#Raph went with Big Mama himself which is nice too and Leo going to Draxum is also fun and interesting to me due to their dynamic in-canon

[cupcakeslushie]

In the Seperated AU, how does Ralph try to help his brothers emotionally? Obviously he tries to be gentle and patient with them, but what direct actions does he take to try and heal them?

Sorry this might be long but I’m having so much fun with all these asks!

It’s hard at first for Raph, cause I imagine he’s got a bit more of a temper—I love the fandom theory that he was once accidentally too rough with one of his bros and that he had to learn to control his temper early on because of his size. But here he didn’t have that, and his only practice is dealing with the times when April was mad at him for something, but you can hardly compare an argument about which Jupiter Jim movie is the best, to his bros’ situation, so he’s a bit out of his depth at first. He tries to watch out for what sets them off and when they do need comfort he learns through trial and error what works best for each one.

For Mikey, being betrayed by Big Mama and thrown in the Nexus really affected his ability to trust people. He and Raph have a year just the two of them to get really close, and for the most part, Mikey is able to handle his recovery himself. He dives into self help books and reads all he can on healing traumas. But when he does need help, his preferred method is being held and bundled up. He was pretty spoiled in his early years and then went without soft things for so long, so he loves cuddle piles and blankets and pillows, so he, Raph, and April will just huddle together and watch something relaxing, on low volume.

Raph has a harder time being patient with Leo and Donnie. Leo is like a brick wall at first and when he’s not, he’s pretty terrifying. But when Leo gets angry he likes his space, and the boys give it to him. Leo never had any form of autonomy as Shredder’s second in command, and he was always being watched by someone. But when Leo stalks off in a rage, Raph will always make sure to have something nice waiting for when he comes back, whether it’s some sort of sweet treat, or a comic book he knows Leo secretly loves, or some cool little trinket. Leo never had possessions or anything of his own, so the little gifts do a lot to endear Leo to Raph in the beginning and then over time it evolves from gifts to Leo returning and searching Raph out for them to talk and or spar in good fun.

Donnie is a mess of emotions, and the most unpredictable. As much as I love loser, reformed Draxum, he’s a straight up villain in this AU. He spent Donnie’s entire life telling him about the brothers and man who abandoned him, and lamenting how he got stuck with the weak soft shell. He was never impressed by Donnie’s intellect, and was constantly critical and extremely harsh in his punishments for what he considered failure. So Raph will always try to give Donnie as much praise as possible. Which does not go over well at first. Donnie doesn’t know how to accept any form of sincere kindness and it takes a long time for him to stop looking for deception and instead, start seeing the truth in Raph’s words.

[femmescripter]

Mama's Big Boy - A Rise of the TMNT AU ft. Venus de Milo

This AU was originally thought up by @ninja-cake-bicht. And as such the following story was inspired by their genius. Meanwhile my friend @leeleearts simply adores the Jonatello pairing. So I thought; "Why not do both?". Which is what I did! Before I tell the mini story, let me explain a few things.

First and foremost in this alternate universe Donnie was adopted by Big Mama. The origins of which I'll cover very soon in the story. Now don't worry - the heroes in green aren't a member short. They are still a quad squad because Venus de Milo, who's headcanon voice actress is Victoria Justice, takes center stage! The species of turtle I picked for her is the diamondback terrapin. I felt that this species best suited Venus's aesthetic and over all look. Lastly Casey is depicted as a Latino American as I have depicted him in my other Jonatello stories.

Now that we have those details stated for the record, on with the backstory of the Mama’s Big Boy AU~

🐢💜🕷

In the underground mystic city just beneath New York City, everyone knows who Big Mama is. A Jorōgumo yokai who is a generous matriarch to her citizens. She is also very glamorous in appearance despite her undisclosed, and “frankly none of your bloody damn business” as she says, age. Of course this mother to her people is no pushover. Should you break her number rule or threaten her people you can expert to get quite the deadly spanking from Big Mama. But even with all of her power, wealth and esteem there was one thing the spider yokai wanted most that she didn’t have…a child.

You see while it is her name, or at least an alias she uses in place of her real name, Big Mama isn’t a literal mother. She is sadly unable to have children due to a run in with her old enemy Baron Draxum, a mutant yokai scientist who constantly tries to usurp her rule, that left her wounded internally. While she survived it all but destroyed her uterus. And for such a family oriented person like Big Mama she may as well have died. This meant that she would never have the one thing she always hoped to have. Never have that precious little bundle snuggled up in her arms. And to lose that gift made her hate Draxum even more. For a long time Big Mama only put on a brave face for her people while she cried tears over her personal loss alone.

Then one day she decided to pull herself out of this rut. How? By getting a pet. However she didn’t pick just any animal to be her critter companion. Being a woman of unique tastes Big Mama got an animal that likely not many women would consider having. It was a male soft shell turtle. She named him Donovan but often called him by the loving nicknames of “Donnie” or “Big D”. She had adopted Donnie when he was just a baby soft shell, and after he turned four years old Big Mama got a rather big idea; she could turn Donovan into the child she always wanted. And that’s exactly what she did. Utilizing her powerful yokai magic Big Mama transformed the normal little turtle into a not so normal bipedal mutant turtle. The changed soft shell turtle, who Big Mama noticed had gained very thick sable black haired eyebrows after the transformation, blinked his eyes a few times as he adjusted to his new form. Big Mama then walked over to Donnie, knelt before him as a mother would her child and greeted him.

“Hello, my little silk thread. Do you know who you are? Do you know…who I am?” Big Mama asked carefully, afraid of what the kind of answer she would get.

Without hesitation the little mutant boy spoke up.

“Sure. I’m Donnie, and you’re my mama.” Donnie replied in a cute voice with a smile.

After that any prior feelings of fear or sorrow the Jorōgumo had were thrown out the window. And they were replaced with feelings of elation and motherly love. She hugged Donnie like he was the life line she was seeking out for so long and sobbed happy tears. That became the start of a new life for the both of them.

But, this wasn’t the only new life that began. At the same time someone else going through a new life change under different circumstances. Up on the surface of New York a man named Chung I, a retired shinobi master who lives in the Chinatown District and spends his days running an artisan store he owns, was going about his usual business. He had just left the local market after buying food for his dinner. Chung hummed a little tune to himself as he walked down his usual street, but noticed that up ahead the neighborhood on again off again couple were having yet another public and heated argument. Not wanting to get in the middle of things Chung cut down into an alley that was a short cut to his house. And doing this actually turned out to be a blessing. Not for him…but for someone else.

As he was in the stretch to getting to his abode Chung heard something. A sound, specifically crying. Not from an animal but from a little child. This did not surprise the retired master because, sadly, orphaned or abandoned children are a dime a dozen in New York. So honing his keen ears he listened for where the crying was coming from. Eventually it led him to a bunch of potted plants left out behind the florist shop because they were wilting. Chung peeked behind the dying flora and started to ask the crying child what was wrong. But his question was caught in his throat when he saw just who, or rather what, the child was.

It was…a humanoid turtle child that appeared to be no older than age six. They had chartreuse green skin and, by the look of it’s shell pattern and coloring, the child was of the diamondback species. As Chung examined the child he saw that they had cuts and bruises all over their legs and arms. Some were old and some appeared fresh, caused by both animals and people. Chung said nothing at first as he watched the child cry for a moment more. Then he finally spoke up and the diamondback terrapin whipped it’s head around to face him. This motion allowed Chung to see that the child also had freckles on their cheeks and as well as more injury marks. At first the child backed away in fear, grabbing a piece of old wood to hold up as a makeshift weapon in their defense. The child nervously told the retired master to go away, and by the sound of the voice Chung could now tell the child was a girl. Though he was shocked by the fact that the humanoid turtle could speak he wasn’t afraid. Regardless of her odd appearance this was still a child. And Chung could not simply leave her alone. So, with a kind smile he spoke to her.

“What is your name, small one?” Chung asked. For a while she didn’t speak to him until she finally did.

“I…I d-don’t have a n-name.” The girl turtle replied with a nervous stutter.

“Hm. Well, we’ll just have to change that won’t we? But first I’ll tend to your wounds and give you a nice meal. It’s just as well, too, since I always hate to eat alone.” Chung said.

“…Do you m-mean that?” The girl turtle asked with less of a stutter, lowering the piece of wood she was holding as she gazed at the human man in surprise.

“Of course. Even when retired, a shinobi helps those in need small one. And I want to help you. If you’ll let me at least.” Chung said with a sincere tone and a smile to match.

The diamondback terrapin said nothing. She just continued to stare at Chung. But then she tossed the piece of wood and rose up to her feet. Then she ran straight at Chung…and hugged onto his waist. She began to cry again but not with the same sadness. This was more a cry of relief. Chung smiled down at the child and patted her head then led her back to his home. They ate a hardy dinner together, and the girl turtle seemed to really love the plum sauce. She also appeared to be quite energetic. Given that Chung was able to come up with a name for her - Mei Pieh Chi. “Mei” for plum, “Pieh” for turtle and “Chi” for energy.

The turtle girl seemed to like that name and stuck with it. Then as Chung began to teach her new things, including various artworks, Mei learned about a particular famous sculpture of a woman with no arms. Immediately gaining a great fascination with the statue she adopted the nickname Venus de Milo, which eventually became her new preferred name. Chung had asked Venus where she came from to which the girl replied that she lost her memories of whatever prior life she had. But that was okay since it meant that she and Chung could make new, happy memories as father and daughter. A year into the forming of their unusual yet loving little family Chung took his daughter to Manhattan and introduced Venus to an old friend of his and his three sons.

This friend was a rat mutant named Splinter, and his sons were actually mutant turtles much like Venus. There was the oldest snapping turtle brother Raph, the red eared slider second oldest named Leo and the box turtle youngest boy named Mikey. The girl turtle was thrilled to not only have new friends she could talk to but also ones of her own kind, even if they were sub-species. The turtle brothers likewise took an immediate liking to Venus and declared her as their cousin. And as another year went by they gained a new human friend named April O’Neil. So while Venus’s life didn’t start out the best way, and much of her life is still a mystery, she’s very happy with how things turned out all the same. Though her home is the Chinatown District with her father she often goes to stay in the Lair within the sewers of Manhattan that her cousins call home.

(So now you all know how Big Mama came to adopt Donnie and how Venus is introduced into the mix. I hope that you especially enjoyed that, @ninja-cake-bicht. But it doesn’t end there. Oh no. For now we get into the origins of how the heroes in green meet Big D/Donnie in my alternate. And also of course how Casey is introduced which will involve some Jonatello goodness. This part goes out to you, @leeleearts ~)

🐢💜☠

Over the next several years, Donnie grew under the tutelage of his beloved parental figure Big Mama. She taught her boy everything she new from how to handle a business to how to fight and of course how to properly maintain one’s appearance. But of all the talents Donnie picked up his real specialty had to do with technology. Turns out Big Mama’s big boy was very intelligent and could take bits of scrap and turn it into advanced futuristic like tech. Big Mama was very proud of her son even though his evil genius tendencies concerned her a little. Donnie’s skills with machinery and computers also helped her own business advance on a grand scale, allowing her to run a more modernized city. This came in handy whenever emergency situations came up - like the one they were having right now. Three days ago Big Mama sent one of her lesser yokai spies, a Fu Dog yokai who had no name, to see what Baron Draxum was up to. Though young and new to the business the little yokai was quick on his feet and had the power to teleport. But the little yokai had yet to report back in the past day and a half.

Big Mama had a very bad feeling that Draxum or one of his lackeys were responsible. Using her magic Big Mama tried her best to locate where the small yokai may be. And to her shock he wasn’t even in the underground city…he was up on the surface in Manhattan, New York. While she could go up there and investigate she had to maintain leadership down here. So Donnie offered to venture up top and find the Fu Dog yokai himself. Naturally the spider yokai was a bit hesitant with allowing her son to go on a potentially dangerous mission. Especially since he’s only been up on the surface a few times. But after Donnie had assured his mother that he would be fine and stay in contact with her the Jorōgumo was finally convinced. And so, using the magic crystal embedded in his high tech goggles Donnie changed his form from turtle mutant to the look of a regular human teenage boy. Though Donnie was more partial to tech than magic he never the less learned some magic spells. In particular the spell of shapeshifting so that he could venture to the surface world undetected. After giving a parting hug to his mother Donnie went on his way.

Meanwhile, as the small yokai was being chased by Baron Draxum’s disguised goons, an actual human teenage boy was talking on the phone with a friend on the opposite side of town. The name of this fifteen year old boy is Amador Basilio “Casey” Jones, a friend of April’s back at her school and aspiring hockey player. April has been trying to officially introduce Casey to the turtles but all previous plans either got interrupted or something came up on Casey’s end which made him unable to meet April’s “other mystery buddies”. But tonight she was determined to have them meet. Which was actually what they were talking about on the phone. April told Casey to come over by Rucker Park in order to properly meet her friends and the Latino teen luckily had no other plans so he agreed. After setting a time Casey hung up and decided to stop for a slice of pizza before he headed to the park. He went to a local pizza shop that sold individual slices and intended to order his usual - black olives with grilled chicken and extra red pepper flakes.

Then as the chef turned in Casey’s direction and asked what he wanted, he was surprised when someone else echoed his order. Casey whipped his head around to the left to see who had made that same order. And when he saw who it was he was left speechless. It was a tall Native American teenage boy around his age with mocha tan skin, shoulder length sable black hair with a silver streak that was in an undercut style and had a few braids in it, very well groomed eyebrows, freckles going across the bridge of his nose, a swimmer’s physique and sunglasses with one lens that was colored red and the other lens tinted blue. He also had a rather unique clothing style, which seemed to be business casual mixed with techno punk, that was predominately purple in color. But whether it was his appearance or his looks Casey knew one thing for certain…he was struck with a case of the Crush Bug. After the teens stared at each other for a moment more the handsome boy spoke.

“Hi there.” Said the teen, snapping Casey out his stupor enough to reply.

“Uh, hey. So…you like pizza too?” Casey asked and mentally scolded himself for giving such a lame greeting while asking an equally lame question.

Fortunately the handsome boy wasn’t put off and actually chuckled a bit before responding yes. So together the teens got their similar pizza slice orders and headed outside, eating their slices as they sat at the patio table in front of the restaurant. As they chatted Casey found out that the mystery teen was named Donnie, who said that he arrived from downtown where he lived to look for his missing pet. And that after a while of fruitless results he stopped here to get a slice of pizza. Casey understood and after the two finished eating he offered to help Donnie look for his pet for a while before he had to go to Rucker Park. The handsome teen considered the offer for a moment before agreeing. And so they left the pizza shop and went down the next alley together. Little did they know that their encounter would lead to something much greater.

Later that night Raph, Venus, Leo and Mikey all partake in their weekly Cannonball Night in which they leap off a massively large building and make a literal splash in the rooftop pool. Their friend April of course snapped pictures of their epic dive and afterwards told the foursome that they will at last get to meet her friend Casey. Excited by this the group immediately head over to Rucker Park, with April getting a lift on Venus’s back as she uses her Zhiyuan/kite that her human father crafted for her to fly, but Raph stops mid leap to the next rooftop when he notices something. An unusual looking yet very cute dog like creature, shivering with fright. Naturally he goes over with the other turtles and April to investigate. But they’re not the only ones who come onto the scene…

A few moments before Raph spotted the spy yokai, Donnie was calling out to the creature by using a code phrase that it would know. He allowed Casey to help since he figured he had nothing else to lose. And it’s not like he would be around long to see exactly what his “pet” actually looked like since he said he was going to meet friends at Rucker Park. Even still Donnie kept asking himself why he allowed the human to help in the first place. Maybe he thought it was logical to get help. Or maybe he wanted some company for a short while. Or maybe…he found the human so cute he wanted to enjoy as much time as they could get. Immediately after that thought hit him though Donnie shook his head violently to knock it out.

“No, focus Donovan! Mom sent you on an important mission. You don’t have time to think about boys. No matter how cute, funny and fascinatingly edgy they are…Gaaaaggh!! Stop that!!” Donnie mentally yelled to himself.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn’t realize Casey was talking to him until he felt a tap on his shoulder. The disguised mutant turned to the real human who said that he may have found his pet, and pointed beyond an opening in the fence that went right into a construction site. Donnie looked through the opening and saw the familiar backside of the yokai. Elated to see that he was alright Donnie immediately ran through the opening to go and get him, and Casey ran after him.

This led the pair to encounter not only April holding the little yokai…but the other mutant turtles. At first Leo, Raph and Mikey tried to act like they were humans in costumes, Casey was stunned and April was trying to awkwardly explain that these were the friends she’s been trying to introduce him to. However the only ones who remained calm were Venus and Donnie. In fact they were more curious then surprised by one another. Venus said to Donnie that while he looked human his aura did not have an average mortal essence. Donnie grinned, impressed at the diamondback’s perceptiveness and confirmed that she was right - he wasn’t actually human. Casey asked what Donnie meant and before he could answer the disguised goons of Baron Draxum show up. They reveal their true forms and battle Mikey, Venus, Raph and Leo which results in the turtle brothers’ weapons getting destroyed. Luckily Venus’s own ch’i infused Emeici/Emei Daggers survive the fight. Donnie tries to fight them himself along with Casey’s help but they end up knocked to the side. The goons then grab the little yokai and take him along with April, plus an oblivious Chinese food delivery guy, right through a magic portal!

Raph, Venus, Leo and Mikey regroup along with Casey and Donnie and explain to the human who and what they are. Afterwards everyone turns to Donnie to ask who and he really is. Seeing that there’s no point in hiding it now the disguised mutant dispels his human form and reveals himself to be a mutant soft shell turtle. Raph, Venus, Leo and Mikey are left shell shocked(pun intended, and I nailed it) while Casey is left even more love struck than he was before. Donnie goes on to explain some of his backstory and that Big Mama sent him to find the little yokai that was taken along with April. And now he wants to help them save them both.

Agreeing to this the five turtles and single human first try to figure out how to open the magic portal again. Donnie would do it but he has yet to learn how to use such powerful magic. As luck would have it they actually do have a way to open it - by using an old Japanese compass like artifact that the father of the turtle brothers Splinter possesses. Fortunately Leo manages to grab it without incident after giving him a bit of milk and cake.

The moment the portal opens the group of six go down and behold the glorious magic city that Donnie calls home. Even better they run into April, who is then formally introduced to the soft shell. When asked what became of the Fu Dog yokai April points to a castle which Donnie glares hard at, saying it belongs to the enemy of his mother - Baron Draxum. They stealthily sneak in and watch as the mutant yokai takes a vial filled with some type of ooze from the little yokai and uses it to fill up a giant hoard of mosquito like creatures. They continue to watch as Draxum takes one of the insect like beings and has it sting the food delivery guy and inject him with the ooze. The young man goes through a painful transformation from human to a fish like mutant. Baron Draxum praises himself at the success of his experiment then tells the Fu Dog yokai that he will deal with him next. Donnie and April refuse to let that happen, but only the former and Venus have weapons while the brothers are without any. Luckily for them though April managed to find an armory filled with them. This leads to Leo getting an Ōdachi sword, Mikey getting a Kusari-fundo and Raph getting a pair of tonfa. Venus isn’t interested in a mystical weapon herself, though she does take a sack of magic powder that catches her eye.

Armed with new weapons Raph and his brothers lead the way to take on Baron Draxum. Thus begins a battle royale with the five turtles going up against a giant mutant while Casey and April fight Draxum’s two gargoyles Huggin and Muninn. Though it’s a hard fight the turtles manage to take down the giant mutant, albeit on a somewhat accidental level, while April and Casey finally beat the gargoyle duo. And thus the group ends up fighting Draxum. The scientist makes short work of April and Casey by cocooning them in some kind of organic material, leaving only the turtles left. Unfortunately though Mikey, Leo and Raph have a hard time getting the hang of their new weapons and Venus tries to help each of them out. This leaves Donnie to face his mother’s enemy on his own. And after taking a close look at the soft shell mutant Draxum’s face takes on a new expression. One of contempt mixed with mild awe.

“So, you are that pestilent arachnid’s mutant son she turned from a pet turtle. I believe you go by the name Donovan?” Draxum asked with an eyebrow raised in mock curiousness as he and Donnie slowly circled each other.

“That’s Big D to you, Draxum. And my mother is no pestilence. She’s approximately seventy seven times the ruler you could ever aspire to be. And she’s not as cruel as you are to actually mutate a whole city.” Donnie stated with a glare as he twirled his staff.

“Not cruel, young turtle. I am changing this world into a utopia for all mutants. I am helping the humans unleash their true selves. And once this entire state is mutated I will move on to the next state, and then the state after that. Soon all the world will be filled with beings like you and I. A great feat that I will be praised for accomplishing.” Draxum explained.

“Over your dead body, you sorry Satyr ripoff. I’m going to stop you.” Said the teenage mutant with a challenging snap in his voice.

“Ha! Please, don’t make me laugh. As you can clearly see your friends can barely stop themselves.” Draxum said, gesturing to the turtles were still struggling the foul-ups of their respective weapons. “What makes you think that you will perform any better, son of the web?”

“Well our fighting styles, for one thing. Though I find nothing wrong with magic I prefer to fight the old fashioned way. With impossibly futuristic high tech weaponry!” Donnie exclaimed and then proceeded to attack the self-proclaimed baron.

The two had a very intense fight, and Donnie nearly had Draxum on the ropes. Unfortunately Mikey and his out of control Kusari-fundo bumped into him, then into Venus and they all ended up tumbling about. Draxum then trapped them, Leo and Raph in the same cocooning material. But just before he could do anything more Donnie pointed out that Draxum’s containment machine with all of his Oozequitoes was at critical mass and about to blow up. Sure enough the big machine began to break apart, with one piece of structure falling on Draxum. Luckily this freed the Fu Dog yokai who was able to teleport everyone to safety. And while they ended up breaking Splinter’s artifact they none the less defeated their enemy, at least for the moment. But not all is good as the Oozequitoes managed to slink into the surface world just before the portal closed up. Donnie groans at this and finally calls Big Mama to report the good news and the bad news of the situation. Naturally she is concerned and intrigued about the Oozequitoes but she’s more happy that Donnie and the little yokai, which April just named Mayhem, are safe. Mayhem then asks Big Mama if he could stay with April since he’s taken a shine to her. Surprised by this but not opposed the spider yokai agrees so long as Mayhem gives regular reports on how things are going.

Donnie then makes something of a similar request, asking if he can visit the surface every once in a while to help out his fellow turtle mutants and their friends. But while Donnie says that Big Mama notices her son’s eyes settle on one person in particular - Casey Jones. And sure enough she can see through the screen of the magic communicator that the human boy has his eyes settled on Donnie. Giving a knowing grin Big Mama gives her son permission to help the turtles and humans. She also slips in this little bit of motherly wisdom…

“Just remember, my little silk thread, when you ‘help’ your new male human friend no kissing unless you’ve had at least three dates.” Big Mama said with absolutely no shame.

“Oh my vanilla wafers, MOM!!” Donnie exclaimed in embarrassment with a blush on his face while the turtles and April giggled and Casey had a smaller, yet still noticeable blush on his face and a goofy smile to boot.

Big Mama then has a portal open at Donnie’s location and he bids his fellow turtles and the humans farewell. At least for now. But before he goes Casey gives him something…his cellphone number. Donnie smiles brightly and says he’ll call him tomorrow. And of course Casey gets no end of teasing praise from the turtles and April. Likewise the soft shell cannot escape his mother’s gushing over her big boy’s first ever crush.

All in all though, it was a fun night out. And it would be the starting point of many adventures to come for the mutant turtles and humans.

Whew! Gol-ly that took way longer than I expected it to. But never the less I was happy to finish it. And I hope that you all enjoyed reading it. Please let me know what you think of the origin story I made for Venus as well as how I depict Donnie’s change of origins in this, the Big Boy AU. And of course don’t forget to thank @ninja-cake-bicht for coming up with this headcanon! Also be sure to check out the illustrations of @leeleearts because she’s really good at what she does. Also I want to provide three extra bits of confirmation. One, when Mayhem was speaking to Big Mama he wasn’t speaking in an English language. He was speaking in his native yokai tongue which only Donnie and Big Mama can understand. Second, Venus uses the sack of magic powder she took from Baron Draxum’s armory to create all sorts of ninja smoke bombs with varying effects from granting temporary invisibility to paralyzing enemies for a short while. However the smoke bombs have a tendency to backfire on them. And third, acting as the voice actor of Chung I is Jackie Chan. Just thought I should tell you all in case you were curious.

That’s all I got to share folks. Until next time, toodles~!