#but yeah one of my favorite things about tmnt is that the characters are well rounded and rottmnt exemplifies that immensely

[turtleblogatlast]

I love Raph and haven’t said that enough so to be more specific I love that Raph is a soft boy who loves bear plushies, a gross boy who eats an assortment of things that are definitely better left alone, a smart boy who is more than capable of taking down villains through planning and fortitude alike, a strong boy who is dedicated to training his muscles and fighting prowess, a teenage boy who loves his brothers but is more than happy to tease and roughhouse with them, an angry boy who sometimes lets his anger take a hold of him to cover the fear, a gentle boy who is generous with hugs and affirmations to those he loves, a capable boy who takes on more than should ever be expected of a teenager, a good boy who just wants to be a hero and slowly comes to realize the cost of that duty, a good boy who has no reservations about putting himself in the way of harm coming to his family, a good boy who’s a great brother and son and person and deserves only the best the world has to offer.

[thelaundrybitch]

Tumblr Romance - A TMNT Short

Turtle Doves.

I'm supposed to be working on my TMNT Trick or Kink, and at this point, it's not gonna be posted til Christmas 😂

Why? You ask.

Because I have an uncooperative brain that writes things like this instead.

ANYWAY...

I've given another shot at a reader x turtle one-shot in the form of Gender neutral reader and turtle of choice.

Please forgive me for any mistakes 😘

~Disclaimer~ I used a made-up blogger name in this fic (@tmnt-blogger). If it's suddenly taken, I apologize 😂😘

Also, there is a PRETEND phone number in the fic. For the love of all that is good... Don't call it ☠️😂

AND! Never go to meet someone, by yourself, from the internet that you don't know.

ok. I think that's all.

18+ content - for mature audiences only!

Please don't steal my work. Reblogging for others to enjoy is highly encouraged, though 🤩

The Tumblr Romance

You ever talk to another Tumblr user, and just… It clicks?

It feels good… Right… Familiar…

You talk to them here and there, hoping to learn more about them, but they hold back, and keep a mysterious air to them.

And you want so badly for them to like you enough to want to call you their friend?

Yeah.

It happened exactly like that.

Another blogger had posted an unbelievable fic starring your favorite turt. The fic was SO. GOOD. They knew exactly how to portray his character perfectly. It was almost as if it was written by the turtle himself.

You just had to let the writer know how amazing their written work was and how much it touched you when you read it. You knew that just leaving a comment wouldn't be enough to show proper gratitude. You needed to DM them.

So, after typing and retyping the message about a thousand times, you hit send and held your breath. Their immediate, warm response filled your heart with joy, and you couldn't help yourself as you unleashed praise after praise about their work. Thankfully they were both flattered, and understanding after you completely ‘fangirled’ over them via messenger, and continued to talk with you. The two of you really hit it off and began to chat regularly.

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

You had been talking to @tmnt-blogger for a couple of months now, a few days each week. The words they chose to use and how they spoke to you through DM had you absolutely captivated.

Sweet. Kind. Funny. Intelligent.

They had you completely intrigued.

You wanted to know more about them but didn't want to ask too many questions, fearing they might think you were some lunatic. So, instead, you shared some of your life with them, in hopes they would share theirs - and they did! But it was always sparingly, to much of your dismay.

You didn't want to push and seem like a huge creep. You wanted them to share only what they were comfortable sharing.

Meanwhile, you were dying on the inside with curiosity as your innocent intrigue slowly turned into a crush.

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

About six months in, the flirting started.

Always innocent at first, with you messaging "goodnight!💕" and them responding "goodnight <3" to you.

It was super cute and left you hoping for more. Hoping that these feelings that you were having weren't one-sided.

Then, finally, the flirty banter rolled in… but only after you took that leap, asking what you could call them.

You: I have a question.

You: But I'm a little nervous to ask you.

Them: Ask away. Don't be shy.

You: ok. Just remember. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. And please let me know if I cross a line.

Them: must be a serious question 😉

You: What can I call you? It feels so impersonal to keep calling you tmnt_blogger. Borderline disrespectful.

Them: You can call me whatever you'd like.

You: 😑 

You: That's not how this works ☹️

Them: why not? Whatever you choose will be fine. Perfect, even.

You: Can I know your pronouns, then?

Them: does it matter what my pronouns are?

You: Well… No… I just didn't want to misgender you…

You: But that's fine. You don't need to tell me if you're uncomfortable telling me… I'm just gonna claim you and call you mine 😂

Them: He/Him. But I'm totally ok with that label 😉

Oh, the butterflies that the last message caused. You were sure he was just teasing you, but you secretly hoped he meant it.

It wasn't long after that night that he really started to flirt with you. 

Your heart was a mess with him sending you things like…

Him: alright, I'm off to bed

You: sweet dreams! 😘

Him: they're only sweet when you're in them 😉

Or

Him: How was your day?

You: work was awful. But I'm much better now that I'm talking to you 🥰

Him: I'm sorry to hear that you had a hard day. Wanna cuddle?🤗

And

You: OMG it's FREEZING outside. I just got in from shoveling snow 🥶

Him: Sounds like you need a quick way to warm up…I can lend a hand with that if you'd like 😉

It went on like this for a little over a year; until you told him you were going to NYC to visit a guy friend.

Him: Where did you meet this guy? How long have you known him?

Him: and he's a friend? That's an awfully long trip for just a friend.

You: Yes, he's just a friend. He's one of my friends from college. 

You: And I'd come to visit you! But I don't know where you live 😂

Him: What if I told you I was in NYC?

You: Then I'd definitely make a point to come to meet you!

You: I mean, if you wanted to meet, that is.

Him: Even though you've never even heard my voice? You don't even know my name. What if I'm a predator?

You: That's totally on you. If you wanna kidnap me, then go for it. You'll be begging me to leave before 24 hours are up 😂

Him: That's highly doubtful. It's more likely I'd be begging you to stay 😘

Your breath caught at that last message, and you needed a moment for your brain to reboot.

You: I could only be so lucky 😉💕

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

The next few months passed, and even though you two had started messaging daily, the topic of meeting never found its way back into your conversations with him.

Which was understandable. You were a stranger on the internet. 

But it was also extremely disappointing.

The time had finally come for your trip to NYC. You told your Tumblr crush that you wouldn't be online for the next week while you were away. You wanted to enjoy your vacation and not be rude to your long-time friend.

And that's when it happened.

Him: will you still be checking your texts?

You: LOL of course… Why?

After a long pause, he responded.

Him: (212) 555-0986

Him: That's my cell phone number. I don't want you to feel pressured into giving me yours if you're uncomfortable about it, though.

You sat there with your jaw on the floor and your heart racing. 

He's giving you his number?

You must've been sitting slack-jawed for a little too long because he messaged you again.

Him: Oh geez. I'm sorry. Did I cross the line?

You: NO!

You: Oh goodness no! I was just a bit surprised that you gave me your number…

Him: I just want to make sure you're safe. I hope that's alright?

You: 🥰

You: of course it is

You type his number into your phone and send him a quick "Hi" so he has your number.

Him: Excellent! 

You: Now you're really in trouble. You'll be getting messages from me all the time 😂

Him: I was going to say the same to you 😉

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

For the next few days, the pair of you texted back and forth like maniacs, and you were thoroughly enjoying his constant 'company.'

As you boarded the plane, he was messaging and asking ALL the questions.

Him: So, what part of NY will you be in?

You: My friend has an apartment in Manhattan, and I'll be staying in his spare room.

Him: What types of things will you be doing? Will it be just you and him?

You: I'm not sure. He said he's got everything planned out, but he's keeping it all a surprise. 

You: And yes, it's just me and him.

You: Is it alright if I ask… Are you really in NY?

Him: Yes. And I actually also live in Manhattan.

Your adrenaline was pumping. 

Maybe you'd really get to meet him. But you weren't going to hype yourself up just to be disappointed.

You: Alright. I'm on the plane, and the flight attendant is giving me the hairy eyeball. I'll text you when I land 😘

Him: Stay safe, and I'll talk to you soon, Love 💕

Oh lord. This man had your heart in his hands, and you didn't even know his name.

🤲💓🤲💓🤲💓🤲💓🤲💓🤲💓🤲💓

Your trip had been great so far. Your friend brought you to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Morgan Library and Museum, and The American Museum of Natural History!

However, by the third day, he had a family emergency and needed to fly out to Texas that afternoon. He told you that he could help you pay for a hotel because you wouldn't be able to stay in his apartment. His landlord was super strict about visitors staying without the renter being present.

He apologized profusely as the both of you packed. You told him it was ok, and you completely understood.

After walking him down to the front of his building, where he gave you a big hug, he hailed a cab, leaving you standing there all alone.

*Ping*

You felt tears welling up in your eyes as you opened your phone and saw the message flash across your screen.

Him: How's your day been?

You: I've had better.

Him: What's going on?

You let the tears of disappointment run down your cheeks as you poured your heart out and told him everything.

Including the fact that you now had to find a hotel for the remainder of your stay.

~Then~

Your phone rang. 

He was calling you.

"Hello?" You sniffled.

"Where are you?" He asked.

Holy shit, was his voice sexy.

"Um… I'm still standing out in front of my friend's apartment," you told him.

"Do you think you can meet me down on Elizabeth Street in Little Italy?" He asked, lowering his voice a bit.

"Sure, it's not far from here. We walked there for dinner last night," you told him as you turned to look in that direction.

"Good. I'll stay on the phone with you until I can see you," he said.

You put on your headset, so you could have both hands to pull your luggage as you navigated your way down a few blocks to get to Elizabeth Street.

"Alright. I see you," he said. "See the Laundromat?"

"Yes…" 

"Walk one more store down until you see the red staircase. Take those stairs to the top. I'll meet you on the rooftop," he instructed you right before hanging up.

Well, that's not ominous or anything.

You did as he asked and found your way to the rooftop of said building.

*Ping*

You looked down at your phone to see a message from him.

Him: I'm by the greenhouse.

Your heart was in your throat as you walked to the very dark, overgrown greenhouse.

This was actually happening.

"Hello?" You asked out loud.

"Hey," he said, still standing in the dark. 

"Are you gonna come out?" You asked him with a smirk.

"Yes, but before I do… You need to know… I'm a little different…" he warned.

"Aren't we all?" You sassed him, causing him to let out a small chuckle.

"Just… Promise me you won't freak out," he sighed, sounding extremely nervous.

"I promise," you assured him.

You couldn't stop the excited smile that danced across your face as you heard him talking himself up. "Ok… It'll be great," he said to himself softly.

And as he stepped into the moonlight, your excited smile fell to sobering shock.

There he was. In all his glory, towering above you with beautiful green, pebbled skin, huge defined muscles, and kind eyes that seemed as if they could see right into your soul. 

He stopped a couple of feet away from you, his eyes turning sad as he assessed your reaction.

"It's you…" you whispered, your shock melting into an emotional smile.

He let out a huff as a relieved smile spread across his handsome face.

Looking up at him with admiration, you took a few steps to close the distance between the two of you. Without thinking, your hand went up to touch his plastron. You caught the quick quirk of his eyebrow ridge right before your fingertips made contact with his chest.

"Oh, geez… I'm so…" you started. But before you could finish, one of his hands was around your wrist and pulling you into his arms.

"I don't mind. I promise," he said, leaning down so he could place your small hand up around his neck.

You felt your breath catch as he pulled you in tight, one hand on the small of your back, as the other came up to cradle your face.

"You're absolutely gorgeous," you marveled, looking into his eyes. 

"I think that's supposed to be my line," he teased through a chuckle as he lowered his face to yours, making you blush.

"Would it be too bold of me to ask you to come and stay with me for the rest of your vacation?" He asked, lowering his voice as he bumped his snout against your nose.

"Really?" You breathed out, lips in hopeful pursuit of his, as he pulled his head back to look down at you again.

"Really," he confirmed, dipping back down for a moment and chancing a small kiss on the tip of your nose.

Sliding your hand up to the base of his skull, you pulled him down to you.

"Is this an invitation?" He breathed out, his mouth hovering above yours.

You nodded in response, hoping he'd close the gap, but it wasn't until you whimpered a "Please" that he gave you what you wanted.

Lighter than a feather, he brushed his pout against yours.

Once…

Twice…

Three times…

Teasing you in the most delicious way and making you cling to him like your life depended on it.

His incredible restraint was killing you as he continued his faint kisses, leading to a small moan of disapproval from your throat. 

And it broke him.

His arm tightened around your waist as he pressed his lips against yours, firm and soft.  The hand that cradled your face slid down toward your chin so his thumb could pull your mouth open.

Because, boy, was he ready for a taste.

His tongue slid through your parted lips and moved against yours. The gasp he pulled from you was rewarded with a sensual moan from him and made him tangle his hand in your hair.

You pulled your body impossibly closer to him as his soft, plush lips massaged yours over and over. The way he maintained a slow, gentle pace was driving you mad.

Taking matters into your own hands, you sucked his bottom lip into your mouth, earning you a primal-sounding growl.

He pulled back from the kiss, using a tiny bit of suction when he did, effectively sending a wave of desire through your entire being. That familiar warmth made its way to the apex of your thighs, creating an entirely different level of longing.

"Easy, Love," his voice was husky, as his lips followed your jawline and trailed down the length of your neck, "you're gonna get more than you bargained for."

"You have no idea what I bargained for," you moaned, spurring him on.

A pleasurable ache blossomed as he bit the spot where your neck met the top of your shoulder. Gently, he dragged his teeth closed until his lips took over and sealed the spot. Then he sucked.

Hard.

You gasped as your stomach muscles tightened while you did your best to move your thighs together to relieve some of the growing ache he was inflicting.

He ended his delightful torment with a soothing caress of his tongue on the love mark, followed by a delicate kiss.

His lips found their way back to yours, but for only a moment.

"So, you gonna introduce us?" Came a voice from behind him, "or you gonna eat your friend alive?"

He pulled back and smirked at you before turning his head towards the voice.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm going to introduce you," he said with a naughty grin.

His attention turned back to you, his grin turning sultry. And as your eyes locked, he whispered, "But I'm definitely gonna eat you alive."

Enjoying my work? Find my Master list HERE

@leosgirl82 @turtle-babe83 @drowninghell @mysticboombox @chicchanmooshy @roxosupreme @raphslovemuffin80 @nittleboo @post-apocalyptic-daydream @xanadu-702 @pheradream15 @mistyroselove @ashleighclark98 @jurikyu-blog @sewerninno @tmntspidergirl @raphielover @zombiesnips-blog @meowph-132 @lazygirlfanfic0-0 @soryuwifeyxx @jaenisamusculargurl @writinandcrying @yumefuusen @fyreball66 @turtlesmakemehappy @angelcatlowyn @rheawritesforfun @digitl-art-monstr @sketch-and-write-lover @fluffytriceratops @raphsweapondealer @doctorelleth @tmnt-tychou @sharpwindow @8pmblackcoffee @toomanyotpslove @tkappi @raisin-shell @exovapor @memes-in-a-half-shell @bibiz82 @lovingthewildlife @captain-kinda-trash @dilucsflame33

*If you aren’t on this list, please let me know if you want me to tag you in my other work or if you prefer me to not tag you 😘

[turtlevariabilis]

My story with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

[Español]

When I graduated from preschool, I was gifted the class pet: a red-eared slider turtle (now almost 20 years old and even has a similar companion). From that moment on, turtles have become part of my identity. If someone asked me about my favorite animal, of course I would say turtles. They are very interesting animals that do interact with each other and with humans; they have an enviable perseverance, enormous curiosity, and ninja-like abilities (they are fast, silent, and enjoy climbing, to throw themselves and performing some really strange acrobatics).

Well, today I'd rather tell you my story with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and how I came to be part of this fandom. It's actually a somewhat long story, but it has some funny details, and it's a way for you to get to know me a little better.

So, since turtles have always been a part of my life, it should have been natural for me to encounter the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from a very young age, so I got to know them through the tmnt 2003 version. And yes, of course, they appeared on television and I was curious about protagonists being turtles... but the series didn't resonate with me.

When you're young, what you need are stories that you can somehow identify with, which is why the best stories will always be the ones that are most diverse in every possible way. And of course, any version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is already a statement towards accepting what's different, promoting diversity. But this wasn't enough for me back then.

I was a girl who wanted to see girly things, shows with interesting female characters. And honestly, from what little I had seen of tmnt 2003 (maybe just a few scenes from an episode), I only spotted male characters except for April, who was an adult (so I preferred to watch Teen Titans). However, I already had my favorite turtle identified: the one with the purple mask, simply because it was my favorite color; funny how that hasn't changed.

When I was almost the age of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the tmnt 2012 series premiered on Nickelodeon. It didn't catch my attention either. However, my sister L, almost three years younger than me, insisted that I watch it. So I did... and I guess I loved it. Because that's how my story with the Ninja Turtles began. That's how I met them.

My sister L and I were always on the lookout for when the series aired on TV; we literally ran to watch it, to make sure we didn't miss anything. And I confirmed that my favorite turtle was Donnie, but I actually loved them all.

A few years later, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie (2014) was released... I couldn't see it in theaters, but I was very excited about it, even though I knew it had nothing to do with the tmnt 2012 version (which I was very hooked on), and that's why I was a little disappointed. Plus, I hated how they sexualized April.

So yeah... you could say I was obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and although I hadn't realized to what extent, my parents and my two sisters did, so my 16th birthday party (just with these people) was themed around it as a surprise. They inflated green balloons, hung them up, and put on masks in the corresponding colors, and we ate pizza. They put a mini 2012 Donatello toy on my cake, which I still have. Now that I think about it, it was an intimate and very nice party... however, I don't like to show my tastes, so at that moment I did feel uncomfortable and dared to express that I would have preferred a normal party, instead of expressing how incredible it was, because it really was incredible. (What can I say? Although I have always been well-behaved and never caused any problems of any kind, I was also a teenager).

At that time, I was still following the tmnt 2012 series, and I used the internet to keep up with each new episode. I reached a point where I became impatient and had to watch the episodes as soon as they premiered, meaning I had to hurry to watch them on YouTube before the videos were taken down, even if that meant watching them in English and in poor quality.

I had a terrible level of English and I hardly understood anything. But doing this greatly improved my level, and I also started to take my English classes at school seriously to understand the episodes. Without exaggeration, everything I know about English is thanks to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Nowadays, I have a very solid intermediate level, and I still continue to improve thanks to them.

Still in that level of obsession with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I obviously searched for more on the internet, on YouTube specifically. In one of those many videos I watched, scenes from the tmnt 2007 version caught my attention. That rivalry, that epic battle between Leo and Raph, captivated me. So I watched that movie, and although I didn't find it good overall for several reasons, I was deeply moved by the story between the brothers.

But let's go back to the tmnt 2012 version. The ending of the third season was one of the most shocking endings I've ever seen. And when the fourth season premiered and the turtles were in space... that's exactly when I lost interest. And I really don't know why, since I really like science fiction and everything related to the universe. Maybe it was because I stopped understanding what was happening (remember I was watching the episodes in English). I don't know.

After that, from time to time, I would feel nostalgic and curious about this series, so I would watch a random episode here and there (in general, I'm not good at watching series; I'm capable of watching only the episodes that catch my attention, sacrificing understanding the overall plot). And when I found out it ended, I looked for the last three episodes of the fifth season... and they left me feeling really bad with that dystopian, hopeless, but realistic ending. It's horrible, but I guess that's what I liked the most. Let's admit it, we all like to be masochists.

Later, I sort of saw that a new version had been released with colors too vibrant for my taste and a 2D animation with too much hyperactivity that didn't catch my attention. Yes, I'm talking about the rottmnt version, released in 2018. Nowadays, you don't know how much I regret not paying attention to it.

Years passed and 2023 arrived. At the beginning of that year, I realized that we had Paramount+, and that meant that the tmnt 2012 series, in Spanish, was complete. And my younger sister R hadn't been able to watch it because she had been too young at the time. So I felt like introducing it to her, and that way I could watch the entire series in the right way.

It was like watching a marathon: we finished it all in less than two months, despite our various commitments (she had school and I had work, making it very difficult to coordinate schedules). Suddenly, my obsession returned, very intense. It was the only time that I've had the same obsession in two very different stages of my life. But I still wasn't open to discovering new versions.

(You're going to laugh at what happened next).

My sister L, the one who initially introduced me to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, seeing how much I enjoyed reconnecting with them, insisted that I watch the movie of the rottmnt version, which was on Netflix; she said it was very intense and good, well worth it, but that I had to watch it with an open mind because it had many radical changes.

Much to my dismay, very resistant and with my mind as closed as possible, I watched this movie. And yes, it was very intense and all, but I concluded that I didn't like it. I didn't feel like those were my turtles. Despite that, I watched it again... and then again and again. It's like the character of Donnie caught my attention a bit. It's like the animation wasn't as bad as I had initially thought. It's like the intensity they conveyed was starting to appeal to me. It's like it was somewhat entertaining. It's like I was starting to like the characters a bit and was beginning to identify and even understand them.

And suddenly, even though I kept insisting to myself that I didn't like this new version, I started watching some random episodes of the series... until I began watching them in order... and then I would rewatch some episodes that I had liked... I mean, it's just that there was no one to stop me and I had to stop fooling myself! The rottmnt version had many different things, but it was very well-crafted and very good. Of course, I loved it! And currently, for me, it undoubtedly surpasses the tmnt 2012 version by many reasons that I won't comment on this text.

When the official content of rottmnt ran out, I needed more. So I searched on the internet... and suddenly I got caught up in some fan-made comics... and then I found myself on Tumblr... and then I started to become interested in more versions and began watching them (like the first season of tmnt 1987, some episodes of tmnt 2003, I watched the tmnt 2007 movie again as well as Batman vs. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which I didn't mention, but I had seen before because I had a certain period in my life when I loved Batman).

And all of that was at the beginning of the year 2023, because then the trailer for the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem appeared, which was going to be released in a few months. I had no idea that a new version was coming out that year, and it came just in time to keep increasing my fan skills. Of course, I went to see it in the cinema and loved it, although rottmnt is still my favorite version.

And nowadays, in 2024, I still feel like one of my central thoughts is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and I want to keep learning more about them, both the old versions and the new ones that are coming. And I really look forward to continuing to contribute my bit to the fandom with this account. Hopefully, this will also be the year when I can finally watch tmnt 2003 properly.

And it's funny, because suddenly I know many references from many versions and I love that, although I know I have a lot to catch up on. For now, I've never stepped into the realm of comics, and I still don't know if I ever will.

Because I'm just a fan, and those of us who are fans of something should be so on our own terms, without the pressure of anything or anyone.

I've run out of words and I don't know how to conclude this text, but if you've made it this far, wow, I'm impressed! I send you lots of greetings and good vibes, just as Mondo Gecko would say.

•💜•

[crystal-crax]

A RANT:

THE NEON LEON

(I) A rise to leadership

Pun intended bc Leo would love it

Has this been done yet? Of course, but i love ranting about my favorite characters and boy, rise tmnt has so much to rant about (well, the whole tmnt franchise has enough material to speak for HOURS buttt rise lives forever in my heart so yeah i'm biased). Might talk about mutant mayhem in the future idk.

Leonardo Hamato/Splinterson has always been the leader, the one that carries the weight of carrying the team and following splinter's steps as the next "head" of the family (as said by splinter in the 2012 tmnt). And yeah in much of the versions of the turtles, this is a very important aspect of his personality, it's his literal purpose; it's the catalyst for a lot of the narratives and storylines seen across the tmnt universe: His fights with Raph, his anxiety, his inferiority complex, his constant wish to be better, how he sometimes neglects (or simply goes against?)his brother's feelings in order to keep them and the team itself safe.

Being the leader is both the weight and medal that comes with being Leonardo, that sisyphean task that we will always see try to accomplish over and over again.

So if we want to explore why he is a great leader... shouldn't we take that weight off his shoulders?

And that my people, it's what rise does perfectly. The best way to prove that Leo is a great leader? To show us how he can handle the team from the shadows, let us see how well he knows his team's strengths and shortcomings.

But don't just make him want to be the leader, no no, show us why we should all trust him to.

First of all: Leo panicking at the face of danger, might be useful sometimes.

Honest to god: i think the rise writers and animators are amazing. They're so GOOD at showing us important pieces of the characters even without directly saying it.

First of all, he doesn't have a fight or flight response because he straight up waves his ōdachi directly at anything that attacks him and his brothers (bro has kill om sight sense, he literally sliced warren one time, remember?). He will always have the advantage, even when surprised. Also the way he lightens up the situation with his witty banter and one liners when stress is too much? Extra points for keeping team morale up👍

Or in a different case, leo's panic when the mad dogs get in trouble upon a stronger rival. Why is it great? Because even though he's losing his absolute shit, he's able to act and take the next conscious step; even when it's used for laughs: He calls for his father when his family is in danger. It may sometimes be a funny gag ; like in "Flushed but never forgotten" or soul fucking wrenching like when they're attacked by shredder and RAPH IS PROTECTING DONNIE AND LEO SCREAMS AND I- *ehem*. But he knows splinter it's capable of defending them, he trained them after all (this may be arguable when talking about season 1 splint but well, he still recognizes his father as a ninja and his master).

And thus, the next marvel of Leo:

B) He's completely aware of the team's abilities

He's a middle child, he has seen everything, and the most perfect example of it: Many unhappy returns.

BOY IF THAT'S NOT THE MOST AMAZING DEMONSTRATION OF LEO'S LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY IDK WHAT ELSE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR

He trusts his siblings completely, sure he looks out for them and supports them when needed (while being sarcastic about it), but he knows they're amazing at the hero thing.

I wouldn't doubt it if Splinter; being with Leo most of the episode saw just how in control he was of the situation and went: "dude...why are you not the one leading the team? You're...actually so smart wtf????"

C)He knows how to dial down his brother's enthusiasm and calls out his father's faults (and sometimes hypocrisy)

Remember the paper thieves episode?

That's peak leader Leo

The whole team was full on trying to get killed for the lols, and what does he do? Pulls them to the side and explains why they should start with something more simple and gives a speech on why focusing on the "easier task" it's still a good hero job (look out for the small/weaker ones, right?)

Not only that, but he's the one that constantly calls out his dad's mess ups, remaining by his brother's side and defending them (THIS IS NOT A SPLINTER SLANDER, I'M SAD DAD SUPPORTER AND I WILL TALK ABOUT IT LATER) seen as one of the YouTube shorts or when splints nags then about keeping secrets from him: he stands for his team, "you are not supposed to do that/you do the same thing you yell at us for"

He both inspires and defends his team, and hey; a leader is not the one that orders, but the one that motivates and supports you.

D) He's their personal hype man

Cue back to point B, he is amazed by his siblings abilities, even if he dies hide it sometimes. Remember when mikey wanted to go on a solo mission? He's fully on board and never doubts mikey is in control of the situation (sure he does go to "save him" with the others later on but come on, you all heard the call and saw Raph panicking. He trusts him but he's still his little brother y'know?)

He knows Donnie is an absolutely genious and is completely aware of Raph's dedication to the hero gig and responsability.

April and Splints? He knows they're completely capable of holding their own and willingly helps them when the situation calls for it.

And this is it please be free to add anything you might like and tell me if i'm making sense??? Idk i just love him a lot😞

HECK EVEN CASEY, A LITERAL BOY HE JUST MET. He is aware of casey's passion and abilities; i mean, if his own future self trusts him as the only one capable to fix everything, why shouldn't he?

Conclusion: Leo quite literally grew to deserve the role of the leader.

[hermit-searching]

TMNTposting Raphael edition (Part 1):

I have a confession to make. I've been lying to you all...my fave......is actually Raphael 😂

When I was growing up watching TMNT Donatello was always my favorite turtle, mostly because I was kin assigned the smart, purple turtle when we did those playground roleplay things elementary school kids did in the early 2000s. But during my journey rewatching TMNT 87, and 03 I've grown so SO attached to Raphael it's silly.

This guy. This dude. He's probably one of the most misunderstood characters in universe (and kind of in fanon as well) besides Leonardo. Raphael, no matter which animated iteration, gets himself into trouble because of his terrible impulse control (Woah me fr), which is linked to his "anger issues" which admittedly he does kind of have, but there's so much more to unpack there than just "oh he angy".

Well, except 87 Raphael but he's special and I'll get to him later.

03 Raph definitely has the most obvious actual blind rage. Fourth episode into the entire series he goes into a blind rage and tries attacking Mikey with a metal table leg when he loses a sparring match against his orange younger brother. Except...he kinda actually doesn't. Yeah he gets mad, for sure he got really mad, but something to note about it is he actually goes into a dissociative state before he attacks Mikey, he immediately apologizes when he's lucid again, and he runs off to cool his head which leads to him meeting Casey and teaching the same lessons Splinter has told him to Casey Jones. (Honestly the besties ever. good for them). And the reason Raph gets so angry? It's not just that Mikey beats him, Mikey eggs him on the entire time. Like I mentioned in my Mikey post, 03 Mikey is an instigator, he's constantly pushing all of his brothers buttons because he thinks it's funny. He does it on purpose so he knows what's coming for him, when his brothers (usually Raph) finally snap. That's not to say that Raph should have beaten his brother with a table leg at all, because he still spends his time learning his lesson through trying to reign in Casey, but his anger was a little more, in lack of better terms, justified than some of the other Raph-Mikey blowouts we've seen (cough12cough).

03 Raph is actually just such a polite, sweet little guy. He has a heart of gold, and tries so hard to protect him family, even until his last breath. He'll help blind old ladies, he gives old clothes and blankets to the homeless, heck his instinct when he's in his last moments in Same as It Never Was was to crawl over to Leo in an attempt to protect his big brother.

This guy's biggest fear is being the one behind the Shredder mask, and hurting his family. Literally, he fears himself, and his anger. He's so, so much more than the family hot-head.

I love this guy so much. It's great watching him develop as a character and cope with his anger without having to dig into the same lesson all the time of "oooh Raph you're angry. Anger is bad Raphael. That's a no no Raphael."

Which is what bothers me so much about 2012 Raph. They spend so much time making a joke about his anger issues it's baffling it was a choice the writers made. Oh to be a fly on the wall when they made all the questionable writing choices in 2012. Like, you'll have moments where Splinter will straight up tell his son "you remind me of my evil not-brother who was the reason my wife died lolololol", and you'll have other moments where they're like "oh aha he ran away and quit the team for the 27th time. Silly Raphael." and I genuinely do not understand why they treat him like this? 2012 Raph, fundamentally, is still the same as other Raphael's. He's got the anger issues, he uses sais, he wears red, but the way they present his anger is just. Weird. They'll have him punch or swat at his brothers just for existing, and not acknowledge it at all, visual gags or whatever. And then they'll also go "ooga booga he's so bad and his anger is bad", and then force him to learn the "anger bad" lesson for the nth time....only to wipe it from his character development again.

Once again, this kid has a heart of gold. He's the turtle equivalent of a Disney Princess. He took care of a pet turtle for, presumably years. He cared for Spike a lot! And...then they just rip that away from him to create a new villain who tries to eliminate his brothers because he used to vent to his pet (being the one way Splinter told him was "healthy" with dealing with his anger). Which? Okay way to punish him for trying to deal with his anger in a way that wasn't beating the snot out of something. (also what the actual fuck was that 180 they did having Slash go "I've always admired you Leonardo"???? HUH???)

But...then you have Chompy. Arguably the only thing they have ever given 2012 Raph without violently ripping it away for laughs, or to teach him some kind of lesson. He does give Chompy back to Tokka for a moment but she gives him back realizing they're both super attached to each other and stuff. Having the moment of Raph admitting he cares about Chompy was so perfect because it finally had a moment where he felt like Raphael.

other beautiful moments from 2012 Raph:

-literally just barn arc.

-"angry Donnie you're so silly and funny and- oh wait Donnie stop-"

-when he gets smacked with a brick by 87 Raphael (sorry I still play favs)

Ok back to more lighthearted Raphposting.

Rise Raph is actually such a fun take on the character. It's so interesting to see him being put into the role usually reserved for Leonardo, being the oldest and being the leader. At first he seems pretty well put together, and different than the other Raphael but. Nope! He still rushes into danger like a kid at a busy intersection during rush hour. The difference being, he learns to reign in his impulse control ever so slightly because he's brothers are all arguably more unhinged than he is. Especially Donnie and Mikey.

His temper in Rise seems to take somewhat of an inspiration from 03, having him dissociate into a rage, though the tone of it is vastly different than 03. Which, I think is fine because Rise always had a lighter tone than 03, and 12. The intention of it is a lot different than turning 12 Ralph's issues into a silly haha, and throughout the series we see how the pressure of being the oldest weighs upon the guy, changing the tone of his issues as the series progressed.

The season finale four parter was genuinely good for Raph's character arc all things considered. Him finally cracking under the pressure only to learn his family will be there for him the way he's always been there for him is beautiful. Him being the one who sees Splinter's memories with his mom? Amazing. And the messed up thing? He sees protecting his family as his duty and purpose despite being a kid himself. Kinda like 03 Raph.

The movie also finally gave us that Leo-Raph dynamic older TMNT fans have craved from the series, but the roles are still reversed. With Raph still being responsible and wanting Leo to take things seriously while Leo does whatever he wants and has ✨impulsive sparkle✨. Getting to see Raph finally let loose and be a normal teenager again, joining in on the silly fun by the end of the movie..Mwah. thank you.

This post is getting long so I'll go into 87 Raphael in his own post. I have way too much to say about him I'm sorry..

[pumpkinpie59]

while everyone likes to crap on leo/rai (for good reason) and on apritello for being cringe ig

i feel like one thing every 2012 ship has a problem with is pacing

yes i mean every ship

it’s clear that the 2012 writers don’t rlly know how to commit to romantic subplots so they either go the “they are super into each other right off the bat so there’s little build up” angle or the “will they won’t they,, but we’ll never show them actually get together” angle

i’m not saying these are atrociously bad or anything but it can be really annoying in the long run

apritello is the entire reason i got into 2012 when i was 11 lmao so it got stale for me when the show focuses less and less on their development since they didn’t want to commit to an actual subplot after the bigfoot fiasco. they both grow, sure, but it’s pushed to the background and we never see them talk about it. instead we get a kiss in a non-canon music video ://

dw apritello i still love you

with ramona, while it’s incredibly sweet how in love they are, the pacing of their first episode was ,,,, bad lol. the first time i watched it i was so underwhelmed i was like,,, this gets better?? right?? and it did but yeah i think that first episode for sure needed tweaking.

and more mona would’ve been great too. she needed some character exploration outside of her relationship with raph,, like having her talk more with the other characters her age (i would kill for april and mona content). i’m not saying she doesn’t have depth. she does. but a lot of it gets pushed to the background for her dynamic with raph.

they just didn’t even try with mikey and renet i’ll be real. they threw renet in there as a love interest and then kept making her and mikey kinda go in circles with their interest in each other. they’ll be cute and close in some scenes and then renet will act like she’s just humoring him while mikey kinda forgets about her when shini shows up.

i think renetangelo is cute to some extent (tho i do dislike 2012 mikey a bit so that doesn’t help) but time travel romances are automatically rlly hard to write well and since 2012’s romance writing is already messy, they weren’t going to do well. and renet herself is automatically more interesting when she’s not interacting with mikey. like her platonic dynamic with leo?? adorable. my favorite renet is 2003 and she’s not a love interest and she’s so charming!! renet is just a fun quirky friend of the turtles.

y’all know i love a lot of tmnt love interests so the fact that i prefer renet as a friend prolly says a lot about how she should be written gjdkdk

i don’t wanna talk about leo/rai much, but other than the glaringly bad i/ncest issue (both siblings and cousins), they just weren’t very good as a romantic dynamic either?

like yeah i’m biased bc lotus is the only leo love interest i will ever accept (and also leo/rai is gross lol)

but like ,,, with karai, leo saw her as an escape from being a leader so he can explore his rebellious streak. which is interesting! but unlike with lotus, leo was willing to betray her behind her back, and karai was willing to manipulate him to do what she wanted him to. but okay that’s getting off topic. back to the pacing,,

season 1 gets a pass for me since i actually love the pacing of season 1 alone (like honestly, after the cousin reveal, there wasn’t any romance up until season 2 from my memory,, and even before that after karai betrayed leo and the other brothers found out, leo wasn’t into her,, it was his brothers who were making fun of him), but afterwards, season 2 onward,the timing of leo/rai moments were always a slap in the face bc they were always. ALWAYS. right after they acknowledged her as family THRJEKSJDJDKSK

but yeah i think pacing is the worst problem of 2012 ships :p

obviously some other problems too, like sexism lol. but pacing is most glaring for me

[fabuloustrash05]

What is your honest opinion on the TMNT 2012 girls? In my opinion I don't understand a lot of the hate they get and they weren't even horrible or that badly writen. Yeah there were flaws in their writing but so did the other male characters have it as well.

I love all the girls! Some more than others. They all have their good qualities and I will admit even my favorites have flaws, but I blame the writer's more than the characters themselves.

This took awhile to put together and get my honest thoughts through, but here it is! Here’s my opinion of the TMNT 2012 Girls: April, Karai, Irma, Renet, Mona Lisa, Shinigami and Alopex!

April O'Neil

My opinion of April has changed throughout the years. As a kid first watching the series I felt indifferent towards her (I didn’t hate her but I also didn’t like her), then when the series was over I grew salty and began to hate her on rewatch. I became a toxic person because of my hatred for 2012 April, but lately I’ve grown to like her and appreciate her for the good things she’s done. I’m proud of her for how far she’s come in her ninja training. I think most of that change came from how ridiculously hated she is in the fandom when honestly she doesn’t deserve that hate. She's not the best or the perfect character, but some people make it their religion to hate on her and it's pathetic. I realized how toxic 2012 April haters are and I wanted to distance myself from that and I began to chat with 2012 April fans and things got better for me and my opinion of her change to something more positive.

My biggest problem with April still to this day is her relationship with Donnie and how it was handled. I disagree when people say she was manipulative towards Donnie and Casey cause honestly I can understand that she feels uncomfortable and awkward in this situation these boys put her in and is conflicted on how she should handle it, because in the end she is only a 16 year old girl and both Donnie and Casey are still her friends that she cares about. Now her kissing Donnie at the farmhouse, I was mad at her for, but that was a dumb decision on the writer's end. That choice made it come off that April is leading him on, but honestly Donnie is not perfect either and he is just as bad when is comes to this relationship, but this post isn't about Apritello, it’s about April. If you wanna know how I would've handle Donnie and April's romance, you can check it out HERE.

I fully blame the writer's on this one, but I feel April's plot with her family's connection to the Kraang, her mom missing, and her being a half Kraang herself was totally wasted and forgotten by the 3rd season. They were doing good build up to it but then I feel they completely dropped it and forgot about it by season 4 and onward. My guess is the writer's didn't know where to go on from there so they just ignored it for the rest of the series hoping we wouldn't notice. Her have psychic powers is cool but feels totally random and out of place at times. Yeah, Kraang Prime has psychic powers too but most of April's Kraang heritage plot often leaves more questions than answers. Another thing is I wish she was given more Kraang features as the series progressed. I see a lot of fans today draw her with Kraang like eyes or tentacles coming out of her head and neck and it looks really cool! Let my girl embrace her alien side!!

Karai

She used to be my all time favorite character in the series, her intro episode is what got me into fully watching the rest of the series. So I thank Karai for being the reason I really got into TMNT. I loved her, but after rewatching the show a few times, I would see her choices and just wonder “what the hell was she thinking?” She does so many dumb decisions as the series goes on and it begins frustrate me. She had two opportunities to go back to her real father and be a family with him and her turtle brothers, but instead she is blinded by her vendetta against Shredder and wants to overthrow his empire. Now that is a cool concept, Karai taking over the Foot, but when she returned in season 4 it just feels out of no where and I feel I skip a whole arc or season. I wish they gave her more time to grow and we see her come to this decision instead of it just happening. Side note, but I love how even before the reveal, Karai acts like a teasing older sister towards the Turtles. Her dynamic with Donnie, Raph and Mikey is rare to see but you can see that they care about her and she cares about them too and I love it.

Her snake form was very cool and had a creative design, though that whole arc of trying to find her and then her being brainwashed was pointless filler, such a waste of time. How she out of no where mastered her turning from human to snake at will was so random. The whole brainwashed Karai arc in general didn't need to happened!

I feel I'm obligated to talk about it, but Karai's biggest flaw, as well as it being TMNT 2012's worst quality, was her relationship with Leo. What were they thinking with that shit?! If they wanted Leo to have a crush on the enemy that's fine! That can be good drama, but why then throw in the twist that his crush is also his sister and continue to push a romance between them in the same episode when they are acknowledged as being family?!! Such wasted potential for them to just be enemies who respect one another that grows into a friendly rivalry that becomes two siblings looking out for one another, but still like to get on each other's nerves. Beside that mess, her and Leo do have a fun and good dynamic, when it isn't being ruined with forced uncomfortable romance. I also wanna add I like her dynamic with April and parallels between the two girls. Overall, I like Karai, but she could've been better.

Irma/Rook

I'm adding "Irma" to the list cause she counted as a character for a short while before the twist and she did technically come back in season 4. I liked Irma, she was funny, quirky, and her dynamic with April and Casey was fun to watch. I liked her banter with Casey, it always made me laugh. I'm honestly still disappointed that it was revealed Irma was not even Irma but was just a robot controlled by Kraang Sub Prime. All that hope to see Irma befriend the Turtles was destroy for me.

I am glad they were able to find a way to bring back Irma in the form of the Utrom Rook in season 4. She had little screen time but she always stuck out to me for some reason. Also, wasted potential of not having April meet Rook and for her to have a heart to heart with her about the friend lost because Rook looks like her old best friend.

I actually did a whole rewrite of how I would've handle the Irma is robot twist and still keep her as a character: LINK.

Renet Tilley

I love her so much! She's funny, entertaining and a total sweetheart. I love how she's a very bubbly and overall kind person but isn't afraid to punch someone right in the face. I like how she's perceived as dumb and naïve but is actually very smart and is usually the one saving the Turtle's from certain doom. I also love the little detail of her having a gap in her teeth. Really brings out the childish nature to her character. My favorite part about Renet is how much of a fangirl she is, literally representing the entire TMNT fandom. From first meeting them Renet has so much faith and trust in the Turtles because of what she's read about them in her history books. They are her heroes, she believes in them and knows in the end they'll save the day. The very concept of the Turtles befriend a time traveler from the future was another thing that was underused and could've open the door to so many cool new stories and adventures, but like many characters, she was underused and only came back when need, like for a Halloween special of all things. I'm really surprised Mikey or any of the Turtles didn’t mentioned her after the Earth was destroyed by the Black Hole Generation, remembering what she told them about how they've saved the world so many times.

I know some people find controversy with her romantic relationship with Mikey nowadays because of them both being from different time periods, but I still find their dynamic very sweet and entertaining to watch. As best friends or as romantic partners, you got to admit that they are fun to see together. She understands Mikey and never judges him for his weird antics/ideas and Mikey finds her quirkiness adoring and always makes sure she is safe.

A little nitpick I have is with her character design, mainly when we see her without her helmet. Her hair model design doesn't look good, like it looks like she's wearing a wig that they just slapped on her at the last minute. Which sucks cause in her concept sketches her hair looks very good, with having a more proper hair line, but since the braid crown is playing as her hairline in the 3D model it doesn't look good.

Also, technically Renet is the most powerful ally the Turtles have because of her weapon alone. Why does no one talk about that?? The Turtles are lucky that Renet is on their side.

Mona Lisa/Y'gythgba

SHE IS MY QUEEN AND I LOVE HER SO MUCH!! <3

Next to April, Mona Lisa also gets a lot of unnecessary hate, but I know why she gets hate. It those toxic whiney Raphael fangirls who can't accept the fact that he's fictional and is happy with an actual girlfriend so now they can't have him or ship him with their self insert Mary Sue OCs. A true Raphael fangirl, like myself, would be happy for Raph that he found someone who loves and respects him for who he is.

It's already obvious that Mona was another underused character in this series. I absolutely LOVE the space arc in season 4, but the concept of the Salamandrians, though cool, were very underused despite the Turtles fighting a Salamandiran before (Newtrailzer). If you ask me, Mona and Sal should've been more present during the space arc and they should've been there helping the Turtles when they were fighting the Triceratons on Earth at the end of the arc. This choice could've given the writer's the opening for Mona to start living on Earth sooner and join the Mighty Mutanimals during mid season 4 instead of saying she joined the Mutanimals in season 5 but never see her with them! (I'm still so mad that they got our hopes up that we'd see Mona interact/become friends with the Mutanimals only to find out that we will never see her again after When Worlds Collide) I have actually wrote a whole post on how I would've included Mona in more episodes, give her more time in the spotlight and her joining the Mutanimals sooner: LINK.

Mona being a lieutenant for the Salamandiran army already says a lot about who she is and what she has been through. You cannot tell me that this woman as killed people and has war trauma! Mona is an interesting character and her personality clashes well with Raph's, even before they became a couple, them butting heads shows what kind of person Mona is. She can be short tempered and stubborn like him and would often jump to conclusions, a fight first ask question later kind of gal. She loves to fight and is a very strong and skilled warrior. She is loyal to those she looks up to and respects like her commander and is a rule follower, but sometimes she loses control of herself and steps out of line, to which her commander has to hold her back. She cares deeply about the ones she's close to and especially shows how much she loves and cares for Raph. Most fans result her to just being a love interest, but she's still her own character and grows as a person from being with Raph. Honestly the push up scene was one of her highlights, not only for being hilarious and showing how in love she is with Raph, but also showing that she's more than a strict serious lieutenant. That scene reminds us that she's still a teenager and is acting her age, even she can't help but break her serious military persona once in a while.

I absolutely adore her and I'm so happy more fans today are growing to love her as much as I do! She's such a great character and its ashamed that we didn't get to see more of her in the show, but I'm happy with what I got.

Shinigami

My only criticism I have of her is that she is underused (I know I say that a lot) and I really dislike that she was forced shipped with Mikey. It was the most pointless decision they did for her character. You can just tell the writer's didn't know what to do with her so the made her a love interest as well thinking that would make her more interesting. That was a dumb decision. Her and Mikey are not a good match for many reasons I won't get into, but here's what they should've done:

Not ship her with anyone cause we already had enough love interests by the time she entered the show.

Ship her with Leo instead of making him crush on his freaking sister. They already wanted him to have a crush on a female ninja from the Foot Clan who's a bad girl, why couldn't they hold it off until he met Shini instead of Karai?

Ship her with Casey as a way to give Casey a happy ending after that whole love triangle drama.

Ship her with Karai cause they were obviously already dating in the show! Shinirai forever!!

Regardless of that poor decision, I love Shini, her design is very gorgeous and creative, and her concept of being a witch brings something new to the series with magic and illusions. I feel there has been wasted potential with her not being involved during the Kavaxas arc, cause come on, she's a witch who specializes in dark magic. Why didn't they have her be attached to the Kavaxas cult in some way? Or have her know about Kavaxas and help the team stop him? Honestly I was convinced at one point that Shini was going to be a surprise villain and she was secretly loyal to Shredder not Karai and betray her during the finale. I made a whole post about it actually LINK.

Overall, I love Shinigami! Next to Mona Lisa she is one of my favorite female characters. I love seeing her teasing April and the others, especially towards her enemies, treating a battle like its nothing more than a game to her. Her loyalty and romance friendship with Karai I adore. She is such a fun character and underrated too if you ask me.

Alopex

She stole the show and she was only in one episode! Once again, another underused female character. Alopex is technically (not counting April) the first female mutant on the show (not counting Karai cause she's able to turn back), and we only get one episode with her. That should be consider a crime, but the episode she was in, she made a damn good impression. We learn of her and Tiger Claw's tragic backstory and you grow to understand why she is so hatful towards her brother for the life he put her through and him supposedly killing their parents. She establishes herself as a badass and continues to prove she is a badass throughout the episode. The way she cut off her brother's tail and later is arm without a second thought and then leaves shows shows how ruthless she is, but her sparring him also shows her compassion and her hope that one day her and Tiger Claw can be a family again.

Her line "Just remember, I could have taken your life" sent chills down my spine when I first heard it.

My biggest complaint is WHY didn't they bring Alopex back during the Kavaxas arc in season 5?! How cool would it have been if the Turtles recruited and teamed up with Alopex to take down her brother!

[yourfavkpopidol]

one thing ppl get wrong about my oc, frankie (shredders daughter), is that she's evil

she is completely not evil, if anything thats one of my favorite things about her lore & character arc. orginally frankie was supposed to be a pushover crybaby, to suit her water elementy vibe. but then i changed her up because there wouldnt be much story and character redemption to her besides her being easy to startle.

i made her completely clueless to her father being the shredder, in fact i made her not shredders daughter, and as confusing as it is i mean shes not his biological daughter. you know how in 2012 tmnt how karai is splinter's bio daughter?? well we know splinter in tmnt mm is a rat and always has been, so there has to be a hamato yoshi out there somewhere in the world.

so i made her and karai (twins ooc karai) yoshi's bio daughters also taken from him, and stolen by the shredder raising the both as his own. frankie is the beauty of the twin as karai is the brawns, sort of like a junko enoshima and mukuro ikusaba relationship but less toxic.

both twins get along pretty well, and frankie is more dorky than "teehee scary mysterious pretty asian girl". she's actually korean, Japanese and a small percentage of flilipino, based off of me again.

just as pretty as she is, shredder enrolled her in music and dance, leading up to her joining a kpop group ( c-girls a band i made in my head for her ) and becoming a new york and east asian model. while being pretty, SHES SO LIKE ME. She is awkward, funny, and she literally has FICTIONAL CRUSHES AND WRITES FANFICTION!! like me :3c i made her more sweeter and understandable tho, you guys know how most female love interests act?

yeah shes that about mikey, she actually meets him just like how rapunzel meets flyn rider. mikey n the bros try to sneak in the apartment looking for a fight n evidence for shredder, when she absolutely whoops their ass with a frying pan and freshly cooked and hot budae jjigae.

so yeah - I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO RANT ABOUT HER, but i will keep you guys updated on her lore :3c i will hopefully make a post n tag about her like a pinned post :3c

[thydungeongal]

hiiii what are ur thots on the megaversal system? i’m currently in the midst of hyperfixation revival for TMNT, and i found there’s a TMNT rpg from ‘85 that uses that system, as well as one called ‘after the bomb’ that i think is a more open-ended version? (like not limited to just post-nuclear NYC jsgskdh)

the lifelong, childhood fan in me is like MUST HAVE ALL TMNT CONTENT while the Grown Adult is like. homie the chances of this rpg book from the 80’s being something you’ll actually enjoy reading/making a character for are Very Low

also there is not a lot out there abt this game jsgskdh like there was a pretty popular kickstarter last year, but the funding period ended so no luck there rly, and from one of the reviews i saw, they liked the world building/story side of things, but would’ve preferred the gurps system… which i am also unfamiliar with 🫣 oh and the game is called ‘teenage mutant ninja turtles & other strangeness’ if ur interested at all jsgskdh

but yeah do u think the megaversal system is like. approachable for newcomers to rpgs in general? i’m familiar w 5e, blades in the dark, and kids on brooms, but looking at all the unfamiliar terminology for megaversal is. intimidating 🤧

(also totally feel free to ignore this if it’s like way too much info to look into jsgskdh i do not want to take up your time 🫡)

okay, so I haven't actually played any Megaversal System games, but I am familiar with their reputation. Based on what I've heard the games that utilize it (RIFTS, Palladium Fantasy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness, Heroes Unlimited, and After the Bomb [which is basically the TMNT RPG but with the licensing removed once they lost the license]) are barely functional but have a strange charm to them! One of my favorite podcasts, System Mastery, are intimately familiar with the system and hearing them describe it is always a blast. If you want to learn about the games from two really funny guys for whom those games were a formative experience, I recommend checking them out!

So anyway those games are apparently pretty wild. I think they're decipherable by relative newcomers if you're willing to accept a bit of extremely eighties design. I don't know how much of that will be rectified in the upcoming rerelease. But don't take my word for it, because the internet is a beautiful place and with a little bit of digging on your local free-rpg-pdfs-legally-i-swear dot gov slash co dot uk you should be able to find PDFs of the original game

But now is when I yap about a completely different but related game, because as it happens game designer Julian Kay's first RPG as a child was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness, and as an adult Julian decided to make an homage to that game called Mutants in the Now. Now, unlike Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness I have actually read Mutants in the Now, and what I can say based on simply reading it is that it is a fantastically written RPG with a lot of love for its subject matter and the game system actually seems functional! The character creation system is wild, consisting mostly of rolling on random tables to discover who your character is, and the actual game system owes a lot to 13th Age (a modern D&D clone that Julian has written for and that is actually pretty dang good!) in addition to the Megaversal System. There's a few quirks that are mostly there out of homage to the Megaversal System to my knowledge (skills are d100 roll under, while combat pretty much works like any ol' D&D with d20 rolls to hit and various types of dice for damage) but ultimately it is a very coherent system.

Anyway the presentation in Mutants in the Now was so strong I immediately ordered it and its supplement Mutants in the Next, and I don't have a single regret about my purchase. I actually liveblogged the (admittedly intensive) character creation process. You can find them if you look under the tag #mutants in the making. Now Mutants in the Now is slightly more complex than 5e, but most of the complexity is front-loaded into character creation. The gameplay is about on par with 5e in terms of complexity.

Anyway I'm not sure how helpful that is but it at least gave me a chance to gush about one of the coolest games I've discovered during the last year. If you're interested in a game with actual TMNT branding I recommend looking into the original game if you can find it before you make any decisions or wait for word from Kickstarter backers about the revised edition whether it's good or bad. But, like, Mutants in the Now is also there if you're not too particular about the branding and just want to play cool mutant animals and enjoy random character creation where you get to really experience finding out who your character is during the process of creation.

[ilovebeingaturtle]

What's your favorite thing, if you have to pick just one thing, about each version of tmnt you've seen?

Oo fun-

Okay I think we’ll be here all day if I cover every version I’ve seen so I’ll just list the ones that pop into my head!

87: I feel like I can keep this one quick given the nature of my blog AHA, but I adore the characters in 87. The entire main cast is just so charming and funny and this is majorly carried thanks to how incredible the voice acting is and how good the chemistry is. It just feels so fun and homey every episode and it’s due to the characters living in it. They’re all wonderful!

90s movies (least the first two): I really adore Donnie in these movies so I think I can easily just rank him as my favourite part AHA, it’s so endearing seeing a version of Donatello that’s free to be silly. I love the emotional beat he provides in secret of the ooze too, the idea that he was hoping they were special/meant for something is such an interesting character moment for a usually logically portrayed character

03: Gosh okay-I think my favourite part of this one is just their dynamics with each other, they’re so good. You can really believe that they’re brothers, their banter and care for one and other is so consistently strong throughout. There’s a lot to love about 03 but yeah, I think the bond between the turtles is the main selling point for me (bonus points for Mikey’s incredible screams though they are a close second for favourite part of the show)

I guess yeah I’m going on release order, so-

07: I could ramble about this movie for a while, but I think my favourite thing is just the concept of it. I love the idea of exploring what they presented, Leo being gone, the turtles trying to move on with their lives, idk a ton of what was going on was really interesting to me. I honestly think the versions turtles are really strong in this, I have a few issues with the movie as a whole but what we’re given is super neat to build from

2012? I guess is next Gosh I don’t even know what my favourite thing about 2012 is. Am I doing really bad at picking just “one” thing I think I am-okay! I think with 2012, some of the the dialogue is great, there’s so many good little moments. The writing for this show is like, a double edged sword LMAO, but when it’s really good it’s really good! I think the 2012 boys in particular have personalities that lend themselves really well to comedy, they’re more exaggerated I think than other versions so jokes feels more natural. They’re also just very versatile little guys. The awesome voice acting and times when they get silly also help! (Again though, double edged sword because sometimes the attempts at humour are my least favourite parts of an episodeJSJ, in fact yeah actually this point might be better as saying I love how? User friendly this version of the turtles are? No that doesn’t make sense okay whatever I like them for the funny they’re good funny guys-)

Again like yeah god if I talked about every version I’ve seen this would be a super long post because I have seen. So much. So I’ll finish with Rise since most people probably want that! My favourite thing about that is definitely how creative they got with it, I love when it’s freely doing it’s own thing. It’s strongest elements are its original ideas/characters and the whole new spins it puts on established lore from last versions

Okay yeah swats myself away from answering about other versions too I need to eat LUNCH I will simply forget to eat if I continue AHA

[jadethest0ne]

So I finished going through your 03 reaction thread (again, thank you for the link!), and was a little bit confused about your final thoughts after finishing S5. You seemed to really enjoy most of the series, but then at the end your final takeaway seemed to be "meh. was a'ight." Which! Is fine! The beauty of having so many competent adaptations of the same source material is that people are able to pick and choose their favorite continuity according to their own preferences and what they personally like in their media. But you seemed to have a lot of good things to say about the 03 show, but then your opinion suddenly seemed to shift somewhat near the end. And if it's due to S5, I get it, I did not like that season when it aired either (I think Rise is overall a way better take on the mystic concept in general), but the first 4 seasons are still some of my favorite TV ever put to screen. Absolutely not perfect, they have things they could have improved upon for sure, but definitely solid stuff. But of course, all that is personal preference, and everyone's personal preference is different. So what about the series fell flat compared to others that you'd seen? Did it do anything well or even excellently, in your opinion? Did you have any favorite arcs or characters or anything that you wish other series had also done because you liked them so much? How would you rank the 4 animated series in terms of preference (assuming you've seen all 4)?

Yeah... I figured someone would notice that about the Twitter thread...

To be honest, my reaction thread, well, wasn't honest.

Or at least, the thread was heavily influenced by my attempts to remain positive due to a lot of people, including folks whose opinions I hold in high regard, liking that version a lot. I didn't want to weigh people down with a lot of negativity. But as a result, my frustrations with the show started boiling over towards the end of the thread. That's why at first I seem to be very excited about it, and then suddenly started pointing out negatives.

Like I did for Rise and the 1987 TMNT, I plan to write a video essay on TMNT 2003 with a much more honest and critical take on it. So I guess stay tuned for that.

I'll give more detailed answers to your questions in my eventual essay, but in short:

It was the emotional and familial moments that fell flat for me.

Positives included the intricate plot and varied fight scenes.

Favorite arcs were Leo's character arc in Season 4, and the Battle Nexus episodes.

Favorite character is probably Leo for once. It would've been Mikey if the narrative didn't keep shitting on him all the time

I wish other versions of TMNT had just as solid a plot/overall arc and flow from one season to another (other versions were either disjointed, episodic, or cancelled too early to achieve the same kind of plot structure)

While I don't dislike this version, there are numerous things about it that bug me, and in terms of preference, this is my least favorite version I have seen so far

Sorry if my thread gave you the wrong idea of my opinion. That is totally on me for not being upfront, and trying to write more of what I thought folks wanted to hear rather than some of my actual thoughts. The positive things I said in the thread are still truthful and include things I liked. There were just lots of other things that I didn't like that I didn't include in the thread ^^;

Thanks for asking and allowing me to clear some stuff up!

I'll be trying to post the video essay about TMNT 2003 within the next month, so I can elaborate more on my thoughts there ;3

[nerves-nebula]

To the last anon, when it comes to Rise crossovers with 12 and how they handle ‘healing’ its done in a ‘holy-than’ tone. Especially with newer fans. When the arise movie dropped and crossover content was being made it was A LOT of 12 bashing in said fics. Like ‘Unfamiliar Familiar’ and ‘The fight for Mikey’ it was handled in such a bad faith way and reached such a wide audience that if i were to open a crossover fic for 12/Rise the predetermined ideas of ‘2012 brothers/Splinter are abusive’ ‘12 Mikey is innocent’ ‘12 April is a bitch’ are there.

Its why so many of us 12 fans vehemently speak out about it in a strong manner. A few of us are open to discuss it but the pool has already been tainted so to speak.

OH SO WE'RE JUST NAME DROPPING FICS NOW??? with like real people behind them and stuff?? ok damn i guess i really did kick the hornets nest here.

anyway, i read an ok fic once that i dont remember the name of where the rise bros were like "you guys are really mean" and the 2012 bros were like "y'all aint perfect either" and they kept fighting each other because of some sort of dimension thing where only one of them could exist in the same universe and it was an interesting enough premise i guess.

i stopped reading it cause the writing was a little too on the nose for me (like, people just saying exactly what they mean in an emotional situation sorta thing) but it wasnt the worst.

i think i also read a bit of unfamiliar familiar but i dont remember much about it. I guess I didn't notice that was character bashing? then again i never had a huge attachment to 2012 so i probably took the "2012 doesnt deserve mikey so im giving him to rise" thing as more lighthearted than you would if you like. were attached to 2012 and had strong opinions on them hah.

I assumed that the author was interested in telling a story about an abused kid who gets taken in by a new family, and just used 2012 tmnt to do it. I guess my blind spot comes from the way I view stories as vehicles for someone to express themselves. so i care more about the story itself and what it explores (usually abuse) than like, if they're being unfair to characters.

but yeah, having major fanfics that spread a version of 2012 dynamics you don't agree with/like is sure to rub ya the wrong way. I totally get the irritation there.

I read a fanfic that was similar to that actually, where 2012 Donnie and Mikey ran away cause home life was really bad, and it was written so well that I fell in love immediately. My favorite part was that we had parts from everyone's POV's, Donnie, Mikey, and then after they left Raph and Leo. AND it was going to be reconciliation too!! like they were going to get better and all this cool stuff, and the way it handled trauma and coping and healing was sOoOOOO good. unfortunately it was never finished, but yeah. i guess that's my ideal 2012 abuse fanfic that i'm always chasing the high of. it also scratched a particular itch i have for running away, and the tense feeling surrounding the lead up to you running away.

SIDE NOTE I have noticed some weirdness around 2012's female characters, but i think I have another ask that goes into that so I'll save it for there.

ANYWAY thats a long ass way for me to say "oooh i didnt realize that, i see things X way but it's clear to me now that a lot of people see it Y way. that's fair, anyway let me rant about other fanfics i read" haha

[condemnhim]

(mutant mayhem spoilers)

OHMIGOSH so i saw mutant mayhem two days ago, on its official opening here in the US

it was really really good and i loved it so much and ugh i could rant about it for ages. so here's a nearly 2000 word rant about it. sorry for any spelling and grammar errors

(more under the cut)

so first of all, lemme talk about the characters real quick. my favorite character continues to be donnie but all of them were really likeable in this one, and the dynamic the turtles had is amazing.

mm!leo was a very very good version of leo, staying relatively close to older versions of leo but having some of the more fun traits that leo has had recently in tmnt media (for example, he was willing to do some things with his brothers, even if they went against splinter. even if he felt bad about it.) he was funny and cool, really bringing it all together. nicolas cantu (that how you spell his name? idk) did a great job as his voice as well, he pretty much perfectly illustrated all the emotions he needed to for leo throughout the whole movie. the only thing i didn't like about leo was the fact that he had a crush on april, but that's mostly a me thing because i've never been a fan of the turtle x april ships, they're just uncomfortable for me. they played it off pretty well though.

mm!mikey was really enjoyable for a character who is generally a little bit hit-or-miss for his moments. it was really a hit for all of the times he was on screen or talked which i'm very glad about. i a little wish that the movie focused even more on mikey, but maybe the series/sequel will. he was funny and not nearly as gross as some previous iterations were (ahem 2012) and it was just a really fun time with him. he was pretty much the best parts of all of my favorite versions of mikey all put in one. shamon brown jr also did an amazing job with him!!!!! he's a really good voice actor and he was pretty much perfect for mikey. and yeah, one thing i think they could've done better is just giving him more screen time and focus i think?

mm!raph was really great. you could tell that he was definitely raph but he wasn't super aggressive or hard to talk to. he was funny and there were plenty of moments that made me laugh with him. even though the movie didn't go terribly far into all the characters, you could tell that he definitely has a soft spot for his brothers and for splinter as well. seeing him as a turtle tot was amazing as well by the way, he looked like a cinderblock. and yeah, you bet i gotta bring up brady noon, who was amazing for raph. (really, casting all teenagers for the teenage mutant ninja turtles was a great casting choice on all levels.) even though he was this kinda aggressive guy, you can tell that he has dreams and he has people he cares about. it was really great to see for raph.

and of course i gotta talk about my favorite little guy. mm!donnie was SOO GOOd and like my favorite from the whole movie, he was really fussing great. his design is so good just because they really incorporated the tech stuff into his design, and the stickers on his bō were a nice touch. one thing i wish they would've shown more of is stuff that donnie made himself, y'know? donnie's original tech is usually kinda pushed to the front in tmnt which is great, i love seeing donnie tech. but the main thing donnie did in this movie is fight with his regular bō and use his phone and drive a car or something? i hope we get to see his tech in the future. also, micah abbey did such an amazing job at him@!!1 i mean i really enjoyed how he had a higher voice which is NORMAL for teenage boys, like people's voices change at different rates. he sounded great!! i am sad we didn't get to see more scooter action with him though

april i sure have thoughts about. i mean the thoughts are all positive. she was such a good april and an amazing addition to the cast. first of all, i am strong supporter in her design. sure am a big fan of the non-white aprils. a lot of fans didn't like her design for whatever reason?? some of them didn't like that she's not white and others had issues with her body shape, which is stupid. she's a teenage human, there's no reason to give her the "perfect" adult woman's body (in their eyes anyway) when she's meant to just kinda be this a little average but nonetheless badass ally to the turtles. her personality was great, she felt like a real teenager. her arc of getting (mostly) over her camera sensitivity was really nice, and i appreciate that she wasn't totally over it by the end. ayo edebiri was a really great cast for her as well. (also, i'm glad that even though she agreed to go to prom with leo, it seems like she still sees him purely platonically. i will NOT stand for another 2012 donnie and april situation.)

anyway, splinter, amiright? it's interesting how they went with the route that he was originally a rat. he was a really good character and one of my favorite versions of splinter now. he really was just trying to be a good father to these turtles in this weird little family situation, and i can't blame him for being so overprotective of them when he was made to be a monster in times square by mrbeast. jackie chan was a great choice to play him. (i don't support what jackie chan did to his daughter though btw.) the fact that he learned martial arts through old tapes, new movies and fussing youtube (a video of a channel i watch was in it by the way????) is amazing.

okay now all the other characters were really cool too. all the mutants that baxter stockman created were really interesting and it's great how they brought back so many existing characters while adding new ones. bebop and rocksteady were actually funny which i don't really expect from bebop and rocksteady most of the time to be honest. superfly was actually really scary for being this kids movie villain, which i guess isn't very surprising for tmnt. he got away with kinda a surprising amount of swearing for it though, a whole lot of instances of "damn" and stuff. mondo gecko was very fun and i was actually a bit scared when mikey found his tail. cynthia utrom didn't play as big a part in this movie as i expected her to but she will definitely be a bigger part in the future, especially considering that she's obviously meant to be an utrom. (and oh my god that end scene??? but i'll get into that later) i sure was a big fan of superfly's family turning on him for the benefit of humanity (and the chance of living with the turtles and splinter.) the voice cast was great for all the side characters. i think it's really cool that the main cast (as in the turtles and april) were all voiced by younger, less well-known actors while the side cast and villains were all played by the much better-known actors.

anyway onto the art, IT WAS AMAZING AAAAHHH as an artist this was on fussing spider-verse levels of art and animation. it looked like teenagers helped design it, which is what they were going for. the movement looked great and SOO natural, aahh!! the fight choreo was amazing too, there was that one scene where they were trying to find info about superfly was so well put together. there really were a few stand-out moments but all of it was so good. i love it when the ninja turtles actually use their weapons as they should be, which has happened in the past but it was so clear that they did their research here. also i'm glad that jeff rowe and seth rogen said that they ensured that the animators weren't being mistreated or overworked.

anywho, the music amiright? the soundtrack being based on NYC-based rap and hip hop was a really great choice. that one song that goes "can i kick it, yes you can" was a great choice for the main title-y thing of that movie. it hit all the places it needed to.

some other notes i wanna bring up:

the stakes were real my guys. at multiple points, i felt such genuine fear for these fictional mutant turtles in my heart i thought i would have a stroke or something. for example, when cynthia just kept shocking them??? are they not aware of the damage that like father like son did to ninja turtles fans???? also when superfly just had them in his hands and you could HEAR their shells crunching a little bit. UGH that hurt me fr. it felt so so real and it was so so good.

the fact that the cardboard cutouts that splinter acquired were chris hemsworth, chris pine and chris pratt lmao

are any of the characters autistic? i was thinking about this and to be honest i think yes, some of them probably are autistic. but it's not as clear as it is in rise, especially with donnie, y'know?

about the pop culture references and memes that they used didn't actually feel dated or cringe to me. i've heard others complaining about that but it didn't bother me much, it felt how teenagers actually talk. (i'm a teenager btw, i'm pretty used to how we talk.)

making leo have a crush on a girl after rise!leo lmao

but speaking of leo having a crush on april, there is more i wanna say. so i do not ship them, i've never shipped any of the turtles with april. it just don't sit right with me. but i think they still have the opportunity to play it off with elegance and grace, by having april straight up refuse him when he's honest with her about how he feels. hoping that will happen at some point. i've been asked to dances and stuff by friends, i hope that's why april said yes to him asking her to prom at the end. i will find seth rogen if they put leo and april together in the end. (for legal reasons this is a joke.) but yeah.

and the end scene???? oh god what do you guys gonna think shredder's gonna be like in mm???? because as much as i like the pretty goofy side of shredder that we've seen in the past (like '87 shredder was so silly compared to 2012 or god forbid rise shredder), i would love to see a really just horrifying version of shredder that they would actually maybe kill off in the end? and then there's another sequel where leo has to grapple with his own conflicted feelings about killing shredder or something. that would be so real lmao

i'm really looking forward to the future of mutant mayhem, even though i still want more rise!! and also we must keep showing support for the wga/sag-aftra strike, even though it's gonna delay production on the next parts of the series.

it was a great movie though and a great use of one hour and thirty nine minutes.

[naivesilver]

Hello I have been summoned

2. When I tell you I think about raph holding up 03 Mikeys like a hamburger to see the city lights, and I can hear the excited chirps and babbles and just see his face turn to such a soft look URGH I THINK ABOUT IT SO MUCH

5. I really want to read your big pinocchio AU fic that you've told me about, and I will one day for sure and I'll get to see the family you have constructed

7. Definitely that Mikey and Raph thing again, babe I think about it so much, but I just a close second is that belle and vector fix you wrote me a couple years ago for sure

9. Your montabello fic may never update again, it might in years time, it could tomorrow! Idc it's fun and self indulgent and I remember you telling me you where going to do it and how excited you where and it's a great read and it is special to me

10/13/14. All kind of related, listen I really don't like crossover fics much, and I especially don't like when people age up or down characters I never have! But you where so excited about shaking the latch I forced myself to give it a go and it is genuinely one of my favourite tmnt fics of all time and I love love love making art for it and talking to you about it and maybe stealing it a little but gosh it's great and the descriptions are lovely and the characterisations are fab and I just love it so so much I'll be so sad when you finish it you know like a chapter has closed on my life and I'm not even actively involved in it's creation

12. Your early vecpio fics, before I met you I read them so many times I was star stuck we where out in a discord together I have to be honest 💕 I've also read your recent gift fic for me a few times aswell but gosh yeah your so talented babes xxx

FUCK YOU I GOT SO OVERWHELMED BY THE SHEER JOY OF THIS ASK I DON'T THINK I CAN ANSWER IT COHERENTLY, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THIS HARD 😭💞 if I forget to say something, just know that what I tell you every day is the more concise and sensible version and that's that ajsfhjalfhjlahfjl thank you, you absolute menace ❤️

Fanfic Asks (For The Askers)

2. My favorite chapter in my favorite fic of yours

7. What made me the most emotional after reading

LISDEN.........I spent so much time thinking about that scene before writing it, I'm just glad it hit as well as it did for you too. The 03 turtles had a lot of issues with the outside world not accepting them, you know? So big, rough Raph holding this teeny tiny baby and knowing he can break the cycle and keep these children from going through those struggles...Being aware that Mini Mikey TRUSTS Raph to hold him up high and shield him from the world...It does ThingsTM to me, so it's only fair that you feel them, too 💝

5. A fic I haven't read yet from you, but I want to

I'd be honored to have you read that, but I'll be honest, I don't blame you for hesitating LMAO I know I went overboard baby, even if you never touch those 2763847393 fics in there I'll be happy :^)

9. A fic I'm excited for you updating/posting

I WILL FINISH THAT!!!!!! Sorry, I know that wasn't the point of the question, but I NEED to speak this into existence - I have so many ideas that need to come out onto the page, so thank you for having faith in it, it's really important to me 🤗

10. A character/ship I didn't enjoy/think about as much before you wrote about them

13. If I've ever shared/talked about your fic to someone else

14. A fic I didn't expect to like so much

Again, thank you 💞💞💞 not much to say aside from what I mentioned before in private but it's been so much fun to go on this turtle journey with you, and your patience with my VERY delayed updates is extraordinary.

12. A fic of yours that I've re-read

Finally, BOY what a blast from the past - I still don't know what compelled you to stick around after the delirium that was 2020, but I'm super glad you did. Those shitty Chaotix parenthood moments have given me a special friend so I can't be TOO mad at them 🥰🥰🥰

[mooncalfe-art]

This isn’t IDW related— I noticed you said Mirage is your favorite version of the turtles, and Mirage is my favorite version of the turtles as well. I’ve made a comprehensive document describing the (in my opinion) best way to read Mirage TMNT, and I’m currently writing a long ass analysis that goes over the turtles’ characterization in Mirage. So, you know, clearly I like it a lot and have spent a lot of time thinking about it. You saying that volume 4 is one of your favorites made me curious and I had to ask, do you view volume 4’s characterization of the turtles any different than volume 1? 30 years have passed, so obviously they Fe different, but I mean. I enjoyed volume 4 but seeing how he reacted to Seri’s assumed betrayal, even though the woman he saw wasn’t really Seri… it made me sad. It also seems to me that volume 4 also has a… unique way of characterizing the Mirage turtles. It’s more reminiscent of post 90s characterization of the turtles (post 87 show, post 90s trilogy, and post TMNT Adventures by Archie) when compared to early Mirage. Not quite as suited for kids, obviously, but slight detours in their characters. There are also some sources (like the 30th anniversary TMNT celebration, Peter Laird’s blog, and the bonus #24 and #25 issues of the original Image volume 3 run) that imply that volume 4 is separate from the first two volumes. I bring this up because I love Mirage a ton and it’s the small details that have me questioning things, and I don’t have a lot of people else to talk about Mirage to. BUT ANYWAY, yeah, I guess I’m just asking about your opinions so I can compare them to mine. I wrote a lot LOL I just am very passionate about Mirage, sorry for word vomiting all over your ask box.

Ooh, your analysis stuff sounds really cool. Volume 4's Turtles are definitely different than volume 1, like you said it had been a long time since volume 1, Peter and Jim were older, Kevin wasn't involved, the whole dynamic was different than it was back in the day. Peter's writing has always been a bit more pulpy and mellow and I think volume 4 is him spreading his wings so to speak, so that has something to do with it too. I haven't read volume 4 in years but I used to also chalk it up to the Turtles being 15 years older than they were in volume 1, they're 30 years old during volume 4, that's a huge time for them to change as people and mellow out.

I don't think I've seen the blog posts you mention where Peter implies volume 4 is separate from the other volumes, that's interesting. I'd always thought it was meant to be a direct follow-up (along with Tales volume 2) and there's so much in it that directly ties into stuff from the old issues... I'd have to take a look at those instances you mention! Interesting, in any case.

I appreciate the message, no worries about the word vomit! ;)

[void-inked-pen]

UGHHH DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HOW THEY WROTE MIKEY.. MY BOY DESERVED BETTER. ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS CONFIRMED TO HAVE ADHD. as a person with adhd as well it just. idk i try not to think about it just because it doesn’t sit right with me, though it would be a dishonor to just ignore it.

to be honest they ALL deserved better, like you were saying, the character writing *definitely* could’ve done more right by the turtles. they literally make whole episodes based off of a potential personality growth of a specific character or flaws within the family (such as not listening to each other) and then basically backpedal the entire thing for the sake of drama and/or comedy. it’s so painful to see and a lot of fans sympathize with this. this is why i love and hate fanfiction in this fandom, because people either utilize/write their characterizations really well/more properly, or… just make it worse. but i’ve been trying to cultivate my experience so i only see the stuff i enjoy. there is some whacked up stuff out there, i’ll say that!

don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t my intent to neglect anything when just calling them dysfunctional without pointing out specific flaws (not that i necessarily think you’re trying to accuse me of that). i actually talk about this stuff with a handful of friends of mine that i met in a tmnt server. it’s really interesting to dive into, especially because while they would all die for each other in a heartbeat but if they have to properly express one (1) thing that emotionally hurt them they will literally jump through hoops to avoid it.

and lmao yeah, the current reincarnations of tmnt do tend to stray a bit from their roots. not always a bad thing, but i get what you’re saying. i really like the gritty stuff because i’m a sucker for angst, however i think it’s very important to find that good balance between humor and seriousness, which is sometimes a hard balance to strike even for good writers. though, good writing can and does get thrown because of what the producers want. i don’t know if that’s the case for 2012, but 🤷

I try my best to be open-minded, eheh. I’m not the knower of everything, after all. I am guilty of being a little hardheaded and stuck in my ways, but I also really enjoy having these conversations with people who are willing to just be chill about it. I have may have some differing opinions on 12 Leo than you, for example, but that doesn’t give me the excuse to be rude like some people have in your askbox. I’ve been working on getting more out of my shell (heh) and exposing myself to new opinions, so I love this kind of forum! you definitely have a follow from me. also, minor note, I think you should watch the 2007 tmnt movie. afaik it’s a bit more serious, but it’s done really well so i think you might like it based off of what you’ve said so far. cheers!

- sai guy

Appreciate you sai guy~

I would also like to note: im so critical of a lot of the characters in this franchise because I love them too, its not cause I only like one version over the other its cause I like how the different characters are written~

ah fanfiction.... how I both love and loathe thee~

(also on an aside, the character I'm the most upset with for how they are portrayed and written is Donnie because he's my favorite character and they basically made him an incel and also heavily dunked on just as badly as mikey and its so ANNOYING!! let that child rest and teach him how to talk to a girl like PLS)

I may watch that movie too but not rn lol my schedule is currently packed! thanks for chatting tho~