#bug busters is such a good episode

[andromeda-galaxy2877]

New oneshot just posted!!

I love Bug Busters its one of my favorite episodes, so I had to write a little something about the aftermath. That whole scenario HAD to have hit Raph pretty hard.

[turtleblogatlast]

One of the earliest examples of Leo’s “I’ll do my own thing to accomplish our goal without discussing it with my team first” is in episode one. It’s super, super quick, and ultimately inconsequential, but it subtly sets up a great precedent that I think is very interesting.

When the boys need to grab the medallion from Splinter without Splinter noticing, Raph, Mikey, and Donnie huddle together with Raph taking the lead in trying to devise a plan to get the mystic device. Meanwhile, Leo slinks away and grabs the device by clocking the situation (by knowing his father well enough to predict his actions - something he does with each family member multiple times in the series) and making a move on his own.

It works out perfectly fine, and is ultimately the best move, and it’s honestly okay that he didn’t consult everyone for something so small when it’s such a non issue to get it, but it nicely sets up how this tends to go in the series, including how it goes in the movie.

To be honest episode one is actually really good at setting up a lot of things for each character in the long run, this is just one example that caught my attention, as small and unassuming as it is.

[ilk-insolence]

Raph Is A Great Strategist

Numerous times in the show Raph has shown to have a preference for straightforwardly punching his problems away rather than think up a more complex solution. Like how his immediate fix to getting Mayhem out of the mirror in Mystic Library was to punch everything in the bathroom but the mirror. However, when Raph understands the situation requires more in depth strategy, he’s shown to be an incredibly capable tactician.

(long post ahead!)

In nearly all the plot heavy episodes like Shadow of Evil, Many Unhappy Returns, and the season finales, Raph gets moments where he’s highlighted for his strategic thinking. In Insane in the Mama Train, he’s the one who figures out which eyeball-button goes to the front car with the dark armor, because “‘it was the only button [the Foot Clan] didn’t want me to press!’” [21:05]. He’s also the one who came up with the scheme to defeat all the (known) combatants in the train, with Leo specifically attributing Raph as the deviser during their mind meld [19:46]. In Many Unhappy Returns, after spending a single night waylaying the Shredder, Raph formulated a plan using all the tricks the team learned, seamlessly transitioning the mystic collar Leo acquired into it [19:53], to defeating the Shredder. Additionally, he’s repeatedly called for a retreat during fights, like in Shadow of Evil, Shreddy or Not (Finale pt 2), and the movie, when he can tactically recognize that a battle couldn’t be won. Each time, the show/movie implied that that was the right call, for the family to lose the fight but win the war.

And it’s not just that Raph is good at strategy when he’s pushed to be more serious; the show characterizes him as passionate about creating plans, he enjoys doing it. Literally in the first episode, Mystic Mayhem, after the turtles’ initial plan failed of getting Splinter out of the living room to touch his Do-Not-Touch Cabinet, Raph immediately started devising a new plan that involved “ten chickens [and] a gallon of rubber cement” [9:35]. It was convoluted, sure, and they didn’t end up using it, but it was inventive and the opposite of reluctant. This is also shown in Bug Busters, where Raph planned out dousing Mikey in honey to attract the oozequitoes [2:52]; Snow Day, with the idea to freeze Ghost Bear like in Jupiter Jim Pluto Vacation 4; and Raph’s Ride-Along (and also Bad Hair Day), where Mind Raph created multiple schemes to get the criminals arrested. The show wouldn’t have made Raph be so creative with his plans if they were trying to characterize him as someone who didn’t like strategizing.

So does why Raph do stupid shit sometimes where he doesn’t think things through at all? Well, even though Raph is good at strategy and enjoys doing it, it’s clear his immediate impulse is still “punch the problem in the face”. In fact, all the turtle boys contain the fascinating dichotomy of being incredibly smart in some areas, and the dumbest teenagers alive in others. Just look at Donnie. It’s also how Raph is a loving protective older brother, and the guy who shoved Leo into a wall so hard he disappeared in one frame for shits and giggles (The Mutant Menace x). None of this means that Raph is bad at strategy though.

tldr: Yeah, Raph has a lot of dumb and, frankly, insane moments in the show, but he’s still an incredible tactician who’s plans consistently saved his family and sometimes the world. He's a great strategist.

[our-happygirl500-fan]

Something that I have kind of noticed is that Leo seems to tend to hide his negative emotions from his family but he also seems to be more willing to show anger or annoyance to his family than he is showing genuine worry.

In the episode Mutant Menace when Leo’s brothers ignore his concerns over the plan of doing ‘good deeds’ when his brothers attention is off of him, Leo almost kind of looks like he’s pouting or sulking with his hand on his chin & an almost board expression on his face compared to the rest of his brothers which kind of shows that even though Leo is going along with his brothers plan, he isn’t enthusiastic about it.

Leo: I knew being nice to people would get us in trouble!

It isn’t until Leo’s original judgement is proven correct & the Turtles are facing the consequences of the plan that Leo eventually openly expresses frustration to his brothers, however something I noticed is that in the episode Bug Busters which has a similar scenario of Leo having concerns over a plan & being ignored Leo seems to show frustration, even before his original judgement is proven correct.

Leo: I’m sorry? You’ve never heard of Baron Draxum?

Raph: You’ve got yourself a deal

Leo: Raph! What are we getting into!?

Leo: I don’t know, I still don’t trust her

During the episode Bug Busters, Leo continuously expresses his concerns over working with Big Mama & trusting her and in contrast to the episode Mutant Menace where Leo only really shows his frustration when his brother’s attention isn’t on him, in Bug Busters Leo is kind of openly showing his frustration over his concerns being ignored & I think that the reason Leo is more open in showing his frustration in the episode Bug Busters than he is in the episode Mutant Menace is because in the episode Bug Busters Leo is also feeling another emotion which he wants to hide more than his frustration which is fear & worry.

Something I kind of noticed is that when the Turtles are following Big Mama to her office for the first time & his brothers attention isn’t on him, Leo looks kind of upset & afraid.

It seems as though Leo didn't simply just distrust Big Mama because they didn't know her but there also might have been something about Big Mama that might have possibly genuinely worried Leo & the fact that Leo was willing to show his frustration over his concerns being ignored openly to his brothers when it came to Big Mama but only really showed his genuine worry when his brothers weren’t looking might possibly mean that even though Leo typically doesn’t want to show negative emotions in front of his family, he might possibly be more willing to show anger & frustration than he is to show fear & worry.

[littlejazzy]

👻 Spooky Shows For Spooky Littles 👻

The season is changing, and with it, Halloween approaches! Here's a list of shows that are thematically appropriate, viewable for free on Archive.Org or free with ads on Tubi! It's organized kinda sorta from shows for the littlest little to things that might be more appropriate for middles - but don't let that stop you from exploring anything that looks interesting!

Super Monsters (2017) [S1] [S2] [S3] [x] [x] [x] [x]

The children of various monsters learn lessons and how to use their monster powers! (The [x]s are various specials that occur after the main series)

Ruby Gloom (2006)

Staring the titular Ruby Gloom, this is a really cute show about her and her slightly spooky friends!

A Pup Named Scooby Doo (1988)

Adapted for a younger audience, Mystery Inc. is similarly aged down in this extremely cartoony and silly animated series!

Sabrina The Animated Series (1999)

Admittedly, Sabrina is pretty cutesy, but she is a witch, so watch as this fact gets her into hijinks and adventures with her friends and talking cat! (Tubi Mirror)

Tutenstein (2003)

A 10 year old mummy is brought back to life after 3,000 years and has to adjust to modern day! Heavy focus on Egyptology and fairly accurate portrayals of Egyptian deities and myths!

Growing Up Creepie (2006)

Adopted and raised by a family of bugs, Creepie is a girl who's entering middle school and learning how to interact with humans! There's a heavy focus on bugs and fun facts about them!

Bump in the Night (1994)

A stop-motion cartoon, Mr. Bumby is a monster that lives under the bed, who at night has adventures with Squishington (a slime monster who used to live in the toilet tank) and Molly Coddle (a ragdoll)! (Tubi Mirror)

The Addams Family (1972)

An animated adaptation based off of the original comics, watch the spooky family and their kooky adventures!

Beetlejuice: The Animated Series (1987)

Follow the adventures of Lydia Deetz and her best friend from the Netherworld, Beetlejuice! (The archive is only for the first season - as of posting this, the full series is available to stream, with ads, on Tubi)

Freaky Stories (1997)

An animated anthology show hosted by two, gross live-action puppets!

Scooby Doo, Where Are You? (1969)

(Only available on Tubi) The original show that started it all, watch Scooby and the gang explore spooky places and solve mysteries!

Making Fiends (2009)

Follow Vendetta as she makes fiends, while Charlotte makes friends!

The Real Ghostbusters (1986)

This show follows the adventures of the Ghostbusters after the events of the original film! Some episodes are silly and cartoony while others can get a bit more intense and serious. The last few seasons are a spin-off show for younger audiences.

Extreme Ghostbusters (1997)

Follow-up to The Real Ghostbusters, this show follows the adventures of a new team of 'busters... in the extreme 90s!

Archie's Weird Mysteries (1999)

Watch Archie and his friends explore the strange and sometimes spooky secrets of Riverdale... but, erm, not like the latest adaption, lol (Tubi Mirror)

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (2001)

After losing a bet to two children, the Grim Reaper is forced to be friends with them - mayhem ensues! (due to how the files are named, the series is scrambled, but is otherwise all there)

Tales from the Cryptkeeper (1999)

Animated anthology series of kids and teens facing spooky situations! (Tubi Mirror)

Nightmare Ned (1997)

Ned has frequent nightmares based off of what happened to him during the day!

Monster Force (1994)

A group of teenagers from the futuristic year of 2020 fight monsters and creatures using high tech gadgets!

Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends (1999)

(Only available on Tubi) Aliens live among us, evolving into what we know to be monsters, myths, and legends - A man named Logan joins the Global Alliance, a shady government organization, to unravel conspiracies and to do good!

GhostWriter (1992)

A live-action show, a team of children gather clues and evidence to solve neighborhood mysteries and crimes... with the help of a ghost who can only communicate with them by altering written text! (due to how the files are named, the first 9 episodes are out of order)

Gravity Falls (2012)

Twins Dipper and Mabel Pines explore the mysteries of the titular town of Gravity Falls! (if you have the space, probably make a copy of this one, lol)

Eerie, Indiana (1991)

Live-action show that follows new teenage resident of Eerie, Indiana, Marshall as he finds out that his new town is, well, eerie!

Goosebumps (1995)

Each episode/two-parter is based off of R.L. Stine's books, this live-action anthology show will give you, well, goosebumps! (as a bonus, here's pdfs and e-pubs of every single book - enjoy!)

Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1992)

The live-action spooky anthology show of all time, this show is perfect for middles ready to get scared! Listen and watch the Midnight Society gather around the campfire to tell spooky tales!

📼 Enjoy your shows! And remember - if you really like something, you should probably back it up! 📼

[risequotes]

Daily Rise Quotes: DAY 440

Raph: Nice work, team. We must have got a hundred of 'em! Good thing we didn't do Leo's idea of being afraid of spiders! [Laughs]

(Season 1, Episode 7 - Bug Busters)

[mira--image]

ROTTMNT EPISODE ORDER

We fans know how hard it is not only to access the show's episodes, but to watch them in order as well. I created this list when I was rewatching the show and noticing all the inconsistencies in the timeline. I went off the production codes for the base order, then rearranged it based on what made sense to me. I organised the plot into more consistent arcs. So this isn't THE order, but it's the order I watch it in and enjoy. Hopefully it's a useful resource for some of you too!

Some spoilers below, because I left notes for myself to explain the order. (Dm me if you wanna know where I watch the show 🏴‍☠️)

SEASON 1 

The Mad Dogs are born, and decide to start going on missions to help the city.

Mutant mayhem. Turtles, April, Draxum, Hidden City, and weapons introduced.

Origami tsunami. Inspired, the team decides to go on a hero mission. Foot clan introduced. Raph makes a full mystic body, only briefly.

Newsworthy. The team continues to do missions of a much smaller scale. First mutant introduced. Raph can make a full magic arm.

The turtles explore ways to better their new hero team in between living their regular lives.

War and Pizza. Donnie tries to use his tech for good. Raph fails to activate his ninpo.

Donnie’s gifts. Donnie tries to use his tech for good again, and it works this time. Too bad the team doesn't like it. Meat sweats introduced.

Down with the sickness. Raph and Leo’s leadership skills are explored. 

Shell in a cell. PBJ duo and leader duo navigate their dynamics. Ghost bear introduced.

Repo mantis. With their friendship renewed, Donnie and Mikey hang out. Todd is introduced, the turtle tank is acquired.

Hypno! Part Deux! While Mikey and Donnie are gone, Leo and Raph help April with a problem at school. April has no friends, her side plot of wanting to be normal is introduced.

Minotaur maze. Hueso and the mystic pizza restaurant are introduced.

The Fast and the Furriest. The turtle tank is completed.

Mascot Melee. Raph explores the surface.

The gumbus. Baxter Stockboy is introduced.

Bug Busters. The team tries to deal with the oozesquitos themselves. Big Mama is introduced, Baron Draxum lore, Leo’s strategy explored. Raph’s mystics improve.

The longest fight. The team is a bit reluctant to sacrifice their time for missions. Armor plot introduced.

Al be back. Satisfied that they seemingly stopped the foot clan, the team carries on with their lives. Stockboy returns. Alberto is taken care of. Splinter is shown to be musically inclined.

Mrs. Cuddles. Mrs. Cuddles only shows up here.

Nothing but truffle. Todd and Meat sweats return.

Stuck on you. Raph tries to get the Mad Dogs to improve their teamwork. The shell hogs are introduced. The armor plot is furthered.

Pizza pit. Bug buster suits and shell hogs are used again.

The purple jacket. The purple dragons are introduced.

Smart lair. After meeting the purple dragons, Donnie has a renewed interest in his tech. Donnie tries to use his tech for good. Shelldon is introduced.

Late fee. Ghost bear returns.

Mind meld. Donnie tries to lead a mission, and it doesn't go well. Donnie tries to ‘fix’ his brothers again using tech. The purple dragons are mentioned.

Hot soup: the game. Mikey goes on the team's first solo mission. Donnie puts more faith in his brothers. The foot recruit is introduced.

The Evil League of Mutants. The team goes on a mission again to stop crab men at the greenhouse, and it doesn't go well. They ask Splinter to train them again. The mad dogs aren't satisfied with Splinter's training, but Splinter teaches them to be more creative and improve without weapons. They get targeted by Baron Draxum. Baron Draxum backstory.

Bullhop. After seeing how many enemies they have, the team decide to fix at least one mistake and make a friend. Bullhop is introduced. The team carefully plans a mission together, but it doesn't go according to plan. Big Mama's web plot hits a dead end.

Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man. Splinter backstory mentioned. Big mama mentions how they stole her webs in bullhop. Warren doesn't wear the gauntlet all the time. Splinter vows to be a more attentive father.

The world becomes more dangerous, and Splinter begins formally training his sons.

Shadow of evil. Splinter pays more attention to April, and discovers a strange symbol on her shirt. Splinter and armor plots furthered. Splinter has to step up to meet his destiny, and promises to train his sons.

The ancient art of ninja hide and seek. Splinter makes good on his promise to train them. He trains them to improve without relying on weapons again. Lou jitsu and big mama lore.

The purple game. The mad dogs go to a sci-fi convention, except Donnie, who gets addicted to a game. The purple dragons are involved.

Jupiter Jim ahoy! Day two of the sci-fi convention. Splinter talks about being Lou jitsu. Jupiter Jim introduced.

The mutant menace. Baxter Stockboy causes mutant panic. The team needs to lay low for a while. Leo's portals grow in size and maximum distance, but struggle with going to the right location.

Warren and hypno sitting in a tree. The armor plot is furthered.

Portal jacked! Leo's portals send his brothers to the wrong location without him. The Hidden City is explored, Leo’s magic improves. Captain piel is introduced, Hueso and Leo grow closer.

Mystic library. The team finds another mystic location. Mystic library introduced, Raph’s magic improves.

Operation normal. Sunita is introduced, April's friendship plot and armor plot are furthered, Leo’s portals improve.

How to make enemies and bend people to your will. Draxum and armor plot furthered. Foot recruit returns.

Man vs sewer. Raph gets lost in the sewers. Leo’s leadership improves as his brothers don't take it seriously.

Sparring partner. Raph finds training a bit too easy, and rescues a paper ninja. With more free time and less of a power dynamic since Draxum became leader, foot recruit and foot lieutenant grow closer.

You got served. Huseo gets Leo and Mikey to be waiters for one night.

Snow day. Leo is using portals reliably. Ghost bear mutates.

One man’s junk. Donnie and Mikey go on their own mission to collect mystic metal, but aren't trusted in their decisions. Leo’s portals improve. Repo mantis’ cat introduced.

Cloak and swagger. Splinter tries to train the boys in the woods, but get stuck indoors. Sunita and April hang out. Shelldon is like Donnie’s son.

Todd Scouts. The mad dogs aren't taking training seriously. Splinter and the boys actually go to the woods this time. Donnie uses sign language, Todd reveals his mystic power.

Insane in the mama train. The boys choose to give themselves entirely to training. The armor plot is almost finished.

End game. The boys decide that being themselves is more effective than what they learned while training. Continuation of insane in mama train. Shredder introduced.

SEASON 2

Many unhappy returns. Continuation of end game. Lou jitsu backstory. Leo’s strategy improves, but he fails to communicate and coordinate with his team. Mikey’s powers improve. Raph’s powers improve (both in size and his first raph clone limb).

Goyles, Goyles, Goyles. Turtle mutation flashback.

After facing such a foe, the appeal of being a hero team fades a bit. Only Raph seems to be interested in continuing training and missions.

Flushed, but never forgotten. Mikey is playing the hot soup game. Buddy the paper ninja is there. Splinter says ‘you only learn lessons the hard way’, which I interpret to reference the harsh lesson from Todd scouts. 

Lair games. Leo’s strategy improves. Leo gets on Donnie's bad side.

The hidden city job. Leo tries to get back on Donnie's good side. Leo goes to the Hidden City with Huseo. The shadow fiend is mentioned, the upcoming battle nexus mentioned.

Repairin’ the baron. Baron Draxum becomes an ally, and gets a job.

Pizza puffs. Raph is the last one still taking heroing seriously. The first villain is kidnapped.

Sidekick ahoy! Jupiter Jim returns. Raph is the only one acting rationally at first, then he too gives in.

Air turtle. Leo becomes a basketball mascot. Leo is still not a good communicator and fixes the problem himself.

Breaking purple. Shelldon is 13. Donnie tries to 'fix' Shelldon through discipline (he learned his lesson from Mind Meld not to mess with his mind), but learns his lesson not to forcefully change others once again, this time for real. The purple dragons are back.

Always be brownies. Foot recruit tries another way to gain power. Splinter bonds with her and April. More kidnapping.

Mystery meat. Draxum likes his job. He grows closer to the turtles.

Raph’s ride along. The team goes to the Hidden City for a holiday.

Donnie vs witch town. Donnie reveals that he wishes he had mystic powers. He learns that tech and mystics can work together.

Hidden city’s most wanted. Baron Draxum and Splinter grow closer.

Bad hair day. Leo has a spa day.

Fists of furry. April becomes a more integrated part of the family, and practises ninjutsu.

The clothes don’t make the turtle. Movie makeover montage! More kidnapping.

The Mad Dogs are forced into fighting once more.

Battle nexus New York. Kidnapper and shadow fiend revealed.

Finale part 1 & 2.  Splinter’s memories are explored. Shredder returns. Karai is introduced, and lost. The lair is destroyed.

Finale part 3. April is accepted as a Hamato. The Mad Dogs unlock their ninpo.

Finale part 4. The final fight against the shredder. Cassandra Jones switches sides. Leo is made the leader, but he hasn't yet learned to be a good communicator and not do everything himself. How will he lead the team after seeing how dangerous this life can be? Does he double down like Raph would, or pull back and encourage fewer, safer missions without giving a reason?

[qoldenskies]

i genuinely adore the way that anatawa hitorijanai/the third part of the finale brings back the little motif with leo falling and raph jumping to save him in bug busters because it was such an important moment that really propelled raph along in his own abilities (although i personally interpret mystic powers as being more related to the individual and their emotions, while ninpo is more about. yknow. the family and their trust with each other since its hereditary, i see it as separate. post for later) but i always find it SO WEIRD that it's treated as like. a trust fall. because leo falling was not a trust fall. it was the opposite, actually.

is it representative of raph putting himself aside for the sake of his family? oh yeah. i do believe its a point that marks a turning point in the way he perceives the role of the oldest and leader, which is why i like the parallel because he puts the same into his younger brothers' hands. but was it really an act of trust? hell no! raph spent the entire episode NOT TRUSTING LEO. they were put in that exact position because raph cared a lot about being right just as much as leo did, and draxum dropped leo because raph didn't listen to him!!

leo pushed and bitched and begged pretty much that entire episode to be listened to, and raph never truly gave him the floor because he was expecting him from the get-go to be cynical and selfish. and even though leo can be those things at times, it didnt mean he wasnt a voice worth not listening to. and that did nearly get him killed! joke aside, leo shouting about his last words meant he really, really did not actually expect raph to do something like that, and raph jumped in a blind, panicked act of desperation for leo's sake. i think learning he SHOULD trust him from that point was something that should've been clarified, or they should've left the parallel more implicit tbh.

but you know what IS an excellent parallel to bug busters? the movie! their roles are reversed! raph has well learned the importance of taking things seriously and is loudly pushing for caution, and leo is pushing him away and shrugging it off like he's just being too pessimistic, its pretty much a HERE COMES THE FUN POLICE WEEWOO. which i think is like, the equivalent to raph's "she's a nice spider lady, why are you being so negative, do you just want to prove me wrong? you're up to something"

and i think a big reason raph is so loud about the lesson he's trying to pound into leo's skull is because of the exact lesson he learned in bug busters, because he definitely does actually see a lot of himself in leo (i do love when people play around with raph going "oh god did i teach him that" about some of leo's more self-destructive behavior btw, that's good A team angst) and i dont think he wants leadership back at all. he's perfectly fine with splitting the load, because they already have been The Big Brothers from the start and leo's been his second in command and cheerleader a lot before. but leo in his eyes is being vindictive and refusing to take this seriously, and i'm sure for raph it hits a little close to home! projection moment

this was honestly just me trying to say that i think the perfect leo/raph roof moment parallel should be their fight when raph is krang-ified, leo telling raph to go save donnie and mikey, and then him leaping into the prison dimension, just like raph leapt for him, because there was no other choice in order to save lives. it's the exact same type of move, bonus points with how leo points it out, "hero moves are your style".

(also potential parallel if you choose to interpret raph's tears as he jumps off the roof as overwhelming guilt because he suddenly realizes that his own choices brought them to this point, because like.... leo crying in the prison dimension..... same thing)

point is, love the raph trust fall in the third part of the finale. but i think the point of him catching leo was that he didn't trust him, and i think it wouldve been better to the finale trust fall more about how he's grown from the behavior that put them there back in bug busters.

OH AND AND AND this is compounded in by the B team moment RIGHT AFTER THAT with donnie and mikey, because that is an ACTUAL example of two brothers that genuinely, earnestly trust each other. donnie tells mikey to let go intentionally and mikey doesn't hesitate, because he knows donnie will always be there to catch him and he trusts him wholeheartedly. the difference is jarring and most likely intentional.

[haematoclan]

cant stop thinking about Bug Busters episode and how Raph leapt after Leo without a second thought, without fully awakened powers, without any plan. he just saw his brother in mortal danger and just. jumped after him.

how is it the moment Raph's family is in danger any sense of self-preservation flies out of the window...

and the more i think about this moment the more i get emotional, especially when i think about a very real possibility of Raph's powers not working and both of them ending either dead or heavily injured... or one (probably Raph) alive but second one (probably Leo let's be honest) dead. man. that'd eat Raph alive. especially since he acknowledged Leo was right about Big Mama and then he ignored Leo's request to give Draxum the bugs, failing to listen to his teammate again, and. can you imagine the guilt and self-blame? especially for someone like Raph, who sees himself as protector first and a person second? he's just 15 and learning how to be a good leader.

[baskeigh-ball]

Do the boys know that splinter is Lou Juitsu in MM when they met raph?

Nope, and they don't for a good minute after they meet

For a frame of reference (which I only just decided on), the gang officially meet Raph only a few days after the Bug Busters episode (Season 1 Episode 7), so they don't even know the "Lou Jitsu's their dad" twist yet

[reagi-df]

I am very much obsessed with your Runt AU; I desperately need to know more about your ideas for this unique idea.

The updated designs on the turtles look incredible but of course; Leon is best boy. All of this praise aside; I do have a few questions:

1. When does Runt move in with the turtles?

2. What is Runt's and Splinter's relationship like? Is it antagonistic at first or is it full of comfort?

3. Has Runt ever tried pizza? If so what is his reaction to it?

4. Will the disaster twins be even more chaotic then usual with their relationship?

5. And finally, what is Runt's reaction and thoughts to his first turtle pile?

I've become so infested with the brain rot!! I adore you so much and I eagerly await the next crumb of knowledge from this amazing AU! <3

Hahaha thanks! im glad hes rotting your mind like he is mine. I was gonna do a drawing for this but never managed to get to it

Im glad you like the redesigns, I had been putting it off for so long. Mostly because I didn't want to draw Raph and I was talked out of killing him so I didn't have to draw him.

1 - Runt moves in with the turtles after the bug busters episodes, not so much by his own choice. He had suffered from a bad migraine but powered on only to get hurt by Draxum and then thrown off a roof. So he wasn't having the best of time. The boys took him back to the lair and Runt did try and escape but it ended with him running into a wall. So he stayed until for maybe 2 days? or well until he thought, it was reasonable time to go, and ran back to the Hidden City. After that he kept coming back to to the mission.

2 - Runt and splinters relationship... it's not really antagonistic so to speak. Runt defiantly isn't friendly with splinter at first. Runts more focused on his mission (the brothers) to really pay him much mind. So for the most part Runt will ignore him. It’s not really until splinter tires to make an effort and open up about his own migraines to runt that things slowly change. Splinter teaches him how to make tea and they have late night tea when they both can’t sleep

Very slow progress though, there’s things later on that strains the relationship slightly.

3 - since he grew up sheltered up until his first mission, he hasn’t really had a chance to eat a lot of different types of food. However it wasn’t until he was living in the lair full time, is when he started to experiment with foods but that was mostly Mikes doing. His first tasting was overwhelming for him and had refused to eat the rest. But it wasn’t until later where he started to crave it. And he would secretly go to the fridge at night until mikey saw him try and. Much to ruby’s horror. strawberries are his favourite though. Not allowed a lot of sugar after last time.

4. - The lair games really set into motion the rivalry and competitiveness between them. Runt love challenges, he’s competitive by nature but all from his training. He finds joy in tormenting Donnie. Sadly I haven’t got much yet for them but don’t worry they will have the disaster twin title.

5 - Runt grows to love turtle piles. They’re warm and cosy where he can burrow into them. I haven’t thought of when his first one would happen but I know he’d probably flinch away. Unsure as to what’s going on. Once he does hell still be a bit stiff and be on edge. He’s act like nothings wrong but will slip the first he gets. It’s his mission to get close to the brothers so he’ll do this that make him uncomfortable if it means he’ll get in their good books.

Ahhh thank you! I’m glad you like this crazy ideas xD ❤️ ❤️❤️ I do have somethings pint you can have these sraftsfs

Ahh thank you! I’m hoping to get more out cos I love this gremlin❤️. But it’s been slow, been hating everything I’ve been doing. But have some sketches

[nebelihood]

My highlights of Looniversity (Spoilers)

I did end up liking the brotherly relationship they gave to Buster and Babs and I can clearly see why they couldn't just make them best friends anymore. (It's sad it kinda makes tiny toons adventures to not be canon)

AHsjhd Like Buster inmediatly going to whine to Babs

And cry<3

I love Sweetie's jokes, I think those are the kind of jokes I tried to give to my lola but mine resulted in awkward responses of other characters and everyone ignores Sweetie's HAHAHA bruh-

What I for some reason like about Sweetie and I wish it became something more serious in the future is how despite her tough city girl facet...

I feel like she cares too much about the twins' opinions? Maybe that's just me- but I feel like if she was as tough as she was, she'd be less patient and understanding but on the prank episode. I felt like she had too much patient, respectfully repeating herself without ever getting angry and accepting whatever Babs and Buster ordered. (But who knows, maybe I misunderstood her character) I just feel like she holds Babs on a high standard for some reason. I guess she just really likes her as a friend. I love how she has more protagonism despite her size<3

She cares sm for her friendqwq<3

I love Plucky's craft ahsjh- he's good! (not the dance but in general how he is and how he saved his friends twice by just being himself completely unaware that'd actually be of help and in a selfish way)

Bugs not giving a crap is my favorite kind of Bugs on looniversity HAHAHAHA, I wouldn't want to idolize the hate on kids cause kids are the future and should be loved<3 but there's something funny about Bugs not having any patience with kids HAHAHA- like he has WAY better things to do than to waste his time "baby-sitting"

DUDE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUS AS HELL IF THEY HAD WANTED WHAT- (OFC NOT BUT WHAT)

The first joke that made me laugh ofc by

This FRAME

i HAVE questions about this but--- we'll see if it means anything

ALSO WE ALWAYS OPEN THE SHOW WITH THEM LOOKING AT EACHOTHER LIKE-

Those are the ones I can think of rn

[3lectricinsomnia]

EMD Season 1 Episode List!

Since EMD passed round 1 of @tmntaucompetition I will be posting the episode list + some of the summaries as promised.

The following episodes are the ones we are including from season 1. Note: not every episode in ROTTMNT is going to be included in EMD. 

- The Fast and the Furriest: One is forced to spend time with Splinter when he takes Two’s new tank out for a joyride. 

- Mascot Melee: One and Two compete for Splinter’s affection by joining Raph and Mikey on a trip to buy him a new robe. 

- Shell in a Cell: Raph and One go toe to toe in the wrestling arena.

- Minotaur Maze: One leads Raph and Mikey into a death maze to end their lives for good. 

- Bug Busters: Big Mama tries to convince One and Two to work for her. 

- Mid Meld: Two tries to take matters into his own hands by enhancing Raph, Mikey, and One’s intelligence.

- The Longest Fight: One finds something that will solve everything. 

- Smart Lair

- The Evil League of Mutants

- Hot Soup: The Game

- Shadow of Evil

- How to Make Enemies and Bend People to Your Will

- The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek

- Insane In the Mama Train

- End Game

- Many Unhappy Returns

If EMD passes round 1 of the @tmntseparatedaucompetition on July 2nd, @teaableu and I will make a mini comic for a one shot of your choice (we will open a poll for you guys to vote on a topic)

[ilk-insolence]

Leo Analysis

There’s a popular reading in the Rise fandom that Leo is the strategist of his brothers, but I’d like to propose a counter-theory that, while Leo can be strategic, his actual skillset is in deception, manipulation, and perception. In other words, Leo is good at things involving people.

(Hey, uh, this is pretty long)

In the show, Leo shows a preference to following others’ leads rather than strategize himself. In One Man’s Junk, Leo is the only brother that doesn’t actually think up a plan to find more mystic metal, instead picking sides on who’s plan he thinks is better. This is seen again in Late Fee, where Raph and Donnie being the ones who formulate a plan to return the DVD. Again, in the season 2 finale, E-Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (god that is long), Leo doesn’t come up with a plan to defeat the Shredder, he instead made everyone turn to Raph for one [2:15]. This all follows a pattern that Leo admits in Battle Nexus: New York, "And we'll do it with our special brand of teamwork: where my brothers do the work but we share equal credit" [1:10]. He’s very lazy (I mean this affectionately), and prefers to follow someone else’s lead. The final nail in the coffin is the movie, where Leo is very distinctly not the one who comes up with the plan to lock away the Kraang. While admittedly that moment is from him learning to build others up rather than try to do everything himself, Leo is clearly characterized to not tend to strategize.

However, there are episodes where he does plan. A notable example being Many Unhappy Returns, where Leo planned ahead around Big Mama to trick her into giving them the mystic collar. Another is The Hidden City Job, where Leo pretended to be a statue to get into Big Mama’s vault in her auction. There’s also Origami Tsunami, where Leo briefly took the leader position, and planned the fake paper shop to catch the paper thieves. Smaller examples include, Man Vs Sewer (two attempts of snapping Raph out of his savage state), Bug Busters (freeing his brothers), and the movie (teleporting Kraang Prime into the portal). However, one commonality in all those schemes is that they’re all deceptions (okay, except for Man Vs Sewer but I have a whole other reason for that). In Many Unhappy Returns, Leo isn’t so much as being strategic but manipulative, understanding who Big Mama is, foreseeing that she’ll shove him in the arena with his dad, and planning around that by appearing stupid. He tricked her into cutting a deal in his favor (allowing him to have a weapon in the arena [17:25]). In The Hidden City Job, Leo’s plan is basically tricking Big Mama again, pretending to be something valuable enough to belong in her vault (almost worked too well there). Origami Tsunami, Leo surmised that the bad guys would want more paper and created the fake paper store. All of those plans involved tricking the opponent based on what Leo understood of them, and they worked. Of course, planning moves around an opponent could be qualified as strategic, but these events highlighted Leo’s skill in reading and manipulating others, not as a tactician.

Again, I’m not saying Leo can’t be strategic. In Flushed But Never Forgotten, Leo’s plan to fighting Piebald is to camouflage himself with sewer sludge (gross). That’s strategic. In Bug Busters, Leo distracting the guards with an empty laundry bin to trip them into a portal he created behind them is strategic. Leo’s whole stunt with Kraang Prime and teleporting them both into the portal was sick as shit, and strategic. Hell, his whole power with the teleporting/portals requires Leo to think tactically. But, in comparison with his brothers, particularly Raph, Leo doesn’t seem that much better than them at strategizing.

What Leo is characterized to be, is manipulative. Two main examples are Air Turtle and the infamous Lair Games, where, in both, poor Donnie gets tricked by Leo to do something for Leo’s benefit. In both stunts, the emphasis was put on to Leo’s deceptive nature. In the Lair Games, Leo intentionally put his room up as a prize with the knowledge that his brothers wanted to take something important away from him, hiding the fact that that was exactly what he wanted [12:45]. In Air Turtle, he lied to Donnie’s face that he could make the last shot in order to get his own opening/spotlight [10:16, and 11:14]. Unlike with strategizing, these events are made out to be points of distinction for Leo. He’s also shown to be extremely perceptive, as @/our-happygirl500-fan user pointed out in their post of him realizing Splinter had some history with Big Mama. And being the only one to suspect Raph throwing his fight with Donnie in Sparring Partner [9:54]. This all lines up with Leo's role as a faceman, somebody who's good with people. Combined with his performance in Many Unhappy Returns, Leo is shown to be someone extremely skilled in deception, and reading others.

Tldr, I think Raph is the strategist of the group, closely followed by Donnie. And Leo’s actual strength lies in his ability with people, his perception and manipulation. He’s not a strategist, but a trickster. A lying liar who lies (I love him).

Of course, I could be extremely wrong so I would love any input or commentary, especially regarding Leo's strategist status, because I could be glaringly missing something. Thanks.

[our-happygirl500-fan]

I’ve seen some people say that Leo is less altruistic than his brothers because he was reluctant to go along with the plan of doing good deeds around New York in the episode Mutant Menace

Leo: Any votes for staying home during the anti-mutant panic? No?

Leo: I knew being nice to people would get us in trouble

But the thing is that the reason Leo was reluctant to go along with the plan of doing good deeds around New York is because there was already a risk of them being exposed to New York & Leo didn’t want to increase that risk.

However when it’s not directly putting his family in danger Leo actually does think about the safety & wellbeing of strangers quite often even more than most sometimes.

Raph: Alright you incredibly, unusually buff book worm! Give us the little guy and you’ll walk out of here with your horns still attached

Leo: Shouldn’t we also stop him from creating crab men?

Leo: I say we revise Raph’s plan to make sure this guy doesn’t get mutated

Leo: Hey April, cool if you don’t, but do you still have that Orb with all the people of New York in it?

Leo has expressed concern for the wellbeing of strangers throughout the series, when April & the Turtles first encountered Draxum in the first episode all they wanted was to get Mayhem back it was Leo who said that they should stop Draxum from mutating people & Leo actively tries to stop the soon to be Bull Hop from getting mutated in Bug Busters.

In the episode Anatawa Hitorijanai, Leo is the one that expresses concern over the fate of the people of New York even though the family already has a lot to deal with, with the Shredder.

Rise Leo is just as much of a hero as past iterations of Leonardo have been, he’s constantly thinking about the well being of others even if those people are strangers it’s just that the episode Mutant Menace showed that he’s more of a pragmatist than an idealist.

[separatedleoau]

@blinday

it does happen!

I just don't want to talk a lot about it yet because Important Things ™️ happen, most of this au is just the turtles and April interacting and doing silly things with a few episodes of the show working for plot, Bug Busters is one of those

The boys already hold Draxum under a bad light, they don't like him even when One is constanlty talking wonders about his boss. So, Raph seeing him throw One off the roof leave him disapointed and very much surprised because that's Draxum's Number One and he is just thosing him around.

About One realizinig that....

let's just say that One thinks everything Draxum does is for a good reason, he doesn't think is bad when Draxum pushes him to his limits while training, or that the whole seed situation wasn't just impulse fueled by anger and disapointment

If Draxum threw him, he surely knew One would be able to survive, he wouldn't just throw him off like that if he didn't, and if One couldn't think of a way of saving himiself that's on him, not on Draxum.