It's day 50, three days after the hostage game that squashed their mystic powers and their ninpo. Belos in control of Leo's body didn't fight or argue when the brothers and Hunter approached to do a mind meld after powers were back on. He could feel the ninpo coursing through Leo's soul again, albeit thin and bare. He'd taken an emotional beating since this started, and the last few days were final touches.
So he welcomes them all into his soul-space.
The room their souls are dropped into is dim with scarce lighting from lamps and lights strung along the ceiling seams. The center of the space is inhabited by a familiar skating half-pipe. In one corner of the room is what appears to be Leonardo's subway car room smashed through the wall and open to the space, another corner designated the living space with their father's recliner, their beanbag chairs, and projector showing vague, visual blobs of color with broken up static sound. The exits from the room, open subway tunnels, lead in three directions: one to the left, above the top of the half pipe; one straight ahead, past it and up the familiar stairs of their newer lair their father stays in; and one to the right, on the ground floor just next to the right side of the half pipe.
[ Hunter is prepared as he can be - staff in hand, pockets full to bursting with glyphs, the glow of gray-gold ninpo resting faintly over his shoulders like a mantle. He WAS going to open his mouth and give everyone a run down on Belos ... but he is temporarily distracted by THIS scene. ]
So Guard before was a distraction. It was still important to free guard, but also Leo doesn't have a separate mind...person. [There is a pause. He looks at Raph.] I think.
[Listen.]
[The various Mind Brothers throw this into question. Sometimes! Your minds are weird and its hard to say what's a bit and what might be the neurodivergencies mixed with magic!]
Either way, that's going to be a dangerous fight. We should see what is down the other two places, maybe just in and out, take in what information we can real quick, and meet back here for a proper plan of attack.
As they step through the top of the stairway door, the room before them opens to a wide, large arena with a sand floor, wooden barricades and circled on all sides by stands. While there is no visible crowd watching, an audible, deafening cheer rings out at their entrance. The Battle Nexus screens light up above the stands to show everyone that has entered. Scattered around the arena are discarded fan-made signs for the battle. To the left of the entrance is a wall of weapons to choose from - blades, bo staves, sai, chakrams, all sorts of weapons, as well as a plant-looking ring with an eye inset in it and a matching ring. On the other side of he entrance is a glass case containing a single a pink-purple colored disc the size of a quarter. As they step further in, a single figure enters from the other end of the arena, cloaked in dark grays and blacks and holding a sword in their left hand.
[The dark tunnel goes on for about ten or so feet before opening up into a restaurant. Run of the Mill pizza's dining room is familiar (either to the turtles or Hunter's recently watched memory reel) and welcoming. Warm with the low lighting and bustling sounds of a kitchen staff and patrons that can't be seen. The tables have appropriate dishes but and some food that seem very inviting. On the wall close to the manager's office is a picture of a skeleton man and his skeleton son. And of course the short hallway with one wall designated the wall of champions and the wall of cheaters. The champion wall displays all photos of Leonardo, some alone and some with his brothers and April and their dad in various combinations, all celebrating. The wall of cheaters are all photos ...entirely blacked out with black marker. It's hard to make out who is in them. The door at the end of this hallway is dark and shadowed, ready for a challenger. But all along the edges of the ceilings and floors, across doorframes, are the edges of goop, pink and black-green alike, and occasionally a small eye opening to watch.]
[ Even Run of the Mill is not immune to the goop infestation. Unsurprising, but sad.
At least this is familiar in a non immediately horrifying way. The horror has time to build.
Raph will get back to the food zone, but he's gonna go scope the hallway of champions and cheaters first. A duty and honor, to see if the OG cheaters pic of the four of them is intact despite all this vandalism of the mind. ]
[The left tunnel goes down about ten or fifteen feet in total darkness before the light starts to come through. Bright, angry red. As they enter, the room opens to a large area with floor to ceiling windows to one side, a stairwell down next to an elevator shaft. However, the room is lit by a vibrant red with a pinkish hue as the tendrils and large swaths of pink and black-green flesh cover the walls, ceiling, and floor. They pulsate as various sized eyes open from the flesh and watch them closely. ]
[ Raph wants it on the record that this would be less horrifying if Donnie had written another fun little rap to give directions with. Not that he would've thought it was appropriate.
He just doesn't really like the half deja vu feeling he gets looking at this room. He is not looking. He does not see it.
Gonna try to ninja around to this fabled elevator shaft, don't mind him. ]
[As they step through the door to the maze, they come out through an archway opening to the middle of their destroyed Lair 1.0 home centered in Times Square with skyscrapers and buildings all around them, as if someone scooped up their old home and placed it directly on the surface world. The debris of Shredder's assault is piled high along the sides up the skyscrapers. The leftover pieces of their first home are laid bare to the world to see despite there being no one to see it. High above, encircling the area are large screens, each one playing different scenes: each one a mistake or failure Leonardo has made in their lives, blown up for the world to watch in his mind. And stepping out of the tall building across from them is the same cloaked champion figure from the previous arena, ready to fight again. The screens change to showcasing the champion, sword in hand. Once they step through the archway, the black-green goop will encircle the area and close off any exit. ]
[The entry leads to the large, open marketplace of the Hidden City. The loud noise of conversation, work, and trade fill the air around despite there not being anyone to see. The colorful stalls all want to try and sell them on something - pictures, weapons, enchanted spell pages. Whatever anyone could want in the Hidden City and its mysticism, they can find it here. though it may not always be what they think. As they go down through the stalls, there are various sewer manhole covers that look more like New York than the youkai world. But eventually as they walk, the stalls become closer, giving the world a more claustrophobic feel until it's hard to move unless they turn around and go back. Worse still is the same pink and black-green goop stretching across the stalls' fabric roofs, along the ground. Eyes watching the further they go.]
Okay, Raph. What do you got? What do we know? [ He figures he's probably missing something, somewhere, that's supposed to be a sign or a boost or a part of some play Leo thinks could help with all this. Some connection he can't see. He's always been more of a blunt instrument guy.
Leo, though, Leo's sharp. He asked for help. He knew they'd be coming to get him. Wherever he is in here, whatever's happening, he'll be trying from his end. Raph trusts that.
And yet. ]
So far? Nothin'. I'll let you have one free pass to make fun of your dumb-dumb big bro for not gettin' the hint, Leo.
[ He'll talk to himself and to Leo, it's fine and normal.
Can these sewer manhole covers be pulled up, or are they here for the aesthetic™️? ]
[The ladder rungs go down, down and down into darkness and an eerie silence. Eventually they reach a landing with a warm light up ahead. This path leads the group to the deck of the Technodrome. The single bridge the only walkway to the throne of a Triceraton skeleton and skull, the open full view of the world below of New York City interspersed with pieces of the Hidden city in Leonardo's thoughts burning. The entire room is alive with both pink and blackish green goop pulsating in the walls, the floors, the edges of the viewing window. As they approach the throne, there are three figures waiting: one small and lithe, the next about Leonardo's height but a little bulkier, and a third tall, broad, and heavy. But all of them pulse with that same goop overtaking the room.]
It takes dedication to make the place where he literally almost killed his brother even worse, but look at that. Someone managed. ]
Okay. Okay. Yeah. This feels like a team problem.
[ Maybe his incredible detective instincts have done enough. 'cause this feels either very 'get asked a riddle by these Distinctly Shaped Figures' or 'square up' and neither of those have good odds for him.
Just gonna. Slowly. Back up. Raph would like to go back to the ladder. ]
[The door leads down a staircase, dark and barely lit. But it opens up into a vast space. The familiar by now neverending expanse of muted indigos and grays. Debris of destroyed Krang ships and skeletons float harmlessly with no direct light source visible. The platforms floating above go nowhere, except doorways to previous areas they have already been to. One door further down, into the darker shadows, is a large metal hatch door, thick and heavy. Here, the pink-and-green-black goop is worse nearly fully covering the hatch, slowly taking over any piece of debris it can reach. Anywhere they step is liable to be goop.]
[As the elevator shaft ends underneath them, the door opens to a large room of long, winding bookcases. The books line the walls, as well as form a pattern across the floor where they sit. There is no one at the circulation desk, but the distant sound of bat wings flapping fills the otherwise dead silent air. Above them is a large glass skylight open to the night sky of blues and purples with hints of grays at the edges. But probably most worrying is that for all this is a familiar library, it is covered in both pink and green-black goop, stretching across shelves and up the walls.]
[When they drop into the area, they are standing at the entrance of a subway. There is only the one track leading down, down further down. The subway track is long and dark, with glints of eyes watching of various sizes and shapes amongst the goop that has taken over the entire tunnel. It's harder to find a place not covered in the goop here, and in the darkness, it's difficult to tell if it's Krang or Belos. The sounds of flesh squishing and shifting is everywhere, echoing on the subway walls and down the tunnel the further in they go. There are pieces of other things - a large, oversized tire and a glint of green. A light shining off a shard of metal at their feet further in. Eventually they reach a dead end. Goop blocks up the subway exit from this side with the cavern opening up in a tall expanse above them with more goop. Opposite of the blocked entrance is what would normally be a sign of subway directions, but is instead a screen showing the group sitting together outside, their stripes glowing with their ninpo aura: what's really happening outside Leonardo's mind. But the goop is deep here, and who knows what's mixed in with all of it.]
[In what is now the PIT??? The squishy noises only get worse as they proceed to the end of the access tunnel. Where normally there would be a staircase going up into Metro Tower, there is instead a dead end of a large circular area covered in... you guessed it: MORE GOOP. But the ceiling goes up, up, up covered in eyes and pulsating Krang-And-Belos nonsense. But the circular area is wide, and further looking finds groupings of leafless trees, branches dripping with black and their shadows extending unnaturally long in the light shone on them. Along the walls throughout the area, some of the goop has retreated to make room for paintings, darkly colored and slashed through their canvases. Probably the most alarming is the addition of a graveyard, encircled by more of those horrific trees, but filled with skeletons. Various sizes and structures, but definitely more reptile than human. And closer inspection shows the skulls wearing different colored masks - purple, orange, red of course.
If an animal lived in these tunnels, this would be its nest. But it's not and the animal is Belos, so your guess of how he's been living in Leo's head the last 10 days is as good as anyone's. But the evidence is here.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Start
So he welcomes them all into his soul-space.
The room their souls are dropped into is dim with scarce lighting from lamps and lights strung along the ceiling seams. The center of the space is inhabited by a familiar skating half-pipe. In one corner of the room is what appears to be Leonardo's subway car room smashed through the wall and open to the space, another corner designated the living space with their father's recliner, their beanbag chairs, and projector showing vague, visual blobs of color with broken up static sound. The exits from the room, open subway tunnels, lead in three directions: one to the left, above the top of the half pipe; one straight ahead, past it and up the familiar stairs of their newer lair their father stays in; and one to the right, on the ground floor just next to the right side of the half pipe.
Re: Start
Is ... this really a mindscape?
[ he stares up at the half-pipe in awe. ]
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Re: Start
So Guard before was a distraction. It was still important to free guard, but also Leo doesn't have a separate mind...person. [There is a pause. He looks at Raph.] I think.
[Listen.]
[The various Mind Brothers throw this into question. Sometimes! Your minds are weird and its hard to say what's a bit and what might be the neurodivergencies mixed with magic!]
Either way, that's going to be a dangerous fight. We should see what is down the other two places, maybe just in and out, take in what information we can real quick, and meet back here for a proper plan of attack.
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[There is just gonna be timey wimey a bit because there are POKEABLES, he's gonna look at Leo's rooooom]
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1st - Center
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Is this an actual place you've been? Do you just - go fight in a battle arena sometimes??
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[Also....a tanto blade. Keep options open for dealing with Goo and he can't guarantee something won't limit fabrications.]
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1st - RIGHT
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He should go straight back, probably, but maybe Donnie's right behind him? Probably. He would get them both lost if he turned straight back now.
He lingers at the food first, wanting to see what sort of cool human and/or yokai food is here. (The goop will absolutely be next.) ]
Leo? Are you here? Blue spark guy??
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Re: 1st - RIGHT
The tentacles.
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Re: 1st - RIGHT
At least this is familiar in a non immediately horrifying way. The horror has time to build.
Raph will get back to the food zone, but he's gonna go scope the hallway of champions and cheaters first. A duty and honor, to see if the OG cheaters pic of the four of them is intact despite all this vandalism of the mind. ]
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1st - LEFT
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Hunter does not like those eyes, no sir. He winds up clinging to Raph immediately, sticking close AND letting big turtle bus drag him. ]
That - that green-black, with the eyes - that’s Belos.
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Hunter whips out his staff to try confronting the muck this time. ]
I'm not here to cause trouble unless you do.
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He just doesn't really like the half deja vu feeling he gets looking at this room. He is not looking. He does not see it.
Gonna try to ninja around to this fabled elevator shaft, don't mind him. ]
2nd - BATTLE NEXUS NYC
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Hunter immediately turns to try and flee, but flinches back twice as hard when he sees the goop. ]
We can’t go back this time.
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2ND - HIDDEN CITY
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Leo, though, Leo's sharp. He asked for help. He knew they'd be coming to get him. Wherever he is in here, whatever's happening, he'll be trying from his end. Raph trusts that.
And yet. ]
So far? Nothin'. I'll let you have one free pass to make fun of your dumb-dumb big bro for not gettin' the hint, Leo.
[ He'll talk to himself and to Leo, it's fine and normal.
Can these sewer manhole covers be pulled up, or are they here for the aesthetic™️? ]
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3RD - TECHNODROME
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It takes dedication to make the place where he literally almost killed his brother even worse, but look at that. Someone managed. ]
Okay. Okay. Yeah. This feels like a team problem.
[ Maybe his incredible detective instincts have done enough. 'cause this feels either very 'get asked a riddle by these Distinctly Shaped Figures' or 'square up' and neither of those have good odds for him.
Just gonna. Slowly. Back up. Raph would like to go back to the ladder. ]
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3RD - PRISON DIMENSION
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[...is there a battle nexus 1.0 doorway?]
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2ND - MYSTIC LIBRARY
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[Honestly, of all places, he didn't expect the mystic library.]
[Well, step one, Absolutely Be Silent.]
[He]
[Does pause, staring at the night sky. It looks pretty, but anything special up there?]
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FINAL
Re: FINAL
[THANK GOD FOR HOVERTURTLE, just hovering here and god, he misses his headphones, these sounds are just the FUCKING WORST. Time to turn on a light.]
[....turtle tank.]
[Is the shard of metal different from the tank?]
[Also are...are all the exits blocked off here?]
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THE PIT
If an animal lived in these tunnels, this would be its nest. But it's not and the animal is Belos, so your guess of how he's been living in Leo's head the last 10 days is as good as anyone's. But the evidence is here.]
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[Like WHAT HOOPS does he do to think this is a good person thing to do???]
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Re: THE PIT
Re: THE PIT