Okaaaay, I finally am getting into some Usagi lore, and started watching the show with his descendant, dumbass rabbit guy who means well but is an idiot (Usagi Yuichi). I also had this bizarre idea at work, partially inspired by the song Tongues by Joywave, mixed with combining TMNT with the Usagi world, to make a fun new universe with... a turtle sibling Reader.
Yep. Honey has to do it. You can't talk me out of it. I am feeding you.
So I've got to figure out what this new universe looks like, but it's like, okay, let's combine cartoon New York with Neo Edo and whatever lore I can find from each TMNT cartoon for visual reference and varying lore. I'm taking from various series here, so bare with me.
TMNT 2003 established various dimensions and alternate realities with many creatures; 2012 has that dimension and/or time travel thing with Renet, you've got monsters and you've got aliens, even a demon and ghosts; 2018 has yokai and mutants in the Underground City and dimensional aliens. Each series is vastly different. I am taking what I like from each one, and making my own AU and twist on the characters, as that gives me more creative freedom and I can't binge watch four or five series in one day. Maybe one or two, but not the whole list (looking at you seven seasons and a movie long 2003 series!).
So! Let's break down basics.
The regular sort of species, the dominant life form of the world, are animal people. Ranging from rabbitfolk to snakekin to ratmen, and many more. The people of this universe tend to eat more seafood and vegetables, seeing it as taboo to eat one of your own kind, even a non-sapient one.
Yokai are people who became spirits or minor deities, or were born from mystic circumstance. They range from benevolent to downright cruel. Usually there is a tell, something that gives away their true nature, but it varies from yokai to yokai, and not every city or region is aware of every single one out there.
There are several clans and cities, as well as mystical and cursed items said to contain great power and misfortune.
The Hamato Clan was an order of ninjas, formed centuries ago by a band of brothers descended of a great master, rumored to have ascended to godhood. This clan tends to consist or ratmen, kappa, and catkin. They have split into different branches, consisting of various families, each under the banner of a separate brother.
The Miyamoto Clan is a prestigious family of samurai, passing down their teaching through the ages and descended from the great ronin Miyamoto Usagi. Their treasured possession is his sword; each member is to make their own as a rite of passage, or to find an old one to make anew. They are strict, exclusive, and prefer to keep to themselves, unless on a mission.
The Foot Clan is an old ninja clan, followers of the Shredder, a warlord who tried to conquer their region and was defeated by the Hamato Clan. Their feud is an old one, stretching back centuries, but it seems for now the clan elders have forged peace. They focused on espionage and assassinations in the past; nowadays they focus on honing the body to perfection, to make the ultimate warriors should the need arise for battle.
The Shi Clan is only spoken of in whispers, said to be nothing more than a late night story to scare naughty children into behaving, or to keep curious children from roaming too far. They were said to possess supernatural talents, able to bend magic to their will and cast many spells... They are said to be cursed, for going against the cycle of nature, for defying life and death, for spreading their corruption through each new generation. Their relics are said to be a book containing the secrets of life, and a book holding power over death... Both are thought to be lost, destroyed along with their creator...
New Edo takes the place of New York; it is bustling with old life and new technology, but it is almost steampunk in nature; bullet trains exist and help carry people to and from the city; floating aircraft carry goods and passengers over the crowded streets below; and the city never seems to sleep, always alight with music, the glow of crystals, or the lazy dance of fireflies. It's a mixing pit of all kinds of races and cultures, and the food is very creative, usually inspired by more than one region or culture.
Other places exist, like the Valley of Serenity, the Iron Pass, the Sabashii Mountains, as well as the Comet's Tail, a giant waterfall located in the mountain range, and Sakura Town, a rumored safe haven of healing said to lie within a hidden glade of the mountains.
We've got some characters, all with different backgrounds and pasts in this world...
Leo: A proud member of the Hamato Clan, he grew up idolizing the stories passed down through his family, wanting to one day be a hero with his own band of brothers... if only he had siblings. When his clan elders convene, they tell him he has been chosen to fulfill the vows of their clan leader, the past Hamato Leonardo, to find and defeat an ancient threat that has once more awakened... He agrees, eager to set out to make his family proud and prove his worth. Except he ends up finding his own ragtag group of family along the way, all united to defeat the ancient threat come back to haunt them... He is the team leader.
Rapha: A lone street fighter eho has survived on his own for a long time, so long he can't remember ever having warmth or safety. Trying to make a name for himself and protect the weak of the slums of New Edo, he ends up hearing the plea of Leo for members to join his team to unite together to find the weapons of the ancient masters and defeat an old evil come back. He scoffs... but decides to join... He grows fond of this small group, to the point he can't imagine going back to a life without them, even if they do become heroes. He is the team muscle.
Tello: A young genius obsessed with technology and find better, more reliable power sources that the old crystals that power the main power grids of the large cities. Always picking things apart to understand them, he puts them back together, sometimes improving on the original design! And sometimes just causing an explosion. He hasn't seen much of the world, only ever heard about it from broadcasts and books, so when a fellow kappa wanders into town in search of help for mission? He signs up. And discovers a whole new world, one where the impossible seems possible, where he has help and doesn't have to always be the one to fix what's broken. He is the team inventor/mechanic.
Angie: A sweet, charming prodigy of ninjitsu and the mystical arts, if only he would study and apply himself. He is a free spirit, always moving, never still. He wants adventure, friendship, more than strict rules and high expectations, more than being told to uphold clan honor and stifle himself to better suit their tastes. So the first chance to leave them behind and go on an adventure to become heroes? He's eagerly pushing his way to the front, happy to offer his services! And traveling with these guys is fun! Sure, they're rowdy, and Loyd, and boisterous, but they match his energy; he doesn't have to hold back or hide with them. So he takes to it like a fish to water, prepared to go wherever the flow takes him. He is the team navigator.
April: A young journalist who hopes to tell the story of a lifetime, an epic or a saga or a tale big enough to become a legend! But there is only so much to work with when you're cooped up in an old antique store, helping your grandma out and studying what you can about old legends and myths. She wants new, she wants inspiration, she wants to be there where the action is. So when an odd group of kappa come in, asking for help to find old weapons? She jumps in to assist! Which leads them into their own adventure, one in which she's a part of it, too. She likes working with these guys; it comes naturally to her, like she's done this before. And now that it's begun, she doesn't plan to quit! She is the team strategist + lore keeper.
Casey: A mysterious loner who runs into the team as they escape the chaos of the city, he too is on a quest, hoping to find new plants and herbs to catalogue in a book of medicine, a sacred task that he was chosen for. When they say they are going to explore various regions, on the hunt to find an ancient foe and defeat them once and for all, he agrees to come along, offering his assistance in exchange for helping him in return. Casey has a lot resting on his shoulders, hoping to find any trace left behind by the master who gifted his family the medicine book in the hope that in doing so, he finds another book they used to own. He is the team healer/medic + backup muscle.
Yuichi: A young descendant of the great Usagi, he has been taught the ways of his clan, honed into a living weapon, and tasked with one duty: finish what Usagi had started; find the Yurei and defeat it, once and for all. When he hears of a group wandering through town in search of the same being, he decides to join them, stating they won't get far without knowing the tells of this yokai, nor will they know who to trust... But the longer he stays with this group, the more he starts to think, the more he ponders, the more he yearns. These strangers have become dear, like family to him. Much more than his own had ever felt to him. It rattles him, shakes the foundqtions of his understanding of how the world is; but he let's it come; he endures. He is the team yokai specialist.
Reader: They are a young terrapin, found stranded in the woods and struggling to remember their past. They don't talk much, ways lost in thought, but they are a good listener, a loyal companion, who anyone can talk to or go to for advice. They are reliable and full of true grit. They are the team negotiator/peacekeeper.
Together the team sets off, a spell and forewarning guiding them to find an ancient blade, the only thing capable of destroying their foe the Yurei...
"Strong and steady as the thunder
Bless'ed blade tear rot asunder;
Purge my foe of darkness deep,
Then send them off to silent sleep."
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