#leonardo the honor nerd

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[maddys-nerd-blog]

Maddy’s Favorite TMNT Films Ranked!

It’s my birthday!!! I’m officially 25, which makes me shudder cuz I’m in my quarter life crisis now. REGARDLESS! Since it’s the day of my birth I thought it right to do something special!!

And that’s rank ALL the TMNT movies from my least favorite to my all-time faves!

I’m honored you all enjoyed my silly episode ranking, it was tons of fun to do and I loved writing it!! Chatting about these turtles has been nothing but fun and brings me tons of comfort, so I’m happy to do one of these again! I just pray my opinions aren’t too controversial 🤣🤣

Ten movies, all about four teenage mutant ninja turtles. One nerd to review these. This’ll be fun!!

Let’s kick some shell! 💜💜💜

Some criteria!

These are just my thoughts on the films! I’m not the end all, be all of what movie is THE BEST or THE WORST. If you like a movie that may have ranked lower, that’s awesome!! Let’s all share our opinions on them and have a fun time!

Straight to DVD films are included in this lineup!

The live concerts and We Wish You a Turtles Christmas are not allowed cuz those are fever dreams 🤣

I’ll be doing a classic ranking system from the bottom all the way to the top!

SPOILERS BEWARE! … AGAIN 🤣🤣 and some slight swearing, I may have gotten excited while writing this 🤣🤣🤣

Let’s begin!

10: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 ( 1993 )

My Score: 2 out of 10.

This movie is a fever dream and I can’t be convinced otherwise 🤣

I mean, can you blame me? This was made in a last ditch effort to get Turtlemania back in the mainstream just as it began to die down… and this was a BAD way to win fans back.

From the terrible comedy to the worst TMNT villain in the franchise to grace the silver screen in the form of Walker. Don’t even get me started on the god awful turtle costumes this time around because… dear lord, they’re nightmare fuel. If I saw these guys in an alley I’d run for the hills! They’re downright grotesque to look at! All the characters are either whiny, boring, or unlikable. I have nothing but respect to the voice actors of Leonardo and Michelangelo for sticking it through all three of the classic movies, despite the terrible script they had to work with in this installment. I also feel awful for Elias Koteas, who got the short end of the hockey stick— see what I did there? I’ll see myself out 😂— after ALL the grief Karen’s made him deal with after the first movie, getting booted from the sequel as a result of their nagging, only to be brought back to this mess. And what was with the ancestor-but-maybe-not-but-wait-he-might-be guy that Koteas was also playing??? His character made ZERO sense!

And that Splinter puppet???? THAT THING IS UGLY.

I would never watch this one again unless it was for memes. “What did you expect, maybe the Addams family?!”

No, but I expected a better script than this BS.

9: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows ( 2016 )

My Score: 3.4 out of 10

This may be a tighter script and a slightly more coherent plot, but DAMN, I can’t bare to watch this one for more than ten minutes on a good day.

First of all, Leonardo in this one is downright terrible and a bad leader. I’m STUNNED he never gets reprimanded by his Sensei for his nasty treatment of his brothers— telling Donnie to LIE TO HIS FAMILY ABOUT THE OOZE????? That’s out of character! Belittling Raph with that whole ‘There’s only one vote that counts’ line???? And putting the blame on him and Mikey for the police station fiasco?! He comes off as a bully!!

The plot is somewhat stronger than the first but it’s just taking elements from the Marvel movies, such as the hole in the sky like The Avengers. Shoving needless fan service in our faces as if to say ‘SEE??? WE LEARNED FROM THE FIRST ONE, WE HEARD YOU, THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED RIGHT?! LOOK! THERE’S A FROZEN NEUTRINO ON KRANG’S SHIP!’ Sorry, but this ain’t the Sonic movie, it isn’t going to work unless you actually respect the material you’re adapting! Like with the Sonic movie! They fixed Sonic’s look because of fan demand, and they actually respected their advise! Here though? It’s like they’re just throwing it in our faces just to spite us. It’s not coming from a place of love. Casey Jones in this film is a joke— what a waste to this iconic character to turn him from a badass vigilante into a whining baby vying for April’s affection. Bebop and Rocksteady are annoying as hell. Stockman sucks. Karai is a nothing sandwich. Shredder barely does ANYTHING. And Krang??? EW. Just… ew.

But for all my ranting this far, I do have some positives from this one— April actually gets to have a playful personality which is fun! Once again the turtles are the highlight. Their designs this time around are great!! Less accessories but it allows for more room to show the guys’ fighting abilities and the accessories they do have is there as an added bonus, not to clutter their look! I feel like this was Donnie and Raph’s movie more than anything! The amount of attention they get in this film alone shows that there were writers who loved these guys and treated them with respect! That scene where Donnie single-handedly TOOK CONTROL OF A CRASHING AIRPLANE USING HIS BO AS THE STEERING?! THAT WAS SICK!!! And Raph once again is an absolute BEAST in battle! The motion capture artists are phenomenal as the titular man characters, they all had great chemistry together! I just feel awful that they had to be treated so badly behind the scenes…

It’s not a great movie, and even with the few redeeming factors it still makes me irritated.

8: Turtles Forever ( 2009 )

My Score: 3.5 out of 10

PLEASE DON’T HATE ME 🤣

Remember what I said about us not getting a proper crossover until Ciro Nieli adapted the 1987 turtles into the show?

Yeeeeeah. This one was NOT it. And this was supposed to be the 25th anniversary movie???

For some reason, ALL the ‘03 turtles are so bitter and mean to the 87 counterparts. They’re putting them down at every instance where combat or character bonding is involved, which is ridiculous. ‘03 Donnie WOULD NEVER be so nonchalant about meeting another version of himself— and why does he constantly put down ‘87 Donatello for his inventions??? They should be hyping each other up and talking techno babble! Why is Splinter the only likable person in the whole movie?! Why did they change April and Casey’s designs to look like random anime characters?! ( NOTE: I know they changed them to match the 2007 film at the time, I’m just being funny )

I already can’t stand the ‘03 version of Shredder but DAMN, they’re making him out to be the most amazing version of him out there. It’s like the writers behind this movie are ragging ‘87 Shredder— WHY DID THEY MAKE HIM A HAPLESS IDIOT?! They gave ‘87 Shredder so much disrespect! In the original cartoon, while he could be used for laughs, he was also taken seriously and seen as a very real threat. He was no slouch whatsoever either, he easily took the turtles out in one episode in season two! The only ones who actually stayed ‘in character’ were Bebop and Rocksteady! It’s like this movie is tearing down what made the OG series fun and iconic to build the ‘03 turtles up to be THE greatest team. I just wanted these two teams to be working together and learning from one another in their own ways! Like, imagine a scene where ‘87 Raphael teaches ‘03 Raph to rip the fourth wall! Or ‘03 Mike and ‘87 Mikey showing each other their own nunchuck tricks! You know? ACTUAL BONDING????

And yes, the OG voice actors were swapped cuz of union disputes by 4Kids. The only one that sounds kind of like his original voice was the guy playing ‘87 Raph. Otherwise? They all sound pretty bad. It actually made me cringe the first time I got around to hearing them, I did NOT get used to them.

I understand there’s an extended cut out there that addresses some of the issues that were cut for time, but unfortunately we don’t have that version to go off of, so I’m left with this.

All I have to say is, THANK YOU CIRO NIELI!!!

7: TMNT ( 2007 )

My Score: 6 out of 10

No this was not intentional 🤣🤣🤣

We’re nearing the halfway point and we’ve reached the TMNT movie I saw as a kid! Fun fact, this movie came out after my birthday and I BEGGED my dad to take me to see it. So as a birthday treat he took me and my brother to see it opening day! Not only was this my introduction to the turtles, but it made eight year old me curious about the series!

Is it as good as I remember?

Well… no, but it’s not bad!

I’ll admit, the plot is kinda slapdash and nonsensical. Like… I know, I know, this is a franchise about teenage turtles who learn ninjutsu and fight a man dressed like a cheese grater. But even for me this story is out there. Why do the Stone Generals have no personality or defining traits other than the weapons they use? Why is Winters so generic? The concept of an immortal general searching for thousands of years for the lost monsters to atone for his terrible mistakes is cool, just not for this franchise if that makes sense. Also this movie doesn’t seem to wanna give Donnie or Mikey any agency; they’re mainly in the background doing comedic stuff or off on the wayside with nothing to do whilst Leo and Raph are pushed into the spotlight. For a story centered around bringing a fractured family back together we don’t get to see how Mikey or Donnie have been handling Leo’s absence during his time spent in Costa Rica.

Yet through this muddy plot we have some of the most iconic/ memorable moments in this franchise! Raph being the Nightwatcher— which is coming back in the comics soon!, Donnie’s tech support meme, THE LEO VS RAPH FIGHT ON THE ROOFTOPS WHICH STILL LOOKS FREAKIN AMAZING TO THIS DAY???? Seriously, Imagi Studios had such an incredible future ahead of them, it’s a shame they went bankrupt! Some of my favorite actions moments in this movie are towards the end where the family is in Winters’ compound and we’re treated to a one-take camera pan of them brawling through a slew of Foot ninja!

And the voice cast here is great!!! Nolan North as Raph??? James Arnold Taylor as Leo?! CHRIS EVANS AS CASEY?! AND MOTHER FING MAKO, AKA UNCLE IROH HIMSELF AS SPLINTER?! It’s a great ensemble!!! Everyone here clearly gave it their all, they should all be praised for this!!

You can tell there was a ton of attention to detail put into this one, and that the people behind it had tons of fun animating it. We could have had a really cool film series on our hands had the studio not fallen under. Otherwise, I still enjoy watching this purely for nostalgia purposes!

6: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Secret of the Ooze ( 1991 )

My Score: 6.9 out of 10

For a movie made right after the first to cash in on the Turtlemania high, I gotta say, this one’s really fun!

It’s not without flaws though; Karen’s gotta ruin the fun once again and the tone was dragged WAAAAAAY down to take away the darker themes from the previous film cuz they thought children couldn’t handle any action that was too violent. Karen’s also took Mikey’s nunchucks away and got rid of Casey. The story is goofier and doesn’t allow for any space for these characters to breathe or emote past being lighthearted and funny. April isn’t as down to earth since Judith Hoag was replaced, Casey Jones is sorely missed in this story, Tokka and Razar are just dumb, bumbling monsters made to replace Bebop and Rocksteady. Professor Perry is obviously supposed to be Stockman, and the Shredder doesn’t truly engage with the turtles until the end of the movie. The Super Shredder was just a missed opportunity! The turtles don’t get to use their weapons at all except for Donnie cuz he uses a giant stick.

The positives outweigh all of that though! As always the turtles are fun and lovable, the new voice for Donnie is awesome, we get some great comedy spliced throughout the film, the Go Ninja dance sequence is so memorable that to this day people are still bringing it up! And I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up the introduction to Keno, played by Ernie Ryes Jr., the stunt double of Donatello in the first film!! Keno is a GREAT addition to this cast! I adored his quips and the action stunts he pulls off are thrilling! I honestly think he’d be an awesome character to keep bringing back in new projects! COUGH MUTANT MATHEM SHOW COUGH. I wish he was in more stuff cuz he really is a fun addition to the roster! I even had the opportunity to meet Ernie Ryes Jr. this last summer with a friend of mine, and he was SO nice and SO chill! He was so excited to meet fans who were talking about TMNT, and when I told him how much the franchise meant to me, he gave me a hug and took a pic with me!!! He was such a great guy!!!

I can always go back to this one and smile throughout the movie! Also, GO NINJA GO NINJA GO—

ONTO THE TOP FIVE!! From here on out these are the movies I can rewatch over and over and never grow tired of viewing them!! So let’s get this party started!!

5: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ( 2014 ) ⭐️

My Score: 7.8 out of 10

Say what you will, but I love the first movie more than the sequel 🤣

I love this movie, it’s a ton of fun and the action is truly a spectacle! I feel like I had more fun with this first movie than it’s sequel because, firstly, the plot is quick and engaging. Sure, there are some issues, but I can forgive it because…

This movie IS JUST FUN.

I know this is gonna be a controversial opinion but I really like the first movie over the sequel! I really liked April! I’m of the opinion that Megan Fox can be a decent actress if she’s given the right script, and in this movie, despite the fact she might not have the most compelling arc, she’s still a good interpretation of the spunky reporter we all love! Will Arnet is also pretty funny as Vern! I still think Sacks should have been Stockman instead of Shredder. Making that swap has no integral change to the plot and it would have made more sense. Like… why not keep the mad scientist character as the already established mad scientist? The origin change inspired by the IDW comics may be jarring but I didn’t mind it! It’s just a different iteration of their upbringing but it still remains true to the turtles themselves!

The motion capture technology for the turtles is jaw dropping. I mean it. It feels like Megan Fox is making direct eye contact with these giant mutants, they’re interacting with the scene and characters, when they engage people in combat you FEEL those blows and believe they’re actually beating the snot out of these thugs.

But by far, the turtles are the biggest highlight of this movie. They’re tons of fun to watch and their banter and chemistry is great!

Do they have tons of needless accessories? Yeah

Do they look cluttered? Yeah

But does that take from their personality? NO

Donnie IS A CINNAROLL AND MUST BE CHERISHED. I feel his own techy gadgets and gear adds to his introverted personality! He’s such a lovable dork and I really liked him in this one! Jeremy Howard is a perfect fit to voice/ act for him, nobody can convince me otherwise. PLUS THAT ONE MOMENT WHERE HE SMASHES HIS BO INTO A FOOT GOON’S KNEECAP????

Raph IS A FREAKIN BEAST! GOD-DAYUM, this turtle is easily the strongest incarnation of the hothead to date! Tossing shipping containers like it’s nothing, casually breaking through steel fans to create a blockade against the Foot! I might be in the minority but Alan Richardson is THE first voice I think of when I’m told to say which Raph I prefer!

Mikey is still a bit iffy for me cuz of the weird innuendo jokes, but I can see why people like him! I still think him flying around on a hoverboard skateboard is dope as hell though. And Leo is likable in this one!! He’s actually a responsible older brother who’s devoted to his family and not a selfish jerk keeping secrets from his brothers 🤣🤣😂

Plus, the emotional parts of this one hit harder than the sequel for me, especially on my first viewing. The Splinter Vs Shredder fight is intense and really REALLY well choreographed, very inventive and exciting with all the stunts Splinter pulls off. The moment where Leo and Mikey both scream for their father, the blink and you miss it line of Leo calling Splinter ‘dad’— which was improvised by Leo’s motion capture actor— and the gut-wrenching aftermath of the battle where they’re led away in chains believing their father is dead… that may have gotten me misty eyed.

The snow chase? Badass.

The climax? Pretty damn good.

That elevator scene that was entirely off script and improvised by the motion capture actors? BEST SCENE IN THE ENTIRE FILM.

Is this the best? No, but it didn’t have to be! I love this one! And I can happily say it’s the most fun I’ve had with the Bayverse turtles 🤣

4: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ( 1990 ) ⭐️

My Score: 8.9 out of 10

This is, without question, one of the most stunning displays of practical effects and costume work in any film made at this time. Henson’s Creature Workshop truly outdid themselves in this feature with their work on the turtles.

The turtles look like living, breathing creatures. They actually look as though they’re real! There a small flaws, yes, but I can look past it because the amount of detail and effort that went into these things is incredible!! The stunt actors brought the action to a whole new level in those suits! You can tell every ounce of passion was put into this, and everyone had so much faith in seeing that these turtles lifelike! Brian Tochi, Josh Pais, Corey Feldman and Robbie Rist were perfectly cast as the four mutant turtles!!!

Judith Hoag plays a phenomenal April! Fun, spunky, witty and clever! I met her last summer too and she was truly wonderful!! Such a kind woman who listened to my story and connected with me!

Whoever hired Elias Koteas as Casey needs an eternal raise. He looks like he popped out of the comic and came to life. He was perfect!!

Splinter in this movie IS A GREAT FATHER AND AN AWESOME PARENT.

Shredder gives me chills he’s so intimidating.

When this movie came out everyone went bonkers with Turtlemania fever. The critics slept on this one because this was Eastman and Laird’s comics brought to reality. Steve Barron of Take on Me fame delivered on presenting the dark and gritty nature of the turtle’s lives and how brutal the Foot truly is.

I gotta highlight that score for this film because John DuPrez??? You’re a GENIUS.

My only issue is Danny. He was just obnoxious and selfish the whole way through until the climax. Like… hope you have a couple thousand dollars left to give April instead of the 20 you stole, kid, YOU GOT HER HOUSE BURNED DOWN.

THAT FIGHT SCENE ON THE ROOFTOP IS DOPE AND FUCKING AMAZING. AND CASEY CASUALLY TURNING SHREDDER INTO CRUSHED TUNA???? WE LOVE A BASED CASEY.

I don’t know what else to say other than this is the epitome of a true 90’s classic.

3: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie ( 2022 ) 🥉

My Score: 9 out of 10

Holy. Shit.

This movie LOOKS FUCKING GORGEOUS. DISNEY WHO????? DREAMWORKS WHO???

Before I got into the fandom I found this movie through the trailer and Black Nerd Comedy’s discussion about it. On a day I was bored I turned this on.

AND THIS MADE MY JAW DROP.

I had ZERO clue this movie looked as visually pleasing as it did. I adore this film and the animation behind it. It’s so clean, so slick, the pacing is just right, the action alone made the hair on my arms stand up! I love watching the animatics and storyboards behind the action scenes of this film just to study it and marvel at how freakin talented these artists and animators are!!!!

The voice cast knocked it out of the ballpark! Ben Schwartz in particular deserves massive praise for his performance as Leo, such a dynamic range of emotion to balance out the ‘comedy guy’ to ground him in this serious situation. Plus, Sora from Kingdom Hearts is in this as Casey Jr! 🤣🤣 his character arc having to change from the carefree prankster to the leader who had to step up and save his family is a thrilling plot point we see unfold!

I loved the characters!! I loved the score!!! I loved how this film wasn’t afraid to be genuinely SCARY with the Krang.

The angst???? The whump???? THE CLIMACTIC SHOWDOWN???? CHEFS KISS!!

WHY DID I NOT DISCOVER RISE SOONER?!

I can’t help but gush over this movie of because this is top notch quality!!! I have nothing to say, this one is OP!

2: Batman Vs The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ( 2019 ) 🥈

My Score: 9.8 out of 10

I.

FUCKING.

LOVE.

THIS CROSSOVER.

Literally one of the best crossover films of all time. I adore this Hellboy art style for the film, I adore the opening intro where it’s all German-deco-Impressionism/ noir influenced and it’s all dark and covered in shadow minus the blips of color to symbolize the characters.

I adore the handling of the martial arts versus the brutal, grounded combat style of Batman! I love how the animators literally used the backgrounds to their advantage and made them pieces for the characters to use as weapons!

I adore how the turtles have such natural banter and chemistry with one another! I love how Batgirl and Donnie bond!!! I adore how everyone plays off of each other! The dialogue is fun and full of charm! I loved watching Batman and Shredder going completely off the rails on each other!

I love Donnie!!

I love Mikey!!

I love Batgirl!!

I love the subtle reference to Pink Floyd!!!

I LOVE ALL THE REFERENCES TO ALL THE DIFFERENT ITERATIONS OF TMNT HISTORY BECAUSE YOU KNOW THESE WRITERS/ STORYBOARDERS/ DIRECTORS CARED ABOUT THIS.

My only complaint? The Batman villains are underutilized, their mutant designs are bland as hell and Joker and Harley suck. But I’ve always hated those two so that’s not an issue with the film itself.

That pizza party at the end MAKES this for me. I got the comics this was adapted from, those are SOOOOO GOOD!

Nothing but high praise here. All my heart goes to this one. And this used to be my champion, until this movie blew it out of the water…

1: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem ( 2023 ) 👑

My Score: 12 out of 10

This. THIS is the quintessential TMNT film experience.

Call me biased. Call me boring. Call me basic, but THIS MOVIE SAVED ME THIS PAST SUMMER.

The teaser came out the week of my birthday last year. I couldn’t stop smiling when we got that first taste of what the animation was going to be like. It was like a feast for the eyes!

I trained myself not to watch ANYTHING past that first trailer. I had to ignore leaks and spoilers for MONTHS, I ever ignored the posters of the characters themselves because I wanted to be genuinely surprised by who was in the movie. It was like I was prepping for Endgame all over again. I got the figures to prepare for the movie, I bought early fan screening tickets in advance, I took my best friend with me to share the moment cuz there was no way I was NOT gonna have my bestie there too. I even custom tie dyed a shirt with Leo and Donnie’s colors and decked myself out in TMNT gear the day of the premier. I went into that movie bouncing in my seat.

And I left that movie smiling with joy and laughing and crying. And then I proceeded to see it THREE MORE TIMES IN THEATERS. That’s an honor only reserved for the movies that have moved me enough to cry.

The plot is simple but the twists and turns they take leaves you surprised and on the edge! The soundtracks are STELLAR, both the score and the music they used. There are plenty of Easter eggs to find on a rewatch. The jokes ALWAYS LAND! I love these weird cringy turtles and their memes 🤣🤣

The turtles are precious babies that must be protected! Leo is awkward but lovable. Donnie is a Cinnaroll. Raph is hilarious and probably needs a stress toy to calm his anger. Mikey is a joy to watch and he’s relatable! April is fun as hell, MUTANT MAYHEM SPLINTER IS A GREAT DAD AND IN MY TOP THREE BEST RAT DADS LIST. Superfly is HELLA scary, the iconic mutants they included are fun, MONDO GECKO MY BABY BOY LOOK AT HIM GO!

This voice cast is going to become iconic. Everyone from Ice Cube to Jackie Chan to Paul Rudd to the very first actual teen cast of the titular characters!!! Nicolas Cantu, Micah Abbey, Brady Noon and Sharon Brown Jr delivered excellent performances and brought these guys to life!

THIS ANIMATION IS SO UNIQUE AND COOL!!! It looks like EVERY medium was explored and used— everything from 3D to sketchy hand drawn, erratic wild outlining to claymation?! DUDE THIS IS LITERALLY SPIDERVERSE BUT FOR TMNT!!!

The MOTHER FUCKING NO DIGGITY MONTAGE ARE YOU KIDDING ME—

It was all I wanted. It was everything I wanted it to be and then some. After the shit I had to go through in 2023, it felt like a giant breath of fresh air to enjoy something I was so excited for, if only just for an hour and a half. I went straight home and showed my older sister, who was recovering at home at the time during one of her treatments, all the merch I got from the fan event and rattling off about the movie. She laughed and said ‘I’m glad you had a great time!’

Not gonna lie, I was apprehensive when I heard Seth Rogan was the one helming this project cuz his track record of movies hasn’t been the most… friendly to sit through. But, with this? I tip my hat to him! He delivered for the fans, big time.

I loved this film. It’s my favorite TMNT movie of all time. I’m totally stoked for the new series coming out this summer. All I have left to say?

COWABUNGA! 💜❤️🧡💙

TADA~! And that’s it! This took me a week to finish but I’m proud of it!! 😁 I had so much fun making this list!!!

What would you rank these movies? I’d love to know and hear your thoughts on them!! 😁

Thanks for reading!! Have a great day! 💜💜💜💜

@queen-with-the-quill @tending-the-hearth @mermmarie @lameboobah @tmnt-tychou @indieyuugure @wasted-and-ready @figuringitoutasigoalong @angelicdavinci @zandiiangelspit @jadethest0ne @turtle-babe83

[supernova1us]

Updated version

credit for the original template here

Fave Ninja Turtles blank by cekena on DeviantArt

clearly i have a preference for the 03 series lol

leonardo(2003 series)-this leo didn't quite go though the leadership arc most other versions do but he had many of those attributes down from the start which, to me, made him consistently enjoyable. he also felt like he handled the honorable/traditional aspects better. his extreme character arc in season 4 though, fighting against his own more controlling/extreme mentality was really stand out and well developed

raphael(batman vs tmnt film)-he's pretty standard for the character(most are pretty similar) but sticks out to me because of the small details, like his larger, more muscular size and scar, plus hello, he stood up to an angry batman and earned his respect, you cant beat that. 

donatello(bay films)-this version just nails the nerd angle so well and all the added details/gadgets are pretty fun. Rise version might have earned this spot if he wasnt so obnoxious and arrogant.

michelangelo(Rise)-03 version originally had this spot for the small spotlights he had, like his recurring "turtle titan" stories were always memorable to me. but rewatching Rise, it just nails him as the younger brother feel, being both a goof as well as more naive, immature  and impressionable.

splinter(2003 series)-this version was just amazing at balancing his depiction as a father(both strict and caring), teacher and legendary warrior. plus it was one of the best at depicting his strong connection to yoshi.

april O'neil(Rise)-the rise version just sticks out to me so much more for her personality, likability and relatability(what with the job troubles). plus she's one of the better versions at relating to the turtles, being treated like a sister to them as well as her many teamup eps with splinter. and her role in the series finale just cemented her as the best version to date.

casey jones(2003 series)-he doesnt have the edgy grittiness of other versions but he's still tough, likable, a good friend to the turtles and has a very cool backstory/history with hun and the purple dragons. is intro was also great as being a mirror up to raph of his own aggression struggles.

shredder(2003 series)-this is the most ruthless, tough, intimidating, absurdly cool looking and by far interesting version of shredder ever, especially with his hybrid characterization with krang. even when he wasnt in the series he still felt like an impactful presence.  

foot clan(2003 series)-the foot clan is typically very generic, but i love all the branches, groups and inner workings of how grand the organization is in this series.

karai(2003 series)-this version has to be the most developed and explored to date, walking the line between and honorable warrior and her loyalty to shredder; and her dynamic with leo was always entertaining. plus she is extremely awesome when she later becomes the shredder herself. the version from 07 film was a close second.

baxter stockman(03)-he didnt check off the mutant fly box but hes an ambitious scientist and a megalomaniac so he works perfect and always felt important. I do have to admit the progressive mutilations and constant returns always stuck in my mind.  

bebop/rocksteady(IDW comics)-prob my fav tmnt characters, the comics both update their designs in a fun way but it was their characterizations, history and motivation that really endeared this version of them to me. honestly, the lack of these two is one of the only cons against the 03 series.

[mythicalninjas]

Okok mals por isso mas vc disse q eu poderia fazer um ask sempre q eu quisesse e eu PRECISAVA mostrar isso então ativando inglês

I was wondering what the turtles would think about that thing I wrote in my Dorky Diaries. The question was who I would invite to a sleepover, so for the ones who doesn't speak portugese I'll translate it

"I would invite Mikey because he's cool and he loves parties, he's my favorite and if he eats all the pizza I wouldn't be mad at him. Donnie because he's cool *yes I do repeat the word cool many times* and smart and he deserves a party. I would invite Leo too because he's a cool *ahem* brother and the best leader in the world. I won't invite Raph because he's boring and I don't like him"

Okay I would invite the bayverse Raph.... but only him! 2012 Raph can suck my dick

Fim fact: I was 10/11 when I did this

😂 Só consigo pensar neles tipo:

Mikey would freak out by happiness because he didn't know that you love him so much, rather, your favourite! I mean, imagine that cute baby-face mutant turtle boucing like a child. Dude, you just made his day;

And Donnie? Come on, he must be a nerd who might spend almost 24 hours in the lab (or not), but he needed a distraction, a great break and some fun (my dirt mind can not stop think otherwise about it); listening to you saying he's cool it's something that make him smile. Belive me, on the outside our nerdy seems normal, but inside he is dancing of happiness.

Hummmm Leonardo has seen that face in your face when you said that words about him... "The coolest and the best leader in the world"? Well, you're not saying lies Hehehehe #proudleader. He would be honored by you inviting him for a sleepover.

Raph would be like "You girl has the audacity of calling me boring????? You shall see the consequences!!!!". As Mikey had said once "He is a giant violent teddy bear", violence comes to everyone, but with a exception for you ;). Well, Raph wouldn't say he is happy for the invite, but a storm of stars fills him inside. He IS HAPPY.

Espero que tenha gostado 🥺 Foi o que me veio a mente...

[springfieldblues]

my long ass review for S32E03 Now Museum, Now You Don’t

warning: LONG because i rambled about history more than i thought i would

id been looking forward to this one because i like art history, especially after seeing how they tried their best to stick to historical accuracy in the previous episode I, Carumbus. this time however….they didnt try that hard. i dont know why i thought theyd go through that sort of trouble again LMAO

but its okay, i dont really expect the simpsons to be the paragon of historical accuracy or anything. especially in anthology episodes told through a particular character's lens (in this case, lisa, whos already feverish so whatever)

first i just wanna say that this is, i guess, less of a review and more of an accidental list of history fun facts. so im just gonna get my general thoughts out of the way first.

the episode was fun! to me at least haha. i mean it got me to think and do a lot of research on my own so that must count for something. besides a couple of really weird ones, the jokes were good. anthology episodes tend to be….not that good but i thought this one was one of the better ones so far. idk.

anyway on to lisanardo da vinky its the renaissance! jesus christ the italian accents in the beginning of this segment were annoying as hell but i also feel like that was the joke lmao. ill be real i kind of tuned out for a second there when grampa started rambling so idk what he said.

i told myself i wouldnt get nitpicky with historical accuracy if the jokes were funny (final edit: so that was a lie) but this meh bit with the pizza guys and mascots was really not worth ignoring the fact that its impossible for italy to have any tomato-based food in the 15th century (tomatoes were brought to europe from the americas in the 16th century, and pizza as we know it today—flatbread, cheese, tomato—originated in the late 18th century)

oh this next part was kind of legit tho. lisanardo, like the real leonardo, became andrea del verrochio's apprentice at his workshop. i loved this next bit:

"Whoever paints the sweetest cherub will have the honor of having MY name signed on their work. That's what great artists do!"

SO YEAH as it turns out, lisanardo painted the sweetest cherubs. the painting here is called The Baptism of Christ, and the real leonardo assisted verrochio in finishing it. specifically, he painted the cherubs in the corner.

this causes verrochio to quit and go someplace with less talented people: a music school (yes, verrochio did quit painting after getting owned by young leo and his mad angel painting skills. he never did anything with music tho, he was more of a sculptor)

alongside lisanardo, in mr largo-verrochio's workshop we have barticelli (botticelli bart), dolphatello (donatello dolph), ralphael (raphael...ralph) and mediocrito (no one that i know of. sorry milhouse) (and kearney i guess but they dont refer to him by name). botticelli and donatello are said to have also been apprentices at verrochio's workshop, but raphael came a couple of decades later so he couldnt have been there. and donatello was too old so that claim is a bit questionable. but anyway

it IS true that leonardo's peers envied him, to the point where he was anonymously and purposefully accused of being gay (a major crime punishable by death in 15th century florence) while he was still working at verrochio's workshop

we are then treated by what im pretty sure is the fourth time the show has used 'at seventeen' by janis ian, this time sung by a dejected lisanardo (man they really do keep making yeardley sing these days huh) who only wishes to be appreciated and not envied.

"I'll show them all! I'll show them all in a secret diary that no one will decipher for 400 years!"

some of lisanardo's future inventions. who wouldve known

so after barticelli, for some reason (revenge??? or something?? what was his plan here idgi) steals lisanardo's diaries full of blueprints of her inventions and takes them to mr burns who i have to assume is pope alexander VI here, they decide to use her inventions for war.

"With these, we can kill the most evil people in the world!! ....Slightly different Christians."

leo actually did this of his own accord. im surprised this is what they decided to do with lisanardo instead of talking about leo's love of nature and vegetarianism (not a single mention of that in this episode? come on...) then again, trying to do good only to end up indirectly making things worse is a very standard lisa storyline. i guess they didnt want to miss the chance to have evil pope burns (very fitting, especially for that era since they were all about money and controlling the people)

so lisanardo decides to leave for france, unlike the real leonardo who was more or less persuaded by his ultimate fanboy king francis I to move to france.

"Lisanardo, I have many questions. Why are you hitting yourself? A nerd says 'what'? And how is it possible that I am rubber and you are glue? Et cetera, et cetera."

that line may seem a little random, like hes just nelson saying nelson things (and i mean, obviously he is) but the real francis also "had an unquenchable thirst for learning, and Leonardo was the world’s best source of experimental knowledge. He could teach the king about almost any subject there was to know, from how the eye works to why the moon shines." so yeah, he did have many questions and lisanardo, finally being appreciated for her intellect, was happy to answer them all. its very interesting how lisa assigned this role to nelson in her retelling of da vinci’s life :^)

and so she lived the rest of her days in france, nat king cole's 'mona lisa' plays because duh, and they make a da vinci code reference because duh. and the segment ends. and not a single time did they show the actual mona lisa painting. the fuck?

(ngl i was fully expecting bart to say 'leonardo da vinky' for a second here)

so this next segment is about french impressionist painters, most likely the batignolles group, a name adopted by the early representatives of impressionism. its much more vague than the lisanardo segment since no one here is referred to by name (except moe, more on him in a sec) but i dont feel like it really matters in this case. bart is prrrrooobably claude monet but its hard to say, this segment is kind of a mish-mash of a lot of things. also i gotta say i really liked how lisa introduced the story to bart with an 'if you hate the formal study of art' and not 'if you hate art' because thats exactly my headcanon. i LOVE the concept of artist bart and whenever its referenced it just makes perfect sense to me.

anyway the segment opens in 1863 at the école des beaux-arts (back then it was actually known as the académie des beaux-arts), preserver of traditional french art styles. skinner reviews his students’ paintings one by one. praises the plain, unimaginative paintings depicting your typical european countryside landscapes. very run-of-the-mill (haha get it...cuz theres….a windmill) (although the real académie didnt approve of such basic stuff, they wanted artists to draw epic historical and mythological scenes) then he gets to barts painting and he gives him an F- because the painting made him think.

(the paintings in this scene arent real famous paintings as far as i know but they are inspired by real paintings enough to get the point across)

in comes barney dressed as bacchus as a model for the students to sketch, which i just loved:

barney: “You prefer robe open or robe off?” skinner: “Just cover your privates with this walnut shell.” barney: “Whoa!!! So roomy!”

skinner gasps in horror at bart’s sketch, which “looks nothing like him” and bart explains that “it shouldn’t; we’re making the art that we feel because we can’t compete with a camera.” damn, you go bart. take that, realism. draw what you feel!!

(also no, you didnt need to hold still for 17 hours for a daguerreotype. 30 min tops.)

nelson haw-haw of the week: FOIE-gras!

so here they are at the moulin rouge (“enjoy it before baz luhrmann ruins it” hey shut up. i love that movie), which wouldnt be built for another 26 years, but it is the most widely known gathering place for bohemians in the public consciousness so i can understand why they went with the moulin. nelson delivers this anachronistic line:

“This époque keeps getting beller and beller!”

which alludes to la belle époque, the golden age of france usually dated from 1880 to 1914. made me snort so ill let that slide

and heres moe! as henri de toulouse-lautrec, who was actually born a year after the year this segment is set in. yo moe szyslak he was just 1

toulouse-moetrec introduces himself as the chronicler of the demimonde (not an actual job). an iconic figure associated with the moulin rouge (largely due to his affinity for alcohol and prostitutes), toulouse-lautrec was also a painter, having illustrated a series of posters for the moulin himself. he simply had to be in this segment, anachronisms be damned, just because they decided to include the moulin. cant have one without the other.

and yes he did have a walking cane where he kept his liquor.

i love how everyone drinks absinthe in this place. theyre bohemians what else would they drink

toulouse-moetrec points out that barts paintings are the greatest thing hes ever seen (and hes seen like five things!) and that hes a genius. milhouse realizes that they should stop doing what the teacher says and use their own minds to instead...start doing what bart says lmao. to the easels!

next we have skinner hyping up chalmers about the art his students made for the salon de paris, an art exhibition that the emperor of france will attend. he assures him that none of these paintings will encourage debate, provoke thought or be out of place at a dentist’s office. when they unveil the art, theyre both SHOCKED at how scandalous the paintings actually are.

this reaction was kind of accurate. impressionism was severely rejected at the salon de paris, due to paintings not looking finished enough to them, they thought they were ugly and vulgar for depicting nudity in a contemporary setting (historical and mythological nudity was fine). these impressionist paintings were sent to the salon de refusés, which is. yeah. the place where they sent the rejects. the salon de refusés does not make an appearance but this scene makes a reference to it when the artists get expelled from the royal salon. also:

“What about our student loans?” “Oh they’ll be refunded. We are not barbarians, I mean, come on.”

(god if only)

so the painters are down because they want the emperor to actually see their paintings. toulouse-moetrec pipes in once again with an idea.

“There is one thing the emperor loves more than anything.” “France?” “No, he hates France.”

apparently the emperor really loves cheese, which makes sense since its napoleon III (who loved cheese) and homer (who loves cheese.) so the painters roll into the salon inside a giant wheel of cheese (obviously.) as lenny said, “Eh, you know French cheese. Very runny.” napoleon III chases after the wheel into a room, where the wheel falls apart after getting chomped on by the emperor. now that they got his attention, the painters proudly show the emperor their impressionist art, which he couldnt be more indifferent about because he just wants to eat his cheese dammit, and he awards them with the royal medallion just to kind of get them out of his way. skinner immediately starts kissing ass (as he does) until marge’s like ‘hey wait a minute. you expelled these students from the royal salon’ and an executioner immediately starts ominously measuring skinners neck.

“Uh, sir...is your tongue sticking out because you’re dead or because you’re mad at me?”

and thats the end of that lmao (gore in this episode, gore in the last episode, and next week we’re getting gore too cuz its THOH, what the hell is goin on)

we get a short intermission with maggie, who wants a story for her too! lisa tells her that renaissance artists loved to put babies in their paintings, especially baby angels.

here she is showing her The Triumph Of Galatea by raphael:

King David Playing The Harp by peter paul reubens:

and a very simplified version of pretty much any depiction of hell by hyeronimus bosch lmao:

not much else to say about this one, really. but i really liked that sky!

the last segment is about frida kahlo and diego rivera. or as bart puts it ‘the one about a fat guy whos wife is too good for him.’ i was REALLY looking forward to this one because i love frida and i thought itd be a cool opportunity for animators to go bonkers and do really cool shit with her art as inspiration…..but the segment is not about frida, its about diego and his selling out to capitalism. and its also yet another story with homer and marge drama. no funky cool animation here. sigh i guess i’ll take it

the story begins in 1929 at la casa azul, frida’s home (now museum dedicated to her life and work.) frida and diego are getting married. this courtyard definitely did not look this way yet back in 1929. also theres something very cringy yet funny about lovejoy saying spanish words the way he does, i honestly cant decide how i feel about that one

the writers know theyre being cringy with their gringoness so they go along with it.

moe: “Spanish for ‘best wishes’!” mel: “Spanish for ‘congratulations’!” bumblebee man: “Spanish for ‘muy bueno’!”

OH YEAH BUMBLEBEE MAN this is his new voice actor, eric lopez! hes not mexican but its still great to finally have a latino actor voicing a latino character and hes very excited to be part of the show so i hope to hear more of him!! im rooting for him

el barto/zorro makes an appearance which i am very confused about. he has jack shit to do with frida and diego and mexico in the 20s-30s. el zorro was set in the spanish california of the early 19th century. their use of the original theme song makes me think they just wanted to flex their disney privileges tbh

lets not talk about that that whole scene was bad

anyway diego announces he and frida are going to new york, without even asking her first. frida is obviously pissed.

“Don’t worry, as a woman, you’ll be treated with much more respect in America.”

so in new york, diego is having a bit of a business meeting with mr burns as one of the members of the rockefellers, who is commissioning him to draw a mural for the rockefeller center. its kinda funny how he refers to him and frida as socialists even though they were very much communists lmao its okay you can say it. ok so far, but then frida says ‘yes, we hate the capitalists! right now, a young socialist is being born who will take them down! mr. bernie sanders. i hope hes quick about it’ and that was a simple enough joke and couldve been left at that but then its immediately followed by this weird as fuck family guy-esque cutaway gag to bernie as a baby:

“Getting a cootie shot should not cost your lunch money. And if you don’t listen to me, listen to the Bernie Babies! What? Everybody’s got goons.” *larger babies start beating up this other baby* “I disavow that, and welcome it.”

this confused me so much that i had to ask one of my american friends to help me understand, but even she was like ‘uhhh yeah thats a weird joke,’ especially now that hes been out of the race for months (then again these episodes take almost a year to produce. i guess they couldnt be bothered to replace it with something more relevant.) whatever that was weird and confusing and unfunny moving on

frida is pretty irked that diego is going through with this deal. after all, it goes against everything they believe in. im not sure how the real frida felt about diego doing the mural, but she did feel a bit of rage during her visit to the united states, especially the obvious disparity between rich and poor. she hated having to interact with capitalists and found americans very boring. in this segment, frida seems to be acting more like the american communist party, which diego got kicked out of for accepting commissions from wealthy patrons. in any case, frida is pretty upset about this whole thing.

and finally we get the first and only kind of surreal frida moment. kinda. maybe. its more cartoonish than anything but im desperate ok

interesting how they felt like they had to add a “don’t smoke” in big letters after showing patty and selma flying away on their giant cigarettes. i wonder if this is something theyre making them do now? i remember hearing something about them toning down patty and selma’s smoking

diego comes home to frida, drunk as hell, followed by the marx brothers. i cant believe they didnt make a marxism joke come on it was RIGHT THERE. THE MARX BROTHERS. KARL MARX. COME ON

frida paints her feelings.

this makes diego realize that frida is a genius and he is not half the artist she is. he proclaims he will now show his awe of her by sleeping with other women, starting “an hour ago.” to which frida replies, “and i will start sleeping with other women, starting two hours ago.” yes this was pretty much their relationship. though im just wondering how the hell did diego not know frida was this kind of artist until now? i know homers an idiot but jeez. art was how frida and diego met, diego knew from the get-go that frida was an incredible artist. i guess the fame got to his head or something. again, homer just being stupid.

“well enough already, while the art is still deco, okay?”

its time for the mural diego painted, Man At The Crossroads, to be unveiled:

rockefeller examines it. good and great so far, and then...uh oh

“Who’s that fellow…? With the beard, and the bolshevik smile…” “That’s the founder of Soviet Russia, Lenin!”

“B-b-but he’s a communist!” “Oh he just attended a couple of meetings.”

rockefeller will not have this communist in the temple to capitalism that is the rockefeller center, so he orders diego to paint over it. diego stands his ground and refuses. despite rockefeller’s threats, diego says that theres only one person he wants to be proud of him no matter what and in true homer & marge fashion, frida is touched by this. they happily leave the rockefeller center.

now, the real story of Man At The Crossroads and the rockefeller center was actually not that different. as soon as the rockefellers found out diego had snuck in a portrait of lenin into the mural, they ordered him to paint over it, to which he refused. diego even offered to include abraham lincoln and even american abolitionists in the mural as a compromise, but the rockefellers simply did not want any references to communism whatsoever. they did not complain about the hammer and sickle, though. yes, they did know diego was a communist and hired him anyway. what did they expect? lmao. diego said:

"Rather than mutilate the conception [of the mural], I shall prefer the physical destruction of the conception in its entirety, but preserving, at least, its integrity."

so they decided to destroy the mural before it was even finished and they never talked to each other again.

diego then repainted the mural at the palacio de bellas artes back in mexico, this time known as Man, Controller of the Universe. this new version included even more communist leaders and a depiction of john d. rockefeller jr. drinking at a nightclub, right underneath a depiction of syphilis bacteria. cue nelson haw-haw:

this was the version they used in the episode also, since the original was, well, never finished and also destroyed. only a black and white photograph of it exists, taken by diego before it was destroyed so he could remake it.

right so, homer!diego then pulls a Barthood and finishes the episode with a large mural summarizing the entire episode. he says some rick and morty thing i didnt get because i dont watch the show idk idc

the end

ALRIGHT NOW ITS TIME FOR THE STORY OF VINCENT VAN MOE

[breadthief]

So, WOW.

I did not expect to get over 1,100 responses to my “hehe what do my fellow wuhluhwuhs think of rwby” survey, but here we are! I’m honored and the statistics nerd in me is absolutely giddy, so here’s responses with 10x the scope of our last writeup, 150+ responses! And remember that we’re still plugging so if you haven’t yet take the survey here!

Demographic

As of 1,100+ votes:

44.7% of survey takers identify as Lesbian 37.8% as Bisexual 11.8% as Pansexual 16.1% as Asexual 3.4% as Aromantic

When it comes to umbrella terms, 13.1% use the umbrella term sapphic, 23.2% use WLW, and 22.1% use Queer

(Note that this is a “select all that apply” question, so one may, for example, hit “bisexual, aromantic, and wlw”; percentages do not necessarily take away from each other.)

As of 1,100+ votes,

81.3% respondents identify simply as a Woman 19.8% identify as Non-binary

When it comes to non-binary identities, 5.9% identify as genderfluid, 3.9% identify as a demigirl, and 3.3% identify as genderqueer.

Out of the people that consider themselves binary women,

79.5% responded that they are Cisgender 9% responded that they are Transgender 11.6% do not wish to disclose whether they are cis or trans

___

Characters (Opinions)

So, which characters are popular in the RWBY wlw community? Which characters aren’t?

Here’s where results start differing from our last writeup! Just like fandometics +n and -n will indicate how many spots someone moved. Bold will be used if anyone new enters a list.

(Note: Respondents were allowed to choose up to 5 favorites)

As of 1,100+ votes...

Top 10 most popular female characters

1. Yang Xiao Long (61.7%) 2. Blake Belladonna (48%) 3. Weiss Schnee (44.1%) 4. Ruby Rose (25.5%) 5. Pyrrha Nikos (17.5%) 6. Nora Valkyrie (13.2%) 7. Penny Polendina (12.8%) +1 8. Neo (11.3%) +1 9. Winter Schnee (8.7%) 10. Ilia Amitola (7.8) -4

Top 10 most popular male characters

1. Qrow Branwen (58.4%) 2. Lie Ren (39.2%) 3. Sun Wukong (29.5) +2 4. Jaune Arc (26.3%) 5. Oscar Pine (25.9%) -2 6. Ghira Belladonna (12.4%) 7. Roman Torchwick (11.5%) 8. Marrow Amin (11.3%) +2 9. Clover Ebi (11.2%) 10. James Ironwood (10.4%) -1

We also polled which characters wlw hate!

Top 5 most hated female characters

1. Cinder Fall (50.2%) 2. Salem (27.1%) 3. Raven Branwen (20.9) +1 4. Glynda Goodwitch (17%) -1 5. Neon Katt (16.1%) -1

Top 5 most hated male characters 1. Adam Taurus (71.3%) 2. Jacques Schnee (66.4%) 3. Tyrian Callows (23.6%) 4. Leonardo Lionheart (17%)  5. Arthur Watts & Jaune Arc (12.9% each) -1 but only for Jaune

We also asked which characters wlw personally relate to or project onto the most.

Top 10 most relatable female characters to wlw

1. Blake Belladonna (47.3%) +1 2. Yang Xiao Long (45.5%) -1 3. Ruby Rose (33.9%) 4. Weiss Schnee (30.4%) 5. Ilia Amitola (14.1%) 6. Pyrrha Nikos (10.3%) +1 7. Penny Polendina (10%) +1 8. Nora Valkyrie (9.6%) -2 9. Winter Schnee (7.3%) 10. Velvet Scarlatina (4.9%) -2

Top 5 most relatable male characters to wlw (Note: there was a large vote disparsity between the two!)

1. Jaune Arc (36.8%) 2. Qrow Branwen (34.6%) 3. Lie Ren (29%) +1 4. Oscar Pine (26.9%) -1 5. Sun Wukong (17.7%)

Characters (Headcanons)

Next, we asked for peoples’ sexuality headcanons. We asked people to select every character they thought of strictly as X sexuality.

I did include characters whose sexuality has been confirmed, like Ilia, mostly because I copy-pasted the character lists and I made this at midnight. Whoops - but it is fun to see her topping the “most lesbian” list.

These will be phrased as “most [sexuality] character”, because it’s fun.

Top 10 most lesbian characters, as voted by wlw

1. Ilia Amitola (87.3%) 2. Coco Adel (80.8%) 3. Robyn Hill (72.1%) +1 4. Yang Xiao Long (66.1%) -1 5. Fiona Thyme (50.5%) 6. Weiss Schnee (38.7%) 7. Velvet Scarlatina (35.2%) +1 8. Winter Schnee (34%) -1 9. Emerald Sustrai (29%) 10. May Marigold (25.7%)

Top 10 most bisexual female characters

1. Blake Belladonna (92.9%) 2. Raven Branwen (51.4%) 3. Summer Rose (41.5%) 4. Pyrrha Nikos (35%) 5. Weiss Schnee (31.4%) +2 6. Velvet Scarlatina (32.7%) -1 7. Nora Valkyrie (25.6%) -1  8. Emerald Sustrai (20.8%) +1 9. Ruby Rose (19.4%) 10. Winter Schnee and Kali Belladonna (19.3%) -2 but only for Kali

Top 10 most pansexual female characters

1. Nora Valkyrie (36.7%) 2. Neon Katt (32.3%) 3. Yang Xiao Long (25.5%) +1 4. Pyrrha Nikos (23.7%) -1 5. Penny Polendina (24.5%) +1 6. Ruby Rose (20%) -1 7. Neo (16.3%) 8. Summer Rose (16.1%) 9. May Marigold (10.8%) 10. Velvet Scarlatina (9.9%)

Top 10 most ace and/or aro female characters

1. Ruby Rose (70.2%) 2. Penny Polendina (47.3%) 3. Neo (23.2%) 4. Glynda Goodwitch (11.8%) +1 5. Maria Calavera (10.8%) -1 6. Cinder Fall (9.3%)  7. Winter Schnee (8.5%) +3 8. Sienna Khan (5.8%) -1  9. Weiss Schnee (4.3%) -1 10. Salem (4.7%)

Ships

As of 1,100+ responses:

What is your favorite ship? (You can only pick one!)

Bumbleby (Blake/Yang) - 57% Whiterose (Weiss/Ruby) - 13.8% Fair Game (Qrow/Clover) - 5.6% Nuts and Dolts (Ruby/Penny) -3.9% Freezerburn (Yang/Weiss) - 2.6% Renora (Ren/Nora) - 1.9% Ladybug (Ruby/Blake) - 1.6% Monochrome (Weiss/Blake) - 1.4% Rosegarden (Ruby/Oscar) - 1.1% Arkos (Jaune/Pyrrha) - 1%

I don’t have space to write all the ones that got less than 1%, so they won’t be in this report.

Top 10 wlw ships, as rated by wlw:

(This is another category where up to 5 answers are permissible!)

1. Bumbleby (89.6%) 2. Whiterose (60.8%) 3. Crosshares [Coco/Velvet] (58%) +1 4. Nuts and Dolts (57.2%) -1 5. Springthyme [Robyn/Fiona] (35.8%) 6. Freezerburn [Yang/Weiss] (29.8%) +1 7. Rosebird [Raven/Summer] (23.9%) +1 8. Schneewood Forest [Robyn/Winter] (18.2%) +1   9. Schneekos [Weiss/Pyrrha] (16.4%) -3 10. Arcotta [Sapphron/Terra] (16.1%)

Top 5 mlm ships

1. Fair Game [Qrow/Clover] (85.4%) 2. Seamonkeys [Sun/Neptune] (64.9%) 3. Ironqrow [Ironwood/Qrow] (40.5%) 4. Martial Arcs [Jaune/Ren] (15.2%) 5. Rich Farmers [Oscar/Whitley] (14.4%)

Top 5 m/f ships

1. Renora (87.5%) 2. Arkos (66.8%) 3. Rosegarden [Ruby/Oscar] (11.8%) +2 4. Emercury [Emerald/Mercury] (10.4%) 5. Gelato [Neo/Torchwick] (9.8%) -1

Next, we polled on likelihood vs. personal want. In this next section, up to 5 choices were permissible.

Top 10 “most likely to be canon” ships, as voted by wlw

1. Bumbleby (97.9%) 2. Renora (91%) 3. Fair Game (54.3%) 4. Rosegarden (32.8%) +2   5. Crosshares (29.5%) -1 6. Springthyme (29%) -1 7. Whiterose (18.3%) 8. Dreadnought [Salem/Ozpin], reconciled (15.6%) 9. Nuts and Dolts (13.3%) 10. Phoenix [Taiyang/Raven], reconciled (9%)

Top 10 “most wanted to be canon” ships

1. Bumbleby (88.3%) 2. Renora (70.8%) 3. Fair Game (59.6%) 4. Whiterose (42.6%) +1   5. Crosshares (31.7%) -1 6. Springthyme (34.9%) 7. Nuts and Dolts (31.2%) 8. Seamonkeys (13.7%) 9. Rosegarden (8.9%)  10. Phoenix, reconciled (7%)

And finally, beware of ship hate - the top 5 most hated ships by wlw

1. Taura/donna (83.4%) 2. Black/sun (33.1%) 3. Iceberg [Weiss/Neptune] (28.5%) +1 4. Rosegarden (28%) -1 5. White Knight [Weiss/Jaune] (27.2%)

Representation

88.3% of wlw polled think RWBY has good wlw representation in general

49.6% would praise RWBY’s lesbian representation

53.7% would praise their bisexual representation

40.8% would praise their trans representation

34.5% would praise their general mlm representation

21.4% would praise their representation of gay men specifically

21.7% would praise their ace/aro representation

Comments on what they could improve on generally include mlm representation, ace/aro rep, and more trans rep

__

Thank you so much for partaking in this survey! I’ll post updated results when we hit another milestone... let’s see how far we can go!

[dumbdotcomm]

this is probably really annoying and petty of me but I absolutely hate that theres now a current popular version of leo where he’s perceived as lazy, egotistical, the least likely to train or complete missions and is pretty irresponsible

I feel like such a boomer complaining abt it too adfghj especially bc I genuinely like rise leo��s character... if it wasn’t supposed to be leonardo.

i dont get how hard it would’ve been to make him a martial arts nerd who is super into ninjitsu, not out of duty but just bc he’s a super huge fan of it??

that way he’s not as intense as other leos, but he’s still got the whole “honor” thing down. He’d be a carefree, almost zen version of that bc hes not burdened by leadership.

I just....really loathe how rise made him “lazy” and not like to train. And it sucks bc if he wasn’t supposed to be leo I’d probably love his character so much more.

[janna-the-breaker]

Sunscreen 🌅👙

I'm in a mood for jealous turtles today. Hope you like it!^^

It was summer, and Casey have planned a trip for a Beach house that his family owed since he was younger. It was almost in the middle of nothing, so it was safe for the turtles to go. They were all very excited, afterall, they've never left New York City before. After a four long hour car ride, you were all finaly there. The house was increribly beautiful. It has five rooms. Two for couples and the other three for inviters. And, let's not forget, the pool! That pool was wonderful! It has a waterfall and neon lights.

You decided to took a day to sun bath. You have picked your best bikini and laid down on your belly onto a beach chair at the edge of the pool.

You were so relaxed that you felt like you're gonna fly. But, after a while, the sun started burning your back a little too much, and you were too sleepy to get the sunscreen by yourself.

However, by a misterious miracle, you heard the hard and heavy steps that could only belong to the turtle you loved.

Leo💙:

"Hey, fearless" You called him with a sleepy voice. He have stoped nearby you. "Would you please pass some sunscreen on my back??" You pleaded.

What you did not know was that that wasn't your boyfriend, Leonardo, but acctualy his brother in a red mask.

He smirked greatly. Of course he didn't say anything or it could ruin this opportunity. He just grabbed the product and squished the white goo (😏😏) on his hand. He reached his three fingered hand onto your back and started spreading the sunscreen over your skin. You shrivered a little with his touch, bitting your lip as the heat of his hand spread through your body.

"Hmmmm just like that, love" You moaned a little. The big brute enjoying the sensation he was giving to you. And how smoothly your skin felt on his hand. He tried to reach to your higher back, but the strings of your bikini wouldn't let him. "Untie these, handsome. Please?"

His fingers grasped the cords and pulled the knot off until it was out of you. Now, he had the liberty to massage your back and shoulders. His pants got more thigher as he could peep your boob coming out from your bikini.

"What the fuck is goin'on here?!" Leo's voice ecooed furiously from far behind you.

You jumped in scare and sat up quickly on the chair, looking confusedly to your side. And how surprised you were when you saw Raphael instead of Leo. "Raph?!" You yelled while hidding your free breasts from his sight.

"I'm gonna kill you!!!" The turtle in blue yelled and ran towards his brother with a killer look on his face. The big brute manage to jump off and ran into the woods to escape his older brother's rage.

"Leo, i swear that i did not knew that it was him! I thought it was you!" You hold him by his arm and tried to explain yourself. He looked so angry just like the time the Shredder threated to kill Splinter.

"Yeah, you really mistook my smooth and well trained hands by those big and rough green sausages." He says with a deep angry voice. Your eyes started droping some tears.

"I didn't mean to! I was asleep. Please, forgive me!" You begged for his forgiveness.

"And you let him undress you! Do you have any idea about how this make me feel??" He was clearly hurt. But it wasn't your fault at all!

"You're the only one that i love, Leonardo! And nothing will ever change it." You grabbed his face and looked deep in his blue eyes. You leaned onto him and kissed him passionantly. It seemed to ease his anger.

"You're right. I'm sorry for being too rarsh on you. I love you so much, honey." He said hugging you and wrapping his arms along your waist. "Now, i'll go on a hunt for Raph's. And when i'm done, i'll make sure that it'll be clear for everyone to see that you belong to me, and me alone!"

Raph ❤️:

"Hello, my cuddly teddy bear." You said with a cute voice as you heard your boyfriend come to your side. "Look, the sun is kinda hurting my back. Do you mind brushing some sunscreen on it??"

Michelangelo froze there for a moment. Did you really thought that he were Raph?! He felt quite honored, but did not know what to do.

"Please, Boo, just a little. I may give you a treat later." You teased a little.

The turtle in orange gave a look around to check if there was anyone else around. There was no one near. He took the product and squished it on your back. You laughed as you felt that goo all over you. He soon used his hand to spread it over your back. "Hmmm it feels so good, babe." You moan.

Mikey tried not to giggle as you moaned to his touch. This was definetly the best day of his life. He lowered his hands on your back and stoped up on your butt. "Wanna get these off?" You suggested. He bit his lip and noded. Benching the string and pulling it slythly as he tried to reveal your ass.

"What the hell are ya doin', ya punk?!" Raphael yelled as he saw Mikey massaging you. He jumped off you and you sat on the chair in total shock. "Get yer hands off my girl, right now!"

"Sorry, bruh! Oh, y//n, you owe me that treat!" He said before running off the senario.

"I what?!" You said in counfusion.

"What treat?! Were you flirting with him?!" He asked roughly to you.

"No, Raph! I would never flirt with him or any of your brothers! He just came by and in my sleep i thought he was you. Please, forgive me!" You hugged him by his plastron trying to calm him down.

"Ya seemed to like what he was giving to ya. Am i not enough for ya??" He asked sadly. You've seen him this sad defeated before.

"Of course you are, Raph! You're more than enough for me, you are the best! I love you." You said and kissed him deeply. He accepted and lift you up on the kiss.

"Alright, bird. I got it. And you know what?" He gave your ass a slap with a full hand. You yelp loudly. "We're goin' to revenge on Mikey fucking at his bed. Come on!" He said taking you in a bridal way to the house.

Mikey🧡:

"Hey, my sweet pizza lover." You said sweetly as you felt the presence of your boyfriend next to you. "You know, this was a very long ride to here and my shoulders are still sore from the car seat. Can you please massage them for me??"

Donnie's mind buged for a moment. You thought he was Mikey?! Should he warn you that he wasn't him??

But, he felt so needy for the touch of your skin. Besides, it was just a massage. It wouldn't hurt. He put a little of sunscreen on his hand and spread it on your shoulders gently. You hummed a little with his skilled movements.

"Wow! Mikey, you are really good at this." You said hapily with the sensation he was giving to you.

Donnie smiled as he made you feel good with his caress. You were so relaxed on his hands and he was so foucused on his task that he didn't noitice Mikey standing there watching them with sadness in his baby blue eyes.

"Donnie, you traitor! What do you think you're doing?!" He yelled at his brother, who immediately took his hands off you.

"Mikey! This isn't what you think it is! I just gave her a friendly massage." He tried to explain himself.

You sat on the chair and gave a strange look at the purple masked turtle. "Donnie?! What are you doing here?!" You asked

"I'm sorry! I just wanted to be nice. I'm out of here!" He got up and jumped off the pool to the rooftop.

"Yeah! Go get your own, brah! This one here belongs to Mc Mikey!" He said as he pulled you to a hug. "You're mine! Only mine! You know that, right, angelcakes?"

"Yes, Mikey, i know. I'm yours! I'm sorry about Donnie. If i have knowm that it was him i you never let him touch me." You said wrapping your arms around his neck.

"It's okay, babycakes. You can continue to apolagize when we're on the bed." He took you on his shoulder and walked in the house with you.

Donnie💜:

"You there, my nerd? I'm in the need for a little foot massage. Are you up for this mission?" You plead for your boyfriend who sat before you at the pool.

Unfurtunatly, it wasn't the turtle you thought it may be. Leonardo only sat on there because he was on the need for some meditation. And the pool seemed to be the perfect and calm place for it. Even with you there it didn't bother him, afterall, you were just quietly taking a sun bath.

But, he did not expect at all that you would mistook him by his smart brother.

"Come on, D! I'm so tired, and only you can make me feel good." You begged for him to touch you.

He fetl awfull. At the same time he didn't want to interview in your relashionship with Donnie, but he also couldn't handle seeing you so needy for care. He grabbed the oil on a table nearby and used it to massage your feet.

"Hummm that's right, love! A little more to my ankles, please." You pleaded a little, loving the sensation you were recieving.

All Leo could do was smile. Even though you weren't his girlfriend he enjoyed giving some joy to you. But, it didn't last long as his ninja sight spot Donatello watching him from far away. The fire on his eyes as he saw his brother touching his girl could almost burn Leo. The leader in blue felt threated with his brother's falcon eyes and slowly got up, leaving the pool without saying a word.

You asked yourself what happened to your massage. You sat up and looked behind you, and there was Donnie smilling at you. "Why did you stoped?? You were doing great."

His heart hurt a little. He undertood that you didn't knew that Leo was the one massaging you. But he never imagined that he would suffer such a betrayal from his own brother. "Sorry, Dove. Lay there, i'll send you to heaven."

[theromanticscrooge]

General Thoughts on Rise of the TMNT

Usually, TMNT is the story of four mutant anthropomorphic teenage turtles that learn and diligently practice ninjutsu under the guidance of their loving master, father, and anthropomorphic rat man Splinter. They come from a humble background by salvaging to survive and setting up home in the most secret but manageable locations they can find. They’re a tight-knit, honor-bound family that are eventually called to use their ninja skills and other various talents to protect New York from the Shredder and other various threats.

It’s the story of fairly idealized young heroes, usually with specific highlights on Leonardo as the leader, and what kinds of difficult decisions they’ll have to make, trauma they may have to work through, and the hallmarks of maturing/entering adulthood unique to them. The 2003 animated series is paced like a comic book, moving from one big arc or adventure to the next. The 2012 Turtles focuses more on individual character growth and moments where it can, adding in more one-on-one talks between Splinter and Leo, some romantic drama, and placing stronger emphasis on the fact the lead characters are teenagers with just as many teenage hang-ups as save-the-world dilemmas. While the 2003 and 2012 series have lighthearted scenes, both series are trying to tell dramatic action/adventure stories with elements of fantasy and sci-fi.

Rise of the TMNT keeps the teenage turtles and older rat man living in the New York City sewers framework, but everything else has been dramatically reimagined or reworked. Splinter is a ninjutsu master, but that role takes a back seat to being a forcibly retired movie star and unexpected adoptive father of four. He’s become lazy, complacent, jaded, and he cares about his kids, but he’s terrible at parenting and expressing affection.

The turtles know a few basic moves and wield weapons, but they’re far more interested and invested in recreational activities than practicing ninjutsu. They’re not humble or resourceful. They pretty much have everything they could want from an indoor skate ramp to their own personal arcade. They even have schemes to catch Splinter at an especially vulnerable moment to request big-ticket items. But, they’ll also do anything for dear old Dad’s praise and a simple hug. As freshly mutated villains, the Foot, and Lord Draxum start popping up, the turtles are the only available heroes to protect New York. And they’re ready to step up, even if it means buckling down and becoming more disciplined.

Overall, they’re a dysfunctional family and the turtles calling themselves ‘ninjas’ is more dubious than in any other series. But they’re slowly working their way towards becoming competent warriors that kinda sorta use ninjutsu techniques while Splinter learns and works on becoming a better dad.

Rise is simultaneously a parody of and love letter to TMNT. The set-up for the characters is already a subversion in regards to starring much more flawed, incompetent leads. The tone is much goofier, lighthearted, and energetic than other series so far. Episodes are 11-minute vignettes with a loose continuity and a few story-focused tent-pole episodes set-up similar to Regular Show, O.K. K.O., or Wander Over Yonder.

Personally, I’ve been pretty disappointed since O.K. K.O. ended back in August. In some ways, Rise fills the hole that O.K. K.O. left behind for me: It’s a cartoon made by passionate nerds. Most of the fight scenes and otherwise have a similar energy and deliberate choreography that a Studio Trigger anime does. There’s references to Ghibli movies like My Neighbor Totoro and background hat-tips to previous turtles series such as an Ice Cream Kitty statuette on display at a museum. There’s a host of new, colorful bad guys and side characters that pop up or even steal the spotlight in various episodes in ways viewers wouldn’t expect. In short, Rise is a very refreshed, very fun take on the TMNT.

[un-bearablysweet]

Donatello is a known menace to the science and nerd community in New York. He's known as the arrogant asshole that doesn't even bother to show up to competitions, he just sends an envelope for the judges to mail the medal in. If it's a trophy he sends April to collect it for him.

There are many chat rooms trying to find out who he is, or if he's even real or not. Angry nerds usually assume he's a honor student from an expensive private school, but nobody can pin a face to the name Donatello Hamato to any school or science club. The only thing that comes up is his numerous thesis essays published by NYU.

Leonardo thinks its hilarious and is constantly banned for trolling. Users get mad he when posts "false" information that maybe Donatello is an intelligent mutant turtle that lives in the sewers. April is now known as the angel of death, if April's there you ain't winning.p

[brightlotusmoon]

A 20 year old headcanon that I'm thrilled to learn others have: the Ninja Turtles as literal cryptids with eldritch forces in their mutations whether they know it or not. Especially 03 and 07.

Donnie: Psychically aware of and linked to anything mechanical, electronic, technological. Stuff just happens around him, things start working. Better wifi signals, cars starting easily.

Mikey: Connects to people, animals, the elements. Cheers up everyone within a mile. Inspires games, creativity, gathering. Attracts animals that need help. Literally brings sunshine if he's there for more than ten minutes.

Leo: Able to manipulate a situation to his advantage, like being completely ignored by nearby humans while he goes shopping, and projecting confident authority so nobody questions him.

Raph: Feeds off the energies and emotions of the city overall, full of physical power that helps rescue or prevent or assist. Can turn combat around by thoroughly reading his opponents and playing off their actions and reactions.

[nerdy-bits]

Strategy Games: A Blueprint for My Life

Strategy video games are near and dear to my heart. My childhood was full of long nights playing Age of Empires II, Empire Earth, and Civilization III. Later, when my friend’s older brother decided we were mature enough to appreciate one of the greatest in the RTS genre, we were introduced to Starcraft. We might have been too young to appreciate the great works of art these games were, but we played them with as much dedication and energy as any devoted fan. Whether it was two boys sharing a computer while arguing over tactics, or a LAN party in a basement, we were always ready to sink an entire night into one of our favorite games.

As we matured into adults, so matured our video games. Gone were the days of dial-up lobbies with terrible ping. We now stared at HD graphics with mind boggling telescopic zoom in Supreme Commander. Our little pixelated troops became fully developed 3D personalities in Company of Heroes. Flat empty maps became grand 3D environments in Homeworld. These strategy games showed us that a good game is like fine wine, it only gets better with time. Maybe that explains why Age of Empires II came out with a remastered HD edition 14 years after the original release and became one of the top selling games of the year and one of the most played RTS games every year since its re-release. (It then re-released again with 4k graphics 6 years after that and topped the sales charts).

When college came around, it provided a new hurdle to gaming with friends. The early 2010s transformed into Hamachi virtual game lobbies from all over the US. Summers became LAN parties at our houses. A cheap $10 switch with a half dozen ethernet cables became the lifeline to play with minimal lag. My  Black Friday laptop, affectionately known as “The Paper Weight” for its mediocre performance values, managed to somehow stay alive for 3 years of incessant, rough use. Age of Empires II was still one of our main games, but we had slowly transitioned to bingeing Company of Heroes most nights. We realized at this point that consoles would become an afterthought for us as the metamorphosis to the “PC Master Race” left us forever enamored to maxing framerates and CPU performances. We learned the value in studying game mechanics and watching pro matches to improve ourselves and outsmart each other. We developed out of our blissfully ignorant Dark Age and grew into our Renaissance Era in video games. Rapidly we each painted our unique gameplay styles with such fervor and individuality that even Leonardo da Vinci would be proud. 

After a few strong years our Golden Era started to wane. I joined the military and traveled the world, my fancy new gaming laptop often left untouched for days—or even weeks—at a time. Some friends went to graduate school and became so absorbed in their studies we wouldn’t hear from them for months. Professional careers and long-term relationships started to replace long nights learning new tactics and fine tuning our early game build strategies. The endless nights of trash talking and meticulous ledgers recording personal and group bests, overpowered by the chaos that is life. We still played the occasional games here and there, but it wasn’t the same. It had devolved into two friends passing some time and catching up, not four or five allies that boldly created empires and destroyed civilizations. The Golden Era of video games had quietly come to a close.

Our Golden Era may have ended, but that doesn’t mean our history has disappeared. These games created a time-honored bond between friends. The patience and critical thinking skills learned from our many gaming sessions gave us vital skills for us to use in our careers (I personally thank these games for my ability to effectively manage many different tasks at once). I’m happily married to the greatest man I’ve ever met, but I still find time to occasionally play online with my friends. My husband knows that an hour or two planning attack formations and discussing economy planning gives me a form of stress relief and camaraderie you can’t find anywhere else. We love exploring the world and starting new adventures, but some days all I really want is a headset, a bourbon on the rocks, and a great strategy game. My friends and I developed a culture so unique that we are still inseparable 20 years later. Some people may look at this as a bunch of nerds wasting away their lives, but we were making memories and friendships that would last a lifetime.

~Shane Battles

[originalxconceit]

you spent the last ten hours beating me senseless and you’ve learned absolutely nothing.

—  sentence starters  :  the umbrella academy,  episode 01.04

“Darling, we have got to stop meeting like this. People might start to talk.” Kol taunts as he conveniently runs into Quinn again. 

Ever the predictable fellow, it wasn’t too difficult for Kol to track him down again. Quinn was nothing if not a creature of habit and well, he’d made it quite obvious that he was still lurking about nearby town. He’d give him props though. It was a rather bold move for him to seek-out Kol’s most loyal to try eliciting betrayal out them, and when that had failed, challenge him to a fight in his precious sister’s honor.

However, that was not why he was here today. Perhaps in due time though, he’d take him up on that challenge. Right now he had bigger problems than wiping the floor with some scrawny nerd. 

“Let’s have another little chat, shall we?” Giving him no room to protest, Kol grabs him by the back of the neck and guides him to the back of the library where they could have a little privacy. Shoving him down into a chair at the table, Kol occupies the seat across from him.

“It’s been brought to my attention recently that a certain coven has Anikaia on their radars and they mean to end the siren line entirely. It’s interesting, since I’ve spent the better part of three years keeping her hidden. Yet, amazingly, she was found just the same as Claire despite all the cloaking spells and measures I’ve taken. I’d say that’s quite the coincidence, wouldn’t you agree?”

It was obvious that someone among them was a traitor. With the peace deal being negotiated, Kol was doubting Quinn, but he strongly suspected someone in that bunch was being a little too chatty. Leonardo finding Claire, and then that coven finding Ani? That was far too suspicious to be just a coincidence. There was a rat somewhere and he was going to sniff them out sooner or later.

“Seeing as you’ve admitted your family associates with some anti-siren witches, I figure the snitch is one of you. Now, I could torture you again since I had learned so much from that method the last time, or---”

you spent the last ten hours beating me senseless and you’ve learned absolutely nothing.

“It’s rude to interrupt when your superiors are talking, darling. And let’s not over-exaggerate, it was only seven hours.” Smirking, he leans back in his chair and continues. “As I was saying, I could beat you senseless again or I could cut you a deal. First of all, I’d like to know more about this coven. Then, I’ll need you to do some digging to help me uncover the traitor, who by the way, also sold out Claire and in turn has endangered my baby brother. In return, I shall call off this whole witch hunt for your sister. She’ll return home to you, you leave my family alone, and all is right in the world. So, what do you say?”

[studentsofshield]

A Rambling Chronicle of Marvel’s Western Comics

By Vincent Faust - November 27, 2018

Marvel Comics is the most prolific comic book publisher of the Western genre. Despite their near ubiquity in today’s culture with billion dollar box office receipts, even their diehard fans may not know this part of their past.

I may be missing a few scattered things, but by my count Marvel has published 1,192 issues of Western comics through their history. Marvel had published Western stories from their very beginnings with the Masked Raider in 1939′s Marvel (Mystery) Comics 1-12. Though the genre didn't explode until the late 1940s following the war, while superheroes were declining. Timely (Marvel’s name at the time) launched 7 western titles in 1948. 

The "Big Three" of Marvel westerns are Kid Colt Outlaw, Rawhide Kid, and Two-Gun Kid. Each lasting an impressive 229, 151, and 136 issues respectively. 

The star artist of Kid Colt was Jack Keller. Who drew most of the character's stories from 1953-1967. An impressive run. Some have argued he has the honor of drawing the most individual stories for one specific Marvel character. Many of these books had 3-5 short stories per issue, so I wouldn't argue against that. If we only count full issue stories, I'm not sure who would take that title. Probably Mark Bagley for Spider-Man, combining his lengthy 1990s run on Amazing and his history making 2000s run with Bendis on Ultimate.

In 1960, right before the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby reinvented Rawhide Kid. After a publishing hiatus the title was brought back with issue 17. The character was now Jonathan Clay and his costume changed. Over two and a half years, their run was revered as the cream of the crop in a waning genre as their own superheroes began to explode. 

As Kirby was needed more and more on the superhero titles selling like hotcakes, a tiny run by Jack Davis followed. Davis was an EC Comics legend who took a pit stop at Marvel before becoming even more of a legend at Mad Magazine. Unfortunately, practically the only classic Marvel Westerns to be reprinted in collections is this span of Rawhide Kid. With issues 17-35 reprinted across two hardcover Marvel Masterworks.

Here is Stan Lee talking to Jack Davis and fellow EC/Mad/minor Marvel contributor Harvey Kurtzman. For Marvel, the legendary Kurtzman did 150 episodes of a one-page filler strip titled Hey Look! from 1946 to 1949. 

Especially as Marvel was finally able to publish more titles, Stan Lee's efforts were being stretched too thin as well. So, Rawhide Kid was handed over to his younger brother Larry Lieber to write and draw. Which he did for almost a decade, to minor acclaim from genre fans. Sounds very reminiscent of the hidden gem Gary Friedrich/Dick Ayers/John Severin run on Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos.

"I don't remember why I wanted to do it, particularly. I think I wanted a little more freedom. I didn't do enough of the superheroes to know whether I'd like them. What I didn't prefer was the style that was developing. It didn't appeal to me. Maybe there was just too much humor in it, or too much something. I remember, at the time, I wanted to make everything serious. I didn't want to give a light tone to it. When I did Rawhide Kid, I wanted people to cry as if they were watching High Noon or something." - Larry Lieber

Lee and Kirby also reinvented Two-Gun Kid for the early 60s, but didn't stick around as long on that one.

Other artists who made a mark on Marvel's western titles include Fred Kida, a notable Golden Age Japanese-American artist known primarily for Airboy. Also Russ Heath, who passed away only recently, and the frequent collaborators John Severin and Dick Ayers. Most of these artists were also prolific in the war genre. The genre is also to thank for the introduction of Herb Trimpe, who would go on to become the definitive Hulk artist.

The true star of the show though was one Joe Maneely. Who Stan considered his best artist before Jack Kirby returned in 1958. The Philadelphia native was skilled and fast, pumping out tons of westerns as well as the Black Knight and Yellow Claw titles, which retroactively tie his work to Marvel continuity. Unlike Kirby, Keller, and Lieber he was not particularly linked to one western title, but his most consistent would be Ringo Kid.

Meanwhile, outside of the genre one of Stan Lee's other top artists was Matt Baker. Considered to be the first African American professional in the field. Also there are reliable reports from friends and family that Baker may have been a gay man. He was one of the primary innovators of the "good girl" art style on Fox Feature Syndicate’s Phantom Lady and countless romance titles. Another milestone was drawing arguably the first graphic novel - It Rhymes with Lust.

Due to some business factors in and out of publisher Martin Goodman’s control, Marvel (at this point known as Atlas Comics) nearly imploded in 1957. The bullpen was completely disbanded, leaving Stan Lee in an empty office. They went from regularly publishing almost 70 titles to only 16. Many of which were filled with inventory stories and reprints as long as Stan could manage not paying freelancers. This situation was further complicated by their new distributor having way too close of a relationship with market share leader National (now DC Comics).

Joe Maneely stepped in front of a train in 1958 at only the age of 32. It may have been a suicide. Matt Baker died of a heart attack in 1959 at 37. As stated above, Jack Kirby comes back to Marvel right around that time and Steve Ditko was quickly growing as an artist. It's tragic how close these two masters were to being on the ground floor of the Marvel Universe as we know it today. What heroes could Maneely and Baker have drawn or created?

The 1970s sees lots of reprints of classic genre comics. An exception is the original title Gunhawks (though an unrelated The Gunhawk title predated it). Though only lasting seven issues, Gunhawks has an interesting distinction. Originally starring Kid Cassidy and Reno Jones, a good ol’ plantation boy and his buddy slave. Who fought willingly for the Confederacy because some Yankees kidnapped his girlfriend. That makes sense... In the sixth issue, Cassidy is shot and killed. The finale was technically retitled to Reno Jones, Gunhawk. Making that 1973 comic book only the second at Marvel to be named after a Black protagonist, following Luke Cage. Black Panther had ongoing adventures, but had taken over the anthology title Jungle Action and wouldn’t get his own series until later. DC lagged behind Marvel in this regard.

In 1979 the western genre at Marvel was basically declared dead, with Rawhide Kid and Kid Colt finally canceled. The latter after over 30 years of continuous publication. Two Gun Kid had been canceled two years earlier. Though for a few years already, almost all of Marvel's westerns (and war books) had been turned into reprint titles.

Of those aforementioned 1,192 issues, 1,146 of them are from 1979 or earlier. Leaving less than 50 across the last 40 years.

A 1980 tryout issue with a new character (and a Frank Miller cover) goes nowhere.

A 1985 miniseries by genre veterans Trimpe and Severin depicts the Rawhide Kid now as a middle aged man, as the West is in its final days. It is kind of depressing.

Backpedaling a bit. As the Marvel superheroes dominate, the western heroes occasionally make crazy guest appearances through the means of time travel. Most notably the Two-Gun Kid becomes an all-but-official member of the Avengers and a close friend of Hawkeye. He gets tied up with time travel generally for years to follow. Later becoming a She-Hulk supporting character and Avengers Initiative leader circa Civil War

With that cover, let's now take another aside to untangle Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider is not originally a Marvel property. The vigilante was created by Gardner Fox (Justice League of America) and Dick Ayers for Magazine Enterprises in 1949 as a horror themed western character. The feature spent time as a backup in Tim Holt and eventually broke out into its own short lived title.

Magazine Enterprises went kapoof alongside the slump in the industry around the implementation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954. The regulation agency set up by industry leaders to avoid government intrusion following moral panic. The over-cautious guidelines severely neutered the crime and horror genres, while superheroes were already dormant, gutting many publishers. The Ghost Rider trademark expired. Marvel picked it up in 1967 for a series drawn by original creator Dick Ayers. Motivated in equal toxic parts by Martin Goodman's obsession with securing trademarks (practically every character Stan Lee created can be traced to an earlier one) and then rising writer Roy Thomas's history nerd leanings.

Obviously the name would be repurposed for the more recognizable Johnny Blaze in 1972. Marvel retroactively renamed Carter Slade as the Phantom Rider. The modern demonic versions of Ghost Rider do rarely touch on western themes. Johnny spent some time as a nomad and Garth Ennis brought in some western connections to expand the GR lore.

The western genre is basically passed over through the whole 1990s.

In 2000, John Ostrander and Leonardo Manco come around for a miniseries integrating all the Marvel western heroes together. Followed by a 2002 sequel. With revelations and deaths. The kind of lore retconning series that tickles the fancy of comic history nerds like yours truly. Ostrander also did Justice League: Incarnations around this time, tracing through the history of the JLA.

2003 comes around and it all that heavy lifting revitalization goes in the toilet. Ron Zimmerman writes a Marvel Max Rawhide Kid series. Zimmerman is some kind of comedy writer and Howard Stern regular. Well, within comics he wrote this and the god awful Ultimate Adventures - the only wholly original Ultimate Universe book, a Batman and Robin parody that was part of the U-Decide bet with Marville and PAD's Captain Marvel.

Marvel Max was a new imprint established in the early 2000s to break away from the aforementioned Comics Code and tell more daring, mature stories. Occasionally this resulted in gold like Jessica Jones. However, most of the time it was cringe inducing dreck.

So what's so bad about Rawhide Kid Max? He's now gay. Umm...OK, as long as it's handled well, maybe? Nope, constant cringey sexual innuendos which border on the protagonist coming off as a sexual predator. Some idiot gave it a sequel years later too.

Since then, we've gotten a bunch of one-shots in 2006, a weird Andy Diggle miniseries in 2012, and then the surprisingly great Marvel 1872 from Gerry Duggan during the patchwork reality crossover event Secret Wars. Which set up the Red Wolf series which was doomed by bad optics surrounding the writer and Marvel's spaghetti on the wall strategy of the time.

One of those 2006 one-shots ended up being legend Marshall Rogers's final published work. He and longtime collaborator Steve Englehart did it while waiting for DC to greenlight Dark Detective III, the second spiritual sequel to their influential 1970s run on Batman.

Here’s hoping we get to see some of these legendary heroes on the trail once more. At the very least we will get another tiny snippet in 2019 with a Gunhawks one-shot being brought back in celebration of Marvel’s 80th anniversary. Written by crime comics duo David and Maria Lapham.

This concludes a rambling chronicle of Marvel's history with the western genre and considerable tangents touching more generally on the history of Marvel and the comic book industry.

[hellsalemshcs]

Oh! what about headcanons of the libra members reacting to their child hand-drawing them a picture of them as a happy family or make a card that they tried their best to decorate as a present on father/mother's day?

;-; that’s.. so pure..

Klaus

He immediately says, “Ah, thank you!” with a bright smile

Starts complimenting his child on how well they drew the family ^_^

Puts the drawing on his desk so he can see it while he’s working (it’s the equivalent of putting the drawing on the fridge - it’s a place of honor :))

Whenever his child personally takes time to make him a Father’s Day card, he feels his heart get really happy!!!! Yay!!!!!

This is something that he keeps in his pocket and like (not to be cliche) it helps keep him going in battle

Steven

His child probably distracts him from working when they present him a drawing a welcome distraction

He just melts when he sees how happy his family is in the picture and he gets a really soft smile on his face

And when his child clearly puts a ton of effort into a Father’s Day card, he adores it!!!! So much!!!!

Not completely certain how to tell his child how much it means to him though, so he just picks them up in a nice dad-ly hug

He likes to keep all of those drawings that his child made for him in a little folder that he keeps near the rest of his paperwork in case he needs a pick-me-up

Leonardo

When his child gives him a drawing of their family, Leo can’t help but say, “Aw! We look so happy! It’s so beautiful!”

He honestly give the Best praise over his child’s drawings

He even has a little art gallery of their drawings set aside for them - sometimes he writes little ‘artist statements’ beside the drawing (the absolute nerd)

Father’s Day cards are things that he always looks forward to

He kisses his child’s forehead every single time omfg (and hhhhh when his compliments make his child smile, he gets even happier)

Zapp

“Heeeyy! You wrote ‘Rad Dad’ with flames surrounding it. I like your style, kiddo.”

He doesn’t know how to compliment the art without using at least one curse word [cue distant screams from s/o when Zapp says ‘f*ck’]

But seriously, he gets such a warm, fuzzy feeling inside and he can’t help but smile all day

He genuinely finds himself getting choked up when his child gives him a Father’s Day card that had been made with such obvious care

He can’t tell them just how nice it is (well, not without swearing lmao), so he just ruffles his child’s hair

Zed

His child almost nervously hands him the drawing of the family and Zed just looks at them in slight confusion

Oh, but the picture is so lovely?? Zed’s heart is permanently growing like 15 sizes every time his child gives him a drawing

“It looks so wonderful, little one. I love it.”

Hey, his child’s best try = literally The Best gift on Father’s Day ever, okay? Okay.

But like… the words “you are the best fish dad ever, you’re just not as good as Abe Sapien” makes him give his s/o an unamused look because he knows that was them (“Really?” “I thought it was funny..”)

Chain

A bright rare smile flashes over her face as her child hands her a drawing of the family, all smiling and happy

Even the sun is smiling…. I mean, come on, it’s such a happy picture!

Chain will pick up her child and hold the drawing up as she tells them everything she loves about it

She always looks forward to her child’s creativity for Mother’s Day /sobs/

If her child is frustrated with how a drawing/card turned out, Chain immediately crouches down and finds at least 5 things that she adores about it :)

K.K.

Gives a small, happy gasp when her child offers her a drawing

She pauses a little when she sees that she’s holding a gun in the drawing, but you know what? Okay. It’s fine.

How did her child even know about the make/style of her gun tho???

Claps her hands a little bit when she gets a Mother’s Day card lmao

She gushes about how cute it is to anybody that cares enough to listen to her because she loves just about anything and everything drawn by her child??? So much????

[arts-dance]

How loving science made Leonardo Da Vinci an extraordinary artist

A new biography by Walter Isaacson explains how Da Vinci’s curiosity-driven explorations shaped his art. By Julia Belluz

If you’re still looking for a Christmas gift for the science nerd in your life, consider Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson.

The outstanding biography — from the same author who brought us Steve Jobs and Einstein -- dissects the life of the complicated Renaissance artist with exquisite detail. We come to see Da Vinci as not only an inventor of musical instruments and early flying machines, but also an obsessive notebook keeper and vegetarian, who had trouble finishing many of the projects and paintings he started.

Yet what is most thrilling is getting to know Da Vinci, the scientist. Isaacson explains how loving science and applying the scientific method to observing the world was really what made Da Vinci a great artist and, Isaacson argues, a genius.

Da Vinci was obsessed with observing and understanding phenomena in nature, from the proportions of the human body, to how the muscles of the lips moved. He wanted to know about everything around him, in minute detail, Isaacson writes. He wondered about questions “most people over the age of ten no longer puzzle about,” for instance, how the tongue of a woodpecker works.  

To learn about the world, Da Vinci blended his own observations with experimentation. Never formally schooled, “he preferred to induce from experiments rather than deduce from theoretical principles,” Isaacson explains. He recorded his observations, looked for patterns among them, and then tested those patterns through additional observation and experimentation.

When he became fascinated with the idea that he could invent flying machines, three-and-a-half centuries before the Wright Brothers flew the first airplane, he observed various birds and filled notebooks on the function and speed at which their wings flapped. That’s why Isaacson calls Da Vinci “an exemplar of this scientific method.” He goes on:

“Galileo, born 112 years after Leonardo, is usually credited with being the first to develop this kind of rigorous empirical approach and is often hailed as the father of modern science,” the historian Fritjof Capra wrote. “There can be no doubt that this honor would have been bestowed on Leonardo da Vinci had he published his scientific writings during his lifetime, or had his Notebooks been widely studied soon after his death.

Da Vinci’s emphasis on empirical observation also helped him improve his art. First, he was able to use what he learned from looking at nature to paint and draw. His studies of the body, animals, motion, shadow and light, perspective and proportion helped him better understand what he was seeing in front of him, and render it in art more accurately and finely than anyone else of his time.

He also used his observations of nature to make connections among phenomena. He noticed that a fetus in a womb looked like a seed in a shell, Isaacson writes. A recorder was like a larynx in the throat.

Here’s Isaacson again:

What Leonardo probably began as four distinct elements ended up woven together in a way that illustrates a fundamental theme in his art and science: the interconnectedness of nature, the unity of its patterns, and the analogy between the workings of the human body and those of the earth.

Most importantly, his curiosity-driven explorations, and ability to connect art and science, helped him innovate in his work. They helped him think differently, Isaacson argues. Da Vinci made an astoundingly diverse array of discoveries, from conceptualizing the helicopter and solar power, and advancing knowledge about everything from the reproductive organs to botany.

This genius is also what drew Isaacson to Einstein and Steve Jobs as subjects: They’re all innovators who were inspired by and drew connections between art and science.

“Leonardo da Vinci is the ultimate example of the main theme of my previous biographies: how the ability to make connections across disciplines—arts and sciences, humanities and technology—is a key to innovation, imagination, and genius,” Isaacson writes. And this wonderful book is a reminder, in a time of increasingly narrow specialization and focus, that the methods of Renaissance men like Da Vinci are as relevant as ever.  

https://www.vox.com/2017/12/23/16805814/leonardo-da-vinci-artist-science-scientist