#he decides not to make the turtles his warriors because they're his KIDS

[lizzylucky]

Draxum hadn't accounted for the fact that when he gave four hatchling turtles the DNA of a human being in order to give them greater intelligence, he would effectively be making himself a surrogate father to actual children, with wildly different needs.

When he sent his gargoyles to obtain a sample of DNA from Big Mama's prized warrior, the intention was to create his own. They were to be the prototypes for an army of simple creatures with just enough heightened intelligence to learn combat and follow commands, that he might defend Yokai kind with.

Instead, he quickly discovered the integration of human DNA had been a little over successful in allowing his test subjects to learn and think and feel in a civilized manner, going so far as to override some of their natural instincts as turtles that would otherwise allow them to learn to care for themselves. He had to feed them, by hand, with bottles.

Like infants.

They were easily distraught by unfamiliar things, and quickly became dependent on Draxum in every sense of the word. They babbled, they cried, they explored things with their hands, their tails, their mouths.

It was an unplanned adjustment needed to be made, but no matter. If anything, learning to understand the new hybrid emotions of these turtles would allow Draxum greater advantages when they grew enough to safely learn combat. Preferences, likes and dislikes, needs, diet, and so on, all became more complex areas of study.

Even a couple years in, he found himself continually surprised. Brain scans had shown that the turtles were more intelligent, still, than anticipated. They, truly, seemed more human in mind and function than anything else, with only some base instincts and behaviors left to influence their personalities. They retained many reptilian traits, but overall had the bipedal anatomy and function of humans and some Yokai. It had been an infuriating discovery at first, but Draxum had to admit that over time he became fond of it.

Each turtle had developed his own personality. The eldest, for example, had a love of plush toys, and showed a fierce protective instinct over the others. The youngest, Draxum had learned, was contrastedly reckless and excitable, not nearly so reserved or gentle as the first. Additionally, he was, decidedly, to be kept away from any and every writing utensil unless under strict supervision (unfortunately, this was learned a little too late, as was evidenced by the clear markings left in several work benches). Then, of course, were the slider and the softshell, who had the most bizarre relationship. They were constantly fighting with each other, but utterly inseparable, and each showed an incredible and unique curiosity, constantly exploring and watching and studying, with concentration filling their eyes in ways Draxum had never seen in other children so young.

Embarrassingly, it took another couple years before Draxum realized he couldn't simply refer to them by their species' names. It certainly was effective, but they were not the mild, simple creatures he had once expected them to be, and he knew that they never would.

Now, they were vocal, playful, inquisitive... energetic. By the gods, were they energetic. They never stopped moving, never stopped talking, never stopped eating, never stopped wanting or needing.

...This is why Draxum never had children of his own. It took all the time and energy he had to spare, and then some. Although it would be a lie to say he wished they were any other way.

They had so much capacity to learn, and with their emotional propensity could one day come to understand exactly why Draxum was doing this, which he knew would be an edge in their combative styles.

As he introduced them, slowly, to more of the world's culture and knowledge, he felt, in a new way, that their very existences were revolutionary. A perfect, synergistic unity between two entirely different families of genetic material, with numerous enhanced abilities. And they were children. They maintained all the properties of regular children, but had so much more in store! Such grand destinies! They would be, inarguably, the greatest warriors of their time when they were grown. They would be the compassionate, skillful heroes of all Yokai, the first of a new generation of super mutants, and the key to overcoming the evils of the humans who had overtaken the surface and posed such threat to all who lived below.

It was with great reluctance that he allowed himself to accept, however, that not all of mankind was evil. There were many forms of art, beautiful in different ways, there were some rare people filled with kindness, inventions that utilized resources in ways Yokai kind had never thought to. Perhaps he had been a little stubborn in his ways, a bias cementing over time that blinded him to some of the beauty that did yet exist in such a species.

Make no mistake, humans were a threat. Innocent families lived in fear, in hiding, of the governments and ruthless sciences designed to invade, to blaspheme the name of knowledge, with no regard for the safety of this people.

Draxum could live with being an outlaw to the Yokai if his experiments would lead to their salvation. He may be their villain in today's papers, but in history books he would be a hero.

Still, he wished to amend some of his practices. Even if only to his turtles, he would be known for his ability to change and understand. He would be fair, and he would be truthful.

And so it was that he told the turtles the nature of their existence. Perhaps he muted some of the details, to protect their minds until they had more understanding, but he would not lie to them about their DNA. He told them of Lou Jitsu, and their human genetics, and he begrudgingly allowed them access to the culture of the humans. He would let them choose their interests unbiased.

In the process, he came to know of some of the revolutionaries of human history. Though he wasn't particularly inclined to believe there were no evils involved, he was intrigued by the strange moral code that the humans boasted from their different time periods. The turtles, as well, were fascinated by the stories of war heroes and generals, seamstresses and inventors, artists and royalty.

Initially, when it came time to redesignate his turtles, Draxum had been inclined toward the names of those whose legacies persisted in the humans' culture even today- perhaps a president for the slider, a scientist for the softshell, a great general for the snapper, and an artist for the young box turtle. It seemed, somehow, clandestinely right; carefully considered to exemplify each of their personalities.

And although he had begun to get used to the possibility of names like "Monroe" and "Edison", his indecision on the matter seemed to be working against him. He was taking too long, and the boys were growing smarter.

It was a day in August, later that year, that he found his two youngest arguing over a Renaissance book, oddly enough. The elder two took to a game of knocking "secret patterns" on each other's carapaces, which he dismissed before he could allow himself the confusion that came with wondering why a five year old would want to knock on a spiked shell for fun.

After breaking up the fight and confiscating the book (which, as it turned out, the youngest only wanted because it had pictures in it, much to the chagrin of the other, who insisted that reading it was much better than just looking at the pictures), Draxum found himself idly flipping through pages of rustic images and rudimentary ideas, developed by people with strange names.

Maybe he was simply too tired to consider it properly, but, feeling defeated in his endeavor, he chose four names at random and assigned them to the young turtles, deciding it had been long enough.

It took a while to get used to, but soon "Raphael", "Leonardo", "Donatello", and "Michaelangelo" truly fit.

Over time, the boys grew... ravenous. They devoured everything- food, information, technique. They were learning quickly everything Draxum taught them. They practiced with Huginn and Muninn, leapt up, around, over, and through everything in the lab, and took special interest in action-filled films.

And Draxum grew fonder. He wasn't entirely surprised, of course; it's natural to develop some sense of sentimentality when caring for anything this long. Even if they had been the simple minded turtles he expected, he knew this was inevitable, to a degree.

What startled him was the sudden sense of fear that came with watching them train. The alarm that made his heart beat harder when one of them fell from somewhere high or any time they ran simple drills with weapons not blunted and made from wood.

He subtly began to intensify their defensive strategies, taught them where they were most vulnerable so they could protect those spots, insisted on perfecting their abilities to parry, block, and dodge before anything else.

And, over time, he found himself training them less often than before, thinking, "I must preserve their innocence and prolong their childhood experiences". After all, it was an essential part of development, was it not? If it were tarnished too much, they might become unwise or unjust as warriors. And, really, Raphael was only 8 years old, and he was the eldest; they were much too young to be exposed to the harshness of what their combative training was really for.

He told himself that, time and time again. He told them that, making certain they understood that their training was not a game. It wasn't untrue, certainly.

Really, he just wasn't ready. He wasn't ready to admit to what extent he cared about them, because it was too much. It was more than he could ever have been prepared for. It was more than that passion to protect Yokai kind ever was, and if he ever realized that, he might become the compromise to his own purposes, to the very reason these turtles exist this way to begin with, and then what? What was he to tell them, why was he to train them, who did they exist for if not the inhabitants of the Hidden City?

No. He couldn't do that. He simply would not allow it, not when so much was at stake.

And yet...

More and more often he desired simply to watch them. He was growing weary with worry, and with that tight feeling that arose in his chest each time one of his boys so much as frowned.

Raphael loved to carry his brothers on his shoulders. And he prided himself on being the big brother, in every way. He liked repeating instructions Draxum gave to the others, and tended to play caretaker anytime someone was sad, or had a bruised knee. He often played the "bad guy" in their made up games so the younger ones could "win", he was the mediator in big decisions, like what book they should read before bed, and he seemed always ready with an armful of stuffed animals when he wanted to express affection. So strong, incredibly strong, but soft spoken and sweet.

Leonardo adored Raphael. Just as Raphael did Draxum, Leonardo liked to imitate and repeat instructions. He tended to take charge in many of their childish endeavors, and had a propensity for dramatics and heroism, often pretending to rescue his brothers. This seemed to irritate Donatello to no end, unless he was also playing the hero, and often times he was. The two were usually glued to the hip, though Leonardo liked to make a point to tell all his brothers about everything that went on, and would take a movie night with the three of them over a one on one outing with Draxum any day. He was exuberant and joyous, and very driven by the concept of justice.

Donatello, similarly, seemed to care very dearly about maintaining a bond with all three of his brothers, but he was peculiar, often more reserved and enjoying his alone time. That child read and read like he might never get a chance to again, and he absorbed what he read like a sponge. Quite a few times Draxum found him pulling apart whatever he could get his hands on, and though an effort was made, there was no hiding place the boy couldn't discover in his quest for Draxum's tools. In spite of his quizzical, sometimes stoic nature, Donatello was sensitive, and very thoughtful. He would spend hours talking about his books and his ideas- some of which were very clever- and he was expressive in secondary ways- sitting nearer his brothers even without interacting, crafting things out of paper as gifts. Even the little heart-shaped mark on the back of his soft shell seemed a fitting part of him- he wore his heart on his sleeve, so to speak, and didn't even realize it.

And Michaelangelo. There was an innocence and joy and goodness about the smallest turtle that had struck Draxum. Even when he was younger he always wore a smile and liked to see the good side of things. And he idolized his brothers. With him had grown his creative inclinations, filling every colouring book, drawing on every wall, and absolutely plastering the other turtles with stickers. They were a pain to wash off, but Draxum couldn't bring himself to mind it, especially given the elder three always loved their baths. Ironically, it seemed Michealangelo did not, enjoying it only under specific circumstances. Heat, bubble bath, and bath toys had quickly become a necessity. So too did bath crayons, the need to express himself coming through even when bathing. Everything about the ornate box turtle was bright and colourful.

Draxum... loved them. Dearly. Every facet of their personalities and growth. Every unique trait and behavior.

It was terrifying. He couldn't afford to love them. He couldn't afford to see any more goodness in the humanity they showed. He couldn't afford to change his goals right now.

So he continued disregarding the feeling, trying to reason that everything he did for them was to nurture their instincts as warriors, as science experiments, as specimen.

But a pained scream one day, different from any of the ones he heard when they were frightened as infants, when one of them tripped and fell, when a spat led to hitting, sent his heart into his throat and had him racing through doorways with more urgency than he had felt for anything before.

He had demanded an explanation, panic translating to perceived anger, and three of his boys looked up with teary eyes. Three, but Donatello remained curled up on the ground, wailing his little heart out without ever looking up, and it was one of the most heart wrenching, painful sounds Draxum'd ever heard.

Raphael sat not far from the smaller boy, looking over his shoulder seemingly at nothing, at Donatello, then up at Draxum and back again. Both Leonardo and Michaelangelo burst into frantic, panicked explanations, none of their words coherent enough to understand through their tears.

When Raphael stood, exposing red-tipped spikes on his shell and pointing frantically to Donatello's, it didn't take long to figure out well enough what had happened.

It became quickly a very long day. All four turtles were distraught, and though Draxum had more than enough first aid knowledge to address the situation, bile had threatened to rise the very moment he pulled out the suture kit.

The cuts were deep, and jagged. And poor Donatello cried the entire time, even after a numbing agent had been applied.

Draxum had never thought that in depth about Donatello's soft shell. Not like that. He chose a softshell for the experiment because it would provide greater flexibility, greater agility. It gave an advantage that the hard-shelled turtles did not have.

Now, here... The soft carapace, spongy and leathery and bloody...

It was an accident. Of course it was, Draxum never doubted that. He had to assure that none of his boys were in trouble, no one was in trouble, no one had done anything wrong.

But for the first time he had to be honest with himself. For the first time he couldn't deny how much he cared about the turtles. His turtles. His boys.

He wouldn't, either. If this was what it was, if this was something that could happen again because he insisted on making them into warriors, into fighters- if this could happen on purpose, if this could happen worse, if this could happen with malice and hatred in mind...

Draxum wasn't unused to physical affection, by now. All four boys adored hugs, although Donatello was usually more reserved about them. Now, Donatello clung like his life depended on it, sniffling and whimpering, having cried so long he had no more tears. Draxum clung back, idly smoothing over the edges of the bandages, holding the frightened, exhausted turtle to his chest, cradling.

He did so until well after Donatello fell asleep. He couldn't bring himself to put him down. He accompanied the others to bed, assuring them once more that things were alright, and then simply stood in the walkway, holding his boy tightly.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't go through with it. They were children, every bit as innocent and deserving as the Yokai he wished to avenge and protect. He could train them, prepare them to protect themselves, but he could never send them into battle, ask them to put their lives on the line, much less demand it.

How could he?

It took months of processing, of agonizing his way through the healing process with Donatello, of watching the other boys proving their humanity, their curiosity, and their innocence time and time and time again. His mind was constantly at war with itself, his heart constantly in turmoil and distress, worsened by the turtles' confusion at his sudden change in behavior.

What was even worse was that they would.

They would absolutely sacrifice everything they had for his approval, and for what they understood as "right". He could see them, easily, being willing to submit their very lives to a greater cause if he asked it.

But was he "right"? Even if this experiment had gone exactly as planned, was he right for ever considering putting these turtles into the station of a warrior? Even if they had remained turtles in mind, if they never expressed complex emotion, if they could not speak, if they did not have distinct and colourful personalities, would it have been right?

Was what he saw in them now what they would have been at heart, regardless of circumstance?

Or was it the humanity, that he stole from Lou Jitsu?

Perhaps... perhaps it was time to learn. To consider the root of his motivations.

He couldn't do this to them.

How could he?

[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

[thr-333]

Since Leo can portal, does he ever just decide to switch houses? Along that same thread, do the turtles ever just decide they want to stay with a different parent and just leave or do they always just wait for the next kidnapping.

Do the parents enforce strict rules of behavior for the turtles or do they have some freedoms to act how they want?

And cloaking brooches! The boys are probably famous for being Lou Jitsu's sons. And also famous in the Hidden City. They're literally just chilling while people make theories about their lives.

Also when do the boys discover Run of the Mill for the first time? I think Hueso would be a fun dynamic to add in for Leo (if you do the "Tio Hueso" thing a lot of people headcanon)

The boys are all criminals. It's lucky they're famous because they definitely don't follow the law lmao

Leo is the one most likely to dip out(usually on Draxum). Most of the others never feel the need because the turn over rate is so high. But Leo is always willing to smuggle them out if they are missing a particular parent. Mostly they are content to wait for the next kidnapping and enjoy their time with the parent they are with.

Usually when Leo is sick of Draxum he goes to Tio Hueso. When he was younger he used to go right to his Dad but Draxum always came right after him. So he learnt if he wants a break from the goat better to go anywhere else.

Run of the mill is the boys favorited place to hang out. One their Tio is there. Two its a Yokai space in the human world so it's a good middle ground. Three if Draxum or Big Mama's goons show up they can duck into the maze. It has pizza and they have long since memorized the layout.

As for strict rules I want to say Draxum's strict but lets face it; with that design the man's feral. If the kids blow something up he's more likely to reward than punish them. Splinter is his laid back self. So the only actual strict parent is Big Mama.

It's not in a 'behave and be polite way' her kids are hellions and brats which she full encourages. It's more about not screwing her over personally. Which is why Leo tends not to escape via portal when she kidnaps them. He's likely to loose priviliages.

Because something I cannot stress enough is that these kids are RITCH. They have their famous actor dad, which yes the mysterious children and his custody over them is the source of many gossip columns. Then there's Big Mama who has a monopoly over the crime syndicate of the Hidden city(and parts of New York) along with her Nexus and hotel. Draxum is a highly decorated warrior who comes from OLD money, enough to fund his experiments and keep on top of his ever upgrading security to stop Splinter stealing the turtles back.

So not only are they famous but they're rich with poor parental supervision and a shitty home life. They absolutely get in trouble with the law. Everyone thinks Leo is the biggest trouble maker but they're wrong, it's his brothers: Raph has been arrested the most, Donnie is the one who actually deserves to be arrested, Mikey is the one who has committed the most crimes. Its a race for the parents whenever one ends up at a police station to pay bail, that's basically a free kidnapping!

[thatseventiesbitch]

A while ago I found a good deal on some That '70s Show scripts, and I impulsively bought them! See below for a detailed breakdown of what is different between the table read script and what actually aired.

Next up: S2xE22 "Jackie Moves On" (note that it is episode 221 on the script 👀... production order vs airing order). There were a lot of changes/re-writes in this episode! See below for details.

The Production Schedule for the week:

(Just thought this ^ was fascinating!)

First difference: the entire cold open! I wonder why it was re-written. 🧐

In the episode that aired, the cold open starts with Eric and Donna entering the basement together, and the rest of the gang (except Jackie) is already there. They jump into the same conversation about how Jackie isn't doing well, but with different dialogue.

The scenes are extremely similar and end up in the same place - with Fez's ninja warrior fantasy. The Eric/Donna fan in me loves the little moment between them that's written here & wishes it stayed, though! Eric loves the way Donna smells after a bath, *lol*. (This is a continued characterization! He made similar comments to her in That Disco Episode in season 1...)

The next scene, in the Forman kitchen, is slightly different too. Eric and Laurie's banter is different:

And the kids discuss what they will do for dinner that night while Red and Kitty are at Frenchie's. Red's mom's necklace isn't brought up at all in this scene (unlike in the actual episode)! He just mentions breaking out the nice jewelry.

Red & Kitty's next scene, when they head out to dinner, is different. I like Red's little fantasy at the beginning, where he seems to be talking to himself in the mirror and imagining how their evening out will go. 🤣

Hyde and Laurie's next scene is slightly different, too. It's not pictured here, I'm just going to summarize it. Hyde remarks that his dinner of frank and beans was good and hearty, but that Laurie only ate a few bites of toast and some water. They exchange slightly different burns, but it leads to the same moment: Eric coming in and Hyde and Laurie teaming up to burn him.

Next up is Fez's scene in the restaurant with Jackie (also different!). Here are the changed parts:

The next scene (not pictured), with the 4 guys in the basement, is slightly different as well but wasn't noteworthy enough to screenshot. The scene ended up in the same place - Eric inadvertently reveals his childhood summer camp nickname (Dr. Pee Pee) and when Kelso burns him, he reveals Kelso's (Big Chief Brown Bottom). 😆

Red and Kitty's next scene (not pictured) is pretty similar: they're back from dinner but Kitty is upset Red keeps bringing up his mother's necklace (they call it a turtle pendant in this draft of the script). She eventually reveals she pawned it, and she doesn't feel bad because she used it for groceries. Red exits and she immediately tells Eric she actually feels very bad. Eric asks if she had a lot of wine at dinner and she says more than she should've, *lol*.

Jackie and Donna's scene on the front porch is almost identical - including Jackie's fantasy about turning into the blueberry girl from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - until this part:

The next scene is with the guys & Laurie in the basement - again, very similar, but some slight changes. I laughed out loud at a few of these cut lines!

Red & Kitty's last scene (not pictured) is very similar to the final version. Kitty apologizes to him, Red forgives her, and they both discuss how they did what they had to do to make ends meet as a family but that thankfully things are much better now. The scene ends with them deciding to go back to the pawn shop and reclaim their stuff *lol*

The final scene with the gang on the driveway is again different! Jackie shows up and she's back to her normal self, but she doesn't pull Fez aside for their little chat. There's also another cut Eric/Donna moment 😭 And a little Jackie/Hyde/(Kelso) one, methinks 👀

The credits are the same - Eric is napping on the couch and Laurie puts his hand in warm water and says "Sweet dreams, Dr. Pee Pee."

So, in conclusion - almost every scene in this table read draft script was different from what actually aired in the episode. The general spirit of the scene was always the same, but a lot of lines were changed from this script to what ultimately aired. I wonder why that was! And I wonder how that worked, logistically. It appears they did the Table Read on Monday and shot the episode on Friday (some scenes earlier, actually, because of pre-shoots). That's not a lot of time for the cast to re-learn all of their lines! Show biz, baby.

Stay tuned for more That '70s Show original script reviews with me, your host, @thatseventiesbitch 😀

Other Scripts I've Posted:

S2xE20 "Kiss of Death" S2xE26 "Moon Over Point Place" S5xE21 "Trampled Under Foot" S7xE8 "Angie"

[tblsomedoodles]

Now I'm jaut thinking about how, when Mama first comes to the Resistance, the first thing the boys do is hug her tightly and they're just so happy! Presumably they'd have lost their father already and had thought they'd be separated from their mother either by the HC lockdown or that she'd have died when the news came about the HC falling.

Than they'd get news of some survivors that were wandering the ruins and decide to send a scouting party to lead them back to the Vault. They aren't really expecting Mama to be with them, not at all, but they deserve the chance. That int to say they aren't wary, Donnie recently got kidnapped and had his secondaries and spider limbs chopped off by a group of ppl trying to learn the location of the Vault and use it for nefarious purposes. They'll let the yokai in, but only after vetting them carefully to ensure they aren't threats.

On Mama's end, she's lost everything, her hotel, her kids were presumed dead long ago, she is just in this state of shock. She's pushing herself, though, a the most powerful yokai around and closest thing to a leader they have left she has to for the sake of the survivors she's looking after so the days after the city fell go by in a sort of blur where she's jsut focused on making sure everyone else is okay and not on her own grief. Then a mutant, probably Tom because everyone loves Tom, appears and tells them he's there to lead them to the Vault. The name rings a bell with her. She remembers that her dear sweet Donatello had wanted to create soem sort of tunnel to a bunker he called the Vault but never got the chance to before the world imploded on itself. Could... could it be? She takes a chance, let's Tom lead her.

Tom doesn't lead then directly to the Vault but rather just to one of the outposts they have that link to it, they ont want to just bring a bunch of strangers in. Leo, still ever the charmer and tactician is going to meet them here to negotiate with them. Of course, Tom doesn't say it's Leo but rather the leader of the Resistance, so Mama is prepping herself to face an unknown, larger than life symbol to the people around them. She's heard rumors of there being a Resistance, has seen the way the members of the outposts talk about their leaders, although they make a point of not mentioning any names. They've learned that lesson when Donnie got captured. Still, it's enough for Mama to expect to have to pull out all the stops only to backpedal when she learns they've arrived.

Leo doesn't teleport in, but rather uses an underground tunnel system to go to the outpost. It spits him out maybe a couple miles from the outpost. This is intentional, he doesn't want to just jump into an unknown situation and doesn't want to lead them to the main Vault and the longer they're at the outpost the more they interact with the people there, and thr better of an idea of their character Leo will get when he gets a briefing from the people there before meeting the leader of the survivors.

When he does arrive, he takes some time to brief with the scouts and then goes to the office he has set aside here at the outpost to prep for his meeting.

Now, the Reaistance members, they very much see the Turtles up on a very high pedestal. They're the best of the best, the strongest of the warriors, the cleverest of tacticians, the most brilliant of investors, and most magical of mystic warriors. They ARE larger than life figures because they are their leaders and have proven time and time again that despite their relatively young age, they are more than capable. But they don't know Mama is their mother.

As Mama is led into the office, she is met with a large, intimidating figure that has his back turned to her as he goes over some scrolls and papers that were left for him, general reports and such of the outpost and supply requests he Ned's to sign off on. What takes her breath away isn't the intimidating figure but rather the shell on his back. It's cracked and so much older, but she would recognize that shell anywhere. After all, only one person has a shell with blue markings like that,

"Leonardo?"

The figure stiffens a bit, surprised. Slowly he turns to face her, eyes wide in disbelief, taking in her face for a good moment before replying in a choice so soft,

"..Mom?"

The two guards glance at each other in surprise.

This is so cool! B/c the resistance would be very protective of their base, especially after Donnie's mess with the raiders. and anyone that didn't know the boys before the invasion (and even some that did,) probably didn't realize Mama was their mom. So them bringing the leader of a surviving yokai group to meet their Resistance leader, wasn't that big of a deal for them. It was buisness as usual. Until it turned out to be the leaders' mom and became a reunion instead.

This was great! I loved it!

Thank you!

[skelebab]

*bats my eyes at you cutely*

My rise sep au :D

A break down of each of the bois

Champion (Leo)

- he was found by big mama and raised to be a battle nexus champion

- very showy and confident (at least outwardly) and has the combat skills to back it up

-lou jitsu's number one fan

- used to duel wield, but no longer can due to an injury he got in one of his earlier fights

I knew immediately what I wanted to do with him cuz I wanted to play with him wanting to be his brother's champion in the show (like in the maze ep)

Mystic Warrior of The Sun (Sunny (Mikey))

- ended up in witch town

- started using his mystic powers at a young age and quickly became a master

- took out those monster dudes as a child, and so the citizens treat him like a hero (more like a deity tbh)

- decided they should keep the friendship celebration around though, because he liked it, but instead of there being a spell they just make a really big pot of soup

- uses Dr. Delicate Touch and Dr. Feelings to help deal with people's day to day problems

- can sense the other turtles' existences, but has faith that they'll find their way to him one day

- really wishes that people would stop insisting on calling him by his full title

-draws on his pants

I just really wanted Mikey to be in witch town and also wanted him to overtake it (like in the mystic library's kid section)

Purple (Donnie)

- lives with splinter

- April is his best (and only) friend

- has more robot kids (made metal head as a little kid to keep him company, SHELLDON as a preteen to help around the lair, and Iris as a teen to help with his plants)

- has a lot of plants

- makes clothes (most of April's closet is Genius Built (tm) apparel)

-wears a hoodie over his battle shell at all times (battle shell is more for equipment and not protection)

I liked the idea of Donnie being almost the same, but all his machines work and he has separation anxiety. That's p much it

Soldier (Raph)

- the one turtle Draxum didn't lose

- bigger and stronger because he's been training to be the perfect soldier all his life (and Draxum has def done some experiments on him)

- calls Draxum "boss" because of hugin and munin

- still secretly loves soft things

- was raised to hate humans

I saw Raph being a big bulky intimidating guy who can and might crack a skull but who still loves stuffies and is a softy at heart and said "bet"

More arts :)

They're silly together

Soldier really tries to get Champ to like him, but it's hard when the slider is the way he is

Tumblr isn't letting me add anymore pics, so I'll put the last few in a separate post! :)