ROTTMNT : SPIRITS WITHIN THE WEAPONS.

Prolonged Agony

Chapter 4 is now up!

End of the movie… or at least it should've been.

The Krang successfully grabbed Leo's leg and pulled him back into the prison dimension. When, unable to keep it open, the portal closes. Locking him in the void with the most malicious creature he's ever met.

Now it's a race against time to bring Leo home. But with each attempt they see Leo deteriorate… and Mikey starts to question whether or not Leo should be allowed out of the prison dimension at all.

ROTTMNT: SPIRITS WITHIN THE WEAPONS

Masterpost

That's not usual.

Plot: Oda is up alone while everyone is sleeping when Leonardo does something unusual. 

Genre: Fluff/Slight Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Bittersweet, Family-Feels, Original Character, AU/Cannon Compliant

Notes: This was meant to be a much shorter fluff drabble, but it ended up being over 2,000 words. Oh well, this is my first short fic for Spirits Within The Weapons (SWTW). I'm not planning on writing a full fic for SWTW but I am hoping to write quite a few drabble pieces like this. 

I hope you enjoy reading. 

Oda lifted the Odachi in front of his eyes, admiring the sharp blade glistening under the pale blue glow of his ghostly form. Then he frowned. It wasn't perfect. It could still be sharper. He lowered the sword down again and started meticulously running it along the whetstone. Slow, precise, skilful. He repeated this calming action a few more times before lifting the blade to examine it again. His focused expression lifted into a pleased slim grin. It was sharpened to perfection. There wasn't anything this Odachi couldn't cut now. 

If only he could rely on the weapon's wielder to care for the blade himself. But then again, it was Oda's obsessive need to not see the weapon go blunt that made young Leonardo take for granted the need to sharpen it himself. Instead, the turtle found it magically sharpened the next day and never questioned it. In other words, Oda had spoiled Leonardo. He'll probably regret that in the future. But for now, sharpening the Odachi was his favorite pastime while all the others slept. 

Each of the young turtles had turned in for the night, having had a very exciting day of chasing down a magician hippo and the self-imposed "greatest foe of the teenage mutant loser turtles"… a talking worm. Warren Stone and Hypno-Potamus. Warren Stone and Hypno-Potamus. He mustn't take on the habits of the youngsters to forget the names of those that pose a danger—however slim that danger may be— to innocent civilians. Oda was wiser, nobler and more honorable than that to forget anyone's names. Though he will excuse the young turtles for doing so, they were still children after all. 

Fundi on the other hand had no excuse. The spirit occupying the Kusari-Fundo may look and act young, but Oda knew that he was ancient one way or another. He may not have lived long on earth (Oda finds that Fundi turns into a mindset of a young child when he's caught in a flashback of old, old memories), but he has been a spirit for too long not to have matured during that time. Tonfa seems to encourage Fundi's youthfulness though. And Oda doesn't like to disagree with the Tonfas inhibitor. Not because he's currently the size of a huge half-alligator-snapping-turtle-half-human mutant, but because Tonfa has done a lot to help Fundi deal with his flashback episodes. Tonfa knows Fundi. Oda knows Tonfa. And so Oda will trust Tonfa when he says to leave the fiery spirit to live a youthful lifestyle. But that also means Tonfa cannot complain when Oda repremans Fundi for his sometimes too destructive behavior. 

Thankfully both spirits were in a sleep-like state. Being that the spirits don't actually sleep, the closest they can get to such an act is to withdraw back into their weapons and enter a space only the individual can access. Like an inner mind or a dreamscape. It's restful in itself. Peaceful and safe. And it also leaves Oda time alone to mediate, practice his sword-skills and sharpen the blade of the Odachi. 

He was blissfully alone. 

In the rarely silent lair. 

Peaceful.

Relaxing.

Still.

Footsteps.

…?

Footsteps?

Oda turned to look where the soft sounds of footsteps where coming from. If it had been anyone else they probably wouldn't have noticed the slowly approaching sound and could've been unaware of an impending attack. But this was Oda. Oda had honed all his senses to an impeccable level. Oda had also memorized the sounds and scents of all four turtles, their rat-man father and their human friend. 

So even before the culprit behind the footsteps was within sight, Oda knew who it was.

Leonardo plodded into the kitchen unknowingly passing Oda on the way. Usually Oda would've moved fast to put the Odachi back where Leonardo last left it, however, right now he knew there was no need for such haste. The huge black bags under the teenagers eyes, the slump in his shoulders, endless yawning, and defeated aura told Oda all he needed to know. Leonardo's insomnia had gotten the better of him tonight. 

"Oh Leonardo" 

Oda followed his wielder to the kitchen, sitting himself on a stool with his fingers fidgeting restlessly on the table. What he would do to be able to—no, thinking about such wasn't helpful to anyone. He couldn't communicate with nor touch the young turtles in any way, so wishing so would be meaningless. If he so wanted to he could dwell on such later, after Leonardo was better. Leonardo takes priority now. Not that there was anything he could do. 

Although…. He could pick up the Odachi and wave it around to make his presence known. Leonardo would be able to see the weapon flying around the air by itself… and then would probably scream. Oda would effectively be making the child believe he was seeing things in his sleepless state. Frightening the poor thing to death. Then, even if the others did believe Leonardo about a floating Odachi, or even if Oda shows the others by making it float in front of them too, ghost hunters would be called. Donatello would be making anti-spirits weapons. Panic. Fear. More sleepless nights. Oda wouldn't be helping anyone that way. Plus it'll be a terrible first introduction. 

He was overthinking it.

He needed to meditate. 

Clear his head. 

But first Leonardo. 

Usually Leonardo would make himself a cup of tea and either carry it into Donatello's lab to sit and watch his twin work, or sit at the kitchen table drinking it idly and then wander into either Raphael's or Michaelangelo's room and sleep there. Curiously though, tonight, Leonardo decided to make himself a coffee. That's not usual. Then the young turtle stumbled with the hot mug into the living quarters, flicking on the projector to an old Jupiter Jim flick they've all watched a zillion times on an almost silent volume, and slouched comfortably into one of the well-used beanbags. Next, he slipped off his blue mask and sipped the hot coffee, mindless of what was on the screen. Very unusual. 

Oda stood behind Leonardo, one eyeridge raised suspiciously, pondering over what this unusual action meant. Steady a saddened frown formed on his features as he slowly figured out what was going on with his wielder. 

Leonardo was determined not to go back to sleep. Coffee and a film to stay awake instead of tea and the comfort of his brothers to fall asleep. This wasn't just insomnia. This was nightmares. 

Oda knew all too well how disorienting, unnerving and isolating nightmares can be. He couldn't blame the youngster for not wanting to close his eyes for the rest of the night. But to not go to his brothers… that was unusual.

He flicked his gaze over the clock on the wall. The others won't be up for many hours. He knew Leonardo knew this and yet the turtle made no move to wake anyone up. The nightmare must've been about his brothers in some way. The fear of losing them by his mistakes? Of them hating him? Abandonment? Hurt? Guilt? The list was endless. Obviously, Leonardo didn't want his brothers to know about his nightmares. Not yet anyway. That was concerning. 

What could Oda do to help though?

He was an unseeable, untouchable spirit. 

He was…

No, he wasn't useless.

For sure Leonardo would've been much more hurt—or worse— if Oda hadn't been watching his back. 

But right now, while the child was scared and alone, Oda felt useless. 

He settles on sitting on the beanbag next to the young turtle, keeping an eye on him like he always did. Maybe in the still of the lair Leonardo would sense his presence… wishful thinking. 

It was rare for all four brothers to be asleep at the same time. Leonardo usually did stay awake late before going to bed, and, with the help of a few useful methods, his insomnia wasn't as big a problem as it could be. He had plenty of restless nights, sure, he'd gone three days without sleep at one point—Oda would've strangled the young turtle during those nights if he could, or maybe just hug him— but with tea, help from his brothers and ASMR, he had learned ways to overcome a fair few of his restless nights. 

Donatello was the other with sleeping problems. Honestly, if it wasn't for how similar the two can be despite their countless differences, Oda would never have pointed them out as twins. But at least with Donatello it wasn't insomnia keeping him awake. No, it was hyperfixation. His machines. Computers. Ideas. Designs. Plans. Games even. Once the purple-turtle got fixated on something, that was it. Hooked… for days… and nights. Unhealthy so. Okay, so maybe Donatello was worse than Leonardo on that front. At least Leonardo wasn't the one keeping himself awake, his insomnia did that to him. Donatello just didn't want to sleep when something else seemed so much more appealing. 

Miraculously though, Donatello was too knackered to stay awake any longer and welcomed sleep with ease. Wrapped up in an extra soft, weighted blanket. Probably still snoring lightly since the last time Oda did his usual night checks on them all. That's one less person for Oda to think about at least. 

Raphael and Michelangelo were easy when it came to sleep. The pair were diligent in keeping a healthy sleep schedule. They knew the value and importance of sleep, and even if they struggled on some occasions to get to sleep, or nightmares woke them up, they gave themselves a nice breather before trying again. Which usually worked a treat. And if it didn't work, snuggling up with one or more of their siblings always worked.  

So only two out of four were a handful when it came to bedtime. That's not too bad. It could be worse. 

It was worse for Leonardo right now though. 

Hours pass by. Three Jupiter Jim and one Lou Jitsu film later, three cups of coffee, (which is a alot coming from someone who typically did not enjoy coffee much), and half a tub of neapolitan ice cream later and Leonardo was still alone. His brothers will wake up soon enough, but the lair was still deafeningly quiet. At least that's what Leonardo knew.

In reality, halfway through the second film, Fundi and Tonfa woke up. Fundi, determined to get up to his same old antics to annoy Oda, stormed in loudly with a mischievous fire in his eyes. However, the fire quickly dimmed when he spotted Leonardo sitting solely on the beanbag inches away from the huge screen. Oda shushed him and Fundi smirked. 

"It's not like he can hear me, y'know." The Michelangelo look-alike said playfully. 

"Insomnia?" Tonfa mused as he ignored Fundi to sit on a beanbag on the other side of Leonardo. "Wait, no…. Nightmares." He whispered and he hunched up his shoulders. Tonfa may not have any memories before being a spirit, and spirits can't get nightmares, so he doesn't know what nightmares feel like, but he has seen the effects on the brothers. He hates seeing anyone in such pain and torment. It honestly breaks Tonfa's heart to see such a fun-loving, boisterous teenager suffering like this. 

Oda knew the feeling. 

If they could, Oda knows Fundi and Tonfa would've stopped at nothing to help Leonardo, but they couldn't. So they sat with the lonesome teenager hoping he would somehow feel their presence and be somewhat comforted while they all waited for the others to wake up. 

It's the quietest Fundi has been in… years? Decades? Ever? Sadly, this time, quiet wasn't what was needed. 

Not long later, Michelangelo woke up to start breakfast and Leonardo wasted no time barging after the orange brother while tying his mask back on. With his usual playful tone, he bombarded the youngest with a request for pancakes and fruit for breakfast. Oda spotted the quick glance Michelangelo gave Leonardo, head to foot, knowing the observant orange turtle was piecing together what had happened during the night. His eyes flicked to the coffee jar Leonardo had accidently left open on the side. The bags under his eyes. The credits from a film on the big screen.

Michelangelo didn't hesitate to make the pancakes and slice up the fruit. 

Raphael joined not long later and caught on just as quickly. He gave Leonardo the mission to drag Donatello from bed, which he completed quickly by dragging his twin and half the bed sheets into the kitchen moments later. Their father walked in not long after. 

The spirits also joined them in the kitchen for breakfast, just as they usually did. Fundi sat like a cat on top of the kitchen counters—despite how many times Oda has told him not to. Tonfa leaned against the side of the fridge, as far out of the way as he could. And Oda stood in the doorway, watching with a small almost unnoticeable smile as the four brothers and their father chatted away. There was still one of them missing, but that's a problem for another day. 

As he watched, all Oda could think about was that, even if he couldn't do anything to help Leonardo himself, he's thankful that Leonardo had brothers who do care about him. Who notice such small things in him. Who will give Leonardo time before asking questions. And will be patient and understanding when he does talk. 

"He's in good hands," Oda muttered to himself. He choked back a chuckle as the blue-clad turtle flung his pancake like a Frisby at the still half-asleep Donatello only to miss and quickly find a few slices of banana slap him on the face in retaliation. "Back to the usual."

~End~

Spoilers for Prolonged Agony

Chapter 16!

Content Warning for horror under cut.

So proud of Paris for creating this. For a college film, it's incredible! ☺

We gotta keep rottmnt trending!

Alright guys, I managed to screen record and compress the animatic to Tumblr specs because this absolutely needed to be shared!

Enjoy!!

ROTTMNT : SPIRITS WITH THE WEAPONS

Not like every other day.

Masterpost

Plot: It was a normal day for the four spirits when suddenly four turtles and one human changed everything.

Genre: Fluff, Attempts at Humor, Family-Bonding, Light Hearted, Original Characters, Canon Compliant 

Notes: this one is a bit meh, but it's been sitting around for a while so I decided to just publish it as it is. I'm working on other projects that are much more exciting, so all my time is put into that instead.

Standing tall on the outskirts of the Hidden City stood a tall menacing building filled with a mix of mechanical and organic parts. Pulsing vines, steaming pipes, ominous glowing lights. The home of a warrior-scientist yokai. Inside, amongst many, many rooms, is a large abandoned hall filled to the brim with new and old weapons of various kinds. Swords, axes, arrows, shields. The room pulsed with a vibrant energy of science and magic combined in a glorious concoction. And there, on a far wall, glowing brilliantly in hues of red, orange, blue and purple sat four weapons unlike the rest. An Odachi, Tonfas, Kusari-Fundo and a Halberd. Mystic power surged through the wood and metal, a buzz surrounding them, shivers of vibrations, and, if you leaned close enough, you might be able to hear voices.

The voices of four ancient spirits. 

"Rock. Paper—"

"We've got no hands, Fundi."

"Oh right, yeah…. Uh… I spy with my little—"

"No eyes either."

"But we can still see, Oda, so we can still play!" 

Oda—un-originally named after the Odachi he inhabits— sighed. One would think, after decades of being stuck on a wall in a long forgotten room with three other unusual spirits, he would've gotten used to Fundi's incessant need to be entertained. 

But no.

There was no getting used to this.

And he didn't want to get used to this either.

It was driving him mad.

"—Something beginning with 'A'!"

"Ax." Oda didn't hesitate to answer. 

"Damn."

Right, after decades of eye-spy, when they couldn't move past the wall they were strapped to, there were only so many things they could use to play the word game with … and only so many weapons starting with 'A'.

Oda sighed again.

"Okay, okay, me next." The red glowing Tonfas beside him chuckled, obviously trying to save Oda from another headache. "Hmmm…" The spirit inhabiting the Tonfas—aptly named Tonfa— hummed thoughtfully. "Ooh I've got it! I spy with my little eye something beginning with—huh?! Turtles?"

Fundi groaned. "Tonfa that isn't how you play—"

"No look." If he could've, he would've pointed at the pile of four humanoid-turtles stacked at the far end of the room having fallen from an old trapdoor tunnel. "Turtles?…and a human!" 

Oda quickly snapped to attention at the mention of a human. Yokai and such they were used to. The Baron that owned this building, and subsequently them, was a yokai. His henchmen and gargoyles were also yokai, so turtle yokais weren't anything new. A human however… that was new. 

"Oh, do you think they'll want to play eye-spy too?" Fundi beamed, a flicker of fire shivering down his chain in anticipation.

"Draxum says humans are vile, evil creatures." The normally quiet purple Halberd—Hal—muttered nervously, a trembling pulse vibrating around his spiked ball. "What if the human wants to hurt us?" 

"What if the human wants to use us for evil?" Tonfa added to Hal's already growing anxiety, a few particles of translucent squares formed around the Tonfas like nervous beads of sweat. 

"Humans aren't inherently evil." Oda said calmly. "But if she doesn't get out of here soon, she'll be the one in danger. You know how much the Baron hates humans."

Tonfa's fear subsided, turning into concern instead. "Oh no, the poor thing." He fussed. "We should do something."

"No." Oda said firmly.

"But what if the human—" Hal said in a small unsure voice.

"We cannot make ourselves known." Oda cut in with a tone of age-old wisdom. "We'll just keep an eye on them and hopefully they'll find a way out of here soon."

"I'm sure those turtle yokai will help her." Tonfa agreed.

Fundi lifted up the ball at the end of his chain, a puff of orange fire zipping around the spiked ring through the center, something he only did when he was agitated. "But just watching is booorrrrriiiinnnngggg!"

Oda sent a spark of blue electricity towards the Kusari-Fundo, effectively telling Fundi to stop; they couldn't risk being seen. Fundi lets the fire die, but not before huffing childishly at the Odachi-inhabiting spirit.  

Oda chose to ignore him and instead focus on the intruders. 

The turtles recovered quickly from the messy pile of limbs and were quick to explore the vast range of sharp and dangerous weapons around them.

"It's like if magic and science had a baby!" The one in a purple mask said as he marveled at the mad-scientist aesthetic.

They sound like children, Oda noted with an inward cringe. Children and weapons do not bode well. Where are these kids' parents!?

"These'll do." Another one of them exclaimed merrily while holding up a pair of nunchucks. Nunchucks weren't too bad, at least they weren't sharp. The turtle would soon throw them down once he realizes just how difficult they are to wield. A few bruises and bumps later and hopefully he'll never pick up a weapon again.

The blue one however…. He just had to pick up a pair of Katanas. He probably saw the shiny sharp blade and saw himself and some kind of ninja. This isn't a game, Oda wanted to yell. But alas he knew the turtles couldn't hear him. 

All four turtles and the human danced around the room, each picking weapons they found "cool" or whatnot. And here Oda thought Fundi was the biggest headache. No, these children beat the unruly spirit by a mile. They were reckless, overly-excitable, and completely unaware of the danger they were in by being in Baron Draxum's lab. 

But it just had to get worse before it could get better. 

Oda knew what the large red one was thinking when his eyes turned to the wall the spirits were strapped to. Like a moth drawn to a lamp, the bright light the spirits emitted had the big one's eyes sparkling with awe. A huge grin spread across his face revealing his singular spiked tooth. 

"Don't do it kid," Oda mumbled. "Ignore the urge. Just walk away."

"Oda…" Hal whispered. "I think the big one is looking at us."

"Don't do it kid, don't—"

"Hey yo, guys!" The red one called out loudly to the others, a mischievous smirk on his beak. Oda groaned. "How about we take the glow-y ones?" 

Hal inhaled anxiously next to him. "Oh no." 

Fundi giggled. "I don't know why you guys are so worried." He said with an air of mischief himself. "They seem fun!"

"Oh, dibs on the sword!" The blue one exclaimed, much to Oda's horror. 

"No! No "dibs" on the "sword", do you even know what type of sword I am?" Fundi laughed harder as Oda glowered angrily at the blue‐clad turtle reaching up to him with sparkling eyes "I am an Odachi! Not something a snot-nosed kid like you should lay a finger on— no, stop! Kid seriously, put me down. You'll only hurt yourself!" 

"Oh boy!" The blue one gleamed proudly.

"Too late." Fundi laughed as the smallest turtle grabbed with him an equally joyous laugh. 

"Hot soup!" The orange one yelled as he struck a pose.

"Hot soup?" Fundi laughed harder. "This kid is funny!"

"Boom!" The red one shouted as he took the Tonfas off the wall next and struck his own fierce pose. "Hahaha!"

"Please be careful, big guy." Tonfa didn't seem all that bothered by the turtle holding him up in the air like a trophy. In fact, much to Oda's dismay, the Tonfas spirit sounded like a proud older brother as the red turtle started shadow-boxing with him. 

He expected Fundi to be ignorant of the consequences of children wielding powerful music weapons. But for Tonfa to also take everything in his stride without doubts was surprising… and frustrating. 

Surely he could rely on Hal to be sensible. Hal was always sensible, but only because his overactive anxiety and nervousness got the better of him in pretty much every situation. 

Oda watched Hal carefully while trying to keep the young turtle from cutting himself as he swung the Odachi around like a stick. He gulped dryly as the human girl took the Halberd off the wall. Then, without a second thought, strode causally towards the final and less excitable purple turtle. 

Oda watched apprehensively as Hal started to panic, stuttering incoherently. 

"What about you, Donnie?" She swung the Halberd teasingly in front of the turtle. "Don't you want a glow-y weapon?" She asked as if said weapon was as harmless as an inflatable toy. 

"No, I'm good." Hal breathed a sigh of relief when the turtle quickly turned down the offer in favor of stroking his mechanical-advanced bo-staff like an overprotective parent. "I'll never let you go." The turtle whispered with a pout. 

The human girl shrugged it off, almost as if she expected such an answer and the Halberd went limp at her side. 

"Oh, thank goodness." Hal breathed out. 

At least one of them is sensible, Oda couldn't help but think as he caught a glimpse of the three other turtles playing ninja by themselves. 

Wait, Oda takes it back, this purple one isn't sensible… in fact he's just as clueless as the others as he ponders over a small purple mystic crystal. "This looks interesting, though." He says cheekily as he snatched the crystal and tucked it away, no doubt for later investigation.

"Doesn't he know how dangerous that thing can be!?" Oda mentally face-palmed. 

Suddenly they all gathered together and an air of eagerness buzzed around them. Then the red one raised an arm and loudly declared, "Let's go save the dog thingy!"

Oda sighed for the umpteenth time. "These kids are going to give me an aneurysm and kill me all over again."

~End~

This is my current table wallpaper. I thought I'd share it since I thougut it was really neat. I didn't do any of the backgrounds or anything (I don't know the artists who did the awesome backgrounds) I just put it altogether.

Click on image for better quality.

Prolonged Agony

Chapter 9 uploaded!

End of the movie… or at least it should've been.

The Krang successfully grabbed Leo's leg and pulled him back into the prison dimension. When, unable to keep it open, the portal closes. Locking him in the void with the most malicious creature he's ever met.

Now it's a race against time to bring Leo home. But with each attempt they see Leo deteriorate… and Mikey starts to question whether or not Leo should be allowed out of the prison dimension at all.

ROTTMNT : SPIRITS WITHIN THE WEAPONS

Kusari-Fundo

Nicknames: Fundi / Kuso / Funari

AU info here

(Or probably in better terms, more Canon Compliant than AU..?)

Unpredictable, wild and hectic, Fundi is always eager to get into some action, sometimes going a little too out of control for Mikey.

However, Fundi eventually settles down once he finds out that Mickey is also kinda all over the place with his gymnastic-type fighting and fun-spirited nature.

Fundi loves pranking the other spirits and causing trouble. 

Fundi loves it when Mikey goes into Dr Delicate-Touch mode. 

Don't let anyone ever tell him to put out his fire or dim his light, or Fundi will not hesitate to whoop their arse. 

Fundi's formless self consists of a flaming head appearing on the spiked ball at the end. Before taking on Mikey's form he used to whizz around but could only get as far as his chain would allow, since the end of the kusari-fundo was attached to the weapons wall. He hated being tied down. 

Fundi doesn't mind what Mikey uses him for, as long as he gets to do something and not sit around all day. 

Fundi is the only one who can somewhat be heard and seen by the turtles, but this only happens when he's super hyped. All the turtles see is a raging face of fire laughing maniacally.  

Fundi respects/fears Oda. Especially when Oda goes quiet because then Fundi knows he has pushed Oda too far.  

Fundi loves chatting with Tonfa, to Oda's and Hal's annoyance. 

Fundi was the first spirit to take on his wielder's form. Tonfa was next and, reluctantly— and only because he missed having a body— Oda took on Leo's form last.  

Fundi could never understand Hal's passiveness and reluctance to do anything. 

Fundi doesn't have any previous memories and the others are a little too scared to find out who he was before he was attached to the Kusari-Fundo. 

However, Fundi does get flashes of old memories occasionally, and by his reaction the others know these aren't good memories. 

These flashes of old memories cause panic attacks, nightmares and make him act uncharacteristically. However, he often forgets the flash of memory soon after. 

Sometimes Fundi goes suddenly quiet and still — worrying Tonfa who knows that this uncharacteristic behavior of his is due to something weighing heavy on him. 

Fundi talks opening to both Tonfa and Oda. He knows that Tonfa offers support, while Oda offers blunt answers. Both are very helpful. 

Like Tonfa, Fundi sees the others as his brothers. He enjoys being seen as the youngest, as this often means he can get away with trouble. 

More on Fundi

Oda

Tonfa

Hal