"You're wrong," he said quietly, throwing his old mentor onto the floor. He held his gun to the man's face. "I'm a Hamato. And I choose to be a hero."
-----
New York City has always had its fair share of trouble. But recently, dire threats have stirred up within it -- threats that could be the very downfall of humanity.
Fortunately, there are people out there trying to stop it. People who have gone through hell, and are now willing to do anything to stop anyone else from going through what they did.
Even if it means risking their lives. Even if it means remembering the past. Even if it means returning to their origins. Even if it means facing the unthinkable.
Because justice always comes with a price.
-----
A/N: An AU heavily inspired by Batman (more specifically, the Bat-fam) because I absolutely adored Batman: Wayne Family Adventures! There's no fixed timeline yet, but there's enough lore to keep it going.
Note: This is an Assassin AU so, obviously, there's supposed to be violence involved. Problem is, I'm horrible at writing fight scenes, so I'm not exactly sure that there'll be a lot of violence. So the main post (aka the post you are reading right now) won't have a content label, and it'll only be included in posts that contain mature themes.
!I do not claim credit for the making of this show. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles belongs to Nickelodeon, NOT me!
"Will nodded. 'I remember you being kinda defensive at first," he said. "Telling us all that you knew everyone talked about you, that you knew you hadn't been around all that much. It was like... like you were anticipating every possible argument or criticism.'
Nico's eyes welled with tears. 'But none of those worst-case scenarios happened. Instead, I told the whole camp I was gay, that I was sick of hiding the truth, that I liked Will Solace and wanted to go on a date with him. And there were no meteor showers or explosions. No mass exodus from Camp Half-Blood.'
He turned to Will. 'Do you remember what you said, Night Light?'
Will rolled his eyes. 'I do, Death Boy. I told you that you didn't have to throw a party. I would have said yes if you'd just asked me.'"
-The Sun and the Star
Arrrgghhh, these two have my heartt! Alongside Jamie and Mitchell from Skandar of course, plus Leoichi and Leosagi.
Happy Pride to everyone reading! So sorry it took me this long to make a post on Tumblr!
Summary: A presumed act of carelessness, a rising threat, and a secret hidden within mass wreckage...
*****
“Matt?”
It’s over.
“Matt, answer the phone. Now!”
It’s no use.
“Ma—oh, we’re going straight to voicemail now, are we?”
He’s gone.
“Mr. Mathew Joseph, I HOPE you receive this message! You were SUPPOSED to lock the school gates yesterday! Kids go to this school, Matt! Just because you don’t like them, it doesn’t mean you can just sabotage security! You could’ve put the kids in DANGER! Report to the school RIGHT. NOW.”
There’s no need.
He already is at school.
And they are already in danger.
*****
They were in a wasteland.
Or at least, that’s what this part of the once important laboratory felt like.
It was nothing but destruction. Chaos. Danger. And yet it was everything but destruction. Everything but chaos. And everything but danger.
For part of the laboratory was destroyed. It was destroyed many, many years ago. For ten years, the most important, most vital section of the place that had served as the test ground of one of the most researched, most significant scientific breakthroughs, had laid in nothing but ruins. The destruction had happened. The chaos has passed. The danger is now long gone.
Or so they thought.
Her companions scavenged the wasteland. Any sort of clue that could lead to what they were looking for had to be here.
The larger one lifted a fallen wall. Something had to be here.
One of the others found a drawer filled with charred papers and started rummaging through it. It had to be in there.
Another one -- the only other female amongst them -- found a page that was torn from a notebook. Why wasn’t it here?
The leader caught sight of an old wrapper of a chocolate bar hidden beneath the remains of an operating table. There was nothing here.
It was empty.
But it wasn’t -- not entirely. Because what they were searching for was hidden. Hidden within the candy wrappers and the torn page and the charred papers in the drawer. But to find those parts, you had to look for them. To find the whole story, you had to know the past.
Somewhere deep in the old science laboratory lies the clues and the truths that she was looking for. They are not, however, the clues or the truths she was expecting.
“There’s nothin’ here, ma’am,” one of her companions said begrudgingly.
“Yeah, there’s only trash,” the one who had found the papers reported. “Unless you count them old files, but they’re burned right through. Weird. The drawer wasn’t burnt…”
The others remained silent, too unfamiliar with speaking when not spoken to.
Not one had taken the ripped papers.
She sighed. “Well, that’s that, I suppose. This alliance with the Foot was scrumptiously splendid, boys, but if I don’t get any more information, we might have to call it off!”
The silent soldiers looked at one another nervously.
“We could, perhaps… search the entire structure?” said a hushed voice. It was the one who had found the torn paper.
“Oh, my dear Footy-wooty clan member, there’s no need to search the entire place. The explosion happened here. We’ll simply be wasting my precious time!” She laughed. Then she clapped her hands. “Well, my munchkins! Time to retreat! We shall attempt to decipher the papers found when we’re back in New York City.”
And they left, leaving behind a history hidden within the long abandoned chambers that are still standing. Leaving behind a past that can not be forgotten. Not when its inhabitants are busy writing the present. Not when its source is destined to write the future.
For -- although she is obsessed with subtle patterns and hidden details --, sometimes even Big Mama can be fooled by the bigger picture.
I saw your post in the rottmnt community about periods, and I'll give you my feedback. I (luckily) dont experience too bad of cramps, mostly just mild nausea-type discomfort. So I dont know exactly how you feel, but I can empathize with you. Hope you get the support you need for the next one though <3
Ohh, I see! Thank you for empathizing with me!
I've never felt nauseous during periods before, so technically we're even. I DO get cramps, but at this point I don't really mind them anymore.
Um, a question that I have is whether mood swings are something people deal with during periods, because I've never experienced that (although I am pretty quick to anger during that time). Also, I ended up giving April mood swings, so... there's that.
Thank you so much for your feedback! I really appreciate it <3
I’ve seen a lot of posts on my dash tonight about users who are threatening suicide, with other Tumblr members posting in effort to try to get ahold of them. I think you all should see this:
IF THERE IS EVER A TUMBLR USER WHO HAS POSTED A GOOD-BYE MESSAGE, SUICIDE NOTE, VIDEO, OR ANYTHING OF THE SORT, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS POST.
1. Scroll to the top of your dashboard.
2. See the circular question mark icon at the top? It’s the third one over from your home symbol. Click on that, and a screen similar to the one in the picture will come up.
3. Where you can type in questions, the box with the magnifying glass at the top, type in the word “suicide.”
4. Click on the first link that shows up. It should say, “Pass the URL of the blog on to us.”
5. Type in the user’s URL and tell Tumblr admin that the user is contemplating suicide and has posted a message indicating that they are going through with it or will be attempting. Hit send! Tumblr administration will perform a number of actions to contact the user and take the necessary steps to prevent the suicide.
TUMBLR: THIS COULD SAVE A USER’S LIFE. PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE SUICIDE THREATS.
Reblog this to keep other users aware. Suicide isn’t a joke, and neither is someone’s life. If you didn’t know this, someone else may not, either. Pass it on.
Real talk: I just posted my first complete novel and I'm lowkey terrified.
I finished my book Trials of the Cloaking Brooch by the MTG TMNT set release as promised!
I've posted about it before here and it got no attention so I've resorted to pleading.
It's a ROTTMNT fic. It features Magic: The Gathering. It has an OC. I KNOW how that sounds. But please, let me explain before you scroll past.
What I thought I was writing was a fun Leo angst with card games.
What I actually wrote was A 100k+ word exploration of what happens when anxiety and trauma literally try to kill you, featuring platonic soulmates, found family, impossible choices, and very subtle romances subtle enough nothing starts in this book just some seeds to be expanded on in the background.
I started this years ago and couldn't finish it. Then the MTG TMNT set dropped and knew I needed to finish it. Even though the set was honestly lackluster and I know the Rise fandom doesn't care about MTG, I needed to finish this story.
Here's the thing MTG is just the starting point. It's how Leo and Alice meet. It's how Leo learns to think tactically. Every card game mirrors a fight scene later. But the story isn't ABOUT card games—it's about two anxious disasters finding each other and refusing to let go even when everything falls apart.
Why I wrote this:
I have a panic disorder. I know what it's like when your brain lies to you. When anxiety makes you push away the people who care about you because surely they're going to hurt you eventually, right? When running away feels like the only option.
I wanted to write about that. About how debilitating it can be. But also about what happens when you find someone who gets it. Who mirrors your fears but chooses to stay anyway.
This is a story about platonic soulmates, about friendship being just as powerful and life-changing as any romance.
The plot (with slight spoilers):
Leo is drowning under the weight of leadership. He escapes topside with a cloaking brooch and meets Alice a genius with anxiety that matches his own. They help each other breathe. And they both need to learn trust, Leo need to learn to trust himself, Alic needs to learn to trust others.
Then a mutagen cure is announced. War erupts. Alice's father (a narcissistic researcher) forces a ancient curse on Alice. Alice is literally transforming into a weapon that could flood the world, and her trauma is feeding the curse making it stronger and harder to fight.
Leo has to choose: let her go like she wants, or fight for her life even if she hates him for it.
It gets DARK. Theres Body horror. Suicidal ideation. PTSD. Characters making terrible choices for good reasons. But also hope. And healing. And finding family in unexpected places.
About the characters:
Alice isn't a romance interest (Leo is gay in this I know some people were concerned when I posted the first draft) or a self-insert. She's a fully realized character who drives the plot.
Baylen is also a OC who is fleshed out and is a patient, grounding rabbit Yokai who balances Leo's impulsiveness perfectly.
The Disaster Twins dynamic is alive and well!
Raph gets his protective big brother moments.
Mikey is the emotional heart (as always).
My plea:
I know this is a hard sell. MTG? OC? Anxiety fic? Posted all at once instead of updating weekly?
But I promise—if you give it past the first few chapters, if you let yourself care about these characters, it's worth it.
This story made me cry. It helped me process my own anxiety. And I really, truly hope it resonates with someone else too.
If you like:
Leo angst
Found family
Platonic bonds that are just as deep as romance
Mental health rep that doesn't pull punches
Happy endings that had to be fought for
Then maybe give it a shot?
I put four months of my life into this. Rewrote chapters a dozen times. I'm already writing mini-episodes because I can't let these characters go. And I'm planning to adapt it for traditional publishing.
So yeah. Please give my anxiety-ridden turtle and his anxious genius friend a chance.
Trials of the Cloaking Brooch - Chapter 1 - Marigold422 - Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018) [Archive of Our Own] https://share.google/EiSQqZ8r9VAVnQaUq
There’s a ship as well that’s 2003 Leo x Usagi, the older one. I did not read the whole of your post. I’m sorry you’re encountering hate for your ship. I think the 2003 Leo ship is called Leosagi? Maybe? Idk I’ve not been in the trenches long enough. Good luck shipping/serious
Yeah, the 2003 ship is called Leosagi! Leoichi is a newer ship, but it's often referred to as Leosagi as well.
From what I remember, 2003!Leo and Usagi Miyamoto were the same age, but they both then aged up in their comics (I'm not exactly sure, I'm not a big comic fan). So Miyamoto would actually be a lot older than the newer versions of Leo, which is weird. And then came along Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles XD
Thank you for going out of your way to respond. It really means a lot :)
