Raphael

It started three years ago. The moment Raph stumbled into Milliways instead of the townie bar he'd meant to, his life was changed forever. He found himself in a place where he could just be and didn't have to hide. Of course, no one warns you that when you befriend a whole bunch of people from different places in the multi-verse that their battles become yours. This here is the tale of what happens when one ninja ex-turtle becomes a part of a story that wasn't his.

It all starts with a series of assassinations in the Dover-verse portion of the Wizarding World. Raph, who has a Wizard Wireless in his Tent-That-Dreamed-of-Being-a-Studio-Apartment, hears the news and sets off to find Tonks and offer any comfort and help that he can. Somewhere along the way Bernard takes it upon himself to supply the Ministry of Magic with more conventional weapons, and Raph gives him an ultimatum. Raph is not pleased, and tells Bernard exactly what he thinks of the Barman's interference in the most delicate way possible...which is to say like a freight train running at full speed. Sometime later, while he's fixing up his bike out by the lake, he gets a visit from Tonks. She informs Raph that Bernard has decided to ignore Raph's advice and take a far more active role in the upcoming conflict. Raph is not amused, and in true brotherly fashion decides to make a nuisance of himself and enlist as well.

The battle rages and is followed by an even more stressing aftermath. But worry not, everyone is okay.

This is where things start to get weird. Eventually Bernard and the others return to Milliways, but Raph does not. Raph, as luck would have it, has caught the attention of a rather ambitious Medi-Wizard by the name of Geoffry Swillings. You see, non-humans just don't have the same rights and protections in the Wizarding World that humans do, and so the moment that Swillings realized Raph was not human Swillings turned the constantly-stunned ninja ex-turtle over to Experimental Project Manager Thurston Twingleson. Poor Swillings and Twingleson, if only they knew what they had they might stop having so many rude awakenings. Endless bite marks and weapons reforged by Greek Gods to never be lost are hard to believe, but surely no harm could come from drawing a little blood, right?

In the mean time Twingleson sends word to colleagues in America that he's in need of a curse breaker; one with a strong background in transfiguration and knowledge of indigenous shape shifters. A filter like that will generate a list of one: Tabitha Ravenwood. Much like those who hired her, Ravenwood has no idea what she's getting into with her playing with ankhs, and poking around with curses she doesn't understand.. Poor girl.

It's around this time that folks back at Milliways begin to notice the rather Raph-shaped vacuum. Tonks returns to St Mungo's see if she can track him down, only to find out that he'd been discharged and is, according to his Medi-Wizard, spending time with his girlfriend. Tonks sends word back to Milliways and for a while the worry is quelled.

Little known fact, but the mutagen-laden blood of a mutated animal from the Mirage-Universe actually causes mutation in other animals. So those lab rats and kneazles that were inoculated with that strange blood of subject 122.125? Well let's just say the Rats of NIHM have nothing on these guys.

Meanwhile, back on the bi-pedal research side of things, Ravenwood and Swillings discuss her wound, the problems with lab animals, and the looming fate of 112.125.

Which isn't to say that the lab animals are out of it, because they're not. In fact one of them, a white rat named Ponsenby, receives a rather important visitor when trying to aid his fellow test subjects' escape.

With fresh news as to Raph's where abouts, Death returns to Milliways not knowing that everyone thought Raph was with Her, and that no one knew Raph was with Them. This does not make her a happy camper, but it does make Mike nearly vomit.

Unable to leave the bar to gather reinforcements, Mike sets about plotting a daring rescue in order to free his brother from the bonds of Wizarding Science. Thankfully Mike receives some help and guidance from Donatello and Meleka

The bit about the rescue that would go here, is not here. If you squint it's possible that you'd be able to make out just a fraction of the planning, plotting, and execution of one of the great Recon Missions of the game. Sadly this thread did not get played out in game. Real life and a poorly equipped GM are to blame for this omission, but this shouldn't stop people from imagining how awesome it was.

The rescue party involved: John Constantine, Melaka Fray, Indiana Jones, Jocasta Wiggs, Andrew Wells, Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo,
In short: They came. They found. They kicked some discreet ass.
It was glorious.
Snippets of said glory can be found in the resulting the return. Not long after bursting through the front door, the immediate family of the rescued

Raph is installed into Mike's bedroom in Suite 134, his brothers and father stand vigil, and where others are invited to visit. For example Bernard and Lilly.

The constant Stunning from the Medi-Wizard team has left Raph's brain in a what appeared to be a permanent unconscious state, not unlike that of a deep coma. When the stunning stopped, how ever, Raph's subconscious began to reassert itself, launching the ex-turtle head first into The Dreaming. Of course The Dreaming is a nice place to visit, but no one other than the King of Dreams should ever live there, which is probably why Dream Lord forces Raph to Wake Up!.

Now that he is awake Raph isn't going to let the fact that he's equal parts grumpy and gimpy can't keep him down. What kind of ninja would that make him...aside from a smart one. A whole three days after waking up he drops in unexpectedly on Bernard at home. A few months after that outing Raph manages to sneak out onto the balcony of Suite 132, where he shares a chat and a smoke with the lovely Lilly Kane. Until finally his youngest brother Mike gets sick of his disappearing shenanigans and carts him and his wheelchair off to be babysat by Alanna.

Hopefully this has filled in some of the holes as to where Raph has been for the better part of the last year.
But what of the lab animals? Of the staff involved? Of the recon break in?
Only time will tell.

[ooc note: none of this would be possible without the muns of the following characters-
Indiana Jones, Goldilocks, Andrew Wells, Bernard Wrangle, Tim Hunter, Meg Giry, Kara Thrace, Morpheus, Alanna Young, Angelina Johnson, Angua von Uberwurld, Xander Harris, River Tam, Moiraine, Roland Duchaine,

Extra Special thanks to the muns of:
Donatello, Leonardo, Splinter,

With very loud enthusiastic shout outs to:
Meg (she of the well kept Memory page)
Mitch and Emmy (masters of finding that one thread I couldn't find anywhere else)
Gareth (plot ideas galore)
Debi (for listening to me whine about this for the last six months)

http://henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com/60007.html
http://a-lioness.livejournal.com/65119.html

[OOC:

Hi! There is no Ninja Turtle Plotting Comm...though now I'm tempted to make one just so we're not left out. Sewer_Ways? Ninja_Ways? Chet_Ways?
Anyway, this post is here so that there might be some discussion/awareness of the canon puncture of the Turtle Universe.

Off the top of my head the only Millicanon that directly references the Turtle Universe is Veronica Mars.
(Veronica has a Ninja Turtle sleeping bag.)

It wouldn't surprise me if Farscape had a reference or two, because John Crichton is a freak like that.
And speaking of John...

Millicanon hosts complete, total and utter Turtle Universe Puncture. And no, it's not as dirty as it sounds. And no matter how much you wish it to be, it's still not as dirty as I'm sure you'd like it to be.

Crichton was the first, and Raph nearly broke his neck when he brought it up.
Star Wars was after that.
Then Tim Hunter gave Raph his very own Raph animatronic head for Christmas and Mike was given the entire run of the comics and cartoons.

SO, right then.
Sally forth and so on.

WAKE UP.
So he does, because when the Dream King expels you from his Kingdom, the only thing you can do is comply.
And as quickly as frickin' possible.

Raph groans slightly as his eyes work their way open. His body aches and his eyes burn. Weeks of non-use have taken their toll, and Raph did not have exact change. It's hard for him to focus on the room with the lights as dim as they are, but he begins to get a sense of where he is...and that he's not alone. He tries to sit up, but is unsuccessful.

"Raph? Keep still. It's okay. You're here. You're safe."

Leo. It's Leo. Just Leo. Raph stops fighting, and lays back down comforted that the shape in the shadow to his left is just his brother.

"hey..."

His voice is low, barely more than a strained whisper.

"...what's a guy gotta do to get some food 'round here?"

The shadow on the left leans forward, revealing an Asian man, and not the green skinned shape Raph was expecting. After a moment the man's expression cracks, breaking into a very distinctively dignified smile. There is no mistaking the man is Leo. But...human? When the heck did that happen?

"HEY!," he yells towards the door. "He's awake! He wants some food! Bring some food!"

Raph groans again as the shout reverberates between his ears. He reaches up to Leo in an effort to shush him, but instead finds himself pulled into a hug by his older brother.

"Don't you ever do that again. Do you hear me? We've been worried sick."

"yeah yeah, a'right Leo. jus'...get off me!"

But his older brother, caught in a moment of human emotional affection, doesn't budge. Just then the door to the bedroom opens, flooding the once dark and peaceful room with a nearly overwhelming amount of light and sound. The outside world is in, and it's not leaving without a fight.

Just as Raph's eyes adjust a flash cube explodes, and the tell-tale whirr of a Poloroid camera can be heard over the din.

"It's a Kodak moment," explains Don, just before Mike pushes past him with a tray of food. Stampy scoots in between Mike's feet, trumpeting her impending assault on the bed.

It's possible, Raph thinks to himself, that he was better off asleep.
Happy Birthday Raph, and welcome home.

*The door opens to what appears to be a standard issue hospital suite.
Various monitors and machines whirr and beep in the working gloom.

To the left of the door is a small desk, to the right a locked cabinet with glass doors.
But the most eye catching thing in the whole room isn't the machines or the desk, or even the locked cabinet, it's the man in the bed directly across from the door.
The man that those employed here refer to by nothing more than a number.

122.125*

"he-hello? is there someone there?"

"shhh. they'll hear you."

"..."

"it's okay. i'm not going to hurt you."

"how do i know that?"

"well, for starters, i've got no way to get to you."

"i..i thought i was alone."

"we all thought we were alone."

"we?"

"yes. we. close your eyes little one. all will be explained when the light comes."

"oh-okay."

"what ever happens, for your sake as well as ours, don't scream."

"scream? why would i..."

"hide. eat. drink. empty yourself. vomit. do what ever you have to do to keep from screaming."

"..."

"if you scream, we're all done for."

"I thought I told you to get rid of those."

"Sir?"

"The blasted forks."

"Oh....OH! Those! Yes Sir, you did."

"And yet here they remain? Well within arms reach of subject 122.125?"

"I'm afraid that's correct, Sir. Every time we try to move them somewhere else, they keep finding their way here."

"Have you tried..."

"Locks, spells, and even goblins. Nothing can keep these things away from him."

"It."

"Uh...yes Sir, it."

"Very peculiar. And we've done all sorts of scans on these as well."

"As many as we can do without the aid of a Cursebreaker, yes. I've added that to the long list of questions..."

"When does he get here?"

"She will arrive within the week."

"Good. Right. She. Good. Excellent."

"Like I said, there's a whole list of questions we've been compiling..."

"..."

"Sir?"

"These marks here, the silver ones? Do we have any idea what they're from?"

"That's number seven on the list, Sir. At first we thought they might be embedded memories, what with the sheen and all..."

"It looks like a bite mark."

"That was our best assessment as well, Sir. Maybe a werewolf?"

"Pfft, hardly. What werewolf would cause a silver bite?"

"None that I know of, Sir."

"Exactly."

"But with all due respect, Sir, it's not like there's any record of anything like hi-it in our texts either."

"Too right. Too too right. How are the blood extractions going."

"Uh...good. We're running four groups. Control of course, then a serum, red, and whole blood series."

"What test subjects are we using again?"

"Kneazles and rats, Sir."

"Good show. Right then, keep me posted. And for Merlin's sake floo me the second that Cursebreaker gets here."

*The rain has let up enough for Raph to do some additional tinkering on his bike out back. Sure, he could easily be doing this inside, but since his tent fried forcing him to move back into the bar proper, he take any opportunity to be outside that he can.

It's not claustrophobia. It's just...being outdoorsy. Yeah, that's it.*

What about your characters makes you want to continue to play them,what brings you joy from them. Not what originally drew you to them,but what makes you keep them through all the purges, dramatic moments,nervous breakdowns, late assignments, finals week, thesis/researchprojects, etc.

( Raphael )

( Michaelangelo )

( The Oompa Loompas )

[more to come]

*Raph is attempting to feed himself. No it's not the act of eating that has him flummoxed, it's the part that comes before the eating that seems to continually get the better of him. Cooking is not Raph's friend. This is why there's a still slightly smoldering pot in the kitchen sink, and why he's grumbling as he eats his sandwich on the couch of the living room portion of his studio. Only slightly louder than his cantankerous mutterings is the sound of the Wizard Wireless off in the corner. Holyhead Harpies are playing Pride of Portree*