latersgayt0rs

[latersgayt0rs]

since the old version of this post was flagged for ‘adult content’…

reblog this post if your account is a trans safe space or owned by a trans person!

along with that, reblog if your account is a non-binary spectrum safe space or owned by someone on the nb spectrum!

[latersgayt0rs]

Listen.

EVERYBODY knows (or should) that you DO. NOT. STOP. in Vidor, Texas. 

It’s best to just run out of gas elsewhere. Whatever you do, black folks, DO NOT STOP IN VIDOR, TEXAS. 

There’s a good chance you’ll get lynched or just come up missing - and I’m not joking.

also do NOT stop in Harrison, Arkansas!!!! (relatively close to OK and MI) a nazi town with a BIG KKK organization.

Reblog To Save Life

[latersgayt0rs]

[latersgayt0rs]

(PRE-ORDER) FUNDRAISER STICKERS FOR GAZA!!

Pre-order will end on December 11, 2024 so get them while they're hot!!

GET STICKERS HERE!!!

100% of funds will be donated to families in Gaza! Check out their fundraisers below, and please consider supporting them!!

Ameera's family: They currently live in North Gaza that has been experiencing dire Israeli-made starvation. Her young kids, youngest of which is 2 years old. She has spoken to me about how she hasn't been able to find anything for her kids to eat, like milk for her baby, and getting funds would really help her afford to feed her family.

Ahmed's and Dina's family: A family with 3 kids and one newborn. Urgently needs funds for medical treatment and essential goods. With winter approaching, these funds become crucial for affording winter clothes.

Rawan's family: $8k urgently needed to help take care of her mother, who needs treatment for a tumor. The funds will also be going to support her family as they await the crossing to open for evacuation.

Alaa's family: She is trying to care for her two very young kids, the younger of which has a skin infection that needs to be treated. She is facing constant bombardment and needs help.

Aya's family: She is helping to take care of 19 family members, including 9 children.

Walid's family: Walid is 3 and has two sisters, Layan (2) and Toleen (6). He is disabled and needs treatment.

Rawan and Yemna's family: two sisters and their father who need access to essential goods to live.

All of these campaigns are equally urgent and I can understand the difficulty in choosing one to donate to, especially if you don't have much to spare.

But it's better to choose one than to let indecision keep you from choosing any.

Also, your one donation won't solve everything (unless you're a millionaire and can spare tens of thousands at a time LOL) so, and I say this in the nicest and most gentle way possible, get over yourself! Pitch in whatever you can spare like the thousands and thousands of people donating to these fundraisers every day, and acknowledge that you can't save the world BY YOURSELF - but with many others acting with you, you can make a difference!

As always, free Palestine and all oppressed peoples of the world!

[latersgayt0rs]

I Promise...I'll do better.

First write fight attack! @untitled-tmnt-blog 's prompt 2, "New dad Splinter (Rise), very unprepared, but doing the best he can" this is for @tmnt-write-fight !! Y'all know I adore Rise Splinter, I just HAD to pick this one for my first attack. I hope you enjoy!

Quick warning! This fic does depict some issues with body image, due to Splinter's mutation.

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

Lou was far out of his depth.

Huddled in a box in a rainy alley, four sleeping little baby turtles— whom of which he was beginning to fear weren’t really just animals anymore— curled in his arms, sheltered from the cold.

Babies.

They were babies.

Not animal young, not little creatures, not pets— babies. Children. Once he’d gotten over his initial panic and the chaotic whirlwind of emotions that had swamped him over being a literal goddamn rat now it hadn’t exactly been difficult to realize how the turtles had changed.

‘...What on earth do I do now?’

Going back into the Hidden City was completely out of the question. Big Mama would have her people crawling around all over the place trying to find him, to force him back into that arena. Not to mention Baron Draxum would certainly be looking for Lou Jitsu and his creations, determined to fulfill their true intention. 

‘Over my dead body.’ Lou’s hands curled over their shells protectively. There was not a chance in hell he would allow these sweet creatures to become monsters. 

So that ruled out the Hidden City, where Lou’s…new appearance would be accepted without second thought. But…the human world wasn’t exactly the best place for that either. He grimaced, pulling his legs closer to his body. His stomach roiled in disgust at the fur he could see poking through, his misshapen feet. ‘What did he DO to me?’

The sight of his monstrous, clawed hands curled around the innocent creatures made his stomach churn. His body still ached from the transformation, his vision was different— blurrier, he had assumed that it was from the panic but it was staying— ‘Why is it staying??’ He was disgusting, a monster, he—

A soft squeak caught his attention, snapping him free from the downward spiral. He looked down, noticing the large spiky turtle gently nuzzling into his hand. Lou’s eyes softened as he gently stroked the baby’s shell, chuckling softly at the ensuing…chirp? Turtles chirp?

‘Right. I…need to figure out what to do.’ Lou swallowed tightly, daunted by the sudden responsibility thrust onto his shoulders. He had never done well with this before, and now to be responsible for other lives? Oh dear god.

Gathering the babies close to his chest, Lou carefully exited the box, hesitating after he had gotten to his feet. Returning to the human world would be impossible now. He was hit with a wave of desolation, pure defeat at that realization. ‘I could never go back to my career like this. Could I even go back at all…? How long has it been since I was taken?’ He didn’t even want to know. ‘My coworkers, my friends…’ He…he would never see them again. They would never accept him like this.

His life was over.

A little warble caused his gaze to lower, the stinging in his eyes signaling the wet drops falling onto the babies’ shells was not only from the rain. The one with orange spots was looking up at him with big eyes, another soft warble escaping its beak. It was then Lou realized it was shivering—- they all were. 

Something solidified in his chest. His life may be over, but theirs had only just begun.

He would not fail them.

Shielding them closer to his chest, Lou made his way towards the back of the alley, searching for something that could act as a better shelter than that worn and torn box. Dumpsters, a pile of garbage bags, a torn up pile of blankets…a manhole.

Lou grimaced, hissing through his teeth. That would be disgusting. But… ‘What choice do I really have anymore?’

Passing the babies into one hand, he gripped the manhole cover in the other and hauled it to the side. The ladder seemed to lead into an endless abyss of darkness, his vision swimming for a moment at the daunting sight. He hesitated, ‘...Is there nothing else I could do?’

One of the turtles— the one with the soft, leathery shell— let out a fearful little chirp. Lou immediately gently stroked its shell, shushing it. “I know, little turtle. I know…don’t be scared.” 

‘That’s MY job!’ He thought with a shaky chuckle. Cradling the four babies in his arm, Lou carefully climbed down the ladder with the other. 

_______________________

A few hours had passed since then. And Lou had never felt so out of place in his entire life.

He had found a large atrium, deciding to make it into their home. Using some old blankets and a damp box he had grabbed from the alley, he formed a bed for the babies. And for a few haunting hours, Lou had sat and contemplated the complete shitstorm his life had become as the babies peacefully slept.

And then a piercing wail broke through that fog.

Lou startled, a sharp gasp of surprise escaping him as his hand flew up to cover his heart. He looked over at the box, eyes wide and heart pounding as he carefully fished out the shrieking turtle. ‘Is it hurt?? What happened?!’

The other babies let out whimpers as their sibling was taken from them, but Lou ignored them as he turned the baby over in his hand. The turtle looked up at him, sniffling, before letting out another cry.

Lou flinched, his ears pinning down to his head to try and block out the noise. He patted the red-striped turtle’s shell soothingly, grimacing “It’s alright, it’s alright little turtle…what are you crying for?”

The baby paused, blinking a few times. Then a series of chirps escaped its beak, rapid and increasing in volume.

Lou winced again, rubbing his head. “My, you are a talkative one, aren’t you…”

‘Something’s wrong. It doesn’t seem to be hurt though— what’s the problem??’ Lou’s concern grew as the wails did in volume, even more so as the other babies joined in. He carefully set the red-striped one back with its siblings, but unfortunately that did not stop the cries.

And then it hit them.

‘They’re hungry! Oh I’m so stupid—’ How had he not thought of that?!

‘...What the hell do turtles eat?’

Well, it was time to find out. Lou hesitated as he looked back down at the babies, their tearful little eyes and wobbling lips striking his heart. His gaze softened as he scooped the babies up with their blanket, holding them to his chest. “Alright…let's go find you turtles some food.” 

All four babies let out a chaotic little series of chirps, the red-striped one patting his little hands against the leathery-shelled one’s face. It immediately grumbled, snapping its teeth at the fingers.

Lou sighed, shaking his head fondly as the spiky one shuffled its way between them, chirping in annoyance before settling against the blanket with a little chirp. The orange spotted one seemed content to just rest beside its siblings, but its expression was twisted. 

Hungry. The poor babies were still hungry.

Lou began making his way out of the atrium, heading back into the tunnels towards the ladder. He grimaced as his bare, spindly claws clicked against the grimy concrete below. He did not want to be doing this, doing any of this— all he wanted was to huddle up in a corner and cry.

But as the soft sniffling of the red-striped turtle started up again, that thought faded away in an instant. All that mattered right now was taking care of these little turtles.

Climbing up the slippery, wet ladder one-handed was a lot easier going up than down. Easier to see where he was going, at least. As he made it halfway— his arm slipped. 

Heart lurching into his throat, Lou instinctively released his cargo to grab the ladder— before he immediately realized what he had done, and nearly dropped himself back down the ladder to catch the bundle.

‘Tell me they’re alright, tell me I didn’t already fail them—’

Lou could barely breathe as he carefully untucked the top of the blanket, counting one, two, three—

Three turtles.

Where was the red-striped one?! Lou’s ears were ringing, chest so painfully tight he could barely even think— and then a squeaky giggle caught his attention. The man turned his head, spotting the missing turtle sitting on the rung right over his head.

Lou blinked rapidly, the relief he felt near-dizzying. “What are you doing up there, you silly daredevil?” He reached a clawed hand out, gently scooping the baby back into his arms, and safely returning it to the blanket with its siblings. “Give me a damn heart attack, why don’t you…”

He finished climbing up the ladder, taking a moment to sit down outside and catch his breath. The rain seemed to have halted, dawn’s light gently painting the alley in a warm orange glow. As his panic slowly ebbed, guilt quickly encroached on where it had once been.

‘Why did I do that?! That was beyond reckless, so stupid— it could have died, they ALL could have!’ Lou swallowed tightly. 

He was not cut out for this.

He had never wanted to be a parent. He blanched at the word, terror striking him. ‘I can’t be a father. I cannot be their father, they need someone better than me.’

But who? He couldn’t just leave them at a pet store and hope for the best, they clearly weren’t normal turtles anymore. It didn’t take a genius to realize that. The human world would never accept them. Leaving them somewhere up here would only be a death sentence, either some small-minded human would hurt them or bring them to a scientific laboratory to be—-

‘NOPE. NOPE. Do NOT follow that line of thought, you JUST calmed down from panic!’ He scolded himself, shaking his head. No, the human world would not be safe.

The Hidden City could be…maybe there was an orphanage that cared for children, maybe he could find them a good family. With parents who were equipped to handle them, ready to raise them, who wouldn’t put them in danger by climbing a wet ladder with them with one hand.

But…

‘If Draxum found them...’ No. No, that was not an option.

The turtles’ only option was him. 

“I’m sorry…” He whispered, curling his knees to his chest as he cradled the babies closer. “You deserve so much more than me.”

The spiky turtle’s face scrunched up, an incoherent soft little murmur-babble leaving his beak as he gently patted Lou’s muzzle.

Lou chuckled wetly, smiling softly as the other little turtles followed the spiky one’s lead. “Thank you, little ones. I…I will do my best to care for you.” ‘I can only hope it will be enough…’ “Now. Let's find you food, shall we?”

The little turtles remained curled up in a little huddle together as he stood, eyes scanning the alley. His vision was still blurry— only further confirming his fear that this was permanent— but he spotted a large enough scrap of fabric to wrap himself in. The man carefully set the babies down as he did so, doing his best to cover every inch of exposed fur and otherwise rat-like traits.

A series of chirps caught his attention; Lou turned, heart leaping as he expected to find the babies in peril again— only to see them all messing with bits of fabric. It seemed it had come from a rainbow t-shirt, but the spiky turtle was hard at work chewing it to pieces, a scrap of red fabric still hanging from its jaws.

Lou chuckled, kneeling down to pull the fabric out of its mouth. “That’s not good food, little— uh…” 

He forgot to name them.

‘I should probably do that.’ They needed good names, something meaningful…he couldn’t think of anything now, with his mind the chaotic spiral it had remained trapped in since he had escaped that wretched lab.

He glanced around between all the babies again, noting the colors they were on— or, in the spiky one’s case, currently chewing on—- ‘WHERE DID IT GET MORE?!’ — Red, Blue, Purple, Orange.

“I’ll call you all that for now. While I think.” He muttered, scooping the little ones back up. Maybe he could take pieces of cloth on the way back, give them each little necktie bandanas? Whatever. That didn’t matter right now; what did matter, was finding these babies something to eat.

…Maybe visiting a pet store wasn’t such a terrible idea. Just to ask what to feed a turtle. That would be his first step. Then he would find said food, get the babies properly fed and bring them back to that atrium…and then…

Then…take it day by day. Raise them as best he could. It was all he could do now.

Lou was far out of his depth.

But maybe…

Maybe everything would be alright in the end.

[latersgayt0rs]

vetted fundraisers from today. please continue to donate if you're in a position to do so and share regardless! any contribution you can make is urgently needed.

july 6th:

Basel Ayyad and his family of eight, including his sick daughter whose condition is deteriorating without treatment (CHF2,337/CHF60,000) - @basel-1995, #214 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet

Aya Alanqar, her husband Jihad, and their three little children (€886/€35,000) - @ayaalanqarsblog, verified by @/90-ghost

Ahmed Ziad, his siblings, and their elderly parents (£4,209/£30,000) - @ahmed-ziad, verified by @/nabulsi

Abdullah Mohammed, his wife (nine months pregnant and urgently needs perinatal care), their three young children, and three other family members ($9,443/$47,000) - @amhdes90, verified by @/el-shab-hussein

Ahmed Alanqar, his wife Dina, and their three young children (€23,840/€35,000) - @ahmedabuyamin, verified by @/nabulsi

Mohammed Hilles, his wife, and their four children (€21,965/€37,000) - @hmzamahamed3, #176 on @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein's spreadsheet

8-year-old Yusuf, who needs urgent treatment for kidney failure, his five siblings, and their parents (€41,141/€85,000) - @ahmednabubak, verified by @/nabulsi

Haneen Atya and her family of ten, including her mother (who needs treatment as soon as possible for a stroke and bleeding) and several young children ($38,407 AUD/$70,000 AUD) - @neverhate2024, @haneenatya34, #71 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet

Omar Sobhi and his family (their gofundme was just shut down and they lost all the funds they'd raised) ($95/$60,000) - @omargazablog, verified by @/nabulsi

Muhammad Atallah (who needs vital surgery after being shot with an explosive bullet) and his family of 14, including two children, one a newborn (€380/€82,000) - @mohammed-atallah, verified by @/90-ghost

Mahmoud Al-Sharif, his wife (pregnant and urgently needs care), and their three children ($304/$60,000) - @mahmoud-sharif, verified by @/90-ghost

Yousef Al-Habeel, his wife, and their little son Majd, who needs treatment for severe respiratory illness (£493/£20,000) - @savefamilyyousef, verified by @/90-ghost

The Al Zaeem family of seven, including four children and their sick grandfather ($18,916 CAD/$50,000 CAD) - @malkzaeem, @yosofzaeem, #129 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet

Mohammed Haboub and his family of four (kr17,911 SEK/kr300,000 SEK) - @mohammedhaboub-blog, verified by @/90-ghost

Muhammad Shehab and his family, including his two young sons (€385/€25,000) - @hyamshehab, @mohammedshehab111, verified by @/sayruq

Mahmoud Baalousha, his wife Islam, their three young children (one a newborn), and three other family members (€14,654/€50,000) - @5735765, #124 on @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein's spreadsheet

Helping Siraj Abudayeh, his wife, and their three young children rebuild their treasured home ($4,003 CAD/$82,000 CAD) - @siraj2024, verified by @/nabulsi

Firas Muhaisen's family of six, including three children, as well as he and his sister's (very time sensitive) medical school fees ($1,864 CAD/$82,000 CAD) - @firasmuhaisenn, @nisreenameen, @hashemmuhesin, verified by @/90-ghost

Newlyweds Noor and Alaa (both have lost multiple family members) (€2,691/€25,000) - @nouralaagaza, verified by @/90-ghost

Journalist and cancer patient Yousef Abu Saeed and his family (they had raised >100k, but were scammed by an organizer and have had to start over) ($5,161/$60,000) - @/ph_youseeff on instagram, #18 on operation olive branch's press heroes tab

these families are struggling through unimaginable difficulties each day just to survive - more than ever they need us to come through for them. your choice to engage with this post or support one of the above campaigns materially matters so much

[latersgayt0rs]

Hello again, and THANK YOUUUU FOR YOUR SERVICE!! Eating this up rn.

Hiiiii I’m baaack because, as always, ur writing is lovely. Would you be so kind as to do 16 & 26, s’il te plaît? 👁️👁️

Hi again Ferr! I have more angst for you >:D

Once again, blood and death warning! (sorry guys Ferr brings out the worst in me /pf /lh /pos)

Link to original prompts below!

https://www.tumblr.com/promptsbytaurie/737257254775111680/dialogue-prompts-for-injury?source=share

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

26: “[name]? [name], this isn't funny. Stop…please….”

It wasn’t supposed to go this way.

All he’d wanted to do was blow off a little steam, take some time out of the Lair. Away from his new responsibilities, away from the new and uncomfortable home they were renovating, away from his fights with Raph. All he’d wanted was peace and quiet.

And maybe a bit of fun. That was the whole reason Leo brought Mikey along with him; well that, and that he’d noticed his youngest brother looking a bit sad as Leo had stormed away from Raph. 

So, Leo had gone to Mikey’s room, finding the box turtle hunched at his desk. Neon lights embedded in the ceiling of his train cart painted the room in a soft glow as he drew something— Mikey looked up the moment he heard Leo come in, his expression furrowed in confusion.

“Hey Mike.” Leo had begun with a big grin, hoping it would hide how his heart was racing. How much he was afraid that his recent attitude had driven more than one brother away from him. “Wanna come topside with me to skateboard?” It wasn’t like they had a ramp inside anymore.

After Mikey had agreed, Leo had anticipated a peaceful night. Hanging out with his baby brother, practicing tricks on their skateboards, maybe grabbing a pizza…

…Getting attacked by the Foot Clan had not been a part of the plan.

The two turtles hadn’t been expecting a fight, let alone such a sudden ambush. 

Leo noticed Mikey had opted to use his skateboard as a weapon, flinging it around with his kusari-fundo. The slider chuckled as his little brother flung one of the foot soldiers clean off their feet and careening right into another.

“Nice throw, little brother!” Leo called, grinning as Mikey shot him a thumbs up. And then the box turtle’s expression did something horrible.

It twisted, horror sharpening— before he was suddenly at Leo’s side, shoving him with a scream to, “WATCH OUT!”

Leo hissed as gravel dug into his palms and forearms, stinging his scales. He pushed himself back up to a kneel, whipping around—

All the air rushed from his body. Shock settled into his bones, freezing him in place.

Mikey stood over him, his eyes wide. Staring down at the sword stabbing through his stomach— and then crying out as it was pulled out, falling to his knees then collapsing onto his side.

And Leo.

Saw.

Red.

…

…

…He wasn’t sure what exactly happened next. He vaguely recalled screams, flashes of blue portals and pink smoke, and then silence. 

The only sound filling the dark skatepark was Leo’s heavy breathing. His breath hitched, swords slipping out of his hands and clattering to the ground as he whipped around, rushing back to Mikey’s side.

“MIKEY!” He screamed, crashing down to his knees and tugging his baby brother into his arms. The box turtle cried out, flinching as he was jostled.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry— hang on, just hang on—” Leo’s mind was scrambled. ‘Focus, focus, focus focus focus focus focusfocusfocusfocus— stop the bleeding.’ Leo fumbled through his pouches, practically ripping a pack of gauze out and pressing it to the wound.

Mikey whimpered, shuddering and curling closer to his big brother. Tears stung the corners of Leo’s eyes as he rocked them back and forth, pressing it down harder as the blood soaked into the spongy material— causing Mikey to scream.

“God, I’m so sorry, it’ll be over soon, I promise.” Leo breathed, shaking violently. He hit his panic button, heart in his throat. He’d never dealt with a stab wound like this before, not in this location. Not alone. “I’ll get you home, I’ll get help. Okay? You’re gonna be fine, Mikester.” ‘I can’t move him though, I can’t carry him that far like this, my ninpo was exhausted by that fight— I can’t—’

“Are you okay?” Mikey whispered, grabbing Leo’s bicep as he stared up at him with wild eyes. “Did you get hurt?”

“Did I—” Leo shook his head, a manic laugh escaping his beak. “Buddy, I’m fine. We gotta get you home, okay?”

Mikey hummed, his expression twisting. His scales were much paler than they should be, the gauze already leaking blood down his sides— ‘No, no no no no no NONONONONONO—’

“Leo…?” Mikey choked out, grabbing onto his shoulder desperately, fear overwhelming his weak voice. “Am I gonna die?”

“No.” Leo forced a reassuring smile onto his face. “No, no, no, of course not bud. Course not. You’re gonna be—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Mikey’s head gently thumped against Leo’s plastron. His hand slid off of the slider’s shoulder, hitting the ground with a dull thunk.

Leo was frozen. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t— he couldn’t fucking breathe.

“Mike? Mikey, Miguel, come on come on—” Leo whispered, his eyes wide. He felt sick, bile rising in his throat and his lungs tightening at his baby brother’s continued stillness. “Mikey? Miguel, this isn't funny. Stop…please….”

…

Leo rocked the lifeless form in his arms slowly, feeling like he was underwater. Nothing from the world around him mattered anymore. The sounds were faint, his lungs were being crushed by the weight of his grief. The distant sounds grew louder— and then a blurry shape dropped to its knees in front of him, arms reaching out and ripping Mikey’s body right out of his hold.

Leo let them. He didn’t deserve to hold his baby brother anymore. 

He faintly heard the sound grow more frantic, the shape slowly coming into focus. He first registered the green, then the purple— oh. It was Donnie. His twin was clutching Mikey close to his chest, frantically tapping his face as he kept screaming something. Leo had no idea what— all he could hear was ringing.

The screamed words turned into an anguished, single note as Donnie crushed Mikey to his chest, faint, piercing sobs breaking through the fog clouding Leo’s mind.

And then someone else stepped into view. Leo looked up at his older brother as Raph fell in front of him, staring down at Mikey with a look Leo didn’t even want to describe. Then he slowly turned to look at Leo, grabbing his shoulders.

He shouted something unintelligible. Leo didn’t react, blinking rapidly.

“WHAT HAPPENED?!” Raph screamed again, shaking Leo’s shoulders roughly. 

Leo’s throat closed up. He couldn’t explain if he wanted to. He just stared at Raph silently as his big brother’s expression twisted, a horrible amalgamation of emotions swamping his face— but all Leo could see was the anger.

Leo flinched back, completely unnoticed by the others. ‘This is all my fault. If I hadn’t dragged us out here, he’d still be alive. This is my fault.’

The force of the revelation nearly crushed him.

What he heard next did.

“Can we— can we get him to the Med Bay??” Raph’s choked, hopeful, shaky question was directed at Donnie. The softshell didn’t respond, causing the desperation to rise in Raph’s voice. “Please, we gotta— he’s just a baby, please— Leo, Lee, we can get him fixed up, right?? He’ll be okay, right??”

Leo couldn’t breathe.

“Right…?”

…

[latersgayt0rs]

EVERYONE GO READ THIS (if ur interested)! Andromeda wrote a sad Rise ficlet 🥰 Thank you for targeting me, this was so much fun. Love some good angst

RAN HERE FULL SPEED okok so could you do 8, 14, and 21 all in one story?? If possible. Totally didn’t pick those for maximum angst or anything nooooo /s

Omg hi Ferr!! First writing I'm posting in awhile not beta read by you /pf

Ahem. Maximum angst, you say?

(WARNING! This is going to contain blood, death, and descriptions of corpses. Please be warned!)

Link to original post with the prompts!

https://www.tumblr.com/promptsbytaurie/737257254775111680/if-anyone-wants-to-send-specific-prompts-in-my-ask?source=share

8: “Okay. Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do—fuck.”

14: "You just watched them die."

21: “Please be okay. Please be okay, please be okay—”

The moment the clock hit 10pm April knew something was wrong.

It was Friday night, the rain pattering gently against the glass of her window. April watched the trickles of water slowly make their way down, collecting at the bottom. Jupiter Jim: Back to the Moon?! Again?! Sitting in her DVD player, the 18-year-old curled under a blanket as she stared down at her phone.

No texts.

No calls.

No word.

Absolutely nothing from her little brothers.

Sure, they were only supposed to be there thirty minutes ago. Yeah, it certainly wasn’t the first time they were late— the four of them once Busted through her window two hours late, sporting a few pizza boxes and a story about some pigeon holding pizza in its beak— apparently the second time that had happened to them, so it was a big deal.

But they knew better. They knew better, after what had happened to all of them six months ago. After the invasion, after she almost lost all of her little brothers in one fell swoop.

They had been planning this all week. For them to not arrive…

“Damn it.” April muttered, throwing her phone to the side and watching it bounce right off of her couch, her youngest brother’s voicemail still playing out. She stood up abruptly, not even bothering to change out of her pajamas as she grabbed a coat and her baseball bat. “You boys better be okay so I can kick your ass, I swear…”

Her door slammed shut behind her, and the moment it clicked shut she took off running. Booting up the tracker app she had on her phone, quickly locking onto Donnie’s tracker with fumbling fingers. All four of them were together, in some alley. About four blocks away.

‘If these idiots stopped over another goddamn pizza pigeon just to give me a heart attack I’m going to kill them.’

She barely remembered her race to get there. As she turned the corner, she had a maelstrom of thoughts going through her head— violent images of the Krang being back, finding them standing over her brothers’ lifeless bodies— or her turning the corner to find them all safe, alive, okay—

…

But…

Neither option was correct.

April felt the bat slide out of her hand, barely hearing it impact the wet asphalt as her ears began to ring. As she felt the ground be ripped out from under her.

A metallic smell filled the air. April could barely breathe as she beheld the massacre in front of her.

A dozen men in government uniforms, bloodied and ripped apart. Blood coated the walls, dripped and puddled in the rainwater. Streamed from their black coats like rivers. Her gaze wobbled as it rose past them, what was standing in the middle of them.

Donnie.

Her little brother was clutching his bo staff tight, breath heaving and shaking as he silently stared at the scene around him. The look on his face was terrifying.

“Donnie…? Did you—?” April couldn’t finish her choked out words.

Donnie didn’t even react. But the blood on the end of his bo spoke for itself. Going up his arms to his elbows, covering his plastron.

“Okay.” April’s voice wobbled as she slowly walked towards him. “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do— fuck.” The air was punched from her as she finally beheld what was at the end of the alley. The clear reason why Donnie had done this.

Their brothers.

Her baby brothers.

Raph, Leo, and Mikey. All laying there, crumpled forms and limbs twisted in ways that they shouldn’t be. Crimson soaking them, the rain barely making a dent in the bloodstains.

“No!” April rushed forward, darting right past Donnie to their sides. She collapsed to her knees, reaching out to grab Raph’s shoulder with a violently trembling hand. “Please be okay. Please be okay, please be okay—” Her voice rose multiple octaves in her hysteria. 

Raph’s eyes opened, bringing her momentary relief. Her heart broke as he let out a tiny whine, reaching his hand out for her. She immediately took it, forcing a shaky smile onto her face as she mustered up as much determination as she could. “You’re gonna be fine, big guy.” She murmured, rubbing his arm. ‘Where is he hurt how bad is it how bad is it how bad is it—’ “Everything’s okay, your big sister is here now, okay? I’ve got you. I’ll keep you safe, okay?”

Raph’s only answer was another short, soft whimper.

And then his eyes went dull. His weak grip went slack, his head hitting the pavement with a sickening, soft thump.

April couldn’t breathe.

Her little brother, her baby brother, gone. Just like that. In an instant, torn away from her and the rest of their family. Their protector, the foundation of their family, the rock that kept them all afloat through the storms—

Gone.

April’s gaze slowly lifted to the brothers curled under his arm. The ones he shielded, even in death. She could immediately tell that Leo was gone already. She had no idea for how long, but necks should not bend like that. His eyes were blank, lifeless. Blood slowly seeping a trail from his mouth down his jaw, dripping.

And then Mikey. Her poor, sweet baby brother. She let out a choked sob as she saw him weakly holding onto his brothers, the agony in his eyes all she could see for a moment…until he went limp. Dead, just like the other two.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Her brothers were gone.

April clenched her teeth as she let out an agonized scream, clenching her fists and banging them into the pavement— ignoring the sickening crack, the sharp pain that suddenly flooded her— it was nothing compared to the grief she felt. April shakily reached a hand out, closing Leo’s eyes and then Raph’s. 

“What are you doing?” 

Donnie’s hoarse, angry voice came from behind her. Immediately catching her attention.

April looked up over her shoulder slowly, staring up at him. She couldn’t say a word, her throat closed up.

“You just watched them die.” Donnie sounded breathless, his eyes filled with pure malice as he stared down at her. Bo trembling in his hand. “You didn’t— why didn’t you DO SOMETHING?!”

April swallowed back the flood of agony that wrought her at being blamed. “I— there was nothing I could’ve done, Dee.”

“You didn’t even TRY!” Donnie exploded, gripping his staff in both hands as an explosion of purple energy flew out of him, slamming into the walls around them— and right into April.

She cried out as she was flung back, slamming into Raph’s motionless shell. Her back hitting the side of his spikes winded her, sending the human crashing to her knees and gasping for breath.

When she finally looked up again, Donnie was staring down at her with wide eyes. His entire body was shaking, a newfound clarity and horror gleaming in his gaze. He opened his mouth, but the only sound that came out was a weak chirp. A call.

She recognized the sound. She knew it well, from years of growing up alongside those turtles. Her boys, her brothers.

He was calling for his brothers.

Donnie shook his head violently, the chirp escaping much more desperately, as if it was torn from his throat. April lunged to her feet as he crashed to his knees, the bo staff rolling away through the bloodied carnage Donnie had caused. 

April dropped down in front of him, hauling her little brother into a hug right as those desperate chirps turned to piercing wails. Unable to do anything more than hold the only brother she had left.

[latersgayt0rs]

So like... what if they were an item... (the brainrot is bad, plz help me 💀)

Rambling explanation down below:

Ok so, I love Repo and Nubbins dearly, and I originally thought it'd be funny if Repo and my oc Leif were together bc praying mantises chomp other insects, so it would be kinda like an "opposites attract" situation. But the more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea, and the more I found interesting similarities and differences between the two characters; both are bugs who are attracted to light, but it goes beyond that. Repo is known to like gold/shiny things, and Leif is an orange-headed epicallima moth, meaning he's VERY shiny and golden. Both are self-centered assholes when they want to be, but also care deeply about those who are close to them. And me thinking about them and their weird huge manticat pet/kid just makes me so happy. Weird lil family that was made to kill each-other, but don’t.

I also wanted to note that in my future au idea, Repo saves Nubbins from something during the invasion, so she bonds very strongly with him and stops trying to eat him. She still has to be well-trained to make sure she doesn’t do that though, as she still has those instincts when she's hungry.

Anyways. I'm cringe, and I am not free /j

[latersgayt0rs]

Me and Andromeda have thought about this SO much. To add to this conversation:

Leo is incredibly smart, and used Prime's ego and thirst for vengeance in order to make him underestimate Leo. He manipulated Prime perfectly. I don't think people truly understand the brilliance of what what essentially a last-ditch effort from Leo.

And, it's not even like it was hopeless for Leo to get back out once Prime got in the Prison Dimension. He still had a small chance to try and get away. For example, with his swords. Krang Prime had swatted them away, unfortunately, but before that happened, if Leo had simply been able to teleport Krang Prime in, he could've potentially tried teleporting back out while telling Casey to close the portal. Another option was after Leo's swords were knocked out of his hands, that he could've make his own swords appear again (since him and his brothers had previously turned Todd's tools into weapons with their ninpo, it isn't much of a stretch for Leo to learn how to do this without a base tool first. He has had time and practice since that episode, so his powers have likely been refined).

There WERE escape possibilities, things just happened that prevented them from being viable options. Sure, there's the question of whether or not he could even get out of the Prison Dimension with his powers once the key had locked it, but Leo is a "let's cross that bridge when we get to it" kind of guy sometimes— which is exactly what has to be done when in a situation that requires quick thinking/quick reactions.

No matter how much me and Andromeda have thought about the problem, we keep coming back to the same conclusion: Leo was RIGHT. He made a brilliant last-minute plan, and I think we should give him WAY more credit for it!

So a little while ago me and my friend @latersgayt0rs kinda realized something about the ROTTMNT movie.

Leo’s plan at the end made perfect sense.

And I don’t mean that from a writing standpoint— of course that made sense for plot purposes— I mean from an in-universe perspective. Leo’s perspective.

People say it was suicidal, or say he didn’t have to do it that way, which is a totally valid interpretation! But me and Ferr saw it a little differently.

So, let's look at all the facts of the situation. After regaining their ninpo, the turtles all fought Krang Prime (or, Krang One) with everything they had. EVERYTHING.

Donnie fired that big barrage of missiles, Mikey threw an entire goddamn SKYSCRAPER at him! Everyone gave it their all, but when they combined their powers and tried to punch Krang Prime with ALL of that—

He stopped them by simply flicking his fingers. He knocked Donnie and Mikey off the building, both unable to catch themselves so Raph of course had to go save them.

And Leo was left alone.

With all of that prior information, what else was Leo really supposed to do in that situation? 

Sure, he could ask where the others landed and form a portal to get them back up there, but again; Everything. They threw EVERYTHING they had at Krang Prime, and he flung them away like it was nothing. Who’s to say he wouldn’t just do that again? Or kill someone?

Not to mention Leo had to be exhausted. It was nighttime when the movie began, then daytime in the middle, then it looked pretty dark when everything was going on at the end. Maybe that was just dust and debris kicked up by the Technodrome, but hours had passed with no sleep, no rest, only action. Only fighting.

Leo went from the first fight to the Krang to the subway tunnels fight, to the stuff that happened in Metro Tower, to his 1v1 with Raph, to this fight with little to no breaks in between. Physically at least; again, he did not sleep between these times. And emotions had to be going INSANE after Raph was taken.

How do we know he even had the energy to make enough portals to get everyone back up there then be able to portal them/himself around during the fight? 

So, Leo was tired. Leo knew how strong Prime was. And most importantly, he knew the stakes.

If Krang Prime was not stopped here, then the entire world would be destroyed. His family would be killed. Everyone would die.

Leo had NO choice. There was no other choice, no other option for him. No other route to take. 

He HAD to lock Krang Prime back in the Prison Dimension. And the only way for him to do that and keep him inside was to teleport them both.

There was no other alternative that would have worked.

[latersgayt0rs]

Leif, my Orange-headed Epicallima moth, a ROTTMNT apocalypse timeline oc!

He's grumpy and annoying most of the time, don't let the cute drawings fool you. I love him dearly.

And here are some of his previous try-out designs. The coloured version is the final I went with! The red things are goggles to put over his eyes due to him having the moth characteristic of being attracted to lights. The goggles stop this effect, seeing as red lenses are described as being the best for blocking blue lights, anddd they also make him look like Moth Man ✨ LMAO

Hope y'all like these, you'll be seeing more of him! (I am obsessed with drawing him)

[latersgayt0rs]

A piece I did as a present for @andromeda-galaxy2877 's Life Goes On au!! I'm so obsessed with her fanfics, I have more art to post still. Alsooooo I've been told Andromeda has a little surprise in store once I post this, so go check out her account ;D

@tmntaucompetition propaganda?? On my account??? More likely than you think. GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE COMPETITORS!!!

And below is the version without the blurred background.

[latersgayt0rs]

I've been obsessed with @somerandomdudelmao 's Cas apocalypse series for AGES now, so of course I had to draw something for it! It was so inspiring and interesting, I still can't get over the wonderful art.

This is based on that scene of Donnie and CJ going shopping together, it's one of my favourite scenes. Them just having fun and goofing around. However it's not completely finished BECAUSE I am currently working on a background for it!!! Which might take a while for me to actually finish, but it IS in the works :D

[latersgayt0rs]

I was experimenting with a 2012-like style while doing a screenshot redraw

[latersgayt0rs]

@andromeda-galaxy2877 Thanks for the tag!! And no pressure ofc :D I only know two people here and one of them tagged me already lmaooo

picrew chain???

https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/2069970

im literally such a boypilled garfcel...

@the-enby-doughnut @lazarus---rising @mapsareforbraindeads @myperfecttalia and anyone else who's interested!

[latersgayt0rs]

WOOOO FIRST POST 🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉

Do not separate them or interrupt the group hug. They bite.

The absolute STRUGGLE to figure out what my first post should be :,D And then I realized it would be nice to start with ALL four of them. So here's a group sibling hug!