#i love how donnie is my favorite in rise but in 2012 every second he’s on screen is a second i am annoyed with him

[torturedblue]

It’s the middle of the week, have some dancing turtles

Spoilers below as I gush about my Mutant Mayhem Monday experience 🤗 please feel free to gush with me I wanna hear other people’s thoughts too!

First off… When Seth wanted to put the teenager in TMNT he meant it. Like, all the versions act like teenagers, but like Nickelodeon PG stereotypical teens. MM turtles were the realest PG-13 outta pocket 21st century teenagers I’ve ever seen and I love that shit because it’s the first time I actually felt like I was around the kids in middle school and high school again with the way they talk. Kinda appreciate Superfly cussing too? Like idk it’s Ice Cube and this villain goes hard tryna kill some teenage turtles he formally saw as his lil cousins, let the grown mutant cuss

Also uh, was not expecting to be sad so early in the movie? Like I could tell from the trailers it was gon be an emotional rollercoaster but shit like ten minutes in and these turtles are fuckin depressed. And to see it really hit me because in every other version (except for Bayverse) the turtles literally never let not being part of the human world get to them. In the shows especially they’re so well adjusted and never bothered by sticking to the shadows. Then there’s Rise where they pretty much go out whenever they want and indulge in most of the human world stuff they want to. For these guys to be so stunted and desperate to have more freedom was so heart wrenching. Especially when Splinter grounds them for a whole month and the reality sinks in of how much they know the life they want isn’t an option for them

Wasn’t expecting any kind of ship or romance but that crush Leo has on April hit me like truck because…… holy crap the Leo-April pair has never been a thing? On top of that this is only the second on screen black April we’ve seen and I’ve been a Leo kinnie across the board since day one so to see this combo of my favorite character liking a black girl is making me lose my mind 🥲 and like it got me thinking of several of my favorite shows and the single characters I kin in those and if they’ve ever had black love interests and it’s just still not a common normalized thing honestly.

I’m sure a lot of people aren’t excited for the prospect of ships coming back (especially after 2012 scarred us) but as a Leo lover and black girl it got me so excited to see something like this. I’m just hopeful and optimistic they won’t mess it up like a lot of shows do. The “this is just as friends line” already makes me a little worried bc that trope never has a good history but I have faith they’ll handle things tastefully and not make it toxic or messy

MURDER THE SHREKS!

“I assume you’d wanna be on camera. ‘Cause you have, like a very camera ready look…” OKAY SMOOOOOTH LEONARDOOOOOO 👏🏽

Could not stop laughing while he was shooting his shot my face was literally donnie’s restraining myself from bursting out laughing

Just a couple of my favorite questions that April wrote down for them:

“Do you carry salmonella?” Look I still don’t know wtf salmonella is but it’s the second time a TMNT iteration has joked about it so I’m starting to think it has something specifically to do with turtles 👀

“Have you caught covid?” Oml covid exists in this world

“Are you the source of covid?” OUT OF LINE 💀

“How many people has the red bandana turtle stabbed? Does he need therapy?” Yes.

“Does sunlight cause you to burst into flames?” They’re- they’re not vampires? 😂

Leon Ardo deserves the world and whatever he wants in it give him everything 😭

I will never understand what made Donnie laugh so hard at the name Nardo other than it being because it’s his sibling and that it bothers Leo lmao

All imma say about the puke scene is that I’m glad I heard an “out of context” spoiler about it bc I knew exactly when to look away and I’m glad I did bc the scene lasted for so long??? 😀❓But hey at least I had Unwritten to listen too while I was sparing my eyes 😂

The sequence of them going around and shaking down those gangs and Superfly’s connections. BAD. ASS. And each of them got their own moments to shine? Loved it. Like they each even got to take point and have their moments where they got to kick in the door lol. And the fight scenes were just, muah. Chef’s kiss, they all looked amazing taking grown ass adults down together

Okay Splinter definitely gets the best dad award for putting together that little surprise party, with all the celebrity Chris’s and pretending to wait on them 🥺 so pure. It did make me sad the guys immediately left and you can just see such a sad dejected look on Splinter’s face, knowing he can’t provide what his kids really want or make them happy enough without it 🥲 At the very least they say thanks and that they appreciate but I would’ve at least stayed for a lil bit and gone along with it, Splinter just looked so excited about it and it was so sweet 😭

And he doesn’t even get upset though he knows they’re hiding something, he just says he’ll help them if they’ve gotten into trouble, which is something I’m sure almost every kid has wanted instead of having the kind of relationship where they’re more scared of telling their parents they messed up instead of handling it on their own

I love how musical Superfly’s family is 😂 Ray Filet just starts sing-introducing his name and Mondo and the other couple mutants when they drive with in the car trying to find music they could all sing to together 🥹 not to mention the musical references Superfly makes later that I’ll get to. “Kinda don’t wanna murder everyone on Earth, I just kinda wanna sing” Me too bruh.

Raph immediately going “goochi goochi goo” and playing peekaboo with Genghis frog is so underrated that boy has such a soft side he’s not even that afraid of showing at times, and maybe it’s continuing the trope of Raph having a soft spot for pets/animals? Who knows 😌

Yo I was kinda shook when that government guy knocked Leo out and he just fell unconscious on the ground 😶 Like we’re used to seeing the authorities be brutal especially in movies like this but that’s a whole teenager? You just assaulted a minor? 🙂 Crazy

Also I know it’s sad they got captured and drained painfully but Mikey in that scene was hilarious 😂 like even the way he was dramatically crying and Leo was just started to cry with him like “iM sO sOrRy mIkEeEeEy! 😭” gold. When one of his children is hurting Leo hurts too. One of my favorite moments 🤣

They literally started singing BTS while being tortured they’re so unserious but like in a serious way to them and I love it. Also the fact that they did it just to make Donnie feel better? So pure. Like Raph of all turtles offered to sing while being drained of blood (bc I refuse to use the m word 💀)

The way Splinter snuck in and soloed literal government soldiers single handedly? Badass. Never loved seeing a Splinter save his sons so much 🥹

“But it’s the only way we’ll be accepted.”

“No! We accept you!”

“You can come live with us! We accept you!”

“WE VIBE!”

Oml they’re so puuuuure 😭 I really thought this was gonna be a moment where the guys invite them all to come live with them and Splinter was gonna be like ‘aha 😬 whoa slow down there’ but damn nah he was just as enthusiastic as them inviting all those mutants to come live in their home forever “The more the merrier!” Like ugh he just loves finding family like Baxter Stockman and we see where the guys got their loving nature from 🥹

The amount of his soul Mikey put into that BROSEEEPH was so real like I’ve never heard the name broseph be said in any other way, I’m so glad they put that moment in there

“New York, New York!” “I’m the king of New York!”

Oml superfly’s a Broadway baby 🤗 he’s a big bad villain marching through time square and talking about King Kong but he’s fill gonna nerd out and make his musical theatre references 😂

“For once in your life you didn’t sound lame. You actually started to sound like a leader”

“That was really heartfelt Raph”

I love the Leo Raph dynamic in this movie. Like they don’t always agree or understand each other but they will show love towards one another and show mutual appreciation

Something about any of the turtles shells cracking always gets to me for some reason like those are some serious permanent injuries so I want to see if they do anything special with that in the sequel or show maybe 🤔 And I couldn’t tell if all of theirs cracked or just one, and if so which turtle it was. I think Leo or Raph. I feel like it was Leo but Raph’s are also starting to have a trend of getting cracks in their shells so 🤷🏽‍♀️

Also I do not want to judge what other people like to wear but why are Raph and Donnie the only normal dressed ones 😭 like Mikey looks like he’s going on vacation and Leo looks like he’s going to clock in at Best Buy 😂 tell me it’s because they have limited resources for clothes lmao. HE’S LITERALLY WEARING A LANYARD

Them taking off the masks was crazy honestly… like them deciding not to wear them made my brain pause until I realize they’re kids going to school now and not being ninjas all the time… they don’t need them anymore. I’m just so pleased with the fact that this movie was willing to do what all other iterations weren’t. I see why they’re getting a sequel and show already, these guys and the plot development deserve so much more exploration

Maybe I missed something in the beginning but I’m wondering where Stockman went. Like is he still in custody? Did he die? Because not seeing him again that’s what I assumed but we only saw him get arrested or whatever, so if anything I don’t get why Superfly and the others wouldn’t try to break him out 🤔 I was surprised they didn’t make him a villain though, but I’m pretty happy about him getting to be a more optimistic kind character tho

SHREDDER HAD ME SHOOK LIKE THE ARMOR ALREADY LOOKED SO COOL AND I WAS NOT EXPECTING THEM TO GET THE BIG BAD INVOLVED AHHHH I’M SO READY TO SEE THEM REACT TO THIS ANGRY GIANT TIN CAN

Although I do wonder if Shredder’s gonna have some personal gripe with them since they have a different backstory he doesn’t seem to be a part of. And shit now that they’re public and in school it’s gonna be so much easier for him to go after them 😅 pluses and minuses…

The soundtrack: golden. Cultured. Nothing but range. Goes from a 90’s rap song to Natasha Bedingfield’s soulful 2000’s song. Most movies only ever have all pop mainstream songs or only rap songs because they think they can’t mix but MM does it effortlessly. The turtles are so versatile not just with music genres but they make old and new references ‘cause they’re well rounded kings 💪🏽 Between rizz, Adele, broski, Hey Arnold, K-Pop, Ferris Bueller, etc… I mean Donnie’s literally doing the sprinkler and the funky chicken in that gif up top 😂 they’re born in 2008 I doubt any kids today know about those dances anymore

Clearly I have all the thoughts and feelings about these boys and the movie, but I think this is probably my favorite TMNT movie? I’ve loved all of them but I think this one definitely brings me the most comfort fr

[tending-the-hearth]

ALRIGHT BESTIES BUCKLE UP FOR MY MUTANT MAYHEM COMMENTARY

i will kick this off by saying that Mutant Mayhem is quite honestly one of my favorite iterations of the turtles EVER, second only to the 2012 versions.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR MUTANT MAYHEM (duh lmao)

the theme of having a family and a place to belong was established from the VERY beginning of the movie, so yeah, heartbreaking start lmao

Baxter's devotion to his children was just 😭😭

literally the best version of Splinter EVER i will not hear any arguments

I'd lay down my life for these boys in a heartbeat

the way Leo gets teased is SO perfectly how siblings tease each other, the little mocking tones and gestures is literally how my siblings and i act with each other

no bc Splinter having a history of being rejected by those around him and the boys being all he has and the one time he tries to go into a new environment it goes terribly and that's what leads him to never wanting the boys to leave 😭

but of course it's also SUCH a valid explanation for how he behaves like ofc he's going to try to keep his sons safe!!

the boys are so silly goofy kiddos i love them

"i dream of violence every night" "i think you have a problem" RAPH I LOVE YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART

their excitement over the fight in the bike shop was so!!!! they're finally being heroes

Leo's little crush on April is literally the cutest thing wtf

the "bacon egg and cheese" moment was 100% some inside joke between the turtles' VAs, it was so random that it couldn't be anything else lmao

BUT i'm not complaining because that added so much to the boys!!

i love April, she's so realistically hesitant about the turtles, but also realizes that they can help with Superfly

also she has a list of questions she wants to ask the turtles, and one of the questions was "how many people has the red-banded turtle killed? does he need therapy?" and i cackled

the montage of them finding the different bosses!!!! and each turtle getting his own moment!!!

"why did you punch him, he told us everything!!!" Raph was in a silly goofy mood <3

Mondo has no thoughts. No brain.

The way the other mutants immediately started treating the boys like little brothers?????? my heart????

Bebop and Rocksteady being twins is my favorite thing

Mondo being truly heartbroken by the boys kicking him out of the van, he was so sad

Wingnut just trying to look out for her little brothers!!

THEY GOT FUCKING MILKED

Splinter literally not caring about anything else he just wants his boys safe!!

The other mutants turning against Superfly because they don't want to hurt the humans, they just want to be family!

Splinter realizing his mistake in sheltering his boys so much, and helping them destroy the device!!! growth!!!

His speech to the boys about how even if he doesn't like humans, the boys do, and he wants them to be able to be happy, so if helping the humans makes them happy, then he'll do everything he can to make sure that happens 😭😭😭

THE SHOT OF THEM ALL WALKING TOWARDS THE CITY AND APRIL THROWING RAPH THE ANTI-MUTAGEN GUN??? HELLO???

okay but the moment where all the news channels are reporting about the boys and their team being monsters, and it's just spinning around the boys as they realize they might never be accepted broke my heart

Leo stepping up as leader and recognizing his brothers' skills my beloved

WE GOT A SLO-MO COWABUNGA LINE

Splinter flashing between when he brought the boys to the surface for the first time and the humans chasing them away vs. the humans approaching him with concern and helping him to his feet 😭😭

THE HUMANS TEAMING UP TOGETHER WITH THE MUTANTS TO GET THE CARTRIDGE TO THE BOYS I'M FUCKING SOBBING

The mutants living together, they're a family your honor 😌

MIKEY LEAVING BEHIND HIS MASK

They got to go to school!!!!

and each of them finding their own group outside of their brothers!!

Donnie with his computer friends!

Mikey joining improve!!

Raph joining wrestling!!

April and Leo looking into TCRI!! Leopril truthers rise up!!

And the final mid-credits scene leading into the TV show with the hint towards TCRI still kicking AND AND AND

THE SHREDDER TEASE AT THE END??? HOLY SHIT??? HE LOOKS SO COOL???

There were also so many little background things that made me emotional, like the LGBTQIA+ flyers on the school poster board, the trans flag pinned next to the flyers, the little scribbles on the lockers and April's helmet, the details were just so so perfect. there honestly wasn't a single thing i didn't love about the movie!!!

GO SEE IT WHEN YOU CAN

[languajix]

21 and 23 <3

Thank you, Belle! :D

22.) What is your favorite kind of pizza?

I like barbecue or BLT pizza. Tomato sauce is okay but if you can substitute it for other things then the pizza truly rocks. Like peanut sauce; I love a good peanut sauce pizza.

23.) What is one of your favorite TMNT fics?

Okay I'm. I can't pick "one" why is that word even there it's too difficult. So NOPE YOU GET MANY

Ghost in the Shell by Amevello Blue - I love it so much I can't even quantify, it hurts my heart and it is slowly starting to heal it but we're not quite there yet and I am so excited to get there. The journey is long but so worth it. 2k3/Rise crossover proposing "what if SAINW Donny disappeared into the Rise dimension?"

I Get Knocked Down by Justalittleobsessed, perchance you've heard of it, great angst, great character development, I love characters with secrets and I love the painful reveal and I love characters that *heal*

The New York Conspiracy Corner by blueh - a really really good social media fic set in Rise

Skin by Halogalopaghost - A 2k3 Raph who realizes how different he is from his brothers as he starts laying eggs, and the feelings involved in grappling with that reality.

Shrunkified Raph and the Aftermath by 6monthsfromnever is a 2k12 Raph fic where he gets (temporarily) de-aged and the emotions and interactions in it are so good (it's a series but I'm putting it in this list of fics because I love every fic in it)

Where in the World is Neon Leon? by 316_frogs - A Rise fic where Leo learns how to use his portals the hard way, and ends up traveling a lot and getting into a lot of Situations

I'll Be There when the Light Comes In by taizi - another series but I don't care, each one of these crossover fics brings me so much joy. They are just so warm. 2k3, 2012, Rise crossovers.

The Day The World Broke by saladmix - a really good horror story, and I say that as someone who does not like horror. Their own iteration of ninja turtles get plunged into a horror scenario, but various more familiar versions come to their rescue as they track down the source to fix their world.

On Earth 4218 by Astronomy_Nerd - a Rise/Spider-Verse crossover AU by my mutual Astro, a Shellshocked fic in a universe where Miles is the Prowler and the turtles were raised by Draxum! The worldbuilding/history is so cool and I love the Miles/Mikey dynamic and the secret identity plot.

A Tale of Two Spirits by unorthodoxx - a very long very good (on hiatus) crossover between Avatar The Last Airbender and Rise, and it's the reason I got back into the ninja turtles recently. I read it and was so intrigued by the Rise turtles' characterizations that I decided to read some more fic, and here we are.

First Encounters by Cadoodledoodleydoo - a Rise story about some of her cool OCs with some really cool art!

And One to Grow On by Zelgadis55 - a 2k3/2k12 crossover in which the Michelangelos get switched and it's sad and it's good

Second Shot by twignotstick - a really cool iteration and I can't wait to see where it goes because the story is so good and there are a lot of really interesting twists!! And it's really well written

And there's, of course, another one you might have heard of, it's called cuz there's a spark in you (no literally-) and it's by this very creative person who I appreciate a lot, it's a Rise AU where Mikey is possessed by the spirit in his kusari fundo and I can't wait to see where it goes

[slady-ao3]

Let’s hear your top favorite Leo and Raph moments it can be for any iteration. Let’s make challenging one from each iteration lol then we can do some sweet Donnie x mikey moments XD

Top favorite Leo and Raph moments from each iteration? Gotcha!

(Maybe not 'top' per se, but I'll mention some significant ones.)

'87: (Disclaimer- I need to watch the entire series, so this is limited.)

Off the top of my head, I'd say it's S2E1 when Raphael called Leonardo "Fearless Leader" for the first time. Technically, Michelangelo referred to him as "o fearless leader" first but Raphael kept it going so this set a precedent. This same episode is when Leo starts dealing with the seriousness of responsibility.

90s: Leo's vigil over Raph during his coma and the moment he woke up. Leo is anxious and Raph is calm, seeing them balance each other even with their usual temperament was touching.

2k3: I've only watched the series fully once and there are so many good moments of connectivity, but a powerful time was during Leo's PTSD arc in Season 4. Everyone in the family were stressed out because the calm one wasn't at peace, but none more than Raph. There were so many comments from others about how Leo was acting like Raph, to the point Raph finally tried to "have words about this attitude" of Leo acting like Raph. (So similar to my 90s moment of the two balancing each other by alternating their normal personalities.)

2007: As much as I and most everyone else were like, "what the heck was THAT?" about the rooftop fight, my top moment was Raph rescuing Leo. When Raph handed him the set of swords saying he will need these only for Leo to turn to him and reply that he needs him too... again, similar to my 90s moment of the two when Leo was telling Raph how he needs him.

2012: So many good moments here, from the little hand thing they do in S1E4 during the whole A-team vs B-team episode to all the times Raph apologizes to Leo... but my top is when they flipped my favorite 90s moment (hmm starting to think this was a pivotal scene for me). Like when I say I was just absolutely ecstatic at the throwback... I was absolutely ecstatic! Since they condensed three months into less than three minutes, reading fanfics on insight into that time is one of my favorite tropes.

2014/2016 (Bay): Two moments tie. One, when Raph threatens one day he will leave and Leo has to reassure the younger two that he isn't going anywhere and just glares at him- it makes me laugh. Second, when Raph finds all three of them in the lab and only calls out to Leo- it makes me smile.

2018/Rise: During the movie, Leo's apology to Raph. During the series, is much harder because they have so many cute moments so here's my top three:

3) Leo calling Raph 'Big Daddy' during "Clothes Don't Make the Turtle" - it literally made my jaw drop.

2) Leo saying he's been on "Team Raph" this whole time and Raph smiles giving him a fist bump replying, "My turtle! Member since day one." (One Man's Junk)

1) Pretty much the entire "Down with the Sickness" episode- from watching Raph play DDR while Leo is distracting him to the way Leo babbles encouragement up to the ending when Leo ruins things rushing to give Raph a hug after calling him "my little Raph-a-doodle!" I literally watch this every time I'm sick because it cheers me up!

>>"Raphael, I love you, my brother, but you do tend to fail in big moments. Pishposh! But that’s what makes you, you! Now bring it in, buddy! I’m gonna hug you till a smile comes out!"<<

[tblsomedoodles]

Imagine if the turtles did play D&D

Yess!!! They did this for 2012 and it's, no joke, my favorite episode of that series as a result. It was literally just Leo forcing his brothers to play D&D, and then go Larping in the sewers lol.

but the Rise boys playing would be absolutely rediculous!

I could see either Donnie or Mikey DMing the game. Donnie b/c i could see him going all out learning the rules and being very adiment on making sure everyone follows them. Mikey b/c i could see him being brilliant at weaving a story for his players to go through...and both would have far too much fun having that much power over the narrative. Maybe they co-dm? or switch back and forth between campaign arcs? probably the second so they all have a chance to play as characters.

Mikey's character would, i imagine, be a Wild magic sorcerer, specifically for the chaos the wild magic surges would bring. and b/c magic. He would definitely play them as a very silly character and absoutely loves how annoyed Donnie gets whenever those wild magic surges end up messing with his campaign.

Raph would be a little out of his element as far as D&D goes, but would enjoy playing none-the-less. I could see him basically just recreating himself as a character (maybe as a protection fighter.) I imagine his character would end up dying many times throughout the campaign and he just brings the same character sheet out and changes the name, claiming their the child/sibling/varying relation to his last character.

Donnie would take hours building his character, making sure every stat is as good as he can get it. I could see him having either an Inquisitive rogue (if he's still holding a grudge over mystics) or an Artilleriest artificer (if he's not.) (maybe he starts as a rogue and then multiclasses? or he just has multiple characters ready in case Mikey kills one lol)

Leo's character, is, in fact, a straight up Glamour Bard with stupidly high charisma that keeps derailing Donnie/Mikey's campaigns. Both Donnie and Mikey have it out for this character, but, for some stupid reason, this Bard is damn near unkillable. either by luck or by talking his way out of trouble, he always escapes. They once got this bard caught by a dragon, and was certain it was the end of him (finally) but this bard ended up talking the dragon into eating his captors instead and letting him go. (bard is still penpals with the dragon too, since he made a very good impression.)

April's character is probably a cleric (b/c she figured someone should have healing magic and she knew Leo's bard would not). But she keeps forgetting she has the healing magic and tends to just rush in with a hammer whenever there's trouble.

anyways, Rise kids would have a blast playing D&D and no one can convince me otherwise lol : )

Thank you!

[ilovebeingaturtle]

What's your favorite thing, if you have to pick just one thing, about each version of tmnt you've seen?

Oo fun-

Okay I think we’ll be here all day if I cover every version I’ve seen so I’ll just list the ones that pop into my head!

87: I feel like I can keep this one quick given the nature of my blog AHA, but I adore the characters in 87. The entire main cast is just so charming and funny and this is majorly carried thanks to how incredible the voice acting is and how good the chemistry is. It just feels so fun and homey every episode and it’s due to the characters living in it. They’re all wonderful!

90s movies (least the first two): I really adore Donnie in these movies so I think I can easily just rank him as my favourite part AHA, it’s so endearing seeing a version of Donatello that’s free to be silly. I love the emotional beat he provides in secret of the ooze too, the idea that he was hoping they were special/meant for something is such an interesting character moment for a usually logically portrayed character

03: Gosh okay-I think my favourite part of this one is just their dynamics with each other, they’re so good. You can really believe that they’re brothers, their banter and care for one and other is so consistently strong throughout. There’s a lot to love about 03 but yeah, I think the bond between the turtles is the main selling point for me (bonus points for Mikey’s incredible screams though they are a close second for favourite part of the show)

I guess yeah I’m going on release order, so-

07: I could ramble about this movie for a while, but I think my favourite thing is just the concept of it. I love the idea of exploring what they presented, Leo being gone, the turtles trying to move on with their lives, idk a ton of what was going on was really interesting to me. I honestly think the versions turtles are really strong in this, I have a few issues with the movie as a whole but what we’re given is super neat to build from

2012? I guess is next Gosh I don’t even know what my favourite thing about 2012 is. Am I doing really bad at picking just “one” thing I think I am-okay! I think with 2012, some of the the dialogue is great, there’s so many good little moments. The writing for this show is like, a double edged sword LMAO, but when it’s really good it’s really good! I think the 2012 boys in particular have personalities that lend themselves really well to comedy, they’re more exaggerated I think than other versions so jokes feels more natural. They’re also just very versatile little guys. The awesome voice acting and times when they get silly also help! (Again though, double edged sword because sometimes the attempts at humour are my least favourite parts of an episodeJSJ, in fact yeah actually this point might be better as saying I love how? User friendly this version of the turtles are? No that doesn’t make sense okay whatever I like them for the funny they’re good funny guys-)

Again like yeah god if I talked about every version I’ve seen this would be a super long post because I have seen. So much. So I’ll finish with Rise since most people probably want that! My favourite thing about that is definitely how creative they got with it, I love when it’s freely doing it’s own thing. It’s strongest elements are its original ideas/characters and the whole new spins it puts on established lore from last versions

Okay yeah swats myself away from answering about other versions too I need to eat LUNCH I will simply forget to eat if I continue AHA

[thedawningofthehour]

Mind sharing your favorite and least favorite turtle from each of the tmnt iterations you'e seen + why??

Generally Don and Raph have always been my favorites. I favored Raph more in 87 and 2003, then Donnie moved to take his first place spot in 2012. Looking back I was kind of an angry child, which is probably why I identified with Raph.

But it's always been them at 1 and 2, then Leo in the 3rd place spot, and Mikey my least favorite. I just found Leo the least interesting one-I mean, he has moments, but Donnie and Raph are cooler. I'm kinda 'meh' on 87 and 2003 Mikeys. I fucking hate 2012 Mikey. He's cute and everything and I can logically understand the appeal, but holy fuck does he hit every 'annoying younger sibling' nerve in me. Not even Greg Cipes, my beloved Beast Boy, could save him. And yes, I am an oldest sibling. I get along very well with my sister. Now.

Donnie is again my favorite in Rise, (I mean, how can he not be? Look at him!) but Leo is now in that number two spot. I definitely went into Rise worried about the change in dynamic, but holy shit I think not keeping him the leader was the single best thing they could have done for his character. It gave him room to be his own character outside of hero boy and, ironically, develop the skills he'd need to be a good leader. And a red-eared slider was such a good choice for him, I cannot praise the crew enough for the decision to make them all different turtles.

Raph is incredible in Rise. He's number three purely because the twins are just that fucking awesome, he'd be my favorite if this were any other iteration. I love that they turned the 'asshole with a soft side' into a gentle giant of a teddy bear. I love that he still struggles with his anger like other Raphs do, that the main difference is in how Raph chooses to deal with it.

And Mikey's just a star. Like Leo, I think the decision to make him the emotionally-intelligent member instead of the comic relief was exactly what he needed. He still feels like a youngest child, but the kind I want to snuggle and protect. I mean, this...might have something to do with how I get along with my sister better, now that I think about it. Goddammit, I've already projected my daddy issues all over the fic, now this?

The Rise characters are all my favorite iterations, honestly. Including April and Casey. And Second Casey. I don't think I could choose between Rise and 2012 Splinter, however. I love 2012 Splinter, but Rise Splinter feels like a real dad. Like, I've met parents who act like him. I could not imagine going to a friend's house and meeting 2012 Splinter, but I could totally imagine Rise Splinter being there raiding the fridge in his underwear before roasting his kid just to embarrass them in front of their friend.

[starrcrossrose]

Okay for the risk of a long post, I’ll put all my answers under the cut but I wanna play!

Here are my answers to these 😗🐢✌🏻

1) First exposure to TMNT was I think the 2003 series?… wait NO it was the movies from the 90’s! But I don’t remember them super well so I’ll just say 03.

2) Watched 03 on weekends or sometimes after school as a kid when I’d visit my Nana’s house (she had cable tv, but my mom did not so tv time was sacred and special to us at Nana’s 😂)

3) I loved them, the theme song was awesome, and I was always always ALWAYS a Leo girlie

4) I was always a casual fan of TMNT and enjoyed almost every new bit of content when they hit big screens. However, Rise of the TMNT did me in. I have been a goner since late 2020, but DEFINITELY since 2022 when the movie released.

5) I’m most familiar with Rise by now, but have definitely done more digging now that I’m IN. Second to that would probably be the Bayverse movies and then 2003 (again, only bc I didn’t have cable or internet so most things I loved as a kid were watched in spurts and all of them incomplete lol)

6) I own SOME official TMNT merch. I have a couple of comics (IDW Collections volumes 1 and 2, the 40th anniversary comic, and the TMNT X MMPR volume 1 comic), as well as a couple of figures and some games. But most of what I own currently is fan made bc Rise got NO good merch. Not a single thing.

~Favorites~

7) Rise is my favorite, hands down. But there are things about the other iterations that I do love. It’s just that Rise has everything someone like me LOVES, so it’s perfect for my silly brain

8) Leo. Always Leo. And Donnie is always fighting for that top spot but I always end up caving into being a Leo girlie. Especially with Rise where Donnie WAS my favorite… until season 2 🤣 sorry lil dude

9) tbh Rise Leo is my favorite of the Leo’s ONLY because I loved the divergence from his typical outward character traits. It was fun to see who he COULD be if the weight of responsibility and leadership were not forced upon his shoulders at a young age. And, at his core, he is STILL such a Leo. He just buries a lot of those things under his cool guy persona. There is nothing I love more than a well written, multi-faceted character

10) Rise Leo 💙✌🏻

11) I have come around to loving lots of the Raph’s, actually. I really like Bayverse Raph, and I like 07 Raph, 03 Raph, and Rose Raph for very different reasons. Rise is special to me tho bc he has such eldest sibling energy and problems that I heavily relate to

12) Oh I ADORE Bayverse Donnie he’s just such a gentle, quietly unhinged dude. But RISE DONNIE. HE IS EVERYTHING IVE BEEN SAYING A DONATELLO COULD BE! Little mad scientist who can make anything out of everything and is so unhinged in his projects and his love for his family. But every Donnie is so good, so cherished. (Except for maybe 2012 Don… sorry buddy your writers failed you just a little)

13) Favorite Mikey is also Rise Mikey and now probably Tales Mikey. Because I think he deserves to be a little more of a gremlin. Channel that youngest energy (even if he’s the same age he just has that “youngest” privilege in a lot of ways I think). I loved how he got to be more blunt and feel an array of emotions instead of always being the party guy in the recent two iterations.

(This is where I add that I wish I knew the IDW boys better. I’ll get there someday)

14) Mmm I actually really liked 03 and 07 Splinter. Wise, tired dads with good character designs. And yes I also like Rise Splinter (again, complex and multi-faceted and you have to actually pay attention to get the payoff of his own character arc. It was refreshing to see the Sensei also experience growth even tho he’s an old man).

15) Favorite April is also absolutely 03 and Rise. Fierce ladies who will absolutely put themselves on the line for their turtle friends in very upfront ways. I did also enjoy 07 April but just didn’t get as much time with her as I would’ve liked. That movie had a lot of sequel or spin-off tv series potential but alas.

16) Casey… is harder for me to answer. But tbh I really like IDW Casey, and I also love Casey from Rise bc it was such a different take on the character. I don’t remember too much about 03 Casey as far as personality so eh. He was there but doesn’t stick out as strongly to me.

17) RISE SHREDDER IS PEAK, YOU CANNOT PRY THAT PLOT AND INCREDIBLE DESIGN FROM MY SILLY LITTLE GRIP

18) Mmmm… favorite Villain… I mean Shredder is the classic but I think I really like the Kraang in Rise bc they’re actually scary in the sense of the power they hold. But I also liked Superfly in Mutant Mayhem, he was interesting. I need to keep reading and watching other series to get to know the other villains better. XD Bishop is a good one too

19) Favorite ally… gosh this one is also hard to answer bc I don’t know many of them well enough yet to give an opinion. For now I will say Casey Jr from the Rise Movie

20) THEME SONGS. I will always love the 03 theme it was MADE for the era is was airing in 🤣 the Rise one also slaps. But tbh I think TMNT has stayed pretty consistent in having good soundtracks and theme songs throughout time ✌🏻

21) Favorite story arc isssss also hard to answer. Again I didn’t have cable to I never got to finish arcs and see them out from start to finish. And Rise was too short to have anything more than “Growing into being heroes and defeating Shredder” arc into “traumatize every single one of them down to their bones and almost kill Leo right in front of me and my salad” arc for the movie. 🪦 and in 03… I also never saw enough of it to fully finish arcs either. I’m sorry I’m a fake fan 🫡😂

22) My favorite pizza is Hawaiian and when I found out Rise Leo liked it too I actually yelled 🤣

Okay I will answer the rest later! 💙💙💙

In honor of TMNT's 40th Anniversary, here are 40 questions for people to send you about TMNT!

~~ Background ~~

1.) What was your first exposure to TMNT?

2.) What was your first exposure to [TMNT iteration]?

3.) What was your first impression of [TMNT iteration]?

4.) When did you become a fan of TMNT?

5.) Which iterations are you familiar with?

6.) Do you own any TMNT merchandise?

~~ Favorites ~~

7.) Which iteration is your favorite?

8.) Which turtle is usually your favorite?

9.) Who is your favorite version-specific turtle?

10.) Which version of Leonardo is your favorite?

11.) Which version of Raphael is your favorite?

12.) Which version of Donatello is your favorite?

13.) Which version of Michelangelo is your favorite?

14.) Which version of Splinter is your favorite?

15.) Which version of April is your favorite?

16.) Which version of Casey is your favorite?

17.) Which version of the Shredder is your favorite?

18.) Who is your favorite villain?

19.) Who is your favorite ally?

20.) Which theme song is your favorite?

21.) What is your favorite story arc?

22.) What is your favorite kind of pizza?

~~ Fandom ~~

23.) What is one of your favorite TMNT fics?

24.) What is one of your favorite TMNT fan comics?

25.) What is one of your favorite TMNT AUs?

26.) What is one of your favorite pieces of TMNT fan art?

27.) What is something you love to see in TMNT art/fics?

28.) What is one thing you would like to see explored more in TMNT art/fics?

29.) What is one headcanon that you have?

30.) What is one common headcanon that you reject?

31.) What is one piece of TMNT canon that you dislike/ignore?

~~ For Artists/Writers ~~

32.) What was the first thing you've made for TMNT?

33.) What is your favorite thing you've made for TMNT?

34.) Which character do you write/draw most often?

35.) Which character relationships are your favorite to write/draw?

36.) Which character do you have the hardest time writing/drawing?

37.) Do you write/draw for one specific iteration, or multiple?

38.) Do you generally stick close to canon, or diverge from it?

39.) Do you have any TMNT OCs?

40.) Do you give the turtles tails?

[inkling0121]

I wish tmnt would put the others as leads rather than Leo I mean it's kind of gotten stale if Leo is always being the main like the others feel so far behind on development or interesting plots we have the last Ronin which thankfully put it as Mikey because that's something new to actually be hyped for because Raph and Leo have always been mains it's annoying and over done for Leo you know like him but find him annoying. I also dislike his fans because they force him into other angst things that have nothin to do with with him such as rise someone put 2012 Leo instead of Donnie being upset with Splinter and wanting him to spend time with him and it being rise Splinter that have nothing to do with him also ruse Leo is literally a Mikey 2.0 going off of 2003 personality wise I mean somewhat different but still similar. Idk it's just frustrating seeing how his fans have this mentality about Leo like He's my second favorite but like jfc. sorry for ranting it's just getting annoying seeing how far behind Donnie Raph and Mikey are at being developed or have anything interesting to do story wise they come off as background side characters a lot of the time compared to Leo who is basically the main character like you can make tmnt without the others as long as you have Leo basically because he's the most popular and recognizable turtle and as long as you have good writing it'll work.

I wouldn't say they're annoying, Leo is just their favorite character, and people tend to find angst for their favorite character. I certainly do with Mikey! I love Mikey angst! Can't get enough, so people do the same with Leo

Also I wouldn't say Leo is just Mikey done all over again, every Leo has made corny jokes in every iteration. 2003 has the worst humor but he still has humor, and 2012 is obsessed with Captain Ryan from his space show. Rise Leo is just that but with a bigger personality, and it may seem like Mikey done all over again, at the end of the day, I think its just the writers trying to make him seem more like a teenager

Also I wouldnt even say hes the most popular, even in the rise fandom! Donnie rivals him there, in fact I mostly meet Donnie fans out of all the turtles of every iteratio, then Raph and Mikey, and overall I know maybe one person whos favorite has always been Leo from the beginning, and thats a big maybe

As for him being the lead, hes the leader but not necessarily the only lead. Writers also tend to favor Raph, its always Raph and Leo in movies, and most of the time in shows

Comics, from what I've seen, tend to give them all equal roles (thank goodness), and I think with Mutant Mayhem we have the start of Mikey and Donnie having bigger roles! I dont want just anyone one turtle being the main focus, I want all of them to have equal roles! Thats what I like about tmnt as a whole, is they are brothers, theyre a team, and they work together

So yeah its annoying tmnt pushes only Raph and Leo in the front and tend to ignore Mikey and Donnie, but thats usually in shows and movies. There are PLENTY of fan artists and writers who adore Mikey and Donnie, you just have to find them, and that can be the trickey part. Look for smaller creators, not people everyone knows, and the best way for them to get bigger and (more importantly) motivated to write or draw more is to comment and share (or in tumblrs case, reblog)

[risefan2598]

Hey guys,

So first off, sorry for not being online lately mostly because my internet was down. Second, it's time to talk about the "Mutant Mayhem" movie.

Okay, so a little thing about me, I love giving new things a chance, especially when it comes to the Turtles. But sadly, I have a feeling that this would probably be my least favorite of the bunch. Again......PROBABLY mostly because of DONNIE'S VOICE!!!!!!!

Now look, I don't want to be mean towards this new cast because they have huge shoes to fill since every variation of the Turtles have been voiced by adults. But in all honesty, I think that Donnie's voice actor should've swapped with Mikey's voice actor or either they should've gotten Josh Brener, Jeremy Howard, or Rob Paulsen back to do the voice. Mostly when I think of Donnie's voice, I think kind, quiet, reserved and sarcastic. Here, I just start to wonder when his voice is going to deepen. But this is more of a personal opinion maybe because Donnie is my favorite. Who knows, he might be the youngest in this one.

Another thing, I don't like about it is that it feels too soon after Rise. Just think about it, Nick did the same thing when Rise premiered because it was also the same year when 2012 ended. That was probably why Rise ended so abruptly. Plus, this past summer we got the Rise Movie as well. I think that a better release date should be next year or the year after. That way it can start fresh.

The only pros that I can think of is that I don't mind April's design mostly because it reminds me of her Rise look and the animation looks amazing!

So, that's all I have to say about the movie for now. I am still going to give it a chance, but these are my honest opinions! You can agree and disagree with me if you want. This is how I feel about the movie until I go and see it!

[gumy-shark]

back on my bs (live-blogging the 2012 tmnt pilot, this time part 2). under a readmore since it’s long

“this is the mutagen that turned us into what we are now” “let’s drink some!” Mikey is so special to me

raph has a point here tho literally why would u do that

no point revoked he used it to be mean to mikey :(

king just tries to pull someone’s face off i love him

leo is kind of a chad ngl

raph being menacing is fun when it’s not aimed at his brothers!

he’s just straight up lying on purpose for fun

”you could turn out handsome like me, or you could turn out disgusting and deformed, like mikey here!” im so torn bc this like was delivered so well but he’s just being mean for no reason

ooh the Kraang! wait why am i gasping i already knew that

why did i do this to myself why couldn’t i have picked a different favorite i feel so bad for mikey. like his brothers are mean for no reason and while it’s played for laughs it also is like. to me it’s only funny if we establish that they actually all like each other first yknow?

donnie shut up challenge

love how raph just rushing into danger is such a universal trait. it’s the magic of the red bandana

mikey no why’d u take your eyes off of snake :(

this is Donnie’s fault somehow

love how they always manage to split up into the raph+leo and mikey+donnie pairs

despite butting heads constantly raph and leo can talk exclusively through eyebrow movement and they don’t even have eyebrows. nobody is doing it like them

”you’re not helping!” “im not trying to help” this is like cocaine to me

wait r u telling me that he said his plan out loud in the sarcastic “The Prisoner Is Listening” voice and then they’re actually doing it?

raph hiding in his shell and giving a heartfelt speech <3 like ik he’s definitely not talking to one of his brothers here bc the fakeout is obvious but the body language is cute to me

OH HES TALKING TO HIS PET TURTLE <<<333

mikey 🤝 me when it comes to thinking raph talking to his pet turtle and then denying it is adorable

leo autism moment again trying to plan out every possible move of this situation so he knows what to do no matter what. he just like me fr

”Leonardo i made you leader for a reason” “what reason” he’s the only turtle with a positive braincell count who is not also donnie

oooo talking abt the shredder!

romance kills, fellas. just don’t fall in love ever. hashtag aroace swag

bro his daughters dead…

leos like “we can handle this” and is immediately proven wrong by raph and mikey running through. they!!

honestly the kraang kind of have a banger aesthetic

honestly this april gives me so much uncanny valley

ok thank god it’s gotta be an ambush there’s no way the turtles were that dumb

love that that snake guy got mutated anyways. poetic irony or smth

and at this point i am v tired so liveblog will continue later!

or maybe it won’t continue at all idk who knows!

[whoreadsnowadays]

Hi! Maybe you could do a fluffy ***PLATONIC***

X little brother reader? Like how they would interact and stuff? And maybe just general headcanons of them w/ a little brother. It can be either be 2012 or rise, I don't mind ^^

Take your time w/ this request ^^

Well I can certainly try my friend! Idk if u meant u wanted all four of the turtles but thats what I'm going with atm <3 apologies if they're a bit short, this is officially my first time writing for some of these guys <3

Rise Turtles with a little brother reader !

-

Little Bro

- Raph -

Oh get ready for Overbearing Mother Of The Year

Especially when you were really little, he needed to know where you were and what you were doing at all times

You, Leo, and Donnie had to beat the topic to death trying to convince Raph to even let you use the stove by yourself.

And Mikey ("You might burn yourself!!! You can't use the stove! Raph tell them they can't use the stove!") was not helping.

But when Raph isn't being the most helicopter mom you've ever had the misfortune of living with, he's really the best big brother you could ask for

Whenever you need advice or comfort or anything really, you always go to him

And even if he doesn't know what to do, he's good at giving you excuses that either make you laugh enough to keep your spirits up, or actually calm you down themselves.

He's really the best.

Now if only you could convince him to let you near the turtle tank.

- Leo -

Almost every second you're in sight he's showing off, like all the time

He really wants to be the Cool Older Brother to you and Mikey, and he's maybe trying a bit too hard

If you encourage him it will only escalate until he's doing dangerous stunts to impress you and get validation

And then Raph has to get involved and ruin his vibes :(

But if you tease him and (gently) make fun of him for showing off, he's gonna go "I dunno what youre talking about. Me?? Showing off??? Psh. No. I would never."

And then he'd sulk about it for an hour or two.

He just really wants you to think of him as your cool older brother who you can go to for cool advice.

- Donnie -

If you're up for it, and/or not too accident prone, you'll probably end up as his lab assistant.

Or at least he'll try to turn you into his lab assistant

And of course he pays you in brotherly affection. A pat on the head or a brief hug is your allowance for holding his things in place for him

And he also has a tendency to show you his inventions or gadgets first.

He'll finish something and turn to you with his mad scientist eyes and you have to hope and pray that his newest peice of tech doesn't involve something dangerous

He'd rather die than ever hurt you, but sometimes he just gets too excited to even realize he's waving around his dangerous weapons

Wear protective gear maybe.

- Mikey -

He's so excited to not be the baby of the family anymore you will not believe.

Though he has been 100% infected by the family bug, and is absolutely mother henning you almost as much as Raph.

You cook together really often, food is one of Mikey's love languages so cooking with him is one of your favorite activities

He lets you mix the ingredients and if you're baking he lets you lick the icing off the mixers

And he'll draw or play video games with you, literally indulge in almost any activity you want just to hang out with you

He'll absolutely crush you in almost every video game, and then proceed to beat you over and over under the pretense of "Oh its practice :)"

As much as it annoyed him when he was your age, he absolutely sides with Raph when he goes on his "You're too young!" Rants.

He's nodding along and occasionally adding in his own comments about how "you're just our baby brother you can't do that yet! You're too young! Too fragile!"

Also please dont think about all five of you sitting in a circle in front of Splinter's recliner, watching old Lou Jitsu and Jupiter Jim movies on repeat, just the five of you sitting in each other's company and relaxing for once. Yeah don't think about that.

(Reblogs > Likes)

[ray-the-fanatic]

🔥 for TMNT; you can pick the series uwu

I'm really just gonna go with what's on the top of my head, since finally watching rise myself my TikTok has been full of tmnt content and since the franchise got a bit of a revamp in popularity as well since the movie, i;ve been seeing some slander I can not handle u_u if this are bad takes idk but its an excuse XD Mainly people claiming the 2012 versions of the turtles don't act like brothers at all, that they hate each other. Heavey talks about Mikey being abused even. Spilter playing favorites and looking some is over the top its a show after all. But I'm sorry a lot of the smack talk is no different than me with my own siblings even today with us all as adults. There is just something about being related that makes ya wanna start fights. I even am this way with cousins around my age cause well they were like siblings to me and a bit with my best friend who is basically my sister. Yet I see it so often at least once a day about people just so against thier brother's relationships when not they care about each other and there is a lot of proof to this. Leo got hurt Raph stayed around the whole time they were in a coma. When Raph hugs Mikey because he thought he died. Mikey followed after Leo so they wouldn't go on a mission without backup. Raph not breaking the bro code when Casey asked if April ever talks about him and Raphs tells him Don likes her. There is a lot and I'm sorry but siblings fight it happens. When you and another person spend time together a lot of fighting happens how you handle it after that matters and uh hello most of thier lives they never got to go outside so they are bound to get annoyed with each other. Seth Green did a good job voicing Leo in 2012. Raph slander (okay so a lot of this is about 2012 right now XD) Raph is normally the big tough guy in the shows and comics after a bit that's been his whole thing. YET this boy is so quick to jump in to fight for his brothers like when Leo got yet through the window, or when Mikey got captured by the yokai. The second his brothers are in danger he's there to protect them. How he may not get donnies crush on April but hell stand by his side. Raph isn't abusive he's the hot head. I'm sorry but when your raised to fight and such and got anger issues? yeah a boy gonna react with his fists and words. Dosen't mean Raph is a bad brother I mean look how he babies his own pets? Hes just not good showing that affection to his brothers as he is the pets that kind of a normal trait even more so for a teen! Tmnt over all: STOP. HYPEING. ONE. SERIES. BY. TRASHING. ANOTHER TMNT has been around for so long there are so many things to get from it shows, movies, comics, and more. There isn't one good version only it's like a buffet of content! I have personally been getting into the comics myself and man the tears I have been spilling over the turtles! Leos best moment is clearly in TMNT vs Batman movie where he kicks Ras a Ghoul in the balls and tells them he's sixteen and learned his finishing move from a rat. I'm sorry that is funny as all fucking hell. 2012 wasn't too anime, I personally loved the break in animation for expressions and such it added to a lot of moments. Baised maybe cause Ciro Neil was part of this version and he also was behind my favorite show SRMTHFG and worked on Teen Titans. SOO Slightly simllair but Rise also! I think the times they didn't animate the characters was used so well my favorite episode I feel is mystic library because I die every time they get taken by the bats ;3; VENUS should get more love! Im baised cause power rangers crossover sure but I wat Venus to get her due!

[sophfandoms53]

If you don't mind: what's your opinion on Leonardo from tmnt? :3

Absolutely love him.

Leo is actually my second favorite turtle (Mikey being the first, I think that’s been made clear lmao) regardless of the series, whether it’s 2003, 2012 or Rise, Leo has always been a well written and interesting character.

I’ve joked around in the past about how 2012 shoved Leo and his character arc in our faces, but in reality I thoroughly enjoyed Leo’s arc in 2012 and it’s the easiest one to decipher as it’s actually very well written.

I could get into a deeper discussion about how 2012 dealt with Mikey, Raph and Donnie’s arc when compared to Leo’s but that would make this response even longer and I might keep that for another time, however I will briefly summarize that Raph and Donnie’s arcs suffered severely in the main 4 seasons and were basically brushed aside in season 5, minus that one episode Donnie had in the Kavaxas arc, while Mikey’s feeling inadequate to his brothers arc swiftly concluded in different ways after Into Dimension X and The Croaking and the writers started doing different things with him that better suited his character, Meet Mondo Gecko and Bat in The Belfry being big examples. All of season 5 honestly can be summed up with “Mikey is a total boss” because he just owns every single episode in that season even if he isn’t the focus, When Worlds Collide is essentially meant to be a Raph focus episode but the biggest moments in that two parter are whenever Mikey is on screen.

This is where we circle back to Leo and his arc as Mikey even takes attention away from him in the final part of the Kavaxas arc, which is an arc centered around Leo officially coming to terms with his role as the new Sensei and father figure to his family. After the Kavaxas arc, Leo’s character is finished, there’s no where else for him to grow beside minor personality tweaks which was hinted at in the Usagi arc.

In the main four seasons Leo’s arc can be split into two parts, seasons 1-2 has him dealing with the sacrifices and burden that comes with being the leader while seasons 3-4 has him accept his role as the leader and his character becomes about having trust both with himself and with his team as in these two seasons Leo tends to go off alone on a mission instead of talking with his family and it’s something that is handled very well.

One of my favorite episodes in the series is Attack of The MegaShredder specifically because it puts Leo in a place of understanding that his brothers [Mikey in this case] will always be there for him when he needs them the most and this arc comes to nice closed in Broken Foot where he constantly tells Karai that they need his brothers if they want to continue doing what they’re doing.

This type of characterization for Leo happened in the 2003 series as well. Most notably after the battle in the season 3 finale with Shredder that leaves the entire team wounded and Leo with a massive scar on the back of his shell, Leo takes this loss extremely personally and violently to the point he loses his sense of self. He’s angry at himself for losing, for letting his brothers and his Sensei get hurt.

But what 2003 did was not have Leo realize he was angry with himself and made it appear to be he was angry with his brother’s for not getting the job done. Even yelling at them for treating their missions against the foot as a game. This even extends to how Leo trained in season 4, he did to the point he tired himself and his brother’s out because he felt what he and his brother’s knew wasn’t good enough.

In the episode Grudge Match it opens up with Leo aggressively training his brother’s on a rooftop and he only stops his training when Splinter calls him out about it saying they need to discuss his attitude and take on training soon until they notice Mikey has been slacking off training recently. So Leo offers to train Mikey for his upcoming Battle Nexus rematch as Mikey has become incredibly cocky over his win and Leo knowing his brother needs to be taken down a peg, gives us this amazing scene of dialogue between the two,

“I brought you up here to clear your mind, Mikey. Focus on what's important.”

“Like going home?”

“No, like pushing yourself beyond your limits to a place where there are no limits; to be so focused, so ready that nothing and no one will ever catch you off guard again.”

“Um, we still talkin' about me here?”

“In this life, we only have each other. If one of us goes down, we all go down, so focus.”

The subtext is obvious, after the fight with Shredder, this is clearly how Leo takes on other fights in season 4 and why he becomes so frustrated with his brother’s constant dismissal of it. Despite this piece of advice giving Mikey what he needed to win the match fairly, it still doesn’t change the fact this is a very dangerous way to think and Leo being the leader to think this way makes it more glaring on how far Leo has lost himself in this state of self hatred.

Another interesting thing to note is how whenever Donnie and Raph complain about Leo’s attitude, it’s Mikey who comes to his eldest brother’s defense and understands the burden Leo has his shoulders, and this wasn’t done by accident.

It is only after Leo harms Splinter during training does he come to realize how bad this violent attitude of his is affecting everyone around him. Leo is then sent off on a 2 month journey of self-reflection in Japan where Yoshi’s old masters helps him realize that Leo has become his own monster, or as the show does it, he has become his own Shredder.

Leo comes to the realization that he has stop blaming himself for what happened and move forward, he’s been holding onto the past for too long to the point he became a barrel of anger and self-destruction and he had to be the one to fix it. He had to destroy his own demons, himself. And this arc concludes very well.

Now in Rise it’s a little bit difficult to analyze the characters as there isn’t much development, not a bad thing at all, but Rise has gone out of its way to give each of the brother’s depth and it’s very interesting.

Because Rise doesn’t have Leo as the leader one can be mistaken that this Leo wouldn’t have the same struggles or insecurities as his other incarnations but this has proven to be false as Rise Leo still has the same insecurity of his brother’s not respecting him as part of the team or just seeing him as a screwup. Leo has shown he needs a reassurance he’s doing the right thing and that his brother’s look at him in a positive light.

A lot of people have a fundamental misunderstanding of Leo’s role as the leader and just look at it as that instead of realizing how much pressure and stress Leo puts on himself regardless because he wants to be the very best him that he can be.

Lmao this got incredibly long, apologies for ranting.

This was a very long convoluted way of me saying, I love Leo a lot and his character is very very 3-dimensional and needs more appreciation than just “he’s only the leader”.

[we-rate-tmnt]

sooo thoughts on the brotherly-bond between the turtles?

Oh, I love episodes and scenes where they goof around or get closer to one another! However, keep in mind that I don’t have any siblings that live with me, so I take everything I say with a grain of salt as my experience with siblings is seeing them once every six years at a family reunion camping trip.

As per usual, our first one up is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)

For me, they felt more like roommates then brothers, they were simply too alike. They all have the same favorite kind of pizza, don’t argue that often and are very orderly. So, if I were to rate all these for brotherliness, this would land at 3/10 Coming in as the second animated series and the second one I talk about is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)

I feel like this show had a brotherly feel to it, although it was quite rare to see it amidst the action and saving the world and whatnot. One of the scenes that’s implanted in my mind, is one after Donnie got mutated and then got unmutated, when Renet made her first appearance. All the turtles were on patrol and Mikey was joking bout Donnie turning back into a monster because of the full moon. Donnie made some pretend transformation and monster noises before jokingly chasing Mikey around the rooftop. This scene made me laugh and it was really heartwarming for them to joke around and laugh for a bit, especially after the occurrences in the last three episodes. Other than that, I can’t really think of too many moments like that that didn’t happen after a traumatic experience (like the one I mentioned of or from the episode ‘Same as it never was’) and really wish there were more because when there were, they were great! 5/10 And the version that introduced me to the franchise Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)

Definitely siblings, although there are so many moments, such as Raphs bug phobia, where I’m like ‘How did they not know that about each other?’ Donnie and Mikey seem to be the closest out of all of them, with Raph being the least. It would have been nice to have been given an explanation as to why Raph pulls away from all of them so much. In fact, it seems that whenever the hugs happen, it always Raph on the receiving end, like he almost needs to be reminded. We’re never given any other reason for this besides ‘Raph angy and he angy just because he angy’ and nothing else. Overall, still some strong sibling interactions with the brotherly rating going at a 6/10 Not including half shell heroes as I would give it the same rating as above. Moving on to the ‘dreaded’ bayverse movies Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014/2016)

Yes, this really felt like they all had a very strong connection with one another, in the first movie and in the second movie. In the first, Raph is the one who specifically addresses why he’s so hard on his brothers and it’s because he wants them to be strong and to not crack under pressure so easily, ya know, tough love. The second one was really iffy on the connections with the classic Raph vs Leo fight but it concluded nicely. Mikey and Donnie are always a strong duo and they still are! It’s more subtle but Mikey seems to really admire Donnie for being a hard worker and being so intelligent. I really liked the scene at the start of the second of the movie where Donnie just went ‘doitdoitdoitdoit I won’t stop bugging you until you do it’ and Raph ‘Ugh fine’ and we had some shell surfing action. Really felt like a sibling interaction with the inside ‘joke’ (AKA the shell surfing), Raph knowing the Donnie loves this, Donie being annoying to get what he wants and Raph giving in, even though it’s going to cost him a bit. Also, elevator scene. 8/10 Next up, my new hyperfixation Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018)

I love the episodes from Rise like Down with the Sickness, Lair Games, Shell in a Cell and Man vs Sewer, since it involves so much detail between the brothers and their relationship. Out of all the series, Rise really gives me the most sibling vibes. There are inside jokes (such as Leo saying ‘I know I always say this but demon possession!’), references to past fights and experiences and an overall dynamic that shout’s ‘we live in the same house, we teeter on that line of ‘I’m going to kill you’ and ‘You’re amazing and I love you’. Overall I wish there were more episodes from the other series that had more domestic episodes and had only the turtles or the turtles with maybe one or two side characters. 9/10 I think I’m going to leave out idw in these kinds of ratings since I need to finish the whole series before making an evaluation.

Storytime: The 2016 movie came out on my birthday, I didn’t go see it though as I was busy doing nothing because I hate my birthday but I got a cupcake out of it, so that was neat. Also, I have multiple siblings but none directly related, some through adoption and some through blood. I’ve only met three of my half brothers and I’ve lived mainly as an only child who never got to experience fighting over the TV remote with someone around the same age as me. 

Thanks for the questions and thanks for reading!

[transdonaldduck]

*KICKS IN UR DOOR* I would love to hear more about ur tmnt universe stuff

okay!!! you dont gatta ask me twice. I drew these last night at 3 am and lost steam halfway through and gave up on donatello bc i wasn’t happy with any of my sketches and that’s that! forewarning: im edgy so this is edgy

the rest is under the readmore

The setting: It’s new york babey! We’re following our protagonist April O’Neil, 17 years old, as she navigates the confusing waters of high school, first jobs, and accidentally stumbling upon a mutant underworld. This samples a lot from rotmnt and 2012 bc i have no creativity

characters i’ve thought out

Irma- 18, senior, about to go to college to major in Architecture. She’s aloof but she actually cares about people deep down, she just doesn’t like to show it. She’s trying to let her natural hair color grow out from the years she dyed it black. She likes documentaries, chess, hanging out at graveyeards, and writing horror short stories. Seems sorta doom n gloom but is more apathetic than negative. She’s the president of the journalism club (who runs the school newspaper and morning news segment.) She’s looking for someone to take over the club after she’s gone, and has the perfect candidate in mind… if only April had the skill to match her enthusiasm.

April O’Neil- 17, junior, and aspiring journalist and reporter. She’s upbeat, determined, confident, and a real bright spot ot the people that know her. Her favorite things to do are listen to music, sing, take pictures, and take walks in the sun. She’s a go-getting, very self driver to acheive her goals, and her ultimate goal is to be the greatest reporter that has ever lived. Unfortunately, april doesn’t have the knack for reporting, and every piece she’s submitted to her schools newpaper has been fluff pieces… Irma tasks her with writing a front page headliner for the paper so she feels confident passing the club onto her, and in Aprils attempt to come up with the greatest story ever, she sutmbles upon a gang war and 4 mutant turtles…

Casey Jones- 18, Junior, and barely passing. Casey’s the kind of boy no one really expects anything of, so he doesn’t bother trying bc at least then he won’t fail. April inspires him to be better. He likes bad jokes, terrible coffee, and hockey- he’s hoping that April will tutor him enough to be able to bring his grades up enough to be allowed back on the school’s team. He seems sorta prickly and rude at first, but he’s just got a spiky outer shell and he’s really sweet inside. He loves horror movies and extreme sports competitons. He makes a point to walk april home whenever she stays late working on school stuff,

turtle time

the setting: They still live in the sewers, Splinter is still their dad but he’s very old when he gets the turtles, making him even older now. He does a lot of meditating and watching tv and doing crosswords, yknow old people stuff. He relies a lot on Leo to be the head of the house now that he’s old enough. He still trains the boys to learn martial arts bc he thinks it’s important they can defend themselves, considering what they are. He can kick ass when he needs to, tho

leo- 19, red ear slider, silent and stoic leader, raised as a child to be responisble for his brothers. He’s pretty socially awkward and weird bc he was divided from his brothers at a young age and didn’t get a lot of chances to grow and play with other kids his age. He doesn’t do much outside of train, study, and chores, and April is appaled by the fact that he doesn’t have like, ANY hobbies. she takes it upon herself as a personal mission to find something for him to do. He doesnt know the meaning of the word fun, but he tries not to always be a stick in the mud (mostly by removing himself from the fun situation in a misguided attempt to make everyone happier…)

raph- 18, Snapping turtle, and he’s got a short fuse and a big appetite. He’s a bit resentful of his families situation stuck in the sewers and darkness, and he hates being looked down upon. He’s only rebellious bc of how confined and trapped he feels, and though he can act like a grump and lash out he has a heart of gold. He likes wood carving, it’s actually how he made his little sun pendant he wears, it’s something to remind him the sun will rise soon and he’ll be there to see it.

donatello- 17, softshell turtle, bookworm and tech wizard. he likes to read for fun and he’s super into mechanics and computers. smarter than his brothers but thinks WAY too much, often holes up in his lab for hours trying to work out some particularly tough programming problem and will only come out for tea or pizza. he can be snooty/superior in situations where his intellect can be flashed. the worst ninja of the bunch (he thinks more with his head than with his body and never practices)

mikey- 15, box turtle, goofy gooey heartfelt younger brother. He cant draw for shit but still tries because he thinks it’s fun. He’s good at writing and poetry, he likes words and keeps a daily diary he writes in every day. He also keeps a dream journal and a log on all the tunnels in the sewers they’ve explored. He like to keep notes. Comic books are his favorite reading material but he’s picky about the art styles he enjoys, and he is very naturally talented with anything physical. good at easing tension but has 0 common sense, just a round angel

Leo is the shortest and lightest, agile and quick. Mikey is second shortest but he’s fat, which doesn’t detract from his natural flexibility. Raph is second tallest and broad shouldered with big arms, a powerhouse. Donnie is tall and lanky, a little uncoordinated but still strong.