#tmnt fandom discourse

[cupcakeslushie]

I’ve been debating on saying something because I have a lot of thoughts about this, but I just want to say a quick (maybe not so quick) thought…

“Comfort Character” is not a declaration of ownership. Just because you relate to a character deeply, and see yourself in them, does not mean you get to go around policing the stories that get told regarding them, or the how they’re depicted in said stories.

I wanna be clear. Im not saying you can’t pose genuine questions and have perfectly reasonable discussions about the intricacies of hard topics. In fact, fiction can even help make those discussions easier to digest by lowering the stakes, because there are not any actual stakes when none of it is real.

Unfortunately, I’ve been seeing the entire opposite. People taking stories that may make them “uncomfy”, and declaring that they’ve now decided they are taking it personally, to near obsessive levels. You are not the only one allowed to play with these characters. It is a huge sandbox, and these toys are mass produced enough for everyone to have their own doll to do with whatever they’d like.

I get you might see yourself in a character, but that doesn’t give you the right to go around sending death threats just because someone wrote, or drew your current blorbo in an unfavorable light. Prioritizing some cluster of lines and colors over the mental health and safety of actual real human beings, is worse than whatever fictional, moral “atrocity” that you think you’re championing against. You only end up sounding just like the people calling for book banning in schools.

You are not the character. You are not being hurt. The character is not even being hurt, because they do not in fact, exist to actually experience any of the pain creators are putting them through. And most importantly, you have no claim on how other people entertain themselves with said character. Because that is what these characters are. Entertainment. They can be used in good or bad stories. If you don’t like how a creator is using them. Move on. Don’t send death threats or attacks.

Block and filter your tags.

I have triggers, but that is my issue to control and maintain. It is appreciated when steps are taken by creators to help me avoid the things that trigger me, but I don’t wish death and pain on anyone who doesn’t view the world through the same lens as myself, and might not have considered my own personal feelings on the matter. My feelings of unease or anxiety from coming into contact with my own triggers, might be valid, but initiating an attack on a creator, because I took a personal offense to their story, is not. I do not outright assume that something was created with me and my tastes in mind.

Also, this is not aimed at any one person. This is a rampant issue that I have seen first hand, going back all the way to more than a year ago. I’ve seen it happen in multiple fandoms, but as I spend most of my time in the Rise fandom, that’s where I see the worst of it. I’ve received attacks, I know other creators have received attacks, and if this keeps up, creators will just stop wanting to share anything at all.

I also need to emphasize, I’m not mad. This is not a lashing out. This is just a frustrating and hurtful trend to constantly witness, when creators are putting their own heart, time, and energy into creating intriguing and complex works of all kinds in order to broaden the beauty of this fandom, and they’re getting anonymous messages to kill themselves.

Please think about the real life person behind the art and stories you are consuming, instead of prioritizing the fictional comfort of made up characters inside the story, that will in actuality, never have any opinions on what’s being done to them. Because they do not exist.

[whyamiheretumbled]

Okay hot take but after seeing like the callout post remnants imo y'all bullied a person who cannot be above the age of 15(and even that's generous) off the internet for being emotionally dysregulated, misinformed, and making a silly callout post.

TO ADD the people harrasing this minor are not only grown ass adults, but grown ass adults with Major following accounts like pastellian or lemillion...and as much as I disagree with the nature of the post, harrasing a minor off the internet, when you claim to follow the "block" and ",do not harras" rule while harrasing and NOT BLOCKING is geuinley insane behaviour and the worst shit i have seen

Geuinley where was this energy when sarathewizard drew blackface...? Oh? What's that? Nobody cared? Oh okay then

[quadrantadvisor]

I feel like these days we get so much criticism of the dynamics in 2012 that the characters get kind of flattened by the fandom, so I wanna say that 2012 Raph is not just a one-dimensional bully character, he's got a lot more caring and emotional intelligence than he gets credit for. Yeah, he has an obvious protective streak, but even beyond that, he's always his brother's number one supporter, even when he disagrees with them.

He's highly critical of Mikey's desire to make human friends, but when Mikey goes out to do it anyways and it blows up in his face with Bradford, Raph is the one to comfort him and tell him he deserves better.

He thinks Donnie's crush on April is delusional, but helps him out at every chance he gets, removing Donnie from embarrassing situations of talking him up in front of April. When Casey comes into the picture, Raph tells him point blank that it doesn't matter that they're best friends, and it doesn't matter how bad Donnie's chances are, Raph's on Donnie's side in this.

And when Leo starts sneaking out to see Karai, Raph is the one who notices, tells him off, and tries to get him to stop. He doesn't tell anyone else, though. He wants Leo to make good choices, but he respects him enough to let him make bad ones without getting the rest of the family involved. They'd all be on Raph's side, but he doesn't need them to all gang up on Leo like that, even if he's not listening.

Basically, Raph cares about his brothers, including their emotional well-being, even when it's not obvious. And yeah we should criticize the writing and how harsh it gets and how there's no resolution to the ways certain characters are treated, but I get tired of seeing complex characters be villainized and sometimes I just wanna read fanfiction that is nice?????? So that's my thesis I guess lol

[sp4cec4se]

STOP SCROLLING

Watch Alley Dreamer's new video!!!

[chubbibunni]

Hey man could you maybe write some personality in that character besides being arm candy to another male lead and maybe explore his insecurities and strengths and how the horrors™️ bring out both sides of him thanks

[toonfinatic]

Are you looking for a fandom discord server??? Here are your options!!!!

-hugemassive server with ten gazillion people where you are going to be called a slur and if you complain it's your fault

-server clearly full of kids

-dead server with 7 people where no one answers you

-server with an overflowing vent channel and daily discourse, infighting or complaining

-server in a language you don't speak

-server where everyone is already friends and you just can't get into the group and are just like, standing there awkwardly

[mrsblackruby]

Personally I actually think the mutant mayhem movie ended really sad. I think the turtles will be seen as pawns of the machine more than as actually being truly accepted. The turtles got the fantasy they wanted but they shouldn’t have had to prove themselves like that to be accepted. It felt like a “oh you’re helping me now I’m gonna help you” but what happens when the turtles want something that helps them all but the humans don’t see it that way. I was enjoying the movie up until the end because I see tragedy looming in the air for my boys they aren’t truly free. Living like that under human rule and domination, and I hope one day they see that. Also same for April girl them people fake. The humans haven’t done the actual work yet the turtles shouldn’t have to placate their fears with servitude. If the ending were to actually make me happy Their agency should be respected sometimes the turtles will make mistakes and they shouldn’t have to risk being discriminated against because of that. That ending made me sad but I feel like people would expect it to make me happy personally it did not.

I feel like the turtles are trapped in a box where they’re expected to perfectly fit into how human society works now but what if the way human society works isn’t a prefect fit for them will people just expect them to be grateful they don’t have to live in the sewer system their entire lives anymore? It was a tragic ending for me personally I just don’t see it working out until that situation’s made more clear for the mutants and things didn’t seem cleared up by the end. I still liked the movie. But I don’t have my rose colored glasses on.

[houseofpurplestars]

Let me explain something to antis: when you put "x dni" in your tags, it puts your post IN THE TAG that you are "dni-ing."

So what you are doing is GOING INTO THE TAG OF THE THING YOU SAY YOU DON'T WANT AND SAYING DO NOT INTERACT.

Have you ever considered NOT tagging the thing you DON'T want? Maybe just don't interact with the thing that you dont want to interact with you? Unless....of course....you live for the drama??????

[greengoddesssmoothie]

As much as I love Arcane, the fandom “discourse” is getting to me. I’m too old for this shit.

[returntosunder]

✨️INTRO POST✨️

Hi! This is my Alt account for my Undertale/Utmv Art! My main account is @artofeden . All of my likes and follows come from that blog

~BASIC BOUNDARIES~

Feel free to use my art for Pfps, headers, anything like that! My only request is to give proper credit

Reposts are ok as well, but just give proper credits please

Im very anti Ai, and i do not consent to use my art for that shit

Feel free to send art requests and asks, just know I'm not obligated to answer them (or I saw them late, for that I apologize)

Im also a very anxious person, so I probably won't answer dms often

This is gonna mostly be an SFW blog. i will NOT draw sexually explicit art.

However, i CAN draw gore/horror art. I will put the proper trigger warnings and a cut to those pieces, but just be aware

My bluesky!

◇Links◇

-My Ink and my Human Ink designs

-My Swap and Dream Designs

-DTIYS!!! Join whenever you want, there's no deadline and it's just for fun <3

- My Temporary Sona ref. I'll make a new one later ^^

♡Tags i use♡

#my art to see all my drawings

#sunders sketchbook for my traditional art

#sunders asks

#sunders reblogs

#sundersdtiys

#sunders ramble for when I just need to say something stupid :p

#Sharing aus Everyone sharing their lovely creations

This blog is a bit Ink centric, but know i love other characters too! Feel free to request any character or Aus i should draw, especially cause I still am learning some new aus or trying to relearn other ones (feel free to info dump as well lol)

My favorites are Ink and Nightmare, but I also love Cross, Dust, Fresh, and Lust (note: I just like his design and not his original au)

And Aus i enjoy are Dancetale, Reapertale, and Dreamtale

Fandoms!!!

♡ means I'm currently actively obsessed with

♡ UT/DR/UTMV, ♡ Lego monkie kid, Cult of the lamb, ♡Epic: The musical, ♡ Cookie run kingdom, Arcane, ♡TADC, ♡ Murder drones, ♡ ENA, ♡ Welcome home, ♡In Stars and Time, Hellaverse, Tmnt, Poppy playtime, Indigo Park, Mouthwashing, Fnaf, Bnha, Sonic, And any game from Studio Investigrave

IMPORTANT

I can't control who follows me, and honestly, I'd rather be left out of any fandom ship discourse. however, I am deeply uncomfortable with proshippers, and I'd rather u not interact with my page.

I will not tolerate any weird asks, and I WILL block you if i feel like it. im only here to post art and look at art. I have tags and people blocked, so i dont see stuff i don't like.

I'm not confrontational, and I don't like drama, I wanna avoid it as much as possible.

I will update this occasionally. All that being said, have a wonderful day <3

[teojira]

[ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴏ ᴀᴛᴇ ᴀ ꜱᴛᴀʀ]

ᴛᴇᴏᴊɪʀᴀ (ᴇꜱᴛ 2ᴋ24)

《Introduction》 +

《! Please read me !》

¤ Hi! My name is Teddy and this blog as it says on the tin, is a multifandom blog! I'm into a wide range of characters and interests, so I'm sure I have something that'll strike your fancy!

¤ This is an 18+ blog. This is to keep me and you safe should you be a minor. Please stay away! I can't police you, but use common sense.

¤ I will not deal with discourse here, don't like what I write or who I write for? Block me and move on, I don't care.

¤ I am a woman person of color, no hatred towards ANY group is tolerated here. It will end in an IP address block.

¤ My interests fluctuates alot, I have severe adhd and some characters will get special treatment depending on which mood I am in!

¤ I'm always down to chat and make conversation but please remember I'm human and I have a job outside of tumblr, this is just a hobby for me! Please be kind and understanding.

《RULES/GUIDELINES》

¤ Every character I will write romantic ideas for must be of age. Any minor will ONLY be platonic. (Exception being the tmnt brothers, they are aged up accordingly.)

¤I write comfort, fluff, angst, pretty much anything tbh.

¤ My own rule of thumb is that if a furry character is sentient, can consent and is of age, and speaks/thinks/acts like a human, it is akin to monster loving. (Harkness scale pretty much). I don't care for your take on it, block me if you disagree!

¤ I will not write nsfw if you are on anon, your age must be somewhere on your blog. I will delete it from my askbox.

¤ A please and a thank you go a long way!

¤ I usually write with she/her pronouns or gender neutral pronouns.

¤ I am not looking for critique, this is all for fun. This is a heavy boundary, I will block if you do this.

¤ NSFW will be tagged accordingly so you can black list, if I forget to tag something, kindly let me know. I am not responsible for your experience beyond that, act accordingly if I write something you don't like.

¤ Please include some details with your requests, such as character and a general idea on what you'd like me to write! Please don't write an essay in my ask box.

¤ Things I will not write: Pregnancy, Underage, harder kinks (Scat/Noncon/vore/piss), Character harming reader physically, Parenthood, character x character.

Not sure if I write something? Just shoot me a text!

¤ Do NOT share my writing anywhere else (Quotev, Ao3, wattpad, Tiktok). A Simple reblog is appreciated here and only on tumblr.

¤ Comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated! It's nice to know something I wrote was loved!

And finally what we've all been waiting for, put your hands together for the :

《 Fandoms I write for》

Genshin impact

Honkai Star rail

Transformers

Tmnt

Monsterverse (platonic only for the Kaijus)

Planet of the apes (remake) (NO nsfw)

My hero academia (Dabi and Tomura only)

Demon slayer

Overwatch

Twisted wonderland

Devil may cry

Apex legends (Revenant only)

Fire emblem three houses

Puss in boots: the last wish (Death only)

Stranger things (Eddie Munson only)

Red dead redemption 2

The Wolf among us (Bigby only)

Five nights at freddys: Security Breach

Sonic (platonic for everyone except Shadow)

DC comics/ DCEU

Horror icons/slashers

Countless other video game characters probably lmao.

Though I write for many fandoms, I'm more comfortable with specific characters so I'll let you know if I'm comfortable enough to write for them!

Don't see a character you're sweet on? No worries, shoot me a text and I'll see if I know anything about them to whip something up for ya!

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴏᴏɴ!

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

[houseofpurplestars]

I feel so bad for the person in this ask. Anon, read the comic anyway. This artist cannot know nor are they entitled to your innermost thoughts. This artist cannot police thought crimes.

Artists, please embrace that you cannot control people's minds simply because they look at your art.

Why did you put up a dni? I've seen the practice around this fandom along with some really horrid insults and threats, and I don't get it. I personally haven't seen anyone who ships t-cest push it onto anyone who doesn't like it and I've only seen respectful interactions. You can do whatever you want, of course, and to respect your wishes I wont read your comic anymore. I simply wanted to understand because your comic has gotten me through a really rough patch in my life and I wish I could still read it

I did this because in the last few weeks I've been running into more and more people who think my comic has tcest and I am supporting tcest in general. And since I've done literally nothing for it, I think someone is spreading rumors that I'm a tcester? Which is deeply uncomfortable for me.

[toy-powerhouse]

The (not so) Thinly Veiled Anti-LGBTQ+ Bigotry in the TMNT Fandom (ft. mrabubu and bowandbrush)

The TMNT fandom has an anti-LGBTQ+ problem. But it's kind of subtle, so it may be hard for most to identify it. Sadly, and disturbingly, no community is safe from these forms of discrimination and fandoms are no exception to the rule. And, currently as an increasing number of nations are becoming more socially conservative, the rights and even existence of LGBTQ+ people are in peril. That said, the TMNT fandom has been around for several decades and with it comes the burden of years’ worth of bigotry. Of course, this won't be a comprehensive record of all anti-LGBTQ+ controversies found in the TMNT fandom. Instead, this will highlight a few subsets or types of anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes in the fandom specifically on Tumblr. A few rather popular fan artists on Tumblr uphold these attitudes both from a more secular and a religious perspective. These fan creators are so popular with their works being shared by other TMNT fans and casual TMNT enjoyers alike that their wide reach and appeal make it all the more prescient to call attention to their somewhat low-key bigotry. In other words, these fan artists with such abrasive and discriminatory views don't deserve having the large platform that they do to further spread vitriol against LGBTQ+ people, especially with how the TMNT fandom and franchise has become more inclusive and accepting of marginalized peoples over the years. Note: please read the alt text on each image.

Exhibit #1: Mrabubu, the Secular LGBTQ+ Bigot

Tumblr user mrabubu (aka Kishi) is a fan artist with mass appeal who's most known for her AU where (adult) Leo from Rise of the TMNT is in a relationship with a woman, and their love story is one of tragedy, joy, and out of character melodrama. Which is all well and good at first glance. Leo doesn't have a canonical sexual/romantic orientation and people can pair him off however they like. No one interpretation of the character's orientation is correct, and no one should be harassed over their interpretation of the character's orientation.

However, it's Kishi's needlessly incessant insistence that she doesn't headcanon Leo as gay or imagine him as being attracted to men that really should be raising more eyebrows at this point. While it's not right to accuse Kishi of being homophobic for not shipping Leo and Usagi or not interpreting Leo as gay, it's Kishi's persistent, and even aggressive protestations of not being homophobic that draw attention to that alleged homophobia. It's a real "you doth protest too much" sort of situation with Kishi having gone on longwinded rants about not portraying Leo as gay or interested in men at all. The following is just a small portion of Kishi's near constant complaining about queer headcanons and representation in the TMNT fandom.

In addition to that, Kishi only seems to discuss LGBTQ+ anything only within the context of this obnoxious shipping discourse. Meaning that virtually all of Kishi's posts about queerness are extremely negative and combative in tone. Kishi's adversarial attitude towards LGBTQ+ representation within the TMNT fandom is continued in two noteworthy situations.

Mrabubu Case 1

In mid-2024, one innocuous comment made on Kishi's work (Y/N:❌️ Usagi:✅️) sent Kishi on a warpath against Leosagi and the "Leo's gay" headcanon. A warpath that led her to another user, taringill (aka Vika), whose homophobic tendencies are much more overt and explicitly malicious. Somewhat paradoxically, Vika seems, at first glance, to be more accepting of queer headcanons than Kishi. However, the caveat is that she overwhelmingly favors mlw/hetero ships, shows very little interest in wlw ships, and virtually no interest in mlm. It turns out that, much like Kishi, she's willing to headcanon characters as bisexual, pansexual, aromantic, asexual, and so on, but only if they're mlw partnered or single. Thus, Vika is not beating the homophobic negotiations anytime soon, especially in light of reasons that will be discussed soon.

Vika asserts that the RotTMNT fandom is plagued like a disease by fans who headcanon Leo and other characters as being gay or lesbian and seems genuinely both confused and enraged that some people in the fandom don't prioritize mlw/hetero ships. Most of Vika's, subsequently Kishi's, ire stems from this YouTube video, "what made rise gay? | analyzing rise of the tmnt's queer coding" by heybuwan. The video just notes the queer subtext within the series and interprets the work through a queer theory lens while noting aspects that are queer affirming (i.e., Hypno-Potamus and Warren Stone as a canonical couple) and considers how such representation has limits as a children's program in a very much still anti-LGBTQ world. It's a nice video essay. Although, as a certified RotTMNT critic, I think the video hypes up the series too much, especially towards the end, but it's still a well-made video that’s worth a watch.

Nevertheless, Vika rants and raves about how (pro-)LGBTQ+ RotTMNT fans voicing their interpretations of the series being queer coded are somehow imposing that reading onto other fans and are erroneously asserting that their headcanon is canon. Vika's uncharitable and incorrect understanding of the video essay takes a turn for the worse when she repeatedly refers to these fans as being "crazy." She calls the video "schizophrenic nonsense" and claims that these fans are peddling "hallucinations and fantasies" for a "stupid agenda." With the long history of queerness and queer people being pathologized, notably homosexuality having been considered a mental illness within modern medicine in the not-so distant past, it's unsettling to see Vika perpetuate this idea that same-gender attracted people are clinically insane. All in all, Vika was so triggered by the video essay that she went on a petulant homophobic tirade using ableist language to discredit and shame fans for exploring queer coding in the series.

Vika Anti-LGBTQ+ Rant: Part 1 on July 8, 2024 (Warning: ableism and homophobia)

Vika Anti-LGBTQ+ Rant: Part 2 on July 8, 2024

But what does all this have to do with Kishi? Well, Kishi seems to agree, or at least doesn't express any opposing views to these extremely bigoted tirades. Vika tags Kishi multiple times in these rants and claims that she had discussed the matter privately with Kishi, which seems to be corroborated by Kishi's comments to Vika on Kishi's initial post about the one Leosagi favorable comment that seemed to kickstart Kishi's own anti-LGBTQ+ downward spiral.

The following is an approximate English translation of Kishi and Vika's exchange via Replies on the post seen above:

Kishi: sorry, I wanted to add a little at least in the comments, because I kind of understand what video you're talking about, and honestly, for me it's one of the most vivid proofs of how crazy some people are, because from the phrase when the author moved on to the section with Leo "And now let's talk about everything that… Is connected with Leo", I, honestly, was a little shocked at the start. And from the fact that, supposedly, people deny that Leo is gay and is proof of the opposite, I'm just, well, speechless.

There are actually a lot of thoughts, you can't really describe them in the comments, for the most part I expressed them in posts as softly as I could. I hope that people will start to understand something.

Vika: Yeah, I watched the video and… I didn't get it! I really thought Leo was gay because of his popularity and the fans forcing this headcanon. But at the same time, I never gave up on my headcanon. When I saw Ron's post… Oh, how good it is. It's actually great that the creators decided not to give an exact answer for free creativity, but… For some reason, the fans got it wrong

Yes, you're right… I really felt more comfortable in the fandom after such posts, support from other fans. Despite the fact that foreign fandoms are sick with such things, even American fans understand that something crazy is happening in their fandom, which is very pleasant for me personally

Oh, I noticed that you subscribed to me, nice :3 Kiss you on the forehead💋❤️

Kishi: and most of the "evidence" there is frankly far-fetched. Well, like about glam rock, like, Leo loves it, so he's gay. But the author has once again proven that he doesn't understand a damn thing about what he's talking about, because the genre itself is not about gayness at all, but rather about outrageousness, and debauchery and vulgarity in extreme cases. The guy has once again proven that people just want to see something that isn't there.

I like your thoughts xD

Vika: Thank you, colleague! And I thank you :)

Yes, yes, yes, I remember. Why Leo's behavior can't be perceived as his uniqueness, although it is. There is no hint of any orientation in his behavior. And if a person reasons in the style of "you like something wrong, strange, then you are gay." The tolerasts themselves think in stereotypes. If you are into glam, then you are gay, because they wear makeup. Curtain. The person has shit in his head.

Mrabubu Case 2

In 2024, there was a TMNT OC x Canon competition that Kishi and a few other popular RotTMNT fan artists were finalists in. One of these competitors received a hateful and homophobic message from an anonymous person on behalf of Kishi's OC, Ana.

Once this hate message was brought to her attention, Kishi addressed it on her blog in the most tepid way possible.

She doesn't admonish her fans specifically for slinging homophobic slurs at her competitors. After going on numerous rants about how she's totally not homophobic, she can barely string together a paragraph to discourage her fans from being homophobic. It's almost as if Kishi's much more concerned with and passionate about denying accusations of homophobia than she is about decrying homophobia. Kishi's homophobic pattern of behavior, coupled with her avoidance in calling out homophobia directly, has allowed homophobic attitudes to flourish and fester in her community of fans.

Kishi's bias against expressions of queerness in the TMNT fandom actually has been a bit of an open secret since late 2024, with a few fans having already raised the alarm. So, kudos to them!

Overall, Kishi just seems like a person whose homophobia and transphobia stems in part from how she doesn't find queerness to be appealing to her personally. Gay Leo is sexually/romantically incompatible with her self-insert cishet woman Ana, so she's very vocally against that headcanon. Trans man Leo isn't appealing to her either, and she doesn't want to understand that identity so she's very vocally against that headcanon. Kishi seems scandalized by and dismissive towards LGBTQ+ headcanons for not just Leo but most likely all fictional characters she engages with.

Bonus Content! Kishi continuing to whine about LGBTQ+ RotTMNT headcanons and bemoaning the potential for queer representation in the series on Reddit.

Now, let's move on to the next subset of anti-LGBTQ+ TMNT fans: the religious fans.

Exhibit #2: Bowandbrush, the Religious LGBTQ+ Bigot

Bowandbrush (aka Lexie) is a self-proclaimed "Jesus Freak" Christian who coincidentally is on friendly terms with Kishi making for an expanded universe of LGBTQ+ bigots because birds of a feather flock together. Much like, Kishi, Lexie also enjoys complaining about the popularity of Leosagi.

Anyway, there's much less to say about Lexie as Lexie's Likes (and her Reblogs), which are currently public at the time of my posting this, speak for themselves:

This is a pretty open and shut case. Lexie is just your run-of-the-mill bigoted conservative Christian who thinks being LGBTQ+ is sinful according to religious dogma that supposedly denounces queerness. However, this religious dogma has been contested and debunked over the years. Regardless, there are LGBTQ+ affirming religions and strains of Christianity and it should go without saying that any belief system that condemns marginalized peoples for simply being who they are is a deeply flawed belief system.

After having fallen down this rabbit hole of somewhat hidden bigotry within the TMNT fandom, I'm left feeling less safe in my place within it. Very naively, I had taken for granted the growth of the fandom into a more inclusive space in recent years and almost forgot that there are fans who are by no means truly friendly or accepting of LGBTQ+ people.

Recently I shared with a fellow fan my idea for an AU and this interaction went fairly well. That was up until I mentioned that there would be wlw and mlm pairings featured in the story at which point the fan wanted to break off communication with me citing how there are things they're not comfortable sharing or talking about, especially involving their real life. There is a chance (plausible deniability and all) that this fan may have cut contact with me for other reasons not related to LGBTQ+ bigotry. However, considering the context, I have my doubts. This fan often shies away from LGBTQ+ anything on their blog, has never posted anything pro-LGBTQ+, and seems to be a homophobic Christian fundamentalist if their Like history is anything to go by. It made me think about how there are people in the TMNT community, many in fact, who hide their bigotry for fear of being made to face the consequences for their discriminatory attitudes that oppress marginalized people.

These bigots in the fandom often don't voice their support of LGBTQ+ people and their rights. They avoid mentioning anything about LGBTQ+ representation or when they do, it's almost always for the purpose of conveying a negative sentiment (i.e., repeatedly voicing their distaste for popular LGBTQ+ headcanons or wlw/mlm ships). They cultivate fan spaces that are LGBTQ+ neutral at best or LGBTQ+ negative at worst, where LGBTQ+ people and their representation is begrudgingly tolerated or outright squashed. And, in this day and age where enthusiastic and unequivocal LGBTQ+ support is necessary and crucial to many, this neutrality or negativity is inexcusable.

These barely concealed bigots like Kishi/mrabubu and Lexie/bowandbrush do not deserve the space that they take up in the TMNT fandom. So, it'd be best to just block/ban/ignore/deplatform/exclude them and move on to greener pastures, especially in these very trying, unsafe times for LGBTQ+ people.

Well, enough negativity. Let's end this on a positive note!

To everyone else who isn't a bigot like Kishi and Lexie, please connect with and support LGBTQ+ TMNT fans. There are so many LGBTQ+ people in the TMNT fandom, and they and their works should be cherished and celebrated, especially over bigots like Kishi and Lexie. LGBTQ+ fans, let's make some noise and please stay safe out there. Cis straight fans, please raise awareness and support us.

[artofeden]

✨️INTRO POST✨️

Hi :D

I realized i should also make an intro post for my main account cause some of my moots in my alt are getting a bit confused lmao. thas my bad ^^

My undertale/utmv alt account is @returntosunder Been spending most of my time there so

~BASIC BOUNDARIES~

Feel free to use my art for Pfps, headers, anything like that! My only request is to give proper credit

Reposts are ok as well, but just give proper credits please

Im very anti Ai, and i do not consent to use my art for that shit

Feel free to send art requests and asks, just know I'm not obligated to answer them (or I saw them late, for that I apologize)

Im also a very anxious person, so I probably won't answer dms often

My bluesky!

♡Tags I use♡

#my art

#Edens asks

#Edens reblogs

Fandoms!!!

♡ means I'm currently actively obsessed with

♡Lego monkie kid, ♡Ut/Dr/Utmv, Cult of the lamb, ♡Epic: The musical, ♡Cookie run kingdom, Arcane, ♡TADC, ♡ Murder drones, ♡ ENA, ♡ Welcome home, ♡In Stars and Time, Hellaverse, Tmnt, Poppy playtime, Indigo Park, Mouthwashing, Fnaf, Bnha, Sonic, And any game from Studio Investigrave

IMPORTANT

I can't control who follows me, and honestly, I'd rather be left out of any fandom ship discourse. however, I am deeply uncomfortable with proshippers, and I'd rather u not interact with my page.

I will not tolerate any weird asks, and I WILL block you if i feel like it. im only here to post art and look at art. I have tags and people blocked, so i dont see stuff i don't like.

I'm not confrontational, and I don't like drama, I wanna avoid it as much as possible.

I'll update this occasionally. Have a wonderful day ^^

[qoldenskies]

Hi, this is a silly question, but welp. Do you think publishing new content on ao3 pays off? I feel like the fandom is dying a bit and I don't know if it's worth writing ff :((

maybe this is just my personal opinion because i wasnt here at the height of the hype especially in 2022 (i watched the show in march 2024 and got into the fandom in june), but the rise fandom is not dying, dont worry.

there are posts here that frequently get thousands of notes, sometimes within days, fics that have gotten pretty popular that are RECENT, a whole culture of aus and events and zines that are still running.

ive been in dying fandoms (the pjo book fandom is so dead yall its joever) and in fandoms that were never even big in the first place (i was in a niche pokemon webcomic community that had upwards of maybe like 40 people active in its discord server, and most of the adults there were republicans or child groomers or usually both .... i know hell, i was there for like four years. trust me) and i havent been in a community as big as rise's since liiike. 2019, i think!

and regardless of any new official content coming out, its also good to note that there are a lot of active and dedicated tmnt fans who make official content for other, much older iterations too, and ive noticed a lot of the people who do are older which is definitely a good thing. fandoms at the peak of their hype are usually INSANELY preteen-infested and it's not a good environment i think should be desired. the discourse i see going around on tiktok right now is deranged but its not new by any means. i REFUSE to be a boomer because im only 18 and i know what its like to be 12, but i do not desire nor envy that kind of fame BAHFHDHGH

but like still. point i was getting to is that even if its not at its peak of popularity i dont think the fandom will be dying any time soon and it's not something to be afraid of. i can cite several fics that did wonderfully in numbers (although i dont recommend basing quality off that, its just important to note) despite being recent and have had the fandom in a chokehold as of late. canary continuity could probably count as one of those considering how crazy it was around november or so..... i miss november :')

i think we all kind of see ourselves like drops of water in a bucket and hesitate to come in so strong because we underestimate the importance of our own voices, especially because fandom attracts very socially anxious people, but a lot of the anxiety about engagement can be mitigated by engaging yourself and being the change you want to see! this also counts with creating content-- the thing about ao3 is that you can have completely different audiences for different fics unlike other platforms from what i've seen, so something may flop at first and then do really well later, or even take a while to kick off (cvd and coming undone have been getting some love lately ive noticed... i keep telling myself i'll continue them and then forgetting)

i'd say its definitely worth a shot to post, because ive noticed that ao3 comment sections are overwhelmingly positive in most cases. ive gotten some passive-aggressive or pushy comments before (usually out of confusion because they werent paying attention, which isnt my fault, or because theyre excited and what to see more, which i still do find flattering) but its always been in a sea of a lot of really wonderful people, which has been really helpful because i have disabling anxiety and constantly doubt myself haha.

i think the advice i see a lot of "write for yourself" is kind of unhelpful and doesn't get to the root of the problem because i think it takes away from the fact that art is such a deeply social part of human expression, and we create it to share it,,, i think a better way to put it is that you should write self-indulgently, and there's always a good chance of finding your people by the time you're finished-- i've connected with a lot of people with VERY similar tastes to me because of my writing and it's been miraculous because as great as my other friends are, their interests vary wildly from mine LOL. its worth it even if you dont kick off immediately!!! and of course i urge everyone to engage with artists and writers whenever you can, it means the world to them!!

[zee-rambles]

With the official confirmation from Paramount that there IS going to be an official TV series based on Mutant Mayhem, Tales of the TMNT, that will bridge the gap between MM and it’s sequel(two seasons long), what’re your thoughts? Do you think this’ll hamper any hope for a potential third season of Rise, or do you feel that people shouldn’t be harsh on it and appreciate it for being it’s own thing(I’m very much the latter lol)?

LONG post is LONG, but I really wanted to drive home the importance of this.

I don’t really have an opinion on the Mutant Mayhem show, TBH. I knew it was coming, because Nickelodeon is banking on MM to be a big hit, and it’s not that weird for them to try and squeeze as much money as they can from a new IP. The fact that this new series is going straight to paramount plus and not on Nickelodeon’s main channel is…confusing (Unless it’s actually going to Nickelodeon, in which case, so what? If Nickelodeon can have THREE different versions of SpongeBob airing on their channel, then I don’t see what excuse they can make for not having two versions of the TMNT out simultaneously. They’ve done it before too. 2012 and the Bay films were happening at the same time).

As for Rise, I don’t think hating on Mutant Mayhem or on its related shows is going to do much good. If anything, it’s going to create a divide between incoming fans of Mutant Mayhem, older Rise fans, and Rise fans that are looking forward to more TMNT content. If the show does air on Nickelodeon, it’s not like the kids watching it are going to know the discourse surrounding Rise. Review bombing, hating, and leaving bad faith reviews on anything Mutant Mayhem related isn’t going to bring Rise back. And it’s going to give Rise fans a bad rep, which will end up hurting Rise more, because no one would want to give a show a chance if its fan base is seen as toxic.

Trust me, no one wants Rise of the TMNT to come back more then I do, but I’m not going to go around discouraging or hating on on anyone that is excited for Mutant Mayhem. It’s one thing if you watch and don’t enjoy it, or choose not to support it, I’m not here to force anyone to do anything they don’t want to do, and it’s normal for people not to like something sometimes. If it isn’t for you, it isn’t for you. That happens. But hating it with a passion and posting that everywhere does nothing helpful for Rise.

The best thing would be if new TMNT fans and Rise fans came together to save the show. If more people knew about Rise, the movie, and if enough content keeps the fandom alive, raises interest in the show online, and keeps the show/movie from being fading away into the background, there’s a chance. The bigger the following Rise has, the more people asking for its return, the higher the chances. The more alive it is across social media, the better. What we need more then anything really, is visibility. Not enough people know about Rise. Danny Phantom still has a big following to this day, still has more people giving it a chance because the fans love it enough to keep it going. And people are seeing that. Watch Mojo released a video recently about shows that deserve to come back and Danny was on that list. Spectacular Spider-Man still gets new videos made of it all the time, and the fans STILL, even after all these years, ask for more.

We’re in an interesting position. I don’t think ANY other fandom has ever said, “Heck it! We’ll make our OWN season! Ya JERKS!” So support each other, keep asking for more Rise, keep making art, social media posts, videos, ask Cinema Wins and Cinema Therapy to review the movie, keep sharing and signing the petitions, recommend it to people, anime fans, non TMNT fans (I wasn’t a fan of TMNT until Rise), animation fans and so on. Always ask for the original producers, Ant Ward, Andy Suriano, writers, cast and crew to come back. Word of mouth is a powerful thing. The more people make an effort, the better. And don’t give up. Giving up is the one true for Rise fade away.

TLDR: No, hating on MM will NOT help Rise. BUT! Continuously making efforts to bring back Rise, support each other, raise awareness/visibility, will.