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#super long post
kbluebirdart · 5 months
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A pre-calamity story. that's it that simple. sorry for the language mistake in advance!
That super long post!
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Thanks for reading!
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On Felix Catton & Disgust/Desire
I had been waiting for a long while now to write this post. I wanted to do another full re-watch before I got into it because the ideas for this have been sitting in my mind for a long time. This is going to be a long post and, hopefully, not super pretentious. Most of us fans of Saltburn know, to some degree or another, that the core themes of the film revolve around disgust, desire, and obsession. And the biggest entry point to discuss this is the actions of our protagonist, Oliver Quick re the object of his disgust/desire/obsession Felix Catton.
I've written before that I believe that Oliver did know Felix and that Felix was emotionally vulnerable and candid with Oliver. I further stated that we, the audience, are forbidden from knowing the details of this intimacy because Oliver does not want us to truly know Felix. This means that the bits we get of Felix are small and very subtle. It means that we can interpret Felix's core personality, true intent, true desires in a litany of ways. My opinion is, realistically, no more valid than anyone else's. But for today, I wanted to discuss what I view, from the bits that we get, is Felix's relation with the core themes of the film. And, because I saw a truly heinous takes about a different fandom I'm in and I don't want to think about it, my brain said: hey...let's talk about Felix Catton and his disgust and desire.
Pt. 1: "Only rich people can afford to be this filthy."
When Oliver says the above, he and Felix are in Felix's messy and disgusting dorm room at Oxford. When you take a closer look at the room (which I admit was difficult on my first few views because Felix is lit and positioned to take all of your focus), it is a total shit show. There's clothes everywhere, empty containers everywhere, other unidentifiable debris...honestly wouldn't shock me if there was some used condom somewhere. We know from Oliver that, not only does it look like chaos, it smells terrible. However, Felix is unbothered. He is concerned only with the heat which, in this case, is an external force that he cannot control no matter his good looks, his charms, his pedigree, or his money. By what we see, Felix is quite happy and content in the filth. It is only when Oliver points out the filth and points out that Felix won't take care of it, that Felix reacts negatively.
Felix, as we know, is very accustomed to his messes being cleaned up for him. Before we even get to Saltburn it's a safe assumption to make. Prior to college/uni, he would've gone to some posh boarding school or other. I doubt that they were made to clean everything in boarding school (though if any of you know please let me know). We also know that wealthy people tend to have hired staff who clean for them. This is a young man who has never had to clean up his spilled milk and it has never even occurred to him to do it.
However, the important bit to note is not that Felix is messy and that it doesn't occur to him to clean. What's important to note is that the mess simply does not bother him. Just because he is born to extreme wealth and privilege does not mean that he would have to be this way. There's been germaphobe rich people or people who prefer to have a minimalistic space or any number of things. Regardless of wealth, some people are fine with mess and some people require mess to be done away with immediately. Felix is in the former category. He certainly must notice the mess at some point (even if, clearly, he's nosebleed to it) but he is comfortable in his space.
This is also true of his room at Saltburn. We barely see it, I know, but let's take a look at that glossy af pic of it from the Architectural Digest Article...
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There is crap EVERYWHERE. The more you look at it the more crap you find. You can't even say that it's perfectly clean either because there's dirty clothes in spots, there's multiple pillows on the ground, there's a random used water glass, there's either toilet paper or paper towels on the night stand, the bed isn't perfectly made, I could go on. Chaos and filth and mess is, technically, Felix's natural habitat. It's the kind of mess that is surrounded by opulence, certainly, but it's still a mess.
Only rich people can afford to be this messy because they can also dictate when and where their staff cleans. Presumably, there are things in Felix's bedroom (perhaps the toilet paper/paper towels which have a...purpose) which he has instructed Duncan to leave alone. Or Elspeth has put terms for how often the maids come in the rooms. It could be framed in a multitude of ways. The point stands that Felix can exist in these chaotic and, even, disgusting spaces because he chooses to be. What his privilege does, then, is afford him absence from judgment.
We see the staff at Saltburn clean up after the party. We see that they quietly replaced a broken mirror before anyone can question the cracks. We never see the staff judge. Do they? Certainly they must, we all have opinions. But do they express their judgement to the masters of the house? No. It's not their place to do so. They are considered staff and therefore their opinions do not come into play for the Cattons nor would they want to hear them. Even Duncan's genuine unease and grief after Felix dies is mostly kept under control. He's not paid to express his emotions or his thoughts, after all.
And why go into all of this? Because Felix is content to live in the mess, to revel in the gross and in some version of the abject. What Felix cannot handle is being confronted with his pleasure. To me, this (along with wanting to separate Oliver from staff when the younger boy starts actively cleaning) is the main reason why he snaps when Oliver points out the disgusting state of the dorm. He does not need or want to know how he fits outside a specific role that he was born to play and, likely, believes he has to play. Even if it didn't occur to him to clean, he could've used his wealth and influence to find someone to clean for him. But he didn't. Because it doesn't bother him. Oliver being bothered and pointing out that Felix is so wealthy that he can live in the filth is what bothers him, instead.
Pt. 2 "Was it? Was it awful?"
I am going to keep this section short, because there have been much better posts about this and I, personally, go back and forth on this all the time. Regardless, Felix having an interest in a made up fantasy of a shitty childhood and what he can, likely, envision as some Dickensian nightmare of a situation falls into his relation to disgust and desire. What Felix knows of true poverty and addiction likely comes from media or exaggerated stories from people who have been in contact with someone who was an addict or something to that extent. His imagination must be running wild with theories. And while I do think that he did have good intentions regarding Oliver when it comes to this, his demeanour also shows an attraction to the grotty aspects of it. Oliver only ever calls him out on this, to a degree, in the maze. Before this, Felix can be interested in what he imagines is the horror of Oliver's childhood but not be caught out as being a tragedy whore or someone with a saviour complex or anything else, because his interest is not being pointed out. Again, he has an interest or desire for mess and chaos as long as it is not pointed out.
Pt. 3 "You're supposed to be here with me."
Let's, briefly, talk about queerness. Let's talk about how Felix has an image to maintain. How he has expectations put upon him. Yes, he has privilege and wealth beyond understanding, but these things often have a tradeoff. Celebrities, for example, have to forfeit a lot of their privacy. Royalty and nobility (regardless of country) often forfeit chunks of their privacy and the possibility of living outside of a script (publicly, at any rate). Felix CANNOT go off script.
He is implied to be the heir to Saltburn and everything that comes with it: money, land, title, expectations. Like in the days of old, it's probably expected of him to produce an heir. It's also expected of him to marry a lady from his class in order to produce said heir. And, back in 2006/7, people were less acceptating of LGBTQ+ people that they are now, and Same-Sex marriage was not a thing in the UK and it wouldn't be for another 7 or so years. So Farleigh, who will inherit nothing and only ever be given scraps, can embrace his queerness; Felix cannot.
Personally, I believe that Felix did have some sort of interest in Oliver. It's not just in the fact that he is possessive of Oliver to the point of disregarding his family. It's in all the Bambi eyed looks that we see Felix give Oliver. You could argue that these are exaggerations from Oliver but then, how do you explain the POV shots we get of Felix looking at Oliver? How they are also romance coded, lustful, pinky and fluffy? There is something there. To what extent there was something is pure conjecture. But, I personally believe that he had some kind of feelings for Oliver but could not express those feelings and, to an extent, found his feelings for Oliver disgusting.
Even if his mother is, in her way, tolerant of queer people, this does not mean that she would be ok with Felix being with a man. I doubt his father, who is in his 60s at the time, would be any happier about it. Again, Felix needs to have an heir and take over Saltburn. So, at most, they would've tolerated that Felix had a "friend" tucked away somewhere that Felix could go to every so often. Queerness is not the desired outcome and so, at some point, Felix would've had to separate any feelings from the matter. And, hypothetically, in boarding school any hand jobs etc. from other boys would be viewed as part of a norm that exists within the realm of "no homo."
So, given he has been emotionally intimate with Oliver and, given that he has felt more for Oliver than he probably thinks he should, he feels disgust as much as he feels desire. He can, and personally I think does, want Oliver, but feels disgusted by his feelings and has a strong desire to keep them channeled in the "appropriate" way. Just the same, he gets jealous and he does not want to share. He cannot abide by Oliver being free to pursue another partner (guarantee he would be equally as incensed if he had found out about Farleigh and it probably would've slightly registered had Oliver actually slept with Indabel). It's specifically a slap in the face that it's Venetia who has done this kind of thing before and who is allowed to be physical with these friends of Felix's with whom Felix does not feel he could or should be physically intimate. Thus, the possession and the jealousy and the spurned wife behaviour of it all.
Pt. 4 "You make my fucking blood run cold."
Bref, I think Felix had good intentions but poor thinking skills when he wanted to take Oliver to his parents' house. Multiple posts have discussed this bit and I do think he wanted to further trauma bond with Oliver the way they further trauma bonded when Oliver's dad "died", afterwards, per the script, they were "closer than ever." And then they had that intimate moment on the bridge and spent some time there completely alone instead of being at a giant party. I think he thought that the experience would bring them closer and that he would be there to, in his way, protect Oliver. And I still think this plays in to all the little ways in which Felix desires disgust and is disgusted by his desires. But he does it anyway.
The betrayal of trust and intimacy that follows has to feel like a bomb has gone off in Felix's mind. But what's worse for him, again this is solely my opinion, is that he still desires Oliver regardless. It might not have fully formed in his head and he then dulled it with drugs and alcohol and with his shoddy attempt at fucking Indabel in the maze, but possibly the inkling of why Oliver lied the way he did had entered his brain. Oliver already tried to explain. Told Felix in the hallway when they got back that he wanted to be Felix's friend. And Felix likely relived his entire relationship with Oliver including what Oliver just told him. And, to me, Felix was not entirely opposed to it. He didn't immediately kick out Oliver or cause too much of a fuss. He wanted space. He wanted to not think about it for a while. But Oliver forced his hand.
Again, here we have a Felix who is disgusted by his desire. A Felix who, deep down, knows that he likes that Oliver lied. That he likes that Oliver desires him so much that he would do anything for him. Likes that, despite NEVER wanting anyone to know the most debauched parts of him, Oliver is close to knowing all of his darkest parts and loving him for them just the same. But a Felix who, nonetheless, does not allow himself to revel in the filth once it's pointed out.
And Oliver points it out. In a big way. "Everyone puts on a show for Felix! [...] doesn't this just prove how much of a good friend I actually am? How well I actually know you!" He does know him. Felix knows this. Felix CANNOT go off script. Felix cannot acknowledge his love for things that are disgusting or less than savoury. So too he cannot allow them or acknowledge them here. And then we have something in the script vs. how Jacob actually looked that's what inspired me to write this overly long post in the first fucking place.
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This is not the exact beat. Because this is after Felix says his line about his blood running cold. The vibe is the same, though. Regardless...is THAT the fact of disgust? Because to me, that is not disgust. That is some form of desire that most mortals will never experience. But then...it also IS disgust. Because the two are intertwined for him. Because he desires because of the disgust at the situation and at the lengths of debasement Oliver will go to to please him. He is a boy who loves mess and chaos and who makes his home there. And, to whatever extent, his heart could've made a home in the mess and chaos and filth that Oliver brought to the table. Even if Felix has to be disgusted at his desires and prevent them. Even if Oliver took any option or opportunity away from Felix.
Oliver makes his blood run cold, but Felix never said that was a bad thing. And it isn't. Just as Oliver revels in the filth of bodies and their fluids and the inferred possession that comes with them, so too Felix revels in the filth of places and things he shouldn't want and things he can only truly savour in the shadows where no one points them out.
TL;DR Felix is as much of a freak as Oliver is, though in a different way. He is shown to be comfortable and even like messy and gross things but, he only does so when it's not pointed out. He can be, to a point, physically close and emotionally intimate with Oliver and, even partially overlook a betrayal of this intimacy, but only if it's never pointed out. Only if it doesn't break with the expectations and social script on which he has been raised and to which he has to stick. He serves to demonstrate the relationship with disgust and desire as much as Oliver does, but his relation is more subtle and harder to see. And maybe, just maybe, given time, he would've at least bent the script.
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Super sorry for how long this is, I just needed to get it out! Thanks to @ollieapologist for being my biggest cheerleader about this post. Sorry if this is incoherent!
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mumms-the-word · 5 days
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Shadow Curse Events Pt. 1
Ketheric, Selûne, Shar, and Aylin
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I’ve played through the game a few times at this point and I always find myself struggling to understand the timeline or at least order of events that occurred with the Shadow Curse. I know some things conflict because there was one version of the story in Early Access (the version where Halsin accidentally killed Isobel) and it was heavily altered for the final version of the game, and some things just got *gestures vaguely* waved away, but I keep wanting to make sense of it anyway.
So that’s what this post (edit: I mean series) is going to do. After the cut, obviously. Long deep dive post ahead! Picture of a tired Ketheric for attention and because same bro c':
TLDR: These events happen either in the 1370s or the 1390s. Ketheric loses Melodia (his wife) and Isobel (his daughter) and turns to Shar. He captures Aylin, then builds a Big Dark Justiciar Army, training them and forcing them to kill Aylin over and over. Meanwhile, a Selûnite resistance is brewing in the town, and it's kind of making everything worse. One Selûnite rebel even goes so far as to make a deal with a devil. And all of that is BEFORE the Harpers and druids arrive as an army.
We don’t have dates, unfortunately, aside from knowing that the shadow curse itself was unleashed about a century ago, so “timeline” would be a loose term to use if/when I use it. But I have two theories about when it happened.
One theory is that because the Spellplague was happening between 1385-1395 DR (during which there was neither a true Weave nor a Shadow Weave, which is what the shadow curse is made of), the shadow curse likely started around 1396-1399, just shy of a full 100 years before the game’s events in 1492. But that’s just me conjecturing based on the idea that if the Shadow Weave is gone…how does the shadow curse stick around? 
The other theory is that the shadow curse was unleashed sometime between 1371 and 1374. This is because a) Dark Justiciars were still being sent by Ketheric Thorm to destroy Moonhaven (the Blighted Village) in 1371 (Ketheric writes a letter about attacking Moonhave and a journal dated 1371 boasts that Ilyn Toth, the basement apothecary-necromancer dude, got killed by Dark Justiciars) and b) because Khelben Arunsun himself, the literal Blackstaff (super powerful and very old wizard), wrote a letter negotiating surrender on behalf of the Harpers.
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We cannot be party to the suffering of the people of Reithwin, and indeed, of the great loss of life that this war will visit upon the Sword Coast - and, perhaps, beyond it. So it is written, and so let it be done, Khelben Arunsun, on behalf of the High Harper Council and its allies.
Wiki says Khelben broke his alliance with the Harpers in 1370 due to some disagreements, but it’s possible his splinter faction was at the battlefield with the other Harpers. I doubt he was there personally, but who knows. I wouldn’t go any earlier than 1371, though, because Baldur’s Gate II happens in 1369, and Jaheira would have been too busy dealing with those events to deal with Ketheric too. But it can’t be later than 1374,  because Khelben Arunsun dies in 1374.
(I have questions about how the shadow curse survived the Spellplague and the loss of the Shadow Weave, but the answer to that could simply be All Magic Was Weird and Unstable at the time…plus Thaniel was already in the Shadowfell by this time, so the land couldn't heal.)
So it’s either 1371-1374 (because of the Khelben timeline, and I guess the Spellplague didn’t affect it) or it’s 1396-1399 (because of the Spellplague, but the writers just forgot Khelben was dead by that point, or maybe his ghost wrote the surrender notice idk). Both are good enough for Halsin and Jaheira to talk about things happening “a century ago,” but you can see why I’m avoiding dates.
But let’s push it back a few more decades. Back when Ketheric was a Selûnite and Isobel a very small child.
As we’re probably all well aware, during this time, Ketheric worships Selûne along with his wife, Melodia. At some point, he even commissions the local Mason’s Guild to build Moonrise as a testament to Selûne herself, according to Morfred the mason (who you can talk to in House of Hope, it’s pretty cool). Ketheric and Melodia have Isobel, but then Melodia dies while Isobel is still pretty young. Ketheric remains a Selûnite, mostly for Isobel’s sake, until she dies too.
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Ketheric: I’ll tell you a story, True Soul. About a man who sold himself piece by piece. He had…everything. A wonderful wife. A brilliant daughter. They lived not far from here. His wife died too young. Grief tore through their home like a thief, snatching away the scent of her hair, the rustle of her skirts. But the man did not break. He could not break. His daughter needed him whole, after all. She grew up—grew strong. Challenged him. Filled his heart with such joy it supplanted all sorrow. When she was killed, the man…he tried to remain whole, but it wasn’t possible. Do you understand? Player: So the man fell to pieces. Ketheric: The pain was unbearable. All-consuming. He decided he’d do anything for reprieve. First, he sold himself to the goddess of loss. But the pain did not subside, no matter his obscene feats of devotion. Then a new god came—a god who promised the man something wonderful: his daughter. Her life returned. Imagine it. He would have to give everything: his body and soul entire. He did not hesitate. Not for a moment.
We know this story. Ketheric turns to Shar and everything goes Very, Very Badly. But the exact details/order of Ketheric's Sharran days are a little hazy. So here's what I've been able to piece together to sate my own curiosity.
While Ketheric is still a faithful (but waning) Selûnite, Dame Aylin visits as an emissary of Selûne. Moonrise/Reithwin is a Selûnite refuge and the Thorms are allegedly devout favorites of the moon goddess, so it's a big deal. While she's there, she and Isobel fall in love. Ketheric disapproves, in part because Aylin is immortal and Isobel is not (Isobel and Aylin both say this in dialogue).
Plus, and this is a personal opinion, I think Ketheric might have seen Aylin's interest in Isobel as another thing Selûne was trying to take from him. It isn't enough that Selûne let Melodia die, now her daughter is trying to woo his daughter and take her too.
But then Isobel dies. Somehow. The launch version of the game isn’t clear how. Aylin mourns but Ketheric spirals. He turns to Shar, hoping she will force him to forget about Isobel, but he doesn't. Nevertheless, he becomes a zealous Sharran.
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[A journal spanning years, beginning with the birth of a child and ending with what appears to be a series of dateless tragedies.] How can she be gone? Where did she go? The Moonmaiden cannot be so unfeeling - so cruel. Not toward her most devoted servant. Not after Melodia. It makes no sense. It makes no sense. I won't survive it. That much I know. Forgetting is the only possibility. The embrace of oblivion. The reprieve of nothingness. It would not be possible for a man to survive knowing what he knows. Knowing what can be lost. Shar understands that. Hers is the only mercy I can comprehend. My mind is full of holes - yet not enough. The emptiness. The time. The nothingness. And still I remember. Still I remember it all. There is no mercy in this beating heart. There is no mercy in life at all.
He builds the Gauntlet of Shar (or maybe renovates and Shar-ifies it, maybe it was already there) beneath the Thorm mausoleum, connecting it to the much more ancient Grymforge area. Grymforge becomes a kind of base or stronghold for the Justiciar army while the Gauntlet is designed to test their mettle and prepare them for the task that will make them official Dark Justiciars—killing Aylin, though it's not clear when Ketheric and Balthazar lure her into the Shadowfell.
I'll get back to that later.
We know that Grymforge was used as a Dark Justiciar stronghold and possible training ground because of all the Sharran stuff we find there. It's like super obvious. The feasthall room, the dormitories, the weapons that lay everywhere. There's basically a whole Sharran city in the Underdark beneath and near Reithwin, some of which we can see from various points in Grymforge. In fact, if you go through the poisoned room where Nere is, you can see the Gauntlet down below.
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(It's a little hard to see here 'cause I play on console but there's a glimpse of the giant Shar statue that takes up a ton of space in the Gauntlet. Somehow, the two places used to connect.)
Ketheric's new Sharran teachings are ruthless and vicious. He encourages his Dark Justiciars to kill a Selûnite once a tenday or more as part of their training and service to the Lady of Loss.
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The Law of Nightfall: From the moon falls the foulest of lights. iIt peeks through cracks and fissures, illuminating the most remote recesses of the Underdark. Light bestows hope, a pernicious notion which must be extinguished. At the darkest hour, pray to your Lady and feast in Her honour. The second day after, slay a disciple of Selûne. If none may be found, a Lathanderian or Mystran are an acceptable offering. Do this once a tenday, and the Lady of Loss shall know you.
Reithwin and the surrounding village soon become a hunting ground. Most people convert. Those who don't get hung in the square as examples (according to a shadow memory). All faithful Selûnites are forced to practice their devotion to the Moonmaiden in secret, led by Morfred the mason and his brother Halfred the innkeeper of Last Light Inn. Halfred hides Selûnite relics beneath Last Light (you can still find them) while Morfred plots a true resistance.
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[Hidden amidst columns detailing the income and expenditure of a tavern is an aside, written in tiny, urgent handwriting.] I have concealed the sacred relics of our revered goddess in the darkest corner of this place. Morfred, my loyal brother, seeks to forge a network of allies to stand against the oppressive reign of Ketheric Thorm. Sadly, fear has gripped the hearts of many, turning them away from our cause. I cannot truly blame them, for trepidation fills my soul as well - but I must put aside my own fears and reunite with Morfred in the bowels of the Mason's Guild. Together, we shall preserve what we can of the Moonmaiden's light, and hope that the banners of the faithful soon rise against that treacherous dog, Thorm.
But as time goes on, Morfred grows increasingly distressed with the events happening in Reithwin and the ease with which people are eager to switch faiths.
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- How quickly things change. The Thorms are Selûnite through and through - or so I believed. Perhaps Ketheric only converted for Melodia, and with her death - and then his daughter's - his faith died too. But to turn to Shar? It beggars belief. - Ketheric's Justiciars are growing greater in number, and more determined to rout out any traces of Selûne in Reithwin. Why do they think this town was built? One cannot rip out the foundations of a building and expect it to remain standing. - Brother and I remain the last two bastions of Our Lady of Silver in the town. A few - the trusting few - come to worship in secret by moonlit nights. Others - converts, all. Whether they truly believe, I cannot say. Impossible, isn't it?
(Don't worry, the second page is further down lol spoilers!)
Life is not going well in Reithwin, even if you're not a Selûnite. Ketheric is determined to destroy all traces of Selûne and treason of any kind. His Dark Justiciars begin tormenting citizens to reveal pockets of Selûnite resistance. He also suffers no treasonous word against him, even if the citizens in question aren't Selûnite. We see a glimpse of this and of the Justiciars' cruel influence during the questline with He Who Was and Madeline, who ratted out her friends' innocent(?) complaints about Ketheric to some Justiciars, resulting in their brutal deaths.
Eventually Morfred realizes that the Dark Justiciars are too powerful to resist and turns to Raphael, offering his soul in exchange for something to destroy the Dark Justiciar army.
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- Sick of standing idle while Justiciars gain power in our humble town. What will become of us if we allow it? I met a man who was no man. Touched by a devil. Or maybe worse. But he offered me something I couldn't refuse - help. - The time is now. Ketheric's Justiciars, their stronghold in the temple below - they will be wiped out. All of them. I didn't ask how. I just want them gone. Let the Harpers have at Ketheric now. They'll make short work of him.
You can ask Morfred about this in the House of Hope, actually, where he confirms the details. I mean, he's in Raphael's house, so it's pretty obvious the he did, in fact, make a deal with him.
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Infernal Mason: When tragedy came, my master fell into darkness and despair. He marshalled a great army to ruin the world and bring all into shadow. I could not let it happen. I sought out the devil Raphael and signed an infernal pact with him. He promised to destroy my master’s army, and I promised him my soul in return. The devil was true to his word. Fiends slaughtered my master’s forces, but he endured somehow, and blighted the land.
The Fiend in question here is Yurgir, who ends up crashing through Grymforge and the Gauntlet to kill all Dark Justiciars in his path. (He misses one, because Raphael is a sneaky bastard who let one get away by turning him into a swarm of rats, but I digress.) We know Yurgir caused the destruction in Grymforge, too, because of the Merregon masks and hellbeasts we find around the area, and the fact that if you pass all the checks with the Duergar mason examining the stone, he helps you piece together this narrative:
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Stonemason Kith: An ancient city, hewn from the stone by the disciples of Shar, later abandoned. Untold centuries later, a new tribe revives it. Fresh walls, fresh sculptures...until a great hellbeast charges through, toppling the walls and crushing the people! Heh - that explains the infernal plate I found. Perhaps you might have use of it.
Further proof that Grymforge and the Gauntlet were once connected...somehow.
Anyway, by the time Yurgir is called in, Morfred's already been found out. Thisobald overhears him drunkenly complaining about Ketheric in the Waning Moon and informs Ketheric of his treachery. Ketheric orders a raid on the mason's guild, leaving Halfred the lone source of Selûnite resistance. It's unknown what becomes of Halfred, but considering the fact that the inn was still taking guests (like Art Cullagh) and housing the Harpers right before the shadow curse descended (there's a shadow memory of a Harper toasting his comrades in Last Light right before the battle with Ketheric long ago), it's likely he's a victim of the curse and not Justiciar brutality.
I’m not sure which is worse, honestly.
It's unclear when Morfred dies, though he admits to witnessing the first part of the shadow curse (i.e., "...but he endured somehow, and blighted the land"). But Morfred's deal coincides in some ways with the arrival of the Harpers and druids. I think he probably makes the deal with Raphael before the Harpers officially march against Ketheric and then gets caught after he hears rumors of the Harpers.
Raphael makes good on his deal around the same the Harpers arrive, perhaps a little afterward. This means Yurgir's slaughter of Justiciars in the Underdark must happen concurrently with the battle happening topside between Ketheric's army and the Harpers/druids, meaning Ketheric is losing his army on two fronts at the same time. Victory seems assured for the Harpers and druids, but of course we know now that Ketheric had a way of cheating death already in place.
He had already imprisoned the Nightsong in a Shadowfell soul cage.
Again, we’re not sure exactly when this happens, but it’s after Isobel dies and before the shadow curse, which unleashes with Ketheric’s supposed death in the battle against the Harpers and druids. However, Aylin herself says that Ketheric and Balthazar lured her into the Shadowfell under the pretense of saving an innocent.
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Dame Aylin: He and his loathsome advisor Balthazar lured me into the Shadowfell, claimed they'd found someone in need of my aid. There they trapped me in their infernal cage. I was killed, murdered, made dead, over and over and over by Justiciars of every make and kind. I was reborn, for it is my nature. And Ketheric fed upon my immortality all the while.
This makes me think that Aylin wasn’t aware of Ketheric’s conversion yet, so it must have been very soon after, because otherwise, why would she trust a known Sharran telling her to enter the Shadowfell, the realm that is entirely under Shar’s control? I also suspect Ketheric built (or renovated) the Gauntlet around Aylin after her capture, perhaps at the behest of Shar due to their collaboration in making up new Justiciar teachings, or perhaps out of a sick, vengeful desire to see Aylin tormented for daring to love his daughter.
If this is true, then there’s a very real chance that Ketheric was unkillable before he truly started to torment Reithwin town, and well before the Harpers stepped in to take him down.
Anyway we at least know that Ketheric trapped Aylin in the Shadowfell before the big battle against the Harpers because a) both Isobel and Aylin talk about her being there for a century and b) because Ketheric is already using her invulnerability to survive assassination attempts on his life prior to or during the actual battle against him and his army:
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23 Elient The Harpers came too close - they poisoned Father Ketheric himself, yet he professes no ill effects. Malus insists it a fluke. Doctor he may be, but he is no less a fool for it: Father has achieved that of which I can only dream: immortality. I have long suspected. I can guess Father's purpose, but I cannot fathom the means.
This brings us to the eve of the battle itself. But this post is already hella long, so keep an eye out for part 2, all about the Harper and druid battle against Ketheric!
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plothooksinc · 5 months
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As promised, I have arrived with a prompt for NRFTW extra-content. I would loooooove to see the Hamato family come over to meet April's parents over dinner. 👀😎
this was less written and more 'the characters stuffed the author in the trunk and drove the plot themselves, but at least they gave the author popcorn'
WARNING: THIS IS A 30 PAGE STORY, IT IS THE UNDERDARK OF FAMILY DINNERS--
“Okay, so remember what I said about Raph.”
“He’s big. Don’t stare.”
“Great. I mean yeah, he’s huge, but he’s a big softie—”
“I get it. Stop being so worried.”
“Oh, and keep the gravy separate—”
“I got it!”
“—for Donnie, he has—”
“April.”
“...sensory issues?”
“So does your dad. Business as usual. You remember we’ve had this conversation three times already, right?”
“Sorry, mom. I’m just, uh…”
“You’re sitting down with friends you’ve known for years, not going to prom with a flock of mean girls. Stop pacing, for Pete’s sake. Look, get the potatoes out of the oven for me.”
“You got it.”
“How is… Leo? Is it Leo?”
“Yeah. He’s coming. AOPBA.”
“I have no clue what that means.”
“He has over-protective brothers.”
“Well, great, two birds with one stone. Go make up the couch so I don’t have to look at your face. Green is a better look on your turtle friends, baby, just sayin’.”
“Thanks so much.”
---------
There was really no good reason to be nervous. Donnie had already met her parents in less than stellar circumstances, and it had put Mom in a good mood for the rest of the evening. The ice had been broken; the guys had wanted to meet her family for ages, and she knew now it would be okay.
It didn’t stop the low level jitters as April padded the couch out generously with pillows and a comforter or two. It was like elation and terror had decided to go clubbing together somewhere in her rib cage. In the end, it came down to this being new. Something life-changing. The status quo forever being overturned. It was a good thing.
(It was damn terrifying, was what it was.)
The living room floor was generously covered in rugs and loose carpeting—both new and borrowed—because they weren’t made of money and the floor was still in the process of being repaired. Her dad had made fretful noises about inviting guests over in such conditions, and it was Carol that had reminded him, dryly, that “Honey, those kids live in a sewer. I don’t think they’re gonna judge us.”
“They live in an old subway station now,” April had said helpfully, and August had perked up with some interest and asked about logistical details, because her dad was a nerd like that and enjoyed his boats and trains, and his nerves about the floor were long forgotten. Nobody mentioned the fact that the guys already knew her apartment had been half destroyed in the little Krang’s attack. It was a fact that, by unspoken agreement, they had all decided to sweep under the rug.
Literally.
Hah.
Anyway, given Carol had slung a whole bunch of rapid-fire questions her way about the boys’ dietary requirements and August was fretting about being judged, April was reasonably sure her parents had come to terms with the fact her four best friends were giant walking turtles with comparative ease. It probably helped they’d been thrown into the deep end of things, even if it had led to super uncomfortable conversations and her parents staring at her as if they were expecting her to don a cape and go fight crime or some dumb stunt. It probably also helped that they knew Donnie and Mikey had come to bail her out, and that they were literally, y’know, responsible for saving the city.
Most of April’s nerves weren’t about the turtle aspect. It was whether her two families would like each other. Which was hilariously one of the most mundane things to worry about, considering literally everything else.
Story of her life, honestly.
She’d just finished squishing a pile of pillows into the corner of the couch when she heard her phone buzz, and fished it out.
Donnie: >> We’re here. Wardrobe check? Puppy eyes face.
Dumbonardo: >> Donnie has no class. 🥺
Donnie: >> Leo has no brain, but you already knew this.
She snorted. Then April glanced toward the kitchen to make sure Carol was busy with the oven and sidled toward the front door, slipping through as quietly as she could.
They were waiting there for her in the hallway. Splinter stood slightly apart from the boys, arms folded and looking sulky, but his fur was neatly washed and combed through and he was wearing a nice shirt which… was more flattering than some things she’d seen on him. April could be that generous. Donnie was wearing his sweater vest combo and standing ramrod straight like someone was about to push him onto a stage—no surprise there—and Mikey was wearing some nice slacks and an orange turtle-neck and beaming widely, carrying a casserole dish.
“Hiii, April,” he whispered. “We clean up good, right?”
“Puttin’ the rest of us to shame, Mikey,” she said with a grin, and gave him a fist bump.
“Speak for yourself,” Leo said lazily, draped over Raph’s shoulder like a blue and green fur stole. He was wearing one of his over-large hoodies; comfort over style, and April was relieved, to be honest. “I think Raph gives him a run for his money.”
April turned to take him in, and-- “Damn, son.” She gave a low whistle at Raph’s white suit and pink shirt, hanging on him pretty stylishly for all that his spikes had already done a number on his elbows. “You go shopping for that? Tell me you didn’t just have that hidden in your room this whole time.”
Raph preened a little before glancing down at the carpeted floor, pushing his fingers together bashfully. “We had to find something nice for Casey to wear anyway, so Raph thought—”
“Raph thought right.” April gave him a double thumbs up. And then frowned. She couldn’t see the last invited guest. “Is he not here?”
“Oh, he’s here,” Leo said quietly, a small helpless smile on his face. “He’s just shy.”
And Raph and Donnie separated so she could peer down the hallway; at Casey, who was literally lurking in the gloomy corner by the entrance to the stairwell, hunched as if trying to make himself small.
April frowned.
“Be nice, April,” Mikey whispered. “He’s, uh…”
“I get it.”
April made her way past them all, coming to a stop in front of Casey. He cleaned up pretty nicely, actually; she wasn’t sure who’d dressed him, but dress jeans and a nice jacket over a dark T-shirt nearly made him look like a different person. His hair was tamed and in a neat braid, and he looked up and gave her the shyest of smiles. “Hi, April. Sorry, uh…”
“Not used to the idea of family dinner?”
“Not really a thing where I come from, no.” He ran a hand through his hair, causing some of the strands to come loose, and she hid a grin. “But it’s not that. Um… are you sure I’m... welcome? I’m not really—”
“You think these guys would take you for a fashion montage if you weren’t?” she said drily. “Mom and Dad know you’re coming, trust me. They’ve made some simpler food just to make sure you can stomach it okay, and they’re looking forward to meeting all of this extended family. Which you are a part of.”
“Tooold youuu,” Leo sing-songed down the hall.
“Shut it, Nardo.”
“You can’t talk to me like that, I’m walking wounded—”
“Who’s walking?”
There was some general cackling. Casey’s next smile was more relaxed, and he let April tug him back down the hallway.
...and then they all jumped as the door to April’s apartment was flung open suddenly and her mother leaned casually in the open frame, tugging her oven mitts off, meeting their deer-in-headlights stares with a wry look of her own.
“Hi—um, that—um--” Donnie pushed forward and saluted her mother, and April clapped a hand over her mouth to stop the laugh. “Hello, Mrs O’Neil! As you can see, I am a sweater vest—I mean—”
Leo made a strangled sound and flopped limply over Raph’s shoulder; he’d have slid down if Raph hadn’t reached out to steady him with a tired move that said he was very used to this happening. “Oh pizza supreme, don’t make me laugh, you know I’m fragile—”
Mikey slapped a hand over Leo’s mouth, smile bright and eyes a little too wide. “Hi, Mrs O’Neil!” he chirped. “It’s nice to meet you, we brought casserole!”
Said casserole was snatched out of his hands a moment later by Splinter, coughing dramatically before he gave a dramatic bow that meant he was mostly addressing Carol’s knees. “I brought casserole, in fact! It’s my traditional green bean casserole, handed down through generations, made for one of my biggest fans!”
Carol raised an eyebrow.
“Dad, we talked about this,” Donnie muttered.
“No, you talked about this,” Splinter huffed. “I was going to come dressed in style, until you rudely tackled me to the ground and took my clothes.”
Carol’s raised eyebrow took on a level of alarm, and April sidled up to her mother with a quick hiss. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
“No, we did in fact do that,” Donnie said flatly. “Trust me, it was necessary.”
“...okay, it is as bad as it sounds—”
“My own sons,” Splinter grumbled. Then he straightened, beaming at Carol. “Children, am I right? Full of well-meaning hypocrisy. Sure, my son gets to dress as that hack Don Johnson, but when I try to dress as—”
“Yeah, Raph still doesn’t know who that is.”
Splinter wilted. To April’s delight, Carol seemed to wilt right along with him. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“Well,” her mom said, dry as the desert. “If you’re done making us feel old as dirt, won’t you come in? Unless you want to spend the evening in my hallway doing more fashion checks. I could always bring you a mirror. But if you’ll take my word for it, I think you all look just fine.”
She stepped aside and they filed past, shuffling into the living room more bashfully than April had ever seen them, which was altogether kind of endearing. Carol paused long enough for April to close in with Casey still in hand, and gave him a warm smile that made him relax just a little more.
Then she hissed quietly to April, “Biggest fan?”
Eugh boy. “Yeah, you uh…” April trailed off, wondering if she could just deflect that question with a shrug as if to say she had no clue. But she knew Splinter; he would keep making comments, so better forewarned, right? “You know how you started watching Lou Jitsu movies with me? And, uh, how much you like them? To the point Dad threatened divorce if you mentioned Lou’s tight pants one more time?” Which was an empty threat, given Dad watched those movies almost as closely as her mom did, and April suspected it was for the same reasons. It had been a running joke for a while.
“Yes…?”
“Great! Get ready to be emotionally scarred.”
“...what?”
---------
They introduced themselves properly once they were all inside, and to her credit Carol was still smiling, even if April could see the faintly wild look in her eyes. At least she’d never told Splinter just how much her mom liked him-- enough to say she was a huge fan, nothing more.
“August will be here in a moment,” she said cheerfully. “He’s just finishing up with the roast, and then we’ll serve. You can call us Mr and Mrs O’Neil, or you can call us Carol and August. We don’t mind. It’s lovely to meet you at last. Donatello, your sweater vest looks great.”
Donnie jerked ramrod straight again, voice high-pitched. “Thank you!”
Bless her mom for throwing him a bone. April grinned. “So, this is Splinter, or Hamato Yoshi—”
“You can call me Lou,” Splinter said with a small bow, taking the casserole from his hands with his tail and depositing it onto the table with a flourish. April had never seen him like this. It was hilarious and painful, but the mortified looks on the guys’ faces made it worth it. (Casey just looked clueless. Lucky kid.)
“Nice to meet you, Lou,” Carol said, politely and as if April hadn’t upended her world not thirty seconds ago. Damn, but her mom was good. “And Donnie I’ve already met. Hmm, can I guess the others?”
“Oh, go ahead,” Leo said cheerfully, waving at her from his perch, and her smile softened considerably as she glanced up at him, taking in the curve of bandages just visible through the over-large neck of his hoodie.
“You would be Leo, then. You doing okay, sweetie?”
Leo blinked. “Uh… yes? I mean, of course! I mean—” He darted a look at April, eye ridges raised.
“She knows,” April assured him. “It’s okay.”
Leo grinned in response, letting himself flop loosely in Raph’s grip to finger gun with both hands, and April grinned as Raph obligingly kept hold of him and rolled his eyes. “I may be a little bruised, but I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs O! I also rock a mean sweater vest, but my brothers would only let me travel casual.”
“You’re lucky we let you come at all,” Donnie muttered.
“You’re just jealous because I, unlike some brothers I could mention, did not make my first impression in—”
Then he yelped as Splinter smacked him in the side of the head with his tail. A light smack, April noted with amusement, as Donnie flicked him from the other side. Clearly Leo was slowly losing all his coddling rights.
“Well, a little bruised or not, it’s nice to meet you too,” Carol said easily. “April did tell me you’ve been laid up until just recently, so we’ve made up the couch for you, okay? There’s no shame in tapping out early if you get tired.”
Leo blinked at her, looking taken aback. And then his answering smile was a faintly relieved, hesitant thing as he held out a hand for her to shake, voice small.
“Deal. Thanks, mom.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
“Mom?” Mikey said slyly.
Leo promptly went as red as his stripes and planted his face on Raph’s jacket. But he kept his hand out until Carol shook it—gently, holding back a laugh—and then went full limp noodle. “Case,” he whined. “Help me out here?”
Casey helpfully reached out to tug the hood over his head. Leo gave him a thumbs up.
April dissolved into cackling as Carol turned a carefully blank face on Raph. “April’s told me just enough about all of you, really. You must be Raph. And this sweet little man here must be Mikey?”
She was expecting a clap back from Mikey about being little, so April was very surprised when he just dimpled sweetly and gave her his best I-am-an-innocent-child impression. His cheeks were faintly flushed, and for the first time she wondered if she should be recording this for posterity. That was like… three blushes, so far.
“That’s right! Raph’s all gentle giant and I am just the sweetest little package, baby.”
“I’m sure,” Carol said, straight-faced. And then lastly she turned to Casey, and her smile was warm. “And you’re Casey Jones. Are you nervous?”
“A little,” he admitted, tugging at his braid but he smiled back. “But it’s so nice to meet you again. I mean—sorry, the first time, I’ve just heard a lot about you—”
April blinked, mouth open as she considered that particular insinuation. And wasn’t surprised when Leo’s head suddenly shot up, all sign of embarrassment gone and with a blinding smile. “Yeah, I gotta say April has told us so much about you guys that it does kind of feel like we’ve met you already!”
“Well, then,” Carol said lightly. “You’ll have to tell me all about yourselves to make us even. April’s told us a little this week, but it seems we might have years to catch up on.”
“We would be more than happy to regale you with tales of our exploits,” Splinter beamed back. “And in turn perhaps you could tell me your—”
“And we should all sit down because Dad’s probably almost done,” April said loudly. “Save the talking for after dinner! I’m starved.”
“I should help August bring the dishes out anyway.” Carol gave April a pointed look. “Hon? Would you give me a hand? The rest of you, table’s just through here…”
---------
“What do you mean that’s Lou Jitsu?” August hissed, handing April the cauliflower bake. “He’s a rat. Lou Jitsu isn’t a rat.”
“He is now, babe,” Carol said blandly.
“A rat with four turtle children?”
“And a human child.”
“How does that even—”
“Remember asking about the skeleton, sweet pea?”
“...okay, fine,” he muttered, nose wrinkling. “I’ll be good.”
April eyed them both. “Look at it this way, dad. The longstanding threat to your happy marriage has been removed.”
“April—”
“—O’Neil!”
She burst into giggles and skipped out of the kitchen, balancing the cauliflower and potatoes and the jug of gravy, and wasn’t surprised to find Mikey just outside the kitchen door, making grabby hands for her dishes. April cheerfully palmed them off and returned for more, grinning sunnily at the twin glares of her parents. “Anyway, Casey’s… uh, adopted? That’s the simplest way of explaining him.”
“Gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting the one I find the strangest to be a normal human boy,” Carol mused. She frowned. “Is he the one from the, uh. Future?”
“The future,” her dad repeated back mechanically.
“Shush, dear.”
“Yeah.” And April had both a burning curiosity of how Casey knew her mother in the future and a dread to find out, because she was pretty sure none of them got happy endings where Casey came from. “Best to leave that well alone. Too heavy for a dinner topic.”
“Right. Future discussions are off the table,” August said, with a weary tone that said sure, fine, this might as well happen. “The invasion too, obviously. Anything else we haven’t already covered?”
“No. But just so you know,” April said mildly, “Rats have excellent hearing.”
She nudged aside her suddenly frozen parents, scooped up the roast tray, and sailed back out to the table.
Mikey took that from her, too, apparently intent on setting the table with a certain amount of flare, and April let him, more than happy to watch him handling pans that he might have had difficulty holding a week ago. She knew his arms were still bandaged under the sweater-- and knew also why he was wearing an actual turtleneck, no pun intended. The scarring up to his chin was still fading, but they’d stopped hurting days ago, leaving him with full range of movement.
(“Unless I’m really tired,” he’d said, giving her jazz hands at their last movie night. “So I’m still being careful.”
“Yes,” Draxum had said flatly. “It’s amazing how fast one heals when one actually pays attention to a mystic’s expert advice.” Mikey had thrown a pillow at him, end of discussion.
...which reminded her--)
“Hey, Mikey. Barry knows he’s invited, right?”
That earned her a predictable snort from Leo, who had been settled into a chair by Raph. “I’m not sure Draxum does family dinners.”
“You’d be surprised,” Mikey muttered.
“What was that?”
“I said what a surprise.” He twirled the roast tray once and settled it down on the table with flare. “He’ll be here. Just in time for dessert, he said! He’s looking forward to it.”
“Uh huh.” Donnie eyed him. “You threatened him, didn’t you?”
“I would never.” Mikey waved a finger at them, planting his other hand on his hip. “I merely pointed out it would be sad if he wasn’t included in this family get-together, given he is now family, unless he wants to deny any such attachment, and shunning a family dinner isn’t the proper or the neighbourly thing to do—”
“Oh, my apologies. You emotionally blackmailed him.”
“That’s better.”
“Why dessert?” April wanted to know.
“He’s, uh…” Mikey trailed off. “Well, it. Takes a while to bake brownies.”
Raph squinted. “Draxum is baking. Brownies.”
They all paused to take in that mental image.
“Oh, that’s not going to be edible,” Donnie muttered. “The guy can make a sandwich. Barely.”
“He can make a mean gruel, though,” April said wryly. “I mean. Literally.”
“I left him a recipe!” Mikey defended, though the way his shoulders hunched told April it was more out of loyalty than any actual belief in Barry’s capabilities. She frowned.
“Shoulda just told him store bought was fine, Mikes. Then he’d be here for dinner.”
Mikey gasped theatrically. “First of all, how dare you.” Leo gave a snort at his little brother’s affront and reached out for the gravy boat, flinching back when Mikey slapped his hand away without even looking. “Second! He wanted to try. You don’t want to hurt the nice goat scientist’s feelings, do you?”
“You want an honest answer?” Leo muttered. Mikey yanked his hood violently down over his face.
“Letting him try is just fine,” Splinter said with great generosity, leaning back in his chair. He’d been sporting the same cheesy grin since April walked back in from the kitchen, and that promised to be entertaining. But later. “When he fails, we can point and laugh—”
The way Mikey just teleported right in there to tower over his dad was impressive, and April reached out automatically to grab the back of Splinter’s chair before he could tip it all the way backwards in sheer terror. “We are not doing that.”
“No, we are not,” Raph said comfortingly, hands up as it to forestall a tiny mystic warrior explosion. “I know some will hate to hear it, but Draxum really pulled through for us. We should support him! In his, uh… domestic endeavours.”
“And his mad science endeavours.”
“Donnie.”
“What? I have my interests.”
“I do hate to hear it,” Leo said slowly, and they all turned to look at him as he peered out from his hood like some evil alternate Kermit!Leo. “Buuut you know. There’s petty, and then there’s mean. If he’s trying to be nice, let him try.”
There was silence at the table for a second time.
Then Donnie stood and pointed dramatically. “Who are you and what have you done with our brother?”
“Wow, Leo, that’s very mature of you,” Raph said suspiciously.
“I know, right?” Mikey wiped away a fake tear. “He’s come so far.”
“I am the very model of maturely letting my grudges go,” Leo said, stifling a yawn. “And if he accidentally poisons us all, I can hold it over you for at least a month.”
Oh. That was more like it.
---------
It took her parents longer than strictly necessary to bring out the rest of the food, and April was pretty sure they’d just been schooling their expressions into the most poker-faced they could, mortified by the knowledge that Splinter had probably overheard every word-- and honestly, given that Splinter occasionally gave a small muffled snort into his hand and tried to look innocent every time his sons stared at him, Carol and August were. Probably still talking about him. She was kind of glad she couldn’t hear them. April shoved his chair with a foot as she sat down and levelled him with mock glare over the rim of her glasses.
“Be nice,” she whispered severely.
Splinter leaned towards her to whisper back. “April, such little faith. I am already having the time of my life at this dinner. Why would I do anything to spoil the mood? I know how to act around fans.”
“These aren’t just fans, these are my parents.”
“Well, I know how to act around parents, too,” he said, waggling his eyebrows and outright leering, oh god. “I was a teenager, once, and dating was—”
“Please stop talking,” she hissed.
Splinter gave her a wide and mischievous grin, and that’s when it occurred to her he was being a little shit on purpose. But his smile faded, and he folded his hands delicately on the table in front of him. “Trust me. I know this is important.”
She breathed out. Yeah, okay. She did, after all, trust him, and he had dressed nicely for dinner. If he was truly set on arriving dressed as his eighties-Lou-Jitsu persona, April was pretty sure the guys wouldn’t have been able to stop him.
“What’s important?” Mikey said from the other side of the table, and she glanced up to find the others looking at them with curiosity.
“Good table manners,” Splinter said mildly. “Which means you should all stop leaning on the tablecloth like that. Elbows off!”
They all immediately pulled back and sat primly at the table, looking various shades of guilty—except for Casey, who flinched back from the tablecloth as if it might bite him. Poor guy had no reference for things like this, did he?
“Surprised you know decent table manners,” Donnie muttered.
“If it is such a surprise to you, I have failed as a father and we shall practice them more often at home.”
“Don’t you—”
“Leo,” April interrupted, watching Leo list faintly to the side. “You’re hurt. Nobody’s gonna care if you keep leaning.”
“Thank you,” he said fervently, and promptly flopped forward again, just as the kitchen door swung open.
Oh, good. Her parents had gotten over their crisis and were ready to feed the hungry. Carol hip-checked the door with her arms full of dishes and Mikey immediately jumped to his feet to help, and she shook her head at him, smiling gratefully. “I’m okay. But if you could help August with the glasses—”
“On it!” he said cheerfully and caught the door for her, holding it until she was clear before vanishing inside.
Carol smiled widely at the table and the guys smiled back, some smiles more natural than others—Donnie still looked like he was trying to get A Good Grade In Family Dinner—and she slid her burden of plates easily onto the table around the roast platter.
“Okay, so it’s a bit more buffet style than a usual roast dinner, but I thought that would be better, given I don’t know what you’d prefer. Casey, hon?” She favoured him with a warm look, and Casey straightened even more. “I’ve got both seasoned and steamed vegetables here, and a few alternatives in case the meat is too much for you to handle. The seasoned ones are on the spicy side. April tells me you’re still getting used to richer food?”
“Oh…” Casey blinked, darting a look at April that was both surprised and faintly grateful, and she huffed. She’d told him this already. Did he think she’d lied to him? “That’s—yes, that’s right, ma’am. I appreciate it, I’m sorry you had to go to so much effort—”
“None of that.” She handed him a plate. “This is a dinner for all of us. I’d feel like a lousy host if you couldn’t enjoy it. Pick and choose as you like, take it slowly. No one’s gonna judge. That includes the rest of you, just FYI.”
“No judgement!” Raph saluted, eyes darting to Donnie. “We appreciate it, Mrs O.”
“Thank you,” Donnie muttered quietly, eyes on the tablecloth.
“You’re very welcome.”
Mikey exited the kitchen with a tray of glasses and August trailed behind him with a collection of bottles-- soda and juice, and something that distinctly looked like the wine from the top of the fridge, and April squinted at it before raising an eyebrow at her dad.
“None for minors,” he whispered back. “Liquid courage.”
She snorted. “You’ll be fine.”
“But will your mom?”
“I heard that.” Carol snatched the wine away and deposited it by Splinter, whose eyes lit up. “Anyway. We’re sorry to keep you all waiting. Dig in! Don’t wait on us, there’s plenty for everyone.”
Leo put his hand up. “I admire your optimism, but I still vote Raph goes last. He’ll inhale everything here if he gets the chance—”
“Leo!” Raph sounded scandalised.
“What?” Donnie said, finally looking up with a more natural smirk on his face. “You know he’s right.”
“There’s a lot of me!” The poor guy was going as red as his mask, and April hid a grin. “You know Raph’s still a growing boy!”
“Raph can have as much food as he likes,” Carol said firmly, reaching up to pat him on the shoulder. God, April loved her mom so much. She was just rolling with this table of lunatics. “I honestly wasn’t sure how much to cook, so we’ve got plenty extra even if you do somehow inhale everything here. Just try not to inhale the dishes.”
“I would never,” Raph said, sounding horrified. “Turtle’s honour—”
April burst into giggles. “She’s joking, Raph, chill.”
“Oh.” Raph blinked. He met Carol’s gaze, who stared unflinchingly back and held up a hand.
Raph blinked again. Then he hesitantly gave her a high five, watched Carol’s smile grow, and finally grinned, the tension going right out of his shoulders.
April loved to see it.
“Aight, everyone,” she said, clapping her hands. “No more picking on Raph unless you want me to poke fun at you fussy eaters to make it even. Dig in, and don’t you dare insult my mama’s cooking.”
“We would never!” came the chorus.
Yeah. This should’ve happened years ago.
---------
The meal passed with some minor chatter—mostly complimenting the chef and asking for plates of food to be passed around. Mikey helped Casey pick out some simpler fare for his plate and he ate sparingly, but the expression on his face said he savoured every moment of it. Donnie was similarly picky for Donnie reasons, and looked faintly apologetic about the whole thing until April kicked him gently under the table and sent him a text.
April: >> Dad has sensory issues >> dw abt it
He relaxed a little after that, flashed her a small relieved smile, and even unwound from his stage fright enough to engage in conversation with her dad about the subway station and its abandoned trains. Mikey and Raph ate with their usual flare, though Mikey paused on each individual dish to gleefully exchange cooking tips with her mom. Splinter was surprisingly well-mannered, given April had seen him more than enough times with cake crumbs all throughout his fur.
Leo was being uncharacteristically picky, but he’d only come off a simple diet himself not so long ago, and the painkillers would be doing a number on his appetite. Raph and Donnie were both piling his favourites on his plate and he was clearly enjoying the food, but April had never seen him eating so slowly before, still balancing one arm on the table to support himself. Poor guy.
She wasn’t the only one to notice. Carol watched him waver and frowned. “You doing okay, Leo?”
He promptly flashed a peace sign at her, beaming. “Oh, for sure! I’m just a little low on energy. Kinda want a little bit of everything here, but—“
“Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak?”
“Hah…” His grin became rueful, and he lowered the fork to his plate. “Not weak enough to stop me eating your delicious food! Tragically, I have no devoted servant to feed me lovingly by hand, so I’ll make do.”
“Um—”
“That was absolutely a joke, Case, don’t you dare.”
April grinned at Casey as he wilted back into his own seat. But okay, yeah, she could read the signs—from Leo’s slouch, growing worse by the minute, and the glances from his brothers that probably weren’t as surreptitious as they hoped. April nudged her mother quietly and made a meaningful gesture toward the living room, and Carol gave her a thumbs up and kept smiling pleasantly as if nothing had happened. “Well, I’m glad my delicious food has such a draw to it. I heard Barry is gracing us with a visit and dessert, is that right?”
Donnie visibly shuddered, but Mikey beamed as if she’d complimented his six year old son’s bronze swimming medal. “Yeah! He’s making brownies! He assures me they’ll be edible.”
“Consider me assured,” Carol said dryly. “I must say I’ve never tried Barry’s cooking before this in any form. We invited him for dinner a few times but he always refused. I guess I know why, now.”
Splinter peered at her. “You do?”
“Well, uh…” She looked sheepish. “I never really saw him out of his robe. He seemed like such a shut-in at the time, but… I guess dressing for dinner might have given away a few things.”
“Ah yes, that sounds like Draxum,” Splinter muttered. “Shut-in, barely bothers dressing—”
“Sounds like someone else we know,” Leo said sweetly, and Splinter choked.
“Leo defended Barry,” Mikey whispered in awe, and Leo pointed his fork at him.
“Leo saw low hanging fruit and went for it,” he corrected. “Besides, something about houses and stones? Isn’t that how it goes? Don’t throw glass at a stone house, it’s pointless and makes a mess?”
“Nardo, that is not how it goes and you know it--”
Carol coughed politely. “If you’re done being mean to your elders…” They all shut up and tried to look innocent—save Splinter, who merely stared back at his sons mournfully as if he could not believe the wrong they’d done him. “It seems there might be a pause between dinner and dessert, so I was going to suggest you kids go pile up in the living room after and go through our movie collection. August and I can continue to pick on your dad in your absence.”
“You can?” Splinter said warily.
“In a manner of speaking.” Her smile was warm, and maybe only April saw the sharpness around its edges this time, and she swallowed. But… again, she knew this was coming, too. “A parent to parent talk, as it were. Nothing too serious, I promise.”
And it gave them a good reason to transfer Leo to the couch without him feeling like he was ruining anything. April grinned to see his eyes light up at the idea.
“Oh, are you roasting our dad, too? That seems so fitting given the spread—”
“I dunno, Leo, a roast followed by a roast seems a bit overkill,” Mikey said thoughtfully.
“There’s no such thing as too much delicious roast.” Leo leaned forward. Which also had the effect that he could support his weight entirely on the table, April noted. “We’d be more than happy to clear out of your amazing hair until the totally safe brownies arrive.”
Carol transferred her smile back to him, the sharpness gone. “You can take your plate with you, if you like. I don’t want you to feel you have to rush through eating. April, could you find him one of our TV trays?”
“I’m sure that’s doable.” Actually, at this point she had no idea if those had survived the home invasion, but there was one way to find out. “Is everyone else done? I could help clear the plates—”
“No, that’s fine, hon. Your dad and I will clear the table.” Carol gave her a peck on the cheek and a small, meaningful squeeze to her shoulder. “You stay with your friends. August?”
August blinked up at her, startled, half a potato still speared on his fork. “Oh, now? But I just-- okay.” And he shoved the potato into his mouth, fork and all, to gather up empty dishes.
Leo watched him do it, and smiled lazily.
Then there was a sudden quiet after both of them vanished into the kitchen, and he slumped forward.
“That was… an attempt at subtlety, right?”
April grinned. “Dad doesn’t do subtle too well, that’s for sure. But they’re parents, Leo. They’re just worried about you.”
“They only just met me,” he grumbled, resting his head on his arm. “They’re really nice, but—”
“My mom probably decided you were adoptable at about the point Donnie made high-pitched noises in her general direction, my guy. Just accept her concern and move on.”
“Oh. So good to know my humiliation had some kind of strategic effect,” Donnie muttered, reaching across the table to snag Leo’s plate. “You want any more while we’re here?”
“...I’m fine.”
“Well, Raph wouldn’t mind a bit more beef,” Raph said comfortably, sharing a glance with Casey over his head. “And some potatoes! We can just use Leo’s plate for that.”
“Blue?” Splinter was quiet and out of his chair, patting his knee, and Leo lifted his head to peer at him. “You are okay, aren’t you?”
“Man, all this fuss.” Leo grinned faintly. “I promise I’m fine--”
Mikey loomed on his other side, not saying a word.
“—okay, maaaybe I wasn’t quite ready for sitting upright at a table for so long.” He made a face. “But I refuse to be banned from the O’Neil family dinner! You know how long we’ve waited for this—”
“Well, congrats, achievement unlocked,” April said, holding out her fist, and he obligingly bumped it with his own. “Now go curl up on our couch and quit your whining.”
“I wasn’t whining!”
Donnie raised an eyebrow. “He whined, whiningly.”
“Raaaph, they’re picking on me!” Leo whined.
Raph raised an eyebrow. “You wanna complain about it some more or do you want the comfy couch?”
“...couch, please.”
---------
Splinter stayed at the table, waving them off dramatically with a napkin, but the smile he gave April as she left was reassuring. It settled her nerves a little—she wasn’t stupid, she knew what was coming—and so she trailed after Raph as he carted Leo into the living room and settled him on the couch, burying him in comforters.
The sigh of relief Leo made as he sank into the cushions was more than enough to convince her that the move was well timed. “Heaven. I think everyone at family dinners should laze on a couch, honestly.”
“We’d need more couches for that.”
“That could be arranged,” Donnie said, passing a bottle to Casey and then… dropping to his hands and knees to investigate the carpet. What. April folded her arms and watched him.
“I think they’d need more room for the couches,” Casey said, opening the bottle—and oh, those were Leo’s painkillers.
“That could also be—”
“Donnie.” She scowled at him. “What are you doing?”
“Checking the damage,” he said absently, finally finding the edge of the carpet section and peeling it back, scowling at the torn up flooring beneath. “Huh. Bishop really refused to help pay for this?”
“Yeah, well. Bishop also didn’t arrest me for, I dunno, cavorting with evil yokai or whatever, so. I’ll take it.”
“This balance doesn’t add up,” Leo said mildly, taking his pills from Casey and his glass of juice. “Mr Edgelord also put you in danger in the first place. And your parents. Who we are adopting, by the way.”
“I don’t think it works that way—”
“It does, I don’t make the rules. Donnie, verdict?”
“Huh?” Donnie peered up at him. “Oh yeah, yeah, I guess we can adopt.”
“I meant the floor. But okay! Duly noted.”
Mikey started cackling as April threw her hands up and went on a hunt for the TV trays. Donnie blinked at Leo for a moment, then turned back to run his hands over the damage, flicking his goggles down. “I’m not much of a handyman type, but it looks like the structural integrity is intact. It’s just cosmetic and not particularly safe to walk on in the dark. Though that… is an understatement. The Krang did this?”
“Barry did, actually.” The TV trays had survived after all. April fished one out from its hiding place and passed it over to Raph. “But if he hadn’t, I’d probably be kind of torn to pieces, so--” She broke off to smile softly at Raph as he full-body flinched, and then stumbled as Mikey latched onto her like a koala. “Sorry. Anyway, I figure I’d give him a pass on that one.”
Leo slow blinked at her, resting his chin on the back of the couch, and his smile was an oddly cold one. “Yeah. Seems fair. Donnie, you still got a back door into Bishop’s stuff and things?”
Donnie hadn’t looked up, and his voice was very flat. “First of all, stuff and things is like literally the lamest way you could explain a black ops infrastructure, and second of all, why is it you just assume I would still be in his systems now that we’re—”
“Dee.”
“He’s upgraded his security in the past week. I’m doing the digital equivalent of eating popcorn and sidestepping his laughable experts.”
“Good to know. I s’pose getting on his nerves wouldn’t be the smart thing to do right now.”
“It is the opposite of smart. But the EPF is already footing the bill for the O’Neil hotel stay, I don’t see why they can’t shell out for the floor as well.” Donnie finally sat up, flicking his goggles back, and frowned at the scratched walls. “New paint job all round, actually.”
Leo nodded in satisfaction and settled into his nest of comforters, taking the tray from Raph who was surprisingly… not seeming even slightly upset about the whole idea of stealing money from a bunch of amoral secret agents.
April opened her mouth and shut it. “Uh—”
Donnie finally smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it.”
“But—”
“Seriously, he deserves it.”
“That’s not the part I’m worried about!” she snapped, and she waved an arm at Donnie as aggressively as she could with Mikey still limpet-clinging to her from behind. “You guys are on thin ice with him as it is—”
“So?” Leo said, eyes drifting shut. “He’s also on thin ice with us.”
“April.” Donnie finally got to his feet to regard her intently, leaning on the edge of the couch and deftly avoiding Leo’s attempt to nudge him with a foot. “I see you’re worried, but please give me some credit for basic money laundering tactics. The man’s never going to notice where the money actually went, if he even notices it’s gone at all. He’s got bigger fish to fry and it’s not as if we took millions.”
“You know, it says a lot when you say ‘basic money laundering tactics’ and everyone just rolls with it,” she said wryly, but her hackles settled a little. Bishop did deserve a little payback. She just didn’t want them painting even more of a target on their backs. “Raph? You sure you’re okay with this?” He was quiet and looked a little troubled, so--
“Well, see, the thing you gotta remember is…” Raph paused, clasping his hands together in front of him for a moment, and then exhaled gustily.
“...Raph only got to hit him once.”
There was a brief pause.
Leo burst into laughter, then hissed an ow and sank out of sight onto the couch, which caused Raph to dive for him with a panicked look. April wasn’t particularly concerned, given she could see Donnie rolling his eyes. She huffed a faint laugh herself, finally relaxing, and was rewarded with a squeeze of her shoulders and a full hug from behind.
“He messes with family, we mess with him!” Mikey said cheerfully in her ear. “Just go with it, April. You know Donnie covers his tracks.”
“Hmm.” But she smiled anyway, reaching up to pat his head. “Okay. Not gonna complain, as long as I can find a way to explain to my parents. But seriously—don’t go getting arrested or dissected or whatever on my account.”
“Depends on if we get a sequel or not,” Leo wheezed from the couch, resurfacing as Raph helped him sit back up.
“You sure you’re okay?” Raph said, still fretting.
“Oh, peachy. I can’t believe you punched a government agent and I didn’t get to see it.”
“Skill issue,” Donnie said, sounding bored. “Don’t get kidnapped next time, idiot.”
“Wow, rude. Raph, throw a pillow at him for me.”
“Yeah, Raph’s not doing that. Eat your dinner.”
“Aw, c’mon--”
A cushion sailed across the room and clipped Donnie in the face, sending him reeling backward, and Mikey caught it on the rebound, hollering. “For Leo’s honour!”
“You got kidnapped too, you know—”
“For my honour! For everyone’s honour except yours!”
“GASP!”
And the room promptly descended into chaos, which honestly she’d been expecting sooner than this. April just grinned, clicking her phone camera on to record Mikey’s subsequent attempted pillow beat-down of a hissing Donatello. Raph alternated between snorted laughter, half-hearted attempts at lectures, and trying to keep Leo’s tray of food balanced while Leo picked roast potato daintily off the plate with his fingers like popcorn, observing the proceedings with glee. He caught April’s filming and nearly choked, before sinking back out of sight on the couch again with a wave of his greasy fingers as April giggled.
It took her a few moments to realise that Casey had vanished from the room.
---------
“They sound like they’re having fun,” Carol noted.
“They’re probably destroying your living room,” Splinter replied glumly, taking the glass of wine August offered him. “Boys.”
“I’m sorry. Have you seen our child?”
“...teenagers.”
“Better.” Carol grinned and offered her own glass for a toast. “Here’s to new friendships?”
“Very traditional!” But he beamed anyway, clinking against her glass and then August’s. “To new friends and old fans. Aaand awkward conversations.”
Ah. “Kind of obvious, isn’t it?”
“A little.” His smile faded, showing a seriousness that seemed somehow out of place. “But you are good parents and April thinks the world of you. If we did not have this conversation, I would be a little concerned.”
August took his seat again, sitting far more relaxed now that the kids had gone, and tapped the rim of his own glass. “Your boy, Leo. How did he get so hurt?”
Something flickered through Splinter’s eyes that she couldn’t quite catch, and he stared down at his wine, mouth twisting. “A very long story. All of my boys were hurt during the invasion, but Blue unfortunately took the brunt of it. I am as proud of them as I was terrified for them.” His voice was far too mild for that statement and all the depth it contained, and Carol bit her lip as he tossed half the glass back.
Then he beamed at them. “But that is not the question you really want to ask.”
No. No, it wasn’t.
Carol needed to know, but she wasn’t sure how to phrase it and found herself hesitating for other reasons besides—so she glanced to August, who had a knack for being terribly blunt at times. He gave her a brief nod, and put his glass down.
“How safe is our daughter?”
Straight to the point. Splinter took a smaller drink, and met his gaze.
“All things being equal, far safer than the average teenager.”
August frowned unhappily, and his voice was flat. “She was involved in an alien invasion. They came to our house. Her nose was broken—”
“Lou,” Carol said softly. “We’re just worried about her. Your boys weren’t just here for the invasion, they fought on the front line. And so did she. Didn’t she?”
“Your daughter,” Splinter said steadily, “Took out one of those aliens with a wrecking ball. She blinded it, one eye at a time.”
“Is that meant to make us feelbetter?” August demanded, and Splinter turned a sober gaze on him. “We know April can look after herself. She shouldn’t have to. How much danger is she in just by associating with your family?”
“August.” Her voice was sharper that time.
“I’m sorry,” her husband said more quietly. “I don’t mean it quite like that—they’re obviously good kids. You should know, the turtle and rat thing is… confusing, but in the end that isn’t what this is about.”
Splinter smiled a little. “What this is about is that you think my boys dragged April into their fight and made her a target. Has April ever told you how long she has known them for?”
August paused, but it was only to calculate the passage of time. They both knew when it was that April had come home talking about the boys she’d met on the roof. Six… seven years ago? Maybe eight? And...ah.
“This is the first time she’s been in trouble,” Carol said, feeling relieved. She understood. After all, holding an alien invasion against Splinter’s family would be extremely rude. April could have been hurt worse if she didn’t know such powerful people--
“Oh no,” Splinter said bluntly. “She’s definitely been in trouble before this.”
“...what?”
“Let’s see…” He sipped his wine. “She’s been captured by your upstairs neighbour at least twice by my count—”
“What.”
“Don’t make those faces, he was nice enough to let her go again. Then there was the fiasco with Big Mama and Shredder, the yokai train, tangling with the Foot clan and fighting at the stadium—”
August stood up. “I’m sorry, she was at the stadium? When that maniac was threatening to wipe out the human race!?”
Splinter raised an eyebrow. “You do know who that maniac was, don’t you?”
---------
April found Casey in her bedroom—or half in, half out, leaning out the window and breathing in the night air. She could hear sharp voices carry over from the kitchen window, and distorted with only a word here or there making it through, but she recognised her mother’s voice all right, shrill with stress, and winced. Splinter had said to trusthim. She was wondering if that had been a bad call.
She sat on the window ledge next to Casey, and he jumped, smacking his head on the window frame before ducking back inside. “Commander—I mean. April. Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“To get some space?” she asked dryly.
“Well…”
Casey rubbed his head for a moment with a wince, then pulled himself inside, and April listened briefly to the yelling before she decided to resist all temptation and closed the window. She didn’t want to hear it, really. It would just make her feel awful and she’d be hearing the fallout soon enough.
“I did come out for space, and to see where the rats, uh. Came in. Or tried to? I felt—felt like it should be looked at,” Casey said awkwardly. “The eavesdropping was unintentional.”
“I believe you,” April said easily. She did. He wasn’t the type—or at least, she didn’t think so. None of them knew him too well, yet. “All quiet on the rat front?”
“Oh, yeah. I mean… evil alien rats, anyway.” He smiled a little. “I think there’s some normal ones further down.”
“Guess we’ll have to live with that.”
They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the laughter coming from the living room. Her light was off, but there was enough coming in from outside that she could just catch Casey’s wistful look at the door, and April nudged him gently with a shoulder.
“You wanna go back out?”
“...in a minute. Just… getting my head in order.”
“Too busy? Too loud?” She hesitated. “Weird seeing more people you used to know?”
He jumped a little at that, turning to look at her in the gloom. “How did you—”
“Kind of obvious, Future Boy,” she said dryly. “’Nice to meet you again’?”
“Aheh.” He ducked his head. “Yeah, I guess I’m not so good on the spot. I was… trying to prepare myself for seeing them again, but it was so different once I did.”
“More of a shock than meeting those idiots again?” She gestured toward the living room.
“A little. The turtles—when they grow up, they’re a lot bigger. Sensei is so much taller! And Uncle Raph was huge.” He smiled, looking down at his hands. “And like-- you were an adult. Commander O’Neil. I knew what you would all look like from the photo, and it was kind of like… meeting you all for the first time, even though-- well. It’s complicated.”
He really wasn’t good at it, was he? Not giving things away. Sensei is taller. Raph was huge. It told her so much. It was painful, and a small part of her turned over in grief-- an empathetic grief for the kid next to her, a pang of knowing it could have been so much worse. She was so relieved she could hear Raph through the door. (...yelling “Not the gravy!” which, eugh boy, okay, she would pretend she didn’t hear that.)
Then it occurred to her what Casey was trying to say, and April froze. It didn’t mean anything. They’d avoided the whole apocalypse thing. But--
“My parents… they look the same to you?”
Casey shrugged. “Well, they’re already grown adults. They’re not gonna get another five feet taller or something weird.”
Oh. Oh, that was… she was an idiot. “Hah,” she said after a moment with a small laugh. “For a sec, I thought you meant they like... died young. Or—”
And she felt the silence change, in that dark room.
An idiot twice over—looking at the crystal stillness of Casey’s reaction to her opening her dumbass mouth, April curled up on the seat next to him and knew she’d basically tripped into a minefield. A personal one, because this wasn’t just people Casey had known and grieved.
They’re not dead. They were yelling at Splinter two rooms over, words echoing off the fire escape outside, and she tried to focus on the more rational dread that they were gonna try and stop her from seeing the guys. But…
...she couldn’t stop her stupid brain from picking over the what ifs.
Casey saved her the struggle, touching her arm gently in the dark. “Do you…” He swallowed and tried again. “You wanna hear about them? I’ve probably given you the wrong impression. Well… half of one.”
She found her voice, rough, and forced a smile. “Not if it’s gonna stress you out. Besides—” And this time she stopped herself in time, because saying it’s never gonna happen now, right? to someone who had lived those events was so cheap and awful. It had sure happened for Casey.
“I don’t mind,” he said. “Uh, if you want to know… it might. Actually help.”
Share the grief, huh. Let him not be alone with some of this.
April breathed out. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”
---------
“Oh! And there was that one time when she accidentally got a job with an evil ninja organisation, but now that I think about it that was sheer bad luck...”
Carol was getting a headache. She refilled her glass, trying to sort out whether she wanted to laugh or scream or just throw a wine bottle at Lou, which definitely hadn’t featured on her list of Ways To Impress Him before she realised he was now a mutated father of four turtle boys. August had left the room, but the door to the kitchen was open and so she knew he was still listening; he was going through the bottles on the fridge perhaps a touch more violently than he needed to.
“Lou,” she said wearily, pinching the bridge of her nose, “I don’t get you. I would have thought you’d be trying to show us how safe she was with you, not—”
“Not be honest?”
She startled, glancing up to find him watching her shrewdly, and the smile that tucked into the corner of his mouth was an amused one, which made her bristle. Splinter put down his empty glass—his second glass, and he was still very sober in a way she wished she was not—and leaned forward. “Sure! I could have said, ‘Mr and Mrs O’Neil! My boys lead very boring lives! The worst scrape they’ve ever been in was an unfortunate one involving a skateboard and a cat and one too many magnets, and this alien invasion was a complete anomaly! Of course it will never happen again!’ That certainly is one way to lie to your face. I can think of more subtle attempts, but—”
“So you’re making fun of us?” August’s voice wafted from the kitchen, curt, and there was the snap-fizz sound of a fresh can of something being opened. Lord, Carol hoped it was strong and her husband was about to share. “You’re treating this whole situation with such irreverence that—”
“August.” Her voice was too sharp, and she softened it before she continued. “He’s not making fun. Maybe he’s being a bit of an ass, but—”
“I’m being a whole ass, thank you very much,” Splinter said mildly, and she pointed at him, baring her teeth.
“You are not helping. Tell me why.”
He raised his eyebrows at her in genuine curiosity. “Why be honest? Seriously?”
Carol paused, retort dying on the tip of her tongue.
Because. Because while he was telling them in the most irreverent way, it was the truth. Their lives were crazy and chaotic, and he was saying to expect nothing less. That the insanity of their lives had reached out and snagged their daughter at an early age, that—that she’d already been a target before these aliens came along. That Barry wasn’t who he said he was, had been a danger well before this and she’d been trying to introduce him to a daughter he’d apparently already kidnapped twice by that point--
Wait. That didn’t make sense.
“Barry saved April from the zombies,” she said slowly. “And reunited us. Are you saying that’s an act?”
“Good grief, no.” He tapped his empty glass and made a mournful sound, and one ear twitched back. “Much as I hate to give him any credit, Draxum is a changed goat. There is much behind his early motivations that I enthusiastically suggest you ask him about, if for no other reason than that it would be funny! But he just needed to see the bigger picture—that not all humans seek the destruction of anything they don’t understand.” He raised his eyebrows. “I am not sure if he would have come to that conclusion so quickly if it were not for your daughter. She is absolutely his favourite human, you know.”
There was a soft click as August exited the kitchen, shutting the door softly behind him. He came bearing another two bottles of wine and an opened can of Twisted Tea. Carol smiled at him, and he smiled back tiredly, a smile that faded into seriousness as he looked at Splinter. “Do you trust him?”
“With everything but money and my dignity,” Splinter said at once. “He’s a jerk, but he’s our jerk, I suppose.”
“You could have led with that.”
“I could have,” he said agreeably. They waited for him to explain further.
He didn��t.
“Okay,” Carol said finally, accepting the can from her husband and nodding as he refilled glasses all round. “So, what? You gave us a litany of horrific danger that our daughter has been involved with because…”
“Because to lie would have been extremely disrespectful, and you both seem strong enough to take the truth—oh thank you—” To August as his glass was refilled, and he snatched it up. “Of course I do not want you to separate the children. But you are both her parents, and good people, and you deserve to know all the facts so you can make a decision without any of us pretending that anything about this is normal.”
“As if it were as easy as that,” August muttered. “She’s already eighteen.”
“Well, that’s a you problem, I’m afraid.” Splinter sipped his wine. “But I’ve told you all about the disaster situations our children like to land themselves in. That’s only the ones I know of, mind you.”
“That’s so much better, thank you.”
“You’re welcome!” He cackled, offering his glass up for a toast. Carol gave him one, half-heartedly, and he favoured her with a softer smile.
“Now, I have a question for you,” he said. “How often has she come home hurt? Upset? Scared?”
August went to retort and then paused, looking thoughtful. Carol glanced between them both and frowned, thinking back. April had been hurt before… there was a sprained ankle she knew had come from an accident at school. A few minor bruises from early scraps with that girl with the purple hair. Nothing she wouldn’t expect from an outspoken teenage girl who picked fights with bullies.
Nothing that had raised alarms, until now. Until April’s poor face, bruising turning her skin even darker, coated in dust with blood in her hair, because aliens had attacked them directly. Because Agent Bishop had set them up as bait, which was a fault that could be laid at his doorstep, not the Hamatos’.
It took an alien invasion.
“I cannot make promises about how safe she will be. How safe any of them will be.” Splinter spoke gently now, drawing circles around the rim of his glass with a claw. He glanced up to meet their gaze. “Chaos magnet teenagers, the lot of them. But I will tell you that she is their big sister, and they would never let anything happen to her. And I will protect my family with everything I have. All of them.” He paused, then flashed a small smile. “It turns out I don’t do too bad a job!”
“All things being equal, you said,” Carol murmured.
“Yes, well. One would hope we don’t have to deal with anything as ridiculous as alien invasions again.” Splinter made a face. “They’re so exhausting! Barring city-destroying events, I truly think your daughter is safer than the average teenage girl. And I swear, large amounts of time go past in which the most exciting thing to happen is we’re late returning a DVD to the store, or the pizza order is wrong.” He paused. “...actually, that second one is generally a cause for alarm—”
Carol snorted in amusement, and she was relieved to see a faint smile on August’s face as well. “So. Family, huh?”
“Er, well. I know she already has a father and all,” Splinter muttered. “Just think of me as, I don’t know, cool wine uncle Randall.”
“Randall?”
“Oh, and while you are considering what to do—” Splinter put his hands together. “Please take into account that we would miss her a great deal. But also, she is the intelligent one. I would appreciate it if you did not remove the brain cell from my boys…?”
Carol grinned outright. “I’m sorry, are you sure you know my daughter that well? Because—”
---------
Carol O’Neil died when Casey was seven.
“There weren’t a lot of kids on base,” he said. “I mean-- there were bunkers, and civilians and their families mostly hid there, all through the cave systems below us… but for kids whose parents were active soldiers and had no one else-- I think there was maybe four of us all up. My mom and yours knew each other pretty well. Mrs O’Neil gave her a lot of advice about kids. I mean, my mom was your age, so…” He paused, staring into the darkness for a long moment with a mild frown. “You guys were friends, too. A long time ago.”
“Your mom and me?” April asked tentatively.
“Yeah. So I got to see you guys a lot as a kid. You worked out in the field more with my mom, and you’d both come back after days on end and mom would demand reports from the playroom and you’d laugh at her.” He grinned at her in the gloom. “But I’d see Mrs O’Neil a lot more because she stayed at base. I think she did a lot of behind the scenes stuff—I was too young to really get it. But I know she looked after us, too, and made sure we ate and got clean and slept safely. Ran drills for us on what to do if we were attacked. Where to run, where to hide. That kinda thing.”
Wonderful way for a kid to grow up. She gave him a small smile. “Mom does like to boss people around. She’s real nice about it, though.”
“Yeah, she is. And she’s, uh. Fierce when threatened.”
And a mama bear through and through. The Krang tried to take out the base while diverting most of the resistance fighters to another location, and they had to run. And Carol had made them go first and put herself between a bunch of scared kids and a pack of Krang war dogs. Casey didn’t see it happen. But he heard it, on the other side of the heavy trap door, too small to really understand what was going on, huddling with three other kids in the corner of the tiny secret basement.
He spared April the details. Her imagination had no problem filling them in for him, and April curled her knees up to her chest, wishing she couldn’t see it so clearly. A sick feeling curled in her gut, and she tried to remind herself her parents were still two rooms over with Splinter, but--
“It was a bad day for… everyone,” he said slowly. “The Krang hit us hard on two fronts, and we lost a lot of people that day. Including—” He broke off, and winced. “Well. Sensei and Master Donatello were the ones that pulled the survivors out, and I don’t remember much following. But I know the base was trashed and we had to move. That… happened, sometimes. Less as time went on.”
So her mom was a casualty among… dozens? Hundreds? More? She had trouble wrapping her head around the numbers and, if she were being honest, April didn’t want to think too hard about it. It was awful enough as it was. There was an odd, terrible relief that her mom hadn’t been singled out somehow. Because she’d seen what the Krang liked to do when they hated someone personally.
It was still a horrible way to die.
(There were no good ways to die in an apocalypse, huh?)
“You okay?”
She blinked, and found Casey much closer than he’d been a moment ago, hovering in concern, and April unclenched her fingers from each other and gave him a wan smile. “Hey, I knew going in it wouldn’t be pretty. I’m more worried about you.”
“You don’t need to be,” he said softly. “This was a long time ago.”
“Time doesn’t magically make things better.”
“I guess not,” he murmured. “But I grew up with this story. This is the first time you’ve heard it.” And he sounded so apologetic about it that she patted his shoulder.
“S’okay, Future Boy. I appreciate knowing. My mom was a total badass to the end, right?”
His smile was hesitant, but there all the same. “Right.”
She took a breath. “So, in for a penny, blah blah blah. If you’re up for it…?”
“...yeah.”
“Dad… did he outlive Mom?”
“By a whole lot.” His smile faded. “I really didn’t know him much until after Mrs O’Neil passed. And then he was kind of everywhere. He threw himself right into intelligence support, and he was so good at it—his strength was logistics and efficiency of movement on a mass scale, and we were still struggling with organisation, so… he and Master Donatello worked together a lot. He wasn’t a fighter, your dad, not like your mom. But he knew his stuff, and I know a lot of his ideas helped keep our home safe and our supply lines going as long as possible. He worked way too much—you came to drag him back to his room so many times.”
Wow. Was it weird to feel proud of her future and now non-existent dad? She hoped he’d never have to go through something similar. August was generally a laid back, quieter guy who enjoyed his trains and ships as hobbies.
That he’d weaponised his knowledge was amazing, but also heartbreaking. April could read between the lines just fine—he buried himself in work because Mom was dead.
“I can’t tell you exactly how he...uh.” Casey bit his lip. “We were always kind of awkward around each other. I think because of Mrs O’Neil. So I kept my distance.”
April frowned. “He can’t possibly have blamed you kids for Mom’s death. I’ll kick his ass. I’ll march right into the kitchen now--”
That surprised a laugh out of him. “No! No, I don’t think he did. But… you know. She died, and we were there. I think… it was just a reminder. And every time I saw him, I’d remember her too, and it just—it was like this presence in the room, I guess. By the time both of us got around to being rational about it, things were just weird. And I wasn’t really a logistics guy and had other places to be, so… we just let things go.”
She wondered what had happened to the other kids. The answer was obvious, given… well, everything. April kept her mouth shut and let Casey tell her the rest: that, actually, her Dad had survived up until the last days before Casey was thrown through Mikey’s time portal. That it was only when they were close to a full rout that he finally fell, along with the rest of the base personnel. That, as far as Casey knew, April had been with him when he died.
And by the clipped, hesitant way he spoke, constantly glancing to her as he paused and searched for words—giving her this heavily edited version, trying not to give her any other information—April could gather that she’d probably died at the same time.
That they all had, maybe. With the base down, and the guys choosing to send Casey back more than twenty years instead of continuing to fight…? That was some Terminator shit right there. Only this time, the good guys were the ones that lost. That wasn’t exactly a surprise; it had been kind of obvious since Casey first arrived. Time travel was a last resort kind of option.
In the future, they all died.
April wished that changing the future would wipe the slate clean for Casey, too. For the rest of them, it was a case of Hooray! Disaster averted! and they could be relieved that none of this would ever happen. But it had, for one of them. She wondered how he was going to cope with that.
“...sorry.”
Annnd he was apologising to her again. April wrinkled her nose—gingerly, it was still healing, stupid Krang—and flicked him on the forehead, smiling grimly at his yelp. “Casey Jones, I’m fine. Is this why you didn’t want to meet my parents?”
Casey blinked at her owlishly in the dark, and then pulled back, looking guilty. “What? N-no, I did, I swear—”
“Lemme put it another way,” she said, taking pity on him. This kid still took everything so seriously. But, you know. Justified and all. “Is this why you were so nervous about it?” More ninja than the guys, hiding in the one gloomy patch of hallway and trying to be invisible. But he could probably have gotten away with not coming for any number of reasons, so the fact that he was willing to try…
“...a little,” he allowed after a moment. “I mean—I know it’s dumb. Your parents—your dad has never met me in this time. But I kept thinking he’d take one look at me and just kind of… know.” He paused, then ran hand through his hair sheepishly. “Not very rational, I guess.”
April smiled. “Nah. But it still makes sense. And you made it through dinner okay, right?”
“Yeah.” He smiled back. “Your parents are really nice. I can tell the guys like them, too.”
“Don’t remind me. They’re threatening to adopt.”
“...does it work that way in the past?”
She couldn’t help the snort of laughter at his genuine confusion. “Oh, man. We so have to give you a crash course in literally everything, don’t we.”
“Probably,” he said wryly. And paused again, before sighing. “Also, I think they finally worked out we’re not in the living room anymore.”
April blinked at him, and then turned toward the door—and yeah, it had gone suspiciously quiet out there. She put a finger to her lips, grinning at Casey, and reached down for her Journalism and Media Studies text book.
Then she threw it at the door hard and burst into laughter at the girlish shriek that came from the other side. Even Casey gave a soft huff of amusement as the door was flung open a moment later by Donnie, Mikey sprawled on the ground behind him.
“See,” Raph grumbled in the distance, “I told you guys—”
“April O’Neil,” Donnie demanded, “Are you throwing books at us?”
“It’s the outdated thing they gave us in class that you found the newer edition of.”
“In that case, carry on.”
“Don’t carry on,” Mikey wheezed, rolling up to his feet. “Books are scary.” And he dropped his voice to a stage whisper. “Also, Leo is asleeep.”
Oh, whoops. April glanced at the sofa, where Leo’s hood and red stripes could just be seen under the comforter, Raph sitting in front of him and polishing off the last of Leo’s food. She lowered her own voice to something more reasonable. “Then you shouldn’t have been eavesdropping.”
“Of course we were!” Donnie proclaimed, arms folded. Then winced. “--n’t. Weren’t eavesdropping. Don’t be ridiculous, we were merely concerned that you had run into emotional difficulties of some—” Mikey smacked him in the shoulder. “I mean. Eaten by rats. Because rats. Are a thing in these parts. Zombie rats. They could still be here.”
“Uh huh.” She folded her arms. “Casey?”
He honest to god saluted her with a perfectly straight face. “No rats in the apartment, Commander. Could be a liar or two, though.”
Raph snorted, choking on his mouthful of beef as Donnie gaped at them. Mikey planted his face on Donnie’s shell and gave a muffled giggle. “Someone tell Casey the house rules—”
“We have house rules now?” April wanted to know.
“Uhh, something something don’t be funny while people are eating?” Donnie suggested. “You nearly killed Raph.”
Raph pointed in their general direction but said nothing, still coughing.
“That’s not a house rule. That’s something you came up with to get Leo to shut up and eat.”
“In our defense, his puns are very painful,” Donnie noted. “Also, how long has he been Dumbonardo in your phone?”
“My—” She glanced down to see her phone in his hand, and April snatched it back. “Give me that.”
“I was updating it for you.”
“With what?”
“Answer the question and I’ll answer yours.”
She glared, but after poking at her phone to make sure he hadn’t put Yet Another Firewall on it, April gave a shrug. “Since the invasion.”
“Hmm. Some might say I am required to speak in my beloved brother’s defense, but I merely question why you didn’t do it earlier.”
Raph finally found his voice, still pointing. “Don’t use Raph as an excuse. Also Leo went to sleep, like, five minutes ago—you sure you wanna be roasting him like this?”
“It’s a night for roasts,” Mikey said sagely. “Speaking of, d’you think we can stick a fork in Dad and call him done yet?”
“I don’t know,” Splinter said from behind the couch. “Can you?”
They all yelped and jumped away from him—with the exception of Leo, who let out a small snore, and Casey, who just lifted a hand and waved. Splinter beamed at them and continued picking his teeth clean with a nail which, ew. April made a face. “When did you get in here?”
“A good ninja never reveals his secrets.”
“Oh, so you’re going to tell us everything—”
Splinter’s tail cracked into Donnie’s head, and April cackled, flopping into the armchair as he waved a finger. “The O’Neils will be in shortly! I came to warn you in advance so you can repair all the damage you’ve done.”
“Huh?” Raph’s brow furrowed. “What damage? If you’re talking about the gravy, we dealt with that—”
“There was no gravy,” Donnie said swiftly, and April immediately started scanning the cushions and the carpeting with dread. “It’s all in your imagination.”
“Who cares about gravy?” Splinter hissed, flailing his arms in dramatic outrage. “What about what you’ve done to the walls?”
They stared back at him in disbelief.
“Okay, first of all, that wasn’t us,” Donnie said, voice flat. “Second, I admire your faith that we can somehow put the walls back to rights in the moments we have before the O’Neils descend upon us with whatever imagined wrath you think we deserve—”
April raised a hand, sighing. “In light of Leo being asleep, let me be the one to tell you that was totally Draxum, and the walls were like that before you guys arrived.”
“Draxum, you say?” Splinter said gleefully. “I mean—oh no, your poor walls.”
“Hey, he did it saving April!” Mikey defended.
“Yeah, he’s off the hook for that one,” Raph said, ruffling Mikey’s mask tails. “You can blame him for a lot of things, but—”
“I’m sorry,” Draxum drawled, towering behind Raph suddenly. “What am I being blamed for now?”
They all yelped and scrambled in the opposite direction. Except for Casey, who waved again, and Leo, whose snoring took on a more stubborn sound, and April eyed him suspiciously. Draxum loomed over them all, dressed in a surprisingly nice kimono, its stylishness ruined somewhat by the traces of chocolate staining its sleeve, and he was holding a tray that was…
...gurgling. Huh.
Splinter recovered first. “Everything I can possibly get away with, and surprise ninja entrances are my thing! Get your own!”
Draxum raised an eyebrow. “Surprise ninja entrances? I walked through the door. Perhaps your supposed ninja family needs more training in observation.”
April glanced behind him to see that, yes, the door to the kitchen was open, and Carol was leaning against the frame watching them all. She caught April’s stare and grinned, offering her a wink.
And April relaxed. Whatever her parents had talked about with Splinter, it had turned out okay.
Draxum eyed them a moment longer, then gave a disdainful sniff and set the tray down on the coffee table. It was full of brown, bubbling and uneven sludge, and an attempt to slice it into squares had clearly been made before the pieces melted back together again. They surrounded it and eyed it dubiously.
“Brownies,” Draxum said proudly. “I grew them myself.”
Mikey peered at him. “Don’t you mean baked—”
“I said what I said.”
There was silence as they all stared down at what, honestly, looked a little like a horror story. Like a village buried under a sudden mud slide, maybe. The lumpiness did remind April a little of tiny drowning people, and the fact that it was still bubbling didn’t help.
It did smell delicious, though--
“Who would like to try one first?” Draxum asked. “Carol? As host—”
“Oh,” Carol said cheerfully. “As host, I’ll… find you some plates.” And she was gone with a speediness that April envied. She wondered if she could somehow vanish through the same doorway without being noticed.
“I’ll pass,” Casey said, raising a hand, and he looked sincerely apologetic. “I’m still meant to stick to a simple diet, and I think your brownies are too… rich?”
Nice save. April felt a little bad for Draxum as he looked around with confusion and frowned. “I promise you they taste just fine.”
“Did you follow my recipe?” Mikey asked weakly.
“I improved on your recipe—”
“I’ll go first,” Raph said, face dark and slamming a fist into his open palm. “I’ve eaten weirder.”
“Yeah, good luck with that.” Donnie was on his phone. “I am not eating anything that looks like a crime scene. Tampering with evidence is a no-no.”
Mikey peered at him. “That’s not what you said at the college labs—”
“You’re all babies.” Raph rolled up the sleeves of his jacket, wincing slightly as the holes at his elbows grew a little bigger. “I bet it’ll taste great and you should all give Barry the benefit of the doubt.”
“Thank you,” Draxum said with a sniff. “I tasted them myself and I am in perfectly good health. I don’t know why all of you are such cowards when it comes to yokai cooking.”
“Raph ain’t no coward.” Yet despite this, he hovered over the tray for a long time, fingers wiggling as if he wasn’t sure what to grab, and April watched the drop of sweat roll down his cheek. Everyone watched him in silence. Except for Donnie, who was humming. April thought it might be a dirge of some kind.
Another green hand reached out and stabbed a finger down into the tray, twirling a pile of warm goop around it, and they jumped. Leo stuck it into his mouth, eyes still half closed.
“Uh—”
“Sensei—”
“Nardo, don’t swallow that—”
“Oh, sweet pineapple on pizza,” Leo breathed, eyes flying open. “This is amazing. Who made this?”
There was dead silence. And then everyone pointed to Draxum. Leo blinked at him, wrinkled his snout, and snuggled back into his pile of comforters. “Oh, that’s right. Well, whatever, can’t win ‘em all. Can I have a plate?”
“Wait,” Donnie said, disbelieving. “You’re serious? You’re not just trying to trick us all into food poisoning?”
“You don’t wanna eat any, Dontron, it’s more for me.”
“Well, not that I doubt you...” Donnie squinted at the plate. “But brownies are meant to have a certain internal consistency. If you can twirl it around your finger I feel they should be classified as something more liquid—”
“Save me from picky eaters,” Draxum said, rolling his eyes. “If you wait a little longer I’m sure they’ll set.”
“They’re meant to set before you serve them, Barry—”
Mikey crossed his arms. “Hey, he tried! And therefore nobody should criticise him!”
“Oh, I think we can find plenty to criticise,” Splinter said, dabbing chocolate goop away from his mouth, and April gave a start and wondered when he’d managed that theft. “But I suppose in this case the brownies are exempt. I hate to say it, but they are delicious. In a strangely muddy kind of way.”
“Oh, nobody died?” Carol had reappeared, holding a stack of small plates. “I brought spoons as well, given their… unique texture. We can call it pudding instead of brownies, right?”
“But I made brownies,” Draxum said sulkily.
“Special recipe yokai brownies,” she said with a dry smile. “Clearly we poor humans don’t recognise quality when we see it.”
“Well, seeing as you brought it up—”
April stomped on his foot. Hard. Which probably hurt her more than it hurt him, given he had hooves and he merely gave her a blank look, but it did shut him up.
“Everyone stop arguing about dessert and eat it already,” Leo said, yawning. “Mrs O, dinner was delicious. I don’t know if I said that before, so…”
That prompted a general round of agreement, and she smiled at them, handing out the plates. “You’re very welcome. Maybe when you’re feeling better, we can do this again, huh?”
Splinter perked up. “You mean like a traditional Sunday dinner?”
“Not every Sunday,” August said, finally entering with a tray of glasses. “I’m not sure our poor apartment can take it. I heard something about gravy?”
“There is no gravy.”
“Oh, glad to hear it. Drinks, anyone?”
A chorus of hands shot up.
“I think there’s enough room for all of us,” Carol said, pointedly flopping down on the ground by April’s chair. “You guys haven’t picked a movie out yet. Anything in particular?”
“Do you have any Jupiter Jim?” Leo said, peering over his comforter.
“Who cares about Jupiter Jerkface.” Splinter huffed. “I happen to know they have the entire collection of Lou Jitsu’s hidden 80s gems—”
“We are not watching Lou Jitsu movies.” Draxum paused between serving up his pudding-slash-brownies onto plates to give him a disdainful look. “We already have to look at you enough today.”
“You only just arrived with faulty brownies, you don’t get a say—”
“My delicious brownies. Even the annoying one thinks so.”
“Don’t drag me into this, I’m horribly injured.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Anyway,” Mikey said determinedly, stuffing Leo’s mouth full of chocolate before he could retort, “That’s one vote for Jupiter Jer—Jim and like minus five for Lou Jitsu—”
“How dare you!” Splinter gasped. “The lack of respect!”
“Lou Jitsu’s ‘hidden 80s gems’ are uncut and not for children,” Carol said firmly. “Don’t scar them.”
“What do you mean—” Donnie paused, and then went a fascinating shade of grey as April hid her face. “Oh. Never mind.”
“I haven’t seen much of the Jupiter Jim franchise, actually,” August said thoughtfully. “Are they any good?”
“Actually,” Casey said, raising a hand with a hesitant smile, “I haven’t seen any. For, uh… obvious reasons..?”
There was silence as everyone stared at the two of them.
Then Leo reached out and smacked Donnie in the arm, making garbled sounds through his mouthful of chocolate sludge, and Donnie sighed. “Translating for my dum-dum brother here, I believe he wants me to say ‘Well, now we have to watch them. From the beginning.’”
“We don’t own any of them, though—”
“That is not a problem, believe me.” Donnie produced his tablet from out of thin air. “April? May I borrow your laptop?”
“You got it, Dee.” She wriggled out of the chair and scrambled past them to her room, cackling as Splinter stopped grumbling and snatched up a plate, perching on the far arm of Leo’s sofa. By the time she returned, dad had pulled in a chair from the kitchen to sit on and the rest were mostly lounging on the floor with what spare cushions they had, and Donnie was perched in an unlikely sprawl across the back of the sofa, setting up the connections they’d need.
“Okay!” Donnie straightened up as she handed him her laptop. “Given there are more than eighty films in the franchise we will clearly start with just the one, so let’s go for one of the more iconic for new viewers and take bets on how long it takes Nardo to fall asleep again—”
“Hey,” Leo protested sleepily. “Rude. I wanna watch people watching JJ.”
“Again, skill issue. I suppose we can ask April to throw more text books—”
“I know who I’m gonna throw ‘em at if I do.”
“—but books are sacred and should not be treated that way. I give him five minutes.”
“Eight,” Carol said mildly.
“Mom!”
“Oh no, Raph is not losin’ another Leo bet. I give him three minutes, look at him, he’s already yawnin’—”
“You’re all jerks.”
“Shush, Leo, or I’ll rig the bet in my favour. You will not like my methods.”
“Dad, Donnie’s threatening me again.”
“Be quiet and go to sleep! Preferably after four minutes.”
“You’re all gonna lose,” Mikey sing-songed. “Leo loves these movies. I’ll give him a full half hour.”
“Thank you, Miguel, but also you’re still a jerk.”
“I love you too.”
“Shh, shh-- the movie’s starting.”
“Shh.”
“Ssh!”
April’s phone buzzed as her dad got the lights, and she blinked down at it.
Donnie: >> I updated your panic button. For all your potential home invasion needs. If we can’t answer, it’ll summon a drone. No more zombies. Share it with parents?
Oh… right. The update. April smiled, and offered him a thumbs up in the dark as the movie started. She’d have to break the news to her parents that they were adopted after all.
Her chair hadn’t been stolen, which was nice of them. She settled back into it, and Carol glanced up at her with a small smile.
“Okay?” April whispered.
“More than,” Carol whispered back.
And...okay. Good. Great. Something in her settled into pure warmth and she curled her knees up to her chest, glancing at her dad. He smiled and gave her a quick nod. Two for two.
It was gonna be more than okay. From here, it was gonna be amazing.
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sunsetcorvid · 1 year
Note
tell us about your agents
Anon you have unleashed the beast known as Autism (LONG POST I'M SERIOUS THE INFODUMP REALLY INFODUMPED)
Three Cuttlefish (Agent/Captain 3)
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Repeating general info from the reference sheet for all of these! Also with some extra notes!
That's a They/Them right there.
Short squid haha 5'2" (157cm) ((they are only an inch shorter than me.))
Agender lesbian gayass who chose Three as their preferred name when Callie asked because they hadn't actually thought it out but thought "Hey, you know what they already call me Agent 3, why not just make it official." and they actually love the name now!
Hawaiian Bobtail Squid! Fun squid fact: Hawaiian Bobtails have a symbiotic relationship with bioluminescent bacteria which protects them from predators and also makes them sorta glow! Matches up with Three's scar a bit. (Look it up, the bioluminescence is pretty cool.)
Actually pretty nearsighted so they wear contacts most of the time. They found a pair that resemble Callie and Marie's pupil shape, so they got those to look more "Cuttlefish."
Not the best relationship with their bio family, pretty no-contact. I will most likely touch on this in my "Early Days of Agent 3" series on Ao3!
Sanitization scar fucked up their throat and vocal cords a bit, so it's pretty painful to talk. They could but they'd rather not anyways. Selective mute and uses sign to communicate!
Ambulatory cane user (Did some research, hope I used the first word right). Already had some body pains to begin with (One of them being the sanitization scar because that flares up sometimes.), but they messed up their back on a certain mission so they use a cane to walk sometimes.
Mains a Dynamo Roller. (They wield it like a Carbon....)
Banned from Turf Wars for "Using an illegally modified weapon." It wasn't illegal or modified they're just a beast with the Dynamo.
Legally got their name changed to "Three Cuttlefish" (Callie helped them.)
Four Cuttlefish (Agent 4)
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looks at my icon. can you tell who my favorite agent is, lol.
Guys I think this is one of those She/They/Hes.... (real)
Grew a couple of inches from when he was 14 to now currently 19. 5'6" (167cm) to 5'8" (172cm)
Genderfluid panromantic gayass who chose Four as their name but not because it was a "Fuck it." moment, but because they genuinely liked being called Four at the time and they still do.
Never actually been in a relationship, but they're pretty sure they're polyamorous. (And might be on the aroace spectrum.)
A Clubhook Squid! So she has cool hooks on her tentacles. They are also a large species, so that's why Four's pretty tall. (For an inkling anyway.)
Also has a strained relationship with her bio family. Doesn't actually have Cuttlefish as her last name, but likes to introduce herself like that anyways because Marie is basically her mom now.
Always wears his Hero Jacket when he goes out. It's a comfort item to him. (Even if it's pretty torn up now and Marie has to force him to wash it every couple weeks.)
Started tying their back tentacles up when they were getting pretty long. Just did it one day because the hooks were bothering them and realized "Hey, I kind of look like Marie..." and kept doing it because it makes them feel better to share something with their mother-like figure.
Works part-time at Ammo Knights. Likes listening to Sheldon ramble about weapons.
She mains the Inkbrush! Very skilled, too. (Got some muscle from swinging it around.)
Looks at Three as an older sibling-like figure. (Technically, they could be cousins because Callie pretty much adopted Three and Marie pretty much adopted Four, sooo-)
The only one of the main four agents to have finished high school. Three dropped out to focus on agent work, Eight never really went, and Neo doesn't even know what the hell school is.
Absolutely terrified of salmonid. It's always just been a general phobia.
Eight Iida-Houzuki (Agent 8)
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Yooo, one of those demigirl She/Theys, thats so poggers...
Tall... (5'11" 180cm, 6'1" 185cm in heels)
Down bad lesbian and in a relationship with Three!! (They hold hands!! Scandalous!!!)
Blue-Ringed Octopus! (And possibly something else because Blue-Rings are typically quite small.) Blue-Ringed Octopus are a highly venomous species (Though any recorded deaths are quite rare.). When they become agitated or defensive, their color will shift to a yellow and the blue rings appear. That's why the second ref is here, to show what the rings look like on Eight. While her ink color doesn't shift to a yellow, the rings are there and they have a slight yellow tint to them. Also blueish fingertips because funky fresh.
Doesn't remember much, if anything, from before Octo Expansion. Because of this, and being new to the surface, Marina pretty much put her under her name. So that's why she's "Eight Iida-Houzuki"! (The Houzuki is there because Pearlina canon source is me)
Leather jacket in their older design is a gift from Three! Though, it's a little torn up from some missions. They still wear it, though, because it's a huge comfort item now.
Has a bag in their older design as well for things! Weapon handling kit, first-aid kit, green towels for when Three's scar gets drippy while they're out, maybe a snack or two. Useful things!
Similar to Four, they started tying their back tentacles up because they were getting long.
Got a cool eyebrow nick to match Four's eyebrow scar. (The besties for real!!!)
Big scar on her back from being blown up a whole lot during Octo Expansion. Unlike Three's, however, it does not get drippy. Unfortunately, it is extra sensitive in place of that.
Also works part-time at Ammo Knights! Helps repair broken weapons and manages the shop when Sheldon is away somewhere for something.
Mains the E-Liter 4K or just any chargers in general! Watch out if you see her in Turf...
Worked at GrizzCo for like a week and noped the fuck outta there because man what is happening over there.
Neo/Junior (Cuttlefish) ((New Agent 3))
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Another She/They that's so cool...
Still figuring herself out, but she's pretty sure she's bisexual and genderqueer.
5'4" (162cm) so like two inches taller than the Captain. (Everyone is taller than the Captain.)
You're probably wondering "Why are they 13 and not 14? They're not allowed to Turf and stuff until they're 14!" And my answer is: They lie about their age. They wander around the Splatlands, they've been doing it almost their whole life. Because of this, they look a little older than they are (They got out of their squish form pretty early.). Which is the main reason why Cuttlefish decided they were the New Agent 3. (He thought they were like 16-17 💀 He, and also Marie, already got a talk from Three about recruiting fresh squids/octos.)
Doesn't actually remember her name. Not because of amnesia or anything but because she just hasn't used it in years. Never really had a reason to. Soon, that memory faded because she never really saw it as important. The rest of the Splatoon either call her "Neo" or "Junior." (It started as a joke after Neo accidentally called Three her parent, but then it kind of caught on and even Three finds themself using it on her sometimes.)
Found Little Buddy as an egg a few years before Splat3 Story Mode happens. They have their own little language due to how long they've known each other and the fact that Buddy never grew up around other salmonid so he doesn't actually know whatever language salmonid use. He's also much more tame than you're usual Smallfry from being raised by Neo. Best friends forever, yo!
Magister Armhook Squid! Similar to Four with the hooks but she's a bit smaller.
They don't really main any weapon, they just kind of go with the flow. Hand them something and they'll figure it out pretty quickly. That doesn't mean they're good at everything, though. They do struggle with some weapons.
Looks at Three and Eight as parental figures and sees Four as a auncle (Aunt/Uncle) figure! Callie and Marie are like those cool aunts you have. (Got damn, Callie is grandma by 26! /hj)
Still learning sign, so this is why the Squid Sisters tell them what the Captain is saying. (And the Captain is still pretty shy.)
General Info on All!
They all share an apartment. Four originally wanted to stay with Three and Eight for a bit until she got a different apartment in Splatsville, and then Neo moved in because Three realized "Oh shit this kid is traumatized and homeless can't let them turn out like me lol" and so Four stays to help out with Neo.
All of them on the same team is a guaranteed loss for you. Sorry, you're not making it out alive. Three is a beast, Four is strategic and fast, Eight has terrifyingly good aim, and Neo can adapt to pretty much anything. You're fucked, lol.
Three is banned from playing Uno on Squidbeak Splatoon Game Night. They always win.
Group cuddle if any of them have nightmares.
Eight waking up in the middle of the night because her partner left the bed and finds the Threes in the dark kitchen munching on raw pasta for the crunch and it's like cats in the dark their eyes fuckin' glow and it scares the shit out of Eight before she turns the lights on and sees them clearly.
Four is both the number one hater and supporter of Eight and Three. (He will go on about how gross they are but he's the one who helped conspire the plan to get them together. He likes seeing his friends happy.)
Agent 24 headcanon thrown in here, teehee. Some nights, if Eight has a really bad nightmare, Three will hum or even sing Calamari Inkantation. It's off-pitch and rough because of their fucked up vocal cords, but it's enough to help Eight calm down. Three never regrets it, even when their throat feels like its been mauled the next morning. Eight appreciates this.
In order of most cuddly to least cuddly: Four, Three, Neo, and you may or may not find surprising Eight in last! Four is known to just lean against anyone in the Splatoon. Marie's there? Fuck yeah, let me get a hug. Three's on the couch? Just gonna lay on top of them if that's alright. Lovely platonic cuddles from Four! While Three is not very affectionate with the rest of the Splatoon, how clingy they are to Eight puts them in the number two spot. And they won't say no to a surprise cuddle from Four or Neo.
I think that's about it! Thank you for unleashing my autism demons I've been keeping this in since I got this ask because I need to draw their refs. I have a special interest in cephalopods now because of this. Thank you, I guess.
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newtdrawz · 5 months
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Could u do dally and pony friendship hcs🫣
OH MY GOD YES I CAN
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You don't understand,, how obsessed I am with their friendship omg 😭 (lil warning these are prolly ooc but I really tried 😭😭 I promise) (feel free to add on to these I love seeing other ppls hc's!!)
Ok throwback to my Ponyboy HC's post where I said Dally is really supportive of Pony's hobby in art!!!!!
Dally might be (secretly ofc he would never admit it) like the #1 fan of Pony's art, besides Johnny and Soda obvi
He really likes watching him sketch and paint, it's memorizing to him and he can't fathom how it looks like a picture from a camera almost, he tells him that too. ("I dunno how you're able to do that so quickly, Pone." "It looks like a photograph almost.")
Pony always tries to downplay his talents and Dally (ofc in his mean/tough love Dally way lol) tells him not to do that and to not sell himself short
Dally truly believes Pony could be famous from his art. That he could get out of Tulsa and make a name for himself. He doesn't really know how to communicate that to him besides the rare compliment here and there.
Another throwback to the post where I did the hc that Johnny and Dally will sit in and listen to Pony read,,
Dally doesn't like reading, never really cared for it. He thinks Pony reading all the time is a little funny and he'll tease him abt time to time.
When he first finds Johnny sitting in the lot with Pony and Pony reading one of his books out loud to Johnny he obviously had to interrupt and obviously sit with them (they're happy to include him btw they don't mind 😭😭)
Dally will not. Shut. Up. He asks Pony abt a million questions abt the book. ("Well why'd the guy go and do that?" "Why's he stupid?" "Wait what happened before that?" "What's that ladies name again?" "Wait What's she look like again?")
This is one of the very few (and probably first) times Pony talks back/sasses Dally ("Why don't you be quiet and let me finish reading the page? And then maybe you'll know what's happening.")
Idk how to explain this but Dally is def the type of friend to feed into his friends delusions 😭 or like hype them up for something they definitely SHOULD NOT do,, like ykwim?? And he def does it with Pony
He definitely encourages Pony to get into a little bit of trouble, just a tiny bit.
Obviously Pony can get in trouble on his own and he does plenty but Dally just encourages it a little bit more lol
He calls it "getting Pony out of his comfort zone" while Darry calls it "peer pressuring" (there was def a conversation/argument abt it 😭😭) (Dal: I am NOT peer pressuring him, I'm getting him out of his comfort zone. Dar: yes you are Dal! Dal: No I'm not! Pony do you feel peer pressured?! Say no. Pony: No... Dal: See?! He's fine. He's having fun!)
Dally 100% keeps Pony out of any real trouble tho, the kind that'd get him sent away or seriously hurt. He'd never encourage him to do something bad enough to warrant those things.
Ok, Dally is actually really nice but in a mean way. Like he's aggressively nice where no one's sure if they're being threatened or complimented or insulted. He's no different with the gang
If Pony or Johnny are like really bad at something Dally will threaten the rest of the gang to lie and be nice 😭😭😭 he won't be nice because it's not expected of him but he'll make everyone else be nice.
One time Pony tried to bake a cake and for some reason he just can't bake. He can cook fine but not bake. So it was like awful but ofc the gang tried it.
When Pony isn't paying attention Dally turns to the gang and straight up threatens them. ("This thing tastes like shit but you're all gonna tell him it tastes good or I swear I'll shove your faces into the cake.")
Dally has no idea WHY he does it, cuz he's not nice (he is) and he doesn't care abt Johnny or Pony's, or really anyone's, feelings (he does he's just emotionally constipated 😭😭😭)
Dally still is kinda mean to Pony though, not mean but like teasing?? Like in a big brother way
Sometimes he just says things without really thinking abt it or randomly teases him (like Pony reading all the time and being a nerd and not talking to girls)
One night they're both sitting on the porch smoking and it's kinda late and Dally randomly just says "ya'know I don't really mean it, right?" And Pony says yeah and Dally just nods and they go back inside.
After that Dally still teases him and stuff but Pony kinda knows now to not really take it heart cuz that's just Dally being Dally.
From an outsiders perspective it does look/sound like Dally is just being and a-hole 😭😭 but the gang just knows him enough that it's some weird love language he has to just be mean to them 😭
Whenever Dally's about to do something really stupid/dangerous/illegal he threatens Pony and Johnny to not do it
Before he does anything he'll look both of them in the eyes and either tell them to beat it incase the police show up or back up and hideout
He looks directly at Pony and goes "Do NOT tell Darry I did this infront of you or else." ("Do not, and I mean do not, EVER do what I'm about to do or I'll beat both of you.")
Dally is basically like the only one rlly allowed to be mean/tease Pony (in his head at least 😭)
Dally makes fun of him plenty and Pony just rolls his eyes and laughs. Dally will ruffle his hair and punch him in the arm and all that.
But the minute someone who isn't Darry or Soda or himself says something rude to Pony he just gets so mad 😭
One time he threatened Steve cuz Steve said something to Pony. ("You better shut up and leave the kid alone, Steve.") (Steve's confused cuz like not even 5 seconds ago Dally just called Pony an idiot or something 😭😭)
He's especially this way with socs and authority figures
And it's not like Pony can't defend himself or anything, Dally knows he can but he just gets mad anyways and again he just starts talking before thinking and next thing he knows he's nearly throwing hands with someone cuz they were an a-hole to his friend lol
He's basically the "only I can be mean to him and no one else can" type of friend 😭
Ok this post got a little out of hand 😭
I had waaaaaay too much fun with this I just really love talking about and making hc's 😭 I'm still trying to nail down Dally's personality so if (which he probably is,,) he's ooc sorry 😭 I literally can't help taking the characters and literally changing sm abt them from canon 😭😭 it's truly a problem but I will try to get him right 🙏
(If there's any spelling mistakes or anything sorry I did this half asleep w/ a headache cuz I was so excited abt this ask 😭 I couldn't wait)
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bruneburg · 1 year
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Is tumblr doing this here a sufficient excuse for me to post this many wizards at once? I think it might be.
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apparently-artless · 1 year
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And Bachira Meguru starts to advance, only his voice guiding the way.
Blue Lock Episode 22: Voice
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lesser-vissir · 1 year
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So I read that lame genderkoolaid post and a few by other prominent transunity bloggers, specifically in regards to their ideas regarding the existence of misandry and the framework they've developed in order to describe transphobia. The system, which I don't believe they've actually coined despite loving to make new words, which I will call multisexism.
Multisexism is the idea that sexism is a multivector space containing several "sexisms". There are three main sexism I've seen them identify (misogyny, misandry, and misandrogyny [nbphobia {also Miss Androgyny is a killer drag name}]). Some other sexisms I've seen them identify are a sexism against multigender people and a sexism against intersex people. Since this framework is built around identifying sexisms I would posit there is room for them to add a few more. A possible add would be a modified misandrogyny that specifically targets xenogenders.
From this multisexism space, transunionists argue that transphobia (and gender based oppression as a whole) is a cross product of multiple sexisms, usually a unique cross product for every given person based on how much that person **personally** identifies with experiencing a certain type of sexism.
In this line, transmisogyny and transmisandry become catchall terms for the sexism cross-products experienced by people that identify as transfem or transmasc. This an important distinction since they do not view each person as experiencing the same cross product. Thus transmisogyny and transmisandry are not concrete terms describing a system of oppression but a vague term referring to the many ways a individual people experience bigotry.
I believe this is the core reason behind why they get into so many fights with so-called serano-esque transfeminists.
Multisexism is a very obviously flawed framework of oppression for the simple reason that it is unable to identify benefactors of their various sexisms. Some of them are lifted wholesale from existing oppression frameworks (misogyny, exorsexism) and as a result some of the ways they talk about oppression have made their way into their critiques as well. One good example of this is the term patriarchy. Despite multisexism not being able to identify an oppressor class, they still call the general concept of sex based oppression "patriarchy" even though they make absurd claims like "men suffer under the patriarchy". I wouldn't be surprised if they soon remove patriarchy from their vocabulary and swap it for something else.
Traditional oppression frameworks posit that oppression exists because the oppressor class benefits from the subjugation of the oppressed class. Since multisexism lacks an oppressor class we can conclude that they believe sexism exists because different sexes exist. This explains why they create a sexism for every perceived "sex": male, female, sexless, multisex, intersex. A list which maps roughly with western gender theory, but with intersex thrown in.
One the bigger reasons I said multisexism as ideology is flawed is because it does not present an endgame. Since there is no oppressor class to dismantle, no patriarchy to fight save the specter of bigotry, there is no way given within the framework of multisexism to **end** sexism.
On a similar note, it does not offer an explanation for why sex exists. Since there is no oppressor sex, transunionists are unable to say why the boundaries of the sexes were constructed. Even if they say or believe sex does not exist they only do so because the feminist theory they used as a partial basis says so as well. In this regard, transunity is bioessentialist in that is believes sex is real and inherent, except that they add new sexisms whenever they feel the need to classify a new one.
Why exactly do tranunionists believe they need to have this framework then? Transmisandry is not a new concept, I can find posts from at least as early 2013 making the same points about its existence and complaining that transfems talking about transmisogyny and how AFAB trans people perpetuate it in trans spaces.
Taking them as face value for their own claims on why multisexism must exist, it is because they needed a framework within which it is possible to account for how cis people view trans people as their AGAB.
"ive seen trans men (often those who harass other transmascs in the name of "transfem allyship") insist that trans men cant be subject to misogyny because we're men and to say otherwise is misgendering. and like im sorry but we cannot do meaningful anti-transphobic activism if we are shaping our view of transphobia on "never ever ever implying that anyone sees trans people as anything but the gender they say they are & that that might shape the kind of transphobia they face" like thats just. not realistic." - genderkoolaid
I actually agree with this sentiment (genderkoolaid's asides, well, aside), and I believe most other transfeminists also do. I believe that AGAB is important when discussing transphobia and acknowledging that is not misgendering. In seems odder to me that genderkoolaid would agree with this sentiment since it is the basis of the terms TME/TMA, a framework ey and other transunionists despise.
Assuming this was the only reason to create the multisexism framework, it would be quite easy to dismiss it. Taking a materialist feminist approach and treating sex based oppression as a dialectic is far more capable of handling AGAB's effects on transphobia without having to say things like "trans men experience misogyny because they are seen as women."
This is because a dialectic view of sex based oppression allows us to talk about men and women as classes because there is an understanding that they do not exist except in opposition to each other. Thus saying things like "women's clothing doesn't have pockets" does not misgender AFAB enbies who may also wear clothing without pockets instead of the ludicrous statement "AFAB clothing doesn't have pockets." (Real example btw)
This also allows us to explain oppression through the interaction of the classes of men and women. Misogyny is the way through which men (as a class) are privileged over women (as a class). Exorsexism is the way through which people who do not neatly fit into these constructed classes are forcibly pushed into them. Transphobia is the way in which dissonance between a person and their class is punished.
In one paragraph a dialectic analysis of sex based oppression does more to explain why its various forms exist then multisexism and the transunionists ever will. [As an aside, any toxic masculinity or other supposed harms men face from patriarchy according to MRAs is really just transphobia or, as we shall see, transmisogyny.]
Something ironic is that sexist men have an inherent understanding of this. I once saw an instagram reel wherein the joke "There's 76 genders? Wooohoooo, that means there's now 75 genders men are better than!" was made, showing a better understanding of the dynamics of misogyny (and transmisogyny for that matter) than I've ever seen from a transunionist even if the person in question though the framework was a good one.
We can also use this dialectic framework to analyze and justify why transmisogyny is a separate oppressive axis with distinct benefactor classes.
When we look at the transphobia nonbinary people and transmascs face, largely it is a matter of forcing the individual into one of the two classes: Men™ and Women™. This can be seen from the way TERFs will attempt to make transmascs detransition.
Another insight we can make is about the treatment of AFAB enbies vs AMAB enbies. Since Women™ are an oppressed class, the barrier to entry, so to speak, is lower. This can be seen from the way that Women™ are largely allowed under patriarchy to do things that Men™ do (even if they are seen as inherently inferior) but that Men™ are disbarred from doing things that Women™ do, to the point where if enough Men™ do it, it becomes a Male Thing ie. programming. Of course, that isn't to say that there aren't some misogynists who still thing women shouldn't wear pants, they are not a majority opinion. In fact, most feminist gains have been in expanding Woman™ roles rather than in deconstructing the class dynamic altogether. Something that can only be done by transfeminism since only it focuses on destroying both classes.
Bit of a detour, but the point I was making wrt AFAB enbies was that for a lot of people, it is easier to stomach a Woman™ that is gender non-conforming (in the right ways) than a Man™ who is gender non-conforming (in any way). The generalized form of this is that Women™ are allowed to participate in roles that are for Men™, but neither Men™ nor Women™ are allowed to reject the roles they are given. This can be applied to several other aspects such as why a lesbian rejecting attraction to men is seen as a more offensive statement than saying they are attracted to women. [Hint: its because attraction to women is a thing Men™ do so Women™ are allowed to do it more often they than they are allowed to deny their own role as a Woman™, which is to be attracted to men]
There's much more to be said on the topic, especially wrt how transmascs are treated as Women™ until they pass and can be treated as Men™, which honestly describes a good 90% of so called transmisandry. But! I want to talk about transmisogyny.
Julia Serano posited that there is in fact a third class in sex based oppression, that of the Transvestite™. One of the biggest indicators that this class exists is that trans women are considered neither Men™ nor Women™ once they have transitioned, or even once they have articulated that they are women. This is something that other trans people do not experience. Examples for which can be seen in the oft-debated femboy, and the treatment of AFAB trans people.
Another big indicator can be found in some of the posts by transunionists arguing that transmisogyny can be experiences by anyone. Why is it there there are dozens of posts about non-trans women getting mistaken for trans women and facing violence, but none about non-trans men getting mistaken for trans men and facing violence? It is a strong argument for the existence of the Transvestite™ class.
Serano, has said for more than I could fit here so I will leave it at that and refer you to literally any literature on transfeminism.
Anyways, I think that is more than enough to prove that a dialectical feminism is far more useful for analysis than multisexism. Why then, do transunionists use it? Because it removes accountability for men.
If there is no benefactor class, then there is no real reason to analyze of deconstruct behaviors that benefit them. Thus the only reason transunity exists as an ideology is to disenfranchise trans women. There is no other way to explain their ideological foundations.
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alevolpe · 1 month
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I'm really curious about the second arc based off your hcs!
EXTREMELY LONG ASK! I’ll put a super quick TLDRL at the end, but this is my longest ask by FAR.
I’m really not a fan of time travel in sailor moon, so season 2 is very different in my hc.
I still rlly like Ail and An, so I think I’d keep them for the first section of season 2, but introduce them as regular students that attend the same school as Usagi and Ami in season 1.
I thought even having An as Usagi’s classmate and having a Rei like bantery relationship. Show them being kinda weird and a bit more comic-y side characters during the season, but never have them fight or meet the senshi directly. They attack with more subtlety to avoid inciting suspicion and honestly, just have them act like they are trying to live a regular life, which they are, but they have to feed on energy to survive (no tree needed).
The Ail and Ann section would be more low key, let’s try to get our shit together and recover front he trauma we just witnessed at the end of the first season type deal (they didn’t die), but layer a level of quiet but ever rising uneasiness. Something is changing, the girls are changing.
Venus contact with Minako is getting stronger and stronger. Ami’s black hair (i hc her having jet black with a blue shine hair as a civilian, which turns blue post transformation) is starting to grow blue roots. Mako is getting ever so slightly taller and muscular. Rei’s visions get way more frequent and her powers are starting to bleed to her human form. Usagi’s is starting to behave a bit off, few strands of white hair start to poke out among her blonde hair.
They eventually square off with Ail and An, who found out their secret identities. Due to an accident, the building they are in collapses splitting the girls and Ail and An in odd groups. All the girls, but Usagi ready to kill the threat and An battling internally as well, not really wanting to fight, but at the same time being unwilling to believe Usagi would be a Sailor Senshi.
For Ail and An backstory. They were forced to evacuate their planet as kids cause Galaxia attacked their protector (who is also a senshi, but they don’t know that yet) and devastated their planet. This caused an immense resentment toward the sailor senshi kind by both Ail and An, but Ail being the older more mature of the two, just wants to let peace and to live a peaceful low key life on Earth. An doesn’t believe that could happen, because these other senshi will come after them again and kill them, cause that’s what senshis do.
They eventually resolve their conflicts and Ail and Ann get to live on Earth among them (with some restrictions on what type of energy they get to consume, limited human energy, just don’t attack people in general terms lol).
Skipping to the second section of season 2, this is where the bigger more dramatic stakes come in. As I stated in a previous ask, both Serenity and Venus used Venus’ sword to make their souls persist through their reincarnations and they are staring to resurface from within Usagi’s and Mina’s bodies.
Luna is very perplexed by all the changes going on among the girls, at this point knowing the whole deal with the Moon Kingdom, the now gone ‘Dark Kingdom’ and Artemis, but still not having any memories of it. One particular night, she takes a walk to reflect, trying to focus and remember, and that’s where, while crossing at a green light, among the public she spots a Sailor Pluto towering unmoving among the walking crowds. Just staring her down with a blank expression on her face. This causes her to stop everything and just stare, pieces of her memory slowing unblurring, one by one, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars.. Serenity.. Serenity! Just like that she misses the lights turning red, a truck barreling toward her at full speed.
The girls all meet having looked for Luna everywhere. Makoto joins them a few moments later with a small plastic bag in her hands, having seen a couple of trash collectors in her neighborhood getting ready to load a fresh roadkill into their trucks, Artemis being with her commands her to stop them, having smelled Luna’s scent.
The girls all have different reactions to this. Ami immediately going and taking the bag, in complete denial and desperation she just cries holding Luna. Rei is just left absolutely stunned and in disbelief. None of her other premonitions ever came true.
Rei is constantly plagued by visions, most of these visions are futures that will never happen. She’s seen all her loved one die in all of different ways, events out of apocalyptic scenarios, all of which never happened, so she just stayed silent about them. Choosing to not cause unnecessary stress for what it’s basically a fortune cookie prediction. But this one was the one, the one to actually come true, seeing Luna on a snowy night getting hit by a truck while crossing a sidewalk.
Rei and Luna’s relationship was a bit strained. Rei always turning her nose up at Luna’s attempts to be a force of authority to Rei (never goes well). Though throughout season 1 Rei learns to ‘tolerate’ her after a talk they had, Luna stating that she was never trying to replace Rei’s mother and that she truly wants to be there for them, but that Rei is free to not accept her that way and keep healthy boundaries between them.
This next section is an excerpt from an outline I have saved of the scene following Luna’s death. (Warning I suck at writing so go easy on me. This isn’t meant to be read as a story, but just a dialogue outline for me to keep as a guideline)
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Rei, at the sight of Luna’s body in the bag blurts out loud that this isn’t possible and they it doesn’t make sense. None of her predictions ever came true, it doesn’t make sense, Mina coming to her side to calm her down and trying to understand what visions Rei is even referring to.
Ami overhears this while still crying, devastated.
“You saw this?” With the widest and most blank eyes Rei has ever seen on Ami.
“No, I mean yes.. but it never happens. I just see some much, all the time, with you, with Luna and I can’t-”
“Murderer”
“ …What? What did you just fucking say?”
“MURDER!!” And with that she jumps at Rei, blinded by rage, genuinely ready to start a beat down. And Rei doing the same, being also blinded by rage and betrayal of Ami accusing her she would ever withhold such information on purpose. Fortunately Mako and Mina intervene, Mako keeping Ami at bay while Mina severely struggles with Rei.
Ami keeps throwing accusations and insults toward Rei, knowing very well of Rei’s poor treatment of Luna, but being unaware of the small bridge of agreement they came to just among themselves a bit prior. Though she’s just genuinely blinded by grief and rage, she would’ve never accused Rei of such things with a clear mind. Luna was the closest, among all the others to Ami, being the first to be awakened by her (I have a different join order for the senshi, I have a diagram for it right HERE! But it’s basically Luna awakens Ami, Rei and Usagi, in that order, while Artemis awakens Mina and Mako). Their bond has genuinely become one of a mother-daughter relationship, so losing Luna hit Ami the absolute hardest.
Mako has to knock Ami unconscious to help Mina with Rei and Rei, obviously threatened by Mako, plus he’s herself off of Mina. While Mina instructs Mako to just let her be and that she just wants everyone to calm tf down.
Rei still in utter shock and denial looks toward Usagi “WOULD YOU FUCKING SAY SOMETHING?!”.
Usagi was just holding still silent this whole time, eyes widened in shock, but.. not balling. Small tears at the edge of her eyes are all she’s given. She’s just shocked and speechless, but not the Usagi way. She seems empty..
Mako puts Ami to sleep in Rei’s bed and gives Mina instructions to go home and that they can deal with everything in the morning. She’ll stay with the others at the temple to keep the from going crazy once during the nigh. Very reluctantly Mina accepts and leaves with Artemis, leaving Rei, Ami, Usagi and Mako at the temple for the night.
The next morning Mina and Artemis make their way to the temple. The anticipation of the girls at each other’s throats eating at them.
Mina opens the door and finds something that just leaves her absolutely speechless.
All the girls are sitting at the low table eating breakfast, chatting like absolutely NOTHING happened the night prior. Usagi super cheerful from eating Mako’s delightful cooking, Rei sipping tea quietly and Ami reading one of Rei’s books while enjoying her breakfast.
Mina has no words and obviously asks Mako what happened. Mako with a very friendly and peaceful expression just says that everything was resolved. Mina attempts to prod the others for clarifications too, but with no different results. “We talked it out” “YOU’RE NOT MAD ANYMORE?!?” “No” “why are you being so weird Mina” “yeah Mina, we’re a team! Come on! We can’t let stuff like that divide us!”
Something’s not right. It can’t be. And fortunately, by an absolute miracle for Mina she takes a peek at Artemis and the same exact expression of ‘something’s is not right here’ is plastered on his face too.
At this point Usagi finally refers directly to Mina very casually “have you seen the silver Crystal, I can’t find it?” (At the end of season 1 Usagi gave it to Mina to keep). Something’s absolutely not right, Mina states she hasn’t seen it lately and makes an excuse to leave, Mako raising at the same time, a way more serious expression on her face, repeating the princesses’ question. At this point both Mako and Ami looking at Mina with eye peering through her, Mina and Artemis making a mad dash for the door, running as far away from the temple as they can, Ami and Mako right on their heels.
Artemis separates from Mina, stating he knows something that could help them, but that’s he has to leave Mina to deal with the situation alone for the time being. Agreeing Sailor Venus has a chase with across the streets of Tokyo, both Mercury and Jupiter on hot pursuit, while Usagi and Rei slowly walk the same direction.
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The real enemy of season 2 is Princess Serenity, being reawakened within Usagi’s body, the trauma of losing Luna being the last straw Serenity needed to shove Usagi in the backseat. The rest of the senshi, especially Mako and Ami have also sort of reawakened, but as hollowed soldier powered by the will of the Serenity and the Crystal. Sailor Venus being immune to the “control” cause of the deal her and Serenity made in the their previous life, preserving Venus’ soul inside Minako (here, toward the end), while Sailor Mars is temporarily controlled, but not fully cause she died in season 1. This unexpected course of events braking the connection of the silver Crystal to her body and reincarnated soul. She will break out the spell and escape joining Mina to fight Serenity, Mercury and Jupiter and bring their friends back.
Tho they aren’t alone, as Artemis returns after a small absence, bringing back our favorite lesbians Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus, whose whereabouts and goals are unknown for the time being, but due to the dire situation they are in, questions will come later.
The season will resolve with Mina being able to permanently kill Serenity’s soul and being Usagi back (all while bettering Venus’ soul and the temptation to kill Usagi, knowing there has to be another way to stop Serenity without killing the body) shattering her sword in the process and freeing Mercury and Jupiter who have been under Serenity’s control all this time and have being fighting Uranus and Neptune.
TLDR for hc SEASON 2:
Ail and An are forced to confront the senshi after the first season of living as regular humans who secretly fed on energy. The senshi wan to kill them, as well as An, but Usagi and Ail just want peace. They resolve it and Ail and An get to continue living on Earth as normal people with some restrictions on attacking people for energy.
While all that was happening, the girls start to bleed aspects of their senshi selves into the human forms (ie Ami’s blue hair is poking out of her natural civilian black hair and so on). Luna dies in a car accident while being distracted by Pluto, the girls discover her and Ami violently accuses Rei of withholding the information of her death to her (Rei saw her dying in a vision but didn’t say anything to anybody, cause all her other visions never came true).
A violent ruffle goes down, and Mina is instructed to leave the temple to let the waters cool. She comes back the next morning to find them all eerily serene and quiet and sensing something is wrong she runs away. The rest of the senshi and Usagi, now having been taken over by Serenity. Rei manages to break free from the control and joins Mina, who has now the hold of the mysterious Uranus and Neptune and they all set out to stop Serenity.
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bionicle-ramblings · 5 months
Text
... I apologize in advance, but also regret nothing
This has been on my for a VERY long time and now I'm getting it out
Bionicle characters as cats!
More specifically if you owned these cat!Bionicle characters
This post is going to be SUPER long under the cut
Hope you enjoy!
Nuju: Used to be an outdoor cat before finding the paradise that was the indoors. Took a while to get him inside, and there’s no way in hell he's leaving, and you wouldn't get rid of him for the world. Nuju still enjoys laying against cold windows and drinking cold water from your cup or dipping his paw in it, even likes laying on ice packs when they're still frozen. He doesn't like being pet that much, will claw you if you go near him, and gets mean and nasty when someone tries to pick him up or hold him, and that sometimes includes you. He enjoys being on places that are hard for people to reach, and those places are the best to JUDGE on, because he'll either disapprove of something you're doing or about to do or he'll disapprove of the company you invited over; you ruined the perfect silence of his home. Regardless, he loves you, though he shows it through laying on you, rubbing against you, playing, all that jazz. You still let him go outside, but you're always with him, and you make sure you got out when the night sky is clear because Nuju meows and purrs SO MUCH when he sees the stars. He likes watching the snow fall too, and you sometimes take him outside so he can play in the snow. He's got a clear and pronounced meow, and you swear he knows what will make you tick because he's yelled at you until you brought snow in or brought out a tray of ice or an icepack for him to lay on. He likes to move things around too, so that's fun to keep watch for, especially when he sees you're drinking coffee. In terms of breed, he's like a white haired persian, and you make sure he's looking his best, even if he yells at you for it(though he does like it). Some of your friends and family wish you'd gotten a cat that was friendlier while others think he's a riot because of the resting bitch face he has and seeing him in the snow or laying on a tray of ice is adorable. If they push his buttons or pet him when he doesn't want to be, he will move their cups or plates or even cutlery or even phones when they aren't looking so they're on alert and confused. He wears a collar like the boss he is and you made sure it had star or snowflake patterns on it just for him
*
Matau: Has been through a fair number of homes before ending up with you. He's a cat with hardly any chill; you wake up to a cat racing up to you every morning before darting away, maybe even vaulting off the walls and door. He also likes playing and will climb up on you until you can hold him or until he reaches your shoulders. You've gotten him toys for enrichment, but he goes to entertain himself by playing with and showing off for you first. You've asked if the amount of activity he has is normal, but the vets assume it's just hyperactivity and maybe super zoomies, which you assume makes sense because he's a tabby. He's got fur that's more green than the usual tabby golden organge, but he's still a tabby. The vets explained that's from a previous home and while he's healthy, the dye used still needs to wash/grow out. Matau calms down when you're chilling. You need to help him relax, like help him sit and lay down, but you get him calm with some scratches and just telling him he's a good boy. He's also a peacock in cat form; he likes to strut and show off his body and legs. Owning Matau, you learn that he can bark, chirp(like a bird), squeak, croak, caw, and make all sorts of sounds no cat should be able to make. You once heard him imitate your ringtone and have had your phone on vibrate since. He learned to imitate that as well. Whatever you do, Matau is with you doing it, and that includes making meals, even when you've had to cook stuff. You've tried everything and he will not stay off the counters. You've also started bringing a cat carrier where you go and leaving the heating or cooling on in your car because Matau wants to be with you 24/7. You two love being outside, but Matau ends up being the reason you have too many friends. Some people think he needs some chill pills, but they change their minds when they see him calm down and even perform by barking and making all his "not a cat" sounds. Some people find him endearing, even when he's shoulder surfing. You've tried and failed many times to give him a collar, but he knows you two are going out whenever he sees the harness you got just for him
*
Nokama: For a while, she was the bookstore/library/campus class cat that stuck around for lectures or for reading, which you swear you've seen her do because you watched her paw at someone to turn to a certain page in a book and nuzzle them before sitting down and slowly read the page. Eventually, you ended up both feeding her and helping her read books enough that she followed you home. Even since, you've had the BEST study/school mate ever. Nokama will paw at your pen or pencil when you've got the answer wrong, will help you stay awake to study just a little longer before reminding you to go to bed, and will be resting on your shoulder as you read or do homework or study. Leisurely reading is especially fun because when you reach the plot twist, you two are both shocked. You also swear that Nokama can understand EVERYTHING you say. You've vented about your day and find Nokama at your heels and looking up at you, like she's listening. Your peers, friends, and family find it doubtful, but you just know that you're right, having tested it by saying something outrageous to the point Nokama stared at you and began stalking toward you, and then avoided going near you when you revealed it to be a lie and to have gotten proof that you were right. Not a very outdoorsy cat. She'll watch the world from outside the window and go from your house to the library to the bookstore to class and back, but that's it. That's all she wants to do with the outdoors. She's not a very "nighttime" cat either, as she'll rest with you and fall asleep close by. She's not a loud cat at all. When she meows, it's gentle and you hear it whenever you two "talk." You also hear it whenever you're bathing or showering or when she's asking to have a bath because Nokama likes water and is possibly the cleanest cat in the world because of her love for water. She is the cat everyone wishes they had, being a quiet, mellow, smart, Russian Blue, but they also retract that when they realize you were right when you said Nokama knows and understands what people say because, when talking amongst each other or on the phone, they see her watching them a bit longer than they think she should and had the literal HELL scared out of them when they asked her a question AND SHE NODDED AT THEM. You wanted to get her a little bowtie collar, but Nokama picked a simpler collar for herself and who are you to deny your friend her choice?
*
Onewa: For a while, he was a cat that a lot of people avoided because whenever they tried to get close, he'd back away and his at them. He even hissed at you when he saw you, but you learned his previous owner died and your heart won you over, so you went home that day with a very angry, very hissy cat that you had to tell to calm down a few times as you set up the room he was staying in and let him adjust to his new home. For a while, you two left each other alone; he stayed out of your way, you stayed out of his. As a hobby, you carve stuff and often set pieces of cut off wood down on the floor to deal with later. You found Onewa scratching one of the pieces and started to give him his own aid to carve up. While you two aren't exactly ride or die best friends, you're close enough that he'll greet you when you come home, let you pet him, and lay on or by you for a while, or until you have to move. He'll only go outside to join you in carving, but that's it. He's also slow to warm up to you and keeps an eye on you because he's nervous to lose you too. Onwea's also good at getting what he wants. You've seen him sitting by his food bowl, the door to the patio or mini balcony you carve on, or anywhere else, and you've gotten lost in his eyes. It's easy to because he's a Siamese and they have STUNNING eyes, but you're putty when Onewa wants something and he knows it. He also "laughs" at you whenever you stub your toe or have you get something you put down somewhere on accident. You get him back when you catch him staring at your carving or watching something sappy that you threw on because you felt nostalgic and lightly pick on him for it. He doesn't get you back in any drastic ways, just ignores you and hisses at you, but you two make up and are back to being friends later. NO ONE really wants to be near him, but that's fine because Onewa doesn't want to near them either. Just you. Anyone who's tried to pet him, despite your warnings, has gotten scratches as a lasting reminder. No bites, just scratches, and they'll have to get through YOU if they want to give Onewa back to the shelter. You could not get a collar on him to save your life; he's taken that as a challenge and that's a fight you're not willing to fight
*
Whenua: A friend gave him to you because they couldn't take care of him. Whenua minded a bit because you and your home were new to him, but he soon got used to living with you, and you got used to him leaving through the window and returning with something he found like a pretty leaf or flower or, what takes him A WHILE to come home for, war medals, vintage coins, anything old or vintage that he's so proud of finding, and you're proud of all his finds, as long as he doesn't bring any animals home, dead or alive. There was an instance where a mouse got in and he wouldn't let it go or leave you alone until you told him what it was. That's fine because he is eager to hear more about what he found because you easy access to the information(don't you just love the internet?). Whenua likes chilling with you when he's not seeking information or things from the outside to find. He's usually hanging out on your shoulders, napping on your lap or on your stomach, or chilling in your arms. You've always known cats can see in the dark, but Whenua takes that fact and runs, because during a power outage, he found the flashlight, candles, and batteries for the flashlight than you did. You asked your friend about it and they admitted it isn't a trick they taught him, he just knows how to find stuff and won't leave you alone until you tell him what he found, and you know he found something when he meows. It's a very low, very easy to hear sound that gets your attention every time. When your friend was able to take care of Whenua again and asked him if he wanted to go with them("He's a lot smarter than people think he is," they said.), Whenua looked lost for a moment before rubbing against your friend and then hopping onto your shoulders. It was at that moment where you both realized that Whenua had found his home and it was better to not move him again, your friend promising to visit as much as possible. You two got him a collar together, one that looked cool and that Whenua brought to you both to learn more about because it was one of those flea collars so he's a little more safe when he's venturing and looking for stuff
*
Vakama: Was a rescue from a house fire, but has since recovered and will enjoy the warmth of a fireplace, bonfire, a heating pad, and even a blanket in your home. Better yet, he'll find you lounging and, after a bit of letting him know he can join you, lay on or beside you. If you're taking a bath or shower, expect to find Vakama laying either right by the door or laying near your towel. It actually took a little while for you too to get close because, at first, he only stayed in the room you made for him so he could adjust, hiding himself in the corner or taking shelter in the holder he was brought home in. He warmed up to you once he knew you weren't a threat. You've never seen a cat panting in real life until you've had Vakama, and you see in numerous times because he gets nervous a little too easily for a cat, i.e. when you're cooking, when you go to the bathroom or shower and close the door, leave for work or school, when it's time to eat, when you're sitting for too long, when you're standing too long, when you go outside, when you take him outside with you, it's all at the drop of a hat. You've tried giving him medication to calm him down, but he'd rather snuggle up to you instead. For the longest time, you thought he was unable to meow, thinking it was permanent damage due to the fire, but while drawing or sculpting at the table, on the couch, or wherever, you heard an odd, polite little meow-honk and saw Vakama quickly join your side, honking away until he saw what you were doing. After he tried pawing at it, you got him his own little sketchbook, some pet-safe ink pads, and pet-safe, air dry clay so he could join while you create. You think Vakama can see the future and turn invisible sometimes, mainly because he's a little too good at hiding and you thought you actually lost him the first time he "disappeared." You didn't; you found him in the kitchen, looking for you. You say he can see the future because he saved you from getting boiling water all over you by sitting on the table and staring at you until you picked him up off of it. He's a fairly pretty Burmese cat, with red-auburn furr and the greenest eyes on a cat ever. His furr always feels weird, though, but the vets explained it to be because of the fire. Your friends and family either love him or hate him. On one hand, the perpetual hiding, poor meowing, and the need to ALWAYS be by you is a little annoying, but seeing a cat that loves you so much that he sleeps in your coat or jacket is adorable and he's saved your life a good handful of times in the past. There was an instance where younger relatives scared the living Heaven and Hell out of him and he didn't make any kind of appearance. You heard him meowing and found him in the dryer, which you swear you closed, while he GLARED at you. He didn't stay mad when you relaxed with a heating pad nearby and ultimately took a nap. You put a collar on him once, one with a bell, and he hid from you for a whole day or two before you lured him out and took off the collar so you two wouldn't be upset ay each other. He honkedat you so the collar could be put back on, but you had to take the bell off first, and Vakama hid it from ypu after you did. You know you will NEVER find that bell again because Vakama knows ALL the best hiding spots
*
Takua: One half of a bonded pair. He's a little guy, but he's an old breed of cat, one that turns heads and make people ask if you're actually going to adopt him because they can care for him instead. You carry pepper spray of you when you adopt Takua and the cat he's bonded with. He's an adventurous little one, always eager to see what's new, and that includes your hime because he slipped out of the carrier he was in and immediately started looking around. He wasn’t too upset when you had to have him stay in the same room as his friend so he could adjust, but when he's out for reals and exploring, he always gives you this look of, "Don't lock me in that room again." It's not a matter of him disappearing on you, you just find him in the weirdest places like in an empty sink, in your shoe, on the cabinets, the underbelly or your table, your laundry basket, the pantry, all sorts of places. You always find him because he's got a very chirpy meow and he meows enough that you teach him to "whisper" because neighbors started getting mad at you. You SOMETIMES take Takua outside, but you have to hold onto him so he doesn't go anywhere. He's never run away or anything, but you don't want to risk it. He's good at finding things around your home, too. Hair ties, Bobby pins, spare change, snacks, you name it. He also likes chilling on your shoulder and even on your head. Whatever you're doing, he wants to do, so he's got a mini "laptop," there's a bowl you have for him to chill in while you cook, you've got little books for him to "read," just a BUNCH of little things so he doesn't feel left out. Your friends and family love and adore him, even if his high energy and tendency to wander gets to them sometimes. He wears a collar with a bell, and you somewhat regret it because now he RUNS into the room and rolls around as much as possible to eother get the bell for himself or to make as much noise as possible
*
Jaller: The other half of the banded pair. He's also a little guy, but you've been scratched and bitten by him before. He didn't trust you that much, but be started to when he saw you weren't going to do anything to him or Takua. He's always trailing near Takua, making sure nothing happens to him. You tried getting him some mini stuff so he didn't feel left out, but you found that getting him little cozy thungs to lay or sit on works better. He's very easy to make purr and he'll curl up on you, but you need to help him relax because he's always on guard. Spiders, flies and bugs don't come into your home anymore because Jaller hunts them down. He even alerted you when someone nearly stole a package you had. You rarely hear him meow, but when he does, it doesn't sound like meowing. It sounds like a shout instead, which is especially fun to hear when he's looking for Takua with you. He likes warm things too, much more than Takua, so heating pads and warm blankets are a must. He looks after you to the point where he might as well be a guard cat. You sometimes see Jaller pulling Takua around by his scruff, but no longer intervene because he growled at you when you accidentally made him let go and Takua ran to climb the curtains. You're not fully sure what breed of cat Jaller is, as in certain loght his fur can look either gold or red. He's too calm to be a tabby, so your options are limited. Also limited is his patience with any visitors you have over because they distract him while he's "working." They think he's an adorable little grouch, but they never see when Jaller is about to swat at them for saying that. Jaller does wear a collar, but it doesn't have a bell.
*
Nixie: Another little cat and a one that followed you home, this time from a night walk. You'd never seen her before, but you know she's seen you because she's a little too friendly, like she knows you will adopt her. She's a fairly chill cat, oddly enough. She just stares at you a lot. Nixie didn't let you pet her at first, but soon she did. You have a few astrology books, and she doesn't leave you alone until you take them out and lay them out for her. You didn't know cats could read, but you learned they did when you saw Nixie reading your books. And staring at the astrology poster on your wall. You have had your day saved by Nixie, whether that be when she more or less revealed someone you were meeting was someone to not associate with, when she let you know the smoke detector was broken, when she knocked a cup of tea over because there was something in the tea you were allergic to, and more. She more or less wanders around your home, only knocking books to the floor so she can read them. Doesn'tmind you picking her up, but she likes to lay on you and rest on your shoulder or lap. Your friends do not believe you when you tell them all the things Nixie does. Your family does, though, because you stayed over once with Nixie, had a family vacation, and many family members swear they found Nixie trying to pull the books from the shelf before she opened them up and started reading them on the floor. Nixie also woke you up early the next morning to get breakfast because she, somehow, knew who was cooking and what they were making. And knew the roads were bad from a storm and hid everyone keys long enough for them to learn of the damage. She's a Russian Blue, like Nokama, but she has a very whispery meow, one people hear when she gets close enough to them. Enjoys a good bath too, but she's a menace in that she'll try joining you in the tub or just lay on the side of the tub and dip her paws in the water. She REFUSES to wear a collar, having lay on her side and not moved for hours when you put one on her. You did take it off, but Nixie hid the collar so you wouldn't try again. She still loves you and still vibes with you, but you know she hasn't dropped the collar
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mischiefmanifold · 8 months
Text
Diagnostic Criteria Examples Masterpost
This is a series of posts that I'm hoping eventually covers all the disorders in the DSM-5-TR.
**This will be periodically updated as more posts are made. Please come back to the original post to see these updates**
NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
Intellectual Developmental Disorder (Intellectual Disability)
Global Develolmental Delay
Unspecified Intellectual Developmental Disorder (Intellectual Disability)
Language Disorder
Speech Sound Disorder
Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering)
Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder
Unspecified Communication Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder (Levels System)
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Other Specified Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Unspecified Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Specific Learning Disorder
Developmental Coordination Disorder
Stereotypic Movement Disorder
Tourette's Disorder [Tourette Syndrome]
Persistent (Chronic) Motor or Vocal Tic Disorder
Provisional Tic Disorder
Other Specified Tic Disorder
Unspecified Tic Disorder
Other Specified Neurodevelopmental Disorder
Unspecified Neurodevelopmental Disorder
SCHIZOPHRENIA SPECTRUM AND OTHER PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS
Delusional Disorder
Brief Psychotic Disorder
Schizophreniform Disorder
Schizophrenia
Schizoaffective Disorder
Substance/Medication-Induced Psychotic Disorder
Psychotic Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Catatonia Associated With Another Mental Disorder (Catatonia Specifier)
Catatonic Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Unspecified Catatonia
Other Specified Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorder
Unspecified Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorder
BIPOLAR AND RELATED DISORDERS
Bipolar I Disorder [Includes criteria for manic episodes and major depressive episodes]
Bipolar II Disorder [Includes criteria for hypomanic episodes and major depressive episodes]
Cyclothymic Disorder
Substance/Medication-Induced Bipolar and Related Disorder
Bipolar and Related Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Other Specified Bipolar and Related Disorder
Unspecified Bipolar and Related Disorder
Unspecified Mood Disorder
Specifiers for Bipolar and Related Disorders
DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder
Persistent Depressive Disorder
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Substance/Medication-Induced Depressive Disorder
Depressive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Other Specified Depressive Disorder
Unspecified Depressive Disorder
Specifiers for Depressive Disorders
ANXIETY DISORDERS
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Selective Mutism
Specific Phobia
Social Anxiety Disorder
Panic Disorder
Panic Attack Specifier
Agoraphobia
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Substance/Medication-Induced Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Other Specified Anxiety Disorder
Unspecified Anxiety Disorder
OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE AND RELATED DISORDERS
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Hoarding Disorder
Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder)
Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder [Also called Dermatillomania]
Substance/Medication-Induced Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Other Specified Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder
Unspecified Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder
TRAUMA- AND STRESSOR-RELATED DISORDERS
Reactive Attachment Disorder
Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Acute Stress Disorder
Adjustment Disorders
Prolonged Grief Disorder
Other Specified Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorder
Unspecified Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorder
DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dissociative Amnesia
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder
Other Specified Dissociative Disorder
Unspecified Dissociative Disorder
SOMATIC SYMPTOM AND RELATED DISORDERS
Somatic Symptom Disorder
Illness Anxiety Disorder [Hypochondria]
Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder (Conversion Disorder)
Psychological Factors Affecting Other Medical Conditions
Factitious Disorder Imposed on Self
Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another
Other Specified Somatic Symptom and Related Disorder
Unspecified Somatic Symptom and Related Disorder
FEEDING AND EATING DISORDERS
Pica
Rumination Disorder
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa
Binge-Eating Disorder
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder
Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder
ELIMINATION DISORDERS
Enuresis
Encopresis
Other Specified Elimination Disorder
Unspecified Elimination Disorder
SLEEP-WAKE DISORDERS
Insomnia Disorder
Hypersomnolence Disorder
Narcolepsy
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea
Central Sleep Apnea
Sleep-Related Hypoventilation
Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders
Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Arousal Disorders [Sleepwalking and Sleep/Night Terrors]
Nightmare Disorder
Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder
Restless Legs Syndrome
Substance/Medication-Induced Sleep Disorder
Other Specified Insomnia Disorder
Unspecified Insomnia Disorder
Other Specified Hypersomnolence Disorder
Unspecified Hypersomnolence Disorder
Other Specified Sleep-Wake Disorder
Unspecified Sleep-Wake Disorder
SEXUAL DYSFUNCTIONS
Delayed Ejaculation
Erectile Disorder [Erectile Dysfunction]
Female Orgasmic Disorder
Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder
Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder
Male Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder
Premature (Early) Ejaculation
Substance/Medication-Induced Sexual Dysfunction
Other Specified Sexual Dysfunction
Unspecified Sexual Dysfunction
GENDER DYSPHORIA
Gender Dysphoria
Other Specified Gender Dysphoria
Unspecified Gender Dysphoria
DISRUPTIVE, IMPULSE-CONTROL, AND CONDUCT DISORDERS
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Conduct Disorder
Pyromania
Kleptomania
Other Specified Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorder
Unspecified Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorder
SUBSTANCE-RELATED AND ADDICTIVE DISORDERS
Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol Intoxication
Alcohol Withdrawal
Unspecified Alcohol-Related Disorder
Caffeine Intoxication
Caffeine Withdrawal
Unspecified Caffeine-Related Disorder
Cannabis Use Disorder
Cannabis Intoxication
Cannabis Withdrawal
Unspecified Cannabis-Related Disorder
Phencyclidine Use Disorder
Other Hallucinogen Use Disorder
Phencyclidine Intoxication
Other Hallucination Intoxication
Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder
Unspecified Phencyclidine-Related Disorder
Unspecified Hallucinogen-Related Disorder
Inhalant Use Disorder
Inhalant Intoxication
Unspecified Inhalant-Related Disorder
Opioid Use Disorder
Opioid Intoxication
Opioid Withdrawal
Unspecified Opioid-Related Disorder
Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Use Disorder
Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Intoxication
Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Withdrawal
Unspecified Sedative-, Hypnotic-, or Anxiolytic-Related Disorder
Stimulant Use Disorder
Stimulant Intoxication
Stimulant Withdrawal
Unspecified Stimulant-Related Disorder
Tobacco Use Disorder
Tobacco Withdrawal
Unspecified Tobacco-Related Disorder
Other (or Unknown) Substance Use Disorder
Other (or Unknown) Substance Intoxication
Other (or Unknown) Substance Withdrawal
Unspecified Other (or Unknown) Substance-Related Disorder
Gambling Disorder
NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDERS
Delirium
Other Specified Delirium
Unspecified Delirium
Major Neurocognitive Disorder
Minor Neurocognitive Disorder
Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Alzheimer's Disease
Mild or Major Frontotemporal Neurocognitive Disorder
Mild or Major Neurocognitive Disorder With Lewy Bodies
Major or Mild Vascular Neurocognitive Disorder
Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Traumatic Brain Injury
Substance/Medication-Induced Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder
Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder Due to HIV Infection
Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Prion Disease
Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Parkinson's Disease
Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Huntington's Disease
Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Major or Mild Neurocognitive Disorder Due to Multiple Etiologies
Unspecified Neurocognitive Disorder
PERSONALITY DISORDERS
General Personality Disorder
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Histrionic Personality Disorder
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Dependent Personality Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder [Anankastic Personality Disorder]
Personality Change Due to Another Medical Condition
Other Specified Personality Disorder
Unspecified Personality Disorder
PARAPHILIC DISORDERS
Voyeuristic Disorder
Exhibitionistic Disorder
Frotteuristic Disorder
Sexual Masochism Disorder
Sexual Sadism Disorder
Pedophilic Disorder
Fetishistic Disorder
Transvestic Disorder
Other Specified Paraphilic Disorder
Unspecified Paraphilic Disorder
OTHER MENTAL DISORDERS AND ADDITIONAL CODES
Other Specified Mental Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Unspecified Mental Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Other Specified Mental Disorder
Unspecified Mental Disorder
MEDICATION-INDUCED MOVEMENT DISORDERS AND OTHER ADVERSE EFFECTS OF MEDICATION
Medication-Induced Parkinsonism
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
Medication-Induced Acute Dystonia
Medication-Induced Acute Akathisia
Tardive Dyskinesia
Tardive Dystonia [and] Tardive Akathisia
Medication-Induced Postural Tremor
Other Medication-Induced Movement Disorder
Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome
Other Adverse Effect of Medication
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chromaticflare · 9 months
Text
What the new signs and sigils in volume 12 probably do.
I can’t thank the WHA community enough for helping me with translating the spell info on volume 12’s bonus page. As of now, 7 people have sent and/or shared translations with me, and having so many sources to draw from really helped me to draw some meaningful conclusions. Here are my findings.
Findings From the Vapor Bubble
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The sign underlined in blue had the same translation every time - "cooling.” It likely does exactly what the name implies; cooling stuff down. We'll just call it a cooling sign. I cannot tell you how long the spellmaking side of the fandom has been waiting for a canon way to make ice spells, and we FINALLY HAVE ONE!
Next, we have the sign underlined in red, which I got a few different translations for, including “gathering,” “collection,” and “assembly.” Based on these translations and the spell’s behavior/structure, it is likely that this sign allows spells to pull in and gather material from the surrounding area for the spell to then manipulate. I’ll be referring to it as a gather sign. Gather seems to share many similarities with collection, but gather's ability to pull in nearby material sets them apart, as collection can only absorb material either in contact with or very close to the spell.
Findings From the Pegasus Carriage
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An important thing to note before we begin is that the pegasus carriage spell was first shown in Chap 1. Oftentimes, the closer you get to the start of WHA, the less ironed-out and consistent the magic system becomes. Many, MANY spells from the first 2 volumes (especially Vol 1) were retconned, changed, or replaced later on in the story. This spell is a great example of this.
We'll start off with the sigil underlined in green, which was consistently translated as being a "wind" sigil. We actually already knew prior to this that it behaves very similarly to a typical wind sigil based on its behavior in Chap 1, the only chapter it was ever shown in. Within this chapter, it was drawn on both the pegasus carriage and on Qifrey's sylph shoes. By Chap 3, Pg 2, the modern wind sigil had made its first appearance, and by Chap 4, Pg 2, the sylph shoe spell was changed to its modern form, directly retconning this sigil's inclusion within the spell. For all intents and purposes, the sigil seemed retconned, until now. I am unsure why Shirahama chose to bring this sigil back, but I doubt we'll be seeing it anytime soon. Let's call it the old wind sigil.
Next up we have the sign underlined in yellow, which was always translated as "gas." Literally no one knows what this is supposed to mean. However, we actually know this sign and its effects, as it is part of the wind sigil. When wind sigils have this bad boy (which we'll call gas), it makes them manipulate the air nearby. Aeroform sigils have a different sign in place of gas which makes them generate air instead.
Next up we have the sign underlined in purple, which was translated as "whirlwind." It made it's only appearance on the pegasus carriage Chap 1, and appears to be made of modified old wind sigils. That is literally all I know about it. It makes spinning air, I guess? I have zero evidence for this outside the name, so I'll just call it whirlwind. This one gets a big fat IDK.
Next we have the sigil underlined in blue, Wind Underfoot (it already had a name). We already suspected that it creates a wind platform below the spell capable of supporting weight, and all the translations we got (“wind with a foothold seal,” “scaffold-like wind,” and “underfoot wind”) seem to support this idea.
Lastly, we have the two glyphs underlined in red (which do the same thing), translated as "stabilize" and "balance." You might notice that both are float signs. Why would a float sign "stabilize?" Well, after going over it with three of my fellow magic system "experts," we managed to figure it out. Previously, we thought that what float did was make things ignore gravity, but this isn't the case. Instead, float causes the spell and what it manipulates to try and maintain or "stabilize" it's current altitude. We aren't sure weather this is in relation to absolute altitude or the surface below the object or spell, but the idea holds true for the floatglow lamp spell, the carriage spell, and the spell that Beldaruit used to dig up the ground that one time (it's a spoiler if I detail any more). If the official release of Vol 12 matches the translations, we may just have to rewrite everything we know about this sign.
I'm not even done with this post, I still have two more spells to go over, but at this point I've been writing for over an hour. I'll come back to this later and complete it.
Credits
Twitter
@acelessx (translation)
@Bonis_Kkha (spell analysis)
@hypomanix (translation)
@merchantarthurn (translation, scans)
@Okay668 (spell analysis)
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@chromaticflare (writing, spell analysis)
@kirbypoyopoyo (translation)
@romistery (spell analysis)
@wild-icarus (translation)
Discord
crayoni#7716 (translation)
sora.haneul#4273 (translation)
@tulipweed (translation)
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themadauthorshatter · 4 months
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Part 3 of Robots Rewritten, bitches, LET'S GO!!!!!!!!!!
Tw for robot gore/violence for this part. This final battle is going to be greasy, as it's said in the original
We pick up where we left off with the outmode crew and Bigweld going to Bigweld Industries, much to the surprise of all witnesses. Bigweld still has Rodney and Cappy wait, but frames it more as a, "Let the adult handle this," and also gives a bit of a parental push for Cappy by encouraging her to stick with Rodney so he doesn't stir up trouble. While Bigweld goes inside, Rodney and Cappy talk, admitting that neither knows what happens after this, but Cappy goes in to tell Rodney how genuinely grateful she is he ever came to the city, as she would never have been as brave as him to make a difference to this extent. The best Rodney comes up with in return, after some self hyping, is asking Cappy on a date, a proper one where he's himself and not wearing a dumb disguise. It makes them both laugh, but Cappy agrees on the condition that they pick what the other HAS TO wear. When Rodney dares her to repeat that, Fender and the others join in by giving odeas for what Rodney could have Cappy wear, i.e. something onutmode-ish and silly, and time's are just fun for a second as they wait a little bit
Ratchet still sees Bigweld and PANICS, and still "charms" his way to the point he knocks Bigweld out, and knocks some screws loose. Things proceed as they do in the original with Ratchet ordering Bigweld taken to the Chop Shop along with Rodney and Cappy, thought Rodney does onject and demand that Ratchet leave Cappy alone, maybe even kicks him and sees how weak Ratchet's upgrades are. The chase still occurs because it's genuinely entertaining, and Cappy shows off her rollerblading
The chase ends the same way, the outmodes go to the Chop Shop to foght, and the final battle starts the same way as it does in the original, with Gasket realizing Rodney is the one causing her so much trouble and revealing the giant Sweepers and that the outmodes are outnumbered. UNTIL PIPER AND THE ROBOTS RODNEY HELPED SHOW UP!!
The fight is very much the same as it is in the orginal, with everyone fighting their own battle, though after saving Bigweld, Rodney does an "awesome, badass nerd" move by swinging in(with a push from Wonderbot) to save Cappy from Chop Shop workers; she got separated from the outmodes and got outnumbered. (A visual gag could be Bigweld high-fiving Wonderbot for added humor. You'll see why it's needed soon)
Gasket ultimately has to retreat from the fight on the Giant Sweepers, and Ratchet gets the Sweepers activated.
Cappy, Rodney, and Bigweld all see it happen, but Rodney gets an idea, though he tells Cappy to stay where she is so she's safe. Cappy obviously refuses, but Rodney begs her to because he doesn't want anything to happen to Cappy; his idea is a dangerous one. There's back and forth, but Cappy ultimately kisses Rodney, who she makes promise her that he's going to come back and take her on that date he offered. He obviously does and moves out
Like in the original, Rodney and Bigweld swing down from a giant saw to knock over the Giant Sweepers, thank goodness too because they were closing in on the outmodes.
Ratchet sees Bigweld and Rodney swing toward him and has momentary panic before throwing himself at Rodney at the last moment, sending the two on a conveyor belt. The momentum also sends Gasket into the same chains Ratchet ends up in, in the original, so she's next to her husband
The Giant Sweepers are taken out and the outmodes rush to get Bigweld and make sure he's okay. Rodney and Ratchet have landed on one of the higher up conveyor belts, but they're also low to the point that Cappy cannot reach either of them. Just explaining that now before we get to what I consider the climax's climax:
Angry beyond all reason, Ratchet essentially flies off the handle, whaling on Rodney with anything he can grab, like a hammer, wrench, thin pipe, whatever, and Rodney tries to stop him and defend himself. Ratchet only shouts about how Rodney ruined everything, being a stupid kid who's slowly falling apart and can't scrape up enough to even build himself into something better. Wonderbot does try helping, but is backhanded away, though Rodney is able to kick Ratchet back and try running. Ratchet only knocks him back down again
Basically put, Ratchet goes Ratigan and just wants Rodney dead. It's nit a completely one sided fight, as Rodney, is getting a few hits in and taking advantage of bith his stronger, "outdated" metal to keep from getting his face smashed in, and the thinner, less reliable upgrade metal Ratchet has, both weakening Ratchet, and riling him up further. At one point in their scuffle, Ratchet has Rodney on his back again with the two having that sort of "push 'contest'" where there's a bar/pipe between them and while one's pushing down two kill the other, the other is pushing up to not die, Ratchet says he should have taken care of Rodney the first chance he had, maybe even thrown him out of the window without his little dishwashing invention so he wouldn't be a problem in Ratchet's city
Rodeny, who's been beaten to high hell, shouts that the city isn't Ratchet's, never has been and never will be, and he does a risky move after saying that, having seen where one conveyor belt meets another, by having the wheels catch Ratchet's arm, just enough to get him to let go of Rodney.
The two have one final stand off, both beaten tired, and with their metal and bodied badly damaged. Ratchet has armed himself with a hammer, ready to smash Rodney to pieces once he moves, but Rodney, is unarmed, refusing to take a wrench Wonderbot is trying to give him, and even looking at a picture of his parents and Cappy and his friends he's got in his arm compartment.
Ratchet admits he probably won't have the city, won't have Bigweld Industries, and won't have every outmode either melted down or looking as shiny as he is, but he can at least have the satisfaction of getting rid of Rodney himself, which is a shame because he really could've used somone as inventive as Bigweld, but easier to push around. Rodney, seeing that the two are DANGEROUSLY close to the flames meant to melt down metal, only tells Ratchet that he'd rather be himself than anything like Ratchet, saying so as he runs forward and tackles Ratchet off the conveyor belt
It leads to the two also smalling into the wall and falling onto the new metal conveyor belt. Ratchet is down for the count while Rodney has enough energy to at least push himself up. AT LEAST, until the conveyor belt doors slam with him caught between them
It causes MANY robots to scream, especially as they see Rodney fall out of the doors once they're open again. Everyone swarms to get Ratchet and Gasket and get the two out and arrested, as they are responsible for mass murder, and to see Rodney, Cappy pushing and rushing through the crowd and shouting for everyone to let her through. Fender stops her, not wanting her to see how badly damaged Rodney really is. Cappy still shouts for him to let her go and let her see Rodney.
Camera poc, there are glimpses of Rodney as people swarm around, all quiet and asking if he's dead or not. Cappy ultimately breaks free and gets to her childhood friend, and freezes once she does.
Rodney is HORRIBLY broken apart, having been nearly been broken in half by the doors. The fight had left one arm broken to the point the covering has come off. Much of his body had been badly dentes, but now it's tenfold. He has had an eye broken in the fight, his mohawk is broken and he's almost completely covered in grease(not blood, relax). His legs were also fairly damaged, but more more than the other; he would have been limping before the door slammed on him. It's enough to make Cappy fall to her knees and hold Rodney close to her, in shock and refusing to let him go as the outmodes try to get the two to move. Camera pov again, Rodney's hand twitches and the screen fades, giving a small hint that he is alive
We see it's true when Rodney comes to in his house, back home, in HORRIBLE pain and having some trouble seeing clearly. He sees his parents sitting close by and when they twarfully ask how he is, he admits he feels awful, having had the most screwed up dream ever and not being able to move very well, so he'll have to call in and try to get a day off. Rodney's mother cries as she holds Rodney's hand, though Rodney's father just looks away for a moment before asking Rodney what he remembers last
Rodney, confused, basically says he left for Bigweld city, but the city was being taken over by someone who wanted to destroy outmodes and make everyone upgraded, but Rodney and the outmodes stopped the robot responsible
Before either of his parents can speak, Rodney is tapped on the shoulder and he looks over to see Fender, who asks Rodney how he slept and if his fabulous new legs were in that dream of his. Rodney realizes that, yeah, NONE of it was a dream and sits up to hug his parents and Fender, crying because of everything that happened and because he's home and ALIVE
Fender, who's getting misty eyed himself, tells Rodney not to get too weepy when he's got some repairs done, including a new eye that they don't want fogging up yet, and he's got a special someone to introduce his parents to, and it's not Rodney's polished girlfriend
With some help getting up, Rodney, his parents, and Fender all walk outside, where Rodney sees both the bots from the city and his friends hanging out when the boys from his hometown, even seeing Bigweld talk to Aunt Fanny because I think they're damn cute. Also out and about, but not talking to anyone is Cappy, who's holding a dejected Wonderbot in her hands. That changes when Wonderbot lights up upon seeing Rodney and flying over to him as fast as possible, maybe even using his wire(?) Arms and legs to hug Rodney before lightly bonking him on the head for almost getting himself killed. Cappy is utterly speechless, even while Rodney fumbles over himself apologizing to her, but Cappy hugs him, which he reciprocates because he really needs a hug
The two only break their hug when Bigweld comes in to check on Rodney and see how he's doing, seeing as he's up and moving. He's asking because he's got an announcement:
He's come all the way to the small town to personally announce the remaking and redistribution of spare parts for all robots and, once he's all healed up and himself again, he's hiring Rodeny to work for him and, when Bigweld retires, will make Rodney his successor, if Rodney would like to be. Rodney asks if that should go to Cappy instead, and Cappy, a little cheery, asks Rodney who he thinks gave Bigweld the idea to hire Rodney in the first place. Bigweld also jokingly chides Rodney and tells him to respect the new leader of his industry, though she'll be acting more as his assistant manager or something
It's all good news, and when Rodney looks to his parents, they're HELLA proud of him and they tell him. Rodney does falter for a second in agreeing, but it's ultimately his parents's approval and the mostly silent encouragement from everyone that gets him to agree(it's not peer pressure, don't worry). It's also some encouragement from Rodney's father that helps, said encouragement being that his father didn't necessarily get to go after what had been his dream, a chance he doesn't want Rodney to miss by any means. When Rodney points out how His father could still have time to pursue his dream, his father only tells Rodney that Rodney himself is that dream, telling his son that he's always made him proud and he just knows that Rodney will continue doing doing great things. The two hug and there is the stipulation that Rodney NOT get himself nearly killed in his line of work again, but still. Happy serotonin all around
After agreeing, it's celebrating all around, though, Cappy pulls Rodney away after a while so the two can get some quiet time. Admittedly, she's a little upset, but more at the fact she almost lost her best friend. Rodney apologizes, as that was one of his dumber ideas, but right as he goes to promise he won't do anything stupid like that again, he stops himself, and he and Cappy kiss. Fender, Piper, and the other Robot City friends see it, Lug trying not to cry, Piper and Crank being fairly impressed, Diesel being shocked before turning to give them some privacy, and Fender giving a, "not bad," at the scene
Diesel does shoo everyone away with Wonderbot's help, but the kiss leaves Rodney with some trouble standing, as he still isn't used to his new legs yet, maybe even asking how Fender got used to his new legs so fast. Cappy just tells him not to worry about it and just stays by Rodney's side, though does remind him that he owes her that date more than ever now. Rodney, remembering their agreement, wishes her well in finding him something that will go with is mish-moshed parts. It's supposed to be a cute, sweet ending where we don't think about the horrible trauma the characters must have from the story's events, and wrap up on a happy note as Rodney and Cappy kiss again, though Rodney surprises her by picking her up and spinning her around, making them both laugh even when they inevitably fall down; Cappy is unharmed because she lands on Rodney, who is also unharmed
In true 2005 fashion, the ending has a dance sequence, because why not, with the characters cutting a rug and being silly, maybe even a cut of Gasket and Ratchet, if he survived, sitting in prison scowling in their defeat while Ratchet's father is dancing along as well
The ending shot is of a picture taken of nearly everyone together, though it does turn into a freeze frame as the credits roll
AND THAT WAS A PG-13 TAKE ON ROBOTS!!! I really hope you guys liked this 3-parter, sorry if this last part got a little intense, I had a certain image in my head that I just had to share with the rest of you, and this was honestly my way of putting context to that image
Not saying what that image was, but I'm sure you can guess😁
Fr, I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading this!!!
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pumpkinmagekupo · 4 months
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Drowning Sorrows
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Mizuki stumbled her way through the streets of Ishgard until she found herself at the Forgotten knight. She just wanted to be alone. Grabbing a room, Mizuki hung her hat and robes up and set down the several bottles of wine she'd purchased.
Her mind was all over the place. She didn't know what to do. She sat down at the small desk and then she stood up again and paced the room.
The pain in her chest was unbearable. All she could see was Aymeric and that beautiful noble woman. He smiled at her kindly and accepted a letter from her that seemed very important. And most likely personal. Looking at them from afar, they looked a perfect match. Their status would compliment each other too. Most marriages she heard of seemed to be arranged.
This lady trying to vie for Aymeric's affection would be frowned upon if her parents found out but if Aymeric felt the same, no doubt their families would be overjoyed with such a fine gentleman seeking their daughter's hand.
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Mizuki cursed herself for such feelings of jealously swirling in her heart. She didn't even know this woman.
I would never be chosen by him..
That sharp twinge in her chest, sparked tears and she reached for the first bottle, popping the cork and pouring a full glass and swiftly drained the entire thing.
"Aymeric is far above my station.." she mumbled, pouring another glass "A well respected knight and a lowly adventurer-" she snorted a laugh "how foolish.." the glass was emptied and refilled. The first bottle lasted not much longer.
She rose to her feet, pouring another glass she moved to sit on the bed.
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"and she was so beautiful and elegant.." sourly she sipped another glass "a perfect match for the equally beautiful Lord Commander."
The bitterness in her chest washed to heartache "It's for the best.." she whispered. "What could I offer? Why would I assume he would even think of me as such.." another glass was filled. "Just the means to an end of an age long war..."
The bottles of wine soon vanished. All neatly stacked on the table.
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Mizuki reduced to sobbing into her hands. She was aware that romance was not going to be viable in an adventurer's wandering lifestyle and even less so for the Eikon slayer.
"I just...one day I won't come back and to leave someone waiting...to then grieve...with no body to bury.." she shook her head violently "I couldn't...how cruel..how selfish.."
A sudden wave of nausea washed over her and the wine finally made its presence known. Mizuki threw herself to a nearby bucket.
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She cried more as she vomited for what felt like an eternity. "I look pathetic-" she heaved again. "Such grace.." she mused bitterly. Once the retching at ceased, Mizuki managed to move to her robes where she had something for calming such stupidity. Switching to a more sensible beverage: water. Mizuki laid on the bed.
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"I must apologise to count Edmont..for not returning.." Mizuki yawned and tired sadness took over. Tears stained her cheeks again "I'm such an idiot" she choked out.
"I can't love him...I shouldn't...I need to forget." she sobbed into the pillow.
Drunken tiredness finally caught up with her and dragged Mizuki into a listless slumber.
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mumms-the-word · 2 days
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tbh i'm actually kind of pissed at larian. regardless of if it's sticking it to hasbro or not, they're leaving the game in a potentially awful state and not delivering on promises they made, like the upper city. You also have SWEN talking about shit that could have been like ketheric's recruitment and what not, which stirs the pot even more and makes me angry. Like stop talking about it. we're already upset enough.
These are all very valid critiques, anon! I have many thoughts but I’ll put everything under the cut since I got a little long-winded because I’m passionate about video games in general.
I do play a bit of Devil’s Advocate here but please note I am not attacking you personally or trying to direct any hate towards anybody at all! This ask honestly gave me space to vent some thoughts I’ve had for months about this game. I did my best to offer nuanced perspectives and acknowledge my own biases. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, including their own disappointments and praises for Larian, Swen, the actors, and all involved in the making/maintaining (or lack thereof) of BG3.
TLDR: We shouldn’t put Larian on a pedestal as the Best Studio Ever, but we don’t have to grab our pitchforks and say they’re the worst studio ever either. If BG3 is a disappointment it might be because Larian flew a little too close to the sun trying to squeeze 80% of a functional D&D experience into a digital video game package, when (in my opinion) those two game genres are almost inherently designed to not mesh well, disappointing one fan while satisfying another.
———
Point #1, Idk how much Larian is sticking it to Hasbro but Hasbro IS a greedy corporation who has no idea how to make video games and I very highly suspect they’ve been making demands of Larian’s team that are impossible to meet without destroying the work ethic (and health/mental health/financial stability, etc) of Larian’s team. Hasbro just sees dollar signs. Larian isn’t necessarily as interested in milking BG3 for all it’s worth.
If they were, we’d be paying for Upper City in a DLC, and we’re not. Instead they’re choosing to pivot to a fresh new project that isn’t beholden to Hasbro or the demands of WOTC. Does it feel like they’re abandoning the game? Yeah, kinda. But if Swen says that his team looked visibly relieved to move on to something new, that gives me warning bells. Not against Swen, but about the crunch standard of games industries as a whole and possibly against Hasbro or WOTC. I’d much rather his team take care of their very human selves than grind themselves to ultimate burnout working on a game that is functionally complete, if buggy in places and not satisfying for some players because they didn’t get the content they wanted.
There is no perfect game, after all.
And honestly I’d say the same of any AAA studio too. I am consistently frustrated with game studios firing whole departments for the sake of retaining profits and treating their employees like content robots. Games should not be made at the expense of anyone’s physical or mental health, but unfortunately that’s The Industry Standard. (And personally I think Larian or at least Swen is uncomfortable with that.)
(Also I think people forget that making a game the size of BG3 requires the talents and hard work of hundreds of people. Larian was working with, what, 400 people? And that was after they hired like 250+ to even rise to the challenge of making BG3. Who are we even pointing the finger at for all these issues? Swen? He’s one man.)
Should they have promised something they couldn’t deliver? No. But also, I have no idea what issues led them to cutting the content, either. What’s done is done.
BG3 will be an obsolete game in a year or soon anyway, not because Larian isn’t working on it anymore, but because the games industry is just So. Freaking. Big. and pumps out thousands of games a year. Like, I hate to say it, but people are already dropping BG3 for other games like Dragon’s Dogma 2 because DD2 is shiny, new, and has a bonkers character creator.
And there’s nothing wrong with that! We’re not built to play (or work on) a narrative-focused game for 5-7 years, regardless of what any die-hard Destiny fan tells you (note: multiplayers without narrative get a pass purely because the focus isn’t on the narrative, but on collaborative play).
If a game is no longer fun to play, move on and find something that scratches your itch. Go back and play old games! There are so many things out there to explore. I have a To Be Played pile literally right now, a backlog of games I haven’t tried out yet. I’m sure many others do too.
Point #2 (and here I could be wrong, if I’m not already wrong in my opinions above), but they’re not entirely abandoning the game like…at the drop of a hat. They’re still promising at least a handful of hotfixes and at least one more patch with new evil epilogue endings (among other things).
Does that get us Upper City? Likely not. Does that add enough content to give Wyll a more well-rounded storyline, elevate all the romances to Astarion levels of cutscenes and dialogue, and finish Karlach’s questline with an actual solution for her heart? Also likely not. Is it precious to be mad about these losses? No! Be mad!! Wyll deserves justice!!!
I’d love to explore Upper City. I’m a huge advocate for Wyll getting more/better representation. If I could save Karlach without throwing her into Avernus I would in a HEARTBEAT. But these things aren’t in the game, and they likely won’t be. Larian made decisions to meet a (self-imposed? Hasbro imposed? Industry-relevant?) deadline that are ultimately disappointing. We can absolutely acknowledge that we’re disappointed.
But I don’t necessarily think Larian is just being lazy about these decisions, though. At the end of the day we have no idea what contracts Larian is under, what hell the developers have been through, either from the game industry, Hasbro, rabid fans, or excessively cruel critics, or what technical/gameplay/scheduling/financial issues they ran into at various parts of development.
Like the Ketheric thing (Point #3). Was it bad PR to bring up that Ketheric was a “kill your darlings” decision late in development around the same time you’re openly promoting the end of your relationship with BG3? Yeah. Totally. But I’m not surprised they had to cut something like that. Games, movies, books do that all the time. How many deleted scenes from movies have we seen where it could have changed the whole narrative (maybe even made it better) if it had just stayed in? I can think of a handful. It sucks, but trust me, it hurts the writers and developers way more to cut content they’ve poured money and time and heart and soul into than it hurts us, the players who would never know the wiser if they hadn’t said anything.
But also, the game is ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE. On PC you have to have 150GB free just to install it. Can you imagine how big it would be if they had shoved everything they wanted into it, even if they had delayed the game a while to make it happen? 150GB is a lot.
For perspective, that puts it on par with a very, very, VERY tiny sector of PC games at about the same level (or higher) of GB requirements, including Red Dead Redemption 2 (a fantastic open world game that still holds up in 2024), Microsoft Flight Simulator (which requires 150GB because it’s literally just flying through high quality renders of actual Earth), Forspoken (everyone says all the GB went to graphics here and I believe them), Star Wars: Jedi Survivor (which only has about 50 hours of playable content, allegedly), basically any VR game, and ARK: Survival Evolved which comes in at a whopping 400 GB mostly because of DLC. In other words, games that big get that big either because of graphics or like a hundred DLCs.
BG3 manages to fit in gorgeous cinematics, a super complex spell-combat system, a more or less streamlined video game build for complex D&D combat rules and mechanics, 10 potential companions, 8 romances among those companions, several large maps to explore, and branching narratives that would take you days to read every scrap of dialogue for (I’ve downloaded the datamined files for Patch6, and there are whole leagues of dialogue, encounters, and bits that are in the game, unbugged, that most of us pass by because we don’t explore enough). You want to know where most of the GB goes? It goes towards sustaining a D&D combat/narrative structure that was originally never built with video game constraints in mind.
Do you know how many conditions/status effects there are in the game? Over 1100. 1100+ unique descriptions and titles for conditions that debuff or buff your character or your enemies, granting hundreds of actual gameplay affects. Do you know how many spells there are across the 12 playable classes and all unique spells for enemies and allies? Like 400, if we’re getting picky and splitting hairs over stuff like Rolan’s Magic Missile being different than the usual Magic Missile or if we’re splitting out something like Disguise Self into its 32 different variations. Each spell needs a different icon, a different graphic effect, and it needs to do the right kind of damage and cause the right kind of condition or effect, some of which are immediate, others which linger.
We can speak with dead with hundreds of characters. That’s a lot of dialogue. We can talk to ANY named NPC. That’s a lot of dialogue! We can talk to any animal, with or without speak with animals enabled. That’s a lot of dialogue!!
A single playthrough where I try to explore as much as possible takes me 150 hours or more. I have 500 hours in this game and I’ve only got 4 characters and I’ve only finished 2 of them. This game is mind-bogglingly big. Even if it’s not the biggest game in history ever, or even the biggest game by the time of its release, its BIG.
The biggest critique I would have here is one that I’ve had since I first started playing the game, and it’s that D&D systems and video games don’t mesh comfortably well. I think that Larian got distracted trying to make the ultimate D&D experience, catering to a demographic that is known to ignore plot and pursue shenanigans, and Larian felt the need to build in a lot of shenanigans.
I think they got a little overzealous about it, and that’s where we have missing content, and a lot of fluff that isn’t always plot-relevant. If the game feels unfinished, it’s because Larian started too many threads, and while there are endings to all of those threads, many of them feel rushed or unsatisfactory. Why do they feel unsatisfactory? Because we’re offered so much freedom early on, only to be pulled back into the much more limited narrative constraints of a video game at the end. Because the game has to end eventually, unlike a D&D campaign which could go on or explore many other possibilities. But by act 3 in a 150 GB game, we’re running out of time and space.
And yes that’s disappointing as hell and Larian could and arguably SHOULD have made different decisions on what to focus on.
But ultimately, you just can’t fit a full-on, any-choice-goes D&D experience in a game that needs to be packaged neatly enough to run on most PCs or consoles, and Larian was ambitious as hell to try. Contrary to popular belief, I think they did pretty freaking well given the challenge, and no, it isn’t perfect, and no, to confess to my own bias, I don’t have the same complicated history with the game that early access or release day players have because I bought the game like 2 months after it was out and patched twice. But they’ve clearly built a game that people love so much they’re upset there isn’t more of it, or at least upset it isn’t the best it can be.
But sometimes we have to be realistic too. I can only imagine how many more bugs or render issues we’d get if they did try to shove in Upper City at this point. Games can only be so big before they start to become too much for the systems that try to run them and I don’t want the games industry veering towards making games an elitist hobby for only the rich and elite who can afford expensive rigs and $100 games.
(And also, I’m not at all upset that for $70 bucks I got 500 hours of gameplay and I’m not 100% sick of it yet. When EA and Activision are getting players to pay hundreds in micro transactions and DLC and dangling extra maps and new missions behind paywalls? Bish, please, I’m good. You want to talk about an unfinished experience? Dragon Age: Inquisition made us pay for our epilogue content as a DLC. At least Larian built theirs in for free from the start.)
Anyway.
All that said, I’m sure if Larian could turn back the clock and start over, they’d make different decisions about what to keep, cut, and refine. But we’re here now.
If I want to see anything from Larian right now, it’s a dedication to fix ongoing bugs that make the game unplayable or that block the narratives that they have built so that they play correctly (like with the Minthara romance). IDEALLY I’d like to see them add more content for companions other than Astarion, to equalize the romance experiences, but I’m not holding my breath (again, considering things like game development, actor schedules, contracts, etc).
While I’m sad about the permanent loss of stuff like the Upper City and disappointed by all the rushed questlines, I’d rather them fix the bugs that make the game un-fun to play and bow out gracefully once they’re sure the game won’t need constant supervision.
Besides, they’re working on cross-platform mod support, and mods are gonna add and mess with the game for many years to come, so we can pivot to support them instead while Larian works on its next game (and hopefully learns from its mistakes with BG3).
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