#also this is a kid's show they are not going to get into how hamatos married their distant cousins

[thedawningofthehour]

hello ! this topic is very interesting I wish the show was allowed to delve into it more :<

I don't think the Hamato have inbreeding as miss Karai ditched the Foot and didn't have a clan, so how did she make a whole new one ? she might ve started with a few members of the Foot who ALSO didn't like the Shredder as jōnin enough to leave . the Foot were just running around ruining villages , right ? I think that karai would recruit the besieged villages and its families to fight against the Shredder , considering the Shredder just destroyed everything of theirs , and said clan would join with karai . she kept doing this , following the foot's assaults and adding more people to her hamato clan until they had enough members to actually function and fight the Foot . maybe how she began was different though. maybe karai didn't take any old Foot members with her and took refuge in a different village / clan she came to know and they joined her cause , becoming the first hamato . maybeI think the hamato in the 1500s were a collection of unrelated clans and families that banded together with shared values . so a hamato back then could marry within the clan without it being incestuous bc lots of hamato were unrelated but still obviously part of the hamato clan and the clan was huge and had so many members . for some reason , the hamato declined in numbers maybe progressively or their numbers were decimated during key events and so marrying within the clan was no longer possible bc everybody in the hamato was related at that point . sho is likely one of those hamato who had to have a kid with an outsider (someone not BORN into the clan) and atsuko was too and obviously yoshi would've had to be with an outsider as well . i bet Sho's parents also couldn't marry within the clan and one was an outsider .

I don't think the hamato would have an issue with outsiders but it just shows how tiny and vulnerable the clan is now , they can't even have hamato × hamato children anymore .

...you guys really want to convince yourself that inbreeding only happened with ugly rich people, huh?

Okay, for starters, if this is about the 'Splinter is an only child because inbreeding' thing-that was a joke. I do not actually think they were inbred to the point of the Hasburgs. For one, Draxum literally targeted Splinter because of his incredible genetics, and I doubt 'incredibly inbred' was one of his criteria. But also, shit like the Hasburgs happened after multiple generations of very close inbreeding, and that only happened because of royal family 'pure bloodline' shit. Humans generally avoid doing that, because of the obvious. The Hasburgs were very dedicated to being as inbred as they could be. And I guess it's not out of the question that the Hamato clan did the same but it seems like kind of a drastic assumption to make.

As for less severe inbreeding-guys, you do realize that everyone on earth is like...at most a fiftieth cousin to you, right? Chances are your parents and their parents and whatnot are significantly closer. We are all a little inbred. Humans have insanely low genetic diversity-that's actually why inbreeding is so disastrous for us, our gene pool is already so small.

Also, just think about the life you lead now and how it differs from how humans have lived for thousands of years. The majority of humans living in big cities verses agrarian settlements is a new thing. Meeting people and marrying people from hundreds of miles away was not the norm. For most of human history, people were born and lived and fucked and died all within the same general region. Travel was generally done on foot, especially for peasants, or maybe by mount or boat. And these small towns generally had even lower population density than small towns today-no big apartment buildings, sewage became an unpleasant problem if things became too crowded, etc. Villages and smaller towns usually had maybe a few dozen families at most, and barring the odd newcomer (or war or famine that caused your entire village to disperse and move) you were stuck with them your entire life.

Even assuming that all these families were unrelated to start-which they almost certainly weren't-it would only take a few generations for them to all be related to each other. Even people from the next village over, they still probably have a recent common ancestor with you. Unless you snagged that one guy who moved to your little village from across the sea, there was no way to avoid marrying your third or fourth cousin. Everyone was related to you.

This was really common in rural areas. They didn't understand genetic diversity very well. I made a joke a few chapters ago about Atsuko having some recessive genes that indicated inbreeding, but that is not all that abnormal. Chances are you have some too.

[blanceyblance]

I find interesting how their Hamato Clan trauma affected both Splinters in nearly perfect opposite ways.

2012 Splinter lost his family thanks to the Shredder, because of Tang Shen and because of what the Hamato did against the Foot, Saki's original clan.

So he became overprotective of the turtles to the point of sheltering them and forbidding them to go topside (and interact with anyone else) for 15 years. He still trained them througly and thaught them all he knew, including how he got them in their Mutation Day.

Rise Splinter was so embittered to the Hamato Clan and their traditions that for sometime he rid himself of the Hamato Yoshi identity and keep most of his teachings (i do believe he thaught them some basic stuff) heritage and the origin of the turtles mutation in secret. But he also gave them more freedom to be kids and go topside, giving them the chance to interact with humans and the city.

And through both shows we come more into a balance, with 12 Splinter letting his kids explore and learn and Rise Splinter learning to get his shit together and be more attentive to his kids.

Both are just heavily traumatized men doing their best to raise 4 kids with little resources or support.

[tizeline]

So, in canon rise all of the turtles growing up know about how having Donnie's shell unprotected, probably from some childhood incident. And we can see in the show anytime Donnie's shell is bare; they all rush to protect him. How would they react to Donnie getting hurt because of his shell in this AU? What do they think of his battle shell? I assume they don't even really register Donnie as a softshell turtle because of his battle shell. Would this add to Raph's whole overprotective big brother instinct thing he gets because he catastrophizes Donnie's whole situation.

Also during the finale, we see that the lair gets trashed and has a huge cave in. So obviously Splinter, Donnie, and Sheldon would need to find a new place to live. Would the Drax fam help them build a new home? Are we going to see Donnie's reaction later to his home being destroyed, because losing your childhood home and your safe space must be awful. So, to maybe add a cute little twist, would Donnie, Splinter, and Sheldon live with the Drax fam for a little while?

Another thing, since Leo is obsessed with Sonic, Donnie should totally be obsessed with Wicked the musical. Another green person who sings on Broadway with similar themes of being outcasted and caring about how other people perceive them and using that perception to base their own self-worth, and she's also ostracized from society? Elphaba is written for Donnie. Donnie's theatre kid heart is an Elphaba stan and no one can convince me otherwise.

Donnie's brothers are very protective of him in this AU largely because he was separated from them for such a long time and they're afraid of losing him again. That being said, I think him having a soft shell also fuels this overprotectiveness. They do know that he is a spiny softshell before reuniting with him, Draxum told them about it, and that very much reinforced the whole "helpess victim in need of saving" type view they already made up in their imaginations of Donnie. (Not only is he in the clutches of the evil humans, but he's even more vulnerable than his hard shell brothers!) And remember that Donnie's battle shell in the AU isn't really armour the way it is in canon, it's main function is as a jetpack and maybe, like, a backpack (it has storage space). It doesn't cover the lower half of his back, so his soft shell is still visable and as such vulnurable. Donne getting hurt because of his lack of armour (biological or technological) would definitely freak his brothers out even more, but they're already pretty careful with him honestly.

Anyway, you are completely right about Donnie, Splinter and Shelldon moving in with the Draxums when their home in the sewers is destroyed XD It's kinda awkward, but at that point the Draxums and the Hamatos have learned to get along a lot better. But yeah, losing his home is very hard for Donnie, he's definitely the type of person who doesn't deal well with sudden big changes like that. I do wanna depict this part of the story eventually, but it's probably gonna be a while until then.

And god yeah, Donnie is ABSOLUTELY a huge fan of musicals lmaooo! He acts so overdramatic and theatrical all the time and the show makes it clear several times that he loves music so yeah, total theater kid. I haven't actually seen Wicked so I can't really meaningfully comment on the concept of him being a fan of that specific musical, other than omg yes Elpheba being an outcast and also GREEN he totally projects onto her.

[holopossums]

I dmand EVERY picture of CJ you had drew!! Pretty please

Considering I'm super disorganized about my art and don't post everything I draw (sometimes it stays just in my server or among friends, or I just don't show anyone because it's unfinished/I'm unsatisfied), I'll have to find a lot of stuff that I've forgotten about.

Actually, I can just show some stuff that I *haven't* posted! (Everything else I ever have should be here.) Some of this stuff is Krow before I added the white hair because I didn't have that idea until around April.

^ Appropriately titled "Krow Smug Bitch". Everyone has fun with the cowboy AUs so why can't I?

^ He got nervous about seeing Usagi/Yukito I suppose

^ This one is interesting. Originally it was supposed to be just Krow as a magical boy, but then it turned into a bit of a mythology AU. He's the son of Yatagarasu the Three-Legged Crow from Shinto myth. Wasn't quite sure about everything... this was probably the result of watching too much Kamichama Karin as a kid lol

^ For fans of Transformers - TFP Optimus Prime with good ol' canon CJ! I feel like they would get along. Something about that red-and-blue leader drew him in I guess.

^ This was actually my first pass at an older version design of Krow. This was a complete piece too, but I was unsatisfied within a week or two. You can still see that I kept some things, notably the piercings, beard, and the idea of tattoos, as well as the Leo-inspired shoulder pads. The tattoo designs changed and so did the armor color, but it was an interesting first try at the older design.

^ A second attempt and older Krow, I was getting closer. (Still love the fashion on this though.)

^ The point I realized that I can't draw this man thin and have to start drawing him beefier and more filled out more consistently because it would be a crime against god or something. Was still finalizing his tattoos at this point and playing around with the idea of white hair. Considered the idea of the Hamato crest tattoo near his heart before nixing it because it's too cheesy and the Hamato tattoo is something a lot of people do for older/future character designs.

^ Ninpo weapon design for Older Krow! Yes he has a cyan scythe (really more of a kusarigama since it has a chain and weight at the end). Yes it's cool as fuck. No you can't touch it.

He's basically a reaper and it plays into his whole aesthetic as a crow, which symbolizes an omen of death. Crows are also often seen with scythe and scarecrow imagery because they're related to harvests.

I don't know why I never posted this, it *looks* finished... I think there was something off about the anatomy and I intended to fix it and then forgot and ugh. But anyway! There you go.

^ A height chart for younger Krow and Yukito that I never quite finished. But it's interesting to see them to the actual scale that I imagine them to be - Krow is 5'6", and Yukito's height is reversed since he's 6'5". Since both are around 19 when they meet, they're at their full adult heights here. Long live your short king!

^ Older Krow with lightning gloves. Which doesn't make sense actually because his gloves are electrical insulators to keep himself from getting zapped from one of his attacks. But who cares about that! It's cool!

^ Scythe sketch. Just trying to get a feel for the vibe of how he wields one. His cape/cloak plus the scythe probably gives opportunity for some really cool directional flow to occur.

^ Something I doodled just the other day. Old Krow but more cartoony and goofy. Love this silly guy!

I'm sure there's many more that I've missed, probably lots of half-finished sketches and doodles, but this is a lot of what I've found.

[blueberri-blu]

Understanding ∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧

[2012]Leo x gn!reader

∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°

Leo with an s/o who is also an oldest child

You two are a force to be reckoned with

You and Leo do a Good cop - Bad cop routine

Or at least you try, Leo always tried to be bad cop, and fails, so you end up being bad cop to his brothers

You and him bond over your responsibilities as older siblings

And will help each other out when needed

He does occasionally try to treat you like his siblings

So you hand it right back to him

"You need to be more careful! I'm responsible for you, so you need to listen to me!"

"I'm sorry, Leonardo Hamato, might I remind you you're talking to your s/o right now? Is that really how you want to talk to me?"

He stops and realizes this wasn't how to approach the subject

He apologizes, and explains that it's just difficult to change from brother to boyfriend.

Anytime you're struggling with your siblings, he'll try to give you advice to help, and if he can't, he'll ask Splinter for you

You and Leo often have quiet nights out together, only looking for peace and quiet

Splinter loved you

Splinter, Leo, and you will often have tea while talking about your responsibilities

If you take Leo to meet your siblings, he is so nervous

Poor guy is sweating bullets

But you assure him that it'll all be ok

Your siblings love him

I mean, what kids don't like ninja turtles?

Leo is so grateful to have you, you ground him, and you two will often mother the other

When patrol gets got out of hand, and him and Raph fought a little too much, he'll go to your place, and just lay in your lap

And whenever you get overwhelmed with your siblings, all you need to do is call him or show up to the lair

He will grab and hold you as long as you need

You and Leo are just adorable together <3

∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°*⁠.⁠✧∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°

I honestly believe that an older sibling s/o is just what poor Leo needs to relax, my poor baby

[angelpuns]

OH HELL YEAH I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!!!

Did someone paint the stripes and details on L330-N?? Or did he do it himself, thinking it was important? And, in relation to them, does he ever think about where they came from?

And, to add, does he know (or did know) that he was built to replace someone? Did he react to it at all?? Does ninpō spirit leo think its kinda weird that he has a robot counterpart just a-wandering about or is he just kinda in acceptance that his brothers are shit at coping with loss?

For Kid Leo AU, how is big Leo doing? I get that theres only so much that a younger splinter can do with their limited resources and I do kind of wonder how Leo and Splinter interact. Is it awkward? Does Splinter accidently infantilize him at all (either due to the fact he showed up in such a sorry state or the fact that it's still his baby blue and he doesnt know what else to do)? Does Leo lash out at him at all, either for that or just in general from trauma? And, vice versa, does Splinter bark at him at all when he's stressed or overwhelmed and treat him like an adult when he's still just a teenager (notably a seriously traumatized one, but i imagine going from movie star to coliseum fighter to sewer dweller isnt a walk in the park either..)? Idk im thinking thoughts.

Anyways love your art style and comics and I gobble them up every opportunity i get. Love youuu!! ♥️♥️

I couldn't draw a ton of stuff for this one, so I decided to just answer with text!

Donnie actually painted the stripes on L330-N, since he built L33 to hopefully get Leo back :)

I think L33 probably does think about where they come from when he is able to see them. He's only been able to look in a mirror a few times before, but he's always very fascinated by them!

He doesn't have any memories of 'before'. All he knows is one day he woke up and found himself in an apocalyptic world, and he THINKS he's looking for someone.

I can't say much about the Hamato spirit Leo, cause that'd be spoilers ;)

I assume by big Leo you mean the spinoff Leo :) I haven't thought much about him tbh, though I imagine things are pretty awkward. On one hand, Leo would be glad to see his dad and his family looking healthy and safe and not yet traumatized by the Kraang, but he'd also be sad because he's the only 'broken' one. He and Splinter probably would end up having a heart to heart and its all fine in the end or smthn. I haven't thought much of the spinoff since i haven't really had any ideas for continuing it, especially since its not canon :/ though I'm glad that people enjoy when I do post about it :)

Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying my art <3

[dandylovesturtles]

just a little write-up for one of my sillier AUs that I have in my head because I was thinking about it and just wanted to chat about it. this is all meant for spooky funsies so don't take anything too seriously here.

I do plan to write one of my Bad Things Happen Bingo entries set in this AU (no idea when I'll actually get around to it, but anyway) and maybe some other things in this AU if I feel like it. It just floats around in my head sometimes.

this is very very vaguely inspired by the old show So Weird, or more specifically the hazy memories of So Weird that I have from when I watched it as a child lol

ROTTMNT Paranormal Investigator AU!

Timeline:

instead of being a martial arts clan, the Hamato clan is a clan of psychics, people who have a mystical connection to the paranormal and supernatural, able to see things other humans cannot. their task is to keep the balance between our world and the world of the supernatural, and to protect humanity from particularly malicious spirits, demons, and cryptids

after losing his mother to the fight against a demon, Hamato Yoshi decides to leave the clan and eventually becomes a famous movie star

unfortunately with no one around to keep balance, the forces of the paranormal start to encroach on the mortal world more and more, wreaking havoc

the boys are still mutant turtles and Yoshi still ends up a rat. how? idk. honestly it's not important. it's a thing that is mostly lampshaded in this AU lol I just still wanted them to be turtles. I think Draxum is still here and he still wanted to make warriors using the Lou Jitsu DNA but the whole thing went astray and now he's just like their weird uncle they call sometimes when they have a problem

as they get older, various dangerous paranormal events convince Yoshi that he needs to begin training his sons in their clan's ancient arts and honing their psychic abilities, so that they can begin to restore balance in the world

uuuunfortunately he's super rusty and the kids are still learning so they have to do a lot of investigating of rumors and tips that get sent to them. this means a lot of legwork and a loooot of nothing. like 95% of what the boys deal with are misunderstandings, hoaxes, and rich assholes taking advantage of local legends for nefarious schemes

the other 5% though... those are the doozies

Yoshi has an apartment in New York that the kids grew up in but now they spend a lot of their time traveling the country in a big ass camper (van life)

also April is here

Leo

the skeptic

up until they ran into their first real paranormal occurrence, Leo was fully convinced that all this ghost stuff was nonsense and his dad was just trying to come up with some kind of publicity stunt since his acting career is behind him

after their first real paranormal occurrence, he believes it's real, but he's still super skeptical that most things they hear about are going to amount to anything

and 95% of the time he's right, which he always reminds his brothers of and this is very annoying to the rest of them

he still enjoys traveling around in the van though so he doesn't complain much

super good at scouting out clues and noticing things that the others don't...when they can get him to actually engage with what they're looking into

Leo is on the lower end in terms of psychic ability, but specifically his psychic powers have manifested as essentially a giant negation field. He can't be possessed, enthralled, hypnotized, or compelled, cryptids tend to shy away from him, he naturally rebuffs other supernatural creatures, etc.

this doesn't really help with trying to convince him that these things are real because they tend to run away from him

Donnie

fully believes that the paranormal is real but takes a highly scientific approach to it. he is going to crack the science behind ghosts and he's already got the spot in his room made for his resulting Nobel Prize. he's gonna be Donatello Hamato, Father of Ectobiology

builds them all kinds of ghost/demon/cryptid hunting gadgets, and is the one that handles all their equipment anywhere they go

reads books on ghosts and cryptozoology and then writes truly scathing reviews on good reads

is also the one who does upkeep on the van (it's only nice as it is because of Donnie)

claims to only care about evidence during a hunt but then has a tendency to get carried away when he thinks he's on the trail of something interesting

still, he can come around to a natural explanation like Leo if he sees enough evidence

he's also on the lower end in terms of psychic ability; what he does have gives him information. he's able to see the threads of how spirits connect to and interact with our world, able to tell at a glance when a footprint or dropping is not of natural origin (even if he's never seen it's kind before), able to sense when there may be some evidence the others can't see in the room. sometimes spirits are even compelled to beam knowledge directly to Donnie. also, demons or spirits trying to disguise their true faces doesn't work on him.

which actually freaks him out sometimes but he doesn't tell them that

the twins' psychic power also manifests in a lowkey Twin Sense in this AU; they can't literally read each other's thoughts, but they can feel when the other is having strong emotions or is in pain, and they'll just get a Bad Feeling if the other is in trouble of some kind

Raph

sits somewhere between Leo and Mikey/Donnie on the skepticism scale, but frankly he doesn't care if it's natural or supernatural as long as he can help

cryptids never like him and this bums him out. some of them are cute :c

on the flip side he seems to be a calming presence for certain spirits, especially childish ones

very scared of getting demon possessed, doesn't mention it

actually kind of loves when the solution turns out to be some kind of bad guy and then he gets to help hunt down and catch and unmask them, like some kind of super cool police detective

is the defacto leader because he's the oldest/biggest and no one else wanted the job anyway

drives the van when Yoshi doesn't want to (the others drive it sometimes too but Raph and April are the only ones with an actual license)

has a much higher psychic ability than the twins, able to sense when there is something supernatural in the area, able to talk to spirits, able to touch spirits and demons if they've crossed fully over into our world even if they are normally intangible. means he can punch a demon in the face if he wants to. he's able to do various rituals and exorcisms if needed as well, and can often banish spirits or demons if he knows what they are and how to best get rid of them. often does protection wards on his brothers when he thinks there's something dangerous around.

Mikey

a true believer, but doesn't think it's a puzzle that can be solved like Donnie does. there are things about the world and universe that are unexplainable, and he likes it that way

if the solution is something natural he's pretty much useless at helping though

"don't run off-" Mikey is already on the other side of the haunted house

is easily the most restless when cooped up in the van and prefers when they decide to camp at a campsite. loves sleeping outside.

Leo and Mikey are still close, but have a very highkey sibling rivalry over their differences of opinion with regards to the supernatural and what they're even doing

even still, Leo tries to stay close to Mikey to protect him (but Mikey often runs off so its a moot point)

unsurprisingly, Mikey is the strongest psychic of the bunch, and is in fact ridiculously strong. he can sense the presence of spirits, can communicate with them even if they haven't fully crossed over into our world, and can even do some minor mind reading and tell when people are being untruthful or compelled (he has to actively choose to do it though so his fam's privacy is safe. sometimes he gets visions of things that are about to happen. unfortunately he's also very vulnerable to possession and compulsion because of this, and cryptids are attracted to him, for good or ill. sometimes the things they cross are friendly or just looking for help, and Mikey is happy to do so! other times... not so much

April

she already believed in the supernatural before meeting the boys and meeting them just cemented her worldview for her

she loves ghost hunting/paranormal investigation for the thrill of it all

goes with the boys whenever she doesn't actively have to be in school; demands all the details when she can't be there

the one walking in yelling WHAT'S UP DEMONS, IT'S YA GIRL

along the way she picked up Mayhem and he's her pet now. he can teleport her to the boys if they need her help and she's still in New York

absolutely no psychic ability but she does have a bat

Yoshi

almost as powerful as Mikey, but retired

gives the boys lessons but otherwise usually stays in the van watching TV while they're actively investigating

only steps in if he thinks something terrible is about to happen

usually it's fine

[whispering-about-the-tmnt]

Can I get a quick summary of your thoughts/opinions on the 4 shows and the different movies? :3

Personally I'm a big fan of 2012 and Rise, and 2003 is good too but just never landed as much with me but I think I gotta give it another shot tbh. And I respect to 80's show, but not a big fan of cartoons durring that time as a whole.

And I love the 1990 movie, and the 2007 movie has amazing parts but as a whole is just pretty decent, and I absolutely love Mutant Mayhem :3

But it's always great stumbling across another tmnt fan while just scrolling my dash

Ah! Thank you for the ask!

I'll do them in chronological order, and I'm sorry but this is going to be long!

1987 - My first intro to the Turtles, way back when the show first aired! I totally fell into the world of Ninja Turtles back then, and wanted to consume everything having to do with them. I had posters all over my walls, toys, clothing, hats... you name it, I either had it or wanted desperately to get it. I was so into them that my dad bought me the first four (colorized) graphic novels of the original comics, and I still have them to this day. And I still love the cartoon! I accept now that they are kinda silly, but that gives them a certain charm. They were a huge part of my childhood, and when they came out on DVD I introduced my kids to them, as well. Honestly, I am who I am today because I happened to come across the show on a tiny little portable black and white TV while we were camping...

1990 - The first "event movie" I ever experienced! I remember how hyped I got when the first ads came out for it, with the tag line "Hey Dudes, This Is No Cartoon"... and how I told my dad that I wanted to move back to North Carolina (we were living in Massachusetts at the time) because I heard that they were filming it there (we didn't move, of course!). I also distinctly remember how excited I was waiting in line with crowds of people at Showcase Cinemas in Springfield, MA. I saw the movie twice in theaters (the first time I ever did that), and many, many times on tape. When I had kids, we all watched it together on DVD (usually while eating pizza). I love the gritty look and story line; and it was actually interesting to see, for the first time, the "rivalry" between Raph and Leo, which would later become a huge part of the franchise as a whole. In general, the movie represents the Turtles pretty well, though Mike and Don did kind of get pushed to the side (which has also, unfortunately, become a major aspect of the franchise). All-in-all, though, it remains one of my favorite movies ever.

1991 - The second TMNT movie (The Secret Of The Ooze) wasn't bad, in my opinion, but it never had as large a part in my life or psyche as the first movie. It was a bit silly, a bit slow... but it had Ernie Reyes Jr. in it, and I had a HUGE crush on him. In general, it was good, and I liked their new lair in the subway, but it was... just okay. I did love Tokka and Rahzar, though!

1993 - It may seem strange, but even with the costume downgrade and slapstick reliance and a bit of a silly story line, I enjoyed the third movie more than the second! For one thing, Casey was back (and I loved his apparent ancestor, Whit). For another, it was nice to see the Turtles out of their element, but also being accepted by people. There were some nice heroic moments in there, too, like Mikey and Leo saving Yoshi. It also made me wonder if the Turtles would, at some point in the future, go back even further and defeat Norinaga's ancestor, leading to the painting that was shown repeatedly in the movie. Oh, and I totally headcanon Mitsu and Kenshin being Hamato Yoshi's ancestors.

2003 - My favorite of the TV shows! I love how they can be gritty and serious or silly and playful. Their lair is amazing, and they have plenty of friends, but still are separated from humanity. I like the relationships the Turtles have between each other, and also how each of their personalities are distinct and add to the group. There are plenty of standalone episodes, but they all come back around and tie into the series as a whole -- and character arcs like Leonardo's 4th season self-loathing and recovery are the kind of thing I eat right up. All things considered, the series is my gold standard for the franchise, and especially for the Turtles' and Splinter's personalities.

2007 - Visually, it was great! I loved the voice acting and the atmosphere. However, they leaned a bit too hard into the aforementioned Leo & Raph rivalry (although the rooftop fight scene was amazing). I would have liked for Don and Mike to have a larger part in the story (although Don did do his techie thing and figure out what was going on, it was sort of a non-event). I did like the eleventh-hour Karai and Foot team-up with the good guys, though! Unfortunately, I am compelled to mention that Splinter in that movie is... not my favorite.

2012 - Completely honestly, I am an outsider to this series, and all that I know of it I have absorbed through Tumblr Osmosis. That meaning, although I do know a lot about it, I have never actually watched a full episode. It is my 12-year-old daughter's favorite version, however, so on her behalf I will be giving it a thumbs-up 👍🏼

2014 / 2016 - Bundling the two Bayverse movies into one, because I will be honest and say that the line between them blurs for me sometimes (not in a bad way, just like... they flow into one another in my mind). I will admit that I put off watching them for a long time because I disagreed with some of the creative decisions (I'll just leave that there), but when I watched them they turned out to be not as bad as I feared. Their lairs were fitting, and so were their personalities (even if Leo is occasionally a bit my way or the highway). Really, though, I don't have too much to say about them, except that some of the slapstick and more cartoony action tends to draw me out of the moment. Not my favorite TMNT movies, but not horrible. There's potential there.

2018 - ROTTMNT is another series that I haven't actually watched, and which I have gathered most of my knowledge on from Tumblr. However, I did watch the movie and enjoyed it very much! Honestly, the only reason I haven't watched the series yet is because I already have enough TMNT versions bouncing around in my head and I know if I watch it I will want to write fics for it, and I already have enough on my plate for the time being (meaning I will probably get a bunch of my WIPs done, then watch the series!). That having been established, I do like the way the Turtles are different species, and the overall exuberance of the series as a whole is a delight (again, from an outside perspective, but valid regardless!). Splinter's backstory is unique and interesting, and his relationship with his sons is enjoyable!

2019 - Batman Vs. TMNT is, without a doubt, one of my favorite TMNT movies ever! I loved the style, the atmosphere, the fight choreography, the relationships... everything. I also like how it earned that PG-13 rating (violence, swearing... you know... original Mirage Turtle stuff). It was nice how each Turtle got to shine, and how they each got a member of the Batfam to cling to. And Leo's fight with Ra's al Ghul is perhaps my favorite TMNT battle ever. I know it is probably too much to hope for a sequel, but I am nothing if not a cockeyed optimist!

2023 - Mutant Mayhem was fun! It was nice seeing the Turtles portrayed as actual teenagers, complete with gratuitous pop culture references. The animation style was interesting (in a good way!) and the voice acting was spot-on. I loved the soundtrack, too, and I had "What's Going On" stuck in my head for days after I watched the movie! The fact that the Turtles got accepted by humans at the end was nice, even if my preferred version of them is as outcasts; and their relationship with Splinter was believably complicated. I am excited to see how the story continues in TOTTMNT!

Is that all of them? I think that is all of them! Sorry this was so long, but I have a lot of feelings on the subject!

[beannary]

Will we see tlp Donnie in his purple bandanna from the show? I know we have that one post Hamato but I could see that as his walking around the layer look and when he goes out the bandanna to match his sibling. ( convoluted rambling I apologize in advance) I could see some BS like Leo had a purple  phase and has a spar bandanna laying around. They have to go into the hidden city for something and BM is frantically searching for Donnie so to not get recognized they dress Donnie up like them and  guilt trip people into thinking there was four of them this hole time (Sorry for the ramble when I find new au I fixate on them)

Also before they met Donnie do they know there is another one of them like did splinter tell them and they’re just such idiots they couldn’t put it together. Or is splinter just going to walk in on them and the person that kidnapped and be like “ we need to talk” did splinter just assume Donnie was dead

Will Donnie not being there in they’re childhood affected the dynamic of the remaining three or will it be the same as the show?

Also last question i promise where is April.

Sorry again this was so long I love your au and can’t wait to see more!

omg dont apologize for this I absolutely adore rambles about my au!!!! other people sharing their thoughts and ideas makes me think about things that i normally wouldnt have thought about and also it makes me super happy that people are enjoying my story enough to be thinking about it

ok we will see tlp Donnie in a purple bandana at some point, but it won't be for a long time. The bandanas that Splinter gave his kids are you know like specifically for being ninjas, and are a sign of their growth and progress in their ninjitsu training. At this point in the story, Donnie isn't a ninja, and doesn't have any sort of training in fighting. Once he starts living with the Hamatos he will start doing some ninjitsu training and eventually Splinter will give him a purple bandana, but its not going to be something that he wears like everyday or all the time. Being a ninja isn't a core part of tlp Donnie's identity, so he will wear the bandana but only when he goes out on ninja missions or whatever with his siblings. I love that idea that they go into the hidden city and dress Donnie up like them since that would lead to so many goofy hijinks, but really I think that Donnie is mostly going to avoid going to the Hidden City for any reason, at least until he is has trained enough in ninjitsu to mostly go about unnoticed. I don't think he'd want to go to the Hidden City because 1. that's where his mom is and theres a chance she might try to steal him back, and 2. he grew up in the Hidden City and it isn't as cool and exciting as New York is. I think Donnie would much rather explore this new city that he's living in.

So Raph, Leo, and Mikey are partly not connecting the dots because they haven't seen Donnie's shell at all (since he's wearing a shirt and his shell is flat enough that even if there is a bump it isn't super noticeable) so they haven't even connected the dots that he is a turtle yet. But also this isn't something that Splinter has really talked about a whole lot. I'm going to actually explain how Splinter left Donnie behind in an upcoming scene (or at least hopefully I will be, unless something changes in my planning). Splinter in the show really hasn't explained to his kids how they were like created, and I think the same would apply to tlp Splinter. Escaping from Draxum AND losing one of his kids in the process would have been a really painful memory, and its not like his kids even remember the sibling that he left behind. I think his reasoning was why should I tell them about this sibling that is probably dead and like cause them to feel pain and loss over someone they don't even remember.

Donnie not being in the picture does change the dynamic a bit! I'm not super great at portraying it since I'm also mostly still figuring out how their dynamic is different. One thing I know for sure is that Raph and Splinter took on the responsibility of doing repairs around the lair. So Raph and Splinter are a lot closer mostly because they have spent a lot of time together just trying to figure out how to create a functioning home with electricity and plumbing and heating and stuff. And a lot of their troubles with that mostly come from the fact that they arent able to actually buy the supplies that they need to set up all of their utilities so they are mostly just trying their best with whatever trash they find. I think Leo would have ended up with most of the responsibility of looking after Mikey since Raph would have been busy helping Splinter with taking care of the lair and stuff, so Leo and Mikey are a lot closer to each other than they are with Raph. And I think now that Mikey is older and is starting to do things on his own Leo isn't quite sure what to do with himself since he's so used to just looking after Mikey, and he is trying to give Mikey space and stuff since he doesn't want to be overbearing and whatever but he does tend to hover. That's actually the same with Raph, once Donnie enters the picture, Donnie will just start taking on a lot of Raph's responsibilities because he finds them fun and so Raph will end up with a lot of free time on her hands to just try to figure out what she likes to do and stuff.

April hasn't been in the episodes that Ive been pulling plot stuff from so she hasn't shown up yet. She will eventually though. How old is April? like 16 I think? she's doing freaking SAT prep and getting ready to start applying for university and stuff she's just so busy all the time and also she's busy getting fired from every possible job she could get in New York that's why she hasn't been in the comic yet also I don't know how many days the comic spans over? Like not that much time has passed in the comic so it isn't that weird that April hasn't showed up. It is weird in the sense that I've been making the comic for a year but in the comic itself not much time has passed. She will show up! eventually!!!! I just don't really know how to like smoothly introduce her to Donnie, also like most of the plots involving Big Mama in the show dont really involve April so idk how to exactly get the two to meet. It'll happen though! definitely sometime this year askldfjh

[asummersday]

Share some more ROTTMNT headcanons?

the hamatos have movie nights and board game nights. there’s no schedule for them, sometimes someone will go “movie night tonight?” or will text the gc “board games? i’m feeling some murder mystery tonight” and that’s how it goes. everyone participates. even splinter, and he complains but only to put on a show. he enjoys it. they play uno, clue, game of life, they play new and old games, play the ones they like more often, and throw out ones that suck. donnie has a spreadsheet for it (of course he does). mikey and splinter, surprisingly, are fucking RUTHLESS during monopoly. the wins are always tied between the two and that one time leo won by complete accident (thats what he says. donnie doesn't believe him ONE BIT because his twin is a lying liar who lies). everyone loves monopoly just because the chaos and the backstabbing is the most entertaining part.

mikey had a “copy everything donnie does/eat/likes” phase and leo had a “copy everything raph does/eat/likes” phase. (i am a firm ‘leo is the younger twin’ truther)

april an leo are face mask and skin care routine besties. she’s the reason he even KNOWS what both of these things are. she’s also the reason he even makes his dumb puns, because SHE makes them (and 9y/r leo was smack in the middle of his ‘copying his big bro’ phase. it extended to april, who basically became his big sister). donnie constantly tells her he still has not forgiven her for that (jokingly)

Lou Jitsu was ABSOLUTELY Sexiest Man Alive at one point i'll tell you that

donnie’s eye starts twitching when he’s annoyed (mostly when leo annoys him). it happens so often that it starts twitching when leo isn't even in the same room and donnie will go “leo's doing something stupid again”

leo doesn't fall asleep easily but when hes a sleep my mans ASLEEP. nothing can wake him up. hes usually a light sleeper but when he hasn't slept in 3+ days and passes out at 12:30pm on the couch? he's literally dead to the world. his brothers take FULL advantage of this. stacking food/objects? yes. drawing on his face/arms/legs etc? for sure. mikey paints his shell sometimes. he once painted all of starry night without leo waking up once.

raph is wary of cass when she first joins, but when they find how many interests they share, they become almost instant best friends. they're inseparable and hang out all the time its amazing. everyone is terrified of them because they've seen how violent their sparring sessions get.

mikey watched lilo and stitch when he was like 5 and instantly zeroed in on the whole ‘voodoo spoon’ thing and tries to do the same thing. his dad and raph are extremely concerned (and slightly off-put. mikey was a weird child)

when he was younger, he had a terrible case of separation anxiety. it gets better as he grows older, and then comes slamming back full force after the krang. if his brothers aren’t in his immediate sights, he will just. panic. it takes… too long for him to stop having panic attacks when he wakes up and one or two of his brothers aren’t present (especially leo. he latches onto leo the longest after. it takes nearly as long as leo’s recovery does for mikey to be able to sleep without leo in the same room)

splinter, the old sap, actually has hundreds of pictures of his boys growing up. so much that he has dozens of photo albums spanning the years. you can tell exactly when april shows up in their lives because one day she’s not there at all and the next its like he got a fifth kid. he loves leafing through them on occasion, reminiscing and definitely not crying. not all the albums survived the shredder, but enough did to still recount the years. after the invasion, splinter moves the albums from his room and into a shelf in the living room. (hes caught his kids more than once poring over the books, either alone or huddled together on the floor. he always leaves, allowing them this moment alone.)

[tangledinink]

Au questions;

1 Do the boys still have hair in their turtle forms (kind of like Mona in the 87 series)

2 do they go to the same school as April?

3 does Draxum still get redeemed?

4 is Cassandra in this au?

5 does splinter ever go back/talk about his family and Japanese heritage?

6 if the boy never meet Draxum would they live as humans but like with a weird odd long lift span and never know the truth? Or would splinter set them down and tell them?

7 would they all want to stay human? Turtle? Both or would it be like a half and half thing (think of it like the anime movie wolf children)

8 how will the shredder and the krang be like in this au?

Gasp. OMG lots of questions, I love questions. OK let's go.

Probably not! I suppose that they could have hair, and I personally do enjoy the idea that the turtles (or at least some of the turtles) grow hair later in life, since Mikey had those sick old man sideburn things in the future, but I think they probably are relatively close to their canon designs when in 'turtle form' in this AU.

They do go to the same school as April! In fact, they're next-door neighbors to her, and they typically commute to school together every day. Sleepovers are a regular thing, and the five of them basically grew up together. April spent nearly as much time in the Hamato household as she did her own, and the Hamatos visited her fairly frequently, too!

I think he'll get there. Eventually.

Absolutely! I fuckin LOVE Cassandra, there's no way I'm leaving her out. She's kickin' around with the Foot right now, and she will definitely show up in this AU!

Yes and no! This is definitely something I plan on addressing in-depth in the fic/comic that I'm now working on, because I'm easily persuaded to do things and also really wanna keep talking about this, but he definitely does still have a connection to his heritage that he passes on to his kids. They've all learned Japanese from their father in this universe because 1) the parenting class said sharing your heritage with your kids is good and that this is a really good age to learn languages 2) Splinter finds it very difficult to share a lot of aspects of his culture/family with his children, given his relationship with the rest of the Hamatos, but this felt like something he could comfortably give to them.

No #spoilers, but they would almost definitely find out by the time they all become adults, either through their own means or through Splinter either confessing (or being confronted) on the topic.

I think it depends a lot on which turtle, and I don't think any of them know the answer yet. I don't think I know what any of them would choose yet! Being mutant turtles is definitely an intrinsic part of them, whether they like it or not, that they can't just ignore, but at this point, they've basically spent their entire lives living as 'normal people' in human society with no idea that they're anything different. I don't think any of them would be willing to throw that away and move down into the sewers, especially not right off the bat. But I don't think any of them would be willing to just put the bracelets back on and pretend nothing ever happened, either! Definitely something that will be explored in-depth in the story.

The Shredder will definitely play a role in this AU. As previously stated, the Foot and Draxum are both present in this world at the moment. I don't currently have any plans for the Krang and how they might feature, but that doesn't mean that they won't!

[atalante241]

Welcome to my merged tmnt AU that’s very weird and doesn’t make sense

So, the premise is that somehow the 2k3, 2k12 and rottmnt universes are merged together.

The three Hamato Yoshi’s are related to each other. How? You may ask. I don’t know but I do know that they’re brothers with an age gap I don’t know the length of and that 03 Yoshi got separated at one point and ended up on the streets and taken in by the Ancient One and the story goes as usual.

So, I basically remember nothing about the clan situation with 12 Yoshi. Only that Saki rebuilt the Foot Clan after incel angsting or something. But maybe the Hamato clan had some mystic branch or whatever and Lou got to know about the Demon Shredder (separate dude from Tengu Shredder (also just now realized that this would mean that somebody decided to name Saki after the dude that got possessed (also a complete separate dude from the dude possessed by the Tengu Shredder))) if that’s how he knew about that I do not remember.

But basically everything goes as usually, but only with 12 Yoshi and Lou awkwardly sometimes going “hey bro” because they’re very distant (don’t even know each others fav colors)

Then the reasons for going to New York happen. But when 12 Splinter mutates, the man of course spends some time on the streets, and during that time he tries to get in contact with Lou but it doesn’t rly work bc he doesn’t have his actual number and Lou’s agent or whatever shoots him off. So some time goes by, eventually a bit over 7 (the 12 turtles are 8) years. And one day while scavenging 12 Splinter comes across semi-newly mutated Lou and the 4 baby turtles, there some pointing and confusion (and panic) but they calm down. 12 shows Lou to his place where the 4 8yr olds spend their time immersed in studying the babies or whatevs. During that time 12 & Lou talk and somehow realize who both of them are.

As for the 03 side. Oh boy are you in for a treat. Bc— hold on I have to re-do math bc the rise turtles have actual ages.

Oh boy are you in for a treat, bc when 12 turns 9, the 2003 show starts off. And by that I mean everything. The alien invasion, mutant outbreak (Donnie possibly getting blasted on every TV in the world (maybe it was just the UN, who knows)), the turtles getting blamed for kidnapping the president. The literal apocalypse in s5.

Imagine being 12 Splinter and Lou during that time, lol. Trying to huddle with the kids by the TV watching 5 dragons have a battle over the city. By the end of the 03 series I’d like to think 5 years have gone by, that’s includes the FF time skip. So the 12 turtles would be 14yrs old.

The 12 series would start off when they’re 15, 03 21yrs and rise being 10, 9 & 8

After this I have no idea. But all the turtles would meet at some point. No idea how or when but at some point. I can’t get the idea of how 03 Splinter is technically 12 and Lou’s nephew and the turtle their grand-nephews out of my head.

Here’s a graph that doesn’t have 0 as a time indicator bc fuck that.

Also this whole thing was born from me loving the idea of 03 Splinter being 12 and Lou’s nephew and the turtles their grand-nephews

Also I have no clue abt the whole Oroku Saki situation— wait no. I do. 03 is using the fake name bc of the (tengu) story/rumor. 12 is just named that and I surprised by the famous business man 03 Oroku Saki having the same name as him. And rise is dead.

Also it’s now 6 am and I have not slept, curse you great tmnt crossover fanfiction!

[trashlama]

How would. Rise! Raph react to kiddnaping reader as a little sibling and they stay silent almost always they don't resist anything and sleeps almost all day? (platonic)

Thank you for the request!

This is my first one so please, bare with me.

I wasn't a hundred percent sure if you meant like a one shot/drabble/headcanons or somethin' so I just winged it. It's basically a combination of the three.

Honestly I literally wrote this in one night as soon as I got home from my errands. Probably could been proof read some more but, say-la-vee

Sorry everyone for it taking so long for the Future!Yan!Rise!Raph fic a lot of stuff happened the last few weeks. I had an idea, wrote a good portion, accidentally pressed the wrong button and it didn't save. So I tried to rewrite it but, I've just decided to go another direction with it. Then also of course work/famila obligations.

Sorry for all the blabber, let's get on with the show!

The meme in this fic is not mine I just found it on Pinterest and it twas too good.

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Raph at first would just roll with it. You weren't escaping and not technically defying him in anyway. Actually you were very compliant, non-combative nor aggressive towards him and his hovering. Just quiet and lethargic. Routinely sleeping away days and nights despite the abundance of rest you've received. Only waking when the eldest Hamato sibling came to feed you or smuggling you between the washroom and the large dog cage he kept you in his chambers. Dude literally gives you the same vibes as Toma from the otome game/anime Amnesia. Like brah. Tell me nah.

TBH— I wouldn't be as compliant by any means necessary. Personally when I'm in a dangerous situation like that thanks to my formative years I'm very prone to fighting. It was survival for the fittest when my mother was at work and my older siblings didn't play nice. But, for fics sake I would see the reader tryinna' play it safe.

Like for real, tell me if you were say fifteen, young teenage kid walking down a random cruddy block in NYC just tryinna' to get home so you decide to take a short cut through some alleys. I mean I can't be the only one to take the backways to get around faster. Anyways—

Your just takin' the short cut you usually do when you're tryinna' get home and of course you get cornered by a trio of mixed species thugs. A duo of armed shabby dressed homosapiens backing up a fella who looked like a cross between a pig and a dog. A fugly mix breed who despite his fluffy brown wagging tail was definitely not a good boy. Proven by the mutant freak of nature's thumb claw hovering above your jugular.

The pickering between the three revealed that someone was paying them to do this. Because apparently you were close to somebody. An individual who he and his brother's pissed off the wrong eight-legged hotel boss. A political mystic city power with plenty of connections who was paying for blood.

The reason you my lucky reader are in the middle of this?

Because according to the barking accusations from the mutant mutt that threatened you. You knew one of the people in the targeted group.

The hell you did!

Finding this shit out literally leaves you speechless at first unsure how to deny such claims of comradity. Especially when they reveal when you try to reject the prosecution that their intel describes a red clad ninja being in your vicinity numerous occasions. Following you, watching you, inside your home.

The last one shook you. Unsure how to describe the feeling of the information your brain was processing. The pointed tip of the pig-dog thug's claw keeping you aware of the position you were in.

You were gonna die just because some creeper ninja dude who apparently has been by definition stalking you. And worse of all you didn't even know who you curse for your pending execution.

Ooonnnlllyyy for edged stars to start flying, successfully spooking the two humans. Only further shocking you by their reveal. Flipping forwards revealing two chunky tanukis. Leaf and all perched proudly on their foreheads. The cross breed mutant who had pinned you kept his grasp around your neck. Releasing you upon the arrival of their snaggle toothed party crasher.

Mama Bear vibes to the max. The teenage snapping turtle was quick to dispose of the twin yokais with his tonfuas. Slamming the ends of the wooden defensive tools into the crown of one demon and the under jaw of the other. Effectively K.O.ing the yokai duo.

Upon his backups' defeat the canine swine pounced. Squealing as he charged the alligator snapping turtle.

Which provided the chance for you to flee. Not caring to look back. You don't see what ends up going down. Grunts and growls echoing in the disappearing distance.

Like the final girl in the horror movie you stop for some reason. Feeling that the coast was clear just because you were some distance away from the bizarre scene you had been wrapped up in. In shock of the combination of school yard rumors of mutants being proven true and the knowledge that out there you had a stalker.

2.5 seconds later Raph is back on your ass. You had been about to scream when the turtle's large three fingered grip quickly covered your mouth. Well more like the bottom half of your face.

In a jumble of words the eldest Hamato tried to communicate. Fumbling as he apologized for the rough treatment you had received. Wide ash colored orbs appearing to scan you for any signs injuries.

Unsure of what was happening you began to back pedaled slowly. Thanked the towering spikey shelled mutant for his deed as you mentioned how late it was. Cutting the thank yous short with a excuse of needing to head home. Only to be stopped by the Mad Dog crew leader stepping into your path. Raphael easily blocking you into the alleyway with nothing more than just his domineering stature.

"Sorry little bud but,.... I don't think you can go back to that place...." Raph spoke softly. Carefully creeping forward. Three digit hands at his sides ready to snatch you up. Approaching in the same manner you would to try to catch a hare.

"Though don'tcha go worrin'! Yer-a gonna be livin' with yer real family now!" Raph quipped happily. Closing in faster than you would give a mutant his size credit for.

And like that the turtle had you.

So yeah I can see why in captivity the reader would choose this tactic. Though again personally— wouldn't be my default.

Obviously there is no way you can out run nor beat a six foot nothin' mutant ninja turtle. Literally bein' a smart cookie you just play the game.

The requester didn't specify if the reader is defeated or anything. So I'm just rollin' with the idea that the reader is being passive aggressive. Choosing to "sleep" all day and not bothering to dignify your mutated "elder brother's" questions/comments.

You rather ignore the snapping turtle's presence than give him the satisfaction of playing out his delusional game of house. You weren't his long lost relative. You nor your mother knew any man named Lou Jitsu. He was wrong. But, despite your retorts, the eldest refused. Somethin' about how DNA doesn't lie and Donnie told him so.

If you ever got to meet this Donnie you might kill him for the hell you've been wrung through.

For a minute this method works. You refused to perform. Rejecting the role the eldest Hamato sibling deemed you fit to play.

But, after a month Raph had enough.

He wasn't playing your game anymore.

At first the red clad leader just thought you were being grumpy. Being a little bratty about being told no about something so this was your tantrum. Your punishment for him.

You wouldn't talk, wouldn't acknowledge him even when he knew you were awake and not asleep. Only responding in shakes and nods of your head whenever prompted. May it be about preference of food or if you needed to use the restroom. You were just so difficult. Choosing to be an ungrateful child instead of the caring younger sibling he knows you could be.

Eventually his patience wore thin. He had tried to be the cool patient understanding older sibling that you could rely on and look up too. But you just wouldn't! You wouldn't even give him a moment of your time.

That's why he does what he does.

Fed up Raph would definitely decide to give you a taste of your own medicine.

For the next few weeks Raph ignores you. Fulfilling the bare minimum necessities for your survival before throwing a blanket over your cage. Like an owner tired of their squawking aviary friend.

You didn't think much of this but, after awhile the constant darkness and the lack of other sentient contact your unwavering will started to squirm.

Little over a week later you began to call out to the world past the blanket that kept you apart. You knew your voice wouldn't reach the other inhabitants of the lair— having already tried that in the beginning— but, you still tried to make contact. Even if it was your red clad capture who responded.

But there was no answered.

By week two you began trying to make conversation with Raph whenever he had shuttled you between his room and the facilities. But he wouldn't react. Not even sparing you a glance as he restrained your dominant arm uncomfortably behind your back as he ushered you along to and fro destinations.

By the end of the month you've finally become antsy. Rattling the metal structure of the canine confinement that Raph DIYed. Using your knees and back trying again to break out of the cage.

You couldn't keep doing this isolation business anymore. Angry hot tears slid down flustered red (skin tone) cheeks sloping over the frown that allowed your heaving chest to catch small breaths. Choking on frustrated sobs as you banged your back into the top of the cage. Hoping to make it break apart.

You just needed to be free. This was worse than any grounding or detention you had ever faced before. Twas torture.

Minutes passed and you had given up. Sweat mingling with tears as they dropped down your skin. Taking a pause on the jailbreak due to the shaky ache of your depleted strength. Two months sitting crunched up in the large dog kennel cause your unused muscles to deflate. Muscle atrophy taking its toll. Evident of the new development based on your newly acquired set of string bean arms and legs. If the current conditions you were kept in continued soon enough you wouldn't even have enough strength to walk, let alone even stand. You weren't interested in crawling everywhere to get around.

At this point when you finally give in and start calling for just Raph. Begging him to not leave you here. Those were the magic words to return the snapping turtle to your side.

Though his chest ached upon revealing your sniffling expression. Raph would be proud of himself for holding out and not ending the punishment. Despite the many times he was tempted to.

He needed you to learn he can throw a fit too.

Upon seeing your teary weakened state the red clad bandana wearing turtle would definitely be quick to pull you into his arms.

Big Brother/Mother Hen mode activated.

Cooing Raph swayed you both side to side. Rubbing circles into your back as you cried into the kidnapping snapping turtle's plastron. Your feeble body held up solely by the eldest Hamato's arm. If he chose to let go you would without a doubt tumble to the floor. Like a puppet snipped of it's strings.

" I'ma sorry ya' had to go through that but, ya' needed to learn that you can't just ignore someone without exceptin' the same results back... " Raph explained as he felt your blunt nails dig into the leaf green muscle of his biceps. Sobs racking your chest as he continued.

" Ya' needed to learn to treat da' people around you how ya' wanna be treated. "

With a small fanged smile the turtle observed your smaller trembling figure. At the newest teary-eyed addition to his family. Maybe soon if your lesson truly does stick maybe you could finally meet the rest of the fam.

Though Raph shouldn't assume. He would have to wait. Couldn't rush into this anymore than he already has. He just wanted to tell the rest of the gang already. But, he had to wait. Like his father says patience is a virtue. He will see the fruits of his efforts as long as he stays diligent at helping you with the transition.

Staring into bleary pools of (e/c) that rose to meet his pondering smoke colored gaze Raph was certain.

With just a little more tough love you'll become the perfect little sibling.

He just knew it.

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¶¶CREATOR'S NOTES¶¶

Thank you guys for reading this!

I will have that Future!Yan!Rise! Raph done eventually. It's just I want to make sure I like it and it feels appropriate for the eldest Hamato brother. So please bear with me!

Thank you again for the request it was interesting to write! I'm always open for requests so unless specifically stated otherwise. They shall be ooppeeennn!

I hope you guys enjoy your weekends!

[tizeline]

Bro that angst potential ur separated au is keeping me up at night. You've said since Mikey would be a powerhouse due to training at such an early age, would it be safe to assume that Leo & raph are too? They've been mastering their ninpo 4 years? And if yes then dam they must be tanks. Must be a force to be reckoned with the bros and drax being all chaotic. Did they start to train so early bcuz drax only saw them as soldiers n stuff? Drax sure must've softened over the years huh guess he couldn't handle the cute lil menaces lol. Is Donnie aware of his own ninpo yet? I'm imagining him going up against the others with all his cool tech and then they whip out this anime magic ass superpower out of nowhere. Like meeting others like u after years of thinking u were the only one must be at least baffling right, now it turns out magic is real too. And he's gonna have it too(Not to mention the bro bomb waiting to drop on his head). Would his insecurities rise after witnessing all that?

Sorry I just absolutely LOVE ur au friend, i have a ton of questions but ill hold it 4 ltr. I'm really excited to see where you take it :)) -🌾

Oh man, Anon, glad to see you so excited haha!

Just a heads up, I'm still figuring out the story of the AU, so I don't know all the specifics yet, but here are some of my thoughts. And also, this became a bit of a ramble, that's what you get when you send long asks lol /lh

The way I'm thinking how Draxum is gonna be like in this AU is that he didn't view himself as the turtles' father initially, not really because he only viewed them as mere tools for him to use, he always saw them as people with induviduality. But rather, he hadn't really connected the dots that creating children + raising said children = parenthood, which led to Draxum like a year after mutating the turtles having the sudden realization one day of "OH SHIT AM I A DAD!?" and having a mini crisis because of that.

Anyway, while I don't think Draxum is the perfect dad in this AU by any means, he does genuinely care about his kids. (If Mikey managed to win Draxum over in canon after having spent a whole season fighting each other, there's no way he'd care about Mikey any less in a scenario where they've been on the same side since day one like they have in this AU.) He started training the turles from an early age and they are expected to help him with his Definitely Not Evil World Domination Plan, but they are still allowed free time and hobbies and such. And aside from some "ugh I don't wanna train right now I wanna play vidya gaemes" occasionally, the turtles never really opposed the idea of them becoming Draxums super soldiers. Kids are really easily influenced and if your parent keeps telling you that you are the heroes who are gonna save the world from evil, chances are you're gonna latch on to that narrative without question. But after meeting Donnie and April, who knows, it might be what finally starts making the other turtles question if their cause really is as just as they think :) That being said, I still have to figure out how Draxum would react exactly to his sons starting to oppose his world view.

Then their abilities! I also have to do more reasearch into exactly how the magic system works in RoTMNT cuz uhhh it's a bit unclear sometimes. Anyway, ninpo is specifically the magic used by the Hamato clan, and considering Raph, Leo and Mikey weren't raised as Hamato I don't think they would have access to that specific type of magic (though I still think they'd be be able to possibly unlock it later down the line) They would still have access to yokai magic, and of course the mystic weapons that they stole in the show would just have been given to them in AU by Draxum. And oh yeah, the brothers are powerful. To be fair, Donnie was able to keep up with Draxum pretty well in the pilot episode, so he wouldn't be COMPLETELY outmatched by his brothers. His tech is powerful enough that he'd be able to put up a decent fight even if he lacks mystic powers himself but..... three against one? Yeah, Donnie isn't winning any time soon. The biggest advantage he'd have would honestly be that his brothers wouldn't really WANT to fight him cuz they'd be all like "Long Lost Brother™??? 😭😭😭 Please come home Long Lost Brother™ we love you!!! 😭😭😭"

And I think Splinter would have kept both of their origins secret initially like he did in the show, so Donnie would't have any ninpo either, but I also think Donnie would still learn about the whole Lou Jitsu and Genetically Modified Super Soldier thing earlier than in canon. And god, yeah, learning about all of that would definietly be A Lot, which is why I still need time to figure out Donnie's exact reaction sorry Anon you're gonna have to be patient XD

[quietfounder]

I didn't want to do this because I already have one fanchild I created and don't really do anything with that I didn't want to make another one, but I did for shellshocked and I'm gonna make it everyone's problem.

If you all remember one of the AUs I talked about where Miles and Mikey were roommates, this would take place in that world.

Prepare yourselves for a bunch of incomplete ideas that are subject to change.

Okay to start off, this yokai mad scientist managed to steal DNA from Mikey and Miles (don't ask me how) in order to create an army of mutant super-soldiers with the abilities of the web-slinging hero and one of the most powerful mystic users for some reason. I specifically had it be a yokai to justify how they were able know of Mikey and steal his DNA. (I had the Dark Turtles from TMNT 2003 on my mind when thinking of the concept)

Once they get tipped off about what's happening, the two subdue the scientist and destroy any traces of their genetic material when they come across a baby clone already in development. They make the quick decision to free him from his containment and bring him back to their place.

**Unnecessary side note: The kid isn't a newborn. He's at least a few months old, old enough to be able to sit up on his own. I just wanted to clarify that.**

They wait at least a week before they introduce AJ (shellshocked kid) to their families.

They wanted to make sure he was okay and that he would be y'know stable, so they went to the Spider Society (in my opinion they owe Miles) to see if he was healthy and what abilities they could expect he would develop.

They also went to Draxum since he is like the go-to person for all things mystics.

Outside of all those people, Miles' parents are the first to meet AJ.

So officially, his full name is AJ Dario Hamato-Morales.

Originally, I wanted AJ to be short for Aaron Jefferson, but then I thought about it some more and liked the names Amari Jasper (or Jackson) better.

August was also considered a name because I thought it would be cute for his other nickname to be Auggie, but since I've seen August used as a name mainly for April's parents in fics I thought not to.

I guess I should talk about Mikey and Miles relationship. They're in their mid-20s and are roommates (in Brooklyn, NY), but they're also in this weird pre-dating stage where they're practically together but are (not so) oblivious to how they feel and act with each other. I'm just gonna say this all happens before they officially have a first date.

Now to get into my headcanons for AJ:

** Has a Mothra plushie.

** Looks human but possesses some of the traits of both a spider and turtle.

Able to wall-crawl. (Hadn't decided if he has spider-sense)

Able to secrete venom which can temporarily immobilize a person when bitten. Mikey and Miles are the only ones immune to it.

Gets a bit sluggish when really cold.

Does not have shell to retract into but instead bundles up in blankets or hoodies to feel safe.

** Was able to float a lot when younger. When older, has to relearn how to do that whenever he wants to.

** Has a Spider-Bot like the ones from the Disney Junior show Spidey and His Amazing Friends. Gifted one when he was 6 or 7 years old.

I want to say that Miles made the bot but had help from Lunella (yes I'm still on about that rottmntxmarvel crossover).

** Miles remained in contact with Miles 42/Miles G, so AJ knows him as "Uncle Milo."

[desceros]

this got longer than i meant it to, so tldr is these young men need to increase their experience bars to catch up to vi, nobody's maxed ??? i guess?? i rambled. uh. ANYHOW; gentle reminder that the boys were not in fact raised like typical humans, they have a very tight-knit social circle that very rarely grows or changes and their outside social interactions tend to be limited to yokai and other mutants just as bizarre as they are. Vi was raised presumably pretty standardly as a human in human society, regardless of the perceived pro-mutant thing given her some flavor. Her expectations are already set, she learned all this socializing biz growing up around other people learning probably around the same time, assuming she had like-aged peers as a kid- doubt that's been considered but if she's written to be neurotypical-coded then that's probably a fair take on her formative years. The boys did not get this social interaction with humans in public spaces and navigating relationships; even homeschooled children get outside to play with the neighborhood kids. They didn't even have yokai until they were 15. April was it until then. She's not exactly typical herself, either, so that's not much opportunity to learn how to treat people properly. all this to say, Leo and Donnie are both making the sort of mistakes you tend to make as kids, when it's less consequential because there's no predetermined expectation. I saw in another ask, Des, you said the bar couldn't be lower and I feel like that was true from the get-go with these boys; Vi's not just the best friend or love interest, she's also probably one of the, if not their very first human friend since adulthood (and no I do not count the Jones pair; one's feral ninja crazy and the other is apocalypse boy wonder, neither raise that bar, i will die on this hill). The boys are both learning character-building life lessons here. I for one am gonna be rooting for Leo to bounce back just as much as Donnie because these are not bad people, just inexperienced dum dums and I for one enjoy watching character growth in progress.

i'm really in a glass house about the Wow This Got Long tirade so you'll have no slings nor arrows from me, lmao

so, in symphony, i've tried to show that there's kind of a. hm. sliding scale of socialization that's happened with the boys. allow me to ramble on in detail since i know it's one of those things i've been perhaps a bit too sneaky about:

on one end of the spectrum, you have mikey. he's the one that goes out to the grocery store while dragging donnie along when he can, he makes friends that come to the party, etc. he's basically integrated at this point, as much as one can be as a ninja turtle that grew up in the sewer.

next you have leo, who i suspect talks to people and interacts with them as the face man, but he's still very sheltered. his sheltering, however, is by choice. hes not very interested in getting to know them. he's very closed off and protective of the hamato secrets, so he doesn't let people in. not unless they're useful.

next comes raph. i think early on, after krang, he probably tried to integrate. but he's, yknow, a huge-ass alligator snapping turtle mutant. he looks scary, and he's aware of how it comes across. he has a lot of encounters where people assume the worst of him. there's one line in chapter 14 that illustrates his stance on the situation, and how he's basically given up hope on the idea of integration:

“Honestly? I dunno. For years, we always lived in the shadows, never lettin’ humans see us ‘cause we didn’t know how they’d react. And now that we know, I wonder sometimes if we shouldn’t just stay down here.”

and finally, at the far end, we have donnie. if it weren't for his touch-aversion, i think he actually would have been next after mikey to integrate. we see him in the show going to april's school in the daytime in just his hoodie, talking to humans easily, and he's comfortable wearing pretty shitty disguises to go topside. but in symphony, because of his trauma (some of which we haven't explored yet i am so, so sorry to tell you), he self isolates so he doesn't have to Deal With People. crowds in particular are a No No, and the boy lives in new york. crowds are kinda hard to avoid. and you are correct! this has been detrimental to his socialization. he doesn't know how to communicate his needs to people. he never had to learn how.

but that's what's so... delicious about writing this fic for me. donnie having to grapple with the fact that he has to meet viola-chan in the middle, and viola-chan grappling with having to meet him in the middle. he needs direct, specific language. she needs authentic, affirming language. they're not mutually exclusive. but they are something that needs to be practiced, and hhhhhh. it's just so much fun to iron out!