#on the one hand i am so happy that people love my turtle stories and drawings

[phoebepheebsphibs]

A LOTTLE LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

“Also because I want [Nino] to be more narratively important but that is a rant for another day.” And will that day be someday soon? Wink wink nudge nudge :3c

I am happy to give Nino some love, but before we do, we need to talk about how badly canon has failed him. The reason we need to have that talk is that the love I'm going to give is far more headcanon-y than I usually go in these analysis posts. For most characters, I can give a strong canon-based argument for a core characterization. For Nino? Well, I am pulling this stuff from canon, but I wouldn't exactly label it a "strong" argument. There are even elements of my take on Nino that you could label "grasping at straws".

And I'm happy to own that! I delight in giving Nino all the love he deserves even if it doesn't perfectly match canon, but that means that my Nino is less me leaning into the best parts of canon and more me shifting through canon, grabbing a few shinny bits, and weaving them into something that you may not agree with because my vision for Nino is to elevate him to match Alya in terms of narrative importance because I want the team show season two promised me even if I have to make it myself!

And if you don't want that? Then that's fine! I'm not arguing that everyone should adopt this take. My version of Nino is about as close to an OC as I get when writing fanfic. So let's get into it and talk about why I had to do that. (Also note that I have nothing against OCs. It's just that, when it comes to my own writing, I try to reserve them for original fiction or for very minor roles that no canon character could fill. Totally a matter of personal preference and not some sort of judgement.)

The Many Ways that Canon has Done Nino Dirty

If we look at what is arguably the main group of friends - Alya, Marinette, Adrien, and Nino - then we can see a clear base concept for the first three. Alya is the plucky reporter. Marinette is the headstrong leader. Adrien is the sweet goofball. Nino is... Alya's boyfriend? Adrien's best friend? Chris' older brother?

This is the problem that I was referring to above. Alya, Adrien, and Marinette have clear roles that you could pick out by just watching Origins. Nino doesn't. He doesn't even speak in part one and part two gives him all of six lines. These lines establish him as a nice guy since they're all about him being kind to Adrien, but that's about it. Here's one of them as an example:

Miss Bustier: Agreste, Adrien? Nino: (quietly to Adrien) You say "present". Adrien: (jumps up with his hand raised) Uh, present!

This is a cute moment for sure, but when I look at it, I can't tell you who Nino is supposed to be other than a nice guy, which isn't much to go on. Nice guys can fit a lot of roles.

This isn't necessarily a flaw. Some characters have roles that are immediately obvious and some characters don't. This second class of character usually just has a more complex role that will be discovered and defined based on their actions as the story goes on. However, because Miraculous' writing is all over the place, Nino gets screwed. Instead of his actions defining his nebulous role, his actions make his role impossible to pin down! Here are a few examples:

Nino the Protector:

Season two was big on the idea that miraculous had to be suited to their holders. That's why Chloe kept getting the bee as we saw in Malediktator:

Marinette: I must choose someone who's not impressed by people in power. Who can help me trap Malediktator. Huh?! Of course! That's it. (reaches for the Miraculous of the Bee)

And why did Nino get the turtle in Anansi?

Marinette: I need a protective Miraculous. (gasps, and points at the Turtle Miraculous Master Fu is wearing) That's the one I need, Master! (Master Fu gasps) Uh, if it's okay with you. Master Fu: (smiles at Wayzz, who nods to him) Do you have someone in mind, Marinette?  Marinette: Actually, I think I found just the right person.

Okay, cool, we finally have a strong defining trait for Nino! He's a protector! Or, at least, he was here. Other episodes go directly against this role such as this nonsense from Illusion:

Nino: What's up is Ladybug and Cat Noir don't have us to help them anymore. Alya: (nervously) Um, um— uh— what do you mean, "us"? Nino: Well, us, you Rena Rouge, me Carapace! (Alya kicks his leg underneath the table) Ouch! What's the big deal? We can tell Marinette and Adrien we used to be superheroes.

This first issue with this episode is that we see Nino out his and Alya's secret identities without her permission even though the resistance did NOT require an identity reveal to be a thing. In other words, our supposed protector is taking a big risk for no reason. Then he goes and does this:

Nino: Hence my plan. We're gonna film an akumatization. Alya: And how are you, Comrade Ketchup, gonna be in the know when and where this akumatization takes place? Nino: Easy, Comrade Beurre Maître d'Hôtel. I'm gonna make it happen.

Which leads to the four friends antagonizing Gabriel even though Nino knows how complex Adrien and Gabriel's relationship is. A move that makes no sense for a supposed protector because Gabriel was far from their only option. Nino could have picked anyone, but he went with the riskiest candidate possible, exposing his best friend to a potentially massive backlash.

Nino also doesn't even try to contact Ladybug and Chat Noir prior to this insane plan, thereby putting the whole city at unnecessary risk! What kind of protector purposely causes an akuma without also coming up with mitigation strategies to minimize the resulting damage?

Everything Nino does in this episode should disqualify him from ever holding the turtle again or, at the very least, he should have to redeem himself before holding the turtle again. This is especially true since he never apologizes for anything he did in Illusion and this is just one example of the issue. It's actually kind of hard to find moments where Nino acts as a protector even though he holds the miraculous of Protection. So is he supposed to be a protector? Who knows!

Nino, The Empath:

That first example was long, so we'll pick two quicker ones to flesh this out. The first one is how Nino and Adrien's relationship is defined. In Origins and the New York Special Nino is written as a kind and sensitive guy who is acting as Adrien's guide to dating and other elements of the real world:

Nino: Yup. I love Adrien, but he's like a baby chick that's just started cracking out of his egg. He has a hard time understanding the signals people send him. Alya: What signals? Marinette isn't exactly sending them clearly. I mean, look! What is she doing with her arms? Telling him what to do in case of an emergency landing or something? Nino:(sighs) If only this trip could help Adrien finally come out of his shell.

But then you have episodes like Animan where Adrien is Nino's guide to dating:

Nino: Shhh! You know I'm no good with the ladies, especially this one all of a sudden. I mean, dude, do I go up to her and crack her a joke? Shoot her a compliment? Invite her to the zoo? Play it serious? Adrien: Nino, you're way over-thinking this. "Invite her to the zoo", you serious? Nino: Well, they have this really cool new exhibit there. Adrien: Listen, just be yourself, man.

And episodes like Illusion (discussed above) and Psycomedian (see below) where Adrien is deeply uncomfortable and Nino doesn't notice:

Nino: See, dude? I told you! Hilarious, right? Adrien: Uh... (laughs nervously) Right! Really funny, Nino. Nino: I gotta show you his other sketches. It's insane that you don't know Harry Clown! (laughs)

Which might work if these episodes were about Nino learning a lesson, but they're not. Nino learns nothing, so is he generally in tune with others or is he kind of oblivious to other peoples' feelings? And why did Nino ever think that Adrien was a good source of romantic advice if he also thinks that Adrien is "a baby chick"? Pick a lane people!

Nino's Hobbies

Our final source of confusion is trying to define what Nino even enjoys doing. Horrificator and Queen Banana have him playing around as an amature film maker, but we also see him acting as an amature DJ with the wiki even claiming that he's the head of the school's radio station. So which of these things is his passion? Movies or music?

To be clear, I think it's fine to have multiple passions, but this is a story. You want to keep your characters' non-story-relevant hobbies kind of simple, especially when the character in question is a relatively minor side character who rarely gets much screen time. It's why Alix is only really into roller skating and why Nathaniel is only really into art. You don't want them to be more complex than that.

Even the main characters get this "keep it simple" treatment with Marinette only really being into fashion and Alya only really being into her blog. The girls don't need two demanding passions that would eat up all of their free time, but that's what Nino gets! Film and music are both incredibly demanding passions and it's hard to balance a character who is into both who is also an active superhero. That's a lot for one dude to do well!

I've actually seen fics that cast Nino as wanting to be a director and fics that make him want to be a professional DJ because canon really isn't clear about this pretty basic aspect of his character, but you do need to pick a lane when writing anything that gives Nino a career and so people seem to pick a passion at random.

My Version of Nino

By now, we're hopefully in agreement that canon has made a mess of Nino's character to the point where it's near impossible to say "this is who Nino is supposed to be." However, if you want to write Nino, then you do kind of have to pick a characterization to go with, so here's what I've come up with. Feel free to embrace it or reject it, but know that you will pry my version of Nino out of my cold dead hands because I utterly adore him.

Since Nino is Carapace, I base everything about him around the concept of "protect and defend" because he needs to feel like he deserves his heroic alter ego. I do not want to make canon's mistake of giving him a miraculous that massively contradicts his writing. Especially when that writing makes him feel interchangeable with other characters. At this point, no one from canon screams "turtle miraculous" unless you want to give it to Adrien since he's Ladybug's defender.

I also designed Nino around Alya and Adrien as those will arguably be his most important relationships. He should feel like a perfect fit for boyfriend and best friend respectively. I also took Marinette into consideration because he's going to be part of her team/friend group, so he should work with her, too.

What all that means is that I basically said "okay, this is where Nino is supposed to fit in the story and this is the dumpster fire that canon gave us, how do I pull pieces from the fire and paste them together to make a character that fits who Nino should have been?"

To really get into my version of Nino, I'd almost have to give you a fic to read, but that's way too much for a Tumblr post, so let's keep this high-level and just look at some of my notes on Nino from my lore Bible:

Nino is a major audiophile. He loves listening to music and watching movies/TV shows to study how they play with sound. He wants to be an audio engineer when he's older, but he also has a general passion for all things music and film. He’ll listen to any genre and watch almost any movie or show. He loves to take charge of the music at events so that the music really fits the crowd (and so it sounds good). It isn’t unheard of for him to go see an unknown band or an odd indie film on his own. This will become a major bonding point for Nino and Adrien because of the influence of Adrien's mother. Nino has seen all of Emilie's films and loves them. It will also bond him and Alya as his knowledge of film making will allow him to help her learn the art of filming now that she's doing complex things like actions shots and editing together multiple recordings.

Nino is generally pretty laid back and likes to hear people out. His reaction to confrontation is to try to calm everyone down so that they can get to the heart of the issue. He wants everyone to get along, but he's also not going to let someone take the blame when they shouldn't. Nino protects the innocent.

Nino is incredibly protective of the people he loves. If someone he cares about is in danger, his peaceful nature goes straight out the window. He’s the kind of person who would happily take a bullet for his friends and family. This will lead to him following Alya around once the hero stuff starts because he wants to keep her safe. Never let Alya go out alone if Nino is around or even just aware that a fight is happening. Alya thinks "scoop" and Nino thinks "my Alya sense is tingling." He's NOT there to stop her from doing what she loves, he's just there to be her spotter who lets her focus on filming while he watches for danger, though that will initially be a struggle for him. Treat this as his audition/training for Carapace where he learns to balance protective instincts with getting the job done so that he's ready to perfectly take on his miraculous.

When Nino’s folks split up, his mother insisted that the kids should go to therapy to help process things. They had individual and family counseling. Nino was actually pretty cool with the divorce as he’d seen it coming, but his brother was really affected by it, so Nino spent his time working on ways to help Chris (and being told that he was a brother, not a parent, but he still wanted to help). He learned a lot from going through it and it’s why he’s so good at dealing with emotional issues. He’s also good at not taking those burdens on himself. He wants to help, but knows that it's your battle. Marinette often looks to Nino for guidance on emotional issues because she knows that she's terrible at navigating them. She has given him full permission to stop her when she's too focused on solutions over support. All of the friends will help Adrien figure out social situations, but Nino will be the main guide as he's the one with the strongest skills in that area. Plus Adrien makes Nino's protective big brother instincts go crazy.

Nino’s a bit of a loner by choice. He has "weird" hobbies that easily lend themselves to being done alone and he doesn't have any interest in "forcing" his hobbies on someone who doesn't actually enjoy them, so he spends a lot of time by himself and rarely invites others to share in his interests. He only does that when he thinks that they'll actually enjoy what he's sharing. He doesn’t mind this, but he’s also a very welcoming individual who doesn’t like to see people left out, so he’ll come out of his shell when he sees someone who needs a friend. This usually leads to him making friends who soon become closer with others, but still view him as a casual friend. He’s cool with that. He's just happy that they found their people. Adrien will be the first friend who really stays Nino’s due to an understanding of Nino’s “weird” hobbies. After all, Adrien’s the son of an actress. He’s used to weird indie films and discussions of cinematography. I'd even say that he revels in it and realizes that he has missed it desperately since his mom got too sick to do that kind of thing. Basically, Nino will fill a spot in Adrien's heart that Adrien didn't even know was empty. Adrien can listen to Nino talk about cinematography for hours and never get bored. Before Adrien, no one knew that Nino was this talkative!

If anyone wants more insights into this topic, feel free to send an ask, but I think we'll call this post done now because it's SUPER long.

[goodlucktai]

tagged by @bobtheacorn like...... 3 weeks ago 😭 my bad

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

283

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,353,670

which seems.......excessive

3. What fandoms do you write for?

actively, one piece and tmnt, but that is ruled by the demons in my brain that control the hyperfixation machine.

fandoms ive posted 3 or more fics for:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends Good Omens Final Fantasy XV Undertale Mumintroll | Moomins Series Harry Potter Young Justice 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 陈情令 | The Untamed King Falls AM Percy Jackson and the Olympians Rise of the Guardians Voltron: Legendary Defender

4. Top five fics by kudos?

Exclusivity - 11,116

walk straight through hell with a smile - 9,152

Inanition - 9,039

there is thunder in our hearts - 8,161

trouble is a friend of mine - 7,842

5. Do you respond to comments?

i do try to but i can't always :'( and i feel terrible if i manage to reply to most and then forget someone and only realize it months later. but i read every single comment and i appreciate them more than i have words for

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i tend to veer away from angst, but off the top of my head....

where the good men go or if i go i'm going on fire

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

99% of my fics have a happy ending because thats my BRAND but i suppose give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around or the weekend we were in love OR put your empty hands in mine

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not often, but i recently had someone who REALLY disliked the way things change because i 'villainized' raph. which is definitely news to me, since raphael is the love of my life

9. Do you write smut?

nope

10. Craziest crossover?

i wrote a tmnt/one piece crossover once ? but now that we are actually getting a tmnt/naruto idw run it doesnt feel that weird to me anymore

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

only once if i'm remembering right ?? it was a long time ago and wattpad related, which is a site that i dont really understand and therefore tend to avoid

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes ! i'll often have people request to translate my stories and it blows me away every time

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Devil took your hand was written by myself and @moogsthewriter

14. All time favourite ship?

ineffable husbands, wangxian, or leosagi

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

how much time do you have 😭

16. What are your writing strengths?

i want to say characterization and narrative voice. i'm also pretty good at maintaining a throughline, even if it sometimes gets a little wobbly

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

conflict ! i hate it ! i will avoid writing it at all costs ! i also tend to struggle with writing fight scenes, especially when there are several characters involved :') staging any kind of choreography is my opp

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

i try not to but if it feels unavoidable i google the heck out of it

19. First fandom you wrote in?

honestly it was either digimon (which also inspired my og penname) or xiaolin showdown lol

20. Favourite fic you've written?

i'm stealing bob's idea and going top 5:

there is thunder in our hearts - this story came together so easily for me, like i knew exactly how i wanted to tell it from start to finish

the only hoax i believe in - a kfam fic in my top 5s why yes and i'll tell you why. because i poured so much of myself into this fic that they could probably read it at my funeral instead of a eulogy

traveling so far to get there - after party au raph and mikey continue to take up so much real estate in my brain and for what

now the darkness comes alive - this one is more recent but im so happy with the way it turned out :')

if we could stay all day in the sun - it was a lot of fun reimagining one of my favorite fairy tales and doing a bunch of unnecessary research for this story i will stand by it until the day i die !!

i'm tagging @mykimouser, @owletstarlet, @portgas-d-aroace, @mad4turtles, @camsthisky, @remedyturtles, @pickledcarrotsandradish, @swordsmans, @mangogreent, and anyone else who wants to !

[dysfunctional-doodle]

YPI PROJECT BEAT MY ASS AND I’M SUPER TIRED BUT THE TOO MANY TURTLES COMMENTARY GRIND NEVER STOPS ‼️‼️💯💯💯

betrayal…. (playing uno is 100% more worth your time than patrol, can confirm, best game ever, played a game with 20 people in a german exchange (but it was kinda quick since we only had one pack of cards and. well. 20 people))

HELL YEAH, WE’RE MAKING PROGRESS!!!!! (i have a feeling this might get a bit angsty…)

😭😭😭😭 (speech to text is really annoying i get the struggle)

y’know, of all the turtles to slander clothes, i didn’t think it’d be him

god noooo the feels 😭😭 (i never quite experienced the bad-teacher side of the neurodivergent experience (my physics teacher was crazy supportive despite the fact i never scored higher than a 40% in his class) but i would get a loooottttt of shit from classmates,,,,,,, sucks ass i feel for mm mikey)

gotta keep expanding your horizons!

ok but. of all the turtles………

love it when this happens

taking action! (also hold on 2012 mikey is an adult in his timeline???)

sighhhh i hope tech stays with the mikeys forever because their dynamiccccc 😭😭😭

not sure if i’m ready for the angst that is most likely coming our way. BUT i’m excited for it

Happy you liked my insane rambles again!

Referring to what you said about teachers, I have personally had some struggle throughout school with the way they teach things which I kind of use to write the issue mm mikey is having, very loosely. Though I don’t have a neurodivergency diagnosed (though a lot of people have kind of told me that I most definitely probably have big ADD or something similar rattling in the old noggin so idk) I learn much differently to what schools want. I am a very hands on learner, and really struggle with visual/auditory classes. It’s like being told how to write a good story but not actually doing it - I just tune out, or it is difficult to get it to “click” unless I explain it to myself in a weird way that actually makes much more sense to me. Once this “click” happens it’s great, I have no issues, but I have a lot of questions and thoughts that others don’t get prior to this point that I’ve unfortunately been disregarded for, as my teacher just didn’t want to explain and deemed me as stupid and needing extra classes because I didn’t learn in the same way. Not to brag but I’m pretty intelligent without even studying so this was a slap in the face for me.

So yeah, I kinda based at least some elements on this experience, though obviously a lot is also made up/fictionalised.

Wow that was a ramble

Anyway, you also mentioned Mikey’s age? I don’t think I’ve ever properly written down the ages outside of a discord I am in that talks about this fic, oops. In short, the timelines are not linear, but rather dotted around the place. A breakdown:

1987 are the ones where I’m not 100% sure on what to age them as, but I imagine around 17 - 19, all the same age

Rise boys are about 6 months - a year after the events of the movie

2012 are about 20 - 22, a few years after their final series (with Mikey being an extra 2 years ahead due to Dimension X)

2007 are what I believe are their cannon ages at 21? Takes place a few months after their 2007 movie (I also consider the 90s movies to be from the same universe due to the details present in 2007)

2003 are a few years after the crossover movie, making them the oldest at around 25 (Mikey being 24 due to him being a few months or so younger when they were sold)

Mutant mayhem boys are literally a couple of weeks after their movie

Bayverse boys are a year after their second movie

Hopefully that clears things up a little :)

[runwayrunway]

No. 50 - All Nippon Airways Airbus A380 "Flying Honu" Livery

Happy 50th Runway Runway post! I had a bit of a hard time deciding what to do for it - after all, it's a pretty significant number. I already sort of know what I want to do for the 100th post, but I hadn't put much thought into the 50th, and I had to scuttle any plans for something long and interesting after a rather stressful week. Instead I decided to do something both fun and requested!

source: ANA Stories

One (well, three!) of the most beloved special liveries out there, All Nippon Airways' turtle-themed "Flying Honu" Airbus A380. These three friendly giants fly from Japan to Honolulu, delighting anyone lucky enough to see them.

Actually, I love the Flying Honu so much I have one myself.

I would describe myself as a bit of a magpie. I collect useless things, be they historical ephemera, horror movie memorabilia, old books, pretty rocks, or way too many fountain pen inks given I mostly use them to take notes. I even have a bunch of my old teeth in a pillbox. Surprisingly, though, the things my talons have lodged in don't include many model airplanes. I have...a few. I've actually, though serendipity, gotten two more since I started this blog, expanding my collection to a startling five. Maybe seven if you count my Starscream and Brainstorm figures, but I don't think I even remember how to put either of them in their alt modes. The fact is that while they aren't a fortune or anything plane figures are expensive enough that it's a commitment to buy one, and I usually only do when I stumble on a good deal for a model I really want. And one of the few times I've actually decided that I just needed a model of a specific livery was the "Flying Honu" A380. Specifically, the one I have is the airframe registered JA382A, Kai. (She's the 1:500 JC Wings diecast model and is around the size of my hand.)

I just needed to be able to gently tap her nose in person, okay? She can't fit up on the shelf with a lot of my other miscellaneous trinkets so she sits on my desk and sometimes I explain things to her while trying to figure them out, like a coding rubber duck. She makes me happy.

All Nippon Airways (全日本空輸) is a major Japanese airline. In fact, in terms of both fleet size and number of destinations they're bigger than flag carrier JAL. They're consistently described as being among the best airlines in the world for the discerning well-to-do business traveler, and let's just say that's not me, but what I am is a reviewer of airline liveries, and ANA sure has those! In addition to their standard Triton Blue livery they do all sorts of special designs, particularly crossovers with properties like Pokémon and Star Wars. All of these are something I would like to someday feature, but none of them matter at all to me when compared to the Flying Honu, introduced with the A380 fleet in 2019.

A couple of times when I've told people I know about this livery they asked me if 'honu' is Japanese for 'turtle'. That's a reasonable question, but the Japanese word for turtle is 'kame'. 'Honu' is the word for turtle, though - in Hawaiian.

image: ANA

In fact, Honolulu is the A380s' only destination. ANA didn't really want A380s to begin with, but ended up stuck with them while acquiring another airline. The thing about the A380, and the reason it failed commercially and so few were ever built, is that the use-case for a massive plane is pretty limited. It goes as such: you have a passengerbase of people who have to travel from one giant hub that can land an A380 to another frequently enough that you can actually make money on a plane with four entire engines.

Okay, so the use-case is that you're Emirates. ANA might be expensive, but they don't really have the central location or sheer amount of regular business travelers that Dubai does. 'Three' also isn't really that many A380s, which creates a bit of a question of reliability. So instead they fixed the problem in a way that's honestly pretty genius: they made it turtles.

image: ANA

ANA seems to be generally invested in Hawaii, with a fair amount of partnerships with local organizations. A lot of Hawaiian real estate is owned by Japanese companies, and those of Japanese descent are the second-larget ethnic group in Hawaii at 16.7%, so it makes sense that a lot of people would want to travel there. Tokyo to Honolulu is a nice 9-hour flight with no possibility for a stopover of any kind (unless they invent civilian aircraft carriers for A380s), so it's the perfect route for precisely three really huge planes.

images: ANA

They can fit 520 passengers across four classes on one flight, seated across both decks of the massive planes. There is also a section of seats which convert to couches, marketed for families. Those who fly this route get to enjoy rainbow lighting and the ability to buy a duty-free 1:500 model of the plane (not the same model I have, though, I'm pretty sure) or a set of Flying Honu plushes.

Ra looks like she's plotting something. Lani looks like she's never had a single thought in her life.

And they do make money off this, because people absolutely love these planes. People have apparently had their weddings on these planes, and I would too! They make ten weekly flights right now, but in December that will be increasing to fourteen weekly, or two daily.

Okay, so, the actual liveries.

Here's Kai in full-size! The light in my room make her look way cooler toned in the photographs, but in real life she's this color. It's frequently described as 'green' or 'emerald green', but I think it's definitely turquoise and would go so far as to call it blue. Whatever the case, it's meant to represent the color of the sea near Hawaii. Kai is also distinct from the others because of her eyes, which are closed as she smiles from ear to ear. That's why she's my favorite - she just looks so happy!

...a bit weirder looking from upfront, but look how even the ventral fairing is painted! That's part of the flippers where they curl around, tucked into the shell. Unlike the Transocean Air Jinbei Jets, the cockpit windows blend in with the 'scales' of the Flying Honu, looking rather natural.

'Ra' is a beautiful orange, meant to represent the Hawaiian sunset. She has a bit of a peach undertone if you look closely, but her details are done in an extremely vivid reddish orange. Her distinguishing feature are those gigantic eyelashes, similar to Sakura Jinbei's. The actual mouth shape on all three planes appears to be the same, but I find that the eyes still give them distinct 'personalities'. Ra has always looked very thoughtful to me.

Just look at her in flight! I've never understood why people call the 747 stately or graceful, and same for the A380 - double-decker planes are just inherently goofy-looking, and that's great, but ANA managed to make one look pretty elegant. I think it's because turtles are already regarded as large and slow creatures, so fitting like for like just makes it seem as natural for this absolutely gigantic aircraft to be flying as it is for a turtle to swim.

Finally, Lani, the turtle everyone agrees to be blue, represents the Hawaiian sky during its brightest color in daylight. If you look closely, you can see her blue 'eyeshadow', which I've always thought made her look relaxed.

This picture gives a good angle of my only real critique of the Flying Honu, which is that the shells and heads don't entirely look aligned, as if the head is in the process of being retracted. That said, I think that's just a fact of working with the shape of an airplane. There's just no more space below to fit any more shell.

Rather than being just one turtle, though, each "Flying Honu" has two fully rendered baby turtles following behind their 'mother'.

I think this is adorable, and beyond that it solves a crucial problem - the tail. Turtles do have those, but not in a way that maps onto a standard empennage. Instead, ANA makes the smart choice to end the shell at a certain point and add these two extra turtles make-way-for-ducklings-ing their way across the fuselage for more visual interest, leaving the tail empty for an ANA logo without making it jarring. This is a huge improvement over the Jinbei Jets, which again serve as a point of comparison as the other major Japanese marine life planes. (Amakusa Airlines is way smaller and thus not going to get caught up in this.)

I mean, it's hard to find too much to say about these that isn't just "oh my gosh, look at them". The Flying Honu are vividly colored, with clever shapes used to make them immediately recognizable as turtles. I smile every time I see one, including the little one on my desk!

And in case you weren't already delighted, there's two extra bonus turtles!

I think it's pretty obvious I'm giving these an A+. Come on, just...just look at them. The fact that ANA bothered to make three distinct ones with their own names and faces is just icing on the cake for me, but I do love that they did.

I can't believe I didn't find a way to fit this in earlier into the post, but I really love turtles. If you have an aquarium near you, and that aquarium has turtles, I really recommend stopping by to see them. My local New England Aquarium has had Myrtle for more than 50 years. As they describe her, 'the 550-lb Queen of the Giant Ocean Tank is large, in charge, and ready to receive your adoration'.

True to form, although a lot larger and dealing in a different type of fluid dynamics, the Flying Honu jets get plenty of my adoration too.

[lordshroom]

Happy One Year Anniversary to 2012 Good Genes! WOOOOO

I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported the comic! Whether it's writing a comment, leaving a like when a new chapter drops (or spamming likes as you binge it), or just reading it. Thank you <3

Hard to believe I've managed to semi-consistently update a comic for a whole ass year. When I started this comic, it was a means to force myself to learn how to draw the turtles and just force myself outside my comfort zone: dynamic posing, perspective, shivers backgrounds.

I thought I would run with this idea for a few months, get bored, then move on to something else. A fate that has unfortunately fell many of my previous projects.

But then I started recognizing the same few blogs liking the new updates. I got a few followers. I got a few comments. Every note felt like something special, a sign that people actually wanted to read this story.

So I kept making the comic. One of the biggest shifts in mindset came from when I met Gavin Smith, an artist for the IDW series, I asked him how long it took him to draw a page. He said, "It changes depending on the page. Sometimes it takes three hours sometimes it takes three days." My priorities shifted from "Get the comic done as soon as possible before I get bored" to "make the comic you want to make". The comic went from this to this. I missed coloring, so I started coloring. But I always liked inking more than coloring, so I started inking the comic pretty soon after.

This does mean the comic takes longer to get out, and that bums me out. But I don't mind taking some extra time to give the pages some zest because, well, you guys. If you're going to take the time out of your day to read the pages, I'm going to take some extra time to work on them.

My dream job has always been to be a writer. I've fluctuated between writing books, movie scripts, comic scripts, and a bunch of other stuff.

When I was little, I would imagine elaborate 2012 fan fiction. I never wrote any of this down since I was deeply embarrassed by my fascination with TMNT. It was a boy's show, and I was a girl. On top of that, 2012 became my lifelong hyperfixation. I didn't even seek out an online community for 2012, the closest I ever got was the forums for the show on the Nick site I watched the episodes on.

In high school, I realized who the hell cares and started entering the online community. I watched Rise and 2003, bought the IDW hardcovers, and started getting the figures.

Then in college, I said, "screw it," and started writing a fan fiction on AO3. It did not perform well. I tried to tell myself that I should write for myself, but it was hard to find the motivation to continue so I moved on.

Last summer, I started working on my original story and considered making it a webcomic. I watched a bunch of videos about making comics and wanted to try it out. Now, all the advice for making your first comic is to "make it small so you actually finish it!"

I did not take that advice.

The idea for 2012 Good Genes was old, like, fan-fiction-I-made-in-my-head-in-high-school old. It was different from the current comic. That old version took place post-season 5 with a bunch of OCs and Donnie being mutated into something more bug-like. I went with a retelling of "Vengence is Mine" so I wouldn't have to worry about designing any new characters/ environments, and I those handful of episodes as a blueprint.

2012 Good Genes was supposed to be a learning exercise and became something so much more with your support. That support got me to work on another fanfiction on AO3, which got so much more love than I was expecting. It was so touching that people liked my writing enough to read it without any silly pictures.

So I'm going to say it again, thank you. Thank you so much for a fantastic year. I would not be where I am today without your support.

And if you managed to get through all my rambling, here's an update!

"The Invasion!" will have four more pages which I'm still drawing. After that is an original episode that I want to take time to write a script and design a character before I start posting updates, so in the meantime I will be working on drawing some stuff for my asks and working on the next chapter for "Perfect Son".

[hyperfixated-homo]

Hi hello, recently stumbled upon your ROTTMNT horror au, and I love it sm!!!

Since cosmic horror is my favourite type, and Donnie is my favourite turtle, I was wondering if you had any headcanons/lore/thoughts about him you could share?

HELLO!!!! I AM SO HAPPY PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING MY SILLY LITTLE BOYS!!!

Taking a moment to remember everything I've ever thought about Donnie nadskajd. Here are some headcannons!!

He get real weird about his markings- sometimes seeing them makes him remember things he (or rather, his mind) doesn't want to remember. So he convers most of it up. The only markings he doesn't cover up are the ones on his face, because he never sees them

He hates slimy food with a passion

He likes the concept of aliens and loves the ocean but they also scare the hell out of him. There's so much unknown about them, it's mildly terrifying

Out of all of his brothers, he is the most likely to get Existential. They'll just be having a meal and suddenly "Do you know how small and inconsequential we are. And yet how meaningful every action is. We are cogs in the great machine that is the universe. We are freedom incarnate." And the others will look at him like ok don lets get you to bed

He likes bugs.

Actually he just likes all animals. That and plants. Anything living really- because what point is there to the universe if not for the life in it?

I've mentioned this before, but Donnie has most defiantly met a god before. He knows this. He does not know which one, or where, or when, or how, or really anything about it. But he knows it happened. And it equally shares the hell out of him and frustrates him because that's not how memories are supposed to work

Donnie doesn't feel when he gets tired or hungry. He'll go for ages without realising that he's neglecting himself

Him and Leo are polar opposites, when it comes to the concept of memories and "seeing things". When Leo sees things, oftentimes it's his mind messing with him. Hallucinations and delusions have become so entwined with his psyche that he feels that they are real. Donnie, on the other hand, has memories that should not be real, but are. And he often thinks that those memories, or those thoughts, or whatever it is are fake. It messes with both of their heads. And it's the one thing that they can't really explain to each other, because it just messes them both up more.

And here's a little bit of lore for you. He didn't always have the weird, circular marks on his shell. But it wasn't empty either. Donnie can remember, sometimes, that he's had other marks on his shell. It changes though, day by day, so he just brushes it off as his mind playing tricks on him.

It is real though. His shell changed markings for every story he was once part of, and for every experience that changed his life forever. If you ever see Donnie with a different shell pattern, it may be because it is referencing a past story!

(also, between you and me, there maaaay be a donnie animatic in the works. don't tell anyone)

[fabuloustrash05]

What r ur opinions on the foot mutants?

I’m gonna assume you mean 2012 mutants from the Foot Clan

Tiger Claw: An interesting and fresh new villain for the Foot Clan and I think he is so cool! Tiger Claw is a brand new character to the TMNT franchise and he truly made a damn good impression with fans and myself. He establishes himself as a menacing villain and continues to be throughout the entire series. He has his funny moments too like with the catnip or him talking about wanting to eat Fishface. We get bits and pieces of his backstory as the story goes on, especially when we meet his sister Alopex and learn she is the one who cut off his tail, but I wish his dynamic and relationship with his sister was explored more in season 5 than in just one episode, which is why I stand by the idea that Alopex should've been involved the Kavaxas arc. And speaking of that arc, Tiger Claw starting a cult was random and kind of out of character to me. It was the only time I found him to be uninteresting. Overall a great character and a great villain, but I felt he was overused by the end.

Bebop & Rocksteady: I’m gonna talk about them both because my feelings for both of them are the same. I love them. I really enjoy their dynamic and relationship with each other (they are totally dating and you can’t convince me otherwise). Their dynamic with Tiger Claw is also hilarious, he’s their third wheel. I love Bebop's Michael Jackson-like attitude and Rocksteady's way of speaking always makes me chuckle. Their ending in season 5 though I wish was handled better, because apparently they leave New York and become heroes in New Jersey or something, which I am all for the villains turned hero trope, but I wish they handled it sooner/better. Regardless, I hope they are happy with their new life and please invite me to the wedding.

Fishface: Much like Tiger Claw, Fishface is also a brand new character to the TMNT franchise and I will say he’s an interesting one! He’s one of the few people in the Foot Clan who actually have a full backstory and a reason to why he works for Shredder. I love his character and personality, and I enjoy his dynamic with both Bradford and even Raphael. You get the feeling that him and Raph are friendly enemies, like they hate each other, but also respect each other because they share similarities. This is a concept I wish the writers explored more, but they didn't so I did it myself with a fanfic I wrote on AO3. There’s a little bit more backstory for him in the animated adventure comics, which I highly recommend people go check out because it explores his backstory a little bit more. He loses a few points though because he flirted with a minor 😷

Dogpound/Rahzar: This will be confusing considering they’re all the same character, but I like Bradford, I hate Dogpound, and I love Rahzar. I really liked the concept of Chris Bradford, a celebrity icon one of the Turtles look up to who is revealed to be a henchman for their greatest enemy. I find it disappointing that they don’t fully explore that concept for a whole season, which is one of the main reasons why I don’t like Dogpound, not only do I not like his design, but I also think that he was introduced too soon. Rahzar on the other hand I love! How he was mutated was so well done and I love his design, so scary, horrifying even, but also badass and intimidating. What I wish they done is that Bradford should’ve been human for the entirety of season 1 and then come season 2 he gets mutated officially into Rahzar. Remove Dogpound entirely.

Baxter Stockman: I consider Stockman to be a tragic villain because of how much he was mistreated by both the Turtles and The Foot, and I honestly felt bad for him when he got mutated. To me, he was kind of forgettable as a mutant. So when he was turned back into a human in the season 4 finale, I got excited and thought he was gonna make a comeback in the next season and be his own villain like he was in season 1, but we never see him again. I haven't watched the 03 series yet, but I wish Stockman took the route his 03 self did and slowly went insane in the 5th season, maybe trying to go back to being a mutant by experimenting on himself but it backfires. Have his actions be his downfall. Another example of this series' wasted potential.

[rainbowsky]

Hello. I'm wondering which type of cpfs do you consider toxic. Are you one of those who think it is wrong for mtjjs to get angry at cpfs who came to SDC5 final bringing sign/lights that have nothing to do with WYB? Do you also believe WYB or his team is happy to see all those red lights there? Is it ok for cpfs to chant bjyxszd loudly in official events? Does provoking solo fans equal support for ggdd in this fandom? Do all cpfs really wish that WYB is always inferior to xz in everything?

I am the sort of BXG that believes everyone should stay in their own lane, moto.

The idea that a MTJJ can come to my blog trying to make a case that BXG behaved badly at that event when I saw the video footage that showed both groups behaving in outrageous ways they should be deeply ashamed of, it's just beyond the pale.

All these questions are things you should be self-reflecting on. Do you really think DD and his team were proud of MTJJ any more than they were of BXG? Pull your head out of that place where it's planted.

If you want my thoughts on how that event went down, you can read my post about it here. But you shouldn't be focusing on what I'm doing and what I'm thinking or what any BXG is thinking or doing, you should be focusing on yourself and your own behavior and your own fandom. Stay in your own lane.

If you're not focused on DD and instead are focused on us, who can you really say you're a fan of?

Are you the kind of person who believes that a woman who wears a pretty dress is at fault if she gets raped? I certainly hope not. The only person responsible for bad behavior is the perpetrator of that behavior. There's no such thing as 'provocation'. Everyone makes their own choices about how to behave, and everyone is responsible for their own behavior. End of story.

Anyone who truly had DD's interests at heart that night would have de-escalated and walked away from any conflict so as not to embarrass him at an event where he wasn't even the focus.

And if you're not trying to 'provoke' me, Anon, what exactly you're trying to do with this message? You do not appear to be asking in good faith, you appear to be sending me a passive-aggressive screed. Don't you think that's more than a little bit hypocritical?

I couldn't help but notice you capitalized WYB but not XZ. Was it unintentional, or was it an act of hatred toward GG?

Look - nothing can make Yibo inferior to anyone. You should know that as his fan. The fact that I - a 'dirty old CP fan' - can see his unassailable beauty more than you can, should embarrass you given your apparent anti-CP attitude.

I'm not so insecure about his qualities and abilities as to need to 'defend his honor'. His honor is beyond reproach, and his achievements and independence are above any diminishment from randos online or from other artists, husbands or industry people. He doesn't need us to defend him.

Solo fans need to get it into their heads that the only people with the power to shut turtles down are GG and DD. The fact that they have chosen not to do so should give you pause and make you humble.

The thing that solo fans will never understand, is that there are as many perspectives on how to be a turtle as there are turtles. Turtles are not a monolith.

There are turtles who behave in ways that I find incredibly offensive, just as there are turtles who behave in ways that I respect. The same is true for solos. There are some whose approach to fandom I respect, and some I find awful. I don't spend too much time hand-wringing over what other people do. Live and let live. That is what GG and DD have asked of their fans.

The hilarious thing is, MTJJ think that turtles don't care about DD, and XFX think that turtles don't care about GG. They're so full of their own hatred toward the other man that they can't get their head around the idea that we love them both. I'm not sure toxic solos are really capable of seeing that love. They're too full of hate.

If you've spent any amount of time on my blog, you will find that love on every page.

I don't like it when people feminize and oversexualize GG, and I don't like it when people infantilize and underestimate DD, regardless of what fandom they claim to be a part of. I view GG and DD as equals and as individuals with their own achievements and autonomy. It annoys me when people fail to see their individuality and their humanity - whether out of ignorance, inexperience, bigotry, fantasy, lack of reflection or from having been misled by others.

However, other people's behavior is none of my business. Everybody gets to be a fan in the way they want to be a fan.

Even though I think MTJJ's anti-BXG and anti-GG behavior hurts DD and probably makes him feel like shit on a regular basis, I really don't spend much time stressing out about it. You have to make your own choices, and if showing him how much you don't accept him is your choice, that's yours to live with.

It is not my job to police other people, nor is it your job to do so. We should all stay in our own lane and mind our own business. And however possible we should learn to get along with each other, because we aren't going anywhere.

Accept it. Turtles are here to stay just as MTJJ are.

You should be glad that DD has our support just as I'm glad that he has MTJJ support. The more support he gets, the better. In an industry as mercurial and hostile as C-ent can be, every star can use all the support they can get.

We have been supporting Yibo as a group for 4 years now. Our numbers are only growing. Find it within yourself to accept us rather than trying to start a war.

I will continue to say this to every fan who writes me about topics like this, whether it be a BXG, a MTJJ or a XFX. Stay in your own lane.

[saberamane]

 So I’ve been grinding Dying Light and this idea popped into my head while doing the mindless Stuffed Turtle grind but…

The main character of Dying Light, Crane, is voiced by Roger Craig Smith (Ezio) so how about a zombie apocalypse(ish) AU where Ezio is helidropped into a quarantine city where most of the population is now zombies?

His mission is to find a certain person only known as Cypher who is said to have the key to the cure of this supposed virus.

The people he’s working for do not know what Cypher looks like, only that he’s the leader of the band of survivors trying to just live in the city-infested hellhole and scouring enough food, water, and antizin for everyone.

So Ezio has to (1) get the survivors and Cypher to trust him and (2) find the supposed ‘key’ (might be a hard drive, might even be an actual vial, who knows).

When he gets there, he gets both attacked by members of a very hostile gang, accidentally gets a hoard to swarm them, and gets saved by two runners.

One of them had to get his hand cut off so he wouldn’t be infected.

So now Ezio has to work to get their trust harder as he just accidentally maimed one of their best runners.

Unorganized ideas:

His handler for the company he works for is Lucy and we’ll keep it a secret until maybe towards the midpoint or end but Ezio is actually working for Abstergo (and he doesn’t know how shitty Abstergo truly is)

Ezio’s main contact for the survivors (who are holed up in a place called the ‘Tower’) is Malik, the runner who had saved him at the cost of his arm. He’s a bit hard to please but Ezio would see how much he cares for his people.

The leader of their survivors in the Tower has the codename Cypher but the survivors rarely use the name.

Ezio believes that Cypher is a man named Altaïr who everyone praises. He’s the one calling the shots as far as Ezio knows.

There’s a doctor by the name of Desmond as well who gives out the antizin shots and can also parkour like the best of them. Everyone in the Tower loves him and Malik always feels like he’s just a hair away from having an aneurysm every time Desmond leaves the Tower (usually by asking Ezio for a ‘favor’)

Yes. It’s a switcheroo and Desmond is the real Cypher while Altaïr (and Malik in some cases) is a deliberate red herring to protect Desmond from Abstergo because Desmond doesn’t have the cure. He has, however, a flash drive that his father gave him before he succumbed to the virus which has all the studies, documents, and evidence that point that the virus had been a WMD project of Abstergo and they were planning to send it out in the world but the government (pushed by Abstergo) were jamming all of their ways to send it.

==========================

Additions by SaberAmane:

So! First things first. I played the hell out of Dying Light about 2 or 3 years ago?? And I am ashamed to say…I didn’t know Crane was also Ezio. And seeing as my main draw to both characters were their voices…how did I not notice?! (I’m even more ashamed when I looked him up and saw he also voices Chris Redfield from Resident Evil, Shinji Hirako from Bleach (which I had a massive voice fetish for in high school…), and Deidara from Naruto (a favorite character).

Long story short, this guy’s voice has basically picked my favorite characters for me for YEARS and I never noticed they were the same…(too bad this guy is 20 years older than me is all I’m saying…)

With that in mind, let’s begin. (Feel free to laugh at my cluelessness)

It’s Malik and a man named Rauf who save Ezio. Malik has his hand removed because he was bitten, which means he can’t really go far from the tower anymore once he’s healed, his parkour is limited by the missing hand. Which means Malik’s younger brother, Kadar, takes his place as a runner and Malik helps more inside the base. 

Malik, of course, is not happy about Kadar being outside with the zombies, especially with new, ‘volatile’ variants coming out now. The most dangerous ones only come out at night, but there are ones that come out during the day too which are also very dangerous to encounter. There’s rumors of one that spits acid being around…

Malik ends up helping Desmond with first aid stuff, keeping track of supplies which include food, water, weapons, and others. Helps Altair with more ‘civil’ problems amongst the survivors. (All in all, becomes the resident mother hen. Who’s always angry. And may or may not stab you for your stupidity…)

Ezio does his best to try and make better relations with the tower group. He offers to help Desmond get supplies they need, especially seeing as they now need more stuff for Malik’s missing hand. (Strangely this makes people suspicious of Ezio for offering to help their ‘doctor’.)

With his limited help to Desmond, Ezio tries other area’s. Like running across the city for people to retrieve sentimental things from their homes they were unable to take with them at first, looking for lost people, helping set up ‘safe zones’ for runners caught out at night, and overall clearing out the area to keep it safe.

When he finally meets Altair, he can’t help but notice the resemblance to Desmond… Could they be brothers? They look nearly identical, but how they hold themselves changes their appearance drastically. Desmond is more open and friendly outwardly, while Altair seems cold and unyielding. (Ezio sees how Altair is with the children in the tower, so he can’t be too harsh.)

The first time Ezio hears someone call Altair the ‘Cypher’, he thinks he just might have found his target, and so quickly! After all, they said the one known as ‘Cypher’ was the leader of the group living in the Tower, and everyone defers to Altair (and sometimes Malik), so Ezio decides to focus his attentions on Altair. Getting on his good side, trying to gain his trust even harder, pushing for more ‘jobs’ to do and ways to help people.

Eventually Ezio is asked to help with clearing out a nest that has popped up way too close to the Tower. The ones in on the meeting are Altair (of course), Malik (who has maps of the area and coordinated with the runners patrolling the area for the known info) Desmond (to have an idea of the mission and what he might need to prepare in case things go wrong??) Rauf and Kadar, who are two of the runners familiar with the area, and of course Ezio.

And all in all, it’s a simple enough plan, they have plenty of homemade explosives and there seems to be only one way into the nest. And during the day, the volatiles are usually lethargic and slow to notice people. So they plan to sneak in, place explosives around and set them off to kill the volatiles, and trap whatever doesn’t die inside.

It goes great, until Kadar screams over the radio...

Ezio performs a daring rescue, able to kill of the volatiles in his way and get Kadar safely outside into the sun. But he’s in rough shape. He has a gut wound, and obvious bites. And he’s losing a lot of blood. Ezio gets the kid back to the Tower as fast as possible, Desmond and Altair already there to begin trying to save him...

Rauf is nowhere to be found. He’s not answering his radio, he never left the nest, and Ezio didn’t see him when he ran for Kadar.

After hours of trying to save Kadar, Desmond finally says he’s stabilizing. The antizin is keeping the change at bay, and the gut wound was cleaned and stitched. They just had to hope infection didn’t set in. They didn’t have any antibiotics. Malik is, understandably, devastated.

That night, Ezio goes to leave the Tower to check in with Abstergo, to ask for a drop with antibiotics and other med supplies. Kadar wasn’t as experienced as the other runners, despite his parkour being among the best. He was only there because Ezio had gotten his brother injured to the point he couldn’t continue to be a runner. This was Ezio’s fault.

But just as he gets far enough away from the Tower to feel safe to call Abstergo, he sees Desmond. Sneaking away from the tower. Ezio follows him for a while, and as they’re reaching the worst part of the city, where runners have all but been forbidden to go, Ezio stops Desmond. “Where are you going?”

The answer is simple. This part of town is the worst because it’s where the main outbreak happened. The hospital is there. The medical supplies to help Kadar are there. Desmond can’t let Kadar die, it’d destroy Malik, and Altair. And everyone else in the Tower, for Kadar is well loved by everyone. And Desmond is good enough to be able to risk entering this forbidden zone and have a chance of leaving it alive.

Ezio goes with. To help Desmond. To help Kadar. Not because he is trying to get close to Altair, to find this ‘Cypher’, but because it’s the right thing to do. These are just people trying to live in a city that has been taken form them, through means not their own doing.

...And what were the chances Abstergo would lend aid? Ezio had no proof Altair was the ‘Cypher’ they looked for.

So Ezio and Desmond infiltrate, dodging the hoards of zombies and the more lucid, more dangerous volatile’s. They get into the hospital unnoticed, and thankfully, there’s no volatiles in the hospital itself, though there are zombies to deal with, the slow walkers and more nimble runners. But they’re easy enough to deal with.

Finding the supplies though? Everything is empty. The cases and packaging are there, but no actual useful supplies.

And the Abstergo logo is everywhere.

=============

Unorganized thoughts:

Desmond wears the USB with the info on as a necklace. No one but Altair and Malik know the ‘pendent’ of his necklace is a USB.

Altair and Malik are a couple. Everyone knows, despite their often volatile relationship. (Ezio finds out by walking in on a...private...moment...)

The medical supplies are eventually found, and Kadar lives. All the supplies had been moved to a ‘clinic’ that turns out was doing testing on the zombies and the virus itself.

Ezio eventually learns about Abstergo’s true reasoning behind wanting the data. They made the virus, and the city was their testing ground. Things went sideways when their plans were found out and the virus was unleashed on the whole population instead of a controlled group. Desmond’s father had gathered the data to expose Abstergo before he was purposefully infected. Desmond had to kill him after he turned.

What happened to Rauf? No one knows...

After learning of Abstergo’s true plans and hand in all this, he confesses to Altair, Malik and Desmond his true purpose for being there. And his decision to help them get the information out at whatever cost, to stop Abstergo.

Shaun and Becca had, in the background, been quietly fixing a strategic few electrical towers, buffing them up to try and clear the jamming Abstergo had on the city. 

The other survivors in the city? Abstergo mercenaries. Paid to find the ‘Cypher’ and get the data. Even if it meant killing the whole populace of the ‘Tower’ to do so.

Ezio and Desmond end up getting close and falling into a very serious, nauseatingly romantic courtship. Or as romantic as one can have in a zombie infested city...

In the end, they are able to get past Abstergo’s jamming and let the world know people are still in the city, and Abstergo is the cause of the outbreak. Happy ending for everyone??

[goosewriting]

500 subs prompt event! 🎉

gather round, my goslings, 'tis time 🦆🐤🐤🐤🐤🐤

under the cut you will find a prompt list, which i selected from here: writing prompt list by @make-me-imagine. it's pretty long, so take your time looking at them all lol as always, thank you so much for the support!<3

THE RULES:

PLEASE read my main rules which you'll find right here in my pinned post. while you're there, take a look at my masterlist to see what has already been requested, to avoid being too repetitive

only 1 turtle per request (Leo, Raph, Donnie or Mikey x reader)

these will drabbles, so around ~500 words each

only 1 or 2 requests per person!

remember: requests for these open on January 7th at 14:00 CET

Your request must include:

one turtle of choice

1 or 2 prompts from the list (as in the colour-coded numbers). please specify who is saying which!

specifics on the setting/situation you have in mind

Example of a request:

“purple 3 for Raph, pink 1 for reader, where reader got badly hurt in a fight”

this example would be a Raph x reader, with the prompt 3 from the angst list is said by Raph, and prompt 1 from the fluff list is said by reader.

if you have any questions, please ask!

any reqs that don't follow the rules will be ignored :)

the prompt list: (colours are only for visual reference)

Angst/Emotional:

“All I’ve ever wanted is for you to see me.”

“Just please open your eyes.”

“Wake up. You have to wake up. Please. For me.”

“Just please, don’t leave me.”

“Why does everyone always leave?”

“It hurts so much. Why does it hurt so much? I just want it to stop.”

“I never ask for help because I’m not sure I know how.”

“It’s alright to feel broken every once and a while. And it’s alright to take time to heal.”

“I feel like I’m falling apart.”

“What is it about me that isn’t good enough?”

“I wish I was brave.”

“What's the point in trying if only one of us is willing to?”

“You almost died and you’re making jokes?” (this one screams Leo lmao)

“I’m scared.”

“I don’t need you to tell me who I am!”

“I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Will you even miss me at all?”

‘“You weren’t there…why weren’t you there? I needed you! I needed you! And you weren’t there!”

“I would give up everything for the chance to hear your laugh again. To see you smile. To see you happy.“

“If I never see you again, just know that I love you so, so much.”

“All I wanted was a happy ending.”

"Whatever you do, don’t let go.”

“You don’t have to hide your tears from me.”

“What happened to their happily ever after?” “Not all love stories get a happily ever after, sometimes it’s just once upon a time.”

“I’m not leaving you here.”

“You left without saying goodbye.”

“For once in your life, do what you want! Be selfish!”

“Being strong doesn’t mean never asking for help or admitting you’re in pain.”

“Whatever you do, do not turn around.”

“No matter what they made you think, you are worth saving. You are worth loving.”

“You said you wouldn’t leave, and then you did.”

“I’m a fool for believing you meant what you said.”

“For what it’s worth, I never gave up on you.”

“You are not your past.”

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Whatever you do, do not close your eyes.”

“I know you’re tired, but you have to stay awake.”

“I’ll come back for you, I promise.”

“You would risk letting all those people die for one person? Why?” “Because it’s not just one person…it’s you.”

“I’m just tired of being tired.”

“Whatever you do, do not make a sound.”

“I always said I’d die for you.” “I didn’t think you meant literally.”

Fluff/Romantic:

“I just can't see myself ever living without you.”

“If there was ever anybody meant for me, it’s you.”

“The closest thing to love at first sight I’ve ever experienced happened when I first laid eyes on you.”

“I didn’t believe in soulmates until I met you.”

“You owe me a kiss.”

“Go with me?” “Only if you hold my hand.”

“I’d feel much better if you’d let me walk you home.”

“If I asked you to stay, would you?”

“You make me feel alive. For the first time ever, I feel like I can breathe.”

“I’ve never felt this way before, and truthfully it scares me. But, the idea of never trying scares me even more.”

“You’re telling me you believe in love at first sight?” “I’m starting to.”

“I promised to love you forever, and that is a promise I intend to keep.”

“Is that my shirt?” “You mean our shirt?”

“You give me a reason to be better, to do better.”

"All I’ve ever wanted was a place to belong. Somewhere I could call home. And you gave me that. Because you are my home.”

“They don’t compare to you. Nobody does.”

“I thought I had the worst luck, until I met you.”

“No matter how much time we’ve spent apart, I never stopped loving you.”

“I could see the worst parts of you and still think you are the most beautiful person I’ve met.”

“I think I’m in love with you.”

“You brought me breakfast?” “Well you said you always forget to eat before you go to work, so I thought I’d make sure you ate something.”

“Everything feels right when you are with me.”

“I don’t care what others say, I want to be with you and that’s all that matters to me.”

“You bought me flowers?” “Yeah, well I noticed you’d seemed kinda down, so I wanted to cheer you up.”

“I’ll be damned if anyone makes you feel like you aren’t worthy of being loved.”

“I wasn’t sure what love really felt like until I met you.”

“I can braid your hair for you- I mean, only if you want.”

“Maybe if you stopped staring at them and actually talked to them, you might have a chance.”

“You said you wouldn’t fall in love with me.” “I lied.”

“I want you. All of you, and not just halfheartedly, but wholly. And maybe that’s selfish, but I don’t care.”

“Can you stay? Just for tonight, please. I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts.” “l’ll stay for as long as you need.”

You are my family.”

“We’ve been by each other’s sides for years, you think I’m gonna leave now?”

“Take my jacket, I don’t want you catching a cold.”

“I’d wait a thousand lifetimes for you, because you are worth waiting for. So when you are ready. I’ll be right here.”

“I will never stop fighting for you. I will never stop protecting you.”

“I can’t stop thinking about you. No matter how hard I try, you’re always on my mind”

“Don’t go on that date.” “Why?” “You know why.” “Say it.”

“Can I kiss you?”

“I don’t want you to die for me, I want you to live for me.”

“I can’t remember the last time I laughed like this.”

“How long have you had this planned?” “Since the moment I fell in love with you.”

“You came all the way here for me?”

“Why are you staring at me?” “Because I think you’re beautiful.”

“I think I’m falling in love with you.” “I think I’m okay with that.”

“What are you doing here?” “I wanted to see if you were okay.”

“The world gets a little brighter when you're around.”

“They say we won't last.” “Then let's prove them wrong.”

Miscellaneous:

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone screw something up that fast before.”

“You come here often?” “Well, I work here. So I think I’d have to say ‘yes’.”

“At least it couldn’t get any worse.” “I really wish you hadn’t said that.”

“I’m too sober for this.” “You don’t even drink.” “Maybe I should start.”

“You couldn’t handle me even if I came with instructions.”

“Wake me up when it’s over.”

“Next problem… we might die.“

"Where have you been all my life?” “Hiding from you”

“I think… Everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves.”

"Abort mission, I repeat abort mission.” “What? Abort what mission? All you were doing was introducing yourself to your neighbor?” “Yeah, and they’re too attractive. I can never speak to them again.”

“At least I kept my promise.”

“I saw you looking at it last time we were in the store together, so I got it for you.”

“…Did you just sniff me?”

“I hope you find it someday.” “Find what?” “Whatever it is you’re looking for.”

“Of course I noticed, I notice everything about you.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Can someone explain to me, in not so many words, why they are here?”

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” “Why didn’t you text?”

“You’re bleeding.” “No kidding.”

“For the most part, I am, in fact, an idiot. But I fully admit to it, which should count for something.”

“Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

“I hate that I let you convince me to do this”

“We really need to stop meeting like this. "Then stop breaking into my house!”

“Why are you creeping outside my bedroom window?!” “I thought it would be romantic if I climbed up here.” “You gave me a heart-attack!”

“What are you doing here?” “I got locked out of my house.” “Again?”

“I can’t stand you!” “Then sit down.”

“Where are we going?” “It’s a surprise.” “I hope the surprise involves food.”

“You wont regret it!” “Already am.”

“I like being wanted.” “You should NOT like being wanted by the police!”

“I am nothing if not consistent.” “Yeah, a consistent pain in my butt.”

“What happened?” “Do you want the long version or the short version?” “Uh, short?” “I made a mistake.” “Okay, long version.” “I made a very very big mistake.”

“Do you take constructive criticism?” “Not without crying.”

“Are we all on the same page?” “Yes. Just of different books.”

"I’m sorry, were you talking to me? I tend to zone out whenever you start speaking.”

“What happened to your hand?” “I hit my hand on something.” “On what?” “Your ex’s face.”

“I heard that!” “You were supposed to!”

“I’ve been thinking-” “Uh-oh”

“If I survive this, I’m killing you.”

Scenario Prompts:

For prompts with Characters A and B; you can choose who is the reader/character in your request.

Fall asleep in the same bed, on opposite sides, wake up in each other's arms.

Character A comes to talk to Character B, pretending to be B’s s/o when a stranger is making B uncomfortable. Leads to them asking B out on an actual date.

Running from dangerous person or monster.

Hunting down dangerous person or monster.

Get locked in somewhere together.

Hands brush as you stand next to each other, you think it’s an accident until their hands gently wrap around yours.

Shielding the other with their body to save/protect them.

Caught staring too many times for it to be a coincidence.

Size difference hug; they engulf you.

You refuse to leave so they pick you up and throw you over their shoulder.

Character A can tell Character B is getting nervous in a big crowd, so A slips their hand into theirs to help them calm down.

B taking care of A when they are sick.

Holding hands underneath the table.

Bandaging the other and then kissing the injury gently.

Getting stuck at the top of the Ferris Wheel.

B sitting/standing behind A and leaning into them as they show/teach them how to do something.

As you begin to fall asleep, you feel a gentle kiss pressed to your temple and a blanket draped over you.

B comforting A as they wake up from a nightmare.

A realizing that they have feelings for B when they see them with someone else.

Cliff/floor breaks out beneath A and as they fall B manages to grab their hand at the last second.

Walking together and it starts to rain, so they grab your hand and you start running until you can find somewhere to escape getting wet.

There’s a big storm going on outside while A is at B’s house, so B insists they sleep over.

A falling asleep while sitting next to B, as their head falls onto B’s shoulder, B stays as still as they can, afraid to wake A.

Cloudgazing or Stargazing together, as you lie next to each other, their hand slips into yours.

A grabs B’s hand instinctively out of surprise or fear, and continues to hold it.

A bringing B groceries because they knew they forgot to buy themselves food again.

B is sad because they accidentally threw something important away. A shows up later with said thing, smelling like trash.

A finding a hand-sketched photo of them on B’s desk.

B helping A step down from a high place by taking their hand, and then not letting go as they continue to walk.

Comparing hand sizes, then linking fingers together.

[stitchlingbelle]

Watching Avatar, the Grand Finale

I am NOT ready for this show to be over and I'm sure once I've sat with it a bit I'll be brimming with takes and hooking myself to AO3 with an IV. For now, let's see how they stuck the landing.

18. “Sozin’s Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King”: Yikes, what an opener. When did Ozai go batshit? I never understand the burn it all down mentality from people who want to rule—what are you ruling over at that point?? Isn’t the point of your power-hunger to, you know, EXERT that power? Over other people? Can’t do that if they’re dead! I don’t envy Aang his moral decision here, especially since, again. He is 12. My kid is older! (Barely.) Loved the bit about Zuko being the expert Aang tracker, which, fair, glad he’s using it for good now. Adored seeing June again, she’s great fun. (Where is Iroh??) What IS this ambulant island Aang just found himself on? Oh well, at least it’s nice to have our boy back in focus after the last few Zuko-themed episodes. Not sure if Azula should be pleased about being Firelord if Firelord just became a subordinate position. Nor do I think this is going to go well. The Phoenix King reveal was creepy and well-done. (I keep forgetting that’s Mark Hamill and freaking out a little bit when I see it in the credits.)

19. “Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters”: IROH’S BACK. I legitimately cried when he grabbed Zuko and hugged him. It was lovely seeing the mentor squad and having the White Lotus stuff pay off. (Please let Iroh have his tea shop back!) The plan to split the group sounds interesting and also like a good storytelling choice, allowing Aang to go face off with Ozai without the others complicating the scene. The past Avatars were interesting, although Aang doesn’t seem to notice that none of them actually SAY to kill Ozai—they tell him to act, to be decisive, and to put his responsibilities before himself. Also, I will exempt the lion turtle from my usual cries of “wtf is with the ANIMALS on this SHOW” because as a Discworld fan I am predisposed to believe in giant magical turtles that carry landmasses around.  

20. “Sozin’s Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno”: Annnnd here we go. This was intense, although since we watched all four parts in a row, it was less cliff-hanger-y than it could have been. Iroh and team were obviously the optimistic part of the episode, giving you something hopeful before SLAPPING YOU IN THE FACE with the other three plotlines. Azula’s breakdown I did NOT see coming, and while it was a little abrupt and convenient, the paranoia does make sense as both a fatal flaw and a logical reaction to Mai and Ty Lee’s rebellion. (Also she 100% would have tried to blast Katara regardless of her state of mind, I don’t know why they didn’t see that coming.) Sokka/ Toph/ Suki’s plotline was actually the most wrenching, to me—the stakes were obvious and sickening, they were horrifically outnumbered, and the sense of danger felt very real. (They didn’t kill Suki, right? Guess I’ll find out in like twenty minutes but still.) Aang’s part of the story didn’t have much—I was proud of his stand and the fight kicked off well, I appreciated the lightning redirect, but I feel like the meat is coming in the next episode. This was just a fight scene so far, albeit a good one.

21. “Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang”: I’m not ready for this to be over. Here we go. Again, the liberation of Ba Sing Se was just a grace note against the other fights, though I’m always happy to see Iroh and the mentor squad in action. (Belatedly it occurs to me that it would’ve been nice to see an old woman in that squad…) LOVED Katara’s defeat of Azula, immersing them like that was very cool. (What happened to Azula after all this? I hope Aang took her firebending too, or she’s going to be a problem.) Sokka and Toph continued to be the most intense part of the fighting for me. That broken leg, clinging to each other’s hands moment was very visceral, maybe because it wasn’t magic in nature. We can all picture broken bones and falling from great heights, you know? Thrilled that Suki survived and rescued them. (But kinda bummed Sokka lost his boomerang and sword). Aang reactivating the Avatar State at last was a fantastic OH SHIT moment. Just the way it went from “these guys are almost evenly matched” to “Ozai done fucked up” in a heartbeat was intensely satisfying. I was also happy with Aang getting to find a third path—taking Ozai’s bending was a very elegant solution. (And arguably an even more fitting punishment, since Ozai will suffer more in powerless disgrace than he ever would just dying. “To the pain” and all that jazz.) From a purely aesthetic view, I was happy when the comet left just because I was tired of the screen being solid orange for like an hour, but it did leave me with a lot of questions about the orbital mechanics here. (Are there fics with spacebenders? Please say yes.) The rest of the episode felt like it went really quickly, trying to wrap up in the leftover time—WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE DON’T FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ZUKO’S MOM. Seriously??? Fine, fine, that’s what we call a sequel hook, I guess. But at least the final scene AT THE TEA SHOP YAY so happy for Iroh—ahem. At least the final scene was really cute. An expanded version of the Gaang, having fun together, getting to be kids again, getting to be friends, family (and eventually more, for Aang and Katara). Just getting to live. That’s what all the fighting was for. And there’s still magic in the world, and they can still fly. What more can you dream of?

[stageplaymlp]

4 and 18 for the tmnt asks!

4. What's your favorite iteration of TMNT?

OHHHHH BUDDY!

Okay, so Rise is probably my overall favourite. It has my favourite characters, visuals, sense of humour, and such. It’s definitely the version of TMNT that’s just the most fun to me, y’know? It’s the one where I can stick on an episode or the movie and just have a good fucking time along with a good laugh, guaranteed

That being said, in terms of plot? Ehhhh. First of all, Rise doesn’t take itself too seriously in the plot department. What we have is good, but not very fleshed out, due to the second fact that Rise’s cancellation meant that (in my opinion) it couldn’t reach the heights it very well could have (I want more lore about the Yokai damn it, also I want to see the missing turtle siblings + all those character arcs that didn’t get to happen)

Another thing I’ve noticed with my tastes in this franchise, is that while episodic, silly stuff is fun, I love me some MEATY PLOT. I like something I can really CHEW ON. That keeps me ENGAGED episode to episode, y’know?

And that’s where stuff like TMNT 2003 and IDW come in. They have some of my favourite storylines in the franchise. Hands down. Even though I haven’t finished ‘03, I’d say it has the best plot in terms of consistency (like for writing quality and tone). IDW, while it can be dicey at times, when it’s good it’s GOOD, and will do the emotional equivalent of grabbing your head and slamming your face against the wall

Basically, I love version of TMNT with a strong, healthy balance between the serious and silly. I want to laugh AND cry, y’know?

Also ‘03 Mikey is very gender

18. Anything you want to see in future iterations of TMNT?

Ohhhh, that’s a hard one.

Hmm.

This is going to sound a bit weird, and I think it’s influenced by where I am in my life right now... but I want to see the turtles grow up.

Not that I think they need to be “mor mature” or anything, no no no. In fact, I LOVE how the latest version of TMNT have really been leaning into them being, well, kids. It’s very sweet, in my opinion

But the thing is, most of the time in TMNT, when we see potential futures and adult versions of the boys, it’s almost always bad. Same As It Never Was, Mutant Apocalypse, Kraang Apocalypse, The Last Ronin, all the different horrible futures IDW shows off. These boys very rarely just get to be... happy? As adults?

I mean, I doubt the turtles, in any version, will ever truly know peace in their lives, that’s just who they are and the world they were born into, but I want them to have something y’know?

I think that’s part of why I enjoy what IDW’s doing at the minute, especially back during the Mutant Town arc. The boys are implied to be reaching adulthood (it’s canonically been a few years since the start of the story given all the Christmas specials), and we get to see them do stuff like move into their own house, get jobs, connect with the local community, enjoy their hobbies, take people under their wing, even have a romantic partner (good for you, Raph). I love that kind of thing. I hear the Archie comics do something similar

I want a version of TMNT to end not with them being perpetual teenagers, but with them growing up, still having adventures

I want the promise that my boys will be okay, and that maybe I’ll be okay too

[ex-textura]

Thank you for all of the art of your boys, you're really talented! Calec and Rehgar are both very hot. I get really happy whenever I see them on my dash!! (Gay-For-Rehgar Anon, I think you named me Gay-gar) Also, if you're still doing the questions: "1. Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?" "10. Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?" "30. What does your character find repulsive or disgusting?" "41. Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?"

Gay-gar! Happy to hear from you! (Sorry I’ve taken so long to respond to this, these disabilities have got hands)

I am still doing the questions, even if it’s late now lol. I typed this up almost completely once already and then lost it… so sorry if this is rambly.

1. Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?

Calec does! Kinda. Calec had 4 siblings but the one he was closest with, his eldest brother, passed away fairly recently. He was a fighter like Calec, brave and strong and all the things Calec wanted to be and so modelled himself after. They were only 4 years apart so when he died it rocked Calec pretty hard. He has two older sisters left now (twins) but while they’re close it’s not quiet the same. His closest living sibling now is his youngest brother Milo though, at 20 years apart, they’re not exactly in the same age group lol.

Rehgar…. Technically has siblings. None of them were ever close though. If anything, they all considered each other rivals and even enemies. They were connected by blood and nothing else.

10. Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?

Hmm. Both are very happy to be naked so I’d probably say less lol. In every day situations Calec is usually showing a lot of skin. He wears loose tank tops and he tends to work shirtless (for safety? Maybe lol), he loves to show his arms and his legs are furred past the knees so he usually wears shorter pants. When he’s fighting though, he’s completely covered head to toe in heavy armour.

Rehgar likes to wear clothes that are nice, to try and soften his intimidating appearance, Elven styles that are softer colours and when he’s fighting he has a little armour but he likes his clothes to flow. He also tends to cover his body a bit more to hide the scars and such but for comfort? He moves better when he’s wearing less and when he’s alone or in appropriate company he’s probably gonna be naked lol.

30. What does your character find repulsive or disgusting?

So, funny story about Rehgar. There’s not much that really “disgusts” him in the physical sense as he tends to get his hands dirty digging through archeological sites, but there are character traits that definitely repulse him. Rehgar hates people who punch down. He finds bullies to be repulsive and won’t hesitate to crack heads about it. (Having said that, one time our Druid licked a gelatinous cube and that was pretty upsetting… but they also shared some rancid turtle meat over a campfire so. Eh)

For Calec, he’ll try anything once. Absolutely loathes tomatoes though. They have the wrongest texture ever created and he’ll gag the second it touches his tongue. Also, surprise spiderwebs….. toes are kinda weird too(he doesn’t have any) but he’s getting used to them.

41. Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?

Rehgar has to earn things. He has to work and grind and study and push himself to get anything because he truly doesn’t feel he deserves it. He doesn’t think that’s true for anyone else, of course. He’d give his friends the world and they wouldn’t have to ask. Generally he feels like people deserve to have what they want and he kinda puts the onus on himself to make that happen for those close to him but…for himself it’s different. He still needs to work for it.

Calec on the other hand. As far as he’s concerned he HAS earned it. He works hard. He raises his brother. He deserves to get what he wants, and usually he does.

[imthepunchlord]

Hello, your lordness! Quick question, but... while I like ninja turtles (despite having only watched the live action movies and knowing some Basic stuff...), I... don't actually see the appeal? I mean, I LOVE ninjas and I'm happy that the turtles DON'T shy away from the fact that ninjas kill people, but I never actually saw any animated series (or read any of the original comics).

Hm... the appeal sticks to me as I like turtles, ninjas are cool, and I really like cartoons. As a kid I always preferred animation over live action and that still sticks for me today; I'd always sooner watch an animated show than live action. If you're asking if TMNT is worth watching, I'll say there are pros and cons to each one, and this is just coming from my personal preference and views. And I'll admit, I haven't seen everything.

Now for TMNT, it's a series I like but never was my favorite show/idea. Though concept wise, it is a fun idea and a little funny. Ninjas are known for their speed and lethality, and turtles aren't, more slow and peaceful/rather hide than fight (though some will if it comes to it). So it's a very fun mixture of opposites.

Now, animated shows...

I haven't seen the first one, 1987, so I can't speak for it, but I don't really have an interest in seeing it. Those who grew up with it I know like it. But I am past that point.

I instead watched a lot of the 2003 TMNT, which was my introduction to TMNT. I remember liking it, thought it was pretty cool. It was my Batman the Animated Series and Gargoyles as I was one of those kids that grew up on WB Saturday morning cartoons and had no access to cable, so for something aesthetically dark and edgey looking, it was cool.

Honestly though, it wasn't until recently that I've thought of rewatching 2003 TMNT. Which tells me that, despite liking the show as a kid, it hasn't really stuck with me enough that I wanted to see it again or even thought about it. Presently I'm only a handful of episodes in and so far... they're fine. Coming in from Rise, animation isn't as exciting or fluid but that's to be expected as an older medium.

If you're curious to see 2003 TMNT, I will forewarn that this version does get dark. And Shredder I know is a controversial topic. I also hear that you just stick to the first four seasons and that's it, I've heard that it got so dark they had to lighten it up and it went down hill.

But if you want decent animation, something dark in visuals and story, and a bit of comedy here and there; I could recommend it. If I was farther in my reawatch I could give a more elaborate answer, but I can only work off what I remember and the few episodes in I am in rewatching it.

Uh, 2012 TMNT I can't speak for on recommending it or not. It's a version of TMNT I haven't seen and currently don't plan to see as the overall design and aesthetic of the show just doesn't appeal to me. So far, from nosing around here and there, I've heard mixed reviews. Some say the writing is good and it gets dark, and some say it's kinda cringe or made weird choices.

It has it's fans, but aesthetically it's not for me and it's not one I'm going to watch. At most, I'll give it that Splinter looks the best in this version. That is one cool looking rat.

But whether to watch it or not... I can't quite say. If you're curious check it out. I know at least s1 is on Netflix.

Now, for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the one I've been spamming content for, and currently hyper fixating on, which has also gotten some controversies; this version of TMNT is absolutely my favorite and one I can fully recommend.

At this time, in terms of animated shows, this one has the best animation, the best fight scenes, and they don't shy away from getting creative. Like, look at this gif of Mikey fighting with a ladder.

If you want to see more of this fight, here's a look to video footage that some has of it.

And like most shows, the animation just improves and gets better the more they do it. Honestly, the movie they did for RoTTMNT has some of the best animation for this year. Like, spoilers for the movie if no one has seen it yet, but man, this fight is just awesome and intense and they didn't have to go out as hard as they did.

As a long time fan of watching animation, gosh, this show is amazing.

Another factor I like is the writing, the creative choices, and the characters in how they're handled and how they work off each other. Now, biggest controversy I see is visual style choice and the changes they made.

For one thing, instead of all being the same turtle with colored bandanas to differentiate them, all the brothers are different species of turtles, so you can tell who you're looking at even if they don't have the bandanas. And the greatest factor is that they'll take in these changes, and incorporate them smartly into the characters.

Leonardo is a red eared slider.

Raphael is an alligator snapping turtle, physically making him the biggest and strongest.

Mikey is an ornate box turtle and the only one who can fully go into his shell.

And Donnie this time is a spiny soft shell turtle, leaving him having the weakest defense, so he delves into technology to make up for this weakness, and he has a variety of battle shells to make use of, from a spider shell, to hover shell that has an installed seat/bike to carry April around, to a jet pack shell. Given his limitations in comparison to his brothers, it naturally fits in for him to be more tech involved as means to adjust.

Another thing that really surprised TMNT fans was that this version really shook up the formula. They kept in the core of the characters, but did new spins on them. And to me, they're refreshing.

Raph is the leader here instead of Leo, designated as he's the oldest/biggest turtle. It's hinted that he had more of a temper as a kid, but he's fueled that anger into something useful, using it as a means to protect his brothers; and he's the most protective of his family trying to keep up with everyone. He does struggle as a leader and older brother as caring for his family can take more priority than what should be done. Another big change is that Raph in this is more openly a softie, can be gentle when trying to give out harsh truths, and actually has anxiety over being left alone. Which to me is nice to see, as most anxiety is portrayed with more quiet/shy characters but Raph here is very vocal and forward.

What does stay the same is him being reckless and always rushing in. And in the movie, they do keep Raph vs Leo clash, which in my opinion, is probably the best handling of it. Raph doesn't stay the leader and Leo is recently nominated to be leader, a position he doesn't want and isn't taking seriously, much to Raph's frustration.

Leo in this version, free of being the leader and bearing responsibility, is more of a wisecrack/joker. He often seeks attention, does try to be a solo show, portrays himself as confident but secretly insecure, and if things get too intense, will crack jokes to try and lighten things.

He matches Leo at the core by being an expert strategist, always having a plan and can figure out the schemes of others. He actually has stepped in as leader a few times before the official nomination to be leader to make plans and guide his team. And he does think he knows better than his brothers (something I've seen with 2003 Leo too).

Mikey in this version is still the baby of the family, still very much a goofball, heart of the group, and naive and trusting; but he's the most elaborate fighter, a true wildcard. He is the most creative of the turtles and that goes into his fighting style; he actually likes to take objects you usually wouldn't use in a fight and works with them. He's actually a really good fighter. Another factor to him is that in terms of mystical power, which this version incorporates into their fighting style as they're half yokai here, he's actually the most adept to it and first to activate his power.

Honestly biggest different to him is that this version, he has a slight temper and is a verbal savage.

Donnie got the biggest overhaul in characterization, making him very arrogant and full of himself, which to me makes sense when he's an inventor that's able to make anything. He's still the tech guy of the team, just this time he knows he's amazing so no being quiet spoken or lack of confidence. They also work off him being a softshell turtle, not just as a solid reasoning for him being techy, but also being the most feral and savage of the brothers, cause softshell turtles are viscous. He's also confirmed by creators to be autistic and he's one of the better portrayed autistic characters, having low empathy but still caring, particular about touch, having fixations, ect. This video actually covers the writing of low empathy and autistic characters and talks about Donnie's portrayal as an autistic character.

This version of Donnie also works off the 2012 TMNT idea of Donnie and April being closest, only this time for sure, they're tight best friends than a romantic item. And their chemistry is amazing.

That's actually one of the biggest appeals to this show as there's no romance to be the focus. The main focus is familial love and the bonds of siblings. To me, this is the best portrayal of them as siblings, teenagers, and as a family. They are all 100% ride and die for their family, and will do what they can to help each other and have each other's backs.

But this doesn't stop them from roasting each other, throwing each other under the bus, and messing with each other. Here's a bunch of moments from the show and movie that show them as siblings, both going at each other but also being there for each other (which forewarning, there are spoilers for the movie).

This is also the only show I can think of that has siblings tell each other they love them kinda regularly. It's not every episode, but it does pop up quite a bit. And you can hear it occasionally here in the video.

Either way, I have gushed a lot about this show and there could be more to say, but I'll stop here. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to me is the best version. I love it's style and animation, I love this take on the characters and them as a family and their interactions, and I love this show's comedy. This is a show I can easily rewatch a lot and binge.

Honestly, the only thing for me that brings it down was that Nick cancelled it mid season 2, and they had to scramble to figure out a way to wrap up the show, so anything set up in s2 was dropped and cut (like Big Mama's Assistant) and I've heard that the s2 finale we got (taking on Shredder) was probably supposed to be the s3 finale, as the s2 finale was supposed to reveal there were more turtles and they got 2 sisters (presumably Venus de Milo and Jennika, which I would've loved to see how Rise would've done them). So it left s2 a little awkward to watch, but fully blame Nick for that.

There is a possibility that we may get more of Rise, if the show and movie did well on Netflix, and I was of the fans that binged the show and movie as much as I could. I do hope so as I genuinely love this show.

I hope this gave you some idea if you wanted to check out any TMNT cartoon, which Rise is the only one I can actually give a recommendation to as that's the one I love most. But it's not for everyone, and it can come down to how open you are to a show that really shakes things up. If you like animation, it'll at least give you a good time in terms of animated fight scenes.

If you, and anyone else reading this, decide to check out Rise, I hope you guys enjoy and have fun. I did.

Currently, s1 of Rise is on Netflix as is the movie, and I can confirm that you don't really need to watch the show to watch the movie. At most, you need to know they have mystical power. And forewarning, the movie is very dark.

[misteria247]

I’ve been looking for good crossover fics with tmnt 2018 and 2012 that doesn’t have any bashing and I’m so happy I came across yours! I love the idea of my two favorite blue boys becoming friends and of course the other counterparts getting along. I wanted to ask are the 2012 turtles gonna form a bond with their brothers counterparts as well and the same in vice versa. For example 2018 Mikey and 2012 Leo, how would their interactions be like? Would 2018 Mikey see 2012 Leo as another big brother who he goes to if he wants comfort or 2012 Leo being protective of Mikey like he is with his own Mikey.

I also love the idea of April Donnie and Casey being in a relationship with each other I can’t wait to see the rise turtles reaction to that especially Donnie’s. Seriously one of the best stories I’ve ever read *standing ovation* 👏👏👏

!!!!!!!!!! OMG I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU LIKE MY FIC SO FAR!!!! That honestly makes my evening fr fr!!!!

And to answer your questions, yes the 2012 boys will definitely be interacting with the other variations of their brothers!!! As much as I adore having them bonding with their counterparts I too want them to bond with the others as well so I'm definitely planning on it!!!

And personally the way I'm seeing how 12 Leo and Rise Mikey's relationship might go is 12 Leo would definitely become a bit protective of our favorite orange box turtle. It's practically in his nature to somewhat mother hen others including his own brothers so Rise Mikey would definitely receive the same treatment as 12 Leo's own brothers and friends. He'd also be somewhat spoiled much like how 12 Mikey is because no matter the universe Mikey is still his baby brother and once bonded enough 12 Leo would most certainly become fiercely protective of him. As for Rise Mikey he would definitely somewhat look up to the blue clad leader and see him as another older brother that he can go too. In fact Rise Mikey might in some kind of way see 12 Leo as the type of sibling that gives off that parental vibe, mainly mom vibes so he'd definitely go to 12 Leo for things like advice and whatnot. And like how Rise Mikey is fiercely protective of his own brothers 12 Leo would be included in this circle of people who Rise Mikey would throw hands for.

But that's just one possibility that could happen and how I personally see it happening lol.

AND YEAH BBY I'M PULLING OUT THE OT3 IN THIS FIC.

Because why make 12 April, 12 Donnie and 12 Casey fight when they all have a hand that can be held??? Plus their dynamic is so interesting and if played right would actually work really well. As for the Rise boys and Rise Donnie's reaction.....

That's a surprise for later. ;)

And awwwwww I really am ecstatic that you're enjoying my fic so much, seriously it makes me over the moon hearing that you as well as others enjoy and like it so much. So thank you Anon for reading my fic and for stopping by. :)