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#some of these i dont think i even posted welp

bengallemon · 2 months

Text

okay so its going to be impossible for me to write a full post about isat until after my 2nd playthrough and i have a bunch of notes, but i WILL be insane about how the senses are depicted, especially things siffrin smells, tastes and sees.

(spoilers for the whole game but when i get to act 4/5 ill put it under a cut)

because it starts off normal. everything that's experienced for the first couple of loops is alright, and that's because siffrin's mental state is still mostly the same as when they went into the house for the first time with the squad.

until the text starts commenting on little things, like how the cookies are getting old to the malanga fritters not being exactly the same as how sif is trying to remember, to how whenever they get to the end and talk to the head housemaiden how they smell burnt sugar just before looping back to the start.

the most jarring is the sight. slowly, throughout all the loops you start seeing an image of siffrin standing somewhere, such as in a hallway, before vanishing, and it gets a bit more common the more loops you've been through. it becomes more obvious the more things taste less like anything (and the more the game comments on how siffrin's stomach feels) and how easy it is to miss something new someone says (because you and siffrin are speeding through everything you hear), how quickly his mental state is declining.

(now spoilers for acts 4 and 5 because thats when it gets Real)

during act 4 it's possible (for some ungodly reason), when talking to bonnie at least for the first time in a loop, for the music to cut off and their sprite suddenly be half covered in black. because. why not. (this happened the second time in act 4 i talked to bonnie in dormont and i jumped badly)

the most probable explanation for seeing this is because of how the last moments in act 3 are of bonnie literally being crushed by the king's hand. probably siffrin remembering what happened and it starting to overlay in his vision.

it's probably also why you see other sifs throughout the castle, especially the further along you go. either he's seeing vestiges of past loops, or hallucinating. probably both. their mental state is getting more and more worse.

act 5 shows this even more, with blacked out sprites of the other characters and visions of them in places such as the break rooms, or getting their dialogue when interacting with objects despite siffrin being completely alone in their rampage throughout the castle. most notable is the mirror room dialogue.

how the initial picture you see during act 5 is with the whole family, until you view it and siffrin is completely alone. how the memories of the past loops are overlaying with the current one to the point where his senses are starting to become more unreliable.

during act 5 as well if you interact with any candles they smell sweet. before siffrin either didnt smell anything or it was something he didnt really know.

anyway. siffrin's own senses becoming unreliable reflecting his own deteriorating mental state is a brilliant touch to add to the horror in the story. (even without talking about how his relationship with touch is).

postgame our man absolutely would not be able to trust his sense with how the past looping affected his perception of everything around them.

#lemon time #isat spoilers #in stars and time #WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. FINALLY MADE AN ACTUAL POST ABOUT SOME THOUGHTS.#anyway. still trying to figure out if the ghost siffrins are glitches from past loops or hallucinations or both.#im leaning towards both.#i dont think i even need to mention how the sense of touch plays into the story. all That speaks for itself #i didnt even mention how the Acting plays into all that.#welp. right time to draw more frins.

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wasyago · 9 months

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Your art is such a huge inspiration for me , i was wondering if you had any tips on anatomy ? Your way of doing it is so fluid and fun to look at and i struggle a lot with stiffness .

welp, long post incoming, sorry i really didn't want to write all of this on the canvas, so most of it will be in text + pictures

(also please keep in mind that this is not a 100% correct way to do this, but this is how i do it)

first, a little secret you need to know. none of my drawings are actually anatomically correct-- its more about proportions and lines of motion than it is about anatomy (since you said you struggle with stiffnes). now, of course anatomy is important, especially if you're going for something more realistic, but i'd say its not the first thing you should focus on. for me, anatomy is something i learn slowly and gradually as i go and as i need (and forget soon after).

i think proportions are in a way a lot more helpful than anatomy, because you can easily change them according to the character's needs and it'll still look believable. so like.

arms from wrist to elbow and from elbow to shoulder are roughly the same size, same with legs.

character's open palm is the same size as their face from chin to hairline.

the thickness of the neck depends not on the size of the head but the size of shoulders. so, if the shoulders are broad and muscular the neck will be too. if the shoulders are small then the neck will be thinner, etc.

when hands are pressed to the body, elbows are in line with the waist and the palm is roughly below the hips.

length of legs in relation to the body is directly responsible for how tall the character looks. if they're the same size - character looks average, if the legs are shorter than the body the character looks shorter, and if the legs are longer then the character looks taller.

and then for the face.... i literally forgot everything about face proportions uhhhh. well. the ears sit in the middle of the head and are in the same dimensions as the nose. the spaces from hairline to eyebrows to tip of the nose to chin are all the same size. mouth sits on 2/3 between the nose and the chin, leaving more space for the chin. eyes are the same size and the space between them is equal to the size of one eye. (this is much easier to explain in a drawing)

and then to make your character stand out and look unique you change some of the proportions. make their eyes bigger, ears smaller, arms longer or legs shorter. the difference between knowing the proportions and breaking them on purpose vs not following the proportions at all, is that when you know what you're breaking it looks intentional and it has a meaning and it makes sense to the viewer, instead of you breaking all the rules without knowing what they are. just remember to emphasize it enough for your style, because if you overdo or don't do enough it might look out of place. again, its all about balance.

and now for the lines of motion... i dont exactly know how to explain them, because there's not really a correct way to do them? but basically its a line that follows and sets the motion. yeah. its what makes the characters look less stiff. and its not exactly imaginary lines, but they're not simply visible either. its the lines that the silhouette of the character follows, the direction their limbs or elements of clothing create. you're basically creating those patterns that the pose follows, and you know us humans we sure love our patterns, so the brain subconsciously recognizes that there's a pattern and the image then feels more structured, more real in a sense?

i have no damn idea how to put it into words, but. um. diagonal lines are dynamic, straight lines (in relation to the canvas) are stiff. its like a square looks stiff but a rombos looks flowy even if they're basically the same thing. so to make your characters look more dynamic you need to build the pose on diagonals and not straight lines. and if you want the pose to look stable then you need to balance it out with lines of motion that go in an opposite direction. sort of like you put two rocks on the ends of a plank to balance it out instead of putting no rocks at all because the plank will balance on its own. it creates flavor and weight and intention, sort of like "this plank balances because of the rocks" instead of "the plank balances because there's nothing". sorry i get carried away with the metaphors--

you can use the stiff/dynamic thing however you want for whatever purpose you need. for example making the bottom of the character who is standing still be parallel to the canvas, but keeping their body diagonal and dynamic, helps to make the character feel stable and set in the drawing, like they're standing on firm ground. keeping a background or some element of the drawing stiff but making the character dynamic emphasizes the movement and focuses attention on the character. but making both the background and the character dynamic creates a fully dynamic composition and the feeling like everything is in motion. its an interesting balance but the more you draw the more you understand it.

hope this helps :D

#yagotalk #feels like i forgot something...... oh well #if you have any more specific questions feel free to ask #how to yago

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jjunsolos · 1 year

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TXT REACTIONS TO - you crying over a song

when txt walks in on you crying over a sad song

pairings - txt x gn!reader (separately)

warnings - none much. reader just cries in all of the reactions

genre - fluff, tiniest of angst, crack

a/n - i got this idea after listening to ‘no me queda mas’ by selena😪 when i tell you i was BAWLINGG !! anywayyy i decided to post this since i havent been updating the smau (my bad yall) but also coz this has been sitting in my drafts for way too long😭 so i hope yall enjoy 💗

(bold = reader)

[yeonjun] <3

- bro walks in and just sees you bawling your eyes out

- confused coz wtf are you doing in the dark blasting bruno mars 🤨

- “uh… baby? are you oka-“

- couldnt finish his sentence coz you start sobbing loudly

- most definitely thinks youre going through something

- decides to sit next to you and rubs your back as you sob your heart out

- “sorry… this song is just so sad”

- “no dont apologize baby” *smiles widely* “ill be your shoulder to cry on”

- teases you when youve calmed down fs

[soobin] <3

- worried bby :(

- abt to start crying just coz youre crying (this pure soul🤧)

- sits next to you and hugs you super duper tight

- (pls keep in mind he still has yet to find out why youre crying)

- grabs a tissue box and starts wiping your tears and your snot. despite it grossing him out just a littleee 🤏 bit

- finally asks why youre crying and… welp

- his face literally goes from “🥺🤨😐😑”

- “babe i thought someone died !!! you worried me so much ahhhh”

- dramatic noises coz bby was REALLYYY worried for a second

- but its okay coz at least youre crying over something minor

[beomgyu] <3

- confused pt.1

- first instinct, as bad as it sounds, is to record you😭

- like lets be honest, the second he heard adele from the other room he alr knew you were gonna end up in tears

- comes up to you and starts fake crying

- you look at him like “🥺🤨”

- “what? you cant just cry alone. you need my cries to finish yours”

- changes the music to something else coz his throat starts hurting from all the fake crying😭

- shows you the video he took an hour later and you alr know hes laughing as he does so

[taehyun] <3

- honestly babes didnt even notice you were crying

- he came into the room to grab something and didnt notice you were crying till he turned around

- confused pt.2

- doesnt understand why youre crying till he hears ‘for you’ by bts playing

- as a fellow army himself, he understands

- grabs a box of tissue and your favorite stuffed animal and hands it to you

- and when you look at him confused, he just replies with “for the tough times”

- walks out and cooks you some nice soup for when youre done with your crying session

[hueningkai] <3

- heard sniffling and thought you caught a cold

- turns out youre crying over music :\

- kinda stands at the door like “🧍🏾”

- literally doesnt speak bc “actions speak louder than words”

- grabs one of his many stuffed animals and comes towards you with it

- “yah im gonna tickle you if you dont stop crying this instant”

- ends up tickling you anyways coz he wants to hear your furious giggles and laughs (🥹💔)

- cuddles you while rubbing your back

- “im gonna do this to you every time i catch you crying”

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gale-gentlepenguin · 9 months

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Gale Reviews: Miraculous: Ladybug & Chat Noir. The Movie

Welp I finally got the miraculous Movie so now I get to review it.

So For this review, I plan viewing this SOLELY on the movie. I will not be judging it completely based on the show. This is Zag's take. (The view on who did it better will be for another Post)

(Thanks @knightsweeties for the picture)

How I will be reviewing it.

Plot

Characters

Lesson

Animation

Music (Because yes, this is a Musical and should be judged)

Final Thoughts.

________________________________________________________

Plot

So its pretty simple. A villain named Hawkmoth appears that wants to use the power of the butterfly miraculous to get the two miraculous he needs to attain his goal. But two heroes will rise in order to fight him, Ladybug and Chat noir. We will see another take on the show that inspired the movie. A new world for Ladybug and Chat noir.

Overall, this movie's plot is pretty generic, its not going to be winning anything for originality. BUT it sticks to the script and does everything it needs to do to set up Ladybug and Chat noir's respective character arcs and setting up one heck of a final confrontation with hawkmoth. The emotional drama is there and mostly hits the points it needs to. And while not everything got a laugh out of me, some things did.

It also ties up a good amount of loose ends while leaving Sequel bait.

For the most part. 7/10 for non-fans

9/10 for fans.

Its engaging enough and does what it needs to do.

______________________________________________________________

Characters:

Marinette: She is likable and you do enjoy seeing her on screen when she starts getting confident. I do think the pacing of the movie does impact her a bit, but its never to the point where its unbelievable. Also as Ladybug, her banter with Chat noir is top notch. There is some really good chemistry there. That being said, I find it harder to believe that she fell in love with Adrien over chat noir. But its a nit pick.

Adrien: I admit it took a bit for me to actually like this adrien, but I think thats intentional. Chat noir starts out arrogant and annoying, while Adrien starts shut off and quiet. He is a boy mourning the loss of his mother and his father is so distant that he seems gone to. But then he meets Ladybug, he sees this girl and how incredible she is. He finds someone he can relate to and his heart opens. Its beautiful seeing him fall in love with her and pull out all the stops opening up to her. He even gets to confront his father. Its quite a biting scene. I must say this maybe my favorite iteration of Adrien. (Careless whisper is the only song he listens to.) I do wish he was in it a bit more as adrien, but its not that bad.

Gabriel: I dont know how they did it, but they managed to make Gabriel sympathetic. Showing the lengths he is going, how lost he is, the survivor's guilt he has. He blames himself and wants to bring his family back together again. And Hawkmoth they made wacky and yet TERRIFYING. And we see this especially in the finale and the moment we think he wins, he sees his son. He sees it was Adrien, the one thing left in his life that he wants to protect him. This is a gabriel that deserves some sympathy but doesnt shy away from the fact he committed crimes.

Alya and Nino: Now they are both not in this as much as the actual show, but they are great supports and some of the changes done to both of them are wonderful. Alya being supportive of Marinette, Nino being such a bro to adrien while also simping for Alya (Chef's kiss). I do wish Nino and Adrien's meeting but their friendship is good.

Chloé: This chloé is exactly what she needs to be. A bully character but never so excessive that it detracts from the plot. She is spoiled and she is probably the funniest character. (For those that know the show, think Season 1 chloé with a dash of season 2) I think they got a different english VA for her, and honestly it works.

Plagg and Tikki: I found Plagg a bit annoying with the fart jokes, but outside of that he is pretty similar to his canon counterpart. Tikki on the other hand SHINES in this movie. This is what I wanted from Tikki, motivational, curious, fun loving. this is what I picture with the kwami of Creativity.

Fu: He is the mysterious old man character. He plays it well, though he is hardly in the movie. But at least he actually shows up for Ladybug and Chat noir almost right away, instead of just hiding.

The other characters play their roles and there are some funny bits, the akumatized villains are fun and play their role. Lady Magician and the Mime are both phenomenal.

Also the Gargoyle, I feel so bad for him. He wins the award for most Tragic akumatization.

Overall Solid 8.5/10

I do wish we got more Alya and Nino, and less fart jokes from Plagg

____________________________________________________________

Lesson

There are 3 lessons to take away from this movie.

The first one "Stronger together"

Having help and working with those around us can help us grow, we have to be willing to let others in and help us be our best selves.

The second is "Believe in yourself"

Marinette's main character arc is coming to terms with what she can do and finding the inner strength that she always had, even without powers. (Done better than a chunk of films these days)

The Third lesson, "Power of Love"

It was love that helped stop Hawkmoth, it was love that helped chat noir and ladybug overcome their weaknesses and fix paris. It was even love that helped them at the very end.

That being said... the execution on all of the lessons was not perfect, the first one sort of fell off by the end, but the second one and third lesson still applied. There could be some work but I still enjoyed it.

6/10

___________________________________________________________

Animation:

The Animation looks great, the character designs look great, and while I was originally iffy on them, after seeing it I must say the designs work.

The Lighting in itself if Heavenly to say the least. Whoever was in charge of the lighting needs to be given a deep tissue massage and a raise.

It does feel a bit Disney for my personal taste but I cant complain with how crisp the fights look. Great Choreography and it really sells the intensity of the scenes. The details and call backs, the foreshadowing.

Its solid animation, I would say that it is missing a few bits to really make it stand out, some sort of Stylization. But outside of that. Its good.

The scenes that they want to focus on look great, the imagination bits are grandiose. There was care put into this and not just a cheap cash grab.

9/10

_______________________________________________________

The Music

This movie is a musical, very disney-sque.

And as a courteous, I listened to the songs in French and english. I know the english VA's arent the one's singing. And I have to say, it feels SO WEIRD for Marinette in the english dub. But Its not that bad. I think the French one is just more consistent sounding. But english and french both sound fine. Also Chat noir's VA isnt singing, but I think the singing voice for him fits him a bit closer but the french is still the best. "My Lady" is a great song for Chat noir.

The songs are fine, nothing that really blew me away, but they were fun. "I believed in me" fits Marinette well as an opening song.

Tikki's rapping in english is surprisingly decent. But SO WEIRD.

But Gabriel's singing voice, THAT through me off.

Villain song 101. Love it in the english dub. "Chaos Reigns"

But the song "Stronger together." That hit me. The duet in both iterations are great.

The Background music always seems to fit the mood... Except Careless whisper (But that was always used in amusing ways). The BG should be praised

7.5/10

_____________________________________________________________

Final Thoughts

Overall, if I had to rate it objectively, without knowing the show or series. 7/10. Nothing ground breaking but its a good film in itself, its entertaining and fun, and it has some good moments. Pacing is a bit all over but it’s under 2 hours so it’s more of a pick your battles thing

If I had to rate this as the Show fan that I am and my personal enjoyment.

8/10

It does nearly everything I wanted it to do, and added to flair and changes.

Now not everything is perfect, since limited time to tell a story. But its coherent and cuts some of the bloat that was a problem in the OG series. Now some things I enjoyed were also cut though.

I like how it isnt a 1 for 1, it changes some things and gives a fresh tale.

Now which one is better I will address in another post

#gale reviews #miraculous movie spoilers #miraculous movie #miraculous: Ladybug & Chat noir

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the-s1lly-corner · 5 months

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ADMIN I GOT A JUICY. JUICY IDEA.

Remember the Slenderman ask. Welp. I want him as a stuffed animal now.

Reader is mostly the same, exept forrr... lets say they have children. And pets. It's up to your interpritation how they got em i trust you.

And lets say they're close. Real close. Like "you weren't home today so i came in and watered your plants" close. Domestic closeness. Talking so much they can sometimes predict what the other will be doing/saying right now.

Reader is very affectionate but obv respects slendy so they just turn to actions and words to show him they care(although it can be a little hard for them to truly know what they're feeling and how to express emotions sometimes).

So, one day Slendys brother(not that one through.) comes for a casual chit-chat. "So how are things with you and reader? Plan to move together any time soon?" "No, why would we do that?" "Oh well i just throught with the nature of your relationship it would ve the next step, naturally.. you've been together for so long!" "..we're not together romantically, if that's what you're implying." "...you're literally raising kids together what do you mean." "....w.wbhjat."

Cue panik. He goes to talk to reader and they're like. Oh shidt. It do be not so just friendly.

Can be just queerplatonic or romantic, both are cute i think:3

Slenderman x slender-being!reader !

genuinely dont know what all to title this post since its so specific so i recommend for anyone reading this who isnt the silly requester to read through the request ueueue rolls around, im gonna get silly!

honestly i dont think slenderman would know much about romance and marriage. like he knows what they are but he doesnt know... everything about it. especially if its in terms of human stuff, with the rings and all that. you know? mostly because he doesnt exactly leave his woods and the number of people/creatures he actually properly interacts with and forms bonds with is very rare and so far, none were romantic...

and yet here he is, tending to your home in his woods that youve made for yourself, while youre away doing god knows what... it would be a shame if the plants in your home dried, or dust started to settle... or worse someone wandering into it when they arent allowed inside... though, thats even assuming they even manage to get that far into the woods given how possess of the area slenderman is

since he doesnt really have a basis to... base your relationship around, it doesnt take until someone else pointing out the dynamic to him. namely, the creatures he calls brothers

are they actually related in admins au? were they just created by zalgo at the same time? do they have the same genetics? honestly admin hasnt decided yet but they still view each other as siblings!

that aside, slenderman would definitely be in some form of denial. him? this man eating monster who mostly lives in solitude? the same one who has never felt the embrace of another person (/j but now that i think about it....)

THAT slenderman?

hell i dont even think its proper denial because he thinks he cant have those feelings.. not i think its denial because this really cant be what it is, right?

this leads to him doing what he does best; silently following someone.. usually in order to spook them out of the woods or to... hunt... but this time, hes simply observing you, trying to figure out if you're in the same boat at him

but you're just so vastly different from him in nature and personality that its hard to pinpoint your thoughts... sure he can read minds; i think most slender beiings can do that; but i dont think they can do it on other slender beings you know

doesnt approach you about it though, so youre going to be the one to ask him what the hell hes doing... again due to limited contact with others hes not the best at expressing his feelings or thoughts outwardly, hell even inwardly its weird for him but thats aside the point

i think im going to leave the ending open on what becomes of your relationship; but i think given how the reader is, they invite him into their home to talk things out with him. are you surprised that he has a possible crush on you? ....only a little since again, this is THE slenderman we're talking about... less that he may have feelings for you, but more so that you just thought he was on the aromantic spectrum

and thats no diss to my fellow aros; honestly i can easily see slenderman being greyromantic or demiromantic :3 ... maybe more so demiromantic, me thinks

rolls around

the ideas are not ideaing i apologize

#creepypasta x reader #creepypasta x you #slenderman x you #slenderman x reader #slenderman imagine #slenderman headcanon #creepypasta headcanon #creepypasta imagine

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plothooksinc · 4 months

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If you’re still taking prompts for the No Rest For The Weary adjacent fic, can we see the guys’ first trip back to Hueso’s pizzaria? With or without April and Mayhem tagging along?

Also, I just found the series and binged it in like 2 days

I'm glad you enjoyed it, anon! Because I can't shut up, you get the weeks preceding it too-- (Note: if the formatting is wonky I apologise but my first attempt to post it took every single space out, hngngngn) Niño idiota: >> aww dont sweat it bm ill be back to dazzle your customers soon!!

The message came in at lunchtime, and he didn’t see it until the rush had been and gone. Hueso scowled down at it as if Leonardo had personally insulted him and tossed it into the corner of the kitchen. Their first day re-opened was chaotic, with many customers seeking a sense of normalcy or not having access to their usual haunts—he’d like to say he was thinking of them by reopening so quickly, but in all honesty, Hueso was a businessman (and previously a pirate to boot) and knew the best way to recoup his loss from the enforced closure was to take advantage of the mess. That it was also an excellent way to take stock of who had come through the invasion unscathed had nothing to do with it, of course.

He didn’t get back to his phone until late in the evening, having fielded a number of annoying encounters along with customers over-ordering pizza like the invasion was just taking a brief intermission—and dealing with Hop, who timidly called him to make sure the ‘crazy lady with the knife’ was nowhere in evidence before he dared to front for his shift—and by then he was exhausted. But Leonardo had messaged him again—with a nonsense string of kissy faces and hearts followed by a row of question marks, and he sighed. A five year old’s need for validation, honestly.

Hueso: >> 💀💀💀✨✨

The boy seemed like his normal self. He told himself it was less of a relief and more of an annoying reminder that his break from seeing one of his most destructive customers-slash-temporary-waiters was destined to be a short one. He should take advantage of it while he could.

He didn’t hear from Leonardo again.

Days later, he attempted a call and found the phone was out of service.

He was not worried. One of the boys would surely come by for pizza now that he was open and he could make polite inquiries. Asking after a customer’s health was permissible.

(Michelangelo had said he was recovering. The phone was purely a coincidence. Leonardo had merely forgotten to pay his bill like the irresponsible boy he was, or he had been using it before being cleared by doctor’s orders and the phone had been confiscated with great prejudice by his brothers. That was all.)

---------

He did not see a single turtle in his restaurant.

He did, however, hear from someone else; a phone call that took him by surprise, coming in on the main delivery line and asking to speak to the manager. He came to the phone already annoyed, anticipating some complaint of my pizza is cold, or your special mystic sauce is flirting with my roommate! (It wouldn’t be the first time. Sometimes his ingredients were very fresh.)

“This is Senor Hueso and I am busy,” he said curtly. “Your complaint had best be of a suitably drastic nature.”

There was silence for a moment, and then a woman’s rueful voice. “Ah. Welp. You weren’t a hallucination after all, huh?”

It took him a moment to place her, and then Hueso blinked and retreated into his office, closing the door behind him. “Mrs O’Neil?”

“Just Carol’s fine,” she said. “You, uh… I’m just trying to ground myself? A little? Things have been weird.”

“And so you decided to call the skeletal owner of a mystic pizzeria to feel normal again,” he said drily. “I see. It makes perfect sense.”

“You’d be surprised. Listen, I have two reasons to call—I know you’re busy so I won’t keep you tied up.”

He found he didn’t mind, actually. It was rare that a human willingly associated with the yokai, though it spoke volumes that the two humans he’d found that would do so were related to each other. “Go ahead.”

“First was just to, uh, touch base? And make sure you got my message, and—I meant it. You helped out a lot.”

“You are welcome, Senora.” He nearly added any time, but frowned and thought better of it. Hueso did not wish to encourage anyone to rely on him. That was foolish. “And the second?”

There was a brief pause. When she spoke again, she sounded almost sheepish. “...yeah. Uh… it’s another stupid question, probably.”

“Of course.” He braced himself for another inane question about skeletons.

“Yeah. Does your, uh… pizzeria… even though we’re human, um—”

He blinked.

And then, almost against his will, he smiled.

“Senora, that is a stupid question. Kindly remember all the times my employees have delivered to your daughter.”

“Oh, thank god. Or...whatever you guys believe in—”

“Quit while you are ahead, perhaps.” But now he was outright amused, leaning back in his chair.

“Yeah, noted. Okay. So some more spicy chicken…? Two, I think. We’re at a hotel right now, will that be a problem?”

“Not at all. I will pass the order on to the staff.” He hesitated. “At a hotel? Your apartment is a lost cause?”

“For now. April’s, uh, friends? Are paying for us to stay here, and I guess they’ll give us the all clear. Hopefully soon.”

Ah. Sometimes it did, in fact, pay to ask sociable questions. He leaned forward, voice rising eagerly. “You have met her friends? The—” Turtle boys. He stopped himself from saying it, because in all likelihood she had not met them and, annoying though they may be, that was a secret he would keep.

“No.” She paused, and then added shrewdly, “But April is staying with them, and I’m sure she’d have said something if they weren’t doing okay.”

He wasn’t sure April would have said anything at all, actually, given how tight-lipped she’d been on the topic of both mutants and yokai. But knowing that she was staying with the boys did give him some level of reassurance that they hadn’t just vanished from the face of the earth.

“Gracias,” he said anyway, and reached for his notepad. “I had lost contact with them, so was… curious. Tell me your hotel and room number and I will get your order ready.”

---------

His delivery girl came back with a hotel business card in one hand, Carol’s mobile number scrawled on the back, and a brief message:

Just in case. I’ll ask April about them in the meantime xx Carol

Well. That certainly was an offer. A perceptive woman, indeed.

He tucked the card into his business card book, face down so the message was hidden.

---------

Perhaps Leonardo was avoiding him.

The idea filled him with annoyance. He also knew it was extremely unlikely, but he far preferred this irritating potential reason over anything more serious. Hueso let himself believe this for a day and a half before he had to acknowledge that, foolish though the boy might be, he would not avoid the pizzeria just because Hueso had made a comment about an extra shift to pay for damages. He would own up to it, if only to make childish comments about how much Hueso could rely on him and filch extra slices of garlic bread when he thought nobody was looking. And potentially cause even more damage, because that seemed to be par for the course these days.

The thought made him smile faintly-- until he realised he was very close to daydreaming about Leonardo accidentally trashing his pizzeria, and he nearly snapped poor Hop’s head off when he fumbled a serving a few moments later. What a ridiculous thought. (And he was annoyed at himself, not the staff, so he made sure to let Hop leave a few minutes early as an apology.)

Perhaps Leonardo had attempted to open a portal while concussed and had accidentally stranded himself in some remote farmstead. That seemed as likely as avoiding him. Or he had been portal jacked by pirates, and any moment now Piel would open the door to his restaurant and drag the turtle in like some waterlogged kitten, draped in seaweed and clinging to his ridiculous sword and wearing both those ridiculous eyepatches again, good grief what had the boy even been thinking (clearly he hadn’t been) and Leonardo would beam at him and launch into a tale of all the mermaids he’d met and flirted with until Piel dropped him mid-spiel and stormed out again.

Perhaps he had quite deliberately portalled his family to Tahiti this time to recover in luxury.

...doubtful.

Perhaps…

Perhaps he was thinking about this too much.

Hueso put it aside and went to serve the family of googlyschmootzes that had just arrived and didn’t think about it again.

For a good twenty minutes.

---------

He broke.

Hueso: >>Buenas noches, Carol. Could I ask if you have any word? >>This is Senor Hueso.

Senora O’Neil: >>Evening! I will see what I can do. I’m sure they’re fine.

--------

They were not fine.

Carol did not text him. But the following evening, his waitress Gloriana knocked on his office door to tell him that one of the turtle boys had arrived and was asking for him, and he barely let her finish before Hueso was moving past her and through the kitchen at a speed a little too risky for an area full of sharp implements.

April was at his front counter, peering listlessly at one of the menus, and he took a moment to observe just how tired she looked before he took in the hunched bulk that was Raphael slouching next to her, and he froze. He already knew April had been injured—had seen her arrive with her face a mess, knew about the attack—but it was the sight of the large snapper that made him feel the first unfamiliar touch of… anger.

Fear.

Raphael’s arms were thoroughly bandaged, swathed above his plastron and neck, and his eye was covered in a patch that made him think nonsensically for a moment, ah, so it was pirates after all. But it was the large chunk missing from the curve of his shell that horrified him, the sight of a near miss that was far above and beyond their usual shenanigans.

They are children, he thought. This is too much for children.

If Raphael was the only one to visit him, how badly off were the others?

He did not ask. Instead, Hueso regarded them with a face he hoped was impassive, and tugged the brim of his hat down slightly.

“I see life has not been kind to you lately,” he said. “I hope you do not think this entitles you to a discount.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” April said politely, but the knowing smirk that curved onto her exhausted face warned him ahead of time. “Especially as we’re not here for pizza.”

...ah. Carol had ratted him out. Very rude, considering he had not once mentioned he was concerned. He flicked his gaze to Raph, who gave him a wan smile of his own, blinking slowly with his one good eye as if he were considering going to sleep right there at the counter.

Hueso sighed. It wasn’t the end of the world.

“I suppose you had better come through to my office.”

---------

April’s nose was newly bandaged and her bruises were that particular array of colours that always arrived in the process of healing. That was something, at least, though Hueso couldn’t help but note the smaller bandage patch behind one ear. She had been hurt more since he last saw her. Perhaps they all had. It made him fret over Leonardo’s last message and out of service phone all over again.

“My doctor insisted on checking it out, but it’s all healing well,” she said, taking the mug of coffee from him. She was sitting on one edge of the worn couch he kept in his office, slouching against its side with a carelessness that made him wonder how long it had been since she’d slept well. Raphael was taking up the rest of it, sitting there with his hands clasped on his knees and clearly trying not to fidget.

“I did not ask,” Hueso said levelly, and held out another mug to the turtle. He didn’t seem to notice.

“No, but I ain’t blind,” April retorted. “Mikey’s right, you are a big softie.”

He sighed. “A terrible slur upon my reputation.”

“Sure it is.” She grinned over the rim of her mug, and elbowed Raph in the side, who started and then finally noticed Hueso’s outstretched hand. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with us. Right, Raph?”

“Right,” Raph said automatically, taking the mug. Then he blinked. “Wait, what?”

Dios mio. Hueso raised an eyebrow. “Raphael. How long has it been since you slept?”

“Uhhh…”

The fact that he trailed off and frowned spoke volumes, and Hueso sighed again. Well, he hadn’t been fooling them anyway. Or, at the very least, he hadn’t fooled April. He turned on his heel and went to the cupboard. “I assume your mother asked you to stop by.”

“You assume right,” she said, relaxing back with her coffee. “Guess I’m doing a proof of life tour today. I checked in with her, she asked me to follow up.”

“I see. I feel you should have left this one home to sleep.”

Raph frowned at that. “Yeah, well, this one thought April could do with company. It’s been a, uh, week.”

That gave him pause. “Does this ‘a, uh, week’ begin before or after the zombie attack at the O’Neil apartment?”

“Man, don’t ask him to count days at this point,” April said wryly as Raph took on a more confused expression. “Just assume things have been chaotic as hell since the day the sky opened up and rained bubblegum on us.”

“Such a misleading way to describe an alien invasion.” Hueso snorted, hiding his worry. Not that it seemed to matter with this company. “That almost sounds cute.”

“Never had bubblegum in your hair, huh.”

Hueso served her with A Look. “In my clearly bountiful hair? No.”

Then he threw a blanket from the cupboard across, hitting Raph in the face, and pointed. “You, nap. You.” To April. “Tell me what has happened, and why Leonardo’s phone is out of service.”

Raph blinked as the blanket slid off his face and landed in his lap. “Wait, it is?” And he started to fumble for his phone, until April put a hand gingerly on his shoulder. “April?”

“Yeah, uh, it’s okay,” she said, eyes wide. “We didn’t know it was out of service, but it makes sense. I remember the last place he had it. I think Leo needs a new phone.”

That was at least vaguely reassuring that Leonardo was alive and in need of technology somewhere, but April’s dancing around the point only served to irritate him. “You are both very tired, it seems, if you did not realise before now.”

“Yeah well, you try dealing with two invasions in the space of a week,” April shot back. “Leo’s phone getting eaten is kind of less important than, you know, Leo himself. And Mikey. And everyone losing their freaking homes and—”

And Raphael put out one of his giant hands to settle her back on the couch before she could get to her feet, grimacing faintly at Hueso, and he put up his skeletal hands in a gesture of apology.

“I did not mean to imply any stupidity,” he said faintly, reeling a little at the sheer amount he needed to unpack in that small rant. “I am merely… concerned at how exhausted you are.” There, now he was being honest. What was the world coming to? He didn’t know where to start, so he started with the most bizarre. “His phone was eaten?”

“It wasn’t me,” Raphael muttered, and April broke into a laugh before she could help herself, slapping a hand over her mouth.

Hueso texted a message out to his kitchen staff and took a seat, feeling far more brittle than he had a few minutes ago. Teenagers. Very tired teenagers. The laugh had sounded less amused and more borderline hysterical, so when he spoke again, he was as gentle as he could be.

“Perhaps you ought to start from the beginning.”

---------

Gloriana knocked on the door ten minutes later with a platter of cheesy bread sticks and spicy meatballs. By then, April had finished telling him about the attack on the lair, Agent Bishop’s involvement and mistakes, and Leonardo and Michelangelo’s rescue. The mention of Bishop would have set his hair on end if he had any; he was familiar with the man, given his restaurant straddled the line between the Hidden City and New York, and there had been harassment before certain rules were put in place and Bishop promptly lost interest.

Raphael had fallen asleep during April’s spiel, and she had tucked the blanket over him without so much as a pause and carried right on, and the practised move was doing something unfortunate to Hueso’s emotions. Or perhaps that was just the realisation of just how terribly things had gone after Leonardo’s last message to him; how close the family had come to tragedy.

They were children.

(Also, Leonardo’s phone being eaten by a possessed train was nowhere on his spiralling bingo card--)

He took the platter with a nod of thanks and closed the door, sliding it onto the coffee table in front of them. April needed no encouraging and snagged two breadsticks with the flash of a grateful smile. He sat and politely let her wolf them down before he spoke again.

“They are all right now?”

“Mikey just overextended himself and is sleeping it off,” she said, and he wondered how much of an understatement that was. He did not pry. “Leo’s… not doing great, given the timing, but he’ll be okay with time. Might be a while before he’s back to pester you, though. Or take any shifts.”

“I will somehow manage without this added disruption in my life,” he said with a straight face. He was partly relieved; mostly, however, he was quietly calculating just how hurt the boy must be to be gone for a while. To be taken straight from a hospital bed before he had a chance to recover-- “And you say both of these aliens are now dead, yes?”

“With extreme prejudice,” April said with satisfaction.

“I am sure my customers will be relieved to hear the danger has fully passed, then.” He sipped his tea.

“Oh yeah, sure.” She grinned at him, snagging another bread stick. “And I’ll let Leo know you were worried about him.”

He frowned at her over his cup. “You will not. He is insufferable enough as it is and I will confess to nothing.”

“Hmm, I dunno…”

“I can still charge you for those bread sticks you are eating.”

“Man, you think my silence can be bought?” She waved at him with the bread stick in question before biting it in half, and he sighed.

“I was under the impression humans were easily corruptible, yes.”

“Oh, we totally are.”

The O’Neil women were definitely going to be headaches in his life, weren’t they. Hueso found he wasn’t particularly annoyed by that fact, but he made sure to sigh again. It gave him an opening in any case. “Would you like to take some food home with you? The family must surely be quite exhausted, if they are all dead on their feet like the two of you.”

“That would be amazing and my lips are sealed,” April said sunnily. “Only can we get stuff that isn’t pizza? We kind of, uh, wanna hold off on that for a bit. Long story.”

Odd. But he didn’t care enough to question it. She had overloaded him with enough stressful exposition already. “I will put together some other options. It...may take a while, if you care to rest until it is—”

A green hand landed flat on top of the meatball pile, and they both jumped. And watched as Raphael grabbed a full handful of meat and shoved it into his mouth, chewing slowly before letting out a snore and sinking back into sleep again.

Well, then. He was beginning to understand why Raph had defended himself about eating phones.

“Does he do this often?”

April cackled.

---------

Mayhem was in his kitchen.

Having a staring contest with Hop.

Hueso counted to ten. And then tapped the rabbit yokai politely on the shoulder, pretending he didn’t see the boy jump more than strictly necessary. “You have work to do. I will deal with the interloper.”

Hop nodded vigorously and then took off the front counter, stumbling over his own big feet on the way out the door. Hueso sighed. And took his place, staring down the tiny yokai with the most unimpressed look he could manage.

Mayhem stared mildly back.

“I am going to put together some pasta and burritos for the Hamatos,” Hueso said finally. “When I am done, kindly make sure it gets back to wherever they are staying and deposit the two in my office directly into their beds. Then I will consider us even.”

Mayhem tilted his head as if he couldn’t possibly know what Hueso was talking about; as if the little sneak hadn’t dumped humans in his lap not one week before. His tail dipped off the ledge he was sitting to wave dangerously close to a pot full of bubbling mince.

Hueso pointed a finger bone at him. “Do not threaten me, pequeña mierda. I know where you came from.”

Mayhem stuck his nose in the air and turned away. But his tail curled around him obediently and his ears twitched back.

Just so long as they were agreed.

---------

April was snoring on top of Raphael when he returned. He took a picture, careful to cut Raphael out of the shot, and sent it to Carol.

Hueso: >> You told her I was concerned. A lie and a terrible betrayal.

Carol’s response took a while in coming. He wondered if she was laughing at him.

Mrs O’Neil: >> Which is it? 👀 A lie or a betrayal it can’t logically be both

Hueso: >> We will have words about this later. For now, I am sending your daughter home to bed.

Mrs O’Neil: >> Gracias, Senor.

---------

Knowing the family were okay did set his mind at ease somewhat. His restaurant seemed much quieter without the turtles coming through, but it wasn’t as if Run of the Mill was a picture of serenity without them. Not with his customer list including mob bosses and smugglers and the occasional pirate, but largely his customers knew very well to treat his restaurant with respect and cause no issues (providing, of course, he did not double-book certain parties ever again.)

Life settled into some semblance of normal over the next week as the invasion became more distant; for the majority of the yokai it had been merely a source of hushed gossip, trapped as they were quite safely in the Hidden City’s lockdown. (Hueso was under no illusions. If the invasion had not been halted on the surface, the Krang would have found them all eventually. He kept that to himself.)

Carol messaged him some days later, minutes after closing, and he glanced down at the message and couldn’t help his faint huff of amusement:

Carol: >> YOU DIDN’T SAY HER FRIENDS WERE GREEN >> also thank you for the complimentary cheesecake how did you know

Hueso: >> I didn’t say they were human, either. >> I have my ways. You can work them out yourself I’m sure.

Carol: >> A lie and a terrible betrayal!!! >> You saw the delivery address. More stupid questions?

Hueso: >> I do not think that is the clever retort you think it is. I neither lied nor betrayed. I am an honest man* >> * Terms and conditions apply >> Also yes, but you are welcome. Your home is intact?

Carol: >> For the most part. Some minor repairs needed. >> The boys are fine. I only met one, but he’s charming in an awkward sort of way. They’re coming for dinner next week!

Ah. Hueso closed the door to his office, leaning against it, and felt… lighter. That was promising. In more ways than one. If the boys were going to a family dinner, they were okay. And Carol had met a turtle and invited him to dinner. Truly, a unique human being. He suspected he was going to enjoy their conversations.

(He wondered if she threatened the turtle with a knife first.)

Hueso: >> All of them?

Carol: >> As far as I know. Does that help? Would you like me to pass on a message?

“Like you did last time?” he muttered. But he appreciated the offer even so.

Hueso: >> That is quite all right. If they are well enough for dinner, I’m sure I will be seeing them myself sometime soon. Gracias.

He saw the dots come up and vanish again, then reappear, and he waited patiently.

Carol: >> You’re welcome 🥰

He wondered what she had been typing. But his curiosity was only mild, and it had been a long day; Hueso collected his briefcase, checked in with the closing staff, and made his way home in a surprisingly good mood.

---------

The following weekend, he woke to find she had sent him a picture. He opened it over breakfast and promptly spat milk across the table.

It was a picture of April, holding up her phone with a wide grin, her camera panned back to catch Donatello perched on the back of a couch like a menacing and mildly deranged vulture. Those strange machine hands of his were extended down with markers in their pincers, scrawling on the side of a sleeping Leonardo’s face. Michelangelo was leaning over one side of the couch with a marker in his hands but it looked like he was laughing too much to contribute, and he could just see Raphael—a much less exhausted and less bandaged Raphael, for which he was quietly relieved—looking at the camera with a grin and gesturing at his brothers, his mouth smeared with… chocolate? That was probably chocolate--

Carol: >> Proof of life 🎊🎊

Hueso: >> A terrible invasion of their privacy.

Carol: >> I’m innocent! My daughter is the fiend here. You don’t hae to worry, I didn’t say a word >> *have

If Leonardo was sleeping at this dinner, he was still healing—but clearly in safe territory, if his brothers were… well. Being brothers. He’d certainly woken up several times as a child to find his bones decorated in all kinds of rude messages. Hueso grimaced at the memory and took a closer look.

The boy had lost weight. Not enough to be frightening; enough that Hueso contemplated whether he could get away with inflicting more food on them without the repercussions of Leonardo’s smarmy grin and assumptions. Probably not. Besides, he had faith that Carol would have fed them well and Michelangelo was an excellent chef in his own right. He was not needed here.

Hueso: >> Gracias. >> Is it all right if I print this?

Carol: >> You may do with it what you like. April knew what she was doing.

Like mother, like daughter. The girl was a menace. But in this case… he smiled and tucked back into his breakfast, wiping up the spilled milk with a napkin. April was all right. He would have to let her know that her family was welcome at his pizzeria, provided they were not easily shocked by some of his clientele.

---------

Carol🗡️: >> Maybe a quieter night. Do you have quiet nights?

Hueso: >> First Wednesday of the month is Human Night Out. It only attracts the younger yokai.

Carol🗡️: >> Sounds ominous. Human Night Out?

Hueso: >> Wherein we hide all traces of the Hidden City and pretend we are a human pizzeria. There are costumes.

Carol🗡️: >> ...that’s actually something yokai are interested in?

Hueso: >> You don’t have theme nights in your own restaurants? The younger yokai are fascinated by humans. The older… not so much. It is quieter. There are ‘exotic’ dishes which I think you would find fairly mundane. The yokai would think you were just in disguise.

Carol🗡️: >> Okay that’s amazing. Don’t you lose money though?

Hueso: >> Not when people pay a premium for the exotic dishes.

Carol🗡️: >> I detect a con.

Hueso: >> I’m sure I have no idea what you mean. Booking for 7pm?

Carol🗡️: >> We’ll be there. I’ll review your exotic dishes.

Hueso: >> I’ll give you a discount for your first time if you review them positively.

Carol🗡️: >> We’ll see 😁

---------

[unknown number] >> I know I know youve been so worried about me I amhere

Hueso: >> New phone, who is this

Niño idiota: >> Ohohoho OUCH we gotta work on ur meme skills u did it wrong

Hueso: >> I’m sure I don’t care.

Niño idiota: >> well when u decide u do care as u inevinnev something something do its ‘new phone who dis’

Hueso: >> ‘inevitably’.

Niño idiota: >> that’s what i said >> anyway sorry i was out of touch i lost my phone?? prolly left it somwhere u know how it is >> I owe u a shift just lmk when

Hueso is typing… Hueso is typing…

Niño idiota: >> did I break u with like responsibillity want me to be an idiota just to balance things??

Hueso: >> I will not need anyone for a few weeks. But do not think you are off the hook. I am sure I can find something tedious for you to do. >> You are already an idiot no need to rub it in.

Niño idiota: >> u love me and u know it

Hueso: >> Debatable.

Niño idiota: >> Debatable!!! thats not a no u no

Hueso: >> Get some sleep and learn to spell. I am busy.

Niño idiota: >> ✨🎊👏👏😘😊😏 >> in that order or

> Read 3.48pm

Niño idiota: >> you leave idiota on read??? rude tbh jail bla bla bla >> 🥺🥺🥺 >> 😎see u soon✨

---------

“—get it, but I wish you’d told me before this!” The voice was whining and petulant and very, very familiar. He felt a Pavlovian sense of annoyance rise up almost as fast as the sheer relief, and Hueso opened the kitchen door a crack to peer out.

Sure enough, there they were. Finally. Leonardo was leaning against the closest booth to the alleyway portal, but he was on his feet and that was good enough. Michelangelo was latched onto one arm and Hueso couldn’t tell if it was clingy affection or for extra stability. Perhaps both. Leonardo’s pout was ridiculously overdramatic, which told Hueso the boy was perfectly fine with whatever he hadn’t been told, and if he had eyes, he would roll them. Teenagers.

“Sorry, Leo, we kinda forgot.” Raphael rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. The eye patch was gone with no sign of wounds beneath. “It was a spur of the moment thing, but the kid’s never had pizza, so—”

“Nah, I get it,” Leo said, waving his free hand. “But I’m totally complaining about this injustice for the rest of the night, just so you know.”

“Oh nooo, a surprise no one could have foreseen, however will we manage your-- oh wait, I have headphones.” Donatello, moving around them with a look of complete disinterest and his phone in his hand.

There. All four of them.

Hueso breathed. Hop had already picked up his notebook and was rounding the counter; he managed to catch him by the shoulder before Hop could get further (another jump, were all rabbit yokai so anxious or just this one?) and took the notebook from him, gesturing with his bony chin toward the kitchen. The message was clear: trade places.

Then he waited until all four were seated—pretended he wasn’t paying attention to the way Michelangelo helped Leonardo into the booth—and sauntered over, the picture of nonchalance, grateful that his voice was dry as the desert when he spoke. “Ah, my most destructive customers. I thought it had been quiet around here.”

Donatello didn’t even look up from his phone, which was the very picture of normal for him. But the other three did, with Raphael and Michelangelo throwing him cheerful smiles. Leonardo lit right up with a flash of teeth in a smug grin that said he was about to say something incredibly obnoxious. Good. Business as usual. Even if he wasn’t currently flailing at Hueso with his usual dramatics, which he suspected meant the boy was still sore, at the very least.

“Bone man!” Leonardo beamed, then sprawled in the booth with a barely-there wince, propped up by his little brother. “Toldja it’d be soon. Miss me?”

“Yes,” he said flatly. “But my aim is getting better.”

Donatello snorted at his screen, and Leonardo made a face. “Seriously? That’s like… so old, you need to hang around someone younger with better jokes—”

“Someone like you, perhaps?” Hueso pinned him with a look, tapping his notebook. “You seem to have forgotten where I heard that from in the first place.”

“Memory issues,” Michelangelo said solemnly, pushing Leonardo delicately upright again. “Concussions will do that to ya.”

Hueso raised the notebook to hide his smile as Leonardo shot him a betrayed look. “You told him?”

“I’m sorry, was that meant to be a secret?” Donatello glanced up finally. “We’ve been incommunicado for weeks after an invasion and he called you while you were sleeping it off. What do you think we told him?”

“I told him, technically,” Michelangelo said cheerfully, “But it’s okay, Leo! I didn’t tell him anything else! Pinky promise.”

Raphael raised a hand sheepishly. “Yeah, uh, but April and Raph might’ve...”

Leonardo’s expression flickered from surprised to guilty to mildly distressed before it settled on the sulkiest frown he’d seen on the boy yet. “Well, that’s not fair. I was gonna like… derail him with tales of our epic adventures and everything, and you beat me to it.”

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘regale’, Nardo.”

“Derailing may still happen,” Hueso said dryly, tapping his finger bones on the edge of the table to get their attention back. “If you intend to continue this fascinating conversation rather than order your food?”

“Hah,” Leonardo muttered. “That’s totally what I meant—”

“Hush up,” Michelangelo said, leaning past him. “I’m hungry. Can I get the mystic lasagna?”

He took their orders after that, watching them carefully as they talked. Raphael’s eye was a little red, but was tracking correctly and obviously focused. A good sign, he hoped. Donatello seemed utterly like his normal self, and Michelangelo was wearing what seemed to be compression gloves. Leonardo… was still thin, and looked very tired, but Hueso had seen him far more exhausted. There were splashes of vivid colour creeping over the top of his shell which he couldn’t help but stare at, trying to work out what they were.

Leonardo tilted his head at the curiosity, and then smiled more genuinely, twisting slightly so that Hueso could get a better look. “Like it? My little brother is awesome, as usual.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Michelangelo huffed, but he was grinning as Hueso stared at the beautifully painted marigolds, petunias, and tulips winding their way across Leonardo’s shell.

The boy was an impressive artist; not just for the careful love and detail on such an unusual surface, but the way he’d crafted his art to disguise injury. Because Hueso had to pay very close attention to see the repair job to the shell beneath.

The damage had been… extensive. He’d thought Raphael’s shell had been bad; no wonder he had been incommunicado for so long.

Leonardo’s smile shifted strangely on his face, and he sounded almost uncertain. “What do you think?”

Ah. It was hard to translate what Leonardo really wanted to hear. But given the way Michelangelo had gone so far to hide this injury… he leaned back again, humming thoughtfully. “I think the next time I would like new art for the restaurant, I should see if your brother is free. It may perhaps be a less destructive option than waiting tables.”

Leonardo grinned in pride as Michelangelo brightened next to him. “Really? I would love to do some art for you, Senor Hueso! I could bring my portfolio next time!”

“You have a portfolio?” Raphael looked confused. “Wait, what’s a portfolio?”

“It’s a port just for me, duh,” Leo drawled, and then reeled back as Donatello threw a wad of napkins into his face. “Hphh!”

“That was terrible and you know it.”

“It was pretty great, actually.” Leonardo spat a piece of napkin at him and smiled lazily. “You’re just jealous I thought of it first.”

Donatello resolutely ignored him and turned to Raphael. “It’s a collection of sample works that illustrate an artist’s skill and range.”

...had they forgotten he was here? Typical. He coughed loudly, and watched them all swivel back to him attentively. “Yes, bring your portfolio. I suppose I am interested. The flowers look very lovely.” He paused, but in the end he couldn’t resist. “Though it does make you look like you’re about to be thrown at a wedding.”

“Sounds like a fun sport,” Donatello drawled. “Let’s get Kendra married off so we can bowl Leo at her bridal party. If she has enough friends for that.”

“Can—can we wait until he can survive that first, Raph would like not to panic all over again—”

“Why should Leo get all the fun? I’m the small one, let me be the bouquet!” Michelangelo had literal stars in his eyes. “I’d love to be a bunch of flowers.”

“Yeah, but you can hardly paint your own back, Miguel.”

“Challenge accepted. This bitch yeet!”

“Okay, one: language, and two: even Raph knows that’s not how it goes—”

“What’s wrong with yeet?”

“Leonardo--”

Maybe he shouldn’t have made the joke. Hueso sighed heavily, and this time it didn’t stop them from continuing on with... apparently inventing a brand new hobby. Teenagers. But lively ones, and he would rather they were here giving him a headache than go through the weeks of quiet that had preceded this one.

“I’ll take your orders to the kitchen,” he said, and turned on his heel.

“Hey, wait—”

There was a tug on his sleeve, and he turned in surprise to find Leonardo half out of the booth and trying to keep his balance; Michelangelo had an arm wrapped around him to stop him falling, but was still arguing with the others. Apparently he’d lunged to get Hueso’s attention without thinking it through. Good grief. He stepped forward and put his bony hand under Leonardo’s elbow, gently pushing him back into his seat.

“Do not do that again,” he said quietly, and Leonardo made a sheepish face.

“Sorry. I just wanted to, uh…”

He trailed off. Hueso raised an eyebrow and waited patiently until he glanced away.

“Did we worry you?”

What an odd question. Or rather, what an odd delivery. He would have expected Leonardo to be smug, taking it as proof of their friendship, but Leonardo seemed more anxious about the prospect. And Hueso thought back to their text conversation. To the boy’s completely nonchalant dismissal of his silence and missing phone.

“Only a little,” he said, voice mild. “In truth, I was more impressed by the tale. One could say that you and your brothers acted like…”

And Hueso smiled. Pointedly.

“...champions.”

Leonardo mouthed the word back in confusion, before realisation lit his face. Hueso took advantage of the pause to move away, heading for the kitchen with his notebook, listening briefly to the conversation behind him--

“Raph! Raph! Hey, gimme a lift, I need to go check the Wall of Champions—”

Hueso vanished into the kitchen and passed off their order to his kitchen hands. He only had two photos of the boys, after all. One was still quite firmly pinned to the Maze of Death cheaters wall. The other--

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”

His staff shrank back; both at the yell and at Hueso’s wide grin, which admittedly looked downright unnerving on a living skeleton, he could admit--

“Omigosh we’re champions!”

“With this photo!? YOU’RE DRAWING ON MY FACE!”

“Well, someone had to. I, at least, look suitably championlike—”

“You look like a deranged gremlin is what you look like. Couldn’t he, like, edit out the chocolate first?”

“I mean, it could be worse, Leo! We could have been drawing something that wasn’t PG-13.”

“Where’s April? I’m gonna kill her.” Leonardo was wailing. “She sent this to Hueso!?”

Hueso swept through the kitchen and into his office, shutting the door behind him so that nobody could hear him laugh.

#rottmnt #rottmnt fic #oh only 14 pages an improvement--/shot #nekotsuki #no rest for the weary #(adjacent)#furthering my carol and hueso friendship agenda don't mind me #also I wanna hang that photograph on MY wall lmao

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a-court-of-moonlight-and-ire · 2 months

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Not to be overly morbid, but do yall ever think about suicide in prythian? Personally, i think killing yourself would be pretty common. I mean, it has to be given how few old people seem to exist in this world even though fae (or atleast high-fae) seem to insanely powerful and difficult to kill

And I dont think its because living in prythian sucks THAT much or even because being immortal is THAT bad, i mean arguably the biggest issue with immortality would be to watch all your loved ones die and thats not something that sjm's fae have to deal with. I think its moreso a thing of people just kinda getting tired of living after a few centuries and being like "welp. ive experienced pretty much everything, time to explore the world beyond" yknow. Thats why I think Velaris would have a pretty high suicide rate, because if youre stuck in a city thats presumably completely stagnant and never changes because its already perfect, youre going to run out of new enjoyable things to do wayyyy more quickly and get tired of your existence. It would also explain how this city full of immortals that can never leave but can reproduce hasnt already collapsed under the weight of overpopulation after over 5000 years

One idea that i like because it could make for some poignant commentary is that suicide rates are really high among faeries because theyre a lot more likely to live in poverty and its really hard to escape poverty and its really fucking miserable so after a few decades most of them decide they dont wanna live like that, and its gotten to the point where the high fae think they just naturally have shorter lifespans for some biological reason when they can actually live just as long as high fae, its just that they take poison or some shit to die in their sleep or something idk. Maybe thats a little very dark for acotar, but then again, sjm is constantly throwing around domestic violence and abuse and rape in this series so

I think suicide rates among high lords would be pretty high as well because I imagine their lives are pretty monotonous and tiring because of their responsibilities and because its not like they can leave prythian for an extended period of time to experience some new things or have some fun adventures, theyre tied to their court geographically. And god, can you imagine what would happen if theres a crisis. Yknow how a while ago the UK went through like 5 prime ministers in two weeks because of some bullshit that was happening? Imagine that but its just all these newly-chosen high lords killing themselves because they cant handle their court for some reason. I actually have a theory that thats what happened in the night court because theres this weird little throaway line where they say like, Mor's family used to be the ruling family but then the highlord power somehow got transferred to Rhys' family and its been driving me insane because WHAT do mean by that??? So basically, I think there was a time when Mor's highlord-chosen ancestors kept killing themselves for one reason or another, none of them wanted to be highlord and the magic of the land kept reaching out further and further until it landed on like, Rhysand's great-granddad who was only distantly related to Mor's ancestors and the ruling line just continued from there

Anyway, Id like to end this post on a more positive note and talk about the demographic that I think is the least likely to kill themselves, and thats the youngest children of noble families with multiple children. As ive said, im mostly basing this off of any given fae's ability to have a lot of new experiences to keep their lives from becoming monotonous and tiresome (combined with their material circumstances) and I think the youngest children of nobles hit the sweet spot of being pretty wealthy and not needing to do a lot of hard labour that would take up their time while also not being tied down by responsibilities that would force them to stay in one place. (Unless its a family of all girls and the youngest is their only son ig because as of acomaf, prythian is super patriarchal but i try not to think abt that ngl)

#miscellaneous acotar thoughts

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straycalamities · 8 months

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oh wait i wanna do hug post too tf?

entre...needs to be split hold on mainverse entre: is not a hugger really, but will if it's like...the Social Moment. like if someone else initiates it and ppl Been Huggin he's like welp okay! but he does hug his loved ones...when he can. its rare he'll initiate tho. very rare. and when he does its got uhhh depth to it. social hugging is a light embrace with a friendly pat. emotional hugging is a tighter squeeze and sometimes a burying of the face depending

trufflu entre: is more of a hugger but still bad at initiating bc he would (rightly) assume most ppl dont want a hug from the guy who ended the world. getting hugs absolutely melts the man. hugs are everything to him. he never expects them so when he gets them? man...he will liquify in your very arms. he initiates them more often with swag? thats abt it. when he gets over the shock of being hugged (or when he initiates) hes hugging and squeezing with every muscle fiber in his body ppl might be crushed tbh and he's trying to hide himself in the other person's body with how hard he's pressing into them

spook: not a hugger. do not hug. it will not hug you. do not hug it. exceptions made for ppl that've passed the vibe check and also gotten through all the layers of distrust and other icky things. it can enjoy hugs with its Closest People :tm: but otherwise. Do Not The Hug. its hugs are comfortable? it's careful about how tight it squeezes, but if ur in the hugging privilege, it likes to be squeezed

andrew: hugger! not like supremely because he's got awful social anxiety so he's very afraid of making a wrong move and doing Something Bad Socially. like oh i misread this as a hugging moment. or oh i thought we were close enough i could hug and it would be fine but maybe its not? always worrying about stuff like that (less so when inebriated. becomes super hugger 9000 when on a substance) but he is..liking to hug. hug him. he'll hug you back real tight

ace: absoLUTELY not a hugger. just dont touch him in general? ew? who do you think you are? literally loathes touching ppl so you think you can have a hug? even if its a Social Moment, he will find some way to play it off or manipulate the situation so the hug is forgotten or smth. but okay say youve gotten through his labyrinth of onion layers of defenses and facades......youre In with him good...still not a huge hugger bc like...physical affection...scary. especially intense like hugging, but if someone else initiates he will..be frozen up like a deer in headlights but eventually give you a few awkward back pats back, maybe a little squeeze if youre super special.

daisy: HUGGER! she loves to hug! one of her trademark greetings is basically a glomp. she's a glomper. overexcited catgirl who loves people! she loves getting hugs too! maybe if someones being a little too overfamiliar she'll be a little awkward about it, but she won't turn down a hug despite all that.

eren: hmm complicated... it depends on who and what mood shes in. typically tho she'll hug! more of a return-hugger than an initiator. it's a casual kinda hug, sometimes with a few pats. she honestly feels sort of awkward receiving genuine affection from people because of the complicated feelings she has towards herself and her misunderstanding of how ppl perceive her. if she initiates the hug shes either like...drunk or like something significant and emotional has happened.

#txt #entre #jericho chavez #andrew cho #ace miller #daisy sawyer #erendriel #i just did the ones i have biggest brainworms for currently or just in general had a good answer for #but if you wanna see an oc i didnt mention just lmk :3

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samooooo1 · 2 months

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wizardmon and a female human tamer s/o?

Wizardmon with a human tamer s/o

(You sadly didnt give me a ton to work with but I try my best to make something good out of it dear reader ;) )

The beginninf

_____________________

"Dont worry! I protect you!" said Wizardmon as he has put himself infront of a angry Kabuterimon, how did you get yourself into this? I dont know ~\(•v•)/~, but what I do know is that you should get out of there as soon as you can, you were just a ordinary girl nothing more and you dont know or why you gotten into this, Wizardmon or whatever he is called said that he will protect you, but you dont even know this Wizard Cosplayer wannabe so.. you did the only that was logical, you ran away.. while he looked to you as you ran away he mentaly slapped himself on the face. " Y/N ITS ME, WIZARDMON, DONT WORRY YOU WONT BE HURT AS LONG I AM HERE, I KNOW WHERE WE ARE!" The moment you heard that you just turned back with a raises eyebrown, Kabuterimon on the other made a fierce raw. "You know what? You had the good idea lers run away-" he said and took your hands and began to run, naturaly the big nasty looking bug ran after you, you ran away for about 5 mins and then hid behind a tree as Wizardmon put his hands on your mouth as to make sure you wont scream, after some time the both of you were safe and began to look at eachother... "...Wizardmon?... How, when, who, why, where, what, EXPLAIN!" you screamed.... he looked at you and said "Ehe.. welcome in the Digital World? :D It seems like you came into the Digiworld? ... wait.. you got a Digivice on your waist... wait I got a bright idea :D".. you just looked at him like dumb person, as everything he has said has gone on deaf ears, "Hay, make it quick ●-●", he just looked at you and signed "Fine, LET ME BECOME YAAAAA PARTNER" ...You looked at him.. and shrugged, "Ok".

"Now I know its hard- wait what-" he looked at you with raises eyebrowns, he didnt think it be this fast. "Ay... hay I mean it was easy... yea anyways lets go now as staying here wont be any safer by the minute." Just as he said those words Kabuterimon began to rawr again and this scared the both of you so much that the both of you began to ran away hand it hands, but you didnt realise it and it made Wizardmon blush a little.. welp the its always the beginning that starts weirldy but it will one day have its own happy end.

_____________________

(Sorry if it aint what ya actually wanted, I basicly ran out of ideas plus I acidently posted it to soon and I didnt wanna write something completly else hehe, hope you enjoyed this and dont be shy if ya want another character, I am better with writting for humans and I hope I can give you, shall you ever ask for another request and its humans, I hope it will live up to your expectations. But til now God bless you and have a noice day.)

#digimon x reader #x reader #digimon

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rysko · 1 month

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Since i am enjoying the hunger games meets peaky au too much:

How would Juliusz fare in the games? And What district would he be in that universe?

Oh shit hello! hi! i did not expect this! Thank you for sending this in July muah muah <333

Let me preface this by saying, i have NEVER seen the Hunger Games and watching the crossover posts was like "Oh this is so cool and looks fun, wish i knew tf was going on" lol so all my thoughts about Juliusz are based on me skimming the wiki and @red-riding-wood helping me out with the lore <3

It was a long battle between 1 and 11, but I ultimately decided District 1 fits him best. He's already from a well-off family that has a history of trade, so District 1 with its specialisation on exports, business and such definetly fits. Plus he always was more of a city slicker lol

Now, my understanding of lore is severely limited, so i'm very not sure how he'd realistically fare in the games or if im missing things. A few factors i'd consider is that he's a pretty good shot (i took a look at weapons in that universe and a crossbow seems so fucking cool and fitting. GIVE MY MAN A CROSSBOW!) and is outdoorsy, so the wilderness wouldn't be too horrible i presume. I can imagine him being pretty sneaky and avoiding confrontation, even if it meant a temporary truce. On the other hand though, he's still a fucking nerd (/affectionate xd) and could falter more when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. Realistically i wouldn't expect him to win the games, but i can imagine him getting pretty close. If he won though, i like the idea of his scars, worsening of his vision and overall anxiety(tm) being outcomes of the games instead of the war like in Peaky.

Also, me and @red-riding-wood did one of those emulators with Juliusz, her OC Charlotte, other Peaky Characters and a few crack characters for fun, and if i had to go off of this, Juliusz officially got 2 kills on his record! Some other highlights being:

welp, that just narrowed lots of things down lmao

CANON. CANON!!!

Based, he'd never do that to our girl Charlotte. eat shit Matteo

okay dude, i think that's just your way of saying fuck you to Tommy

o7 that's an oddly fitting way for him to die LMAO. also kudos on 3rd place i honestly didn't think you'd go that far my son <3

All this made me wanna watch the movies sometime and maybe take some more active part in this au as well, DONT STOP THE BRAINROT!!! <333 This was really really fun and i'm smitten by ya'lls creativity!

#Hunger Games AU #Juliusz Ferenz #julek-core #ask

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arttrampbelle · 10 months

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Now that we see of liu kang ending and all of the garbage trainwreck of the new mk game

I bet y'all thinking

"Hmmm. Maybe shang tsung's ending in mk11 wasn't actually that bad and maybe he was *gasp* actually right all along about some things?!"

I mean this isn't just me as a shang tsimp.

This is sadly kinda true. I'd rather take my chances with big shangus. Then a pompus(and pooly and backhanded written) fire god liu kang. (Which in itself is sad. Because he never wanted that. Forcing him into a role making him miserable. Completely bastardizing his character. All for what?! Not my liu kang nrs. Not my liu kang.)

Anyways. Back to shang.

Liu kang vs shang is a klassic rivalry. But its as only as good as you actually write them on equal footing. But the have never truly done that. Liu kang has always had plot armor saving him and shang tsung has the unfortunate boxing in of "bad guy i beat up. Twirly mustache" which is horrible because that's not what he actually is. (Worse more when tagawa-sama never wanted that character he played,nor any villain he plays to be that way. Its always some nuance to his characters he portrays. And he said in an interview. He grew up with wimpy asian bad guys. He never wanted to ever see that again. So if he IS gonna be a buy guy. He is gonna be THE BAD GUY. Plus he hated seeing so many stereotypes but he had to trudge thru to be able to help make a better representation and positive impact. Tho nowadays he plays sweethearts,like himself mostly. Great actor,AMAZING man. Really cool. But for them to continue to make shang a "wimp" or to be "beat up by the "good" guys" is awful and a backhanded slap to the character as a whole even outside of the amazing cary hiroyuki tagawas portrayal.)

Again liu kang should be able to barely BARELY win against shang. Even if granted god powers. Shang is a stronk ass mofo. Bad,mean,nasty,in a fight. He wasn't champion formerly for nothing. He wasn't mk tournament master for nothing. He wasn't granted a seat under shao kahns heelboot for nothing. Granted that wasn't much of a choice but survival. But thats for another post. Like shang tsung is a BEAST! Not a heavy hitter. Not a beast in a way thats a tank. But a cunning,ruthless,and calculator. An opportunist fighter. He's cold in a fight. Like gives you chills. The serpentine gaze ready to strike. You gotta be quick...or you'll die. You gonna be careful and level headed otherwise he'll take full advantage of that opening and your soul? Is definitely his.

Look shang dont fucking play. (There is nuance and context depending on the situation but for the most part depends on who he's fighting and what the story is doing but overall he is not to be underestimated at all!)

Shang tsung Wasn't an og big bad for nothing!!!!!

Shao kahn was only a bigger bad and problems later. Then it became.

Better the devil you know then someone worse. Then we start to see.

Well fuck shang tsung actually is the only thing preventing shit from getting worse!

So yeah....you kill him....

Quan chi gets more power. Shao kahn gets free range. Onaga....welp. you're screwed. Dont even get started on shinnok! Oof. All the other bads?! Yeah they are gonna get WORSE AND MORE TOUGH AND BE MORE OF A PROBLEM. and honestly it would make things harder for everyone.

Yeah so think about it.

Take shang out ,you fuck up a whole ecosystem.

He only feeds on souls and of what he needs. Dont prevoke the man he wont steal your soul and go on a killing spree sucking souls for spite.

For the most part shang is best left tf alone. So as long as he has plenty in his soul well. He'll be fine. But the man is paranoid,traumatized due to shao kahn,many other things perhaps from his past. Oof cue my backstory for the death of his mother and his attachment issues and fear of decay,meaningless deaths,etc

But for the most part if you are respectful to shang. He'll be respectful back. Be genuine,be honest,and it will get you far. Dont be easy gotten either. Make it a challenge. Again this man likes a reasonable chase. Likes intelligence(not necessarily book smarts but people smarts,emotional intelligence) he values these things.

I could go on about this characters brain soup. I could add n talk about so much character analysis for shang. Unf 💖

But I'll leave it simple

Nrs fucked up a perfectly good rivalry. A potentially amazing story arch. And two amazing characters.

In short....i bet that shang tsung ending sounds really good about now right?

#mortal kombat #vent #yeah im gonna be salty till the day i die #they did both sooooooo dirty #they did everything and everyone dirty #smfh #shang tsung

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hekkoto · 3 months

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DAAAAY 1: DEEP WOUNDS! Btw, its Gorenuary - challenge I gonna do in both January and February ;p yes, I have super slow start BUT let me say some stuff. Some unexpected shit happened but it seems to go into right direction [finally >XD] So, my main issue is graphic card - I borrowed money to get new one, first they sent me trash post-cryptocurrenty minning g card. But I eventually returned it and bought another one - even better one :> Buuuut here comes another issue, I have only 2 power cords for card and its need 3. I think I see there is one more tho I dont know how to open this power thingy aaaaaang i unplugged my mother board to not destroy anything while trying to take it out. Welp, idk how to plug in again >Xd but I asked my brother-in-law for help and he will come tomorrow and we will try to sort it out. Unless I dont have good enough power supply - then I need to replace it too ;) but I guess it will be just few days more. So I will be fully back tomorrow or next week ;p

this art is kinda scribble but I felt like I cant draw anymore >XD after some time I could controll my hand enough to keep drawing so sorry if my upcoming arts will be a bit rusty ;p

Everything should be posted regularly, actuallly my biggest issue are videos cause without my PC Im kinda stuck with super simple shit ;D

wanna support my evil dark empire? Im accepting souls on Patreon and Ko-fi! -> Hekkoto Huge thanks to all of my Patrons and people who donate 🖤

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