#tmnt blind sight

[tothefiniteyou]

Blind Sight - A Retrospective

Includes spoilers for the entirety of Tales of Leonardo: Blind Sight, as well as discussion of suicidal ideation, depression, and other sensitive topics. Some of the panels included might be considered gory as well. I'm also writing this with the assumption that you're familiar with what happens in the story.

I'd like to begin this little think piece of mine with a disclaimer; I'm going to be fairly vulnerable with this, as this is a piece of writing that impacted me greatly for a variety of reasons. Let's get into it.

The beginning to Blind Sight really begins with the 5th issue of the second volume to Tales of the TMNT - Blind Faith. I think it's very bittersweet that the story begins with Leo comforting a small Shadow who's still afraid of the dark, because it's a good way of setting the stage and tone for this story. Phobias and fears are typically irrational, and we're afraid not just of what we can't see, but what can happen because of that. They can control us because we let it fester and grow, losing ourselves to that fear.

When Leo loses his sight in this story, he has to be confronted with the fact that life won't be the same. He doesn't think he can lead or protect his brothers anymore, and he doesn't have control, either. He's very much someone that prefers information to be clear and concise with no punches pulled. He needs facts, and he relies on his senses and logic.

I know Jim Lawson has been praised plenty for making everything monochrome to show how Leo cannot see and no longer remembers what things look like, but his prose doesn't get enough attention, in my opinion.

There's a lot I admire about this entire story, especially the moment in which Leo believes he has taken an innocent life. There's nothing dramatic about it, as Leo isn't the type to have some over-the-top reaction. He freezes, mouth partly agape, as he takes in the fact that this could be permanent and that he has lost the ability to do the only thing he considers himself good at. It's such a subtle display of grief, and I love it.

Really, there's not much I can say about the actual event where he's blinded, and it's not what I want to focus on, either. I want to highlight the aftermath:

This scene really gets to me because we, as the viewer, only have Leo's perspective. There's nothing to see, just a black and white landscape of shapes. I think it's a good display of the dissonance between the brothers here. Mikey's trying his hardest to find some positives, or to at least not make his brother feel different. Leo, however, wants none of it; his grief is narratively blinding him in this story, and this scene is meant to show that. He's saying he still enjoys it up here, but it's a lie. It's a lie because instantly when he's alone, Leo begins to have Thoughts.

With these pages, it's clear that Leo considers himself to be his swords, in a sense. He's a weapon - his whole life has revolved around defending and protecting. After all, Splinter raised them with a single purpose; revenge. But revenge is what led to him losing his sense of purpose to begin with, so even then, what good is he? What purpose does he serve now that he can't fight like he used to? If something is broken, you throw it away; nobody has use for something that can't even do the thing you have it for. At least, this is the idea he's subscribed to here.

Now, Leo is definitely no stranger to depression in the original Mirage series. Hell, I'd argue that Mirage Leo was really the blueprint for IDW Leo, who has a similar goofiness contrasted with these types of melancholic monologue to him. He's so fixated on what he no longer has that he can't even get past it. To him, he's as good as dead. It's harsh to say, but I think he's having such a huge identity crisis that a part of him doesn't even want to try. He's just... So tired.

Of course, I'm sure he'd give everything to be able to fight again, but that's for his brothers. When it comes to people that need control, sometimes the scariest thing is realizing that your control wasn't actually ever needed. He fights for his brothers, but what if they don't need him protecting them? He could fight again, but he wouldn't forgive himself if it hurt and endangered them. He'd also be hurt if they did well without him, though.

After the incident in which they are forced to go to Northampton, Leo isn't in a coma at all. He becomes testy and goes out into the woods to hunt and be alone, scarcely seen by anyone else. He's more closed off here than in 2003 & 2012 and never seems to really talk. He sort of gets past it when Raph ends up being nearly killed by the Shredder, but my point here is that Leo seems to have a lot of identity problems.

He couldn't protect his brothers or April then, so he hunts. What's interesting about that is the fact animals are good at sensing enemies and tracking their prey, similar to how the Shredder herded Leo to where he needed him for the ambush (I wrote a little fic about this too teehee).

Anyway, it's clear that Leo prides himself on maintaining order. Any setback can cause him to spiral because of his need for control.

I think that's why this conversation scares Mikey so much, basically insinuating to their other brothers that he's genuinely afraid of Leo killing himself, directly or passively it doesn't matter. His fears aren't unwarranted, either.

Now, it's revealed that this ^^^ is just an intrusive daydream of Leo's, but still. Up on the radio tower, he imagines what it would be like to fall off, his own weapon piercing through him. This, to me, is very deliberate. He's the weapon, defending his family, but also ruining the lives of others, bad or not. His sword blinded the one that retaliated and blinded him back, which may as well have sealed his fate and killed him. Also, doesn't this seem a tad bit similar to seppuku? In that he's killed by his own blade? Seppuku is seen as the only way to regain honor in the afterlife...

The resemblance is meant to be there, I think, because what are the odds his katana is able to break through the concrete with the force of its fall and be blade side up long enough for him to be impaled by it? I suppose it can happen, but I think it just shows how Leo isn't his usual, rational self right now.

(I think it's also interesting in his little daydream that he doesn't imagine himself jumping off. He can't quite bring himself to do it, so instead of stepping off himself, he goes out of his way to picture one of the rungs snapping, leading him to fall. Now, on a meta level this could be a bit of a diversion tactic to scare you and make it feel real, but ehh. I think it can go both ways).

Anyways, he imagines his death in gruesome, visceral detail, to the point he wonders if his death would cause the death of his family as well. His leaps in logic are irrational. Because really, what are the chances there's a special mineral from the sewers embedded in his feet, leading to government agents finding the lair and killing his family?

This is the scene I really wanted to talk about, as I find it to be one of the most brutal and realistic depictions of depression. Later on in this series, Leo basically implies that there's plenty of ways he can die, and they're all preventable. All he needs is a reason to do so (keep them from happening), but he currently doesn't have one.

I think it's the same thing here.

He's looking for a reason to step off the tower - either to jump, or to walk away and go back home. He doesn't need some grand sign, he just needs a reason. So, he considers what it would be like, to die. But he can't even go through with it all the way because then he imagines Raph dying because of his decision. This is what finally causes him to snap out of it, choosing to abandon his katana.

Even when contemplating death, his family is still the reason he keeps going. He needed a reason to live, and imagining his brother(s) dying is what did it. He weaponized his own intrusive thoughts to live. His own death didn't scare him, but his family did.

Yet, a piece of him still clearly dies, as depicted by him throwing away his sword. He doesn't want to be the weapon anymore, but he's not too sure what he is without it. He wants to make a point that he's more than the weapon. However, you can read him dropping his katana as him giving up, thinking he only kills and is no longer worthy of trying to protect. Not after killing an innocent man.

He doesn't directly kill his brother, but I don't think that matters to Leo. Not when he internalizes mistakes.

Never before have I seen intrusive thoughts depicted this way, or even suicidal ideation, really. It's....not quite comforting, but makes me feel seen, you know? Sometimes it's not really the happy thoughts that keep you going, but your own fear twisted in a way that fits your narrative.

The fact the first issue just ends with this ^ page is also so.... We don't get to see him actually step off, because a part of him never leaves. It's still there, not sure which direction to go.

Self-blame is both a canon and widely fanon aspect to Leo's character. By that I mean the portrayal feels a bit fanon, as I don't think Leo's perfectionist personality is really explored until Vol. 2 of the original series (although there is the Northampton arc...) It's definitely there, don't get me wrong, but it's more like his self-blame comes from a place of grief and fear. I think this panel might make it clear what I mean?

These deaths were because he lost his autonomy, blindly killing without being able to do a thing to stop it. He blames himself for everything, but I don't think he trains relentlessly to be perfect or to necessarily protect people the best he can. I think he's scared of doing the opposite. It takes more control to not kill a person than it does to do so, in a way. Anyone can kill another, but having the skill to pull back and merely disarm an enemy whilst protecting yourself and others is marginally harder.

But he's having a hard time knowing if it was worth it, pulling his punches. If he had killed the Foot soldier that blinded him, he wouldn't be feeling like this now. He wouldn't be unable to help his family (as he has been blind for months by this point I believe?) like he currently feels like he is. He was trained since birth to kill the Shredder, just to suddenly have to save people. That's a very different thing!

Splinter literally started their ninja training the second they began walking and copying his movements. He trained them for revenge, just for them to have to be vigilantes as the time calls for it.

I think what I'm really getting at here is that he's more than just angst; he can be silly and bossy just because, too (Leo is such a bossy older brother). But his fear manifests in the urge to do his best, and really a lot of his angst is self-made.

It's not just "I have to be perfect", or "I'm trying to keep you safe." It's something more, though I lack the proper words to describe it... It's almost like he wants to bear the burden in the case a scenario just like this one happens. If being the best means facing the worst, so be it. Hopefully that makes sense...

I want to get more into how IDW Leo and Mirage Leo feel very one-in-the-same to me, but I think that's an essay for another time. It's just very important to me for you to know that Leo often questions his devotion to Splinter in the original comics.

Not only does he say things like this, but in this story, when Splinter pushes him down the hill in the woods and forces him to find his way back home while blind, all Leo says is: "I knew it." He didn't expect his father to outright help him or to offer sympathies. He just accepted that he was going to have to look inside himself and solve this psychosomatic matter. Just another example of Leo internalizing the idea that hurt is all in his head...

He stated "You think I'm crazy." when Splinter suggested he was keeping himself blind, as well. It wasn't a question, and that, to me, really showcases that all Leo's have daddy issues /hj.

Anyways, sorry that this was mostly incoherent and didn't serve too much of a purpose. I really just wanted an excuse to get people to read Blind Sight... well, and to talk about the scene in which Leo imagines endangering his family because of his actions.

[turtleblogatlast]

Unironically think that each of the bros (+April) don’t actually get how impressive their feats really are so they just do what they do and on the off chance someone comments on those feats they all react like:

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

Ok ok hear me out Four Brothers and One Crush but 2007 TMNT

Pretty Human In Danger (Angst/Cracky)

2007!Turtles x reader

A/N: This one is not exactly like Four Brothers and One Crush, since the 2007 turtles are quite a bit darker than the 2012 boys, but I hope this was what you wanted💚 Hope you enjoy💚🐢

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Warnings: Attempts of mucking, arguing and fighting brothers.

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Tension boiled just beneath the surface, as the four turtle brothers went out on their first training trip in years. With Leonardo’s return from South America came the old routines they used to have two years ago. Now, each brother had different reactions to this. Leo, who has spent two years trying to become a better leader, was focused. Distant but focused. Almost too focused for his brothers to keep up with him. Raphael was frustrated. He had now enjoyed two years of freedom, running through the nights as the Nightwatcher, not having to take orders from anyone. But with Leo’s return, he now had to step back in line, not that he intended to do so. Michelangelo was joyous, happy to have his oldest brother home once again, and even more happy to have something other to do, than to entertain wild children at birthday parties. Donatello too was happy to have Leo back home, and glad to leave his phone service job behind, even if he found himself mildly irritated by Mikey’s uncentered line of thoughts.

That night Leo had him and his brothers do pull ups on a water tower, wanting to see if they still had any strength left in their arms. And to be honest, Leo got disappointed. Mikey was the first to drop to the roof, complaining about the pain in his arms. Then it was Donnie. Once on the flat roof he laid back on his shell, trying to catch his breath. That left Leo and Raph in a silent competition, both wanting to be the last still doing pull ups on the water tower.

Mikey, who had grown quite bored with his two eldest brother’s competition, moved to the edge of the roof, deciding that staring down into the dark alley would be much more entertaining. And to Mikey’s credit, it was, just not in the way he had hoped for.

Down in the alley he catched a glimpse of a human, running in through the mouth of the alley. She threw scared looks over her shoulder, her fast breathing echoing against the brick walls, along with the shuffle of her running feet against the pavement. But that was not what Mikey noticed. At the sight of her he became blind to any signs of distress, his eyes focusing on the form of her figure. They way her hair fell, the shape of her lips, the curve of her nose, and the pigmented color of her eyes. She was absolutely beautiful.

“Woooow”, Mikey muttered, catching the attention of Donatello.

“What are you ‘wow-ing’ over?”, he asked, walking to Mikey’s crouched position. That was where he saw you, his eyes widening in the same way as Mikey’s had done, somehow not noticing your panicked expression when you realized you had hit a dead end. “Woooow”.

“What are you two dumb nuts ‘wow-ing’ about?”, Raph asked, fighting against the burning sensation in his arms as he pulled himself up one more time.

“There’s a hot chick in the alley”, Mikey said.

“Don’t objectify a woman, Mikey”, Leo said, not showing any signs of strain or tiredness, causing Raph’s frustration to grow.

“I’ll have to agree with Mikey on this one”, Donnie said. “She is quite good looking”.

Raph sighed out loud in annoyance, hanging slack in his arms before he forced himself to do another pull up. “Idiots…”

Four men emerged from the street, yelling out and pointing at you out at the end of the alley. You let out a sound of distress, backing up like an animal scared in the corner of a trap.

“Oh shit!”, Mikey exclaimed.

“Guys! She needs help!”, Donnie called out. Leo reacted fast, just like he had done through his time in the South American jungle, letting go of the water tower, just as Raph’s arms gave out, before making his way to the edge of the roof, katanas ready in both hands. Raph stood up from the roof with a grumble, rubbing his behind as that was what he had landed on, making his way to his brothers and the scene they were staring at.

The four men were slowly narrowing in on you, taunting you as they did, evil smirks plastered all over their faces. Leo had seen those kinds of expressions before in the jungle, remembering the men that had tormented the poor people that just wanted to live in peace.

“I got it”, Leo said, placing his foot on the edge, only to be pulled back by Raphael’s hand on the lip of his shell, as if he hadn’t just destroyed his arms on the water tower a moment ago.

“Hey, hey, hey, nooooo”, Raph said, pulling Leo back onto the flat surface of the roof. “Who says you get to save the pretty human girl?”

“I did”, Leo answered with a deadpan look.

“So?!”, Raph argued. “Maybe some of us know a thing or two about saving humans! Especially pretty ones!”

“You’re all weak and out of training”, Leo said, not noticing the way Mikey and Donnie exchanged glances, both having the same idea in mind.

“Weak?!”, the angry turtle yelled out, not seeing how Mikey and Donnie started pushing and pulling each other out of the way, both of them wanting to be the one to help you out. “Did you not see me up there?! You let go before I did!”

“I only let go because Donnie called for me”, Leo growled.

“For you! As far as I remember, he said ‘guys’!”, Raph roared, his hands moving wildly in the air above his head.

The two oldest of the turtles continued their argument as the two youngest continued their increasingly wild yet silent fight, about who got to be the first to go down there. The fight ended when Mikey bit down on Donnie’s hand, causing the purple clad turtle to let go of his brother in order to scream out in silent pain, jumping on the spot as he held onto his hand.

Mikey jumped off of the roof, landing just behind the four men, the thud causing all of them to turn and look, your eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the mutant turtle. Mikey smiled brightly at all of you, swinging his nunchucks around.

“Don’t worry, fair lady!”, the happy turtle said, posing like the superheroes in his comic books. “I will save you!” But he got no further in his hero actions before Donatello fell from the sky above, forcing Mikey down on the ground with a foot in his shell, only causing you and the goons to be even more surprised and confused. The men had had their run-ins with the Nightwatcher, but never had they been surprised by two… green… whatever they were.

“No, I was going to!”, Donnie said, making sure his brother couldn’t wiggle out from under his foot.

“Hey!”, it sounded from the top of the roof, where Raph and Leo stared down the people in the alley. Raph, not waiting for his brother’s order, Raph jumped over the ledge and down to the dark alley, followed by an annoyed Leo. It was here that the goons expected all four of the… frogs?... to jump on them, but they didn’t. Instead the red clad one went straight to the two others, a sharp finger pointing at them.

“If anyone gets to save the pretty human, it’s me!”, Raph yelled, poking Donnie so hard in the plastron that he stumbled off of Mikey.

“You?”, Leo exclaimed, turning Raph towards him in a sharp swing. “You’re impatient shell couldn’t save an unmoving rock, even if you tried!”

“You save a few animals in the jungle, and now you think you’re some kind of hero!”, Raph growled. “Step back, honor boy! If anyone gets to save her, it’s me!”

“No you don’t!”, Mikey yelled, now standing on Donnie’s plastron with his bow staff in hand, pretty much making it impossible for the turtle to get up off the ground. “I got down here first! I called it!”

“This is not a game of shotgun, Mikey”, Leo said, just before he heard the sound of a thud and a groan.

The four turtles looked in your direction, just in time to see one of the men fall to the ground, laying among the rest with you standing in the middle. Your stance wide and your fists in a fighting position. The brothers gasped when they realized what had happened when they had argued. While all the men had been distracted by the fighting turtles, you had taken them all down on your own.

“What a saving”, you mumbled, shaking your hand from the slight ache over your knuckles, not knowing how you had made their heart beat fast, heat rising to their cheeks. They knew you were good looking from the moment they saw you, but this caught them off guard.

[j-nope-not-today]

Can I ask for TMNT boys react to Female s/o being blind, please.

TMNT reaction to blind s/o

A/n: thanks so much for requesting! For this I kinda just wrote it as s/o who could see and then went blind.

Raphael

First of all..the man is stunned

Because never did he expect to hear news like this

I mean..just yesterday your eyes worked and you could see..and now you couldn't?

Immediately he is doing all he can to make things easier for you

You obviously have to learn to read brail and so he's gonna learn with you

So you don't feel so alone with it

He's not leaving your side. Not until he knows you can do things by yourself

So no patrol..no saving the city bc rn he's busy saving you

And you can bet he's gonna be up donnie's ass about finding a way to fix your eyes

Just know this big teddy bear will be there for you

Literally the whole time..you might get a little annoyed

Leonardo

He doesn't know what to do with this new found information

Honestly..for the first time..he's at a loss for a plan

So..he kinda just sits there with you

He'll get things you need and low-key kinda babies you

But you obviously learn how to be blind

And he's still stuck in the finding out phase

So you'll probably have to snap him out of it

And when you do..he listens ofc and he makes you a promise that he would be your eyes

Leonardo most definitely would try to find a way to get your sight fixed

But obviously if he can't he's not gonna tell you.. he's just gonna be there for you and adapt with you

But in the end Leonardo takes the news pretty well and he's very sweet with you

Donatello

The moment he finds out

He's already working on plan a, b, and c to get your sight back

Will do everything in his power to make sure your comfortable and learning how to be blind

Until he can fix it.. because I guarantee you..he will fix it.

He most definitely baby proofs everything

Doesn't need you getting hurt

Did I mention he's probably gonna have you stay with him in the lair

Just until he fixes you up..he's got eyes on you 24/7

He's probably build some fancy gadget that will guide you to wherever you need to go

Just for when he isn't there for you

Overall he takes the news as well as can be expected and before you know it..he'll have you better in no time

Michelangelo

He honestly acts very mature

Immediately checking on how you are and how you feel

Then after he makes sure you get adjusted to your new situation

Offers for you to stay with him or he'll stay with you

Definitely wants you to feel comfortable and safe and you sure do with Mikey around

He'll even be blind with you

Man's will put on a blindfold and stumble around with you..and honestly it's in hopes to make you laugh

Will relentlessly bug Donnie to help fix your eyes if there's a possibility too

But he's very sweet..and glued to your hip

Honestly Mikey handles it all very well and his number one goal is for you to feel the same as you've always felt

[aquietwritingcorner]

Shard

Title: Shard Day: Whumptober 2023, Day 22 Prompt: “They never saw us coming til they hit the floor” Shard/Vehicular accident/ “Watch Out!”  Fandom:  TMNT 2003 Word Count: 1336  Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl Rating: T  Characters: Donatello, Michelangelo Warning: Summary: Don’s breath caught painfully as he tried to breathe, and for a moment that was all he could focus on. He wasn’t even sure when he realized that he was lying on his side, staring at a spread of glass shards, from pieces as big as his hand, to ones that barely glittered in the meager light. Don blinked, and tried to shift his head, only to feel the scrape of glass below his face, and a blinding pain in his head. Breathing hurt, his head hurt, and moving hurt.   Notes:     AO3 || ff.net

______________________________________

Shard

“Watch out!”

Don heard his brother yell, but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. There was no time to react, no time to do anything as glass shattered, metal creaked and groaned, and Don felt his seatbelt snap. Everything was a confusing cacophony of noise and sound and sight and pain the Battleshell rolled over and over again until it finally came to a groaning, agonizing stop.

For a moment, there was silence, or at least it felt that way to Don. And then, before he could make sense of what was around him, there was another impact, hard enough to send him rattling and flying around the inside of the Battleshell and send the Battleshell careening over the edge of something, rolling down it, before smashing into the bottom and finally, finally, coming to a stop.

Don’s breath caught painfully as he tried to breathe, and for a moment that was all he could focus on. He wasn’t even sure when he realized that he was lying on his side, staring at a spread of glass shards, from pieces as big as his hand, to ones that barely glittered in the meager light. Don blinked, and tried to shift his head, only to feel the scrape of glass below his face, and a blinding pain in his head. Breathing hurt, his head hurt, and moving hurt.

There was a sound from the back of the Battleshell. It sounded like things shifting around, and Don could see movement reflected in the shards around him. That should have gotten some sort of a response out of Don, but all he could wonder was if the glass that surrounded him also surrounded the person back there too.

“Oh, geeze, what happened? Donnie, I feel like—Donnie!”

That was Mikey’s voice, and he had apparently caught sight of him. Don could hear him pause, and within a moment, Don heard the sound of something scraping or sweeping glass away. It continued around him, and Don was almost disappointed when his brother swept the glass away from in front of him. The shards might have hurt, but they were beautiful.

“Don! Donnie! Oh, shell, this isn’t good. Donnie, can you hear me?”

Don’s breath hitched as he tried to take in a deep enough breath to talk. His eyes tracked up to his brother’s panicked face. “Hurts,” he breathed out. Mike was bloodied, but he was clearly able to move around, unlike Don. Even with the shards gone, Don didn’t feel like he could move.

Mikey’s hands hovered above Don, clearly not sure what to do. “Shell, Donnie, I—okay, just, just hang on. Just hang on. I’m going to get Raph and Leo here, and then we’ll—”

“Mike! Don!”

“Mikey! Donnie!”

Mikey’s head jerked towards the outside as their brothers’ voices rang out. “In here!” he paused. “Donnie’s hurt bad!”

The footsteps got louder, and within what felt like seconds to Don, he could catch the worried faces of his brothers peering in the damaged Battleshell. “He’s hurt bad,” Mikey said. “Really bad, I--.”

“We’ll take care of him, Mikey,” Leo said, his voice calming. “Just let us see what the damage is.

“Hey—is he not—” Raph’s voice rang out, before he moved closer to Don. “Hey. Hey! Breathe, Donnie! Breathe!”

Don stared at his brother. “Sorry,” he said. “…hurts.”

“Yeah, well, considering you’ve got two inches of glass sticking out of you, I bet it does,” Raph said. Don idly watched as his brother began to look him up and down.

“Don’t worry, Don,” Leo said, and Don’s eyes drifted back to him. “We’re going to get you out of here and all fixed up, okay? Can you tell us where else it hurts?”

“Hurts… to move…” Don said.

“Yeah, that might be because you broke your leg,” Raph said. “And I think this one is a bad one.”

“I think the shoulder he’s laying on might be damaged too,” Leo said.

“He’s probably got more glass in him,” Mikey said. “I swept a lot of it to the side before I got to him.”

The world slowly faded out, although Don was dimly aware of it. Everything felt as if it were in a fog. His brothers securing the glass shard in his side, not daring to take it out yet, should have hurt more than it did. The blanket that one of them laid over him should have felt warmer. His brother’s voices should have felt more comforting. Moving him should have hurt more than it did.

Don barely remembered being moved. What he did remember was the grating of more glass shards as they picked him up, and how much it hurt as the shards cut him.

When Don next became aware, it was to a soft plink, plink, plink. He still felt as if he were in a fog, but it was a different kind of fog. That thought rolled around in his brain for a moment, before the sound caught his attention again. Blinking, he turned his head to look over at the sound. His father was there, with a pair of tweezers and a glass dish, concentrating on Don’s arm. Don’s eyes drifted around the room, blinking as he realized that he was home, and he was on the cot in his lab, where all the medical supplies were kept.

He felt a small prick of pain in his arm and looked over to see his father pull out a sliver of glass from his arm. For a moment, Don stared at it, watched as it caught the light, before Splinter dropped it in the bowl.

“Sensei?” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. It still hurt to talk, it didn’t hurt the same way it did before.

Splinter looked up, sitting the tweezers down and smiling at Don. He stood, and laid a hand on Don’s forehead. “Donatello,” he said, his voice quiet. “How do you feel?”

“Hurts… to breathe,” Don said.

Splinter nodded. “I’m not surprised,” he said. “You had a rather large shard of glass imbedded in your side. It cut many muscles. We were fortunate that it did not damage your lungs.” He gently stroked Don’s forehead. “You did, however, break a few ribs. Additionally, you have broken your leg badly, and your shoulder is bruised.”

Don stared at his father for a moment, and then nodded. “What… are you… doing?” he asked.

Splinter returned to the stool he had been sitting on, picking up the tweezers again. “When the glass on the Battleshell broke, my son, it shattered into many pieces. In the resulting tumble and crash, many of the shards embedded themselves in you. We have been pulling them out of you one at a time. That is the reason for the many bandages on you.”

“…Oh.”

Splinter smiled at him. “Fortunately, Miss O’Neil was able to procure some strong painkillers for you. If you feel as if you are not quite aware, that is why. It has been a very… painful… process for all of us, but especially for you, my son.”

Don blinked, trying to remember. He had a vague memory of crying out in pain with his family around him, but at the moment, that was the best that he could muster. “I don’t… remember…”

Splinter nodded. “Perhaps that is for the best. Your brothers and Mr. Jones are out collecting what is left of the Battleshell.” He reached a hand out and laid it on Don’s forehead again. “Rest, my son. Once this is over, we will talk again. But for now, allow the medicine to do its work as I do mine.”

Don nodded, his eyes already feeling heavy. Sleep pulled at him, and he didn’t fight it. Don let sleep pull him under to the musical sound of the plink, plink, plink, of his father pulling glass shards out of him, and dreamed about the light refracting from a million tiny pieces.

[androidships007]

TMNT ALL 4-1 CHALLENGE: BLIND DATE

"Look, I know it seems like a lot but I think this will help you feel more at home here. I just think this would help you, ya know," April shrugs.

"I you what?" You asked unimpressed.

"Nevermind" she sighed, "just please believe me, he's a great guy! Even if this doesn't go anywhere, I promise you'll still have a good time!"

April was the first friend you had made in NYC. You had moved here rather suddenly and didn't have a solid plan. You were running from your past, and the city seemed big enough to hide from your ghosts. You just wanted to keep a low profile and get yourself together. Despite the short time you had known her one thing had become apparent and April, she was stubborn. Once she sets her sights on something she goes after it like her life depends on it.

She wasn't going to let this go. Still, you knew she was a good person. She was kind to you since the first day you met, she never pushed you or tried to get you to open up about your past. She had never pushed you on anything before now.

You rubbed your aching head. You had listened to all of April's "crazy" rantings and theories. Truth be told she had great intuition, even if she didn't always get the recognition she deserved. She was smart and quick to take action. Maybe this was her way of trying to thank you for actually taking her seriously. Even if it wasn't, you felt like you could trust her.

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Really!?" April lunged forward, wrapping her arms around you. "I promise you won't regret this!"

April pulled her self away and fished something out of her pocket. She scribbled down something on a piece of paper for you, before thrusting at you like she was interviewing you for the news.

"Thanks" you rolled your eyes, taking the paper from April's excited hands.

"Don't worry about a thing, I'll go call him now and set everything up!"

April left like a storm, leaving you standing alone in your tiny apartment. You flopped down on the cheap couch you found at the thrift store, whining when it creaked in protest.

"How could I not be worried about a blind date?" You said to noone in particular.

You looked down at the scrap again. Despite her hasty writing you could make out an address and a name.

Part 2 after votes finish, trying to do a choose your own adventure thing. We'll see how it works 😅 @turtle-babe83 @sharpwindow @thelaundrybitch @tmnt-tychou

[captainofthedauntless]

Hello 🤗 hope you can do my requests

(platonic)

Headcanons of TMNT 2007 with blind lil sibling reader (gender-neutral)

Hope you can do it, if not then it's completely ok 😇

Hello Anon! Thanks for asking. I don't have much experience with blindness myself, so the following headcanons may be misguided! If anyone has any criticism of them, please let me know.

I think all four of them make a point to announce themselves and their entrances and exits. They're light-footed and quiet movement is second nature at this point, so they make an effort to say hello and goodbye as an indication of when they're around.

They also all make an effort to make less of a mess. Even with sight and ninja agility/reflexes/awareness, they've had more than their fair share of "abandoned skateboard under foot" and "why would you leave a knife on the couch" accidents, and are careful not to have more at your expense.

Donnie does his best to make sure Braille labels are put on things around the lair. He either makes or buys a press and makes labels for things like spice bottles and Mikey's collection of pepper flakes, because they're definitely not something anyone wants to guess with. Even if you can take Ghost Pepper, it's not the kind of thing you want to get without warning.

Also adds a tactile warning of some sort by any steps or drops in the lair.

Leo is the most likely to offer you help navigating. He's always happy to lend an arm or directions if you want them.

He'll also read to you. Any book he gets into, be it a novel or a book on strategy, he's likely to share with you. Handing you the book won't do either of you much good, but he wants to hear your thoughts!

Mikey loves describing the crazy things they've seen, done, and fought. That show biz dazzle comes through, and he'll have you on the very edge of your seat with his play-by-play recaps. He seems to have a talent for giving you just the right amount of visual detail in his stories in between (probably embellished) descriptions of his totally awesome moves, be it a fight or a skateboard session or even a Cowabunga Carl party.

Raph's big on music in general, and if you're into it, he loves putting some on and vegging out with you. It's one of his favorite activities after punching bad guys.

If you're not into music, he also has a soft spot for trivia. He enjoys friendly competition, so things like Jeopardy are a favorite for him. Loves to challenge you to answer the questions before the contestants (or he) can- really loves beating you to the answers. (He does look away from the screen when the queestion is revealed, though. He waits to hear the announcer ask, so he doesn't have an unfair advantage.)

[aiopex]

Wanted to make this for a while so a list of TMNT media i've read/watched/played for fun.

TV Shows:

-> TMNT (1987) - Haven't watched it yet. -> Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation (1997) - Haven't watched it yet. -> TMNT (2003) - Watched until season 5. Need to watch the last two. -> TMNT (2012) - Watched. -> ROTTMNT (2018) - Watched.

Movies:

-> OG Live-action Trilogy (1990-1993) - Watched. -> TMNT (2007) - Watched. -> TMNT: Turtles Forever (2009) - Haven't watched it yet. -> Bayverse Duology (2014-2016) - Watched. -> Batman vs TMNT (2019) - Watched. -> Rise of The TMNT (2022) - Watched. -> Mutant Mayhem (2023) - Haven't watched it yet.

Comics:

Mirage/Image Comics: -> TMNT Volume 1 (1984) - Read. -> Raphael (1985) - Haven't read it yet. -> Fugitoid (1985) - Haven't read it yet. -> Michaelangelo (1985) - Haven't read it yet. -> Donatello (1986) - Haven't read it yet. -> Leonardo (1986) - Haven't read it yet. -> Tales of The TMNT Volume 1 (1987) - Read. -> Turtle Soup Volume 1 (1987) - Haven't read it yet. -> Michaelangelo Christmas Special (1990) - Haven't read it yet. -> Turtle Soup Volume 2 (1991) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT: Challenges (1991) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT Volume 2 (1993) - Read. -> Casey Jones (1994) - Haven't Read it yet. -> TMNT Volume 3 (1996) - Read. -> TMNT Volume 4 (2001) - Read. -> Tales of The TMNT Volume 2 (2004) - Read. -> TMNT Prequel (2007) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT (2007) - Haven't read it yet. -> Tales of Leonardo: Blind Sight (2006) - Haven't read it yet. -> Raphael: Bad Moon Rising (2007) - Haven't read it yet. -> Michelangelo: The Third Kind (2008) - Haven't read it yet. -> Donatello: The Brain Thief (2009) - Haven't read it yet.

Dreamwave Productions Comics: -> TMNT (2003) - Read.

Archie Comics: -> TMNT Adventures (1988) - Read. -> TMNT Cereal Comics (1989) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT Magazine (1990) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT Movie I (1990) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT Christmas Special (1990) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT Comic Strip (1990) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT Movie II (1991) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT Mighty Mutanimals (1991) - Read. -> TMNT Movie III (1993) - Haven't read it yet. -> April O'Neil (1993) - Haven't read it yet. -> April O'Neil: The May East Saga (1993) - Haven't read it yet. -> Donatello and Leatherhead (1993) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT: The Year of the Turtle (1996) - Read.

IDW Publishing: -> TMNT (2011) - Caught up, stopped at Armaggedon Games. -> TMNT: New Animated Adventures (2013) - Read. -> The X-Files: Conspiracy - TMNT (2014) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT: Amazing Adventures (2015) - Read. -> TMNT: Deviations (2016) - Haven't read it yet. -> Batman/TMNT (2016) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT Universe (2016) - Read. -> Batman/TMNT (2015) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT: Amazing Adventures - Robotanimals! (2017) - Read. -> Batman/TMNT (2017) - Haven't read it yet. -> Batman/TMNT (2019) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT: The Last Ronin (2020) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT: The Last Ronin - Lost Years (2022) - Haven't read it yet. -> TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures (2022) - Haven't read it yet.

[skylarmoon71]

Rapheal (TMNT 2014/2016)- Chapter 1

You’d known for a while how you felt about Leo.

You also knew that the feelings were unrequited. The very night you’d decided to come clean about it all, you saw him with April. It would be a blatant lie to say you didn’t see it coming. You understood.

April was beautiful, passionate and loyal.

There’s always been the lingering feeling that he cared for her. That didn’t make it hurt any less. The problem was, you were the best at hiding how you felt. When Leo told you about his relationship with her the day after, he hadn’t even noticed that every word he said was a knife to your chest. Not because he was blind, or even insensitive. He literally had no idea. You supposed so many years of stifling your feelings made you a master.

Despite the revelation, you still followed him around like a puppy. You couldn’t help it.

Leo was just the kind of person you couldn’t help but be around. Feelings aside, he was a good person. A great leader. So you promised yourself you would move on. April was happy, so was Leo. So you could be too.

Your feelings would disappear eventually.

They had too.

“Hey dumbnut, where’s my gloves!!”

Raph’s voice boomed through the lair, and Mikey ducked, running from around the corner. The smile that spread on your face was not something you could control. The bickering between the both of them started. You just watch. It was hard to be stuck in your somber thoughts when you had friends like these keeping you entertained.

“Are they arguing again?”

Leo walked up from behind, and you nod with a grin.

“I think Mikey messed with Raph’s stuff again.”

“I’m not even surprised anymore.”

Leo’s eyes shifted, and he caught the bruise on your shoulder.

“(Y/N)..”

You lift your head, a bit confused about his concern.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your arm, you were hurt last night.” You look over at your exposed shoulder.

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t realize it until I got home. It’s fine, it'll heal in a couple weeks. “ His mouth formed a tight line.

“Let me clean it and bandage it.”

You shook your head.

“Leo, trust me it’s fine.” He didn’t look convinced, and you just stood.

“It’s clear that you won’t let this go.”

“Good choice.”

He stepped back, and you headed in the direction of his room. Leo followed shortly after. As you break the corner, Raph’s eyes follow until you’re out of sight.

You take a seat on his bed, and Leo moves to grab his first aid kit. You wait patiently as he shuffles around to gather what he needs. When he returns and begins tending to your bruise, you barely notice. Because you’re a bit zoned out. Your mind trails to moments like these in the past. Where he showed you such tender kindness. Times where he gave you that worried look that always made you feel special.

Being back here in his room has a melancholy feeling. You’ve already convinced yourself that harboring these feelings would lead to nothing good. Although you’re on the road to move on, you still haven’t fully gotten there. Moments like these are what makes it impossible to truly let go.

“Done. You should change the bandage when you’re going to shower. Manually I mean. No telekinesis.”

There’s no response, and Leo tilts his head.

“(Y/N).”

He’s talking to you.

“Thank you.”

That’s a pretty solid response. You stand, giving him one of your smiles. The one that feigns happiness. A mask. One you’ve learned to wear very well, because Leo returns it.

“Next time all you have to do is ask. I don’t mind helping you with your injuries. I’ve cleaned more than my fair share.”

“That’s why I’m hesitant. You have enough to deal with worrying about those block heads.” His laughter is louder, and you join in. It doesn’t matter that your heart aches. Because right now, he’s happy.

Time just continues to rush by.

Days, weeks. You’d think getting over love would be at least a bit easier. You’re thankful for the work you do with the boys. Because you need the distraction. This particular mission is a tricky one.

“April, I’m not getting anything.”

You tap on your coms a couple times, and she shakes her head. You’re both on a patrol with the boys. April had brought one hell of a theory about some smugglers. After collaborating with Vincent, it was clear that this organization needed to be shut down. While the boys were searching for the hardware, you were scoping some of the rooms for any other little knacks. Criminals rarely ever left their entire stash in one place.

At the beginning everything seemed fine. Turns out the adjacent building had just as much to do with your case. So the plan was to split up and cover more ground. Leo had already uncovered more than ten pounds of drugs in a barrel of the basement, and Donnie was on the second floor, running through the boxes of rifles. Vincent had already been patched in. She was gathering a swat team to roll in, but you’d lost communication.

Now you are worried. You can’t help the boys if they are in danger unless you’re in the room. Leaving April here alone is also out of the question.

“(Y/N), I think we have a bigger problem.”

That’s never good news.

You walk over to her direction. Her eyes are fixated on a smaller storage closet. When she opens it, the blinking red light makes your stomach drop. You barely have a chance to react, you hear an explosion from behind and you both flinch. There is no count down on the one that you’re seeing right in front of you. But another boom echoes, and it quickly becomes clear what’s going on. You both look at each other.

“They're built to go off consecutively.” You state in unison.

Being around April has made you more aware of criminal activities. Some tricks never changed. Caution is thrown to the wind, because you both go bolting for the staircase. From the sounds of it, that structure hasn’t been hit yet. But it’s only a matter of time. Luckily you’re only on the second floor. April darts down the stairs, and you’re not much far behind. When you get to the first floor, another blast goes off, this one much closer. Both your bodies are forced forward, and the staircase behind has completely crumbled. You both grunt. There’s soot and rubble and a crap ton of smoke. You can barely make out anything.

“April…APRIL!!” You scream.

“I’m okay!!”

You sigh, groaning at the piece of concrete that has your lower half wedged. The dust has yet to settle, but apparently the bomb has somewhat cleared the entrance. You can see flashing lights. April sees your predicament, and immediately bends to try and force the thick block off your waist. It’s useless. You direct your eyes at the brick to offer help, but you're weakened. The brick shakes, but doesn’t move. It looks like a slab from a pillar. You drop your head in defeat, sobbing softly.

“I can’t…I can’t move it..” Your voice is weak, and you can see the tears begin to well in April’s eyes, but she doesn’t stop trying.

“Don’t you dare give up! You think I’m gonna leave you here before I become a bridesmaid at your wedding. You’re crazy!”

She’s pushing with all her might, and you manage to let out a soft laugh at the fact that she manages to crack a joke under these conditions. When another explosion rings, you panic.

“A-April you have to go!!”

“I’m not leaving you here!!”

Why didn’t she see that it was useless.

Your vision finally clears, and the sight of the boys is what catches your attention. It takes them a brief moment for them to fully gauge the situation. Horror crosses their eyes.

“(Y/N)!!!”

It’s a scream from all four brothers. Your head turns slowly to April.

You’d often heard that when death was close, you were able to see a flash of all your memories. Maybe you were delirious, but you could have sworn that you’d actually seen it in those few seconds. Another explosion goes off, and your instinct seems to kick in. The boys are running in this very direction.

Everything goes by so slow.

It’s then that you seem to know what to do. There was no way they would make it in time, but there was no point in letting April die here with you. Your eyes move to her body, and she screams when she’s jerked back right before the structure above your head comes crashing down. A ball of fire follows, and April’s body crashes to the ground right outside the area. The boys are forced back from the residual shockwave. They land at different distances.

Some of the officers had braced, others were also tossed back.

For what feels like a few moments, there’s a distance ringing.

Leo stands to his feet slowly, eyes trained on the collapsed building in shock. Everyone is starting to gather their bearings. When they begin to put it together, the realization hits like a wave. April picks herself off the ground shakily, staring at the destroyed structure. Her reaction is delayed. But the moment the scene plays out in front of her, she presses her hands to her mouth. She cries, right there, and it’s like a domino effect. Mikey and Donnie’s eyes water, and Raph races forward.

“(Y/N)!!!!”

He’s screaming, but there’s no response. He begins grabbing and chugging large pieces of rubble out the way desperately.

They’d never thought it was possible. Perhaps they’d taken for granted that you’d always just been there. So the thought of you gone is nearly impossible to imagine.

That’s why this hurts so much.

Whether they accept it or not, this is the reality.

[solarzilla]

Don't know if any of my followers are ninja turtle fans but the fact that the mirage tmnt comics will most never be finished thanks to Nickelodeon and from what we know, the remaining fate for those turtles is depressing as hell

Mikey vanishes and we never know what becomes of him

Raph falls out with Shadow, gets his eye gouged-out and goes to live in a swamp for the rest of his days (though he apparently does do a little globe-trotting). He does keep contact with the other turtles though and he eventually finds peace protecting the animals of the swamp which is a happier ending considering well, its Raph

Leo turns into a middle-aged jerk though mellows out after being with Radical though she’s murked by Complete Carnage in-front of Leo. He then spends the rest of his life in solemn meditation, trying to attain inner peace. Once he gets it, he says his spiritual goodbyes to his loved ones and crawls into a tree to pass on.

Donnie is blinded by Shadow, which pretty much destroys the relationship between the Turtles and the last living member of the Jones family (Casey and April being dead through unknown means). Even before he was blind, Don was so saddened by the sight of his brothers but don't know exactly why, though they had gone their separate ways at that point, so maybe he just missed them.

This might indicate that they split up on less than good terms and the memory of their parting was very upsetting. Don appears to die alone in his home, remembering the good old times he had with his family.

Leo comes to terms with all the tragedy in his life and dying peacefully, Mikey vanishes into thin air, Raph spends his days in a swamp, and Donnie passes away alone and full of nostalgic regret.

[brightlotusmoon]

Question time! Other than mikey, Is there any other Tmnt character you like to give disabilities to in your stories? I have a few of my own, actually, too.

I love having Leonardo lose an arm, leatherhead becoming blind, and Mondo with spinal injuries particularly. And RiseRaph in our story has jaw and eye disabilities (half-sighted in one eye and broken jaw) Plus I like giving 2012 mikey a limp from that time shredder shattered his leg

Do you mean 2003 Mikey getting his leg shattered? Because I've planned that! I wrote a oneshot that takes place during the Exodus storyline where the Utrom were fixing Mikey's legs while he was drugged.

I imagine 2012 Donnie with chronic neck and shoulder pain, all Leonardos with migraines, all Raphaels with muscle strain.

Now that I think about it, I heaped it all on Mikey because the other three had enough happen to them all over the franchise and Mikey had just automatically become my iron woobie.

[tothefiniteyou]

everyone's takeaway from blind sight should be this single message i sent my best friend at way too late o'clock while slightly delirious /hj.

slight spoilers:

obviously what splinter was really getting at is that the poison already wore off, and this is just a more psychosomatic issue due to leo's guilt from thinking he killed an innocent man, but like. these issues are riddled with daddy issues and it isn't subtle. i already talked about it in my little think piece here, but you can realistically say that none of this would have happened if splinter hadn't trained them. or if he hadn't been so set on getting revenge.

gripping the bars of my enclosure, resisting the urge to talk even more about blind sight. there's so much i didn't even touch upon

[travlersjoy444]

Alright. This is a reach here I know, but hear me out!!!

I’ve heard that Daredevil is actually in the same universe with TMNT and he was actually blinded by the same mutagen splinter ended up coming into contact with so…. My request is this -

The turtles interacting with the reader (platonic as this would make reader like at least 10-15 years older than the turtles) who IS Daredevil - the master level fighter/stealth/brains and brawn vigilante meeting them and deciding to train them in seeing without sight or perhaps just hanging out with them and splinter. I Can see each of them being interested in how someone who is completely blind Can see and hear and taste far more than they can and lives their life as if they aren’t blind at all. Please just give me whatever you can take from this I know it’s a lot 😭 thank you for even reading this monster request

I adore the idea in theory, but I actually do not know pretty much anything about Daredevil lol

I'm kinda tempted to learn more about him for this though, that's genuinely a solid idea...

[exovapor]

I think you are greatly overestimating the follow-ability of your work, I don’t think it’s going to be pulling people to other platforms beyond the unique beast that is Tumblr, I hope you do Patreon but I only know like 4 fanfic writers that are successful on there and they all have bigger fandoms to cater to than TMNT does, more people willing to pay for things that can find for free. Good luck though.

Assumptions are bad things to make. They blind us to all that was stated.

I have no intention of doing a Patreon or my own website of fanfic. The TMNT fan fics are a hobby, a fun pass time, not MY characters.

I am a creator of characters, not just a curator of other's creations. You short-sight me with such small ideas.

Nothing about me is small. There are worlds beyond worlds inside my head. There is more to some of us than meets the eye.

[thecomicsnexus]

When Leonardo went blind (TMNT comics)

Leonardo is known for his blind faith. But there was a point in time, when he actually went blind... and lost his faith. This video covers "Blind Faith" and "Blind Sight".

[bartoonist]

Mirage TMNT and the Four Maiden: On account of the Classic Red Masked Turtles of the Mirage Continuity having already lived 26 years of their full lives throughout the Mirage Series’ run since they debuted in 1984 and retired their continuity in 2010, 13 years ago, especially on account having already lived some interesting love lives too such as Mirage Leo having had two loves being the Superheroine: Radical and his Past Life’s Wife from the Blind Sight storyline of the Mirage Series of course, Mirage Mikey’s two loves being Horridus from the Image Era of TMNT Comics, and Princess Seri a.k.a Regenta, and I think maybe Jhanna and Lucindra Thompkins were Mirage Donnie and Raph’s loves too or maybe they were platonic? The mirage Continuity had like 4 volume publications and I don’t even know if Mirage Don and Raph had love interests in the mirage series too as Mirage Leo and Mike did back then, but… this is why I thought it would be fun and cute to do a one time crossover fan shipping romance on what if the Mirage Turtles and their adopted human family of Casey, April, and their adopted daughter: Shadow left the earth with the Utroms and randomly moved to the fairytale planet: Remnant, met the 1st Gen four maidens and started dating them as the Mirage Turtles and their adopted human family got to start living their H.E.A Lives on Remnant where they’d finally leave their painful & emotional loses & mistakes on earth behind them, in which Blue Eyed Leo started dating the Winter, Red Eyed Raph dates Summer, Mikey dates Spring, and Donnie dates Fall, I don’t have any intentions of writing a crossover fanfic, I just thought it would be fun & cute to draw the Mirage Turtles dating the Seasonal Maidens from the RWBY Biography series: World of Remnant, and I hope you folks like what I drew for fun anyway.