[Yes, good, tease Hunter. Its good for you to tease friends.]
It had its good days and bad days. [A pause.] Bad days being a subjective thing. I don't think my bad days could compare to what I imagine some of your bad days were like. [He really does not trust Belos at this point.]
Like I explained before, we're mutants. Draxum was a powerful yokai and before Draxum had found dad, he had been enslaved by another powerful yokai who had an extensive information network. So dad couldn't go to where yokai were, because it wouldn't be safe for our family. And humans, while individually can be quite kind, as a group cannot be trusted lightly. Mob mentality is a dangerous thing.
So dad had to raise us essentially in isolation without any knowledge of what to expect from us. He didn't even know we'd be able to talk until Leo did. [He leans against the tree, idly twirling his staff, just to keep his hands busy.]
Dad was the most present for those early years. Which makes sense. He had to keep us safe and help us figure out how to just...exist. There was no one to depend on. He would screw up sometimes, lose track of one of us, and he had always been so scared. He hated when he had to leave us alone to scavenge for supplies. There were a lot of days where we were barely scraping by and it was pretty clear it wore him down.
There was a frustratingly long time where he handled me with kid gloves because Raph, who has a very spiky shell, fell on top of me. [He taps the end of his Bo Staff against the metal covering his back.] There had been a lot of blood and pain, but the thing I can remember most clearly is just how much he had cried at the time.
But...
He always did his best to make us happy. He would get unessential items because he knew we would enjoy them. He went along with our games, encouraged our interests. He would show us movies, and would replay the same ones over and over again if we asked. He never made us do anything we didn't want to do, barring things that kept us safe of course.
He listened to us. And while he didn't always answer all our questions, he never talked down to us about them. At least not often, it usually depended on how much our sass was unwarranted. He always tried to find ways to give us something nice. As soon as Mikey was able to walk on two legs properly, he took us out for Halloween for as long as possible, since its a holiday where everyone is in costume.
He never wanted us to know how much it wore him down. It was hard to pick up at the time, but I can remember things pretty clearly, and its easy to see the signs now.
But that's a pretty fair assumption. Hunter winces and keeps listening.
It's a lot. It's NOT all pretty. That more than anything makes it feel more real to Hunter, who had ... well, nothing. He curls up a bit on the staff, hugging one knee to his chest.
There's so much he wants to ask about. He decides to pick at the smallest thread first and unravel it from there. ]
What's Halloween? I - I assume you can walk around among the humans safely, but what did you get to DO with him?
Halloween is a holiday and the best holiday. [Because it was easy for them to celebrate.]
Halloween is a delightful mix of fun and frights, where the people enjoy being scared from movies to haunted houses to pranks. Like I said, everyone dresses up in costumes, and some can get weird costumes, so no one questioned if we looked to be in 'two' costumes between our turtle selves and what we actually dressed up as. We were free to move around the whole day without a second look.
And the best part was the Trick or Treating, where kids go door to door and people pass out candy. We could get several pillow cases full by the time we were done. And if people refused candy or were poor sports about it, we got to play a prank. Not many refuse, but we were great at it. No toilet paper or eggs for us, we'd do things like flip all their Halloween decorations or sneak a noise maker into their house. We convinced one particularly rude geezer his house was haunted.
[Listen, we're in October and if Donnie gets a WHIFF OF HALLOWEEN VIBES-]
Oh, absolutely. Dad is pretty good at costumes, so even if they were simple from resources, he made sure they looked nice.
He's also delightfully petty and anyone who tried to put a damper on our night deserved it. He's also the one who taught us our ninja skills, so when he decided to help, things went off without a hitch.
He showed us Lou Jitsu movies as a kid. And since they were the best, we loved reenacting them. Especially the fight scenes. Most of our training was from that. He did give us some instruction for our weapons and the Hamato way, but it was just the basics. Enough that we could protect ourselves from the threats he expected us to run into which was, well...just some normal humans.
He also covered enough that we didn't hurt ourselves with our weapons.
Really, most of our ability came from the fact we were made specifically to be good at that. Natural talent went a long way, even with minimal instruction.
But dad never intended for us to get serious about being heroes or being warriors. He didn't even realize we were fighting actual villains until he discovered the Foot Clan was in New York and ran into us while he was trying to take care of them.
Which was when a lot of stuff he was keeping from us came out. The emotional issue stuff.
It was only then he took our training seriously. He knew we weren't going to stop, so it was the way he could best keep us safe. And he definitely didn't go easy on us when it came to training. Better we knew what we were doing, then to have us not come back one day.
[ Hunter still looks dimly confused at the thought of a parental figure protecting their kids instead of, you know, weaponizing them when given the chance. ]
Wait. So - he didn't train you since you were little? Or run you through death mazes, o-or pit you against each other, or talk about replacing you with better sons if you messed up too many times? What did he WANT you to do with the training?
[That's what would have happened if Draxum had his way, but Splinter just noped them on out of that.]
[Also Donnie is finding himself very grateful Splinter did Just That.]
Absolutely not.
The only death maze we've ever been in was because Leo was being a dumb-dumb and dad didn't even know about that.
Definitely not talk of replacement.
No, the first lesson dad taught us was to look out for each other, always. Always make sure our brothers made it home. Nothing else mattered more then that.
Which is what the training was for. If we ever wanted to venture outside, we had to be able to get away from humans who decided they either wanted us dead or captured. We may be naturally stronger or harder to hurt, but that skill needs some direction to be useful from anyone genuinely competent.
And yes, and no. We're not as ectothermic as normal turtles, but we're not strongly endothermic either. We can self generate some heat so we stand being in the cold, but we need to keep bundled up and drink hot things regularly. We end up taking a lot of naps in winter and if no one checks, we can end up brumating for days at a time. I slept for ten days straight once.
No dietary restrictions health wise, save Raph's peanut allergy. I get more from meat, but I can process flora and sweets far better then a regular soft shell. The turtle and human diets fused rather well overall. A lot of my food restrictions come more from certain textures and flavors driving me up a wall. I could eat the foods, but it'd be a miserable time during the process.
If they evolved along side other demon types, it wouldn't be surprising they don't. Even if they're cold blooded, having pack bonded to warm blooded could lower the biological need to brumate for protection since the pack could take care of it.
Forced mutation doesn't really allow for that. Especially since it took Draxum years to make the fusion happen so successfully.
Do they? What kind of textures? Though the texture thing is mostly me, my brothers have far less issues with it.
I mean, I might have just not heard of it. There was only one turtle demon in the Emperor’s Coven, and we didn’t talk much. But that makes sense.
[ A pause. ]
Well like - food touching and mixing. Or having crunchy things where they’re not supposed to be. That was the only way I got food I wasn’t supposed to eat sometimes - I could switch with them.
If it was a common occurrence, it would be sensible to have special accommodations. [Pause.] Though I suppose that may be too optimistic. [With Belos and all.]
Huh. Odd for a species that cooks, mixing is difficult to avoid. Was it really safe to switch with them?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Donatello.
He usually calls me purple. Sometimes Donnie when we're doing serious stuff, but Donatello is only for the vulnerable stuff.
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[ But Donatello's still a cool name okay. ]
What was growing up with him like?
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But names are a whole thing with our family.
....do you want just the good stuff or the full picture?
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[ Will he tease you with that someday? Maybe. ]
... Full picture. Uh - anything you feel comfortable talking about.
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It had its good days and bad days. [A pause.] Bad days being a subjective thing. I don't think my bad days could compare to what I imagine some of your bad days were like. [He really does not trust Belos at this point.]
Like I explained before, we're mutants. Draxum was a powerful yokai and before Draxum had found dad, he had been enslaved by another powerful yokai who had an extensive information network. So dad couldn't go to where yokai were, because it wouldn't be safe for our family. And humans, while individually can be quite kind, as a group cannot be trusted lightly. Mob mentality is a dangerous thing.
So dad had to raise us essentially in isolation without any knowledge of what to expect from us. He didn't even know we'd be able to talk until Leo did. [He leans against the tree, idly twirling his staff, just to keep his hands busy.]
Dad was the most present for those early years. Which makes sense. He had to keep us safe and help us figure out how to just...exist. There was no one to depend on. He would screw up sometimes, lose track of one of us, and he had always been so scared. He hated when he had to leave us alone to scavenge for supplies. There were a lot of days where we were barely scraping by and it was pretty clear it wore him down.
There was a frustratingly long time where he handled me with kid gloves because Raph, who has a very spiky shell, fell on top of me. [He taps the end of his Bo Staff against the metal covering his back.] There had been a lot of blood and pain, but the thing I can remember most clearly is just how much he had cried at the time.
But...
He always did his best to make us happy. He would get unessential items because he knew we would enjoy them. He went along with our games, encouraged our interests. He would show us movies, and would replay the same ones over and over again if we asked. He never made us do anything we didn't want to do, barring things that kept us safe of course.
He listened to us. And while he didn't always answer all our questions, he never talked down to us about them. At least not often, it usually depended on how much our sass was unwarranted. He always tried to find ways to give us something nice. As soon as Mikey was able to walk on two legs properly, he took us out for Halloween for as long as possible, since its a holiday where everyone is in costume.
He never wanted us to know how much it wore him down. It was hard to pick up at the time, but I can remember things pretty clearly, and its easy to see the signs now.
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But that's a pretty fair assumption. Hunter winces and keeps listening.
It's a lot. It's NOT all pretty. That more than anything makes it feel more real to Hunter, who had ... well, nothing. He curls up a bit on the staff, hugging one knee to his chest.
There's so much he wants to ask about. He decides to pick at the smallest thread first and unravel it from there. ]
What's Halloween? I - I assume you can walk around among the humans safely, but what did you get to DO with him?
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Halloween is a delightful mix of fun and frights, where the people enjoy being scared from movies to haunted houses to pranks. Like I said, everyone dresses up in costumes, and some can get weird costumes, so no one questioned if we looked to be in 'two' costumes between our turtle selves and what we actually dressed up as. We were free to move around the whole day without a second look.
And the best part was the Trick or Treating, where kids go door to door and people pass out candy. We could get several pillow cases full by the time we were done. And if people refused candy or were poor sports about it, we got to play a prank. Not many refuse, but we were great at it. No toilet paper or eggs for us, we'd do things like flip all their Halloween decorations or sneak a noise maker into their house. We convinced one particularly rude geezer his house was haunted.
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That's ... amazing. He let you do that? Did he help you with the costumes? A-and the pranking?
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Oh, absolutely. Dad is pretty good at costumes, so even if they were simple from resources, he made sure they looked nice.
He's also delightfully petty and anyone who tried to put a damper on our night deserved it. He's also the one who taught us our ninja skills, so when he decided to help, things went off without a hitch.
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He showed us Lou Jitsu movies as a kid. And since they were the best, we loved reenacting them. Especially the fight scenes. Most of our training was from that. He did give us some instruction for our weapons and the Hamato way, but it was just the basics. Enough that we could protect ourselves from the threats he expected us to run into which was, well...just some normal humans.
He also covered enough that we didn't hurt ourselves with our weapons.
Really, most of our ability came from the fact we were made specifically to be good at that. Natural talent went a long way, even with minimal instruction.
But dad never intended for us to get serious about being heroes or being warriors. He didn't even realize we were fighting actual villains until he discovered the Foot Clan was in New York and ran into us while he was trying to take care of them.
Which was when a lot of stuff he was keeping from us came out. The emotional issue stuff.
It was only then he took our training seriously. He knew we weren't going to stop, so it was the way he could best keep us safe. And he definitely didn't go easy on us when it came to training. Better we knew what we were doing, then to have us not come back one day.
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Wait. So - he didn't train you since you were little? Or run you through death mazes, o-or pit you against each other, or talk about replacing you with better sons if you messed up too many times? What did he WANT you to do with the training?
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[Also Donnie is finding himself very grateful Splinter did Just That.]
Absolutely not.
The only death maze we've ever been in was because Leo was being a dumb-dumb and dad didn't even know about that.
Definitely not talk of replacement.
No, the first lesson dad taught us was to look out for each other, always. Always make sure our brothers made it home. Nothing else mattered more then that.
Which is what the training was for. If we ever wanted to venture outside, we had to be able to get away from humans who decided they either wanted us dead or captured. We may be naturally stronger or harder to hurt, but that skill needs some direction to be useful from anyone genuinely competent.
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[ Just starting from THAT point makes Hunter want to cry a little. ]
What's "outside" for you? Where do you normally live?
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We live in the sewers. Abandoned or highly avoided underground structures. Outside would be topside, normal city streets.
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That seems like it would be pretty cold and wet sometimes.
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Especially since you're turtle d - turtles, right? Are you cold-blooded too? Do you have dietary restrictions?
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And yes, and no. We're not as ectothermic as normal turtles, but we're not strongly endothermic either. We can self generate some heat so we stand being in the cold, but we need to keep bundled up and drink hot things regularly. We end up taking a lot of naps in winter and if no one checks, we can end up brumating for days at a time. I slept for ten days straight once.
No dietary restrictions health wise, save Raph's peanut allergy. I get more from meat, but I can process flora and sweets far better then a regular soft shell. The turtle and human diets fused rather well overall. A lot of my food restrictions come more from certain textures and flavors driving me up a wall. I could eat the foods, but it'd be a miserable time during the process.
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[ He at least seems very genuinely interested in all this. ]
Huh. That's ... a lot. I've never heard of turtle demons brumating, but I also haven't met very many of them.
And - oh - the texture thing. Witches sometimes have trouble with that too. Not me, but.
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If they evolved along side other demon types, it wouldn't be surprising they don't. Even if they're cold blooded, having pack bonded to warm blooded could lower the biological need to brumate for protection since the pack could take care of it.
Forced mutation doesn't really allow for that. Especially since it took Draxum years to make the fusion happen so successfully.
Do they? What kind of textures? Though the texture thing is mostly me, my brothers have far less issues with it.
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[ A pause. ]
Well like - food touching and mixing. Or having crunchy things where they’re not supposed to be. That was the only way I got food I wasn’t supposed to eat sometimes - I could switch with them.
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Huh. Odd for a species that cooks, mixing is difficult to avoid. Was it really safe to switch with them?
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[ just makes a vague gesture. And a face. ]
I… uh, did get sick immediately afterwards. Had too much arsenic in it.
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....is most of your DNA human?
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