Casey Jones 2012 - Tumblr Posts
Day 3 of @traumas-tmntober-2024 Starvation:
Of Hunger And Heart
Words: 1802
Being raised in the dark sewers by a previously human rat mutant wasn't a recipe that lended well to healthy eating habits. Mikey is often underesrimated but his observation skills were always brilliant even as a small child who couldn't convey his feelings nor findings properly.
So he vompensated in a different way.
OR
Why Mikey will eat anything.
Michelangelo hadn't always been considered a glutton. Someone who would eat anything whether it was edible or not. He had picked this trait up very early on, however.
His earliest memories were shrouded in. darkness. It was also cold and wet and the walls echoed any noise that was made. The echoes of growling stomachs and soft whines were deafening and he could remember holding his hands against his tympanum to stop it.
That made hearing his father's quiet crying and lack of presence ever more obvious, at least to him. Raphie and Lee and DeeDee were still asleep in the turtle pile but Mikey was a light sleeper and his Chichi's fur and warmth was gone.
Mikey didn't get out from under his siblings even though he desperately wanted to. Mikey never sought out his papa or told him he'd witnessed many moments like this. Times where in the dim light he could make out the hunched form of their sensei holding his keepsakes from his first family or quietly counting tins of food.
It wasn't easy to see with the streaks of the far away streetlamp that his younger self had dubbed 'the mini sun,’ either. It was in this low light surrounded by his brothers that he had made the decision to be as helpful as he could. Whilst watching them play he'd keep him distracted, drawing him out of that hauntingly distant look. He would demand his attention and affection to keep him in the moment. He knew it upset Chichi when he was awake late at night. So, he would make up for the sad nights by getting up early to babble and take his mind off of what was upsetting him.
Most of all, Michelangelo would never refuse any food he was given. Unlike Raphie who would refuse foods that looked gross or he knew would taste weird, or Dee, who had cemented what he liked early on and never even tried anything new. He never complained about the food like Lee used to. He always ate without fuss.
Human food was difficult to attain for Sensei but he had tried when they were learning to turtle. He couldn't get money so he was forced to steal for what they needed, which he still tried to do in the most honourable way. He only took the bare minimum and he usually took what was already going to be thrown out and wasted.
It still proved too difficult to sustain. Having 4 babies to keep an eye on as he gathered blankets and formula and avoided witnesses and the sparse cameras was difficult enough but the danger of leaving his toddlers in the sewers as he scavenged alone made it even harder. Especially with some of the events going on at the time.
Mikey hadn't known any of this back then but there was a clear difference from seeing their father disappear every few nights to only seeing him leave once every few weeks, his shoulders taut with stress and exhaustion. Instead, often taking them throughout the sewers to collect sewer water and algae.
Mikey had loved the little bucket he had that was decorated with small painted pictures that he'd use to carry water and algae. He'd help Splinter separate the algae to be stored and to crush eggshells every now and then for the calcium. He did this whilst balancing precariously on the rickety chair they had found on the side of a road to reach the table that Splinter had rebuilt when it'd been thrown out with the bins.
He had first learnt to cook with his Chichi. Well, cooking was a loose term for everything they were doing. He wasn't allowed too close to the fire but Dee was because he was being taught how to purify the water so they could drink it. Instead, papa spent hours teaching him how to cure and plate and make the algae more palatable and something to do with hydraulics and his skills only expanded with age.
Mikey was the algae's biggest advocate. Chichi didn't love it but he bit his tongue and ate all of Mikey's dishes without a word and he was ever so grateful. That confidence and trust was what he needed.
Leo followed eventually, looking up to their Chichiue more and more and copying him but he still didn't find enjoyment from eating this food. Mikey had long banned him from the kitchen the few times he'd try to do something and destroyed parts of his kitchen. That boy could burn water and they did not have the resources for that!
Donnie didn't ever have anything nice to say about the algae but he'd usually hold his beak when Master Splinter ate with them. He only ate what was nutritionally required and sometimes not even that when he was cooped up in his lab. He'd snuck a few bits of lettuce at times, Mikey noted.
Raph ate the least of his food. He picked at it, threw it at his siblings and fed it to Mikey's favourite turtle at-the-time: Spike. That was why when Mikey was old enough he would always beg Sensei with his best puppy dog eyes if he could grab lettuce if nothing else. Raph would show his gratefulness with soft noogies and a quick thanks and less moaning about the food directly after. The first time he even let Miley look at his comics!
Mikey didn't like the algae either though but he didn't truly realise until he had that first slice of pizza on their 15th mutation day. Mikey didn't realise how hungry he was until that first greasy slice hit his tongue. The cheese stretched and clung to his teeth, the warmth of the dough filling his stomach like nothing ever had before. It was like tasting joy for the first time. Just having enough would never be the same.
Mikey didn't handle the change from no real food to having so much of it that well. He probably took advantage of April's kindness those first few months asking for outlandish ingredients and amounts of so many new foods. He finally got to cook! He got to make food his family actually enjoyed. He got to experiment with wild concoctions.
Mikey was hooked on seeing his family's eyes light up at his dishes and come running when the smell of food wafted out of the kitchen. He got genuine compliments and felt useful to the team!
There was another problem, however. He started hoarding food and snacks in his room and silently panicking when the hunger pangs returned. Suddenly, going without food like during times when they were held hostage or just on a long patrol were even harder even though he knew he had gone days without anything when he was much younger. A few hours shouldn't scare him so much. It was a weakness he hid and buried deep down.
He and Casey often hung out in his room reading comics and holding their own really bad karaoke sessions or planning skating routes. Sometimes Mondo joined in. He hadn't expected Casey to find his stash when he hadn't before in all the times they'd hung out in his room.
Casey had held Michelangelo tightly and stayed quiet for a while until he dropped the bomb on him. “I understand.”
Mikey may be more in touch with his emotions than his brother's but he still wasn't a cry baby. Though he isn't afraid to admit that he ugly sobbed into Casey's shoulder and got snot everywhere.
Once he had settled down, Casey had promised not to tell the others so long as he spoke to his dad and let him clean the food out. Mikey agreed and Casey got to work. He didn't ask Mikey to throw out the food Casey could tell he was itching to hide it again. Instead Casey took the fresh produce and binned it. Mikey jumped in at first unable to let go of the food. What if they needed it? The apple was only a little rotten, it could sustain him for a bit if they couldn't get more food. He couldn't just waste it! Casey gently wrestled it out of his hands and sat him down.
“You know how shitty my sperm-donor is? Well he wasn't good at buying food for his offspring either. We don't usually have food I can hide but whenever there's free food handouts or some food going out of date I could take or Murakami's leftovers Ianaged to store up I'd hide em. They'd be gone within a few hours if I put them in the kitchen and not cause my little sister had eaten it either.” Casey stopped for a moment to breathe. He wrapped an arm between the lip of Mikey's carapace and his neck and pulled him closer.
“What I'm trying to say is you deserve better and this food is gonna get you ill. I'm not saying go cold turkey but leave the stuff that goes off out of your room. You hear me?” Casey grinned at that last but, using his other arm to lightly punch Mike's arm. The giggle that was pulled out of him had them in a better mood, joking as they continued.
Mikey still itched to stop Casey touching his hoard but he stayed disciplined and forced himself to watch as Casey finished binning all the gone-off food and placing the snacks that wouldn't go out if date or at least soon in a little box. He'd also taken the random bits like the tin if kidney beans out. It overwhelmed Mikey even though he hadn't actually done anything but everything felt so big and strange.
Mikey put the small box under his bed and hugged Casey again. He felt so lucky one of his best friends cared so much, hadn't judged him, and let him keep some snacks. He forgot he had promised to talk to his papa until Casey mentioned he'd ask about it the next time he came over.
Mikey was thoroughly stuffed. That was not going to go well but he decided that was a tomorrow Mikey problem. For now, Mikey was going to make sure Dee had eaten and then maybe head to bed.
He felt lighter and anxious all at once and it was a feeling he felt was best slept off. Maybe he could put off talking to Sensei if he talked to Casey about it instead.
How could he tell Chichi that, despite all his sacrifices, it hadn't been enough? That they had still gone hungry? He wouldn't do that to him. He couldn't bear to hurt him like that.
The thought was forced out of his mind as he dragged open the lab's sliding door.
Hello!!! Thanks for making it this far, I appreciate it and hope you enjoyed it!! This fic is very personal to me and a lot of it is my own projections adapted to fit my child: Mikey!
Chichi and Chichue both are japanese endearments for father that I believe the tots would use more than sensei and Mikey would still use as he does Papa in the show.
Mikey mentions hyrdaulics but he's actually misinterpreted this as its hydrolisis, one of the ways algae is treated and the egg shells are actually for the calcium carbonate needed.
I have so many little tidbits in these fics I add in like Casey having a little sister and using his IDW backstory as inspiration for Casey's backstory. Also a lot of these are headcanons that are reflected in fanfics like Hey Sunshine by @leadenn (my favourite fanfic series!! sorry for the tag but its so worth the read!) and I'd love to hear about my writing criticisms and all from those who bothered to read it!!! Thanks for listening to my tangent, enjoy yourselves!!
Edit: Tyyy so much to my mate who beta read this just as I posted and pointed out a few mistakes, theyve been fixed now!!
Random 2012 headcanon:
When the main six were little, these are the jobs that they wanted when they grow up:
Leo wanted to be a martial arts teacher.
Raph wanted to be a boxer.
Donnie wanted to be a scientist.
Mikey just wanted to be famous.
April want to be a teacher.
Casey wanted to be police officer.
These are the jobs they want now:
Leo still wants to be martial arts teacher.
Raph doesn't really know what he wants to be, but if he can get to fight someone then he's good.
Donnie either wants to be a scientist or a science professor.
Mikey still wants to be famous.
April wants to be a reporter or a journalist.
Casey can't decide between Pro hockey player, or Bounty hunter.
I can see Donnie and Casey doing something like this.
purely for chaos
Science.
Now I just need Casey and Donnie blowing shit up for science.
Random 2012 headcanon
Casey has a lisp
That's all I have to say.
Casey being high.
A very high Casey Jones walks into the lair.
Leo or April: Casey are you high?
Casey: What???
Donnie or Raph: High?
Casey: Hi 😊
Mikey would be recording all this cause Casey is hilarious when high.
Oh yeah got the idea off tiktok.
Do I have to say anything else?
You know with all the ships I've seen Casey in all I can think about is how he took the Skittles commercials way to seriously...
This is a joke-
Just a little head canon :>
So in one episode (can't remember which) Casey breaks a rib or two. Casey being Casey decided not to go to the hospital and there for his ribs never healed correctly. So now everytime he sneezes, or coughs really hard, Casey gets a jolt of pain. The others have told him to go to the hospital but Casey still refuses
Here some more endings for you @starlightshadowsworld my friend
This is from what @nrrrdgrrrl2002 said in the comments also my spin from the mutagen drug story they made too.
"Ugh-" Casey kick an empty water bottle across the alley, then cried out annoyed, "there's nothing to do!" Donnie look over at him, "Isn't that good? I mean if no crime is happening then no people are getting hurt." Casey paused then said, "I hate to admit that you have a point...but no crime-" a secretary alarm cut him off. "Let's go check that out guys." Leo says as he began to claim the fire escape.
Getting to the site the group of teens see what cause the alarm, purple dragons. Casey was expecting Leo to say something like 'Okay team let's go into this carefully' or something like that, but none of that came. Everyone just jumped into the fight without any regard, shocking him. He jumped after them not wanting to miss any action. "I'm glad for an easy fight!" Raph started, then he hit one of the dragons over the head, "I'm still sore from yesterday's training!" Mikey chimed in, "I'm with you dude! Easy fight means an easy wi-" Mikey was knock into a dumpster causing it dent. "Mikey? Ah-" Donnie started but he was flung into a nearby wall, almost everyone was. It took a few seconds for everyone to gain their bearings and it only a little bit longer to see what hit them. A mutant. A new mutant. The thing was huge, its tail was about the size of Raph, not to mention it's claws. "W- what is that?" Casey asked not really wanting an answer. "I have no clue, but it isn't friendly..." Mikey says quietly. The mutant head did a full 180, when it heard that they were all awake, it's body turned very soon after that. "Everyone move!" Leo shouted when the thing started to charge that them. The mutant hit the wall face first just barely missing everyone. "Do we fight it?!" April yelled still on the floor. "Can we even fight it?!" Mikey asks. "We need to try! It can't just run loose in the city!" Leo yelled back.
After a long fight the mutant got away with the dragons. "I- is everyone okay?" Leo asked out of breath from the fight. There was a out of breath yes here and there and some nods. April looked over at something then said, "Hey guys...I think they left something over there." She pointed to something by the dumpster. It didn't take long to see what she saw, it was something glowing. "The hell?" Casey said also staring. Donnie walked over to the dumpster and carefully uncovered the glowing object. It was a bunch of syringes full of mutagen. "Woah..." Donnie says, "Hey Raph, Casey do you think that you could carry this?" They look over the crate of mutagen. "Yeah we can" Raph says, Casey nodded in agreement. Raph looked the crate over, "Hey put those syringes in you jacket pocket and then help me with the crate." Casey did what he was told not really caring much about the possible problems that could happen if one of the syringes happened to break. Once the group was that the lair the syringes were placed in Donnie's lab. April and Casey went home to tired to continue with anything after the fight.
A few weeks later Casey had ran into the dragons again but wasn't able to beat them in a fight. His eye was already bruising when he had entered the lair. When the others asked what happened and when he explained the others all started to laugh. "How did you lose that badly?" Raph ask in fits of laughter. "To the purple dragons too!" Leo added. "Did you lay down too fight them??" Mikey chimed in. "He probably helped them by kicking his own ass!" Donnie says with his own laughter. Casey left the lair after that, while tears threatened to leave his eyes.
When he reached his apartment, he fell onto his bed and cried. To Casey's luck his dad was out on the town and his sister was at daycare. While crying Casey lifted his head and saw something glowing, he wiped his eyes and went over to investigate. The glowing was coming from one of his jackets. Casey carefully put his hand into the pocket and pulled out a syringe. "Woah...guess I forgot to give this to Dee." Casey chuckled. He got up and put the syringe into a drawer out of reached from his sister, he give it to Donnie in a few days. Though the next few days weren't the best for Casey. He was still being laughed at by the turtles and school hadn't treated him great either.
A week after these incidents Casey had stormed out of the lair in the rain and cold. Getting into his room Casey tried to calm himself down but his efforts were in vain. He was far to hurt emotionally and some what physically to think clearly, his eyes fall upon at drawer. His thoughts clouded by emotions he pulled open the drawer and pulled out the syringe. Casey hesitated for a second but with emotions running high he stabbed it into his arm.
Pain instantly shot through his body and he curled himself into a ball. Casey body started to change in unnatural ways, and he screamed until he vomited. After what seem like hours the pain finally stopped and Casey felt something was off. Something physically and mentality. He looked over to a mirror. "Holy fu-" Casey started to say his voice raspy and hoarse, but he was interrupt by the door to his apartment opening and his dad's drunken voice yelling if anyone was home...
Headcanon!
Casey flirts with his close friends. He only really does it jokingly. Sometimes Casey will flirt with someone and they flirt back, but that honestly just confuses him.
Just like:
Casey- So how's the most beautiful person in the world doing
Mikey- I don't know, how are you?
Casey- ?
Back with some ✨headcanons✨ both are about Casey:
Either Casey is financial normal, not poor, not rich, just living family. Or! He is just like Fred from Big Hero 6. I see no in between.
Okay so a fairly popular fan theory (headcanon?) is that Casey is trans. Specifically that he is a trans woman.
So would "Noel's Lament" basically be Casey's theme song?
*slowly hits the reblog button..*
(Don’t judge me I think their cute-)
Let me be the void you fill with Taxidermy fingerprints, taxonomies our differences
I’m sorry but this just seems so canon to me LOL
also yea if you want to draw this you can because this is just too funny to me (but make sure to tag me be I would love to see it)