#supporting au

[doodlespatulas]

Nuclear Family children found their way to the med wing!

There they encounter @mkthedingus Mikey. Theyre trying to be helpful

@tmntaucompetition

Masterpost

[sweepclean]

I have been thinking what these three was talking about in the toddler meet up post and they are talking about BUGS!!!

@barnowlbookworm @cabbt @doodlespaulas

@tmntaucompetition

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Hello! Remember me?

Well in case Your don't This is Myra, She can't Really talk but she would like to wish You luck and Give you all Some Cookies (free hugs are Also Available)

(I love Your Aus and art!!)

[mediocre-artist9001]

To all the Donatello's in the TMNT AU Comp

If they have something to help them see or feel it, there's a strange energy coming from the new got parts? shop. It just happens to be coming from the shop owner's right arm. Upon closer inspection there's a second, smaller, energy coming from her that is very not typical for a human to posses.

@tmntaucompetition

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

*A missing flyer appears on Julia's station. It seems that two turtles have gone missing!*

NF= No Fun in Fungus

UY: Until I found You

“I think we should go with the guys we got some kind of connection to first! That way we don’t sound like total weirdos until we know more.” Velli answers.

“It is really going to be a tough sell to ask about these sort of things…..but if anyone knows weird, it’s also them. Right! Let’s get going. We don’t have much time to waste.” Julia says as she scoops the children into her arms.

She’s leaving the other children in the daycare with one of her well trusted attendants.

As Julia approaches the turtle that had been left some privacy to eat and acclimate, she can’t help but stare for a moment. She knows practically all the ways children act and the many reasons why they may do so.

Peony, as far as Julia is aware, did not grow up with any kind of parental figure. She has no home besides a relatively unstable space that hosts multiverses and keeps those without anywhere to return to.

Hardly a healthy environment for good development of any kind.

If she were to compare Peony to the current topic….she’s similar to a character with no backstory. No motivation. No drive. No specific thing to strive for.

Having no purpose can lead kids down a dark path.

“Peony?” Julia calls out.

She can feel the eyes on her. Wide, big, as searching for a way to fit into the established story.

But which story?

“Yes?” Peony answers.

“If you’ve finished your food, we’ve thought of a way to get some answers about your situation. There’s a group here that you’ve mentioned before. I’ve met them some time ago, we feel they’re the best first attempt. Do you want to come with us?”

Peony stares at her long enough to make anyone uncomfortable.

“Yes.”

“Excellent. Do you also want to be carried?”

“No. Thank you.” Peony seems to add that last part a little slowly.

“Alright, just keep close so you don’t get lost.” Julia concedes.

Peony nods at her, taking her empty plate and used utensils to the sink nearby. After a quick rinse, the dishes are left and Peony moves to Julia’s side.

The group makes their way out of the daycare.

Julia notices the alarming amount of children wandering around. She knows that this place is mostly safe now, any trouble would most likely be swiftly handled by any of the competitors or other visitors. Still, Julia can’t help but worry.

Something always tends to go wrong, doesn’t it?

After more walking around, her eyes finally land on a familiar group of turtles.

“Boys?” Julia calls out, waving her arm but unsure.

The UIFY siblings are sat together in a rest area. Blankets and pillows line parts of the floor, housing many different people chatting away with curtains sectioning them off for privacy. Craft tables and free vending machines could be seen around.

The NFIF group lays around them nearby, eyes drifting to the bear.

“Hey!! Julia! Come on over! Is Leaths with you this time?” NF Leo waves back with a smile.

“You know her?” UY Leo turns his head to his counterpart.

NF Leo’s hand drops, turning to face him back.

“Yeah? Don’t….don’t you? Weren’t you guys there back at the summer camp?”

“What summer camp?”

NF Leo’s eyes narrow in confusion.

Julia sets the VelCro boys down so they can walk with her. Peony hides herself behind Julia’s legs as to not draw attention right away.

DM Mikey hops down from where he was perched on top of his oldest brother’s shoulders and immediately crawls up onto Julia’s instead.

“Mikey! It’s so good to see you! Oh, look at you!” Julia purrs, nuzzling him.

DM Mikey chitters, mimicking the purrs in a more broken way. Julia doesn’t mine.

“M-Mama Bear.” He stutters out.

“Baby bear.” She coos in return, like he’s really a baby and not the double mutated teenager with a list of kills he is.

UY Mikey watches in awe, and something else.

A pang of envy.

He slowly makes his way to her as well.

“Hi! Leo said your name is Julia? I’m Mikey! Another Mikey! You probably already know that’s a thing since you’re here, but……hi!” His big eyes look up at her as he tugs on her apron.

“Of course I know you! Er….well, I knew you when you were….younger.” Julia says with some hesitation.

“Younger? I don’t remember meeting a bear….”

“Hey! Don’t try to trick my brother!” UY Leo shouts, standing up.

“I’m not trying to trick him, I assure you! I think you all might have forgotten! You’ve….gotten big.” Julia says with a frown.

“Hey hey hey, calm down! Remember what I said about the summer camp? You guys were like magically turned younger or something. Julia met you guys there. Took good care of you until, uh….stuff happened.” NF Leo glances at the mushroom in the glass container in his brother’s arms.

“We….we knew each other? And I don’t remember?” UY Mikey asks quietly, holding onto her more.

“Yes, but….I love you boys all the same.”

UY Mikey tears up, grip tightening.

“N-No, it’s not fair. I don’t want to forget the people I meet! I-I don’t want to lose everything just because there’s different competitions o-or different universes! E-Especially since there might not be a next time!! I-I….I want to remember….!”

As if his wish was being granted in the strangest way possible, UY Mikey starts glitching.

“Mikey!!” Julia shouts.

“Yo, what’s happening??” Cronan asks, getting Velli behind him.

DM Mikey gets spooked by the glitching and yelling, jumping down to look closer.

“MIKEY!!” The rest of the UY brothers join in on the shouting, rushing over to try to get their little brother back to being stable.

The NFIF group also hop up to help.

NF Donnie had set down the glass mushroom container as carefully as he could when he did so.

Peony could see the container as clear as day.

There it is.

One of the major reasons the hand exists as it does now.

The catalyst to a story.

In the chaos, no one notices her leave Julia’s side.

When the two groups are assembled together, UY Mikey stands in the middle of all of them.

He’s a kid again.

“How!? His mystics!? Is he cracking!?” UY Leo panics as he searches his brother.

“No! It doesn’t make any sense!” UY Donnie puts a hand to his head in frustration.

“Anybody see The Hand!? Did it do this!?” NF Raph nearly spins around in an attempt to catch the thing in the act.

He doesn’t find it, but he does find that something else is missing.

“Oh no…..not again. We’ve done this enough!”

“What!? What is it!?” UY Raph turns his attention to where his counterpart is looking.

His stomach drops.

“The mushroom is missing!”

Julia instinctively reaches behind her to keep Peony safe.

When her hand doesn’t reach anything, she gasps loudly and looks to see that she’s nowhere in sight.

“Peony! Velli, Cronan, did you see where she went!?”

“No! Everybody was yelling too much!” Velli answers, clinging to Julia.

“Mama Julia….?” A little voice pipes up, tears still in his eyes.

Julia looks back down at the little Mikey. Every part about him makes her heart hurt. He’s so thin, more thin than any child should ever be. His eyes are huge, almost pleading to be comforted and held in such a scary situation.

Julia takes a deep breath and picks him up, cradling him in her arms. UY Mikey seems to get comforted by the warm, soft fur and buries himself in it. Julia rubs his shell.

“Okay, okay, I know this situation is bad, but we need to start looking at it critically. We have to fund the mushroom, and….to do that, we’ll probably need to find Peony. I don’t want to think she did this, but…..considering that they vanished at the same time….” She trails off with a sigh.

“Uh…..who’s Peony?” NF Leo asks with a raised hand.

“That’s what I came to tell and ask the Until I Found You group about. She’s someone who doesn’t have a home universe, she was born here. I’d like to talk about it more, but unfortunately it seems we no longer have the time.”

“Born here!? What a time to have chaos when I can’t study this in its entirety!” UY Donnie complains with a grumble.

His Leo nudges him.

“Like you and her have been saying, not the time!”

“Okay, how we gonna split up? Julia can’t go by herself with the kids. I can go with her and take my Mikey with me. Do you guys want your Mikey back?” NF Raph gestures.

UY Mikey clings to Julia again.

“No! I want to stay with her! J-Just come with us!”

“Alright alright, how about this? The Until I Found You guys go with Julia, our Mikey stays with her too, and we’ll take Velli and Cronan so we can spot Peony better.” NF Raph rationalizes.

Everybody agrees on that plan.

Julia watches with a frown as Velli and Cronan leave, though she’s knows they’re in good hands. DM Mikey climbs onto Julia’s shoulder again as they make their own way to search for Peony. He waves his tail in front of UY Mikey who smiles just a little, reaching out to play with it.

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Peony held the jar close to herself. She had seen the advertisement going around somewhere. No one had really taken The Hand’s offer of its game. It’s probably very clear why.

Nobody knew that the game was harmless, besides what harm a routine horror game could do. They all, fairly, assumed it would be the same thing as before.

Peony decides that it’s her turn.

It’s her turn to make a plot twist.

It’s her turn to be relevant.

It’s her turn to have a story arc.

It’s her turn to have a story.

Peony takes off the backing of the video game cabinet and opens the mushroom jar lid, putting the whole container inside and quickly securing the backing back in place. She can’t get caught up in her own plan. Not yet.

She notices a figure coming her way, so she rushes off somewhere to hide and watch her handy work unfold.

Her sibling isn’t the only one that can be a villain.

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Julia and her group eventually made their way to Julia’s stand in their search. She figured there was a chance Peony made her way here if she had gotten lost instead of the much worse conclusion she’s been thinking of.

“Peony!? Are you here!?”

With no response to be heard, her attention lands on her stand.

There’s a missing poster.

“Oh no…..”

@phoebepheebsphibs

@tmntaucompetition

[funkyfoxolotl]

full refs for these two idiots, dont mind Dew's inconsistent ahh face shape, balancing dragon and gecko is hard in the rise style when you havent drawn the ocs in two ish years.

[phoebepheebsphibs]

A supporter AU appears! Julia from Mama Bear is here to listen to problems and give motherly advice!

(She is also an experienced foster mother, babysitting available upon request!)

Julia sits at her desk, cheek in her palm as she offers advice to any and all that approach her. Counseling kids has always been her passion, taking care of the sweet young ones of the next generation. A few turtles and mutants of one variety or another had already approached her for advice. It had been a very busy week, and for good reason. Rumours spread that the competition was some sort of jeopardy -- not from evil sentient mushrooms or the Void brothers or villainous versions of the PBJ Duo as had been usual, but from something altogether much more serious. It was possible that this would be the last year of the tournaments.

The proprietors of the competition and arena had sent out a message that they would be stepping down, and as of the moment there was no definitive answer as to whether or not someone else would carry the mantle. The 'Mods' had been whispering about it, a few employees that passed in the halls. If no one was going to take charge of the competition, what would become of this dimension? Of the people that lived here? This was no longer some separate entity or plane of existence, many called this strange timeless space HOME.

Julia is lost in thought about it all. She would have gladly offered help, but she had her own dimension to care for. Children of the Hidden City needed her, she couldn't abandon them. Perhaps they could come live here, but then how could they get adopted or placed with a new family? Possibly there was a solution, but this is a bigger question than just simply moving locations... or availability! Julia is so distracted by her thoughts that she hardly notices a little turtle approach the stand.

"Excuse me?" the light and airy voice is dulled by the sadness behind it. Two large eyes peek over the edge, looking up at her. "Miss Julia? Is the doctor still in?"

The Mama Bear blinks and then smiles bright, chuckling as she nods. She leans over the side and examines the new patient.

It's a familiar face, a little turtle mutant that had spent the last year with her in her childcare center. The boy reminds her of warm yarn and softness, he loved to knit and sew and crochet and had made a few nice little dolls for her and her kids. He and some other teenager, a shrimp Yokai called "Cro" if she remembered correctly, had offered special potions to the NFIF and DM Mikey boys. Tainted potions, but oh well. They'd assisted in their own ways.

"Well, hello there!" Julia's voice is silky smooth as her fur and very bright. From the look on the boy's face, he could use some cheeriness. He looks fairly distressed. "It's been quite a while since I've seen your sweet face! How may I help you?"

"I..." the boy swallows. "I keep hearing all these rumours about... th-the competition ending..."

Julia nods with an exhale.

"I've heard them too. But the good news is that it's likely not going to change much! Hopefully someone will take over the competition for next year..."

"What happens if no one does?" Velli's voice quivers as he speaks. "What happens to this place?"

"I don't know," Julia admits. "Why? What do you think will happen?"

Velli's lip tightens, his eyes turn to stone as they stare into her soul. His tiny hands grip the wood.

"...What do we do if........... if it closes down?"

"It won't," Julia tries to sound convincing. She's not so sure she's right, but why feed into fear?

"But what if they stop the -- no one would come here, no one would -- and it would be empty, and everyone... or maybe this place would be destroyed! Stop existing!"

"That won't happen," Julia repeats, coming round the counter to kneel beside him. "I'm sure it won't. This competition means so much to us all... They would never let that happen. But why are you worried?"

"Because... what would happen to anyone left behind in this place if it were to be 'deleted'?" Velli whispers.

"Well, they'd go home of course! They'd be sent back to their dimension--"

"Even if they're lost...?"

Julia looks the lad over. He's trembling. She recalls how he spent the entirety of the last year in her childcare place, offering potions a few times a day but always returning to her station.

"Velli. Are you lost?"

The boys bites the inside of his cheek and looks away.

"...Mhm."

"Why haven't you told me before, silly child?" she smiles as she opens her arms, offering a hug. The turtle boy immediately falls into her and starts crying softly.

"I don't know...! I-I guess I thought you knew... Cro knows, he tells everyone everything about everything and -- well, I do too, but..."

"Just take your time, Velli," Julia coos, rubbing his head as she speaks. "Take a deep breath and speak when you're ready."

Velli mumbles, coughs, sniffles, then speaks.

"Everyone here has a story, and there are -- there are people here who's stories aren't l-l-limited to their own universes. Like Misa! She hops around worlds all the time..."

"And so do you?"

Velli nods, his face getting tangled in her fur. He wipes his face, clearing the tears from his eyes.

"Not intentionally. See, w-we had this cave in the Hidden City -- it was filled with magic pools. Like... like that human story, The Magician's Nephew -- anyway. Cronan and I felt like exploring one day. I fell into one of the pools. Woke up in some new universe. Cro followed after me."

"So you're both lost?"

Velli gives another nod.

"I didn't mind at first -- I mean, it was fun! An adventure, just me and my best friend, and after growing up isolated in -- hmm. I dunno. But after a while we started to realize that we had no idea how to get home. Every time we found a portal or the magic pools again, we'd try to find the one to take us home. We never did. Eventually we ended up here."

"Well, I have some good news for you!" Julia smiles with a laugh. "It's easy to get lost here, sure, but it's just as easy to get found! In this dimension, all you need to do is simply ask and they will return you to your home dimension."

Velli looks up at her, confused.

"Don't... Don't I need to give them coordinates? Or directions or something?"

"No, not at all!" She chuckles again. "All you have to do is ask. Click your heels and say 'there's no place like home!' And you'll be there!"

Velli smiles at the joke, wiping the tears from his face again. The smile quivers gently. A much more serious expression replaces it suddenly.

"But what if... what if someone doesn't have a home to go to?"

"Are you worried about your father's lab?" Julia asks.

"N-no, no -- I live with Cro and his family!" Velli assures her. "I meant like... no dimension at all."

Julia blinks, her brow furrowing.

"Do you think your dimension just vanished?"

Velli opens his mouth, but doesn't say anything. He just simply shakes his head.

"Well, what then?" Julia wonders.

Machiavelli looks around, as if he is anxious to admit it. He takes Mama Bear by the hand and leads her away. Julia tries to ask him what he is up to, but he doesn't answer.

Julia wanders around the corner with the tiny child leading her all around, until she realizes that they are heading into a specific area. They are heading back to her childcare corner. She sees the sign, the small purple walls enclosing the area, the playground visible above the fencings, and the archway door. Star and moon nightlights covered the ceilings and walls, and sparkled against a figure standing under the archway.

It was a little child, but taller than Velli -- much taller, slender with white scales and a pink shell. There were a series of colourful patterns all across her skin, pink and green and pale. She turned and stared at Julia, unsure what to make of her. Julia tried to offer a kind and reassuring smile, but it didn't seem to change the girl's attitude.

"Miss Julia," Velli announced cautiously, "This is Peony. She doesn't have a dimension, because... well, she was kinda born here in the Competition."

(Canonically Peony has been in the works-ish since last year. I just never had a story to put her in!)