#good nuff

I had already trimmed the threads away. So here I am showing what needs reinforced as a quick fix for wearability.

I inserted a sleeve roll in order to keep the pocket and the body of the jeans separated.

I did a blanket stitch (I think?) all the way across with some polyester thread I got at the beginning of my sewing interests (before I cared about fiber content... but it's not going into the landfill for a long long time!

I then did the same for my phone hole.

At some point I also plan to add patches to these spots but they are once again usable!

So here it is! Chapter Commentary ch1 let's goooo

"She felt pity for the scientist. What was it like to be so ignorant you slept deeply even with a ticking bomb around your neck?" <- She actually feels some envy, even if she won't admit it, because Karai has never slept this soundly in her Life much less in a dangerous situation. She's puzzled by normal people's ability to NOT be on guard 24/7 but wishes she could sleep that nice

I REALLY AM a huge huge fan of this trope, the "X character was SECRETLY Y hidden monster species all along!" because of the amount of interpersonal shenanigans it can cause. This AU is a bit of a new one for me because most of the shenanigans are actually action packed over straight up personal drama haha

I like to think the cut Karai left on Stockman’s jaw in ch1 ended up scarring so he has a Cool AU Marker to tell him apart

That collar looks So uncomfortable Stockman how do you sleep in that thing

I guesstimate in later chapters that Karai is about 600lbs in her changeling form, but likely she weighs more (before losing a couple dozen pounds to injuries). Basically, she nearly busted Stockman’s desk sitting on it like that but she's prone to Sitting On Things when stressed. The height advantage gives her comfort

The way Karai speaks to Stockman in chapter 1 is deliberately very formal and unlike her. She's approaching it as both a potential professional deal and as a potential massive risk, so Stockman is actually about one wrong sentence away from being killed this entire chapter. He only realizes this way way way later. Karai relaxes her way of speaking to him later a TON and we see that she talks pretty casually with him by the end

Stockman staring at her curiously, Karai bristling over it. He's a scientist and she's a new creature he hasn't seen yet! But Karai is specifically Never Supposed To Be Seen. Staring makes her very very twitchy (stabby)

“You have plenty of choices. You just don’t want to play with your life enough to try for all of them. I can respect that.”

"When it was just your own life on the line, it was easy to gamble with it." <- There's two ways to interpret this. One: When your life is on the line, you'll do anything to win. Two: When just YOUR life on the line, you'll do anything to win. The first is Stockman, who is only in it for himself, who can afford to risk it all. The second is Karai, who has Miwa to think of, and therefore the only thing Karai HAS to risk is her OWN life, because Miwa’s comes first.

Technically the Kraang are a bigger threat than Gumm-Gumms, but because Karai's own priorities revolve around Miwa and herself, Gumm-Gumms are the far more important threat

“She’s your collar.” [Miwa] I just love this so much like Stockman caught on IMMEDIATELY and compared it to his situation in a heartbeat and realized in all of thirty seconds that Karai is just as much at gunpoint as he is

Karai loves her human form only in that it's technically Miwa. Otherwise, she fucking hates it. It's weaker, softer, squishier, her senses are awful, and changelings get Very Twitchy (Stabby) when they're forced to be in one form for too long. In a ninja compound, Karai doesn't get to use her natural form NEARLY enough

Karai’s chest scar isn't actually present in her human form. But she gets phantom pains

Karai is that meme of crying her heart out for ten minutes and then her alarms go off and she's back to working without any issue. Gotta be efficient with your breakdowns

Karai projecting right off the bat that the Hamatos will hate her purely for being what she is. This is both from experience and from her own feelings. Aha 💔

It took you 15 chapters honey but you finally killed Shredder 🧡

I dislike a lot of the turns of phrase in here. I have cognitive difficulties and getting back into writing after two years of struggling just to function, that's been most evident with getting words to go together the way they should. Sometimes there's certain ways I know words need to go together but I can't remember how? Or I get the entire sentence scrambled and have to go back later and reorganize. The intent is there, but the words get literally out of order. I spend a good few runs going over chapters to iron out those kinks but this early on it's especially easy for me to see where I was struggling on some parts. Fortunately practice makes perfect and even just a few chapters later there's a lot of improvement!

Suck it, health issues! I've been working hard to get my body back and now my mind is on the right track too!

Notable comments this chapter that made me giggle

please do not repost my art

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haha wow it’s been a bit since I’ve posted anything su related huh,