#I WANT TO CALL THEM APRITELLO

[iwillkeepfighting]

"Meet Me On The Battlefield" is officially the theme song for my bad-future-timeline Rise April and Donnie

[canipleasegetthenumber15]

About my little ROTTMNT borrower AU

For those who are interested in the rottmnt borrower AU story I'm working on (which I'm calling Rise Borrowers for simplicity's sake), you can see some more of it over on my Instagram (I go by plaidartist on there), including a comic featuring April first meeting Raph, Leo, and Donnie. :)

Story summary: The tmnt bros are borrowers who live with Splinter (who's still a rat except now he's the size of an actual rat) in the walls of April's apartment. April, Raph, Leo, and Donnie are in their 20s and Mikey is 17ish. April lives there alone (perhaps maybe with Casey Sr. and Sunita as roommates, but that wouldn't happen until after she befriends the bros). Splinter teaches the bros to avoid larger creatures like humans and yokai, and they accidentally shelter Mikey to the point he has no idea what a real human looks like face-to-face and assumes they're smaller than they really are. Mikey goes on a solo mission (maybe Raph lets him do it as a 17th bday present) and accidentally tangles himself in a rope he uses to climb up April's fridge. She finds him and saves him. The two slowly build a bond, but Mikey doesn't realize she's a human until 3ish months down the road when the older 3 bros meet her. They're all wary but slowly trust her, though Donnie takes the longest to come around for several reasons, one of which is because he doesn't want to admit he's grown romantic feelings for her. They eventually become a couple. When Casey Sr. comes into the picture, she and Raph fall in love, too.

Additional note (mostly for anyone who's curious about my views on Apritello, cuz I've seen some unnecessary drama in regard to that): Because the canonical relationship between April and the turtles is ambiguous, some hc them as siblings, and some hc them as just friends. Personally, I don't see them as siblings and I ship Apritello (if I suspected they were siblings--adopted, step, biological, etc.--I would not ship them), but I have no hate towards fans who see them as siblings.

[ladysqueakinpip]

my sister said I'm being annoying about apritello on main again so I decided to spare u all and going forward I'm gonna tag all my apritello rants as "squeakys apritello propaganda" so if u don't wanna see my salt or indoctrination blacklist it 👍

[venelona-turtle-den]

may i present to you...

✨COUNTDOWN AU⌚✨

... an AU where Splinter did not take the lil' turtle boys with him, and so Draxum raised them to be his perfect human-killing machines.

▶ Draxum did not bother to give them names and calles them by numbers.

▶ Huginn and Muninn are the glorified babysitters.

▶ Humans are the enemy.

‼ This is Apritello AU/story. If you dislike this fact, you are welcome to block the tag and move on ‼

💖Raphael

▶ Number One

▶ Assigned leader by Draxum

▶ With the lack of a proper parental figure he is more of a dad of the group than older brother. Given that, he is perpetually stressed.

💜 Donatello

▶ Number Two

▶ Has a secret human friend since childhood. Nothing wrong with this, unless you are a mutant who is being taught to one day wipe out all of the humanity :)

▶ Was discouraged from pursuing technology for the longest time and has to use his mystical weapon

▶ POV of the story 💜

💙 Leonardo

▶ Number Three

▶ Mr Teen Angst™

▶ Rebellious lil' shit who actively dislikes the whole plan of Draxum's, and, with such, a big headache for Raph especially

🧡 Michelangelo

▶ Number Four

▶ Most attached to papa Draxum

▶ Favourite of the gargoyles, too

▶ Just wants dad's love...

I'll both draw and write for this thing, so stay tuned for when I drop chapter 1 💖✨

[christeli4]

Fixing Apritello work better than Canon

(Analysis tmnt 1920s AU)

After reading the "turtles in the roaring 20s", I want to compare two love lines of the same ship. Namely, the canon and fixing Apritello and why the former is much better than the latter.

Canon Apritello

The series uses the trope "love at first sight" in the very first episode during April's demonstration. Donnie becomes fixated on her when he notices her presence.

He is completely confident that April will become his girlfriend (like the "master plan"), perceiving her as an object that needs to be obtained. If Donnie's feelings are obsessive, April's feelings are almost incomprehensible. It's one thing to kiss him on the cheek, and then immediately ignore the past action, as if nothing had happened (*cough* A foot too big *cough*).

What else I don't like about this relationship is that in all episodes, April in a written form should always be next to him, and not with other turtles. Because the shippers will think she's changing guys like gloves.

And a love triangle involving Donnie, April and Casey makes things worse for her. Donatello begins to complain that his crush is spending time with another guy at first sight. For the most part, he's just trying to get him out of April's company. And Casey is a perverted guy who likes to molest her. Okay, when he flirts, but he unbeknownst to her looks at her like, excuse me, a sexy (remember) 16-year-old girl! Well, at least thank you for the fact that April herself does not support such an attitude of guys towards her when they fought for her, or in the ep 1 season 4, where two guys looked lovingly at her dressed in a yellow jumpsuit.

Okay, you get my point, that canon did a very bad job. Now let's move on to…

Turtles in the roaring 20s Apritello

In this fanfiction, unlike the canon, the love line begins in "chapter 8: After hours" while April is singing. Donnie falls in love with her in this very chapter, when he watches and listens to her beautiful voice. Also in the chapter 9, they communicate in private, clean up the mess and tell their dreams and experiences, and this is called "proper chemistry".

The main mistake in the canon is the lack of conversations, no matter what. ordinary or important in the plot, characters should talk about their feelings, experiences, advice, and so on, and not just assure us that they did it behind the scenes. as one person said, "Show, not tell."

Maybe Donatello and April sometimes talked about something in the series, but we were shown in the background instead of hearing their conversation.

In the new chapter of fic, these two are presented to us again with cute moments and important plot summaries, rather than being thrown into the background. In addition, we are hinted at the development of the characters, where they will teach each other in the next chapter.

Also, April wasn't created as a love interest for Donnie to tease the shippers. Their attitude influences the main character's dream and Don's fear of being on stage. Plus, her character will change not only in relation to Don, but also to other turtles (like Raphael).

The result of the analysis: tmnt1920s AU Works with Apritello better and more harmoniously than canon and I will always wait for new chapters about them!

[fabuloustrash05]

rank the canon love interests for each turtle, gO (i can't remember if you have already lol)

*cracks knuckles* It’s time for a lightening round of ship ranking!

Disclaimer: I’m rating these girls based on their romantic relationships with the Turtle that crushed on them/had a relationship with. This is NOT a ranking of their individual characters.

Leonardo

Unnamed Women/Yumi’s Mother (Mirage)

2/10

She was just a figment of Leo’s imagination so does she even count?

They have a daughter together which is nice, but also HOW DID THAT WORK??

Raven Shadowheart (Mirage)

7/10

Seems like a good ship

F in the chat for Leo, even when he has a GOOD relationship it can’t last long.

Lotus Blossom (1987)

10/10

The overall BEST Leo love interest.

The fact she gave him a flower to remember her by <3

Lotus deserves to make a comeback!

Can’t believe Nickelodeon chose INCEST over her!!

Karai (2012)

-1000000000000000000000000/10

WHY DID THEY HAVE LEO PULL A LUKE SKYWALKER?!

Koya (IDW)

2/10

I can definitely see the appeal and aesthetically they look good together but the CONTEXT of their relationship is BAD.

LEO IS THE REASON SHE IS DISABLED!!

Lita confirms they get together in the future, but WHY?? They have no romantic chemistry or hints that they like each other romantically. Maybe SHOW us instead of TELLING us!!

Toxic 95% of the time

April (Mutant Mayhem)

7/10

I usually heavily dislike April x Turtle ships, but I can’t deny that they were cute.

Leo’s moment of falling for her was actually kinda cute and funny.

His crush on her is not shoved down our throats like OTHER April x Turtle ships *cough* 2012 Apritello *cough*

I like that they went  to prom together <3

But again, I don’t think April should be shipped with any of the Turtles and I don’t see this ship lasting in the long term…

Seems like it’s a one sided crush like Dipper and Wendy from Gravity Falls, so I’m not convinced this will last in the upcoming show/sequel

Raphael

Ninjara (Archie Comics)

2/10

They’re cute but it’s not a really interesting ship

It looks too much like a cheap OC x Canon pairing

Mezcaal (Archie Comics)

7/10

The first and only time one of our Turtles boys have been married, congrats Raph!

A badass married couple

I hope her and Raph are forever happy together running that bar

Mona Lisa (1987)

10/10

Iconic!

Her kissing Raph then calling him “doll” is so cute!

She IS the ideal Raphael love interest. Her and this ship truly left a major impact on the fandom.

She is the go to Raph love interest people think of in any iteration (2003, Rise & MM fans all wanted and made their own version of her in the show)

Joi (2003)

1/10

Meh…

Idk if she counts but I added her cause some people shipped them

She is Raph’s only human "love interest" and it doesn’t feel right to me. 

Out of all the Turtles, Raph being with a human feels weird, the other Turtles I’m fine with being with humans. Raph has always been known to date non human characters so this ship doesn’t look/sit right to me, and doesn’t feel like a relationship that would go anywhere.

Alopex (IDW)

2.5/10

I just don’t like it

I guess it’s because I was introduced to Alopex in the 2012 series where in that she’s a 30 year old woman and Raph is a teenager, so this relationship feels weird to me.

Kinda toxic at times tbh but still cute when they need to be (which is rare)

She’s 17 and Raph is 20… But that was apparently “retconned” so Idk what to think

Y’gythgba/Mona Lisa (2012)

10000000000000000000000000000000000/10

THE BEST LOVE INTEREST AND SHIP IN THE ENTIRE SHOW!!

The ONLY GOOD and HEALTHY relationship in the show!

“What a woman…” ICONIC!!

Raph was loyal and Mona was devoted to him!

He falls for her because she punched him in the face. That is both hilarious and very in character for Raph XD

She’s as much in love with him as he is with her!

Badass warrior power couple!

Short King x Girlboss

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!

Donatello

Jhanna (2003)

3/10

Another “Meh” ship to me.

Similar to Joi, does she even count?? Apparently she does to some people and its a ship for 03 fans.

Fan versions of her and this ship from different interactions (1987 & Rise) are more interesting than the actual canon version of them in 03 tbh

I guess I’m just not convinced of this ship and I don’t like how they look together. It’s hard to explain.

April (2012)

4/10

Could’ve worked with a cute “friends to lovers” story but the writers ruined it.

Kinda cute in season 1, got worse after that. Season 5 was them at their best but that’s only because it wasn’t shoved down our throats by that point.

The love triangle brought out the worst in them (and Casey).

I like them better as best friends.

Hottake: Donnie was more of the problem than April.

Like I said in Leo’s ranking, April should NOT be a love interest for any of the Turtles.

Big Foot (2012)

-1/10

Why did this happen??

Batgirl (Batman Crossover Comic)

2/10

Got a thing for redheads, huh Don?

Not a huge fan of big crossover shipping like this, but his crush on her was cute so I’ll admit that. 

It was sweet she gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving. So good for you Don!

Mona Lisa (IDW)

0/10

JUSTICE FOR RAPH X MONA LISA!!

Obviously not my cup of tea.

The Nerd x Nerd trope… wow, so original…

She’s a bitch to him at times and invalidates his trauma. 

I really thought her and Jennika were gonna be a thing (which I would’ve preferred more tbh), so her with Donnie as a massive disappointing surprise and feels so forced.

Michelangelo

Princess Seri (Mirage)

2/10

Tragic. She betrayed him. That bitch.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR BABIES??

Also… MIKEY FUCKS??!

Kala (1987)

9/10

UNDERRATED SHIP!!

Two party loving teens who just wanna skate and have fun!

They keep pictures of each other as mementoes. THAT’S ADORABLE!!

Much like Leo x Lotus, we need this ship to make a comeback.

Buffy (1987)

0/10

FUCK THAT BITCH!! SHE TREATED HIM LIKE TRASH!!

Sara Hill (Image Comics)

4.5/10

I’m a sucker for the Turtles dating alien lizard woman.

I like the “friends with benefits” relationship they have. Feels like a Mikey thing he would do regarding his love life. 

I love how they bonded over their love of cartoons. Very cute.

She left him for another man though… WTF SARA?!?! YOU BROKE MIKEY’S AND MORE IMPORTANTLY MY HEART!!

Mitsu (TMNT III)

1/10

Bland and boring (Just like the movie!)

Princess Trib (IDW)

5/10

RESPECT TO MIKEY GETTING ALL THE PRINCESSES!! AND THE NEUTRINOS TOO??

Cute, but in the end I prefer him with Kala.

They are the only good Turtle ship (not counting Jennika and her girlfriend Sheena). But that ain’t saying much from me cause they’re still bland at times with little to go with.

How are they one of the better ships in IDW yet they are the most bland and uninteresting couple??

Renet (2012)

9/10

Very adorable!!

Works well romantically and platonically.

They’re both goofballs who are misunderstood by their peers.

Would be a 10 but Mikey was unfaithful...

Renet confirms they have some kind of future together.

I personally can’t see them staying together in the future, maybe having a friends with benefits relationship like him and Sara.

Shinigami (2012)

1/10

I like their dynamic, but not as a romantic one.

“Someone will die…” “OF FUN!” vibes.

Shini is obviously a lesbian and is dating Karai so…

Headcanon: They have playdates with their cats.

April (Bayverse)

0/10

WHAT DID I LITERALLY SAY IN LEO AND DONNIE’S RANKINGS??!!

The one Mikey crush that literally gives me the ick. I don’t like it.

C R I N G E

MIKEY SWEETIE SHE’S A FULL GROWN ADULT!! YOU ARE A CHILD!!

[lazyvase]

TMNT (2012) To Me: Official Nickelodeon Message Boards

Back when the show was airing, Nickelodeon.com had a small little section for each show, including TMNT 2012. I plan to go into the website in more detail at a later date, what's important now is one option in a little drop down menu. A tab labeled "Boards".

The tab led to message boards officially run by Nickelodeon. There was one for every show, but I stuck to TMNT. Here, TMNT fans could discuss any and all matters relating to the show. Except for that one post asking about if anybody watches Gravity Falls. This clearly was the only way some kids could talk to other kids online.

The boards looked like this according to the Wayback Machine:

But I remember them having a background like this for some reason:

Also, going through the WayBack machine, I was reminded of the weird emojis they had:

If I recall correctly, I started going onto the message boards around the Parasitica episode. I was a lurker. I didn't have my own account yet. Around season 2-3 I made my own account: fishfan; Fishface was my favorite villain in the show. I still never posted anything.

Regardless, going on the boards was always a magical experience. I was able to hear more about my favorite show. I got a peak into other people's experiences and joys. I got to see the show in new ways. It was beautiful. Let's go over some of these experiences.

Aliens Among Us

A rather simple memory was when a user talked about how they believed the Kraang were real. Or at least aliens. Their TV sometimes glitched and they often heard things outside at night. Looking back I can laugh at how ridiculous it was. It's clear that it was an easily scared little kid making the post. However, at that time I quickly moved onto other posts in order to get my mind off the horrifying implications I was just exposed to.

Pro-Donnie (ish)

The TMNT message boards were my first exposure to ship wars. I was on the frontlines of the Apritello VS Capril ship wars. I was on the side of Donnie as he was my favorite turtle. Also because he clearly put in more effort and time into wooing April. However, the post in discussion is not about my feelings, but the feelings of another user. I don't remember the users name, but their words are ingrained into my head.

"I want Casey to end up with April, so Donnie can be all mine."

I was not a fan of this posts message. As stated before, I was on Donnie's side. Casey seemed like a nice guy, but I couldn't see him in a relationship. What really got to me was the irrationality of ending up with a fictional character.

I didn’t understand self shipping at the time, or even having a crush on a fictional character. So, the concept of dating a fictional character was incomprehensible to me. I swiftly ignored the post.

Leaks

Another post stuck in my mind was a leak of four season 2 episodes. I remember stumbling across a post that detailed the titles and descriptions of the following episodes: The Wrath of Tiger Claw, The Legend of the Kuro Kabuto, Plan 10, and Vengeance is Mine. I was excited, especially for Tiger Claw's return. Yet despite my amazement, I was still unsure if this was the truth.

After what felt like what a year, I finally was able to confirm the leaks. Those episodes were real.

Foretelling

I remember seeing a post stating that:

"stnwfnasie and beoieisp might be Bebop and Rocksteady. The purple mohawk is a dead giveaway."

They said the actual names in the post, but I didn't recognize them at the time. However, the term purple mohawk tipped me off that the master thief in some way or form is connected to Bebop and Rocksteady. Two names which I had no familiarity with. Yet.

Here's how Raph X April can still win...

One post that baffled me was that a user was calling for Raph X April. At that time I really only acknowledge ships pushed by the show. So, this ship just seemed to be complete and utter nonsense. Their evidence was flimsy to me: "The one and only Raphael". He smiled as she said that. She leaned on him in the episode Speed Demon. Utterly ridiculous to a young me.

Crushed

There were a lot of people who had crushes on the turtles. I didn't have a crush on anyone in the show. I was just in it for the cool monsters and robots.

Same Name

There was a lot of role-playing as characters. I remember one in specific about someone pretending to be Shredder reacting to a Nickelodeon website music video about Shredder.

Gender Roles

In going through the WayBack Machine, I've been reminded that there was a lot of girls only and boys only posts, which I often did not respect and went in anyway. I was also reminded that a lot of girls were very adamant that they liked the show, despite it not being targeted at them. Some things never change.

Conclusion

Only now am I able to appreciate how truly special the message boards were. The reason for this whimsy is that there were no adults. I mean, why would an adult go onto a website designed for kids to talk about a show when they could just go on one of their adult social medias. The Nick Message Boards were for kids exclusively. As such there were no adults with no lives spouting their hate and dogshit opinions. All our complaints were trivial and laughably petty. It was a paradise. A safe haven.

The simpler times.

Now that we've established some context, let's go over season 2.

[venelona]

So I heard rumors u ship Apriltello and Frans? I wanted to ask you directly because I’m not the type to believe rumors without proof, if ur shy that’s ok! Idc what u ship lol, have a good day<33🩷

I do - I ship frans (adult Frisk x Sans) and Apritello (mostly ROTTMNT Apritello - some people call them siblings, which is cool, I love found family, but I don't see them as such - they're bffs, and I like some childhood friends to grown lovers stuff)

I don't care what other people ship either, because, yunno

Fiction

[blye-flower]

Elemental Writer Asks: Fire, Clouds, Psionics

Fire: What’s a scene that you are dying to write? Oh my god, the confession scene in SnoCon has me in such a grip, I keep thinking about it and how it's going to come together. I have the actual confession written out but I'm lowkey still building the scene around it. It's torture cause I'll probably end up rewriting it depending on the scenes before it.

Also, just any scene from a vampire apritello au I mentioned briefly to the server (and also the starting scene for the au we're planning ajndkaj) like I have ideas but I'm trying not to get too distracted from SnoCon since I'll end up not finishing it lol.

Clouds: How clearly do you picture a scene before you start writing it down? I have to know at least where the characters are in relation to one another and which characters are going to be in the scene, this is the BAREST of minimum tbh. It can change while I'm writing, but tbh I'd take a break before continuing the scene if I don't know where they're placed. Also depending on how extensive the story is, I have to know the setting as well.

Psionics: How do you get into the heads of your characters? There are three things that I think about and it's a character's wants, fears, and limitations. When I think about them, they're primarily mental things, but it's easier for me to write how a character will "realistically" react to whatever situation I put them in if I have them figured out. That's why I call all my first fanfics in a fandom character studies lol.

[hermitcraft-8]

reminder that these are all /lh i can think of justification for most of them. you're not a bad person for fulfilling these, i just wanted to make this joke.

you've only watched one version (bonus point if it was rise)

you're weird about rise donnie

you don't think about cassandra unless it's to ship her with someone

you ship 2012 apritello

you like the bayverse films

you have ever called 2012 mikey abused by raph (bonus if you don't have siblings)

you think 2012 casey is problematic

you think rise leo is insufferable

you don't like 2012, 2007 or 2003 raph

you have never seen the 90s live action movies

so tempted to make a list of red flags for the tmnt fandom

[tumblebumblebee-63]

Things I Need To See If When We Get Rottmnt Season 3

-More Apritello (wait don't leave yet!)

-It doesn't need to be romantic (although they have such a good dynamic I honestly wouldn't mind if they did as long as it was done right)

-but seriously, they're just chaotic together and I need more of that

-Along those lines I also feel like there needs to be more one on one time with April and Leo as well as April and Raph

-Like??

-Both duos are so good and they just don't get enough screen time at all

-Also, I need the turtles + Splinter to actually meet April's parents

-Did I know I needed this until I saw the disaster twins psyched for a nice dinner in their matching sweater vests? No.

-Do I need it now more than ever? Y e s.

-I also need them to actually acknowledge the events of the movie and not just brush past it like it was no big deal. Let it come up later. Let the rest of the turtles be just-barely-noticeably a lot more overprotective when it comes to Leo. Don't tell me they would almost lose him like that and continue letting him be reckless all the time.

-GIVE. ME. MORE. CASEY.

-You CANNOT just add her to the mix and dip like that. I NEED to see how she fits in with the group. Will her and Donnie be completely unhinged together? Absolutely. Will Splinter dote on her like she's his daughter and she'll absolutely love it and swear to make him proud? Probably. Will her and April be an absolute girl boss team together and probably have sleepovers while gossiping about whatever? Y e s. Will she be completely unused to getting positive reinforcement and being part of an actual family who loves her even if she makes mistakes? For sure. But will she adore it? Um, yes!

-Leader Leo Leader Leo Leader Leo Leader Leo Leader Leo Leader Leo Leader Leo Leader Leo

-Will this poor boy be immediately overwhelmed with this responsibility and continuously doubt himself? Yes. But Raph would be giving him tips and pointers the entire time because he KNOWS how stressful it is to keep everyone in line and stop them from getting hurt or worse. Let Leo come to terms with his role and realize he's actually really good at it! Let him be so relieved to finally feel like he has a place on the team and isn't actually a useless screw-up.

-Alternatively, show us how Raph feels about this development! Will he be proud of his little brother for stepping up? Of course! But maybe, just maybe, he goes through some withdrawals? Maybe he has a hard time remembering that he's not in charge anymore and Leo is the one calling the shots. Maybe he feels a little lost on his place in the team now that he isn't the leader. Would his brothers immediately reassure him that he's still irreplaceable and is just as important to the team now as he was before? Yes, but it still might take him some time to get used to that.

-Mikey Magic. Magic Mike. (Jk)

-You really can't tell us Mikey is some powerful mystic warrior and not expect us to want more answers. Can he control it? Or is it fuelled by fear and desperation? Can he learn to harness his power without his brothers absorbing the energy with him? If done correctly, does this potentially open the stage to Mikey being able to time travel whenever he chooses? That could be interesting.

-Soft Shell Donnie

-Maybe it's just my desire for angst, but I think we should see more of Donnie without his battle shell. It would certainly make for more dramatic fight scenes if that vulnerability was exposed more.

Here are a few more minor ones that have zero plot relevance but I just think would be neat:

-Raph should get some sort of pet

-The turtles should occasionally make little chirps and hisses like real turtles do

-April should have a bigger wardrobe

-We should see Mikey actually graffiti something (I know he's the artsy one but have we ever actually seen him paint something??)

-I would love an episode centered around a hatred fueled disaster twin prank war. (Each prank gets progressively more crazy and dangerous until the others have to eventually interfere so they don't kill each other)

-Let Donnie perform a musical number like the absolute theater kid he is (other than a rap?)

-Random, but I also think it'd be funny if Mayhem had a growth spurt and was actually meant to be the size of a tiger. Plus April could ride him into battle like the badass she is.

-We should have a cool underwater fight scene! They're literally turtles! Plus, I think softshell turtles are supposed to be suuuper fast swimmers and I want to see that

A few more people have suggested:

-Raph/Donnie duo! We need a red and purple episode now!!

-Give. Donnie. His. Fashion. Montage. Seriously, we were robbed

-Alternatively to Donnie's musical performance, give us an entirely musical episode! We know they all have amazing voices!

That's all I could think of for now. Feel free to chime in any ideas you have!

[aeempress]

Apritello Express Evidences, part 2

Khem-khem, ladies and gentlemen, we shall continue out praising Apritello's episodes. And yeah, this part will be dedicated, in entirety just one episode.

Purple jacket. April and Donnie's episode.

I really love this piece of masterpiece, because it show April and Dee relationship, better reveals them as characters, and demonstrates their connection. (My previous points at this whole situation)

The episode begins with Donnie sneaking into April's school under the pretext of helping her. Soon, April stated the reason why she called D - her science computer project. Actually, she could take a photo of the code and sent it to Donatello, and I'm sure, he would send her the correct one right away, he's coder, he's prodigy, no probbles.

But still, April just asked him to come over and help her without stating any reasons. And he, indeed, came at speed of the light.

I want you to understand what exactly does that mean.

First: April is aware how much Donnie is into human culture. He wants to study in normal human school, do some average teen stuff. Especially, he is loving school and science-related stuff, all these science school projects, visits to botanical gardens, experiments and laboratory work. Because it's his field. It's exactly his domain, where he's good at. His family does not share his interest in science, and April is only one who can understand him. Probably.

Also, April know, how badly Donnie wants to go to school, which gives him an excuse, even if not the most solid one, but an excuse, nevertheless, to visit her school again.

Why again?

Because he has no problem navigating there. Donnie went directly to April's computer class.

He loves this place. And he'd already helped April with her projects.

Even so, knowing that every time she asked guys, especially Don, for help, it turned into a cataclysm, April still called him to help.

It's just a weird, indirect way to say, " Let's hang out, I know how much you like this whole situation with science, school and etc. Here ya go, buddy"

It seems like April did that to make something pleasant to him, something small, but nice to make him feel better. Because, as I state before - he likes to help April (praise, doing something useful for April - still counts as a motivation) and he likes school.

Second: khem-khem, D came at her school, as it seems, right away she called/texted. He didn't even know the proper reason, but c'mon: April ask for help, plus, her school. Sounds legit, don't you think?

Anyway, April has always been being the reason and excuse for teetles, but especially for Donnie. Clear? Clear. Good.

Donnie also tends to not think things through when he is excited. Because he went at the daylight in place, full of people just to help April.

ROTTMNT shows us how turtles were really afraid of human reaction and possible consequences. They have plan "H" to pretend they are going to Galaxy Con, brothers have explanation why they look weird and it's definitely not because boys are mutants, uh-huh, no, plus, guys go on surface at evening or night hours, when there are not so many people, and it's dark, obviously, to cover them and keep unseen.

Yeah, of course, Donnie seems more capable then his brothers to handle the surface (he has cash, D's dressed up as old ladies more than once, according to Leo, he was in April's school before, so yeah, no big deal) and I suspect that his friendship with April is one of the reasons.

Third: do you remember how April worried about looking "normal" when she was finally invited to a school party? She even forbade Mayham to appear nearby, just not to look like the lizard boy. Because cool kids don't bring pets to school. April doesn't have many friends, or rather, there are none at school, and she's been trying to solve this problem by getting close to Taylor Martin, the coolest girl in school.

And April O'Neil just calls Donatello, an objectively strange guy (since when is it normal to be a fan of school? Pretty questionable) in place, where her reputation is hanging in a balance. Our girl does not try to hide Dee, as it usually shown in shows for kids, and April do not pretend that she sees him for the first time in her life because, you know, Donnie will catch everyone's attention being himself and may embarrass her in front of her classmates. But no - April says with all her actions: "Yes, I know him. Yes, that dork is with me. And I don't give a damn about your opinion. Your problems, not mine. And yeah, I'm fine with him being here."

I mean it, guys. The devil is always in the tiny details.

The way they behave around each other.

Donatello is way more, MORE relaxed and just being himself: dramatic dorky nerdy ninja with current obsessions. The way he sneaked in school and April's classroom, the way he behaves alone with her is contrasting the way of his attitude while his brothers are near.

Don has a specific way to shown up. Instead of texting her, Donnie used shurekens. Yes, he almost fell off the lamp, but still, that's... quite an entrance he makes there.

April worries about him, when he fell from ceiling.

Our girl feel relaxed enough around Donnie, so she winks at him.

A wink is a fairly casual gesture that shows some expression of sympathy, trust, and togetherness. It's both good for saying "We're in same boat, we're team" and show the playful attitude towards someone. Isn't that an indicator?

Ironically, that being the best friends April and Donnie do not have any secret handshake/brofist/special greeting, as it usually the besties have at kid's series. Like Kendra and Jeremy have.

I can do only one possible logical conclusion: their relationship is far beyond "friends," "best friends," and "family".

Btw, about this certain phrase about secret five.

- Nay, fair April. A secret five[...].

Once again, nice wording, Donatello. Fair April? Maybe I'm too critical, but often when someone wants to convince their interlocutor and at the same time show one's condescension to them, it's usually uses "my dear ..." or something like that. I understand that semantically the difference is not very big, but in the first case, you can feel Donnie's personal attitude, even though he uses a book word. The second is just formal politeness, which emphasizes the difference between the rightness of the disputants.

This phrase were interpreted on official Russian dub as (okay, it's really hard to choose the correct word, because there's a lot of synonyms in English that sits quite well, while on Russian it's just one word, damn) "Нет, милая (No, honey/sweetheart )". Actually, a strange choice of wording, 'cause this is not what usually friends use to say to each other. We prefer use words like " my darling", "my dear", to demonstrate leniency. And again, most often this prerogative belongs to the older generation. Russians rarely throw around such words as "honey", "dear", "sunshine", because this deprives these endearments of any meaning, and a person using them, as a rule, is familiar. Of course, there are people who use them on a regular basis, but I HIGHLY doubt that Donatello is one of them. It's not his style.

But still, maybe I just too critical at this point.

April, as it is shown, have some kind of power to cool and calm him down and bring Donnie back to life reality.

1. Don awakes from his daze while heard April's voice

2. He's literally coming back to life, when April said about his broken jetpack.

3. Dee obediently interrupts his touching farewell to the jacket when April yells at him.

Oh, and his face. I remind you, fellas, we're talking about Donatello, "I really do not like to express emotions"-guy and "I will die if someone broke my bAbEyS"-guy.

And what do we see? Donnie's emoting. And feels free to do that. He's even drooling. (What seems kinda interesting without context, if you're understand what I'm talking about ;))

Dee doesn't seem angry about broken jetpack. And his wide smile, while he's assuring April he can fix it? A few minutes ago, he was steamed when his stuff was stolen, but when the jetpack was broken, he doesn't even raise an eyebrow. Very eloquent.

April is his support

April also supports Donnie whatever he's up to. Yes, she hadn't been excited when Othello had expressed a desire to join the club. However, she also introduced him to Kendra and company. Yes, she showed by her whole appearance that she did not share his joy, but nevertheless, our loyal captain O'Neil was there for him, by his side all this time.

And her sweet facial expression. From "Srsly? Join this jerks?" to "If you dare to even think about to hurt him, I'll smash you".

And one more cute detail about Dee. Even if he does whatever he wanted so badly, Don constantly looks around at April, looking for her approval.

- Be honest, April, do I look fantastic, or SUPERBLY fantastic?

- You look like you drop a juice box in a laundry. (Play nice, April, don't be mean)

He cherishes her opinion.

April had even called him late at night just to, technically speaking, say that his tech were stolen. And what's the big deal with all his outfit? It's late night, they can just sneak out into Nakamura in their usual form. But noooo, April give a special ride on her bicycle. Just. You know. Our girl carried her own weight and his all the way without stopping. And then she went up 53 + floors running non-stop because Donnie's equipment was stolen. And then she had to chase the her classmates, dodge and jump out of the window. Because Purple dragons stole Dee's tech. Like shooting fish in a barrel, no big deal at all.

And it's definitely not because he will be totally crashed or he'll do stupid things during his anger, which will then come out sideways.

And April comes along with him to very end.

By the way, their phone conversations.

Donnie is the very case when "Call at any time of the day or night and I will pick up the phone".

When April called him when he needs D's help with Albearto, when something is definitely going on behind.

As it says in transcript of the episode:

[April takes out her phone, scrolls to Donnie’s listing and calls him. Donatello appears on screen. Behind him a flying microwave wearing boxing gloves shoots lasers at his brothers.]

Don: "You are conversing with Donatello."

April

[Crouched on floor in hiding.]

Dude, I need your help."

Don: "For you, anything. As long as it does not involve bees, or spiders, or beach balls.

[There’s an explosion behind him and his brothers cry out, which he ignores.]

And yeah, he took her incoming immediately, he ignores absolutely and totally everything around him, because... April? Expositions, bloody flying microwave bot turned to destroy mode, his brothers screaming and being in life-threatening situation? Naaah, it can wait.

Donatello was at Todd's, building "the puppiest place on Earth" and was very enthusiastic about to finish this thing. But he paused anyway to answer April.

We already know how obsessive with work Don can be: if something interesting gets into his field of view, he begins to do it all day long. Remember "The Purple Game" - a very revealing case. Yeah, we weren't shown how much Donnie is into engineering, but I can guess that point remains the same.

April called him at late night and Donnie picked up the phone.

April, unlike Donatello, is a teenager who is burdened with social relationship such as family, school, and work periodically, which implies a more or less strict schedule to follow and some conventions, such as " April, you can't go out late at night to catch robbers, you are underage and you have to go to school/work tomorrow). However, she was watching the news late at night, so she called Dee. ( I have a lot of questions, but I'll never get answers, as it seems)

D, in turn, doesn't have so many contacts with the outside world. I highly doubt that anyone else outside of the family and April has his number. And yet, when he hears the call late at night he takes it. Yes, he had awaken from the nightmare, but still.

And what's up with his usual "You're conversing with Donatello"? He didn't even understand what's going on, as it seems, he's too sleepy to play his usual image and playfully attitude as we could see in "Hypno Part Deux" and "War and Pizza".

Adorable couple-like D&A arguing

April very rarely uses "I told you so" against anybody, or rather, this is almost the only case. This phrase is more suitable for Leo or Donnie, and you know," I told you so! " we usually use on people we know well, and we want to tease 'em about them being wrong. Which, in fact, once again highlights and proves how close D&A are. And I don't even get started about the fact that this is more like a couple's quarrel, not a friend's.

And one more time - in the end, when April suggests using the jacket to stop Kendra.

Their teamwork

I stated that before, I'll tell it one more and more times. The chemistry of their team interaction is incredible. It's as if they can feel each other, and each knows what the other is capable of doing in the next moment. April easily adapts to Donnie's attack, realizing his plan.

Donnie also throws them both out of the window in order to continue the pursuiting Kendra on the jetpack. Don is one hundred percent sure of April, that she will understand what he wants to do, Dee trusts her with his life without hesitation, and she has never used his jetpack. He just puts her before the fact: April will be using the tech.

Up for Donnie!

I really like how this scene was made. Donatello struggles with his own tech, somewhat he made by himself, having invested almost whole himself and his soul, but what "betrayed" him in end. When Dee finally managed to shake one of his battleshell, which almost choked him, Donnie feel so scared and unsecured. We can see his anxiety - Dee's coaching position with covering his head with his hands and tucking his knees.

Defenseless, helpless, and mostly lost, and then, just in time - hero comes to save his life. She uses Donnie's name as battlecry, look how furious she is.

Funny fact: on Russian dub April yells "Don't touch Donnie! (how dare you, madafaka)

April fits in Donnie's type of girls. She's cute (obvious) and mean (not so obvious).

I can't say that meanness is the main feature of April's character, as we can say about Kendra. But this personality trait is still present in her and sometimes it does not manifest itself so widely. April's meanness is not so pronounced, it is much softer and smoother, and it is not exposed.

But April becomes really mean when someone messes up with Donnie.

She's his support and prop. Literally. Just look at first frame, okay-okay, jokes aside

She's genuinely enjoying of kicking bad guys ' asses, even letting go of witticisms and barbs.

Last scenes

Don survived a rough night: he was used, his tech was stolen, so he and April had to chase the satin robed punks. Donnie was hit in the head with a hammer, he fell from a bird's-eye view, passed out and then his battleshell tried to strangle him. And April is here to comfort him, to cheer him up.

Yes, we don't get any hugs (because it's kids show, bleh), the tactility is kept to a minimum, except for April's comforting hand on his shoulder, but they don't even look at each other. But the softness of her voice, the intonation with which she utters a phrase (that is usually sent to the friend zone, but "pal" is really neutral word, and the most important how she said that) turn the scene upside down. It is not what April did to comfort him matter, it's how she did this.

I said "yes" to you way too often

April mirrors Donnie with his "Anything for you". Yes, of course, she said this with a certain amount of grumbling, but her voice and her demeanor suggest otherwise - she is not at all averse to going to giving in him.

And the way they're look at each other.

This one

And one more detail

It's really tiny, it's hard to catch from the first watching the episode, but still, it's possible. I'm talking about graffiti on the walls of the alley where April and Don had landed.

This one

Yeah, if we speak about reality it's quite normal to see graffiti like this. But we talking about TV-series, where everything has its own place and meaning. And if there something, it must be there, it's not just whim of artist who put it in there. But this little graffiti changes the mood of scene.

[beesandturtles]

I have a post-canon Apritello fic where April is essentially warned by Raph - pre-confession - not to hurt his brother. Or else.

She doesn't.

And there was always so much drama.

But you basically have a highly sheltered and socially awkward 15 yo and a standard issue 16 yo who both go through a massive amount of trauma together while the 16 yo slowly finds out she's far more than standard issue.

People either call Donnie creepy or April a bitch but like...neither is true.

The writers didn't always handle them well but they went through so much and are very clearly getting together by the end of the show.

Idk I love my babies and just want them to be happy forever.

Sometimes I make them suffer for it though.

tmnt 2012 thoughts: wish someone would write a fic where each of donnies brothers talk to April directly and seriously about that kiss she gave him. They love their brother and they don't like the back and fourth April keeps doing with him. And maybe explain how crushs with them are different considering believing they would never have that. Basically I want the boys to up front tell April to not play with Donnies feelings

You know, there probably are a lot of those, they just aren't known well, because years ago a bunch of loud mouthy Apritello fans were toxic as hell and actively hunted down and harassed fic writers who were minding their own business portraying the relationship in a negative light.

Those fics were well written. I guarantee you'll find them on FF and AO3.

Tagging @beesandturtles because the two of us have discussed the drama at length.

[cicissketchbook]

Do you think Apritello in 2k12 in general was abusive/toxic? Not hating btw, I just want to know your opinion on the relationship as a whole now that the series is over

Okay this isn’t aimed at the person who asked this question but, full disclosure….. when people look at 2012 Apritello call it “abusive”, I get really triggered. 

Funny enough, four years ago I wrote this whole long blog post about why people need to stop saying that and I never posted it because truthfully I just didn’t want that kind of content on my page. 

It can basically be summed up like this: if you look at April and Donnie in the 2012 series and you think that that relationship is abusive, I’m so happy for you that you’ve never been in that situation and don’t really know what abuse it. 

But as for it being toxic, no I don’t think that either. So many people have said things like “oh well she’s leading him on and playing with his feelings”, and I’ve made many posts before about how that’s bullshit and I stand by them. 

The only thing that’s changed now that a few years have passed, is now I look back on some of the episodes and realize they really weren’t that well written. I think they were doing too much and trying to cram too many storylines together and a lot of them just didn’t go anywhere. There were a lot of things over the course of the series that got no resolution and then they copped out by ending it with a post apocalyptic times skip (which I still haven’t watched).

The series will always be near and dear to my heart and I still have a lot of episodes that I like to go back and rewatch, but that’s kind of how I feel about it as a whole now that it’s over. 

[girlofprey7]

Why Apritello works/doesn’t work:

a short analysis and essay about April and Donatello’s overall dynamic and development in the 2012 show.

Apritello as a pairing is a pretty damn controversial topic in the TMNT 2012 fandom, and with good reason. Some fans may dislike or be against April because of her apparent rudeness or ungrateful nature towards everyone’s favourite brainy turtle, and Donatello may be thrown under the bus for his questionable and quote on quote ‘creepy’ behaviour towards April in the earlier seasons. Because of these observations, it has lead many fans to believe that relationship is unhealthy, toxic, and even going as far to call it emotionally abusive.

Today, we’re going to be looking at WHY fans may come to that conclusion, while also trying to look at the positive and promising sides of their relationship, in order to work out if their relationship works or not. We’ll be going through the moments where both sides have shown signs of toxicity, as well as signs of respect, trust, and love.

Also I just wanna say that this is my personal opinion, and though I am trying to fully consider all points from both sides of the argument, if you don’t agree with my overall thoughts, that’s perfectly fine. Just please keep your anti posts out of the Apritello tag where us fans can’t see them.

First we’ll be starting off With the Crusher himself, Donatello.

Let’s look at his examples of his toxic behaviour first:

He did follow her around New York in Target:April O’Neil. I may love Donnie, but I’m not going to deny that this decision was wrong, nor am I going to make excuses for him. He should have given April time to come to terms with herself, instead of following her and pushing her further over the edge. This was not a good thing to do, and while I wouldnt call it whole heartedly toxic, it was highly disrespectful of April’s space.

He tried to close up on her face when he was watching her with Metal head on the roof top. This is also highly disrespectful of April’s space, and could also be considered quote on quote ‘creepy’. There’s not much to say about this scene since it was pretty short, but all I can say is that he didn’t attempt to do it again after April called him out, though it still wasn’t respectful of him to do.

He got really jealous whenever April got remotely close to Casey, or when Casey got close to April. This is only in season 2 and maybe early 3 as far as I can see, but Donnie really didn’t do well whenever Casey was around April. He tried to pull them apart aggressively from hugging in Chinatown ghost story, and would constantly childishly fight and bicker with him for April’s attention. This is definitely an example of possessive nature, but I wouldn’t call it controlling nature as well, as he never outright insulted her or judged her for hanging out with Casey, he just bickered and fought with him.

Ok, so currently that’s all the So called toxic behaviour I can think of that was in the show, but maybe I’ll be able to find more examples that people use once I watch more of the series again.

Now, let’s move on to April’s purely Toxic behaviour in the relationship:

She stopped any chances of Donnie communicating his feelings or their relationship to him. The main example being in the invasion when she silenced his confession, while nervously saying that it just makes things hurt more. While her motivation behind this behaviour is still up for debate, I won’t deny that she should have tried to listen to what he had to say first, as well as try to communicate her own emotions better with him too. This is an example of miscommunication, and bad communication between a pair.

She would often get annoyed at him when he tried to help her or protect her, like in the Kraang conspiracy when he told he he’d protect her in the fight, and she responded with, ‘protect yourself,’ in a frustrated tone. She could have told Donnie that she didn’t need his help and that she could take care of herself politely, but she made a bad choice with her words and tone. This is an example of lashing out, without thinking of the partners feelings first. But this not completely count as emotional abuse.

She yelled at him, blaming him for losing her Crystal in Bats in the Belfry. This WAS partially caused by the fact the Crystal was controlling part of her emotions and actions, but it was still a hurtful thing to do to Donnie, who was trying to be patient with her throughout. This is an example of ungratefulness towards your partner, as well as lashing out and not considering their feelings first. Again, this is a bad thing to do either way, but I’ll have to look at her other instances in order to determine whether it’s truly emotional abuse.

(I don’t know whether her not actually outright telling either Casey or Donnie how she felt should be considered totally toxic behaviour or not, so I’m just gonna leave it as a half point for her lack of responsibility with the triangle.)

She doesn’t always appreciate him, or show her appreciation when he does something nice for her. This may be connected to number 2, in which when he would attempt to protect her or help her with something, she would sometimes respond in a stubborn and annoyed manner, not being fully appreciative of his help.

Ok, so again, this is all the so called toxic behaviour that fans usually seem to bring up while talking about The relationship, but this is also all the instances I remember her displaying in the series, but if I think of any more examples that people use I’ll add them.

(Also the claim that she may have been making mixed messages is connected to number one if you were wondering.)

Now before we move on, I just want to say something real quick. I love Apritello. Yeah it’s got it’s flaws, but I mostly blame the writers for that, and not the actual characters themselves. Hell, even with the problems I think it was pretty well written for an action show overall.

Also, I’m not trying to decipher which one of the pair had the most toxic behaviour, or who was the problem in their relationship, since both April AND Donnie have done things that I don’t agree with. I’m just trying to figure out whether the good on both sides, outweighs the bad on both sides.

So now, we’ll be looking at the pairs examples of respect/support/love/and trust.

Starting with Donnie:

When he comforted April when she was infected with the gas in Fungus Humungous, he never tried to take advantage of her fearful state, and instead just wanted to make sure she was Ok. This is an example of respect and support towards a partner, and not attempting to further your chances of being with them. Though Donnie still has his undeniable love for her (yes and at this point I’m pretty sure it passed crush territory), he is still able to treat her as a friend and comfort her without the motivation of getting with her.

When he followed April in mutagen man, though it was undeniably a bad thing to do, when April chewed him out for it and said without hesitation, ‘I never want to see you again,’ he felt guilty and remorse for it, and stopped doing it after that. He didn’t follow her again, knowing she needed space after the incident with her dad. This is what separates him from being a stalker. A true stalker would know what they’re doing is wrong, feel absolutely no remorse or guilt for it, and continue doing it even when he is told to stop. Donnie felt guilty and bad about it, even though he didn’t necessarily know what he was doing could be considered wrong, and stopped doing it. This is why he isn’t a stalker, and also shows his respect for April’s space and feelings.

When he gave April a music box in A foot too big, (yeah you knew I was gonna talk about this episode eventually) she acted uncomfortable with his forward ness, as well as the fact that he said nothing the whole time and the box was another obvious ploy to start something between them, showed by the picture of him inside, as well as the heart on the front. After living with big foot, he realised his actions were uncomfortable to her, once again felt guilty and remorse for it, and apologised to her at the end of the episode. He respected what she felt, and was willing to sacrifice his happiness for her. He stopped his behaviour after that and became more chilled and subtle with his crush. Sure he still bickers with Casey like the episode after, but I think that’s just their dynamic/relationship more than it is them fighting for April. My point is, he improved as a person because of HER.

He trusts April to make her own choices and shape her own path and goals in life. An abusive or toxic partner wouldn’t approve of your goals or chosen path, and would instead attempt to steer you away from them in order to change who you are. Donnie however supported April on becoming a kunoiche, and becoming a capable fighter like him and his brothers. He wasn’t at all threatened by her improved growth or skill, nor did he feel the need to put her down or make her weaker just to make himself feel more important. Hell, he even laughed with pure happiness when she took out Tigerclaw with that badass kick, showing that he loves what she’s become, and loves the path she’s made for herself.

He always allows HER to make the moves of affection, and never forcibly kisses her or hugs her without knowing she’s ok with it first. Again, this shows he respects her personal space as well as her wants in the relationship.

He knows when she’s gone too far, and though he does call her out on it, he still does it respectfully. Like the arc with the Aeon crystal and was acting out. He knew the Crystal was making her act that way, and wanted to help her overcome it instead of pretending that it wasn’t a problem. I have more to say on this particular point later, but I’ll wait till I find more prominent examples.

In the Gauntlet, when she broke down after her dad got captured for (I think) the second time, when she went to him for comfort, he comforted her and promised her that they’d get him back. Just like with the first example, he wasn’t trying to take advantage of her state to get with her or anything, he just wanted to be there for her, and make sure she was ok. Not as a romantic, but a friend.

He helped calm her down when she was mad at Shinigami after being beaten, telling her to not let her get to her, therefore calming her down. This is a sign of support of the others feelings and trying to make them feel better.

(This is more of a good thing on both sides as well as just something I find funny and endearing) they both bicker with one another in a banter sort of way. Remember the ‘bait doesn’t talk back’ and the ‘real kunoiche on our side?’ . He may be crushing on her, but that still doesn’t mean he’s not gonna blurt sassy facts at her and bicker with her. He still aknowledges that she has flaws, but as we’ve constantly seen, he still loves her flaws and all.

He apologised and took responsibility for his mistake with the transmitter at the end of eyes of the chimera, trying to make April feel better by even bringing her a hot beverage after the fiasco. This is a sign of looking out for the other and owning up to your mistake that may have hurt them.

Now let’s move onto April:

She apologised to Donnie personally for holding the grudge, and thanked him for sticking by her even when she was mad at him. She wasn’t thanking him for following her or anything like people may think, just thanking him for still being patient and kind with her. Also, while she was holding the grudge, she remembered what he had told her in Target, ‘some things are just beyond our control’. Which may have had a partial role in helping her come to her senses again.

She ALWAYS calls Donnie whenever she’s in trouble or in danger. I’ve seen this labelled off as codependency or her taking advantage of his feelings, but I see it much differently. In my opinion, this shows how much trust she has in him to save her, and help her whenever she needs it.

It was her memories of Donnie that helped her break the control of the Crystal. Donnie unconsciously motivated her be strong enough to defeat Za Naron and break her corruption. She broke through it, and became better, because of him.

She tried her best to get through to him TWICE in the Dream beavers episode. She was gentle and careful with him all the while (well apart from when she was slapping him to wake up, but that was when she was desperate). She was almost always seen by his side, and was close to panicking when he stopped breathing. And as soon as she found out he was Ok, she kissed him. Not for gratitude, not because she needed to make him feel better, but because she was happy he was ok.

When Donnie got injured in Monkey Brains, she told the guys off for teasing him, and was the only one to help nurse him back to health, being gentle and kind with him throughout.

She calls him out on his behaviour when she knows he’s doing something wrong. A lot of people see it as a bad thing when she tells him off for his poor decisions and behaviour, but I see it as a thing their relationship needs. A toxic relationship would most likely have both partnered not aknowledging the bad things that either one has done, and pretending it didn’t happen, or just be uncertain with telling them off. April doesn’t do this with Donnie. She aknowledges when he’s doing something bad, and call him out for it. In Target, she did t sugar coat it or stay silent about Donnie following her. She told him that he was doing something wrong, regardless of his intentions, and that he had to stop and respect that she needed to be alone right now. And like I said, he backed off and never did it again. And again, he improved, because of her.

She got mad at Casey for laughing at Donnie when he was stung badly on Dreggs planet, and was the one to help him back to the ship to be healed. When she knew he was ok, she kissed him again like in In Dreams, simply because she was happy he was Ok.

In Of rats and men, when Donnie told her that they had this covered, she responded with, ‘you always do,’ while smiling warmly, and with him smiling back. Romantic or not, this again shows the amount of respect and trust they have for each other. April instead of insisting she help or stubbornly barge back in, simply showed a sign of trust with him, knowing that had faith in him, and his brothers. This scene alone just shows the trust they have in their friendship, romantic or not, and that’s one of the things that makes them work in my opinion.

In the end of eyes of the Chimera, when Donnie apologised to April for using the transmitter on her, she wasn’t upset with him at at all. She’s said she was glad that Donnie used the transmitter on her because it allowed her to access her powers and learn to use them more. She tried to see Donnies mistake in a positive light, and appreciated him for his help nevertheless. This is an example of appreciation towards a partner, and aknowledging that their intentions are good and seeing them in a positive light instead of being disappointed with them.

For my final words, I just want to put in what the most common definition of an abusive/toxic relationship is.

In my definition, it is any relationship between people who don’t support eachother, where there’s constant conflict, and one often seeks to undermine the other, where there’s competition and disrespect, and most importantly, degrade and become worse as people just by being with one another.

And as far as I can see within the examples I’ve listed, both Donnie and April support each other throughout everything bad that happens to them, any conflicts that befall them they manage to get through, and have never purposely sought to undermine or hurt the other.

I want you to look at that last sentence again, and ask yourself: did April and Donnie grow as people or become better with overcoming their problems by being with one another? Because in my opinion, that’s how you really separate a toxic relationship from a good one.

So as for the question, are Donnie and April toxic or healthy?

Well, in my opinion, they DO work together, and their relationship is NOT abusive or toxic in any way shape or form. Both Donnie and April, though they had their flaws in the beginning, unconsciously and consciously helped eachother become better versions of themselves by being there for eachother throughout the series, as I have illustrated with the majority of my points.

And that my friends, is pretty damn FAR from abusive. In fact, that’s pretty much the complete OPPOSITE of abusive.

[fabuloustrash05]

Why I Don’t Like 2012 Apritello

A TMNT 2012 Rant

Before I start and the 2012 Apritello fans/shippers come at me with their pitchforks and torches, I want to clarify that I DO think that the ship is cute and it has a lot of potential. S1 Apritello is adorable! But after that it goes downhill and becomes very problematic, which sucks because I see the potential for it to be a good ship, but the 2012 writers just did them so dirty which lead me to dislike this ship over time.

So with that said. Enjoy my rant!

As I said before, season 1 Apritello was perfectly fine. The only minor problems I had with them in the first season was the fact that Donnie has taken pictures of her obviously without her knowledge or consent and has them as his computer wallpaper. That doesn't sit right with me. This is coming from personal experience, a guy I knew in middle school had a crush on me and he used to do that, taking my picture without my knowledge or consent and using them as his phone background and it made me really uncomfortable. If the writers just switch it to him having his background be a selfie him and her took together them that would’ve been better. Other than that, their relationship and dynamic in season 1 was fine and even cute at times. 

Then season 2 comes around and the ship just gets worse from there...

I’m probably not the first to say that I don't like how creepy Donnie gets during S2 and onward. He becomes very possessive of April, looking at her like she’s an object or a trophy he has to win, instead of seeing her like she's her own person. Casey is also guilty of this, but this rant post isn’t about him. 

Side Note: 

April being Donnie’s love interest ruined her character. Most of her interactions with the turtles were mostly just with Donnie, because she was his love interest and she HAD to have “moments” with him. Whenever she did talk to or have genuine sweet moment with any turtle that wasn’t Donnie it felt fresh, rare, and new, but then shippers would ruin it cause they’d start calling April a wh0re for “cheating” on Donnie just from her hugging Leo or Raph, and say his brother’s are “stealing” Donnie’s girl. Like, guys, chill. Leave April alone. It’s a freaking hug. She’s allowed to be friends with Donnie’s brothers. 

I always appreciate the little short moments in the show of April interacting with Leo, Raph or Mikey. It’s one of the reasons I like the episode Eyes of the Chimera in season 3 so much becasue it focuses on Leo and April bonding! It made me wish April had more duo episodes with each of the turtles, but sadly most of her episodes were either about her and Donnie (in some way), her ninja training (which now that I think about it, we saw very little of) or her connection to the Kraang, and even that was dumped and no longer explored by like the 3rd season. 

Maybe that’s just me. Let me know what you all think.

Anyways, back to the rant!

The very first time Donnie sees April with Casey, he immediately jumps to conclusions and assumes she’s on a date and gets mad. Like, dude, you don’t own her! We, the audience, know she wasn’t on a date, she was just tutoring Casey, but imagine for a moment if she was. Donnie has no right to decide who she gets to be with and has no excuse to be mad if she decides not to date him but someone else, because, again, she is a human being not an object! Does he have a right to feel heartbroken? Yes, it's sad seeing your crush with someone else, I and I’m sure many of you can relate. But should he be mad? NO!

The whole love triangle between Donnie, April and Casey was its own dumpster fire and that’s a rant for another post. 

I also don't like how it is hinted during the S2 finale that April is aware of Donnie's feelings for her. Now, we could argue (and I agree) that April was not ready for Donnie to confess his feelings, most likely wanting to sort out her own feelings and I respect that, but I wish April was more honest with Donnie later on. I wish she told him to give her time and space instead of letting him think he has a chance, leading him on, and having him continue to obsess over her for 5 freaking seasons! She had many chances to have that conversation with him. Like in season 3...

Oh god, I hate Apritello in season 3, specfically I hate the Big Foot episode. That music box Donnie gave April in the beginning of the epsiode was extremely inappropriate given what those two have been through so far by that point in the show. Donnie, sweetie, you've literally lost the greatest battle of your life, you and your brothers were chased out of your own home and had to leave the city with Leo badly injured and in a coma, and you also witnessed your father's "death" by the hands of your greatest enemy, and you think NOW is the best time to make a move on your crush and give her a gift, who, may I remind you, went through the same exact sh!t you went through?! 

THE POOR GIRL DOESNT NEED TO BE HIT ON RIGHT NOW!!

And don't get me started on the farmhouse kiss later in the episode. What a load of bullsh!t! The writers really had me fooled. They really had me think they were going to give Donnie and April actual development in their relationship. They could've had Donnie finally understand and end his inappropriate behavior and obsession towards her and April could finally tell Donnie that she's aware of his feelings and tells him that she does care for him but needs time and space to think her feelings through. This conversation could have helped them grow together and they would eventually get together when both of them are comfortable and ready to start a relationship with one another. 

But NOOOO! Let's just have April take all of Donnie's development in that episode and throw it away by freaking kissing him!! Like, what?! Girl, weren't you literally uncomfortable earlier that episode when he was trying to make a move on you with the freaking music box???

It was at that moment I started to hate Apritello, and it makes it come off that April is just playing a game with Donnie, throwing him away and reeling him back in, repeating the action over and over again. Which sucks, because I really wanna like this ship and at times I can see the good qualities. I like April! She has some great moments (both badass and funny) that makes me appreciate her or be happy for her, but her being shipped with Donnie ruined her character for me. I blame the writers.

After the farmhouse kiss, you know what I realized? I realized that the 2012 writers didn't know what they were doing with this relationship and it pissed me off because, again, they had so much potential!

Also the many times April kisses Donnie on the cheek was so random almost ALL of the time. 

Her kissing him after she rekindles her friendship with the turtles, pointless but it’s fine. 

Her kissing him after he finished creating a retromutagen for her dad, understandable. Could just be a heat of the moment excitement that she probably forgot about later on, but...

The second time in the same episode, the writers were just forcing it at that point/April did that in front of Casey on purpose to make him jealous and you can’t change my mind. 

Her kissing him after Fugitoid fixed his bug sting, very random and very pointless. Like, why? What was the point of that happening??

I need to remind everyone who has come this far in reading my rant that I do think the concept of April x Donnie could work. Though I’m not a big fan of shipping April with ANY of the turtles, it can still work, but only if it’s done properly. 

Again, 2012 Apritello had great potential, it’s just the writers handle it so poorly. Honestly, Rise Apritello has more chemistry and potential to be the friends to lovers trope in a version where it is intended for them to only be best friends MORE than their 2012 counterpart where they are intended to be friends to lovers. 

You know what I wish the 2012 writers did? I wish the writers did a slow burn mixed with the friends to lovers trope. Basically, make them friends first, build from that, and have them slowly fall in love with each other over the course of the series. 

For me, I’d make it go like this:

S1 - Donnie and April are friends, but over the course of the season Donnie slowly begins to fall in love with April.

S2 - Donnie now has feelings for April, but he doens’t want to ruin his friendship with her. Also April is dating Casey.

S3 - Everyone knows Donnie likes April. Her and Casey eventually break up but stay friends. April finds out Donnie likes her and now it’s awkward between them.

S4 - Donnie and April both like each other now. They try hard to rekindle their friendship and try to go back to being just friends, but their hearts want something different. 

S5 - They finally confess and become a couple! Yay! Happy ending!

If you want to read the longer version of how I’d rewrite 2012 Apritello, you can check it out HERE

I want to thank everyone who has made it this far and has read my entire rant. Feel free to share your own thoughts on 2012 Apritello, but remember to be kind and respecful towards everyones opinion.