#the name and physical appearance are literally the only things you're leaving blank

[goldlightsaber]

look i feel like we need more original names for female characters instead of every single one of them being named Whyen

[utilitycaster]

The thing that confuses me about the facial expressions, and correct me if I'm wrong, but these are all Voice Actors. With the exception of Ashley Johnson, I haven't seen any of them in a live-action role. Laura Bailey's acting has been honed to fit her medium, a medium where people can't see her face. That's not to say she can't act through expressions or body language, but to me, it seems like her default would be to convey through voice, not expressions.

Additionally, and here's where you should probably fact check me, in the past, many of the cast, including Laura, has narrated non-verbal reactions their characters have had in different situations. If they want us, the audience, to know their character is reacting to a situation in a particular way, such as lying or putting on a brave face, they don't do that in subtle, easy-to-miss facial expressions or shifts in body language. They do it in narration.

Hey!

So, most of them have been in live-action roles - Taliesin did a lot of TV acting as a child, Sam and Liam both have considerable stage experience, and Travis was in Nip/Tuck. I also have no theater training but I would assume that even if you're alone in a booth - or perhaps especially if you are, and have nothing else to act against - it helps to physically act things out. I mean, no theater training...but I do have to talk to clients over the phone and putting on a fake smile does tend to help.

You can watch the cast and they do often adopt facial expressions and postures in line with their characters. I think this is especially noticeable with Matt, since he plays many different people and his posture and expressions do noticeably change within the same episode. But we also have seen it in action. Liam as Caleb is a great example - note how he freezes when Trent's name first comes up in 2x17. Marisha and Travis are also very physical actors, and frequently embody their character's attacks. You can watch clips across campaigns and note differences in body language and expression among most of the cast depending on the character they play. They frequently narrate what their characters do as well, which I think is good both because a lot of people listen to the show as a podcast, because this is standard D&D practice, and because there's only so much you can embody while sitting down at a table. But there's a physical element and I don't think it's bad to attribute some acting in Critical Role to facial expressions.

I take issue specifically with like...well, if you're mentioning that Laura is biting her lip when she briefly glances at Liam or Marisha and claiming that this means she's secretly in love with them and those are the endgame ships, but leaving out, say, this:

or this:

you're transparently cherrypicking. There's quite literally hundreds of hours of the cast making all kinds of expressions both in and out of character, and you can probably find something that supports whatever you want, if taken out of context.

Here's actually a recent example of an out of context expression! Travis does make this face in that episode, but it happens much later in the conversation. Here's Travis when Ashton actually says he knows loneliness Laudna doesn't (around 1:48:50 in 3x49):

The expression in the post actually appears about 2 minutes later (around 1:50:40), as Ashton is asking Laudna what it was like to wake up and have people there, and if you watch it in context, it's not annoyance or rolling his eyes but intense listening to the conversation. (And, to be fair, it's possible they were just using Travis's face at a later point as a reaction...but it's still not even an annoyed face!)

You can find this constantly. It's in the Mighty Nein reunited; people claim that Caleb was dissociating when Jester says she died when he was in fact not even there (he was still polymorphed into a shark) because Liam happened to make a kind of blank expression, possibly because his character wasn't even there yet.

So it's not that the cast doesn't make expressions or embody their characters. They do! They do it a lot! But like...this is actually one of the things I was vagueing when I made this post about crumbs. People will be like LAURA BLINKED AND THIS MEANS SHE LOVES MY SHIP in an episode where Vex and Percy are fucking in the Whitestone vault, or Jester and Fjord are having a 10 minute intense conversation about the future. Expressions are just one piece (and I agree, what the cast actually deliberately says and narrates is far more important, usually, but expressions are still an important part of their acting - they're voice actors, but they're aware they're on camera) and they must be considered in the appropriate context because people will grab out of character moments or misrepresent when a cast member made a certain face or take a single frame and pretend it's a different emotion than was actually expressed to put forth a narrative they already support.

So: fine to include expressions! Great! If they weren't meaningful then our many fine gifmakers in the fandom would be wasting their time! But as with anything, they can be twisted or deliberately misrepresented, and when they're placed as immutable truth even when out of context, misinterpreted, and at odds with what the cast is actually doing and saying, it borders on deluded.

[reel-to-real-emporium]

Who said there was anything wrong with being stuck in the past? Have to have something to learn from, besides- that's where all the memories are.

Officially, Reel-to-Real is a nostalgia shop specializing in all things retro-media. Vinyls, CDs, cassettes, movie reels, DVDs, VHS tapes, negatives- if you can name it you can find it here, and if you can't then they will move Void just to get it.

It specializes in restoration as well as preservation on top of everything else so any old memorabilia you might have that's a bit worse for wear can be fixed right up or kept safe and not for sale. Their restoration center does exactly what you think it does and a little extra, making digitized copies of physical media for archival purposes. Often it's used to restore tapes or improve their quality but they have the tools necessary to fix equipment as well. They also sell equipment to be able to 'experience' their retro-media. Projectors, record players, etc.

There's quite a lot available to own or to rent, though there is a renter's fee included for insurance's sake as much of what they sell cannot be easily replaced.*

*Reel-to-Real takes its equipment very seriously so you will be submitted to a crash course on how to properly use and care for its equipment regardless of if you're renting or purchasing to own. This also goes for some of its other wares.

-

If it's memorabilia you're searching for then you're in luck! Reel-to-Real also sells a plethora of merchandise from movies and bands. Concert tees, authentic props, posters, collector's vinyl, figurines, even odds-and-ends trinkets- and if there's something specific you want you can put in a request and they will get it shipped in.

And of course, what kind of retro-nostalgia shop would they be without selling some old-school candies and concessions? They even have a soda fountain, a slushie maker, and yes, an incense section- because it's completely necessary.

Off the record; Reel-to-Real is more than a little unique. It seems to appear anywhere as if it were always there but once you leave; it vanishes. Out of sight, out of mind. And just as that saying goes; so too does most of your memory of it. It's nothing but a forgotten and vague notion that feels more like a dream than anything else.

Oftentimes, the mind will try to reason that it was just that- a dream. Filling in the blanks of where you procured anything within it and adhering them to facts that make more sense; your uncle gave found this at a garage sale, it was in the attic at your cousins' place and they let you keep it, your mom gave it to you as a gift one year, etc.

Only when or, more accurately, if- you happen upon the store again do you seem to have any memory or recollection of it and its strange owner.

-

Further off the record, there's a reason why they have so many odd things. It isn't just the restoration and preservation of memorabilia. Oh no. It's the cultivation of memories in a much more literal sense. Many of its repeat clientele come in for leads on where something came from or its history, to see if a memory can be extracted to find missing people or family roots. In exchange, trinkets are given...occasionally more on the supernatural side which is another reason why the business front, while quirky, is also exceedingly specific.

In some ways, you could liken Reel-to-Real to being an odd sort of investigation agency. Well, save for the fact that only one person works there and owns the whole operation- and that unless you have an invitation, you're unlikely to ever cross paths with Reel-to-Real again unless it's truly needed.

The building itself has many secrets, its travel not being the only thing. It has hallways and storage in to rooms much bigger than they should be and yet are unknowable until needed. Just where and how this place came to be is one of the many mysteries known only by a very select few.

RECENT HISTORY

[Some potentially triggering material mentioned briefly; bloodshed, parental death, crimes, drug and alcohol use, etc. It is brief but this is your warning.]

Reel-to-Real was given to Moxie by her grandfather, Leigh. [For background on Leigh, look here.] In doing so, a contract was accepted.

It was not always Reel-to-Real but rather, more like half a vault and half a shelter for its keeper. The space adapts and changes to meet the needs of its current holder so long as it constantly has an influx of memories coming in or replacing those going out. It's a delicate system, especially because it is so intrinsically attached to whoever holds its contract. The forgetting of its existence is one of the ways the space protects both it and its owner.

There are some stipulations to being the keeper. One of which is that they cannot leave the space for long, namely because that connection means if something happens to the keeper then the space and all within it are in danger of collapsing forever. It's why the keeper is often someone of more supernatural roots rather than being human. Not only is it easier to comprehend and understand the concept, but the risk is lessened on the keeper being able to handle themselves and protect the vault.

-

In Leigh's hands, it was simply an extension of the Rowan estate. The vault being his own personal office. It was anchored there, rooted in place- earned to him through his conning. Who and what had it before him isn't clear, only that the space had been around almost as long as humanity itself had- made to counter the end of everything in some small way and prevent some histories from repeating.

After he obtained it, he hatched a plan and built the foundation for his criminal family with him at the head. His reputation more than proceeded him and his work had great reach within the city and even neighboring towns, leaving his plan much easier to enact. Business would come to him, and he would pick and choose who he provided to depending upon their intent.

Forming contracts with those who came to him for help and taking down those who had done wrong, restoring stolen things, taking memories, a proverbial Robin Hood through and through with a lot more violence when needed and a surprising amount of compassion and kindness when it was not.

He had always intended to give the space and its secrets to someone in the family who was deserving. At some point hoping that person to be his son until he realized that it would only ever be grossly misused in his care.

-

When Moxie's mother passed away and Moxie was struggling with various jobs trying to crawl out of the mountain of debt collected from the medical expenses left behind, Leigh made her an offer. At first, she had been hesitant. Confused even by the entire concept of it.

She was half-convinced that the man she hadn't seen since she was a kid was finally losing his mind because what he described didn't make any sense. Yet she told him she would think about it before returning to her cabin in the woods.

She wanted to shove it aside, forget the whole thing and keep trying to look for another job even though every job she had she seemed to lose for one reason or another. Yet, she couldn't. The strange conversation replaying over and over in her head, stalling silently over the concept that she wasn't entirely...human.

It wouldn't be until her father came back into the picture to, 'repossess what he owned.' Violently. Claiming that the cabin was his even if he was disowned from the family, that he had more of a right to it. He was out of his mind, drunk and high or maybe even both but definitely not sane- and the more Moxie got angry. The worse he got until an altercation broke out...and Moxie's father shifted.

She hardly stood any real chance, having no idea what he was or even how to overpower him. The end result being her near death and having to get creative with incapacitating him.

She only had enough time to stumble to her feet and dump the container of kerosene she had for an old camping lantern. Splashing it over her father and the cabin itself,trailing what she could quickly on and out the door before barring it shut and lighting it a flame. It took a few tries, her zippo not wanting to work with her fumbling fingers but finally it ignited.

Moxie was kept together by adrenaline alone as she scrambled back and watched flames surge, her father coming to at some point and trying in vain to get out far too late. The sound of his screaming echoing through the forest as the flames grew higher and brighter.

It was then that she ran, bloody, beaten, with multiple broken bones to her grandfather's Estate. Noting with some cynicism that all time in track and athletics came in handy for something after all. She wouldn't make it past the gate of the estate though. In fact, she barely even made it to the road before she collapsed.

One of the Rowan mafia members finding her and bringing her inside.

She couldn't deny anything anymore, but she didn't want to accept it either. She was out of a home, the home she had grown up in, the home that her mother spent her last moments in, all of their things reduced to cinder and ash as best she knew. A nagging feeling tugging at the back of her mind that she should have stayed to make sure he was dead- another feeling saying she should have just run to start instead of trying to fight.

Another wondering if she had really just killed the person that was supposedly her father. Never having met the man before but being told there was good reason for it.

And what would the consequences be?

It was still murder, wasn't it? Didn't matter that he definitely wasn't human-

She didn't want to think about the further implications of that, her entire being feeling numb by the time she relayed what had happened to Grandpa Leigh. In fact, she barely wanted to think at all- immediately telling him without any hesitance after everything that had happened that she wanted to accept his offer.

And it was as though the entire Estate shifted, the air feeling electric as Leigh frowned- about to say something before being cut off abruptly at her sudden acceptance. The deal was complete and there was no going back.

Leigh took her to the space that she remembered to be his office, recalling a time so very long ago when she would play hide and seek in there. He set her down in the chair at the desk and pulled out a strange key and box, telling her that the key was for the office but the box was for her. Telling her that he would take care of everything and that if she looked in the desk she would find all the information she needed, having prepared it a long time ago as a personal journal. And then- he left.

And severed the roots of the space.

Moxie would be confined to that space for a long while, at first scared and angry- until finally she looked over the journal left behind and began to understand, even if reluctantly.

When the space finally became her own and she finally figured out how to get it to appear somewhere in the world she was familiar with; she learned the state of the life she left behind. That she really had killed the thing that was her father. The cabin had in fact burned down along with a portion of the forest. And Leigh had taken the fall and even admitted to many of his other crimes over his long life. The results were to be expected- he was arrested, to be held on trial-

But before he ever made it to the court system, he was reportedly killed.

Moxie was left well and truly on her own once more and connected as a keeper to Reel-to-Real. Hers and her mother's debts were paid off by an anonymous donor. Her connections, however few they may have been, had largely forgotten about her because of the deal, only surfacing whenever she paid personal visits herself-

She was, for all intents and purposes. Alone.

It was here that she decided to change the space into Reel-to-Real, to draw people to her and help people in a slightly similar way to Grandpa Leigh. Keeping its severed roots to be able to travel where she made connections or where it was pulled via strong needs of help.

REAL-TO-REAL HEADCANONS LIST

| Part One | Part Two |

[merakiui]

Hello Hello!!! I'm the anon who gave the older sibling roommate thought! I was so happy you answered it and liked it that it made my day!!! I actually wanna change something and that being the "children" portion, I was writing with a female reader in mind but I really wanted to write for gn because there's too many female readers... So instead of the parents pressuring for children they're pressuring for spouses and if you so happen to get children, whether biological or adopted, they'd be so happy! But for now, baby steps baby steps (Oldersib!Reader is not having a good time).

I came here to the asks to send you some scenarios about the Oldersib!Reader since I'm not sure what the Submission thing is for ahahshajhahwh

*-*-*-*-*

Scara: *comes in dorm with a scowl on his face*

Reader: *peeking head out of the corner* Welcome home, Scara! Would you like to help me cook lunch or do you just wanna chill?? :D

Scara: *smiling* I'll help dw

*-*-*-*

Random Person: *looks at the Winner list of the contests and sees Kazu's name* Kazuha? Kazuha Kadehara?

Reader: *vibrating excitedly wanting to brag about Kazu* Yep! He's--

RP: *grumbles* He's such a know-it-all, his poems are just trying so hard, how the judges even understood it is beyond me he must've just slapped random words together and paid his way in.

Reader:

Reader: *dead serious* I will throw hands with you--

Kazu: *hiding behind a corner* 0////0

*-*-*-*

Kazu: *explaining his poem*

Reader: *doesn't know anything about it but is fully supportive*

Reader: Amazing. Show stopping. Wonderful--

*-*-*-*

Random Person: Why do you guys bring shades everywhere?

Kazuscara: *points to happy bean Reader*

Reader: *perks up upon seeing Kazuscara* Kazu!! Scara!!! :DDDD *radiating smile*

RP: AAA!! MY EYES!!!

Kazuscara: *slowly puts on shades*

*-*-*-*-*

Reader: *calmly* Friend, could you tell me why you're so upset at Scara?

Friend: ?!?!?! Reader! He literally fucked up my phone!! It has too many viruses at this point I can't even use it!

Reader: *instantly* Nonsense, Scara is an angel.

Scara: *from behind Reader smugly smirking at Friend* Yeah, Friend. I'm an angel~

*-*-*-*

Kazu takes Reader to a cat cafe and watches in delight as the cats instantly clings to Reader who is seriously sitting still and proper, eyes focus on cats. They are covered in cats. The cats cry out in despair when Reader eventually has to leave.

*-*-*-*-*

Reader: I don't understand why people don't like Scara? He's a funny person!

Scara: *from behind shuffling his bloodied knuckles behind him* Yeah, I'm fucking hilarious

*-*-*-*

Kazu: *curiously* Have you ever had a phase?

Reader: *blank eyed stare*

Reader: The past is the past

*-*-*-*

Scara: *stops dead in his tracks when he gets inside Reader's room*

Reader: Wassup?

Scara: That-- What the fuck is that?!

Reader: *looks at their wall* ?? My to-do lists, calendar, and motivational posters???

Scara: No that's a fucking mental torture room you call room

Reader: *slightly offended* It can't be that bad

Kazu: *passing by and sees Reader's room* What kind of madman lives here?

Reader:

Reader: Okay maybe it is kinda overboard

Reader's room is literally like Miyuki Shirogane's from Kaguya-sama: Love is War room. How on earth Reader can sleep there nobody knows, in fact there is more academic work than there are CLOTHES. Upon finding that out, kazuscara eagerly drag Reader to go clothing shopping and pays for everything much to the protests of Reader which only quiets when they point out it's a thank you gift for everything they've done for them.

*-*-*-*

Despite Reader looking like a golden retriever by energy and being a lovable Himbo/Bimbo/Thembo they appear to be, Reader is startlingly perceptive, intelligent, and particularly harsh when it comes to academic work. But with all the stress they've accumulated it's going to impact them negatively so they need an outlet. At first it was to motherhen other people but it didn't do much so they did physical activity (you can choose whatever kind but I'm partial to them doing archery (can you see how much Kaguya-sama is impacting me rn??)) So they're quite strong.

When someone is actually harassing Kazu because he looks like an easy target (oh how wrong they were) and it's starting to piss of Reader because they've tried to diffuse the situation but the harasser is adamant on making Kazu's life in this moment hell and Reader just--

They just calmly watch the harasser spit curses at them but when the harasser touches on Kazu's old friend who died with no regard at how serious the issue is, Reader just fucking decks them with no hesitation. It doesn't matter the gender of the harasser or the gender of Reader, all that matters is that the fucker blamed Toma for his own death and that Kazu just attracted stupidity wherever.

And Kazu is frozen in shock at seeing Reader being genuinely angry, Reader isn't shouting or screaming but instead is eerily calm but holy fuck they genuinely look terrifying.

The harasser is bubbling words that they're going to tell on the dean, tell teachers, tell literally everyone but Reader only mockingly smiles at them and says, "Go on, tell them. They won't believe you. But go on, go try, but know this, whatever misplaced justice you think you're owed is bullshit and frankly? Disgusting."

Then Reader drags a quiet Kazu away from the scene and back into their dorm. Reader calms down and apologizes at Kazu but he just asks what would happen next, Reader shrugs and just says, "Nobody would believe them. And they aren't well liked so there's nothing we can do."

Kazu just agrees and smiles when Reader says they should cook up something fancy because their mood was soiled by the harasser. While he helps Reader he's actually thinking of ways to make sure the lesson... Sticks.

Scara is forever salty that Kazu was the first one to see Reader angry.

*-*-*-*-*

Reader: *stressed beyond hell*

Kazu: Is something the matter Reader??

Reader: My parents are setting me up on a blind date, I said to them I didn't want to but they told me to just try but I just--

Scara: *eyetwitching* You want us to crash your date?

Reader: Please.

Kazu: *unreadable smile* Don't worry, Reader. We'll help.

*-*-*-*

Kazu: Just to be sure, you're open for relationships, right?

Reader: Hm? Oh yeah, I just don't wanna do it rn since I'm busy with studying and I don't wanna date someone only to neglect them because I'm focus on my studies, it's not fair to me but especially to them

Scara: What if they're willing?

Reader: Now that just makes me more guilty! Someone whose willing to be pushed aside as second priority needs to prioritize themselves! Besides, they also have their own lives, nobody could center their entire life on someone else, it's unfair and terrifying.

(Oh Reader, if only you knew)

Scara: So when exactly are you open to pursue a relationship.

Reader: I'll pursue a relationship when I graduate school or when I find a job. My parents are stressed as all hell because I'm focusing on my studies and career and I'm not bringing home a date which??? I don't understand them. At this point with all their nagging I'm getting adverse with finding a relationship

Kazu: Good to know. Good to know

*-*-*-*-*

If Kazu and Scara could kill Reader's parents, they probably would.

Anyway I did all of this while at my online class so, ahahahha.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy them ( ╹▽╹ )!! Again, love your work HAJSHSJAJJAJA. Have a nice day, stay safe, and take care of yourself!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

:O !!! All of these scenarios are very good. I’m happy I can read all of them!! Kazuscara are a funny duo when they’re both pining for the same person. The shenanigans that can possibly ensue… Thank you again for sharing, anon!!!

[downwiththemutantnjnjaturtles]

We Met Within This Screen (chapt. 2)

[Donnie x fem reader]

Sfw, part 1 here

Intellectually, Donnie was the best matchup for their leader as today was sparring day. He'd gone against his oldest brother many times, sometimes even coming out the victor himself, but today was just not his day.

He held his staff with that iron grip of his and waited for Leo to come at him. Donnie was more on the defensive than any of his brothers; he had to be. Out of all he was weakest physically but superior in calculations, but he was missing range in this matchup. Leo had a hard time disarming him as his katana could sometimes get lodged in the solid wood staff, giving Donnie leverage to perform the finisher in the short time it took him to dislodge his sword. He thought this time would be how that would happen.

"You're slow today, Donnie," Leo said as he lunged at his brother with a swing of his katana, forcing Donnie to step back. He was too focused on blocking Leo's rapid succession of attacks to respond.

Leo reeled back to swing his blade again but Donnie parried and struck his arm with his staff, shoving it aside. For a split second, Leo actually thought he was fixing to go down by this move if Donnie could hit him again quick enough. But his brother hesitated in thought, and without any reluctance himself, he used his other katana to put him in a compromising position. The match was over and Donnie was forced to stand down.

"Why did you hesitate?" Leo questioned him, lowering his blade. Raph watched from the sidelines with Mikey as they prepared to go up next. Since Leo was the winner, it was Raph's turn next to spar in his younger brother's place.

Donnie huffed and dropped his stance, putting his staff away. "It's just an off day," he replied. Splinter wasn't there to dictate today's training session and tournament, so Donnie was already on his way out to go to his lab by the time Raph stepped up to spar. But Leo sheathed his sword and put a hand on Donnie's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"You've been pretty eager to run back to your lab lately," Leo said matter-of-factly. He was wondering what was going on, why Donnie seemed weirdly distant the last couple of weeks. He had gone through a very withdrawn phase in earlier times upon entering his teenage years, but now, he was legitimately making everyone guess. He didn't snap at his brothers, and he wasn't any more impatient than usual. But something was different. He'd been spending a lot more time holed up in his lab, which everyone began to notice. Leo wanted to know what was wrong.

Donnie shifted and shrugged, "Like I said, I've been busy with some projects. Also, it's not like I have much to do out here beside training and patrol."

Leo opened his mouth to speak, but Mikey jumped on between them. "You missed game night last week! You never miss it," he butted in. Both Donnie and Leo gave him a look as if to say really? and he added in, "Well, uh...not usually."

Gently moving Mikey aside, Leo wanted to continue, but he saw Donnie staring at him expecting a follow-up when he didn't really have one. Whatever this was, Leo knew that coming at Donnie with questions was not the way to go about it. So he stepped back and gave his brother some space.

"We all have off days," Leo said finally after an awkward moment of silence. "Just work on your speed, Don."

"Got it."

With that, Donnie turned to leave, and Raph entered the ring to go against Leo in the last match of the night.

Once Donnie was gone, Leo got ready to spar with Raph. As they got into position, he contemplated bringing this recent development up with the other two, but decided against it in the end. He didn't want to incriminate Donnie, especially with Raph's assertive approach to handling things. Donnie could be somewhat flighty at times when it came to resolving matters of emotion, at times a little too introspective, but Leo couldn't fault him—he had his own struggles with that very thing, too.

Done, finally, Donnie thought as he skirted into his lab and started up the game. He was late to the party quite literally; training lasted longer than he'd thought, and he was disappointed to see that his newest friend was online, but not responding to his invite. Did everyone get together and play without him? After a few minutes, he almost decided on giving up. The instance made him contemplate whether he even wanted to continue this. Perhaps he'd been too eager.

He sighed. And then the menu pinged, and he was there reading the message in an instant.

Hey, sorry I partied up without you, I just didn't know if you were gonna be on or not :/

Without even thinking, he licked his lips typed back, repeatedly deleting and retyping his message to make sure it was casual but not too casual, apologetic but not desperate—

It's okay, don't worry about it

Likewise sorry it took me so long to get here.

That would do. He'd be lying to say he wasn't feeling that flutter in his stomach; the excitement of something new got to him in a way that only a discovery in his research did, or how he felt when he mastered a new technique in his training.

Let's get started then :)

They started the game, and this time he kept the mic on, as she did. They talked back and forth as they fought creatures and enemies and looted things, eventually coming to learn that she herself was in New York City. He was surprised; suddenly, the world felt a lot smaller, and he couldn't concentrate on just playing after that. The time they spent became more of an opportunity to converse than to play a mundane game for hours on end.

At some point, she switched the topic to his whereabouts. Donnie's breath hitched.

"I'm...not anywhere near. So it doesn't really matter," he told her, cringing. If the guys found out—if Splinter found out—he would be in such trouble.

"Oh," she paused for a moment, trying to find something to say. "That's alright, I don't want you to feel like you have to tell me, you know?"

He'd muted his mic to release a deep breath. He got lost in thought thinking about how in that moment, he wanted to be human. If he weren't a giant mutant turtle, he could actually form a connection with someone. It was a very "Mikey" thing to think, he reckoned, but at times he wanted friends just like his brother did.

"Yeah, sorry, I just…"

"It's really no problem, dude."

He felt as though he could hear the smile in her voice. What did she look like, he wondered. He wanted to see her, but he couldn't ask for that when he could never do the same. If he could get her name, he'd be in the clear to do some preliminary lookups on this person, but so far, she'd been dodgy about sharing info about herself as well. He couldn't blame her. They were two strangers online, one with a huge secret and the other completely in the dark about who he truly was. For all she knew, he could have been a creep, looking to stalk her online and perhaps do even worse. The thought made him feel almost nauseous, how she could be considering that about him as a possibility as they spoke. But she seemed comfortable enough. Unlike him, who was still slightly skeptical of the entire thing, because after spending his whole life in practical isolation, he was at a loss as to what to say or do after a certain point. The conversation died off and both of them thought simultaneously about how weird the sudden silence between them felt.

She hummed, as if searching for something to bring up. When she spoke, he was taken aback—"Hey, I'm gonna be honest, I really like talking to you but this game is getting boring. Do you wanna chat somewhere else?"

"Uh…" he trailed off, mind shooting blanks. Oh, was it just a horrible idea. He couldn't keep the jig up forever; the truth was bound to get revealed somewhere down the line. He was fixing to reject the proposition, tell her that he didn't want to take it that far. She could be anyone. The likelihood of it being a clever ruse on account of the Foot Clan was slim, but the paranoia still worked ambiently in the background noise of his mind. But his other doubt stopped him—when would he ever have a chance at this again? He wanted to have the strength to say no and leave it at that. The loneliness that crept up on him from time to time had something else to say.

"Yeah," he answered after a terribly long pause of mumbling, fighting with himself all the way as she told him where to add her. He could have kicked himself had it not been for the fact that he knew how to encrypt data, and that as long as he didn't leak a word about his inner circle or life, it would be okay. It didn't feel okay, though.

"Nice! I'll text you, see you later, Bo. I had a lot of fun tonight," she chirped.

Before he could respond, she was gone from the party, and the mic went silent. It happened so fast. He was barely caught up with the fact that he was now receiving messages and prompts to talk, but he couldn't bring himself to answer right away. He had to refocus his logic; how could this be used by the enemy as a way to get to them? Could they have somehow anticipated he'd download this game and find this random on there? The more the thought about it, the more glaringly obvious it was that it was not the case. It was just too improbable.

"The probability of the Foot being able to simulate such a specific scenario in order to get intel on us is so slim, it is practically non-existent," he told himself as he finally pulled up the messages. He read through them. "Approximately a zero-point-zero-zero-zero..."

My name is (Y/N), by the way :)

Well, that was easier than expected. He figured that somehow, the name suited you—a fitting name for such a personality. But it also gave him a glimmer of hope. It made him want to ask why you appeared to trust him, as he could be anyone on the Earth over the screen, not his benevolent self. Which she had no way of proving, technically. But he soon came to realize the screen painted him in a whole new light that it casted on him. It hit then that he could be anyone. He didn't have to be himself; not necessarily. She'd never have to know, as he could wear a human mask and she'd be none the wiser. Problem was, the lying made him feel guilty, and slowly would develop to be the thorn in his side.

Donnie thoughtfully stared at the screen. Now that he was here, some of his anxiety began to fade. He found himself actually able to talk, someone to listen to his tangents and even build upon them. They spent hours texting back and forth about anything and everything until it was almost time for him to put the phone down to leave for patrol. He felt giddy, like a kid, all over again.

________________________________________

Had you ever been able to talk to someone this easily?

You asked yourself that question as you exchanged with the faceless and nameless stranger over your screen, chatting from afternoon to night. Time flew by in an instant, with him, and you loved every minute. He was someone intellectual, but funny and so easy to talk to that it was as though the conversation carried itself. After some time he came out about his age after you revealed yours. Oftentimes, he'd just present to you a random question when the subject tapered off and run with it, like now:

What do you think of reptiles?

Puzzled, you took a second to reply. Odd question.

Why do you ask? Do you have one?

I was just curious

What do you think of them?

The chat indicator flip-flopped between "typing" and "idle" a few times before a message finally popped up, and you smiled. You'd learned over this short time that he was a dork in a cute way.

Well...I think they're pretty cool.

They've got natural armor and you would be surprised to know just how fast a turtle can be

You laughed a little to yourself. It was such a random thing to bring up, yet you were endeared. Deciding you'd go along with it, you asked him what else he knew about turtles.

Well...

__________________________________________________

Donnie was wondering what he was talking about just as much as she probably was. Stupid, he thought, facepalming. His first time really speaking with a human as an equal and he starts talking about turtles. Of course he knew a lot about them, he was one himself—but for some reason he found himself wanting to dispel myths and misunderstandings about turtles as if they reflected on him, when as far as she knew, he was just a human guy like herself.

He groaned lightly and typed, thinking up a fact that wasn't too conspicuous.

Red eared sliders are semi-aquatic.

As he typed the next part, he caught himself writing "we" instead of "they", to his dismay. He quickly fixed the error and continued, feeling weirdly exposed as it was almost as though in sharing this information, he was putting himself under a microscope for her to inspect.

They can hold their breath for up to thirty minutes, usually

Holding his breath was something he'd tested numerous times before. He and his brothers had actually made a game out of it on a few occasions, with Leo leading at thirty-three minutes, Donnie in second at thirty-one. Raph broke at twenty-nine minutes and Mikey followed behind in last at just twenty-seven. The ability could be trained, nonetheless.

That's interesting, I wonder what it's like to be able to go underwater so long?

It's kind of cool, you should try sometime

For THIRTY MINUTES?

Shit. He promptly replied:

No—not like I can hold my breath that long, I just mean you should try to see sometime I guess

I tested it just for the fun of it.

Looking up how long humans could hold their breath on average (between thirty seconds and two minutes), he bumped the number up a little bit and added:

Personally, I'm at two minutes and forty-five seconds

He was embarrassed, partially covering his face as he waited for a response. Such a foolish slip-up; he couldn't afford to say anything cryptic. But he still was fairly sure that he had recovered that alright. He couldn't help but think about how awkward or weird he seemed to her. Who talked about this?

I don't think I could hold my breath for more than a minute, kudos to you haha

Anyway, sorry to switch gears all of a sudden but if you don't mind me asking, what's up with your family? You have any siblings?

He told her no. He would not bring his brothers into this, lest it be the slim chance of a ploy, after all. He said his family situation was unconventional and left it at that.

With that, he said to her goodnight and put his phone away, getting up to go get geared for patrol. It was only then he noticed the figure leaning against the doorway.

Chapter 3