#Donnie didn't get the memo of

[unawaredrunkard]

Leo often has a habit of running of which isn't great at all when you have a bunch of krang and the occasional bandit wandering about. It lands them in all sorts of trouble. Donnie has a tracker on all of the cause of this.

[opossumloverr]

✞°•I DON'T BELIEVE IN GHOSTS•°✞

(Based on this song, I know you know this song. don't lie to me)

Summary:

Turtle bros with a ghost reader!

Warning(s):

Some cursing!

A/N:

I MUST BE DREAMING CAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE IN GHOST YEAH, sorry, anyways, idk I just felt a little silly today, and I really do love this song. also I'm trying a different style DONT BULLY ME IT TOOK ME LIKE AN HOUR TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO GRADIENT

It was a chilly October night, the leaves rustled as the four brothers made their way towards an abandoned graveyard. The atmosphere was dark and gloomy, but they were determined to explore the area, for reasons unknown to anyone but themselves.

"I don't like this, guys. Let's turn back," the youngest brother, Mikey, shivered.

"What? No way! You said you were bored, Mikey. This is exactly what we need to get our blood pumping!" another brother exclaimed.

"He was bored, Leo, not us. You didn't have to drag us all here," one of the brothers groaned in annoyance.

"Sorry that Mr. Bootyshaker9000 wanted to stay indoors and rot. I'm preventing the inevitable!" Leo clapped back.

"I'm trying to prevent hitting you with my Tech Bo," Donnie gripped his weapon tighter.

"Try it, you won't," Leo egged Donnie on.

"You little…" Donnie scowled, lifting his weapon before getting interrupted.

"Enough! Fighting is not the memo right now! Now you two cut it out or else I'll…wait, what was that?" the oldest brother paused on his scolding to scope out the area. A pungent smell of perfume floated in the air, and chills went down their spines.

"I'm getting really bad vibes here! I told you we should've gone back to the lair!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Don't be such a party pooper, Mike! It's probably all in our heads," Leo tried to come up with a reasonable explanation, but a gust of wind shut off all of his thoughts.

"What was that?!" Raph exclaimed.

"It's a ghost!" Mikey chattered.

"That is preposterous, Michael. There is no such thing as a ghost-"

"No, he's right."

They all screamed in unison, clinging onto Raph. "AH!"

《RAPH》

After the shock and some failed punching attempts, he finally decided to talk instead of fight, and it was a delightful conversation

yall sat down and talked for hours, He asked a few questions, and you answered them

he made sure not to ask personal questions, like how you died and stuff (unlike Donnie, that insensitive prick)

was kinda sad when he had to go, but gotta make sure pops doesn't worry,

he promises he'll see you again

a few weeks later you show up in his room, sitting down calmly on his bed, or, erm, floating.

he threw multiple items at you before calming down and realizing that it was you, what were you doing here? how did you know where he lives?

all of those questions were brushed off when he heard that you just wanted to see him, and only him.

his heart pounded in his plastron, you wanted to see him? big ol' him? cue huge tail thumping into the ground

yall talked for HOURS, him talking about Lou Jitsu- wait, you've never watched Lou Jitsu? he's inviting you to family movie night. there's no getting out of this.

over the months, the both of you got close, he no longer throws objects or tries to throw hands when he sees you!

enjoys the company when he lifts weights

"Wow, those seem heavy," you said, impressed by his muscles as he lifted the weights. 

"They are heavy, but don't worry, Raph's got gains!" he replied, flexing his muscles with a curl-up. 

"Can I try?" you asked, reaching out your hands. 

"Sure, but be careful. I'll be here to spot ya!" he said, passing the weights to you. 

However, you forgot that you were transparent and accidentally dropped the weights on his tail, causing him to scream in pain. 

"Oops! I forget I'm transparent sometimes... You just make me feel so alive..." you said sheepishly. 

"I-I make you feel alive?" he questioned, seemingly forgetting the intense pain in his tail.

HES SOSOSO SILLY GUYS I CAN'T

《LEO》

He had never sliced a portal open this fast

before he could dive head-first into his portal you floated in front of it

you just wanted to talk... okay... but he's keeping a close eye on you

a few minutes later he's blabbing about Jupiter Jim to you, you've never watched it? what? do you live under a rock? or... a grave...

and you seem so interested! he could talk about it for hours! you know he could.

he literally clung onto the ground when it was time to leave, complaining as Raph dragged him away

he shouted a quick "See you soon"

he saw you soon alright, in his room, looking at his pile of Jupiter Jim comics curiously

He literally screamed like a girl

Oh! it's just you... where did you come from? oh, you just wanted to see him, not his brothers? him?

boosts up his ego by 100x

"I knew you couldn't get enough of me" type of energy

proceeds to yap about Jupiter Jim some more, what? it's YOUR fault for indulging in his hyperfixations

yall are the talker and listener duo

"And so Jupiter Jim was all like- pew pew pew! and the aliens were all like- Ohno! and then- hey, hey [NAME], are ya listening?" He questioned,

"Mhm, go on, I'm all ears"

Leo's eyes widened, and small churrs could be heard "OKOK! And then Jupiter Jim was all like, no way jose!"

He just like me fr

《DONNIE》

There is no logical way this could be happening! ghosts? really?

immediately started asking questions, why do you exist? how do you exist? would you perhaps be interested in some experiments, y'know, for scientific purposes (definitely not for his own personal questions)

his questions just kept on coming and coming, some of them being more insensitive than the last, he would've said more if Raph didn't smack him on top of the head...

but you were happy to answer them non the less

when they had to skedaddle he was pissed, how dare they interrupt! can't you see there was science in the making?

he says he'll come to you, for more questions of course, nothing more... (cap)

he didn't expect you to come to him.

he jumped a little but then started going into his "I ask you, answer" mode

Experiments on you (with consent ofc)

discovers you have telekinesis

you two grew close, his experiments died down the more he learned about you

now, he just really enjoys the company

just knowing that you're there watching him while he tackles a project gets him so motivated

you're like his little assistant

"[NAME], be a dear and pass me that wrench over there," he asks, hand out, palm open,

"You got it boss" you floated the wrench toward him, and he grabbed it

"Thank you, you really are a great help, [NAME]"

"Just glad to be here Don-tron!" you smiled, not noticing the slight wag to his tail.

He really appreciates you

《MIKEY》

He just kept screaming and screaming until you snapped him out of it

what? why aren't you trying to take his body? and why aren't you freakishly creepy, you just looked like a normal person, minus the floating and transparency

Oh, you just wanted to talk? well, as long as you don't possess his body he's all for it!

The conversation was amazing! he got so much more information about ghosts, he's even more fixated on them now!

you got this turtle laying on the ground, twirling his mask tails in his fingers, kicking his feet, saying "Ooh! Tell me more!"

was whining like a puppy dog when he had to get up on out of there, puppy dog eyes did not work in his favor tonight..

he swears up and down that he will visit you, just wait!

I guess you've waited long enough, because the following week you were caught snooping around his room

he screamed, yes, he won't lie.

but it's not his fault that you popped up out of nowhere!

then starts talking to you like he didn't scream like 100 decibels

Just yip yap yapping away, but you don't mind, you enjoy socializing with him

kinda sad that he can't touch you though, sometimes he wants nothing more than to wrap his arms around you

you're his muse! asks you to pose for him, and you happily oblige

"Okay just keep that position, right there, perfect! such an amazing muse for me!" He smiles,

"Well, it's easy to pose when I have such a wonderful artist painting me" You replied,

"Awe shucks, don't compliment me like that! you're going to give me an ego" he chirps happily

lala and okok duo. that's all I have to say.

BOO! HAPPY NEW YEARS GUYS OMGOMG 2024 IS HOPEFULLY GONNA BE A GREAT YEAR, HERES A LIL DITTY I WROTE, I HOPE YA LIKE IT, IM GETTING ON MY GRIND RIGHT NOW, I love ya! Merry 24, also I was watching Coryxkenshin while writing, shout out to the shogun. There also MIGHT be some grammar mistakes, kinda rushed to get this out

[oh-cramity-its-amity]

Hello!!! :D Hope you've been having a nice day so far! 💖

For whe writers truth & dare ask game: 🍓🥤🦷🏜️🥐

hi!!!! you too!!!!! it's been pretty uneventful for me lol.

thanks for the ask!!

heres the ask game if anyone wants to see it.

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction?

It was elementary school. 5th grade or so, but I was deeply invested in TMNT 2012 with a few of my friends. We would all talk about it, and at one point I wrote a little story in my notebook by hand without knowing what it was called about the show (its long since lost in a flood that happened years ago rip) but I found ff.net months later because I had two infatuations. TMNT 2012 and the original teen titans. I even remember reading fanfic on deviantart. I was really big into April and Donnie and Beast Boy and Raven. I didn't start posting anything until my Wattpad days around 14-16. That was about bandom, Pitch Perfect, then Citrus (I have made bad choices and I meme on myself now but I was JUST THAT STARVED for wlw ships.) Anyway wattpad account got deleted and there was a whole thing where my email got hacked and everything just is gone. (its really soulcrushing to lose work like that). But yeah!! I got back into fanfic during 2020 and the pandemic because I had watched a movie and just decided to write for it. I don't recommend reading anything of that era because it's cringe and just... no.

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

SHOUT OUT TO MY FRIEND GHOST!!!! @localowlhousefanatic. THEIR WORK IS AWESOME AND THEY WRITE SOME AMAZING VEESHA STUFF. ALSO SHOUT OUT TO @witch128chick!!!

Can I give multiple fanfics I love though?? I can't add everyone due to time but I'll give a couple.

TOH:

1.) learning how to be (with you by my side) by uniqueusernamegenerator (<- THIS is my favorite toh fanfic) 2.) I’ll Catch You by Black_Cat_Autumn 3.) all i got is my heart (and my pride) 4.) warm coffee, summer blues by uniqueusernamegenerator 5.) "I love you," ain't that the worst thing you ever heard? by kfaerie 6.) The Rest is History by amityadmirer for Shannon_shannon_shannon 7.) No Tip Necessary by Rohad 8.) i want you to be here (but please don’t come near) by stongrays 9.) Tallmity and Petite Luz future au by the_Shan_yousee 10.) You're My Rainbow in the Dark (HAITUS) by Underw0rld

Arcane: 1.)the oldest game by thehaakun 2.) the heart is a bullet by thehaakun 3.) The World Ends, Or Doesn't by Misthios 4.) how big, how blue (how beautiful) by panglosian

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

Story sprints are a godsend. Also plotting helps alongside voice memos. I don't really have someone to bounce ideas off of but it helps me to verbalize what I'm thinking if I'm stuck so sometimes I talk through what I'm thinking aloud. Also making playlists or mood boards/collages of character outfits. Just giving you a more visual aspect of what you want to write.

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Just genuine praise of my work feels nice. I don't get comments often. Sometimes they give me anxiety too. Maybe if you have any pointers of my fic to say something like that??

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh

FOG HORN SOUND EFFECT. SORRY BUT IT CRACKS ME UP.

[blindaysblogforturtles]

Leo's drive in rise is very simple. If there's no one to see, there's nothing to do. Nothing matters if he can't show it to someone because he measures his worth by what others think and feel of him. That's why he doesn't have any other interests outside of what his family likes- outside of Lou Jitsu and Jupiter Jim.

Mikey likes to paint and likes to cook, and has his mystic thing going on; Raph likes to watch wrestling and likes to train; Donnie likes to make tech and likes to study in his hyperfixations; April likes the Warren Stone fandom, she likes to document things (like we see in Lair Games). The point is: everyone has something they enjoy by themselves outside of their shared interests, except for Leo. Leo is exclusively driven by what his family wants and likes.

When you got siblings, or even when your family is just used to doing things together, part of growing up is finding out your interests outside of what is shared- it's part of the construction of your individuality. The older you get, the less you need to rely on your family to define you as a person, it's just part of growing up. Thing is, Leo just. Skipped that part. He just didn't get the memo growing up I guess.

We know he likes magic, but he's never shown enjoying it by himself like the others.

I think that giving him the position of leader Splinter is, knowingly or not, finally drawing a line for Leo. Being leader is a lonely job sometimes, as we see Raph express in some episodes, because you gotta do things and make choices that won't always be understood, and you'll have to deal with that alone. With that Leo might finally see himself individually rather than a part of the collective and thus finally become an effective part of said collective.

Something notable about the Rise version of Leo is that Rise explores Leo’s identity outside the concepts of ‘the eldest brother’ & ‘the leader’ by making Leo a middle child & giving Raph the leadership role at the start of the series.

However I feel as though similar to other versions of Leonardo, Rise Leo also struggles to find an identity for himself outside of his family.

Leo: There’s no team with just a face man! I need my brainy guy, and my smashing guy and my eats peanut butter with his fingers guy! I’m nothing without them!

In the episode Portal Jacked Leo admits that he thinks that he’s nothing without his family, showing that he defines himself by his place in his family & something else that is notable about the episode Portal Jacked is that it’s one of the first times that Leo refers to himself as ‘the face man’, which is how Leo defines his place on the team

Leo: I’m the face man, people love me

The role of ‘the face man’ is how Leo defines himself on the Mad Dogs & it is a role that Leo came up with for himself, however in the very episode where the concept of ‘the face man’ is introduced Leo basically states that the role is useless without his brothers.

When Leo says ‘there’s no team with just the face man’ what Leo’s really saying is that even when he creates a role & identity for himself it’s useless without his family there. Even though Leo isn’t the leader for most of Rise without the leadership role given to him by his family it seems that Leo will create a role for himself to define his place in his family instead.

Donnie: This is Purple Knight is everyone in position

Raph: Red King is set

Raph: Yellow Submarine are we clear?

April: Affirmative Red Rover

Another example of Leo lacking a sense of identity outside his family is whenever the Turtles try to make codenames for themselves & each other their special interests shine through.

Donnie gives his family Chess themed code names & Raph gives his family code names based off of song titles, even Mikey is able to come up with various doctor personas for himself however when Leo attempts to come up with a codename he struggles to think of anything outside the colour blue

Leo: I’m changing my code name too, uh… Blue Bluey! No… Blue… uh-

Unlike his brothers who are able to make codenames based off their own interests Leo gets stuck on the colours that were given to them by their father showing that when Leo is in a mission mindset his own interests are discarded in favour of revolving around his family

Even though Leo isn’t the ‘oldest’, Leo still seems to define his sense of self by his place in his family. If Leo can’t define himself by his position as ‘the oldest brother’ then it seems he will simply define himself by his position as ‘a brother’.

[whoreadsnowadays]

Hiiii omg!!! I was off Tumblr for a while and!! I saw ur requests were open!! ur literally my favorite ehe

if it isn't too much, maybe rise Donnie who's a bit awkward around reader? Bc they hardly ever approach him? & he wonders if they hate him, which is sad bc he thinks they're rlly cute,,but later on when they finally talk, reader says that they think they're too ditzy & don't have anything of substance to say, esp to super-smart Donnie, so they end up avoiding him? Even if they don't exactly mean to,,, It's kinda like that scene in mean girls where it's like "you're not stupid," "no, I am actually,,," LMAO low-key angst but?? In a funny way??

EHSBDJDBDH that's literally so sweet- I'm Ur Favorite <3<3<3

-

Warnings; Cussing, nothing else that I'm aware of

( Romantic ) Rise ! Donnie x Gender Neutral Reader

-

Dance Dance Realization

Donnie, admittedly, was a bit jealous.

Yes of his brothers.

You just seemed to gravitate towards them, and.. away from him? And that makes Donnie feel... not.. good.

You worked so well with his brothers too, it wasn't fair.

You were just as witty and conniving as Leo, resulting in the two of you scheming together almost constantly

And Mikey often stole you away to show you his graffiti, or ask you to do some as well, and Donnie couldn't help but notice just how good at that you were.

And you kept Raph on his toes in every fighting game you picked up.

You were so.. ugh so cool! But you hardly ever gave him the time of day.

Apparently today you hadn't gotten the memo that everyone would be out, so the both of you were a little surprised when you waltzed into the arcade.

Donnie had just finished a round of DDR, something he enjoyed in privacy. Despite that fact being incredibly well known.

You both blinked owlishly at each other, too nervous to really say anything.

Donnie glanced between you and the machine, realizing this may be the perfect opportunity to get closer to you. Uh. For uhm. Friendship reasons. Obviously.

So he took a breath and gave you a very awkward smile, gesturing to the machine in front of him. "Wanna play?"

You, of course, couldn't say no to a game of DDR, so you agreed.

You ended up spending hours with Donnie, playing song after song, as conversation flowed without a second thought.

Donnie was over the moon, excited to finally get to spend time with you, and you were relaxed, not strung up like you usually were around him

After the 100th song of the night you stepped down, finally beat. "Okay, you win."

"Yes! Haha! I, Donatello, have beaten you at the sacred art of rhythm games!"

"Hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves, you only beat me at DDR, just wait until I get ahold of rhythm heaven fever, oh ho you are in for it Donnie-!"

"You wanna hang out again?!" He grinned, stars in his eyes as he leaned towards you

You stumbled over yourself for a moment, suddenly realizing what had just happened over the last few hours.

"Oh.. oh uh, yeah! Yeah mhm." You grinned awkwardly, suddenly incredibly aware of everything you said or did.

Donnie deflated a bit as you tensed up, "If.. if you don't want to hang out-"

"No! No I do, I'm holding you to rhythm heaven, but uh.. I mean.. I'm surprised you wanna hang out with me honestly-" you muttered, seeing Donnie go wide eyed across from you

"Are you kidding? This was the most fun I've had on this old machine in a while!" And it was true! He had truly been having one of the best nights ever in his opinion

"Really?"

"Yes! Trust me, if I wasn't enjoying myself I'd make it known."

He hesitated, watching your expression

"Honesty, I.. kinda thought you didn't like me very much. Considering how closed off you've been towards me." Donnie avoided eye contact as he spoke, missing the way your expression contorted into one of panic

"No! Donnie you're awesome!" You insisted, "You're tech is so cool, and you're so light on your feet, and you're a genius! I could only wish to be as smart as you are!"

Donnie blinked, "Then why were you avoiding me?"

You sighed, "Uhm.. I just.. well, you intimidated me honestly. You're so cool, I.. I didn't wanna make a fool of myself in front of you."

He hummed, thinking things over for a moment before nodding resolutely and sticking out his hand for you. "Well. You haven't, and I'm positive you won't. Now, let's agree to spend all day tomorrow playing rhythm games and getting to know one another better. Hm?"

You smiled and reached up to shake his hand, feeling your face warm a bit. "You're just using me for my rhythm games."

"Okay. And?"

"That's a felony."

"In what state."

"Gas."

"Don't."

[yanyanderes]

Yandere rottmnt brothers drabble:

Mikey had invited you to their lair saying that they had a surprise for you and needed you to come there STAT. Whatever it was it sounded exciting so you obliged telling him that you would arrive in fifteen minutes. And just like you promised you arrived, the turtles seem pretty excited for your arrival, smiles all around, even Donnie was grinning for a change. Mikey was bouncing in anticipation as he guided your hands up to your face and told you to follow him, he was about to go when he realized that you can't see and sheepishly placed his hand behind your back ushering you somewhere into the debts of the lair. Doonie explains how they have been working on this for a while saying how it's a testament of their friendship and whatnot. A rant later and he got to the conclusion as you arrived at your destination, and as you opened your eyes you were greeted to a greenhouse. Your eyes lit up at the multipole flowers and plants decorating the place, you always wanted one of these but didn't have the space for it, you teared up a bit and the turtles grind in pride, enamored at your positive reaction.

Another reason for you to stay at their bais.

Raph showed you around the many plants while Leo being Leo made jokes here and there making you laugh, he lived for that laughter. Everything was going fine, until he spotted something. Mikey noticed what Leo was looking at and got the memo, he left for a short while then came back like nothing happened. Donnie on the other hand was explaining the many functions of the greenhouse and how it can help the plants flourish. Including the multiple fertilizers there were too pic. Like maxsea plant food, dyna-gro liquid grow, Blood meal and down to earth organics. What more could you ask for?

.

.

.

Hours later it was about time you went home for the night, the brothers told you their goodbyes as you left, thanking them for such an amazing day as you bid them good night. Mikey's heart swelled as you waved them goodbye but was replaced by a sinking feeling, as much as he'd love to get ready for beed he had other business to attend to. The lair was dark as he made his way towards the green house, the lights were off to save power but treading through it in the dark would most likely cause accidents so he opted on dimming the lights so as to not irritate his tired eyes. He walked over to the plot of dirt he tampered with the day prier, crouching down and scoping up some of it.

In the dirt layd a few wooden beads with red markings on them supposedly letters in another language that he couldn't decipher. He looked at it with sadness as he remembered your tear stained face as you explained to them that your best friend for seven years had left, but not without saying some really insensitive stuff. Behind your back nonetheless. The distasteful memorie burned into his head, Mikey is a strong believer in that people can change. Sure your relationship with your bff had taken a slight rocky turn but for them to just pull a full 180 on you so quickly was just uncalled for. You told them that they had threatened to blackmail you with the secrets that you trusted they would keep. You were scared of what they might do with the information or who they might give it to, despite there not being anything that could ruin your reputation. (don't worry, Donnie checked) But it still scared you. Apparently you had tried reaching out to them even after they said they didn't wanna see you again before moving states. And that was the breaking point, so there you were crying your eyes out to the four very concerned turtles on the other end of Raphs phone, listening intently to your wails of anguish. While Raph and Mikey tried to comfort you via their voices, Leo and Donnie had been very quiet through the whole conversation.

Mikey loves his brothers and cherishes them more than anything in the world. He admires how they work around their flaws and talents, Raph's strength, Leo's confidence and Donnie's genius. But he's realized something, Mikey isn't stupid he can tell that something's up with his blu and purple color coded brothres. In the way they avoid particular subjects or whisper amongst themselves, it worries him. Donnie and Leo have been… busy lately. He just hopes that they know what they're doing and aren't causing them, or anyone harm.

.

.

.

Two months before your surprise…

Donnie sat by his computer which wasn't unusual for the science loving turtle, and neither was the fact that it was four in the morning either. It was what he was doing on the computer that was consurning, that is if anyone was there to witness it. It's true that your best friend had betrayed your trust. Used you, humiliated you, trash talked you. However, they never left, their last few messages were filled with half truths as the real messenger behind them typed oway to their heart's content. As the words on his screen lit up.

-I never wanna see you again-

He smiled

yo i-

i got no words for this

this is pure ✨p e r f e c t i o n✨

and i lovee the way you built it up to the end, and the twist at the end with donnie pretending to be the ex friend is just so- *chef’s kiss*

love the way you write yanderes! 10/10 would let myself get kidnapped-

[all-hail-trash-prince]

Heterothermic

Chapter 5: Shedding (Extra)

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Family fluff, mutant biology speculation

Read on Ao3

-----

Several years ago again…

As much as April had enjoyed her week-long vacation over spring break, she was excited to get back home. Not because she was excited to get back to school, (although that much seemed obvious to her) but because she would get to see her turtle friends again.

After their initial sluggishness in the first few days of winter, their bodies had seemingly gotten the memo and kicked their metabolism up a notch, and from then on they were running around with as much energy as ever before. And April missed that energy. Her family was great, but her life just wasn’t the same without the absolute chaos the turtles brought. Even though she’d known them for less than a year, she already couldn’t imagine life without them.

With these thoughts in mind, April practically skipped down the familiar path to the lair. “Hi, guys!” she greeted as she entered the living room. “I’m ba- whoah, are you guys okay?”

Mikey immediately popped up from where he was lying facedown on the couch, accidentally smacking his knees into Leo since his legs had been on top of his brother. “April! You’re back!” he said excitedly, completely ignoring Leo’s drawn-out noise of pain.

“Yeah - oof,” April grunted as Mikey tackled her in a hug, “but what happened to you guys while I was away? Your shells are all… weird.”

It was true - Mikey, Leo, and Raph’s shells all looked like they were coming apart. Each individual scute almost looked loose, like they were peeling off one by one.

“Oh, this?” said Leo, absentmindedly reaching back to scratch his shell. “Don’t worry about it, happens every spring.”

Raph reached over and smacked Leo’s hand down. “Stop that!” he scolded. “You gotta let it come off on its own. I thought we talked about this after Donnie’s baby tooth incident.”

April blinked in confusion before deciding she probably didn't want to know. Leo just scowled. “It’s so itchy, though!” he whined.

“Hmm. Sounds rough,” said Donnie, who had just stepped into the doorway.

He was immediately met with a chorus of "Shut it, Donnie!"

The softshell just stared at them all apathetically and took a long, slow sip of his drink. As he turned around to leave, though, April noticed the source of his brothers' frustration.

"He doesn't shed like you guys?"

"Ugh, no," groaned Mikey, climbing back into his previous place on the couch and kneeing Leo in the stomach again. "He doesn't shed at all and it's totally unfair!"

"That's not true!" Raph said. "He still sheds the outside of his shell, it just comes off all the time in little bits, like skin, and it's not as itchy as our shedding, and Leo so help me I will put the oven mitts on you again if you don't stop scratching."

Leo quickly folded his hands in front of himself and gave the most innocent smile he could manage.

Raph sighed, and turned back to April. "Anyway, sorry, but we're all a little grumpy 'cause of this, so we might not be too fun to hang out with today."

April shrugged. "That's alright, that's what I'm here for! Just let your big sister April cheer you guys up."

She floundered a little as the guys all looked at her in silence with their mouths open a little. Crud, did she overstep a boundary? Did she totally misread how close they all were? Until Mikey broke out into a huge grin.

"I always wanted a sister!" he said excitedly, hopping up for another hug. (Leo made a noise like a deflating balloon, but seemed resigned to his fate at this point.)

April laughed and patted Mikey's back, careful not to jostle any of his loose scutes too much. "Love you too, Mike. Now c'mon, help me get the board games and snacks."

They played for hours, until April absolutely had to go back home. Donnie crushed them all in Monopoly, and they retaliated by ganging up on him in Sorry. Leo ended up in the oven mitts about halfway through, and after he knocked over the board three separate times trying to move his pieces with his feet, Raph banned him from everything except rolling dice. Mikey ended up moving Leo's game pieces for him.

April smiled to herself as she walked back home from the lair. She’d visited the brothers because she missed them, but she had no idea how much her presence would be able to cheer them up. She'd never had siblings before, but when she called herself their big sister, it just felt… right. Despite all their differences, they were just one big, weird family. And April wouldn't have it any other way.

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1: The Question | 2: Spiny Softshell | 3: Red-Eared Slider | 4: Brumation (Extra) | 5: Shedding (Extra) | 6: Alligator Snapper | 7: Ornate Box

[remmushound]

Beyond the bay chapter 26, Words of a robot

Summary: Traximus gets a new respirator and Honeycutt is charming

Tags: @brightlotusmoon @ilo-artistry @selfindulgenz

Content warning: none apply

The lab was beginning to feel crowded. If two people in the lab at one time had felt crowded to Donatello, then four people certainly didn't help things, especially when one of them was the size of the other three combined. The only saving grace was that Traximus, ever loyal to the one he perceived as his leader, stood steadfast and unmoving on one side and out of the way while the Donnie’s worked. Honeycutt wasn’t nearly so stationary; it seemed that every time Donatello turned around, Honeycutt was in a different place and the softshell had to give another rendition of, “Don’t touch that” or “That’s fragile” or “Please give me some space.” No matter how many times Donatello tried to dismiss him, Honeycutt just didn't seem to get the memo.

“Maybe silicon would be a better transmitter than rubber, we might want to try that.” Donnie mused.

“No no, the original tubing is rubber so we should stick as close to the initial design as possible.” Donatello pointed out.”

“Like rubber, not is rubber. We might have a bit of experimental leeway…”

“Good point, but maybe butyl will be better than silicon…”

“I thought that too, but then I thought that styrene-butadiene might be best given Traximus’ overall rough and tumble persona.”

“Sure sure, but you have to consider that there’s a lot of steam in the sewers this time of year.”

“Ohhhh I didn't even think about that!”

“What are you talking about?”

Donatello screamed a scream that wasn’t quite a scream, more like someone just saying aaaaaa, as Honeycutt popped his little round head between them. Donnie didn't skip a beat as he continued to mark out the pros and cons to debate materials.

“We’re debating what substance to use to fix Traximus’ tubing.”

“Mm… may I?” Honeycutt held out his hands and Donnie, though his eyes held a scrutinizing glint, passed over the notes. Honeycutt flipped through them for just a moment before speaking. “You’d think silicon would be a good fit given its heat extremes and steam resistance, but isn’t very much durable as it would need to be for an active triceraton.”

Honeycutt scribbled out silicon.

“Viton is another option, sure, with the same benefits as silicon, but it is costly and can fail very rapidly. Mm... polyurethane, now that’s a good contender! Good durability, abrasion resistant, though not so heat resistant. However, given the general temperatures of Terra planets and that this need only be a temporary solution, that is the one I would go with!”

Honeycutt handed the papers gladly back to Donnie, who licked his lips as he considered Honeycutt’s input.

“Wait, how do you know about all that stuff?” Donatello questioned as he fell to assisting his older counterpart, “You’ve been on earth, what, a few weeks?”

“Well, yes!” Honeycutt declared, “But most terra-based planets tend to develop very similar resources, just with different names and different applications based on how their civilization developed. I simply looked at all the attributes you had listed and deduced which was which based on previous discussion, and as an educated guess giving the substance used for—“

“Yeah yeah yeah, you’re smart, I get it.” Donatello came off as harsh and he didn't care about it.

He and Donnie made quick work of rewiring the tubing before bringing the mask back over to Traximus. While one fitted the mask, securing it with Traximus’ nose horn and lower frill ridges working as anchors, the other made sure everything about the mask was just right.

“Okay, Major.” Said Donnie as he and his younger self backed away. “Take a deep breath for me through your nose.”

Traximus obliged, sucking in for at least a full minute until his chest was full and puffed out like a bird.

“Any better?” Donnie prompted, and he felt as if he was holding his breath just as his friend was. Friend? Yes, friend.

Traximus snorted, and the emptiness in his eyes held all the answers. Donnie sighed, frustration whistling through his teeth as he tugged on his mask tails; Donatello, though no less frustrated than the box turtle, tried to scrutinize the work for any flaws or faults. He could find none. Why wasn’t this working? Donatello gave it another few glances before he walked off to join Donnie.

“What are we doing wrong…?” Donnie muttered, mostly to himself.

“Um… may I assist again?” Honeycutt raised a tentative hand.

“Sure.” Donnie said, because what else could he say?

Honeycutt gave a happy little hop as he collected the mask, looking it over from all angles before turning his attention to examining the giant alien in the room. He tilted Traximus’ head back and forth; the triceraton, ever submissive to his leader's command, did little to resist the motion. Even as Honeycutt pried open Traximus’ mouth to look inside at his tongue, the alien didn't argue.

“Mm.” Said Honeycutt, “I may have some idea of what you’re doing wrong. You see, triceratons usually breathe a natural mix of nitrogen and carbon on their home planet. Have you been giving him those?”

“Yes.” Donnie confirmed, “We built the mask to filter nitrogen and carbon through; it should be working!”

Honeycutt turned his attention once more to the mask, holding it up to the light so he could look at each intricate and carefully engineered detail.

“Hum. What water have you been using?”

“Water?” Donatello asked, raising an eyebrow as he sipped his stone-cold coffee, bleched, then took another sip.

“You know— where did you source it from? It is called water here, correct? Water? H20? Two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen?”

“We know what water is.” Donnie put a quick end to the assumption. “Just… we haven’t been using any water. Just the filter.”

“Ah! And therein lies your issue!” Honeycutt discovered, clasping his hands together and giving a happy little ‘I did it’ dance. “You have been relying solely on the nitrogen in the air— he wouldn’t be getting enough of it! If we can figure a way to add in water as a substitute for the missing nitrogen levels, we may be able to better help him! Can I help? Ohhh can I, can I?”

Donnie looked at Donatello. “It’s your lab, Donno.”

Though Donatello was pinching the bridge of his beak and every part of him was wanting to tell this stranger not to lay a single, android finger on his things, he bit back the bitterness.

“Sure.”

“Oh, wonderful day!” Honeycutt hopped to attention and got quickly to work.

It seemed Honeycutt already knew where everything was in the lab, and what to do with it. Work that would have taken anyone else hours to complete was finished in just one. The turtles couldn’t look away— even Traximus seemed invested! Or, at least, as invested as he could be in his mental state. Honeycutt finished his additions to the device and held them up for Donnie’s approval; the box turtle wasted no time in whisking away the new and improved respirator for exam, and Donatello was right on his tail.

“Oh…” Donnie’s breath caught as he examined the incredible work. “Is that a bubble filter? A little unorthodox but it has a certain charm to it. And you have to appreciate the tubal work you’ve done here…”

“Shall we try it out?” Donatello asked, and he motioned to Traximus. “See if the genius really is so smart.”

“Would you care to do the honors, Honeycutt?”

Honeycutt looked as if he might explode, dancing a little happy jig before taking the respirator and hopping over to the triceraton. Instead of asking Traximus to bow his head, like both of the turtles were anticipating, the robot’s legs simply extended to account for the size difference. Carefully he fitted the mask around the dinosaur’s nose and the difference was immediate, like night and day. Traximus’ chest grew three sizes, his eyes slitting slightly as he let the relieving breath wash over him. His scales seemed several shades brighter.

“Better?” Donnie asked.

“Better.” Traximus rumbled.

Donnie sucked in a shaky breath and practically melted. He looked as if he might cry, hands going to fiddle slightly with the breathing apparatus and fix it into a more comfortable position around the great alien’s frill.

“Good… that’s great…” He patted the immense head and almost pressed his own head to his friend’s before he stopped himself. What was he doing? He had only known this creature for a few days, and their first meeting was much less than pleasant. Why, then, did he feel so much affection for him? He couldn’t help it! He had put so much work and care into the dinosaur that it was impossible not to care for him!

“Aww, how sweet!” Honeycutt cheered, clapping his hands, “Traximus should make a full recovery in the following hours! Can we go see the special turtle now?”

Donnie’s joy and relief blipped away. “Huh?”

“The special turtle!” Honeycutt declared. “That lovely turtle in the orange mask!”

“Uhhhh…?”

“Aaaaand sidebar!” Donatello interlocked his arm with Donnie and pulled him to the side. “Okay, so here’s the sitch.”

Donatello explained what Honeycutt had told him and Raphael; the story was finished in barely two sentences, but sparked so many more questions from Donnie, many of which Donatello was unqualified to answer. In fact, the only one he could answer with any confidence was the last one.

“Were you ever planning on telling us?”

“Honestly?” Donatello said, “No, probably not.”

“Of course.” Donnie straightened back up, brushing his hands off on his shorts. “We need to tell my brothers.”

Donatello wrinkled his nose. “Do we, though?”

“Yes.” Donnie insisted. “Major Traximus, please await orders in your current position. Honeycutt, come with us.”

“So is that a yes on seeing the special turtle?” Honeycutt asked hopefully as he skipped along beside the two geniuses.

“It’s a ‘we’ll see’.”

They found Donnie’s brothers and told them everything— except, of course, Mikey, who was still resting. It rendered Raph silent, a terrifying thing as far as Donnie was concerned, and it made Leo’s entire body contort and tense like it did when something bothered him so bad and there was nothing he could do about it. Donnie was almost afraid of an explosion! Whether or would be verbal or physical depended on who it would come from. Donatello faced down the far larger turtles with no fear on his face, only calm disinterest. Donnie certainly couldn’t say the same about himself.

“Let’s go.” Was all the outburst the leader allowed himself, followed by a sharp chirp of ‘follow me’.

That was all it took for the younger brothers to follow their leader. Donnie looked back when he realized Donatello wasn't following and he gave the other turtle a head nod as a hint to stay close. Muttering curses about turtle talk and verbal barriers, Donatello followed.

When Leo heard the steady thudding of Honeycutt following at the rear, he snapped back around. “No. Not you.”

Honeycutt pointed at himself. “Me?”

Leo shouldered his way past his brothers as they parted the path for him, but he ended up having to go around Donatello as the softshell refused to part the way. Leo stomped right up to the tiny robot.

“Yes you. You wait out here, and don’t move. Don’t think I’m done with you yet.”

“I don’t think any such thing sir!” Honeycutt declared, proud and innocent.

“I… well good! Stay here.”

“Yessir!”

Leo groaned at the intense politeness that he found impossible to hate as he pushed his way back through the younger turtles.

[cosimacallsbullshit]

1) Just got to see the finale. I didn't expect it to be this low key, but I I'm glad there was a bit of room to see what 'happily ever after' aka freedom actually means for each of the sestras (even Rachel). Sarah got her shit together, Helena a family (gosh, Art and Donnie Jr will prob set their kindergarten on fire, while eating all the sand), Alison a bit of edge back (alas, no bangs of righteousness), and Cosima-- got the girl, the cure and a mission. And Felix, Mrs S would be proud of you!

--(cont.) 2) I also loved them being meta: Clone Club Columbia, Helena's memoirs called Orphan Black-- (I mean, never actually got the title, which I sometimes confused with Orange is the New Black back in 2013. Anyhow, prob didn't get the memo.) Graeme and John put women in the centre throughout the series (sorry, Castor, you never stood a chance against an army of Tats), and stayed true to it til the end. I think, I need to process this! :D While dreaming of Cophine saving a galaxy of women. Yes! -Ros

Hey Ros! I definitely thought it was a refreshing change of pace to make the last half of the episode so peaceful and happy. The whole look of the show became vibrant, so bright and colorful, like all the darkness was behind them and they were finally able to be free and full of joy for a change. It also made sense that Sarah had the hardest time with the calm and facing a future without threat and without Mrs. S. I’m glad she has her sestras to help her see that she’s not broken and has their love, understanding, and support to get through whatever difficulties she faces. You’re right, Arthur and Donnie will probably be cute little terrors like their mommy :) I wish we could follow the Cophine cure tour throughout the world, I’ll miss seeing their love story continue. 

The show has always been a bit self-referential, so those were cute touches to add in there, especially since so many people were confused by the title so they got to have a laugh at themselves. As for what Orphan Black really means, at the end of season 1 they mentioned that Sarah was an orphan in the black, raised off the grid and hidden from neolution. The fact that this show centered around and celebrated the strength, resiliency, and hearts of women will be one of the things it’s most remembered for. 

It’s greatest legacy, however, will be the incredible performances of Tatiana Maslany.