Annnd that’s a busted rib. The seizing and squeezing of his rib cage was an all too familiar, vice-like sensation but at least that meant Casey had practice pushing through it. Jaw ticking with the suppressed wince, he floundered onto his good side, then onto scuffed hands and knees.
Stuff it. Stuff the breathless ache, the frustration with his inexperience using the turtles’ fancy-schmancy grappling hooks to stick a landing. Stuff the regret for coming on this patrol at all, optimistic that he could keep up since they let him borrow some of their equipment. What was he thinking? Stuff down the resentment when the guys landed gracefully around him, making it look so easy.
“Dude, are you okay?” Mikey exclaimed. As he snagged the edge of a dumpster to pull himself arduously to his feet, Casey pretended not to hear the incredulously amused undertone. “You totally ate it!”
When even the team goofball can clown on you, you know you’re the worst.
“I’m fine,” he huffed, hoping they wouldn’t hear the hoarse hitch in his voice. Leo, being Leo, gave him a calculating look but Raph commented before he could.
“The lip of the roof ain’t a movin’ target, Case! How’d you whiff that? It’s toss and pull!” he teased, shouldering him good-naturedly. It didn’t feel so good-natured when his rib flamed under the nudge. His face flamed too, hidden behind his mask, but it couldn’t hide his aggravation.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m a loser, I get it! Classic Casey the klutz coulda broken his neck, laugh it up! Not all of us were born with armor, y’know,” he snapped, shoving Raph’s sturdy plastron with more force than necessary to limp past him.
“Hey, that’s not what I—”
“Whatever. I’m headin’ home. You’ll get farther without me slowing ya down.”
This snippet takes place in the future, when Kai and Y/N are in an established romance. This also is serving as birthday anon's present! Happy late birthday Anon who was born on 4/8!! It is pretty long, so most of it will go under the cut. Also, this features the debut of Mango the lovebird!
“Prepare to be boarded!” the Ambrion vessel’s captain shouted.
Kai cursed, drawing his sword.
“We don’t go down without a fight,” he called to his crew.
“Aye!”
“We’ll take ‘em down to the locker with us!”
Y/N watched this go down from within the captain’s quarters. Mango sat on her shoulder, preening himself without a care in the world. She saw the Ambrion Navy swing over to Calypso’s Wrath, swords drawn. The fight was on, and it was vicious. She saw Kai, Adriana, Nalani, Cosan, Tarius, and even Jodocus lock into battle with various opponents. Cipriano came running out, wielding a cast iron pan like a club. She winced as it clanged against someone’s head.
She glanced at her own sword at her waist. Kai had told her to stay inside the cabin, but it felt… wrong to just hide away while the others risked their lives and freedom while she did nothing.
She made up her mind. She rushed out just as Kai threw someone overboard. Mango took flight from her shoulder; this ride was getting too bumpy. She rushed forward, blocking a man’s blade from coming down on Kai’s back.
Kai whirled around.
“I told you to stay inside!” he barked.
She ignored him, pretending not to hear over the clamor. The man engaged her, swinging and thrusting with a rapidity that made her dizzy. Kai had only been teaching her swordplay for a few months, and this man seemed to have lived by the sword his whole life.
He continued to push her into a defensive position. Her back hit the railing, and she stole a glance at the water below. Drowning wouldn’t be an issue, but a mermaid tail would certainly draw unwanted attention.
“You should’ve listened to your captain,” the man sneered.
The knife in his back pushed all the air from his lungs. His eyes went wide as saucers before Kai pushed him overboard. He held out a hand to Y/N.
“Cabin,” he ordered, “now.”
She took his hand. He led her through the fray, ducking and weaving between blades and men.
He threw open the door and shoved her inside.
“I’ll get you when it’s safe,” he promised.
He never got the chance to close the door. The captain of the Ambrion vessel held his blunderbuss to the side of Kai’s head.
“I’m afraid safety is beyond your reach, Nelson,” the man said.
Kai glared, cursing under his breath. The man gripped his arm like a vice and fired a shot into the air.
The fighting stopped at once.
“Unless you want to see your leader become food for the bottom-feeders, I suggest you drop your weapons.”
“Let him do it!” Kai shouted, “don’t give him the satis-”
The barrel forcing its way into his mouth stopped any further orders from the captain.
Adriana locked eyes with Y/N, whose face burned red with shame. Adriana scowled at the naval officer, but dropped her sword all the same. It fell to the deck with a clatter.
The rest of the crew followed suit. A cacophony of metal on wood assaulted Y/N’s ears. The captain smiled.
“Round them up, men! This time tomorrow, the empire will have one less rabble of pirates to worry about.”
…
Y/N wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze as she and the rest of the crew were arranged in a line. The naval captain took his time analyzing each one. When he got to Y/N, he tilted her chin up with the tip of his dagger.
“Pretty little thing,” he remarked, “I was wondering why someone like the captain of Calypso’s Wrath would keep such a weak link on his vessel.”
She chanced a look at Kai, who had murder in his eyes. Two lower-ranking officers held him back.
“You all will make a fine example to the colonies of Ambrion,” the captain said, retracting his dagger, “you will serve to show what happens to anyone who dares to engage in the heinous crime of piracy.”
As the captain went to approach Kai, Y/N heard a fluttering of feathers above her. Mango perched himself on a length of rope overlooking the scene.
Someone pushed something cool and sharp into her hand. Adriana gave her a “hurry up” sort of look. Her hands were clasped behind her back, but they were devoid of any bindings.
Y/N took the arrowhead and sawed through the ropes. Once free, she passed it on to the next pirate.
The naval captain was still going on about justice and crime and his brilliance; he just had his dagger up against Kai’s throat when Mango swooped.
He grabbed the dagger in his talons, dropping it into Y/N’s hand. All the officers turned to stare at her. Adriana rolled her eyes and snatched the knife out of her grip.
“Stupid bird,” she muttered, and then, louder, “now!”
Jodocus headbutted the soldier on one side, while Nalani punched the man on the other side. They went down. Mango descended upon the guard responsible for the confiscated weapons, scratching and biting and making quite a fuss.
The pirates followed the bird, grabbing their weapons and taking the soldiers head-on.
Kai laughed at the sight, then swiped a sword from a soldier’s scabbard. He stabbed him in the side and pushed him overboard.
“I never thought I would say this.” He grabbed Y/N by the arm and pulled her close, “but I love that bird!”
Mango flew above the commotion.
“Bilge Blighter!” he squawked happily.
Kai’s joy was replaced by mild annoyance. Y/N couldn’t help but giggle.
“Can’t you teach it to call me something nicer?” he asked, kicking a man in the gut.
“It’s better than what he had been calling you,” Y/N pointed out, “he had been calling you a pigeon-livered b-”
“Do not finish that!”
…
The remaining Ambrion soldiers sailed away with what was left of their ship.
“Good riddance!” Kai shouted, waving his hat, “may you have a tedious return to your coward’s port!”
“And thank you ever so much for the supplies!” Adriana called over her shoulder.
She and Nalani were taking inventory of everything they had stolen off the ship. This would set them up for at least a month!
While the rest of the crew took their pick of the wealth, Y/N hid in the captain’s quarters once more. She hugged herself while Mango nibbled on a strand of her hair.
She turned when the door opened. Kai entered with an expensive-looking bottle and two crystal glasses.
He set everything on the table. He moved her hair aside and gave her a peck on the cheek. Mango did not like this at all and proceeded to fluff himself up and chirp angrily at him. Kai put his hands up in surrender.
Mango huffed one last time and flew into his cage. Kai turned Y/N to face him.
“Whatever is the matter?” he asked, “no one is badly hurt, and the victory is ours.”
“I know…”
A look of concern flashed across Kai’s features.
“Are you injured, Y/N?”
“No,” Y/N said.
Kai said nothing in hopes that Y/N would fill the silence with an explanation. She looked anywhere but at him. He took her chin in his hand and tilted it up, much like the naval captain had, only Kai’s touch was gentle and warm, not at all like the harsh, cold metal of a dagger’s point.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not a pirate,” Y/N finally said.
“I don’t know how to tell you this, my love, but if you’re not a pirate by now, then you’re well on your way to becoming one.”
“No, I mean. I’m not… a fighter. I’m not tough like Adriana, or strong like Jodocus, or a good swordsman like you. I just get in the way. I’m… I’m a weak link.”
Kai’s jaw set.
“You are more valuable than all the gold on this ship. Who put these thoughts in your head?”
“No one,” Y/N said.
“It was that saphead naval captain wasn’t it?”
Y/N’s silence confirmed it. Kai’s lips were pressed into a thin line.
“I should’ve killed him when I had the chance,” he said.
“You slashed his shoulder open,” Y/N argued.
“Doesn’t mean they couldn’t have patched him up,” Kai replied, “you are not a weak link. Even if you were, everyone has to be the weak link at some point. The most infamous pirates in history started as mere swabbies or cabin boys.”
“Everyone could’ve died because of me,” she said quietly.
“Aye, perhaps,” Kai conceded, “but it wouldn’t be the first time. Did I ever tell you about our misadventure with Jodocus and enchanted lotus flowers?”
Y/N shook her head.
“It is perhaps not my most thrilling tale, but it will serve the purpose we need it to. Come.”
He helped her onto the bed and held her from behind.
“It all started with a storm that could rival the Curse of Casimirian…”
As Kai relayed his tale, Adriana steered the ship into more friendly waters. Mango buried his beak in his feathers and closed his eyes. The rumble of Kai’s chest and the rocking of the ship lulled Y/N into a peaceful sleep.
The Future of Black Power Requires Cutting Off the Weak Links: A Garveyite Perspective
Liberation Over Everything
Introduction: The Crisis of Black Power in the 21st Century
The 21st century has seen an explosion of Black consciousness, Pan-African dialogue, and economic initiatives aimed at liberating African people from global oppression. Yet, despite all the momentum, real power remains elusive. Why? Because not everyone is built to carry the mission forward.
In every liberation movement, there are those who push the agenda forward and those who hold it back—whether through fear, complacency, or outright sabotage. Marcus Garvey understood this well. He did not build the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) on sentimentality or wishful thinking. He built it on competency, discipline, and a radical commitment to self-reliance.
The harsh reality? The future of Black Power depends on cutting off the weak links—those who refuse to work, those who sabotage progress, and those who remain trapped in a colonial mindset. This is not about exclusion for its own sake; it is about purging inefficiency, eliminating dead weight, and refining our movement into an unstoppable force.
If we are serious about Black Power, then we must be serious about who is fit to build and who must be left behind.
1. Garveyism and the Philosophy of Purging Weak Links
Marcus Garvey did not entertain mediocrity. He built the UNIA into the largest Black organization in history because he understood the necessity of order, discipline, and standards.
Garvey did not beg for acceptance from white institutions—he built his own.
He did not wait for colonial governments to give him permission—he mobilized without apology.
Most importantly, he did not tolerate weakness within his ranks—he expelled those who failed to contribute to the mission.
This is why Garvey’s model of Black Power was not merely about race—it was about capacity. Not every Black person was fit to lead, and not every Black person was fit to follow. Some were liabilities. Some were dead weight.
He famously declared:
“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.”
A people who can not govern themselves, discipline themselves, and protect themselves will forever be at the mercy of their oppressors. And those within the movement who refuse to take on this responsibility must be cut off.
Who Are the Weak Links?
In today’s context, the weak links manifest in several ways:
The Perpetual Victim – Those who refuse to take agency over their lives, choosing instead to beg the system for inclusion rather than building alternatives.
The Defeatist – Those who believe liberation is impossible and seek to demoralize others instead of offering solutions.
The Intellectual Masturbator – Those who endlessly debate history, theory, and philosophy but never take action to apply any of it.
The Neo-Colonial Puppet – Those who serve as intermediaries for white power structures, sabotaging Black movements from within.
The Opportunists – Those who wear the aesthetics of Black Power for personal gain while doing nothing to uplift the collective.
These individuals do not just slow us down; they actively weaken the movement.
Garvey’s solution? Cut them off. Expel them. Move forward without them.
2. Black Power as a Standard, Not a Sentiment
One of the biggest weaknesses of modern Black activism is its obsession with inclusion over effectiveness. Too often, we mistake unity for the absence of conflict, when in reality, unity is forged through shared discipline, shared purpose, and shared labor.
Black Power is not just a slogan; it is a set of standards. And if we are to uphold those standards, we must be ruthless in removing anything or anyone who does not meet them.
A Garveyite framework for Black Power is built on four key pillars:
1. Economic Nationalism
Black people must own and control the industries that sustain them.
Those who reject self-reliance and insist on white dependency are liabilities.
The future belongs to those who build—period.
2. Military and Defence Strategy
A people who cannot protect themselves will forever be ruled by others.
We must cultivate warriors, not passive participants.
If one is unwilling to defend the community, they weaken it.
3. Pan-African Unity Based on Action
Unity is not just a hashtag; it is trade, infrastructure, and education across the diaspora.
Empty rhetoric does not move us forward—material progress does.
Those who refuse to participate in Pan-African cooperation must be left behind.
4. Self-Sufficiency Above All
We must eliminate dependency on white institutions.
If a person refuses to contribute to Black institutions, they do not deserve a place in the future.
Our survival depends on the ability to create, sustain, and expand without external control.
3. Cutting the Dead Weight: The Path Forward
A New Standard of Leadership
Garvey understood that leadership was not for everyone. It required vision, discipline, and sacrifice. Today, too many claim leadership while serving no one but themselves. We must purge false leaders who:
Promote personal brands over collective progress.
Advocate for reform instead of revolution.
Partner with white power structures while claiming to be radical.
Leadership must return to those who build institutions, defend the people, and embody self-reliance.
A Community of Builders, Not Consumers
The future of Black Power is not found in followers—it is found in builders. If one is not creating infrastructure, whether through business, education, or community defense, they are dead weight.
Those who consume but never contribute must be removed from positions of influence.
A Movement That Rewards Action, Not Words
We must abandon the obsession with rhetoric and symbolism and prioritize tangible results. This means:
Funding and supporting Black-owned enterprises over performative activism.
Training and developing military strategies instead of waiting for justice.
Building independent schools and media instead of complaining about misrepresentation.
The time for passive engagement is over. The time for ruthless efficiency has arrived.
Conclusion: Are You Fit for the Future?
Not everyone will make it. Not everyone wants to make it.
Garvey knew this. The question is: do we?
If we are serious about Black Power, then we must be serious about cutting off the weak links—not out of cruelty, but out of necessity. A nation can not rise when it is burdened by dead weight.
The future of Black Power belongs to those who:
Build instead of beg.
Defend instead of complain.
Lead instead of following.
It’s time to choose a side.
Are you part of the solution, or are you just another weak link?
General Jae has two sons, though with how often he sings the praises of the first, you wouldn’t have known about his second.
Jun is the best thing to ever happen to General Jae. He’s going to take over the oil reserve when his father retires, and he always takes on the more important tasks. His mastery over the flow serves to bring him more notoriety in these parts of Wasterra.
Chul can’t use flow magic like Jun, which is essentially a death sentence for his relationship with his father. He’s nothing short of an embarrassment. A weakling. He’s always held to the highest of standards that everyone knows he’s bound to fail. Perhaps Jae is always looking for an excuse to punish him.
Chul is always trying to prove his worth to his father, but he has recently started wondering why he even bothers to try. It’s not like he likes that monster, and he knows how awful he treats the rest of Wasterra.
Perhaps he’s wasting his life and his potential staying at the reserve.
What about an AU where J was deliberately made the most fragile DD because the Solver enjoyed how much she hates it every time? Cue her being found by a purple gremlin with a love of building/modifying machinery...
Series: Murder Drones
AU Criteria: J is the weakest link, good bye.
AU title (optional): Weak Link
Because she was always trying to be tough, and to be better than the others, Solver decides to have a little extra fun with J. She is purposefully made easier to break and destroy, with the worst cooling, thinnest armor plating, worst reaction times. She is barely stronger than a worker drone, and knows it.
After getting impaled on some garbage and left to hang while the others ran off, she is found by a purple gremlin that drags her back to a secluded location.
Being taken apart, she is verbally shredded as the gremlin keeps a running note of every flaw, and defect. By the end of being pulled apart, voice box first, she is little more than scattered bits and pieces, silently pleading for an end.
And then the gremlin begins putting her back together, something about using her to learn more about the Murder Drones attacking them, and using this information against the others. But as she is simply pathetic, she wouldn't be worthy of her skills.
Once put back together, she finds herself… better, the engineer in Uzi could not let the defects stand, and she was being all tsundere about helping her… besides she could use a personal assistant, the price was a can of oil a day, tap grade synthetic. Now it was J's time to negotiate.
all the boys get to be whumpees in today's @whumpril prompt: weak link. i don't discriminate, dick, jason, tim and damian can all suffer together. this one was lovely to write <33
Whilst in the woods, (alone or with someone(s) at the author’s discretion) Wraithvine comes upon a dying man, a double-crossed messenger with an arrow through his chest. He begs Hir to deliver his letter. But, a dying man is not necessarily a righteous one, not all treasons are unjustified. Wraithvine must decide if fulfilling the promise is correct, and ze does not have much time… -- Deathshead419
On a road less traveled, more of a deer trail, there's only a few kinds of people one may meet. Those trying to avoid notice, those hunting for those trying to avoid notice, and folks like Wraithvine.
This time, the Eternal Wizard found a soldier with an arrow through his back. His hunter had found him, and having shot, left him for dead.
Judging by the tracks, the soldier had fallen, then picked himself up. Staggered on until the strength left his legs. Then continued to crawl onwards until Wraithvine found him. He should have died five yards ago. In fact, Mistress Dark was waiting for his soul to lose hold of his body.
