Ah, yes. That would be the deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. It's where genetic information is located that tells the body how to look, how to function, how to just be. The reason families look alike is because the DNA is constructed from genetic samples from the parents.
The bone would have the DNA of the ortet. [Which is a better then saying original and he's been talking plant cloning lately.]
The source for cloning. Usually used for plants, but fauna cloning isn't much of an option on Earth. I don't know if that holds true for your world.
Yes. It may have been blood, it may have been magic, he may have just been throw in the vat of Ooze with us, dad doesn't like talking about it, and Draxum gets a little weird about it. But direct exposure seems to be how it is with most of the mutations. Someone gets injected with Ooze and the next thing with DNA they get exposed to, they take on those features. So far everything has either been animal or plant based, the only question mark is Ghostbear, his mutation is peculiar, but he would never let me do tests on him.
Humans, for us. I started my life as a Spiny Soft Shell. Raph was an Alligator Snapping Turtle, Nardo a Red Eared Slider, and Mikey an Ornate Box Turtle.
Dad started as a human and I'm not sure how it went that we got exposed to Ooze and him and he didn't get exposed to us when he got exposed to Ooze. Probably something dramatic. But dad mutated with rat DNA.
Basically I had a year where the only thoughts I could potentially have is 'bugs good, sleep in sand.'
Quite a great deal. [He does a spin with his staff and stops it authorization in front of him, pixelating purple energy forming above it in the parts of a screen before coming together. The screen flickers and a purple tinged picture forms.]
Raph's the big guy, then Mikey, and Leo next to me.
Raph is obviously the strongest, and the most able to take hits, with a lot more spikes, and has a very powerful bite. He bit through chair legs as a kid. Obviously he's also the biggest by a far bit.
Mikey's shell is best for defense and he's the best at utilizing pulling in and out of his shell as a combat strategy. Or pranks. He's also the best climber, which is the surprising talent of Box turtles.
Leo is a people person, which you wouldn't think is turtle related, but apparently Red Eared Sliders are known for having friendly personalities and good recognition of people. It makes them very popular pets. It might actually explain how he took to the skill as well as he did despite how we grew up. He's also the best at dodging and getting out of bad situations even before he got the portals, and he's a pretty good balance between defensive and offensive power.
I'm the most flexible and the fastest swimmer. I can also stay submerged the longest, with Leo second, Raph third, and Mikey last. My shell is also....well, softer then theirs. It allows me to get into places Leo and Raph can't get into and Mikey only can because he's small.
There are also more things, but Leon and I went on a whole binge of turtle facts years ago when we were trying to figure out how our whole biology worked.
That would be silly. Draxum was trying to create the ultimate warrior, and you need variation in any army. Finding who could do what was far better use of his time instead of just seeing four who could do roughly the same thing.
We are. Both from turtle biology perspective and just what skills we developed. I couldn't say where my genius comes from, genetic wise. The Hamato are skilled, but super genius they are not. Maybe I was just an abnormally clever Soft Shell and that was amplified.
But no, we don't swim a whole lot for what we do. I've probably swam more in the last week then I have in the last six months.
Correct. Largely short range ones. If he tries to go too far, they start to become unreliable for where we'll end up. He can also do teleportation fairly close to what you did using his katannas. He throws one and he can use the other to pull himself right to it. Or pull things to himself.
It seems more likely, yes. Its not in the Hamato genes, so it was something about my turtle self, and I do know our turtle biology was amplified in other ways. We can all take a lot more punishment then a normal turtle by a far bit.
We weren't with Draxum long. We were science experiments and warriors to Draxum, so if we had any significant amount of time around him, there would be at least some scars from some kind of tests, whether physical or medical.
Its most likely the realization what would happen to us if we stayed is what pushed dad to escape at all costs. His life may have been in shambles by the time he was in Draxum's clutches, but he's not the type of person who could stand idly by when children need help. Especially for the particular danger we were in. [The image flickers and have a rat man.]
We didn't even know Draxum existed for thirteen years.
I could play you a clip. Its based on my memory, but it is superb.
[ Hunter immediately puts a hand over the scar on his face, self-conscious as he stares at the picture of Splinter. Not the type of person who could stand idly by when children need help. He finds himself blinking back tears rather abruptly, torn between sudden, sharp jealousy and relief that Donnie had someone to rescue him. ]
I'm glad you got out. Nobody deserves that, and you've been great so far.
[Splinter may not always be emotionally available, but woe to anyone who hurts his sons within his sight.]
[Oh shit, those are tears there. There is a look of distress on his own face because he doesn't know what to do with tears, tears are hard, they're usually a Raph or Mikey problem to solve!!!]
Uh....well, yeah. Yeah, that's part of why dad is awesome. He wanted us to be...happy first. Instead of the warrior hero thing. We decided to do that ourselves.
[UM UM UM]
[Wait, Leo memories actually work for this!!!!]
[Have some fun clips. Excluding the motorbike, the pirate, and giant mech one since Donnie was not present for those.]
It took Nardo a while to get the hang of the portals.
Good, that's good. Even with the bad times...he really was trying to be a good dad to us.
[YES GOOD. Thank you, Leo. Hopefully you can feel someone laughing at your antics and be happy with that.]
That was Shredder. An ancient enemy to the Hamato clan and the actual threat of the prophecy that Draxum was trying to prevent when he made us. That was our fight at the Crying Titan, and the first time we really got to utilize mystic powers on our own instead of relying on weapons.
Well, them relying on weapons.
That was the first time I ever used mystic powers.
My relationship with mysticism is...complicated. I may have denied any ability, that is not out of the realm of possibility with how all over my mind has been since I got here. [THANKS STATUS EFFECTS.]
[He gestures to the hologram situation.]
I have mystic power. That's what this is. It is different from other forms of magic, we do have witches, and we do have alchemy, but its different from what this is. Its... [He huffs.] Its hard to quantify because its hard to study.
But this? This is unique to me. The Hamato Clan has a ton of raw mystic energy, the only reason I could use it in that fight is because of a family power boosting effect that allowed me to brute force operation, and over the last two years, I've developed into mystictech. My constructions, while they exist, are no different then a normal piece of technology. I've used it to make up for parts I've lacked when I needed certain machines in a pinch, but a whole construct would be too difficult.
I think I understand that. Yeah. I used an artificial staff myself before Flapjack came along. And - well, Belos used even more artificial magic than me. I at least get the concept.
I'm glad you weren't left out, especially if your brothers got magic.
They had been using mystic weapons for months before that point. It had been...partially responsible for my complicated relationship. It was quite frustrating, seeing them use all these abilities, and I couldn't understand them no matter how much I studied them. Its not as if my brothers denied me the opportunity to observe, but none of it could make sense.
It wasn't until we activated the Hamato Ninpo that something finally clicked into place. Its still irksome that I largely don't understand it, but at least ten percent is better then zero.
I definitely get that. I - I don't know if it's because I'm a grimwalker or because my ortet is human, but I can't cast like a normal witch. I thought I was just broken and stupid until Flapjack found me. So.
[ He can relate! ]
Belos was pretty careful not to show me anything big, but I've broken and rebuilt my own staffs enough times to know how THEY work, at least. There's a chain of glyphs inside them and a red focusing stone on top. Basically, the glyphs tell it what to do, and the stone builds up the power you need.
How do witches normally cast their magic? Witch Town had...quite the selection of rituals to their casting.
I imagine Flapjack might be closer to my experience of mysticism.
[There is a nudge from Mind Raph and Mind Mikey at that one comment though.] Oh. You are not broken or stupid just because you're unable to do something others can't. [That is. Definitely parroted. Because he's had to hear it.]
Huh. Stones do like to store mystic energy in them. [There is a pause at that though.] Did you want to try making another artificial staff?
A circle... [Yeah, that doesn't tell him a lot. What did he expect?] Do you happen to know what...starts them being able to learn magic?
Hmm. I can't make a magic rock, but my bo staff is a mystic focus. [He gestures with it vaguely.] It's easier to use my mystic powers using it. When I have the right mindset, I can make another one and we can do experiments with the other.
Oh, that part's easy. Witches have a bile sack next to their heart, which generates the magic they need. Probably an evolution caused by thousands of years of living on the Boiling Isles.
[ Hunter brightens at that, leaning over to consider that bo. ]
It doesn't have to actually BE a magic rock. Mine was a plain red quartz? And I know Emperor Belos had earlier staffs that just used glass. I've already got a couple picked out from the fake magic ruin.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ He tugs a little at his hair, which is starting to get long. ]
I look a lot like Belos. And whoever he made me to copy.
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The bone would have the DNA of the ortet. [Which is a better then saying original and he's been talking plant cloning lately.]
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But - okay, I think I understand the idea. Your dad didn't give up a bone, but some part of him was used to make you.
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Yes. It may have been blood, it may have been magic, he may have just been throw in the vat of Ooze with us, dad doesn't like talking about it, and Draxum gets a little weird about it. But direct exposure seems to be how it is with most of the mutations. Someone gets injected with Ooze and the next thing with DNA they get exposed to, they take on those features. So far everything has either been animal or plant based, the only question mark is Ghostbear, his mutation is peculiar, but he would never let me do tests on him.
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Right, he's not going to think about it at the moment. ]
So ... turtles, for you? And your dad.
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Dad started as a human and I'm not sure how it went that we got exposed to Ooze and him and he didn't get exposed to us when he got exposed to Ooze. Probably something dramatic. But dad mutated with rat DNA.
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What's the difference between the turtle types?
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Quite a great deal. [He does a spin with his staff and stops it authorization in front of him, pixelating purple energy forming above it in the parts of a screen before coming together. The screen flickers and a purple tinged picture forms.]
Raph's the big guy, then Mikey, and Leo next to me.
Raph is obviously the strongest, and the most able to take hits, with a lot more spikes, and has a very powerful bite. He bit through chair legs as a kid. Obviously he's also the biggest by a far bit.
Mikey's shell is best for defense and he's the best at utilizing pulling in and out of his shell as a combat strategy. Or pranks. He's also the best climber, which is the surprising talent of Box turtles.
Leo is a people person, which you wouldn't think is turtle related, but apparently Red Eared Sliders are known for having friendly personalities and good recognition of people. It makes them very popular pets. It might actually explain how he took to the skill as well as he did despite how we grew up. He's also the best at dodging and getting out of bad situations even before he got the portals, and he's a pretty good balance between defensive and offensive power.
I'm the most flexible and the fastest swimmer. I can also stay submerged the longest, with Leo second, Raph third, and Mikey last. My shell is also....well, softer then theirs. It allows me to get into places Leo and Raph can't get into and Mikey only can because he's small.
There are also more things, but Leon and I went on a whole binge of turtle facts years ago when we were trying to figure out how our whole biology worked.
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That's ... way more variance than I was expecting. For some reason I was picturing four identical turtles with just different colors or something.
But you're all good at your own things, huh? Do you have to swim a lot for what you do? And - uh, wait, Leo can do portals?
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We are. Both from turtle biology perspective and just what skills we developed. I couldn't say where my genius comes from, genetic wise. The Hamato are skilled, but super genius they are not. Maybe I was just an abnormally clever Soft Shell and that was amplified.
But no, we don't swim a whole lot for what we do. I've probably swam more in the last week then I have in the last six months.
Correct. Largely short range ones. If he tries to go too far, they start to become unreliable for where we'll end up. He can also do teleportation fairly close to what you did using his katannas. He throws one and he can use the other to pull himself right to it. Or pull things to himself.
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[ A slight wince. ]
Did you spend any time with Draxum, or did your dad get the four of you away early enough? To avoid the - uh.
[ Child soldier thing. ]
And - uh - too bad Leo's not here. I'd really like to see his portal thing some day. Mine's just blinking.
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We weren't with Draxum long. We were science experiments and warriors to Draxum, so if we had any significant amount of time around him, there would be at least some scars from some kind of tests, whether physical or medical.
Its most likely the realization what would happen to us if we stayed is what pushed dad to escape at all costs. His life may have been in shambles by the time he was in Draxum's clutches, but he's not the type of person who could stand idly by when children need help. Especially for the particular danger we were in. [The image flickers and have a rat man.]
We didn't even know Draxum existed for thirteen years.
I could play you a clip. Its based on my memory, but it is superb.
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I'm glad you got out. Nobody deserves that, and you've been great so far.
... I'd like to see the clip, yeah.
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[Oh shit, those are tears there. There is a look of distress on his own face because he doesn't know what to do with tears, tears are hard, they're usually a Raph or Mikey problem to solve!!!]
Uh....well, yeah. Yeah, that's part of why dad is awesome. He wanted us to be...happy first. Instead of the warrior hero thing. We decided to do that ourselves.
[UM UM UM]
[Wait, Leo memories actually work for this!!!!]
[Have some fun clips. Excluding the motorbike, the pirate, and giant mech one since Donnie was not present for those.]
It took Nardo a while to get the hang of the portals.
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Y-yeah. He's - amazing. Just. From what I know of him, anyway. Just keep that in mind I guess.
[ Leo IS very distracting. He can't help but laugh a little at how bad he was at first. ]
Yeeeeah, I can see that. But - he looked pretty cool at the end. Who was he fighting in that last clip?
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[YES GOOD. Thank you, Leo. Hopefully you can feel someone laughing at your antics and be happy with that.]
That was Shredder. An ancient enemy to the Hamato clan and the actual threat of the prophecy that Draxum was trying to prevent when he made us. That was our fight at the Crying Titan, and the first time we really got to utilize mystic powers on our own instead of relying on weapons.
Well, them relying on weapons.
That was the first time I ever used mystic powers.
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Wait wait. So you do have magic? I thought you said you didn't.
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[He gestures to the hologram situation.]
I have mystic power. That's what this is. It is different from other forms of magic, we do have witches, and we do have alchemy, but its different from what this is. Its... [He huffs.] Its hard to quantify because its hard to study.
But this? This is unique to me. The Hamato Clan has a ton of raw mystic energy, the only reason I could use it in that fight is because of a family power boosting effect that allowed me to brute force operation, and over the last two years, I've developed into mystictech. My constructions, while they exist, are no different then a normal piece of technology. I've used it to make up for parts I've lacked when I needed certain machines in a pinch, but a whole construct would be too difficult.
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I think I understand that. Yeah. I used an artificial staff myself before Flapjack came along. And - well, Belos used even more artificial magic than me. I at least get the concept.
I'm glad you weren't left out, especially if your brothers got magic.
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They had been using mystic weapons for months before that point. It had been...partially responsible for my complicated relationship. It was quite frustrating, seeing them use all these abilities, and I couldn't understand them no matter how much I studied them. Its not as if my brothers denied me the opportunity to observe, but none of it could make sense.
It wasn't until we activated the Hamato Ninpo that something finally clicked into place. Its still irksome that I largely don't understand it, but at least ten percent is better then zero.
What was artificial magic like for your world?
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[ He can relate! ]
Belos was pretty careful not to show me anything big, but I've broken and rebuilt my own staffs enough times to know how THEY work, at least. There's a chain of glyphs inside them and a red focusing stone on top. Basically, the glyphs tell it what to do, and the stone builds up the power you need.
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I imagine Flapjack might be closer to my experience of mysticism.
[There is a nudge from Mind Raph and Mind Mikey at that one comment though.] Oh. You are not broken or stupid just because you're unable to do something others can't. [That is. Definitely parroted. Because he's had to hear it.]
Huh. Stones do like to store mystic energy in them. [There is a pause at that though.] Did you want to try making another artificial staff?
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[ Anyway, he pinks a bit at that reassurance. He knows he’s not either of those things, and yet… ]
I - uh, I’d like to. Yeah. As a project? I have Flapjack, so I don’t NEED one, but …
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Hmm. I can't make a magic rock, but my bo staff is a mystic focus. [He gestures with it vaguely.] It's easier to use my mystic powers using it. When I have the right mindset, I can make another one and we can do experiments with the other.
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[ Hunter brightens at that, leaning over to consider that bo. ]
It doesn't have to actually BE a magic rock. Mine was a plain red quartz? And I know Emperor Belos had earlier staffs that just used glass. I've already got a couple picked out from the fake magic ruin.
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