Barbie movie collection, so that’ll be interesting, since as a kid I just watched & unironically enjoyed Barbie as Rapunzel (I honestly still think Tangled took a lot of its elements).  To see similar movies without nostalgia goggles will be interesting.  Lastly, the T*Witches movies are set aside as an autumn project.

Reading-wise, I’m debating between a few options right now.  Because I really should be chipping away at my to-read pile.  Ivanhoe (actual & Wishbone), the Dragon Quartet, Young Wizards, The Nature of Middle Earth, and a few tie-in books (SG & ST) are at the top right now.  Given its 40th anniversary next year, I know the answer is to get a head start on the YW series, but I am nervous about doing a serious analysis of them, given what a soft spot I have for them.

I also know that a chapter-by-chapter analysis would be a lot to do and I both am unsure if I want to commit that much yet I also know that I do regret not doing so for my COTRK reviews.  Especially as I know that it’d be interesting to compare and contrast the original stories against the New Millennium editions.  Yet I know I tend to go easy on media (you wouldn’t think it going by my salt tags, but I am actually aware that I could [should?] be more critical).  I’m still working on finding that balance between enjoying a piece of media while acknowledging its shortcomings.

If anyone is still here, thanks for reading my frazzled ramblings.

[welcometophu]

The Meaning of Home, Chapter 3

The Meaning of Home Chapter 3

Tags for all Welcome to PHU novels will be available at the PHU tag list on Pillowfort. This list is under construction as of Sept. 5, 2021.

[ Previous |  First | Next ]

“You could have mentioned.” Pawel fills a bowl with chili from the slow cooker, then adds a scoop of spiced chicken and cheese, and tops it with sour cream. He hands it to his dad and points to the table. “There’s salad, too.”

“More meat, Dad,” Conor says, handing him his bowl. “Beans are weird. They have a really strange texture.”

“They’re also good for you.” Pawel doesn’t skimp on his son’s bowl; he’s seen just how much his kid can pack away. “And you need to eat salad, too.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Conor mutters. He slides into one of the chairs at the tiny round table that sits between the kitchenette and living room. When all three of them sit down, there’s barely room to move. Pawel’s afraid he’s going to take a bite and end up elbowing his father in the nose.

Still, it’s good to have real food with them, and know that both of them are eating something healthy.

Pawel sits back a bit from the table so he doesn’t knock knees, and holds his own bowl in his hands. The chili isn’t as spicy as he usually makes it at home, but that’s probably better for his father’s stomach anyway.

“Could’ve mentioned what?” Dad asks.

He sounds so innocent.

“That the guy who takes in fosters and happens to work with you is Leo Papa. As in my ex-boyfriend Leo,” Pawel says dryly. “We bumped into him and Emma and another one of his fosters—”

“Jennie,” Conor supplies.

“—At the grocery store,” Pawel finishes, as if Conor hadn’t interrupted. “And oh, funny thing.” He glares at Dad, who blinks back at him, calmly eating. “Turns out Leo’s married to Colt Harrison. My other high school ex.”

“Emma’s dads are the guys you dated in high school?” Conor asks. “They’re really cool. Why didn’t you keep dating them?”

“Leo graduated and left. Colt and I went to different schools. I met your mom.” There’s a lot more to each of those stories, but Pawel doesn’t want to get into the details right here and now. He’s not sure he wants to talk about the drama of his teen life with his son in general.

Conor already knows enough of the details, like the fact that he was born while Pawel was still in school.

“Colt’s really calmed down,” Dad muses. “He used to have a lot of attitude when he was a kid. I remember when you first started dating him, and he’d look down at our house. He thought everything should be served up on a silver platter. Being a dad’s taught him a lot more about reality than anything else did, I think.”

“Are you telling me he doesn’t drive a Porsche anymore?”

Dad barks out a low laugh. “Where would he put five kids in a Porsche? They’ve got practical cars. Although if they take in any more kids, they’ll need one of those big vans, or a miniature bus.”

“Emma wants Dad to find her parents, so she can go home,” Conor reminds them. “She says she’s not staying. I’ll be sad when she goes, though. And her house is fun. It’s kind of chaotic. I mean, Duke’s quiet—he doesn’t talk at all—but Matt’s always saying stuff, and he keeps changing into different animals. And Duke and Matt fight, even if Duke doesn’t yell. He still seems to get his point across, and then he chases Matt, and yeah, it gets messy. You met Jennie—she’s cool, for a little kid, but she’s always eating. Nevaeh’s really pretty. She’s learning how to drive.” 

Conor shovels food into his mouth, a spoonful between every sentence. His spoon clatters back into a mostly empty bowl, a few beans lingering in the bottom. “Can I go call Alan? We’re going to game tonight. I got my homework done while you were cooking.”

“Salad,” Dad reminds him, and Pawel’s thankful for the backup, even if Dad himself hasn’t taken any yet.

Conor puts just enough lettuce and vegetables into his bowl to satisfy the requirement, and finishes it quickly. He drops his spoon on the table. “Gonna go call Alan. Bye!”

The place is small enough that even though the door to the guest room bangs as it bounces closed, then open again, Pawel can still clearly hear Conor shouting a hello to Alan.

“How the hell do they have five kids?” Pawel can’t imagine trying to wrangle more than one.

“There are two of them. There’s a better adult to kid ratio, plus you know Leo’s family helps out.” Dad pulls the salad towards him, heaping his bowl full. “That’s what family does, and you know it. Ours is just smaller than most.”

Him, his dad, and Conor. Yeah. It’s a pretty small family.

Which reminds him, he should probably tell his dad about Chelsea.

Dad points his fork at him. “I’ll agree, though, I didn’t see it coming,” he continues. Pawel stays silent; Chelsea can wait if Dad’s going to tell him more about what the hell’s been going on while he was absent. “Leo and Colt were good together; have been since they first met. But when Leo came in and said he needed a few days off to go pick up a foster kid—almost four years ago, now—it was a hell of a surprise. Matt had a tough time of it, too. His parents gave him up, put him right into the foster system because he’d Emerged as Clan. If Lucy hadn’t gotten him out….” Dad trails off, shaking his head.

“Leo said something about Lucy and Rowan,” Pawel says slowly. “I have two students whose parents are in a triad, and two of those parents are Lucy and Rowan. I’ve spent time with their family in Vermont.”

“Likely the same,” Dad says. “Lucy’s a teacher, and she keeps an eye out for Talented kids who might slip through the cracks otherwise. Apparently she’s been doing it since before the Emergence; it’s just easier now. She’s got a network of teachers, and one of them knows Colt, and that’s how it all came together. Matt did so well with them that when Lucy found out about a thirteen-year-old girl who’d run away from her family with her baby sister, she brought them straight to Leo and Colt, too. Rowan’s a lawyer, and he’s the one who works to make sure the kids are safe, and aren’t going to end up back in bad places. Nevaeh and Jennie’s parents didn’t want a little girl who sparkled all the time, and they were a danger to her, so they were declared unfit.”

“Conor thinks they’ll adopt them. Since Jennie’s grown up with them.” Pawel’s still trying to assimilate it, putting “parents” into the same box as “ex-boyfriends” in his brain. He still sees them both as the awkward teenagers they used to be.

Colt would say he has never been awkward.

He might even be right.

“They’ve thought about it. I think Colt’s looked into it, but even with the parents out of the picture as they are, they’re still alive, so adoption becomes a tricky thing.” Dad picks up his empty bowl along with Conor’s and takes them over to the sink.

Pawel uses the freedom to stretch his legs under the small table. He’s barely eaten anything yet, so he starts working his way through his chili, letting his mind spin.

He should get in touch with Lucy and Rowan. They’ve talked before, more than once actually. Maybe it’d be good to let them know he’s aware of their efforts. That he knows Leo and Colt.

No, not like that. That makes it sound like he knows them better than he does. Until he ran into Leo in the store, he hadn’t seen him in more than a decade. It hasn’t been quite as long for Colt, but close enough.

Still. This sounds like something he should offer help with. Even if he can’t foster, he can help with Lucy’s ability to network down in Unity. He’s sure she could use that, and well, he owes her family for all the help they’ve given in the last year.

He scoops up the last mouthful of chili. That’s decided then. He’ll give them a call later. Or text them. Reach out, anyway.

“Bring me your bowl.” Dad waits until Pawel brings his dishes over before he adds quietly, “Never did figure out if you ended things on good or bad terms, but I know you moped about both of them enough to figure they weren’t easy breakups. They’re both doing well now. They’re good for each other. Leo’s a valuable part of my force, and Colt’s a voice to be reckoned with in the courtroom. They fight for Talented folks to be safe. So if you’re thinking of somehow getting in the middle of this….”

Dad’s voice trails off and he gives Pawel a look.

Pawel has no idea what Dad’s thinking. “Get in the middle of… no. What? I was just going to reach out and offer to be a liaison in Unity, if Lucy and Rowan don’t already have one. And thank them for all the help they’ve given us. And maybe talk to Colt and Leo about whether I can help Emma out. Since apparently people disappearing has become my specialty.”

Dad huffs and turns away. “Fine. Just don’t go making any trouble for them. They’re good folk.”

“I won’t. I’m just going to—” Pawel gestures at the couch, but that’s not really helpful for getting any distance or privacy. “Actually. Why don’t you go put your feet up. I’ll finish the clean up.”

“You cooked.” The protest is half-hearted.

“And I was home all day, so I can clean, too.” Maybe being home support is a good way to thank his dad for everything he’s done. It’s something Pawel can do, anyway.

The TV goes on loud enough that Pawel can hear it clearly over the running water. Pawel takes a moment to tap out a quick message to send to Lucy.

Heard you help find foster homes for Talented kids in need. My son’s met a few of the kids you placed in my home town. If you ever need a contact in Unity, I’d be happy to help.

He leaves his phone face up on the counter.

He’s up to his elbows in suds, scrubbing the inside of the slow cooker, when his phone buzzes. He glances over to see a response from Lucy.

I’ve actually got folks in Unity and Valiant, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk. I already know you’ve got a vested interest in keeping Talented kids safe, and a larger network means more help. Just like we’ve been telling you with our family in Burlington: lean on people when you need them.

Even people who barely know him are giving him advice. 

He lets the screen fade; he’ll reply later when his hands aren’t soaking wet. Instead he finishes filling up the small dishwasher and gets it started. As soon as the rumbling begins, Dad turns up the volume on the TV so he can hear over the rattling of the dishwasher.

It’s just too much noise for Pawel. He makes his way to the guest room, knocking on the half-open door before he nudges it wide enough to step inside. Conor waves a hand, and Pawel takes that as meaning close the door, so he does.

“What are you playing?” Pawel looks at the screen, but all he sees is Alan, who waves at him.

“We haven’t started playing yet.” Conor’s voice is too loud, his headphones still covering his ears. Pawel taps at them, and Conor removes them and switches the sound to the speakers. “We’ve just been talking. Alan was telling me about all the things happening at home. I really like my class and my teacher here, but I really miss home. Except for Marjorie. I don’t really miss her.”

“But you miss me,” Alan says, grinning. “Hi, Mister Szczek.” 

They’ve known each other long enough that Polish names, along with the random few words Conor knows and has shared, roll off Alan’s lips like he’s part of the family. Well, he and Conor are schoolyard married, so maybe he is part of the family.

“Hi, Alan. Actually, I’ve got a question for you both.” Pawel sits down on the bed next to Conor, leaning in so he’ll be on camera. “I picked up tickets for SongFest out in Buffalo this weekend. I was thinking you could join us if you boys want.”

“You got us tickets for SongFest? Do I get to see Rory and Thorne on stage? What about that girl? Trish? Is she doing music there, too? You changed your mind! You said I was too young for concerts.” Conor bounces on the bed enough that the laptop wobbles. Pawel reaches out to stabilize it as Alan laughs.

“You’re too young for clubs,” Pawel says. “And this is going to be a long day, out in the hot sun, assuming it doesn’t rain on Saturday. But I figured we could give it a try, and since it’s outside, the music won’t be quite as bad on your ears. You already don’t listen to half of what I say.”

“Mom says my dad and me have selective hearing,” Alan volunteers. 

“She’s not wrong. Sometimes it’s better to just not listen. Can’t get in trouble if you don’t hear it,” Conor agrees. His gaze slides sideways, as if he forgot Pawel is sitting there. “Soooooooo,” he draws the word out before his gaze locks back on Alan on the screen. “Can you go with us?”

“We’d be driving out on Friday,” Pawel clarifies. “The actual festival is in Buffalo on Saturday, and it goes late. We’d have a hotel for both nights, and come back on Sunday.”

The smile falls away as Alan shakes his head. “I can’t this weekend. It’s my cousin’s birthday next week, and we’re doing a big family thing this weekend in Boston. She’s my aunt’s miracle baby, and we always get the whole family together to celebrate her. She’s three this year. She’s my oldest aunt and my youngest cousin. I’m youngest, before her.”

Conor ducks his head. “Oh.” He pulls his blanket onto his lap, picking at the fuzz on it.

“We’ll have to find a different weekend for Alan to come out and visit then,” Pawel says firmly. The boys have been apart for two months, and that’s a long time in a nine-year-old’s life. “Then you can introduce Alan to Emma.”

“We’ve met.” Alan sounds cheerful about that. “She’s pretty cool. She and Conor call me sometimes. I think she should come live with you guys when you come home.”

Conor makes a low scoffing noise. “She’s not like a stray dog. We can’t just keep her. She’s already got foster dads, and besides, my dad is going to find her parents. Then she’ll have to go wherever her home really is. Which will suck, because I really like hanging out with her, but it’ll make her happy, so that’s cool.”

“Yeah, that’s really cool you’re going to do that, Mister Szczek,” Alan echoes.

It’s very cool, right up until the moment Pawel thinks about how that means figuring out a plan, and then interacting with Leo and Colt to enact that plan.

“I’ll do my best.” Pawel touches Conor’s shoulder. “Why don’t you guys do your game for a bit. It’s a school night, so you still need to get to bed.”

Conor shakes his head, as if he can shake off the blues. Maybe it works, because he’s smiling when he reaches for his laptop. “Okay, Alan. Let’s do this.”

Pawel is clearly dismissed.

He exits the room, leaving the door propped just enough that he can hear the rumble of Conor talking as he puts his headphones back on, and nothing else. Dad’s half-asleep on the couch, watching a show through his eyelids, so Pawel sinks down there and joins him. As Dad snores softly, Pawel grabs the remote and stops the show. Dad can get back to it later, and he won’t notice Pawel channel surfing while he snoozes.

Time passes in a haze of snippets of comedy and drama. Pawel can’t seem to find anything he really wants to watch, and Dad has no opinions as he naps. Pawel keeps one eye on the time, and he’s just about to call out when he hears Conor yell, “Got to go! Bye!” The sound of the laptop closing is clear enough to make Pawel wince, but he knows that machine has put up with a lot from his son already.

Conor emerges a few minutes later, already in his pajamas. He heads straight for the bathroom, and Pawel can hear the water running as he brushes his teeth and gets ready for bed. By the time Conor makes it into the living room, the noise has disturbed Dad, who sits upright and yawns.

“Bed,” Pawel says firmly, not entirely certain which one of them he’s talking to. Probably both.

“Goodnight son.” Dad squeezes Pawel’s shoulder as he stands. He reels Conor in for a long hug on his way by, then disappears into his own room.

Conor stands there, hands clasped behind his back, his lower lip drawn in between his teeth.

“You want something,” Pawel says.

“Since Alan can’t go and you said you already bought a ticket, can we bring Emma with us to the festival this weekend?” Conor blurts it all out in a rush, biting his lip again when he’s done. “I know you don’t know her really well yet, but she’s nice and we won’t be trouble and it would really be a lot of fun.”

If Pawel takes Emma all the way to Buffalo, he can’t see her foster parents letting her go alone.

Pawel slides his palm over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hears the soft, defeated exhale from Conor.

“Okay,” Conor says softly. “I get it.”

“That’s not—” Pawel hesitates, peeking between his fingers at where his son stands there, waiting for an answer. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll talk to her fathers. Foster fathers.” Even without Emma there to correct him, he corrects himself. He understands the importance of terminology. Sometimes you have to make sure you say things the right way. Words have power, even when you’re nine.

Words might even have more power over children. That’s why it’s important to acknowledge the ones they want to use.

Conor darts across the room, plowing into where Pawel is still on the couch for a flying, tackling hug. “Thanks, Dad. I love you. Can I tell Emma you’re going to ask? Should it be a surprise? When are you going to ask?”

So many questions.

So many complications to this one simple request.

Pawel wraps his arms around his son, choosing to just hold on for the moment. He pats Conor on the back, and Conor slowly disengages from the hug, bouncing on his toes as soon as he’s upright.

“I’ll talk to Leo and Colt,” Pawel promises. “But you need to give me time.”

“It’s already Tuesday,” Conor whines. “You said we’re going on Friday. That’s not a lot of time. Wait, what about school? Are you taking me out of school?”

“That’s one of the things I’ll need to talk to Leo and Colt about.” One thing among several. And this is coming out of the blue, after all these years of silence. Because of course Pawel’s son has managed to dump him into chaos. It’s what the Szczeks do.

“For now,” Pawel adds, “go to bed. Let me take care of the adult things, okay?”

“Okay. G’night, Dad!” Conor slams the door to his room behind him.

Pawel’s left on the couch—his bed for the summer—alone with his thoughts. 

So. They’re taking Emma to the festival. He promised. If her foster fathers allow her to go.

There are so many ways in which this could get awkward.

It’s up to Pawel to take the first step, so he opens his phone and brings up a text to Leo’s number.

Okay. Dinner. When?

He presses send. There, that’s started. It’s in the hands of his exes now.

[ Previous |  First | Next ]

Want to support me? – Patreon | Ko-Fi | Reblog & Comment

[theeeveetamer]

I heard the words “mermaid LeoKumi” and I’m not leaving until you share EVERYTHING.

Okay so full disclosure I had a lot of help developing these ideas from @seaberry-siren and another person who I won’t name because I’m not sure if they want me to (but they know who they are and can come forward if they want), and it’s really long so there will be a cut.

Basically there are two different species of merpeople in this. The Nohrian mermaids (hence dubbed “Nohrmaids”) tend to dwell much deeper in the ocean. Their tails are more akin to eels than a traditional mermaid, mainly in that they are much more flexible and lack scales, to improve their maneuverability and help them escape predators. They also have shark-like teeth and can do the whole bioluminescence thing, again all to help them in their harsher environment. Finally, they communicate orally and their language is mainly a combination of high pitched screeches. Each Nohrmaid has a unique “voice” as well.

Hoshidan mermaids (hence dubbed “Mershidans”) live much closer to the surface, usually around coral reefs. They’re a lot closer to what you would imagine a traditional mermaid to look like, but they don’t speak (they might be able to sing, though). Instead they communicate mostly through sign language and their pigmented scales, which change colors depending on their emotions or what they’re trying to convey. They also have very thick scales, and to avoid predators sometimes pods will pull themselves onto land and sleep snuggled together.

The two species find it rather difficult to communicate, since Nohrmaids don’t have the color changing tails (and thus it can be difficult to convey their emotions to the Mershidans) and the screeching Nohrmaids use to communicate is extremely painful to Mershidan ears.

Now, this pain can range from mild discomfort to absolute paralyzing agony depending on the pitch/frequency and the listening Mershidan (each one is affected by different pitches differently, what might be agony to one could be mild discomfort to another).

Despite these difficulties, it’s extremely common for Nohrmaids to kidnap Mershidans and take them as their mates. Because of the way their voices affect Mershidans, it’s commonly believed that if a Mershidan is paralyzed by a Nohrmaid’s voice, that means they’re soulmates, and the Nohrmaid has the right to take them into deep water and make them their mate.

You might be able to see where I’m going with this. 

So eventually, when it comes time for Leo to search for his soul mate, his voice paralyzes Takumi and he drags him into the deep sea.

Mershidans are generally miserable that deep in the water, because it’s significantly colder and darker than they’re used to. To compensate, many Nohrmaids make their dens in areas with hydrothermal vents so the water is a bit warmer, but that doesn’t make up for the lack of sunlight. Eventually their scales lose their pigments and they kind of turn generally miserable.

They also have very different courtship rituals. Nohrmaids woo their mates with their hunting prowess, because it proves their ability to survive and provide for a mate and a family. They’ll even dive as deep as they can to bring back more and more challenging fish and, well, idk if you’ve ever seen some freaky deep sea fish but Takumi is not impressed by the creepy creatures Leo brings back for him. His reaction is more… Ew ew ew get it away from me!

Mershidans are likely more focused on pretty but relatively useless items for their courting. Shells, stones, sea glass, stuff like that. Leo finds this out by mistake one day, when he comes back with a relatively pretty rock and Takumi immediately takes it and seems utterly fascinated by it.

Norhmaids also tend to bite their partners, which can look pretty gnarly. Basically like a shark attacked their partner’s shoulder. Takumi is not pleased with this, especially at first when he’s still basically kidnapped and terrified and absolutely does not want to be there.

And, okay since we have to talk about fish sex, the fish sex is pretty different. Mershidans dance and swim around one another, singing and teasing each other before they finally do the deed. Nohrmaids, on the other hand, have the tendency to try and immobilize their partners by twisting their tail around them to hold them still. The weird dance Mershidans do actually triggers their hunting instinct, and it ends up as more of a chase than a dance (which can be fun in it’s own way for Mershidans… Provided they actually wanted to mate with the Nohrmaid in question).

Now as for Leo and Takumi’s specific story… So after Leo drags Takumi down into the depths he’s extremely miserable for quite some time. He doesn’t really understand why Leo took him or why he’s here, and really he just wants to go home, but he can’t leave because it’s too dark for him to see and navigate effectively. Leo, in the meantime, desperately does everything he can to make Takumi happy, but nothing he does seems to work, he just seems to get more and more miserable by the day. Communication is limited so it takes a while for him to figure out what’s going on, but eventually he works out that Takumi wants to go back up to the surface. Leo, wracked with guilt, eventually agrees to take him back up (fairly unusual for a Nohrmaid, for the most part they just ignore their partner’s discomfort and wait for them to “adjust”... Aka get too miserable to fight back anymore).

Their relationship improves a lot once Leo brings him back up to the surface and makes it pretty clear that he doesn’t intend to force Takumi to come back with him again unless he wants to. Surface water isn’t really optimal for Nohrmaids, I think the sunlight would hurt their eyes after awhile and their lack of scales makes dragging themselves on the surface without injuring themselves basically impossible, but it’s significantly easier for him to be on the surface than it is for Takumi to be in his world. 

Eventually they work out a way to communicate, mostly by using the hand signals the Mershidans use (though Leo is at a significant disadvantage without the tail, so he basically has to spell out his emotions before he “speaks”. Kind of like the Elcor in Mass Effect?) though it takes a very long time for them to be anywhere close to fully understanding each other. For a long time most of their communication and interpretation happens through body language, which can still be quite tricky for them.

Honestly there’s a lot more ideas but I’m going to cut it off here because it’s getting really fucking long.

[liveshaunteda]

What is the biggest headcanon deviation from the canon material that you have incorporated into the way you write your muse? Why did you come up with it? sent by @mvndrvke​ ./ accepting / canon muse questions

most of my canon characters are headcanon based, or heavily headcanon based. but ones the major divergences would be, clary, jace ( but his just hand in hand / in accordance to clary’s ), descendants muses, leo & calypso, chris,  michael , lily, butch&buttercup, farkle&lucas

izzy and jason do not count as they are alternate universe versions of canon characters, with izzy lightwood being from percy jackson, but main divergence from her true canon is that she hates the lightwood name, and goes by trueblood instead. and jason is based on the au idea of thalia standing her ground & jason not being taken by hera

below, i am going to go into detail about each divergence, sorted by fandom&characters

most reason’s i came up with these are out of spite towards either canon or in some cases, fanon ( turned canon ). or because i don’t agree with canon, and this is how i see them to have been, or the character didn’t get much development after/because the series ended (*coughs*gmw*coughs*)

warning for mentions of; eating disorders, drug / parental abuse, mentions / implied forced coming out

DESCENDANTS!

my main divergence is i do not accept hades as mal’s father, this is due to personal opinion’s and the way mal has been portrayed in the past, does not match up with hades being mal’s father. i feel the need to say this due to morgan my oc, and a lot of my headcanon’s reflect this when concerning other verses and things. and automatically none of my oc’s or ben will acknowledge this either, unless plotted out with a mal, and mal only. ( hades and malfecient rpers’ to )

barrier, i feel like the barrier would not have just been pulled down, but was in fact made to be guarded. kids, are automatically given a second chance - villain’s need to prove themselves. auradon kids, are selectively allowed to visit. done in groups mostly, or with an adult or guard.

ben&mal - not dating at all, ben when he could, apologised to audrey

SHADOWHUNTERS!

clary is a lesbian! that is the divergence. she took a while to figure it out, and i do acknowledge season one cl@ce only and climon. but that is it. other then that, there are no male / female relations with her. she came to this conclusion instead of ‘i still love jace’

the seelie queen scene still happens, but it happens a bit like nico&cupid from the percy jackson / heroes of oylmpus series, as she doesn’t love either that way, and none of them are who she truly desires to kiss. this causes her to have a major distrust with the seelie queen, and only, when she is utterly desperate, does she ask simon to talk to her.

HARRY POTTER!

lily luna is a slytherin, despite most of the fandom sorting her into gryffindor. this is shown in the way i write lily, because she is highly ambitious to be known for her own deeds, for doing what it takes to get her goals.

POWERPUFF GIRLS!

buttercup and butch have more powers, they grew into more powers as they grew older. butch also does not align himself with his brothers, mojo or him anymore. those are the main divergences. both, have an anger disorder - buttercup’s diagnosed, an butch’s undiagnosed

GIRL MEETS WORLD!

main divergence is i tend to rp them further into high school, 17-18 years old, a few years after gmw ended. and with a few more mature themes like drug abuse, parental abuse / neglect within their main verses. farkle being the one with the drug issue & as well as an eating disorder. lucas, is also portrayed as gay, and as recently come to terms with this.

PERCY JACKSON!

michael did not die, but instead was saved by nypmhs, that is how he survived the fall, and he is also afraid, of bridges, water & percy as a result of this. the mention of the son of posideon will get him scared. 

calypso, once free from her island, is free of her curse to fall in love with an hero. which means she is free to fall in love with those she is truly attracted too, which are females. she was never in fact attracted to any of the people who were sent to her island, because they were all males. she hadn’t meant for the curse to be placed upon annabeth, it was just a bitter thought when percy left, because in no world, had calypso imagined annabeth to have the curse placed on her. but the curse could have gone to either percy or annabeth, not just annabeth. percy very well could have been the one not knowing / reaching annabeth.

leo - with a connection to calypso’s is gay too. he does save calypso, but not to start a relationship with her, but because it was the gods plan. they didn’t want to do it themselves, despite them being able too. they just let leo do it. his biggest divergence is his sexuality & the fact that he and calypso are together, because they’re not. and he very rarely would ever use his fire powers, it’s a power he is scared of, even more after it being the cause of his ‘death’.

chris, he has bipolar. i can’t sugar coat that. he has it. it ran in his family - and was triggered by the madness king minos and the labyrinth has put him through. it triggered it, and went un diagnosed for a few years. because while mr d removed the madness, he couldn’t remove the triggers. he can not be perfectly fine after going through all that just because mr d snapped his fingers. and yes i know the gods are powerful, but mortals are tricky especially when you take into count a mortals own mental state before this had happened.

with piper, i’m doing my best to de stereotype her because rick has very much played piper into a stereotype of a native & over sexualised her ( this has been stated by natives & i research what has been said and do what i can to fix rick’s mistakes )

[galaxy-dusk]

Shipping post!

For @tmntloversblog I hope you don’t mind me sending this here since it’s pretty long. Thank you for doing this! I’ve tried for years to figure out who I’d be best with and I’ve never been able to pick, so I’m sorry if this seems tricky!

I’ll start off easy with looks! I stand at 5’5”, have a curvy/chubby pear-shaped frame, and have multiple tiny scars littered around myself. My skin tone is a yellow tint of ivory, and I have chestnut colored hair and “hazel” eyes (mostly brown with green rimmed the edges and pupil. Best seen if a light is flashed in them). I have a nose stud on the right tip of my nostril and a beauty mark near the outer corner of my left eye. I’m told I’m fairly pretty, which I’ll live up to.

I normally wear splashes of lighter purples and blues with a pair of jeans and baggy hoodies or sweaters. My collarbone lengthen hair is almost always tugged up into a ponytail or held back by a headband.

My favorite colors are pastels of any sorts, and my favorite animal has to be a Western Swamp Tortoise (look at its cute little nose!!).

Onto my personality, I live up to my name (Gabrielle/Gabby) and tend to talk/rant a little too much… my mind runs constantly, and I can’t help it sometimes. I have a love for learning, especially about our world and us as human beings. I’m pretty knowledgeable in any type of Earth Science and Biology related things, but I’m not too good at Chemistry. Outer space is more of an aesthetic pleasure to me. It’s interesting, but not my cup of tea to learn about. I’m definitely the ‘mom friend’ of any and all friend groups I’m in, and tend to lead more than often. I tend to be optimistic towards everyone but pessimistic towards myself. I push myself to be the greatest, and maybe get too excited when given praise. It’s odd, to be honest, since I actually hate the lime light. I’d rather be “in the shadows” or on the side lines observing.

Hobby wise, I love arts and crafts. Drawing/sketching is a talent I once had but stopped for a while. Along with writing. I’m trying to now gain back my skills, and thankfully it’s slowing coming back to me. I like to build and take things apart, and I LOVE psychology (that’s counted as a hobby, right?)!! I like helping people and learning about them.

I’m not very easy to read and my come across as cold and “thinks with her brain” when in reality, I’m quite the opposite. I always, sadly, think with my heart and tend to give people more credit than they deserve. However, I do not trust easy and it takes a lot to break down my walls. I rather be on the side of someone’s story than a main character, if that makes sense. I’m here for you, but I’d rather you not be here for me. I’m… complicated. If you do bust down my walls, however, you’ll learn I’m a huge goofball who gets lonely easily. Huge animal lover and has plenty of facts, trivia and knowledge to share!

I hope this is enough info for you, I tried being as open and descriptive as possible! Have a lovely day sweetie, and be safe! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hmmm actually your good with all of them but I am going to Analyse as best as I could so I ship with…. Donnie with 95% matching Okay let’s start with your personality: -He loves that your a mom friend - you like to obseve and your love for knowledge. He will research some of the topics you like and just you 2 could cuddle and just talk about them all night. - And since your mom instincts tells you to pull him to bed (And sometimes you fail because he ‘cANT SEE WHATS WRONG WITH THIS THING’) you just stay beside him and observe and if ypu find something you 2 just fix it quickly and go to bed. -He loves your artistic side so he makes a special part of his lab and room for your needs. And he just randomly asks you for advice on some of his projects - you WILL have deep conversations and it always ends in silly topics -and you have to be prepared for extra super cheesy pickup lines and puns - he just loves your nose for some reason - give you all the kisses but most of them are nose kisses -he sometimes gets upset about being pisimistic about yourself so donnie tries to include youas mush as possible in his projects and every day life - when you first met after April introduced you to the guys you were a bit scared and you didn’t trust them for the first 5 minutes until mikey made his lil’ introduction. But for some wired reason donnie didnt like you for the first couple of times but it quickly went away and replaced with all mushy love♥ -the hacking love messages - you could be doing some work on your computer and it freezes and shuts down for a second and sudenly this digital ‘I LOVE YOU from your dork’ pops up♥ - for your birthday ( if you intrested in digital art) he would totally make you a personal tablet for you with all you can imagine in it for the other guys: Okay I think you are the family’s therapist so you would go and help them through anything -especially raph since he thinks that no one can understand him and he needs someone to talk to -you will be there to let him steam out his anger - and it actually works and it will affect him as he will be more calm than usual - you dont talk that mush to each other in public but you are just fine with that -donnie sometimes gets jealous from this and might end up fighting with raph -but dont you worry they will get over it soon… eventually. … maybe - you and mikey are the gaming champions -even if you dont like video games -art buddies -leo would be interested in Japanese art and writing -so you end up finding some thick paper and ink pen and just draw together -meditation classes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So what do you think? I am sorry this took so long to get out but I have a little surprise for you. I hope you like it♥♥

[spectrumscribe]

trust fall.

@lgbtmntweek thank you for giving me the excuse to write a soppy hurt/comfort fic for capritello, after that nasty rib cracking incident in Wanted: Bebop and Rocksteady. 

#ProtectThePuckboy2017

(slightly mature jokes told inside, but nothing even close to graphic.)

Casey probably should have expected it to happen, and should have been completely used to it by now. He decides he could just blame getting startled by tapping on his window on the painkillers.

Two shadowy figures crouch outside his bedroom window, somehow hidden perfectly, despite the sun still being in the process of sinking below the city buildings. Ninjas, honestly. They never seemed to let go of the dramatic flair with their appearances.

Then again, who is Casey to talk about drama?

He pops the window lock, and sits gingerly back down on his bed as April and Donnie climb inside. His ribs ache like nothing else, and he very acutely feels the rampant bruising across the front of his chest. Casey isn’t too broken up about it though; it could’ve been punctured lungs or possibly straight up kabob-Jones instead if he hadn’t had his gear on. And with the fights he’s been in, that they’ve all been in over the years, a few broken ribs is small turkey.

Well. Mostly. They still hurt a whole lot and make even getting to the bathroom a pain in the ass.

“You two are out early,” Casey comments, leaning back against his mound of pillows, courtesy of his dad and sister. They’d even brought him dinner in bed, which had been awesome, except also a little lonely in his room with just his laptop and Netflix. Casey doubts he’ll be lonely much longer, now that his partners are here.

“Would have come sooner, but we got held up by Leo,” Donnie says, and what’s that? Casey’s boyfriend looks embarrassed about something. Consider his interest piqued.

“We got the Talk,” April says without a stutter, earning a miserably embarrassed groan from Donnie. She always was the boldest of them with this sort of thing, once she got past the initial three-way romance issues. “He felt it was his leaderly duty to remind us to use protection.”

“We’re eighteen, for god’s sake,” Donnie mutters, dropping his bo staff off the side of the bed. “We know what protection is. And you have broken ribs anyways. We’re not. Doing that for a while.”

Casey grins at Donnie, who avoids his eyes and looks both peeved and shy at the same time and aw, still embarrassed about discussing sex things after all these months? Fucking adorable.

“I told Leo as much,” April adds on, kicking off her shoes and dropping her sword and fan with Donnie’s bo. “Also where he could stick his invasive opinions about our bedroom life.”

Casey snorts, trying to not laugh for the sake of his poor ribs. “Is that why I got a bunch of all caps texts and snapchats from Mike and Raph?”

“Probably speaking. What were they about?”

“Mostly Leo looking like he’s lost his desire to exist.”

“Then yeah, that’s what they were about. I might’ve gotten a little… strong, towards the end.”

Donnie snorts. “Try strong at the beginning and devastating towards the end.”

April shrugs and seems to regret nothing. Casey laughs and does regret it as everything hurts. “Ow, ow, ow, fuuuck this. Hey Don, can I trade you a foot massage for some mutagen? You can just change me back once my ribs are healed and stuff.”

“Uh, no, because that’s an even stupider way to heal faster than Raph’s method. Which is power drinks and in protein smoothies and even more exercise than usual,” Donnie sniffs disgustedly in the way only a medic can. He starts shoving stray pillows out of the way and moving up the bed. “Now strip. I need to look at your chest.”

April makes an interested sound, and Casey pretends to be shocked. “Oh, already? Thought you said-”

“Casey.”

Casey grins unrepentantly, and April giggles into her hands. Donnie gives them both frustrated looks he doesn’t really mean.

“You’re both terrible,” Donnie grumbles.

“That’s Donnie for ‘I love you’,” Casey says in a stage whisper to April, who laughs harder as Donnie cuffs Casey’s ear. “Ow. I thought we were treating me nicely, I’m injured after all-”

“You’re an idiot, that’s what you are,” Donnie snips. Casey sticks out his tongue, but starts to gently pull up his shirt.

April watches with her knees curled at the end of the bed, while Donnie starts examining the wide, dark bruises on Casey’s chest. Casey whines when a stethoscope comes out, frigid on his very tender skin, but breathes when asked as Donnie listens.

“Any coughing? Odd pains?”

“Uh, I feel like a walking bruise? Does that count?”

“Casey.”

“I’m fine, Donnie. The doctor checked me out, said they’d heal up before I knew it.”

Donnie frowns. His worry obviously decreases an astounding 0%. Typical.

“That was really close,” April says softly, looking very intently at the big rhino horn shaped bruise. “Too close.” Donnie looks even more frustrated and worried as she does, and Casey wants to sigh in a way his current lung capacity won’t allow. April continues, “Casey, can you promise me you’ll be more careful next time? Please? This is the second time in just a few months you’ve had to go to the hospital.”

Casey squirms a little, regrets the movement as his ribs and core muscles complain, and settles on pushing Donnie’s hands away from his chest. He pulls down his shirt as he talks. “I’m not doing this stuff on purpose, Apes, I swear. I’d avoid it if I could.”

That’s not the answer April is looking for, judging from the tight, unhappy expression she has. Donnie looks no better as he slides his stethoscope back into his belt pouches. Casey tries to lighten the mood. “Hey, come on you two. No one and nothing can kill Casey Jones- this is but a flesh wound. I’ll be on my feet and kickin’ ass again before you even realize.”

April snorts. “You would say that, even if you lost every limb you had.”

Casey grins. “You know me so well, Red.”

“I know,” April says, fond and sad. “and that’s why I know you won’t promise me to stop getting hurt all the time.”

Casey shrugs. He can’t help it. If there’s danger, if they’ve got enemies, if anyone is looking to hurt him and his- he’ll keep on fighting until it’s over, one way or another. He knows the two overly but justifiably worried people sitting on his bed are similar in that; they’d all keep standing in the line of fire if it meant if it meant protecting someone of their family behind them.

Grim thoughts like that are just a fact for them, even now that Shredder is gone. Sucks, but what can you do? It’s just life for Donnie, and to an extent, it’s just life for April.

Even if April could hide her powers and Kraang DNA the rest of her life, Donnie is a giant mutant turtle, and won’t ever have an easy time with anything. Neither of them will ever have an easy life, really. Casey’s nearly normal next to them, and he knows and accepts the fact that he’ll keep on having to meet crazy dangerous situations head on to stay with them both. He’ll get hurt, it’ll suck, and then he’ll get back up and keep on going. And that’s as much a fact as the other ones are.

Besides, he trusts them to not let him die, even when he gets in over his head. Donnie saved Leo from the brink of death once, with little more than a medical kit and determination, and April literally pulled Donnie’s molecules back out of the atmosphere. Honestly, Casey doesn’t think he couldn’t be safer than with April and Donnie, all things considering.

“I got you two to back me up, so it’s all good,” Casey says, because it’s true. “If I ever got seriously hurt, I know you guys would figure something out.”

“And broken ribs aren’t being seriously hurt?” April asks incredulously.

“Tis but a flesh wound, remember?”

April sighs. “What are we even going to do with you?”

Casey grins at her. “Hopefully things involving kisses.”

“Casey,” Donnie says, exasperated. April chuckles quietly, but stops as Donnie draws himself up; looking at Casey seriously. The mood turns as such again for a moment, and Casey sobers from his teasing.

“Just… try to stay closer to us from now on, okay?” Donnie asks, twisting his hands together. There’s that sort of desperation in his fidgeting, the kind he developed after master Splinter died. About losing people. “This happened because we got too spread out.”

Casey privately thinks that if it hadn’t been him, it would have just been someone else of their group. Someone who could have gotten hurt even worse, possibly killed. But, he doesn’t voice that thought, because it would just make the anxiety in Donnie’s eyes all the worse.

“Now that is something I can promise,” He says instead, grinning more so for Donnie and April’s benefit than his own. “Getting up close and personal with you two happens to be a favorite pastime of mine.”

He waggles his eyebrows a bit, and is pleased to see the tension break between them all. Donnie rolls his eyes, announces Casey will probably be just fine after all, and seems to let go of at least a little of his worry. April keeps smiling, fond and sad, and Casey tries to keep his private emotions in check while his psychic girlfriend is in the room. She can probably tell his slight bluffs anyways.

“So… you guys busy tonight?” Casey asks in the lull. “’cause I think I know a guy who’s looking for a movie date right around now.”

“Are you lonely, Jones?” April asks, quirking an eyebrow.

“I might be something close to that, yes.”

“Leo said we should be back for evening training, but I doubt he actually thought we’d show up,” Donnie says. He kicks Casey’s legs, though with obvious care. “Shove over. I’m putting dents in your wall like this.”

“Not like it wasn’t dented before,” Casey points out, because considering how many trials and errors they’ve done on his creaky old queen sized mattress, the amount of dents and scrapes in his wall are actually fewer than there could have been. Three people is tricky, even just with cuddling and goofing off.

April starts crawling up the bed, picking carefully around Casey’s limbs, unlike Donnie. “I think there’s been enough denting of things for a while,” She says, coming up Casey’s right side and pecking him gently on the cheek. “Let’s just watch something inane and pointless and trash-talk it the whole time.”

“Fair enough,” Casey admits. He’s more than amiable to the situation if it involves being sandwiched by his two favorite people. “I just got a new season of Master Chef and Forged in Fire. How about one of those?”

“Perfect.”

“How about we vacillate between the two?” Donnie suggests, retrieving Casey’s laptop off the floor. He does so by leaning over the edge, craning himself to avoid squishing April and Casey’s legs. Neither Casey nor April is particularly helpful- poking his cartilage hard belly with their toes the whole time, making Donnie squeak and glare at them.

He still gives Casey a kiss, and then April, even though they keep purposefully bugging him as he sets up their shows. They can’t help it; Donnie is just too much fun to make squeak with well-aimed toe pokes.

“Terrible,” Donnie repeats to them both, but the scolding effect is lost because it’s between kisses.

In the end, Casey is laid comfortable against a thin pillow between his bruise ribs and Donnie’s chest, with April’s compact furnace of a body pressed up against him. April’s ponytail musses as she lays her head on Casey’s shoulder, and Donnie’s cheek rests on the side of Casey’s head. The laptop rests mostly on Casey’s lap, though it gets jostled a little now and then as their legs tangle together.

The three of them groan and snark as a bladesmith dunks his knife too soon into the oil, probably putting fissures in the blade and screwing himself over for getting into the next round- and Casey barely feels a single throb from his ribs, surrounded the way he is by protective care.

Maybe he’s not as indestructible as he likes to portray, but Casey doesn’t even spare a second thought to worrying about future injuries.

After all, when he’d been flying through the air without any left inside him, April had caught him, and held him close while Casey tried and failed to breathe right. Furiously shielding him from anything else that might’ve tried to hurt him, ferocious enough no one had so much as considered it twice. And after that, Donnie had picked Casey up like he was something too fragile to even touch, and carried him safely out of danger. Not stopping until they were on a rooftop far from the action, and then launching straight into doctor’s mode.

Casey is safe and warm now, tucked between Donnie and April both, and he’d been safe then, on a roof with the two of them looking at him with so much concern and care it’d stuttered his heart.

[thequeengem]

@wolfmanheath

Gemma Cabello was the embodiment of both sin and savior shrouded in an angelic light as she ascended the rickety staircase. A rundown apartment building in Queens is where her current presence was being graced, right smack dab where high crime and neanderthals must’ve settled when society made its place in the new world. The smell of intense body odor, smoke, and a few other unmentionables made its way up her nose and into her core. Usually, she wouldn’t be caught dead south of the Brooklyn Bridge since it was home to more...eccentric supers and humans alike. Not everyone conformed to her and Leo’s rule once they established their new empire over a century ago. Though no one would be as stupid to form an open rebellion, not while they amassed such a following, it was still unknown just how deep-rooted the resistance was in the outer borough territories.

Today was different.

The petite queen dressed in her finest white, embroidered dress that had fine detailing in how it structured her figure and flowed an inch above her knees, same colored flats that were trimmed in silver, while her hair bounced with each step forward into dangerous territory. The beat of her heart thrummed with newly ingested blood-- a couple of street urchins were very generous donors to her cause. Not only did she want to limit the number of eyes around the territory, but the energy gained was needed for the amount of compulsion required. Everyone in the building needed to be rewired, forged anew. Their memories shaped, thoughts rearranged and erased for her benefit. And the benefit of another.

Gemma Cabello was bounty hunting. She’d followed a trail throughout the city, that eventually led to crossing territories. It was a particular...scent that left an impression; one she hadn’t come across in decades. Not without a price.

Wolves were a rare species. Rare in these lands at least. With no vast woodlands, swamps, or ruins for them to claim for their own, most packs were located in less populous cities. Ones where ‘animal attacks’ were easily passed as a regular occurrence. While New York already had a high crime rate, trying to pass off a bear or mountain lion roaming the streets would be a migraine in itself. Gemma would know; her and the coven she ruled kept a strict set of commandments about their feeding habits. No deaths. The humans had grown in their intelligence since the 19th century. And now with the ability to tell how, when, and practically why someone had died, the usual trail of bodies they’d leave had to be swept under the rug and locked away with the rest of their skeletons in the dark. 

Humans finding out about their existence didn’t help either. While vampires could still hide their activities with compulsion and minor feedings, werewolves were a bit more...exposed. Strange gypsy families and unknown towns practically living off the grid were now hunting grounds for the moronically, ballsy humans who feel safe hiding behind guns. That’s why when she came across the scent a couple of weeks back ( one which lingered in Central Park, almost as if this pup visited regularly ) the vampire jumped at the opportunity. The opportunity to do something much more than eradicate. Than to add to the already growing pile of K-9′s across the country. But rather to obtain.

It was a ridiculous feat, her brother Leo had made that evidently clear when she’d done her first attempt almost 20 years back. Too dangerous to walk that fine line of training a mortal enemy. But Gemma had vision, and having a werewolf on her side would turn the tide in her favor no matter the opposition. They were strong, blood-thirsty beasts, with an undying sense of loyalty other immortals couldn’t obtain unless previously established before their turning. Gemma always held secret fantasies of having one to herself and molding them to her liking. A personal warrior at her beck and call ready to bend the world to her will-- the thought sent a thrill down her spine. It was more intoxicating than the high of a fresh kill. 

While her first trial run failed ( let's just say trying to persuade a pack wolf only bred trouble; the kind that ended in mass murder ) she learned that maybe it was an omega, a lone wolf that she should be targeting. And thus-- here she was.

The queen’s cerulean eyes drifted over multi-stained carpeting to the yellow colored walls. She’d made it to the top floor, where she knew from brief interrogations ( which were immediately erased from their minds, just as her presence and the hidden wolf in the attic were moments afterward ) that it only held one room: the loft. The shallowed drunk who smelt of cheap beer and desperation on the first floor let her know the loft had remained vacant-- until a few weeks ago. A woman whose arms were marked with bruises and eyes were hazy and heavy let her know about the occupant: she didn’t see him much, Gemma’s eyes glowed at knowing it was a man, and that he was young, kept mostly to himself, and was rarely here. A hoodlum who loitered outside let her know that he stayed in the apartment directly under the tenant and that he swore he’d heard some work going on one day. Like hammering and drills going on day in and out; the sound of chains, heavy chains hitting the ground. She’d had an idea about that. The wolf was probably preparing for the full moon-- to the best of his ability at least. Wherever he came from, he’d probably been with a pack and had a more bulletproof plan to how he handled his transformation. Endless woods or underground cells of the strongest silver infused steel were usually their go to. But now, being in the big city surrounded by potential victims...he was panicking.

Which was why Gemma chose the day of the full moon to find him.

Sure, she could’ve sought him out the day she’d come across his scent. Threatened him, beaten him, the like. But no, she wanted to play a different hand. One where he needed her, more than she did him. She needed the wolf scared, desperate. Hopeless.

Her glides forward quickly changed from steps of ignited purpose to the soft, delicate steps of a small girl as she now stood in front of his door. The strong coyness of her eyes and the sly, fox’s smile shifted to innocence. Gemma became the unsuspecting sheep in the wolf’s den. If only he knew of the devil rotting her core.

Her dainty hand knocked on the hardwood, while her eyes skittered to the ground to feign nervousness. Brushing wet tendrils of hair behind her ear ( thank heavens for the recent rainfall, now her drenched form would only elevate her pathetic stance ), the enhanced gift of hearing let her know those previous brief movements stalled the moment she’d knocked. A few seconds passed before she heard the groaning of slow footsteps across the floorboards. The boy hesitated, she could hear his accelerated heartbeat, before she heard a muffled “who is it?” on the other side of the threshold.

“Your neighbor,” Gemma chimed back, her voice as clear as ringing bells.

A sigh was released ( of relief perhaps? ) and something thumped on the floor. Something heavy...probably a weapon. Big mistake, she thought. Because she was a weapon herself. Locks unturned and chains were released before the door cracked open. The first thing she noticed was the blue eyes. Her neck had to crane just to see them. The boy was tall, slightly disheveled dark hair and a 5 o’clock shadow were prominent against his tan skin. Smooth muscle wrapped around his neck, down to the beginning of his chest which poked out of a v-neck shirt. The only thing more prominent than his stench was his eyes. Blue, just as blue as hers, but...icier, by nature. While his form could’ve passed for a man, it was his eyes that still withheld the gullible sense of childhood. They raked her form, took in the dampness on her skin and the white dress that clung to her bones from the harsh rain outside. In the time it’d taken him to answer the door, she’d wrapped her arms around her torso almost as if she were holding herself together. His nose flared as he took in her scent. Another reason she’d taken time to interrogate fellow humans was to help mask her scent with that of their mortality. It rarely lasted, but Gemma only needed the aid to get her in the door.

Gemma ‘fake’ chattered her teeth as she rubbed her hands up and down her forearms. Her skin was icy as it had been since she’d turned. But he didn’t know that. “I-I didn’t mean to disturb you...” she stuttered a whisper. “I forgot my key..and my phone died. I’ve seen you around,” she gulped. “And you’re probably the only one in the building who isn’t a criminal or contagious.” Or both, she wanted to add. Humans were tricky and unpredictable like that. Doe-eyes were enhanced as she licked her lips. His eyes followed her tongue with that movement. Bingo. “Do you have a phone...I could borrow. Maybe a towel...? I’ll only take a minute, I swear.” 

[sinkingorswimming]

The Cosplay AU I need a name for

(Previous parts found on my cosplay au tag!)

It’s maybe two weeks after Otakon when Yuuri checks his email. He has stuff from his school about prepping for the incoming school year and a message from his class President about a seniors only gathering at the Party Bridge near campus.

He also sees one, subject: HI! <3 from sender vmnikforov@gwu.edu.

Yuuri immediately slams his laptop closed.

He covers his mouth with his hands and squeaks. His best buddy (who is not human) comes bounding off his bed to his desk with concern. Vicchan, his reddish brown toy poodle (yes, named after guess who) is Yuuri’s favorite thing in the world. 

He gets his phone, opens the mail app. Right there in the inbox, marked unread. HI! <3, sender vmnikiforov@gwu.edu.

Yelping, Yuuri closes his eyes and opens the email like it’s a bomb.

Hi, Yuuri! This is Victor, from Otakon? I saw your email on your entry form---hope you don’t mind! Anyways, I have a project in mind for Katsucon in February, and I thought you might be interested in partnering up with me! I know you usually work with your friend, but this is a special idea I’ve had for forever and I feel like after seeing your work up close, you’re the perfect fit! 

If you’re able, I’d like to get together soon to begin discussion---it’s going to be tricky to source some of the materials, especially the lace! Can we meet for dinner this weekend? Say, Saturday at six, The Source on Pennsylvania---it’ll be my treat!

Thanks, talk to you soon! <3

Victor

Yuuri screams. He’s home alone---his mom is at her book club with her old friend, Minako, his dad is golfing at Lansdowne, and his sister is away for the week with her college friends---so he doesn’t need to come up with a lie about the reason for the screams.

He calls number three on his favorites, though.

“Hey, this is Phichit,” he answers on ring #2.

“Oh my God,” Yuuri cries. “Oh my God, he wants a costume, me, us, a pair---oh my God.”

“...What?” Phichit answers.

“VICTOR EFFING NIKIFOROV WANTS TO DO A PAIR COSPLAY WITH ME,” Yuuri shouts.

“Holy shit,” Phichit replies.

“Right?” Yuuri tries to slow his heart. “What do I say? I don’t...it’s not you, it’s a pairs thing, I don’t---”

“Okay, whoa, stop,” Phichit replies. “You are not contractually obligated to only ever cosplay with me. You can do a thing with him, I’m not offended as long as you don’t completely abandon our partnership. I’ll probably do that Bleach outfit you have no interest in, it’s fine! Do the thing!”

“You sure?” Yuuri says.

“Yeah, but I’ll need your help,” Phichit says. “I can sculpt the actual Bankai stuff myself, but sewing the uniform is a little above my pay grade.”

“No problem,” Yuuri says with a sheepish grin. “Okay. Um---I better email him back. Thanks, Phichit. You’re a peach.”

“Yup, sure am!” Phichit laughs. “Talk to you later---my mom needs help with the pool.”

“Can I come swim later?” Yuuri asks.

“Yup! Leo and Guang-Hong are coming, Seung Gil maybe too. I’ll text you a time. Later, skater.” Phichit hangs up.

Yuuri reopens his computer like it’ll bite his hand off. 

Hi, Victor,

I’d love to meet with you! I’ll google the address and take the Metro. My cell is 571-585-1090 if you need to change plans or are running late. 

See you Saturday!

Yuuri

It’s Thursday. He can...be cool for two days.

Actually, no he couldn’t, as was evidenced by his mother on Friday night during their evening ritual of Catan begging him to try to stay still. He did not. Therefore his dad made him forfeit his sheep. 

Catan is an equilizer in the Katsuki household.

Yuuri can’t sleep, his nerves buzzing too much even though he played white noise through the headphones in his iPhone. Did nothing. Vicchan slept like everything was normal. 

Yuuri gets up way too early, obsesses way too long over his clothing, finally deciding he was as good as he can get, drives to the Silver Line, and begins the trek to the District. He gets off at the correct stop, walks to the restauant, and immediately regretts all of his choices up until that moment including being born. 

He is in a nice pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It’d a Wolfgang Puck dim sum restaurant. Oh no why, Victor will think he lacks culture.

“Yuuuuuri!” calls a happy, familiar voice. 

Yuuri starts and his eyes go wide. 

Victor stands before him in a linen dress shirt and a pair of salmon colored pants. His hair and skin are flawless. His eyes are beautiful. Yuuri’s heart stops and restarts. “Hi,” he manages. The shyness comes to the forefront. He wants---he isn’t sure, but...it’s something more than a hello.

He gets a hug. Victor grabs him like they’re old friends, and Yuuri hesitates but hugs him back. He pauses and takes a moment to inhale his scent---it’s not that shitty sandwalwood the douchebags at his school wear, it’s lighter...like lemon balm. 

Victor keeps a hand low on his waist as he steers him to request a table. They get a cute one for two like it’s a date. (Is it a date? Did Victor mean this as a date? Thirteen year old Yuuri will die of joy if it’s a date. It in no way can be a date.)

Victor smiles, looking like Yuuri just gave him a rainbow. “I’m glad you came,” he says.

Yuuri chokes on his water. “Uh, thanks? Um...me too.”

Victor grins. “I guess I should get down to business first. Unfortunately, it has to come before...pleasure.” 

Yuuri pushes up his eyeglasses. He nods. 

Victor pulls up an image on his phone, passing it to Yuuri. Yuuri peers down at it---it’s an elaborate fanart of Fuuma and Kamui from X/1999. They have very detailed wings, there’s obvious hand beading and embroidery on their outfits, and they’re perfectly tailored. Fuuma is in white, Kamui black, and there are red ribbons cascading off both of them. “Red string of fate,” Yuuri says out loud. 

“You spotted that,” Victor replies with a grin.

“I’ll have to get help from Phichit on the wings, I’ve never done them on my own,” Yuuri continues. 

“I have, that I can handle,” Victor says. “It’s more how finely tailored the outfits are. My tailoring is always a bit weak, so I tend to do costumes that don’t have quite such an emphasis. I have access to embroidery machines on campus, so I can have you come up to work on those. It’ll be more expedient.”

“The beading I can do in class, the home ec department is out of stuff to teach me so they just let me bring in my projects,” Yuuri admits. 

Victor gives him a look. “Wow,” he says. “And you’re...just in...high school.”

“Hm, well I turn eighteen Thanksgiving day this year,” Yuuri says. “I need to figure out college stuff soon, as a matter of fact.”

“You should come here!” Victor blurts.

Yuuri starts and looks up. “Um...”

“The Corocoran,” Victor clears up with a blush on his cheeks. “They have a production focus in their Theater program. You could...major in costuming? It’s...well, it’s an idea.”

Hm. 

“Phichit’s applying there,” Yuuri says as he zooms back in on the image. CLAMP and their Christian idolatry, yikes. “He’s going into the fine arts. I guess I could think about it.”

“I just think it’d be nice to have you around school with me,” Victor says. His finger glides over the rim of his glass in a slow pattern. “Chris Giacometti is in the photography department, but...I’d like seeing you every day too. Just think about it.”

Yuuri meets his eyes and...no, he’s imagining it. He clears his throat. “You want to make these for Katsucon?” 

“Mmhmm,” Victor says. He ordered them the duck, and it arrives, smelling crisp and mouth-watering. Yuuri is starving, he realizes. He looks at Victor again, this gorgeous guy even out of cosplay and make up and Photoshop and he---

He blushes and focuses on his dinner.

Victor chats the whole time, Yuuri chiming in where appropriate. When they finish and Victor pays as promised, he takes him on a walk. It’s late enough the murky, humid swampland that is DC has become manageable to walk around, and it’s not even ten minutes to the Mall from the restaurant. 

Yuuri mostly sees shots of the Tidal Basin at night from the end credits of his favorite local news program, but Victor escorts him there with a hand on his back as he extols the virtues of his university as well as his skills at sewing. Yuuri listens and smiles with pink cheeks, telling Victor about what he likes to do besides cosplay---video games with his friends, late nights at the Amphora diner in Reston, checking out Starland in Annandale. 

Victor opens up about his parents---his father a supervisor for a lab at Langley, his mom in the State Department, his dog Makkachin who he moved off campus into a pet-allowing studio as quickly as possible to keep by his side, how he misses the local chain called Another Universe and how he’s considering Dragoncon next year to branch out into film and American comics costumin.

They both marvel at how many times they’ve come to the annual Sakura Matsuri in their very spot at this moment and somehow never met.

The lights are pretty, the stars reflect in the water like sequins embellishing a black velvet gown, and Yuuri with all his heart longs for this to be a date. 

He’s imagining it---but some moments, it looks like Victor feels the same.

They head back to the Metro by the Newseum---Victor to GWU, Yuuri to Tysons. “Let’s do again this soon,” Victor says.”We can meet at G Street, see what our local options are, and head to my apartment for more planning.”

“Okay,” Yuuri agrees. Victor’s apartment, he exalts in his head.

“Ah, Yuuri---” Victor adds. “I have a Gaylord room for Katsu, a nice one with a view. Would you like a spot in it? There’s room for one more.”

“Oh um---” Yuuri stumbles. He’s never stayed overnight at a con before, but he’ll be 18 then. His mom and dad can’t refuse, though they’d probably want to meet Victor for reassurance.“Yes.”

“Okay,” Victor says, his smile shaped like a big heart. “Talk to you soon! I’ll text!”

“See you,” Yuuri says.

They part ways, and Yuuri can’t sleep for the second night in a row, his heart pounds so hard as his smile threatens to split his face.

[lxtent]

x — Holiday Hiatus Notice

[ Hello hello my lovely muns~! For the next ten days until 8th October I will be going on holiday. Whilst I think I might have access to some wifi at the hotel I’ll be staying at, I’m planning to use this time to take a little break and recharge my writing brain. I will get to im’s from time to time too, mostly because I’ll miss everyone otherwise.

The past month has been tricky to deal with, what with work and real life being a pain. It’s really had a negative effect on my writing. I’ve fallen into a little slump and gotten out of the habit of getting to replies in time. But that doesn’t mean I can’t fix it right? I love Leo, I love writing as him and I want to keep seeing how he grows and develops. The same goes for all of my sideblog muses. Thank you for being patient with me whilst I try and figure things out. I’ve found such an amazing group of people here. You guys are like a second home. So I can’t wait to come back after this break and get into writing frequently again~ 

See you all soon ♥ ]