#splinter with gram gram now

[5cythz]

*Trumpet noises in the distance*

HERE YEE HERE YEE! SHE DID IT!! SHE GOT IT DONE BEFORE MIDNIGHT!

AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!

*distant confused cheering*

*bows*

Lol seriously though, first time drawing rise splinter! How’d I do!?

I didn’t want to push my luck and do full body shot first try but the tired dad look worked pretty well! Hope you like it!!

[goodlucktai]

16 for the dialogue prompts?

dialogue prompts

16. “God, I’m so sorry, it’ll be over soon, I promise.”

@dandywonderous im so sorry about this in advance 🥹

x

When they were little, and they started wearing masks because Mikey wanted to be like the heroes he watched in Saturday morning cartoons, Donnie asked Splinter to cut the tails of his short so they wouldn’t get in his way.

Leo thought that was a crazy decision, because if the tails were short they wouldn’t match Raph’s. 

“So?” Donnie said, unscrewing the bottom panel of the oscillating fan he stole from Splinter’s room. 

“So what?” Leo said. 

“So what if I don’t match Raph? I don’t have to,” Donnie pointed out, a seven year old at his most reasonable.

His twin blinked, then his striped cheeks puffed out, brow furrowing, fully not understanding the question. He wanted to do everything Raphie did, but denied it when anyone told him so. 

This certain proof of that behavior made Donnie smile, quiet and indulgent the way he only ever was for his other half, but only when it was just the two of them. 

Leo whined and kicked his feet but Donnie wouldn’t tell him what was funny. 

Those long blue mask tails are sodden and heavy as Donnie shifts them out of the way, leaving a sickening trail of red where they drag against Leo’s neck and shoulder. 

They’re pinned down, what’s left of the tunnel groaning and shifting around them, at least three Technodromes filling the sky outside. Donnie can feel the hum of impending doom in his teeth. 

“Hush, Nardo,” Donnie whispers, hand clamped over Leo’s mouth hard, even though it cuts him to have to do this. “You can’t scream, mellizo. Hush.”

His twin writhes, digging at Donnie’s grip with desperate fingers. His chest is heaving, eyes wild with pain. The rosy glow of Raph’s ninpo is all they have to see by as the projection hovers above them in case of another collapse. In the dim light, Donnie can almost pretend it’s mud he’s kneeling in, warm and slick and pooling at an alarming rate from the slab of concrete that Leo’s right arm has been crushed under.  

The safe zone has been compromised. It’s devastating, but not at all surprising. Two of their scouts didn’t report in when they should have, baseline humans who didn’t have a hope of resisting the Krang’s method of interrogation, so it was only a matter of time before the enemy came knocking. 

April, Mikey and Cass have been evacuating their people and transporting supplies in and out of sunny orange portals all morning while Draxum, Hob and Usagi guarded their every move with eagle-eyed vigilance. 

Donnie, Raph and Leo were holding the Krang at bay for every extra second that they could, but they stayed out there a second too long. 

Now Leo is bleeding and the Krang hounds are prowling, their horrible faces scraping the ground as they sniff out that rich source of life, and Donnie’s mind is blank with panic. They’re trapped, and if he lets go then Leo will scream and bring death down on them, and if he doesn’t then death will come anyway, with teeth and venom.

“Shhh, Lilo,” Donnie tries to soothe, imagining Leo’s sweet, bright ‘shhh yourself, Dodo!’ in place of the uncomprehending whine he gets in response. “God, I’m so sorry. It’ll be over soon, I promise.”

Maybe we should pray, he thinks wildly. Not to god, because that would be a spectacular waste of breath, but to one of the people who left the party early and might be willing to toss a miracle or two in their direction. Papa, or Gram-gram, or April’s mom. 

The red projection surrounding them begins to shrink. Slowly, making sure the rocks above and around them won’t shift, until the ninpo is just a warm glow beneath Raph’s skin. Donnie feels a rush of relief and anticipation—Raph has a plan, Raph will tell him what to do. 

Raph puts one arm around Donnie’s shoulders and cups Leo’s face with his other hand, stroking his cheek with the pad of his thumb. Blood smears beneath his fingers. His expression is hard to read in the dark underground. 

“You’ll be alright, big man,” Raph murmurs, all conviction, as if he can make it true out of sheer love. If anyone could, it would be him. Then he says, “Donnie, can you cut him out?”

The question makes his stomach lurch with nausea, bitter and acidic, but it’s a question that he can answer. After fighting in a three-turtle team for the better part of two hours, Donnie’s ninpo feels like coffee dregs left in the bottom of an empty pot. He has enough strength left that he could summon a tool for an emergency amputation, but only that. 

“Not quickly,” he says pointedly, “or quietly.”

Raph nods. He just sits there for a minute, holding them. They don’t have a minute and Raphie knows that but he’s just holding them. Donnie’s heart begins to race in a brand-new direction, some frightened thing in his very center sitting up and taking notice. 

Donatello has always been an incredible number of things, not all of them good or noble or worth bragging about, but above all else, at the end of each and every day, he was Raphael’s little brother. 

Donnie didn’t imitate him when they were kids—didn’t wear his mask tails long or find reasons to follow him around—but he was every firm hug Donnie needed to keep his skin from itching when life got too loud. He was an attentive, listening audience when Donnie had to talk about the things pingponging around in his mind without being interrupted or he’d scream. He was the large hands that held Donnie’s, the snaggle-toothed face that smiled in encouragement, when Donnie learned to walk. 

Donnie knew him fundamentally. Intrinsically. A textbook he never had to study, knowledge that grew up with him from the first moment he opened his eyes to the big, bright world. That’s how he knew what was about to happen the second before it did. 

“No,” Donnie says hoarsely. “Please don’t.” 

“Raphie’s gotcha,” Raph says warmly, the last steadfast and solid and remarkably kind thing left in the apocalypse.

He reaches down and presses the panic button on Donnie’s gauntlet. The alert activates with a bright pinging sound effect, echoing twice in their little disaster-made cavern as it’s received by Leo and Raph’s comms, and the Krang hounds nearby whine and bark in excitement. Their claws churn up earth and rock as they start to run.

Raph spares a second to press a kiss against Donnie’s temple, and another to Leo’s forehead, and then he’s gone. The light goes with him. Donnie shakes like a leaf, unreasonably cold, unable to think. 

Leo is half out of his mind by now, sobbing and jerking at his trapped limb, but all his agony is soundly drowned out by the brutal battle Raphael is leading far away from them. 

“Hush,” Donnie whispers, eyes stinging so badly he can hardly keep them open, tears dripping endlessly down his face. “It’ll be over soon.”

[dreamweave01]

Did you ever say what happened in mikeys timeline?

I've mentioned some things a couple times, but I don't know if I've every actually given an actual rundown like I did for the other three, so allow me to do that real quick!

Basically, when the turtles were little baby tots, sweet Miguel was the only brother who survived the explosion of Baron Draxum's lab. Due to this, he grew up as an only child of Splinter's.

It was a bit of a lonely experience, but luckily, he became close friends with a human girl named April O'Neil!

The two were practically siblings; they did absolutely everything together. And if there was one thing they had in common, it was a shared sense of justice.

So when they saw poor Mayhem being chased by those two thugs? They had to run in and help.

For the most part, his timeline is preeettyyy similar to the show. The biggest changes are that a.) he didn't have his brothers with him. And b.) most of the villains weren't actually inherently bad. They just didn't know what else to do.

Like Draxum for example. He was a warring warrior scientist after all, but it was all to protect his fellow Yokai. Mikey helped show him that humans weren't the crooks Drax had made them out to be.

And the Shredder event? Boy, was that a pain in the neck. Meeting Gram-Gram and then losing her all in a couple of days was the moment when Michelangelo realized how desperate he was to have the family he lost.

Mikey unlocked his ninpo, and with help from his friends, was able to defeat the Shredder and save both New York and the Yokai City.

It was also the event that finally changed Big Mama, who made up for her past mistakes.

Now, the lair was destroyed, and while Mikey and Splints were planning on just crashing at Barry's place, Big Mama was having non of that, having the three of them stay with her at the Grand Nexus Hotel.

It was also when human-yokai relations started up, something that Michelangelo jumped head first to get involved in.

At this point in time, life couldn't have been better.

And then, in Mikey's mystic studies he was doing with Draxum, he found out about the multiverse. Curious to learn more, he attempted a simple spell that would project his mind to a realm where he could visually see all of the timelines.

It was a beautiful sight to behold.

But when he felt an odd sort of energy, it drew his attention away to three other timelines.

That was the moment he found his brothers.

If you were to ask him how he found Leo, Raph, and Donnie, he would tell you that it was like someone had taken him by the hand and had gently led him to them. In fact, in the moment, Mikey was almost certain someone else was there with him. Something mystic that was all too familiar. . .

Of course, it was all so new to him that he was probably just imagining things.

Probably.

[teratocrat]

gryphongirl has soundly defeated the crocodile-boargirl of the lower valley, and saved your village, but now she wants to talk about payment. "i want icons here and here and here" she says, dragging talons like bronze daggers down the ancient timbers of your village's longhouse, which apparently as of right now also serves as her shrine. "burnt offerings and prayer four times a year, warmest night of each season, got it? or i will come back and trash this place worse than that other bitch ever did." you make some small involuntary noise of terror in the back of your throat that she evidently interprets as assent, for she relaxes, slumping back onto the splintered gouges she has just torn in the wall. "i don't want to sit around for the icon painters, though" she confides. "you guys probably dont have a kinko's or some shit? i couldn't just… print some selfies off the 'gram?" you are halfway through mumbling apologetically that the village's only printer was in fact in the library that she threw crocodile-boargirl through last night, and as such almost certainly only exists now as shards of plastic and metal and glass, when she suddenly lunges forward and pins you against the opposite wall, claws pressed firmly against the soft and fragile joints of your shoulder. The smell of her rolls over you like a summer storm, sweat and smoke and blood and ozone melting into an indescribable melange that stings your nostrils and the back of your throat. "what is that?" she asks with naked hunger in her voice, the string of amethysts around your neck transmuted to citrine in her golden gaze. you pull the Violet Starfall necklace over your head with one free hand - it was the greatest treasure of your priesthood, a sign of the covenant between the village and its catgirl-goddess Tenth Life Layabout, but Tenth Life Layabout met her end between crocodile-boargirl's jaws, and you have little time for sentimentality now. she drapes it over her head with one hand and removes the other from your shoulder to gesture obscurely: thin air turns to glossy black beside her, an obsidian mirror in which she admires how her newest treasure compliments her reflection. "ohhhh," she sighs, greasy smoke and wisps of magenta flame escaping the corners of her mouth. a noise like a revving motorcycle engine fills the room and rattles your bones; with a start you realise that gryphongirl is purring.

[phoebepheebsphibs]

How To Be A First-Time Dad of Four Turtles

Title: How To Be A First-Time Dad of Four Turtles Prompt: New dad Splinter (Rise), very unprepared, but doing the best he can! Fandom:  ROTTMNT Word Count: 2230  Author: PhoebePheebsPhibs Rating:  Gen Characters:  Yoshi Hamato / Splinter, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, & Michelangelo Warning: Donnie bites Summary: Notes: No Beta, We Die Like Gram-Gram!

@untitled-tmnt-blog @tmnt-write-fight

Link to AO3 <-

"There, that should do it," Yoshi stated as he pinned up the last set of string lights.

He'd found a little sale, where some family was moving out of their apartment and needed to get rid of some junk. Yoshi still had his savings in a private account that (fortunately) Big Mama didn't know about. He'd dipped into it to buy a couple things, just for starters. He wasn't sure living in the sewers was the life for him or his new... kids?

He just needed some time to get used to it.

Anyway, that little estate sale had plenty of supplies that he could use or refurbish. He'd bought an entire box of lights, plastic tupperware and eating utensils and plates and bowls, some throw blankets, a baby stool, a few plastic bins and buckets, and a series of extension cords. He'd get more whenever he could.

Yoshi had discovered a small area of the sewers during his escape from the Hidden City that seemed rather roomy, and would work out wonderfully for renovations. There were multiple rooms that connected via mini tunnels and corridors into a large expansion, perfect for training in.

Training... for what, exactly? He wasn't 'Lou Jitsu' anymore. He wasn't Yoshi anymore, either. He'd thrown that name and identity away years ago, when he left his Grandpa Shō.

Still... he needed to do something or else he'd lose his mind. He'd found a yoga mat in a dumpster and stole 'repurposed' it so he could do some exercises whenever he got the free time.

"Waaaaaaaahhhh!!"

Which was seeming less and less likely...

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Yoshi shouted out, rushing from his redecorating section and speeding into the opposite room.

He'd left the baby turtles in a plastic bin under a heat lamp in the other room, and had hoped that he could do his work while they basked in the warmth alone. No such luck.

Clingy little things...

"I'm here, I'm here!" he proclaimed as he entered the room, sliding in and kneeling besides the bin, leaning over to inspect the babies. "What's wrong??"

The slider and the softshell were fighting again, nibbling and smacking each other and occaisionally bumping into the other two and disturbing them.

"Oh, you two..." Yoshi groaned, reaching in to pull them apart. "Why can't you just -- Ow! Hey! No biting!"

Yoshi tugged at the two babies, gently tearing them away from each other. They made upset little beeps and chirps at him in response, the slider squirming in his left hand and the softshell wriggling in his right. 

"Now, can you two behave for five minutes, or do I have to put you in time-out?"

He wasn't actually sure why he asked them. It wasn't as if they could understand what he was saying.

But the understood the tone.

The quieted down quickly.

"Very good... now, please, please just behave yourselves so I can finish working on the rest of our... home."

It still hurt to call this mass heap of bricks and slime and mold 'home'. Just like it hurt to call these glorified pets his 'kids'.

It had only been two days. He just... needed to give it some time.

Yeah... give it time.

"Waah! Wah! Wah!"

Uh-huh. Right.

"Okay, that's it!" Yoshi shouted, having reached the end of his rope. "Time-out! You two are going in... in, uh... different boxes! That's what! See how you like that!"

In anger, he grabbed the two arguing turtles again and dropped them into separate containers, then placed them beside the biggest one where the other two turtles sat in confusion, wondering where the slider and the softshell had gone.

The two naughty little turtles, trapped in their separate prisons, started making all kinds of noises. The purple-tinted softshell was beeping and clicking furiously at Yoshi, snapping and biting the edges of his plastic container. The slider with the blue shell was making loud wails as he pouted, slapping the walls of his box and begging to be returned to his 'brother'.

"No, you can't be fight with him anymore," Yoshi scolded.

"Aaah! Wah, waaaah!"

Yoshi sighed with exhaustion and exasperation.

"...Fine. Maybe you're just hungry, hm?" Yoshi suggests. "You sit tight while I get the fruit..."

Yoshi left the four in the room, walking backwards out of the room and watching them every step of the way before turning the corner and going to the room designated as a 'kitchen'. It had a tiny overturned box he pulled from a dumpster and a mini fridge he'd found in an alleyway. New York, what a town... Yoshi rooted through the tiny refrigerator and pulled out a container of half-priced strawberries, chopped them up into itty bitty slices and dumped them onto a little plastic plate. For an added touch, he took a few leaves of lettuce and placed them on the plate as well. Once he was finished, he took the plate back into the room with the others.

"What the -- Hey! You! No!!"

The softshell had literally eaten his way through the plastic box and was starting to chew through the slider's box as well. Surprisingly, the slider was very happy about this and seemed to be cheering his 'brother' on.

Yoshi dropped the plate and ran over to the turtles, grabbing the softshell and yanking him away from the bin.

No one was happy about this.

The turtles started yiping and yowling at him, especially the slider. The softshell took it as a personal offense and defended himself accordingly, twisting his head around and biting down hard on Yoshi's thumb.

"OW!!"

Yoshi clenched his fist and had to fight every knee-jerk reaction to drop the turtle, throw it, or flap his hand to get the child to let go. He released the turtle, but it still held on.

"Let go!" Yoshi shouted, trying to pull him off. He could almost hear the skin on his finger tearing. "Let go!!"

He pulled again, and the baby turtle suddenly yelped. Yoshi had pulled him too hard.

Yoshi released him again, and the baby turtle let go of his thumb, scrambling out of his 'father's' hold and hiding beside the box that still held the slider.

The four creatures watched in terror as Yoshi's thumb began to bleed.

It was silent.

Yoshi felt his face go red-hot with frustration. He yelled loudly. Just yelled, unbottled his anger and pain and... yelled. He shouted out no words, simply expelled his fury at the situation, his fury with the new life he was forced into, the squalor he had been reduced to, the pain of losing everything and suddenly being bridled with four ungrateful kids that couldn't be left alone for fifteen minutes without starting some situation. Once Yoshi had finished yelling his lungs out... he sobbed.

Yoshi wept and wept, the heaviness he'd felt on his shoulders crushing him to the floor. His tears pooled around him, soaking his pants he doubled over, unable to catch his breath. Everything was just too much. He'd lost the love of his life, he'd lost his dream profession, he'd lost his looks and livelihood, he'd lost the last family member he had, he'd lost it all. Everything. And Yoshi sobbed like a baby. 

Not his best moment.

Yoshi only stopped when he heard the weeping and wailing of four tiny babies by his side.

His head rose from his knees, glancing up in panic at the four children.

The softshell was sobbing desperately, cowering in fear at Splinter, afraid... afraid of him? Of his anger?

No, no... he was afraid for him.

The little boxshell turtle was wailing hysterically, clawing at the walls of his box, trying to get to Yoshi. The snapping turtle was crying as well, though not as loudly. The red-eared slider was whimpering and weeping as well, hands pressed against the wall and trying to push it away or push it down, trying to get to Yoshi as well.

Yoshi hiccuped, breathing in quickly as he realized what he'd done.

"Oh, oh, no no no -- I'm so sorry, my little ones, I'm so sorry -- I-I didn't mean to scare you..."

Yoshi reached into each box and picked the babies up, cradling them close. The boxshell kept crying, burying his little face into Yoshi's furry chest as he wiped his tears away. The slider also started rubbing his tiny face across Yoshi's shirt, trying to hug his father while also hiding his wet and gloppy tears. The Snapping turtle wrapped his tail around the rat-man's wrist as he gripped hand, hugging him tight and churring softly against his arm, trying to calm the both of them down. Yoshi started crying softly again as he held each one close to his heart, trying to soothe them. He heard a soft clicking chirp and glanced up to see the softshell somberly creeping towards him, suck-up sniffing as he came towards his toes. He tried to mew out a meager apology as he circled his foot.

Yoshi reached his hand out for him, hoping he would accept the invitation despite all that had just happened between the two of them.

Fortunately, he did, and crawled onto Yoshi's palm, sniveling as he did.

"I'm sorry," Yoshi whispered, bringing the little guy up to his face and nuzzling him with his snout and whiskers. The baby gripped his face and smushed his own snout against him, whimpering as their tears melted together. "I'm so sorry, my son. I didn't mean to scare you or hurt you. I won't do it again..."

The baby cooed at him, nuzzling him gently and patting his cheeks. He accepted the apology.

"Maybe... maybe you need more space than just a box, hm?" he wondered aloud.

He decided to let them roam the room instead, using the box as a makeshift baby-gate to blockade the door so they wouldn't escape. He also cleaned up the fruit and lettuce from where he'd dropped it on the floor. He left the plate out in the center of the room, close to where he sat so he could keep an eye on them.

The little slider nibbled on the lettuce a bit before running around excitedly. He seemed to love the extra space.

The snapping turtle lumbered after him, giddily giggling as he waddled around.

The sat messily munching on the strawberries, covering himself in the juices and skins.

The softshell wandered around the room, sniffing everything and inspecting it all. He growled if the slider got to energetic too close to him. The slider never figured it out.

"Boys, behave," Yoshi reminded them. "I'll still put you in the box if I have to."

That was mostly a joke. But you could tell that they believed him, because they made sure not to get into any fights. At least, nothing bad. They roughhoused a little. But all in good fun.

Yoshi exhaled and laid down on the floor, exhausted beyond all comprehension. The tiny little boxshell turtle chirped at him, almost asking if he was alright.

"I'm fine, just tired," Yoshi replied.

"Peep?"

"Because I've been working on fixing up our home all day. And I just cried a lot. Crying is tiring work."

"Peep, peep?"

"I don't know why. It just is."

"Peep!"

Yoshi felt somthing kneading agaisnt his ribs. He rolled his head over to see the sticky little critter trying to climb up his side.

He chuckled at the sight before helping the littlest one up.

"There we go, that's better, right? All high up now. I bet you can see the whole room," Yoshi joked.

The little baby sat proudly on his father's stomach, surveying the entire room and watching as his brothers played and explored. He then turned and waddled over to Yoshi's chest, rubbing himself clean on his shirt as he did so.

"Yes, thank you for that," Yoshi sighed. "You'll still need a bath, though."

"Peep!"

The little turtle's chirp sounded almost like a laugh. Yoshi chuckled back.

"You know... since you really are my sons now... I suppose you'll need names. Let's see..."

Yoshi elevated himself up on his elbows, studying the tiny baby boy on his chest carefully. He was tiny, had bright yellow spots and some orange-yellow markings on his shell as well.

"...How about 'Sonny'?"

'Sonny' spat his tongue out at Yoshi and blew raspberries at him.

"Okay, okay, maybe not. What about Shelly?"

The baby cocked his head to the side, almost to question his father's mental state if he actually thought that name was a good choice for him.

"You're a picky kid. Fine, fine, I'm sure I can come up with something clever soon... How about for now, I call you 'Orange'? Is that okay?"

The baby turtle plopped himself down, purring quietly. Good enough for now, it seemed.

"Then if you're 'Orange', let's call your snapping turtle brother 'Red', the softshell 'Purple', and the slider 'Blue'. That way I can tell you all apart! I'll get some little handkerchiefs or something to wrap around your shells so I can remember..."

Yoshi sighed.

"...I still have so much work to do..."

He looked out over the group of toddlers, running around and playing as 'Orange' started to fall asleep on his Dad's stomach, comforted by his warmth and one-sided conversation.

"...But I suppose you're all worth it," he smiled.

[frogonamelon]

GUESS WHO FINALLY GOT PARAMOUNT!! WOO!!

After well over a year of being in this fandom, I was finally able to see the series finale!

Some minor spoilers for folks who don't have access to season two below

This might be an unpopular opinion but the fight scene at the end of Battle Nexus New York is probably my new favorite fight scene in the series (including the movie). It's the only time we ever get to see the entire clan/family fighting and its brilliant! Cassandra catching April's bat midair and wielding it herself, Splinter sliding in and knocking Draxum's feet out from under him to save his life, Mikey chucking a mode of transportation at the Shredder for the second time this season its great!

As for the inspiration for this, two particular standouts this season were Leo and Cassandra. They have interesting parallels in their arcs, both finding themselves in leadership positions and gaining new mentors. Casey getting a position she always chased before finding out it's not something she really wants vs Leo having a position he never wanted thrust upon him. Leo losing his new mentor figure vs Casey saving hers at the last minute.

I wish we had gotten more time to savor General Jones. It's the scariest she's ever been, and I love it! This woman almost kills Big Mama for daring to imprison her master within less than three minutes of being given the chance! I see 03 Shredder/ Karai in her.

Leo, meanwhile, is wielding what would be (in this hypothetical au) Karai's sword. A single katana as opposed to his previous superfluous odachi. I could see him picking it up right before he knows they have a retreat plan, knowing how dangerous it is to be completely unarmed in front of such a foe and wanting to protect his family (and wanting something to remember Gram Gram by).

Technical Notes:

I did Cassandra first and inverted it. Color picking from that is how I got Leo's.

There's a lot of opposites between them:

Cass is top and front lit whereas Leo is back and bottom lit.

Leo is standing tall and facing upward whereas Cass is leaning forward in an almost bow and facing downwards. Same with Shredder and Karai

Shredder has his back to his General whereas Karai almost presenting her g-grandson.

I changed the yellow prominent in the ring to purple since it's the color that Big Mama and The Shredder share.

In designing General Jones, I blended usual depictions of Casey Jones with depictions of The Shredder and Karai.

Cassandra's previous mask that covered her mouth is now replaced with one that covers her eyes. Take from that what you will.

I cannot draw the turtles without some sort of pants on. Sorry, I just can't

[knifknighted]

ROTTMNT x 2012 TMNT AU idea that has been rattling around in my head. Have a snippet of what I’m working on and some art.

(Mikey is slightly nonverbal—like he only talks around people he’s comfortable with. Soooo only Karai for now)

||

Now Karai has made it an unspoken rule to be wary of any turtle she comes across. Sure Leo was usually chill, however, the others were a different story. They were more of a fight-first, ask-questions-later kind of group. Thus the rule. She rarely had to enact the rule, usually it took the form of taking a few more precautions than she normally would. No amount of preparations could have prepared her for stumbling across a teeny weeny little turtle.

He was so cute with his big round eyes and yellow spots. The kid did not really look like the ones Karai was used to seeing; the biggest tip-off was the shell poking out the collar of his nauseating orange shirt. The poor thing looked close to tears as he pressed himself against the grimy alley wall.

So Karai did what any normal person would do—figure out where this little tot’s home was. Kneeling so she would not look too threatening, she spoke as gently as she could manage, “Who do you belong to?”

The kid chewed on the collar of his shirt, his voice scratchy from crying. “Gram-Gram.”

“Where’s your Gram?” She asked, noting that he did not appear to be one of Splinter’s. Karai blinked wildly as the kid pointed at her. “I think you’ve got me confused, I’m not your Gram, kiddo.”

The way his lip wobbled gave her pause, he was so pathetically sad-looking. With a deep sigh, she relented. “Fine—whatever.”

The kid surged forward, and Karai’s instinctive urge to fight kicked into full gear before she tamped it down. It would be horrible if she punted a child, turtle or not. Little arms wrapped around her shoulders squeezing with a surprising grip.

“What’s your name?” Karai murmured, awkwardly, patting the kid’s shell.

“Orange!”

“Of course it is,” She sighed for the umpteenth time, thumbing at his oversized orange shirt.

Letting the kid hold her had not been an issue at first, but now Karai had a major problem, Orange just would not leave her alone. His surprisingly strong arms encircled her leg when she tried to take a step back. Orange’s face pressed into her thigh guard, his cheeks puffed into an insolent pout.

“Let go kid!”

“No, you left.”

Karai grumbled to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose. “At least let me use my legs.”

“No left?”

“I won't leave,” Karai promised.

“Pinkie?” Orange mumbled, offering a little finger up to her—it was not even the right finger.

With a sigh Karai wound her pinkie around his; he cheered and finally let go of her leg. Despite everything inside of her wanting to leave, she did not. Her feet remained planted on the ground as Orange took her hand into his.

He smiled up at her as he asked, “Where go Gram-Gram?”

Karai sighed to herself once more, her patrol was thoroughly screwed.

He so round.

Karai: I just found him, but if anything happens to him I’m going to kill everyone in this room and then myself

Orange: Churr?

[todisturbtheuniverse]

FIC: Borrowed Magic [2/5]

Rating: T Fandom: Stardew Valley Pairing: Shane/Female Farmer Tags: Pre-Relationship, Developing Friendship, Grief, Alcoholism, Depression, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Slow Burn Word Count: 3,839 (this chapter); 6,669 (total so far) Summary: The farmer has a way of making ordinary things seem like magic. Shane just has a hard time believing it. Also on AO3. Previous chapters: One

Lydia hefted her axe and swung. The log split evenly, a feat she'd only started to accomplish consistently over the last few weeks; it still felt profoundly satisfying. She tossed the pieces into the done pile and heaved another log up onto the stump. The motions were repetitive, familiar: lift, swing, crack, toss. Lift, swing, crack, toss. 

Usually, this kind of work was meditative for her. It freed her mind to drift, thoughtless—the occasional idea or memory appearing, but just as quickly fading. 

Today, though, she couldn't stop thinking about that damn fish.

She'd known, even in the moment, that she'd made a mistake. As soon as it lay still, as soon as she'd looked up, caught sight of Shane's face, she'd known. It had already been too late, though, as soon as she'd felt the tug on the line; throwing it back wouldn't have guaranteed its survival. Granddad had warned her off of sports fishing, even as a kid. 

She probably should have run to Rasmodius's door and begged for the fish's life. But hindsight was twenty-twenty, and until that moment, she had not known what the fish's death would mean to Shane.

Lift, swing, crack. 

The sound echoed around her, too loud; the wood splintered into ragged, uneven pieces. 

Before that moment, before she'd killed the fish, he had laughed. He'd told her about his dead best friend, and she'd made a joke, and he'd laughed like he meant it.

And then she'd brought that magnificent creature up onto the dock, let him get a glimpse of magic, and destroyed it in front of him.

A week before, at that same dock, he'd said—unprompted—that he was at the bottom of a miserable abyss, unable to see the light of day, not strong enough to climb out of the hole. He had been kind of a drunk, but she didn't think he'd been exaggerating. Killing the midnight carp had to be akin to slamming the trapdoor at the top that abyss shut. Maybe even locking it for good measure.

She took a deep breath and steadied herself before lifting the axe again. There was no undoing it. She just hoped that she would get another chance. When he wasn't biting her head off, she liked Shane. She liked plenty of people in Pelican Town, but there was just something about him, regardless of grouchiness, that she connected with.

Nearby, her battered portable stereo crackled out the only station that reached her on the farm, and Archimedes dozed beside the stump where it was perched. The wind rippled over his fluffy golden fur; he snorted, half-asleep, as it caught one floppy ear. The song changed: another old country tune.

She remembered Granddad singing this one, dancing with Gram in the kitchen, and smiled. She'd never been very religious, but it didn't hurt anyone if she thought the song on the radio was some sign from him, encouraging her to keep going. 

She lifted her axe and swung, and sang along: "I keep a close watch on this heart of mine…"

A moment later, Archimedes roused himself from his nap, barked, and took off eagerly toward the south end of the farm. She set down her axe and watched him go, pulling her sunhat a little lower over her eyes. If Shane was still bringing Jas to the treehouse, maybe the business with the fish was forgiven—or at least set aside, for now.

The faces of her visitors came into view, and disappointment settled in her gut. There was Jas, her face barely visible above the tall grasses, her bow a cheerful, vibrant yellow today, a pretty contrast to her dark hair. But the person escorting her was Marnie, not Shane, her smile sunny as she took in the farm, puffy brown hair blown by the wind.

"Howdy, neighbor," she said warmly.

"Hi, Marnie. Nice to see you." Lydia meant it; it wasn't too difficult to set her disappointment aside. She smiled at Jas. "Hi, Jas."

"Hi, Miss Lydia." Despite Shane's absence, at least Jas seemed like her usual self: a little shy, but absently stroking Archimedes' coat. The dog stayed pinned to her side, as if offering her courage.

"Here for the treehouse?" Lydia asked, leaning on her axe.

"If that's okay," Jas said, ducking her head.

"Of course. You're always welcome."

Marnie gently nudged Jas's shoulder. "I bet Lydia would be interested in your new book."

"Oh yeah! You have chickens, too." Jas slung her backpack around so that it rested against her chest, then pulled out a new hardcover. "It's about special chickens," she told Lydia, showing her the cover. There were three lovingly-rendered hens, one of them blue. "The blue ones are so cool."

"Blue chickens?" Lydia raised one eyebrow, still staring at the cover. The title was Unusual Chickens of the Ferngill Republic. One of the chickens was a sleek, deep black, with beautiful red accents in its coloring; it was nearly hypnotic. "I've never seen a blue chicken before."

"They're really rare. Maybe we can raise some on the ranch sometime?" Jas looked hopefully up at Marnie.

"Maybe," Marnie said thoughtfully. "Shane's the chicken expert. We'll have to get his opinion."

"Maybe he's already planning to raise them," Jas said, a note of excitement entering her voice. "Maybe that's why he got the book for me."

"Maybe," Marnie agreed. Lydia wondered if she was imagining the brief flash of doubt in Marnie's eyes.

Jas slipped the book back into her backpack and hugged it to her chest. "Can Archimedes come to the treehouse with me, Miss Lydia?" She pronounced the dog's name carefully, as if proving that she could.

"Of course. He'll have more fun with you than me. Take this with you, though."

Lydia leaned her axe against the stump and went over to her bag, propped up beneath the stereo. She dug in the front pocket and pulled out her old lanyard. It clink-clanked as she draped it over her hand; there were a number of metal and enamel pins attached to every bit of the fabric. She'd worn it for years, and the color of the fabric, once a deep pine green, had dulled. None of the pins had escaped the march of time without scratches. Only the shiny silver whistle was new, hanging on the attached keychain beside an old boondoggle.

She was fond of it, but not precious about it. She held it out to Jas.

Jas took it, her blue eyes widening. "Wow," she said softly; she traced a couple of the pins, her fingers lingering over the one that depicted a campfire. "What are all these?"

"Camp badges," Lydia said. At Jas's puzzled look, she elaborated, "When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time at summer camp. You get special flair—like the pins—for learning how to do something new at camp. I collected them on the lanyard over the years. But the important part is the whistle. If you run into trouble, blow on this so we can hear you, okay? Archimedes is a pretty good bodyguard, but just in case."

Marnie nodded, clearly pleased with Lydia's forethought. Jas looped the lanyard around her neck, but she held up the whistle and the attached boondoggle, obviously still taken with it. Lydia had used sparkly rexlace in lavender and royal purple for the boondoggle, many years ago, and the resulting pattern of the little camp craft was about as fairy-ish as something made of that weird plastic string could be, even faded with time.

"It's so pretty," Jas said, admiring it.

"I can show you how to make one sometime, if you want," Lydia offered. "It's pretty easy."

"That sounds fun," Jas said, with a small, shy smile. "Thanks."

"Anytime. Test the whistle, okay?"

Jas brought it up and blew; it gave a solid, ringing note. Archimedes barked, always overjoyed to join in noisemaking.

"All right, off to your adventure," Lydia said. "Archimedes, go with Jas."

Archimedes followed her happily; he was good-natured, even for a dog, and had taken to Jas almost instantly after her first adventure on the farm a few weeks before. He made sure to pause by Marnie before going, collecting some enthusiastic ear-scritching; then he gave a soft, happy boof, and took off after the girl.

"She sure is taken with your farm," Marnie told Lydia, when Jas was out of earshot. "She thinks she's being coy, but she mentions the treehouse practically every day. She loves your old junimo drawings."

"I'm glad another kid can enjoy that place. It was always magic to me." Lydia thought, again, of the fish.

Marnie was looking around with interest. "Thinking of plowing a new plot?"

"Yeah, trying to expand in time to take advantage of the summer crops. It's slow going."

"Want a hand? I'm not bad with a pickaxe, if you want someone to break up those rocks."

"I'm sure you're much better than me," Lydia said. "But you probably have your own work to do."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Ever since Shane and Jas moved in, the morning chores go by quicker than they used to. I've got a few hours to spare."

"I'd welcome the help, then," Lydia said, smiling. "Thanks."

Marnie scooped up the pickaxe. She held it like the weight was familiar to her; she was an unassuming-looking woman, but anyone who held a ranch together on her own for so long had to be made of steel at her core. She tackled the rocks with confidence, and hummed along with the radio.

Lydia went back to chopping wood. She wanted to ask about Shane—where he was, why he hadn't escorted Jas—but it seemed too awkward. The moment had passed, hadn't it? It would be weird to ask now. It would be too…telling. Were they friends? Were they good enough friends that she could ask his aunt why he wasn't here?

She knew why he wasn't here. Damn it.

"How are the ladies doing?" Marnie asked, straightening up from a broken pile of rock.

It took a moment for Lydia to realize who she was talking about. "Oh, Yasmin and Aurelia. They've settled in well, I think. I found their first eggs on Thursday."

Marnie shaded her eyes and looked toward the coop, up near the old farmhouse. "You've got a good space for them," she said, a note of approval in her voice. "It's so nice to see this place thriving again."

"Well, I don't know about thriving. But I'm making progress."

"You're out here splitting logs like you were born to it," Marnie said, smiling. "I know it's hard work, just starting out, but trust me. This place feels the care you're putting into it. You work for it, it'll work for you."

Lydia huffed out a laugh as her axe came down, crack, and split another log. "I like that. Like there's a spirit in the land, watching out for me."

"What do you think those junimos are?" Marnie teased.

Lydia chuckled, but she didn't confirm or deny. It was hard to tell what people really believed here. Would Marnie believe what Lydia had seen in the old Community Center? Would she hear that piping call from the woods to the west and recognize it? Shane didn't believe it; Lydia had figured out that much. He was a transplant to the valley, though; someone like Marnie…

But Marnie didn't elaborate. Still, Lydia saw a different opening and took it before it could close.

"Shane gave me a hard time about the junimos," she remarked, tossing logs onto the pile. "Said the sounds I was hearing were probably a weird bird."

Marnie sighed; sorrow clouded her features. "He probably doesn't think much of our old superstitions, right now."

"Yeah. He told me about Patrick and Charlotte. He's going through it, huh?"

Marnie's pickaxe slipped, striking off-center, and a spray of gravel tumbled down the side of the boulder, peppering the dirt. She cast Lydia a startled look, readjusting her grip. "He told you about Jas's parents?"

"Yeah. Not…a lot. He's not super talkative. But the general facts."

"That's great," Marnie said, a note of hope in her voice. "He hasn't talked to anybody about what happened, not really. Maybe this is progress."

Lydia's guilt deepened. "Oh," she said. "I…I hope so."

"He would've come today," Marnie said, "but he picked up a shift at Joja. Usually he's not really in a place to work on Saturday mornings, but maybe…well, he wasn't at the Saloon last night."

"I ran into him at the dock."

"Ah." Marnie deflated. "Drinking and wandering. The other pastime."

"He left half his beer with me, if it helps?"

Marnie's somber mood passed, quick as it had arrived; she laughed. "You're giving me whiplash, Lydia."

She smiled sheepishly, and decided she might as well tell Marnie the whole story. "Sorry, sorry. Look…he probably just didn't want to see me today. I think I upset him last night. It was an accident, but…"

She explained about the fish. She didn't repeat most of the conversation; Shane had said things about Patrick that weren't Lydia's to share. But she told Marnie about the midnight carp, and how Shane had slunk off after the creature met its end.

"I feel awful," she finished, splitting another log. "I shouldn't have killed it. I should have let it escape the hook. I don't know. I wasn't thinking. I just assumed…he lives on a ranch, he knows about the less glamorous realities of country life. Hell, he's been here longer than me."

"You didn't know," Marnie said, her voice kind. "You wouldn't guess it, maybe, but he's soft, underneath all that mean."

"No," Lydia said, thinking again of how he'd laughed. "No, I can see that. And then I went and poked him with a sharp stick."

"It's hard." Marnie sighed. "He won't admit it. He won't say it. He wants everybody to believe that he doesn't care, that he doesn't hurt. I say you should take the win. He left half his beer with you. He stopped long enough to have a conversation with you. That's something. He could use a friend. And the only kind of friends there are, are imperfect ones."

Lydia took a deep breath and let it out with her next swing. "Thanks, Marnie. I won't kill any other fish in front of him."

Marnie chuckled. She swung her pickaxe, cracking another rock, and began to pry the pieces out of the soil. "Even when he was a teenager, he wouldn't fish. I don't know what he was thinking, hanging around while you had a fishing pole in the water."

"Probably thought I was bullshitting him about the midnight carp."

"It does look like magic, doesn't it? That glow, that color. They're beautiful creatures."

"Ugh. I'm never going to be able to eat whatever dish Gus is making out of them. I feel like a criminal."

"You and Shane are two peas in a pod, I think," Marnie said thoughtfully. "You've both worked for Joja, you're both transplants to the valley, you're both a little soft on animals. Both been through hard times recently, if you don't mind me making an observation."

Lydia snorted. "What, you think a perfectly well-adjusted person wouldn't give up their job and their apartment and their entire way of life to move to the middle of nowhere and rehabilitate a farm that's been abandoned for twenty years?"

"Like I said," Marnie said, smiling, "two peas in a pod."

Lydia didn't deny it. There was a reason she kept trying with him: kept saying hello when she only got something back three times out of ten, kept opening the door whenever he slammed it shut. She'd lived through times—during her own stint at Joja, yeah, but other times, too—when she wished someone had tried like that with her. 

And there had been moments in the last couple of weeks, however brief, when he felt like an old friend, like she'd always known him. She hadn't ever felt that before, not really.

Their talk turned to other topics: Lydia's hopes to get a barn built before winter and buy a few cows; the crops she was planning for this new plot, which was clearing more quickly now with another pair of hands; Marnie's memories of Lydia's Granddad, one in particular of him chasing a runaway cow all the way past her ranch to the river in nothing but his robe and long johns. Lydia had to stop splitting logs, she was laughing so hard.

The afternoon passed quickly, but daylight was long in the valley in summer, and their bodies tired before the sun did. They had paused beneath the shade of a maple tree to slurp down some water when footsteps approached.

Lydia looked up, expecting Jas with Archimedes. The footsteps were approaching from the wrong direction, though, from the eastern side of the farm. Puzzled, she turned.

Shane was still wearing his Joja polo and khakis, though the polo was untucked. His shoulders were a little hunched, like he was still imagining the approach of a customer—or Morris. Tentatively, seeing him searching the fields for signs of activity, she lifted her arm and waved. He didn't wave back, but he did navigate the path to the new plot.

He looked worn, though not as bedraggled as Lydia felt after a day of labor on the farm. The breeze pulled at strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail; sweat prickled down her back, sticking t-shirt to skin; there was dirt on the hems of her overalls, dirt in the laces of her sneakers, and tiny flecks of wood on her arms. Surreptitiously, she brushed those off, then wondered why she bothered.

"Hi," she said, when he was close enough to hear her.

"Hey," he replied, not meeting her eyes, and looked around. "Jas here?"

"At the treehouse," she said. "She came by to share a blue chicken fact half an hour ago."

She saw a little twitch in his expression. Barely any movement at all, but it was there. Like his mouth trying to tug towards a little smile, and him fighting it back.

Her heart squeezed, suddenly, painfully. She thought again of the brief outline he'd painted of his best friend, the center of gravity that had been torn from him. And still, lost as he was, he'd thought to give Jas a book she loved, to nurture some magic in her life, even when he had lost it all.

Yeah, he could be an ass. But she had seen wonder on his face. The soft person Marnie had spoken of was still in there. He still had a chance to get out.

"Ready to go?" he said, addressing Marnie, not her.

Lydia glanced at her watch. "You all could stay for dinner, if you—"

"We should get back," Shane interrupted.

Marnie shot her a sympathetic look, and Lydia tried to make a subtle face back that conveyed that it was okay. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it had always been likely that Shane would pull back after their conversation at the docks. He probably felt like he'd said too much, given too much away. The fish was the cherry on top. A really awful cherry that she would be thinking about for a long time, but still.

"You should come by on Tuesday night to pick up that chicken, Lydia," Marnie said.

Lydia knew there was a question on her face and tried to moderate her expression. Not once today had they talked about Lydia purchasing another chicken. But she could see from Marnie's expression that the woman had some plan, and so she nodded, playing along.

"Sure. I'll be by around…six?"

"Perfect," Marnie said, beaming.

Archimedes burst out of the meadow grasses and into the newly-cleared plot, panting. He gave a single, short bark upon seeing Shane, and then went to circle him, tail wagging. Shane pointedly did not reach down to pet him, which did not deter Archimedes at all. Jas wasn't far behind him.

"Archie kept acting like he heard something," Jas said. "He's so smart, Miss Lydia."

"He appreciates the compliment," Lydia said, grinning.

Jas pulled the lanyard off over her head, holding it out to Lydia. "Here's your whistle. Can you, um, show me how to make a boondoggle next Saturday?"

Lydia looked the question at Shane, letting him decide, and just barely glimpsed him pulling his hand back from scratching Archimedes' ears. She pretended she hadn't noticed. He looked from Jas to Lydia, his eyes catching on the whistle and its lanyard, draped over Lydia's hand now. She thought she saw the lines at the corners of his eyes soften, just a little. He nodded.

"Sure," Lydia told Jas. "I'll make sure I get the good colors out of storage."

Jas clapped and bounced on her toes a little, grinning widely now. "Did you want to borrow my book? I should be finished by next weekend."

"I'd like that," Lydia said, trying to make it sound like her throat wasn't in danger of closing up. Jas's enthusiasm and kindness were just…very sweet. She told herself to get a grip. "Thanks, Jas." She cleared her throat. "Thanks for your help today," she said to Marnie.

"Anytime, neighbor." If Lydia wasn't mistaken, there was a kind of mischievous twinkle in Marnie's brown eyes. She had no idea what the older woman was up to, but she was extremely interested in finding out. "See you Tuesday."

"Bye, Archimedes. Bye, Miss Lydia," Jas said, and skipped off down the path toward the farm's southern boundary. 

Marnie followed. Shane walked after them, passing Lydia, and for a moment, she thought that he wouldn't even say goodbye—but then he sighed, and turned back.

"Thanks," he said. "For letting her use the treehouse."

"It's no trouble." He started to turn away. "But, Shane—if it's too much trouble to bring her, or it's a bad time…I can tell her no. If you need me to."

He looked back at her. There was a hint of the previous night on his face, just a sliver of the vulnerability she'd glimpsed. He gave a single nod, and then he was gone, footsteps receding down the path and away from the farm. She watched until all three of them were out of sight, fading into the long shadows cast by the pine trees.

Her earlier guilt was not gone, not exactly, but it had been replaced by something else, something that took precedence: resolve. Lydia had left Zuzu City, left Joja, not just to get away from something, but to go toward something else. To restore Granddad's farm, yes, but also to be a part of something. Part of a community, with a connection to other people. To find something she'd always been missing.

She felt a powerful connection with that little family. She just hoped Marnie's plan for Tuesday was a good one.

[ramencuprat]

Info for my revamp fanfic/story for the Jones Twins:

Hey y’all, yes I’m bringing this back again for like idk the 3rd or 4th time now, I’ve been kinda bored lately so I wanted to try and write for this at some point when I have the time. I’m also gonna be writing something non-fandom related but the non-fandom related thing is gonna be written first and then I’ll write the Jones Twins story. 👍✨

Fanfic Title: Times We’ve Lost, Life We Had

Fanfic Type: One-Shot

Fandom: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018)

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Applied

Characters: Corey Jones (ROTTMNT OC), Casey Jr, Leo, Donnie, Raph, Mikey, April, Splinter, and Baron Draxum

Relationships: None

Additional Tags: ROTTMNT AU, TWLLWH AU, Drama, Angst, Comedy, Found Family, Post ROTTMNT Movie, This takes place a year or so after the movie, it’s also gonna have a bit of slice-of-life vibes to it, there won’t be that much action/adventure in this story, No beta we die like Gram-Gram

Summary: The Jones Twins, Casey Jr and Corey, managed to help the Hamato Clan stop the Kraang Invasion and save the world while also managing to not die in the process. Now that the Kraang Invasion is over the two of them don’t really know what to do next, so the Hamato Clan helps the twins out with adjusting to post-invasion New York and they try their best to adjust without any mishaps and it seems to be going well for them. At least, that’s what they thought.

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

Literally just finished this, but here we go!! More lore!!

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NFIF: No Fun In Fungus

UIFY: Until I Found You

DvD: Donatello von Draxum

Dee: NFIF Donnie

“Donnie!….Donnies? MIKEY!? What happened to him!?” UTIFY Raph shouts, beginning to fuss over him.

Mikey moves a bit, face scrunched up from how loud his brother is being. DvD rocks Mikey a bit and brings him back into a comfortable sleep.

“He just used too much energy. He’s okay.”

Raph sighs in relief.

“You chaps scared me. Misa wandered off when we were looking for the other Leo and hanging out earlier, she found the other me. He was panicking about that hand.”

Dee noticeably tenses.

“Where is my brother?”

“He’s fine, I promise. Just a little overprotective right now.”

“….The hand didn’t infect him? Do you know if it was injured? Did you see any black blood anywhere?”

“Uh, no!? What kind of other infection can you get from that thing!?”

April grimaces, looking down at her arm.

“Should I be worried?”

“I think it’s the least of your concerns at the moment.” Dee replies.

“Why isn’t the hand injured anymore? We still have the rest of it, and it’s doubtful it can regenerate.” DvD insists.

“My Raphael may have encountered it before I did. Can you take me to him?”

“Of course, but where’s Gram-Gram- I mean, Karai?” UIFY Raph questions.

April wrings her hands together in guilt.

“I…..should tell you when Leo’s here too, but she’s not safe.”

Raph’s face immediately drops.

“But she’s an ancient warrior! What could have taken her out!?”

“…..Family. I don’t know how much you know about Hamato since none of you were raised by Splinter, but they’re filled with martyrs. I’d like to say we’re different, but every time there’s danger we’re fighting each other to be the freaking sacrifice.” Dee says bitterly.

Raph looks even more worried at hearing that.

April gets between them.

“Look, I know things are kinda dire right now but at least we’re learning stuff about this whole thing and the other Raph is okay. If we work together and don’t separate anymore we can do this.”

“If Mikey was awake, he’d agree. Even if it isn’t completely rational to do so, I say we push aside logical worries about our abilities and focus on a plan instead.” DvD adds.

“Donnie’s right. We get everyone can back together and work on taking that gross hand down. Got it?” April looks at Dee.

“…..Got it.”

“Good! Wait, you said other Raph was being overprotective, how’s that?”

“I’ll show you.” UIFY Raph starts leading them a little further up.

NFIF Raph is holding onto UIFY Leo closely and keeping his head on a swivel. Both seem perfectly fine except for the watchdog behavior Raph has going on.

“Is there a different reason for why he’s like this or is it just the obvious one?” DvD asks.

“Misa went to go get her portal sword and the only way he’d let her go is if he could at least keep an eye on Leo. Something about Leos keep getting the worst of it.” UIFY Raph answers.

Dee walks closer.

“Raphael?”

NFIF Raph quickly turns to his brother’s voice.

“Donnie! You’re okay! Come here!”

“Don’t do it! I can’t even do my escape maneuvers!” UIFY Leo warns.

“Raph, you’re going to have to let him go. His family is here now. It’s their job to protect him.” Dee touches his arm.

“I can protect them this time, all of them! And you!” Raph almost begs.

“Listen to me. You can’t do it by yourself. They took Mikey, they have Leo, and Gram-Gram is there too!”

Raph’s face pales.

“G-Gram-Gram? Theirs is still alive?”

“What do you mean she’s there!? And still alive!? What happened to yours!?” Leo shouts.

UIFY Raph looks at April for the promised explanation.

She takes a breath and tells them all exactly what happened.

There’s various reactions of shock, worry, and fear. Raph gently, very, very gently, squeezes Leo who squeezes him back.

Things got so bad, again.

Raph takes a breath.

“Our Gram-Gram sacrificed herself to shop her dad, the shredder. It….it was our fault, we took her out the Twilight Dimension and freed him. Now it’s our fault again for everything! The spores, the hand probably, your Gram-Gram getting trapped! I’m….I’m sorry…..” He starts tearing up.

Leo wiggles up and wipes his eyes.

“Hey, stop thinking so much! You’re working yourself up! Look, you guys aren’t bad guys. I’ve met a lot of them and you aren’t it. We stole from you and you still fed us, I’ve done a lot less and got treated way worse. You’re not the only ones who’ve��.made bad choices. All of us have. I still kind of am but that’s besides the point. What is the point is that we aren’t blaming you because you shouldn’t be blamed.”

Raph tears up a lot more but quickly wipes his eyes.

“That’s some smart stuff you’re saying.”

Leo smiles.

“Being a thief isn’t easy.”

Raph finally let’s go of him, patting his head.

“Raph’s real proud of you for keeping yourself and your Mikey safe. I know it isn’t easy. When this is all done, if we don’t see each other again, I want you to know you’re always going to have an extra big brother out there who believes in ya.”

Leo blinks back his own tears.

“Yup yup, sure thing! And….you know….I guess I don’t mind it….”

Raph chuckles and allows Leo to walk over to DvD and Mikey. He strokes Mikey’s cheek which has Mikey nuzzle into it.

“So, now we can make a plan?” DvD looks around.

“I believe I have one. If I had access to a proper lab I could use the sample I have from the hand and the spores on it to create something to combat this new mushroom. I believe I saw one before somewhere.” Dee suggests.

April bites her lip.

“I did too. That’s nearby where everything happened. Are you sure we should go there?”

“I’m afraid it’s the only plan I can think of unless someone else wants to speak up?”

No one does.

“Alright, just be extra careful you guys.”

The group follows April back to the central area of the whole situation. DvD and Dee are behind everyone else, side by side.

Dee suddenly stops walking when they’re on the opposite end of the building housing the humongous mushroom, standing stiffly

DvD stops as well, raising a drawn on eyebrow.

“Did you see something?”

“No. I just…..usually Leo has fidget toys for me when everything is overwhelming. It helps for me to focus on holding or touching something. Just weight in my hands would do it.”

DvD glances at Mikey, somehow still asleep.

Is this close safe?

It was Dee who kept the hand from sporing them earlier.

“Here, you may hold him again.” DvD offers, carefully placing his brother in his arms.

Dee’s eyes light up slightly.

“I appreciate it, truly. However, I do also have a question for you.”

“…..Are you going to ask it?”

Something else switches in Dee’s eyes.

“You trusted yourself once with Mikey already and failed. Why on earth would you do it again?”

DvD immediately lunges at his counterpart. There’s no room for mistakes when it comes to Mikey. He’s made more than enough.

Dee’s eye color swirls with bright blue as he watches DvD hit a purple wall.

“Let go of him!” He screams and punches the wall.

The others hear this and turn around, shocked at what’s happening.

Purple, metallic vines appear from out of Dee’s battle shell, lifting himself and Mikey up.

“If I do that from this high, it’s not going to end well.”

DvD feels a horrific familiarity to this situation. Is this because he spilled his guts earlier? No, if this is connected to the hand then it already knew his fear.

It’s just bringing it back.

“D-Donnie….?” NFIF Raph nearly mumbles, not being able to raise his voice properly from how horrified he is.

“Yes, Donatello is here, Raphael. There’s more than just him. I think you know what that’s like.”

Raph’s hand goes to his formerly infected eye without realizing it.

“Leave my brother alone. Now.”

“Oh? Just the one? Are we picking favorites?”

Raph’s hand digs into his face out of pure rage.

“All of them! Leave my family and everyone else alone!”

Dee starts chuckling, the laugh divulges into true maniacal cackles.

“Leave you all alone!? Why would I ever want to miss a meal!?”

“A….A meal? What are you doing to them!? April shouts.

“I’m eating of course! It’s not enough though, that’s why I had him lead you here. Ah…..you should have realized what he was trying to tell you, but you still gave your brother to him.” Dee looks right at DvD.

Both Raphs struggle slightly at trying to hold him back.

“Mikey!! No, no! You are not forcing me to do nothing! I could handle Draxum, I can take on a simple alternate me!” DvD screeches.

One of Dee’s vines wraps around Mikey’s throat. This stops DvD dead in his tracks.

“Is your tantrum over now? Good. In being connected to various memories, I’ve become aware of the different kinds of entertainment that feature something like me. Musicals you call them. The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, Be more Chill, and my personal favorite……Little Shop of Horrors. You may call me Audrey III.”

“Stop with your dumb monologue! Since you’re holding Mikey hostage and not sporting us, you must want something!” Leo shouts.

“I suppose I can tell you. Simply….”

The vines start grabbing at each of them, pulling them apart and lifting them up.

“Feed me!”

“Why does it have to be us!?” April struggles.

“Feed me!“

“Why does it have to be fear!?” Leo writhes.

“Feed me!”

“Why does it have to be ours!?” Both Raphs fight against the vines.

Dee separates them, bringing NFIF Raph close.

“You’re going to feed me, Raph!”

@burritello3000 Thanks for the Audrey III name and the lyrics you commented! Hope you don’t mind that I used them!

[eggbem]

Saw your ROTTMNT VHS tape for the movie! First off, legitimately impressive, and a fun idea overall. Obviously you’re a fan of the Rise movie, so I have to ask: If you wanted to do a sequel movie, what would you do? I’ve always thought it’d be interesting to make Rat King the main villain and the focus would be on Mikey as the lead as he becomes a ninja sorcerer to combat him. Like how the S2 finale focused on Raph as the lead, and the first movie with Leo. Just some ideas lol

Okay, okay, this is such a good question, really got my brain goin' here.

I haven't really ever thought about a sequel, specifically, but I HAVE thought about what I want to see in future episodes. I made a list of the ones I would have wanted to see.

Yes, I think Mikey being the focus of a sequel is a fantastic idea. Mikey absolutely needs more screentime. And him growing into his mystic abilities more would be a really cool arc!

I don't know a whole lot about the Rat King, but I know enough that I think it would be an excellent idea for him to be a thing in the show...or another movie! I'd also like to use that as an excuse for Splinter to be more involved in the plot than he was in the first movie, with some of the Rat King's past iterations involving mind control over Splinter. Ooh, maybe something to do with freeing Splinter's mind, but at first, the Rat King's hold is too strong for Mikey to break before he gets better with his mystic abilities.

I think a Mikey and Leatherhead plot would also be awesome. And I think Draxum should be more involved, especially if it's a Mikey-focussed movie. And maybe we get to see more of Gram-Gram Karai, like if Mikey talks to her about ninpo and family stuff.

Yeah, I really like the idea of a Mikey-centric sequel!

Ah! Now I'm all inspired! I want to explore these concepts more! Thank you for the ask!!!

Also, I'm glad you like the VHS!!! I worked really hard on that tape, but it was fun to make, and I absolutely love how it turned out!

[yyadream]

Home Sweet Home

After defeating the Shredder and releasing New York citizens from the orb, Casey had returned back to her home to see if her Girls Scout had all returned. While the gang returned to the lair only to see their home destroyed. The home splinter raised his boys was gone. In the wreckage, Mikey found the drawing he had given to Karai before she passed.

“For 15 years this was our home,” Mikey cried, clinging to the drawing, “and now it's gone.” Miwa ran to him to confront her little brother.

Splinter approached Mikey, “My son, look with your heart not with your eyes. Yes we lost our home,” Splinter looked around to see the home he had raised was gone, “but home is where we are all together." He pulled everyone for a hug, they may be tired and injured but they were alive that what’s count.

“That’s sweet and all. And corny,”Donnie whispered the last part, “but we still need a place to live.”

Maybe you guys and stay with me and Miwa,” Tang Shen replied, “I know our home isn’t big enough but it's something for the meantime until you fine a new place.”

“My place is also open to…” Draxum's speech was interrupted by Miwa.

”Hell ya, sleepover at my place!” Miwa pulled April close to her, “you coming to sis.”

“You know it.”

“Since we finally have a temporary stay, Shelldon and I will… will,” Donnie realized that he sent his son to protect Karai and he lost his connection. “Oh my god Shelldon!” Donnie flew to his lab to check on Shelldon .

“Wait, son! It's too dangerous to wonder on your own.”

“I’ll go with him,” Draxum placed his hands on Splinter's shoulder, “You, Shen and the kids should head to Tang Shen’s place and rest. We’ll speak about the home situation later.”

“I can go with you,” Tang Shen said.

“No Shen, right now, I’m the only one who understands what he’s going through. He’ll need you when we get home.” Splinter and Shen gave Draxum a warm smile and thanked him as he vined always towards Donnie’s lair.

“Alright, kids! Let’s head home. We’ll find whatever is salvageable tomorrow.”

— — —

Donnie had entered his lab, which was barely recognizable with the rumbles. He searched with caution, not wanting to worsen his lab by collapsing it. Near a damage battle shell, Donnie had finally found a dismember Shelldon’s head. Donnie held his son as tears fell from his face.

“It’s okay Shelldon, I’m here.You did your best to protect Gram-Gram,” his body began to tremble, “it's all my fault, if my tech was better, you and Gram-Gram would have still been here … with us. We wouldn’t have lost our home.”

“It’s not your fault,” Draxum said as he sat next to him.

Donnie was started as he wasn’t expecting him, maybe Tang Shen, but Baron Draxum. He and Donnie don’t really have a good relationship.

Donnie wiped his tears, “what are you doing here?”

“I thought you might need company,” there was a silent pause, “look the whole situation isn’t your fault, it’s mine.”

“What!?”

“If only I knew Shredder was responsible for my people going into hiding. None of this would have happened.

“That’s not true,” Draxum looked at Donnie in shock, “the Foot Clan would have still used another yokai to take their essent to revive their master. If you also didn’t create us, who would have saved the world from the Shredder.” Draxum was moved, “yeah you created us for a bad reason but you know, you changed. Thank you for creating us, dad.”

“You called me, dad,” Donnie hugged Draxum. Draxum never expects Donnie, not only to call him dad, but to hug him. He cherished this moment.

“I'll tolerate this hug, but I won’t tolerate it if you tell anyone I hugged you.”

Draxum giggled, “agreed, let's head to Tang She’s apartment. By the way, if you like, I can help you rebuild Shelldon. After all, I am an alchemist. Maybe he can have some mystic energy too.”

“I think Shelldon would appreciate that.”

Donnie and Draxum were about to leave the lair when he spotted a green bandanna stuck by the ledge where Shredder had made a hole on the ground of the lair. He didn’t think much of it and continued to head out. They both finally reached Tang Shen’s apartment, Splinter took Donnie to Miwa who was healing everyone. Sunita had first aid ready for them in case Miwa needed to rest. Draxum helped Tang Shen prepare warm food, while April and the boys set up the table. They all slept together in the living room watching Jupiter Jim movies.

The next morning, the boys were ready to head back to the lair. April, Miwa and Sunita won't be joining them because of school, While Tang Shen and Draxum head to work.

“We’ll meet you guys back at the lair, after school,” April said.

“Have fun at school!” replied Mikey.

“I’ll try to see if my connection can help find another abandoned sewer or something for you guys to live,” Tang Shen talked to Splinter.

“I’ll try to leave early from work to help clean,” Draxum said.

“I don't know how to thank you guys? You two have done so much to help us.”

“What are families for, Lou.”

The boys arrived once again, their hearts still hurt. They have to keep moving on and find whatever is salvageable. Leo was in his room alone when he felt a presence. Assuming it was one of his brothers, Leo turned Piebald appeared.

“Hey Leo.”

Leo let out a girlish scream and fainted. Piebald managed to grab him in time before he fell. Everyone came running towards Leo’s room, they were ready to fight when they noticed Piebald.

“Hey guys, sorry I didn’t mean to scare the shell out of Leo.”

In excitement, Splinter ran towards his daughter to give her a hug, while pushing Leo aside.

“Oh my sweet daughter, how have you been? We miss you!”

“Miss you guys too. That's why I came home but when I arrived, everything was destroyed. What happened? Are you guys okay? Is mom and Miwa okay too?”

“You asked too many, Piebald. We’re coping, mom and Miwa are alright. Mom is at work and Miwa is at school. What happened here is a long.”

Splinter explained to Piebald the whole story of the Shredder full revival and Karai final moments.

“Wow, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help.”

“Don’t be, you’re safe and that's all the matters right now.”

“Where have you, baby sis,” said Raph.

“Well you know, wandering around the sewer and creating my own Mutant Animal team.”

“Wait, a team of what now,” Raph looked concerned at his sister.

Piebald was bashful, “That’s a different story, but I think I know a place for you guys to live.”

“Really!?” Leo was shocked.

“Yeah, I remember an abandoned subway station we used to hangout at.”

“Thank you Piebald for sparing us sometime to find us a new lair,” Donnie was glad someone found them a place. He didn’t feel like looking around the sewer without his full tech. “I better inform April and Miwa of our new location.”

“What there wasn’t like an abandoned water pumping station or something,” Leo said in a sassy tone.

Splinter smacked Leo on the head with his tail, “Dumb Dumb, we shouldn’t be stingy.”

“I know but this was our home. I guess part of me doesn’t want to leave this place.”

”You see, son, changes can be good. I know it can be scary, but we’re going to get through this together.”

“Um, what's going on here?” Draxum left work early, as promised. Well he made sure the mutant silverfish took care of the cafeteria while he’s gone, “who’s she?” pointing at Piebald.

Mikey ran to Draxum, “great news dad, Piebald found a new lair for us!”

“Who’s Piebald?”

“Oh right, this is Piebald,” Splinter grabbed Piebald for a proper introduction, “she’s my daughter. She was once my pet fish but now she’s a mutant like us.”

Draxum whispered, “your daughter?”

Draxum remembered the day he found the turtles, he had grabbed five turtles to turn into his perfect warriors. His lab later exploded and assumed they all perished, along with Lou Jitsu. However for the past fourteen years they have been alive hidden in the sewer of New York with their rat father Lou Jitsu, now known as Splinter. When they appeared, there were only four. If they were alive maybe the fifth turtle was too, she’s the boy's sister and a map turtle, he sent his goons to search for the female turtle.

Raph got up and clapped his hands, “Okay guys let’s go check out our new lair.”

“I call dibs on the biggest room,” said Leo.

Donnie looked annoyed at his brother, “you’re already calling dibs and don’t even know what it looks like yet.”

“Well I’m still have to choose first.”

The guys followed Piebald to their permanent new home, but Draxum pulled Splinter to the side to talk. “Sorry boys, Splinter and I will catch up with you guys later. Tang Shen should be on her way to the sewer, we don’t don’t want her to get lost.”

“Okay, dad, I’ll send you our location,” Donnie said.

“Wait, I want to go too,” Splinter looked bummed.

The lair was awkward at first but Splinter finally spoked up, “what’s wrong Drax? Why did you pull me away from seeing my new home.”

Draxum pulled a green bandanna from his sleeve, “you never told the boys about their sister, have you?”

Splinter���s face looked pale when he saw the bandanna, he grabbed it quickly away from his hands. He held to it as tears fell, “I was too afraid… they wouldn’t forgive me that I left her behind. I let my own daughter die in that fire.”

“What if I tell you she’s alive?”

Splinter looked at Draxum in shock.

“When I found out the boys were alive, I still held on hoping their sister was alive too, so I sent Huginn and Muninn to find her. Do you want to know where we have been for the past fourteen years?”

They both looked at each other intensively, Splinter was speechless. Before splinter could give him an answer, they were later interrupted by Tang Shen holding some pizza, “Am I interrupting something?”

— — —

The gang had finally arrived at their new lair.

“Well this place looks like a piece of junk,” Donnie looked in disgust.

“Donnie!” Raph yelled.

“What, it’s true.”

“As an artist, I see potential. All we have to do is fix a little of this and that and it would feel like home again,” Mikey said, examining the subway station.

He’s right, we can make it work,” Leo grabbed his brothers and sister, “Mad Dogs and Mutant Animal, welcome to our new home.”

The boys walked around the station and claimed their own rooms, while Donnie created a blueprint of the station, figuring out where everything would go, living room, kitchen, his lab, etc.

Splinter and Draxum finally arrived at the station along with Tang Shen.

“Mom,” yelled Piebald, going for a hug.

“Hey Piebald, how have you been, sweety?”

Mikey got up in excitement, “yeah pizza!”

“I thought you boys would be hungry, but I should have bought more if I known Piebald was here.”

“But before you guys have some pizza, there’s something Draxum and I need to talk to you guys about,” Splinter sounded nervous.

“What’s going on?” Mikey looked worried until Tang Shen gestured for them to sit.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you boys sooner,” Splinter tried to calm down, “You boys have a sister and an older brother.”

Everyone froze in shock about the news, including Tang Shen and Braxum as they weren’t informed about this brother.

“Wait what, I only mutated just five…” Draxum stop mid sentence as he remembers Lou Jitsu had a rat companion with him, meaning he was more likely mutated as well.

“During my Battle Nexus day, I had a rat companion that I love like a son, I named him Shiro. He was mutated with us but I don’t know if he’s alive or his whereabouts. What I do know is your sister named her Frida, like you boys, she was named after a famous painter, Frida Kahlo.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about them, our siblings!” yelled Leo.

“Because I thought they had died in the lab, but I was recently informed your sister has been alive this whole time.”

“Yet you kept this big secret from us this whole time,” Donnie was angry, as well as Leo and Raph. Mikey is still grasping this new found information, “they are our siblings, we have the right to know!”

Tang Shen tried to calm them before they say something they’ll regret.

“So where’s our sister?” Raph demanded.

“You boys have met her already,” Draxum mentions, “she works with Donatello’s girlfriend, Olivier, as her assistant. You may know her as Rebel.”

[shaotie]

Seven Years - Ch 7: An Angry Turtle and a Very Tired One

Raph, Donnie, and Mikey were all in the living room, watching a Lou Jitsu movie with their dad, who was snug and warm in his comfy living room chair.

Only no one was really paying any attention to the movie, with the volume turned way down as the three turtles discussed the day's events in quiet, hushed voices, as though they were afraid if they spoke too loudly Leo would suddenly appear in the lair, overhear them, and then turn his back on them forever for talking about him.

(And was it wrong they hoped he would suddenly portal into the room with his 'faceman' grin, a joke on his tongue, and reassure them all was forgive, everything would be ok, and he was moving back in?)

Although Splinter seemed to be paying attention to the movie, his mind was on his son, wondering if he did the right thing by staying home and leaving the four boys to reconnect at Run of the Mill earlier that day without him, or if it would have been better for Leo if he joined them.

In the end, the only reason he didn't join them was because when Mikey called and put him on speaker phone after they followed Draxum's advice and met Leo in the Hidden City Market, his youngest son told him Leo accused them of setting up an intervention, and his eldest informed him they told Leo it would just be the three of them waiting for him.

But did he make the right choice? He wanted to be there for his son; his son who needed him every day since the krang attack; his son who tried talking to him but couldn't because he wasn't listened to; because Splinter coped with the destructive invasion in an unhealthy way by drowning his sorrows in his shows and continuing on as though it never happened - just like he did after the death of their gram-gram Karai and the attack of the Shredder, when his family likewise needed him, but he isolated himself in his living room.

Instead of paying attention to the movie, the rat dad filled to the brim with guilt and regret took out his Genius Build cell phone that Purple made for him and gazed down on it in his hand, wondering if it would be the right thing to text Blue and see how he was doing.

Worry creased every inch of his face as he furrowed his furry eyebrows in concern, thinking.

Leonardo moved out because nobody would listen to him when he needed it, he had no one to open up to. Because his family had been yelling at him, projecting their anger and fears onto him.

But what did he need now?

Did he need his dad's attention, or did he need his space?

Would it be wrong to send him a little text, asking how he is doing?

Maybe that would make him angry, because he hadn't asked once in the month since the invasion.

Would it be wrong not to text him?

Splinter sighed and thought over how his sons told him Leo had been acting differently when they met him in the Hidden City and even moreso when they got together for pizza.

Eventually their rat dad quietly muttered: "I'm too tired for this," before putting his phone away, deciding to wait for a better time when he was more alert and thinking clearly to figure out what was the 'right' thing to do.

If there was such a thing.

And he shut his eyes, with sleep following not far behind.

Meanwhile, as Splinter lightly snored in his living room chair, Raph and the others continued engaging in a hushed, quiet conversation about their brother, with Donnie only half listening because he was drawing out the design on his tablet for a idea that came to him for a yet another new brilliant (if he did say so himself) piece of tech.

"I don't understand what he wants," Mikey quietly commented in reply to something Raph said - not speaking in anger but in concern, and with his brows furrowed just like his big brother.

"I don't think he knows what he wants," Raph replied in his own hushed voice, but with a hint of anger that stemmed from his worry about Leo being away from them instead of safe at home, with them, where Raph could keep a protective, parental-like big brother eye on him like he had all his life up until now.

The big snapper didn't like change on the best of days and he would never have agreed to something like this if he had been given the chance to speak up.

This new change in circumstances didn't settle right with him at all.

His arms were crossed and his body tense as he was sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the side of Splinter's chair beside Donnie, who was slumped back in his purple bean bag chair with Mikey laying on his stomach under a blanket on a pile of pillows in front of them.

Raph and Mikey both thought over the events of that day when Leo joined them at Hueso's, but each thinking about their own things. Then, still sounding angry, the snapper complained: "He said he wants us to come together as a family but then took off like he couldn't get out of there fast enough!"

"Noo, I said I want us to come together as a family," Mikey firmly objected.

"He agreed with you!" Raph defensively blurted out, before continuing on with his thought.

"He moved out because we were yelling at him, and that was wrong, we shouldn't have done that..." "We should have listened," Mikey interrupted. Raph slunk down a little and repositioned his arms before agreeing (but still in a grumpy tone): "Yeah, we should've listened but still, he moved out cuz we were yelling at him for stuff that wasn't his fault, and then he did the same thing! And he apologized to Don but took off without apologizing to you!"

"At least he showed up," Donnie chimed in, only hearing the last thing Raph said because of how he raised his voice.

Raph - who understood very little about PTSD beyond his own personal experiences - repositioned his arms and lowered his voice when he grumbled: "He's confused, his head's messed up from bein' in that prison dimension. He needs to come home with us so we can help him all together, not meet up with us who knows when so he can take off whenever he wants, and go back to that jerk who dropped him off a roof!"

That last comment got under Mikey's shell and his blanket fell off when he abruptly sat up to sternly complain: "Hey that jerk's our dad!"

Splinter snorted at the sound of Mikey’s loud voice, but ever the sound sleeper he continued snoring without waking up.

"And he's the only one who listened," Donnie factually reminded his big brother without taking his eyes off his tablet.

"Hmph," Raph grumped in reply, before complaining: "We're listening now and he's not here to talk. He needs to be with us so we can help him, to-ge-ther, and I'm gonna tell him that when we go over on Sunday."

Donnie put his tablet down and his eyes up on his big brother in surprise from that statement, but it was Mikey who jumped to his feet and very sternly demanded: "Ohhh no you're not! Leo said we need to take it slow, we all agreed and that's what we're doing Raphael! I'm not letting you push him away even more!" Then he thrust out a finger to aggressively point at him and threatened: "Don't make me go 'Doctor Delicate Touch' on your shell, because I will!"

Raph just rolled his eyes, pushed himself up off the floor, and left the room, saying nothing more than: "I'm going to bed."

Donnie and Mikey watched him walk away with frowns on their faces, and as Splinter continued snoring in the background, Don commented: "You know what he's like when he gets one of those stubborn ideas in his head."

Mikey crossed his arms and said in anger: "I'm not gonna let it happen this time. We told Leo we'll take it slow and that's what we're going to do, whether Raph likes it or not."

. . .

*Ba dump*

. . .

*Ba dump*

*CLANK*

*Ba-dump, ba-dump*

*CLANK*

"Where aaaaare you, pest?"

*CLANK*

*Badump-badump, badump-badump*

*CLANK*

"It's such a shame I can't assimilate you in this cursed place.

*CLANK* *Badumpbadump-badumpbadadump-badumpbadump-badumpbadadump*

"Then again..."

*CLANK*

"It is sooo much fun to FIND YOU!"

"AAAHHH!"

"NOOO!"

Leo jolted awake in a cold sweat, sitting up in bed with a pounding heart and breathing heavily through his mouth with sweat pouring off his head and body in buckets.

Apparently he had been sweating in his sleep as well, long enough to saturate through, not only his pyjamas, but also his pillowcase, his sheets, and his blanket.

The drowsy - yet wide awake, adrenaline fueled - slider shut his eyes and shook his head to try and help with the dizzy, tired sensation from lack of sleep that left his vision blurry and made it feel as though the room was spinning around him. He swallowed down his saliva and then, without opening his eyes, reached out to fumble around for his Genius Build cellphone on the night stand.

When he grabbed it and brought it up to his face to see what time it was, as soon as he clicked it on the bright light stung his eyes, so he squinted and turned his head away before blinking away the blurriness from lack of sleep and trying again.

5:43am illuminated on his screen.

It was Saturday. His morning volunteer job at the dojo was Monday to Friday so he had no reason to get out of bed any time soon.

But there was no way he was going back to sleep after that nightmare, so he slapped his phone back down on the nightstand, rubbed his bleary eyes, and decided to do what he did practically every time he felt unsafe and afraid - something that gave him a much-needed sense of security:

Practice his kenjutsu moves, so he could reassure his mind he was prepared to defend himself.

But first he had to take care of the sopping wet sheets on his bed (the bed with a very firm mattress that didn't shift and move under him when he lay on it, unlike his other bed in his old room - which was why he claimed this room as his own when he first moved in and Draxum gave him free reign to pick whatever spare bedroom he wanted).

So he flicked the blanket aside, dragged himself over to sit on the edge, rubbed his eyes again with a yawn, and stood up to stretch before changing out of his sweaty pyjamas into his shorts; and planning on showering after his lengthy workout and ninja practice session.

Then he grabbed his mask from off his desk and tied it to his head so it would help keep the sweat out of his eyes during what was planned to be another lengthy practice session; and he finished by putting on his belt that held his katana sheaths.

After sheathing his two swords Leo grabbed everything off his bed, including his sweaty pyjamas, to throw in the washer before heading to Draxum's training/workout room; in the hopes he could have them washed, dried, and back on his bed before Draxum woke up, so he wouldn't know what happened.

Not that he really cared one way or the other if Draxum found out, but doing so more out of habit than anything, from when he lived with his family and routinely hid things from his overprotective big brother.

~A Short Time Later~

In Draxum's laundry room, Leo had just finished closing the lid to the washer after adding his bedding and laundry detergent. He was about to try and figure out how this yokai version of a washing machine worked, but that didn't happen because now he was standing still, staring off into space with his right pupil very slightly larger than the left one, caught up in the grips of another flashback.

"I miss you Donnie. I miss all of you. We're twenty-one today, remember we promised we'd buy each other our first drink?"

The slider was mourning the loss of yet another birthday for him and his twin that he missed because he was stuck in here.

As he was doing so and like he had done many, many times before, he gazed down on his hand as though he was still holding the cherished photo of all of them happy and smiling together, the one that came into the prison dimension with him.

The photo Krang Prime long ago ripped out of his grasp. But for some reason physics worked differently in here than in earth’s dimension, and just like how his mask, shorts, and ninja gear never tattered or tore, for reasons they didn't understand neither could Krang destroy the cherished photo, so he locked it away, permanently and forever out of reach and out of sight inside a compartment of his mech suit (Leo didn't know if that was better or worse).

The suit that must have been powered by some sort of advanced alien technology that never needed recharging, unlike Leo's Genius Build wrist com that died after the first year.

Tears dripped down his turtle cheeks, and as though his twin brother could actually hear him, he softly requested:

"Whatever you get *sniffle*, make it a double for me. Okay?"

But then he heard a sound.

He had been here long enough - had been forced through this routine enough times - for him to know exactly what that meant.

The prison dimension was always still and quiet, unless something was disturbed.

Unless someone was coming for him.

The lonely, distressed slider raised his eyes to see exactly what he was expecting to see: the looming form of Krang Prime inside his mech suit heading in his direction with a wicked grin on his face.

"Oh yah, and I didn't think my day could get any better," Leo lamented, not bothering to even attempt running or hiding.

There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide that Krang couldn't get him. He already learned his lesson the hard way that trying to do so only delayed the inevitable.

Besides, Krang Prime enjoyed the hunt.

So instead, like every other time over the past few years when Krang came after him to vent his anger and frustrations and rage out on his hapless victim - his 'pet' - the little mutant turtle just floated where he was and waited.

It wasn't like he had any other choice.

Leo shook his head when he came to and rested an arm on the washer for something to lean against, because he was feeling weak and tired like his strength had been drained right out of him. And as he gazed around getting his bearings straight he came to the realization that he must have blacked out - possibly for longer than usual this time considering the length of that particular flashback.

Suddenly the very thought of training was too much for him - all he wanted to do was go back to his room and sleep.

Perhaps never waking up again would be nice, too?

He was too exhausted to go down that train of thought, so he closed his eyes, slowly shook his drowsy, muddled head again, and then pushed off the washing machine that he didn't get around to turning on and headed out of the laundry room down the hall toward his bedroom that - like the laundry room - was on the first floor. The one that was conventiently located directly across from one of the two main floor bathrooms in Draxum's oversized mansion of a home.

But his arms and legs, his shell, his head - everything - felt so heavy and walking felt like such a burden, so he dragged his feet on the floor, was slow going in his pace, and even leaned against the wall for support to keep himself upright and moving.

Eventually, about halfway down the long hallway, Leo stopped to close his eyes and to give himself a little break before continuing on, never having felt this drained after one of those flashbacks before.

It must've been because he hardly slept a wink all night, he told himself.

Meanwhile, it was around this time Draxum rose because it was time to add the final mystic touches to a mutagenic arthritis solution he had a supplier picking up today, to be sold at one of the vendors in the mystic side of the Hidden City Market. But when he came downstairs he was surprised to see Leo already awake, just standing there back-on to him, leaning against the wall for support.

"Leonardo, are you ok?" came the concerned alchemist's voice from behind him.

Leo stirred a little, and Draxum was greeted by a drowsy: "Hmm?" before the slider slowly turned his head and opened his clearly very heavy eyelids halfway to sleepily look at him and mumble out in reply: "I wuz jus' goin' backta bed."

Leo closed his eyes again and despite what he said, he stayed right where he was, propped up against the wall for support.

The sound of goat yokai hooves clip clopped on the floor as the warrior alchemist's picked up the pace walking toward the drowsy turtle, with his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

The first thing Draxum did when he got by Leo's side was tell him: "I'm going to check for a fever," as a way to respectfully let the previously tortured slider know he was about to touch his forehead.

Leo gave a barely audible, sleepy hum in reply and after confirming he didn't feel hot to the touch, Draxum asked the important question: "Did you have another flashback?"

"Yeah," came the mumbled reply, before Leo slowly raised a hand to cover a big yawn. "I'm goin' back to bed," he repeated, forgetting he had already said that.

"No, you are coming with me, I must scan your brain again right away."

The sleepy slider tried to open his eyes to look up at Barry, but he only got them open halfway before they shut again, and then he asked in another mumbled, quiet voice: "Can I *yaaawn* sleep in there?"

"No, you have to sit up and stay awake."

Through yet another yawn, Leo told him: "I don't tink I c'n stay awake dat long."

"You must try."

. . .

"M'kay."

. . .

When Leo didn't motion to go either to his room or to the med bay, Draxum kindly offered: "Would you like me to help you there?"

. . .

No reply.

He gently grasped Leo's shoulder to lightly shake it, being careful not to startle him (if that was possible with the state he was in).

"Leonardo?"

Leo roused a little and asked: "Hmm? Wha?" but then, Draxum watched as his knees slowly bent and he slid down the wall to sit on the floor, still leaning against it for support.

Draxum slowly shook his head from disappointment (not at Leo but at this situation) when he realized that whatever happened to his 'son', it left him so drained he wouldn't possibly be able to stay awake for the fifteen minutes it took to scan his brain for unusual chemical-neural activity, so he would have no choice but to wait until after he woke up.

With a disgruntled sigh, the goat alchemist decided to unsheathe Leo's katanas and lay them aside so he could bend down and scoop the slider up into his arms. But instead of bringing him to the med bay he carried him down the hallway toward his bedroom.

Leo was already half asleep in his arms before they made it to his room, but once they got there Barry saw that there were no sheets or blankets on his bed for some reason.

With another sigh, he turned around and brought him to another spare room down the hall - the one that was closest to his lab.

This time while they were still halfway down the hallway, Leo fell sound asleep in his big goat arms, and was laid in a different bed inside a different bedroom where he could peacefully sleep off whatever just happened to him - and where Draxum would know right away as soon as he woke up.

And he hoped that Leonardo wouldn't panic when he eventually did wake up in a different room because he didn't know where he was, like his first night here.

(But unfortunately that was exactly what happened)

<<previous || next >>

🐢 Seven Years masterpost

🐢 masterpost for my rottmnt ao3 fanfics and art

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Painfully Honest, Chapters 1-5

Title: Painfully Honest Prompt: A truth-telling serum spills into the sewers, and now the turtles and Splinter can only tell the truth for 24 hours (or until Donatello whips up an antidote). What hard truths will they finally admit to each other? Fandom:  ROTTMNT Word Count: 9881  Author: PhoebePheebsPhibs Rating:  Gen Characters:  The Sando Brothers, Leo, Raph, Mikey, Donnie, Splinter, & Baron Draxum Warning: There is some vomiting when characters try to resist the truth potion Summary: After the Sando Bros infect the sewers with a truth potion, the Hamato family is forced to be painfully honest about everything. Notes: No Beta, We Die Like Gram-Gram!

@skullythefriendlyskullface @tmnt-write-fight

Link to fic on AO3 <-

[smallturtlebomb]

More lore… How the Mad Dogz met TLND :3

There was a celebration going on in the Hidden City… Every year. Different clans will visit the underground city and participate in different activities and challenges. April soon found out about this event and decided to tell the turtles, Splinter, and Draxum. Soon they signed up the Hamato clan for the event and entered the area with different traditional Japanese clothing. There was also a barrier that made the undead members of different clans be alive for one day for this event so Karai was able to participate. The boys walked around the area while Karai soon bumped into somebody.

“Oh my apologies sir-“ She soon looked the person in the face, its was her old friend Kori. He had his usual spiky toothy grin on his face while looking at Karai.

“Well well well… isn’t it the traitor Karai. How was the Twilight realm?” Korii said with a smug smile while Karai glared at him.

The boys soon looked over at the two with confused faces. “Uhm gram-gram? Who’s this?” Raph asked while Korii looked at the four.

“This is… an old friend of mine..” Karai said as Korii soon interrupted her.

“I wouldn’t say friend. I’d say, enemy of the Hamato Clan.” Korii said with a chuckle, soon putting his hands hands his hips and judging the four. “And this is the future of the Hamato clan? They look.. puny and weak, just like you.” Korii teased.

“Hey don’t you disrescpt gram-gram like that!” Leo glared at Korii.

“Or what? What are you going to do with those toothpicks for arms?” Korii giggled while Karai made him back up.

“Calm down Korii. No need to bully some teens.” Karai said as Korii groaned.

“Ugh! You’re no fun. Still the same old Karai from four hundred years ago..” Korii said.

“But I have a question… why are we rivals exactly?” Mikey asked as Korii smirked.

“Oh this’ll be good..” Korii mumbled as he went up to Mikey.

“Well long ago, me and Karai were childhood friends. We were inseparable! Doing everything together. But one day i got a curse put on me to look like this.. and since yōkai weren’t respected by humans, Karai instantly became frightened of me and ran me out of the village, she even made some humans try to find me and defeat me. I struggled and struggled but i eventually made my own clan called the Nakaruma Clan and we would have many battles. We eventually stopped fighting but still remained enemies. Guess your gram-gram is not so pure-hearted as you think she is..” Korii said while faking a pout. Karai sighed.

“But I’ve changed Korii-.” Karai was once again interrupted. “ah pup pup! You’re many years too late. So are you signing up your future leaders for the battle?” Korii asked.

“Battle? What battle?” Donnie questioned.

“It’s where different leaders pick different members of their clan to fight other people from different clans so they can win first place in a competition. And I’ve already got my team picked out!” Kori said confidently.

“What are they? Annoying like you? Karai said, Korii had an annoyed smile.

“Now not really. I can show you though.” Korii soon whistled with his fingers. “Dolls! I need you over here!” He called out. What looked like two mutants and two yōkai came running down one of the hills. One of the yōkai turned into a giant panther and tackled Raph, trying to scare him. He screamed a bit before the panther began to laugh.

“That! That was priceless! Can’t believe a big guy like you was scared!” The panther said. They soon transformed back into their normal state which is a nekomata yōkai wearing a fire themed kimono She got off of Raph, putting her hands on her hips. The other three soon came down the hill. It was two sea turtles and a kitsune yōkai that stood next to the nekomata.

“Mari-Lynn.. can you maybe not do that again? You caused a scene.” One of the mutant sea turtles said. He was pretty tall and was wearing an ocean themed kimono.

“So what? You’re just killing the fun.” The nekomata said. “Scaring people is not fun.” The tall sea turtle mutant said. “Well you’re just too much of a wuss to have some fun.” The short mutant sea turtle said. “Can you three stop bickering? We got some company.” The kitsune said, hinting at the brothers

“Hamatos. I would like you to meet the future of the Nakaruma clan. The cat here is Mari-Lynn. Tall guy up here is Akira. Short girl down here is Mina. And grumpy pants is Rae.” Korii listed.

“So, are you guys signing up for the battle?” Mina asked.

“Well actually-“ Karai soon interrupted Raph. “Yes, they are.” She said. “Gram-Gram what are you-“ Leo was soon interrupted as well. “Boys, Korii has been non stop bothering and annoying me ever since we were kids. If you win this his charisma will die down. Plus all you have to do is defeat some nerds.” Karai said while the four nodded. “Alright. We’ll beat you in this battle.” Raph said. “Sure you will..” Mari-Lynn said confidently. “See you one the battle field turtles.” Mari-Lynn and her friends walked away to get ready for the battle .

Half an hour passed and it was time for the battle. The Mad Dogs and TLND were ready to fight. They went against different clan members before rising to the top to defeat each other. It was set in the order of Raph VS. Mari-Lynn, Donnie VS. Akira, Leo VS. Rae, and Mikey VS. Mina.

Mina used both of her Charkram to attack Mikey. Slashing at his face while Mikey dodged some of her attacks with his nunchucks but eventually got cornered, attacked, and kicked out of the battle.

Rae soon tried to slash Leo with her Tachi but Leo tripped her making her fall face first. Rae growled and slashed her Tachi against his ankles soon maki him fall to the ground. Rae got up from the floor and kicked him hard in the plastron, winning their section of the battle

Akira then went speed fast towards Donnie with his Kanabō, aiming for his head. The two kept on battling each other before Donnie struck Akira hard in the back with his Bo staff, winning the fight.

It was now Raph and Mari-Lynn’s turn. They were battling for a few minutes before a screen showed up above them. It was Big Mama and she did not looked pleased. “The turtley-boos? And the brat cat that ruined my hotel? No this won’t do!” Big Mama said as Raph looked at Mari-Lynn. “What did you do to the hotel exactly?” He asked with a suspicious expression. “I may or may not have trashed her hotel once.” Mari-Lynn crossed her arms, Raph’s expression turned into a shocked one.

Big Mama soon entered the arena, ready to fight the two. “Shit… ML get out of there!” Somebody yelled, it was her uncle Reggie. Of course Mari-Lynn didn’t listened and began to fight Big Mama. Raph soon joined in as well, trying to take her down. They kept failing to keep her down son Mari-Lynn looked over at Raph.

“Hey! Big red! It looks like we’re not gonna take her down unless we work together so… truce? For now at least?” Mari-Lynn said. She wasn’t used to making truces with the enemy but she decided to do it this time so she can stop fighting the pain in the ass which was Big Mama.

“Fine. Let’s beat this bozo.” Raph said. The both of them did different distractions so the other can land a hit on Big Mama. They both dashed towards her, aiming to kick her face. “Smashin! Dashin! Like a boss!” They both yelled, knocking Big Mama down with a hard kick. Big Mama fell to the floor, the both of them smiling. The crowd cheered for their victory.

“I didn’t know a Hamato can be that strong.” Mari-Lynn said, impressed with his skill. “And I didn’t know a Nakaruma was that fast.” Raph said, smirking at her.

Splinter and Reggie soon came rushing to the both of them. Reggie immediately pulled Mari-Lynn into a hug. “Goddammit Mari I was so worried! You could’ve gotten yourself killed..” Reggie said as Mari-Lynn patted his back. “Sorry tío..” She mumbled. Reggie let go of the hug and sighed.

“Good, now… ¡¿EN QUÉ ESTABAS PENSANDO?! ¡IR CORRIENDO A LUCHAR CONTRA MAMÁ! ¡¿ESTÁS LOCO?! OH, JURO POR DIOS QUE SI VUELVES A HACER ESTA MIERDA, TE CASTIGARÉ DURANTE MESES, JOVENCITA.” Reggie started to scold Mari-Lynn. Splinter soon did the same with Raph. The two kept scolding each other before Korii and Karai soon interrupted them.

“If we may intervene, you two work surprisingly good together. You two were basically in sync, knew all the weak spots to Big Mama-“ Korii soon cut Karai off. “And did some cool catchphrase.” Korii said while Karai nodded. “What we’re saying is that you two should work together. Even though me and Korii still hate each other, that probably shouldn’t stop you from being together.”

Raph was surprised by her words while Mari-Lynn smiled. “Well he was pretty good. I can see myself being buds with him. So wanna keep this ‘truce’?” Mari-Lynn asked, sticking out her hand for Raph to shake. “Sure.” Raph nodded, shaking her hand. The others heard the news too, surprised but they eventually started to talk to each other. Both groups then kept hanging out and talking for the rest of the event until it was time to head home. All eight of them surprisingly enjoyed the others company and went home, hoping to hang out and fight bad guys together again.

[lieutenantbiscute]

Your latest one shot got me thinking. How does Raph and family react when the boys get their ninpo? Do they get the same way in the show? Does it show up earlier due to other circumstances?

You totally don't have to answer this (you also might have already answered and I just didn't know). Keep up the great work!!!

Early in the AU’s development I had the same question dropped on me and I kinda winged it on the answer but now I have a more concrete answer for y’all!

The kids early on will show signs that they’re different. Donnie has stated in recent chapter updates that the boys; Corrin especially, have shown advanced skills compared to other 2 year olds. While now the family shrugs it off as mutant growth it slowly coke to like that they ARE DIFFERENT.

I’ve talked a bit about how Orion has a strong spiritual ability alongside his mystic/Ninpo ability and it shows in him early on staring at the shrine in the dojo at Splinters picture. The kid can see spirits and their ties; Rovva already shows signs of stronger than usual bite strength and hunger alongside Cino’s and his soon to be sixth sense for danger.

When it comes to the kids finding the missing weapons and their Ninpo that goes into Karai and Gram-gram Karai stuff. It kinda happens the same way it does in show where the boys get the weapons and hijinks ensue but I’ve added onto the fact that Karai and Shin are already searching for the weapons since the were mentioned in the old Hamato records.

And of course that leads to Draxum and his side but I’m gonna leave that alone since I don’t wanna spoil thinks too much now ✨