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theyhavetakenovermylife · 6 months

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Hear me out, in the 2007 version, Leo, Donnie and Mikey's S/O's are Nightwatcher's admirers but completely unaware that Raph is nighwatcher. Plus, if they've been saved by Nightwatcher(Raph) once.

A Fan of the Nightwatcher (Angst?)

2007!Donatello x reader x 2007!Raphael

A/N: I’ve changed it a bit, so it was easier to write. Reader is in a relationship with Donnie, but does very much admire the Nightwatcher💜❤️

Warnings: Cheating if you count this, very little stalking, mentions of guns and street fighting.

Things had been strange in the Hamato household, ever since Leonardo left for training in South America. With Leo gone, his brothers had not been able to train like they once did, forcing them to turn to other things, to pass the time with. Michelangelo had taken up party entertainment, dressing up as a cartoon like turtle in order to sing and dance for children. From what you had heard, it wasn’t worth the pay, at all, often ending with Mikey getting beaten up by wild children. Raphael had turned to sleeping all day, only coming out of his room at night to grunt a small hello in your direction, before either heading to the kitchen or to the surface, in order to hang out with Casey on the roof of April’s apartment. And your boyfriend, the genius turtle Donatello, had started up a phone tech service, helping people with their computer problems over the phone, spending many hours of the day in front of a screen, talking to strangers and clicking away on his keyboard.

All of this had left you more than a little bored. There was nothing to do, and nothing to see. You would hang out in the lair, waiting for Splinter to finish his own training or meditating, in order to drink tea with him, so you could wait further more, listening as Donnie talked to whatever dim person there was on the other end of the line. And to be honest, it was an absolute drap.

It was the same routine everyday. Finish work and make your way to the lair, where you would wait what felt like hours for your boyfriend to finish his own work, only to find that he was too tired to really do anything, asking if the two of you could just take a nap together. You had nothing against good naps with Donnie, but when it was the only thing you did every day, you started to grow quite bored of that as well.

But it wasn’t like you could just go out, and do something else. No, not without the turtles doing patrols in New York City, keeping an eye on the growing unrest between the Purple Dragons and the last remaining Foot Ninjas. The streets of New York had grown unsafe, leaving your apartment, your workplace and the lair as the safest places for you to stay at. And so, you continued this routine, until something happened one day.

You were walking to the lair from your workplace, moving through a crowd of people, going home after their night shifts. Or maybe even straight to work to start their shift for the night. You never know in the city that never sleeps.

But soon the crowd erupted into chaos, men and women screaming in fear, running all over the place for cover, as Purple Dragons took onto the street, screaming and yelling with guns ready in their hands. You felt fear rush through your body, yet you kept your head level, seeking cover like the others.

But then, through the chaos, you saw him. Rushing down from above, he knocked out a Purple Dragon with a punch, taking on another with ease. Dressed in all black leather, thick gloves and boots, with headlights on his helmet, blinding his opponents. You watched in awe as he took down the Purple Dragons single handed, with nothing but his bare hands and a pair of long thick chains. He knocked them out and dragged them to the middle of the road, before disappearing onto the roof tops before the police came. And that was how the people of New York City first heard of the Nightwatcher.

You hurried down to the lair, pretty much forcing Donnie to end his computer service that day, so you could tell him what had happened. And to be honest, Donnie did not know how to feel about it. Mainly, he was happy and relieved that you were safe and unharmed, but he did not like what he heard about this Nightwatcher guy. He sounded like he was doing what used to be his and his brothers’ job. And what he liked way less, was the way you talked about him, like you admired him. That struck Donnie in a not so nice way, and made him feel a little uneasy.

And so, you had finally found something to cure your boredom - the Nightwatcher. During your time in the lair, waiting for Donnie to get off work, you would watch the Nightwatcher on the news. He was out every night, fighting off both Purple Dragons, Foot ninjas, and small-time criminals. And each time he would vanish, just before the police would arrive, leaving the criminals bound and ready for them to take. And for weeks that was all you saw of the Nightwatcher. But that too would change before you knew it.

You were once again walking to the lair after a night shift, this time more excited than you had been in a long time. Today Donnie had decided to take the night off, so the two of you could spend it together, in a way that you hadn’t been able to in a long time.

As you continued down the street, with a happy skip in your walk, you did not notice the gloomy eyes following your every move, before the lanky figure the eyes belonged to, started following you down the street. As you passed by a narrow alleyway, the lanky figure took its chance, reaching out and grabbing a sudden hold on your arm, turning you with a yank. You spun in place, just managing to see the man that had turned you, before a sudden flash of black passed by you, pushing the man to the ground. You stared in shock at the Nightwatcher, as he took care of your would be attacker, beating him up before throwing him out the alleyway, and onto the street, causing nearby people to scream in fear before running away.

As the Nightwatcher was about to take off, you quickly grabbed him by the arm, making him turn to look at you, the glass of his helmet acting as a mirror you could see yourself in. Shocked yet awestruck.

“Thank you”, you said softly, not sure what else to say, yet wanting to show your gratitude in some way.

However, the Nightwatcher did not answer you. Instead he looked at you for a moment, before he carefully pulled his arm away from your hand. And then, just as silent as before, he turned to the fire escape, and quickly made his way up to the roof, leaving you back in the alleyway, staring up at him, your mouth slightly agape.

Once the vigilante was out of view, you quickly made your way out onto the street again, continuing your way to the lair with much faster steps than before. You just had to tell Donnie about this.

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psychologicalwarclaire · 2 months

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10 for Rise. Gimme warcrimes duo >:]

Donnie didn't realize just how much Witchtown hated him until he wound up in front of the majority of the town at Hidden City court.

Witches of all kinds shouted over each other, listing crimes that Donnie most definitely had NOT committed.

"--trampled my mushrooms!"

"--released the kraken into our town fountain!"

"--totally demolished my self esteem!"

"--ATE MY CAT!!!"

"-- and destroyed the statue of our great founder!"

Okay that one he actually had done. In his defense, he hadn't meant to blast it with his tech bo. Defense, however, was something he was missing.

He glanced over at the judge. "I don't know how Hidden City trials work but isn't there supposed to be someone on my side? I mean, ahem, with my superb knowledge of everything I could absolutely provide my own defense but, uhm..." I don't really want to do this all on my own, he finished in his head.

All of Donnie's knowledge of courtroom proceedings came from a show he and Raph used to watch together. Raph loved watching the good guys solve crimes and fight bad guys. Donnie loved the mysteries and collection of evidence. Neither of them found the legal stuff super interesting, so they'd discussed the real life logistics of the crime (whether Donnie could commit it, whether Raph could catch him, and how they'd avoid getting caught) during those scenes. Donnie wished he'd payed more attention.

The doors flew open with a BANG.

"PURPLE TURTLE!" Casey Jones yelled. "I AM HERE TO PROVE YOUR INNOCENCE!"

Donnie blinked.

The jury all looked at each other like she'd made a brilliant point, muttering and nodding along.

The judge stroked his beard. "Good entrance. One point to the defense."

There were very few times that Donnie didn't have at least SOME idea of what was happening. Now was, unfortunately, one of those times.

Casey seemed to appear right next to him. "SO! Got yourself in trouble with Witchtown, eh?"

Flustered, Donnie could only think to say, "I didn't do it! Their accusations are entirely--"

"HEY! That's MY job!" She cleared her throat. "As I was saying, Witchtown is tough, but I'm tougher! You're lucky I took this case, otherwise you would already be rotting in Hidden City prison."

"I-- Casey why are you a lawyer in the Hidden City?" Things were spiraling entirely out of control.

Casey grinned her insane grin. "I love yelling, fighting, arguing, squabbling, debating, etc. Passing the exam was super easy, too! The laws here aren't any more complicated than the Foot Clan laws. You know, normally I'm on the offensive. But I am Hamato Clan now! I WILL NOT BETRAY MY CLAN!"

Donnie couldn't help but be impressed. "Huh. What a strangely fitting career choice for you."

"INDEED! And the lawyer to politician pipeline is extremely fast. I shall build my way up to becoming a mayor, senator, and eventually I shall be the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! Junior has already signed on to be my vice president. Our slogan is either going to be: 'Jones and Jones: we'll feast on your bones' OR 'Vote Jones squared and your lives will be spared'. Catchy right?"

Donnie's mind was already buzzing with how his Genius Built brand could be expanded by personally knowing the president. "Casey," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "I will personally help fund your presidential campaign."

"Excellent! Now, we are in the middle of court so we can discuss that later."

"Oh yeah." Donnie had actually forgotten that he was literally on trial. Casey has the effect of being extremely distracting. "I need to tell you my alibi and--"

"Pffft, no need. What kind of court do you think this is?" Casey cracked her neck, and stretched her arms above her head.

The judge banged his gavel, which sent a shockwave across the room. The ground rumbled and the seats all slid back to open up a wide space in front of the stand. "We are now in session. Let prosecutor Gilby Gilbert of Witchtown and defendant Casey Jones of the Hamato Clan enter the ring."

The what?!

Gilby Gilbert, whom Donnie vaguely recognized from the Witchtown episode leapt into the ring. "That turtle is GUILTY!"

With a running leap, Casey Jones flipped into the ring and kicked him squarely in the chest. "Mr Hamato is more innocent than you and your corrupted, black market, embezzling town will ever be!"

The jury gasped.

"Flair, solid hit, AND a plot twist! Three more points to the defense!" the judge ruled.

Donnie was now very glad he had not been the one to plead (punch?) his own case.

"Turtle boy is against everything we stand for!" Gilby choked from inside a headlock.

"Since your treasury records show illegal trade with criminals AND many Witchtown officials who have been pocketing those funds, I'd say it's a good thing that Mr Hamato stands against you, you LOWLIFE!" Casey released the headlock, only to kick her opponent to the ground and curb stomp him.

Donnie was no longer worried.

In fact, as he watched Casey continue to kick Gilby (who had curled into a ball), he actually smiled. Perhaps the answer to science vs magic was brute force.

He had decided that when this trial was over and he and Casey had officially won, he was going to make her a fashionable Genius Built lawyer suit. He'd make it easily torn away to give her more points in style.

It was the least he could do.

#pushing my Casey Jones lawyer agenda until the day i die #sorry it took so long to answer this my dear pixel #hope this met your expectations?#anyway #thank you for the ask!#asks #dear pixel #writing game #ask game #cookie crumbs #my writing #rottmnt #rottmnt fanfiction #warcrime duo #i have no idea how the hidden city works but we're just going to suspend pur disbelief

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timdrakesbussy · 4 months

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The First Kill and Final Girl Poll Results

My opinions and also my thoughts are below.

Haley won the first kill poll in a landslide. It makes sense, in a way. She’s the hot blonde chick, she's destined to die early. However, since she's also very high on the final girl poll, she has high preservation and she put up a decent fight without actually fighting (think of Tatum Riley from Scream).

Alex is a jock. He won’t make it far.

All I wanted to ask is WHO VOTED ELLIOTT IN THE FINAL GIRL POLL??? WHY IS HE HIGHER THAN SAM, ALEX, AND EMILY?? What the FUCK would he do? I love him and all but he would absolutely die early on. He’s always alone in his cabin and nobody visits him except for Leah and maybe Willy so he’s an easy target.

Emily absolutely knows what’s going on and who did it with her witchy crystals and prophetic dreams. She would warn others about it, especially since she knew her sister isn’t missing but instead killed, though nobody believed her. But since she knew what the hell is happening from the beginning, she needs to die.

Shane is pretty difficult to think about tbh. From the poll, he's pretty average on both and I struggle to think how he could die. But I definitely think he would die, just not that early, and he actually puts up a good fight.

Harvey's results are average as well but he is slightly higher than Shane's. He is pretty useful, as the only one of two medical professional AND the only doctor, he needs to die possibly halfway through the movie.

Sebastian has less than a percent of vote in the first kill poll but surprisingly average on the final girl poll. I get it, I think he absolutely would die but not early. In my head, he and Sam (who has a small vote for final girl and pretty high on the first kill, dear Lord you guys are adamant for this man to get killed) would die together, Fear Street 2 double kill kind of way. Pretty scenic and beautiful.

Penny is divisive. People agree that she either would be the first easy kill or she’s the final girl. I do think she’d die, but on the later parts of the movie. She’s smart so she could outwit them but she doesn’t have the body skill to easily outrun her pursuer. I’d say she'd die à la Casey Becker from Scream, where she gets killed whilst trying to run away from them.

Now, here comes the fun part.

First we have Maru. With her stat, it makes sense she made it far. She’s a genius and definitely far more durable than Penny, I’d still think she’d rather use her brain than her muscles though. But she’s very useful, she’s one of the only medical professional and with Harvey dead, she’s the only one left. So, I think she would die near the end of the movie.

Second, Leah. Definitely a final girl material. Plus point other than her muscles is that she’s familiar with the wilderness, she knows her way if she needs to run to the forest to hide. And I think she’s the equilibrium to brain and brawn. But she’s not the winner of the poll so she had to die, though she won’t go down without a fight.

Lastly, we have our final girl.

Okay, raise your hands if you’re surprised because this is very predictable.

Abigail is a final girl material TO THE T. She’s vulnerable yet strong and skilled of a combatan enough to fight back the pursuer. And you know what’s lacking with Leah and Maru? They would hesitate to do stupid things that protagonists do, and Abigail would make stupid decisions that’d endanger her or her friends (the latter possibly causing their deaths).

Anyways, uh.. I can’t draw for shit so here’s a picrew of bloody Abigail with a badge I hastily made in canva. Congrats girl! Now hopefully you’ll get therapy, Lord knows you need them after losing everyone you love.

BONUS: the final scene in my head is Abigail sitting in her battered kitchen with a cup of hot green tea. She didn’t drink the tea, not even a sip. She instead stared into her reflection as the camera pans out for the viewer to peek Caroline’s mangled body adjacent to the stove, blood splattered on the powder blue walls then it cuts to black.

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afreakingdork · 9 months

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Except for a Mouse

RotTMNT Donatello x Reader One-Shot

Tags: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Mistletoe, Gift Fic, One Shot, Short & Sweet, Aged-Up Mutant Ninja Turtles, Gender-Neutral Reader

Synopsis: Scurrying around, you help your boyfriend as he tries to rekindle the excitement of the gift giving season.

Also Available on Ao3

A Secret Santa gift for dearest @s-s-ironnie

Didgeridoo you are an endless delight and I'm so happy to have met you! I hope you have a wonderful holiday and enjoy!

The luster of receiving gifts had dulled with age. You tried not to include yourself in that, but it was an unfortunate fact across the board. The whole how to do of the holiday had eclipsed the supposed reason for the season. It was an odd thing; understanding why your elders had been exhausted and spent most of their days lounging while the kids ran around with their new toys. Practicality won out as you got older and with it came a stagnant sense.

“Socks?! Fantastic! Oh, they’re even the boot kind!? That’s great because mine have been wearing on my ankles all season!”

“A new whetstone, this is just what I needed. You even got the right grit. Thanks! I can’t wait to use this with those new tutorial vids I’ve been watching.”

“Can’t have enough floofy soap!”

For Donnie, it was absolute misery. In all the years you had known him, he was a gift giving master. He prided himself on knowing just what to get someone even if it wasn’t something of this world. It was his chance to flex not just his inventions, but seek the validation he so desperately craved. He considered Christmas to be his big sports game and he had enough winning rings to fill a jewelry shop.

Which was why with each consecutive year, as the requests got more mundane and the reactions gentler, he was losing that glint in his eye little by little.

It crushed you.

“A gym membership renewal!?” Donnie pushed his palms into his eye sockets so hard his chair tipped lethally backward. “Nardo wasn’t even joking!”

“Nice to have the expense taken care of…” You mourned beside your partner.

“He has an entire home gym, built by moi, what does he need-!?” Donnie groaned loudly. “The rest are just as bad: ‘that shell wax you make,’ ‘back scratcher,’ ‘gift card to that craft store I like!’” In a swivel, Donnie turned to face you while throttling the arms of his chair. “At least Casey and April chose spirited items! ‘A home defense system to vanquish audacious insects’ and an upgrade to her invisibility cloak. Fine, great, interesting enough, but not inspired! They’ll receive them, but they won’t dazzle! All my intelligence! Wasted!” In another turn that made his seat creak, Donnie threw up dozens of security camera screens filled with footage of his family. “They want not! They came up with objects to appease me!”

“It can be like that…” You dampened now that he was out of sight again.

“What can I do?” He spoke a hopeless rhetorical.

“Spend time with them? Your dad always loves having the kids back home.”

“Something constructive, please.” Donnie griped with a bitterness you knew wasn’t for you.

You finally stood and approached to put a hand on his shoulder.

One of his came up to take it as he continued to glower at the monitors.

“This is what it’s like sometimes.” You leaned in and kissed the side of his head. “The child-like wonder is gone.”

Donnie stayed statuesque and you were about pull away when his grip suddenly seized to a painful degree.

“A-ah!”

“You’re a genius!” In one swift twirl, he was out of his seat and you were up in the air being showered with kisses.

So began operation ‘Help to Make the Season Bright.’ Starting right after October as Halloween was always given its due and with little to do for Thanksgiving as that was Mikey’s territory, Donnie folded you into his plan. You were there to reign him in which you knew to be an integral role.

Never mind the weather, the Hamatos were in for a white Christmas. Donnie had crafted a new-age snow machine after you’d talked him down from one that manipulated the atmosphere. Inspired by a certain famous holiday film, Donnie had acquired gifts from his family's younger days. Having had to talk him down from time travel itself to purchase the items, you then fielded him when it came to decorations. Wanting the lair to take on that magic imbued by children’s eyes, it meant for more decorations than the past.

All counting down to the titular eve, he’d knocked Splinter out with pre-festivity cake and milk and waited for the others to retreat before you were called upon. Together you spent the entire night transforming the space and setting up in a secluded section of the nearby park. Exhausted and without a wink of sleep, you’d roused the group at an agonizing 5am as was past tradition and the day began.

Grouching about the time was quickly overshadowed by wide gleaming eyes. Whispers of how Donnie had done this were brushed past as everyone was whisked outside into a winter wonderland. Donned in coats that exactly replicated ones of their youth, Raph was the first to devolve into water works. The ensuing snowball fight brought out a heat that you hadn’t seen playfully enacted in years and a break with hot chocolate made from a pilfered recipe meant Mikey was the next to weep.

Worn out bodies were pulled inside, where upon getting their actually requested gifts, Leo stubbornly fought sobbing as he opened a mint version of his first and favorite Jupiter Jim action figure. April fell next with a newly sized version of her Hamato-crested top and Casey turned red in the face after being given validation with a combined plate of cookies and brownies.

Donnie, ever shining in his element, rode the high straight through the day until everyone collectively lost their steam. A turtle pile now with the addition of partners formed and Splinter snored loudly as a fond backdrop. Lingering sentiments meant you couldn’t join in and you had just pulled a pan of green bean casserole out of the oven to cool even though it was debatable whether it’d be eaten warm or at all. Shuffling out of the kitchen, you found Donnie leaning and watching the group and telegraphed your approach with heavier footsteps.

Instead of addressing you, he folded back an arm at the ready.

You tucked yourself into his side and he wrapped you up in the appendage. “You did it.”

“I couldn’t have without you.” He gave his family one last wistful look before bringing glowing adoration down to you.

You smiled where your head was sleepily resting against his plastron.

“One last thing…”

Your lips tugged downward. “The dinner was last…” In a slight shuffle against him, you unearthed your phone along with the list. “Yeah… we marked them all off.” You showed him.

“Oh!” He put on airs as he leaned forward to examine your phone with great feigned interest.

“Donnie…” You pursed your lip.

“Seems there was one missing.” With a tap, your list refreshed and a new item appeared.

☐ First Kiss

“When did you…?” Your head shifted back from the addition. “A kiss? Who’s that for?”

Turning confusion to your partner, you watched as an mechanical arm emerged from his battle shell. Tipping to watch it, there was a bit of green with white dotting tied up in a purple ribbon and just like that you were in your early twenties again.

Shy and at your first Hamato Christmas, you and Donnie had a brand new situationship that had started up at nearly the same time the temperatures had dropped. Nerves had him inviting you along with a flurry of worries over what you were about to be thrust into. Naivety meant you wrongly brushed him off and, it was after unknowingly boarding a rollercoaster, you had snuck away for a breather in the hall. Not second guessing your decision to pursue the purple turtle, but instead having so quickly agreed to meeting his family after what hadn’t even been 30 days, you exhaled and prepared to reenter the foray when he met you.

“There you are.” He caught your visage and softened. “You alright?”

“Yeah… just… you were right.” You gave an awkward laugh.

“I’d usually gloat, but it is a holiday.” He teased.

You chuckled as he came in to grab your hand with what looked like an offer on his lips.

“Boom!” Leo exploded a flurry of limbs into the moment causing the pair of you to back up against the wall. The slider slammed his arm between you both causing you to yelp.

“Nardo!” Donnie growled.

“You’ve been hit by!” Leo dodged a swipe from his brother with a pose.

Donnie leapt at him a second time.

“You’ve been struck by!” Leo avoided the attack a second time with finger to the air.

“Enough!” Donnie squared himself and you knew he was about to go for his weapon.

Leo stopped him with a finger pushed right into the genius’ forehead. “A smooth mistletoe!”

Fleeing with a flurry of giggles, Donnie sat a fuming mass staring after where his brother had gone where you had the wherewithal to turn toward the wall Leo had accosted. There, stuck with far too much duct tape was a sprig of mistletoe, obviously coordinated for this brother based on the color of its ribbon. “Uh… Donnie…” You paled.

“Infuriating! He was just loafing around and now he-!” Donnie spun around, saw the dismay on your face, and then the bit of greenery on the wall. “O-oh…”

“It’s a silly tradition!” You squawked. “Y-You were g-going to say something. I think!?”

“That…” He stepped closer, resuming his earlier position by your side. “… we could sneak away… That I know a good Chinese place…”

“T-that sounds good, we should go!” You went to grab his arm and flee when he steadied you by catching your appendage first.

“One… last thing…?” Donnie flicked his gaze to the mistletoe and back to you, beet red. “If you’re… agreeable?”

You gave a jittery nod, your own face a blushing mess.

He leaned in to close the gap just as he was doing now. You melted against him with a coordination you hadn’t had all those years ago and slipped your arms around his neck to deepen the move further. Parting came with a nuzzle of nose to snout and a little giggle from you.

“Next would be getting that peking duck.”

“What a coincidence, my data indicates the group will be asleep for at least 3 more hours.”

“We should go…” You breathed against him, stealing another kiss.

He nodded with an agreement that neither of you bothered making good on.

💜

I plotted two version of this fic based on Digi's preference! I thought it'd be fun the include the other here: In a similar vein, the other fic was Sweet Ironnie where Donnie and Iris go all out to give the kids the best Christmas. Only problem is that they forgot to treat themselves for the holiday so the kids snare them in a mistletoe trap! Thank you @rheawritesforfun for hearing me out!

Also thank you @thepinkpanther83 for being a beta boss!

#rottmnt #rottmnt donnie x reader #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt x reader #donatello hamato #donnie x reader #rise donnie #rise donnie x reader #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt donatello #christmas #me #fanfiction #my fanfiction

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zeawesomeness · 11 months

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Dude, I love your Kendratello Childhood AU comic, I have an au a little similar and I find it a little funny how we were both like, "I'm gonna take a character with no cannon child design, make my own, and make them friends with a young Donatello. They meet in the sewers and think Donnie's an alien. Also they can't get the manhole cover to move without Donnie." lol

Okay after getting this in my inbox, I immediately went over and read your entire comic outta curiosity and I just gotta say (besides absolutely loving it, you did such a good job): It is canon that these two would be besties.

(I might colour this later)

If they ever had a crossover I imagine Timmy would just sit there all doe eyed and politely listen to Kendra infodump about her tech.

And probably get dragged into a lot of trouble because of her since she is an absolutely idiotic genius with no impulse control.

Not totally sure how lil' Casey & Kendra would get along. I feel like they'd get along GREAT until they DON'T. The moment one of them is upset at the other: it's on sight.

#answered asks #childhood dreams tmnt au #kendratello childhood au #au crossover #tmnt au #rottmnt #tmnt

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lulu2992 · 8 months

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Uncovering the unreleased Far Cry 5 in-game Encyclopedia

The almost complete but unused in-game encyclopedia, reconstructed thanks to the oasisstrings file.

Please note that it’s still cut content, so some information might not be relevant anymore.

You can read the oasisstrings file here. Pictures from this encyclopedia were also extracted and posted by @xbaebsae here.

Part 6: Characters

Aaron "Tweak" Kirby

Uppers, downers, sideway-ers... Tweak is all about pushing the limits of the human condition.

Adelaide Drubman

A confident go-getter with deep pockets to do whatever she wants, like living with booze, bazookas, and boy toy Xander Flynn.

Bo Adams

A hardcore survivalist that chooses to live out in the woods and off the grid.

Boomer

A scruffy pal with unparalleled loyalty.

Cameron Burke

A U.S. Marshal with an agenda. The only thing standing between him and his political aspirations is the Project at Eden's Gate.

Casey Fixman

A grill cook with a classified past. Most locals don’t believe his outrageous war stories or the wisdom he serves up with every order.

Chad Wolanski

A self-styled prepper chef who sells food out of his food truck since his restaurant "The Grill Streak" burned down.

Dr. Charles Lindsey

A veterinarian drafted into service as a medic. There's no one else to do it, and aren't we all animals?

Cheeseburger

Orphaned as a cub and raised by Wade Fowler, he's the star attraction at the F.A.N.G. Center. He loves eating cheeseburgers.

Clutch Nixon

A legendary stuntman who left this world the way he entered it: Face first onto a pile of rocks.

Dave Fowler

Wade Fowler's brother, he runs the business end of the F.A.N.G. Center.

Richard "Dutch" Roosevelt

An old prepper who'd worked himself to the bone and lost everything even before Eden's Gate came to town. Same shit, different horse.

Dylan

(no description found)

Eli Palmer

A bonafide prepper and the leader of the Whitetail Militia. He helped Eden's Gate design their survival bunkers before he wised up.

Faith Seed

The Siren in the East. The youngest in the Seed family pacifies unruly followers to make way for the Collapse. Some believe she's only an illusion.

George Wilson

George is a Whitetail Militia and baseball enthusiast, but spends most of this time as a lookout because of his age.

Grace Armstrong

A medal-winning shooter and army sniper with a vendetta against Eden’s Gate.

Guy Marvel

A genius movie director envisioning a masterpiece of anarchy and gold statue wins. Even an auteur needs help to make movie magic.

Deputy Joey Hudson

One of your fellow Hope County Deputies who has absolutely no time for bullshit and has the fists to back herself up.

Hurk Drubman Jr.

His wit and intellect may have been blunted by paint huffing, but that hasn't stopped him from living a life of adventure.

Hurk Drubman Sr.

A retired oil baron who is the undisputed master of his domain... what's left of it after the divorce.

Jacob Seed

The Soldier in the North. The eldest Seed brother serves Joseph by creating the army that will defend the Project with their lives.

Pastor Jerome Jeffries

The local man of God who will do whatever it takes to protect the people of Hope County – even if it costs him his soul.

Jess Black

Dutch’s niece. Jess is a loner who nearly lost her life in Jacob's camps, only to discover a new talent in the process: killing Peggies.

John Seed

The Baptist in the West. The youngest of the Seed brothers, John is in charge of reaping the land of supplies that will help the Project survive.

Joseph Seed

The Father. The middle Seed brother heard a Voice that told him to initiate a great Project, to prepare for the Collapse of everything. And so he has.

Kim Rye

A world traveler who chose Hope County to put down roots, and those roots are on the way - she's in her third trimester.

Larry Parker

Genius or crackpot? Science will decide.

Mary May Fairgrave

The tough-as-nails barkeep who blames Eden's Gate for the death of her parents.

Merle Briggs

A local prepper. Merle could talk your ears off about his dream bunker, or the shelf life of canned goods.

Wilhelmina Mable

Wilhelmina Maybelline, big cat whisperer and taxidermist. The well-being of Peaches the cougar is her top priority.

Nadine Abercrombie

The last living member of a family of hoarders, though she considers herself a collector. Much classier than simply hoarding. And more selective.

Nancy

(no description found)

Nick Rye

The best dang pilot in Hope County. Give him a chance and he'll put on a show.

Peaches

The long-time pet of Miss Mable. Probably named for the color of her fur and not the sweet disposition she lacks.

Deputy Stacy Pratt (yes, his first name is actually spelled Stacy in the files)

One of your fellow Hope County Deputies who’s a good cop when his ego doesn't get in the way.

Dr. Sarah Perkins

A lone biologist determined to unravel the mysteries of how Jacob's Judge wolves are created.

Sharky Boshaw

A wanted arsonist, Charlemange Victor Boshaw IV hides out where he can live his fire-blazing, rockstar fantasies.

Sherri Woodhouse

She gave up city life, opened a fishing store, and began the hunt for her family’s missing legendary whiskey.

Skylar Kohrs

A high-powered expert fly fisher hell-bent on landing a legendary fish.

Tammy Barnes

Once a homemaker, now the chief interrogator for the Whitetail Militia. They say her marshmallow blondies are to die for.

Tracey Lader

A woman determined to bring down Eden's Gate, especially Faith. They used to be friends and the sting of betrayal fuels her wrath.

Virgil Minkler

A trusted mayor for the past 7 terms, now hell-bent on stopping the production of Bliss after it took the life of his son.

Wade Fowler

The co-owner of the F.A.N.G. Center, an animal rescue facility that takes in orphaned wild animals.

Walker

A member of Eli's Whitetail Militia.

Wendell Redler

He made it through Nam with his buddies. Now he’s an old man, his buddies are gone, and this is not the America he fought for in his youth.

Wheaty

The smart-ass quartermaster for the Whitetail Militia who also has a radio broadcast to counter the Father's propaganda.

Earl Whitehorse

The devoted sheriff of Hope County. He believes delivering justice with a gun should be a last resort. On the eve of his retirement, duty calls.

Willis Huntley

Just a man in love with the good ol' US of A.

Xander Flynn

Left California for Hope County to detox from the city life. Ended up finding "modeling" gigs at the Drubman Marina, and a cult cramping his style.

Zip Kupka

A self-proclaimed conspiracy "realist" who finds a new reason to hate the government with each passing day.

There were three more:

Coyote Nelson

Fishing is life.

In the files, Coyote Nelson is the name of the fisherman you meet at fishing spots.

Morris

A bright kid of Blackfoot heritage and the go-to person for all things computers and arcade machines. He keeps it on the down low.

The character’s full name apparently is Morris Aubrey. He’s the person who’s always near Far Cry Arcade machines and telling you how “awesome” the game is.

Scooter

A supply runner for the Whitetail Militia.

All I know about Scooter is that, according to a deleted mission objective, this character (who was also cut) was supposed to be escorted to the Wolf’s Den at some point.

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sprite-writes-fanfic · 6 months

Note

Hi!! Could I get some hcs of The 03 turtle boys with a gender neutral friend reader who’s a news reporter like older versions of April is, where the reader vaguely hints at oh I think Casey’s kinda cute so the turtles decide they gotta play wingman to their friends….!!

Thank you so dearly if you do end up writing some hcs for this scenario 💜

Okay I’m just gonna say, I love this and also I love that there are other people who like Casey LMAO (I love that giant ass himbo.)

Your Faithful Wingmen!

🖤🏒2003 Casey x Reader🥅💀

Word Count: 895

CW: gender-neutral reader, platonic relationship w/ the turtles, more fluffy and silly. Also BOOM, instead of headcanons, I figured why not do a whole fanfic of it, maybe sometime in the future I could make a part 2 to this, but I’ll save that for when proper motivation returns to me 😭

🖤🖤🖤

Being a News Reporter with big dreams, you were always looking for something new, something BIG that could rocket you into public recognition; and it was hard. You were just a local News Reporter doing smaller jobs, and it frustrated the hell out of you, understandably enough. Though it was a terrible idea to start looking into some serious stuff that not many covered, such as these break-ins and fights going on with mutants and these weird ninjas…

Going to investigate one night led you to being captured by the Foot Clan, and you certainly thought you weren’t gonna make it out. Luckily, you were proven wrong when four mutant turtles and a guy in a hockey mask saved you. Once everything cleared, your life changed forever, for the better of course.

Meeting the turtles, Casey, April and Splinter was probably the best thing that ever happened to you, not only that, doing a small News Report on ‘Mysterious Heroes’ definitely got you recognized, though some people thought you were crazy, most were definitely intrigued. 5 mysterious men in the night fighting ninjas? In New York? Things had gotten interesting.

After finally being skyrocketed, your private life has gotten more entertaining. Four mutant turtles as your friends? That’s sick! They were all fun to hang out with and they all had their own thing going for them, like Leo, the leader in blue trying to keep his brothers out of trouble, Raph, a turtle with major anger issues but has a soft heart, Donnie being a literal tech genius and a mechanic, and then there’s Mikey who was just the definition of chaotic good, the dude was crazy! April, she was a smart woman, and she was also easy to talk to, and you always felt comfortable with her. Splinter was like a father to you, and he had definitely helped you when you had some mental struggles… And then there was Casey. Oh, Casey was stupid and stubborn, but he had a good heart, and for some reason, this HIMBO, he ended up making your heart flutter and your face red. Somehow, this man, the man you sometimes bumped heads with and drove you up the wall, was the one that made you feel this way.

To say that nobody noticed was a lie, and guess who the first one was to notice? Yup, Raph. He was the one to notice that you were crushing on his good ole pal, Casey Jones, and was he gonna keep it to himself? Well, actually yeah, he was planning on it, until Mikey himself realized and went and told just about everyone, he’s a bit of a blabber mouth. Luckily, the turtles stopped him before he could go and tell Casey, and instead, Donnie suggested an idea…

Why not set up a blind date? Leo at first wanted to stay out of it, but with the continuous pestering, he finally gave in. Donnie was the one to devise the plan, Mikey and Raph would be the ones to bring you and Casey on this blind date, while Donnie and Leo worked on getting some hockey game tickets… Was a hockey game really the most romantic date? No. But would it bring Casey in? Absolutely.

And so they got to work, Leo and Donnie got the tickets, and Mikey got you, informing you that you were going on a blind date, and Raph dragging Casey, telling him he had a hot date at the hockey game. When you finally met up with your blind date, you were certainly shell-shocked when you realized it was Casey, and Casey, surprised you were his date.

Being given the tickets, the turtles wished you off as you and Casey would head off together to this game, albeit, you were an awkward and nervous mess while Casey was cheering for this game…

The turtles were certainly hoping for the best, and they were excited when Casey slung an arm around your shoulders and led you into the place to watch the game.

Internally, you were flustered, but happy, and Casey was the one to start up the conversation. “So… The turtles set us up on a date.” He starts, “Do you think they were just matchmaking or?” He glanced down at you, curiously, and you thought to yourself, ‘Well, I never told them that I liked Casey, but maybe they noticed? Or maybe Casey’s right…’ you looked back up at him, “Maybe? Either way, I’m not complaining.” Casey looked a little surprised, but smirked soon after, “You saying you like me, sweetheart?” Your face went red, but you took a deep breath and hit him back with the, “Well… Maybe I do? That a problem?”

Casey’s face softened as his cheeks reddened, his smirk turning into a smile as he stared down at you, “Not at all, maybe I do too.” As he led you to your seats and sat down with you. You were both quiet for a moment, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable at all, you were just both kind of thinking, ‘Wow he/they like me!’ And to say that you were both cuddling before the game started would be the truth. That didn’t last long though, since well, once the game started, Casey was getting excited and jumpy, and all you could do was laugh and cheer with him.

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fahye · 2 years

Note

the thing I am most sad about your podcasting hiatus is not getting any new random book/fic/media recommendations from y’all!! I mean I’m still working through what you’ve already recommended. but it’s not the same

anon, this is ALSO a thing I dearly miss about the podcast! okay, let's do some recs from the absolutely enormous amount of books I've read recently. gonna keep this list to the first ones that come to mind from the last few months or we'd be here for hours:

nightbitch by rachel yolen - this is uhhhh semi-horror litfic about a new mother who believes she's turning into a dog. it's furious and brilliant and bloody and deeply weird and I fucking loved it. (though I WILL say: content warning for the violent death of a pet.)

the half life of valery k by natasha pulley - a soviet nuclear physicist in the 1960s is sent to work in a strange town that is also a radiation experiment. unlike her other books this one isn't speculative, but it's emotionally and character-wise one of the best (THE ROMANCE!! ugh) and the historical detail is fascinating.

heartburn by nora ephron - a short & hilarious novel about a food writer who discovers her husband is having an affair when she is seven months pregnant. did you know nora ephron is a genius?? I feel like I'm the last person to discover this fact. this would make a fantastic double feature with nightbitch, actually.

starling house by alix e. harrow - I KNOW I KNOW it's not out until halloween 2023 but listen: this book changed my life. an absolutely superb contemporary southern gothic horror romance (just go with it) about poverty and hidden sins and a girl going to work in a creepy house. preorder it now, and while you wait, read summer sons by lee mandelo.

the spare man by mary robinette kowal - a smart and slick sci-fi take on the noir detective novel, starring a wonderful heiress engineer with chronic back pain who has to solve a murder on a spaceship after someone frames her new husband. also has SO many cocktail recipes in it, which I feel more books should adopt.

cuckoo song by frances hardinge - nobody can write creepy fantasy like hardinge, and I think this is her creepiest. it has some amazing magical worldbuilding on the grim side of whimsical, and very fraught siblings, and it will turn your mind subtly inside out. technically...middle grade, I guess? whatever. read it.

I kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston - yes! finally! I had been putting this one off because I'm just Not A YA Reader generally, but had a great time with it. both very scathing and very kind about a specific christian high school experience in the american south, and full of queer defiance and joy.

and finally, I've also been slowly rereading the vorkosigan saga by lois mcmaster bujold, which is tied with the discworld for my favourite series of all time. nobody can combine adventure and devastating character like bujold.

#ask replies #book recs

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tmnt-tychou · 2 years

Text

Was thinking about head canons and wrote down a list of random thoughts.

Bayverse Random Quirky Head Canons:

Mikey

-Likes to watch cooking shows. Every now and then he gets it in his head he's going to be the world's first turtle chef and starts whipping up things in the kitchen. Most of it is edible.

-Picks up different languages really easily. Fluent in Spanish and can have basic conversations in several other languages.

-Has a weird obsession with the original Space Jam soundtrack. Can sing all the lyrics to “Hit 'em High.” (Okay, all four of them can.)

-Likes a lot of 90′s music in general.

-Knows a lot of drag queens after he foiled a shooting at a drag bar. He is always welcome whenever he comes by. The girls call him “Mitch” or sometimes “Michelle.” You can tell when he's been spending time there as he'll mimic their mannerisms or call his brothers “gurl.”

-He has been IN a pride parade. Leo was pissed when he found out. Mikey made him go to Pride the next year. Leo was propositioned several times. (But he had a blast.)

-April makes Mikey wear an elastic band on his wrist that the brothers can snap when he's running his mouth. (Mostly saying lewd things to/about women.) It was intended to break him of this bad habit so if he ever did meet a girl who likes what he's selling, he doesn't chase her off with his mouth. (It's tough love from April's view point.) This seems to have backfired as Mikey will run his mouth and then ninja away while his brothers chase him. It's now his favorite game as he tries to say the most inappropriate and offensive things at the worst times.

-No, he won't take the band off himself until April says he can.

Raph

-Feels the most unseen of his brothers. Leo is the favorite son, Donnie is the genius middle child and Mikey is the rambunctious baby. The only times Raphael could get any attention from his father is when he started fights. But around age 10 he accidentally broke Mikey's arm in a fight and felt so bad about it, that he began teaching himself to hold back and stopped getting into full out brawls with his brothers. Arguments and a few arm punches yes, but no using his full strength on his brothers in a fit of rage. As such, his one avenue for attention was closed and Raphael has become used to doing his own thing and gets the attention he craves from his brothers and not his father.

-Raph and Casey bond over their anger management journeys.

-He and April are super tight.

-Is the most self aware of the four and the most likely to self-correct if he’s made a mistake.

-Mikey is the brother he is closest to, but Raph absolutely loves spending time with Donatello. When his brother has time for him. If he's having a particularly frustrating day, he will go and sit in the lab to chill out. Because Donnie is zen when he's deep in a project and Raph eats up those calm vibes. The two can and often bond by sitting in a room together not talking, but just being near one another.

-Really values time spent with Leo when they're just chilling and there aren't any arguments.

Donnie

-One of the chillest people (turtles) you will ever meet. Rarely has a temper, though has a short attention span for his brothers (Mikey's) nonsense.

-Very few things phase him. Jump out of an airplane with no parachute? No problem.

-Kills spiders for Raph.

-Introvert. Can go weeks without interacting with another person.

-Cranks the raunchiest rap music you have ever heard while he's working on his projects. (If you peek in, you might catch him dancing to it, too.)

-Raph and Mikey sometimes call him the “Savage” and quote Megan Thee Stallion's song of the same name at him. “Donnie's that bitch. Been that bitch, still that bitch.”

-There's a reason for that nickname. It takes a lot to get under Donnie's skin, but if you cross him looking to start something, he IS going to finish it. Like Batman taking out the whole Justice League, Donnie knows everyone's weakness and he will use it all against them.

-You will never know when it's coming. This bitch can hold a grudge forever, waiting until the right time to drop the bomb on you.

-Cryptid enthusiast. Considers his family to be New York Crypids and entertains the theory that other cryptids could be mutants of some kind.

-Likes to watch true crime shows with Leo.

Leo

-Turns into an old man whenever he has to interact with technology.

-Never texts unless he has to. “Forgets” his phone a lot so he doesn't have to deal with it.

- A little OCD.

-Can get over stimulated when there's too much noise and will need quiet time to decompress. This was difficult growing up as all three of his brothers enjoy constant music and chatter. It's one of the main reasons he gets cranky if his brothers have been smothering him all day. (They all want his attention and sometimes they're exhausting and he has to go find a place to hide.)

-If he's feeling social, he likes to de-stress with Mikey. Mikey is nearly insufferable when they're all together, but when they have one on one time, Mikey's more chill and will talk in lower tones when he isn't trying to talk above the other brothers.

-Leo will plop down next to him and just say “I need a laugh.” Mikey will spin all sorts ofjokes and dumb stories about Raph to make Leo snort. Then he'll share any new music he's found. (Played on low for Leo's sake, and also so the others don't find them because Mikey treasures one on one time with Leo.)

-Many songs on Leo's playlist have come from Mikey. (The one thing he does use his phone for.) He will sometimes listen to them while he trains.

-Donnie and Mikey quote Mean Girls at Leo all the time. “Stop trying to make fetch happen, Leo.” Leonardo had no idea what they were talking about for the longest time. Which confused them because he was in the room when they were watching the movie. He finally realized when they were quoting and watched it again.

-He once said “Boo, you whores” to his brothers and they all LOST THEIR SHIT.

#tmnt #ninja turtles #tmnt bayverse #tmnt 2016 #headcanon #head canon

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barikinbear · 2 years

Text

Some incorrect quotes for the people with all the versions except 2003 because I haven’t seen it

Brace yourselves because there’s going to be a lot and I don’t know how to add a read more. If anyone knows how to do it on the mobile app, please lmk because nothing I can find is helpful.

Bayverse Donnie: my memory is like a steel trap! I’ve never forgotten anything

Bayverse Leo: you forgot me in the Target parking lot two weeks ago

Bayverse Donnie: no, I left you in the Target parking lot two weeks ago. Try again

2k12 Leo: Turtle Bots, roll out!

2k12 Raph: I age ten years every time you speak

Rise April: sorry it took me so long to bail you out of jail

Rise Mikey: no, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have used my one phone call to vote on American Idol

Bayverse April: I want to wake up with you every day for the rest of our lives.

Bayverse Casey: I wake up at four thirty a.m.

Bayverse April:

Bayverse April: I want to see you at some point every day for the rest of our lives

Vern: my girlfriend and I have the kind of easy chemistry where we finish each other’s-

His gf: sentences

Vern: honey, don’t interrupt, it’s rude

‘07 April: I know you’re deflecting by making jokes about how hot you are

‘07 Casey: *sniffles* it’s not a joke. I’m a legit snack

Rise Mikey: do any of you ever want to talk about your emotions?

Everyone: no

2k12 Mikey: I do!

Rise Mikey: I know, Other Me

2k12 Mikey: I’m sad

Rise Mikey: I know, Other Me

Rise Leo: help!! I told Dad I’d cook dinner tonight but I can’t cook!

‘07 Leo, pouring milk directly into the cereal bag ‘87 Leo is holding: and you thought we could help?

Rise Donnie, to Bayverse Leo: hey, how long can a person breath inside a washing machine?

Bayverse Leo:

Bayverse Leo: where’s your Mikey?!

Kidnapper on the phone: we have your genius son

Rise Splinter: oh no, he has you

Kidnapper: wha-?

Rise Splinter: good luck! *hangs up*

Bayverse April: I love you guys, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me

Bayverse Donnie: we’re the best thing that ever happened to you?

Bayverse April: yes!

Bayverse Splinter: I’m starting to feel a little sorry for you

‘07 Splinter: can I be frank with you all?

Rise Leo: sure, but I don’t see how changing your name is gonna help

Bayverse Mikey: can I keep my name?

2k12 Casey: shh, let Frank speak

*Rise Mikey is cooking*

Rise April: any chance that’s for me?

Rise Mikey: it’s for Raph. I’m planning on making some bad decisions tonight and I need him on my side

Rise April: wow, I never realized the forethought that goes into being a disappointment

Rise Mikey: oh it’s a full time job

‘07 Leo: I think we’re missing something

‘07 Donnie: teamwork?

‘07 Mikey: cohesion?

‘07 Raph: a general sense of what we’re doing?

Bayverse April: I’m going to defeat you with the power of friendship!

‘87 Mikey: and this knife I found!

‘87 Raph: all right, listen up losers! Not you though, Rise Mikey, you’re an angel and I’m so glad you’re here

2k12 Leo: okay, help me please!

Bayverse Raph: got two words for you

2k12 Leo: I bet they won’t be helpful

Bayverse Raph: your problem

2k12 Leo: I was right

‘87 Leo: okay, truth or dare?

Rise Casey: truth

‘87 Leo: how many hours have you slept this week?

Rise Casey:…

Rise Casey: dare

‘87 Leo: go to sleep

Rise Casey: I don’t like this game

Bayverse Donnie: you’re my best friend and the closest thing I have to a sister. I would anything for you

Bayverse April: I want you to eat three full meals a day and have a healthy sleep schedule

Bayverse Donnie: absolutely not

‘07 Raph, standing next to 2k12 Raph: are we in trouble?

Bayverse Leo: take a guess

2k12 Raph: no?

Bayverse Leo: take another guess

2k12 Splinter: my policy is if you see something, speak up

Rise Mikey: I saw a squirrel on the way here! It was being chased by a cat

2k12 Splinter: outstanding! This is what I’m talking about, people

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bigdvmnhero · 2 years

Text

summary:

Donnie follows his new friends down NYC's rabbit hole. Makes them shiny things that go BLAM, fast things that go VROOM. Sometimes lethal things that make no sound. His friends cheer. His friends push pretty drinks into his hand. His friends call him The Man. It's in his blood, to give so completely.

The Hamato Clan, four generations apart, the same old song.

word count: 2.7k words

sequela, n. /sēˈkwelə/ a condition which is the consequence of a previous disease or injury.

Yanked by the scruff into the past by the only father he knows, Casey thinks under the panic: sure, I guess!

Deep down, he felt it coming. This is how every story starts. How all Hamato are made: in unmakings so absolute. The body a blade too bloodied to turn over. Casey doesn't have to hear the stories to know; he's lived through most of them.

On the other side of the timegate is a world skewed to the side, smothered in smog and strange lights. Miles and miles of it, rending the breath out of him. He feels flat-footed and wrong. He has a hurting in his chest with no exit wound, and no one to blame. And every time he looks at Leo—sixteen and several shades off—he wants to run.

So he does.

(This too is a Hamato specialty.)

Casey doesn't know how to live outside a war yet, and at this point he's too afraid to ask. I wanna see what's out there, he lies, walks away. Leo doesn't stop him. Casey looks back to check anyway.

Funny kid; he thinks his pain is unique. If only he looked a little further down the family tree, peered a while into its dark alleys, he'd find his answer.

To find his answer Donnie stumbles down the dark alley and skins his human knee. This whole night is the sequela of one terrible question: what would it feel like, to be loved by someone not of your kind?

All Hamato are born foragers, and Donnie is no different. He leaves the lair to hunt down the origin of his hurt. Topside scintillates like a motherboard, and maybe if he can just slot himself into its circuitry—and why not, when he talked like them, dressed like them, danced their funny Tiktok dances better than anyone had any right to?

So he wears the cloaking brooch into the city.

Then he lets the city wear him.

It's in his blood, to give so completely.

He was so ready to be under-appreciated in his time, but maybe this is the way out—how he breaks the family curse.

When April finds him puking in the alley, he throws her finger guns and pushes her hand away. April wouldn't understand. April doesn't have three brothers and a distant father who never call him The Man.

Donnie thinks his loneliness is novel, but if only he pressed his ear against the bottom of the vodka bottle, he'd hear it: the way home, whistling.

Yoshi's head whistles when the white man's fist cracks against his skull. Then he grins, like someone who just figured it all out.

This is what it means to be accepted into this city: the rough and tumble way you hold your guns, your girls, your liquor. The beet-red glow of his cheeks is impossible to hide, but Yoshi is starting to realize he was never meant to disappear. Sorry, Grandpa Sho, not sorry. Yoshi is many things, but he is not like his mother; he will not fold himself into tiny wishful cranes.

A flash of momentary genius—yelling HOT SOUP! loud enough to startle two executive producers at the booth—and Hamato Yoshi hurricanes through his very first New York bar fight and fails. Lou Jitsu walks out, busted nose up, a brand new gash of a man.

Now he's fast food and quotable, the pulp of all-American superhero flicks, nothing too fussy. He learns to shapeshift, because he is Hamato still, and all Hamato must make it through the winter. When he fights, he fights completely. When he loves, it's to the point of blindness.

Alone and battered in the Battle Nexus cage, Yoshi unfolds a photo of his mother from his pocket and shrinks. His cell smells like piss and day-old gore. Sorry, Grandpa Sho; maybe he was meant to fade into nothing, after all; just like his mother, and the mother before her—an endless queue of martyrs living inside each other like frozen-smile Matryoshka dolls. Yoshi checks himself for a pulse.

He prays for forgiveness, but who would understand betrayal like this? Made gladiator-slash-slave by the love of your life, who actually turned out to be a six-eyed enterprising spider-beast in disguise?

(Admittedly, this is... new territory for the clan.)

But if only he looked past the bars, followed the gentle wrist of light the hallway offered—how it persisted in the deepest hollows—he'd remember his training.

Karai watches her own father die in a starburst of ancient light and forgets all her training. The armor's work is absolute; it twists him into something vile and blood-starved. She flees into the forest when it lurches four-legged after her.

She has no weapons. No shields. No time to bury her own mother and sisters. Cold bites into the deep gashes on her back where the beast clawed into her, leaving a bloody trail in the snow. Daughter, the Shredder singsongs, where are you going? No matter how fast she runs the forest is a wet grave pulling her down, down, down—

Please, she prays, I cannot do this alone. And the seed unlocks and greens inside her.

All Hamato are born harvesters; now is time to reap. Karai is several seasons early for this task, but she will not carry it alone.

Beneath her, the grave spits out a spade as white as bone.

Karai stops running. She turns to face the demon. Up close the armor's illusion is clear; beneath the smokescreen of fury it is still her father, kind and soft-spoken, his hands the very same that sheltered her as they traveled through the snow-chromed world; their twin laughter tangling.

I love you, she thinks with a smile. Grounds her feet. They cannot bury it.

Widening her stance, Karai thanks her family for the gift. Then she fashions the spade into a long, crackling spear that flies straight into the future and never stops.

Lou flies into the wall and the hits never stop. His arm is broken in two places and his spirit too, in more ways than he can count. The jeers hail down on all sides. Officially, this might be his newest low: ex-action superstar, now laughing stock of all yokai-kind, and he's not even getting any dental for it.

On his 178th match, he finally makes peace with dying. That's when the voice lances through him. All the hairs on his arms stand on end.

This is not your grave. Get up.

And a second voice, gentler under the tone: no, you are not meant to disappear.

Lou's heart snags around it, never lets go.

Without looking he blocks the strike meant for his jugular and bends the yokai's palm back onto itself. Holds it for three, until the satisfying CRACK! Now for the last, honorable blow. The crowd howls. That was child's play; all in the fingers. His mom taught him that trick. Lou can't believe he'd forgotten; all his best moves come from her.

Across the arena, Big Mama stares at her crowned champion and feels something akin to remorse.

This man does not yet have the four great loves that will animate him in his second life, but for a moment the future and past bleed into the present—it's her old Lou, grinning unabashed, invincible in the sun of his love. She averts her eyes with a grimace.

The Champion considers his options: Lou Jitsu feels too much like a dizzying skyscraper view. Yoshi a sleepy town, too small to keep living in. So he renames himself Splinter—to honor the mangling of all his past selves, as he folds them together into one proud paper crane.

All that's left now is to lift his wings; he flies out of that story and into a new one.

Donnie yelps as he's flung out of a window and into a new one. The holographic armor he wants to build won't hold. His mind's stuck in a morass. And newly escaped from its government cell, Kraang Two is loose in the city to lay its judgment.

While Donnie was nursing his broken pride, building stupid playthings in the city, his brothers were warding her off. Now his mystic power is failing, and he needs his anger now. It's the key to his power. That's what Draxum said at least.

The first time he'd grazed the ceiling of his potential, they were taking Leo away into the prison dimension, and Donnie was so furious it shut down his heart and all coherent thought. So Donnie gets angry, because anger is easy. Simple, one-line code.

He imagines: his brothers, broken; his tech, a dead man's error; his hands, a mistake. He hates and hates and hates. Kraang Two tears through a billboard like it's paper. He needs the drill, now. The biggest it can ever be.

The shape forms in the air once. Then it scatters in a blitz of purple.

No, no, no. He pulls at the hurt in his chest. The one with no exit wound, the thorny half-seed, half-bullet that he suspects someone planted in his brothers too, only no one ever talks about it. Why don't they ever talk about it? He needs his rage but only grief comes out. He wishes he had more of him to give. He wishes he had more time to tell his brothers, regretful sigh; guess I was the dum dum after all?

He's about to give in to exhaustion when, like lightning, a bolt of energy plows through him. The voice almost sounds like a laugh:

No, your power has never come from anger.

On the next mid-rise building, April is climbing up the rungs of the emergency exit to throw a bat at the approaching Kraang. It glances uselessly against its exosuit. One blistering eye turns.

April shrieks, "Run, I'll cover you!"

"Have you lost all your marbles," is what Donnie wants to say but doesn't, because his chest is finally flowering with his answer. Nodes glow. Separate systems connect. Donnie counts: one stupid sister, one rat-father, three dum dum brothers—and all the pieces click into place.

Oh, I love you, he thinks. How could he ever think he would bear this distance? It's in his blood, to love so completely.

Above Donnie's head, a massive cannon powers up its barrel, its mouth brimming with ultraviolet. Something greens in Donnie's chest; he'll need to invent the word for it. Anger dies in this new garden.

Donnie folds his hand into a gun and lifts the length of his arm. He mouths, blam.

—and the Kraang shrieks as its side detonates. A containing net swallows her whole and lists off the building's ledge.

As the smog clears, April finds him on the roof. April always finds him, especially when he doesn't want to. She holds her hand out, says, "So... you done being stupid or what?"

"I make no such promises," Donnie replies. But he takes her hand and never lets go.

When the Purple Dragons hold out their hand, Casey can't let go. Joining a street gang wasn't in the plan, but it's the Hamato in him, to seek out belonging; whatever takes to make it through the winter.

The gang artist flicks his tattoo gun. "All settled?" he says, and around Casey his members leer, imagining all the terror they'll take into town with this crazy-eyed new kid in tow. Casey shrugs. He rolls up his left sleeve.

Then something soft knocks against his chest and plants a seed there. They cannot bury it, the voice says. Remember? And Casey jolts in his chair, gasping.

"I have to go," he tells them. He's better than this. He throws on his coat and pushes past the pissed-off Dragons who spit at his shadow. He runs out into the streets, through the confounding cacophony of street activity, between stalls of chicken halal rice and piping-hot samosas, leaping through rails streaked with pigeon shit, until his heart stops pounding, until night whittles away into the early morning chill and Casey thinks he's found what he's looking for.

Leo is dangling his legs down the edge of a condominium down central. He's dressed in a black hoodie, no gloves. There's a shadow in his face, draped over all of his sixteen years, but Casey would know him anywhere.

For a beat, Casey considers leaving again. But then he imagines Leo's hands hurting in the cold, and suddenly he wants to cry.

After a month of absence Casey Jones Jr. appears on the roof, bearing cup ramen. Leo is surprised but makes no show of it.

They exchange greetings. Leo fidgets, while Casey loosens the noodles with wooden chopsticks and stirs. Leo watches him for a while, eyes wide. And then, voice tempered as if not to spook him, as if any wrong move will scatter Casey back into the streets, he says, "Dude, I love this flavor."

"I know. It's your favorite." Casey smiles, then wavers. "Was. Um. Here."

Leo curls his hands around the cup and drinks in the steam greedily. "Aw, yeees. Wanna help me out here though? It's a big boy."

"Sure, just leave me the last bite or something."

"You mean the best part? With all the tiny noodle bits and soupy sodium goodness swirling at the bottom? Oh, I see your strategy." Leo takes a sip. "Respect."

"Uh, I wouldn't say strategy. I've only had two cup ramen in my life. The first time, Master Michelangelo crunched up the noodles, sprinkled the packet in, and voila. Ate the stuff—"

"—with your hands, yeah! Yeah. Like finger food."

"Obviously," Casey says.

"Obviously!" Leo crows. "Trust Mikey to have good ideas. I've got plenty more ramen hacks, if you're curious. And you must be. My family are big devoted noodle fans, I'm sure my reputation has preceded me. Just stick around, Case, I'll show you how it's done. First, you wanna start with your foundational—"

"I missed you," Casey murmurs.

Leo's jaw closes so fast it makes an audible click. Casey drags his gaze from his scarred hands to Leo's face. "Thought it'd pass. But... Yeah." He exhales, sheepish. "Guess I'm still figuring this whole thing out."

The quiet collects. Traffic streams below their feet. After an eternity, Leo says, "One time, I put an egg in my cup noodle and thought I invented the thing. Raph didn't like that. We got into a whole fight, because he said he'd been doing it first." Leo laughs. "Turned out we were both wrong, and Dad's been doing the egg hack since we were itty-bitty green babies. Fried, poached, dropped in... you name it. Probably an unlocked core memory or something. And guess who taught him?"

Casey thinks about it. "Uh, Mikey?"

Leo's laugh is a bell. "No, dummy. His grandpa did. And who taught his grandpa? His mama. Anyway. What am I saying—yeesh, sorry, my point is—what was my point—?"

"I think I get it," Casey says, chest tight with remembering. He thinks of Leonardo, from the future that will never be, teaching him to throw a punch, the way uncle Raph did; just how grandpa Splinter taught him. How once Casey insisted on a solo mission, because he was young and foolish and needed to prove himself; how Master Leonardo never once faulted him for what happened next.

Take me with you, Leonardo said instead. And just like that: another way. I've gone down this path before.

"I get it," Casey repeats, and startles to see Leonardo's face in Leo's. And in Leo's face, his own. "Maybe we can figure things out together?"

"Maybe," Leo says, eyes wide. He's oddly quiet for a moment. Steam curls and curls around his face.

Casey follows his thousand-yard stare. He does one sweep around the empty roof. "You... good?"

"Huh?"

"You look like you saw a ghost."

Leo laughs, and does not tell Casey how, just for a moment, the floor was green with life, a whole coterie of people, watching over them. "Nah, I just," Leo says, "remembered something funny."

Casey lets that be that. They sit side by side, watching the city turn warm, happily haunted.

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #rottmnt movie #rottmnt fic #bigdamnher0 #the hamato clan and their generational trauma <3 #shakes them like maracas

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starlit-dreaming · 4 months

Text

re: in the back of my mind [ch1]

Fandom: WMMAP / SBAPOD Rating: M Main/Eventual Ships: OC x OC, Lucathy Minor Ships: Felily, Calena, and more Note: I FINALLY REWROTE ITBOMM (i post on ao3 first, tumblr second, and wattpad third)

Cross-posted with AO3 and (eventually) Wattpad under the same title.

MASTERPOST / CONTENT WARNINGS

Chapters:

Prologue || 0 Act 1: Beginning of the End || [1] // 2 // 3

Summary:

“Maybe next time.”

Athan was what one might call an anti-fan for The Lovely Princess novel — that is, he loved to hate it. It was total garbage, but the writing was pretty lit. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself reborn as a baby in that same garbage novel’s universe.

Or rather, a Lovely Princess fanfic he always reread in his previous life.

//A retelling wherein Athanasia has a younger twin brother… or at least, that’s what it should’ve been.

——————————

1. let's just live day by day

“Let’s just live, day by day And not be conquered by our sorrows The past can’t hold us down, we must break free Inside, we’re torn apart But time will mend our hearts” Song: Let’s Just Live — Jeff Williams ft. Casey Lee Williams

——————————

Act 1: Beginning of The End

——————————

The day was unremarkable like every other day — a simple repetition of eat, sleep, play, and start over. He was a baby, so he did what he does best: cry, look cute, and relax.

Unfortunately, his newly acquired sister didn’t get the memo.

For god knows why, she was constantly thinking about her plans for the future. She was scheming left and right about gathering as many treasures as she could in order to secure her future funds. Granted, none of those thoughts ever went into detail.

(Technically, he was also included in her planning, but he elected to ignore that in favour of doing absolutely nothing but sleeping.)

‘You think too loud,’ he thought tiredly.

‘And you sleep too much!’ Athy huffed. ‘Lily’s worried about that, y’know.’

‘I’m a baby, it’s okay,’ he flatly thought.

‘That’s your excuse for everything.’

‘SNORE,’ he thought to her, pointedly closing his eyes.

‘Seriously? You’re literally just saying it. You are such a…’

‘Snore, snore. I can’t hear you! I’m sleeping.’

‘Fine! Sleep for all I care!’ she pouted.

——————————

He could admit that sleeping all the time was, in fact, boring. Although, when it came down to sleeping or worrying about his life like his sister did, it was clear which he would rather do.

Besides, what they needed was confirmation about the world before planning.

Lily was proof enough that they were definitely in the world of The Lovely Princess novel. Athy confirmed that their father had the same name as the deadbeat tyrant from the novel based on a book Lily read to her — which happened before he transmigrated. He needed to know more, though, and that wasn’t happening until they were five at the very least.

Their first meeting with their deadbeat sperm donor would prove if they were in the world of a fanfic. If there wasn’t any meeting, then it’d be even more likely the world of the novel, in which case, nothing really happens until Jennette comes along. By then, he and Athy would be able to solidify their position as the prince and princess.

Plus, he was already convinced that they transmigrated into the fictional world. They can’t do much until they’re older, anyway.

Even if Athy’s going through the five stages of grief at the mere thought.

‘She worries too much,’ he thinks to himself, watching her throw a fit over the head maid stealing. It was only a recently resolved problem, and he did understand how annoying it is, he just didn’t want to hear her huffing over it. ‘But I guess that’s fine in this case.’

He frowned, looking at his sister.

‘So, what exactly is your plan?’ Athan raised a brow. ‘We’re both blonde with the Emperor’s eyes. What’s the plan for hiding that, genius?’

His sister froze.

She didn’t think about that.

‘Figures,’ he shook his head. ‘Wigs exist, but not eye contacts. We’d have to use magic, but I don’t think either of us are able to use any when we grow up.’

‘Maybe we befriend a court mage?’

‘Did the novel even mention any in the imperial court? It only talked about our deadbeat dad and a few knights. I don’t think there were any in the fanfic I read, either…’

‘Ugh…’

Back to square one.

——————————

“Among the mages of the empire, there’s a tale known as The Witch in the Tower,” Lily read, smiling as she looked down at the picture book. “As the name suggests, there was a mage who lived in a tower. She decided to devote her life to granting wishes for the happiness of everyone in all of Obelia. The mage was so strong that she could grant any wish that everyone asked of her, but there was only one that she couldn’t grant, a wish that she desperately wanted to come true.”

‘Boring,’ Athy absentmindedly thought. ‘It’s one of those stories where she wants to find love, then falls in love with a prince, and they live happily ever after, right?’

“Except for one… thing,” Lily frowned, her voice faltering. “Oh my. Hmm… that wouldn’t be very appropriate to say,” she murmured softly, worried. “Is this really how the story goes…? I must’ve picked the wrong version of this story…”

‘Oh?’ Athy blinked, looking up at Lily.

‘Guess you were wrong,’ he stuck his tongue out.

‘C’mon! Wouldn’t you agree with me too?’ Athy pouted. ‘It sounded like a cliché!’

‘Until you realize that the original versions of fairytales in our old world were pretty fucked up regardless of how it ends,’ Athan noted. ‘In Cinderella, her step-sisters pretty much maimed their feet to try and fit the glass slippers if I remember correctly. And then there’s the Little Mermaid who has to kill the prince if she wants to live, which was all encouraged by her sisters, otherwise she dies by turning into sea foam.’

“I suppose I can just… skip over that,” her eyes read over the text, skimming over a few paragraphs before a relieved look bloomed on her face. “Except for one thing,” Lily repeated. “A friend.”

‘That’s totally a lie,’ she frowned, peering over the book.

“Oh my, Your Highness!” Lily said with a cheerful smile as she gently pulled Athy away from the pages. “I won’t be able to read the book if you cover the pages.”

Athy pouted, but didn’t try to attempt to look as closely as she did before.

‘What was so bad that she couldn’t say it?’ Athan tilted his head. ‘Is it a dumpster fire situation?’

‘I think it’s talking about the witch wanting to kill someone,’ Athy suggested, squinting at the words. ‘But I could be wrong.’

‘For real? Damn. That’s rough, buddy.’

‘Didn’t she literally talk about mages freezing their hearts before though? Why omit this?’ Athy wondered.

‘Probably doesn’t want to talk about mature crap. Didn’t you have a hard time sleeping for a while because of the maids gossiping about this place? Maybe she’s worried we’ll have nightmares.’

‘Yeah, but that was ages ago.’

“Eventually, she befriends a prince, a lonely boy without a family. They fall in love, and she uses her powers to protect the empire, wanting to forever keep everyone safe for the sake of happiness.”

‘Cheesy.’

‘Sounds fake,’ Athy looked at the book curiously. ‘Is that the actual story?’

‘Fuck if I know. It’s a miracle that you can read along with this shit.’

‘Luck, mostly. I think Obelia’s language might be inspired by Hangul and Hanja, but I’m only good with Hangul. Hanja trips me up sometimes. It’s a little hard to read it though because I think it actually is its own language… I can sorta pick up on the patterns, though.’

‘Well, I’m fucked then. I only know English.’

——————————

‘So… what’s this about an ex-fiancée? I think I vaguely remember you thinking about it a while ago,’ Athy wondered.

‘Hm? Oh. You know how there’s a villainess-in-love type of stories? Like… the jealous ex-girlfriend terrorizes the new girl, or something. That’s Verena, except she’s engaged to Athanasios and falls in love with Ijekiel.’

‘For real?’

‘Of course, it’s from a fanfic, so there’s a chance it might not actually happen, but yeah. Verena pretty much manipulates Athanasios — she was damn upset that Athanasios gave up his right to the throne so she plots to get the twins both on her side, while turning them against each other.’

‘What a two-faced bitch!’ Athy fumed. ‘You better let me know if you meet her.’

‘Chill, dude. She’s just a kid right now. If we actually do meet her, she’ll probably change for the better — happens all the time in isekai stories.’

‘You have no self-preservation,’ Athy shook her head.

——————————

‘You’re fucking kidding me,’ Athan thought. ‘Did you live under a rock?’

‘Hey, I was poor,’ Athy huffed.

‘But spam musubi!’ Athan cried. ‘Fried rice! Rice porridge! You can easily survive as long as you have rice!’

‘I just ate whatever the convenience store threw away, to be honest.’

‘Athy, you said that you had a rice cooker because your neighbour bought a new one and gave it away. You could’ve done so much with that!’

‘So? I could barely afford groceries! All my paychecks mostly went to rent and maybe clothes and stuff.’

‘You just don’t know how to cook, do you?’

‘…no. I never learned how. Didn’t have time to learn, either. There wasn’t a point.’

‘I’ll teach you once we get the chance to. We can go to the kitchen and watch the chefs, too. Learn a couple of new recipes, maybe. We’d be able to save so much money by knowing how to cook and budget. I may be shit with budgeting, but we can learn about it with Lily together.’

‘…I’d like that.’

——————————

‘You’re getting fatter,’ he noted.

‘This punk!’ his sister glared at him. ‘No I’m not!’

‘You’re bigger than me — Lily was the one who pointed it out first,’ Athan stuck his tongue out before smiling innocently. ‘Not my fault that it’s true!’

“Pbbpbbt!”

A second.

What the fuck?

Did Athy just spit on him?

‘Fucking gross!’ he cringed, crying out as Lily immediately started fretting over him, wiping his face with a handkerchief. ‘So immature!’

His sister giggled, ‘Ha! Bitch.’

‘I am so gonna rat on you when we get bigger, mark my words,’ he sniffed, turning to focus on their nanny. Lily tried to comfort him as he wept, picking him up into her arms. ‘Lily, you saw what that lil’ shit just did, right? You’ve gotta stop calling her a sweet baby angel!’

‘Cry about it.’

‘Teaching you memes was a mistake,’ he shot her a dirty look.

——————————

‘What? You don’t remember anything from your previous life? Even I knew the basics of mine…’ Athy frowned, absentmindedly twisting her body back and forth in small movements.

‘I was in college… I think,’ he says, giving it some more thought. ‘That doesn’t feel entirely right — maybe I was a drop out.’

‘Dude, what the hell?! I would’ve given anything to get a higher education!’ Athy huffed, face scrunching up in anger. ‘And you’re telling me that you dropped out?!’

‘I’m saying that I don’t know,’ he shot her a flat look in response. ‘I literally don’t remember. It’s just the vibes I’m getting from myself.’

‘Uh… what does vibe mean?’

‘Well, in the context I’m using it for, it means a gut feeling.’

‘Huh? It’s used in another context?’

‘Some people would be talking about a sex toy, but they usually use it for the gut feeling. At least, people I knew, anyway.’

‘EW! WHY WOULD YOU USE THAT WORD?!’

‘It’s slang! People say vibe check to like… randomly check in with someone. Or in my case, when I have a dumbass moment, but in a fun way. I guess. You gotta embrace the dumb shit in life, Athy. Positive vibes only!’

‘No thanks, you’re enough of a dumbass for the both of us.’

‘Wow. Fucking rude. 10 out of 10, not passing the vibe check. How the hell are you my sister?’

——————————

‘Question,’ Athan stated, staring up at the ceiling. It was the middle of the night in a moment where they both woke up for a few minutes. Athy, however, was slowly drifting off while Athan’s ADHD-addled squirrel brain was kicking into gear in hyperfixation.

‘What,’ Athy sleepily shifted beside him.

‘Lily. Gay or nay?’

‘What.’

‘Okay, here me out.’

‘No,’ his sister yawned.

‘Lily’s a noble, right?’

‘Well, that’s what the novel said.’

‘We don’t know how high her status is, but I’m going to go off and assume that she’s the daughter of a Marquess at minimum, maybe even a Count’s daughter, cause there’s no way a Duke would let his daughter do something like this.’

‘Sure.’

‘Frankly speaking, a typical nobleman’s daughter wouldn’t become a royal’s nanny, even if we are the only known imperial heirs, because we’re hated on. She literally became our nanny because Diana captivated her. Therefore, do you think Lily is gay, or at least bisexual?’

‘They never even met though,’ Athy gave him a tired look, as if exhausted just by listening to him. ‘Lily only saw Diana perform one time.’

He continues on, ‘So? Love at first sight exists! Besides, I feel noblewomen are likelier to be gay — case in point: Emilia and Ophelia from The Bad Ending of an Otome! You can’t tell me that shit was just friendship. Ophelia literally imagined Emilia in a wedding dress in a totally platonic way? Yeah, right. That’s super gay, Athy!’

He could practically remember it now — the way Ophelia describes the wedding dress. And the fact that Emilia claimed to have all of Ophelia’s love, while the three guys came out with jack shit? Definitely tragic lesbians. Bisexual, in Emilia’s case.

‘…why are you so adamant about these types of things? I hope you remember that I never really had time to read any other novels or manhwa or whatever in our previous life,’ Athy wearily thought. ‘Anyway, if you’re done, I’m going to sleep.’

‘But Athy! What do you think? Gay or nay?’

‘Nay. Now let me sleep, dammit!’

‘Alright, but I highly believe that Lily was at least a little gay for Diana, and I’ll probably be making up an internal monologue that doubles as an essay. Just ask, in case you’re interested.’

She huffed at him, adding nothing more to the topic as she drifted off to sleep.

‘There is just no heterosexual explanation for Lily to get captivated by Diana to the point of—’

——————————

‘Bastard! Scumbag!’ Athy screeched, whacking her hand against the storybook. It was yet another book that had an image of their father, aka, their sperm donor.

He eyes his sister from the corner of his eye before curling up against Lily. Athan didn’t transmigrate at the same time as Athy did, but he can vaguely guess how she reacted the first time around when she found out about Claude.

‘I’m going back to sleep,’ Athan tiredly thought, closing his eyes, dozing off to the sound of his sister screaming out obscenities.

——————————

‘What do you wanna do when we get older?’ Athy asked curiously. ‘I never thought much about it.’

‘When we get older…’

(It’s a flash of a memory.

Just him, the stars, and her.

They’re seated in a small field, surrounded by trees and wildflowers.

It’s a moment between only two children, just [][][][][][][][] and [][][][][][], forever and always.

Just like you, the stars say nothing, always silent and observing.

“What would you wish for?” [][][][][][] asked him.

“…I’d like to be happy.”)

‘…?’ he blinks, confused. Since when did he ever have a conversation of that nature with someone else?

‘Athan?’ Athy shifted to look at him from where they laid in their shared crib. ‘What’s up…?’

‘Sorry. Spaced out,’ Athan shook his head. He didn’t want to close his eyes — the remnant of the odd memory lingers in the back of his mind, seeming more and more unsettlingly vivid if he ever keeps his eyes closed for more than a second. Don’t think about it, his instinct demands. ‘What’d you ask, again?’

‘Geez. This kid,’ Athy huffed in exasperation. ‘When we get out of here, what do you want to do? Y’know, when we get older!’

(Another memory flickers in his mind.

Seated at a table, an untouched slice of cake, a cup of cold tea, and sitting across from him was dear old [][][][][][]. He knew she wouldn’t like it, not a single word of it, but important things needed to be said.

No matter how much it may hurt.

“And you think travelling will make you happy?” comes the question dripping in bitterness and simmering rage. A young woman he knew quite well, seething, as if personally wronged. Maybe he really is at fault, or maybe neither of them were.

Circumstances change, and nothing ever stays the same. So… maybe this was inevitable.

“Travelling will mean that I’m free, [][][][][][].”

“You promised to stay with me.”)

‘…I think I’d like to travel.’

For some odd reason, the words escape him before his mind fully agrees with it. Still, his heart aches at his own statement. He shouldn’t stay in this place, he needs to be somewhere different.

(He did promise her that before, didn’t he?

“Things change,” he tells her, watching dark purple-blue eyes narrow at him. “That was then, this is now.”)

——————————

‘Hannah and Ces were talking to each other about how cute Adam is while you were sleeping, and—’

‘Who’s Adam?’ Athy interrupted, eyes curiously peering over to him.

‘He used to be one of the trainees for the kitchen crew. Been around for over a month, I think.’

‘Oh. Carry on.’

‘Yeah, and that’s when Elena comes in to check in on us and watch over us ‘cause it’s her turn on the schedule. She starts chit-chatting with Hannah and Ces, asking them what they were talking about.’

‘And that was Adam.’

‘Yeah, and the second Hannah says his name, Elena holds up her hand and asks her to say no more, that she already knows what he did and that he’s getting the boot.’

‘Huh. He did something?’

‘That’s the thing — Hannah and Ces were confused. Ces asked her to elaborate, because they were only talking about his appearance and how nice he is, and Elena. Spilled. The. Tea.’

‘What is it? What is it?’

‘If you ever wondered what happens if you start courting multiple girls at the same time, then wonder no more! Adam fucked around and found out. Elena was one of the girls he was flirting with, and she actually thought about giving him a shot — she wasn’t too mad about it, just impressed by the audacity of that bitch.’

‘That cheating scumbag!’

‘Exactly. He would first strike up a friendly conversation with every maid he came into contact with. Then, he would start diving into flirty territory, to the point that he was leading on more than ten maids. Only seven of those ten kissed him. Not sure if there was more than just a smooch, but I wouldn’t be surprised.’

‘Then what happened?’

‘They confronted him and beat his ass, I’m guessing. Regardless, Lily gave him the boot. She was pretty relieved about kicking him out, I think. He flirted with her too from what I heard.’

‘Ugh. I wish I could’ve given him the fucking boot myself. No wonder we never see guys here instead of girls.’

——————————

Something is wrong with him.

Athan isn’t entirely sure what the issue is, but maybe there really was more to it. Every time he thinks about his past life, trying to pry into the memories, often it comes up as a blank.

As if gaslighting him, telling him that nothing had ever happened.

He finds himself laying in bed in the middle of the night, staring at the ceiling as the moon shines through the translucent curtains. Curling up in the warmth of his blankets, he starts tearing up.

What was this feeling? Why does he feel like this?

His memories are still blocked out, and some of them give him headaches, terrible headaches to the point that Lily had once brought in a doctor, worried about him.

Everything feels scrambled and out of place, and Athan has to wonder if maybe it’s one of those transmigration situations where his body’s too young. That the trauma of dying in a past life was too much strain on his body.

But why…?

(“Maybe next time.”)

——————————

‘I ship it,’ Athan nodded, looking at Hannah and Ces who were both standing around, talking as they watched over them. They were both on their stomachs — tummy time, apparently.

‘What?’

‘Ces x Hannah — friends to lovers? Slow burn. Maybe a 50k fic… man, I miss AO3. Maybe I should write fanfics when I’m old enough to write.’

Athy looked at her twin brother wearily. ‘I don’t want to know any more.’

‘It’s a pretty good scenario, right? The cool, calm, and collected senior and the cheerful and friendly freshman! Although the opposite is just as cute and nice — the mature freshman and the bright senior; I still don’t know who’s the older one of the two, but it could work either way.’

‘You’re delusional.’

‘Oh, c’mon. It’s not like we have anything better to do.’

‘Well, we could work on brainstorming how to improve our situation,’ Athy flatly thought, shaking her head. ‘Instead of fantasizing relationships involving our caretakers.’

‘What’s the point? We can only crawl if we’re being supervised. There’s nothing we can do even if we have a plan. Besides, you overthink more than enough for the both of us.’

‘You just don’t want to focus.’

‘Nah, I have ADHD, and brainstorming how to get outta here isn’t one of my interests. Brainstorming scenarios is one of mine, though.’

‘Surviving isn’t one of your interests?’ Athy asked incredulously.

‘Not how you go about it. Sounds like a stressful thing to go through the same possible scenarios over and over again. Makes me wanna sleep hearing you go on and on.’

‘Well, fuck you too. See if I ever include you when I escape!’

——————————

‘Question,’ Athy thought, crawling over to Lily who held a golden ball. Lily cooed and cheered her on, watching over them with a bright smile.

‘Answer,’ he shifted to look over to her, playing with his own toy. By that, he meant drooling on the gold rattle as he flailed his little hand against a pillow.

‘Do you agree that avoiding Claude is a good plan?’

‘Well, if this world really is the same as the novel, then no. I think building a relationship with our sperm donor might be simultaneously a better and worse choice. There’s a chance he’ll consider us good enough to keep around, or he’ll want us dead faster.’

‘And if it’s anything like the fanfic you used to read?’

‘Then the situation is more dependent on our interactions with other people,’ Athan explained. ‘Deadbeat Claude is our main person of interaction, but we have to interact with as many people as possible. In the fanfic, Claude acknowledges us both as the imperial prince and princess, but that’s it. We start getting basic lessons from a lot of people, people who could be useful to us.’

‘How so?’

‘Marquess Milford has two sons and one daughter, and he’ll be in charge of history, military tactics, and sword training. His oldest is Eriol Milford, a knight in training who’s studying abroad in Arlanta this year — if he becomes a knight for us, then it shows we have the support of their family even if we don’t. His daughter, Charlotte Milford, becomes one of the flowers of high society — befriend her, and you’re golden. Ferdinand Milford, who’s the same age as Ijekiel, I think, and Marquess Milford’s adopted son, ends up dying in Arlanta which sparks a war between Obelia and Arlanta. So if we can prevent his death—’

‘A WAR?!’

‘…did I not mention that before?’

‘Athan, I swear to god… no! No! You didn’t mention it!’

‘Oh. Well, surprise! There might be a war between Arlanta and Obelia in our future!’

‘This son of a…’

‘Hey, I know he’s a bastard, but don’t talk about our deadbeat sperm donor like that. It’s disrespectful to grandma who birthed him.’

‘I’m talking about you, asshole!’

——————————

‘Steady… steady,’ Athan thought, wobbling on his two chubby legs as he made his way over to Lily who looked on with such a bright and happy smile. ‘This is so much effort. I hate it.’

‘You think everything is too much effort,’ Athy scoffed, hugging her gold ball. ‘Most of the maids like you just because you’re a calm baby who doesn’t want to do anything except sleep.’

‘Stop throwing tantrums and maybe they’ll start cooing over you, too,’ Athan flatly thought, falling over into Lily and flashing her a happy grin as he hugged her. ‘Praise me for my hard work, Lily!’

Athy rolled her eyes.

——————————

‘I hope I can learn magic,’ Athan hummed, plopping down with a magic-based fairytale book in his arms. It was nice to finally be able to move around, even if it was still limited.

‘Same. Magic is so cool!’ Athy gushed, wiggling before she climbed up the sofa to join him. ‘Maybe we could even change our own appearance with it! We won’t need a mage!’

‘I kinda wanna prank people, not gonna lie. Teleportation is one of those convenient skills.’

‘Fucking gremlin. You’re gonna give Lily gray hair, I swear.’

‘Says the one who keeps bursting into tears every time they think of deadbeat Claude. If anyone’s giving her gray hairs anytime soon, it’s you.’

‘I can’t help it!’ Athy cried. ‘Doesn’t it terrify you, Athan?!’

‘Yeah, but our sperm donor isn’t just a murderous asshole to me. He’s a murderous asshole to all of us! Meaning, he’s fair in terms of being an absolute dick — not even Jennette is spared from his attitude until he warms up to her.’

‘We’re doomed…’

——————————

‘Y’know, I’m glad Lily fought the previous Head Maid on this.’

Athy looked up at him, curious, ‘About what?’

‘Our living arrangements. Wouldn’t they normally separate us since we’re different genders?’

‘Oh, yeah. It’d probably be hard for either of us if we lived separately. Now that I think about it, it’s weird that they’re not giving you special treatment in a patriarchal society…’

‘That’s another reason why I think we’re in a fanfic. If we were in the novel, I would’ve been the heir due to being born in a patriarchy. In the fanfic, Athanasia became the crowned heir by default of birth, even though she had a brother — she was the oldest known child, and therefore was the Imperial Crown Princess, despite being a girl. Athanasios was next in line, but when Jennette was revealed, he chose to waive his right to the throne to show support to his sister.’

‘Hmm. Were there any issues involving that?’

‘Instead of fighting over the prince or the princess ruling, it became a fight between the imperial faction and the noble faction. Jennette was favoured by the aristocrats because she was the daughter of a noble and was considered naïve and would be easily manipulated if not for Ijekiel — nobles favour nobles and all that. Athanasia was favoured by the imperial faction, mostly because her teachers fell under that category, also because she was an intelligent princess in comparison with everyone. Deadbeat Claude was considered a neutral party considering that he overthrew the previous monarch, though the nobles liked to boast that Jennette had a better relationship with him, even if he had no personal impact on the fight for the throne.’

‘Ugh. So we still have to watch out for political crap?’

‘Not necessarily. Madame Pompidou, who became Athanasia’s dance instructor and etiquette teacher, did the major part of weeding through people that the twins would interact with. We won’t have to be too careful.’

‘That’s convenient, I guess…’

——————————

He could feel a twinge of curiosity radiating from his sister’s direction.

‘What is it?’ he frowned, having a bad feeling about this.

‘Do you think you’ll end up falling in love with Ijekiel like Athanasios did in that fanfic you used to read? He does end up being a pretty handsome guy, apparently, and him being a gentleman to boot?’

Oh, was that it? It was a pretty reasonable question. Second life or not, he was still a bona fide bi guy. ‘In all honesty? No. I can’t imagine a guy like him being my type.’

And that’s not to say that Ijekiel wasn’t attractive. He’s seen the Tumblr fan art in his previous life. He owned the hard cover copy of the novel too, which contained additional illustrations. The issue with Ijekiel’s portrayal in the novel felt too unnerving — a picture-perfect image of prince charming.

Athanase was always more into the confident yet shy type of guys. They felt much more genuine by comparison, and that’s what he considered to be attractive — someone who knows their worth, and yet were easily flustered with a few flirtatious comments. It would be heart-warming, he thinks, if he could make a guy feel weak in the knees by confessing his adoration.

He hated the whole hot and cold response and couldn’t stand assholes, but perfectly princely type of guys were the worst characterization, even more so because he would get jealous all across the board, and in Athan’s personal opinion, dealing with jealousy was annoying.

‘Aw, don’t be like that. I’m sure he’ll be your dream man!’ she seemed to gleefully tease.

Never mind, he absolutely hated her. Athy whomst?

‘Good night, Athanasia.’

‘C’mon, Athan!’

‘Good. Night.’

#wynter writes #fic: in the back of my mind (rewrite)#fic: itbomm #wmmap fic #re: itbomm

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