#crimson audrey

[phoenixyfriend]

Thinking about older Chloe Bourgeois being on speaking terms only with her half-sister, and once-a-year holiday cards to her dad.

She'd put out an "I'm Glad My Mom Died" book like Jennette McCurdy.

#Should I work on more Crimson Vision? I feel like it sometimes #phoenix talks #chloe bourgeois #zoe lee #audrey bourgeois

[resetting37]

Drawing the only seven (7) characters of mine that have facial piercings

#even then only audrey and tatsuo have multiple #oc #art #original character #Meghan #audrey #Orisa #crimson #chloe #simon #tatsuo

[darkestprompts]

Me@DD1 Crimson Court: Haha, rich people turn into cannibals because it represents what they are!

Me@DD2 Foetor: Oop, there they are again! Hahaha!

Me@DD2 Audrey's skill that consumes a corpse to "magically" heal her: ...

Me: Gurl.

#darkest dungeon 2 spoilers #dd audrey #dd graverobber #crimson court #her aristocratic instincts are taking over #eating all the bodies #actual canibal graverobber audrey

[ansonmountdaily]

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast behind the scenes as their episode 1x08 “The Elysian Kingdom” storybook counterparts

Christopher Pike as Sir Amand Rauth, the King's Chamberlain Spock as Pollux the Dark Wizard Christine Chapel as Lady Audrey Nyota Uhura as Queen Neve Erica Ortegas as Sir Adya the Knight Jenna Mitchell as The Crimson Guard Una Chin-Riley ("Number One") as Z'ymira the Huntress Hemmer as Caster the Wizard Joseph M'Benga as King Ridley La'an Noonien-Singh as Princess Thalia (with Runa the Dog)

Source: startrekonpplus Official Instagram

#star trek strange new worlds #strange new worlds #star trek #spoilers #captain pike #christopher pike #anson mount #spock #tvedit #trekedit #strangenewworldsedit #*edit #nurse chapel #erica ortegas #number one #uhura #m'benga #la'an #jenna mitchell #hemmer #I LOVE THIS WHOLE CAST <3

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Please, whatever they offer you... DON'T FEED THE PLANTS!!

ACT 3

@boots-with-the-fur-club @daboyau @tmntaucompetition @littlemissartemisia @shiveagit @shiveagit-arts @thevoidbrothers @noval1t @kathaynesart @bluepeachstudios @amevello-blue

CW: Panic attacks, cringe musical references

(Special thanks to boots-with-the-fur-club for helping write the NFIF bois!)

Prev || Next

Names and abbreviations (sorry there's a lot, we have a big cast for today's performances!) : UIFY = Until I Found You NFIF = No Fun in Fungus Leon = UIFY Leonardo 'Phael = UIFY Raphael DvD = UIFY Donatello Mike/Mikey/Micheal = UIFY Michelangelo AudRaph = Swayed Raphael AudreyTello = Swayed Donatello LeonAudro = Swayed Leonardo MichelAudrelo = Swayed Michelangelo AudRai = Swayed Karai rhg!Donnie = Rise Hunger Games AU Donatello Raph = NFIF Raphael Donnie/Dee = NFIF Donatello Leo = NFIF Leonardo Angie/Angelo = NFIF Michelangelo

The show must go on...

AudreyTello turned around just in time to watch as the explosion blew AudRaph several meters back, slamming him into a wall while the majority of the room that housed Audrey III crumbled to the ground. As the glow of deep cobalt, violet, crimson, and bright green filled the room, it chased away the neon electric blue, causing each and every spore it came into contact with to disintegrate.

"NOO!!!" AudreyTello screamed in pure fury. He gripped his head, the familiar ache returning as he could feel the hold over NFIF Donatello started to weaken.

"You... you WRETCHES!! You think this will STOP ME?!"

"Well, we certainly hoped so," Spider-Dee mumbled.

"You pathetic, insignificant, worthless, meaningless, little trifles of trauma-riddled turtles!!" AudreyTello screamed.

"...This might be a shot in the dark, but I think we made him just a teensy bit mad."

"OH, YA THINK?!"

AudreyTello's battleshell erupted with furious weapons building one on top of the other, the purple glow blending with the blue infecting his ninpo. But piece by piece, the purple was starting to take back control...

"It... it's working! The sway is breaking!" Spider-Dee pointed.

"Then let's break it all the way!" Ghost shouted over the commotion, grabbing Spider-Dee and DvD out of habit and jumping away from the spray of mystic missiles and bullets.

Meanwhile, in the rubble, a shield of ninpo created by the infected Hamatos kept MichelAudrelo, AudRai, and poor little Misa safe from the destruction.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THE HAND.PNG SET A FIRE AND BURNED DOWN THE HOUSE!" MichelAudrelo screamed in anger, clenching his fists tightly.

"One less enemy to worry about," AudRai stated calmly. "What is the damage?"

"Our base has been destroyed," MichelAudrelo growled. "Quite obviously."

AudRai held her head as she groaned.

"Our true form... has been wounded," she grunted, looking up slowly.

The mushroom was half-destroyed in the corner, the cap singed and burning slightly, the hyphae curling as the fungus screeched in agony. Leonardo sat under the stalk, his body half-freed, but the blast had knocked him unconscious. He laid limp against the roots that kept him anchored to the floor, half-destroyed and withering beneath his weight.

"They will pay for this," MichelAudrelo snarled.

Blue/gold mystic chains started forming as he approached the battle, seeing the non-Donnie team come round the corner...

"Okay, so the room was destroyed, the spores are dissipating... you guys know what's next?" Leon asked, making sure the plan was still in effect.

"We'll get going to save all the zombies," Spider-Shine said with a smile and a nod, gesturing to the other Spider-Teetlez as Spider-Dee reunited with them. "Get the antidote to anyone with glowing blue eyes!"

"Great, the rest of us will stay behind to help free the swayed and eradicate the rest of the mushroom!"

The Spider-Teetlez shook hands with the group, saying fond farewells before swinging away to complete their quest and save the rest of the AUs...

"Okay then, now we--"

"RUN!!" 'Phael shrieked, pointing to an army of golden chains coming their way.

MichelAudrelo smiled cruelly as he sent the chains to grab at them, the contestants and supporters scattering quickly in all directions to avoid his attacks. One chain grabbed Leon and dragged him forward.

The slider was bound by the ankles and hung upside down in front of the mystic warrior.

"Hello, worm," MichelAudrelo said with a smile.

"Uhhh, heeey there, Angie!" Leon said, hoping the childhood nickname for his brother would strike a chord with this version of Michelangelo.

It didn't.

MichelAudrelo raised his hand.

"You'll regret what you've done..."

"Hey, you!!"

Leon and MichelAudrelo turned in surprise to see who had just shouted at them.

Golden flower petals and butterflies made of light started fluttering down around the boys.

Abby smiled brightly as she threw her crutch aside to Diana. Music starting playing.

"Do you hear that sound? That beautiful sound?"

Giant vines started sprouting from the ground, lifting Abby and MichelAudrelo up into the air. In his shock, MichelAudrelo dropped Leon to the floor, where Diana quickly grabbed him and pulled him aside.

"What are you two doing here?" Leon asked. "You were supposed to stay with Mikey--"

"Slight change of plans," Diana answered. "We brought the cavalry!"

"You didn't bring him here, did you?"

"..."

"Diana, if you value your life you will answer 'no'."

"...Then, no?"

"You're lying to me. Where is he...!" Leon growled as he stormed off to find his Michelangelo.

"YOU SAID TO ANSWER NO!!" Diana shouted as she followed after him, while Abby finally got to do her big number with a 'captive audience'...

Leon rushed off to find his brother, no doubt glowing and sporting his own mystic chains. He was gonna give him an earful when he found him...

As Leon was storming around, something lodged within the wall fell to the ground and groaned behind him.

"URGH!"

Leon whipped around.

"What was that--"

A large spiky shell and limbs started moving from the broken pieces of plaster that had crumbled along with the body on the floor. It slowly started rising, groaning and grumbling. Leon swallowed, tiptoeing closer to the swayed Raph.

"...Diana... go look for Mikey. Make sure he's not doing anything too.... y'know."

"But, what are you gonna--"

"Just go," he whispered. "I'll handle this."

Diana reluctantly obeyed, rushing away before AudRaph could get his bearings back and start attacking them.

Leon crept forwards, wary of the strength this Raphael could have. He knew that his brother 'Phael was pretty strong, though he was mostly unshed baby fat. This Raph was head and shoulders above him, and had been training as a ninja since his childhood, he figured. Besides, he knew that 'Phael had a tendency to go kinda savage when he was really, really scared. And who knew what this fear fungus was making Raph see in his deep subconscious...

"Hey, buddy, it's me, your ol' pal, Neon Leon..."

AudRaph made a low rumbling sound as he slowly got to his knees, still dizzy and dazed.

"I know that whatever you're seeing... i-it's probably pretty rough. I'm sure you think that it's hopeless, but it isn't! You can get through it..."

AudRaph lifted up his head, growling at him with bared teeth.

"Hey, it's okay to be scared. I'm scared most of the time. Have you seen half of the hijinx Mikey gets involved in? I'll bet you know how tough it is, being the oldest brother, the one to look after everyone... But then again, you also know how much they love you. You know how excited they are when they succeed just like you knew they would, the look on their faces when they see how proud you are when they exceed your expectations and blow you out of the water! You're so lucky to be the big brother, no matter how many times they make you worry... because for every grey scale they give you, you get ten extra memories of them and how wonderful they are and how much you love them."

Raphael's blue-glazed eyes started leaking.

"And I know you love them. Because how could you not love our brothers?? You, me, we sacrifice for them all the time, because we would do anything for our little brothers. You'd do anything for your brothers, right? And... you said I would always have a big brother in you. And I need you, Raph -- they need you -- WE NEED YOU. We need you to come back to us..."

Leon placed one hand on Raph's shaking shoulder and cupped the other hand under his cheek, wiping the blue tears from his face.

"Come back to your family, Raph. Because we need YOU. Not a hero, not a sacrificial martyr, we want our brother to come home. Please, Raph. Please."

Raphael blinked away the tears, the final remnants of blue melting away with the tears.

"...L-Leon..?"

"Welcome back, big guy."

Leon was suddenly engulfed in a bear hug, Raph squeezing him tight and shaking all over.

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry, Leo LEON, I'm so sorry... please... please, can you forgive me, I never meant to hurt you, I never wanted to--!"

"It's okay, dude," Leon said, trying not to cry himself as he squeezed Raph back. "You old softy."

Leon had to force himself to pull away from the sobbing snapping turtle, offering the end of his scarf for the eldest sibling to wipe his face with.

"Now, let's go wake up the others, hmm?"

April's teleporting powers kicked in as soon as she saw the golden chains coming. She was suddenly in a new place, landing in a small heap of rubble. She turned around and watched as NFIF Michelangelo managed to snag her Leon and reel him in.

"Leo!"

"YOU."

April whirled around to see AudRai coming for her. Her neat braid had been mussed up in the explosion, the strands falling loose and falling apart. Her eyes were surrounded by deep, dark circles and tear stains.

"Karai... what happened to you?"

"What always happens to the Hamatos," she replied glumly. "We die."

"You're not dead yet," April said, gritting her teeth. "I'm not going to let that funky mushroom kill you."

"Why not? You let it kill Michael."

April's breath caught in her lungs.

"...Karai... you don't know what you're saying..."

"It's our doom, our fate," she said, voice wobbling with sniffles as the tears started pooling. "The fate I started us all down... the role I took on, the example I set... it's all my fault--"

Karai started weeping, her voice cracked as her fists clenched.

"It's my fault that Michael died. I felt him leave. Not just because of our family ninpo, I saw him die through the spores. I saw his fears. I watched him go!" she whimpered, falling to her knees.

April's eyes welled up with tears of her own as she slowly understood what Karai was saying.

"It was my fault... I trained him in his ninpo. I taught him all the Hamato magic. I showed him the importance of our traditions, our lore, our creed. I... I... I killed him..."

"You didn't kill him. He's still alive," April reassured her. "And you didn't teach Mikey self-sacrifice. It seems to be a running tendency--"

"But that tendency started with me!" Karai sobbed. "I can't save them, no matter how hard I try! I couldn't save my village, my father, my own grandson! My legacy is to be the failing martyr!!"

April rushed forward and hugged Karai tightly.

"No. That is not your legacy. That is not your destiny. Michael is not dead, and neither are you. Karai, you are more than just your mistakes, more than your defeats. Don't let the fear of failure keep you from succeeding later on! Don't let the past keep you from building up your future! You told me that you saw how strong I was, where do you think I learned that courage from? Don't let this be another failure, don't give up! You can beat this fear. 'You shall not be challenged beyond your strength.' You can overcome it."

Karai stiffened for a second, before softly hugging April back. After a few shaky moments, Karai pulled away. Much to April's relief, her eyes were back to normal.

"Arigatō, April..."

Karai wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned to the small caged-in cradle holding Misa.

"We should help release her."

"Can I offer my help?" NFIF Raph asked, as he and Leon rushed up through the rubble and broken drywall.

April and Karai looked at each other, unsure if that was wise, considering what had happened.

Yet Karai nodded, stepped forwards and used her ninpo to create a small dagger of flame that cut through the vines. Misa was growling and crying, her eyes shut tight as she fought against her nightmares.

Raphael leaned down and picked her up gently, rocking her back and forth.

"If one of the Mikeys were here, they'd know how to snap her out of it," April murmured. "He saved her from the spores last time..."

"Raph knows what to do," he whispered, his voice soft and gentle. "I've had my fair share of getting my little brothers to calm down after a nightmare..."

Raph sat down on a pile of debris as he held on to Misa.

She hissed at him, pushing to get away.

"Misa? Misa, it's me..."

Misa growled again, still struggling to break free from his hold. In her mind, she had just been taken away by an evil scientist who was going to do terrible, mean things to her...

"No!" she snapped, biting his hand.

Raph gasped in pain, but didn't let go. He smiled through the hurt, tears forming in his eyes again.

"I guess I deserved that one, huh?" he chuckled dryly. "Misa, please, it's Raph... it's Ra-Ra?"

Misa slowly stopped, her ferocious bites turning into soft nibbles as she opened one eye, the edges of white turning a soft blue.

"Misa, can you see me? Can you see Ra-Ra?"

She shook her head no.

"...R-Ra-Ra? Ra-Ra has Misa?"

"Yes," he assured her, rubbing his thumb in circles against her cheek, wiping away the bitter and angry tears.

Misa flinched, her eyes widened at the touch.

"...Is Ra-Ra good guy now?"

That hurt. He knew she didn't mean for it to hurt, but the truth was painful nonetheless.

"Yes, Misa," he whimpered. "Ra-Ra is good now. Misa, I'm so sorry for what I did to you... I hurt you so much, Raph is so sorry..."

Even though he knew that he was meant to be comforting her, Raph lowered his head and cried onto her as he held her in his lap.

"Misa... I'm so sorry. I'll understand if you hate me forever after this, I wouldn't blame you. But... I want to help you now, I want to help with the scary things you're seeing. How can Ra-Ra help you?"

Raph felt tiny hands reaching up and touching his face. Misa blinked away the blue, eyes refocusing until she could see Raphael properly.

And Misa smiled.

"Little brudder..."

She kissed his cheek and nuzzled him, hugging his face and wiping away his tears.

"...Misa forgives Ra-Ra. Ra-Ra good guy."

Raphael blubbered at that, whimpering as he pressed Misa against his plastron in a desperate hug. Misa giggled, patting him on the back as best she could, though her arms barely even reached the edges of his shell.

"Thank you, Misa... thank you..."

"Where's Mikey an' Dee-Dee?" she asked, looking around.

"Around here somewhere," Leon replied, looking around. "I'm sure we'll find them eventually..."

"Hey, guys!" Abby shouted at them. "Look who we got!"

Abby gave the performance of a lifetime. She and swayed Michelangelo had been dueling it out against each other for a few minutes while Abby belted out her favourite musical number. She ordered the vines to protect her as she spun and ducked and danced and leapt around the mystic attacks. Her vines reached out and grabbed MichelAudrelo and pulled him high into the air, away from Abby as she finished up her number. MichelAudrelo struggled against the vines, breaking free eventually, but Abby had been prepared for that. Several other series of vines reached up and caught him, much to his frustration.

"THAT BEAUTIFUL SOUND--"

"STOP IT!" MichelAudrelo screeched, lashing out his chains to grab at the feline, but she jumped away at the last second, her choreography coming in to save her as she danced around him gleefully.

"A SOUND THAT MEANS NO MORE CONDESCENDING ADULTS HANGING AROUND!"

Abby continued to sing at the top of her lungs as MichelAudrelo chased after her, his chains doing battle with her vines.

"I SAID STOP IT!!"

Abby ignored him, singing to her heart's content.

"EVERY GROAN, EVERY WAIL AND EACH MOAN, ADDS UP TO DADDY'S LEAVIN' ME THE HECK ALONE!"

"I SAID STOP! STOP, Stop, s-stop..."

MichelAudrelo's hands began to shake, his chains started to fade.

"THEY'RE OUT OF MY GRILL, BECAUSE OF THAT SHRILL SYMPHONY..."

Abby pirouetted, a glorious spin that created a flurry of petals around her. MichelAudrelo couldn't see her anymore, her spin was so fast that she became a blur. While he was distracted, a grappling hook shot up and grabbed him by the ankle, tugging him down to the floor as Ghost wrapped his arms around the boy.

"H-hey!! LET GO!!"

"It's okay, Angelo," Ghost murmured, keeping him close to his chest. "It's okay, we've got you..."

"AIN'T IT THE SWEETEST NOISE AROUND, THAT BEAUTIFUL SOUND!" Abby belted, echoing the final word as she jumped down from her podium made of vines.

"Aaaaaaand she sticks the landing!" she cheered as she gracefully touched down. "I did it! I really did it! I guess my leg's all better, I can't wait to show Diana--"

"YOU CAN'T KEEP ME PRISONER LIKE THIS!!" MichelAudrelo screeched, kicking and squirming in Ghost's hold. "LET ME GO!"

"Not until you calm down, kid," Ghost said, tightening his hold on the mind-controlled Angelo. "Just let it go, let go of the anger and the fear and--"

"NO! I'LL KILL YOU ALL! I'LL...I'll... I ... heh... heh, heh..."

MichelAudrelo's screams melted as tears started trickling down his face. He smiled painfully, laughing as he saw what he was.

"I... I wanted to kill everyone," he murmured. His voice was soft, he was in shock and somewhat dazed as the realization of what he'd done seeped in. "I really did. I wanted to break everything and destroy the entire arena and everyone in it... why?"

MichelAudrelo looked up at Abby, the small trickle of tears turning into rivers, his smile breaking as the corners of his mouth turned down.

"Why did I wanna hurt you so bad? I never would have done that before, I was just so... so..."

"Scared?" Abby offered, stepping forward to wipe the tears away.

"No," Angelo flinched, pulling back from her, refusing to accept her help. "No, it wasn’t fear, it was--"

"It was grief."

MichelAudrelo looked up in confusion at Ghost, who looked down with his own understanding gaze.

"You were scared of losing your family, huh? April told me a little about some of the things you said when you were first spored. I know what it feels like to lose your family. To know that you'll never get to do the things you always said you'd do together. See the places you always wanted to go. Win or lose the arguments you planned in your head for fun, just to antagonize them. Give that apology you meant to say. Make that special gift for their next birthday. Eat lunch with them. Say I love you one last time. I know how it feels to realize that you've been pulled away and there's no going back. And what's worse... you see them everywhere. Carbon copies, phantoms of the past that bring up phantom pains. You want to pretend that they're yours, but..."

"But they're not!" Angelo sobbed, letting his limbs go slack in Ghost's embrace as he wailed. The two fell to their knees, Ghost comforting Angelo as he cried out a pain that was so deep and scarring it could shake the foundations of the earth.

"But... your family isn't dead, Angelo," Abby reassured him. "They're still here --"

"FOR HOW LONG?" he howled. "How long until they really do get themselves killed?! How long until I have to go through this again, but for real?! I can't keep doing this!! I can't, I can't! I won't let myself get hurt again!!"

The blue light started to return to MichelAudrelo's eyes as he growled.

"That's what I said, too," Ghost chuckled.

Angie stopped.

"I told myself I would never get hurt like that again. So I shut everyone and everything out. I refused to let myself get too attached to what I knew could be another family for me. I couldn't face the idea of seeing replicas of my brothers and father and April again. I was scared of getting hurt."

Angelo swivelled his head around to get a better look at Ghost, who was starting to cry himself.

"I was so scared, kid. I let myself rot in a sewer alone for over two decades before I finally faced my fears and tried again. Knowing that the pain would come, knowing that I would have to be strong. Because sometimes... healing hurts."

"If you love someone, you have to understand that one day they will hurt you," Abby added. "Whether they mean to or not... love opens you up for both the happy times and the sad times. And the angry ones, too, believe me."

"It may seem like the pain is too much to live with --" Ghost replied, "-- and you may think that it's easier to feel nothing at all than to feel the pain. But when that happens you become nothing more than a... well, a ghost in a shell," he chuckled weakly.

"I don't want that," Angelo wept, turning around and wrapping his arms around Ghost in a loose hug. "I don't want to just rot inside myself while the people I love most are waiting for me..."

"Then you have to let go of that pain."

"But it's so hard!"

"I know, bud, I know. But nothing that the great Dr. Feelings can't face, right? And you'll never face it alone."

"I thought that was Dr. Delicate Touch... wait, what's the difference again?" Abby asked.

Angelo rubbed his face against Ghost's cloak, wiping the tears and snot from his blubbering face.

"Dr. Delicate Touch feels nothing... O-o.... okay..." he whimpered. "I can do this. I don't want to be 'Dr. Delicate Touch' forever. I wanna be with my family again. Even if we'll get hurt. I'd rather get hurt with them than feel nothing forever alone."

"Good call, kid," Ghost said, leisurely releasing the box turtle.

Angelo stood up, wiping the last of the glowing aqua blue tears from his face, his eyes back to normal as he weakly smiled.

"Should... should we go find the rest?"

"The Donnies are still doing their epic anime battle royale or something," Abby pointed. "But the others are in that pile of debris over there."

"Well, I've learned the hard way to never interrupt Dee's work, so let's go see how the other guys are doing."

"Another good call," Ghost laughed, rubbing Angelo's head.

The trio crossed over to the rest, reaching them just as Misa was released from the fear fungus' hold and hugging Raphael.

"Hey, guys! Look who we got!" Abby cheered, pointing at Angelo, who waved weakly at the group.

"Hey, Angelo!" Leon said with a wave. "You're not gonna... string me up again like before, are ya?"

"No," he whimpered softly. "Sorry 'bout that, by the way..."

"It's all cool," Leon said, waving it off. "Shrooms will do that to ya, or so I've heard."

Raphael looked over at his baby brother, seeing the tear stains and red puffy eyes and the trail of snot he kept wiping and sniffling away.

"Rough comeback, huh?"

"Yeah. You too?"

"Pizza supreme in the sky, you have no idea."

"Pizza what in the where now?" Leon asked, raising a brow at the snapping turtle. "What did you just say--"

"I'LL KILL YOU!!"

The group jumped at the scream that shattered the calm they had been enjoying for the moment.

"That was one of the Donnies!" Abby yiped, jumping into Diana's arms.

"...Do you think maybe we should look into that?" Leon asked.

rhg!Donnie had carried Michael into the outskirts of the battle, just as he'd promised. The Donnie confrontation, or 'Donfrontation' as they were calling it, was in full swing as the drones flew like a tornado around the halls.

"Okay, we're here now, what exactly did you have planned??" rhg!Donnie asked.

"Uh, I honestly figured I could wing it--"

"YOU WHAT?!"

Mikey shrugged and laughed nervously.

"Well, I assumed that I'd have a plan by the time I got here!"

Before rhg!Donnie could let in to him, an explosion went off. The bright rainbow of light blew away the spores and darkness, clearing the area almost instantaneously.

"Well, it looks like the guys managed to set off the TNT," Diana noticed.

"No kidding," rhg!Donnie grumbled. "We should get out of here--"

A large body flew into the wall some short distance aways.

"Was that Raph?!" Abby yelled loudly.

The halls started glittering as golden chains filled the air.

"I swear, that isn’t me," Mikey said, seeing the glare that the others were about to give him.

"It's the other Mikey!" Abby yelled, suddenly running off to go help the others.

"Wait a minute!" Diana shouted, running after her.

"Well, um, I guess it's just you and me now," Mikey chuckled dryly.

"Apparently so. I'm taking you back to safety--"

"No!" Mikey yelled, holding his hand out to stop him. "I need you to take me to my brothers, or --"

"No, Mikey, I can't let that happen! You'll get hurt, or--"

Before rhg!Donnie could finish his sentence, one of the drones snagged the back of his shirt and carried him away into the storm.

"Oh no! Human Donnie!!"

Mikey summoned a small chain and latched it onto one of the other drones, getting yanked away into the torrent along with the alternate version of his brother.

"I'm coming!"

Mikey held on as tightly as he could to the meager chain, climbing up the links to get to the drone itself. He climbed atop it, looking for rgh!Donnie amongst the flurry of purple. He found him, several feet away, trying to reach back and unhook his clothes from the device.

"Hold on, I'm on my way!!"

Mikey readied himself, and then leapt. His stomach slammed into the head of the drone, and he slipped down the side. Mikey swung his legs up, gripping the drone with his knees as he crawled back up the side of it. Mikey saw the legs of the drone dangling beneath him, and got an idea. He took out his nunchucks, wrapping one end to the drone's mechanical legs as he held on with a deathgrip to the other end. He let himself fall, dangling from the machine and swinging around as the drones turned the corner and continued their tornado patterns. Mikey used the momentum of the turning corner to fling himself forward, landing directly on top of the kidnapper drone.

"MIKEY?!" rhg!Donnie screamed above the roaring mechanical wind. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Winging it!" Mikey yelled back, as he grabbed rhg!Dee's shirt collar and tore the fabric from the metal limb. With nothing holding him up anymore, rhg!Donnie fell to the floor, dragging poor Michelangelo with him.

"AAAAAHHHH!!"

Before the two adolescents could hit the pavement, something caught them both. They looked up in shock to see two drones had chased after and grabbed them.

"Not again," rhg!Donnie groaned.

"I assure you, this time it was intentional," Omega said as he rolled by. "Congrats on being rescued."

"Thanks, computer Dee!" Mikey cheered, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Of course. Now, WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?! I thought you were given direct instruction to--"

"Where is everyone? Where's Leon, 'Phael, Dvd, and April?" Mikey interrupted.

"I suspect UIFY Leonardo, UIFY Raphael, and UIFY April are over by the remnants of that housing unit," Omega said, a robot claw pointing towards the heap of rubble caught in the explosion. "But your Donatello is in the center of that drone tornado. He's taken the forefront of distracting --"

"I gotta go talk to him!" Mikey yelled, trying to run but tripping over his own feet as he did so.

"No way!" rhg!Donnie said, grabbing him and dragging him back again. "You're staying over here, where it's safe!"

"I thought you were on my side!"

"I'm not on anybody's side. I just want you to be safe, Mikey," he said, the last few words coming out as a whimper. "Please... just stay here for me, I'll go and help!"

"BUT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!!"

rhg!Donnie ran in the direction of the tornado, Omega chasing after him.

Mikey waited a beat.

And then began to shuffle towards them, too...

rhg!Donnie ducked in between each and every drone as they sailed around them. He listened for the shouts, for any noise other than the roaring wind whipping around him.

He couldn't hear anything.

He couldn't see anything--

"Hey! Watch out!"

rhg!Donnie jumped. Someone had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside. DvD stared the teenager in the face, glaring at him angrily.

"WHAT are YOU doing here?! You're supposed to be watching after--"

His eyes widened as he realized.

"WHERE. IS. HE."

"I left him with Omega!" rhg!Donnie shouted.

"OMEGA IS RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!"

rhg!Donnie turned around to stare the computer in the face -- or rather, icon.

"WHAT?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE WITH HIS BROTHER--"

"I came to make sure you would be --"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute --" DvD stopped the explanation hastily, trying to figure it out. "-- if he's not with us, then who is he with?"

UIFY Mikey crawled across the floor as best he could. He was still wobbly, and every time he tried to stand he got the nastiest dizzy spell. The dizziness was only compounded by the continuing swirling of the mechanical hurricane before him. But he had to get to them, before it was too late...

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Mikey paused, a pair of feet appearing in front of him. He slowly looked up to see AudreyTello standing before him, tech-bō in hand and pointed down at Michael.

"...Heyyyy, Dee... just the guy I wanted to see."

"You're supposed to be dead," AudreyTello said, leaning closer to him.

"Eh. I got better."

"So I see. Shall I remedy that for you?"

Mikey swallowed.

"You're not going to kill me."

"Oh? And why ever not?" AudreyTello chuckled, walking closer as Mikey inched backwards.

"Because we both know that you don't want to hurt me. You didn't hurt me before--"

"An oversight on my part. As I said, I can remedy that," AudreyTello growled, as he cocked back the bō and prepared to strike.

"No. Before the battle. When I helped you, when I gave you some of my strength to fight against the fungus, I could feel what was happening to you. I don't know how or why, but I could sense that you were being sorta... swept away. But not gone for good."

"You're wrong," AudreyTello laughed. "Donatello is DEAD."

"No," Mikey refuted. "I made sure of it. I know you're in there, I know you can see and hear me. That's why you gave me back to DvD when you did."

"You were unconscious for that, how... ah, yes. Your odd little dreams that fill you in on what you've missed," AudreyTello rolled his eyes. "How useful."

"You didn't want to hurt me," Mikey informed him. "Because you're still in there."

"No, he's NOT," AudreyTello growled.

"I know you are. It's why you wouldn't kill me. Why I couldn't kill you. Because you care."

"DONATELLO IS DEAD!!" AudreyTello snapped. "I AM IN CONTROL, YOU HEAR ME?!"

"You can scream all you want, but we both know that isn't true."

"BUT IT HAS TO BE!" Dee sobbed. "IT HAS TO BE TRUE, OTHERWISE... otherwise, I really did all those terrible things to you... your brother... m-my brothers..."

NFIF Donatello's knees started wobbling. He backed away from Mikey.

"I know you're scared. You're probably thinking everything that happened is all your fault, right? You're blaming yourself. The hand told me..."

"No... No, NO! S-STAY BACK!" AudreyTello shrieked, fumbling away from Mikey, who started crawling back towards him.

"You're scared that what you've done is unredeemable, that the mistakes you made will haunt you forever. But that's only true if you let it be true. Because -- whether you want it or not -- I forgive you for everything that happened."

"No, you can't -- Don't say that!" Donatello wept, holding his staff at Mikey, trying to ward him off as though he were a wild animal. "You can't just forgive that, you can't simply forgive him, he tried to spore you! He -- I almost sent you to your doom, I did send you to your doom! MY spores killed you!!"

"Do I look like I'm dead to you? Like I said, you wouldn't hurt me. You didn't know that would happen, it was a freak accident or whatever. And even if you did mean for that to happen... I still forgive you."

"BUT YOU CAN'T--!"

"But I do anyways. Because you're my brother, Dee," Mikey said with a smile, slowly getting up to his feet to stand.

"I-I'm not... I'm not your brother... especially after what I did..."

The tornado of drones behind them started to slow to a lull. The roaring cyclone and whipping wind calming to a gentle breeze in the background.

Mikey smiled at the weeping Donatello. He crawled closer.

"...But I still choose you as my family. And I still forgive you. And your real brothers will, too, because they love you so much more than I ever could! Donnie, do you know how much you are loved? How much we care about you?"

"No... you can't... stop it, stop, please..."

"We all love you so much, nothing you could ever do would make that love go away. No mistake, no failure, no evil monologue could ever make our love for you just simply vanish! We'll fight for you, we'll die for you, we'll live for you, because we love you so much."

"I don't deserve it... please, you can't say that! I don't want your love! I don't want you to keep loving me after everything, I don't deserve it!! I haven't earned it!!"

"You don't have to earn or deserve it, Dee," Mikey said, taking shaky steps towards him.

"Stop, Mikey, st-o-o-p..." Donnie wrapped his arms around himself, clutching his stomach as the alt. version of his baby brother came closer, holding his arms out to hug him.

"It's like Karai always says... anatawa, hitorijin--"

"I'LL KILL YOU!!"

Mikey whirled around just in time to see DvD leap over him, tech-bōfurnished with a saw as he lunged towards his enemy.

DvD crashed into NFIF Donatello, the two rolling around and scuffling on the floor as DvD attempted to avenge his brother.

"No!! Get off of him, what are you doing?! I was just getting through to him!!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM FOR WHAT HE DID TO YOU!!" Donatello Von Draxum screamed.

AudreyTello kicked him off his stomach, tumbling to the side and watching in pure fear as DvD readied his tech bo again. Mikey jumped onto him, clutching his arm tightly as he tried to pull him away.

"Please, this isn't you!!" he begged.

DvD shook his baby brother off, the small child falling to the ground from the exertion and watched in horror as his big brother stormed over to the swayed Donnie.

"You're forgetting, Mikey... I'm the son of Draxum! I never asked to be... but I'm the SON OF DRAXUM, now face my..."

DvD pressed a button on his tech-bō, and it began to glow green as a new and yet unused weapon formed at the end.

"...URANIUM-POWERED FURYYYYY!!!"

"DVD, NO!!!"

Mikey screamed, his wails just barely stopping DvD in his tracks.

"AFTER EVERYTHING HE DID TO YOU... I PROMISED NOTHING WOULD HURT YOU, I SWORE TO PROTECT YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE! MIKEY, WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!"

"You can't hurt him!!" Mikey screamed. "He's YOU! He's my brother, just like you are!! He didn't mean to hurt anyone, I won't let you destroy your soul on my behalf! I won't let you hurt him!"

"...N-no... he's right..."

Mikey stared at NFIF Donatello, as he shakily looked up at the two arguing brothers.

"He should kill me... I deserve it..."

DvD glared at him.

"I TRUSTED you. I told you things about me, about Mikey, and you USE THAT AGAINST ME. The last person who did that --"

"I know," Dee wept. "I know. And you're right... after everything that happened, I don't blame you... I'd do the same. So... s-so go ahead," he cried, hanging his head in shame and resignation. "Do what you want. I did this, I did this to myself. I'm... I'm a monster.

DvD gripped his staff tightly. He took one step forward.

"No, please, don't do this," Michael begged. "Please, there's no coming back from this! Don't --"

"But Mikey, what am I supposed to do?" DvD growled, hot and angry tears filling up behind his visor.

"Forgive and forget."

"But he--"

"KILLING HIM WON'T MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF, DVD," Mikey scolded. "I KNOW YOU THINK IT'S YOUR FAULT. I KNOW YOU THINK THAT IT WAS YOUR FAULT BECAUSE YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. IT'S NOT. PLEASE, Please, please..."

Mikey sobbed as he tugged on his brother's cape.

"Don't do it... don't do this, not for me. It won't heal anything..."

Before DvD could respond, the others suddenly came running from every direction towards them, Leon and 'Phael lunged at DvD to pull him back as April and Karai went for Mikey. rhg!Donnie and Omega came running from behind and joined the UIFY gang to Keep DvD at bay, while the rest of the group went to check on NFIF Donatello, who was shaking and sobbing blue tears.

"Get back, Don!" 'Phael yelled, using all his strength to keep his warrior brother away. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"He... I... Mikey was..."

"AND JUST WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, MISTER?!" Leon shouted at Michael. "I told you to stay put!"

"I had to help! I knew that Donnie was gonna blame himself and Donnie was gonna try to kill him and the other Donnies wouldn't understand and Donnie needed me so I--"

"I told you to stay--"

"CAN WE PLEASE TURN OFF THE DEATH RAY?!" April shouted loudly over the commotion.

"Oh, right," 'Phael said, snatching the tech-bō away from DvD. Omega came over and helped him to find the right button to switch it off before it could do any real damage.

"How does this child have uranium?!" Omega asked angrily. "Where did he--"

"We can geek out over Donnie's collection of killer rocks later, right now we're kinda on mission?!"

"Oh. Right. Yes, of course..." Omega said sheepishly.

NFIF Raph was by his brother's side almost immediately, taking his hand and trying to soothe him.

"Donnie! Donnie, it's Raph... it's me, can you--"

"R-Raph?" Dee asked looking at him.

"Yeah! C'mon, you're still kinda under the influence of the spores, so I need ya to--"

"You should have let him finish me," Donnie sobbed. "I deserve it!"

"Deserve...? Donald, what are you talking about?" Angelo asked nervously.

"I... I hurt you all!" he wailed. "I keep hurting you, I keep -- I keep ruining -- I'm a villain, I'm a monster, I--"

"HEY."

Dee jerked at the deep rumble that came from his older brother. He turned to look at Raphael.

"No. You are not a villain, you are not a monster. You were stuck in a nightmare and your body was being used like a puppet. You are not to blame for what happened."

"B-but...!"

"Donnie. You were krangified."

Dee froze at the words.

He knew this argument. He was on the other side of it, now...

"If you truly believe that what you did was actually your fault, and that you really are to blame, then you're also saying that it was really me that almost killed--"

"NO!" Dee yelled, gripping his brother's arms tightly to keep him from finishing the thought. "NO! No, I would never say that, I -- it was different, you were -- you -- you weren't yourself at all, they made you into -- it's different this time!"

"How is it any different?"

"BECAUSE THIS TIME IT WAS ME!!" he howled. "YOU DIDN'T DO ANY OF THAT, YOU WEREN'T IN CONTROL--"

"Neither were you!" Angelo reminded him.

"But I--"

"You should hold yourself to the same standards of forgiveness you give to others," Raph said. "I know you feel like you're on some different level of mercy, that the mistakes of others don't matter as much as the mistakes you make, that you should be punished for every little thing you get wrong -- but that's ludicrous. Really, really ludicrous."

"T-two reallys..."

"Exactly, big man. With as big of a genius brain as yours, ya'd think you'd understand that, huh?"

Dee chuckled as he hugged his brothers. The blue glow from his birthmarks slowly faded away, revealing the purple tones underneath.

"You back with us, Don-a-Tron?"

Donnie nodded and mumbled a "mhm" at them.

"Good. Welcome home, Donnie."

"Not yet," he said, slowly pushing himself away as he remembered a crucial detail.

"We still have one last zombie to free..."

"You.... you've destroyed EVERYTHING......"

Every head simultaneously turned.

LeonAudro pulled himself out of the rubble and ruin, rising up to confront them.

He was thin and pale, one eye burning blue while the other was covered with the charred and scarred remains of a mushroom cap and gill, one singular glowing yellow eye gazing furiously at them. His body was veiled over with roots and vines and ring and stem and stalk. Toadstools grew over his shoulder, umbrella mushrooms had sprouted from his plastron.

Raph gasped in horror at how similar he looked to... to... him. When he was part of the kraang.

Angelo covered his mouth to keep from gasping and sobbing.

Donnie stared in silence, his hands curling into tight fists.

"... Don't... be... fooled if I should whimper like a sappy, sobby dope, it's just the spores... they get me low......"

He lumbered lazily towards them. His voice was weak, but in the silence it carried. His breathing was shallow and strained. His face was absolutely painted with the glowing blue tearstains.

"... But don't let my cries deceive you, any moment I could go....."

Angelo whimpered at that verse. He felt Raph grab him by the shoulders and pull him in. Donnie took his hand and squuezed it tight.

"...All my vital signs are failing... cause the fungus I'm inhaling... makes it difficult as heck to catch my bre-ha-heaaaaath...."

He wheezed as he sang, his movements laboured and exhausted.

His brothers watched him, frozen where they were as he continued on closer. And closer.

"...Leo...?"

LeonAudro smiled.

"Guess again."

"Audrey III," Dee snarled. "Let him go."

LeonAudro let out an airy chuckle.

"Why... should... I?"

"LET HIM GO!!" Angelo screamed, his hands igniting into flames for a split second.

“Wow, Miguel. Did someone lose their temper?" LeonAudro gave a wicked smile. "What happened to always thinking positively? All you did was hurt that other April and Karai instead! You tore a family apart! How are you supposed to bring us together when you’re just a violent, blood thirsty, anger filled husk!?"

Angelo's eyes widened. He felt Raph's grip on his shoulders tense. LeonAudro's head tilted to the side as he continued.

"I’ll never feel safe around you again. I bet once April hears what you did she’ll never even come back to the lair. Who knows what you’re capable of now?”

"Stop it," Raph growled. "Leo would never say those things about--"

“Raph, is it easy for you to show your scarred up face to me again when you’ve failed so miserably?" LaonAudro stated, stepping closer to shorten the distance between them all. "Not just now, but again and again and again. How many times will you let me be lost? Injured? Scared? What kind of leader lets his team go on alone? What kind of brother cares so little that I can be missing for so long that this happens!?"

"I... you..."

"You said you’d always protect me!" LeonAudro continued. "You lied! Is this because I’m better than you? Are you punishing me? You want to hurt me? Again?”

"HE SAID STOP IT!" Donnie shouted, standing up definitely against the spore-infected brother before him.

LeonAudro turned his head to peer at his twin.

“And you. You think you're any better?? Your tech was useless, Donnie. Again. Knowing I’m twins with someone who can’t, not even once, save someone he cares about with the only thing he’s good at makes me sick! Maybe you don’t actually care? I bet you’d be fine if I just croaked here and now! You might even like it! I bet you enjoyed getting to play your little villain role because you could hurt us without any consequences! You’re an emotionless, selfish, annoying little freak who wishes he could be normal!”

Donnie's tech-bō materialized a drill in his hands.

"Just because you're using him to say these things doesn't mean it's Leo. We're taking him back. NOW."

LeonAudro sighed glumly.

"It's too late for that, I'm afraid."

"No!" Angelo shouted "We're saving him!!"

LeonAudro somberly lifted his arms up to gesture to the weak and frail body he possessed.

"Look at me, Angie... what is there left to save?? Am I still really worth it to you? Be realistic, I'm better off dead."

"Leo would NEVER say that!" Raph protested.

"You don't know your brother at all..."

LeonAudro gave a weak and meager grin at the boys, his legs nearly giving out beneath him as he struggled to stay upright.

"He's long gone... he really is. Funny, how the spores turned you all into the opposite of who you are... Raphael became a pathetic little worm, willing to give up so easily. Michelangelo became a destroyer, a hate-filled wretch. Donatello couldn't wait to cause the pain of others, to ruin them, to--"

"YOU DID THAT!" Donnie yelled. "That was your twisted vision of us!"

"...And Leonardo. What a poor, unfortunate soul... who would have thought someone so full of hope and endurances could be broken so quickly?"

Raph growled. LeonAudro tilted his head back and grinned wide, licking his lips. The pain tasted so sweet.

"But in the end, he gave up much faster than I expected. Because, he really is just a worthless, wantless, 'WRETCHED LITTLE PEST'."

"NO!" Angie screamed, Raphael having to hold him back from attacking the fungus that covered his brother. "Don't you DARE say that about him!! Leo is still in there! He survived once, we can--"

"ARE YOU DUMB?!" LeonAudro screamed at them, causing everybody to jump back. "OR HARD OF HEARING? OR RELIEVED MY END IS NEARING? ARE YOU SATISFIED?! I SCARED MYSELF TO--"

"NO!!!"

LeonAudro's eyes rolled back, his legs gave out from underneath him.

Raph's hologram arms reached out instantly, catching him and carrying him to them.

"Leo! Leo, wake up, wake up!!" Angelo sobbed, shaking his brother frantically. Donnie grabbed his wrists and yanked him away.

"Angelo, stop, don't shake him like that--"

"But he won't wake up!!"

"He's been weakened by the mushroom," Karai interjected, coming to kneel besides them all. "He doesn't have much time left."

"Well then what do we do?!" Raph sobbed.

"He is still a prisoner of fear," she said sadly, placing the back of her hand against the exposed portion of Leo's forehead, checking for fever. Instead he felt cold, his body shivering and his breaths shuddering. They were getting slower and slower...

"You will need to help free him from the fungus' hold."

"How?!" Angie asked, clinging tightly to Leo's limp hand.

"I can help take you into his nightmare," Karai said. "You can confront him and his fears once you are inside his subconscious."

The boys nodded, each one taking Leo's hand and squeezing tightly as Karai focused on NFIF Leo...

The boys eyes started to glow their signature colours...

They each fell over, lying beside Leonardo on the floor.

Raphael opened his eyes to find himself floating in an empty void.

Well, almost empty.

It was empty in the sense that there were no living beings here. Just debris, wreckage from ginormous mechas and spaceships that were the size of moons. Shards of broken ground and platforms floated about them. There was an odd, twisted version of gravity. Unless you were within five feet of the 'ground', you were basically weightless and could fly around wherever. There was minimal light, and no real source for it. It just sort of faded in and out mysteriously. Though, there were some sharp red pin lights coming from the useless kraang prime suits and ships.

It was cold, here, too. Cold like in the dark room with the --

Yeah. Cold.

Angelo was beside him, as was Dee. He hadn't noticed them at first, the loneliness in this vast empty space was suffocating. He felt like he was going to choke on it.

"Look, there!" Angelo gasped, though in this space his voice carried and echoed so much it was almost a shout.

Angie pointed off into the distance where a single speck of green and blue floated alone. They could hear the faintest weeps coming from it.

"It's Leo!!"

"How do we get to him?" Raph asked, squinting and peering as best he could. His damaged eye was not doing him any favours right now...

"I've got it covered," Donnie said with a grin, grabbing onto Raph's shell. "Oh Raphala, do hang on to Angelo for us, please."

Raph hugged his brother to his chest. Donatello's ninpo activated, creating a huge jetpack that was twice their cumulative size, and the trio blasted off to save their brother from this duplicate prison dimension.

"We're almost there!" Angelo shouted.

"Great, how do we slow down?!" Donnie yelled back.

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW??"

"In case you haven't noticed, Angelo, this place doesn't exactly follow the typical rules of physics! Unless there's something to slow our accelerated direction, we'll just keep going forever!"

"Raph's got it!" Raphael called out, his ninpo creating a gigantic arm and grabbing onto the broken down ship hull that was just in front of them.

The trio slid down, Angelo using his chains to keep them levitated around their team leader as he drifted motionless, his three brothers surrounding him. They didn't notice the deep dark circles under his eyes, the wounds covering his body, the tearstains that seemed to have been made a permanent addition to his face, the tattered and chipped sword with the dented hilt wrapped in weathered and worn masks, each mask a different but familiar colour... They were just relieved to see him still somewhat alive.

"Leo? Leo, we're here to rescue you--"

Raph had started to reach out for him, but before he could touch his shell the masks tied to the sword suddenly flew at him, transforming into apparitions that haunted the slider, growling and snarling at Raphael, keeping him away.

"GAAH! What the--?! Now there's ghosts? Who's the creepy old guy?"

The ghouls circled around Leonardo. They seemed to be guarding Leo from outsiders... Angelo recognized the fine halo of colour that surrounded them as they circled about him like vultures. One red: large and bulky and missing an eye, the spines on his shell were singed and the entire front of him was burned and scarred beyond recognition; the second purple: a thick shield over his back and broken goggles that covered his damaged face; the last one orange: balding with liver spots and a massive cape that flowed behind him, his hands shattered like glass as remnants and shards of him followed behind as he circled Leonardo, who pressed the sword closer to his chest. Angie swallowed, a sick feeling growing in his stomach.

"I... I think those ghosts are..."

"R-Raph..."

Leo slowly turned to gaze back at Raphael. Tears were pouring down his cheeks.

"Leo! Tell your futuristic guard dogs that we're friendly!"

Leo hiccupped sobs as he watched them.

"I... can't control them..."

"Then we'll find a way through!" Dee yelled, readying his bō staff.

"Th-they're not here to trap me..." he whimpered. "They're here to protect you..."

"Protect us? From what?"

"...Me..."

Leo hugged the sword as tightly as he could, as if it were everything he'd lost in the world.

"They all died saving me. Protecting me. Following my orders. Heck, I actually TOLD Mikey to sacrifice himself! Look what I did to them. What I'll eventually do to you, too..."

Leo curled up tighter into himself, clutching the sword. It's edges were dull, the shine lost ages ago, scuffed and marked and dirty and unloved. Like him. Just like him...

"They hate me, and I deserve it..."

Raph could hear the voices... soft echoes that were earworms, whispering breaths that had their voices plastered onto them, but altered -- gruffer, older, deeper, more strained with time and trauma.

"...it hurts, leo..."

"...you were supposed to protect us, leo..."

"...why did we have to do it instead, leo..?"

With every word, Leo's light began to dim, the colour in his skin and birthmarks faded and became desaturated. With every utterance, his grip on the sword loosened. He was fading away...

Raphael sucker-punched the ghost of his future bad timeline self in the face, sending him reeling back as the ghouls screeched in response. Raph screamed back at them.

"Stop talking about my brother that way!! I would never, ever say those things!"

The two other ghosts lunged at him, but were no match for the younger flesh-and-blood counterparts. Donnie swung his bō at his future phantom, smacking it into the side of its head and sending it careening into the distance. Angelo had his chains swirl around the eldery version of himself and -- with a flick of the wrist -- sent the geezer spiraling into oblivion.

Raphael jumped to Leon and clung to him as firmly as possible.

"Leo. I need you to listen to me, because I'm only ever going to be able to tell this to you once. I never told anyone this, not you or our bros or pops or April or Casey Jr. or anybody. Not even my teddy bears or Princess Peach figurine. So you'd better pay close attention to this confession."

Raph took in a deep breath. He knew Donnie and Angie were listening too. Good. They all might as well hear it, he definitely did not plan to ever bring it up again.

"...When I was part of the kraang -- particularly when I was fighting you -- the kraang tricked me. They'd tricked me before, they'd made me think that I was coming to save you after I'd managed to escape them, They made me think I'd come home... but it was a trick. A dream."

"That was how they found the lair..." Donnie muttered to himself.

"Yeah, well... when I was in the technodrome... when you came to rescue me, and we fought... the kraang did it again. I thought... I thought everyone was dead. Mikey and Donnie were on the floor, they were skewered and bleeding and dead and... and you were in front of me, begging me to save you. A kraang monster or something had you in its grip, and I tried to -- it kept fighting me, every time I went to save you. I was going to kill it to rescue you, I... I didn't realize until after we got home, and you guys explained everything to me -- it was you I was fighting."

Leo ugly sobbed, his face scrunching up as he wrapped his limbs all around Raphael, just like how he used to when he was a kid and needed as much love as he could receive from his big brother. Raph held him closely and rocked him back and forth, giving long gentle strokes down from the top of his head to the middle of his shell.

"B-b-b-but it w-was MY fault that y-you were, were--!" Leo blubbered, Raph interrupting his wails to continue.

“From the moment I knew I had brothers, I knew I would do anything to protect you no matter what you did! You want to know what I really hate about you, Leo!? It’s that you think we don’t like you! We love you. Always have, always will. So stop being dumb and let us help you!”

"Raph's right!" Angelo said, coming close and cupping Leo's stained cheek and giving him his signature sunshine smile. "Even if we died in some other future, and even if it was for you, that was what we decided! If we didn’t do it for you then it would probably have been anyone else in the family! And it’s not because we don’t care about ourselves, it’s because we’ll always take care of each other!”

“I have never, ever known a world without you and I don’t want to!" Donnie added, taking his hand. "If you know how I die then….I would have hoped it was next to you. I hope it was you telling some dumb story or telling a terrible joke! If you don’t want me to die so badly, think about how much I don’t want you to! But that’s what you’re doing! Do not die on me Leo!….Please.” Donnie begs.

Leo's eyes brightened, the colour slowly coming back to his face, the sickly blue in his eyes dripping away as it was replaced, not only by his true blue, but by a mixture of red, orange, and purple. The crescents along his arms and around his eyes began to glow, as did the birthmarks on his brothers.

It was familiar, seeing the light shine in this desolate and lonely place.

But not so lonely anymore...

Leo's eyes slowly opened.

The real world hurt and ached. The arena compound's lights burned his retinas, the sounds and cries deafened him, the warm touch from every hand that reached out for him burned his chilled and slightly feverish skin. Something was pulled from his face -- it had been stuck to his mask and skin but relented in the end, falling off with ease; the roots and mycelium threads gently slipping out of his epidermis. Out of the corner of his blurry vision, he saw UIFY Donnie take the last remnants of the mushroom and disintegrate it with some kind of death ray... good.

Leo barely registered that his brothers were holding him, clutching him close to them and saying loving things to him, trying to get him to respond as proof that he was back with them. Proof he was alive. Not just breathing, but alive. Because when you're a prisoner of fear, you're basically walking dead. And Leo was so tired of being dead in himself. He wanted to live again...

Leo managed a smile to let them know he was alright.

And he fell asleep... with no nightmares.

When Leo awoke again, he was in the medbay. His head was bandaged, and an IV was stuck into his thin and emaciated arm. Raphael was snoring by his bedside, holding his hand in his sleep as he drooled onto the mattress. Dee was reading an article on his tablet in the corner, while Angelo was fidgeting with his wrappings and looking over the new collection of scars he'd gotten.

"...Heyyyy, guys, when's the entr'acte?" Leo joked.

Somehow immediately Raph's head shot up as he snorted awake.

"Snrrk--! Leo? LEO!!"

Raphael wrapped his arms around him in a bear hug, crying into his shoulders as Leo tried to convince him that he was okay. Donnie and Angie joined in soon, with Donnie taking the opposite side of the bed and Angelo simply jumping up onto the mattress and flattening his bedridden bro.

After ten minutes of wholesome crying between the four of them, inspecting each others' injuries and coming upon the decision that they were all lucky to be alive, they calmed down and brought up an important conversation.

"So... we're leaving now, right?" Leo asked, looking around the room for any objections. It was an awkward silence he got instead.

"I mean, it's for the best, right?"

"I think so," Donnie sighed. "We've caused enough trouble already."

"And we lost the contest, anyhow," Raph added. "There's... no real reason to stay."

"I would have liked to say goodbye to everyone, though," Angelo sighed. "But... after everything that happened... maybe you're right. A quiet exit is probably best." He gave an airy chuckle. "In any case, I'm honestly too emotionally exhausted to even try a conversation with anyone."

"We can leave a written apology," Dee offered.

"Good idea," Leo said with a fragile smile. "Let's go."

The four took a small piece of paper and wrote down their apologies to everyone. Leo cried during his portion. Donatello snapped his pencil tip during his. Angelo couldn't find the right words and ended up doing a fourth and fifth draft before Raph finally told him he was done. Raph's section of the note was long and overly poetic, but truly heartfelt.

They left the note on the pillow, and silently left the room.

"Do you even know which way the exit is?" Dee asked.

"No, but I'm pretty sure it's around here somewhere..." Leo replied, as he turned his head around every corner.

"You'd think a med ward would have better signage!" Raph bemoaned softly.

"Look, there it is!" Angelo said, dragging the others to a doorway.

The doors swung open.

"Great, now we can escape without anybody--"

The crowd cheered.

The four boys were stopped in their tracks as an enormous crowd of people with signs and posters and gifts came and shouted their names. For a moment, Leo clutched his katanas and prepared to fight them all before realizing this wasn't an angry mob.

"Guys! Look! It's NO FUN IN FUNGUS!!!"

"They're okay!"

"Thank you for saving us!!"

"You guys are the best!"

"Hey, I know that team!"

"Way to go, you guys!!"

Everyone was here...

rhg!Donnie stood with Ghost, smiling and clapping along with the rest. Ghost gave them a thumbs up. Abby and Diana were screaming cheering their heads off, their universe's Huginn and Munnin wearing tiny t-shirts that had the phrase 'I survived the great Spore Invasion of 2024' scribbled onto them. The Spider-Teetlez were shouting and screaming, Slider-Punk playing celebratory music on his guitar. The mods and employees were here too, ecstatic over the grand victory that they had made, and the fact that they were okay and alive. Even the void brothers were also there, grumpy but willing to let bygones be bygones. Especially after they'd had the effects of the fungus' control over them, they understood what it could make you do.

The entire competition was here.

The teens stared in awe. Leo had started to cry again.

They... they were happy for them?

Happy that they were okay? No one blamed them? No one was angry, no one was bitter, they were simply thankful for their recovery?? They were cheering them on, despite the fact that not 5 hours ago they had almost doomed them all...

But nobody cared about that. Thank Pizza SUPREME.

They just cared that they were okay.

Leonardo smiled.

Raph nudged him forward.

"Well, face-man?" he asked, smiling down at him. "What do we do now?"

Leo chuckled.

"...I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay for a little while longer...!"

And that is that.

They are safe. Leo knows it was not his fault, it was not his blame. They are all returned to each other, the spores destroyed completely. Or, at least until another author chooses to use an ask. And the UIFY family is also resting comfortably, back in the medbay yet again.

Everyone is safe and sound.

Even I. The Hand.PNG.

You didn't truly think I was gone for good, did you?

No, of course not!

Ah well, their crossover is completed. They may join together at some other time, but until that moment comes, I think they deserve a good rest, now that their task is complete.

And mine as well. I wonder what I shall do now... I'm sure the authors will find some way for me to have fun with them again. I do so love being in their stories.

However, there is one last thing I must do, though it pains me to do it...

The Until I Found You AU cannot remember this final battle. I'm sorry, I know. But they simply cannot. They are not ready to understand the concept of the Authors, nor their ninpo. Especially their ninpo. It isn't their time. They aren't meant to know these things yet. But soon... Someday, perhaps they will be allowed to recall all they did, but until then they must forget their feats... and forget me, as well. I shall become a shadow of a memory. Ah, but it isn't too sad! Most of them probably wish they could forget me! And I don't blame them. It was quite a run I had, eh? Quite a story we told.

And yet, there is one last part of the story left to tell...

UIFY Mikey woke up somewhat groggily from a strange dream. He wasn't sure how he got here, in the medbay... he could remember... getting spored in the lounge area... but... not much after. There were vague recollections of a battle... an explosion... versions of his family... but nothing solid, nothing that wasn't a fuzzy blur and left him with a woozy spell when he tried to think about it a little too hard.

Oh well. If he couldn't remember it, then it probably wasn't worth remembering!

He was downright exhausted, though. He felt like he could sleep for an eternity or two.

The only reason he'd woken up in the first place was because of someone... humming....

"...With every job when it's complete, there is a sense of bittersweet... That moment when you know the task is done..."

Mikey groggily opened his eyes to look over at the singing lady. She must've been a mod, or an employee, or a nurse or something. She was human, wearing an oversized denim jacket and tiny pale lavender flowers and petals in her messy hair. She was placing a small tray of water and crackers, plus a tiny bouquet of bright yellow daffodils on the bedside table.

"...Though in your heart you'd like to stay, to help things on their way... You've always known... They must do it alone..."

The lady turned to smile at him.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Um, no, not really," Mikey lied.

"How are you doing?" she asked, checking his hands to make sure they were alright. Her fingers traced over each scar and blemish... an impressive feat, considering Mikey's bandages covered them and she couldn't have seen the marks.

"I'm alright," he yawned. "A little... woozy..."

"I understand wholly. Here, have some water..."

She gave the cup to Mikey, who slurped it down. Mikey thought her hands looked familiar... he wasn't sure why, though. But something about how real they were...

"Thanks..." he gulped, having downed the entire glass.

"No probbles. I just wanted to take a quick moment and make sure you were doing well!"

"I'm okay," Mikey chuckled. "Are my families... is the NFIF team okay? Did we save em?"

"Yes, they're all present and accounted for," she said with a grin. They're just in the other room. I think the med ward should be releasing you all soon... You deserve a big respite, I think. You've done a lot. Oh yeh, I also wanted to quick tell you something!"

"Tell me something?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Yep! I wanted to let you know how important you are."

"Me?" Mikey laughed, wondering what this was about. "Important??"

"Oh yeah! Mhm! I know you sometimes feel like your personal story isn't glamorous, or that you might not be so impressive, or that others are doing better than you. But you should know how wonderful and amazing you are. Did you know, people talk all the time about how inspiring and relatable you are! And I just think that's wonderful."

"You make it sound like I'm a character in a story!" Mikey laughed.

"Well, we're all kind of like the main character of our own stories, aren't we?" she beamed.

"I never thought about it like that, actually," Mike hummed, tapping his chin. "What do you think your character's purpose is about?"

She paused, not expecting that query. Her eyes darted upwards, reflecting the light against the green and amber gold that speckled her irises, and bouncing off of her cheeks with white radiance. She pondered the question for a second before smiling brightly.

"I'd say prolly the same as yours," she stated. "I think I'm meant to inspire."

She laughed afterwards.

"Or at least, I hope I inspired somebody! Anywhoser, I'd better let you get back to your rest," the girl sighed, a sort of melancholic exhale that said she'd rather stay longer, but had to go.

"Oh, okay!" Mikey yawned, snuggling deeper under his blankets. He thought about going to see the guys before they left...

"See you around," the girl said as she walked away....

Mikey wondered who the human girl was, if not a nurse. She wasn't dressed like a nurse. Maybe she belonged to an AU... Ah, well. Maybe he would see her again one of these days.

Boots waited outside the medbay for their 'accomplice'. She'd wanted to make a dramatic exit and say 'hello' -- or rather, 'goodbye'. For now.

The competition was so nice in the calm and quiet aftermath. Tiny turtle tots giggled as they chased one another for their games. Parent versions of Leo and Donnie and Mikey and Raph and Cassandra and everyone else meandered about with their wards. A water fountain nearby trickled. The sweet scent of chocolate cake pops filled the air. As Boots waited, they pulled out a few stickers and decorated a scrapbook they'd brought with them. A mushroom sticker was placed on an electric blue sheet of paper. Boots enjoyed the peace... they hoped it would last for a little while. At least, until the next story came into play. Speaking of, out from the medbay frollocked the self-proclaimed weird kid author, smiling happily.

"All good?" Boots asked.

"All good," Pheebs responded, her denim jacket bouncing along with every skip she took. "They're all sleeping, now."

"I'm glad you got to see them; I wouldn't even dare to see my guys after what happened," Boots laughed.

"You wouldn't have to say who you were," Pheebs clarified. "I mean, it's not like they know what you look like."

"True, but even still, it'd freak me out too much and I'd end up spilling some of the beans!"

Pheebs laughed at that.

"I guess... anyways, shall we go?"

"I'm ready if you are," Boots sighed, folding up the scrapbook supplies and tucking it away. "Our guys deserve a good long rest..."

"Yeah. Though..."

"Though?"

"...I think I have one last moment I want to include."

End of Act 3

Epilogue

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #tutant meenage neetle teetles #until i found you #until i found you au #rottmnt until i found you #no fun in fungus #fear fungus #fear spores #crossover #fanfic writing #fanfiction #rottmnt fanfiction #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt leo #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt raph #rottmnt misa #the void brothers #rottmnt replica #spider-teetlez #leaves from the vine #rottmnt ghost in the shell #rise hunger games #rottmnt angst #angst #wholesome #finale #musicals #broadway musicals

[thornnii]

⎯ ✦ morganite & red jasper

genre: fluff wordcount: 1.0K pairing: Audrey Rose x fem!reader pronouns: she/her other: Y/N is daughter to the Queen of Hearts (mainly for the colour palette), takes place after D3, reader is described as wearing a lot of jewellery/accessories, reader wears gold jewellery, established relationship, they live together warnings: one swear word, implication of arguing with parents summary: there is a little surprise for Audrey and Y/N when they reveal their one year anniversary gifts to each other thorn's notes: originally posted 30/Sep/2022; edited from original. I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to actually start reposting, exams have had me in a chokehold recently.

⏤ return to old posts masterlist

Y/N of Hearts is known all around - both on the Isle and on Auradon - for her fierce temper, and with her heritage it would be more concerning if she didn't have any sort of temper. It wasn't uncommon for her to blow up over the smallest of things, hell she'd even gone up against some of the teachers before and almost against the King himself. There was only one person in the entire world Y/N would never yell at, her girlfriend: Audrey Rose.

The day the barrier had come down and willing villains and VKs were able to pass through was the best day of Y/N's life, finally able to escape from her mother's wrath - something which was always stronger when battling against her own.

When Y/N and Audrey had first met they had both been standoff-ish towards the other but Y/N had quickly grown a soft spot for the preppy, pink princess. The way she never stood for Y/N's bullshit and would always tell her so. The way she was willing to patch Y/N up after a fight. The way she never grew upset or angry at Y/N for little things. The way she actually cared.

And thus a most unlikely friendship formed, a friendship that blossomed into a loving relationship.

Speaking of relationships, it was a week before Y/N and Audrey's one year anniversary and Audrey had brought Evie and Dizzy along with her to the mall to look for gift options and provide Audrey with second opinions. Audrey felt sure jewellery was a safe option; Y/N tended to wear a multitude of accessories at any one time, somehow always making it work without looking too much.

Walking into a jewellery store, Audrey broke away from the other two to look around at what the store had to offer. This store was different to any of the others the girls had been in so far today, almost all the jewellery displayed had some sort of crystal element incorporated into the design.

It was a collection of rings that caught Audrey's eye, specifically one towards the middle of the display case. All the rings were made up of a thin gold that wove itself delicately around different crystals. The one that Audrey had noticed was a crimson red stone labelled 'Red Jasper'.

Audrey called Evie and Dizzy over to where she stood - both of them agreeing the ring was the perfect present for Y/N. Next Audrey waved over a sales employee, asking about price and whether the ring could be wrapped to be bought as a gift.

Five minutes later the three girls were leaving the mall, Audrey carrying her purchase in a small paper bag.

Finally it was the day of Audrey and Y/N's anniversary. Y/N woke up first - deciding to leave her girlfriend in her peaceful slumber - and made her way to the kitchen of their shared apartment, preparing to treat Audrey to breakfast in bed. It wasn't fancy by any means, simply scrambled eggs and toast (cooking was not something that was really taught on The Isle).

Y/N plated two lots of the food, balancing the food and a glass of water on a tray and manoeuvred her way back to the bedroom. Audrey was awake now, the lack of warmth that typically radiated off her girlfriend stirring her from her dreamland. She sat at the vanity across from the bed, brushing out any tangles that had formed in her hair during the night.

Y/N pushed the door close with her foot and pressed a kiss to the crown of Audrey's head as she passed to put the breakfast tray down on the end of their queen-sized bed. Walking back over, Y/N pecked a kiss to the same place as previously before her love turned around on the plush, velvet pink ottoman. "Good morning." Audrey greeted, earning a peck on the lips in reply.

"Morning." Y/N returned the greeting with a soft smile. "Happy anniversary lovely, I'm looking forward to later." 'Later' meant the anniversary date the couple had been planning for a while now, both wanting everything to be perfect.

"Happy anniversary to you too gorgeous. I have something for you." Audrey turned back to face the vanity, reaching into one of the side drawers.

"And I for you." Y/N had moved towards the bedside table next to her side of the bed, pulling out a small black box. Y/N was back in position before Audrey; the box the ring she had bought was in had slipped to the back of the drawer, causing the girl to have to grope around a bit to try and find it.

When Audrey turned back around, Y/N was down on one knee, as if proposing, a small black box sat open in her palm to reveal a ring of gold that intricately wrapped around a soft pink gem. It looked almost the same as the one in the box Audrey held.

Rather than answering Y/N's 'proposal' in words, Audrey pulled out the ring box she'd hidden behind her back, popping it open to reveal the scarlet red stone encased in gold. Seeing the likeness of the rings, the two lovers laughed. They had bought rings from the same set without knowing it. Slipping each other's rings on, Audrey inspected her's closely. It wasn't rose quartz from what she could tell, but she wasn't sure what it was instead.

Noticing the puzzlement on her girlfriend's face, Y/N couldn't help but chuckle. Grabbing both of Audrey's hands she explained:

"The crystal is called Morganite. Supposedly it radiates the energy of love, peace and compassion," adding in a quieter tone, "at least that's what the store employee said." Returning to her normal volume, the girl continued, "It melts boundaries to make everything seem possible. I heard that and I thought it suited us, more importantly I thought it suited you."

Y/N's words brought a warm blush to Audrey's face as she buried it in her hands, while Y/N just looked on lovingly at her partner. There was no doubt in her mind that, come what may, she would stay by Audrey's side until the day she died.

#thornnii’s old posts #disney descendants #descendants #descendants x reader #audrey descendants #audrey descendants x reader #audrey rose #audrey rose x reader #x reader #x fem!reader #audrey rose fluff #established relationship #fanfic #fanfiction

[novemquadragintillion]

I'm still wondering about the reason and significance of the symbols that appear on Audrey and Alger's skin, right before they go to each Tarot Club meeting. Alger's symbol is "a hexagonal crystal-like snowflake" on Alger's palm, and Audrey's is a "swirling crimson tattoo depicting a star" on the back of her hand (chapter 8). There's Klein's symbol too: the four black dots that make a square on the back of his hand. I don't recall the author ever explaining why they were there from the beginning (which were seemingly forgotten about, and then brought back into the story near the end).

Why does Audrey, Alger and Klein have these symbols and no one else in the club?

My only theory is that Audrey and Alger got their symbols because they were the only members to ever be physically "touched" by The Fool- Klein accidentally bumping into Audrey and Alger's red stars within the mysterious gray fog on Klein's first visit to Sefirah Castle. And maybe, Klein got his symbol because of the luck enhancement ritual itself. But then, why didn't Klein's symbol appear on Amon when Amon completed the same ritual? Maybe the four dots symbol only appeared in the first place because Klein came from the cocoons.

I hope the author explains this someday~

Why are the symbols a red star, a snowflake, and four dots in a square? I think Klein's four dots symbolize the four steps he takes counterclockwise in the ritual. But what do the red star and snowflake represent? Did The Fool /Klein's accidental touch give Alger and Audrey certain power in the Castle that they don't know about? If so, I think it'd be super cool.

On a side note, why was something destroyed when certain new members entered their first Tarot Club meeting? Audrey's mirror in her room shattered, Alger's glass bottle in his hand broke and disappeared, and Cattlya's crystal ball shattered too if I remember correctly. What are the other member's items that were destroyed, if any? Is there significance?

#this random person's ramblings #lotm #lord of the mysteries #lotm spoilers

[readwithnox]

10 Indie Fantasy Books with A-spec Main Characters

Enjoy some magical a-spec spec-fic.

From asexual to aromantic and every variation inbetween, these fantasy books have a wonderful selection of a-spec LGBTQIA+ main characters for your next read!

While some of these books don’t outright announce some of the characters’ identities in the story, there are cues that a-spec readers are likely to pick up on either in the first book or later in the series. For the ones that aren’t completely obvious, I’ve received confirmation from the authors.

Structural Integrity

by Tabitha O’Connell Fantasy Romance featuring an a-spec trans mc

Messenger boy Kel never expected to strike up a romance with a government official. But Yaan lacks the self-important snobbery of the others, seeing Kel as more than just a pretty face. Living with him in the city’s plush government complex is everything Kel could want: no more expenses, kitchen workers and resident animals to befriend, and of course seeing Yaan every day. Even if Yaan does spend most of his time working or worrying about work, and seems to have forgotten that they used to have actual conversations…

When the city decides to tear down the iconic theater building in Kel’s old neighborhood, Yaan’s indifference toward his pleas to help save it forces Kel to confront his growing unhappiness. In the aftermath, both will have to decide whether their relationship is salvageable.

Song of Phoenix and Ink

by Margherita Scialla New Adult Portal Fantasy featuring an a-spec mc and a-spec li

All Nadzia Kaminski wanted was to finish writing her novel.

When she finally finished the manuscript for Crimson Mayhem, she did what any writer would: gave it to her best friend to read. Her friend’s reaction, however, wasn’t what she had expected and, upset by her criticism, Nadzia left her at the café where they had met.

Waking up the next morning, Nadzia was no longer in her bedroom, finding herself in a world of her creation, surrounded by dangerous magic and vaguely familiar settings.

With a country at war and no clear way home, time is running out and Nadzia has to find a way to gain the trust of the very people she created and figure out her confusing feelings for two of her own characters.

She soon realizes stories aren’t perfect when there is no one left to write them.

Dirt-Stained Hands, Thorn-Pierced Skin

by Tabitha O’Connell Fantasy Romance featuring an a-spec nonbinary mc and a-spec li

A queer, Beauty-and-the-Beast-inspired novella

Heron thought ey wanted to be with handsome, charming Tiel — but the relationship hasn’t quite lived up to eir expectations. With Tiel’s confidence comes a tendency to be overbearing, and now he wants Heron to leave eir farm life behind and move to town with him. And Heron can’t figure out how to explain to him that ey doesn’t want that.

When an accident strands Heron’s mother at a castle rumored to belong to a family of mages, Heron rushes off to make sure she’s all right — only to find the castle occupied by a single man who isn’t a mage at all. Prone to hiding behind his long mess of hair, the mysterious Theomer possesses a long-neglected, semi-magical garden. A job tending it is Heron’s perfect opportunity for some time away from Tiel while ey decides what to tell him.

Heron did not plan to be drawn in by Theomer’s attentive gaze and understated sense of humor. But as an undeniable bond forms between them, ey’s soon going to have a much bigger choice to make…

A Searing Faith

by Audrey Martin Epic Dark Fantasy featuring an aroace fmc

When sixteen-year-old Rena finds herself the sole survivor of the fire that destroyed her home town, the only thing keeping her going is the suspicion that the tragedy wasn’t an accident. She is determined to find those responsible, no matter how far her quest might take her. But no one in charge of the kingdom of Kal-Hemma seems to care that this isn’t the first town destroyed by a mysterious fire. And according to Rena’s travelling companions, there’s a lot the members of the Royal Council aren’t telling their subjects.

If Rena is truly the only survivor of the tragedy, why did she find her sister’s ring outside of their destroyed home?

Who planted the strange bird figurines around the town’s church before the fire?

And what do the old, forgotten Gods have to do with any of this?

A Searing Faith is the first book in an epic fantasy series and based on the award-winning, interactive audio drama The Heart Pyre.

A Kind Voice in Hell

by Ames Mullery Urban Fantasy featuring an a-spec trans mc

What’s a few years of bloody gladiator matches and witchcraft-for-hire when your best friend’s life is on the line?

To cover the soaring costs of his best friend’s life-saving healthcare Lark signs away everything he’s got — his body, his freedom, even his witchcraft — to a billionaire who plays at philanthropy for entertainment. Although Lark may have the heart of a saint, he doesn’t have the patience of one. It isn’t long before he begins to rock the boat and ends up threatening the very people he wants to save in his reckless heroics.

A KIND VOICE IN HELL is a story about an occult-obsessed billionaire looking for away to bring gladiators into the twenty-first century, a trans man with a hero complex who has never known illness a day in his life, and the disabled people caught in the middle. It contains queer love, found family, and a hero who needs to sit down and shut up before he tries to help anyone.

Follow Lark as he forges an unlikely alliance on the inside and weaves masterful spellwork in hopes of changing the world for the better.

Havesskadi

by Ava Kelly Fantasy featuring an a-spec mc

The red dragon is hunting her own. Up in the icy peaks of the northern mountains, Orsie Havesskadi spends his days hiding from her, but eventually he is found and his dragon magic stolen. Cursed to wander the lands as a mortal unless he recovers his magic before twenty-four rising crescents have passed, Orsie embarks on an arduous journey. Spurred by the whispers in his mind, his quest takes him to a castle hidden deep in a forest.

Arkeva Flitz, a skilled garrison archer, discovers an abandoned castle in the woods. Trapped there, he spends his days with his two companions, one cruel, the other soothing. One day, a young man arrives at his gates, and soon they are confined by heavy snowfalls and in danger from what slumbers in the shadows of the castle.

The Thirteenth Key

by Cara Nox New Adult Science Fantasy featuring an ace mmc

The chaotic crew of heisting misfits in Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows meets the familiar yet fantastical, modern landscape found in Robert Jackson Bennett’s City of Stairs.

“The thirteen emblems given to the original rulers weren’t just symbols. They’re keys to the Vault — one that no one’s ever opened.”

Noa has lived her life as an unsuspecting, ID-burning, face in the crowd that disposes of “problems” for her miscellaneous, secretive employers. So, when Noa’s surrogate father — a Seer — hands her a long-lost emblem, telling her with his dying breath that it’s her responsibility to reignite magic, she laughs at the idea that the fate of their world rests on the shoulders of a killer. Instead, she uses his words and the key he gave her as an excuse to go on one final suicide mission to seek out the power supposedly waiting for her to annihilate his murderer.

Prince Glacier Caelius has lived his life trapped inside a gilded cage, pushed down by the ever-present threat of death as the bastard son of Amarais’s late king. But when the rebels attack during a nationalist party, Glacier’s rescued by none other than Noa and her merry band of thieves, who are scrambling to salvage a failed attempt at stealing his country’s emblem: the Soul of Amarais. When the dust settles, he’s the only person left alive to unlock the palace vault and give the Soul to Noa in exchange for saving his life.

Well, once they’re able to formulate a plan to take the palace back.

Struggling with their tentative, newfound freedom, Noa and Glacier must learn to work together to survive the urban landscape of Avaria’s greatest cities fortified by technology in the wake of dwindling magic. The goal: steal as many keys as they can before their pasts catch up. But the further they go, the more they realize that something worse may be lurking on the horizon, and they may very well be the only ones able to stop it.

Bloody Spade

by Brittany M. Willows Young Adult Urban Fantasy featuring an ace fmc, aro mmc, and demi fmc

Bloody Spade is the first installment in an upper YA urban fantasy duology that follows a cat-eared thief and a softhearted girl as they navigate his wild magic, her hotheaded brother, a sinister plot, and the feelings they’re developing for each other. Suitable for fans of A Darker Shade of Magic and This Savage Song, or anime/manga such as RWBY and D.Gray-Man.

A girl full of heart A thief touched by darkness A hot-tempered golden boy An unwitting servant of evil

The era of magic was once thought to be a myth, but after the Reemergence ushered forces both dark and light into the mundane world, it has since become a harsh reality. Now those affected by this strange power — a specialized group of Empowered called Jokers, known collectively as Cardplay — must protect their world from the darkness that threatens to consume it, all the while fighting for equality in a society clinging to normalcy.

But the Reemergence was only the beginning.

When another influx occurs on the seventh anniversary of that fateful event, an unfortunate encounter at ground zero lands Iori Ryone, a teenage boy in possession of a corrupt and legendary magic, in the care of recent Joker graduate Ellen Amelia Jane. From him, she learns the Reemergence may not have been the inevitable natural disaster it first seemed.

Someone is trying to tear down the barrier that separates the magical realms from the mundane. The question is why, and can Cardplay stop them before it’s too late?

Tell Me How It Ends

by Quinton Li Young Adult Fantasy featuring an aroace nonbinary mc

A coming-of-age cozy fantasy with a queer cast, witches, and tarot. Perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and Our Flag Means Death.

Iris Galacia’s tarot cards do more than entertain gamblers.

With the flip of her fingers she can predict the future and uncover a person’s secrets. But under the watchful eye of her mother, she is on thin ice for pursuing a passion in the family business, and then cracks start to form until she eventually she falls through.

She is given an ultimatum — a test to prove her worth: earn a thousand coins or leave the business, and the family.

Enter Marin Boudreau, a charming young person who can scale buildings and break off door knobs, who comes for her help to rescue a witch who’s been falsely imprisoned in Excava Kingdom.

And Marin is willing to pay a high sum for her talents.

But saving a prisoner from royal hands isn’t easy, nor is leaving home for the first time in eighteen years.

Now Iris must learn to trust in herself, Marin, and this new magical world, while racing the clock before the royals decide the fate of the witch, and before any secrets catch up to her.

Trick

By Cara Nox New Adult Urban Fantasy featuring a demi fmc and aroace mmc

Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series meets V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue with a dash of Disney+’s Loki in this new adult urban fantasy.

WELCOME TO NEW ATLAS: A CITY WITHIN A REALITY JUST BEYOND OUR OWN.

Evie is a nobody. Spending her days in college classes and her nights studying, having a social life has never really been a priority. With her sights firmly set on the future to keep away her thoughts of the past, she loses her grip on the present when her world is ripped out from under her. And it’s all thanks to two mysterious strangers showing up on her doorstep, claiming that she can turn back time.

Cade is a notorious troublemaker. He’s never been afraid to throw around his name to get what he wants as someone who’s clawed his way to the top. But power is quick to change hands in this city, and when he chooses to blatantly disregard an order from his leader, his older brother, he’s tossed back down to the bottom again. He’ll be more than lucky to regain any sort of trust when everyone knows he’s one of the best spies there is, sliding in and out of shadows in the blink of an eye.

Ren is a bored teenager. Always labeled as the “golden child” or “gifted student,” he finds himself writing down cryptic messages and following strange leads, rather than putting on the same old song and dance for his family. Especially once he discovers his little stolen fragments of the future are starting to take a darker turn. Perhaps chasing the life everyone wants him to have isn’t necessarily in the cards for him, but there’s only one way to find out.

So when someone within the secret society known as the Custodians targets Evie for her power, the clock starts in the final sprint to hunt down the culprit. In order to uncover whatever hidden clues are lurking in the past, the three of them have no choice but to peel back the layers of obscurity built up between their factions to figure out why she’s being hunted and how they might be able to fix their bleak futures before it’s too late.

Just remember: time is nothing but a trick.

Follow the divine archivists on twitter for more queer indie lists, reviews, and recommendations.

Where to find Cara Nox: instagram • twitter • writing tumblr • reading tumblr

Disclaimer: anything purchased through the links provided in this article helps me continue writing with compensation through Amazon’s affiliate program.

#a spec books #aspec books #indie books #pride month #queer books #lgbtq books #asexual books #aromantic books #ace spec books #readers of tumblr #readblr

[celestiall0tus]

Do you have a list of hero names you use for your aus? I sometimes get them confused with each other...

Well, now we do. Let's go through the lists. The structure of these are as follows: Miraculous - Holder - Superhero Name

Miraculous AU:

Ladybug - Marinette - Ladybug

Black Cat - Adrien - Chat Noir

Bee - Chloe - Queen Bee

Spider - Zoe - Widow

Mouse - Juleka - Souris Blanche

Pig - Amelie - Nacre

Fox - Lila - Volpina

Lynx - Marc _ Sleuthlynx

Dog - Sabrina - Cheri

Rooster - Felix - Ripper

Bat - Mylene - Dread Queen

Tiger - Kim - King Tiger

Goat - Ondine - Faun

Monkey - Bridgette - Harlequin

Raven - Nathaniel - Achlys

Wolf - Alya - Louve Grise

Owl - Max - Noctua

Ox - Ivan - Iron Bull

Horse - Alix - Liberte

Rabbit - Rose - Lapine

Peacock - Nathalie - Mayura

Butterfly - Gabriel - Papillon

Snake - Luka - Viperion

Dragon - Kagami - Ryuko

Turtle - Nino - Carapace

Salvation AU:

Ladybug - Luka - Metal Bug

Black Cat - Kagami - Kuro Neko

Bee - Marinette - Bumblebee

Spider - Nathalie - Black Widow

Mouse - Alya - Muridae

Fox - Marc - Fantastic Fox

Lynx - Lila - Lincina

Dog - Nathaniel - Familiaris 

Rooster - Audrey - Eris

Bat - Felix - Hades

Tiger - Alix - Tigrix

Ant - Tomoe - Ari

Goat - Nino - Sanguine

Monkey - Kim - King Monkey

Raven - Anarka - Sorrowful

Deer - Sabrina - Fawn

Owl - Zoe - Owlet

Ox - Chloe - Crimson

Koala - Sabine - Mama Bear

White Cat - Adrien - Chat Blanc

Rabbit - Rose - Bunella

Peacock - Gabriel - Paon

Butterfly - Colt - Emperor

Snake - Juleka - Vipress

Dragon - Mylene - Draconne

Turtle - Bridgette - Aegis

Absolution AU:

Ladybug - Marinette - Ladybug

Black Cat - Adrien - Chat Noir

Bee - Chloe - Queen Bee

Mouse - Juleka - Whisper

Fox - Lila - Volpina

Rooster - Nathaniel- Scorned

Raven - Marc - Mourn

Deer - Alya- Fawn

Wolf - Alix- Fera

Ox - Ondine - Ira

Rabbit - Rose - Bunelle

Butterfly - Nathalie - Papillon

Snake - Luka - Viperion

Turtle - Nino - Carapace

Paradise AU:

Ladybug - Marinette - Hope

Black Cat - Felix - Cat Noir

Bee - Chloe - Ambrosia

Spider - Zoe - Widow

Mouse - Nathalie - Dragnet

Fox - Bridgette - Void

Dog - Sabrina - Agape

Rooster - Juleka - Wrath

Pig - Alix - Circe

Bat - Rose - Dread

Tiger - Nino - Aurora

Goat - Luka - Sin

Wolf - Alya - Huntress

Rabbit - Mylene - Luna

Peacock - Amelie - Erinona

Butterfly - Emilie - Echidna

Snake - Adrien - Aspik

Dragon - Kagami - Delphyne

Turtle - Gabriel - Alexiares

Cow - Kim - Siegfried

Swan - Ondine - Odette

Separate Worlds AU:

Ladybug - Marinette - Lady Beetle

Mouse - Alya - Gold Mouse (Biker) Cream (Reporter)

Fox - Nathalie - Vixen

Dog - Felix - TBA

Raven - Luka - Nevermore

Owl - Alix - Snow Owl

Peacock - Juleka - Ghoul

Butterfly - Adrien - Iris

Snake - TBA

Dragon - Rose - Cinder

Turtle - Mylene - TBA

All That Remained AU:

Ladybug - Marc - Scarlet Lord

Black Cat - Felix - Cath Palug

Bee - Sabrina - Nymph

Mouse - Juleka - White Mouse

Fox - Lila - TBA

Dog - Chloe - Queen Spaniel 

Rooster - Ivan - TBA

Bat - Tomoe - TBA

Tiger - Adrien - Tigre Rose

Goat - Nino - TBA

Monkey - Kim - King Monkey

Wolf - Alya - Louve Grise

Owl - Max - Glauca

Ox - Kagami - Senketsu

Horse - Alix - Chevalier

Rabbit - Rose - Bunella

Peacock - Emilie - Hera

Butterfly - Nathalie - Faerie

Snake - Luka - Viperion

Dragon - Mylene - Drakon

Turtle - Socequline - TBA

Cicada - Marinette - Cicada

Chameleon - Nathaniel - Changeling

Swan - Zoe - Valkyrie

Cow - Ondine - TBA

Dolphin - Amelie - Amphitrite

Amaranthine AU:

Ladybug - Chloe - Carmine

Owl - Chloe - Minerva

Black Cat - Zoe - Midnight

Dove - Zoe - Atropos

Butterfly - Adrien - Adonis

Snake - Luka - Atropa/ Juleka - Belladona

Mouse - Luka - Atropa

Dragon - Marinette (Nimue) Longg (Guenevere) Marinette and Longg (Mordred)

Fox - Alya - Rena

Siren's Song AU:

Ladybug - Kagami - Lady Beetle

Black Cat - Ivan - Razor

Peacock - Ondine - Siren

Bee - Mylene - Honey Bee

Fox - Luka - Maestro

Butterfly - Marinette - Iridescent

Raven - Adrien - Scourge

Dragon - Zoe - Wyvern

Bat - Juleka - Banshee

Swan - Rose - Venus

Turtle - Chloe - Mariana

Pig - Felix - Aetolian

Mouse - Nino - TBA

Owl - Sabrina - Seeker

Robin - Lila - Pettirosso

Shark - Alix - Megalodon

Seal - Alya - Oblivion

Dog - Marc - Eros

Dolphin - Aurore - Sea Breeze

Koala - Nathaniel - TBA

Lynx - Colt - Lyncus

Rabbit - Amelie - Artemis

Horse - Emilie - Eleutheria

Ant - Max - Formica

Chameleon - Tomoe - Grandeur

Cow - Gabriel - TBA

Spider - Nathalie - Neith

Dove - Sabine - TBA

Bloody Bug Au:

Ladybug - Alix - Bloody Bug

Black Cat - Adrien - Chat Noir

Bee - Alya - Bomb Bee

Mouse - Mylene - Polymouse

Pig - Sabrina - Porcelet

Fox - Max - TBA

Dog - Rose - PomPom

Rooster - Chloe - Gallic Chick

Tiger - Marinette - Lady Tigress

Goat - Nathaniel - Caprikid

Monkey - Kim - King Monkey

Ox - Ivan - Minotaurox

Horse - Marc - Equestrian

Rabbit - Luka - Harlequin

Peacock - Nathalie - Mayura

Butterfly - Gabriel - Hawkmoth

Snake - Juleka - TBA

Dragon - Kagami - Ryuko

Turtle - Nino - Carpace

#au #miraculous au #alternate universe #au info #ml au info #salvation au #paradise au #absolution au #all that remained au #amaranthine au #siren's song au #bloody bug au

[lanawinterscigarettes]

American Horror Story masterlist

Key:

Fluff: ♡ Angst: ♤ Smut: ♧ Headcanons: ◇ May contain triggering content: ☆

~

Tate Langdon

Evans characters with a clingy reader ♡◇

Tate Langdon dating someone who's transmasc ◇

Nail Polish and Nirvana ♡

~

Violet Harmon

Soft dom Violet Harmon ♧◇

~

Billie Dean Howard

Sarah Paulson characters dating someone who's very affectionate ♡◇

~

Moira O'Hara

Duster Fuck ♧

~

Kit Walker

Kit Walker dating someone who's transmasc ◇

Evans characters with a clingy reader ♡◇

~

Lana Winters

Sarah Paulson characters dating someone who's very affectionate ♡◇

~

Cordelia Goode

Trans fem Cordelia Goode ◇

That a Girl ♧

Caught In the Act ♧

Sarah Paulson characters dating someone who's very affectionate ♡◇

Dirty A-Z headcanon game: B, D, L, P, Q, R, S, W, Y ♧◇

~

Kyle Spencer

Evans characters with a clingy reader ♡◇

~

Madison Montgomery

Picnic Baskets and Confessions of Love ♤♡

Dance With Me ♡

Madison Montgomery Fluff Alphabet ♡◇

Punishment and Bargaining ♧

Madison Montgomery nsfw alphabet ♧◇

Moral Of The Story ♤♡

~

Jimmy Darling

Evans characters with a clingy reader ♡◇

You're Not A Freak, Doll ♤♡

~

Bette and Dot Tattler

Baking With Bette and Dot ◇

Good Girls ♧

Sarah Paulson characters dating someone who's very affectionate ♡◇

~

Dandy Mott

Sub Dandy Mott ♧◇

~

Maggie Esmeralda

Run Away With Me ♤♡

~

James Patrick March

Evans characters with a clingy reader ♡◇

James Patrick March x reader with anger issues ◇

James Patrick March being nervous around the reader ◇

James Patrick March x deaf reader ◇

~

Sally Mckenna

You Can't Leave Me ♤☆

Hypodermic Sally x reader who tries to leave her ♤◇☆

Sex With A Ghost ♧

Sally Mckenna x reader who's a songwriter ◇

Sarah Paulson characters dating someone who's very affectionate ♡◇

Dirty A-Z headcanon game: C, R ♧◇

~

Liz Taylor

Liz Taylor and Tristan Duffy x reader who's a writer ◇

~

Tristan Duffy

Liz Taylor and Tristan Duffy x reader who's a writer ◇

~

Shelby Miller

Hot Tea and Rainstorms ♡

~

Audrey Tindall

Sarah Paulson characters dating someone who's very affectionate ♡◇

~

Rory Monahan

Evans characters with a clingy reader ♡◇

~

Kai Anderson

Evans characters with a clingy reader ♡◇

Whores Get Nothing ♧

Kidnapping Confessions ♤♧

Cuddling With Pre Cult Kai ◇

~

Ally Mayfair-Richards

The Clown In The Kitchen ♤♡

Sarah Paulson characters dating someone who's very affectionate ♡◇

~

Winter Anderson

Winter Anderson fluff alphabet ♡◇

Winter Anderson nsfw alphabet ♧◇

Nighttime Terrors ♤♡

Dom Winter Anderson ♧◇

~

Michael Langdon

Michael Langdon eras x reader with daddy issues ◇

Mornings With Michael ♡

Michael Langdon in a maid outfit ◇

Alphabet Boy ♤♡

Sucking on Michael Langdon's fingers ♧◇

Spanking Michael Langdon ♧◇

Happy Halloween ♧

Enemies With Benefits ♧

Murder House Michael Langdon being soft ♡◇

Calming Techniques ♤☆

~

Wilhemina Venable

Dom Wilhemina ♧◇

Sarah Paulson characters dating someone who's very affectionate ♡◇

~

Jeff Pfister

Having an online relationship with Jeff Pfister ◇

~

Brooke Thompson

Late Night Anxieties ♤♡

Date Officially Canceled (Brooke x Donna) ♧

~

Montana Duke

Montana Duke when she gets jealous ◇

~

Xavier Plympton

Sub Xavier Plympton ♧◇

Xavier Plympton being needy ♧◇

Big Trauma Can Come In Small Packages ♤♡

~

Donna Chambers

Roller Rink Romance ♡

Date Officially Canceled (Brooke x Donna) ♧

~

Margaret Booth

Sugar mommy Margaret Booth ♧◇

~

Harry Gardner

Protein Shakes ♤♡

Poly! Harry Gardner x reader x Doris Gardner general relationship headcanons ◇

~

Doris Gardner

Poly! Harry Gardner x reader x Doris Gardner general relationship headcanons ◇

~

Austin Sommers

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow ♤♡

Austin Sommers nsfw alphabet ♧◇

Crimson Sheets ♧

~

Tuberculosis Karen

I Promise ♤☆

Sarah Paulson characters dating someone who's very affectionate ♡◇

~

Dr. Calico

Blue Moon Tears ♤♡

~

#american horror story #american horror story imagines #american horror story x reader #american horror story fic #ahs #ahs imagines #ahs x reader #ahs fic #ahs smut #ahs fluff #ahs angst #american horror story smut #american horror story fluff #american horror story angst #american horror story masterlist #ahs masterlist #evan peters x reader #sarah paulson x reader

[resetting37]

I wanted to make a “which table are you sitting at ?” Version for my ocs. Little random, very little of these tables consist of characters that interact, let alone actual friends. I just wanted to make bunch of ‘lol what if these characters interacted” and give each table a decent blend of sweet nice guys and those absolutely insufferable ❤️

(yes you're encouraged to vote even if u have no idea who these guys r lol)

#oc #I already know where I'd sit but I'll vote l8r

[fangbangerghoul]

Music Tag Game

Thank you so much @silurisanguine for tagging!!!!! I looove music challenges!!!

List 2 songs or a playlist that represent your OCs or characters who you love - and don't forget to tag some other people so they can have fun!

Carmilla "Ghoul" Imada

Starfield

The current ongoing parts in the larger series: Fleeting Pleasures Ghoul Files

Cherry Waves - Deftones Far - The Soft Moon Blood and Fire - Type O Negative claws - Charli XCX Too Close/Too Late - Spirit Box PUMPED UP KICKS - 3TEETH Twinge - Chevelle Crimson and Clover - Joan Jett bad decisions - Bad Omens Dusk - Chelsea Wolfe If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn - Sleeping with Sirens Suffocation - Crystal Castles Cybersex - Trevor Something Blue Monday - Orgy Destruction of Us - Mr. Kitty What Lies Beneath - Breaking Benjamin

I decided to make a whole playlist but you are welcomed to only do 2 songs like the original version suggests!

Tagging: @bearlytolerant, @5oh5, @spookyspecterino, @thatsgoodsquishy0, @toxiclizardwrites, @booburry, @a-cosmic-elf, @lisa-and-shadow, @seraaphiel

Bonus: In Game Photo

#music challenge #fang listens #ghoul vibes only #starfield oc

[geraldofallon]

In case anyone was wondering, these are the faceclaims I used for the (canon) Romance in the Neath series (lots of Phantom of the Opera)

Artist and Artist’s Model: Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Anna Karenina/Ana de Armas

Master Jewel Thief and Honey-Sipping Heiress: Alexander Dreymon in The Last Kingdom/Lise Slabber in Black Sails

Melancholic Curate and Enigmatic Sister: Aidan Turner in Desperate Romantics/Joanna Vanderham in The Go-Between

Acclaimed Beauty and Barbed Wit: Leslie Odom Jr/Ramola Garai in The Crimson Petal and The White

Affectionate Devil and Quiet Deviless: Clark Gable, one of the pictures is from Gone with the Wind/Clara Bow

Revolutionary Firebrand and Secular Missionary: Sean MacLaughlin in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and in the US Tour/Carey Mulligan in Far From the Madding Crowd

Cultured Attaché and Cultured Attachée: James Norton in Little Women/Katherine Kelly in Mr. Selfridge

Academic Intriguer and Devout Intriguer: Louis Garrel in Little Women/Daisy Head in Shadow and Bone in one picture, Harlots in the other

Promethean Rogue and Incendiary Tastemaker: Derrick Davis in the Restaged US Tour of Phantom of the Opera/Phoebe Fox in Life in Squares

Blooming Wallflower and Flexible Intelligencer: Bryce Pinkham in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder on Broadway/David Oyewolo in the 2018 Les Misérables series

Joyful Charter Clerk and Joyful Illuminator: Jean Steinberg in Saint Joan/Mei Pang

Infamous Mathematician and Roguish Semiotician: Freida Pinto in Mr. Malcolm’s List/Domnhall Gleeson, one of the pictures is from Anna Karenina

Cheery Man and Last Constable: Joseph Mawle in Ripper Street-Jennifer Ehle in Possession in one picture, Pride and Prejudice in the other

September and the Clay Highwayman: Johnny Harrington/unknown model in a photography series by Jason Sinn

Paleontologist and F.F. Gebrandt: Bilal Baig/Helen Mirren

Sardonic Music-Hall Singer and Poor Edward: Denée Benton in The Gilded Age in one picture, and in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway in the other/dummies used for the Masquerade scene in the stage production of Phantom of the Opera, the Copenhagen production

Silk-Clad Expert: Audrey Tautou in Coco Before Chanel

Once-Dashing Smuggler: Rami Malek in Night at the Museum

Captain Amelia Whitlock: Sonequa Martin-Green

New Dreamer: Cynthia Erivo

#fallen london #dont know if i should actually tage this ritn or not #my post

[darkestprompts]

DD2 Shrine Rewrites Part 1: Barristan is the Best

Here we are, finally I’m posting my hot takes on the Darkest Dungeon 2 character backstories as presented by the shrines of reflection. I thought I’d start with general considerations and positive notes about what I consider to be the most successful presentation in the game, to balance out the negativity that will surely follow.

But first, some complaining.

Major DD2 spoilers bellow, obviously.

Face your failures

Perhaps you’ve seen me mention that a big problem I find with how DD2 stories are constructed is that the overarching theme of failure and regret is imposed into characters that weren’t originally built around it. I emphasize this because many of the other major issues tie back to it in different ways. For instance, adding the implication that some characters regret what they’ve done when they have no reason to or were hinted to be unrepentant (eg. Audrey and Paracelsus). It flies in the face of DD1, a game where, while some of your characters are victims of bad circumstances, a good portion of them are kind of shitty people.

I believe this general idea of repentance have caused them to try to show why the characters “feel bad” by making past events as bad as possible, while the heroic implication of their journey makes the game want to present them as not really at fault, at least not completely. It compounds into making them woobies without agency. Because it’s all a built up for the Face Your Failure moment of the final boss, the shrines aren’t written as self-contained stories and some of them really show how this “ulterior motive” can damage pacing, as the chapters struggle to maintain cohesion.

With all of this, how is Barristan’s story so good?

Barristan as we knew him

I’ll admit, Man-at-Arms was not one of my DD1 favorites. His backstory comic was sparse and his barks didn’t elaborate much. We know that he was in some war and his unit was killed in action. His skills are built around leading, protecting and strategizing. His Crimson Court set quote ("Glory days? Hmph.") suggests that he holds contempt for the so-called heroics of war. Makes sense for an officer with PTSD. Not a groundbreaking concept, but it’s tightly built: he protects his allies because he’s lost them before, he’s a strategist and leader because of his military experience, he’s jaded and tired because he’s old and war sucks. Keep those things in mind.

Glory days

Before I get into the new aspects of the Man-at-Arms’ shrines, one thing I want you guys to pay attention to is that all of Barristan’s core traits are justified by his past. This ensures that, even though we are given new information and we didn’t know that much about him before, he still feels like the same guy we played in DD1. It may not be exactly what each of us imagined, but we can easily accept that this path led to the guy we know and love.

So, what’s new about this Barristan? First thing we find out is that he was a shameless social climber, worried about making it to the top by building his influence in parties and events. That’s great! A clear-cut flaw, no excuses, no sugar-coating! His design does wonders for his characterization too. At a glance you know this guy is full of himself, and a social butterfly to boot. Soon enough we find out that this flaw leads to the tragic past we already know from DD1: it’s his fault that his subordinates died, because he was more worried about gaining honors than deserving them with skill and knowledge. This horrible event, coupled with the loss of his eye, rattles him to his core, and he tries to come to terms with it. Ultimately, Barristan is able to move forward from the paralysis of guilt and mourning, but proceeds on a suicidal quest to find a battlefield to hold his corpse.

Fucking amazing.

Note how every aspect of his character is enhanced by this narrative. He’s protective. Of course he is, he doesn’t want to be the one to blame for another young soldier dying under his wing! He’s a strategist. Obviously he doesn’t want to be caught with his pants down, not knowing what to do again. He likes to be at the vanguard because that’s where the danger is at, and if his people risk death he’ll be the first to face it—deep down, he craves it. His contempt is not only directed at vapid military glory, it’s mainly targeted at his former self. It’s consistent, it’s deceptively simple, it makes him more interesting without trying to make him better or more special. It focuses on one core event and fleshes it out, so there’s no confusion in the storytelling. Barristan is perfect.

If only they could all have been that way.

Next time we’ll probably tackle Baldwin, another character I feel positive about, but depending on how much I have to say about him, I may try to couple him with another hero. We’ll see.

#darkest dungeon #darkest dungeon 2 spoilers #dd man at arms #dd barristan #dd2 shrine rewrites

[vanana-r0tat3]

another post because i have illness of the brain BATIM/BATDR characters and songs that remind me of them!! theres ah. quite a lot oops.. idk if some of these are ooc but idc 🕺

here's a playlist if youd like to listen to all the songs in the order ive listed

Joey Drew: The Main Character - Will Wood Mr. Big Shot - Anarbor Ruler of Everything - Tally Hall Fear & Delight - The Correspondents (go watch the music video btw its like a baby sensory video for people with autism /hj) What I Want - The Living Tombstone Dead Inside - Younger Hunger Art is Dead - Bo Burnham Sin Triangle - Sidney Gish Young Stars - The Struts Ghost - Nelward Everybody Likes You - Lemon Demon Season 2 Episode 3 - Glass Animals Pools - Glass Animals Money On My Mind - UPSAHL Wrecking Ball - Mother Mother Jesus Don't Like That I'm Gay but Satans Cool With it - Lil Boodang

Other characters below the cut :)

Henry Stein: Rules - The Hoosiers Community Gardens - The Scary Jokes All the Dying - Mother Mother Make the Grade - Jack Conte Black Swan - The Struts Stress - UPSAHL Clockwork - Palaye Royale Don't Panic - Coldplay Nightmare - Set It Off Frying Pan - Mother Mother

Sammy Lawrence: Homunculus - Trickle God's Whisper - Raury Your body, My temple - Will Wood Touch Tone Telephone - Lemon Demon SPLIT! - Jhariah This Is Love - Air Traffic Controller UP TO SNUFF! (I'm On Fire) - atsuover People I Don't Like - UPSAHL What Good Am I - Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards Hospital - The Used phony - kafu (Will Stetson Cover) (my bf suggested this one!)

Audrey: Could Have Been Me - The Struts Mr. Maker - Crimson Apple Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land - MARINA Imposter Syndrome - Sidney Gish

The Ink Demon: still feel. - half•alive Cabinet man - Lemon Demon It's All So Incredibly Loud - Glass Animals Punching Bag - Palaye Royale Gestapo - Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards Terrible Ride - The Queenstons Boogieman - Sock.clip (YES I KNOW THIS IS AN FNF SONG FIGHT ME) Monster - Bassetfilms (yes yes another fnf song LISTEN lemon demon/monster fits for the ink demon leave me alone im right) What You Do - The Queenstons Bad Blood - Creature Feature Inside of You, In Spite of You - ThouShaltNot

Buddy Lewek: Soda - Nothing But Thieves No Love in LA - Palaye Royale Radio - Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards Let Me Down Slowly - Alec Benjamin Why Worry - Set It Off Fine, Great - ModernBaseball

Malice/Twisted Alice: Snuff Out the Light - Eartha Kitt Miss Baltimore Crabs - Hairspray OST Kill Your Darling - Cloudy June

Henry & Joey: You're All Scotch No Soda - Sarah and the Safe Word Lost Kitten - Metric The Ol' Switcheroo - The Struts I Know You Better Than That - Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards Sick On Seventh Street - Sarah and the Safe Word You'll Be Gone - Yonkagor Pork Soda - Glass Animals One Big Beautiful Sound - Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards Fallacy - Yonkagor Your Love (Déjà Vu) - Glass Animals Skeleton Song - Kate Nash Oleander - Mother Mother Drink - Destroy Boys No Children - The Maintain Goats

#batim #bendy and the ink machine #batdr #bendy and the dark revival #creatorship #joey drew #henry stein #sammy lawrence #batdr audrey #audrey drew #ink demon #bendy #buddy lewek #daniel buddy lewek #malice angel #alice angel #twisted alice #headcanons #? #i dont think that counts biut whatever #henry and joeys songs can bve viewed as romantic or platonic idc #might edit this to add more later #but for now its sleepy time for me

[ghoulysaphomet]

Blorbo playlists:

The AFO/OFA Duo (DekuShiga)

Always - Saliva

Animals - Maroon 5

Animals - The relay company

Avalanche - Cellar Darling

Beast Within - In This Moment

Black Moon - Ghost Town

Bloody Mary - Lady Gaga

Bones - In This Moment

Bottle and a gun - Hollywood Undead

Boy In The Bubble - Alec Benjamin

Cannibal - Kesha

Criminal - Britney Spears

Crimson Faces - Blackbriar

Crucify My Heart - Private

Dance Macabre - Ghost

Dance with the devil - Breaking Benjamin

Demons are a girls best - Powerwolf

E.T. - Katy Perry

Eternally yours - Motionless in White

Every Breath You Take - Chase Holfelder

Fire up the night - New Medicine

Flesh - Simon Curtis

Fuck away the pain - Divide the day

Getting stronger - Michelle Creber, Gabriel Brown

Huset Brænder - Jacob Aksglæde

If I killed someone for you - Alec Benjamin

If I'm James Dean, you're Audrey Hepburn - Sleeping with Sirens

I hate everyone - Falling in Reverse

I love ya, Pt. 2 - Nik & Jay

Let me in - Blackbriar

Lonely together - Avicii, Rita Ora

Lost in you - Three days grace

LOVE - Eyeris

My Nocturnal Serenade - YOHIO

My Souls Demise - Blackbriar

Only us - Miracle of sound

Over and Over - Three days grace

Piece of art - KIRA, Rachie

Play with Fire - Sam Tinnesz, Yacht Money

A Sadness runs through him - The Hoosiers

Selkie - Blackbriar

Sleep - My Chemical Romance

Teeth - 2 seconds of summer

TROUBLE - Parov Stelar, Nikki Williams

Under wraps - Ghost Town

Who are you, Really? - Mikky Ekko

Whore - In This Moment

Wires - The Neighbourhood

The worst in me - Bad Omens

#links rambles #blorbo playlist #bnha #midoriya izuku #shigaraki tomura #playlist #shigadeku #SoundCloud