#something something Casey is actually the reason the world was saved

[its-wabby-stuff]

So I personally have a really BIG problem with the day the krang invaded in the original bad end timeline, because it kind of doesn’t make any sense.

Here’s the BIG problem. Casey’s poem.

We know from watching the movie, without any interference thus far, that the foot clan were planning to release the krang at their base on the island. Which doesn’t line up with Casey’s poem at all which SPECIFICALLY mentions the technodrome coming down from atop the tallest tower in New York.

So there must have been some interference even without Casey’s arrival.

The opening of the portal sent a massive beam of light into the air I can’t help but believe would alert the boys, but by then the krang are out. Alas, SONETHING had to happen in that encounter that left the boys struck with feeling like they couldn’t win right then and there. I like to think whatever it was made them focus on evacuation and protecting PEOPLE over fighting the krang themselves.

BUT if the turtles were there they would most definitely know about the key, right? And because the technodrome was released atop metro tower, and not over the island, they must’ve gotten the key back too. At least for a bit. Cause in the movie it didn’t seem the krang had any interest in making a dramatic reveal with the technodrome over the city, they just wanted all of it out.

So why DID they switch locations? What reason? Unless they got the key in the other timeline too. But then how? Cause a lot of things that DIDNT happen in the of timeline happened in the movie. Like Raph getting taken. Even them getting the key seems surprising to Casey.

I think the real shift was Leo stepping up. That’s what changed the timeline the most and let them win. And that had everything to do with Casey telling him off.

[chiscribbs]

Updated Future Donnie Concept Art!!!

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

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

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

Some additional character tidbits under the cut.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[kathaynesart]

What do you take from the Rise movie’s “This isn’t about me,” message? *It’d be interesting to see this become a Tumblr thread cause I’d love to see what others think too.

That's... an important line to decipher. Deep enough to mean so many things but vague enough to be easily taken out of context. I have a lot to say about it, but I'll keep it under the cut to save others the trouble.

TLDR: Future Leo's a dum dum hypocrite

I think... when Leo used the line in the future timeline. He was trying to remind Casey of the harsh reality that they existed in. That this was a world where they sometimes had to set aside their personal wants for the greater good. It's for that reason that Leo was able to ask Mikey to do the unthinkable and sacrifice himself in turn.

What I find fascinating about the movie, is that it both supports and counters this message. It tries to find that healthy middle ground, between present Leo's narcissistic attitude in the beginning and the downright sacrifice he's willing to make by the end. Because him sacrificing himself was NOT the happy ending. And while we get that "ending" for only a moment. We can see that method doesn't feel right either.

In that way, I don't think "it's not about me" isn't actually the "message" of the movie as some might assume at first glance. Merely a gentle reminder to check yourself before you wreck yourself. Because technically, yes, "it's not about me" does apply to many aspects of life. We can get so caught up in our own worries and concerns and perspectives and it just... muddles reality in a way. We need to see how our actions and words affect others and understand that there's so much more out there than our own little bubbles. But we also should understand our own worth within the big tapestry of life and be willing to fight for the things that matter to us.

That's why I think the actual message of the story isn't "it's not about me." It's about balance. It's about the knowing look Leo and Raph share in the end and the fact that Mikey was able to achieve the true, best ending with his brother's help to save Leo, because they know that the world may mean more in the long run, but they mean the world to each other, and I think it's really important to understand.

But that's just my long-winded opinion on the subject and there’s plenty of other interpretations I think I can totally get behind as well. It will be an element within Replica but let's also remember that Future Leo is kind of hypocrite with this line. He's says "It's not about me" but that's coming from someone who the entire resistance has centered around as its leader. He's probably a little tired of the idolization by now and does not like the idea that he's somehow more important than others. I think that's where that line really stems from for Leo. It's obvious that Casey isn't just talking about his importance as a leader, but Leo with the same line is asking him to set those feelings aside even if he is one of the most important people in Casey's life.

And then Leo turns around and throws one of the most important people in his life through the portal. A damn hypocrite (/positive)

EDIT: I was sort of ending it on a silly note but @dandylovesturtles added such a great point that I haven’t been able to put into words but feel in my heart when it comes to future Leo and definitely something I want to show with the healing process he’s been going through in Replica: and that’s the “not all about you” sometimes just means that bad things happen but you can’t just blame yourself for it, and it’s not some cosmic attack for your mistakes. The world did not come to an end because of Leo’s mistake, even if he might have once felt like that. What’s more it means you can’t put the whole world on your shoulder or always try to fix things on your own like how Leo tried to after Raph’s capture. It’s ok to seek the aid and support and ideas of others your trust. It really lines up so well with a lot of the events in the film.

Thank you @dandylovesturtles and everyone else’s amazing comments! I want to hear all of them and take notes.

[tasenwrobots]

Thinking about Casey jr rn. Bro had 3 seconds to comprehend what was about to happen to him. Both Leo and mikey died in a blink of an eye. The reason he didn't grieve was probably because he still couldn't process the fact that they are dead, only being hit by realization in that one scene where mikey tries to use his magic in the turtle tank while they were on their way to save raph; Mikey making the same pose 'master Michelangelo' made in his last moments. No just IMAGINE how fast paced everything was to him. 1 second he's talking to his sensei, the next second he's in the past where he meets the past versions of the people he knows. His family is right infront of him but at the same time it's not.

Just think about it. If you were in the apocalypse and with good preperations unlike in the movie, someone(probably slider shaped) told you that you were going to be sent back in time to save the world in a few months because that's the only option. How long would you take to actually absorb that info into your brain? Personally I would take WEEKS to just believe it's actually about to happen and that I'm not trippin'. And as soon as he reaches the past, do we even see him sad, grieving, angry about his timeline even a little bit? No! As soon as he reaches he's like "okay Casey, find the key stop the kraang" BRO. BRO WAS SO DEVOTED HE DIDN'T STOP TO THINK. THINK ABOUT LITERALLY EVERYTHING THAT JUST HAPPENED TO HIM.

And something tells me he kept on telling himself in his mind- it's okay, after everything is fixed, everyone in the future will be okay and they'll live happy lives. But he doesn't stop to think, will I be there to witness that happiness? I also believe in desperation, he just held on to that little string of hope that he'll get to see everyone again, that he'll be able to go back in the future and meet all of them and tell them he did it, he wanted to believe that once this was over he wouldn't have to stay here. But deep in his heart, he knew it was over. There was nothing left. He was stuck in a place he knew so well but didn't belong. It was a one way trip and he would have to live with the horrors he's seen alone. No one to relate with, no one that could actually imagine or perceive what he's been through. The past versions of the people he knew and who actually understood him were with him. Everytime he sees their faces, it reminds him of the ones he actually knew, it reminds him of his timeline.

[jerzwriter]

Celebrate

Thank you to @brycesgirl for the suggestion: Ethan, Kaycee, celebration from this ask. (I don't know litg, so I hope this works!) As always, I ignored the 100-word thing, but it's under 1,000 and that's huge for me! lol I hope you enjoy it.

Book: Open Heart (Post-Series) Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Kaycee MacClennan) Featuring: Tobias Carrick Rating: Teen Words: 869 Summary: Ethan isn't happy when Tobias announces he's leaving on a WHO mission. Kaycee humorously helps him understand why while getting a little payback to boot. In the end, is there anything to celebrate? A/N: Participating in @choicesseptemberchallenge2023 Day 22 Friendship

“Oh, these are perfect!” Kaycee beamed as the balloon bouquet was delivered to the diagnostic team’s office. “He’ll love this!”

Ethan looked up from behind his desk and grumbled something unintelligible under his breath. Ignoring his lack of enthusiasm, Kaycee continued arranging decorations.

“You know, if you start feigning the slightest bit of excitement now, Tobias might actually believe you’re being supportive when he arrives.”

“You’re wrong,” Ethan deadpanned. “If anyone could see right through me, it would be him.”

Noting Kaycee’s raised eyebrow, he quickly corrected himself. “Next to you, of course... dear.”

“Fair attempt at a save,” she grinned. “I don’t understand why you aren’t happy for him. Being selected for this mission is a big honor and a phenomenal opportunity... not just for him, but for the team and Edenbrook, too. The positive media coverage alone has been helpful, and he hasn’t even left yet.”

“Mmmm,” he replied, barely paying attention.

“Oh, I see,” she replied sarcastically. “We’re only supposed to be enthusiastic about WHO missions if the person is using the trip because they’re too much of a wuss to face the feelings they’re developing for the love of their life. I understand now.”

It worked. She had his attention.

“Wait... what? That’s not the only reason I went on that mission!”

“Only,” she smiled triumphantly. “So, are you finally admitting that was one of the reasons?”

He could argue and try to make his point, but he merely smiled with a shake of his head.

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“Hey, I accepted your proposal twice,” she winked. “I’ve obviously let it go, but I will be ribbing you for the rest of your life, so...”

“Fair enough,” he grinned.

“But Ethan, honestly, why aren’t you being more supportive of Tobias? He’ll never admit it, but it would mean so much to him.”

“Because it’s six months. That is too long to be away from the team.”

“Says who? Harper and Baz both agreed to pick up cases, and we have the new fellow beginning next month. We will be more than able to handle our caseload. Otherwise, administration wouldn’t have approved this.”

“So we have to bring a new fellow up to speed down one permanent member?”

“Dr. Ramsey, are you saying we can’t survive without Dr. Carrick?”

“What! No! Of course not!”

“Then what are you saying, my love?”

He didn’t appreciate the condescending tone, no matter how adorable she looked delivering it. But that wasn’t what was eating at him; it was his inability to come up with an answer as to what had been nagging at him ever since Tobias made his announcement.

“It’s OK, you know,” she whispered.

“What is?”

“To admit that you’re doing to miss him.”

“I did not say I’m going to miss him!”

“Of course you will!” Kaycee insisted. “There aren’t that many people who find your curmudgeonly demeanor endearing, and now one of them will be on the other side of the world for half a year... just when you’ve gotten used to having a buddy to watch Red Sox games with again.”

Ethan inhaled deeply as he leaned back, acceptance reluctantly settling in.

“I suppose I will miss the ass.”

“See!” Casey beamed. “It kind of sucks when someone you care about just takes off on a WHO mission. Of course, Tobias told us about his, but...”

“Are you finished?” Ethan interrupted.

Happy to know she hit her mark, Kaycee sat on Ethan’s lap in a fit of giggles.

“I am,” she replied with a quick peck on his cheek. “It’s OK, baby. I already talked to Bryce. He promised to make some time for you while Tobias is away.”

“You what?”

“Hush, hon. It didn’t cost me that much; you can thank me later. For now, I need you to help me set up the room. Breakfast will be arriving any minute, and I want everything to be set up before Tobias arrives.”

“Too late for that,” a voice chimed from the door.

“Tobias!” Kaycee yelled. “Why the hell are you early! I wanted this to be a surprise celebration!”

“Oh, it’s a surprise, all right,” he jeered as Ethan sighed uncomfortably.

“How much of that conversation did you hear?”

“Enough,” Tobias grinned. “Admit it, man... you love me.”

“I’ll admit no such thing!”

“Ethan....” Tobias chided, when Kaycee stepped in.

“Tobias, really? It took him how long to admit he loves me, and I do some things for him that you just... don’t.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Ethan spat as two of the people most dear to him chuckled at his expense.

“It’s OK,” Tobias said with a pat on his friend’s shoulder. “I know the truth now. So, you need help with the decorations?”

“For your celebration?” Kaycee mocked.

“Hey, if he’s not gonna help.”

Ethan stood up with a huff. “Sit down and shut up, Carrick. I’ve got this.”

Tobias quickly claimed Ethan’s seat, placing his feet up on his desk. “Man, I’m feeling the love.”

“I didn’t really plan for this,” Kaycee laughed, pointing to Ethan decorating as Tobias hogged up his seat.

“Gotta give it to you, kid,” Tobias grinned. “You really know how to celebrate.”

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[theworldibuilt4you]

[Addie flinched again at the yelling, releasing a miserable puff of a hiss from the stress.]

I... W-well yes, but...

[They were at a loss, now. All their effort felt like it was for nothing - that they had reached a limit to how much they could reach the broken kid before them. Tears brimmed in their eyes as a familiar helplessness settled in; a final straw in their emotional powder keg.]

God, do you think I wanted to? That I liked growing up in a world that hated me? That told me I was a mistake?? You should know very well what kind of thoughts you have, being treated like that.

[Their blood was running hot and cold at the same time. It was dizzying]

So many times I'd wish people would just finish the job. But they didn't. So many times I wished I would just bleed out on the ground where people left me. But I didn't. Sure, I got to grow up, but I certainly wasn't living.

It wasn't until I came here that I actually began to feel like I was maybe worth something. That I was even capable of being loved.

[They were laughing, now; it was funny, how bad they were at everything. They were bad at being born, at existing, at saving the only friends the universe accidentally allowed them to find.]

And you know, something tells me that even though you claim Kinito is your best friend, he was just a band-aid to cover a gaping wound. A distraction from the pain. You never really let him in because for whatever reason, you don't want to move on from your past.

[They thought about what was at stake - Casey was likely still in danger, along with Jade, too, for harboring them. Owl was definitely in danger, and at this point Sec and themselves were likely at some risk too, despite being outside. Kinito was probably the safest of them all, though if anything happened to Owl it'd no doubt kill him emotionally. And Sonny... They didn't even know if they'd ever see him again.]

You could stop the cycle of suffering, but you won't. You won't and I can't do anything about it and I'll just have to accept the fact that that these past few weeks have been a big cosmic fluke. That I was never meant to be happy.

...That people like us were never meant to be happy.

[Tears were streaming down their face now, their hands knotted in their hair as they sobbed uncontrollably.]

Even when we really, really want us to be...

-Addie

[....SYSTEM REBOOT INITIATED.] [RESTARTING FROZEN ASSETS]

[YOU WANT WHAT LITTLE I HAD?]

[TAKE IT.]

[I DON'T CARE ANYMORE.]

[nights-flying-fox]

☆ ROTTMNT AU MASTERPOST ☆

☆ TMNT Blog: @eughboi ☆ ok to reblog ☆

✭ Dimension Hopper Leo AU: Leo managed to escape the Prison Dimension, but now he is in an alternative universe almost same as his. He has to go through many portals, trying to find his way back to his dimension.

[leo-centric] [MASTERPOST]

✭ Where You Belong: Mikey is the only turtle growing up with Splinter. When he becomes 13, he accidentally learns he actually had brothers. He and April try to connect to them once they find them with none other than the people trying to kill him for some reason.

[mostly mikey-centric, but POV changes often] [cw: abusive/manipulative parent]

✭ Let's Grab a Slice Together: Leo, Mikey, April, and Casey Jr end up time traveling all together. They are too late to find the key though, and now have to help their past selves to get it back and stop the Krang.

[cw: war themes, even if not detailed it is the bad future so beware; character death; temporary character death (?); injuries] [multiple povs, focused on the bad future fam]

✭ Last Hamatos Standing: Mikey is the only one escaping from the technodrome. Krang Prime has caught Leo and Donnie, and got Raph back in control. Now he and his family have to figure out to save the brothers and stop the Krang.

[cw: mind control, torture, hallucinations, manipulation, war themes, grief, body horror, loss of limbs (?)] [mostly mikey-centric]

✭ The Furthest Shores: After escaping from Draxum's lab, Splinter doesn't return to New York City, instead he hides in the Hidden City. He ends up in the Pirate Bazaar and meets with Piel. Seeing that Splints is just a poor guy with four babies he decides to give him a chance, inviting him to join his crew. Eventually the family grow up as pirates...

✭ We Ride at (Alien)Spawn: Apocalyptic AU except it somehow takes the turn of the cowboy concept- the boys become sheriff somehow (nobody questions mutants after being saved, especially since not many people are left). Join the new cowboys who ride Krang Hounds and a Krangfied train as they try to survive against Krang.

✭ Believe Me (I'm Warning You): Things turned out differently with the last fight against the Shredder. The Hamatos and Cassandra Jones never became friends. However, in the future a boy named Casey Jones Jr. is tasked to stop the Krang by Leonardo Hamato. How can he convince them, when no one believes him?

[casey jr-centric]

✭ Are We Pokémon, Dad? : Everything is same, except they are in the pokemon world... and maybe because they are in the pokemon world, everything is not the same...

✭ A Turtle Like You: A Separated AU inspired by the classic Barbie movies, that was a joke. Now it is about how the twins change roles for fun but things go bad, and how Mikey wishes to be freed from Draxum's lab, and how Raph and April accidentally discover the Hidden City and three turtle mutants.

[cw: manipulative/abusive parent] [mostly disaster twins-centric, but other have major focus too]

✭ Too Little Too Late: Donnie years ago watched his own Leo sacrifice himself and get trapped in Prison Dimension. For years he searched a way to bring him back. Now as he continues his studies, he is also making sure no other Leo suffers the same fate by traveling to any timeline that may need him.

[cw: hallucinations] [disaster twins-centric]

✭ Hopelessly Surviving: They saved Leo, but it was too late. As the family was still not accepting what happened, hours later Draxum shows up, and somehow he has the help they need. Now Leo is back to life, but something is different. Something is wrong and Leo has to figure out what is true and what is not to win this battle (with the help of his family).

[cw: temporary character death, hallucinations] [leo-centric]

✭ Future Genius vs. the Past: Donnie manages to go back to the past from his future accidentally. He can save it all by changing the events that lead to the apocalypse, but what about his family in the future?

[donnie-centric]

✭ Literally Purple Dragons: Aside from his twin being the most annoying brother ever as usual, the day was going well for Donnie. Until he found Kendra right out of the manhole as a mutant komodo dragon, asking for help from him.

[donnie-centric]

✭ Stuck: Mikey and Draxum practice mystic powers to get stronger against the Krang. Something goes wrong, and Mikey is now stuck in a timeloop and has no idea how to escape.

[cw: time loops, but in the worst way ever; depression (?)] [mikey-centric]

✭ [to be named]: Draxum succeeds. He raises the four brothers as warriors and Lou Jitsu is kept as a prisoner until he decides to join him (he believes one day the man will see the right path). Things go much differently than what the yokai expected. After all, Lou wouldn't let anyone suffer like that- not even turtle mutants.

✭ The Mummy inspired Kendratello (crack) AU: What the title says. Nothing serious, I just think it would be silly thinking them in situations like in the movie.

[rednleafff]

Casey J in G?F

More info dump? Yes sir – but this time I'm gonna talk mainly about our beloved Casey j. We all know and love our future boy and wish him the very best life that he can have after all that he went through – BUT – I can't stop thinking about the fact that �� he will need probably a looong time to actually settle in, even if he will learn the way of "the simple life of a teenager" – this boy still lost – literally everyone but he also gained them all back – but different – they wont be the same people he once knew because they wont go through the same things – even if their key thing will stay – they still wont be the people he once knew – but they will probably look like them the more they grow up and how difficult is to let go of something when that very something is right Infront of your eyes but  different ? or the survival guilt he must be dealing with? I personally think – he would want to love the simple – less stressful life – but wont be able to – even if he would try to work through his trauma and all – it not something he will ever be able to shake completely - sure he might leave to see the world one day, alone or with someone, and he will get the chance to see thew world he fought tooth and nail to save – and slowly but surely he would learn to love this place, even with it bitter moments. now here it's where I come with Yummi eheh their relationship is actually my favorite – (sorry Leo <3 I love you with all my heart) because – as I see it – When Baby Yummi first joins their family, Casey gets to witness a very familiar behavior from the fam, the parental behavior from Leo, the uncley vibes from the turtles, this baby is basically plays a similar role that was belongs to him back in his time line – he will be a little bit distance from her in the beginning, not on purpose it will just happen- they will share their sweet moments here and there but very few in her first couple of years – until she learns to walk and talk enough that when she gets really clingy to his specifically so he plays along, he really do cares for her, its just – hard- after everything , but then – they share a small moment when she asks him if he's going to join them to some place, he says no cause of reasons, so she claims she won't go either and when asking her why – cause she was so excited to go she will say she wants to go with him cause its always much more fun when he's around – she doesn’t even gives to it much attention, she probably draws or something, but Casey – he think about it a little bit more, Yummi wasn’t present in his time line – she can't because she was created as a result of the Kraang invasion and defeat, and although he saw the world met people that nowadays are alive instead of dead or surviving, saw kids that got the chance to grow up and be born at all – he wasn’t really closed to all that – and maybe that why he didn’t felt a connection to this reality yet? He's always around the people who sometimes he sees the ghost of their past? Other? Self? And he loved them to death don’t get me wrong, but Yummi specifically (up to this point of the story) is the only very closed person to him who doesn’t have "another version of". Casey had to learn to love the world his whole family knew and tried to fight back to save it – but he never had that connection to that world, he was a little bit to stuck in the past, to focus on the ghost of people that wont ever be that it was hard for him to love the present that they all gave him. So – this kid – that little gremlin is one of his first connections to this reality that doesn’t rely on something from his timeline – if that makes sense? It makes sense to me lol. Casey's 20's are ups and down, but from this point forward – I think he will find it much easier to breathe and be present in this timeline. maybe part 2 someday – cause their relationship get's a serious twist when its revealed  and Yummi is part Kraang lol (here are scracps of a comic i worked on but will never finish - it takes place after Yummi's whole - Kraang arc)  

[the-hidden-writer]

A Piece of True Fiction: Chapter 6

An Alan Wake 2 fic. Spoilers for Alan Wake 2!

Summary: Aleksi Kesä manages to slip out of the spiral and film he was trapped in.

Saga Anderson, caught in the middle of Wake's horror story, finds a man that looks identical to her partner in the middle of the woods. He's lost, confused, and only seems to speak Finnish. Saga has to try and uncover the truth as well as trying to save her family. Where did he come from? How did he get here?

And where's her Casey?

Chapter Summary: Saga finally confronts Alan. Words: 2,524 AO3 Link: [Here!] [First part] [Previous part] [Next part]

A Piece of True Fiction

Chapter 6: Too Soon

“I just don’t understand. It was in my hands, but I could’ve sworn I was reading it for the first time.”

Saga fights the urge to roll her eyes as an FBC medic finishes wrapping her wound. Kesä had done a pretty decent job in Coffee World considering the circumstances, but it does feel better to know it’s been professionally done with less risk of infection. An amputation is the last thing she needs right now.

Right now, she’s itching to speak to Wake. The longer she sits still, the more her thoughts drift to Logan. The more her fury at the writer festers.

She’d described how she’d found Kesä to Estevez while she was being treated (in the morgue of all places). She’d also explained some of her own concerns, such as the mystery of how he ended up in Coffee World, Watery, when she’d last left him in Bright Falls and taken the car herself.

All the more reason she desperately needs to talk to Wake. He was the last person with Casey, and potentially the only person who could explain what’s going on.

Annoyingly, Estevez seems too caught up in her own experience to actually hear what she’s trying to tell her.

“I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’m lead here for a reason”, the FBC agent continues. “I study and analyze every detail about a case before heading into the field and I’ve never had memory problems before. I should know this file inside out. I’m more inclined to believe that something paranatural’s at work here.”

“And the Finnish part didn’t tip you off?” Saga asks. She’s grateful that the FBC are taking her seriously though she’s also getting increasingly frustrated by them.

They’re acting too composed and methodical for a situation so dire and terrifying. Sure, Saga’s circles within the FBI are also fairly organized, but the FBC agents are on a whole other level. The way they mill around and make use of the small, rural space available to them is almost dystopian. Part of her wonders if it was a mistake coming here and if she’s ended up confining herself to their agency, when she could be outside trying to fix things and actually be making progress.

Estevez scoffs at her comment. 

“Reality’s malleable here. It’s harder to take people for their word.” She frowns. “Then again, we do have Wake in custody…”

Their conversation is interrupted by a shout and a clatter of metal from the other side of the room.

Saga looks over at the source of the noise, where she can just about make out a very uncomfortable-looking Kesä sitting on an examination table, surrounded by four FBC agents holding various items. One has a tablet, another has a clipboard, and another has a stethoscope. The fourth, the only one empty-handed, is recovering from being shoved backward. A reflex hammer lies on the cold floor by their feet.

“Saga!” Kesä cries out, peering between the agents to catch her eye. "Nämä ei helvetti suostu jättämään minua rauhaan! Puhu järkeä niille!"

Estevez approaches them. “What’s the problem?”

The female agent with the clipboard looks at her boss guiltily. “Don’t know, Ma’am. He’s not co-operating.”

“What about the translator?” Estevez demands.

“He’s refusing to type into the software.”

“Can’t you just get a verbal translator?” Saga asks from her side of the morgue, shrugging away the agent tending to her. “It can’t be hard to find one here.”

“I’ll agree with you on it being more convenient,” answers Estevez, “but bringing in external specialists without the Director's approval would be going against protocol.”

“Fuck the protocol!” Saga exclaims, no longer able to suppress her anger. “This is bigger than that! I don’t know how, but I don’t think that just because Wake’s here it means he can’t change reality. If you won’t take my word for it, fine, but I know things are changing and even you’ve acknowledged it. Why the fuck do you have a file on Casey anyway?!”

“That’s cla-”

“Classified, of course.”

While Saga regains her breath, Agent Estevez appears taken aback and the room is silent. Even Kesä looks somewhat shocked by her outburst.

“Just let me talk to Wake.” Saga pleads, more calmly. “I know more about Casey than you do. He’s my partner. Understanding Wake’s part in all this is the only way we can start figuring out how to fix it.”

The last part is a partial lie. It’s true, she needs to understand, but maybe getting the Clicker to him would be a quicker and more efficient fix.

Estevez sighs. “You have a point. Okay, you win, Anderson.”

Saga opens her mouth to respond but Estevez cuts her off. “-But, I’ll accompany you to the cells. Wake’s been agitated and I don’t want you getting hurt. Not to mention that the station’s cameras are video-only and it’s important for us to know what’s going on.”

Shit. If Estevez goes with her, she won’t be able to hand over the Clicker in secret. She can’t risk them taking it away from her.

“You really think he’ll talk to the agents that locked him up the first chance they got?” Saga argues, hoping that she’s passing off as convincing. “I’m FBI, I know how to handle an interrogation. I’ll pass on anything he tells me. For what it’s worth, you have my word.”

A tense minute of contemplation, then: “...Fine. I’ll unlock the door for you.”

Saga lets out a small sigh of relief. “Thanks, Agent.”

She’d really thought that she’d have to fight harder for her case. Still, she isn’t complaining that she’s getting her way.

“I don’t feel good about this at all,” says Estevez, moving toward the exit and beckoning for Saga to follow. “But we really don’t have much of a choice.”

As Saga stands, Kesä speaks up. "Mitä nyt? Mihin olet menossa?"

“We’ll work on getting a translator in the meantime.” Estevez remarks, already walking through the corridor toward the staircase leading up.

Saga hesitates in the doorway. Aleksi’s face is full of confusion, but also holds a twinge of sadness. Maybe even betrayal. They stare at each other for a moment, locked in another exchange via glances. 

Saga is the one to break away, guiltily shooting him a reassuring smile before turning to follow Estevez.

“I promise I’ll be back.”

Saga follows Estevez out of the morgue and back into the station itself. A wave of unease washes over her. She’s getting her way, but something about the situation leaves her feeling unnerved. She feels weirdly unprepared, like she’s missing something important and shouldn’t see Wake without it.

But she has the Clicker. That’s the main thing she needs, right? She tries to shake the feeling away and focus on the present.

How should she approach the situation with Wake? She wants to hold him accountable for his actions- hell, she wants to kill him for what he’s done to Logan, but she knows that she can’t. She could just give him the Clicker without saying a word. 

She won’t do that, though. She needs answers. She needs to hear him acknowledge what he did.

They reach the cell block door and Estevez pulls out a keycard. Before she gets the chance to use it, one of the officers approaches her.

“Uh, Ma’am? We might have a-”

“Give me a second, Young.” Estevez interrupts. “Let me just let Agent Anderson in.”

The door is unlocked and the light above the door turns green.

“I’ll lock this behind you for safety reasons”, explains Estevez. “Just knock four times when you’re ready to come out. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Saga does. She thinks. “I do. Thanks, Estevez.”

Estevez nods and turns to address the anxious officer to the side.

Saga opens the door.

She walks in. The door closes behind her and green turns to red.

“Saga!” 

The voice that greets her isn’t Wake’s, but Ilmo’s. She spots him in the cell closest to her and he stands up when she enters. In the midst of dealing with Kesä, Ilmo’s involvement had slipped her mind. The man looks disheveled and almost animalistic- a far cry from the friendly and confident persona she was used to seeing.  Ilmo steps right up to the bars of the cage to face her, practically snarling. “Fucking FBI, FBC, you government fucks all fucking this up for us! Where the fuck is my brother?!”

That uneasy feeling settles over Saga again. Instinctively, she looks over to the adjacent cell to Ilmo’s. The cell is empty.

When she doesn’t reply, Ilmo bangs his fist against the metal bar. “What the fuck have you done to him?!”

“I…” Saga doesn’t know what to say. Her mind replays the events of the hour since they’d arrived at the station. She doesn’t remember seeing or even hearing any mention of Jaakko Koskela. “Ilmo, Jaakko isn’t here.”

“Bullshit!” Ilmo spits. “You fuckers have done something. Something’s wrong with him, and you-”

“How do you know?” Saga interjects. 

“I just know!” Ilmo responds. It sounds more like a childish whine. Saga picks up on an element of desperation in his posture and voice, and suddenly something clicks. He sounds just like how she feels on the inside, desperate to get Logan back and to help Casey. He’s worried for his twin, but he’s locked up and helpless. She can’t help but sympathize with him.

She goes to respond, to inquire more about Jaakko’s whereabouts, when another voice speaks up from a cell further down.

“Saga? Is that you?”

Wake.

Her feet start to carry her toward his cell.

“No, don’t fucking talk to him, Saga.” Ilmo says behind her. “He’s a fucking monster! You don’t know what you’re dealing with, let me out!”

Saga ignores him.

Like Ilmo, Alan Wake stands at the edge of his cell to face her, except he’s gripping the bars so tightly that his knuckles are turning white. If she thought Ilmo looked animalistic, Wake is that turned up to eleven. He wears jeans, a bloodied white tee, and an unhinged expression.

“Do you have it?” he asks.

Saga sees red.

“You wrote Logan into the story,” she says coolly. “You told me yourself, from the Dark Place.”

Wake doesn’t react to her words, and instead carries on with his crazy spiel. “Listen! I think something’s wrong. Something- something’s off. The balance is… Scratch is-”

“My daughter is dead because of you! She’s a child.” Saga hisses. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Alan shakes his head. “I’m trying to fix this. I will fix this, I’ll save everyone, I just need to know what’s happening. There’s something different, just- Just give me the Clicker. I’ll fix everything. We’re running out of time.”

Saga fights the urge to slap the man.

“And Casey?” she asks. “You change his memories to what? Tear us apart? You already ruined his life with your writing, and you just had to do it again. You are one selfish fuck.”

Alan groans, frustrated. “No, I just…”

He trails off. His grip on the iron bars loosens. “I…”

He takes a step back. His strained expression morphs into one of confusion.

“...What?”

“Don’t play dumb. You admitted to using my family as part of your sick story. Well, you’ve gone miles over the goddamn line. How did you get him to Watery?”

Alan lets out a sound of disbelief. “What are you- What was that about memories? I don’t think I…”

“And why Finnish?” Saga snaps. “You twisted so much of him for no reason, even his name. How does this help anything?”

“Saga.” Alan says loudly, breaking her out of her rant. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Saga waits for the prickling in her skin or the flash in her mind or any indication that he might be lying.

When none comes, she is taken aback. “What?”

“I didn’t do anything to Casey.” Wake states. He sounds genuine. Saga hates that. “The lodge was attacked by cultists and he ran outside, then Scratch and the Taken showed up. That’s all I know, I swear.”

“Casey showed up at Coffee World half-naked and talking in Finnish. He didn’t know where he was and he doesn’t know me at all. Are you sure you don’t know anything about that?”

Saga’s grasping at straws. Wake has to be the one responsible, because if he isn’t… What then?

Alan is silent for a moment, his face blank. “No… no, I don’t. I’m trying to remember… you said Finnish, right?”

“What are you talking about?” Ilmo cuts in, sounding very concerned. “Saga? What’s going on?”

“Yes, Finnish.” Saga looks at Ilmo, responding to Alan. With Alan claiming to know nothing, she’s willing to take answers from anyone. She’s starting to feel very, very scared for her partner.

“Give me the Clicker.” Alan says firmly, extending a hand through the bars. “It doesn’t matter what’s been happening on the outside, I’ll fix it all. Just give it to me.”

Ilmo bangs on the bars again. “Don’t fucking give it to him!”

Saga feels conflicted. On one hand, she’d worked so hard to get the Clicker. She’d risked her life, even, and it was all for the sake of saving Logan. As far as she knows, giving Wake the Clicker is the only way of getting her daughter back.

The new question that makes her hesitate is: does that extend to Casey?

Wake admitted to using Logan. She heard him say so himself, and she resents him for it. But he’s adamant in his stance that he didn’t use Casey in the same way. As much as Saga wants to blame it on him and believe he’s lying, there are too many facts that don’t add up. How would the addition of ‘Aleksi Kesä’ help the horror story? It only causes a delay, if anything. It’s a distraction and it’s unlike any of the other changes Wake has been making.

So if he has no idea, how will he be able to fix him? By handing over the Clicker, will she save Logan but doom Casey?

Even though her daughter comes first, she can’t bring herself to do that to her partner. She needs more information to get a better understanding of the situation.

“I don’t have it.” She lies.

“Thank God.” She hears Ilmo mumble.

Both of them are startled when Alan suddenly violently slams the bars of his own cell. “I knew something was different. Fuck!”

He pulls back, his fists clenched.

Saga realizes that with this lie, she needs a new plan ASAP.

Wake seems to have a similar thought process because he turns back around with wide, frantic eyes. “Saga, listen to me, you need to-”

He is cut off by all the overhead lights blacking out at once, leaving the three of them in total darkness.

Alan and Ilmo curse simultaneously.

Gunshots emanate from the door leading to the station, followed by shouts, followed by screams. Saga rushes over and tries to open it. It’s still locked.

Fuck. Not again.

Finnish translations:

"Nämä ei helvetti suostu jättämään minua rauhaan!" = "These people won't leave me the fuck alone!"

"Puhu järkeä niille!" = "Talk sense into them!"

"Mitä nyt? Mihin olet menossa?" = "What now? Where are you going?"

Thanks for reading! I hope you'll stick with me for the ride...

[meljwrites]

pls do give me gay book recommendations. and do expand on "i dislike most of the popular gay books for very specific reasons" what specific reasons? i love to share nitpicks. i imagine you have a low tolerance of rpe as you mentioned already? is it too dark for you? also, i never read aristotle and dante and the secrets of the universe, but i watched the adaptation recently, and i hated it surprisingly enough, and i had high expectations it was going to be good. i didnt feel any romance most of the movie and i have no idea why everyone seemed to know aristotle liked dante while he didnt show to know for most of the movie. so i guess will just throw my nitpick out there first: i hate when gay stories leave it to the end for the characters to show to like each other.

yeaaahhhh i'll give you a list of complaints and then some recs...

I didn't like aristotle and dante (i actually read it twice bc it was required reading in uni) because of the whole - doesn't realise that he's gay until his dad tells him he is, also i'm pretty sure someone literally just said that author is transphobic so yeahhhh - also i just dont like the rythm of the way he writes.

I didn't like the seven husbands of evelyn hugo because of the straight protagonist, managing to kill off every queer character by the end of the book, having a character chip her tooth on the tv and be fine (i chipped my tooth as a kid), and the line that goes something like "her breasts where what made her famous in this world and they were going to take her out of it". i also didnt pay for that one funnily enough, i got my uni library to order it.

I didn't love red white and royal blue because of the heavy focus on politics and the way it ends with everyone holding up signs to support them which i found unrealistic and the way they were discovered bc they didnt remember that the front of cars is see through 🙄. (but one last stop is like my second fave book and i liked the movie!!)

I do recommend:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - a literary queer overlapping sea of stories and myths which is my favourite book

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - a speculative sapphic romance novel about a girl lost in time and a group of queer friends rallying to save a local diner.

If you still recognise me by Cynthia So - a ya lesbian romance between childhood friends exploring chinese diaspora and culture, fandoms, and comic shops

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Voung - a poetic novel based on his life as an immigrant in america and his relationship with his mother and grandmother and gay identity.

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour - my fave book when i was a teen, this is a lesbian romance wrapped in a mystery with a focus on old hollywood and film sets.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender - a trans mlm ya romance about a summer art school program and shifting identites when faced with the cruelty of teenagers.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo- ya lesbian romance set in the San Francisco in the 50s against the backdrop of chinese diaspora and the cold war.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - a modern classic historical lesbian romance which the korean movie the handmaiden is based on.

Also "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up With Me", "spinning", "on a sunbeam", "Heartstopper" and "mooncakes" are good graphic novels

[charliejackson]

❝ I was drawn to all the wrong things. ❞

STATS:

Name: Charlie Jackson

Age: 37

Face Claim: Casey Deidrick

Occupation: Professional fisherman & owner of Drunken Seagull

Relationship Status: Single

Gender & Preferred Pronouns: Cis male & he/him

BIOGRAPHY:

As the first born Jackson, just himself and his younger sister, life in Mount Pleasant had been nothing to complain about for Charlie. His parents were laid back. They worked hard but taught their children the importance of enjoying life. It wasn’t meant to be slaved away with mundane just to get by. Education was important and a foundation, and his parents always projected that if he and his sister did well in school then they would have the freedom to grow and experience what they wanted on their own. Of course their parents would always be there if needed but they understood that growing up meant learning through experience and finding what boundaries worked for them. Charlie has no complaints about his childhood. As an average B student he enjoyed time with his friends and adventuring whenever and wherever he could.

It was his father that taught him how to fish and from that young age it had become a life long passion. A pleasure and a sport that would take him through life. Especially the older he got, more competitive he became, and as his skills grew Charlie was able to travel around the world and be apart of fishing expeditions and competitions he never would’ve thought possible. As a professional Charlie won tournaments everywhere and became ranked worldwide. No fish was too big or too dangerous. With being a sports fisherman came a great responsibility to do so humanely and respectfully. Early on in his career Charlie joined foundations that worked on cleaning up, protecting, and saving the oceans. Saving the whales. Conservation became almost as much of a career as did fishing. Balance was what he learned most.

In his early twenties Charlie had moved to Marshall Island and used some of his earnings and notoriety to set up a local bar, Drunken Seagull. To him in made sense, even if it was a little tongue-in-cheek, but it was mostly him being proactive and looking ahead to the future. The older he got the harder it would be to maintain a lifestyle of traveling around for sport. Especially since he’s always held dreams of one day having a family. He’d considered opening a restaurant, a seafood restaurant, but then he had to be honest that he really knew nothing of what that would entail. There was also consideration of enjoyment. Drinking came with the territory of fishing, especially if you were just out with friends or enjoying the solitude on your own, a beer was usually a companion and apart of the mix. Hanging out and chopping it up with others was something he enjoyed, so again, Charlie made something of it. 

A couple of times Charlie got close to settling down. To those dreams of having a wife and a family. But for whatever reason they never truly came to fruition. Either he couldn’t slow down enough to be as present as the woman in his life wanted or there was simply too much drama and a lack of trust. His values are simple and perhaps a little too old fashioned and after finding himself wrapped up in girlfriends that wanted to play too many games, he decided to keep to himself and not date until someone came along and truly changed his mind. Though, now he’s beginning to think he’d turned his emotions and romantic feelings off a little too far and now there’s just no turning back. He’s perhaps even convinced himself that he’s not really actually missing anything.

When his father and best friend passed away, Charlie got on his boat and didn’t return to Marshall Island for a year. The loss and grief he felt turned him even further inward. He traveled all the way to New Zealand and stayed for quite awhile. Mostly he explored and tried to let nature heal him, then he found himself helping others fix their boats and taught people how to fish and it was through those interactions that he started to feel more like himself once again. It wasn’t so much that he was ready to come back when he did, Charlie had just received the news that his mother wasn’t well so he came home and moved her into his house. He takes care of her and takes care of his business. And that’s the life he’s content with these days.

[masschase]

chase, i am once again in your ask box begging for lore.

18 and 23 for the ask meme if you haven’t done them and i hope you have the best day today :3

I'm so sorry this took 2 days! My brain just didn't seem able to finish 🥲

Ask me about muh girlie

18. What was your character’s presidency like? How did they campaign?

OOH THIS QUESTION IS SO EXCITING :D

OK I'll start with her campaign.There were huge calls for the person who disabled the nuke to be the President at first.

The tv cut to news footage of the Boss on the screen, still in her suit in the slightly destroyed Oval Office being hounded by press. "I'm sure you'll get to know me soon enough. For now, just know this. I'm the leader of the Saints. If you've ever doubted us or our brand in the past, remember this: I just saved the BLEEP world BLEEPs. So you better show us some BLEEEEP respect.". The news cut to footage of crowds chanting while the anchor spoke again. "People are calling for the leader of the Saints to enter the running as President- if we can only get a hold of them..."

Pierce, Shaundi and Kinzie meet Casey in DC the following day and set up a press conference for the day after that. Funnily enough they do discuss the possibility of Pierce posing as the leader but he declines for personal reasons mostly regarding his sexuality and his overall safety. Casey decides she's just going to have to go for it and they talk about the angle they're going to take.

She thought for a second. "Is there any chance they're gonna buy that I'm a sweet wholesome Michigan girl?" Pierce raised an eyebrow. "Absolutely zero." he confirmed. "Yeah, I thought so..." she mused, thinking to herself again.

They decide they have a better chance at going with strength. Power. The fact that the Boss is not afraid to get her hands dirty to get shit done.

Unfortunately, the media manages to dig stuff up before the press conference. Kinzie was very thorough at encrypting Casey's name and real age (now 25) when she discovered them back in 2014. However there are pictures of her various aliases, her fake age (28, still too young to be president) and some of her exploits all over the news.

Pierce calls in a favour (he seems to "know a guy" in every city and I think we all know why) to makeover the Boss while he tries to persuade her to dress with a little more class, and eventually they give her a new image (something she mostly managed to swerve when the Saints hit fame by encouraging Pierce into the limelight.)

At the press conference they focus on strength, security, defense, and most importantly, finding ways to appeal to both sides. Overall the Saints policies are fairly left-wing, some more radical than the Dems but they pay lip service to the right too. I'm actually planning a post on this press conference soon; initially I was going to write it as a transcript but I find it way, way more interesting as a fully written piece because Casey's thoughts and feelings during in make it far more interesting. Here's a snippet.

"Yeah, sure, maybe I have been a little intense at times. But I'm not a violent person.". Hoo boy, that was hard to say with a straight face. All politicians lied though, right? She bit her lip a little but managed to compose herself a little. "I am not an attacker. I'm a defender, and I will stop at nothing to defend my country. I will kick terrorism's ass. I will beat poverty into submission. I will put a bullet in the gun violence in this country.". Ooh, she still really liked that part. She looked around at the approving crowd. "As for the most marginalised in our society... if you are downed... I will Pick. You. Back. Up. Again."

It's all ridiculously cheesy to be honest, but what else did you expect? The speech was written primarily by Pierce but with input from the other three (a bullet in gun violence was Shaundi's idea which means it was actually iamkinzie's idea in our rp) and Casey did ad-lib the odd part. She manages to deal with questions fairly well at the end, though the final one basically refers to her being spotted with women so she makes the decision to come out as bi and takes a clear pro LGBTQ+ stance (I can really see this appealing to some of the disillusioned Bernie Sanders fans). She relies on more platitudes to balance this out.

"If you have any kind of issue with this, I urge you to try and remember what country we are in. I want to ask you what freedom-" she emphasised. "'-means to you. Because the last I checked... this was America."

Cringe cringe. Yes a lot of this probably wouldn't work in real life. But c'mon guys she's a fucking Saints Row IV Boss. At times her tumblr version reaches full cartoon character. She had to win somehow, I'm just rationalising that the best I can. 🤣

The Saints were doing well for an independent, but overall it wasn't enough to swing things, even as late as mid-2016. They also still needed to do something about the age on the constitution. This is where the 4th July party came in. This is where the Saints manage to gain much of the support and investment needed to get the age changed as well as step up their campaigns for a greater share of votes.

This is also the same time the fake relationship for the media between Casey and Pierce began. The idea was to present it as a "we can't be public with this because of our work but awww we're secretly in love 👉👈" thing to cover up Pierce's then-closeted queerness and Casey's promiscuity, and they had relative success with it tbh.

I think it was never a dead cert, but once the amendment passed, it sent a very clear message they were likely to win. There was still a little uncertainty right up until Novemver. But they just about scraped the win.(woooo fuck Trump!)

The actual presidency? I think she was competent enough actually, at least with the team she had around her. I don't imagine the promised vision came around overnight, but they were getting there. Trouble was, she stopped giving a fuck about her public image. She started dressing more like herself, giving less of a fuck about speeches, put less effort into covering up the drinking, drugs and sex. Kind of leading into what we see in IV with the really low approval ratings.

Casey would not have gotten a second term. In the unlikely event she did, Pierce had already resigned effective then (he's already made it clear he's not her second in command anymore, and Kinzie and Oleg would've probably would've left together too.

If anything, this was why she had to spend much of Saints Row IV earning back her friends' respect.

23. How did you structure the series’ timeline for your character?

Ooh so I don't know if this means what is the timeline or why I chose the timeline? I have answered an ask on this before but I can't find the link and I love my timeline so always happy to talk about it 😊

2006: Saints Row, spread across the summer probably June-Aug/Sept? Obviously SRIV says "the Saints made themselves known to the world in 2006" or something to that effect, obviously the game came out in 2006 and I just think it is mostly agreed that's when that took place

2011: Saints Row 2, July/Aug to Oct. I can't see the coma being exactly 5 years and this too seems to take place over the summer. Fairly easy decision, I didn't use any particular dates from the game I don't think.

2012-2014: Saints rise to fame.

2014: Saints Row the Third: September-December. In-game news reports span autumn/winter.

2015: SRIV Zero Saints Thirty/disabling of the nuke. Probably around September/October time. This is when the presidential campaign starts. I decided on the date because SRTT dlc stuff is apparently the first half of 2015, and just to make the other dates work.

2016: Main past section of my fanfic in June/July. Casey elected President, November obviously. I think maybe it's implied in a jokey way that the Boss just fell into the job but then it's also clear they're still in their first term 5 years later so... really this makes sense and is in line with actual election dates.

2020: Main bulk of Saints Row IV. March-May. Obviously it needed to be before November and I'm not quite sure why I settled on March but yeah, earth was invaded by the Zin on the 3rd March. Just for fun, some of the character's rescue dates: 6th Mar-Casey 9th Mar- Matt 17th Mar- Shaundi 25th Mar- Pierce 15th Apr- Johnny So again it's not actually a full 5 years, but I feel like it's close enough that one would term it "5 years later"

2021: Gat out of Hell. Idk I felt like placing Kinzie's birthday in May and it fit for story reasons and stuff. I'm not the biggest fan of GOOH. On balance it does add some important stuff to my story but... meh.

2022: Start of my fanfic future section. (February) I feel like I could add more and more dates but as time goes on, the reasoning for where they're placed becomes more and more of a case of "because I said so" 🤣

[valentinehorrors]

You're my only desire

(TW: bl00d mention)

Something was wrong.

Casey already knew he was different than other people, a little more insane and more willing to put himself in danger, yes. He was stupid, something else that was not new information.

But truly, he put himself in a very stupidly dangerous situation.

At first, he thought that Mikey was just isolated. Keeping secrets that were driving him insane, that all he needed was someone he could be honest to. That's who Casey wanted to be, someone Mikey didn't have to hide to.

Then shit got complicated. Because the more Casey learned about Mikey, wanting to be his one friend, the more he realized there was a reason Mikey was hiding.

Then his own thrill seeking, danger loving, stupid side kicked in. Casey has always been well-meaning, a good heart, but willing to do whatever needs to be done. Mikey was a whole new shade of gray that Casey was not ready for.

The more Casey thought about it, the more he fought himself over it. Initially, Casey thought that Mikey had just been dealt a bad hand, a shitty as hell hand. The human wasn't sure what he would do if he had the same needs as Mikey, would he have done anything different?

Mikey isn't really malicious right? At least, Casey hopes he's not. Besides, he's not really in a place to judge, he's pretty fucked up in the head too.

After all, his first thought at seeing Mikey, bloody, surrounded by torn apart bodies, was "that's kinda hot." It probably also helped that he had kinda saved him. A bunch of thugs and none of his vigilante gear, if Mikey hadn't had shown up...

Yeah, okay, a lot of mixed feelings. Mainly two feelings actually, the feeling of "Holy shit this guy can kill me" and "Holy shit this guy will kill anyone for me."

But there's also... "If I don't stay, there's not gonna be anyone else able to reel him back."

He felt bad whenever he had that thought though, he didn't want that to be the soul reason of their friendship, because truly it wasn't. Besides, even if it came to that, he had no idea if he would even be able to.

Little did he know, he wasn't going to be needing confirmation for much longer.

"So, you don't like April? Like at all?" It was another one of their late night talks, same rooftop. They were leaning against each other, back to back. Mikey's shell wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world but Casey didn't really mind or care. Said human was also preoccupied with Mikey's kusarigama. He was curious and the turtle let him fiddle with it.

"No. I greatly dislike her." Mikey said, as cold as ever.

"Like why though? She's chill ain't she?"

"Originally, it's because she was someone new to take into account. A lot is taken into consideration when it comes to my mask, part of the reason it works so well is because I know how my family works. Someone new added risk, she could catch on to my tricks, or find some discrepancy. Unlikely, but possible. She was an unpredictable variable that annoyed me."

Casey hummed in response as he swung the blade by the chain, careful not to hurt himself or Mikey. At least he thought he was being careful, then Mikey grabbed the handle before the blade could collide with Casey's shoulder, without needing to even turn his head. Casey chuckled nervously as he took it back and continued fiddling with the chain. "But anyway, why now?"

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon Mike."

"... You."

Casey paused, turning his head to try to look at Mikey. Ending up way closer than anticipated, the human's head on the turtle's shoulder. Mikey's own eyes at the same time turning to Casey, that familiar shiver going through him. "Me? I'm why you hate April?"

"Yes... It's no secret Casey. I'm... attached to you..."

"Obsessed more like." Casey lightly joked

"As though you don't enjoy it."

Casey's not sure why he blushed at that, other than he's fucked in the head. "Shut up. Still, it's just joking. Don't think she's into me at all either. I just like pushing at her buttons and sometimes she fucks around right back. Just teasing."

"I am allowed to still not like it, or her." There was a slight furrow of his brow, it was the most Casey had ever seen of Mikey aside from his unnerving smiles.

"Oh shit," Casey paused, thinking over his words, "you... really hate her huh?..."

Mikey nodded, "That doesn't mean I want you to stop being her friend. Don't misunderstand. Besides, it would be far too suspicious if you changed your dynamic so drastically."

Casey chuckled nervously once again "right..."

There was a tension in the air the second the girl's name was brought up. Casey had been worried but as the conversation moved on and the tension dissipated, he dismissed it.

He really shouldn't have.

Casey wasn't exactly sure how he did it, but he knew Mikey was watching him almost 24/7. Sometimes it was even a comfort to feel that familiar shiver pass through him. He recognized the difference now, knowing when he was simply cold versus Mikey watching him.

But something felt off today, he wasn't sure what it was, but something was up. Mikey usually just checks in on him every once in a while, but this time he swore Mikey's eyes just didn't leave him at all. He's not necessarily complaining, the whole situation had a thrill that Casey could never resist, Mikey was right about that.

It was just a thrill. Just some fun. Yes, Casey knew that Mikey was deadly, he saw it first hand. Hell, he had been pretty shaken up initially. But clearly Mikey had a handle on his darker side and his whole hunger thing. It was just a thrill. Mikey was always so mindful of his mask and keeping up appearances, he'd never endanger it.

...

Casey never thought he'd walk in to the lair, and see a kusarigama blade over the girl's neck.

[b0nelessdoodles]

Art Summary 2023

shoutout to the one month were i drew fanart and then everything else was just dnd content again lmao (also shoutout to me being late to posting this haaaaa)

2023 wasn't the best year for me personally. between money problems and job searching, health issues, mental health issues, unintentional discomfort at my new job, and the overall issues of the world it just hasn't been great and I felt it heavily in my creativity. I never really had any creative highs this year outside of artfight (and even then i felt like i didn't do well) which only fed into some of the issues I was having.

But looking back I am really happy with most of what I made! Sure I didn't draw much but hey I think I popped off when I did!

So here is to 2024! Already off to a good start in the art department and even if I slow down at least I've had fun so far!

(i was gonna put me gushing about things in tags but its a lot so i'm doing a read more this post is already so damn long lmao i'm sorry)

okay i'm here to gush about two pieces at a time and their contents cause then make me happy to look at so lets get started on that with march and september 'cause hey! look at the relationship development of my little goblin guy!

march was when kk (tic's best friend and now boyfriend) first appeared to the rest of the party outside of just tic talking about him. literally the entire party could see that kk was in love with tic and was just like "oh buddy sorry about that" 'cause tic was a dumbass and romance was just never something he thought about until meeting the party. then we flash forward to september where the two confessed to each other after what really felt like the end of tic's story arc. at least it felt that way to me 'cause he reached his goal of killing groll and becoming the king of goblins but i know he still has shit to do I'M LOOKING AT YOU TRAVELLER AND RIP! but yeah that was the whole reason he left and it was done. he did it! but it almost cost him kk and the two ended up having a really important talk about it. kk chewed tic out and spilled his guts and i still think about it a lot holy shit it was so good omfg but it was in that moment that it clicked for tic. that if he had actually lost kk he had no idea what he would do, that he felt like his whole life would fall apart without him. and just man it was good wholesome content. congrats to the goblins for being the first canon relationship! (even tho they were not the first confession that one goes to rhami!)

now that that block of the text is out of the way we get to more depressing ones, those being january and october with my guy, dr. cecil wilfree.

its just.... man. what do i even say about him. january was probably the last moment before his life went into a full downward spiral, eventually leading into his demise. that piece isn't even anything major but rather something like a reminder going "hey, remember when wilfree had two normal eyes? good times!" and just man (-insert that image of a horse standing on the beach-) compare that to where he's at in october and knowing what happened in those 10 months? january he still had trust and hope, he believed that he was going to get back home and help river out with his plague, maybe even get aster home if she'd let them, maybe find a way to cure himself and help casey. but by the end there was no hope and he found out that he had been used, was nothing more than a tool for someone who he trusted, despite knowing that he really shouldn't have. river was dead and it was his fault (at least in his mind it was), he had failed to protect aster and traumatized both her and willow, and he could do nothing to save an entire population from being wiped off the face of the map. and he caved under the guilt. he gave up. its sad to see him alive and pissy in january and then look at december and see a shell of the same man, no more thoughts in that head as his mind got disconnected from his body and self.

and then for extra sads we've got december which was his birth month, so i drew something from a time before the campaign. back when he was alive and well, no soul curse and unknowing of the horrors yet to come, and receiving a gift from someone whose life he could soon destroy due to his own hubris.

anyway! pay no mind to may! i didn't draw a damn thing that whole month!

[infriga]

Finished Alan Wake 2, it was awesome! The mystery was well done, they improved a lot on the first game's mechanics, the characters were fun and interesting, Casey and Saga lived!!! (and technically so did Alan? I think? Alice mentioned that the only ways out were destruction or ascention, and they were on the way to ascention, and the light bullet was from her. I'm glad her suicide wasn't real that one stung when I watched that video ngl lol 😭), I like how they actually did encorporate Alice's photography into the artistic creation powers aspect of the plot like I've wanted them to, and it's even hinted that she's actively working on saving Alan somehow (her light bullet being a part of that presumably), and I like how they pulled an inception style ending where we never actually get to see if Logan picks up when Saga calls her.

I thought it was funny how Alan was like "this is a horror story so for this to work the ending has to be dark, a price has to be paid by one of the heroes" and Saga's response was basically "well clearly Logan, Casey, and I will all survive and thrive. I've earned my happy ending and I won't take no for an answer." leaving Alan as the only option of the 2 heroes to pay the "price" lmao. Like I'm sure he woulda offered anyway and I don't think she was being callous so much as just trying to figure out a way to get her family (which includes Casey of course) out of this in-tact and unharmed, but it still made me laugh how blunt she was about it lol. Saga knew what she wanted and she was getting it, extremely valid. And Alan survived anyway, so like Saga said it's not the end of his story 👀. It's also possible that Saga has her own price to pay in some way, like maybe having to escape the Dark Place still?

There are still some plot threads left unaddressed that I find really interesting:

Odin and Tor went into the lake after Saga and technically her and Casey are still stuck in the dark place as far as I'm aware.

How did Rose get into the dark place, like was that really her there? And if so, how will she get out? Alan said he wasn't sending her messages but her knowledge was way too detailed for it to just be coincidence. Maybe Alice is the one sending her messages? Or maybe they're from the future and Alan hasn't sent them yet?

Wtf is going on with Thomas Zane and why do Ahti, Odin, and Tor keep calling Alan Tom? I keep wondering if maybe Scratch was actually a corrupted Tom who's merged with the Dark Presence or something? But half the time Ahti is calling Alan Tom is before he technically gets possessed.

I theorized in the past that Ahti was the owner of the Oldest House, and someone brought up a good counter theory that Ahti IS the house, as in a projected avatar of its will, which is also very possible. But Alan Wake 2 might possibly contradict that if Ahti is able to leave the house and do stuff outside it and fuck around with other phenomena, which I don't think the house itself would be able to do? Though I could be wrong. So maybe he is the owner of the House and that allows him to leave it and use it to get places normal people can't get to? I know part of Ahti's nature is to be mysterious lol but it's fun to speculate.

Who is Warlin Door and what is his deal??? It sounds like he has a similar thing going on with Saga with both their family lines having special abilities, where Andersons are seers and Doors can travel across/through worlds/dimensions/spaces via their control over "doors". Thinking about it... Saga mentioned that her dad left before she could remember and Tor didn't like her dad for some reason and drove him away, and she used Door's page to figure out how to travel through the dark place. Possible connection there maybe? 👀 Door did mention that someone important to him was dragged into Alan's mess which was why Door got involved. Not to mention the nature of his disappearance. Maybe that someone was Saga. Maybe Tor's beef with him was some sorta blood feud thing between supernatural families. I'm sure we'll learn more about him in future games lol, they drew too much attention to him for him to just be a one-off character.

TIM! He's still stuck in the Dark Place too as far as I know, poor guy. Dunno why door dragged him there and left him there to vibe (maybe so he could give Saga that page when she actually needed it?), but the poor guy deserves freedom too lol.

Who was on the payphone with Saga in the Dark Place? Was it Alice? I feel like it was Alice.

Is the Oceanview Hotel related to the Oceanview Motel? They seem to serve very different purposes and have very different designs/vibes/uses aside from having those symbols on some of the doors, but the name can't be a coincidence. And if they are related, does that mean the Oceanview Motel is connected to Thomas Zane?

These aren't complaints or anything, I'm sure a lot of these points will be addressed in further sequels to either Alan Wake or Control. Hopefully that doesn't take another 13 years to happen this time 😂

I'll have to replay the game at some point because tragically I missed petting 2 deer heads apparently. I'm really tempted to replay Control again atm. The Alan Wake sequel definitely incorporated a lot more of the Control style vibes this time around lol, which I enjoyed a lot, and now I've got a hankering...

[chloeillustrates16]

Sing To Me (2k3 Version)

(My personal head canon is that all the Leos love country music and will unironically blast it in the lair when their brothers are away).

(I wrote a 2k16 version and Rise version, and a 2k12 version of Leo).

Summary: Leo wants to tell you something; just isn't the best at communicating.

Warnings: Establish relationship, Y/n uses she/her, personal head cannons, fluff

Never in a million years would Leo admit he like country music; he'd have a hard time Raph trying to listen to him, he didn't want his music tastes to be one of the reasons.

Leo felt as if he was being watched as he cleans his room; turning doorway, he froze seeing you.

You met the turtles when they saved you from the Purple Dragons; after that, it was history.

Later, as you got the know the turtles, you started to develop a crush on the blue clad turtle, himself. Leo was flattered, he really was, he actually like you back as a matter of fact. He was new to the whole relationship thing, decided it be good to give it a shot; well, a few years passed, the two of you were still together.

---

You smile as Leo walked up to you, "Hi," you whispered.

"Hi," his lips pressed against your own. You were the only one who knew of Leo's little secret; honestly, you loved it. You loved hearing him sing; when his brothers weren't in the room, you begged him to sing to you.

He was embarrassed; he didn't understand how his voice to be that good, but growing up, Mikey often commented on how good he was. He supposed that it wasn't just Mikey thinking it; everyone thought that; especially, after karaoke at April and Casey's wedding.

Music was softly playing in the background; it wasn't long before some country artists started to slip through the playlist. You sat on Leo's bed as he moved across his room; he sang aloud,

"I haven't had a good time; since you know when, got talked into going out, with hopes you were stayin' in. I was feelin' like myself for the first time, in a long time; till I bumped into some of your friends, over there talking about mine. Then you rolled in, with your hair in the wind, Baby, without warning! I was doing alright, but just your sight had my heart storming; the moon went hide, and the stars quit shinning. Rain was driving, thunder 'n lightening; you wrecked my whole world when you came!"

You gasp as Leo took your hand, pulling you off the bed and into his arms. "And hit me like a hurricane; and hit me like a hurricane! Knew it was gonna be a long night, from the moment when, we locked eyes over whiskey on ice; Started talking 'bout us again; if I woulda just laid my drink down and walked out; I wouldn't be in my truck; driving us to your house! But you rolled in with your hair in the wind, Baby, without warning! I was doin' alright, but just your sight had my heart storming. The moon went hiding, Stars quit shining; Rain was driving, Thunder 'n lightning! You wrecked my whole world when you came; And hit me like a hurricane; You hit me like a hurricane!"

You gasp as his lips pressed harshly against your own. It was a bit rougher from the kiss that he greeted you with, " Yeah, we go to five; with your smile, blew me away, and Girl, it ain't but midnight; she done killed the lights; bend my heart back to your bedside. Then you rolled in with your hair in the wind, Baby, without warning! Cause I was doin; alright but just your sight; Had my heart storming; the moon went hiding, Stars quit shining, Rain was driving, Thunder 'n lightning! You wrecked my whole world when you came and hit me like a hurricane; You hit me like a hurricane; Hit me like a hurricane!"

You heart fluttered; Leo wasn't great with expressing his feelings, but music was one way he could. He stared deep into your eyes, as the song changed. His voice was softer than it was with the last one,

"Another day without you; another midnight call. Distance ain't no friend of mine; another lonesome highway; another one of our songs. Nothin' gets you off my mind, but I'm waiting, yeah, I'm waiting; for you to pick up the phone and tell me that you're coming home. Yeah, I'm waiting, I'm waiting; every minute of every day; just to hear you say, I love you until we're dead and gone. So, I'm waiting."

"Through every storm we weather and through every page that's torn. I guess missin' you takes its time. And every minute and mile between us keeps me leaning on a prayer to Jesus; begging for the day you come back home!"

Your heart felt like it you were flying as Leo sung his heart out, "So, I'm waiting, yeah, I'm waiting, for you to pick up the phone and tell me that you're coming home. Yeah, I'm waiting, I'm waiting; every minute of every day. Just to hear you say, I love you until we're dead and gone. So, I'm waiting! I'm waiting, yeah, I'm waiting; for you to come runnin' home. So, I can hold you in my arms! I'm waiting, I'm waiting; Every minute of every day just to hear you say, I love you until we're dead and gone. And I'm gonna love you until we're dead and gone; So, I'm waiting."

Leaning forwards, Leo closed his eyes pressing his lips against yours. HIs fingers tangling in your hair, you let yourself fall back onto the mattress as Leo followed.

"I love you too," you whisper. He smiles, pulling you back in.

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

Songs Used:

Hurricane--Luke Combs

Waiting--Bailey Zimmerman