semilethal | general psl

[ It's nice to get permission to beat up an inanimate construct sometimes. Raph doesn't always ask permission, sure, but when he does ask permission and he gets the go-ahead, that brings a good energy to it.

Smashing is a vital and straightforward tool in the arsenal. Most of Raph's tools are the straightforward kind.

He gives Donnie a little 'shoo' gesture for safety distance purposes, then goes ahead and does the dang thing. No need for theatrical windups over making a fancy new door. Just a couple of Big Punches, and then surely all will be right with the world, get that nice airflow differential that signifies busting through to another area, problems solved for forever. Or for now, anyway.

Which kinda makes it suck when the dust settles and there's literally just a nigh-identical junk wall waiting for them. Since when was this place all spooky and cursed and likely to mess with their heads? Raph takes it as a personal offense. ]

What gives!

[ He attempts to punch them free of the junkyard three more times, for good measure. That's part of the scientific process, right. ]

[Donnie doesn't need to be able to hear his brother -which he still can't by the by) to know that 'destroy our way out' was unsuccessful. So a bunch of Donnie's tech isn't working properly, and he didn't bring his flying shell in favor of more storage space/attachments, and their phones aren't working all of a sudden, and one or both of them are experiencing hallucinations, and they can't find their way out, and this wasn't supposed to happen, and what is going on, and there's something wrong with them, and hE IS LOWKEY BUT SORTA HIGHKEY FREAKING OUT.]

What- [-do we do? What do they do? What's the plan, what do they do?! Raph- Raph must have another plan, right? Or a plan on how to form a plan?]

[ Oop.

Yep, okay, went from very bad to the worst just now solely because Donnie looks so upset about it. Given what they're working with, Raph can't blame him.

Tests are easy and answers are hard. Especially when not having the right answer leaves you backed into a corner.

So. Time for one of the oldest orders of operations in Raph's book. Albeit one that would have an easier endgame if, uh. If the second part could involve more talking. Maybe that part he'll do some phone-typing for. That's for in-a-minute Raph.

Priorities. Little brother first. Plan to plan a plan second. Everything else third.

It's a familiar emotional lens to make himself put on.

He taps his fingers against his own plastron a couple of times, center of the chest, and mimes a slow breath. Maybe not so mimes. Maybe actually just also takes one for himself as a special treat. ]

[Give Don a handful of data and he'll sort it for you in seconds. Ask Don for a deus ex machina in the form of a gun or rocket or vehicle and he'll build it overnight.

Disrupt his routine? Cut him off from not only his own comfort tech, but two thirds of his support network? Take previously established laws and rules and turn them on their head?

Yeah, Raph's not wrong. Donnie isn't doing well. So the tnk tnk of Raph knocking against his own plastron makes Donnie jump out of his pre-shutdown, the coping mechanism of complete and utter withdrawal from the Bad Stimuli by virtue of ignoring all stimuli, as he looks up at his big brother.

Raph moves his hands; palms up, up his chest. Palms down, slowly down his chest. Deep breaths. Right. Okay. Raph is still here; they won't want for both defensive and offensive power. His tech bo is still communicating with his wrist computer and battle shell. Raphael is here. He's not completely adrift.

Donnie nods and gulps in a breath, his eyes fixed on the chip in Raph's plastron at his left shoulder. Leo still won't look too closely at it but it's a grounding reminder for Donnie; Raph can and will protect his brothers with everything he has. Donnie's in safe hands, and he needs to make sure Raph is too.] I'm good. I'm okay.

[Takes a couple more breaths to prove it, then half-steps away to look around them. The smashed piles of junk from Raphael's attempts are still there, so they can interact with their environment in a permanent way. It's just that their environment has inexplicably changed.] Can you use your mystic powers to get big and try to look around?

[ There he is. There's his guy. Raph has the bandwidth to spare for a proud little smile, another thumbs up, before anything. Gotta take those small victories.

The question is second order of business. Raph looks up. Seems like mostly clear airspace for a giant mystic Raph to do some peeping. ]

I think I can handle that.

[ He hesitates, though. What's a cool and casual way to uh... yeah. Pantomime some important info. Okay.

Raph keeps his tapping game up, but this time it's a much more careful couple of taps just below his right eye. He grimaces and wobbles his hand in the universal "ehhhhh" gesture, which turns into a thumbs down and blowing a raspberry. ]

So I'm gonna, uh. Pick you up. [ A point to Donnie, a scooping motion. ] So I can keep you close and you can gimme another set of eyes on the sitch.

[ And an "I'm watching you" gesture, but with a very specific sweep motion off towards the bad side.

If this situation didn't suck he'd be thrilled to be playing some charades again. ]

[And the fact that Donnie knows Raphael enjoys playing charades is part of the reason why he doesn't tell Raph to just face him and enunciate clearly so Donnie can read his lips. ...but also because Donnie likewise wants to keep an eye on their surroundings.

Raph gets the point across regarding his eye and Donnie nods, flicking his goggles down over his eyes to check for mystic stuff. Random infinite junkyard seems like it should be crawling with mystic bullshit, but he's not picking up anything beyond whatever Raphael's generating as he starts to construct his gigantic avatar, hand down so Donnie can be adequately scooped.

The eye thing is a concern. Especially if it's still bothering Raph, if that didn't clear up when Donnie's own bizarre hallucination did. That could mean the issue with Raph's eye is physiological, and not psychological. It could mean they missed something when they call tried to get each other well.]

Not picking up any mystic interference, [Donnie notes as he clings to the thumb of his brother's giant avatar, sweeping a look over on Raphael's blind-ish side. Just a junkyard stretching out to the horizon, even when Donnie increases the magnification as high as he can. Just...junk.] Not from here, anyway. It looks like we're in some kind of pocket dimension.

[ Donnie is a softie and he indulges his big brother in one-sided charades once in a blue moon and that is what really matters. Raph scoops him up so that he can be Raph's little guy. His rotten little soldier. Etc.

It's good to have eyes that can be trusted, complete with goggles that let those eyes see more than the average turtle might. ]

Pocket dimension, huh? [ He can't punch through dimensions. Yet. ] Kinda sounds like a Hypno thing.

[ Oh wait right. He should probably share that in a way that's easier to express than "giant red avatar to the lil guy on his hand." Like being a normal guy and enunciating clearly. ]

Hypno, yeah; especially if we're-

[wAIT A fuckn
MINUETt] Wait I just heard you! Why did I hear you?!

What's the variable, what's the condition? [The differences are- Raph is Big Size and is holding Donnie in is large ninpo hand. Is that it? -WAIT THE FUCK, WAIT ON THE HOLD THE FUCK. Didn't Leo mention something like this, like when he and Raph were on the train-]

[ He was heard!!! Miracles are real. Some kind of miracle. In some way. Variables and nerd stuff and such.

Raph probably knows what variable means. He doesn't keep it in his active retention pool because he has Donnie. It's a valid line of questioning, though. Why now, what changed.

A kind of feeling, subtle but familiar, in the back of his mind. Good subtle and familiar, not emergency shutdown alien tentacle flashback familiar. Which is like, at least there's that much to be relieved about. But it is-- huh.

What's the mind meld version of a facebook poke? Raph's gonna go for it.

donnie come play farmville with him ]

[Donnie, for all his impatience with everything mystic, is also a being of insatiable curiosity. So maybe he hates it when weird mumbo jumbo things don't make sense, or when his tech is shown up, or when his brothers are just so much better at things than he is-

But the markings on his shoulders and thighs start to glow a bright purple and there's something, something getting his attention. Resting on him like a great big weighted blanket.]

-Yeah, [Donnie says, for once just allowing himself to feel it without analyzing. Later. Once they're back home.

For now, he tilts his head as if listening to something far away, his eyes unfocused but clutching a big tighter onto one of Raph's great big projected fingers.] Yeah, I can hear you.

[ Raph lights up. In a general sort of facial expression way, of course, but also in a metaphorical mystical metaphysical sort of way. His soul is a house and Donnie came home, and it's worth switching lights on to let him know where he is.

Try not to drop a bunch of Raph-brand intensity love into his arms the second he gets in the door. That kind of thing.

(Raph feels a little bit safer too, personally. That might be coming through regardless. As a full four-brother team they're pretty seamless when it counts. As a two-turtle operation, he and Donnie are good for covering each other's blind spots.

They're mutually about as subtle as a brick wall, but at least they're also as solid as a brick wall.) ]

Okay. Good. I like a charade as much as the next guy [ sir you are the only one in this family who does ], but this is way easier. So was that "junk drawer dimension yes" or no?

A solid maybe. [It's really weird, hearing Raph's voice more in his head than through his ears, but at least they can communicate effectively this way. Nevermind that there's some kind of energy, some weird sort of tie between them thrumming like a livewire. It's the same thing that kicked his heart into overdrive when Raph had backed himself right over that waterfall, when he, Leo and Mikey had dove after him without a second thought.

Donnie is equal parts covetous of the ease with which his brothers slide into this state of being, and cautious of what exactly it might do to them, Hamato heritage be damned.] But you and I both hallucinated earlier, if I'm not mistaken. This could all be in our heads.

[ He brings his non-Donnie-holding hand to his chin. ]

Junkyard of the mind. Got it.

[ Had to be a hallucination. Donnie's right here. ]

-- wait, did you hallucinate? You gotta open with that, Donnie!

Oh right. [He forgot while they were making insane revelations about psychic communication that he was not telling Raph that he Saw Things.] You didn't exactly tell me either, so I assumed we were keeping secrets.

[ Oh yeah!

Well!!!!! ]

Raph doesn't keep brain-related secrets. He...

[ .......

????? ]

Responsibly reflects on stuff and prioritizes.

[hits projected head with bo]

WH-

[ RUDE? DONNIE HIT RAPH? DONNIE HIT MYSTIC RAPH LIKE THE GOLF BALL?

Raph holds Donnie out some to try and limit his smacking range, like he's holding a very mean mouse. ]

Ay! No brother on brother violence in the field!

Then don't withhold critical information from me! [Gets an arm free from Big Hand Jail and waves it around, bo clasped tightly within it] Do you see Leo with his freakishly strategic plans?! Do you see Mikey around to get us all to talk to each other?! You do not! Don't lie to me!

[ Look at him in there. He's so... angery. ]

Prioritizing ain't lying, Donnie! I charaded the critical part! You were there, you saw!

[ Things charaded: eye on fritz. Not included: brother vanished from perception for a minute when that happened and he nearly had a wholeass meltdown about it.

tmw u pick the most hypocritical mountain to die on because it's named after you and you like to just pretend it's a molehill. ]

Charading! [hits hand with staff] Doesn't! [hit] Count! [HIT HIT! Then points staff not at Raph's mystic face, but his real dumb face, down there in the torso!!!!] And it's also not the most important part, you dummy! If we both experienced hallucinations at the same time, it could be indicative of what trapped us here in the first place!

[ Oh no now he's pointing. Rude and mean! ]

Well if I knew it was both of us, I would've shared for science! But I didn't, so I didn't! [ SO...... THERE. ] Now we both know, alright? Clean slate.

[ANGY]

[.......but fine. He's sick of being in hand jail anyway] Release me.

Thank you. [ There he is. His lil dude.

Very very gently releasing him from hand jail and putting him on mystic Raph's shoulder. ]

I'll apologize in a minute when my argue energy goes back down.

[ When his apology wallet unlocks. Otherwise it'll sound all weird and superior instead of like an actual apology. Things that possibly only matter to the Raph brainscape. ]

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draggin myself out of the inbox crypt like

YOU LIIIIIIVE

🥹

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1/2

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