We are sad to say that this blog is on an Indefinite Hiatus until us mods get our shit together :)

???

The sound of the mob outside echoed throughout the cathedral, hundreds of voices swirled and clashed against each other, but the anger and resentment was clear, as was their motive. Father Harold limped slowly, clutching his gun over his newly mutilated arm, dragging himself into the closest room with an open door. He kept his eyes trained on the corridor. He wasn’t safe; he needed to patch up and go, it was only a matter of time until they broke in and demanded for his head on a stake. Sure, the doors were heavy and had large wooden planks barricading the entrance, but the roaring mob had torches and the strength of hundreds by their side, they’d get in through sheer determination alone.

He stumbled into the room. "Everything I worked for! All ruined by those damn brats."

"Yes," a familiar voice drawled from the dark, "such a shame that your little plan didn't work, all that hard work for nothing." Harold snapped his neck over to the owner of the voice in front of him. He’d been so busy looking back he’d never thought to check where he was going to, and now they’ve found him. There stood the two who gave him the philosopher’s stone, or at least what he thought was a philosopher’s stone.

The rich-looking woman shifted her weight on her heel, her glasses flashing white as it caught the light from outside. A gloved hand went up to cover her mouth, a gesture that would normally be seen as polite was obviously mocking in this situation. The other sat on the floor, chewing on what seemed to be a leg of a chimera which he discarded soon after, but he couldn’t exactly tell with the dark shadows cast into the room. 

She sucked her teeth. "An itsy bitsy rebellion would have been sufficient," She muttered to no one, "never failed us before." 

“You…” Harold glowered at them. They betrayed him. He should have seen this coming, and yet...

The slobbering fellow patted his stomach, staring up at the short woman who was clearly in charge of the staged rodeo.

“I’m hungry.” The man’s stomach growled and he patted his stomach and looked hungrily to Harold, making him feel like a prey, powerless under the predator's watchful gaze. “Mind if I take this one of your hands? He looks like a fine meal if I say so myself.”

The lady shot a look at her partner, tsking at him, the condescending glare shut him up immediately as he shrunk on himself.

"I don't mind dirtying my hands for this insolent human, unless you want to get indigestion?" She raised her eyebrow, her voice dangerously low.

"No ma'am, he's all yours." He averted her gaze and looked at the ground instead. It didn't make Harold feel less terrified though.

Harold gripped his gun tighter as he pointed the gun towards the boss lady. There was no way he was going down without a fight, even if there was no way that he’d take them both down. 

“Now you two?” He started to line up his vision with his target, “Everyone has mocked me! I won’t stand for-” 

Within that split second, the gorey sound of a blade penetrating flesh could be heard echoing in the room. 

Harold trembled as he forced his legs to support himself upright. He was dead for sure, no one can survive a head wound like that. The lady had done… something, that was for sure, out of her outstretched fingertip was a sharp blade, going clean through his skull like a spear. He resisted against the feeling of his eyes rolling back into his head and the weight of gravity suddenly acting so much stronger on him. He would at least try to die with some dignity intact.

The blade retracted from his head with a shing and his knees gave out under him. Harold tried desperately to keep his eyes focused onto the approaching enemy’s expression, but he couldn’t follow through, his head rolling uselessly on his shoulders. All he could see was the stark red tattoo sitting under her mouth and in between her shoulder blades but even then it was hard to concentrate with his vision wavering.

The man walked meekly behind her, dragging his hammer-looking tenderiser on the ground. Harold could feel his consciousness fading, the cold and delicate fingers of the lady lifted his head gently as she held his hazing gaze. She smirked as he gurgled, his mouth failing to shape the words needed to express his betrayal, his mouth was sluggish to move the numbness seeping into his veins felt all the more clear as his senses slipped away from him. 

He couldn’t fight the pull of gravity anymore as his eyes rolled back, his clenched stomach finally giving way as he fell face first to the ground. It didn’t hurt; nothing hurt anymore, he could scarcely feel the sensation of his head knocking against the ground or he felt the faint tickle of blood spilling out of his wound. Even that faded from him eventually, and he knew nothing more than the suffocatingly cold grasp of death.

"We're done here." She wiped off the fluids that remained on her right glove, her expression bored. The hog hovered over the dead man, blood from his head wound pooled and lapped at uncovered hooves. 

"You're allowed to eat off the floor as long as you clean up your mess." She waved her hand dismissively as she turned on her heel, back facing the light of the corridor. "Don't take too long now, we have work to do." 

Her lips pursed to form a tight line, eyes closed as she tried to clear her mind from the disgust and annoyance that could have overtaken her. The sound of high heels against the floor were staccato sharp as she made her way to their exit.

"Father won't be pleased." 

Hey, guys! Glad to see you're all moving forward! Now, my question is, on a scale of one to Apocalyptic, how pissed do you think Karai will be if/when she finds out you broke the taboo?

Raph: Well, Leo says he’s already picked out our burial sites. That’s assuming our bodies are even recovered

Mikey: Sensei spoke a lot about human transmutation and the permanence of death. I wonder why that was...

Have you all decided to take the state alchemist test or did just one of you want to take it so only one of you has the military breathing down your neck?

Raph: Well Mikey couldn’t test because of his whole... situation. Me and Leo seemed like the most obvious choices since Donnie failed-

Donnie: We don’t talk about that

Leo: -so that’s how Raph became the Fullmetal Alchemist and i became the, wait for it, wait for it... the Neon Alchemist!

Why didn't Donnie sign up to become a state alchemist like Raph and Leo?

Donnie: I would never subjugate myself to such a low profession. I’m a rebel, a solo act, and I would rather die than tie myself-

Leo: He failed the entrance exam when something blew up in his face

Move Forward

"What about the stone?"

"Same as the priest," Leo replied. "A phoney."

"Oh." Mikey looked towards the ground in disappointment, Leo kicked a small pebble on the ground as it tumbled far away. Raph and Donnie were silent for a bit, frustrated with their failure, but not enough to act out on it.

Eventually, Raph sighed. 

"I'm sorry, you guys," Raph said as he put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "For a while there I thought we'd really found a way to get your body back."

They all tensed up as they heard the saddeningly familiar sound of a cocked gun. Their hands were pulled out of their pockets, raised to engage in battle as they swivelled on their heels to find...

"Give me the philosopher's stone!"

"Cassandra..." Mikey let out involuntarily.

Casey held the gun steadily, her expression hardened with determination. Though somehow, the brothers could tell that she wouldn't blindly shoot them.

“Like I said, the stone was a fake.” Leo’s gaze bore through her. His brothers were still on edge from being startled. However, Leo had relaxed his shoulders almost immediately after he realised it was Casey, perhaps a little too confidently. “Besides-”

"Liar!" Casey screamed, her arms tightened in anger, her face contorting even more. "You want to keep it for yourself, don't you?" 

The gun was shaking in her hands, her finger pulled the trigger closer towards her, but not enough to fire. Still, the boys tensed at the threat of danger, Mikey taking a step forward to shield them with his body just in case. 

"So you can use it on your bodies," she continued, and she wasn't wrong to say that.

"And so you can bring your old man again-"

"You shut up," Raph ground out. She had struck a nerve in them. He glared at Casey, angry and pained.

"People don't come back from the dead,”  Donnie added, his tone somber, “not ever.”

"But he promised me... he said if I prayed it would happen." Tears pooled in Casey's eyes, her resolute expression wavering, giving way to desperation. She dropped onto her knees, as if all the strength had been knocked out from her as she faced the truth.

"What am I supposed to believe in now?!" She screamed at the brothers, who gave her pitying looks. Her anger wasn't directed at them, not really. It was aimless, perhaps to the god she believed in or the pastor they had just defeated. The gun was useless in her hands, it was obvious she wasn't going to attack them, she was too distraught to.

"What do I do?" This time the question was pointed at them, the fog in her eyes clearing even as tears started to overflow. 

The brothers looked at eachother, then back to Cassandra. Raph started to walk past her, the brothers following closely behind him. Casey tensed in fear but was left confused as they almost ignored her presence entirely.

“Stand up and walk- Keep moving forwards.” Donnie instructed, his tone harsh but not unkind. “You’ve got two good legs, so get up and use them.”

The brothers continued to walk down the stairs, not sparing a glance at Casey. They faced the horizon, the sunset painting the destruction a yellow-orange tint, leaving only a soft but still resounding message for Casey to hear.

“You’re strong enough to make your own path.”

Happy October 3rd

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26787907/chapters/65348002 A collection of drabbles to celebrate October 3rd! Also, we have a new mod! Say hello to Mod Kay, everyone!

so out of curiosity, what branches of alchemy do you all specialize in? is it all different or do you all collectively study one type of alchemy?

Mikey: Plants (Hobby)

Donnie: Moving mechanical parts

Leo: Metal (Making blades)

Raph: Concrete (The ground)

Your regular in-character asks will return after these messages

Icarus

         “Merciful God, please hear my prayer.

         Casey kneeled before the altar, the mantra practically embedded in her DNA after the countless hours spent in prayer. She clasped her hands tightly, almost painfully like she did yesterday, and the day before, and the days preceding that- looking up to the God she worshipped on that stood tall in his stone mould.

         “Please bring them back”

          A low whistle echoed through the cathedral,and Casey spun around to face the aisle.

         “Wow, they sure spent the town budget on this place, huh?”  

         The interruption came in the form of a group of colour-coordinated turtle Yokai. The purple banded member seemed to be the one who made the loud interruption, which was incredibly rude of him, but Casey could tolerate his actions because it was a compliment to the architecture of the cathedral. He loudly clacked his feet against the marble tiles as he entered the hall, properly making his presence heard as if whistling wasn't enough. A tall red turtle looking awfully shy for someone his size followed in, accompanied by a blue banded turtle, who were silently following the loud purple one. The group was completed with a fourth who wore a whole suit of armour in contrast to the others dress code, ironically wearing the smallest orange mask on his already masked face. They seemed to be travellers, unlike most of the people who came to the cathedral, packing light despite the heavy-looking armour that one guy was in. The purple yokai took the lead of the group, strutting around the hall without much care.

       “You aren’t from around here are you? I don’t think I've seen you four before.” Casey sat up slowly, her legs wobbled a bit as her nerves roused. “You’re here to learn about Letoism?”         “Pass,” he dismissed with a wave, ”we aren’t exactly the religious type.”          She was a little annoyed at how quickly he had shut him down but remained civil.         "To know God is to know hope, that's what Father Harold always says. If i had it my way, I'd be screaming my lungs about the glory of our God, but it's a sin to be a public nuisance. Since discovering and believing in the divine grace, impossible has become possible."          Casey scans them quickly, and finds herself questioning just how possible these strangers’ salvation could be.          The red banded one- it was a mouthful to think, he needed a new name. “Big Red” would do - Big Red folded his arms, his expression thoughtful before he spoke."So whaddya think about bringing back the dead? Ya think that's possible?"          “Yes, I do,” came the easy reply. It had to be true, Father Harold had been proven to be capable of so much. He promised that he would bring back Casey’s family, she just had to be patient. She had faith that he would carry it out. Lying was a sin, and Father Harold wouldn't lie.          The purple banded yokai, which she nicknamed, “Eyebrows”, sighed and reached into his jacket pocket to pull out a small worn notebook, flipping to a bookmarked page.          “Water: 35 litres. Carbon: 20 kg. Ammonia: 4 litres. Lime: 1.5 kg-”           Great, he’s speaking in tongues.

          “-And various other trace elements.”            He snapped the book shut loudly.           “That list represents the complete chemical makeup for the body of an average adult,” his gaze turned back to her, “it’s been calculated to the last microgram, but modern science has failed to produce any reported cases of creating a human or yokai life.”              He rolled his eyes- no, eye- she realised upon further inspection.

           “But yeah, I’m sure just praying is gonna make it happen,” Eyebrows’ voice dripped with sarcasm.             This boy stepped into God's home to insult His power, and Casey’s anger was starting to boil over. Her fists clenched at her sides as she resisted the urge to glare, schooling her expressions to look somewhat neutral. "Don't underestimate Leto’s power! So long as we have faith, He will answer our prayers!" Casey was ignored as Eyebrows continues to drone on as if she never spoke at all.            “Oh, and those ingredients? Mere pocket change,a child could get it from the corner store.” Eyebrows smirked, seemingly as if he had won. “Turns out people are made pretty cheap.”             Casey’s arms strained with tension as she was starting to lose against the rage that was taking over her mind, her balled fists turning white and painful. She couldn't help but glare as she ground out the next sentence, "That's blasphem-"            “Alchemists are scientists, we don't believe in unprovable concepts like creators or God.” Eyebrows looked up from the floor he had been looking at for the past few seconds, his line of sight moving up until his gaze connected with hers. She felt attacked. He came into the cathedral just to mock her religion she so whole-heartedly believed in for some sort of petty self satisfaction. He paused for a moment, having a minor staring contest with her, which ticked her off immensely. He lingered before his gaze travelled up again, this time to look at the statue of Leto behind the altar, watching down on all of them. It was rude to stare at God like that. They were His children, not his challengers or equals.          “We observe the physical laws that govern this world to try to learn the truth. It's funny, really.” He closed his eyes, as they reached God's face, as if pondering what he could achieve with his oh-so powerful alchemy he spoke of. "Through the application of science, we have in many ways been given the power to play gods ourselves…” 

          The audacity of this bitch.

          “So you’re putting yourself on the same level as God? Do you even hear yourself when you speak?”            Instead of answering the question, Big Red spoke in his friend’s place. "Ya know, back where we came from, there's an old myth about some guy- a hero who flew with wax wings." Red paused again, seemed like this band of Atheists could join a play, they'd be able to pull off the prose with all the dramatic pausing-or maybe a circus would fit these clowns better. He gestured his hands a little, looking down to try to find the right words, sighing before he continued with the story. "He thought he could touch the sun, but when he got too close..." He trailed off, making her anticipate the next part of the story.           "The wax melted right off. His wings? Gone- all that work for nothing. And he came crashing back down to earth," he finished grimly.            His expression felt rueful, more like he was recalling a memory rather than a myth. Eyebrows shared a look with Red, their gaze communicated some form of assurance that only made her question what exactly the quartet had come there for. They seemed to forget her existence for just a moment, stuck in their own bubble of reality.            Casey felt awkward, like she was intruding, yet they were the ones who were coming into the Lord's house, not the other way round. The silence stretched for a few moments longer, and she was beginning to wonder whether she should say something, but then again she didn't know what she could say.            Thankfully, the blue one- Stripes- stepped forward to save her from the tense silence.            “Sorry for the trouble, this is hard for me to ask.” Stripes glared at his friends, a subtle message to get their asses out of their moping session, before looking back to her in a sheepishly apologetic manner. ”But do you think your Father Harold could save even a couple of arrogant scientists like ourselves?”             Casey perks up at that,at least one of them was willing to consider, this conversation wasn't wasted getting pissed off at inconsiderate assholes after all. "If anyone can make you see the error in your ways, he can!"

           The boys looked to each other as she turned back, grinding her teeth knowing that she could finally punch something to take out her anger, just as soon as she wasn’t on consecrated ground. 

If you don't mind the question, How did the whole loss of major parts happen? If you do mind the question then don't worry I have a better one! What are they planning for the future?

Leo: Necromancy is not all it’s cracked up to be, man

Donnie: We’re currently on our way to Liore. Hueso thinks he got a lead for Leo and Raph to find...

Raph: We probably shouldn’t go sharing that information just yet, Dee

Mikey: See you there soon!

Wow, hi! I was wondering what you all lost in the transmutation

RAPH: Well, I lost my left arm while trying to bring dad back, and my right when I brought back Mikey’s soul.

LEO: I lost my left leg. Guess I just couldn’t stand the Truth, huh?

DONNIE: I think I got out the luckiest, with only losing my left eye. I was able to help the O’Neils build automail for Raph and Leo.

MIKEY: Well... I lost everything. But Raph managed to tie my soul to some armor and sacrificed his arm for me.

Hey, guys! First off... What the heck were you thinking when you decided to go against Nature???

“... we just wanted to see dad smile again...”

Do you guys have a teacher

MIKEY: Sure do! We call her gram gram!

RAPH: Ms. Karai is the best sensei we could’ve asked for!

LEO: And the scariest

DONNIE: I still wake up screaming

Hello! How is everyone? Are you all alright?

RAPH: I mean, we’ve been better

MIKEY: Way better

LEO: But we’re pulling through, looking good, and kicking butt!

DONNIE: Speak for yourselves! I’m out here swamped with work because you idiots can’t take care of yourselves!

Four brothers, broken by the loss of their father, do the unforgivable and attempt to bring back the dead.

Now, far along their journey and into their sacrifices, these boys face hundreds of foes and obstacles, and make some unlikely allies.

Feel free to ask any of these boys questions, and they’ll answer with what they know.

CHARACTERS OPEN FOR QUESTIONING:

Raphael

Donatello

Leonardo

Michelangelo