#updated Finn

[kidovna]

manifested mileven at the snowball in 2016, so now I’m manifesting byler at senior prom🪻🌻

[grassyeggroll]

Blue comet and weeping willow

[finnoahsource]

Noah: "It's just so exciting, I think this is going to be the best season yet."

Finn: "I'm excited to have scenes with the original four."

source

[user-tardis]

Peaky Blinders (2013 - 2022)

[noahschnappinfs]

Noah’s new ig post

12/08/2024

[mashleverse]

Bling-Bang-Bang-Born ALL STARS Version

Starting from this week's episode, the opening will change! The dancing part will feature most of the characters! Can you recognize all of them?

Don't miss out on this week's episode and check out the new version of the opening! Non-credit version of the new opening will be updated soon!

[mayabruhbruh]

What do you think of the possibility of Will and Chance happening? I feel like it would be really poor writing tbh but I feel like they will give Will a different love interest because they’ll try to make all of the audience „happy“ But that would just truly not align with the writing so far I feel like.

Love your analyses btw<3

THANK YOUU! That's so kind :) And great ask! This is definitely a topic that the ST fandom needs to discuss.

The default question when people have little to no hope in Byler is, well, who the hell is Will going to end up with? Because it’s become increasingly evident that they’re trying to set him up for a romance. The “im not gonna fall in love”, the “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”, even the gif shown above. It all can be interpreted to mean that Will is going to find his person soon.

So... to be completely honest, I had no idea who Chance was until this ask popped up and I had to look him up💀. It’s been a while since I’ve been on here, so I’m a little rusty on the deep lore lmao. So, in the off chance that others might also be confused, here’s a (rare) gif of him I found.

I think that’s him with the Hawkins cap on the right. Correct me if I’m wrong.

I’m not sure where the rumors that this guy was going to become a bigger part of the show came from, but that seems highly unlikely to me. I feel like they would have either hinted at it in the fourth season (like how they’re giving Patrick here quite a sizeable role so that he’ll be memorable to us later when he gets vecnafied) or they would have announced him as a more prominent character already like how they did for s5 with Holly, that one new kid character, and also how they did Amybeth for s4. Idk, maybe it’s unreasonable to think they would have to do that, but it feels quite too out-of-the-blue. Especially for a character that would take on the role of becoming our central character’s love interest, which is a BIG DEAL. Especially if it’s queer lol.

Secondly, I firmly believe that it would be a disservice to Will’s own desires to meet someone new.

Will said this explicitly in the van scene, and as of now, we’re still under the impression that Mike is his person. Forget about Mike’s issues and feelings for a second, and think about what Will is saying here. He feels like a mistake for being different, but Mike makes him feel like he’s not a mistake at all, that he’s better for being different. Mike gives him courage to fight on. Fuck. Tbh, it makes me wonder how long he’d felt this way. As a byler, you might be inclined to think his feelings have been on for forever, but narratively, he could have easily just realized his own feelings very recently, most likely sometime between season 3 and 4. It doesn’t mean the feelings weren’t there before, but realistically neither Will nor the general audience were aware of it before now.

Moving on.

Has anyone heard of the rule of Chekhov’s gun? It’s an incredibly clever and widely-used tool in screenwriting and storytelling in general that helps to clue the watchers in for what’s to come next.

Think of Lucas’ wrist rocket in season 1. When they introduced it as a flimsy-looking, no-good weapon that he’d put too much pride in at first, it gives us a good laugh and we move on. But really, it very meticulously set us up to subconsciously anticipate to see it again later. That’s what Chekhov’s gun is all about. Set-ups, foreshadowing, hidden treasures.

Another great example would be the painting reveal of s4. Obviously, after finding out that Will was painting something, bylers immediately figured it was for Mike and BEGGED and HOPED and PLEADED that we’d be able to finally see it, but to the general audience it was just another something that they’d have to pick apart and realize was actually of importance as the season progressed. (It’s also a good way of showing that the writers are fully capable of engrossing the entire fan base and general audience in his and Mike’s story. Just knowing Will had painted something and that it was for Mike created this sense of PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IT IS AND WJATS GOING ON and whatnot that watchers are simply so susceptible to it’s insane.)

Okay, back to the van scene. Will’s confession.

Now, I’m not saying that the writers intentionally used this foreshadowing tool for us to find and understand immediately. There are plenty, plenty of instances where writers use Chekhov’s gun principle and it flies over peoples heads purposefully. What I’m trying to say is that, thematically and narratively, they would never have introduced Wills feelings for Mike if not for it to have importance to the story, or for nothing to happen with it at all. It’s a set up. And a maddeningly good one, at that. Because queer stories already do tend to fly over people’s heads, and also because there’s the added drama between Mike and Eleven that makes it seem quite impossible for any of these feelings to be addressed in the midst of such emotional chaos. But whatever. I think I’m rambling.

Basically, whether they end up together or not, whether Mike reciprocates these feelings, Will is forever established to be in love with Mike. The confession was simply too grand and emotional and earnest for him to just switch up abruptly next season when he meets someone new that he might have a better chance with. Even if there were to be a whole new arc for him where he learns to let go of Mike or something crappy like that, it would be terrible writing on their end and poor use of a well-set-up Chekhov’s gun reference. It would be like introducing the gun in the display case in scene one, then two scenes later just tucking it away into a storage closet for the remainder of the story. Like… what?

And plus, it’s HIGHLY unlikely that Will would end up with that sort of storyline next season when he’s literally WITH Mike for presumably a majority of the time (based on the set pics so far).

So that’s my debunking of the Chance rumors :) and I didn’t even get to mention how incompatible they’d be just naturally as characters. Chance, a Jason-following jock that hates Dungeons and Dragons, fantasy and nerdy things, and willingly assisted in beating up the Hellfire Club when they were trying to find Eddie. What about that at all screams Will’s type? And if you’re thinking “unconventional couple enemies to lovers”, just don’t. This isn’t a rom-com, especially for a queer plot line lol. I think it’s safe to say there’s no “chance”😉 that they will ever happen. And either way, it’d be a bummer if they did. Cus it would just be Will defeatedly settling for someone that isn’t Mike.

UGH! It makes me sad that the one thing that is firmly being teased by the writers (Will’s love playing a major role in the plot to come) is constantly being questioned and framed as different questions. “Will Mike reciprocate?” “Does this mean Mike and Eleven break up?” “Who will end up with who?” SHHH Frankly, to me this is already a win. It’s become obvious that Will having feelings for him will come up again soon, and the rest of the evidence that accounts for Mike’s end already speaks for itself, so I prefer to just sit back and watch it all unfold.

Again, thanks so much for the ask!! This was so fun to dissect and feel free to keep sending questions into my inbox. It might take me a second to post my response but I’m determined to get through all of them. Love you guys!! <3

[gh-0-stcup]

Riley failed because the writers didn't understand the archetype they were trying to convey and their audience.

Riley's the all-American boy next door. His character model was so pervasive in other media because it's wholesome, simple, and nostalgic. Calling back to a nebulous time when people were nice, helpful, and virtuous. (Actually a rose tinted view of a nonexistent past - it calls back to the viewers childhood when everything felt that way.)

The most important thing with this character model is the feelings it evokes in the audience. The character must come across to the audience as

A moral paragon

Safe

The problem is that this type of character also has deep associations with heteronormativity, sexism, and racism. They have been used numerous times in media to help uphold and propogate these ideas.

But BTVS' very premise stands in direct opposition to the American values this character model tends to embody. It's more likely that this archetype will evoke the exact opposite feelings it's supposed to in fans of BTVS. They're more likely to have been victimized in their lives by the messaging imbeded into it.

It could have worked extremely well had the writers considered what would evoke the same feelings with their own audience.

Take one of Riley's early scenes - punching Parker for his comments about freshman girls and toilet seats. It's mentioned after that Riley does not take issue with his friends talking about women in "worse" ways. He reacted the way he did because he's got a crush on Buffy.

Imo, this is the moment the character failed. If you want to sell a character like Riley as a love interest to audience like BTVS', you must ensure the line between chivalry and chauvinism is never crossed. Once it is, that character's virtuousness will forever come across as a facade. A way to have control and possession over women under the guise of protecting their honour.

A minor adjustment to this one scene would help reframe Riley's motivations. He doesn't take kindly to men speaking that way about women, but it is odd for him to react violently.

In this version, he's someone who respects women in general but has more rash reaction than normal because his crush on Buffy is shaking him up. It also suggests he's not a man who's typically quick to violence.

Another important scene is when Riley finds Buffy outside at night and insists on walking her home. She puts up a fight, commenting on the sexism of assuming boys can take care of themselves but girls need to be walked home. Riley's response is that yes, this is absolutely what he believes.

Now, Riley is a trained soldier who knows there's very serious danger lurking around at night and does not know that Buffy is anything other than a tiny civilian. It's understandable that he would insist upon protecting her. The issue is entirely with how the dialogue is framed.

A better answer to Buffy's question would be "You shouldn't have to." Set him up as a man who understands many women can protect themselves, but believes his role is ensuring they never have to.

It shifts these gender roles from "woman weak, man strong" to Riley's sense of honour. Focuses on how he derives meaning from protecting civilians and those he cares about. Helps shed light on the mentality that led him to becoming a soldier and suggests that being a soldier is tied to his sense of identity and personal values.

It also more firmly shifts being a soldier from a day job to a duty for Riley. It gives him a connection with Buffy, who also believes it is her responsibility to use her strength to protect people.

Just two very simple shifts in dialogue and Riley's a much better character. Amazing how they got it so wrong without even understanding what mistakes they made.

[mewmewdoppio]

Finn needs a vet visit!!

A couple days ago, I heard meowing from my neighbors roof. Up there was a 2 week old kitten, ears barely starting to uncurl.

I managed to help him down with some help and hes been in my care since. I've bathed and bottle fed him and kept him close to me all hours of the day, but now it's time for a vet visit!

He's not old enough for vaccines yet but he's getting a little too round so there's a possibility he has worms and needs medication for that. I'm currently unemployed and trying to get into college so I need as much as I can get for this little guy!

Btw, his name is Finn after the character from Adventure Time and he loves to crawl around, plus finding him surely was an Adventure in itself!

My Kofi is mewmewkillua and please contact me on my socials if you want my Vnmo or Ppal

Please reblog and share!!

[nugoober]

NEW DANDYS WORLD UPDATE!!????!!?!?! QHAR!!?!?!?

Massive spoilers for the new update :PP

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Headcannon: Poppy and Finn are siblings and love eachother

Finn my beloved

[secretlytherealsonicthehedgehog]

my list of men for august

i apologize in advance for this specific month.

[thetiredlittlewriter]

what I think YV boys would be as cats <3

Seth: honestly I think he would be a Siamese

Alphonse: def British shorthair

Auron: probably a Persian cat

Charlie: ginger cat (no explanation needed)

Lucien: black cat (idk nobody likes them there cute :(

finn: most likely a ragdoll cat

faust: maybe a abyssinian

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

IM SORRY I WAS GONE FOR A WHILE AND FORGOT TO POST THIS

[wmnylander]

austonheads (™ malewag) rise up

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Double-Mutated Mikey

Chapter 45: Thanatology

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

Prev || Next

Leo has never moved with such panic and speed in his life, he thinks.

He cradles Mikey's body close to him as he runs down the halls, screaming-crying for 'April, Casey, somebody! Help us!!'

As soon as Mikey had crumbled, Raphael had created a ginormous hologram around him, Leo, and Donnie. Secure in his arms, Raph then jumped down the hole that had been created in the building not a five minutes ago.

The trio are now running frantically through the halls as Mikey bleeds out in Leo's arms, searching for the others in a panic. They need help.

"He's getting cold!" Leo shouts back to Donnie. "How are his vitals, will he make it?!"

Donnie -- who is literally hovering over them as they race down the corridors -- flips his goggles over and examines the dying child.

"...Not looking good, chief," Donnie states. "He's lost a lot of blood, the barb pierced his neck pretty deep. We have to hurry or else --"

Mikey suddenly starts coughing violently, spewing blood from his mouth as he lurchs in Leo's arms from the force.

"... He might choke on his own blood," Donnie groans.

"J-just hang on, buddy," Leo begs, readjusting his grip on Mikey. "Hang on..."

Mikey's eyes open and close. His eyes are clouded over, his vision far away and blurry. Leo thinks he hears Mikey mumble something, reaching up softly.

"...l....leo....?"

"I'm here, I'm here," he repeats over and over and over again. "I'm right here, just stay with me -- k-keep talking, just keep --"

"....leo......" he murmurs, hand still shakily rising to meet Leo. "...did i do.... d-did i do good, l...leo.....?"

"You did so good, buddy, you did so so good, and --"

Leo chokes on his tears. He bites his lip as he tries (unsuccessfully) to keep from crying, to stay strong.

Mikey's hand reaches up just enough to touch Leo's face. His hand is cold. His bloodsoaked hand leaves a sanguine fingerprint against Leo's chin, before slipping back down, dangling limply by his side. Leo keeps on babbling, talking on and on and on in a panicked ramble of instructions for both himself and his brother.

Mikey's head rolls to look back at Raph and Donnie, and he manages a bloodstained smile at them.

"...hhhhiiiiii, rraphieeeee....... heyyy, d....d....dee-dee...."

Neither of them can hear Mikey's ghost of a whisper voice.

"wh....why so...... scared, i-i'm not.... going any....where...."

His eyes lose focus.

".......................right....?"

They still don't hear him. Raph manages to meet his gaze and tries to smile back at him, though the smile is wobbly and his eyes are wet.

"Hey, king," Raph shudders, his voice cracking and breaking. "You'll be fine."

Mikey's eyes feel so heavy. He tries to nod or hum to show Raph he trusts him. He's not sure if he ever does either of those things...

He... he wants to say something.

He knows he wants to say something.

If this really is the end... then he has to say SOMETHING, right?

"....i....."

His eyes start to drift closed.

Say something. Anything. Hurry.

There isn't any time left.

"...i-i... i..."

Mikey tries to lift a finger, a hand... his whole body feels cold, staticy nothingness replacing every cell and bone and scale.

Apologize for leaving.

Apologize for dying like this and worrying them.

Apologize for allowing yourself to forget them, allowing yourself to believe that they wouldn't care about you to come back for you.

Mikey's breath is clogged in his throat, his heartbeat a flutter in his chest that is just about to fly away.

SAY SOMETHING, PLEASE! YOU WON'T GET ANOTHER CHANCE, MIKEY!!

Mikey musters up as much strength as his feeble and broken body has left. He wishes he could think of something cleverer... something more meaningful... something that would make up for everything.

In the end, there's only one thing he wants to make clear for eternity. Only one point that he wants to get across. Only one message that he needs them to remember...

"....i.... i l.... i lllllovvvve y...."

That'll have to do it...

Mikey exhales softly before his eyes close.

Leo looks down just in time to see Mikey's eyes droop closed as his chest falls.

"No... No, no! #%@& NO!! You can't just --"

Leo sees a door cracked open and hears voices from the room inside.

He makes a break for it.

Inside, several heads turn around and gape in surprise and utter terror as they see Leonardo scramble inside and drop Mikey's body onto a table.

"H-help me," Leo begs. "Please... please!"

April screams a horrifying and broken cry as she runs to her baby brother, taking his face in her hands and examining his wounds.

Casey is by their sides in an instant, mask pulled down so his Genius Tech™ built-in goggles can find what needs to be taken care of first. Leo's words spill out faster than he can process, desperately explaining the situation.

"...We need to make sure his airways are clear so he can breath," Casey announces. "Donatello, get me a... a-a a ventilator and a tube to clear his airways. N-next, we..." Casey starts hyperventilating, his hands shake as he tries to pinpoint what to do.

"Case?" Leo begs, reaching out for him. "Please, tell us -- "

"I-I don't know," he admits, trembling. "He... S-Sensei only taught me so much, I never got to Stab Wounds 101! I... I-I know that we shouldn't take the barb out, that'll just cause the bloodflow to... l-like a cork in a bottle, i-it's the only thing keeping the blood inside, but -- I, uh, we need to close the wound, s-s-so --"

Bishop runs over and Pulls Casey aside.

"You're okay, kid. Look, wounds this bad need immediate treatment. I know a few things for dealing with stabs, but... that might not cut it. He's lost a lot of blood and we'll probably need to perform a transfusion."

"I can do that," Leo nods, swallowing. "I know how."

"But w-who's gonna donate?" Casey asks.

All three brothers raise their hands at once.

"It should be me," Donnie announces quite seriously.

"Don, you can't stand stuff like that!" Raph argues. "I should be the one; Raph's the biggest, and I have more than enough blood --"

"I can do it!" Leo argues.

"You have to perform the actual transfusion process! You can't do that when you're giving --"

"It should be ME," Donnie reiterates very vocally. "Raph, yes you are the biggest and the strongest, which is why we'll need you to carry both Mikey and the blood donor home. Leo has to do the transfusion, so he can't do it. It needs to be me."

Leo and Raph exchange a glance before reluctantly relenting.

"I can try to treat the wound," Bishop says, looking at it carefully. "But... I'm afraid I'm not well-versed in mutant biology..."

"Meaning?" April asks.

"ᴍᴇᴀɴɪɴɢ ʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴍɪᴋᴇʏ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅ ɪꜱ ʀᴇᴘᴀɪʀᴇᴅ," Honeycutt chimes in.

"So... s-so even if we save him..." Raph says, pausing for a dramatic and anxious gulp, "Mikey will still die?"

Honeycutt doesn't answer, except to hang his head in shameful defeat.

"NO," Leo snaps, slamming his fists on the table by Mikey's side. "There HAS to be a way! I'm not letting his rescue and weeks of recovery go to waste like that! Mikey is coming home, END OF STORY!"

The group exchange glances between one another.

"Leo... None of us can do anything. None of us know what to... how to treat him, or..." April tries, though the tears stop her midway through the sentence and she breaks down crying in Raphael's arms, who buries his face in her curls to hide his own tears.

Leo looks around the room with a determined fury before his gaze falls on a horror-stricken Cassandra... guarding Dr. Finn.

Leo storms over to her, feet stomping so hard against the floor that he shakes the room.

He towers over her, commanding every ounce of burning anger to make him look as intimidating as possible and not reveal himself as the terrified and desperate child that he really is.

"YOU," he growls, pointing at her face. "FIX HIM. NOW."

"Excuse me?" Dr. Finn scoffs. "Why should I?"

"My brother is about to die. You were one of the head geneticists here, right? I want you to save his life."

Abigail Finn rolls her eyes and smirks at him.

"I repeat, why should I?"

"If you save him, I'll let you go," Leo promises dryly. "Simple as that."

"Leo--" Raph tries.

Leo raises his hand, effectively silencing Raph. This negotiation is happening, and he's gotten Finn's attention.

"Intriguing," she chuckles. "So, I save your little runt of a brother, I get to go? What assurances do I have that you won't follow me or something?"

"I don't have time to make a thousand promises to you," Leo growls, grabbing her shirt collar and lifting her off the ground from where she sits. "I will only say this once. You WILL save his life, because if he dies, then so will you," Leo threatens. "I'm not playing nice anymore. I'm not being the hero today. I'm just here to save my brother. You can either keep him alive, patch him up, and then leave by yourself, or I WILL kill you with my own bare hands."

Abigail stares him in the eyes, her face going pale. She rises to her feet and nods. Leo cuts her free from the phone cord used as a temporary restraint, and drags her by the arm to Mikey.

"Now. Save him."

"By any means?"

"Just," Leo heaves, his breath a growl as he glares the fear of God into her, "Save. Him."

"Fine," she grumbles, "You get the other one ready for the transfusion. You, kid," she points to Casey, "go find one of those frost guns and fast."

"F-frost gun?" Raph contests. "You're not gonna freeze him, are you?"

"If we can get his body to enter a cryogenic state, it will assist with the injuries while also keeping him sedated. The mutations on his metabolism will cause all functions to essentially be paused while his body is in the diapause state, and his heart rate will also be on hold, which should be in our favour as well..."

"Should?" April grills.

"Look, do you have an advanced degree and PhD in biology, genetics, and mutations? No? Didn't think so. Now go make yourself useful and find me a syringe. We need to drain the excess blood from his throat and possibly his lungs..."

The room erupts in missions -- Leo prepares the tourniquet and blood bag for Dee's donation, and Raph helps mentally prepare Donnie. Despite his readiness, Donnie cannot hide his absolute displeasure at having his fluids drained from his body like a juice box.

April finds the medical equipment Finn needs just as Casey comes running back in with a frost gun.

The operation begins...

Dr. Finn blasts Mikey with the gun. He doesn't react.

That's not a good sign...

Mikey's skin ices over, his hands clench in place, his limbs go rigid.

"Will... will he be okay?"

"He'll have one heck of a headache once he wakes up," Abigail sighs as she tosses the frost ray to the side. "And he might have a slight case of hypothermia or frostbite, but he'll be okay. Provided he actually survives the surgery. We might be too late."

"Then get. On. With. It," Leo snarls.

Abigail nods and starts to work, directing Casey Jones Jr. and Agent Bishop on what to do when removing the spike from Mikey's neck and how to patch it up. Abigail gets several vials of goo from a medical freezer and uses them in her treatments as well.

She tells Leo when to start the transfusion.

Donnie looks away from the needle and tube as his blood is harvested. Raph tells him not to think of it as 'harvesting'. Donnie snaps in irritation and waits a beat before apologizing to Raph for the snippy remark. Raph forgives him and holds him close.

April paces back and forth as she watches, trying to offer medical advice she'd learned from her mother. Eventually she gives up and goes to help Dee, who is not handling the transfusion very well and looks quite peaky.

Casey works as the nurse, assisting Dr. Finn with whatever she needs. Leo is not allowed to help since he's too much of an emotional wreck. He instead opts to go into a different room and trash the whole place while screaming to let off some steam before coming back in, a bit calmer. But not by much.

As Abigail works to cauterize and stitch up the wounds on his throat and abdomen, everyone takes the opportunity to approach Leo about what he meant by letting Abigail go free.

"You didn't actually mean that, right?"

"You were just saying that to get her to cooperate..."

"Do you have some big plan in mind? Is this a Leo scheme? It's a Leo scheme, isn't it??"

Leo's answer is almost always the same.

"I meant what I said."

Raph seems to be the only one to focus in on the second half of the promise he'd made.

"Would you really kill her if she didn't help us?"

Leo stays silent. Raph reaches over and pulls him into a side hug as he continues to hold Donnie, who had fainted from the experience of giving blood. He's currently drooling on Raph's arm. Leo sees this and huffs an empty chuckle at the sight.

Raph smiles and rubs his back. Leo looks back to Dr. Finn as she operates on Mikey. His smile fades quickly.

"...I was mad," he whispers.

"I know," Raph whispers back.

"I... I know it would be wrong. It wouldn't help anyone. It would just make it worse. I'm not that kind of guy."

"I know."

"...But yeah. If she had said 'no'... I think I would have snapped."

Leo starts crying at the realization.

"I'm not a bad person, Raph," he whimpers. "I'm not a killer... I-I'm not a spiteful or vengeful guy, I mean sure I pull the odd prank and yeah I can hold a grudge longer than the average Joe, but... b-but I promise I-I'm not -- I'm not --"

"I know," Raph repeats, bringing Leo closer as he continues to hold a Drowsytello. "I know. And I know that even if she said no, you wouldn't actually kill her. You're not that kind of person, no matter how much it feels like the world wants to break you. You're not that kind of person, Leo."

"I just want Mikey to be okay," Leo weeps. "I don't want it to be for nothing..."

"I know," Raph cries cradling his family, all too aware of how incomplete it feels without the youngest. "I know... I want him to come home, too."

.

.

.

Mikey wonders where he is. It's kinda dark... the world around him feels like it's moving in slow motion. Trapped in a deep and dark abyss of sleepy nothingness.

He tries to move, to speak, to think. It's all so exhausting. His mind is tar, clinging to his arms and legs and tail and keeping him engulfed in the exhaustion.

His eyes open.

A light....

There's a light above him...

Mikey reaches for it.

The light gets brighter, driving away the darkness and the sticky sludge that encompasses his form. The light grows and evolves, the rays giving off beams of blue, purple, red, and orange.

The light blinds him for a moment. When he opens his eyes again, Mikey finds himself in a familiar place.

Though he knows he's never been here before.

It is warm, loving, bright, and spacious. The air shimmers with sunlight, and yet there are stars and galaxies that sparkle in the sky.

Flowers that he's never seen before blossom and bloom in the fresh green grass beneath his feet. The wind is cool, the sun is warm, the ground is soft. It feels like a dream... and yet too real to be a dream.

Mikey feels a hand take his.

He turns to see a middle-aged woman with raven hair and a storm blue robe smiling at him. He feels like he knows her somehow. He smiles back at her, unsure why he's so comfortable around her but accepts it regardless.

"Hello."

"Hello, dear one," she replies with a kind and rosy chuckle. "It's lovely to see you again. Would you me show you around?"

"Yes please," Mikey nods.

She gently pulls him along, directing him down the rolling hills to meet the others that wait for him...

.

.

.

Abigail Finn works under anxious stress as every single pair of eyes in the room watches her with anticipation and furious hate.

Well, she can hate them right back.

Once she finishes patching up Mikey's neck abdomen, she turns to Leo.

"How much did you get?" she asks, in reference to the transfusion.

"A pint," he says dryly.

"Let's get it ready, then," Abigail nods, pulling the blood bag close and having Leo assist with the tubing and needle. "But first we need to thaw the body out."

Leo nearly gags at her calling Mikey 'the body'. It makes it sound like he's a carcass, already dead...

W-which he isn't. Most definitely not. Mikey's going to make it.

"ɪ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴀꜱꜱɪꜱᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ," Fugitoid says, volunteering for duty to thaw him out. "ɪ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴɪɴɢ ᴜɴɪᴛ ᴏʀ ʜᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴀᴅᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴍᴏᴅᴇʟ, ᴀɴᴅ --"

"That's great, Tin Man, just hurry and warm him up please," Leo interjects.

Abigail and Honeycutt exchange awkward glances at each other before she backs away and allows him to heat up Mikey, melting off the permafrost that adorns his epidermis.

Mikey's body is pale, ashen scales and spotted skin shockingly desaturated. But little by little, as he warms up he regains colour.

His chest rises a microscopic amount as he weakly inhales. But his pulse is slowly falling.

"Once his body reaches a normal temperature," Abigail explains, "then you can administer the transfusion."

"Meaning you won't do it?" Leo spouts off, glaring at her.

"Meaning, I held up my end of the deal. Now I think you can handle it from here, right?" she challenges. "I want my get-out-of-jail-free card."

Leo inhales deeply. His hands clench into fists as he tries to control his rage.

He exhales deeply.

"Fine. Get out of here."

Abigail's eyes widen before she runs to grab her bag and jet. As she hurries out the door, Leo snags her by the elbow.

"But if I ever see your face again, I'll make sure you experience every pain you caused my brother. Got it? ¿Entiende eso, señora?"

Abigail nods slowly, her face dead-set but white as a sheet. She pulls her arm free from his grip and walks away, disappearing down the hall, never to be seen again.

"...Leo?" April whispers, nervous for her friend. "You okay?"

He slowly turns around, expression dark but determined.

"...Let's get the blood exchange started before his heart rate drops any lower... Oh, and someone should call Dad and Draxum."

.

.

.

Mikey is dazzled by the wondrous and simplistic beauty of this place.

It's so calming and pure. The woman shows him around the fields before bringing him to a tiny series of houses and cottages built in a traditional Japanese style. There are elderly people in cloaks and hoods, young men dressed as samurai, women and their families. There's even a few kids here, which makes Mikey sad for some reason.

His eyes fall on a young woman in green, her hair pulled back in a long ponytail. She's laughing with an older bald man, who holds her close and laughs with her. They turn and see Mikey, and wave hello to him. He finds himself waving back.

"Who are they?" he asks.

"Hamato Karai and her father, Oroku Saki," the woman explains.

"Oh." Mikey feels like that should clear things up, but it doesn't. "And... sorry, who are you?"

"My name is Hamato Atsuko," she replies with an airy giggle. "You wouldn't remember me anyways, so don't feel bad. We were never properly introduced. But I would recognize my grandson anywhere!"

"Grand...?"

"Follow me," Atsuko says gently, patting his hand and gently tugging him along the path.

Mikey wonders why everyone here is so familiar... why this place feels like home... Why he feels like he's dreaming...

"Am... Am I dea--"

"Here we are!" Atsuko proclaims, extending her arms and showing off a very beautiful minka.

There are vines of blossoms hanging from the roof, draping like curtains that follow the wrap-around porch. Multi-coloured lanterns adorn the pagoda. It's not a mansion or a castle, but it's still pretty big for just one person. Mikey notices that there are several doors around the house, each one painted a special colour.

Red. Purple. Blue. Grey. Even Yellow, a darker Burgundy, a deep Teal, and a Magenta.

Mikey approaches a bright Orange door with a symbol like a turtle shell and nunchucks carved into the door.

"This is our stop," Atsuko says, as Mikey places a hand on the smooth wooden aperture. "Go on, go inside!"

Mikey takes in a breath, and pushes the door open.

Another bright light engulfs him.

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[noahschnappinfs]

Noah Schnapp and Finn Wolfhard filming ST5 recently

[enheeseungss]

Finest man ever