#Ninja-Dragon Clan

[sweeneydino]

Enraged by his loss of the fragments upon meeting the Samurai, the Shredder gathers the best of the cadavers he can find to follow and capture them before he must return to his own world.

Bloated, rotten, and vile, these endlessly burning creatures and their intense loyalty to their master will stop at nothing to capture the four kappa, not even with two pissed off dads and their extended family who are just as relentless when it comes to protecting those that they love.

--

These are young versions foot lieutenant and foot Brute btw ;) less formed, more malleable. And gross..

[incorrect-tmnt2012-quotes]

Bradford: We here at the Foot Clan do NOT condone child violence.

Xever: We do, however, find it hilarious.

[Bradford and Xever proceed to beat up the Turtles]

[zenlesszonezero]

Join Zenless Zone Zero with Tsukishiro Yanagi, the deputy leader of Hollow Special Operations Section 6! Beneath her ordinary office lady exterior lies a meticulous, emotionally intelligent big sister to the team.

[idiot-mushroom]

Welcome To The Purple Dragon Arc

[theartofeverything]

Decided to do the TMNT au ask game myself for fun and some good inspiration.

🏙️ What is the main setting of your au?

Here’s my sketch of a post apocalyptic New York. Ground zero for the Kraang invasion, its got scars from their original takeover, ten years of rebellion, and the eventual triumph of the human race led by the Purple Dragons. As they begin to rebuild though, a new threat starts kicking. Mutants scattered after the fall of their alien creators have started coming together to fight for their own right to life in this new world. Gathering around their old general, the Shredder, from back in their time serving as the Kraang’s invasion force, the so called Foot Clan won’t go quietly as humanity tries to hunt them to extinction. Will four young turtles be able to survive in this world of warring factions?

[theinfiknight]

My favourite thing about the Pokemon universe is how incredibly accepting it is. Everyone has the freedom to stray however far from the norm and be however eccentric they like and it's absolutely 100% accepted over there. You want to spend all day wearing a cape and gloves and brandishing a whip? Go right ahead! You want to spend the majority of your time in darkness talking to the dead? Shit, head right up to the tower on route 209 and there are a ton of spirit mediums and hex maniacs with the same idea. You want to finish your highschool education despite being over fifty? Absolutely! There's a world famous Pokemon academy in Paldea that would be more than happy to have you! You can be the heir to a powerful clan of dragon masters and still choose to be a highschool arts teacher instead and that's absolutely alright.

One in five people is a student of the martial arts who spends all day in a gi training to get stronger, and another fifth of the population stand around in long sleeved outfits honing deadass psychic powers. Honest to gods ninjas are part of society, and it's not at all hard to find kids around training hard in their ways. Science is an exploding field and the people who conduct research are well respected and highly regarded. You can be absolutely anything, wear a godsdamned clown outfit and breathe fire on the streets for fun and no one will bat an eye.

A bunch of women in pink, flowery outfits spend their days inside of a giant dollhouse taking the places of toy dolls in toy rooms, and this arrangement is approved of by the official Pokemon league just as their leader is a respected gym leader. The Eiffel tower was designed and is maintained by a fifteen something year old boy. A large portion of the population of gym leaders, trainers who are acknowledged by the pokemon league as capable of testing others, are children under the age of 16, with a smaller number being adults over the age of 60. A member of the Paldean elite four is six years old. Capability matters far more than age in this world. Kids are taken seriously and given positions that befit their accomplishments.

Respected and looked up to members of the community go around in white fairy outfits with wings, or nothing but swim trunks, or wearing wooden masks, or Hawaiian shirts, or that gay little number Wallace wears in oras, and they're still beloved and admired by the population regardless of their quirks, and more often because of them.

The most famous, most badass rap artist in the pokemon world is a lady in possibly her seventies. The founder of the Alolan Pokemon League is a pro wrestler in his free time. The most powerful Pokemon trainer in the Hoenn region spends his time collecting rocks.

There are absolutely no requirements there other than be kind and considerate to others, and don't be an ass, and I can only hope that our society can reach that point someday.

[phoebepheebsphibs]

I mentioned in a reblog thing that I'd wanted to make a Rise comic series called "ROTTMNT: UNPAUSED" and I hinted to one of the finale episodes being called "Mikey's Birthday Bash"

Well I'm gonna infodump about that now...

So basically the episode started off with Mikey waking everyone up for a special breakfast to celebrate his bday, only to discover that not only did his brothers forget his bday, they all made plans of their own. To quickly make up for it, the guys take him into the Hidden City for a quick shopping spree before they all have to leave for their engagements. While Mikey is looking for something to buy, he overhears his brothers conversing about how in the next year, Raph won't be a TEENAGE mutant ninja turtle anymore (he is 17 currently). Donnie adds that he is already looking for colleges to join and hopes for an early admission. Leo also admits he has been planning for the future. Mikey realizes that his brothers are all planning to leave and grow up, which he is not ready for. He runs away crying, and meets a strange old hag who sells him a "special" birthday candle, which she promises will grant his biggest birthday wish.

Mikey finds his bros again and uses the candle on a meager cupcake they got for him. As soon as he blows the candle out, the four are transported into a version of the Battle Nexus, trapped there along with every other character from the show (and my comics) by the hag who sold Mikey the candle. She reveals that Mikey's wish was for "everyone to spend my birthday together", and the only way for them to escape is for the turtles to win the tournament! The bros are furious at Mikey for making the wish, and Mikey promises to get through the games as quickly as possible so they can get back to their plans and leave.

The hag states that the turtles will be pitted against their previous enemies, and with each round they win they'll will receive more allies. Anyone KO’d will be eliminated from the round and sent to watch in the audience, and upon the ending of the game all contestants will be returned to their last location. The enemies will get progressively more challenging until they defeat all of their opponents.

Round 1, April is with the guys, and they are up against Baxter Stockboy, Albearto, and the Purple Dragons.

Round 2, the Casey Joneses join the fight against the Foot Clan.

Round 3, Draxum, Splinter, Big Mama, and the two missing siblings hinted at by the writers join against the evil league of mutants and the Mud Dogs. April is KO’d after getting slammed into a wall and knocked unconscious by Heinous Green. Cass is KO’d by Hypno after he hypnotizes her to knock herself unconscious as well. Draxum is KO’d by Meat Sweats after he steals his power.

Round 4, Several characters (such as Agent Bishop and Mona Lisa) join to fight against the Triceratons (which were introduced in my series). During this round, everyone is K.O.'d except the turtles. However, Mikey sees that he didn’t finish the battles in time and his brothers have missed their appointments. He feels guilty, and his brothers are admittedly irritated.

Round 5, the final boss battle. They are pitted against the Shredder and the Kraang. Before the fight begins, Mikey has a blowout with his brothers and finally admits that he was angry they were gonna leave because he was scared of growing up, as he is not ready to be an adult yet and he doesn’t want to be alone. The Kraang interrupts stating “I can help you with that” and captures Mikey. However, the Turtles get one last team member… Karai. The Shredder -- having been defeated and Oroku Saki redeemed -- turns against the Kraang and sides with the Turtles and his daughter. The boys defeat the Kraang using the special formula from the movie, but not before the Shredder and Karai are K.O.'D by the Kraang. The Kraang are defeated with the last of the mixture, but to the boys' horror they see that Mikey was kraangified, and now have to fight against him as their last opponent. They try, but are unable to defeat him due to his increased strength AND his ninpo. Leo refuses to admit defeat, saying “Mikey never gave up on me… I can’t give up on him.” He tries one last attack, grappling with Mikey and holding him down...

I happened to make sketches of what came next...

The game finished, everyone is returned home. Mikey apologizes for everything, but Raph admits that he isn’t ready to grow up yet either, and he never wants to leave Mikey alone. He found out the hard way what that felt like, and the brothers agree to wait a little longer to grow up and enjoy being the teenage mutant ninja turtles while they can. Back at the lair, everyone bursts in to make sure Mikey is okay. They spend the rest of the day with him, enjoying his birthday...

So yeh that's that

[suika-suigetsu]

I'm just in love with your drawings! I've been looking for Suigetsu/Karin content for years and I finally found you. (っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)

I have a question/request, if Suigetuu and Karin had a child, what would he/she look like? (Actually I have a headcanon that Karin does not want to give birth and therefore Orochimaru made a child for them using their DNA👉👈)

Fun facts about Ryūgetsu:

The name "Hōzuki" means "Demon Lantern" (鬼灯), and the name Ryūgetsu have the kanji 龍 that means "dragon, imperial dragon, mythical creature", joining with the getsu (月) (which all members of the Hōzuki clan possess), which means "moon". He is the moon dragon, the demonic lantern... 👹

He was born with white hair, purple eyes, and sharp teeth, all of which are his father's traits. However, as he grew older, his hair darkened until it became red like his mother's.

He has an androgynous appearance, so many people mistake him for a girl.

He only spoke for the first time at the age of 4.

He only eats food that has something red in it.

He has a high IQ, but has difficulty interacting (he doesn't understand most of his father's jokes).

He rarely smiles, and when he does, people say it's "creepy".

He has the ability to liquefy himself just like his father, and he also has the ability to heal through blood, just like his mother. He can also liquefy his body into blood, which can be scary, but he can heal people much faster and painlessly since he doesn't need to be bitten.

He is Oujidere: arrogant and conceited, constantly claiming to be better than others, both in intelligence and ninja skills. However, when he really likes someone, he turns into a true prince, and commits to taking care of that person with all his heart.

He fell in love with Sarada at first sight (even though she is more than 10 years older than him).

He prefers spending time with Orochimaru, Jugo and Log than with his parents (he finds them too noisy with their constant fighting).

He doesn't like Mitsuki (in fact, he's jealous of Mitty's relationship with his parents, but he won't admit it).

That's it for now, I might do some art of him as a teenager and adult later on. 💖💖

And thank you so much for liking my art!

[snackugaki]

.... i have been so normal about wanting to draw tactical!Venus and tactical!Jennika.

hey. HEY. y’all need to go check out @donathan ‘s artwork, and if you are the proper age, go throw some money into their patreon for some... some real, real good art. 👀👀👀 ...but do not if you are a minor, that shit ain’t for you.

some IDW TMNT comic spoilers... and.... I guess... Next Mutation ssspoilers? I know some of you kids haven’t turtled up and watched my beloved childhood iteration yet.

alright, so, y’know, completely normal expenditure of my energy and skillset, amirite? big big thanks to @/donathan for allowing me to play around in their AU’s aesthetic because I have severe, terminal VenusAndJennikaDeserveEverythingoccocal SoIWillManifestItMyselfitis.

and tbh, all y’all’s fics have been, mwah, chef’s kiss. but SOME of you put LORE. delicious, tasty, appetite-inducing lore.

and i am nothing but the littlest hoebag for lore.

okay so, quick rundown for those who both A) are immune to spoilers B) also do not know Venus or Jennika’s origins-- bulletpoint time~!

So Venus de Milo, the “girl turtle”, the “fifth turtle” (not counting April’s extremely brief stint as a white-bandana’d turtle in the Archie comics run) was introduced in 1997′s Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation

An episode of “The Toys That Made Us” touched upon Venus’ creation so idk it’ll cover what I won’t deign to acknowledge.

her backtory is interesting (just her show was a trashfire /affectionate)

Master Splinter’s frolicking around in the dreamscape where all the cool enlightened old people hang out away from teenagers, right?

but oh no! dragon lord, a bad dude with a widow’s peak to rival Vegeta Dragonball’s widow’s peak; is there too! stomping around, ruining shit!

Splinter’s dreamscape buddy Chung I warns Splinter to stay out of the dreamscape ‘cuz Dragon Lord’s around

And like in true old people fashion, just ignores his friend’s admonition and tries to investigate himself

bad choice, womp womp

Splinter gets trussed up and rendered “stuck” in the dreamscape

cue the catalyst for Venus to make the 10+ flight from China to the U.S

don’t worry about what the boys were doing, just literal surfing in sewer grey water, breaking their little turtle skulls on cinderblocks, and picking fights in warehouses with Foot clan goons

tl;dr Venus still has Sixth Ranger mode on, so naturally she whoops all of their asses in the dark, ties them up (like how some of y’all enjoy writing Leo does huhu nudgenudge winkwink)

venusistheoriginalshibarienthusiastandteadrinkerfightme

and then, y’know, it’s still the 90s and children’s television so blah blah the usual “oH My gOd a GiRL tURTle???/?? AWoooOOogaaa ga ga ga” 

it’s.... I mean, i’m 38 so it no longer strikes me as bad as just really fucking embarrassing... for them. to be written saying. fuck, at least they didn’t make her bandana color pink.

so fast forward to Venus teaching them to dreamwalk so they can go rescue Splinter from Dragon Lord’s clutches in the dreamscape.

unfortunately, Dragon Lord offscreen murders Chung I so Venus is narratively anchorless post-rescue, so she’s invited to stay with them. thus ensues wacky hijinks with their new pal, Venus Boom Boom de Milo.

I glossed over the urge to write a cumulative review of Next Mutation. Just, take my word as the target demographic of the show during the last gasps of 90s Turtlemania that TNM was a trashfire overall but... y’know... if you ever needed a palette cleanser after some grimdark or angsty TMNT content, give TNM a whirl. The slapstick was intentional and The Point in the show. Venus’ circumstances for coming was as serious as it would get.

... Also, yes, they made them not related in TNM, preteen snackugaki didn’t clock why because I watched a lot of wuxia as a kid so brotherhood is a term beyond blood ties to me (and if I’m being honest, martial brotherhood is fkkn metal) and later I heard tell that it was to lure more girls into the franchise with both a girl turtle and romance options. which idk whatevs man. 

I also have to clear that, actually no, Donatello and Venus did not fight EVERY episode. Donatello, despite sprinkling a little too much barely disguised snobbery, did defer to Venus’ expertise in “the supernatural” when the situation called for it, and Venus would commend Donnie on his scientific ingenuity. They even teamed up skillsets to create surveillance drones! She essentially casted Calm Emotions on him while he tried to hack the controls of the Astro Megaship back for the In Space Rangers. They breached the divide between STEM and Humanities! They only had one “real fight" near the end of the season-- because Donnie was playing his containment breach elevator mid trash copyright strike immune proto-EDM too loud while she was trying to meditate. and that’s just being bad roommates tbh.

...christ I know it’s gonna come up too, but also NO, there was not constant advances made toward Venus during the show. At most was Mikey pulling his ol’ “I work out every day~!��� schtick for like 2 episodes of the 5 spent to introduce Venus. And then after? A shipper’s desert, you’d have to dig and peer behind like 8 curtains for any viable fodder. 

...OKAY NOW FOR JENNIKA’S ORIGINS: Jennika is an IDW character specifically so, naturally why she isn’t in (or would’ve been, AHEM) a lot of iterations yet (or at all, COUGH) (but to continue in honesty there’s a lot of legal tape to cut through since Jennika is IDW’s while TMNT overall is Nick’s) Introduced as a Foot Assassin, her place in the Foot Clan shifts when Splinter takes over from Shredder (Saki), eventually she forms actual bonds with both the turtles and Splinter to where it’s implied she also saw him as an important figure to her if not an outright surrogate father figure. And because TMNT is mess and drama the other 50% of the time, Karai takes over the Foot from Splinter and shenanigans compounded by Karai’s then-current machinations for the Foot-- results in Jennika getting shanked in the stomach by Karai during a clandestine meeting to resolve clan rivalry. She’s losing blood fast, Donnie works to save her and it’s Leo who volunteers for blood transfusion to keep her stable mid-transit. 

SURPRISE!

Leo’s blood mutates Jennika into a mutant turtle. And then Casey ghosts/dumps her. My poor daughter. She has a real rough time of it before fully integrating with the boys. Raph falls in with Old Hob, gets hoodwinked, and now they live in Mutant Town. Jennika slowly finds herself again, as a mutant turtle, a Splinter clan ninja, a girlfriend, a guitarist in a band she started, a sister in a found family, and a constable to a very little town.

okay! we’re all marginally informed about my two wonderfull daughters, Venus and Jennika~!

so if I can indulge further, I’m going to use my cognizance and make it everyone’s problem because I have beem quietly foaming with ideas for bg lore for tactical!J&V, more bullet points!

ok so, donathan mentioned a bit about their tac! Leo and Donnie being the snipers, Mikey and Raph spotting for them while also being demolitions and heavy ordinance specialists respectively

I would think, then for Vee and Jen, they’d be classified as close quarters combat specialists, complicated extraction? compromised area? call them to clean up and clear out~

give or take “magic” being a thing used in donathan’s AU, or anyone’s AU of this AU, Vee would probably be a close combat specialist along with Jen.

Vee, I feel, would, barring a ...”tactical fan”, (even though in TNM it was just her fists and her little wizard components but her toy came with a fan so.) probably use batons, Jen in lieu of her tekagi-shuko would... most likely use tactical karambit. not that large of a leap really.

for my personal lulz, Vee and Jen are... accurate, height-wise. Raph gets to be the biggest brother since alligator snapping turtles are, in fact, the largest motherfucking freshwater turtles on the north american continent. no getting around it.

my Vee in all Rise AUs is a softshell since the messy hanzi used to write her first given name, Mei Pieh Chi (美鱉气) has the hanzi that’s most commonly translated as softshell turtle (鱉). eh ‘di wow talaga

snacku what do you mean ‘accurate’???? tl;dr female turtles are usually the larger ones in most species.

and listen, I love and I mean LOVE, how some of y’all have written the tac!boys, mwah; but god I’m a professional turtle bully. I need to see them get dunked on. for nutritional value. and if it comes to it, I will provide that food for myself. brb laughing at eventually drawing Venus just offhandedly tossing Donnie into the air to skeet shoot his ass for fun brings me the greatest joy.

they absolutely dote on Mikey, as is the natural order of things. 

and even tho I stated TNM Donnie and Venus got along in the show, and depending on the existence of magic in this AU; I just really love dichotomous rivalries (in as much “science” and “magic” exist as a dichotomy, much less as “diametrically oppose” fields-- just, opposites man. i’m a simple girl with simple trope needs)

Vee’s arms (and legs) are absolutely covered in burns, scars, and missing flesh divots, just as close to swiss cheese limbs as you can be

Jen and Donnie debate tracks that go into their joint “On Our Way To Commit Murder” playlist

if Vee’s tactical look seem very familiar, and you’re wondering if-- yes, you’re correct. and you can “call her ms. de milo if ya nasty”

Vee was actually pretty calm and rational in TNM... but for this AU, she can be a little unhinged, as a well-deserved treat. (and ‘cuz that specific anime unhinged facial expression is fun as fuck to draw, which is my treat)

[adokle]

Dragon Kingdom on the mind recently.

Got to visualizing some subordinate char notions for the Shinobi clan, plus The Bride of Constant Vigil. Initially thought advisors but settled on a personal guard detail for special occasions.

L to R: 

-Tetsu Strong as an ox, quick as a horse, and as hardy as a camel. His specialty is as straight-forwardly apparent from his appearance as his demeanor is from his expression. 

-Kaiko An enjoyer of stage magic, misdirection and sleight of hand, she's most formidable with her concealed blades, and thrown objects in general, thanks to her quick observation and reactions. Another trick up her sleeve is to "fly" (read: glide) with a sufficient run-up thanks to her cranial surface area. 

-Constant Vigil Leader of the clan, these three, as many others defer to her.

-Pearl A quintessential example of a shinobi. One who fully covers himself on missions (and in general) due to his exceedingly opalescent scales that even an advanced chameleon's environmental blending can't obscure. So, he employs the ninja basics to great effect, making for an effective, well rounded, no-gimmicks warrior with a specialty in stealth tactics.

[bangs-coffee-fandoms-unite]

I really feel like Leonardo from the 2003 iteration of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, especially during his Christian Bale Batman era, was the most likely to do this diabolical double-knee drop to an unsuspecting Purple Dragon or Foot Clan member:

Mainly because Leonardo was known the most, especially in this iteration, for making the most cunty yet graceful moves in combat.

And now I desperately need fan-art and head-canons of this.

[sweeneydino]

Found you!

[incorrect-tmnt2012-quotes]

Shredder: I have a funny little story I'd like to tell you. Karai: Funny how? Shredder: I like to call it "I killed your mom". Karai: So "Haha" funny?

[greninjazac]

Duet With A Dragon (NSFW ecchi-comedy adventure RP)

@a-den-of-demons

Outside of the den of a recently slayed magma golem, a male kitsune wearing what appears to be the robes of an exorcist pulls out the charred but still alive body of a blue haired ninja. The fox sighed as he looked over at the ninja

“Zac, you need to stop taking on solo missions, the guild puts the ‘party of 2’ label not as a recommendation. If it wasn’t for your healing and me getting you out of this mess, you would have been a charred corpse from that golem’s magma beams” he said as he puts the palm of his hand into his face, muttering to himself in frustration in a language similar to our own Chinese

The ninja sat up, an elixir still in his hand to maintain the massive amount of healing that ate up his MP “Fennec, we’ve been over this. I’m not dragging anyone into my battles. I don’t want to-“ he was cut off by the fox

“Yuki’s death wasn’t your fault! You can’t just risk your life because you’re afraid of a teammate dying! It was 4 years ago, and I know you loved her deeply….but she wouldn’t want you to be like this…..she’d want you to move on.” Fennec put his hand on Zac’s shoulder, noticing how silent the blue haired ninja went when being up Yuki. Yuki was a Kunochi from his clan that was going to marry until a demon ripped her apart in front of him while he was left immobile due to a paralysis spell. He was still dealing with the trauma and worried that anyone he’d get attached to would perish….didnt help that the demon taunted him as he ripped his beloved apart, boasting that it would slaughter anyone who dare fell in love with the ninja. Granted, he did slaughter the demon in a blind rage upon the paralysis wearing off and the bloodbath leading to the demon having a very slow and agonizing death…..but those words still were imprinted in his brain due to the trauma.

“Look Zac, you’ve known me since you were 4 and I’ve been in this world for 322 years, I know you have the strength deep down to overcome this darkness in your heart that’s keeping you from accepting help. While I can’t help you as I specialize in exorcizing demons and purifying corrupt yokai, I know someone who might help. They’re also an adventurer and a powerful one too…..she might be able to warm up to the idea of having a party member. Trust me on this, besides, who’s your best friend” he said with a somber smile as he looked at Zac. Zac smiles a bit and responds “y….you are”

“That’s my buddy!” he said as he pats Zac on the back. Over the following days Fennec would contact this acquaintance and instructed Zac to meet up with this mysterious woman in about seven days. Seven days had past and he was waiting for her in a guild hall while at a table by himself. He was still unsure about this, but he was still going to give it a shot, he had trusted Fennec in the past with help with his issues but the doubt and worry still plagued him.

[the-painted-siren]

Again

Summary: Lloyd and Arin, as featured in the constant cycle of violence that was built on Ninjago’s foundation. Notes: Happy Dragons Rising Release Day! I wrote this one for a game of Who Wrote That, where the prompt was “plot twist.” I waited to post it since it featured themes/ideas from DRS2P2. I had fun with this one. Somewhat inspired by a Hades AU I’m working on with some friends. Tags: depictions of violence, major character death (kind of. It's temporary and symbolic. Death is an illusion in Ninjago.)

Ping!

1 New Message

“Fine then. Let’s end this. Meet me in the clearing where the monastery used to be.”

Arin’s feet drum against the earth in a hard, steady rhythm. There’s a sense of comfort in the movement—memories, warmth, laughter, flashes of him sprinting up one thousand steps toward the place he once called home. It used to hold his family there, or at least the people he once thought were a cheap replacement for the one he lost in the Merge. He once held them close to his heart—he still does—but at what cost?

His thoughts burns away before he reaches the top.

“I didn’t think you’d come.”

Lloyd rises to his feet. Old history writes a story across his features. Once he was a mentor, once he was a master. Now he is Arin’s grief-driven opponent. He is a protector at the cost of everyone else’s lives.

“I had to. I have to beat you.”

“This is your fault. It has been your fault since I first started training you.”

Arin swallows his fear and regrets. He takes them like a bitter pill. He is only here because of the choices he made. He chased after Ras. He learned the ways of the Wolf Clan. He is the reason the monastery burned down.

He is here because he has written himself into this loop.

That’s the thing about each ninja’s story—numerous and always increasing as they may be.

They have a beginning: they are the hero, they are called to fight, they strengthen their powers until they’re unstoppable.

They have a middle: they enter the fight, they pour every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears into every punch. They stand at the edge of the world.

They have an end: they have a burst of determination. They race toward the end, they drive the final blow. They win.

Arin can only hope that—this time—his story will be the same.

He catches Lloyd’s first strike with the sturdy handle of his war hammer. He grits his teeth, pushes back against the force that rumbles and rages and roars for dominance.

Arin had forgotten how strong Lloyd really is. He had forgotten that Lloyd could take his head off if he genuinely wanted to.

Lloyd’s second strike almost does. It’s well-times, it’s thought out. He pulls his sword back and whips it back around toward Arin’s neck and only misses by the width of a hair.

Arin rolls backwards, stumbles to his feet. His awkward footwork creates enough time for Lloyd to drive home the final blow. The sword pierces through armor and cloth and bone. Arin screams, wrapping his hands around the hilt that Lloyd grips.

“I’m sorry,” Arin whispers.

It’s a repeated prayer, he’s spoken those words more than he can count. He realizes after so many interactions, so many apologies, so much fighting for what he believe is right: if Lloyd ever forgives him, it’ll be a blisteringly hot day the Neverrealm.

He closes his eyes and sinks back into a river of blood. A freezing cold chill crawls through his veins. Exhaustion settles into his body like a heavy blade finding its home on the weapon rack. The hands of time brush over his skin, healing his wounds, sewing up his cuts, and softening his bruises.

He bursts awake.

Ping!

1 New Message

“Fine then. Let’s end this. Meet me in the clearing where the monastery used to be.”

Arin’s feet drum against the earth in a hard, steady rhythm. There’s a sense of comfort in the movement—memories, warmth, laughter, sprinting up one thousand steps toward the place he once called home.

It all burns away before Arin reaches the top.

“I didn’t think you’d come.”

Lloyd rises to his feet. Old history writes a story across his features.

“I had to. I have to make it out of here, even if it kills us both.”

“This is your fault. It has been your fault since I first started training you.”

That’s the thing about each ninja’s story—numerous and always increasing as they may be. They are clear cut. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Arin tightens his grip on his war hammer and charges toward Lloyd. His story has a beginning, a middle, and a beginning again.

Over and over.

It’s a foundation that he must destroy.

— — —

There is a universe out there where Lloyd and Arin are mentor and student. They exchange warm smiles, sparring matches, and lighthearted quips between blows. They are friends and they are inseparable.

There is a universe out there where Lloyd and Arin are hero and villain. They exchange vindictive looks, vicious strikes, and harsh words among pleas for mercy. They are enemies.

They are doomed to repeat the endless cycle of light versus darkness.

It is the same universe.

(There is a spark. There is hope. The fight can end.)

(He must be strong enough.)

[fabuloustrash05]

Things I Would Change/Add in TMNT 2012

A rewrite post, but it's a lightning round with quick explanations.

Leo never crushes on Karai, but he does hang out with her because it gives him a sense of freedom and rebellion. When with her he gets a strange feeling, like he already knows her from somewhere. The other Turtles feel the same when they meet her. This feeling turns out is their sibling bond.

Donnie and April are friends to lovers, basically Donnie doesn't start crushing on April until around the end of season 1 and it becomes a slow burn from there. (Edit: Full rewrite is HERE)

Hun would be introduced and established as the leader of the Purple Dragons earlier on. Also Fong would get a little redemption arc.

Leo wears a leg brace for the rest of the series after his fight with Shredder in the season 2 finale. He also has a slash scar across his plastrom.

Irma is not revealed to be Kraang Subprime in disguise, instead she escapes New York with April, Casey and the Turtles, and lives on the farmhouse with them.

Irma and Donnie bond and become good friends (irmatello maybe??)

April and Casey would officially date, but then break up mid season 3 (they stay good friends)

Leo x Casey

Timothy would come back in season 3 as a half mutant like Karai (think of his powers like Sunita from Rottmnt), he'd even continue his ninja training and become an official ninja of the Hamato Clan.

Brainwash Karai never happens, it's replaced with Timothy plots and other mutants trying to get Donnie's retro mutagen.

We would actually get to see how Slash and the others met and became the Mighty Mutanimals (there's actually a comic book covering it so that could've been an ep!!)

Irma and Rook are the same person, Rook went undercover as a human as a way to keep an eye on April and find the Turtles for the Utrom council. That's why she was so noisy about April's "secret friends" in season 2 (Edit: to hear more about this concept, I made a full post on it HERE)

Irma and Rook being the same person leads to Bishop being introduced earlier on as the one who give the Turtles and Mutanimals intel on the Kraang's mutagen bomb plans mid season 3 instead of Kurtzman. Bishop would also indirectly mention and foreshadow the Triceratons and hope the Kraang don't get their attention (planting earlier seeds for the season 4 finale)

Instead of blowing up the Earth with the Black Hole Generator, the Triceratons just to a hostile takeover on Earth, turning it into a prison for in inhabits, with secret plans to blow it up within a year. With the help of Fugitoid, the Turtles, April and Casey escape Earth on a mission to take down the Triceratons. Meanwhile on Earth, Splinter, Slash and Karai form a rebellion to fight against the Triceratons and give their friends time.

Mona and Sal would be in more episodes, specifically after their betrayal, they join the Turtles on their mission as a way to repay them for forgiving them.

Returning to Earth, Mona meets the Mutanimals and she decided to stay on Earth earlier instead in season 5, she also appears in more episodes such as Mutant Gangland and actually showing up in Insecta Trifecta. Her and Splinter also get to bond. (Edit: Full rewrite is HERE)

The burnt scar Karai gets in Broken Foot remains.

Shinigami is revealed to be a villain and a spy Shredder sent to keep an eye on Karai. She betrays Karai in the season 4 finale. (Edit: Cause people keep asking me YES she does get redeemed! Check out my full post on the this rewrite)

Splinter still dies in the season 4 finale, or another way I could do it is he gets badly injured and paralyzed from the waist down, being in a wheelchair for the rest of the series. Either way, Leo would still become the new sensai by the end of season 4.

Shinigami is the one to start the Shredder cult and know how to summon Kavaxas. Tiger Claw is just there for the ride.

Alopex returns to help the Turtles stop her brother.

Tiger Claw redemption??

Baxter Stockman returns as a season 5 villain, he's been using his smarts to turn himself into a cybernetic being, missing his mutant form and wanting to go back. He basically goes mad.

Fugitoid returns, but now works for Dregg and Newtrailzer, being found by Dregg and reprogrammed to think the Turtles are his enemies. Donnie ends up saving him.

Mona Lisa and Sal Commander backstory in When World Collide

Raph gets the electric powers, NOT Mikey

Slash is in When Worlds Collide instead of Karai

April and Casey meet Renet and join her and the Turtles on their Halloween time travel adventure. (Edit: full rewrite HERE)

Usagi becomes a mentor for Leo and helps him overcome his stress and insecurities of being a leader.

Mutant Apocalypse happens (kinda) but Renet gets involved and has present Turtles team up with MA!Turtles to save their futures and rewrite history (cause Renet claims the MA was not supposed to happen) The series and finale episode ends with the present day Turtles winning, saying goodbye to their future selves and wishing them luck in their new future. Renet sends the MA!Turtles to their corrected future. As they go through the timeportal, Leo is demutanted from being a monster, Donnie gets his body back, etc. In their true future, the Turtles find all their friends alive and well in the lair, greeting them as they are about to celebrate their 50th mutation day. Raph and Mona are happily married with kids, Donnie and April are married and he's a famous scientist, Leo is highly respected as a great leader and sensai of the Hamato clan with multiple students (one of them being Mira) and Mikey is a successful restaurant owner. The show ends with them all enjoying a slice of pizza, finally at peace and living out their happily ever after.

[cobaltcable]

Common misconception about the og mirage ninja turtles comics that really pisses me off is that all of them are just “the angry one”. Like no the hell they ain’t. They’re just grittier than all the incarnations that came out after they did. Leo is still the leader, Don still does machines, Raph is still angry (he’s just angrier than usual), and Mikey still cracks jokes. You can see all their personalities in there if you pay closer attention to how they’re each written.

Leo is the first turtle we meet in issue #1 and he is not only narrating the entirety of the first battle against the purple dragons, but you can CLEARLY SEE HIM LEADING THE CHARGE IN FRONT OF THE OTHER TURTLES IN THE FIRST PAGE AND LANDING THE FIRST BLOW ON THE SECOND PAGE (with Don right behind him). We also see him coming up with plans as early as issue #2, when he leads the other turtles to distract the mousers while Don and April reprogram them. Another example of Leo’s personality would be the Leonardo micro series issue (which was adapted in both 2003 and 2012) when he fights the entire foot clan on his own before shredder throws him through April’s window, showing that he is still clearly the most skilled and disciplined of all the turtles. Raph even comments that Leo is probably getting carried away with his training.

Raphael is even more obvious. In issue #1, Raph is described by Leo as so eager to fight that he’s actually quivering with anticipation. Later on in the story, the Raphael Micro series issue (which was adapted directly into the 2003 series S1E4: Meet Casey Jones and to a lesser extent the 1990 movie) He loses control over his anger while sparring with Mikey and nearly kills him in the heat of the moment. Then he meets Casey jones who makes him struggle with his anger even more before they bond over fighting crime.

Donatello isn’t as over the top as his later incarnations, but he’s still very much the smart one. In issue #2 the fist thing we see him doing in his down time is fixing up a circuit board. And later in that same issue he tells April he’s familiar with computers and helps her reprogram the mousers all by himself. In issue #11, April writes about Don fixing up all of the old machinery around the farm house to keep himself busy.

Mikey's sense of humor might be the least obvious to spot, but he still has his silly moments. At the end of issue #4 we see him pull this silly stunt when he's almost left behind by the other turtles. In the Michaelangelo Micro Series issue we see him shred on a snow sled and adopt klunk before geeking out in a toy store.

The turtles have always been the turtles. Whether they all have red bandanas or not they're still the same turtles we all know and love. There are even more examples if you read the dang comics but I’m too lazy to go through all of em for screenshots lol.