revivalproject | [Network & Log] Welcome Back Birthday Boy

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[Network & Log] Welcome Back Birthday Boy

WHO: Tommy Shepherd and Everyone (Open for Mingling, so people can make own starters inside)
WHERE: Agrii Ship
WHAT: Birthday Boy Returns and Parties
WHEN: [Backdated] October 12th and 13th
WARNINGS: Potential spoilers for recent Empyre series comics

Network | Video October 12th

[The video goes on and look, it's a face that has been missing for a few days. Looking a few years older, his hair longer, and seeming... Well, he's using the VIDEO function rather than rapid speed texts so many that tells the story better than even the chill and half apologetic look on his face.]

Hey guys. So, apparently I've been missing for a few days? At least it was shorter than Lorna, or the people grabbed by the Graq, right? Uh, so, I'm back? Just, well, older? I got sent home by whoever is manipulating the Agrii for a bit, and a lot happened. But the important thing is I'm back, and it's me and the little bro's birthday tomorrow.

[His fingers slide easily through his far longer hair, offering a smile.]

Listen, I am pretty sure the party here wasn't long ago that Stark and I helped through, but I did wanna do something a bit nicer and more, I guess, intimate for our birthday? This year B and I get to have it together and that doesn't happen often. I'm gonna set up some small things in the cafeteria. No gifts required. I'll arrange everything. Just come share the birthday wishes because we've survived a year here. So join us tomorrow. Or don't. Not my problem.

Happy Birthday Green Boys! October 13th (Feel free to set up your own mingles/starters)

After all of the, you know, happy welcome back statements and that mess, Tommy sets out to spend the whole night preparing for what he wants to do. More 'ice cream'. He works on getting together other foods. He searches boxes in the hold for things to use like streamers. Tommy even rigs up some small decorative cloths that he put the excess not-quite-confetti of tons of small shiny pieces of colored plastic Tony had made at his failed party attempt into so he could pull a string later and make it rain down.

Tables are decorated, and Tommy spent HOURS trying to communicate to the Agrii what he was doing. The importance of solar cycles in his world, and how they were used to celebrate the growth of people. He thought they got the point because they helped him make a cake. Well, not QUITE a cake. It was more like... an oversized, multi-layered sandwich that was actually part ice cream because you know, small victories.

Which ultimately got him to, like, a five year old's idea of a party, so it was time to call in the big guns. One call to his brother, a hurried conversation, a SECOND hurried conversation after the first so Billy could reassure Tommy that it really was okay to want something so silly after so long, and the party theme was set.

Hope someone other than the twins appreciates the Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles because there are balloons, and place settings and even Shell backpacks for people to wear. Goodie bags are offered to people with stickers and pogs ~~not that Billy or Tommy know what those are~~. Hell, there are even Turtles themed snacks like turtle face pizza, cupcakes with the turtle's faces, and frozen Ninja Turtles branded yogurt pops. Oh, and if you wanna make noise, enjoy a noise maker.

And of course the karaoke machine was back, but this time there were other party games, like pin the weapon on the Foot Ninja, a Shredder pinata, limbo, twister, musical chairs (don't worry, Tommy DQ'd himself) and in one corner, a water balloon toss. Because, you know, there's no reason not to enjoy these things, no matter your age. Sometimes turning 20 and 22 meant you were old enough to just own up to wanting that one kind of birthday party you never had before.

And everyone arriving will of course be greeted by the older of the two guests of honor, who is grinning stupidly as he puts a party hat on people's heads, gives them a Ninja-mask and plastic weapons, and offers them a goody bag because he's nice like that.

"Laugh at the theme, and I'm tying you to one of the chairs on the creepy room where the Agri watch the Drift Fleet files. My boyfriend isn't here to tell me to be nice."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Dude, ninjas get seen all the time," Tommy dismisses. It's the ninjas you don't see that you need to worry about more, but it was a thing.

But nope, he's not accepting this. Tommy blurs off, grabbing the stick and coming back to offer it over.

"Break the bitch."

"If they're seen then they're not very good ninja," Raphael counters, smirking. "When me and my brothers go full stealth, we're virtually invisible."

He blinks as he's suddenly offered a stick, right before he grins. It's not a nice grin, but it's his trademark 'you've just made my day' look. Raphael's his happiest when he's beating things up. "Awesome," he says, taking up the stick and giving it a twirl as he turns towards the unsuspecting piñata.

It's hard to think of Raph being invisible, but Tommy will accept it. Still, Tommy grins. Candy is TOTALLY on the way.

"Dibs on chocolate."

Raphael brings the stick up like a baseball player stepping up to bat, giving the thing a practice swivel before pointing at Tommy with a grin upon the speedster's call on chocolate.

"Stand back, I'm gonna make it rain." Or break the stick. Maybe both. He's already decided this Shredder has no chance.

"Oh hell yes," Tommy grins, standing back. He doesn't have any problem with dodging if he has to. "I'll ask Billy for another pinata after."

Dodging candy hasn't even come to Raphael's mind, but if he'd thought about it, he wouldn't have worried much, knowing Tommy. He winds up the way he's seen batters do so on the TV, ready to open up with a grand slam. Or...well, as much as one would be allowed with the stick he's been armed with.

He swings, the stick arcing beautifully before striking the piñata right in its tissue paper lined chestplate, adjusting his angle last minute as he figured aiming for the head would probably rip the thing from its rope. It's still satisfying as he hears and sees the stick smack soundly into its target, indenting cardboard, pushing on through. He feels the stick give as he continues with the motion, and it tears half of the piñata along with it, sending an explosion of candy that continues to scatter as Shredder goes swinging back and forth. Hopefully no one gets hit with Shredder's feet.

Tommy laughs and catches the feet before they can fly far, scooping some candy into it. Yeah, this was good for him. Really good.

"Damn, man, maybe you should play pro ball. Or at least tee-ball."

He doesn't know if Raph can do that with a normal ball.

Raphael grins, actually enjoying himself. It's been a while since he's been allowed to actually hit something. He'll have to try putting together a punching bag of some sort once they get back to Temba.

"Yeah? I dunno, never looked that interesting on TV. My brothers and I haven't played a whole lot of ball sports."

Tommy would totally help with the punching bag thing.

“Honestly neither have I. I’m not much on teams.”

Help in making something to beat up sure won't go refused. Raphael shrugs. "Teams aren't so bad so long as everyone's together. Guess it takes extra work when it's a sports team, with all those people."

"Yeah, but everyone wants to be in charge with a sports team. Too many cooks," Tommy shrugs.

Far too many cooks.

Raphael picks up one of the scattered candies, tugging at the wrapper before popping its contents into his mouth. At least this candy should taste like candy and not like surprise sundae bar.

"Eh well. Somehow they still manage. I guess I can respect that. Being head of a team's not easy." He thought it would be, but he'd learned the hard way just how much a leader actually had to deal with on the fly.

Tommy wouldn't know. He's not the sort of person anyone would follow. And yeah, he respects it, but he was often left on his own anyway.

He pops some off-brand smarties into his mouth and grins.

"You ever try and take it?"

"...take what? Being in charge? Yeah..." the ninja admits, his eyes scanning the rest of the random assortment of candy, probably for something chocolate.

"Leo an' I butt heads a lot." He figures that's probably no surprise to Tommy given how much the speedster seems to know about them. "...so one time he figured if we weren't gonna listen to him, he'd just quit being leader. I thought it'd be easy filling in, but it really isn't. Too much pressure." He shakes his head. "I'm fine with just throwing myself right into danger. But trying to give direction to my brothers, while being responsible for their safety? It's hard. Mikey took a beating that time, and I was panicking and couldn't tell Donnie to do anything more than keep attacking until he worked out a way for us to make a break for it. Apologizing to Leo was harder, but we worked it out."

“Apologies are hard,” Tommy agrees. It was something Tommy had learned time and time again, and was only just getting to the point of managing. “And when it’s family, it’s worse. Because they say that family always has to take you back, but they don’t.”

He downs another piece of candy and looks contemplative and a touch sad.

“Billy took forever to get over some of his problems and apologize to me, and he’s better at family.”

"It can be worse," Raphael says contemplatively. "But it's worth it once you get over that hurdle. My brothers and our father have always been close. And my brothers still can get on my nerves, and...I know sometimes I step over the line a lot, but in the end we're always still there for each other. Like... As soon as I see something happen to any of my family, I'll make whoever did it pay."

Over the hurdle. Man, that was pretty insane. But Raph has an advantage that he never had.

“I didn’t grow up with my family. I didn’t meet mine until I was your age. And they’re not even really mine. but sorta are? It’s complicated.”

The problem was that those hurdles would keep coming up every now and then. Still, for all that's been said and done, Raphael at least knows nothing can harm the bond he has with his brothers.

He's not sure what to make of Tommy's family that isn't. "But you care about them, right?"

“Yeah. More than anything, except my boyfriend. They’re... They’re good people. Like Lorna, and Billy, and Wanda.”

They’re the family he has here.

"That's all that really matters. You got good people who you care about, and the same goes for them." Raphael snatches up another piece of candy. "Sometimes even if you grow up with your family, things don't work out that great. That's what happened with my father, you know. And now his former brother's like, our biggest threat."

Well, Raph isn’t entirely wrong. But he tilts his head curiously at that.

“Former brother?”

"Eh, his sorta kinda brother. Was adopted when he was a kid. The whole thing's messed up. They were close, but then stuff happened and then they weren't." Raphael wrinkles his nose, his green eyes drifting towards what's left of the Shredder piñata. "Oroku Saki. He and Splinter grew up together in the Hamato Clan. But then Oroku Saki betrayed him."

Uh... Tommy just freezes. For a moment. He thought the cartoons said that Splinter was just a rat. What?

“Uh, okay. Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Raphael picks at the candy he's been holding, taking the wrapper off so he could take a bite of what looks like some kind of candy bar.

"I guess Saki was originally from a rival ninja clan. Hamato's head took him in, so Splinter- before he was a mutant and all, grew up with him. I think things started going wrong when they both fell for the same girl. She chose Splinter- Hamato Yoshi, but Saki still loved her and tried to convince her to leave him. She was real torn up about it because she loved them both, but father was really caught up in wanting to keep the tradition of the Hamato clan. And around then, Saki had found out more about his own clan, the Foot."

He frowns. "You see where this is going, right?"

That’s... a lot. Tommy frowns.

“Uh, no, actually. Sounds like your lives are REALLY different from the cartoons we had.”

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