#However to be clear The turtles come above ground for the first time after like six months and the villains are like “FINALLY”

[cryptvokeeper]

also as long as I’m makin more rise posts let the record show that i am thinking about “NYC rogues gallery puts crime on hold to help out in the aftermath of the Movie while the Mad Dogs recover” 24/7

Like I know Hypno and Warren disappear from the movie after the first act or so but I’ve decided they feel really really bad and try to help out. Warrens able to get into small spaces in collapsed buildings and stuff and check if anyones stuck inside, and then Hypno gets them out. They also use his hypnosis to make people forget they saw them so they don’t get in trouble. I think they send the turtles a nice “sorry we inadvertently let aliens invade New York” gift basket too.

Repo Mantis hauling away rubble in the aftermath. He acts like it’s just cuz it’s good valuable scrap but he’s also losing just as much scrap giving away building/repair materials and helping fix up cars and generators for folks.

the purple dragons keeping wifi/cell service alive so people can contact their families and make sure they’re safe.

Big Mama’s hotel opening its doors to both yokai and humans who lost their homes.

Meat Sweats giving out hot meals to people.

TODD. JUST TODD.

What can I say I love 9-5 villains who are like “we may be evil but we aren’t MONSTERS” ok

[animarumaeternae]

Here is my OC

His name is Kenan Halil

He is a sylph angel

He has three animal friends a fox a rabbit and a squirrel

COMMISSION DONE 🎉🎊🥳🎊🎉🥳🎊🎉

as always, thank you so much for the request!! It was a lot of fun to draw and I hope you’re pleased with the results!! <333

for the turtles I imagined the initial shock of meeting a literal Angel would be a lot to comprehend.

((especially for Donnie who tends to be rather skeptical when it comes to anything.. ethereal))

so I imagined that Donnie’s scanners would have picked up an abnormality that he would trace upstate

((approximately somewhere near where they went camping with Todd that one time))

Donnie took his brothers along in case the abnormality turned out to be something dangerous, but what they were confronted with was like nothing they could’ve prepared for.

——————————————

Donnie sat back in his plush chair, gazing uncomprehendingly at the screen in front of him. Something was in New York. This ‘something’ was small, as far as his tracers could tell. About the size of an average human. However none of his security cameras were able to track the thing for more than a second. Even when he paused and enhanced the image, all that came of it was a blur. Whatever this ‘something’ was, it was moving fast. And… approximately 50 feet above the streets?? That couldn’t be right. A glitch in the feed. Donnie thought. A new alert popped up on the screen.

“oh god” Donnie sat back from his screen, groaning with exhaustion. this thing is practically oozing empyrean signature. And whenever something bad happens to us, empyrean is usually at the center of it. Donnie sighed. thinking back to the Shredder and his insatiable desire for the substance. What’s more, after the whole Krang fiasco, Donnie had enlisted Draxum to assist him in studying the source of the Krang’s mystic-blocking power. The Empyrean that runs through their slimy pink veins.

Now Donnie was even less amped about figuring out what this speed-demon empyrean-oozing entity was. But he figured Raph would have his shell if he found out he let something potentially dangerous slide, just because he didn’t feel like dealing with it. …and maybe he was curious…

———————————

roughly an hour and a half later ((“seriously Leo? a mud mask??” “It’s self care day.”)) the brothers were exiting the turtle tank and into the woods of upstate New York. Donnie had traced that powerful Empyrean trail to somewhere in the vicinity of their old camping grounds, but as soon as they got within 5 miles of the source, Donnie’s tech had started malfunctioning.

ugh, of course now would be the time for it to start glitching. I’m really starting to dislike this empyrean stuff. Donnie huffed absentmindedly. Coming for my brothers, the human race, and the entirety of the human and yokai worlds is one thing, but the moment you touch my tech-

Donnie’s inner monologuing was cut short when he felt Leo grab ahold of his shoulder. Mikey had also stopped chattering, and Raph’s senseless worried ramblings had ceased as well. Donnie craned his neck to see past these- “wait are these giant mushrooms?”

“Uh, let’s come back to that later, Dee.” Leo squeezed his shoulder

“first, how about we figure out what that glow-y thing is?” Mikey suggested nervously from Donnie’s other side, gesturing through the trees to a faint light source.

suddenly an ear-splitting screech erupted from Donnie’s wrist-tech. Causing all of them to stumble backwards. Well, whatever that “glow-y thing” is, it’s definitely the empyrean’s source. His blitzed-out tech could at least agree on that.

the screeching faded as quickly as it had come, leaving the brothers to resume their previous position and creep past the.. giant mushrooms ((seriously coming back with a testing kit after this))

the harsh glow of the clearing nearly blinded Donnie, as he stepped out of the shadows first, and came face to face with- holy shit is that an angel???

the ethereal creature slowly drifted its glowing eyes back towards the astounded turtles. Its skin and hair were sprinkled with stars, its 2 pairs of eyes trained solely on the intruders in its meadow. It’s wings- literal wings- fluttered anxiously at its back, tail twitching back and forth.

it took Donnie a moment to realize they were not alone in this clearing. The growling is what first alerted him. His eyes quickly flicked over to the Fox at the creatures side. Donnie maintained eye contact while assessing the rabbit and squirrel also sitting alongside the creature.

The ((Donnie was reluctant to call it an angel but for lack of better word that’s what he was currently going with)) reached out to rest it’s hand on the foxes head, Donnie thought for sure that the fox would’ve taken the angel’s hand off, but they seemed to come to a silent agreement. Donnie’s brothers, for once, remained silent behind him. Anxiously waiting for what the angel would do next.

the air around the clearing seemed to still as the creature opened it’s mouth to speak-

[nintendogirl106734-blog]

Sister Turtle AU

This is the first time I am posting to Tumbler (and AO3 under RStar106734) and this is a project I have been working on for a while. However, school is busy and I have no clue how often I will be able to update it or respond to any comments or asks. Don't let that stop you though! Leave a comment or send an ask and I will try to respond when I am able. For now, here is the prologue to my story. Enjoy!

______________________________________________________________

People often describe their first memories as blurry figments of general sensations and assumptions based on stories that their parents tell them. They may be able to give a few details about moments that truly stuck with them, but even these memories are tinged with a nostalgic blur. That is not the case for me. My first memory is as clear as any memory could be and it can only be described as pure chaos. 

The smell of smoke is the very first thing that I can remember. It burned far hotter than any of the flames that reached its hungry fingers toward my face. After that, the feeling of something soft surrounded me, drying the tears that slipped from my eyes and pinning me against some shiny fabric. Whatever it was, it was constantly moving. There was an almost constant bounce that was occasionally interrupted by hard jolts that threw me into something hard. After one particularly hard bump, the hard thing started to squirm against my shell. I started to move as well, trying to turn around and see the thing, but I could only catch a glimpse of something green and orange before there was another jolt. 

I gave a little chirp, with four similar chirps repeating the sound behind my shell and a soft laugh from somewhere above my head. I tilted my head up to find what gave that non-bale sound, but I was entranced by something else. The area above our heads glittered with glittering stones. They were glowing, draping the surrounding area in a faint pink hue. They looked exceedingly similar to what I’ve been told surface stars look like at night, but I would argue that the gems are better. They change colors to match the sunlight above, with the pink fading to purple in my memory. I probably would have stared at those gems forever if… things hadn’t happened the way they did. 

To be entirely honest, I’m not entirely sure what happened. I was staring at the gems one second, and the next, there was an extremely hard jolt that threw me away from the soft thing around me. I went flying right over it with nothing more than a startled chirp.

At that moment, it felt like time stopped. I could see the ground coming closer. I could hear panicking creatures screaming. The chirps of my bale mates echoed around me, but they went unanswered. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t make a sound. I could barely even breathe. I could only watch the ground approaching me. I knew that I had to move. I didn’t know what would happen if I didn’t, but something deep down told me that I had to do something. I knew that I was watching death approach but I could not force myself to do anything. The only thing I could feel was a paralyzing fear that still haunts my nightmares. I honestly believe that the only reason I can tell this story is because my instincts kicked in at the last moment. I tucked into my shell for a brief moment before I hit the ground.

The top of my plastron hit the ground before anything else and I was blinded by sudden pain. If I thought the smoke burned my nose, then this felt like someone was dipping my entire chest into lava. I think someone screamed at that point. There might have been multiple screams, but the ringing in my ears drowned them out. Nothing existed except for the agony that was spreading through my body and grew with every inch I slid away from my bale and the cries that managed to break through the fog. 

Eventually, everything stilled for a moment. Nothing moved, nothing could be heard, and every sense was mildly dulled with the shell around me and the pain that now infected my entire body. I was finally able to take a breath. It still smelled like smoke with the new addition of fresh blood, but that breath felt like nothing had before. That one breath led to the next, which was followed by even more. My chest slowly moved with each inhale and the sound of air whooshing through my nose drowned out the continued ringing and my pounding heart. Each breath came slower and softer than the last. There was a pause when something blocked the front of my shell with a world-shaking thud, but the darkness only helped to drown out everything but my breathing and heartbeat. I don’t know how long I focused on my breathing behind my walls, but I think I eventually drifted off. 

Father eventually found me. He picked me up with delicate movements that barely woke me, but I just gave him a quiet chirp and drifted off again. Things got a little blurry after that. Father tells me that it was because I got ill from stress and infection. He swears that he did everything to protect me and my brothers. He swears that he looked for the others, but there was no sign that they survived. I was the only warrior he had left and he would do everything he could to make sure I would have the chance my siblings ever could. He would raise me to be a protector of the weak, a warrior for the people, and the guardian that I needed during that chaos.

I will achieve his dreams for me. He wants the best for everyone, and if I need to make some sacrifices to make that happen… Who cares about the weapon that a hero uses to save the land?

[harvesterofmusic]

Young Lust | Watermour

Recordings of 1972

Album: Obscured by clouds

📍Strawberry Studios, Château d'Hérouville

It was a day of recording like any other at The Strawberry Studios, Roger and David were in the instrument room and, while they waited for the other two members of the band, they began to strum their own electric instrument.

Shortly after Roger got up from the sofa where he was sitting next to David and took some written papers from the ground, sat down crossing his legs and read one of these very carefully.

R: Hey Dave...do you think I should change the lyrics of "Wot's...Uh the Deal"? See...here...

he pointed to the paragraph with his finger. David took the sheet, read the piece and smiled at his friend

D: And why on earth would you? Rog...this is perfect...as always...

Roger smiled hearing those words as he picked the text back.

R: Well, you also contributed to its writing and as much as I hate to admit it, it's also perfect thanks to you... but like every other song we write together..

The two looked at each other following Roger's last words, only to be interrupted by Nick's usual delicacy as he entered the studio, followed by a chic Rick who, as slow as he walked, would have competed with a turtle.

R: Finally! Where the fuck have the two of you been? You got lost? Yet this house is not very big...

Roger said nervously, but it was not clear if it was actually due to the delay of the two companions or the fact that they had interrupted such a strange moment for him and David

N: Come on, Rog, don't get upset as always... you know that it's hard to wake up in the morning, especially if you're just a few steps far from the center of Paris and you want to enjoy this mini vacation

R: Too bad this isn't a vacation but we are here to work Nick...we have little time left to finish this God damn album.

N: If only a movie with our song as soundtrack doesn't come out soon, we'll have more time on our hands...

W: Guys come on...the longer we stay here arguing with each other the less time we'll have to finish the album...so Nick go and sit on the drums, Rog take your bass and David...(looking for his gaze) are you there mate?

David nodded and got up from the sofa where a few moments before he was blissfully talking to Roger.

When everyone was in their seats the various recordings began.

Among the songs to be recorded that day were precisely "Wot's ... Uh the Deal" and "Stay" which was a ballad sung entirely by Rick.

The recording session came to an end for that day, which unfortunately was also one of the last they would spend in that villa.

Nick was the first to leave the room holding a cigarette with two fingers, following him as always was Rick who went to take a nap; in all this, however, Roger didn't notice anything, he was more busy devouring David with his eyes.

David noticed, but he didn’t want to ruin that moment one more time.

Roger was hit by a sudden flow of thoughts, reflections and above all doubts about what his beliefs were...why couldn’t he not think about David? Why couldn’t he stop staring at every little gesture he made?

At one point David came out of the soundproof room pulling back the long hair that often and willingly went on his eyes; needless to say that as soon as David moved, Roger’s gaping gaze finally changed position.

D: What were you staring at?

he asked, acting like a fool as he stood next to him and began to manipulate with the various knobs of the recorder.

R: Um...no nothing...

he said, rubbing his eyes with his fingers

R: Wait...is it just you and me?

he said looking around finding no one

D: Yes...the other two left like five minutes ago

Roger nodded, he didn’t know what to say nor what to do in that moment...the only thing he did was keeping watching David who noticed soon after.

D: Rog...tell me something...do you like me that much?

asked David as he began to stare at Roger

R: What do you mean?

D: I don’t know...I mean...you’ve been staring at me all day, literally eating me with your eyes almost...

Roger got up and started walking back and forth around the room while holding his hands in the back pockets of his flared jeans.

David couldn’t help but look at him, but at one point he couldn’t anymore and he got up too.

D: Are you finished or what? You will make the furrow if you continue like this

he smiled slightly and then pointed at the sofa

D: Sit there...it’s definitely better than standing up and going back and forth don’t you think?

R: What if I don’t want to?

he said a little too close to David, who did not even notice

D: Well in this case...

He threw him on the sofa by pushing him from his shoulders and started tickling him, not realizing that he had literally sat on his lap.

Roger began to laugh like a madman as usual trying to defend himself from the guitarist’s fast fingers, but with little result.

After a while, David stopped and began to stare at him

D: Do you see what happens if you turn against me? In the end you sat down like I told you.

Roger, who, as egocentric as he was, could not accept that he had been beaten, reversed the situation: he put David’s arms around his neck and in a decisive way he stood up with David still in his arms and made him lean against the wall

R: And now? l'd say that the situation has changed, don’t you think?

He said with a smile on his lips

D: You are a crazy maniac...I always told you

David remarked as he chuckled, dangerously clinging to the body of the tallest.

R: And what are you going to do? Do you want to lock me up in an asylum? Or maybe behind a wall?

he said with an apparent tone of challenge

D: Wouldn’t it be fun anymore...it would become all monotonous...do you think I want to be alone with those two?? Forget it.

R: Admit that it's because without me you wouldn't have he same success that we are having now

D: Mr. Modesty ladies and gentlemen...

after those words of David a deafening silence fell in the room, the two did not prefer any word while one looked at the other.

David, who was still surrounding the neck of the taller with his arms, decided to slowly approach, and flaunting, his hand to Roger’s face and when he saw that he was not moving away, he began to caress him.

Roger immediately embraced that caress smiling and then slightly squinting his eyes as a sign of relaxation.

D: Wow...I can't believe my eyes...

said David with a thread of voice breaking the silence

D: Roger Waters who lets himself be caressed...it's not something you see every day...

R: Aaahh stop it you jerk... what do you mean by that? Do I really give the impression of the coldestof the group?

David tilted his head slightly and then smiled at him

D: No one ever said that you are the coldest of the group...it just seemed strange to me that a solid man like you melts for so little...

Roger at those words came closer to his face and then went to take the hand with which he was caressing him

R: If it's from you, it will never be little...trust me. Nothing from you will ever be little; your look, your smile, your advice and now your caress will never be too little...got it?

David was surprised by those strong words, he was speechless for a moment, then slowly hinted a smile, moved his hand from Roger's face to his neck and pulled him towards him...first to match the their foreheads and then to cancel the distance with a passionate kiss.

This time it was Roger who was speechless, but he returned the kiss right away, making it deeper as time went by.

David did not hold back and indeed, he indulge in the kiss. After a few seconds the two parted to catch some air, Roger then started laughing again in his own way and in the meantime he leaned his head on David's shoulder, who in turn was laughing heartily.

Luckily the whole room was quite soundproofed so no one could hear them.

Q: Rog...Rog...Rog...

David almost shouted, trying to get the attention of the taller one.

Roger turned to him while he was still giggling, it was there that David kissed him again without warning, but this time Roger was ready and reciprocated immediately, placing his hands on the hips of the shorter one.

David, feeling that contact, turned slightly red in the face, but instead of pulling back he made their bodies adhere more closely.

D: Your...lips...taste of of tobacco...and Bourbon...

he said between kisses, which made Roger smile.

R: You taste like...beer...and tobacco...

he said copying David's actions and he started laughing, while his hand continued to caress his neck.

Roger started to bite the younger man's lips, and then got to nibble him everywhere, both on the cheeks and on the neck, especially on the Adam's apple.

Soft moans escaped David's mouth; he surely wasn't expecting this, but he knew he was enjoying all that.

Roger meanwhile slipped his hands under David's cobalt blue shirt. A shiver ran through David's whole body, the goosebumps formed on his skin didn't remain a secret for Roger that when he realized it he bit David's neck even harder.

D: Rog...you're hurting me...

R: I know baby...I gave you a hickey, a really big one...

David glared at him, even if he wasn't at all surprised by what happened, but he wanted to have fun and test the bassist's empathy.

D: Roger...now you explain to me how I should hide it from Rick and Nick? How did you come up with such a thing?!

he said looking intently into his blue eyes. Roger didn't expect such a reaction, he almost felt sorry for David, who was continuing to glare at him.

R: S-Sorry...I didn't mean to...

Hearing those words, David couldn't hold back any longer and so he burst into a loud laugh that made him double over.

R: How much of an asshole can you possibly be? Other than being a big jerk?

D: I may be a jerk...but I managed to make you say sorry...HAHAHA

Roger smiled, once again he had done it under his nose, but in this regard he had to take revenge in some way, he could not let him get away with it.

R: You're a little bastard...I won't let you do it again...got it?

he said gently taking his neck, then squeezed his cheeks and kissed him firmly.

R: If you continue like this...I'll have to visit you tonight...to give you the lesson you deserve. Now it's up to you to decide...one more misstep and tomorrow morning you won't be able to walk straight...

David placed his hands on Roger's pronounced pecs, then gave a mischievous smile.

D: I don't fear you Roger...I'm ready for anything, but according to what you just said I should provoke you again right?

Roger was slightly dumbfounded by his words, and his expression was no different.

David obviously noticed it and with a simple gesture cleared Roger's mind; he tickled him until both the taller and himself fell to the ground.

A: DAVID!! HAHAH!

he screamed as they fell, until he hit his back on the ground and saw David straddle him.

A: YOU SIGNED YOUR DEATH DAVID GILMOUR! GET READY! HAHAHAH

he said between laughs as he was trying to defend himself

David didn't give up and Roger was still laughing when the door suddenly burst open...

[nei-ning]

Cherry Blossoming

Leonardo slowly walked in the dark sewer tunnel, lowering his eyes on the note he held. He didn’t recognize the handwriting so it wasn’t from anyone he knew. It was suspicious. The note was also very short and simple with only the address where he should come. His brothers were not aware of him being out alone since he had sneaked out, not wanting to worry his siblings or drag them in danger with him. Leonardo kept walking, feeling still rather safe in familiar sewers. He knew none of the outside world would come or be there… but that was a big mistake. All of the sudden Leonardo’s instincts screamed at him, telling someone just had appear behind him. Leonardo squeezed his hands into fists, getting ready to defense himself as he started to spun around but he failed. There was hard hit on the back of his head, knocking him out. A pair of eyes watched turtle fall on the moist sewer floor, unconscious. ** Blue eyes squeezed more shut at first, then slowly starting to open. Damn, it was bright! With a small grunt the turtle closed his eyes, blocking the brightness away. Leonardo hissed when he next noticed the pulsing pain at the back of his head. It wasn’t the worst he had ever felt but it was annoyingly nasty. Pushing himself to sit on the ground while rubbing the back of his head, Leonardo realized he was outside. He felt the sun’s warmth and gentle wind, hearing the rustle of the tree branches with leaves all around him. His eyes snapped open in fear, darting to scan the area all around him as he jumped up to his feet, getting ready to defense himself once again. However, he was all alone… surrounded by… blooming cherry trees. He gasped silently while lowering his arms to his sides, realizing he was at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens – in the middle of the sunny day! H-how he had got there?! Why he was there?! Why there were no people?! Why he was there all alone?! What the heck had happened?! ”Ya like it?” In a flash Leonardo spun around, spotting his brother standing further away against one of the trees. Leonardo let out few faster pants, finally pulling himself together. ”Where is everyone? What’s going on? What happe-” ”I asked: Do ya like it?” Raphael looked stern as he now stood by the tree, not leaning on it anymore, his eyes strictly focused on his brother. ”I… I do like it. It’s beautiful in here. But ---” Raphael’s sigh with a spreading small smile stopped Leonardo in the middle of his sentence. ”Glad ta hear it. Come, let’s walk around a bit.” Small horror flied through Leonardo as he watched Raphael to turn around, starting to walk forward under the blossoming tree branches. Without a word, Leonardo rushed after his brother, walking silently by his side, relaxing eventually. He was soon eyeing the trees, the flowers, taking in their scent, enjoying warm sunshine on his skin which beamed down on him through the tree tops and leaves. The park was so silent, birds chirping and the wind playing with leaves and blossoms above and around them. ”Raphael? I need to ask something.” ”Yeah, yeah. It was all on me. I wrote that destination note, followed ya and knocked ya out. Mikey gave us a ride and helped me carry ya here. I waited near by ta see ya would be okay and wake up.” Leonardo gasped in disbelief, stopping on his spot. ”Raphael!” Bigger turtle stopped, turning to look his hurt and angry brother over his shoulder. It was clear Leonardo couldn’t believe his ears. How on Earth his brother could have done that to him!? Raphael eyed Leo up and down, sighing eventually. ”I had ta do it. Ya would had said no for sure if I would had asked.” ”Of course I would had say no! I mean look around! We are outside during a day time! As pretty as it is here, we can be seen! That’s --” ”Dangerous, I know, but shit, Leo! Ya could appreciate this a bit, ya know? Ya been talking it so many times how ya would like ta come ta see cherry blossoming during the day, walk here in peace, and now that I managed ta arrange it all for ya, it ain’t good or okay?!” Now Leonardo saw hint of pain in Raphael’s angry eyes. ”I… I just worry for our safety.” ”I know but I made sure we are safe. There ain’t no need for ya ta worry or fear. Trust me.” Leonardo sighed silently to himself, allowing himself to relax some once more. He couldn’t help himself tho. He always had feel responsible of their safeness so it came from deep in his backbone. It was hard habit to break. ”H-hold on, Raph. Do I even dare to ask what exactly you did to remove all the people from here?” Now Raphael snorted with a grin, turning around. ”I left that task ta Donnie and Casey. Gotta admit they did a pretty damn good job.” Leonardo gasped in shock again, running to his brother’s side, grabbing on his arm while still walking by his side, stern look on his face. ”What did they do? Tell me.” But Raphael said no other word, just kept grinning while Leonardo kept demanding to know more while hanging on his arm. ** Eventually the duo came on the spot where a picnic had been set. Leonardo eyed it all in slight surprise, Raphael walking to sit on the fabric without any hesitation. He smiled once to his brother, gesturing him to join him. Leonardo, still being more or less careful, took a look at their surrounding area before deciding it was safe to proceed. He came to his brother, landing on his knees which made Raphael snort. ”This ain’t a tea ceremony so sit normally.” With a gentle push, Raphael managed to shake Leo’s balance and his brother fell slightly, deciding to sit normally on the ground, legs crossed. In silence Leonardo observed how Raphael filled fancier glasses, offering one to him. ”Don’t worry, it’s alcohol free. Not gonna knock ya out the second time.” Leonardo gave a fast look over the glass, sniffed few times, and then nodded his approval. Raphael grinned while lifting his glass. ”Cheers.” Now Leonardo smiled, lifting his own glass. ”Cheers.” Glasses hit each other gently, both turtles taking a sip before reaching for snacks. They sat there under the blossoming trees for hours chatting and relaxing. It was nice to see Leonardo having small smile on his lips constantly, his head turning and eyes scanning the beauty around them. After all this had been his dream for years. Raphael felt quite proud he had managed to make so important wish come true. ”Raphael. Thank you.” ”Don’t mention it. Ya deserve this.” Leonardo huffed softly, his eyes lowering in his almost empty glass. ”Promise me something.” ”Hm.” Blue eyes lifted on yellow orbs, staying locked on them. ”Promise you will bring me back here. But no knocking me out or anything. I will come willingly.” Raphael grinned with a snort. ”I promise ta bring ya here next year but I ain’t promising anything about not knocking ya out.” Leonardo pouted seriously, his eyes squinting. ”Raphael.” Voice was low and playfully warning which made Raphael chuckle and lift the glass on his lips, taking a sip. ”We’ll see, Fearless. We’ll see.”

****************************

This I was supposed to post already in March but, hhmmmm, I forgot :’D Mainly because I use my laptop so rarely in these days.

I will tag @turtle-babe83 because she’s one of the members who’s hosting these TMNT Prompt events :)

[stufforle]

For this blog's first post, here's some near incoherent rambling about ... Mitjo and MARINE SCIENCES

- Characters by @longexposurecomic -

(Part 1)

Okay so Jonas studies Marine Science yeah?

Which means there may be like... field studies and research travel involved and I can see Mitch tagging along whenever he can and maybe even.. helping Jonas?

The first time could go like..

Jonas : Hey Mitch, I will be out today

Mitch : Where ya going baby?

Jonas : I'm heading down to the beach to take some samples for my research paper

Mitch : Hell yeah i'm coming too

Any field study that involves.. going to beaches and taking photos of natural locations and shit.. is pretty much similar to that science project they had back in the comic? Where he followed Joey to take pics of water damage? Listen it would be nostalgic af

Jonas could possibly lean to field based studies more, or stuff that involves exploring outside with Mitch. I mean, in the comic when Mitch just showed up outside his bedroom our boy Jonas deadass went "hmm.. i COULD use more pictures of the water damage" and went out anyways

Also ... Mitch using his telekinesis during these field studies. Like.. I don't know.. lifting fish out of water? Clearing out cave entrances that were blocked by rocks? Holding sea turtles in mid air while Jonas untangles it from a fishing net?

Also Jonas may or may not have several close encounters with seals that may or may not look like this..

I'm imagining this one field project where Jonas studies sea lions or something and they rent a cabin near their nesting grounds for a week or so. Mitch is kinda eh about all the sea lions honking around and being all over the place. However, sometime when Jonas is busy on his reports or has to go out to submit stuff.. Mitch finds himself going on this emotional speech about how much he loves his bf to the first seal that would sit still enough to entertain him. After several bottles of cheap shitty beer of course..

I also see mitch being an absolute nuisance and riling up the sea lion colony. Probably by... idk.. using his telekinesis to make some fish float above all those sea lions and watching them all go ham trying to get that fish.

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Event! 沐野拾趣: Charlie’s BDAY 2021 Event! Pickings in the Wilderness Translation (Chapter 4)

“If you could use more force this time, dear fiancée.”

*Light and Night Master-list | Charlie’s Personal Master-list *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Image used with permission from 蓝咕咕 ☆ *Join my Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *Event story tag will be #For Light and Memories

Following the recommended route as written in the leaflet, we walked out of the market and could already see the faint silhouette of the village in the distance.

Walking closer, we could now see it. There were a pair of small swings hanging side-by-side on the branches of the old tree, swaying gently in the wind amidst the clearing.

MC: So this is the “Century-Old Tree”!

MC: We’ve been walking around for so long. Now, we’ve finally found a great spot to take a little afternoon break!

I happily pointed to the swing, running up in front of Charlie.

MC: Want to go for a round on the swing, Charlie?

Charlie gave an enthusiastic nod. However, the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched downwards in disappointment.

Following his line of sight, I saw two young boys, about the age of three or four, who’d gone right up, hopping onto the swings before us.

Charlie: ……

MC: How about we wait for them? They shouldn’t take too long…

The words had only just left my mouth when the kids from the Farmhouse Tour Group all rushed over.

The small heads swarmed before the swings, fighting over who gets to go on it first and comparing with each other on who could swing the highest. Our turn at the swings suddenly seems much further away than we’d thought…

MC: Wanna play? We have plenty of time to spare!

Charlie: I…

???: What do you mean you want to play on the swing? You're already so old!

I froze in embarrassment, only to realize that it was just a mother speaking to her daughter as they passed by.

A Mother: Look, only three-year-olds play on the swing. Don't you feel embarrassed fighting over the swing with them?

A Mother: Be good. Hurry and go to the tearoom with mommy.

The expression on Charlie's face soured at the mother's words.

By the time the mother pulled her daughter away, Charlie had already been rooted to his spot, seemingly stunned beyond measure. It was almost as if he'd been dealt a big blow to his ego that he'd never experienced before in his entire life.

Charlie: Let's go. It's a kiddie thing. I'm not interested.

Charlie: I’m such a perfect and strong adult. Swings and I don’t gel.

MC: No can’t do!

I crossed my arms together in front of my chest in an “X-Formation”, expressing my express refusal to let things stand.

MC: Don’t let age get the better of you!

MC: You’ll only know the fun of a swing, or the lack of, when you go up and give it a try! It has nothing to do with your age!

He helplessly shook his head again, as if on instinct.

Charlie: I'm not letting age get the better of me. It's the opposite, actually. This is the conclusion I came to after looking at it from a scientific point of view.

Charlie: Swings were made to make up for the shortcomings of people’s lack of power and speed, and also to satisfy the dreams that people have about reaching the skies.

Charlie: Alas, I am not lacking in anything. Hence, there is no need to make up for anything. Therefore, swings are truly something unsuited for one such as I…

MC: Never thought that you'd manage to answer that smoothly.

Charlie: Because perfection is a trait of mine.

Charlie remained bored for a good long time after that as I accompanied him, squatting beneath a tree, until the sound of frolicking children gradually faded away into nothingness.

MC: Do you want to have a go at it now?

Charlie: No.

MC: The kids down there have all left!

MC: Don't worry, I'm going to be there so there's nothing for you to be ashamed about.

Charlie: Really?

He turned back, curiously shooting a glance in the direction of the swings.

The two empty swings swung gently in the wind as if the exuberant laughter from before still hung in the air.

Charlie: If you insist.

❖☆———————————★❖

Charlie sat down next to me on the swing beside me. I didn't wait for him, immediately kicking off from the ground and propelling myself up high in the air.

Without the ground to ground me, I felt like I was a free bird. The gentle freeze whistled past my ears, making me feel exceptionally good.

I looked down to the other swing at the side when I reached the peak height… only to see an aggrieved figure scuffing at the ground in utter boredom.

MC: Why aren't you swinging?

He craned his neck up to look at me, his eyes, hidden under the shadows of the overhanging tree, filled with dejection.

Charlie: My limbs are too long, it's impossible to lift myself off the ground.

I lowered my head to get a closer look, only to find that with no other place to put them, his legs were awkwardly folded beneath the swing.

An idea popped into my head. I secretly crept up behind him… Without any warning, I hurriedly grabbed onto the ropes of the swing and dragged him, swing and all, backwards.

Charlie: Ahh— What are you doing!?

MC: Careful. Hold on tight!

Once the swing reached a certain height, I vehemently pushed forwards, sending him swinging up into the sky.

A low grunt of surprise followed him as he flew up into the air.

Charlie: *sharp inhale*...

The swing swung by me once more, and I could hear a sharp intake of breath.

MC: Man, don't tell me he hasn't even played on a swing before…

Looking at the figure currently suspended in the air, I couldn't help but start wondering just what sort of childhood this oddly mysterious man had.

I came before him as the swing gradually came to a stop.

MC: Did that give you a scare?

I thought that I'd see him in utter disarray, but he was all smiles, his brows raised in sheer delight. He even raided a hand to comb back his windswept hair.

Charlie: Again.

Unfazed, he calmly adjusted his position on the swing, giving me a look that told me to get behind him.

Charlie: If you could use more force this time, dear fiancée.

MC: Did he suddenly find the joy of swinging on a swing?

Partially fuelled with curiosity, I pulled the swing back once more before launching him into the air with a much harder push.

This time, a fairly cheery voice sounded from above.

Just as the swing was approaching its peak height, Charlie suddenly extended his arms out towards the sky, almost as if he wanted to embrace it as he relished in the moment.

Charlie: Ahh… Now, this is what true rural life is like!

MC: ……

It was a long while before the swing came to a standstill once more. Charlie turned towards me, an expectant look written all over his face.

MC: Okay, one more.

Charlie: My dear fiancée, there's no one else in this world who knows me this well, but you.

MC: I don't think anyone will mistake such a straightforward "hint", though…

As his silhouette was highlighted against the bright and clear skies, I couldn’t help but picture a couple of wondrous, yet seemingly unrelated sights...

Like a cub, showing its belly to a stranger, a Rosella fruit being mistaken for a flower bud, and the moist, misty, eyes of Sea Turtles as they come ashore on a moonlit night…

MC: I don't think he's that hard to understand…

Granted, only if he was willing to be understood.

❖☆————— ⊹ For Light & Memories⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: (Chapter 3) | Next Part: (Chapter 5)

[bbrandy2002]

Fool’s Rush In

Part 10

I’m participating in @wackydrabbles​ prompt 71 “Dont be stubborn. Try it.”

Word Count: 1890

Pairing: Liam and Riley

Thanks @burnsoslow​ for beta reading and pretty much having to drag me across the finish line, as well as all the weeks and weeks of listening to me whine and pity myself.  And @emkay512​ for pre-reading and your encouraging words late Monday that made my whole night.

a/n: this is crack, plain and simple. I haven’t written since mid-october; just been paralyzed with fear over my own writing and this is my practice run and basically the best I could come up with. I’m going to try so so hard to finish this series

The new royal couple, fresh off their Vegas flight, stepped up to a makeshift podium the press had created on the tarmac. It was packed tightly with news station microphones crammed in every nook and cranny, one on top of the other. Voice recorders were spread across its surface, and the crown's private jet served as the backdrop. A bevy of frenzied reporters -- domestic and international -- pushed and elbowed their way into one another in hopes of getting the closest shot of the newlyweds and a chance to have their questions answered first.

“King Liam! Is the marriage binding?”

“How long have you known, Miss Brooks?”

“Were you trying to make a political statement by having a hooker at the ceremony?”

“Your Majesty! Will the monkey be joining your court soon?”

So many questions, most followed by laughter and snickers directed at the King and his bride.

Liam frowned as his eyes dashed side to side in a diligent effort to understand the literally thousands of questions that were lobbed at him all at once. He blinked rapidly as one flash of a camera after the next blinded and bleached his vision. Just as it would return to normal, another successive set of flashes would set him back again.

He had been a part of news conferences since he was a child, when he would watch his late father speak from different parts of the world, near and far, about this policy or that deal. Yet this was different. This was not only the biggest breaking story in Cordonia -- or even Europe -- but one that had swept the world. 

His drunken actions two nights ago, no doubt, would have created a stir; however, it was Maxwell's post on Instagram of the ceremony that now made him tabloid fodder. Everyone knew about the king who was married by his own brother and an Elvis impersonator, the leg-humping monkey that served as a ring bearer, and the chain-smoking, tube-top-wearing prostitute who was the maid of honor. As confident as Liam had been that he could handle this, as he'd dealt with so many other stories of intrigue regarding the monarchy, he couldn't dispel the twisting feeling that burrowed deep into the pit of his stomach.

Maybe Madeleine was right: he had become a laughingstock. A failure. Just one big fuck up.

As much as he hated to hear the things said about him, he could deal with it. In the morning, he would call Prince Harry to swap stories, survival tips, and perhaps share a good laugh about it.

It was just ...

Liam felt Riley's tiny hand grip his a little tighter. He wouldn't blame her one bit if his little pussycat turned around and headed back up the steps to the jet and returned to Las Vegas. The only thing Liam wanted to do was keep her shielded from the hurtful comments and insensitive questions. But to his astonishment, she stood there with all the feigned confidence in the world, flashing a big, beaming smile that lit his heart on fire, while staring back at him affectionately. She was handling the situation better than she was before they stepped off the plane. He knew she was doing it for him. God, she just makes everything better. 

Feeling a little more grounded and in control, Liam returned her smile. A touch of radiance sparkled between his eyes and hers, as if it were some sort of unspoken conversation only they understood. Riley knew exactly what he needed at that moment to rise above this scandal they were both being raked over the coals for: He needed her to be okay.

Raising his free hand to calm the crowd so that he might address their concerns, he noticed the press' attention and cameras suddenly shift away from him and into the distance. Murmurs and chatter soon erupted. Naturally, Liam's gaze followed suit -- towards a group of heavily-armed soldiers heading their way. They wore white hazmat uniforms and had self-contained breathing apparatus and personal protective equipment. Leading the charge was a well-dressed gentleman in a three-piece suit with a shiny bald head that glistened with heavy perspiration. 

He walked like he hadn't shit in weeks.

Liam squinted and lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. “The hell is that?”

Riley inched closer to Liam and clasped his suit jacket. "What's happening right now? Who are all those people, Liam?"

Liam's forehead creased in puzzlement; he didn't know. Wrapping his arms protectively around Riley, he pulled her even closer but never answered the question. It wasn't until the uniformed men stopped briefly and pointed to Drake, who was standing with his arms crossed at the bottom of the stairs, that it suddenly became clear who they were looking for.

Reporters and onlookers had been so focused on Liam’s return with the American woman, they hadn’t noticed that the brooding Walker had exited the jet last among their posse. Just as everyone had watched replays and snippets of Maxwell’s Instagram video, they were also fully aware the King’s best friend wasn’t exactly returning to Cordonia … healthy … thanks to Maxwell’s Tik Tok sing-along. 

A video Drake Walker had no clue existed. 

 The crowd began to disperse in fear and panic. If men in hazmat suits were needed, they could only assume this went well beyond your casual, run-of-the-mill STD.

Still in no mood to play around, Drake started yelling obscenities and gradually backing away from the hazmat brigade that was closing in on him like a cheetah at a water buffalo hole. 

"Mr. Walker," a heavily echoed voice called out, sounding oddly reminiscent of Darth Vader through their breathing contraption, "we need you to come with us."

"The fuck I do." Drake shook his head emphatically while continuing to slide away from them. "I'll beat the shit out of all of ya if you so much as touch me."

"Now, Mr. Walker, don't be stubborn. Try it, and you'll find yourself with a nice little tranquilizer to the ass. Are you going to come with us willingly, or do we have to make this more difficult than it needs to be?"

Drake stood motionless in disbelief. "I don't even know what you guys want or what you think I did," he squawked with a hint of desperation in his tone.

"Tough titties. SEIZE HIM!"

With that order, Drake twisted on the heels of his boots and took off, dodging and weaving away from a bunch of men he had no clue why were even after him. 

He had a pretty good hunch, though, who set this chain of events in motion.

The bald guy in a three-piece suit walked up to Liam and flipped his badge open. "Your Majesty?"

Liam nodded, not bothering to acknowledge the man's credentials. "I am. What is the meaning of all this? What the hell are you doing with Drake?"

"Sir, if you will, it has come to our attention that Mr. Walker is a public health risk and highly contagious. We will have to secure him into our custody at once."

Liam scrunched up his face in utter confusion and stared back at the official before responding, “He just has case of crabs, syphilis, herpes, genital warts, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. You’re treating him like he’s about to start some damn worldwide pandemic. Without sexual contact and with heavy doses of medications and creams, Drake should be able to live a normal life like anyone else. So, as the ruler of this country, I am ordering your men to stand down at once.”

“My apologies, King Liam, but my orders come from the World Health Organization and the United Nations. You'll need to take this up with them. Dr. Wolfschitz was clear on the protocol."

"Dr. Wolfschitz?" Liam questioned as realization quickly set in. He twisted around to face Leo, who had this enormous shit-eating grin, the likes he'd never seen on him before. "You? You did this?"

“Walker messed with the wrong bull, little bro.” Leo stuck up his pointer fingers on both sides of his head with a menacing scowl and smugness in his tone. “Now he gets the horns.”

Liam swatted away one of Leo's finger horns. “This is serious, Leo. Not everything is a joke! You're going to fix this, NOW!"

Leo placed a comforting hand on his younger brother’s shoulder, patting it a few times before speaking softly to him. “Look, I know you’re upset right now. You two were very close. But the Drakester is going to a far better place. There’s a big open field and everything where he can run and play all day with others just like him. And all the meaty bones he can eat too … lucky bastard.”

Riley had to bury her face in Liam’s chest to prevent the laugh that threatened to escape, but the bobbing of her shoulders was something she couldn’t hide. 

“NOW, Leo!” 

Leo tried to hold his ground but was too weak to resist the impatient glare Liam was burning into his soul. After a brief moment, he rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Why ya gotta be such a dillhole, Liam? Do you realize you get rattled faster than a two-tit turtle on a tightrope? It's really not your best quality, little brother, but we can work on that." Annoyed, Liam rubbed a hand over his eyes and groaned as his brother continued, "Either way, Father always said, ‘if you can't help your fellow man out, you might as well become one of the Walkers.’ Truer words were never spoken so eloquently.”  Leo raised his eyes to the heavens thoughtfully before thinking better of it and lowered them toward the ground. "May you rest in peace, Father," he shouted.

As Leo trotted off to speak with Bald Dude to confess his false claim, Bastien helped guide Liam and Riley through the rambunctious swarm of reporters and spectators. Once they reached the limo, Liam helped Riley inside as Maxwell rounded the vehicle and climbed in on the other side. Pausing for a moment before sliding in, the King placed his hands on top of the open door of the limo and turned one last time to check on his friend. He swallowed hard over the guilt of leaving him behind. As His Majesty watched in horror, Drake took a tranquilizer dart to the back of the thigh and Bastien insisted the area was a security threat, shoving him inside. They would send another car to transport Drake and Leo back to the palace. 

Bastien stomped on the gas pedal and sped off, kicking up dirt and smoke as the tires peeled and squealed against the fiery Cordonian asphalt.

When they passed through the airport's security gate, a small motorcade following closely behind, Liam finally lifted his head, his eyes growing wide when he realized what just happened: Bastien's shove had sent Liam flying across the seat to land face-first into a lap — her lap. 

He stayed frozen in place, unable to look anywhere but the two slender, bronzed legs peeking out below the hem of his new wife's dress. 

Riley lifted an eyebrow, a slight grin dangling from her plush pink lips. "Something you wanna say, Your Majesty?"

Everything that had just happened in the 15 minutes since they landed was long forgotten. Drake who? Liam glanced up with a devilish smirk. "Welcome to Cordonia, Pussycat."

@burnsoslow @dcbbw @ao719 @hopefulmoonobject @texaskitten30 @janezillow @merridithsmiscellany-blog @mskaneko @loveellamae @queenjilian @sirbeepsalot @drakexwillow @caroldxnvxrs @jovialyouthmusic @forthebrokenheartedthings @bebepac @kingliam2019 @lovablegranny @cordoniaqueensworld @amandablink

@liamxs-world @choiceskatie @iaminlovewithtrr @hopelessromanticmonie @charlotteg234 @annekebbphotography

@txemrn @ofpixelsandscribbles @alyssalauren @cordonianroyalty @monsoonblooms12 @mom2000aggie @theroyalheirshadowhunter @princessleac1 @kimmiedoo5 @graceful-leah @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @thegreentwin @gkittylove99 @cinnamonspongecake @lifeaskim @neotericthemis @pink-diamond13 @walker7519 @natureblooms24 @yourmajesty09

Liam x MC only: Cordonia-gothqueen

Anything with Drake: @tinkie1973

FRI Series Tags:  @sanchita012 ​  @narrytheworld ​  @queenwalton   @gabesmommie1130 @cordonianprincess   @liamandneca @emkay512 @waywardromancefantasygirl @nomadics-stuff @queendianaofcordonia @zaffrenotes @zilch3 @kat-tia801 @drrookie @sfb123

[aidemint]

Messenger - Zuko

Word Count: 3.2k !

Warnings: None!

Note: This is a plot I’ve been wanting to try for a while! For the sake of the story, Mai and Zuko broke up indefinitely. As much as I love them, I can’t have things get too “complicated.”

__

It started as an ordinary day. Perhaps one that began too well. I woke up to the sound of turtle-ducks quacking in a nearby pond as a colorful array of birds lined the canopy, chirping to the melody that the trees gave off when they shook in the light breeze. I yawned and rubbed my eyes with the backs of my hands as I woke up from my resting state underneath a large oak. Shaking my head a few times, I blinked and got my eyes to focus on my surroundings, and patted my side to make sure that my bag was still there. 

Ah, the familiar feel of leather and sturdy cloth.

After the reassurance, I took the time to stretch a bit before getting up to get ready for the day. The morning procedure was conventional -- extremely so. Brush your teeth, bathe, dry, then scavenge for some food. Berries or nuts weren’t exactly rare to come by anywhere, so it wasn’t hard to find a hearty meal. 

A day in the life of a messenger.

Humming as I stripped down, I discarded my clothes, shoving them into my messenger bag, then brought the satchel with me to the riverbed to decrease the risk of theft. The impact of my feet on the ground made the grass quiver and specks of dirt come flying into the air, tickling my soles and upper-ankles. When I finally set my belongings down, I sighed in content and watched as the surface of the stream glimmered, reflecting the sunlight. It certainly looked inviting.

Finally, it was time to bathe.

Shivering as I tip-toed into the cold water, I wrapped my arms around my chest and hoped I didn’t catch some sort of disease. I wasn’t used to such a different climate, as I’d normally opt for some hot springs when they were available, but I was in the valley and didn’t have the time nor the energy to make that trek all the way up the mountain.

I groaned and plunged shoulder-level into the river, feeling the running water push lightly against my figure. The sensation was surprisingly calming, considering that I was initially cringing at how frigid it was. As the edges of my lips upturned and my eyes fluttered shut, my body relaxed and I was able to enjoy the sweet empathy that nature provided me with.

After soaking for what felt like a few minutes, I heard a rustling in the bushes. Assuming that it was either some wayward badger skunk of platypus bear, I paid no attention to it until there came voices from that general direction.

“Zuko, I told you we shouldn’t have come this way. Privacy is a big thing around these parts.” There was an old man and his presumed nephew, wandering around the forest of oak trees and through a few bushes. I couldn’t get a clear view of the uncle, but I noticed a small clearing that the younger boy could step out into for me to peer at him. Hoping that he’d move according to plan, I craned my neck to get a glimpse at him.

“Privacy? In a valley? What, are we gonna run into a couple of naked mole rats?” Once the brunette emerged from his place hidden in the bunches of leaves and into an open spot, I got to recognizing him. My eyes widened and my lips parted, truly not expecting the company. Prince Zuko, the “traitorous” son of Fire Lord Ozai, was in Fengfu Valley, and I was right under his nose. It shocked me how little perception he had of his surroundings. Feeling the urge to laugh, I clamped a hand over my mouth to hide my presence and stooped lower into the water so my nose was right above the surface.

I couldn’t help but want to exploit his careless nature -- it seemed like it would be a lively addition to an otherwise boring morning.

Teasing him would be fun.

“I don’t appreciate being called a mole rat!” I watched on as Zuko shouted in surprise, then sent a bolt of fire my way. Narrowly avoiding it, I swam to the side and watched as the flame dissipated as soon as it reached the spot where I previously resided. Turning my head so I faced him, we locked gazes as I feigned offense.

“Seriously?” When the prince’s face morphed into one of surprise, I burst out laughing, almost getting swept away by the river at the effort. My howls ceased as I stumbled a bit and felt the rapids churn in an attempt to carry me down its bed, but I regained my footing and remained in my original place. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, I once again directed my attention to the brunette, who just stood with his hands clasped over his eyes. Snickering at the sight, I slipped to hide behind a bush as I dried myself and put on my clothes. Stepping out into the open once I was finished, I gave Iroh a small salute while walking towards the pair, which he returned with a fond grin.

“You should listen to your uncle more often, friend!” I exclaimed, stopping in front of the Prince with my bad slung across a shoulder, “Don’t come across mindful people in these parts very often. It’s mostly populated with bandits, so most are pretty wary.” Noticing the pair’s interesting Earth Kingdom getup, I raised my eyebrows, impressed with the guise. I didn’t have long to admire their getups, however, as Iroh took the initiative to start a conversation in the midst of my thinking. 

“Since we can’t avoid an interaction any longer, we might as well introduce ourselves. My name is Mushi, and this is my nephew Lee. We’re simple travelers, so it’s nice to meet a local from around these parts.” I nodded at him and smiled at Zuko, who still seemed a bit on edge from our unconventional introduction.

“I’m (Y/N). I work as a messenger for the international mailing system. I deliver letters to and from different nations, but I’m stationed in the Earth Kingdom most of the time, helping to run mail through the city, manually.” Iroh, or Mushi, nodded in understanding, 

“An honorable profession.” I smiled, then thanked him for his kindness. Glancing at “Lee,” I noticed that he didn’t seem very eager to respond, so I just left him alone and continued to talk to Iroh. 

“Well, Mushi,” I began, “Do you have a place to stay?” Iroh was quick to respond, but not without a sudden shift in his demeanor. His shoulders suddenly caved inwards and his eyebrows became furrowed, giving his face a worn, wrinkled look. 

“Unfortunately not. My nephew and I don’t have anywhere to go, either.” I bit back a smile at his overbearingly dejected tone and the sudden slump in his posture when trying to evoke some sense of pity from me. Covering my mouth with a hand, I sucked in a breath to calm down, coughing a bit to disguise my laughter. 

“W-Well,” I said, clearing my throat, “You can stay at my camp for the time being. I’ll show you the ropes, but you have to hunt your own food.” To my complete and utter surprise, Iroh’s posture and mood had suddenly improved upon hearing this. His eyes seemed to sparkle as a grateful grin spread across his face.

“That would be wonderful. Thank you for your offer.” I waved it off, then beckoned for the two to follow me to camp, where I had a tent set up and a couple of logs for a campfire. Though I didn’t have much, the former General’s reaction made me feel like some kind of saint for agreeing to take care of them out of common courtesy.

Perhaps his methods of persuasion had more of an influence on me than I originally thought.

__

Evening had come, and Zuko and I were currently out foraging for berries and nuts while Iroh was back at camp, tending to a fire in order to brew some tea and to hopefully get the pot hot enough to be able to cook the nuts. 

At the moment, the Prince and I had stumbled across an undergrowth that housed a variety of different bushes and trees, all filled with berries and fruits, respectively. The silence of nature overtook us as we worked to fill the baskets we carried with the bounty -- a sound that was familiar to me, but seemed to be uncomfortable for Zuko, so much so that he decided to pipe up for the first time today.

“Hey, (Y/N)?” I whipped my head around to face him with an amused expression. 

“You finally wanna talk, huh?” He sighed and rolled his eyes in the other direction, setting his basket down, but not knowing what to do with his hands. Curling them into fists, then letting go again, the cycle repeated for half a minute before he found the right sentence to say.

“I’m usually not this awkward, I promise,” he commented, rubbing the nape of his neck. I laughed, noticing the Prince’s bright red face, flushed from embarrassment. 

“I can tell,” I replied, digging into a bush and pocketing some wild blueberries, “So don’t worry too much about it. I don’t mind the silence -- I hear it all the time.” He stiffly nodded and picked up his basket again to collect some pears from a tree overhead.

“Thanks.” The world then went silent for a few minutes until Zuko spoke again, his voice more relaxed this time around. 

“And sorry about the naked mole rat thing. I didn’t really expect anyone to be there.” 

“Don’t sweat it. I wouldn’t expect a naked person to be in a river in the middle of a valley either.”

“Okay… thanks.” I chuckled quietly to myself, finding hilarity in how uncoordinated Zuko seemed to be in the realm of speaking. It was almost endearing. 

After a good twenty minutes had lapsed, it was safe to say that both of us had deserved a break. As I plopped down onto a moss-covered section of the floor, I patted the ground next to where I sat, motioning for Zuko to rest alongside me.

“Sit down with me, Lee.” He hesitated for a moment, but ended up sitting next to me anyways. While we rested, I admired the way the canopy of the forest blocked the sunlight, so that the rays would cast themselves in dappled patterns across the ground. Fluttering my eyelids shut, I took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, enjoying the forest’s energy and the rejuvenating effect it had on my spirit. As I opened my eyes to see the world again, I sighed in a mix of disappointment and appreciation. The tranquility was pleasurable, but always too brief.

I didn’t notice Zuko until I felt his hand nearing my bag, to which I responded to with a sudden pull away, not letting him even graze the satchel. He seemed alarmed by this, as his eyes immediately went dark and his body tensed up. Panicking as I noticed this, I tried to explain as quickly and as simplistically as possible. 

“People’s letters are in there,” I said, “I can’t let you touch them without a license. It’s illegal.” Zuko glowered at me. His eyes bore into mine, golden, glaring irises seeking the truth in the myriad of lies. He leaned in closer to me, his scowl deepening.

“There is no need for mailing by foot in the Earth Kingdom. They have their own postal service with the rock cart system.” I sucked in a sharp breath as I prayed that he wouldn’t connect the dots, as hopeless as my wish was. 

Zuko pointed at my bag. 

“Those aren’t really letters, are they?” The prince’s question challenged me, yet it was laced with so much hidden curiosity and an element of certainty pounded into each and every word. I sighed as I realized that the jig was up. I had to tell him the truth, or he might become unstable and try to pull something with me. Taking out the envelopes, I unwrapped them, then showed the Prince the contents inside. 

“You got me,” I admitted, handing Zuko the sheets of paper I held in my hand, “They’re not letters.” The brunette’s eyes scanned over the folio, gradually widening in disbelief. Once he was done reading, he handed the documents back to me and looked at me with such incredulity. 

“What are those papers?” he demanded, “They have the Fire Nation seal on them.” I shrugged indifferently while putting the sheets back into their envelopes.

“They’re stolen Fire Nation Official documents,” I responded casually. The Prince seemed so caught up in this order of business, while I admittedly did not want to continue this conversation for much longer. His infatuation irked me, but it was natural, given his background, so I had no other choice but to endure it.

“How did you even get them?” he demanded, “Who are you?” 

“I should be asking you the same question, Prince Zuko,” I snapped, not willing to take any more of his attitude. He looked taken aback yet flustered at the same time. I assumed that he didn’t realize that someone would recognize the guy with a very noticeable scar on his face. I scoffed at the thought.

“Do you really expect me not to know who you are, Mr. ‘Esteemed Prince of the Fire Nation?’” He grew increasingly bewildered, looking at me as if I had two horns growing out of my head, and as if he wasn’t the son of the most notorious tyrant in all the four nations. “Sure, most people in the Earth Kingdom have no clue who you guys are, but I might have a clue, you know? Given the documents and everything?” 

“But why… How did you even get these?” Zuko stammered, “This is classified information.”  

“I looted them from Fire Nation officers.”

“Why-” he began, “Why are you-” As he looked to me for some form of help, I motioned for him to continue thinking on his own. He furrowed his eyebrows and kept at it. A few moments later, something seemed to click inside his mind. 

“You’re…” Realization dawned on Zuko as his expression morphed into one of vulnerable understanding. “You’re part of the Resistance. Against the Fire Nation.”

“Bingo.” He furrowed his brows and brought a hand up to point at me following my confirmation.

“You’re the one responsible for the missing contract for the Huo act.”

“Yeah.”

“You stole a cart filled with bills that lowered the minimum age for recruited soldiers.”

“Mhm.”

“And the papers for Baron Hu Jiao’s coal mines.”

“Uh huh.”

“And you’re-”

“You’re making me sound like a saint here, Zuko,” I interrupted, chuckling, “I’m just doing what any normal person would do in the face of tyranny.” He paused, creased his eyebrows and slightly pursed his lips, then looked away, as if contemplating some serious matter. I cocked my head and laughed softly at the sight, entertained by the Prince’s reaction to my words. 

“You seem confused.” I turned to him. “Is there anything you want to ask me?” He huffed, contorting his face into an expression that was strangely reminiscent of one at a loss for words, though he spoke after my inquiry.

“Why did you even join the rebellion? Why would you risk your life for something so… so dangerous? So...” I felt a burning sensation in my chest as Zuko’s breath ran out before he could finish. He made no attempt at restating his two-word sentence, feeling as if it was best to just leave it there, as is. I sighed.

“Were you going to say futile?” Zuko scratched his head and nodded. I huffed.

“Why do people join the army, then? Just to die in trivial combat?” I challenged coyly, the edges of my lips curling into a smirk, “Why do people join task forces if they’re not worth fighting for?” 

“Because they’re forced to.” The prince’s tone was cold. His words were hardened by some experience I knew not of, and it was only then I realized that I had been wrong.

I folded my hands in my lap and spoke in a much quieter voice from there on.

“I apologize.” Zuko paused for a moment to recollect himself, taking a deep breath in and letting it gradually come out.

“It’s okay.” I smiled at his comment. 

“Do you want to hear more of my story? Of the resistance?” Zuko hummed.

“Okay.”

“I only knew of the Resistance from the propaganda that was set up in the middle of the Capitol. I’d see the faces of those men and women and wonder what they had done to earn their titles as ‘savages,’ ‘freaks of nature,’ and ‘traitors.’ I’d always ask about them. But I’d always never get an answer. 

“The first time I ever had personal contact with them was after my fathers perished in the army. I went through a lot of grief, in the early stages. I wouldn’t eat, I wouldn’t socialize, probably because of the trauma. When nobody wanted me, when the Fire Nation threatened to kick me out for not being a valuable citizen, they took me in. Treated me well, taught me a lot of things that I’d originally been brainwashed to ignore by propaganda. They gave me hope and a reason to live. It was more than I could ask for, at the time.

“And I realized what I wanted. I knew that I wanted out of this dystopian society so I rebelled against it. I stole papers and caused as much of a ruckus as I could, fueled by this opportunity for revenge. I wanted to tear the place down.” I laughed sadly at the thought.

“But, as you said, it’s futile. I can’t go against so many people. None of us can. The numbers have always been dwindling.” I looked down, at the forest floor, embarrassed to admit the notion. “But we try.” The soft sounds of crickets chirping in the grass were the only noises that could be heard when I finished talking. Zuko just sat there, seemingly dumbfounded by the information that was relayed to him.

“I-I’m sorry,” he spoke, awkwardly glancing at my face, trying to morph his features into an expression of comfort. I chuckled at his behavior.

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” Quietness settled in the atmosphere once more after I uttered the last phrase. I tilted my head up at the sky and admired the blend of colors it had become. Lavender hues mixed with vermillion tints to create a wondrous sight to sit under and enjoy. 

Zuko and I sat together for what seemed like forever, simply enjoying each other’s company. 

After the purple and red sky had passed and the stratosphere held a darker red and orange coloration, I decided that it was best to haul ass and go back to camp based on how little day we had left. I offered a hand to Zuko, helped him stand up, and picked up my basket, preparing to go back to camp. The brunette did the same with his basket and started to follow me back. 

“Thank you for listening,” I suddenly said, turning to face him, “It’s been a long time since I could open up to someone like this. I really enjoyed this evening.” Zuko’s expression remained indifferent, but there seemed to be a new, small glitter within his irises. 

“Yeah.” The corners of his lips lifted just a bit. “I did too.”

[elizabethemerald]

The Nein, The Sapphire and The Ruby

The tower of the Xhorhaus echoed with the sounds of laughing and splashing. At the base of the tower the Mighty Nein relaxed in their hot tub, after their long stint in the frozen north, they relished the warmth. 

Beau, Caleb, Jester, Fjord and Yasha all soaked in heat, the water up to their chests. Veth sat on the steps into the hot tub, the water only up to her hips. Caduceus walked around the others, his pants rolled up to his knees while he served them sandwiches and tea. Beau was laughing loudly, as Fjord regaled them all with a story when Caleb suddenly sat bolt upright. 

"Everyone shut up!" He said, then stared off into space. The rest of the Nein recognized the look of someone receiving a magical message. The voice of Yussa, their Archmage friend from Nicodranas filled Caleb's head. 

"Mister Widogast, your party's presence is urgently required. Madame Lavoure requires your assistance at the Chateau. Awaiting your arrival at Tide Peak Tower. Arrive ready."

Caleb's eyes widened, he snapped his fingers at the others, and rose from the water as he responded to the sending. 

"We will teleport directly to the Chateau." He didn't bother to count his words or to add more than that. 

The rest of the Nein were already rising to their feet and exiting the hot tub, though at Caleb’s words they froze and multiple eyes flicked to Jester. 

"Your mother is in danger." Caleb said to her, then to the rest, "Grab your things and meet me in the entrance way." 

Fjord and Veth immediately dashed up the stairs to their rooms to grab their things. Caduceus set down the tea things and followed at a slower but still brisk pace. Yasha’s sword was never far from her, even when she was relaxing, but she still hurried to her room to grab her armor. Beau watched the frozen Jester for a moment before putting on a burst of speed with a shout that she would grab Jester’s armor and weapons from their room. 

The shout startled Jester into motion. She threw her clothes on as she wove her hands in the air, pink sigils following her fingers as she wove the spell for her own sending. 

"Momma? Are you ok? Are you in danger?" For once she didn't try to fill the word count. She waited desperately for a few seconds before looking in a panic to Caleb who was throwing on his own clothes, fortunately he carried his spell books with him always. "She's not responding!"

Jester grabbed her symbol to the Traveler and began weaving another spell. Caleb finished putting on his jacket in time to watch her finish the spell. For a second he thought she was trying to send another message, but this spell was longer, more intense than a simple sending spell. He gasped in horror as she blinked out of existence right before his eyes. 

“Nein! Jester!” He shouted, far too late, then dashed into the entrance hall and shouted into the rest of the house. “Jester cast Sanctuary! We need to go! Now!”

He watched as Beau jumped on one foot trying to put her other boot on, her other hand full of Jester’s weapons and armor. Fjord and Yasha were working to buckle their armor in place. They were taking too long. Jester was there now! By herself, facing who only knew what. Caleb squeezed the clay turtle in his hands for a moment, before making a snap decision. 

Caleb gave the turtle another squeeze, then felt the jerk in his stomach as the Xhorhaus disappeared from view, a second later to be replaced with the dining room of the Lavish Chateau, and utter chaos. The tables were flipped and chairs strewn around the room. The servants were screaming and running there was a small fire burning in one corner. He took all of this in with a glance as he looked for any foes, when a scream dragged his attention up the stairs. 

“Bluud!!” Jester screamed. Her Sanctuary was her bedroom upstairs, right next to where the Ruby lived. 

Caleb didn’t hesitate, casting Fly on himself and immediately soaring up to upper floor where the scream had come from. If the lower floor had been chaotic, then he wasn’t sure he had an appropriate word to describe what was happening here. The landing was packed to the rails with armed and masked men, each carried short swords or bows. Some were already laying wounded or dying on the ground. 

Bluud, Marian’s minotaur body guard roared in pain, more than a dozen slash marks covered his hide, while as many arrows stuck out from his body. He had a small stack of bodies around him, but was quickly being overwhelmed. 

Floating in the air above him was Jester’s spectral lollipop. This one was jagged and serrated and already coated in gore. Caleb took only a moment to spot Jester. She grabbed one of the men’s face and screamed at him, inflicting wounds. The man’s blood vessels in his neck and chest burst open then blackened and shriveled from the necrotic energy. 

Her scream sharpened in pain and rage as one of the sellswords slashed her. She tried to block the attack, but without her shield or armor, it carved across her arm. Frost and ice coalesced across her body before rocketing off and burying themselves in her assailant. He fell with a gurgle, but immediately another man was in his place. 

Caleb quickly ran through his spell repertoire. Most of his go-to offensive spells, polymorph, fireball, or wall of fire were too dangerous in the close quarters. Especially with Jester and Bluud in the fray. Instead he waved one hand over the other and multiple scorching rays flew from his hand blasting into the armed men. He specifically targeted those closest to Jester and Bluud to try and give them some breathing room. 

Before the smoke had even cleared the air was filled with hamster unicorns, as Jester cast Spiritual Guardians. The unicorns had sharp teeth and massive claws as they began tearing into the surrounding men. Her lollipop bashed into another sending him flying over the rail to the lobby below. 

Caleb barely noticed an arrow fired in his direction and cast shield on reflex. The arrow bounced off the armor and he unleashed another wave of scorching rays. As the cinders of men fell to the ground, he struggled to overcome the memories that tried to flood his mind. He knew he was falling, when suddenly the screaming in his head was drowned out by a scream from the door behind Bluud. 

"Momma!" Jester screamed. 

Jester’s scream tore through Caleb's mind, bringing the world back to a laser focus. Jester dashed past Bluud, tapping him on the shoulder, green energy closing some of his wounds. Caleb landed right behind her and flung some iron filings into the air and the minotaur suddenly towered over the few remaining men even more. Caleb pushed into Marion's room as Bluud roared, then froze bumping into Jester. 

"Take another step and the Ruby dies!"

Marion Lavorre stood in the center of the room,  her eyes wide with fear. Behind her stood a man, better dressed than any of the others, with a knife held to her throat. He was clearly the leader, if anyone knew who had hired them to attack the Chateau it would be him. 

Caleb mentally ran through his spell list again. Magic missile would be able to avoid hitting Jester’s mother, but disintegrate would ensure this scum died and never threatened Marion again. 

"We're just here for the blue tiefling." The man snarled. "Surrender and no one else needs to get hurt." 

Jester stiffened. Caleb stepped up behind her, trying to reassure her with his presence.  This wasn't her fault he wanted to say, but this wasn't the time. He didn't let his eyes leave the man using her mother as a shield. 

A single drop of blood, dripped down Marion’s scarlet skin from the knife at her throat. Jester bared her fangs in rage, but before she could do anything Marion growled in what Caleb recognized as Infernal. The man was suddenly engulfed in crimson flames, he fell back shouting and patting at the flames. 

Jester raised her hand immediately and a bell sounded, a deep resonate clang, and blood poured out of his ears and eyes. Before he could recover Caleb pulled a cricket from his pocket and waved it in the air and the man collapsed to the ground snoring. 

Marion slumped to the ground away from the man, a sob rocking her form. Jester flew to her side, wrapping her in her arms.

"Its ok momma. Its ok. Your Jester is here." Jester whispered softly into her mother's red hair. 

Caleb pulled some string from his pocket and tied the sleeping man's wrists, then quickly cleared the rest of the Ruby's apartment. When he was sure there were no more threats within her quarters he jerked the front door open fire whirling at his fingertips. However it appeared the giant sized Bluud had taken care of the rest of the assailants. 

Before too long the rest of the Nein arrived. Caduceus had used his sanctuary spell to bring the rest of them to the lighthouse. Beau got there first, putting on a quite frankly inhuman display of speed as she raced to the Chateau. The rest weren't far behind her. 

With the Nein around them and Jester’s mother in her arms Caleb breathed out for what felt like the first time since he had received Yussa's message. 

* * *

With the full power of the Mighty Nein gathered together, the first priority was ensuring Marion’s safety. She was escorted by the Nein to Tide Peak Tower. All of them had their weapons drawn and ready, spells sparking at their finger tips. When she and Bluud were safe in the tower a few things immediately became apparent. 

First off, it was obvious that the local Zhelezo had been paid off or distracted so that no one would respond to the attack at the Chateau. They encountered no guards as they walked her to Yussa’s tower, and the wizard himself had to message the local division into investigating the attack and protecting the staff of the Chateau. 

Secondly they found that Yeza and Luc had been visiting with Marion when the attack had started. Marion had snuck the two of them down a servant’s stair and told them to run to the Open Quay, after all of Jester’s stories she knew Yussa was an ally. He was able to protect the two halflings and message Caleb. He then sealed his tower and prepared for further assault just in case. 

Finally, who ever had orchestrated this was filthy rich. The amount of money it would cost to pay off that many guards, to start fires around the city to draw even more of their attention, and to pay for the sellswords to attack a well known establishment in the middle of the day, was more than the Nein had seen in all their days of adventuring. 

Eventually they had Marion safe in the tower. Bluud, after a significant healing from Caduceus, insisted on staying by her side while she rested from her ordeal. Caleb had, at Jester’s insistence cast his own magical mansion, so she was double protected by magical barriers and could rest comfortably in Jester’s bedroom. Yeza and Luc stayed in Caleb’s tower as well. Partially to be near Marion if she needed any assistance. Partially to keep Luc out of the way for what would come after. 

* * *

The mercenary captain woke up, bound to a chair, and surrounded by grim faces. Yasha gently rested Skin Gorger against his shoulder. Fjord had the Star Razer against his other side. Small flesh eating beetles crawled all over him from Caduceus’ staff and Veth kept her cross bow aimed at him the whole time. Beau cracked her knuckles and Caleb allowed fire to dance across his fingers. As the mercenary awoke, the room quickly filled with the stench of fear and urine. 

“Let me make our position very clear.” Caleb said stepping forward now that he was awake. “You have attacked someone who is very dear to us. In doing so you have committed an unspeakable mistake.”

Beau stepped up next. “We have a lot of different ways to make you talk. Truth spells, my Cobalt knuckles. Pain. We’ve got a lot of pain we can bring against  you. So how about you spare us all of that, and just tell us. Who paid you?”

The man was sweating, his eyes wide. Yet still he clamped his jaw shut. Beau shrugged. 

“Have it your way.” She cocked her fist back, but froze as a blue hand hand fell onto her shoulder. She stepped back as Jester stepped forward. 

Unlike the stern looks on the face of the rest of them, Jester wore a bright smile. If Caleb didn’t know her, he would say she was completely at ease. However he could see the cold fury, raging in her eyes underneath her mask. The man pulled back as she stepped up to him, unnerved by his quarry smiling at him like that. 

“You hurt my momma.” Jester said. Her voice was soft as she dragged a finger along his chin. Green magic healed his wounds, and he took a deep breath, even more surprised. “I don’t like it when people hurt my momma.”

Jester dug her nails into the man’s chest and the veins around her fingers blackened and burst, and the skin withered and died. He screamed in pain, Jester’s smile never left her face, now looking more demented then truly joyful. 

“Lord Sharpe!” The man gasped out, agony heavy on his words. “We were paid by Lord Sharpe.”

Please reblog!!

[netflixbingger]

I’ll Find You - Part 1

Chapter 1: Zuzu To The Rescue - Prince Zuko x Reader

Summary: Y/N and Zuko were thick as thieves growing up. Of course at a young age the idea of romantic love isnt really thought about, but from a outsiders perspective it is clear as day that Y/N and Zuko’s friendship will blossom into something much more. As the two grow with one another, they are slowly pulled apart to become enemies. Soon Y/N finds herself amongst the Avatar, but can she put aside her longing feelings for Zuko and fight for what is right? And can Zuko prove to her that there is still good within him?

Word Count: 1,408

Notes: Hi Guys! I know this idea has been written a few times within the Zuko fandom, but I couldn't help it... I’m a sucker for reunited friends turn into lovers :P This first chapter is just a short drabble to show the type of friendship that Zuko and Y/N had as little kids. I think its important to see the friendship at different ages to show their personal growth. 

You tried to control your breathing, tried to steady the airflow leaving your mouth in heavy pants. You were anxious, gripping the grass below you like your life depended on it. You felt like you had been running for miles only for him to continuously find you. But not this time, you won’t allow it. Your eyes strained to see through the bushes, but you were still able to make out the running figures of your friends trying to find a spot to hide. Thinking you were safe from his clutches you let your body fully collapse to the ground. After a few minutes you were beginning to regain your breath, but you froze as you heard a crunch of leaves behind you and an ominous voice that followed, “I told you, wherever you go, I will find you.”

Slowly clenching your eyes shut you turned around to face your seeker, Prince Zuko. His hair was pulled back from his face as tiny beads of sweat were beating off his mischievous brows. He wore a playful smirk as he began to corner you in. Kneeling down to level with your eyes he slowly reached his hand out and lightly tapped your nose. “Tag, you’re it” he chuckled before turning away and disappearing behind the bushes. Damn it, you hated being it ; it was almost impossible to catch up with Ty Lee, she was always twirling around and showing off her athletic abilities. Mai was always so well hidden that no one ever found her, she’d make it through the entire game without being caught once. The game of tag always ended in bickering back and forth between your friends, especially when Azula played. She never played by the rules and would throw threats if you came close to finding her. The only person that played the game honestly was Zuko; he stayed in territory and never used his “stunts”, at least not with you.

Sighing, you got up from your sitting position on the grass and stepped out into the field. You looked around aimlessly hoping to find one of your friends. You’d throw an occasional remark into the air hoping to catch a chuckle, but the garden remained silent. After a few minutes of walking the perimeter of the pond, you placed yourself underneath the trees preparing to give up. But as you leaned back on the rough bark, you heard a set of giggles. Immediately looking around, you were confused when you discovered you were alone. It was only when you heard a “shush” that you realized the noises were coming from above you. Quickly looking upward you were surprised to see 3 of your friends sitting atop the tree branches. “Come on guys,” you yelled crossing your arms, “You know I can’t climb well!”

Azula’s sly chuckle responded, “Oh, just add it to your list”

You clenched your jaw trying to hold back the amount of insults you could throw her way. “Just come on down, this isn't fair and you know it.” You didn't have the willpower to stop your foot from stomping on the ground as you tried to hold in your tears. Happy to see Mai begin to descend down the tree, you were left disappointed as she was shortly stopped by Azula. “Oh, don't cry about it. I never said we were going to play fair, besides it's good practice! See this as a climbing exercise,” she smirked, “Come get us.”

You pushed the sleeves of your dark crimson dress away from your hands as you stepped closer to the tree. You wanted to climb up there and prove Azula wrong, but the moment your hands touched the bark you chickened out. How did they get up there? Your thoughts were soon disrupted as you heard the mean whispers between the 3 girls. Staring upwards once again, you threw an angered glare in their direction. But your annoyance disappeared as you heard the comforting voice of your friend Zuko from behind you. “Azula, cut it out”. Suddenly you were no longer mad and upset, but instead a sense of pride filled your body as the boy defended you.

However that pride quickly dispersed as the chuckling above continued, “Oh look, Zuzu has come to save the day.” Azula and Ty Lee laughed at your and Zuko’s reddened faces, both blabbering on how Zuko always had to come to your rescue.

“Azula, get down from there.” The stern but soft voice seemingly appeared from nowhere and ended all comments. You didn't need to turn around to know who it belonged to, Ursa’s voice was a sound you could never forget. 

Ursa was basically family to you, she and your mom were close with one another, best friends even. Your mom would tell you stories of her and Ursa as teenagers and how they would explore the nations together. Your mother's friendship was the reason why you were so close to Zuko, and even to Azula at times. You were introduced to the two siblings a few years ago when your family moved from the colonies into the city. As soon as Ursa got the news of your mother's move she was quick to invite your whole family over. Your parents intended on forging a friendship between Azula and yourself, but they were surprised when you formed a stronger connection with Zuko. The two mothers would chuckle at the awkward exchanges in the beginning, but both soon hoped for a future marriage as they watched your friendship grow. 

There was no denying that you were a pretty girl. Even at the age of 9 there wasn't any doubt that you would grow into a beautiful young lady, suitable for Zuko’s hand in marriage. Ursa had never intended on arranging any type of relationship between the two of you, but she was rather hopeful as she watched you grow with one another. There was a spark between you that was undeniable. Even Firelord Ozai was able to see the chemistry between the two young children, but he refused any talk of courtship until your firebending skills improved. He believed that the future rulers of the Fire Nation needed to be strong and ruthless, no signs of weaknesses were allowed. So, as he watched you and Zuko play with the turtle ducks instead of practicing your bending, he began to despise the idea of his son's friendship with you.

“Alright little one, time to head in, say your goodbyes,” Ursa’s soft voice spoke as she watched your and Zuko’s faces fill with shock. Zuko was quick to turn towards his mother, pulling gently on her sleeve. “But moooom, can’t they stay just a little bit longer?”

“I'm afraid that isn't up to me Zuko. Y/N’s mother needs to go home, it’s getting dark out.”

“What about a sleepover?” the young boy exclaimed with a slight crack in his voice.

“Zuko, Y/N slept over last week, now come on,” Ursa firmly grabbed onto Zuko’s hand as she stared within the trees. “Azula, please climb down from there.”

Your mother chuckled as she watched the exchange; tugging on your hand, she began to pull you from the scene and towards the door. You waved your goodbyes at the boy and threw him a toothless smile as Azula jumped from the trees with grace. Brushing off the dirt and twigs from her clothes, she yelled, “Don't worry Y/N, I’m sure Zuko will be able to play dolls with you tomorrow!”

Your eyes widened as Zuko angrily whispered,”That was one time!”

As your mother laughed at Zuko’s words, you couldn't help but blush with embarrassment. Your friends’ bickering slowly dimmed as your mother dragged you further out of the palace. It was times like these where you wished your family lived closer to Zuko’s home, lucky Mai got to stay almost all night as her walk home was less than a minute. But as you pulled further into the city, you held your head high and stared at the forming stars above. You couldn't help but smile at the thought of Zuko gazing at the same stars that were painted in the sky. Giggling to yourself in glee, you told your mother of the fun you had with your friends and how excited you were to see them again tomorrow. And maybe Azula was right, maybe you would get to play dolls with Zuko tomorrow!

---------

Tell me your thoughts below!

Also, special thanks to @shaynawrites23​ + @pph0le​ for all their help with this story!

[quentyl]

What does ATLA tell us about Ursa?

For context, originally this started as a response to an ask. I felt like I couldn’t answer properly without going over Ursa’s portrayal in the show first, ergo this very long post. I’ll answer the actual question later.

Ursa only appears in one episode of the show (not counting Azula’s hallucination), has about a dozen lines, and apart from that is mentioned just a very few times. That’s not much, but there’s still a lot we can infer from that limited screen time.

Without further ado, let’s talk about Ursa as a mother first:

In her first scene, she’s sitting with Zuko on the ground and feeding turtle-ducks, giving off an aura of tranquility, relaxation and effortless grace. Even contentment. This is how the show chose to introduce her to the viewer: as someone who can laugh with her kid, be affectionate, and enjoy a peaceful moment.

Of course, she’s not just affectionate and sweet in this scene, she’s also protective. She says it plainly: “Zuko, that's what moms are like. If you mess with their babies, they're gonna bite you back.” At that moment, she was just joking with Zuko, but it foreshadows what she’s going to do a few days later, when the Fire Lord himself tries to mess with her baby: she bites back like a true mother. Ozai said that she did “vicious, treasonous things” that night. She herself, just before her disappearance, basically admits to having done terrible things, and she can’t leave without telling Zuko why, she needs him to know: “Everything I've done, I've done to protect you.” It’s interesting to note the plural here (“vicious things”, “everything”). So, though we aren’t shown anything directly, the show still seems to insist on the fact that Ursa got her hands dirty to save Zuko, that she killed Azulon herself and actually might have had to do other unpleasant things to accomplish that. So in spite of the lightness that seems to emanate from her at first, there is a dark side to Ursa.

Wrt Azulon and Ursa’s personality, there is another moment that is telling: when Zuko fails his demonstration before the Fire Lord, she does not hesitate to go over to comfort him, acting as if they are alone in the room. As if the most powerful man in the world isn’t watching, as if this isn’t a formal audience, as if she isn’t wasting the time of the Fire Lord. She tells Zuko that she loved watching him, as if it wasn’t Azulon’s opinion that mattered. She just throws propriety and caution through the window, Zuko’s hurt feelings eclipsing everything else in her mind, and forgets to give a fuck about her lord’s opinion (or her husband’s for that matter).

Ursa is also presented as her children’s primary authority figure, the one who’s charged with watching over them, giving them news, and preparing them for surprise meetings. But more than just an authority figure, she’s presented as the main good influence in their life, the one who teaches them about right and wrong. She makes Zuko play with Azula because she thinks they should bond as siblings (from the way Azula manipulates her using this, we can assume it’s a point Ursa has stressed as important in the past). She teaches Zuko to see things from others’ point of views (the mom turtleduck), she admonishes Azula without losing patience when her daughter shows lack of consideration for her uncle’s life, she reprimands her more strongly when she’s being deliberately insolent.

To summarize the above points: Ursa in the flashbacks is (almost) portrayed as the ideal parent: gracious, affectionate, playful, comforting, fiercely protective, authoritative, respectable, and the person who provides moral guidance to her children.

Ok but what about “our mom liked Zuko more than me” and “my own mother thought I was a monster” and “even you fear me”? Well, first things first, these are Azula’s thoughts, years after her mother abandoned her in order to protect her brother. While we have to respect her feelings, they do not necessarily match who the real Ursa was and thought. In particular, I think the Ursa we saw in the flashbacks didn’t seem to think of her daughter as a monster, or to be afraid of her at all - or she wouldn’t have forced Zuko to play with her (she does wonder “what is wrong with that child” but that’s in reaction to Azula making a deliberately provocative and ominous comment: she’d been acting borderline treasonous and kinda worryingly obsessed with the succession). Personally, I think that it’s more likely Azula who sees herself as a monster, not Ursa, and she projected that unto her mother because Ursa was the one who taught her how to distinguish between right and wrong and she believes that her mother wouldn’t have approved of the person she chose (and keeps choosing) to be.

That said, Zuko absolutely may have been Ursa’s favorite (studies found that most parents have one). Zuko himself doesn’t argue the point with his sister, and Ursa’s character description on the old Avatar website supports this (Zuko is flat-out described as “her favorite child”). Note that this doesn’t necessarily translate into Azula being treated unfairly by her mother. All we know for sure is that 14 years old Azula feels her mother liked Zuko more and that this thought hurts her deeply (personally, I tend to think that it hurts Azula more as a teenager than as a child, because it ties into her teenage self's deep well of anxiety about being unlovable in general - a “monster”).

The rest under the cut.

Now that I’ve gone over how she was portrayed as a mother, I think it’s time to delve into her and her husband’s dynamic, and how it fits into her relationship with their kids:

(Disclaimer: note that Ozai and Ursa never interact during the flashbacks, so to know more about their relationship we have to read the subtext - and since it is subtext and not text, basically everything below is technically just my interpretation, and at best I can only argue that it is the most fitting interpretation.)

Let’s go back a moment to “What is wrong with that child?”: Ursa sounds genuinely puzzled here. But she shouldn’t be puzzled, she should be alarmed. “Fire Lord Azulon. Can't you just call him ‘Grandfather’? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be. Someone will probably end up taking his place soon.” - this isn’t just Azula being insolent and stanning her dad, like her earlier comments. Ursa should have taken the second part, “someone will probably end up taking his place soon”, as a warning. But she doesn’t (at least not at that moment). She just silences Azula and doesn’t immediately think “oh shit my husband is planning something” or even “what kind of fuckery has my husband been discussing in our daughter’s earshot”. Instead her reaction shows that she is kinda clueless about what’s going on. She seems to think the issue is just Azula being a weird child, and doesn’t immediately link her words to Ozai. So what we can infer from that is that Ursa, before that day, wasn’t very... aware of Ozai’s ambitions. At best, she knew he’d like to be Fire Lord without realizing that he actually does intend to do something about it - sorta like just because you know someone is jealous of their sibling’s sport car you don’t suspect they’re gonna kill them to steal it. The idea of Ozai attempting to take the throne is just not on her mind like it is for us, the viewers, when we’re listening to Azula talk about how her dad’s glory days are coming.

Note that Ursa is not the only one who didn’t expect such a move from Ozai. Azulon is furious and surprised at Ozai’s impudent request.

This disconnect between Ozai’s ambitions and Ursa’s simple enjoyment of life is also shown through her relationship with his older brother: it’s clear from the little we see of them that Ursa and Iroh get along very well. Ursa seems very fond of him: she’s happy to read his letter, laughs at his joke, admonishes Azula for her callousness regarding him (“it would be awful if Uncle Iroh didn’t return”), and is genuinely heartbroken for him when she learns of Lu Ten’s death (”Iroh has lost his son”). These scenes are telling us that Ursa isn’t in on Ozai’s plans, and wouldn’t support him if she knew of them.

But Azula supports him, wholeheartedly. Azula wants her dad to be Fire Lord because clearly he deserves it. There’s something a little unsettling about the fact that Ozai’s little girl knows what’s in Ozai’s heart and what’s on his mind, his dark designs, but his own wife doesn’t. Was she spying on him (we see her do just that at least once) or did he just take her into his confidence (also very likely, it looks like they do spend time together without their other family members)? Whichever way she came by her information, it immediately creates a chasm between mother and daughter - because suddenly they’re not on the same side anymore, politically. And the worst thing is, Ursa isn’t even aware of that chasm - or at least, she doesn’t seem to understand its importance yet (even though Azula tries to tell her).

To go back to Ozai and Ursa, by the time of the flashbacks not only are they not on the same page politically, they’re also not aligned on the matter of parenting. Ursa admonishes Azula for words that could have come directly from Ozai’s mouth, were he honest. They also don’t react in the same way at all to Zuko’s fumblings: while Ursa is just sorry that he feels bad and is proud of his tenacity, Ozai is unhappy about him even attempting a demonstration. So however their arranged marriage started, they failed to become a unit on the two most important fronts of that contract.

But note that while Ursa makes a show of comforting Zuko, Ozai’s disapproval is actually subtle - the viewers see it because the camera makes a point to focus on it. I don’t think Ozai was full-on abusive toward Zuko yet at this point, when Ursa was still in the picture. Copy-pasting from a previous meta: “In these flashbacks, Zuko didn’t seem scared of his father yet. He wasn’t afraid to perform before him, to cry and lament his failures before him, or to be comforted by Ursa before him. He didn’t seem overly worried to have embarrassed him in front of Azulon himself. He wasn’t afraid to demand answers from him after Ursa’s disappearance.” So it is very possible that Ursa wasn’t very aware of the depth of his disdain for their son, just like she wasn’t very aware of how intensely (terribly) he desired his father’s throne. Before that fateful day, it seems Ozai kept the monster inside himself hidden.

So what happened between them the night of Ursa’s disappearance? One thing that is really important to note, I think, is that Ozai was ready for a takeover before Ursa decided to do anything. Not only does Azula basically spell it out before Ozai even makes his request to Azulon (he did not intend to wait patiently for his father to die of old age, he intended to replace him “soon”), we see after the fact that he has at least the head Fire sage in his pocket (“As was your dying wish you are now succeeded by your second son” - that was most certainly not Azulon’s dying wish). When telling the story to Zuko, Ozai rejects the whole thing on Ursa, saying she was the one to propose a plan - but the flashbacks imply he had one himself beforehand whether it involved her or not.

Ursa somehow found a way to get to Azulon in the middle of the night. How did she even have access to his chambers? Did she kill the guards too? Is she a secret ninja or did she somehow trick them?

Even though Ozai was in on Ursa’s plan (by his own admission), he still banished her for it. Now he didn’t do that to save face, since the official story is that Azulon died of natural causes (it’s actually less suspicious if his wife doesn’t disappear on the same day). It could be a weird thing like Ozai actually did feel some love/attachment for his father, or respect for his position as Fire Lord, and felt he was somehow duty-bound to punish her for his murder even if he himself incited her to commit it (maybe he let her do the dirty work so that he can still feel like he himself is clean?). Or he banished her to silence her or keep her from assassinating him next (the justification he gave in the comics).

But then, whatever his reasons for banishing her, the question becomes why didn’t he kill her instead? He did not spare her to avoid bad press or some form of retribution, since as far as the public eye is concerned him killing her and then making her body disappear would look exactly the same as what he eventually did. Ultimately, she’s much less of a hazard dead than alive somewhere out of his control. At the very least, he could have kept her prisoner. So, unless there’s some other variables we’re not aware of, I can think of two explanations. The first is that after she left Zuko’s room that night, Ozai did actually kill her (or attempted to and she somehow managed to escape) and just lied to Zuko during the Eclipse - though I’m not sure why he would lie in that particular context. The second explanation - brace yourselves! - is that Ozai let her go because back then he still had ~feelings~ and couldn’t quite bring himself to kill her.

Subtext does, in fact, support the idea that Ozai did once feel something for Ursa, whether this is the reason he spared her or not. In animation everything is a choice. The people who made Zuko Alone decided that on the morning of his triumph - his father’s death and his impending ascension to the throne - Ozai wasn’t celebrating or plotting. He was brooding while thinking of his wife, just standing still at a spot where we know she used to spend some time (she’s sitting there when she receives news of Lu Ten’s death). Even if he wasn’t sad, at the very least he was contemplating what he lost in order to get what he wanted. Which means that there was something to lose there, that he could have chosen another life, but did not. The writers could have elected to show him pretending to be mourning his late father, or plotting, or preparing for his coronation, or not to show him at all, but they didn’t. This is a characterization choice.

So I know this is controversial but I do believe Ozai chose power over love (the opposite of Aang in The Guru). It’s also hinted at via Zuko’s idyllic memories of his childhood - of their family vacations on Ember Island. At one point, Ozai was willing to devote some effort to being a husband and a father, enough to take his family to his summer house and give Zuko a few happy memories with his father - the memories that he desperately clings to years later.

It could also maybe tie back to “what is wrong with that child?” i.e. Ursa not immediately recognizing that her husband was the problem. Maybe Ursa was unable to see how far he’d fallen because she remembered the person he used to be at the beginning of their marriage, and maybe this is also why she accepted to leave her children in his power and didn’t even warn Zuko about him or anything. The last thing she ever says to Zuko before leaving forever is “no matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are” - she might be telling her son not to turn out like his father, if she feels like Ozai forgot who he was. These are all just possibilities though.

So I think that’s about it: what I can infer from the show about Ursa’s relationship with her husband and children. Before I conclude this post though, I also want to talk a little about Ursa’s family before her marriage, because I find this fascinating:

Ursa supports the war effort. I don’t think you can find a joke about burning Ba Sing Se to the ground funny unless you’re fully on-board with the Fire Nation’s imperialism. The writers didn’t have to show us this tidbit - it’s irrelevant to the rest of the episode - but they made a point of including it. It becomes even more interesting after we learn that Ursa descends from Roku and that Zuko didn’t know it. You don’t just forget to mention to your kids that they’re the Avatar’s great-grandchildren - this information was deliberately kept a secret. So there can be several possibilities:

Ursa wasn’t raised by Roku’s family i.e. she was raised by her other parent’s family, or she grew up in an orphanage, or she was adopted by some other folks. In this case, she might not feel any connection to Roku, if she even knows he’s her grandfather (Iroh knew but I don’t think this means we can irrevocably assume Ursa did too).

Ursa was raised by her family to support the war in spite of Roku’s position: this means that either Roku’s entire family basically disowned him and sided with Sozin, at least in appearance, or the family was divided in two with only one part rebelling against the throne.

Ursa was raised to support Roku, but she made up her own mind and decided she didn’t like being taught to hate her nation and Sozin was right, in spite of her family’s opinion.

Whatever the case, Ursa eventually just disappeared and no one seems to have made a fuss. So she either didn’t have any family left at that point, or she did but they were so alienated that they didn’t care, or she did but they were too utterly powerless to even demand an explanation.

[remmushound]

Curse of the Clans part 7! @brightlotusmoon @scentedcandlecryptid @digitl-art-monstr @selfindulgenz

Leonardo was extremely hesitant when Bishop had opened a rift and insisted he go through it. His brothers weren’t given such treatment, yet Bishop insisted, and Leonardo promised he’d follow his brothers call. The method Bishop used to teleport the mutant was nothing like the rift travel Leonardo was used to. There was no instant separating one place from the other; instead of a passage, a tunnel between spaces in time, the world changed between blinks. Bright lights and chirping birds changed to cold water and near complete darkness. His feet traced the muddy bottom of... wherever he was, his arms immediately taking to gliding through the water as natural as walking. His eyes searched up until he found a brightness above, and he kicked off of the bottom to soar toward the heavenly light.

The slider burst through the surface of a lake, gasping not for breath but for heat. The air around him felt even colder than the water to his soaked, unprotected skin. He swam in a circle trying to find the best way of escape, but all he saw was endless white banks covered in snow, surrounded by a forest of first-coated trees. There was no warmth in sight and Leonardo felt a knot growing in his throat. He could only keep himself warm for so long before his body would give out and be forced into what Donatello referred to as reptile mode and, not long after, torpor. He knew his core temp was already dropping, and he had to consciously work to raise it so he wouldn’t freeze. He had to get out and he had to get warm, and he had to do it fast.

Scrambling onto the shore took a lot more effort than he would have liked to expend. Several times, the snow caved under him and knocked him back into the icy lake, but finally he managed to claw himself out of the water and scramble to his feet. The only clothes Leonardo had on were his shorts, and they were practically frozen to his body and dripping chill across his exposed legs. He had to find a cave or some place to get shelter, find something dry to start a fire. He took off his pants; it wasn’t like anything could be seen anyway, and they would only trap the cold of the water. He knew better; his camping experience had taught him something worthwhile after all. The best thing he could do currently to stop from freezing was to walk, and so he did.

There was no clear path, so he had to make his own. He pulled the odachi from where it was secured safely on his back and used it to slice through brambles and low-hanging branches, slicing himself a way through the trees. To keep his mind focused, he kept repeating his task over and over again.

“I need the blessing of a ronin’s ronin… I need the blessing of a ronin’s ronin…” He said over and over. He eventually found his way to a footpath and was able to tuck his sword back in its holder so he could wrap his arms around himself to preserve warm.

One second Leonardo was walking and the next he was on the ground, pinned by a greater force with a knife held to his throat. Leonardo’s instincts kicked in before his training did and he had the quick sense to press his forearm against the attacker’s chest and inner arm to force a stalemate while the other creature fought with all his might to bring the knife down upon the turtle.

“Ninja scum!” Spat the creature, his lips pulling back in a snarl to show bucked teeth. His voice was not English, but Leonardo understood the fluent Japanese. “You are not welcome here!”

Leonardo searched for an out. He couldn’t fight the creature forever and he needed to get into a position where he could meet the attacker head-one. His free hand grasped desperately in the snow, searching for anything hard to use for his advantage. Upon finding nothing, Leonardo did the next best thing and grabbed a handful of mud and snow to slam into the rabbit’s face. He only recognized the creature as such when the rabbit gave a furious snarl and stumbled backward to paw at his eye, wiping the brown from his otherwise pure white fur.

Leonardo was up and ready before the rabbit had time to recover, holding his odachi in front of him as a threat display. The anxiety in him hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, but the confidence that battled the anxiety told him he could handle himself if it fell to fighting. The rabbit fell into an attack stance, one hand replacing the knife in his belt while the other reached behind his back and pulled out a katana.

“Hey uh.” Leonardo laughed and spun his odachi pointedly. “Mine’s bigger.”

The rabbit didn't seem too amused. He charged forward, bringing his katana down swinging. Leonardo intercepted the blade and deflected it to make the rabbit stumble, then kicked him in the small of his back. The rabbit gave a yelp and fell forward. Leonardo tried to take advantage of the situation to get the rabbit into a pin. Last second, however, the enemy slid between Leonardo’s legs and brought both of his massive feet down upon the back of the mutant's knees. Leonardo feel hard. The rabbit tried to lunge at him spying Leonardo’s weakness, but Leonardo dropped to let the rabbit past him by. The creature fell by the force of his own lunge and Leonardo jumped on top of him as the rabbit spun on his back to try and stand. Leonardo brought his knees to pin the creature by his waist, the rabbit’s arms pinned in the mutant's strong grip.

“No! Don’t hurt him!”

Leonardo’s mind blanked at the new voice-- a child’s voice-- from behind him. Leonardo turned to look, and his eyes found a tiny, fat creature that couldn’t have been more than seven; the fur of his body was a mix of black and brown, but his chest and up was an off-white color. While he didn't have any distinguishable hair, the fur on his head was scruffed up enough to almost be considered a mane. Around his eyes were patterns that could almost resemble the one on Leonardo’s face, except black and trailing down the entire length of his back to the tip of his small tail.

Leonardo looked back to the rabbit with just enough time to witness the oversized feet slamming into his face before everything went black.

***

Raphael took to the hidden city in search of a king. It would help to know where to start, he thought bitterly, and it wasn’t like he could just waltz up to a human king without being shot full of lead. So a yokai king was his only choice, but he wasn’t even sure there were any yokai kings. He had never heard of one in all the time he had spent in the Hidden City. His best bet, he figured, was to wander until he could find something that resembled a king or a crown or anything royalty. How hard could that be?

Several hours later and Raphael was hopelessly lost on the outskirts of the city. He did the only thing he could think to do, which was to keep wandering like he had been the hours before, yet still with no idea of where to go. A sudden calamity caught his attention, but before he could locate the source of it, he was flooded by a swarm of fleeing yokai. None of them were quite as big as Raphael was, but there were enough of them forcing their way past him that he had to exert a great amount of force to walk the opposite direction, toward the event that had frightened so many. For a moment, he forgot his task as his mind focused in on ninja instinct and undeniable curiosity.

Eventually, he made it past the worst of the crowd and was able to run instead of stumble. Through an alley and into a side street. The sounds of a struggle became more apparent the closer he got, and the moment he left the alley he took no pause to take in the scene. While still running, he saw one yokai pinning another and, without thought otherwise, slammed his fist hard into the stomach of the inugami. The dog yokai gave a pained yelp as he was flung from the nekomata and slammed into the bricks of a nearby building with a solid thud.

“Leave her ALONE!”

The cat yokai stumbled to her feet with a furious hiss as she moved close to Raphael’s side. Her fur was spiked up, parts of the white stained red with a small amount of blood, though not enough to keep her from fighting. Her pelt was mostly white, with spots of black and orange throughout that gave the appearance of a calico, except with two tails instead of one lashing behind her. The claws of both her hands and feet were unsheathed and ready for a fight.

The dog yokai of varying sizes and breeds advanced savagely on the duo. Raphael grabbed his tonfa from his belt and, just to show off, gave them a threatening flip.

“Come on pups, let’s see what you got!”

As a single unit of barking fury, the five dogs targeted Raphael. His tonfa swung independent of one another, hitting two separate dogs while the others locked onto his arms or any other part of him they could reach. The cat grabbed one of the smaller dogs and pried them off of Raphael, tossing them to the side and slashing at their eyes with her claws. Raphael grabbed a hold of the remaining two dogs by their scruff, yanked them off his biceps, and cracked their heads together before dropping them. One of the previously tossed dogs tried to sneak up on Raphael but, before she could lunge, the cat Yokai once more tossed herself into the battle and locked her claws around the canine’s neck. Both cat and dog went down in a fury of flashing claws and snapping teeth until the inugami separated and fled down the empty streets with her tail between her legs.

At the sight of their comrade fleeing, that was the sign for the rest of the dogs to follow. Raphael left a few of them with punches to the back to remember him by, not letting his guard down for a second even as he turned to the she-cat.

“Thanks.” The she-cat panted softly, her fur still bristled and her mouth hanging open to suck in sharp gasps of air.

“Yeah.” Raphael said, rubbing the new teeth marks that had just barely managed to break through the toughness of his skin. “You okay?”

“Nothing I won’t heal from.” She swiped her hand over her mouth.

Now Raphael could get a better look at her, the she-cat looked old; some of the fur around her muzzle and eyes was starting to turn gray, though her body was just as glossy and fair as a young cat’s would be. She grabbed a hold of one tail to brush her fingers through the fur once her claws had resheathed, bringing the other to her mouth to groom it flat.

“Why were those goons attacking you anyway?” Raphael asked.

“Ugh. Who knows with inugami? Could be anything that set them off.” She bent down with remarkable flexibility to groom blood from her side. “I’m just not as young as I used to be. You don’t look like you’re from around here…”

Her eyes were slitted as the pupils searched up to watch Raphael curiously, as if she were deciphering the pages of a book.

“Ah, yeah.” Raphael rubbed his neck, “I’m kinda lost.”

“I could point you on your way.” Her sing-song voice purred.

“Thanks! But I’m not really sure what ‘on my way’ is, exactly. I came down this way looking for a king, but I don’t think there’s one here.”

“A king?” She tilted her head, her eyes glinting sharply.

“Yeah. You know, with a crown and stuff.”

“I see.” She nodded her understanding.

“Maybe you could still help me?” He asked hopefully, “I’m really new to the Hidden City. Do you know of anyone who might be considered royalty?”

The nekomata purred in concentration, holding her paws to her lips as she considered. “The oldest yokai I know of are the Council of Heads. Some might consider them royalty? Maybe they can help you?”

Raphael smiled widely. “Yeah— yeah that sounds great! Uh… h-how would I get to them, exactly?”

The she-cat laughed. “I’ll draw you a map.” She held her paw out to him.

It took Raphael a second to understand before he quickly grabbed her hand in his and shook it. “Sorry— manners must have slipped. I’m Raphael.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Raphael. I am Tang Shen.”

[bleachanimefan1]

Turtles Forever Part 77

Bishop's Gambit

In the Lair, Splinter, the turtles, and the girls were all meditating.

"We have faced many adversaries, we have fought many battles, and we have been victorious," Splinter said. "But, do we know why?"

"Because shell we're good," Mikey answered, holding up his arm. Splinter smacked him with is staff. "Uh, sorry sensei."

Splinter cleared his throat. "We have survived these many trials and tests by following the path of ninjitsu and by finding and using?" Leo thought for a minute.

"Our inner strength?" he guessed.

"Yes, Leonardo, only by focusing on our inner strength can we overcome our enemies," Splinter finished. However, Mikey wasn't listening as he directed his attention towards the pool, confused. "Michelangelo, where is your focus?"

"Uh, right over there, sensei," he answered, pointing to the pool. Strange devices were floating in it. "In the pool."

"What the shell are those things?" Donnie questioned.

"Ground Force to Night Sky, the packages have been delivered," one of the drivers reported.

"Roger, Ground Force. Stand by."

Bishop stepped forward. "Proceed," he replied. The devices activated as they emitted a high frequency throughout the sewers. It drives the rats out, sending them running out into the streets. Leatherhead was hearing the frequencies as well.

"What is that noise?" he asked, painfully as he tried to cover his ears. "I can't think! It has to stop! Someone make it stop!"

In the lair, Splinter was having the same reaction as the rats, as well as Alopex. They both tried to cover their ears.

"Master Splinter?" Leo asked in concern and turned to Donnie. "Don, what's the matter with him?"

He picks up one of the devices. "It's these!"

"The sound, I can't block it out!" Splinter explained, painfully. He faints and Leo catches him in time.

"We need to get them out of here, now!" Leo shouted.

Everyone took the elevator up to the surface and climbed into the Battle Shell, driving off. On the streets, they still heard the sound coming from the devices as they were scattered throughout the city.

"Man, I'm hearing it up here, too!" Raph complained as he drove.

"There seems to be some kind of sonic disruption throughout the city," Donnie explained, looking out the window. "And although it doesn't appear to bother humans, it's clearly targeting to other species."

"Like rats," Leo replied.

"And foxes," Mikey added.

Bishop was in a helicopter. "Beginning sweep to mobile mutated genetic signatures," a soldier reported as he searched the screen until it spotted the Battle Shell. "Right there, sir. Looks like our target."

"Intercept them." Bishop ordered.

"Night Sky to Ground Force, Operation Mousetrap is a go. I repeat, Mousetrap is go."

Suddenly, vans swarmed in front of the oncoming Battle Shell, blocking the road. "What the shell?!" Raph exclaimed and quickly turned as they opened fire. He dodges the bullets, but helicopters were now hovering above, following. They launch several missiles at the Battle Shell.

"We got missiles incoming!" Mikey yelled as he looked out from the passenger side window. Raph manages to dodge some of the missiles but one manages to hit as it lands directly into the Battle Shell. Everyone screamed in surprise until the missile breaks apart, revealing small rounded beads inside of it.

"What are those things?" Mikey panicked.

"I don't know!" Donnie exclaimed. The beads unleash a strange gas and one by one it began knocking everyone out. The truck screeched to a stop as the turtles and girls, along with Mona, holding Elizabeth, tried to get out quickly but was succumbed by the gas, passing out on the street. Three black vans pulled up. Soldiers ran out and took Splinter and Elizabeth. They carried them into the vans and drove away, while several soldiers stayed behind to guard the turtles and girls.

"Targets acquired, sir."

"What about the turtles and girls?" Bishop asked on the other end of the radio.

"Neutralized, sir. Your orders?"

"No survivors," Bishop ordered. The soldier nods to the other three remaining men and they lifted their guns, aiming at the turtles and girls.

"You heard the man, let's finish this," the soldier ordered. Just as they were about to fire, a large shadow lunged out at the soldiers, attacking them. It was Leatherhead. Sounds of their screams haunted the streets before they went deadly silent.

The turtles and girls began to wake up as they found themselves in the abandoned train station. Leo noticed that Splinter was not there.

"Master Splinter!?"

Mona's eyes widen in horror realizing that Elizabeth was gone as well.

"No! Raph, Lizzie's gone!" she cried.

"What?!" Raph's eyes widen as he held Mona, trying to calm her down, and looked around. She wasn't there.

"They abducted them," Leatherhead explained. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop them. Luckily, the gas was non-lethal."

"Which means, that whoever abducted your sensei and the little one, wanted them alive." a voice called out, surprising Leo and Leatherhead. The Fugitoid stepped out, walking towards everyone, his body was composed of salvaged parts.

"Whoa, new threads, Professor Honeycutt?" Mikey asked.

"Yes, those segments of my memory were purged. We recovered blueprints for my former Sal 1000 body. Overusing Earth technology makes it seem rather...homemade." he replied.

"I hope Master Splinter and Elizabeth are alright," Leo murmured, worried.

"Well, at least we know who took 'em. Those were Bishop's flunky commandos. Now, all we have to do is find 'em!" Raph growled.

"But how?" Donnie questioned.

"Wait a minute, we still have Bishop's subway train car, at least half of it,"

"Let's take this thing apart and find some answers," Leo said as they stepped into the car, starting to take it apart. Donnie placed his laptop next to the Fugitoid.

"I can't seem to hack into the system. A lot of this seems to be Federation and Triceraton tech."

"As well as other alien technology that I am unable to classify," the Fugitoid said. "Your Agent Bishop gets around for an Earthling."

"I don't think that he is even human to begin with," Yuuki commented.

"Wait, there," Leatherhead pointed to a blinking icon on the map. "An automatic recall layered into the train car sub circuitry."

"Hmm," the Fugitoid pondered. "If we reactivate it..."

"The recall signal should be triggered." Leatherhead finished.

"And if we're on board, it'll take us right to Bishop's location." Donnie added.

In Bishop's lab, Splinter was strapped to a gurney as he was starting to wake up. He struggled to break free out of his restraints.

"Oh good, you're awake, Master Splinter." Bishop said, walking up to him, holding Elizabeth.

"Bishop," Splinter glared at him. "Let the child go. She will be of no use to you."

"How wrong you are," the agent smirked, as he tickled Elizabeth's chin who responded back by trying to bite his finger. "Your unique genetic makeup has been very useful to me indeed as well as hers. In fact, the mutated DNA I'm extracting from you even as we speak will help save all humanity."

Splinter narrowed his eyes at him, gritting his teeth. "But, you look confused. Allow me to explain. I work for the Earth Protection Force, a secret government organization assembled to face a mounting crisis. A crisis dating back to 1870, when President Grant created the EPF."

A screen appeared behind Bishop as it came on, revealing a man that resembled Bishop standing next to the president. "After the first extraterrestrials crashed on Earth, extraterrestrials as crisis that continue to this day as we've seen with the recent invasion of those savage Triceratons." he turned to Splinter. "I guarantee you, similar invasions will follow. And someone has to be there to stop them. That is the purpose of the EPF, my purpose, to create a new humanity, a new superior race born of enhanced DNA."

Splinter saw that Bishop was hovering over something, lying on the table. "DNA that have been acquired from genetic manipulation, alien autopsies, and even stolen from your sons and the girls."

Splinter glared at him. "But, it was your mutated rat DNA being nearly so human that has allowed me to finally complete the process, and for that, I thank you." Bishop powered up his laboratory equipment. Electricity began to surge as it began to shock the specimen strapped on the table.

"Yes! It lives! The new evolution of humankind!" Splinter saw a person that looked like a human but it was wearing a helmet on their head and armor.

"The Slayer!"

The turtles and the girls, the Fugitoid and Leatherhead were riding on the train as it took them to the tracking location of Bishop's base.

"Okay," Raph called out, turning to them. "Next stop, Bishop Central."

Bishop walked past his experiments that were in glass tubes. "Not only are these future members of the Earth Protection Force, but they are the new humanity. These clones are awaiting the final DNA sequencing. By cellular acceleration, I can give birth to an army within six hours, fully trained thanks to my advances and bio-data transference. And your DNA. I've uploaded complex survival tactics into this prototype."

"What will you do with them?" Splinter asked, as a crane was lifting him up into the air.

"Mainstream them into the population, of course," Bishop answered. "We have aliens out there right now, living amongst us. My Slayers will ferret them all out."

"Lots of innocent people get "ferreted out." What if errors are made?" Splinter protested. The crane stopped as he was hovering over a glass container.

"Not my concern," Bishop replied. "I'm a bigger picture kind of guy. Besides, my calculations suggests that it would be beneficial if fifty-seven of the the Earth's population simply...disappeared." The crane lowered Splinter into the container. "Just think, my little lab rat. Your DNA will make it all possible. You're lucky you're such an unique organic specimen. You shall be preserved." The container was now beginning to fill up with a green liquid.

One of the soldiers, walked up to Bishop. "Sir, the recall signal for A13 has been activated," he reported. "It's on it's way in."

"Hmm," Bishop murmured, in thought. "That train should haven been destroyed. Prepare a suitable reception, just in case it's occupied."

The train approached as it rolled into a stop. The soldiers ran up to it, surrounding the train. A couple soldiers walked up to the car door. Leatherhead immediately attacked them. Donnie spinned his staff and kneed a soldier in the stomach. Donna jumped over a soldier, landing behind them, as they tried to attack her with their gun. She quickly turned around and slapped a glyph on their backs.

"Huh?" the guard asked confused. Donna smirked. The glyph activated as the guard was launched from off of his feet, slamming into the ceiling then flew at a couple of other soldiers, smacking into them. They fell off the edge, landing right on the train tracks. They let out a loud shriek as the tracks shocked them before going silent. Donnie and Venus both cringed as they watched with a shocked and disturbed look on their faces. Donna turned to them with a smile on her face.

"I'm sure they're okay," she reassured them, as she rubbed the back of her head. No, I'm pretty sure, in fact, that they're dead. Mikey runs up to two soldiers, who were firing at him. Leo and Yuuki disarmed them. "Leatherhead, the door!"

Leatherhead holds it up. "Hurry!" The Fugitoid, the turtles and the girls run over to him. "Hurry, I can't hold it much longer!" He holds it open for them as they run inside then drops it behind them. More guards ran over to the mutant gator.

"Alright, freak, slowly get to your feet and make no sudden moves," one of them orders. Leatherhead's eyes turned into slits, getting angry. He growls and turns around and attacks them.

The group quickly rush into Bishop's lab. They stop when they see Splinter in the containment tube.

"Master Splinter, no!" Leo cried out.

"Master Splinter!" Raph shouted. Everyone heard the sound of clapping to see Bishop as he approached them.

"Elizabeth!" Mona cried out as she saw her in Bishop's hands. Elizabeth's eyes widen happily as she saw Mona and Raph who had scared and angry looks on their faces. She tried to reach out to them with her hands.

"Baba! Mama!" she squealed, happily. Mona's and Raph's eyes widen in shock as well as everyone else's. Elizabeth had said her first words.

"Bishop!" Raph growled.

"I must say, I'm impressed that you found me," he smirked evilly as he told them. "but you won't be staying."

Everyone rushed towards him, but Bishop made no move as they got closer. Then the Slayer landed down in front of the agent, protecting him from everyone. Leo stepped back before charging at him. He tried to slice the Slayer with his swords but he dodges. The Slayer jumps over to the staircase as Leo tries to chase after him.The Slayer turns around and kicks Leo away. Raph growls and charges towards him with his sais. But, the Slayer was quicker as he grabs onto the railing of the staircase and swings around and kicks Raph back.

Mikey ran up to him, spinning his nunchucks but the Slayer grabs them. He throws Mikey into the wall. Donnie jumps up, using his staff but the Slayer moves out of the way. Donnie swings his staff, but the Slayer dodges it and knocks Donnie down the stairs.

The Fugitoid inches over towards Leo as he gets up. "Get Master Splinter out of there!" he told the Fugitoid.

"Absolutely," the Fugitoid rans off, to where Master Splinter was as Leo lunged at the Slayer.

"I'll help." Donna pitched in, running off to help the Fugitoid.

Raph stabs his sai into the Slayer's arm, he flips over him. The Slayer pulls Raph's weapon out and the wound begins to heal by itself. Raph makes a shocked look as the armor breaks off from the Slayer's arm. The Slayer looks at it for a minute then grabs Raph's other sai, spinning them in his hands. Raph pushes Mikey out of the way as he throws his sais at them, stabbing a control panel. It sparks behind Raph as it exploded, knocking Raph to the ground. Leo ran on the catwalk above while Mikey and Alopex fought with the Slayer. Leo swings in on the crane, hitting the Slayer with his swords. He stumbles back, sparking. He pulls off his helmet, revealing his face. He had Bishop's face, but the other half was robotic as well.

Everyone gasped in shock. "Bishop?!" Donnie asked in surprise. Bishop's clone turned to them.

Bishop walked up to him. "Handsome devil, if I do say myself."

"Okay, now I'm officially freaked out!" Mikey commented while the others had their mouths still open in shock. The Slayer began to jump around, quickly.

"Oh believe me, you ain't seen nothing yet," Bishop added as the Slayer climbed on some tubes then turned his head, looking at everyone, without moving his whole body, then turned invisible.

"This just keeps getting better and better," Raph retorted, getting his sais. The Fugitoid and Donna walked up to the computer to free Splinter from the tube.

"Don't worry, Master Splinter," he assured. "I'll have you out of that nasty bio-suspension fluid in a jiffy." The crane moves and begins to lift Splinter out of the container. Suddenly, a chain with a claw hook latched onto the Fugitoid's arm.

"Oh dear," Bishop pulls the chain, ripping off the robot's arm. "That was totally uncalled for." Bishop throws the Fugitoid's arm away.

"Step away from those controls, cyborg."

Donna rushed towards Bishop as she tried to grab Elizabeth but he dodged her stepping to the side. Donna slammed a glyph down and an ice pillar shot out, catching Bishop off guard, making him accidentally let go of Elizabeth. Donna quickly rolled and caught her in time before she hit the floor.

"That was a close one," she sighed in relief. Elizabeth babbled as she cooed as she reached out squishing Donna's face with her hands.

"Not close enough," Bishop called out as he flipped over the ice pillar, landing behind Donna. Donna's eyes widen as she tried to cover Elizabeth in her arms. Bishop reached out to grab Elizabeth but Donna quickly ducked out of the way. She tried to run but Bishop grabbed her arm, pulling her back, hard. A loud snap was heard as Donna's arm was pulled out of it's socket and she yelled out in pain. She kicked Bishop back and flipped away from him, landing on her feet, still clutching Elizabeth in her other hand, tightly.

Then, the crane that was holding Splinter, drops him and it also breaks the gurney that he was strapped to, as it lands on the floor, freeing him. He was still soaking wet, as he faced Bishop.

"Bishop, you will not succeed!" Splinter shouted, as he picked up a pipe, spinning it.

"Wrong," Bishop corrected him. "Neither you nor your little green brats can stop me."

Raph and Donnie were with each other as they searched for the Slayer as well as everyone else who were in pairs. Suddenly, Slayer appears in front of Mikey and grabs him as he kicks Alopex away. "Guys, he's over hereee!" the Slayer throws him into the wall and flips, kicking Mikey against it. He falls to the floor and rubs his head as the Slayer escapes. "This guy doesn't play nice!"

"You don't understand," Bishop throws his hook at Splinter. "I've created life!" Splinter jumps over it and knocks Bishop down, pinning him with his pipe. Bishop flips, knocking Splinter off of him.

"Bishop, no one has the right to play God!" Splinter exclaimed. Bishop surprises Splinter as he pulled the chain using his hook to wrap around Splinter.

"I am taking the necessary steps to defend the world! It is my duty!" He breaks Splinter's pipe using the hook and flips Splinter over. Splinter lands on his feet.

"The world has enough monsters! It does not need yours!"

Raph and Mona were searching for the Slayer. He turns himself visible as he lands on a containment pod behind them. He jumped away, when Raph turned around, sensing him, while Mona continued on ahead. "Come out, come out wherever you are, you ugly freak." The Slayer appeared behind Raph and Raph turns around, growling. The Slayer turned invisible again and flips over Raph, kicking him from behind. Raph tried to charge at him but the Slayer grabs Raph's wrist and twists it. He slams Raph's sai into a pipe, pinning him to the wall as he punched Raph's shell repeatedly. Raph turned around and runs towards the Slayer only for him to grab Raph and lift him up and toss him to the ground.

Not to far off, Leo and Yuuki heard fighting in the distance.

"Raph?" Leo murmured and gasped, before turning to Yuuki.

"Let's hurry!" she quickly told him. They quickly turned around the corner, only for Raph to be shot out in front of them, as he was thrown, crashing into some of the pods nearby, where Mona was. A containment pod falls on top of Raph, as he struggles to hold it up, and sees another one of Bishop's clones inside of it.

"Bishop?"

Leo and Yuuki jump, down hearing a growl. They looked up to see the Slayer climbing on the vent and saw that he was heading towards Splinter. They followed after it. Splinter kicks Bishop from behind as the Slayer jumps down, getting ready to attack Splinter. Leo and Yuuki jumped into the air and kicked him. The Slayer lands into the containment tube with the liquid.

"Professor Honeycutt, the tank! Seal it!" Leo shouted.

The Fugitoid sends an electric current into the vat, shocking the Slayer as well. Bishop gets up to see what is happening. "No! My Slayer!" Splinter jumps up and kicks him.

"This is over, Bishop!"

Bishop adjusted his glasses and turned to see Splinter charging at him. He jumps and lands on the hook, hanging from the ceiling.

"My plans are far from over, rodent!" Bishop jumps off from it and lands. "You have no idea!" He grabs his chain, spinning it. Splinter glared at him and Bishop throws the chain at him. Splinter uses his pipe to block it but Bishop takes it from him. Splinter jumps over a gurney and Bishop breaks a part of it with his chain. He throws the gurney at a shocked Splinter. Splinter kicked it, breaking it into pieces. Bishop throws his chain and the hook latches onto a engine turbine.

Splinter bends down and picks up a piece of the gurney and throws it at a lever, activating the machine. Electricity from the turbine shocks Bishop, electrocuting him. He growls and pulls the chain off, but the turbine explodes. Bishop and Splinter are sent flying in different directions from the explosion. Bishop was impaled by a hook on a chain, screaming.

Raph and Mona rushed over to Donna, as did everyone else, as she handed Elizabeth over to Mona.

"Elizabeth!" Mona shouted as she took her from Donna.

"Whoa, dudette, your arm!" Mikey shouted in concern. Donna hissed in pain as she tried to support her arm. Venus used her chi magic to try to lessen the pain on Donna's dislocated shoulder.

"I'll pop it back into place," Donnie told her as he was about to. But, Donna moved his hand away.

"There's no time," she told them. "We need to find Splinter."

Splinter groaned as he got up, seeing Bishop on the hook, but also saw that the explosion had caused fires, too.

"Sensei!" He turned to see everyone running towards him.

"My children," he said in relief.

"We have to get out of here!" Leo told him. The fire and the explosion had caused water to start flooding the room as well. Splinter looked back towards Bishop to find him not there. He was gone!

"You will pay for this, mutants," everyone gasped as they saw him climbing up a ladder, escaping. "One day, you will all pay!" They all ran over to the ladder, following him.

"After him!" Mikey yelled as Splinter climbed up it first. More turbines exploded as the room was beginning to flood, destroying the lab. The flood water also carried the Slayer's tube, as it fell down a pipe, just as the lab was destroyed. Everyone soon found themselves in an elevator as it carried them up to the streets and ran out of it, water rushing out of it as they did.

"Whoa, we're in the middle of Midtown!" Mikey said. They didn't see Bishop anywhere. He had somehow managed to elude them.

"And Bishop's nowhere in sight." Leo pointed out.

"We will see him again. Such men are hard to destroy." Splinter told them.

[jadethest0ne]

When the Moon meets the Morning, Chapter 1 - Fire under the Blood Moon

Summary:  Raphael is going on missions with Captain Jupiter as he always does when he meets an orange-wearing turtle yokai who feels oddly familiar.

Word Count: 2154

Ratings/Warnings: General Audiences; some minor harrowing moments, but mostly fluff, emotional overload, emotional manipulation, self-deprecation

Notes: A longer chapter this time! This was the first thing I wrote for this story. I do enjoy starting out with some action! Big thanks to @undercoverwizardninjaturtle, @fraymotiif, and @frasierverse for helping me workshop this.

Read on AO3 For the RotTMNT Fantasy AU

-----------

The thing about the Unforgiving North was that despite its reputation for being an icy snowscape it wasn't always cold and unforgiving. Sure the summers were maybe only a few weeks long and their spring was just an extended period of slush and snowmelt, but there was a time in the fall where the temperature was okay and not everything was covered in snow. Unfortunately, it was also a time where there was barely any rain either, and all the dry, dead leaves made all too good kindling for causing forest fires, much like the one that Raph had found himself in the middle of combating at the moment.

James Jupiter, the famed heroic bounty hunter, had gotten the call that the nearby forest had caught on fire due to some folks using mushroom fires irresponsibly. It was threatening the neighboring town of Bedu, as well as a group of small woodcutter huts and cabins that were within the forest's borders. As usual it was up to Captain Jupiter, his trusty sidekick Red Fox, and his protege, Raphael the “Red Angel of Preventing Harm” to save the day. Or the night rather.

Raph can feel his power swelling with the rise of the moon as he forms large red projections of his arms down a path among the trees blocking the flames to allow a family from one of the huts to pass through. Raph hears some screams behind him. He sees the Captain at the edge of the forest patiently directing everyone to safety with a confident smirk. The entire night he had been there greeting everyone that Raphael and Red Fox had brought out of the flames and giving them a strong guiding hand, letting them know that everything is going to be okay. Raph thinks wistfully for a moment what it must be like to have that confidence. He could use some of that right about now. He waits until he sees the family make it past the flames to dispel his corporeal magic into a smaller shield around himself. The heat is strong and he wishes he doesn't have his heavy cloak on him, but his shielding spell is at least enough to keep the fire at bay.

He turns towards where he heard the screams. He sees a child in a clearing wreathed with flames looking scared, with desperate eyes scanning the canopies. They look to be like some sort of squirrel yokai. He rushes over, batting away the flames with his magical aura formed into large hands as he goes.

When he reaches the child he imagines how the Captain would act in this situation and he puts on his most heroic face and states in his most heroic voice, "Don't worry, the Red Angel of Preventing Harm is here to save you!" The child stops crying momentarily and gives him a look of confusion. Raph falters. "Er, along with Captain James Jupiter..." That last part seems to make the child perk up and they manage a weak, tear-stained smile. They point a shaky finger up to the trees and say "My family is still up there!"

Raph looks up to see a literal treehouse, mostly in flames with at least half a dozen scared faces of squirrel yokai poking out. That's a lot of people, Raph thinks. It'll be hard to carry them all. But they're small, so Raph can handle it. Probably. With resolve and in a voice more confident than he feels, he calls to the family shouting above the flames, "Jump down! I will catch you!"

The yokai look at each other worriedly, so Raph lifts up his hands allowing his arm projections to expand and cupping his transparent red hands in a makeshift cushion for the family to land on. The family of, five, six, seven, Raph counts, leaps down into his waiting arms. As he lowers them to safety, he hears a cracking sound and sees the tree that the family just leapt from wobble dangerously. There's no time to wait for the family to get their bearings, so he just lifts them all up onto his broad shoulders, and grabs the child around the waist, and flings himself and the family out of the way of the collapsing tree; the rush of flames from the falling branches licking at his heels and tail as he runs. With him focusing on trying to carry the panicky family, it does not allow him much room to maneuver through the fiery forest, and his concentration on trying to avoid the flames prevents him from accessing his magic effectively. Still he does the best he can to move around the burning trees. He thinks he sees a path out, but then he hears a moan. Raph scans the forest and sees another young yokai - some sort of lizard - on the ground and looking very out of it. A nearby fallen tree branch tells him that maybe they got hit in the head. If Raph gets the family out of the forest, he may not be able to make it back to the lizard. But if he grabs the lizard, then both he and the folks he's carrying may not make it out. Raph doesn’t hesitate in his decision.

Raph rushes over to the lizard yokai, and, having no hands left to carry him, bends down and grasps a fold of his clothing in his teeth. Sometimes it's handy to have the strong jaws of a snapping turtle. There’s some more creaking from above and several large limbs from the trees fall down towards Raph and the people he’s carrying. There’s no time to dodge out of the way, and with so many people, he doesn’t think he can. So Raph stands his ground. His eyes darken over, and where his iris and pupil would normally be the shape of a blood-red moon appears, glowing even brighter than the fire surrounding him. He takes a deep breath, and wills his magic form around him. A red projection, mimicking his body’s shape and features, grows from him and surrounds both himself and the yokai he is protecting. Raph grunts as he forces the magic to hold as the blazing branches glance off of it. When the barrage of burning wood stops, Raph shakes off any errant cinders and dissipates his large red form.

He whirls around to try to get back to the path to safety but he can no longer see it. Everything is in flames now and the heat is really starting to get to him. The smoke is stinging his eyes, and he takes some heavy breaths through his nose, trying not to choke on the hot air or on his own rising anxiety. What would the Captain do in this situation? Would someone like him let a stupid fire stop him? Would he be disappointed at Raph for the tears threatening to spill over right now? They're from the smoke, not fear, Raph tells himself, of course, but his mind still conjures that disappointed look of the Captain in his brain. Raph has to remind himself to not bite down hard on the fabric that is in his mouth keeping the lizard yokai in place.

That's when he sees a flash of green through the blaze.

There's a section within the maelstrom of fire that contains no flames. A pocket of darker coolness that is inhabited by a freckle-faced yokai. He looks to be about Raph's age, maybe a little younger, and definitely much smaller. But he's wearing this brilliant smile and seems to be completely unfazed by the situation he's in. The boy cups a hand over his mouth and flames seem to come from it. Anger fills Raph’s gut and he's about to shout at the yokai as he momentarily thinks that the guy is adding to his troubles. However, Raph stops when he realizes that the kid is not breathing out fire, but sucking it in.

The yokai's already round face puffs out and becomes rounder as if storing the fire in his cheeks. The yellow freckles on his face stand out on his green skin, even among the yellow flames. The boy pulls in a deep breath, extinguishing enough of the fire to allow for a path out of the forest and to safety. Raph looks at the boy in wonder for just a second as he looks over cheerfully at him and winks. A sense of familiarity comes over Raph as he looks at the yokai. He's not sure why, but Raph is sure that he's a turtle yokai despite his orange clothes covering up where his shell would be. The smaller turtle yokai gives an "after you" gesture at Raph which snaps him out of his thoughts, and he quickly barrels through the burnt, but no longer flaming, woods.

He makes it out to where Captain Jupiter is still directing folks to safety. Once in the clear, Raph heaves a huge sigh of relief and lowers his load to the ground. The family of squirrel yokai scramble off of him and quickly go over to the Captain, excited to meet the famed hero. Captain Jupiter soaks in the praise and pats the heads of the younger yokai as he sends them on their way. Man, the Captain is so cool, just remaining calm this whole time, Raph thinks. He doesn’t even look like he’s got a burn on him - not even singed clothing! That’s in direct contrast to Raph’s soot stained clothes, and dirty face and claws, which he now feels somewhat self-conscious about as the Captain looks over to him.

The Captain gives Raph a toothy grin. "What have you got there, my boy," he says, smile fading into a grimace, "...in your teeth?”

Raph raises his brow realizing he’s still carrying the lizard yokai. He opens his mouth and gently places the young yokai in his arms, taking care to cradle his injured head. "Oh, um," Raph starts nervously. The Captain didn't like it when he used his more turtle-y features. "I, uh, ran out of arms to carry people with," he explains.

The Captain gives a discouraging look. “Remember, lad, ‘act like a beast, become a beast,’” he says tapping at his own teeth where Raph’s snaggletooth would be. He waves over his sidekick that Raph only just noticed was there, "Better let Red Fox take him then. Don't want you injuring him further, after all."

"Ah yeah," Raph says, wilting a bit as he lowers the lizard guy down to the sweet-faced red panda yokai in question. She’s also covered in no small amount of soot, and he can see some of her normally tidy auburn fur is lightly singed.

Red Fox looks up to him in concern and asks in her usual motherly tone, "Are you hurt?" She sniffs the air around him as if trying to discern his state by smell, causing the pink scar above her nose to crinkle and stand out behind the soot dusting her face.

Raph gives what he hopes is an encouraging smile and says, "Yeah, I'm fine." He gestures behind him to where he last saw the turtle yokai, saying, "It was really thanks to--" but he cuts himself off when he sees that no one is there. "Where did he go?" Raph asks himself.

There was a turtle yokai there, wasn't there? The smoke and fire hadn’t messed with his brain that much, had they? His thoughts are interrupted when he hears the Captain give his usual rundown of the situation. "Well that seems to be everybody, and it even seems as though the fire is dying down now, so that is some luck. All families are accounted for thanks to my steady guidance. Red Fox did well to listen to my commands, too. But kid, please do not rush off into the woods recklessly again, it may be too much to handle for a protege like yourself."

Raph’s shoulders sag under the Captain’s criticisms, but gives a "Yessir" all the same.

The Captain turns away to gather the victims of the fire to him, gaining statements and directing them to the necessary healing houses if need be. Raph watches on, and not for the first time tries to imagine what it's like to have such a leaderly tone that folks automatically respect.

He feels a warm hand placed on his own and he looks down to see Red Fox giving him a proud grin, "You did great out there, Raphael."

A smile spreads on Raph's face at her words and she gives a wink as she walks away with the lizard yokai in her arms.

Raph looks back at the once blazing forest, now mellowed out to a light flicker, and wonders what happened to the yokai that gave him a similarly kind wink and why he felt like he'd met the guy before…

<--previous   ///   next-->

[yodawgiherd]

Somewhere Out There

>>>Read on AO3<<<

Happy Holidays everyone! ^^ And since I prolly won't do anything new for some time again, happy new year too :P Annie heard about the woman she was matched with today. A known name in the MMA scene, she was among the top-ranked - steadily placing high in various tournaments. Experienced, dangerous, and strong, a welcome change from her first fight and that egoistic wrestler. Annie was looking forward to the challenge. The bell rang and they both moved at the same time.

At first, it was her enemy throwing punches, testing the waters, looking for openings. But Annie didn’t budge. Using the technique she learned from Reiner “the Armor”, she turtled with her hands raised, absorbing the hits. The pain didn’t mean anything, and as long as she protected the important parts of her body, she could safely ignore it. Only a very good striker could get through the armor, find the gaps and slide the damage in, but this girl couldn’t do it and Annie shrugged her hits off. Seeing that there was no progress to be made there, she bit the bait and went in.

The woman went low, Annie went high and they met in the middle, grasping at each other. A grappler then, same as she was. Muscles straining, they fell on the ground, their duel continuing there as they tried to get a submission hold on each other. Her enemy was about the same in both height and weight as Annie and their struggling was more or less equal. Yet as it continued, it was clear that Annie had something the other woman didn’t – cold-blooded dedication. While she was running out of breath, the blonde wasn’t even winded, coiling herself around her like a vice, never letting go, never lessening the pressure. But before she could truly put her choking techniques to work, the woman simply tapped out.

Confused, Annie let go and they disentangled from one another. For whatever reason, the defeated party was wearing a huge smile anyway, almost immediately offering the victor a hand to shake.

“I shouldn’t have taken you to the ground.”, she said, “You’re insane there. Do you ever get tired?”

There was joy in her voice, enjoyment even, and Annie didn’t get it. She got crushed, so why did she look like that she was having fun?

“You don’t mind that you lost?”

“Nah, I kind of expected that to happen sooner or later.”

“Why’s that? Don’t you have faith in what you do?”

“I do, but I know that there are others out there who are class above normal people. I found out about it a few months back.”

Despite not being here to make friends, Annie was interested.

“How so?”

“You see, I was competing in an MMA tournament, all hyped up and ready to go. I was counted between the favorites to win the whole thing, and that did wonders to my ego. It inflated even further when I breezed through my matches. But then I met her.”

Annie didn’t even realize that she was holding her breath, immersed in the story. A bit embarrassed by how easily she was drawn in, she huffed it out, waiting for the other girl to continue.

“She had an impressive streak, but was a newbie, only recently switching to our scene. No worries, I thought, I’ll show her what MMA is about.”, she shook her head, “ I have never been so wrong. She was fast, insanely fast, and far stronger than her build suggested. I did my best, I gave the match my all, but she crushed me anyway and that’s when I realized that some people are just built differently. She was a prodigy, I am not.”

If there was someone like that out there, it would be helpful to keep tabs on her. Hell, she might be even competing in this very tournament.

“What was her name?”, Annie asked, “How did she look like?”

“Asian girl, black hair, pale skin, a scar on her cheek. Her name was Mikasa.”

Annie’s next breath was a deep inhale as she struggled to keep herself calm. The night still haunted her, that fight in the rain, the one where she almost got beaten to death. The naked steel in Mikasa’s eyes when she raised the bloodied fist, that was something Annie would never forget.

“You know, she was giving me a similar feeling you do.”, the girl went on, “Do you know her?”

“N-No.”, Annie lied, shaking her head vehemently, “Never heard of her.”

“Oh well, if you go on like this, I’m sure you two will meet somewhere in the bracket.”

With that, the woman tapped Annie on the shoulder and left the ring. Gritting her teeth, clenching her fists, the blonde’s dedication to winning had reached a whole new level. Because now, she knew that her worst rival was here too. Because now, she knew that she could crush her demons on the way to the top. And Annie would enjoy that.

Eren didn’t even know how they ended up like this, on the couch with Mikasa straddling him. She came down from the bedroom, he wished her good morning, so she kissed him in return and things somewhat escalated from there. Not that he was complaining. She was still in her sleeping attire, a shirt and a pair of panties, meaning that her bare legs were all his for the taking.

And everything was great, until she pulled back, grasping his chin and casting an inspecting eye over the beard Eren was cultivating for a few days.

“You really should shave babe, I’m not sure I approve of that homeless vibe.”

“You’re the one the talk.”

“What’s that?”

Fine then, if Mikasa wanted to play this game, he was in. Eren liked that beard, and shaving was a pain the ass anyway. To tease her, he swapped the circuit in his brain from horny to asshole, the one that was usually reserved for Jean.

“Well, you are… you know…”, it was hard searching for an insult with Mikasa on his lap, so Eren just blurted the first word that stumbled on his tongue, “ugly.”

“Ugly? You think I’m ugly?“

“Yep. Hideous even.“

“Care to elaborate?”

“Well, for starters, look at your hair.”, his hand came up, dragging through the short locks, “So short, so black. And a dyed red streak? How old are you?”, he shook his head, “Everyone knows that long blonde is the best.”

Her own hands found purchase on Eren’s shoulders as Mikasa anchored herself, listening.

“Go on.”, she prompted.

“Your shoulders are too broad, biceps too big..”, tracing that lovely shape, he went on, “what do you need muscles for?”

“I beat people up for a living.”, she grinned down at him, “But continue.”

It was only a half-truth by now, but they both knew that. Taking full advantage of her position, Eren slid his hands to her breasts, cupping them through the fabric of her shirt. Mikasa didn’t wear bra to bed, obviously, so he could feel her nipples through it.

“Your chest is way too small to be attractive, you look like a man. I mean, everyone knows that the bigger the better.”

Amused, Mikasa made a happy noise in the back of her throat. But when Eren’s hands kept groping the same area, she raised an eyebrow.

“Hello?”

He reluctantly let go of her breasts.

“R-Right. Sorry.”

Torn from his trance, as it was always so much fun to play with her chest. Eren quickly repositioned his grasp to her hips, the move itself a herculean effort. Mikasa was patient, playing with the ends of his overlong hair, smug on her throne.

“Your stomach is too hard,”, poking her abs, Eren faked his best scowl, “woman is supposed to be soft to the touch.”

Five years back, all this critique would send Mikasa’s confidence crashing down, especially if it would come from her own boyfriend. But now all she did was smirk, watching him pull those words out of his ass. Self-growth is a wonderful thing.

“Thighs, again too strong. What for?”

“Choking people out.”, she scratched his nape slightly, “Maybe you too if you ask nicely.”

A low growl left Eren as the scenario flashed through his mind, fingers digging into those beautiful legs for a second before he re-composed himself. With a deep breath, he moved his hands to the last part of his inspection.

“And your ass…. Your ass…. Err….”

“What’s that?”

“I mean… Uhm…”

But how was he supposed to say anything? Granted, his insults were lame to begin with, but at least he could try to look at it from someone else’s perspective to pass her strengths as faults. However, what was the play here? To reassure himself that there is indeed nothing he could latch on, he ran his hands over Mikasa’s backside, the “inspection” taking much longer than needed. That made her giggle.

“I’ve got nothing.”, he finally surrendered, “Your butt is perfect.”

Mikasa didn’t say anything for a time, simply looked down at him, the smug smirk never leaving her lips. And then she did that the one thing that Eren feared she would do to completely destroy his arguments. She stirred her hips. Just a little, a tiny rock back and forth on top of him, but she was experienced and he was weak, so fucking weak for her, that the little slide almost immediately began producing results. His traitorous body refused to cooperate with the mind, and Eren was hard before he even realized how it happened. With Mikasa on his lap, the change was rather obvious to both parties involved, and her smug smile became even smugger. Worst of all, Eren knew that she’s probably not going to do anything about it and leave him blueballed, because while she knew that he spoke only to tease her, Mikasa preferred her teasing to be done in a more physical way. And to Eren’s dismay, she was damn good at it.

“Still, you raised some valid critique.”, Mikasa suddenly said, halting her movements, “So tell me, with all these faults, why do I have this?”

She wiggled her engagement ring at him.

“That’s easy.”, he replied, summoning his blood to his brain back from the crotch “I love you.”

“Even with my wide shoulders and hard stomach?”

“Precisely because of that.”

“Well..”, she leaned closer, whispering, “You are lucky that I love you too. Even with your girly hair and hobo beard.”

And just as Eren moved in for a kiss, she slipped out of his lap and was gone.

“Mmmhhh……. W-Where are you going?”, he called after her, even more desperate than before.

“I’ve got training with Levi.”, she called right back, her voice accompanied by the sounds of her getting dressed.

“Now? Can’t you go in like… five minutes?”

“Aw, I’m sorry babe.”, Mikasa appeared in the doorway, already wearing her signature leather biker jacket, “But you know how punctual Levi is.”

“Miki…”

“I have to run, but I’m sure that you and your…”, her eyes dipped between Eren’s legs before coming back to his face, “right hand can figure out the issue.”

Disappearing with a wink, Eren soon heard the door click and he was alone. Knocking his head back against the couch, he barked out a laugh. How could someone not love Mikasa Ackerman, that was completely beyond him. Well, time to shave.

If anything, Levi was even harder on her now. Mikasa’s training was more extreme than ever, pushing limits of both her strength and endurance above and beyond. But she didn’t complain. She knew that the road would be hard and rocky, and Levi was simply trying to prepare for the worst. Yet when her brother said that she should develop a new move, something not seen before, she had to ask.

“Why? Don’t I have enough shit in my repertoire?”

“You do, but they will know that. An ace up your sleeve might be worth investing some time into.”

“What do you mean?

“Rest assured that they will scout you. Watch your past matches, learn what you do and how to counter it.”

“Really?”

“Of course. You haven’t lost yet after switching to MMA, not even once, and now you went and knocked one of the top contenders down on his ass.”

“I see…”, Mikasa scratched the back of her neck, a new idea popping in, “If they do that, shouldn’t we do the same?”

“Way ahead of you. I’ve already done some serious research and, I’ll be honest with you, it’s not looking pretty.”

“How so?”

“There are some serious monsters out there. Last night, I watched a tattooed giant completely brutalize some poor fellow’s face with his elbows. That’s the thing about this tournament. On the bright side, the next to no rules means that you get to fight a wide variety of people, a lot of great experience. But on the other hand, guys like him can be as brutal as they want to without any drawback.”

“I know what I was getting into.”, Mikasa countered.

“Still, be extra careful. Especially if you get into the ring with the guys I picked out.”

Levi had spent about a week or so on this, combing through the huge-ass number of matches, looking for individuals who stood out the most. Those that would be most dangerous to his sister.

“I’ve compiled them into a file with all the info I could dig out, videos of their fights and whatnot. Sometimes it's not much, but it’s better than nothing. I’ll send you an email with the file.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Really.”

He nodded back, turning and leaving back into the gym. Mikasa got out, kicked the bike awake, the engine roaring, and soon she was on her way back home with a new set of things to ponder.

When Eren came home, Mikasa was already deep in her research, looking at the laptop screen with a focused look on her face. He sat down next to her, eager to see who she would be facing later on. There was a guy on the screen right now, a real tank. Blonde, tall and very heavily muscled, with a somewhat sad look on his face.

“Damn, look at this dude, he’s built like a space marine.”

Mikasa blinked at him.

“A what?”

“A space ma-, nevermind. I’ll educate you some other time.”

Eren and his fantasy worlds. Focusing on the page instead, Mikasa read out loud.

“Reiner Braun - Germany. Specialty: grappling – long history of Judo and Wrestling.”

“Dude’s heavy as shit.” Eren noted over her shoulder, “If he ever gets you on the ground you’re finished.”

Mikasa had to agree with him. She was strong, but there was no way she was getting over a hundred kilos of pure muscle from her chest. Worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, she scrolled down.

“Fahkumram - Thailand. Specialty: Muay Thai – also known as the god of Muay Thai.”

Talk about an imposing figure. Over two meters tall with almost unnaturally broad shoulders, arms and legs bulging. Numerous tattoos covered the man’s skin, Mikasa’s own paling in comparison. She could almost hear Eren’s worry increasing. Levi wasn’t lying, these guys were truly monsters, far beyond anything she had faced until now. Hoping for someone that would take their mind from that German tank and abnormal Thai warrior, she scrolled down. And her heart skipped a beat.

“Is that….”, Eren whispered next to her, “No way…”

But there was no mistaking it. Exchanging a bewildered look with her boyfriend, Mikasa’s eyes slid over the page, reading.

“Annie Leonhart – Germany.”