#from his time as a prisoner of the kraang

[cupcakeslushie]

I absolutely adore your feral Leo au and was looking it over for the billionth time when I noticed on part 1, when Leo shows Raph the photo he calls treasure... there's a tear in it, probably from wear but also more than likely from krang. But Leo's face is the one torn and nearly unrecognizable while Mikey's face is whole since the two are where the tear is at. (Meaning that Leo is no longer part of the family forcibly torn from their side and nearly unrecognizable to them.) Does Leo even recognize himself? Like,, does he even know what he looks like? Would he pass the mirror test? Or would he see himself and think stranger? Please I need to know!!!

First

It takes Leo a few months before his memories slowly start to return and he’s able to talk. Then almost a full year before he’s even close to making jokes again. It takes him almost that whole time to come to accept the way he looks now, because you’re right, unfortunately during an early fight with Kraang Prime his picture was torn, so he went almost his whole stint in the prison dimension without being able to see his own face. When he first sees himself he doesn’t even know what he’s looking at.

His picture would probably be beyond saving, but I think Mikey, as soon as his arms healed, would draw Leo a new picture. This one with Casey and Leo in the center being given the biggest hug by the entire family.

@snowblossim

HERE’S SOME MORE FERAL!LEO FOR YA’LL!! Since Mikey was asleep during their last hug I wanted him awake for this one! Though, this is months into Leo’s recovery so they’ve probably hugged like a million times since lol.

[gonetoforks]

Introducing; Yuichi Usagi-Cuddles!

There’s a slight typo in his basic character bio, (first, grey image) other than “yuich,” his family in America lives in the part of the hidden city under Jersey. He lives in Jersey. He’s a Jersian. So in terms of leosagi, it’s gonna be an enemies-to-lovers comedy-of-errors muahahahaha!!

More (a LOT more) info about him as his own guy under the cutoff :D ⬇️

Basically; He’s a silly guy! I feel like his kinda buffoonish, embarrassing personality in canon is simultaneously PERFECT for Rise’s writing style & grievously underrated in fanon depictions. So he’s this clownish type of character, haha.

Okay, time to go hyperfixation mode.

Adhd & his stubborn attitude;

He has ADHD! Executive function issues makes it hard for him to start tasks & manage himself, so he relies on his teams (the Mad Dogs when he’s training & the Rise equivalent to his canon friend group on his own time) to not only instruct him, but also hold him accountable & keep him on task. He’s body-doubling without even realizing it.

Although, he resents the things he does to accommodate his disability. He doesn’t notice that doing the things he does genuinely helps or why so he thinks he’s using them as a crutch because of incompetence. Every time he gets stubborn and ignores the things he needs to do, he crashes and burns. When he was new in town with no teacher & no friends who liked martial arts, he became a huge sad sack until the kraang invasion.

His character arc is about being able to rely on other people & accommodations. That relying on a bit more help than other people doesn’t make you incompetent, choosing to seek out the support you need so you can do your best is the true mature thing to do. I was inspired by canon Yuichi’s struggles with paying attention and Rise’s themes of cooperation. (& also my own experience with adhd and learning with executive function issues & junk)

Relationships w/ the turtles;

The Mad Dogs agree to let him like, intern with them? So he can see what it’s like to be a vigilante, they offer him advice and they occasionally go on low to mid-tier missions with his help. They take him on cause they think more heroes and allies out there, the less work they have to do haha. Also, one of the writers mentioned a season 3 would have them adjusting to being ~official heroes,~ I think this would be them trying to be “real.”

He’s closest friends with Mikey out of the whole group! (Adhd solidarity) Then it goes Donnie -> Raph -> and finally Leo (for now muahaha)

I tried to give Leosagi an interesting dynamic with constructing his character like this; They have similar insecurities from drawing self-worth from technical capabilities that they can develop past together, but Leo is clever and calculating about it vs Yuichi being rash and impulsive. So like smart x stupid but they’re the same actually.

His Family in Jersey;

He speaks english fluently because he’s visited his American family frequently his whole life, they’re very close. He has an accent though since he mainly speaks Japanese.

I haven’t fleshed out this concept enough, but I think members of his jersey/Cuddles half of the family would be spoofs of characters from the original yojimbo comics, implied to be reincarnations? Except Miyamoto ofc. (i’ll explain later..)

Reusing the ninja orphans plotline from the original show, his family utilizes their cute appearances to run an orphanage too. They wonder why this Chizu lady is constantly showing up with unhoused children, but they’re just grateful they’re safe now.

Everyone in his family HATES Mrs. Cuddles, they all think she’s in prison and are happy about it. She might’ve given him that scratch on his face.

Additional;

He is gay.

Thank you for your time.

[tmntxthings]

So I’ve been seeing a bunch of Future Leo fics where he goes back in time floating around and it got me thinking

Imagine being Leo’s s/o in the future only to die like protecting him or something and then when he gets sent back and sees his s/o’s younger self?? The angst material here!!? Especially if they aren’t dating yet and get together during the Kraang apocalypse. And then when Young Leonardo is being stupid he pulls him aside and grabs his shoulders and is like

“Cherish them! Fucking cherish them!!” As he like sobs or something idk.

This idea just popped into my head. Feel free to add on or just react to this

一∑ blast from the past。・゜・

my reaction? OUCH- my freaking heart anon, you just stomped on it, did a little jig on it, DAMN 😏 you’re good

author’s notes: idk just adding a little something something to this angsty bit^ also imagine future!leo like being unable to stop himself from pursuing 👀 like the implications… the jealousy.. the age gap? 💀 JUST A THOUGHT OKAY???

warnings: angst, cursing, more angst, flashbacks, mentions of death and unedited asf

—————————————————————————

About a month had gone by since Leo had dropped out of the sky back in time. During that time, he had explained himself as best he could. It was surprising how easily they accepted the concept of time travel but Leo guessed they had experienced weirder things! Luckily he had traveled back a day before his younger self royally fucked up! That gave Leo time to explain the kraang with the help of dad, and formulate a foolproof plan. They had made sure to save the world without any casualties. The Kraang didn’t even get the chance to exit the prison dimension. He had saved the world. He had saved their world. Maybe that could make up for the wrongs he had committed in his own timeline. It didn’t feel like it, but Leo felt at least a little bit of hope knowing that none of his brothers would be dying because of his mistake this time around.

After that some things had to be settled. The main thing was what would he do now? A 40-something turtle in a timeline that wasn’t his own. He didn’t belong, despite this being his home. So when the dilemma came up about what to do with the key. Leo readily offered up himself. He had plenty of reasons. 1. He had lived his life already, he didn’t mind living on the run, away from New York, away from the Foot Clan. 2. He was older, he wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice. 3. Who else would do it? It wasn’t like it could be destroyed and it also couldn’t stay in the lair or anywhere else that the Hamato Clan held dear.

So yeah, he would take the key. And he would go on what he liked to call around the youngins ‘a vacation.’ He made it sound so grand. He would go travel the world. The first mutant turtle world traveler! To Tahiti and beyond. Plus it wasn’t like they couldn’t call him, FaceTime him. It would be like he had never left! At least that’s what he told the teenagers. For the most part Leo thought he had convinced them. And he had convinced himself too.. until he saw you.

He rarely left the lair, now more than ever since he was leaving in a couple of days. He couldn’t continue to risk everyone’s safety by staying for too much longer. For having the key there in one place for so long. But he had wanted to spend as much time with the boys as possible, so when they offered for him to join in patrol, “Ya know only if your old bones can handle it~” Leon shot back. “What he means to say is—“ Raph started to say, giving his little blue brother an annoyed side eye. “Sure sure, we’ll see who’s trailing behind on the rooftops,” Leo said with a smirk.

The competitive glint shone not only in Leon’s eyes but everyone’s. Good! Leo thought to himself and kept his word. He had a massive lead, the youngins still had a lot to learn. Which made the inevitable departure that much harder. He skidded to a stop on a low-rise building. He peered behind his shoulder, smiling at the group who were now racing amongst themselves for second place. He chuckled to himself as he turned back to the street in front of him. Leaning over the edge to see the sidewalk and it was like someone had physically punched him. Straight in the gut. He wobbled backwards, blinking rapidly before moving forward once more. It couldn’t be! What were the chances?!

Yet there you were, headphones on, none the wiser of the ninja watching you from above. Trailing you as you continued on your merry way. Yes it was just like you, with music involved to be doing a little dance in the middle of walking. His breath caught in his throat. You were here. You were alive. It brought him back to his time, when he had lost you. The pain in his chest from the memory alone had his good hand going up to his upper-plastron. “What’re we looking at,” Leon murmured. It came as no surprise that he would get second place. What was a surprise was how serious he sounded. Leo made sure to school his features, to give nothing away. You didn’t need to get involved… maybe in this timeline you would never have to worry about mutants and villains.

Maybe you could have a normal life and continue doing your little happy dances down the New York City sidewalks. “Nothing, just had a flashback.” Leo decided a half truth would allow you to escape his younger versions curiosity. “Wait a minute! That’s Y/n!! Hold on Peepaw,” and before Leo could stop him, Leon was portaling down in front of your path. He had already met you in this timeline?? His gut wrenched as he pictured your lifeless face. A kraang standing tall, over your body and raining down a harsh red glow. Leo watched as his younger self became animated, talking cheerfully and pointing up to the rooftop. Leo immediately stepped back, the boys taking his place and waving down at you.

Raph looked back giving him a questionable look. Leo just shook his head. He didn’t think he could face you. It was a miracle in itself that he came across your path to begin with. “You guys done saving the world yet? Can I come hang soon??” You hollered and Leo flinched. Sure it was dark, and sure not many were out, but attention shouldn’t be drawn to them. Mikey readily hollered back, “Soooooon! In like a couple of da—“

Donnie smacked a robo hand over his orange brother’s mouth. Donnie pressed his wrist and it lit up. “Not yet! I’ll text you.” He spoke into the voice channel. Leo assumed that was to keep the yelling to a minimum since Leon was next to you and could listen in to the comms. Leo couldn’t see what happened next but he felt nauseous. Like he had just ran a marathon, eaten too quickly, and went on a rollercoaster all at once. Leon portaled back up and Leo presumed you had left. Until you also came through the portal. He seized up all over again. If only for a second before realizing he was an adult and had to act like one. Maybe you wouldn’t notice him on the far side of—

“Yeah see, I told you ! He’s me, just from a different future!” Leon said smugly as he motioned his arm towards his future self. “Oh wow you weren’t kidding!” Your mouth dropped open in sheer shock. You were so close now. And so much younger, he had met you during the apocalypse in his lifetime. He drank in your features. They were softer, you weren’t battle worn, the light was still glowing in your eyes. Music played lowly from your headphones that rested on your collar. “Yeah he doesn’t talk much..” Leon coughed. Leo cleared his throat with frustration, such a little shit. “Hi,” he said lamely.

“Hi!” You smiled back, and took liberty to close the gap. “So I’m guessing you were a big help in saving the world huh?” Leo gulped. Was that a trick question? “Well.. yeah I guess,” it would be too time-consuming to say he had to learn the hard way first. Yeah, actually I destroyed my world, and being the last survivor fate must’ve felt like second-chances were a thing and dumped me here to fix what I had royally screwed. You wouldn’t understand, and from the innocent gaze in your eyes he wanted to keep it that way. You didn’t need to know the truth. It would only dull that spark. “Thank you! For coming back and saving our butts then,” you winked as if this was a little inside joke. Leo couldn’t help but crack a soft smile, one that must’ve gave himself away because in his peripheral he saw someone stiffen. A lot of someones. He could only nod after that, any verbal response completely leaving him as he looked down to his feet. To your feet. He had missed you. It was hard not to just reach out. To hug you. But it was enough to know you were here in this world, alive and happy from what he could tell.

“Rightttt well, let’s portal ya back down huh?”

“Oh wait, look Donnie! Know this one??”

“Indignant scoff! What am I listening to??”

“Lemme listen! C’mon lemme listen!!”

“Guys we gotta get going!”

Leo’s gaze had lifted to see the exchange. Watched as Mikey bounced around with grabby hands for the headphones. Only for Leon to make a well-timed portal once Donnie had chucked them off of his head. “Heyyyyy!” Mikey cried out as Leon placed the headphones on his own head. “Don you’re crazy this is a vibe!” His younger self said as his head bobbed. “I disagree!” Donnie replied promptly. Mikey was turning feral as he lunged for the headphones once more, complaining that it was his turn. Raph caught him mid-air, and Mikey struggled to be released. “Don’t worry Mike I’ll send you the song asap!” You shot him a thumbs up and that was the only thing that seemed to subdue him. Raph still held on for good measure. Leo kept the headphones on as he made a grand gesture for you to go first into the portal behind you. “See you guys later!” You waved before disappearing into the blue circle.

So you had known them for a good while, Leo deduced. He didn’t know how to feel. His initial reaction was to act like you hadn’t existed. Pretend like he had never known you, for your safety. But maybe that had been selfish of him… you were always a joy to be around. Even during the darkest times. It was what had drawn him to you from the beginning. When he couldn’t be the ‘leader’ anymore, when he couldn’t put on the bravado and be the fearless warrior. You had picked up his slack. You had been his lighthouse during an eternal night. The patrol went smoothly from there. Though Leo knew he was distracted. He wasn’t called out about it until they reached the lair again. “So what was that about?” Leon asked.

Ahh fuck. He really didn’t want to explain himself. Not to himself! It would just mess things up further. The less Leon knew, the better. So he did what he thought was best. Brush it off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Classic Leo, classic. “Mhmm no, that’s not happening. What was that look??” Leon continued to badger. And one by one Donnie peeled off, Raph dipped, and Mikey slipped away. Until it was just the two in blue in the common area. “What look???” Leo continued to feign ignorance. Leon crossed his arms, “You know them don’t you? Why were you trying to act like—“

“Can you just drop it?” Leo gritted out as his good hand flexed at his side. “No.” Leon stated plainly. Each looking at one another with a level stare. “Yeah sure I knew them! Alright??” Leo exasperated as he turned to leave. To go to his own room. To escape from any further interrogation. So much for being an adult! “Hey! We ain’t done here, how did you know them?? Why did you look so.. so sad?” His former self sure was incessantly annoying. “Leon just leave it.” He warned for a second time. But no, that was never his style. He had to keep pushing and pushing until someone finally caved. Until the limit was long past breached and crossed and stomped on. “What? Did you like them??”

Leo stopped his escape. He froze in place. The only reason being the way Leon said it. Haughtily. Like such a thing was infeasible. Unbelievable. Laughable. He felt his eyes turn icy as his head whipped back and he couldn’t stop himself as his body moved. Leaning forward and getting into Leon’s space. “Fuck you. You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. So I suggest you stop talking altogether.” His tone was deathly low. Leo hadn’t just liked you. That word didn’t even scrape the surface. “They deserved better.” He spat. That was more towards himself but it felt good to see Leon flinch. To stop fucking around for once. If it wasn’t for him— for me— Leo’s face crumpled.

“You need to cherish them. All of them. Dad, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, April! And especially.. them.” Leo swallowed thickly, “Because you never know what will happen. Got it?” He cocked his head, maintaining that hard stare on his younger self. He watched as Leon nodded. Hands clasped tightly into fists. Like he wanted to punch. Like he wanted to fight. Whatever. Leo had to make sure that at least this piece of advice got through that thick skull of his. “Good,” now fuck off you little shit. The rest went left unsaid but Leo was tired and knew it wasn’t completely healthy to berate a teenager. Even if it was himself. Ugh, such a mess.

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[kaysdenofchaos]

Battle Scars! AU Raph ❤️✨

“Ah. That’s what his role was. He almost forgot. The protector.”

- Heavily scarred from being Kraangified— developed reduced hearing in right ear and Bell’s palsy, aka partial face paralysis in his right side

- Lost his arm due to mystic power overuse while saving Leo from the Prison Dimension. Tattooed over by Leatherhead in return for helping out in shop.

- Vision in right mildly weakened and wears glasses occasionally to help level it out.

- Strongly connected to Kraang— would dissociate for long periods of time to try and tune out its screams.

- Not as agressive, the Kraang invasion cementing his fear of losing control and hurting his brothers. Takes up a more defensive fighting style with his tonfa.

- Also takes up botany as a coping mechanism. Spends bonding time with Donnie and Buddy in their greenhouse.

AU Masterlist

[sad-leon]

Welcome to the Shadow Leo au :D

It's a lotta text, but I don't know if I'll make a fic for this au. It'll probably be a lotta fics and doodles. Asks are encouraged :D

When Splinter explodes Draxum's lab, a crystal Draxum wanted to experiment that held a bunch of shadow power, dropped on Leo, fusing him into shadows. He can only appear where there is shadow, so he can't go outside alone or in really bright rooms.

He can choose whether to be visible or not in a shadow he occupies, so if he's around strangers, he stays hidden.

Because of all the light from the explosions, he hides in Donnie's shadow as Splinter leaves. He doesn't show himself to anyone outside of Donnie for a long time. It's only when they're toddlers that they speak. Leo's speaks first and scares the hell outta Donnie. His voice has a bit of an echo-reverb tone, but otherwise normal.

Donnie tries to show everyone, but eventually let's Leo explain that he's scared of meeting everyone. He grew up with Donnie, they know all about each other and their triggers and such. Leo doesn't have that familiarity with the others and he's scared of breaking down in front of them.

When Donnie brings April to the lair, Leo is excited at the prospect of meeting someone who is also an outsider. When she and Donnie hang out in the lab, Leo shows himself to her. She tries to punch him, she just bruises her knuckled on the wall. Over the years, April, Donnie, and Leo become an indestructible trio.

The fam still doesnt know about Leo when they break into Draxum's lab. Draxum immediatly notices Leo in the shadows and gathers all his mystic crystals to try and break his shadow powers. On of the crystals he hits Leo with grants him the ability to emerge from the walls, though his still looks all shadowy.

Leo still chooses to hide in Donnie's shadow, though he ventures out on his own a bit more now that he can hold swords and stuff. Leo still steals the odachi from Draxum, but his use of it is limited to only slicing, though if Donnie swings it, Leo can influence the portals if he's connected to Donnie's shadow.

[Sidenote: when the brother unlock their Ninpo, Leo unlocks his as well, granting him ability to use his portals himself. He can also do the funky teleportation thing.]

---

Leo's out on his own one night when he see's Usagi hanging around the turtle fam's lair. He appears to the rabbit and surprisingly, the rabbit doesnt freak out. Usagi and Leo are quick friends. Leo tells Donnie about Usagi and convinces Donnie to meat the rabbit and eventually, Usagi becomes an honorary turtle, just like April.

---

(Leo is still Casey's future sensei, but by then they had found something, a charm or a potion, that made him physical. When Casey asks about him, Donnie avoids eye contact, but everyone else is confused.)

(The key is snatched by the foot clan because Raph couldn't get to it fast enough. Leo tries to blame himself because if he wasn't so scared he could have used his portals to get it. Donnie won't let him blame himself, and neither will anyone else when they finally meet him.)

During the movie events, Leo connects to Raph's shadow when Mikey and Donnie get flung off. He makes himself physical and pushes Raph toward his brothers. He also snatches Raph's wrist comm. Raph is too panicked to consider what just happened and jumps off to catch his brothers.

He shouts for CJ to close the portal. Casey immediatly follows the command shouted by his sensei's voice before he can process it. Leo stays physical long enough to keep Kraang distracted, then ducks into the shadows.

With the whole Prison Dimension being basically one big shadow, Leo is able to stay hidden after the portal closes. He doesnt heal in the shadows, but his inuries don't worsen. It takes about a year until Leo finds his sword and portals himself home.

-

Donnie, April, and Usagi are all a fucking wreck in a way no one understands, no matter how much they explain Leo and his predicament. Raph explains that he was pushed by a shadow and Donnie breaks down on the spot. Because even though Leo would never meet the fam, he'd still sacrifice himself for them.

For months, Donnie begs Casey Jr to tell him how Future Mikey opened a portal, but CJ won't say anything past explaining how it killed Future Mikey.

Donnie doesn't stop looking for any sign of Leo, but after months he has no choice but to move on. Leo's sword was put in a glass, guarded case after Donnie tried to use it to portal to Leo.

Sometimes Donnie sits in a dark corner and talks to himself.

Then one day, the alarm attached to Leo's sword goes off. Everyone thinks it's Donnie trying to portal again, but they all rush in to see a shadowy Leo injured, on the ground. Donnie breaks down on the spot, but tries to pull himself together enough to help with bandaging what they can see of Leo's wounds.

Leo wakes up to his family around him and finally lets himself meet the rest of his brothers.

[reagi-df]

CLeonardo and Leon impulse post

I’ve never been good at explaining myself so here we go. I was also supposed to post these with the other refs I have of them but I didn’t render them so….

Leonardo - He’s got scarring across his left eye due to damage the kraang bashing his face in, his eye is slightly damaged due to the bones shattering, he can still see out of it a bit but it’s not great. He’s honed in his natural abailtiy into sensing vibrations, it was a slow process and he’s still learning. It’s also resulted in his iris changing colour slightly. He had spend more time in the prison dimension then he lets on, and a year and a half later he (as well as the rest of his family) are still healing from the trauma)

His eye isn’t as badly damaged as Raphs, he’s also got damage to his right knee, having to still use a knee brace when he’s not patrolling or doing anything to too physical. He spends a lot of his time in the hidden city, mostly with Usagi as he trains in one of the dojos.

CLeonardo - There a lot of things I’m doing diffrent in this AU and I don’t really want to give too much away, mostly for spoilers and still working out the kinks. His katanas broke when he saved Donnie from a kraang attack, resulting in them getting caught in an explosion, in which Donnie had his leg severed (above the knee) so now Leo carries a wakizashi.

Having grown up in the kraang invested world he’s had to be constantly on his toes, but now he’s back in the present he’s at a lost at what to do with his life, it’s revolved around fighting and now coming to a world where the kraang where dented before they could take over, Leo dosent know what todo with himself. He channeled his inner old man and complies a lot about join ache, Tello has given him compression wraps for his elbow and ankle.

Not sure I really explained much… oh well

I’m hoping to keep the looks constant but I’m forgetful, I’ve already forgotten stuff on the drawings… anyway I’m hoping to gets Tello and Donnie’s designs done next

[sugarpasteltmnt]

Hi! I had a question regarding the last chapter, Leo doesn't recognizes Cassandra because he doesn't remember her? Because the story takes place after the fight with the Shredder and the Kraang so it's imposible he doesn't know Cassandra is no longer with the foot.

Btw I have read so many fics of rise and in my opinion your is by far my favorite. You are doing amazing!

⚠️Chapter 21 Spoilers!⚠️

thank you so much!!! I’m so glad you like it! 🩵

But as far as Cass goes— season 2 ended right after The Shredder fight, right? I personally believe that there would be very little contact with Cassandra immediately after the fight. After all, the fam lost their home and had to find a new lair. They needed time to recover from the fight, both physically and emotionally. And I’d imagine there was some…. hard feelings towards the person who released a world-dominating terror on their family who nearly killed their dad.

That being said, I like to believe that Cass’ contact with the boys was pretty minimal prior to the invasion. I like to keep the amount of time between the end of season 2 and the start of the ROTTMNT movie up for interpretation, but I still feel like Cass' relationship with the Hamatos is... 'complicated' during that time. Maybe she got along with Splinter, but I imagine the brothers would have a harder time accepting her, even if she defected from the Foot. In the fic, it’s post-invasion (and after Leo is lost to the Prison Dimension) that the Casey Jones Jr becomes the catalyst for Cassandra to bond with the Hamatos-- Leo wouldn’t have known how much she’s changed and grown as a person all this time.

And

Leo’s a petty guy LOL

Throughout the show we see the cheeky, spiteful side of Leo and i love that. And after losing a good chunk of his sanity, he’ll only remember the ‘important’ things… and a bad bitch like Leo never forgets who wronged him. Or wronged his family. Seeing Cass and remembering the Shredder fight is all that mattered to him in that moment.

To Leo, it didn't matter if Cassandra had defected from the foot. Nor did he have the capacity to consider maybe she's changed in the heat of the moment. He only remembers her as Foot Clan, and the Foot Clan was bad bad B͕̙̦͆ͭ͟Ǎ̢͍̓̆͊ͯͦ͗D̍͜

[fabuloustrash05]

Things I Would Change/Add in TMNT 2012

A rewrite post, but it's a lightning round with quick explanations.

Leo never crushes on Karai, but he does hang out with her because it gives him a sense of freedom and rebellion. When with her he gets a strange feeling, like he already knows her from somewhere. The other Turtles feel the same when they meet her. This feeling turns out is their sibling bond.

Donnie and April are friends to lovers, basically Donnie doesn't start crushing on April until around the end of season 1 and it becomes a slow burn from there. (Edit: Full rewrite is HERE)

Hun would be introduced and established as the leader of the Purple Dragons earlier on. Also Fong would get a little redemption arc.

Leo wears a leg brace for the rest of the series after his fight with Shredder in the season 2 finale. He also has a slash scar across his plastrom.

Irma is not revealed to be Kraang Subprime in disguise, instead she escapes New York with April, Casey and the Turtles, and lives on the farmhouse with them.

Irma and Donnie bond and become good friends (irmatello maybe??)

April and Casey would officially date, but then break up mid season 3 (they stay good friends)

Leo x Casey

Timothy would come back in season 3 as a half mutant like Karai (think of his powers like Sunita from Rottmnt), he'd even continue his ninja training and become an official ninja of the Hamato Clan.

Brainwash Karai never happens, it's replaced with Timothy plots and other mutants trying to get Donnie's retro mutagen.

We would actually get to see how Slash and the others met and became the Mighty Mutanimals (there's actually a comic book covering it so that could've been an ep!!)

Irma and Rook are the same person, Rook went undercover as a human as a way to keep an eye on April and find the Turtles for the Utrom council. That's why she was so noisy about April's "secret friends" in season 2 (Edit: to hear more about this concept, I made a full post on it HERE)

Irma and Rook being the same person leads to Bishop being introduced earlier on as the one who give the Turtles and Mutanimals intel on the Kraang's mutagen bomb plans mid season 3 instead of Kurtzman. Bishop would also indirectly mention and foreshadow the Triceratons and hope the Kraang don't get their attention (planting earlier seeds for the season 4 finale)

Instead of blowing up the Earth with the Black Hole Generator, the Triceratons just to a hostile takeover on Earth, turning it into a prison for in inhabits, with secret plans to blow it up within a year. With the help of Fugitoid, the Turtles, April and Casey escape Earth on a mission to take down the Triceratons. Meanwhile on Earth, Splinter, Slash and Karai form a rebellion to fight against the Triceratons and give their friends time.

Mona and Sal would be in more episodes, specifically after their betrayal, they join the Turtles on their mission as a way to repay them for forgiving them.

Returning to Earth, Mona meets the Mutanimals and she decided to stay on Earth earlier instead in season 5, she also appears in more episodes such as Mutant Gangland and actually showing up in Insecta Trifecta. Her and Splinter also get to bond. (Edit: Full rewrite is HERE)

The burnt scar Karai gets in Broken Foot remains.

Shinigami is revealed to be a villain and a spy Shredder sent to keep an eye on Karai. She betrays Karai in the season 4 finale. (Edit: Cause people keep asking me YES she does get redeemed! Check out my full post on the this rewrite)

Splinter still dies in the season 4 finale, or another way I could do it is he gets badly injured and paralyzed from the waist down, being in a wheelchair for the rest of the series. Either way, Leo would still become the new sensai by the end of season 4.

Shinigami is the one to start the Shredder cult and know how to summon Kavaxas. Tiger Claw is just there for the ride.

Alopex returns to help the Turtles stop her brother.

Tiger Claw redemption??

Baxter Stockman returns as a season 5 villain, he's been using his smarts to turn himself into a cybernetic being, missing his mutant form and wanting to go back. He basically goes mad.

Fugitoid returns, but now works for Dregg and Newtrailzer, being found by Dregg and reprogrammed to think the Turtles are his enemies. Donnie ends up saving him.

Mona Lisa and Sal Commander backstory in When World Collide

Raph gets the electric powers, NOT Mikey

Slash is in When Worlds Collide instead of Karai

April and Casey meet Renet and join her and the Turtles on their Halloween time travel adventure. (Edit: full rewrite HERE)

Usagi becomes a mentor for Leo and helps him overcome his stress and insecurities of being a leader.

Mutant Apocalypse happens (kinda) but Renet gets involved and has present Turtles team up with MA!Turtles to save their futures and rewrite history (cause Renet claims the MA was not supposed to happen) The series and finale episode ends with the present day Turtles winning, saying goodbye to their future selves and wishing them luck in their new future. Renet sends the MA!Turtles to their corrected future. As they go through the timeportal, Leo is demutanted from being a monster, Donnie gets his body back, etc. In their true future, the Turtles find all their friends alive and well in the lair, greeting them as they are about to celebrate their 50th mutation day. Raph and Mona are happily married with kids, Donnie and April are married and he's a famous scientist, Leo is highly respected as a great leader and sensai of the Hamato clan with multiple students (one of them being Mira) and Mikey is a successful restaurant owner. The show ends with them all enjoying a slice of pizza, finally at peace and living out their happily ever after.

[silversodas]

Leo’s Greatest Defense

I haven’t seen anyone mention or notice this, but nothing can actually get to Leo, not as long as Mikey is around. It shows it in the beginning of the movie

He appears out of thin freaking air!!

And delivers a devastating blast that could take out a city block. You don’t even know where he could be coming from

And even demonstrates this a second time at the end of the movie, you think he is done for because he trapped himself in the prison dimension with the Kraang, but TEEN MIKEY!? Hell no, he rips open time and space, with his brothers help

And plucks him right the hell outta there. Like that’s….I mean..he LITERALLY WENT FUCK YOU FABRIC OF SPACE AND JUST PLUCKED HIM OUT!!

I don’t know, I just feel like these two moments were a way to show that not only is Leo the new king piece of this chess board but Mikey is the new Queen piece, the most powerful and the best at protecting the king.

And I just find it funny to think of them as Chess pieces, because when I learned Chess growing up I was taught that it was kinda dumb to try and take the King before taking out the Queen

[phykoha]

What is your future leo goes to the present au? Is that different than hea?

@kingy-blog @abbeyofcyn

It IS different from HEA!

HEA has all 4 turtles surviving the invasion and going to the past, but this one is just Leo (I don't have a name for it yet).

So, to set this up, I have this headcanon about the Kraang's prison dimension that time works very differently there. That time and space function very differently.

For example, if you were to enter the prison dimension, walk for a while in any direction, and then exit the prison dimension, you would end up at a very different point in time than you entered. And not just bc it took a while to walk there. Where you are in space affects where you are in time, basically.

So. Let's say. That our beloved Leader of The Resistance, Leo. Was not killed in the Kraang blast. And was instead taken. And put into the prison dimension as a sort of punishment for his actions against the Kraang.

And since he'd have no way out and nothing better to do, he starts to walk. And walk. And walk. And falls off a few ledges but gravity is lighter here so he's fine. And walk...

And... Oh boy what's that in the distance? Is that a Kraang? Good grief. What is it doing? Nevermind- if there's a Kraang in here, then there has to be a doorway. A way out. Oh he's gonna have fun kicking that thing's ass- Oh? Who's... Who's it fighting? Could that count as fighting..? Looks more like a onesided ass beat to him.

Is that a... kid?

[cupcakeslushie]

Would feral leo have to relearn how to walk because of gravity? You know how astronauts when they get back to earth they forgot about gravity and like keep looking up when they can’t find things??? Yea I feel like feral Leo would do that? Or like try to his on the ceiling but can’t

Based off the movie, the prison dimension looks like it was more low gravity than no gravity (like Dimension X in tmnt!12). So if Leo’s on a big surface, it would have enough gravity to ground him like normal. He’d only experience the low gravity effect say, if he got pulled from the surface while fighting the Kraang during the times when it would find Leo, and fling him around.

There are still some slip-ups when he returns tho! When he first starts patrolling again with his brothers, Leo would try to hop a gap that’s too big, because he’s expecting the lower gravity to do most of the work for him and he’d end up falling short. Also Leo does still need to adjust to walking for other reasons. In between just being so injured that his legs are really wobbly, and because towards the end there, he kinda lets his instincts to prowl around take over. If he feels threatened, he’ll immediately drop to all fours, and try to make himself look more threatening. So it’s a while before he stops doing that!

[ohhiimweird]

Safe Haven (Post-movie comfort)

A couple paragraphs of hurt-comfort for each turtle post-movie

CW: a sprinkle of angst, rottmnt movie spoilers

Raph:

Raph didn't think he deserved affection after he broke free from the kraang. He remembers very little of being controlled, but that might be a good thing. He doesn't want to remember the faces of people he's hurt or the horrified looks his family must've had upon seeing him.

All the while, guilt weighed on his shoulders. It whispered in his ears, 'It should've been you.' No matter how much Raph wanted Leo to step up and be a hero, he could never have predicted the pain it entailed. This guilt consumed him to the point he would freeze up when spoken to.

This doesn't happen in your presence. A single touch silences his thoughts. Your thumb tentatively rubs over the scars around his blinded eye. It's like you're giving him sight. His head goes to your lap, face buried into your stomach. Neither of you says anything. You just play with the tails of his mask and hum to him. He couldn't want anything more than that.

Mikey:

Mikey never regretted saving his brother from a life of misery. However, his hands were never the same. His green skin cracked and leaked an orange glow whenever tapping into his mystic powers. Although it was a beautiful sight, this created problems.

It was harder to draw now. His hands were so shaky that a straight line turned squiggly the moment his pencil hit the paper. It was almost as if he forgot how to create. To Mikey, his life as an artist has come to an end. Any piece he created looked horrible in his eyes, but not in yours.

You either said, 'It's beautiful,' or 'Your hands are getting better.' Both phrases were interchangeable. They were also enough to make Mikey's heart melt. He's done for if you take his hands in yours, (bonus points if you kiss them repeatedly.) It's as if Mikey's hands are still from your touch. Mikey likes to call it, 'the power of love.' He can't help but cling to you now.

Donnie:

Donnie was never the biggest fan of touch or emotion. However, merging with a spaceship and being forcefully pulled out might have done something to his brain. The sliminess of it all unnerved him on a whole other level compared to his normal distaste for certain textures. He would get by with it, however. He had plenty of weighted blankets set aside when he goes into sensory overload.

It's the emotions that Donnie has a hard time dealing with. He didn't like the idea of losing his family for even a second. It was already bad with SHELDON, an ai that he considered as his own child. Leo, his own twin, trapping himself in the prison dimension made things worse for him.

Your very presence tells him that everything is going to be okay. You just sit next to him and let him pick himself up without saying a word or trying to touch him. You'd sit there and listen to him vent without a hint of resentment. It didn't make his problems go away completely, but damn does it make a great illusion.

Leo:

The prison dimension was cold. If anything, Leo thought it would start snowing as the kraang leader beat him senselessly. And yet, a voice in the back of his said told him it was his fault. He wanted to sacrifice himself, why was he so traumatized by it all, then?

He didn't tell anyone this, only looking onward and putting the invasion behind him. That was a lot harder since Leo is the leader. He gained the responsibility Raph once hand. He understood why it put him under so much pressure, even before the invasion. In the night, Leo was plagued by nightmares and overwhelmed by the cold.

On nights like those, he would come to you, portaling into your room. You didn't mind, letting him crawl into your bed. Leo's head buried into your chest, relishing in your warmth. It was like a flame he desperately didn't want to go out. He didn't worry about the prison dimension or the order of his family's deaths. You were next to him, in his arms, and safe.

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

Chapter 3 of No Fun in Fungus!

@daboyau

@theawesomeninja-xd

@nights-flying-fox

@phoebepheebsphibs

Leo chokes and wheezes on the yellow cloud that infiltrates his lungs. There’s a dull ache in his plastron. It could be from his old injuries, but he was well aware of a possible other cause for the sensation.

Asthma.

Leo would experience most attacks after getting upper respiratory infections, which he had a lot when he was younger.

It was nothing compared to what Donnie went through though.

His immune system sucked and the cold sewer with polluted water did not help his case in the slightest.

More infections meant he needed an inhaler more times than Leo did.

He never asked Splinter how he got one that first time, but he always remembers the bloody bandage around his hand.

He also remembers the birthday he asked for his supply packs.

Dad sewed it together for him.

The contents of the pack changed a lot over the years, but there were three things that never did.

A pack of dinosaur bandaids for Mikey.

Raph’s epi pen.

Their inhaler.

Despite it being years since Donnie’s last attack, that inhaler was never going to missing.

Leo takes it out immediately. Donnie was right next to him before those things came, he couldn’t be far.

“Wretched little pest….”

The voice chills him down to his core.

It’s typically believed that there are several fs when it comes to reacting to fear.

The two most well known are fight or flight.

However, there’s also freeze and fawn.

Fawn would be when Mikey tells Raph he’s the best oldest brother in the world as he hides a broken teddy bear mug behind his back.

Freeze is when you spend an entire flight in an escape pod having a panic attack and can’t even move when you get back because you just left your brother to die.

How ironic is it that someone who can never stop talking can’t say a word when he’s truly terrified?

The face man, curled up in a ball like a pathetic-

Leo covers his ears.

Where were those thoughts coming from?

Were they even thoughts?

It sounded like someone was saying it directly to him.

He feels the immediate need to curl up, not move and hope that it makes it all go away.

Seeing the glowing red eye through the thick particles in the air only makes that feeling worse.

What is happening? How could he be here?

The clanging of metal on the ground in front of him seems to give him an a answer.

He doesn’t want to look at the item in front of him.

The ninpo created weapon he left in the prison dimension.

It should have stayed there, because if it’s here, then it let him come here too.

The laughter he hears nearly makes his heart stop.

“You thought you could escape me?”

Leo can’t stop the fearful tears pricking at his eyes, quietly mumbling no repeatedly.

“You allowed me to come back. As thanks, I’ll kill you last.”

Leo hates how the words he wants to say die in his throat.

“You can watch as I slaughter your siblings, as you took away mine!”

He can hear the sounds of metallic footsteps coming towards him.

Leo can almost see his life flashing before his eyes. It makes him wonder how this response to fear came about.

Why wasn’t he like Donnie who made those escape pods?

Why didn’t he use his skills like Mikey?

Why didn’t he fight like-…….

Raph.

That’s it.

If something truly scary was happening, it was Raph who protected him.

He could freeze up and Raph would be there to shield him from literally anything that would come his way.

Even if it was something impossible like giant freaking aliens with razor sharp tentacles.

Even if he hadn’t given him a good reason to want to protect him that day.

He was right next to him too before the spores came out.

Where was he now?

Leo wanted his big brother.

He screams out his name in fear as the mech that carries the main Kraang finally stands in front of him.

Just like that, Raph appears too.

Leo realizes he’s brought him right into danger and tries to warm him.

Raph kneels down and smiles at him widely.

“What’s the matter, Leo? Raph’s here, it’ll be okay.”

“D-Don’t you see him?”

“Everything is fine, Leo. I promise.”

Leo relaxes for a split second until blood splashes on his face.

Raph had been impaled where he almost had been before.

Leo’s throat begins to hurt, is he screaming again?

He can’t tell.

His face goes to the floor, body curling around himself and the inhaler still in his grip somehow.

The screaming from him is in fact happening, others could hear it even if he couldn’t.

Especially the real Raph.

After the spores had been sprayed and he couldn’t see his brothers, he thought he heard them further away.

He had no clue that the hallucinations could be auditory as well.

After rushing to where they might have been, the sounds got worse.

Donnie, Mikey, Leo, all begging for his help.

No matter where he went he couldn’t reach them.

“Guys! Where are you!?”

“Casey.”

Raph whips his head around.

“Leo?“ He swears he can hear Leo again.

“Listen to me. When I get to the other side, you close that door.”

Raph feels his stomach drop, bringing up his arm to confirm what the hallucinations are making him see and hear.

On his wrist is the device he couldn’t bring himself to wear ever again.

The one that let him hear Leo making a decision he never should have made.

The one that let him hear what that monster was doing to him.

He starts rushing back to the direction he previously left, hoping his brothers hadn’t moved.

The rushing becomes more urgent when he hears Leo scream his name.

He’s moving so fast he nearly trips over his own feet several times.

When he finally sees Leo, everything in front of him turns into a hell scape.

Leo is in front of him, bloodied, bruised, cracks on his plastron and shell, and looking absolutely terrified.

The Krang mech is standing over him.

Raph can’t be sure at all that this how it was in the prison dimension, maybe this was accurate or maybe it’s just how he imagined it was.

Just like he never mentioned what he saw, Leo always redirected what it was like in those moments before Mikey was able to save him.

All he knew is what he and everyone else heard.

Raph knows this is all fake, something to mess with his head.

That doesn’t make his guilt go away in the slightest.

He wasn’t there to stop him, protect him.

When Splinter made Leo leader Raph wasn’t upset or mad because he got replaced, he seriously could not care less who led who in terms of responsibility.

He was worried that it meant Leo would take the brunt of the hits, be the shield when that was supposed to be what Raph does.

Raph is huge, that’s obvious.

None of his brothers can ever tell how small they are to him. Not just in size, but….how can you forget that you used to hug them close because they were scared of the dark?

They run out of your arms and when that’s when you realize that there’s so many things way scarier than the dark.

You want to scoop them back up so they don’t run too far to keep close.

Leo had managed to go so far away.

The Krang mech hits Leo across the face, splattering blood on the floor.

He hears Leo scream bloody murderer, screams he wished never would come from any member of his family.

Raph feels something snap in his brain that is usually reserved just for his savage modes.

He powers up, creating a larger version of himself to clap its arms together. This forces the spores in the air to disburse and clears the area.

He then stares down the fake Krang and stomps it.

The hallucination loses its hold. When he lifts the foot back up there’s just the pole that Donnie gave Leo under it.

Leo flinches, slowly but shakily lifting up his head.

“N-No….not again….please….” He nearly whispers.

Raph reaches out to see if he was real.

Leo tears up heavily.

Raph can see the utter terror on his face.

“Let him go. Stop….stop doing this. He doesn’t deserve it! Why can’t you leave him alone….!?” Leo shouts hoarsely, his throat already rough.

Raph quickly stops with his other form, but

Leo suddenly stands up and grabs at his arms before he can say anything.

“Get off him! How dare you use his body for this!? Again!? Haven’t you done enough to him!? To me!?”

“Listen to me, it’s not real! Those spores are making us hallucinate.”

Leo’s eyes widen.

“It’s….fake….? I….I didn’t bring him back here? You’re….you’re not….?”

“I’m the real deal, I promise.”

Leo feels the adrenaline that kept him standing give out along with his legs.

Ralph keeps him steady, moving to pick him up.

“N-No….just….let me use your arm, please.”

“You’re not in good shape Leo…..I heard you screaming.”

Leo breathes shakily.

“I want to know I can still make myself move.”

Raph isn’t entirely sure he gets it, but there was no way he was going to deny him what he seemed to need because of that.

He nods and puts Leo’s arm around his own since his shoulder would be too up high to help.

“We need to find Donnie and Mikey.”

“Maybe you can explain everything as we walk….I am so lost right now.”

“Not anymore, Leo.”

Leo smiles faintly.

“I’m going to let that corny thing pass since I think we could both use that right now.”

Raph smiles back and walks with him.

When the spores had first erupted around them, Donnie felt his hand get grabbed.

He knew who it was by the texture of the hand right away.

Of course the size is another indicator, but Donnie focused a lot on how things feel.

Raph’s hand is rougher than everyone else’s, both because he often uses his fists and the fact he lifts weights which causes calluses.

Leo’s hand is the softest because of his use of gloves during their fights, and the incredibly long list of skin care products he owns.

Mikey’s hand usually has something else on it, chalk dust, or finger paint, or, one time, peanut butter, which made Donnie gag.

That’s the hand that pulled him away.

They moved fairly fast.

“Ugh, this smells like when we found that cheese dad was hoarding so it could age. Be careful Mikey, we could start hallucinating at any moment.” Donnie warns.

“Maybe if you could do more than spend your time on dumb inventions we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Donnie rips his hand out of his grip.

“You’re not-!….Am I trying to say something to a hallucination? Great, now I’m a cliché.”

Saying that other part out loud was also pointless, he knows.

He was basically talking to himself right now.

Those stupid invasive mushrooms were trying to turn baseless thoughts into tangible visions.

What he doesn’t understand is how and why it happened this way.

If it followed the pattern of what Mikey and Raph saw, he would see something he’s supposedly scared of relating to the Krang.

However, feeling and hearing shouldn’t have been part of it.

Had it been that case, what he did to help Raph wouldn’t have worked.

Was it the amount of spores? Was there a certain set of rules he wasn’t aware of?

He missed some variable, this is exactly why he hates when he’s missing data.

Donnie turns around to try to get back to where he was taken from.

“I can’t believe you chose those jerks over me.”

He’s taken aback by the new voice but tries to remind himself that it means nothing.

“It’s always about what you want. She makes fun of me and you join up with her just for a jacket? Do I really man less to you than a jacket…..?”

“That is not how I feel! She knows that!”

“Maybe…..maybe Donnie thinks we’re too dumb to be his brothers. He wishes we were like him.”

What? Mikey again?

“Are you kidding? I bet he wishes he was an only child. Donnie never cares about what we’re doing, he just waits to talk about what he’s doing.”

No, Raph wouldn’t say that!

He turns, only to see Leo right in front of him.

“Stop it! I know you’re not real!”

“Thanks for the advice, Donnie.”

“I didn’t give you any!”

“Sure you did. Back when Ghost Bear showed up. “Leo, sacrifice yourself? Buy us some time?” Does that ring any bells?”

Donnie freezes.

“I-It was a joke.”

“How about when I was supposed to protect you because I sell the least amount of toys?”

“Obviously another joke!”

“No, Donnie. It pushed me to do what had to be done. I’ll do it as many times as I need to.”

Donnie grits his teeth.

“No! You won’t! I’ll stop you!”

“Stop me? How? With another gift disguised as a way to tell me you hate me?”

“It was a real gift! I thought it would help!”

The shock collar suddenly appears on Leo.

“It’s a real pain in the neck, Dontron.”

It shocks him, making him writhe and scream in pain.

Donnie can’t help but scream as well.

[indieyuugure]

I thought 2k12 Donnie and Leo may be arguing again？Just like the original series（S2E25-26）.Because Don didn't follow his plan.....

Yes and no. See, in the first part of Hell on Earth you see this sequence play out:

Donnie finds a hole in Leo’s plan. The hole being that Leo wants them to destroy the crystals as soon as possible, but if they’re destroyed, then they can’t make a portal home.

If the Kraang get away with that crystal, tracking them down could take weeks if not months. That would be months of the Kraang having the ability to make a portal from anywhere to the Rise universe freely. Leo knows the kind of damage the Kraang can do in months and doesn’t want to risk it, so to guarantee that the absolutely can not get away with the crystal, they have to destroy it.

Krang, however, doesn’t mind them getting the crystal, once the Technodrome is through the portal, he has no intention of going back there. Krang wants to close the portal as soon as possible, but he wants that crystal intact so he can conquer all of reality, every dimension, every universe, everything everything. So, while they don’t have to destroy the crystal, Leo worries that if it’s not destroyed, just because the portal is closed and Krang is back in the Prison Dimension, the Kraang could just steal back the crystal and the whole disaster could start all over again.

Leo’s point here is that the only way to guarantee that the crystals don’t fall into the wrong hands or start some new catastrophe, is to wipe them from existence. Except if he does that, then—as Donnie pointed out—they’ll be stuck in the Rise universe forever.

Now you’re probably about to comment: “why don’t he just get Mikey to get a shard?” Well yes, as the author, I’m aware of that. But in universe, Leo has no clue what he’s up against. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen, what crazy tricks the Kraang and Krang have up their sleeves, he has no idea what could happen and so he’s planning to have to plan later when he better understands the situation.

Donnie, however doesn’t see that Leo is trying to improvise his plan moment by moment to account for the wild and unpredictable nature of the Kraang and Krang. If you guys remember back to Eye of the Storm, Leo learns to value his life after he scrapes death for the third time, but Donnie doesn’t see this. He still think Leo is a suicidal maniac with a guilt complex trying to prove his worth as a hero. He thinks that when Leo drew a blank, that he was lying. He thinks that Leo wasn’t saying “we’ll figure something out” because that part of the plan literally didn’t exist, but because he does have a plan and he knows that if he told it to Donnie, that Donnie would object.

Donnie is doing what Leo had hoped he would: figuring out a plan to make sure they can get home. I’d say the issue here is really more that Donnie has zero trust in Leo and is extremely suspicious of everything he says and does. I’m sure I could get into way more stuff on why Donnie still has no trust in Leo, but I feel like this response is long enough.

So to summarize: Yeah Donnie and Leo are in another fight, though this one isn’t verbal, yet anyway. Donnie thinks Leo is up to his old tricks, but really Leo is just trying to figure out how to take down some of the most powerful monsters in the universe while making sure everyone doesn’t die and ensuring that him and his team can get back home and hasn’t got there yet. Suffice to say there’s a lot of miscommunication going on, or really the lack there of.

Good question! :]

[lowkey-loki245]

Headcanons: Raph doesn't like people touching his face after the Kraang took him over. (Cause the Kraang took over starting from his face.)

Leo will never be okay with floating. Not after floating in the prison dimension.

Donnie is actually now more comfortable with not having his tech shell.

Mikey and Donnie are now both very claustrophobic.

Leo time to time stares at the crack in Raph's shell from when Raph saved him. It hurts to look, but he can't stop.

Raph has ommetaphobia (fear of eyes). Like, the Kraang monsters had so many eyes, wtf.

[ninjaneonleon]

Swanatello and Crownardo

It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair!

Leo sniffled as he stayed curled up in the rain, grateful that it washed away his tears. He was near the lake, as he often was these days. It had been years since Donnie had been home properly, years since Leo had his twin back.

It just wasn’t fair.

How much longer did they have to wait? How much longer would Donnie have to be a prisoner of this stupid curse?

They had made no progress in saving Donnie. Even after finding the symbol on the bottom of the lake and finding Donnie’s recordings, they were still no closer to getting him out! Even Barry was at a loss. This was old magic, older than Barry or even Big Mama. Yes, Leo had been begged for her help, worked in the Battle Nexus for months while she gave him access to every library and book and scroll in the Hidden City. Still, he found nothing.

How much longer would Leo have to be this useless?

“Why so sad, my child?” A deep voice croaked from behind him. Leo jumped and looked around. He hadn’t heard anyone approach, just the ruffle of feathers of a bird in flight. Wait, a bird?

The crow who perched above him was like nothing he’d ever seen. Its piercing red eyes stared down at Leo with sympathy and the dark aura that pulsed around it echoed with power. A familiar sort of power. The same power as the Lake, as the curse.

Leo was enamoured instantly. Maybe this bird had a solution.

“I have a question for you, child.” The crow spoke and Leo couldn’t look away. “What is the reason for your tears?”

If the crow had asked Leo anything two years ago, he wouldn’t have answered or he would have made some stupid joke. Even a year ago, Leo would be curious but guarded. But Leo had gone too long without his twin, he’d been left uselessly on the sidelines for too long. He wasn’t even needed for portals anymore since Barry set up the permanent gateway. This bird was a chance to save Donnie. Leo’s instincts had never failed him when it was important like this.

So Leo told the crow everything. About the Kraang, about Donnie’s plan to hide the key, about the lake and how much Leo and his family were suffering. About how much he missed his twin and how he would do anything to get him back.

By the time Leo was done, he felt drained and dizzy. It was like once he had started talking, he couldn’t stop. The relief of finally giving the whole story, of being honest about how much he was struggling and not hiding it behind jokes or dealing with it alone in his room, it was freeing in a way Leo didn’t realise he needed.

“I can help you, my child,” the crow murmured, having hopped down from the branch long ago to perch on Leo’s shoulder. He rubbed his beak against Leo’s cheek. “I can give you the power to save your brother from the Lake’s corruptive influence. If you can retrieve the treasure it hides, your brother will be freed. If you bring the treasure to me, I can reverse the spell on him entirely, bringing him back as he was before the lake ever touched him.” That sounded like a dream come true, more than Leo could have ever prayed for.

“How do I do it? He’s become so strong since the Lake took him,” leo asked softly. His head was swimming with possibility.

“Drink this.” A small blue vial was dropped into his hand. “It will let you match him in skill and strength.”

Leo studied the vial. Rationally, he knew that he shouldn’t take it, that he should take the vial back to Barry or Mikey and get it checked. But Leo was done being rational. Rational had gotten him nowhere.

Without any further hesitation, Leo downed the potion in one gulp. A strange feeling flooded through his system, one of warmth and safety, of being deep in the earth and yet high in the sky. It was beautiful. He was beautiful. He was powerful.

Music started from nowhere, echoing around Leo as he panted from the intense feelings running through him. He knew instinctively what he needed to do.

“But I don’t know how to dance!” He cried.

“That is alright, my child.” The crow was back on his branch again. Leo found his arms raising by themselves and he raised up to stand on his toes. It felt as natural as breathing. He moved slowly with the music. Plié. Arabesque. Pirouette. Ciseaux. Fouetté. Leo closed his eyes, smiling as the music guided him in ways he didn’t know he could move. “I will teach you.”

Part 2

@tangledinink @dryad-druid

My brain did a thing

Swanatello and Crownardo have infected my brain