#Raph has big dad energy

[lactoseintolerentswag]

Rise Characterizations Pt. 4!!!!

Nearing an end with writing notes for turtles. Thinking of posting about April and Splinter separately, and then a big post for side characters.

Raph, Leo, and Donnie here. Now let's start with

Mikey Character Notes

Language Habits:

Catchphrase: "razzmatazz"

Tendency to "hoo-ha!"

Uses aave/bae

Like Raph and Leo, he will verbalize his attacks, but notably less than the aforementioned two. His most common phrases: "power whip jitsu" (chain moves), and "power fun jitsu" (use of his fire)

Shortens words/phrases in his excitement (i.e. the famous omigosh), but lengthens words in his wonder/amazement like drawing out wow into wooooooow

Uses a lot of idioms, i.e. "give us the 911", "hit the bricks", "you've been workin' a nerve"

Uses a lot of alliterations, especially when describing something

Refers to splinter as "pop" or "dad", with the rare "father" (usually for dramatics)

Will refer to others using "chico", "dude", or "man"

Answers the phone with "shell-o"

Personality:

Oblivious. A lot of stuff goes over his head, or he'll pick on the wrong thing to focus on. Like thinking they're part imitation crab men

Passionate. He throws himself into everything, whether that be cooking, fighting, or art. Sometimes this focus comes at his own detriment (i.e. forgetting to tell his brothers that Meatsweats mutated on t.v. bc he was cooking his pork risotto)

Optimistic, a dreamer. Not one to back down from doom and gloom, and is often among the first of the brothers to take action. Has a lot of perseverance

Believes the best in everyone. He can easily connect and empathize with others, most notably Draxum

Blunt, he doesn't hide his opinions and can accidentally be a little too harsh. On the other hand, he uses his persona of "Doctor Delicate Touch" to purposefully use his bluntness. He doesn't really much to hide on what he thinks about people

Sensitive, he's easily swayed by the emotion or pathos of others (read: gullible). This also mean his ego is easily damaged, which can contribute to his competitiveness with Leo at times and his inferiority complex with Raph babying him

The emotional heart of the team, he keeps the brothers grounded in empathizing with others

Energetic. Mikey's the wildcard. No one can guess what's coming out of his mouth next, and his fighting style is very innovative. All his energy gives him a charming amount of "razzmatazz"

Firey. Mikey's a pretty expressionate guy. He doesn't hide his emotions, and he doesn't really hide his anger. Sometimes this comes out in his bluntness, and sometimes this comes out in strained rage that has a boiling point

Looks up to his brothers. He has a lot of admiration for his older brothers. Whenever he's put in a corner he thinks what would Raph do, he's grateful for Leo's advocacy, and likes spending a lot of time with Donnie and his inventions. He also has a need to prove himself to his older brothers due to his admiration

Miscellaneous:

First to unlock mystic powers

Nicknames/code names: "Doctor Delicate Touch" and "Doctor Feelings" are self-proclaimed titles, "orange pawn" code name by Donnie, "Michael" nickname by Donnie, and "Flavortown" is his video game handle

Named his piggy bank "Mrs. Porky Coin"

Only chooses scissors in rock, paper, scissors

Has the top score in "Pance Pance Revolution" (rise's equivalent of DDR)

Well that's all the turtles for reference notes. I think I'll post Splinter next :)

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

Domestic Dream part 1: Unlikely Bonds

Bayverse!Raphael x reader

Part 2

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Let’s be real, most of us would want our parents to meet our S/O, even if they were a mutant turtle. So, here you go! Your mutant bf, Raphael, meeting your parents! In this version they are divorced.

Warnings: Spelling like always.

—-------------------------------------------

The bustling streets of New York City at night provided a chaotic backdrop as Raphael found himself nervously standing at the entrance of your apartment building. Well, he was actually on your fire escape to be specific, playing with his hands and calming his breaths. He had faced countless adversaries in the shadows, putting his life at risk for the sake of his brothers and the people of New York. At times the people of the whole world! But meeting your parents felt like an entirely different battle that frightened Raphael in many ways.

You, Raphael’s girlfriend, had insisted that it was time for Raphael to meet your family. Your parents, though divorced, still maintained a certain level of influence in your life, making it important for you that they meet. And Raph understood. Really, he did. He had the same feeling when you meet Splinter and his brothers. But right now Raph was scared. He really wanted to meet your family, but at the same time he was terrified. Most humans would be scared to meet the parents of their significant other, but to a mutant turtle it was different. It was a life he could only have dreamed of, and yet, that dream could be crushed so easily the moment your parents would lay their eyes on him.

From the fire escape Raph could hear your mother questioning you, asking why they would have to meet him so late, and why it was taking him so long. You had answered something along the lines of it being because of his job, and that he would be there any moment.

Raph took one last calming breath before knocking on the window. It took less than a second for the curtains to be pulled back, and your big smile to appear in front of him. As happy as it made Raphael to see you smile, he could only imagine what your parents thought of the sight.

As you opened that window, and let Raphael into your apartment, revealing the contrasting atmospheres of your mother's meticulous and orderly domain and your father's more laid-back, easygoing space, Raphael couldn't help but feel like a fish out of water.

The look on their faces was easy to read. This was not what they had expected, at all. Your father sat with eyes wide on the couch, your mother almost dropped her tea cup, while your little brother stared awestruck. Raph could feel his hands get clammy, even more so when you took his hand, and pulled him further towards your family.

“Mom, dad, this is Raphael. My boyfriend”, you said, tightening your grip on his hand. As much as Raph loved hearing those words come out of your mouth, he could not miss the look in your mother’s face. She did not like those words.

Your mother, an elegant woman with an air of sophistication, eyed Raphael with a critical gaze. "So, this is the… man… who has captured my daughter's heart?"

Raphael, though typically brash, found himself at a loss for words. He nodded awkwardly, stepping closer to you for comfort, "Uh, yeah… that's me".

Your father, on the other hand, leaned back with a casual grin, sizing up the unexpected guest, a smile appearing on his face. "Well, well. You certainly know how to make an entrance."

The initial atmosphere was tense, to say the least. Raphael shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny. However, a small figure emerged down in front of him, breaking the tension.

"Is that the Hulk?!" Your little brother, a wide-eyed bundle of energy, exclaimed, rushing forward with unabashed enthusiasm, poking to Raph to see if his muscles were real. "That's so cool!"

Raphael, caught off guard by the sudden change in tone, couldn't help but crack a smile. "Yeah, kid, I guess so. But I’m actually a turtle"

As your little brother bombarded Raphael with questions about the Turtles' adventures, a subtle shift occurred. Your parents - especially your mother’s - initially skeptical, began to see a different side of the usually stoic and tough Raphael - the side that made you fall for him.

Over dinners and movie nights at your place, Raphael shared tales of the Turtles' battles and the challenges they faced. Your mother, once reserved, began to appreciate the depth of Raphael's loyalty and commitment to his brothers and to you.

Your father, a fan of unconventional stories, found himself genuinely interested in the tales of a city saved by four mutant turtles. At one time you overheard your father and Raphael talk about the time they faced the Shredder, only for your father to yell in excitement: “You know the Falcon!?” Slowly but surely, the initial skepticism waned, replaced by an acceptance that this unusual, green-skinned figure was an integral part of your life.

As weeks turned into months, Raphael became a fixture in your family gatherings. Your little brother, once enamored by the novelty, now regarded Raphael as a big brother figure, seeking his advice on everything from school projects to ninja moves. Raph had to go into another room and hug you in silence, the day your brother told him he wanted to do a project on ninja history.

One evening, as you all sat around the dinner table in your apartment, your parents exchanged a knowing glance. Your mother spoke first, "Raphael, I must admit, I misjudged you initially. You've proven to be a strong protector and a source of stability for (Y/N)."

Your father chimed in, "And you're not half as bad as I thought you'd be."

Raphael, a bit taken aback, nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, I guess. I never thought I'd be sitting at a dinner table like this. It means a lot to me".

Your little brother grinned, "Well, you're officially part of the family now, Raph!"

And in that moment, as laughter filled the room, it became clear that sometimes the most unlikely bonds could be the strongest ones. And that Raphael’s dream of a normal life maybe wasn’t just a dream anymore.

—-------------------------------------------------------

I had to show some love for the big man😭❤️

[kikithedreamerwriter]

Y/N x Bayverse!Turtles

let me know if you want to be a part of my taglist!

🗣️ taglist: @sharpwindow @pheradream-15

Imagines #1: Baby Fever

I recently started watching Sweeth Tooth on Netflix (seasons 1 was 🔥) and this what if has been at the back of my time for MONTHS.

I know that it may be physiologically impossible for mutant turtles to produce with humans BUT HEAR ME OUT.

What if? There was this worldwide pandemic that only affected females. For months, women would not have their period, their temperature would always be at the high 30’s, they would have constant chills, fatigue, and pain in their uterus. Then one day, everyone affected by the disease just suddenly got better as if nothing ever happened. When these women got pregnant, ninths months later, their babies weren’t just normal humans with normal round faces and small hands and feet. NO. But humans with animal features. Like Sweet Tooth!

So when Y/N, months after contracting the mysterious disease and who has been in a stable relationship with (name your turtle), began experiencing morning sickness, mood swings, weird cravings, and no period, she takes a pregnancy test and to her surprise… it’s positive. Maybe the disease somehow changes the physiology of the human female reproductive system? (Insert your own theory/imagine here!)

What do you guys think? 👀

I’d imagine the offspring to still look quite human with a human face, scales from their of their neck to the tops of their shoulders, the would have a turtle shell with unique patterns, iridescent scales fading from their hands up to their arms and their feet to their legs, they would still have five fingers and toes but their hands and feet would be quite large in proportion to their body, colorful eyes, and a “premature” or “faint” plastron on the front of their chests.

HCs for how the brothers will dad!

Leo

Imagine having twin boys with opposite personalities that bicker at one another 24/7. 👦👦

Talk about karma. Splinter had to deal with him and Raph.

He’s a stern dad, but a fair dad.

Will definitely channel his boys’ energy into training.

I imagine each twin having a favorite uncle. One for Uncle Raph, one for Uncle Donnie, but everyone LOVES Uncle Mikey!

Leo will feel insecure at times because his boys always choose you over him, but he needs to be reminded that that his sons IDOLIZE him and are in absolute awe of him whenever Leo spars with his brothers. They’re always on the sidelines cheering for their daddy. 🥺

Leo will want to be a role model to his boys just as Splinter was to him. 💙

Raph

Definitely a girl dad. 👧

Thinks he can say no to those puppy eyes, but Big Red is WEAK for his baby girl (you too, but he’s going to simp HARDER for your little one).

Definitely dreads the day when she begins to likes boys 💀

Raph DADS when he dads. Baby needs a diaper change? He’s got it. Baby having a fit? Raph’s already got her on his plastron, soothing her to sleep. Baby wants to play? He looks good in pink anyways. ❤️

Raphs’s the knight, baby is the princess, and Uncle Mikey is the dragon during playtime.

Expect ALOT of knitted blankets, stuffed animals, and wooden toys.

Daddy Red is PROTECTIVE. Not even a single scratch is allowed on his precious baby.

Donnie

I can see this technical genius with a little helper of his own 👦👧

Boy or girl, rest assured your baby will be just as loved by their daddy and just smart as their daddy.

I can imagine Donnie just curating a library for his little one and he would change the selections yearly. His baby would have their own little library card 🥺 So will all the cousins!

Would LOVE to answer all those annoying “what’s that?” and “why?” questions of your baby whenever they visit him at his lab.

His kid would have his own step stool, lab coat, and protective eyewear in a bin beside his 💜

Funnily enough, they would share a similar love for poptarts 😅

Mikey

Out of all his brothers, Mikey remembers most what it’s like to be a kid, so having one of his one is simply a blessing and an opportunity to provide his own a good childhood like Splinter did for him and his brothers 🥺

You’ll have to do most of the discipline, but he’ll be your cheerleader and “emotional support” when you do that. Like Raph, he can never get mad at his babies.

Yes more than one. One is NOT enough.

Expect alot of sleepovers, Mario Kart game nights, and skate board rink sessions with not only his kids but ALL the cousins ✨

His children will 100% inherit his suave and personality.

He’s the FUN DAD period. Even when his kids are fully grown and have done things that may disappoint him, he will still love them just the same as the first time he saw their adorable little faces 🧡

Like these imagines? What head cannons should I make next? Please reblog and like you enjoyed this 💕✨ Yes you! 👀

[awarmbowlofhomemadesoup]

Unofficial Guide to Yuichi Usagi's Friends and Family

This is for the fanfic readers who want to read about Leoichi but aren't as familiar with Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles. Note that I'm not a diehard fan but I did watch the two seasons so here are my thoughts.

This post is also spoiler-y to the show and have referneces to the Usagi Yojimbo comics.

Gen

Samurai Rabbit's Gen vs Usagi Yojimbo's Gen

Samurai Rabbit's Gen is based on Usagi Yojimbo's Gen. UY Gen is a self-proclaimed best friend of Miyamoto and constantly has him paying for the food and drinks every time they meet in their separate journeys.

UY Gen is a bounty hunter who knows how to wield a sword but refuses to follow the samurai code because of daddy issues (his dad chose to be faithful to the samurai code over providing a good life for his wife and kid).

More on Samurai Rabbit's Gen

SR Gen is also a bounty hunter but the similarity stops there. He was once from a rich family until his mother chose to heal a wanted convict. This made the people of Neo Edo mad at her which brought down her hospital.

Gen, upon growing up, had to make the hard decision to sell their mansion to the shogun and live his life as a bounty hunter.

Similar to rottmnt Raph, he's the oldest brother and carries that energy to his friends. He has a sister, Yoshiko, who looks like him. But they both insist they look nothing alike.

Toshiko is more free-spirited than Gen, but in Gen's opinion, she's more reckless, which ends up with him cleaning up her mess.

They also have a family car called Ashibasha that is possessed by a yokai that enters into any neglected non-living object. They keep Ashibasha in slight disrepair since they got attached to the yokai possessing it.

Other Stuff I Can Remember about Samurai Rabbit's Gen

He fights with a pair of kaikishi weapon of studded metal clubs called kanabo. Its special abilities are not yet known.

He and his friends are all staying in his ancestral home that his sister bought back.

He's a hypochondriac who would overworry over a paper cut and is a frequent patient of the Neo Edo hospital (which used to belong to their mother) run by three Shiba Inus who like to stay silly despite the horrors.

He's also a germaphobe and one of his greatest challenges against the Machine is going through the sewer part of their ship.

Aside from being a bounty hunter, he's also a sign spinner.

He and his sister has a background on fixing mech.

He sometimes is the advisor to Usagi's naïveté. Like telling Usagi to read the situation first in their first meeting or when he told him that the birthday venue for Kitsune should be something she likes because Usagi kept showing fighting venues.

He knows how to be intimidating for his advantage but is actually a big softie like following Usagi's idea to be their Kaiksihi sensei even when it's going badly so as not to hurt his feelings.

Kitsune

Samurai Rabbit's Kitsune vs Usagi Yojimbo's Kitsune

SR Kitsune is based on UY Kitsune. UY Kitsune is a street performer who robs her audience. A friendship was formed when Miyamoto stole back his wallet from her at the end of the chapter.

Despite being a righteous stick-in-the-mud, Miyamoto does have a sense of humor and doesn't seem to hold it against her when she robbed him of his money pouch that made him washed the dishes in a restaurant he ate in.

More on Samurai Rabbit's Kitsune

SR Kitsune is a street performer too. But instead of tricks with a fan and a toy top, she does puppeteering. She's also easygoing and has the tendency to make casual remarks about her life that ranges from zany to kind of concerning.

Like never having a birthday party in her life because she's an orphan, or that her childhood friend is a puff of gas that smells of fermented soybeans that she assumes is a ghost.

Similar to Mikey, she's just as playful and carries an energy of lightheartedness. She's the glue that holds Chizu with the others while Chizu is busy being the leader of the Neko ninja clan.

Other Stuff I Can Remember about Samurai Rabbit's Kitsune

She fights with kaikishi weapons which is a pair of bladed fans called Tessen. Its special abilities is not yet known aside from being able to return to her like a boomerang when thrown.

Has gay energy with Chizu.

She has a habit of stealing stuff but is trying to rein it in since she has her friends now.

Became sisters with a deadly alien ai that adapted its personality to her own. Her little sister is named Kiyoko. In the Usagi Yojimbo comics, Kitsune also has adopted a street orphan named Kiyoko whom she taught how to steal stuff.

Able to pilot a giant mech because of her puppeteering skills. Someone give that girl a gundam.

Chizu

Samurai Rabbit's Chizu vs Usagi Yojimbo's Chizu

Yuichi's Chizu is based on another character in the Usagi Yojimbo comics. Miyamoto's Chizu is also a ninja. But Chizu's brother, Shingen, got to know and work together with Miyamoto first.

I'm not yet finished with the comics, but all I know is that Chizu's brother died but she has heard of the samurai that he has worked with.

She has trouble with the ninja clan accepting her as their leader, and at one point was told by another ninja leading the clan to marry him so that the ninjas would take her authority more seriously. She refused.

In the end, the other ninja died after he tried to kill her to overthrow her. She then forced a kiss on Miyamoto as thanks or something and then left. (Seriously, I can count three female characters that forced a kiss on Miyamoto.) Chizu is a possible love interest for Miyamoto in the series.

I haven't finished the comics. But after a quick scan in Wiki, I find out she also fails to lead her clan and became a fugitive.

More on Samurai Rabbit's Chizu

SR Chizu has something like a mother complex but a third secret thing with Neko ninja crew leader Lady Fuwa. She was kidnapped as a baby by Lady Fuwa and was trained to be a weapon alongside other cat orphans.

So she kinda has a "You raised us but you kidnapped us. You destroyed our childhood for your gain but I wouldn't be here if not for you. You lie and cheat and backstab including me but I don't want to kill you" complicated thing with her.

Despite ninjas being famous for deception, she's the most strait-laced character in the group.

She tried to be loyal to Lady Fuwa. But Yuichi, Gen, and Kitsune reminded her of her childhood friend that Lady Fuwa took away so that Chizu wouldn't have any other bonds but her. It was Kitsune who was most hurt by her betrayal and Chizu made every effort to make it up to her.

Similar to rottmnt Donnie, she has a dry sense of humor. But again, that's where the similarity stops. If Donnie has evil-scientist-vibes, I think Chizu needs to be reminded to get loose sometimes. Well, at least Kitsune's there to remind her.

She really tried to lead the clan to no crimes but she has so much to learn first. Her clan, with the exception of one who was still loyal to her, turned on her in favor of Lady Fuwa.

Other Stuff I Can Remember about Samurai Rabbit's Chizu

Chizu fights with a kaiksihi weapon bow and arrow, along with her ninja gear of throwing stars and wrist-mounted crossbows. She's also familiar on how to use the naginata (it's like the Japanese version of a polearm).

Is ship-teased with Usagi but it's probably a callback on the Usagi Yojimbo comics.

Has gay energy with Kitsune.

Is looked up to by Hana and the other ninja kittens.

Tetsujin

Based on a sunbear, Tetsujin is the last warrior and guardian of the mystical ki-stone aka Kaikishi warrior. He's the tech guy of the group and his form became that of a sci-fi ghost because of the ki-stone.

He and Lady Fuwa used to be together (which neither Usagi, Gen, Kitsune nor Chizu wants to hear about), but it turned out Lady Fuwa was just using him.

Yuichi Usagi's Aunt

Usagi's Aunt's name is not yet known despite two seasons. She's not based on the Usagi Yojimbo comics. She taught Usagi everything he knows about sword fighting.

Although there was an implication of war a long time ago, judging by Usagi's aunt's leg and ear prosthetics, and that Usagi's parents are nowhere to be seen, there doesn't seem to be any samurais in Neo Edo.

Did She Ever Give Usagi Formal Training on How to be a Samurai? I don't know.

I'm not sure if she has formally taught him how to be a samurai, aside from sword fighting, such as the samurais' philosophies, virtues, and principles. But Usagi once quoted her words about protecting those who need to be protected. So it's possible.

But unlike Miyamoto Usagi, Yuichi Usagi didn't follow the traditional path of being a samurai:

Miyamoto received his sword, Willowbranch, when he was acknowledged by his lord and future master, Lord Mifune, upon proving himself in a tournament.

For Yuichi Usagi, he was given his Aunt's sword, Edgewing, when he wanted to go out to the city. In the Usagi Yojimbo comics, the sword of a samurai is his soul. But it doesn't seem to be the case for Edgewing.

So maybe it's more informal? Since Yuichi Usagi seems to be the only samurai around, the samurai tradition may have become obsolete by the time Yuichi Usagi became Miyamoto Usagi's thousand-year descendant. Similar to how the samurai class was abolished in the late 1860s. But that's just my assumptions.

Did They Pass Down Katsuichi's Unique Style of Swordfighitng? I don't know either.

It is Katsuichi, Miyamoto's sensei, whom Miyamoto learned the way of the sword that had made him a great samurai. But it is not yet confirmed if Usagi's aunt learned the same style.

How does the Yuichi Line Connect to Miyamoto Usago? I don't know that either.

While Miyamoto Usagi is acknowledged as their ancestor, it didn't say in the show if Usagi and his Aunt came from the line of Miyamoto's paternal cousin, Yamamoto Yukichi, or from a descendant of (surname unknown) Jotaro, Miyamoto's son that was raised by his childhood love, Mariko, and childhood rival, Kenichi.

Hana and the other Ninja Orphan Kittens

In the Samurai Rabbit series, Hana and the other orphan ninjas are basically child soldiers. Chizu and Usagi rescued them and the orphans now lived a peaceful life with Usagi's aunt.

They still have a long way to go as they're still trying to get used to civilian life without looting or destroying property (as they did when Usagi and Gen took them on an outing).

Karasu-Tengu

Karasu-Tengu is the Master Yokai of all martial arts and also a nature yokai who doesn't like how Neo Edo had become because it destroyed a forest for it to become so big.

She was going to seclude herself into the deeper parts of the forests to protect and live in it. But Usagi figured out where to find her. She tried to shoo him away like how one would be whacking a slipper after a bug, Usagi fights her as he asks for her to be his sensei.

In the end, Usagi proved himself worthy, and they make a funny pair by how small and harmless Usagi looks like next to her -similar to Miaymoto and his sensei.

Samurai Rabbit has a lot of references to the Usagi Yojimbo comics with more characters. But this post is long enough.

[tangledinink]

Chapter Ten of I'm Sorry, Teenage Mutant What Now? is up! :0 Betraying my system and posting one chapter early because it was one of my favorites to write and I'm excited... the boys return to school for the first time in a while, and, of course, it goes VERY well... read it on ao3 or below the cut!

[ prev ]

(cw: depictions of panic attacks, a lil bit of blood and fighting)

Oh god. He could not do this. What was he thinking? What were any of them thinking?! This was going to be a complete disaster. 

Leo's sneakers were still pointed in the direction of the school, and he was walking towards it, but he wanted oh so desperately to turn tail and run. He wouldn't. He wasn't gonna back out or ditch his family... but oh pizza supreme in the sky did he want to. 

He really, really hoped that this was worth it.

They had all agreed to the plan days ago, discussing it at length and reviewing the pros and cons. And when they had that original conversation, Leo had been all for it! It seemed like a good idea when Donnie pitched it... at the time. 

"Right. So. As you all know, I've been doing some research on the mystic artifacts that we recovered from Dad's room. There's not a ton I can find online, which I was expecting, but I've been doing some analysis on the actual items themselves and some of the readings they're giving, and--"

"You found something?" Raph interrupted, his eyes widening. Donnie had hesitated.

"Well. Not exactly," they had explained, wincing a bit. "There is definitely a pattern in what I'm seeing, and it seems like most mystic energy has a particular molecular build, if you will, so to speak. I mean, it's really not quite as simple as that, it sort of is less molecular and more next-to-molecular... It's pretty fascinating, actually, I mean, I can't imagine that anyone would notice these kinds of signatures unless they were actively looking for them, it’s really on detectable via--"

"Donnie!"

"Right. Sorry. The point is, I have a foundation. I have the buildings of an equation here, but I don't have any values to input into it yet, so I can't do anything with it. And that," they swiveled in their desk chair to point, grinning big. "Is where Mikey comes in."

They had all turned to look at their youngest brother, who absolutely beamed in response, oozing sunshine in a way Leo hadn't seen in nearly two weeks. 

"Did you guys know he can see auras?"

"I'm sorry, he can what?" Raph echoed.

"Well, 'aura' is the placeholder term I'm using for ease of communication at the moment. I'll label it with a proper term later. Mikey likes to call them ‘life colors.’ But the point is, according to Mikey, at least from what he can tell, pretty much everyone in the world has a unique 'life color.' I wasn’t really sure if I was gonna be able to go anywhere with this at first, but after discussing it at length and running a few tests, I’m fairly certain it is, in fact, a measurable mystic quality that I could figure out how to sample. So, in other words, a unique signature. In other other words..."

 Donnie had paused, expecting someone to finish the sentence. His family stared at him blankly. Donnie huffed a bit in annoyance, rolling his eyes.

"In other words, gentleman, (and April,) we have our values. If we know that everyone has a unique 'life color' signature associated with them, in addition to knowing that mystical energy itself has a unique signature associated with it, and if I’m able to detect and read both these signatures with my tech, I can, theoretically, generate a tracking algorithm capable of sweeping and zeroing in on these specific data points, and--"

"And you can find Dad!" Raph finished the sentence this time, his eyes absolutely alight. Wait, really!? They had a lead? They had a lead! Leo had all but jumped up from his seat on Donnie’s bed, bounding over to join his twin at their computer. 

"Alright, Dee! I knew you could do it!" He cheered. "So what are we waiting for!? Let's go get Dad already!"

"Well," Donnie held up his hands, and Leo paused. Wait, well? What was the problem?

"I can generate a tracking algorithm and software with a margin of error. And right now, the data pool we're working with is not especially impressive," Donnie muttered, turning back to the monitors and gesturing to a bunch of charts and numbers that none of them understood. They had all gathered and leaned in to look anyway. "As it stands, anything I build will likely not be especially accurate, if it works at all. I've already spent some time with it, and it turns out that there are... a lot of people in New York City," he said dryly. "Which makes this difficult."

 "Then... what do we do?" April questioned, frowning.

 Mikey had grinned, puffing out his chest. "We get more data!"

Leo had originally suggested that they just go camp in Times Square and people-watch, and collect a shit-ton of data that way, but as Donnie had explained it, it wasn't quite so simple. Just inputting the life colors of random people from off the street wasn't really going to train the AI he was coding to do much of anything. The software he was hoping to build wasn't going to have the same 'gift' as Mikey, and wouldn't be able to just 'see' people's life colors. They'd have to teach it how to do so by associating 'colors' with other data points, such as blood type, birthdays, thermo-magnetic signatures, and a bunch of other fancy words Leo didn't recognize, in order to try to find a pattern that could be used to identify and track such things. So it could learn to ‘see’ life colors on its own. In other words, they could only use the 'life colors' of people who they could find again and collect further data on. People who they could reliably locate over a period of time. People who they were able to access other records for...

And Donnie could hack into the school's database in his sleep. So.

Here they were.

At the time, it had seemed like a reasonable plan. Go to school, Mikey can collect a list of kids and their life colors, Donnie pulls data from the school's records, and the rest of them fill in the blanks with whatever weird tests Donnie said they needed. They were all sneaky enough that they could scan a kid's magnetic energy or whatever incognito. It was a good plan. They had even managed to convince Carol that they were ready to go back to school after several long conversations, insisting that staying home and not seeing any of their friends were just making things worse, etc etc.

But oh my god. Now they were here, walking up to the building, and all Leo could think was this is a horrible idea. He kept trying to tell himself maybe it wouldn't be so bad, maybe not that many kids knew, maybe no one was gonna say anything, but who was he kidding? He was sure the whole ass school had taken notice of their two-week absence and knew perfectly well by now that their dad was missing. It had only been circulating through the news and every social media platform that had ever existed on repeat since it happened. 

Everyone was gonna be looking at him with those sad, sorry-for-you eyes that he couldn't stand. It was gonna be awkward. And he was not even a little bit excited about it.  Dammit, he had had his phone on 'do not disturb' for the past two weeks for exactly this reason. 

But he had said he would do it. So. 

Here they were.

"Alright," Raph said, turning to face the rest of the group, just outside of the front doors. Leo could already feel other kids watching them. He thought back to his and Mikey's conversation that one time when they went to gymnastics. How things were normal, but also weren't at all, and just let them all in the lurch in this uncanny-valley sort of space. "We all know the game plan?"

"Yes sir," they all responded, though not with quite enthusiasm or coordination as they usually did. Leo could tell that everyone was nervous. I mean, jesus. He couldn't blame them.

"Alright," Raph bit the insides of his cheeks. Also nervous. "Everyone keep your phones on. And text the group chat if anything happens. We can always leave if we gotta, I mean, if you guys wanna go home--"

"Oh-ho-ho!" Leo remarked with a grin. "What happened to ‘no skipping class?’"

"Leo--"

"This is a great change of pace," he continued, desperate to break the tension. "But don't worry! We're gonna be fine-- we got this! And if anything happens, we'll just ninja our way out of here, no problem."

"No, if anything happens, we call April's mom to pick us up--"

"Same thing! We've got this one-thousand percent until control. Right, Magic Mike?" Leo teased, nudging his brother, who forced a half-hearted grin in response. "See? He's all over it. Okay, now what's that thing Raph always says? Don’t do anything Raph wouldn’t do? Don't be late to class? That thing! Everyone go do that!" He said, grabbing Donnie by the hand and promptly marching off. 

Oh, he could feel the eyes on the back of his head. But soooo worth it to end the awkward, anxious air. If this was what the entire day was gonna be like, he wasn't gonna make it. He could tell you that right now.

He wasn't sure Donnie was, either. Was he, like, legit shaking? Crap. Okay, come on. We can fix this.

"I mean it, you know," he said, slowing his pace slightly and releasing his grip, shifting into an easy stride next to his twin rather than dragging them along behind him. "You've got this, Dee. If anyone can figure out this whole mess, it's you, right? Once Mikey has all that data stuff, we'll be all set."

"Yeah..." Donnie said, not sounding anywhere near as confident as Leo was used to, staring down at his boots. Aw, man. 

"Oh, come on. Where's your enthusiasm? Where's the brother I know and love?" Leo bade, elbowing him slightly, but failing to make any actual physical contact with him. He had already pushed it by grabbing his hand, no need to pile on top of that... "Where's your... your thing! Your emotionless passion!"

"Here," Donnie mumbled in a tone just barely one step above a whine, hunching his shoulders slightly. "It's fine. I do have this. Today is just gonna suck." 

Leo sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. 

 "... Yeah. I know. We just gotta... get through it. Keep our heads down, muscle through, and once today is over, it's over. No biggie!"

Even he didn't believe it. Regardless, the pair made their way to homeroom-- though at an admittedly much slower pace than usual, with no racing, jumping, leaping, or flipping. It almost felt foreign, and Leo was half tempted to tag his brother and take off running. Muscle memory begged him to. But he knew that neither of them really felt up for it, and besides, the last thing they needed were even more eyes on them. Leo tried to emit his very best, 'do not look at me, talk to me, or fuck with me,' vibes as they entered the classroom, sticking close to his twin. That wasn't usually his forte-- it was more Donnie's, if anything-- but it was at least enough to ward off the masses until the first official bell of the day rang.

Leo's stomach was in absolute fucking knots. 'Cause he knew that he had geometry first period in the upper east wing of the school... and Donnie had history in the west. 

For a moment, he felt like a second grader again, terrified of his twin brother moving on without him and leaving him behind to go to school all by himself. He swallowed hard, lingering in the hallway just long enough to give Donnie a grin and sign a reassurance that he could text him if anything happened. Donnie had frowned, nodded, and they had parted. 

It did not feel good. 

He was trying to talk himself down from the ledge, resisting the urge to run after his brother and tackle him and cling to him, like, no, don't leave me alone!, when he rounded the corner and caught sight of a face across the hall that made him freeze.

"Leo!" Chase immediately called out when they made eye contact.

Dammit. He knew he was forgetting something. Actually, you know what? Fuck geometry. Who needs geometry? Leo made an immediate about-face, spinning on his heels and going exactly back the way he just came. Opting out of this conversation, thank you very much. 

"Leo!" He heard his despite-not-talking-in-literally-two-weeks-technically-still-boyfriend shout from behind him again, no doubt in pursuit, and Leo cursed in every language that he knew, picking up the pace. No no no no. He was so not in the mood for this. This was the last thing he needed. He barely even liked Chase that much on, like, a good day, he was just kinda cute and had decent taste in music! He had no intention of discussing any bit of, like, this whole situation with him. 

Gymnastics lessons, don't fail me now. Leo ducked and weaved past students as fast as he dared, dancing around, over, and occasionally through them, not really caring that much if he bumped or elbowed anyone. Sorry, he had priorities! A quick glance over his shoulder told him that, no, somehow, he still had not lost Chase, who was, in fact, living up to his name at the moment, and oh my god, was he panicking? He was pretty sure he was panicking, great, cool, no problem! Let's run with it! Mikey said that feeling emotions was healthy or whatever, and wow, was he feeling it!

 He nearly wiped out a couple of freshmen as he flung himself around a corner and down a side hall, his sneakers sliding noisily against the linoleum as he all but smacked into the nearest door he could find. Okay, running wasn't working, how about hiding? Just had to duck away somewhere for a minute and lay low, and it'd all be fine, and he wouldn't have to deal with this or talk about any of this or talk to him--

 He blanched when the door failed to budge. What?! No, no, no, come on! Open, you've gotta open! He glanced around frantically for an alternative exit plan, but there was nothing around that he'd be able to get to before Chase caught up.

 "Come on. Come on. Open, open, open, move, dammit, move--" He hissed under his breath, rearing back before shoving against the door with his entire weight.

 He yelped in surprise when he fell flat on his face, gravel stinging his cheeks and shifting beneath him, a shocking blast of icy cold wind cutting through him like a knife. What the--? Leo sat up quickly, brushing the dirt and pebbles from himself with a splutter as he glanced around at his surroundings.

"Oh, for fuck's sake..."

The good news was that he had lost Chase. 

Bad news was that he was on the roof. 

Okay... so we can definitely rule out sleepwalking.

---

Donnie had learned years ago, though admittedly a bit later than most, that the internet couldn't always be trusted. He knew by now that it wasn't reasonable to always expect things to go the way they were described on online forums or in web articles, and understood the concept of 'expectations VS reality...'

But that didn't make the reality any better.

Because he had come prepared, right? They knew that this was going to suck, and they did what any good scholar would do in such a situation-- research. They had Googled it, had looked up 'what to expect when returning to work/school after a personal tragedy,' (because Googling 'after your Dad gets kidnapped' hadn't yielded any good results and Donnie figured it must have been too specific,) and he had read the WikiHow, the reddit forums, the Quora threads, and all the other articles in between. He had prepped!

But jesus christ. None of them had mentioned how much touching there was going to be.

So far he had been subject to no less than four overly emotional hugs that he had not consented to, (what were they emotional about, anyway?) eleven hand grabs-slash-squeezes, and so many shoulder rubs and gentle arm touches that he had lost count. And every single time, he had to resist the urge to shove them away. And every single time, the touch absolutely lingered, sticking to him like tree sap and covering him up like mushrooms and spores and burning him.

God. They hated this. Hated this, hated this, hated this. They were trying so hard to keep their mind focused, to concentrate on the task in front of them and the reason they were here, but their head was already all fuzzy and thick, feeling as though it had been stuffed full of fountain grass. Everyone kept coming up to them to talk to them, to say that they were so sorry to hear about their dad and if there was anything they can do and they hope things work out soon and blah blah blah, all these stupid, pointless, unpleasant emotions that they just kept dumping over his head until he was soaked and shivering and freezing cold, drenched down to his bones. The entire school was getting louder and louder by the second. Had the teacher's heels always clicked like that? And had the lights in the classroom always been so goddamn bright?

The kid behind him in his third period class popped their gum and Donnie stood up, grabbed his stuff, and walked out. 

He was pretty sure his teacher said something, but he was not even listening to her a little bit. Sorry, nope, nu-uh, not today, they were leaving, or else they were absolutely going to vomit. They had no idea where they were going but they just-- they had to be-- not here. 

 Please, just somewhere else. 

They quickened their pace through the hallways, eyes darting around, looking desperately for a place to just hide for a little bit, just somewhere else, because they were about to lose their mind. Their tongue was all thick and swollen and stuck to the roof of their mouth and their head was buzzing like it was filled up with wasps and their joints were all tight, like they had just run a marathon, like they were being chased-- they knew there was somewhere to go. He knew this. Come on, Donatello, think. You've studied the blueprints of the school. Calm down, focus-- where are you going?

One left and a right, third door from the left. Supply closet. This is where he’s going.

Donnie practically threw himself into the closet, yanking the door shut behind him, flicking off the lights, and sinking down to the ground, curling up into the littlest ball he could become and burying his head between his knees, because no, no, he’s not having a panic attack. Not right now. Not before he even makes it halfway through the day, goddammit, no, he’s fine. Everything is fine. 

It's... it's fine. Donnie swallowed hard, squeezing his eyes shut and wiggling his wrists back and forth, anxious and jittery, just barely tapping his knuckles against the sides of his head as he tried to focus on breathing. Yeah. No. Things were totally fine. He was not freaking out. He was not sitting here, absolutely fucking terrified that someone was going to burst in through the door looking for him any second now.

Nope. Not him. He was... all good.

Please, for the love of the known, observable universe-- and even the unknown, unobservable parts!-- just leave me alone. Just let it be quiet for a while.

He swallowed thickly, biting the edges of his tongue, fighting to settle. He pressed his shoulders up against the cold, hard metal door behind him, trying desperately to ground himself, to be here, in reality, and not float off and spiral. The sound of approaching footsteps just barely breached the protective net of his headphones, and he bristled, every muscle in his body tensing, poised to run-- only for his hackles to lower again when the sound passed on, walking past the closet without disturbing him. 

They’re gonna look for you, an unwelcome little voice in his head warned. Donnie frowned.

No, they’re not. It’s fine.

They are. You ran right out of class. Everyone already thinks you’re crazy even on a good day-- let alone today. They’re looking for you. They’ll find you.

People don’t think I’m crazy. They’re not looking for me. It’s fine. We-- we have time. We just need to calm down, and we’ll go back. They’re not gonna find us.

They will. They’re gonna show up any second.

They’re not. You don’t know that.

You don’t know that they won’t.

They won’t. It’s fine.

You don’t know. How could you know? There’s no way of knowing.

Things could still get worse!

They could be here any second!

You don’t know!

The click and clatter of metal-on-metal cut through Donnie the same way he imagined being stabbed would be like, and he absolutely froze. But to his surprise, the door didn’t fall away behind him. No harsh light or chiding voice invaded the space. Everything remained… just as it was.

So what was that noise?

After taking a moment to build up enough courage and clarity to give in to curiosity, he slowly unwound all his muscles, sitting up properly and looking around. And, in fact, it took almost no time at all for him to identify the source.

Looped firmly around the door handle was a small padlock that had most certainly not been there before, constructed entirely, it seemed, of violet light in a very familiar shade.

Fascinating... Did I make this?

Donnie leaned in to examine the item, running his fingers along the edges of it, investigating, testing it a few times and tugging at it lightly. It was a fairly primitive thing, from what he could tell, but it was most certainly doing its job, keeping the door firmly shut and not giving way when he pulled. Well. He supposed he was going to be in here for a while. Not that he really minded. Sighing deeply, he sat back down, pulling his bag off of his back and quickly retrieving his laptop.

Thank god. Data collection.

---

It wasn't that people weren't being nice. They were. Everyone was being super nice! Several of Raph’s teachers had taken him aside to tell him not to worry about any missed work or his grades right now. In every single class, classmates took the time to offer hugs and words of encouragement. Members of the football team and basketball team alike sought him out in the halls to present him with a Build-A-Bear gift card that they had all pitched in to get with a promise that they could all go out together whenever he was down for it. He had, admittedly, teared up a tiny bit.

It was really, really lovely. It was wonderful to know that so many people cared about him and were concerned about him.

So why did he still feel so awful?

Raph felt almost ungrateful, plodding through the school with this big weight on his shoulders, his entire frame feeling like it was rotting rapidly beneath his skin. He was absolutely surrounded by people; swaths and seas of them, and half of them knew him, half of them were concerned about him. So why did he feel like he was all by himself in a big empty cavern?

I wonder if the others are okay, he had thought.

Are people being cool with them, too?

But what if they are? Leo might not like it. He loves attention, but not that kind. It might freak him out. Donnie too.

What if people are giving Donnie hugs? He hates that. He'll be miserable. 

Are all their teachers telling them not to worry about their grades, either? Are Mikey's teachers letting him get off without make-up work? He already tries so hard with school as it is. What if he ends up having to do a bunch of extra on top of it all? 

And what if their grades slip? That's really important to Donnie. They're gonna be devastated if their GPA gets tanked.

Is April good? Is she getting overwhelmed? Are people asking her lots of questions? People aren’t pestering me so far for details, but what if they think it’s okay to pester April like that because she wasn't, technically speaking, a Hamato? She was. It wasn't okay. What if people were looking to her for answers?

What if this was a horrible plan?

Well, technically, it wasn't even your plan. It was Donnie's plan.

But it was your plan to use Donnie's plan! And you're the biggest brother. You're responsible.

Man, why the hell are you here right now?! You should be with them! You should be taking care of them!

Why? You've been with them all week, and the week before that, and ain't helped at all! 

Raph could feel a twitch developing in his eye, much to his annoyance. It did very little to soothe him as he moved through the day, and every five minutes, Mind-Raph asked, 'is it time to panic yet?'

He got through to nearly fourth period before the answer was yes, it is, in fact, time to panic. Not the ideal answer.

He wasn't even sure what set it off, actually. He only did about half the time, which was by far the most frustrating part, because when he didn't know he just felt like he was floundering blindly at nothing for no good reason. He had been in the hallway, moving between classes, a raindrop in the ocean of other students all doing the same thing, and some younger kid had darted past him, seemingly in a rush, sort of knocking into his arm-- maybe that was what did it. He wasn't exactly sure, because usually, that wouldn't bother him at all. 

It did today.

This didn't happen often, really, but every time it did, it was like, oh, great, here we go again, and he'd brace himself for the coming ride. Because it fucking sucked. The room was spinning and his legs were going out from under him and his chest was compressing and his throat was closing up and his eyes were fucking deteriorating in his head.

Not really. He was okay. He could still breathe, or, well, hyperventilate, at least. He was still on his feet, even if he was shaking.... But it wasn't like he could tell. Fuck. The world was ending, maybe? No, it wasn't. Get it together. Get a grip, Raph, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine, except no, it's not, I can't breathe, why can't I get a goddamn breath?! He hated doing this. 

People were still moving around him, and he grabbed the nearest locker he could get to as an anchor, pressing his palm against it as he tried to remember how to breathe. Cold. Smooth. Hard. Grounding, right? Donnie taught you this. He was vaguely aware of a few kids lingering, taking notice of his panic, touching his back and asking if he was okay. Raph didn't have it in him to speak right now, but he wanted so badly to snap at them to leave him alone. Couldn't they tell he was already using all of his energy to not completely lose it, flip out, and punch a hole through the wall? Again?! It had been a nightmare the first time when Dad had to deal with that, he did not want to put that on Mrs. O'Neil's plate.

"Hey, come on, back up, give him some room to breathe, would ya?"

This voice was loud enough that Raph could hear it over his own shuddering, and he shifted slightly, his eyes darting to the side. He knew this guy. Jason-- they skateboarded together sometimes. He was really good. He had a pet leopard gecko he had seen many pictures of. He was Mikey's age; more his friend than Raph's own, but regardless, he had been over to their apartment a few times. They weren't crazy close or anything-- but they were friends.

That was more than enough for him right now.

"You good, dude?" Jason said, softer now, leaning in towards Raph just a tiny bit, but still keeping his distance. "I mean-- do you want me to text your brothers or something?"

Raph squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing hard before giving a short shake of his head.

No. No, he'd be okay. He just needed a minute. He didn't want to make them all worry about this when they had a job to do. 

God, he just hoped that they were all having a better day than he was... and not getting themselves into any kinds of messes.

---

Mikey could feel hot blood splatter across his knuckles as his clenched fist made contact with Zach's nose, a satisfying crunch echoing through his hand, up his wrist, and then bouncing around in his ribs. The martial arts tournaments he competed in were great. He loved them, really. But they felt nothing like this.

Wait. Sorry. We're jumping ahead.

Was the first day back at school after nearly two weeks off stressful? Yeah, of course, it was. Mikey had been pretty jittery when he got to school this morning, dancing on his toes and fidgeting with his spinner ring, fussing with the beads in his hair, and worrying the corners of his lips between his teeth. But it actually hadn't been as bad as he had thought.

They had said they wanted to 'get back into the routine' to Mrs. O'Neil as an excuse to get her to let them come, but honestly, it was almost kind of good? Yeah, things were still weird, and he was still worried and scared, but it wasn't like with gymnastics. When he was at gymnastics, it just felt like they were there to be there-- just as an excuse to ignore what was going on and pretend like it wasn't happening.

But they were at school for a reason. They had a lead. And, more importantly, Mikey had a job to do. 

 He had latched on tight to his assigned task-- dug his fingers in like he was burrowing into clay, pressing in until his entire fist had sunk inside, and then took off running. Really, he liked being occupied. ADHD was a bitch sometimes, but today, the stars must have aligned because it was all systems go. He knew exactly what he was doing, and his brain was completely and utterly focused on this task. Yes, it was genuinely nice to see all his friends and teachers again after so long... but that wasn't the point. None of the fear and anxiety and stress was touching him right now because he had a job.

Because he loved getting to see Rebecca again and discuss how her hamster was doing at home, and because she was this deep, dark, rich turquoise color, ever so slightly bluer than it was green. And because getting to see his favorite teacher, Mr. Ovin, was great, and he was all sweet and reassuring, and he was a deep, warm gray, like fog in the summer. It was great because Timothy was indigo, just edging on violet. It was great because Dale was yellowy-orange like cantaloupe. Because Taylor was hot pink. Because José was golden-brown. Because Mona was midnight blue. 

 His list was already fifty-strong before they even hit lunch period, and Mikey was absolutely giddy. Yeah, baby! If this wasn't enough data to get them started, he swore he'd eat his own watercolor set. Surely this was, if nothing else, a good start, and he was already just chomping on the bit to tell the rest of his family. Donnie was gonna be thrilled, he was sure--

"Mikey!"

It was not the first time that day someone had yelled for his attention. In fact, the day had been absolutely littered with them-- Mikey could hardly take a step without someone looking to speak with him and check in with him now that he was in school. So he paused in his steps, his eyes chasing after the sound of the calling voice until he found Zach, dodging through throngs of students to make his way over.

"Hey, Zach!" Mikey greeted, offering a grin-- a genuine one, too, all wide and toothy. 

"Hey! Hey, Mikey. Uhhh. Good to see you back." 

"Thanks," Mikey replied. Not the first time he heard that today, either, but it was still nice to think that his absence had meant something to people. 

"Yeah, yeah. So, uh, do you have that commission done yet?"

Mikey blinked. 

"Commission?"

"Yeah! Yeah, remember, you were gonna do a portrait of Abby, for her birthday?" Zach laughed nervously. "I was kind of worried you were gonna miss it, you were gone so long, but--"

"No?"

"What?" Zach paused, his eyebrows raising, and Mikey frowned, hesitating a second before he found new words, quickly scrambling, re-evaluating, and re-writing.

"Uh, sorry," he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, I don't have it done yet. I've kind of got commissions on hold right now? So... I dunno when it's gonna get done. Sorry, dude."

"... But her birthday is on Wednesday."

"Sorry," Mikey repeated.

"And I paid you in advance."

Mikey grit his teeth. Oh, yeah, paid him a whole twenty dollars in advance...? 

"Yeah, sorry, but--"

"Well, what am I supposed to give her?"

"I dunno. Figure something out?"

Oh. Oh, actually,

"What do you mean figure something out? I did! I paid you!"

Actually... Maybe the stress,

"Do you want your money back?"

Was still here, actually.

"No, I want my portrait! Do you know how pissed she's gonna be if I don't have anything to give her on Wednesday?"

His head was suddenly remembering how little he had slept over the past two weeks.

"That's really not my problem."

His eyes suddenly remembered how many tears they had shed.

"Dude, are you serious?!"

His throat remembered the ache of howling.

"Are you serious?! I dunno if you've heard, but I'm a little bit busy right now! Your girlfriend's birthday commission isn't really a priority right now!" Mikey snapped, feeling himself bristle.

"You've literally not shown up for school for two weeks, what do you mean busy!?"

"I'm not on vacation, Zach! I've been with my family!"

"For two weeks!?" Zach protested. "Look, dude, I'm really sorry your dad died, but this was really important to--"

Mikey froze.

"Excuse me?" He hissed. "What the fuck did you just say?"

"Come on, Mike, this was really--"

"My dad isn't dead," Mikey whispered. His head felt all hot. He felt like a goddamn candle. The rest of his body was melting, but his head was just heat and nothing else. "He's missing. He's not dead."

"Okay, look, I didn't mean--"

Mikey shoved him. Not hard. But not soft, either.

"Leave me alone," he spat, and even though he was all heat, all bright reds and oranges and yellows, he felt his voice was cold and white like ice, like the month of December. Zach stumbled a bit, his mouth gaping dumbly like a fish, and Mikey watched and waited with absolutely bated breath to see how he would respond. Zach was a junior. He was a lot taller than Mikey was. Bigger, too. And his color was orange, too, Mikey noted in the back of his mind. Bright, dazzling, almost scarlet orange.

He could feel students nearby pausing, lingering, beginning to turn heads and slow their footsteps in order to watch and see what was going to happen.

Zach's face contorted with indignant fury, and he stepped forward to shove Mikey right back. Mikey let his body take the momentum with absolute grace-- let his feet be forced back a few steps, falling into stance once they found the ground again. He lowered his body slightly, squaring his shoulders, finding his center of gravity, and taking it in both hands. Suddenly, he felt very calm.

That was exactly what Mikey was hoping he would do.  

---

Jeez Louise, at this rate, I'm gonna give Taylor Martin a run for her money...

April was rapidly growing annoyed with the number of people who, up until now, didn't want anything to do with her, but were now suddenly quite concerned about both her well-being and the state of her brothers. She had gotten just about as many questions as she had condolences, which she had no idea how to receive. I mean, god, what's the appropriate response to people asking those kinds of things? Were they doing okay? Uh, I dunno, that's sort of a loaded question! 

She was also suddenly becoming uncomfortably aware of how many kids in their grade had a thinly-veiled crush on Raph, which she was not too pleased with. Like, good for him or whatever, (not that she thought he had the slightest clue,) but she didn't need to know all that, thank you! Yes, Melissa, I'll tell him you said hi, but don't you two have bio together!? Jeez! Stupid giant quarterback little brother...

April grumbled as she made her way into chemistry class, making a beeline to her usual seat and immediately laying her head down in her arms with a scowl. Maybe if she was lucky, people would get the hint and not bother her. Not that that had worked out so far...

"Bad day?"

April took a long, deep breath, and then slowly let it back out, picking up her head just enough to watch Sunita take her seat next to hers, offering a weak, sympathetic little smile in her direction. She had almost forgotten there was someone she actually liked in this class.

"Something like that," April said with a wry smile, wrinkling up her nose a bit before laying her head back down. "I know how this sounds, but I am soooo sick of people caring about me and my brothers."

"Uh oh... Kind of a lot, huh?" Sunita mumbled, wincing a bit, and April nodded a little, wrapping her arms around herself and frowning.

"I know people are just trying to be nice or whatever, but it's just... I dunno. Can you just let us breathe?! I hope they're not being this pushy with the guys because it's a lot for me and it's not even technically my dad, I mean, they're a total mess, I just--" She caught herself, biting her tongue. "Sorry. I'm just a little worried about them. And kind of annoyed," she admitted, rolling her eyes. "It's fine."

Sunita didn't respond right away, and when April glanced over at her again, there was this funny sort of expression on her face that April couldn't quite place. She frowned, about to say something, when Sunita nodded, biting the insides of her cheeks.

"Yeah. I get it. I mean. Gob. I can't imagine... I'm sure it must be stressful…"

April hesitated a second before she responded again. "It's a lot. But. You know. We're... handling it," she said, readjusting her glasses quickly. "Sorry. Can we just, like, talk about something else?"

"Oh! Right. Right, sorry, I'm being just as bad as everyone else!" Sunita gasped, her face flushing. "Sorry. Uh. What do you wanna-- uh-- did you… see the new episode of that barbecue show that just came out? I think Mikey would like it, uhm, they made some really bold choices..."

If April was being honest, she wasn't really listening. Sorry, Sunita. But she appreciated the white noise, at least, allowing herself to tune out for a while, scribbling black zig-zags and wriggles aimlessly in the margin of her notebook until class started properly. And, actually, even after class started properly. She was usually pretty focused at school and took her studies seriously. I mean, not as seriously as some people, but she got good grades! She just wasn't really feeling it today. Whatever. Her notes may suck, but at least she had something. She was sure Donnie could teach her whatever this was later. 

Class seemed to last a millennia, dragging along as April doodled and tried to keep her mind off of the rest of her family. God, she really hoped that this plan worked... if it did, it would be worth a million of these shitty school days. 

 She just really hoped that this wasn't for nothing.

She could see Sunita repeatedly giving her anxious, worried looks out of the corner of her eyes, fidgeting with her headband and frowning to herself. Honestly, she knew that their opening conversation had been a bit awkward, but it wasn't worth Sunita stressing over like this. Ugh. Maybe she should apologize or something later... It wasn't like she was mad or anything, she was just... tired.

 She was just really, really tired.

 April wasted no time at all in swiping her books from off the desk when the bell finally, blissfully rang, dismissing her from this class and shuffling the whole school on to the next. She didn't expect that the next class would be any better, but at least she'd be that much closer to the end of the day... Before she could get very far, however, she felt a hand clamp around her wrist.

 "... Sunita?" April questioned, raising a brow. "Uh. Is something wrong?"

"Yes! I mean. No! I mean. Oh..! Hang on, just... just... c'mere!" Sunita bit out, chewing nervously at her fingernails as she yanked April from the classroom, moving with such fervor that April nearly lost her footing, giving a surprised little yelp as she stumbled after the other.

 "Sunita! Whoa, girl, hang on!!! Where the heck are we going?"

 "Somewhere... else! Just, just, hang on! You've just gotta trust me, okay?" Sunita hissed, quickly ducking around a corner, all but shoving April into the first empty classroom that they found, hurriedly shutting the door behind her.

 "Wha-- girl, what is going on!?" April spluttered, looking around frantically. She really liked Sunita, but this had better not be her coming onto her or something, 'cause it was so not the time--

"I just-- oh, gob, I'm going to get in so much trouble. What am I doing?! This is so so so against the rules... Okay. Okay. Buck up, Sunita," the other girl squeaked, seemingly pep-talking herself, pacing out several rapid back-and-forth laps across the linoleum floor before she suddenly whipped around to meet April's eyes, grabbing her firmly by her shoulders.

"I know where Mr. Hamato is."

[ next ]

[opossumloverr]

Could I maybe ask for a rottmnt request? I was wondering if you could do the turtle tots have a crush on a child y/n. Like it would just be really cute to know how the turtle boys handles crushes as kids 😭

☼TURTLE TOTS X CHILD READER ☼

Summary:

The little turtles have a crush on child reader!

Warning(s):

None! Just some adorable fluff

A/N:

Congratulations anon for being my first ask, this is absolutely adorable, them having little crushes omg SO CUTE AKAKAKA (gender-neutral reader!)

《RAPH》

I feel like he wouldn't know the concept of liking someone.

He would definitely ask splinter about it, it would go a little bit like this..

"Hey dad.." Raph peers over at splinter, sitting on his one man couch.

"Yes?" Splinter responded,

"Why everytime [Name] comes to play with me, I feel all fuzzy and weird?"

"...what?"

At the end Splinter shoo's him off, man's gotta deal with 4 mutated turtles, I don't blame him.

So he has to rely on his brothers

They tell him that's the feeling he has is probably love, and he freaks out.

You bet next time you come over he's sweating BULLETS

He can't even look you in the eyes for five seconds without looking away in a hurry.

You're confused by this but don't think to much of it cause you just wanted to play

His brothers totally tease him about it saying..

"Raph has a crush! Raph has a crush!"

He denies it so much

But in the end he's just a sappy little turtle.

《LEO》

He's so surprised when he realizes

Like you guys would be playing catch and he misses a few catches because he was to busy thinking about how awesome you looked while throwing the ball.

He never would've thought it would be you! You're his pal, his amigo, his playmate, just a good friend, right?

Goes into a state of panic for about a solid 15 minutes, during those 15 minutes he runs around his room for a bit, rolls around the floor maybe, before laying on his bed and accepting that he has a crush

Definitely gonna be a little awkward when you come for visits though, tries to hide it.

But I think you can tell by the way he's looking at you like he's bout to start squealing.

Would try to get you to come around more often

Constantly asking Splinter after every visit

"So when can [Name] come over Agian?"

He's happy that it's you he had a crush on.

《DONNIE》

He's confused?

How did he fall for you?

Sure you listen to his rambles, and contributed to his 'weird' little hobbies, not to mention your smile is so contagious, but that doesn't mean he has a crush!..Right?

Oh, yeah that's how

He doesn't freak out as bad as Raph

Just goes into a mini state of shock when he puts the pieces together

He's is keeping this secret with him till he DIES, for his age having a crush is BIG news

He could not let anyone know, not even his brothers

And y'know what, he keeps this secret hidden for a solid 4 days.

Leo being a sneaky sneakster of course.

Next time you come over for a play date of a visit, all eyes would be on you.

Donnie would probably tried to keep you away from his brothers so they don't accidentally say something.

Not just that but he enjoys your company

Over all very lowkey with it

《MIKEY》

Mikey is ECSTATIC

He's so happy he got a crush, and on you!

Goes to tell his brothers immediately

But all his words just come out like this: OMGGUYSSSYOUWONTBELIEVEWHAT-

Like a keyboard smash

They're all like: what?

Mikey calms down and tells them what he just figured out

They're happy for him, little bro finally found someone

When you came to play, he has twice the amount of energy than when you usually come around

Wanting to do anything you want to do

If you wanna play catch, Okay he's down, you wanna play dolls, already has one, if you just want to talk, he's pumped for that too

He loves the feeling of loving you.

This was so cute omg ty for requesting, sorry if there is grammar issues it's 12 am and I have to wake up early to go somewhere, Anyways thanks!

[fullofpossibilities]

Adopted Au Headcannons for R!Leo

So this is very heavily based off of the Adopted Mikey Au and the Adopted Donnie Au done by @tblsomedoodles so if you don't know the basics that would be a great place to start. (They also gave me permission to write these headcannons to thank you again!!!!).

Basically, I was at work, and absently thinking about their Adopted Aus, and thought, "who would adopt R!Leo (otherwise listed as Blue) if he went missing in another dimension?" And first some reason the first person that popped into my head was 2012 Donatello, so this is that train wreck.

Keep in mind that Blue is, like, 3-4 yr. old in this au, and happened to get sent to the 2012 universe after being attacked in the sewers of his own dimension and doesn't go back to his home dimension until right before the Rise show starts.

Purple is R!Leo's comfort color (since it reminds him of his twin) so I can see Donnie being the first person he would latch onto.

-It helps that the reason Blue is in this universe would be a highly coincidentally timed portal on 2012 Donnie's end that transported both Leo and the mutant attacking him to the sewers nearby

Donnie goes to investigate the energy surge that happened during the fight and finds Blue, saving him from either the mutant that had been attacking him prior to the portal or the krang who might have been the reason for the portal in the first place, haven't decided yet. Donnie takes him home to patch him up, and gets imprinted on by a very lost, confused, and scared Blue who just wants his twin but hey this stranger is wearing Purple's colors so he must nice, right?

Blue obviously gets most of his sense of humor and energy from Uncle Mikey. They love to skateboard together and play pranks, usually involving a lot of messes to clean up. Both get into food competitions, where whoever can throw together the weirdest food combination and eat it without throwing up wins (Donnie always gets upset when they do that though, worried about Blue's health).

Uncle Raph is probably (read definitely) the most protective of the uncles, and even though he isn't the sensei, he still helps teach Blue how to fight. He'll introduce him to Chompy and show him to use the pinball machine, and if anyone accused Raph of going soft he'd slap their head then go get Blue for their scheduled nap (because Blue will only sleep if someone else is there). Blue likes that Raph is so big, because it reminds him of Red (even if Raph is bigger than he remembers Red being), and naps with him are the best (but he'll never tell his dad that). If I do include the fact that Blue gets plushies that remind him of his brothers like @tblsomedoodles did in their au, they were made/knitted by Raph (once again, something he'll never admit, he just claims he found them randomly)

Uncle Leo, of course, is the sensei, but they still interact outside of training. Out of all the uncles, Blue probably looks up to Leo the most, resulting in another "Splinter Junior" situation, but between Leos, and less copy but no less "hero worship." Leo is like the Jupiter Jim or Captain Ryan of Blue's childhood. Leo will introduce Blue to Space Heroes, and the two will spend hours basically fan-boying over the show.

Obviously Blue is closest with his self-assigned dad, Donnie. Donnie is the reason that Blue gets so interested in medical practices and chemistry, and Donnie has a lot of practice (cough Mikey) with grabby hands in the lab, so he knows how to keep an eye on Blue while still working in a way that lets Blue stay in the lab during the day if he wants to. Blue thinks his dad is the coolest guy ever, being able to make whatever he wants (He built such a cool car! and Metalhead was awesome!) and fixing anything that breaks (like his toys). He learns sarcasm by watching his dad talk with Uncle Casey, and boy was that something that Donnie will always regret (second only to the fact that Casey also seemed to be trying to teach Blue how to flirt). (side note: this would be in a universe that did not emphasize a lot of romance. While all of that drama still happened when they were teenagers, the only couple that I MIGHT have as canon in the Au would be Raph/Mona, because it was the only ship that didn't have some kind of problematic background). When Blue decides that his dad hasn't slept enough, he'll go and sit on his lap, and just start to fall asleep. In an effort to make him comfortable, Donnie will try to move him to the bed, and when he tries to go back to work, Blue will latch onto his arm and refuse to let go, forcing him to stay "just until Blue falls asleep." Leo walks in ten minutes later to the father-son duo practically dead to the world on the bed. On the other hand, if Donnie doesn't want to be disturbed by anyone, Blue will make it his personal mission to keep the uncles out of the lab.

It's unclear when exactly Donnie became Blue's "dad," it just happened one day with Blue walking into the room, half-asleep, and asking his dad (by his now new title) if he had seen his blanket/plushies. Donnie, understandably, freaks out internally (and later externally) but can't deny that something in him was both happy and sad: happy because he had grown attached to the little tot; sad because he knew that a time would come when he would have to send him back home (dealing with alternates has left Donnie with the very real realization that this is probably a another little Leo, especially after hearing Blue talk about his brothers). Among the infinite possibilities of universes, though, that would take some time, so maybe it would be ok for the kid to call him that? He'd ask for advice from his brothers and April, and all of them, while equally cautious, would encourage him to let it happen because dangit they're attached too (although Leo would be the most hesitant, with his sense of responsibility).

I'd like to think that Blue learned Spanish by watching tv with April and Casey. Sure, he watches tv with his uncles too, but I can't see them watching anything that might have Spanish in them. I'm imagining that April and Casey were babysiting and both fell asleep with the tv on (thinking Blue was asleep too). Some Spanish drama came on and little Blue fell in love with the accent, so he started trying to copy it. Donnie caught on and set up a system to teach him some of the words instead of just copying the accent (he doesn't know spanish, but there are a lot of learning programs online he can hack into). It becomes a bonding experience between little Blue and the humans, since they take it upon themselves to help him learn whenever they babysit (April being more successful in these lessons than Casey).

Blue was seen as very athletic in Rise!, so I imagine that he fairly enjoys sports. Watching Casey play hockey probably kick started it, which evolved into skateboarding, basketball, baseball, football, etc. He couldn't play all of these a lot, but skateboarding and basketball (or at least shooting hoops) were fairly simple to set up and do constantly. He likes baseball and football simply for the fact that it gives him and excuse to throw a ball and run around a lot, but he doesn't play them often and prefers the other two. His uncles help set up a basketball hoop in the lair for one of his birthdays, and all he did for the next week was shoot hoops.

He thinks April is cool. Leo may be Blue's personal hero, but April is a SUPER hero. She had powers and a cool outfit, and in Blue's mind that's all he needed to label his new favorite aunt as an honest to goodness superhero (followed later by Mikey's alter-ego Turflytle). He's always following her around when she visits the lair and trying to get her to make him "fly."

Instead of the lair being attacked by the mutant/yokai that tried to kidnap and eat Blue, I imagine that the event that triggers Blue's return to his original world involving the Krang. The Krang attacked the lair or there was an attack outside somewhere that Blue snuck out and got stuck in, but a Krang would attempt to drag Blue through the portal to use as bait or leverage, and Blue's ninpo messed with the portal and sent him home (without the Krang for some reason, idk its fanfiction so fanon magic). He returns to the same place where he disappeared in his world, not that he remembers that that is where he left, and instead of Tello or Angie finding him, it would be Raphie (because I'm trying not to be too similar to the original Adopted AU, no more than I already am). The rest of the Rise show continues as normal.

Maybe if I get more inspiration I'll do some headcannons for when R!Leo reconnects with his family in the 12 dimension, but for now this is all I can think of.

[dandylovesturtles]

Fanfic Writer Ask Game!

🎯 🦈?

🎯 Do you have a writing milestone you’re working towards?

nope. I am at the whims of my inspiration and energy levels.

🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?

in ROTTMNT I would probably say Mikey. I think it's a little easy to lean too hard into the sort of "sweet little brother" thing that a lot of fandom likes (this isn't meant as a callout, lol, I like it too) and forget that he is canonically a little gremlin who is very silly and sometimes pretty gross (I mean he's a 13 to 15-year-old boy so it tracks).

Also he probably has the least defined character arc of literally every main character in the series (including the supporting cast like April, Splinter, Draxum, and both Caseys). Leo has his struggles with his place and identity within the team as well as his growth as a leader, Donnie has his issues with feeling replaced and directly linking his family "needing" him to his family loving him, Raph is struggling to live up to the expectations of the clan and his role as a big brother, April deals with her struggles connecting with her own peers and her fear that she doesn't count as part of the fam, Splinter has a billion things going on, Draxum has a whole redemption arc (truncated as it was) and Casey Sr effectively does too, and Casey Jr. has grief and trauma. And Mikey... would probably have had a really good character arc if we'd gotten the rest of season 2 and season 3!

A lot of Mikey's episodes where he gets to really get feelsy and show his emotions are directly tied to other people's character development, especially Donnie's and Draxum's, so we don't get as much of what his deal is. The only really solid Mikey centric episode is Hot Soup The Game, which definitely brings up Mikey's frustrations with being the youngest and thus babied as a result, so that's something you can draw on for his character, but even that's more tied directly into what he wants from interactions with other people and less about what he wants for himself.

(the truffle episode is super weird... like Mikey learns not to take his friends for granted? I guess?? I wouldn't have expected him to in the first place but yeah I guess that's some character development lol)

(actually as a total side note, it does annoy me a little that when Todd is first introduced as a character in Season 1, the whole point of his superpower being niceness was that he was so nice you'd do anything for him, and even villains were unable to turn him down, which was a really good gag and made him an interesting character. Then at some point it became that Todd's niceness meant he couldn't turn anyone down and suddenly he was just kind of a doormat, to Mikey first in the truffle episode and then all of them later in Todd Scouts. I actually like the Todd Scouts episode but also you didn't have to do that to him lmao)

(actually actually even though I like Todd Scouts I would have loved a version of that episode where Splinter stayed with them in the woods and then we dealt with how his feelings were hurt by the kids being more interested in their phones than his teaching and they could have pointed out that their dad kind of waited until late in life to start teaching them life skills and IDK WE DIDN'T GET THE FAMILY BONDING CAMPING TRIP WHEN THEY GOT CAUGHT IN THE TURTLE TANK IN SEASON 1, WHY DIDN'T WE GET IT IN SEASON 2??)

cough. anyway.

yeah so I always feel bad that when I look at my AUs and stuff I always feel like I give Mikey the least. I'm so sorry, Mikey, you're just already perfect and I don't know where to take you. ;;

Thanks for the ask!

[trubblegumm]

i love your bb au so so much any details youre excited about you can reveal?? also do you have any fic recs for tmnt i love your takes on the characters i trust your opinions 🙌

THANK YOU!!! Im hesitant to talk about details in case it ruins the overall impact… I think I can confidently talk about being excited for Raph to join. He got the two gay dads who let him do whatever he wants lifestyle

Before I get to rambling umm I don’t read that much fanfiction other than like father like son because I needed to know what all the fanart was about. Leo whump always for the win. I’ve also read every night longest day and it’s sooo good

Donnie was really the only one who was mainly dedicated to finding his brothers. As a character focused on logic and fact I thought it would be more appropriate for him to be fixated on the search for his true origins.

Leo, although a born natural leader, has a lot weighing on him from the sights he’s seen in childhood. He spent almost all his childhood in solitude and honestly couldn’t find it in him to leave Splinter behind because his dad is so goddamn sad all the time. He does have some fun times with his old man and gets ninja training in despite splinter’s protests

Mikey ‘s like. Supper happy with his life :) he love love loves his dad. But if he found out he has Lou Jitsu’s DNA and splinter technically also his dad…? (Insert the hidden city episode where Mikey wishes his two dads get along but the roles are reversed)

Raph’s a little angrier than in canon. He focuses the energy he has as an older brother on his duties as a foot clan ninja instead. He’s very passionate. He definitely knew about Donnie’s and Mikey’s existences (they’re the children of infamous public figures) but probably didn’t put two and two together until the search of brothers began.

FIGHTING:

Leo learns from Splinter (obviously) a combination of movies and real life training

Donnie studied battle nexus battles. He knows fighting in theory but no one would dare fight Big Mama’s kid (especially knowing his shell is vulnerable.)

Mikey was taught by Draxum early childhood when Draxum was on his warrior creation grind. Draxum gets attached and eventually lets up on the training, letting Mikey choose what he wants to do. Mikey gets extracurricular acrobatic lessons

Raph got the foot clan ninja swag and trains with Cassandra and the gang. He loves being a ninja and is passionate about protecting the people he loves; He and Casey often do patrols and vigilante work when they’re not training. Like Draxum with Mikey, Raph’s caretakers are easy on him after a while. Raph gets insistent on training more though and everyone’s like how does he have so much energy (He was literally genetically created for fighting)

[teaableu]

Here are some sketches I made for a rise oc I tried not to care too much about but failed <3

This is MILO more info below:

(Pronouns are sort of up in the air rn but I’m sticking w he/him for the time being )

I don't have many OCs for existing series but I gave it a shot and I’m happy with the turnout so,

His mother was a mutation test for Draxum while he was developing his mutagen for Splinter. But the mutation lacked a gene that utilized/enhanced mystic ability so the subject’s mystic core died, rendering the prototype a failure. So Draxum sort of set Milo’s mother aside as a failed experiment. But Milo’s paternal genetics (fully yokai) sort of filled in the gaps from his mother’s mutated genetics and a different reaction occurred where Milo’s mystic energy was enhanced to an extreme. Right now I’m thinking his father was maybe a past Nexus (loser) champion. His mom was captured by the Hidden City government when he was little and he was on his own evading capture until he was 11 and hid in Big Mama’s hotel, stealing food and sleeping in empty rooms or closets until she found him. He was caught around 12 years old and began working for Big Mama “to pay for damages." Idk how labor laws work in the Hidden City but he was close enough to the legal working age that nobody really cared (or Big Mama falsified documents who really knows). She could have put on paper that he's her ward but they don't have much of a relationship beyond he's a bellhop (at least right now). He's the same age as Raph.

Milo doesn't know what happened to his mom or dad, can't remember, but has a faint memory of his mom. Family is a touchy subject for him (envious of the Hamatos).

[whattraintracks]

8. Because I'm the Shield - RotTMNT

Tensions are high, but these boys stay silly.

“I don’t understand why you always do this, Raph!”

“Why I always do this? What about you, Leo!?”

Halfway through his wrist stretches with Donnie, Mikey almost does nothing when the shouting starts. Raised voices a familiar refrain in their still-too-new home. But Donnie’s grip on his forearm tightens with the crescendo, and they’re off.

It's been weeks since their last fight. What went wrong? They’ve been nearly inseparable. Has it just been simmering under the surface all this time? Has it already come to blows? They're both still healing. What if they hurt themselves? What if they hurt each other?

His head is spinning too fast to follow the argument, but he doesn't miss when Raph thunders, “BECAUSE I’M THE SHIELD!”

His brain conjures possible scenes in the split second before Donnie throws the door open to Leo's room. Leo out of bed antagonising Raph. Raph's fists encased in glowing red. Even an image drawn from the deepest, darkest, most afraid, and shameful part of himself of Raph wrapping his hand around Leo’s neck and—

They find none of those things.

No brothers brawling. No sparking mystic energy. No severely injured turtles disregarding bed rest.

“Is that,” his voice squeaks, panic melting into confusion, “my Monopoly Nintendo Collector's Edition?”

Raph looks sheepishly at the board game set on a fold-up card table, then back at them. “Maybe?"

Mikey wilts.

“Monopoly,” Donnie repeats, tugging Mikey's still-held forearm to keep him upright, his own shoulders sinking with relief. “An activity that totally explains why you were screaming at each other.”

“Oh!" Raph aims wide, watery eyes right at Mikey. "Raph's so sorry, buddy, we didn’t mean to—”

While an indignant Leo informs them, "Raph won't let me play as Link’s shield!”

Raph doesn't miss a beat. "Cause that’s Raph’s token!"

“I don’t see your name on it.”

“I always play with it!”

“We’ve played maybe twice.”

Mikey supposes it’s still pretty similar to their usual arguments.

“BOYS!” Raph’s tail smacks the table, scattering Power-ups across the floor. “NO YELLING IN THE HOUSE!”

“OKAY! SORRY, DAD!”

“BLUE.”

Leo snickers. A semi-satisfied harrumph following Raph’s stage-whispered apology.

“Ignoring that blatant double standard,” grumbles Donnie. He releases Mikey to collect the wayward game pieces. “If you haven’t even started yet, we may as well join you. Nardo, give me the bank.”  

“No, thanks.”

"Oh, I'm sorry. That was not a request—"

Mikey takes a deep breath. Letting his emotions settle into something soft and distant. Raph’s big, sad eyes are back, and his biggest brother opens his arms for a hug.

“You good, big man?”

Wrapped so completely in Raph's arms, Mikey almost feels like they're in a world all their own.

But they're not.

The twins are scuffling over fake cash on Leo’s bed, mindful of injuries but giving it their all. Dad’s cooking dinner in the kitchen, something heady and umami drifting through the open door. Mikey takes these feelings of warmth and safety and presses them into his skin.

He breaks away, smiling. “You bet I’m good! So good I’m boutta kick your shell in Monopoly!”

Raph grins indulgently. Mikey turns to reach for a token, winking at Leo. “I call the shield!”

“RAPH’S THE SHIELD.”

[they-bite]

okay so let's talk rise separated!au

just gonna outline mine here in case i never get around to drawing it (there's a fic up here though).

general note that i stick close to the the tone of the show; my vision of this thing is essentially a four-way custody battle with a demon thrown in for spice

-background to cover: my idea of the story between draxum, big mama and splinter is a little different. draxum and yoshi have more of a prior relationship, and yoshi came to the hidden city with big mama willingly bc the foot were dogging him at the time (he came to resent the battle nexus, though, which was when he began to gravitate more towards draxum.)

-the night the turtles were mutated, draxum was intercepted by big mama (who never trusted draxum around yoshi) and the foot (who finally caught up to yoshi). chaos ensues, the lab burns, and in the confusion each party leaves with a turtle apiece. draxum has donnie, yoshi has leo, the foot has mikey and big mama has raph. yoshi is presumed dead (missing in the foot's case, they're used to hamatos disappearing), and all parties believe they have the only turtle who survived.

-draxum and big mama, both suffering from hard-spun grief about their man going up in flames, are softened to their turtles. big mama spoils the FUCK out of raph, letting him get out his pent-up energy & love of wrestling as an occasional battle nexus fighter. draxum’s resolve to use donnie as a weapon wanes the more he realizes this is a child he’s got on his hands, and donnie grows up to be his beloved lab assistant-slash-partner in crime-slash-engineer

-the foot duo initially intended to only raise mikey so shredder could consume his soul, but as mikey became more involved in the foot they started banking a lot harder on finding splinter. as far as mikey knows, he and big sister casey are gonna be the bosses of the foot clan after their dads retire

-splinter, feeling the loss of three sons, gets his ass in gear a little quicker on training leo in the way of the hamato clan. he still did a long stint as an emotionally absent dad, though, prompting leo to take to the streets. he met april along the way, who splints imprinted on HARD; she's getting training too and splints views her as a daughter

-april gradually meets all the turtles and is the one to introduce them. they're hanging out by the start of the show, but donnie, mikey and raph keep the friendship from their parents (draxum and big mama have bad blood and the foot clan has to be kept a secret)

-leo starts bringing the mad dogs to the cave for hangouts, and it takes a borderline embarrassing amount of time for splints to realize that his three presumed-dead sons have been adding all kinds of shit onto his house (like donnie's got half a backup lab down by the time splints walks in on them)

-splinter recognizes them and reunion ensues, but the separated boys are skeptical about splints' side of the story. they want to ask their parents, but splints swears them to secrecy; no one can know he's still alive

-that lasts all of two weeks because draxum, big mama and the foot duo are getting suspicious about their sons disappearing all the time. this naturally culminates in mama, draxum and splints' dirty laundry getting aired, the foot kicking into high gear, april smashing a lot of heads, draxum & splints being pissed that their kids have been going topside, and at least three shoutings of "your kid?? YOUR KID????"

-the parents all have their own reasons for wanting the turtles in one place: the foot and draxum have their vendettas, splints wants his sons to live normal people lives and big mama wants them to live normal yokai lives (also she'd probably win that court battle on account of having the resources to care for them)

-the turtles just think it's cool they're all related (donnie is more on the fence than the rest about having siblings but still)

-i have a strong mental image of the custody battle turning into an actual battle, like a formal one in the battle nexus, and their kids have to break them up

-somehow in all this the shredder plotline gets started, so now draxum, big mama and splints are at least united in not wanting shredder to get out if nothing else. mikey learns shredder's full backstory and is REALLY holding out hope that the foot lieutenant and foot brute will see the light, but the best he can hope for is casey.

-leo is the hamato clan expert, mikey is the shredder expert, raph is the fighting expert, donnie is the hidden city expert, april is the human world expert and casey is the violence expert. together they are six sixths of a whole idiot

-donnie's flavor of mad scientist also includes alchemy (though he insists mechanics are better); he named one of those giant automaton things fibonacci. he’s slightly humanphobic from growing up with draxum, but has been going topside for years and it’s mostly relegated to jokes

-big mama absolutely tries to buy the "turtle-boos"' love; on the other side of the spectrum the foot have probably propped a box up on a stick over a pizza before

-leo is like, a degree more responsible from dealing with a depressed parent alone; he's really defensive of splints even though internally there's a lot of conflict there

-raph is slightly naive re: the function of the battle nexus and in general is prone to taking risks

-shredder's still there. it's okay. it's fine. it's okay. it's okay.

[nights-flying-fox]

a short tidepod duo sickfic gift for @little-banjo-frog & @spacemimz :] hope you guys feel better soon!!

Word count: 1283 ☆ fandom: rottmnt ☆ ao3 link: n/a (yet)

 Leo really hated being sick. It was always boring. Especially if he was the only one who got sick. Raph would get anxious and act like a mother hen, and Donnie would never let him leave his room if it was not necessary (and mind you, it is not because Leo has to rest, it is because he’d end up spreading his sickness in the lair), and would be a snitch whenever Leo tried to sneak out. At least Splinter had the experience and always knew what Leo needed. 

 The thing was that his dad seemed to miss the fact Leo had slept the whole morning, and then the whole noon, and now he couldn’t sleep. To be honest he didn’t want to either. Being sick was bad, but staying in your room and not being able to do much was also bad. The first was okay. He read comics, scrolled on his phone and read some fanfiction, played some video games... Yeah, he had company too but... He wanted to do something other than lying down all the time! He was well enough to walk around, and he was pretty sure his sickness wasn't contagious so he should be able to leave the room, right?

 So he got up. It was slow and careful steps, mostly to not wake up others. Thank Pizza Supreme in the Sky, he didn’t cough anymore. He could just have a tour of the lair, maybe even find something interesting to do—

 “Leo?”

 He turned to see Mikey standing at the entrance of his room. He had his blanket wrapped around him, and his eyes were tired. Uh oh.

 “Don’t tell me...” Leo started.

 “It is your fault.” Mikey glared.

 “...Is this why you came here?” Leo asked. “To accuse me of spreading sickness.”

 Mikey whined, “Noooo, I can’t sleep.” 

 Leo tilted his head, “Why?”

 “Because—” He began coughing. Leo watched, feeling terrible. Maybe this was his fault, alright. After his coughing fit was over, Mikey continued. “Well, this...”

 “Eugh boi... Yeah, let’s make you some warm tea.” Leo grabbed his blanket as well. It was cold out of his bed.

 “That sounds good, but I was wondering,” Mikey was looking at him pleadingly. “Could I stay with you tonight?” 

 Leo understood his pain very well. Sickness alone was boring as heck. “Sure, but we will visit the kitchen first.” He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he pulled his blanket and walked out of the room.

 He’d consider himself fast for someone sick, considering how Mikey had yet to join him. Except he wasn’t aware that Mikey was watching him walk, pulling his plushies on the blanket at the same time. The youngest smiled to himself as he followed his brother, deciding not to say anything. 

 Eventually, the two reached to the kitchen, Leo making two mugs of linden tea. Meanwhile, Mikey leaned on the counter, watching him. As Leo poured the warm tea into the mugs, he noticed something: “Hey, isn’t that Dad’s soup?” 

 Leo looked at where Mikey pointed at. A big casserole, which Leo knew that Splinter used it for when he made one of his famous soups. “Yeah, it is...”

 “Shouldn’t he have put it into the fridge?” Mikey muttered.

 “I dunno, you are the chef here.” Leo shrugged.

 They looked at each other for a second before Mikey said “I’m reheating it.” 

 “I’m getting the bowls.”

 And so the two warmed the soup, poured it into bowls, and headed out of the kitchen with two trays of soup and tea. The slideer had yet to notice his plushies on his blanket too, so they came along with the turtles as well. 

 Leo pointed out that Mikey’s room was the closest one, so they quietly headed there. However, Leo had forgotten that Mikey lacked a bed. Good thing Mikey had unreasonably a lot of pillows. Since Mikey had even less energy and was coughing a bit more now, Leo decided to handle putting the pillows down to make a comfortable place they could sit. As he did the task, he noticed the familiar purple tablet on the ground. “Is that Donnie’s tablet?” 

 “Mmmhmm.” Mikey murmured. 

 Well, they could use this! “Wanna watch a lame movie until we fall asleep or Raph finds us?” 

 “Yeah,” Mikey replied, enthusiastic but tired. “One of the lame horror movies?”

 “No, you won’t be able to sleep.” Leo said as he placed more pillows on the ground.

 “Nuh-uh.”

 “You literally couldn’t sleep after watching those fake ghost stories youtube videos for a week.” 

 “Lies.” 

 Leo rolled his eyes. He didn’t say anything though, because he got distracted once he pulled his blanket over the pillows. “Wha- are those my plushies?” 

 “Yea, you’ve been dragging them along with your blanket the whole time.” Mikey snickered.

 Oh. Okay, Leo maybe hadn’t recovered enough, how had he not noticed that? Eh, who cared. He took them and placed them on the pillows. “Bring yours too then.” He told Mikey as he sat down and pulled the trays closer, opening space to put the tablet on. Mikey did as he was told, and then sat next to Leo. They chose a movie and drank their soup and tea as they watched it in the dimly lit comfy room. The fairy lights and the way they were lying on the many pillows sleepily really made it feel like they were in a pillow fort. It was nice. 

 Mikey eventually got into his shell, only leaving his head out to see the screen. Leo held him close, circling gently his shell whenever his brother had a coughing fit. They both weren’t feeling their very best, but it seemed that the warm stuff and the comfort helped.

 The youngest was the first to fall asleep. Leo didn’t remember when, but he fell asleep too. In the morning they found themselves in Leo’s bed, surrounded with some pillows and stuffed animals. And there was grumpy Raph watching them- no, glaring at them, sitting next to them.

 “Hey big guy,” Leo smiled. Mikey was still sleeping beside him. “For your information, Mike’s joined the sick club.” 

 “I know.” He huffed. “What were you two thinking laying on the ground the whole night?”

 “On pillows, Raph.” Leo corrected.

 Raph glared at him even more, if it was possible.

 “Relaaax, I was restless and he wanted company. I thought tea would help with his coughing, and his room is closer than mine...” Leo explained.

 Raph sighed. “What am I gonna do with you two...” 

 “Bring us a very good breakfast?” He suggested.

 “How are you feeling?” Raph asked, ignoring Leo’s suggestion. But he had smiled, so he might’ve brought them a good breakfast. Or maybe it was already on the way. 

 “Still not feeling too hot, buuut kinda better.” Leo answered. “No coughing, a bit tired tho.”

 “Yeah, good.” Raph smiled, then put his hand on his forehead. “Your fever seems to be better. But don’t you dare to leave the bed yet. Not alone.”

 “Why, where are you going?” Leo asked.

 “Didn’t you ask for breakfast?” Raph smiled as he walked towards the door.

 “You’re the best Raph.” 

 “Yeah, yeah.” Raph waved his hand. As he left, he added, “Get prepared against Donnie’s rant of careful usage of his stuff and whatever Pops has to say about soup.” 

 When Leo groaned, Raph had already left. 

 But now Leo wasn’t sick and alone. Yeah, maybe being sick was boring, and so was being stuck in your room, but hey, at least he had his family that made his days better. He smiled to himself, closing his eyes to fall asleep before his twin or Splinter paid a visit.

[obsidiancreates]

Random Into The Neon Rambles (Angsty 2012 Universe Stuff. I mean seriously sad, I cried writing it.)

So I've had the WORST brain fog lately (we keep intending to get a Covid test but it's been over a week and a half now since my breathing became like Just Swam Up From The Bottom Of The Pool But That All The Time and it still hasn't happened yet so IDK at this point, it's dependent on the cleaning schedules) and haven't been able to write SHIT so here's some completely word-vomit rambles about this AU.

April and Casey are still alive in the 2012 universe, but of course the boys died at 19 and I headcanon that they turned 19 in Season 4 and were 19 through all of Season 5 so that means Splinter is dead. The Mutanimals actually moved into the lair and take very good care of it, they set up a memorial to the boys right beside the one for Splinter. April and Casey see them often, Leatherhead took over the main care of Ice Cream Kitty, and they're all trying to get by. April's dad has his hands full these days, trying to be a grief counselor for all of them, and it's difficult because it's not his specialty. At this point he's always on the lookout for therapists and psychiatrists who are either mutant-friendly or, more ideally, mutants themselves.

There's actually quite a bit of focus now on finding and helping other mutants. The reason for the boys deaths was kind of the last Big Thing to happen, so there's not a lot of combat to do in the years following. The occasional alien issue, but April has been practicing and growing her powers with a focus that Casey likes to think is her way of honoring the turtles, specifically Leo and Donnie really, and The Mutanimals have been too.

The boys were alone together when they died. Partly by their own design, making sure no-one else got hurt... or worse.

They knew there was a strong chance they wouldn't make it out this time.

So Earth is well-protected by a powerful, grieving telekenetic/psychic/empath/ninja/general badass alongside a group of kick-ass mutant, a grieving Salamadarian soldier who keeps Raph's mask on her whenever she patrols, a grieving basically-son who's like 10 feet tall and can crush practically any enemy with his mace, a grieving best friend who's determined to carry both Mikey's kindness and ferocity with him always, a grieving teen who just lost some of the first people to truly help him after being kicked out for his mutation, and of course, a grieving big sister who lost her brothers the same way she lost her father and mother: before she could truly know them.

Yes, Karai knew the boys for a few years. But she never knew them outside of War. She never knew them in casual settings, she never even thought to try when they were alive. Now not only are they gone, but the last people who knew her father are, too. April tries to share stories of Splinter, but she can't tell Karai what he was like on birthdays. She can't tell her what he was like as a father, not just to teens, but through childhoods. Karai lost the last of her family before she could even fully appreciate finding them. She's trying, now. She helps a lot with the efforts to find and help mutants who have nowhere else to go. She takes a lot of them into her reformed Foot Clan, trains them to be able to defend themselves, and uses the vast network of international resources for anything that can help. She does it in remembrance of her father, who raised four little mutants as his sons, and those four sons, who accepted her and loved her even after she did horrible things to them more than once, who showed her there was a way beyond The Shredder's and helped her to be free of him.

April tries to find them sometimes. She never learned that kind of thing from Splinter, and her powers actually make it harder to connect to the spirit world sometimes. It's a different energy, one she isn't used to, and she has no teacher. She's felt, at most, a comforting presence, the faintest tough of a familiar paw, but nothing from the boys themselves. She can only hope that Splinter's assurance means they're okay, wherever they are in the universe.

Ice Cream Kitty was very confused for a while. She would yowl and yowl for Mikey. She would climb out of the freezer and drag herself to his room to look for him. At some point they put Mikey's mask in there with her, and a few of his comics. It helped.

They could all tell when she understood. That day, instead of finding her in his room after she escaped, she dragged herself to April in the dojo and meowed sadly until April held her. April cried. Ice Cream Kitty didn't make a peep. April felt the sadness of the kitty more strongly than the cold or stickiness of the ice cream in her arms.

It's been less time for them. The boys are 10 at this point in Into The Neon, for them it's been half the time. 5 years. April is in college, community college. She's not sure what she wants to go into. She thought biomedical for a while, but she kept wanting to ask Donnie for help when she got stuck.

She dropped the class.

Casey is mostly working with The Mutanimals. Leatherhead actually keeps trying to get him to take a break from it, concerned about how much he throws himself into battle. Casey is working on it. He had a breakthrough recently. He has Survivor's Guilt. The boys told him and April to go and convince any stragglers to evacuate, and they did. He wished he'd stayed. He knows he couldn't have stopped what happened, but his last interaction with any of them was a quick nod and a 'Got it.'

He believed they'd come back. Really. He knows April didn't, and tried to assure her. "Those guys are unkillable," he'd said. "If space aliens and Super Shredders couldn't get them, nothin' can!"

He remembers falling to his knees when they came back to the wreckage and saying "Just had to prove me wrong, didn't you?" It was the hollowest he'd ever felt, and he doesn't really remember the words like they came from him. He just remembers hearing them in his voice, distant and far away while he waited for someone to move, cough, shout at him to help them up already, anything.

They were buried on the farm, of course, next to their father. Doctor Cluckingsworth actually protects the graves from the other chickens, and when the others come to visit she usually comes by with some flowers she picked for them. She really only knew Mikey very well, but Mikey loved his brothers, and she remembers that.

The worst part was how peaceful everything became after. April was so angry that they didn't get to see it. That she's living in a world where, slowly, mutants are more able to be known and exist, where there's not a constant threat, where there's chances for harmless fun and just being happy, and they can't be there for it. When they announced a live-action reboot of Crognard she blew up the TV without even meaning to. She just saw it and thought 'I gotta tell Mikey' and then it was obliterated and she was sobbing in her dad's arms.

Casey actually does have something he's considering. He's been the one trying to keep the old vehicles in shape, and he thinks maybe he could be a mechanic or some kind of engineer. He thinks Donnie would laugh about the engineer thing because of all the math that takes, but he's gotten better at it. He has to use Donnie's old blueprints a lot to make sure he's not breaking The Shellraizer or The Party Wagon or the go-karts or anything else while trying to repair it, and you can't really pour over Donnie's stuff and work on the same things without absorbing a little. He's not a whiz by any means, can't do even a quarter what Donnie could, but they work together well. He remembers that every time he repairs a new hole Slash made by accident, or something Mondo accidentally ripped our with his tail while skating past, or anything like that. He remembers working on the hot rod in the barn with Donnie and wishes they made more wild things with each other instead of fighting all the time. He liked that Donnie matched his energy, could go toe-to-toe with him, that they could get into awful fights and rip each other apart verbally and it didn't really matter to either of them. He liked Raph for the same reason. And he liked Leo because he seemed all calm and cool but you could stoke a real fire out of him, and he liked Mikey for a similar reason-

He cries a lot while he's doing these repairs. It's a safe place to do it, and if any of the others have noticed (they have) they don't mention it. They never interrupt him, though he knows April is keeping a psychic eye on him most of the time. Whatever. He's keeping a (regular) eye on her all the time too. At least when he cries over their lost friends, it doesn't have a chance of rattling half the city like they're sitting on a fault line.

Chompy still refuses to fall asleep unless Mona is holding him and she has Raph's mask out. Chompy snuggled his face against it. Slash watches him when Mona can't, because for a while they were deeply worried about the little guy. He was depressed without Raph, and he got sick. It took a lot of patience and care to get him to the other side of that, and the two of them basically made it their whole purpose in life to keep Chompy going. For Raph.

Everyone's trying their best, all for the sake of the boys. For their memories.

They're having a hard time of it.

But they're trying.

[yourirridescantgrace]

You were supposed to tell us! NOW PAY!

Info:  Lee: Mikey

Lers: Leo, Raph and Donnie. 

Note: MY AU!

Summary: Mikey uses his powers without letting his brothers know so they could heal the cracks. But they wind up finding out and getting their revenge in a funny way. 

Mikey left the art Mystic city great museum of art and literature smiling. That was an AMAZING day he just had. He got to meet a yokai artist. Who Mikey had shown some of his art. The artist wa impressed and wrote down some contact info. Telling Mikey to contact him when he was 18 and they would talk 'job opportunities'. Which of course Mikey got all excited about. He could not wait till he told his older brothers.

After that he continued to see the art show. Listen to some old classical music, and so much more! He even got to make some art himself. Which he was excited to show his brothers when he gets home to! 

He stepped out of the museum and started back down the street to his home. Suddenly it started down pouring soaking his shirt he just bought at the museum. It covered a good amount of his arms. Maybe he bought to big of a shirt? 

Mikey booked it. Hoping to get home fat but it felt like forever. The rain just kept pouring down on him. He sighed. Home was to far away and it looked like it wasn't going to clear up anytime soon. Mikey knew what he had to do. 

So here was a little update on his powers. Mikey could use them to do things like, spawn items. levitate him or other people. levitate items, turn invisible, teleport, and a count of other things he has not explored yet. But yes he could portal as well. if it was a small distance, ( example: from kitchen to bedroom, living room to Leos room, etc.) but for things like teleporting home in a hurry, teleporting to the store, etc. He would need his brothers right by him to take the cracks away, or right on the other side of the portal ready to help. The only kind of portals that could kill him is time portals or dimensional. 

He stopped thinking for a second after that last word. 

Dimensional portals, the one he spawned to save Leo during the Kraang invasion. When he sacrificed himself. 

A low roar of thunder broke Mikey's thoughts. He sighed knowing he should get home. He stood in alley his arms spread apart focusing all his energy on the portal and thinking of the living room of his home. And the homey feeling he felt when he was in it. Within seconds his hands glew and cracks began to grow on his body. A bright yellowish orange portal opened up revealing the living room. He stepped through it. 

The cold,wet rain turned into warmth. When Mikey opened his eyes he was in the front door of his house. He closed the portal.  His arms were shaky and sore a little but he would be fine. He entered his living room to where his dad. Lou Jitsu was sitting watching old reruns of his own movies. He noticed Mikey home without even looking away from the tv. 

"How was it?" Splinter asked

"It was fun." Mikey said. "Where's my brothers?" 

"I think they went to bed. They were just goofing and chasing each other around all day. So they're probably very tired. Why?"  Mikey hesitated. " Nothing I just thought they'd be here to greet me." 

The youngest then went up to his room. He set his back pack down and laid down on the bed. Man that portal took up his energy. 

"I'll ask tomorrow." He said shutting his eyes. "It's just a few anyways." 

The next morning Mikey tried to make breakfast. But wound up making cereal since his hands were really shaky still. He sighed knowing he better ask one of his brothers soon. Before he completely cracks! 

He went up to his room after breakfast. He was trying to think of which brother would most likely not be angry at this situation. Raph would most defiantly. Donnie would lecture him to death. Leo seems to be best. He is so laid back and chill. 

" Oh little baby bro of ours."  Mikey heard Leo chirp from behind him Mikey turned his head to see his three older brothers behind him. 

"Oh hey guys!" Mikey chirped back. I was just coming to see what y'all were doing!" He chuckled. He kind of panicked a little.  "Hey buddy, " Raph said. "We just noticed your hands were a little jittery today. And that you were kind of acting kind of nervous. So we were wondering if you were okay?"  Mikey smiled. Of course he could never keep secrets from his brothers long. He sat down on his bed. His older brothers taking it as an invitation to sit as well. This is when Donnie noticed a certain glow for Mikey. Not his sweet sunshine little brother glow. As in an actual glow from his arms. 

"Oh is that why?" The smartest turtle said pointing down to the cracks. 

Leo and Raph both looked down to them to but Raph made the first exclamation. 

"MIKEY!" He yelled "YOUR ARMS!" Mikey gulped

"Haha."  welp truth was out now. "That's it! I used my powers last night to get myself out of the thunderstorm. Dad said you guys were in bed already so I didn't wanna bother you guys. And I guess I just wasn't thinking right and I ignored them until now. Er I- I'm sorry I should've told you." 

The three seemed to deadpan at once. They knew they're little brother mean't well and did not want to disturb their slumber. But what if cracks were all over his body? What if they wouldn't stop spreading? What if?   

No

They couldn't think of that terrible scenario. 

"Mikey." Raph started " That was very stupid of you. You know better to not tell us when you have cracks."  He sighed he knew he could accidentally hurt Mikeys feelings. But Mikey had to learn this was no okay. 

"Look Mike." Leo said thankfully taking over. "We understand that we were asleep but that does not matter. If you are cracked or hurt you need to wake us up right away. Or it could  get worse. We love you little brother and you know how badly it would affect us if you shattered."  "Yea I know." Mikey nodded. He was surprised about how little the lectures were. He thought he would get a three hour long one. An hour for each brother. Believe him when he said it has happened before. 

" Now c'mon now." Donnie said "Let's get those cracks healed up before they're permanent. " 

Mikey scooted so his brothers could get his cracks. This would only take a minute or two. Mikey let his mind wander as his pain went away and the room glew a blue,purple, red and orange. It wasn't to harsh. Just a soft glow.

"whoops better get these sneaks." Raph said putting his hand on Mikeys neck. Mikey squirmed a little. It kind of tickled. But not bad. But then Raph moved his hands down a little bit. Probably to get a few cracks that were on his a lower neck. Mikey thought he held back a snicker but he did not. In fact his older brothers could easily hear it. This gave the three an idea that would shatter their brother in giggles.

" Oh good idea Raph!" Leo exclaimed. Those little boogers sneak everywhere. " I better check his legs while Donnie, you check his sides." 

"On it!" Donnie replied. 

Mikey gulped uh oh. He was in for it now! Feeling all his brothers 'search' his body for anymore cracks from his powers Mikey begins to squirm a little while holding in his laughter. He knew what his brothers were doing. 

"Mikey hold still." Raph said obviously teasing him. "We can't get all the cracks out if you squirm!"  "Hey Mikey why are you so squirmy?" Leo asked "you're making this much more difficult"

"yeah cmon Mike answer us!" Donnie chimed in. 

"pffft-" Mikey tried to protest but he could not speak without breaking out in full on laughter. Probably giving his brothers what they want. 

"Saracastic gasp!" Donnie said in his usual manner. "You're not saying that we are tickling you!?" 

Yeah they knew what they were doing.

" Cmon Mikey, you know you need to answer us." "yeah talk to us. We wanna hear that squeky lau- I mean voice of yours" 

Donnie then moved from his upper side to his lower armpit. Mikey couldn't take it anymore his armpits were his DEATHSPOT. 

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA AHAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAH!" 

Mikey shouldn't of held his breath for so long. He was really unable to speak. But he tried. " yohohoohohohoohohoohohohohohohohoohohou guhuhuhuuhuhuhuhuhuuhuhuhuys arehehheheheheheh meahahhahahhahahahan! AHAHHAHAHHHAHAHHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAAHHA!" 

"What makes you say that Hermanito." Leo said. " we are simply trying to make sure you do not have any more cracks."  "Yeah." Raph caught on. "You clearly can't tell us that you are cracked."  "HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAH I IHIHIHIHIH WAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAS Ghohohoohohohoohing tohohohoohooh EhHEhhehhehehehehhek! HAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!" 

"When?" Donnie asked. "When you're fading into oblivion? When you were shaking from pain? When the tremors wore absoloutely tormenting you?!" 

"Lhihihihihiihiihihihiihihke yohohohohohoohu arehehehheheh noohhohoohohoohw?" 

"We have a reason." Leo followed up!

"GUHUHUHUHUHUYS! AHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHA! I- IHIHIHIHIH CAHAHAHAHAN'T! EHEHHEHEHK AHAHHAHAHHAHAHHA! IHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIH CAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAN'T TAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHKE IHIHIHIT ANYMHOHOHOHOHORE! AHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHA MEHEHEHHHEHEHEHHEHEHEHRCY!" 

"OH really?" Leo replied. 

"Are you going to tell us next time your cracked?" Raph asked.

"YEHEHHEHEHHEHEHEHES HAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH! AHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA!" 

"Promise?" Donnie teased  "YEHEHEHHEHHEHEHEHS! YEHEHEHEHHES! PROHOHOHOMIHISE!" 

"Cross your heart hope to die?" Leo continued." "YEHEHHEHEHHEHES! OHOHOHOHOHOHOH MY GOHOHOHOHD!" 

"Stick a needle in your eye?" Leo kept on. 

"LEHHEEHEHHEHEOHOHOHOHOHO!" 

"OK fine. Let him go boys." 

And just like that Mikeys torture ceased. He took about five minutes to stop laughing and catch his breath while his brothers sat smiling triumphantly.

"you guys are mean!" Mikey said. 

"never do that again." Raph said

"ok"

[misteria247]

hey there! what are some of your favorite things about each version of leonardo that you're familiar with? (feel free to gush as much as u want btw; as a fellow leo stan, I live and breathe for leo appreciation posts)

Oh my God-!! Where do I even begin?????? There's just so much that I adore about these blue clad boys! Let's see-

Starting with 87:

The one thing I love about Leo in this variation, is his surprisingly short temper he sometimes shows! Like it was such a surprise to see him get irritated at a street vendor and cutting his table in half all because the guy was trying to sell him and his brothers something lol. I also love that he's secretly a dork! Like he seems so serious about everything and then you hear him drop a one liner and it's highly enjoyable to see this boy have enough fun to drop em! Not only that but he's so feral at times like this guy's go to to fix his problems is to either cut it, stab it or throw one of his swords at it and it's hilarious.

Now onto 03:

Leo in this series is the one that made me lowkey fall in love with him and made him my one true love and pathetic meow, meow for literally the next decade or so. Like I adored how calm and pleasant he was in this series. His level headed attitude and willingness to protect the ones around him, damage to his own being be damned it instantly made me admire him. Like seeing this older brother, the eldest child of his family give up so much and doing everything he could so his family could be happy was life changing for me. And his wisdom like holy shit, he's so wise for someone so young. That and his rare jokes and one liners like omfg yes.

The boy from 07:

Leo in this movie was such a fucking treat to see. Like the thing I love about this Leo is despite being the eldest and leader, he's a little shit. Like this boy??? Literally gets into a fight with Raph??? And literally says he's better than him like a cocky mother fucker????? Like that added with his snarky one liners and I'm in love with him. (Plus his pretty brown eyes are just *chef's kiss*).

(My ride or die) Now for 12:

Where to even begin with Leo in this one??? There's just so much I adore about this Leo specifically. I love his dorky jokes and his puns and one liners. I love how he's secretly rebellious beneath his supposed maturity. I love that he's a smartass and can be cocky about things. I adore how he can literally become completely unhinged on the drop of a dime, and he isn't afraid to do what he believes needs to be done. Leo's got so many things in this one that I simply adore about him, from his love of space and stars, to the loyalty and mothering and adoration that he has for his family and friends. He's selfless and kind hearted and much like Mikey he tries to see the best in people even when others tell him not too. Like there's just so damn much here in this guy and I love him to bits and pieces.

Bayverse here we go:

Leo in these movies is honestly such a treat to see! I love how he's the big brother and how he's willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family and friends. I love how badass and dorky he can be and his stubbornness is lowkey incredibly charming in many ways. Plus his jokes and one liners while rare are hilarious and his snarky comments are masterpieces each and every time. (Plus his muscles are quite pleasant to see from time to time just saying don't judge me-).

And finally Rise:

Again where to even begin??? Leo in this one is so refreshing to see! I love his dorky ass and his cockiness and confidence. I love how he's the jokester yet when things get serious he's instantly a major threat to those who stand in his way. I love how he's selfless when it comes to his family and friends and I love his dad jokes and puns and quips. I adore his chaotic and awkward energy and his manipulative attitude to get things to go the way he wants them too. I freaking love how he can come up with the most unhinged ideas and plans that shouldn't work yet he makes them each and every time. He's also such a little shit like honestly it's great.

I just adore Leonardo Hamato so much, I love his dorkiness, his courage, his determination and willingness to do what's right. I love his jokes and puns and one liners and sarcastic comments, his skills with the blade and his selflessness. He's amazing and wonderful and he's literally one of the best characters that I've ever seen, Leo's just a fantastic character and an amazing brother and great leader. He's smart, wise and talented and even though he doesn't see his own worth his brothers see it as well as us Leo fans. I just-

Ugh I love this dude so much I've been in love with him since I was like four-six age range and I've been in love with him ever since. I'll literally die for him and throw hands for him. Leonardo Hamato my pathetic little meow, meow.