#after april starts going to japan is where april starts talking with mikey on how they would plan the whole telling the babies the family

[turrondeluxe]

I'm curious... Granny April will always be Granny April, but how do the turtle tots see Casey Marie? Since you said they know most of their family history, does this mean they know Casey wanted to train them for war? How do they feel about this? Are some of them still a little resentful or are they already at peace with what happened and are ready to have a relationship with her?

The tots actually know April has a daughter! Even if Mikey makes a sour face whenever she does, April talks about her kid to the babies and tells them that they have a cousin. Even if the kids are aware of her existence growing up they don't really question why they've never met Casey because they know that New York is still somewhat of a war zone and that their cousin is basically the leader of the rebellion so she's definitely busy (she's somewhat of a very stranged family member since the start lol). The kids never truly talk to Casey until they are adults though. Mikey felt very strongly about them being old enough to decide if wanting to meet her after knowing she created them for war and all.

Since Michelangelo was actually able to save the babies from a child soldier life, the kids are rather forgiving of what Casey did because in the end that didn't happen and by this time Casey actually is remorseful of her way of thinking when creating them and just wants to get to know them as a family member. It takes a bit of time though (the kids, even if willing to forgive her and move on, are still very much on high alert around her (cough Uno and Moja cough). After all, they know of Mikey's life story and feel a sort of kinship of anger directed towards her (It fades away in the end though).

Definitely not resentful but still not the most buddy buddies straight from the start.

[wow-its-me]

If I had creative control over a TMNT iteration/movies

(The TMNT cu)

Ok five movies, all focusing on the world around the turtles rather than the turtles themselves, taking the majority of inspiration from IDW, 2012, and some pieces from Rise and the 90s movies.

Each movie would be titled after its main character, the first one being Hamato Yoshi. It would expanded upon the backstory given in 2012 with elements of the IDW BACKSTORY, starting with the love triangle, then Yoshi committing “treason” against the foot clan, sakis attack/“assassination”, Yoshi being framed for shens death, the loss of Miwa, and ending with Yoshi running to New York where a ooze spill causes him and four turtles to mutate, running to the sewers.

The next movie would be Casey and April, taking place 15 years after the events of the first. April O’Neil is a 18 year old stem student who’s doing an internship at Stockgen, Casey Jones a 19 year old hockey player with a job at a car shop. The two were childhood best friends who who don’t talk much anymore. Once Casey starts seeing some weird stuff going on around she decides to become a vigilante. Meanwhile April realizes that stuff going on at Stockgen isn’t what it seems. The two run into eachother while investigating, share notes, and realize that the pink alien robots are behind Stockgen. Of course signs and references to the turtles, Casey seeing or hearing them (fight with raph?) and things that make it seem like April already know them/is hiding something. Towards the middle/end of the movies they make their big entrance, of course Casey freaks out, and they six take down Stockgen together.

Karai! The next movie would focus on Karai and Leo, having scenes and explanations of how the two grew up, and how they mirror eachother. Shortly after the events of Casey and April Shredder knows of their existence and moves from Japan to New York with his best assassins and his daughter. Again the main perspective would be from Karai, as she learns about New York, Splinter, Stockgen, and Krang. Meanwhile the Hamatos are all on edge, preparing for an attack from the foot. Karai’s trust in her father begins to falter once she learns that their working with Krang. The reveal that Splinter was her father coincides the reveal of shredders true deal with Krang (mutant army/ bebop and rocksteady) . She switches sides, and is gladly accepted into the family. The family takes down Shredder together (with the help of April and Casey)

Mighty Mutanimals is a prequel taking place in the 15 year gap between the first and second film. Starting with a quick backstory for old hob, it would follow the mighty mutanimals getting together to take down Krang. Members include Old Hob, Spike, Sally pride, pigeon Pete, mondo gecko, Seymour Guts and Lindsey. (With Hob, Seymour, and Lindsey being the ‘main characters’) the arc would be similar to idw mighty mutanimals 1#-4# but instead focus on Krang more then Stockgen. They fail their mission, but gained a family, and swear to finish the fight one day. (Main character death? Sally pride? Spike? Lindsey? Seymour? )

Woah big finale! The movie follows the turtles as the main characters (splinter, april, Casey, and Karai are there too though) they learn about Krangs continuing plans to terraform the earth. Mikey and Raph meet the mighty Mutanimals (who are mostly depressed and have retired) they have a new member though, Alopex, who, with the help of her new friends convinces old hob to start fighting again (or at least help them out) meanwhile Karai and Leo go to the remains of the foot clan for help, they’re only able to recruit three Bebop, Rocksteady, and high a ranking assassin Jennika. MEANWHILE Donnie and April research more about the the utroms and where the come from (learning about portals, dimensions, neutrinos, and meeting the fugitoid.) yes, this leaves Splinter and Casey to defend the Lair together. Each part of the plan comes together and their able to take down krang and the technodrome, in one huge final fight.

(If there was a sixth it would be a fugitoid prequel)



While the overall vibe is ment to be more serious, the turtles are very much typical dorky 15 year olds, and April and Casey still very much still act like teenagers lol

[dezitello]

Champions Of The World (ROTTMNT Bohemian Rhapsody AU)

Chapter 1

-HUESO'S RESTAURANT-

1970 (yes, they do still have phones, it's just the 70's scene mostly)

"Ay! Ya missed one, Jap!"

A blue masked turtle was brought back to reality, looking up at the gruff voice. He looked down and noticed as he was hanging up shirts, for the Hueso's gift shop, he had dropped one. Leo smacked his teeth and picked it up, grumbling. "I'm not from Japan, dummy..."

"What was that?" The man asked, stepping forward. He was put to a stop when a hand pushed against his chest. "He said we're not from Japan." Donnie said louder. He had on a purple mask, his eyebrows furrowing. The guy rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving the brothers by themselves. The worst part about working day shift is that no matter how wide awake they'd be, their coworkers always tired them out. And it never helped that homework would be waiting for them when they got back.

Leo sighed and picked up another hanger, wondering when the day would be over. Donnie noticed this and bumped his shoulder against his brothers'. "Thirty more minutes and we're outta here."

 

He grumbled again. "Wish we'd be out for good."

- ★

"Dinner's ready."

Leo and his big brother, literally big, sat down at the table, April handing out plates of food for them. Raph sniffed it and smiled. "Nice! Thanks again for cooking, April. We really appreciate it."

The girl smiled back and saluted to him. "Anytime, guys! I was bored anyways." 

Leo looked at his phone, noticing he got a text. "Oh boy..." Donnie and Mikey were out at a club again. They started a local band a few weeks ago. Mikey as the drummer, Donnie playing guitar and Casey Jones being the lead singer. Odd trio, but it had to do. 

MIkey: 'We need you here for a sec! >M< It's an emergency, we swear.'

 He took a few things off of his plate and stood up, slipping on a jacket. April titled her head. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Out. Mikey texted and said he and Donnie need me." He turns up his collar, letting it stand out with the rest of his outfit. 

"Gonna meet a nice girl?"

Raphael bursts out laughing and bangs on the table, choking. April snickers at her own joke and shakes her head at Leo's un-amused expression. He rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek. "Sure April." 

Raph smiles a bit. "Hey, you should join our rehearsals one day! They're tons of fun. And you got a good voice, ya'know?" Leo smiles a bit, shrugging. Though the compliment was unexpected and appreciated. "Ahh, nah. They don't need me."

'Besides, I need to cool it with feeding my ego all the time. What do I got that other singers don't?'

Before he could make his way to the door, Master Splinter walks through first. Leonardo grumbles underneath his breath and prepares for a lecture. "Hey Dad. How was your day?" Raph asked, his voice a bit hesitant. 

"Out again, Blue?" The rat man asks. Leo blew out a breath and turned to him, his wrist limp as he waves his hand around. "Donnie and Mikey asked me to meet them after their little gig tonight. And it's Leo. At least say Leonardo." 

Splinter shrugs. "Ehhh. Leo or Blue...What difference does it make when you boys are out every night? No thought of the future in your head?"

"Yes Dad, we know." Leo kneels down and hugs his father goodbye.

"Ay, I'm serious! Aspire to do-"

Leo groans and puts on his boots, stumbling out the door. "Yes pops, good thoughts, good words, good deeds, I know! I promise I'll do my best, okay? Later-!"

- Ａ　ＦＥＷ　ＭＩＮＵＴＥＳ　ＬＡＴＥＲ　壱横愛ぷ -

★ Leo slides his way backstage, it seemed like the performance just ended. He looked around and pushed past the people scrambling around, most likely the people up next. His brothers sitting outside the back of the club, squatting down on the curb. 

"W-Wait, what? Say what?!" Mikey's voice rang out. Donnie stood up, flailing his arms around. They were talking to Casey. 

"What do you mean you're joining the Chesapeake Bae's? Those hoity toity chumps??" 

"Look guys, they're going places! They're gonna be big." Casey replied, throwing her suitcase onto the back of her truck. Mikey groaned and glanced at Raph. "Is she joking?"

"'Fraid not, Mike." He grumbled, crossing his arms. 

Casey smiled sarcastically and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry guys, but...We're not going anywhere with this. College gigs, pubs? Yeaahh..No."

Mikey gasped and put a hand on his chest. "You. Take that. Back."

"I gotta give it a try." She says, shrugging and closing her trunk as she climbs into the truck. Mikey and Raph glance at each other once more. "Whaaa...?"

-

★ "Excuse me? Are you alright?" 

Leo snapped out of his haze and turned to look at the voice. "Oh! Yeah, I'm-" He stopped and felt frozen in his steps. In front of him was the most beautiful boy he'd ever seen. And he was a rabbit. "I-I'm...Alright...?" He said, mentally face palming at his stutter. "I-I was just looking for the band, they're my brothers." The rabbit chuckled and pointed to a door behind them. "They're usually out back."

Leo nodded and began to walk away, when he froze again. He cleared his throat and looked back at him. "I like your ears..You know, how you put the top knot in them."

The rabbit paused and tilted his head, a bit surprised at the random compliment. A small fox behind him smirked and perked up. "He just started working at Hueso's by the way! You should show up and make him wait your table or something."

"KItsune...!" The rabbit whispers. 

Leo flashed a confident smile and winked at him. "I work there too. See you around, then."

-

★ "Maybe Casey was right...That show was a load of poop." Donnie said. Mikey sighed and leaned back. "There was room for improvement, yeah."

"Yeah, I've got better things to do with my Saturday nights! And...I could give you their names." Donnie said with a cocky smile. Mikey looked horrified and shook his head. "I'm telling Dad on you..."

Leo looked around for them, his boots sinking into the trail of gravel that was peppered onto the parking lot. He found them after a few seconds and walked up to them. "Eugh. Why the long faces?"

Mikey stood up and lean against Leo dramatically. "Leo, we sucked! Is it our band name? Smile? Do we need to change it? Or is it my drumming? I think I'm an okay drummer!"

Leo chuckled and pat his head. "Meh. I think it fits for a dental student." Mikey growled and looked up at him. "Not funny. I hate that class."

Donnie sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "But Leo, the emergency was that we needed you to come convince Casey to stay as our lead singer. But she already quit before you got here." Leo blinked and winced. "Yeesh. That's too bad."

Mikey gasped and slung his arm around his brother. "Hey, do you have anybody who could sing for us?" He asked slyly, hinting that he wanted it to be Leo. Dee tilted his head in confusion, not understanding. 

Leo picked up on it too quickly, thinking. 'I could be making a mistake by taking up this offer...Not that he asked me directly. But...I could kill some time like this...'

He looked up and shook his head. "Anyone but me, Mikey." 

His brother groaned and took him by the shoulders. "Come onnn, please! We know you can sing!"

Donnie chuckled and nodded. "He's right. And piano, too."

Mikey smiled and opened his mouth to sing. "I know what I'm doinnn..." 

"Mikey, no-"

"I got a feelinggg.." Donnie joined in, leaning against him. He wiggled his eyebrows at him. Leo snickered and shook his head. "...I should be doin all right."

"Doin all right...!" They all finished, harmonizing on the last part. Mikey let out a silent scream and shook his brother. "See? You should do it, Leo!" 

"So? You in or you out?" Donnie asked. Leo puffed out his cheeks and blew out a breath, starting to walk away. "Let's just go home. I'll consider your offer." 

Mikey laughed and gave him a high five. "Ha ha, nice! You think Raphie plays bass?"

"Nope. But he's gonna learn."

★

[arrowjaeger]

TMNT Christmas Headcanons

i probably should’ve started writing these way earlier but ok- here we are- this is mostly based on the 2012 version of the show but it can apply to most universes.

merry (late) christmas to those who celebrate it! (better late than never ig)

here are my headcanons about the Hamato clan on Christmas. i hope you enjoy.

warnings: some 18+ themes

not really a warning- but i ship apritello- xD

also, for reasons, don’t ask where they get these gifts from- it’s magic

Splinter

was planning on starting to celebrate christmas when he moved to NYC but after the mutation, he decided not to.

after a few years with the turtles, Mikey found a picture of Santa in a magazine and asked Splinter about it

told them about Christmas, Santa Claus and the elves as well as the Christmas story in the bible

told them it was a time to give gifts and celebrate

Mikey showed particular interest in it, he didn’t ask if they could celebrate it, but it was highly understood amongst his brothers

it was the first holiday they started celebrating together as a family (other than their mutation day)

he likes christmas most when all of his sons are together and happy

it’s the only thing he ever asks for

even though he doesn’t want gifts in return, he makes an effort to find gifts for his sons

gets Leo anything that has to do with Japan. he’s always had a very high interest in Splinter’s culture and always wants to learn more. he’s gotten him manga, japanese snacks, and more traditional things like a japanese tea set as well as some teas.

for Splinter, Raph is the hardest to shop for. he has asked him what he wanted before and he asked for a turtle (hence Spike) since then, he had gotten him things Spike would like. Ever since he got Chompy, he tried to get him more things for Raph. He didn’t know how much longer he would have with his sons…

gets Donnie anything that has to do with science. he has given him anything electronic. he has been gifted his tool box, his microscope, and, as weird as it sounds, many broken appliances. he fixed their toaster then quickly asked for a coffee maker, blender, or mixer so he could fix them too

gets Mikey anything that has to do with cooking/baking, he senses a talent in him (that he doesn’t quite use to its fullest potential yet-) he’s gotten him cook books, cookie cutters, most of the stuff in their kitchen had been gifted to Mikey whether it was christmas or not. he definitely enjoys the gifts regardless of what it is. (he also gets mikey plenty of snacks)

gets April anything that he would’ve picked out for Miwa. She gladly took the role, feeling only a little bit unworthy. She’s gotten several pieces of jewelry and a kimono (Leo was suuuper jealous but it’s fine-)

gets Casey anything that has to do with sports. he knows the least about Casey but he hears him talking about the Boston Bruins enough for Splinter to pick up that it is his favorite hockey team, so he gets him one of their jerseys unknowingly gifting him the one which happens to belong to his favorite player on the team

Leonardo

believes that christmas is a time to spend with family and lowkey gets pissed when Raph or Donnie spend time away from the family at all in december-

ideal gift would be a Hakama (go tell Splinter for him-)

thinks the idea of Santa Claus is terrifying-

“why would you want a fat man to break into your house and steal your cookies??”

is incredibly glad he is not real

eats one of the cookies Mikey leaves out for Santa

wants tea before they start opening presents

is more excited for christmas than he makes it seem. but he’s only excited AFTER his tea

gets Splinter his favorite kind of tea every year. like- just a giant box of tea leaves- it’s honestly tradition at this point. one year he got him a few english teas to try. he didn’t end up with a new favorite but is always willing to try new teas

gets Raph a YUNGBLUD or My Chemical Romance CD they get tired of hearing ‘the freak show’ or ‘welcome to the black parade’ by the next day. needless to say, he likes the gift.

gets Donnie different kinds of coffee. he even tried to slip in some decaf but Don swears he can taste the difference.

gets Mikey some new wheels for his skate board. “they reminded me of Ice Cream Kitty so i figured you’d like them.”

he doesn’t necessarily get April anything… he told her that he would help her learn some of his fighting techniques. she normally trains with Splinter or Donnie so she would enjoy having someone else to show her some moves. it counts as a present in her book.

gets Casey new hockey pucks. he genuinely didn’t know what to get him and figured he could always use more-

Raphael

started being a grinch ever since that one christmas when they were 7 and mikey unwrapped his present for him without asking

never really forgave him

convinced Mikey to leave out four cookies for Santa so he could either save some for later (or so he could share with his three brothers *wink*)

when they were younger, he stayed up with Mikey to see Santa so he could punch him for eating their cookies and drinking their milk but ended up finding out that Santa knew Splinter’s Kata-

later realized that it was just Splinter.

but it took him maybe a little too long…. “it was dark, ok?”

hates christmas movies

LOATHES hallmark movies-

like he will smash the tv if he doesn’t get adequate warning that they’ll be watching one (‘they’ as in Donnie and April ofc-)

gets Splinter cheese as suggested by Mikey. like a huge cheese plate with most kinds of cheese on it. he was very impressed by the diversity and was surprised by nacho cheese-

gets Leo Star Wars comics on purpose as a joke. Leo was not amused but he actually enjoyed them.

gives Donnie relationship advice- it’s not received very well.

gets Mikey grip tape to go with the skateboard Casey told him he was getting Mikey.

tells April where Donnie’s off switch is- “if he started rambling about something super boring just slap him on the back of the head” “oh- i normally just kiss him. i think it has the same affect.”

gets Casey a variety of spray paint colors. he pretended he didn’t support his graffiti style when Splinter reminded Casey not to vandalize with it-

Donatello

believes christmas can start being anticipated AFTER thanksgiving, and here’s his list of reasons why-

made a master plan of how to end up with April under the mistletoe

it totally worked

finessed his way into making out with her

it was totally awesome

watches hallmark movies with April. they cry the whole time

“Zach is obviously the better pick! come on Marilee!!!”

“ok- but hear me out, Miles has a dope haircut- i’d stay with him for the haircut..”

uses the holidays as an excuse to cuddle with April

uses the cold weather as an excuse to cuddle with April

he will use literally any excuse possible so he can cuddle with April-

makes most of his gifts

makes Splinter a batch of retro mutagen. it took him months to make and Splinter knows it. he keeps it safely in his room while he tries to decide what is the best decision for he and his family…

makes his brothers all new tPhones. new and improved! with better cameras, more sleek design, and better processors. he ended up having to make April and Casey phones too (they got jealous)

makes April an entire PC- ok, most of it is made from recycled parts- but it is one of the coolest things he has made. he is convinced once he gets her all of the right equipment, she’ll game with him. they play overwatch together- but Casey crashes their party…..

fixes Casey’s roller blades- he told him several times that the idea was great but he feels like he could’ve carried it out better… so he pretty much makes them way better

Michelangelo

keeps reminding his brothers that he is the reason they celebrate christmas

starts singing christmas carols right after halloween

puts waaaayyy too many marshmallows in his hot chocolate but everyone has given up on trying to stop him

bakes DOZENS of christmas cookies. every kind possible.

frosts gingerbread men to look like he and his brothers

makes Splinter a book of coupons- like, a coupon for a hug or a coupon for him to clean his room

makes his brothers coupons as well- things like get out of the dojo, get out of my room, and get out of the lab. he’s really using his annoying-ness to get out of actually going out and getting presents

gets April minecraft for her PC so they can play together. they own 26 cats-

gets Casey a new hockey mask. it’s a lot like his older one but he paints it for him. not exactly sure what it’s supposed to look like, but Casey and Mikey think it’s super dope

April

always has the guys over for christmas eve

they have hot chocolate and sticky buns. and occasionally alcohol we are looking at you raph it leads to a nasty christmas for the rest of them

tries to catch each of the turtles under the mistletoe to see how they would react

is extra careful when Casey is under the mistletoe though….

only eats the ‘Donnie’ gingerbread men Mikey makes

she ate a ‘Raph’ once and- “why are you eating Raph? i don’t want him in your mouth- i want to be in your mouth…”

they just stared at each other while Donnie’s face got redder and redder

gets Splinter a ‘worlds best sensei’ mug. it’s one of his favorites, not because it’s his style, but because she sought it out to get it for him. Leo definitely has used it more than once

gets Leo a limited edition Space Heroes action figure. it is his most valuable possession. he doesn’t even let his brothers look at it..

gets Raph anything to do with fitness. back at the farm house, they both would work out together a lot. she learned what he liked the most and got him weights accordingly. she adopts his old ones as he upgrades.

gets Donnie lingerie- it’s not for him- technically… it’s purple and it’s April’s size.. she accidentally gave him that present in front of everyone- his head looked like a tomato in a matter of seconds. Raph choked on his eggnog and nearly died

gets Mikey a cat stuffed animal with matching blanket. he is obsessed with it. she would’ve got him a real cat.. but after what happened to his last cat- let’s just say Donnie talked her out of it… she also got him a Domino’s gift card

gets Casey tickets to a hockey game. she was almost sure he would invite her to go with him but he actually when with his sister (Donnie was very thankful)

Casey

likes christmas more than Raph but pretends to be a grinch/scrooge with him

accidentally got caught under the mistletoe with Raph and it was the worst experience of his gd life

April made them stay there till they at least hugged

always tries to spike the eggnog

gets Splinter a block of cheese. that’s all. he accepts it gratefully

gets Leo a super dope Space Heroes comic. he’s pretty sure it came from Casey’s dad’s basement but it’s super rare and he doesn’t want to tell anyone-

has the most potential to get Raph a gift that he loves buuuut opts for a hilarious gift instead. he gives him a figure of sailor moon. Casey nearly died that day.

gets Donnie an Einstein poster or like a periodic table of elements poster both of which he already has but it’s the thought that counts ig-

gets Mikey a new skateboard. he really needed a new one…

gets April a necklace. it was actually really thoughtful- it was sterling silver shaped as a turtle with several amethyst stones making up its carapace. Donnie even thought it was a great gift and has no problem with her wearing it (which is great cuz she wears it 24/7 now) he doesn’t seem to mind that it’s from Casey

[cicissketchbook]

Y’all wanna read my Apritello story?

So sometimes when my artistic drive is down, the writing bug will come bite me. I’ve been working on an Apritello story for awhile that currently has three chapters that are up on my Patreon. Eventually I’ll post it publicly, but I want my patrons to have early access. Anyway here’s an excerpt from the first chapter.

It’s kind of angsty.

The summary is, April invites Donnie to join her for a long weekend at the farmhouse, which sounds romantic until you consider that she’s been plagued with visions of his accidental death and is desperate to stop it from happening.

To say there was tension in the air was a drastic understatement. Truthfully, things had been tense for a while. Blame it on cabin fever, or perhaps they were outgrowing their sewer lair, but the brothers had been quick to jump down each other’s throats. 

Leo was especially on edge, and not unlike how it had been since they were kids, his mood had set the tone for everyone else. One thing that differed from childhood though, was that he had been butting heads with Donnie, while Raph remained a mostly neutral third party. 

There was the knowledge that they were getting older and they all had desires to get out there and live their own lives, and then the realization that doing so wasn’t really possible for them in the world they lived in. They wanted what any young adults would want, but they were mutants.  The world still saw them as freaks. They couldn’t lead normal lives the way they wanted to. They knew this, they had known this all their lives. They had all been on the same page about it. They realized that living their lives in the sewer, at least most of it, was probably in the cards. April had always contested this idea, believing that the world would accept them in time. It’s not like people didn’t know mutants existed, but the turtles weren’t willing to take the risk. It’s not like they couldn’t go out and do things like they always had, but leaving the nest for good just wasn’t feasible. And they were content with this. The sewer was all they’d ever known. They’d always been together and they were happy to always be together. 

But like all families, arguments were inevitable. Familiarity breeds contempt, after all. And they were accustom to bickering. But… it was different now. Leo seemed ready to explode at the drop of a pen, Raph never seemed to be able to find enough alone time, Donnie felt like he brought more to the table than the other three combined, and Mikey… sweet Mikey was such an incurable optimist that he sought to find the positive in every situation, but they knew he did this to mask his depression.  

If asked what they were arguing about today, the simple answer would be that they were all just getting on each other’s nerves. Donnie couldn’t even remember how the argument started because they fought about trivial things so frequently, but he remembered the thing that Leo said that set him off.

“God, why is it so hard for you to just do your part? Why do we have to pick up your slack?”

Donnie was silent for a moment, almost unsure he’d heard correctly. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, you never fucking help out with anything!” Leo’s tone implied that there was something else he was upset about that he wasn’t speaking of. 

Donnie, by his best effort, kept his voice calm and composed. “I’m sorry, are you referring to three days ago when I didn’t help clean up the disaster in the kitchen because I was literally putting the microwave back together? Or perhaps last week when you left a mess for me to clean up that you all made while I wasn’t even here? And then you got mad when I didn’t?”

Leo seemed to get more aggravated at the mention of Donnie not being there, but continued on. “C’mon man, there are four of us that live here, it’s really not asking too much for everyone to help clean up around here.” 

“Dude, I clean up after myself more than anyone. The difference is, when I make a mess, it’s in my lab rather than communal space and-“

“Oh, right, I forgot. The huge space you have that’s your’s. That none of us have.” Leo turned to their other brothers who sat near by. “Hey Raph, other than your tiny bedroom, do you have your own creative space that you can do whatever you want in? Mikey, how about you?”

Raph hadn’t spoken, but seemed invested in the exchange his brothers were having. It was impossible to tell who’s side he was on. Before Mikey could speak, Raph stopped him and said firmly, “Leave us out of this, man.”

“So now your mad at me… because of my lab?”

Leo paused, not making eye contact, before he huffed. “No.” He admitted quietly.

Normally, Donnie was used to these arguments making little or no sense, but Leo seemed genuinely angry and he couldn’t understand why. 

“Bro, what is up?” He demanded. “Why are you actually so upset?”

“I just…” Leo started. Donnie could tell there was something he didn’t want to say. Leo crossed his arms and turned away from his brother. “I just want to know… where your priorities are.”

“My priorities?” Donnie was trying not to lose his patience. He had no idea where this was coming from nor where it was going. Which meant one of two things. Either there was something his brother wasn’t telling him, or this was in fact going no where. Like, this had started out a fight about cleaning duties, and now he’s talking about priorities. If Leo did have a point, he wanted him to hurry up and make it because this argument seemed like a waste of time.

“It just…” Leo blew another huff through his nose. “It just seems like… you are… distancing yourself from us, Donnie.”

This statement completely threw Don for a loop. He hadn’t expected that at all. “What in the world are you talking about?” He asked, truly bewildered by the turn in conversation. “Because I don’t want to clean up messes that aren’t mine? Like what the hell-?”

“No, obviously it’s not that. It’s alot of things.” Leo spoke quieter now, not as impassioned. 

“Well, I would love to know what those things are, because I am completely lost here.”

“You never want to hang out with us anymore, and when you do, you act like you’d rather be doing anything else-“

Donnie cut him off with a humorless chuckle. “We’re brothers, we all get on each other’s nerves.” 

“And I get that, but we do all still live together and we all need to contribute to the household chores, and you’ve just been acting like you are so far above doing any type of housework that doesn’t directly effect you.”

“Well, excuse me Leo, sorry if when it rains and the power get knocked out and I have to go topside by myself in the cold pouring rain to fix the power line, I don’t also want to have to mop up the leak in the kitchen when none of you did anything to help!”

“Okay, you keep bring up specific instances, but I’m talking about in general-“

“No, you’re talking alot of nonsense is what you’re doing!” Donnie’s lack of patience was starting to show. “First you’re mad that you think I don’t clean enough, then you’re mad that I have a lab and you don’t? Then you say I’m distancing myself from you all…?” Donnie stood and made a move like he was going to walk away. “If you have something to say, Leo, you better just say it because this whole conversation seems like a waste of time to me. It’s late and I’m tired, so make your point, or I’m going to bed.”

“Are you distancing yourself from us because of April?”

Donnie had already started walking away, as he didn’t expect Leo to actually have a point, so he was halted to a standstill at his words. “What does she have to do with anything?”

Leo looked away again, like he didn’t actually want to have this conversation. After a moment, he sighed and continued without making eye contact. “It just seems like… I mean… I thought we were all on the same page here. We’ve had this discussion, a long time ago. We aren’t…. Human. We’re getting older and it makes sense that we’d want to start living our own lives, but… we can’t. Not really. The world doesn’t accept us, so staying down here is just how it has to be. I thought we had agreed on that. That no matter what the world thought of us, no matter that we can’t lead normal lives, at least we all had each other. But… now it seems like you have other plans, Donnie.”

He finally looked at his brother and Donnie could see the emotions in his eyes. Nothing of what he said had been new information, of course. Donnie knew, painfully well, that the world saw them as freaks and being “normal” was not a luxury they’d ever be able to have. Alot of their friends were at the point where they were starting to branch off, which didn’t help. Karai and Shinigami were currently back in Japan. It was just a visit, but the kind of visit that lasted for a month or two. Casey had gotten a hockey scholarship for a different school than the one April attended. He was trying to go pro, so he poured all his time and attention into practicing. He still came around, but not like he used to. Mona Lisa had left Earth awhile ago, also with promise to return, but they hadn’t heard from her in a few weeks. They were sure it was just a new mission she had, but that didn’t make Raph feel any better. April was the only one who still came around all the time. With most of their enemies gone, everyone was moving on and it felt like the world didn’t need them anymore. 

The pain in Leo’s voice would’ve normal made Donnie want to hug him, but it was the accusation that he couldn’t get over.

“Leo…” He gestured non threateningly with his hands. “Why are you acting like I’m not literally living down here in the sewers right along with you? And I still don’t see what April has to do with anything-” 

“Okay, I’m going to jump in here.” Raph said unexpectedly. “Look, Dude, I know we don’t… we don’t say it enough but… we would be up schitts creek without a paddle without you.” He crossed the room to give Leo a lighthearted punch in the arm. “Wouldn’t we, Leo?”

“…Yeah.”

“So because of that, the idea of you leaving is…. It’s scary.” Raph admitted. He was going to say something else, but Donnie interrupted.

“I’m not going anywhere! What in the actually hell are you guys talking about?!”

Leo rolled his eyes, apparently getting annoyed again. “Don, can we please stop pretending like you’re not going to marry April and then move in with her?”

Donnie froze. To say they touched a nerve was an understatement. April was his best friend, but truthfully, it was very painful to be her friend sometimes. His feelings for her were still just as intense as ever, but for different reason now. In his youth, he’d maintained a kind of innocent hopefulness that they would someday be together, and he never even really thought of the details of how. He knew, even back then, that it wasn’t that simple and when he really thought about it, nothing about it made sense. Which is why he didn’t think about it. Now though, after some soul searching and dropping into a deep depression which he was starting to get better from, he’d resigned himself to the reality that she would never be with him. He’d accepted it, and told himself that it was enough to just be her friend. But the truth was, that pain never went away.  They had such a close friendship, they had developed such a level of comfort with each other, but he knew it would never be enough. The idea of never seeing her again was unbearable, but to be so close to her, knowing that it was as close as he would ever get… it was torture. He didn’t care though, he just couldn’t let her go.

What really hurt was when she would talk about the next stage in her life. She was in school now, but with her grades and what she was studying, she could go anywhere. She wanted to travel, she spoke of it often. She never made any committal remarks about moving away, other than when she talked about the farmhouse and saying how expensive it is to live in the city. Her dad had signed the property over to her for tax reasons, and she would’ve inherited it anyway. She wanted to renovate it.

He was only vaguely aware that Raph and Leo were still talking.

“It’s not like we’re mad at you for finding love, that’s not it at all!” Raph was saying, obviously more concerned than Leo about ruffling his brother’s feathers. “It’s just, we need to be realistic about what would happen if you weren’t here.”

“Yeah, and the reality is, frankly, I think we all feel left behind by our friends, but we didn’t think  our clan would be breaking up as well!” Leo threw his hands up, finally letting his true feelings out. “I mean, all we have is each other, we’re the last of the Hamato clan! I can’t let this clan die, I just can’t.”

“Why do you guys feel the need to do that?” 

They stopped, taken aback by how low and serious Donnie’s voice was. He was done barking, he looked ready to bite. 

“Do what?”

Donnie’s chest felt tight and he had to taken in a sharp breath through his nose to keep his cool. “Why do you guys feel the need to not only remind me of my unrequited feelings for my… our  best friend… but now, you’re holding it against me?”

Raph looked concerned at first, but then sighed. “Donnie, c’mon, don’t act like you wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to get out of here. April isn’t going to stay in New York forever.” 

The statement, while probably true, hurt to hear. “What does that have to do with me?” He said, quieter this time. “I can’t help what April does.”  

“Dude, she is literally planning her future with you in it. Have you not noticed that?” Leo nearly screamed. “You have the opportunity to get out of here and do something with your life, and we’ll be-“

“No she’s not!” Donnie shouted back. “Are you guys smoking crack or something? Don’t say that shit to me! April doesn’t…” He paused, his words getting caught in his throat. “April doesn’t want me. I thought we’d been over this.”

Mikey, who hadn’t yet spoke, immediately picked up on how much pain Donnie was in. “Hey guys, let’s just drop it, yeah?”

Leo pressed on as if his youngest brother hadn’t spoken. “Maybe she didn’t five years ago, but she sure as shit does now.” He didn’t seem bothered by Donnie visible cringe. “I mean, dude, you’ve spent the night, alone at her house.”

“So has Mikey. And Raph once, I think.” Donnie said quietly, and Raph nodded in confirmation. “And she’s spent the night here a billion times, that doesn’t mean anything.”

“Mikey and Raph didn’t sleep in her bed.” Leo said accusingly. 

“I did.”  

They all paused and turned to the youngest brother. Raph spoke. “You did?”

“Every time I go over there, I sleep in her bed.” Mikey said matter-o-factly. “Whenever… whenever I’m sad, she let’s me come over and… she’ll listen. She doesn’t try to offer solutions, she doesn’t try and tell me things to make me feel better, she just… listens. And that’s what helps me the most. Then we watch funny videos.”

None of them commented at first. They all knew Mikey struggled with depression, but he rarely, if ever, talked about it. They all had told him at some point that they were there if he needed to talk, but he never came to any of them. One might of thought that hearing that his brother shared a bed with April might make Donnie jealous, but quite the opposite, it made him very happy and appreciative to hear about it. It made sense that Mikey would be more comfortable talking to April than to any of them, and to know that she had been there for him was comforting. Donnie wanted that for his brother. 

“See?” He said finally, more to Leo than anyone else. “April… she’s there for all of us. She cares about all of us… I’m not special.”

“Donnie, don’t say that.” Mikey offered and rose from his seat to place a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Donnie placed his own hand over Mikey’s and squeezed it, staring at the floor.  “She cares about you the most. More than you know.”

“Mikey, please, please don’t.” He said through his teeth. “I can’t… I can’t even believe we’re having this conversation right now. You know how long it took me to accept the fact that I was kidding myself by thinking there could ever be something between us? Of course you guys know, which is why it is so baffling to me that you feel the need to do this.” 

“So if April wanted you to move away with her, you wouldn’t do it?” 

Raph punched Leo in the arm again. It was a strange thing, to see Raph scold Leo for being insensitive. Donnie had had enough though.

“I’m out of here.” He turned on his heel and heading towards the turnstiles. 

...............

Yes, it’s NSFW, of course it is.

[remmushound]

Bay/rise 41!! @errorfreak88 @brightlotusmoon @digitl-art-monstr @yarchurr @sententiously-sarcastic @dakotafinely @sprinklestheditty

Rise April = April

Bay April = O’neil

Rise Casey = Cassandra

Bay Casey = Casey

This wasn’t how it was meant to go, but it was where they were. The only solace they held in their hearts was the fact that, wherever Shredder was, he couldn’t get to them. Not without someone to make a rift for him. So they were safe. For now. The first thing they did was call O’neil and Casey to tell them what happened, and the two had found their way to the lair within the hour to mourn with everyone else.

Together they sat in the living room in absolute silence, lotus-style on the floor as they all simmered in the broken fractures of their own minds. Leonardo was gently tending to the injured Splinter, dabbing the blood from his pelt after resetting the rat's leg and binding it with bandages he found in Donnie’s lab. He did his work in silence, though his eyes often searched between the rat he was tending and to his own father. He hated to think of when Splinter would awake, and he would have to tell the rat what happened to his sons.

Draxum was more than aware of what he was feeling. That hopeless feeling of survivor's guilt was a feeling he knew from his lambhood, though it had been a while since he had felt it this strongly. He knew it wasn’t his fault— nothing was ever his fault because he was flawless and faultless and that was what he kept telling himself to keep his sanity. He remembered being a lamb in Japan during the time of Shredder—barely off of his mother's milk and still completely reliant on her. There had been such harsh treatment of yokai following Shredder’s defeat that many of his kind was forced from their homeland, and those who refused to leave were killed or forced to hide away. His horns had just barely started to come in when he was captured by the humans hellbent on destroying his kind, and the way they had mutilated him and taken his horns… Draxum shook his head. It was of no matter. He had done his very best in getting as much of the Hamato Clan out of danger as he possibly could. He had more than fulfilled his duty, and he held no shame to admit that.

Casey and O’neil were sitting close together. The only one they truly knew in the group surrounding them was unconscious, and so even if they were in the mood to talk, they wouldn’t know where to start. O’neil, of course, knew the turtles far more than Casey did, but that didn't negate just how close Casey had gotten to the mutant family in the months he knew them. Whether it be butting heads with Raph or arguing with Leo or bothering Donnie or playing with Mikey, he got along well with them all. Even on a few occasions he had gotten wisdom from the old rat and taken every word to heart. O’neil wanted to cry, but her body wouldn’t let her. She wanted to scream and cry and yell at these new turtles for putting her turtles in harm's way, and she wanted to ask, no demand, they go rescue her friends! But she knew no good would ever come of it, and that she would practically be sending them to their deaths! But still, she was mad.

Donatello didn't know how to feel. His head was low and so was his heart; so low in fact it felt as if it was in his stomach. He barely registered it as hunger pangs, though some small part of his mind told him that no one would fault him if he just got up and got a snack from the kitchen to hold him over. He didn't move though. He dismissed the thought and slumped just slightly more, sniffling and wiping his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he was upset about losing Raphael or if he was just incredibly hungry from almost three days with no food. Probably both. He always cried when he was hungry. He didn't care anymore; it was a different kind of not caring than he was used to. This time, he truly didn't care about life or death. All he cared about was getting through the seconds and not being lost to the darkness that tried to steal him away.

April sat close to Donatello, almost on top of him as she rested her head on his shoulder. She showed no shame as she openly cried, Donatello occasionally offering her fresh tissues to wipe the tears that just seemed to keep flow and leave her cheeks ashen and hot. The mystic bat returned to her by Casey Jones suddenly seemed not so important, though she still kept it and the mystic orb on her lap. It wasn’t fair! Raphael shouldn’t have been taken like that and, though she knew it dumb, she couldn’t help but think she could’ve helped somehow if she had been there. If there had been more people fighting, more chances of escaping! Even if she wouldn’t have been able to save Raphael, she might have been able to spare one of the other four captured! Donatello’s arm wrapped around her and gave her a comforting squeeze, and that somehow helped.

Michelangelo was heartbroken, his crying softer than April’s but still loud enough to break the silence. He was tucked into the comfort of his shell with just his muzzle hanging out, tears pooling on the inside of his plastron and spilling out. What he wanted more than anything was a hug from Raphael, and that was one of the only things he couldn’t have. Yoshi was curled beside him, his tail wrapped around the box turtle’s carapace trying to comfort him as best he could while Michelangelo cried and cried. Splinter cried too, though his tears were silent. He had always told his sons that crying was not a sign of weakness, but now that he was there crying in front of them— in front of all but one— he couldn’t help but feel ashamed in his own, overwhelming grief. His Raphael, his boy! He could still see the anguish in his eldests face ever time he closed his eyes. His baby turtle… the same hatchling he had warmed through the winter and cooled in the summer. The hatchling he had fed and dressed and loved. Kissing his bruises when he fell down and hugging him when he was upset. Singing to him and loving him and teaching him and guiding him! Fourteen years, gone in a day when it should have been him…

Cassandra was tense. She had a tight hold on her naginata, her eyes darting between everyone else in the room. Enemies, all of them! The mutants, the humans, the yokai— any one of them could attack her at any moment and she would be outnumbered so she needed to be ready for anything! She was sure she could take them, but what she wasn’t quite sure of was why Draxum just sat where he sat, doing nothing and saying nothing. Why? She understood the need to get away from the monster her Master Shredder had become. The image of the green mutant being ripped apart was still so fresh on her mind that she couldn’t possibly forget it if she tried, but she and Draxum didn't need to be here! Not when every passing moment was a passing threat! They needed to—

Draxum pulled Cassandra closer to him, holding her at his side and giving a comforting shush. That was all it took for Cassandra’s mind to start to simmer, and her to realize just how tired she was. Maybe a quick nap couldn’t hurt, as long as Draxum was looking out for her.

Leonardo couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

[divine-motion]

my rewrite of tmnt 2012 is turning more into “my fan iteration within the story of 2012 which i change a bit to suit my self-indulgence” (which it pretty much was from the start but hey) so i’m just gonna write down some General Stuff abt it like arcs and stuff

Tang Shen is alive but did get sliced by Shredder like when she dies in canon, so she has scars and Shredder believes her to be dead. Tang Shen also believes that Yoshi went and disappeared on her when he went to buy those turtles so, you know, rough couple of years for her w/ regards to thinking her infant daughter is dead, moving away from japan w/ her husband, and then her husband mutates into a rat and doesn’t tell her abt it. now she works as a robotics engineer at Stockman labs and while she’s still depressed she’s getting better, she likes her work, and she’s working on a certain nanobot project which is going good

(Nano is in this version but they instead are in an arcade cabinet that the turtles then bring to the Lair so that Nano has a family and they get to play with the turtles often. Happy end for Nano!)

Raph is the one who first meets Shen and Shen starts signing the adoption papers for the turtles

Splinter is pretty much the same as in 2012 but like, he gets confronted abt his shit instead of just being Flawless Wise Mentor, mainly by Michelangelo and then Shen when she meets him again. think he’s still gonna die but only once instead of. what. three times?

the turtles have known April for about three years since they went to the surface in secret and met a curious human girl. April quickly decided she has four brothers now and they agreed whole-heartedly

April’s parents are both alive btw and very good parents, though since “the Kraang want to kidnap April” isn’t a thing here they are both unaware of her mutant friends

April isn’t trained as a kunoichi and instead relies on her telepathic powers, which would grow at the same rate as the turtles become better fighters. i have a whole list of her powers and their limits - for example, tinfoil hats do work to keep your head protected from telepathy, much to everyone’s surprise. a metal pot also works, or a metal helmet. Shredder is unknowingly immune to it with his helmet always being on...

the brain worms serve a slightly bigger role, but they are instead creatures from Dimension X, a weak, telepathic parasite that crawls into people’s brains and controls them to keep the worm safe while it feeds on the person. they are what Kraang Prime mutated himself with to create the Kraang hivemind. they are also called “mind maggots” in Dimension X, “brain worms” is just what Stockman and Donnie started calling them when first discovered. removing a brain worm from a person without using telepathic powers can result in the person’s death or severe brain damage

also the Kraang are a more literal hivemind. if one of them sees you, they all see you. the turtles have to use all their ninja stealth to deal with them, and it’s always a risk because the Kraang can easily overwhelm them with how many of them there are

Kraang Prime is probably gonna be offed at the end of the “season 1 finale”, probably by Leatherhead. he deserves it. offing Prime also frees the Kraang hivemind from his control and the Utrom have their autonomy back. either that, or they manage to release the hivemind from his control another way, and it leaves Prime like weak and useless somehow. maybe by plucking off those weird crystals on his head, i dunno, still thinking abt it

oh Leatherhead! Leatherhead is a doctor for mutants, being a bit of a mix between his 2003 and 2012 self. he wants to help other mutants since he knows they’re victims of the Kraang too, however indirectly, and that they can’t exactly get medical help. mutants do have greater regenerative properties, but that’s only going to help you so far, and your bones might grow back wrong quicker. so, Leatherhead spent his years of freedom studying medicine and mutant biology, using stuff he stole from the Kraang during his first escape.

it would be a lot more focused on helping mutants in general. like, there would still be mutant villains that would be fought when needed, but Mikey and Donnie would put their feet down and try to offer the mutants help in settling into their new life. the turtles would also not be disgusted with mutants like they are in 2012 like jeez, dumbdotcomm really put it into words

anyways the Kraang would cease being a threat after “season 1″ and the truce Karai suggests between Foot and Hamato does happen. Splinter hates it and doesn’t trust it at all

Baxter Stockman has his own lab which is pretty successful, and he is an incredibly smart and eccentric guy with a bubbly personality - until you threaten him or talk down to him, at which point he shows himself to be calculating and ruthless, still with a smile on his face. he doesn’t pick up on sarcasm very well, though, and if you ask him to explain something, he will happily do so in great detail, whether you’re friend or foe. also, he doesn’t get mutated into a fly, and he doesn’t get turned into just a brain, either. he’s just a funky regular human guy

Timothy becomes The Badger in this version. he’s also treated better by the turtles, especially Mikey who takes it upon himself to train Timothy, partially bc Mikey wants to be a superhero but knows he can’t show his face. in fact, Timothy was inspired by Mikey specifically as he saw Mikey trying to be a costumed superhero at one point. when Timothy mutates, he becomes a human mutant like Hun and Ravenwood from IDW, so he can become like an actual superhero with powers

more female characters. like just in general more girls please. i beg of you.

Angel is Casey’s older sister who’s off at college as a STEM student, and she is also Nobody here bc i absolutely love that for her, IDW was galaxy brained when they did that. Alopex is her partner here too same as in IDW, and they jokingly call themselves “Batteries, the Double-A Crime Fighting Duo”. Angel is very much against Casey being a vigilante despite being one herself, but she’s an adult so it’s different, obviously

the turtles ask Alopex to be their teacher, too, especially since Raph notices that she fights using anger in a controlled way, and she is a bit surprised and slightly awkward about it but she accepts. Alopex is an arctic fox instead of a red fox here btw, though she has a summer coat most of the time and only gets white fur during winter.

April would also have an arc where she strives to understand her mutant side and powers better, so she would venture into Dimension X alone to find the Utrom, and learns about their society before and after Kraang. Rook and Queen (named Quin here bc Bishop isn’t a Utrom in this version, and Utrom don’t have a concept of queens and kings) would have bigger roles, as they would help April out with her powers and figuring out what being part Utrom/Kraang means for her identity.

Rook is also an alchemist/scientist who created mutagen in the first place, and Kraang was her assistant. this isn’t super important to April’s arc but i just thought it’d throw it out there

the brain worms/mind maggots would result in a City Fall arc i’ve decided. but it would be the only time mind control/brainwashing becomes a plot point in this series bc i think 2012 really overused that trope. like it was there with Splinter and the Rat King, with the parasite wasp mutant episode, and then again with the brain worms but like, several times over.

this also means that Karai doesn’t get the brain worms pumped into her brain. remember that scene where she’s hooked up to the machine and Shredder’s like “damn that shit sucks i’m sorry Hamato Yoshi’s doing this to you”?? that scene was pretty fucked up. anyways Karai has like. agency in her own arc this time

in the City Fall arc Splinter would die and at the end Karai kills Shredder, and Leo and Karai as new leaders of the clans would be like “alright this stupid fucking ancestral cycle of vengeance” ends here

Northampton time after that because it would be a Lot

after that i think it would be space arc time? it would start with the turtles being separated across dimensions and planets a bit like when SAINW happened, but without SAINW. like, Donnie would get to Neutrino (elves with crazy hair version), Leo would get to Usagi’s dimension, etc. etc.

also in case it wasn’t obvious Tang Shen will play a big role as the turtles’ Better parent and she’d have her own stuff to work through, like meeting her daughter she thought was dead and finding out her boss, Stockman, is evil, that her husband got turned into a rat, and that her new kids get into all kinds of dangerous trouble constantly

anyways that’s um. already quite the wall of text so i’ll shut up now ‘til i have more art to post, digital art this time so you can like. actually see what things look like.

[rottmntquotes]

Promise

“Y’know, you wouldn’t have to be down in Japan right now if you hadn’t tried to stab father. You could have just talked to one of us. Actually, strike that, you could have talked to Raph or Mikey.”

Leo chuckled at his twin brother’s words, shifting on the mat he had been sat upon to get as comfortable as possible. It had been nearly a month now, and Leo was already starting to sense the discomfort and frustration in his family’s demeanour. An upset frown appeared on Donnie’s face, clearly visible through the mystic mirror Leo was using to talk to him. “Look Dee, I get that you miss me, but-”

“Missing you is an understatement, my son.” Splinter chimed, appearing behind Donnie with a smile. “You should hear his constant complaints about how my decision was foolish and unfair.”

“Wow, I knew you guys were upset, but constant complaints? Damn, Dee!” Leo took note of Donnie’s light blush, deciding not to bring it up for fear of starting a fight. “Anyways, beyond the fact that I’m loved enough to make an impression, where are Raph, Mikey, and April? Hell, I’m even up for talking to Draxum!”

“Leonardo, how many times must I tell you to rid yourself of such immature words?” The loud booming voice that came from the Daimyo was enough to make even Donnie and Splinter flinch, a surprising feat, considering how they were literally across a different plane.

“Shazai shimasu, Master Daimyo!” Leo turned his head to directly address his sensei, silencing himself so that he could hear a more soft-spoken command. Once the Daimyo was done speaking, Leo sighed, turning his attention back to his brother and father. “Looks like I won’t have time to talk to them today.”

“I am assuming that the Daimyo is preparing your next training session?” Splinter asked knowingly. When Leo nodded, Splinter shook his head playfully. “Well then I suppose you should go. I will tell your brothers that you love and miss them dearly.”

“Seems a bit less personal and thoughtful not coming from Leo himself, don’t ya think?” Donnie remarked, looking down and suddenly finding his claws much more interesting than his far away brother.

“Aww, is someone giving up his emotionally unavailable bad boy image just for his little twin brother?” Leo teased, laughing at his own words. “Don’t worry about me, Donnie. I’ll be back home and beating you at Mario Kart in no time.”

“Hmm... promise?” Donnie’s head stayed down, but Leo swore that he caught Donnie’s eyes flicker up in hope every so often.

“With all my heart!” Leo assured, giving a playful thumbs up. “Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to teach you guys a thing or two when I get back.”

“That will be the day.” Splinter muttered, a small smile on his face.

“Leonardo!”

An annoyed whine escaped Leo’s throat, but he kept it as quiet as possible. “Hai, Sensei! I’m saying goodbye now!”

“Very well. Do hurry! We do not have all day!” The Daimyo moved to finish setting up Leo’s training session.

“I guess this is it. For now, anyways.” Leo sighed, giving a light laugh despite his sadness. “I love you guys.”

“We love you too, Leonardo.” Splinter replied, looking up at Donnie expectantly.

“With all of my heart, little bro.” Donnie finally looked Leo in the eye, a few tears sliding down his cheeks.

“Ah, c’mon Dee. You know what happens to me when you guys cry.” Leo’s voice cracked a bit, and he used his shoulder to wipe away a tear that had made its way down his face. “I’ll be back soon, yeah?”

“Okay.” The mirror ended the family’s communication there, and Leo sniffled, taking a deep breath before standing and walking towards the Daimyo. This was going to be a rough... however long Leo was in Japan, but he swore to himself that he would do what he could to get home as soon as possible. He did make a promise, after all.

And, no matter what happened, Leo never broke his promises.

[nerdgirllife]

Intertwined Dimensions Chapter 2- Kunoichi Training

The evening had started normal enough the night before back at the Mutanimals lair. Y'gythgba was sparring with Slash to start her day off. Slash was cornering her as she tried out some backflips that Karai had been teaching her, but fell down. Y: Rokka. I still can not get these backflips right. Slash: It takes practice Mona, just give it some time. Karai and Shinigami were visiting the Mutanimals before heading out to Japan. As she finished her sparring both of the girls looked at Y'gythgba. Slash: What are you two up to? Karai: Nothing. Come on space girl we have something for you. Shinigami and Karai walked with her back to her room. Y: What do you mean? Shinigmai: Leonardo spilled the beans to Karai about your Kunoichi training. Y: Spilled the beans? Karai: Yeah, he told me that he was your new sensei. Don't be mad at him, he was just excited that you were his first student and let it out in conversation with me. Shini and I are just super excited, April too. We kinda worked together to get you something. Kunoichi training is special. Shinigami: We brainstormed to see what we could get you, to let you know that you can count on us to help you. April couldn't be here because of her job, but feels the same way. Y: Thank you. I appreciate your kind thoughts. It is a bit harder than I thought. Y'gythgba had thought nothing of training as a Kunoichi, except that as a warrior it made sense to learn how to fight in many different ways. Especially in this new world where she was expected to remain hidden and out of sight. Shinigami would not hear of Y'gythgba not accepting their gift, which was a custom made black ninja outfit for her. All three Kunoichi's had worked on her outfit, even putting the Hamato family crest very discreetly on the back of the outfit. Shinigami and Karai waited for Mona to come out so they could see their handiwork. As she walked out Y'gythgba looked to Shinigami. Y: Shinigami...do you not think this is a little too much? Shinigami was smiling impishly at Karai as she thumbed up the new ninja look. Karai: Nope, it looks good on you. You should be happy I talked her out of putting make-up on you. Y'gythgba pulled on the mask nervously as it covered her face. Y: I'm only interested in, how does Raphael put it 'kicking butt'. Karai: Well yeah, I agree with the hothead, who isn't. But this way you can blend in with the shadows.  I mean might as well be stylish while you are kicking butt. Remember a kunoichi has to use the art of surprise and misdirection.  Shinigami adjusted Y'gythgba's face mask and hood. Shinigami: And I know a certain red masked turtle that will probably be super misdirected when he sees our gift. Y'gythgba blushed slightly. Shini: Now you are ready to go kick butt. Let us know what Raphael says or doesn't say. Y: I will, Rokka Rokka. Thank you.

The alien female went down the sewer, making sure to crawl on the wall toward the turtles' lair whenever there was water, still unwilling to get her feet wet in the sewer water. As she arrived she was greeted by Michaelangelo. Mikey: Oh, hey Mona! Cool outfit, very vintage ninja. Y: Thank you, Michaelangelo. She looked around to see where her love was. Mikey (with food in his mouth): Raph's in the dojo with Leo already. Mikey popped some more pizza puffs in his mouth. Y: Thank you. She nodded and moved towards the dojo. Mikey looked at her outfit and felt déjà vu but dismissed it as he proceeded to watch another Crognard episode.

As she stepped into the dojo she saw Raphael and Leonardo sparring. Y'gythgba silently observed them as she stood next to the beautiful tree that reminded her of Salamandria. All training arenas always evoked warm feelings in her no matter the location.  As long as she could remember her place had been in the training arena. Y'gythgba remembered looking up at G'throkka as a child and trying to place a blow on him with her training sword. Training had always focused her, helped her block out her emotions. How many years had it taken to even get a hit in and the look of utter surprise on his face when she had finally accomplished it. The brothers hadn't even heard her come in, but as Raph blocked an attack he noticed her and fell backwards as he lost his balance. Y: Hello. Raphael. Leonardo. Raphael always melted when she said his name. How was it that she could always do that. Leo: Hey, mona. Nice outfit. Leonardo shook his head as looked at Raph's face, it was almost comical seeing his brother go through a range of emotions; was that awe, love, admiration, and then lust followed by embarrassment for thinking of that? Raph: Mona....you're here. Wow. Just...where did you? You look...ravishing (clearing his throat) I mean...you look beautiful. Raphael blushed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Y'gythgba smiled and blushed as she watched Raphael compose himself.  Y: Thank you, Raphael. April, Shinigami and Karai thought you would enjoy this gift they gave me to help in my Kunoichi training. Raphael nodded as if he was in a dream like state. Leonardo cleared his throat. Leo: How'd I get stuck with the two lovebirds. Remind me to thank the girls later. Uhh...I feel like the ultimate 3rd wheel. That statement got Raph out of his stupor and he pushed Leo down as they play fought. Y'gythgba smiled as she watched them resume their match. The more time she spent with these honorable warrior brothers, the more it reminded her of what she had lost so long ago. Though she pushed those memories away and focused on her current training at hand.

It was time for her training session as he observed Leonardo turning off the lights in the dojo and lighting  a few candles. Leo: Alright Mona, try to attack me. Remember the lesson here is to blend in with the shadows and remain unseen. Y'gythgba pulled out the sword Raphael had picked out for her a while back, it wasn't quite her old sword. Yet then again Bishop had made it clear that she couldn't keep any of her Salamandrian tech, except for her universal translator. If that was the price she had to pay to stay on Earth with Raphael, then so be it. Leo: Not too bad Mona, you are really picking up the ninjitsu training pretty quickly, even with our different weapons. Master Splinter would be impressed. Y: Thank you. rokka rokka. Y'gythgba jumped out of the way and into the shadows. R: That's pretty good. I see the new outifit is helping you too. Raphael's eyes had not left her and Y'gythgba blushed in the darkness, grateful for her mask. As she ambushed Leonardo she got thrown by a sliding kick off her feet. Rapahel knew Leonardo would pull that move, he was ready for it and caught her before she fell down. Y: (embarrassed at her blunder) Thank you Raphael. She touched his face gently as they looked into each others eyes. Leonardo got up and cleared his throat. Raph smiled with a mischievous idea gleaming in his as held Mona. Raph: Maybe you can find your own dojo Leo. Leonardo threw his hands up in the air. Leo: (Exasperated sigh) Fine. I guess training time is over. Same time next week Mona. (quietly as he walked towards the door) Not that you two are listening  to me right now. Just as Leonardo was about to leave the dojo there was a loud boom and a bright light that knocked them all to the floor. Michaelangelo and Donatello ran into the dojo after hearing their thuds. Donnie: Is everyone okay? My computers didn't register any seismic activity. Raph looked towards Mona as they seemed to be being pulled away, just then Renet appeared from the light. Mikey:Renet! She smiled at him as she held on to the time scepter. Renet: Michaelangelo! Renet observed them all grabbing on to something. Renet: Oh, Sorry turtle warriors and oh! The Salamandrian warrior is here now too, too cold. Leo: Renet, what is going on? Renet: Oh right. (fumbling slightly with the sceptor) Time seems to want you all somewhere. I'll find you all and bring you back. I have to go get a head start, I'll find you don't worry. Just like that she was gone. Donnie: Just great! They all screamed as they were being pulled into the time portal Y: Who was that? Leonardo stabbed his sword into the floor to hold on. (straining) Donnie: That was Renet, a time apprentice. Mikey: It'll be fine guys. Renet said she would come back for us. Let's just enjoy the fact that we are going on a time travelling adventure. As they fell into the portal Raphael reached for Mona's hand R: Mona! (straining to hold onto her) But as they tried to grab on to each other they seemed to fall into a darkness away from each other. Y: Raphael!!

________________________________

Here’s chapter 2. I know I said next week but I couldn’t wait after working on it so decided to publish. Hope you all enjoy it. Just a note too, no leorai for this, here they are just good friends

[frozenmiwa]

Review: Rise of the turtles, part 2 (TMNT 2012)

Here we go again, I know it’s been a while. Originally, I meant to get this review out during the quarantine last March but I never got to it. I got the first season on DVD during March and I thought of just watching the episodes from DVD instead of finding them online. During June I got myself a problem however: My TV broke (or more precisely: speakers broke) so I couldn’t really watch anything with any kind of audio. Now that I have my new beautiful TV, I thought nothing would be more suitable for my first watch than some TMNT.

With that, I decided to take a notepad, sit on my sofa and watch the second episode.

Continuing the last episode, Turtles realize who ever took April and her father, may have some answers to what happened to them 15 years ago so they end up interrogating Snake, the man who was driving the van. While they find out the “people” doing these kidnappings are called “The Kraang” and that they have been kidnapping scientists from the city, they don’t find out why. Snake himself doesn’t know the answer, he tells the turtles where they can find the Kraang but manages to get away from them later on. While he is listening in Leo and Raph trick him into believing they are going to use his van to drive in as they are attempting to save April and her father – which is not actually way they plan to use his van. The turtles return to the lair to gear up for their mission. Raph has a tender moment with his pet turtle while Mikey pops up and ends up being chased by Raph with spoon. While Leo is having doubts whether their plan will be a success or not, Splinter then encourages Leo by telling about his past, of how Splinter – as a man lost everything due to a feud with a former friend, Oroku Saki. While Splinter may have lost his family and his name, but he eventually gained a lot of things, like his sons. Leo not completely sure about things, he is positive they will make it through the mission somehow

In the Kraang headquarters April makes a hilarious attempt on escaping and failing at it, while Snake and the Kraang guards outside are waiting for the turtles to arrive. Turtles are on their way alright, using the van as a distraction while they themselves use a different way of transport. When the turtles have found their way inside the building, it turns out it is not something you’d see every day as the place is filled with alien robots. After a while they manage to find April and her dad, however once the turtles are about to get them out, the Kraang appeared and took both humans away. Turtles chase after them but a newly mutated Snake (later named Snakeweed by Mikey) shows up and turtles find themselves yet another battle. This leaves Donnie to save April before she’s taken away by the Kraang. While Donnie manages to save April, her father isn’t quite as lucky as he is still at the clutches of the Kraang.

In the end rest of the turtles manage to take care of Snakeweed – even though not permanently. April moves in with her aunt and is determined to get her father back somehow, the turtles (or mainly Donnie) offer their help in the matter and thus gain their first human ally. So, all is well – or as well as it can be at the moment.

Or is it?

As turtles find out, one of their shuriken ends up in the news, while turtles think it’s cool, Splinter tells them to be more careful from now on as they are mainly meant to say hidden for their own good. And he is right about that as we find out someone very sinister is seeing this very same news broadcast in Japan and plans on visiting an old friend…

What I liked about the episode:

+ Over all this was a very good episode, it had a solid plot, good pacing and great action scenes. Even that one where April tries put up a fight. I found that scene very comical and entertaining. However, my favorite fight scene had to be the one where the turtles face off newly mutated Snakeweed.

+ Speaking off Snakeweed, I’m glad we saw what his mutation process looked like. As far as I can remember I don’t think we have seen mutation scenes in previous shows, so I haven’t really payed the process much attention until now. From what I could tell the whole process was painful and it had horror-esque feel to it, so that’s a plus.

+ I know I didn’t give April much of praise on my first review and it is no secret I hate her with burning passion, but in this episode, I found myself kind of liking her character. She wasn’t someone I would go nuts over, but her personality showed off nicely. Nothing of her personality came off as forced and I liked her interactions with Donnie even though I do not ship Apritello in this version.

+ I really liked the ending, it wrapped out the episode nicely but also brought up a new threat in Shredder while not giving away too much when it comes to his appearance. This helps to keep his character as sinister as he should be.

What I didn’t like:

Honestly, I don’t think there was a thing I didn’t enjoy about this episode, and that’s a first. My only complaint doesn’t have to do with the episode itself but the way the episode was put on DVD. I’m perfectly aware this episode was meant to be one parter, but it in some releases it was presented as a two parter. I remember seeing this one as parts 1 and 2 myself when it aired in my country. I would have liked if the DVD did the same, but oh well, at least I got to watch the whole thing as it was intended.

…I don’t have lot to say about the dub Finland eventually got, simply because I don’t remember much about it. What I do remember I did enjoy Shredder’s Finnish voice. He was voiced by Jarmo Mäkinen, who voiced Valtor from Winx Club as well as Savanti Romero and Zanramon for the third season of TMNT 2003. While he didn’t have deep voice like Kevin Michael Richardson but that didn’t stop him from sounding menacing. I think Mäkinen is similar Markus Bäckman who voices Splinter in a way they sound great as villains. What I like about Mäkinen is that he is able to portray his villains (and I’m mainly talking about his interpretation of Prime leader Zanramon in the season 3 of TMNT 2003) as chill one moment and threatening the next. So, I would say he was a good pick for Shredder. Now I only wish I could have a good memory of him voicing Shredder.

And now, some screen shots!

Turtles seeing the mutagen cannister. I really love their expressions here.

Raph about to do some interrogation....

...In a form of mutation roulette. One of my favorite scenes in the episode. I like the glowing effect they did with the ooze here.

Kraang base.

“What? I can be the only one who’s hungry.” - I can relate.

Everyone here: Mikey, weren’t you supposed to do something?

Leo and Raph looking for Snake.

Snake hiding.

Donnie at work.

Raph busted after having a sensitive talk with his pet turtle, Spike.

“Were you talking to your pet turtle? That is so adorable.”

Leo having some doubts. Luckily Splinter has a story to tell.

Last battle between Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki. I swear from this angle young Oroku Saki does remind me of Hamato Yoshi from 2003 series.

Tang-Shen with their baby daughter Miwa, during the battle.

Oroku Saki starting the fire...

...Which kills Tang-Shen (at least it seemed so before season two that is.)

April knows her rights alright..

But because the Kraang don’t care about their rights she comes up with a plan...

...Buuut it doesn’t look like it’s working.

“Well I guess we can just sit here..” - I must say I like coloring of their cell.

Snake and some Kraangdroids waiting for turtles’ arrival.

Snake mutation.

Turtles climbing the wall.

And they made it in. I really like they gave each turtle different eye color in this version but during action scenes they still have white eyes like in the comics.

Argument between Donnie and Raph.

Some alien robots.

...But now they are toast.

It’s a brain thing!

And now it’s biting Mikey!

This is what happens when you pause an episode at a random moment. Mikey looks cute though.

You heard him Raph, we are going that way.

Donnie manages to find April’s cell.

Action with Mikey.

Donnie picking the lock.

“Hey, do you think it’s easy to pick a lock with these hands?”

Not so fast...

...Because these guys are here.

And with them, more trouble arrives.

Like newly mutated Snakeweed for example.

April being taken away by the Kraang.

Leo figuring out the plan to get rid of Snakeweed.

...While Donnie is trying to save April.

And now it’s April’s turn to hang in there.

April saved by Donnie.

Leo in action.

Snakeweed electrocuted.

Turtles have gained themselves some new enemies.

It’s Kraangy! ...Wait, that doesn’t happen until season 2... or 3... can’t remember.

Turtles promise to help April find her father.

Maybe it’s just me but I find April’s pupils creepy looking. They make her eyes look souless... at least to me.

I swear Donnie has the cutest design ever.

Leo talking to Splinter inside the dojo.

Watching the news.

Okay, who dropped this?

Yay, they made it on the news!

So what’s the worst thing can happen?

Well there’s always this omnious person.

Ending still.

Okay I admit, I may have over do it with the screen shots but they are my favorite thing about these reviews, that and getting to watch some TMNT.

So, what’s next? For now, I’m going for the third episode of TMNT 2003. Hopefully it doesn’t take as long as this post. We can always hope, right?

[tmnt-rambles]

Imagine an AU where everyone only gets their ‘soulmate mark’ at twenty. Imagine being older than the turtles and April so when you get your mark you find out your soulmate is Mikey but there’s a huge problem, has already in a committed relationship with April. ******** PART 4. THE LAST PART FOR MIKEY. It had been almost a month since your incident on the roof with Mikey and Leo. A stressful night that made you feel like you were losing your mind. Looking back as the past month you, it almost felt surreal to you. Like it has all been a dream and at any moment you'd wake up and be right back in that emotional hell. Mikey and Leo sorted out their issues(well, Mikey's issues) and talked things through, Mikey admitted to jumping to conclusions but Leo just smiled and gave his brother a playful slap on his shoulder and spouting something about stress. The brothers endless teased you about that night on the roof, claiming one person almost tore the fearsome foursome apart. You never stopped feeling guilty about that and since you had decided to stay in New York, you were always baking and buying the boys their favorite treats in a way to make up for the drama. Now as you laid curled up in your bed under a mountain of sheets, you glanced down at the name on your wrist and smiled softly. "Sugarplum!" You groaned hearing Mikey's cheerful voice fill your apartment. Quickly you pulled the covers over your head and remained perfectly still, hoping he would buy the lie that you were still sleeping. "I saw you moving, Dollface." Mikey chuckled before pouncing on your bed, squishing you under the weight of him. "M-Mikey! C-Can't. BREATHE!" You gasped, your voice coming out muffled from the thick blanket that was pulled over your head. Laughing softly, Mikey rolled off of you and crawled under the sheets, his arms circling around your stomach to pull your back flush against his plastron. "Can't smother my lover." He hummed, his face nuzzling into the crook of your neck. You couldn't stop the soft giggle from escaping your lips as you snuggled yourself back against your soulmate. Yes, a great many things changed after that night on your roof. That was a night that would forever be locked into your memory. A night filled with the craziest emotions but oddly, the best outcome you could've hoped for, one that still managed to baffle you. ****flashback****** "Sugarplum," Mikey continued still ignoring his brothers that were gawking at the two of you like hawks. As if you two were animals performing for them in a circus. Of course in their young lives they had never seen Mikey as serious as he was in this moment. Even in battle Mikey would crack jokes and completely act carefree but now, now Mikey had a soft expression, no look of amusement in his tear filled blue eyes as he stared down into you E/C orbs. "When I saw the mark I got scared. I had convinced myself that we would never have something as precious as soulmates because....well, look at us. When I thought Leo was yours I was ecstatic for him. And for you." Your heart was beating so hard you were sure it was about to burst out of your chest and fling itself off the side of the building. Your hands went up to rest over Mikey's that still held your red, wind chilled cheeks. Your breathing hitching as you heard a crack in Mikey's voice as he continued. "When April introduced you to us I ended up having the world's biggest crush on you but I saw how well you and Leo got on so I never made a move. I'd constantly talk to April about it which somehow ended up with us starting our relationship. I didn't think I had a chance 'cause, I mean...he's Leo. Ya look up noble and worthy in the dictionary and it'll probably just be a picture of him. I didn't think I could've competed." He paused to take a quick look at Leo who was just smiling softly at the two of you. "Don't get smug, bro." He chuckled before turning his attention back to you, his thumb wiping a way the tears you didn't know that had slipped from your eyes. All of Mikey's words were tearing you up inside, filling you with a bit of hope, but also making you angry that he didn't think he was good enough or could even compare to his leader and brother. You had thought only Raph held these types of insecurities, but apparently Mikey also felt envious of his brother at times. "Anyway, when I saw the mark I knew what I had to do. I hated leavin' you like that but one thing I am is an honest guy. Before I could say or react I had'ta end things with April. It wouldn't be fair to her or you, please tell me you understand, Sugarplum. I didn't want to hurt you but if I had stayed, I probably would've done somethin' stupid. I'm a lot of things but I ain't no cheater." His confession left you wide eyed and speechless. You had thought Mikey hated you but it was the complete opposite. Your chilled hands squeezed his and your eyes fluttered shut, a wave of emotions washing over you for the billionth time that night. "I thought you hated me." You let out a mix between a sob and chuckle. With your eyes still closed, you felt Mikey lean forward and press his forehead to yours. "Never, Y/N. Not in a million years. I love ya, Sugarplum." ****end flashback***** After that you and Mikey took things slowly, he'd come over for date night twice a week, it even took four dates before he'd even kiss you. He was the perfect gentleman, which took you by surprise since your, now, 'boyfriend' or 'lover' which ever you'd prefer was known to crack lewd jokes here and there. Mikey even made sure that the first thing you two did before you even entertained the idea of going on an official date was get Splinter's blessing. Of course Splinter was thrilled Mikey found his one and could now start on his own path to happiness. You knew Splinter had hoped that this would help mature Mikey but luckily for you, he was still the same joke telling, video game loving, skateboarding, pizza eating Ninja you had fallen in love with. Things with April were never tense. In fact, the first time you saw her after Mikey and her ended their relationship, she engulfed you into the tightest hug saying she was glad your soulmate ended up being Mikey. She had no ill will towards you or Mikey. Even now the two of you would have girls night while your boys were out patrolling. April did find her soulmate, Casey Jones--to no one's surprise-- so once a week the two of you would "double date" at her apartment since you couldn't take Mikey out in public. Mikey stayed over almost every night, or when Splinter would allow. The two of you were closer now than you ever thought you would be and you couldn't be happier. You knew Mikey loved you, but you couldn't wait for him to turn twenty so he could feel the heart pulling connection that you did every time you heard his voice. "You're being quiet, babydoll. Everythin' alright?" Mikey asked with a kiss to your neck, knocking you out of your own thoughts. You smiled and rolled over in his arms, your fingers running up his plastron slowly before leaning in to steal a quick kiss. "Of course. I'm just really, really happy right now." You beamed snuggling into your soulmates chest. "Are you happy?" Mikey chuckled and let his fingers brush through your hair gently before peppering your face with playful kisses, "Happier than Donnie at radio shack." He spoke in between kisses, "Happier than Leo with a ticket to Japan," he continued on, each kiss and word earning a giggle from you, "Happier than Raph in a room full of punching bags and Vin Diesel movies." With that you couldn't help but bust out laughing. Hearing you laugh made Mikey start attacking you with kisses and tickles. "Happier than Michelangelo at an all you can eat pizza bar?" You asked, playfully pushing him back onto his shell, you pulling yourself into his lap so you were straddling his hips. Mikey smirked and gave a light shrug of his shoulders, his hands resting on your hips. "Now let's not be unrealistic, Sugarplum. No one can be that happy." He teased with a wink. "What about, happier than Mikey when Y/N says they want to spend the day in bed?" You asked with a smirk and arched brow before reaching up to pull off his orange mask, and tossing it carefully to your bedside table. "Hell yeah, now you're speaking my language, baby." You swear you heard Mikey growl at the thought and before you could react, the ninja had you flipped onto your back and your hands pinned over your head. "I love you, Sugarplum." "Love you too, Mikey." END! [I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. I know this part is shorter than the others but I wanted to get it out before work in the morning. Next I'll be doing Donnie(after the request) so if you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know.]

[millin21]

Here’s a first try at writing Karai and Shinigami (first time I wrote for TMNT characters in a while) I hope you enjoy.

She wasn’t sure how it all started, but if she would have to guess, it was most likely when she heard Shini saying “we should go out for the holidays.”

She remembered turning to her with a raised brow. She wasn’t sure how they celebrated Holidays in New York, she had remembered glancing at some festivities, but never participated in them herself- not that she had any time. Most of her schedule was booked. But ever since Shredder was defeated, she had plenty of time on her hands to do other things. Like…

Actually, she didn’t know what else she could do. All her life she had been raised in believing that one person had caused her unhappiness. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that she had found out the real cause behind her motherless life was the one who raised her all along. And the man she was raised to hate was really her true father. With all this happening, along with the Kraang and their attempts at conquering the world, as well as her mutation (and the escalating events that followed until she finally returned to Japan and recruited Shinigami while staying under the radar that would draw the attention of the Foot Clan) … she didn’t really have much time for anything else.

Like the holidays, which her friend would not seem to stop talking about.

“Come on, when was the last time we hung out?” “Last week.” She answered almost immediately.

She made a sound she wasn’t sure was a groan or a laugh. “And what other goals are you thinking of right this very minute?”

She couldn’t say very many. After all, the last member that was loyal to the Foot in the ways the Shredder had raised was gone. Dead. All that remained of the Foot was her, Shini, and the mercenaries. The clan she was planning on raising, to be one with honor.

And it wasn’t as if there were any enemies that threatened them. No Foot bots. No resurrected Mutants. Even Tigerclaw wasn’t a threat anymore. Xever and those two that had caught her as a Serpent Mutant had gone their own way, with no interest in investing anymore of their time to the clan.

It was a very boring Month. Months. Almost a year.

“Come on, senpai, let’s go out and have fun for a change!” She couldn’t help but smirk at that. Shini never wasted anytime in finding something ‘fun’ and if the opportunity presented itself, she would snare it and influence her to come along.

The darkly dressed kunoichi took in a deep breath and sat up straight. Looking at her with a grin. “Well, what did you have in mind?” It wasn’t as if they knew many ‘popular’ places. Not that she would want to go to any of them.

The Mutanimals were mainly focused on keeping the Streets clean of any mischief. And the mercenaries were already off doing their own thing for the holidays, keeping connection with them in case she required their assistance or in case they found out anything suspicious that would raise her interest.

As Shinigami listed the many places they could crash, most of them boring, Karais mind had wandered to something she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of before. She spoke before she looked to Shini.

“What about…. What about the turtles?”

She had stopped talking then, looking at her with a look she wasn’t sure was shock or simple surprise.

It wasn’t often that she visited them. Most of the time it was an emergency. Not because that’s the only time she would ever go there, but because she had become so used to the life that involved strictly business that she didn’t think to have time for herself. Her definition of ‘fun’ had always been either rebellious or borderline evil(?)

It wasn’t until she met Leo that she slowly turned to a more honorable life. To re-evaluate what was good and what wasn’t.

And after Splinters goodbye… she had found herself wanting to visit them more and more.

She could see an understanding in Shinis’ eyes. She knew what Karai was thinking. They had grown close enough to read each others minds at this point.

They made there way.

“Should I call the funny one and tell him we’re on our-?” She asked in her accented voice but was cut short by Karai.

“No. I…. I think it would be better to surprise them.” She said, smiling a bit more gently. It seemed to brighten Leos day when she came by surprise when Hatori Tatsu came by to reclaim the Foot.

This time she would be able to say this was a surprise visit.

 It took them a bit longer than she had liked without the motorcycle (stupid Bebop) running along the rooftops and finally sneaking into one of the manhole covers. Shini still had to hold her nose when entering the sewers. It almost made Karai chuckle but she had to admit, the smell was anything BUT welcoming.

She couldn’t understand how Splinter could live down here. And survived all that time raising four turtle boys.

They were approaching the sewers as fast as they could. A mixture of eagerness in meeting with the energetic group and to get away from the smell.

 The first one to see her was April. No surprise. The yellow-loving kunoichi had come a long way since that near helpless girl she had ambushed when they first met. She was glad she had put that in the past.

(especially after seeing the powers the Kraang were after all this time developed in full force. Dang did she get shivers when seeing how she shattered that window with just her mind when fighting Shini)

The turtles all got up and turned to face her. Leo and Mikey holding a similar look of excitement when seeing them. Each in their own way.

“Hey.” She greeted them. Only turning to Raph when hearing him speak up.

“So... is there another hectic maniac threatening the Foot clan?” He asked from his seat, feeding his purple colored space turtle who snapped happily at the slice of pizza given to him.

She couldn’t blame him for saying this. Most of their meetings involved something threatening them. Mostly her.

“Not this time Raph.” She smiled, proud to admit this. But still giving him a near cocky grin.

“Then what’re ya here for?” He asked, raising a brow.

She was silent for a bit. After the second or third second Raphs near bored or exhausted expression at just her presence turned to interest. It wasn’t often she didn’t reply right away.

“I…” She couldn’t stop her eyes from turning to the ground. “…I thought I’d… spend today with you guys.”

Shini hadn’t left her side, still paying attention to her. Ever since she heard of Splinters passing, even after released from the hospital, she had been especially close to her. Making sure she was okay. Like a real friend. The only healthy relationship she had before meeting Splinter and finally accepting the turtles and the whole clan.

She could tell everyone’s eyes were on her. If anyone wasn’t looking at her before, they were now. She didn’t even have to look to tell, but she looked up to them anyway. Waiting to hear their response.

It wasn’t like she was avoiding them. She had just been so focused on taking the Shredder down and making her father proud that she never thought to visit them. Now that he and the others that threatened their safety were gone, it was like she finally had room to breathe. To come down here and talk with them. To visit them.

As a family.

At least, she hoped.

No one exchanged looks like they usually did when deciding something. They all stayed where they were as Leo took a step towards them.

“Well, are you going to come on in?”

  They spent the rest of the day participating in activities she never had seen.

Most of them involving just eating sweets and their own version of a feast. Mikey still trying to involve Pizza into everything despite April bringing down a real turkey for them to bake.

It was just as lively as she knew it would have been.

By the end of the day however, when April and Casey had gone to spend time with their own families, Karai had stayed and asked Leo and the turtles for something they weren’t expecting.

“Can you… maybe tell me some of the stories… about Splinter?”

The room was silent as they all looked at her. Hearing her voice unnaturally soft and hesitant. She was still having some trouble in sharing her more sensitive thoughts.

Donatello, who was standing behind her, took a seat next to her on the couch. “Well, are there any kinds of stories you want to hear?”

She looked up at him and almost chuckled. “Well, I know it sounds ridiculous but…” It took her longer than she’d like to admit this next bit. “…what did she do around this time of the year?”

 They spent the rest of the day sharing their memories. Their very first memories of their very first Christmas. Donnie fitting a colorful bulb for the first time and being in awe about it. Mikey finding a candy cane that was clean enough for Splinter not to snatch it away from him. Raphs drum set origins. Leos first collection of Space Heroes (she couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or proud of it)

All their tales involved Splinter and how he spent it. How he had adapted a bit of this holiday for them, how he put on candles mostly to illuminate the nights. How he went out and brought back presents for them. How they strung up popcorn on the tree in the dojo for that one night. How they spent the entire day in the dojo still training. How they went to their presents immediately after. (About Mikey’s failed attempt at Eggnog a few years ago) But most of their tales involved Splinter.

They shared some of the small things he did. One time they all got together and created for him a cheesephone for Christmas. How humored he was at that and how when they started going out and Donatello had made their own TPhones he told them to contact the Cheesephone in case of emergencies only. She had recalled a few times that may have been in use.

They went on with more and more stories, each one bringing her closer to him in a way. Learning more about her father. What it might have been like to spend time with him around this time of the year.

They could tell what she was feeling and stayed close to her. A few pauses in between stories as they watched her. Seeing her desire to learn as much about her father as she could.

She didn’t know how late it was but she had eventually gotten up and turned to Shini who was gesturing that they had to leave. She turned back and gave them all an appreciative smile.

“Maybe tomorrow I could bring down a present for you guys.”

“Please do. Tomorrow’s Secret Santa!” Mikey cheered excitedly.

She chuckled and gave them all one more look and spoke one more thing before she left. “Really, thank you.”

.

[hagarenmovie]

AX 2017: Fullmetal Alchemist Live Action Panel Transcription

The Fullmetal Alchemist World Whirlwind Tour!! First stop Los Angeles!

| Transcription of a major part of the panel that took place on July 3rd, at Anime Expo 2017 in Los Angeles. Although the panel was listed as 11am to 12pm, it only actually lasted about 35 minutes since it started late and then ended a bit early in order to clear the room. Still, a lot happened in that short time! Here’s the complete transcription! Very Long Post!! |

- NOTE: the MC is Ken Ayugai from Tokyo. Mikey’s the interpreter. I cut their self introductions and their final remarks which let the audience know that the next stop on the live action promo tour was Paris.

- ALSO we weren’t allowed to film or take pictures till after the footage was shown and they were real strict about it, but I’m sure the live action team will release pictures and some footage after their world tour ends in Japan on July 12th, so we just gotta wait like a week.

Also check out: Description of scenes in the footage

MC: So first of all, I'm sure most of you are aware of this but I'm gonna run you through the history of Fullmetal, really quick.

 Mikey: Just a little bit, so you guys, you know there might be some people who don't know Fullmetal Alchemist up here.

 MC: So first of all, Fullmetal Alchemist is a popular japanese manga, which I'm sure you know, and it's written by Hiromu Arakawa and published in the monthly magazine Shonen GanGan from 2001 to 2010. And this series has sold over 70 million copies worldwide and there's been like a tv series in 2003 and 2009, the animated series. And the movie was in 2005 and 2011. And [when the] author gave birth to her children, she continued writing hoping that her kids would read it one day.

 Mikey: Exactly, she wanted her kids to read this one day, so that's a really touching story, right?

MC: Yeah. And since the first anime in Japan was produced in January 1917, that's just like 100 years ago.

 Mikey: Wow, the 100th birthday of anime! Wow.

 MC: Yeah, in japan.

 Mikey: I think that deserves an applause, right guys? 100 years. So i think, you know, so i think it's only appropriate that on the hundredth birthday of anime Fullmetal Alchemist gets a live action adaptation, right? Yeah?

 *audience cheeeers*

 MC: Ok so they [FA movie team] got a lot of offers from around the world and so the FA team has come to anime expo!

 *audience cheers*

 MC: Ok that's about it haha for the history.

 Mikey: Alright.

 MC: Alright, so what do you say, do we want to welcome up or - oh no, first we're gonna do the footage, right? Ok so let's take a look at the trailer first of all!

 *audience cheers*

 {the latest trailer released on april 6th is shown to the audience}

 MC: And now let's welcome our special guests!

 *audience goes wild*

 MC: Let's give a round of applause. from the live action cast Ryosuke Yamada

 *fangirls lose their shit as he walks on stage*

 MC: And director Fumihiko Sori!

 *Director Sori comes on stage as the screaming continues*

 MC: A big round of applause for our guests please!

 *audience calms down*

 MC: [to Yamada] Alright so first of all, would you like to say hello to the crowd?

 Yamada: *testing the mic* hah, hah. [He introduced himself in English] Hello everyone, I'm Ryosuke Yamada playing Edo! thank you for coming today. Please enjoy!

 *cheers*

 MC: thank you. and Mr. Sori.

 Sori: [in English] My name is Fumihiko Sori and this movie's director and please enjoy.

 MC: Alright! So, welcome to anime expo

 Sori: hai, thank you

 MC: please be seated. So we're gonna ask you a few questions, first of all welcome to LA and how's it been so far?

 Yamada: *tries to talk into the mic but it doesn't work and makes derp faces*

 *audience chuckles as MC gives his own mic to Yamada*

 Yamada: [Mikey's Translation = MT] Well, it is really warm and everyone's really nice to me so I'm really enjoying my time here.

 Sori: [MT] I love LA! I've been--I lived here about 20 years ago i wanna say.

 MC: So is it any different from 20 years ago?

 Sori: [MT] I don't think it changed that much in 20 years

 MC: Ok, so still the same good ol LA?

 Sori: [in English] It's great, yeah. I love LA!

 MC: So, looking at this huge crowd for you, how do you feel right now? 'Cause for Anime Expo it's the first time to actually have a live cast come on stage, I guess

 Yamada: [MT] I mean, I'm really happy and proud to be Japanese right now, to see the crowd you know. this room is full of fans who love and share japanese anime and content so I'm really happy

 MC: ok. and Mr. Sori can you tell us what led you to create this live action version of this manga that has so many fans?

 Sori: [MT] So as you guys know, a lot of american comics have been adapted in live action formats, and you know and it's really really cool as i see it, watching from where i am. and you know, we have a lot of good content, a lot of good properties and stories in Japan, but we haven't really had the chance to do a live action adaptation at the level and quality i really wanted to, but i feel like finally we're at a point where it's ready.

MC: [to Yamada] So how did you actually feel when you got offered this role?

 Yamada: [MT] So you know, i'm not really tall per se and when i got this offer i was like, 'maybe it is kinda cool being chibi sometimes'

 MC: Ok, during [playing] Ed there must have been so many challenges

 Yamada: so i mean, of course the performance itself is one thing, acting as Ed, but i think the hardest part was Alphonse, you know he's done in full CG so all my acting i have to do kind of not looking at anything really so all the acting really came down to my relationship with Alphonse there.

 MC: Ok so, we would like to just... go on to the footage maybe?

 Mikey: You guys wanna see some footage?

 MC: Ok, and as mentioned before, no cameras please. No phones or otherwise we have to stop, ok. Let's ask Mr. Yamada to cue [the footage].

 Yamada: nihongo de shitsurei shimasu. Kore dewa goran kudasai, dozo. [translation: I'm sorry for the Japanese. Now, here you go, please watch.]

 MC: Let's take a look at the footage!

 *footage rolls. it's like 6 solid minutes and the audience goes through a rollercoaster ride of emotions*

 MC: Alright! [to Yamada, translation:] What did you think of that reaction?

 Yamada: I was really happy to hear you guys' reactions throughout that. We were listening back there.

 MC: so first of all, i understand that filming started in Italy in June 2016 so why did you choose Italy actually.

 Sori: So of course the first work was set in a sort of European city and there wasn't really a specific country but after going through Europe we found that Italy had a lot of really good backgrounds and scenery that we liked for the movie.

 MC: Ok, so Mr. Yamada, what was it like, you're actually acting a role which is not quite Japanese...

 Yamada: [MT] So the original work of course is written by a Japanese mangaka so i really didn't have too much resistance trying to interpret and understand what kind of character we were doing but there was of course fear in the back of my mind as I was acting so i mean, i hope you guys all saw that footage and didn't really feel anything weird, did you?

 *audience cheers, many yell out 'Nooo, you're perfect!!'*

 Yamada: [in english] Thank you!

 MC: And I have a question for Mr. Sori, what was it like actually, for you, working with Mr. Yamada?

 Sori: [MT] Well he is a professional through and through and it made my job really easy to be honest, i didn't have to give him too much direction, he just got what i wanted how i wanted the character to be portrayed and a lot of the action he did himself -- all of the action he did himself, so that made us really really--

 Sori: [in English] No stunt, no stunt!! (Director Sori said this while Mikey was interpreting)

 Sori: [MT] No stuntman here!

 MC: that's amazing!

 Yamada: arigatou gozaimasu

 MC: you got a big one in the face [during the footage, while Ed's running away from the transmuting walls that attack him like giant pillars, he ends up running into one face first]

 Yamada: [MT] That was harder than it looked because i had to react to basically nothing right there

 MC: so how does it feel like, what do you think about it [the footage]? Actually when you looked at it, that footage.

 Yamada: [MT] So when i was acting and portraying the character, i had an idea of what it was going to look like, but seeing it kind of put together with all the edits --it blew my mind and it was way beyond my expectations, i really have to thank the director and all of his awesome skills so thank you very much director.

 MC: And throughout the film.. actually when you were filming the film, your brother isn't actually here but did you feel him here or what was that like?

 Yamada: So while I didn't actually get to see Alphonse in front of me the actor portraying him was next to me acting on his behalf, so as we progressed through production, more and more i started to see him as Alphonse

 *audience awws*

 MC: And Mr. Sori, you've been using a lot of digital technology in this film. Could you tell us about that please?

 Sori: [MT] So I mentioned that I lived in Los Angeles about 20 years ago, i think you guys remember that right? So i was working at a company called Digital Domain and i was actually an animator, a VFX animator there, and i worked on a little movie called Titanic which you might have heard of. And I learned a lot about VFX there so i took a lot of that skill, so my specialty actually lies in the VFX field so i came back to Japan and slowly kind of grew into the role of director and i always thought 'man i wanna take a Japanese IP or Japanese content and turn it into a very VFX heavy production and i think finally i had the chance, and now here we are back in LA 20 years later showing you guys this clip so i'm really really happy and proud to be here.

 Mikey: And one more thing! (Director Sori wanted to add to his previous statement)

 Sori: [MT] but that does not mean this is a VFX only movie and i think you guys, the fans, know that more than anyone, that this is a very story driven, emotional journey. [Sori in English] Yeah, everybody knows, yeah.

 MC: One more question, so when you first met for this film, Mr. Yamada and Mr. Sori, what was the first thing you kind of agreed to focus on in creating this film?

 Yamada: [MT] So I was always a huge fan of Fullmetal Alchemist and when I was offered this role i mean, of course i was really really happy and pleased, and at the same time when we went to Italy and production started, when we were on set and we kind of talked and met each other, i think there wasn't really any doubt in the direction we were gonna take the character and the production. i think it was really a very seamless transition from when we first took it from pre-production to production.

 MC: [translation:] And Director, what about you?

 Sori: [MT] I think it was the best combination ever, even looking back now, looking at all the actors and the talent in the world, i don't think anyone could have portrayed Ed as well as he has so i'm really really glad.

 MC: Ok and now actually, we have a surprise for everyone. We have... the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist...

 *audience starts going wild*

 MC: ...We have a message from her and I'd like to read out the original actually, in Japanese so [to Mikey] can you help me out?

 Mikey: We have a message from the creator and we're going to read it out to you guys right now.

 MC: Ok. [he reads Arakawa-Sensei's message in Japanese]

 Mikey: [Arakawa-sensei’s message interpreted:] So the manga I feel like is my child, I created it, and all these spinoffs and other iterations of it, the anime, the games, everything else that you take, it really feels kinda like my grandchildren, and here they are flying, leaving the nest, exploring, you know i'm really really proud to see them leave the nest like this. And I got to take a look at the footage as well. And it really felt like all these characters i created are there, present in our world. Ryosuke, the way you played Ed was so kakkoi. Everyone out there throughout the world, i hope you take really good care of my grandchild when he goes to see you!

MC: That was a message from Hiromu Arakawa. Ok and now we'd like to give it up to you guys and go into the q&a maybe. You guys have any questions? So if you have a question please raise your hand, okay. You look really ready (some guy in the first few rows was standing with his hand raised)

 Mikey: Are we doing the mic? Are we having them line up or are we gonna run it? Ok, we're gonna line up so please if you have a question line up over here...

 *a ton of people scramble to get to the mic, myself included*

 Mikey: Ok, I don't know if we have that much time guys. Moderators help us out.

 MC: Oh and about the cameras... We were worried about the footage, so yeah you can take photos if you guys want to

 *audience goes crazy*

 Mikey: Let's get started without further ado

 Fan 1: [i know a lot of people here] ...have mixed feelings about this, but maybe 8-10 years down the line, what do you guys think [about an American movie remake]?

 |I missed the complete answer to this one, but the Director was for it|

 Fan 2: How did you come to the conclusion of like where in the manga or anime to finish the movie?

 Sori: [MT] So in my mind I kind of consider this a part one and we have a really good book end to kind of bring closure to the movie as a movie so it can stand alone. But at the same time, if you guys like it and continue to support it, i don't see why there can't be a part two and hopefully beyond.

 Mikey: Thank you very much.

 Fan 3: Ok i have a question to Ed. Will there be a lot of like in the anime, like a lot of when you're fighting with Alphonse, there's a lot of jumping around. Do you think you can do that? Or is it not possible?

 Yamada: [MT] All I can tell you right now is please look forward to the action, there will be a lot of action, not only when i fight against Al, but with him alongside me so I can only tell you to stay tuned and look forward to it.

 Fan 3: Alright, that's cool man! Thank you.

 MC: Thank you.

 Yamada: [in English] Thank you.

 Fan 4: Hi Yamada, hi director. I have a question. So my question is what was the weirdest thing or thing that stood out to you while filming in Italy or during your time here, in LA?

 Yamada: [MT] So this is my first time appearing overseas in front of fans of the movie or of the anime so really your reaction as you saw the footage was kind of a really big pleasant surprise for me. It really made me feel like it was worthwhile playing the part, you know, it was just a pleasure to hear you guys. A lot of times in Japan, people are most embarrassed and shy so they don't openly express that kind of emotion and you know it's just really awesome hearing you guys see that first.

 MC: We're kind of running out of time so we’re gonna have maybe two more questions. We’re very sorry.

Mikey: I'm very sorry guys, two more questions. Yes we're running out of time, unfortunately.

 Fan 4: Ok, so one) I made it. Yes, I'll ask my question real quick. Two) Thank you for the trailer, it was great. Saw a lot of characters that we all know and love, but there was two people I did not see in the trailer. I was wondering if Scar and Armstrong are gonna be in the movie, 'cause I didn't see them.

 Sori: [MT] So I say look forward to seeing them in the movie, but also look forward to part 2.

 MC: So this will be the last question, I'm sorry.

 Fan 5: Hi, Yamada-kun, hi director. I want to ask a question to Yamada-kun. Before the shooting, did you prepare or practice anything for shaping the character of Edo?

 [For the answer to this question, Yamada ran like Ed to show how Ed's running is different from his own and the audience cheered]

 Yamada: [MT] So i think you guys remember the scene where I was running in the beginning, right? So a lot of times when Ed runs, he has a very unique way of running (Mikey not translating anymore:) I'm not gonna do it for you guys (back to translating) It's leaning back and running. And normally when I run, I would run leaning forward like a normal person so I think having the manga on the set and at the production was a large part, and we would always use it as kind of our guidance so we had all the scenes, you know, and obviously getting into costume having it there really really helps. So we wanted to stay true to the manga and that was I guess my technique to building the character.

 Fan 5: arigatou gozaimasu

 | Closing remarks |

 Yamada: [MT] I'm very very happy and honored to be able to have a project like Fullmetal Alchemist that is so loved around the world being produced into a live action adaptation in Japan. So i hope that everyone around the world will be able to see this so thank you very much and yoroshiku.

Sori: [in English] I'm so happy now so please enjoy this movie!

(MC and Mikey end the panel.)

[katielynn526]

B-Team Support Group AU

Okay hear me out...

Donnie and Mikey getting sick of how their family treats them and doing something about it. 

Something happens. The final peg on this jenga tower of awful gives way and shit comes a tumbling down. Mikey gets hit by Raph a little too hard and is seriously hurt, Donnie just pulled his fifth all-nighter in a row and Mikey finds him passed out in the lab, Leo and Raph leave their little brothers in the lurch to prove their A-team bullshit superiority, etc. Whatever it is, it’s the last straw.

Donnie packs up his laptop and a few essentials from his lab, Mikey puts Ice Cream Kitty in her cooler and stuffs some comics and his teddy bear into a backpack. They leave the lair in the middle of the night, no clue where they’re even going. They just need to get out.

Donnie calls April and they crash at her place for the night. Mikey can’t sleep, his stomach is in knots. He stays up with April, watching Donnie snore away on the couch where he’s passed out. He tells her this is the most sleep Don’s probably had in weeks. They stay up talking until dawn and April holds Mikey when he finally breaks down and cries.  

Pretty soon it becomes clear that Donnie and Mikey staying with April is a temporary solution at best. It’s a small apartment and the brother’s can tell Mr. O’Neil, still suffering from his own PTSD, isn’t exactly comfortable with having his home invaded by mutant teenagers. Donnie can be quiet (until he blows something up), but Mikey’s hyperactive energy is too much.Plus the risk of being seen by the neighbors is too great.

April still insists they’re welcome to stay, but the brothers are gone before she comes home from school.     

Karai originally planned to stake out one of the Shredder’s former hideouts with Shinigami, but the plans change when she comes across Donnie and Mikey on the rooftops, looking lost and tired as they try and figure out what to do next. They can’t go back yet, but they can’t survive on their own topside, not without help. Karai knows that hopelessness, knows what it like to feel like you can’t go home.   

She and Shini bring them back to the Shredder’s old lair. telling Donnie and Mikey they can stay as long as they need to. 

Donnie’s still a bit wary of Karai but he agrees, knowing it’s their best option right now. He texts April and tells her that yes, he and Mikey are safe and please tell the family they aren’t dead or kidnapped. They just need some space.

Mikey is just glad he doesn’t have to go home yet and psyched he gets to spend time with his new big sister and her awesome witch-friend.

Karai texts Leo to let him know that his brothers are safe and with her, but also makes it clear that he, Raph, and Splinter fucked up badly and they need to get their shit together. Don and Mike will come home when they’re ready and if Leo or Raph tries to come over and force them to come back she will personally cleave their shells from their bodies.  

CUE MONTAGE OF CUTE B-TEAM AND BIG SISTER BONDING:

-Mikey hanging out with Shini, coming up with countless contests to test their mad skillz™: Who can do the most impressive flips, who’s more flexible, best dancer, most rad yo-yo trick, etc.

-Karai and Mikey playing a Japanese trading card game (like Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh) becuase he found one of her old decks and pulled out his own. 

-Karai being super nervous about being a big sister because she’s never had siblings before and Oroku Saki wasn’t a really affectionate parent, but Mikey putting her at ease and telling her she’s doing a great job.

-Donnie being a little uncomfortable around Karai because she used to be their enemy and tried to hurt April. But she’s also helping them and he sees how hard she’s trying. 

-Karai listening to Donnie vent and commiserating with him about how toxic and demanding family can be. Cause let’s face it, Shredder and Splinter are both super harsh Japanese dads so Karai gets what it’s like. 

-Shini showing Mikey her collection of shojo manga (in Japanese of course)

-Mikey showing Shini how to make awesome shadow puppets.

-Mikey showing Karai and Shini Ice Cream Kitty. Shini thinks she’s adorable and loves taking cute videos of ICK with her phone and sending them to Mikey! 

-Shini telling Mikey all about growing up in Japan and showing him pictures of her and Karai when they were kids, pictures of her life in Tokyo, and one pic of her and her ex-girlfriend, Don’t ask. It didn’t end well... ;)

-Shini calling Mikey, “Mikey-chan.”

-All four of them hanging out in what used to be Oroku Saki’s private quarters, watching poorly dubbed samurai movies on the huge flat screen TV and laughing as they get popcorn everywhere.

-Mikey cooking a big meal for everyone in what used to the the foot clan break room, all of them talking in Japanese while Karai and Shini tease the boys about their terrible accents. 

-Sparring sessions where Mikey isn’t constantly underestimated and Karai and Shini try to teach him techniques to focus his mental energy.    

-Donnie fixing up Stockman’s old lab, overjoyed to see all the awesome high-tech equipment left behind when the Foot Clan fled. Once he clears away all the groady candy wrappers and acid fly spit it starts feeling like home. 

-Karai and Mikey tag-teaming Donnie to make sure he gets a good night’s sleep and doesn’t spend all his time in the lab. 

-Donnie and Karai bonding over blowing shit up and the construction of badass ninja weaponry.

-Shini helping Donnie develop cool new ninja smoke bombs and helping him devise ninja tech for hypnosis and illusions.  

-Karai teasing Donnie about his crush on April but actually giving him solid relationship advice. 

-Mikey, Karai, and Donnie all getting to complain about Leo and his self-sacrificing, lone ranger BS. 

-Donnie building a heat lamp for his snake mutant sis. Snake!Karai curling up and basking with her mutant bros. 

-Leo not heeding Karai’s warning and blowing up Donnie’s T-phone with angry messages. Karai finally going to the lair to bitch out her mutant family and call out her father on what a negligent dick he’s been.

-April and Casey visiting the Girl Gang lair (that’s what I’m calling it) to see Mikey and Don. 

-Casey flirting non-stop with Karai while she kicks his ass multiple times. Soon it becomes a friendly contest between the two on who can come up with the dirtiest pick up line. (Donnie has had to cover Mikey’s ears multiple times).

-April being really nervous around Karai b/c of their history. But they bond over wanting what’s best for the b-team bros and become reluctant friends. Cue Shini insisting that April needs a makeover (because seriously how can she not wear armor?) and lots of badass ninja girl talk. Mikey helps while Donnie and Casey just watch the awesome craziness unfold.

-Karai embarrassing Donnie in front of April but also totally setting them up!

-Mikey and Donnie getting to just chill and be bros without the pressure and constant criticism of their big brothers.       

-Raph and Leo dealing with the fact that their little brothers left, realizing how much they were needed.  

-Leo burning everything he cooks and desperately wishing Mikey were there to take over. (Splinter, Raph and Leo end up living off of takeout, rice, and instant ramen over the next few weeks)

-The hot water heater in the lair breaks and guess who’s not around to fix it? Raph grumbling as he looks up how to fix a hot water heater online, thinking about how fast Donnie would’ve solved the problem. Then Leo breaks the toaster and there’s more shit Raph has to try and fix.

-Realizing how empty the lair feels with out Mikey’s laughter and the occasional explosion from Don’s lab. 

-Leo missing being able to bounce his plans and strategies off his calm, fact-checking genius brother.

-Raph missing Mikey’s easy affection and regretting every single time he hit his baby bro just because he was goofing around. 

-Raph and Leo being too proud to apologize and paying for it dearly as things in the lair continue to break and they try not to give each other food poisoning with their terrible cooking skills. The older brother’s getting angry at themselves and angry at their father for not demanding his younger son’s return. 

-Splinter taking a long look at his actions and questioning his abilities as a father. Wondering how he can repent and heal his family when his youngest sons’ return.

-Splinter staring at a picture of his sons and realizing how much of a burden he’s placed on their shoulders by demanding they fight his war with Oroku Saki. He wonders when was the last time he’d asked Donatello and Michelangelo if they were alright. 

-Casey finding a sulking Raph and using his own experiences as a big brother to call him out and talk some sense into him (And you know it’s bad when CASEY JONES is the voice of reason here). 

-Mikey calling Karai “Nee-san” without even thinking about it and Karai trying and failing to hide how happy she is.

-Karai calling Mikey Otouto and watching his face light up in joy as he hugs her.

-Donnie calling Karai Nee-san quietly when it’s just to two other them after a long tear-filled talk. Karai trying hard not to cry when she realizes she’s earned his trust. 

I’M SORRY I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS AND IDEAS ABOUT THIS AU OKAY! 

The health and well-being of the B-team is super important to me, and if I need to make an AU where they get taken in and cared for by a badass ninja girl gang I will! 

[closetofanxiety]

Show Review: Beyond Wrestling, “Feeling Minnesota”

Third wrestling show in two days! What was I thinking? Tell you what: after I got home from this show I watched the WWE Payback ppv. I gotta fever, and the only cure is more wrestling! Let’s get to it:

Where: Aurora Nightclub, downtown (actually they say “downcity,” whatta buncha fancypantses) Providence, Rogues Island

When: Sunday, April 30, 2017, 2 p.m. belltime

What: Yesterday’s show was “Looking California” and today’s is “Feeling Minnesota,” and this is a Soundgarden reference, specifically to their first big hit, “Outshined.” But also, does anyone remember the moody Keanu Reeves/Cameron Diaz mid-90s film “Feeling Minnesota”? God, it sucked. It was from an era of lousy movies that attempted to be Tarantino-esque but only came off as smarmy and incoherent. Reeves’ character in the film is named “Jjaks Clayton.” Seriously: “Jjaks.” What kind of bullshit are you trying to put over on us with that? The soundtrack also had that shitty, post-grunge vibe to it; I remember there was a lackluster Helmet song. God, what a bad movie. I hope this show is better.

Bonus Match: Some guy defeats Jay Freddie

Another “bonus” match! We came in just as this one was ending. I didn’t catch the winner’s name, but from the two or three minutes we saw, it looked fun. I’ll have to pay more attention to this Jay Freddie fellow! He’s going to Japan for a few months, though.

Janelope (Joey Janela and Penelope Ford) def. XXXL (Brian “Kingpin” Milonas and Ace Romero) via pinfall

This was a great way to start the show. It was like watching a live action cartoon, because Milonas and Romero combined are like 750 pounds. The whole creative thrust of the match was waiting to see whether these two giants would completely squash tiny Penelope Ford, who stayed alive by flirting with the easily smitten Romero, much to the consternation of Milonas, who kept slapping his partner in the face and barking, “Focus!” Eventually Janela rallied, Penelope turned on heartbroken Ace, and Janelope triumphed. Then “Cold Steel” Chuck O’Neill ran in, knocked Penelope over, and put Joey in a triangle choke on behalf of Matt Riddle, who has accepted Janela’s challenge at Americanrana. I want to see this match so bad, but more: I want to see Janela’s promos leading up to the match. Yesterday the crowd chanted “Spring break!” for Janela, today they chanted “Grapplefuck!” in a nod to his delightful contempt of that ethos. Rating: Three and a half Keanus.

David Starr def. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams via submission

Buddy, did I mention grapplefuck? This was a fuckaganza, a grappletacular, a veritable clinic in the fucking of grapple. Lots of chain wrestling here, so much so that the ghost of Lou Thesz hovered over the first five minutes of the match, nodding paternally. After that they started smacking the shit out of each other, which I enjoyed. David Starr is a huge talent, they just need to find a program for him. He had a budding feud with Nick Gage which ended when the Nickster went back to the hoosegow, and then the Starr-Janela feud kind of fizzled out. He’s spinning his wheels in Beyond right now, but he’s always entertaining. Rating: Three Keanus.

Deonna Purrazzo def. Karen Q and Tasha Steelz via pinfall

I like all three of these wrestlers a lot, but this suffered from the standard problem of triple threat matches (i.e. for much of the match, at least one person has nothing to do), and there were a couple of seriously blown moments, although I think both might have been the referee’s fault. He missed a near fall, like to the point where the crowd started yelling at him to count the pin, and then he didn’t indicate that Tasha Steelz was tapping out (it was an elimination match) so the ring announcer had to do that. Kind of messy! Not terrible, though, and I’d like to see more of Karen Q in particular. Rating: Two Keanus.

Dan Barry def. Swoggle, Johnny Cockstrong, “Supercop” Dick Justice, Stan Stylez, and Jarek 1:20 via pinfall

I think this is one of the legacies of the Spring Break show: a match that can only really be billed as a clusterfuck. You had Stan Stylez, who was new to me, whose thing was that he used a Shake Weight like he was jerking off, and then sprayed whipped cream all over himself, like ejaculate; you had Johnny Cockstrong, with a light-up codpiece; you had Swoggle, who attracted the ire of three virulent haters in the crowd who kept holding up a “Swoggle Swallows” sign for some reason; and you had Dan Barry, who is the make-believe wrestling cop. Except! Dan Barry wants to be taken seriously as a serious wrestler now, disavowing his comedy gimmick and grimacing through this match in which he is pitted against five goofballs. I actually think this is a neat storyline and hope to see them run with it some more, presumably building to a match with Bill Carr. A fair number of little kids were in attendance, which made all the dick jokes and ass-biting seem even more grotesque than they would have been. If you aren’t a fan of comedy wrestling, this is Extremely Not Your Thing. Rating: Two and a half Keanus.

EYFBO (Mike Draztik and Angel Ortiz) def. The American Destroyers (Donovan Dijak and Mikey Webb) via pinfall

This was a hoot. Pure chaos, with none of the comedy that both teams can do, just a full-on sprint from start to finish. EYFBO had the Impact tag team titles with them (the titles still say TNA, DOES NO ONE CARE ABOUT BRANDING) and the Destroyers came out full of cocky swagger. Mikey Webb has really grown on me as Dijak’s shit-talking sidekick, and Mike Draztik should be a huge singles star one day, the dude just has so much ability and charisma. This has been the best Destroyers match I’ve seen so far, and one of the best EYFBO matches. Rating: Four Keanus.

INTERMISSION!

The editor at Spectacle of Excess wants to do more interviews, and she asked if I wanted to interview Janela (she is interviewing Su Yung, and I am jealous). I do, although I really don’t know what to ask. I feel like wrestlers are more guarded about stuff that you’d really want to know, and as a result most interviews tend to be things like “How did you get into wrestling/what are some of your favorite matches/who do you want to wrestle next.” I don’t know, man. I’m a weird awkward fuck at the best of times, and never liked cold-calling interviews when I was a journalist. We’ll see. If you have any questions for Joey Janela, send them my way.

Team PAWG (LuFisto and Jordynne Grace) def. Alpha Sigma Sigma (Anthony Greene and Brick Mastone) via pinfall

Team PAWG (That’s “Phat Ass White Girls,” your holiness) were introduced by ring announcer Rich Palladino as having a combined weight of 325 pounds, “25 of which are athletic ass meat,” and I thought, Boy, I come from a family of college professors. Which is true. I, however, dropped out of grad school to become a newspaper reporter, and now here I am, in a bar in Providence, Rhode Island on a Sunday afternoon, listening to a guy in a tuxedo describe the “ass meat” of two women in front of an audience that includes preteens. Say what you want about me, but you can’t deny that I am a total disappointment. Anyway, this match was pretty lukewarm. Greene and Mastone are talented young dudes, but trapped in this fuck boy (fuckboi?) gimmick that, in fairness, does get a fair amount of heat. I kind of thought this would be a knockdown dragout, as all four wrestlers can really go, but it was mostly a comedy match focused on the ass power of LuFisto and Jordynne Grace. A little disappointing! Rating: Two Keanus.

Keith Lee def. Michael Elgin via pinfall

If this were Wrestling Twitter, I would just write HOSS FIGHT and be done with it. Two gigantic men who are both skilled wrestlers colliding in a hard-fought battle with lots of spots showing off Elgin’s incredible strength and Lee’s amazing athleticism. This went a little long, which is something you can say for like 75 percent of indie matches, but in this case that was especially noticeable, since the awe of this matchup starts to wear off after 10 minutes or so. Still a lot of fun and may come across better on video. Rating: Three Keanus.

AR Fox def. John Silver via pinfall

Silver was originally scheduled to wrestle the absent Davey Richards, who had a family situation he had to be present for. Silver came out to the ring and said there was only one man he wanted to face in Richards’ absence: Dave Bautista. His “I Walk Alone” theme music started playing, but instead of the “Guardians of the Galaxy 2″ star, Ansonia, Connecticut’s favorite son, AR Fox, emerged from the back. Delightfully, Fox kept up Batista-esque mannerisms throughout the match, including the machine gun pose. This was, like all AR Fox matches, completely bonkers, with the man seemingly determined to prove his neck is made of rubber. Lots of back and forth on the offense, with Fox winning via rollup after Silver tried to go for the Batista Bomb. Rating: Three and a half Keanus. 

Doom Patrol (Chris Dickinson and Jaka) def. Jonathan Gresham and Zack Sabre Jr. via pinfall

I loved this match. The back story is that since Dickinson attacked Jordynne Grace, Gresham’s real-life girlfriend, the Octopus has been out for revenge on the Dirty Daddy. This had a lot of rawness to it, with Dickinson and Gresham getting in each other’s faces before the bell and getting pulled apart by their tag team partners and the ref. Very few people do nasty as well as Chris Dickinson. (Side note: Doom Patrol came out with the EVOLVE tag team championship belts, and it was neat to realize Team Pazuzu has the team gold in two separate promotions right now) The match itself was a gritty classic, with Gresham and ZSJ being pushed out of their customary technical wizardry into brutal striking contests with Jaka and Dickinson. Chaos started to reign down the stretch, and when the Doom Patrol got Gresham up for the Doomsday Device, Jordynne Grace ran in, ostensibly to help her man but in reality causing confusion that allowed Dickinson to get the win via rollup. Afterwards, she and Gresham bickered, with Grace saying she should have been his partner for this match instead of Zacky Three Belts. They decided to settle this in the only way possible: INSIDE THE SQUARED CIRCLE, at Beyond’s show in May. Fun! Rating: Four Keanus.

Final verdict: Not quite the start-to-finish classic as yesterday’s show, but well worth your time and dollars.

[frontproofmedia]

Examining Adrien Broner's Four World Titles

By Hector Franco

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Published July 24, 2017

Coming up this weekend at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY boxing fans will witness an intriguing match up between two men at different stages in their career. Cincinnati's Adrien Broner (33-2, 24 KOs) will meet the undefeated Mikey Garcia (36-0, 30 KOs) in a 12-round non-title bout for a chance at bigger money fights in the future. For Garcia, there is less on the line as a loss to Broner can be brushed off as a venture to a new weight class against the wrong opponent stylistically. Although with Garcia being the favorite going into the fight with odds starting off as high as five to one in his favor, a loss would bring Garcia down a few notches in the overall pound-for-pound discussion. The lightweight division, however, will still be there for Garcia after the Broner fight. 

Broner, on the other hand, the fight with Garcia is a chance to get back into the consciousness of the elite in the sport. A loss may send him further down the totem pole and possibly relegate him to an undercard act rather than a main event player. Broner is a four-division world champion at just 27 years of age, but even with that success, most don’t feel he has lived up to his potential. At this point, Broner has made the same mistakes over and over leaving many to believe that this may be just the level that Broner was meant to be. No one would mistake Broner for being Pernel Whitaker (40-4-1, 17 KOs), Roberto Duran (103-16, 70 KOs), and Roy Jones Jr. (65-9, 47 KOs) concerning overall stature as a four-division champion. Looking at whom he fought to become a four-division world champion may give us a better idea of how he will perform against Garcia. 

WBO 130-pound Championship

November 26, 2011

Vicente Martin Rodriguez (39-5-1, 21 KOs)

In November 2011, Broner picked up his first world title when he faced Vicente Rodriguez for the vacant WBO 130-pound championship. Rodriguez at the time was widely unknown and was making his American debut after a career mostly fought in his native Argentina. The fighter considered to be the best in the division at the time was Japan’s Takashi Uchiyama (24-2-1, 20 KOs) who would go on to make 11 title defenses of his WBA 130-pound championship until he lost the title in 2016. Needless to say at 130-pounds this was the easiest road to a world title for Broner. However, it has been done before. For example, Oscar De La Hoya moved down to 130-pounds to meet Jimmie Bredahl (26-3, 7 KOs) for the WBO championship to make only one title defense and then move back up to the lightweight division. 

As expected, Broner would go on to defeat Rodriguez by knockout in the third round to win his first world title.  The Cincinnati native would make one title defense against Eloy Perez (23-1-2, 7 KOs) in February 2012 stopping him in the fourth round. Afterward, one of the first signs of Broner’s outside of the ring antics affecting his career inside the ring came against Vicente Escobedo (26-6, 15 KOs). Broner was unable to make the contracted weight for the bout and lost his championship on the scale. Luckily Broner had better luck inside the ring and got the technical knockout victory with a fifth round stoppage. Before the fight, Broner tweeted out pictures of food including sweets that he was claiming he was able to eat before he failed to make weight. This would not be the last time Broner would fall victim to his own jokes. 

WBC 135-pound Championship

November 17, 2012

Antonio DeMarco (32-6-1, 23 KOs)

While there was much left to be desired at 130-pounds, the move to lightweight has been the highlight of Broner’s career thus far. Broner would face Antonio DeMarco for the WBC lightweight championship providing him with what many consider to be the best performance of his career. DeMarco was coming off of an impressive string of victories including three stoppages in a row over Miguel Roman (57-12, 44 KOs), John Molina Jr. (29-7, 23 KOs) and an impressive 11th-round stoppage over current WBA lightweight champion Jorge Linares (42-3, 27 KOs). 

While Broner was the favorite going into the fight with DeMarco his performance that night in November 2012 was extraordinary. Broner was so dominant in defeating DeMarco that many felt that the comparison’s made to Floyd Mayweather were justified even pushing some like the Ring Magazine to include him in their pound-for-pound rankings. After DeMarco, Broner would once again make one title defense against Gavin Rees (38-4-1, 18 KOs) at the beginning of 2013. The now two-division champion would stop Rees in the fifth round before jumping up two weight classes to invade the welterweight division. 

WBA 147-pound Championship

June 22, 2013

Paulie Malignaggi (36-8, 7 KOs)

Making a move to the welterweight division was a risky move for Broner to make in 2013. However, it was a move that would potentially reap him the most benefits financially. Broner would meet the loquacious WBA welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi in a bout that is remembered more for its ugly foul-mouthed press conferences than the fight itself. 

Broner would win a close split decision over Malignaggi in a less than scintillating performance that was far tougher than anyone expected. Hindsight being 20-20 this would be the beginning of a shift in Broner’s career. Next up for Broner was Argentinean slugger Marcos Maidana (35-5, 31 KOs). That faithful night in December 2013 was the first time Broner tasted defeat as a professional losing a wide unanimous decision in a fight where he was knocked down twice and generally beat up. At this point, Broner’s unapologetic bravado caused more fans to want to see him lose than to see him win. 

Broner’s persona and actions outside of the ring caught up with him inside the ring, and he was now putting on mediocre and uninspired performances. He would win three fights in a row in the Super Lightweight division including an action fight with Emmanuel Taylor (20-5, 14 KOs). Broner’s next big fight came against Shawn Porter (27-2-1, 17 KOs) in June 2015 at a catch weight of 144-pounds. This may have been Broner’s poorest performance to date as he put his offense on layaway until the 12th round losing a wide unanimous decision. 

WBA 140-pound Championship

October 03, 2015

Khabib Allakhverdiev (19-2, 9 KOs)

After the fight with Porter, Broner was lucky to be in position for another world title as he faced Khabib Allakhverdiev for the vacant WBA title at 140-pounds. By the time the two men faced off in October 2015, Allakhverdiev had been inactive for a year and a half having last fought Jessie Vargas (27-2, 10 KOs) in April 2014. The Russian fighter lost a close decision to Vargas in a fight that many had him winning. 

Regardless, Broner came into the fight with more focus and put on one of his better performances stopping the tough Allakhverdiev in the final round of the twelve round bout. Broner was now a four-division world champion at 25 years of age. However old habits came back into the picture. 

Broner would once again lose his title on the scale when he faced Ashley Theophane (40-7-1, 11 KOs) in April 2016. While Broner was able to stop Theophane in the ninth round, it seemed that all of Broner’s outside distractions were overtaking his career.

With two vacant titles, two title-defenses and not having unified any of the titles in any division, Broner’s four-division Championships leave much to be desired. Only at lightweight did Broner face the best the division had to offer. The young champion may be too small for the welterweight division but unable to make the 140-pound limit at Super Lightweight. Broner has put himself in a position where his talks of finally being focused aren’t taken seriously by boxing fans. It is up to him to finally show us rather than tell us how serious he is taking his boxing career. 

The fight with Garcia this weekend is bigger than any title for Broner. If he can pull off the victory, it will be the biggest win of his career. The title belts are necessary in the boxing landscape to land you potential big fights, but in Broner’s case, the most important aspect will be his willingness to give a 100 percent effort win or lose. 

(Feature Photo: Will Hart/HBO Sports)