#mikey looks up to don and wants to do the same things as don does based on how he mimics him in that one ep where donnie is silly goofy

[turrondeluxe]

always happy about the fact that in 2012, mikey often asked donnie questions if he didn't understand something and donnie always answered no matter what

this can be seen in a bunch of episodes but my favorite example of it it's the one in half shell heroes where mikey is extremely excited to be in the museums and is the one actively asking donnie questions about the exhibits they saw and also actively listening to donnie's explanation (before raph got silly lmao). he was very excited to learn!!!

And while it's true that mikey would lose interest quite fast if the explanation got too lengthy with too many technical terms, it doesn't change the fact that he does retain the info donnie is always rambling on about different things!!! (even if mikey himself doesn't notice he's doing it lol) and also i find it very sweet that no matter if donnie himself got annoyed, donnie would always answer the questions. no matter what. he would always try to explain if he didn't understand something

This is prob because mikey is the one brother who is often seeking out donnie to pass time around him Meaning that donnie might have used mikey as his rubber ducky whenever mikey hangs out with him while he's working (explained him a lot of his experiments and theories while trying to solve them himself and in this way mikey also learnt in the process WHILE spending time with his brother! win win!)

it also helps donnie because accompanies him while not letting him get lonely in his lab 24/7, sometimes explaining things to someone makes it better to understand it yourself AND it's shown in the comics that donnie is quite used to his brothers just Living as background noise and literally cannot function without it lmao

They are literally the two smart kids in the family even if none of them notice it and it's all because mikey looks up to his brother and is like an sponge with donnie around. donnie is actively teaching mikey and mikey is learning! even if they have no idea they are doing it

[boybeholding]

I was wondering if you could do a mm Mikey x reader who is like really involved in the fine arts? (Stuff like singing, dancing, and acting) Maybe reader does musical theatre or songwriting? Is on the dance team? Or maybe on the improve team with him? It’s up to you but I just think it’d be really cute! I’d prefer a fem reader but you can do a gn reader if you’re more comfortable with that!

Thank You!🫶

hi hi anon!! this is such a cute request, & I figured it'd be more fun to explore in a headcanon format, so I hope you don't mind :)

╭──────.★..─╮ Limelight. ╰─..★.──────╯

Mutant Mayhem; Michelangelo / Fem!Reader Content Warnings: N/A

Summary: A girl in Mikey's Public Speaking class catches his attention, and he decides he needs hers in return.

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Though he was more than excited to dive into his improv elective, Mikey was just a little apprehensive about the iceberg that was Eastman's performance and fine arts courses.

They weren't massively funded, it wasn't a great school mind you, but it WAS a big one. There were so many people and so many groups, he found it a bit arduous to know where to start.

So he started small.

He took a public speaking course for his first semester, figuring it was a good start without taking a headlong dive.

That was where he met you.

You were so cool!!

Mikey admired you so much when you met, seeing your confidence in every silly exercise or warmup your class did.

While his brothers made their goals around grades and extra-curriculars, Mikey's number one top-of-the-list plan was to get your attention.

and like.. let's be real, it's true of all of the Mutant Mayhem boys that he made a complete fool of himself trying.

so many jokes that fell flat... So many gags that went nowhere......

but like, humor was his thing! If he couldn't impress you with that, he was never going to.

Fortunately, you didn't require all too much pandering. As soon as Mikey flat out asked to hang out with you, you were happy to accept.

Let me tell you, Mikey's so excited for you when it comes to every school production that you're a part of.

Even if you get screwed over in casting, you KNOW he's still gonna drag his brothers to that musical.

"Dude, she doesn't even have a speaking part, why are we here?"

"Wow, Don, I thought YOU of all people would appreciate good choreography."

When he eventually asks you out, it's a whole affair.

Unlike Donnie, he's confided in his entire family about his crush, and you can definitely expect some odd looks from all three of his brothers in the time that hes working up the nerve to ask you out.

He shows up to a study date one day with a pizza and one of those heart teddy bears you get on valentines day.

"hey so, like, It's.. Totally cool if you don't vibe with this, but. I like you. Like... a lot?"

He tries to downplay it-- he really values your friendship, and if you don't feel the same he doesn't want you to feel weird about it.

When you tell him that you do reciprocate, he gets so excited.

He.. definitely forgot to actually bring his backpack and stuff to this study date, since he was pretty distracted with the whole confession thing.

When you eventually step foot in the lair, prepare for his entire family to place their attention on you. Every single one of his cousins is going to want to meet you, and naturally Splinter is going to have to sit you down.

Prepare for the whole "What are your intentions with my son." Talk. Splinter doesn't care that you're a girl, he's protective!

But once he's deemed you a good fit, you're practically part of the family.

As the two of you have been dating for longer, expect him to start following you into your extra-curriculars more.

Mikey is taking a shot at everything! If there's something you're auditioning for, he's two steps behind you.

In short, he adores you, and he owes a lot of his growth to you! He's really come out of his shell since meeting you, hehe.

[cnwolf-brainrot]

Two questions -

What’s the age order of the turtles in your iteration?

and are you continuing the dee-evolution thing?

Thank you so much for the ask!!

For the Children of the Sky turtles age order… honestly that’s something they’d like to know as well! They were a group of turtles mutated almost entirely at random, and none of them really know how old they were when they mutated so they all kind of just assume they’re the same age. However, they all have reason to argue that they’re the oldest…

Raph thinks he’s the oldest because he’s the biggest, strongest, and toughest of them all. He’s the protector of the family — of course he’d be the oldest!

Mikey thinks he’s the oldest because Yoshi said that he was mutated first. Mikey also has the most memories from the night they were mutated… though his brothers don’t know that. Mikey keeps those memories to himself, but they certainly reinforce his certainty of his place — of course he’d be the oldest!

Leo has never doubted that he’s the oldest. He’s the one that started looking out for his brothers as they got older, and he’s the one that Yoshi usually puts in charge if he has to leave them alone for any reason. Leo is responsible, mature, and trustworthy even while his brothers goof off — of course he’d be the oldest!

While the other three tend to bring this argument up on a weekly basis, Don usually stays out of it; partially because he’s not a fan of yelling, partially because his brothers always bring up his height and call the argument done. Plus, Don knows that the four of them probably aren’t even related. They were four random turtles sitting in a pond that just happened to get a splash of mutagen; they probably aren’t even technically brothers, so why does it matter who the oldest is? He brought that up once and it made Mikey cry, so he just chooses to abstain from the argument instead… though he secretly thinks he’s the oldest because half the time he’s the only bonehead with a brain in the whole family.

As for Master Yoshi, he has no idea. He sees them all as quadruplets, all of which have their own set of skills that make them more mature in specific situations. He does smile at the playful arguments though.

So to answer your ask… it entirely depends on the day. Sometimes they’ll elect someone as the oldest, sometimes they’ll fight over it, but in general they’re quadruplets!

As for Dee-Evolution, YES!! I am still going to do stuff with that AU! The problem with Dee-Evolution is that I had a really strong concept for that AU, but no real story. I’m not sure where it should go plot-wise, so I haven’t had many idea of what to draw for it. I also got super burnt out from it after the preliminary round of the TMNT AU Comp that I was able to be in, so after that I wanted to take a break and now here we are with CotS taking over my mind… just fluxating motivation. So yes, I’m still doing Dee-Evolution, but I’m still trying to figure out a bit more of a PLOT for that AU.

Thank you so much for the ask, feel free to send more if you have more!!

[just-a-lil-turtle-with-knives]

A Batman and TMNT crossover! Here's a little snippet of what I've written so far. 2003 Don and Tim Drake centered :)

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It starts with Steph laying upside down on the couch, legs kicking in the air, asking him: “Hey, Tim, want to come get piercings with me?”

His first thought is: ‘I don’t have ears.’

His second, when he has a second to chew on that thought and carefully not speak it into being, is: ‘Ah, it’s going to be one of those days.’

In the end, he turns down her offer, but agrees to go with her, for moral support and so that she’ll have an alibi when her mom asks later.

“Hey, Donny, is this for April?” Mikey asks. He’s holding up a bottle of shampoo he’d just liberated from a shopping bag.

He looks at the bottle, and thinks: ‘Yeah, definitely one of those days.’

“Yes.” He lies. “For her and Casey, when they stay over. Just stick it in the shower, if you will.”

“Sure thing!” Mikey sets it down on the counter, and goes back to putting away the rest of the groceries. Donatello stands up from the table to help him, leaving behind his coffee and papers. They would keep, and today isn’t a day he should be getting lost in his own thoughts. Plus, this will let him keep an eye on anything else he’d accidently added to the grocery list.

After they’re done with that, he asks Mikey if he wanted to go take a spin on the Sewer Slider. Mikey will look at him for a moment, smile wide, and agree. Steph will show him all the new earrings she wants to get, he’ll make a mental note of some of them for her birthday, and then he’ll grab a bush and ask her to braid his hair. She’ll agree without hesitation, and then start practicing her fish-tail braid, even though his hair isn’t quite long enough for it.

Steph and Mikey will keep up a steady stream of chatter, occasionally asking him questions to keep him engaged, and he’ll pay special attention. Today is one of those days, where the lines - as thin and invisible as they are - start to blur and disappear. Where Timothy Drake and Donatello Splinterson stop being able to be two separate people. Where his brain starts sending error codes as it desperately tries to understand how it could be in Gotham and New York at the same time. Where it sends itself into a loop, trying to understand how he can only have six fingers when he has ten fingers when he has a shell but he doesn’t when he has hair but he doesn’t-

Today, the line - even though there really isn’t a line, because he is him, both Tim and Don all together at the same time all the time - blurs, and he has to stay firmly rooted in his two bodies. Has to remind his brain that he does have two bodies, and yes, that is normal for him. And the best way to do that, is to stay in the moment, keep focus, and let his brother and best friend remind him. Even if they don’t know what they’re reminding him of.

[roki-snake-sinner]

How the turtles react to Casey Jones’ boobas

Warning: Tcest, Adult Raph, Leo, Mikey, and Don (from 2012 to Rise, and Punk) and adult ftm Casey Jones (2012). The T boys react to Casey out of his binder. Not for Antis or Minors. Also, Mentions of Shark Week! Don’t like then don’t read. I don’t own any of the TMNT or 12! Casey Jones.

*12 Raph; Face red, hands covering his eyes. Angry yelling at him to put on a shirt! It takes a while for him to be able to look at Casey in the eyes again, but becomes a scary guard dog whenever Casey needs him. Ready and willing to tear limbs off of anyone that says anything negative towards Casey, but also fights with Mikey over who can rest their head on Casey’s chest.

*12 Leo: Little blushing baby, covers his eyes every time he enters a room that Casey’s in. Takes a long time to become comfortable with Casey and treat him like normal. Tries not to stare, but gets caught more times than not.

*12 Mikey: confused but excited because Casey now becomes his favorite pillow. Treats him the same, but a little more needy. Demands kisses and hugs. The most understanding out of all his brothers and makes Casey comfort food on days that he feels like an imposter or just not in the right body.

*12 Don: honestly, the one who knew first because he is the team’s medic, has to give Casey all his shots and bandages him up the most. Master Splinter and April taught him how to take care of Casey’s injuries and to comfort him. Made Casey a new chest plate to add protection during fights.

*Rise Raph: Hugs, the biggest of bear hugs (after Casey managed to not attack him and such and is given permission), lets Casey use his arms as a weighted blanket. Terrified to accidentally crush Casey, but after a few headbutts and bite marks, he knew that Casey could handle it. Secretly wants to motorboat Casey’s boobas, but is terrified to ask. (He is big boy, with a big face)

*Rise Leo: Becomes an even bigger flirt, needs to get smacked in the head a lot more often but Casey does enjoy the attention. (Rise Leo and Rise Donnie are FREAKS, don’t @ me). Will motorboat with permission or simply rest his head there to suffocate (It would be an honor). Will find any excuse to hold Casey’s chest (Please use this boy, he needs to be used)

*Once Casey is comfortable not wearing his binder all the time (When was the last time that thing was washed), he needs to fight them all off with a hockey stick. Turtles are known for biting, so Casey’s chest is free gain.

*Rise Mikey: Smother this boy please!! He will wait until Casey’s comfortable, but silently prays to the yokais’ every night to let him suffocate on 12! Casey’s chest. Rise! Mikey has a tummy kink, I bet it! Makes damn sure that Casey changes his binder, buys him so much in every different color (mainly reds, purples, blues, and oranges), and talks about what he is feeling and thinking. Will gladly let Casey use him as a seat or pillow. Body paint, body paint everywhere!!

Rise Donnie: Do Not, I repeat Do NOT let Rise Donnie near Casey’s chest, it will be covered in bite marks, sticky fluids, and such. Especially if Casey has boobas that don’t quite fit into his binder anymore due to Rise! Mikey feeding him. (This boy is needs to, and any Adult Mikey/Raph probably has a food kink)

*Punk/Swag Rebel (Raph): Confused but allows 12 Casey to steal his hoodies on bad days, probably rests his hands/head there without a thought. Will stop if it makes Casey uncomfortable, but if given permission Rebel will guard dog (especially from Swift)

*Punk/Swag Swift (Leo): 12! Casey needs to use Swift’s brothers as a meat shield, will mark and probably tattoo his name on them. The Freakest of the freaks. He thought that marking up his brothers was a masterpiece, wait until he gets ahold of 12! Casey. Doesn’t let Casey say anything negative about himself, will be Casey’s sparring partner, (boobas/ ass jiggling is his weakness). Feral Swift is feral.

*Punk/Swag MC (Mikey): finds edible body paint and has at it when given permission. Tries to spray paint Casey’s boobas for the world to see (realizes how feral they make him and his brothers) but gets distracted and goes back to regular spray painting masterpieces. Not the cooker of the family, but will eat food off of Casey’s body if given the chance.

*Punk/Swag Ghost (Donnie): Allows 12! Casey to steal his turtlenecks on bad days or when Casey just wants to wear his boyfriend’s shit. Probably AroAce, but still likes his name on Casey’s chest or on his body. Might take 12! Casey on Not dates and carries him around.

Everyone, but Ghost, during 12! Casey ‘shark week’: Terrified, Horny as fuck, watches him like yanderes.

Ghost during 12! Casey’s ‘shark week’: scared, but willing to spare, give warm turtlenecks, heating pad, etc. Probably seen more blood than any of the others, but still don’t want to wake up next to someone that’s not the best at remembering to change pads or when his ‘shark week’ starts. One to remember the birth control, Shots, and medical stuff that 12! Casey needs.

Yes, I will be making this into a story on my AO3, it will be sweet and full of smut. If you’re not comfortable with it, then I suggest you don’t read it.

I’m getting back into my feral stages of comfort. You have been warned.

[jestersmonsters]

Jester's Monster AU

Part 10 (End Of Chapter 1)

Warnings(for all parts, not just this one): Blood, gore, general angst, panic attacks, violence, death, dismemberment, attempted cannibalism (from vampires & werewolves), trauma, possible bad writing (I try), and the closest thing to realistic trauma responses I can get in a tmnt monster au.

💜First - 👈Prev - C1 Art Dump👉

Donnie was on his phone in bed, looking for more info on vampires. It was hard to know what was real and what was just fiction. He was getting increasingly frustrated.... but with what Mikey had told him, he was able to kind of guess. He preferred to write it down on a notebook or something, but since he was trying to rest, he just wrote what he knew in his notes app. He'd have to make a physical copy later. He was most worried about that "withered stomach" thing Mikey had mentioned, so he was looking for more details on that. It took some digging, but this is what he found:

Vampires can eat and drink any food or drink regularly so long as they feed on blood once a week. A week without blood will cause one to be unable to stomach human food from then on this is what they call the withered stomach. If another week passes without this being resolved, then the affected vampire will go into a defensive mode, losing control of their body and attacking any blood they can smell to drink it. If they are fed in that time, then they will return to normal, but if they remain hungry for approximately four hours longer, then the withered stomach will then become permanent if the vampire does not starve to death first.

This information cleared things up for him. No more starving himself from now on, got it. Sure didn't make him feel much better, though.... He already felt sick at the thought that this had happened to him. He assumed his little outburst had come just from that he was new to all this, and his body was still weak. Maybe he'd been trying to replenish energy lost from..... dying. It scared him, though. He'd bitten Casey of all people. That guy was supposed to be tough, and yet he wasn't able to defend himself... just how strong had the vampirism made him? Normally, the idea of being so strong wouldn't scare him, but it did. Because it came with the idea of hurting his family.

As if sensing his stress, there was a knock on the door, and Leo's voice came through. "Hey Dee, can I come in?" he asked. Without answering, Donnie just clicked a remote to open the door and let him in. Then Leo just sat on the edge of his bed, hands clasped quietly. "We didn't really get a chance to talk earlier, so I thought I'd start. And you know I don't apologize often, so you can't fight me on this, but... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not talking to you for so long. I wouldn't have minded you bringing me back to life, honestly. But the way you did it really scared me. All of it scared me. The way you looked at me with that creepy smile, all the blood, the way my body looked, all of it." he paused a moment to look at Donnie, who wasn't looking back, just staring at his phone with brows furrowed. He just sighed and kept talking. "But when you died, I think.... I understood why you looked at me that way. Because I would have done the same thing in that moment to get you back. It's still... scary.... but it felt like the only thing I could do so.... I get it." he finished. Donnie was looking at him now. He'd put his phone down, and he was just staring. His expression almost looked blank except for the slightest bit of tears brimming his eyes. Cautiously, he placed his hand on the other's.

Leon just smiled at that, understanding that it was Don's own version of an apology. "S'okay bud. I'm alright. You patched me up real good." he assured, leaning over to see what Donnie was doing. "You find anything out?" he asked. "Yeah. Just more about what my diet's gonna be like from now on." Donnie answered. "It's..... a little scary, though. I don't... I don't want to hurt anyone else." he said. To which, Leo just squeezed his hand. "Hey. I didn't get those blood bags for nothing. We're stocked up plenty! And with Raph and I around, even if you do get a little hungry, you won't get your teeth anywhere near anyone else, alright?" he assured, wearing a confident smile. But seeing Donnie was still worried, he just placed his free hand on his shell and rubbed gently. "We'll figure it out, mkay? Just get some rest. You'll be okay." he said in a quiet voice. With that, Donnie tried his best to quiet his troubled mind as he shut his eyes and drifted off to a deep sleep.

[End Of Chapter 1]

[bluepeachstudios]

GitS Q&A GO!!

Ghost made the entirety of the security system, though Donnie had some input into it. Normally Donnie likes to make new things, and Ghost keeps up the maintenance on the old things. He wants to let Donnie kinda do what he wants, because Ghost feels like he's "had his time" to dream and make whatever he wanted. He's modified a gaming system for Raph and a controller that's big enough to hold in his hands, Ghost has also modified all their cellphones for safety purposes and so they can just snag any signal from any cell phone tower.

More GitS questions answered under the cut!

He does. A lot.

Right after Ghost got out of the Battle Nexus, he slept a lot. He dreamed of his brothers so much he started wanting to be asleep more than awake. It got to the point where he wasn't really sure what was a dream/nightmare and what was real. He started drinking coffee again (he'd stopped during Battle Nexus) and it helped keep him awake. He started learning things like Japanese to pass the time.

He still has dreams that disorient him at first. He got into the habit of reminding himself every morning that they're gone. A depressing way to start the day, but it grounds him, and reminds him that the kids aren't gone.

Spoilers!

Considering Repo pushed Donnie and then subsequently tried to murder his children after going back on his deal with them, Ghost hates his guts.

2003 Donnie gets pissed at Ghost for leaving. But they talk, and figure things out eventually. Actually a good way to look at this one is by reading Ghost on the Server. 2003 Don goes OFF on Ghost.

Ghost finds it weird until he figures out that Draxum made the kids on purpose. Then it makes more sense to him. Ghost is pretty prepared, he knows a lot about turtles in general. He had to basically figure out their anatomy from scratch as a kid, though he HAS refrained from doing any intensive scans on the kids so far. He trusts their biology works basically the same way as he and his brothers', which it does. The biggest difference is that Ghost has no bridges (the hard sides of the boys' shells) which means he can't pull himself into his shell.

The first time Mikey popped into his shell he nearly had a heart attack.

Ghost is fine with it. He realized pretty quickly that Raph being noticeably the biggest and a year or two older than his brothers made him naturally take the leadership position. His own Leo naturally fell into the leadership position too, there was no announcement that he was the leader or anything, it was just that Leo was the most responsible, cool-headed, and quickest to make a decent plan. Ghost has sort of shifted his "don't carry the world on your shoulders" lessons more towards Raph in this case.

He does look at Leo sometimes and wonder if his own Leonardo would have been like that had he not been crushed under responsibility and a desire to let his brothers dream and be kids.

Yup! Ghost gives them lessons like school. Donnie generally didn't need them, but Ghost gives Donnie special assignments instead to enrich his learning so he isn't so bored. He kind of tailors their learning to them, so his teaching is done in short bursts with lots of visuals and hands-on examples. He focuses more on practical lessons that they can use in real life and moral lessons from history. He also teaches them all battlefield medicine, so Leo's not the only one who can patch them up in an emergency.

"At least twice a day. Morning and night. Usually more. Mikey hangs off of me and Raph a lot."

-------

WHEW okay those are Ghost in the Shell asks! I've got a few I want to draw, and if your ask doesn't have anything to do with GitS, I'm still gettin' around to it. :D

[roselemari]

(I’m a sucker for Leo angst and since sleep refuses to come to me I decided to share this idea)

Ok, this takes place after the episode follow the leader. Leo wakes up to get ready to do a little morning meditation, eat breakfast and then start his training with his brothers. As he’s finishing putting on his wrappings, his elbow and knee pads he grabs his katana and is about to sheath them when he notices that there was a marker written on one of them. This confuses Leo since he’s known to keep his weapons clean but then he sees what is written on it “Lame-O-nardo” and he remembers that it was Raph who wrote that when he and the rest of his brothers were playing king of the mountain. And because of the events that happened yesterday, he forgot to clean his katana. As he stared at the lettering on his katana, he started to feel dejected, he started thinking that he shouldn’t be upset, his brothers were able to save him, he’s back home with his family everything fine. But he can’t help but think that maybe if he had done a better job at leading his brothers, Raph wouldn’t have written that, and his brothers would have listened to him, and he wouldn’t have gotten captured. Quickly putting those thoughts away Leo sheaths his katanas and decides to go start his morning meditation in the dojo, thinking he’ll clean his swords before training starts. He’s making his way to the dojo after about 5 minutes of meditation. He’s hit with that dejected feeling again he tries to make it go away by focusing on something else, but it doesn’t work. Realizing that meditation is a no-go right now he heads to the pit and decides to watch space heroes thinking that his favorite show would cheer him up, unfortunately, it doesn’t work he still feels sad. He shuts off the tv and figures that there's no point in watching it if he can’t enjoy it. He starts telling himself that he needs to get it together before his brothers wake up otherwise, they’re going to start asking questions that he’s not ready to answer. He gets so lost in thought that he almost misses hearing his brothers wake up, and those depressing thoughts still haven’t gone away so does what he wouldn’t normally do, he leaves the lair and heads straight to the sewers to a spot his brothers don’t often go to. He stays there for a good while he has his T-phone on him but it’s shut off he knows that he probably missed training and he has his family worried but he can’t bring himself to move he doesn’t want to because he knows that if he sees them he’ll breakdown, despite everything that happened he can’t help but feel hurt by them, he knows he shouldn’t, he knows that he should be happy that his brothers were able to save him but after looking at his katana again and seeing what was written on it he can’t help but wish that his brothers would appreciate him as he appreciates them cause he tries his best to lead his team, to lead his brothers he just wish that they could see that, he wishes that he could be a good enough leader for them. He knows they were only teasing him, that they didn’t mean to hurt his feelings, but they did and with those final thoughts he finally lets the tears fall. Some time has passed, and he knows that he should head back to the lair, but he still can’t move, and he doesn’t have enough energy to walk back anyways so he decides to turn on his T-phone and is immediately bomb barded with messages from each of his brothers asking where he is. He doesn’t bother to answer he knows that Donnie will be able to track his location soon. After 20 minutes he can hear his brother’s footsteps, he doesn’t acknowledge them, he just continues to stare at the wall in front of him. When his brothers are finally near him Raph asks why he left without telling anyone. Leo stays quiet. Raph starts to get angry and is about to yell at Leo to answer him when Mikey notices something. Leo’s eyes are bloodshot red and there are tear marks on his face. Having noticed the same thing as Mikey, Donnie decides to ask Leo what’s wrong, anger is replaced with concern when Raph gets a good look at Leo and notices the state, he’s in as well. Leo doesn’t answer, he doesn’t even look at them. This worries the brothers even more and are about to ask again but then they see Leo’s katana and what is written on it they quickly put two and two together and they realize Leo is upset because of them. They are about to apologize but are cut off when Leo says, “I’m sorry I left without saying anything, but I couldn’t stay in the lair any longer. I was fine when I woke up but then I saw what was written on my katana and just started getting these depressing thoughts and they just wouldn’t go away so I left because I knew that if I saw any of you I would breakdown and even now I still can’t look at any of you, I’m so upset and I know I shouldn’t be but I am and I know you three didn’t mean to hurt me but you did and I’ll forgive you eventually but right I just want to be left alone”. After hearing this Raph, Donnie, and Mikey are at a loss for what to do, they’re not sure what to say to make Leo feel better because they did the one thing, they thought they never be able to do, they made Leo cry. Mikey is about to hug Leo, but sensing this Leo scoots away and tells Mikey not to touch him. He then tells his brothers that he’ll go back to the lair soon and that they can leave or stay if they want, just don’t talk to him or come near him, he just wants to be left alone. With that said the brothers respect his wishes but they don’t leave they stay wondering what they can do to make it up to Leo because even though it was Raph that wrote Lame-O-nardo on his sword Mikey and Donnie also played a part in it as well. They hurt their older brother's feelings; they made him cry. They need to fix this; how can they fix this?  

*This idea was actually based on an experience that happened with me and my siblings, we do tease each other and yeah sometimes we take it too far, but we quickly do what we can to make the other person feel better whenever one of us takes it too far. And I like to believe that the 2012 turtles do the same*

[obsidiancreates]

Out Of The Shadows and Into The Neon (Part 7)

"Alright, champ!" Leon hops around a bit, fists up in a defensive position. "Ready for your first real spar?"

Leo raises his own fists. "Dad? Um, aren't you a little... tall, for me to spar with?"

Leo look four feet down at his 10 year old son. "Good point... but Pop-Pop didn't want to, and I don't think your brothers can defend well enough yet."

"What about Uncle Casey? Or Auntie April?"

"They're taller than you too."

"But they aren't giants! You're taller than everyone!"

"So what do you suggest?" He puts his hands on his hips. "Don't say 'robot', I'm not letting Don make anything that can fight again."

"He made Shelldon!"

"He made Shelldon when we were fifteen, and he did try to kill us one time."

"I heard that was your fault."

"Noooo... Maybe a little. Who told you that?"

"Uncle Donald."

"Well, he's a big liar. Just go for my legs since you can't reach my face, okay?"

Leo shrugs, and begins trying to hit his dad's legs as Leon dodges the hits. "Dad? Will I ever be as tall as you?"

"Dunno! You might not want to be, it makes going through doors a terrible experience."

"I don't want to be short forever, though."

"Maybe you won't."

"I think I will. I had a dream that I never got any taller than five foot one."

"That's... really specific. Did you dream about your brothers?"

"Yeah. Raph was five feet forever, and Mikey was four-eleven, and Donnie was five-six. Forever and ever, until the day we all died."

"Whoa, pause, time out." Leon kneels down. "You dreamt you all died?"

Leo looks away and taps his fingers together. "It-it wasn't bad. I just... knew at the end we did. But I didn't see it so it wasn't a nightmare."

"Well, are you okay?"

"Yeah. ... I-I went and woke up Pop-Pop and he told me a story, and when I went back to bed it was okay."

"What story?"

"... The one about Gram-Gram."

"Oh." Leon swallows the lump in his throat that manifest every time he thinks of Karai. "That's kind of a heavy story."

"Yeah. But... she's not gone. Everyone's together again, even though they died. ... It makes it less scary to think about."

"That's... a really good way of thinking of it." He's never thought of it that way himself, actually. Karai waiting, spending time with her father, and he can say sorry to her still someday, to tell her all about her great-great-great way-more-greats grandkids and how awesome they are...

And the whole family will be together someday, without this aching, gaping hole in their hearts.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Pop-Pop will be with her when he dies, right?"

Leon can't help the way he flinches away at the very thought. "That won't be for a long time, kiddo."

"But when he does, he-he'll be waiting for us? And we'll see him again?" The way his son looks at him, so pleading, so... so young. God, he's so young, why is he thinking of this? Why is his 10 year old son being haunted by this?

"Yeah. Yeah, of course. We'll all end up in the same place, because we're family. I promise."

Leo nods, and then suddenly throws himself into Leon's arms. "I love you, Dad," he says, his little voice choked up with tears. "I love you a lot, and-and I want you to know that, and-"

"Hey, hey." Leon pats Leo's little shell as he hugs him tight. "... It wasn't just your brothers, was it?"

Leo shakes his head and buries his face into Leo's shoulder. "It was you and Pop-Pop."

"We're right here, buddy."

"Shredder got you."

Leon's blood runs cold. "Shredder is gone, Lee. He'll never, ever hurt you."

"I know. ... I won't let him hurt you either."

"You don't need to protect me, hijo."

"I do." Leo's little body shakes in Leon's hands, making him hug tighter. "I do, I-I need to keep you safe."

"Hey." Leon rubs the back of his son's head with his thumb. "You're just a kid, okay? You don't need to take that burden on yourself. Let me protect you. Let your uncles protect you. Let your grandpas and your aunties and all our friends protect you. These are adult things to worry about. I promise you don't have to."

"I don't know how to stop, Dad," Leo sobs.

"We'll work on it together, okay? You don't need to put all this pressure on yourself. You're just a kid."

"O-okay." Leo hugs as tight as he can with his little arms. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"... Can-can we watch Jupiter Jim instead of sparring?"

"Of course we can! Do you want to read me the story you wrote about him and your space hero too?"

"Y-yeah."

"Let's grab some ice cream on the way. Uncle Angelo made some fresh last night."

"But not on pizza like Mikey does, right?"

"Not on pizza like Mikey does. I don't know how that kid never throws up with how he eats."

Leo finally giggles, and Leon smiles as he gets up and carries his son to the kitchen.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright, now you draw the outline," Angelo says as he uses his powers to lift Mikey high into the air, "And I'll color it in with the spray paint!"

"Shouldn't Raph do this?" Mikey says even as he begins to doodle a big alligator man, one of his favorite imagined characters to draw. "He's better at it."

"This isn't about being good. It's about having fun!"

Mikey laughs, kicking his legs as he keeps drawing, adding a big crown to the alligator mutant's head. "Yeah! Raph can suck it!"

"Raph can... Mikey?"

"Yeah?" He sticks his tongue out as he focuses, a habit he shares with his genius brother.

"Has Raph been bullying you?"

"NO!" Mikey whips around in midair, eyes as wide as they can get. "No!"

"Whoa whoa! He's not in trouble if he's not, but why can he 'suck it' then?"

"Oh. Well, uh, yesterday he said I'm not serious enough to be a ninja."

"What?! Oh, I am having words with Raphie about this later, that is a whole pile of nonsense!"

"Yeah. Anyway, I told him he's too angry to be a ninja."

"That's not okay either, son." Angelo pulls Mikey closer with his powers. "You guys shouldn't be saying these hurtful things to each other."

"I know." Mikey sounds genuinely regretful, at least. "But then he said I'm gonna get everyone hurt someday, and I said I'm gonna save everyone all the time because they can't imagine stuff to do without me."

"How did this argument start?"

Mikey looks down. "... Leo had a nightmare."

Angelo puts Mikey down completely and sits criss-cross-applesauce. Mikey copies him, still looking down at the floor.

"I heard him sneaking to Pop-Pops room and I followed," Mikey admits. "And Raph and Donnie did too. And we all heard Leo say he had a nightmare where we died."

"Oh, Mikey." Angelo pulls his son into his lap. "Hey, we'd never let that happen, you know that right?"

"Yeah. But Leo said it was all his fault, and-and that he couldn't protect us." Mikey tears up. "And then when we woke up Raph said we should train without Leo and he was really upset. He hit me too hard and we started fighting and-"

Mikey sniffles, leaning into his dad's plastron and hugging him. "I think he wants us to be really good so Leo doesn't worry," Mikey says quietly. "But I don't think he knows how to say it."

"Yeah," Angelo sighs. "I've noticed that about him. ... Look, Mikey, nobody's perfect, and nobody's serious all the time. Being a ninja isn't about not having fun ever, and I think the fact that you do find it fun makes you a very good ninja."

"... It does?"

"Heck yeah it does! You think my razzmatazz comes from serious training? It comes from flash and flair, baby! You can have those without a little bit of fun!"

Mikey laughs. "Yeah. Yeah! And-and Raph said my dance-fight I made up was cool the other day."

"Exactly! He was just in a bad mood, and he didn't express it well. I'll tell Raphie to talk to him about it, okay?"

"Okay."

"And we need to remember that when a fight starts getting out of hand like that, it's time for everyone to back off and take a deep breath."

"But what if I come up with a really good comeback?"

"You can tell me later, or tell Raph later when he's calmed down and knows it's a joke."

"Awww."

"What?"

"... It's kinda funny when he gets mad."

"Mikey. Do you feel good when someone annoys you until you snap?"

"No."

"So do you think Raph does?"

"But he snaps way faster!"

"That doesn't mean he's not just as upset."

"... I guess..."

"Listen. I'm gonna go call Raphie and tell him about this. Do you want to draw something down here while I do that?"

"Okay. ... I'm gonna draw my pet!"

"You have a pet?" Where'd he hide it?

"In my head!" Mikey grins and points to his head. "Her name is Ice Cream Kitty! I'm gonna draw her and let her be real!"

"I bet she'll be great. Okay, be back in a few minutes."

"Okay Dad!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raphie knocks on his son's door. "Hey, Little Man?"

"Come in."

He opens the door and eases it shut again behind him. Raph sits on his bed, flipping through a comic book about superhero vegetables. Raphie takes a deep breath and sits down on the end of his son's bed.

Raph looks up at him. "Dad? Are you okay?"

"Raphie's worried." He's not beating around the bush today. "Angelo told me Leo had a bad nightmare, and it really upset you."

Raph narrows his eyes. "Mikey told you, you mean."

"No, he told his dad, and his dad told me."

Raph crosses his arms, crinkling his comic. "Mikey's a snitch."

"Hey." Raphie reaches out and puts his arm around his son, but doesn't bring him into a hug yet in case he needs space still. "It's okay to be worried."

"Mikey was goofing off!" Raph throws his comic to the floor. "Leo was upset and Mikey was just goofing off about it!"

"Did you tell Mikey it was to make Leo feel better?"

"He should've known! Donnie knew!"

"Mikey likes to cheer Leo up by being silly. You and Donnie like to cheer him up by preparing more. That doesn't mean Mikey doesn't care."

"Leo thought he killed us!" Raph clenches his fits, gritting his teeth as tears form in his eyes. "And he cried to Pop-Pop about it and-and he said he couldn't protect us! Why does he think he has to do that?! I can protect us! I can make sure we can protect him! Leo needs to be okay too! I don't want Leo to die!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" Raphie pulls his son in for the hug, grounding him before he spirals too badly. "Where's this coming from, little buddy?"

Raph is quiet for a long time, and then he lets out a sob. "I had a dream Leo died too."

There it is. Raphie rubs his son's back and waits for him to go on.

"He did it over and over and he didn't even care! He just said he needed to protect us and he died and died and died! And-and when I woke up I heard him and he went and told Pop-Pop he dreamed we died and he can't let that happen and-and that means my dream will come true! And I don't want my big brother to die!"

"He won't," Raphie assures, giving Raph a squeeze. "Your Uncle Leon would never let him do that to himself, and your Uncle Donald would make sure he'd make it through anything that hurt him. Uncle Mikey would rip open a million portals through time to make sure you're all okay."

Raph sobs again, and screams into his dad's arm. "But Leo would try! because he's stupid, and-and pretends to be fearless, and that's stupid because he should be afraid to die and leave us!"

"He should," Raphie agrees. "And I'll talk to Leon about this, I promise. Leo shouldn't think it's up to him to keep all of your guys safe, that's our job."

"He thinks because he's the big brother he has to," Raph growls, still crying and gripping his dad in the tightest hug he can muster.

"When'd you guys decide he's the big brother?"

"He just is."

"Okay."

"But I'm a big brother too," Raph says firmly. "And Mikey and Donnie are little brothers. And I have to make sure we all stay exactly where we should be, but I'm the only one who cares! Leo doesn't care, he just wants everyone else to be okay, but we can't be okay if he isn't okay!"

"I know." Raphie begins rocking as he holds his son. "Boy, does Raphie know. Leon was the same way when he was younger."

"It's his fault?" Raph's voice hardens with anger.

"No!" Raphie shakes his head. "No, he's learned his lesson! That's why I know he'll talk with Leo about it, because he learned his lesson the hard way and doesn't want any of you to go through the same!"

"What if Leo doesn't listen?"

"All we can do is try. ... Maybe you should tell him that you worry about him. Let him know that he's not the only one worrying about everybody. Maybe if he knows you worry too, he'll feel less alone."

"... You think he feels alone?"

"Sometimes." The way Leo lingers after training to practice more, the way he sometimes goes quiet when the other three joke around, the way that ever since they wandered into Big Mama's hotel four years ago he's started telling them where they should and shouldn't go.

"... I don't want him to feel alone." Raph curls up, snuggling deeper into Raph's side. "I do sometimes. I hate it."

"What makes you feel alone?"

"Being angry. ... I'm too angry."

"... You know... there's other people out there who feel angry a lot and don't know why. I do, sometimes."

"You?"

"Yeah! Raph gets really angry and upset when he's alone too long, and it makes him weird. But you know what helps with that kind of thing?"

"What?"

"Talking to someone who knows a lot about it. And Uncle Angelo has some friends in the Hidden City who know about it." Therapy is something they've all done for years, but... he had really been hoping his son would never have to do the same.

Still, it's... not for the same reason. So it's not... he can handle it. He can handle taking his small son to that office, to that room, because he's not there for pain and suffering. Just to learn about himself. Just to learn.

"That sounds nice."

"We can go there soon, bud. But how about we talk to Leo first? I'll be there with you, and so will Uncle Leon."

"... Can we bring Mikey too? ... I yelled at him this morning."

"We can bring Mikey too. Should we bring Donnie when they get home?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Let's call your uncle, then."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Really? I thought he seemed distracted today. Okay, we'll be home soon." Donald turns off his communicator and looks over at his son, who's examining a bundle of wires. He activates his shell and flies over through the junkyard.

Donnie is looking between the wires and the drawing he and Shelldon made together last week. Shelldon, while only a program in a phone for now, had quickly bonded with his 'younger brother'. It's a bit of an intimidating thought, the two of them teamed up. They're both so much like Donald himself, in so many ways.

"So," Donald says, and Donnie groans and lowers his head. "What?

"That's your 'we need to talk' so," Donnie grumbles, putting the wires in his bag.

"Yes, it is. Raphie told me Leo had a nightmare, it upset Raph, and he and Mikey had a fight."

"Yeah." Donnie's little hand shakes as he digs through the pile. "And Leo won't have any more nightmares soon."

"What makes you so sure?"

Donnie hands over the drawing. "He can fight for us."

Donald looks at the drawing. It's a stout robot, angular and simple, not unlike the Shelldon blueprints that made Donnie have his first truly big tantrum a whole decade ago.

A whole decade. Suddenly Donald feels ancient.

"That's a good idea," Donald says, looking back up. "But I don't think Leo will accept it."

"He should." Donnie picks out a piece of an old motherboard. It looks like completely useless garbage to Donald, but Donnie pockets it. "I'm going to fix it for him, and... and then it'll be okay. That's what science does, right? It makes things okay. Makes them make sense."

Donald nods... and then Donnie sniffles. And wipes his eyes.

Oh dear.

"Son?" Donald hovers closer and picks Donald up, setting him down and then lowering to his knees so they're face-to-face. "Science is a wonderful, beautiful thing. She's a fascinating mistress who can consume your every thought for hours on end. But she can't make everything perfect."

Donnie sniffles and wipes his eyes again. "Why not?"

"Nothing can perfect, Donnie. Even I, genius of the ages, am always looking back on old projects and seeing ways to improve them, or things I could have done better."

"Metalhead will fight for us so Leo doesn't have to get hurt."

"That's a fantastic goal. But Leo will keep fighting anyway."

"Why?"

"Because he's his father's son, and his father is my twin, and I know him far too well. They don't see things the way we do most of the time."

"Sometimes they do," Donnie sniffles. "Sometimes he thinks more than I do, and sometimes I jump at things before he does, and he knows better. I-I don't want him to get hurt because I do something I shouldn't and he knew better and-"

"Donatello." Donald puts both of his hands on his son's shoulders. They're huge around him, but that just means Donnie feels safe and cocooned. "genius comes from learning, from everything. That includes mistakes. If you make a bad decision, and Leo stops you, what does that mean?"

"... Don't do that next time?"

"Exactly."

"But-but he'll still be hurt-"

"But that won't be your fault. We operate based on all of our best knowledge, and we operate based on chemical reactions in our brains. When you and Draxum work on your chemical projects together, and you accidentally add too much of one compound to another and it explodes, does Draxum blame you?"

"No." Donnie shakes his head. "We note it down, and we don't do that again."

"Right. And when it explodes when neither of you expected it, does he blame you if he gets hurt?"

"No. But-but if he does know and I do it anyway-"

"When he does know and you do it anyway, what happens?"

"I get in trouble."

"And?"

"And... and he doesn't let me sit by the chemicals without supervision."

"And?"

"... Um..."

"And," Donald says, "He treats his injury, and invites you to work with him again the next day. Donnie, listen to me. Never beat yourself up over not making the absolute perfect decision every single time you're faced with on. You know who used to do that?"

"... I-I don't know."

"Uncle Leon." Donald nods as Donnie's eyes go wide. "He thought because he wasn't perfect, he was a bad leader. He started being bad at it on purpose so he wouldn't have to be anymore. He made a lot of mistakes in that time. We got hurt, all of us. Badly. But you know what happened after?"

"... You got better?"

"We got better. And he learned. And he's been a very good leader ever since."

"... What if I don't know something... and... and we can't get better because I didn't know it?"

"Well..." Donald blows out a breath. "Well... you have to learn to accept it. And it will hurt for a very long time, and never fully go away. And you learn to live with it."

"How?"

"... I don't know." Donald takes his hands off of Donnie's shoulders and looks at the robot drawing again. And he sees Shelldon, and all of his old tech, and he sees The Shredder tearing it all apart, and he sees rubble, and he sees Karai buried and twitching but still trying her best to protect them, and he sees all of his tech and knowledge failing to make a difference-

"But you do." He nods to himself. "You learn to move on, because there's more to do. You accept, you learn from what happened, and you do everything you can so it never happens again."

"... What if it does?"

"... Then you keep trying. And you... might never get there. But that's not your fault." Donald looks into Donnie's eyes. "It's not. You can do everything right, and still fail. So all that matters in the end is that you did the best you could."

Donnie thinks for a long, long time. Long enough that Donald's phone buzzes, probably Raphie asking where they are.

"Is it still okay to be afraid of that?" Donnie asks quietly.

"Yes." Donald stands. "It's always okay to fear failure, as long as it doesn't stop you from trying. Science is all about trying."

Donnie is quiet again, and then reaches up to hold his dad's hand. "Can... can we go see Leo? ... I think... I think I need to talk to him. Before I make him a robot. I want to try that first."

"Now that is truly brave," Donald sighs heavily. "Emotional conversations. You're braver than I, my young son."

Donnie grins up at him with his little gap-toothed smile. "Does that mean I can build our go-karts?"

"Not until we find you helmets."

"Aww..."

"... Which... I can have Auntie April do tomorrow. As a reward for the conversation we're all about to have."

Donnie grins again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leon worries about the burden his son is taking onto himself.

Angelo worries about how his son works with his brothers.

Raphie worries about the way his son is trying to be a Team without telling his team anything.

Donald worries about his son not being able to work through his anxieties of failure.

There's a good way to check how severe each of these issues are.

But it can wait.

First, group family therapy.

Then... the boys' first patrol.

[whattraintracks]

TMNT ask game!

20.) Which theme song is your favorite?

21.) What is your favorite story arc?

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

20.) Gah, I love all the tmnt music so much, you have no idea. The '03 theme is a major bop, I hardly ever skip it. The full-length version of the Rise theme has some neat lyrics and musical moments. My absolute favorite, if this counts, is the theme from the Out of the Shadows soundtrack. It's a loud, high-energy remix of the '87 theme with good vocals, an epic rap, a sick guitar solo, and go ninja go ninja go. It's got it all.

21.) I loved Big Brawl in '03! Also, Rise's Tales of the Hidden City. I enjoy it when characters start in the same place, have separate adventures during which they occasionally cross paths or subtly reference what the others are up to, and all end up back together. It's like one of those kid activity pages where you follow the jumbled, squiggly lines from one side to the other.

28.) Mikey, Raph, and Leo's adventures in the Ultimate Drako arc! Since I only just watched it, I haven't gone looking for fanworks about it yet. I'm sure they exist, but I haven't seen as many come up as I do for SAINW. I'm equally intrigued by the potential for exploring or drawing out the others' time in their respective universes and imagining the after-effects.

Does Mikey think often about The Sliver? About how he helped the superturtles kill their father, a twisted mirror of his own? How does his experience affect the way he superheros? How does it affect his relationship with the Justice Force? With villains? With comics? Maybe I just haven't read enough '03 fics yet, but I LOVE Turtle Titan and want so much more of him, in general.

I talked a little about Raph and the planet racers in my reaction post, and @terrahlee-cup added some excellent thoughts. He was there for three days!! So much potential for in-between moments. Let him interact with the other racers, talk shop, show off his ninja skills, or just walk around freely. Did he throw himself into learning the strange mechanics and designs of his temporary bike to keep himself busy between races instead of running himself ragged, worrying about his family? Did he look for a way out on his own or force himself to focus only on the race, hoping that if he kept his end of the deal, so would Methania and Falcon? Surely he won't be all angst back home. Maybe, in true sibling fashion, he shoves it in Mikey's face: 'Oh, you won the battle nexus tournament? Well, I won a death race across an entire alien planet!' Maybe he goes right back to upgrading the shell cycle alongside Casey with a million new ideas. Maybe he ropes Don into discussions about how mechanical engineering differs across dimensions due to divergences or advancements in scientific knowledge or even different laws of physics.

And gosh, Leo must have felt so uneasy traveling in broad daylight in Usagi's world. Plus, it must have really stung to face prejudice not for his appearance (something he expected and had prepared for with humans) but because of his ninja training and heritage, something he so proudly cultivated and dedicated himself to. How did he feel at the Nexus, knowing he nearly sent Raph plummeting to his death as he tried and failed to return his family to him with the war staff?

I very much enjoyed answering these questions! Thanks <3

[miss-andromeda]

For the sappy ship game 💕

For Donnie and Andi 💜🩷

🦅: How good are their friends at being wingmen? Do they even help at all or just sit back watching the pining with a bag of popcorn?

🧸: Would they want to have kids together? If so what are their kid(s) like? How are they as parents?

🕊️: Give just a general domestic tidbit for em (things they like about each other, routines, habits, and just overall sweet stuff)

I got you 😌

🦅: How good are their friends at being wingmen? Do they even help at all or just sit back watching the pining with a bag of popcorn?

(Only sticking with the season 1 crew, so no Casey 😌)

Okay, let's start with the elephant in the room; April is the de facto wingwoman. Always trying to get Andi and Donnie to have some kind of alone time together, hyping the other one up in front of their crush, she goes the whole nine yards.

The boys on the other hand are a different story. The closest one I could think of being a wingman is Raph, but even still, it's not often that he acts like one. He mostly sticks to teasing the two of them about confessing their feelings - mostly Donnie, because it's easier to tease him than Andi. Mikey doesn't tease the two of them, but he does often join April in admiring them, even if they're doing something innocuous like talking. Leo often joins Raph in the teasing, but it's less like Raph's "just shut up and kiss" approach and more "you two are adorable, but I'm never gonna let you live down how dorky you can be."

As for Splinter? He's quietly observing the whole thing with a smile...while also planning out the wedding in his head.

🧸: Would they want to have kids together? If so what are their kid(s) like? How are they as parents?

Heck yeah they want to have kids! Once they figure out the technicalities behind it (and if Andi can even be pregnant with a child with both human and mutant DNA,) they absolutely want kids.

And in case you were wondering, they would have twins - a boy and a girl, named Marie and Isaac. 💛💙

Marie would be the more outgoing one - think Mabel from Gravity Falls, except more sassy. She's bright, cheery and loyal to her core - but she's quite direct and is not afraid to call someone out if they're being mean or dumb - or both. She's also not afraid to get into a little bit of mischief, especially with their Uncle Mikey. And she's the only one who can make Raph dress up and play tea party with her.

Isaac is more reserved and polite, but he can still be direct if he wants to be. He's the one constantly telling Marie not to do something since she can get in trouble, but on rare occasions, he'll join in on her shenanigans. He's sometimes partial to brag that he's the older one since he was born first (about 5 minutes before Marie was,) often earning a whine of protest and "shush, Izzy!" from her. (Side note, she's the only one that can call him Izzy - everyone else gets a glare. In response, he calls her Rie-Rie.) He also idolizes their Uncle Leo, so much so that he often asks to participate in meditating with him, and even asks when he can start learning to use a katana.

As for how Don and Andi would be as parents? Let's leave it at; they both would be overprotective as hell, and Andi would be very partial to threatening anyone with her gun if they dared to even look at her babies the wrong way. But when it comes to the kids themselves? Supportive as all get-out and will never fail in making them feel loved and appreciated, but can be strict when need be - like if they break something in the lab or get into a fight with each other.

🕊️: Give just a general domestic tidbit for em (things they like about each other, routines, habits, and just overall sweet stuff)

Hmm, what's a good domestic bit I could discuss...?

Got it! How 'bout we discuss their birthdays?

I am a firm believer that the boys' Mutation Day is the same day the show first aired - September 28. So when their birthday rolls around, Andi will work together with Splinter and April in throwing them an awesome birthday party. The music will be a bit all over the place, but it's the spirit that counts, you know? And of course, she'd get them all gifts - and then sneak Donnie away for a bit of alone time...😌

Not like that, ya pervs 😅

She'd bring him to the surface and take him somewhere fun and private - the Hayden Planetarium (when it's closed, of course 😌), a walk through Central Park, or she'd just bring him to her apartment for dessert and a movie.

And for her birthday? Well, as we saw in Andi's birthday chapter, he will go all out as far as her gift goes. He can and will make her something meaningful and useful - jewelry, a CD player, a new computer (if needed,) anything she mentions she'd like or something he thinks would be a good gift is hers.

And like her, he'd totally arrange something private for the two of them - a rooftop picnic, stargazing, or he'd make a mini projector and put a screen up so they could watch a movie on the roof. Whatever makes her happy. 💜🩷

----------

Thanks for the ask, bestie 🩷

@tinkabelle19 @happymoonangel @kikithedreamerwriter @jasminarts01 @raphsmuneca @thelaundrybitch @m1dnyt3-w0lf @margoteve

[zukkaart]

Hello fellow worms haver. I was listening to a playlist of songs Pete wentz wrote about Mikey way because I’m insane and I. The take over the break’s over by fob. Is giving me zukka worms. Like if they had a Thing before Zuko became fire lord and then it sort of stopped for a while because appearances and Zuko has to be as legitimate as possible so people take him seriously and Sokka only sort of understands why Zuko can’t be with him anymore 😭😭😭 and then later they get back together (sort of because they never really were together but also they never really broke up) because there has to be a happy ending or I’ll die. But like. That middle period of I can’t see my boyfriend because he’s the fire lord now and we had so much fun before and now everything sucks and I miss him 😭😭 (from Sokka) and oh my god I’m so overwhelmed I don’t know what’s going on anymore and I wish Sokka were here but the guards talk and I can’t let rumors get out that will put his life in danger and question my legitimacy (from Zuko). Mutual pining after already having had something together. Hhhhhhhhhhhhgg

Omg omg yes! (Also I love that song and I hope they play it bc I’m seeing them in a couple of weeks)

But I submit this for your consideration: The Fire Nation is a LOT more strict on their rules regarding what is “proper” and “right”. We already know that they take marital fidelity and bloodlines very seriously.

Although they are the only nation with women in their armies during the period where the show takes place but that’s a topic for another day

BUT in the SWT it’s not like that. No one cares what you do or who you do as long as you’re contributing to the community- I mean in that terrain who can blame them? They’ve got bigger things to worry about with such limited resources.

So when Sokka and Zuko start getting closer and closer Sokka is absolutely ecstatic but Zuko is terrified, because he knows that eventually he will become Firelord and the prejudices of his people or advisors will not be undone overnight.

Finally, before the day of Sozin’s comet Sokka finally figures “screw it, if we’re all maybe going to die I want him to know how I feel and that I want to be with him” but Zuko ever our king of reality and also consistently making the most awkward and wrong decisions ever says something like-

“I can’t be with you for the sake of my people, I have to look strong and traditional and put together, I can’t give them any reason to doubt my position as leader. They will already see me as young and inexperienced”

And to his credit- Sokka understands, relationships can be distracting and I mean he does have to rebuild the ideologies of a whole nation, he feels content with getting off his chest and carry’s on.

However, his beliefs come shattering to the ground when he sees Zuko, standing in front of his people, with Mai at his side.

Sokka is smart but takes things personally- and he’s never been exposed to the prejudices that exist in the Firenation so he can’t put two and two together and concludes that he is the problem and that Zuko simply didn’t feel the same way. But why wouldn’t he just say that?

After months of keeping it cool he finally snaps and storms into Zukos room.

Sokka: okay cut the shit! What’s your problem?!

Zuko: *going through a million correspondences* Uh… nothing? Sokka are you okay? [he stands and walks over to him]

Sokka: No I am not okay! If you didn’t want to be with me you should have just SAID THAT! Instead of claiming that you had to look strong and then picking MAI to stand at your side instead of me! And one more-

Zuko: Sokka I want it to be you

Sokka: *scoffs* Oh you want- wait. What?

Zuko: I want it to be you standing next to me

Sokka: Then why can’t I be?

Zuko: You really don’t understand?

And of course Sokka doesn’t so they have to have a whole conversation about how the FN sees “right” and “wrong” relationships and how that’s what Zuko was talking about changing that night.

Sokka: So, it’s not that you don’t want to be with me?

Zuko: No nagliga, not at all.

(Nagliga means “my love” in Inuktitut, sorry I’m soft for Zuko taking the time to learn Sokkas native tongue)

[rainyraisin]

OKAY SO, RETICENT INFO DUMPS!!! The first half of Raph's wasn't in my notes so I had to steal it from Instagram. These are from 2 weeks ago so the characters have more to them at this point but I'll only keep infodumping if people ask :)

Raph continuation:

Raph is the only brother other than Leo who goes up to the surface, usually to get more fun things for his brothers rather than what they genuinely need. Mikey receives spray paint gear and painting supplies, also said to be from Splinter, but Raph suspects he knows who its truly from. He hides in his room whenever Splinter actually does visit so he doesn't get into a fight with him and "scare him off" for a few months. The only crime Raph really commits is stealing. Despite his temper and tendency to get into fights, he's actually quite responsible. He's the one who stops his twin from committing too many crimes. The vandalism he permits, the arson he does not. He wants to be closer to Mikey and Leo.

Mikey:

Mikey is 15 and the younger twin by 2 days!!! He's more of a traditional artist and enjoys painting. He was introduced to spraypainting by April and does it around the lair pre-season 1, to Splinter and therefore Leo's dismay. Following the start of season 1, he starts doing spraypainting with Casey which was a big bonding activity for them. Mikey struggles with expressing anger verbally and does it through other things like burning stuff or going out to spraypaint. He was almost caught by the police once due to him being too loud and disturbing the peace whilst spraypainting to relieve some stress. He's the best cook in the family and when he was deemed old enough by Leo he was allowed to start cooking for them (with supervision of course, and Leo handled things like knives). He wants to be a cool older brother to Donnie but tries a bit too hard and kinda just comes off as weird yet kind funny. They're still not the closest though. He wants to be closer to Donnie and Raph. Later on he bonds with Donnie a bit through baking as his little brother enjoys the chemistry part of it (he is completely banned from the stove though). Raph is their taste-tester.

Donnie:

Donnie!! The youngest at 13!!! (And a half as he will constantly remind you). Donnie is autistic but literally has no fucking clue, just like the twins with their ADHD. He's a bit clingy to Raph and shares similar traits to him due to spending the majority of his life around him. He acts the same way around April as Mikey does around him, trying to be a cool little brother. April doesn't understand what the hell he's trying to do. He questions why Splinter brings him materials for his inventions yet seems so disapproving of them. Donnie feels like his brothers view him as a liability first and family second. Leo tends to try keep him out of the way a lot of the time, mostly when sparring, which leads to him being weaker than his brothers in that aspect, although Raph eventually has enough and begins sparring with him in secret. Don is the reason they met April as he went out looking for Splinter when he was 9 and got lost, only finding his way back to his brothers due to April offering to help him. He stole Leo's coat so the majority of his features are covered up. She only realises that shit might not be right here when he tells her he lives down in the sewers but like, is she really gonna leave a kid to get home alone??? No, ofc not.

April:

April! The oldest of the group at 17!! She will lord the fact that shes just over a month older than Casey over him for the rest of his life. April acts quite apathetic and snarky but genuinely does want to help her brothers cause she cares a lot about them. She just doesn't know how to and she feels so guilty about it. She also tries not to get too involved in their personal stuff because she thinks that they don't view her as a sister. She hasn't met Splinter yet but has heard a lot about him from Raph and isn't very fond of him. She doesn't like Casey too much at first as she's worried he'll break their trust and reveal her brothers' existence to the world but over time they grow closer and become friends. When she first met the turtles, she was a bit freaked out cause holy shit there are mutant turtles in the sewers why why why why why- But she came to realise that they were just kids trying to survive and warmed up to them quickly. She came round as often as she could to make sure they were okay and eventually bought them all radios in order to keep in contact with them better (she let Donnie mess with them to increase the range). Very supportive of her brothers cause like, who else is gonna be? Their dad sure isnt and she's the only one who knows about them otherwise (until a certain goofy guy comes along)

Casey:

Casey Jones!! Second oldest of the overall group, also at 17!!! He's just less 17 than April (don't question me I can english). He's the catalyst for the series as a whole and is completely confused by what the fuck is going on the majority of the time- bro is just slowly learning how fucked up this family is and he's just like "ARE U GUYS OKAY??? 💀💀💀". He wants to help the sillies stop being so damn emotionally constipated. He is also a silly little vigilante guy‼️‼️‼️ He is not very good at it but don't tell him that he's trying his best. He also plays hockey cause he slays like that. He is very loser/affectionate. He's definetly been arrested a couple of times although never actually sent to jail or anything, just made to wait with an officer until his dad comes to pick him up. He acts way more confident than he is. (I have way less on him than everyone else atm lmao I'm sorry)

Also just realised, here's a very old Leo infodump, like literally from the second day of Reticent's existence

Anyway if there's anyone who wants to know more about all of the sillies or even just one particular silly, throw an ask into the box!!! :D

[minumi-chan]

Words you didn't say - ch 2 preview

So this story is a companion story to "A Twin Thing."

It focuses on Raph and Don this time, and will intersect in later chaps with the Twins' story. Chapter 1 can be read here on tumblr or A03

It will follow the same beats as the Twins' storyline, starting as tots and following the bros as they age in both the good future... and the bad one.

~~~~~~ Nine years old ~~~~~~

“Wish we had eggs... Or hmm... some tamayo rice...” Leo whines, cheek smushed against his palm and his elbow resting rudely on the table in their father's absence. The spoon in his hand squeaks against the side of his chipped mug as he scrapes every last grain of oats out and onto his eager tongue.

“Tama-go,”  Donnie stresses the last syllable, but the admonition lacks the vindictive spirit with which he usually relishes correcting his not-twin. His own spoon digs listlessly into his mushy oats and crushes any still whole grains against the side of the cup. 

“Still too lumpy, Dee?” Raphael reaches across the table to offer, “Want me to mush it up for ya, so it gets smooth how you like it?”

Donnie doesn’t answer right away. The overly large glasses that frame his face make his mismatched eyes seem bigger as they look up at him, then down with a worried brow at the cup in front of Raphael. Though it has been empty since he took his second bite, Raph draws his hands back to his cup, shuffling his spoon around as if he still has some left and is just drawing it out to savor it. Donnie’s nostrils flare and he wriggles his snout with a sniff, staring at Raph and his cup now with a calculative gaze. 

Leon exhales with an air of annoyance, throwing a glance at Raph’s cup before pinning a sour look on his twin, “Just eat it, Dontron. Stop being so picky.” 

“Don’t start, Leo,” Raphael warns with a frown. Before the slider can make a smart comment back though, their littlest brother interrupts. 

“Raphie,” Mikey pauses to lick his spoon clean of every last grain, and holds up his empty cup. "Coul’ I get s’more, peas?"

When measuring out what was left of their overnight oats that morning, Raphael had only put two big spoonfuls in his cup. That left him just enough to scoop four spoonfuls each for the twins. In the last cup he added two more than in the twins’, because he knows they wouldn’t mind if it was for their littlest brother. And because Mikey cries the loudest when his tummy gets gassy during the long wait between their meals. His baby brother’s sweet round eyes watch him innocently, until his nose scrunches up, and he releases a tiny little sneeze. 

“Why do you smell sad, Raphie?” Mikey’s voice wavers just a touch, rubbing his nose. 

The lump forming in Raphael’s throat strangles his words silent. He forces himself to release his empty mug so he does not crush it in his grip and cause another problem altogether. It clinks against the table with a hollow sound as he pushes it away, feeling Leo’s observant gaze following his every move, and Mikey’s watery eyes aiming at him from the opposite direction. Swallowing thickly, he can scent his own rising anxiety in the air around him as he tries to figure out how to explain...

That they don’t have any more... The cupboards are bare, and have been for days. They don’t have anything else left to eat... 

Mikey’s voice knocks him out of his spiral, “I can has it?” 

Raph’s vision regains focus on his little brothers and he blinks. Donnie holds out his mug to their little brother with a silent encouraging nod. A happy little chirp escapes Mikey as he takes the cup and immediately digs in.

Donnie glances back at him over the rim of his glasses before his eyes shy away from Raph again without offering a word. Leo frowns at the table in an equal amount of telling silence, picking at a knot in the wood grain. Mikey munches away on the still lumpy oats in complete and blissful ignorance. 

Raph’s chest heaves with a slightly shaky breath. He dredges up a grateful smile when Don looks up again. Hesitating a moment, Donnie nods before turning back to their littlest brother to wipe a stray grain of oatmeal off of his cheek with a napkin. Raphael focuses on deep breaths, like Dad has shown him to do when he gets too anxious. After a minute, his nerves calm and he finds his mental footing. 

Now he has until dinnertime to figure out how he’s going to get his little brothers their next meal.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I continue to be totally okay and totally normal and not crying about these turtles since viewing the Rise movie. //heavy sarcasm

I am really focusing on getting together several chapters of both this story and the story that will follow Mikey and Donnie because I have to plan out the intersections with A Twin Thing. And because timelines and time travel are already complicated enough as it is without fudging up my own intended storyline. I am after all, trying to fix things....

[ducknotinarow]

03 Raph Don - Fatal Blow Meme

Don felt it before he saw what happened; it was like a burn that engulfed him in seconds. His head snapped to the side, eyes widening when he saw Raph. His blood ran cold.

Donatello wasn't thinking himself as he ran, and near collapsed at Raphael's side,

"Raph! Raph are you okay!"

He knew they weren't, what a stupid thing to say.

Sliding his Bo Staff back onto his shell, Donatello carefully started getting Raph to leave onto him. He didn't care that the foot were still around, that one of them would notice those two, and go after them over Leo and Mikey. Donatello didn't care about it at all.

All he wanted to do was get Raphael back home,

"Come on Raph, the lair isn't far; I'll take care of you okay...?" Don told him, "Yanno, I was thinking of doing some upgrades to your bike soon, I'll need you anyone to tell me if you like it or not..."

Maybe he could bargain, keep them awake,

"Heh, maybe see if I can finally make it Raph proof..."

Anything to just try and keep them awake, so he can take care of them.

| My character takes a fatal blow intended for your character. How does your character react?

Never failed did it? They would just always seem to have to deal with the foot. Ever since they took out the Shredder, Karai had been dead set on taking them out in return. Raphael always knew they couldn't trust her. Despite claims of leaving them alone they were nothing but lies. Makes sense considering her so called father was the same way like when he tried to trick Leo before. If Leo would have just ended it when he had the chance they wouldn't be in this situation again. Raphael thought as he gripped the back of the driver seat of the turtle tank. His gaze shifting to the left to look at the scared shell of his older brother. Sometimes he wished Leo hadn't gotten better least when he was on that kick he took thing more serious and wasn't such a damn push over. Karai nearly killed them all once before, it took everything Raph could think to keep them all safe. Making them split apart by luck they all manged to slip away.

Raph wasn't sure they would get as lucky again. All he knew was he needed to keep them safe, least with Leo around he didn't have to worry about leading. That did take a weight off his shoulders. It meant he could act a bit more reckless. Meaning he could get the job done.

His family all in the tank together this time, Leo always preached they were stronger together. But right now? Raph felt them grouping up like this would only paint the target bigger. Karai had all her forces aimed on to them. It wasn't settling well on his nerves right now. But he would stay put for now, even as claws dug into the fabric of the driver seat. He's sure Don can tell the storm coming over his mind as they focused on getting to the base of the foot clan. Raphael felt the car pick up speed. Looking in the rear view mirror to catch the gaze of his twin. All either of them ever needed was a single look. Raphael lowered his gaze but made the corner of his beak lift a bit. To tell Donnie he would be fine, he was just anxious. They had so many people to be worried about. April and Casey were with them as well. Everyone that meant anything to them was in this car and they were driving toward the home base of their worst enemy. And every second it took to get there only made it worse.

Finally the Car pulled to a stop and Leo took a few of them out right away the plan was to to drop them off and have Don park somewhere safe for April and Splinter to lay low at for the time being. As they were trying to get out though, something hard hit the car. All Raphael recalled was falling forward and a bright flash. There was some scrambling after that, he heard different voices all panicking ad trying to move. It’s not till his eyes seem to make out the purple mask around Donnie’s eyes. There was a buzzing pain to the back of his head but he could just tell what Donnie was saying to him, before the words even left his beak. Raphael moved to sit up trying to gather his bearings and see what was going on. Leo and Mikey were still making way to the building, Leo ordering Don and Raph to follow most likely. His arm slung over Don’s shoulders as he lifted up to his feet. Raph eyed April and Casey was near her. They didn’t have to worry she would be fine with Casey he wouldn’t let anyone harm her let alone get a inch close to her. Don drew his Bo staff as foot solders made their way to the pair, trying to keep them apart from Leo and Mikey. Spread them out weaken them somehow. Tough luck on that Raph and Don were a great match up, he grabbed for his sai and took a stance shell to shell with Don. Before spotting the turned over vehicle maybe he could draw some attention away.

“I got a plan” Was all he said to his twin as he grabbed on to Don’s bow letting himself be lifted back, he pressed his weight back towards Donnie as they bent down waiting for first set of foot ninja to make their way over to him. Near about lunching out thanks to Don, when they pushed back he let go of the Bo staff and planted his feet firmly on to their shoulders. turning them in to a spring board as he kept off, taking them down in the process left a smile on his face as he landed on top of the busted van. “Man we spent week gettin' the parts for this thing” Raph complained over for a moment before he jumped in.

Raphael made his way towards the back smiling when he found his shellcycle he stood it up and hopped on. Giving the engine a few revs making sure no damage was taken. Before he floored it and shoot out the back doors like he would so many times before. Skidding to a stop once again he worked to scan and look around what all was going on, he did gain some attention by doing what he had but not enough. Leo and Mikey had made it closer to the building busy trying to get in to the tower. He swore Leo better not back out again this time around. It seemed like April and Casey had managed to break away as well. That mainly left Donnie, who was at the worst of it all. Surrounded but doing his best to make use of his bo staff. Long as they didn't try that dumb ass trick again. Raphael revved the engine of his bike as he could just see Donnie slowly seemingly getting engulfed in the crowd around his twin. It was bad enough they dragged Casey and April into their mess..again. He wasn't losing anyone today, especially not Donatello.

He loved all his brothers, his heart was one of four after all but even Raphael could admit he was the closet to his twin brother. So close they shared a connection unmatched with the other two. Sure he and Leo always had their own bond and he even shared one with Mikey. But the one with Donatello? was deeper, able to communicate with so little, Donnie could space out a bit in a fight because he knew Raphael would be there to have his back. "Stay away from him!" Raphael near bellowed as he twisted the handles tighter leg lifted from the ground. Moving like he was going to pop the bike on to the back wheel. When in truth he was just building up the speed on his bike. When he normally would lift and force all the weight of his bike onto the back wheel he drove forward instead. Using the built up speed to send himself flying towards the crowd around Donatello. "Move it brainiac!"

Was the only real warning Raphael gave before he slammed hard on the gas and sent himself flying into towards the crowd. Bulldozing through them like a knife in warmed butter. It took all he could to least give his twin some breathing room. Raphael could feel like something in the bike just locked up from that but he still skidded again so to turn around faster, repeating what he had before. Before he went fly forward once again. The speed wasn't as fast, the front wheel had locked up. he might have been wrong about it being in perfect condition. Eyes narrowed seeing Donnie still in a pinch, they always had a blind spot it seemed when it came to the back. Eyeing one of the foot creeps he knocked down getting up sword in hand as they were ready to rush at Don. Raphael, gripped the handles tighter despite the locking issue and forced the bike to build up the momentum. The timing just a bit off but he did get between Don and the foot ninja in time. Throwing one had out to push Don forward somewhat, feeling something burn against the unprotected part of his exposed side. Gritting his teeth he manged to reach for one of his sai and tossed it at the foot solider on his other side. Grabbing back on to the handle bars only made that burning feel on his side worse. But he couldn't worry about it. The bike started to sway, fish tailing even as he forced both hands to hold to the handles it wasn't enough. The front wheel finally jammed.

Raphael did his best to try and keep the bike stable but control was fully lost as the bolts on the back wheel seemed to blow right off the wheel loosened and the whole bike seemed to be pull back with the force. Next thing Raphael knew he was rolling off the bike, and that sharp burn to his side became a far more pricing stab to his side. As something was forced further into his side. He hadn't noticed it was lodged into him till that moment. He could hear something snap, metal breaking as he continued to roll and roll till his body slammed into pole finally stopping him. Raphael was seeing stars as he tried to keep conscious best he could all things considered. Groaning in nothing but pain he tried to feel at his side able to just feel the jagged end of the blade. He took hold of it best he could and tried to pull it out. But there just wasn't enough to hold on to.

"Raph! Raph are you okay!"

He slightly breath out around the pain and looked to Donnie, more relieved they seemed untouched still. Good. They both knew the question as stupid he just didn't offer the usual snark in response. Meaning it really was bad. He tried to breath in but it wasn't easy, so he torn his helmet off hoping the get some air, why did it feel so thin? Something isn't right he knows it's not right. He watched Donatello put his Bo staff back to place on their own shell before he moved in close to Raph's side. He muster enough movement to throw his arm over their shoulder. Needing to push all his weight toward them just to get up to his feet. All that hollering must have dried out his mouth as he smacked his beak trying to build up spit to satisfy the need for water.

"Come on Raph, the lair isn't far; I'll take care of you okay...?"

Raphael leaned on Don more as they tried walking together, his eyes manged to catch the sight of his bike. It looked like a real wreck even the body was damaged. That would take a lot to fix up. "..m'sorry" Raph managed to speak despite the pain. "Busted up the bike again." Was all he could think to say, Donnie might be often mistaken as weak but Raphael knew they could easily support his weight no issue as he let one foot drag across the pavement of the street.

"Yanno, I was thinking of doing some upgrades to your bike soon, I'll need you anyone to tell me if you like it or not..."

Was that Donnie's way of tell him not to worry about the bike? seemed weird he just couldn't tell. Even with the helmet on he must have hit the ground hard. He was feel sick with each step they took, trying to retreat to the lair and leave the rest to the others to handle. Soon as they got back to the lair he would have Splinter look after him so Don could return to the fight.

"Heh, maybe see if I can finally make it Raph proof..."

Raphael couldn't stay up any longer, despite how much he was trying, "heh..think I'll still find a way to-" his body started to go limp as he slid out from Donatello's hold. Falling on to the street once again. Something isn't right he knows it isn't right. He can hardly keep his eyes open right now even with trying to keep the conversation with Donnie going. Once again he's meant with that look Donnie gave him. So much said through a single stare from the eyes above him. Even if he could see the red and green flakes sprinkled in them. Raphael knew what Donnie was worrying over. Raphael knows hes not making it back to the lair. Raphael wanted so much to tell Donnie to just go, help the others. Instead he reached for Donnie and held on to his brothers forearm. Knowing they were fretting trying to think of answers a solution to fix this. "Always thought..I go out 'his way" One of them had to admit to reality in this moment.

"...stay wit' me" Was a request not even Raphael thought he ever make. Maybe it just because Don was with him he doesn't know. He doesn't have the luxury of time to care either. Each shaky breath he lets out could be the last one. It's odd he feels like Donnie the one slipping away here not so much himself, like whatever it was that always kept them in sync was fading. Don had to feel it as well. Why he couldn't let go of them physically. As he used what ever strength he had in him to simply curl his fingers in tighter around Don's arm. A silent plead to his twin. To not leave him, he's sure they are trying to tell him to fight to stick through, let him find a way to get him back to the lair even. But all he can feel despite how hard he grips on to his twin. Id them slipping through his fingers.

"stay..please stay." is all he can voice, before his eyes finally closed.

[tmntkiseki]

Fast Forward

For a season that's much more lighthearted and takes place in the future, the brighter colors and more angular art style works (literally, the only things I truly dislike about the art style is the pentagon heads and how damn bright they made Raph's mask. My eyes actually hurt looking at it)

I also consider the gear the turtles wear this season a vast improvement over the original brown leather from the first five seasons. The dark blue armor they wear over their arms and legs makes them look more stealthy and I love the individualized chest plates.

The weapons from this season are an absolute chef kiss. I've already gushed before about how much I love the additional functions, such as Leo and Raph being able to toss theirs like boomerangs or Don's bō being able to produce winds/sound waves(?) when spun.

While they do sometimes make the turtles too goofy in this season (as in "he would not fucking say that" kind of goofy), I do agree that it is really nice to be able to see them finally act like teenagers out in the open instead of needing to hide in the sewers all day. They can finally get hot dogs like normal people now!

Compared to Chris Thorndyke of Sonic X, Cody Jones is nowhere near the same levels of annoying and there are actually quite a few episodes where he is genuinely enjoyable as a character (also, whichever one of you said that Leo's arc didn't feel complete until he got his own student to teach with Cody being that student: you're absolutely right.)

Listen: I get that the Inuwashi Gunjin are kinda boring as characters, but hear me out. Tragic alien bird men who are in a painfully similar situation to the turtles where they are the last four of their kind and who were genuinely never bad to begin with; unfortunately, they are seen as little more than a commodity between their forced servitude to Darius and their last appearance literally having them kidnapped in order to be displayed like trading cards.

Sh'Okanabo, as a concept, is absolutely terrifying. The entire deal with the Kanabo Drones and the Day of Awakening is basically a vampire/zombie apocalypse combo pack and the knowledge that he's already destroyed several planets before Earth... Like damn, imagine what they would have done with this guy had he shown up a couple of seasons earlier?

Knowing how much the fanbase loves the Dark Turtles, I don't think I need to explain those four in-depth. So much potential that was unfortunately never given the chance to fully blossom due to the second season getting cancelled in favor of Back to the Sewer.

Of all the episodes in Fast Forward, "Invasion of the Body Snatcher" and "Graduation: Class of 2105" are easily some of my favorites. The former shows that, yes, TMNT 2003 can be a lighter, softer show while still maintaining the characterizations of the turtles and Splinter (I genuinely cannot recall a single out of character line from that episode.) For the latter, while it does rehash the whole "Mikey would be the best ninja of his brothers if he just focused more" plot, the lighter tone of the season actually works in the episode's favor in helping it feel distinct from earlier episodes like "Touch and Go" and "Grudge Match." Beyond that, it is overall a very touching episode that shows just how tight the brothers are to the point that Leo, Raph, and Don didn't want to graduate to Chunin without Mikey (as well as how much Splinter wants ALL of his sons to succeed.)

Other honorable mentions: Future Shellshock, Obsolete, The Freaks Come Out at Night, The Journal, Timing is Everything, Race For Glory, Turtle X-tinction, DNA is Thicker Than Water, Zixxth Sense, The Day of Awakening

"Look, a glitch." "Beg your pardon?" TMNT 2003 once again sneaking things past the cenors

Back to the Sewer

The turtles go back to their original gear for this season and while I'm sad to see the Fast Forward outfits go, I appreciate that they use a darker brown for their belts and joint pads. (It looks a lot better than the original color imo.)

I also like the designs of the weapons from this season; I really like that the wrappings on the grips are a darker color than their associated turtles' mask (although the way they're drawn on Don and Mikey's weapons is a little odd; luckily this was fixed in Turtles Forever)

The Turtles are arguably at their most fashionable this season and while these designs were likely intended for toys that never came to be, it's actually nice to see the turtles' wardrobe get expanded between stuff like the sports gear and stealth outfits.

This is the season where the turtles openly address Splinter as "father" when speaking with him. While I never disliked that he was pretty much always referred to as "Master Splinter" for the first six seasons, I always felt like the turtles should have swapped between the two depending on the situation. (IE "Master Splinter" for more formal instances where he is being treated as their teacher and "Father" for moments where they are being affectionate or seeking parental support.)

While I have mixed feelings about Don's arc from the start of the season, I do genuinely appreciate that they did try to finally give him a significant character development arc (even if it did end up feeling like a watered down version of Leo's S4 arc and not something uniquely Don.)

As cringey as the mid/late 2000s gamer slang is, SuperQuest is easily my favorite episode from this season. They took advantage of the season's cyberspace plot to do something wacky yet fun with the turtles, and it gave us Hun's much beloved "hardcore gamer" line. Also Leo turned into a cat and then later a lion. Get it?

Wedding Bells and Bytes was a satisfying conclusion to Casey and April's romance, Back to the Sewer, and TMNT 2003 as a whole, even if I do question the choice of having Karai and Chaplin attend the wedding.

Also the Ninja Tribunal.

And having both Bishop and the Rat King watch from a distance.

Seriously, I know we always talk about Bishop, BUT WHY THE RAT KING?

AND WHERE ARE ROBYN AND UNCLE AUGIE?

Come to think of it, what are all the aspects of Fast Forward and Back to the Sewer that I am more than willing to defend on a given day? I feel like there is a lot more than I let on in my posts.