You Can Call Me Glad She/He, Bisexual, Bigender, Autistic, I write Fanfiction.
81 posts
Latest Posts by gladiatorofthevoid - Page 2
Reposting to Spread More
CALLING ALL RISE FANS!
The lovely @seasaltcosmos has started a google doc! We’re going to form a MASSIVE letter and post it on twitter and they could use your help!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mr4KYBhqkLyO2KGOOtSLvsk8Bc_-k2lJe6tPCKrKZLw/edit?usp=sharing
Hit the link, write your piece, share the link and lets get our words out there!
Every little bit helps! We want want something good in the future, but not one of us can do it alone. Let’s support each other! Like the Rise boys would do! Don’t stop trying!
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
-Wayne Gretzky
Also! Please do THIS!
Guess I know what I'm doing next month!
@nickelodeon please bring rise back.
I know, I know we’re only in July but…
𝑰'𝒎 𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝑻𝑴𝑵𝑻 𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕!
𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒔𝒌? 𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒚. 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝑻𝑴𝑵𝑻 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒙 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒐 𝒂𝒔 𝑰'𝒎 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 @𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒐𝒏 𝑯𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 3 𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆.
𝑨𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆! 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆! 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒘! 𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒐𝒔! 𝑨𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈!
𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆!
A Medically Accurate Analysis of the ROTTMNT Movie - Masterpost
With the help of an ER Nurse with multiple years in her field, this is a Masterpost for an analysis on the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie on what their injuries would be were the movie seen through a realistic lens. These injuries were figured out through hours of research into the movie and injuries that could come from certain attacks, and were proofread by an EMT who said it was accurate.
This post is dedicated to the angst lovers, artists, and writers out there who enjoy being realistic or accurate in their depictions of injuries and ailments. This is for you <3
Each character's injury list has a timestamp and description of the event that caused their injuries.
And at long last, the posts.
Rules - The 'rules' of the analysis
Benefit(s) of the Doubt - Caveats, so I can excuse how Leo's somehow alive
Leo’s Injuries
Donnie’s Injuries
Raph’s Injuries
Mikey’s Injuries
April’s Injuries
Casey Jr’s Injuries
Splinter’s Injuries
Brain Injuries
DISCLAIMER: Injuries are impossible to accurately predict, as this is both in a fictional setting and the fact that the same event could give different injuries to different people depending on many, many factors. These are theories.
Asks are open in reference to this post, and if you have anything you want to ask me about injuries in ROTTMNT episodes, for example, I’ll be happy to answer them!
Reblogs would be much appreciated, I’ve spent weeks working on this analysis between my jobs and schoolwork, and working around the schedule of professionals and their own schedules!!
The (Incomplete) Injury Log of the ROTTMNT Movie (SPOILERS AHEAD)
Image ID: Image is a low-resolution screenshot from Rise of the TMNT movie. It takes place during the sequence where the turtles try and fail to interrogate Casey Jones Junior. It depicts Donnie lying comically on the floor, seemingly unconscious after accidentally activating Junior’s grappling hook and being knocked out by it. End ID.
salutations fellow turtle analysts! I am currently (very slowly) working on a fanfic that takes place immediately after [ROTTMNT MOVIE SPOILERS!] Leo gets rescued and, although I know it’s largely unnecessary, I wanted to be as accurate as possible about the various injuries everyone had sustained in the movie. for this, I have gone through the movie yet again and wrote down all the notable occasions of the main crew getting hit or being visibly injured and/or in pain for unclear reasons.
some clarifications and warnings before I jump into the readmore
[MORE ROTTMNT MOVIE SPOILERS AHEAD]
1. this log does not contain potential injuries sustained during the first fight with the Krang, EXCEPT for Raph. my reasoning: everyone but Raph got to go home in the escape pods and had a chance to recover somewhat. I think it’s best demonstrated by Splinter - he was majorly hurt during the fight, but seemed to be doing well when Leo and the others left to look for Raph. it could’ve been done to ease on the pressure, for comedic effect, it could just be that the escape pods provide some sort of first aid OR he simply had enough time to recover on his own. and while I don’t think it’s sufficient enough evidence, I choose to believe everyone but Raph did a “reset” so to speak in that scene. if you have counter-arguments regarding this, feel free to dm me about it and I’ll see if I agree and whether I should amend my statement!
2. I tried to keep my notes purely observational in nature, so in some cases I do not state specifically that there is an injury present, but rather describe the character’s expression or gestures and what they might imply (such as, someone holding onto their head or the glowing cracks caused by Mikey’s gateway)
3. feel free to dm me or reply to this post if you think I missed anything! as I’ve said, this log is incomplete, simply because I’m just one guy and can only notice so much on my own. although I don’t promise to amend this post in every case
4. my notes contain some light swearing and take on a more conversational tone in some parts
5. I mean this goes without saying, but there are descriptions of physical injuries, sometimes near-fatal. so take that into account if you decide to read through
6. slightly off-topic, but if there is something wrong with how I did the image ID’s or if there are general issues with accessibility, please let me know! i don’t know if i’ll be able to fix all of my errors, because I spent the entire day working on this post instead of preparing for my entrance exams, but I’d like to at least try
with all that out of the way, I present to you: The (Incomplete) Injury Log of the Rise of the TMNT Movie! (under the cut because it is ridiculously long)
Image ID: Image is a high-resolution screenshot from Rise of the TMNT movie. It depicts, from left to right, Leo, Mikey, Raph, and Donnie looking at the photoraph that Casey Jones Junior had brought from the future. The Key is drawn on the flip-side of the photograph, but the turtles haven’t seen it just yet. Mikey and Donnie are peaking at it from behind Raph’s back and Leo is standing at a slight distance from the three of them. End ID.
Keep reading
@nickelodeon
Reblogging so they can see it again
Guys…I have made an amazing discovery. (Watch with sound on).
Guys…I have made an amazing discovery. (Watch with sound on).
On it!
Alright soldiers, let march!
Quick announcement!
Before my phone runs out of battery and I have to go back to studying for finals.
I am purposing MUTANT MAY.
For this month, I’m asking that my followers, or anyone that is interested, to stream the Rise Movie, and an episode of the show, at least once, per day!
Let’s get those numbers up! Let’s confuse the people into saying, “Huh? Why is this trending? Again?”
Stream it while you clean, while you’re in class, while you’re asleep. The more it’s watched, the more it will appear on other people’s feeds as well!
I SO want to troll the big corporations! Let’s do it!
Beautifully drawn!
I love this game, and you should go play it.
my take on the fellas
i imagine voice of the hero and narrator appearing like shadows, while other voices like or shadows or spirits bc they may be ghosts of previous mcs
and additionally voice of the meek bc i completely forgot about him
wilburs thoughts on tommy and existing
Voice Acting is so good!!!!
every comic weaver drops is a gift, go to twitter/com/tg_weaver for more of this stupid ass shit.
Not mine, but BEAUTIFUL!
doodled a little Marta while rewatching knives out, definitely one of my desert island movies (all time fav category)
Beautiful, Wonderful, Spectacular, Showstopping-
@nickelodeon bring back Rise
What if like, they really snapped🤔
Reblogging because it is a beautiful screenshot.
Artists, can you redraw this?
Pretty please? 🥺
Posting a random screenshot until we get season 3, there’s a chance I’m going to do it forever, day 173
Amazing and needs to be seen by others
Reblogging for personal future reference....
Rise Ponderings:
What if all the turtle brothers had a savage mode?
Not necessarily triggered by separation anxiety like Raph, but is more like a survival mode in an unfamiliar environment?
I'd argue that Donnie experienced something of a Savage Mode during that episode when they were in the woods where he was acting like a feral creature of the forest and built that treehouse. I think in his Savage Mode, Donnie's gets hyper-aware and his brain kicks into overdrive, and I've always sort of seen him as the family's substantial provider - his high income from selling tech (he literally has a patented company - Genius Built), the Rise Lair looking surprisingly modern and comfortable given their circumstances - hence the treehouse. Even in his 'savage mode', Donnie thought of shelter and facilities first. Also, his homicidal urges would likely increase tenfold against threats.
With Leo, I'd like to think that his Savage Mood is more akin to ruthless, calculating strategist. He's a cunning bastard but usually loud and flamboyant, which would make it all the more unsettling if Savage Leo went quiet yet that sense of cunning and strategic mastermind was still present, and since he's in survival mode that means he's absolutely ruthless to any threats that may harm him and his family.
Mikey with Dr Delicate Touch as a survival mechanism would be deadly, but it'd be a lot more eerie if his Savage Mood maintained his cheerful dissonance yet had Dr Delicate Touch's abrasive and merciless behaviour. Killing with a smile, basically. He's tiny but strong, quick and resourceful as heck. Savage Mickey would be running around scaring people and wrecking havoc like a giggling gremlin.
Now take everything I just said, imagine it's post-Kraang invasion and put them into a crossover with another TMNT iteration. Just one of them alone would be a force to reckon with, as seen by Savage Raph, but all of them together, directly post-invasion?
Unfamiliar, potentially hostile environment? Check.
Hurt brothers? Check.
Entering Savage Mode? Yes.
[Also friendly reminder that Rise turtles were made intentionally by a then-villain for the purpose of destroying humanity(?) (Draxum does hate humans and why else would he want to create 'the strongest warriors'?)
Plus, they're dumb teenagers. The turtles definitely have a few moral screws loose]
Which means that the turtles from that dimension would have to deal with 4 feral, overprotective teenagers with overpowered mystic abilities in survival mode whose instincts are perceiving nearly every moving thing as a threat and telling them to ELIMINATE.
The expressions! The way you can feel the cold!
I love this art! It was my inspiration for Day 13 of Rise April! (Along with my own experience.)
Just look at it!!!!!
Sometimes you just have to sit down under the rain, and let the drops run over your body. Just like warm tears, let them heal wounds and ease the pain. Let them wash away the blood that you had to shed and soothe the broken heart.
last straw
One Part of My Brain: Ah yes, a beautiful piece of art.
The Rest Of My Brain: Baby. Baby. Babies. Yes, they are babies. They are small, and babies.
Turtle tots! 💚
WAIT! SO I CAN REBLOG OTHER PEOPLES AMAZING WORK, AND IT WON’T BE THEFT?! I CAN SHARE WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY WITH OTHERS WITHOUT RUINING IT FOR THE ORIGINAL POSTER?!!! YES!!!!!
I’ll be back in a few hours, I HAVE SO MUCH TO SHARE!
Is it just me or are the new tumblr users convinced there's a penalty of some kind for using this site like it's meant to be used?
Rise April Rap Up
So, I have entered my final submission for Rise April. That being 24: Rebirth
Thank you for all the love you have given me! It means so much to me and has encouraged me to try my hand at a larger Rise fic. We’ll see how that goes.
Thank you @zee-rambles for hosting this challenge, giving me a place to share my writing, and encouraging me to fight for Rise.
Thank the rest of you for giving me your time and love. I hope that I can continue to write for you all and improve.
Please go look at @rise-april-art-challenge for more submissions from other creators.
@nickelodeon Save Rise
Rise April Challenge 24: Rebirth
Prev - Masterpost Ao3 Link: Here
The yellow of the setting sun was painted over by the swirling pink of the hole in the sky. The wind whistled past Leo's ear as he listened to the young voice coming from his comm.
“Just tell me when you’re home free, and I’ll pull the plug!”
Casey’s voice rang in his ears as he looked up at the hulking steal encased monster and the endless void of suffering just on the other side of the gate, marching towards him. Towards the city. Towards the world.
Towards his family.
Maybe that shouldn’t be as high on his list. Maybe a real hero would do this for the world. But Leo isn’t a hero. Leo is selfish, arrogant, and a screw up.
But if there's one thing that Leo could consider good about himself, it was this: he was loyal and he loved his family more than anything. So, screw it.
“Casey, listen to me.” He says, not taking his eyes off the Krang. “When I get to the other side, you close that door.”
He knows what he’s asking from the kid. Knows he is asking him to pull the trigger, to kill him. Leo knows he could have lied, could have told him to close it without telling him that he was still on the other side. But Casey shouldn’t have to live with the guilt of thinking that it was an accident, that Leo had a chance of making it out and Casey somehow screwed it up. He deserves to know that it was Leo’s choice. That there was no other way out.
“What? Sensei, no!”
Leo tunes out his response, his explanation, to focus on the enemy in front of him. He knows the way it will go, knows the words.
It feels like he’s already said them a thousand times.
Raph’s panicked voice brakes through his concentration. He’s begging, pleading, trying to reject what is happening, to demand and hold all of existence down so that is has no choice but to compile.
Leo did the same when he was dragged away by the escape pod.
He says something, a joke he forgets before it’s even out of his mouth. What he’s really saying is “I know this hurts. I know you’ll hate yourself for this. But you’ll live. You’ll be ok after a while. And that’s all I want.”
He stares at the end of everything he loves, and, with his body and mind collapsing inwards on itself like a dying star, he brings forward his Ninpō and rases his blades.
It’s a pitiful fight that’s over before it starts. But he feels his first blade in the void of the prison behind him and digs the one in his hand into foot pining him down.
“What you fail to understand is I missed on purpose.”
His Ninpō flared and he teleported deep into the prison.
In the moments between the disappearance and reappearance, Leo could swear that he could feel the weight of thousands of despairing eyes burn into his soul.
The Krang tried to fight him, tried to run back towards the open doorway, and Leo knew he couldn’t keep him there for long.
“Casey, please.” He pleaded.
This is a plea that he knows, one that sings in his blood. Hamatos have always been forced to sacrifice everything for their family, for the world. And they always died the same way: begging their loved ones to understand. To forgive them for not coming home.
The portal closes, the Technodome explodes.
Leo let’s go of his hold and waits for death.
-
Mikey opens a portal and saves him. He comes home.
But Leo is still waiting for death.
He sits in his med bay cot and listens to the beeps of his heart monitor and waits for it to stop. He feels each breath and waits for it to be cut off.
Nothing happens.
It doesn’t feel real. He thinks back to when the Krang’s anger was trying to crush him, when it rained hits down to try and crack open his shell and rip apart whatever was inside.
He hadn’t been alone. He could feel them, watery eyes that watched with despair, hands that reached out and tried to hold him, voices that thanked him and whispered to him that “Anata wa hitori ja nai.”
As he hugged the photo of his family to his chest and smiled, he felt a sense of familiarity well up in him. As if he had already done this 1000 times over. But it wasn't him, no, it was spirits that gathered around him. That could do nothing but reach out for him as he waited to die.
Leo wonders how many of his family sacrificed themselves for the ones they loved, how many died for some cause. How many deaths did it take to carve the knowledge of sacrifice into a bloodline?
But Leo hadn't died.
He began to cry. He let the tears flow freely and he cried. Because even if his heart had never stopped beating, he still felt like he had died. Like whoever he was had disappeared into that dimension and left him a broken body to return to his family.
But that wasn’t true, he was alive. Scared and beaten and broken, but alive.
Why? Why him?
Out of everyone, out of all the souls that had reached out and shared his pain, why was he the one to come back home?
What had he done to be brought back while they were mourned?
No one answered.
After a minute Donnie would walk in on Leo still crying. He would grow stiff and reach out and grab his hand. Leo would cling to it and sob that he was sorry that he hadn’t listened to them, that he had put them in danger for his ego, that he had almost made them lose him.
Donnie would just cling right back and soon began to cry in turn, begging Leo to never do that again. To always be safe and with them, and Leo agreed.
Thus, Leo returned to life not with fire and ash but with tears and sobs. Nothing would be the same, nothing would be the way it was before, but they would always love each other and nothing else mattered.
Prev - Masterpost Ao3 Link: Here Please check out @zee-rambles who came up with this challenge and look at @rise-april-art-challenge to see more submissions by other fans. Please give me feedback if there is anything I should work on.\
@nickelodeon Bring Back Rise
Rise April Challenge 23: Spooky
Prev - Next - Masterpost Ao3 Link: Here (Not my finest work, but it's okay. I like writing horror, but I didn't want to lean too heavily into that, so here.)
Flint lives in New York, has for many years now, he’s seen some weird stuff. That means that he rarely gets surprised any more. But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get scared.
He had been scouting out an abandoned sewar tunnel for a few weeks now. It seems that’s out of view most security cameras and he hadn’t seen anyone else using it for... unsavory business. So, Flint thought it would be a good place to do some not exactly legal art.
The tunnel was dark and smelt of old rainwater, the kind of water was tainted with the oils and gases of the city and dragged them down through storm drains, but there wasn't the smell of sewage and that was good enough for Flint.
He flicked on his flashlight and walked deeper in, the sound of his footsteps bouncing endlessly into the darkness. The light from the entrance was soon gone, leaving Flint only with the pale artificial light in his hand. The air was still, and the young vandal felt the clinging, dusty cold that came with being encased underground. It felt like the tunnel was holding its breath, staring out at him with wide unseen eyes.
An image entered Flint’s mind of a tall, slim, shadowy figure, just a step or two behind him. Following. Waiting. He could see the way it glided forward, soundlessly so as not to alert its victim. He could see the way the darkness was stuffed and shoved into an into a tall, bulging, shape that could almost be a man. And Flint could see the way its long slim fingers reached out to grab his head and yank it straight off his-
He whipped around and shined the light right where the things face would be.
There was nothing there.
Of course not. He was just creeped out from being in a dark tunnel alone. It was normal that his imagination acted up. Flint shook his head and carried on.
-
A few minutes later Flint had stopped walking and was working on a section of wall, illuminated by his flashlight laying on the ground. The smell of paint driving off the old rain smell, and the shaking of spray cans driving off the echoes.
He wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to paint and was mostly hoping inspiration would strike as he started to work. It was going okay, and he could feel himself slipping into a nice artistic trance when he heard the sound of footsteps echoing off the walls. He froze, wondering if someone had seen him go into the sewers and thought he was an easy target to rob, or if it was a cop.
Except, it wasn't coming from the direction of the entrance.
It was coming from deeper inside.
Flint didn't move. He could feel his heart in his chest jumping and his mind overflowed with the images of true crime shows and horror movies.
The noise stopped, and Flint twisted his head to face it.
He could just see it, the beam of his flashlight barely managing to reveal its outline while the rest of it was cloaked in shadow. It was huge, almost twice his height and just as wide, with bulging masses of muscles the size of his head. Flint could make out the pointed shape of spikes running up and down the scaly skin of its arms. He saw more spikes curling down his back, and a few splitting from his shoulders, sharper and longer than the others. It was hunched over slightly and pinned Flint in place with two blank, glowing, white eyes.
Flint could hear his breath hitch, and his legs shake.
He didn't want to die. Oh God, is he going to die?
The thing tilted its head and leaned slowly closer to the light. Flint could just make out the glimpse of bright red around its wrists, when something on the thing shoulder moved and two more glowing eyes opened and stared at him.
Flint ran. He abandoned his paint and flashlight, and just ran. Ran through the endless darkness towards the entrance, feeling the air rush past him and the walls closing around him, trying to trap him inside. They were inches away from touching his skin, he knew it. even if he couldn't see it, he knew it. He just had to get out.
Had to get out. Had to get out. HadtogetouthadtogetouthadtogETOUTGETOUTGETOUTGETOUT-
he collapsed into the light of the sun right of the tunnel and stared back into the darkness. Nothing came out after him.
After a few minutes of catching his breath, Flint went home. He never went back for his supplies. He never told anyone, never posted about it on the internet, he knew no one would believe him. And he figured that if he never went back into that thing's territory, it would leave him alone.
He didn't want to know what it was; he didn't care. As the saying goes “live and let live.” So, if it let him live, he would do the same. He figured that was fair.
-
Raph blinked at the spot where the artist had stood and just put his head in his hand. Dang it, he hadn't meant to scare the kid. Mikey yawned from his spot on Raph’s back.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“Nothing,” Raph said. “Let's get you to bed, you don't think your Sleepy-Little-Brother act gonna get me not to tell Pops you were out late painting again.”
“But I am tired. It's not an act if I’m actually tired.”
Prev - Next - Masterpost Ao3 Link: Here Please check out @zee-rambles who came up with this challenge, and look at @rise-april-art-challenge to see more submissions by other fans. Please give me feedback if there is anything I should work on.
@nickelodeon Bring Back Rise
Rise April Challenge 22: Father
Prev - Next - Masterpost Ao3 Link: Here !TW! Implied Depression and Self Hatred !TW!
There’s nothing that triggers it. There isn’t a grand event that snapped all the pieces into place, it just hits Yoshi one night as he lies in bed waiting for sleep.
I’m a father.
It hits the man like a train. His body stiffens like he’s back in the arena and about to be attacked and he jumps up, sleep gone from his mind.
I am a father. I have children.
His hands shake and he tries to remain calm. But his mind is filled with his few memories of his mother. Soft, gentle, loving. Gone. Gone from his life in a second. Leaving him to grow up without her. She never saw him earn his first colored belt in martial arts, she never had talked to him about his first crush, or been there for his first audition, or to help him pick out a ring for the person he thought he would spend the rest of his life with.
She was just gone. And part of Yoshi hates her for it, for choosing some sacred duty over her own son. He was a child. Did she really think that some story from an old dusty book would be a good enough reason for him to accept being abandoned?
It hurts.
Yoshi hasn’t admitted that to anyone in years.
Not when his mother left, not when Grandpa Sho only called him up after years of silence to demand he quit his career as an actor to follow his “destiny,” not even when the women he had loved had lied to him and tortured him for spectacle.
But now, in the dark of the New York City sewars, rat hands clamped over his mouth in shock at the idea of being a father, Yoshi lets the pain take hold and cries.
He cries for the first time in what felt like years, breaths coming out in hiccups, and he tries to hold himself together. But it’s a losing battle.
God dammit! How had anyone ever thought he was a powerful warrior? How could anyone look at him and see a champion? A star? Not that anyone would think that now. Not with a naked pink tail and shaggy, dirty fur.
Whatever he had once possessed that made anyone think he was worthy of admiration was gone, burned out of him with his humanity.
And then, the world had decided to give him 4 sons. Decided to make him a father. Why?! Why did those wonderful, amazing boys have to get him as a father? Surely, they deserved better. They deserved better than a vain movie star that only cared about his own fame. They deserved better than a chained-up beast made only to spill blood for others entertainment. They deserved better than a sewar rat, that couldn’t even stop crying over a death that happened years ago.
They deserved better than him.
-
Yoshi doesn’t remember falling asleep that night, but he still wakes up the next morning. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next.
He does his best not to be bitter over the fact that his eyes still open every morning, because he is a father. His sons need him. But as they get older, they start to need him less and less. So, he pulls back from them.
Because they deserve better.
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Rise April Challenge 21: Jokes
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Leo had a sly smile as he approached Casey from behind, who was sitting on the couch with Mikey watching TV.
“Hey, man.” He said, leaning over and wrapping his arm around Jr. The time traveler looked up with a bright smile.
“Hi Leonardo. How are you?”
“Oh, I’m wonderful, my friend.” Leo said, eyes mischievous. “Say, I was wondering, what do you call a baby butterfly with whiskers?”
Casey tilted his head in confusion, while Mikey's eyes widened, and he sat up straight. A look of fear on his face.
“Leo don’t-”
“A cat-erpillar.”
Mikey fell back and groaned in annoyance, while Leo erupted with laughter. “Oh, that was a good one.” Leo brushed away a tear.
“But... caterpillars don't have whiskers.”
The two brothers stared at Casey for a moment, and Casey just stared back. Then his eyes went wide with realization.
“Oh, because cats have whiskers, and caterpillar starts with ‘cat.’ Cat-erpillar.” He started chuckling and giggling. “I get it! That's pretty funny sensei.”
Leo’s eyes went wide, and his face fell with shock. Then he lit up like a sunrise. Mikey saw this and began to wave his arms around in a panic.
“Leo, wait-”
“Oh, this is going to be fun!”
“No, it won’t! Leo, please-”
-
The next time they were eating pizza with the family. Leo smiled and bumped Casey’s shoulder with his own.
“Hey, kid.” He said and Casey looked up. “I saw this really cool chimney for sale and was thinking about buying it.” Jr furrowed his brow, while everyone else went stiff with concealed panic.
“Why would you want to buy a chimney? We live underground.” Leo waved his hands dismissively.
“Not important to the story. I thought it was going to cost a lot it turns out it was-”
“Nardo, please!”
“-on the house.”
The table erupted in groans and there was a bang as Raph dropped his head to the table. Casey just nodded at his master's words.
“Well, that was nice of them.” He turned and took another bite of pizza, then stopped mid chew a look of deep thought on his face. Then, he spit out the bite as he started to laugh.
“OH! On the house! Because roofs are on top of houses.”
“Ah, there you go.” Leo said, slapping Casey on the back. “See guys, he gets it!”
“This is going to be a thing, isn’t it?” Donnie asked, unenthusiastically and already knowing the answer. Leo just smirked back.
“Of course, it is.”
-
Leo and junior were sitting by themselves on a rooftop, when Leo turned to his friend.
“You know, I used to have this friend with kind of messed up feet.”
“Really?” Casey asked, turning to face him.
“Yeah,” Leo said, leaning back. “He would always stand super crooked and would always have to keep rocking back and forth to keep standing up.” Casey's face pinched in sympathy at the thought.
“Did it hurt him?”
“Naw, it was mostly just annoying or uncomfortable. Eventually, his doctor recommended that he at these new orthopedic shoes, and he kept saying that they weren't for him, but he did end up getting them and now he...”
Leo looks Casey straight in the eyes as he finishes his sentence, looking like the cat who had caught the canary. “...stands corrected.”
Casey just smiled back at the smug face.
“That's good for them. I'm happy they found something that works.”
Silence. Then-
“Wait a sec! Mater Leonardo-”
“HAHAHHAHHA!”
-
“Casey!” Leo called, and Jr quickly bolted over worried.
“Leonardo, what is it?” He found him standing by the closed bathroom door. Leo looked over and smiled.
“I need your help.” The turtle said, stepping back. “The door is jammed.”
And, indeed, sitting on the door handle was a jar of jam.
“Ok, I’ll try and open it” Casey said politely, walking over and picking up the jar. He was already pushing down on the handle before he looked at the label on the jar and froze.
Leo burst out laughing and nearly fell over, gasping and bending over with his arms wrapped around his stomach. Casey just furrowed his brow in confusion, mouthing the words over. Then he straightened up, looked at the laughing turtle and began to giggle himself.
“I don't think that was as a good as the others.” he said, still chuckling.
“Oh, come on! That was a great one!” Leo said, taking the jar from Casey and leaving to return it to the kitchen.
-
“Hey, Leo?” Casey asked from his seat in the back of the tank.
The slidder smiled at the use of the nickname, instead of “sensei,” or “master.” It was nice that the kid was starting to relax around him.
“What up, Jr?” He responded and looked back. The kid was shifting back and forth anxiously. He then shyly looked up and cleared his throat.
“What do you call a dog that can do magic?”
The rest of the tank froze and stared in shock at the time traveler. Was he about to...
“I don’t know,” Leo said casually, not really taking in the question.
“A Labra-cadavrador.”
Leo’s head finally caught up to the conversation and his eyes went wide.
“Did he just...?” Mikey asked.
“No,” Donnie said. “He couldn’t have.”
Before the shocked discussion could go any further, Leo launched himself out of seat and tackled the human boy with a hug, laughing and squishing the boy tight.
“That was so good, kid!” He cried joy overwhelming him at the thought that Casey could relax enough for him to joke like that. The kid trusted him, the kid was joking! Leo had never been prouder.
“You deserve around of a-paws for that one.” The slidder said, still hugging the kid tight. A round of groans echoed in the car. “Don’t listen to them, Casey. That joke was paw-some!”
“Stop it! No more!”
“Sorry, Mikey,” Casey said, rubbing the back of his head from his spot in Leo’s arms. “Can you, uh, fur-give me?”
“Donnie, open the window. I’m jumping out.”
“Wait, no! I really am sorry! I’ll stop!”
“Would you care if I joined you, Angelo?”
“WAIT! NO, SIRS-”
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Rise April Challenge 21: Chaos
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Raph gripped the pillow under his head and tried not to shake with the force of his shivers. He hated being sick. Leo just smiled from his seat on the bed, looking down as he counted out pills from a bottle.
“Alright, big buy. Open up.” Raph thought about saying no, but the sooner this was over with the better. He reached out and popped the pills in his mouth, accepting the straw from the cup Leo was holding. The cold drink felt very nice on his sore throat, and he grabbed the cup and drained it. Leo just smiled and patted Raph’s arm.
“So, how long do I need to stay in bed?” Raph asked, voice nasial and horse. Leo just shrugged.
“Till you feel better.” Raph groaned and buried his head in the pillow. “Oh, don't be like that, you big baby. You'll be in fighting shape in no time, if you don't get out of bed.”
Raph lifted his head and looked at Leo, ignoring the pounding in his skull.
“Are you guys gonna be okay?”
“Hermano, were not tots.” Raph wanted to say that they could have fooled him, but he was too tired to try. He just snuggled deeper into his blankets and closed his eyes.
“I’m gonna take a nap now...” He slurred and felt his brother’s hand rub on his head.
“Night, bro. Call if you need me.”
-
Raph woke up to the sounds of crashing and screaming.
He was out of bed and halfway out the door before his eyes were fully open, bed sheet tangled around his legs.
“Guys! What’s happening?! What’s wrong?!”
He stopped his frantic rush as his eyes landed on the mess that was the floor of the skate ramp. Paint cans, action figures, bundles of wires, books, and socks were scattered between water bottles, plastic balls, and what looked to be a curtain rood. In the middle of the disaster of random items was Mikey, lying on his back. Raph rushed over and bent over his brother.
“Mikey! Mikey! What happened? Are you ok?!”
Mikey moaned and blinked at him.
“Raph? What are you doing up?”
“Nevermind that, are you hurt?”
“Naw, I just fell.” Raph relaxed at that and let out a sigh.
“You got to be more careful, Mike.”
“Indeed, you do.” Said a voice from across the room, and the two looked over to see Donnie and Leo coming out of Don’s lab.
“Yeah, yeah,” Mikey dismissed standing up and looked around at the clutter on the floor.
“Alright,” Leo clapped his hands together. “No one's hurt and everything is fine. So, vamos hermano mayor, you’re on bed rest.”
Raph just blinked dumbly for a moment, the adrenaline wearing off, and the feeling of stiff joints and aching muscles reminding him that he wasn’t in the best shape.
But should he just leave his brothers to whatever they were doing? ...What were they doing actually?
He didn’t get a chance to ask before he had been shuffled back to bed by Leo and tucked in.
...Raph guessed it was nothing to worry about.
-
Raph was worried. Leo had woken him up to take more meds and the younger was covered in what looked stripes of paint, ash, and... feathers?
“What happened?” He asked. Leo just shrugged.
“Nothing important.”
Raph narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but the effect was ruined by a coughing fit, which Leo soothed with more cold water.
“It’s all good, Raph. I promise. You just sleep, I’ll wake you up when it’s lunch.”
“You better not be lying.” Raph said, and accepted the meds Leo gave.
-
Raph had woken up about half an hour ago, and he was getting tired of just playing on his phone. Plus, he was starting to get really hungry. He was feeling well enough to get himself some soup or something, and if Leo was going to throw a fit about Raph getting out of bed, he could always point out how often Leo was out and about when he was meant to be on bedrest.
Raph put the ramen in the microwave and poured himself a cup a juice while he waited. He pulled the comforter he brought with him closer around him and sniffed loudly, he really hated being sick.
Just then, Donnie bolted around the corner and slid into the kitchen, throwing open the cabinets and frantically digging around inside. He likely didn’t find what he needed, because he whipped around to try another and froze when he saw Raph blinking at him.
The two just stared at each other till the microwave beeped loudly and broke the silence. Raph turned and opened the door, taking the bowl.
“You good, Don?” He asked. His words seem to snap the softshell out of whatever was going on his head. He stood up straight and cleared his throat.
“Yes, I am perfectly alright. What are you doing out of bed?” Raph lifted the bowl of ramen his hand, confused.
Donnie didn’t ask obvious questions like that.
Donnie rocked on his heels and smiled stiffly.
“Wonderful,” the genius said. “In that case we should get you to bed right away. Chop, chop.” He was already trying to herd his big brother towards his room. Raph tried to protest, he may be tired, sick, and maybe a little slow on the uptake, but he wasn't stupid.
“Don, what’s going on? Why is everyone-”
“LOOK OUT!”
The brothers turned and saw Mikey flying towards them, riding on the back of...
What the heck was that?
Raph didn’t have much time to try and figure that out because he was being tackled out of the way by Donnie. The bowl of hot ramen flying out of his hand, while Mikey and his ride brailed screaming into the kitchen.
Oh, that did not feel good. The snapper leaned against the wall and tried to keep his head from spinning. He then squinted his eyes open to see the chaos unfolding in the room.
Donnie was tearing through the cabinets and shouting for Mikey to: “Hold it still! Watch the tail! THE TAIL, MIKE!” While Mikey tried to follow the instructions and yelled right back. “I SEE THE TAIL! WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT, DONALD?! AHHHHH!”
The “it” that they were talking about was some cross between a chicken, a salamander and... a toaster? Yep, a shiny medal body with feathered wings flapping manically, and the toggle to start the toasting on its side jumping up and down, making that clicking-shinking noise. Its eyes were going in two different directions and jumping around. It had two tails too, one a roster’s plumage, all puffed out, and an electric cord that was trying to wrap around Mikey to throw him off.
…
Was Raph dreaming?
Donnie yelled and whipped around with something in his hand.
“CATCH!” He yelled and threw a canister at Mikey. Mikey caught it, ripped off the lid and dumped whatever was inside over the monster's head. Raph just stared as a pile of breadcrumbs fell on the thing's eyes and it just... stopped. It settled down, and just stood still.
Mikey and Donne relaxed and the youngest slid off the chicken-toaster thing, and then locked eyes with Raph and froze in the same way Donnie had earlier.
“Hey, Raph~” He drawled out.
Raph just pinched his stuffed nose, his headache worsening, and his body still shaking with chills. Dammit, he was too sick for this mess.
“Has it hurt anyone?” He asked, not opening his eyes to look at the scene in front of him.
“No.”
“Are you going to be dealing with it?”
“Yes.”
“Do you need me for that?”
“No.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Not anymore.” Not ideal, but good enough.
“Great.” Raph turned and walked to his room. “Have Leo bring me some food when he can.”
-
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Raph asked when Leo came in with a bowl of soup and crackers. Leo just shuffled awkwardly.
“You were sick, and nothing you did could have helped. You would have been worried over nothing.” Raph looked up and prayed to whatever was up there for strength.
“Alright, fine. I won’t give you all a lecture, even if you clearly deserve one, so long as we never have to talk or think about whatever the heck that was ever again.”
Leo smiled and handed over the food.
“Deal.”
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Day 24 and 25: Loss and Rebirth.
I think…that it took all four brothers from the future to save the past. Leo making the hard calls, Mikey opening the portals, Donnie and Raph making sure their brothers survived long enough to get them there..all so that the past can be re-written…so that love and protection can t transcend time…
@nickelodeon, if anything deserves to RISE from the ashes, it’s this show. Bring it back!
Rise April Challenge 19: Baby
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A thick blanket had been thrown over the cold tile floor of the kitchen, images of dinosaurs and volcanoes spread across its surface. A few stuffed animals and some of Donnie and Mickey's old fidget toys had been spread across the blanket. Mikey lay on his stomach, his upper half resting on the blanket while the rest of him hung off.
The box turtle stared wide eyed at the four small forms crawling around on the blanket in awe.
When Draxum had called and explained that Mikey’s brothers had been transformed into children, Mikey had thought that he had meant ten to twelve. Not literal babies.
He could hear Splinter and Draxum arguing in the room over, but from what he could tell it was mostly just worried shouting with a few insults. Nothing that really needed Dr Feelings’ supervision. Besides, he was too busy staring at the little baby turtles crawling around on the floor.
They were so... tiny. Leo and Donnie could sit in Mikey's cupped hands, and while Raph was a bit too big for that, being twice the height of the other two. Mikey wondered how their dad had raised them without worrying about stepping on them.
Raph was currently chewing on the paw of a teddy bear, that he was cuddling with. Donnie had gotten hold of one of Mikey's old slinkies and was rolling it forward and back from where he sat with a look of very serious concentration. Leo on the other hand was giggling and trying to work the buttons on a fidget cube but that was the size of his chest. Mikey just stared at his little brothers.
Little brothers. Mikey had little brothers.
Holy cow, Mikey was a Big Brother!
The thought made him squeal with overwhelming giddiness and excitement. He knew that this wasn’t going to last very long, Draxum had said that they should be fine by tomorrow, but still!
Donnie made a small quacking bark as he pushed the slinky too hard and it rolled farther away. The baby turtle wobbly stood up and stumbled towards the toy. Leo stopped and looked over at the noise and, seeing his brother, he dropped the cube and crawled over. Just as Donnie had reached his toy, Leo stood up and with a smile and a loud squeal, leaned forward and fell on his brother in a hug/tackle. Donnie yelped and grunted as he tried to wiggle out from under his red eared brother.
The noise broke Raph of his cuddle with his teddy bear. He stood and walked over to his brothers, much steadier than the younger two. He leaned over the wriggling mass and wrapped his arms around them and picked the twins up and held them to his chest, which just made the noise louder.
Raph then looked over at Mikey and held up Donnie and Leo with a proud look on his face while the other two just stared.
Mikey wasn’t going to make it! This was it!
The now eldest sat up and reached over, grabbed them all and placed his brothers in his lap. Donnie had settled and seemed resigned to the cuddle fest and just glared at them all. Leo settled across his twin’s back, rubbing his cheek across Don’s soft shell, and closed his eyes. Raph just sat up and swung his tail back and forth letting out happy chuffing purrs. Mikey just smiled and tried to keep from squirming in joy. Then he reached over and grabbed his phone, opening the camera.
He was going to tease them so much when they were fixed!
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Rise April Challenge 18: Sleep
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Please just go to sleep. It’s not that hard, just sleep. Just sleep. Just sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep-
Leo groaned into his pillow and rolled over on to his back. The mantra had been repeating endlessly in his mind for he didn’t even want to know how long, and he just wanted to sleep.
Leo has had insomnia since he was young, the feeling of desperately reaching out for sleep, only to be met with more exhaustion was an old friend at this point. But it could be worse.
When the four brothers had researched their respective species, they had found that Red Eared Sliders only needed about 4-5 hours of sleep a day, meaning that Leo didn’t need as much shuteye as the others. But those few hours were very important. But on these long nights, when Leo’s mind wouldn’t let his body rest, all he could do was wait for the sun to rise and drown himself in coffee in hopes of driving back the heavy pounding on his limbs.
Leo sighed and sat up. He just needed to accept that he wasn’t going to slip into the dark, and just try and relax till his brain let him sleep. He leaned out of bed, stood up, and headed to the kitchen.
Leo’s ninja training helped keep his movements quiet as he filled the kettle and placed it on the stove. The familiar routine made him feel more centered and present, rather than just floating around in the sea of nondescript stress and exhaustion that was his mind right now. He opened one of the cabinets and considered the different types of tea inside.
Lavender, Chai, Jasmine, Marigold, Chamomile, Chrysanthemum...
…
…
…
…
...what was that noise?
Oh shoot!
The kettle had begun to whistle. The shrill sound having just barely started before Leo leaped over and yanked it away from the heat. He just stares at the stove for a moment before flicking it off and placing the kettle down.
Damn, he didn't think that he was this far along. He had to have been zoned out for at least a few minutes for the water to start boiling, which meant that he was starting on his way to sleep deprivation. That was never fun.
Leo grabbed a mug and the first box of tea he felt without looking at it. He placed the teabag in the cup and poured the water.
He watched the steam float away from the mug, transfixed by its swirling, twisting patterns. There and not there all at once. It looked like it should be whispering in hushed voices that he couldn’t understand, it looked-
Focus Leo, focus. You can stare at hot water vapor later.
He picked up the mug and walked into the living room, turning off the kitchen light. He settled down on the couch and covered himself with one of the throw blankets. He considered turning on a move but decided that the remote was too far away for him to even try.
So, Leo sat in the silent darkness.
The lair draped in a stillness that only came when everyone was asleep, an overpowering sense of solitude that flowed around Leo like water. It was a little scary, but this was a part of the insomnia that Leo could enjoy. The only part of it really. It was like having a secret, like these moments were something that was just for him alone. Even if he was half out of his mind with exhaustion.
Leo relaxed into cushions and peered out into the endless shadows. The mug was warm in his hand and the blanket was soft. He took a few sips of his tea as he looked at the empty shadow-covered room but set it down on the table before he even drank an eighth of it.
He didn’t try and force his brain to shut off, he had already tried and failed to do that all night, he just allowed it to wander. Leo let this mind think without paying it much attention and just sat and stared at nothing.
Soon Leo found his brain’s ramblings fading in and out. Going from half formed thoughts to white noise and back. Good. It meant that he would finally get to sleep, he just had to let it happen.
Don’t force it, don’t make it, just let it happen.
It took him an hour to completely slip away, and even then, he still woke up several times. But Leo, slowly, managed to sleep his way through the night and into the bright morning of the next day.
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Rise April Challenge 16: Mask
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(This is a bit of a long one, but I think it’s worth it. Also, I go to make April say “bitch” so that’s fun. Warning: Feels Ahead!)
The Boys were acting weird. Which was quite a feat considering that they were mutant turtles, trained in the art of Ninja-ing. April wasn't even counting the fact that they were teenagers. In April's experience, all teens were weird. So yeah, the boys were acting stranger than normal.
It started when she went to meet them on the roof of her current job. Raph arrived first and gave his lovely snaggle tooth grin.
"Hey, big guy!" She calls out, waving him over to sit next to her by the small wall that went around the edge of the roof. "The others on their way?"
"They stopped by Run of The Mill to get us some pizza." He said, sitting down and crossing his legs.
"Cool." She responded and opened her phone, expecting Raph to do the same.
But when she looked up a few seconds later he was staring at his lap, the place where his eyebrows should have been furrowed in concentration. He was thinking very hard about something, and when Raph was thinking hard about anything it was normally meant bad news.
"You good over there, Boss Man?" April asked. The mutant jumped a little and snapped his head towards her, a big smile twisting his face.
"Yep! I'm good! Why wouldn't I be good? I'm the best at being good!" Raph said, words rushing out like water out of a firehose.
...Yeah, something was definitely wrong. April put her phone down and turned to face him.
"Come on, bud. What's going on?" she asked and tried to look him in the eyes, even as the snapper nervously turned his head away from her. "You always say that you're here for all of us, no matter what. And you know that we would do anything for you."
Raph softened at the girl's words. He shifted and squirmed, and though it was hard to tell with his green skin, April thought she saw him blushing. She waited and didn't look away, trying to project a calm and loving aura. The turtle finally sighed and faced her.
"I'm Ok, April. Raph promises." His smile was softer now, more real and relaxed, and April knew that that was the best she was going to get. She patted his arm, scales smooth on her hand.
"Alright, but just know that we're here if you need help. Or if you just need to talk." She leaned back against the wall and picked up her phone again. It's best not to push her friend unless he really needs it.
"What's your favorite color?"
The question was sudden and so different than what they had just been talking about it took a few seconds for April's brain to process it.
"...It's yellow, why-" She was cut off by a loud whoop and the sound of skateboard wheels, and when she looked over Leo was jumping over from the neighboring roof with a pizza box in his arms. The skateboard flipped under him and rolled across the roof as he landed next to them. Mikey and Donnie shortly appeared next to him,
"It's Pizza Time!" Leo yelled and that was just enough of a distraction that by the time they were all settled, April had forgotten the strange question.
-
The second time was with Leo.
They were having a makeover day, with different types of eyeshadows, blush, and nail polish spread all over the living room table. It was hard doing make-up on someone who was green, but Leo looked great if April did say so herself. They were munching on candy and watching some stupid internet challenge video, while waiting for their nails to dry when Leo asked the question.
"So what do you use for your pigtails?" She blinked and turned to him.
"What do you mean?" Leo had his look that he always used when he wanted to look natural but was really after something.
"Just, you know, you always complain about how hard your hair is to style. But it always looks fabuloso, So, you know, I just wanted some tips." Leo flashed his sparkling teeth at her like it would distract her from how weird his question was.
"You don't even have hair. What do you need tips for?"
"Casey said that Mikey had hair in the future. I'm hoping it will grow in." April narrowed her eyes at Leo, who was examining his nails with a clearly fake casualness.
Well... it wasn't like it was personal or anything.
"I can't wear hair ties because my hair is too thick, they always snap and they're a pain to use. I normally just use some ribbons to tie them up." Leo smirked
"Wow. You're sweet, strong, pretty and with a bow on top!" April shoved him away.
"Oh, come on that was a "ribbon" good one." Uuuhhhh, why her?!
"Ow! Alright, alright I'll stop "ribbon" on you. OW! Ok, I'll stop! Wait hold on-WAIT! APRIL, I'M SORRY! UNCLE! UNCLE!"
-
Next time was with Donnie.
April knew the soft shell had problems with boundaries, they've had to have several interventions to explain to Donnie that "It doesn't matter if you think you know better, you can't mess with our stuff without asking." Or "I know that you wanna keep us safe, but you can't tag track us without telling us." But it was normally alright. Donnie just needs some help understanding some things, and he usually said he was sorry, even if he still insisted that he was in the right. But April had thought that Donnie at least understood the basics of social etiquette, like not digging through a girl's closet without asking!
But when she entered her bedroom after a long day of work, there he was: sifting through her shirts with his back facing her, and with a pile on the bed that was not there when she left.
April closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, held it, and slowly let it out and relaxed her shoulders. She gently set down her backpack and opened her eyes.
Then she took a flying leap and tackled Donnie to the ground.
"OW! APRIL?! You're home early. How was- OW!" April wrestled the turtle into a chokehold, holding him down as he struggled, and she hit his chest with all the rage she could muster.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU ASSHOLE?!"
"Wait! April, Stop! I can explain-"
"EXPLAINE?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
"Currently, I'm being beaten by a small, angry, teen-"
"YOU DON'T JUST GO TROUGH A PERSON'S CLOSET! THAT OFF LIMITS!"
"It wasn't like I was looking for your underwear! I was just looking at your shirts!"
April stopped and glared down at Donnie squirming in her arms.
"You got one chance to say something that will fix this, or I will be giving Leo an airhorn, and telling Mikey that you need more therapy." Donnie stilled.
"You wouldn't."
"You wanna test that?" April said, gritting her teeth. "Try me, Bitch."
Donnie sighed in defeat.
"I just wanted to get a sense for your style."
What the heck? April let go of Donnie and crossed her arms.
"Why?"
"Style is an important part of expressing yourself, it reflects how you want others to see you, as well as what other factors like personality, overall mood, values-" They were getting too far off topic.
"Yeah, I get all that. But why do you wanna know all that?"
"...To be a better friend..." Donnie said with a fixed and stiff smile. April didn't stop glaring. Donnie drew back a little but stopped. The smile dropped and was replaced by a regretful look. "I'm sorry, April. I get that I was wrong and shouldn't have done that. I swear that I wasn't doing it to invade your privacy and I do have a reason. I just... can't tell you right now. But I promise I will! And I also promise that I will never do this again."
April sighed and uncrossed her arms. She was still angry, but she had an apology and Donnie did promise.
"Fine. But this is the only warning you'll get, and you owe me big time."
Donnie smiled, a real one this time. It was soft and grateful, and felt so sincere that it threw her for a loop when she saw it. It didn't feel like it matched the situation at all.
"Of course. Anything you want."
-
The third time was with Mikey.
She had woken up in the middle of the night to find him hanging upside down outside her window, tapping on the glass. She stumbled out of bed, and towards the window to open it.
"Mikey? What are you doing? It's late."
"Sorry, I just needed to ask you something."
...
...
Why did it have to be April?
She thought about just slamming the glass in his face and going to bed, but, knowing Mikey, that would not deter him. So, she just sighed.
"What is it?" The turtle dug around in his pockets and shoved two small squares of fabric in her face.
"Which do you like better?" He asked, smile never leaving his face. She was too tired of this, but she still reached out and felt the squares.
"This one," she said holding one up. Mikey took them back and nodded.
"Great. Thanks, April. Night." He vanished into the shadows and was gone.
April shut the window and fell to bed, too sleepy to care what on earth that was all about.
-
The last time, it was with all of them.
A few days later, she walked into the living room and found the four brothers sitting on the floor in silence.
Raph had called April a few minutes and asked her to head down to the lair as soon as she could, that it was important. He had said that nothing was wrong when she had asked, but with the way they were all gathered in a semicircle with serious looks on their face it felt like they wear going to tell her someone died.
What was happening?!
April walked and sat down with a thump in front of them and narrowed her eyes. The tension in the room was thick, but she wasn’t going to back down from whatever this was. She would face it head on and beat it into submission. She wouldn’t run, not from her friends, not from whatever this was.
“What’s going on?” she asked, staring into each of their eyes. They stared back.
“We wanted to give you something,” Raph said, sounding calm and centered. But there was a lilt to his voice, a quake that made him sound... nervous?
The red turtle reached behind him and handed over a flat white box. April took it and saw Mikey wriggle out the corner of her eye.
This felt... big. Like some kind of old sacred ritual. It felt as though there was something else in the room, a presence that made every move seem purposeful and heavy. It made her hair stand on end.
April placed the box in her lap and looked at the brothers. Each of them was turned away and... blushing?
Screw it. She’d just have to rip the Band-Aid off.
She opened the box.
Inside, was a mask.
She froze when she saw it, its long tails spread out and the eye holes stared back at her.
It was yellow.
“What’s your favorite color?”
She reached down and touched it. She knew this fabric.
“Which of these do you like better?”
That wasn’t all that was in the box though. There were also two long, green ribbons, knotted at the ends, and strung through a beaded charm, that glinted in the light. It was the symbol of the Hamato Clan.
“We were thinking you could use them for your hair.” Leo said, his eyes locked on the floor and skin a bright pink when April whipped her wide eyes up to look at him. “Because you can’t wear the mask all the time like us.”
"So, what do you use for your pigtails?"
“We wanted to make sure it could be something you could wear without it looking out of the ordinary for you.” Donnie added, scratching the back of his hand.
"I just wanted to get a sense for your style."
April looked down at the box in her hand. Her hands trembled.
This was-
Her vision blurred.
So, all this time it was-
Her throat went tight.
She had called them her brothers before, had called them her family. But she had always worried that she was wrong, that it was just her that felt like that. But this was an undeniable confirmation that yes, you are Hamato. You are our sister. We love you.
“It’s ok if you don’t want-” She lunged forward before that sentence could be finished and wrapped them in a hug. She clung to them desperately, trying to pull them closer and closer. She buried her face in someone's chest and sobbed. Tears and snot ran down her face as she kept whispering: “Thank you, thank you, thank you, I love you, thank you.” over and over again.
The mask lay on one floor, having fallen out of its box, and the two charms glinted like distant stars. All the while, the Hamato Clan children hugged and cried together.
Prev - Next - Masterpost Ao3 Link: Here Please check out @zee-rambles who came up with this challenge (you can blame them for the feels) and look at @rise-april-art-challenge to see more submissions by other fans. Please give me feedback if there is anything I should work on.