#mm! tmnt analysis

[albaqae]

OH MY GOD I FINALLY WATCHED MUTANT MAYHEM AND DJJSAJJSNSNFHXJDJ

queue the ramble :) (also yes spoilers)

I’m so so happy being able to take off mutant mayhem filters NOW I CAN BASK IN THE FANART YES YESBEYYEYSYSYSYSA

Ok so like I pulled up right and I knew it was gon be GOOD, but IT WAS GOODER THAT GOOD???? After I watched rise I was like mkmk yea there’s NO WAY they can make them more teenager-y But they Did.

My friend my love told me that they told the VA to change the script if they wanted to and if they thought it was more relevant and honestly? BEST DECISION EVER

U can feel however u want abt the movie but I will Fight You about the relevancy of it so bad, like something that media tends to focus on capturing is the Present, the feeling of the very moment “insert thing” happens, and the relevancy of certain situations in certain times. It’s the very reason why nostalgia hits so hard, because it is capturing the feeling of being right there in that moment, and so effortlessly

That’s what I felt watching the movie, THEY LITERALLT SAID RIZZ AND SUS, and I never in my LIFE thought I’d hear that in an ACTUAL OFFICIAL MOVIE, I just KNOW history scholars are gonna psycho analyze every reference they make

ALSO I ADORE SPLINTER SO SO SO MUCHANJAJASJKEKNX, I love seeing just-became-a-father splinter it’s AKJSNDNX. I really really love the angle they took with him, and him seeing himself reflected in superfly and how being so strict hurts his kids because it doesn’t let them explore options or themselves fully, even if he really does think he’s right

ALSO HIM AND SCUMBAG AKAJNSNSNX IT WAS SO CUTEEEE IT KILLED MEEE

AND OH GOD near the end when superfly had the turtles and was abt to like snap them and I saw the broken shells I, no kidding, screamed. THE AMOUNT OF ANGST IVE CONSUMED THAT HAS HAD BROKEN SHELLS AS ONE OF ITS MAIN PLOTS AOQJJWNSNX, it was WILDDD having it canon ngl

Overall all the characters, like every single one, felt so fleshed out and real, it was genuinely so refreshing. I love how media now focuses on capturing raw human states instead of the heavily filtered beauty standard that our societies have for so long clung to. I think future generations being able to see that will really heal some of the damage being “chronically online” can cause

April had SUCH GOOD STYLE and I loved her :) because the plot was so heavy I almost expected a lot of the characters to not have an arc at all, so I was real surprised when splinter and April realized what they did was hurting ppl. The writers were REAL good at keep the plot semi-un-crowded despite how much was going on

Again, THE HUMOR WAS SO SO PRESENT DAY AKAJWJENNX

I loved Raph LIKE ALWAYS and how they made him an angry mf w/o making it against his brothers, and just making it as just how he is, I thought it was so nice to have an iteration where he keeps his spark without making it harmful to those he cares abt (his outfit at the end was so very fire it was my fav)

Mikey was so so sweet, I love whenever he’s both a goofy goober but also one of the most empathetic ones, the hope and kindness in his eyes <33

DONNIE WAS SO RADDDD, the VA did SUCH a good job, he has my fav voice and overall he was so cool in character too, freaking out abt the attack on titan doodle was so me and I love seeing a representation of what non-toxic fandom looks like that wasn’t seen as a problem or as meant to be looked down on, bro just loves k-pop and anime!!!

Leo was AMAZINFGGGT, they kept his leader persona and his want to take responsibility and decency without making him an ass !!! And for someone who grew up with 2012 Leo that’s something I was REALLY at awe at

It’s also the first turtle x human ship i don’t hate, they didn’t make Leo be CREEPY ASF LIKE W 2012 DONNIE, but he was still a hormonal teenager having a real crush and they were still friends

I also loved lizard dude

Superfly character was so rad too, the way he spoke and carried himself was really interesting to look at and I thought it was so cool, I love villains that have actual stories, AND BABY HIM WAS SO CUTEEEEE, wish we got more sibling content on him and his crew tho, but that’s very me nitpicking

Splinter cracking his back remind me of “BUMBUMBUM BUM BUM BUM!”

I love when tmnt doesn’t do orientalism :))) it’s very hard to avoid in iterations cause of the very foundation of tmnt, but I take it as a major W whenever we get a decent story(USUALLY AMAZING STORIES) that doesn’t rely on “oooohhhh mystery ninja stuff ooooooo” to make a compelling “aesthetic”

I also loved how Baxter stockman looked, and the turtle tots, the animation was OUT OF THIS WORLDDD, I rlly love how, as artists, we accept more diverse styles rather than just sticking to realism being the standard, because it allows for stuff like this to happen!!! And the scribbles added so much to the world ownqnnsndndjxjx I’ll rewatch it over and over again just for the art style

And also when Leo call himself leon IT MADE ME SO HAPPY BC LIKE LEO IN RISE LIKES LEON TOO IT FELT LIKE A WINK WINK SKSNSNWNMSND not sure if it was tho but it was me giggling and kicking my feet

The plot itself was so good too in the way that it applies to more than mutants, the seeking of acceptance is something really really relatable in so many contexts: neurodivergence, queerness, immigration, and so so so much more????? It’s one of my fav things of most tmnt iterations, its themes carry on to other contexts, not just to the specific story being told. This is what leads it to being so attractive to so many audiences

The music was very atsv and I thought it was so rad, it’s always nice to watch a movie that has that kinda soundtrack, especially in urban settings it’s a lot more fitting than an orchestra (sometimes, or at least I think)

By the time me movie was over with the BADASS SHREDDER APPEARANCE I lost control of my body and was just happy stimming violently and my friends just kinda 🧍‍♂️ at me, and they got the same rant u just read but even more messy, if that’s possible

I’m proud to have mutant mayhem as an official tmnt iteration, and I’m proud of the work that’s been done, and I hope to in the future maybe somehow contribute to a version too!!

I didn’t revise this, and it’s very messy, and I doubt I’ll go back and fix it, but it’s just beginning thoughts :D if you actually read this far thank you and I love you

[teenagemutantninjatrauma]

thoughts and feelings on tottmnt bishop? (i feel like you’ve mentioned it before but i can’t remember for sure dhshdhsh)

so here's the thing I think maybe because of my fixation on the 03 show or maybe because i'm getting old(ish) or something, Tales didn't quite catch my attention as a whole. It's good but I concluded it might not be for me.

that being said, I am OBSESSED WITH HER. I HAVE AN ENTIRE FOLDER OF SCREENSHOTS THAT'S JUST HER. LOOK:

First of all. OH MY GODDDD I LOVE WHEN SHE GOES FERAL. OUGHHHHHHHHH BROOOOO. World's most beautiful woman. The Mutant Mayhem / tottmnt artstyle lets her shine aaaall the time in such wonderful ways. This is an old woman who very quickly spirals into being unhinged and it shows in what she looks like, All Of the Time. It's wonderful!!

Second of all I loooove her design and backstory. I think it's awesome that we're keeping the part where Bishop has to build themselves up from nothing and it feels like nobody is in their corner, but I also love that Josefina has very honorable reasons for her ambition - she is doing all this in honor of her sister, trying to build a better world for people like Elena and her.

And, tragically, she has to rely on people richer than her, who don't have a personal reason to care. She's compelling because she's struggling through a very relatable experience of being a passionate person trying to have their voice heard. And if such ambitions and passions got literally stomped on in one fell swoop, would you not also see red? Would you not also be bitter?

(bonus that's not visible here but the photo said "you're gonna change the world, sis!" before it got damaged)

PLUS. I love the details we get about her and all the pieces that tie her to her predecessors. look at these boards!

PGA logo reference in top right. Does this imply she was working on something akin to the Pan-Galactic Alliance? Surely couldn't have been on the intergalactic scale of Fast Forward though, right?? So one has to wonder what that's about and why some of it seems to be scribbled over now. did plans for world peace fall through when mutants ruined her life?

manic scribbling over blueprints as she starts getting careless, fervent, eager to exact revenge (contrasted with her first prototype, built to help people, calm, collected, neat)

notes on mutant sightings

classic red string

"for Elena" stapled to the board, what if I cry

"heroes" scribbled over and rewritten to say "MONSTERS"

"speech ability - NO!" - because she gave the robots her dead sister's voice. when the robots eventually turn against her, they speak to her in her dead sister's voice. ultimate fucking haunting hubris

"Robocop? But no human all robot! Genius!" - note based on an idea Rod gives her which is hilarious. she hates him and he's so useless but she will take a good idea wherever she can.

I love her dynamic with Rod SO MUCH

HE SUCKS! BOTH OF THEM SUCK!! Bishop is extremely smart and also trying to do her evil plans and meanwhile Rod is like "you seem like a Dua Lipa girlie"

the contrast of Rod's oblivious entitlement and Bishop's constant struggle to have a voice and opportunity drives me crazy

In fact, this duo compelled me so much I wrote a fic about them! It's pre-show, it's from Josefina's POV, it has five thousand words and I wrote it in two days. You all should read it and tell me how hilarious and correct I am about everything :)

Anyways, safe to say I think that I care about Tales Bishop deeply. She's cool, she's beautiful, I really liked that she seemingly regretted her actions but then once enabled by the EPF she immediately dropped back into villain mode, and I really hope she shows up again. My wife <3333

[risestarkiss]

Rise Ramblings #1000

(Closed captions and subtitles are available in multiple languages)

○○○○

💜 YOUTUBE | KOFI | 🎵 BANDCAMP 💜

[sunny-clover]

silly lottle guys :)))

I love this scene so much.

BUT LIKE. RAPH’S ENTRANCE‼️‼️‼️⁉️⁉️⁉️

I LOVE OT SO MUCH PLS

MY BRAIN CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH HAPPY CHEMICALS OMG

RAPH AND DONNIE JUST LOOKIN AT THE CAMERA LIKE GET READY TO GET FUCKED UP

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

FRUITY ASS BOYS.

LOVE THESE TURTLES. THEYRE SO GREEN.

[torturedblue]

Ya know, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the expedited aging factor from mutation and wondering how they might use it more in Mutant Mayhem/Tales of the TMNT…

Idk if many people caught it because it actually took me so many watches before I started thinking about the aging timelines of the turtles and the other mutants despite being mutated at the same time and age(ish), but it catches my attention every time I watch the movie

I started wondering why Superfly and his siblings were all already adults while the turtles are still teenagers. Plus, Splinter regales that he was in his early 20’s when he was a pre-mutated rat. And yet when we see him mutated 15 later older he seems to already be more in his 60’s or 70’s with his white hairs and massive balding and less teeth, not like someone who’s actually only in their mid to late 40’s.

And it finally hit me. “Because I was older, I became older rat man. You guys was babies, so you stayed baby turtle creatures. If you think about that, it couldn’t make more sense!”

For the longest time this line kind of struck me as strange because it seemed Splinter was simply explaining that he stayed older than them in his mutation, and that they stayed babies of course. Which like, that’s obvious. Why have a line about it? It finally hit me that Splinter said he became an older rat, not in relation to the boys, but to his age pre-mutation. At first when he mutated he still looked pretty young, and in the Eye Know montage we see him develop his huge curly fro, then become the bald, whiskery white-haired rat who needs glasses by the time the turtles are done training. The mutation aged him up at a faster rate somehow and the line clarifies that, but that it had no effect on the turtles.

Which means it also affected the other mutants that same way, because they’re strangely closer to their own age group more in the 30’s or 40’s maybe.

Not to mention, there are varying levels of strength too. I mean Superfly is the toughest mutant around and dude was on that level since he was a baby. Rocksteady couldn’t even take him on and it was literally a rhino against a super buff fly lol. Maybe there’s something to be said about the fact that he’s the oldest too/the first one mutated. And strangely, when the blue “de-mutantizing” goes into his bloodstream he’s turned back into a regular fly looking more like how he did as his baby self 🤔

Maybe the way everyone was exposed to the ooze had varying effects on each of them. Superfly and his siblings were experimented on and created much more intentionally, seen floating in their canisters of ooze in the beginning scene. The turtles were exposed slightly more indirectly, and then Splinter even further removed with how little ooze he was exposed to. It does seem that between all the mutants there’s varying in age; Superfly as a baby was very astute and calculated, while the turtles were still hardly aware of much going on around them when the vial of ooze had splattered all over them. But it’s also harder to tell the exact ages of babies.

This whole aging element is something completely new introduced in this version of turtles, and honestly you have to question what led the writers/creators to make such an interesting change. I’m so excited and curious to see them explore this factor in the future and why it works the way it did with Splinter, the older mutants, and not the turtles. I think they could do some really interesting stuff with that change.

[o4o41]

FEMS

Mona's approaching and entertaining the idea (said in a sightly mean way) of liking a mutant while she was a human (maybe reversable, or not).

Venus and Jenny are mercenaries.

Their difference is she is a physicist and was a human. (Not to say she can't fight. Gender essencialists can though. They can also say that Luisa from Encanto is a male. No she isn't.)

[writinandcrying]

EXACTLY BRO YES YES YES WLW GAY GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL APRIL !!!!

also @drawnaghht why are you spitting facts on the tags instead of a comment bro speak your truth

I love a good analysis let’s dissect this

About their designs, true! I think due to most of Fortnite designs are supposed to be grown man / woman (I haven’t seen a short character layout but also I don’t realllly play the game so correct me if I’m wrong!) so I guess that’s why they decided to go for a more adult-y style! It has references from the 80s specially the around-ness of their face features, but also many other other versions! The eyes are clearly a reference for 2003 iconic white eye era

Raph with his infamous durag from bayverse, mutant mayhem, rottmnt, he’s not beating the durag allegations (also all of them with the harness around their shells, tights and arms make reference to bayverse and it’s details on their clothing design) the armor around his shoulders can be a reference to raphs design on the second film - out of the shadows (2016)

For Mikey; his skin color is clearly making reference to the 2003 show! Mikey got a more dense green complexion compared to the rest of the turtles, hes also the only one of the turtles who is wearing fingerless gloves (I mean Leo too but it looks like the same type of fabric from the harness… Mikey’s different and I believe it’s a ref for skateboard protection… thingies ???? Idk the name in enlgish but anyways you get the point right) maybe a reference to bayverse as well and his skateboard scenes in some versions, he’s also the only character that has a skateboard in the fortnight settings

Donnie is the only one with headphones and that has a tablet on his arms (maybe a reference for mutant mayhem and rottmnt ! He’s also the only turtle that can actually listen to music while playing the game, pretty cooo tbh)

in aprils outfit, her iconic yellow jumpsuit (80s) is still styled to be very trendy with todays fashion, plus her hair with a more shaggy cut def gives her a fresh look, as mentioned, I seriously cannot get enough how hot she looks…. this is a CRIME….. against wlw… against them bi’s, pan’s.. whoever has common sense really, the lmfao community is in shambles that they cannot take her out cuz she’s made of goddamn pixels ! (At least I am)

Oh! And did you know they also got INSTRUMENTS??

Direct ref to the 90s musical special! The designs to each instrument are INSANE. The sai x bass layout for Raph?? Katana x guitar for Leo??? Nunchucks x mic Fr mikey??? Hello???

Anyways, they did an wonderful mash up of several versions and it looks AMAZING!

Here some other oficial art to indulge our tmnt fantasies (cuz it’s not only April that looks banging ‼️)

p.s: I love their freckles (2012 ref no one can tell me otherwise)

Alright gather up, apparently there’s new tmnt skins on fortnite

They literally look amazing right? (Those tight tho)

But they REALLY got it right with April

Casey Jones and Donatello I finally understand you. Now step aside cuz this april is GAY and I’m here for it

[thejadecount]

I’ve seen people’s take on the ages of the MM turtles (Leo’s the oldest, Mikey’s the oldest, Raph and Mikey are twins, etc) and here’s MY TAKE:

They’re quadruplets

Look I don’t know about you guys but for once in my time in the fandom I’ve truly felt they’re the same age (or relatively on the maturity level). It could be the teenager/pre-teen VAs, but I don’t get the same ‘they’re different ages’ energy from the MM boys.

Like although Leo’s the anxious one I don’t get the feeling he’s the most anxious because he’s the oldest and the leader and blah blah blah. He’s just a teen full of anxiety.

And Mikey doesn’t feel like the youngest to me (because the scene he had with talking about the watermelon being like his head) but not like the oldest either (because he’s equally fooling around with Raph and Donnie). He’s isn’t some young goofball baby of the family but not a cool oldest sibling either.

And same thing with Raph and Donnie. Donnie for more obvious reasons mostly because the VA I’m gonna be honest but just his general demeanor. He feels like a teenager who happens to be smart, not someone who’s smart but happens to be a teenager.

And Raph doesn’t give me ‘edgy wishes to be leader roughy guy’ he’s just a jock teen who wants to do sports. He doesn’t give off the same ‘second oldest’ energy all the other Raphs (minus Rise Raph) have.

TL;DR: It could just be the VAs and the fact we only got a few scenes in the trailer, but I don’t feel like the MM boys have like ‘youngest to oldest’ energies like most TMMT incarnations do. When I compare them side-by-side they all just feel like quadruplets with different personalities.

[albaqae]

I rewatched MM TMNT and I noticed this one dude w a casey-like haircut??? maybe it’s his iteration???

Also the credits for the extras are hilarious lmfao

[sunny-clover]

Ok so here’s a few thoughts after watching the Mutant Mayhem trailer

keep in mind, I haven’t been analyzing too long but I’m just super excited and wanted to share my thoughts.

if you haven’t watched the trailer, it’s right here

Okay so, first thing I want to talk about is the scene with Splinter. I really love his voice actor, he sounds like an actual loving and worried dad instead of just a sensei, and I am loving the glasses rep that we have!

Not really any eggs i that I noticed from the scene, just wanted to say how I like the touch of “it’s 2023 Mikey” (I love these boys sm)

(A screenshot I took from the scene to check out the background for little Easter eggs)

Next Scene! The brother bedtime (that’s what I’m calling it cause I’m not creative on the spot)

The brothers have a ton of stuff on their walls and Donnie has so many things on his bed, these are definitely teenagers lmao. I just have to say that I really love the art style I’m so excited for this movie!!!!!

When asked what he would do if they were accepted, Leo says ���I dunno, get a girlfriend?” And Mikey says “can you imagine that!” To which Donnie answers “not likely”. I know it’s probably just a few snippets of their scene put together and that might not be exactly how the scene goes, or it could be just brother teasing, but I’m also a little hopeful that this is a hint that they’ve kept up the tradition of Leo being queercoded and he might be in denial. (Again, it’s probably not, but i think it’s be neat)

(Some screenshots of their room for further analysis)

Next thing! The villain mutants-

I don’t have a lot to say here because I haven’t watched most of the iterations and can’t point out too many familiar faces, but I do recognize repo-Mantis from Rise!

There he is ⬆️

Again, I don’t have much to say except the art style is just so AGAAVSGDBFHFHFHHDHDSHEHDHDHJDJDJDJFJFJFJJFJFJFBF

I love it.

Next!

April

I love her so much, the voice actor sounds amazing and I love her outfit ahshffffhffhfjjdjsjsjwjejdjhf

Took a screenshot of her board for further analysis

She seems to be a teenager who wants to be a reporter so when she finds the turtles she wants to interview them so that maybe she can get into the mindset of the other mutant forces (Superfly/ Baxter Stockman)

I’m thinking what happened is maybe they caught her off guard and she freaked out but then they fixed the misunderstanding and now she’s teamed up with them and wants their help (well duh, that’s part of the trailer),

OOH! They might have run inter her outside (or inside) of whatever grocery store they went to (the errands Leo mentioned as he held up grocery bags)

Grocery bags

I have a few more shots of their interactions

Absolutely in love with the designs and I think she looks so badass but also like a super sweet big sister.

it seems like there won’t be any Casey Jones appearances, much to my disappointment but I’m still very excited nonetheless. Maybe at the very end there’ll be a small glimpse of Casey for a sequel, because he usually does join in sequels or later seasons (save for 2k3) and I’m just so excited for this movie!!!

I had to add this shot because just look at the brother interaction!! That is some adorable bonding and I am so excited to see these little booger beans in the theater!!!!!

I’m gonna make them into clay figures. Okay, that’s my non-expert analysis and predictions on the Mutant Mayhem trailer!

[o4o41]

Warning not tagged to the original creator.

Only brainstorming under this post.

Interesting.

I am dividing this character into Mona and Ira. Typical.

This could be a pre-story of Mona. (Sorry can't remember the word when my typing is making sounds 😩). Now look how I mesh my previous HC into something interesting and new.

In the previous drawing they could've studied together or solving detective tasks on paper from the Sociology subject. For the mind-training.

You can make up how he got a soft spot for a human. Even though he is prejudiced and skeptical with them.

Her body type can be like for Sailor Jupiter (big lady). This take would be different as R is liking a human (likely pink themed, red too, some flowers). Yes he is skeptical to human relationships and all. She feels like a MJ to Spiderman (him going back to her after a rough day and all, except MJ bland like). Mutation or not, they won't work if R isn't emotionally intelligent and nuanced (supportive speech is, like, a nessesity, a confidence boost). MM or Tales will keep her as a human. Maybe a few jokes or dreams or hallucinations that she's a tmnt, she's dressed like R too. (Maybe Leo hallucinating the same idk).

In another version she would become one. She has a high alert (like maybe Penelopie from Looney toones). As opposed to old criticism to her, she is not a Mary Sue (overrated female-attacking word), maybe she jumped high and could swim but she is a mutant and who knows is an athlete: she fails, she cries and she is something else, and the body she/everyone knew and basically everything drastically changed.

She will be involved in that of the "FEMS" lore of mine (i.e. I've connected "Leos", "Mikeys", "Aprils" and it is now FEMS' turn. *Folow my "tmnt" tag for more details*) , discover and orientate in her new identity. Maybe this will be like Shrek and Shrek 2 story btw, like rom-com-wise.

________________________________________

Ira on the other hand is curious and attentive. She has a good relation with Tim and is protective of him when needed. She is confident, secure and likes to a little joke on ones who looks more likely they deserve that (Next Mutation and tmnt 1987 tmnt joked and mocked their villains and made mean nicknames). Rise Leo could say that she is special and superrior but there is no rise, maybe Rodd would say that she looks cool (a little irony because he has no job and where did he got that much confidence from, is it a facade or he heard someone say that from somewhere). I thought that she would have Makoto (Sailor Jupiter) body type. All in all if you have some female or general anatomical diversification it would look better. As April will not be the only one changed (plus size, african-american, glasses, freckles, height, red hair). No shade to, Barbie she was great playing, later her movies were amazing 😊. You know what I mean when you don't need to follow template of simply just one body type. She could have Sailor Scout's power though and the shooting and self-defence too. She can have some of the sick self-defence life-hacks with her surely. (That way she could also join FEMS lore and analysis for FEMS).

Now you have done It! More Irma and Raph PLEASE!!!

And you shall receive 🫡

Bro is smitten

[albaqae]

Ok so wait let me elaborate: the reason why the plot wasn’t crowded was bc there was LITTLE to crowd it with

Lemme explain myself 🙏

so there’s a bunch of stuff going on— humanity ending, the mutant army dudes, a splinter arc, an april arc, the evil lady that IM CONVINCED might be some version of krang, that whole secret forces thing by itself is heavy enough, and what seems to be like an all of humanity through a not-killing-the-turtles arc— but none of these are given PROPER attention because the main plot takes over.

I think that’s actually a REALLY good decision actually, because if they actually went into all of these things, it would be the most crowded, half assed movie. But even tho they DID do a really good decision of keeping the main plot, well, THE MAIN PLOT, it did leave a lot of characters and arcs unfinished or not very in-depth

The movie also seems like a “Leo movie”, that’s to say that Leo is the character that’s given most attention/plot significance but that is, again, not properly explored (I got this from this vid btw not my idea :))

I think it was meant to be like that tho? I’ve seen lots of ppl criticizing the movie mainly because of its hurried nature, but I think it was moreso meant to be that way. Not only is this for kids (hence the quick pace) but also there’s gonna be a “series” supposedly, and this is introducing the iteration, I think it’s meant to be seen more as a pilot rather than a fully fleshed out movie

This iteration is exploring a lot of new territory— by making the turtles even MORE teen-like, the art-style, the lack of immediate Krang/Shredder enemies, the turtles interacting more with the human world, ofc April’s character being drastically changed from APRILLLL O’NEILLL to someone who’s more camera shy and tends to reserve to herself, and SO MUCH MORE— it’s a lot, and BECAUSE it’s a lot, i think that leaving a lot of the plots unfinished/surface was a good choice.

Not only did it allow for it to be a stand-alone movie without much of a crowded plot, but also it functions AMAZING at drawing in audiences for a more long-term project, which is what seems to be going on.

Let me just say that I adore the movie with all of my heart and this is like a nitpick like I love what they’ve done with the turtles and this iteration gonna be so fire bro-

BUTTT I do hope that the writers strike is prioritized, because as much as I love love love love (4 loves) tmnt, ppl being able to live off their craft seems much more appealing :D

OH MY GOD I FINALLY WATCHED MUTANT MAYHEM AND DJJSAJJSNSNFHXJDJ

queue the ramble :) (also yes spoilers)

I’m so so happy being able to take off mutant mayhem filters NOW I CAN BASK IN THE FANART YES YESBEYYEYSYSYSYSA

Ok so like I pulled up right and I knew it was gon be GOOD, but IT WAS GOODER THAT GOOD???? After I watched rise I was like mkmk yea there’s NO WAY they can make them more teenager-y But they Did.

My friend my love told me that they told the VA to change the script if they wanted to and if they thought it was more relevant and honestly? BEST DECISION EVER

U can feel however u want abt the movie but I will Fight You about the relevancy of it so bad, like something that media tends to focus on capturing is the Present, the feeling of the very moment “insert thing” happens, and the relevancy of certain situations in certain times. It’s the very reason why nostalgia hits so hard, because it is capturing the feeling of being right there in that moment, and so effortlessly

That’s what I felt watching the movie, THEY LITERALLT SAID RIZZ AND SUS, and I never in my LIFE thought I’d hear that in an ACTUAL OFFICIAL MOVIE, I just KNOW history scholars are gonna psycho analyze every reference they make

ALSO I ADORE SPLINTER SO SO SO MUCHANJAJASJKEKNX, I love seeing just-became-a-father splinter it’s AKJSNDNX. I really really love the angle they took with him, and him seeing himself reflected in superfly and how being so strict hurts his kids because it doesn’t let them explore options or themselves fully, even if he really does think he’s right

ALSO HIM AND SCUMBAG AKAJNSNSNX IT WAS SO CUTEEEE IT KILLED MEEE

AND OH GOD near the end when superfly had the turtles and was abt to like snap them and I saw the broken shells I, no kidding, screamed. THE AMOUNT OF ANGST IVE CONSUMED THAT HAS HAD BROKEN SHELLS AS ONE OF ITS MAIN PLOTS AOQJJWNSNX, it was WILDDD having it canon ngl

Overall all the characters, like every single one, felt so fleshed out and real, it was genuinely so refreshing. I love how media now focuses on capturing raw human states instead of the heavily filtered beauty standard that our societies have for so long clung to. I think future generations being able to see that will really heal some of the damage being “chronically online” can cause

April had SUCH GOOD STYLE and I loved her :) because the plot was so heavy I almost expected a lot of the characters to not have an arc at all, so I was real surprised when splinter and April realized what they did was hurting ppl. The writers were REAL good at keep the plot semi-un-crowded despite how much was going on

Again, THE HUMOR WAS SO SO PRESENT DAY AKAJWJENNX

I loved Raph LIKE ALWAYS and how they made him an angry mf w/o making it against his brothers, and just making it as just how he is, I thought it was so nice to have an iteration where he keeps his spark without making it harmful to those he cares abt (his outfit at the end was so very fire it was my fav)

Mikey was so so sweet, I love whenever he’s both a goofy goober but also one of the most empathetic ones, the hope and kindness in his eyes <33

DONNIE WAS SO RADDDD, the VA did SUCH a good job, he has my fav voice and overall he was so cool in character too, freaking out abt the attack on titan doodle was so me and I love seeing a representation of what non-toxic fandom looks like that wasn’t seen as a problem or as meant to be looked down on, bro just loves k-pop and anime!!!

Leo was AMAZINFGGGT, they kept his leader persona and his want to take responsibility and decency without making him an ass !!! And for someone who grew up with 2012 Leo that’s something I was REALLY at awe at

It’s also the first turtle x human ship i don’t hate, they didn’t make Leo be CREEPY ASF LIKE W 2012 DONNIE, but he was still a hormonal teenager having a real crush and they were still friends

I also loved lizard dude

Superfly character was so rad too, the way he spoke and carried himself was really interesting to look at and I thought it was so cool, I love villains that have actual stories, AND BABY HIM WAS SO CUTEEEEE, wish we got more sibling content on him and his crew tho, but that’s very me nitpicking

Splinter cracking his back remind me of “BUMBUMBUM BUM BUM BUM!”

I love when tmnt doesn’t do orientalism :))) it’s very hard to avoid in iterations cause of the very foundation of tmnt, but I take it as a major W whenever we get a decent story(USUALLY AMAZING STORIES) that doesn’t rely on “oooohhhh mystery ninja stuff ooooooo” to make a compelling “aesthetic”

I also loved how Baxter stockman looked, and the turtle tots, the animation was OUT OF THIS WORLDDD, I rlly love how, as artists, we accept more diverse styles rather than just sticking to realism being the standard, because it allows for stuff like this to happen!!! And the scribbles added so much to the world ownqnnsndndjxjx I’ll rewatch it over and over again just for the art style

And also when Leo call himself leon IT MADE ME SO HAPPY BC LIKE LEO IN RISE LIKES LEON TOO IT FELT LIKE A WINK WINK SKSNSNWNMSND not sure if it was tho but it was me giggling and kicking my feet

The plot itself was so good too in the way that it applies to more than mutants, the seeking of acceptance is something really really relatable in so many contexts: neurodivergence, queerness, immigration, and so so so much more????? It’s one of my fav things of most tmnt iterations, its themes carry on to other contexts, not just to the specific story being told. This is what leads it to being so attractive to so many audiences

The music was very atsv and I thought it was so rad, it’s always nice to watch a movie that has that kinda soundtrack, especially in urban settings it’s a lot more fitting than an orchestra (sometimes, or at least I think)

By the time me movie was over with the BADASS SHREDDER APPEARANCE I lost control of my body and was just happy stimming violently and my friends just kinda 🧍‍♂️ at me, and they got the same rant u just read but even more messy, if that’s possible

I’m proud to have mutant mayhem as an official tmnt iteration, and I’m proud of the work that’s been done, and I hope to in the future maybe somehow contribute to a version too!!

I didn’t revise this, and it’s very messy, and I doubt I’ll go back and fix it, but it’s just beginning thoughts :D if you actually read this far thank you and I love you