#this actually applies to all versions of tmnt

[vickorydickorydock]

I get why giving the turtles an age order can be fun sometimes, but I hate that assigning oldest-middle-youngest dynamics so often comes at the expense of canon characterization

[amevello-blue]

Things in Rise that Echo 2003 TMNT

Hi Ame here back on my bullshit-- getting right into it. I can't remember where or who said it, but one of the creators of Rise mentioned that 03 was their favorite iteration, and it really shows sometimes. Spoilers for 03 and Rise below ;)

The first thing that comes to mind is Shredder. "But Ame, 03 Shredder was a little alien guy-" NO I'M TALKIN ABOUT THE ORIGINAL SHREDDER. In 03, Ch'rell took on the mask of a well-known boogeyman at the time; the Shredder, who was a demon that had lived 1,000 years ago. Oroku Saki was a man who defeated the demon alongside the rest of the Ninja Tribunal, and after he defeated it, became possessed by it after falling prey to its promise of power.

The most obvious I think are their markings. In 2003 they use 'chi' to give them mystic abilities. It's the act of becoming one with the world around you, but it also seems to work when you are connected to the people around you. Even the medallions over their chest mimic the Hamato symbol that glows on Rise's chest when activating their ninpo.

Their markings even mimic each other (except for Raph, whose Rise version doesn't have any markings, which is a travesty). Leo has slash-like marks, Donnie has geometric marks, and Mikey's got a lot of circles!

NOW OKAY THIS ONE'S A BIT OF A STRETCH, BUT-- Leo has made portals with his sword before! Specifically, he held one open with it.

It's the little things <3

Like the ghost of dead Hamatos coming back to assist their rat sons in the final moments :)

Some more small things! Raph and Donny's brains being rifled through! (Which also happens to 2012 Mikey)

Raph's and Leo's shoulder! (Hard to get a good shot of Leo's, thanks 4kids) Ironically both happening at a moment where Leo has "failed" to protect his family.

Rise Mikey being the "greatest mystic warrior" reminds me a lot of what is alluded to many times with 2003 Mikey; he's very good at what he does! He's a Battle Nexus Champion! He's the one who can channel chi the best! He could surpass Leo even in skill if he actually applied himself, but he doesn't. Because he just doesn't find it fun. But it's shown a little in the episode Same as it Never Was, where he's able to dispatch a whole group of guys with guns all on his own, including three armored cars and a HELICOPTER.

Also making comparisons between 03 SAINW!Mike and Rise F!Leo losing their arms is kinda a stretch but I'll point it out anyway.

And speaking of the movie. My absolute FAVORITE thing to compare is the Krang of Rise to Sh'Okanabo of 2003's Fast Forward season. It's like they took all the concepts of Sh'Okanabo and made it BETTER. Everything was executed SO MUCH BETTER.

Gooey tentacle villain? Check

Weirdly organic flesh ship? Check

Alien invaders turning people into drone versions of their species? Check

(Also side note about that one, I think it's hilarious that in 03 Raph's the only one who DOESN'T get Kanaboe'd but in Rise Raph is the only one who DOES get Krang'ed.)

Taking over structures with their goop? Check

And finally. Small boy son that is a descendant of Casey Jones. Check :)

[batmanfruitloops]

Alright long but silly post, going into the reason why the furry versions are the animals they are. A few choices are influenced by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles v.s. Batman, some choices are already associated with the character (Catwoman, Penguin, etc.). Most choices are an uneven mix of visual, symbolic, and behavioral. So some have more thought put into them than others but it's all for fun.

Batman (Bruce Wayne) -Vampire bat

A pretty obvious choice. I think specifically a vampire bat is fitting, they are very stealthy and aware. They come built with the perfect tools for lapping blood and cause little harm (excluding diseases). Just as Batman always comes with what he needs and only causes as much damage as necessary. Bats are also social creatures and thrive in groups, so there is a bit of irony there. Bruce can put on a good face for the public and business but isolates himself and therefore goes against his nature. He craves family but keeps his loved ones at arm's length in fear of losing them.

Joker (John Doe) - Red-banded spitting cobra

This is a choice influenced by the TMNT v.s. Batman. Also haha Lego Batman clown snakes. I chose this because I'm tired of both snakes and clowns being seen as evil. John is already the way he is because both Sarsee and I agree clowns should be silly and whimsical instead of how more modern media portrays them as creepy and scary, which also includes the Joker. Snakes are my favorite animals. So keeping Joker as a cobra represents what we have set out to do with the au in the first place.

In terms of behavior, John acts mostly the opposite of what you would expect. Snakes are mostly solitary and overall not very social. John is a very outgoing person and extraverted, but he's social skills are stunned from both being autistic and his childhood. So not quite fitting in but he enjoys standing out. Though cobras are a more intelligent species of snake. John is very clever but most wouldn't guess that. As the Joker, John relies on the element of surprise and subverting your expectations. As a bonus spitting venom is similar to a clown's flower spraying water.

Two-Face (Harvey Dent) - Puma

A partial TMNT chose. Instead of just a cat, I went with a puma. Pumas are not classified as big cats but are the largest cat in North America. Despite not being a big cat their presence demands respect. Even when you do not see them if you are in their territory you would be wise to be careful. Pumas know how to pick their fights, taking on challenges with strategy and retreating when they know they are outmatched.

I think these things fit Harvey and Two-Face quite well. He may not be as high on the social ladder as say, Bruce, but he is no less of an important figure in his community. You know when he is in the room and you think about him when he isn't there. He is intelligent and strategic. He's never to be underestimated and most fear and or respect him. These things apply as a rogue or as a candidate. These strengths are what put a target on his back and thus becoming Two-Face. I also do not know enough about this but pumas are not as solitary as other cats. Which fit with Harvey's ambivert personality.

Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel) - Spotted Hyena

This one is also an obvious one I would think. Spotted hyenas are a matrical species, meaning the females are in charge. Harley as a character I think usually represents feminine strength at least in recent years. Hyenas are very strong, they take what they want and fiercely protect what is theirs. They have a nasty reputation but live in a pretty unforgiving environment. Hyenas actually do hunt and have to protect their prizes from animals like lions. They have good reason to be the way they are.

Harley is a pretty unpleasant person but she has her reasons. Having dealt with a lot throughout her life. Her actions come from a place of pain though ruthless. She is not satisfied with what she does at the end of the day. She knows she has a lot work to do and a lot to figure out. Scary as she is.

Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley)- Orchid mantis

Another animal associated with feminine power. Mantis are fierce and confident, they stand their ground even against other animals much bigger than they are. They are not very fast and can't fly very well, but are a top insect predator. They have no need to chase, just sit and wait until the opportunity to strike comes to them. Of course, they have the reputation of eating the head of their mates, but that's actually common for insects. Still fitting.

Ivy is a powerful person literally and personality-wise. She has incredible control of her environment as long as there are any plants around. She is beautiful and deadly. Anyone who can get close to her is very lucky. She's pretty content keeping to herself and her plants and is laid back when she is comfortable. She takes opportunities when they are presented to her with full force. Best stay on her good side and give her space. She makes a wonderful mantis.

Bane (Antonio Diego) - Grizzly bear

Bears are incredibly strong but it's not just brawn they have brain too. Bane is not just a brute, he knows how to use his strength well and is incredibly strategic. A bear can be a very scary animal but also fun to observe. Some find them cute, and some find them terrifying. Bane also comes off in a similar way, it just depends on what you know about him. He is someone you can have deep and philosophical conversations with but most would be too scared to approach him. Unfortunately, his addiction makes him unpredictable and behave in a way he would not want to. Bane does have a code he follows and will return the respect you give him. Just a bear will respect your space if you know how to behave in their territory.

Catwoman (Selina Kyle) - Domsitic long-hair cat

Yeah, Catwoman is meant to be a cat in person form so, I don't think there is much to explain. She comes and goes as she pleases and does what she wants. She likes to bother those with no interest in her. The whole shebang. Not bad but not good, just her own brand.

Mad Hatter (Jervis Tetch) - Arctic hare

Arctic hares are one of the largest species of hare. They mainly live alone but come together for warmth and mating. I'm still not too sure about this, I haven't found much on this yet but it seems like rabbits are much more territorially and aggressive than hares. Either way, most think Jervis is a rabbit and not a hare, because of his height and demeanor. Hares are often seen as crazy and generally have a wild reputation, and Jervis is pretty demure. This instead comes out as passion for the things he loves. However, if he is pushed too far all of his pent-up emotions and frustrations will come out in an explosive response. Despite his appearance, he's very fit and strong. He has metabolic issues that make it difficult to lose weight so in his efforts to lose it he instead makes himself stronger. A similar effect to powerlifters. I thought specifically an Arctic hare was fitting because of this reason, as an arctic animal it's incredibly important for them to gain weight to survive the harsh weather. Something that others believe including Jervis himself thinks is a weakness actually becomes a strength. He does become more comfortable with himself eventually, but he has a lot of trauma to overcome to fix his own self-image.

Riddler (Edward Nigma) - Domestic rat

Rats are very social and intelligent. Despite media depictions, they keep themselves clean and are very affectionate. Ed is very much an extrovert and hates being alone, though he can be overbearing at times he loves those close to him very much and gives as much as he takes. Rats are great at getting around being able to squeeze into most places and can tread water for a long time (ironically Ed cannot swim). Ed can also squirm his way into anything be it physically or finding information. Rats enjoy causing mischief and are often high-energy, they need a lot of enrichment. Ed is functioning at 100% and crashes to 0% once he's out of energy, he has to keep himself busy and do little evil genius tasks until he's completely exhausted himself.

(I drew these on stream and Marxtheimpish asked to give Ed a cheerio, and Jervis lettuce, Ed is mad he only got one single cheerio.)

Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane) - Milksnake

A pretty biased pick since I mentioned snakes are my favorite animal, and Scarecrow is my favorite rogue but I have a good reason for my choice. First of all, as someone raised in the South, I associate milk snakes (and therefore corn snakes and rat snakes) with the country. They can often be found on farms and are great pest control and that also makes me also associate them with scarecrows. Milksnakes mimic coral snakes to scare away predators. Jonathan does something similar and comes off as scary and intimating but for the sake of his own protection. Snakes really want to be left alone and so does Jonathan. Snakes are often misunderstood and seen as something evil (especially by some religious people), but they are anxious skittish creatures and will stay out of your way. The religious association is another reason I picked a snake. Most people assume the worst in Jonathan because of his appearance and aloof disposition. He's pretty tired of trying to prove them wrong and has convinced himself he can't be anything else. But know this, there is no such thing as an offensive snake there are only defensive snakes.

Music Meister (Darius Chapel) - Golden-breasted starling

This one is mostly a visual choice. Darius is a pretty boy so of course he should be a pretty bird. Starlings are also a songbird and incredible at mimicking sounds. Just as Darius is an incredible singer and has a wide range of expressing himself musically. I think starlings are sometimes seen as pests or nuisance, I've only heard that in passing. If that's true that fits with Darius. Some people find him annoying but he's a very pleasant person.

Polkadot man (Abner Krill) - Spotted newt

Spotted newts are poisonous and their spots and color advertise that. Just as Abner has dangerous spots. This is mainly the reason why I chose a newt for Abner. I think aposematism, when an animal is colorful because it is toxic, is a really cool thing that happens in nature. I couldn't pass up the chance. Newts are also very cute and humble animals so all the more reason.

Mr.Freeze (Viktor Fries) - Polar bear

Of course, Viktor is a polar bear. Polar bears are solitary animals, especially the males. They only need themselves, and can only afford to care for themselves in the environment they live in. Viktor is a very independent person. He's confident in his abilities and can do almost anything by himself. Nora is an arctic fox, I bring this up because arctic foxes often follow polar bears around. So they are a perfect match. Polar bears are very formidable, you do not want to get in Viktor's way. Though he may seem cold, he is a good person with a big heart.

The Penguin (Ozwald Cobblepot) - Emperor penguin

Yeah, penguin. Emperor penguins care very deeply for their families and don't much care for anyone else. They will brave harsh weather and dangerous waters all for the sake of their families. Oz does not like anyone besides his family. He'll go through any extreme he needs to, no questions asked. Just a cranky old man that wants to give his loved ones a good life.

I'm much better at expressing myself visually than verbally so I'm not sure if this was comprehensive enough. I don't feel like I got out what I had in my head properly. So please feel free to ask any questions. Also, most of these facts are from my memory and may be inaccurate, but I did my best to fact-check myself when I was unsure of something. So if I got something wrong please correct me, I love learning more about animals. Otherwise, enjoy this word vomit infodump.

-Fluffy

[halogalopaghost]

Hi! Here’s a Usagi Yojimbo ask 😈

How do you think Usagi’s past differs in 03!tmnt compared to the Yojimbo comics?

((I’d also love to know if/how you think the personality changed in that show vs the original comics))

HELLO this is an excellent question!!

In the Usagi Yohimbo comics, there's like..basically no timeline. Ages are never given, years are measured almost exclusively by Jotaro's age. So it's all a little wibbly and open to interpretation how old Usagi is and when events take place. The 03 timeline is not so forgiving!!

We know Usagi is a child and student at the Battle Nexus that Splinter attends when the turtle boys would have been 11 or 12. By the next Battle Nexus Tournament, he's a RONIN!! That's a lot to happen to the poor kid over just three years. Also incredibly notably, Usagi does not have his eyebrow scar in the 03 show. That implies that the battle at Adachigahara did not happen, which is REALLY SIGNIFICANT!! That's where Usagi became a ronin.

In UY comics, there are a few stories that take place in the time that Usagi is serving under Lord Mifune, implying that it's maybe a year or so that he's in the Lord's service before he's ronin'd. If you apply that timeline to 03 Usagi, he was just 13 or 14 when he entered his service, at MOST. Considering Jotaro's existence and the fact that Samurai usually did not come of age until 15-17 even in feudal Japan (which Usagi does not technically live in! He's very very early Edo/very late feudal), I think he was likely a bit older in the comics when he entered Lord Mifune's service. Also since it's implied that Adachigahara didn't happen, I like to think Mifune was probably assassinated in his home like his wife and child were in the comics.

But there's another thing. 2003 Usagi doesn't wear a mon, which is the little circle with dots that's on his kimono in the comics. This, in all reality, is probably because he's animated and animating that would have been a pain. BUT THE IMPLICATIONS. There's maybe an implication that he did not serve a lord at all, but maybe his sensei Katsuichi's death was what prompted his roninhood. That technically doesn't make him ronin, but it fits the timeline a little better and gives you a different set of angst to work with lol.

As for his personality, it's VERY different. We don't see too much of him, sure, but he's much more...calm? Level-headed? In the 03 show than in the comics. In the comics he had a sort of Samurai haughtiness at first. It wears off a little around the beginning of the IDW run (iirc I might actually be thinking abt Dark Horse and I don't feel like checking) but he's definitely arrogant. He's also just STUPID lmao. In 03 he has a sort of...ohhh I don't wanna say racist Japanese wisdom, but it's kind of That. He's presented as serene and put together and honor-driven.

If comics Usagi were the one faced with a Donatello that grabs his arm when he reaches out for a poisoned Leo, there would have been WORDS. Usagi would not have taken Donnie's skepticism and suspicion lying down. They probably would have thrown hands tbh. And actually now that I'm thinking about it I would love to see that.

I do like the 03 version of Usagi, but until I started reading the comics, I didn't love him. I prefer comics Usagi any day of the week, and I tend to write Usagi more like his comics version. Because he's a messy bitch who's way more interesting ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[languajix]

Fashion Show: ICE Does Makeup

@tmnt-fandom-family-reunion here is an RP between @leilanising and @languajix (both cabin 14) that has been fic-ified a little for posting for the fashion show event!

Summary: Hold Every Memory Mike hasn't ever had his makeup done before. Will ICE be willing to help him try it out?

Morning slowly fell over Cabin 14, and one by one everyone started blinking awake and puttering around in their normal morning activities.

Uncle Mike, who was putting on a show of being Uncle Raph this week due to shenanigans, was already feeling a little more stylish wearing his older style of mask as he pretended to be his grumpy brother! Sometimes he found himself looking in the mirror and making faces, feeling like he was in a time capsule looking back at a younger version of himself. Or his brother, kind of. Back before his brother stopped smiling. 

However stylish he felt, he'd never be as stylish as his cabinmates, though, and he was okay with that! He hadn't had much time, opportunity, or passion in his life to explore his sense of fashion until recently. He'd just started experimenting with tie dye, with beads in his mask, and with the purple nail polish that he wore in honor of his brother Donnie, but... he'd not gone much past that, yet. 

Watching ICE do his eyeliner, seated in front of the mirror at the vanity next to his bunk, had him curious. Would he like eyeliner? Would it even look good on him? Would any makeup look good on him, or would he just look silly? 

He waited until ICE seemed done, and then he sidled over, trying to seem casual about it. "Hey, ICE? I know my face is handsome - although it will never be quite as handsome as my brother Mike's, of course, god among turtles that he is - buuuut... do you think I'd look good in eyeliner?"

Looking up from the mirror, ICE glanced at the older turtle. He seemed rather surprised - he probably expected someone else to pop that question first, not Mike, but he rolled with it pretty quick. "Heh, sure, why not. Here, sit right there, I'll go get the bigger makeup kit." He set down his tools and slid to his feet, going to dig around in his backpack. "You like black, right?"

Mike Raph relaxed a little, bouncing on the balls of his feet, grinning. "Heck yeah! I like all the colors. Black included." Then he coughed. "I mean, black as my soul. Because I'm a Raph, as you know." Mike tended more towards bright colors - eye searing, attention-getting, fun, playful, happy - but black could be striking. Could be a look. And if ICE was doing it, he knew he'd look cool. He was experimenting, okay? Trying something new!

ICE barked out a triumphant laugh as he pulled out a massive makeup bag from his backpack. It was rather odd that he hadn't found it sooner, considering the size of his backpack on the outside. How big actually was it on the inside? "Do not worry, Uncle Raph. I'm sure black will look just fine on you!"

Cool. Cool cool cool. Uncle Mike Raph flopped down onto the bunk, pulling down his mask. It was slung around his neck, now, so he was still technically in disguise. Still repping the Raph!

Pulling out some as-yet-unnamed things from the makeup bag, ICE studied his Uncle Raph for a minute before leaning in. "Now hold still, this might take a bit..."

Mike Raph leaned forward to give ICE access to his face for whatever it was that ICE was planning, excited and curious. "Alright, do your worst! ...or your best. Much rather you do your best, actually, if I've got a choice." If ICE decided to put him in clown makeup or something, he'd forgive him and he'd rock it anyways, but he didn't think ICE would. The result was gonna be cool. He just hoped he could stay still long enough; sitting still was not his strongest skill...

Laughing softly, ICE started lightly applying what he later explained was foundation around Mike Raph's face. "You make it sound like I'm gonna make you look goofy or something!" he commented, but his tone was not unkind. Mike learned that the foundation was supposed to give the eyeliner a good base to start from, and after the foundation, ICE began lining the eyes with black, explaining what he was doing as he went. "With how your eyes are, I'm lining the upper eyelid all the way, while with the lower, I'm only going from the center of your pupil, to the corner of your eye. From there, I will continue to build out in the signature swoop."

Uncle... Raph shivered at the light touch at the edge of his eyelids. He wasn't sure what he expected, but the way the eyeliner felt cool was a little weird. Not bad! He just wasn't used to another person this close to his eyes. 

He couldn't see what ICE was doing really well, so every touch was a little unexpected, and it was hard to keep focused on staying still and not blinking. He was trying! So hard! 

He was gonna look awesome.

Working with practiced ease, ICE applied both eyeliner and eyeshadow faster than Totally Uncle Raph was expecting. After finishing the last touches around his eyebrow joints, he straightened up. "Well, that's pretty much it! Took a bit longer than I expected, but it was definitely worth the effort. Go ahead and look in the mirror if you like, I'm going finish my own makeup." And that was that; ICE turned away towards the vanity again and continued with his own makeup he'd started earlier.

Uncle Mike Raph held his eyes open for another second or two, like, was it really okay to blink now? Really? Really really? He wouldn't mess up all of ICE's careful work? Then his eyes watered a little and he blinked real quick so he wouldn't end up washing the makeup away. "Sweet! Thanks a bunch for all that help, ICE, I know for a fact I look fabulous," and he framed his chin between two fingers and sent ICE a winning smile, "but let me just go appreciate your work anyways." He got up to go check it out, and for some reason he was just a liiiittle nervous as he sidled up to the mirror. What if makeup just didn't look good on him? Well, an experiment was an experiment. He took a breath, popped his head up, and his eyes widened. 

"ICE? 

...holy shell this is awesome!"

(He'd never thought to picture himself wearing goth makeup, before. He hadn't pictured himself wearing makeup at all. Surprisingly enough, he looked super cool!)

[yellowhollyhock]

2003 O’Neil Tech Team

April, the big boss

Donny, also technically the big boss but used to operating from the shadows and prefers to be just be called ‘engineer’ (good luck with that DonDon)

Casey: building maintenance (he has so many sets of keys, some of which may or may not open wormholes directly to other planets or cause time to freeze if used in the right sequence)

Leatherhead: more of a theorist than an engineer. Initially he’s helping where he can with the science, but ultimately the role he will thrive in is office doctor. He knows how to phrase “go take a nap” scientifically enough to get through to April and Don when they’re in the zone.

Fugitoid: he’s the marketing team. Mostly he markets in space, but he also helps run their website to draw earth clients in. He travels a ton. When he is in the office it’s because he’s helping build or maintain transportation (whether it’s a spaceship or a handheld teleporter).

the rest are my 2003 versions of characters from other tmnts. In order of hire:

Irma Langinstein (1987): April’s friend from her college days, business major who ended up doing secretarial work at a big law firm (which she hates). She is the first outside hire; April realizes they badly need help (she’s ending up doing a lot of the administrative work, Donny and Casey are both hard workers but neither one is organized or fiscally responsible), and doesn’t want Don to have to hide from his own employees, so she scours her family albums and yearbooks to make a list of people she might trust enough to tell about the turtles. She ends up contacting Irma, inviting her to lunch to talk about a job opportunity and bringing all four turtles along. They all half-expect Irma to scream and run, which it seems like she’s going to, but April made the food she likes and nothing keeps her from food. So she gets to know them over lunch and ends up fitting in great. Being sworn to secrecy is hard for her, but it helps that she can talk to April.

Harold Lilja (IDW): a physicist who was fired from the university he works at and decided to go into early retirement. He’s spending all his time in his basement designing impractical but extremely cool tech and on online chatrooms when Donny contacts him about some of his published papers. He’s extremely condescending and very difficult to get useful information from. Don contacts the university, but it becomes apparent that nobody there actually understands Lilja’s theories, and all he’s really able to learn is that the guy’s extremely unpleasant to work with. So naturally, he goes to his house. Irma is furious about having to help with this assignment (refuses to be left behind because Donny is clearly being too nice). Lilja turns out to be much nicer in person (is this because of Irma’s glare and Donny’s impossible-to-be-mad-at voice? hard to say), though still not very good at explaining his ideas. Donny hires him to get around the problem.

Oyuki Mashimi (archie): meets Leo and Mikey through the dojo they run. She introduces Mikey to the world of social media and he introduces her to April. She joins the marketing team, filling that earth gap that Fugitoid can’t. Being just two years younger than Donny makes her the youngest employee. Her and Irma work together a lot and are instant besties

Timothy Pulitzer (2012): he just walks in one day and applies at the front desk. He’s been working a cubicle job at a tech company for a decade, and noticing recently the things O’Neil Tech has been doing, and wondered if that would be a better fit and also better for his health. At first he annoys almost everyone because his enthusiasm seems too much to be sincere, but after a while it becomes apparent that he really is just that way. He adores Donny, which people tend to see as just sucking up to his team lead, but actually it’s because he’s never had a boss talk nicely to him before. Also once he catches him doing a cool flip in through the window, he becomes obsessed with ninjas, and always calls Splinter Mr. Ninja Rat and the other turtles Mr. (Name) Ninja Turtle. He also has a crush on Irma, but I haven’t decided if or how that goes forward.

Libby Meitner (IDW): not Harold’s partner in this, maybe in the future idk. But he is the one who contacts her because she has relevant expertise, I think probably specifically about supply chain things? She’s a chemist. She’s going to be filling Leatherhead’s role in that way so he’s able to focus more on being the office doctor. Personality wise she’s fairly aloof, keeps personal and work life very separate, really chill about mutants because why would it be any of her business anyway type of person. Do not play Poker with her.

Kala: An engineer! Very creative thinker, has experience with tech from all over the galaxy. Passionate about marketing as well. uhhh I wrote the blurb today about them meeting her. She and the other Neutrinos are shapeshifters, learning new things is their whole purpose of living. She loves to party and build superconductors. Energy sources will definitely be her expertise. She’s the one who starts calling Donny Boss and it catches on in spite of his protests (once she says it in front of Timothy it’s game over). She’s secretly April’s favorite.

Zak: cars. just. cars. Also has no business being as charismatic as he is, this little neutrino mechanic can talk his way out of anything. Him and Harold working together can either solve whatever problem has been stumping the team and create a new system of government while they’re at it, or burn the place down. It depends on their moods and the weather. Also at some point he will take Timothy under his wing to try to build up his confidence and people skills, and accidentally learn from him instead about being utterly sincere at all times no matter the stakes.

Dask: no interest in science whatsoever but he is a very effective administrator. He takes an interest in LH’s work specifically, the two of them are now the HR department. Figuring our human bureaucracy and how to make it work for their employees well-being is like a fun little puzzle to him. They’ll come up against a wall and Leatherhead’s like I cannot get Libby on the insurance :( And Dask rubs his hands together like he’s just been given a delicious treat. Also he’s able to get Leatherhead access to detailed medical notes about all different kinds of aliens.

[trashlama]

I feel like Raph would call his darling Mona /Mona Lisa since to him his darling is the most beautiful thing in the world 🥺 

Which can be sweetest thing in the world or the most scariest thing ever if he goes to yandere route ~ 

What are your thoughts on this ? 💗

(also hi I was wondering are we allowed to send in request? If you do are we allowed to send in LMK request/theories)

hope your doing ok and drinking plenty of water 💗

Brah, my dude your radical. You've been sending in some pretty fire ideas for me to brainstorm~. Also I love LMK, it's one of my favorite shows a part of the Mokey King fandom. So fuck yeah if ya' wanna send in some LMK req/theories l would love to write/draw/theorize for that fandom! Actually I already have some sketches/doodles for Monkey King.

Though one of them got messed up recently because of my clumsy ass....

Anyways—

I'm always open for all sorts of requests! It just takes me a sec to get through them since I got daily obligations I must attend to. Also I just want to let you guys know I never delete any reqs that are in my inbox unless they're straight up rude or don't follow the Tumblr guidelines. I like to try my best to full fill all the asks that in my inbox despite how challenging I might find some commissions however I like to believe trying my hand at them helps me develop as a writer/artist.

Also I just want to thank everyone for their support and kind words. They really help me get through some days. Thank you! I really appreciate all of you guys!

Sorry for all the rabblin' ! On with the show!

Raph calling his darling by an endearing name? I got'cha~

Since in the TMNT universe in general there is already a canonical Mona Lisa chick(who I might add actually hooks up with Raph acouple times in a couple verses~😏). Sooooo- I don't know about Raphael tryin'na pickin' you up/or addressing you with that pet name.

Thooouuugh a couple weeks ago I finally had enough cash to go see the Super Mario movie and I could TOTALLY see 2k12 and Rise Raph being like Bowser in his approach to his love interest.

SPOILER ALERT PEOPLE!!!!! DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT!!!

Non-Yandere Route

In a normal situation this could be applied to 2k12 as well. While I wouldn't really call Rise Raph a Tsundere; 2k12 is most definitely a Tsundere.

Like Bowser 2k12 Raphael would be all imposing up front to all his comrades though when alone/or with Spike/or Chomp (Kamek in this scenario) is all love struck for Peaches(s/o). I could see Rise Raph doing this too except he probably gush about his crush on his s/o with Buddy.

In both situations like Bowser, both Raphael's would refer to you by a nickname. May you be allies or fighting as enemies Raph would be the only one to call you by the nickname he had given you(much to 2k12 Dr. Name-stein's(Mikey's) jargon).

Normal route wise? It would probably just play out as an average slow burn story. 2k12 Raph being a Tsundere who eventually has to confess due to circumstances(like one of his brothers "accidentally" outing him).

Meanwhile Rise Raph just tries to play it cool kinda like Bowser in the fluffy moments in the film when he was acting out scenarios. Except in Rise Raph's case this soft boi would definitely perform these acts of adoration for real-zeez. Flowers? Check. Flustered pick up lines? Check. Though the love song might be a stretch. Idk if either version of Raphael would go as far as writing a whole song for his crush.

Yandere Route

Yandere route wise both 2k12 and Rise Raph would react in a similar ways when denied/rejected by their s/o.

Bowser to me in the Super Mario movie is a literal yandere for Princess Peach. Dude destroyed a kingdom, took the whole Donkey Kong Army/any infidels captive, AND to top it off tried to sacrifice all his prisoners in Peaches honor for their wedding. Which by the way he cohersed out of the monarch by choking the fuck out of her companion while threatening to destroy her whole Kingdom. Only to be shocked when Peaches doesn't just give in and retaliates against their union. Which of course pisses off Bowser especially when he sees Mario and Peaches holding hands all close and such~ Anyways—

Both Rise and 2k12 Raphael would definitely fly into a rage like Bowser during the wedding scene after Peach froze him and reunited with Mario. Between 2k12 Raph with his hair wire triggered anger and Rise Raph's sensitivity this is not gonna end well. Maybe you're really a villain and reveal you were just playing with him for kicks/or ulterior motives. Perhaps you're an ally who's just not interested or has a crush on one of his brothers/or comrades. Either way he's losing his shit. Hopefully whatever is holding the mutant back restrains him long enough for either version of Raphael to calm down cause if the red color coded Hamato breaks free it is a matter of how fast his brothers and comrades can calm him down before the turtle does something extreme...

Btw here's some sketches I did for another request that I'm working on that @ladydoe8 had asked for. It's a writing req but I always find brain storming designs by drawing them makes it easier to describe them.

Thank you everyone for looking and I hope you guys have a great week! Thank you guys again for the support!

Here's some memes I came across while at work.

Sorry this is long↓ I don't own these memes. I've never claimed to do so. I just come across them on Pinterest when I'm on break at work and think they're funny so I like to share them. If I mistakenly put one on here that I shouldn't have please let me know! I like to respect people's wishes. And if you could add the creator names too that would be great so the same mistake isn't made twice. Sorry for the inconvenience that my sharing may cause. I hope you have a good day.

The one in the top right is from TigerFrog's fan made comic Mutant Ninja Turtle Gaiden (MNTG). I was re-reading it online since it's been a couple years when I came across this beauty. There were more but, this is my favorite line. I really recommend it! It's a fantastic comic, pretty dark, I love the plot! More people need to read it. I would love to write some scenarios/fics for it for you guys.

Donatello bro. Donatello. That dude in MNTG is— just— Brrrraaaaaaahhhh!!!!!! The same thing goes for the rest of the brothers. I just can't emphasize how much I recommend you guys to read this it's soooo good. I wish there was more fanart/works for this series!

[tmntkiseki]

I find it kind of funny that when it comes the Fast Forward characters TMNT fans hope make a comeback in other iterations, it's almost always the Dark Turtles that get brought up, but I personally ended up latching onto the Inuwashi Gunjin.

Like when comparing the Gunjin to the Dark Turtles purely from a writing standpoint, I get why the Gunjin get very little, if any, love from the fanbase despite appearing in just as many episodes. The overwhelming problem with the Gunjin is that although there are four of them, it feels as though they're only one character. The only one with a substantial amount of dialogue and thus characterization is the Gold Gunjin; the Red Gunjin gets a couple of lines in, but the Silver and Orange Gunjin never even speak outside generic grunts/cries in all of their appearances. As a consequence, the other three Gunjin don't really feel like their own characters, but merely extensions of the Gold Gunjin and thus aren't particularly interesting as individuals or as a group. In contrast, the Dark Turtles do have individual personalities and are thus inherently more interesting by that alone, never mind that their final appearance teased the possibility that that they were going to end up switching sides and joining the Good Guys(tm) (which would have happened had the second season of Fast Forward not been cancelled in favor of Back to the Sewer. Damn you, Back to the Sewer.)

However, I think the reason I like the Inuwashi Gunjin so much is because, to me, they are so profoundly tragic. The Gunjin are a proud race of warriors with a strong code of honor, and are clearly not bad people whatsoever. Unfortunately, because the wars they fought in ended and all they're seemingly good for is fighting, they were rendered obsolete--we have no idea what happened to the rest of the Inuwashi Gunjin but by the time of Fast Forward, the four we see in the series are seemingly the only ones left. When we first meet them in the second episode of the season, they are bound to stasis generators by Darius, which he uses to torture them and keep them under control "like dogs," as the Leader puts it, a situation that they spend their first two appearances trying to get out of. While they are eventually able to walk free, because they are the last of their kind, their final episode appearance had a collector of rare aliens capture them in order to put on them on display like trading cards. Knowing how much time they already spent in stasis thanks Darius, it's a pretty messed up situation to be in and goes to show how they're considered more of a unique novelty now than actual people.

Beyond that, I do believe that had more effort been put into their individual characterizations, the Inuwashi Gunjin would have been yet another interesting four group ensemble to contrast the turtles; however, whereas the Dark Turtles are their "evil" counterparts with the potential to be good, the Inuwashi Gunjin would have been older, more worldly versions of themselves to learn and take notes from. It is a fact that, thanks to advertising for a cancelled set of figures, we know that the Gunjin do have names; the gold Gunjin is "Leader" while his brothers (note: we don't know if they're actually related or if it's just short for "brothers in arms") are Hothead, Sage, and Joker. And the Leader Gunjin's characterization does genuinely make me think of Leonardo, albeit more mature and a bit wiser. Because of this, I can easily see Hothead as being Raphael but with more control over his anger, Sage as Donatello but not as hard on himself when he fails others, and Joker as Michelangelo but more focused and thus able to better apply his natural talents. All of this is just speculation, mind you, but it still would have been interesting had it actually happened in the show.

Overall, yeah, the Inuwashi Gunjin are a bit on the boring side and I get that, but like a lot of stuff from Fast Forward, they do have some great untapped potential and fandom is all about doing what canon would not, so let me have my fun with the metallic birb men, damn it.

[writinandcrying]

Sexuality / gender preference (if you aren’t comfortable with labels)

HI OMFG OKAY

This can be any version of the TMNT preferably bayverse or 2007? I don’t mind do your thing fr fr LMAO

straight / I enjoy men / she/her

5’1/gym rat so I’m a lil muscular/usually curly hair but I have braids in right now/glasses/ lots of piercings & a few tattoos :) but we follow each other on ig so idk why I just gave you my physical description LMAO

INTJ :)/im pretty funny if I do say so myself/very independent/sarcastic/I have a weak social battery but depends on which group im with/impulsive

My love language has to be touching or cooking- No in between :,)

Y’all know I love me the 2007 TMNT movie as bad as it is/im going to college to be an English prof :)/my dream job would have to be one of the nicest schools where the area I live in is suburban & I get a fun lil house to myself that I can host parties in >:)

I really love horror games/art/working out/cooking

I think one of my toxic behaviors is that I fall out of love as quick as I go into it, so if someone does something I don’t like it’s sort of a deal breaker for me

Pet peeves: guys that chew with their mouth open/guys that yell to get their point across/uneducated men/Pisces men/guys that aren’t into or against spiritual things like saging rooms or crystals or incense :,)

Deal breakers: if he’s rude to other women or doesn’t respect his parents/doesn’t have an education/is very anti-weed to the point that they’ll break up with someone over it (like bro it’s never that serious)/if he doesn’t take care of himself physically and mentally

How do I usually act: I don’t ever ask for anything, im very independent so I never ask a guy to buy something for me or pay for something :)

HIEEE omg im so excited for this one hehehe

i really need to thought this one through but like..... Jas i need to be 100% serious..... you are 100% perfect for rottmnt leo fr like idk i think you both would have such a nice time together lmao

i match you with..

Leo

Surprise!!!! no but seriously- honestly this could go either Bayverse or 2007, i know rottmnt is extremely different from these two, but like... i can recognize all those personalities being different and still making it work with you! ur a leo girl what can i say lmao

I usually don't focus or comment much or physical appearance, i only ask bc its easier for me to visualize the match up, but since i do know how you look like, how your voice sounds, i can 100% confirm he would be down BAD by first glance (mikey would too, but like its mikey he gets crushes left and right) specially with bayverse, Leo is a an adrenaline junkie, he's too introspective borderline shy to actually voice it, but like..... tattoos, piercings, everything that society would deem as a "rebel" look(? do i make sense i hope so) Leo would be into it. He can deny as much as he wants, but he's into badass looking people idc yall can fight me on this one (this also applies to rottmnt, although i kinda see Rottmnt Leo being a bit... like almost every version of Mikey, he gets crushes easily on a wild range of people, but he most def LOVES when someone knows how to use slangs and has a funky lingo going on, and you DEF have that, he would 100% fall for you ever harder after exchanging a few words with you)

Every Leo version deserves a funny s/o. Bayverse and 2007? they NEED to laugh, a light hearted relationship is perfect for him and i def see that going on with you two (: he loves how you can effortlessly can deliver a punch line when he least expects it, my personal head-canon is that all Leos like to joke around, due being introverted, the oldest sibling and the leader, Leo closes himself a lot around his brothers, the only one chill enough to truly explore that side is Rottmnt Neon Leon, so if he ever decides to test the "imma make you laugh" waters with you, thats a sign he not only trusts you, but wants to impress and deepen your relationship with him

Thank GOD you can cook cuz this man cant LMAO

Leo's Love language is def Quality time, he will need some time to adjust into physical touch as your way of showing appreciation, but soon enough he looks forward to it! loves to mindlessly caress your hand, back, tights when you are hanging out, gives killer massages! likes to hear about your day as you both lie down on his futon and your head is in his lap or your you are both lying down and your legs are above is tights, soon enough he will discover he's actually really into gentle touches, give him time to ge used to it tho cuz he never really considered even having a s/o, so, baby steps regarding physical affection is the way to go!

He's so interested in your major, i shit you not he asks to see your assignments and homework. Leo loves to read, and if college was a possibility for the turtles, i can see him either doing something related to Linguistics, maybe Anthropology (def more focused on Japanese culture) he def likes to dive in those topics and he geeks the f OUT with you regarding your college major

The bumps on the road; 1-he cannot deal with someone impulsive. We all know his relationship with Raph, and we ALL know he can be controlling on his worst days, you both would have to compromise during missions or even daily tasks, he wants to be part of the planing, he wants to know whats going on, but at the same time he cant micromanage you like shit that sucks a LOT. 2- he needs someone steady. he fall in love extremely slow, so for his to work out, he would either have to speed the process up or you to pump the breaks with falling out of love rapidly 3- ..... give him time to be more pro-weed please LMAOOO (although i know this points can be """solved"""with loooads of talking, and thats something nice about your relationship, at certain stage, both of you are completely honest and open about your issues, and both can be understanding of each others limitations and personal growth that shall occur on future)

"if he’s rude to other women or doesn’t respect his parents" Leo gotcha, and honestly? he feels the same, if you cant show respect to the elderly (aka master splinter) wtf you doing?

"guys that aren’t into or against spiritual things like saging rooms or crystals or incense" Leo def knows anything related to Japanese culture and i think he (and mikey.. and Donnie) would be the most open-minded towards new healing / spiritual activites and techniques? although there are different reasons to each one of them; Donnie is bc he's curious about well- everything, Mikey is bc he always wants to try new things and lowkey finds it cool, And with Leo, he wants to be part of your life just like he wants you to be part of his, so please be open towards learning Japanese costumes and he shall participate in your costumes as well.

Loves that you are independent, he likes being there for you don't get me wrong, but.. he's a busy turtle, if you cant handle yourself once in a while, that might be a deal breaker for him. Chivalry is kinda big for him tho, so let him treat you when he can, he likes to woo you sometimes so just let him lol

Ok so i know Raph is like, the gym king or whatever but if you ever briefly mention you would like to use it the one the boys have around the lair, he will "randomly"show up there, Raph will def tease him if he tries to help you out on a machine that you and Raph combined know way more than he ever could lmao. He does asks you if you would like to join him into his training sections at the dojo, he's way more comfortable in there and he swears is not as stinky as their gym after Raph uses it, really looks forward to the day you accept his invitation into teaching you some self defense moves here and there

Ok you didnt mention this like...he loves how you always reply REALLY FAST!! like at first he's taken back cuz? usually april or casey take a few good minutes even hours to respond, humans have their things to do on topside and he gets it you know? he's also relatively busy most days, so when he almost automatically gets a reply from you, Leo def got surprised on the first chats he had with you, he begins to love it how fast you can come back to him with texting, he doesnt have to worry if you are in danger after escorting you to your home, or when you are leaving college, work, yadda yadda, he knows its not extremely healthy to be on your phone 24/7 but when you are away from him, he loves it he can have almost imidiate contact with you

Over-all: Really chill relationship but still has some fire into it??? at the same time?? both of you just gets eachother, and he feels free to show his funny, daring, flirty / teasing self he almost NEVER shows to anyone, so lucky you!

hope you liked it!

match ups are closed for now

[shittygaypornmagazine]

Hi! I recently started making a TMNT iteration and I wanted to pick your brain rq for questions you ask / wish you were asked that help with fleshing out characters, storylines, and the lives behind a characters that really make them come to life? Cause I'm struggling with a lot of bits here💀

Akfkgkxcjdkckz. Oh my god. Uh. Well. Ok.

First of all: just a quick note that I am in no way shape or form an authority on the matter of tmnt iterations and my ways of characterisation might as well be considered wrong by any other person.

So!

I definitely did not think about this response all night ever since receiving the ask, nono. I thought about it a normal amount.

Why?

That I guess is a very broad question, but I think it is really the first and the most important one you want to ask yourself about anything: a situation, a character, a storyline... I'll take my fic Full Lair as an example to make it easier and kind of apply what I'm saying to what I actually did.

So, three months ago, after reading about F!Leo for a while, I decided to make a Peepaw Fic. Why? Because the concept of a hurt adult version of a character coming back to see their carefree self and battling their hate for them felt fascinating. Why? *insert personal reasons here*

That is the "idea" of the fic.

I also wanted to put some romance in there. Why? Because I felt a little tired of reading about sixteen year olds falling in love and getting their happy ever after so soon, so I wanted to write about two middle aged men with their own baggage learning to trust and love all over again. Why? *insert personal reasons here*

That is the secondary "idea" or the reason for the plot itself.

There personal reasons don't have to be present, but I think every once in a while you should circle back to the whatever reasons you had for starting your fic in order to really understand what are you're trying to say or why are you making the fic in the first place, in case you are feeling stuck/don't know what to do next.

"Why" can also flash out a lot of characters and their backgrounds even before they are revealed, because while you, the author, know why a character does something, the readers will probably pick up on that and start getting the clues to whatever it is that you are setting up. And this really is a very fun question to be asked about your work because then you can go full info dumping mode and who doesn't love that?

Where are the background characters?

Personally, I regret not asking this question before starting Full Lair because I lost a lot of opportunities due to genuinely forgetting about certain parts/characters from the actual canon and bringing them back now would be a little awkward, so I prefer to simply reference them as not to erase their existence completely.

So, think about the background characters beforehand.

Doesn't matter what's your base: 2003, rise, 1987, or whatever and whoever you write about, it really helps to know where you're characters are at. You don't have to think all to hard or write about all of them, of course, but in case there is an opportunity for a little reference or a reader asks you something along the lines of "hey where's this dude" you have a quick and in-universe response to this.

So what about the jokes?

Now if you're not sure in your own sense of humour a trusted person who's opinion on it and the characters you are writing about seems to fit your fic would be a great help.

Yes, even if it's just for them to boost your confidence a little.

The jokes are a small part, but if you're writing about the turtle brothers, sometimes you gotta sprinkle in some bickering and teasing so it's better to have a Humour Tester by your side. And in general, jokes and their placement can really help to describe and understand a character (hence Leo from Rise) and their attitude towards the world and the people around them.

I have no idea if that was of any help at all, because I kinda went for the very few vague questions that I could think about at the moment, but you're always welcomed to ask for more specific ones!

[beetlegoose01]

The Problem with Rise Apriltello

An analysis by Pepperimp01, aka Char, aka me 

Well, it’s been a total of about a week since I last pissed off the Rise of the TMNT fandom, so I suppose I better do it again. 

I’d like to clarify before I begin that I will not be comparing Rise Apriltello to any past Apriltello versions (mainly 2012), because it seems irrelevant to talk about it. Whatever your opinion on that ship, does not apply here. Good? Good! 

Uh, spoilers for Rise btw. 

I’d also like to start by saying I adore Rise April. She is probably my favorite character overall in Rise. I love her personality, her design, her growth, and her character development that ends with her becoming a Hamato. It actually makes me tear up every time she has the final moment with Karai.

My issue with Apriltello has little to do with her, actually. To be honest, the idea of her being childhood friends with the turtles is adorable and makes my heart melt to think about. My problem is actually with Donnie. 

(If you're a Rise Donnie stan, I beg you to read the entire thing before you harass me,,,, again)

Donnie is not a good friend. 

When I was first in the fandom, I really loved Rise Donnie and April’s friendship. I thought it was such a nice change of pace from the past TMNT verse to have them just be cool buds instead of awkward love interests. And at first, I was right. Early on, in the episodes War and Pizza and the Purple Jacket respectively, Donnie goes out of his way to help April, even putting himself in danger to do so. 

Unfortunately in the latter episode, Donnie also proceeds to blame April for his own mistakes. She did warn him in the beginning about the Purple Dragons, and he ignored her for his own selfish reasons. Donnie, we all know can’t admit when he’s wrong and has an ego larger than his forehead as his only personality trait, so I guess that should be expected. 

“April: I warned you about those guys.

Donnie: You said they were full of themselves not that they were criminal masterminds. So in a small sense, this is entirely your fault.” 

-The Purple Game

This example is relatively minor and was a joke so I’m not going to harp too much about it. However, there is one episode that still bugs me and that is Donnie Vs. Witch Town. 

My god. Donnie is at his worst in this episode (and that’s saying something considering he's selfish and insufferable for most of the series). All April wanted to do was visit Witch Town and get help on her project. Instead of supporting his supposed best friend, Donnie proceeded to act like a jealous boyfriend and sulk the entire time, even sabotaging everything for her. He mansplained and disrespected the witches, and even got April arrested for something HE did. He was the one who got her banned, it was entirely his fault and you know what? I’d maybe forgive it if he, I dunno, apologized? He apologized to the witches, sure, but he never apologized to April for ruining everything for her. 

No, apologizing is too much work for the “precious purple bean”, and he decided it would be a great idea to make it all about him.

“April: Why are you so obsessed with proving me wrong on this?

Donnie: Because, I’m the Science Guy! If mystic powers can do everything I can do but better, then why would you guys even need me?”

- Donnie vs Witch Town.

This is actually a really common manipulative tactic used to make the other person apologize, or alternatively, comfort the abuser. April should not have been the one to comfort him and he should not have gone on his “poor me” tangent. It’s really sad that Donnie actually showed more compassion towards a robot, rather than his best friend. At least with S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N, he apologized. Too bad he can't do the same for April.

In conclusion? Raph should be April's best friend over Donnie.

I guess all we can hope is that Donnie will be better in the movie. Although if you saw my Andy and Russ callout post, that might not be likely.

[hauntsnhoes]

I just want a place to talk about this. Feel free to comment or ignore as you see fit. BUT I believe I’ve cracked the code on this.

I made a post the other day asking why people think shipping Rocket with a human character is ‘bestiality’. Then I asked why these same people seem to be able to sit through shows like Bojack Horseman without squicking out or losing their lunch. THEN I mentioned how ‘Mass Effect’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ are given the ok stamp but being attracted to Rocket is still off limits for some. But doing this made me realize something;

All the examples I gave as a counter argument included an animated non-human character whose company was other animated characters. This does not apply to Rocket. (Or at least not the cinematic universe version of him.) Rocket is an animated character among live action characters. Not only that but, apparently, the animation on him is good to the point of possibly being too good? 

Of course this still doesn’t really slice it for me. Firstly there’s the harkness test. 

Then we have the lovely ladies in the TMNT fandom. Couldn’t help but notice that most of them on this site prefer the Bayverse versions of them. Which are, you guessed it, animated characters alongside live action characters. EXACTLY the same as Rocket. 

But I, as a woman who partakes in the TMNT fandom all the time, have never experienced having my love for the turtles be called ‘bestiality’ and I don’t think any of my homegirls in the fandom have, either. I guess it could be because, the turtles are mutants and don’t really look too much like actual turtles because of it. I guess the brain processes them as green noseless men with shells? But I still think it’s far too close to Rockets situation to not get the same amount of flack. 

I know someone is going to mention the furry community to me. But before that happens I’d like to post this link to an phenomenal post explaining why being attracted to a character that may qualify as a ‘furry’ absolutely does not automatically make you one. (TLDR; People, especially women, tend to chose mates based more on personality traits than appearance. Human psychology is complicated and makes you attracted to personalities even if they come in weird bodies. But you may be a furry if the character you like has NO personality.) Personally, I feel like this mentality of calling anyone who is into non-humans a furry is outdated. But that’s another post, entirely.

Bottom line, I think the reason why some people are unable to comprehend that being attracted to Rocket isn’t bestiality is because the reptilian part of their brain looks at him and cannot see past his outer appearance. I don’t even really think it’s their fault. It’s just that the reptilian side of their brain is still built that way. 

But those of us who can tell the difference have evolved passed only being able to mentally process looks. If anything, diving into the subject has helped me discover that the human race is evolving. But we do not all evolve at the same time. 

Anyway. Back to wasting time before I go on vacation.

[theredscreech]

Grammar Tips That Are Actually Useful #2

So I honestly didn’t expect to do another one of these, but ever since my first GTTAAU post got a whole bunch of hits over the last few days, I decided to do another one about a popular piece of grammar that I notice is often misused.

Writers, gather ‘round as we explore the dreadful and terrible aspect of writing that is the...

Epithet.

Dun, dun, duuuuuuuun!

I first want to preface this by saying that I was notorious for this. I am so sorry to everyone who read my TMNT fics from 2016; I didn’t know better and I apologise profusely!! I went entire pages without naming a character in the narrative and I have no one to blame but my own ignorance, which has now been remedied - Hallelujah!

To explain: An epithet has a few definitions, so let’s take a look at them. (Definitions courtesy of dictionary.com.)

1. Any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality: “Richard the Lion-Hearted” is an epithet of Richard I.

2. A characterizing word or phrase firmly associated with a person or thing and often used in place of an actual name, title, or the like, as “man's best friend” for “dog.”

3. A word, phrase, or expression used invectively as a term of abuse or contempt, to express hostility, etc.

In other words, an epithet is an adjective or noun to describe or name someone without using their proper name.

(There’s a ton more under the Keep Reading, so buckle up.)

Epithets are used in a variety of ways to describe a variety of any character’s characteristics (haha). Most common examples for this are:

hair - the blond, the blonde, the black-haired person, etc.

eye-colour - the green-eyed person, the brown-eyed person, etc.

skin-colour - the pale-skinned person, the dark-skinned person, etc. (Side note: NEVER use food to describe skin colour/tone (eg. olive-skinned). It is offensive and wrong, so just don’t. If you have any questions, I’d encourage you to follow @writingwithcolor (which I do). They have excellent commentary for writers who write characters of varying ethnicities, religions, etc. Check out their FAQ before asking anything, though, because they’ve answered a ton of different questions already.)

status - the child, the teen, my boyfriend, his husband, etc.

profession - the engineer, the doctor, the ninja, etc.

species - the dwarf, the human, the dragon, etc.

or any combination - the green-haired teen (I saw this one in a fic from Izuku’s own POV), the orange-masked turtle (this one is mine and also from Mikey’s POV, and I am sooooo sorry.), etc.

There are, of course, dozens more of examples, but these are the most common ones, especially in fanfiction, so let’s leave it at that.

So why do writers use epithets so often?

Honestly, it becomes tedious and repetitive to write out the characters’ names all the time. It looks odd, too, all those ‘Mikeys’ and ‘Izukus’ and ‘Natasha Romanovas’ and what-nots. They’re just prancy-dancing all over your page and it looks. so. off. There’s just something about seeing characters’ names that, for whatever reason, some writers don’t like. And I kid you not, I had to train myself out of this way of thinking.

I had to train myself because as soon as I learned about epithets, I saw that I was using them absolutely everywhere. I would write literal pages without using anyone’s name, and four years later, I look back at those stories I wrote and posted publicly, and I cringe. But it’s the good kind of cringing because it lets me know how far I’ve come in my writing craft, that even though I’ve been writing for years and years, there’s always something new to learn. There’s always something to improve upon.

“Good for you, Red, but why are epithets so bad?”

Well, technically they’re not bad. They’re just used poorly or overused or both (as was my case).

We’ve already talked a bit about over usage (unless you missed the parts where I confessed to writing pages without using names), so let’s talk about poor usage.

Poor usage of epithets is when epithets are used incorrectly.

Here’s an example: Mikey looked at his red-masked brother.

Gah, that physically pained me to write! Okay, so what’s wrong with this sentence? Well, unless we’re writing for Mirage Studios’ comic (1984) where all four turtles of the TMNT wore red masks, then we’ve got a pretty good idea that ‘red-masked brother’ actually means ‘Raphael’.

Okay, great, so we know ‘red-masked brother’ is Raph, so why is this an example of poor epithet usage?

Answer: Because we already know Raph has a red mask. It is set. It is eternal. It’s a part of who he is, just like his skin or his shell. If you are at all familiar with this character, you will know that Raph is the ‘red-masked turtle’.

Here’s the thing epithets do. Epithets estrange characters from each other. This is why they’re most commonly and properly used for characters whom either we as the audience/narrator or the characters themselves do not know.

This is why phrases like ‘the dark-clad figure’ or ‘the blonde cashier’ are so popular - because we do not know who the people are! Sure, we can always go up to the dark-clad figure and introduce ourselves, or we can look at the blonde cashier’s name tag, and that’s sort of the point because we do not know who these people are yet. Epithets are used, more often than not, for unknowns until they are made known.

There are exceptions to this, of course, of course, most commonly of which are status ones: my husband, his son, their niece, etc.

These are fine, but use them wisely and sparingly (tying into the over usage part again).

Here’s a better example: I walked into the kitchen and found my husband already there and making breakfast for all three children.

‘My husband’ and ‘all three children’ are epithets, but they don’t estrange the characters, per se, because they’re letting us know who’s who and their importance to the narrator/character. That being said, you should still use ‘my husband’ sparingly because if you’re ‘my husband’-ing your husband, whose name is Henry, all over kingdom come, it begins to sound...not good. Like, why would you need to remind yourself Henry is your husband all the time? Do you have amnesia? Are you just forgetful? Are you insecure? Maybe he was unfaithful at some point and he’s doing better, but you’re internalising that and reinforcing the fact that he’s yours? Maybe you just don’t like his name? Or don’t know his name?

Hard to say.

The fact of the matter is this: the closer the characters are in terms of their relationship (platonic, romantic, as friends, as siblings, whatever), the less they will use epithets for each other.

For example: I, personally, have never thought of my mother as ‘the brown-haired woman’. She has always been mom or mum or other such derivatives. It never crosses my mind.

Contrarily, when I’m working at the book store and I’ve taken a few things up to the cash desk for a customer, I’ll let the cashier know that the items are for ‘the curly-haired woman with sunglasses’. Because she is a stranger to me.

Consider Disney’s film Lady and the Tramp (1955). I haven’t seen the live action, so I can’t make a comparison, but the 1955 version fits for what I want to talk about here.

Please name Lady’s owners.

If you said, ‘Jim Dear’ and ‘Darling’, you would be absolutely correct! While we can safely assume that ‘Jim Dear’ is actually ‘Jim’ or even ‘James’, we have no idea of Darling’s real name. Some pet names and nicknames are technically epithets if we’re being especially pedantic today (please see Disney’s Tangled’s character Flynn Ryder’s nickname for Rapunzel), but let’s say for the sake of argument that all pet names fall into the category of proper names, particularly since we’re talking about Lady and the Tramp (1955).

If you listen closely, you will notice that not once - not a single time, ever - do any of the characters that know Jim Dear and Darling call them by anything else (except for Jim Dear’s men friends at the baby shower; they all call him ‘Jim’). Even Darling’s friends call her ‘Darling’. Jock and Trusty both call Lady’s owners/masters ‘Jim Dear’ and ‘Darling’. Never ‘Lady’s owners’ or whatever else.

This is a perfect example of using names instead of epithets. It helps immensely that they aren’t main characters - secondary characters, certainly, but not main - but the point remains.

“But, Red, the Tramp never calls Lady by her name!”

And you’re right! But there’s a reason for that: Lady never formally introduced herself. The story begins in December of 1909 (thank you, Wikipedia). So by the time Lady is six months old, we’re well into 1910. Conventions in this era, as far as I know, not that I am an expert, dictate that ladies/women introduce themselves so that men could then address them (or something like that? Someone please correct me if I’m wrong). Since Lady never does that, Tramp is reduced to giving her the pet name ‘Pigeon’ or ‘Pige (Pidge?)’. Also, Lady doesn’t find out Tramp’s name until the dogs at the pound tell her.

Either way, Tramp is forced to use a pet name, but it is not an epithet simply because ‘Pigeon’ isn’t describing Lady’s characteristics.

Now, Tramp on the other hand...is a characteristic, and someone can definitely win the argument of whether this is an epithet or not. Hint: it is because it’s preceded by ‘the’. He is literally introduced as ‘the Tramp’ (Bull, the bulldog, says it first in a scene with him, Peg and the Tramp, and then Toughy drops it at the pound in front of Lady). This is his epithet, his defining characteristic, because he is introduced as it: The Tramp.

But this is not his only characteristic. He’s helpful and compassionate (the entire scene when he fights off three alley dogs chasing Lady and then proceeds to help her get the muzzle off), he’s also playful (shows Lady there’s more to life than “life on a leash”), courageous (he fights a rat), and respectful of Lady’s choices (tries to persuade her to run away with him but pursues the matter no further when she tells him ‘no’, and he also backs off when she’s mad at him).

This is what epithets do. Not only do they estrange the characters, but they also reduce the characters to a base level. Those well-rounded, complex babies you so carefully crafted become one-dimensional and flat in the span of a single phrase. They become ‘black-haired men’ and ‘green-eyed teens’ and ‘red-masked brothers’ and in that moment, that is all they are and when you continue to reinforce that, that is all the readers will see them as. Besides the fact that readers might very well forget their names entirely, especially if it’s an original work where the audience is not as familiar with the characters as they would be with fanfiction.

This is why Lady never addresses Tramp directly in the film. If she’s speaking to him, she’s looking at him so he knows she’s addressing him. It’s a subtle nuance in the film because Lady refuses to reduce Tramp to his epithet (once she learns it) because he isn’t that basic. (Another reason why Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure bugs me because I swear she actually calls him ‘Tramp’ and it feels so wrong for her to address him like that.) But Tramp gives Lady a nickname. See the difference?

So, yes. While epithets are not strictly bad, they are best when used properly and sparingly. Like, yes, please, feel free to remind us that Mikey loves his brothers and that Katsuki calls his friends ‘Spiky-hair’ or whatever. These are descriptive and good and should be used, just be aware of when and how often you use them, not to mention why. If you’re simply using an epithet for the sake of avoiding saying someone’s name, then it’s poor usage.

And holy freaking wow, this thing is ginormous! I’m going to stop here because I don’t think I can write another word about epithets and how important they are.

Thank you for reading! I hope this helps. And a reminder: check out RavenshellRorschach on DeviantArt for comprehensive how-to’s on some of English’s toughest homophones and grammar points.

Cheers, y’all!

~ Red

[kc-anathema]

I’m so sorry I did another long post so soon...

So a long time ago, I received a flame on Spec Ops 98: Jazz's Interrogation at Soundwave's Pedes. I hadn’t received a flame in a long time, and I haven’t received one since (which is amazing, since this was on chapter 26 back in...dear heavens, 2015. This fic is officially an epic.)

In fact, I stopped reading the flame once I realized it was a flame, about four chunks in. 2015, five years ago, I was changing principals, changing schools, trying to figure out how to marry my Canadian then-fiance and figure out immigration. (Fun type--marry her in Vegas, wait a couple years, bring her over. Use a lawyer to make sure it’s all kosher.) So yeah, didn’t read.

And then a concerned reader mentioned to me that I didn’t deserve this awful flame and that they loved the story. And I thought...oh yeah, there was a flame on this. That was a couple months ago.

I finally decided to break the flame apart like I used to. This feels very nostalgic to me. I found out that this is really the flamer’s only claim to fame--they flame fics and troll writers. I’m not going to name them then, although you can find the easily on the ff.net review page for this fic.

My father once told me that, if anyone ever spraypainted slurs across my house...leave the slurs up. Don’t pay to remove them. Let the awful words stay up until everyone in the neighborhood is begging us to take them down again.

I think leaving the review there says more about her than me. And I’m going to enjoy clawing this apart, I think, like a cat scratching apart a lizard.

Flame begin:

We’ve got a problem if Soundwave is involved here and he’s not pulling his usual ‘Decepticons, Superior’ line. Add on a fic about perverts and we get this. Ah, well. What are you gonna do?

Remember the character Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, and how he said “Bazinga” all the time? That kind of went from a joke to an overused character crutch. Like ‘dynomite!’ or ‘did I do that’? Is it really good to rely on a character line to the point where we can call it ‘usual’?

“I’ll take my pleasure and that sweet aft” – Sounds like a cheesy commercial for Robot Chicken. Fireflight is locked up in a dungeon and is about to be whipped by a BDSM Starscream. That’s not at all OOC. Basically it’s a fanfiction that talks about fanfiction.

I...um. Yes. Yes, it’s an OOC line modeled directly after pulp fiction zines and tijuana bibles. I literally looked up several of those on the Internet Archives and various old men’s magazines covers. It’s not fanfiction directly, although it’s certainly what fanfic evolved out of.

Do these look subtle? Low key? Classy? Tasteful? It’s cheap trash and it’s fun as hell. I don’t think readers at the time thought that these were in any way true. This is right along the lines of drawn hentai. So I think the flamer admitted despite themself that I did good.

“We’re stuck here in the middle of a war...we don’t have time for sex” – That’s right. But that fact doesn’t apply does it?

...reading trashy, porny magazines is not sex. It’s actually something you do when you can’t get sex for whatever reason. I would know. A lot of us would know. Apparently not the flamer. No one thinks that “hey, I got a chick/dude willing to bang right now...but the new issue of Men’s World is out! Can’t miss that!” Unless you have some serious fetishes that your partner is too weirded out by, I think this does indeed apply.

Then Jazz gets captured and lo and behold, Soundwave is revealed to be the Christian Grey of the story. I hope he has some maid outfits for Jazz.

...our flamer hits the sludgy bottom of the joke well and grabs their shovel. They do not try very hard for originality in their insults. And, while Grey was a jerk, Fifty Shades wasn’t quite a prisoner of war scenario. No, that was a cheap romance for chicks. I’m writing more akin to men’s...oh.

The flamer is a chick.

Their only bdsm or bad romance experience is with Fifty Shades.

I don’t think they read much.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd we have a shower scene. Damn if it’ll be Carrie!

Iiiiiiiiiiiii did not write a shower scene?

Dudette, did you even do the reading you say you did?

There’s no point in adding moral ambiguity, especially in regards to Soundwave. He won’t be swayed easily, or at all, by Jazz’s speech. He’s cold hearted for a reason. He serves the Decepticon cause until the very bitter end. He’s a lot like Shockwave that way. Highly doubtful he would find meaning or even the relevance of writing pornographic fanfiction, but eh, this was never meant to be serious, was it?

...no. It’s a humor fic. The flamer is criticizing a humor fic for being humorous. Kudos for identifying the genre? I mean, the flamer is also complaining that I did not write Soundwave as a one-dimensional factionalist without examining what that means for him and how the mission creep has left the original political crusade behind. It’s not like I took pieces of Soundwave from Gen1, IDW, and the comics and blend them all together.

This reminds me of the fanboys in the TMNT fandom who keep pushing for every iteration to simply rehash their nostalgia boner for the original toon. I feel like I’m getting the Transformers version of wanting less of this:

because it isn’t the familiar characterizations of this:

“So what’s the down low?” – You, Jazz. You’re going to give the down-low to Soundwave. I can’t wait to read how shiny his robo-vagina is.

...wow. Classy there, flamer. Also I really don’t think they read anything. This whole fic is plug n’ play. There’s exchanging of cables, talk of code and positronic souls and sparks and revving engines. There isn’t a drop of sticky, spike, or fluids.

Chapter 15’s sex scenes bore me. Nothing is worse than having a guy ask to remove every bit of clothing. Just do it already! And why is Jazz a virgin? Come on!

Look--the thing about sex and fetish and whatever revs your engine is that it’s not going to rev everyone’s engine. You don’t like the type of interfacing here? Fine. I don’t like those kind of sex scenes in my porn either. But I wasn’t write that scene for porn. I wanted write warbuild Jazz dealing with violent subroutines while interfacing with Prowl. I had fun with it.

Why is Jazz a virgin? The previous 15 chapters discuss that.

I really don’t think the flamer read the fic.They scanned for anything remotely sexual, so I don’t think I’m going to take anything they say about this fic being ooc for perversion’s sake.

“Everyone here is damn pervy” – In which a character talks about the author.

“We gotta get Soundwave to finish writing his story” – Why? I mean, what’s the point? It’s not doing anything for them, unless it’s to show how castrated Soundwave is. I’ve seen him act better in Mary-Sue fics.

There is a whole plot about Starscream and Skyfire, and I thought I could trust the readers to be intelligent enough to make the leap with the parallels between Soundwave and Jazz.

This is literally the only review that questions why Jazz said that.

The Mary Sue shot just echoes the Fifty Shades swipe. I think this flamer did most of their flames roughly ten years ago--the insults are pretty dated.

The Decepticons don’t know about Ratchet? Why? I mean, he’s one of the oldest dudes there. He has a reputation. When you have a reputation, people know about you. It’s inevitable. I think your inner logic slips a lot.

At this point, I literally have 21 previous chapters of world building.

I am not surprised that the story’s logic was slipping away from one of us.

It’s funny to read the forum responses in the story. It’s like the author is trying to make fun of detractors yet ends up making fun of herself.

Okay, this part is hilarious for a reason only briefly noted in the fic. I think that the only things this can refer to are the comments from the chapter titled Flames of the M4gn1f1c3ntSkyPr1nc3--because those are literally the first flames/comments I put in the fic. And I didn’t write them!

My wife wrote them! I don’t write Starscream well but she just poured those out like water--she’s seen more of the hysterical side of fandom, particularly the earlier TF fandom, and I snipped out pieces for the fic.

So...I mean, we’re pretty happily married, so I don’t think she counts as a detractor. ^___^ Ultimately I started writing this fic for her.

“Your optics make me crazy” – Not at all a cliché.

Good thing I didn’t write that, then. Here is that little section in the Prowl/Jazz section. (Took me a bit to find it since I plugged that into the Find and couldn’t bring it up.)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I like what you do to me. Jazz allowed him in, tilting his helm. I never really understood it, y'know? How mechs could lower their guard so much. Let someone this close.

And now? Prowl drew back, wanting to see Jazz for the answer. With a quiet ping, he warned the other mech even as he raised his hand, touching Jazz's visor.

I still think you're crazy always going on about my optics, Jazz said, venting even as he disengaged the locks and let Prowl gently remove the blue polycarbon.

Your optics are perfection, Prowl corrected him. And you let me see them. Hundreds of mechs wondering what's under that visor, but I get to see.

Still shy about letting someone else see them, Jazz turned his head, only for Prowl to touch his cheek and turn him back, coaxing his optics to open with a soft brush of his thumb.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not bad for an asexual, I think. I mean, it’s not like I have a ton of hands on experience, being kinda broken that way. But I have read plenty of pulp magazines and pulp radio shows!

This didn’t take long. I skimmed through this work, because there was so little content. Lots of ridiculous shit, though. Soundwave writes fanfiction, the Autobots are weirded out/turned on, capture Soundwave, Soundwave realizes that his whole life was a life and decides to defect. Yeah, about that. He wouldn’t do it lickety split, let alone EVER. Hell, the reactions in the forum bits show what some would think of this, if they weren’t too busy fapping.

The funny thing is I don’t think the mechs can even fap. I don’t write them doing that. But yes, flamer, I do believe that you skimmed through the work. Particularly since you’ve recounted it backwards...Soundwave captures Jazz as the capstone to a long internal conflict within himself, but rather than go through chapters of internal monologue and Decepticon politics, I started the story as close to the inciting action as possible, not quite in media res.

I won’t hash out why Soundwave defects. I mean, I spent 22 chapters at that point explaining it. But it’s my fault the flamer skimmed, I guess?

Needless to say: the romance bored me senseless. It was poorly written, and overall there’s really no skill attached to this. You don’t grip the audience and Jazz’s virgin mode made me roll my eyes. Reads like a first-time waifu manga.

Nah.

I’ve been writing way too long and am more than self-aware enough of my own failings that I’m also pretty self-aware of my own strengths, too. And no. It’s not poorly written. I definitely feel I could improve the first few chapters a bit, but that’s because I wrote those over five years ago and I’ve improved since then, too.

Empty insults. Maybe if the flamer had gone so far as to give a critique beyond a couple of misquoted lines and their own headcanons, I might have listened, but there’s literally nothing of substance here beyond a child tantrumming that I’m stupid and bad and should feel bad.

As for the other pairings, booooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring.

Usually I have a fun time setting these fics on fire, but this one bored me senseless. Yes, it was stupid, but the author’s attempt to authenticate it are just as sloppy as anything else.

“Authenticate”?

Is this person talking about using fandom tropes as my setting?

There are 22 chapters at the time, and now 51 chapters, building up this world and using roughly 20 years of fandom background to inform the fic.

Maybe if they hadn’t skimmed, they might have found something interesting. But considering that they skimmed over anything character related and stopped for the sex scene--I don’t think that says anything about my writing and more about their own proclivities.

They were trying to read one-handed. A plug n play fic. A long meta look at fandom in war in a humor fic. And they came here for the sexy times.

I don’t have to draw the conclusion here, do I? Well, for the flamer, probably. And then they’d glance at it for a second, call it sloppy, and say I showed nothing, and what I showed was boring, and that boring stuff was ooc anyway.

One thing I am thankful for is the fact that it is not long.

51 chapters later and I’m still not done.

Nothing’s worth remembering in this and I don’t need to tell you that these characters either act like simpering imbeciles, or are virginal waifus. All I’m missing is a senpai in the bed, some tissues, and some high quality lotion.

...why do they keep referencing gay human sex? I mean, I get it, they’re saying that it’s similar to yaoi fics, but.

This is anti-yaoi with its last hurrah, isn’t it? The late 90s, early 2000s, rising from its sludgy well to try to shame the easily cowed and intimidated, the young writers easily startled by long lines of text. No wonder the citations used are so...15 years ago. I mean, who was talking about Sues even 5 years ago. That criticism kind of faded a long while ago, even then.

I think the sad thing is, even the badly written Sue sex fics end up being more interesting than this. If Ebony Darkness D’Mentia Raven Way were to come along, I think this story would get better. What with her ‘I shot him a gazillion times’ lines.

...and there’s the cherry on the top. Third cheap shot firing blanks. Sue + Fifty Shades +...shit, I can’t even remember the title for that infamous fic. It’s that old.

...this fanfic flamer is old.

Like, don’t get me wrong. We’ve got fandom moms and grandmoms who cut their teeth on fandom print zines in the earliest conventions. They’re not “old” in the same way.

This person has lost any joy, humor, or playfulness that fanfic comes from. No one should go into fanfic expecting fine art. I mean, sure, it happens sometimes, but this is a playground of pulp, experimentation and just plain childish fun.

All in all, not worth remembering. It’s makes me tired to read it. It’s not even stupid enough to make me laugh. You’ll still get a fail rating for me, especially with the shitty version of Soundwave here.

Yes, fanfic flamer. You are indeed tired.

He should be on Big Brother. He’d be great making soy lattés and purees.

Big Brother in 2015 was in its 17th season. There were roughly around 6 million viewers at the time. The demographics for the tv viewing audience were graying even by the 2000s, and by 2015-18, it was significantly older.

Granted, it’s a very tenuous conclusion to draw, but combined with the old fandom references, the anti-yaoi vibes I’m getting, and the fanboyish desire to curate their own headcanon of a character to the point of insulting writers on the internet...

Flamer grew from being a reader to a bitter, old person angry and the whipper snappers for writing stupid, trashy crap that they criticize with broad, unspecific insults.Flamer is the stereotypical mean adult in any 90s cartoon or heavy metal rock video.

A little depressing. Poor flamer. I do hope they found more creative, engaging, and positive things to do.

Me? I just wanna rock.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk on pulp fiction and bitter cultural creators.

[mrjoelgarcia9]

Let’s Talk #RiseofTheTMNT: Premature Final Thoughts

This show was canceled too soon.

For my brief final thoughts on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, feel free to keep reading. There will be (light) spoilers.

Since this is the first time I have actually written anything about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I should quickly mention my thoughts on the past animated series. The original 1987 series was OK, the 2003 4Kids series was good, and the 2012 series was really good. I do not consider myself a massive fan of the franchise. The only TMNT film I own (and Highly Recommend) is Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

With that said, let’s get to this particular series.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or just either Rise of the TMNT or TMNT 2018, was the fourth animated series based on the long-running comic book and second to be produced by Nickelodeon. Like the other series, changes were made which heavily divided longtime fans for better or worse.

The four turtles were now different types of turtles. Splinter went from a traditionally stoic figure to a lazy couch potato who can fight. April O’Neil was again portrayed as a teenager, like in the 2012 series, but also African American for the first time ever in the franchise. Casey Jones was now a woman named Cassandra, with the nickname Casey, who originally worked for the Foot Clan.

None of these changes were terrible, except for Splinter. They greatly helped the show stand out from the others, along with the amazing fight scenes.

Sadly, it was not as successful as its predecessor. Some blame can be put on Nickelodeon, considering this is the latest failed Nicktoon after Welcome to the Wayne. Like that show, it originally premiered alongside The Loud House, failed to match its ratings without the show as a lead-in, was dumped onto the Nicktoons premium channel, and quietly canceled after two seasons.

It comes at a time where the network appears to be dropping their shows if they are unable to immediately match the ratings success of either The Loud House or SpongeBob SquarePants. Only two Nicktoons have been able to stay on the main network within the past three years: The Casagrandes (the former’s spin-off) and miraculously It’s Pony.

There are also three other possible reasons: A lack of a theatrical film, low toy sales, or timing.

Each of the previous animated series were supported in some form by the films, despite having no direct connections to the shows. The first three came out during the 1987 series’ run, the 2007 CG film came out during the 4Kids run, and both Nickelodeon films came out during the 2012 series’ run. Except for the aforementioned crossover, which was direct-to-video and aimed at an older audience, no theatrical film was released during the show’s short-lived run.

Another likely reason for the cancellation were supposedly low toy sales, although there is currently no confirmation of that. If it is true, it would mean the show relied on an outdated concept which does not apply to other Nicktoons: being dependent on toy sales to stay on the air. In comparison, The Loud House will enter its fifth season despite most of its merchandising being books and graphic novels with almost nonexistent toys and few DVD sets.

However, the biggest reason for its failure has to be the timing.

Looking at the span of time between the end and start of each series, enough time passed to build up a new audience. Only twice has it been less than a year.

1987/Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation: Ten months.

NM/4Kids: Five Years (Coincidentally, on the same network: FOX).

4Kids/2012: Three Years.

2012/2018: Seven months.

It is always dangerous for any franchise to reboot themselves, let alone within a year. Other franchises at least wait a few years to introduce a new version. For example, Ben 10: Omniverse ended in late 2014 and the inferior reboot premiered in late 2016 (early 2017 in the United States).

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appeared to fail mostly because Nickelodeon (or in this case, Viacom) was impatient wanting to cash in yet again on the franchise and rushed to air the show. Instead, all it led to was the show being dumped on the cable equivalent of Dimension X.

If they had just waited at least a year or two, then it might have been able to succeed, stay on the air, and be on the main network. Instead, it has become the franchise’s biggest failure since Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation.

There is, however, a bright side. While the show may be over, a film based on it will premiere on Netflix sometime within the next two years. It will come out alongside another film based on a popular Nicktoon: The Loud House Movie.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is available to own on Digital.

Until next time, thank you for reading!

[tamachan221]

What was originally a simple sketch because I needed something for my fanfic ended up becoming a whole ass drawing lol

I realized I never got around to drawing a proper character sheet for Kimiko's 2003 incarnation, which I kinda feel ashamed considering this is the original version of mah gurl. I did make a few changes to her bio. Read The Story~! ________________________________________________________________ -Kimiko- -Fourteen Years old at the start -4'9'' in height - Leo refers to her often as Little Turtle, sort of a ref to Little Mermaid but also that she is a smol bean - Would be voiced by Bella Hudson/ Erica Schroeder (Dark Magician Girl, Akiza) -Loves cherry and peach blossoms -Her hair will grow longer as the story progresses -Splinter had found her unconscious as a small mutant about three years later, thinking she must have gotten lost after hatching or someone had lost their pet. He thought her mutation must have been caused by remnants of the ooze that had changed he and his sons. - In truth, she was an experiment of a scientist who had come into contact with the T.C.R.I. byproduct, the ooze, and began messing with it as he was slowly going mad. Kimiko was the second of two tests, but got lost from the scientist after the baby turtle ingested some of the ooze and then wandering before falling into a grate, into the sewers. The impact with the sewer floors and the mutation caused her shell to eventually stop growing with her after a certain age, leaving her lower back exposed. -Kimiko was very ill when found, but with enough determination, she would make it through. However, until a point in her later years, she'd usually suffer mild fevers that would last about a week due to the fact that well....they couldn't really get the proper medication for her. In the future years, they became less and less frequent, to a point where they haven't come back in her teenage years. But Kimiko has developed a fear of getting sick. -Kimiko also has a bad habit of overthinking things -At first, she'll wield twin wakizashi, then eventually crafts and keeps katana on her as she favors blades, but also likes the bo as well. Kimiko likes weapons and has a fascination in collecting and creating them. -She doesn't gain the chest strap, which will usually have extra shuriken in the pouches, until mid Season 2 after they return from T.C.R.I. -Kimiko has adapted around the Way of Invisibility, not only does it apply to one's keen senses, but she is able to manipulate what one's mind, making them think one thing when it's actually a trap into something else. Or rather, she's silver tongued. -Season 1, Kimiko starts off as careless, game loving teen and toward the end and by the end of Season 3, she is a depressed, edgy, hate filled and paranoid turtle who not only has strong feelings for Leonardo, but sort of a falling out with Splinter as she is only focused on taking out Shredder. - She joins the Foot in hopes of keeping her family safe from detection in the beginning under the alias, Kuro Katana, who becomes an Elite rank all while hiding her identity from Shredder. But also keeping her association with the Foot a secret from her family until the night of their first major battle. - Kimiko constantly blames herself for the Foot flooding the sewers and everything that happened at April's apartment, Leonardo's almost death, crashing through the window broken and battered, being what haunts her the most. She feels as if she should have kept a better eye on the Foot. -After arriving at the farmhouse and telling her Tale of Leo, Kimiko runs out of the house as she couldn't bare it. Eventually, running off, back to NYC and creating false evidence using her own blood, hair, burning some of it to make ashes, and some fabric. Which, as Kuro Katana once again, she presented to Shredder before waiting to strike at him. -Constantly hates herself more than anything throughout the series. - She had still managed to keep her identity hidden until their big fight at Foot HQ where she prepared special katana....which ended up being a useless distraction. -After it's revealed that Shredder was an Utrom, Ch'rell, and after the explosion at T.C.R.I. Kimiko has major concerns which cause her to start training very seriously. Becoming somewhat anti social and doing more on her own. -Meets a someone a little older than the turtles who goes by Talon (bc of course) who asks to hang out, but tricks her into a trap. -Does not Karai one bit, and is filled with nothing but venomous hatred when she finds that Shredder survived. - Forfeits her match in the Battle Nexus Tournament after learning of Leonardo's condition so that she can help him. - Will eventually be forced back into the Foot as Kimiko made a deal with Shredder during the Triceraton Invasion, though it did provide her with the means of attempting to attack him from within. ________________________________________________________________ I'll probably do another one as I start writing Season 3, bc Kim's appearance will be slightly different. Season 4 as well as that will probably have a LOT of drama especially between Kimmy and Leo bc there will be BIG argues Kimiko- TamaChan221 TMNT- Viacom/ Kevin Eastman ________________________________________________________________ -Buy me a Ko-fi~!-Commissions- Instagram- Twitter-Twitch-YouTube-